cyndellw
cyndellw
Cyndellw
84 posts
27 | INFP | Aries ☀️Cancer 🌕 Leo ⬆️ | he/himI am a writer of both original work and fanfiction!Performance Guide my belovedFree Palestine
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cyndellw · 7 days ago
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Sorry for the impromptu hiatus on Small Creatures. I’m currently in the process of looking for a new job while working my current one (a floor supervisor at a coffee shop) full time while getting ready for the busy season. New chapter will be up soon p r o m i s e
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cyndellw · 14 days ago
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Study of Golden Wasteland's Past
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Notes:
Darkstone lanterns. Even in times where people are growing mysterious dark stones on their bodies, the kingdom still hasn't given up its little luxuries.
This may indicate a level of not-yet-knowing, at least among the lower class, or a prideful insistence on the King's part not to retire these small technologies because he still refuses to acknowledge the scope of their harm.
The market. We see dye and cloth merchants, tools for measuring and sewing, a new variety of foods, teas, toys, furniture, and tools. The biggest lines of customers are present at the tea shop and the furniture stall. Guards patrol the market alongside shoppers.
The residents. Most folks seem ill. Nearly everyone coughs regularly, aside from guards (as far as I've noticed). There is an ever-moving line at the door of the building with the golden light - it seems like a location to get help.
Residents respond to some emotes, which helps give us clues about them. They're receptive to things like bowing and waving. They give mixed responses to be scared; children tend to find it funny when you scare them and they may even scare you back, while adults give responses ranging from laughter to scolding. Guards appreciate being saluted, acknowledged, shown respect, and surprisingly (if I remember correctly) being shown your Kung Foo moves.
However, there are some disliked emotes. Honking too much will get you facepalms, nasty looks, and shushes. It can also get you arrested if you pester the guards too much. Sneezing is universally disliked, but they don't respond to coughing (probably because everyone does it). And, surprisingly, the cheer emote will get you nasty looks from passersby, even if the street performers were really good.
Gated communities. There are large apartment-style buildings on either side of the main area, both beyond reach without going out of bounds, blocked off by tall metal gates and permanent guards. For ancestors, this likely meant a segregation of the classes.
Those who could afford it got to live in the safety of those tall stone buildings blocked off from the general public, with a guard stationed at each gate to ensure no one could try to make it past. Most of these buildings are relatively far, or are at least separated from, any piping. This suggests a level of knowing that it was not preferable to be near the pipes, and also that there was something to fear from other ancestors. Looting may have been an issue, or could have been a propaganda tool.
There are some additional buildings like the previous ones that are not gated on the opposite side of the gated communities and market. These have several pipes running right through them. Assuming they serve the same function, I imagine the lower class folks who could not afford the luxury of a private gated community likely lived here.
If you could not afford either option, or if the rooms were all full when you arrived as a refugee, you slept in a makeshift tent with what little items you could carry with you. In the desert of Golden Wasteland, this likely meant constant exposure to suffocating heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night. With lanterns not even being powered by flames here, warmth at night was probably hard to come by.
The main gate. The Wasteland Temple was not openly accessible to anyone in this main area. The thick, solid, darkstone-powered gate is bracketed by two guards, along with Scarred Sentry.
The mountain. Pipes and spiky spired buildings line the entirety of Mt. Eden. It's possible that these buildings are luxury housing, but what's important to note about living in a location like this is the fact that unless the tenants were hiking the steep mountainside, they likely required air boats to travel to and from their homes.
There are also layers upon layers of stone walls lining the mountainside, preventing people from making that trek if they even made it far enough to try.
Closing thoughts:
Golden Wasteland, in this era, was rife with illness and classism. Guards were stationed everywhere to keep people in line and imprisoned them when they caused any trouble. Yet, clearly these conditions were preferable to those outside the tall stone walls. With the knowledge that Darkness is closing in (TTE) and that the void manifested itself throughout each realm, absorbing all life in its path (artbook), we can imagine the kinds of horrifying conditions these refugees were fleeing.
There is more to understand about the level of awareness the ancestors had about darkstone and its adverse effects at this time. Additionally, we still need to gather more information about the glowing building and the apartment-style buildings - we don't yet officially know the purpose of either.
Stay tuned for a Part 2 when I have more energy!
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cyndellw · 19 days ago
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cyndellw · 19 days ago
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cyndellw · 21 days ago
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Having a little bit of trouble with working on my current chapter, so I decided to move forward in time a little bit and work on a piece for later. Go ahead and read under the cut!
Decisions are often made with deliberation. Even small ones. Performance was often caught between small decisions, such as which of two meals to make for dinner that night, whether or not to wear his favorite coat to rehearsal, which of two flavors of jam to request from the grocer. He would generally put in at least a little bit of thought, if not just to make small decisions important, even it was only to himself.
This was not a small decision.
This was not a decision that demanded deliberation.
There was a stillness in the air when the red appeared. They'd seen the creature, moved with care to avoid it as it stalked through air across the sand. They'd watched the way it moved through the area, circling the rubble and peaking around corners. They thought that maybe while they were not safe they could be smart and they could survive.
Rhythm had insisted on going last. He needed to be in the back, to make sure everyone else got to safety before he could make his way to their next shelter. Performance hated himself for listening, for agreeing, for moving on with everyone else.
Rhythm went last, and in the red he was frozen.
This creature was enormous, somehow larger now than it had been as it hunted them from above, its immense size highlighted by its success. It made a guttural clicking noise as it turned its head, a noise that shook deep within their bones. Its light analyzed the man in a sickening, bastardized impression of an eye. Performance's body moved before his brain could even begin to process the choice he was making and as he slammed into his brother he heard a deafening ROAR and in the moment he was certain he was about to die.
