#also I just love insects and love that it gives each of the scholars a weird bug connection

[bornetoblood]

I’ve said it before I’ll say it again I LOVE the theory that Laurence is the bloodletting beast.

Lore implications aside the simple idea that this guy gets eaten by bugs… he returns to the dirt…. Man who thought he was above the gods become the puppet of a lowly parasitic worm…..

[fantomette22]

What are your headcanons dynamics in Byrgen class? Who was the smartest? Who was the president in the class. Who skipped classes? Who hated each other? Who was teacher's pet? Who allowed to copy their homework. I'm running out of questions but please do free form and share everything

OH!!! 👀 a question About the Byrgenwerth squad ?! For real!!!! Oh thank you!! I sure wanna talk about them quite a lot!

When I first got into bloodborne the first stories I imagined were about Byrgenwerth and all this little gang! Or like my friend Crow would call them… Willem’s lil troop (of future mass murderers and mentally ill people). My first multi chap fic about bloodborne that I’m trying to write is focus on the Byrgenwerth era too! So it would probably be more develop here in the very long run (writing is hard  Maria is not even at Byrgenwerth yet lmao💀) but I will still try to answer and put what I can think off here! 

I did talk about a few characters individually too so it could give a few infos but let’s go class dynamics!

But first here’s the list of who I imagined was at Byrgenwerth at that time.

As students: Caryll, Maria, Ludwig, Rom, Micolash, Damian (above class from them) & Charles (Cainhurst oc, above class) oh and the future forgotten madman and his escort.

Laurence is their theology and physiology teacher but he had a few class a few years earlier alongside Gehrman XD 

Gehrman, Dores & Liam : groundskeeper, graveyard and mr gatekeeper (the guy with the password). Ok Dores is super scary but if she likes you it's really good👍

Patches is a janitor who will eventually become a scholar after our favs students graduated. (He shouldn't be here in the first place XD)

and of course there’s Willem the provost, the headmaster.

The other characters I won’t cited are either not around to not born yet. Or not relevant for now.

I think Byrgenwerth is kinda an university so even if they have many classes not just in an amphitheater with hundred of students they can have classes with 20-40 students but it’s never the same ones depending the subject teach and the options of everyone. Yet there’s a few class when they can all be together x) so I don’t think they would had a class president? Idk I didn’t thought about it they probably had a representative. I guess Ludwig could make a great representative of the students? Idk

Ok so for the homework I did this meme a while ago XD

For the rest let’s start with Gehrman and Laurence who had a few classes together. Not lying I see Laurence trying to stay serious in front of the teachers (because he kinda live with Willem since a few years) but being absolutely a clown class actually XD  don’t listen all the time, skipped class, party hard and all at the beginning! Still he helped Gehrman when he had difficulties and he helped Laurence back by providing emotional support when he didn’t feel well. 

But hey he graduated become a teacher and is doing a doctorate so hey believed in your dreams XD

Now for the others. Smartest, I would say Caryll I think. A gifted child who skip at least one year (before Byrgen). They have an ability to understand things that is quite remarquable and really surprising. I mean they translated the runes! People have no idea how that make sense to them. Lil guy of the group everyone loved him. If your mean to them everyone is gonna kick your ass.

Poor Rom on the contrary is no really smart 😢 still she work really hard and try helped by her friends! + she have tons of knowledge on insects. Not useful all the times but when smn have a bug in room they always call Rom to help them XD

Those two could be the teacher pets too (Micolash tries too XD). Like I said everyone loves Caryll and Rom is basically Willem’s daughter in my headcanon.

Maria is also quite smart in a lot of subject (thanks Cainhurst eduction and her grand curiosity). She didn’t really had friends at the beginning, for some reason people didn’t like her and she hate to stay with the rich kids from cainhurst & other noble family (except like 1 or 2) that changed thankfully.

For Ludwig I think he would be average in most of the class yet maybe really good in a precise field.

Mico probably think he’s smarter than everyone XD sometime.

Damian he’s kinda the most normal students ever who’s tired of everything else the other get in trouble with..

About Charles now, an oc I created (but fit in the lore it’s a secret shhh) he have ties with Cainhurst and know Maria, Annalise and all since little. He’s in an upper class (he’s older like Damian) kinda the cool popular guy who tried not to cause to much trouble but still a little. Do a lot of party with the « cool annoying kids » you know u_u still he’s better than them XD from Maria saying. Always been here if she needed help.

Omg Caryll Maria and Ludwig dynamic can be resumed like this :

Laurence : why when something happened it’s always you 3.

They got in trouble with eldritch entities while trying to train to go tomb prospecting it’s not their fault! XD

See those drawings too.

They were supposed to train with Dores & Gehrman to go tomb prospecting and… It end well I swear XD

About the. Future forgotten madman & escort this 2 are always together and get into troubles quite often.

Other dynamics :

Gehrman is like the big brother of the group. I don’t wanna hear other wise. That made him really anxious but at least he had a purpose and smt else to do with his life ❤️ babysit 7 crazy scholars is hard yes. But he’s crazier actually so idk what’s worse really.

Also he’s supposed to guard the campus at night but can’t bring himself to be to angry at students who don’t respect the rules XD he did lecture for 2-5mins future forgotten madman & escort because they came back from the forest and climb a wall or smt XD but hey Caryll is allowed to stare at the lake at like 2am because they can’t sleep no problem XD Gehrman do the same to so smt they talk a bit!

Caryll & Rom : they share a braincells. Either they don’t understand what the hell is going on or they’re enlightened with knowledge.

Rom & Caryll & Maria really get along well! The more calm little group too (Yes the 3 boys= Ludwig Mico & Damian are more messy and loud for exemple)

Maria & Ludwig : ok so this one is funny, I hc Ludwig is coming from a rich family. And I was inspired by a few fics where they had class together and Ludwig wonder if she can stand him or not but actually she sit next to him because well she do stand him XD 

I imagined not long ago how they become friend kinda! You see they had prospector training & a few class together but don’t really talk a lot. Then they got invited to the cool kids party in Yharnam; Problem : because of some « incidents » in the pthumerians labyrinth there’s a curfew at Byrgenwerth. So they need to came back not too late. «Yeah we’ll call a carriage for the ones who got back ! » they didn’t call a carriage.

So you got Maria and Ludwig who decided to return at Byrgenwerth in the middle of the night and having a lil walk in the forest. They don’t really have the choice and it’s better to not go alone so they do the route together. It’s a bit awkward at first but they begin to talk and all. They got along well. They arrived late of course. Ludwig thought Gehrman was going to freaking yell at them or smt (he didn’t know him well and the groundskeeper is intimidating at first) but no, he just told them to be more careful or they could get into trouble x) 

Yeah thankfully Maria was already friend with him XD kinda become friends the same way he became friends with Laurence but anyway… (he tried to plant flowers heh asks her opinion on it and she explain a few stuff in botany XD) also they just casually went hunting in the woods on day XD yes prospector training ahaha

To get back to Ludwig and Maria, on their 2nd year at Byrgenwerth she bring her horse and she allowed Ludwig to pass some time with him go and ride and all. Ludwig show her an old picture of the pony he had when he was a kid. On group project either they get to excited and fail XD but succeed the 2nd time generally.

Mico & Rom and Damian : almost inseparable. The 2 boys kinda assign themself at her best friends/bodyguard or smt XD

And you can be sure Mico & Maria would argue a lot if they had a chemical exercice to do together or smt.

And what about them all together as a group dynamic hm? Well either they're genius or a mess XD yep they end up in danger. Again. During prom night!!! Gasp :O

And in last, sometimes there’s free (class) conferences held by Willem or other teachers and they can all assist to it! Yes even Gehrman and Laurence. It’s quite fun x) Quite a mess but fun.

Hope you enjoy! I probably forgot a few things but I hope it will do for now. It’s hm more focus on and the students first & beginning of the 2nd years/5 at Byrgenwerth of the students too. Sorry for the lil delay too last days were a bit busy!

[piraticoctopus]

Y’all wanna know how my train of thoughts work like 24/7? I had a big nerd mind expansion moment while trying to organize my Hollow Knight thoughts where I pulled out my entomology textbook because I was thinking about eusocial insect societies (ants, honey bees, termites)— and when I typed out a description of them in a way that pointed out how messed up it is when you give it morals (in short, I described them as producing a “self-sacrificing, unthinking, emotionless, will-lacking army”), I was like “woah, wait a minute, no mind to think”, and I realized I don't really know all that much about termites or how their societies/genetics differ from hymenopterans (ants, bees, and wasps), but I knew they DO have a king, so I looked into it more and then did a deep dive into reading scientific papers about caste determination and colony structure and then when I went to find a diagram of it—

*fucking x-files theme plays with a dramatic zoom-in*

TLDR; the Pale King’s basically a termite.

Supporting info and other interesting (to me!) facts about termites below the cut:

(Here’s the publication that diagram is from in case anyone wants to read about queen termite reproductive strategies lmao)

Termites are monogamous until one of the pair dies. Queens can produce new queens through parthenogenesis (making babies without a male, so 100% of their genes are from her, but they aren’t necessarily straight clones). So if she needs to she can make a bunch of younger versions of herself.

I googled “are termites monogamous” for confirmation and forgot to specify Google Scholar and there is... so much going on here

Some reproductives are meant to leave the colony to start new ones, and thus have wings (and are called “alates”). Their wings are shimmery and very pretty and like twice the length of their bodies so all those headcanons where people give PK wings are valid.

Irrelevant to my point, but interesting: Unlike hymenopterans, in which males are haploid (only have one copy of each gene), termite males are diploid (have two copies, which is standard in most animals). Honey bees have some weird genetic fuckery because of that which results in the females (all diploid) of a colony sharing an average of 75% of their genes with each other (average full-sibling relatedness is 50%).

Also unlike ants and honey bees, the males don’t fuck off and die after mating. In those groups, the queen can mate once and then produce fertile eggs whenever she feels like it, but in termites the king sticks around and they just... constantly go at it, I guess. (Which, considering that being isolated and bound is enough to keep the WL from making more kids, maybe this one is a point in my favor.)

Workers and soldiers can be either male or female, unlike ants/bees where all workers are female, but are kept sterile via pheromones, so they’re functionally all kept neutral.

Some soldiers produce acids and will straight-up explode themselves during warfare, or use their massive heads to physically block tunnels from intruders, and commit numerous other acts that would violate the Geneva Conventions. Bugs have no morals and by our standards they’re all dirty little sinners running around committing war crimes.

I read something about mass burial pits, but couldn’t find more information on it other than that they exist??

Their architectural skills are incredible. The craftsmanship! You’ve got the classic “cathedral” style towers typically associated with termite mounds (largely constructed from shit, btw— maybe that’s why Ogrim is a fav), but some species apparently make “cartons” (papery nests) up on tree trunks.

Termites love wood. PK’s wife is a tree.

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write Day 2

Aberrant - departing from an accepted standard OR diverging from the normal type.

CONTENT WARNING: asshole parents denigrating their child with sexually charged language

"Master? A letter arrived for you."

Ahldblaet Fyrilberksyn looked up from the stack of documents with an irritated expression at the servant who'd interrupted him, a hyuran male of fair skin and hair.  "Well, boy? Who is it from then? Twelve save you if this isn't worth interrupting my very important work!"

The man went even paler. "I....I don't know, master. The envelope was not signed. The post markings indicate that it originated in Eorzea, but otherwise the only marking is that of a small green axe. I don't know..."

Ahldblaet's eyes, normally perpetually narrowed due to being deep set in his face, widened in shock. "Give that here!" he shouted. "And be gone with you!"

The servant scurried over to Ahldblaet's massive desk and practically dropped the envelope on the nearest corner before fleeing with all haste, as though for his life. Ahldblaet immediately snatched it from the stack of parchment it had fallen on and inspected the markings that the servant had mentioned.

"Husband?" a voice called from the side door that led from his office further into the home.  Said door opened and a shorter Roegadyn woman stepped through, her ash-colored skin in marked contrast to the sea-blue dress she wore. Her dark grey hair framed a face that wore an annoyed expression. "What is all this bellowing about? You are disturbing my guests. It is...unseemly."

Ahldblaet turned his severe gaze upon the new entrant. He was tall and exceptionally broad, a picture of strength in his youth, but his body had taken on a measure of fat in his older age and more sedentary work. Despite this, and his balding head of hair, his steely eyed expression still cowed many of the people he dealt with on a day to day basis. "It would seem, wife, that the enormous investment we have paid into those mercenaries we dispatched to Eorzea may have finally borne fruit. This is a missive their leader sent me. After our last communication I told him, in no uncertain terms, not to contact me until he had something of note to report. Unless he has foolishly ignored my orders, this would mean he has something."

The woman was not cowed, having long becoming immune to her husband's glares. Impatiently she gestured to the envelope. "Well, open it then, you great oaf!  Maybe we will finally learn where our daughter vanished to!"

Ahldblaet tore the envelope and removed the missive inside. He began to read aloud, knowing from prior experience if he did not, his wife would snatch the paper from his hands mid-sentence. She was not a patient one.

"Masters Ahldblaet Fyrilberksyn and Lady Usynwyda Holaszirnwyn,

I am please to report that after much time and hard work on the part of the Emerald Marauders, we have located your wayward daughter. Furthermore, we have determined the reasoning as to why she evaded both us and every previous mercenary company your lordship sent to retrieve her

First, your daughter is no longer using her given name of Syhrwyda Ahldblaetwyn. Asking after that name yielded no results, aside from the merchants who recognized it only as pertaining to you. By sheer luck, we eventually stumbled across a Roegadyn language scholar who knew the translation of her first name and directed us to an adventurer known as 'Fearless Willow', one of the Warriors of Light.

I am hoping the story of the Warriors of Light does not require an explanation for your lordship, but I will remind you that these people are slayers of godlike beings who regularly enslave the minds of mortals around them, have engaged massive numbers of Garlean soldiers and magitek armor, defeated Imperial Legatuses in single combat (including the Crown Prince), and decisively ended a thousand-year war between a dragon horde and the nation of Ishgard.

From there, we set out to determine if this woman and your daughter are one and the same. It is well known that one of the Warriors of Light is in fact a Roegadyn woman, but we needed to be certain. Adventurers are often well traveled and thanks to the Aetheryte network, difficult to track. Your descriptions were also primarily of the physical sort, which did not help, as appearances are easy enough to change.

We caught a break in speaking to one of the mercenary crews you'd previously hired. Many of them had been either entirely wiped or or reduced in numbers to the degree that they'd disbanded. What few remained refused to speak with us once it became clear who we were tracking. One particular mercenary of an Ala Mhigan band (known as the Graybear Den, which if you recall abruptly returned your payment and refused the contract) however, let slip some valuable information after our agents plied him with enough drink. Once he realized who we were speaking of, he grew agitated and swore he would never help us find 'the Warrior o' Light". It would seem the Graybears believe they owed a measure of loyalty to the Warriors of LIght for their instrumental parts in liberating their homeland.

It was, however, enough. Once we determined that your daughter and this Warrior of Light were in fact one and the same, we began looking for ways to isolate her and take her prisoner. Unfortunately this has proven extremely difficult. As they are involved in affairs that affect the entirety of the star, the Warriors of Light are often on the move, moreso than normal adventurers. Furthermore, as I have mentioned, they are peerless warriors, often in each other's company or those of their fellow Scions of the Seventh Dawn. If you don't know the order, suffice to say they are Warriors and Scholars both who labor on behalf of all peoples to defend the world against tyranny and false gods. They are exceptionally successful in this regard. The Scions often meet and collaborate with the leaders of various powers on this continent, who are often accompanied by their own soldiers or bodyguards.

We have remained patient however, and managed to catch a glimpse of her. As I mentioned was likely, she has extensively changed her appearance. Her hair is now of a longer cut and nearly all black, with only highlights of the teal you had mentioned remaining. She has also taken to wearing dark makeup.

We have also determined that unlike her fellow Warriors of Light, she does not dwell in the Scion's headquarters. Instead, she has taken to living in the Hingashi port city of Kugane, where she has a modest home in the district of the city reserved for foreigners.

Finally, and you may wish to brace her ladyship for this part, she does not live there alone. Our spies have reported that her home is occupied by two other women, and their observations of them interacting within the city indicates that the three of them are lovers

We believe that this is our best shot at capturing her, but the price for her return to you has just doubled.

You are doubtless shaking with rage, but you hired us to retrieve a woman that you led us to believe would provide minimal resistance. Even isolated from the other Scions in Kugane, we believe we will face extreme resistance in this job. For starters, your daughter has mastered several forms of combat, including the ways of the Hingashi samurai, the axe-masters of Abalathia's Spine, and the art of thaumaturgy. She is also known to wield the Sharlayan art of Astrology, and has mastered a form of dance from Radz-at-Han that wields circular blades with deadly precision.

Furthermore, Fearless Willow is a known and loved name within the borders of Kugane, despite being a foreigner in a city that remains neutral to all concerns beyond their borders. She was instrumental in aiding their geomancers in repelling an attack from a fox-like beast known as 'Kinko' and she also trained alongside the Sekiseigumi (the samurai order that enforces the laws of the city, brutally so) and helped them put down a rebellion from within their own ranks. One of her lovers is a high ranking member of the Sekiseigumi. The other is a member of her dance troupe who is on an extended tour in the city. She is every bit as deadly in the art as Fearless is.

The point is that, even isolated from the other Scions, many people will rush to her aid. We expect heavy resistance and significant losses. The original reward will not suffice to cover this.

We will not move forward with this operation until we have your confirmation of acceptance of the new price. And we suggest you hurry, as events brewing suggest your daughter will soon be called back to the fight, at which point it is impossible to tell when we will have another opportunity

Cmdr Guji Pokiji Chief Executive, Emerald Marauders  

Ahldblaet set the letter on his desk, shaking with rage as he looked to his wife."How DARE that miniscule INSECT think to extort us?? A Warrior of Light, indeed. As if our useless fool of a daughter has the brains to take on even one sort of combat discipline, much less five! How gullible does he THINK us to be?"

Usynwyda nodded, a disgusted sneer on her face. "The NERVE of her, to merely toss aside the name we chose for her, only to refer to herself in the....ugh...common tongue! Still, the name cannot be a coincidence. Whatever other lies that little gnat undoubtedly told, this is the best lead we have had on Syhrwyda since she ran away."

"It is. And if they are not all lies, then it is all the more imperative we retrieve her before word of any of this gets out among our enemies. The very idea that she would toss aside the husband we painstakingly chose for her after careful selection and delicate negotiation in favor of laying with another woman, much less two! I worried she would do stupid things, but this level of degeneracy, of abberance? It is unconscionable!"

Usynwyda shuddered. "We cannot let this get out. I can never face any of the ladies if they should learn my daughter has become no better than some...common whore. We must marry her off to the Greinmyrgan boy with all haste before she does any further damage to us, to the company."

Ahldblaet scribbled furiously. "I am already writing orders to have our ship made ready and for our elite guards to prepare for a journey. We will find her and we end this nonsense."

Far away, in Kugane, the Warrior of Light known as Fearless Willow shuddered as she prepared to fall asleep. She had no ping from the Echo, no signal from her finely honed danger sense to explain it, but she definitely felt as if trouble was heading her way, and no idea what it might be.

