#boggle cat queue

[bogglecatboxx]

"But in you, I see a kind of strange complexity that has needlessly piqued my curiosity… I'll have to keep a close eye on you."

> genshin (mostly sagau) blog. sfw only. > askbox always open for writing requests; no promises on when i get to them though, sorry! > masterlist & taglist (under the cut!)

> taglist >> writing tag >> rambles tag >> reblogs tag > masterlist > fics >> "What's that on the breeze? ...Nope, it's nothing." Nothing here yet! > headcanons >> reverse au (venti, tartaglia, lyney) > rambles >> friendship levels >> teleport waypoints >> arrival (venti x reader)

[withleeknow]

NI-KI 🥺 our resident baby chick but looking like that?? and being so game-savvy w/ major big brain energy?? unreal. ngl I don't let myself ponder too much bc the sunghoon rabbithole has the potential of a black-hole - he's defo written by the same author of mimo bc it's that blunt extraverted introversion sprinkled w/ random outbursts of unhinged unbothered chaos 🥰 jake- he put his heart & soul into that “FORTNITE” 😭😭 the biggest noob with not a single thought behind his boba eyes: tinyurl.com/ymha78tb their babygirlism here is so strong they have me giggling

NAUR WAYY imagine the 🌱 x 🍙 crossover: madrid edition my mind boggles thinking abt the stars that would've aligned for that one 😶‍🌫️

y'know how we were saying the ate-glow-up was a smack in the face bc of how unreal they are? yeah I can't stop scrolling tour vids THEY'RE GLOWING AND HAVING THE BEST TIME LIKE tinyurl.com/bdz3n3rj seeing this is a form of mental preparation to battle for future tickets 🫡 i had a look at their merch- shut the front door that's the cutest shit I've ever seen- the way they can hold hands 😭😭 and the stress balls are SO ROUND and the eyebrows for their "🥺" faces I can't

hahahahahahok- this .5 chapter is a work of art (ik you wanted it to be more sad and whilst im supporting you here regardless, I will yeet my phone out of sheer frustration) + that last line? you're sick for that <3 I'm genuinely a sucker for non-linear/cross-character narratives and having this mimo pov is heart- and gut-wrenching GAWD the reader is so black cat-coded with her emotional constipation PLS i'm just word-vomiting atm this is what your writing does to me jfc

the last pic 😭 look at them they're getting more and more precious to me by the day :( but onigiri fr i'm not even kidding, ever since i started watching en-o'clock i've been having sunghoon tunnel vision :/ slipped and fell right down the rabbit hole now i can't get out. he is SO mimo coded it baffles me. and he's so lanky... i am so into lanky dudes... this is getting BAD i am kinda very much in love

gosh if we were both at music bank madrid and... and... and... and if we actually met up i think i would explode on the spot no jokes. but i still want to go to the uk next summer saur... idk... maybe...? 🥹👉👈

they are so happy it makes me so emotional 😭 i will for sure cry when (WHENNN) i get to witness it all on tour. they're having the time of their lives gosh i love them :((( thinking about queueing for tickets makes me hella anxious tho lol i've been seeing reels of people queueing for svt tickets and it was crazy. but yeah the merch for this tour is CRAZY cute i want all of the uppie skzoos 😭 i caved and ordered a foxiny stress ball lol i cannot wait until i get my grubby lil hands on it !!!

the last line of 7.5 was the first thing i wrote for that chapter lmaooo hehe. thank youuu :((( i love writing from the dude's perspective bc the yearninggg just hits different 🤌 i def feel like it could've been executed much better but i'm still glad you liked it 🥺 i will try to do better with the next chapters!! i love you very much <3

[thevalicemultiverse]

(caine proof)...You spoke to the Caine in cab?

Alice: Yes, for some reason, the Father of All Vampires, or so we call him, was moonlighting as a cab driver in Los Angeles around the time I was Embraced. I never really asked why -- I was a little too stunned by discovering who he was at the time.

[elis-corner]

hihi!! could i request a hermits (seperate) x reader who bites to show affection? like they just chomp on the hermits forearm with a big grin on their face? completely okay if not!!

Hey there anon lovely :) I must say I had to reread this at first when I saw it, I've never gotten something quite like it! I picked out a couple of Hermits to write about, but I hope it's good enough for you

I don’t know if this needs any warnings? I guess affectionate biting and mildly suggestive stuff (if you really squint for it)? Let me know!

I instantly knew this was the request to quench my need to write something! Enjoy! Also I totally didn’t forget to queue this and thought it was just really unsuccessful even after a week...

Reader who likes chomping on their s/o's forearm (affectionate!)

