public channel - D148 - fae jargon 101

[kingsroads]

If anyone, older member or newer arrival, wants information on... [ oh lord, this is going to take a while. Strange sighs slightly before obviously reading off a list of terms he's written down. ] Arcadia, the Rose Queen, Ignatius, Nightshade, the Count of Crows, Frost, the Summer Court, the Winter Court, how faerie court hierarchies work, the Wyld Fae, or the Beast, then I'll be happy to tell you what I know. I picked up some knowledge from my time in Portland and through conversations with the fae here and, for obvious reasons, don't want to bore all of you with far too many details and speculations at once.

[ There's a pause, partly to catch his friggen breath, before Strange continues talking. ]

I can at least explain Portland, though--for our new arrivals, of course. It's a city where the carnival was recently trapped for a month. Many members had their memories altered and believed they lived in the city for their entire lives. It was a...trying experience.

[ Understatement of the century. Strange sighs, like he's steeling himself for what he's going to say next. ]

Portland had it's own set of fae, some of whom I mentioned in my previous list. Plenty of the carnival members have ill-will towards those fae, who seemed determined to vex us and ruin our lives during that month. And despite the fact that we've left that world, I've a feeling that we'll see those fae again. Now that the Severing's removed, they can travel to different worlds the same way the Ringmaster can. And it wouldn't surprise me if some tried to reclaim what or who they believe they lost.

[ how dramatic! And quite possibly the worst way to end a broadcast as Strange just flips the radio off then and there. He has absolutely no clue how to best END the broadcast so not being cryptic is officially for chumps. ]

Comments

[kingsroads]

Actually? I'm not so sure about that. I don't know the ins and outs of that world's magic but while the Severing was in place, we shouldn't have gotten stuck in Portland to begin with.

[amusicaladventure]

Wait, back up. Why not? I mean -- what the hell else could have caused it?

[kingsroads]

I'm...not entirely sure. But think about it. Why would a spell designed to keep people from leaving the world somehow bring in people who were from outside the world? We were exactly the sort of thing the spell was trying to prevent.

[amusicaladventure]

I may be wrong about this, but -- Her Ringmasteryness always comes off as, like, top-tier. The way I'd figured it, she took us to that world without doing some forward research, and the Severing couldn't keep her out, but the spells on the carnival that make it sort of 'blend it' had to account for the fact that we actually couldn't be there by any known logic, soooo they basically assimilated us.

That's just my semi-educated guess though.

[kingsroads]

Well, it's certainly a better guess than anything I've got! And considering that neither of us actually got a proper look at the components of the ritual before it was cast, I've a feeling that guesses are all we'll be left with.

[amusicaladventure]

Yeah, that's something I don't want to meddle with no matter how curious I am. [And she is honestly as curious as a... well, you know.] I kinda wish I'd known to investigate it back then. Would be nice to bring back some nifty information.

[kingsroads]

Likewise. My Portland self was so focused on breaking the spell that the idiot barely found out anything about how it was cast in the first place.

[amusicaladventure]

And I super wanted to learn about it, but never had the chance. [Ash manages to keep her voice level, and betray no emotion despite the mention of Portland-Ash.] Kind of a bummer really. You think the Ringmaster'll be able to tell us? Anything?

[kingsroads]

I honestly have no idea. [ was she able to get a good look at the spell before all this Portland nonsense happened? Who knows! ] It can't hurt to ask, though.

[amusicaladventure]

One of the best things about the Ringmaster is that you're actually probably right, despite the fact that she's an ageless fae with thought processes we couldn't actually recognize. [And Ash is so chipper about this.]

[kingsroads]

I'm sure she's not ageless. But then again, it's rude to ask a lady her age and it's even more rude to ask one's employer!

[amusicaladventure]

I'm glad I don't need to tell you that... But my money is still on 'force of nature, just with a personality' more than anything we'd consider a person. Which is nothing against her, y'know?

[kingsroads]

I do. The fae...it's easy to forget just how inhuman they are.

[amusicaladventure]

...No, it isn't.

[Ash will remember, until her dying day, being taken to that pleasure dimension as if it were a treat.]

But I might have more experience with strangeness than you do, over all. Maybe we should trade last names.

[kingsroads]

[ Whereas Strange remembers the Gentleman from home and Nightshade and the Ringmaster from here, all of whom seemed so human until that veneer started to slip. ]

Mischief fits me more than it does you. If I wasn't already married, I'd take you up on that suggestion, [ he teases. ] It seems a bit ridiculous for Arabella to change her name twice in a lifetime!

[amusicaladventure]

[Ash isn't consciously aware that she's changing the subject dramatically to something more lighthearted. She isn't doing it on purpose. It's just one of her coping mechanisms.]

Hey, hey, give her the choice! Maybe she'll like it so much she'll insist, you know?

[kingsroads]

I'll have to ask her about it though! And Arabella's much too sensible to do something like sign on to a faerie carnival.

[ He's not aware that he straight up just kind of dragged Ash and himself by calling them not sensible. ]

[amusicaladventure]

[Hey, if the shoe fits. Though Ash will argue to her dying days that every single thing she's been through here were well, well worth the benefit she's gotten.]

Oh what, she wouldn't sign on just because you were here?

[kingsroads]

If she tried to sign on, I'd try to convince her otherwise. I love Arabella and I miss her dearly, but this place...if you could prevent someone from going through the vampire nonsense, from going through Portland, wouldn't you do so?

[amusicaladventure]

Strange, ol' buddy... I'd do it again if I knew exactly what I was getting into. I don't know what matters most to your wife, but some things are worth it even if it really, really sucks.

You tell me, you married her. What's her biggest wish?

[kingsroads]

[ And there's just an awkwaaaard pause on Strange's end because only a handful of people know about the "surprise! my wife's trapped in faerie!" bit. And yet, Strange just can't find himself lying to Ash. ]

At the moment, I doubt even the Ringmaster could grant her wish. Back in my world, Arabella is trapped in the realm of faerie. I imagine her biggest wish would be to simply leave that place.

[ or so he thinks. At the moment, Arabella's heckin enchanted so that's a little bit of a damper there. ]

[amusicaladventure]

[Ooh. Oh man. That's the sort of revelation that leaves a girl wondering if she'd said anything insensitive or foolish over the past month, out of ignorance.]

[She takes a moment to muster up an attitude of thoughtfulness and empathy.] Yeah, hmm, that depends on a lot, actually. The Ringmaster always struck me as sort of a top dog, so she might just be able to order it? But if your wife is being held by a powerful fae, yeah, there might be nothing she could do...

[kingsroads]

Especially since I know absolutely nothing about the faerie that's holding her. I don't mind asking the Ringmaster's help if needed but I've no idea about the politics of the situation. [ and if there's one thing that Strange has learned so far, it's that there will most likely be politics. ] I've already gotten what I signed onto the carnival for, I plan to use the rest of my time here to find out as much about the fae as I can before I go to save her.

[ Because of course he's going to save Arabella. Of course he's going to rush into danger no matter what and save her, she's his wife. He has to. ]

[amusicaladventure]

You gonna stay here an extra year to make the request, then?

[Given what he's said, the question seems almost a formality. Strange is pretty devoted to his wife, she's always thought, and if she were in his position there would be no hesitation.]

[kingsroads]

I'm not sure. [ Which he knows is an odd answer, so he'll continue. ] To start with, Childermass would have my head. He's from my future and I from his past. Who knows how the timeline has already changed simply by my being here?

[ which really, 100% isn't his fault, but it still is something Strange needs to consider. ]

Perhaps I'll go home long enough to do what I need to do and then see if I can call the Ringmaster back to ask for another year.