#tookmelongenough-right

[elsewhereuniversity]

22 female. Cheerful, amiable personality. Likely to smile at strangers, but not likely to tell anything of value when speaking to someone I don’t trust. Colourful hair, colourful clothing, little bit superstitious, lovely singing voice. Taking costuming and histories. Full of useless facts. May I have a rating and a charm?

A pocket knife, a scant few inches in length, the handle ofsome grey shell. It tends to seek out the ownership of those actively pursuing vengeance.I had cause once, but that was a long time ago - it will serve you better. Bestof luck on your hunt.

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

" I drank too much tap water and now I'm Gay " please!

spiritual successor to my gay frog post i feel

(i’m answering old asks rn, the box isn’t open yet, im trying to get through a shitload of requests)

[normal-horoscopes]

Hello Caretaker! It's been a while, and it's been wonderful. I offer annoying black boxes and sweet orange slush. I offer blue house paint and silver nail paint. I offer the smell of hair dye and the taste of roasted garlic. What should I make?

CRUSHING SODA CANS UNDER YOUR FEET AND RECREATING FAMOUS LANDMARKS OUT OF SAWDUST

[leonardcohenofficial]

Top 5 favourite colours?

mustard yellow

baby pink

sky blue

maroon

black

[unpretty]

How are you figuring out the teen names?

I can’t figure out how to embed Twitter video on Tumblr so you will just have to click here.

[spewty]

Do you have a mechanism for purchasing the super pretty resin and coloured glass pieces you keep posting? Or are the special and claimed for other projects?

I get the glass pieces in the back of my jewelry class, like their are tons and tons of blown glass in boxes that are discarded ones that the students either broke or didnt like lol as the resin I need to purchase my own because my teacher lets me use his! its about 20 bucks for good resin like dont get it at michaels cuz theirs isnt good and it gets lumpy lol colored glass in sheets is expensive so maybe on ebay you can just find blown glass pieces and what I do is get a ziploc baggy put the glass colors I like in it and wrap in a cloth or paper towel and hammer it to smaller pieces and I experiment a lot with resin so I got alchohol ink which comes in red, blue, green, yellow and purple and i dotted some into the resin also in the future when I get resin ill make some resin peices and sell it on my etsy store! hope that helps! :3 

[elsewhereuniversity]

Iron and Salt

It was a grey day, grey and misty.

- a good day for iron earrings -

Jennifer shook her head a little, frowning. What was that about? She shifted her backpack and headed down the hill, the oddest feeling of deja vu pricking at her. She zoned as she walked, and came back to herself with a start in the cafeteria in front of the condiments.

- can always use Salt -

Coffee. She was here for coffee.

“Fernie!” She turned to see a friend from Arky, calling and waving to her. As she walked to him, someone else caught her eye and the deja vu was back

- Trusted Friend -

She had never seen this girl before in her life, and she had a friend waiting.

The odd feeling didn’t go away the rest of the day, but nothing else really eventful happened until Jennifer got home that night. Her purse had felt heavy all day, and when she dropped it inside her doorway it sounded wrong. Her confusion built as she opened it to see the thing packed full of the cafeterias salt packets. She dumped them out onto the floor, baffled that she had not noticed them all through her day.

Looking up, she caught sight of herself in the hall mirror and froze. She didn’t remember getting her ears pierced. She was certain she’d never seen the small dog earrings she wore. She also knew, somehow, the weight of them in her hands, the sound of the piercing punch, that they were cold iron.

“What the hell?” She managed, quietly. “What happened to me?” There was a ripple in the mirror, a face that looked familiar, the student from earlier? And Jennifer blinked.

Why was all this salt on her floor? She scooped it all back into a pile and dropped it on her side table, suddenly exhausted.

- tomorrow will be a good day for iron earrings -

Time for bed, she decided.

x

[elsewhereuniversity]

There are two posts at the University. Only a couple feet tall, together at the top of a rise. There are padlocks on those posts at the University. Do Not Touch The Locks.

