#would be cool to see this performed at the Ren Faire

[luna-writes-stuff]

Supernatural characters and what they want to do on a date, please? ♡

some of these will surprise absolutely no one but I am sO GLAD YOU ASKED ANON

——

Dean Winchester

I feel like Dean would be one of the easiest with a date. He always tries to do the things he wants to, so in a date, it won’t be much different. His perfect date would be a road trip - the length depending on what kind of date it is. Usually, you’d drive about four hours to destination unknown, but there have been occasions where you took a couple days off to travel the country and see some classic tourists locations. Vegas is most often where you end up. He’d take you to roadhouses for food, unless you’re travelling to a town specifically. Then, he’d try to find a restaurant which has food he actually likes. If you know him long enough, he might even let you drive Baby. But only for a short while. And his eyes will be glued on you constantly.

——

Sam Winchester

Sam is an absolute gentleman. He’d take you out to a restaurant, hold the door open for you, slide out your seat, won’t eat before you do etc. Nine out of ten times he has a tiny gift with him, regardless of the situation. It could be a random day and he’d give you a box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses. Again - he’s a classic gentleman. He settles for the classic gifts. Afterwards, he loves to take walks with you, visit a museum or simply sit on a bench with a view of some landscape. During hunts, he is likely to take you out to spontaneous trips to the library cafe. Not the most romantic place to go to, but he knows that his lifestyle makes it difficult for him to get to properly take you out all of the time. He prefers the short in between moments more than the entire night planned out. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t like them though.

——

Castiel

Does exactly what you randomly mentioned once. When you had only known him for a handful of weeks, you might have casually mentioned you love something such as going to the movies or visiting a beach, and now - years later - he’d have that remembered and do exactly as you said. Over the years, he learns much of human customs, so it isn’t that he doesn’t know what a proper date looks like. It’s simply that he likes to do the things you like to do. He’d much rather do something you forgot you had ever told him than to plan something out for himself out of thin air. Besides, he always enjoys seeing your reaction whenever he takes you out. ‘How did you know I would like this?’ ‘You told me four years ago.’ ‘?????’ He’s very endearing and can never get enough of the absolute shell shocked expression on your face whenever he decides to make your ideas come true. And it still surprises you after so many times.

——

Charlie Bradbury

No, I am not going to tell you she would not take you to a renaissance fair or an arcade or an impromptu DnD session because she absolutely would. Depending on your personal interests and experiences with either three, she’d definitely engage in it. Your first date would likely have been at a ren fair and it has become a tradition ever since. No - not a ren fair like her LARPing (which was still awesome). She’d get dressed up and offer you her arm the entire time. She’d take you to the medieval eating tents, watch live performances of battle field with you, buys you little trinkets at the marketplaces, lets you try on some cool clothing; whatever you enjoy most. The longer you’re dating, the more often you’d go out. At night when both of you are bored, she’d grab a car and take you to a nearby arcade, lovingly annihilating you in Dance Dance Revolution. When you have a free day, she’d try to introduce you to DnD and her current party. The more you learn about it, the more often you’d get invited to their sessions with your own character. She’d sit beside you, holding your hand under the table as she’d be by your character’s side the entire time. It doesn’t even matter that there are other people too. To you, it still feels like a date.

——

Gabriel

Initially, he’d definitely try to escalate the situation into a Casa Erotica tape, but he’s quick to agree with you once you decline. Most dates are spent in fancy hotels or restaurants of which you do not even know the same. He simply takes you there and you trust him with it. Gabriel is one who enjoys party and clubs, so he’d love to take you to cocktail bars every so often, keeping you close to him constantly and showing you off to everyone. Think hand on your waist constantly, sips of your glass, kisses on your cheek, chin on your shoulder etc. If you aren’t one for crowds or parties, he’d bring the party home or to a hotel chamber. He’d pop up his own little bar, mixing his own cocktails (or mocktails), offering them to you as a dramatic bartender, flirting with you as if he’d never seen you before. He’s also a big fan of taking you to big cities just to enjoy the view. You’d be at West End the first evening and Tokyo the second. He’s seen a lot of the world and loves to share that experience with you (and a lot of embarrassing tourist pictures with ‘I love Amsterdam’ shirts)

——

Lucifer

Whatever he does, he tries to brush it off casually. Did he put all that effort into making a non-poisonous dinner with a made table? Pfff, no big deal. Did he really remember you really liked that one necklace? Yeah, he thought you might like it. He definitely did not take that the moment you mentioned it and weren’t looking. He’s a big fan of the tiny date ideas. Movie night? Absolutely. Oh yes, there is a pit with pillows there but it definitely isn’t there because you love them and he secretly loves to hold you close in them. Going out to the marketplace? Fun! He definitely won’t offer you his arm the entire time and get everything you claim ‘smells nice’ or ‘still need’. He does tiny gestures and tries to brush them off every single time, even after you thank him for it or compliment him on it. He doesn’t brush it off out of his pride or negligence of you - on the contrary. He brushes it off to make it seem as if it is easy for him. He has spent a long time separated from any form of contact and has not known love for the majority of his life. To have finally found you is something completely foreign to him, and he tries to keep you happy so desperately, but he doesn’t want it to seem like he puts too much effort into it. It’s okay, though. You secretly know this.

——

Crowley

Much like Sam, he takes you out on classic dates. He’d show up to your doorstep, even though he can easily enter. He offers you his arm the entire night as he takes you out to dinner, walk the city or take you to that concert you mentioned once. Even better - he got you backstage passes. Your favourite artist in town? Isn’t it great to not have that ticket sale stress anymore? Whatever you do during the date, he makes sure you have a great time. Your pleasure and enjoyment comes first, and if that means he has to eat a place he hates or see a band he cannot stand, then so be it. He won’t make a long face nor express his dissatisfaction. If anything, he might even start to like it purely because you do. He’s quick to associate these things with you as well. Once you mention your love towards a certain dish or city, he keeps it locked in his mind and thinks of you every time someone mentions it. He’ll make sure to give you gifts often enough which go hand in hand with your interests and loves. He knows perfectly what you like and don’t like and always keeps this in mind. He’d never take you somewhere you don’t want to be or don’t like to go.

[brilla-brilla-estrellita]

Stitchy Sunday!

As predicted, this is a day late, but I was off having a lovely cottage on the lake weekend with my friends followed by a Hobo Johnson concert. We're just going to pretend this is on time.

So thank you to @roomwithanopenfire @thewholelemon @blackberrysummerblog @tender-ministrations @artsyunderstudy

@emeryhall and @ic3-que3n for tagging me in your S-allerated Sunday posts!

As promised, today is the final outfit reveal for my Simon-inspired Ren Faire wings!

Wings closed, front and back:

Wings open, front and back:

I didn't get to make any of my other adjustments (like stronger magnets), but I did discover that the magnets are adjustable, meaning I can loosen or tighten the screws they're on to make the wings sit a little higher/lower and ensure the wings aren't tilted. I made them as tight as possible (so they sat as high as possible) and tbh I had no issues with them?? Was this the fix I needed all along?

When we arrived at the fairgrounds, I put the wings on, and as I tightened the straps the rivet popped off the left strap. I thought "Did I just do all this work to break them at the last minute and not be able to wear them?" Yet I was oddly calm, resigned to my fate. I asked Kat to see if she could jerry-rig it just in case. She slipped the disconnected top strap through the adjuster-thingy and... it worked??? We are unsure why this was so successful, but I had NO problems with it all day.

I got lots of comments, complements, and a few picture/video demonstration requests, validating my own belief that the wings are cool as shit. The LARPers were especially impressed. And becuase the fair was expanded this year, including more open space and less crowded walkways, I was even able to walk around with them open for a bit! And I didn't knock anything over inside the booths, either!

I also got my first trinkets from trinket-traders because they liked my wings!

I did not come prepared with my own trinkets as I have never been cool before, so I'm workshopping some ideas for next year, including: polished rocks (dragon horde shinies), painted bottle caps (perhaps with a dragony logo on each one?), sea glass (does require effort of going out and finding the sea glass...), scales (not sure what they'd be made of, though. 3D printed and painted? acrylic? gotta be a simpler solution...). Suggestions welcome.

Bonus: As we watached the joust, I of course started to build a Snowbaz Ren Faire AU based around the semi-scripted joust performances we have each year. I doubt I'll ever write it, but it's fun to think about!

I would like to thank Kat for being my Ladie's Maid every year and helping me get into my corset and, now, wings. Also for driving. I would also like to thank Dropout's D20: A Starstruck Odyssey and Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives for being my companions throughout this project. And of course, thank you to all of my Simon Snow friends for the enthusiasm and encouragement along the way!

Next year's upgrade: Tail!

Tagging even though it's late:

@bookish-bogwitch @onepintobean @technetiumai @martsonmars  @cutestkilla

@fatalfangirl @ileadacharmedlife @moodandmist @palimpsessed  @skeedelvee

@theimpossibledemon @shrekgogurt @cccloudsss @mooncello @monbons

@theearlgreymage @youarenevertooold @larkral @facewithoutheart @messofthejess

[merrock]

event: Renaissance Faire & Gala

location: local Ren Faire grounds

date & time: July 27

ooc duration: July 22 - 29

It's time to load up the party buses and head to the Ren Faire! The buses will leave the Merrock High School parking lot at 9AM and head to the location, where you will have from 10AM until roughly 12AM to enjoy yourselves at the Renaissance Faire and Gala taking place for all Merrockites. Everyone over the age of 21 is invited, and we do ask that everyone come in appropriate attire for the event.

While on the grounds, food and drinks are paid for, courtesy of the Benefactor! If you choose to buy souvenirs or pay for different experiences, costumes, or anything extra, that will be something that you pay for yourselves! There will be privies on site, and plenty of places to change, should you decide to switch wardrobes throughout the day.

