Y'know, ever since I reblogged that post about the weird stuff writers end up researching for their stories, I keep thinking about the weird stuff I'm researching for the idea I'm playing with, so let's start a list:
Chernobyl
Robert Peel, British Prime Minister
Timeline of 9/11
History of firearm rifling
Gallowglass, Medieval Irish Mercenary
Padraig Pearse
The Iraqi Civil War/Insurgency
Saddam Hussein
Female characters in Irish Mythology
Russian Seperatist Movements
History of vaccination
Moon landing quarantine measures
The history of racism
Marvel Comics' 1996 Bankruptcy
The 2000 US Presidential Election
Voter's Opinions on Bush and Gore's Foreign Policy
Independence Day (Movie, 1996)
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Shiverpeaks Sylvari PS: Follow the Roots
This is the first quest for any sylvari who has aligned themself with the Spirit of Earth during CC. As a reminder, your character awakes at the base of the Pinefather, and is greeted by your season's esus.
The following cinematic happens after you have loaded into Ochtachtoft:
Esus: Newborn! At last. I was starting to think you might sleep the whole day away under Father's branches!
PC: My apologies, sibling. This is my first time waking up. I'm still new to it.
Esus: So you are. My name is (PC's season's esus). I am the esus of (PC's season). Welcome to the world, young one.
PC: Thank you. It is a wonder, isn't it?
Esus: Indeed, it is. Pinefather's roots truly took hold in a beautiful spot.
PC: I must ask you a question, though. The Spirit of Earth has made a request of me.
Esus: Is this true? How remarkable. What was asked of you?
PC: Earth says something called "dredge" are tunneling under Father's roots for resources.
Esus: I see. This is very concerning, and possibly too much for someone as young as you to handle alone. I will send you along with your sister Angharad and your brothers Padraig and Tinus to address this matter. The dredge can be a fearsome thing if they are properly organized.
PC: Earth did warn me that I would need the aid of my siblings in this matter. Thank you, for thinking of who would be best to help me.
Esus: Of course, newborn. We are family. We aid our own.
Open World
Upon leaving Ostachtoft, you enter the Verdant Haven, and have a quest marker directing you towards where you can find Padraig, and Tinus. Upon approaching, they start conversing with your character.
Tinus: Well met, newborn! I am Tinus, Springborn.
PC: I am (character name). That makes you Padraig, I think?
Padraig: Yes, that would be me. I'm of Winter, as is Angharad.
Tinus: Angharad is already scouting ahead for us.
PC: Then we should catch up with her.
There are three points where you, leading Tinus and Padraig, will follow Angharad's "traces" on the map to the spot where she is hiding and watching the dredge. Upon finding her, dialogue starts in world:
Angharad: Shh! Quietly now, down by me, so they do not see you!
PC: Are these dredge?
Tinus: Quieter still, newborn. Yes, these are those that Earth asked you to send away. Alone they can be reasoned with, but in a group they stand and fight to the last.
Padraig: How many have you counted, Angharad?
Angharad: I have at least twenty.
Tinus: What would you have us do, newborn?
At this point you'll get a popup of your choices:
Dignity - We should keep observing them for a few days.
Ferocity - We should drive them off as soon as possible.
Charming - We should try to speak to them.
If Dignity is chosen:
Angharad: I have been observing them for days on end. How many more is enough? They are a threat to our Father!
PC: I respect that, but I do not want to move too soon. One more day and then we - what was that?
If Ferocity is chosen:
Padraig: A fitting choice. We will make an example of those who would endanger our family and our Father. Siblings, with me!
If Charming is chosen:
Tinus: It is worth trying. Come, newborn; I will walk with you to try and reason with them.
Dredge Overseer: Halt! Who goes there?
Tinus: I am Tinus, of Spring.
PC: And I am (character name).
Dredge Overseer: Hmph. What do you want?
PC: We have been sent to ask you to stop what you're doing. The digging you're doing - it's getting too close to the roots of the Pinefather.
Dredge Overseer: Hahahahaha! You hear that? They want us to care about some tree they think is their daddy! (general chatter and laughter from the other dredge follows)
Tinus: I have a feeling they won't listen to reason. Siblings! To me!
Regardless of option, a fight ensues. The Dredge Overseer runs away.
Padraig: Tinus is injured. We should head back. We will have to find their leader later.
PC: Of course. Hopefully he's not gone far.
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𝐏𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐊𝐚𝐝𝐞 | hpma minor character profile
warnings: discussions of death and cancer
✧ IDENTITY ✧
Full Name: Padraig Darragh MacKade
Nicknames: Paddy, Pads
Name Meanings: Padraig → Irish, “patrician” or “noble” ; Darragh → Irish, “oak tree” ; MacKade → Irish & Scottish, “from the wetlands.”
