#yes aus plural

[hows-my-handwriting]

SOMEONE SAID IT OK NOW I GOTTA DIVULGE HAHAHAHA-

fae hobie was literally just that, everything is normal except hobie is a fucking woodland sprite and about the size of a piece of beef jerky. my main inspiration was these things:

from spiderwick chronicles cuz I MEAN LOOK AT THEIR HAIR??? head?? things????

I NEVER EVEN SAW THE MOVIE/SHOW/WHATEVER IT WAS.

my unbelievably unoriginal ass was like HMMMMM HOBIE'S HAIR. IN PETALS. . . HMMMM. and then it slowly devolved into tiny hobie au.

the kids carry him around in pockets or on their shoulder and he speaks the fae equivalent of british which makes him three times harder to understand.

its so funny trust.

and jazz au was a crackhead idea of suppressed music talent miles finding his band in the other spiderkids and this oddly ambitious plot about gwen and hobie drifting away to pursue rock but always coming back to jam with the boys because punk rock and even metal pulls a lot of inspiration from jazz and the jazz movement.

miles would be a singer or a trumpet player and i cant decide which so HA.

wriggles around in my padded room.

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

Medieval Dragon Rider Au!

Jason is presumed dead after an assassination attempt on the king goes awry, leaving the young prince’s chambers a burnt a ruin.

The only thing that survives the fire is the prince’s dragon egg, passed on to the king’s newest charge, Tim Drake, after a mourning period. To the surprise of everyone, the egg hatches shortly after. “A sign of the dead prince’s approval”, it is declared.

But when Jason returns to attack Tim in revenge for taking his place, it’s on the back of one of the largest dragons the realm has ever seen.

And Tim’s dragon has only just become big enough to saddle a rider two months ago.

[the-axylotl]

TUMBLR SECRET SANTA!!

☆ What is tumblr secret santa? - basically, I, (santa) will give everyone who wants to join the url of someone else who wants to! On the 12 days leading up to christmas, every day, you send an anon ask to the person youve been given... Youll be their secret santa!! On the 25th of DECEMBER, everyone goes off anon and gives the person they've been sending asks to a gift! This can be art, a fanfic, a picture or song they might like... it can be anything!

☆ whats the point? - the point is to hopefully make some new friends, and spread positivity, community and platonic love during the christmas season! I'll try to match everyone with someone they dont know well or interact with, who matches their interests, and their age range! (Minors with minors, adults with adults)!

☆ What are the rules? - Not many rules, I'd just say no nsfw or hateful messages on anon (especially if youve been assigned a minor! If you start sending nsfw to minors you WILL be reported!!!) And its important to send a message every day! If your secret santa stops sending you messages, or starts making you uncomfortable, let me know and I'll replace them! One last rule, you need anon asks on to join! This wont work if your secret santa cant be secret!!

☆ How to join? - just like reblog or interact with this post! If enough people dont join, I might not be able to arange this! You can also DM me or @a-literal-frog if you dont wanna make it public just yet! The deadline to join is the 11th of December, the day before it starts, but if you see this after, DM me anyway, and you can be a backup if a secret santa breaks the rules!

I hope you guys join, and enjoy spreading community and making friends this season! Merry Christmas (or happy holidays) everyone!!! :D

[scattered-dreamers]

I have questions about the NotThem and the Web Table.

What happens to the people who are NotThemed? Canonically they’re dead.

But…they can’t just vanish. They don’t just *poof!*

NotThem are Stranger aligned. What else is Stranger aligned? The Anglerfish.

What did the Anglerfish do to its victims? Take their skin.

Is it safe to say that the NotThem not only take their victim’s appearance but also give them to the Stranger?

Follow me on this.

What if all the “wax statues” (horribly done. Horrible) are victims of the NotThem? What if the NotThem offers their victims to the Stranger and the Stranger puts them where they need to be.

What if Sasha was in the Wax Museum when it blew up? One of the unrecognizable wax statues.

[rt-closetcryptic]

Silly work doodle! Might color this, but I'm unsure.