Check out demonstrations such as glass blowing, archery and blacksmithing, or watch daring sword fights on the pirate ship, see the knights as they joust in front of the king and queen, listen to carolers and watch jesters perform. Ride on the dragon swing, or one of the elephants on the fair ground. Witness aerial dancers, whip artists, listen to musicians and comedians, pirate shows, puppet shows. Meet the hawks and owls, the trusty steeds, maybe even catch a glimpse of a unicorn… and so much more!

While you're browsing the stands, purchase some costumes and books, crystals and jewelry, pottery and whistles, swords and knives, candy and bread, scarves and capes, blown glassware, leather goods, candles and soaps, puppets and toys, anything that your heart can and will desire!

When you're hungry, make sure to stop and get a giant turkey leg, a twisted pretzel, pickle on a stick, fish and chips, warm, hearty soups -- and lots of your favorite food staples, like walking tacos, french fries, burgers, macaroni and cheese, not to mention all of the ice cream and Italian ice that your little heart could desire! You can grab milkshakes and slushies, lemonades and teas, and of course… lots and lots of ale! (Plus wine and mixed drinks, too.)

In the evening, the chess court will be transformed into a beautiful dance floor, with live music to keep you entertained, which will be the location of our summer gala, perfect for dancing the night away with your honey or your friends. (Have you ever heard minstrels playing 'Low' or 'Cha Cha Slide'? It might happen.) You can come as you are in your Renaissance Faire wear, you do not need to change into formal attire -- but you're more than welcome to if you wish!

The buses will be leaving at 1AM from the parking lot, and everyone should be safely home in Merrock by 2AM. Thank you for coming with us on this adventure! xx

A few important notes about this event, mostly to save you from any burning questions that you might have!

all who attend will be arriving on the bus, and everyone will be heading back home on the bus; this is to assure that everyone has the same experience and same plotting potential. plus, it's a party bus, it's fun!

remember that no children and no pets are allowed -- this is adults only, and 21+. alcohol is sold on the grounds, so drinking is welcome and encouraged!

there is no set location for this Ren Faire -- you can assume it's somewhere in Maine, but it's just there and fictional. that means if something isn't talked about in this post, it is 100% fine to assume that it is there at this Ren Faire, as long as it's a Ren Faire thing! (like there probably isn't an arcade or roller coaster with a laser show, but if you attended one and bought something cool you want to buy there, go for it!)

open starters are super, super encouraged -- they will be posted on our starters page as usual. please make sure that you reply to open starters before creating your own! the only exception is the first person to create one, or if all the other available starters are at cap.

if you would like to post outfits, please tag them with #merrockfashion. outfits will be queued periodically through the day at my leisure; they'll show up through the week to keep the inspo blog from spamming dash.

socials can also be posted! as usual, just tag them with #merrocksocial so we can (again!) queue them to the Times blog.

existing threads do not need to be paused if you don't want to, if you still have muse and want to continue them. we don't recommend dead dropping all threads without contacting the people you are writing with first to ask if they would like a thread for the event or agreeing to something new after, just so people aren't left hanging with no activity!

no thread / plot call post this time, sorry! we want to encourage writers to be thoughtful about what they are writing and do the lifting of reaching out to one another. you are very welcome to make your own OOC posts asking for threads! but we promise -- no one here bites.

the event runs from today (July 22nd) through next Monday (July 29th). starters and threads can be posted any time between those days, and threads can continue as long as you would like after!

& most importantly, have fun! xx

[marshmallowprotection]

Because my friends and I just bought tickets for a ren faire in advance, I keep thinking about what it would be like to go to one with Saeran and Saeyoung 💗

Dressing up (maybe with coordinating costumes), looking at all the cool things to buy, watching live performances, trying a bunch of different foods? It would be so much fun 🥰

~Hearts Anon

Saeyoung would be thriving. You mean to tell him he can dress up as a princess and nobody's going to tell him to stop? He has been searching for a way to be himself for the longest time, and this gives him a genuine outlet to explore that side of himself that likes to dress up and feel feminine.

The only place he's been allowed to do that before he met you and got out of the agency was on his missions. It was unfortunate for him to discover how good he felt when he looked in the mirror only to realize that he had to use this look that made him feel so good as a means to destroy. 

So, yeah, he's about to experience a lot of gender euphoria and he's going to ask you to make sure to play the part. It doesn't matter what part you're dressing up as, please humor him for the rest of the day, this is a princess moment and he has dreamed of it for years. Same for his brother!

Saeran wants to feel like your prince! How many times did Ray say that to you? He would be thriving in that aesthetic all day, and I'm not sure why I can see this but he's the kind of person who would spend weeks making his outfit and yours... he wants to make it feel special and authentic. Well, about as close as you can get to it with his love of bright and warm colors, anyway!

You've also put him in the position to try a lot of new foods, and God knows that while that might not be great for his health, he needs to live a little now and again. He needs to try something different, and what is more exciting than getting to try something he's never had before? So, be prepared for how silly he might look carrying meat and other pastries!

[kylo-wrecked]

What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise? Music!Ben

{ 🫀 You broke and bought: Music!Ben }

He brought it on himself. He brought the whole house tumbling down. 

A listicle of the infamous tumbling downs:

Got cosy with a singer with the sole ambition of stealing her songs for First Order Records. Then he fell in love with her. Then he broke her heart. Then he broke his heart. 

Deliberately drove a car he knew would crash, physically debilitating his bandmate and best friend, Devon (Dräede (Music!Verse Knight OC)). 

Kicked out of the band that was his life- and family, too. 

Destroyed by Snoke. 

The other public break-up with another singer.

(Not invented by the mun at all, mun is loving and kind, and Music!Ben…

Music!Ben: pff, I was a fucking sweetheart in 2020.

K: Why you little—

He was.) 

And the long inciting crawl before the drop: 

He was picked up by First Order Records, a mega-famous, albeit notoriously abominable, bloodsucking label, at Snoke’s behest. Snoke has a lot of power in the industry, a big string-puller, surrounded by goons and lawyers and goons who are lawyers. Legend has it, they didn’t want the rest of the band, at least not initially. Just Ben. 

Ben accepted and signed a contract with profoundly shitty terms and not only urged but successfully convinced all his mates to do the same, you know, so that the band could stay together. To be fair, he didn’t know any better at the time. Later on, however, when certain strictures became clear, ‘Kylo’ shrugged off the band’s concerns. Things got ugly even before they got ugly

(Apparently, he never apologized to any one of them. And there were nine members at one point.)

Various incidents where this poor boy (nobody loves him) was a victim of sexual assault by gnarly, old Hollywood men. All horned-up aggressive men, at parties, you know, locker room behavior on designer drugs. Men who’d grab at him and tell him it was a good thing he was so big. Some women, too. 

(Ben denies this. He’s also denied the existence of TMZ when they’re right in his face, so go figure.) 

Some women threw broken Guinness bottles at ‘Kylo’ during a live performance in Michigan. Women with strong throwing arms. One bottle hit him in the pelvic belt… that was during a low-rise jean phase everyone went through. Probably would’ve been a nothingburger if he got offstage treatment. Everyone thought it was so cool the way this kid kept playing. A few shards got into his eye area, though. Then they had to take him down. And that was before the masks and uniforms. 

Born in New York and raised all over the world. They really liked that line. It wasn’t Ben’s, but he wore it after a while. He would hate anyone to know, but if you asked someone from before the Knights of Ren, they’d tell you he grew up in North Wetyin, which never existed on a map, ever. He got the shit kicked out of him in school, too. He dressed kind of like maybe he was gay? Sure, he was a tall tree, but he looked weird and talked funny, and you could see how sad he was. It’s mean; kids get mean in middle school, but those kids he went to school with just didn’t like him, and they seemed to want him to know it.

@southern-belle-outcasts

[faeyrie-child]

1. Otherkin. Though I mostly use it as a label so people with my struggles can find me. I write for them, after all, so we can find our strength and community. I don't identify as "kin" to anything. I am a faerie. I'm not human on any level including physical.

2. I am a faerie. Simple as that. I'm a changeling. One of my kind that was, for one reason or another, swapped with a human child. I'm not meant to identify myself as such unless I need to or it's already known, but there's no real world identification on this blog. (There is on my main, whoops.) But yeah. Fae Boi.

3. Yes. I am constantly in a "phantom shifted" state. I always have full sensation and can feel and see the presence of my wings. "Mental shifts" are also an incredibly common part of my experience. Times when I feel for closer to the fae, oftentimes through music and the performing arts.

4. There's a million and a half ways. Alongside the aforementioned wings and mental state things, I have also seen members of my own species. I feel a strong desire, stronger than usual at times, to go find and rejoin my people. I feel homesick. The woods feel more like home, I'm a lot closer to the forest spirits I see within them because of my status as a fae. It's a lot of things, really.

5. I love it. I wish the particular fae/changeling subsection was better/more populated, but I do enjoy hanging out with different kinds of otherkin and therians, yall are cool.

6. Music. The arts. The woods. Weirdly enough, fantasy content does help? Considering it was never meant to be accurate, that is.

7. I don't think that's the right term. I am thoroughly my species, there's nothing to be dysphoric about. I feel lonely. I feel homesick. But never, ever, species dysphoric.

8. Don't beat yourself up too much my dude. Connect with the community, but know when go keep your lips sealed.

9. I don't even know what gear would look like in my case. I've considered making a version of my wings that's actually visible to humans but that would ironically require me to hide my real wings beneath them. I would love to dress like a walking fucking Ren Faire tho <3

10. I know I was swapped out. I do suspect that my fae mother might have been either cooerced or circumstancially forced to trade me in. She's visited me since and she seems kind. I wish my human mother had the same ability to go visit her daughter like my fae mother can visit her son.

