[NETWORK] @everyone | Day 1, Sunset/Evening

[nterwebz]

may i have ur attention pls
may i have ur attn please

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧ hey srsly PAY ATTENTION
this is IMPORTANT ✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

yea u gotta read the whole thing (○´艸｀)

dimitri already coverd the magic rocks
so lets talk about the POWER PLANT

minato-kun, kaito-kun, and i have struck a deal with Li'l Oozie an Friends
theyve agreed to cooperate with any plan US 3 come up with
tget Big Oozie out of the Power Plant

theyve also agreed to B my taste testers so
pls dont fite with them witout provocation
or ELSE ɷ◡ɷ

"taste testers for WHAT nao???????????????"

tldr
im workin on developing a tasty bargining chip 2 negotiate a long term truce with em
yea they were willin to entertin the idea of a long term truce
just not for bloody bread

its gotta B tastier than humans ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌

so yea demohuman cafe maybe

btw they prefer SP or blood str8 if ur lookin 2 negotiate
if u dont know what SP is
its spiritual power, spirital energy, mana, whatevs
and yeah everybodys got it even if u arent Awakened or dont kno how to channel it

if u dont uh

neway the CHIP might come n handy wit other Dmons too

and teh oozies dont mind if the powerplant is up and running
since thats their fave hangout
its bettr if we dont have to fite them every time we gotta go there
espcially when were tryin to get it up and running
they said not as many demons might show up if its bright and they dont think
any Dmns outside town would mind so much 2 attak bc of the light

NOW PAY EXTRA ATTENTION this is IMPORTANT

if at ANY POINT a Dmon has told u ur blood or SP is NASTY
tell me ASAP
an if they happned to say WHY
tell me that too bc thats IMPORTANT

if NEBODY ELSE has spoken to any Demons at the PP
pls share what u found out if u found out sumhin
ESPECIALLY if u talked to Big Oozie

i didnt get a chance to talk to him today bc reasons
im gonna tomorrow but see

my 1st plan is to try and find out what he likes
see if sumbody can contract him bc
1 hes huge so he mite be stronger but more importantly
bc fighting him would damage the PP
and u dont damage the PP

[ There is nothing ominous about that statement. ]

an its weird he didnt go to the train for fast food right??
the oozies seemed to know about it so like yeah

OK thats all i got except
a DEAL to be made so pls hold tight an read all this;

so u need supplies from the train but dont wanna spend a day gettin em?
hi im nao!! /╲/\(╭ ᐖ ╮)/\╱\
tell me whatcha need and lets see if we can work somethin out (╹◡◠)

if nebody wants t help wit my chip and cafe research
i mite be willin to pay u somehow
well figure it out

OH OH OH yea and
dimitri and i brought a COMPUTER frm the school lab
if u wanna see whats up wit it just let me kno
and ill rig somethin up with xiezhai

oh and i also need would like sumbody t help me grab smore computers
and i wanna find one with like
admin access
and beakers an tubes and stuff so
WHO WANTS TO GO TO SCHOOL WITH ME

i cant believe i typed that
i feel dirty

hahaha
OKAY everbody stay safe!!!! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧✧✧

Comments

[purport]

Does her relationship status set her apart in some way?

[ She's willing to give Merlin a chance, rather than immediately assume he's interested in a fairy queen sight unseen. Minato's the Pixie-fancier around here. ]

giant wall of text for princess...here u go

[enflowers]

[ Thank you, Princess...He likes her the most out of everyone else participating in this collective dunking right now!! So Princess gets the wordy exposition chock-full of (hopefully) valuable information. Or maybe it'll all be useless. He'd be fine with that too; just as long as the queen in question isn't any form of her. ]

That's right. Given how heavily influenced by human perception, mythology, literature, and folklore the demons here seem to be, I believe it's a factor that plays into differentiating her, helping to better ascertain her potential identity ahead of time. And such information might come in handy when the time comes to treat with her... Or it might also end up as mere idle speculation. Still, what I can provide is worth entertaining at the very least, wouldn't you say?

When it comes to notable faerie queen figures, there are 3 possibilities that I offer:

1. Titania: Probably the first and foremost figure that comes to mind when one is asked to think of a queen of faeries. She is known as a beautiful and powerful faerie queen, and the wife of the Faerie King Oberon in William Shakespeare's famous play about faeries, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play itself... You could call it a romcom, a classic comedy of errors about love and miscommunication. It's what happens when a certain mischievous faerie king bickers with his wife Titania and creates a potion intended for her that makes the drinker fall in love with the first thing they see upon awakening, only for two human lovers to end up taking it instead.

