#endal

OMG TYSM <3 yes that was the primary goal i wanted him to just be the complete sum of an uninterested and unamused person

As someone who has had to deal with these kinds of adults, let me tell you. This is pretty much the only way you can behave that works.

I've had to deal with some situations like this, and kids in situations like this, and when confronting or dealing with these people in general, there are several things you can't do, and several things you don't want to do.

What not to do around angry/manipulative/possibly abusive adults:

Give them a disturbed or angry reaction.

They want that reaction. They want you to yell at them, attack them in some way, behave in some condemnable way. They'll turn their kid against you later, no matter how good your intentions were. Also, this makes them see that you'll fight them on their terms, their grounds. Don't give these people that level of power. Hell no. You cannot retaliate like what they want you to, no matter how hard they try to push your buttons. Moreover, anger and disgust give them fuel to burn against their kid. It's not a good time. Be as emotionless as possible, but mean business. Do not let them escalate the situation by trying to match their energy or pissy-ness.

2. Talk only to their kid.

This does not work. The main threat in this situation is the adult. And therefore, the only thing you can do is talk to the adult like they're your equal. You may think they're the scum of the earth(sometimes they are). You may be this kid's confidant, and you may know all the shit this person has done to them. But this kid isn't the focal point of the situation. You have to deal with this person like they are your equal, and if that means primarily talking to them, that means primarily talking to them.

3. Ignore the kid.

If you're dealing with the adult, it's easy to forget that their victim is right next to you. But they usually are. You need to do what you have to do, and focus primarily on the adult, but make sure the kid doesn't think they're alone. That kid is embarrassed to high heaven, and they want this situation to stop. They want you to look away, pretend this isn't happening. Admittedly, you can't, but the kid wants nothing more than to disappear. The child is being manipulated, or treated poorly to a level that you need to step in. But, this means there's a fully grown adult capable of hurting someone smaller than them in front of you. You need to keep 90% of your focus on the threat that is the adult. But that kid is in danger and you add to the danger. So don't ignore the kid, but don't brush past the threat to address them.

If you combine all of this together, basically. You get.

tired Disneyland employee about to end his shift.

It boils down to sentience and cognition.

Here’s the question and a very brief primer - 

If a creature is of a different mind, how can it understand the magic you use?

While animals and beasts are usually the targets of these discussions, there are many more creatures where magical effects get muddled. In Pathfinder and older systems of Dungeons and Dragons, certain creatures were given the classification of “mindless”, usually represented by an Intelligence of “-” in the stat block; creatures under this umbrella include oozes, undead, plants, “vermin” (another umbrella including giant insects and swarms) and constructs. Mind affecting magic, such as the many different schools of illusions and certain enchantments, doesn’t work on any of these creatures. Older systems made you dig for the fact that an illusion wouldn’t work on an “ogre spider”, but 5E will have exceptions to effects in spell descriptions.

So why doesn’t specific magic work on specific creatures? Depends on the context.

-In the case of animals and beasts, it goes without saying that there is an obvious disconnect between the cognition of humans and animals. As an example, we can understand how the mind of a dog works from a scientific standpoint and dogs certainly have some semblance of intelligence, but any approach to reasoning with an animal is based on what is understood about their behaviors, reactions, and ability to perceive. In general, humans don’t know or understand the full extent of a dog’s cognition. So if a wizard uses an illusion to produce a treat in their hand and produces it to a dog, the dog would be wondering why this person wants their palm licked; not only does the dog not understand what the wizard’s intent is, the dog’s senses would also allow them to discern the ACTUAL treats are somewhere else on the wizard’s person. All this to say that we might be able to fool the senses of an animal but not necessarily its mind, and not solely because we’re “smarter” than the animal. Humans can perceive 3 types of colors; a mantis shrimp can perceive 16. How the fuck can a human mind produce a pattern to fool something that can see colors that we don’t have names for?

-Plants, giant insects, and oozes operate on instinct and a basic desire to consume, reproduce, and survive. Harder to say in the case of oozes since they’re anomalies produced by magical energies and also fictional, but I digress. These creatures, while capable of problem solving and adaptation, don’t posses a cognition or a sentience that we can recognize or “negotiate” with. It is in this group that you also encounter the concept of hive minds or gestalt consciousness via “creatures” such as swarms. A collection of minds acting in flawless unison is a frightening concept to some, and while apostrophe or “alien” on its own, it could be believed that in order for such a thing to exist there must be no individuality in the minds that make up the greater one.

-Undead and constructs are typically creatures that are animated by magical forces of some sort, so their purpose is dictated by the force or person that gave them “life”. There are certainly some intelligent undead and instances of hive minds in this group, but at its basest form, an undead creature is animated by negative energy, another umbrella term to embody the distilled dark side of the many different sentient creatures that exist. This in turn makes the general portrayal of undead creatures one of impending doom, malevolent or unrepentant consciousness, and insatiable hunger (among other things). Constructs take form as something designed for a specific purpose. They are the closest thing to computers or “virtual intelligence” that a fantasy setting can conjure short of homebrews. With all that in mind for both constructs or undead, there is no mind for someone to fool as they were created through certain intent and won’t deviate from their “purpose”.

These are my own notes, of course, but maybe the best way to answer the initial question is this -

How well do you understand the mind of those you wish to fool, bewilder, or bewitch?

This is one true story I found very heartbreaking. I‘ve read the book from 2012 a few months ago and seen the movie yesterday.

Sometimes I feel like we should just drop everything we are doing and think about the horrible things happen in the world. It makes me feel terrified.

I think this man named James Bowen got very lucky Bob came into his life. A guardian angel. It is beautiful how animals can change peoples lives, just for staying beside them. Some people could really learn a lesson just by reading this book.

Animals have the truest hearts.

Another true animal story is about Endal the Labrador. His present made a complete positive change into a family‘s life, from who the father/husband had suffered from serious head injuries whilst serving with the Royal Navy. I recommend animal lovers to read this one too.

Credit for the bingo board goes to @batmanisagatewaydrug; if you want to play along, you can get a clean version here.

You can check out the rest of my main entries for the book bingo here and my bonus reads here.

Title: Endal

Author: Allen & Sandra Parton

Square: Animal on the cover

Though there are many religions in the multiverse, and Seryphorm recognizes that many Alysy, especially ones who travel, believe in Cryhon, the religion associated with the many Gods of the Multiverse, Seryphorm also has its own distinct religion called Endal.