#monarch outpost

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

I SERIOUSLY FUCKING WANNA SEE THE TITANS' NAME ON THEIR RESPECTIVE OUTPOSTS ABOVE THEIR CODES.

And I am curious about the newer ones too.

[0alix0]

Rook's backgrounds make no sense or gatekeeping is good, actually

It's didn't sit well with me ever since bioware admitted that all 6 background for Rook can be played by any race you choose

Looking back at Origins it's clear why most of the backgrounds were race-specific. Not only it provided a better understanding of the separate cultures (you wouldn't really understand what dwarfs are about if you were able to play as a surface dwarf commoner) it also established the rules of the world (elves are opressed, you can't become a queen/king cuz the nobles will riot, humans colonize them and inforce their religion and rules on everyone, dwarfs are considered weird)

Now, looking at the veilguard, I can't help but ask:

How can a fully grown dalish with vallaslin be a crow? They buy slaves as a way to get more assassins, usually elves, children, so they could easier ruin their psyche. why the hell would a dalish stand for it?

How can a qunari be a Gray Warden? Wardens don't discriminate, sure, but this far, we haven't even heard of a qunari warden. Rook should be a legend, Rook should be questioned at actually being a warden by NPCs, OR sit in some Warden outpost and being studied by their mages, because no one actually knows how Blight and joining might work with Kossith body instead of running around with Varric.

Veiljumpers were organized by dalish, right? Then why in the world would a human be allowed to join? How and why did they change their minds to accept literally anyone, even if it's a potential threat/thief(Morrigan)/zealot/etc..?

How can a dwarf, someone who isn't even connected to the fade be a Veiljumper?

How can a dwarf be a part of the Mourn Watch? A Mortalitasi, an exclusively MAGE order? What can they even do?? Preform a non magical mummifications with herbs and salts like Egyptians did? Sweep the mausoleum? Be some sort of a funeral organizer/lawyer/genealogist? That could've been really interesting if only the game actually bothered to say anything about it. It did not

"Well it's up to your headcanons!" then why make the backgrounds in the first place??? They don't matter anyway!

I mean, obviously it was just a way to promote the game to older fans. Look, the backstories! The thing you've been craving for is back in game! Only they forgot what actually made them so great. The most important part. They mattered, they created a basis for my character. They gave them families, connections. They changed the way my character is perceived (elves in general) and what they can do plotwise (become a monarch/paragon).

I don't fucking care if 3-5 NPCs might have some additional dialogues for me, cuz they don't matter anyway. I don't even know these people, i never met them before, my character did, but I didn't. And now I don't care enough to know. like, i'm playing as a mourn watcher, but before going to Nevarra i barely knew anything about them, and what i know now is still rather surface level shit

Let alone the fact that all the backgrounds are practically the same. You pissed off some influencial people by doing good and was send away. Bravo.

........if this post gets one like I'm writing my own ideas for DA4 protagonist's backgrounds

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Mischief also appears via photo in Monarch Outpost One:

[kybelles]

Idk but i feel like many people in the fandom kinda forget that delpha was under akielon's rules before veretian conquered it

hi pookie 💕 sorry it took me a while to get back to this ask because i actually have A LOT of thoughts regarding delpha and i wanted to collect them nicely before i responded.

let me give this disclaimer first: i love these books. i love pacat’s writing. i cannot remember the last time i loved a mc like i love damen. that being said, this does not mean that pacat is immune to criticism (no writer is!) because i believe most of the fandom's attitude towards the delpha/delfeur situation stems from the contradictory attitude of the text itself. why? because the narrative goes back and forth between pointing out that akielons actually had multiple good reasons for wanting delpha back and not-so-subtly painting them as the villains who unjustly occupied a land which they had no cultural or/and historical claim on and well. i’m not the biggest fan of this choice. :)

first of all, the text makes it clear that theomedes was NOT an expansionist. he stopped his campaign before launching an assault on ravenel because of the cost and internal political risk. he wasn’t grabbing land recklessly. he only wanted delpha back and he had good reasons for it, which i will explain.

