Thanks again for working with me! I really appreciate the chance to remedy the mistakes in communication I made and hope that I've interpreted right in giving the following information. I truly do believe that what I'm presenting adheres to the clarifications you made in your last response, but I apologize if I'm doing more than you asked for or if I've made another misstep!
First things first; You're so right that I should update the OOC post! That's been done now. Just so you don't have to go looking for it, here's what was changed (no information was removed from the post, only added):
ADDENDUM 1: Some information in this write-up is struck because during the creation of the log, I had the opportunity to plot with others and changed some of the details of how things went down for a more interesting narrative experience. The details of what was changed are marked "ADDENDUM 2." None of the content warnings for this log have been changed.
ADDENDUM 2: For the sake of the narrative and after assessing the existing content warnings, the incident above was changed. Rather than the villagers passively bringing the sacrifices to Maya, Maya directly leads the attack on the boats. She has the villagers lead her to the boats found using stolen nets from Merain, and then sings the men on board to submission with her siren's song. The Merainites board the boats to bind the men aboard, since Maya cannot walk. After subduing them, Maya uses her minotaur strength to tow the boats to shore, after which she decides that they will throw the feast.
Not adding this previously was a complete oversight on my part and I appreciate the chance to fix it.
I should clarify that the "extra" actions I brought up were NOT meant as a cumulative list, but to further clarify Maya's sentiments as being Pro-Fog and Pro-monster. My apologies for the confusion! I should have stated so more clearly.
Luckily, you provided this awesome line in the most recent change log that epitomizes what Maya is preaching: "I am here for you, children," she seems to whisper. "Stand tall. Show your strength. Destroy those who would deny you your pleasures. Fight and eat and live. They will not stop you." Her sentiment is overly generous toward the fog, but she definitely intends to reflect this message. I hope that's what I got across in her prayer!
Maya does make her initial motivations clear in the news broadcast at the head of the log, and the reporter helps to make her sound even more malicious, sewing fear amongst humans who have watched the broadcast and drawing distaste from other monsters:
FROM PROMPT 1 ON THE LOG:
MAYA: "The people of Vandare need to know that an attack against Merain is an attack against me. And— and we won't stand for it. Violence against humans loyal to me will be seen as them willingly offering themselves to the Fog."
ANCHOR: "Then this is an act of revenge, you're saying?" [...]
MAYA: [...] "We have captured fishermen from Vandare, and intend to make an example of them. Monsters can rest easy knowing that the meal they consume will come from those who have made an attempt on human lives and monster livelihood."
ANCHOR: "So what you're saying is, you have no sympathy for Vandarans with limited resources during these storms? [...] So all humans— not just the people of Vandare— should be wary of your punishment?"
MAYA: "Um... no," [...] "Is that what it sounded like? Monsters are always going to be a threat to humans, as long as they were a threat to us. You were the ones who started—"
ANCHOR: [...] "To clarify, do you make these statements as a Priest of the Fog?"
MAYA: "Again... no, but it's all the same, right?" [...] "I'm pledged to the Fog, and so, I'm pledged to take care of Her Children. This is doing that."
Maya is very clear that she is going to publicly take human attacks on monsters and herself as acts against the Fog and that she is obligated to protect the Fog and other monsters as Her servant. The 'human lives' she is referencing here are ONLY the Merainites, who are her possessions as a mermaid, and as such, an act of violence against them is an act of violence against her. The reporter's framing helps to make her look even more in disregard of human life, which is echoed in the sentiments of some monster attendees to the feast.
The visiting Bavanite humans aren't just getting a "free meal" here. They are being held hostage (despite being fed during the situation) as witnesses to the slaughter of human sacrifices, with the hopes that these humans will in turn go home and tell other humans of Maya's ruthlessness and cult fanaticism. This is very deliberate and very intentional. The desired result was not for the humans' benefit, but to directly spread fear amongst humans, and they were informed they would need to bear witness:
FROM PROMPT 3: MAYA: "Tonight our feast comes from the lives of these men that dared to take life from my village. This is the balance of this world. If you can't stomach it, I won't force you to watch. But if you choose to stay and eat, I ask that you witness at least this one sacrifice."
Humans were NOT allowed to eat food unless they watched the sacrifice, and with the presence of so many Fogs in one area knew their lives were in danger if they acted to try and stop the sacrifice.
The only humans who truly benefit in this situation are the Merainites, who Maya sees as her possessions. Sherlock himself acknowledges this as well:
SHERLOCK: [He listens to this plan. It's...not ideal. It is still giving the women ties to the village above all else, making their responsibilities to it and its survival, keeping their loyalties insular.
Yet, Sherlock does not believe he's being lied to.]
Not to worry. I believe you.
[He believes she cares about the human women, whether as people or as pets, and doesn't want them dead.]
Maya's capture of the Vandarans is not fully described anywhere, because it would not have been an interactive prompt. Instead, I've started bringing it up in threads in the log; it is not finished yet, but she begins mentioning it in her thread with John Shepherd, as that was the first time anyone asked her about the method in which the sacrifices were captured.
