#notkin would hate the name

[torse]

AU / headcanon scene - "Highway Robbery"

this is for the Notkin shapeshifter AU.. I don't know how it connects to the main story, if at all, so right now it's just a standalone.

the cat mentioned is Notkin

also I tried typing this one out more but I'm shit at writing so 🙃 sorry if it reads like a shitty fanfic

an older man from out of town is sitting in a pub, explaining to his friend why he's had a sudden interest in baking. the old man had been showing up with a pie in one hand and a glum look on his face for the past few weeks. the friend guffaws in disbelief upon hearing about the "polite 3 legged giant cat that liked meat pies" but a few months prior, the old man was travelling by horse and carriage to visit his friend in town. it was a weekly ordeal and usually a pleasant trip but one day he had been ambushed by a a blur of teeth and claws- his horse spooked immediately, and while attempting to calm the beast and avoid running off the road, the cat had wrestled off a sack of provisions from where it was secured to the wagon and made off into the woods again. surprisingly, no harm was done, although the old man was sorely missing his midday snack a few hours later the cat was intelligent, and quickly caught on to the old man's schedule and would show up around the same time each week. the old man, terrified at first, soon came to the realization that the big cat always opted to go for his cheese and bread sack rather than the bigger more obvious meals... being himself and his horse so, by the old man's logic, he figured that the cat was just polite. as far as big monstrous cats go. so for the next trip he baked a meat pie- "you baked a pie. for a lion-" "it was red, it wasn't no lion-" although still terrified, and far from making friends with the cat, when the old man offered the pie, it was quickly (and gently!) snatched from his hands. immediately scurrying off without even a glance over its shoulder- the old man still considered it a win. the next few "visits", the old man tried a few variations of the recipe. although the cat never stuck around to give a review, it always vanished when it obtained its meal, the old man still wanted to perfect his offering to the beast as for why the old man has been looking so glum recently, well, the cat abruptly stopped showing up. several weeks ago, the old man had neared the "feline visitation zone" and commanded his horse to slow to a halt for the pie handoff. thankfully, the horse had grown accustomed to the cat, after their meetings became less chaotic and much gentler. but now she looked a bit uneasy again.. and the cat wasn't unusually late "a lion that's polite AND punctual?" eventually the cat did show, slinking from the treeline and pausing to listen for danger every few steps. the old man had noticed awhile ago that it was missing a leg and covered in scars.. maybe he's skittish of a bigger, less polite cat? a terrifying thought- the cat made it to the man and his horse, taking a moment to sniff and rub against the latter, before slowly approaching the older man. he was already holding out the pie, hand leaving enough space for the cat to grab it without biting a finger- but that day the cat bypassed the pie. and instead laid his big head on the old man's lap. the old man, although having made nice with the cat for several weeks, was still terrified at the proximity. he didn't dare try to pet it like a common house cat. though the man did notice that there was a faint tremor.. maybe it was sick after a few minutes of tense held breath, and mutual silent observation, the cat lifted its head and headed back to the treeline for the last time. "poor guy must've been sick-" "sick of your damned pies I bet, hah!" the old man still brought a meat pie with him on his travels, but hasn't seen the cat again since

silly additional thing:

maybe there were rumors being spread about a monster attacking travelers on the road- and this old guy is just like "oh yeah that's Barthalomew, he likes my famous meat pies!!"

[lazy-sixteen]

I understand it was almost four months ago, but I saw your post about underrated Pathologic dynamics and loved your commentary on Capella and Artemy in 2! I’m really curious to hear what you made of them in Classic?

Sorry this took so long to answer! But yes, I would love to chat about it!!

[text in image descriptions below]

First off, I think the first thing is that Pathologic 1 characters are, in general, less personable. Which isn't to say that they aren't well-written or likeable, simply that a lot of Pathologic 2's emotional impact and self-imposed difficulty comes from making you emotionally attached to the characters to give you a goal in keeping them alive (and hurting you when you fail, rip Notkin). On the other hand, Pathologic 1 characters are more interested in swaying you to their specific ideology and you probably mostly want them alive so Block doesn't 'bad end' you.

