#Gingerfolk Universe

[yakketymax]

Commissioned my friend @sylviesparks for a piece of Funnel in drag! We both agreed that her name is Lionessence ❤️🧡💜

[yakketymax]

Tried my hand at making relationship charts for the entire main seven cast between themselves! There's some things we already knew, but also a very large host of new information! I hope you like them!

[yakketymax]

Messy pages from my sketchbook for funsies

[yakketymax]

If you had assign sins to the main seven (one sin for one of the seven!) who would be with what?

Uuuuuuhh... Here's my verdicts including the brain storming from discord with my friend @allseeingportrait

Funnel would be Lust.

Poppy would be Greed.

Pirouline would be Pride.

Song Bird would be Wrath.

Fireball would be Sloth.

Dog Biscuit would be Envy.

Roasted would be Gluttony.

[yakketymax]

if they're from the right main 7, perhaps funnel and poppy? :eyes:

Imagine that I'm doing the evil laugh from Welcome To The Internet right here for me okay

Funnel and Poppy have the most changes in their relationship from my original plan when I was younger. Their personalities and stories were rewritten and fleshed out and as a result, so was their dynamic.

Poppy and Funnel do not like each other. They do not hate each other and are tolerant of each other in different ways, but they do not like each other. When Poppy returned to the circus- now the last performer to join it rather than the first -it was to see if Funnel was still The Ringmaster and prove that they could never be more than that (as some strange form of closure), that the carnie was just waiting to use and abuse the folks working here. Funnel, who just wasn't the person Poppy thought they were no matter how much he wanted them to be, offered up a job and a deal to Poppy- that deal being that Poppy could exploit their money and time for whatever he wanted, as compensation for what they put him through years ago. Both jumping at the chance for personal gain and wanting to see where this whole "I'm a changed person" shenanigan was going, Poppy accepted.

While Poppy keeps an eye on Funnel and is intrusive to their life on purpose, Funnel is relatively indifferent to Poppy's existence, but still finding him just a little more obnoxious than they remember. They honestly don't care a lot about what Poppy does with their money and time (with a couple of exceptions) and mostly carries on with their life without really talking to him unless it's necessary. They understand why he's upset and don't invalidate his feelings about what they put him through as The Ringmaster, but in doing so, Funnel never really thinks about Poppy's feelings. They just give him whatever he wants because they think that's what helps him and they don't like or care about him enough to want to talk about it. They don't use their money for much more than necessities and they're usually at home, so if he summons them up for something, they probably weren't doing anything anyway. They're almost avoidant of him beyond being his boss because they, despite wanting him to feel better, think he's annoying.

In present day, years after this deal has been set in place, Poppy no longer cares that much about what happened with him and The Ringmaster, he even straight up admits that it's not the worst thing that had ever happened to him while he was living on the streets. He admires Funnel now and thinks that their continued efforts and commitments to changing for the better for so many years are inspiring and, much like everyone that comes to this circus, has a rekindled love for performing because seeing how much Funnel loves it for real made him realize how fun it really can be. And you would think that, since Poppy has kind of let the situation go and has seen that Funnel really has changed for the better, he would cut the deal as well and just work at the circus like normal, right? Of course not! You think he'd let a gig like this get away? You're crazy. He doesn't have to keep this up but by god he's going to.

You see, Poppy refuses to outwardly acknowledge that Funnel has changed and continues to do so because, now, he's afraid of their new dynamic changing. He's afraid of having to admit that he's holding onto something he let of a long time ago for the sake of personal gain. He knows Funnel is changed. He knows Funnel isn't going to hurt anyone. He knows he doesn't care about their past anymore.

But he can't let Funnel know that. He can't lose this.

Despite having anything he wants, Poppy still wants everything he can get.

[yakketymax]

Fireball and Poppy?