Grian

"What on earth- y/n, what are you doing?"

He certainly was surprised the first time it happened. His giggles broke up his sentences into two or three word chunks.

Even if he laughed, it was more because of how unexpected it was. And he would never want to upset you, either. Even at first he'd try to keep his shock to a minimum.

He'd honestly just roll with it, and he'd give it a try on you one day to see how you'd react. It's quite birdlike, the way his teeth touch your skin for less than a second like a bird pecking at seeds.

If you like being chomped back, I swear on the Void there is no stopping him.

Scar

Scar was probably so distracted by what he was thinking about--most likely you, since you dominate his thoughts--that when he felt you latch on he jumped out of his skin.

He'd exclaim one of his high pitched "oh my goodness" cries, before realising it was in fact you biting him and not Jellie. He'd definitely joke about that, and probably give you a cat related nickname after he took a few nibbles to the arm.

"You're cute, you know? Just like a kitten, you are!"

He finds it adorable. Nothing could convince him otherwise.

If you were both standing, he'd lift you up and hug you tight to his chest, and probably spin you around too.

If you're lying down he'd stay still, but his other arm would play with your hair or rub your cheek. For some reason he loves feeling your jaw move as you're nibbling on him; it's almost satisfying.

Mumbo

If Scar is king of surprise than Mumbo is that of confusion.

He has absolutely no clue why his significant other would bite his redstone covered forearm--which you can definitely taste, grainy against your lips--and would be such a fumbling mess.

Despite his confusion, he melts inside, which doesn't do much good for his mind-boggled state.

"*Insert a whole bunch of nonsense talk*"

He doesn't mind the biting. His only objection is the idea of you ingesting that much redstone; who knows whether that's healthy?

"Are you sure you're alright? I mean, like, do you really want to bite my arm? No, no, I do like it, it's just... the redstone! Is that a good idea?"

If to you it is, he'll just make sure that arm stays clean when he's not working. You can't stop the spoon from worrying about you!

Just promise me you'll make sure to get a nice chomp when his sleeves are rolled up and he’s got some arm exposed, alright?

Ren

As a part canine he gets the whole biting thing entirely. It’s fine to him, it’s natural, it feels great, he’s not stopping you.

Give him that first chomp and he’s all over you. I’m talking flirty talk, messy kisses, and bites of his own.

Before you started doing it he was probably a bit nervous to bite you, but that first chomp was all he needed. Little bites on your ears or while you kiss, the occasional one on your arm, and he adores leaving them peppered across your jawline.

If you’ve been biting down hard he’ll keep his sleeves rolled up, even if it were freezing, just to show the server who’s he is.

It’s an instinct, what can I say?

[naysaltysalmon]

Nayru Blog Update

Hello everypony,

I still have a heckton of followers on here despite the multiple Tumblr exoduses. Lately, I’ve felt pressured to upkeep my queue amount, so

I will be lowering my queued posts per day to 2 from now on.

It’s absolutely mind-boggling seeing familiar usernames in my notes years and years later! It’s definitely become a kind of familiar comfort. I still plan to upkeep this and my writing blog, though ads and other monetized features are really turning me off to the Internet as a whole lately. Online, I mainly just want to share fanart, see cats, chat with other queers, and share fanfic.

That’s all I wanted to say. I’m happy there are still people interested in what I’m currently into (even if it’s mostly reblogs with unhinged personal tags) and interested in asking me stuff. Bless you all!!

[catcze]

Tagged by jio !! ( @kdaehara​ ) Helloo luvvie n thank u sm for the tag 👉👈 Also i literally love your new theme omg <3

-> why did you choose your url?

I don’t,,, know, actually? I can’t remember the story for ‘Catcze’ for the life of me, i swear. Big chance that part of the reason is because I’ve always sorta liked cats, and one day when I was thinking abt making a blog i just put ‘cat’ in the blog name then went yk what lets put ‘cze’ for shits n giggles.

-> any sideblogs?

Yup! I have a personal side blog where I’m much more candid, and a roleplay side blog in the making for my Genshin Oc <3

-> how long have you been on tumblr for?

Uhh since May 2020, technically, but i was only around for less than a month before i abandoned the blog. I started writing for genshin around May 2021!

-> do you have a queue tag?

Yup yup! it’s #queue 🐈‍⬛ !

-> why did you start your blog in the first place?

I originally started on ao3, but i heard that tumblr gets more socialization than ao3 does, so i moved over and rebranded as ‘Catcze’ !!

-> how many followers do you have?