The other Pathologic 1 thing to me is that the healers all sort of operate on different levels of reality. The Bachelor operates on the closest thing to real-world logic - he responds to a plague with quarantine measures, to the idea of 'prophecy' with skepticism, and eventually to the world of pathologic itself with frustration and hate. The Changeling operates more on meta-logic, she already knows about the Powers that Be, the more malleable nature of reality, and the uncertainty of her own nature.

The Haruspex however, operates on the closest thing to in-game logic, which means he is perfectly willing to accept that Capella is a prophetic seer who is going to be extremely powerful soon, especially if he supports her so that they can bring about a Town in line with their goals (alive, and without the Polyhedron which hurts the Earth/empowers the Kains).

I think because they are operating on the exact same page here, Capella tends to be very forthright about being on Artemy's side and offering him aid.

And Artemy in turn tends to be upfront about asking her questions and acting on her visions.

But I wouldn't say they have warmer relationship because I think for all their friction pathologic 2 Artemy and Capella are closer to acting like a parent+child or pair of siblings. Artemy arguing that Capella is a child and shouldn't and can't bear the burden on protecting the Town's children on her own, and her losing the 'serene Mistress' bit to argue back are more indicative of a familial affection that isn't just based on their being allies.

However, I do think that pathologic 1 Artemy and Capella are far more trusting. Capella is extremely upfront about her future plans and what help she needs from Artemy, as well as upfront about offering him aid. Artemy in return, tends to go "Sure whatever you need, Victoria 👍" whenever Capella asks him to do something (usually kill a guy [or many guys 🔪🔪🔪] or check up on the other Termites) and seems very trusting of any explanations or visions she has.

I think this is especially interesting in the context of the other Healer+Mistress pairs, which are very marked by deception and betrayal. Clara is partially unknowingly lying to Katerina about who/what she is, and Katerina will end up abandoning Clara when she comes to doubt her on day 6.

The even greater contrast is Daniil and Maria, of course. We know Maria as a cunning, powerful seer guided/possessed by her mother's spirit as she orchestrates her rise to power through the Polyhedron's miracles [not a criticism, I support women's wrongs, lol], but Dannil spends basically his entire route unaware of this and indeed, seems to think of her a sheltered and sensitive young woman (though there is also some underlying mistrust, given he immediately suspects her in Eva's suicide)

TLDR: They are in cahoots! Which is very funny, in the "All the named characters are lying to you" game

[shmowder]

I have a very important Patho character question which characters do you think would have a cat? If they could? Personally I think of one character who strikes me as a cat person for sure but that’s probably like the most obvious candidate for that

Ah yes the most obvious candidate

the candidate that is the most likely to be a cat person

The Pathologic character candidate

Of course I know them duh. It's so obvious I don't even need to name them

Anyway here's the tierlist.

I debated whether Dankovsky would be a cat or dog person, I settled on dog because he likes having control. But I don't see him as a pet person at all. He prefers observing animals and reading about them, not interacting with them. Dogs he can stand if they behave, but he absolutely won't entertain someone's cat or bird if he was a guest at their house.

Anna wouldn't want any pets but if she could stand an animal, a cat would be the best choice sine they tend to be the cleanest.

I like the Idea of Rubin taking care of a kitten and raising it into a cute cuddly cat that brightens his day. That man deserves happiness.

I also like the idea of him and Artemy being so big and scary yet end up having cats as pets. Artemy's cat could either be a stray that adopts itself into his life or a cat that Isidor used to take care of and now it follows Artemy.

Aglaya would like dogs for their loyalty rather than the need to control them, she'd still admire cats for their freedom and cleverness.

