Earnest Evans

Monsters Hotel

Djedkare quaffed his Shirley Temple, and blissfully rubbed his gut. The nauseating rustling of scarabs settled down under a torrent of sugary water. Exhaling deeply, Djedkare looked around the bar. Though the bar was filled with interesting things, the sight of Jack tinkering with his toys was of utmost interest to the old mummy. Djedkare got up from his seat and seated himself next to Jack. He took on a fatherly tone and inquisitively asked Jack about his advanced tools.

"Hey, sport. What's that you've got there? It looks real spiffy!"
@Warlord297

Titans Together!

Do you have room for one more? I've been looking at this thread for a while, but I haven't really thought up a character until now. I'm thinking of making a body-jumper.

Monsters Hotel

<Snipped quote by Earnest Evans>

If I might interject here before a possible argument takes place- you raise plenty of fair points here Earnest, however one must remember that this Rp is, at it's core, a comedy based RP. It's not really meant to take itself serious, and as such, neither are the characters.

@MonsieurShade

Of course I understand that, I like the powers these characters are coming out with. I want Avalai's powers to keep with a static "mood", you know? I expected either a sadistic queen who keeps a group of happy, willful minions through legitimately good benefits, or a sadistic queen who keeps her minions loyal through fear, threats, and literal brainwashing. I'm just not sure which side @ReaptheMusic wants to stick with. Is she a good boss, or does she order her minions to fight to the death on a whim? Does she give them a chance to unwind and party, or do they stay close to her, eyes dulled and muscles tensed?

Monsters Hotel

@ReaptheMusic

So, your character demonstrably poses a threat to them and their families, routinely orders them to perform acts that would logically go against their personalities and basic self-preservation instincts, and treats them like animals unless they're sexy, but they stay with you completely on their own volition. That seems rather suspect, don't you think?

Hell, there's even less of a reason for these people to stay with you than the Ghouls of other vampire fiction, because it doesn't seem that they get any special powers beyond "vampire blood tastes good" and "maybe I can screw the person who just forced me to kill my coworker to prove a point". Thus far, it doesn't seem that there are any perks that could make a person with any semblance of free will stay with you. Vacations, money, and drugs are things that can entice a person to commit evil acts, but not to this extent and not without changing them as a person.

If they were all people with a lack of conviction that allows them to do all the things you've had them do, Avalai wouldn't be a noblewoman with a crowd of hangers-on and party boys, she'd be a cartel owner.

For the record, the entities closest to your thralls would be the Ghouls of the World of Darkness. These poor fellows are biochemically and magically forced to adore their master's blood. Going cold turkey off Blood for more than a month gives them withdrawal symptoms on par with getting off multiple hard drugs, and so a Ghoul is effectively brainwashed whenever their master comes up.

If you had taken a page of the World of Darkness and said "these are Avalai's meat-puppets and her blood is their life now", this whole thing would make much more sense. As it is right now, Avalai's thralls zigzag between "completely devoted minion" and "friendly coworker" depending on how you feel. You can't have your cake and eat it, you know. It has to be either "thralls are my mindless minions and do whatever I say for just a drop of my blood" or "thralls are merely servants who are kept in line through good employee benefits".

You've clearly demonstrated that the thralls have something close to free will only some of the time, and make them into semi-mindless slaves for the rest of the time. This whole thrall thing is needlessly edgy and often provides mood whiplash within the same scene for little to no reason.

Monsters Hotel

It's pretty clever of Avalai to force her minions to dissuade any feelings of guilt about controlling them like thralls by making them talk about how good being a thrall for the Red Queen is and how they deserve to be enslaved so long as they're near the Red Queen. It really fits her character to do that, you know? I'm impressed with your RPing capabilities, @ReaptheMusic.

Monsters Hotel

Djedkare wrestled his way out of Like's hold on him, and responded proudly. If Djedkare still had eyes, there would be a gleam in them.
"Young man, all the treasures in the world would not compare to the value of a strong mind and a willful soul. You'd do best to stop tryin' to barter for one."