[everythingwasnormalhere]

rating cartman's brain sillies (by @richierambles)

Anne: 8/10 she's great :D

Finn: 6/10 kinda lame idk

Artemis: 10/10 he's so silly<3

Sam: 6/10 needs a psychiatrist

Collins: 9/10 he's so gay dude

Irick: 7/10 silly old man 😔🫶

Grim: 8/10 fucking furry

Adrian: 9/10 he's gay idk

Theodore: 3/10 lame ass guy

Sunny: 10/10 heart's crazy<3

Eight: 1/10 burn him in a fire

Jenni: 7/10 love-hate relationship

Mitch: 6/10 mild idk

Mae: 2/10 burn her too while you're at it

[sea-owl]

Bridgerton Romeos and Juliets

You may not have heard dear gentle reader, though only an oblivious fool would miss the signs, but there is a feud going on in Mayfair.

The Dowager ladies Violet Bridgerton and Portia Featherington have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember, but even my sources can not learn the reason as to why. Some say even the two ladies in question do not remember.

A spectacle is almost guaranteed to break out should the two ladies or members of their families or staff come across one another in public. This feud goes so deep, my gentle reader that our two ladies have managed to split Mayfair itself. Each host deciding who they would like to invite to their balls, and only the brave, such as Lady Danbury risking an outbreak by inviting both families.

For Viscouness Bridgerton, she has managed to claim the Duke of Hastings, the Sharma family, and the Stirlings of Kilmartin. Lady Featherington has aquaired allies among her old husband's business partners, such as the Gunningworths of Pennwood, the Cranes, and the Abernathys.

This author does not hold this feud in high regard and holds the opinion that it is a ridiculous thing. But perhaps this season will be the one that brings these two feuding ladies together. Perhaps they will find a way to in some sense, love one another.

One can only hope dear reader.

Yours truly,

Lady Whistledow

[ratcandy]

2am nobody knows about the fwct aus I’ve already made in my head.

[sonicaspeed123]

We all know the Super Sonic Is The Sun vibe but I just gotta aaUUghahHHA

Radiant powerful SILENT glorious and untouchable but at risk of burning itself (and sonic) away truly un-fuck-withable

[poisoned-sugar11]

Yeah I have normal conversations I think /s

[cemeterysquids]

if no one else has made an au where alice & mario escape but are stuck together permanently and have to learn to live with each other then i will

[adreamfromnevermore]

Love the slight AUs where Bruce as Batman has been a member of the league for ages, but he's somehow managed to keep his assortment of children under the radar.

Because it sets up the wildest misunderstandings within the league. He routinely talks about his babies, his children who are all so sweet and kind and occasionally assholes yes but only because they are young (and traumatized) hell I don't think the league would even be aware that they're adopted. So they're all thinking literal children

Barry: Bats really loves his kids.

Hal: I mean they're babies, wait till they hit the angsty teens and I'm sure we'll be hearing the opposite

Which means the day they finally meet Nightwing they don't know wtf to think. For one thing, how old would he have been when he had this kid???? Should they be worried about that???? And for the other, that is not a baby, that is not a precious little thing.

He could break someone in half. Like a twig.

He won't, but he could. And they can see that. (He's bat trained, they have seen what the bat can do they are not fools)

And they're like, okay. Okay maybe he isn't the baby (he is). He's got younger kids right? He's never said how many, they have 0 clues. They've been expecting 1 child, maybe 2 because he'd said kid in the plural exactly once when comforting an older woman while they were searching for her children in the aftermath of a rough battle.

And then a week later they run into Red Hood. In his leather, with his guns. And he drapes himself across Batmans back with all the self confidence in the world and starts whining about the "Brat" breaking into his safe house.

To steal his dog.

And yet again. He is not baby. He is bigger than Batman. He could probably break Batman in half given the bat didn't put up a fight. But Batman looks at him with probably the softest expression they've ever seen on that mans face and tells him very earnestly that the kid just wants to spend time with his older brother, next time they should try a walk. Maybe go to the zoo.

But probably not one of the babies. They're kind, and gentle, and at least one just loves reading and Bats has been trying to encourage that!!!

And then a day later he mentions his "babies" going for a walk in the park and they all instantaneously lose their minds at the confirmation.

[mask131]

So... Wicked is coming back in style. And as such I need to make a little informative post.

