#✥ mercury's bazaar

[rancorasael]

who?: open to all where?: mercury's bazaar when?: in the neptunalia verse

It was a passing comment on a stranger's lips, something vague about wanting to learn more about the Vanguard. It pissed Asael off to hear such nonsense and the thick threads of frozen water he began to tug at would've visualized his displeasure. Unfortunately, the glint of Olympian rings distracted him for a moment and his weave misfired, launching his frigid magic haphazardly into the crowd.

Asael didn't have time to stick around and get the scope of his accidental destruction. He slipped away in the resultant chaos, knowing a nearby entrance into the Bazaar. Clutching his hurting, ice-covered hand to his chest, he hoveled through his pain into the darkest alley he could reach, worried that the Olympians were still following him. Asael was visibly in rough shape, however stepping in pain was just second nature to him. When he walked back into another, his immediate reaction was to leap away and raise his uninjured hand, demonstrating that no matter how he may have looked, he was ready for a fight still.

"Well? Think I'm easy all you want, but I'm not," he says, hiding the strain in his voice well enough. He wasn't coughing up blood yet so he could pull off a few more spells before passing out from pain. "You won't get anything if you rob me, I don't got anything. Except for an ass-kicking. That I can give you for free."

[pinchofneven]

&&: @etienneulven Location: Mercury's Bazaar Notes: have you ever had a nightmare about running into your one-night stand at the farmer's market?

The streets of the spice market were bright, bustling and disorientingly loud. There was a perpetual cloud of incense cast over the streets, lulling the shoppers into dropping tens of gold pieces on pinches of salts from far-off lands. The infernal steered well clear of the salt basins. It was always the fresh herbs that Neven gravitated to first, as he found fresh oils worked the best for his brews. The basket at his hip was already burdened with fresh stock. Burdock root for fever, white willow to mute the pain, widow root as antiseptic and Sinarian mint just because he enjoyed the smell of it. The Iskaran crushed a leaf of it between his fingers, inhaling the sharp note on the air when he spied a familiar face passing through the market. His hair and gait were unmistakable, but the streak of white fur trailing after him confirmed it. A smile spread uncontrollably in wake of his excitement.

“Etienne!” Neven called after the figure. Fumbling through his pockets with his free hand, the alchemist hurriedly tossed a few gold to the stall’s owner, overpaying with insistence that he’d promptly return the basket. 

In the sepia shade of a vendor’s tarp, the cubi finally caught up. 

“So you did make it here in one piece. I was getting worried.” Neven panted, trying to hide just how winded he was by his chase through the market. After a brief examination of his past acquaintence’s exposed skin for any obvious wear or injury, Neven’s hooded gaze flicked comfortably between Etienne’s eyes and lips. “City life looks good on you.” He complimented, his voice soft as sage, as warm as cinnamon.

[resplendentoutfit]

Deathly Pale

The desire of women for ultra-pale skin didn't end with the Elizabethan era. In Victorian times, women still coveted the look of translucent white skin and applied the same causic, poisonous substances to their face, neck, arms and hands. Turbuculosis was a common cause of death in the era. The look of death was considered romantic for its tragic and poetic beauty. Even if a Victorian woman wasn't charmed by death due to turbuculosis, she still coveted pale, translucent skin. Tanned faces were the result of long hours of work out-of- doors, belonging to the lower classes.

“The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world.” - Edgar Allan Poe

The two predominant beauty standards were the painted beauty and the natural beauty. The later was the preferred ideal of the average fashionable woman. The methods she employed to achieve good skin and complexion were all in an effort to look natural. The overly painted look was seen as racy - the province of prostitutes and "loose" women.

Upon a well-off Victorian woman's dressing table were arsenic, ammonia, and opium, among other toxic substances. The Ugly-girl Papers, Or, Hints for the Toilet was a book published in 1874 that contained a series of beauty articles for Harper's Bazaar. The author recommends coating the face with opium before bed and a brisk wash with ammonia in the morning. How refreshing.