Date of Birth: April 16, 2000
Gender: Male ; he/him
Sexuality: Bisexual
Blood Status: Muggleborn
Nationality: Irish
✧ APPEARANCE & VOICE ✧
Faceclaim: Levi Miller
Height: 6’0”
Build: Lean but athletic
Hair: Brown hair that is generally curly
Eye Color: Blue
Scarring & Modifications: As an adult, Paddy gets a small shamrock tattoo on his left bicep
Style: T-shirts ; jeans ; sneakers ; plaid shirts ; trousers ; sweaters ; sweatpants ; sweatshirts ; football/soccer jerseys
Voiceclaim: Levi Miller
Accent: Irish
Dialect: General Irish English
✧ PERSONALITY ✧
MBTI Type: ENFP — the campaigner
⤷ Campaigners (ENFPs) are true free spirits – outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded. With their lively, upbeat approach to life, they stand out in any crowd. But even though they can be the life of the party, Campaigners don’t just care about having a good time. These personality types run deep – as does their longing for meaningful, emotional connections with other people.
Positive Traits: Curious, perceptive, good-natured, festive, intelligent, kind, hardworking, warm, good people skills, adaptable, flexible, caring
Neutral Traits: Optimistic, stubborn, enthusiastic, spontaneous, charismatic
Negative Traits: Unfocused, disorganized, restless, impatient, overthinker, not big on following the rules
Interests & Hobbies: Hurling, football/soccer, golf, flying, reading, pranks
✧ MAGIC ✧
Wand: Paddy’s wand is made of dogwood with a unicorn tail hair core and is 10 ¼ inches with a slight flexibility.
⤷ Dogwood wands were quirky and mischievous; they had playful natures and insisted upon partners who could provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands were not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they had been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, could produce dazzling enchantments. Dogwood wands refused to perform non-verbal spells and they were often rather noisy.
Patronus: German Shepherd
Boggart: Complete blackness, with no one around him
Riddikulus: The blackness fades into a surprise party, where his brothers are dressed in costume
Amortentia: Paddy smells like bergamot, soap, cinnamon, and peppermint.
✧ HOGWARTS ✧
House: Hufflepuff
Best Subjects: Charms, astronomy, transfiguration, care of magical creatures
Worst Subjects: Potions, herbology
Extracurriculars: None
✧ EMPLOYMENT ✧
Affiliations: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry ; Gringotts
Profession: Cursebreaker
✧ RELATIONSHIPS ✧
Father: David Padraig MacKade [deceased. 1965-2006]
Paddy has some clear memories of his father, as he was six when David passed away. Those memories are stronger in Paddy’s mind than his memories of his mother, but he misses the man a lot and as much as Paddy adores his big brothers, he wishes that he could turn to his father for things.
Mother: Clare Siobhan MacKade née O’Brien [deceased, 1967-2004]
Paddy doesn’t have many memories of his mother, as he was only four when she passed away. He wishes that he could have had stronger memories of her and there are a lot of moments where Paddy wishes that he had her to turn to. He really misses her.
Brother: Finnian Joseph “Finn” MacKade
Born on December 30, 1996, Finn is a little over three years older than Paddy. They have a fairly close relationship, although Paddy is closer to Nate and Owen than he is to Finn. They just don’t have a ton in common. However, Paddy loves his big brother a lot.
Faceclaim: Tom Holland
Brother: Nathaniel Brian “Nate” MacKade
Born on December 30, 1996, Nate is a little over three years older than Paddy. They have a close relationship, even though it’s not a perfect relationship. Their age gap keeps their arguments from growing too large, although Paddy really wishes that Nate knew when to back off and let Paddy make his own mistakes. Despite these minor arguments, Paddy loves his big brother a lot.
Faceclaim: Tom Holland
Brother: Owen David MacKade
Born on June 3, 2003, Owen is a little over three years younger than Paddy. They have a close relationship, partially because Finn and Nate are such a duo that Paddy and Owen naturally gravitated towards one another. Paddy really loves his little brother a lot. He and Owen have a decent amount in common and they just get along pretty well.
Faceclaim: Noah Jupe
Grandmother: Jean Frances MacKade née Hughes
Paddy has a good relationship with his grandmother. He has always had a good relationship with her and he really looks up to. He’s not as aware of how much she does, but as an adult, he really appreciates everything that she’s done for him and his brothers.
