Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

[In Sorrow We Trust]

This is the most soul-crushing thing I've had to post on this forum. It took me a while to get it done, as you can see.

The walking comedy and tragedy that is Holly Holtz has finally met her end. I know that for many this is rather sudden, but after a lot of consideration of what directions I could take her, I realized I wasn't enjoying her anymore. She took a hard turn into roles that placed severe stress onto her concept and she ceased to be as enjoyable to play as she was when she was in her fresher days. A lot of loose hooks have been left behind due to her sudden and tragic death, but I hope some of them will be tied up favorably one way or another.

When I first made Holly, she was an incompetent, awkward, nervous, and mentally ailing necromancer who just wanted to flee cruelty and find love. She had a list of things she wanted to do before she died, like have a ballroom dance, or become a famous artist. Some of those things did come to pass. She never had ambitions to be a villain, either, she just fell into the role naturally as the story progressed. Her growth has been a treat to watch and I can't help but miss the way things were, but unfortunately, there's no rewind button on character development.

I wanted to take some time to roll the credits, so to speak. We'll start with a few songs I chose for her for your own enjoyment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0DA3CDfl4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzsCb7ZwlQ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TqhGxfAwqI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvnLVeqQSvA

There are umpteen names to mention. I'd just say kudos to everyone if I could, but I should at least try to list. As always, not in any particular order.







Agonice and Nella Fryar
If not for Agonice and Nella, Holly never would have spiraled down the path she did.






Theltzuil and Noasheel Xephrates








Guldorand players, Itzal Mayar, Derristan Barley







Lavendra Nightflower and Trouble Brightwood






The Baroness







Isak Kerringar, Mathilde





Ambros






Hanri, Camilla (Lilian Williams), the Cadre Metallicus








Sydney Harrow











The Abyssals, Hlarnoth
Hlarnoth's banquet was one of the most memorable scenes I've ever had.

















Odtgankawruh, The Artificer










Johnathan Rigsby





Myzzrin Brightburst



Oa'
Theodor Helbrecht, Varelas
Khael'dar
Schezalle Sfayi
Lavok Xun'viir
Hanah Rias
Lilith Vensurai
Ilphaeryl Xun'viir
Maknold
Providence
Alexey Sova
T'rissolin Xel'vraxa, and in fact the Xel'vraxa house as a whole
Rhavuk
Loki Greystep
Mae



Roselyn Kingsley



Nathaniel Brightburst
Angela Amana
Jack Topholio
Everec Everstraum, Sayuri Ishida, Fujikiyo, and Aisling
Vrolka
John Salamander and Kaaliya
Etmn
Samantha Gibbs
Varrikh Barauglor
Lysanthir and Nylaathria
Scilth Sarcro and Thekt
Jerymee Alabaster
Alan
Gregor Markum and his mysterious accomplice
Sebastian Emberall
Tristan Wilkensen, Coralee Fairbrook? I probably got the name wrong.
Jhaamdath Xun'viir and Gorehound, The Andunor Navy
Tiffa Took / Lucky





Erasmus Havelock, Midnight Myrthe, Caldrun, and the rest of the Improv gang



Cicerro and Lili Blaque
Bhalruk
Emily Peyton
Uri Navarai
Smythe
Meyla Darsk
Nerali
Ciarra Corra
Isabella the Art-Slave
Zirinia


DM Praxis




























"You have it all wrong. I was never the villain of this story. I was never the monster. You were. You ALL were. You ALWAYS WERE!"
~Holly Holtz



thank you all

[Zan]

Wondering friend, most wholesome of necromancers, Spider-scratcher extraordinaire. She will be missed *Goes to sob quietly in the corner*

[D4wN]

Holly was the best daughter I could have wished for. Thank you for all the special moments and the wonderful scenes we had. You made Theo being a father such a joy. You’re a precious bean.