There is grass all around the posts at the University. Clover, too, thick and dense. You may look for a four-leafed clover there. Do Not Touch The Locks.

There are birds in the trees near the posts at the University. They sing at dawn, and appreciate crumbs. They watch those who stray close to the posts. Do Not Touch The Locks.

Or you may end up just like them.

x

[elsewhereuniversity]

Student Body

I admired myself in the mirror. I looked, I thought, perfect. I’d put enough work into it, I should look perfect at this point. Smile, faintly lopsided but not too lopsided. Teeth, off-white and slightly crooked. Pupils, round and black but not too round or too black. Skin, a delicate texture of almost-identical shades. Hair, buzzed short for ease of maintenance, also a texture and not just a colour. Five fingers of appropriately varied lengths on each arm, five toes the same on each foot. Two feet, two legs, two arms, two hands. I looked perfect.

Then, I walked outside and realized I had made a horrible mistake. I had forgotten something essential. While I looked perfect, my shadow branched four legs from two feet, and had long, curving horns that widened the shadows head. I considered, for a moment, turning around. Skipping this year. Continuing to work until it was truly perfect. But no, by that point the faculty would be on to me, and wouldn’t let me back. So, self-conscious about the shadow behind me, I went to class.

At first, I thought no one had noticed, until we had a break and a girl came over. “Why are you here?” She seemed angry, leaning in very close so her iron pendant almost touched me. “To learn.” I responded, voice flat and one-dimensional. “To learn what?” She demanded, still very close. “Biology, currently.” The professor called her back to her seat, and she left with a huff.

I went through weeks like that, my lack of humanity the worst kept secret on campus. Sometimes, when I sat very quietly, seemed fully absorbed in my classes, they would forget about my shadow. I learned ways to protect myself from me, and others like me. Iron-spined books, and salt packets. I found a ramen packet, in fact, empty of its contents. I filled it with sand and kept it in my pocket, along with the tin pendant I found. I look more like a student now, and sometimes they forget to look.

The girl from the first day, Stone, had taken to hovering near me. She followed the rules religiously, and warded off any more unwary classmates. She’d talk to me then, about silly classmates, or books she was reading. Then came the day Stone was taken. She had been walking home, and followed the wrong path in the dark, and I cannot rightfully explain my fury. She was not mine, I did not hold her name, but she was my closest friend, if I could be said to have such things, and how was I to properly study when my best example was taken?

I shed my glamours that night, and returned to the world I was born in. As I left, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My head looked heavy with my horns revealed, and my eyes were distant and alien. There was no warmth to my skin, and the sound of my hooves on the floor was uncomfortably loud. There were sores around my mouth from the times I had eaten salt in the cafeteria, burns on all fourteen of my fingers from lifting iron. I shook myself and walked into the night to find Stone.

I found her. I felt guilty, to be seen honestly at last. I expected shock, or horror. I did not expect her gaze to linger around my mouth, around my fingertips, an odd expression of concern. They let me take her without bargains. I made them uncomfortable, too, with my studies. I brought her back, hand in hand, and left her at her dorm.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” She asked, voice small in the swallowing darkness. “We have class.”

Stone brought cupcakes to class the next day, to celebrate her return to the world of humanity. She proclaimed loudly that they were salted caramel, so I remained in my desk, an odd sinking feeling in my gut. I could hear her approach, but was still surprised when a cupcake landed on the edge of my space. “Here. Made to suit your dietary restrictions.” I blinked at her for a second, my human eyes back in place, and she smiled. The cupcake didn’t burn as I ate it, completely unsalted. “I appreciate you thinking of me.” I admitted at the end. “Likewise.” She paused, looking at the seat beside me. “Can I sit here?” I smiled, a lopsided but not too lopsided smile. “Sure. I’m just here to learn.”

