#so a lot of things are likely really exotic if it can't be cultivated or raised in the kingdom

[cryptidblue1]

I wonder just how completely complicated and off the wall politics and cultural celebrations had gotten in Hallownest before the entire Radiance Infection went down. Like, hey cool, good for you PK you created a society where your light has ascended those who live within your influence a higher sense of sentience and thinking. Now you have to deal with them thinking and forming opinions. If those opinions are wrong or right, it doesn't matter you gave these bugs and other creatures the means to cause debates and arguments with one another over anything because they think and question stuff.

This becomes even more hilarious and intriguing to me since even the places that didn't really fall under his reign, but kinda grudgingly coexist around him and his poking and changing things (The railways he attempted to shove into Deepnest) also likely benefited so they could learn to hold grudges longer and more personally then likely what was done before when your base mode is survival of the nest/colony/tribe.

Like there are probably factions who are literally the "well acstually" meme/trope and start trying to explain how they actually know better then someone else in regards to every little thing. All mixed in with those who are just happy to do live without you know being afraid of being eaten 24/7 and those who have decided to use their new ability to be allowed to think and form opinions to argue with everyone just to argue.

So like this means that unless he goes full Iron Fist Dictator mode Pale King has to juggle ways to please the majority in order for the city to keep running, and for people to not cause a riot or revolt. Which becomes even more complicated when you realize they have classism going on and we all know how that stuff goes down IRL so in a place like Hallownest where you kinda have few options to pick from if you're not exactly happy with how things are run can likely lead to a lot of placating and having to find ways to leash the wily ones that rose up in riches and influence from just making their own small kingdoms within the city because they feel that entitled and arrogant.

We won't even touch what is likely a cut throat dog eats dog world that is Academia in this city, because proving yourself smarter then your peers is likely a big thing considering the whole aspect of what Pale King gets praised for in all those lore tidbits we find in canon. Like the sabotaging and guarding your thesis and research would likely make even Deepnest bugs pause in any contemplation of being able to take on a scholar if they have ever seen them throw down over rights of a project or tenure in their field.

[mantisgodsdomain]

6, 12, 32! i don't know many of your ocs but the wraith was the first one you mentioned in the tags so them?

(for this ask game)

Don't worry, we... only really have a handful on active rotation, and with a lot of them we don't talk about them much. You might be familiar with Marigold, but for any other character we can't really rely on people knowing Who They Are.

Base lore: The Wraith is... either a criminal or a group of criminals, that runs a group which has claws in the majority of the ant kingdom. They- or perhaps, simply a figurehead sent to convey the will of whatever bugs run their affairs - are only rarely spotted in person, preferring to lean on the manpower they have access to via their organization. They are noted by the wider criminal community for two major reasons - one, the seemingly-omniscient iron claw they hold over criminal affairs in the Ant Kingdom, and two, the fact that the same bug appears to have been running the organization since the time of Elizant I.

Their species, gender, and just about any other personal detail about them is unknown, as they have never shown their face (or any part of their body) in public, but they have been noted to crack down HARD on poachers that traffic awakened bugs - and, in particular, anyone who traffics moths. They are rarely, if ever, an active presence - simply a passive one, looming over the shoulder of damn near every bug in their area and acting as a broker and go-between to those seeking out illegal services (occasionally without being asked). Their organization also sells a select handful of exotic drugs, most notably a hallucinogenic mushroom that reportedly was cultivated from a strain found in Snakemouth Den.

...and now that that's done, on to the questions.

6. If they were badly injured, and for whatever reason couldn't go to a hospital, who would they go to for help?

For various reasons, they likely wouldn't go to a hospital for bad injuries sustained on the job anyways. Though they have medics on staff, those are more for employees than them themself. Most likely, they'd look for medical aid from family, or stitch themself up.

12. Do they have any sense of style? Regardless of the answer do they believe they have a sense of style?

They have a very distinct style, that's for sure! The Wraith has been wearing the exact same mask and heavy, concealing cloak for the past century and some-odd, and they aren't about to stop now. They wouldn't really say they had a sense of style if you asked them. This outfit muddles scent, sight, and hearing enough to avoid being picked out in a crowd. The embroidery and patterns stitched into the hem... have different meaning. More personal meaning, anyways. It's less about the style, and more about the symbolism.

32. If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be?

Good question! We might have to think on this a bit, but it's probably [REDACTED]

[terrence-silver]

Terry with pets?