This one was kind of awkward to work around because it came from the era of me thinking that found family was all that mattered in a story and I tried to fit Fireball into the role of Poppy's father figure but the reality now is that Fireball is more like Poppy's fresh outta jail uncle. Like, Fireball isn't not a father figure to people- he's protective and he's got the vibe of a tired dad of five, but he does not always reciprocate the energy. He does not, could not, and refuses to handle the responsibility of being a father. He's the one your father tells not to let you do something and then lets you do it when he leaves.

Fireball and Poppy's relationship is that of a scrappy rebel teenager and a scrappier rebel adult (who picked the wrong profession.) Fireball encouraged Poppy to stay strong and not let anyone or anything hold him down or keep him hurt- teaching the boy survival skills that were most certainly just how to get away with certain small crimes -and Poppy, who had never met an adult who didn't baby him to the point of enraging him, admired the FUCK outta him and looked up to him and the way he didn't care of the rules of his own job.

He was devastated when he heard Fireball had died on the job.

.....What do you mean Fireball is at the circus? What do you mean Fireball is dating Pirouline?? Fireball, aren't you dead- WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS THE THIRD TIME-

Despite Fireball constantly faking his own death for multiple reason, upon meeting again, Fireball and Poppy maintain their relationship of old head and the new young punk trying to impress him. Poppy wants Fireball to think he's cool and Fireball does think he's cool and says that he thinks he's cool, but Poppy still does something cool and then whips around to see if Fireball thought that was cool.

[yakketymax]

Here's your motivation: I've had a crush on Funnel since you made them. Please. A crumb. A shred. Give me and the people Funnel kissing content. Please.

CW for neck kissing and the implications that it comes with + the most unnecessary reaction to a neck kiss in the history of neck kisses

"Mmn..."

To say it wasn't easy to get to this point with the carnie whose lap you're currently occupying would be the biggest understatement you've ever heard. It had been a messy and rough few months with ups and downs here and there, but even so, your Funnel put everything they had into trying to make it as smooth as they could with their promises and efforts to change and be better with you so long as you were patient and understanding with them in return. It was rickety, but hey, it was working! And besides, you figured at least most of it had to be worth it- I mean, how else would you have been able to learn that the Ringmaster makes cute sounds when they get kissed?

Despite having been the one to pull you into their lap when you brought up wanting to kiss and giving you a sly little quip about needing to get into the right position, it's not hard to notice that Funnel is shaking a little as you press your lips against theirs. Overcome with a desire to soothe, you shift to trace your fingertips across the swell of their chest and settle at the center on top of the muddy mark spanning between their pecs (a Brewse they called it) and start to rub small, comforting circles there. Your fingers tingle with the fizzled out scraps of leftover dark magic still inside your lover that're bleeding through the mark, but you have no mind to pay it any attention, not when Funnel is sighing against your mouth and pressing harder against you as they drag you more firmly into their lap with a hand on your lower back and a tug on your thigh. Your giggles at their eagerness are muffled between the two of you and even though they let out something close to an embarrassed whine, they don't pull away an inch.

Funnels hand slides up your back and cups the back of your head with another one of those weak, growly noises you're rapidly growing fond of. They press on you and push themselves forward into you with a tilt of their head, surprising you with the bold move of shyly tracing your lips with the forked tip of their serpentine tongue. As much as you would love to (and you would really love to), your lungs can't hold the same concerning amount of air theirs can and you need to pull back to breathe. You can't help but smile at the questioning sound they let out as their eyes crack open when the kissing stops, but the whimper that leaves them soon after is too sad sounding for your liking.

"Did I..." They're breathless, looking up at you with concerned, shiny eyes. "Did I do something... wrong?"

Immediately, you shake your head. No no, you just need to breathe, that's all! You cup their face and rub your thumbs across their cheeks and have to hold back a "less than appropriate for the situation" noise of your own as they rumble a genuine purr and lean into the contact. They turn their head and start to press soft kisses against your palm and it's in that moment that you decide that, despite you still working to catch your breath, you can't let such a precious creature go kissless, not when they're yearning for it this bad. You pat their face to get their attention and ask if you can try something when they open their eyes and raise an eyebrow at you, earning a curious nod in return.