Because since as early as my arrival onto the Internet, in the distant years of the late 2000s, a lot of people have been treating Wicked as some sort of "official" part of the Oz series. As part of the Oz canon or as THE "original" work everything else derives from (literaly, some people, probably kids, but did believe the MGM movie was made BASED on Wicked...) And as an Oz fan, that bothers me.

[Damn, ever since I watched Coco Peru's videos her voice echoes in my brain each time I say this line.]

So here's a few FACTS for you facts lovers.

The Wicked movie that is coming out right now (I was sold this as a series, turns out it is a movie duology?) is a cinematic adaptation of the stage musical Wicked created by Schwartz and Holzman, the Broadway classic and success of the 2000s (it was created in 2003).

Now, the Wicked musical everybody knows is itself an adaptation - and this fact is not as notorios, somehow? The Wicked musical is the adaptation of a novel released in 1995 by Gregory Maguire, called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. A very loose and condensed adaptation to say the least - as the Wicked musical is basically a lighter and simplified take on a much darker, brooding and mature tale. Basically fans of the novel have accused the musical of being some sort of honeyed, sugary-sweet, highschool-romance-fanfic-AU, while those who enjoyed the musical and went to see the novel are often shocked at discovering their favorite musical is based on what is basically a "dark and edgy - let's shock them all" take on the Oz lore. (Some do like both however, apparently? But I rarely met them.)

A side-fact which will be relevant later, is that this novel was but the first of a full series of novel Oz wrote about a dark-and-adult fantasy reimagining of the land of Oz - there's Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, Out of Oz, and more.

However the real fact I want to point out is that Maguire's novel, from which the musical itself derives, is a "grimmification" (to take back TV Tropes terminology) of the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz. The movie everybody knows when it comes to Oz, but that everybody forgets is itself the adaptation of a book - the same way people forget the Wicked musical is adapted from a novel. The MGM movie is adapted from L. Frank Baum's famous 1900 classic for children The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - and a quite loose adaptation that reimagines a lot of elements and details.

Now, a lot of people present Maguire's novel as being based/inspired/a revisionist take on Baum's novel... And that's false. Maguire's Wicked novel is clearly dominated by and mainly influenced by the MGM movie, with only a few book elements and details sprinkled on top. Mind you, the sequels Maguire wrote do take more elements, characters and plot points from the various Oz books of Baum... But they stay mostly Maguire's personal fantasy world. Yes, Oz "books" in plural - because that's a fact people tend to not know either... L. Frank Baum didn't just write one book about the Land of Oz. He wrote FOURTEEN of them, an entire series, because it was his most popular sales, and his audience like his editor pressured him to produce more (in fact he got sick of Oz and tried to write other books, but since they failed he was forced to continue Oz novels to survive). Everybody forgot about the Oz series due to the massive success of the starter novel - but it has a lot of very famous sequels, such as The Marvelous Land of Oz or Ozma of Oz (the later was loosely adapted by Disney as the famous 80s nostalgic-cursed movie Return to Oz).

So... To return to my original point. The current Wicked movies are not directly linked in any way to Baum's novel. The Wicked musical was already as "canon" and as "linked" to the MGM movie as 2013's Oz The Great and Powerful by Disney was. As for Maguire's novel, due to its dark, mature, brooding and more complex worldbuilding nature, I can only compare it to the recent attempt at making a "Game of Thrones Oz" through the television series Emerald City.

The Wicked movies coming out are separated from Baum's novel at the fourth degree. Because they are the movie adaptation of a musical adaptation of a novel reinventing a movie adaptation of the original children book.

And I could go even FURTHER if you dare me to and claim the Wicked movies are at the 5TH DEGREE! Because a little-known-fact is that the MGM movie was not a direct adaptation of Baum's novel... But rather took a lot of cues and influence from the massively famous stage-extravaganza of 1902 The Wizard of Oz... A musical adaptation of Baum's novel, created and written by Baum himself, and that was actually more popular than the novel in the pre-World War II America. It was from this enormous Broadway success (my my, how the snake bites its tail - the 1902 Wizard of Oz was the musical Wicked of its time) that, for example, the movie took the idea of the Good Witch of the North killing the sleeping-poppies with snow.