Shenanigans ensue, and, well, it's a wild midsummer night's revelry, I'll say that much. If you've never heard of it, I'd say it's worth checking out if you ever get the chance, as slim as the latter might be here.

[ Based on his scavenging, it doesn't seem like Shakespeare's greatest hits are a thing in this world. ]

By the way, while legends of Oberon the Faerie King have existed in Europe since ancient times, such as the poem Huon of Bordeaux, Titania has no such things. Her character may be a composite of various faeries and divinities as inspiration, such as Mab, Diana, and Titan, but she is ultimately a fictional character that was created for a story, existing within the confines of a story. The only one who could love the sometimes-narrow-minded, sometimes-mischievous, obstinate King Oberon.

[ Maybe a certain someone is currently having conniptions from afar at the mention of all of this. Merlin wouldn't know. ]

2. Queen Mab: A faerie queen, and also a faerie written about in one of Shakespeare's plays, a chariot rider all about love who acts as a midwife to help "give birth" to human dreams. She's conflated with Medb, the queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Celtic mythology due to a theory about Mab's origin, so don't be surprised if there's some overlap.

Regarding Medb herself... All I can say is "innocent and pure", as well as "wicked and lustful". Both can be true, you know? Committing wicked acts with innocence in one's heart. The eternal lady, she who intoxicates. A proud, ruthless, and cunning warrior queen who would ride a chariot into battle to lead her forces. She wedded, and absolutely bedded, many kings and brave heroes, and so especially loves the strong. It's also worth noting that she does have a thing for blood as well, as she mixes it into mead to intoxicate the drinker.

[ And this last one... Nobody can see it via text, but the mage sighs, deeply, dragging one of his hands down his face before continuing his response. ]

3. Viviane: Also known as Nimue, and much more widely known as the Lady of the Lake in the legends of King Arthur. According to British myth, she's known as the "good fairy of the lake". The one who bestowed Excalibur upon the king, the one who received the sacred sword after it was returned to the lake, and one who protected him in death, being one of the faeries who escorted King Arthur to Avalon after he died. She was also an enemy of King Arthur's court wizard Merlin, despite having been his lover as well as pupil in magic.

That said, legends and myth are wont to mix and match over time, and Viviane became mixed up with the cold-mannered witch of Arthurian legend, Morgan le Fay. Some even say that they—Viviane, Nimue, Morgan—are all different aspects of the same figure. There are numerous legends about Morgan, and each one of them describes her differently, but she's best known as King Arthur's rival, obsessed with Camelot and contributing to its downfall.

If that all sounds confusing and contradictory, then don't worry, you're not the only one who thinks so. That's legends for you.

[ As for the truth behind all of that? The kind and gentle good faerie of Dozmary Pool and the evil witch with a paradoxical obsession with Camelot? Staying with him and not leaving his lips voluntarily, thank you very much. ]

However, allow me to say this: While she is indeed a very powerful faerie, and known as a queen, she is not typically known as a queen who rules a domain of faeries.

[ "Typically" doing a lot of lifting in that sentence. He still has (relatively) fresh memories...so never say never.

You know, typing all of this out in a stream of consciousness helped calm him down from his (potential) ex-lover-related jumpscare. Now that he's looking at more rational, more objective facts typed down on a screen, the chances that said faerie queen isn't Viviane/Morgan seem pretty high in comparison. Nothing to worry about.

...Probably. ]

stuffs this information into her cheeks like a squirrel

[purport]

[ Whether the information proves useful or not, he took the time to share it on the chance that it may. She will not forget. ]

It sounds like you know a great deal about fairies.

[ An understatement, but she is as ever a creature of concision. ]

Whoever she proves to be, we'll have to prepare for her potential nature. Is there anything all of these fairies dislike?

[enflowers]

[ Bless her conciseness. Somebody here has to balance out the veritable flood of words that come out of his mouth... Erm, fingers. ]

To my knowledge, in general, faeries tend to dislike iron weapons, as those are dangerous to faeries.

[ "To my knowledge" aka it's not a Grand Caster candidate guarantee, with unknown rules in a world removed from the ones he knows. ]

They also tend to greatly dislike lies and malice. Admittedly, I don't know if the ones here possess the sort of eyes that lay the truth bare in their vision, but I would advise that those attending the negotiations do so with no pretenses or animosity toward the fae folk, regardless.

