#fsssh

Hester

2. what’s their current hairstyle? has it changed? do they change it often?

Her hair is currently long and tangled and matted, which is its usual state. Sometimes she hacks it short, when it frustrates her, but it always grows out again. She's not any good at keeping it tidy even when she's in a state where she can do so, so it just... grows, and tangles, and eventually matts.

10. would they sneak out at night to look at the sky? how long would they stay there looking?

Sometimes Hester will, when her head doesn't hurt too much. It clears it sometimes when it's just a minor ache, staring up at the stars for ages. If she does go out to do that, she stays there all night.

20. do they like to keep plants/growing things in their space?

She thinks... maybe she did? once? In the life that doesn't exist anymore, she vaguely remembers bright little water plants, if plants is what they were, though she has no idea if they were in her space or she was in theirs. These days... somehow they always end up destroyed when the headaches get too bad, if she tries.

35. do they sing with their head voice or their chest voice?

She doesn't like music. Or maybe the voice doesn't like music, but it can't be the voice, because it makes her head hurt to hear it. Given the way the migraines grow when she can't escape the sound... she doesn't try to sing.

***

Ryxtlin

5. if they wear any, how does your character go about applying makeup? (methodically, nervously, messily, etc)

She doesn't much go for makeup, but she has tried scale polish and horn polish before! They were fairly nervous and uncertain applications because she was not super familiar, and they stained some perfectly good robes, so she has decided that they were too much work.

11. how do they feel about casual endearments? (babe, etc)

I think Ryxtlin would be super tsundere about it, honestly--she'd gripe and protest, but secretly be very pleased that someone liked her enough to do that.

21. do they touch or mess with their hair/horns a lot?

Not a whole lot! Once she gets a hat properly settled on the horns (she's usually had to cut horn-holes in it, which has the side benefit of making it more secure once placed), she doesn't mess with it, because she doesn't want to have to do that again.

29. if they wear any, where did they get their jewelry?

Any jewelry Ryxtlin wears would be a prize, justly won or taken. Maybe not by the standards of the local law, but by her personal standards, anyway. Unless they were gifts from friends, which I don't know has happened, but would make them even MORE valuable prizes to carry and display.

***

Fsssh

4. would your character sing along to a vaguely familiar song, even if they messed up the lyrics as they went?

As long as no one told him not to, and there wasn't anyone authoritative around to be annoyed by it! He would only be able to sing along if he'd heard it before, so he figures most people would understand that the incorrect lyrics aren't his fault, anyway. He would be happy to take their corrections!

12. what color would they paint their room? would there be a design on the ceiling?

Fsssh wouldn't really think of painting a room, especially if it had nice wood walls--he likes nice natural wood patterns. But if the room was the kind of gross that needed repainting, he'd probably pick something nice and cheerful, like a light blue or yellow. Diagrams on the ceiling would be fun, but he wouldn't think of it on his own, someone would have to suggest it.

26. do they write in their books? do they mind other people writing in their books? what do they write?

If it's HIS book and not one that he's borrowed, yes, he makes notes in his books all the time. And he doesn't mind other people writing in his so long as they don't mark anything (original text or his own notes) in the process. He writes notes on the text and sometimes commentary in the margin, and obessively corrects anything he knows to be wrong (not by striking it out, he doesn't get to do that either, but by writing a detailed correction in tiny font in the margins and then drawing a line over to the incorrect bit).

37. how would they pass the time on a train?

It depends on how lively the train car was. If everyone was quiet, he'd mostly read, but if people were chatting and talking, he'd people-watch! He wouldn't get involved in conversations unelss invited, but he always loves a chance to put new stuff in the Memory Banks.

***

Kolya

1. what kind of clothing does your character like to wear? do they have a style? anything they avoid wearing?

She loves anything flashy, bright, and expensive, though it has to fit some requirements--no or minimal sleeves, nothing long on her legs either, and it can't either be so tight as to be binding in action or so long and drapy as to get in the way. Between those ranges, anything goes, so long as it's eye-catching and draws attention.

7. how would they react to eating something that was spicier than they expected it to be?

Spitting and a lot of that cat lip-curl... a pause while she drinks water... and then diving anew into the food, because now it's a CHALLENGE.

32. can they play darts? would they?