"Tell me if this is too much, okay?" You say, tilting their head up gently.

"Uh. Alright...?"

Ducking your head, you press a lil' smooch to their neck.

"Ghk-!"

A brief blast of pure terror cuts through you like a bolt of white, hot electricity and you snap back to push at Funnels chest. You heave through shaky deep breaths as they spout apology after panicked apology, hands hovering close but no longer touching. It's almost sweet, the way they're more freaked out than you are getting got by their dark aura. You wheeze out that it's okay, you know they didn't mean it, and you reach out to clasp their hands with your trembling own, guiding them back to your body. Again, they tug you closer and brush their arm up your back to encourage you to lay down against them, an offer you're more than happy to take up. Flopping down against their cushy chest, you breathe a sigh, taking a comfort in the sound of the crackle of their magic flame as you let the fear dissipate.

"You startled me, is all," they mumble after a moment, rubbing your back. "I-It felt nice. I guess I just didn't expect how nice it was gonna feel."

You tilt your head to look up at them and smile at the sight of their darkened cheeks and their worried gaze turned away from you, only glancing back for a brief moment to look into your eyes to presumably reset their facial illusion. You smile, charmed to see them this way, and shift around so you can sit up and ask if they want to try again. They go through several different starts and stops of sentences as their rosy cheeks only get that much darker, the ringleader stammering and tripping over their words before they hang their head and murmur a flustered, "Yes please..." with their face burning.

With a gentle laugh, you cup their face again and, with a coy mention of your own about "getting in the right position," you settle yourself more comfortably in their soft lap. You playfully bite at them about not putting you in their fucked up mirror dimension this time and Funnel chuckles that they won't, they promise. After giving them grief about how they better promise they won't, you grant them a kiss on their lips before you tilt their chin up and lower your head, tentatively placing your lips against their neck.

"Hmph..."

You freeze, bracing for their dark aura just in case, but all you get is the flexing of their large fingers against your thigh.

"Good?"

"Y-Yes..."

If you were further along in this relationship, you might have teased them for this reaction, given that you haven't really done anything yet. Ever careful, you try a real kiss this time, harder than a press of lips but still chaste. The weak "aha~..." that whispers out of Funnels throat delights you and so, you press another. And another. And another. And another and another and another until the carnie underneath you is squirming and letting out sweet, broken little sounds with every kiss- now open-mouthed and with the slight swipe of your tongue here and there. They grip the bend of your leg and the back of your shirt as you litter them with your affection and it leaves you idly wondering if their neck is particularly sensitive, taking a risk and starting the workings of a proper mark where their neck meets their shoulder.

"Wh-? Wh-What are you-... Why are you- suckin- ooooh sweet caramel christ- who cares who cares- oh good god, that feels so good, please don't stop-"

You honestly probably keep your lips locked there for a little while longer than what's necessary, but who can blame you, really? Your name is tumbling from their lips like prayer.

You eventually pull back with a pop and lick your lips as you take a moment to admire your handiwork. There's a thrill in the way Funnel lets you move their head to the side with ease with a hand under their chin, the poor thing hissing breaths through their bear-trap teeth as you smile at the fresh, darkening bruise. There's a whine at the crest of every breath they take and you look up at them and their flushed face. Hell, with their teeth bared and their eyebrows drawn together like that, you would think them in pain if you weren't actively giving them the opposite.

You think they'd damn look nice with a few more marks and you enjoy the frantic nod you get when you express this sentiment. Twirling a lock of their fluffy hair along your finger, you dive back in, kissing and closing your mouth over any little spot you could reach, emboldened by their adorable "yes-!"s and "right there!"s It's mindless thing when you suddenly sink your teeth into them with a little nibble, being as drunk off their noises as you are. They snarl, startling you, but the animalistic noise melts into a noisy, needy whine when you pull back in shock.