He hit the ground about ten feet away from Rhythm, attempting to breathe back in the air the had been knocked out of him. He pushed himself up shakily, vaguely aware of a dull pain in his leg. He looked down, seeing blood on a tear in his pants and realized that he had been hit. Just barely, but hit nonetheless. He looked around, muffled shouting that sounded more distant than it should. Somewhere in his vision he could see his brother running towards him, felt a pair of hands on him. He felt something large looming over him.
The air around him was red.
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cyndellw · 21 days ago
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mama rhythm doodles
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cyndellw · 22 days ago
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cyndellw · 24 days ago
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Word Building Notes: Technology
Playing with technology for this story and figuring out technology in the world of Sky has been really interesting. We’re in kind of a cool spot now that we’re able to explore a small area of the world from before the cataclysm, but it is just ONE city and it’s pretty clear (at least to me) that this city is basically a refuge in the end of the world. Any other place, including Village of Dreams, Prarie Village, etc. has been wiped out by sickness, dark creatures, and war by the time we’re at the point in the game (at least from my perspective), but it does give us a good view on their culture and their daily lives.
Anyways, that’s besides the point.
So playing with technology for this story. First of all, I try to approach it with the games mechanics in mind. Music sheets were clearly something they had, and you had sheets you could learn and what not, but what if they had sheets they could feed into jam machines (IE that music machine in Harmony Hall) and use those to play music like phonographs. The ones we have access to in game are probably more advanced versions used to make music, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were smaller single box versions that people had at home to feed sheets into and enjoy music.
Another instance of utilizing in game technology is the dark crystals and spells and using that to translate devices that I want. For example, when everyone goes to Cloud City, they travel via “street boat”, which is essentially a streetcar or a bus. When Modest Dancer puts in her audition to the theater before the story begins, she does so by filming herself dancing in a shared memory spell she would’ve bought from an enchantment shop and somehow sending that via mail.
So once we get beyond my little attempts to translate in game things, I start looking at they already have access to in game and the design decisions behind items and basing a lot of decisions on that. First of all, they did have some level of industrialization. We can see that from the pipes in Golden Wastes as well as the entire construction of Vault. They have elevators, gondolas, and have done major construction projects to create these things. Also a lot of the items we can get and some of the spirit designs seem to draw inspiration from the mid to late 19th century into the 20th century. Admittedly a lot of that I pulled inspiration from the Lightseekers and the Blue Bird spirits, as well the architecture the spirits themselves choose to put down and use (IE the tea tables that gets put down next to the Wisteria tree during days of bloom).
A lot of this has determined that I’ve given them things like bikes and radios. It’s also impacted decisions such as ice becoming a major export for Valley since other realms use the ice to make ice boxes for refrigeration.
Also on another matter, I do think they have a type of printing press, but I also think that’s used for music sheets and they don’t have a printing press for writing. I think they had a printing press for music sheets. Admittedly books would be unlikely to survive 500 years without preservation, but beyond that it seems they did put a large emphasis on pictures and making sure they were laying out information in pictures and art. That being said I’ve spoken in a previous post about their language system and I firmly believe they have a written language, I just don’t think they had a high literacy rate and therefore a lot of history and communication was saved in pictures.
That and clearly regardless of realm, there was a high value placed on the arts.
Anyways thanks for coming to my tedtalk.
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cyndellw · 24 days ago
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It comes in waves.
This sense of longing.
This sense of peace.
This sense of chaos.
Emotions come crashing in like the sea.
Receding just as quickly.
Leaving me feeling as though I’ve been barreled down by a tsunami of everything I was and am and thought I would be.
My path has been broken.
I am the one who broke it.
With my own bare hands I have taken everything I thought I would be and I have bashed it in a hammer into rubble and left myself
With nothing.
Longing.
Peace.
Chaos.
I look out the ocean.
The waves are coming.
I look down at the brick in my hands.
I feel the endless everything wash over me.
I breathe it in.
I lay down my brick to create something new.
My journey begins again.
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cyndellw · 25 days ago
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cyndellw · 29 days ago
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cyndellw · 1 month ago
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Small Creatures: Chapter 9
Previous Part Read on AO3
“So one of the major things to consider when making personalized outfits for someone is your choice of colors.” Radiance explained to Stagehand as she finished draping a piece of fabric over a mannequin. “You need to take into consideration their hair, their complexion, their eyes, their mask, stuff like that. Sometimes you can design a mask to go with the outfit, but since we’re not doing that today we have to consider the mask of the model to make sure everything looks put together. Hell, even their personality is important to consider.” Stagehand nodded, taking notes as she spoke. She paused, giving him a moment to catch up before she continued. “For example, with this one we’re designing for…” She looked at her binder. “Respectful Pianist.” She looked up at Stagehand. “What would you do with him?”
“Um…” Stagehand pondered. He hadn’t actually expected to be asked his opinion. He wasn’t ready. “He seems like a really serious guy. He has a dry sense of humor and it’s hard to tell sometimes if he’s joking or not. He’s also from the Golden Sands and that heritage is pretty important to him. I think I’d dress him in dark colors, mostly black with some deep green or gold accents.” Radiance nodded at him to keep going. “I also think I’d fashion him in flowy fabrics. I’d design it like a traditional Sands outfit.”
“Excellent.” Radiance said. “You have a good brain for creative work, hun.” Stagehand felt his heart glow with pride under the seamstress’s compliment. She pulled out some pins and began pinning the outfit along the sides. “I agree with you on the outfit design choice. However, if you’re using both the gold and the green I’d go light on the gold accents otherwise it’s going to clash too much.”
“Right.” Stagehand said. “I should’ve thought of that.”
“Why?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Why should you have thought of that? I’ve been doing this for 20 years, damn near as long as you’ve been alive, that’s why I thought of it. You’re practically a baby in this field.”
“I um…” Stagehand stammered. “I don’t know, I guess.”