Can she? I've never rolled her stats, but I know she's largely a Strength-based build, so probably not well. WILL she? Of course! She just needs to keep practicing, and she WILL practice every opportunity she's able. Especially if it's a competition.

40. if their mattress became uncomfortable as time passed, would they notice it? would they do anything about it?

Oh, she'd definitely notice, and would remedy it as soon as possible. Kolya CAN sleep rough, but why do that when she doesn't have to? She should have luxury whenever the opportunity presents itself.

***

Jedda

8. are their hands steady?

Yes! She's one of those people where when she's scared or nervous, the world narrows down and she paradoxically gets steadier.

18. would they sing a lullaby, if the opportunity arose?

She grew up with a bunch of niblings on a houseboat, so she has a lot of practice, and honestly would LOVE the opportunity to sing one for her group. In fact, maybe that's what the wizard needs for her sleep problems....

33. where are they in a group hug? (dead center, outside, etc)

Well, going by recent in-game events, the nucleus, because she's usually the instigator, and everyone else gathered around after she hugged the first person both times it happened. (Being the shortest of the group also contributes. She might be on the outside more in an all-halfling group!)

38. do they bother to clean ink/chalk/gunpowder/etc off of their fingers? are they likely to forget it’s there and smudge their nose?

Oh, she absolutely forgets and smudges herself up, at least if it's any kind of attention-grabbing situation. The fate of the ship, or the successful completion of the letter, is more important than a little bit of smearing!

***

Isgrac

9. if someone gave them flowers, what would they do with them?

Previously answered!

14. do they tend to run hot or cold? do they do anything to deal with that?

Isgrac is actually pretty insensitive to temperature. She probably LOOKS like she runs cold because she wears so many knits and layers, but that's just because that's what she's used to wearing after spending all her life in the mountains. She doesn't notice that she's hot in them, though, really, unless she gets grossly sweaty (and at that point it's usually post-fight and she's gross in so many ways that temperature doesn't register). She likes bundling up, but it's honestly more an emotional response than a temperature response. She couldn't tell you which way she ran if asked, temperature is just... an irrelevant variable to her unless it's really, really intense.

28. if they can fly, how do they feel in the moment their feet touch the ground again?

I suspect she'd feel both relieved (that she doesn't have to worry about concentration breaking and being knocked out of the sky) and disappointed (that she's not high up above everything, able to see the big picture so much more clearly). I think she is going to LIKE flying outside of a combat situation a whole lot, so if there's no danger present, it's just the disappointment.

37. how would they pass the time on a train?

---

Orilde

4. If they could learn one spell that isn’t available to them at present, which spell would it be?

Orilde does have a lot of options, since she's pulling from both the sorcerer and the cleric spell lists.... But I think she'd most like one of the smites. Thunderous Smite, probably, it fits with the flavor I've been going for with her existing spells (a lot of thunder damage). She doesn't think a lot about what's not available to her, because... well, she doesn't think a lot!

18. Do they see themself as a leader or a follower?

Well, as a scion of Clan Silverbrand and a blessed daughter of Berronar, surely she'll be a great leader of people someday! She is oblivious to evidence otherwise.

42. What are three words they would use to describe themself?

"Blessed," for obvious reasons, "strong," because she's very proud of her strengths, and either "good" or "kind," which are both at least aspirations of hers.

57. What makes them angry?

Injustice, when she's able to identify it. Harm done to others, ditto. Having her clan or her divinity mocked--she's very forgiving if she can make excuses about people being ignorant, but she can tell when it's meant to be cruel. Anyone being mean to or threatening her friends, that's a big one.

62. Outside of otherworldly forces, what do they believe in?

She believes that most people are innately good, they just have to be guided (and she is very willing to take guidance on her own part, too). She believes that the religious and cultural authorities she's grown up with Know Best, even if it doesn't seem right to her. She believes that the people she cares about can't be that bad, or she wouldn't care about them.

---

Sudryal

9. Do they care about their appearance? how much effort do they put into presentation?

Sudryal cares about his appearance insomuch as it matters. When he was hermiting alone in the woods, he paid it very little attention, aside from matters of comfort and practicality (hair pulled back and held out of his eyes, clothing warm, armor and boots protective) but now that he's out and about in the world he's aware that people are going to judge him on it. Since he doesn't mind being judged as a woodland hermit he hasn't changed his clothes out, exactly, but he makes more effort that they not look completely neglected, replacing shredded stuff instead of using it as a warmth layer and so on. 'Affiliated and comfortable with the forest' is fine, 'ragged crazy man' is not.

