So a while back I rolled up a zombies mastermind mostly just to see what zombies were all about. Hat tip to Bushranger in the Discord channel for the name, because I wanted /Time secondary.
Then I had to come up with a schtick, because ... well, I have to. I can't not. It's a curse.
So I present to you... Tomorrow Mourning's in-game bio, plus more:
Welcome to Tomorrow Mourning(tm), Paragon's finest post-living general services contractor! Our trained and licensed morticians use only all-natural components and guaranteed safe thaumaturgic rituals. Unlike some of our competitors, you'll never have to worry about your dearly departed joining some mindless horde of brain-eaters! Our franchise operators are all licensed and fully equipped to make sure that your former loved ones will return to their grave in like-newly-dead condition*, and not roam the neighborhood indefinitely, scaring children and eating people's pets.
Ask your Tomorrow Mourning Sales Representative about our no-scuff treatment! For that long-lasting like-living shine!
Tomorrow Mourning(tm)! We're never more than a day away!
* minus normal wear and tear. Money-back guarantee subject to limitations and conditions. Discounts available for bulk orders. Void where prohibited.
Daphne is the Senior Field Mortician. Phil is the newly-hired Provisional Mortician. Their manager, Mr. Hooper, tends to stay in the office and send them to do the dirty work -- though he'll step in sometimes if needed to tackle a particularly big job.
You may also notice a... recurring theme... among the minions.
And yes, I color-matched a certain cell phone company's color as best I could, because with those initials, how could I not?
(why, no, I don't tend to carry jokes too far, whatever do you mean?)
Blows off dust.
I have returned after a decade away... and am shocked by how much I missed the old game.
So hey, I might start producing bad art and worse fanfics again.
effect: very old beings in the AoE such as most sorts of vampires, Highlander style Immortals, demigods, upload AI, some particularly long lived species like standard Tolkien-adjacent elves, even individuals with just the right genetics, resources, and luck to have lived an exceptionally long life, will be struck by the utter sameness and ennui of their existence and stuck in reminiscence for at least the length of the song, and possibly fall into a reverie or depressive spiral if already prone to it.
Actively being engaged in combat gives an immediate saving throw, another each time they're hit, and every turn, with increasing bonuses to put it in game terms, but against the right target it's a great distraction to keep combat from breaking out in the first place.
Could be useful for the Buffy step, among others. Or Evangelion if there's a chance to get one or more of the geezer council into Doug's AoE.
edit: Wasn't thinking about Worm before, but Scion would probably just pop his avatar and set his remaining shards to disperse and find hosts, if Doug used it on him...
Does anyone recognize this story? I know I have it in an anthology somewhere, and I first read it in either the late 70s or early 80s. But I can't remember title or author, even though I recall most of the action, such as it is, and the final line.
The story takes place in an alternate universe where World War II never happened. Two men from different nations, friends, play a tabletop wargame that mimics World War II starting from the randomly-determined alliances on both sides to two burn marks made on the islands of Japan by falling cigar ash at the end of the game. (Followed by a comment about the flammable varnish on the game board, and how the next game might set the entire board on fire.) IIRC, one of the players is Churchill, who's playing the Allies, and it's his cigar which burns Japan. The narrator is an observer who remains unnamed until the final line, who comments on the ridiculous aspects of the game starting from the nations on each side through bizarre developments in the flow of the game. The player of the Axis is, IIRC, a German who tries something new he calls "the lightning war" -- blitzkrieg -- to many early victories. The story ends with a "note from the editor" wishing the narrator/author much success in his future endeavors, ending with "Good luck, Dwight!" (Eisenhower).
Pretty obvious from the lyrics what this does: puts anybody in the area of effect into a hypnotic trance, with a secondary effect of Doug and the song's subject becoming well-disposed toward each other because the lyric "and you’re fond of me" is traded off between two singers. (In most cases, Doug had better play "I'll Play for You" first... although ending a melee by having the fighters suddenly like each other does have a certain appeal.)
Power: rubberriness and stretching l;ike Reed Richards or Luffy D. Monkey, though whether that's a side effect of being as bouncy as Chuck Taine or the other way around is debatable. Quite a versatile power with some imagination, and with a 9m31s run time it'll last through situations where something that might be more directly applicable would run out too soon.
My first thought was just to shift him into a female form, but that seems rather tame for the kind of powers Doug's magegift usually expresses, and if it was going to do something like that it would probably be using Ivor Biggun's Bra Size 45 anyway
Ugh. Not even two weeks into the new year, and we get this in the forecast:
Quote:Valid: 1:00 PM EST Tuesday 9 January 2024 - 1:00 AM EST Thursday 11 January 2024
A strong low pressure system is expected to bring snow, blowing snow and strong winds. Travel is expected to be hazardous at times. Consider postponing non-essential travel.
At least I'm already scheduled to work from home those days. Must remember to stop at the store after work Monday and stock up on shelf-stable foods, just in case.
Candidate: "I love the GOP platform! Can I be on the GOP candidate list in the primaries?"
Party brass: "Nope, you didn't get your paperwork in on time."
Candidate: "Oh. I don't love the GOP platform any more! Can I be on the Dem candidate list in the primaries?"
Other party brass: "Sure! Oh, and the party members picked you."
Yeah. That's pretty much what just happened in Durham for the upcoming byelection.
![[Image: DragonAurora_Zhang_960.jpg]](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2401/DragonAurora_Zhang_960.jpg)