Faceclaim: Julie Andrews
Nephews: Wyatt Hartley MacKade ; Jonah David MacKade ; Ian David MacKade
Nieces: Zoey Vanessa MacKade ; Flora Elspeth MacKade
Sisters-In-Law: Nova Luisa Hartley (@gaygryffindorgal) ; Scotty Rosier (@drinkyoursoupbitch)
Friends: Cooper Everett (@amerrymystery) ; Patrick Hopper-Lee (@thatravenpuffwitch)
Dormmates: Harry Seymour (@endlessly-cursed) ; AVAILABLE ; AVAILABLE ; AVAILABLE
Pets: A labrador retriever named Lady
✧ HISTORY & BACKGROUND ✧
Hometown: Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland
Pre-Hogwarts Childhood:
Born on April 16, 2000, Padraig Darragh “Paddy” MacKade was the third child of David and Clare MacKade. He joined his older brothers, Finn and Nate, who were three at the time. Three years later, on June 3, 2003, Paddy gained a third brother, Owen David. For four years, Paddy had a good childhood. That all changed when his mother was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Everything slowly began to change, especially after the tumor became terminal. His mother passed away in late 2004, peacefully in her sleep. His mother’s death rattled the entire family and things changed even more. The biggest change, though, came when Paddy’s father passed away and he and his brothers moved in with their grandmother. Then, came Finn’s and Nate’s Hogwarts letters, shocking everyone. It did explain some of the strangeness that seemed to follow the four MacKade boys. Paddy was quite excited when he received his own Hogwarts letter in 2011.
Hogwarts Years:
Upon starting Hogwarts, Paddy was sorted into Hufflepuff after sitting under the hat for four and a half minutes, while it debated if Paddy was better suited for Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Paddy was happy to be sorted into Hufflepuff, joining the house where his big brother was. Having Nate there to lean on helped to lessen some of Paddy’s homesickness. Paddy had a good time at Hogwarts, where he got into a surprising amount of trouble and somehow found himself named prefect.
Adulthood:
After graduating from Hogwarts, Paddy became a cursebreaker. It worked with his desire for adventure and thrills, while also helping him get out of scrapes as trouble continued to follow him. He found himself godfather to his eldest nephew, Wyatt, and his youngest nephew, Ian, something that Paddy took very seriously. He loved all of his nieces and nephews.
Old Age & Death:
Paddy died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 106.
✧ MISCELLANEOUS ✧
Trivia:
Paddy has a big appetite and is often snacking on something. He does not like to share food, though.
He is the most troublesome MacKade brother, but he’s mostly a trouble magnet and often finds himself getting into scrapes.
Paddy’s favorite sport is hurling, but football/soccer is his second favorite. He does enjoy watching quidditch, but is not a fan of playing the sport.
He loves the fact that he is the tallest of the four MacKade brothers and loves to hold it over his brothers.
Important Links:
Paddy’s tag [#paddy mackade]
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night court
the family , 4/7
3 , day
5 , spring
The courts have always fascinated me but while reading and looking at the map I always thought that the worldbuilding was too rushed or too simplistic. So, I have decided to reimagine the courts in a way that makes more sense to me.
In an incredibly unpopular opinion, I don't like Rhys. He's a cool character but I just don't like how every action of his gets justified. He's just very icky to me. But alas, he's the High Lord of the Night Court, which is the next court alphabetically.
Now Rhys is a Welsh name and it's pronounced reece no matter what anyone says you ignorant -- and I, for one, am a big supporter on Welsh being taught in schools, so I'm going to be patriotic to the 1/8th of my blood which is Welsh.
GRUFFUDD GLYNDWR- "prince"
I definitely took most of this name from Owain Glyndwr but it's not my fault that modern Welsh names are just "Evan Blevins". He's a violent man and a ruthless ruler. He slaughtered all of his human slaves out of the pettiness of being 'undermined' by the war. He was abusive to his wife and kids and treated them worse than his violent criminals. Many people held a secret celebration once the news of his death spread across the court.
ELUNED GLYNDWR- "idol"
Unfortunately, due to her youth and her husband's influence, her "barbaric" native Illyrian name has been lost to the wind. The day she was married to the day she was murdered she was known as Eluned. Despite the constant aggression in her life, she was an incredibly sweet woman and cared deeply about children. She was often heard saying that everything she does is for her children. Although she would be devastated that her daughter was murdered, she would be glad knowing that she was there to hopefully grant some peace as she went.
