Essentials of Nativity

"Essentials of Nativity" is the seventh episode for season three of Stationery Voyagers. It is first in a four-part mini-series titled Foundations.

Appearing in this episode
In spite being a flashback episode, a few "present day" characters are depicted. These include (but are not limited to:)


 * Alaina Pluff
 * Oceanoe Hendelbin
 * Viola Hunt
 * Pextel
 * Pinkella Goldsen
 * Katrina Mantalone (bad future alternate reality)
 * Garret Nobee (bad future alternate reality)
 * Will Rook (bad future alternate reality)
 * Stella-Marie Jenkins (bad future alternate reality)

Plot
The Voyagers and Alaina sit down for hot chocolate on Christmas Eve. As the Voyagers begin to wonder about Mantithian Christmas traditions, a minister who is visiting decides to share with them a copy of the Mantithian Minshan writings. Remembering Ribando's sermons, Pextel feels certain he can compare and contrast this with the Statian Minshan Writings and Liquidon and bring a Whixtitian version for further scriptural comparison. They all relax and read over their texts, as the story flashes back.

Maria DiNazelenth is an unassuming farmer's daughter, living in Pasteline under Romalan rule. She gets done with an argument with someone, when suddenly she finds herself all alone on a deserted street. The usual crowds are gone, and the nearest face she can find is frozen inside of something purple. It takes here little time to deduce that the Muellex has frozen time except for her. She senses being watched, and is soon confronted by the angel Gabón.

He quickly informs her that the entire Trinity has concluded that the time had come. Out of everyone who could have qualified, Maria was chosen to be Minshus' mother. She pauses, confused. She asks if Joe will be involved, and Gabón confirms he will; but that he won't be responsible for her pregnancy. She asks what is going on, even more confused. Gabón explains to her that the Trimalus himself will make it happen. She agrees to sit on the ground and stare at the sky without moving, as a giant purple fireball falls straight for her! It impacts her and shakes her violently! Maria tells Gabón that she'll go along with God's plan; but that she wonders how she will avoid mobs wanting to stone her. She also wonders how Joe will ever come to accept his part in it. Gabón tells her to go away and see her cousin for a time, and that he'll take care of Joe and the others.

Meanwhile, a Drismabon assassin named Ruktarusk uses a Salamander Amulet to transport himself to Jernusalem. He vows upon landing that he will find the mother of Minshus, and abort the baby, especially if it means ripping Maria apart with his bare claws:

"'Deathly abyss! / Rip her to pieces! /'"

Joe begins to suffer nightmares, focusing on the bad futures that could happen if Maria doesn't go through with her plan. He soon realizes that she has to have the baby, in spite what it could fare for his reputation, or else the universe and all reality would implode. His vision reveals a slow implosion of reality, as several characters from previous seasons watch all their endeavors fail in a disastrous alternate reality. He then sees the plan successful with himself not being wed to Maria&mdash;as he wanders about through life aimlessly and without a destiny. Gabón invades his nightmares, and then instructs him what to do. After ensuring that Joe isn't afraid of himself, Gabón informs him of what he should take action against: Ruktarusk has arrived! And the couple's bodyguard is in the process of being given his assignment.

Joe immediately runs into the night, headed to Maria's house to assure Chuck and Anne that he will go through with the engagement after all&mdash;and that he has to protect their daughter from a Drismabon who will try to get Jaldanian leaders to stone her! They had considered writing her off as promiscuous; but change their minds when Joe starts talking about a Drismabon assassin. Chuck warns a Romalan soldier patrolling the area to be on the lookout for any beasts in the area that walk upright. No sooner does he blow off the warning, than Ruktarusk drags him into the bushes and devours him!

Maurice immediately blocks Ruktarusk, sending him to the wilderness when he begins to target Nazalenth residents. However, Ruktarusk vows he will not stop pursuing the couple.

Three months go by, and the couple, now wed, make their way towards Bethelen. They make it right to outside the city limits, preparing to search for a hotel room, when Ruktarusk ambushes them! He is about to finish them off, Joe's attempts to fight the monster off proving fruitless&mdash;when a violent crash at a nearby hill draws all their attention!

Ruktarusk immediately withdraws, prepared to meet the Mikloche Warrior that he knows has been sent to challenge him. Joe rushes to town carrying Maria, and is directed to a cave being used as a stable when all the hotels are filled. Shell 8 Mikloche Warrior Thestor Shimmerfine reveals himself to Ruktarusk, and a no-holds-barred battle ensues between Drismabon and Whiteout.