later we find out that delpha was lost during the reign of king eundros which was, and this part is very important, only ninety years ago. NINETY. while the books never explicitly says how long akielos had delpha before the 90 year rule, when damen and laurent are in kingsmeet and they're going through the line of succession, pretty sure the number of rulers means it would be more than 90 years. damen literally walks past a statue of king eundros, meaning delpha was considered a national loss and not some random military outpost. and if akielos had no historical claim or cultural connection to delpha, why would theomedes even bother trying to retake it?

once again it is critical to underline what a short time NINETY years is. it is barely yesterday in monarchic time. two generations at most. if we assume a generation is ~40 years (especially in noble or ruling families), that's basically damen's grandfather's time. there should still be living people who remember akielon rule: nobles, soldiers, even ordinary townspeople. in monarchic systems, land claims and identities persist for centuries. european powers went to war over territories they hadn't controlled for hundreds of years, citing dynastic inheritance or ancient treaties, etc.

so theomedes’ campaign wasn’t ancient history. it was contemporary enough to be a strategic memory, the idea that "we lost delpha, we can take it back." would have been very real to akielos.

and yet akielos is shown as having little cultural or historical ties to the territory and is painted as the sole aggressor in the conflict with vere. the only delphans that are shown are culturally veretian and unhappy and suffering under akielon rule. all the people in marlas are overjoyed by laurent’s presence whilst damen gets nothing but scorn. we never see what akielon villagers think. no visits to tarasis, no mothers mourning their children from veretian raids, no displaced akielon farmers. yet we’re invited into multiple scenes where veretian civilians suffer and express outrage. the narrative even dramatically has a little girl standing up to the big bad “oppressors”.

this raises significant questions about why there isn't a significant akielon presence in delpha, considering the territory was akielon only ninety years ago. where are the delphan akielons, considering we are told by the text that they have been living there for so many generations? were they all killed in a genocide? and if not, how do they feel about akielos reclaiming the territory under theomedes' rule? this is never given any consideration, which is why i think people forget that vere isn't the only country with significant historical ties to delpha.

if akielos held it for generations (and we get the sense that they did, especially since it has been 'disputed' territory for centuries, meaning this isn't the first time they gained it or lost it), that means:

-there would be akielon architecture, forts, inscriptions, even cultural or linguistic residue.

-families with akielon names or affiliations would still exist, like landed households, merchants, military retirees.

-akielon administrative systems may have shaped local governance especially if the transition to veretian control was violent or contested.

instead, the narrative presents delpha as fully veretian, with no meaningful akielon minority or memory. that’s implausible and HIGHLY suspicious.

the complete absence of delphan akielons raises a lot of serious questions. if delpha had been akielon for generations, where are the people with akielon identity? if they weren’t assimilated or erased, do they support akielon rule? do they see vere as the aggressor? none of that gets explored, which is a huge omission, especially in a story that’s otherwise very invested in the politics of land, rule, and cultural legacy.

the story frames delpha almost entirely through veretian suffering and perspective, despite the fact that it was vere who conquered it just ninety years ago! that's not that long in the context of monarchic rule. it’s like the narrative subtly naturalizes veretian ownership while delegitimizing akielos’, even when akielos is just trying to take back a territory it ruled for centuries. that framing choice is worth questioning.

these narrative choices also force us to think about just what kind of conquest was vere’s. since wars are not won by throwing roses at your opponent's feet, if the delphans are shown as uniformly veretian and anti-akielon, then vere’s conquest either included mass (forced) assimilation, elite replacement, or worse (!!!) ethnic cleansing or cultural erasure.

if that didn’t happen, then where are the akielon-leaning factions in delpha now? either way, the narrative skips the hard questions of what conquest looks like and who gets remembered, and that’s deeply political.

there's no exploration of divided loyalties in delpha, no delphans torn between akielon heritage and veretian rule. there's no acknowledgment of how power shapes memory: veretian propaganda, military presence, or cultural dominance could have absolutely rewritten how delpha sees its own history.

instead, we get a neatly polarized image: veretians good and oppressed, akielons bad and occupying… despite the historical reversal that undermines that story.

that framing isn't neutral at all, it reveals whose voice the narrative privileges. it’s not that vere is objectively in the right; it’s that we’re given no alternative viewpoint.