20. Which of the five senses do they rely the most on?

Hmmm. Probably hearing? He knows he doesn't have a nose as sharp as a wolf's, but I headcanon elves as pretty keen-eyed and keen-eared, and hearing would matter more than sight in a forest when it comes to figuring out what's what. Also, he's pretty prone to the 'pretend to be trancing/meditating, but actually be tracking the surroundings by sound' trick.

30. What do they seek out from others?

Nothing, according to him--or, grudgingly, if pressed, answers and assistance in figuring out what his god has sent him to do. More realistically, as much as he holds himself back, he seeks out companionship, because people need people, even if they are stubborn grumpy elves convinced that they don't. Like, by all logic and reason he shouldn't have kept traveling with Grai and Josephine beyond whatever point their paths might otherwise have split, but....

44. What do they need to learn?

Lots of things! But the thing about people needing people would be a good start. :P A lot of stuff is more 'admit' than 'learn,' but... he needs to learn that he's allowed to have nice things, and, rather more to the point, that 'deserving' shouldn't have nearly as much to do with fulfilling his needs as he thinks it does.

51. what is the most beautiful thing in the world, for them?

This is a little difficult, because Sudryal is simultaneously aware that many things are beautiful, in nature, and not someone at all who naturally sees the beauty in things. Nor is he inclined to give things the study they need for him to really see it. But I think, and yes this is a reflection on his own complexes, the most beautiful things to him are beginnings, both first and new: the first buds of spring daring the frost, a newborn fawn in its first tottering steps, the first light of dawn, young people (you know who) fumbling through the first flush of their feelings for each other.

---

Yelkha

3. What is their goal right now?

Depending on what point in the timeline, and which AU--to start with, in the 'original' D&D setting, her goal is to catch up with the person who took Gurgiu! And then at least in modern AU she actually sets a goal to romance Bryn (in the others she goes 0-to-60 on "girls can love girls? --> HEY BRYN HEY BRYN" so that's. two weeks max out of her life). Other than that, she's not really a person with goals? "Avoid getting caught by the tribe," I guess. But she's happy to just drift around, especially if Bryn and Gurgiu are with her.

14. What is something they love about themself?

She is strong! And brave! And fierce-hearted! And very good with animals!

TBH, because she's a half-orc raised among orcs, she kind of sees the first three as a default, so she's probably proudest of the last one--her knowledge, her skill, and especially her animal midwifery. (Her epithet IS The Bull-Mother, after all.) It's a skillset that takes both innate talent and a lot of determined learning to achieve, and she is indeed proud of it.

33. What makes them cry?

Yelkha... doesn't cry very often. It was considered shameful, in her tribe, and I also kind of headcanon that it's biologically rarer for orcs (they seem built for survival in a lot of climates, and crying wastes water), so it has to be a very emotionally intense situation for them to tear up. She has a lot of practice resisting even that! But I think over time, as she lives in the lowlands with Bryn and comes to learn and love that no emotion is shameful and she can enjoy all of them... I think she cries sometimes when she's sad, like when a calf dies in her arms or something, but mostly she cries a little in relief, after intense experiences. Like when Bryn's life seems to be in danger and then they overcome it, she gets clingy and sniffly afterwards.

43. Why do they fight?

She's a (half-)orc? Honestly, she doesn't understand why so many lowlanders DON'T fight, it seems like a skill they should at least develop for self-defense.

In terms of motivation, she fights for herself, really--to protect herself, to assert her dominance over and/or punish bad people and enemies, to protect Gurgiu and Bryn and other people and creatures she cares about. Yelkha doesn't really have a higher, nobler motive, she's just a warrior built and raised and trained to fight, and so it's her go-to for resolving any situation.

46. What do they deprive themself of?

Before she leaves her tribe, emotions, because that's the cultural expectation. After she leaves the tribe... not much! She's already rejected the principles she was raised with, and she doesn't see much point in depriving herself of anything at all. If it was something Bryn said they had to refrain from, like kicking in the skull of some shithead Yelkha really wants to pound, she might stop herself? And, y'know, money (or barter) for goods and services, she gets that. But she doesn't really DEPRIVE herself of anything, because she wants to live fully and experience it all, sort of thing.

