Larry Shortoak

~*~ Surely add in Larry?

Larry who had met and spoken with Knox many, many years ago looked over the doctrine but as he started to read it he began getting bored. "Too long, ain' readin' i'. I'll jus' ask some'un te summarise i'." ~*~

Gift Slip Username: Prologued Name: Larry Shortoak ~*~

The old as dirt wee-folk would be hobbling about the village, his gaze finally noticing the flier on the noticeboard. "I didn' think she was bein' serious! I didn' actually expec' 'er te stick this on the no'iceboard!" he'd ramble to himself, embarassment beginning to take control. Before he reached up to take the flier down, he would stop and think about all the hard work Onelia had done. "No. . I canno', she's pu' a lo' o' effor' inte this, even if i' does make me seem foolish." he'd mutter before hobbling back toward his burrow. ~*~

An Elderly Halfling wandered into Brandybrook upon hearing a word of Rollo’s death. The man’s staff tapped as he hobbled along the dirt paths throughout the village, stopping under a large tree near the beachfront, looking out in into the distance as he pondered on the relationship these two wee-folk once had. Larry began to think on their first meeting, he rolled his eyes as he remembered the ridiculous stories and the constant yelling but ended up smiling. He remembered when he became Thain and how bad he thought that would be. He was, however, happy to be wrong. He remembered the loss Rollo had gone through which reminded him that they shared more similarities than he initially thought and sighed. He thought about their passings every time he would return to the Halfling village, he would nod a few times as he began pulling out his Ironwood pipe filled with Halfling’s grass. There was no secret about it, Larry was not much of a fan about Rollo in the beginning and with time he came to like him. They shared many similarities such as the good intentions he had for the Halflings and led them well for many years without many thanks. He even saw a younger version of himself in Rollo, and I think it was safe to assume that in the end Larry had changed his mind and started to respect him more. “I ‘ope ‘e foun’ wha’ ‘e was lookin’ fer, an’ I hope tha’ i’ was quick an’ painless. The lad did so much fer many years an’ I’m sorry I wasn’ there te ‘elp ye. We will prob’ly mee’ again some day.” the old wee-folk muttered to himself as he flicked a match against the tree, sparking it. He held the flame to the Halfling’s grass for a moment as he began to ignite the plant. He sat there for a few hours as he continued to think and smoke. Eventually, falling asleep amongst the stars. ~*~

I like me some blocks and hobbit RP. Real life, none. As Larry, none.

Haven’t found anything better to do yet.

Because it has now been eight whole years of on and off playing since I first applied to LotC, thought I’d do one of these. ~*~

Am I your uncle or father? Will you still be on LotC after nearly 7 and a half years like me? ~*~

Keen to continue talking to you about Runescape and keep up with your progress ❤️ Hope you don’t end up like this on your current goal ? ~*~

“Oh ‘ow things ‘ave changed. I’m no’ dealin’ with this shi’e, I’m ou’.” Larry would mutter as he hobbled out the gates of Dunshire. ~*~