[At least, she has to trust the eyes of her fishing crew. She wasn't there when the first boats were attacked, but her crews lead her to the boats they recognized during the ambush, where she played the part of the sirens to Odysseus.]
We found them out in the same part of the water, using stolen nets.
As mentioned before, it's my fault that I did not reflect this update in the OOC post, and it has been changed. If you need me to add that prompt in to the IC write up even if it isn't interactive, I'm amenable to that as well.
The prayer directly demonstrates the fanaticism that Maya is putting out in the name of the Fog. She consistently glorifies the Fog and prioritizes Monster well-being over humans, even alleging that humans can't be trusted to be kind to each other (and thus, how can they be trusted to be good to monsters unless they are direct possessions?) The entire time she speaks directly to monsters, as if the humans aren't even present. This shows she views the humans as less important than monsters as according to her mermaid monster psych-change; the mermaid tendency to believe monsters are better than people and mermaids are better than all monsters.
Monsters in the log give a mixed but generally more negative response, and some express a reluctance to disrupt the ceremony for fear of being challenged by the Fog-aligned monsters present.
GLADION: Words are cheap. And if you want to make promises about what you won't stand for, [...] I think you need a better argument. This is a challenge. Test your law of balance against someone with fangs and claws to take a real toll with.
Tell me to leave, and I'll walk out and let you keep making promises. Give me a battle, and I'll believe you mean what you say.
JOHN: John watched the ceremony all the way through. Unlike others, he didn't leave the room. He took in all the details, attempted to observe instead of just seeing, but could spot nothing amiss. It was real. He even caught some glimpses of the butchering process. Part of him insists that he should've stopped it, should've acted, should not have just stood idly by. But then, what was there to do? There were countless supporters, monster and human alike, and only one of him.
PHOENIX: And then the sacrifice comes. A splatter of blood as the human's life is abruptly ended, and Phoenix looks away in horror. It's not that he hasn't seen crime scenes before; he has always remained calm and collected during them. It's not that he hasn't had to take lives as a harpy in order to sate his fog-cursed appetite. But he never enjoys it. He always makes it as quick and painless as possible, and sometimes that does involve doing exactly what Maya did.
But this is different.
This is glorification.
But it still feels horrible. And seeing this coming from Maya is just too much for him. He abruptly turns and leaves at that point, lest he say something he regret.
VASH: Nevertheless, he lingers, because Maya has asked it. He owes this much, as thanks for the meal being offered. Yet even as that knife raises, bitterness fills his throat.
May no human stand against us again, she says, and for a moment, it isn't Maya's voice that he hears, but another's. A man, not quite a mirror image, but close enough.
He lingers for as it takes for a knife to strike the man's throat. Once the blood begins to spill, Vash turns away. He practically shoves against the crowd, until he's out in the rain once more. He slips against the ground beneath him, barks his palms against wood posts that he grabs to keep himself up, and nearly twists an ankle along the way. Surely he's quite the sight.
But the moisture, at least, reminds him that he's worlds away. His shoulders still shake, breath flutters and catches in his throat as something horrid tries to work its way out of his throat, but at least he's here.
SHERLOCK: There's a manticore in a sensible coat for the weather losing his lunch outside in the rain, into the sea. Probably a terrible waste, actually, given the state of famine that Bavan is in, but it's not like he asked to be so violently ill at the butchering that he couldn't stand to stay in the building after all.
BRUNO: He could walk away, not watch this ceremony. He could, but he needs to be stronger. He needs to look every aspect of Monster life in the face. He needs to stop running away.
So he stays, though he looks perturbed and conflicted, gaze darting away, then back to the front, then away again, as though he has too many thoughts to be able to focus on any one thing. But when Maya slits the man's throat Bruno gasps loudly and turns his face away, paws over his mouth. What bubbles and swells up in him, though, is not bile but tears and he weeps. He stays and watches as long as he can, tears soaking his fur, and weeps until they turn red.
As shown, many of the monsters attending are disgusted by this act and if not, at the very least see it as a glorification of the Fog's message that they do not agree with. I assumed it would be obvious that the human sentiment would be doubly negative as I mentioned previously, but if I need to make it more obvious, I understand.
While several of Maya's CR has become more negative as a result of this specific act for the Fog, the most important example of all is Phoenix's entire reaction. Phoenix Wright in canon is Maya's idol and defender, someone she sees as a brother and feels she owes responsibility to, and who once would do anything in his power to save her. As mentioned above, Phoenix displays that this act causes a rift between Maya and himself, and directly mentions she has gone somewhere he cannot follow:
PHOENIX: It's something that has haunted him throughout his stay here: his friend has changed. She's embracing this lifestyle of murder, something that would have been unthinkable back at home.
It is the strongest example of Maya compromising her CR with others in favor of her loyalty to the fog, and a demonstration that others see Maya as valuing the Fog's sense of justice over the sense they believed they shared with Maya. Other examples include her relationship with Sonic and the perceptions of newbie monsters, which Maya has long shown are important to her. This complies with the idea that Fog T3s must be willing to compromise their personal relationships in favor of the fog.