and that, in turn, makes readers forget that akielos also has legitimate historical ties, cultural memory, and likely, support in delpha.

vere takes land historically held by akielos, then in the space of less than a century, erases akielon cultural and political presence so completely that the native population (delphans) are portrayed as fully veretian.

akielos is then painted as the aggressor, even when trying to reclaim land it once ruled. this is classic colonialist reversal: the colonizer recasts themselves as the native, and the native becomes the invader.

lastly, the narrative also makes it seem like the “sins” of akielos can only be atoned if damen gives delpha back to vere, which again leaves a bad taste in the mouth because damen, a former slave, is now agreeing to return marlas to the nation that enslaved him. he even refers to the “the ghost of its veretian grace” and this language echoes real-world colonized elites praising the supposed refinement and "grace" of the empire that dominated them. the contrast is stark: veretian ruins are mourned. akielon victories are regretfully undone.

[brittle-doughie]

Hello, I'm the Anon that made both of the posts involving Mole Sauce Cookie and his brother Enchilada Cookie. I think I'll try to take a stab at this whole Fungal Infection AU

You are a lone survivor, roaming the woods away from cookie civilization when you come across an abandoned journal in the middle of nowhere. Curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to take a look... ------ May 6th, 20XX I just got news of it. Mole Sauce Cookie, the monarch of the Cookie Kingdom as well as my own brother, came down with something bad. No, bad is the understatement of the century, they got the whole kingdom on lockdown because of this... this fungus. It's been difficult to bear but I think our mother took it the worst. I have returned home for the time being to keep her company and to prevent her from doing anything reckless. It's been a long day. May 7th, 20XX I've come down with a cough. Luckily I'm almost certain that its just a cold. No need to panic just yet. The fungus remains contained in my brother's kingdom. Apparently they've gone all out; defensive walls, military outposts, a magical barrier, no holds barred. But from what I've heard about what this fungus does to cookies, I'd say they're justified in being overkill. May 8th, 20XX Okay maybe I spoke a little too soon with the cold. I seem to have come down with a fever, my legs also feel a bit strained. Perhaps it's just the Flu then. Though I've been getting some pretty intense intrusive thoughts, when I see my mother a part of me just thinks about how easy it'd be to rip her dough apart, about how tasty her dough would be. I've never had these thoughts before so why would it happen now? Certainly its not the fungus, I don't think I would've came into contact with it since I was only at the Cookie Kingdom for a brief moment to congratulate Mole Sauce Cookie's return from Beast Yeast. For a return party if you will. May 9th, 20XX Welp, there's no denying it anymore. I'm infected. I saw those hideous green spores on my face as I was washing it. If I were to guess, the fungi got me at the return party, we might have shared some food or drink as siblings do. But that was was then, there's no use dwelling on "I should've". I need a plan of action, I can't just blurt it out, I'd likely be crumbled and burnt before sundown. May 11th, 20XX you notice the handwriting getting noticeably more crude, presumably as the fungus takes this cookie's mind I ran, I ran away from home. I cannot bear to look at mother in the face like this. I want her to remember me as her son, not the rabid animal I'm about to become. I need to make it to the cookie kingdom, I cannot allow what's inside me to spread. May 13th, 20XX This entry is losing more and more of its handwriting, whoever wrote this seems to be writing these in a hurry, as if to preserve their lucid thoughts before they're lost Fungus taking my mind, can't focus. Need to make it to the Cookie Kingdom. But I can't remember where the Cookie Kingdom is, I'm lost. I'm hungry, so hungry, very hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry- The rest of this entry is almost completely unintelligible, resembling the chaotic scratchings of a hot wing rather than cohesive letters. You close the journal only to hear deranged howling, leaves rustling, and the frantic scampering of something rapidly getting closer. It is too late, he has found you.

You better hope you’ve gotten your affairs in order before reading that…

[anghraine]

If you have the time, O Aragorn Expert, could you please point out a few places in the text(s) where it's described what Aragorn actually *did* during his long rule? There's the bit in the Appendices in Éomer's section where it glancingly mentions the two of them saber-rattling together, but is there more than that?