It is revealed later that Thestor also protects the couple as they head to Egalpt to escape King Hernald. For his part, especially his conspiring with Ruktarusk, Hernald ends up in a confrontation with Filforth and Maurice. The two inflict his food with parasitic worm eggs and warn him that he will die if the worms are not treated. The king ignores their warning and chases them away. Several prisoners are set free when the king dies.

Development
This episode is part one of the Foundations mini-series of Season 3. It retells historical events in the Bible and in other traditions; but changes the names and adds events to make the context fit with the overall mythology of Stationery Voyagers. One rule regarding alterations to the Bible-themed episodes is that no changes made can have significant theological and doctrinal consequences. All changes must either frame the event for the show's universe or else must be simply filler. As the episode's name implies, it retells the Nativity as events would have unfolded in the Voyagers' universe.

One point made by this episode is that there was a time before the Voyagers when Inktacto's worlds had communication and traffic amongst each other. The Minshan writings themselves, for example, tell one united story in spite different ghostwriters for God on each world. Therefore, it drives home how significant it will be for the worlds to start communicating with one another again, after centuries of no Mikloche Warriors and no communication.

The Minshan Nativity in this episode is followed up by "Selective Generosity," which explains the origins of Santa Claus mythology within the Voyagers' universe. The third part, "Extreme Passions," is Minshan Easter and the return of Thestor to Whixtitout. The fourth part, "Several Millennia Prior," is the Minshan equivalent of the first eleven chapters of Genesis.

Continued explanation of the Imperial War of Markerterion's origins are told throughout flashbacks in other episodes, as the RMM pieces together its history. The history of Mosquatlons and Aviatets from the Drisalian War to the Voyagers' time is covered in "Night of the Whiteout" and related episodes.

Character designs
Certain visuals intended for this episode are derived from "The Nativity," an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible series. Back when Simvatars for characters were made with The Sims 2 for panel illustrations, Maria's genetics were inspired by 2006's The Nativity Story, as she was modeled to look like Keisha Castle-Hughes.

This changed significantly when SV Simvatar storyboarding panels started being made with The Sims 3. While it was ultimately ruled in late 2010 that, save for wiki Simvatars, The Gerosha Chronicles were best off being told in Sims 2; almost all panels for Stationery Voyagers would be made with Sims 3 instead. Only creatures that were blatantly impossible with 3 (such as Aviatets) would still be depicted in 2, but would be superimposed into 3 via pseudo-chroma key. Voyagers and other characters in Stationery form would be added with Photoshop, since they are not possible in either game.

For the Sims 3 panels for "Essentials of Nativity," Maria's face was reverse-engineered from Late Night Teen Candi Flippo at Utterly Sims. She was made less muscular than Candi, a different chin and eyes, even smaller breasts, and altered to look more Jewish and less Indo-Persian-Mulatto. The hardest choice with her design was to abandon giving her the same hairstyle that she had in her Keisha-modeled Sims 2 form. She instead adopts a round-faced look and sports a cap that completely hides her hair from view. Her overall look resembles the "Al-Simhara" Egyptian clothing set that comes with World Adventures.

Joe Lumbertine's design, likewise, is modeled after WA Egyptian clothing. He was originally to have a hood similar to that of the Mystery Wanderer, but those plans fell apart when the game stopped acknowledging EsmeraldaF's custom hood mesh that was used for the Wanderer's design. It is possible that this missing mesh issue is due to a registry conflict with some of the new items in Late Night, as the hood object was first downloaded with only World Adventures-Fast Lane installed.

As of December of 2010, Ruktarusk has not yet been depicted or attempted in either game. It is hard to say if any of 2 and its creature states can effectively depict a Drismabon, though a werewolf stand-in that can be replaced with a Drismabon in Photoshop is possible with Pets. Thestor has not been depicted either, though his Late Night Mantithian form was figured out. He was given a last name in that version: Thestor Shimmerfine.

Perhaps the most dramatic change is in how angels are depicted. Gabon, for example, is now drawn closer to how original artwork concepts and drawings for SV universe angels would have had him depicted. His Sims 2 look deviated significantly from that formula. Likewise, Levio and Filforth have undergone a change in uniform design. The only major changes to Maurice, however, are a complete change in helmet design, as well as a distinct absence of his cape.

Characters that have yet to be depicted include:


 * King Hernald
 * Chuck and Anne (Maria's parents)
 * the Shepherds and Magi
 * the Angelic Choir (Communicadrim look similar to Gabon.)