4.9k as of right now, which is mind boggling to me because i’ve had a pretty bad burnout / writer’s block since all the way back in october. It’s also kind of a yikes moment (/lh) because I’m nowhere near close to finishing my 4k event because of said block––

-> how many people do you follow?

105 people! It would be more, but I haven’t had the time to just read around on tumblr and check out other content creators bc ive been kinda held up by stuff. Also, im,,, paranoid? shy? to follow people because I’m sooo scared of them inexplicably and illogically hating me for no reason at all so i just,,,, dont </3

-> have you ever made a shitpost?

oh, definitely.

-> how often do you use tumblr everyday?

Uhh, depends? Some days I spend most of my waking hours on the site, writing or interacting. Other days I don’t come on here at all. Mixed bag, really.

-> did you ever have a fight/argument with a blog before?

None, thank god. I’m super duper non confrontational unless given good reason, so i try to avoid arguments and drama yk?

-> how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog’ posts?

I mean, i get the intention behind them, and I’m glad that they’re there to spread awareness, but i don’t think that not reblogging those immediately makes you an awful person, you know?

-> do you like ask/tag games?

I love them holy shit !!! I try to do as many that I’m tagged in because they’re super fun and I’m an oversharer by nature, but unfortunately a bunch of them slip through the cracks because i don’t check my mentions that often </3

-> which one of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

Honestly, like, a bunch of them? I don’t keep up-to-date with follower counts, and I’m not really sure what counts as ‘tumblr famous’ but a bunch of moots i have are super talented and thankfully getting the recognition they deserve for their works. 

-> do you have a crush on a mutual?

Nooo? I don’t,,, think so? I’m pretty timid to approach others, so i don’t interact much, so not that many opportunities to have a crush yk? Does it count if i say i have a crush on myself tho?? 👀👀 /hj

I’mmmm kinda blanking on who to tag rn bc im not sure who has and hasn’t answered this soooo!! Whoever wants to answer can do so if they wanna :DD

hello hello i was tagged by the ever wonderful @ladislavaa for this tag game!! tysm for the tag i care you so much 💕

-> why did you choose your url?

hoo boy. there’s about... three different references in it, ones i’m not quite willing to explain because i will out myself as a enormous nerd. but it’s subtle enough that most people won’t get it so it’s ok. so i chose it because of the amount of references i could fit in it without it seeming overt.

-> any sideblogs?

i have. a lot. if you look at my bio for my main, there’s a list of sideblogs i have. a dead writing one, some dead ask blogs, an au blog i need to get back to now that school isn’t actively kicking me in the face... and a dimitri one from fire emblem that’s currently thriving now that i’ve revived it. anyways i have a lot of dead ones but i’m fond of them so they’ll stay there.

-> how long have you been on tumblr for?

since july of 2018! the three year mark of my time here on tumblr is coming up and i honestly didn’t expect time to go by so fast. sure i haven’t been here as much as other people, but i’ve enjoyed my time here! for the most part.

-> do you have a queue tag?

nope! not for my main! my ask blogs do, but not this one.

-> why did you start your blog in the first place?

honestly i just wanted to find a place that was fandom-centric so i could meet more people who had similar interests to me. it sounds so cheesy now that i think about it, but i really did just want some friends who had similar interests as me because a lot of the ones i had at the time didn’t.

-> how many followers do you have?

244 as of right now! but i know a good chunk of them are p-rn bots that i’ve reported and blocked over the years, so i’m not sure if that’s an accurate measure of my followers or not. i don’t know why so many people follow me anyways i just spam reblog things lol.

-> how many people do you follow?

336 currently, i kind of have this ‘if i like them, i’ll follow them’ mentality and hope i don’t come off as weird to the people i start following randomly.

-> have you ever made a shitpost?

oh yeah, probably. i’m not very well known for making original posts though, so they kinda just sit in the void that is my blog. i don’t mind, it just means that people won’t see the silly little clown words come directly from my brain.

-> how often do you use tumblr everyday?

probably more than i should. i’ve noticed myself spend a lot less time on it recently, but that’s probably because i’ve been busy. i don’t spend all of my time here though, and that’s good enough for me.

-> did you ever have a fight/argument with a blog before?

ehh, i wouldn’t call it a fight. a little spat here and there, maybe, but that hasn’t happened in some time and at this point i’d prefer not to get involved with people who aren’t worth the effort.

-> how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog’ posts?

i don’t really like the idea of them because of how much guilt tripping they do. sure they’re about important topics, but there’s better ways to raise awareness than to guilt trip people into talking about it. they make me anxious if i’ll be honest, and that’s not great.

