#not to sound mysterious there but lol

[shinwhoohoo]

someone on discord called cnu a loyal fool (affectionate) for renewing with wm lol. when they renewed in 2018 i also got the impression he stayed out of loyalty to wm (did he say something?). wm could have done so much more for him. but we do know a solo album has been in the works for a while, at least. i loved his musical era too, why hasn't he done more? i hope he's content with where he is, or has negotiated better terms this time around. do we know how long he's renewed for?

Nope, nothing released on how long the renewal is for. I'd assume it has to at least be for a year though, minimum. Likely 1 (or 2) years given most renewal contracts... T_T

Blegh Idk, is it loyalty? Maybe. Yeah, CNU initially (I wanna say for their D+Documentary??) mentioned about having like, loyalty or 'trust' in renewing with WM or something. But of course, fast forward two years following that and they got RBW technically at the reigns ever since. So idk if I'd say that loyalty or trust could still be there, or at least to the same level.

Cause why not release his solo music then, that he teased months ago?? What's holding him back? Is it him just not wanting to release it? If so, then why? That makes me suspicious of his trust/faith in the company. Or, is it WM/RBW just getting in the way? (which wouldn't be new at least for WM-- remember, CNU and even Jinyoung would complain years ago that they always had new music ready to go, and that they wanted to comeback always sooner than what WM provided). Again, this also brings us right back around to why would he want to renew then? It seemed like he's almost... mindfully choosing not to be super active in other projects, whether it be a solo release, musical, regular tv/radio appearances (no, I don't count him filling in for Gongchan lol) etc. That's why I really thought he was just biding his time until he could be free tbh.

Which was why I'm like, ok, maybe because of Sandeul and Gongchan and their contracts not ending until much later is the reason?? Plausible, I suppose. Honestly speaking, CNU isn't really a hot commodity right now. I also don't think, unless he did some serious work himself on his own time, he'd have other agencies and companies approaching him for better contracts. Which sucks, but it really is just the feeling I have. So I think it's partially a... forced loyalty until Sandeul and/or Gongchan decide what they wanna do, and partially a 'welp, there really isn't much of another option'.

#i mean i'll always support him regardless #it just sucks because I'm really having a hard time understanding #the 'why' behind it all #wm and rbw seem to not be supportive of him in the slightest #hence the few little things he is doing (weverse or that youtube workout thing) #is basically all him but also things that the company really doesn't #need to have much say or control over #which is why like i said he was just doing this to basically do *something* #until he could be free #things are going to make more sense i feel once sd finally comes back from the army.... i think we'll see a lot of things change. #not to sound mysterious there but lol #we shall see #b1a4 #cnu #wm entertainment #rbw entertainment #b1a4 documentary #text #ask #reply

[toastereno]

i said i would post my piano covers here, so...what better song to start with than the iconic one from psmd? :'^)

this was all done by ear (except for the beginning where i used bespinben's score because those chords are tough to figure out, so shoutouts to them)! this song holds a special place in my heart for many reasons: it's the reason i played psmd and restarted playing the piano, just to name two!

by the way, there's a little surprise at the end 😊

#pmd #psmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #super mystery dungeon #pokemon super mystery dungeon #piano #by the way this was recorded on a piano i don't have access to anymore #my home piano sounds a little more crummy but oh well #this is like one of the only covers i can play without mistakes lol #fun fact i wrote a whole dang college essay on this song #ste plays piano #ste blog

[phantom-0-writer]

The Justice League had finally given the go ahead to officially form the Young Justice. Not that any of them were going to stop regardless of having permission. Since the Justice League had opened up their slots for more than the original six earlier that year, Batman thought it would be a good opportunity to use the Young Justice to help reach out and recruit some other heroes without drawing too much attention by going themselves. With protégés of most of the originals in the roster it was a solid plan.

They had been told about their newest "assignment" (if you could even call it that) earlier that day and they would be leaving in the morning. They were supposed to go meet a duo in Illinois (it was their base of operation even though they'd worked in other place). Phantom has been in the vigilante/hero scene for almost 10 years now, and Red Huntress started a few months after him.

Their names were well known, Dick had known of them even before he became Robin. But despite their national (maybe even International fame) little was actually known about the duo and the rumored Team Phantom that alluded to there being more than just the two. Dick had been a big fan of Phantom, and modeled a lot of his moves off of the super-powered hero.