I don't think anyone has ever called me an Aragorn expert before, lol, but thanks for the interest! Off the top of my head, the main descriptions of his rule are in the glowing but vague description in LOTR itself:

He became thus King both of Arnor and Gondor, and overlord of the ancient allies of Mordor to whom he now granted mercy and peace.

In Peoples of Middle-earth, less euphemistically:

All men that had allied themselves with Sauron were slain or subjugated.

In the passage in the Appendices you mention:

And wherever King Elessar went with war King Éomer went with him; and beyond the Sea of Rhûn and on the far fields of the South the thunder of the cavalry of the Mark was heard, and the White Horse upon Green flew in many winds until Éomer grew old.

And, in the most detail, in Letter 244, which is actually about Faramir:

Also, to be Prince of Ithilien, the greatest noble after Dol Amroth in the revived Númenórean state of Gondor, soon to be of imperial power and prestige, was not a 'market-garden job' as you term it. Until much had been done by the restored King, the P. of Ithilien would be the resident march-warden of Gondor, in its mean eastward outpost - and also would have many duties in rehabilitating the lost territory, and clearing it of outlaws and orc-remnants, not to speak of the dreadful vale of Minas Ithil (Morgul). I did not, naturally, go into details about the way in which Aragorn, as King of Gondor, would govern the realm. But it was made clear that there was much fighting and in the earlier years of A.’s reign expeditions against enemies in the East. The chief commanders, under the King, would be Faramir and Imrahil; and one of these would normally remain a military commander at home in the King's absence. A Númenórean King was monarch, with the power of unquestioned decision in debate; but he governed the realm with the frame of ancient law, of which he was administrator (and interpreter) but not the maker. In all debatable matters of importance domestic, or external, however, even Denethor had a Council, and at least listened to what the Lords of the Fiefs and the Captains of the Forces had to say. Aragorn re-established the Great Council of Gondor, and in that Faramir, who remained by inheritance the Steward (or representative of the King during his absence abroad, or sickness, or between his death and the accession of his heir), would [be] the chief counsellor.

[illwilledomen]

What is the hierarchy and the political structure of the illager empire?

Illagers are ruled by an oligarchic monarchy.

At the top we have the Arch-Emperor. This is the supposed ruler of illager kind, but really, these monarchs are often at the mercy of the whims of their various advisors. To use Archie as an example, he seemed ultimately powerful, and while he does have a lot of political influence, he was fact more of a figurehead for the empire (and the literal cursed forbidden object, but that’s not relevant) and is vulnerable to competitors or mutiny. Then we have the second-in-command. This is made up of the most powerful, influential and skilled mages, warlocks, generals, warlords and captains. All use titles pertaining to a key aspect of their authority: E.G, a skilled vindicator general with a high body count would be called The Executioner. A uniquely powerful evoker would be called The Thaumaturge (side glances at my musty crusty man Herold). A dude known for his engineering prowess would be called The Engineer. So on.

Thirdly, we have the warriors. This is made up of mostly vindicators. Pillagers are more expendable, where as vindicators are the real weaponry. This is made up of illagers specifically trained, brainwashed and surgically altered to be killing machines. This is where vindicators with lapis implants are situated. Not every vindicator gets a lapis implant, of course — Lapis is a precious material, with many uses. Illagers are picked carefully to be operated on. Stronger, bigger, hardier and higher up vindicators are often chosen. Illager parents whom are particularly patriotic may offer up their children to be turned into weapons. Fucked up! But to them, it’s like sending their kid to Harvard. This class is also made up of less skilled magic casters, and younger ones who are still students of the arcane arts.

And then we have the workforce. This is made up of the lower class illagers who weren’t born wealthy enough to be educated. Some are still given military training: Those are your good old pillagers, sent to outposts to be tutored by captains. They are used as expendable meat shields, for the most part. You also have workers like miners, farmers, shopkeepers…. Non-combat oriented ills. They need someone to put food on the table and iron in the forges, after all.

