((OOC - Generativity vs Stagnation:
Erickson's 7th stage of development (Adulthood to Middle Age)
- If you have a strong sense of creativity, success, and of having "made a mark" you develop generativity, and are concerned with the next generation; the virtue is called care, and represents connection to generations to come, and a love given without expectations of a specific return.
- Adults that do not feel this develop a sense of stagnation, are self-absorbed, feel little connection to others, and generally offer little to society.
Too much stagnation can lead to rejectivity and a failure to feel any sense of meaning (the unresolved mid-life crises), and too much generativity leads to overextension (someone who has no time for themselves because they are so busy.)
This thread shall tell the story of two characters caught somewhere in between.
The dated entries from Victor are excerpts from his ship's log, which he's using as a sort of journal during his time in RhyDin. These entries begin upon his arrival last summer.
As the title indicates, this thread will contain mature content... and speaking of the title, it and the quite relevant quotes above were Anyanka-mun's awesome idea. I'd never have come up with that on my own.))
11th Hati, 21779*
I've arrived at the blue planet of sector 763, locally designated as "RhyDin." From what I've gathered, I shouldn't lack for entertainment; it is rated among the best and worst of vacation worlds, and some of the recommendations had me in stitches. It certainly seems as good a place as any to lay low for a while.
As I write this log, I have over a hundred messages backed up on the ship's omnithal, and at least thirty more on my personal receiver. They started flooding in five days ago, so I'm assuming that's when the paperwork hit my father's desk. I'm not reading this crap. Father and his agenda can rot in hell. I've washed my hands of it.
It's just after sunset, and I want to get a look at this city I've heard so much about. With any luck, it'll be a fun place to start my retirement.
---
17th Hati, 21779
It's been a rather eventful week.
Before I left Prime my time was limited, so I never read the longer, more in-depth reports on 763. Now I realize that nothing could have prepared me for this anyway. I've met creatures of every imaginable variety, even many species that appear nowhere in our files. Then again, how could we even categorize them all?
Apparently this unique diversity stems from the presence of a major node in the IDPN, extant in many of the worlds we've encountered.** It is by far the largest and most traveled of the nodes we've discovered, and seems to be an integral factor in society here. The engineer in me yearns to learn more about this node, but I'll bind and gag that bastard if I have to. Many have walked that path, and we still know next to nothing of it or the IDPN as a whole, aside from its function.
The most interesting effect, however, is a social one. Xenophobia is a major issue with our space program, especially since Seraphs are the primary scouts due to our resilience and combat readiness. We tend to scare people. This world is a completely different story. Of course I get the occasional curious glance or odd question, but to borrow the words of my ancestor Victor III, who was part of the original team to discover this world, "In a world where everything is alien, there are no aliens."
The city itself is like something from a history book, complete with cobblestone streets and architecture that resembles the pre-Union Alpha seaboard cities. There is technological advancement (and even a spaceport), but it seems that most who visit or come to reside here are from far more primitive societies.
I will undoubtedly chronicle this world in more detail as time goes on, but there is a curious event tonight that I will be late for if I continue. It's been years since I've had a good dance.
---
28th Hati, 21779
Damn my father and his political bullsh*t.
He actually sent a squad to 'extract' me and bring me back to Prime, and they would not leave until I made it crystal clear that they would only take me by force. Apparently my sudden retirement and disappearance has caused a political scandal, one of much greater magnitude than when I entered the Seraph program.
My only regret is that this is unlikely to cost him his office -- one he gained by abandoning Sintherrata to be overrun by a legion of demons, under the guise of preserving our nation.
I was there. We could have turned the tide. I'm certain of it.
Unfortunately, I fear that I shall pay the price for this. At some point I must inevitably return to Prime to recharge the mana tanks in my vessel, which I also draw from to power my personal cell. I have found no facility on this planet capable of providing refined mana in the form I require.
I do not know what shall await me when that time comes.
---
5th Kyuu, 21779
Mithril's blade, what a night. I don't even know where to start.