[ahyesthesufferingoftvteens]

Ooooh yeah I forgot to reblog this. Welp. Yeah. Here this is on my main blog.

Also a fun fact: In the Kai&Co system every alter gets assigned a Sanrio character (if they're not already a fictive or fictionkin one).

Coco, Koda, and Blaze love Chococat. They prefer the ones with blue, purple, and red collars respectively.

Alter Adam was assigned Badtz-Maru. The only reason he wears the necklace is because he can't say no to a Kai-aligned alter.

Kitty OBVIOUSLY loves Hello Kitty herself. Her entire outfit is lowkey themed after her. She has a red ribbon purse and Hello Kitty tights, even some Hello Kitty themed mary janes.

Alter Reeve was assigned Pochacco. Actually thinks the little dog is cute and doesn't mind wearing the occasional themed accessory (the earrings).

Kai Part 2 was assigned Keroppi. He has a Keroppi bracelet that's not shown here.

Cinnamon is literally Cinnamoroll.

The Hollow: Backrooms

The Kai&Co System

This has been something that has been casually mentioned in the past, but Backrooms!Kai becomes a System and splits and forms a few alters!

I (@ahyesthesufferingoftvteens) may talk about some of these goobers in the future. Some basic things to note: Blaze, Coco, Alter Adam, and Kitty form in The Backrooms. Alter Reeve forms right before Kai&Co escape The Backrooms, and Kai (Part 2) and Cinnamon form after The Backrooms. All of the special designs for these headmates are how they dress a year or two after The Backrooms story.

Slightly more detailed information about each of the members of the Kai&Co system are listed under the cut:

Blaze: One of the alters that split from Kai. A host of the system. Bi Aboy, He/They. Trauma Holder; Anger, Fear, and Depression holder; BPD holder; and Emotional Protector. Formed as a persecutor; used to be extremely explosive and had really destructive mental breakdowns. Heals with therapy. Likes to set things on fire and shop at Hot Topic. Is the reason the body is taking Abilify.

Coco: The other alter that split from Kai. A host of the system. Pan Nyan-binary Boy, He/They. Inner Child and Trauma Holder; Age-slides. Had really bad Stockholm Syndrome; found it very difficult to make decisions for themselves due to conditioning. Heals with Therapy. Loves Chococat so much that they kin the character and sometimes assumes Chococat’s form in headspace.

Koda: Kai rejoined after a year of being split apart. Now goes by a different name. Eventually, Coco and Blaze permanently fuse into Koda. A host of the system. Omni Demiboy, He/They. Trauma Holder. A bit more cheeky and dark-humored than he used to be, but it’s still the Kai you know and love. Shops at Spencers. Manic pixie dream boy energy. Can’t stop dating the emotionally unavailable and volitile Latinos in his area (He has nine exes). FINALLY found a good boyfriend (He’s a Wolf Therian, his name is Cillas).

Adam: The first alter to form after the “big split”. An introject of Adam. Gay Man, He/Him. Physical Protector. Formed as a persecutor; used to enforce the paranoid thinking patterns and distrust that the original Adam instilled. Heals with therapy. Likes to go fishing and thrives in a Bass Pro Shop.

Kitty: The second alter to form after the “big split”. An introject of Kitty, an entity from The Backrooms. Demi-Aroace Kenogirl, She/It. Caretaker, Soother, and System Overseer. Nonverbal: texts using emojis. The only way she can best communicate is with cards and drawings. Doesn’t front much; she’s more of a background alter. When she does front though the entire day is usually dedicated to her for her hard work. Loves Hello Kitty and dressing up in frilly dresses.

Reeve: Formed right before the system escaped The Backrooms. An introject of Reeve. Gay Trans Man, He/Him. Physical and Emotional Protector, and a Caretaker. Formed to do Adam’s job but better. Really happy about being in a body that was born male (his euphoria is through the roof). The only alter in the system that is religious.