Stone would speak to me about other things, after that. About her family, her brothers, the world of humanity at large. She would help me with math, and I would help her with writing. She never slipped up following the rules, but I would not have taken her even if she had, and she knew it.

At graduation, three years later, as we all cheered and threw our hats in the air, Stone leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. “I don’t want to leave.” I gave her a startled look, the rest of the world growing dim around me. “Can I stay with you?” She snuggled in closer to me, eyes beseeching. “You know what I’d need.” My voice felt distant, almost hollow, though I could tell it was more resonant than usual. “My name is Petra. Can I stay with you?” I could feel my illusions cracking, eyes shining a little too brightly. “My name is Thali. I will keep you as long as you wish to be kept.” Then I kissed her, because it felt like the thing to do. “Thank you.” I whispered into her hair as she laughed, delighted.

She teaches, now, and I do too. My Petra teaches mythology and astronomy, and I have late-night classes, in some of the more fluid classrooms, for those interested among my people. Explaining what I can about their world, how to cast a convincing glamour, explaining about math and science and biology. I’m so glad I didn’t skip.

x

[elsewhereuniversity]

ASKS - Names

Asks sent to my main, answered here. Themes - what’s a true name, exactly?

Anon said: So what happens with people who have officially changed their names? I'm thinking especially for trans students who change names to match their gender, but anybody who's gone through the process of legally changing names. Would their deadname still be their "true name" as far as the Gentry are concerned?

Anon said: how would the name thing work with deadnames? would the deadname be the "real name" or the name from birth?

Anon said: What if you legally changed your name? Would that still hold power or something or just your birth name?

Anon said: More for the name things: What about trans students? My name is Lucian but my birth name is completely different. Which one would count as my true name?

Anon said: In terms of trans folks at EU, would their birth name be the one that could control them? Or would it be their preferred name?

Anon said: About the name thing, how does that work for trans people? Do the fae go by birth certificate or what you believe as your name?

Anon said: What about preferred names? Like I don't feel any attachment to my birth/legal name and no one calls me by it. What would be considered dangerous to use?

orendork said: EU question: Would a trans person's real name be their birth name or their chosen name?? Like would it be safe to go by a chosen name?

lupus-lunarem submitted: At elsewhere University if you have a legal name change which name is then used against you? Your birth name or changed name?

Anon said: In response to the question of "true names", I wonder if the Fae could be tricked by the giving of a deadname. Perhaps a trans person/someone who changed their name for personal reasons might be able to give a member of the Folk their deadname as a part of a bargain & the faery would accept it as a part of the bargain, since more antiquated traditions might designate that as the "true name". However, since the person's deadname doesn't really have power over them, the bargain could be safe while remaining valid

zeromylesperhour said: I rly liked your idea of the trans kids playing games for simple things like voice changes. I've also always thought about how true names would work in that situation! Like a faerie might think it has power over a trans kid because it knows their "name" but it's their birth name and not their real name.

Especially in a place where belief holds such power as it does at Elsewhere University, your true name would be your preferred name - the one that means you, heart and soul. While on campus, you should keep it secret from all but those you trust with your life. Your deadname would have no power over you. The legal status of your true name doesn’t matter; it draws its power from the weight and identity you give it.

As far as the Gentry are concerned, in folklore one’s true name was often synonymous with one’s birth name, and I imagine that because of this, for a time after Elsewhere began to seep back into the world, they would ask a birth name as a price for a boon, and occasionally be very, very surprised when it was given without a fight and held no power at all. They have learned to be more careful for what they ask for since then, but not after several rather embarrassing deals, and every once in a while one of the more antiquated Fair Folk will make this mistake over again.

Anon said: So I have another question about names! For reasons, I've always been called by my middle name over my first name by people close to me. Would it count as not giving my name to the fae if I use my first name, which I don't feel as connected to?