Yulia desperately wants a cat but I think she is scared deep down of getting too attached to it, especially with no veterinarian in town and how devastated she'd be if her cat passes away. So she skips on the whole ordeal. She pspspsps at strays when no one is looking tho, shares some of her food with them.

Alexander Saburov seems the type to have a childhood dog he grew very attached to. He doesn't fully understand cats and doesn't like that they can't be trained but he'd still do his best to take care of one if it became his pet.

I think it's very ironic how much Khan resembles an indoor domestic spoiled cat personality wise yet he is the leader of the dogheads. My theory is that he tried petting a cat one and it scratched him and he held a grudge ever since so he always claims that dogs are better.

Maria would get a black cat thinking it will help her appear more fearsome in the town people's eyes, only for the cat to end up being the most loving adorable ball of pure abyss. She would kill for her cat and keeps it protected safe inside her room, she plays with the cat and showers it in compliments and kisses after locking the door to make sure no one walks in on her showing her soft side. If this was the modern world, Maria would have so many pictures of her adorable black fluffball playing with her expensive pearl necklace or rolling around her priceless silky sheets.

Notkin already has a cat, even tho he himself has the personality of a loyal dog. Cats scratching him didn't deter him but made him learn to respect animal boundaries.

Mark Immortell's cat is the incarnation of a hell cat, the most evil sinister and annoying thing that will slap you with its paws for giving it any non luxury brand cat food. They're two sides of the same coin and only he and his cat understand each other.

Katerina's position is a pun. Yk cats eat mice and the rat prophet and all, so she never wants a cat around.

Sticky seems like he'd take care of strays because he sees himself in them. He understands cats better than anyone, he too hates being disturbed and likes spending time alone. And he is also endlessly curious. He takes it upon himself to feed Murky and give her candy at the start of the game just when she starts frequenting the haruspex lair.

Murky learned from him, she probably used to leave cats bowls of milk before Sticky informed her it's actually bad for them and they can't have milk.

-

If it wasn't limited to cats, a bird would suit Eva much more because they thrive under attention and require so much love and care. Owning a bird, let alone an exotic one like a parrot is almost a full time job.

Artemy has his bull pet in canon, I think Oyun used to have one too. It would be adorable if Murky just led a baby calf home once because she found it alone outside and Artemy just accepted it as a new part of the family.

The Kains do already have pets, the human kind. Aka the Stamatins. But if they absolutely had to pick a different one, I see the Judge maintaining a pristine aquarium for the most beautiful fish you've ever seen. It takes dedication, time, knowledge and lots of money. The fish might end up as the family pet as every person chips in every once in a while, Victor fixing the water filter etc.

The Stamatins themselves would probably keep lizards, maybe even snakes. I don't think they know how to take care of pets or even want to learn. However I do see them sharing custody over a pet rabbit when they were just kids. It drove Peter crazy because it kept eating his canvasses. So Andrey took it with him outside most of the time. It ended up getting picked off by a hawk. The two brothers spent the remainder of the week setting up a trap to kill the hawk and avenge their pet.

[nerdkiller]

Ok Termites based on how it would feel like substituting for or supervising them

Capella: likely the kid the teacher names as a helper, she'll talk or be a bit rowdy if it doesn't seem like you'll be strict but she would settle down if you are too. Helps her desk neighbors out with the work and tries to act like a student legal advocate for the rest so they respect her bc she gets you off their back. If Khan is not in the room she will provide very biased deep lore about him unprompted to explain his psychomaniac behavior (take w a grain of salt & its more than u wanted to know) but will thoroughly ignore the guy in class. Will never tattle on the others* tho

Sticky: loud, will be moving out of his seat constantly, talking across the room, you'll have to constantly remind him about behavior etc. But he will also not react angrily when you give him verbal warnings and will probably engage in mostly funny banter. Might be named as a helper too if the teacher is trying some psychological scheme because he actually does at least respond to you even if his actions say he is not listening. Most likely to ask really personal and invasive questions