Kai (Act 2): Formed after the system escaped The Backrooms. A host of the system. Bi Man, He/Him. Social Protector. Is exactly like Kai before the split, and is very detached from the memories of the Backrooms. The “Singlet-sona”. He identifies with the body’s known identity and fronts to interact with family members and pre-Backrooms friends, and when talking to strangers. He also primarily fronts while live-streaming video game play-throughs, but other alters pitch in as well.

Cinnamon: Formed after the system escaped The Backrooms. Aroace Boygirl, They/Them. The only perma-little. A fictive of Cinnomoroll. Excitable and annoying in a little sibling sort of way. Really likes gifts and eating food. No one knows why they formed, they just showed up one day. They exist now.

[inktopuck]

juno | quinn hughes social media au (pt.9)

pt. 8

yournamehughes

Liked by elblue6, trevorzegras and others

yournamehughes happy birthday, you stunner. thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world and for being the best father to our children 🩵

trevorzegras i'll never forget you made me give him my mustard costume instead of matching with me!

yournamehughes well baby he was my bf by then, right

trevorzegras omg Y/N bros before hoes ALWAYS

l_hughes06 you didn't have to post the first one bro.

yournamehughes it's so cute!! he's taking a nap!

l_hughes06 don't try to gaslight me i know what you were doing before

bradytkachuk happy birthday qball!!! tea party at yours when?

_quinnhughes from all the pictures you could've chosen you went with me dancing on the table?

yournamehughes yes, coyote ugly queen

captainhughes childREN?????? plural???????

_quinnhughes

Liked by l_hughes06, jackhughes and others

_quinnhughes another great one! so thankful!

jackhughes pack it up with the pda quinn please some of us are single

colecaufield you guys went to the pumpkin patch without me. i see how it is i take back my happy birthday wish.

_quinnhughes you're literally 3k miles away

colecaufield YEAH BUT WE PLAY YOU NEXT WEEK WOULD IT HAVE KILLED YOU QUINTIN

_quinnhughes yes. get your own kid.

colecaufield WELL IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T TRIED

yournamehughes we need to know less about each other's lives

l_hughes06 you're cool sometimes. mostly not. but sometimes.

yournamehughes

Liked by _quinnhughes, elblue6 and others

yournamehughes oops we did it again

_quinnhughes ✌🏻❤️

elblue6 this is the best news ever! Jack and Luke you're falling behind!

trevorzegras quintin you dooooog

colecaufield omg quinn get off her

l_hughes06 another kid who will look up to me... we love to see it

jackhughes you're not winning this one over

l_hughes06 we'll see

jackhughes so if you really like the new kid can i get belly?

_quinnhughes no

bradytkachuk i say keep 'em coming!

elblue6 I said the same thing!

bboeser oh yeah! another hughes for the nhl

yournamehughes or pwhl!

bboeser of course!

eliaspettersson yessss time to bet on the gender again! last time i won some big bucks! thanks belly!

l_hughes06

Liked by yournamehughes, _quinnhughes and others

l_hughes06 first pic with the new baby

jackhughes you just HAD to didn't you

l_hughes06 yeah :)

lukeypookie what even is luke's feed

colecaufield Y/N get ready..... i'll be fist bumping that baby soon

_quinnhughes please don't punch my wife's stomach

curtislazar95 rusty you're always at the scene of the crime

dylanduke25 it wouldn't surprise me if luke walked around waiting for y/n to give birth so he could be the first one to hold the baby and not jack

yournamehughes what about the baby's father

dylanduke25 pushed aside immediately

pt. 10

[apollo-likes-writing]

LAPIS LAZULI - 1. Reality

Character(s): Kakavasha/Aventurine

Tags: Long fic, no other tags apply tbf

Word Count: 2651 words

Summary: University seminars, philosophical discussions, and over-the-top ornate letters. What could go wrong?

Author’s note: I’d like to state for the record that I am currently not in university so have no idea how it works, so excuse any inaccuracies you may find here. Also, I had to dig around the Archives in game to make sure the lore is right lmao. Once again this is inspired by the ever wonderful @havanillas and their role swap!au. Check it out!

Account Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Prologue

8.45am - Wednesday

“Doctor? I have a letter addressed to you. Would you like me to leave it on your desk?”

“Yes please, Cassandra. I’ll have a look at it after today’s seminar. Thank you.”

