Observations of This Motley Crew
These drafted recordings and reflections are dedicated to the following individuals. Though, I highly doubt that they would ever get around to reading them.
Preface
They are not unlike an artificer’s first project— imperfect cogs thrown haphazardly together to create some form of a functioning trinket. They’re incessant in their childish bickering and petty banter, all the while easing their waltzes with Death with a good drink or two… or three. And despite the lighthearted dismissals and vehement denial that I’ll most likely receive should I ever voice these thoughts aloud, I often gather they appreciate each other more than they let on. Unless, of course, they’re advocates of living fast and dying hot. I suppose I wouldn’t put that past them, either.
V for Vendetta
(n.) a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone.
. . . .
❝ Heavy is the head that bears the weight of freedom, yet she wears it effortlessly as if it’d been meant for her all along. ❞
Makeshift captain of this clumsy camaraderie, Vee Barlett is the closest living rendition of the sea anyone will dare to lay eyes on. A true-blue to the ocean blue whose ardent, volatile spirit serves as a blatant reminder that the waves are a force as frightening as it is fascinating.
Aside from figuring out fish, bleeding brine, and sleeping in seafoam, she’s responsible for sharpening her blades, rolling her ever-tolerant eyes, disregarding the varying levels of frivolity that may run rampant, and distributing threats of violence on the daily. Her impatience with convoluted customs frequently orients her to question authority at every turn, but challenge hers and she’ll sooner spear you into sardine skewers than have her beloved ship suffer through another buffoon.
Perhaps to her, it is justified that she hasn’t the time to waste on trivial obstacles and pointless drivel, what with answering to the Temple of Orange Sunsets and making sure the soft and the scatter-brained actually survive the trials. Above all, she trusts her judgment as much as she suspects those of others; until proven to be useful, functional, and reliable by her standards, there isn’t much swaying her opinion. Once she’s decided a path to tread, she’ll take the lead as stolidly as her pride would possibly allow her. With this stubborn determination, she bulldozes through most dilemmas, aggressively engages in power play with any social authority, and will use any means necessary to turn the tables in her favor. As her expressions are more often intense (rushing between irritation, childish sulking, death threats, and initiating sword fights), compassion regularly translates through as protective, territorial instinct. Everything she deems of worth is what she’ll keep close and stand for, whether it be loyalty to her family, Lirtimya, or her compulsive desire to just be free.
Ultimately, it may be this freedom that keeps her fighting.
Miscellaneous Details
- Her alias “Vee” gets the others into making speculations about her given name. So far, the prominent contenders are Violet and Virginia (courtesy of Matthias who gets bored enough during watches to push her buttons).
- Speaking of buttons to push, there are two others who currently compete for the “Most Likely to Get Shanked in Their Sleep” award. To this day, I’m not too certain on why Levi contends for such a spot, or why she determines him as “a flavor of stupid” (her words, not mine). She and Rothuss are rather interesting in their interactions. Their conversations are more akin to verbal sparring that neither seem to want to lose. It’s as though their words are their spears and shields, and each takes a turn jabbing, hoping one of their shields would break, hoping to catch the other off-guard. So far, they’ve successfully achieved in finding common ground twice in the span of an evening. Would that be considered stalemate?
- Her family is another source of speculation for the others. More specifically, whether her very-much-legal family business is actually as squeaky clean as she claims it to be. As of current, it is not in my business to find out unless I must.
- On a metaphorical ship, she’d be most akin to the helm.
More details to be added upon further observation.
Iron and Irony
(n.) one, a strong magnetic silvery-gray metal; the other, a linguistic expression typically for humorous effect.
. . . .
❝ Maker of mischief, light of spirit and wild wit. Unravel your tales by the firelight, keep harmony synchronized. ❞
If Vee is the ebb and flow of the tide and the swell of waves, Rothuss is the wind. Both unpredictable and uncontained, the winds and their ubiquitous states make them all the more unfathomable. Sometimes they shuffle through papers, tangle around hems of fabric, slip around fingers, billow through the sails of ships, knock barrels over in frivolous flights. Other times, they tear rooted trees from soil, rip through infrastructure so carefully built, spin into dizzying funnels, enable varying types of storms that ravage entire cities— all whilst grinning languidly at the beauty of their destruction.
He’s the kind of character most likely to receive a raise of eyebrows and plenty of questions on whether there’s any method to his madness— whether it’s all fleet-footed folly or bloody brilliance. Questioning two sides of the same coin could inevitably lead to more disarray, but what else is left to do when he theatrically scratches the noses of revered statues, when he laughs maniacally as he sprints headlong through a horde of pod creatures, when he agrees to duel a giant more than twice his size?
Perhaps all there is to it is to enjoy the moment, worry less about whether questions have answers to begin with.
Miscellaneous Details
- He comes from a small village where goats serve as a staple. He dislikes goats for... reasons.
- The way he speaks about goals tends to be more cloudy and airy. Less straight-shot, perhaps? It’s a bit hard to describe.
- He doesn’t prefer to indulge in drink as much as Levi or Vee.
- On the metaphorical ship, he’d be most akin to the foremast.
Entry Three
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Entry Four
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Entry Five
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Entry Six
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Entry Seven
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