Daddy is useless.
He can't even cook food properly - we have to rely on the food Mummy made, and it tastes horrible.
We have this nasty men come to take all our money all the time, and now Daddy isn't working, so he doesn't get any money. He says he will write books. His books are boring. So he said if I thought his books were boring, why not see if I can do better?
So I did. My books are much better than Daddy's. Daddy is useless, an embarrassment, and sometimes I almost miss Mummy.
He can't even cook food properly - we have to rely on the food Mummy made, and it tastes horrible.
We have this nasty men come to take all our money all the time, and now Daddy isn't working, so he doesn't get any money. He says he will write books. His books are boring. So he said if I thought his books were boring, why not see if I can do better?
So I did. My books are much better than Daddy's. Daddy is useless, an embarrassment, and sometimes I almost miss Mummy.
So, poor Hassan has to quit Symphonic at level 8, and look after the kids. A nasty result, with possibly serious ramifications, but as an adjudicator even if we now change some of those rules I'm not going to retroactively avert the consequences here. It's not the end of the challenge, after all.
But I don't want to sugar coat it either. With no rabbit hole based income, this challenge has now officially reached a crisis point. Hassan is going to have to start writing novels in a desperate attempt to pay the bills. Fortunately, Mark can do that too - and do it better, since thanks to toddler books he is a better writer.
But I don't want to sugar coat it either. With no rabbit hole based income, this challenge has now officially reached a crisis point. Hassan is going to have to start writing novels in a desperate attempt to pay the bills. Fortunately, Mark can do that too - and do it better, since thanks to toddler books he is a better writer.
My little brother is a better writer than Daddy too. Daddy is completely useless. Though I guess he has learned to cook - a bit.
Daddy says that when I'm old enough to look after Tommy, he'll go back to work. I don't want to look after Tommy - he's got a funny looking face. But I will bide my time. Daddy knows that I'm really in charge - I just need to get old enough so that the adults will let me take over.
Daddy says that when I'm old enough to look after Tommy, he'll go back to work. I don't want to look after Tommy - he's got a funny looking face. But I will bide my time. Daddy knows that I'm really in charge - I just need to get old enough so that the adults will let me take over.
Thomas is Brave, Couch Potato, and Insane. Not awesome traits. But survivable. Insane is going to be largely defanged with Free Will Off.
The novel writing proceeds. On Saturday, Mark has 4 days before he is a teenager. Once that happens, Hassan can go back to work - it is highly doubtful he can lift anything, but he can keep the wolves from the door.
The novel writing proceeds. On Saturday, Mark has 4 days before he is a teenager. Once that happens, Hassan can go back to work - it is highly doubtful he can lift anything, but he can keep the wolves from the door.
This is just nuts. I'm old enough - I'm a best selling author, damn them! But apparently I'm not allowed to go to work. I'm not allowed to even stay at school. And Dad gets to start work at the hospital - an organ donor. Just as well we fairies don't really need all our organs, but it doesn't sound very fair to me.
But I am already having my revenge. I worked out a spell to extend senility. Now Dad will suffer for way longer than Mum did.
But I am already having my revenge. I worked out a spell to extend senility. Now Dad will suffer for way longer than Mum did.
Mark is Easily Impressive, Evil, Mooch, and Shy. Shy is annoying, the rest are tolerable if not exactly desirable. He has Athletics 3 (hopscotch), Logic 6, Painting 4, and Writing 7 (with 2 hits and and best seller).
Hassan has 10 days left until he becomes an elder, and I get him immediately into the Medical career (paper had Military first, then Medical). Hassan currently has Logic 6, so this is not a terrible fit for him - under normal circumstances.
RULE CHANGE APPLIED: Now elders of all occults get 14 days lifespan. Obviously this would have been very useful for me before, but even now it is not irrelevant, as this opens up the possibility of clearing Medical. With this in mind I get Hassan working on Athletic.
Hassan has 10 days left until he becomes an elder, and I get him immediately into the Medical career (paper had Military first, then Medical). Hassan currently has Logic 6, so this is not a terrible fit for him - under normal circumstances.
RULE CHANGE APPLIED: Now elders of all occults get 14 days lifespan. Obviously this would have been very useful for me before, but even now it is not irrelevant, as this opens up the possibility of clearing Medical. With this in mind I get Hassan working on Athletic.
Thomas is not entirely on board with me being in charge, but I think after I beat him up a few more times he'll come around. I mean, he doesn't want to be bleeding all the time.
Unfortunately, Dad had a few tricks of his own. He managed to cast the Song of Time - a forbidden spell. I was impressed. I managed to counter some of it, but I couldn't block it completely - for a period everyone would be immune to aging, and therefore senility. I tip my wings to you Dad - I never thought you had that in you. Of course, he never knew I was the source of the partial counter - no doubt he put it down to Nyarlothep. Perhaps it was the Great Old One after all, working through me. Who knows? I stayed home during Worship Of Elder Gods class.