Lotions containing lead were popular for whitening the skin as well as erasing freckles and other blemishes. Complexion wafers containing arsenic were widely advertised. These products were peddled to women as being harmless when, in fact, they caused headaches, nausea, and even paralysis.

To achieve eyes with a seductive gaze, Victorian women used Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade in the form of eye drops, which diluted the pupils. Eye irritation and even blindness were reported symptoms of this practice.

A little color over that deathly white facial palor was usually achieved with beet juice and sometimes, animal blood. It's intriguing to wonder how women came into possession of animal blood, though the answer may be as simple as a purchase from a local vendor. Vermillion, also known as red mercury, was used to tint the lips and was known to be poisonous.

Virginie Gautreau, the subject of the famous John Singer Sargent painting known as Madama X, was not only known to use products to whiten her skin, but was also purported to use indigo dye to paint veins over the ultra-pale veneer of her skin. I haven't found any sound evidence of this, however. What I did read in both The Collector and in an article at minsooki, was that over her arsenic pale skin, Virginie used a lavender powder to counteract the warmth of candlelight.

What's most troubling is that in the face of ample evidence of the health consequences of many of these products, women continued to value the look they provided, over their own health and safety.

References:

• Molly Brown House Museum: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder: How Victorians Used Common Poisons to Become Drop Dead Gorgeous

• Awful Forever

• Atlas Obscura

• minsooki.com

• The Collector

[hiddenvaldis]

who? open to non troupe where? mercury's bazaar when? during the troupe 1 plot drop

The thing about rumors is that despite every attempt to stop them, they will only grow and grow and grow. In time, they will change and twist and bend, but the kernel of truth will always remain. Anyone keen enough can dig past the shell to find the pearl within, and Valdís delights of working out the precision necessary to do it. It's a test for a skill she rarely gets to use on the Sea's Peril and one she does not want to lose. Her occasional trips to hostile shores is more than enough to keep her sharp, and as good excuse as any to supervise the crew manning the merchant ship to ensure there isn't any funny business going on.

Mercury's Bazaar is an excellent place to start on her meandering journey through the streets of Eterna — a pulse point of commerce, all merchants flock to it's streets and in between the banter and barter the truth slips from careless lips. Not quite as careless as those found in the bars, but in plan daylight the clientele will probably be worthless to her.

Stopping before a booth full of books, she allows her eyes to move languidly across the covers. She is trying to figure out if there is any worthy addition to her personal library when she feels someone loom over her shoulder, blocking the light.

"You mind?" She snipes, glancing back to send the interloper an accusing look. "You are hogging the light. Move."

[princemordecai]

@morgansbond location: Mercury's Bazaar notes: little starter for our connect

The comforts of home, the people, the city, and the familiarity were nice. There were things that he'd taken for granted when he lived in Eterna; growing up here, it was easy to forget that life wasn't nearly as comfortable outside this city. He'd come and gone when he was a kid when he'd started down the Olympian path, but conflict to the south had opened his eyes to what he'd always taken for granted: freedom. People like Morgan were a reminder of how bad it was outside Lysaran borders and how, even in this Queendom, people use those with magic as scapegoats for all the world's troubles. It is as if all life's problems and conflicts could be traced back to some spell or accident of birth.

"It's been a long time." A few years, anyway. Morgan was one of the few Iskarans who had gotten out, a survivor of what could only be a burning house for someone like him. The bazaar was dark, but apart from the sky above, you wouldn't know how late it was. He missed the tangible electricity of the bazaar; people from all over Lysara congregated here, shopping, selling, and seeking. While the Tower of Olympia hung overhead, the world he'd known still felt so far away. Leander extended his hand towards the other, a sign of respect despite the gap between their stations. "Good to see you again."

[pwlanier]

Ancient painting, Christ lying around 1820.

Very technical work: inverted paint under mercury glossed glass.

