#faer came up with it and I am seconding it

[suzukiblu]

I have some not actually that kinky but also Very Kinky(tm) Halloween art for y'all, you're WELCOME. 🧡 'Cuz hey y'all remember that time Tucker had hypnosis powers . . . ??

Somehow my "dangit I am gonna draw SOMETHING for Halloween this year!!" art wound up being a kinky and an incredibly niche take on an incredibly niche couple that I had literally never thought of before; y'all can thank or blame @faeriekit at your leisure. Because they are the entire "somehow", they're it, this was ALL them.

Yes I did draw Halloween-themed fanart of a Tucker/Jason consensual hypnosis PWP fic in which Jason is stubbornly refusing to be the cute and soft housespouse he so longs to be and Tucker is mercilessly (consensually!) Domming/hypnotizing him into being it anyway. So we are just extrapolating on that fic's setup/concept and Jason is getting hypnotized into doing a vampire/thrall couple's costume and going to a party by his boyfriend totally-just-his-Dom. He will have a very nice time and then get fully shoved down into subspace and fucked stupid in the bathroom, so officially the best time he'll have had at a party without gunfire involved in yeeeeears. 💚💚

[earthmoonlotus]

Bear with me, this post has been in draft states for a little under a month. (I've needed to make it for longer, but now is better than never.)

Hey so...uhhh...I'm really trapped in capitalism right now. There are so many things I could do if I just had money, but I don't (and I've been essentially without it since August, after being laid off from a seasonal job in July), and I've been applying for a bunch of jobs that say they're hiring but not hearing anything back. I was fortunately able to secure one job where I get 4-6 hours on Wednesday evenings - for which I got my first paycheck last Friday, it was $163 -, but that's not gonna be nearly enough hours; I'm trying to get a second or possibly even third job, and I've applied to several places over the last few weeks, but so far no luck.

It doesn't help that I don't have a car and am now living in a rural and super car-dependent place, where it's more than an hour walk to the nearest bus stop, and a trip that takes less than half an hour by car would take over an hour by bus, not even counting the extra hour it would take for me to walk from my house to the bus stop. My mom and I have arranged that she can drop me off in the nearest town that really has stuff going on (and where I've been dropping of my resume in places that are or might be hiring) on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, but if possible I would like to be able to work more days than that, but I haven't found anyone who can regularly get me to the nearby town in the late morning or early afternoon on any other day. Only being able to work 3 days a week means that even a cheap used car is gonna take me close to half a year to save up for (and that's if I get another job where I can actually *work* all 3 of those days, on top of the Wednesday evening job I already have, and if I don't spend *any* of the money I earn during that time, and it's not even counting gas and insurance and stuff), and if not for car dependency I would wanna be saving for better music equipment instead, since I'd like to be a video-game composer. But without a car I'm basically trapped at home for most of the week, and there's not really much I can do about it - not even work to get myself the money for a better situation.

On top of all this, my fiancee Serenity has been in *serious* financial need for a while now. Fae has been in need of a lawyer for some time because the government has basically put faer in a catch-22 with getting permanent residence (requiring certain documents from the provincial government by a deadline that's sooner than the amount of time it would take the provincial government to get the documents for faer, among other things), but there hasn't even been the remote chance of faer being able to afford a lawyer, considering that fae is living on disability and can barely even afford groceries after the bills are paid. On top of this, fae was unceremoniously dropped from receiving the service from a nonprofit that had supposedly been helping faer with legal stuff; they said it was because fae was aging out of the demographic they serve, but fae had already been over that age when the serious legal help had begun (and the nonprofit people knew this), and the switch from offering help to saying "actually you're too old and we can't help you at all" was very sudden and came without warning. It was only recently that fae was able to even get faer legal documents back from the hands of the nonprofit, even though they dropped faer months ago. We've found a lawyer who specializes in immigration and will likely actually get stuff done (unlike the fickleness of nonprofit help), but she charges over $200CAD for a consultation, which neither of us are even close to having and being able to spend. (And that won't even cover further services.)

Not only that, but since fae hit faer head and got a concussion in June, which lead to fainting and further concussions soon after (which fae is still recovering from), fae has been unable to adequately take care of faerself and needing to rely more heavily on things like food delivery and uber, and it's put faer into a lot of debt. Fae is still having a lot of trouble cooking for faerself, and though fae's been eating a lot of cereal and drinking a lot of protien shakes, it's still resulted in increased food-related expenses compared to what would be ideal or normal. Serenity could also really use a new shower curtain (and this has been the case for like a year at this point), but hasn't been able to afford one. In addition, faer dryer hasn't been usable for some time, but finances have been a barrier to getting maintenance done on it, so we're stuck with mildew-y clothes and towels hung on racks (which we don't have enough of, or enough space for) whenever I visit. Last time I showered at faer place I honestly didn't really feel comfortable using any of the towels, since the "cleanest" one was all crusty from not having gotten dried properly. It's been hard for me to tolerate while visiting, so I can only imagine how hard it is for faer to deal with 24/7.

Fae gets only about $1100 Canadian per month (that's only like $860 in US dollars), and is only able to keep less than $200CAD per month after rent and bills. And that's not even counting the recent credit card debt, or cat-care-related expenses which have also been a lot; we were at the vetrenarian back in August to pick up meds and food for faer cat Buyunga, and it all added up to like $180 CAD which unfortunately had to go to the credit card. (And Buyunga's needs are ongoing; her meds should be picked up every couple weeks, but Serenity hasn't been able to adequately provide them to her because of all these financial issues, and fae's been forced to stretch the doses. The last time fae picked up Buyunga's medicine was over a week ago so she'll be due for it again really soon, even at the current rate of stretched doses.)

Any form of chipping in would be appreciated - both to help me get on my feet (and ideally be able to get a car, which will allow me to work more than just 3 days a week), and to help Serenity out of the hole that fae has been forced into. You can send Serenity money directly under paypal.me/LunaFleur. You can send stuff to me on paypal (paypal.me/forAurora), cashapp (#earthmoonlotus), or venmo (feel free to ask for my venmo). Thanks so much. <3

[itskatastrophe-x]

Far Off Places (CH 2)

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3

Word Count : 3,022

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

It took a few hours to wake up, but when you did, you sat up in a cold sweat, sharp pains shooting through your ribs, legs, and back. Almost three days of walking and running had taken a huge toll on your body. You scrunched your face in pain and shot a hand to your chest, noticing bandages around your arm and hand. That’s when you were very aware of your surroundings and two other figures in your peripheral. You looked at them in shock, their faces mirroring your same expression. You remembered the one with the wings just as you fell to the ground, but this second person you hadn’t seen. How many people were here, you wondered.

You tried to speak but your throat was raw and all that came out were raspy whispers and coughs. The one with wings looked at the taller one and motioned to a doorway. The taller one nodded and walked away swiftly, coming back seconds later with a bottle of water and another one full of a sparkling pink liquid. He handed you both of them and advised to drink the pink one first and wash it down with the water, explaining it was a health potion. You obliged and gulped it as fast as you could, almost gagging from the taste, and quickly chugged and swished the water after, feeling the effects almost instantly. You thanked them both and handed the bottles back to the boy and he took them back through the doorway, leaving you and the winged man alone. You fiddled with the bandages on your arms for a moment and cleared your throat a couple times before finally speaking.

“Where am I? Who are you? Thank you for the help.” The man lightly chuckled and took off his hat, his hair falling to frame his face. “My name is Philza, but you can call me Phil. The other one is Ranboo, he’s our friend that lives over by the mountain.” His voice had a very thick accent, unlike the boy, Ranboo. You nodded and he continued. “You’re outside of the Dream SMP. I live with Ranboo here with Technoblade. He goes by Techno. He’s currently asleep and we’re not sure when he’ll wake up. You’ve seen our dogs,” he chuckles out, drawing a smile onto your face. You scratch the back of your neck and heat makes its way to your face. “I’m sorry if I woke you. Your dogs made quite the ruckus.” He smiles fondly at you and waves you off. “Oh, don’t worry about it. We’re normally up around that time anyway. Days have been pretty restless lately, what with all the wars and such going on.”

He notices the worry on your face and goes on. “We tend to stay out of things. We’ve been involved too many times and we all like to keep things peaceful. These cabins are essentially a safe place. No one really knows where we live and we’d like to keep it that way. You aren’t here as a spy are you?” You shake your head and look down at your hands, bruises and cuts litter your body, but are slowly fading thanks to the potion from earlier. “No, I uh…” You clear your throat and steel yourself to speak more. “I… I travelled for three days to get here. My homeland was destroyed and I have nowhere to go.”

You look up at the man, the younger boy now standing next to him, staring at you in wonder and concern, the same concern seen in Phil’s eyes. “I’m still not sure how much I can trust anyone so I won’t say much more, but I lost my home and everyone I know. I’ve come a long way and I need somewhere safe. The person that murdered and burned my home could still be out there, and I need help. I know we’re strangers but I hope to trust you two more. You seem like nice people and, if you’re willing, I’d like to find some help some day to go back and figure out what happened.”

They both stare at you for a while until Phil smiles politely and nods. “Of course! Do you have a name you’d like us to call you?” You think for a minute, not being able to come up with a name to go by so as to keep your real name hidden. Ranboo speaks up a minute later. “We could call you Faer, if that’s ok. As a name it means Traveler.” You smile brightly at the small  name and nod. “I guess that fits, seeing as I am technically a traveler now. I didn’t do much of that back home, so sure, let’s go with that.” They both nod in unison. “Faer,” you say to yourself. A fitting name, short and sweet and it rolled off the tongue nicely. Maybe one day when you knew you could trust them you’d tell them your real name, but for now that nickname would do.

They gave you some supplies, a bed, and some armor and better clothes after you got some rest and pointed you to a good spot to set up your own little home. They also gave you a map of the surrounding areas and gave you a rundown of some of the people that lived in the main cities, but there were so many that you forgot half of them. Ranboo followed you out to pick a spot to settle down, idly chatting about how life was in the area, who to stay away from, where all the farms were, and just general stuff to pass the time. Eventually you ran out of wood so you both ventured into the woods to chop some more.