Notkin: Mostly like Sticky but less physical movement and freneticism, but also will straight up disregard whatever you say that he doesn't feel like doing and won't even humor you. But he is unlikely to be snappish and will pretend he is being amenable to you so you get off his back sooner. Probably the loudest in sheer volume. Is constantly sniping at Sticky for no reason and unprompted as well which becomes the main source of volume issues. Can get into verbal altercations with Khan however that will appear initially harmless to the unfamiliar eye but can escalate into violence so watch out. Brags about punching teachers in a deceptively disarming way

Grace: the kind of quiet that makes you think she's on task until you look at her worksheet and there's nothing on it except a few scribbles. Nevertheless good-natured but if you push her on it she could snap with irritation but that just feels bad so let her be. Might also sleep in class if it's in the morning but you just let her bc again it feels bad. Is reliable as Capella if you ask her to do something like pass out work or take attendance.

Khan: the worst to sub for. Will ignore you and go on easily talking with the others if you decide to do nothing about him but if you tell him to do anything no matter how polite he will argue or snark back because he doesn't recognize you as an authority figure. Any resistance on his part will cascade throughout the classroom as a norm. If you try to converse with him he'll respond with what feels like a running dialogue against any and all authority figures thus both confusing and disabling you, emphasizing just how little he regards your input. The other kids will actually listen to him though so if they manage to annoy him too your interests might align and work in your favor. Probably won't hit you because he is good at expertly threading a needle of behavior but will walk out/you don't want to be the first he decides to hit

*Bonus Clara: comes in extremely late and is named as a helper which is confusing bc she doesn't appear to be doing anything you actually say. If you let her out of the classroom you will spend the next 20 minutes anxiously wondering where she went. Something is always going on. Will either fully lie to you or will dutifully get work done, no in between. Very loud and rambunctious if the class starts talking and will likely fall out of her desk at some point. Deskmates with Grace and is either hatefully ignored (and tattled on when she's gone to the bathroom for 20 min) or amicably teased by Capella. Everyone else seems to like her tho

Murky: much like Grace but the younger and more grumpy, more lethargic version. Always will mumble responses and has a hard time actually communicating what she needs from you. Actually just hates loud class environments so you feel bad she has to be there. Will play w whatever toy or device instead of struggling to concentrate w work and is not yet at the age or communication level where she will just tell you to f off.

Taya: very high energy and will "boss" you around (really just replicating a model of dialogue behavior she picked up on) with uncanny vocab and phrases she definitely learned elsewhere. Clearly advanced for her age. Has her own desire to perform well if she's invested in a task but has to be reminded about physical space almost constantly when playing or she'll beat other kids and you senseless

[silenthillmutual]

@milk-teeths wanted dadniil comforting khan during a breakdown. i’ve never written khan before so i hope this turned out okay ;; --------------------

Victor means well. He always does. And Khan knows he's very lucky, to have a father that means well. But meaning well doesn't exactly help in all contexts, least of all this one. One that Victor is far from able to advise him on, and he is not, under any circumstances, taking this spiral of self-doubt to uncle Georgiy. It's not even that Victor had suggested it, but knowledge hung there in the air between them both as they explicitly did not talk about Georgiy "such a pity we have no male heir" Kain.

He'll apologize to his father later, if he must. If he feels the compulsion to, though he knows the man doesn't expect it himself. Right now he just needs to get out. He'd get out of Town, if he could, even with the voice in the back of his head screaming Irresponsible at him. He has a town to look after, a future, a people, and he just wants to run away from it all. There's no privacy here, no place where he can just let the mask go and be sixteen years old and not have to worry about any of this. About leading. About being an example. About people finding out.

And who is he kidding? In all probability, they already know.

The Polyhedron is gone, but the Nutshell at least still stands as a neutral territory. He's counting on Capella's feelings, her connections to reach out to him and tell people to leave the place undisturbed until he's ready to go. It's three hours until nighttime, but people hang around here anyway. He bites his lip as he rounds the corner, but it's blissfully empty.