Batman told them that they had already reached out the Phantom (Red Huntress had deferred them to him, and refused to speak with them afterwords) and he agreed to meet the YJ team and mentor them for a designated amount of time. There had been rumors in certain forums that the JLA had reached out to Phantom to be one of the original members of the league but he had turned them down. When Kid Flash had brought it up during the meeting, Batman refused to confirm or deny (which was proof enough).

The plan was for the YJ would stay in Amity Park for 15 days and learn from them, they would check in after that to see weather their stay should be extended. Specifically citing that their legendary teamwork would be incredibly beneficial to learn from to strengthen them as a team. The other plan, and equally as important, was to warm them up to joining the JLA ranks since a direct invitation hadn't been received favorably.

All that was thrown in the window when, three days in, the YJ, Phantom and Red Huntress get portaled to an unknown destination, with strange and unknown life(?) forms, with no supplies, no working communicators, and worst of all, no way back.

#dpxdc #danny fenton #danny phantom #young justice #dp #young justice show #justice league #phantoms been around for a while atp #and he's stopped enough world ending threats that people know who he is #but he's as mysterious as batman is and no one rly knows much abt him #they get portaled to another world or dimension #but it could also be the ghost zone #danny never mastered the art of teleporting or making portals so they're kinda screwed #val and danny's tech works bc it's designed to work in the GZ #so the other world thing isn't super problematic for them #but they still don't know where they r or how they got there #the kids learn how to plan on their feet and get a objectively disastrous situation under control #which is basically every misson team phantom deals w #so they're in good hands #i think team phantom sound be early/mid 20s an YJ are 15-16 #or how ever old they are in S1 lol #is this ghost shenanigans? #also could just be a natural portal and they were wring place wrong time #i think i like that better tbh #the giw is long gone #the meta rights act dealth with them for the most part #and a scathing article from one lois lane and clark kent #phantom doesn't want pple to know that he's not entirely a ghost so he stays out of the spotlight and he doesn't wanna risk being recognize #but most people actually don't even know that he is a ghost #or they do know he's a ghost and think red huntress is also a ghost

[seventh-fantasy]

re: jianghu as a queer space in mlc

here to answer @redemption-revenge !! in reply to this post

(also tagging @markiafc @ananeiah <3)

there are many definitions of jianghu, but this is specifically based on the framing of jianghu as the space people retreat to, away from the mainstream sphere governed by the imperial court. in that is a sense of rejection and defiance against the patriarchal, heteronormative values and norms, which had been enforced through a fixation on upkeeping order in the society. as such i guess it's not too much of a stretch to interpret jianghu as a queer space in a way that's characterised by a spirit of nonconformity to the norms. consequently, it makes sense for stories set in jianghu be used to illustrate and navigate queer identities/experiences/feelings - which I came to believe mlc had made really good use of.

there's always kind of a dichotomy between 江湖 jianghu and 庙堂 miaotang (ie. imperial court). like in mlc, there are two separate, distinct law enforcement bodies from the respective spheres - and jianghu strives to keep imperial court from interfering in their affairs. like how li xiangyi firmly stands against getting imperial court involved in jianghu matters. like how fang duobing is actively running away from the grip of the royal court on his life choices. the rejection of the mainstream (very conveniently and broadly put, confucian) norms in mlc also manifests in many of its key relationships being non-familial (in the sense of blood/marriage-based kinship) and there being little emphasis on the main characters' biological familial ties. (anyway this is for a whole different meta on its own... edit: it's here)

it's then actually a sort of irony that the imperial court's institution of law and order is what sigu sect/baichuan court had been formed to be a de facto counterpart to. so when li xiangyi becomes li lianhua, it triggered the process of deconstructing the meaning of installing such an institution and the need to maintain order to a fundamentally nonconforming space such as jianghu. mama fang's seemingly throwaway line of criticising li xiangyi and his mission is in fact the thesis statement in this particular reading of mlc's story: jianghu makes its own rules. nobody should dare to do it in its place.

now deprived of all means to fight like he used to, li xiangyi's new life as li lianhua is essentially a refresh of how he views jianghu. the death of li xiangyi the leader of sigu sect and top of wulin, meant taking apart the idea that jianghu is a lawless arena where the fittest fight to the top for power and control over wulin. and li lianhua then putting together lotus tower, living a life focusing on a domestic lifestyle this time for real far from the reach of the governance both from the imperial court and sigu sect/baichuan court, is him living the jianghu that's defined as a space away from any form of conformity.