Many details and finishes, beautiful state of conservation for a room of this type.

Old School Bazaar

[ofkaedon]

Location: Mercury's Bazaar, Eterna

Tag: @haelimthewatcher

While only seven years have passed, it feels like a lifetime. Iskaldrik and the witchers have been in his rearview mirror as he moves forward. He was trained to be a witcher, though he would firmly tell you he is not a witcher - Kaedon has made a new reputation for himself among the thieve's guild and Eterna is the playground in which he gets to play. He really isn't all that concerned by what is going on around the continent of Taravell. It's all happening somewhere else to someone else and let's be honest, in full pettiness, he's not upset about what happened in Iskaldrik. It's a life he left behind.

He's in the bazaar on a job. At a glance though, he appears to be gazing through the bakery window perhaps eyeing the fresh rolls placed out and enjoying the sweet smell of freshly baked goodies. Enticing, yes, that is not what he is doing. In the reflection of the glass he sees the target he is currently following. Said target owes money to the guild and has done quite a good job avoiding them. That's where Kaedon comes in. He was trained in the harshest of conditions to track monsters, he's putting that skill to use, though this was definitely not what had been intended for.

The target moves from the table they had been eyeing and moves further in. Kaedon waits, silently counting the seconds in his head before he turns and moves to follow. But in those seconds as the target merges with the crowd, Kaedon's eye is caught by another figure crossing through his line of sight. He freezes in recognition - something he doesn't do - he doesn't believe in ghosts and yet, he swears he just saw one.

His head turns to follow the way his would-be apparition had gone. Standing there as a ghost of his past, Haelim.

It had been fifteen years and yet Kaedon felt eleven years old again, a witcher trainee hanging on every word of one of the few witchers he had looked up to. He remembers Haelim's sentencing as a criminal and traitor to the witcher cause, the other had been sent away then and forgotten. Kaedon had thought the wise witcher dead but always remembered the words that he was better than all that they were trying to make him become.

Kaedon was no longer the witcher trainee, again he was not a witcher and he remembers his target and....fuck...his target was nowhere in sight. He would have to try and pick up the target again back at the docks as they were sure to return there. And yet he can't bring himself to go and whether it was his heart or head that made the decision, he was crossing towards the other former witcher.

In the earshot of the other, "Excuse me," He said to catch the other's attention, "Haelim Wormwood?" A tone of questioning as if maybe this ghost of the past was just a mistaken figure for someone else.

[prcspero]

closed starter for @vuldak-juneau location: mercury's bazaar note: she's RICH

The last time he'd been in a bazaar, he'd had his shit jacked and knocked the fuck out. Knuckles probably still hated him for not bringing anything back and Prospero had been trying to wrap his head around if he cared or not. He probably should have given how devious those little children were. They'd probably find him here and try to steal from him again. His gaze flitted around the area to make sure nobody was indeed trying to, once again, jack his shit. So far, so good, it looked like. One could never be sure though. Once he was done observing the place, he turned his head to look at Juneau. "Did you get robbed in Hestia's Cove, too?" Probably not. She was tiny and looked like she was going to bite someone at any given moment. Also, she did not seem as paranoid as he was right now. Lucky. "Better question, did you hear about a Knuckles, too?"

[elhavelock]

For: Froy | @froyofthe-ironwood Location: Mercury's Bazaar

Mercury's Bazaar was a delight to the senses. Everytime she found time in her schedule to dedicate to a day of shopping, she would go to the bazaar. She didn't go with an intention of filling a list, as the best part of the bazaar was to go from stall to stall and look through the wares that were being presented. There, she could find parchment paper in different colors, gadgets that she could repurpose for her research and all sorts of things that she never had room for in her apartment in the tower but now that she had taken the plunge and bought a home - she was prepared to decorate to her hearts content.

Before she left her new home, she turned to her companion for the day - a 6'3 skeleton dressed in the finery he had enjoyed in life. He looked like a proper scholar, and he had the attitude to match.