The Shortoak Family ~*~ The Shortoak Family had a rather odd beginning. One quite fit for the life of a Halfling as it involves a bet between two very cheeky friends. Larry and Andwise were best of friends even from their first meeting back in the village of Goodborough, luckily for the pair they both knew how to rustle each other’s jimmy’s and knew when each could be beaten, especially when they put wagers on the line. As we go back to the story of the Shortoak beginnings, one must first know the initial bet and what was at stake. Andwise bet his most famous trusty shogging shovel that was cared for and had a magical ability to be quicker than any other, or so they said. And Larry had nothing of importance, not at the time anyway but he liked to gamble so he put a wager of betting his last name to something Andwise found amusing at the time, shortoak. Obviously, the pair needed a competition, something where a winner would clearly be decided, so they opted to drink until one fell off their chair onto the floor. It started off with human ale, then to vodka, then to Larry’s famous Shortoak stout only to be followed with both hobbits falling to the floor at the same time, Larry making contact first. Thus, Larry and his family became the Shortoak’s. They tend to abide by three simple to follow rules: 1 - Listen to your Elders, they make the rules for a reason. 2 - Never steal from another Halfling, there is a storage burrow for a reason. 3 - If you take from another Halfling, leave something in return. :: Culture and Tradition :: Shortoak’s tend to have a large appetite, often eating multiple meals throughout the day. Larry believes that if more bigguns valued food and song above power and gold, it would be a merrier and peaceful realm. Another culture trait they have, not unique to the Shortoak’s is their ability to talk their way out of many situations, due to their often mischievous actions. However, often this is used due to getting themselves out of situations they had previously caused issues starting. Though their traditions stick similar to their fellow neighbours some of the Shortoak family enjoy artistic ways of life such as poetry, songs and drawings. :: Appearance :: The Shortoak’s often have the same colour eyes, yet it is still not uncommon to find one with different colours due to it being common for other halflings. Their complexion is often one of a light tan due to their time spent in the sun. Their hair colour can vary from a bright red to a dark brown with it being rare to see a ginger colour. The Shortoak’s are some of the shorter of their kin. Apart from their short visage, the family hold no real unique appearance. :: Religion :: The Shortoak’s way of life do not hold any sort of religion in high regards other than some following Druidism and/or the old Harvest gods during the harvest months, though it is noted that the family are fully aware of the existence of Aenguls and Daemons in the realm, even appreciating the efforts done by some to their kin. :: Notable Family Recipe :: The most notable recipe from the Shortoak’s is a Mutton Mince Pie. To make this meal, first one needs to gather the ingredients prior to cooking, never bought, but farmed by the cook and prepared shortly after collecting. A hint of nutmeg and salt adds to the taste, creating their unique take on the pie. They also have a brew known as Shortoak stout first created by Larry, no one knows the exact ingredients other than him but he has let slip it is made with the same main products as all other stouts. :: History of the Shortoaks :: Larry Shortoak - Male (1487 - Present) Finlay Shortoak - Male (1495 - 1570) Annabelle Shortoak - Female (1500 - 1592) Drogo Shortoak - Male (1528 - 1530) Holly Shortoak - Female (1550 - Unknown) ~*~

[!] Birds had begun to chirp and the trees had started to sway in the morning breeze, the smoke drifting into the air as footsteps could be heard throughout the village of Dunshire. As the sun rose over the fields of Dunshire, the smoke dwindling out of both chimneys and pipes of the eager Halflings ready to begin their day an old, forgetful Halfling would hobble his way through the pathways of their quaint and pleasant village. For a moment he forgot what he was doing on this morning as the smoke from his pipe began to fill his lungs and airways, he had a very important job that morning given to him by Madeline Applefoot, and that was to tally the results and inform his neighbours of the results. As he was hobbling around aimlessly he passed the village tavern noticing the ballot box from the corner of his eye. He paused, stopping to look at the ballot box now full of parchment covered in messy scribblings with names on them. Without thinking he took them out and began to count them out of curiosity rather than anything else. He took the ironwood pipe out of his mouth and placed it on the ground beside him as the hobbit counted the numerous parchments inserted. By this time a short crowd had emerged from their burrows, the fields, the tree branches and of course the tavern from the night before. Moments had passed before Larry Shortoak finally announced the results to himself, "Well, I didn' expec' tha'!" he exclaimed, the crowd had all began leaning in to get a better view of the piles, still not knowing who had won! The crowd all stared at the old Halfling waiting silently before suddenly a restless Halfling shouted, "Who won?!" Larry jumped at the sudden shout, quickly looking toward the voice. "Oh! Tha' was me job, o' course i' was!" he'd add with a chuckle as he finally remembered what his job was that morning. He would then continue on by saying, "The results are. . ." Sheriff: Orwin Butterby - I I I I Lirro Dockingrock - I I I Deputy: Madeline Applefoot - I I I I Lirro Dockingrock - I I Donyae Sugarfoot - I Honorary Halfling: Awylan - I Lirro Dockingrock - I I I I Are rats/mice icky: Yes - I I I I I No - I Fence sitter - I With all the results added up, there was a tie for Sheriff and it was undoubtedly found to no surprise that both mice and rats were deemed as icky, which none having any complaints about. Due to the tie Larry Shortoak decided he should probably vote to break the deadlock, he had then proceeded to write down his selections, placing them in the correct piles which resulted in Orwin Butterby taking a late result win, followed by Madeline Applefoot receiving another vote, Lirro had taken the other vote for honorary and Larry would be the only person to select 'No' to the final question which he got a few odd looks for. Upon receiving the news, the Halflings surrounded had begun to drift inside the tavern to drink to their election and the new harvest season. What followed could only be deemed as Halfling worthy music and dancing which seemingly echoed for miles despite one Halfling staying outside to finish his job. As Larry's final job for the day, he was to write a notice for the noticeboard with the results of the election. It read: "Congratulations to Sheriff Orwin Butterby, Deputy Madeline Applefoot, Lirro Dockingrock for being a good Honorary Halfling and it is now known that rats and mice are to be called icky upon sighting! Yours truthfully, Larry Shortoak"