[BronxFury]

Myzz' interactions with Holly, though few, were always a treat. Most things I would want to say have to remain FOIG. So, just know that you brought such a wonderful and well-played character to life. You're a fantastic player and I hope I get more chances to RP with you on any characters you may make in the future. <3

[benedict overencumberbatch]

Roselyn first met Holly as the lost, peculiar, mentally unstable girl that she was. Rose thought she could transform and influence Holly for her own gains.

I don't think Rose, or I, expected Holly to transform and influence her instead.

I've told you this a number of times now, but it bears repeating: Holly had such a startlingly profound impact on Roselyn and the way that I ended up playing her, and it's because of how impressive and dynamic you are as a writer and as a player.

Thank you for your time and your roleplay. I'll hope to see you soon.

Holly Holtz: [Talk] "And speak of the Queen, she is here!" She bent at the knee.
Roselyn Kingsley: [Talk] Her eyes spent a moment adjusting to the surroundings, before they locked onto Holly.
Holly Holtz: [Talk] "And, unfortunately, I don't have trumpets to signal your arrival, but just pretend I'm making sounds that sound vaguely like a series of high-pitched and auditorially-potent doots."
Holly Holtz: [Talk] "Doot-doot."

[Lack_of_imagination]

I still remember the first time I saw Holly, I got immediately hooked by the character's vibrance. This mix you describe as Tragedy-Comedy. Though, the character I was playing at the time... just couldn't react positively to Holly.

Now though, I'll never thank you enough for what happened later.

Oa' wouldn't exist if it wasn't for you, and I've absolutely enjoyed every second of it.
I can't help, reading what you wrote, to be afraid of the weight I had in breaking the proverbial camel's back, while I'll be ever so grateful for all the laughs, all the tears, the worries.
Being around Holly was a pretty intense experience.

As everyone else stated, you're a great roleplayer, you create events, story hooks, you close stories too.
I wish you to find even more fun in what you'll do next!

Take care!

[BcSpike]

I'm so sad you rolled Holly. I had hoped for more bullying of my character, which was a ton of fun. She was without a doubt one of the best antagonists for my paladin of Tyr. That is all due to how you as a player played her, which is amazingly. Encountering Holly's circus troupe of incompetent assassins and judging her guilty of murder was one of the most pivotal character development moments for Tristan. I loved the aftermath of that, with Holly hunting Tristan, and having a traitor in the Gauntlet who turned out to be Holly's mother wanting revenge.

You're a great roleplayer, and kudos for how you played Holly!

[Edens_Fall]

I never fell into Holly's circle or stories, but I felt her influence from Guld to Andunor. Which is no surprise considering the PCs you create. Original and interesting. I hope you find enjoyment in whatever comes next!

[Edens_Fall]

PS - love the screen shots!

[Elesadi]

Avalri never did get to interact all that much with Holly when she was down in Andunor. But I am very fond of the talk they had during the finals of that Kobold Cardgame, and the way you portraited the character was an absolute delight.
I am sad to see Holly go, Ava never did get to reach out to her in the end. Step-mom still loves her though

[Cthuletta]

My first experience with Holly was everyone in Cordor freaking out because 'Molly Strange' posted on the board, and was spotted in the city, so we went on a manhunt.
We didn't even find you!!

Long after that, I got to know Holly much more closely, and it's been a pleasure to do so! A crazy/evil but also misunderstood character, she never fell short when it came to interesting interactions. A few tears were deeefinitely shed with this one! ;-;
Rot in Peace, Holly Holtz~ (And Hilbert)

[Ork]

I loved the dialog and the emotes. A breathable, 3-dimensional character. Wish we had the opportunity to play more.

[Morgy]

Loved all our interactions! Goodbye Holly

[Snake2512]

Holly was cool

[Preserver]

Yay Holly!
To this day, and with no offense intended to other wonderful people who made my life on Arelith a joy, I think Holly to be one of the deepest, most enjoyable, and best written characters that I've ever met.

It is hard to run an absolute psycho without running into stereotypes, without just doing the utterly random person who does evil things for the thrill of it, with madness as an easy justification for everything. Holly was nuanced, deep, well characterized and, as all your creations, thrilling to roleplay with.