After a couple hours, your small abode was looking good. It wasn’t anything fancy or as big as Techno or Phil’s houses, but it did the job. All you had to do yet was finish putting walls up inside, decorating, and making it pretty outside. You added some fences to give yourself a front yard, placed torches to liven up the place, and also made a small deck out front facing the aforementioned houses. It took a couple more hours of work to get the inside done, but everything was done around sunset and you were ready to pass out. Phil came over close to the end and said Techno was awake and they would be over soon to welcome you in. You were grateful to have such a warm welcome, but you were still on edge. How well could you trust these people? Sure, they gave you plenty of things and were friendly, but it felt like they were hiding something or were keeping information away from you. The way they would shirk off certain questions or avoid subjects completely was weird. You assumed it was because they didn’t trust you either, so you shrugged it off. You were a stranger to them. A person that ended up passing out on their land, giving them no info on who you were or where you came from. You were lucky you ended up here, though. Hearing some of the stories Ranboo told you made you glad this was the closest on your journey.

Ranboo returned, after leaving to clean himself up, with some flowers, a diamond sword, and a couple emeralds to get you started. After chatting with him for a couple minutes you heard a knock on your front door, signaling the return of Phil. You hopped off of your seat and opened the door to greet him. He had a couple dishes of various kinds of foods piled into his arms, so you gladly took some from him. What you were not prepared for was Techno. You didn’t know what to expect, as Phil had given no description, but the tall half pig, half human standing behind the winged man with a disgruntled look on his face, flowing red cape, and glinting golden crown was absolutely something you weren’t expecting. I mean, you weren’t one to judge, you just had no clue what to expect. Phil walked past you and asked Ranboo for help setting everything up, leaving you with the large man. He gave you a huff and walked past you, cape gently hitting you in the shins as the wind from him walking pushed it out behind him. You stood there, slightly in shock with the door open, as he made himself at home in your new living room. You closed the door and turned around to see him with his head hanging off the back of the couch, eyes closed and arms crossed. He did just wake up, maybe he’s still tired.

The night was going well in your eyes. You and Ranboo were getting along well and you could see why he was saying Phil was very much like a powerful father figure. Techno joined in on some conversations occasionally when he thought he had something to say. You asked him some simple questions but he refused to answer anything. You chalked it up to him not trusting you at all so you let it slide and shrugged it off. Phil had nudged him or elbowed him a few times if he thought he was getting out of line, but you waved it off saying you weren’t bothered. Honestly you weren’t bothered. You had heard worse in your courts back at home, so little phased you at this point. Thinking about your home had apparently made you zone out, because you were brought back to real life when you heard your new name being called. Ranboo had shook your shoulder lightly, concern etched onto his and Phil’s faces, amusement and curiosity finally glinting in Techno’s eyes. You laughed lightly and put a hand to your face, feeling wetness on your cheeks. When had you started crying?

“Faer, are you ok? What’s wrong?” Ranboo’s hand retracted and he stared at you with intense focus, very clearly concerned. You looked down at your empty plate, long forgotten from the hours before during your conversations. You contemplated telling them the truth, second guessed yourself, then shook your head and covered your face with both hands, letting out a short sigh. You knew you would have to tell them eventually, and you supposed now was as good a time as any. You started off at your lineage, being born into a royal family, being sheltered since you were young, your training and lessons. Everything shortened into smaller stories to keep things simplified. Everything leading up to your parents inevitable deaths and you becoming the ruler of a whole kingdom.

Techno had perked at the words “royal family”, finally becoming invested in something and listening closely, asking questions every once in a while. Ranboo and Phil sat in shock as Techno had basically taken over the conversation, you pouring out details as he asked. You weren’t sure why exactly you were letting him get so much out of you, but all of them seemed to relax the more you talked about your past, until finally you reached the downfall of your oversized city. Ranboo had gotten more invested in this, and seemed to want to figure out how it happened as well. He said he was a fan of theories and small details that seemed to be hidden, so he agreed to helping you find the arsonist.

They asked for coordinates so you got up, grabbed all the plates to take them to the kitchen, found your journal, and brought it back to where everyone was sitting. Ranboo’s eyes lit up as he watched you flip through the pages and you caught onto his gaze and smiled. He opened his own bag and brought out a journal silently, smiling the whole time, mentioning how he kept his own journals. You made a mental note to try to ask about them at another point as he put his away. You finally flipped to the page holding info about your kingdom and pulled out a map from between the pages as well, flipping them to face Techno and Phil. They looked over everything and you watched intently as they pointed and flipped, exchanging words every few seconds.

“We can just make a portal,” Techno finally grunts out. “Most of our locations we stay in have portals to each and highways connecting to the main portal by the community house. The only thing we would worry about is having you out and about. Some of the people here… Aren’t so trustworthy.” You think back to your conversation with Ranboo and nod. “Yeah, Ranboo said something about an Egg? What’s that all about?” They all go quiet and you feel like you’ve asked the wrong question. “I’m assuming it’s nothing good, so I won’t press anymore, but if it’s unavoidable then you’ll have to tell me eventually.” Phil speaks up from his side of the table. “Well, all we should tell you now is to not touch the vines, and if you hear anything to let us know right away. Don’t trust any bad thoughts.” You were taken back by that but hesitantly croaked out an ‘ok’ and left it there.

You all spent the last hour together coming up with a plan to get you to your kingdom, what you could look for, and who else you might be able to trust. The date was decided to be set for a week from the present day and you would find two more people, Karl and Sapnap. Ranboo said you would get along well with them and they were people they knew could help that had a lot of knowledge. Karl was a master at problem solving and a time traveler (though he still didn’t know exactly how to control it and only used it when he had to), and Sapnap was born in fire so he knew it well, meaning he might be able to know something from the wreckage. After everything was said and done, you were waving goodbye as they all crossed the snow covered field to their separate homes.

You shut the door and sighed, leaning your back against the solid wood plank, your head also falling back to rest on it, eyes closing as you listened to your breathing and heartbeat. The gentle crackling from the fireplace and torches calmed your nerves more as you pushed off the door and made your way to the kitchen to extinguish some of the lights. After cleaning up and tidying everything, you looked over the living room once more and smiled to yourself, finding your way up the stairs and into your bathroom to wash off and get ready to sleep.

All this alone time gave you time to think about the plans, and the more you thought, the more you doubted this person named Sapnap. You were told he had some kind of fire ability, and seeing as most of your kingdom was set on fire, you didn’t think he was very trustworthy. No matter how far away this place was, he was still suspicious to you. I mean, what were you supposed to think when you got to a random location and on the first day upon arrival you were told that there was someone here with a fire ability? Were you just supposed to trust this stranger immediately, just like that? You didn’t like that thought at all, but you trusted Ranboo and Phil enough already that you figured you should give this Sapnap guy a chance.

And with those last few thoughts, you finished settling in to sleep, finally in a proper bed after three long days. The thick blanket and the flickering light of the last embers in the hearth helped you to drift off to sleep. You made a mental note to write in your journal when you wake up, since you were exhausted and could barely keep your eyes open.

Hot. Burning. Loud crashing. Your eyes snapped open and you were finally aware of your surroundings. Your kingdom around you, burning to the ground, craters dotted the ground. You were surrounded by fire. You screamed out in pain and searched for a safe way out. Why was this happening? No. You knew the answer, you just had to remember. Right? Right! Dreams. You could solve things using your dreams, being thrown back into the middle of situations to see what went wrong. To look over missed details. The only downside was the fact that all your senses still worked. It was like time travelling but without all the paradoxical consequences. Essentially just to play detective.

You ran through the blaze, trying to find a safe path while also looking for clues. There was nothing but destruction, burnt remains, and the smell of burning wood. You finally made it to a clearing where the plaza in front of the castle was, and there in the distance between all the red flames and black smoke, there was a flash of color. It was fast, so you almost missed it, but it was there. Who was that? With that thought alone, you were sprinting in the same direction, not caring about the flames that would kiss your skin or the ember covered logs that would catch your legs. You needed this lead, no matter what kind of pain you went through.

You spent what felt like hours running around. Your legs felt like they were being torn apart, your skin was burning and blistered in a lot of spots, and it was getting too hard to breathe. There was no sign of the green that you saw earlier, so you gave into your body and fell to the brick walkway under you, the rough texture stinging your skin. You closed your eyes, breathing heavily, hoping you would wake up soon. Then you heard it. The sound of feet on the pavement ahead of where you laid. Your body hurt as you lifted your head, vision going fuzzy and dark as the person neared. Green.

[ask-toto-and-co]

( @nightless-stars ) Lana: Autumn Spear! *A holy spear of nowhere hits black ooze creatures as Welsh Fairy Mew from a book with one butterfly wing missing came out* Hey, you alright there? *Heals Toto wounds* What are those things?

[Lana used Autumn Spear! Its super effective! ] [The forest is lending its power!] strengthened by the battle field, the holy spear shoots directly though the creatures head. like a bullet though a watermelon it explodes into chunks as the spear passes through, the body collapses and melts into a heap on the grass. despite this, its kin doesn't seem to have any reaction to one of their own falling, only laughing.

toto gives the welsh mew a smile toto: thank you, im... fae wants to say something along the lines of "im okay" or "im alright" yet the lie refuses to leave her mouth. instead she turns faer head to the horse of strerrow getting closer, wanting to change the subject. "I- I have absolutely no fucking clue what those are! iv never seen anyone like them around here before!" the eevee considers her options, fae could attempt standing her ground, this wouldn't be anywhere close to the first time she’s been faced with a horde of foes who want her head.  ‘is that really a good idea though? if I get hurt everyone will be mad at me again for being stuipid’

toto: maybe you guys are right- I...im not strong enough to do this alone, its a lot safer to just run and let someone actually capable handle it- she changes her position, getting ready to bolt for the bushes. but the moment she does, a familiar voice rings out inside her mind

visions of the past scream inside faer head. echo’s of a past she ran away from

echoing and repeating. never letting her forget who she left behind in an act of selfishness.  ‘run away from your problems like you always do' they say ‘throw away everything we did for you’ they cry angry become you escaped. mad becuase you were to selfish to let them use you anymore “pathetic. pathetic. pathetic. pathetic. pathetic. pathetic.“  “selfish selfish selfish selfish selfish selfish selfish selfish“ their words repeat on loop. repeating and playing over themselves till its nothing more then an inaudible mess, yet the message refuses to blur itself. for the first time, the pain bubbles to the surface the eevee lets out a scream she’s been holding in for years

“SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” fae claws at her head as tendrils appear from her back, spasming wildly around her as she screams.  theirs not even a second before her form changes, much larger, longer, much more dangerous a giratina

“I AM SO SO FUCKING SICK OF BEING WEAK. I GET TREATED LIKE A FUCKING TOY WHO CAN EASILY BE SCREAMED AT INTO SILENCE WHENEVER SHE DARES RAISE HER FUCKING VOICE. I LET PEPOLE FUCKING USE ME CUZ ITS APPERENTLY EVIL FOR ME TO SPEAK UP. WELL IM FUCKING D O N E. I DON’T CARE IF IT MAKES ME AN ASSHOLE IM DONE FEELING SORRY FOR ESCAPING AN ABUSIVE HOME” “IF YOU WANAN VILLANIZE ME FOR RUNNING AWAY, THEN I’LL STAY AND SHOW YOU ALL EXACTLY THE MONSTER YOU FUCKERS CREATED” she lets out another yell before descending onto the battle field. years worth of wrath is channeled as she throws around her opponents. she knows these arn’t the ones who hurt her, they don’t even know what she’s going on about. yet she can’t help herself, cuz she knows she’ll never be able to confront those who harmed her she can’t face them down no matter how hard she tries she’ll always be to weak. [seems like toto has temporarily lost herself to emotions and isen’t thinking clearly anymore] [it also appears that, you arn’t the only ones watching the battle]

stranger in the bushes: what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck- WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUCK 

stranger in the tree: hehehe, someones angry, this just got much more intresting~  [The two strangers are now available for asks] EDIT: changed my mind, they will be ask able soon but not yet (MOD NOTE: just for reference purposes- toto’s giritina form is only like, 6-7 feet tall, she’s no where near the size of a normal giritina lmfao, ALSO Y’ALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IV BEEN WAITING TO INTRODUCE THIS SLYVEON BITCH. I KNOW THE ART IS BAD BUT I WANTED TO GET THIS OUT OKAY) @nightless-stars​

[goatbi]

We know literally nothing about bleach but we know it's a special interest of yours so gimme bleach hcs legend

Uhhh let's have some fun lil six hearts sexuality/gender headcanons

Alright so, first off, Uryu is autistic and asexual, so jot that down. I'm also getting the vibes of aromantic from him, tbh, though maybe demiromantic. Not really sure on that front. He figured himself out very very quickly, simply because he likes to read so much, and just kinda vibes all the time, and figured 'hm something about me is different from everyone else around me' and then like. Figured it out. Was very open about it the SECOND he moved out of Ryuken's house, like, he doesn't ever talk to Ryuken, but Uryu was open about who he was at school enough that word got around to Ryuken very quickly. The reaction there was exactly what Uryu had expected. A fuck ton of passive aggressive bullshit! Also uses Ve/Ver He/Him and Phi/Phim pronouns cause Why Not ! I say so ! I bounce back and forth on if he's trans or not, because A) how obvious am I gonna be that I kin him, and B) just in general I dunno if I fully get The Vibes from him. Maybe he's trans sometimes because kinnie moments.

Ichigo gives me the vibes of like, a guy whose very very comfortable in who he is, but also has no clue exactly what that is, and whenever someone makes a dumb joke like 'oh what are you, gay?' Ichigo just kinda looks at them and then shrugs a shoulder like 'i don't fuckin know, I know I'm a teen and thats when you start figuring that shit out usually, but I'm busy, y'know, saving the universe and shit.' His level in comfort with himself does not change ever, I think, no matter where in the process of figured himself out he is, he's just like 'i'm chillin' cause at least he's not looking down the barrel of a gun with Yhwach or Aizen on the other side ! No clue anything about him other than that. He/Him

Orihime feels like a lesbian who was told all her life that she should just find a nice boy to settle down with, so she's like comp-hetting her crush on Ichigo hella hard, because he's like! The perfect boy to do that with! He's super powerful, he cares a lot, he's saved her when she was kidnapped, it was perfect and fun. They tried to date, the summer after high school, because despite what people think, Ichigo is not that dense all the time. They attempted it, lasted like two weeks, then very amicably broke up, because Orihime was like 'hey I think I'm actually a lesbian' and Ichigo was like 'sick, because I'm really not feeling romance here' and they were both just kinda like. Alright then. Back to friendship! She's also SUPER ADHD. Probably uses fae/faer pronouns too, and giggles cause her powers include fairies.

Chad is just kinda. There. He just identifies himself as queer, and that's about as deep into he's going. The intricacies of his sexuality and gender are a mystery to everyone, including himself, so. There's that. His grandfather was similar in that regard, which is why Chad is just so chill about it. He doesn't really care, he just knows he's not cishet. Other than that? Not really important to him. He's happy. He/They/Thon pronouns for this large man!

Rukia and Renji are really fun in this regard. Starting with Rukia, she spent a good amount of her life in Rukongai just existing and being whoever the fuck she was, not really caring who she was because who cares when you don't know if you're gonna be alive tomorrow to keep being that person, and then suddenly she was thrown into being a noble and having to fit that, so she spent so long constantly being like 'gotta be perfect for the clan' that she really didn't think about herself for ages! And then, when she finally got the chance, she started realizing things that would have upset the Clan Elders, and she was like 'Fuck! Time For Repression!' which worked, up until her execution fiasco, and then she was like 'fuck! I can't just die not knowing who I am and being happy with who I am! Fuck you people, the clan elders can't fucking stop me from doing shit!' and she had Ichigo's really chill ass right next to her like 'alright have fun!' Which lead down the road of her discovering that she was a bisexual, with a preference for women (and Renji's muscles specifically), and used any pronouns. She came out to Byakuya about this one day, and Byakuya, who was trying to be a good brother, told her that he would handle the clan elders. She didn't hear a thing about it from them, and Byakuya only smiled when he saw her later.

Renji, on the other hand, was in the same sort of thing, but never had to worry about disappointing anybody. Renji has always lived for himself and only himself. He got his tattoos because he wanted them and no one could tell him no. He's exists as he is because he fucking wants to. He's been like this since he's a kid, so in the Soul Reaper Academy, he was experimenting with everybody, just for the hell of it. He was gonna be proud of who he is, no matter who he found himself out to be, so it didn't matter how long it took him to figure it out. So, honestly, when he finally sat down next to the GAYEST MARRIED COUPLE OF SQUAD ELEVEN (Ikkaku and Yumichika) and finally went 'huh... I'm pansexual' it wasn't like, a big thing, he just kinda said it, and then Yumi was like 'are you like... nervous about coming out to us or something?' and Renji just kinda shrugged and went 'I don't give a shit, I'm happy with it' and Ikkaku was like 'right fuckin answer my man' so. The same sort of process with his gender happened, but that one's an ongoing thing, since again, no matter where he is, he's comfortable with who he is, but he hasn't really like, sat down to ask himself any questions about it. So he's kinda nebulous. Just uses he/him for now, but it's also like, that's just cause how everyone else sees him, very masc. If people used other pronouns for him, he wouldn't object to it.

[silveryfairy]

hey man if it's not too much trouble, could you give us a brief rundown of the Nocturnes? It's just, every morning I wake up and there's a new one, and I Care everyone in this establishment a lot though I don't really know them, thank you kindly have a nice day

let my preface this by saying: aayushi, i love you, and your enthusiasm and interest for the things i create never ceases to bring me joy. you are the kind of friend i think everyone should have and i say that completely genuinely outside of this bit.

i say that as an apology in advance for what i’m about to unleash upon you, because what you’re going to see is the product of my friend @himepapillon and i’s absolute BRAINROT and what comes of it when not only two people make an oc universe from scratch but what happens when we then have to explain that universe to other people

you are in no way required to retain this information as to be completely honest me and jeremie haven’t fully either and we’re the ones who MADE this shitshow. below is the shoddy family tree i lovingly crafted in ms paint

let us begin. 

for starters, i’ll specify some things:

1. not every oc on this chart is mine, as it’s a collaboration between me and jeremie - the koenig family and bishop family belong to faer but the rest is all me baby! for the sake of your soul i will only be going into my half of this Mess

2. the universe this takes place in is a pretty wacky and silly one, just, like, Slightly removed from reality. these characters are all completely batshit insane and do things that no human being probably should. it’s all portrayed critically, as the general concept of this whole thing is “the goings-on of a bunch of unhinged corrupt rich people”. we kind of flip flop on how seriously stuff is played but if i had to slap a genre on this it’d be, like, black comedy drama. i know a lot of these concepts sound kinda fucked to write but that’s just because i’m trying to describe them in a SOMEWHAT concise way without going into Super Introspective mode

the nocturnes are an incredibly influential and rich family in the uk that tends to produce very influential and rich people. they’re also all a little bit insane. the main characters of this Saga are the sons of desmond and xanthes, the family’s resident Power Couple and biggest figureheads. they suck ass but that will become apparent the second i talk about their children.

from oldest to youngest, the nocturne boys are:

ichor nocturne, 25 - the eldest, ichor was disowned from the household when he was 18 for unruly behavior, sent to live alone on a farm so he couldn’t tarnish his family’s image any further. since then, you’d think the isolation has driven him a bit mad - he’s a very prolific cotton farmer and has been doing astonishingly well for himself, running his farm on his own with only his parents’ inheritance as help. ...that, and, of course, the blood of the people he executes to keep his crops growing - or so he believes. he moonlights as an executioner in the small town over, exterminating the ‘pests’ of the city. despite his newfound violence, he still routinely checks in on his siblings, finding ways to mysteriously end up at their door to pay visits. the older brother instinct still hasn’t left

icarus nocturne, 23 - the second eldest (only by technicality, as he is a twin), icarus is the family’s golden child! but not in terms of business or anything, oh no - icarus is a famous heartthrob teen (sorta) musician! he’s been in the limelight since he was a little boy, being an actor as a small child and getting into music as he grew. his general Look(tm), accompanied by infectiously happy rave music, is a trademark cutesy mask over his face with oversized clothing - meant to express as much energy as possible as he bounces about the stage. in reality, he lives a life as forced and controlled as possible by virtue of... living the fucked up life of a child star. but his parents have someone to take the fall - so, what of his twin?