“What in the world is wrong with you!” His mother pushed his hands away from the bowl. He’d cracked one of the eggs just a little too hard, creating a mess. “Resh’s name Stagehand this isn’t that hard! And now look! You’ve created such a mess!”
“Sorry.” He said quickly, grabbing a towel and moving to clean. 
“Just give me the rag.” His mother snapped, ripping it from his hand. “I don’t want you messing up the kitchen even more.”
“Well, give yourself some credit.” Radiance said. “You’ve only been doing this for a few days, and you’re doing a good job at learning.”
“Thank you.” Stagehand said. 
“Anyways, I’ll be working on these outfits today, but you should head along now.”
“You sure? I’d love to stay and help.”
“I’m sure you would but you need to spend some time outside this place, and then by the time you come back I’ll have something new for you to work on.” She looked over at him, hands on her hips. “Every day you’ve either been working on that play Director gave y’all or you’ve been in here helping me. Go see if anyone is going into town. Have some fun, don’t spend your entire vacation workin’.”
“Oh, um…okay.” Stagehand nodded, stepping out of the room. He didn’t actually know how to go about doing this. Should he approach someone and ask if they were going into the city? Or should he ask if they wanted to go into the city? What if they just said yes and actually it was a major inconvenience and then they hated him for it and then they told everyone and then everyone would hate him-
“Hey Stagehand!” A voice broke him out of his spiral, and he turned to see Spin Dancer standing at the other end of the hallway waving at him. “What’re you up to?”
“Nothing really.” Stagehand said, walking over to the other man. “I just finished looking at some designs with Radiance.”
“Oh, cool, I remember you mentioning that at dinner. A couple of us are heading to the city. I was just on my way to the gate to meet them. You want to come with us?” Spin Dancer offered. Stagehand brightened, straightening his posture. 
“Oh, yeah!” He said. Spin Dancer waved for him to follow, and the two of them made their way to the gate. “Who’s all coming?”
“Well, you and me, and Juggler.” Spin Dancer started, putting up his fingers as he began counting off. “Also the twins. It’s been a long time since the two of them have been to Cloud City. Not that Juggler and I have been recently.”
“You two are from here, right?”
“Yep! We’re going to check out the square and see what’s changed. Probably the market too.”
It didn’t take them long to arrive at the gate. Juggler was sitting on a nearby rock, kicking his legs against it as he and Rhythm went back and forth about the foods they were excited to eat, Performance occasionally chiming in from his spot next to his brother. When the other men arrived, Performance looked up, and his eyes brightened. 
“Oh, Stagehand! You’re coming too?” He asked, excitement dancing at the edge of his words. Stagehand felt his heart flutter a little bit. Performance seemed genuinely happy for him to go with them. To see him . 
No. 
He was overthinking it.
Performance was just really nice. There was no way he was eager for Stagehand specifically to come with them. He would probably be happier if it was Mellow. After all, they were best friends! Stagehand was just some guy. There was no way he was actually excited; he was just nice. 
“I thought about asking you, but I figured you might be with Radiance until rehearsal tonight.” Performance said. “You’ve never been to Cloud City, right?”
“No.” Stagehand shook his head. 
Wait.
Performance had thought about asking him!
No. 
No. 
He was just being nice . 
“Awesome!” Performance said, clapping his hands together. “This will be even more fun then! See, now we have to go to the market.” Performance looked over at Rhythm, who made a show of rolling his eyes. 
“ Fiiiiine. ” The older twin said. Performance pumped his fist. 
“Yes!” He said. “I win!” 
“Congratulations.”
“What in the world did these two get into while I was gone?” Spin Dancer laughed, looking over at Juggler.
“No clue.” The boy said. “I zoned out about 3 lines into the conversation.”
“Y’know, that’s fair.” Spin Dancer nodded. “I should really start doing that. It sounds a lot better than listening to them.”
“Please, you’re just jealous.” Rhythm said, flicking his ponytail.
“Jealous~ jealous~ jealous~.” Performance repeated in a sing-song voice, giving a little spin. 
“What would I have to be jealous of?” Spin Dancer teased. 
“Our luxurious hair and shining personalities.” Rhythm stated, flicking his ponytail in the opposite direction. 
“Oh yes, how could I ever forget.” Spin Dancer deadpanned. There was a moment of silence before he reached out and grabbed Rhythm, pulling him under his arm and twisting his knuckles into his hair, messing up the carefully styled smooth appearance. Rhythm squawked, attempting to twist away. “That’s what I think of your luxurious hair, loser.”
“Fight fight fight fight!” Juggler cheered, jumping up to stand on the rock. Performance giggled, stepping away from the “brawl” as Rhythm twisted out of the hold, quickly backing away and fixing his hair. Spin Dancer looked over at Performance and squatted down, running at the younger man. Performance shrieked and laughed, running away.
“Peace! Peace!” Performance yelled, putting up his hands. Stagehand spotted Rhythm moving into a closer distance, the older twin’s eyes locked on his friend with warning. Spin Dancer stopped his pursuit right before he reached Performance, huffing and dusting himself off.
“Fine, fine.” Spin Dancer said. “Peace. For now .” He turned towards the gate, pushing it open and leading them out. They made their way down the path and stopped when they reached the boatstop, waiting for the street boat. 
“Have you been to Cloud City many times?” Stagehand asked, looking up at Performance. 
“Once.” Performance nodded. “Not a lot. Every so often we go with Director when he has to go to a meeting, but usually that’s just to Citadel.”
“Do you like it?” Stagehand cocked his head. 
“Well enough. I’ll admit I don’t always know what to do with myself in large cities.” Performance explained. “Not that Cloud City is comparable to Eden, I assume. But it’s definitely a lot larger than Village of Dreams.”
“Okay but you’d need a shovel to dig that bar out of the snow.” Rhythm chimed in. 