Lastly, we have the strays and peasantry. This encompasses a variety of different classes. Stray illagers are those like illusioners and some witch covens. They aren’t special enough to be Real Illagers. This may include lords and ladies who have been stripped of their ranks for treason or some other crime. Often aren’t welcome in illager society, and live on the outskirts. We also have religious minorities, like the Gale Sanctum, who are relatively oppressed and have considerable tension with “true illagers”. They’re considered primitive and lesser by many illagers. Simply weirdos who live in the mountains and clang rocks and ice together with their silly wind powers, not a real magical culture or anything. (Sarcasm)

At least they’re not… villagers…. [sounds of illager disgust]

This is also made up of non-illager aligned witches and villagers who have been taken into illager society as slaves. Many villagers are taken in raids and sold off for labour, experimentation and prostitution. Slavery is legal in illager society, if you hadn’t guessed. They don’t call ‘em ill-willed villagers for nothing.

[zilonking]

After a bit here's Sargon's ref, took a while to do mostly to figure the head. Sargon has been seen as either a scorpion or beetle, however sticking to the concept art, I went with the Scorpion route. I do like how the body did turn out when it was all finished.

"Located in Gobekli Tepe, Turkey (Monarch Outpost 73), a large arachnid titan, that tunnels through the Earth. Large front caws, with a thick plated exoskeleton, and a stinger on its tail. Feasting on whatever it grabs or fights".

"It was located with a Temple, and awoke among Ghidorah's call, hunting and feasting on whatever it grabbed. It would soon move towards Boston when it heard the ORCA. However, it was not present when Godzilla became an Alpha, thus making it a titan that has no loyalty to any".

"As of present times, even after Skar Kings defeat, it is one of the few rebellious titans to fought off Godzilla. One of its major advantages is being able to tunnel through the Earth, due to smooth ridges on its exoskeleton. It also has other advantages that help aid it".

"Sargon large front claws have multiple uses, grabbing/holding or stabbing prey, protection from any projectiles due to their thick endoskeleton, and digging through the Earth. Along with their claws when holding prey, they can use their tail to sting them, with a paralyzing venom, its mostly lethal to smaller/lesser titans, not any regular ones or ancient. At most the venom weakens the stronger titans".

"As of now, Sargon resides either in the Surface or the Hollow Earth, living around warm dry climates. It has moved outside of where it lives to usually hunt or traveling through digging beneath the Earth to find food elsewhere. Sometimes fighting any titans that get too close to it".

[monarch-afterdark]

Titan History: Tiamat

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

For today's communication, we find ourselves once more turning to the most recent Titan crisis, dedicating today's instalment of "Titan History" to a beast that has many people talking; the queen of the depths, Tiamat.

(Pictured above: An artistic piece depicting Tiamat on the mainland, created by former Outpost 53 operative Dope Pope)

Monarch Database File: Tiamat

Monarch Designation: Titanus Tiamat

Length: 847 feet

Weight: Unknown

Nature: Bio-Ultraviolet

Behavioural Classification: Destroyer

-----

Designated as "Titan 019" in Monarch's database, Tiamat was a colossal sea serpent, vibrant coloured scales and a bioluminescent frill granting her an almost hypnotising appearance as she cuts through the water. Those who studied her in Monarch Outpost 53 note her impressive ability to mimic the sounds of human voices. Though incapable of perfectly replicating speech, many of the outpost's staff recount being haunted by the sounds of her "Titansong".

The full extent of her abilities show Tiamat to be a true force of nature. She can blind opponents with a yellow phosphorus ink that manifests as a form of acidic breath, she possesses electrogenic cells that can manipulate electrical energy to such an extent that her storms can boil the ocean and generate steam trails that can be seen from space. Her underwater superiority rivals even that of Godzilla, able to generate maelstroms capable of dragging other Titans to the depths.

Prior to her final encounter with Godzilla, Tiamat was also shown to be capable of absorbing and generating massive amounts of energy through a natural radiation hotspot in the Arctic Circle, achieving an "evolved" state similar to what Godzilla would go on to gain for himself prior to engaging the Skar King and Shimo.

(Pictured above: Speculative artistic rendition of how Tiamat and Godzilla's Hollow Earth brawl in 2020 would have looked like, courtesy of Drew E. Johnson)

As is the case with most Titans on record, little is known about what Tiamat may have been doing prior to her containment by Monarch and awakening in 2019. It is known that, at some stage, Tiamat claimed a subterranean lair within the Hollow Earth as her domain, killing its previous occupant (an apparent ancestor to Kong), as well as various other Titans that attempted to rob her of what was her's. Drone exploration into this lair revealed a Titan graveyard of those likely slain by Tiamat, a Titanus Jinshin-Mushi Prime scattered among the remains was of particular note to Monarch.