[iimanga]

The Whole Marvelous Super Ultra Cosmic Magical Comic Book Universe

The produce of imagination and business that was Marvel Comics was a synchronic harmony sounded by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and every one of the creators and craftsmen and inkers and colorists who worked there. Everything began during the mid 1960's the point at which the Fantastic Four and Spider-man and the X-men (The Uncanny X-Men) were framed from the creative mind of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

X-men was a film industry crush the previous summer. I'm certain you additionally recall the profoundly effective Hulk TV show.

The most punctual X-men comprised of Jean (Marvel Girl) Gray (who later turned into the amazingly well known Phoenix), Professor X (Xavier), Cyclops (Scott Summers), the insightful Beast (Hank McCoy), and Iceman (Bobbie). Freaks brought into the world with exceptional "super-freak" capacities.

Later came the New Mutants with more youthful characters having freak controls that occasionally appeared to have them (the main sort of comic book story I don't care for).

These characters from X-men including (Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm, Banshee, Kitty) advanced with the appearance of the imagination of John Byrne (beginning in issue #108 of X-men) and Chris Claremont (Giant Sized X-men #1 and Uncanny X-men #94 now esteemed at $500. up in "mint" condition. The most famous person was the principle star in the X-men film- - Wolverine. There makes certain to be a continuation for this film industry crush.

X-men Comics instructed kids that bias is shrewd. Individuals who live in dread and in this way eagerness attempt to annihilate what they don't comprehend.

Fascinating that both the latest Star Wars film and X-men film truly investigated lawmakers (Congress). In the event that force undermines totally is it conceivable our framework is totally bad? The Senator in the X-men film took in his example somewhat late.

Insect man- - the new Marvel film in progress - is about a typical young child anxiety (menaces thumping him, not getting any darlings, skin break out, etc is gentle stuff contrasted with the present school encounters -, for example, not having chance and killed while going to or going to the everyday schedule lured by a destructive medication or tainted by a stellar infection) is only nibbled by a radioactive bug (revolutionary stuff for the mid 1960's).

This gives Peter Parker super powers- - creepy crawly controls - whenever intensified a man could lift a truck and convey it 20 miles as insects do. (Try not to get me going discussing Henry Pym the Antman who became Giant Man in the Marvel's Avengers ((Capt. America, Thor the Thunder God etc.))). Add to that Peter Parker was likewise a splendid understudy who had the option to concoct a web shooter and other extraordinary innovations. What's more, Spider-man was brought into the world as a bi-result of the bi-item known as radioactive material (which Science actually doesn't have the foggiest idea how to dispose of). (Take a stab at telling that to the Bush organization). Everything is energy! Recall Tesla curls.

However, Marvel was not by any means the only spot strutting superpowered characters.

D.C. Funnies (Time Warner), as well, used folklore and accounts of Biblical extents to entrain, invigorate and energize ages of youngsters, children and grown-ups from the 1940's to introduce.

A few characters like Superman, Atom, Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, JLA and others and even D.C's. adaptation of Capt. Wonder might have been propelled by profound writing which recounted Hindu Gods and Goddesses and surprisingly Biblical personages who could remain in fire and so forth

Contents and Wit

Superheroes: starting through human creative mind and from writing, folklore, religion.

However most likely comic makers just made up their wondrous stories.

When I talked with Gerry Conway for the Comics Journal he conceded to me that he had investigated a portion of the funnies he composed. Conway's companion accomplice Roy Thomas no question investigated Conan and Thor and other material while author and supervisor at Marvel. They cooperated on the incredible enlivened Fire and Ice film. (Ralph Bakshi/Frank Frazetta).

Also, at first Thomas got the Conan property over to Marvel from Edgar Rice Burroughs in Tarzana, CA. (Tarzana- - Tarzan...get it? That's right, it also is a comic.)

More seasoned society know and love the endless Films and TV shows and serials highlighting these and other most loved brilliant characters: Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Commander Cody (which might have enlivened the Rocketeer comic and film).

COMIC BOOKS - Born by the sheer exhurberance of the actual Universe through the vehicle of the Human Being!

The Comic Industry is an analogy forever. An inestimable dramatization unfurling. In any case, not to place old wine into new containers: Many occasions in the past Marvel and D.C. have joined to do specials that helps the play of imagination. I initially met Stan Lee while I was the administrator of a Comic Book Store in Studio City, California in the 1970's.

Or then again, more precisely, I met him through his works at Marvel Comics - his exceptional contents and mind in 1961.

Exceptionally astute association with the fans through clubs and letter sections in bygone times caused one to feel like one was a piece of something. With Merry Marvel "we had a place."

Stan Lee's accounts contained genuine person's, finished with issues and the start of incredible groundbreaking thoughts and standards for carrying on with a decent life.

As when Spider-man didn't stop a Burglar - a similar Burglar who later killed his caring Uncle- - Peter Parker (Spider-man) got the message - serve humankind. With extraordinary force comes liability.

Furthermore, obligation is the capacity to react.

Energizing anecdotal stories loaded with experience and energy with ethics. Outlined lavishly.

Wonder Super characters were at first looked on by society as trouble makers. Even subsequent to saving human butt large number of times.

J. Jonah Jameson (modest Editor of the Daily Bugle paper) has abhorred Spider-person for more than 30 years. Jameson really attempted to annihilate Spider-man by turning into a super reprobate.

Adrenaline junkie (blind Attorney yet Batman-esque in capacities and actual strength and spryness - however with uplifted faculties) the Man unafraid was regularly marked a scalawag too from the start.

Similar to the always well known Incredible Hulk - first deified as a comic book during the 1960's. Who went from dull and idiotic to approach virtuoso relying upon the decade where this suffering person is perused.

What we dread we regularly view as shrewd.

Funnies have attempted to instruct us that the means are pretty much as significant as the finishes they produce.

What we do en route decides the outcome we will get. Funnies are distributed in light of the fact that a word sounds great to the distributer. However, a portion of these new youthful free distributers need to find out about the significance inside these words (thus do their clients). However, more capacity to these ambitious youths.

What is Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, Mantra? What is Zen? (One youthful upstart distributer of "Harmony - intergalactic Ninja" had never known about Alan Watts - incredible advertiser of Zen until I let him know Alan Watts was a renowned and famous scholar turned maverick Philosopher and Author (one of many) liable for acquainting Eastern Religions with the profoundly starved West- - frequently heard on KPFK radio. Alan Watts is potentially the chief advertiser of Zen. Watts' book " The Wisdom of Insecurity," specifies, for goodness' sake, Comic Books. What are Chakras? The Tao implies what? When children grow up and find out with regards to Meditation will they be spoiled by our ineptitude and insatiability?

Trendy expressions ordinarily lower cognizance and create turmoil. Obviously when I use to distribute stuff as a young person I made up names that sounded great however had almost no significance, for example, Beyond Infinity, مانجا لاند, Eon the Magazine of Graphic Illusions. I know less now than I did then, at that point. What is make, craftsmanship, Love, Truth?

I held a few signature parties with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 1970's and 1980's. I tossed more than 50 effective signature parties with numerous awesome comic book specialists and authors. I'd have the occasion, give rewards, do all the publicizing, realistic workmanship, official statements, and so forth It was an invigorating encounter. It was enjoyable to cooperate with professionals and fans. I parted with a ton of free promotion stuff.

10th Nebula's first signature party was held with Stan Lee, distributer of Marvel Comics. For a considerable length of time my shop suffered in North Hollywood, CA nearby to the world's most seasoned Science Fiction Club (an inherent crowd of companions and fans and PC monsters).

The Stan Lee occasion evoked long queues of Comic Book devotees of any age slobbering for Stan's mark on the sprinkle page of their old and new funnies. These days experts sign funnies on the front of their title en mass which I don't support. (Yet, who pays attention to me).

Funnies structures are frequently manhandled by hopeful youthful distributers who utilize a few pointless full page sprinkles when the impact could be accomplished in a minuscule board - misuse of cash, ink and paper if you were to ask me. Not at all like bygone times when Steve Ditko gave us our best possible value as around 6 boards for each page - he in his manner resembled a Zen Master - the accuracy of his work matched the craft of Chinese Calligraphy (see his one of a kind style in old Atlas Comics from the 1950's). A portion of the new experimentation's by Frank Miller and different gifts have all accomplished outstandingly imaginative work as well.

[noonymoon]

JUSTICE FOR JESUS — Misconceptions & Prejudices about the Faith in the Biblical Jesus Christ.

PART ONE: Christianity is not a Religion, it is God‘s plan to redeem mankind and have a relationship with us forever

I‘ve used to think that Jesus is about Religion, Church, Pastors, Dogma. When you look around in the world it makes sense: Everyone believes something different, all faiths are entirely valid for the people who practice them. Of course you throw Christianity in the same pot as Islam and Judaism, they‘re called „the Abrahamic Religions“ (because Abraham was the father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, and Jacob is „Israel“, but also Abraham was the father of Ishmael who was only born because Abraham and Sara didn‘t put their faith in God to have a child like God promised, they were impatient and didn‘t have faith, because Sara was already old and could actually not get pregnant anymore, so Sara suggested that Abraham should have a child with Hagar, the handmaiden of Sara; and from Ishmael‘s lineage basically the Arabs and Islam came along, since God had promised to make a great nation out of Abraham, this blessing went worth to both sons of Abraham) - so basically YES, Jews and Christians worship the same God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as it is written all over the Old and New Testament. The only difference is that Christianity has been infiltrated by Satan a loooong time ago, and Judaism (for the most part) rejects Jesus as their Messiah, even though Jesus was prophesied from the FIRST LETTER of the FIRST WORD of the FIRST BOOK of the Bible/Torah FOR the Jews! When he finally arrived FOR the Jews, the Gospel (the message of Salvation) was preached to ONLY Jews for 7 years (3 and a half years of Jesus‘ ministry, 3 and a half years after His death preached by His Apostles) and only THEN (after the Jews for the most part rejected the Gospel and persecuted everyone who believed in Jesus; our best example for this is the Apostle Paul who was actually Sha‘ul; he was formerly an extremely Jewish Pharisee who relentlessly persecuted Christians but then Jesus Himself appeared in a vision to Him and asked Him „Why are you persecuting me?“ and by seeing Jesus‘ glory and majesty, He was born-again and wrote ~70% of the New Testament) God decided to spread the message of Salvation to Greeks/Gentiles as well, because He wants to save all humans, and His chosen people would not do the work that He hoped they would. God‘s priority was always Israel until they have entirely rejected the Salvation that is ONLY found in God‘s Son, the Messiah, the Anointed One: Jesus Christ. Gladly there are a lot of messianic Jews nowadays who do their best to bring Israel‘s saviour to the Jewish people, just like it was supposed to be.

Every single Religion or Faith that there is that does not teach that you can find Salvation in Jesus Christ, the literal Son of God, will not give you peace, love and the Truth, will not give you Eternal Life (and if „Heaven“ and „Eternal Life“ sounds too ethereal for you try „different non-linear dimension“ and „consciousness transferred into a spiritual body“ - because THAT‘S how it was supposed to be before our Earth fell into a linear timeline, away from God‘s presence) and that‘s just how it is. There are tons of Religions, Faiths, even pretty much ALL Christian denominations and all the Christian cults, each one of them has a different way of denying the only thing that leads to Salvation: Jesus is the LITERAL only-begotten Son of the one true God & He died for our sins & was raised to life again by God the Father. Satan literally tries in ANY way possible to deny the LITERAL Sonship of Christ whose Father is God Almighty, YHWH. [...by the way, if you believe in that Zecharia Sitchin nonsense, please visit http://sitchiniswrong.com/ - by an ACTUAL scholar of Biblical Hebrew and of Ancient Semitic Languages]. And for the people who don‘t even bother with Jesus at all, he developed a plethora of options, to believe in something else, his first and only goal is to keep people away from Jesus, and he literally does not care how he accomplishes it. Every single Faith that does not lead to Jesus and into the Kingdom of God, has its roots in Ancient Babylon and leads into the Kingdom of Darkness. There are literally only two options, and that’s the absolute Truth, no matter if “truth” today is a “subjective matter for everyone”; that’s exactly what Satan wanted to achieve, and he sure did it. People are always extremely offended when Christians claim to have the only true God, the One who brought all things into existence despite the circumstance that they don‘t even believe in the FACT that we were brought into existence by this one God through Jesus Christ (who is the „Word of God“, and as you all know „God said: Let there be light, and there was Light“ - basically God spoke things into existence BY his Word, and his word IS Jesus Christ, the Son of God).

People rather believe in an extremely ridiculous and propagated concept of a „Big Bang“ that caused things to just „happen over time“, that our Earth is millions or billions of years old, that it is sheer „luck“ that we can survive because if we were just a tiny bit closer or less close to the Sun we would either burn up or freeze, that we evolved from ape-like men who were not very intelligible, that our extreme complex languages also probably evolved from ape-like sounds (you have no idea how ridiculous all of this sounds, when you are awake, I can‘t even type it without putting it in „quotation marks“, and you literally can NOT UNSEE the Devil’s work once your eyes have been opened) when there is literally an abundance of undeniable evidence that the Creation by an intelligent and brilliant God is a LOT more plausible; or let‘s say: there is a LOT of evidence that the public narrative is simply a deception (for example, tons of GIANT human bones have been found since at least the 1800s but of course not a single person informs us about stuff like this, and of course we don‘t make an effort to research it, because we‘re all brainwashed until we realize the Truth; people who study their Bible know EXACTLY who these giants were and they also know exactly who all those other spiritual entities are which we see in Mythology from ancient cultures) - and when the public narrative is a deception, the only logical conclusion is that something different must be true. And which book contains the entire story from the very Beginning to the very End of humankind, which fulfilled a massive amount of prophecy throughout human history 100% accurate, and is by „sheer conincidence“ the most translated and printed book of ALL time? Exactly! The Bible!

„In the beginning (TIME) God created the heavens (SPACE) and the earth (MATTER)“ — Genesis 1:1 

(parantheses added)

Isn‘t it AMAZING how the inspired Word of God through the Prophets conveys complex scientific concepts in only a little sentence? THAT‘S how incredible God is! He is a Mastermind and good beyond ANYTHING. Sadly Satan has accomplished that the world sees our Creator like a hateful, narrow-minded, strict and arrogant Ruler who just wants to dominate us and put His Religion on us, but that could not be further away from the Truth. God, in fact, HATES Religion, all He ever wanted is to be loved by His people, acknowledged by His people and praised by His people (and honestly, He DESERVES praise for Everything He has done for us and for Everything that He is!) .. And then of course, you can look all around in nature! I swear, being born-again is like being a child again, before this world and our „education“ brainwashes you. When I walk outside, I just MARVEL at God‘s handiwork, it‘s literally AMAZING. When I look at flowers, veggies, fruits, animals, insects of all kinds (I even lost my fear of spiders and wasps and even hornets, it‘s just amazing to look at them), when I taste different kind of nuts, herbs and spices (by the way, isn‘t it amazing how there‘s a herb or plant for every health issue a human can have, just like the Bible says? if we really evolved from a Big Bang to THIS, how do we explain the miraculous powers of all of these things? Have they just „happened“...?) look at the funny shapes of everything; everything just blows my mind, it‘s incredible. Someday I really want to ask God what He thought when He created Romanesco Broccoli because each time I see that thing, I just marvel at its weirdness and beauty. The world is just so ridiculously beautiful and NO ONE can see it except born-again Christians (I‘m really excited for eternal Life because this Creation is in a fallen state and the Bible says that the actual glory of the actual Creation is even more magnificent, WHOA...!!!) and I sometimes literally cry because it‘s SO SAD what Satan has made us believe about our planet, about ourselves, about literally everything. And why? Just because he hates Jesus, he hates God and he most certainly hates EVERYONE else, you, me, everyone. He loves only himself and he doesn‘t care if he‘s robbing us from the most astonishing experience ever: Life! He enslaves us through spiritual warfare to desires that we would naturally not have (social status, money, power, career, material objects of all sorts, fame, success, other people no matter how toxic they are for our health, drugs, likings and addictions of all kinds, literally ANYTHING can be the work of spiritual warfare) and makes us believe on top of that that we‘re just a bunch of random Apes in a random world, that our purpose is to make money and survive in a society that grows more and more into cold robots each year, only so that at the end, we die, never knew Jesus, and perish in Hell with him. It‘s literally the saddest thing EVER.

So yes, „Religious Freedom“ is a thing; everyone CAN believe whatever they want and feel drawn to, but ONLY born-again believers in Jesus Christ will live with God forever and ever in a different dimension that is not bound to time. Just like God wanted to live with us from the very beginning! We are His masterpiece of creation! Did you know that we are more cherished than angels? He sent his LITERAL SON to die for us, ALL of us, just so that we can live with God! Isn‘t that incredible??? I’m just absolutely in Love with God and Jesus and I’ve never thought that I’d EVER say this, growing up as an Atheist and then, over 2 years deceived in a spiritual bubble that is not even real.

My prayer is that the people who are written in the book of Life and belong to God’s kingdom find Jesus Christ, and experience His Love, because once you have, there is not a single day that is sad or empty, not a single day that seems pointless, you will have peace and a blessed hope for eternity to come. Amen.

TESTIMONIES

From Buddha to Christ. Powerful Testimony.

Chinese Triad Gangster Finds Jesus In Death Encounters

SATANISM, WITCHCRAFT, DRUGZ, DEPRESSION this is my testimony

"New Age" Occult Practices Nearly Ruined My Life | Warning & Testimony

Raves, drugs, vanity, new age to Jesus Christ | My Testimony

[thetradeway]

Session 45 12 Jun 2021: “We’ll have to send off for a new goblin.”

Ed is unavailable, and Duncan is still having internet troubles.

Right - we’re doing an investigation. Guests’ names, how did they come to be on board, where are they heading, what did they do to the Captain. Has Lolo had any strange visitors to the kitchen? (I suppose Tarragon would already know if she had…)

Mina is debating eating her doritos, but her mute button doesn’t work so we advise against it. Sophie says that she and Matthew would be eating crunchy apples and lettuce but they’re polite so they’re having pizza instead. Joe suggests putting the apples and lettuce into a smoothie; Sophie likes this idea, but Matthew starts to go purple at the thought of cancelling the pizza.

Duncan turns up, hooray! There’s some talk about Just Eat, and Marilyn Manson. Matthew has been letting insects loose in his laboratory, apparently.

Should Sophie pilot Gideon? Oooh, yes, that would be a good idea. At the end of last session Ardvack was malingering, wasn’t he? Well, he was leaking. He thinks there might have been an organ on show. (Not that one, dirty.) We all tease him about how much he complains; he goes to the sick bay with his nose in a sling.

We remember what he said at the end of last session, right? Yes, he made mention of the ‘honoured one’ the sahuagin were supposed to avoid killing. They also said ‘those who are eaten should shut up’ so we presume that it’s not any of us. What sort of dinner were the captain and guests having, were they all eating together? Yes, they were. Aegea says we can use the Captain's quarters to interview the guests one by one if we want.

Kessler asks if Tarragon can talk to Lolo; yes, she can. Kessler gives Ardvack a potion; her third unselfish act. She’s growing as a goblin. Or not - he’s already gone to the sick bay, and going after him sounds too much like hard work.