---

Fsssh:

27. How do they mourn?

Quietly! So as not to disrupt anyone else's life or, more rarely, grief. He prefers to be alone in his sorrow, and he doesn't expect support from others anyway. In terms of physical actions and rituals... he's not used to graves, but in a situation where someone got one, he would bring little trinkets to it regularly. Things that the dead would like. And he likes to write down and think a lot about anything someone he's lost has said to him that really resonated.

36. What’s a secret they’ve kept?

Uh, there's, y'know, the big one that I can think of (aside from his side-job in any circumstance being spying for his master) is that he knows that, in sequence, a) his siblings died in the nest while his parents were too weak with illness to feed anyone, b) his parents shortly after also died in the nest, c) he, in his fever and starvation, ate a lot of meat, and d) he was alone and he doesn't remember corpses, at least not intact ones, when he finally recovered enough to leave the nest and seek out help.

But there's no point in talking about something that's just going to worsen people's impression of kenku, even if in GENERAL he will be open about eating (non-sentient) carrion. It was about as out of his control as things can get, he was a tiny baby not in his right mind, but he's still ashamed.

45. How do they hug people?

Not often! Unless they have indicated a desire for bird hugs, because Fsssh is very respectful of other people's personal space. When he does hug people he's a bit delicate about it, he hops up and carefully turns his beak to avoid stabbings and reaches out and very carefully puts his arm around them and squeezes gently.

Which gives the impression, perhaps, that he does not enjoy hugs? But that impression would be wrong. He is Careful about them, that's all.

65. What is holding them back?

Honestly, OOC? His complete devotion to his master, who doesn't care about Fsssh half as much as Fsssh cares about him, and who has taught him a lot of Incorrect Things (like how he should prioritize things, and the value of non-hobgoblin life) that Fsssh struggles a lot with. But since Azderog treats him as valuable, even if it's as a valuable tool, and Fsssh is aware that having an important hobgoblin treat him as valuable is the key to survival in his home city, it's hard to disentangle from faithfully following his lessons and ways of thinking.

(Also, Fsssh imprints super easily on anyone who throws him even a scrap of praise, so. Azderog got in early there compared to his later friends.)

67. What makes them laugh?

PUNS. Fsssh really loves puns. He has trouble making his own, but make one around him and he will be repeating it for YEARS. Wordplay in general delights him.

---

Desamee

12. Have they ever been in love?

A good question! I haven't thought too much about her adventuring days, since she was originally designed to be joined as a level 1 character (in the campaign where I ended up joining Franzka instead), but I don't think she's been in love in her home town, since she had very little interaction there with people her own age except for Amancia, whom she loved, but wasn't in love with.

17. What do they dream about, when their dreams are their own?

She most often has seemingly mundane dreams, doing her usual chores and tasks in and around the house, that turn strange or dark--she's weaving, and suddenly the cloth starts to twist and turn under here hands and resist the pattern, or she's gathering mushrooms, and suddenly the shadows under the trees turn to gaping mouths, or she's washing clothing, and fish bones suddenly rise out of the water and start to swim in the air.

After she leaves for adventuring, she also has lots of dreams about seeing her mother and running to her, but having her slide away when she tries to hug her, or seeing her mother try to speak but not ever being able to make out the words.

31. They’re given a blank piece of paper–what do they do with it?

Write a few snippets of verse or lines of song. She's more a musical composer than a lyrical one, but she doesn't know how to write down her compositions, they run in her head, and usually there's a few lines attached to them even if they never make it into the song itself--so she'll write down the same rhyming couplet six times, different words underlined, because what she's actually thinking of is how the melody rises and falls inside her head.

Alternately, if she hasn't written her mother in the last couple days, she writes a letter to her mother.

47. When they meet someone, what is the first thing they notice?

The very first thing Dismay always looks for, when meeting a stranger, is how they react to her being a tiefling and whether or not they're going to make it a problem.

64. Do they value mercy or justice more?

"Vurbul doesn't like having to stop walking for anything," she said. "Or take the long way around. Throws a wobbly every time there's an experiment between him and where he wants to go. If you have to ask him for instructions, walk with him, he tolerates that better. Still won't be happy having to explain himself to us scut-workers, but that's how it is."