"Elias, your hat is crooked," she said to her old friend, as she reached for him and fixed his hat. "There." While a skull couldn't emote like a face with muscle and flesh, the glimmer of supernatural green flames in the voids of his sockets displayed his annoyance. She pointed rudely at him. "Don't give me an attitude, my good sir, it isn't my fault that your soul-puppeteer left your skeleton to my service. So... check the attitude."

She swept out of their home, leaving the skeleton assistant to stand there with his teeth clattering together in annoyance as his eyes flashed from green flame to yellow and then mellowed to their more standard blue.

The walk to the bazaar was quiet. The skeleton couldn't talk, and Locke had learned not to try and engage with him too much. There were a limit to the spell, and it was complicated enough without trying to make it so he could talk. Though, in not focusing on her surroundings, she wasn't paying attention to Elias -- and while he was aware (enough) of his surroundings, he was not someone who could turn quickly - and he was prone to stopping instead of veering.

Near-diaster averted as she saw that Elias was making a beeline towards a man who didn't deserve to learn what it felt like to have a skeleton collide with him. She grabbed Elias' shirt-sleeve and pulled him to stop. "Oh -- I'm sorry! We're working on braking and ... avoiding people. This is our first time out in public, normally he's with me only at the tower --" She stopped herself from rambling. He didn't need to know all the details. She let go of Elias' sleeve and tugged on it to fix it. "He remembered that I was looking for colored parchment paper and ... I should have told him to be more mindful."

[incubusnero]

Person: @ladyaylin Location: Mercury's Bazaar "When I set out this morning I didn't expect to see such a lady out and about." He can't even say it with any of the usual honeyed bravado, he is genuinely happy to see her. Rounding the corner past some trinkets on a table, he thought he'd been crazy to glimpse her side profile in his peripheral. Nero had to stop and blink before approaching her right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the bazaar. He is a man of many flings and affairs and the like, it's not his fault he was gifted with more charisma than a Sinarian snake charmer! The thing was, he remembered most of them and he did indeed have favorites, regardless of how things had ended. Aylin is one of those he knew really deserved better than the likes of him and the split had been amicable.

[freddiemercurydaily]

12 January 1964 - Freddie Bulsara and his family fled their home on Zanzibar Island due to political change and relocated to Feltham, near LondonHe was born Farrokh BulsaraFreddie Bulsara was born in Zanzibar's Government Hospital on 5 September 1946. His parents Bomi and Jer Bulsara were Parsees - followers of the Zoroastrian religion whose ancestors came from Persia - but they had lived in India.Bomi Bulsara came from Bulsar in Gujarat - hence the family name - and moved to Zanzibar to work in the High Court as a cashier for the British government.He married Jer in India and brought her back to Zanzibar. Farrokh, their first born, was followed six years later by a daughter, Karishma.Freddie's first cousin, Perviz Darunkhanawala, has said that the family had lived a fairly affluent life considering Bomi's civil servant wage.  They lived in a comfortable flat overlooking the sea in Stone Town, the historic part of Zanzibar city, with its maze of narrow alleyways lined with shops, houses, bazaars and mosques. As well as domestic workers, they also had a nanny called Sabine.His first years of schooling were at the Zanzibar Missionary School, where he was taught by Anglican nuns.