with that, there's also a sense of queerness to this particular way of living as li lianhua, if you consider the chinese conceptualisation of gender being more social than biological. if femininity and masculinity were respectively characterised by inner/domestic sphere and external/any space outside of that, dare I say...it actually makes li lianhua's moving house mindblowingly smart as a metaphor for gender fluidity. lonely wanderers are common in wuxia but housed lonely wanderers? he carved for himself a domestic (ie. feminine) space in the wilderness - among a jianghu space that's still dominated by masculine values of aggression and competition. and being freely mobile makes this feminine space more fluid and less tied down than the more rigid, inert domestic, feminine spaces in traditional mainstream society. when you combine it with how his character has been fem-coded - even as li xiangyi (eg. yin-coded powers/energy) (also a whole other meta on its own... edit: it's here now), it speaks to a part of him that has always found appeal in qualities conventionally associated with femininity of stability, gentleness and non-aggression. and a rejection of expectations to fight and destroy. he is defining who he is in his own terms, in the true spirit of jianghu.

#莲花楼 #mysterious lotus casebook #my posts #lhl #lhlmeta #jielin writes something #also ofc the queer reading wrt defiance against norms in the way of choosing jianghu extends to fdb (and dfs?) individually too #fdb. ace. in particular #this meta can go longer. so much more to be said. but i was committed to posting it before i go to bed #but i'll say here first that i think it's the femininity in lxy that is what precisely makes him an unparalleled swordsman. not in spite of #apologies if it doesnt make any sense or just going off tangents in general lol it's 2am #struggled supremely writing this. for hours i was mind to mouth.meme #i sound batshit insane by the last part but at least that idea had been somewhat peer reviewed by my lovely friends........... #mark and ana don't read though before yall finish the show #also this is what happens to ur brain when ur other media obsession is a hardcore confucian critique/deconstruction #of a royal court intrigue story

[scarefox]

Hey I know this scene :')

Deep Night ep7

Playboyy ep7

#that was not the sound they were making tho lol #(sounded more like Firsts whiny moans 🤨 don't ask my brain works in mysterious ways) #playboyy the series #deep night the series #ep7 #aob x puen #+ client #don't know if someone posted this already tags aren't working for me atm

[casasupernovas]

im re-watching scooby doo mystery incorporated and can someone tell me why professor pericles talks to ricky like he's his lover?

#he sounds like he's trying to seduce him everytime they talk #how did anyone in mystery inc trust him everytime he opened his beak he sounded so untrustworthy 😭 #scooby doo #scooby doo mystery incorporated #mystery kinder #lol #professor pericles #ricky owens #cassidy williams #mystery incorporated #judy reeves #brad chiles #shaggy rogers #daphne blake #velma dinkley

[kokitschi]

*i mean theories that go beyond the official in-game solutions and don't consider every "logic error" as just bad writing but as a purposeful part of the narrative

i also don't mean any specific theories but rather the act of making theories, of reading between the lines even when there's no "reward" to come.

#danganronpa v3 #drv3 #danganronpa #kokichi ouma #kaito momota #shuichi saihara #kaede akamatsu #tsumugi shirogane #it sort of irks me when i see people being unwilling to think in this direction considering dr is a mystery series #u gotta go at it with love... with trust... #<- umineko influence fr fr #but like. i also get people not wanting to do that. when most of it really just seems like bad writing #it feels like betrayal to invest so much time in something just for nothing. for getting told ur dumb for being so invested.. #i always admired theory crafters even if they're not perfect. bc they're.. brave #as cheesy as that sounds #also im aware that a lot of these options aren't mutually exclusive but. i couldn't come up with better ones lol rip #just pick what feels most right idk #kitschpolls

[alangdorf]

#meme #len’en #tsubakura enraku #took a break from working on a big project to make this and I dunno whether it’s actually funny?? #I put way too much effort into getting the spacing right though lol #the @ starts with ‘mugen_’ like JynX’s Twitter handle and then genchou is the normal reading of the kanji for tsubakura’s name #altogether means like ‘fantasy mysterious bird (swallow)’ so I thought using that drawing for the pfp would be appropriate #plus don’t wanna spoil what I’m still working on lol (jk I don’t care that much) #also I like having ‘gen’ twice in a row it sounds cute #oh ya the 17 is just cause the original is 7 and it was easiest to just add a one but that lines up with the very vague timeline in my head #that being the protags are like mid 20s rn #like me!! I’m turning 24 next week #anyway I don’t post them to tumblr much (I have a Kirby one I should at some point though) but I make meme edits allll the time #and I put wayyy too much thought and effort into them #would you expect any different of me though