Whenever I go to ask you a question, whenever I go to rekindle our once very active and loving relationship I worry... And I am wary of a response like the one below. So my question to my once most beloved partner, will we ever relight the spark and hobble on down the path of life together? - Yours, faithfully. Ya boy L.S ~*~

As merry Halflings played their games, smoked their pipes and drank, well... Their drinks, an odd, yet old Halfling sat alone under the leaves of an old willow tree. His pipe had faded into darkness and had since gone cold as the wind swept the smoke up past the tree's canopy and into the drifting air above. His drink, his favorite... Shortoak Stout still sat full, yet to be touched as a few of the nearby insects had since gathered at the top of the mug seemingly sipping the liquid, they were in for a good night he thought. The peculiar Halfling, a familiar face if you will had since lost his youthful spark. His smile had vanished, replaced by a fake, forced smile and laugh at the few passers-by. The druid's banjo had been well kept however, he seemed as though he cared for it very much, apart from the snapped string on the shaft which was uncommon as he enjoyed to play. His age finally began to show with each passing day. His best friend had died by his side overnight as the slept under the protection of Bucky's soon to be the final resting place. Bucky, the ale drinking, pipe smoking and trouble making rodent seemed to be holding Larry up all these years, pushing him along, forcing him to be his better self, maybe that's what finally broke the camel's back, or in this case the beaver's tail. His old age finally caught up with him, it was apparent, for a long time despite the obvious signs Larry did not want to believe. As he thought of his time, Larry Shortoak could recall many a village, many new faces but always one familiar best friend to be by his side each and every step of the way for almost as long as he could remember. Bucky, his trusted Beaver companion, one that needed no explanation to most as he was mischevious, crude, playful and caring. He was stubborn, a poor alcoholic and most of the day he could be seen smoking on his pipe or gnawing on a Halfling-sized tree branch of a sapling so that Larry could get it for him, he never complained. His favorite joke that he loved to pull was making bigguns believe that Larry was, in fact, a crazy old Halfling speaking to an oversized rodent, he always loved their stunned reactions to the shouting Halfling. The old Halfling, creaking as his joints bent to lower his companion down into the hole he had just dug below the hanging arms of the weeping willow. He allowed a tear to fall from his eye, down his cheek and eventually off his chin and onto the dirt below which he then slowly moved to cover the overweight rodent. As he shoveled the final few mounds of dirt into the hole, he reached into his shirt pocket and lowered a small sack of pipeweed and a heavily gnawed pipe, one obviously intended for a Beaver due to the few chips it missed. "Aspec's guide ye tubby, may the smoke take ye the righ' way!" he shouted up into the sky. As he leaned back against the willow Larry picked up the mug, said... "Cheers!" He brushed the insects aside ever so gently and began to drink the mug of the stout, pouring a small amount onto the mound he sat beside, the Halfling knew he would be here a while reminiscing of the youthful days. ~*~

Who would have thought, a Halfling given a job much larger than he should have ever been told to do? One that he thought would never have to be done due to Toren's very obvious anger problems and irrationality. The old Halfling was sure his 'Big Toe' would never leave without making a big fuss and an overly dramatic event over his departure. * Toren was one of Larry's closest friends despite their first encounter being rather rocky and heated. Maybe that is why they were such good friends he thought as he traveled between each house in the grove. He would smile and laugh as he remembered the day, fighting over what appeared to be nothing with neither backing down regardless of the apparent height and strength differences. * Larry would always do whatever was asked of him, no questions. Even though this task was important and needed to be done he still felt a sense of sorrow wash over him every time he delivered the message. The old, and still short Halfling would fulfill his duty that was given to him, he did not even think there was another option. *