Once again, I apologize for neglecting to update the OOC information regarding this, and appreciate the chance to make these clarifications. I think these clarifications should show that her actions were indeed fierce and decisive as requested. Even if they don't make the cut, I still really appreciate getting to explain my intent behind the act and seeing where I can make changes next time if need be.
no subject
First things first; You're so right that I should update the OOC post! That's been done now. Just so you don't have to go looking for it, here's what was changed (no information was removed from the post, only added):
Not adding this previously was a complete oversight on my part and I appreciate the chance to fix it.
I should clarify that the "extra" actions I brought up were NOT meant as a cumulative list, but to further clarify Maya's sentiments as being Pro-Fog and Pro-monster. My apologies for the confusion! I should have stated so more clearly.
Luckily, you provided this awesome line in the most recent change log that epitomizes what Maya is preaching:
"I am here for you, children," she seems to whisper. "Stand tall. Show your strength. Destroy those who would deny you your pleasures. Fight and eat and live. They will not stop you."
Her sentiment is overly generous toward the fog, but she definitely intends to reflect this message. I hope that's what I got across in her prayer!
Maya does make her initial motivations clear in the news broadcast at the head of the log, and the reporter helps to make her sound even more malicious, sewing fear amongst humans who have watched the broadcast and drawing distaste from other monsters:
FROM PROMPT 1 ON THE LOG:
Maya is very clear that she is going to publicly take human attacks on monsters and herself as acts against the Fog and that she is obligated to protect the Fog and other monsters as Her servant. The 'human lives' she is referencing here are ONLY the Merainites, who are her possessions as a mermaid, and as such, an act of violence against them is an act of violence against her. The reporter's framing helps to make her look even more in disregard of human life, which is echoed in the sentiments of some monster attendees to the feast.
The visiting Bavanite humans aren't just getting a "free meal" here. They are being held hostage (despite being fed during the situation) as witnesses to the slaughter of human sacrifices, with the hopes that these humans will in turn go home and tell other humans of Maya's ruthlessness and cult fanaticism. This is very deliberate and very intentional. The desired result was not for the humans' benefit, but to directly spread fear amongst humans, and they were informed they would need to bear witness:
Humans were NOT allowed to eat food unless they watched the sacrifice, and with the presence of so many Fogs in one area knew their lives were in danger if they acted to try and stop the sacrifice.
The only humans who truly benefit in this situation are the Merainites, who Maya sees as her possessions. Sherlock himself acknowledges this as well:
Maya's capture of the Vandarans is not fully described anywhere, because it would not have been an interactive prompt. Instead, I've started bringing it up in threads in the log; it is not finished yet, but she begins mentioning it in her thread with John Shepherd, as that was the first time anyone asked her about the method in which the sacrifices were captured.
As mentioned before, it's my fault that I did not reflect this update in the OOC post, and it has been changed. If you need me to add that prompt in to the IC write up even if it isn't interactive, I'm amenable to that as well.
Maya's sacrifice of the humans while preaching pro-fog sentiment is detailed within the log's scene setting. This is prompt THREE here titled "And it hurts my heart (It really hurts my heart!)" which I won't include as a passage because it is ~very long~ and I don't want to make you re-read a log you've probably already gone through.
The prayer directly demonstrates the fanaticism that Maya is putting out in the name of the Fog. She consistently glorifies the Fog and prioritizes Monster well-being over humans, even alleging that humans can't be trusted to be kind to each other (and thus, how can they be trusted to be good to monsters unless they are direct possessions?) The entire time she speaks directly to monsters, as if the humans aren't even present. This shows she views the humans as less important than monsters as according to her mermaid monster psych-change; the mermaid tendency to believe monsters are better than people and mermaids are better than all monsters.
Monsters in the log give a mixed but generally more negative response, and some express a reluctance to disrupt the ceremony for fear of being challenged by the Fog-aligned monsters present.
FROM COMMENTS ON THE LOG:
As shown, many of the monsters attending are disgusted by this act and if not, at the very least see it as a glorification of the Fog's message that they do not agree with. I assumed it would be obvious that the human sentiment would be doubly negative as I mentioned previously, but if I need to make it more obvious, I understand.
While several of Maya's CR has become more negative as a result of this specific act for the Fog, the most important example of all is Phoenix's entire reaction. Phoenix Wright in canon is Maya's idol and defender, someone she sees as a brother and feels she owes responsibility to, and who once would do anything in his power to save her. As mentioned above, Phoenix displays that this act causes a rift between Maya and himself, and directly mentions she has gone somewhere he cannot follow:
It is the strongest example of Maya compromising her CR with others in favor of her loyalty to the fog, and a demonstration that others see Maya as valuing the Fog's sense of justice over the sense they believed they shared with Maya. Other examples include her relationship with Sonic and the perceptions of newbie monsters, which Maya has long shown are important to her. This complies with the idea that Fog T3s must be willing to compromise their personal relationships in favor of the fog.
Once again, I apologize for neglecting to update the OOC information regarding this, and appreciate the chance to make these clarifications. I think these clarifications should show that her actions were indeed fierce and decisive as requested. Even if they don't make the cut, I still really appreciate getting to explain my intent behind the act and seeing where I can make changes next time if need be.
Thanks again for your patience!