"Should I do his experiment?" Fsssh asked, his sentence wobbling from one voice and tone to another as he carefully picked out his words. "I'm supposed to be working for Master Alchemist Azderog, but he hasn't assigned me anything yet today."

"If you've got a job from the Master, you do that first," the goblin told him. "But after that come the Senior Alchemists, and after that the regular Alchemists, and if no one assigns you anything, go to the Junior Alchemists and see what they've got so you at least look busy. If you have a job for someone higher on the ladder you can tell everyone lower than them to sod off, but unless the Master Alchemist calls you in, Vurbul's your highest priority."

"I can't say 'sod off' to a superior," Fsssh said, aghast.

She cackled. "Naw, you don't say it that way, say it- you can't use your own words, can you? That's the way it works? So say, 'I'm sorry, sir or madam, but Master Alchemist whoever, or Senior Alchemist whoever, already assigned me a task.' That work for you?"

He could drop out the unnecessary words if he had to. "Yes. Thank you very much."

For some reason, that made her cackle again. "No problem! So, what's your name? I can't call you 'fresh meat,' you've got too many feathers."

Fsssh made the sound he'd newly chosen to identify with; working for his last master, in a tavern, he'd used the sound of bubbling soup all his life, but it had only seemed right to mark his change in circumstances with a change in name.

"Okay, yeah, can't do that, probably, but I'll try. F...izzzzh?"

"That's perfectly fine," Fsssh assured her.

"Great! I'm Plunk. Nice to meet you, Fizh. You need any help with that experiment there?"

Fsssh looked down at the papers he'd been handled. It looked like Vurbul had sketched out the essentials--components and amounts, mixture sequence, stirring and heating intensities and duration--but hadn't specified any details like required equipment. And even if he could work that out alone, he still didn't know where that all was located, or what he was permitted to use.

"Yes. That would be very kind of you."

"Just looking to look busy without being put on top of everything. Vurbul wouldn't blow up the Master Alchemist's new pet bird, probably." Plunk slapped his arm. "Let's go grab a good workspace before some hobby bastards come along and scoops them all up."

***

Plunk was just as adept an assistant as she was a friendly one, Fsssh quickly discovered. She'd been here for several years--'four or five now, if my counting's not off, I'm not real good at it'--and knew exactly where everything was, how to requisition, check, and clean it, and, most importantly, what the expectations were. She could give him a run-down on each of the hobgoblin supervisors, their likes and dislikes, how they liked their experiments done and their reports formatted, and how to interact with them as needed.

"You stick around long enough, you figure it out," she told him, sitting on top of a table and kicking her legs idly in the air as they both watched a bubbling compound heat towards the required temperature. "'Course, lots of us don't. You get some real turnover here, with all the testing. When shit isn't blowing up in your face, people are breathing in bad fumes, touching the real bad shit bare-handed, hell, some idiots decide they know when it's safe to taste-test a potion."

"It's never safe to taste-test a potion," Fsssh said, alarmed at the very thought. "If you absolutely have to, you should run it through a full alchemical trial first, shouldn't you? And that should clear up any questions that tasting it would resolve."

"Yeah, but I did say idiots. And sometimes a hob's breathing down your back and you decide taking a risk is better than them deciding you're working too slow and sending you downstairs to get flogged."

"I'd think if anything was grounds for a flogging, it would be disregarding safety protocols."

"We're goblins, Fizh. The hobs don't care." Plunk shook her head, then, seeming to sense his distress somehow, gave him a toothy grin. "Aw, don't you worry. Azderog fucking loves you. His perfect little wind-up bird, doing everything he asks, exactly the way he wrote it down or told you. If anyone tried to take a whip to you, he'd probably boot them out the top window."

Fsssh puffed up proudly at her description. He'd deduced as much from some of what Master Azderog had said to him, but still, it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one reading the situation that way. It meant he really was doing good work.

"It's not a matter of merit," he admitted, not wanting Plunk to mistake his swelled chest for arrogance. "That's my nature as a kenku. I can only copy what I see, or follow instructions."

"Don't tell the hobs that, or they'll want to start importing kenku and send us all off to the barracks to haul shit and polish armor. They're always bitching about us not following instructions. Never mind that if I'd used that much saltpeter for Munkrez's last bunch of slow-fire, it'd have been fast-fire instead and burnt the whole tower down."