― I think Terry has a penchant for whatever is the post common denominator pet. Cats, perhaps for their grace, cunning and overall Bond villain esthetic he tends to embrace with a trace of comedy and healthy self-awareness as he conducts calls with whatever overseas business partner he has while a feline companion is in his lap with a diamond collar; dogs, because yes, devotion and yes, because he likes them feral and bloodthirsty and the image of five, big, black wolf-hounds on silver chains, for example, conjures the images of power and fear; how said dogs only obey him and his orders and would gnaw at anyone else hits a particular sweet tooth of sadism and thrill Terry has (not to mention that he understands the image of him with a pet people often keep makes him relatable whenever that is what he needs to be) but that's not where his arsenal of kept animals stops --- even though these animals are seldom witnessed by anyone. That's just the surface level people who aren't exactly too close to him are allowed to see.

― Other that, I think he enjoys exotic pets. He enjoys exotic cars. Exotic liquor. Exotic clothes. Exotic jewelry and exotic pursuits. Exotic sex, undoubtedly. Why not exotic pets too? Furthermore, expensive pets. Pets difficult to acquire. Not for everyone's pocket. Of course, not everyone knows this, as mentioned above, but Terry seems like the type to maintain a private terrarium in the lower bowels of whatever estate he's currently inhabiting. Spiders? Tarantulas? A tank full of snapping crocodiles imported from Colombia? Iguanas and lizards? Salamanders? A shark basin in front of which he can conveniently have a chat with people which he doesn't like as a way to scare and intimidate them? We've actually briefly seen an aquarium of fishes canonically behind him in his office. Maybe some walled off part of his estate where he keeps a rare, near extinct Panther? An albino Lion? Sure. Why not. Rare beasts have a rare killer insisting and he can respect that. He finds he relates to animals more than people anyway.

― Then there's snakes --- can't talk about Terry and nature without snakes being involved. Boas. Anacondas. Yes, you guessed it --- Cobras. Now, I feel it took years for Terry to unlearn an innate fear of snakes post-Vietnam, seeing as how the snake pit and its contents down below never ceased to haunt him even though he'd never admit to it, Terry forced himself to confront a fear forcibly, and thus erased it forcibly as well. Training it out of himself with willpower and discipline alone. This of course included keeping a dozen venomous serpent species under his very roof in glass enclosures. State of the art. Notwithstanding that he had an actual artistic recreation of the same wartime snake pit John and the other soldiers fought over somewhere in his backyard. Naturally, people assume it is extravaganza and Terry being excessive, but they never know how dark the meaning really is. It is a monument and a living reminder so he'd never forget how close he came to falling and how he must never be that weak again.

― Beyond all of that, I think Terry thinks there's a lot to be learned from animals as a whole. Of course, he'd have a full team of handlers, cleaners and expert staff maintaining these habitats immaculate because he's a perfectionist who doesn't enjoy a mess and things spiralling out of control, but yes, knowledge can be cultivated from a cobra as much as it can from a gerbil. Terry could analytically observe the behaviour of a deadly, hissing Rattlesnake devouring its meal in full, throaty gulps, and he can observe a quiet gerbil he keeps in a maze and bribes with cheese to see just how it'll behave when faced with the concept of reward and that reward being removed. Maybe placed at a remote part of the maze? Terry implements a lot of these things seen and noted and uses them on people as experiments. Turns out, the personalities and reactions of people as compared to animals aren't all that different. Some people are gerbils. Some are Cobras.

― But, does Terry threat animals well and does he like them? I think he takes care of them in the way everything his must be finely preserved. Cages clean. The best of food. Veterinarians on stand, because his pets do cost a smaller fortune, mind you. Elaborate habitats that align with their nature that all by themselves could account for an entire wealth when you consider he had rocks from Galapagos brought over for his Galapagos Turtles. So, yes, he does. As for liking...I think Terry feels, again, silently understood by animals even though the aren't the same specie. With animals, he can simply be. There's no past Terry. Present Terry. Rehabilitated Terry. Fake Terry. Real Terry. Terrence Silver as opposed to Terry Silver. No cordial Terry mingling at social events. No coked up Terry. No Terry in remission. He can simply be Terry and be free through it. As natural as the animals themselves are. They're wild and at heart, so is he. They're caged by him, and fundamentally, so is he, by himself. It is like looking into a mirror.

