#oh and nettle is a mad scientist but not by a lot

[a-tale-of-legends]

Who is the most evil or morally ambiguous of your OCs and do I dare ask for spoilers? Have a nice day. =)

If it weren't for their moral conscious, I would honestly say all of them. They all can be pretty brutal if they want to. But I'd have to say that Jude, Carol and maybe Danica are probably the most morally ambiguous.

Carol, for all intensive purposes, is a literal cons person. They know how to talk to people, get what they want, and read them like a good book. If there is something they don't know, they will either do their research, or get it out of somebody. They are not above blackmail, are any sort of non violent bribery. They always have a scheme ticking in their head: for every possible scenario, every possible outcome, which would best suit them and their friends, etc( doesn't help that with charismatic the kid is, they would have some ' connections' ) Carol doesn't show this side to them much: Naomi and Hop are the good supportive system that grounds them in reality and thus have a good heart as well ( most of what they do is for the sake of them, and their happiness. If something were to happen to them....well-). The main downside to Carol is that they're still a kid. A very smart, cunning and charismatic kid, but still a kid. Sometimes they're way in over their head, and can get arrogant. But even then, they have a plan for that. Interesting little fella.

Jude is Carol, but an adult, less mischievous, very intimidating, has aura powers ( sensing) and perpetually doesn't give a fuck. If Carol is more of a shady dealer that lurk in the shadows, Jude is the domineering ring master that will but you in your place. Again, like Carol, good supportive system + near death experience really changed their heart for the better, but it doesn't change the fact that Jude just doesn't care sometimes. They can be cold, calculated and ruthless in execution if they wanted to. They have no problems with people ( that they don't care for) getting hurt to prove a point OR to have them beg so they can't get answers out if them. As long as the person doesn't die- it would be a waste of energy then ( and also cause Jude, and Carol for that fact, crosses the line murder and death.)

Both Carol and Jude have a good supportive system, like I said, and generally happier with how they are now. They're both, I would call, good people. What I just described is the most extreme situation. Now for Danica. Danica's tricky.

If you look at Danica closely you would realize one thing: she is battle hungry. She craves a good battle. She's not gonna go all crazy when she does, no, but it does get her pumped ( a while back I made battle quotes for her loosing her champion title, and I tried to make it clear that she was much more expressive and more lively, which was very different from her quiet, unsettling demeanor before). She knows when to hold herself back, of course, but sometimes ( and this is very rare) she becomes brash and goes in without thinking. It doesn't help that with her connections to Giratina makes her scarier than before, sometimes having Giratina become more of an eldritch monster just to scare her enemies. Or, the more fun version, can Giratina posses her and she herself do the scaring. It's a group effort :) ( think Raven from the old TT show)

Danica's ambiguity doesn't help her case. She never gives you a clear answer, unless she, you know, does. She talks slow and smooth, making sure every word is heard ( or whispered). She doesn't show fear. Not that she doesn't have any, nor that she's holding her fear back. But you can never seem to find her when she does.

What I'm getting at is that I kinda see Danica as a cryptic and I'm not sure if that counts as morally ambiguous or not.

And....yeh. Sorry if non of these are morally ambiguous, cause I never really had much experience with them. If I did, I wouldn't know lol. Either way, I hope this answer will suffice

( tdlr: Carol is the dealer, Jude is The Boss, and Danica is the cryptic horror)

[frenchcastlefarming]

“Espresso Madness”

Originally published 10 June 2014

Today was the first day in the vegetable gardens. Our host, Charles, practices biodynamic farming and permaculture, which means (basically), that through a tangle of weeds thigh-high, you trip on oversized crystals you can’t see, on your way to use sticks to prop up plants you can barely identify. (Okay, not really. It’s actually a lot like organic farming except it uses concepts and principles drawn from philosopher and scientist Dr. Rudolph Steiner’s — the founder of biodynamic agriculture — “anthroposophy,” which is said to have directly influenced the community supported agricultural movements (CSAs), and the Waldorf educational system, among many other things.)

I liked Charles instantly, or, as Seth and I have called him since our first interactions through email — “Charles of the Castle.” When I sent him a long letter asking all the questions WWOOFers are supposed to ask their hosts — What kind of work will we be doing? What will we eat? Where will we sleep? How much work will we do a day?…and so on — he responded with a short reply: “We just got bees in the fireplace again!” Seth and I looked at each other, shrugged and said, “Well okay then.” And here we are.

Our first afternoon upon arrival in Paris was spent accompanying Charles driving like the maniac he is through the city streets, pointing out the major sights along the way (the Eiffel Tower, by the way, seen while going 90 mph through a roundabout looks completely normal and mundane), and stopping occasionally for bread and tarts, for paint pigments, or to attend a ten-minute meeting with the heads of a company he’s just been named CEO of. (He attended this meeting with baggy red pants sagging off his butt.) He’s pure energy and completely fantastic.

In the garden we pulled choke weeds that were strangling raspberries, and thistles you had wrap grass around the base to grab hold of. And the nettles. Oh, the nettles. I’ve always been slightly curious about nettle stings. I’ve heard they are incredibly beneficial for increasing circulation. A friend of Charles’ told me today that people come from around the world to receive nettle treatments from this region! The first few stings I encountered shocked me with their intensity, but after about twenty or so I think I started to like them. My hands are covered in tiny blisters that feel oddly amazing, and the whole afternoon my ankles and fingers were tingly. However, I’ve heard a nettle sting increases one’s testosterone, so I’d better watch out.

Seth made a deal with our group that he’d run through a nettle field naked if he didn’t wake up and do his gymnastics everyday (the equivalent of me donating to the George Bush Presidential Library if I don’t write). Charles made a joke that I’d be a very lucky girl if he did that. I told him not to give Seth any ideas — he’s already obsessed enough with with his man-health as it is.

I heard a noise outside my window just now and saw the rosebushes rattle. Every time I hear things like this I imagine it’s Madame Blanche creeping up to peer, white-faced, into my window. When I get up to use the bathroom at night, I’m convinced she’s right behind me as I run back to the room and dive under the covers, startling Seth and earning a glare of annoyance.