-> do you like ask/tag games?

oh i LOVE those, please if anyone wants to tag me in stuff or ask me questions please go for it!! i love talking to people here and interacting in general! i won’t judge you for wanting to ask me stuff or anything, honestly i feel like the weird one for being so enthusiastic about it lol.

-> which one of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

oh for sure i think it’s @/kiiingsnake and @/jamblute. i honestly have no idea why they’re my mutuals and i’m too afraid to tag them in anything (including this). ;-;

-> do you have a crush on a mutual?

eh, no. i love my mutuals, but as friends. also i’m on the aro spectrum so attraction who?? they’re all wonderful people though and i appreciate them.

and that’s it folks! thanks for letting me ramble (somewhat) unprompted. i shall tag @pecha-cake @blackcliff-typewriter @doriduckdoodles @agent--shade and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[mostuff]

An MRI and a following CAT scan showed I have nothing sinister as feared.The exorbitant cost was worth it for peace of mind. However, I am profoundly death in one ear, cause unknown, that cannot be corrected... but now benefit from a hearing aid for the other,. so I can dispense with the ear trumpet.!.! Another huge expense I wouldn't have had in Europe, but I didn't want to wait. It was so socially difficult.

An MRI and a following CAT scan showed I have nothing sinister as feared.The exhorbitant cost was worth it for peace of mind. However, I am profoundly death in one ear, cause unknown, that cannot be corrected... but now benefit from a hearing aid for the other, so I can dispense with the ear trumpet.!.! Another huge expense I wouldn't have had in Europe, but I didn't want to wait. It was so socially difficult.

All this achieved in a week.!

After writing to complaints office of insurance company, they still refused to pay out, but as the circumstances of refusal were so unusual they will refund our premium, so that was worth the effort.

The week ended with a visit to Greyton Market as usual. This was more special as the church also had its annual bazaar.

Wonderful cooking smells to tantalize our nostrils...

(Now level one so some restrictions eased.)

Wonderful cooking smells to tantalise our nostrils...

Authentic traditional foods with nearby tables, plus accompanying music. Children sitting in trees, families picnicking on the grass, amongst colourful bunting completed the picture. Local horses have been rounded up to give rides, whether on backs or a drawn chariot (cart). The heavy rainfall and wind of the previous few days were driven away and a beautiful sunshiny day gave its blessing.

We met Dan and Catherine and had a second breakfast of egg and home cured bacon bagels ... Delicious. I could not resist buying a very pretty mobile for Eleanor, which we strung up above the table. Her awareness grows daily.. she is so perceptive of sound and movement. You are so right, Nola, about savouring every moment.

Sunday, persistent rain returned but we still managed a river walk below the mountains with our very lively grand-dog, Tilia, whilst Catherine cooked Sunday lunch, from a new recipe.. Yummy!

Monday, the heavens opened even more. We had to be in Cape Town to collect our extended visas. Dan needed to return his electric bike as had a problem and Catherine's bike was ready for collection. A family trip..up at crack of dawn, to achieve all this.

Arrived at the home office.. Usual precautionary measures and queues.. Our turn... Then our usual unluck.. We had not brought the mandatory receipt. Go home and get it they suggested.. A 2 hour journey each way!

Another official suggested we could get an affidavit from police station. A 20 minute walk.. So set sat. nav. and marched off in the pouring rain.. A not very salubrious area.. It seemed that covid was beckoning from the side streets.. .we arrived.... joined the queue.. a loud commanding voice was yelling to keep a 2 metre distance.. Not much notice was being taken.

My new aid neither liked this voice nor the cacophony of noise that surrounded us and told my brain to crowd my head out. Not very pleasant.

Our turn.. Sent away with 2 forms to fill in... Back to desk.. we had the misfortune to have the owner of the voice. It let rip again, informing us, and everyone else, that we should have used black pens...Go away and correct! .. We dutifully did so.... finished just as black pen was dying.... and crossed out the blue ink....

Back to desk... Loud voice rose a few decibels.... Not on these forms.. Get new ones... We hung our heads... Now didn't have a black pen... Those with one were using them.. Found another at bottom of bag....

Just how many numbers can one remember... Passport numbers... Phone numbers that change with each country... New address codes... At this stage difficult to remember how old we were!

Another power walk in rain, with power running out... grabbing a banana each from a stall, cutting corners, running the traffic light gauntlet and generally jay running. My aural apparatus was over responding to traffic light noises, traffic and surrounding hubbub. A nightmare in my head. At Home affairs, it was back in its box.

Finally we cracked it.. We have our 3 month visas.. Yippee!!!