At some stage, Tiamat would temporarily vacate this lair and make her way to Stone Mountain, Georgia, where she would later be contained by Monarch for further study.

Tiamat was part of the Titan legion awakened by Monster Zero in 2019, later pacified by the ORCA. Like most, she was not present for Godzilla's claim as Alpha Titan. She returned soon after to the lair she had claimed. Toward the end of 2020, Godzilla entered the Hollow Earth and, while Monarch are uncertain of the exact details, presumably fought with Tiamat over possession of the lair. As Tiamat was later observed leaving the Hollow Earth in search of a new home, it is clear Godzilla had emerged victorious.

(Pictured above: Drew E. Johnson's full-body sketch of Tiamat, part of a collection of drawing Titans he had been assigned to study)

Sometime before 2027, Tiamat would claim a natural radiation hotspot in the Arctic Circle, the largest known source on the planet, as her domain, resting within a particular glacier absorbing energy and building up her strength.

In 2027, while absorbing radiation to build his own strength for the coming conflict with the Skar King and Shimo, Godzilla hunted down Tiamat to her Arctic domain and attacked the glacier she was resting within to draw her out. Following a brief battle where both Titans seemed evenly matched, Godzilla fired a blast of atomic breath that tore through Tiamat's body and dismembered her. Godzilla then retreated into the glacier himself as Tiamat's remains floated to the surface.

-----

And there you go! Following news of her death, some in the public have expressed outcry over Godzilla's decision to kill her, noting that it seemed to break his pattern of only killing those who were an immediate threat to the balance of nature, and positing that Tiamat was simply keeping to herself and not being a threat.

While we cannot speculate how Godzilla truly thinks, what's done is ultimately done. Much as is the case with Scylla, this is all we can report on Tiamat unless either new findings come up or another of her species emerge.

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark

[cadenicamade]

Dwarf Spotlight: Zuntir Såkzuldolil-Trumpetlocks, dungeon master and baroness of Irthunen Urdim Zarut

I received word from the outpost liason that the monarch has elevated Newlife to a barony. That sounds more impressive than it is; a fortress is governed directly by a democratically elected mayor, but any settlement that lasts long enough to accumulate a decent population and some semblance of wealth is honored (read: forced) to nominate one of its own to the position of governing noble. These dwarves are meant to be layabouts who report back directly to the monarch, but in practice it rarely works that bureaucractically. Nobody can afford not to work out here, and a settlement worth the dirt it's dug out of will strive to nominate someone who can be expected to prioritize real work over issuing unnecessary work orders.

Enter our nominee: Zuntir Trumpetlocks

[Description in alt]

As you can see from the attached transcript from her interview, she has no particular attachment to any produced goods. Believe it or not, a simple list of preferences is step zero of the selection process. Personality testing doesn't come at all if the candidate has any item preferences whatsoever, which can sometimes prove problematic. Our dungeon master was actually the third dwarf to pass the pre-interview.

Compared to the first two candidates, both of whom dreamed of bathing the world in chaos, (and who doesn't, at least a little, right?) she's almost too perfect. The everydwarf can always appreciate a noble who hates the weaponization of power, and her personally hating war and sacrifice and valuing fair trade make her absolutely shiny compared to any of the rest of the unwashed masses here.

It's always good to have nobility who are just a little broken in from life at your settlement. You don't want some fresh-faced kid whose beard is still growing in patchy to suffer his radical personality shifts while in office and decide that he wants to wage war on the nearest neighbors.

We're looking forward to seeing what she makes of the place from here. Assuming that she lives long enough to make any sort of difference, that is.

We're out of soap, and the order we put in for the caravan might well never make it here, since this year's caravan never left. But more on that later.