If you are a alterhuman, reblog and answer these questions!

(don't be afraid to write a lot, do what you want ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

1/ Which category of alterhumanity do you belong to?

2/ What/who is/are your type(s)? (if you have any)

3/ Do you experience shifts? If so, can you tell us your most common shifts and your strangest cameo shift (if you've ever had a cameo shift)?

4/ How do you experience your alterhumanity in everyday life?

5/ What do you think of the community?

6/ What are the things that make you most comfortable and euphoric in your alterhumanity?

7/ Are you experiencing species dysphoria?

8/ What advice would you like to say to a young alterhuman who has just awakened?

9/ Do you have/want to have gears?

10/ Do you know/have any theories about the origin of your alterhumanity? If so, tell us! (all beliefs are legitimate)

11/ Tag someone/a creature to answer these questions!ㅤᵕ̈

[firmgripplz]

Hi your Swordoftherings anon here,

I wish my daggers had cool marking/engravings but a the couple are kinda cheap ones I bought online nothing special. I have two small replicate elf knives that are pretty cool but the rapier is the newest so she’s kind of my bell of the ball her basket hilt is my favorite part flatter than you would think but her guards around the blade look snakes like to me. And I love her.

As much as I would like to stay strapped all the time(or get strapped if we’re being cheeky), I only really get a chance to wear them all to the Ren faire or DnD/cosplay. Thats where I kinda figured I like having them on me so much. Feeling them on my body and walking around holding the power of it.😮‍💨🥵 It was not something I envisioned having been unlocked in a crowd of people but here we are. After that I’ve been obsessed looking for more intricate pieces and finding excuses to where them. I am a faire security guard’s nightmare btw takes them forever to check me and I take great pleasure in that knowledge.

In reading your messages I’ve realized I’m wholly uninformed, and have been missing out on more of Renee’s performances I didn’t know existed. I’m on my knees show me begging to be shown the way 🙏🏻

Sword of the Rings is amazing - thank you for this 🙏

Listen - imho a dagger is a dagger and therefore is inherently special. I love them for existing. hahahah the "bell of the ball" is awesome wording, I'm sure she's beautiful. Is it like Inigo Montoya vibes for the guard?

"Feeling them on my body and walking around holding the power of it" <- that's so real. also I'm LOLing at the visual of the guard thinking you've finally pulled out your last blade and then you just keep reaching back for another one 😂 you're like "oh wait. oneeee more :)))"

I gotchu 😊

Daddy Lessons - I love this it's so freakin fun and also Beyoncé sent her flowers after this performance um hello WHAT?!

What Remains - The way she hits the high note at the peak of this? Truly blessed to hear it.

If I Were a Boy - head's up this performance is somewhat intense and so beautiful

Bonus - I think this is her like OG YouTube channel before she got famous. Amazing to hear how good she sounded and also just to see her growth as a singer.

[nny11writes]

No six sentence sunday today, have a silly wip idea that I do not know enough about and do not have the time to research to write it lol.

She Ra, Modern AU, College AU, either glitra or general, G or T rating

Glimmer does contact juggling, she learned as a kid because she thought it looked super magical and really kicked her fairy costumes up a notch at the ren faire (look me in the eyes and tell me that Bow does not go to ren faires, he would absolutely go and do archery demos/play his lute). It’s a fun hobby, and when she finally moves out of the house to go to college she feels super lonely.  Glimmer chose to not go to the private school her mom picked out specifically to be more “normal” and to follow her only friend. But Bow is busy all the time now with his major and new extracurriculars, and no amount of him inviting her will let Glimmer enjoy the experience of a robot club not building battle bots. She eventually finds a club on campus that is basically a juggling club although a few people also do tight rope and slack rope walking or other fun circus tricks. She grabs her favorite orbs and wants to give it a real go!

Catra learned to juggle because she was bored and Adora gave up. Adora begged for a set of soft cubes to learn to juggle and then got so frustrated that she couldn’t get it done quickly enough for her liking that she stopped. Catra found them and was just goofing around, but it was also a little bit of a “Wanna play N64 with me?” where your friend who ones the console is the only one who plays and you have to watch a little excited a little bored and a little frustrated that it’s never your turn. She gets decent at it and eventually starts juggling other things for shits and giggles, teaching herself through trial and error to juggle knives and eventually even use a whip. Adora was accepted to a private school and Catra never even applied to it. She ends up going to college because “it’s what you’re supposed to do” but she doesn’t know what she wants from it if anything. Catra learns there’s a juggling club and decides that she wants to do flaming torches and is wondering if there’s a fire eater who can teach her some tricks too.

Glimmer and Catra are what you would call frenemies. They are easily annoyed by one another but don’t actually hate each other. Despite not doing the same sort of juggling at all, they’re always trying to out do one another. Their friendly rivalry can get Intense at times but most of the club is just waiting to see what happens. 

Sea Hawk teaches Catra how to eat fire, so Glimmer demands to be taught as well. Perfuma teaches Glimmer slack line, so you bet your butt Catra decides to learn it too.

Eventually the whole club goes to do a performance at one of the small theaters tucked away on campus and Glimmer and Catra decide to do an act together where the whole thing is designed to look like they are seriously trying to sabotage one another but keep failing because of the other’s talents or obliviousness.

They have a grand ol’ time and when the performance is over Adora and Bow have bonded because THAT WAS AWESOME AND ALSO SO DANGEROUS BUT MOSTLY SUPER COOL!!

[riacte]

MCC 9 Blue Bats is simultaneously overrated and underrated.

One thing that I find interesting is how the Blue Bats/ Lime Liches bias on the MCC subreddit appeared 3/4 months after MCC 9. It’s almost like after MCC went on hiatus, people start asking for POVs, people recommend Blue Bats, and suddenly everyone starts to realize how good they were. And the fun thing is that the Blue Bats didn’t even do anything. No reunion, no new analysis video popped up. The bias naturally happened. And to be fair, the OG Blue Bats/ Lime Liches fans have been around since Sep/ Nov, and they’ve always been fairly vocal, but now the bias suddenly comes out of nowhere.

The favouritism grows. Blue Bats is no longer just the special underdogs team for a small circle of fans. Blue Bats became Reddit’s new fav team following MCC 4 Purple. So people start hyping them up until some people admit Blue Bats wasn’t as good as a POV because it was overhyped, and people started voting for the Bats no matter what polls they were in. I’ve seen Blue Bats be rated better than several very strong teams, and it vexed me even as a mega Bats fan.

Because the point of the Bats is that they were (rightfully) underrated before MCC 9. They weren’t meant to be the strongest team. They were the underdogs.

MCC 9 Blue Bats is overrated because their performance is not the most technically impressive. Yes, they were good, but not THAT good. The subreddit said they had potential, but put them 6th only because there were better teams (I noticed this was the same reasoning Reddit had for MCC 13 Purple Penguins). Their raw PvP skills were nowhere near as good at the MCC 13 PvP teams. For team games, H is a good team leader, but I understand why people doubted the hermits (they hadn’t played competitively).

MCC 13 DB had more clutches and more excitement, so objectively, MCC 13 DB is the more “entertaining” reverse sweep. MCC 9 DB is slower paced, there was a back and forth between False and Green that went on for quiet a while. For the individual games (eg. TGTTOS, Parkour) even though the hermits improved a lot, Fruit and H were still ahead of them significantly. This is no one’s fault of course, everybody did their best. The Bats were doing decently (and tbh that’s enough to get them into DB), but their real breakthrough was Survival Games, which I think is NOT overrated. People like to use SG as an example of how the Bats got to DB unfairly, but the funny thing is, Blue Bats would only have HIGHER points with the new scoring. You literally can’t hate on the Bats for this. You just can’t.

Blue Bats POV is good, but there are more technically impressive POVs. Blue Bats POV is not exactly “mainstream entertainment”, since they don’t scream loudly or swear (which seems to common in current gaming content). False and Fruit are relatively quiet. And besides, if you watch the POV while knowing they’re going to win, it ruins the excitement and pure joy a little. Blue Bats OGs have long raved about how unexpected and amazing their win was, but if you’re a Bats newcomer, you know they’re gonna win. So I understand why people say Blue Bats is overrated.

BUT-

The whole point of the Blue Bats is that they’re not meant to be technically impressive. They’re not expected to win. They’re not a team of the best; they’re a ragtag team of a Dodgebolt loser, a speedrunner who skipped a MCC, and two non-PvPers who got ninth three times in a row. I’m pretty sure Scott wanted to nerf H, and that’s partially why he put him with the hermits.

You see, the backstory is essential for the Blue Bats experience. H lost MCC 8 despite his team getting first in coins. People were doubting Fruit after MCC 7. The hermits’ teams never got 5th place or above. I’m sure newcomers know this, but maybe they haven’t really felt it, and I don’t blame them one bit. That’s why the OG fans, who followed them before MCC 9, who watched their practice streams, were so freaking excited.

The Blue Bats were strong because they were strong together. This is best displayed in Survival Games. Not all four of them need to be superb in PvP or movement. Not all four of them need to have amazing technical skills. Yes, maybe H and Fruit did “carry” False and Ren as much as I hate that term, but the hermits pulled their own weight, and honestly? That’s more important than having four individually great people but with poor communication and tactics. Imagine having four great bowers but no one to loot chests. That team will fall apart. Maybe the Bats were lucky with SG. But I’m pretty sure with their chemistry and synergy, they’ll power through any team game.