“Well, yeah, but still.” Performance shrugged. The street boat approached and the five of them climbed on, Stagehand settling in next to Spin Dancer and Juggler across from the twins. 
“We should get ice cream while we’re there.” Juggler said. “I really hope that ice cream place we used to go to is still open.”
“You mean the one that imported fruits from Forest?” Spin Dancer asked. 
“Yes! That one!” Juggler nodded enthusiastically. “That and the um…that stall that sold really good pierogies.”
“I remember the one you’re talking about.” Spin Dancer nodded. “We’ll see if it’s still there. It was pretty popular so I don’t see why not.”
“It’s also been a few years.” Rhythm remarked. 
“Well, yeah, but there’s still a chance.” Spin Dancer shrugged. 
“I’m going to get one with sweet cheese and apples.” Juggler said, nodding to himself. 
“Have you had proper pierogies yet?” Performance asked, looking at Stagehand. 
“Yeah, I used to get them in Eden. I haven’t had a chance to try one here yet though.” Stagehand said. 
“Then no, you haven’t had a proper pierogi.” Rhythm said, shaking his head. 
“Hey, there’s plenty of Valley people in Eden.” Stagehand defended. He would not allow slander to come to his favorite food cart. “I happened to go to the not touristy food cart and they had very proper pierogies.”
“Yeah, like the ones stuffed with spaghetti?” Rhythm teased.
“No, the ones with meat and cabbage.” Stagehand said. Rhythm didn’t need to know that his favorite one he’d ever had was actually a macaroni and cheese pierogi, but that still felt pretty proper in his opinion. 
“I’ll have to make you pierogi sometime.” Performance commented. “I usually make it with leftover stew meat. It’s not as good as a food cart or a restaurant or anything but-“
“No, it’s way better.” Rhythm shook his head, and then looked over at Stagehand. “You will have to fight me for them.”
“I’ll just make enough for both of you.” Performance laughed. 
“Nope. Never enough.” Rhythm shook his head again. “You can make an infinite amount and I will still eat all of them.”
“All of them?” Performance questioned.
“All. Of. Them.”
When they had initially arrived in Cloud City, Stagehand hadn’t had a chance to really process what was happening around him. The streets hadn’t been particularly busy due to how early it was, and he’d been a little wrapped up in listening to Radiance. Looking around now, he realized how large everything he’d seen in the distance from the manor was. This place was nowhere near on par with Eden but it was a large city in its own right, towering buildings several stories high built of beautiful blue bricks, gold ornamentation glittering in the sun. The street boat zipped along in a dedicated lane, crowds walking on either side, occasionally stopping to let passengers on and off. People walked in and out of shops, stopping to talk to each other and moving about their day. It had been so long since Stagehand had been in a proper city that he’d forgotten how small Village of Dreams was. 
“Oh, this is our stop coming up.” Spin Dancer said, tapping a piece of dark crystal. The street boat slowed until it came to a halt at a flagpole, letting them off. They stepped away as it lifted again, beginning its route once more as the group walked to a short staircase leading into a plaza. Spin Dancer looked around and then pointed out a cart. “Alright, pierogies first, that way we’re all fed, and then we can start walking around. I’ll go buy them if you guys want to find a place to sit.”
“I’ll come with!” Juggler said, trotting after the dancer as he walked away. The twins immediately began looking around. 
“There’s some benches next to the fountain.” Rhythm said, pointing. Without waiting for a word in otherwise, he walked over and sat down. Performance briefly looked over in another direction and then followed his brother, sitting next to him and pulling his knees up to his chest. Stagehand followed where the other’s gaze had gone, spotting a table next to some snowberry bushes. He frowned, and then went and sat on the bench closest to Performance.
“Alright!” Spin Dancer announced as he walked over with Juggler, holding five small paper bags between them, each one marked with a little bit of grease. “They’re hot and they’re ready! If you wanted better than that, suck it up I guess.”
“Hot and ready, hot and ready, hot and ready.” Juggler chanted, lifting his bags in time. They passed out the bags and sat together on the bench next to Rhythm. Juggler immediately bit into his pierogi, wincing. “Aaah hot hot hot.”
“And ready.” Rhythm added. He took a bite out of the corner of his pierogi and paused waiting for it to cool. Stagehand watched as Performance and Spin Dancer did the same, and then followed suit. He waited for them all to bite, and then took one himself, his mouth feeling with pork, hot cheese, and cabbage. He caught Rhythm side eyeing him and squinted, shoving another bite into his mouth. Megabird, it was delicious. He saw the corner of Rhythm’s eye crinkle with delight and a little smugness, and said nothing, refusing to grant him the satisfaction of being acknowledged as correct. 
“So what’s the plan after we eat?” Performance asked. “I know we want to go to the market.”
“Well, we’re already in the town square, so that kind of knocks that off the list.” Rhythm said, crossing one leg over the other and looking up ponderously. “What else is there to do…”
“We can go see if there’s any manta races today.” Spin Dancer suggested. Juggler had stood up, stopping his stretching to nod eagerly at the idea. “It’s not the right time of year for the Snowpoint marathon, but there might be some smaller ones.”
“Sure.” Rhythm shrugged. “I’m down.”
 Stagehand furrowed his brow and looked quizzically over at Performance. 
“The Snowpoint marathon is a big race from the citadel all the way down to the coliseum that Snowpoint is built around. A large part of the cloud track passes through Cloud City.” Performance explained. “It’s one of the longest manta races in the world. Citadel has its own races but those are much smaller.” Stagehand nodded. He’d seen manta races before, in Eden. His father was an avid gambler at the racetrack, to the point where some of the bookies had been able to recognize him by name. He’d taken Stagehand and a few of his siblings with him until Stagehand was able to come up with a convincing enough excuse to not be there. Performance looked at him and cocked his head. “You okay?”