He almost vomits in the corner. He manages to push back the wave of nausea by leaning his head against the wall. He's not feverish, but God forbid if his father or his sister or worse, Artemy Burakh learns he's nearly been sick. He'll never hear the end of it. He guesses he's glad for it; again, he's made to think about how fortunate he is. Notkin doesn't have this, Capella hasn't in years, but he can't stand the babying. It's how they treat the women here, all of them, and he doesn't know how they stand it. But he sure as hell doesn't want it directed at him.

Khan pushes off against the wall and undoes his shirt buttons, fingers shaking. He needs to unwrap these bandages before he suffocates. He hates that he can't manage it for long, when he knows it's only going to get worse the older he gets. When he's eighteen, at least, he'll be able to talk to someone about it. Burakh, maybe, or Rubin if he won't. They're Olgimsky men, ostensibly, and whatever happens between them all he trusts Capella not to let him down.

...But the idea, the idea of the Capital, of seeing a doctor there who can take this weight off of him...

The door slams open clumsily and he barely has time to tug his shirt back over his chest before he spins around, scowling. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear - but at least this doctor, though bumbling as the others, makes a habit of asking before entering. If, of course, he knows where he's going. Dankovsky blinks at Khan, rather confused, and sighs at himself, rubbing his forehead. "Not again," Khan hears him mumble, and sets his bag down for a moment to look at his map. Over a month now, and he still doesn't know the streets.

"Do you need directions, doctor?" Khan asks, trying his best through the pain to lower his voice.

"No, no, I'll get it!" he says, waving his hand. His face doesn't exactly betray confidence, though, brow furrowing. Khan hears him mutter the word "Whatever" before he shoves it back into his bag, and looks at him, still frowning. "I needed to speak with you anyway."

Oh, no. "I'm afraid it'll have to wait," Khan says, attempting authority in his voice. "I'm indisposed."

Wrong choice of words. Of course he shouldn't have assumed the doctor would be any different here - Capital man or not, he's still a doctor. "All the more reason for us to talk," he says, removing his gloves. He's spent too long around Burakh, putting his hand over Khan's forehead. "You're not running a fever, from what I can tell," he says, apparently oblivious to his own slip, and continues. "Where is it you don't feel well."

"That's none of your concern," Khan says, but as the only adult who hasn't treated him with condescension, he's never been good at sending Dankovsky off. "I didn't call for you."

"Well I'm not leaving," Daniil says. "That would just be ridiculous, and your father and sister would never forgive me."

"I thought you weren't on speaking terms with Maria?" Dankovsky scowls at him, but he can see the man's not going anywhere. "It'll pass anyway, doctor, it's just -"

"Hang on." His voice is coming out slow and suspicious. Khan is unnerved. The doctor walks around him, frowning, and he knows what it is he's got in hand before he shows it to Khan. "Have you been -? Khan, is this where all my missing bandages have gone?"

It's the fact that his voice sounds hurt that's got him to breaking. God damn this time of the month. "I'm sorry," he says, voice squeaking. He hates it.

"Oh - don't cry, please." He watches Daniil squirm uncomfortably, from where they stand a few paces apart, Khan looking elsewhere with his jaw clamped shut. "Just - why? Is there something going on I don't know about? Your... your... What do you call them again? Dog Ears? Are they hurt?"

"No," Khan says, words coming out a little too loud. "It's something different. You wouldn't understand."

"Please explain it to me. I'll try." Khan fidgets. "Casper?"

"I need to bind -" he blurts out. He cuts off his words with his teeth. "Something. It's - I have to do it very carefully. And if I use anything coarser than bandages, I'll hurt myself. Do you understand enough now?"

Things are very quiet for a moment. "I understand perfectly well," Dankovsky says softly. "Better than you know."