”No problem, Doctor. It will be there when you arrive.”

Kakavasha takes his finger off the call button and leans back in his spinny chair, fingers interlocked on his stomach as he stares at the ceiling of his classroom. One hand reaches for a bottle of water on an oaken desk and he takes a swig, the liquid wonderfully tasteless as it slides down his throat. His students were to arrive within the next five minutes or so, so he makes himself busy by writing up a few diagrams on the whiteboard adjacent to his desk. To his annoyance, the marker pen runs out of ink halfway through, so goes on a hunt through his drawers to find another.

He roots through them for a few minutes, grumbling to himself and making a mental note to buy more with the university budget when he has free time. He finds another and grabs it triumphantly, lifting it to eye level with a grin before promptly realising two of his students have entered the classroom and sat down; now staring at him with poorly withheld amusement. At the sight of one of them giving him a cheeky wave and a “Good morning, Professor-“, he clears his throat and pivots on his heel before continuing his task. Next time he hears the chatter of the entering students before the door opens. The sound of backpacks being chucked under tables and laptops being opened fills the air as the majority enter and Kakavasha can’t prevent his quiet pleased sigh. These kids are here to learn and there is a strange form of pride that wells within him at the idea. With a few brief strokes of the marker, he finishes what he was doing and turns to the few dozen pupils in front of him.

”Morning folks,” he begins, twizzling the pen between his fingers artistically. “Today we’ll be continuing from where we left off on Monday’s lecture. Did anyone have the forethought to read through those notes before today?” A surprising majority of the room murmur their affirmative. He nods. “Good. What do you remember?” he asks, pointing the marker in the direction of redhead two rows from the front.

“We were learning about the different Aeons and the effect they have on THEIR Pathstriders and Emanators, Professor,” he replies meekly. Kakavasha gives a small smile.

”Correct, yes. Monday was about Lan the Hunt and THEIR endorsement of the Xianshou Alliance, as well as the Galaxy Rangers,” he states, now pointing at a shoddily drawn picture of a three-headed being on the whiteboard. “Today we’ll be talking about Xipe the Harmony. What do you already know about THEM and the people who follow THEIR path?”

A few students lift their hands. Kakavasha points to another to answer. A silver-haired foxian. “Xipe is a plural Aeon from lots of worlds. THEY wish for the strong to help the weak.” At the professor’s silent smile, she stutters, “Uh- I think.”

”You’re right. Glad to see you’ve done your research. Xipe is the embodiment of philosophies concerning equal rights and singularity. From what THEIR followers have preached, Xipe the Harmony believes that-“ Kakavasha takes the cap off his marker and begins to ascribe a quote on the whiteboard, “-‘Intellient life forms must discard their cowardly selfishness and the differences between individuals, fusing into one singular melody.’ In simpler terms, THEY believe that no-one is above anyone else, and everyone deserves the same chances in life.” The clicking of several keyboards follow as he circles the finished quote.

”Seems to be too far-fetched a dream, if you ask me,” a student near the back grouches in response. He is slouched back in his chair with his arms crossed, looking poignantly at Kakavasha.

”Why do you say that?” the Sigonian questions, curious.

”The universe does not treat people equally,” the student replies simply.

Ain't that the truth.

”Elaborate.”

The student pushes himself upright with his hands. “I’m all for equal rights, Professor, don’t get me wrong, but the reality of life is that not everyone is born equal. Nepotism is a big reason, but also because there are a lot of shitty people in the universe who don't hesitate to stomp on the backs of others in order to get a step up for themselves.” That is clearly directed at someone specific (or rather a specific organisation), but Kakavasha doesn’t voice that. That organisation is probably funding this pupil’s degree.

”Go on,” he urges, face some kind of welcoming. The student fiddles with the edges of his open laptop for a few moments, unsure, but eventually decides to say what is on his mind.

”There is a level of social and economical class a person needs to have if they want to be taken seriously in this life. I completely agree with the Harmony’s path, but it just isn’t realistic. I mean, what rights does a slave have next to their master?”