“O-Oh, yeah I’m fine!” Stagehand said. He hadn’t realized he’d tensed up so much. “Just, um, I'm not really a gambler.”
“Oh, me neither.” Performance shook his head. “I actually don’t think any of us are. I know Rhythm isn’t.” The other twin shook his head.
“Yeah I didn’t bring any spare money for that. Just some shopping money.” Spin Dancer nodded. 
“I’m not really interested in it either.” Juggler shook his head. “But I like watching the races! Plus you don’t have to place a bet to get in!”
“I…suppose that’s true.” Stagehand nodded.
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Performance said. “There’s plenty else to do.”
“No, we can go check out the track.” Stagehand insisted. “I mean, if we aren’t gambling I don’t really mind going. Not that I would want to stop anyone from enjoying themselves, I mean. I just-”
“Hey, you’re good.” Rhythm said, patting Stagehand on the shoulder. “You don’t need to explain yourself. The track is a pretty short way from here, let’s get going.” Stagehand nodded. Rhythm motioned for Juggler to take the lead, and the boy led them down a series of side streets, insisting on taking an array of shortcuts that Stagehand felt may have been taking them on a more convoluted and possibly longer path.
When they reached the track, there was a small crowd in the building. A majority of it was around the betting area, though there were people moving in and out of the stands. Juggler went up to a window and paid their entry fee, leading them away and over to a few seats. Based on the board the next race, a small one with three riders. They’d gotten spots along the beginning of the track, a straightway with the goal of getting from point A to B while avoiding a variety of obstacles such as pillars and archways. 
“I’ve never actually been to a manta race before.” Performance admitted, sitting between Rhythm and Stagehand.
“Oh, that’s right.” Juggler commented from his spot down below them. “I forgot that you left with Director last time you guys were all up here. Spin Dancer and I took Rhythm to a race the day after you left.”
“I remember that.” Rhythm nodded. “I remember one of the racers almost ran into the stands.”
“Oh yeah that’s right.” Spin Dancer said, shuddering. “Damn near saw my life flash before my eyes. I swear to you I made eye contact with the manta. If I didn’t know any better it was actively trying to drive itself and the racer into the stands.”
“Huh…” Performance said. “I’ll admit I feel bad for the mantas. Don’t they capture them wild and keep them in cages in Citadel?”
“Who told you that?” Rhythm asked.
“Dancing Performer.” Performance answered. Rhythm stared at him for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
“I thought they were bred for racing.” Stagehand added, furrowing his brow. “Whenever we went to races in Eden they had pamphlets explaining the breeding history for the mantas so the betters could use it to help them place their bets.”
“It might be worth looking into.” Rhythm said. “Though, if they’re wild caught I’m not sure if I can go to another race.” He looked back over at Performance. “Wait, Perf, why did you agree to come here if you feel bad for the mantas?”
“Well…everyone else seemed kind of on board?” Performance said. He pushed a piece of hair behind his ear, pointedly not looking at his brother.
“I mean it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.” Rhythm squinted at his brother. “We could’ve done something else.”
“Do you guys want to leave then…?” Spin Dancer asked awkwardly, moving to stand up.
“No, let’s just drop it.” Performance said, snapping slightly as he looked back at Rhythm. His gaze softened when he looked over at Spin Dancer. “We’re already here, let’s just enjoy ourselves. I don’t even know if that’s true. I’ll look into it, and if I get any answers we’ll know whether or not to come back to one of these.”
“...Okay.” Spin Dancer nodded, settling back into his seat. Stagehand patted his lap awkwardly as an uncomfortable silence settled over the group, trying to find something to say to save himself from the tension. Fortunately, they were all rescued by the sound of a horn and the roar of the crowd, announcing the opening of the doors.
The manta racers shot out of the doors, flying down the track at a blinding speed. These racers seemed different than the ones Stagehand was used to seeing in Eden. Eden races valued a combination of speed and tight control. Not that these racers weren’t showing that, of course. They were incredibly fast, and the riders clearly had firm control of their mounts. However, they were also doing flips, spins, chasing each other around the poles and using the momentum to sling shot themselves. These racers weren’t just racing, they were performing. As with everything Stagehand had seen in Valley, no matter what it was, everything was also about the art.
“That was awesome !” Juggler announced as they walked out, pumping his fist in the air. He turned to Stagehand, having been left with only him for company when Spin Dancer and the twins had gone to the restroom, and continued on excitedly. “Did you see how close the racers came to crashing into the pole? I swear they missed it by barely a moment!”
“Yeah, that was pretty cool.” Stagehand agreed, nodding. It was cool, definitely. It was also terrifying. “I’m not used to obstacles being a part of the races.”
“Do they not do obstacles in Eden?” Juggler asked. Stagehand shook his head. “Oh, well that’s kind of boring.”
“I suppose.” Stagehand shrugged. “It’s more about speed and…stability, I guess? It’s all about control.”
“Oh, okay, I get that.” Juggler nodded. “I guess that would be kind of cool to see-”
“Troupe Juggler? Hi!” A voice cut him off as two girls ran up to them. Juggler immediately turned to face them and opened his arms, allowing the two of them to come in and hug him.
“Knife Thrower! Fire Dancer!” He greeted them excitedly. They pulled away, giggling as he ruffled their hair. Juggler turned to acknowledge Stagehand, who was standing off to the side awkwardly. “Stagehand! This is Excitable Knife Thrower and Graceful Fire Dancer. Girls, this is Frantic Stagehand. He’s one of the stagehands in my current troupe.”
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Stagehand.” Fire Dancer greeted shyly, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear and putting her hand out. Stagehand reached out and shook her hand before offering his to Knife Thrower, who shook it with much more fervor than the other girl.
“Nice to meet you both as well.” Stagehand said.