Lately I tend to frequent the Red Dragon, an establishment that seems to be quite the gathering place. Tonight I turned off the purifiers for a while and allowed myself to relax with kazzalin*** and ale.
Then I met this woman... although I don't know if that's the right word - I'm sure she's not human. Taller than me, with the most amazing red hair right down to her arse, and the strangest eyes I've ever seen. I think she may be blind, but if she is, she's got some sort of sense I've never encountered before. She can certainly 'see'... I just don't know how. She could very well be a demon.
This lady moves like an animal, with triple-jointed limbs or something. I don't know any other way to explain it. And her teeth... she made a point to show them to me. That was the first sign that I should get the hell out of there while all my pieces were still attached, but I couldn't. I think she had me under some kind of spell.
Every word from her mouth was a riddle, and occupied every part of my mind that wasn't too busy trying to undress her with my eyes.
I lit up my pipe somewhere along the way, and she seemed to want to try it. When I offered it to her, she said, in that bizarre riddle language of hers, that she wanted it from me.
I don't know what possessed me, but I climbed up on the barstool (she's really tall, probably 190-191) and breathed a lungful of smoke into her mouth, so close I was practically kissing her. My blood warms up just thinking about it. Mithril's blade, that was the steamiest thing I've ever done... and I did some crazy sh*t in my SDF days. I can't describe the shades of red I turned when I realized half the bar was watching. One man even stood up and clapped.
Then she thanked me, I think... it was yet another riddle... and left. I can only hope I'll see her again. Something about her pushes every button I have.
I never did get her name.
((*The current calendar date, as of the time of this posting, is 23rd Ni, Cycle 21780.
**IDPN stands for Intra-Dimensional Pathway Network, the Quad's term for what most in RhyDin would refer to as the Nexus. It should be noted that Victor's home is a construct world and has no connection to the network. The people of the Quad discovered RhyDin through space exploration.
***A plant with large blood-red leaves that are typically smoked due to its mild narcotic effect. Originally discovered offworld by Cievnik II Kazon and brought home, it has long since become a major cash crop and remains the primary source of the Kazon family's income.))
Erickson's 7th stage of development (Adulthood to Middle Age)
- If you have a strong sense of creativity, success, and of having "made a mark" you develop generativity, and are concerned with the next generation; the virtue is called care, and represents connection to generations to come, and a love given without expectations of a specific return.
- Adults that do not feel this develop a sense of stagnation, are self-absorbed, feel little connection to others, and generally offer little to society.
Too much stagnation can lead to rejectivity and a failure to feel any sense of meaning (the unresolved mid-life crises), and too much generativity leads to overextension (someone who has no time for themselves because they are so busy.)
This thread shall tell the story of two characters caught somewhere in between.
The dated entries from Victor are excerpts from his ship's log, which he's using as a sort of journal during his time in RhyDin. These entries begin upon his arrival last summer.
As the title indicates, this thread will contain mature content... and speaking of the title, it and the quite relevant quotes above were Anyanka-mun's awesome idea. I'd never have come up with that on my own.))
11th Hati, 21779*
I've arrived at the blue planet of sector 763, locally designated as "RhyDin." From what I've gathered, I shouldn't lack for entertainment; it is rated among the best and worst of vacation worlds, and some of the recommendations had me in stitches. It certainly seems as good a place as any to lay low for a while.
As I write this log, I have over a hundred messages backed up on the ship's omnithal, and at least thirty more on my personal receiver. They started flooding in five days ago, so I'm assuming that's when the paperwork hit my father's desk. I'm not reading this crap. Father and his agenda can rot in hell. I've washed my hands of it.
It's just after sunset, and I want to get a look at this city I've heard so much about. With any luck, it'll be a fun place to start my retirement.
---
17th Hati, 21779
It's been a rather eventful week.
Before I left Prime my time was limited, so I never read the longer, more in-depth reports on 763. Now I realize that nothing could have prepared me for this anyway. I've met creatures of every imaginable variety, even many species that appear nowhere in our files. Then again, how could we even categorize them all?