Met family with Catherine's dad and brother, (who had picked them up from bike place) , in a tiny vegan restaurant. The six of us, plus Eleanor in her car bed, plus Tilia, who had great difficulty climbing the skiddy wooden stairs, in an area of about 6 square metres. Seating was on high stalls or very low seats and tables, nearly floor level, so we tucked in nicely.! I'll let the mind boggle... Food was good and a lot of it.

Three hours later back at Columba, rain now easing off. Dan and Catherine whizzed off on their bikes, big Cheshire cat grins stretching their faces, whilst Eleanor kicked and chuckled on her new play station multi gym. Tilia took this chance to escape up the lane hoping for a frolic with the roaming horses or street wise cows which brought their new born to show off. No dull moments here.!

Back to 'High Hopes' where Sharon had not only done our laundry but cooked an Italian supper too. A nicer landlady one couldn’t wish for .

An eye test revealed that Mike's bumping into things was not through over indulging, but due to cataracts. I write this whilst waiting at his appointment in clinic to discuss procedure and terms for their removal. The latter would require us to mortgage the house we haven't got, so not likely to happen here.

I returned to the ear specialist to report on my non progress with hearing aid. Firstly I had inserted it wrongly.. Didn't know you can hear upside down...

He then programmed it to my specific requirements. I now have car mode, restaurant mode and normal mode. All clever stuff.

With all this sensory renovation taking place, we just need to tell our bodies... ‘Yes we can do it! '

A convenient place to finish this episode as need to pack to start a new adventure tomorrow

With love MnMxx

[les-bi-katamari]

B-SIDE: SESSION 2

Farah and Silenne, under advisement, make their way to look at Damien’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

It’s a somewhat larger tent, midnight-blue, covered in arcane symbols and sigils. Entering the tent, there is a strange smell – or rather, smells. Incense, preservatives, varnish, mingling with the smells of circus food and crowds.

One of the large centerpieces is what appears to be a great cat, its fur a deep bluish-black – with six legs, and two leathery tentacles, propped up with stakes, coiling out of its back. There are many other impressive things – beholder eyes, what is supposedly the hand of a hag, soul jars, and countless other trinkets.

In the back is a gentlemen in a very fine, somewhat flamboyant suit – a gaunt man, with pale skin, short grey hair, and a Van Dyke moustache and beard. He greets them in a surprisingly resonant voice. “Hello and welcome to my Cabinet of Curiosities. Please, peruse at your leisure – if you have questions, I may have answers, but mystery is half the fun.”

Silenne is cringing a bit at the pickled body parts, this is a bit much for her, but she follows along as Fara beams, examining everything. “Do you have any… cursed artifacts?”

As he leads them to see some ‘riskier’ artifacts, another thing catches her eye – a deer skull, painted black, with unfamiliar gold coins in its eye sockets. She recognizes this – it’s religious iconography, but two religions – the gold coins are symbols of Tymora, a goddess of good fortune, but the blackened antlers are a symbol of Beshaba, a goddess of bad fortune. They’re rivals, sometimes believed to be split from one original deities, and this icon is very heretical.

As she mulls over this, Damian leads them to the hag’s hand – “Watch!” – and taps on the glass. The hand clenches, and claws at the glass. [“I drag Silenne closer to the jar!”] Silenne is terrified and disgusted. “Don’t be afraid, my dear, it’s perfectly safe – as long as it’s sealed in the jar.”

The next cursed item he shows them is a rondel dagger, in a familiar northern Almauran style. It has a familiar story – it is one a minor noble used to murder his entire family. It is said to be imbued with malice and a lust for revenge. It is mounted and sheathed. When Damien turns aside, Fara locks eyes with Silenne and reaches out to touch it, dodging Silenne as she tries to swat her away.

As she touches it, a whisper sounds in her head, and she starts to wrap her fingers around the hilt- and she’s snapped out of it as Silenne pulls her away. Fara decides not to touch anything else. Damian has a small smirk when he leads them to the next thing.

Fara proceeds to roll VERY BADLY on insight, and ends up VERY intimidated by Damian, especially once she comments on the skull and he tells her he made it herself.

Fara is rather pale. “Please don’t let me touch anything. Ever again.” Silenne is in quite a huff. “As if I could stop you!” “That one was real.”

With long flowing violet hair, in the most incredible dress that Fara has seen that she did not create herself – ephemeral, as if it’s layers of nebulous shadow coalesced around her – is a woman ahead of them, kneeling to greet some children. She holds out her hand and produces from nothing a small dragon, which grows larger and leaps from her hands, flying into the air to the children’s wonder. She catches it back in her hands, shrinking it down to nothing as they close, and then she opens them again to reveal a flower, a minute pixie dancing atop it. Again, she closes her hands, then reveals a handful of glitter, which she blows all over the children, as she sends them off to their dour-looking parents. She rises to her full, towering height. Her dress is in clearer view now, looking like sunset over the ocean, awe-inspiring.