“You’re in a new troupe?” Knife Thrower asked, looking back over at Juggler. “We were wondering where you’d gone!”
“Yeah, we were just told that you’d left.” Fire Dancer nodded. “We tried to ask for more details but everyone kept being really vague about it until we gave up.”
“Eh, felt that wanderlust.” Juggler said with a shrug. “Gotta live life! Experience everything, you know?” Knife Thrower nodded fervently at the same time that Fire Dancer shrugged. “So what have you girls been up to?”
“Not much.” Knife Thrower responded, putting a hand on her hip. “We’ve been rehearsing for a tour we’re going to be doing in Daylight Prairie. Fire Dancer is actually the headliner for that one! She’s been practicing the fire juggling you taught her!”
“Good for you!” Juggler cheered, putting out a hand to high five the girl. Fire Dancer giggled, lightly tapping his hand. “You’re going to do an awesome job.”
“Thank you.” She nodded, pushing back another loose piece of hair as she looked away and then back at Juggler.
“Hey, who’d you guys run into?” Another voice joined them as a tall man came up. Stagehand noticed Juggler’s eyes turn harsher. “Hey, Juggler! Long time no see!”
“Hey.” Juggler greeted. Stagehand waited for an introduction.
“So…how have you been?” The man asked, rubbing the back of his head.
“Fine.”
“Yeah. How’s the new troupe situation?”
“Good.”
“Good. That’s good. …Who’s your friend?”
“We should be going.” Juggler said. He turned, grabbing onto Stagehand’s arm.
“Huh? Wait, we told the others to meet us here.” Stagehand protested, flailing as Juggler pulled him with enough force to knock him off balance. The girls looked at Juggler and then between each other, clearly confused.
“They’ll catch up.” Juggler said.
“Hey, everything good?” Stagehand saw Juggler freeze at the sound of Spin Dancer’s voice. The three missing group members approached the situation, looking at Juggler and then over to the girls and their friend. Stagehand saw Spin Dancer stiffen slightly at the sight of the tall man. “Oh, hey.”
“Oh, hi.” The man said. “Um…Spinning Fan Dancer, right?”
“Festival Spin Dancer.” The dancer corrected curtly.
“Right, right, sorry.” The man nodded. “I’ll admit I tend to forget a lot of the interns. They come and go so quickly, you know?” He looked down at the girls for validation, both of whom nodded, albeit hesitantly.
“Except he wasn’t an intern.” Juggler snapped back. “You guys just decided to treat him like one after he passed his audition.” The girls cocked their heads in tandem, looking at Juggler and then over to the man.
“Wait, was he not one of the interns?” Fire Dancer asked.
“Now that I think about it, didn’t we see him at auditions?” Knife Thrower added.
“Well, he happened to get accepted at the same time we needed an intern, so we figured we’d kill two birds with one stone. We told him there was an opening, and if he happened to be making coffee more than performing, then, oh well!” The man explained, putting his hands up. He looked over at Spin Dancer. “Listen, I-”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Spin Dancer shook his head, turning to leave. “Let’s go.”
“Hey, wait a minute!” The man said, attempting to follow. Juggler quickly moved in his way, Performance pulling Stagehand back to stand away from the man. “What?”
“He said he didn’t want to hear it.” Juggler snapped. “Maybe he was a little too nice about it. How about you don’t fucking talk to him.” He turned to look at the girls. “It was awesome to see you both. If either of you girls find yourself in Village of Dreams, you should come check out our theater.” He looked back up at the man. “If I see you there it’s going to be a problem.”
“What, are you going to make it a problem, shrimp?” The man scoffed. Juggler narrowed his eyes, and the man poked his forehead. “Itty bitty Juggler is going to fight me?”
“Hey.” Rhythm said, walking up and stepping between them. He put a hand on the man’s chest, walking and pushing the man backwards. Performance quickly reached over and grabbed Juggler, pulling him away.
“You two run ahead and check on Spin Dancer please.” Performance said. “I’ll wait for them.”
“You sure?” Stagehand asked. Performance nodded quickly, and Stagehand quickly followed Juggler, who had been walking away since the moment Performance released him. He turned to see Rhythm sticking a finger in the man’s face, beginning to yell something, and Performance moving to grab his brother’s shoulder. He didn’t stick around to find out what happened next.
It didn’t take him too long to find Spin Dancer and Juggler. They were sitting on a bench together a few blocks away, Juggler fidgeting with a pair of balls and Spin Dancer staring ahead, bent over with the bottom part of his mask covered by his hands. Stagehand walked over, standing next to him. He moved his hand slightly to pat his shoulder, and then pulled back, thinking against it. After another moment of deliberation he changed his mind again, and placed a hand on Spin Dancer’s shoulder.
“You okay?” He asked. Spin Dancer nodded. “I think the twins are back there talking to him.”
“No, Rhythm is back there telling him off.” The dancer said. “Performance is back there making sure his brother doesn’t get arrested.” 
“Yeah, probably.” Stagehand nodded. “Um…can I ask what that was all about?”
“...Yeah.” Spin Dancer nodded. “I um…I was with a troupe before this one. Same with Juggler. That’s actually how we met. I auditioned for the troupe while I was working at a barbershop and I didn’t hear anything for a long time. Obviously, I decided to move on, and then I got a message in my mailbox telling me to come to the theater, because they found an opening for me. Bear in mind, this troupe works pretty closely with Cloud University and does internship partnerships, and apparently one of their interns dropped the program and they didn’t want to lose the labor.” He leaned back and huffed. “Not that they told me this. I thought I was coming to be a dancer.”
“They didn’t tell most of us either.” Juggler grumbled. “They told us he was an intern, and to let him know if we needed anything.”