One interesting thing about the How the Blue Bats Won MCC 9 video is that Frostbyte talked about the story, the interaction between the players rather than the technical skills of the players. In fact, Blue Bats were not very strong on paper compared to the other MCC 9 teams, and they kinda won through protagonist armour. The way their team is set up caused the hermits to depend on the other two, so they didn’t have a lot of arguments on tactics. Ren in particular was very eager to act as support, which he excelled in for SG and SOT under the leadership of H. Ren’s skills mattered, but what mattered more was his willingness to follow H.

That’s how the Blue Bats won. As cheesy as it is, it was through friendship and plot.

The story behind the Bats POV is what compels people to this day. They weren’t the strongest, nor were they objectively the most impressive POV. If you weren’t emotionally invested in them, you probably would just go “Oh cool. Survival Games domination. Neat.”

But they were a funky little team that vibed well together. They spectacularly won the game they most feared. Their POV is made dramatic by their fans, but in the end, it’s just four people having good time.

Sure, they’re currently overrated by Reddit. Even I think they’re a little overrated. But the MCC 9 Blue Bats are one of the most beloved MCC teams for good reason, and it’s not because they’re strong. It’s precisely because they weren’t the strongest, yet still somehow won.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 47: See Through

After school the next day, Ren was walking out when she overheard some commotion. “So, what’s she really like?” one student said. This caught Ren’s attention.

“Yeah,” another continued. “Does she have any weaknesses? Or anything like that?” Ren turned to face them. Two students had crowded Sumire.

“Ummmm” Sumire was a bit nervous.

“C’mon. You've known her practically your whole life” the first student said.

“Yeah. If we could just get some pointers for dealing with her, that'd be great,” the second student added.

Ren was about to interrupt, when Sumire blurted out “You want to ‘deal’ with her?” The two other students nodded nervously. “Then just work hard. She appreciates that.”

“What?” The first student said, in shock and hesitation about what was coming.

“You heard me,” Sumire said.

“There’s-there’s gotta be something else, right?” the second student asked.

Sumire shook her head. “Just work hard. Is that really too much effort?”

“Well…” the first student said.

Now Ren was more scared about what Sumire was gonna do to the other two. So she gently walked up and said “Hey Sumire.”

The two other students looked back at Ren, spooked by the sudden interruption. “Oh, hi senpai!” Sumire said, changing into a very cheery voice on a dime.

“Senpai?” The second student said.

“As in ours too?” the first one said.

They looked at Sumire, and then at Ren. They turned to Ren, bowed, and said “We’re sorry!” before dashing off before anything could be done.

“That...was odd,” Ren said.

“Yeah,” Sumire agreed.

“So, what were they talking about that got you so worked up?” Ren asked.

“Oh. They were asking about Coach Hiraguchi” Sumire said.

“I see,” Ren said. “I’ve gotta be honest, I’m a bit impressed.”

“Thank you,” Sumire said with a smile.

Ren continued. “But also a little disappointed.” Sumire was confused. “It’s great to see you standing firm, but you don’t seem to do that when you’re the topic of discussion.” Sumire averted her eyes. Ren lifted her head up to meet her eyes. “Sumire, you’re amazing. You gotta show that more.”

Sumire’s heart was now beating a mile a minute. She needed to do something to distract from that before it overwhelmed her. “Well... The same could be said about you” she retorted Ren was confused. “You have no trouble helping someone in need, but from what I’ve seen, you have a harder time allowing people to help you.” Sumire’s face was still red, but Ren thought this was about the intensity of her statement.

Ren wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but felt like she needed to say something. “You’re doing it again. You’re kicking up a storm about me, and not you.”

“So are you!” Sumire pointed out.

The two girls looked away from each other, embarrassed about what was happening. “This’ll just keep going forever if we let it,” Ren lamented.

“Yeah…” Sumire agreed.

They stood there for another moment. “Well, seeya, I guess…” Ren said.

Ren tried to leave, but Sumire grabbed her arm. “Wait!” she said. Ren turned back to her. “Um, if it’s OK with you, there is something I’d like your help with.”

Ren turned some more to face her, as Sumire let go. “Sure.”

“Thanks,” Sumire said. She blushed ever so slightly. “Well then, let’s go.” Sumire said, walking off. Ren was stunned, and decided to follow her. Ren wasn’t sure where they were going. She was a bit distracted by Sumire’s energy. When she finally thought about it, it was too late to say anything.

They arrived at a glasses store in Kichijoji. “You wanted to buy glasses?” Ren asked.

“Well, they aren’t for me…” Sumire said. She looked down at her feet. “I know you just got done dressing me down for putting other people before me, but this is something I actually want to do.”

Ren looked at her. “Sumire… I don’t want you to stop thinking of other people. You thinking about others, and the kindness you show is something I admire deeply about you. It’s just… I want you to think of what you want too.” Sumire looked at her intently. “Please don’t throw it back at me, I don’t want to get into that loop again.”

Sumire chuckled. She sighed. “Anyway, let’s head in.”

Ren nodded and the two girls walked in. “So, what are we here for?” Ren asked.

“Well, my dad needs a new pair of glasses,” Sumire explained. “And I felt like surprising him. Plus, um, that reporter we met apparently caused some trouble for him.”

“How so?” Ren asked.

“Well, I’m not sure really,” Sumire answered, “but apparently his boss wasn’t all too happy about it.”

“I see…” Ren said. She assumed a thinking position with her hand grabbing her chin.

“What’s on your mind?” Sumire said.

“I’m not sure,” Ren said. “Why would a reporter asking questions about Madarame concern your dad’s boss? The two things seem unrelated.”

“Hm, that is a bit odd,” Sumire said, assuming a similar thinking position. “But I’m not really sure. It might be one of those things where we’ll cross the bridge when we get there.”

Ren was slightly surprised, but fell into agreement. “Right. Whatever the case, if...he’s?” Sumire nodded, “dirty dealing, then we’ll come across it. If he’s just interested in running a tight ship, well then I guess the onus is on him.” Sumire nodded again. “So, those glasses?”

“Ah, right,” Sumire said. “Let’s look through their stock and see what they have.” Ren nodded and they started to peruse the gallery.

“So, do you have any idea what kind of glasses your dad would like?” Ren asked.

“Well...he’s very practical,” Sumire said. “But he’s also kind. So, I’m thinking something that’s simple, but shows who he is.”

“Who he is, huh…” Ren said.

Sumire picked up on Ren’s anxiety. “What’s wrong?”

Ren was stunned, but not entirely surprised by the question. She took off her glasses. “Before coming here, before getting into high school even, I switched over from contacts to glasses. I did this because…”

Sumire was a bit concerned. “Because…?”

“I dunno,” Ren said. “I thought they would help somehow.”

Help how?” Sumire wondered.

Ren sighed. “I wasn’t the most...well liked kid where I grew up” Ren explained. “I thought this would help my image somehow. That somehow people would be nicer to me if I had glasses. In middle school, I got into a bunch of fights, and that messed with my contacts a fair bit. So maybe I thought people would be less willing to break my glasses… But while I got into less physical confrontations in high school, everyone started fighting with their words and indirect actions, rather than a punch to the face.”

Ren looked at her glasses. “In a way, these glasses were supposed to hide who I was. But in the end, they just showed that I was someone who didn’t belong there. I mean, I guess they’ve been working since I’ve been in Tokyo, but that could all change in an instant. I feel like I’m just waiting for the moment things all go to Hell in a handbasket.”

Ren felt a presence grab her. She looked down to see it was Sumire giving her a hug. She felt...a lot of things. She felt happy, sad, embarrassed, confused, pathetic, but most importantly, she felt cherished; something she had only recently started getting accustomed to. “Senpai…”

Ren wasn’t sure what to say, so she said “Sorry” and put her glasses back on. Sumire let go. “I didn’t mean to bog you down with all that.”

“No!” Sumire insisted. “Er, what I mean is, thanks for telling me that.” Ren was more confused. “It...probably wasn’t easy to say all of that. But thank you for telling me how you feel, and opening up to me on that.” She took off her glasses. “I guess in the spirit of that, I should do the same.

Both Kasumi and I...we both needed vision correction. While Kasumi went for contacts all the time, I decided that I’d only wear contacts when performing, and glasses all other times. I told my parents I wanted to be different from Kasumi, and while that was true, a part of me was telling me that these glasses were to make me look cuter than Kasumi.” Ren was shocked.

“I know that sounds mean, and it kind of is,” Sumire continued, “but… I was always jealous of Kasumi’s natural cuteness. Well, as well as other things. I sort of felt like this would give me an edge. It didn’t, but by the time I realized that, things solidified. Kasumi was the one without glasses, and I was the one with. And now, I feel constantly torn. If I keep wearing my glasses, they serve to remind me of this awful part of me, but if I don’t I feel like I’d be copying Kasumi again.”

Ren was taken aback by all of this. Still, despite that, she knew exactly what to do. She gave Sumire a hug like Sumire did to her just moments before. “Sumire… Thank you.” Sumire started letting out tears. Ren backed up to put her hands one Sumire’s shoulders. “Whatever your feeling, feel it. I can’t say I understand entirely your relationship with your sister, or everything that comes with that, but I think you’d look cute either way, so whatever you decide, I’ll stand by it.” Wait, did I just call her cute?

Ren-senpai just called me cute! “I...I think I will keep my glasses.” She smiled. “Kasumi was also interested in finding the differences between us, so I think even though this might have started from a tinge of jealousy, between that and you calling me cute,” Ren’s face turned slightly red, “I think I’ll keep them.” Ren smiled. “Well, now that that’s all settled, let’s start looking for glasses for my father.”

They started looking. “What do you think of these?” Ren asked.

“Hmm, well they look really cool, but…” Sumire said. “...these are for my dad, so…”

“Gotcha,” Ren said.

Sumire picked up a pair. “What about these?”