Ahleqs goes to find Charity and ask him if he wants to participate in the interrogation of the guests; he is still poking his intestines back in and making use of the ship’s hit dice.

We all decide to do different things. Kessler and Melaina want to search the guests’ rooms while they’re being interviewed. Kessler spends ten minutes deciding what to do about her armour, if she wants to sneak. We could use Simon to keep an eye out as he’s Ahleqs’ familiar, so the sneakers know when each guest is returning to their rooms? They decide to pretend to be unwell after the fight and return to their cabins so they are handily placed for sneaking.

We have six paying customers on board. Some are nobles, some are merchants. All single occupants, no couples.

Human scholar, a halfling noble, an elf noblewoman, an elderly human woman, a dwarfish merchant and a gnomish tinkerer.

We ask for the human scholar first; Aegea shows her into the Captain’s quarters to be interrogated by Ardvack, Ahleqs, Tarragon and Gideon. Ardvack starts rifling through the Captain’s desk. Tarragon begins the questioning by asking if the scholar has seen anything strange on board.

Usha Solomon says this is her first time on a ship, so she doesn’t know what would be normal and what out of the ordinary. Gideon asks if she has had any contact with sah- sagu- saug- fish people. She says no, she’s never seen any. She grew up in Shah, and came north to study Uthgardt tribes. She’s on her way to Candlekeep, after the tribes turned her away and she was lucky to escape with her life. Gideon makes an Insight check - a 22. He’s fairly certain she’s telling the truth. She’s young, and looks excited to be here. She doesn’t have much of a sense of what went on up on deck.

On the deck below, Melaina and Kessler make Perception checks - Kessler rolls a 1. Melaina gets a 13. They think Aegea led someone out of the last cabin on the left, so they ‘see to it in a sneaky fashion’. Now Kessler rolls a nat 20, yeah! They both make Perception checks as they go. Melaina rolls a nat20. (It’s a rollercoaster in here today). She can smell a chemical and see puffs of smoke coming out of a room on the other side - not the one they’re heading for.

Usha’s room is not locked; Melaina pushes it open. Her cabin is less schmancy, so she probably hasn’t paid as much as the others to be here. They start rifling through her possessions. Melaina finds a lot of books, including two or three that are a bit battered and have seen some action. In them, Usha writes about the tribes of barbarians she’s been studying. She’s also been reading up on the myths surrounding them in another book. Kessler finds another book hidden in a barrel, wrapped in leather; it’s filled with folk stories and songs. It’s in a strange dialect of the Common language. Kessler rolls a 1 on her History check, but Melaina recognises it as originating with the Shah people. (It could perhaps be Usha’s ticket in to Candlekeep.)

There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of incriminating evidence as far as the sahuagin attack.

Any more questions from those in the Captain’s quarters? We are muttering like judges on The Voice. Either she’s the world’s best liar, or she’s not who we’re looking for. (There are some Standard Nottingham Noises. Instead of birdsong and squirrels, Duncan gets sirens.)

She is disembarking at Baldur’s Gate and would be up for travelling with us to Candlekeep. Safety in numbers, right? She asks us to come and get us if we see another shark; Tarragon agrees enthusiastically. Ahleqs has a little sit down so he can go into Simon and alert the sneakers. Simon finds the closest of the two and bites her on the toe. Usha ascends the steps and leaves the quarters; Ardvack continues to rifle through the Captain’s desk. He rolls a 7 for Investigation. He does find a great big pile of love letters he’s been sent, that have been shoved in the drawer. Ardvack starts to read them.

Aegea puts her head in and asks if we’re ready for the next one. We are; Tarragon recognises the halfling as a Lightfoot. He takes us all in, twiddling his moustache as he watches us.

Has he seen anything unusual on board? He was coming back from his stroll the other day and he saw a goblin, that’s pretty unusual. Ardvack asks what it was wearing; definitely some sort of heavy armour. He is correcting some of the spelling in the love letters as he questions the halfling.

The halfling asks who we are - we have been employed to investigate strange occurrences at sea. What are our names? Agent Smith, Agent Alex, Agent Orange and Agent Turmeric.

Has he seen any sea monsters? He doesn’t traffic with sea devils.

What’s his name?

Lord Danlan Emberstep. He’s on his way to Baldur’s Gate to find the best tea in all the land. (Not cheese, sadly.) Gideon asks if he met the Captain for the first time when he embarked - he says yes. It’s his first time traveling by boat, also. Tarragon notices he’s giving her the glad-eye. Is there anyone on board he distrusts, for any reason? Apart from the goblin, obviously. He says the gnome is up to something; he stays in his room at all hours, even taking meals in his room, and there are strange smells and sounds coming from it. He was not at dinner with the Captain. Interesting.

Kessler and Melaina roll Perception checks - Melaina rolls a nat 1, and Kessler gets a nat 20. (what is going on??) They sneak over to the halfling’s room. Kessler rolls a 5, but there seems to be no response from the other cabins.

His door is not locked; Melaina pushes it open. Proper bed, nice bedding, a little table with a fancy teapot. Everything here seems fancier than the scholar’s room. Lots of fancy clothes in expensive suitcases, a case of teas and herbs, all fairly innocent. In his things, Melaina finds some letters. Skim-reading them, one is from his mother encouraging him to find a wife. Pretty pedestrian stuff. The sneakers depart, giving Simon a thumbs up as they leave.

Emberstep flashes Tarragon a grin; she does not return it. Ardvack sniggers.

Who do we want next? The gnome, since Emberstep is suspicious of him? Aegea leaves to fetch the gnome; she’s gone for five or ten minutes. When she returns, she says the gnome says we can interview him in his room. Ardvack and Simon go, leaving Tarragon and Gideon.

Ardvack makes a Perception check - 21, and he hears strange sounds and smells odd odours coming from the cabin as he approaches. He knocks - and hears a bang on the other side. A frustrated voice shouts to tell him that the door is open. Ardvack lets himself in.

The gnome’s name is - get this - Wrebis Siglenigle Billowstitch. He shouts at Ardvack for ruining his experiment. He lets Ardvack lead him back to the Captain’s quarters. He is absolutely furious. Ardvack could Pretidigitation him, but he’s not gonna. He’s small, even for a gnome, and covered in soot from the explosion. He asks can we get on with our ‘asinine questions’?

Ardvack: “Yes, we can. Tarragon?”

Everyone, wincing: “Oooooooh…”

He’s heard nothing except Ardvack banging on his door. Is he acquainted with the Captain? He says yes, he had dinner with him the other night. (Someone’s lying…) He is on his way back to Baldur’s Gate.

Did he notice anyone behaving strangely at dinner? No, except that greedy little halfling, who has some atrocious table manners. He looks at Tarragon who nods sagely.

Ardvack asks if he thinks his temperament might land him in hot water one day. He says he is an inventor and has no need of niceties. Ahleqs is suddenly very interested in his inventions and asks if he would know any of them. Wrebis rolls his eyes. Gideon and Tarragon make Insight checks; he is pretty angry but seems to be telling the truth.

His room is open, and it’s obvious which one it is, so Kessler and Melaina sneak on in - to the wrong room, somehow (I think?). Melaina sees the halfling who has just returned to his cabin - he’s writing a list onto which he has just added ‘gnome girl??’.

In the gnome’s room are all sorts of equipment and tinkerer’s gear, which Kessler recognises immediately. She wants to know what he was working on before the explosion, and if she can fix it before he gets back. She makes an Investigation check and rolls a 31 - it’s a device that lights up when you twist it. It’s intricate, and she’s impressed. She makes a Tinkerer’s roll, but only gets a 10. She doesn’t quite manage it, but she thinks she knows what she did wrong. She can leave him a note if she likes. She contemplates stealing his idea instead, but ultimately decides to write something in the margins of his notes to tell him what went wrong.

He seems, to Kessler, to be pretty innocent. There’s nothing incriminating here, though he has an odd lack of personal belongings.

In the Captain's quarters, the gnome recommends that if Tarragon is getting good money for this job, that she put some of it towards finishing school for ‘this oaf’, prodding Charity.

Tarragon, sniffily: “As if I would spend a single copper of my money on this asshole.”

Who’s next? Ardvack wants to know if there’s a kettle around for making tea, if we’re to host a noblewoman. There is a little pot on stilts; Tarragon lights the fire underneath it with her Druidcraft cantrip; Ahleqs, seeing this, stops the Fireball he was casting.

Aegea brings the the old human granny, olive skinned and hunching.

Ardvack offers her tea. She waddles to the table and lifts the lid on the pot, giving it a good sniff before accepting. “Thank you my love.”

Gideon starts the questioning by asking what her business is on the ship. Where is her destination? Baldur’s Gate, then the Skyfire Wastes. We make History checks - we all know our geography. It’s the Calim Desert. There’s a big area in the Heartlands that is no go after a huge collapse during the time of the gods, and it’s accessible to the Underdark. Elders are respected in that culture.

Ardvack pours tea for himself, the woman, and Gideon, and no-one else. The woman notices this and tells him he’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Where has she been? Icewind Dale, making use of her skills. Tarragon tells her she must have some interesting stories; she says she could say the same about her. “I don’t know about that, I’m still collecting them.”

She says that Ahleqs looks tired. Would he like ‘some puff’? She takes some out and sniffs it. He’ll try it? She hands him a silver pot. He tries to remember how the boys in the pub used to do it after work. He makes a History check to see if he can remember, and rolls a 19. Just a little pinch will be enough. He makes a CON save at Advantage. (Matthew, OOC: "If you roll a nat 1 you sneeze and fart at the same time.") He gets a 16; he’s fine.

Her name is Amelia Krauss, and she has sailed on the Fallen Star before - on her outward journey, in fact. Has she seen anyone suspicious? Not really, apart from the goblin, and she seems nice enough. Has she seen the fish people? She’s heard tales of them. Can she think of anyone who might wish the Captain harm?

Perhaps a jilted paramour? Ardvack has been rifling through the letters, and must know the Captain has a few of those in his past. Amelia: "I bet you don’t miss anything with that conk." (Tarragon scream-laughs.) Ardvack, wounded: “It’s a family nose.”

Amelia, nodding at the letters: “you know that’s not nice, don’t you?” Ardvack puts the letters back.

Has Amelia seen anything unusual? She doesn’t like to gossip; Gideon makes a Persuasion check. (Ahleqs makes an Insight check; he suspects that she does like to gossip.) “It’s not nice to speak about others when they’re not here to defend themselves.”

Gideon: “Madam, this is a matter of life and death, you do realise we’ve been attacked?” He makes a Persuasion check at Advantage - he rolls TWO NATURAL ONES.

Amelia has finished her tea so she hands the cup to Ardvack. “Is that all, dear?” He promises that if she tells us anything it will remain between us. It shan’t leave this room if nothing comes of it. He makes a Persuasion check at Advantage - a 22.

“I’ll make you a deal - I’ll tell you what I know if you apologise to your two friends here for your terrible behaviour.”

He decides it’s not worth it.

(What an asshole.)

He changes his mind and does apologise - to Ahleqs sincerely and fake to Tarragon, until the old woman seizes him by the ear. “I think we can do a little better than that, can’t we?” He huffs and puffs, and makes a very feeble attempt at an apology. It's incredibly insincere.

Tarragon lets him have it. He’s been nothing but mean to her since the very beginning. He can apologise if he likes, but she won’t accept it. But she bit him when he read her a poem, Ardvack protests! When he read her those poems it was nothing to do with her, she retorts, it was all about him and he only used them to humiliate her.

"You hate me and I hate you, and that’s never going to change so you can apologise if you like, but I literally don’t care what you think of me." Ardvack shrugs.

“Is that better?” he asks the woman, of his apology. She lets him go, saying “Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age just shows up on its own.”

The woman heard chanting last night. It was not in a language she knows. She speaks lots of languages, common, dwarfish, elvish, gnome and halfling. It wasn’t any of those.

Could it have come from one of the adjoining rooms? She thinks it might.

Melaina and Kessler sneak into her room - again, it’s not locked. It’s immaculately tidy and smells of incense. Kessler thinks it’s too clean. She’s reluctant to touch anything in case Nurse Crazy notices that the penguin isn’t quite facing due north. It’s clean but not sterile - there are belongings in there. Bags, a wall hanging, some crystals. They make Investigation checks on the crystals, Kessler at Advantage. She’s seen them in labs before; they’ve got something to do with enchanting. (Soul gems!)

Amelia will be in her cabin if we have further questions.

A dwarves merchant or an elvish noblewoman? Aegea comes back with the elvish noblewoman. She introduces herself as Lady Aenwyn Nerithyra. Ardvack bows.

Gideon asks her what her destination is. She smiles and says she’s on her way to Candlekeep. She’s familiar with the tradition of offerings and has a suitable book. Ahleqs asks what it is; it’s more of a gesture than anything else because her family have donated a lot. She’s hoping to become one of the Avowed. (She’s having a gap century.)

Ardvack asks some stupid questions, and she smiles condescendingly at him. He says he has been at Candlekeep; good bunch, mostly. Is she planning on travelling from Baldur’s Gate? The Captain has offered to help her arrange another boat.

Has she noticed anything unusual on board? Not really; she’s been on deck but hasn’t seen any sea creatures that are out of the ordinary. No-one behaving suspiciously? The gnome in his cabin...? Oh, yeah, we know all about him.

She tells us that when they were all locked in their rooms the first mate came below and went up on deck with the cook during the attack. The cook! Tarragon tells her not to worry, Lolo is no ordinary cook. Has the elf noble heard chanting? She says it may have been her, making her devotions. She usually chants in Common or Elvish (Amelia would have recognised those). Gideon makes an Insight check with Guidance from Tarragon - a 12. He thinks she’s telling the truth. Ardvack agrees, she’s of noble birth and therefore above suspicion. Tarragon rolls a 17; she’s not convinced.

Ardvack tells the woman everything - the dinner with the Captain, the attack, everything. She thanks us for keeping us all safe. Tarragon asks about her devotions. What exactly are they?

She’s hoping to join the avowed, so she prays to the gods before bed. Which gods? Gond, god of Knowledge, says the elf. "Umberlee? I’m just asking." She shoots Tarragon a look. Perhaps Sylvanus, god of wild places, she admits.

Kessler and Melaina investigate her room. Bad rolls, but they figure out which one it is. They notice some sort of magic coming from one of the remaining rooms. Kessler makes an Arcana check - it’s the Alarm spell. The woman will know, the moment they go into the room. If only someone had Dispel Magic… (Tarragon does, but not prepared.)

If they can get us to keep her in the room with us, Kessler can run in and out and be done by the time she gets down there? Melaina says she can say there was trouble and the Captain ordered us to search all the rooms? That way we can see her reaction as well.

Melaina goes up to the Captain’s quarters, and Kessler summons her clockwork beholder. Melaina announces to us and Aenwyn that the Captain has ordered the rooms be searched and we are all to stay where we are. The woman says she doesn’t want people poking in her things. She wants to go and watch - Melaina argues. Aenwyn, smiling dangerously: “Step aside.”

Melaina: “Shan’t.”

Kessler has her beholder open the door. There is sand on the floor with a pattern drawn in it. Kessler copies it. She rolls a History check - the symbol for Umberlee is in the middle. (Me, OOC: “Fucking called it!”) She rolls Investigation - 31. There are no clothes in the room; she seems to only have what she’s wearing. The bed doesn’t look slept in, and there are no personal possessions. Kessler heads up to the Captain’s quarters.

With us, we see fury flash across her face when Kessler crossed into her room - she disappears into a mist. Ahleqs makes an Arcana check with ToC - (“Sorry in advance if I blow you all up”) She has cast Misty Step. She can only teleport to a place she can see though; Ahleqs casts Fly on a random creature. It turns out to be Gideon. “That’s a freebie, Gideon!”

We rush to the windows - Tarragon sees something outside and tries Entangle, but it doesn’t work. (The DM very graciously allows me my spell slot back.) We hear cries on deck. Ardvack looks nervous at the prospect of going on deck; Tarragon looks down her nose at him before she rushes out of the room and up the stairs. (Duncan is briefly kidnapped by Cthulu, but is returned to us unharmed.)

We look out to the ocean where we saw the elf; she is swimming in the water. She shimmers and changes into a Cecaelia. We’ve seen one of these before - the figurehead of the Buxom Bitch.

We are told we are interfering with something we don’t understand; we will look back on this day and wish we had drowned. (Woah.) Kessler immediately fires at her - nat 20. Poke in the belly: Triple damage, yeah. We all make Perception checks (Tarragon: natty 20). Ahleqs, Tarragon, Charity all see a shadow of something dark and very large rising toward the surface of the water. Ardvack immediately runs to the mast and clings on to it in terror.

It’s moving underwater at quite a clip - it leaps out of the water and lands on the deck. It’s only a fucking Hydra…

Carl (yes, Carl) shouts for everyone to get below decks. The normal crew look to the bosun for permission - it is granted.

We roll initiative, and most of us start planning our new characters…

Ahleqs is up first. “I scream, obviously…” He does Eldritch Blast - 23 hits, 14 doesn’t. “7 Force damage. Fear my Force damage.” Then he tactically repositions away from the action. The elf lady has taken Kessler’s bolt and dived below the waves.

Tarragon Moonbeams it, careful to avoid Ardvack who managed to position himself right under where the hydra landed. She could move away, but decides not to.

Grease Wizard casts Scorching Ray. 16 hits, as does nat 20 for 11 Fire damage total. Max damage, and the target has Disadvantage on saving throws against your spells for 2d4 (2) rounds. Muahahahah!

Melaina - if she were to go here, could she hide behind the stuff? She would be at Disadvantage to hide because the creature is Huge, and towers above us all. It’s in melee with Charity, though…? There’s some confusion about hiding and sneak attack; she rolls 15 stealth and is fairly sure one of the heads is still watching her. She attacks without Advantage. “Shall I do Sharpshooter? My personality style says always gamble.” She rolls a 14 which misses.

Kessler: “Rargh, I’ve taken bigger!” and she punches it with her Thunder Gauntlets. (Matthew OOC: “Poor choice of phrase, there.”) 17 hits for 12 damage, then a 12 to hit, which doesn’t. It’s at disadvantage to attack anyone who isn’t Kessler. Me, OOC: “You might live to regret that. Not for very long, though.”

It fails its save vs Moonbeam and takes ten damage. It does a multi attack on Kessler, one with each head. She casts Shield and only one of the five attacks hits - a 25. 9 piercing damage.

Ardvack is up. He is in the foetal position, Matthew tells us. He rolls, still in foetal position, remaining in melee range. He’s just being small and non-aggressive at it. That’s it, that’s his turn.

Carl’s turn - he runs straight forward and smacks it. He has the sense, thanks to a good Intelligence check, to avoid the Moonbeam. He does a slam attack but misses, so he can’t grapple it. Matthew is hugely disappointed that Carl isn’t riding the thing like it’s an oceanic rodeo.

Ahleqs casts Shatter with Tides of Chaos, and it takes 16 Thunder damage. “And it is sad.” He grows a beard of feathers.