[andthen-light]

okay girls im going to be a little hashtag critical here but i have been ruminating LONG ENOUGH and i really really do not like that scene in the graphic novel murder on the rockport limited where lucretia recognized the umbrastaff. i understand what they were trying to do and i understand you have to change things for the medium but its kind of a disservice to both lucretia and taakos characters imo. lucretia works so hard to keep the boys from questioning things like why would she have a reaction like that. like they couldve alluded to her recognizing it but a scene like that is so in your face and it takes power away from the scene in crystal kingdom where red robe barry recognizes it. and wrt taakos character like. hes never Particularly trustful of lucretia like on a personal level but overall he trusts the bureau and lucretia until reunion tour. adding in a scene like that at that point in the story makes no sense like u cannot convince me taako would not start questioning what the directors really up to and why she had such a personal reaction.

#taz balance #main tags for this 1 coz im curious if anyone else has similar thoughts. any of the other girls really freaking autistic abt this show lol #and again i get tht its partially the medium just. i dunnooooo like #the foreshadowing in balance already feels good feels organic. and i get they gotta allude to the bigger behind the scenes plot for new #readers but they do that already with the scenes w the red robeeeee likecjdknf #does this make any sense. do i sound nutz #ugh god girls once we get the animated series (🙏) i am going to. explode i hope they make some different decisions kfjfjdnf #creatively speaking #i rlly do think the medium has a lot to deal with it tho like i just dont think balance works in a graphic novel #like the plot is overall tje same but it doesnt have the same story feel. does that make sense #UGH AND ANOTHER THING. i get tht by showing her reaction adds to the freaking angst or whatever but part of why her character is so tragic #is that we dont see that! she keeps her emotions in check the girl does not let ppl in bcoz she feels she cant! and like #when we as like the readers the audience or whatever see her react like that so strongly and so angrily its like. shes no longer mysterious #and finding out who lucretia really is by the end of stolen century doesnt have the same impact. bcoz we already Know shes hiding something #its not just hinted at #ugh WHATEVER im normal about this show im so normal

[silent-lily]

My wife, putting away her clothes in the wardrobe: Oop, almost dropped my rings there!

Me, absentmindedly in almost monotone: Be careful not to lose your rings again like the last time, dumdum.

Me and wife, a second later: *suddenly burst out laughing in sync*

(the jokes, they make themselves, haha) (I'm a hilarious person I know)

#bluh bluh bluh #lol Sonadow energy haha #cue in the Sonic games ring dropping sound #she just managed to lose her engagement ring like TWICE #one time I found it #second it was a mystery where it disappeared until my wife took her light blue jeans for warm weather out of the depths of the closet #and it just dropped out of the pocket #WE'VE LOOKED FOR IT FOR SO LONG

[bmpmp3]

when people complain about getting like, a 98% grade on something because it was "so close to perfect" its like. i understand what you're saying on a technical level. but that is a line of thought so far away from my experiences and ways of thinking that i do feel like im from another planet. 100% isnt even a real number to me

#i kinda understand when its something like a multiple choice test or something where there is an objective answer #it might feel like u got so close but just missed one #again still a bit alien to me because my scholarly performance is mysterious and anything over 70 is great to me #but i mean ive had a 98 before once in a math test. i did get exactly 1 bit of 1 question wrong #but i didnt really care that it was one off from perfect i was too busy being happy because that was the highest mark id ever received #and the previous math test i had taken got a 53% . grade 11 was a wild time for me in math class GHJKSHFKds #anyway i kinda see where ur coming from with stuff with right or wrong answers like that #but i sometimes get friends in class complain that they got a 95 or something on an art assignment #because they think they got docked 5 points for one or two little things #but i dunno. thats not really how fine arts departments in university tend to grade things #you dont start at 100 and get docked marks for things you got wrong. i dont think ive ever seen a 100% on something like that #tbh the numbers are a little arbitrary i find. i do prefer to try to get em higher because that helps with grants and stuff #but the numbers dont mean all that much in fine arts or in art history (my two majors) a 75 and a 95 can function the same depending on lik #weighting and context and feedback and whatever. i dunno its a wild world out there #it might just be the perspective of someone who did really goodbad in school. (GoodBad (tm) its when ur good but also kinda bad at school!) #compared to someone who got a lot of perfects in mandatory schooling. i sympathise i really do that kind of pressure sounds insane #but while i sympathize i cant really empathize as much unfortunately with this specifically orz its a world very far outside my purview! #100%s arent real to me so they never cross my mind to be worried about LOL