“ I thought it was a ‘bottom of the ladder’ situation.” Spin Dancer huffed, crossing his arms. “Turns out they just never dropped the intern’s contract and had me sign it without giving me much time to read it, and I was too young and stupid to realize how bad of a sign that was, though I really should have figured it out based on how bad the pay was.”
“So when did you find out?” Stagehand asked, leaning on the wall behind him.
“Well, Thoughtful Director happened to be visiting the theater with the twins. I don’t remember why he was in the city but he decided to stop by the theater with them to show them what other set ups might look like, since at that point the village theater was their only exposure, or something.” Spin Dancer waved his hand. “That’s not the point. Anyways, a few of us were there. We were setting up aerials and I decided to test the weight while Juggler was practicing on the ones we’d set up the day before. I decided to test the weight on one and apparently Director and the stagemanager, the man we just had the displeasure of running into, spoke about it. I guess the stagemanager mentioned I was an intern, because Director came up and asked me about the program, to which I obviously explained that I wasn’t an intern, I was a performer. He asked me to show him some moves.” The dancer chuckled. “I will never forget this. He looked back at the stagemanager and asked him if he was confused, because I wasn’t an intern and was obviously too skilled for the level he’d placed me at.”
“I remember that!” Juggler said. “That caught me so off guard that I fell!”
“I was about ready to punch him, if I’m being honest.” Spin Dancer said. “But Director ended up telling him, very politely mind you, that he was full of shit. It was actually Rhythm who suggested recruiting me right after that. From what he said a bunch of performers had just left, so we were looking for more.”
“And I didn’t want to be involved with a bunch of liars.” Juggler said, sticking his nose up in the air as he caught the ball he’d thrown up into the air. “So I asked if they were looking for more than one.”
“Director ended up buying out our contracts, not that mine was very expensive.” Spin Dancer explained. “If I remember correctly, the troupe leader tried to argue with Juggler about staying.” He looked over at the other for confirmation.
“Yep!” Juggler nodded. “I told him he’s lucky Director offered him anything at all, cause I was planning on walking. So either take the money or get nothing and lose me either way!”
“Director and Performance went back the next day to get some paperwork worked out for us.” Spin Dancer continued. “Rhythm stayed back for a few days and helped us move, and then we stayed in Director’s guest room together until we found an apartment.” He shrugged. “I guess that’s not really relevant, but oh well.”
“No, thank you for telling me.” Stagehand insisted. “It’s kind of nice to know how you got involved with the theater and everything. And, I mean, it’s a crazy story. If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I would either.” Spin Dancer nodded.
“Sorry about the wait.” Rhythm said, walking up with Performance while rubbing his knuckles. His mask looked like it had been scuffed a bit, and his hair was messy. “That took a little longer than I thought.”
“What, did you get in a fight?” Spin Dancer chuckled.
“Well.” Rhythm started. “Originally I was just giving him a piece of my mind, as he deserved for talking to my friend like that.” He shot Spin Dancer a finger gun. “Then Performance tried to pull me away since some people were starting to collect, and the fucking guy had yelled at him to ‘stay out of it’ and shoved him away.” Stagehand looked at Performance. The man looked shaken up, and was pointedly not looking at any of them. “So obviously he needed to know that was a mistake.”
“Someone called a city guard, but I guess one of the bystanders vouched for us.” Performance explained. “So we got let off with a warning.”
“Anyways, you good?” Rhythm asked Spin Dancer, who nodded. “Cool, let’s get the hell out of here.” The dancer nodded, standing up, and Rhythm led the way down the street. Stagehand hung back a moment, waiting for Performance to begin moving and then falling in step next to him.
“You okay?” He asked, looking up at him.
“Hm? Oh, yes, I’m fine.” Performance insisted. “Thank you though. I think the fight just threw me off a little bit.” Stagehand nodded.
“Understandable, it sounds like the guy kind of got in your face out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, kind of. It’s fine, though. It’s settled.” Performance nodded. “Anyways, it looks like we’re headed to the market. Let’s catch up.” The two of them quickened their pace, falling into step with the others as they made their way through a garden and out into the street.
The market, as it turns out, was a bustling street market with a variety of vendors selling all types of goods. There was food on every corner; jewelry, artwork, masks, clothing. It was as exciting as it was overstimulating. Perhaps Stagehand had allowed himself to get too used to small village life. This was normal. This had always been his normal, his entire life, up until now. He’d been to markets like this with his mother dozens of times, and as soon as he was old enough he’d been hundreds of times on his own. Why were this many people and this many stalls suddenly overwhelming?
“Hey.” Performance’s voice took him out of his head, and he looked up to see the other’s eyes gazing down at him kindly. “You okay?”
“Yeah!” He nodded, perhaps a bit too hard. “I’m good!”
“Okay. We’re going to go look at some of the stands. Do you want to come with us, or do you want to wander off on your own?”
“I’ll go with you guys.” Stagehand said, stepping closer to Performance. “Sorry. I’m used to this type of stuff, I promise. I mean, I grew up in Eden, so…”
“It’s okay!” Performance picked up a bracelet to look at it. Next to him Rhythm and Juggler were comparing necklace charms while Spin Dancer chatted with the vendor. “I get it. It’s a very different type of busy and crowded than Eden, I would imagine. Besides, this is a touristy market, so there’s a lot happening. That and I think everyone is trying to beat the rush for Giving Day.”
“Giving Day? Does Valley not do the Mischief festival?”
“Oh no, we do. But people try to get all their closest people gifts early, and then you put that on top of tourists looking for souvenirs, and suddenly it gets very crowded very quickly.”
“Wait, if everyone tries to beat the rush doesn't this become the rush?” Stagehand furrowed his brow.
“Yeah, you’d think, but imagine how bad it gets when it’s actually the rush.” He giggled, setting down the bracelet he’d been inspecting. He looked over at another stand and his eyes lit up. “Oh!” He tapped his brother on the shoulder. “Rhy! I’ll be right back. I'm going to go look at another stall.”