Fsssh decided not to tell her that he'd already said as much to Master Azderog. Or that his master had in fact responded to it with a few quick questions about Fsssh's unfortunately mysterious origins, as well as a passing comment about how refreshing it was compared to goblins. Clearly, Plunk wasn't the sort of goblin Master Azderog had been complaining about, so her job shouldn't be in danger.

And he had seen plenty of those types of goblins at work around here. Careless, daring, and too willing to cut corners; there were explosions and gas clouds almost daily, and far too many of them weren't planned or controlled. Even Plunk herself had just admitted how to the errors of some of her kin. He couldn't blame his master for wanting to avoid trouble.

If the side-effect of that was that Fsssh was trusted with the more important tasks, well, he felt no shame about having his value made clear and his subsistence secured.

"Oh, hey, it's about hot enough," Plunk said, directing his attention back to the experiment in progress. "What's next, green vitriol?"

With that, the conversation was over, and both of them focused in on the tedious work yet ahead of them to see this experiment complete.

***

It was still lingering in his head a few days later, though, when he saw Plunk working with a group of other goblins across the room.

He'd been doing an experiment for his master that morning, and had just wrapped it up. With the glassware clean and back in their appropriate cubbies, it was time for him to transcribe his quickly-jotted notes into a more professionally-formatted report. There were desks near the worktables for just this purpose, and the one he chose gave him a good view of what they were working on.

From when he first sat down, he could tell that these goblins were of the sort that both Plunk and his master had complained about. She bullied them into re-washing the glassware before they even started, which was a wise precaution, but one they clearly resented; even from here, Fsssh could hear the high, whining tones of one of them complaining at her for wasting time. She took it good-naturedly enough, but she didn't back down on her supervision.

There were a few clues as to what they were making--Fsssh recognized a saltpeter canister on the tabletop, and a smaller jar of brimstone--but he didn't work enough with explosive components to guess too far at the nature of this particular experiment. Nevertheless, he kept half an eye out as he wrote.

He didn't realize anything was going wrong, though, until Plunk's crackling voice rose abruptly above the cranky din of the others, cutting across the room.

"Murz, look out!"

Fsssh's head jerked up, and he saw, horrified, the flames flaring high and yellow-green in the big alchemic cauldron they'd been working in, and the foam bubbling up over the side. Any moment now that spilling foam would ignite, too, and then-

Horror kept him glued to his seat, and he ducked his head when the flames roared up, closing his eyes and flinging his hands up over his head. The fire roared, and then the sound that followed it deafened him.  The explosion was so fierce that the stone floor shook beneath him and nearly rattled him out of his chair.

That was enough impetus to drive him up and to his feet. One of the Senior Alchemists had already thrown up a magical sphere to contain the reaction, slowly shrinking it down to starve it of oxygen, while another was putting flames out with frost. The whole group of goblins was scattered around the workspace, some of them having struck up against other tables or the low cubicle walls dividing some of the spaces, others lying burnt and groaning on the floor.

Before Fsssh could reach any of them, another Senior Alchemist arrived, stepping in front of Fsssh and stopping him in his tracks. "Were you involved with this?"

"No," Fsssh said. "I was working on a report for Master Azderog."

"Then go back and finish that," she told him. "Work for the Master Alchemist is always a priority. If you have any observations to offer about the event, it's Alchemist Grenrog's project, you can submit your notes to her."

Behind her, Fsssh could see a couple of goblins in the green sashes of medical staff scrambling up the stairs, dragging bags behind them. They could do more here than he could, probably. And he couldn't disobey a direct order from a superior. His stomach felt sour, but he nodded to the hobgoblin and turned back to his desk, climbing back into the chair.

It took him a moment to start writing again after he picked up his quill. He had to wait for his talons to start shaking first.

***

"Very good," Master Azderog said absently, as Fsssh put the report on his desk, and bent his head back over what he was working on.

It was a clear dismissal--if he'd had another task ready, he would have said so--but Fsssh stood by anyway, waiting for his master to have a moment for him. It was some time, Azderog being rather single-minded in his focus whenever he was working on a project. Eventually, however, he lowered his quill and looked up.

"Did you need something?"