Tarragon moves forward to Healing Word Ardvack, glaring at him the whole time. (He doesn’t notice.) Then she Thorn Whips the hydra for 9 piercing damage.

Gideon wants to do something to take advantage of the fact that the Hydra has disadvantage versus his spells, but can’t find a good one that won’t instantly kill everyone on deck. He goes for Ray of Enfeeblement. 18 to hit! It now only deals half damage with attacks that use STR. It can make saves to end the spell on its turn, but it’ll do that at Disadvantage for two rounds. Woo!

Melaina tries to hide again; she rolls a 13. Abandoning Sharpshooter, she decides to “just try and shoot it normal”. 14 to hit, which misses. She’s panicking; we all are. It has a lot of heads.

Kessler uses a thing to give herself 7 temporary HP, then goes for some punching. 11 misses, but 16 hits. 8 Thunder damage, not bad.

It fails its save against Moonbeam and takes 14 damage. A head shrivels and drops off - Tarragon does a happy dance - and two more appear in its place. “Aw, fuck.” She takes back the happy dance. Also, its wounds start to close a bit.

Duncan, OOC: “Boooooooh!”

It bites at Kessler again. 21 hits, as does 20. 21 damage total, but it’s halved to ten because of Ray of Enfeeblement. Then it natty 20s her - straight damage. (crit=double, Enfeeblement=half, cancelling each other.) Distracting jab. Triple damage, and the target must make a DC14 CON save. On fail, the target has Disadvantage on attacks for 1d4+1 rounds (3).

Duncan, OOC: “We’ll have to send off for a new goblin.”

There’s some complicated maths; at the end of it, she takes 23 damage. Is she still up? Yes, but only just.

Gideon: “You’re welcome, Goblin!”

Charity is still in the foetal position. Tarragon, angrily: “Get up, you coward!”

He’s near the stairs; he wants to do the worm down them. He’s going to try and drain it of its life force. In a vampiric sort of fashion - "I mean, in a godly cleric sort of fashion." 14 is a miss. (DM: “You can keep your nasty necroticses fingers to yourself.”) As he reaches out to do that, one of the heads spots him; he pretends he was just going to pat it. He stands up for his execution.

He makes an Insight check as a free action - a 17. As the heads turn and move independently, he realises that even if its engaged with something else, it would still be able to Attack of Opportunity him were he to make a break for it. He Shilelelfghsjslgdlhlbllhhs as a Bonus Action.

(If Ahleqs were to jump overboard, would swimming ashore be a viable option? We are still quite close to shore… Melaina: “And I definitely wouldn’t shoot you in the back.” Ahleqs decides to stay on board for now.)

What would Carlos like to do? Carlos will beat it with his fists. "Punchin’! Punchin’ really hard!" 22 hits for 8 Bludgeoning, and he makes a grapple attempt on one of the necks. Contested STR checks - Carl rolls a 17, and the hydra rolls 25. Matthew, OOC: “… It is not grappled.”

DM: “Ahleqs!”

Ahleqs: “…Noooooo…” He positions himself literally as far away as he can get. He casts Firebolt, using Tides of Chaos, but double 14s miss. 19 on Tides - he casts Grease on himself. Goes beautifully with the feather beard, and he’s now tarred and feathered. “Gideon, did I do it right?”

Tarragon Cure Woundses Kessler and Thorn Whips the hydra. Then she moves away - incurring an opportunity attack from ALL SIX HEADS. “No, I already said it, go ahead.” Four of the attacks hit, and even though its damage is halved, Tarragon takes 26 damage.

Gideon does Aganazzar’s Scorcher - it fails its save. Sophie, OOC: “You lose.” It takes 12 Fire damage. When that hits, it takes off a head - the flames cauterise the stump and the heads don’t regrow. Gideon, turning to yell at the rest of us: “Kill it with fire!”

Melaina does Chromatic Orb and makes it Fire damage. 22 hits, for “17 fire damage, please!”

Kessler bonus-action-defensive shields for 7 temporary HP, then punches it again. 15 just hits, for 9 Thunder damage. Second punch is a 17 which also hits for 10 Thunder damage. “Come on then, you multi-headed bastard!”

The Captain appears - he takes one look at the Hydra and looks furious. He rolls a 4 for his initiative.

The Hydra repeats its save - and succeeds. Except it doesn’t have to make the save, because Tarragon had to make CON saves for concentration when it attacked her, and failed. Well, shit.

Now that it’s spotted Ardvack, it takes some attacks on him. One hits, one misses. He takes 11 piercing damage. It goes for two bites against Kessler - a 23 and an 11 - "I will let the 23 hit me - " and 21 to hit beloved, cherished Carl. Matthew, hopefully: "With his 9 AC, 21 doesn’t actually hit him?" (Yes. Yes it does.)

We all see a hydra’s head bite Carl - it instantly lets go, looking disgusted.

Charity’s turn. If he moves away it’ll kill him. If he hits it, it’ll kill him. Tricky decision to make, here. He hits it with Green Flame Blade, and Sheldjksdgjsdlalsjlghh. 9 to hitsies! Awww…

Carl makes a slam attack and hits, punching it in the bum for 4.

There is a long pause while Joe decides what Captain Sleepy is doing. He charges it, because Joe can’t be bothered to read all his combat manoeuvres. Charity’s on the opposite side, right? Then it is flanked! Beckett rolls at Advantage - an 8 and a 9. Second attack he gets a 25 though, so not all bad. Only 5 damage though, so mostly bad.

Ahleqs casts Firebolt again with Tides of Chaos - 17 to hit! and 13 Fire damage. He fails his save and falls over in his own Grease.

Tarragon Healing Word’s Ardvack again (against her own better judgement) and Thorn Whips the hydra.

Gideon will try a Magic Missile - 4 Force damage, then two and another two. The Hydra is looking bloodied, nice.

Melaina has a go at shooting it now that there are quite a few people in melee with it so she can have her Sneak attack. She has a go at hiding; “Why not.” She rolls a 13, but a 21 to hit! “Ah, finally!” She rolls nat 1 on her Sharpshooter damage, but 13 for her bow. That still comes out to 35 damage though. Two more heads are gone, and do not grow back. It now only has two remaining.

Kessler goes Thunder Gauntlets again - a miss, and another miss. Well. She slams a potion for her bonus action. Also, the hydra doesn’t have disadvantage now, because she hasn’t hit it.

The hydra makes a break for it - a bunch of us get Opportunity attacks. Carl, Tarragon and the Captain land hits on it. Carl does “Maximum bum-punching damage!”

It flips into the sea and dives, smearing a dark stain of ichorous blood across the deck as it goes. The Captain looks at all of us, delighted with the job we’ve done saving his ship.

We hear thunder from the sky even though there is not a cloud in sight, and the elf bitch has disappeared. We have driven them away, yay! The rest of the journey should hopefully be less eventful.

Even though the goddess Umberlee is evil, her temples are tolerated in most cities and most sailors at least try to appease her before they sail. We can have a long rest and change out spells if we want; the crew will wake us if we are needed. We’re four days into our journey at the moment, so we should be another four days before we get to Baldur’s Gate.

Some of us can make History or Nature checks; Tarragon and Ahleqs both know the path to get to Candlekeep is the southern end of the coast way which is part of the Tradeway. It goes on to join the Lionsway. The bit we would travel on if we go by road should be quite safe.

We still didn’t find out who the ‘honoured one’ was - maybe the elf with all the pseudopods?

Joe is away next week as he’s off to stay with Laura and Damo. Also, Meemoo has brought Sophie and Matthew a monster moth.

[dead-decomposer]

More Atla because I’m thinking about Zuko and his family(yes I realize I spelt his name wrong in my Azula post)

Zuko and Iroh have tea together every day, and take turns deciding what tea they have and where they have their tea

Iroh usually chooses Ginseng and Zuko usually chooses Jasmine, sometime

Aang and Katara will stop by and join them for tea, when they do they get to pick and often pick green tea or chamomile, when they go usually Iroh and Zuko send them off with a case of tea

Aang doesn’t drink tea very often but he does appreciate it a lot, Katara on the other hand drinks tea quite often

Sokka travels between the kingdoms a lot, having become determined to learn every kind of fighting style he can, but obviously he spends time with his friends and family when he sees them(which is pretty often)

Zuko usually asks Sokka if he can come to meetings with him, since Sokka is much better at handing people and is better at strategizing, Zuko wouldn’t admit it for a long time but he also just enjoys Sokka being there and feels safer with his friend around

Suki and Toph usually travel with Sokka, Suki makes sure they don’t do anything crazy(but also becaus she loves them) and Toph makes sure they get up to trouble every now and again

Suki adores and admires Toph for her strength and independence but also lover her as a little sister, so does Sokka

The first time the three of them run into trouble Suki is a bit protective of Toph since she has never seen her in battle much but Toph actually ends but protecting Suki

Toph and Suki tell Sokka all the time how proud of him they are, both because they are incredible proud of him but also to help with his RSD

Sokka and Suki also tell Toph how proud of her they are because she deserves to hear it

First time they meet Tophs dad properly he acts all “polite” and “I’m a changed man” because they’re friends with the avatar who saved all their butts and doesn’t want them to bring up how he sent mercenaries after them, but as soon as Toph makes it clear she is staying with her friends and not coming home he becomes much more condescending and rude to them

Toph immediately defends her friends, opening up about how terrible a father he was and how her friends are a million times better than he ever was and ever could be

Tophs mom also left her dad, she did a long while before this since she cared a lot about Toph and is still protective and anxious for her but since Toph ran away and she heard all about the things she had done she realized that her daughter didn’t need to be protected but needed to be loved

Her mother now lives in a smaller village a ways away from Tophs home city and works at a garden, she is overjoyed when Toph comes to visit her and always “shows” her all the plants and flowers(her mom is the other person Toph won’t make passive aggresive comments abt being blind to), her mom tells her what the flowers look like and let’s Toph feel them to get a sense of they shape and smells them, and Toph shows her mother her earth bending to which her mother is still nervous about but is supportive and proud of her daughter for being such an accomplished daughter

Tophs mom still babies her but in more of the usual “loves they child so fucking much” way which Toph pretends not to like but appreciates it

Her mom also loves the Sokka and Suki, often thanking Sokka for taking care of her daughter

One day Toph gives her mom a pendant that she made with part of the metiorite metal, it’s simple but it’s of a mother and daughter hugging

Eventually when Toph feels like settling down she moves in with her mom and helps her in her garden, since she’s able to sense roots in the dirt she gets really good at identifying weeds and certain plants and how well they are growing, also able to tell where there are insect nests in the dirt that might threaten the plants

Tophs powers also makes replanting things a breeze

In their travels, Suki learns a few new fighting techniques but prefers to stick to her kiyoshi warrior techniques

Sokka sticks to his swordsmanship and boomerang but basically can use whatever is avalable to fight

When he introduces Suki to the White Lotus she’s honored to meet them but quickly realizes why Sokka gets along with them so well

When Sokka and Suki visit the fire nation they of course stay at the palace and spend time with Zuko and Iroh but they also often go on Double Dates with Mai and Ty Lee(not at first of course)

The for of them met properly through Zuko but often talk about the whole boiling rock thing and laugh a bit about stuff

One time they asked Zuko to come with them but he doesn’t realize he’s supposed to bring a date so he comes alone, which ends up turning the whole thing into just a friends hang out

During this hang out Suki sees how much Sokka and Zuko enjoy each other company and how well they get along, she asks Ty Lee and Mai about Zuko n they say that he definitely has a thing for Sokka, whether he knows it or not

Suki is a little worried at first but not jealous or mad, and eventually comes to terms with the possibility that Sokka and Zuko might end up together, but until then she’s gonna love Sokka for the ridiculous and caring man he is

Eventually Suki catches Sokka admiring Zuko and talks to him about it, at first Sokka doesn’t understand what the HECK she’s talking about but as she asks him a few things he realizes “oh shit I am in love with Zuko”, Suki tells him it’s okay and gives him a kiss on the cheek, they decide to stay friends and still hang out constantly

After than it’s time for Suki, Mai and Ty Lee to plot out how they’re gonna get the two together, they both kind of know that the girls are planning something but not that the other knows or even that the other likes them

The girls try and fail MANY times over to get the two to admit to each other but it’s not until Iroh bluntly says “wow you two get along really well you would make a great couple” that they finally date

Turns out Iroh has been on team Zukka since day one(of course he still supported Sokka and Suki being together and gave her advise during and after their relationship but he’s a wise old man who knows gay love when he sees it)

Onto Aang and Katara centred headcanons(there won’t be many because the whole show is kind of about them)

Aang is really good at keeping his emotions in check, especially his anger, whereas Katara isn’t, he teaches her a lot of what the monks taught him of how to control her anger and not let it get the better of her

Coincidentally Katara also helps Aang learn to express his frustrations in a healthy way so that he doesn’t constantly feel like he has to be happy all the time

At one point Zuko mentioned to them how they didn’t listen to Sokka or take him very seriously in passing and since then the two of them have been working on listening to him

Zuko also further helps Katara come to terms with her mother’s death and she is the first person to help him start his search for his mother

He doesn’t notice at first of course but eventually he does and he is very touched

Katara is actually really bad at doing her own hair and usually Sokka or Gran Gran had to do it for her, but Aang is amazing at braiding and styling hair(saying that it’s a lot like air or fire bending)

Aang does her hair every morning, he does it well enough that reasonably it would last a bit longer than a day but Katara purposefully messes it up or undoes it so he has to do it again the following morning

She never learns to do it better herself because she loves when Aang does her hair

As kids they live at the water tribe but as they get older Aang decides he wants to try and rebuild the air temples

The entire Gaang helps him with this, and they do their best to maintain the traditional style and architecture of the air temples, restoring and preserving what they can

Tophs mom comes to help with gardening as a thank you and an apology to Aang about how her husband and her acted, he accepts her apology and they get along really well

Zuko and Katara surprise Aang by cleaning up the statue of Monk Giatsu(forgive me if I spelt it wrong) and turned his statue into a proper memorial to him and the lost air nomads, they keep it simple of course since they know Aang wouldn’t want anything extreme

The settlers from the other air temples are welcome to stay on the condition that they respect Aangs traditions, Toph and Sokka force convince them to clean up and restore the parts of the temple they had changed and disrespected

Working with Aang they continue their work with flying machines and whatnot but now in a much more respectful manner to the people who used to live there.

Thanks to the air ballons the air temples that would have been inaccessible to non-airbenders, people from any nation and with any bending ability are able to visit the temples, Aang wants the temples to be open to people however doesn’t want anyone else to be moving in until everything is complete and that he feels that it would be a respectable amount of time since the air benders last lived there

Zuko also advises him that it would be wise to wait until they are sure that peace has been reached and that they won’t have to worry about anyone desecrating the air temples

After the war Zuko has a lot of propaganda to get rid of and history books to reevaluate and educational material to rewrite,

Aang helps with the educational material since he actually spent some time attending fire nation school, the classes and teachings are still strict as to their culture however any propoganda is removed, and more creative extracurriculars are added

Toph and other earth benders(gladly) help to destroy old fire nation statues or any other harmful remenants of the war, Toph uses this as an opportunity to erect statues of herself but Zuko doesn’t mind too much, he considers her to be a much better role model than his father

And of course Zuko gets help from scholars from every kingdom in rewriting history books to make sure that they are right and that no tragedy is overlooked and no horrible actions excused or forgotten

Zuko loves and adores his people and makes sure that they know it at every opportunity, and since he is still young he appoints several advisors and trustees to help him run his kingdom so that he is still able to be a child(and so he can still work in his uncles tea shop) but is careful to make sure that important decisions still fall to him so that his council and people still know he’s in charge

Anyways I’m in love with this show n there will probably be more posts like this eventually, i started researching it a few days ago n I’m only on like episode 7 but that doesn’t matter because I’ve watched it a lot thanks to a friend of mine who watched it non stop in highschool :3

[snarksandsarcasm]

Goblins

The Green Plague

Styx mentions he awoke in a dried-up lake bed after the Fall of Akenash. The cutscene at that point shows that it isn’t entirely true. A lot of the tower and its inhabitants got pulverized in the process of the fall but there are still big chunks of wall and stones in that dried-up lake bed beneath. The tree as well, due it’s magical properties, remained surprisingly intact, just got crushed and broken under the weight of the structures around it. A lot of amber vaporized (possibly poisoning the area making it very unsafe for non-Amber-creatures to enter), the rest came down in its liquid form to become a shallow lake at “ground zero”. The tree is not producing Amber anymore and will just rot away over the next couple decades.

Within that Amber lake the strange reaction of spawning creatures continued and rakash rise regularly. With every rakash risen the amount of amber decreases so eventually all amber is used up to create all these goblins. That is when the infestation of Styx-duplicates ends. (I think by the time of OOAM this has happened, and all goblins that remain are now those living their regular life, which would mean they could be eradicated if it wasn’t for some independent regular breeding goblins).

Since these rakash were born of the Amber, similar to Styx being reborn in the cocoon, they are fully functional living creatures, free from any mental connections to elves or even each other. But they are all made from the same base model and thus are all male, sharing the same genetics with limited conscience and intelligence. They are like rats… or dogs… following their instincts to eat without consideration and have a distinct violent aspect to their being. But capable of being taught, as Sarkyss shows us. OOAM goblins appear a lot more vicious, the SoD ones more like sad puppies that don’t know any better. 

Ground Zero was left alone for a couple of reasons.

There aren’t any survivors other than those who were on airships at the time of the fall or not in Akenash in the first place.

The area got covered with raw Amber that isn’t easily dealt with by humans or other non-Amber creatures. The elves are now for sure not willing to help in any recovery efforts due to the death of their own kin.

There is too many rakash around that will tear any human or other being apart (they may have attacked and potentially eaten their own creator, but other than that they are not cannibals).

The area in general isn’t easily accessible. Akenash was already afloat somewhere in the mountains, possibly for secrecy reasons, far away from the civilisation going on in the mainland. The steep mountain walls and jungle forests probably don’t allow many people to live there and with the rakash roaming about I can imagine even that one big trade route is being avoided for a long time to come.

The Goblins

This is my own take on this but I want these little creatures to thrive as their own race and not be doomed to extinction in this world. What follows is a very short paragraph on how that came to be (and I may cover that in more detail in another time). 

Styx had made use of a human the last decade before The Fall of Akenash and taught her some of the things he knew as a shaman, scholar and scientist. After the Fall, this human let’s go of the dream of ‘becoming an Orc once more’ and instead aims to make these new creatures ‘whole’. Nearby ‘Ground Zero’ she utilises an old laboratory of Styx and starts to experiment on female orcs. Ruthlessly and of all ages. (Sarkyss Predecessor!) After two decades the result are 10 - 20 female goblins. A destructive earthquake allows them to escape into the surrounding mountain forest. (Eve was left behind in the only, small cocoon grown to the tiny World Tree that decided to live after the Fall. She escapes some time later, when the other goblins try and fail to recover the small World Tree.)

This group of females lives hidden in the forests of the mountains. The other rakash are not immune to the presence of females and flock around them. The females have the upper hand in intelligence and communication and they run their tribe and developing society with iron fists, so to speak. They have very tribal structures, with the Eldest being the head of the tribe and surprisingly in these critical first years of their existence, disagreements between the females are rare as they share the same existential desires. 

