I have spent my life watching things pass me by, never feeling inclined to interrupt - Tiger changed me in ways I only now understand.
One of the reasons Horse considered me a perfect Recorder and someone she wanted at her side. She was not surprised that I refused a place on the Council and never held it against me, merely asking for me to accompany her wherever she went, when she did.
The unusual case of me not being invited to a meeting, even as a stand by did strike me as odd, but not alarming. Unfortunately, her parting words were the last ones she ever spoke to me.
'Watch over everyone.' there was no 'while I'm gone' or 'until I return' which I did note, but said nothing about - and she may have noticed because I was sure she smiled under all that cloth. Claudia's steps stuttered too, I remember, she sensed something as well.
But neither of us could stop what happened after.
In essence, all recorders can be separated into three categories Sky, Earth and Sea and all together make up 100 core Records - this includes the three of the council and the leader themselves - with 33 in each category, 100th being the Master Record.
It used to be a famous saying, in time of Fantazma Troupe, that 'anybody can become a Recorder', 'anybody could wield a Record', 'for heavens' sakes even children had them!'
All of this is true to some extent, people said those things because Records do not make any class or species distinction that they can see. A Record does not care for your money, notoriety or origin.
Records make distinction on Will. As Records themselves are constructs of Will and hold a singular desire to maintain their existence they will only attach themselves to those who can complement them in ways they need. They look for the best fit.
Some of these things are obvious to those who pay attention, a bird Record will pick the person with highest Sky compatibility, usually meaning a Sky Islander or a person with such ancestry (this later became more common as pure lines became rarer), just like a Dolphin Record would go for a fishperson or merperson first.
As for children, well, that is somewhat misleading as children only get temporary Records in order to get used to them and decide if they’re suited for them, if they’re willing to bear them. (at least that was the way of the Troupe, earlier times were less accommodating)
We do not force cannibalism on young children, but due to things that happened during and post Massacre a lot of children were left with contracts they did not agree to - this later caused controversy and issues for Tiger, but she braved everything with little complaint. (having narrowly avoided this fate herself)
Recorders are peculiar in lack of fear of death, often using our deaths for benefit of our Record or Recorders as a whole - there is a well known and well viewed memory of Hiki a Hummingbird recorder who stayed to watch a kingdom fall in order to see the face of the man who did it, so that everyone would know him and none would believe him.
Death merely limits our physical capabilities, we stay with the Master Record until a new host is found and them their life unfolds until the next one comes along. For a Recorder it’s about living and experiencing.
We Record the present for the sake of the future as those before us had done for us. In my case cannibalism was no price at all as I had already eaten human flesh before, my island practices ritual eating of our dead and thus was nothing strange to me (I observed some declines based on this price) for me some other prices are far more frightening - like the one I paid for accepting my place on the Council as a Lynchpin for Tiger.
Outsiders consider us creepy, eerie, especially after Tiger’s management cut out exceptions made for polite company and any things Horse had to agree to in order to maintain peace with the World Government.
Return to piracy made us an efficient machine, reminiscent of Rattlesnake’s time, but also placed us in a stationery archipelago with lands to take care of and protect.
We are often compared to bees, crowding around their queen, listening to her every command, but most of us prefer being compared to Mink tribes (with whom we remain close still) for our unity and efficiency especially against outsiders - no matter our internal quarrels, we stand together.
It took a Marine Massacre and rise of another Pirate King, but we got there.
It is my sincere hope that we go even further after Tiger and I have passed to Record and that future generations protect the future as we had. All things can be achieved with the right people.
By the memory of one Gaspar, who bears the name Lemur
Other WBJ people and races: Naruto Verse, Pokemon Verse, Original Story