A queen who seems to care enough about her subjects to create a safe haven for them, and whose subjects repay her with their trust in return, will brook no threat to her people.

[purport]

[ Balance in the universe...textverse... ]

I expect she wouldn't. It's why we'll have to hope no one provokes her in the meantime. Someone like that could be a useful ally, even if only one of convenience.

[ They just have to prove they're useful enough to be convenient. ]

There's the matter of what's in it for her and her people. The fact that they need those aggressive measures to begin with means the threats they face are active.

[enflowers]

That's very true. Did they give any description of what kinds of threats they're trying to fend against? Other demons are the only ones that I can think of.

[ It's not their group; they wouldn't have invited Princess and others to treat with them if they saw them as threats to fight off. ]

[purport]

Other demons, though they didn't specify which. I suppose we could agree to assist them if they're attacked, but I don't know how effectively we could deliver on that just yet.

[ But one less hostile group is a good thing. Who knows, the concert hall could become a safe haven for them too... Provided all goes well. She assumes nothing. ]

[enflowers]

There's not much point in offering resources or reinforcements that aren't available. Perhaps you could offer to assist with tasks that need to be completed, or find out what's in short supply for them instead.

[ They are faeries, so he's not expecting much of the latter. In contrast, giving them the opportunity to pawn off work to someone else seems more up their alley. ]

That's good news in and of itself, though. The very fact that the demonic population here isn't a united front and instead, groups with their own interests and ambitions that clash with one another, is something that may work in our favor.

[ Politicking... ]

[purport]

Those sound like reasonable alternatives. Cloistered away as they are, they likely would want for something we could do or access on their behalf.

[ Merlin's reasoning is sound, and she appreciates this input on the matter. It's something she can't convey in text, but she is paying close attention. ]

I hope it will work out that way. Previously, I dealt with far fewer numbers all around.

[ Just her, her would-be slayer, and whatever it was that she lapsed into eerily long silences to listen to. ]

[enflowers]

[ That's right... The imprisoned princess with nary a memory of the outside world.

He is (supposed to be) a regular man here, with no (publicly known) history or responsibility to meddle in the affairs of others, and yet he feels the urge to poke and prod Princess about her status as royalty nonetheless. What can he say? Old habits of a kingmaker die hard. ]

As do I.

As royalty, the day you would have to step into the realm of politicking was inevitable from the outset. Feeling anxious?

[purport]

[ He presents a good point and it gives her pause. The struggle for freedom and having to dread her sole companion turning against her, even against his will (again) had loomed so high for so long, but... Caster is right, isn't he?

There must be people somewhere she'd need to act on behalf of. First she has to find home, of course, but before that... Here they are. ]

Maybe I should consider this practice, although we can't afford taking it lightly. Wary might be the word I'd use. There's very little we can trust here, but we could gain from trying.

[enflowers]

And that's as good a reason as any to give it a shake, isn't it?

Well, if you want any further advice or consultation on this matter, I'm willing to provide it.

[ Whether it's about politicking or faeries or duties as royalty, he's especially open to providing consultation on any of those topics. As a helper on the back lines. Emphasis on "back lines", since no matter how much anyone may try to wheedle or cajole him into joining that particular discussion in person, he won't. ]

[purport]

I appreciate that. I'm much less...gentle with my words than Dimitri is, but I'd sooner not be dead weight.

How would you approach being asked to prove yourself, in such a situation? I'm strong enough, but I don't know what would impress a fairy queen.

[ Perhaps fortunately for him, she's typically so bad at asking for help she needs to be invited to do so. ]

[enflowers]

[ What would he do to prove himself to a faerie queen? Well, first off, he would probably have to not be him in the first place, failing at the outset. ]

If the queen favors strength and swords, and is disinterested in humans who can't or won't prove they have the former, then I imagine she may be impressed by people who show the spirit of warriors. And to a warrior or one who favors them, I can think of few other things that would be a better display of strength than a battle.

I don't mean simply being skilled at wielding a weapon. Turning your blade on someone who can't fight isn't a battle, it's a massacre. A battle is a fight between two people, each able to kill each other, no matter the difference in ability.

[purport]

Dimitri and I have dagger practice, but not with the intent to kill. He's more accustomed to swords and spears, but he woke here with a dagger, which is something I'm more familiar with.

If she wouldn't be satisfied with sparring, and instead wants to see how we respond to a threat in earnest, do you suppose she'd want to choose our opponent?

[ It strikes her as the most immediate solution. She doesn't pull her punches with Dimitri, but neither does she aim to inflict lasting harm. ]