#really hard to make blanket statements about anything in inver but particular in how common it is to encounter a faery or faery's work

[ranticore]

What does the average person in Inver know/think about Puck? Would they be able to recognize black horses like Félix or Macha for what they are? In general I'm very interested in the relationship people in your books have with the supernatural and how they interact with it. I also like how you avoid classic "The Fae" tropes, which I feel give people a skewed view of the actual folklore.

Puck's overworld-given status as a barrow lord means that its general description and habits are recognisable to the average citizen but in particular, the average inver resident south of Invergorken and west of the Ruad, as it is primarily an agricultural entity, and this is the most farming-intensive region in Inver. so naturally the farmers would have a greater knowledge of farm animal faeries. In the city it's not so well-known, but still would feature among common folk-tales retold for entertainment (especially in winter, where these stories are enjoyed during the long nights). Most barrow lords feature in stories like this, though Kossith is given a little bit more consideration than the rest in the regions around Moya north-west of Invergorken (conversely, equal consideration towards the Red King is definitely more of a Cánamac and Ruad-region thing, and usually you can be for the hound or the stag but not both at the same time given their reputation of being ancient enemies).

Even though Puck has that whole trickster reputation, it is culturally acceptable to take the piss out of everyone and everything (unless it's kossith and you have a royalist nearby...) so many stories featuring barrow lords are comedic and a bit mocking (and that is respectful to be clear. to a professional Inver storyteller, disrespect would be excluding them from your stories and retellings. direct communication between barrow lord and overworld is rare enough that you kind of have to anticipate and guess in many ways what that entity would like said about them, and whether they would find humour enough to laugh along to your funny story. it can be a delicate balance).

Black horses (and solid black animals of any kind) would be given some degree of due concern by the average person in these regions but not to the point of complete avoidance unless someone was very superstitious (think how people historically behaved around black cats; an association with witches and bad luck, sometimes to the cats' detriment, but they are still one of the most common cat colours). If one of them saw Félix or Macha they would be a bit wary, might cross to the other side of the road, but it's context-dependent, again, on what region they are in, what people are around to see them, and also like. If you see a horse in a field that's normal. If you see a horse inside a building in the middle of a city that's less normal. In general the common person's interactions with the supernatural are extremely low key but still significant to them. you will generally not find elaborate rituals or close personal relationships with faeries (with some exceptions)

and yeah thank you as well i strongly dislike pop culture fae tropes which i feel like i've gone off about like five times now lol but sure look