achilles nocturne, 23 - icarus’ younger twin, which wouldn’t mean much... in any family but this one. achilles has had it drilled into his head since the beginning that he was a mistake next to icarus, to the point where legally, he does not exist. following icarus beginning his career, achilles was unpersoned completely - living in the family’s basement with the height of his education being for a very specific purpose... needing to be icarus’ body double on tours and for paparazzi - after all, they can’t have icarus’ purity tainted by all those clamboring fans! it’s a godawful situation. on the bright side, though, achilles has found a hobby where he can be himself: twitch streaming! yes really. under the name of 1upanonymous, hidden under a mask just like his brother, achilles at least has a fanbase that can love him for who he is! ...uh, kind of.

tomasine “tommy” nocturne, 16 - the youngest of the bunch, and it says a lot about his siblings’ capabilities that he’s the technical heir to the nocturnes’ various businesses and fortune. tommy is just a feral 16 year old that doesn’t give two shits about any fame or fortune, he just wants to party and drink and have fun like any other kid his age! he’s rebellious, loud, and charmingly annoying (to his brothers anyway), and has no real care for the gravity of his family’s situations beyond finding it annoying that they want him to be all PRIM and PROPER and BUSINESSY EEWWWWW. he’s just a funny loud little child trying to live his best life. loves his brothers fiercely

already a mess of people. and really, all you need to know about or really keep in mind are those four: the upcoming characters are largely just side ones we came up with because we thought it’d be funny to flesh out this fucked up family more. so let’s get into the anatra branch of the family - headed by jael nocturne, xanthes’ brother and the siblings’ uncle

jael anatra-nocturne, who i am not giving an age for my own sanity trying to decipher this fucking timeline - a crude and playful uncle, jael is someone the nocturne boys either love (icarus, tommy) or hate (achilles, ichor). constantly joking, as he expresses affection with loving insults - kind of a money-driven asshole, but a lovable one - he’s a career politician and met his current husband, joaquin, on the job. or, well... no longer current, because jael’s funny life of debauchery, toxic masculinity, and making fun of his nephews, came to an abrupt end when he was assassinated on live television. yipes!

joaquin anatra-nocturne, who also does not get an age - jael’s former secretary and current widow, joaquin is the local wine uncle. im not sure if that’s a classification but it is now, because he is one. an unapologetic gold-digger, he (publicly) took jael’s death frighteningly well, and is now living his best life with a revolving door of new boyfriends. his relationship with jael was a genuine and very loving one, and joaquin IS devastated by his death, but both of them just found the bit of pretending to be this loveless gold digger/politician couple very funny, and being as suspicious as possible around his husband’s death is exactly what jael would have wanted joaquin to do

taddeo anatra-nocturne, 14 - the youngest child of these two, a shy little boy with big Child In A Horror Movie energies. makes potions in the backyard and probably decorates his clothes with animal bones n stuff when he’s older. despite this he’s pretty harmless, nice and fiercely loyal - tommy especially thinks he’s fun and likes to hang out with him at family gatherings - just so long as you look past the creepy dolls he likes to talk to and fires he likes to set. especially close with jael and wants to be a miniature version of him, buuut still being a shy tween taddeo hasn’t been able to act on that much.

dailon anatra-nocturne, 20 - the adopted second child of jael and joaquin, dailon is a moody and unstable delinquent that was snatched up by them just as he was about to age out of foster care. while he has a chill ‘cool-older-even-though-he’s-younger-cousin’ demeanor, the tension when he’s around his parents - jael specifically - can be cut with a knife. dailon hates his dad: ‘someone who expresses affection with insults and jokes and likes seeing people pissed at him’ and ‘someone who’s volatile, short-tempered, and sullen after living in a foster home most his life’ are just as bad of a combination as you’d expect. dailon gets himself into a lot of trouble, and is an overall very self-centered prick, but we’ll get more on that in a bit.

HELL FAMILY...2!!! that’s the last of the families to cover, buuuut there are still some other names on that list - mostly connected to dailon. this is REAL “just going on in the background” shit that you also do not need to know whatsoever (except for mitzi she’s pretty important she’s just down here for organization purposes) - i just like to play god and make characters get into drama.

[tw: cheating, unhealthy relationships, stalking]

mitzi “moon” altberg, 23 - achilles must feel very far away by now, but we’re back to him for a second! mitzi is his ex-girlfriend he met online, a fan-to-employee-to-lover and one of the maybe two people outside of the family achilles has shown his real face to. however, achilles growing up deeply unstable - between his parents’ abuse, having spotlights on him and adoring fans both as icarus’ body double and as a streamer, and in general not really growing up to be any kind of well developed human being - made this relationship a complete disaster. he grew obsessive and controlling - and when she tried to ignore him, he broke his one rule (to never go outside without permission) to find the hotel she was staying at in real life and show up to confront her. the incident was completely covered up, both by the nocturnes and with their connections, and so mitzi was forced to stay silent. this entire thing is based on this song! as time heals wounds, though, mitzi will end up doing pretty well for herself and putting achilles behind her - even getting a new boyfriend, jared!

reynard fiala, 20 - dailon’s (ex-)boyfriend, who he’s enraveled in his own weird soap opera subplot with. reynard is a relatively chill person, with an interest in art and taxidermy - just as morbid as dailon’s brother, but in a more. Normal way. genuinely a sweetheart who does not deserve what happens to them: getting cheated on with dailon’s best friend. yipes^2! while it's earth shattering in the moment, all reynard will really want to do come some time to process is to move on and for him and dailon both to heal in peace... far away from eachother (which is easier said than done since taddeo thinks reynard is super cool and loves having him over, the awkwardness between them and his brother be damned)

jared summers, 21 - the most normal person here. a longterm best friend of dailon’s, and yes, the very same one i just mentioned. he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer - what we in the industry would call a himbo if his dumbassery didn’t cause very real damage - who had been pining for dailon for years and him dating was no deterrent, and dailon, thinking the world revolves around him as he tends to do, accepted jared’s confession so they just kinda started dating on the side. jared has the moral backbone of a pool noodle, and even after it causes dailon’s relationship with reynard to fall apart, will need a wholeass intervention to be staged to make them both realize just how shitty they’re being. after that, though, jared will end that mess and be on his way to becoming a better person himself - with the help of a sweet girl he’s met online.

jared and mitzi dating in the future is the most contrived thing on the planet but just hear me out that it’ll be HILARIOUS for achilles to check in on his ex-girlfriend and find she’s dating his cousin’s best friend, who said cousin was apparently dating on the side. very small world, it is. 

anyway, thank you if you’ve somehow stuck around to read this entire thing - this isn’t even getting into jeremie’s half of this whole ordeal, which includes some of these fellas’ friends and partners, as well as more crazy rich people nonsense. it’s been very fun to think about and i do love it all dearly, even if putting it all together it’s SUCH a mess.

we don’t intend to make anything Legit out of this, it’s honestly just a fun way to pass the time. it’s the adult equivalent of playing dollhouse. in our minds this is like a 20 season soap opera but actually explaining it to other people it’s just like this

but thank you again for letting me babble i hope it was somewhat entertaining! and again, godspeed if you managed to read this much XD

[ok-so-chiggy]

Welcome back to the Hunger Games x Mandalorian series. We now enter into the dream-world of our Beloved Child where we will encounter curiosities, terrors, and revelations.

Hello! I am back! I just had a very busy, exhausting month: I came out as agender to literally everyone in my life (woo!), and I also picked up a second job...so I work 7 days a week (woo?!)

Lady Irina asked about Chapter 5, so I came out of hiatus to post Chapter 5...which has been languishing in the catacombs of my Google Drive for many months lol. Anyways, I really hope y’all enjoy the chapter!! <3 My thanks, as always, go to Lady (@sulphuryasecretcloset) for letting me use her amazing characters and concepts, Ace (@miscellaneous-ace) for lending faer support and genius, and Arboreal (@arboreal-elm-ash-oak) for beta-ing my fic! <3 <3 <3

[thegildedlady]

Fetch

Ciaragan felt the weighty, viscous raindrops of Revendreth slap against the back of her cloak as she stood outside the gates of the Iremoore Estate. Black iron bars loomed over her, ever presently reminding her of her position in this realm- outsider, mortal, prisoner. Holding aloft the pass given to all ‘friends’ of House Iremoore (an exaggeration, since the Venthyr do not have friends, only interests), the metal ribcage creaked open allowing her to slip inside. There was no respite from the cold and the wet within, however, and it would be several minutes before the warm glow of a fireplace emerged into vision. As she silently floated through the stone hallways of the stately manor, her mind was frantically trying to process what, or who, had just surprised her with a visit. 

She had not seen her brother Faervell since they were separated and sold to the highest bidding nobility, what felt like nearly a lifetime ago now. Time had little meaning to her here, and she had stopped trying to keep count of the days once she realized that the sun rose and set in this world at the will of its Master, not any sort of cosmic logic. Ciaragan had been certain that he was there to take his revenge, and she could find no blame to give him for it. If the roles had been reversed, and it was she who had been manipulated and lied to by the one closest to her for years and years, she knew what her response would be. It was safe to assume, then, that her twin might feel and act the same way. But he did not. He nearly crumpled to the ground at her touch. It was not the reaction she had expected, but an interesting alternative to boot. His words played on repeat in her mind... The possibility of leaving Revendreth was a tantalizing morsel, a speck of hope for a life gone by. She had let go of that silly dream ages ago and was presently rather comfortable at court, a stark difference to where the two of them had started.

She tried not to let her mind wander back to those days very often. The memories of her torment brought Ciaragan nothing but pain, and that same familiar tightening in her chest and drop in her stomach she used to feel when the nights began and the fear set in. The cold stones of her cell, the weight of her chains, the feeling of her Anima being drained from her soul... it was all too much to think about, yet it flooded her mind like a dam bursting and she was helpless to shut it off. 

“You have been sent here because in life you were burdened with prodigious pride. Your only chance of avoiding the Maw now is to confess and repent for your past sins. Consider this the beginning of your treatment.”