 But at the age of eight, his parents decided to send him to school in India.  He went to St Peter's Church of England school in Panchgani, a former British Raj hill station south-east of what was then Bombay (Mumbai).  Despite being a church school, St Peter's welcomed children of all faiths and Mercury was a fully practising Zoroastrian during his time there.  It was during free time spent with his aunt and grandparents in Bombay that he discovered and indulged a growing love of music. He also formed his first band with friends, The Hectics.Freddie returned to Zanzibar in 1963 - the year it gained independence from Britain - and completed his last years of education at the Roman Catholic St Joseph's Convent School.  In 1964, a revolution overthrew the ruling Arab elite, and as many as 17,000 people were killed.  A republic was then established with the presidents of Zanzibar and Tanganyika, on the mainland, signing an act of union. They formed the United Republic of Tanzania with Zanzibar having semi-autonomous status.The Bulsara family, along with many others, fled the islands.The family moved to 22 Gladstone Avenue, a semi-detached home, in Feltham, west London in 1964 after leaving Zanzibar.  Freddie was seventeen years old.  They chose the area because Jer had a sister who already lived in Feltham.Mercury lived there on-and-off until about 1970. He crashed at various London flats between 1966 and 1969 while he studied for a Diploma in Graphic Art and Design at Ealing College and took various jobs to support himself, including washing dishes in the kitchens of Heathrow Airport, just a stone’s throw from Gladstone Avenue.Mercury’s mother, Jer Bulsara, recalls her son writing music during this time:“He used to write all his music before going to college, put it under the pillow and [tell] me not to remove any of the bits from underneath.”It was at Ealing College that he was introduced to the band Smile, whose members included Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on drums. At the unveiling of Mercury’s plaque, May, who also grew up in Feltham, recalled visiting Freddie at number 22:He had a Dansette record player and I distinctly remember him putting a Jimi Hendrix record on. He said ‘Listen to this, this is what we have to do!’ And I said to him, ‘Well, can you sing?’When Smile split up in 1970, Queen was born.Freddie’s sister, Kashmira Cooke said, “He secretly would have been very proud and pleased" to receive the honour.Yet everything was not straight forward for the family."The house had no central heating... We were not familiar with coal fires and had to be shown how to light it," Kashmira Cooke said.She said her brother spent much of the time in the house "sketching for his college art work" and "listening to music, particularly Jimi Hendrix"."He spent hours in the bathroom grooming his hair. At the time I wasn't best pleased as there was only one bathroom," she said.

[breacher44]

Week 5 Homework

I am a Virgo

The colors most associated with my sign are brown and green. An animal that relates to my sign is a wolf. Wolves are intelligent and loyal, traits that match with being a Virgo.

The planet that is associated with my sign is Mercury. This planet relates to intelligence as well.

I included astrological signs for "earth" and "Mercury" which both are related to my astrological sign. Being a Virgo has to do with staying grounded, which is why the colors brown and green are used.

Attendance Prompt:

"She was a notorious, transatlantic bad girl: dosing her ballet teach with cocaine, editing the French Harper's Bazaar, carrying on a succession of high-profile affairs, and throwing parties to which she only invited pairs of moral enemies" (126)

Today, I still think of the color "shocking pink" as badass. However, I did not even know the story behind this color. It was very interesting to learn that this woman who embodied the color gave that color specific human traits and characteristics. Now, when I see it, I associate it with certain traits, something that many other colors are not able to do.

[coffeestainedcamera]

Finished the Wanderer quest! There'll be spoilers under the cut!

Mannnn, it's nice that I had a busy season at work and didn't get spoiled on social media bc of that lol. Experiencing it first-hand like that was truly something. It was painful to see Scara wipe himself from history, as I suppose he felt that it'd be a way to undo the damage he caused (not that it did much). Like, he did all sorts of horrific things throughout the story, but I also kind of felt bad bc he was ultimately someone who chose to channel his abandonment issues into the most destructive outlet possible. I really didn't want to see his story end like this, ig.

But I suppose wandering all over the place as an innocent amnesiac helped, as he's had the opportunity to see a better side of humanity here. That's what likely equipped him to accept the consequences of his actions. Plus, ig he was actually informed by the crew that the self-wipe didn't work.

Anyways, leaving his name as Wanderer felt too lazy, so I went with Mercury. Kind of as a nod to the fact that the protagonist ran into the new incarnation at a bazaar, plus the deity's association with travelers and speed. They do say, "run like the wind", after all. Also, bc Freddy Mercury is someone nice to share part of your name with imo.