And isn’t that the million-credit question? There’s a clear taken aback look on Kakavasha’s face that is concealed as quickly as it appears. His chest tightens slightly and a small lump settles in his throat. It’s a figure of speech, Kakavasha. A figure of speech used to help elaborate a very valid and interesting point of view. He’s sure the kid isn’t aware of the connotations of saying such a thing. He fights the urge to lift his hand to his neck and rub the branding so forcibly put there all those years ago. The habit itches at him, making his fingers twitch.

”Professor?”

Right, he has a class to teach.

He clears his throat and swallows. “You’re very right. Equality is non-existent at this point in time. People less fortunate are facing more and more hardships each day, while those born being fed from silver spoons have it easier. I don't disagree with you. One thing you need to realise, however, is that Aeons’ beliefs are based on ideals, not rules.” The student looks at him with a raised brow, not quite understanding. Kakavasha continues. “Aeons are the embodiment of philosophical concepts. That is all they are: concepts. It's all well and good preaching them but the reality is, like you said, unlikely to take place. Xipe the Harmony has influence all over the cosmos in thousands of worlds but that doesn't mean they are omnipresent. Some Aeons have more influence than others. Qlipoth the Preservation, for example, practically dominates the universe with the IPC. Compare that to Nous the Erudition and THEIR 84 members of the Genius Society and few dozen thousand members of the Intelligentsia Guild and you can see the quantifiable difference.”

Kakavasha needs another sip of his water. The students are hastily writing down notes on computers and notebooks. The original student who started the discussion nods slowly before doing the same. The professor withholds a tired sigh.

This is going to be a long seminar.

10:17am - Wednesday

When the scholar arrives in his office an hour later, he practically collapses into his chair. He drags a hand down his face with a groan and uses the other to take his hair out of its ponytail. The sigh of relief he lets out after the tension is released is audible and warm. His eyes closed, he recalls his lecture timetable and is quietly grateful that the rest of his day is free. Regardless, he keeps his door unlocked in case any of his students need assistance with their work.

He likes what he does at Veritas Prime. It gives him a well-needed break from the tireless nights in this very office spent researching. It also allows him to witness the growth of bright minds. He has a direct effect on the future of these kids (he says “kids” despite the fact that they are all in their twenties and only a few years younger than him) and he is not about to throw their future down the drain. So he tries. He genuinely tries, and the work he puts in makes a difference. If he can give someone with an upbringing as similar as his the chance to grow, then he will take every opportunity he can to do so. No one should be uneducated purely because of where and how they were raised. The ignorant should choose to be ignorant, not be forced into it because they happened to be born into less fortunate circumstances. Kakavasha knows what that's like and he refuses to let others suffer as he did.

Wow. Look at him being all motivational. He should write a speech. The IPC would eat that up. Not that they’d listen to a word he would actually say: they look at the sole survivor of a dead race and they see money bags, not a human being. The thought reminds him of another Intelligentsia Guild scholar. Or rather, a former Intelligentsia Guild member. Veritas Ratio: the man idolised by all. Everyone in the Guild compares Kakavasha to him. They see a young scholar with “promise and potential” and it’s an immediate link. He can’t blame them - the esteemed Doctor Ratio is a legend after all. He feels honoured. Really, he does! He’s simply irked by the fact that he’s compared to such a genius and has yet to meet him. If the Guild’s hapless musings are true, then the potential prospects of their work together would be boundless.

He knows that’s not possible now. Anyone with half a brain cell and access to the Internet knows of the exploits of the former doctor (Well, he’s still a doctor. He still has all eight of those pHDs). A quick search shows a smiling face and his new pseudonym: Lapis Lazuli. Kakavasha doesn’t know him well enough to feel pride for the man, but he does understand the feeling of patriotism at the idea of a former member of the Guild reaching so high that he became one of the Ten Stonehearts. Most people who have worked tirelessly in the IPC all their lives don’t come anywhere close to that level, yet Lapis Lazuli did it in less than half a decade. How did he do it? Status? Money? Luck? Kakavasha inwardly recoils at that last one.