"You don't know anything! None of you do!" But what should come out as an angry retort is lost behind tears. He doesn't sound commanding, he just sounds pathetic. "All of it is such a mess now! Everyone's scattered, and even you aren't helping! With your alliance with Burakh, you've got Capella thinking the future won't work out the way we'd intended. And the Tower is gone, so there's nowhere for me to even run to anymore, and - no! You don't get it!"

Khan stops shouting, covering his top lip with his arm. He feels stupid now, having said so much when he's supposed to be... different. More mature. More in line. He hears Dankovsky's "Oh, dear," and feels his shadow shift as he walks closer to Khan. He doesn't have to move his body much to look Khan in the eye to say, "Well, you're right about something - I don't understand a word of what you just said. But that first bit, about the binding - I understand what you're doing, and even with bandages, you *will* hurt yourself. I'll be surprised if you haven't got some internal bruising already. How long have you been binding for?"

"For as long as it's been necessary," he says, tone sour.

"Oh, dear," Dankovsky repeats, "So earlier than I'd been."

He blinks, and turns his head sharply to look at the doctor. His face is neutral. "Earlier than you'd been...?"

"Yes," Daniil says. "That's what I meant when I said I understood. It wasn't just a worthless platitude. I know how much those..." he trails off, looking for the right word, and ends with a flat, "Suck."

Breathing comes a little easier now, such an intense change that Khan almost feels light-headed. "How did you manage? Until you were able to -?" Khan gestures to his chest.

"Lots of layers," Daniil replies. "It helps that I'm usually quite cold, and that it fits my aesthetic. No one ever asks, and no one can tell." Khan nods. "So this sick that you feel, is it your cycle?"

And it's back to uncomfortable now, but at least it's the kind he can deal with. "Yes. I keep getting nauseous. It didn't used to be so bad in the Polyhedron, but now -"

"Closer to the twyre, yes. That *has* made things worse. I've prescribed lots of pain medications for headaches, cramps, insomnia - I don't know how  you all stand it, here."

Daniil is shaking his head, but Khan notices he's smiling. "And yet, you stayed," he points out, and watches the man blush. "You're part of what ruined everything, you know."

"What a surprise," he deadpans. "Howso this time?"

"You and Burakh. Getting along, like Simon and Isidor used to. It's made Capella think there's other options for the future." He shakes his head. "Love matches, and that nonsense."

The doctor keeps blinking, flustered, for a moment before he continues, "Well, do you really want to marry someone you don't love, just for politics? That's hopelessly old-fashioned, and you're meant to symbolize the future -"

"It's not that. I have no preference for that sort of thing, really," Khan says. "I'm only sixteen. But it means I don't -" He stops himself short. This almost feels unsafe to talk about, but... Though he stayed, he is still an outsider, so maybe he can... Offer guidance... "I don't have any way to stand out, now. The Polyhedron is gone. In a few years I'll be too old for the gang. My sister is the mistress. My uncle is the only remaining founder of this town. My father still lives with the ghost of my mother's memory, and even he means more to the town than I will if I don't marry Capella."

Daniil takes a moment to listen, before he hums, and nods. "There are other ways to stand out, I'm sure, if you really want to." He stops. "But do you really want to?"

Khan's fingers clench and fight against each other. "Does it matter what I want? I'm a Kain. I'm going to, one way or the other."

"But then that solves your conundrum. By your name alone, you'll stand out."

"But I won't have made a mark for myself," he explains. "And I have to."

"Why?" Daniil shakes his head. "My dear child, you don't have to do anything. I think it's enough, really, to just be happy."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that," Khan admits. "You, of all people!"

"Doesn't that sort of illustrate my point?" Daniil asks. "I came here thinking differently, feeling differently. Things change. I can't say that the plague should have taught you something, that wouldn't be very fair of me. But - quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu. Don't worry so much about the future. There's no fate, Casper. It isn't set in stone. And I think you'll be happier if you allow yourself to just exist."

He shifts weight between his feet, uneasy. "I don't know," he says. "I'll have to think about it -"

"But promise me that you will," Daniil says.

