steepwithdead | Folkmore

[~~But if i want the sexy kind of safe word--~~]

...he'd probably be open to that. I know he feels ashamed, but I think it's mostly that he disappointed us and he failed. If he'd succeeded...

[But he didn't. She doesn't want to chase that thought.]

[~~set that up with someone who isnt aroace and would understand ig~~]

He's the sort who would believe it worthwhile if he'd succeeded. Despite everything that happened, and how you feel about it.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure he was bankin' on us all bein' angry but gettin' over it because of the 'greater good' that was achieved. [Putting that in air quotes.]

Look...I know he was terrified about things happenin' back home. He kinda tunnel-visioned. But...I wanna believe this is something he'd never have done back home. It feels like Folkmore has messed with him in some pretty big way.

Mm... this world has a habit of forcing the worst upon us while claiming to push us towards our best. On one hand, I can understand the logic of challenging our capacity for good by giving us an easy route to do evil. On the other hand, it isn't her right to dish out these challenges.

[Not to say he's evil, mind. There's a big difference between doing ills to others and wanting to be. And there's nothing easy about making some of these choices.]

Regardless of Thirteen's rights or motives, this isn't something that should be inflicted on children. There's far too many of you here.

God, right? [Something else that has been bugging her wholesale. She's technically an adult, maybe, but--] I've seen actual kid kids here. Like... there was some little girl on the network months ago, she can't have been more than eight.

[...which isn't why she's here, it's just kind of a what's with that anyway!? moment.]

It ain't her right. Maybe it'd be her right if we were allowed to say 'no' and like...go home again, so anyone who stayed was kinda abidin' by her house rules. But if we have no choice, it sucks.

I've always found it curious, that we come to this world by "choosing" to follow her, but once we're here there's very little choice involved.

[He doesn't know what conclusion to glean from that (besides a little bit of "that's bullshit", as some of his friends would say), but it sure is interesting, huh.]

I'm not really sure we 'chose' to come here at all. Like... it felt right at the time, but the second I got here? That sounds like Jedi mind tricks to me.

[What mind tricks now???]

I'm familiar with a spell, a form of memory manipulation. Cast by a strong enough individual, it can completely rewrite the memory of a particular event. What actually occurred is erased, and the target remembers what they are told they remember. Isn't that interesting?

[He takes a sip of his tea. Jedi mind trick, indeed.]

[...so we gotta make Cad watch Star Wars, check.]

Oh. Yeah, very interestin'. [Huff.] No surprise at all, there. That, uh... sounds like a powerful spell prone to bein' abused.

[He would be thoroughly lost by like, ALL of it, but it could be very funny.]

Certainly could be. There's ways of fighting it, and the only person I know capable of using it would mostly only cast it for important reasons. Or maybe harmless shenanigans.

[She's just Like That. (Dear Wildmother, he misses Jester so much. All of them, mostly Fjord, but especially Jester.)]

Harmless shenigans can be important, I guess. That person's not here, I take it?

[Just to accidentally rub it in more.]

[Ow, ow, ow. Good thing he's got a good poker face.]

No. She's the sort of person everyone would know is here, if she was.

[BLISSFULLY IGNORANT. Also mildly disappointed.]

I'll keep that in mind. [...] How do you fight it?

[Because that would probably come in handy to know.]

[Good question. He's not even sure how to answer.]

Mental and emotional fortitude, mostly. The easiest way to describe it is your sense of self must be stronger than the magic of their creativity. It isn't a sure thing, but it'd help.

Hmm. I'd like to say I have an amazin' sense of self, and yet here I am in Folkmore. [Hah.]

No reason why you still can't. It's not a 100% guarantee to stave off the effect, nor is it confirmed this is how she pulled us here. It's only a theory.

[He did say that, didn't he.]

True. I just wish I knew what her real motives were, but I guess that's not exactly in your wheelhouse. [Heh.] A lot of conversations with me end up raggin' on Thirteen. Sorry.

That's alright. She's a contentious subject. In truth I'm surprised more conversations don't end up like this. In that sense it's refreshing.

[More of a collective problem that they all share than an exclusive or personal one. He's great at sympathy and empathy, those are his great strengths, but it's not often he gets to properly share the experience.]

Really? I'm kinda surprised too, buuuut I guess a lotta people turn up here already...uh, stressed. [None of her business.] I guess I should be glad I got no real baggage of my own.

[Her baggage is. Almost completely fallout from other people's baggage.]

[Girl your baggage is everyone else's baggage.]

Do you think that may be why you're taking on so much of everyone else's troubles?

...probably. [She doesn't have to really think about that one, but she's reluctant to say so anyway, because she's worried what his response to that's gonna be.]

I'm the big sister. Everyone else is doin' so much worse, I'm just... juggling. Kinda.

Even big siblings need breaks sometimes, no matter how good or bad they're doing.

[Girl, please. There are adults who can and should be helping with this.]

[Problem is April's nearly 20 and is basically thinking she's the adult in this situation.]

Yeah, but I can't just pretend they don't need me, y'know? I know outright I make it easier for them by bein' here. [And she's got no problem with that whatsoever; it's a relief to know she's not entirely useless.] To steal a meme, I'd follow 'em to hell and back, I just wish they'd stop goin' there.

[Caduceus, who has no idea what a meme is, at least can accept it as a phrase in context. It isn't the time or place to be a boomer. (He doesn't know what that is, either.)]

You don't have to pretend anything like that. A break isn't the same as ignoring them, it's self-healing while you can, so you can be strong for them later.

[Just don't ever mention you don't know what memes are, Cad.]

Mm. [It's agreement. Reluctant though it is, but she knows carer's fatigue is a thing, yada yada.]

Just seems they tend to do dumb shit while I'm not around, so I'm not sure how much of a break I can take, or how to take it. You know every time this place puts me in a coma, one of them dies?

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