Larry Shortoak (Do not meta this information) Nicknames: Larry / Uncle Larry Age: 298, born in the year 1430. Gender: Male. Race: Halfling / Treelord. Status: Alive and Breathing. Height: 2'9ft. Body Type: The classic Dad Bod. Skin similar to that of bark from a tree and often creaks and cracks as he moves. Eyes: Both eyes would be green, the left slightly darker than the other. Hair: Brown and messy. Not much care seems to be taken with it. Skin: It would take on the appearance of something similar to the bark of a tree. It would be more noticeable in the arms and legs. Markings/Tattoos/Injuries: He has a small indent above his left eye, potentially caused before becoming a Tree Lord. Personality: Larry Shortoak is kind, friendly, sometimes wise and often times ‘off with the fairies’. He is bubbly and quick-witted, he is always ready to have a little bit of cheeky fun and to mess about. He loves to relax and make others laugh and be happy, he is often found smoking on an ironwood pipe filled with Halfling's grass or playing on his banjo. Larry will also try and do anything to help a friend, even caring more for them than himself. Inventory: - Larry carries a small gardening trowel at his lower back in a sheath, it would be very sharp, and often covered in dirt and mud. - Larry often has an ironwood pipe placed in his shirt pocket accompanies with multiple matches, he usually never leaves home without it. Around the mouthpiece, one might notice a few chips as if a set of teeth tried biting down on it too hard. - He also carries around a wooden banjo crafted from the wood of an ebony tree. The end of the banjo would be a thick deer hide stretched over a wooden rim. - Alongside the banjo, Larry carries a wooden staff, it would be detailed and very unique to him. It would be radiating with a strong connection to the Aspects. Life Style: Alignment: Larry is Neutral Good. A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He may work with high ranking members of society but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against an order. Neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable. Spouse/Love Interest: None. Family Members: Biological Father - Pinchin Shortoak (Halfling) (Deceased) Biological Mother - Bell Shortoak (Halfling)(Deceased) - Brother- Finlay Shortoak (Halfling) (Deceased) Sister - Annabelle Shortoak (Halfling) (Assumed Deceased) - Son - Drogo Shortoak (Halfling) (Deceased) Daughter - Holly Shortoak (Daughter) (Assumed Deceased) Daughter - Missy Shortoak (Daughter) (Assumed Deceased) Animal Friends: - Sky, his pet ground finch he uses to send notes to others. He is quick and agile and is sometimes found on Larry's shoulder or in his hair. - Bucky, his longest and oldest friend. His Beaver friend is an avid smoker, (Larry was a bad influence) and sometimes seen gnawing through the wooden barrels of ale in the local tavern. Bucky struggles to move around and see due to his old age. - Larry's last animal friend is Hector, his cross-eyed Southern white-faced owl. He mainly sits in a tree or on a wooden post around Pendlemere. He rarely flies due to his poor vision and if he is ever seen flying try to catch him because he will go down quickly. Religion: - The Old Halfling Gods - Aspectism / Druidism Alliance/Nation/Home: The Druids The Halflings Titles: - The Beaver Druid. - Former Elder, Mayor, and Sheriff of various Halfling villages. - Knight of Sutica, Ser Larry Shortoak. ~*~*~

In Willow Hollow there was a double gate at the back end of the village near where the stables were. It was usually closed due to it rarely ever being occupied and to get in it was often quicker to run around to the front rather than attempting to send a bird. I remember it very clearly due to the endless discussions I had regarding getting perms for it. Ahhh, the memories. You're welcome @_Jandy_ ~*~

Just wanted to make a quick post to my Halfling neighbours and friends and say that I love each and every one of you. You have kept me sane on this server, you have kept me around on this server and you are what brings me back each and every time despite my best attempts to quit without another word. This community is so friendly and energetic and never takes things too seriously and I will always main a Halfling and only ever play a Halfling. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." I also had to post it in here because people might have thought I was joking if I put it in the memes section. <3 ~*~