Ren looked. “I’m not sure what kind of person your dad is, but those SCREAM ‘I’m from 20 years ago.”

“Yeah…” Sumire agreed. “I mean, I know my dad can be a bit stuck in his ways, but these are a bit too much.”

Ren saw something that interested her. She put them on. “Sumire, what do you think of these?”

Sumire looked. Ren was wearing a pair of gag glasses with swirly eyes, a big nose, and a mustache. She began laughing uncontrollably. “Why...why are these even here?” She asked between fits of laughter.

Ren started to laugh as well. “Probably for this reason.” She snickered some more. “C’mon, you try them on now.”

“Me?” Sumire said.

“Yeah, it’d be great!” Ren insisted.

“...Fine” Sumire relented. She put them on. “Well?” Ren tried holding it for a few seconds, but ended up in absolute stitches. Sumire was a tad annoyed at first, but then saw the humor of the situation and started giggling along. She took them off. “I guess these are pretty funny.”

After that, they decided to keep looking. However, nothing they found worked. “I’m starting to think we won’t find anything here that suits my dad” Sumire moped.

“Well, I mean, we did try,” Ren said. “Plus, I think we had a good time here anyways.”

Sumire smiled and blushed. “Yeah… Well, maybe we should get going.” As she started to head out, she noticed something. “Wait!” Ren stopped as well. She walked over and picked up a pair of red glasses. “Hmm. This is it! These are the glasses for my dad!”

Ren smiled. “Cool.”

Sumire was filled with confidence. She took them to the check-out. “I’d like to buy these please.” The cashier was a bit confused for a second. “They’re for my dad” she explained.

“Ah, I see,” the cashier said. She checked Sumire out and said “Have a good day you two.”

Once Sumire and Ren walked out, Ren said “Mission successful.”

“Yeah,” Sumire agreed. “And ever better, I did this myself. I made the decision, and I think it’ll pay off. Ah, what I mean is, I’ve been doing that thing you said where I wasn’t thinking about what I wanted. And a little while ago, if someone said ‘we should get him this pair’ I would have gone along with it. But now I made the final decision myself. And I’m proud of that.”

Ren looked at her, smiled, blushed, rubbed Sumire’s head, and said “Well done. You've come so far.”

“Right!” Sumire said. “And I’m not stopping now!”

Faith-Sumire Yoshizawa: Rank 4

Sumire turned to Ren. “Anyway, wanna get something to eat before we head off?” Ren nodded, and the two of them found someplace to eat. After that, Sumire headed home, while Ren did some part time labor.

The next day, Sumire was wandering through the halls of the school when she bumped into Coach Hiraguchi. “Ah, Sumire. Perfect timing.” Sumire looked at her. “There’s something I wanted to discuss with you. Can you meet with me after school?”

“Uh, sure,” Sumire said.

“Great, see you then,” Hiraguchi said. She walked off.

“I wonder what that’s about?” Sumire asked. She shrugged it off for now and continued on her way. Once school was over, Sumire headed straight for Hiraguchi’s office. “You wanted to see me?” she asked, walking in.

“Ah, yes,” Hiraguchi said. “Please, have a seat.” Sumire did. “Now, Sumire, I did say I wanted you in big competitions,” Sumire nodded, “but there is one coming up soon. If you’re not feeling up to it, I can get you out of this one, but only this one. I wanted to run this by you before doing anything.”

Sumire was shocked. Her coach had been nothing but supportive throughout this entire ordeal. Heck, she was even going through it with her to some extent. Sumire had always felt weak and insecure about herself and her performance, but she recently started to feel better about herself. Sumire smiled. “Thank you coach, but as much as I appreciate the offer, I want to participate.”

Hiarguchi smiled. “Very well. You know, I’m glad to see you coming in full force again. It almost feels like old times.” Sumire was surprised. “Anyways, thank you for coming to see me.”

Sumire had gotten up, bowed, and said “Thank you.” She left.

Hiraguchi watched her leave. “I know Kasumi would have loved to see this as well.”

[rebelbyrdie]

Swan Queen AU Fic Idea

I had a wierd dream and after some thinking, thought I would share it.

Regina is desperate to preserve her family’s entertainment business.  Emma is a washed-up stunt woman hired to help.  Sparks fly...sometimes literally.

The Mills Midevil Experience was a hold-over from the heyday of travelling circuses and sideshows.  When Henry Mills took it over from his father in 1975, they were in debt and struggling to survive.  Henry had a business degree and a passion for history.  Toss in his then-girlfriend Cora’s flair for the dramatic and a new idea was born. 

The show settled down and created a home-base just outside of Boston.  They were a circus no more; they were an experience.  Knights in shining armor, horses, kings and princesses, bards and acrobats dressed in motley.  They had dinners and wine, courtesy of their own farm and vineyard.  It wasn’t an immediate hit, but it was easier and more profitable than travelling.  Their people could settle down and build more stable lives while still doing what they loved.

Now they have five locations nationwide and are a household name.  But the modern ease of streaming tv and smart phones have made The Midevil Experience boring and less profitable.  

When Henry passes from a heart attack, Cora is ready to sell the business to a corporation and retire.  Her daughters, Regina and Zelena, refuse to let their father’s dream die.

So they spice things up.  They look to things like Las Vegas-style shows and popular TV for new ideas and themes. 

“We have to make ourselves more interesting then sitting on the couch and watching Netflix, Mother.”  Zelena pointed out.  “I want us to pass this company on to Robyn and Henry one day.”

Henry, ten, looked up from the comic book he was reading.  “The show is really boring.  It's the same thing as its always been since, like, forever.”

Regina sighed.  “Thank you for your input, Darling, but-”

Henry didn’t let his mother deter him.  “I mean, the whole tournament for the Princess’s hand in marriage thing is old and kind of sexist.”   He twisted his face.  “And boring.  All the knights are inter-changable, and it doesn’t actually matter who wins.  Its been the same since you and Grandpa wrote it like in the stone ages.”

Cora looked at her grandson over her glass of wine.  They were gathered in the living room for the evening, trying to relax.

“Junior.”  

Henry scowled at being called that.

“What do you think would be interesting?”

Cora was no fool.  She may have never became the Hollywood Superstar she wanted to be, but she was a businesswoman.  Henry was their target audience, after all.

“We need better villains.”  He held up his comic book.  “The bad guys always make the story better.  The good guys have to have a reason to fight.  We need-”   He shrugged.  “An Evil Queen or a Wicked Witch or something.  Like the Queen of Hearts in Alice, Off with Their Heads.  People love to hate bad guys.”

He went back to his comic.  “Some explosions would be cool too.”

Cora looked to her granddaughter, three years old and cute as a button. She didn’t have many opinions on things that weren’t related to her current obsession of Minnie Mouse. Cora decided to ask her, anyway.

“And what do you think, Little Bean?”  Robyn, Zelena’s daughter, smiled and held up an oversized wooden piece that she’d been trying to smash into a jumbled mess of a floor puzzle. “Fix.”

Cora took a sip of her wine and regarded her little family.  If her daughters wanted to fix things, they would have to figure out how.

***

Regina worked with the horses and their riders.  She bred, trained and babied the horses.  She was a demanding and perfectionist bitch with the riders.  She refused to let the horses, the real stars of the show, get hurt because the riders were incompetent.  

Zelena, who directed and occasionally acted in the performances, found her in the stables, mucking out the stalls with a vengeance.

“Are you done being angry with me yet?”

Regina looked up from her work with narrowed eyes.  Her mouth was twisted into a scowl.  “Maybe.”

“With Mother?”

Regina straitened up and wiped sweat from her brow.  “Definitely not.”

Zelena sighed.  Her baby sister could be so hard-headed.

“It isn’t the end of the world, Gina.  It’s just a trial run.  You know damn well we don’t have enough female actors and hiring one is just going to further drain our budget.”

Regina bared her teeth.  “We would have had the budget if you and mother hadn’t hired this stunt person.  An outsider!  This Swan is supposed to fix our show?  We can fix our show, Z.”

Zelena had to disagree.  If they wanted to do everything, to revolutionize the show, then they needed the help.

“And why do I”  Regina continued  “Have to be the Evil Queen anyway!  You’re the actress.  I never did well in the shows.  You should do it.”

Zelena was playing opposite of her sister, as the Good Queen.  It was a limited role but that meant that she could direct and manage too.

“Because you’re the only woman who can ride and lets face it, you are a little scary sometimes.  Phillip is still afraid of you.”

Phillip was their lead-actor in the Orlando location.

“He’s an idiot. Thank God for Mulan.”

Mulan ran the Orlando show and did it well.

“Never the less.  I know you can do it.  Dad would have loved to see you.”

It was an underhanded move, and Zelena knew it.  While she had always been partial to her mother, Regina was a Daddy’s girl through and through.  She had even named her son after him.

“Give it a try.  For me?  For Dad?”

Regina sighed.  “Fine.”

***

Emma Swan had fallen and fallen hard.  Both physically and metaphorically.  She had gone from doubling for A List actresses and having her name in the credits of every action movie to a freaking tourist trap dinner theatre.  

She should have never gone on freaking American Ninja Warrior.  She’d made it to Stage 3 then fallen, hit several things on the way down and destroyed her knee, shoulder and career.  Worst of all, the universe had watched it live and could do so again and again on Youtube.  She’d gone viral as the American Ninja Failure.

Now she was here, back in Boston, to try to scratch up some money to pay off her medical bills by teaching a bunch of Cirque Rejects and Drama-School Drop-Outs how to use make their hoaky stunts look better.

She was going to kill her agent.

It was Monday morning and the Midevil Experience’s parking lot was empty.  She parked the Bug and went in, trying to hide her limp the best she could.  She’d caught one of these shows out in Frisco years ago.  It was like a Ren Fair, but for kids.  There was jousting and swords and a dumb storyline.  The food was mediocre and the acting even worse.

