#cassidymay

[cassidymayshijinks]

1/05/23

Alright. I’m heading out on my first official mission as a Fourth Portal guild member (I’m actually already on it, but I can’t tell you where we are or that I rode here on the back of a dragon). As I said, a lot of stuff in my day-to-day life is going to be classified, so this is going to be my last entry for a while.

Thank you all for reading. Keeping this journal has really helped me center myself and process everything that’s happened the last year, and the fact that I got to share it with some people who enjoyed it makes it all the better.

So thank you, everyone, and if I end up writing again in the future I hope you’ll enjoy reading. Keep an eye out for me in the news.

Love,

Cassidy

[overateddumbass]

Hope y'all don't mind, I just reblogged about 30 entries from my friend's writing project, so you're probably about to encounter a block of those.

I encourage you to check it out though!

[cassidymayshijinks]

11/04/23

I told Fourth Portal I’m accepting their offer, and I got back home to my apartment today. I’m currently having dinner and drinks with Habit and Douglas and telling them all about the Plane of Ooze. Douglas is very excited to make a sequel to his previous ballad. 

It’s also very nice to have my magic back. I’ve been overusing my cantrips ever since I got to the Plane of Earth.

Habit was telling me about how excited he is for me, but also how he’s going to miss me. I assured him that I’ll come back to visit frequently, but I know it’s not going to be the same. 

Still, I’m excited. I’ll be giving my two week notice at work tomorrow, and announcing it to everyone else.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

04/04/23

I don’t have the energy for a proper entry, but I won’t be able to post it until I get back to the Material Plane anyway so I’ll just write it out tomorrow. Either way, it might be time for me to use the secret the Avatar of Magma gave me.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

26/04/23

It’s my last day, and I have cried three times today. I’m saying goodbye to everyone at work, Habit and the veterinary staff brought me a cake, Jenny took me to say goodbye to all my favorite animals, Pam gave me the most grandmotherly hug I have ever received, and Glenda and Warrick showed up and managed not to drive me crazy (thought that might just be nostalgia). 

I haven’t even made it to Rob and Leroy’s party yet and I’m already a mess. I’m going to miss this place so badly. With all the pressure my parents put on me I never really connected with anybody in highschool or college, and during my bounty hunting days I never stuck with one gig for more than a few months. This is the closest I’ve been to such a large group of people, the first time I’ve felt at home somewhere, and I can’t believe I’m leaving. I know it’s what I’ve always wanted, and that I’m going to have a blast, but I can’t believe I’m leaving the sanctuary.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

20/04/23

Leroy told me that he and Rob are putting together a going away party for me on the evening of my last day of work. He also said that it didn’t matter if I had packing to do or had planned to leave or anything, they were throwing the party whether I was coming or not. I told them that of course I would be there, I would never miss one of their parties. There’s always way too many hijinks. 

In other news, Douglas already has a draft of the second part of the ballad, and he swung by the sanctuary to do a demonstration, which got a lot of the tourists very excited. He told me it will be ready to release soon, as he’s been hit with a wave of inspiration.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

19/04/23

Good ‘ol grick hunting. Gotta love grick hunting.

We got a call to a property outside of town, and when we got there we were astounded to find that the owner had built an elaborate hedge maze where the gricks had set up their nests. We were put at a severe disadvantage because the owner told us not to damage the hedges, a condition to which the gricks did not abide. So we spent the afternoon falling over ourselves in a farcical maze chase until we finally managed to round them all up. I’m still not convinced we got them all, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re searching a maze.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

18/04/23

My parents haven't responded to my email yet. I don’t know if they’re ever going to. We’ve spoken twice in the last year, they didn’t even check on me after I stopped the Avatar of Magma. 

Habit says they’re probably too chickenshit to admit they were wrong, but I think there’s more to it than that. I think they’re mad that I’m happy. I think they’re mad that I didn’t go down the professor route they had planned for me, and that I’ve succeeded without them. 

I’m trying not to dwell on it too much, but obviously I’m failing. I should be enjoying my last days at the sanctuary, not worrying about what my shitty parents think.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

17/04/23

I may have emailed my parents today, to tell them I got a job with the most renowned adventuring guild in the world. I may have done it for stupid and petty reasons, and those reasons may have been to tell them they were wrong to step on my dreams and that they were the reason I dropped out of college. 

I may not have heard back from them yet and may be freaking out while I text Habit asking me what to do. He may be telling me I should have been meaner.

I may not have gotten the catharsis I was hoping for from that.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

16/04/23

So I was talking with Fourth Portal about housing, and learned quite a few things. 