Steeling herself, she stopped for a moment to count the seconds as she steadied her breath and regained composure. Weakness would not do at court, and the courtiers of House Iremoore could sniff out a vulnerability like sharks in bloody water. If she was to keep their respect and favor, she could show no fear. It is they who should be afraid, she thought to herself. Although she had not quite yet surpassed the tutelage of her Venthyr masters, she was well along the path to Atonement. With that came more power than she had ever wielded before, but not without cost- paid for in pounds of flesh, blood, and tears. She intended to stay in Revendreth and become one of the Venthyr after judgement was passed on her by the Master. Then, she would repay all the ‘kindnesses’ shown to her here by tenfold. It brought a small smile to her face to think of it now. Eyes on the prize, and ever the good student, Ciaragan knew she would best them all.

But why wait, a small voice in the back of her skull whispered, Why not best them now? Escape with Faer, and you are free of these games...

“Ah, Pet! You’ve returned to us, yet again. Come and sit by my side, Mortal, and show us what you brought back.”

Her focused snapped back to reality as the voice of her master, Lord Ionel, cut through the air of the raucous soirée taking place in the parlor room. Every head turned to gawk at her for a gut-wrenching moment, only to ignore her again once the music resumed and the party continued as if never interrupted. Ever since the mysterious demise of House Iremoore’s former Master Lord Andrei, the new head of house has been busy establishing a fresh court. This meant that the estate was a nonstop orgy of schmoozing gentry and Anima consumption that was down right gluttonous. Ciaragan slithered her way across the dancefloor, cutting through the crowd at her master’s call. She gave a flourish of a curtsey before clearing her throat.

“Good evening, Lord Ionel. I have returned with the Anima you sought. Though perhaps better directions would be in order for next time, hm? The map drawn up for me was useless.” She removed the satchel from her back and drew away the fabric to reveal a large glass canister filled with crimson, luminous Anima. Lord Ionel’s bulging eyes grew wide and lustful as he approached, clawed-hand outstretched to receive the prize she had brought him. 

“Give it to me.”

The other Venthyr were keen on what she had delivered now, and Ciaragan could almost hear their mouths watering as she handed the Anima over to her master. He held it aloft over his head, letting the candlelight caress the edge of the glass.

“Friends of House Iremoore! Rejoice, and replenish yourselves at the fount of our great house’s generosity. My mortal Pet here has gone out and fetched refreshments for us all. Huzzah!”

“Huzzah!” Came the reply from the crowd as servants swarmed around them, handing out golden bejeweled chalices to sip the Anima from. As the Venthyr formed a line to receive a pour from Lord Ionel’s own cup, Ciaragan slung her cloak into her chair with an unnecessary violence and plopped down at the master’s table. Pet. She hated to be called that. She hated these people, and they all hated each other, which in turn made it easier to find allies to hate the others with. A Dredger brought her a cup of wine which she waved away with a snarl. Lady Endura, one of Ionel’s mistresses, leaned over to purr the latest gossip in Ciaragan’s ear. 

“I assume you already know about what happened to Baroness Mathilda...Her faux pas at court last night...”

“It matters not to me.”

“Oh really? Touchy, touchy today... Someone grab your favorite servant while you were away? Hate it when that happens.”

“No, it’s not that. I am just in a poor mood is all.”

“Fine, don’t tell me. You know I’ll find out anyway.” Endura smirked, her words tinged with a thinly-veiled threat.

Ciaragan watched with eyes glazed over as the Venthyr toasted to themselves and the party rolled along without her. She was deep in thought, too important to fall prey to petty distractions. Would he be waiting for her there, like he had promised? Should she even return? Could it all be a trap or a test of her loyalty? Perhaps. But if there was even the slightest, most microscopic chance that she and her brother could be free, would she be a fool to let it slip away? 

“Pet, if you’re just going to sit there and look sour all evening then I’ll be forced to retire you to your chambers early. Is that what you want?”

She blinked to clear her vision and was met with the looming form of Lord Ionel. He looked displeased, which was never a good sign. Standing rigidly at attention, she thought up a quick excuse.

“My Lord, I was ambushed by a wanderer on my return to you and although I dispatched the creature, it has left me rather road weary. I should like to retire, at your pleasure of course.”

He frowned, his brow heavily furrowed. “And you only mention this now? Poor, pitiful mortal. I sometimes forget how weak you are. Perhaps I shall not send you out alone anymore if you are not ready... Revendreth is a dangerous place for fragile little beings like you.”

“I did not consider it worth mentioning, my Lord, but now I see it has affected me more than previously thought. My greatest apologies, Lord Ionel.” She lowered herself into a bow. Ionel sucked his teeth and waved his hand over her.

“Rise, my Pet. Retire and regain your strength. We will resume your lessons tomorrow.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

As she sulked away, her face hot and her expression hard, Ciaragan’s mind was made up. She grew bored of these games. It was about time she remembered who she was... what she was capable of. She was nobody’s pet. She would show them all, one way or another. But she could not do it alone.

@pyrar​ for mention

[if-the-crown-fits-translate-it]

Discord pt 98

[Date: 19/03, 06:01 AM GMT - 19/03, 06:50 AM GMT]

[CW for unethical floral experimentation, injury mention]

kateza affectionate: “mona, don't be so hard on yourself, ok?”

Maxwell: “....i....think we should tell her about the other stuff

mona”

Little-K1ng: “............theres more????”

Marcus: “.........heh”

Little-K1ng: “uh. heh?”

Maxwell: “I saw syds observation post from yesterday...it had a scrrenshot of something I said, and jack and them told me thats what you didnt want me seeing yesterday....”

Marcus: “Oh that

....yeah”

Little-K1ng: “O_O

uh..........................................................”

Marcus: “...that’s kind of what the argument was about”

Little-K1ng: “,,,,,,,,,,,,um

oh fuck. i

max...”

Maxwell: “im not upset”

Little-K1ng: “i just...”

Maxwell: “i took some time”

Little-K1ng: “you're... not?”

Maxwell: “and i get why you did it

yeah

but”

kateza affectionate: “you're in an unprecedented situation. a situation that keeps getting worse and worse with seemingly no reprieve. I don't blame you for slipping up here and there- there's so much stress involved that it's almost expected for you to be upset. i don't think anyone blames you for doing these things. that's all i wanted to say.”

Maxwell: “its gotten worse

baroness has images of more times where i've slipped up

at least twice during my argument with her”

Little-K1ng: “oh christ”

Maxwell: “and then I switched back to ender for certain words....”

Little-K1ng: “i.....”

Maxwell: “and....i sent prince an ask on faer blog....”

Little-K1ng: “you... did?”

Maxwell: “saying i was sorry for upsetting faem and i hoped i could see faem again soon”

Little-K1ng: “oh no oh no

oh max....”

Maxwell: “fae said "see you soon, page"”

Marcus: “...max signed the ask as page as well”

Maxwell: “no no

the was the second one”

Marcus: “..there was one before??”

Maxwell: “after he answered the first one i closed my eyes to breath”

Little-K1ng: “how can i be getting worse so much faster....”

Marcus: “.....I don’t...remember”

Little-K1ng: “unless...”

Marcus: “...huh”

Little-K1ng: “oh fucking christ no non on ono nonon ono nonono.....”

Maxwell: “and when I opened them like three minutes had passed and I had sent an ask as page apparently”

Little-K1ng: “did..... did crown do something? did he get in? did he get in when i left the door open??? and make it worse???????”

Marcus: “...I don’t

...max i don’t remember you sending an ask

Only page”

Little-K1ng: “is it my fault? did... did i do that? did i really.... i..... left you vulnerable....... i....”

Maxwell: “no it isnt your fault”

Little-K1ng: “i just....... this doesnt.... this doesnt hurt me nearly as much as it should.... im not... im still not upset..?”

Marcus: “Mona, Crown didn’t come in...I would’ve seen him. It’s not your fault”

kateza affectionate: “this isn't your fault mona

you're probably emotionally tired”

Little-K1ng: “but i just... i still just feel empty about it. i feel fully justified about this and i know i fucked up but im not hurt”

Raeva: “oh...”

Maxwell: “uh....I have marigold tea if you want some”

Little-K1ng: “i cant even fucking apologize right”

Marcus: “You didn’t mess up

...max what”

kateza affectionate: “you're emotionally burnt out, Mona. This is a bad situation”

Little-K1ng: “wh. where did you get marigolds?”

Maxwell: “oH

uH”

Marcus: “max”

Little-K1ng: “....;max????”

Maxwell: “hm.....well....

Little-K1ng: “max i dont have any tea except dandelion root

you're 16 you dont have money or a car

where the fuck,????”

Maxwell: “fetch was hurt....and i wanted to make sure I could help him tomorrow if he came back home tomorrow”

Marcus: “.....arent the flowers on your laurel...”

Maxwell: “.....”

Marcus: “max you didnt”

Little-K1ng: “mAaAaAaX??!!!!

what the HELL”

Marcus: “Don’t yell at him!”

Little-K1ng: “ahhhhh??????????????

im ??? not yelling on purpose im just????????

what the hell ??????”

Maxwell: “i wanted to help and it works?!”

Marcus: “you tested it???”

Maxwell: “yes”

Little-K1ng: “thats such a silly idea max of course it worked??? magic is like that sometimes??? but why would you have even thought about it ?????????”

Marcus: “max”

Maxwell: “i...”

Little-K1ng: “thats so silly how did it taste wh”

Maxwell: “i knew marigolds have the ability to help heal wounds...they can help speed up the process sometimes by a couple of days”

Marcus: “Are you okay??”

Maxwell: “they can help with blood flow”

Marcus: “Which ones did you cut off? Did you only cut one?”

Little-K1ng: “are you???? ok max first of all. heavy metal poisoning speedrunning. nice one. but also. dude cmon they double when you do that”

Maxwell: “and can sometimes even be used to treat infections...

i only cut one but it workss”

Little-K1ng: “one flower for how much ??”

Marcus: “...”

Little-K1ng: “like. did the water change color? bubble strangely? make fucked up ender noises at you??”

Maxwell: “i got a scrape on my arm when I was pacing outside waiting for fetch and I dipped a paper towel in it and put it on the wound”

Little-K1ng: “god maybe i am emotionally exhausted”

Maxwell: “it almost fully closed instantly”

Marcus: “...I kinda hope it made ender noises that would be funny”

[Maxwell: “it almost fully closed instantly”]

Little-K1ng: “hUH”

Maxwell: “it healed the wound faster than normal

not completely but enough”

Little-K1ng: “oh you better hope you dont do that too much and find out once your laurel wilts the wounds just open wtf”

Marcus: “I don’t think normal marigolds do that”

Little-K1ng: “thats like. supremely fucked dude??? thats weird.”