Khan nods. "I will."

[divine-motion]

Pls I want to hear some of that "cringe" patho dishonored au pls (in words if you can!)

i will try for you!! i admit i don’t really have much like “planned out” but i have some scattered Thoughts!!

the Usual Thing happens: artemy, a surgeon and an herbalist, returns home to help his father with the plague, his father was murdered just before he arrived, and so was simon kain (would the kains be an emperor family in this kind of au or would they just be City Rulers as usual? not sure yet), and artemy is now blamed for both murders, beat and stabbed half to death, and thrown in prison to be executed, and so begins artemy burakh’s No Good, Very Bad... Month

daniil dankovsky, local cryptid also known as The Outsider (though he resents that name) gives artemy void powers (blink, whirlwind, and bend time) which lets artemy escape the prison (not without having to kill a few guards on his way out but eh, guards are just cops so it’s fine. morally i mean, for artemy it sucks. poor guy keeps having to murder even though he doesn’t want to)

in the sewers during his escape, artemy meets a teenager called clara the changeling who says it’s important that he survives and offers her help. already in a bad place, artemy accepts and gets plague magic (rat swarm, darkvision, and possession). 

in return he asks if she wants out of the sewers (”what are you even doing down here?!” “just hanging out.”) bc there are rats and rats are dangerous and she just stares at him dead in the eye as she jumps down among a swarm of rats (same one that he saw eat a whole grown guard a few minutes ago) but the rats just follow her like ducklings

after a few hours of navigating through the confusing sewers, artemy finally reaches the river by the edge of the city (would have to be the City-On-Gorkhon this time with lots of tall buildings. the stamatins must be very pleased) and he follows the shore, trying to remember the way to the warehouses, but collapses before he can reach it because of exhaustion and also his mostly untended wounds. can’t decide if it’s gonna be murky, sticky, or one of the Halves that finds him and helps him? would be nice if sticky tries to use his, albeit limited, medicinal knowledge which does end up being enough to get artemy back on his feet, at least for a while

after that i only know that artemy would meet both notkin’s gang and grief’s gang, who both ally themselves with him. in this au lara and grief are still on decent terms if only bc they both find they don’t like the current rulers (maybe block is affiliated with them now?) and then it’s not so bad that grief is playing against their laws

i’m thinking maybe stakh joins the overseers and there’s like. an actual confrontation between artemy and stakh where stakh really does try to kill artemy. like he doesn’t and they become friends again. without a daniil to calm him down i do think it’s possible stakh would try something like that, but i think it’s more out of self-destruction and his “resolve for resolve’s sake” way of thinking if that makes sense?

lots of apple basket gang interaction. yes i will use any excuse to have more apple basket gang. i also just really love the idea of lara and grief having a really close friendship so that would be part of it

georgiy “eugenics enthusiast” kain  and the vlads Will die. perhaps not by artemy’s hand directly but it will happen because i hate them and they deserve it

more of aspity. maybe just more of the Kin in general! i’m not sure what their role would be exactly but you know they would be up for overthrowing a fucking emperor of all things.

aspity when she first meets artemy: so you killed the emperor? artemy: i did n- aspity: nice. do you want to kill another? artemy: ... i mean. maybe??? i have a plague to stop and a murder to investigate but maybe???

is there a polyhedron in this? probably. not sure what role it would play but it Sure Would Be There

that’s about it that i’ve got so far tho!! thank you for the ask!

[shmowder]

Termites + Clara and getting a toy with their meal

Sticky would pretend he's above it, that he doesn't care about kiddie toys. He'll order whatever Artemy orders to try and feel included with the adults. Except that his tastebuds are still of a 12y overdosing on nuggets daily, and he can not handle anything more spicy than ketchup. He managea three bites before his eyes start watering as he battles the spiciness while Artemy watches unimpressed.