The males protect the females at all costs and do little more than hunt for food and wait nearby to be on hand to be a lucky chosen one for the next mating season. Breeding is strictly organised. One female may have several, but strictly the same partners. Their children don’t get to pick and choose. Partners are chosen according to the greatest genetic difference among them (even if they do not know exactly how they make that decision consciously) and cheating/adultery is met with violent death of the next child born to the female. 

All knowledge comes from the Elder Females. Many things are instinct, such as knowing that shelter is necessary and being clothed helps to protect from the elements. But making tools and weaving etc comes from their orc lives and they slowly teach the males and their children in these tasks. Basic tools can be crafted and huts can be built. Leaving the tribe is generally forbidden but those who do despite of that, may never return or face being killed. So knowledge from the outside cannot come (back) in. The Elder females are very strict. Since the rakash are going to be around for some time, you may see confused young males wondering why their dads all look the same and can’t speak. But these mute forefathers are certainly always kept in loving memory of every goblin born. 

These goblins are Amber creatures and use Amber from the growing Tree in the laboratory. However, they are not as dependent on it as elves are and use it surprisingly not to the extend they could. Thus, these goblins have a lifespan of around 80 years.

Eventually, with the help of Styx, this goblin tribe opens up more and allows knowledge to come in. Aiken brings in the craft of writing and drawing, Styx gives their leather and wood work a boost, Eve can teach them new hunting methods … and well, eventually the goblins start to have contact to other races and maybe a century later they have established trade deals going on and maybe another century later, the first goblins are allowed to enter a human or orc university. xD

Food

I think goblins are primarily raw food eaters and omnivores, with their preferred food being fish, chicken and other small animals and insects, as well as nuts, fruits, vegetables and mushrooms. While Styx and Eve can use fire to cook they actually rarely do so. Lesser intelligent goblins may also have discovered fire for cooking but them too, are not inclined to use it for cooking purposes. When any goblin ‘steals’ food, they don’t take the plate from a nobleman's dinner table… they grab the fruits and fish from the market stalls.

One advantage this has is their oral health. They rarely need to brush their teeth and just take basic care such as removing bones and other large food objects for healthy gums.

Food could be preserved by leaving it to dry, or coating it in a layer of thick Amber or submerging it in an Amber solution (pickled). But generally goblins don’t think ahead like that and don’t preserve food. They aren’t gourmets either.

Goblins CAN eat human as well (see rakash in SoD Prologue). However, they aren’t at all their preferred source of food. They are big and cumbersome to move, to prepare and eat. Preference always goes towards smaller animals. 

Since all rakash can throw up stomach content to poison other food, they are naturally protected against most poisonous food that would otherwise kill the eater. Such as certain frogs or mushrooms that humans stay away from, have little effect on goblins.

Health

Since rakash are ‘born’ as adults, leaving the Amber environment behind, they grow old and die eventually. I set that at around 50 years. The Amber will help them over injuries and sickness but as they do not, like the elves, continue their exposure to Amber, they will lose that element of eternal youth.

Age of rakash: 50 years Age of “normal” goblins: 80 years Styx and Eve: Couple of centuries (their intensive training and knowledge allows them to ‘regenerate’ their Amber and use it’s rejuvenation qualities. Not forever, like the elves, but for a long time.)

Amber skills

Both males and females can utilise the Amber flowing in their body, albeit in different ways.

Females can secret Amber like spit in their mouth, which they can use to:

feed others with it (give them an energy boost)

thicken the texture of Amber and create a sticky glue (like bee propolis)

the thicker textured Amber can also be used as an antibacterial and wound-healing substance (that is why it is part of the health potion Styx mixes in SoD) and no-one bats an eye when a female spits into wounds or licks over them

spit on/lick other creatures to temporarily control them / read their thoughts (this requires a lot of training and intelligence)

Males and Females can:

Use Amber vision with a bit of concentration

Become invisible (after training)

Throw up their stomach content to poison

Styx alone can vomit a clone (and with is use the re-materialising through one of his clones skill as in SoD). This is probably linked to him being a directly mutated orc, first generation goblin so to speak.

For some reason, within Styx, the Amber does not display it’s ‘wireless Twitter’ function. This might be because the World Tree from which the Amber came from that is now running in every goblin’s blood, is no longer alive. There is no radio tower anymore, so to speak. Nonetheless, the Amber came from the same source and I think it does still create a connection between the users, especially if they were to actually exchange their own Amber fluids with each other, like during mating. It would be more of a sensual connection, where the emotions, pleasures and pains of the other become clear and part of your own for a limited time. 

Mating and Birth

Goblins have an actual mating season at the start of the year. Females are able to get pregnant only around 1-2 weeks during that time. Of course, sexual contact is possible at any other time, too, but during mating season it can be a bit more hectic than usual. xD After around 6 months the ladies give birth to usually one child. Twins are possible but one usually remains underdeveloped and dies after birth. Young are born in a soft/solid amber cocoon, which must be opened straight after birth and is then consumed again by mother or father. This also means, there is no after-birth, it all comes out in one go.They are fed their mothers milk (with a good dose of Amber, obviously) until they are ½ year old. 

When a female hasn’t conceived she would in the course of a day, get her period and discharge the empty amber cocoon. This also, she would eat.

While the act of copulation is a private one, the mating season as a whole is celebrated and goblins look with excitement towards the new matches made and the first timers in this this year. Similarly, since all females will give birth to the kids at roughly the same time, the Birthing Season is equally celebrated and well prepared for. 

Goblins smell. Surprise. xD No, I mean, pheromones, invisible smells. Lone females, if they dare to travel (Eve….) will always be found somehow by the lads. It is a good idea not to pee anywhere near your resting place, or else the males will have sniffed you out in no time. Although, in all honesty, they just surround the female and start to protect her, bring food and make maybe some mild advanced outside mating season but that’s it. Females can have their sad-SoD-rakash harems.

Also, for males: Amber is part of their body and so also present in their semen. Whether this liquid causes harm to humans and other non-amber creatures, however, I haven’t decided yet. I think it doesn’t turn out as bad as Aaron’s disfigurement, since this Amber may not be the exact same as raw Tree sap. Still, contact with it might cause skin irritation, burning sensation, maybe also some form of intoxication similar to the drug abuse of Amber and other minor side effects. Another little detail: I suppose females enjoy male semen as much as males like the Amber breastmilk or spit of females. Gobs are truly all over each other.

Growing Up

Goblets develop quicker than human children, especially their motor skills. After around a year (when typically the next child can come) they are able to eat, drink, pee/poo, walk, run and climb on their own. Doesn’t mean they don’t need the supervision though. They are like small tiny chimpanzees, they like to play hide/seek, wrestling, brawling, making others fall etc. I think 15 is an age where they’d be treated like adults, the 5 to 6 years prior to that as the age of adolescence. Styx left his tribe at age 30, finally being regarded as an adult free from his father’s reign, but I think that signified more the intellectual independence to know enough of life now to make good decisions. The first century for sure, the goblins don’t ever get that freedom. You are part of the tribe forever, with your small, precise, restricted but safe place within it.

[southeastasianists]

If you’re a medieval historian, you normally work a lot with manuscripts. A manuscript is just a text written by hand, although manuscripts are distinguished from inscriptions by the material on which they are written: a manuscript is normally written on perishable materials — like calfskin in much of Europe, birch bark in Russia and Central Asia, bamboo and paper in East Asia, and palm leaves in India and Southeast Asia — while an inscription is cut into a stone or metal surface. Manuscripts are usually a lot more informative than inscriptions and also a lot more diverse in content and authorship. In Europe and Northeast Asia there are a lot of medieval manuscripts.

An image from Royal Armouries manuscript I.33, the oldest armed martial arts treatise in the world. It was written in southern Germany in the early fourteenth century, and is thus older than almost any extant Indo-Malaysian manuscript on any topic. This says a lot about the range of sources historians working in each region can expect to use. Full manuscript can be found here (Wiktenauer).

Manuscripts are often illustrated, giving valuable information about life and times not explicitly recorded in writing. Their pages can be dated chemically, giving reasonably precise dates even to texts without written chronograms — although this isn’t necessary with many texts, as close dates can often be established on the basis of the script. If the script looks like a fourteenth-century script, you’re probably looking at a fourteenth-century text (although there’s more to it than that). There are enough texts to allow for this kind of detailed palaeographic analysis in much of Europe and temperate Asia.

The language and script (littera hybrida) of this manuscript tell us that it was written in around the middle of the fifteenth century in the Low Countries. There are tons of manuscripts in littera hybrida; it was practically the national script of the Netherlands in the fifteenth century.

All of this should be reasonably obvious and well-known. Here, though, I want to point out that medieval Afro-Eurasia — let’s leave the Americas aside for the purposes of this article — wasn’t a single temperate environment in which both state and private archives hoarded and preserved large numbers of texts written on organic materials. These kinds of sources just aren’t available for much of the world, whether because writing never developed there or because organic materials don’t last long in certain environments. Naturally, these problems are particularly acute in humid tropical climates.

In much of the tropics, insects, heat, and humidity meant that even if texts were written on palm leaves and animal skins, they had to be deliberately preserved or copied perhaps once in a generation in order to make their way down to us today. This wasn’t the case in England or China; a locked wooden box in a parish church or town hall would be sufficient to keep a piece of parchment safe and few special measures needed to be taken. The medieval historical record is thus inherently biased in favour of societies in temperate climes.

The number of genuinely medieval manuscripts from Southeast Asia can be counted on one hand, even though we know from inscriptions that writing has a long history in the region (dating back to the fourth century and possibly earlier). The oldest extant Malay manuscript has been radiocarbon dated to the fourteenth century, even though the oldest Malay inscriptions date to the seventh century and are thus slightly older than the oldest texts in English. We are consequently reliant on inscriptions for the reconstruction of much of medieval Indo-Malaysian history and society, and on much later (definitively post-medieval) manuscripts for the study of Southeast Asian literature. This gives a particular spin to historical events and restricts what can be studied through traditional philological methods.

“Raja Barus”, ‘the King of Barus’ in a Malay manuscript of 1797, one of the oldest copies of the Hikayat Raja Pasai. The story probably dates to the fourteenth century. Yes: it was written in the late eighteenth century. Yes: it’s a good source for the fourteenth century. That’s how a lot of history in the tropics works. Deal with it.

This presents scholars of the medieval Old World tropics with a bit of a problem. Historians of medieval Europe can freely parade manuscript illustrations in books and, nowadays, on social networks without any qualms because the illustrations they’re showing off are bona fide medieval images. But you can’t do that if the manuscripts didn’t survive, and there are a lot of issues involved in using later manuscripts to demonstrate earlier art and history. How can a complete picture of the Hemispheric Middle Ages be created and shown to the world when Indonesian and tropical African manuscripts are so late and so poorly represented?

Should scholars of the medieval tropics focus on ‘legitimately’ medieval things — bronzes, inscriptions, reliefs — or should they include later images of supposedly earlier phenomena and risk collapsing the entire history of e.g. Indonesia into one undivided whole?

In museums you tend to find the latter approach. In the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, the oldest keris in the world (made, or at least inscribed, in 1342 CE) is in the same case as a piece of nineteenth-century Muslim headgear. Colonial-era dress and artworks rub shoulders with tenth-century bronzes and thirteenth-century statues. I find that problematic; you wouldn’t put a medieval English sword and a Regency-era lady’s bonnet in the same display, I shouldn’t think. Europe and Indonesia are thus treated differently: Europe’s history is divided into sections that are studied more or less independently while Asian history, and especially tropical Asian history, is treated as one inseparable whole, divided more by region than by period. This is one reason among many why Southeast Asia may never be integrated into the academic study of the medieval world (let alone the popular imagination about the Middle Ages).

And what about eastern Indonesia and New Guinea? Neither part produced any written literature, as far as we know, before the fifteenth century, and the oldest manuscripts from eastern Indonesia date to the early sixteenth century. New Guinea was part of the medieval world; it was certainly known to people in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Java and other parts of Indonesia. But what can we show the world to represent this medieval Papuan history? There aren’t any manuscripts. There aren’t even any sculptures or very many bronze objects (although some of the latter are occasionally found). That doesn’t mean New Guinea just vanished from the world in the Middle Ages or that the people there preserved some primordial ‘Stone Age’ lifeways, though, as the popular imagination seems to have it.

Art in New Guinea, whether on the coasts or in the highlands, is dominated by wooden sculpture. While plenty of carved wooden objects survive from temperate medieval Eurasia, no examples of the wooden sculpture of medieval New Guinea have come down to us. Can we assume that modern sculpture is representative of earlier tradition?

That seems like a big leap to me. New Guinea isn’t a primeval place unchanged since the dawn of time but rather a place full of creative human beings, a place where fashion and religion operate like they do anywhere else. Showing a Papuan carving made in the twentieth century by a specific artist from a particular ethnic group as if it were representative of a prehistoric or medieval tradition would ultimately be as peculiar as using David Hockney’s oeuvre to showcase medieval English painting. Style always changes. Where truly medieval eastern Indonesian art has survived, as with a few of the lovely textiles preserved as heirlooms in Timor, the motifs are strikingly different from modern ones.

If we want to raise awareness of the tropical world, then, how do we go about it? How can scholars working on Europe get to know island Southeast Asia and the Swahili coast without introducing an orientalist bias that treats the Middle Ages as identical to modern times, or to some arbitrary ‘traditional’ point in the past? It’s a real conundrum. I suspect, though, that the solution is to help expand the traditional medievalist’s view of what constitutes valid evidence about the medieval world — and perhaps to highlight the ways in which the temperate world diverges from the tropics.

Does the absence of a written or artistic or sculptural record exclude a place from consideration as part of the ‘Global Middle Ages’? Yes — if you restrict yourself to the methods and ideas of traditional medieval scholarship. But if the objective is to account for and better understand the world before the Columbian Exchange, methods simply have to be broadened: the triangulation of archaeology, comparative ethnography, historical linguistics, oral history, and ethnohistory has to be brought in to complement traditional philological scholarship. If that isn’t done then our image of the medieval world will always be restricted to what was written down and preserved, and that naturally introduces a bias towards the temperate — and perhaps also to the European, the white, and the colonial.

This article first appeared as a post on the Medieval Indonesia blog, and a version of its argument has appeared in print in Bryan C. Keene (ed.), 2019,Toward a Global Middle Ages, Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum.

[buttsonthebeach]

For the director’s commentary thing: The entire Ch 15 of Reckoning. The juxtaposition during Solas’ lead up to having to go back to the roll of Fen’Harel got me so emotional. The contrast between hating/loving the power and detachment that comes with what much be done. I’d love to know more about what you feel his thought process would be after the events, the temptation of just existing neutrally after unleashing so much hell on these asshats. It’s awesome, please give me more!

AHH yes this is a good one!! Thank you for this ask! Commentary below the cut!

I do have to start with Ellana, because rereading this opening had me laughing:

Ellana was certain that war was mostly paperwork.

Paperwork, and a worry that gnawed its way into her bones. A burrowing insect like the kind that destroyed aravels and trees. Tiny and unstoppable and devastating.

If her time as Inquisitor started to convince her of these things, her time as High Commander of Enasan only solidified it.

(High Commander was a stupid title, and she hated it, but she also understood its political necessity. She outranked all of the field commanders, but while her role was primarily political, she was not royalty. Enasan was a republic. She'd lobbied to be called regent, but was overruled.

"Regent makes it sound like you are waiting for something," Arlanal pointed out. "Like you are waiting to step aside."

I am , Ellana thought.)

But while her time as Inquisitor had at least featured long stretches in the field, where she could loose her frustration and fear through her arrows, this war had been nothing but talk for her. Aside from that initial foray to the mountain pass where the first true battle of the war took place, she had not been in the field for more than an hour or so at a time. And even those forays were spent at a distance from the fighting, watching through a spyglass. And they were blisteringly quick visits. Ellana never thought she would dislike the Crossroads, but she hated how quickly she would go from her office in the capital to some outpost or fortification or battlefield. At least when she was Inquisitor she had the leisure of those long rides, or hikes, just her and her companions, where she could shed as many of the layers of her title as she dared.

Now there was no reprieve.

This whole fic was an exercise in “how far can I push my characters out of their element” in a lot of ways, and I think this is probably one of the clearest moments where you see that for poor Ellana. I also have to say that her internal commentary on the title High Commander is a direct nod to me figuring out what her title would be, since President sounds far too modern, but it still couldn’t be a title associated with royalty. I started with “Commander in Chief” and then worked back to something that sounded more fantastical.

(Also, poor Ellana, trying to wriggle her way out of every title she has ever been given. That’s why I bring it back in the epilogue, and say that the titles Mamae, vhenan, Hahren Ellana, and Mamaela are the only ones she truly accepts)

Once I established the idea of paperwork, of how different this war was from the other wars Ellana fought in, how helpless she feels, I could keep coming back to that idea to build up the sense of tension within her, as I did right before she blows up at Solas: 

She’d flung the paper but it was not an arrow. It did not fly straight and true. It did not give her the physical release of her bow. The physical release that had been lost to her for two decades and more. The sense that she could fight. That she could pick up a weapon and do something about the dangers that surrounded good people, people who did not deserve it. That she could protect people.

Now all she had was another stupid title, and paperwork.

Then I had to make sure that she was so tunnel-visioned on all of those issues that she wasn’t paying attention to any of Solas’s more subtle cues that he is also suffering under their personal helplessness. Ellana is usually very attuned to the emotions of other people, and Solas by this point is usually far more open with her, so it was interesting to write those short little exchanges where she comes in, vents, and he only has two or three words for her, and she isn’t thinking straight enough to understand why that is. It was so important to me to show that even a good marriage, even one that has lasted a long time, still has failures in communication.

I’m also following a very typical writer’s trick that I learned in my upper level fiction class in college, which is to do things in threes to get maximum impact, which is why we get three snippets of Ellana venting and frustrated and Solas seemingly unaffected before we hit the scene where she finally loses her temper:

Solas snorted. “Would you be served by my anger?”

She wanted to strangle him.

“At least I would not feel alone in my anger if you seemed to feel - something!”

But as she said the words, she turned, and saw his face, and it was the face of the man she loved. And it was raw with pain and rage.

“I would think that you, of all people, would know not to accuse me of having no feelings just because I am hiding them.” His words had an edge she hadn’t heard in - gods, in years.

She was a fool. A temperamental fool, no better than the squabbling youth who’d been hauled before her Keeper for picking fights with other youths who picked on her for the darkness of her skin.

Ellana’s temper is something we see less and less of as she gets older in the series, and it was also important to me to point out that as she is subjected to this immense pressure and helplessness, she’s going to start resorting to behaviors she used in the past, even as far back as her childhood.