Maxwell: “.....”

Marcus: “...interesting”

Little-K1ng: “if you only used one did you??? just use the one i cut?”

Maxwell: “i wanted to help fetch

no the...one you cut was a bud

i needed one with petals that was bloomed...”

Marcus: “Y’know Max, I don’t think anyone else would’ve tried that”

Maxwell: “also the bud hasnt wilted despite being cut off a day ago...

but yeah i needed petals”

Marcus: “....”

Maxwell: “i tried to take em off when it was on my head but it felt like I was pulling out my hair so i stopped and just....”

Little-K1ng: “no, i understand the need. i get it. i want to help fetch too and honestly? i would have done the same”

Maxwell: “took a whole one”

Marcus: “...are you okay?

How did that not wake me up”

Little-K1ng: “im. i just. i feel so screwed up about this whole thing.”

Maxwell: “i didnt yell”

Marcus: “...”

Maxwell: “i numbed it with ice and grabbed the scissors

fetch wasnt happy when i told him”

Little-K1ng: “well of course not”

Maxwell: “jack saw it as an experiment”

Marcus: “...you talked to fetch?

Like directly?”

Little-K1ng: “you told him???”

Maxwell: “no he was messaging her”

Little-K1ng: “i dont even tell him when i hide a pill in some cheese for him

wait dont tell him that i said that”

Marcus: “I thought he just gave an update and that’s how you knew about stuff”

Maxwell: “to let us know he wouldnt be home tonight

yeah and i said i knew a way to help heal him”

Marcus: “...”

Maxwell: “he...knew i was gonna do something I shouldnt have

theres still quite a bit left”

Marcus: “....i can see why he would think that”

Maxwell: “it's in a bowl....

....you can use some if you need it”

Little-K1ng: “...........ok. would it be weird. if i drank it

like a little bit

maybe itll?? pick up my mood or something”

Marcus: “What if it cures your migraines”

Maxwell: “i dont know if it works for moods”

Little-K1ng: “god i WISH”

Maxwell: “uh give me a sec”

[Marcus: “What if it cures your migraines”]

Little-K1ng: “MARCUS IF IT DOES THAT IM GIVING YOU TWO THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE”

Maxwell: “you could try but as far as i remember it wont work

it works for wounds and inflammatory stuff”

Little-K1ng: “damn”

Marcus: “Why would you give it to me-”

Little-K1ng: “yeah ill be honest i maybe do not want the weird rat juice . at least not right now”

Maxwell: “its...flower

i put the petals in a pot and boiled em”

Little-K1ng: “Brain Flower of the Rat is not exactly the most appealing tea flavor, max. with all due respect”

Maxwell: “then i strained them”

Marcus: “Juice of Brain Flower of the Rat then”

Maxwell: “actually tastes slightly like normal water...

if anything slightly sweet

jack said it might taste like rose water”

[Marcus: “Juice of Brain Flower of the Rat then”]

Little-K1ng: “sick new lacroix flavor”

[Maxwell: “jack said it might taste like rose water”]

Little-K1ng: “.....rose water?”

Maxwell: “yeah you boil the roses then strain em into a bowl

like i did with the marigolds”

Little-K1ng: “i like rose water... :/ guess maybe i do want the fucked up rat brain plant water”

Maxwell: “you could try some its not like I cant make more”

Little-K1ng: “....hm !!! dont like that

do not make more rat water”

Maxwell: “....”

Little-K1ng: “i will try some but do not make more”

Marcus: “...please stop calling it rat water?”

Little-K1ng: “marcus?? do you want to try some (Patent Pending) Maxwell Ratatouille's Funky Fresh Brain Tea™️?”

Maxwell: “....

im too tired for this shit”

Little-K1ng: “im coping max.”

Marcus: “....”

Maxwell: “ fair”

Marcus: “I don’t have any injuries?”

Maxwell: “im.....i might go to sleep soon....

who?”

Marcus: “Who?”

Little-K1ng: “we dont have injuries

basically

okay so uh?? bottoms up i guess”

sip sip

sip

Marcus: “..oh wait

My elbow?

Does it work on old injuries?”

Little-K1ng: “uh. hm

it tastes good?”

Maxwell: “oh yeah its burned! it wont get rid of the injury but it might help with any lingering pain?”

Little-K1ng: “it tastes nice actually, the rose water thing was actually accurate

........................................huh

wtf”

kateza affectionate: “I’m gonna head to bed. Stay safe y’all. Much love /p”

Little-K1ng: “gn Kate !

uh

hm. okay”

Maxwell: “hm?”

Marcus: “What Mona?”

Little-K1ng: “so. i may have forgotten to mention out loud to yall but i have some pretty bad joint pain

like, typically, its a mid level pain all the time

and its jsut? less

less pain

thats nice”

Maxwell: “told ya it works!”

Little-K1ng: “it.... does !

dont make more though

ill enjoy this for as long as it lasts but for gods sake max dont pick the laurel for tea”

Marcus: “Please don’t make more rat juice max”

Little-K1ng: “gonna do a rat juice high five marcus

try it??”

Marcus: “I’ll..try just applying it to my elbow”

Little-K1ng: “something something dab joke”

Marcus: “Man you really are tired huh?

Little-K1ng: “i am so tired

work was hard

and i came home, expecting like, the remnants of a fight”

Marcus: “Okay- oh”

Little-K1ng: “only to realize that like, just about every problem for the last 2 days are probably entirely my fault”

Marcus: “Mona”

Little-K1ng: “and i dont actually have it in me to think i actually did anything wrong and i keep getting angry and snapping at people who dont deserve it”

Marcus: “Mona it’s fine

I promise”

Little-K1ng: “<:(”

Maxwell: “you okay marcus”

Little-K1ng: “^this is an incredibly forced frown. again, i dont feel bad”

Maxwell: “the water didnt hurt you right?”

Marcus: “Huh?

Oh

No it’s quite soothing actually”

Little-K1ng: “yeah weird right ??”

Marcus: “A bit”

Little-K1ng: “i WILL physically fight you max if you try to make more though

i will get mad. dont”

Maxwell: “....sorry”

Little-K1ng: “i mean dont be sorry for trying it, that was a good idea

but you've done it once, thats enough”

Marcus: “Please don’t make more max”

Little-K1ng: “for safety reasons”

Marcus: “Yeah”

Little-K1ng: “i dont know how easily those stems get infected

and with how deep they run i really dont want you to find out

i already endangered you all this far, please dont help me do that

guys... you both look so tired”

Maxwell: “you wont endagenr us its fein”

Little-K1ng: “maybe you should go to bed”

Maxwell: “im fien”

Little-K1ng: “sounds like it ,':)

head to the tulips, dormouse :)!”

Maxwell: “fuckign what”

Maxwell: “awwwww i love emas”

Little-K1ng: “do you guys want to sleep in the living room? my bed is pretty huge”

Maxwell: “oh iv emafe a neast on the fllor”

Little-K1ng: “oh perfect, and it looks like marcus is already asleep :) thats okay!! goodnight you guys”

Maxwell: “nihgtn”

[whorureallv]

tuesday, 6:00PM

an envelope is found in the mayor’s mailbox, addressed to him AND the people of stardew valley. the writer asks for lewis to share this through the group chat.

the first part is as follow:

this is a request to whoever is leaving these notes around town to stop. no longer will you use this incident to further your own agenda.

while my word may not mean much, i can promise no more harm shall come to anyone by my hand. i am not as big of a monster as you all might think.

what’s this?

we supposedly have another person running around impersonating the murderer!

it’s up to you whether to take this information on good faith. 

after all, how much is a murderer’s word worth?

the second is as follow:

my last note led you to the library. this one points to the mountains, where something might catch your eye. under it you shall find what i used to take a man's life.

finally, another clue!

how kind of them to offer the scrambling folks of stardew valley a chance to figure this out.

-

to the brave folks who go up to the mountain to find said clue:

following the trail up towards the mines, if you keep a careful eye out you might notice a shine. 

between our favorite carpenter’s home and the mines there is a small gathering of opals underneath a tree.

the spot that they are laying atop has clearly been dug up. it’s hard to say how recently the dirt was disturbed. if you go digging, you’ll find a small box. the box itself is unimportant. 

-

in it are two bags: one is filled with red mushrooms and the other holly berries. nothing about either item give you a hint of where they came from. in the book on stardew’s history, it is noted that both items can be located in the secret woods. is that where the killer foraged their instruments of death? it is rare to find red mushrooms there during fall, so that might be unlikely.

-

red mushrooms can also be found in the mines. a location not too far from where the box was buried. maybe it’s as simple as the killer found them there. or maybe they came from somewhere else? 

there’s a few caves that you can find them in as well. those caves can be found on some of the local farmer’s land. maybe the killer stuck close to home to find the mushrooms. or is it possible they were bought at a store? 

the traveling cart run by the ever so lovely sloane is know to sell them from time to time. has anyone see faer lately?

-

holly can also be found throughout the valley. except it is rare to come across since it flourishes the best during winter. does that mean someone foraged them during last winter and have been holding onto them since then? the berries do appear a bit dry. 

the symbol on the bag, however, is not a local one: were they possibly purchased somewhere out of the valley?

-

under the bags is a mortar and pestle with a few vials of unidentified powders. careful! it might contain something else harmful to you. is it possible that there was unaccounted ingredient that was mixed in with the red mushrooms and holly?

bonus: if you continue on past this point and venture into the mines, you might find a questionable sight. looks like a novice of some sorts tried their hand at mining. and failed miserably. 

it appears that after getting one good geode they decided to abandon their gear in the mine. if you ask anyone who has been in the mines lately, they’ll tell you it’s been there for a couple of days now.

was this the culprit behind the window smashing with cryptic notes? if so, where did they obtain the other geodes they used to vandalize our good folks home if they gave up? or is it possible they staged the scene to throw off suspicions of them being an experienced miner?

[aro-neir-o]

Carnival of Aros: New January 2020 Roundup

You all no-doubt saw my frantic posting and reblogging of the submissions on Friday (apologies; I thought I had spread those out, but no, I did not queue things correctly).