[toastereno]

here's my take on an original pmd village theme! it could work as something else too, but that's mainly how i envision it :3

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #original composition #original music #no pmd news today? hope this makes it up at least a little :'^) #hope the mixing doesn't sound too off lol i'm still learning as i go #ste music #ste blog

[coquelicoq]

first off, if you want to spend more time way overthinking r sounds, there's a GREAT doctoral thesis about r variation in standard dutch. "The Sociophonetics and Phonology of Dutch r" by Koen Sebregts. i still haven't read all of it, but spent most of a dinner talking at my mother and sister about it until they were like "please we are begging you to discuss this with literally anyone else". secondly, /ɥ/ :)

[shipping myself with french phonemes ask game]

you always know exactly what to recommend to me. if i were at that dinner you could talk to me about the sociophonetics and phonology of dutch r by koen sebregts as long as you wanted. rip to your mom and sister and any other bystanders but at least we would be happy!!

i was hoping someone would ask about /ɥ/...this sound has been shrouded in mystery for as long as i can remember. we're talking as early as when i learned to count to dix (because of huit). it was one of the sounds i could hear but could not for the life of me figure out how people were making. it's like we grew up across the street from each other, and she was a little older than me and so smart and pretty and carefree and i grew up just yearning. from afar. knowing that /ɥ/ didn't even know i existed.

so you'd think, what, unrequited pining? WRONG. this is ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP. didn't see that coming did you!!!! that's right, i can now pronounce the /ɥ/ sound. i can say it with my own mouth. and i do! i am saying this sound all over the place! we have ridden off into the sunset! we are on our honeymoon! it is happily ever after all up in here!!!

it's kind of interesting how this came about. i couldn't figure out how to make this sound until i learned how to identify and pronounce the /y/ sound, which makes sense given /ɥ/ is the semivocalic equivalent of /y/, but also makes no sense because then why could i identify /ɥ/ even before i could identify /y/? you'd think i would be able to hear both or neither, but not just one. and yet that is what happened. also, there was about a year between getting comfortable with /y/ and sealing the deal with /ɥ/. not sure what that was about either...like if you can make /y/ you can make /ɥ/, they're the same sound, they just occur in different environments...what would this trope be...ummm this is like if she were a superhero and i were dating her alter ego while also pining after the superhero. like babe i have good news for you! but also it's a little embarrassing after a year of dating to not be able to recognize someone when they take their glasses off.

in any case this is a very recent development, probably within the last year ish? it took me over two decades but i got there in the end. slow burn, happy ending. now if only i could figure out why word-final high vowels sound super aspirated sometimes, which is odd because aspiration is a consonant thing. (current theory is devoicing.) my beautiful wife /ɥ/ gives me the courage to be curious. if i can learn to make /ɥ/, i can learn to make anything. dreams do come true!!

#reading the wikipedia for the voiceless alveolar fricative /ç/ which is the sound mentioned as occurring at the end of words #ending in high vowels in the french phonology section on devoicing: #'The sound further occurs as an allophone [...] of /h/ in the vicinity of front vowels.' um okay. mystery solved maybe??? #cuz i'm mostly thinking i hear it with /i/ and /y/. which are both high and front vowels #no fricking clue how to make that sound but i feel better having some idea of what is happening lol #anyway thank you very much for indulging me 🥰 #my beloved linguistics mutual #french #phonetics #asks #not anon #links

[taranza-stan]

Tarn, did you ever notice that there are surprisingly many people who want to see you dead?

You know the saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

I jumped a few steps ahead and made my friends my enemies. Two in one packet.