Her time with "mom" Noasheel marked my deviation from running a saturday morning cartoon villain to make a three dimensional character myself, and turn just "an evil snake" into someone who wanted a surrogate daughter and who was ready to enact a lot of evil in her regard.

You don't only produce exceptional roleplay: you may other roleplayers around you better.
I can't wait to see what the next burst of brilliance you'll come up with!

[neverwinternightly]

My gosh there was a lot that I went through trying to figure out what I even wanted to put here. The relationship between Camilla and Holly that eventually evolved into the one between Lilian and Holly had a lot of unforgettable moments for me. With Camilla in particular, Holly/Molly was able to take what was little more than a background disguise and inspire her to be a hell of a lot more. While Cami officially 'died' after a pie delivery went a little wild, her memories have always lived on in Lilian.

Past even some of the more personal scenes, a ton of kudos to you for just how involved Holly was. She gave so much to communities she was involved with. I can't even count the number of events that I went to that Holly had some hand in hosting, and many of those events really got me to step outside of my comfort zone and get creative. It was really rewarding stuff!

I'll finish this off with one of the moments that stands out most in my head from the whole slew of memorable interactions between our characters. I've condensed it a bit which probably doesn't do this amazing scene justice, but it's one that I think about frequently!

"Camilla": "Take, take, take. That's all they do, Holly. Take away your animating. Take away your freedom. Take away Molly. It isn't enough until they take away your life as a whole."

Holly Holtz: "How do I /Take/?"
Holly Holtz: "/What/... do I /Take/?"

Roselyn Kingsley: "A life; a soul. A precious belonging, or a favored friend. Their future; their freedom..." she lists. "But above the method, Holly, is the ~idea~ - do /not/ let them take from you."

Holly Holtz: "I let them take. I should not have let them take."
Holly Holtz: "Take, take, take."
Holly Holtz: "TAKE, TAKE, TAKE."
Holly Holtz: "ALWAYS TAKING!"
Holly Holtz: "NEVER GIVING!"

Roselyn Kingsley: "Imprint this clause onto their very flesh if you must. Let it be known that no one will ever take from Holly Holtz, ever again."

I'm sure somewhere beyond the void, Camilla is out there waiting as patiently as ever for her favorite Holly to step through the door. Thanks for everything <3

[Sundial]

An astoundingly well-written character, full of tragedy, vulnerability, and danger. I remember encountering Holly for the first time on the streets of Guldorand, sitting alone in front of a cooking pot, and thinking, "well, I'm absolutely going to have to talk to her."

These kudos threads are bittersweet things. It's so hard to sum up everything that's happened over the course of a PC's lifetime, and their loss - especially for the player - can feel so very real. It seems that if you forget to acknowledge something here, it's lost to the void, but it's really not. There's an expression in music that goes, "felt, not heard." I can't imagine an Arelith that still doesn't feel Holly's presence.

[perseid]

It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to put here! There's so much that could be said about Holly as a character. From her portrayal to her personality there was a lot about Holly was amazing to interact with and get to know just at face value alone. Preserver mentioned that Holly might be one of the best written characters they've met on the server and honestly I feel the same. Even small scenes with Holly were incredibly memorable just because she was such a blast to interact with. That said, while there were a lot of scenes between her and John that I really enjoyed (including those in the screenshots!) I think what stood out the most was the way Holly affected whatever environment she was in. I /loved/ reading her art and other placeables and the sheer volume of them meant that any space she had a hand in felt very unique. There's a long long list of other positive things I could say about Holly but I think the thing I'll miss the most is the sheer curiosity of seeing how things would pan out when Holly was involved, she really was a treat to interact with and getting to participate in her story was an absolute pleasure. Mucho kudos to Sorrow.

[dominantdrowess]

I am honestly broken up about Holly Holtz. Crisis after crisis is just.. how Arelith is.. and it's traumatizing. But it can be unconventionally beautiful because of the ugliness.