Thank you to everyone who submitted something and also to everyone who interacted with the submissions. I very much enjoyed hosting this carnival and everyone had something interesting to say. I myself did not have the spoons to write my own piece but a lot of my thoughts and feelings were echoed in others’ pieces.

I am following the format the December Carnival of Aros host used for the roundup. There is a Short List which is an amalgamation of links to all the submissions and a Long List with commentary about what each submission covered in terms of themes or topic. The Long List is under the Read More link.

SHORT LIST

Isaac, Part One and Part Two

Briar

Annie

Maximus

Ace of Arrows

Izel

Laura

Le herbe

Sennkestra

Scoop

LONG LIST

The first post Isaac wrote covers how learning the difference between asexuality and aromanticism opened up many doors for thinking about orientation, especially how a-spec orientations interact with non-a-spec orientation. Additionally, coining the term “squish” helped explain a lot of the non-normative platonic feelings aromanticism brought with it, and so new conceptualizations were able to be shared with the whole community. The second post talks about how discovering aromanticism interacted with discovering gender for Isaac. Orientation models that work with aromanticism can be applied to gender as well, so that one’s relationship to their sex can be considered separately from one’s relationship to gender.

“I didn’t identify as aromantic immediately, and as asexual even later, but splitting what was socially tangled opened new doors to me. [...] Sharing the terminology of “squish” with other people aware of aromanticism has allowed me to express clearly my feelings and even to establish a queerplatonic relationship, though I didn’t know of the terminology yet. [...] I could realize my gender identity because I split biological sex and psychosocial gender even for identity, where they are usually grouped together.”

In their post, Briar talks about how re-closeting themself has made them approach aspects of their identity differently. They mention how the prioritization of the identities they have in their life seems to be different from most aro bloggers, and how this makes them feel distanced from the community. How many issues framed as aro-specific issues are also being taken up by alloromantic people was also something they touch upon. They also share how a poem written by their friend resonated with aro experiences, giving an in-depth analysis of each stanza.

“I’m not trying to get some sort of reassurance that I can include myself in the aro community with this. It’s more that I’ve realized that not every group or community is made up of 200% committed Ride Or Die people, even if said group is considered young and relatively smaller than more established groups. [...] When I was first trying to figure out if I was somewhere under the aro umbrella at all, I came up with a term that I felt encompassed my specific experience. It kinda, sorta has overlap with a few other terms that I’ve seen a few times (definitely not often), but I’ve honestly never felt like sharing that term would actually accomplish anything in the aro community.”

Annie submitted a beautiful piece of art that expresses feelings of happiness upon discovering the aromantic identity. How the vocabulary and conceptualizations of the aro community helped Annie craft a new self can be seen in the colourful and prideful painting. Giving back to the community and sharing these feelings of happiness and gratitude really comes through in the piece.

“I have always been kinda creative, and I really wanted do something for the aro community and for myself. I discovered I was aro a year ago, and it made me so happy to have this new label that was almost made for me.”

Maximus wrote faer post on how discovering aromanticism can help one understand romance better. Fae talks about faer experiences with compulsory romance and heteronormativity growing up, and how understanding aromanticism helped with stepping back and becoming less judgemental towards others who experience romantic attraction. Furthermore, how romance can look very different for different people opened up a whole new understanding of love for Maximus.

“Being able to situate myself in the aro identity has given me a new, and frankly better, way to address the emotions and trends of my peers. Honestly, spending years of my life assuming people were being dramatic on purpose as a way of gaining or asserting social status was not the healthiest. It hasn't been until recently that I've been able to move away from the mindset that romance is a horrible thing. It is simply a strong emotion that I don't experience. The assumption that I did experience it was always, and continues to be, the worst part.”

The post Ace of Arrows made centers on positivity and acceptance of diversity. Channeling a mutually understood frustration into positive action is one such theme covered in the post. Ace of Arrows also discusses how aromanticism as an individual preference of orientation is deeply linked to narratives normalized in Western culture - narratives that are, historically speaking, new. The post ends with some book recommendations that align with Ace of Arrows’ own journey learning about alternative relationship models.

“I often think about how “romance” and the idea of “marrying for love” are actually very recent concepts that started gaining traction in the West some time around the middle of the 20th century, and yet we act as if this is how all humans everywhere have always conducted their relationships. [...] So it follows that there have also always been people who have conducted their individual relationships in a manner that is more closely aligned to the relationships of aromantic people today than the normalised romantic narrative of society.”

Izel submitted a poem, titled “To all the aros.” The poem opens with a call to other aros who share Izel’s experiences of frustrations and rejection, and it reads as a uniting anthem against these negative feelings. Acceptance of one’s own identity and of the diversity of aromantic experiences shine through as major takeaways from this piece.

“I thought that I needed a fairytail love story in my life in order to be happy. … … But I don’t need that.Aros don’t need that, don’t we? We don’t feel romantic attraction, and that’s ok.And some of us feel some romantic attraction, and that’s ok, too. Sometimes, romance isn’t for everyone.”

In her post, Laura discusses how new doesn’t always equate with excitement and optimism. Things that are new can just as often cause us fear and nervousness. Laura discusses how Tumblr has contributed to aro activism and growth, in both positive and negative ways. Finally, Laura calls for the aro community to continue reinventing itself and continue “becoming new,” to shed the fears that come with change, and to commit to real inclusion.

“I want to see the aro community grow. I want to see it create new resources, explore issues that have never been explored before, and build a foundation for a vibrant, inclusive community that will continue well into the future. [...] I’ve been doing my best to push the aro community in new directions for the better part of two years now. However, every time I or anyone else tries something new, there are people who are afraid.” 

Herbe de provence wrote a post on how discovering aromanticism, at first, triggered feelings of denial, but then set off a chain reaction of self-reflection that ended up explaining of lot of childhood feelings. Learning about aromanticism gave Le herbe new confidence to be accepting. How accepting and curious LGBTQ+ friends increased Le herbe’s pride in the aromantic identity is also an important theme touched on in the post.

“In truth, when I learned that I was aromantic I earned so much more than just a word to describe my experience for I learned to accept a part of myself I never knew I was reppresing. [...] Many, many months after first reading the word « aromantic » this is still new for me and I sometime have to remind myself that *it is alright to be myself*. That *it is alright to love like I want*, Like I *do*.” 

Sennkestra wrote a post combining the themes of “new” and “allyship.” Being a good ally means being consistently accepting, patient, and an active listener, but it can also mean learning and growing with new ways of being a better ally every so often. Sennkestra shares anecdotes as examples of above-and-beyond allyship and also encourages others to share their own, so that allies to aros everywhere can add new and diverse actions to their repertoire. The little things can count a lot.

“Even though many of these actions are objectively somewhat small things, they show that these people have remembered my identities, taken the time to learn a bit about it, and have had the presence of mind to actively take the chance to support us when they saw an opening. And cumulatively, they all add up to a lot of support that’s made it much easier to live the lifestyle I want to live without anxiety, and given me the backing I need to continue to do active work even with audiences who might not be so supportive.”

In her post, Scoop talks about how discovering the aro community brought her new understandings and connections with people that she was missing, but it also made connecting with non-aros that much harder. Scoop also describes her struggles choosing between non-SAM and alloaro labels - both of which resonate with her but are considered completely separate microcommunities. Finally, while Scoop expresses about her excitement with involving herself in new types of activism, she also expresses her fear about being outed in these situations. What’s new isn’t always without great risk.

“One of my friends will say, every now and then, 'romance isn’t all bad' to me and I find myself taken aback every time. I know it isn’t all bad? Does she think I do? Is it bc I criticise the system? But in reality I want people to find the romance they desire. I just simply think that they deserve it in a way that is much kinder and more considerate than they often receive it. And give it. I've gotten really good at speaking aro and sometimes I'm going to need to translate that language. [...] ”

[chaoticpanenergy]

god. god. okay. so. im in a dnd campaign. yes? yes. im going to rant about my character's plotline. the campaign's theme (vaguely) is political intrigue. also fair warning there are going to be a number of sex mentions because the players are all horny college students (except technically i just graduated). also lots of morally questionable and straight up morally bad choices from various characters, all done in the name of entertainment.

relevant characters to what im abt to talk about:

kaede kipling (pc) (ze/hir, fae/they/she): my character, heir apparent (second heir in line) to House Kipling, an extremely rich and powerful family of professional assassins.

min (pc) (she/they/fae): played by one of the humans who i make out with (M, any pronouns); is a changeling (shapeshifter) noble seeking to form political alliances to benefit her family.

kenneth kipling (npc) (he/him): kaede’s uncle, heir to House Kipling (first in line), extremely cruel and also extremely hot and flamboyant; is. like. a vampire weeb (veeb) and has body modded fangs (is actually a half elf); seduces all his victims before killing them; decided kaede was his arch nemesis when kaede was about six (and he was like 22) and has personally made faer life a living hell since then.

santino (npc) (he/him i think? or he/any, most npcs use a variety): an aasimar (angel) healer who has a preexisting political alliance and close personal friendship with min

yersis (npc) (she/her or she/they i think): a powerful political leader in the country we live in (although not at the top of the government hierarchy). very hot. a lot of "yes mommy" jokes get made ooc anytime she does anything. vaguely allied with min, mostly because min wants to ally faerself with her and yersis doesn't object to this. tolerates but dislikes kenneth.

also!! the dm (R, they/them) is the other human i make out with, and is dating min’s player. they are both so cool :)

okay okay okay SO. M and i are the two players who are the most deeply invested in the Complicated Plot part of the campaign (the whole campaign was actually a birthday present for M from R, it was rlly cute). so M and i have a ton of lore that we've created together. and a ton of plot. in this post i am mostly talking about just the plot that directly impacts my character. there is a ton more i am not touching on in this post. here we go, buckle up:

so! the whole party met each other upon being summoned by a deity of chaos and anarchy to do some quest that he won't actually tell us the details of. we were sent to a party, which we are given to understand various important political things are happening at, and we each have different goals in attending. however, before gaining entrance to said party, we had to pass a series of tests. while working on these tests, min came up with the bright idea of barganing with the deity who summoned us all (we refer to him as Sexy Deity, since we do not yet know his name and R makes all the npcs so hot. it's amazing. we're all super gay.)