At that, he turned on his heel and headed right back to the bar. With purpose in his voice and determination in his step, Djedkare reached the bartender with little incident.
"Bartender, another Shirley Temple, please. The little ones are all riled up, and I don't want to have to find some honey at this time of night."

Monsters Hotel

Djedkare's scowl twisted even further, becoming something of a rictus grin. His golden teeth ground together as he clenched his fists until it seemed like the sinews of his decrepit hands seemed ready to split under such tension. A nightmarish rustling sound emitted from deep within Djedkare's bowels, as the colony of scarabs storied away in his guts reacted to stores of ancient magics lost to mortal ken long ago percolated and writhed like a snake trapped in a trap. A dull glow shone from within Djedkare, spilling out of his orifices as a curling, rank fog.

"You... I have given you the benefit of a doubt. I had thought you were merely a poor leader, but now... you have clearly demonstrated your impotence as a ruler. Instead of supplicating and gaining the adoration of your citizens, you control them, like a child toying with their parent's work! You have grown proud, but have not striven to earn your nation. No... you forced these servants to follow you. You have violated the very essence of being a ruler! Such hubris will not stand!"

Djedkare's voice appeared to come from every direction at once, booming throughout the stairway. The glow from within Djedkare's hollow shell of a form increased in magnitude, bathing the area in light as hot and intense as the desert sun. Djedkare began to speak, emitting a foul curse that would plague Avalai until such time as it was broken.

"As you have stolen the minds of your charges, so shall they be regained! I curse you to return to that which you deserve! May all you own and all whom you control return to the dust from which it was torn! Tread lightly, young one; the Plague of Job is upon you."

With one final strobe of burning light, Djedkare returned to his normal self. Still scowling, he forced his way past the bemused crowd of thralls between him and headed back to the bar in search of something to soothe his stomach. As he left, his curse proved to have little effect, merely making Avalai's collar feel a bit tighter and giving the thrall closest to her a somewhat-dry throat. Poor Djedkare's cursing skills weren't quite up to snuff, it seems.

Monsters Hotel

Djedkare smiled a toothy grin as he watched Avalai fuss with her luxuriant clothing. With no attempt at hiding his smugness, he chided Avalai for her dress sense.
"Now that's why I don't wear much. Y'get caught by a servant, an' you gotta spend a lotta good effort just makin' yourself all smooth again. The name's Djedkari Izezi, Eighth Pharoah of Egypt." Djedkare placed his fists on his hips and thrust out his chest, in a clear demonstration of bravado and clout.

"Now, see, I know you're thinkin' to yourself 'what's this old fogey doin' here talkin' to me?' Well, missy, I got a hint of advice for you: Control yer servants. The second ya went off an' took yer concubines with ya, they went right to actin' like they were celebratin' the Festival of Thoth!" Djedkare winked knowingly. After all, everyone understood the series of rituals necessary to awaken the great Father Thoth and flood the Great Nile River.

"Judgin' by how you gave me that stink eye back there, I don't think you're one of them fun party girls. You gotta earn yer servants' respect, 'less they start actin' like foreigners behind yer back! You an' I are gonna have a little talk about Motivating Your Employees."

@ReaptheMusic

Monsters Hotel

Hey, sorry for not posting for the last couple days. It's finals week for my college, so I was busting my butt with presentations and tests. I'll grind out a post soon.

Monsters Hotel

<Snipped quote by Earnest Evans>

1- Guests don't raid villages. It is just the Lord that raids a village every year with a few guests, call it a lust for hunting, something monsters do duh.

2- The Lord will break the 4th wall again and answer you, "You kidding? I am the Lord of all the supernatural beasts of Europe, I don't just order a ton of human flesh and spleen. Lords hunt. Hunted flesh tastes better, I am starting to question your motives."

@oakman

So there's no explanation for this beyond "The Lord has colossally poor judgement and likes waging war for funzies, gleefully ignorant of his subject's desire to stay out of the fire"?