Capella actually doesn't want a toy, but she still orders a meal with one anyway. It was to take home with her and keep as a souvenir of this outing. She's the one being addressed by the waiters and the person who goes to the cashier to correct an error in the order if Artemy wasn't around. While the fast food meal isn't what she usually eats, she finds herself intrigued by the simplicity of the flavours. She enjoys the sugary soda more than she'll ever like to admit, although Notkin clearly shares the sentiment and offers her his cup later as they leave.

Notkin immediately orders a toy meal along with Clara. The both of them end up having a blast using their mini figure toys to stage a fight on the table, using ketchup as fake blood and doing sound effects with their own voices. It's a theatrics show, and they use stale fries as woobly swords for their toys. He doesn't end up eating much but takes advantage of the free soda refills to stock up on 4 or 5 cups when no one in the staff is looking. He ends up "winning" the mini figure fight after tricking Clara into a trap with a paper crown. Taya is over the moon impressed. He soaks up her praise like a sponge and retells her the fight she just watched when they leave the diner... but more dramatically.

Khan actually enjoys the "grown-up" food courtesy to his family's eccentric tastes. His taste buds pretty much got used to most things other kids wouldn't even try. He tries not to say anything when he feels Sticky glaring at him from the other side of the table, half finished glass milk in hand. He absolutely hates the soda and can't understand why anyone would like something so sugary. He orders an average meal and splits it with Grace, insisting she's doing him a favour. Ends up criticising the food within earshot of the waiter multiple times. Makes everyone–Clara and Notkin especially– Clean the food mess they threw on the floor while playing around before leaving.

Taya didn't just ask for a toy. She asked for all the toys there in the whole diner! Although with Haruspex's current lack of stable income, she was content with just one toy and a meal. Immediately giving her toy a name and showing it off to everyone who would make eye contact with her for a split second, even telling the strangers sitting on the other tables about her beloved awesome toy... Only to become bored of it midway through the meal and move on to observe the entertaining fight show that Clara and Notkin are improvising. Her happiness is contagious and other adults ends up giving her some of their desserts just for being adorable. Artemy has to run after her and take her back to their original table after she enhaled half the cake from a stranger kid's birthday table.

Murky clearly wanted a meal with a toy. Not only was it blatantly obvious, but she was very bad at hiding it. Shaking her head when asked about it by the cashier and hiding between Artemy's legs. She didn't budge when questioned and refused to admit that she wanted a toy. At least Sticky was there to pick her food order for her, pancakes with syrup and strawberries. Even if the restaurant stopped serving the breakfast menu by this hour, him and Capella made a valid argument for an exception. Thankfully, it did work, and Clara's plan B of breaking into the kitchen and using her magic on the cook didn't have to come into action... today. Before leaving, Taya entrusted her toy to Murky and told her to keep it and take care of it, especially after Murky gave her one of the strawberries.

Clara immediately goes for the dollar kids menu, absolute zero shame. She briefly glances over the laminated paper menu to look at Artemy and make sure that he is the one paying, correct? Before picking the most expensive dish on the kids' menu, Behold! a three dollars meal, with a complimentary toy. She's the one having the most fun out of the rest of the kids during this outing and being playful in general. Making Grace throw M&M at her to see how many can she catch midair with just her mouth. Turns out... 25 out of 56. Not bad, not bad. She ends up leaving the diner with the paper crown still atop her head.

Grace didn't want to burden the haruspex. She was already grateful for just being invited, really. So she picked the cheapest thing on the menu, small fries. Smiling at Artemy's concerned gaze as he decided to just let her be. She sat content on her side of the table, watching Clara and Notkin playing together. She indulged Clara's games and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the M&Ms were when Clara insisted that they switch roles and Grace should try catching them instead. Then the M&Ms turned into fries, salad pieces, and finally, chicken nuggets as it became clear that Clara just started the game as an excuse to share her food with Grace. Which counterproductivly ended up with two-thirds of it on the ground instead, courtesy to both of their bad aims.