so min bargained with the deity. she came up with a proposal to sell him the souls of the rest of our party in exchange for herself becoming a warlock (and the more souls from the party she gets for him, the more additional perks she gets). she can keep her soul under this bargain also. it's very much a ton of perks for faer at the expense of the rest of the party. we refer to this bargain, and her attempts to deliver on it, as Min's Villain Arc. the party is not thrilled when she suggests we should all sell our souls, so she drops it for a while and we keep doing our fancy magical tests.

now. kaede's backstory is that they went to assassin school in their late teens, and had an extremely codependent relationship with their roommate, sorra, a changeling who used he/she/they pronouns. they had 0 boundaries with each other, never defined what their relationship was, and also had a lot of sex. it was very unhealthy. neither of them was aware of any of these many issues. after graduating, kaede panicked over the fact that she missed sorra (not being used to caring about other people this much), had an identity crisis, and ran away from home. kaede's parents hired sorra to go after kaede and bring them back, and kaede panicked again and killed sorra. this was about 2 weeks before the campaign started, and kaede has been dealing with significant amounts of trauma, grief, and guilt since then.

that context established, skipping back to the plot of the campaign! min goes through kaede's belongings (for reasons that actually were not super nefarious and did make sense at the time) and finds a locket with a portrait of sorra. curious about this, she shapeshifts into sorra and lures kaede off to a separate room. they proceed to sleep together, even though kaede knows this is some kind of ruse and not the real sorra. afterwards, kaede starts crying and traumadumps to min about having killed sorra and regretting it.

min has a bright idea. fae suggests to kaede that fae have the ability to take kaede's grief and pain away. kaede, who is not fully out of subspace at this point, and who has just experienced Having Some Serotonin And Endorphins for the first time in several months and associates min as being the cause of this, is distinctly more suggestible and open to this than ze would normally be. ze probably is not in a state where ze can truly consent to things. min is not fully aware of this fact, and also is on her villain arc, so continues with her proposal. (all of the really horrifying aspects of this situation were my idea btw, i enjoy traumatizing kaede. M helped me make it worse and more fun, but it was not her idea to do all the really horrible questionable parts of this lol.)

min explains that if kaede agrees to sell min their soul, for min to then immediately transfer to Sexy Deity, min would be willing to temporarily erase all of kaede's traumatic memories about killing sorra, with the goal of getting kaede into therapy and then slowly giving the memories back as kaede becomes better able to process and healthily deal with them. kaede, due to their extremely suggestible state and the fact that they are so tired of hurting so much all the time, agrees to this, and promptly signs away faer soul to min. min passes the soul on to Sexy Deity and gains her first level in warlock. kaede forgets all about killing sorra, for the time being, and switches their alignment from chaotic evil to neutral evil.

the problem with this bargain, that neither kaede nor min anticipated, is that kaede traumadumping about killing sorra to min directly before the "selling their soul" conversation made their memory of selling min their soul one of the memories that gets temporarily erased as part of this deal. due to this, kaede now 1) doesn't know they don't have a soul anymore 2) falsely believes that sorra is alive, and most importantly 3) believes that min is sorra in disguise.

min does not know this miscommunication has taken place. we continue on with our magical tests, pass them all, and gain entrance to the political event; it's a masquerade ball.

now!! we need the info about the npcs that i mentioned up at the top of this post. remember them? they're important now. they're all attending the ball.

midway through the ball, kenneth attempts to assassinate yersis (although he does not do this personally, instead sending some goons to do it for him, and is likely using the assassination attempt as cover to perform other nefarious deeds while everyone is distracted with yersis almost dying). yersis survives, thanks to magical healing from various sources (remember santino? he is here; he can restore anyone to full health regardless of injury level), but it does appear that people with various political agendas are attempting to do different things under the cover of the chaos.

because of the assassination attempt, the palace that we are all in is put on magical lockdown, with a magical barrier surrounding it to prevent any of us from leaving until Things Have Been Gotten To The Bottom Of. around this point, due to a conversation with yersis, min officially ends her Villain Arc, because yersis reveals that she does not trust Sexy Deity and does not believe he should be allowed to own more souls. and again, yersis is hot, so most of the pcs want to do what she says, including min.

kaede and kenneth run into each other. kenneth insults kaede and then orders them to do another assassination for him. kaede tries to blackmail their way out of this, threatening to tell their grandmother (his mother and the head of the family) about a time he killed someone off the family's Do Not Kill list. he counter-blackmails kaede with a piece of information kaede didn't know he knew about them. kaede grumblingly agrees to do the job for him. he gives them some poison to coat their knives in and tells them to kill santino; he then goes off to distract min (the only party member both powerful enough to stop kaede and politically savvy enough to notice what kaede is doing in time to stop it) by having an orgy with min and several other party members (kenneth is aware kaede believes min is sorra, although he is also aware that min is not actually sorra, so he makes sure kaede knows about the orgy, because of the thing where he enjoys viciously tormenting kaede). (side note: earlier during the masquerade ball, min figured out that kaede thinks fae is sorra, and has been silently panicking over what to do about that since then.)

kaede, fuming and devastated, goes off to kill santino. NOW. a relevant piece of information here is that kaede is kalashtar; ze has a little bit of essentially angel ancestry, and this ancestor has a spiritual connection to them (which kaede mostly attempts to ignore) and is supposed to guide them in the pursuit of good deeds. (kaede was adopted on purpose because of this, to give faer parents a power trip about overcoming the influence of this celestial being by raising kaede to very much Not Pursue Good Deeds.) (none of kaede's family are good people lol.)

so!! kaede gets santino (the angel) alone by claiming to have been stabbed and need to be healed, and implying that it was kenneth and that ze is very scared and innocent and needs help escaping from him. (all of which is a ruse.) kaede then proceeds to stab santino several times with the poisoned knives, saying "it's not personal" (which kaede believes is the "no homo" of killing people ajksdhksfh). in between getting stabbed, santino starts crying and apologizes for "not being able to save kaede," presumably meaning save kaede from kaede's own family, presumably relating to him being an aasimar and kaede being kalashtar. he also hints at kaede not having their soul (although not outright saying so) and says he hopes they get it back someday. he then sends a magical cry for help to some of the other pcs, but he also tells them "it's not kaede's fault" (which. lmao yes it is my guy, you are actively being murdered on purpose by kaede at this exact second). (he had a lot of hp, it took several stabs to kill him, so he had time to say/do all this lol.) then he dies and i steal his cool magic angel sword to keep. >:)

however! some of the other pcs show up, because of santino's call for help, in time to cast Revivify on him and bring him back to life. this is Not Good News for kaede, since she wasn't killing him for her own goals, but rather for kenneth, and so now ze is in trouble with kenneth. especially because the newly-alive santino got immediately rushed to a safe house to hide so that he will be safe from future assassination attempts, so now kenneth cannot just go kill him himself.

kenneth immediately denies all involvement in any of this, but, to protect the family reputation, begins negotiating with yersis on kaede's behalf. he manages to finagle out an agreement that kaede will be tried for murder under the laws of House Kipling, who are powerful enough to count as a city-state, and not under the laws of the city-state we are currently physically in. this is good news for me since yknow i have the funniest feeling the laws of House Kipling, The Famous Assassins, will not be particularly unfriendly to me doing murder, and will be deeply in my favor since i am a prized member of the family and my grandmother's favorite. in the meantime, though, yersis does arrest me. (which i am deeply offended by; how dare she act like she has any authority over me just because she is a government authority of the country i live in?? how dare she try and impose consequences on me for my actions????? this is just insulting.)

also! kenneth tells kaede that min is not sorra, and helps them realize that some of hir memories are missing. he does not tell them that sorra is dead, or that they killed sorra, or that they sold their soul to min, even though all of this is information he has. meanwhile, min confesses everything about the "kaede's soul" debacle to yersis, who is horrified for many reasons.

min is also now giving kaede a cold shoulder, because of the thing where she has a preexisting close friendship with santino, and is therefore very angry that kaede would try to kill him (even though kaede has disavowed all personal responsibility in this many times by saying that 1) it wasn't personal and 2) kenneth made them. so kaede is very annoyed that everyone is still for some reason blaming them for being a grown adult who attempted murder).

this is approximately where we are currently in the campaign. kaede has been observing min's behavior, and has satisfied themself that kenneth was telling the truth when he said min wasn't sorra, but kaede hasn't realized how significant what's going on actually is; kaede's current theory is that min somehow found out about kaede's relationship with sorra, and intentionally tricked kaede into thinking she is sorra in order to be able to utilize kaede's assassin services without paying them. kaede has no idea how many of their memories are missing, or that sorra is dead, or that their soul is gone.

now. the thing is. next session. i want to confront min over this. and confuse her very much because she will have no idea what i'm talking about when i'm all "why are you so mad over me killing someone for kenneth when you literally were going to do the exact same thing as he did" because yknow. she had no intention of doing the same thing. because i am Incorrect about what is happening. all of which will be very fun. HOWEVER. it would be super in character for kaede to bluff and say "kenneth told me Everything" while saying all this. BUT if i do that i am Almost Certain that min would take it at face value, go "oh cool, so i don't need to figure out how to break it to you that i took your soul and memories" and proceed to immediately give back all my memories of killing sorra. which would be Very Bad because kaede would 1) have a huge breakdown and 2) want min dead, and both try to kill her themself and also sic kenneth on them (which would be Very Very Very Bad because kenneth is 6 levels above us, and has a blackrazor sword, which kills you dead and eats your soul when he stabs you with it). so probably i should not say that even though it would be super in character.

so the goal rn for me personally is for kaede to Not Yet figure out that ze sold hir soul to min, or that sorra is dead, for at least another few sessions. ideally not finding any of it out before kaede's Going On Trial For Murder arc concludes. which will be Difficult because min has already almost given back all my memories Twice and will definitely do so if given the Slightest actual reason to. but as soon as she does, kaede will try and kill her, which is. not ideal since we are both player characters and need to remain on non-murdery terms in the long term lol. so. all of this is going to be So entertaining but also will take a lot of figuring out as we get closer and closer to everything about kaede and min's soul deal exploding in our faces (which we have known was coming for a long time and have been looking forward to, lol). i don't yet know how all of this is going to resolve but i do know i am going to have a Great time.

okay. rant concluded for the time being. i love this campaign so much. it's incredibly chaotic and every single time i have a bad (read: extremely entertaining) idea, R lets me add it in, and it's the best thing ever.