I also did my best to show that Solas is cracking here through how I wrote his dialogue - he ordinarily speaks very smoothly, in long, well-thought out sentences, but here I broke up his thoughts frequently, showing his agitation:

“You hand me papers like the one you handed me tonight,” he did not look at her as he said it, but she winced at his choice of words. As she always was, she was embarrassed by her loss of temper already. “And I see the number of the People we lost, and I think of how many I could have saved with a single spell. I am not all that I once was, but I am not helpless, and yet this war has made me feel only that. And yet none of this is your problem, and so I should bear it, and see this through - but - vhenan - if we lose this war - if we lose our daughter - while I sat by and did nothing -”

He’d turned back to face her as he said the last of those words, and there was no mask at all anymore. There was only her bondmate, as sad and lost and angry as she was. Her frustration with him loosened more. She was not as alone as she thought. Solas did not have the paperwork (the fucking paperwork ) or the responsibilities she did. But he carried the same helplessness. They were together in that. She stepped close to him, and pulled him down, and kissed him hard.

"Let's go," she said when they parted. "And let's stop being helpless."

And at the end of the section we get one more repetition of paperwork as the symbol of everything Ellana hates - I didn’t count, but I think that is also the third one, tying back in to that rule of threes - and oh my god I just realized that I themed this entire chapter around the word helpless as well which ties directly back to The World Turned Upside Down and Ellana’s role as Eliza. Wow. I didn’t even realize I was doing that.

As far as the next scene goes, where we switch to Solas’s POV, I was drawing on two main things - the idea of Solas as a weapon, which it seems like he was to Mythal, and which Ellana is now seeing him as, and the scene from 300 where Gorgo sends Leonidas to Thermopylae with the words “come back with your shield, or on it.” I always loved that scene because you can see the love in their eyes, but neither of them can acknowledge it physically or verbally, because they are political leaders, and because it’s not actually what Leonidas needs in that moment. He needs to be treated like another Spartan.

That’s how we got to this line:

“Come back to me,” she said, her voice quiet but her tone firm as steel. “That’s an order, Dread Wolf.”

And Solas, smart cookie that he is, does not miss what she really means here:

For more than twenty years now he had been the peacemaker, the partner, the father, the scholar. But Ellana had not called him vhenan, or even Solas , as he left. Ashara was not there to call him Papae . No. Ellana had called him Dread Wolf. And that was who he would be today. He would again where the mask of Fen’Harel, He Who Hunts Alone, the Bringer of Nightmares. Because that was what his people needed of him once again.

It felt better than he wanted to admit.

In terms of tension building, we get several more instances of the rule of three here - first with three times that the altar to Mythal has mattered in this series: Flemeth showing up in DA:I, shattering the last of Ellana’s faith in the gods, Solas and Flemeth meeting at the end of DA:I, and then Solas and Ellana meeting there during Body of Knowledge when she has considered leaving him. Then we get another repetition of three with one of my favorite headcanons/pieces of Solas meta, which is that Solas’s life is shaped by three women in this series: Mythal, Ellana, and Ashara.

Then we get three repetitions of the phrase “Go. Hunt. It is time for justice,” with the final repetition catching even Solas off guard, as he says he thinks the last word might actually have been vengeance. That ties into a great piece of meta we’ve heard about Mythal - that while she did once represent justice, she may have been corrupted over the millennia into vengeance.

I relied on all three of those repetitions, each of which is also somehow related to three, to build and then release the tension of Solas finally arriving at Shalasan and unleashing hell. Of course, we’re also relying on several things I’ve set up throughout the fic and even back into the previous fic - like how Solas knows it is not really Mythal within him, just as it is not really Falon’Din within Ashara - but on a sentence level, those were the tools I relied on to make that scene happen.

I also have to shout out my two deliberate Hamilton references here, for fun: “You cannot be everywhere at once, Dread Wolf” and “Why are you telling me this?”. I am a sucker for sneaking them in everywhere :)

Oh man, I missed the second part of what you asked! In terms of his thought process after, I think Ashara is the thing that immediately grounds him and reminds him he can’t give into this side of himself totally. That’s why it was important to me that she is the first person who goes and sees him, that he leans on her just as much as she leans on him in that moment. He can risk the rest of the world seeing him as a monster, but he can’t risk his daughter seeing him that way, so he always has to come back.

Thank you for the ask!!! it was such fun to go back through that chapter.

[bettercalllacho]

Analysis about HENRY BOWERS/PATRICK HOCKSTETTER in IT by STEPHEN KING

Introduction: I want to do an analysis about Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter since long time. I will be focus on the source material, so the masterpiece of Stephen King. I will give lines for each global ideas. I want to work on the madness they both shared but in different states. Henry and Patrick are so different and alike at the same time and I want to underline this fact. First, there is  a french psychiatrist concept of «Folie à deux» it means «Madness of two» or «shared psychosis» and that applies perfectly to them.

PART 1=  FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, SCHOLARITY.

FAMILY:

→ Henry Bowers born in 1946 , son of Oscar Bowers (Butch) and Mrs Bowers, his mother in law is Rena Davenport.

He killed his father in 1958 when he was 12 years old, under the influence of Pennywise. In 1956, Mrs Bowers ran away from the farm because she was beaten nearly to death by her husband, she left the home without her son. Contrary to Patrick, Henry is more close to his father than his mother, he is in a complex relationship with his father, he loves and hates him at the same time. His father was an ex-marine who fought in the Normandy beach during WW2 (a reference to “Stand by Me” an another novel of Stephen King in which an abusive father is accused of madness but his son is the only one who defends him because he is an hero to him even if his own father burns his ear).

WHEREAS

→ Patrick Hockstetter born in 1946, son of Arthur Hockstetter and Mrs Hockstetter, big brother of Avery Hockstetter.

In 1951, at only 5 years old he killed Avery while her mother was sleeping. His dad a seller of painting, has some doubts about his older son Patrick because of snow footprints in Avery bedroom but he never asks him nor tells his suspicion to his wife. Patrick likes to have the attention of his mother (he occasionaly cooks with her, show her his draws) but doesn’t react to her cries when she saw that her second child stopped breathing because of him. Just like Mrs Denbrough she is totally under the shock at the death of Avery.

So Henry and Patrick shared the murder of a relative but Henry was a beaten child and killed his father mainly because of all the bad treatments and under Pennywise influence. Patrick is the one responsible for the death of his brother and his parents seems to be normal parents, his mother is a devoted catholic who died of a breast Cancer in 1962. The biggest mistake of Mr Hockstetter is to have hide his suspicious about his son, he could have bring Patrick to a psychiatrist to “cure” his solipsist view and his murderous desires (at least try to stop that).

FRIENDSHIP:

→ Henry began to have friends at 6 years old (1952 in the novel) and they all became members of the Bowers Gang.

There are 7 members of the BOWERS GANG just like the Losers Club. 7 is a lucky number in many cultures but the irony of fate is that many of them are tragic figures. Patrick is killed in the Junkyard, Belch and Vic are murdered in the sewers by Pennywise, Henry is accused of all the murders of kids in Derry and is locked in the Jupiner Hill asylum from 1958 to 1985 until Pennywise free him to kill all the adults Losers. Henry meets his death by the hand of Eddie Kaspbrak. Eddie implies that all the friends of Henry are dead that summer so perhaps Peter, Steve and Gard are also dead. It’s not clear without putting them in the victims list of Pennywise or perhaps they are not real friends for Henry. They are more like minions to him, especially because Peter is a rich kid who leaves in first along with Moose the ROCK WAR against the Losers Club. They both prefer Belch and Vic and they fear Henry.

-Henry Bowers “Hank” (nickname of Henry Freeman James in 1922 novel by Stephen King)

-Reginald Huggins “Belch” (because of his ability to burps)

-Victor Criss “Vic”

-Patrick Hockstetter “Pat” (only in the 2017 movie by Henry at the kissing bridge)

-Peter Gordon

-Steve Sadler “Moose”

-Gard Jagermeyer

Henry Bowers best friends are Reginald Huggins and Victor Criss.They are always together until the end in the sewers. Henry deeply regrets to have abandon them when he talks with a “ghostly” Belch.

→ Henry is the leader of the Bowers Gang and must be the one who chose Patrick to be part of the gang, Patrick appears after the Rock War and the disappearance of Peter Gordon in the gang. But it could be possible that Patrick knows Henry before and it’s not established if he is a replacement of Peter. Anyways because of the psycho side Patrick must be feared by the other members of the gang. Henry is the only one who doesn’t fear him, the same goes for Patrick who doesn’t fear Henry.

→ Patrick has no friends, his asocial side (solipsist view and psychopathy) puts him aside from society. They fear him, especially the girls in the classroom. Patrick hang with the Bowers Gang to be with Henry Bowers.

SCHOLARITY:

→ Henry and Patrick have repeated classes. Henry isn’t anymore with Victor and Reginald, they are in 6th grade, Henry is in the 7th grade.

→ Patrick might turn in test papers that were utterly blank or blank except for a large, decorative question-mark

→ His report cards showed Patrick as being an apathetic student.

→ In classroom Henry, Belch and Vic are most noticed by Mrs Douglas for their bad behaviour than Patrick.

→ They both have Mrs Douglas teacher and she doesn’t see the how much dangerous and psychothic is Patrick and nor does she see the violence of Oscar «Butch» Bowers against Henry.

VIOLENCE:

Toward animals=

→ Patrick kills insects and animals, he brings them in his school stuffs or in the Amana Fridge in the Junkyard. He sometimes shows dead insects to pupils at school.

→ Henry kills at 8 years old «Mr Chips» Mike Hanlon's dog in order to pleased his father Oscar Bowers «Butch» who hates William Hanlon and always blames him for his failure on the farm.

So about hurting animals Henry does it for his father and Patrick does it for himself BUT at the same time we need to UNDERLINE that Patrick find the Amana fridge the day George Denbrough died so when Pennywise is awake, moreover «perhaps some other force did that», so yes Patrick is a puppet just like all the Derry habitants and that's one of the reason why he is a “victim” of Pennywise.

Toward humans=

( Summer 1958)

→ Henry torments the Losers with several acts of violence, such as partially carving his name onto Ben Hanscom’s belly, killing, breaking Eddie Kaspbrak's arm, and white washing Stan Uris' face in the snow until it bleeds.

→ During Chapter 16 «Eddie's bad break»: Patrick Hockstetter appears for the first real time (before his name was mentionned as one of the missing kids). During this chapter Henry breaks the arm of Eddie, and  Henry and Patrick are the most violent members of the gang and the only ones who don't fear Mr Gedeau, they even face him.

REASONS OF MURDERS:

→ For Patrick killing is a need, his Psychopathology brings him a God complex. There’s irony because he was raised in a catholic family.

→ Henry does it for having his father attention: “he had finally found the key to his father’s attention” “it was the first beer Henry had ever had, and for the rest of his years he would associate that taste with positive emotions: victory and love”. When it’s not for attention it’s for jealousy/vengeance against the Losers Club. But Henry become crazier and crazier through the story, even Victor Criss one of his most loyal friend become worried about his mental state.

VIEW OF THE WORLD:

→ Henry hears voices from the moon because of Pennywise. It's often the dead voices of his cherish friends or the Losers Club who tortures him.

→ Patrick sees a black and white world, he even draws only in dark colors (black and brown) looping scribbles and tell that's different things.  

MADNESS:

THE JUNKYARD HENRY AND PATRICK:

→ Henry doesn't leave the Junkyard when Belch and Vic does. He accepts to be alone with Hockstetter knowing what he is capable of, because he reveals that he knows the dirty secret of Patrick for the Amana fridge.

→ Henry is capable of doing blackmail, if Patrick said something about the handjob in the junkyard he would reveal the truth behind the missing animals.

→ HOMOPHOBIA:

→ Irony of fate: Jupiner Hill for Butch but it's Henry who truely goes there. Henry said to Patrick that he can't go with the loonies so the asylum if they know his secrets but Patrick died before and Hen goes to the asylum.

→ Hockstetter POINT OF VIEWS: Bill Bev Henry Stephen King

IN THE MOVIE (2017 version):

→Pat's lighter must be the Hen's lighter

→ Surname Pat «Just hold him Pat»

→ The red baloon I love Derry

→ Pat is totally fond of Hen during violent acts

→ He goes with Belch to chase Ben Hanscom, and like in the book that's because of Hen orders that he died.

→ Henry is aiming a cat it remind the murder of Mister Chips but also show that Henry could hurt animals just like Patrick.

[les8ean]

i'm not familiar with any of your ocs! but i would love to hear about them! are there any that can do magic/have some sort of supernatural abilities? or are just really, REALLY good at what they do (art, music, etc)?

well I have a million different AUs for all my OCs sdkgjhkfshg but my main magicky OCs are Alyren and Nova

picrew used

Alyren is a high-elf mage, mastering in restoration. she grew up in Shimmerene with parents who were diplomats. they very much followed the Aldmeri culture of needing everything to be perfect, and The Best™️. They pushed Alyren to be a mage, and everything she did as a child was to get their approval and affection (which didn’t come often). One day when she was 9 she decided to do something to really impress them. She found a spell tome for a powerful fire spell, and spent hours practising it, trying to make it work, trying to make it perfect. But she fucked it up. the spell raged out of control and burned her body extremely badly. she lost her left arm (where she’d been focusing the spell) and had the left side of her face badly burned (the burns are bigger than than they are in that pic, but not many picrews have options for burns scars so i did what i could sgjhkfjh). Her parents found her before the fire killed her, and put it out, but Alyren had been extremely badly scarred. she turned to her parents, whimpering for help. they looked at her, then each other. they threw a blanket over her, and grabbed her, running out of the city in the dead of night and deep into the forest. They abandoned Alyren in the forest, scared and scarred. They called her hulkynd. Alyren wandered through the woods as best she could, trying to find her way, half blind. but eventually she collapsed, and accepted that she was going to die here. and with her being hulkynd now? she thought she deserved itIt surprised her when she woke up, in a bed, her wounds covered in ointment and bandages. the bed was rattling, and through a small window nearby she could see trees going by. she was in a caravan. she sat up, and saw an argonian woman sitting at a table nearby.Alyren had been saved by some travelling mage’s guild scholars, who had been given exclusive access to the summerset isles for their studying (Alyren was born before the second era, when the Isles were opened to outsiders). they’d found Alyren collapsed on the side of the road, and had picked her up.after that, they took Alyren back to Black Marsh with them, to their guild hall. they got Alyren a prosthetic arm, and had their best healers help her with the pain and scarring. It took Alyren a long time to learn to love herself again. in a lot of different ways. her appearance. her being hulkynd. her failure at that spell. her being trans (although being around argonians when she came out, it was much easier for her than it might have been back in summerset). 

Alyren never used fire magic again, instead mastering in Restoration (tho she of course dabbled in the other schools. Alteration in particular fascinated her). She had a natural talent for magic of all types, being the top of most of her classes. as she got older, people told her it was a waste of her talent for her to choose to master in restoration (it’s not a very well respected school (*cough cough* Colette Marence *cough cough*)). this just made her more spiteful to be better at Restoration magic.while Alyren learned not to live for perfection and the approval of others, she still somewhat wanted to prove to others that Restoration was not the useless school of magic that others saw it as. it could be a dangerous, powerful tool in the right hands. most people only saw the school of restoration as healing magic, but it was so much more.(this is gonna get kinda gross here and also probably not lore friendly becuase this is all just my personal speculation on the possibilities of the school of restoration, so feel free to skip this is you want, i just hate that restoration is always seen as weak and shitty) you see, above everything else, the school of restoration was about inspiring growth. who's to say that you should stop the growth once the broken bone is healed? you could continue the growth , make the bone thicker and stronger, or perhaps have it grow in shards, piercing through the muscle and flesh or even the vital organs if you choose the right bones. you could flesh upon flesh, weighing a person down, incapacitating them. you could grow more red blood cells, more blood, drowning a person in it. with strong and complex enough restoration magic, you may be able to regrow an entire body simply from a severed finger. and the growth doesn't need to be limited to a person. it could apply to any living thing. plants, insects, animals, the smallest bacteria.  really, Alyren couldn't help but think, Necromancy and Restoration were simply two sides of the same coin. (okay gross stuff over it’s safe to read again now) she thought that earning a title as a professional teacher of restoration in the Arcane University might give her the respect and approval she would never admit she still craved.

When she was in her 40s, Alyren was invited to join the Psijic Order for her incredible skill in magic and her amazing discoveries regarding restoration. Here, Alyren thought she might finally have her skill recognized, and not have to constantly try to prove Restoration’s worth to others anymore.....NOPE. if anything, things got worse. she knew her peers made fun of her mastery behind her back. her books and notes would be stolen. people would make a point of loudly talking about the usefulness of healing potions while she was in the room. But she put up with it. not every psijic looked down on restoration, and she found herself befriending those that respected it. Artaeum’s halls held more knowledge than she could ever have imagined, and she wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass her by . the collection of ancient tomes and dangerous artifacts fascinated her, and she made every day count.

But she couldn’t stay there. it wasn’t only the other psijic’s view of restoration that drove her away. it was the way they looked down on everyone back on Tamriel. their refusal to use the knowledge they had to make the lives of everyone else better. the policy of not getting involved in anything in Tamriel, wars or plagues or even end-of-the-world scenarios. they would only get involved if it benefited them (I.E, the Eye of Magnus). Alyren couldn’t stand it.So, after nearly 60 years, Alyren fled. she enchanted a bag of holding, and filled it with as many artifacts and books and relics she could. She made a pendant that would hide her soul-signature from other Psijics (Psijic’s have their soul-signature edited to allow them to get to Artaeum, which is essentially in another dimension). and she ran, to live with an old friend. an immortal khajiit named Junnaya (it’s a long story). Junnaya and Alyren had been friends since Junnaya was just a child (again, long story) and Alyren was like a big sister to her.

these days, Alyren lives with Junnaya at her home, a manor hidden deep in the mountains between Cyrodiil and Skyrim. Junnaya has her own reasons to hide, and already had the manor’s location hidden behind many magical barriers to stop anyone finding it, so adding one more to hide Alyren wasn’t difficult. the two are close friends, and often antagonize each other in the way only best friends can. Alyren continues her study of Restoration (and the things she stole from Artaeum >:3c), and uses what she knows to help those in need.

picrew used

Nova can see ghosts! he’s been able to since he was born. it has something to do with his unusual eye colour.as a child, his mums would joke about him having imaginary friends, when really he was talking to the many spirits that were around. it wasn’t until he was 8 that he realised no one else could see what he could see. since then, he’s been filling journal after journal with everything he’s learned about how ghosts and spirits work, where they come from, how they pass on (this post is already long enough so........ i won’t get into the unreasonably long ghost lore i have written specifically for this singular OC..................)

[syrahnbloodfeather]

Thicker Than Water

Telling Jaeras that she would be living with Whitstan from now on was the hardest thing Tyrasam has ever done. At first the little girl thought she was being punished for sneaking out in the middle of the night to investigate the carnage created by the High Justicar; then she thought Tyrasam had possibly grown tired of her. It took everything Tyrasam had to stop herself from breaking down and crying, or worse, going back on her word and keeping her precious little gift to herself. To help keep her mind off the inevitable departure, she decided to make the last day they would spend together also their greatest, and so they spent the entire day walking up and down the countless shops in the Market Square. By the end of their binge they spent nearly a hundred thousand gold coins, draining Tyrasam’s savings; but for Jaeras, it was all worth it.