"Please please, pleasepleaseplease don't stop-"

Just like that, you settle back into your rhythm, blowing a gust of air against the marks you've left already.

"Fuuuuuck, mate, don't- don't tease..." they beg, shuddering with your breath. "I-I think I like it when you mark me up like this."

They think? Well, you're going to have to do better than that! Pressing your lips against their bared throat, you ask if they want more, already knowing the answer. They shakily swallow and the movement against your lips almost makes you dizzy, the carnie nodding despite you being right under their chin.

"Yes, more, A-As much as you're willing to let me have, darl'..."

Oh, Funnel. You shouldn't have said that. ♥

[yakketymax]

What's the SCARIEST Funnel fact you can share?

This fact is not about Funnel themself but rather Crackerjack Circus. If you look closely at the walls and beams when Funnel is inside the main tent, you'll notice that they bend and creak softly in a slight rhythmic pattern. You'll see that the flaps of the tarp flutter gently with a breeze that you can't feel.

You'll eventually put it together that the tent itself is breathing in time with its master.

The Crackerjack Circus is alive, in a way. It breathes when Funnel breathes. It laughs when Funnel laughs. It sleeps when Funnel sleeps. It shrieks when Funnel shrieks.

And it bleeds when Funnel bleeds.

[yakketymax]

Pirouline and Funnel!

These two have about the same relationship- Pirouline showing up at the circus to reclaim her fame and Funnel pretending not to be in love with her -but the change here is that Pirouline is the first performer at the circus, ever.

She had seen the flyers for the new circus that had just opened up, heard about the few shows that had already happened there, and had taken a peek from afar here and there while it was being built. She didn't even actually go to a single show before taking up the posted offer for job positions. All she wanted was a spotlight again. That was all she wanted, she didn't even care about what this "Mixter Crackerjack" might have had her doing in front of a crowd. Having been burned by managers and producers many times before, Pirouline still operated with caution within her desperation, but to her surprise, the sweethearted carnie before her was polite and even seemed to be a little adorably shy- speaking without really looking at her and trying to keep a bit of a distance between them while they toured her through the grounds and told her about the job.

To her even greater surprise, after her brain processed what they just said, the sweethearted carnie before her was the FUCKING RINGMASTER.

Every single alarm bell was going off in her head, especially when The Ringmaster Funnel Cake held out their hand to seal the offer, but she... she wanted this so bad. In her eyes, she had no other choice. She put her hand in theirs and shook it once, feeling a chill run down her spine as she did.

Turns out that was an accident, though. Funnel was just really bad at controlling their dark aura back then! Sometimes they let off bursts of it when they get touched, sorry! No wonder they were trying to keep that space between the two of them at first, yikes.

In terms of their current relationship, Funnel considers Pirouline one of their best friends and Pirouline believes Funnel to genuinely be one of the best people she's ever had the blessing to meet. Where Funnel feels that they can confide in Pirouline about almost anything, Pirouline feels the safest around Funnel than she has around anyone else in a very long time. Funnel made a promise to Pirouline when she first joined that they would always catch her whenever she fell and still, after all these years, they've yet to break it.

[yakketymax]

walks over like the ant with the bindle Fireball and Songbird save me....................

Again, another relationship that fell prey to my "found family only" disease when I was younger. Fireball is not Song Bird's father figure, hell, Fireball isn't even Song Bird's first thought for an emergency contact. And even if he was, Fireball himself would be confused as to why.

None of this is to say they're not friends, no, these two get along fantastically. Fireball likes anybody that causes trouble for the police and Song Bird enjoys the "gijinka of a brown paper bag" energy that exists about Fireball. He is just reserved enough for Song Bird to be curious of him and insert herself into his life without his say so and Song Bird is just nice (and strangely intimidating...) enough that Fireball doesn't tell them to go away. They play off of each other and are able to snark back and forth without it ever going too far or reaching a point of an legitimate argument, with Fireball being the only person that has ever openly talked back to Song Bird in front of god and everyone else and all Song Bird did was laugh and pick him up in a big spinny hug.