#but also yeah lol you're right #you know those *whodunnit* mysteries where theres one dead person and multiple people who could have done it? #that would work alarmingly well for me #actually hold on #the 2nd anniversary of the heritage blog is coming up #all i need to do until then is learn how to make a visual novel style game + figure out how to write a good murder mystery and bam #the murder of LHP #all that only in the span of like #5 months #yeah sure that totally sounds possible

[bluehairperson]

I don’t want to start drama but I’ve seen some concerning posts floating around about how distasteful and disappointing it is to see certain creators “support” Dorian and I hate to break it to you guys, but if you’ve ever interacted, shared or created anything regarding The Arcana you are supporting Dorian yourselves.

Being in the fandom alone is supporting Dorian by creating engagement, publicizing the game and being part of the audience they’re trying to target.

And even if you were to delete your whole blog and everything you’ve ever posted to enjoy the original game in private you would still be supporting Dorian by bringing traffic to the app they now own.

The one and only way you have to stop supporting Dorian, if you care about it so much, would be to distance yourself from the series entirely and go join another fandom. Never play the original game ever again and never interact with any fan creation regarding it from now on. 👋

#you're basically saying you dislike people supporting the company by working with it #while you yourself are supporting the company but indirectly by giving visibility to their brand #let's be coherent please #I personally don't care about dorian just like I never cared about nix hydra #but I still like the game so I'm gonna cherry pick whatever I want #and full offence but between this and continuous character and ship discourse you guys are unsufferable lol #you're murdering the fandom from the inside by being toxic af and finding the most bullshit excuses to attack artists for shit #that doesn't matter and then you turn around and whine and wonder why the fandom is dying and no one is posting anything new anymore #like MMMMMMMMMNHHHHHHH 🤔🤔🤔 #it's a mystery I wonder why #mentioning this because I also saw some discourse about dorian being awful for supporting quote unquote tOxIc and aBuSiVe ships 😨😨😨😨 #with the most basic and vanilla couple I've ever seen here #like nix hydra was never great either but I've never ever seen posts claiming that if you support them you must be an awful person #what changed exactly? #it sounds to me that you guys are just really bitter that the new quote unquote canon content is... not super good so you're trying to #vent your frustration in any way you can #which means attacking independent artists who use the platform because it's easier to reach and demolish them rather than the company itself #I log on here to recharge after a day of work and all I see is people acting like twelve year olds trying to be mean like bruh #it's literally the hom3stuck 2 fandom situation I called it #tagging this as discourse so you can blacklist it if you don't wanna be annoyed #discourse #the arcana #dorian era #not art

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 6: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

The winning option of yesterday's poll was that the adventurer should ask the Innkeeper about the suspicious egg he got from the Well Creature….

-

After finishing his food scraps, he awkwardly creeps back over to the main counter, pulling up a stool and just hoping the Innkeeper will eventually make eye contact with him... She finally looks to the side whilst cleaning a glass, his chance to blurt out whatever he can.

"SO!- uh,, I um... I found something weird, or uh.. I didn't find it actually, I guess, I..... s-someone, or something.. gave it to me, as maybe..? a reward, or.. oh, well i-it doesn't matter why.. but UH, but so, I was just wondering, d-do you think you might know anything about it? about like, uh... stuff? Objects.. perhaps.....?"

She stares with equal parts amusement and concern, crossing her arms and letting out a soft chuckle, "Well, I've seen quite a variety of things while working here, so - Yeah, I could try to help you identify an item, if that's what you're asking."

"G-good. Okay. Well.. It's, uh..... this." He's barely even placed the little wooden egg box up on the counter before she's already slamming the lid shut and reaching over to force it back into his bag. Suddenly serious, her eyes dart around the room, scanning to ensure no-one else happened to notice.

"Don't EVER let anyone see you with that, okay??". Abrupt tone shift making him even more nervous, he just stares blankly, muttering a few gibberish noises whilst nodding at her in confirmation.

"I mean, I'm not absolutely certain," her voice lowers as she speaks, "but to me it looks exactly like a Caiploras egg. Those animals have been nearly extinct for at least a hundred years. Only tiny groups of them still exist here and there, and even those eventually get wiped out as soon as they're discovered. Kings and nobles used to hunt them, especially for the eggs, 'cause of all the theories - unique magical properties, uses in enchanting, shit like that.. I don't really know, I'm not that experienced with magic.... But.."

She pauses for a few seconds to stare him down (this does not soothe his anxiety at all), examining intently, as if to determine whether he's actually trustworthy before continuing..