Unfortunately, Dad had a few tricks of his own. He managed to cast the Song of Time - a forbidden spell. I was impressed. I managed to counter some of it, but I couldn't block it completely - for a period everyone would be immune to aging, and therefore senility. I tip my wings to you Dad - I never thought you had that in you. Of course, he never knew I was the source of the partial counter - no doubt he put it down to Nyarlothep. Perhaps it was the Great Old One after all, working through me. Who knows? I stayed home during Worship Of Elder Gods class.
Thomas is Brave, Couch Potato, Insane, and Rebellious. He has Athletics 3 (hopscotch), Logic 6, Painting 4, and Writing 6.
On week 7, day 6 I had a decision to make. Hassan was a Trauma Surgeon; Medical tends to be a career you get promoted quickly in (due to being on call). With only a day to go before becoming elder, and no chance of making Athletics 10, the question was, essentially, turn aging off or not? 11 days for 4 promotions is possibly doable, but it's risky. If I don't do it, Hassan has been basically a waste. I bite the bullet and turn off aging. This will have the unwanted side effect of delaying Mark and Thomas but that can't be helped.
On week 7, day 6 I had a decision to make. Hassan was a Trauma Surgeon; Medical tends to be a career you get promoted quickly in (due to being on call). With only a day to go before becoming elder, and no chance of making Athletics 10, the question was, essentially, turn aging off or not? 11 days for 4 promotions is possibly doable, but it's risky. If I don't do it, Hassan has been basically a waste. I bite the bullet and turn off aging. This will have the unwanted side effect of delaying Mark and Thomas but that can't be helped.
They're on to me.
This isn't Dad - he could never swing this. No, someone bigger. The government, maybe. I managed to avoid any lasting damage, but I'll have to be more circumspect. I must not be the only teenager they're keeping tabs on, but I bet I'm the most dangerous.
This isn't Dad - he could never swing this. No, someone bigger. The government, maybe. I managed to avoid any lasting damage, but I'll have to be more circumspect. I must not be the only teenager they're keeping tabs on, but I bet I'm the most dangerous.
I suppose I do have a few space rocks lying around from the meteor strike.
Mark reacted by getting to Athletics 10 the next day (it's easy when you only have to stop for food and bladder). It took Thomas a couple of days more, but it's still all within the aging off period.
Mark reacted by getting to Athletics 10 the next day (it's easy when you only have to stop for food and bladder). It took Thomas a couple of days more, but it's still all within the aging off period.
I'm a huge best selling author. That's probably my problem - too visible. But I think I can turn it to my advantage. Let's see what the government thinks of my new best selling series "Government Cover Ups".
Leverage. That's what I need. I'll make it a Children's series, they'll never spot it until too late. I'll write dozens of them.
Leverage. That's what I need. I'll make it a Children's series, they'll never spot it until too late. I'll write dozens of them.
Same day that Thomas gets Athletics 10, Mark gets Prolific Writer.
It was going to be very close to the wire with Hassan, in part because of an unfortunate Snow Flake day, but fortunately he called in to work that day to give him the final boost he needed to level 9. That just left the last level, and he had an opportunity for that (Neighbourhood Outreach) that he'd already partly completed. Still going to be close, but I thought he would make it. Thanks to no curfew from Military, he stopped at the park after work and finished the opportunity.
It was going to be very close to the wire with Hassan, in part because of an unfortunate Snow Flake day, but fortunately he called in to work that day to give him the final boost he needed to level 9. That just left the last level, and he had an opportunity for that (Neighbourhood Outreach) that he'd already partly completed. Still going to be close, but I thought he would make it. Thanks to no curfew from Military, he stopped at the park after work and finished the opportunity.
And I also think I found a way to undo Dad's spell. I am so sick of being a teenager - there's nothing to do except write my subversive kids books, and the kids have to grow up before it will actually have any effect.
I needed Tom's help, but we managed it while Dad was at work.
I needed Tom's help, but we managed it while Dad was at work.
A specialist in Children's books. Comes on Day 7 of the Unaging period. If Hassan doesn't get promoted today, then Saturday and Sunday will have to pass (unless he gets a fortunate call in) and he'll have to clear on Monday - which he can totally do, it's just I'd prefer to keep some days. But the bar filled easily:
I will grudgingly give Dad his due. Thanks to his efforts the water supply is under our control, and we've got some fairly simple magic to keep it clean. He's also rediscovered a bunch of healing magic that we can conceal under the guise of science, for a while at least.
I will still laugh at his upcoming senility, and we still broke his spell. But he served his purpose, if not quite the way I intended it.
I will still laugh at his upcoming senility, and we still broke his spell. But he served his purpose, if not quite the way I intended it.
A total of 7 days aging off was needed. And technically, the rule change should have meant that I would have cleared Symphonic easily, but no dwelling on that. Medical is a solid clear, and I can't be too disappointed.
Incidentally, "Mark hates Hassan" hate in the story isn't really fabricated; Hassan's main relationship to his kids is scolding them for skipping school.
Incidentally, "Mark hates Hassan" hate in the story isn't really fabricated; Hassan's main relationship to his kids is scolding them for skipping school.
No comments:
Post a Comment