He was always gracious to Fsssh, even when it was obvious that Fsssh was disturbing him. Fsssh appreciated that, very much, taking it as the sign of favor that it was, and tried not to abuse it. This, however, was important.

"There was an explosion this morning," he said. "I saw medical staff arrive, but I was working on your report, so I was instructed to return to that. Is there a way that I could check on the goblins involved?"

"Check on the goblins?" Master Azderog's frown was puzzled, and he put his quill down to more fully focus on Fsssh. "Why do you need to do that?"

"One of them has been very helpful to me in performing my experiments. I want to be sure she's all right."

"Probably not, if it's the one I know about. Toxic substance, shrapnel laced with it, doubt any of the ones who survived the first blow will make it to evening. It's a good thing none of it hit you." Master Azderog waved a hand dismissively. "I know it probably feels like they're all a crop of idiots, because most of them are, but we've got enough good ones to go around. Harass a junior alchemist for an assistant if you need a new one, tell them I authorized it. Is something wrong?"

Fsssh realized that his beak was gaping in horror. "She was my friend, sir."

"A goblin?" His master was looking disconcerted, now, which somehow was worse than puzzled. "Listen, my fine bird, you can't make friends with goblins. Maglubiyet made them as cannon fodder. The whole reason they're around is so that they can take the risks and do the dying, instead of spending experienced hobgoblins needlessly. It's like making a pet of a chicken, it'll just end up in a pot someday. Besides, you should be spending your free time improving your skills, not talking with goblins. You have a lot of potential, and they'll only lead you astray."

Duly chastened, Fsssh bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

"I don't have anything else for you today. Spend some time with my books on metal salts, though, it's going to apply to what I'm working on, and I want you ready to start testing."

"Yes, sir," Fsssh said again, and, aware that the interview was definitively over, bowed to his master and left the office.

The little antechamber outside was where the books in question were, so he pulled down two that same relevant, then headed over to the small desk that Master Azderog had installed for him in the corner to start taking notes. He struggled to focus on the salts, though, thinking of Plunk, dying alone wherever the medics had taken her. If she hadn't died already in the explosion. He almost hoped she had; none of the toxins he knew of in the tower would give her an easy death.

His master was right, of course. He couldn't get attached like this to the goblins, not if they were so expendable to everyone else. If he hadn't been, he wouldn't be sitting here feeling helpless about Plunk. Master Azderog had only given him some pertinent and useful advice.

But it wouldn't hurt to find out where the medical staff did work. Maybe he could get some training from them, in his few off hours, and learn some basic skills himself. There was nothing wrong with learning how to jump in and help when trouble occurred. Experienced goblins might be more expendable than experienced hobgoblins, but surely experience was still an asset, and useful assets should be preserved wherever possible.

Corric

🍁 Where does your OC go when they need to have some time to themself? Would they ever have their own “comfort corner” filled with all the things they like? Do they have a favourite spot outside that feels like its theirs and theirs alone?

TBH, Corric doesn't isolate herself much, because a childhood in a large halfling family made that difficult, and it worried her family when she did do it. But she did have her own little corner of her room (which was shared with siblings, mind) which was all hers, where she kept her childhood treasures, when she was young. Probably she wouldn't feel the need to do that as an adult, she'd like her own house but she'd spread her stuff across it and invite people in, but she would keep a couple things (mementos and letters) secret to look at on her own. As for the outdoors, again, there was no place that was just hers because of the size of her family and the nature of halflings, but she got into the habit of, if she needed some fresh air and space, to find a chore to do outside, and she still does that. If Corric volunteers to go wood-gathering or water-hauling or hunting for the party, that's what she's doing.

🌻 What little things do they notice about people or the world around them that make them happy? What tiny little treasures do they find in the normal every day that makes the world seem a little brighter for them?

Well, on the larger end of the scale, she notices every time someone she considers a friend calls her one, whether to her face or in her earshot! She knows everyone isn't as freely affectionate in that respect as she is, so it's nice to be reminded that they think they've crossed that threshold with her. As for the everyday, she's one of those people who really likes brisk clear mornings, and bright sun with a breeze, and so on, so it always delights her when the weather's nice. She also likes just watching people go about their regular business and routines. It is very soothing to see someone do something they're so practiced at that it's automatic, especially, if it's clear that it's soothing for that person as well.