When the sun began to inch closer and closer to the deep ocean horizon, and the laughter and smiles stopped, their time was up. Jaeras got anything her heart desired, and outfitted her with a brand new dress and hat so extravagant and sublime she looked wealthier than Syrahn herself. As a token of goodwill, the Glade Queen even offered Jaeras her personal traveling carriage for safekeeping, allowing the girl to ride out of the gates of the Amber Glade with all of her new belongings in the highest caste of style. They only waited for Whitstan beside the main gates for an hour, but for Tyrasam, it only lasted a single moment.

Like a ghost coming to take her girl away, Whitstan appeared at the edge of the woods along the partially hidden road. With so many unaware civilians going about their business nearby, the guards refused to let the Death Knight come any closer. Tyrasam’s heart sank into her stomach once she noticed him standing there, ready to accept his daughter; a part of her wanted to scoop Jaeras up into her arms and flee back to the house where no one could take her, but she was a woman of her word. When Zerethel and Whitstan practically begged her to watch his newborn infant so they could go save the world, she wanted nothing to do with the child; yet she made a promise to them both that she would take care of her until they returned from Northrend.

Thinking about all was and all that will never be forced the Paladin to grimace. She would never teach Jaeras how to ride a horse. She wouldn't be there when Jaeras started dating, spending long hours giggling about boys she's smitten with well into the night. Gods willing she would still be around for the marriage; what she wouldn't give to hold Jaeras’ newborn child in the unforeseeable future.

“This is it.” Tyrasam slowly sighed, helping her up into the front seat; she gave her little princess a comforting smile, but the tears building up in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed. “B-be on your best behavior… o-okay…?” Jaeras turned to embrace Tyrasam as tightly as she could, nearly causing her feathered hat to fall off her head. “Learn to be a proper lady, okay? Kaevia and your father will take good care of you… just…” Tyrasam paused to gather her composure with a heavy breath and heavier heart. “Don't forget…-”

“You will always be my mom.” Jaeras assured her, before gently kissing her on the cheek. It was just enough to push Tyrasam over the edge, causing her to shudder and tremble while she broke down in tears. Jaeras hugged her back and nuzzled her face into her collar, and they held each other until Tyrasam was able to calm down. “I'll visit when I can.” She smiled, finally freeing herself from her mother's grip.

Tyrasam opened her mouth to speak, but the words remained still in the back of her throat. Jaeras managed to climb up onto the carriage all by herself despite her short stature, grabbed hold of the reins, and glanced down to look upon her mother’s face one last time before heading off. The two pearly white hawkstriders were picking at the earth in search of insects before the gentle tug of their reins caused them to perk up and stand at attention. The little girl flicked the leathers once to stir the beasts into pulling her ride out of the Amber Glade, but she kept looking back at her mother with nervous fear twinkling in her eyes; the last time she was sent away from Tyrasam, she thought she would never see her or her poppa ever again. Yet the call to adventure filled Jaeras with giddy excitement, compelling her to wave at Tyrasam once more before sitting back in her seat. She struggled to keep the hawkstriders from veering off the path, but after much effort she was able to reach the edge of the forest where Whitstan patiently waited.

Jaeras could feel the temperature drop drastically around her, but she pretended not to notice; it was suddenly so cold she could see her own breath, but her fancy dress and hat proved invaluable in trapping any heat against her body, save for her reddened face and ankles. She pulled the carriage over to the side of the road where he stood, and with a straightened back and trembling hands, she looked down upon her father with feigned disinterest. “H-hullo…” she mumbled, almost choking on her nervous gulps.

A dry tone echoed out as his voice attempted to mask the hint of annoyance, “Hello, little miss.” He shot a glance to the guards in the distance, but decided to stay his tongue on the ‘welcoming party’; he saved all of their lives, they knew he protected them, yet their bigotry against undeath clouded their common sense. With a shake of his head Whitstan pushed his violent tendencies out of his mind, knowing no good would come from it. His faint scowl flashed into a smile once he returned his attention to his daughter. “Are you ready to come home now?”

“Yes…” Jaeras politely answered, tapping the empty seat beside her; Whitstan slowly climbed onto the carriage with an urgent care not to spook the hawkstriders. He watched her flick the reins with her bandaged fingers, causing the beasts to continue the journey all the way to the Sun’rael Estate.

Sitting beside his daughter was a surreal experience he was not prepared for. The last time he even held her in his arms she was so small, so defiant, so angry… so loud. She was only a few hours old when he had to give her away so he could fight in Northrend; if he had the foresight he would have never left for that frozen hellscape, and he certainly would have never abandoned her to Tyrasam, who at the time, he barely knew. He was still in Icecrown with the cold grip of undeath clutching his soul when she likely took her first steps. He was amassing displaced worgen to fight for his cause when she likely spoke her first words. He was sowing the seeds of chaos to finish what the Lich King started when she likely read her first sentence. So many memories and experiences he missed during his quest to unite Azeroth under his banner. Yet now she was almost a woman, sitting tall just a few inches away. The last moments of his battle with Kaevia’s father convinced Whitstan of Jaeras’ love, and if nothing else, he would be eternally grateful for her bravery.

Whitstan waited quite some time for her to speak; surely she had a storm of questions circling under that outlandishly silly hat of hers. After what felt like an hour, his patience had reached its end. “Jaeras,” He started, watching her reaction closely; she seemingly refused to make eye contact, and the startled little girl almost jumped an inch off her seat the instant he spoke her name. “We still have a long ways to go before we’re home. Is there… anything you’d like to ask me?”

“How did father die?” Jaeras quickly asked, almost as if she was holding her breath with that question; whatever smile Whitstan had on the corners of his lips had immediately vanished from being blindsided. Apparently too much time had passed without his answer, compelling Jaeras to glance over at his face, if only for a moment. “... did… did you kill him…?”

His hand rubbed at the stubble along his jaw if only to conceal his expression a moment. “I made a decision to save others over him… he was once my friend after all. At least, I trusted him. I trusted him enough to let his…” he searched for the right words and quickly gave up, “...lover take care of my newborn daughter before we went off to study the leylines of Northrend after the Second War. Well, he was studying. I was there as a newly appointed spell-breaker to protect the noble scholar.” Whitstan rubbed at the back of his head, “I guess that wasn’t really your question… yes. If it weren’t for me the man you once knew as a father might still be alive. Might.”

“I studied fel corruption after Mr. Alucieus died.” Her voice seemed unreasonably fragile, like she was on the verge of tears. “I think father suffered from the same thing… but he wasn’t as far gone as him. I just…” she slowly exhaled after blinking a few times. “I hope he’s resting.”

“They were friends, too. But your fath- Zerethel turned on him. Both of them were men with countless burdens on their shoulders. Both very powerful in their own right. They were both leaders in a war willing to do what others wouldn’t and in the end, they succumbed to illness in their mind. Maybe there was some… correlation to that.” For a moment he grew self-conscious about his articulation, for a commoner he was well-spoken and wondered if he was speaking a broader vernacular than she was used to at her age. Then he remembered she literally just said she studied fel corruption implying superior intellect for her age. He was proud for a fraction of a second, “Do you enjoy studying? Or was it morbid curiosity?”

“A bit of both I guess…” She straightened up again in her seat before saying, “Lord Tidebloom told me studying is very important, and Mother agrees. So I read and read and read until my eyes hurt. I’ve learned a lot about pyre… p-pyrome… -fire magic.” Her face suddenly reddened from struggling to pronounce such a weird word. “I want to learn about all sorts of things.”

“Pyromancy… did the mages in the Glade test you to see what your true magical affinity is? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was flame manipulation. I was p-” he choked on his words a moment, “Proud of you to see you stay courageous in the face of overwhelming adversity like that. I was impressed to see the extent of your magical power. Of course, I was a little preoccupied at the time. As for self-study, I did a lot of that too. A lot of reading, a lot of practice learning how magic, mana and mana-flow within the body works.”

Jaeras seemed to slouch a little in her seat, clearly more relaxed and comfortable talking about her heroic deeds. “Lord Tidebloom was teaching me better spells before he left for Argus. I think some of the other lords were interested in teaching me other schools, but I’m not interested… I saved Mother in Silvermoon City a long time ago with fire, and I saved you too!” She shot him another quick glance. “... I thought he was going to kill you…”

“He was… he would have hurt a lot more people if you didn’t act. Kind of like… how I did with Zerethel.” he threw it out there just to feel for a reaction. He knew it could backfire heavily yet this would be a good starting point to gauge what subjects felt taboo for now with their relationship. Perhaps one day, they would be comfortable discussing things in more depth but at the same time he didn’t want to start the new relationship with his daughter with deceit.

Jaeras slowly inhaled before saying, “When I was still on Zaldrannar and Fath- uhm… Lord Kash’k-kaar was sick, I was so afraid. I snuck into my quiet place and cried for hours until Mr. Rethandus found me.” She narrowed her eyes but kept her gaze fixed on the path ahead. “I think he knew what was going to happen. He took me away so I wouldn’t get involved… so I wouldn’t see.” After a moment of silence she turned to into her true father’s eyes. “I wish he hadn’t.”

The Death Knight wondered for a moment if Rethandus had brought his daughter away to safety before or after their deathmatch. Either way, it was probably in service to her stepfather. His eyes reciprocated her gaze, “I don’t. Whatever Rethandus is to me, we’ve fought on both sides of the same coin. One moment an enemy, another a friend. I’ve done horrible things to him and the people he cares about. I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to get revenge. But, at the end of the day I am thankful that he took you away from all that. I wouldn’t want you to be involved or see what happened either. It’s a burden for the previous generation to bear, not you. We dug our graves a long time ago, Zerethel, Rethandus and I. Letting you see the horrors that followed the results of our actions might have scarred you for the worst.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Jaeras kept glancing around their surroundings, clearly staying vigilant for something, or someone, to come jump out at them; Tyrasam must have told her stories about the wild lynxes and the lowlife bandits that often plagued these woods. “I heard Mr. Rethandus fought you in the Western Plaguelands… that you were a very bad person up until recently. Before Z...Lord Zerethel died,” She was still clearly struggling to not call him Poppa like she did many times before, especially in Whitstan’s presence. “He would tell me scary stories at night… a-about you.” An uncomfortable silence befell the girl for some time, but before Whitstan could inquire further, she said, “Are any of the stories true...?”

“Probably…” he answered abruptly. “I mean, we’d have to go down the list for me to be certain. None of us involved in this entangled web of our past were blameless or without blemish.” Whitstan rubbed at the back of his head lightly, contemplating how to articulate everything but grew short of an answer every time. “I don’t claim to be a good man, because I’m not. But I try to be better, every day if I can. Sometimes I trip and fall back a few steps. Only thing you can do is get back on your feet and move forward again no matter how much ground you’ve lost.”

“What about my real mother?” Jaeras couldn’t keep the question to herself any longer. “I would like to know more about her. Um… please.”

Whitstan shook his head a moment, contemplating how to answer the girl. “She was bright. Full of energy and kindness. She seemed to draw positivity from everything around her and even then, it wasn’t enough. We met each other during a vulnerable time in our lives and we fulfilled a role for each other that we needed. I don’t know what else to say aside from that. I’d like to think she loved you very much.”

“Was she a queen like the Bloodfeathers?!” Jaeras asked excitedly the moment the thought popped into her head. The thought of being a long-lost princess caused her heart to flutter with glee, and she could barely contain her giggling with the bright grin spread from ear to ear.

“No, little one. She was a commoner, like me. Not so exciting, is it?”

“Oh.” Just like that the tickling in her stomach was gone. Her voice was heavy with disappointment, but she forced a weak smile all the same. “How did you two meet?”

“Well…”

Lordaeron was once a bustling kingdom filled with life and free trade. The engorged markets within the safety of the tall stone walls were loud and rowdy everyday before the sunrise and long after the sunset. Humans from all walks of life shouted at the crowd that jingled with the enticing promise of gold and silver. “Fresh bread! Fresh bread here!” and “I've got wine so sweet you'll sell your mother for a cask!” and “Hot pies! Strawberry, pecan, chicken and pork pies! The freshest you'll ever eat!” rang above the chorus of voices, but one voice stood out to Whitstan from the rest.

“Juiciest fish in all of the Eastern Kingdoms! Flayed, filleted and fried!” She spoke the common tongue but her Thalassian accent was unmistakable. Whitstan decided to risk eye contact with the merchant to get a better look; she had dried fish blood up to her forearms and spread all over her dusty apron. Her golden crown of hair was cut short just before her shoulders, and even with the dirt stuck to her face from a long day of hard labor, her smile beamed the moment he glanced over in her direction. “Ah! Hello there, fellow High Elf!” She proclaimed, leaning over the grimey table to wave him closer. Three humans were working around her in the fish shop, but the youngest looked up from his tasks and scowled at him with suspicious contempt. “You look famished stranger! We've got fresh catfish, salmon, carp and trout if you'd like to try some!”

A quick pause came in his steps as he looked around to verify she was addressing him. A fast thump quickened his heart when his gaze settled back on the girl. Centuries of rich history and ample heritage was nothing when compared to this simplest of moments: a simple merchant meeting the eyes of a simple farmer. A hesitant wave came from his as he tried his best to offer a smile in return. “H-hey.” barely a response as he approached the stall. “What… would you recommend?” an earnest question. He knew nothing of the intricacies of seafood.

“I recommend the catfish. I caught this beast just an hour ago!” She reached down underneath the table and wrestled up a massive fish nearly half her size; it was weak yet very much alive, occasionally kicking and thrashing against her iron grip.

“Syl that's the best fish you caught!” The young human protested. “Surely one of the little ones will d-!”

“The best fish for our best customer!” She interrupted, withdrawing a curved gutting blade from her hip. In the blink of an eye she brought the tip of the blade down into the skull of the fish, causing its tail to twitch one last time. Fresh blood spilled out into the table while she went to work, humming a catchy tune while the others fired up the fryer. “Are you from Quel’Thalas, Mr…?”

The teen was silent for a moment as a bead of sweat raced down his brow. “Uh…” the young man was able to barely sound out. The nervous response barely escaped his lips after having seen her efficiency with murdering and gutting a gigantic fish. “Um. N-no. I mean, yes. I am. I’m from Quel’Thalas but not -from- there. I mean, my parents raised me here.” a stumbling of the words came rolling out of his mouth. “Whitstan.” he offered with a gulp. “Whitstan Wilhelm. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Syllesia Autumnsong.” She beamed at him, seemingly not at all paying attention to the fish she was gutting. “I was born in Quel’Thalas but my family moved away for um… personal reasons.” Syllesia gave him a light shrug with one shoulder as she pulled out the entrails of the catfish. “I’ve been trying to save up enough gold to live in the capital. It’s my dream!”

The youngest human stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Syl you shouldn’t be telling him all of this personal stuff. You don’t know him. We don’t know him.” The elven woman finally pried her gaze away from Whitstan long enough to glare angrily at the human.

“Please ignore my friend Petar here. He’s just a worrywort.” Syllesia plucked a shaved wooden stick and skewered a large flank of the bloody fish meat before lowering it into the boiling oil they were heating. “And… you’ll have to forgive me as well. I’m a bit of a chatterbox as you can tell.”

A shake of the head came in response, “No… worries. I’m sure your friends are protective of you for a reason… or another. I don’t mind people who speak their mind. It’s a nice quality to have… Syl.” Syllesia’s smile only grew while she coyly looked him over, but Petar’s smoldering scowl only worsened; he seemed to tremble with anger in his fraying leathers and cheap iron cufflinks.

A few moments of calm analysis was all he needed to regain his composure as his eyes shifted from the human merchants to the woman speaking at him. “Why are they so concerned with friendly banter, I wonder?”

The hustle and bustle of the city didn’t relent during their conversation; it seemed the market grew louder and louder around them but the focus he held on the tradeswoman appeared resolute and rendered the cacophony of noise to a quiet murmur about them.

“We were robbed a week ago.” She answered, slowly turning the frying fish flank in the boiling oil. “Bandits come down from the mountain to prey on defenseless travelers. If I wasn't concealing myself with thick baggy britches and a heavy good they would have likely taken off with me as well. We almost lost Pops to them, but they ran off the moment the Lordaeron Peacekeepers managed to show up and do their jobs.”

“I could have stopped them…” Petar mumbled under his breath, but it was still loud enough for Whitstan to hear. An older human with ashen grey whiskers wheeled himself closer to the front of the shop, cradling his bloodied and bandaged arm; the wind picked up enough to move his vest, revealing more of the same bandages wrapped around his chest.

“Chopping wood and pulling wagons are a bit different than killing thugs, boy.” He coughed with a hoarse voice. “They would have opened you like a sack of thawed fish if you stood up to them. You’re no fighter, no more than I am.”

“Whitstan, this is Bren. Bren, Whitstan.” Syllesia said, stepping aside to let them get a better look at each other. “I call him Pops, but..-”

“Do you know how to use that blade, Whitstan?” He coughed, pointing weakly at the sword on Whitstan’s hip. “Or is that nothing more than an ornament to ward off would-be criminals?”

The young man recognized the scent of blood as he eyed the older one in the wheelchair. A familiar smell would fill the room whenever his sister coughed up enough of it. His hand shifted to the hilt of the blade as he felt the leather handle. “I can handle it well enough…” he responded, unsure of the man’s motives yet trying to maintain a confident facade.

“Bandits find us easy pickings when we fish down by the lake surrounding Caer Darrow.” He winced at his wounds, but there was little he could do about it. “The last time they came down the mountainside they almost made off with Syllesia. I’m too old and wounded to defend her again, and my boys are too inexperienced. I would like to hire your blade, if you’re willing. Fair wages for fair work.”

A nod came as a response, “Fair wages for fair work…” he echoed before looking back to Syllesia, “Glad they couldn’t make off with you.”

Petar flared up again. “We can't afford it.” Syllesia said nothing while she beamed, seemingly ignoring him. “We can barely afford the upkeep on this fryer! It would be unfair to hire him under these condit-”

“Take it out of my pay.” She suggested, feeling their gazes on the back of her head. Syllesia pulled the fish out of the vegetable oil, sprinkled a handful of salt and a variety of other spices, and offered it to him. “Plus all the fish you can eat! Are you in?”

Something was off in this situation aside from the obvious. The hairs on his arms stood up while he considered the offer. Whitstan gave a silent nod in agreeance. “Fair wages for fair work.” the boy parroted.

“Then what happened?” Jaeras interrupted, growing impatient. Whitstan glanced down at her and smiled, but before he could continue he noticed the familiar trees they were now surrounded by. He looked to his left to see them moving down a quiet river; to his right was the thickest part of the Eversong Woods.

“I’ll finish the story soon.” The Death Knight reached over and placed a gentle hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “But it will have to wait for now.”

Jaeras didn’t look pleased. “But… why?”

“Because we’re finally home.”

Collaborators: @syrahnbloodfeather @whitstanwilhelm

[immortallaughter]

@rooibosfie

(Uri x Eamon) Mango 

So...my hand slipped. A lot. (I have no self control!) Uri and Zethys belong to the talented @rooibosfie go check them out!

A smile.

They smiled at each other! That was progress, but didn’t do anything but make her friend act on his pining heart. Beatrice rolled her eyes in annoyance, as she noticed yet another flustered encounter with the fiery red haired man in the market.