She wandered around the back of the sprawling complex and found an employee’s entrance that was unlocked.  She let herself in and had not been ready for the change.  The parking lot was empty, but the building was a bustling hive of activity.  

People, horses and props were all around.  There was, she assumed, a method to the madness.  She knew better then to touch anything.  Stage Managers and Prop Masters could (and she had seen it more than once) maim someone for touching props that they weren’t supposed to.

“What a shit show.”  Emma mumbled to herself.”

“Miss Swan, I presume.”

Emma winced because there was no way that her remark hadn’t been heard and turned around.  “Um hey.”

She was met by a glare from dark brown eyes and a scowl.  They eyes and scowl were attached to the most beautiful woman Emma had ever seen.

“I’m looking for one of the Mills?”

The woman (Emma assumed she was an actress or something) continued to glare at her.  “I am Regina Mills.  Animal and Technical Manager.”

And also, according to Emma’s agent, one of the three owners of the entire shebang.

Damn. It.

She might as well just walk back out to her yellow bug.

[razorblade180]

interdimensional Dads 3

Jaune:Alright, you’re up Blue. Tell all about a world where we manage to get our Beacon crush. That’s how I know you aren’t lying when you say there’s magic in your Remnant again.

Jaune:Magic had nothing to do with it! It’s called time and life. Also I told her I was going to cut my hair and she felt appalled so I didn’t. She told me how much she loves it a little shaggy.

...

Jaune:What?

Jaune:(Did cutting my hair really change my life that much?) It’s nothing, continue.

Jaune:Okay? Well, where to start? I guess the magic is as good of a place as any. Not much on the surface has changed. The climate seems to be a bit more intense though. The gods are back as well, but no one knows exactly where.

Jaune:It’s not on any map?

Jaune:No, apparently it’s constantly changing. Those who get close to finding it usually get turned around by something. Even Oscar doesn’t know.

Jaune:Oscar is still himself? Oz didn’t take over?

Jaune:Why would be? We saved the world and he got to move on. Oscar does however still have all the memories and experience. Not to mention the one hell of a fighter. Though these days he prefers using all that knowledge for counciling.

Jaune:Good for him.

Jaune:He’s a therapist? Huh, yeah he’s definitely been through hell and back in all of our lives. I never really stop to think how crazy it all was.

Jaune:He’s also married to Penny.

Jaune:Penny is back!?

Jaune:Your world is kicking my world’s ass.

Jaune:It’s pretty wild for sure. Yet it feels vaguely normal. Most of my time is spent still doing huntsman work. I take bodyguard missions mostly these days since they normally aren’t as dangerous. Saving towns from grimm is something I have to leave to the others like Ruby. Weiss gets a little anxious otherwise; even more than the kids do these days.

Jaune:Now for the good part, gushing about your kids.

Jaune:*smiling* Nicholas and Summer Schnee, my little Twin Snowflakes. Both sixteen and quite the handful.

Jaune:You know of any of us needed to have twins, I’m glad it’s the one who married into wealth.

Jaune:Well you’re sorta right. However, Weiss was cut off for years until her father wrote her back into the family on his deathbed. So she’s become financially savvy from having to live in Argus for years. That includes the kids when they were little and even a pet dog. I’d like to think we’ve both grown up through the years but she’s definitely changed more than me.

Jaune:I think that might be true for all of us.

Jaune:Hehe, I got a feeling you’re right.

Jaune:Yeah my Weiss has gone through some shit and took it strides as well.

Jaune:Anyways, being rich is nice but we did pretty fine before it. Yeah we had to work constantly but it’s not like there wasn’t anybody we couldn’t ask for help. I say by far the craziest thing about my world is team RWBY is now a connected on the family tree and then some.

Jaune:Wait...that would mean- who married a Schnee besides you! Qrow married Winter and that’s it right!? Right!?

Jaune:*smiling* Is someone a little jealous of thinking about a world where Ruby married Whitley?

Jaune:...A little.

Jaune:I guess I can spare you those details then. Just know they’ve done some real good for Remnant.

Jaune:That, I didn’t doubt for a second. It’s just a little weird hearing she isn’t with me.

Jaune:You named your kids after Weiss’s grandfather and Ruby’s mom?

Jaune:Nick is the future heir and Summer got her name because....sigh

....

Jaune:It was the right thing to do.

The other’s didn’t probe that avenue any further. Without saying anything, they already knew.

Jaune:Ruby must really appreciate that.

Jaune:Yeah. She might not realize it but she shows a little bias to Summer because of it. Not that Nick particularly cares. I think he might enjoy not being on someone’s radar for once.

Jaune:Let me guess, Mr. Popular?

Jaune:President at combat school, runner up in regionals, gold in figure skating, future heir, master of promoting various events and hosting parties. Kid has it made, and yet...

Jaune:He doesn’t seem to be having fun? I think we might’ve found a similar thread between our kids.

Jaune:Makes sense. Nick has the same problem I still have sometimes.

Jaune:Overthinking?

Jaune:Taking the blow for others?

Jaune:Burdening himself for no reason.

Jaune:Yes....

Jaune:Oh...

Jaune:He’s the kind of kid who finds a way to finish work quickly so he can finish other work faster; in a never ending loop. All for the sake of making others lives easier. This also causes him to tunnel vision sometimes and not really ask what that person wanted in the first place. That, or he puts himself in a position where he doesn’t get to enjoy being a teenager. It’s partly the reason why Weiss and I don’t give him too much slack whenever he does something for the fun of it.

Jaune.Even in a time of peace, someone like him is taking a lot of responsibilities. Not sure if that’s an Arc thing or a Schnee thing.

Jaune:Trust me, it’s both. He seems to be handling it well though. Weiss really gets on him about taking time to just be himself. Honestly it feels like there’s a couple times he’s even trying to put on a face for us instead of cameras. Fortunately people like Valerie and Veronica seem to cut through that act.

Jaune:Oooh, lady friends?

Jaune:Valerie is Ren and Nora’s kid. He has a giant crush on her but I sort of think he tries too hard and should consider looking elsewhere.

Jaune:That’s ironic coming from you.

Jaune:That’s how you know it’s bad. Me, the guy who wrote a terrible song just to get a date to the dance. To be fair he’s not that bad but I feel like he’ll end crushing his confidence. I mean Veronica would be nice. Blake and Yang’s daughter has a thing for him that’s just as obvious for his crush on Val.

Jaune:(Huh, that’s two sets of different kids from the same parents now. I guess some relationships are harder to change than others.) Nick sounds like a fine young man. I bet things will workout. He seems bright.

Jaune:Yeah, I just hope nothing blows up in his face. As for Summer, she’s practically the spitting image of her mother except with my eyes and light blonde hair. She’s pretty timid and a really kind girl. Smart as a whip too! Definitely got that from her mom; as well as her singing.

Jaune:She performs?

Jaune:Yeah, Atlas loves her music. She has good range, learned guitar from yours truly, tops the charts sometimes in other kingdoms, and genuinely seems to enjoy the life of a singer.

Jaune:But she’s timid?

Jaune:Yeah. Off the stage, she tries to get by life like a background character, but still wants to hang around Nick who’s always in a spotlight! When she was younger she got into a incident with dust that severely injured her. Thankfully she lived but now Summer has several scars over her body that she can’t stand. Also...that wasn’t all she got. Scars are least of her problems. The dust mixed with her cells in unexpected ways.

Jaune:Over exposer, did she get some sort of chronic illness or deficiency?

Jaune:Honestly, we don’t know what to call it. Whenever she gets too cold, Summer changes. Her hair goes white, eyes look like mother, and her personality does a 180. More than that actually. It’s more like she’s been possessed and what’s nothing more to rule everything. We call it Shiva. We have it under control mostly after ten years of dealing with it but there’s still scares now and then. Whatever Shiva is, she’s strong and capable of terrible things. Thankfully no casualties yet, but plenty of close calls and extra scars for almost everyone involved. The mental strain it puts on Summer almost seems crippling. I...don’t really know what to do about it at this point. She’s been distant, and I feel like she isn’t telling me something.

Jaune:....

Jaune:Well...you haven’t lost anything yet right?

Jaune:Huh?

Jaune:Don’t look so bummed. Ten years and nothing too tragic to show for it. Maybe it’s luck, or everyone is way stronger than this problem after all. Including your daughter. Trust me, daughters are way stronger than what father’s give them credit for.

Jaune:Ha, you know he might be on to something with that. You heard my story. Yujin was keeping things together for a long time. That being said, they’re still our little angels and can only go so far. Eventually they’re gonna wish to see someone like their dear old dad to to lean on. That’s our job after all.

Jaune:Yep. You’ll figure it. Like you said, you’re not alone.

Jaune:I might have a daughter but I know a thing or two about distant kids. Take it a step at a time, and let them know you’re always there.

Jaune:...*smiles* Thanks guys.

Jaune:No problem!

Jaune:I wonder what’s up with those two right now? Probably training for their tournament no doubt.

xxxx

Training is putting it lightly. The cold Argus air is filled with smoke as a fire burns in the forest. Nick kneels with his sword stabbed int ground. His body trembles from exhaustion and sweat runs down his face while his hands still grip the blade handle til his palms bleed. Surrounding him is Apathy as pale as ghost with ghastly blue eyes that make them look like they’re right out of horror movie.

Though he’s tired, he manages to lift his head up and see his sister on her hands and knees, not as roughed up as him but more drained from the grimm. Summer looked at her brother with eyes that constantly flickered between shades of blue before turning the shade of their father’s. Summer fell forward, all motivation to move taken away.

Nick:You okay...?

Summer:Y-Yeah...thanks. Sorry.