[the-fae-folk]

you keep saying the fae aren't human and aren't even close. So how come a ton of them have humanoids shapes? And a lot of them wear old fashioned human clothes from like the medieval ages and they even have castles and stuff. They're supposed to be immortal too, so why do they have feasts and stuff? do they still need to eat foodor whatever???

(I'm going to have to assume you mean the Fae from my own stories rather than the much varied conceptions of Fae from actual Folklore that more often than not contradict one another. Are the fae mortal or immortal? Depends on where and when your story came from. But as to your question...) Because they can. That's quite literally the answer. If you have beings whose forms are mutable according to such things as their self identity, world view, environment, and emotional state then you're not going to get something with only one form. As time goes on you'll get them taking on all kinds of interesting forms, either intentionally, or as they slowly fall into that form over ridiculously long periods of time without even noticing it. You could have Fae that swim through the air and appear something like glowing alien jellyfish. Or you can have one that was watching that weird little world where everything lives only for a short period of time before just... not living anymore, and they suddenly had this new creature called a wolf popping up everywhere and they liked it so much they took on that form permanently, and one or two might have changed it a little over time but stayed generally wolf-like. Imagine you have to live...well... forever. And unlike humans, dying at any given point is just not an option, because even if you wanted to die, you can't. It's not possible. You'll always be around, in one form or another. So you have to find ways to pass the time, to give meaning to your existence, to create purpose. So the Fae take on projects, take on forms, take on identities and cultural ideas. They build castles that could have come straight from some fairy tale illustration, they hold fancy balls, they get in the habit of eating and drinking. Sure, like you said. Technically they don't need to eat or drink. After all, they'll live forever even if they don't. But isn't eating nice? Think back to a time when you enjoyed a really tasty meal while in the company of friends or family or others who you enjoy spending time with. The drinks were good, the food was absolutely delicious, and there was probably a lot of laughing or stories or jokes as the meal went on. Of course, the Faeries we always hear about are having extravagant feasts with all manner of exotic or otherworldly fruits and unique but tasty treats. Why wouldn't they? They're so closely in step with their natural world (and ours) that they can easily produce incredible bounty. They have the time to cultivate fun skills like cooking or wine making or baking. We sometimes consider such skills art forms, but we also have to eat to survive, the Folk can spend all their time and effort on perfecting the skills because they don't need to worry about things like survival. Then again, not every fairy meal is a feast. Some prefer to share the pleasure of eating in a small way, with friends, or family. Often enough, some Folk just get used to eating. It's just something you do every day, because its good. Or they put all sorts of cultural meanings into the exchanges of food and drink and ritual meals and who knows what else. The same thing happens all over again with clothing. When you take a humanoid form, you might also decide to jump on the bandwagon of clothing. You don't need it, having gone for tens of thousands of years in a variety of forms and never having needed it before. But hey, it's kind of cool. And you get Faeries who play with it, trying new ways of making them, or new materials and styles. Well the humans are doing grand balls and such these days, right? Let's do that so we can show it all off! Hey, we can even take on the human roles and character types for it, like an elaborate game. And they do, and it's fun. You wanted to know why they're still often wearing things from the medieval era? Well they can wear modern clothing too, or even clothing entirely of Fae design. Some might have even adapted the concept of clothing for forms that aren't even humanoid. There's still lots more there to play with, lots of new designs and interpretations, new