Anon said: Didn't the tradition of giving middle names to children came from superstition about the power of true names. This got me thinking, are you ok in Elsewhere U if you have a middle name and you use your first- and last name freely, and do the school official papers keep record of the middle names of the students

theperidotshade said: On the subject of names at Elsewhere University, I'm curious about how it would work out for people like me who go by our middle names/double names. They're essentially nicknames, because we actively choose which of our names to go by, but they were still given to us, so...?

ambicolor said: Sorry if this has been asked before, but what about middle names? My cousin goes by his, but would that count as a true name?

automatomicatomaton said: On the bit about true names - how much power do middle names have?

For some people their identity is very much tied up in their full name and the sense of connection to family it provides, among other reasons; for these people it would be an extremely bad idea to give away any part of it, although full control would possibly be dependent on knowing the full name.

For others, who only feel a strong connection to a piece of their full name, the parts that don’t mean anything to you wouldn’t have any power. However, giving out any part your name that might be on record would be inadvisable. Even if your first or last name alone doesn’t carry any significance, it would make it easier for something to potentially dig up your full name and work out the piece that does mean something. The University takes great care with the official paperwork, and it’s generally considered secure between the custom iron file folders and the encrypted online systems, but, you know. Murphy’s Law.

Anon said: Okay, so on the topic of true names I have something that I've been wondering about. I have two names (English and Hebrew) both given to me by my parents. Which do you think would count as my true name, or is it just a situation of having more to hide from Them?

Anon said: ooo for true names - what about those of us who were born with two different names in two different languages, gifted at the same time? We're one in one country and a different name in another - which name would be our true name? The one used more often? The one which was technically written down first?

It depends what they mean to you – if one is significantly more fundamental to your sense of self than the other, that would be your true name; if they’re equally important they should both be hidden (although I think potentially with two True Names, one would need to know both in order to have full power over you. If you were given a command by someone who Named you with only one of your two names, the compulsion would be strong but you’d stand a chance of resisting).

Anon said: would there be a loophole around being controlled by your given name if They mispronounced it? Like, if you were to give Them your own name written down, and when They speak it They mispronounce it... ? Would that negate the control, while still being a fair trade on your part?

theperidotshade said: Also, what if someone pronounces their name differently than it's phonetically spelled, or typically pronounced? Could they use the typical pronunciation and be safe, or is it about more than just how the name is spoken?

A mispronounced name – a name spoken differently than the version you know to be yours -couldn’t control you. A spoken or signed (as in sign language, not signature) name holds power, and so it must be spoken correctly. A written name does not, in the sense that if someone who knew your true name slipped you a note with your name and a command, you would not be compelled to obey it. But honestly banking on mispronunciation would barely buy you time at all – they’d figure out how to say it sooner rather than later, if only by repeating it a hundred times with increasingly outlandish inflections.

Anon said: So let's say someone was trans and they hadn't come out yet but they had already picked a name out would that be the name they shouldn't give to the gentry?

Yeah, it would – it doesn’t matter how many other people know it (and the fewer the better among people on campus). What makes it a true name is that it’s who you consider yourself to be.

Anon said: Okay, what about a hypothetical scenario in which all of the logistical issues are handwaved away and a person has no "true name"? Like, hippie parents living off the grid (no birth certificates) who just wait, making no assumptions because they believe in self-determination, until their little tyke is old enough to choose a name?

If you’re in the unusual position of never having found a name that you feel a strong connection to, you would be invulnerable in this particular aspect of campus life.

curiousmindsinlurve said: About the names thing theoretically speaking if someone got married and took on their spouses' last name would their maiden name hold more power? Or is it vice versa?

