Almost. Years ago my computer suddenly stopped working and lost everything on it. Fortunately a relatively recent backup still existed bc of my family, a recent parts switch, and dumb luck. But last year a friend of mine got hacked and lost close to everything he had done creatively in the last 17-ish years. Art. Novels in progress. Entire conlangs. DnD character Sheets. Music he had made. All gone. He never backed any of it up. Few months later I started this habit (or ritual, almost) of drawing a reminder beast any time I would make a full complete backup. In hopes that seeing these things might remind others and myself. (Another factor here is that I am an animator and some of the stuff on my computer took literal years to make. And the film university I go to urges us to take this stuff seriously, too.)
Those who have lost everything because of a drive failure
And those that are GOING TO lose everything because of a drive failure
That is why you back up your stuff. It isn’t if, it’s when. If it isn’t drive failure, it’s going to be malware, or ransomeware, or a battery that fails and destroys your laptop, or a lightning strike that destroys your system, or a house fire/flood/earthquake, or simple theft of your device, the list is as long as your arm. Someday you WILL have a problem that eats all of your data. Then the only thing that will save your a** will be backups. Personally I have three levels; TimeMachine, back up to the cloud, and a drive that I back everything up to once a month and keep in the fireproof safe.
Witchy cooking shows where witches try to make specific potions or find creative magical solutions to problems
Psychic psychologists and medical doctors who are able to figure out exactly how to help even if their patient is non-verbal, young, or afraid of being honest because they’re with an abuser
Psychic teachers knowing just what to do to help students with learning disabilities
“...Why?” she asked, trying to sound tough and interrogative, like Buzz had instructed her.
“What?” Kaos growled, clearly irritated,“ …Why what? What are you blathering about now, Portal-Poster?!”
“Why?” Peayce asked again, this time bending down and slowly leaning herself against the bars of the little man’s cell in order to be eye-to-eye with him, the way Cali had shown her, “…Why is it that you keep trying to take over Skylands?”
Now this, Kaos didn’t answer. He simply turned away from Peayce, grousing under his breath.
“I mean, seriously now…” the woman tried again, attempting an air of nonchalance, as Flynn suggested, “It can't be that appealing of a career, can it? The Skylands themselves are so… big! The countless different places and people you’d have to tend to…. not to mention all the resources one would have to spend just to keep a working regime in order. -a-and, of course, there’s no guarantee people would listen to you, or even WANT you as their supreme ruler, especially since you have such a ….reputation. Usually for hostile takeovers and power hungry conquest. Didn't you find any of that the least bit stressful? -trying to be an Emperor, I mean?”
“What kind of stupid question is THAT?!” Kaos snapped, turning around, “Skylands is rightfully mine to rule over! You think I can’t lead my own minions?! HA! I’ve commanded entire ARMIES of them! Do you hear me?! ARMIES! -and besides, everything was working perfectly fine under my incomprehensible genius until the Darkness decided to make the foolish mistake of crossing ME, Kaos!”
Crossing his arms angrily, the little man leaned in Peayce’s direction and let out a nasty snarl.
“The only reason I’m NOT ruling over Skylands right now is because of HIM and a CERTAIN meddling Portalmaster using her annoying SkyLOSERS to get in my way!”
“Oh… well, okay. That’s a fair point, I suppose.”
Peayce found herself stuck. None of the approaches her friends had given her seemed to be working.
The Light Portal Master sighed, truly thinking about the scenario Kaos was so desperate to make a reality. A scenario he had almost achieved. The scenario he would obviously do anything to make a reality for.
Why did she think she could talk him out of it? It’s not like stronger methods had worked in the past. The man had been beaten, foiled, banished, and launched out of an active volcano! -and yet, HERE he was! Still at it! Nothing deterred him! The woman would’ve found such a trait admirable, had it not been directed towards such a terrible pursuit.
What could SHE do? What was so different about her that could possibly change such an unfaltering drive?
As she sat between the cold iron bars, looking at the silhouette of the tiny man who was now pacing around with an air of indignant rage, Master Eon’s words came floating back into her mind.
“I believe you were called into this world, not because of your strength in power, but because of your strength of heart. Out of all my apprentices, you have displayed a grace, a love, and a patience unlike any I have ever seen in these lands. I fully believe that it is this strength that will save us all.”
Peayce bit her lip. Her strength of heart? She’d been actively trying to IGNORE her heart because the things it kept telling her to do were, frankly, really stupid. Like, “get her stabbed in the back by a tiny evil man” type stupid.
-but… maybe… maybe Master Eon was right. Maybe that’s what was needed right now.
Maybe that’s what HE needed: someone VERY stupid.
The woman looked back at Kaos again.
The man had crouched down into the far corner of the cell, furthest away from her, of course. With his head buried in his knees and his arms wrapped around himself so tightly, he managed to look even smaller than usual. If you squinted real hard and looked at the guy from a certain angle, you almost couldn’t tell that he’d just tried to bomb a peaceful Mabu village that morning.
It was at this point that Peayce noticed how cold it was in the holding cell. -and how dark it was. -and just how quiet it all seemed. Not the good kind of quiet either. This quiet was the empty, soul-crushing, lonely kind. A kind she (unfortunately) knew all too well.
Taking a deep breath, Peayce made a decision.
She was going to be a very stupid person.
“You… you didn’t answer my other question though…” she began again, this time more gently.
“Eh?”
“Was it stressful? …Trying to rule all of Skylands?
“Of course not! A powerful Dark Portalmaster like me doesn't know the MEANING of the word ‘stress’!”
“It couldn’t have been easy, doing it all by yourself.”
“Maybe for you! I don’t NEED any help to be my supremely awesome self! -because obviously, I am already supremely AWESOME! HAHAHAHAHA!”
1st page of Kaos's ref is done! There is a lot of little details I want to include for his ref so I'm splitting his ref into two pages. next page will have all the writing and details about his eyes, portal master mark and darkness markings.