ways to impress your neighbors and friends, new ways to play character types or act new kinds of narratives. The idea of Courts themselves isn't taken from humans, of course. Rulers and governing bodies are something that emerge sometimes in societies if the conditions are right. But the way it was all set up was inspired by human ingenuity. If and when they tire of it all? Perhaps they'll find something new from humanity to focus on, or maybe they'll all scatter back into the wild, taking on new forms. Either ones we might find familiar such as birds or deer, or something far more alien. Some Folk have simply never left this state of being, preferring to live day by day, respecting but remaining apart from the game that is "Civilization". See, that's an important thing. The birds and beasts and fish of the sea. Many of them are simply folk, thinking and living like those creatures and not paying much attention to others where it doesn't directly concern them. Other beasts and creatures were brought from our world long ago and have thrived there, remaining mortal in an immortal world. Faerie hunts will go out and hunt the deer for meat on their feasting table, or hunt for ordinary fish for a simple meal. They can always tell the difference between what is mortal and what is not, while human senses are easily deceived. It's a weird thing to think about. Because almost all of what we know of the Folk from our stories would be of human looking or almost human looking beings who have great and strange power as well as acting in unknowable or wicked ways. So our entire conception of the Folk is something that at the very least... vaguely resembles us humans. And that's entirely wrong. They're alien. Strange. Sure they've gotten to know us really well since they've been here since before we began and got to watch humanity grow. So they're familiar with a number of our cultures, can speak lots of our languages if they took the time to learn, they wear our clothes and our faces and play pretend at being something almost like us but better. But they're not. The things which we truly have in common with them, and yes those do exist, are not obvious or easy to see at all. Often they hide in ideas and philosophy, some inspired by us, some discovered by both of us separately and in different ways while still coming to the same conclusions. Sometimes they have emotions that match or are similar enough to ones we have that its easier just to call them the same thing for the sake of time. There are Fae who, like us, currently exist in a physical form. Sure it's not necessarily a humanoid form they have, but it's composed of matter. Sometimes its even biological matter. A living thing, a plant or a creature. It's a far jump, but technically that is something we have in common. Something we can relate to. Being a physical thing. Not normally something you think about when talking about relating to characters in stories, right? But still technically true. They also exist, and we exist. So that's another thing we share. The knowledge of experience and that we both exist in the world somehow. Perhaps some Fae are so far removed from anything human that they perceive the world completely differently, in a way that we cannot, that would seem entirely and utterly different from all that we know if we could even perceive or understand it. There are Faeries who have never had much to do with humanity or mortals, or nothing at all, and despite the extreme nature of their differences, they share with us the the very idea of existing itself. Different, yet in some ways the same. And while I could tell stories surrounding something deeply inhuman and strange, I find that its easier for others if the stories I tell fall much closer to those that they understand and are familiar with. Faeries that have human forms, either because they are young and this is all they know of themselves, or because they like it and are on board with keeping it for thousands of years or longer. A much easier place to start with for a story than a being who

dwells within and can perceive at least 6 different dimensions of space and exists as a 3-sphere (a sphere in 4 dimensions of space). That alone would be difficult to write, but consider how such a being might think or feel or perceive the world. In theory I might be able to achieve it with practice, but in the process my readers would be left far behind. So I imagine Fae in many stories are bound by the same problem, no matter how alien or strange the idea was initially, the storytellers were bound by how to communicate such things to their listeners and readers. For much of human history, the Human form would have been the easiest choice. And its only as our literature and our worldview grows and changes that stranger things become easier to work with. That probably answered quite a bit more than your original question, but I hope it was an interesting read at the very least.

[onlyhalfghost]

here's my take on this:

the fentons grow ghost nip, but it's more like actual catnip where its presence alone isn't *too* intoxicating, and maybe Danny doesn't really notice it at first

at some point it ends up on his chores list to water the plants and he goes out into the greenhouse and decides he really likes how these new plants smell! it's pleasant and leaves him in a good mood after

maddie is a little confused why danny takes to this new chore with such gusto, because they still can't get him to even do the dishes, where he doesn't even have to change out of his pj's if he doesn't want to, but he'll put shoes and real pants on and go out to the greenhouse and tend to the plants no sweat. she's not complaining, though.

danny just likes these new plants so much, he clips some leaves and presses them in a book he carries with him everywhere. he leaves it at home, once, and finds himself in a much worse mood than usual at school - but suddenly he feels good again after checking on the plants in the greenhouse.

he takes some clippings, and makes tea, and it's the best damn thing he's ever tasted. he can't get through a day without a cup of ghost-nip tea.

other ghosts are drawn to the greenhouse, and danny spends a lot of his time as phantom fighting ghosts in his own backyard - until maddie decides her research is done, or gets fed up w the ghosts in the yard, and takes down the greenhouse and gets rid of the plants.

danny spirals into what's like withdrawal. he's gotten to be dependent, and doesn't react well. maddie doesn't understand, and she thinks maybe he was just enjoying gardening - so she gets him a succulent or something to keep in his room. it doesn't survive.

does danny know it was ghost nip at all? or does he just think it was some kind if exotic mint he took a liking to? does he understand he's experiencing withdrawal, or is he even more confused as to why he feels so terrible suddenly?

does he work through it, or find and cultivate his own ghost-nip plants to sate his addiction?

We were talking about catnip when I suddenly had this realization so may I propose this as a new AU