Eamon, for a few weeks had noticed someone every afternoon, who made him get butterflies in his stomach. While Beatrice would simply tell her scholarly friend to digest the damned bugs and go talk to the person like an adult, she knew he was a much more gentle soul and would most likely feel bad for hurting the metaphorical insects.

Nudging him in the shoulder, the mage motioned her head in the direction of the good looking crush.

“Go talk to them!” She grumbled. Eamon shook his head so hard, Beatrice was surprised he didn’t have whiplash. “N-no. I can’t!”

Frowning, she lifted her scarred eyebrow defiantly. Weeks of this charade, had tested her nonexistent patience for social protocol and today she felt like putting an end to it. “Why, pray tell, can you not talk to a stranger?”

Eamon gaped his mouth open like a fish out of water for a few moments, before muttering incoherently into the page’s of his book. The scholar only became flustered around anyone he found extremely attractive, but he never knew what to say.

Almost as though she was the one with mind powers, Beatrice piped up again. “You could say anything at all, right now your nerves are talking for ya! Show em who’s boss by talking to that hunk, yeah?” Although Beatrice prodded in encouragement, Eamon tapped his fingers in his book nervously.

“But what do I do, in theory, if I do talk to that man? What if he actually wants to talk?” Beatrice grinned with a waggle of her brows. “Then you flirt a little, get to know em!” The scholar looked at her as though she’d lost her wits. “This is me we are discussing here. I could tell you every fact about the human skull, in depth, but not even something basic on flirting!” Eamon whined, running a freckled hand through his ash brown curls.

“Oh come on! Flirting is basically arithmetic, pff. Why are you making me give you advice?! I was a memoryless mercenary my whole life, and I’ve got more confidence around potential mates than you. Just go try talking to them!”

Now she’d done it.

Eamon’s cheeks turned a shade of scarlet at the word “mates”, that probably matched his crush’s hair.

“C-can’t!” He whimpered, hiding his face in his book again. Beatrice turned to watch the red-haired stranger disappearing in the midday crowds.

“Suit yourself then. You might miss your chance to speak to em, ya know?” She simply wanted to see her friend happy with someone else besides a good book for once.

“What? Why would you say that?” Eamon pouted, his hazel eyes zooming to meet the disapproving copper pools drilling into him.

“He’s not from around here, judging by his Aurean looking uniform. Probably a traveler on business. Today could be the last time you see him in the crowd, why not say a simple hello?” She slumped her shoulders in annoyance, as he huffed out a deep breath stubbornly.

“Thank you for the pep talk, Trice. I know you mean well...but if he’s a traveler I don’t want to bother them with-with minute infatuations.”

Her eye twitched, patience completely gone. At the sound of her exiting the tent they’d stopped under for shade, Eamon’s eyes widened. “Oh no, no, no, no! TRICE, you get back here right now! Trice? Trice!”

His pleas fell on deaf ears, as he dashed after Beatrice. Chasing an ex mercenary wasn’t an easy thing to do, even for a strategic mind like Eamon’s. Spotting her, not too hard. Keeping up with her stamina, however, was another story. Beatrice was excellent at climbing. So his eyes turned upwards and like he suspected there she was. Eamon spotted her half copper hair billowing behind her, as she ran on a rooftop ahead, jumping almost effortlessly from one structure to the next. There was no doubt she was searching for the man they’d been discussing.

“Oh, this can’t end well!”

Eamon grumbled, pushing through the crowd as politely as he could. When he caught up to where he’d seen her jump down from a street pole, he was winded. Eamon felt as though he might faint , however, when he saw Beatrice striking up a conversation with the two travelers. The shorter of the two had white hair with matching eyes, appearing either slightly guarded with their new company, or annoyed at the brightness of the sun in his eyes. He tugged at the lapels on his navy blue suit jacket, as the mage introduced herself.

Then there was his crush. Standing tall, this man had a commanding authority to them. Gold jewelry embellished the handsome features of his tan face. The fire curls at the top of his head demanded attention, much like the golden orbs peering down at all the world below them, although Beatrice stood almost equal in height to him surprisingly. She was able to look both men straight in the eyes, which Eamon would have to be standing on a small stool to do. This fellow, was by no means short up close. “Perks of being a tall woman, Trice!” The scholar thought absentmindedly with a tinge of jealously.

Gulping nervously, Eamon stepped towards them. The mage turned slightly, greeting him with a friendly grin. The coy wink she gave him, so their new company couldn’t see, wasn’t helping this Vesuvian’s internal screaming at all.

“Oh! This is my associate, Eamon! Eamon, this is Uri and Zethys.” She gestured to an individual as she was addressing them, before stepping back to let the scholar flounder.

“Uri. What a perfect name for a person so intriguing,”

Eamon thought to himself, until he realized he was starring like a deer in headlights at the two before himself. It took every ounce of control Eamon had not to bound away like a scared rabbit, but he planted his feet firmly on the stone path beneath his leather boots. This was it. He needed to say something. Sticking out his hand with a straightened posture, he astutely inclined his head.

“Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

Uri shuffled on his feet momentarily, with a grin that matched Eamon’s own. Wait-was his crush blushing too? No, no that would be silly, Eamon theorized. Perhaps the two had been out in the sun too long, yeah that was plausible. Maybe it was just the reflection of Uri’s lively hair reflecting off his skin. Whatever it was, it was mesmerizing. The scholar blinked a couple of times before smiling wide. A smile that could make even angels fawn over him. Uri looked almost startled, but reached out and grabbed Eamon’s hand regardless.

“Pleasure is mine.”

The Aurean beamed, as his golden eyes almost disappeared in an equally tempting smile, making Eamon melt where he stood. That time, he knew it wasn’t the sun. Zethys nodded towards the scholar, but continued to say nothing, while his cloudy eyes squinted at the other member of their unexpected company.

Then came an uncomfortable pause. Silent, except for the bustling crowd around them. The smells of spices and freshly baked bread made for a good distraction, but it wasn’t enough to hide the lack of conversation happening. Beatrice let her face drop when Uri coughed, in an attempt to get the conversation going, after they had let go of each other’s hands. Eamon looked at Beatrice with a shy shrug of his shoulder, a furious blush crossing his freckled cheeks. Turns out, her friend wasn’t lying when he mentioned not being able to flirt. So, being blatant, the mage worked her magic into the “tender” moment.

“Eamon thinks you’re cute.”

Both Uri and Eamon looked as though she’d just struck them in the back of the head with a brick, as they sputtered unintelligibly at the same time. The mage watched Uri turn his head away to collect himself, an obvious tinge of color on his cheeks. She caught the ends of a muttered comment of his. Something along the lines of “I’m flattered!” perhaps.

Her eyes then raced to Eamon, who almost fell over after holding his breath too long in an attempt to not scream. The scholar’s comment was much more coherent, since he spoke right into her ear. “Trice, you are so dead!” Eamon threatened quietly, his voice wavering slightly.

Zethys slid his eyes up to Beatrice’s, lifting a brow in apparent confusion, as she bust into a spurt of obnoxious laughter. Threats never worked on the mage. Never.

“You two, are too precious!”

“Please stop talking!” Eamon groaned, as she smacked her hand on his back playfully. This embarrassment had him wanting to die, but also interested to see what Uri thought of this news.

The redhead let out a short laugh, giving a perfect grin as he looked at his not so secret admirer. “Care to join me for a bite to eat, Eamon? Rumor has it, that there is a stall around here that sells the best mangoes.”

Eamon’s eyes lit up at the sound of Uri’s invitation and the mention of his favorite fruit. “Mangoes? I know just where that stall is! I-I would be delighted to accompany you! Do you like mangoes, Uri?”

Uri matched his pace with the shorter man as Eamon started walking with a skip in his step, before responding resolutely. “Oh, I love mangoes!”

Eamon swooned, and Beatrice bit her lip fighting back a grin. “Oh, what have I done?” She thought to herself smugly.

Beatrice and Zethys stood as the two left together, the white haired man again turning his head to his new company. “What....exactly just happened?” The mage turned her head to the man and shrugged coolly. Apparently everyone was mistaking her for an all knowing gypsy today. 

“I have absolutely no idea, but I like it.”

[deedles-sims]

Devin’s “Try  It All” Legacy Challenge for The Sims 4

Hi there! This is a legacy challenge I created to do/see/complete everything The Sims 4 has to offer at least once. It incorporates all traits at least once, most aspirations and careers, and all skills and collections. I apologize if the transitions aren’t all that (I randomized the generations and strung them together the best that I could), but I think this is a really neat idea and wanted to share it. However, please don’t post this elsewhere without giving credit. I spent many hours putting this together. I hope you enjoy! I’d love any feedback you have! If you’d like to post about your journey, you can use the #Try It All Legacy Challenge

Rules:

Don’t cheat. It’s no fun if you cheat your way to victory. The aim of the game is to do and complete everything the game offers at least once. If you cheat, you can’t boast about completing such a feat.

Traits, Aspirations, and Careers are chosen for you. Unless specifically stated, you can decide which branch of the career you’d like to do.

All Aspirations, Skills, and Collections listed must be completed before you move on to the next generation. Failure to complete one of the listed requirements (unless due to some game mechanic or something outside of your control) results in the loss of the challenge.

Obviously each generation needs to have at least once child (If you don’t then the legacy can’t continue!). It’s up to you whether you adopt or birth the heirs, and how the heir is chosen unless specifically stated (i.e., the heir can be whoever you want, unless as in Gen 21 when the heir needs to be a vampire).

Berry Sims aren’t a required part of the challenge, but I’ve added in colors that I think pertain to each generation nicely if you’d like to incorporate that as well.

Since there are so many generations, you can also make it an Alphabetacy!

What to Do:

Create your founder with the given Aspiration, and Traits (and Berry color if you’d like to incorporate that into the game).

DON’T CREATE ANY CHILDREN OR SPOUSES.

Choose a large lot to grow your family on. There aren’t any restrictions on staying on the same lot, but I personally think it’s neat to see the lot change over the course of the challenge.

Play through the challenge!

The Generations:

1. Super Parent (Light Blue)

You’ve always wanted to have a large, beautiful, and successful family. As the matriarch/patriarch, you want to see your children grow up well, and are determined to be a big part of that.

Traits: Family-Oriented, Ambitious, Neat

Job: Start Up Entrepreneur (Tech Guru)

Get married

Master Parenting Skill

Have one child gain all positive character traits (from the Parenthood Pack)

Host one of each of the following: Birthday Party, Weenie Roast, and Toddler Play Date.

2. Freelance Botanist (Forest Green)

You were your parents’ pride and joy. They want to see you become the best of the best, but you want to go a different route. Since you were young, you’ve had a special bond with plants. So special, in fact, that you prefer them over Sims! You long to have the biggest garden around.

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Gloomy

Job: Being a Botanist

Master Gardening Skill

Complete Gardening collection

3. Master Mixologist (Grey)

As a teen, you had a fascination with nectar, but not in a bad way! You thought it was interesting how there were so many combinations that produced such delicious drinks, kind of like a chemist! You have made it your life’s goal to learn all of those combinations.

Traits: Foodie, Outgoing, Insider

Job: Mixologist

Master Mixology Skill

Throw a party to show off your skills

4. Angling Ace (Salmon)

While the rest of your family was busy fussing over food and parties, you were outside enjoying the great world around you. Among your favorite parts were the fish, which you’re determined to catch all of and have a private collection.

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Glutton, Hot-Headed

Job: Food Critic

Master Fishing Skill

Complete Fish collection

Showcase at least 5 fish that you’ve caught.

5. Soulmate (Rose Pink)

One of your life’s dreams has always been to have a nice spouse and kids. But until that day, you’re dedicated to your office job. However, during a typical day at work, you stumble upon that special someone. It’s a regular old office romance! Let’s just hope you don’t let your jealousy get the best of you...

Traits: Romantic, Jealous, Family Oriented

Job: Public Relations

Have an office romance

Host a Wedding

Get Married

6. Musical Genius (Lavender)

Most of your childhood was spent perfecting your music, and as such, you are eager to be a famous musician. You intend to make all of your dreams come true, and spend many a day practicing.

Traits: Creative, Music Lover, Perfectionist

Job: Musician

Master Guitar Skill

Master Guitar Skill

Master Violin Skill

Master Pipe Organ Skill

Master Singing Skill

7. Outdoor Enthusiast (Mint)

Your childhood was filled with loud music as your parent practiced their instruments for hours on end. To get away from it all, you spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the great outdoors. Your biggest goal is to start a bug collection.

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Vegetarian, Clumsy

Job: Politician with a Save the Trees platform

Master Herbalism Skill

Complete Insects Collection

8. Archaeology Scholar (Light Yellow)

Instead of chasing insects, you focused on the objects you found on your family outings. Once, even, you found treasure worth 1,000 simoleons! That sparked your interest so much that you’ve decided to dedicate your life to being a treasure hunter, both at work and outside. You’d love to have your own private collection someday!

Traits: Active, Ambitious, Cheerful

Job: Investor

Master Archaeology Skill

Master Selvedoradian Culture Skill

Complete Jungle Adventures collections

9. Party Animal (Plum)

You always hated the family treasure hunts your parents made you go on, but what could you do? Well, at least when you visited Selvedorada you could dance with the locals! You adored those times, especially the parties! You want to spend every waking moment living life it’s 1999!

Traits: Dance Machine, Bro, Insider

Job: Internet Personality

Master DJ Skill

Master Dancing Skill

Throw an Incognito Costume Party, a Spooky Party, a House Party, and a Dance Party.

(Bonus points if you have a child that gains all negative character traits from the Parenthood Pack. If you do, this should be your heir!)

10. Public Enemy (Scarlet)

Your parent was too caught up in their partying to raise you well, so you raised yourself (quite unsuccessfully, you might add). You never truly learned to share, or not to take what isn’t yours. If we’re being honest, you’re the kind of Sim that just wants to watch the world burn. And if it does, then you’d probably just laugh! (*insert evil laugh here*)

Traits: Evil, Kleptomaniac, Insane

Job: Criminal

Have 5 enemies

Have a collection of stolen items

11. Computer Whiz (White)

You always thought your mother/father was insane, and it turns out you were right! Because of your not-so-great upbringing, you’re a bit of a loner. However, you were the brightest student in your school, and you long to be the brightest computer genius in the entire world.

Traits: Geek, Genius, Loner

Job: eSports Gamer

Master Programming Skill

Master Video Gaming Skill

Complete MySims Collection

12. Bodybuilder (Gold)

As a child, your parents were very occupied with their technology. You, on the other hand, spent most of your time on the jungle gym. Now, as an adult, you’re dedicated to your health and wellness. If only you would just clean up after yourself!

Traits: Active, Slob, Self-Assured

Job: Pro Athlete

Master Fitness Skill

Master Wellness Skill

Adopt a cat or dog as part of a self-help kick

13. Friend of the Animals (Purple)

One of the best decisions your mother/father ever made (next to having you of course) was getting your 4-legged friend. The two of you were best friends since the day you were born, and because of the special bond you had, you’ve decided to open a vet clinic.

Traits: Cat or Dog Lover (Based on your choice in the last generation), Good, Bookworm

Job: Running a Vet Clinic

Master Pet Training Skill

Master Veterinarian Skill

Complete Feathers collection

Have at least 1 cat and 1 dog

14. The Curator (Ruby Red)

Your parent’s vet clinic didn’t leave them much time for parenting, but you didn’t mind. You were too busy collecting the many things around you. You got so busy, in fact, that you long to start a museum!

Traits: Snob, Art Lover, Unflirty

Job: Art Critic

Complete Crystals, Elements, Fossils, Metals, and Microscope Prints collections

15. Painter Extraordinaire (Sky Blue)

Spending time in your museum of a house wasn’t very entertaining, but you made it work. All you had to do was break out a canvas and some paints and you were set for hours! Of course, not all of it was a waste. You did learn some very handy photography techniques to help you as an adult.

Traits: Creative, Art Lover, Snob

Job: Painter

Master Painting Skill

Master Photography Skill

Host Black and White Bash to showcase your art

16. Nerd Brain (Steel)

You’re not one for art (the gene seems to have skipped a generation with you), but you are a whiz with a wrench! You’ll do anything to leave this world, including build your own rocket ship out of here! Sixam, here you come!

Traits: Geek, Ambitious, Perfectionist

Job: Astronaut

Master Handiness Skill

Master Rocket Science Skill

Complete Aliens collection

Complete Space Rocks collection

Befriend an alien

17. Master Chef (Apricot)

Outer space was never really your thing, but it did give you some wonderful recipes! You’re perfectly fine spending the rest of your life on planet Earth, so long as you learn every recipe there is!

Traits: Foodie, Genius, Vegetarian

Job: Master Chef

Master Cooking Skill

Master Baking Skill

Master Gourmet Cooking Skill

Throw a dinner party

18. Chief of Mischief (Crimson)

Instead of helping your parent in the kitchen or licking the spoon, you preferred to break it. Your parent gave up on changing your ways rather quickly, so you became the mean-spirited Sim you are now. Rather than being a silly chef, you want to change the world in a bad way: by being the best super villain!

Traits: Mean, Lazy, Childish

Job: Villain

Master Mischief Skill

Win 5 fights

19. Renaissance Sim (Orange)

Your parent’s evil ways have rubbed off on you, at least somewhat. Instead of being an evildoer, though, you just want to be a mad scientist! You use frogs as your test subjects (but not for things that would hurt them! You’re not that bad), and occasionally enjoy a game of bowling.

Traits: Squeamish, Geek, Materialistic

Job: Scientist

Master Bowling Skill

Master Logic Skill

Complete Frog Collection

Complete Space Prints Collection

Reach at least level 5 of 2 other skills, but never commit enough to master them

20. Serial Romantic (Hot Pink)

You’ve never been one for committing, a trait taught to you by your mother/father. However, instead of not committing to a career or hobby, you can’t seem to commit to a single Sim! You spend much of your life bouncing from one Sim to another to sometimes several at once!! It doesn’t even matter if they’re fully human or not, either! At least you’re successful in your career...

Traits: Noncommittal, Romantic, Hates Children

Job: Doctor

Have 3 significant others at once

Never marry

Have only 1 child (must be with a vampire!!!)

21. Master Vampire (Blood Red)

Your parent was always too busy fooling around to spend time with you, so you’re quite the loner. It doesn’t help that you’re a vampire and they also didn’t know how to raise you. You figured the whole “drinking blood instead of food��� thing out on your own, though. Of course, being immortal is depressing, so you don’t talk to many people, and you’re sad pretty often.

Traits: Loner, Gloomy, Snob

Job: Management

Master Vampire Lore Skill

Become a Master Vampire

Marry a human

22. Joke Star (Navy Blue)

When you were younger, you were very much the goofball in school, and you quickly decided you wanted to make it your life’s goal to make every Sim laugh. You are determined to be the most famous comedian in the world!

Traits: Goofball, Outgoing, Cheerful

Job: Comedian

Master Comedy Skill

Master Charisma Skill

23. Bestselling Author (Sepia)

As a class assignment one day, you researched your family tree and discovered all of your wacky ancestors and their antics. Using this as your inspiration, you’ve decided to be an author and write an entire book series about your family.

Traits: Creative, Bookworm, Self-Assured

Job: Author

Write 23 books (one for each heir), and a final autobiography.

Complete Postcards collection