Fourth Portal has headquarters all over the world, and a lot of the adventurers have designated rooms at those headquarters, but most of them also have their own private residences that they stay at between adventures.

I asked my landlord if he’d be OK with me keeping my current apartment as my primary residence, and he said he’d love to have me. I asked him if he would be OK with the danger that might follow me as I make more enemies at Fourth Portal, and he said he’d enjoy a good fight. So I’ll still have my residence here, and will probably stay here when I visit friends between adventures. 

Plus, with the wards my landlord put up this is probably one of the safest places I could stay.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

15/04/23

I’m going out for drinks with my coworkers tonight. I feel so sad, knowing this is going to be one of the last times I get to go out for drinks after a day of wrestling alligators and obnoxious customers. 

I’m riding in Rob’s car, and Leroy is talking his head off about how he should have been the one getting offered a job and at Fourth Portal since he was the one who soothed the Avatar of Ice when it was accidentally summoned. Rob and I were both nodding in a good natured way, and then Leroy stopped his bluster and told me, in all sincerity, that he was proud of me and happy he got to know me and help me along my way. I was about to cry, and then Leroy started talking again, which helped me feel better about leaving.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

14/04/23

Glenda approached me, asked if there was anything she could do or say to convince me to stay at the sanctuary. I told her no, I’d already thought this over and I was doing it because Fourth Portal was everything I’d wanted since I was a child, but thanked her for the opportunity and the support at the sanctuary. Without the sanctuary I would never have gone to the Plane of Ice and gotten involved in thwarting the summoning stone plot, and never would have worked with Fourth Portal. 

She seemed a little miffed that I was leaving, you’d have thought I was the first person to ever leave a job. I told her I’d continue to talk about the sanctuary, and she harrumphed and wished me well.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

13/04/23

I fear I may be looking at my job through rose-tinted glasses now that I’ve put in my resignation.

I went on a call because apparently, some guy was trying to keep a harpy in his attack and was calling it his wife, and invited the neighbors over for dinner with a homicidal bird lady shitting all over the table. The neighbor’s husband ended up in the hospital, the man ended up going to jail, and we got called to drag the sexed up harpy out of the attic by its ankles. 

And as I was dragging the screaming harpy out while it shat on its legs like a vulture, I thought “I’m going to miss this job.” 

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

12/04/23

I told everyone at work that I’m taking the job at Fourth Portal, and the reactions were all very strong and I am going to miss this place. 

Leroy went on a long and dramatic rant about me abandoning them and thinking I was better than him, Warrick congratulated themself, Valory cried and hugged me, a lot of people were very excited and offered big congratulations including Pam and most of Field Team B, and Rob gave me a big hug and said he knew I was going somewhere spectacular.

The only person who didn’t have a big visible reaction was Chandra. She seemed contemplative and congratulated me in a rather muted way. I guess I shouldn’t care, but I was still hoping for something more.

But yeah, I’m really going to miss this place.

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

10/04/23

Alright, it’s official. I’ve been offered a job at Fourth Portal. 

I was approached by the head of the guild personnel committee this morning, and told that after a review of my performance on the Paraelemental planes, my work with Fourth Portal up to this point, my extensive experience with bounty hunting and animal handling, and my knowledge of the arcane arts, I was an ideal candidate for Fourth Portal. 

They told me I could take as much time as I wanted to decide and I took them up on that, but I’ve already made up my mind. This is what I’ve wanted my whole life, my silly adventuring dream, the one I dropped out of college for, and with the most respected adventuring guild on the planet. 

I texted Habit about it, but I haven’t told anyone else from work. I’m thinking I’ll let them know when I get back, and I’ll probably give my notice then too. 

Cassidy

[cassidymayshijinks]

08/04/23

We were attacked again today. This time, it was much less serious.

There were four mages leading the conspiracy to summon the avatars. The first one died when we broke the stones controlling the Avatar of Magma. The second one died when Tom helped us defeat him in the floating castle. The third one died by lightning strike atop a kraken. 

The fourth one barely survived falling out of a floating castle when the Avatar of Ooze cut off the plane’s magic, and crawled to us with a knife and raged about us ruining her plans before trying to stab all of us to death on her own. She was an even worse hand to hand fighter than I am.

Hopefully it’s all over now. The theory states that the Avatars should have something of a resistance to the effects of the summoning stones for a couple centuries because of their exposures to the ritual, and according to the mage who attacked us today all the conspirators are dead. 

I don’t know if it’s really that simple, but for now we’re victorious and we should be able to get to the Elemental Plane of Earth tomorrow, and from there back to the material plane.

Cassidy