FFION GLYNDWR- "foxglove"
This is a newly created Welsh name but this is a fictional world. Ffion was a little foxglove. She looked so sweet and innocent but had a vicious temper. She demanded attention from many, and often received it. Despite that, she was a sweetheart. She loved to spend time with her mother and enjoyed sewing her own little dresses for her toys. Undoubtedly she was terrified when they got ambushed by that river, but as the last thing she felt was her mother's warm hand grasped around her, it made everything slightly better.
Canonically, Mor is Rhys' cousin so I'm going to include a short list for CoN.
Although Rhys is a Welsh name, Mor is Irish, and in Irish mythology, Morrigan was a goddess. Rhysand states that he grew up in Velaris so I'm gonna go out on a ridiculous hc here and state that due to the cultural differences, the names are different as well. This would work better if NC was Scottish based but unfortunately not and we have to make do with what we've got.
PADRAIG MOCHAIN- "nobleman"
SEARLAIT MOCHAIN- "army"
FAOLAN MOCHAIN- "little wolf"
little note: i am just picking and choosing names by how i like the sound of them from a random naming website so a lot of these might be inaccurate and possibly (?) offensive (?) cause I am choosing not thinking of historical backgrounds (?) pls tell me if i am, because i genuinely don't mean to be.
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Things I found remarkable from Madame Putiphar: (warning: this post is mushy and earnest. And the writing is clunky af. if you don’t like those things, skip it)(no spoilers tho)
-Borel’s denunciation of the horrors of the ancien regime. From the kidnapping and purchase of girls as young as 7or 9 to become trainees at the Parc-aux-cerfs, Louis XV’s personal harem, to the illegal incarceration and disappearance of enemies of the crown(since the incarceration was not legal, your family didn’t know if you were alive or dead, and anything could be done to you because technically you were not incarcerated)(very reminiscent of certain non democratic methods of xxth c dictatorships), to the incarcerations of writers such as Diderot and Sade for their ideas. (parallels could be made with Borel’s present time and they might have. The book was not censored but it got such a terrible review from Jules Janin, Borel found it harder and harder to find work again)(Jean-Luc Steinmetz calls Janin’s review a rehearsal for the later censorship trials on books such as mme bovary and les fleurs du mal during Napoleon III’s government)
-a heroine whose shortcomings and aptitudes are not rooted in her gender (crazy I know.)(like in Champavert, where race is not deterministic at all) Debbie, our heroine, is a brave, intelligent person, doing what best she can in adverse circumstances. Not always correct, not invincible, not ever stunted (or blessed!) by the innate powers of femaleness some authors and thinkers seem to believe in. (a probable antecedent is Diderot’s Suzanne Simonin, some of her misadventures are similar and she is a fleshed out character as well)(but it’s been a while)
-an appreciation of femaleness and effeminacy, and androgyny. Because of their love, padraig and debbie’s genders mingle and impregnate one an other. Debbie becomes more masculine. Pádraig in his turn, is made more effeminate by his love of Debbie. And this improves them both. (The androgyne as a divine being is a recurrent theme in romantic literature, but an appreciation of femaleness, maybe not so much. Borel says padraig has been improved by receiving debbie’s femenine upbringing. That is unheard of)
-A narrator that shows love and care for his readers. Besides Borel’s usual use of irony and meta literary discussion, here he stops and comforts the reader, takes their hand (Borel specifically addresses a female and male reader) and asks if they’re ready to carry on. Since this was a book he felt pain while writing, he -correctly- assumes the reader will probably be shaken as well. This is very sweet and considerate and it never happens?? I feel like writers are usually here to lecture the reader and make them swallow their truth. (Borel does a fair share of that too, tbh)(there is more to be said about the narrator in this book. But it will require a rereading because I admit I am not at all certain about some things he does here)
-a Romantic’s take on the Enlightenment. Borel takes familiar tropes and makes them his own. I was reminded of Diderot’s heroine from La réligieuse, his playful narrator in Jacques le fataliste. Sade’s Justine, (tho sade does not really write humans, rather gears that put his plot in motion, this is not a jab at sade. just that debbie is not a sadian innocent sticking to her virtue in ways required only by the plot) Voltaire’s Candide and Laclos’ Dangerous Liaisons come to mind as well.
Overall I really loved this book. I have one or two complaints over one midly unfortunate rant about the roots of european orientalism, a queer character that is not that bad but uuh seems rather underdeveloped and tropey, and one coup-de-theatre death that was unnecessary imo. There’s also the narrator thing. This requires a second reading bc I found some of his digressions confusing. His tone was easier to decode in Champavert. Here I had trouble discerning what Borel is being serious about or not. Not all the time but occasionally. Hard to tell what he is serious about or not. But overall this are very minor complaints. I insist this is a great book!! And I feel very grateful for having read it 🖤
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