Fara and Silenne are making a beeline over toward her.

“That – dress – is incredible.”

The woman presses a hand to her chest, nodding graciously. She makes a series of gestures, unspeaking. Silenne leans over to say “She says she made it herself. She thanks you for the high compliment, and says you are beautifully attired yourself.”

Fara is barely restraining herself from reaching out to grab at the woman’s dress, asking more. She takes out a small scroll, and flicks it, showing her the page as script appears upon it. I wove it from magic. It’s illusory thread, woven over again and again, until it becomes real enough, tangible, to function as a kind of cloth. It took over a month to create it. She holds out a layer for Fara to feel – it’s somewhat like touching a cobweb, as though her fingers are passing through it, but the semicorporeal fabric is undamaged. There is a texture to it, satiny.

“This is remarkable. I suppose it’s not something just anyone could make, only a master illusionist.” She smiles broadly. “I don’t suppose I could possibly beg you to make something like this for me?” She stops, considers, taps. It would take quite some time. Perhaps a week. But I could create something small for you, to attire you during your time here.

She gestures carefully, drawing shadow between her hands, weaving it carefully. It slowly begins to take on color, bleeding in, shifting to a slate-blue ribbon that she draws out, shimmering and shifting, faintly iridescent as it catches the light. She ties it back onto itself, forming a sort of barette, which she offers to tie into Fara’s hair, gently, fingers lightly brushing against her cheek as she works, until it is set perfectly. She beams, watching with her bright gold eyes. She refuses Fara’s considerable offer of coin, places her hand over heart, and taps again. For the wonderful compliment. This will not last, unfortunately. “It’s incredible.” Where can I find you for a more lasting work? Fara gives the name of their inn.

Silenne finally butts in – “Excuse me. I am Silenne, this is-“ “-Fara Undertree!” “-and I just realized we’ve been terribly rude, I’m so sorry.”

Medea signs out her name to them – Fara extends a hand, clasping her other over as well once Medea takes it. “My pleasure.” I hope to see you again very soon.

Before she can continue, she looks past them, slightly concerned. Fara turns to see four men in various dress, looking angry and intent on Medea. “Where is he?” “Where’s my boy!?” They bear down on her. Fara and Nisha pop their heads out nearby, coming over to interevene as they slap the paper out of Medea’s hand and Fara pipes up in fury.

After Nisha manages to send the men away, Liriel signs a question to Medea – You don’t think, that thing I saw last night? – Maybe. Talk later, she signs back, looking nervously at Silenne. Fara and Silenne start asking more probing questions about the disappearances, and Medea excuses herself to find Oz. There have been about a kid a day [“or night, as it were”] going missing – at least, of children that people notice going missing. Liriel tries to deflect, and Fara sees right fucking through her – she’s innocent, but she’s not letting on to things.

After they excuse themselves, Fara and Silenne go to see Suraan. There’s a table set out, with quite a line, for the massive dragonborn woman. She is immense, dressed in a fine but simple outfit, colors of the circus dark against her rust-red scales. There is a serpentine motif to her clothes. Her face is scarred with massive claw marks.

Currently, she is locked in arm-wrestling with a beleaguered, doughy-looking baker, struggling dramatically. She shows no sign of strain as she presses the baker’s arm to the ground. She makes a ‘gimme’ motion, he flips her a coin, and she gestures for the next person in line.

Fara gestures. “Want to take a try?” Silenne boggles slightly. “She would destroy me.” “But you would look beautiful being destroyed by- oh! You meant arm wrestling!” Silenne is bright pink, and mutters “I think you should try.” “Alright! Why not!” She drags Silenne over to the queue. “Not what I usually do, but if it would entertain you!”

The queue moves fairly quick, though Suraan “likes to play with her food,” baiting people, sometimes letting them think they’ve come close.

Suraan appraises Fara with her striking aqua eye as her turn comes. She’s hard to read – [“roll insight to see if she wants to fuck”] – it’s Fara’s first time seeing a dragonborn in person, and they don’t emote quite like humanoids. But she seems amused, and slightly curious.

Fara makes a show of cracking her knuckles – Suraan gives a low chuckle, and says something in Draconic as she leans in to offer her hand. Silenne responds in Draconic, and Suraan gives what might be a snarl, or a smile. Fara is busily rolling up her sleeves so as to protect her dress. “Excuse me? I would prefer you speak to me, not about me!” “Fine. You know my name. And yours?” “Fara Undertree, of Vassarein. Pleasure to meet you!”