"...My brother is. He's a mage, and a scholar, and he specializes in stuff like this, all these rare animals and whatnot. He'll hate me just sending a complete stranger over there, but.. I think you should go see him. He'd definitely be able to identify it- hell, he'd probably even pay you for it, if it really is what I think it is. And, he'd know how to take care of it properly, raise it well, not just cut it up for fucking potions or whatever...", she scoffs bitterly.

Grasping at a nearby napkin to fan himself with, he shifts sweatily in his seat, "W-wh... but,.. How would I do that?"

"What do you mean? Do what?"

"F-find, him.. IHhh... I just.. I don't, know the area well.. is all, I uh...."

"I'll give you directions, obviously.. Are you okay? Do you like... need some water? You look-"

"NHnnnou, I'M FINE! I just, haha.. uh... Maybe, am.. not very good at....uh.. this.." He gestures around himself nonspecifically.

With a brief confused glance, she pours a cup of water anyway, then casually plucks a small notebook from her pocket to begin scribbling messily. "Well, look, I'll give you the information, and if you feel up to it, you can go. I really think you should, but, eh... your choice, y'know."

As he fights his shaky hands to maintain control of the water glass, she lays out the paper on the table, pointing at parts of her sketch. "He's over in Fargahel, which should be a few days travel from here. See? The roads kind of go like this, but it's mostly a straight path. Look for the ruins of an abandoned castle. He's holed himself up in there, the underground part, repurposed into some sort of 'sanctuary' for rehabilitating injured birds or whatever the hell he's up to now. He probably won't attack you or anything, but I signed a little note on the back of this so he knows I sent you.. just in case."

Neatly folding up the map, she slides it towards him as she leans closer to intensely meet his eyes. "Just remember, no matter what you do, do NOT let anyone know you have that egg. There are plenty of folks out here still hunting for them. You don't want someone recognizing it and coming after you. Especially with how, uh...", it feels like she might mention he doesn't seem he'd be very good at combat, but she simply lets the sentence trail off, shrugging with a smile and politely patting his hand as he takes the paper.

"Just get some sleep, yeah? Think about it. And talk to me in the morning if you have any more questions."

He slumps over to lean on the counter, resting for a moment after she walks back to the other end of the room, just trying to wrap his head around all the new information.. He only took the egg because it looked pretty! He just wanted it to hatch into a cool chicken or something! Why does it have to actually be some big stinky scary secret rare item?... With a heavy sigh, he resolves to never again trust mysterious creatures that pop out of abandoned wells....

Eventually trudging up to his room for the night, he flops onto the lumpy mattress that seems to just be hay stuffed into dusty old potato sacks. As he rustles around waiting to fall asleep, he considers all of his options... What should he do with the egg?

#paventure posting #polls #choose your own adventure #SORRY I KNOW THE TEXT OF THIS ONE IS LONG I just could not make it short #There's too much information to convey and I feel like it seems unnatural if it's too matter of fact #like if she was just like 'yeah its this. go here. do this. okay thanks' #it would feel too robotic #there has to be SOME meandering and pointless sentences that just lead into other sentences and etc. lol #BUT most of them will not be this long. I'm still majorly trying to keep a 2-3 paragraph limit #the only exceptions will probably be occasions where he actually has convesartions with people because it'd #just sound really rushed and weird to try to fit a whole full detailed conversation into like 2 paragraphs worth of text #unless they're barley saying anything to each other. but etc. etc. you know what I mean #A majority of it will be short interactions in the woods a little choices and etc. Just sometimes when there's like #some explaining a full quest or whatever obviously that needs more context #Also this one is really late because I wanted to give myself a break and not draw every single day #so I already did the writing part so I'd have it ready today but then waited to do the sketch until this mosrning #I still have that chest injury thing that flares up if I use my shoulders and arms too much. which for some reason even if #I'm only doing a quick 30 minute sketch and like an hour or less of typing - it still starts to be achey #I have to have days where I just take a break from the computer lol #ANYWAY... day 6! What to do with the mysterious egg? :0 #sorry to the one person who sent an anon ask talking about how they hope he gets to talk to the musician lol #That option did not win. But - depending on how voting of things goes - we could still come across some of #the people who were in the Inn during later parts of the journey. I had kind of a vague idea of like who the hooded #figure is. the musician. the person that would have been in a stables if you tried to steal a horse. etc. #Might still never come across them though but- they do exist in the world so. always a possiblility #wowe so many typos in these tags whoops.. im not going back and retyping them either