[scorchedpawswcrp]

The Metal Scrappers

Creativity, Freedom, Discovery

A diverse colony of cats, the Metal Scrappers have learned about humans and their creations through what they have deemed “trash” and mastered the art of bending even the most unnatural resources to their will and use them to make a living out of the unforgiving desert they call home. These cats follow their main faith, the belief that every cat has a great potential to offer to the world and all they need is the means to do so.

Their colony is structured to better provide for each cat, allowing everyone to have a spot where they can contribute to the group in countless ways. They don’t really have “ranks” to rise from, instead assigning themselves to jobs, all with equal importance. Each job has its own “Headmaster”, the three cats together acting as the leadership body of the colony.

Healers: These cats dedicate themselves to learning about herbs and plants, as well as all kinds of illnesses that may happen to the colony with the hopes of keeping as many cats healthy as possible. They work with caring for herbal gardens, gathering materials for their work and treating the ill and injured.

Crafters: The majority of their numbers, the crafters are tasked with hunting and maintaining their home, the Outpost, to ensure things are going well and protected. They learn how to fight and protect themselves from threats, especially dangerous predators. Additionally, like their name suggests, these cats partake in a whole lot of crafting. Be it clayworking, weaving, scrap-building, making new tools and things to help make jobs easier or simply building something because it could look pretty. Everything is fair game and readily encouraged by all, so long as it brings no harm.

Explorers: Tasked with quite a bit of work, explorers spend most of their time out and about, looking for new resources outside of where the average Scrapper might go. They hunt and scavenge, also being a line of defense if any threats feel like making their way into the Outpost. They’re hardy and fast, always carrying pouches and bags or pieces of trash and other things.

The colony also has permanent Monarchs and Elders, cats who usually stay at home and help care for kits and their parents. Though they aren’t considered healers, monarchs work under the Healer’s Headmaster, while Elders most commonly still follow the Headmaster of their former job. Of course, all cats respect and listen to all three Headmasters, but they have more affinity to the cat overlooking their jobs most of the time.

Their young cats in training are called Juniors, and can be trained both by multiple cats or choose a main mentor of their own. This is up to the cat’s personal choice!

The Metal Scrappers are creative at heart and creating is in their blood. Because of this, gift-giving as a gesture of affection is very prominent to them. Be it a gift to a friend, a mate, your kits, anyone - it’s a sure way to make a cat’s day! Of course, this can also be done between cats with less than ideal relationships, with prank gifts being a common way to get back at someone for one thing or another. Prank wars are very much a thing, indeed!

Cats are able to craft with many materials due to the access to human trash, but they’re also quite skilled at using the natural resources available to them. The usage of clay is a big part of their craft, with their dens being made out of little dried clay structures to shelter them at night and help keep temperatures bearable. They use plant fibers of all kinds to weave bags, pouches and accessories.

Because of their proximity to a functioning water plant, the Metal Scrappers have considerably easy access to water for most of the time. Because the trip to and from the water plant takes a little under a day with no stops, the process of getting water is a little tough. Patrols of the strongest hunters and explorers put on special “vests” made with woven material, each having pockets capable of holding plastic water bottles or clay vessels. These are called “refill runs” or water runs. They usually take as much as they safely can, making sure to always have back-up water available if something happens.

Standard / Common Appearance:

Because of the introduction of kittypets from time to time due to the cruelty of humans over the years, Metal Scrappers are quite diverse at the end of the day when it comes to how they look! For the most part, their fur is short and helps keep them cool while protecting them from the sun, with a winter coat growing during the cold moons.

Scrapper cats are usually warmer colors, with red being the most prominent. Cinnamon and chocolate pelts are also very present, with the dilute variant of all three being the most common in the colony as well. There is the occasional blue pelt too, though! It’s not often one will find a black cat here though, but they have made a home in the desert junkyard before on occasion.

All kinds of tabby patterns can be found in the Scrapper cats, with no clear prominence of one pattern over the other. Solid cats are also common, though not as much as tabbies. While white spotting is also incredibly varied, it’s not usual to find completely solid white cats. In general, Scrappers can vary from no white spotting to around 50-70%.

Traits considered to be from certain breeds are able to pop up here and there due to kittypet heritage too!