They're an odd pair to see when they're out together. Open and reserved. Bright and dark. Black coffee and a blueberry slushie. Two things that do not mix, but have found themselves right next to each other regardless. Opposites attract!

[yakketymax]

Song Bird and Poppy

These two are still friends! They didn't interact very often and still probably don't, but when they do, it's always a blast. Song Bird thinks Poppy is a riot at a party and Poppy knows that Song Bird finds the best parties for him to be a riot at! Song Bird is already the loudest mother fucker he knows, but Poppy brings out the louder and noisier in Song Bird and makes it all deafening and wonderfully destructive, so these two are a nuisance and a half for the police when they go out together. Poppy loves to grab Song Birds hand and drag them from club to club, from bar to bar, and from party to party, blowing the roof off each place one by one until there isn't a pub left that they aren't allowed in for a week. They probably do panty raids together.

A change here is that Song Bird, who is now a lot more powerful and uncomfortably wise than previously written, looks at Poppy and sees right through the persona he's set up for himself. She can see right through his whole suave and sexy playboy act and view what's underneath- a punk rock orphan boy who is fighting not to lose what he has even when there's no chance it could be taken from him. He feels sorry for Poppy and does not express this pity because they know he would hate her for it, so instead they party with him and buy him drinks, hoping he'll come to his own senses in due time.

She is the protector of the rainforest, not the emotionally unavailable moshpit opossum boy.

[yakketymax]

What's Funnels favorite body part to remove?

Their head, by far. Funnel loves to take their head off for pranks and shenanigans, their favorite being "let me ask my associate" where they remove their head and regard their body with the question at hand as if they were separate people. It's not uncommon to see Funnel with their head removed for one reason or other, be it for a joke or just because they wanted to at the time.

But because of this casualness they have for taking their head off and since they're still refining how to behave around regular Gingerfolk, Funnel will sometimes remove their head like it's a regular thing to do at inappropriate times. Which is like... all times outside of the circus and their house. They still feel guilty for accidentally scaring their neighbors that one time...

Bonus discord shenanigan screenshot:

[yakketymax]

I am no stranger to characters manifesting their own traits when I'm not looking and I think one of the funniest instances of this has been Funnel turning out to have a thing for red heads.

[yakketymax]

Can you give an example of what you mean? :0

Funnel, being a circus lion but also not one at all, has hands that operate in the same way paws do in The Lion King. Hands that are paws and paws that are hands!

Funnel has big hands and thick, large fingers with shiny black claws hidden in each one. You can see the "paw-ness" of Funnels hands when they're laid flat against something or when their wrists are relaxed, such as resting at their sides or hanging over something. Funnel themself has always recognized the animalesque way their hands are and has always referred to them as either hands or paws, the choice simply depending on their preference at the time.

[yakketymax]

Funnel: Listen, I'm probably trans feminine, but I have like six AJR songs that I need to memorize for my little brothers performances, so I really don't have time for that right now

[yakketymax]

Song Bird and Dog Biscuit

These two have been friends for years prior to when I would say the "start" of the story is. They met when Dog Biscuit was still a vagabond and bonded over their ability to speak with animals, spending time working together to help the various critters be happy and healthy wherever they were.

These days, their relationship remains the same ...kind of. Dog Biscuit is the only person in this place that Song Bird explicitly respects and will answer to when she calls, talking about their trust and love for her more openly than anybody else- to the point of sounding like having a mild obsession with the puppy dog lady. Dog Biscuit, though warned of how this behavior looks by others, trusts Song Bird and waves off others concerns and instead chalks up their behavior to SB's usual overzealous way of living and loving life. I mean, she knows Song Bird can be a bit testy when it comes to wildlife safety, but she doesn't think they'd actually be crazy about it. That's silly!

Song Bird is the kindest person she knows!