Whichever holds the most significance – I imagine that it varies pretty wildly between people who are radiantly happy to share their loved one’s last name and people who have changed their name because it’s customary but still feel a strong connection to their maiden name and the family history that comes with it.

mithrils-hanger said: Elsewhere U musings, and i suspect that my RPG writer experience has given me a skewed perspective of what is important, but. can you imagine how intense the University's efforts at protecting their records must be? forget mundane identity theft issues, the Payroll, Registrar, and Records departments house untold numbers of true names in their files. every employee. every student. present and all those past. even something as simple as an attendance roster could spell the doom of a student.

nickystar said: A question about EU, if it hasn't been answered already: I assume that to enroll at the school, you'd legally have to apply using your real name, and those in charge of the school would keep these names on lists somewhere. But how do they keep the Fair Folk from finding them and using them for their gain, and who all would have access to the names?

Everything legally and unavoidably essential is kept locked in custom iron filing folders and behind several layers of encryption in the heavily guarded computer systems, in the heavily guarded offices that deal with these things. Students and professors are referred to from the first week on by their chosen names, and they’re kept track of with student ID numbers and photos. It’s not usual for the exhaustively screened staff in charge of all this to have nightmares about making a mistake.

oddloop said: I feel true names would still have power. Whether or not its chosen or given, it is your power and closer to your heart, so by giving that knowledge to someone else you share your power, give them the power over you that you have yourself

True names absolutely have power – it’s hooked into the fundamentals of who you know yourself to be. It can obviously be used for harm, to compel you against your will. But it can be used to save you - this is the flipside. If you’ve eaten the food underhill, if you are too enchanted or dazzled or lost to find your own way back to your own mind, someone who knows your true name can break the spell and call you home.

pretzel-log1c said: In certain tales, Nicknames can be just as powerful as True Names. Especially if they are given. Are their any students that get trapped into the mold of their nickname? Like say, if a student went by Mouse?

It’s happened before. With any luck you don’t choose a safename that has any huge significance to you, and you’re aware enough of your own emotions to tell if you’re getting too attached to it. But these are not guarantees.

Your nickname probably won’t change you. But the rules are bendy here.

tookmelongenough-right said: In regards to Elsewhere U and names, I remember a series where you could bargain to give away one name per boon, so someone could, if they were desperate enough, make up to three deals with the fae. Four, if you had two last names.

If your true name is your full name all together, if you name yourself with the entirety of it – then yes, you could sell it piece by piece. Each fragment would have some power, enough to buy something valuable, if they thought you’d be coming back to make another deal or three.

kikinickle said: Another question about True Names: If you've had a nickname as long as you've had your real name, given to you at birth (or even before birth) and used as often as your legal name (though by fewer people) throughout your life, does it count as much as your legally given name?

It depends on its relevance to who you consider yourself to be.

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

req’d by @tookmelongenough-right

hm. damp in here

text: Wet-Ass Wednesday

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

req’d by @tookmelongenough-right

*squints*

is this from that one person who misspelled captain ahab?

[normal-horoscopes]

She's going to be okay, and I'll get to meet her. I offer sparkly things in a trashcan, I offer a pocket full of bent staples, I offer a warehouse full of fabric. May I have a fortune?

A THIN STRAND OF GREEN LIGHT EVER SHIFTING LIKE THE NIGHT SKY

[normal-horoscopes]

Hello caretaker, it's been a while! Everything has fallen into place, finally the waiting is over. I offer four masks. I offer healing blisters. I offer turquoise jewelry.

THE EARTH WAS MADE IN CLANGOUR AND NOW HERE WE ARE

[normal-horoscopes]

I offer the graveyard air. I offer the Renaissance clouds. I offer the sparkly silver shoelaces dancing in the sun. It's looking up.

CARRY THIS MOMENTUM FORWARDS IT CAN BRING YOU THROUGH ANY VALLEYS IF YOU PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT

[normal-horoscopes]

I offer the itchy desire to do something. I offer the vague displeasure everything I do brings. I offer the way no one really seems to understand when I try to explain. What can I do to feel better?

BE LESS SHIT AT EXPLAINING IT TAKES PRACTICE