[theemarsrover]

YDYD: Obsidian Recap

Welcome back to another action packed session of YDYD Obsidian! We had a mega session today (2.5 hours!) and a lot happened. In the interest of time and me getting this post out at a reasonable hour, I'm going to make a real quick bullet point list to catch everyone up. Here we go!

@whatdoyewant died from a creeper in the most devastating way, server lag :( thankfully dandy was there to help retrieve the lost diamond pickaxe

@starduststudio and @ndn-craft explored a nether fortress and took on some angry blazes

@everythingcanadian built and continued working on the treehouse you see in today's title card

a new boating tunnel has opened up between the main base to @uy8hg and @bizarepistachio's mesa outpost, they also had to save themselves from some beach-going home invaders

thanks to @thedeaddandy the main house got a much needed basement storage upgrade

@transandor tried desperately to find something that wasn't jungle or acacia trees

while exploring @zecoritheweirdone was shot by a skeleton!!

trade is alive and well in the community

@monarchisms went on an hour long sheep expedition expanding the groups farming efforts

@arintheman found some dark oak and bees (no deaths to report this time tho)

@wyrmswyrds is working on a fishing shack based on willy's shop in stardew valley

and finally, three minutes before the server closed, @bardicjustice was killed by a creeper thus bringing this session full circle and the total number of deaths to 3

As always, screenshots under the cut!

@monarchisms @thedeaddandy @transandor @whatdoyewant @ndn-craft

@starduststudio @arintheman @lampinnit @bardicjustice @uy8hg

@everythingcanadian @zecoritheweirdone @wyrmswyrds @bizarepistachio

Meet the Crew | Rules | Want even more obsidian?

[sepublic]

I really miss Skull Island as a setting in the Monsterverse. You can tell the creators had a lot of fun fleshing it out, creating this rich mythos and world where everything will kill you, with so many original creatures! The end credits to King of the Monsters sets up Skull Island as becoming the Monsterverse’s Monster Island, what with titans converging towards it, plus the setup of a Hollow Earth portal in Skull Island, which the original Kong: Skull Island film also set up. It’s even established that the origin of titans is underneath Skull Island, possibly a nod to Hollow Earth radiation leaking from its vile vortex to allow the flora and fauna to become so massive.

…And then it gets destroyed off screen by a Ghidorah-induced hurricane. And I really have to wonder what happened behind the scenes, it really feels as if Skull Island was supposed to play a much bigger role in Godzilla vs Kong before Hollow Earth took over completely. And I imagine part of the reason for the shift to Hollow Earth was because it’s so much more expansive as a setting, with so much more potential; Plus the setup of Hollow Earth as Kong’s territory, while Surface Earth is Godzilla’s.

Still, I think Skull Island was kind of wasted potential and the presence of so much of its fauna in Hollow Earth seems to imply that Skull Island is like. A crossroads between Hollow and Surface Earth, a place where the vile vortex is particularly effective and so a good portion of HE has leaked there. A ‘sampler’ if you will of Hollow Earth found on the surface.

And since Hollow Earth was home to a lot of titans, Skull Island could be very familiar to them that way. Godzilla isn’t allowed in Hollow Earth per his and Kong’s agreement, unless in emergencies. So this could be his new home, where he and the titans on the surface dwell so as not to disturb humanity.

I think you could easily write it so that the storm cell above Skull Island finally dissipated, and Skull Island already being a hardy place, plus the Hollow Earth radiation leaking from its vile vortex, allows it to recover surprisingly quickly. All the titans convene and live there, with monsters traveling between Surface and Hollow Earth through its vile vortex; Nothing says Kong and Godzilla’s subjects can’t travel. The Iwi of HE can repopulate Skull Island again, with two groups operating and in contact; Outpost 33 can be Monarch’s main way of communicating with the Iwi. Skull Island is where two worlds meet and unite.

[tyrannoraptorrex]

Titanus Hedorah

Monarch Outpost 71, Tokyo, Japan.

[lucky-eights]

It’s me, no mercy. Just remembered about that request you asked me of.. “Scavenger observations”?

Yes, is this about the outpost or Monarch?

[ahmoseinarus]

Day 24 Radiation Poisoning | Collapsed Building | Equipment Failure | “I never knew daylight could be so violent.”