Worst Pain

Worst pain

Because I'm a massive nerd: have some character analysis involving gem language and the gems the Leech twins are named after.

Fluorite is a precious stone named after the Latin word “flux” which means “continuous change.” It is associated with growth: removing negative energy, promoting positivity, and increasing self-confidence.

When cleansing the body from stress, fluorite primarily protects the intellect. It promotes concentration, memory retention, and can be used as a learning aid or for making big decisions. Green fluorite is especially good for this.

While fluorite’s namesake refers to spontaneity, geologists consider it a stable, predictable gem used to measure the hardness of other gems and minerals on the Mohs scale. Its strength is a reliable factor in determining how resistant other minerals are. In other words: fluorite helps you discover your true limits and potentials.

Besides aiding the mind, fluorite energizes as well as grounds the heart in "the now," especially during moments of high anxiety. Not to say it disregards the past and the future; it just prefers to work on who you are at present, recognizing you as an ever-changing, inevitable, unstoppable force in the universe. It promotes compassion towards oneself and encourages one to be the best they can be by opening their heart to fun and love instead of embracing past trauma.

In this sense, fluorite is wonderful for conducting work on your inner child, and is especially responsive to younger people (or those young-at-heart).

A softer mineral, true fluorite tends to bear many natural imperfections on its surface. Some may attribute this to recklessness, hyperactivity, or immaturity. But beneath its scuffs and rough edges, fluorite is a colorful, hearty stone overflowing with positivity… that even glows under ultraviolet light! What a funky little guy.

Jadeite is a highly prized gem that promises safety and balance in one’s life. Like fluorite, it is also a cleansing stone which relies on a more mature approach to turning negative energy into self-sufficient thoughts and behaviors. However, though beautiful and reliable, jade is cold-to-the-touch, and when stowed away or left unused, can grow incredibly brittle. Therefore, it insists upon being used frequently, if not all the time.

Many believe jade jewelry should be worn for one's entire lifetime, as removing it may invite eternal bad luck.

Only diamond can be used to carve jadeite, the strongest natural stone in the world. Measuring in at around 7 on the Mohs scale, it doesn’t blemish, bend, or break easily. With such reliable strength, it can be carved and manipulated into intricate shapes without fear of shattering.

As jade naturally resists breakage, it is a protective gem that forms a special bond with its owner and is commonly used as a tool for breaking other gems. On the rare occasion it does break, however, jade produces glass-like, razor-sharp edges.

In other words: once broken, handle with caution.

Still, there is a nurturing facet to jade: it promotes vitality, youthfulness, and longevity in people while also extending that power to the earth itself. It was often used in old Chinese rituals to manifest strong crop growth. Today, having a sculpture of a jade bok choy in one’s home is considered a symbol of long life and good health.

Make no mistake: jade would rather be out and about having fun with you and others. Doing so means it can make the most out of the life you have together. Utilizing its gorgeous exterior, it invites long lasting friendships and even romance to those who wear it. People may naturally trust and be drawn to jade wearers as the gem helps create a charmingly positive and tranquil personality.

If you're included, it feels included in turn.

A Chinese saying states “you can put a price on gold, but jade is priceless.” Tied to handling matters of the heart, it is a highly perceptive gem and an invaluable treasure meant to be cherished. Generous, elegant, and fierce, it will serve you well… but only if you do the same for it.

Ok I'm done thank you for coming to my rock talk

I’ll keep saying it: I hate the limitations there are to using Shock the Heart. I get why they’re there… but I still hate them. And here’s why.

If you break down Shock the Heart, it functions as any other sci-fi/fantasy “truth serum” does (i.e. Veritaserum, Lasso of Truth). It compels someone to tell the truth.

… Or rather, it compels someone to tell their truth.

Because the truth depends entirely on what a person knows.

Look at it this way: if you see Person A take a plate of cookies and then later see that plate empty, you’d probably say that Person A ate all the cookies. But suppose, unbeknownst to you, Person A actually shared those cookies with Person B.

If you tell someone that Person A ate all the cookies, you technically wouldn’t be lying, because the truth you have is just the truth you saw. To make it more complex, suppose you’re angry at Person A. Based on bias, you’d probably point a finger at them anyway, because your anger is your truth.

All this is to say: as with all other “truth serums,” the truth itself is Shock the Heart’s biggest limitation.

Only allowing Jade to use it on a person once and restricting its usage to weaker-willed, easy-to-trick mages seems like overkill.

Here you have a congregation of teenage boys, most of which have at least 10 ulterior motives and 20 traumatic experiences festering in their still-underdeveloped-brains, who never call each other “friends” and would sell each other out for One Corn Chip in a microsecond.

The process of wrangling the truth out of any of them is hard enough, but when you consider how twisted (no pun intended) each individual truth must be?

That’s a SUPER limitation already and would make for great conflict in the story.

….. also it would let us see Jade do this more often as a treat:

Headcanon the tweel's prey drive is still So High on land they'll chase anything smaller than them that struggles

The N2 Children

Koffi

A spry little girl who has far too much energy.

After a lengthy discussion, the N2 squad agreed to try for a kid. Leona now being the only one who doesn't mind mingling with another partner (polygamy is a staple for royalty in Sunset Savanah), he finds a good lady within the palace (probably a high ranked guard, very independent and energetic) that agrees to bear his child.

Koffi spends most of the time with her fathers but she does regularly hang with her mother too, though she calls her "Auntie" since Vil is her "Mama". Vil and Jamil are very friendly with Koffi's mother and they regularly have meals together.

Between her mother, Jamil, and Leona, Koffi has all the fighting training she needs to protect herself (and her brother).

Jamil is very good at handling Koffi since he has ADHD himself and is always moving (plus he is still used to Kalim’s antics.)

Urcon

A very curious and sweet child.

Vil just came home from a shooting one day with him in tow, and neither Jamil nor Leona questioned it.

Urcon learned cooking from Jamil and can't have enough of it. He also has a very weird obsession with poisons that neither Jamil nor Vil are responsible for, so they both have to regularly warn him against poisons. It doesn't seem to work at all though.

While he isn't one to fight, too busy having fun in nature to bother with annoying people, regularly wrestling with Koffi and Leona has taught him the basics. He is already pretty tall for his age and, as he grows up, the regular training gives him a rather impressive muscle mass.

Urcon gets along VERY WELL with Uncle Rook.

Koffi takes her role as big sister very seriously and regularly tells bullies off from her baby brother. She can be a bit loud and obnoxious about her role, sometimes butting in even when she is not needed.

Those two can become very competitive, to the point their fathers have to bodily separate them before they start throwing hands.

Most of the time though, Urcon is the one to keep Koffi from fighting. He drags her to come check anything he finds interesting, from little animals to his baking. Koffi doesn't always understand Urcon's interests ("Why are you showing me an acorn?") and can lose patience fast, but she does her best to still be supportive.