Anyways, the wait for the follow-up will be painful! I want more info on the identity of the mysterious lady who gave the protag a talk about changing fate! And I want to see more of the ripple effects and weird consistency across the changed world!

[contentcentblogs]

The Evolution of Source Code Repositories: From SVN to Git and Beyond

Source code repositories are fundamental to modern software development, facilitating version control, collaboration, and project management. Over the years, these repositories have evolved significantly, driven by technological advancements and changing development practices. This article traces the evolution of source code repositories, from the early days of SVN (Subversion) to the rise of Git and explores the future trends shaping repository management.

The Rise of SVN (Subversion)

SVN, or Subversion, emerged in the early 2000s as a centralized version control system (VCS) designed to replace CVS (Concurrent Versions System). SVN offered features like atomic commits, versioned directories, and support for branching and merging. It became widely adopted due to its stability and familiar workflow for developers accustomed to CVS.

Limitations of SVN and the Emergence of Distributed Version Control

Despite its popularity, SVN had limitations, particularly in handling distributed workflows and scalability for large projects. This paved the way for the emergence of distributed version control systems (DVCS), with Git leading the charge.

The Dominance of Git

Git, created by Linus Torvalds in 2005, revolutionized version control with its distributed architecture and emphasis on speed, data integrity, and support for non-linear development. Key features that propelled Git's adoption include:

Distributed Development: Each developer maintains a complete copy of the repository, enabling offline work and faster branching and merging.

Branching and Merging: Lightweight branches allow developers to experiment and collaborate on features independently, with seamless merging capabilities.

Community and Ecosystem: GitHub, launched in 2008, and GitLab provided robust platforms for hosting Git repositories, enhancing collaboration, code review, and project management.

Advantages of Git Over SVN

Git's decentralized nature and robust branching model offered several advantages over SVN:

Performance: Git's local operations and efficient data structures (such as the commit graph) ensure fast performance, even with large repositories.

Flexibility: Git's support for branching, merging, and distributed workflows enables agile development practices and collaboration among geographically dispersed teams.

Popularity and Adoption: Git became the de facto standard for version control in both open-source and enterprise environments, driven by its vibrant community, extensive tooling support, and integration with CI/CD pipelines.

Beyond Git: Trends in Source Code Repositories

While Git remains dominant, newer trends and technologies are shaping the future of source code repositories:

Decentralized Version Control: Technologies like Mercurial and Bazaar continue to offer alternatives to Git, emphasizing ease of use and decentralized workflows.

Integration with DevOps: Source code repositories are increasingly integrated with CI/CD pipelines, enabling automated testing, deployment, and infrastructure as code (IaC).

Cloud-Native Repositories: Cloud-based repository platforms offer scalability, reliability, and collaboration features, catering to modern development practices and distributed teams.

Future Directions and Innovations

Looking ahead, the future of source code repositories is likely to focus on:

Enhanced Collaboration: AI-driven tools for code review, automated documentation generation, and intelligent issue triaging.

Security and Compliance: Integrated security scanning, vulnerability management, and compliance automation to safeguard code repositories.

Blockchain and Decentralization: Exploring decentralized version control systems leveraging blockchain technology for enhanced security, transparency, and verifiability.

The evolution of source code repositories, from SVN to Git and beyond, reflects the dynamic nature of software development and the continuous quest for efficiency, scalability, and collaboration. Git's rise marked a pivotal shift towards distributed version control, empowering developers with powerful tools and fostering a global community of contributors. As technology advances, source code repositories will continue to evolve, integrating AI, cloud-native solutions, and decentralized models to meet the demands of modern software development practices. Embracing these innovations ensures that repositories remain not just tools for version control, but catalysts for innovation and collaboration in the digital age.

[fashournalist]

The Lord not only answers our prayers, He hears our little wishes, too.