They get to it – her grip is not painful, but very firm, inescapable. Fara is nearly overwhelmed quickly, but rallies, regaining some. “Your friend is right – you are surprising.” She continues, straining with all her might, and making some progress, pushing Suraan back, and more – and suddenly she pushes HARDER, flipping their hands back the other way. Rows of gleaming fangs are bared as she prepares for victory – but doesn’t budge. This continues, back and forth.

“And here I thought you were ready to lay down.” “Oh, I need a bit more encouragement for that!”

She’s going harder, going in for the kill, and Fara, flushed and straining, manages to push her back. Suraan is clearly straining as well now, a small gasp of mist coming from her mouth as she pants slightly. “Encouragement, you say? I’d be happy to give you that! […] What kind of encouragement do you respond to?” “G-gentler encouragement, usually!” “When I get off work – I can show you gentle!”

[there are SO MANY ROLLS back and forth. “this is a really gay stalemate!”] Suraan’s eye doesn’t leave her, seething rage coming to the surface.

Finally, finally, Suraan manages to force Fara’s hand to the table. The scales of her hand are surprisingly smooth, like snakeskin, not rough at all.

Suraan reaches out to clasp her hand, shaking it. “You may not have bested me – but quite a surprise.” “Is that the best you can show me?” “There’s a lot I could show you!” “Not in public, darling.”

[We segue into talking about the carnie characters being thots, aside from Ozvaldo. He and Medea are not completely exclusive, though, #confirmed! That said, she does not date coworkers. Me: “but I’ve got a character who isn’t a coworker! although, she isn’t a thot. I didn’t think this through.” “and she has a girlfriend! You didn’t think this through at all.” “that said, even if she weren’t in the circus, I don’t think Liriel would. I think she sees Medea sort of as a mother figure.”]

Silenne beams at Fara as they walk away. “You did REALLY well! I was joking, but you really had her on the ropes there!”

After whiling away more of the afternoon at the carnival, Silenne excuses herself, saying she has a personal matter to attend to, and refuses to comment further. Fara can’t really read her. After MUCH cajoling, Silenne admits she’s going to the library.

[“Fara immediately goes to the curiosity cabinet!”]

A couple hours later, Silenne rejoins Fara at the circus, bringing her a delicious little tart as a gift. The crowds are starting to gather as dusk approaches, and they enter the big tent, and the show begins.

Silenne’s piece is a massive, dramatic performance, acrobatics and dancing and so very much fire as Nisha builds in a crescendo. It ends with a dramatic bow, and Liriel’s hardest task

“And now, for our grand finale. We will tell a tale of love that transcends death, of terrible betrayal. We present to you the Tragedy of Kairon and Orianna.”

Fara recognizes this – it’s a play by Dionisia Melani, Kazalian playwright. The play is fairly new, but the myth it’s based on is far older.

Silenne also recognizes this, and looks quite concerned. The lights whiff out as Osvaldo leaves the stage, leaving a very soft light. Medea is left on stage, and she conjures images of a tiefling like herself, a man, and a human woman. There is no dialogue, the play delivered through gesture and expression of the characters.

It is the story of a tiefling paladin, who falls in love with a human noblewoman, who he discovers is bound to a lord of hell. She is doomed, and dies, soul snatched away, but the paladin does not give up. He gathers allies, great heroes, and they follow, descending into the hells. There are many battles, and as he descends through the layers of hell, he loses something at each level. A friend. A principle. He becomes colder, harder, as he descends, grim in his determination.

As he enters Malebolge, the prison of hell, he encounters no resistance. He sees his love, Orianna, standing before him – and shed her form, becoming the archfiend, Glasya. Orianna never existed. She reaches out to take his hand, and he walks with her, to stay in hell forevermore.

As Medea dissipates her illusions, some wisps of shadow remain, coalescing back into figures as she looks around in concern. Four tieflings, somewhat resembling Medea – a man, woman, and two children. These figures are in sharper detail than her previous illusions. They look pained, sad, wanting as they approach her, and she shrinks back, waving her hands as though to dispel the illusion, but they keep coming, closing.

Liriel and Nisha rush onto the stage at this point, trying to protect her. As Liriel interposes herself between Medea and the figures, and they clutch at themselves, screaming, bursting into flames, consuming their bodies. Medea collapses, hands clasped in front of her mouth – Liriel tries to pick her up and bring her away. and Damien bursts onto stage, shouts “ENOUGH!” and brandishes a pendant, dispelling the figures. Nisha rushes to him “What was that?” “I don’t know! But someone is playing games with us!”