“Hm? Wait, give me a moment and I’ll come with you.” Rhythm turned to face his brother. Performance shook his head. 
“It’ll be fine! Stagehand is coming with me!” He quickly took Stagehand’s hand. “See?” Stagehand was suddenly much more aware of the temperature of his palm and the overall tightness of his fingers. Oh megabird what if he was squeezing Performance. What if he suddenly developed super strength and crushed his hand. What his hand spontaneously combusted and-
“You sure?” Rhythm asked, briefly looking between the two of them and squinting.
“Yep.” Stagehand nodded, suddenly feeling much more sure of himself in the face of what felt like someone else’s doubt. “He’ll be safe with me, don’t you worry.” He looked at Rhythm very pointedly. 
“Yes, see, exactly!” Performance nodded. “Anyways we’re going now bye bye!” Without allowing Rhythm a word in edgewise he left, pulling Stagehand after him. 
“Is your brother always like that?” The shorter man grumbled. 
“He means well, I promise.” Performance stopped in front of a clothing stand. “He’s just a little protective. Anyways, here we are.” Performance let go of his hand to reach out and touch a piece of fabric, and Stagehand’s hand felt much more empty than before he’d even taken it to begin with. He looked down at it, flexing his fingers slightly where the other man’s were a moment before, and then looked over at what Performance was admiring. It was a beautiful deep blue coat with a yellow inside and trim. The sleeves flowed out to the side and in the back of it was a long tail split down the middle. Performance was gently moving the fabric between his fingers. “Soft…”
“Oh, you like it?” The vendor asked. Performance jumped slightly, having apparently gotten lost in his focus. The vendor chuckled. “Here, why don’t you try putting it on. It’s a lovely piece, one of a kind really. You can wear it draped across your shoulders like a cape or put your arms through the sleeves.”
“Oh, thank you.” Performance said. He pulled the coat off its hanger gently and draped it over his shoulders, admiring the way it cascaded over his body. Stagehand wasn’t sure he’d ever seen someone look so perfect. Performance put his arms out and did a quick spin, admiring the coat. “It’s an amazing piece.”
“You like it?” The vendor asked again.
“I love it.” Performance nodded. “It’s wonderful.”
“It’s one of my more expensive coats, but I think you’ll find it well worth it.” The vendor nodded. She looked down at a piece of paper, listing the price, and Stagehand couldn’t help but notice Performance droop a little bit.
“I’ll um…I’ll think about it.” Performance said, pulling off the coat and rehanging it. “Thank you for letting me try it, genuinely.”
“Of course!” The vendor nodded. “How about I hold onto it for you till the end of the day, hm? That way you can come back for it.”
“Thank you.” Performance nodded, stepping away from the coat. Stagehand watched as the actor gave it a short, longing look before stepping away, moving onto the next stall. Stagehand looked at the coat, and then followed. 
“Why didn’t you buy it?” He asked Performance, who was looking down at an apple, albeit halfheartedly. 
“I um…” Stagehand was suddenly very aware that he may have just overstepped, his heart faltering at Performance’s pause. Fortunately, the actor continued, accepting the question without malice. “Rhythm and I don’t have a whole lot of money, even with him working as much as we do. Most of my money goes towards groceries and house repairs, and we split the property tax. A decent amount of his money goes towards…well, it’s towards getting a lawyer, if I’m being honest. That and we’re sending money to a family member as much as we can. Even if I were to haggle her down, I can’t justify spending that much.” Stagehand pursed his lips, nodding. Performance sighed, putting down the apple. “It’s fine. It’s just a coat, and it’s a little bit too big. I don’t have money to get it tailored. But that’s also why Spin Dancer and Juggler paid for us today, they’re kind. And they’re good friends.”
“Do you want me to buy you something…?” Stagehand asked.
“No, thank you. I appreciate it. It’s already really nice to be hanging out with you, you know?” Performance looked at Stagehand, who nodded. The shorter man hesitated, and then reached out to take the other’s hand. 
“You want to go back to the others?” He squeezes his hand gently. “Or do you want to look at apples a bit longer.” Performance set the apple down, giggling. 
“No, let’s go back to the others.” He said. Stagehand nodded, leading him back to the rest of their group. 
“There you are.” Rhythm said. They were standing at a stall selling various hats. “I was about to come looking for you.” In a fraction of a moment Stagehand caught the older twin looking down at their interlocked hands, then squinting at Stagehand, then looking at his brother as though none of that had happened, seeming to shrug it off . “Find anything?”
“Nope, just looked around a little.” Performance shook his head. 
“I actually am going to go back for something really quick.” Stagehand said, releasing Performance’s hand. “I think I saw something I want to get for Dancer. Don’t worry about waiting for me, I’ll find you guys.” Without waiting for an answer Stagehand set off into the crowd. It took him a minute, but he found the stall with the deep blue coat, now positioned behind the vendor. She was working on a piece of fabric, humming to herself. 
“Oh hey, you’re back.” She looked up at Stagehand. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
“I-He- He’s not my-“ Stagehand stammered, caught off guard. She giggled and he shook his head quickly. “That’s not the point.”
“Right, what can I do for you?”
“He’s not going to buy that coat for himself, so I will. Let’s talk price.”
The next day, after everyone was done being fitted for their final outfits, Stagehand approached Radiance, a small bundle in hand. He unfolded it, showing her a deep blue coat. 
“You buy it for yourself?” She asked. 
“No.” He shook his head. “I bought it for someone else. …Performance.” He flushed, looking down. “Since we have his measurements, would you be willing to walk me through tailoring it?” He breathed deep, waiting for her answer. Waiting for her to say no.
“Absolutely.” She said. He looked up, noticing a glimmer in her eye. “Let’s do it.”
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cyndellw · 1 month ago
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