Yesterday, I checked the price of this sugar free chocolate wafer at Mercury. I wanted to buy it but upon knowing it was 68 pesos, I put it back on the shelf. I could afford it but I thought, that must be expensive for a small pack of biscuit. I'd rather buy a rice meal at 7-Eleven with my 68 pesos.

Then a while ago, our company iOPEX Technologies Philippines Inc. had a payday bazaar and for the first time, the merchants offered a free biscuit if you buy any of their products. And out of all the biscuits they could offer for free, they offered this specific biscuit which I just price-checked yesterday. 🥹 So there, I was still able to try the sugar free chocolate wafer and shared it with my Dad. It tasted good, though not as good as Loacker, but for a biscuit without sugar, it's already great.

I went home smiling, with a small takeaway of how God hears our wishes, and not just our prayers.🙏

The difference is that prayers are what we actively ask of Him, and wishes are little whispers of the heart but we don't necessarily pray for. Just a little sigh saying "Wish I had this, wish I could try this, wish I could see this person, wish I could go to this place...but it's ok if not" It's not as intense as our prayers which we actively seek God so we can pursue them.

And yet even during the times we don't tell Him what we want, He hears us, and surprises us from time to time. What they say is true: before we even come to God to ask Him for our desires, He already knows what we want. And if it's His will, He will grant it, in His time.

All these little things and tiny details make life beautiful, even during heavy days.

Perhaps some of you are thinking I have "mababaw na kaligayahan", and yes that is true haha. But I hope that when we value the little things, we get to appreciate life more. 🤗

God's love is everywhere, and we just have to be sensitive to find reminders of His love and His presence—whether it's the sunlight, the cold breeze, an encouragement from your colleague, your favorite song playing in the bus calming you during traffic, or even just getting the wafer you wanted to try for free. 💞

#gracedthoughts #reflections #littlethings

[neednothavehappenedtobetrue]

🪞🧍‍♂️

Anastasia: As far as Parabola goes, she loves it a little too much and is currently trying not to spend any more time there than necessary business calls her to. She had a bit of a honey situation when she first arrived in the Neath, longing so keenly for the sun. Winning that card game has evened out her keel a little bit and made her realize that, for all its gray, London is home and she wouldn't take any other, but the nonlinear way things work in Parabola makes her thoughts run strange, which is best minimized.

Early-game Anastasia would be the Mercurial Socialite, plus a bunch of persuasive at the cost that she increases nightmares build-up and I think she comes for free with the Advent calendar, showing up one day underdressed for the weather and charming you out of your lunch. Late-game Anastasia is still very persuasive but no longer gives you nightmares and instead boosts your Kataleptic Toxicology and your Bizarre.

Liza: Liza dislikes Parabola. She'll go when research calls for it, but it's too bright and too hot and makes one too prone to dreaming. She prefers gray skies and cobblestones and chill. It's scientifically fascinating, yes, but more so from the comfort of her lab.

You can buy her at the Bazaar for a moderate Watchful boost and a card in your deck that lets you choose between a) getting Whispered Hints/Appalling Secrets from her in exchange for Nightmares or b) giving her some laudanum to decrease both of your Nightmares, which is going to be useful when you've just become a PoSI and can't abuse laudanum with impunity anymore. In the late game you can bring her through a short storyline where she either becomes a Snappish Professor (Watchful, Artisan of the Red Science, and Dreaded) or a Snappish Operative (Watchful, A Player of Chess and Dreaded).

Maggie: Maggie does not have ready access to Parabola yet, but I think she finds it fascinating when she does get there. The sky is orange! There's plants everywhere! She is just straightforwardly delighted by most of what London has to offer and this place is no exception. I wonder if she'll get involved in the snakes-and-cats wars. She does love a scheme.

Her companion character gives you a good solid boost to Shadowy and maybe a card where you can win a Bundle of Oddities on success and increase Suspicion on failure. I think her late-game companion is one of those ones that reduces your Respectable that you need for the Bone Market and such.