Nick:Next time....we’ll bring Ruby just in case.

He found the strength to walk towards his sister and carried her on his back. The summoned Apathy keeping a certain range around them like a dome as he walked. Summer found whatever strength she had to raise her right hand up and snapped her fingers. A cool wind came off her finger tips and snuffed out flames before it got out of hand.

Summer:Can’t have this place burning down right?

Nick:You’re gonna get cold again.

Summer:She’s tired...and I’m spent. Even if she comes out, my body can’t move so...zzzzz

Nick:Sigh, saw that coming.

Nicholas walked as fast as his body let him. Abandoning both of their swords in favor or retrieving them later. They’d gotten lucky, the sun was out and he had handled the situation before Shiva could find her stride. Warm clothing also did its part.

He felt Summer shift around on his back and started moving faster. He hated this part.

Nick:I don’t wanna talk to you.

Shiva:That’s no way to treat family.

Nick:But an icicle to the leg is?

Shiva:How else was I supposed to slow you down? You’ve gotten stronger, dodging it the way you did. How unpleasant for me. I’ll aim higher next time, I’ll make sure not to rough up that money maker of yours though.

Nick:Next time I’ll throw you in the fire so you’ll be too tired to talk. Your days are numbered. It must be a pain dealing with me and trying to keep control. Sooner or later you won’t be able to do anything but lose until Summer snuffs you out. Then you’ll be nothing more than a bad dream.

Shiva:....Hmmm aha!

Shiva:I’ve decided then. I guess I’ll just have to kill you first before that happens.

A chill went down his spine as he could feel her ice cold breath hit his ear as she whispersed...

Shiva:Let’s see if I’ll be a bad dream them.

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw nothing but his sister’s sleeping face. Not a sign of anyone or anything else; just peaceful slumber. The boy continued walking in silence. He was still sweating, still trembling, but no longer from the cold. Exhaustion crumbled to adrenaline. He started going back to the sight of their training to grab his sword. After all, who knows what could happen on the way back?

Part 2

Start reading Twin Snoflakes?< Part subzero

[pbandjesse]

Today was another excellent day. But I am way tireder then I was last night. Like it is a little hard to sit up and write this but I will power through. 

I did sleep alright last night but before bed I had another really bad nose bleed except this time I was alone, as James was asleep, and I only had 3 tissues. So I was a little upset and scared. But it was alright in the end. And I have a new tissue box now so hopefully I wont feel so stranded. 

I woke up around 8 but I stayed in bed until 830. I really wanted to keep sleeping but I knew Jess was up and I didnt want to be rude. And of course she was already dressed and looking cute. But she was doing work for her WFH job so she wasnt to bothered. I got washed up and dressed. I felt cute again today but I mostly forgot to take my picture until way late in the day. But that was alright. We were just having to much fun. 

The big plan for the day was to go squishmallow hunting. But the mall we were going to search at didnt open until 11. So we had some time to hang out. So after breakfast we started rinsing our tye dye projects. I decided Jess should go first because her's is so much lighter and I didnt want to stain her's with all my dark dye. And it was so funny hers didnt run any dye at almost at all?? Absolutely bizarre. We were using the coldest water and really trying to get in there but no dye came out. So we hung it to dry and got into mine. 

Mine was a different story. As soon as I unwrapped it from the plastic is was dripping black dye. So I pulled off the rubber bands and got to work rinsing it. It took a good ten minutes of rinsing but it honestly looked great. As it dried throughout the day the black would fade to a lovely almost grey purple. But the actual tye dyed scrunchy parts look so cool. I am super excited to share it tomorrow when we take pictures. It was a lot of fun to do and while I dont think I will like. Tye dye my whole life. It was a lot of fun to experiment with. And for our first go it was really successful. 

Once we were done that and everything was drying in the bathroom we got ready to leave. I wasnt super excited to drive, as I still felt really tired, but it was alright. Though when we got to the car I found we barely had any gas and I was annoyed about that because I hate putting gas in the car but I would do it. Even though I hate it. 

We drove out to the mall and it felt so weird to be in a mall. But there werent a lot of people. It was mostly just quiet. But it for sure felt like a blast from the past. We walked the whole mall. Talked about being mall rat teens. What we would do and play and just the culture of that time in our lives. And hoenstly it was just a good time. It was nice to walk around inside and not be cold and because we were on this funny hunt for squishes there was an element of activity and goal. 

We didnt have great luck. The claires had nothing. The hallmark had nothing. We did find some at Hot Topic though. I ended up getting a blind box one. And Jess got a couple little things. We also got a matching set of lollypop earrings I am very excited about. We got lunch in the food court. Felt very weird eating inside. I got pretzel bites. It was just. A good time at the mall. 

We were there about an hour, making our last stop at Hot Topic for the second time to make our actual purchases. And then we went to the strip mall across the road to go to starbucks. Everyone was driving stupid so I was really glad to be out of there. 

We started to head towards the closes Marshalls. And they only had a cuddler squish there. And a way to long line, so I did not buy the face wash I was going to get. We instead went to Target. We made a stop to get gas. Which was terrible only because the same thing happened as last time and the machine kept saying my zipcode was wrong and I had to go talk to the man at the counter and it was a whole thing. I hate pumping gas. But it was handled. 

Next we went to the CVS and the Walgreens to check and finding nothing good we continued on to Target. 

Target was mostly a bust. No easter friends. But we ended up finding a beautiful greyscale bunny that Jess really liked. And we decided we were done. I wanted to make one more loop around toys just and in case and while we did I remembered to stop to look in the legos to see if they had the botanical one me and James have been trying to get but keeps getting scalped for 3xs the real price. And I was so excited to find that they had it!! The bouquet of flowers!! I was so jazzed. I cant wait to build this with them and its going to be great and look so cool in our house. 

We were both a little beat by this point though. So it was time for home. 

It was a nice drive back. The sun started coming out after a really grey day. And I was happy to be home. 

We would chill for a little bit but then there were more things we wanted to do. We opened our blind boxes. I got a dragon that we think was meant to be scented like minit chocolate but just smelt. Bad. But whatever. Still cute. I like the dragons. And then we got to work on my clothes. 

I wanted to do another big purge and having moral support to talk things out was exactly what I needed. So Jess helped me make piles of everything I own and make hard calls for each piece. I was a little more brutal then I expected but honestly I had purged my clothes in december and I sort of knew what ones that if I didnt wear in the last 2 months were going to get the axe. So it was only hard at some points. And I was really excited that everything I wanted to fit in the trunk for seasonal pieces and my closet isnt to full anymore. Two bags of clothes to donate and Im just really happy about that. And before that Jess tried on some that she liked from the get rid of pile and took some and that made me feel really happy too. Im glad they will get a second life. 

We would spend more time in my room trying on ren fair costume stuff. And spent way to long trying to relace a corset thats a little to big for me. But it was honestly a lot of fun. We were just very tired at the end. 

James had a performance review during that time that we got to hear and I got to be all proud about how well they are doing. And then James would go on a bike ride after work before picking us all up dinner. Because I have the best partner. 

While James was gone me and Jess would be on the couch playing a little animal crossing. Being sleepy. When food did come I was really upset that both our orders were missing pieces and I was trying very hard not to have a breakdown over something stupid. But Jess gave me some of hers that I was missing and we made due. I was just a little sad. 

Dinner was nice though. And we all just sat together doing little crafts and enjoying the company. 

And we still have tomorrow. The plan is to do some photoshoots and make a little painting project together. I hope to sleep better tonight though. Im going to go take a shower and get cozy and try to get to bed earlier. Wish me luck. Goodnight everyone! Wash your hands!

[madrabbitsociety]

Just thinking about that post from earlier about how arts stuff shouldn’t have been turned into make money stuff. Because that mindset has killed so many hobbies for me, honestly. I mean, don’t get me wrong, maybe one day I’ll finally write something original and put it up on Smashwords or something, but probably not. 

A few years ago I had an audition for a dream job- don’t laugh, it was at a Renn Faire. I told my then-employer two months before the audition that I would be trying out for it and everything seemed perfectly normal. I gave him all the details and specs, and as I was a hairdresser working solely off commission I had some flexibility with my schedule. Well, the week of the audition I got a call from another theater company. It’s a community theater company, I’d auditioned for their production of Sherlock’s Veiled Secret and - the director stresses this to this day- VERY NARROWLY lost the role of Irene Adler, but their hairdresser dropped out and they needed help, would I come down? I had literally nothing on my books and walk-ins during the spring were scarce, so I asked my boss if I could leave a little early during tech week so I could be available during the show? I knew that if I proved I was willing to do other things, they’d work with me again.

He flipped the fuck out. 

Essentially his argument boiled down to ‘You can’t do hair and have other things in your life’. Which confused me, because he didn’t give married stylists or stylists with kids trouble when they wanted to leave early. It was only me- I had to be as dedicated to his salon as he was. I told him to fuck off. (OK, that’s a lie, I showed up to work one day, took down my license and left while he wasn’t there because I’m a fucking coward but what’re you gonna do?)

Sherlock happened the same weekend as the Ren Faire, and my car broke down, and I did something fucking stupid- I rented a vehicle. On a credit card. Because in my brain, if I missed the audition for the Faire I knew they wouldn’t see me next year (I know that when you first audition for a new company you rarely get cast, you gotta work your way in) and if I couldn’t help with Sherlock the same thing would probably happen with that company as well. 

See, here’s the thing, though. I didn’t drive until a few years ago and I was terrified of driving on highways- I wouldn’t even drive on highways near my house. And I was also terrified of giant vehicles- I had a tiny Ford Focus and I refused to drive my mom’s SUV. So here I was, shaking and screaming down 270 near DC to get to Annapolis and then to Rockville in Maryland (BIG stupid highway, in a RENTED SUV) all because I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to work for free with the theater. I had no money, I had no job, and I messed up my audition time so I didn’t get cast anyway although they still saw me, which I thought was really sweet of them. 