Luck. Most see it as a blessing. For Kakavasha, it’s nothing but a curse. It is his rediculous luck that made him the one that survived the genocide of his people. He was the one who managed to escape that hellhole of a planet (which then resulted in him being thrown into the slave trade, just his luck). It was then just his luck that he was sold, again, to that detestable man in the Guild who found it in himself to strip away Kakavasha’s autonomy (not that he had any at that point anyway) to test on him in hopes of accessing, manipulating, and stealing the only thing that had kept him alive: his luck. Luck bestowed upon him by a god that clearly has a sick sense of humour. Luckily for him, that man couldn’t keep a secret, so he was promptly found and thrown in prison for his unethical practices for a very, very long time.

Now that he's thinking about it, Kakavasha supposes he's doing the same thing. Sort of. Technically the opposite if you squint? He wishes to rid himself of this unbridled luck, yes, but not to manipulate it. He just wants it gone. At least now, in the Intelligentsia Guild, he has the ability and the resources to research such a thing.

Maybe a legend like Veritas Ratio could give a little of his wisdom for his cause.

Yeah, right. Funny joke.

The Sigonian leans forwards and rests his elbows on his desk, head in his hands. He sulks. That's right. A grown man sulks. He stares at the mahogany wood and slips of paper below him and unfocuses his eyes, staying like that for a good twenty minutes or so before noticing a particularly eye-catching envelope addressed directly to him with an elaborate IPC-esque seal on the front. Ah right, the letter. This must have been what Cassandra was talking about earlier. He sits up straight and sorts out his posture. Opening his desk drawer, he hunts around for a bit until he finds the blade of a letter opener. He uses it to open the envelope and fishes out the letter within. It's written in printed cursive on crisp and pure white paper with an ornate golden border around the edge. Gold leaves creep up the sides and dance around the corners, making Kakavasha feel as if it’s addressed to the wrong person at first. His name plastered on the back of the envelope and the top of the paper says otherwise.

It's an invitation.

To the wise and honourable Doctor Kakavasha,

The Interastral Peace Corporation invites you and several other esteemed members of the Intelligentsia Guild to a business party at 8pm on Friday the [xx] of [xxxx] at Pier Point. This is a black-tie event, so please dress applicably. Transport will be provided for you, so please RSVP as soon as possible if you wish to attend. This is a party hosted in hopes of forging positive relations between the IPC and its allied organisations, as well as fostering camaraderie and healthy business. We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

D, P47

Kakavasha rereads the letter several times, frown deepening more and more as his comprehension of it improves. His immediate thought is to rip it up and throw the remains in his paper bin. Kakavasha hates parties. He has done for years. They're always full of demeaning pricks trying to get into either his research papers or his pants. The Avgin has always refused both.

A business party connecting the Intelligentsia Guild and the IPC. The two organisations already have connections with each other, the latter funding a lot of the projects within the former, so what gives? Why have this party? Granted, it states several reasons within the letter, but the IPC is nothing without their ulterior motives. It could be as simple as the rich and powerful wanting to rub elbows with the other rich and powerful (knowing this universe, this is probably the case), but there is always the possibility of more menacing reasons.

Kakavasha is a scholar at heart. Scholars have always been beings of curiosity. He reads the letter again and sees another thing that catches his eye.

D: an initial that implies that this is an invite by Diamond, founder of the Ten Stonehearts. Will this Diamond, rumoured Emanator of Qlipoth the Preservation, actually be present during this party? Absolutely not. He's far too important for that. Will other Stonehearts be present, though? Almost definitely. Kakavasha's mind flicks back to the rabbit hole he fell down in the wee hours of the morning one night, surfing the Internet and scrounging the web for information on a certain grape-haired executive he's so closely compared to.

Veritas Ratio. Lapis Lazuli. Maybe he will be there. Maybe they can have a discussion about how to cure his dastardly luck.

Kakavasha picks up his phone and dials for his secretary. She answers almost immediately.

“Yes, Doctor?” she begins.

“Hiya, Cassandra. Please may you contact the IPC with a RSVP? I've been asked to attend a party of theirs.”

“Doctor Kakavasha? At a party? Willingly? I must be going mad,” she jokes.

“You and I both,” he chuckles in response. “Thanks Cassandra.”

“Of course.”

Kakavasha puts the phone down and leans back in his chair, calculating in his mind quietly at what in Gaiathra’s great name he’s doing.

He's going to need a suit.

-

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