He performs the outro, somewhat more coarsely than Ozvaldo, trying to get the crowd to leave.

Ozvaldo has also rushed to Medea’s side. “No, don’t move her – find who did this.” Liriel and Nisha start to scan the crowds, looking for what’s going on.

Fara hears an elderly human woman saying ‘Cecile? Cecile, where are you?’

Liriel sees a small girl leaving the tent, unaccompanied, engrossed by the spectacle. She rushes to follow and check on her, and Nisha follows as she rushes off.

Outside the tent, she finds a small piece of black ribbon, and footprints leading off. She breaks out into a run, following the trail, and hears a scream, “HELP!”

Back behind, the older woman is shouting “That’s Cecile! Help her!” as she struggles to hurry along.

Liriel sees the creature from the previous night, which has the little girl bound, maw open, color draining out of the girl, energy flowing into it. Behind it, the ground is warped, like a burrow leading deep into the earth. It gives way to stone stairs descending. The creature is leading the little girl down into the burrow – Liriel grabs for her, tries to punch the monster, and finally manages to catch hold of the girl. The creature lets out an abominable snarl, and releases the girl, lashing out at Liriel and grabbing onto her instead.

Fara rushes in next, and smashes the thing in the head with her purse. It looks like an antiquated elven jester, curls of doll hair from its head, busted porcelain-doll face with its mouth opened, revealing a long purple tongue. Its head goes level with its shoulders with a sickening crack, then cracks again back into place. It says in a different voice, “Hey! You don’t belong here!”

As Nisha enters, it snarls and hisses at her light. Liriel bursts through the tendrils and makes a break for it with the girl, very narrowly missing a lash from the tendrils thanks to Nisha’s cutting words. She shoots her a wink as she passes, “My savior!” as she gets the girl out of the burrow. Her mother shouts “Cecile!” as Liriel emerges with her.

The monster snarls up at her, but then turns to attack Fara. It swipes at her and grabs her, then tries to drain her emotions. Fara fights it off, but feels a sort of rush, as happy memories bubble to the surface.

Silenne shouts, “Get off her, monster!” and rushes in, stabbing into the side of its neck. There is some resistance as she tries to dig into the porcelain-like ‘skin’ of the creature, but it still recoils from her.

Fara struggles with the creature, but fails to escape. Memories of dressing Castia come to the forefront of her mind as it curses her.

Nisha creates a blast of thunder, knocking the creature off of Fara but also blasting back Silenne. Liriel urges the girl back towards her mother, saying “Take her! Run!”, then turns back to the monster, saying “You don’t like light, hmm? Well, how do you feel about FIRE?!” Flaming dragons manifest around her fist and arc out from her punches towards it, burning it. The fire lights up the space inside the doll-face somewhat, illuminating the emptiness inside – but only somewhat, the darkness within stifling it.

The creature hisses and retreats, scuttling far down into the pit and out of sight.

(It’s noted for everyone in the pit that there is an extreme feel to it – an intense chill, and a feeling of dread and emptiness. The world does not feel the same within the burrow – but the feeling is gone completely when out of it.)

As the creature vanishes, the burrow and stairs begin to crumble apart, filling up. We rush out as it seals up, leaving no trace, as though it had never been there at all.

We head to the mother and child, examining her. She appears completely drained of color, her eyes dark and glassy. Her gray complexion, similar to that of the creature, is in stark contrast to her mother next to her. She has rope-burn-like bruise marks on her arms where the tendrils were wrapped around her.

Nisha heals the girl and tries to dispel whatever’s affecting her, and Liriel tries to inspect her, passing a finger in front of her eyes, checking for responsiveness – there is none. She suggests trying to get her back to the circus, to see if Damien or Medea could help more. With nothing else that comes to mind, the despairing mother agrees, and they start making their way back to the circus.

They burst in on Damien shooing off the last of the audience – his attention is drawn quickly when he sees Fara holding a child. Liriel: “We found out what’s going on, and it’s terrible!”

[Nisha thinks back through her lore, and realizes what the thing is:

Hollow Fools - fey courtiers banished to the shadowfell. lost so much of itself it hungers for the emotions of others, since it can't make these emotions itself. usually feed on the helpless. and children, since they feel more freely and have brighter emotions. mimic last words of their victims. they leave behind empty shells of their victims who take no action on their own, but are stuck in the fools' lair to serve as a mock court, imitating the fools' former lives.

silenne gave us a rhyme she learned about this thing: 'face of an elf, mind of a beast, dwells in the dark, on hearts it will feast.' ]

End of session.