But that taught me a lot about what’s important to me as a person, I think. That weekend, on a hideously windy day, I got to perform the ‘What a piece of work is man’ speech from Hamlet on a replica of the Globe stage while all the stylists were still in the salon with that overbearing weirdo. And the next day, Sunday, when I showed up to do hair and run props for Sherlock’s Veiled Secret, I walked into a room full of absolute strangers and the director cried out, “Meghan’s here! We love Meghan!” 

When I said I wanted to volunteer my time, the first thing the salon manager and the salon owner asked was, “Why? Are they paying you? Why go there if they’re not paying you?” 

And over the last two years working with that company and those people, volunteering my time, I’ve built a really sweet connection. They know I’m miserable at my job, so they send me job opportunities in theater and other places as they pop up. They know I’m facing a tenuous living situation so every time they see a studio or a roommate situation closer to the theater that’s in my range, they forward me the listing. They send me Gritty memes when I had a relative pass away this week. And they were bugging me yesterday about auditioning for a virtual production of She Kills Monsters, which is why I’m on here trying to find a contemporary dramatic monologue because I can’t use ‘What a piece of work is man’. :-P  

It would be nice to earn money to write or to act. That’d be pretty fucking cool, I would never lie about that. But the things I get for volunteering my time, that’s a different kind of currency that’s much more important to me because it’s so scarce to find those type of loving connections in this world. I can’t WAIT to do ‘Shakespeare in the Wood’ this spring with my friends from A Taste for Murder- I’ll be playing Viola from Twelfth Night, and the sweet angel from my Pandemic Theater post is going to be my Olivia. And it’s really fricking cool. 

[princesstadashi]

A Post for Newbie Ren Faire Goers!

So, provided this god awful virus doesn’t shut them all down, it’s about ren faire season, at least for me and probably for some other people! And today at work I had this flashback to when I first started regularly going to faire, and man, was I confused about a lot of things--and I realized that maybe this would be a good time for me to make a post for others who are getting ready to visit their first Ren faire, or who are familiar with Ren faires but might still have questions and want to learn more. If you’re ready, let’s dive into this!

What the heck is a mug strap? It may sound random, and you may have never even heard of a mug strap, but this is actually one of the first questions I had about ren faires because it was something so many people were asking me if I had, so let me explain: It is a piece of leather that has two loops (at least one of which can come open), one loop to go around your belt and the other one (for sure the one that comes open) which can go around the handle of a mug or other drinking vessel for ease of carrying it! Which brings me to my second question:

Why are there so many shops selling wooden mugs (and other similar items?) This is because it is very, very important to stay hydrated at faire, especially when the weather is warm outside! A mug is an easy way to hold your drink of choice, and the mug strap mentioned above means you don’t have to carry it in your hands once you’re finished drinking! At least my local Ren faire has drink stations with water and gatorade for season pass holders, and even if yours doesn’t there are always water fountains! Do you need a mug to attend a Ren faire? Definitely not! But they’re pretty darn useful if you plan to go regularly instead of constantly buying bottled drinks, plus they look pretty cool!

What is “the cast”? The people hired by the Ren faire to play characters, you’ll usually see them walking around in the streets (or “lanes”) and performing in shows and events!

What the heck is “garb”? To put it in very simplified terms, it’s the old-timey clothes or “costumes” that you’ll see people wearing :)

(More below the cut!)

Is garb or any sort of costume necessary? No, absolutely not! Plenty of people go in regular clothes! But it is fun to get dressed up :) And you don’t have to have a full costume straight off--that stuff is expensive, so it’s okay if you need to build it up over time if you want to do that--all that matters is that you’re having fun and getting into the spirit of things! Back to not dressing up: Again, it is totally fine if you want to wear regular street clothes, and a lot of the cast will probably have fun asking about your “outlandish outfit” and any modern devices that you have with you! HOWEVER. I hate that I have to say this, but I do: if you don’t choose to wear garb, don’t be a dick to the people who are wearing it. Usually everyone is very chill, and of course some of the cast members will be wearing costumes that are meant to be very showy. But especially with regards to fellow guests: don’t treat them as part of the “spectacle” or like they’re animals in a zoo: basically just don’t stare, don’t treat them like they’re weird for dressing up no matter their age, and remember that they’re just people wanting to have a good time like you, they just want to look totally badass doing it!

So is it not okay to talk to people about their costumes or to ask them for pictures? Please, as long as you’re being polite, feel free to ask--many people like me feel like the reward of all the work we put into our garb is compliments and people asking for pictures! But use common courtesy: if someone seems uncomfortable with you talking to them, just leave them be. And always ask before taking a picture! You might see some photographers taking candid shots, but most of those people are professionals and have gotten permission to be doing that. General rule of thumb is just treat people like you would want to be treated!

I see a lot of people being very flirty/touchy feely/etc. with each other, am I allowed to do that? So here’s the thing about Ren Faires: especially the cast, we tend to all be very open with each other and let loose a bit in a safe space. And a lot of stuff like that that you’ll be seeing is between people who already know each other and are comfortable with each other, even if we might not be acting like that if we’re in character. Now does that mean no flirting is allowed? Totally not! But just like in any other social setting, use common sense: see if the other person is comfortable with it, and if not respect that and back off. Simple as that. Also please keep especially in mind with the cast that this is a paying job for them so while they have a lot more freedom than a regular customer service job, it is still in a way customer service, so they can’t be super rude to you if you’re making them uncomfortable. But also keep in mind that there is security and no one is afraid to call security on you if you’re being inappropriate with anyone, and they will escort you out.

Is that sword (or other weapon) really sharp? At least in my experience, no--for safety reasons, most weapons are blunted--they’re still heavy so they can absolutely do damage as a bludgeon, but everyone tries to avoid more injuries than necessary. 

Can I hold that sword (or insert any other cool looking prop)? ASK. Dear God, ASK before you touch anything that someone else is carrying! I don’t mean to freak you out, but most of this stuff is VERY expensive and quite possibly damageable, no matter how sturdy it looks! Also if you start fucking around and injure someone else? There could be liability on the owner of the thing you were fucking around with. Some people will be chill about letting you handle their props, but if not, just be polite and thank them for their answer and move on! I’ve seen too many things be damaged/lost that were irreplaceable because people didn’t use common courtesy so I feel very strongly about this!

Do I have to use old fashioned speech? No, but it’s fun! And there are some pretty fun terms that are used to replace modern terms that don’t have a equivalent in the Renaissance! A few of my favorites: “The Book of Faces” = Facebook; “Please God 13″ = PG 13 (usually used to let you know if the content of a show will be slightly more mature); “Master or the Cards”/”Lady Visa”/”New World Express” = various names for common credit and debit cards!

Speaking of credit cards! There are a lot of vendors who take credit cards, but not all of them do, and sometimes reception can be REALLY spotty out in the faire grounds, so I’d say bringing about $40 per person (if you’re planning to eat lunch and dinner there) in cash is always a safe bet. Some faire grounds will have an ATM, but the line can get pretty long, and who really wants to pay ATM fees? Also tipping is how a lot of performers get to keep performing their craft! So having a couple ones to put in the basket at the end of a show if you choose to see a show is always a nice idea!

What about drinking alcohol, is that a thing? Yes, most Ren faires won’t let you bring your own, but most of the faires I’ve been to have plenty for sale! Just another general rule of courtesy: please do not treat this like a frat party, and try to avoid getting completely wasted and being a dick. Believe me. There’s a difference between being buzzed and having a good time and that. I have seen it too many times to count. It isn’t funny. There are usually children around you, and this is a public space. We all see you, and we’re all silently judging you. Please know your limits and drink responsibly!

I’ve worn cosplay before, is that okay to wear to Ren Faires? Cosplay is totally encouraged, especially if it works with the time period and/or it’s a character that is a time traveler! Hell, most of my “garb” is made up of cosplay! But please keep in mind: this is not a convention. There will be very, VERY limited places to sit. There will be very limited cover from the elements. You will most likely be walking on dirt roads with rocks and, if it has rained at all, you may be walking in several inches of mud. And the walk back to the car in the parking lot is a LOT longer than you think. So only wear something that you will be comfortable wearing for eight+ hours without being able to sit down for long/without having to remove parts of, and also something that can stand to get dirty and being out in the elements! (I have seen SO MANY floor length satin dresses that get dragged in the mud and it makes me physically cringe thinking about trying to get those mud stains out!) ALSO. COMFY SHOES. DEAR GOD. Invest in inserts if you can, just wear the comfiest fucking shoes you can find, your feet will thank you later!

Last of all: Don’t be afraid to ask question, and don’t be afraid to join in! Ask the cast and shop owners what the most fun things to do are if you aren’t sure what to do--sometimes they can point you in the way of really fun experiences that you wouldn’t even know about otherwise! If the Ren faire offers maps, definitely worth the investment, they’ll help you keep track of where you are (believe me, it’s super easy to get turned around!) as well as telling you where/when fun events and shows will be! Combining the two: one of my favorite parts of my local faire is Pub Sing, which is listed on the map but I might not have gone to without friends bringing me the first time and I LOVE it now. It’s basically a bunch of us sitting on wooden benches while one of the cast members leads singing of pub songs, and audience participation of new verses to the songs, lymericks, and toasts are fully welcome, and there’s even a big circle dance anyone can participate in and it’s always a great time, I try to never miss a single pub sing if I can help it!

So--yes, this probably got way too long, but hopefully this helps answer any questions that anyone might have had! Please feel free to comment if you have any other questions!