I shall get a post up within a reasonable timeframe from this point that the me of one week ago would say 'about two days' but I have come to learn means 'three or less' whenever I say.
Tilly's life is defined by a constant swinging of the pendulum. Tragedy sparks growth, success leads to new mistakes.
Growing up the youngest in a family of four, Tilly was always in the shadow of her older brother, Edmond Gallagher, and experienced many liberties as their parent's focus remained primarily upon him. Her parents were well-to-do folk; the father an active member in local politics in her region of the American Mid-West, and the mother an inheritor of a long-time family business that bankrolled the family's rising repute in the local environs.
Edmond was their poster child, and Tilly's upbringing was swept under the rug by comparison. She was cared for and provided for, but the crushing expectations laid upon her brother were forgotten with her. His shining record only served to cover up her own struggling academics and social issues. His perfection blinded their parents to her shortcomings. He was her shield, and always had been.
He was her shield when her early pregnancy came to light. He was the most doting and caring uncle any child could ever want. When Tilly's boyfriend proved deadbeat and disappeared without a word, Edmond rose to the occasion and removed Tilly from their parent's home to live with him. The family was split over the affair, but in the end Tilly chose to keep the child and that forever removed her parents from her life. Edmond was her rock in stormy seas. Five years later when Edmond died in a freak accident, she was his sole inheritor. She and her son, Tobias, were the sole beneficiaries of his stock firm holdings. Tobias even had a trust fund in place for when he came of age.
Tilly did not handle the death of her brother well, and it is a regretful period of darkness in her life. As Tobias aged from five to ten, she was a wreck who could only partially be his caretaker. Considerable funds went into an au-pair program, and Tilly herself spent these turbulent years embroiled in therapy and alcoholism as she tried to find a light in the tunnel. It wasn't until she was shown Tobias' schoolwork, depicting his family as consisting of five separate nanny-mothers and zero mention of Tilly that she finally pulled herself together. Perhaps it was too late, but she began to make the effort at long last.
Five years of 'making it up to him' later, Tilly decided to try out the game her son had been talking about nonstop for the last six months. She slips into Pariah Online on a fateful day, as once more the pendulum swings.
X A N T H A: T I R E L E S S G R I N D X A N T H A: T I R E L E S S G R I N D
Xantha has not had long within the game, and thus has few abilities considered 'signature' to her at this time. This list will grow.
Zephyrric Convokation - This is Xantha's initial skill, the defining concept behind her skillset selection in the game's character creation process. The primordial aspects of Wind channeled into the calculus of Convoking Arcane; there is much room to grow in this, but her sole defining ability of unique merit is this uncanny capability to blend the two aspects of magic into one elemental 'pet summoning' ability. Her Wind based convokations will be superior to her other attempts for the time being. In short, the go-to will be birds or other creatures modified with aspects of Wind, but her gaming history has shown the 'pet-controller' to be a playstyle defined by its utility and versatility tools in a party and this guides her mindset as she begins the game.
As with the spells and abilities, Xantha is new to the game and thus has not had the time to define herself within Pariah's meta-strata. However, playstyles and mentalities from old gaming habits do transfer quite well into the new environment.
Treadmiller Xantha is tireless in the pursuit of more. When it comes to the mundane aspects of 'farming' or 'crafting', there will be few who can truly call themselves her peer; when this unwavering endurance for banality and repetition turns itself towards the study of more active skills and combat related talents, its dividends will show with time. Things may be slow to start for Xantha, but once the machine of Xantha's efforts begins to chug into motion the distances it will go with time will be incredible.
No Stone Unturned The natural repercussion of her 'Treadmiller' title, Xantha will be an unceasingly curious player defined by her dedication in the search for secrets and the collection of crafting supplies. Knocking on walls, climbing trees, looking under carpet, and turning up loose floorboards are all things that simply must be done in the search for useful things.
Sheer dread fills Zaraknvyr as Tabiah's gaze moves past him. He witnesses as her expression, infuriatingly, takes on the banality of her amusement. He envisions in his mind's eye the horrible visages of the Bleakers at his back. He seethes over the surmounting impossibility that avoiding them seems to be becoming before his very eyes. His uncomfortable gaze sweeps from Tabiah to Athar. He glowers, then meows once more;
"This female brings me agony, and yet her usefulness shall be my burden. I am thankful to have a reasonable companion in yourself."
He then abruptly rises, and turns to the company of Fyodor. As maddening as it may be, he declares thus;
"We go the same path. Let us avoid crossing blades when greater foes may be afoot. Your lot may join my party."
He smiles. A very discomforting, very toothy, smile. There. That ought to solve this issue before it could even begin.
There's ice cream of everything. While I was in Japan, they had an apple festival going on in Aomori prefecture. I got some apple flavored ice cream, but it had actual chunks of softened cold apple in the ice cream and that was utterly divine as well.