Apparently this unique diversity stems from the presence of a major node in the IDPN, extant in many of the worlds we've encountered.** It is by far the largest and most traveled of the nodes we've discovered, and seems to be an integral factor in society here. The engineer in me yearns to learn more about this node, but I'll bind and gag that bastard if I have to. Many have walked that path, and we still know next to nothing of it or the IDPN as a whole, aside from its function.
The most interesting effect, however, is a social one. Xenophobia is a major issue with our space program, especially since Seraphs are the primary scouts due to our resilience and combat readiness. We tend to scare people. This world is a completely different story. Of course I get the occasional curious glance or odd question, but to borrow the words of my ancestor Victor III, who was part of the original team to discover this world, "In a world where everything is alien, there are no aliens."
The city itself is like something from a history book, complete with cobblestone streets and architecture that resembles the pre-Union Alpha seaboard cities. There is technological advancement (and even a spaceport), but it seems that most who visit or come to reside here are from far more primitive societies.
I will undoubtedly chronicle this world in more detail as time goes on, but there is a curious event tonight that I will be late for if I continue. It's been years since I've had a good dance.
---
28th Hati, 21779
Damn my father and his political bullsh*t.
He actually sent a squad to 'extract' me and bring me back to Prime, and they would not leave until I made it crystal clear that they would only take me by force. Apparently my sudden retirement and disappearance has caused a political scandal, one of much greater magnitude than when I entered the Seraph program.
My only regret is that this is unlikely to cost him his office -- one he gained by abandoning Sintherrata to be overrun by a legion of demons, under the guise of preserving our nation.
I was there. We could have turned the tide. I'm certain of it.
Unfortunately, I fear that I shall pay the price for this. At some point I must inevitably return to Prime to recharge the mana tanks in my vessel, which I also draw from to power my personal cell. I have found no facility on this planet capable of providing refined mana in the form I require.
I do not know what shall await me when that time comes.
---
5th Kyuu, 21779
Mithril's blade, what a night. I don't even know where to start.
Lately I tend to frequent the Red Dragon, an establishment that seems to be quite the gathering place. Tonight I turned off the purifiers for a while and allowed myself to relax with kazzalin*** and ale.
Then I met this woman... although I don't know if that's the right word - I'm sure she's not human. Taller than me, with the most amazing red hair right down to her arse, and the strangest eyes I've ever seen. I think she may be blind, but if she is, she's got some sort of sense I've never encountered before. She can certainly 'see'... I just don't know how. She could very well be a demon.
This lady moves like an animal, with triple-jointed limbs or something. I don't know any other way to explain it. And her teeth... she made a point to show them to me. That was the first sign that I should get the hell out of there while all my pieces were still attached, but I couldn't. I think she had me under some kind of spell.
Every word from her mouth was a riddle, and occupied every part of my mind that wasn't too busy trying to undress her with my eyes.
I lit up my pipe somewhere along the way, and she seemed to want to try it. When I offered it to her, she said, in that bizarre riddle language of hers, that she wanted it from me.
I don't know what possessed me, but I climbed up on the barstool (she's really tall, probably 190-191) and breathed a lungful of smoke into her mouth, so close I was practically kissing her. My blood warms up just thinking about it. Mithril's blade, that was the steamiest thing I've ever done... and I did some crazy sh*t in my SDF days. I can't describe the shades of red I turned when I realized half the bar was watching. One man even stood up and clapped.
Then she thanked me, I think... it was yet another riddle... and left. I can only hope I'll see her again. Something about her pushes every button I have.
I never did get her name.
((*The current calendar date, as of the time of this posting, is 23rd Ni, Cycle 21780.
**IDPN stands for Intra-Dimensional Pathway Network, the Quad's term for what most in RhyDin would refer to as the Nexus. It should be noted that Victor's home is a construct world and has no connection to the network. The people of the Quad discovered RhyDin through space exploration.
***A plant with large blood-red leaves that are typically smoked due to its mild narcotic effect. Originally discovered offworld by Cievnik II Kazon and brought home, it has long since become a major cash crop and remains the primary source of the Kazon family's income.))