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Ryxtlin

🌳 What is your OC’s favourite way to relax after a stressful day? Do they have a favourite book to curl up with? A hobby? Or do they have a nice bubble bath and have an early night to bed?

It sort of depends on the stress of the day! If the main stress was people being judgemental at her, she'll spend some time going over her spellbook and fantasizing about being a dragon and eating them, while if it involved frustrations re: the spellbook and her reading difficulties, she'll leave it alone and just daydream entirely about the dragon thing. On the other hand, if it's more of an action-stressful day, e.g. adventuring troubles, she's more likely to spend a lot of time self-grooming, getting herself clean and neatening up her scales, and then go to bed early and... fantasize about being a dragon. Listen. Thinking about being a dragon is always soothing.

🌸 What are some of their favourite things and why? List as many as you can think of!

Fun spells that she feels justified in using, fancy wizardly clothes, the feeling when she masters a spell and feels it click, the admiration or fear on other people's faces when she does show it off, people asking her advice or listening to her opinion, really good clay and the free time to play with it, watching Scrape work at the forge, having her questions answered clearly and without complaint, finding something rare and fancy to pass on, a very nice hat (whether wizardly or not), good quills that haven't gotten tattered yet, cheese (any cheese), good conversations with friends who take her seriously and don't have a problem with how she talks.

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Fsssh

🍄 What are your OCs favourite snacks? Their favourite comfort food which always cheers them up when they’re down? Favourite meal to make? Do they enjoy baking and cooking and are they any good in the kitchen?

He doesn't have cook's tools proficiency in the Wormwood timeline like he did in his original design (UA artificer versus actual book artificer, a tool proficiency got dropped somewhere), but I do still headcanon him as a pretty decent cook, just because he puts a lot of effort into getting it right. He likes doing it for other people, but cares less when it's just him he's feeding.

His comfort food... people get real weirded out when he says this, but it's scrambled eggs. Listen, they're not kenku eggs, there's nothing weird about it, but he keeps it kind of private because it is upsetting for others. His favorite snacks are nuts and hard candy, both of which he saves for himself as treats.

🥀 How would your OC decorate a notebook or journal? What kind of things are written in there? Could you give an example of a nice entry?

Most of Fsssh's notebooks are pretty bland--he takes what's available at the time he goes looking for them, and usually buys in bulk. Taking what's available means that he does sometimes end up with some fairly wild ones, though. He doesn't really have a personal journal, he has notebooks divided up for different projects, but there is usually one that he saves for his own observations that he thinks would be irrelevant to his master or anyone else reviewing it. Sketches of people, mostly, and little personal notes about them, such as things they seem to like or dislike. That notebook isn't any visually different than the others, but it's the only one where he just draws and doodles, instead of diagrams, so there's usually doodles on the inside of the front cover....

"Spent the evening in the garden. Several small insects.

[rough little pictures of crickets or whatever]

Purple flowers glowed at what I calculated to be about an hour after twilight. Saw the kitten again, it liked the fish, wasn't interested in the soft cheese. Approximately .8 pounds now and becoming more agile.

[several very rough doodles of a kitten playing with a dangled flower]"

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Phyrea

🌾 Describe your OC through the eyes of someone absolutely head-over-heels in love with them

Phyrea is always bright. Physically and literally, of course, because only when her magic is damped does her hair stop blazing; even when she's overextended herself and too short to do any but the smallest spells, her tight coal-pale curls still glow redly with the fire within them. But internally, too, and it shines through in her bright golden eyes, flashing with anger or delight in turns, and in her quick tight movements, never still, always pacing and turning and bouncing on the balls of her feet, and in the sharpness and energy of her gestures, like she has to talk with her whole body to get her passion across.

She's small, a little over five feet and nothing on her but wiry muscle, but she has endurance to spare, and that muscle flexes and tightens over her bones like a dancer's, giving her a grace and speed to match the flames that she creates. She wears little, and what she wears is simple, because when there's a good chance you'll be ablaze at some point during a fight it's foolish to don what will only burn. She's light on her feet and light-fingered, precise, if not delicate, though she can be so very careful when handling something, or someone, she wants to preserve. But most of all she's passionate, filled with the light of justice, refusing to ever stop shining in its pursuit.

🌺 What does your OC do to calm down when they’re scared or after a nightmare? Do they have any special comfort items or need to be reassured by a specific person? How do they handle this if they’re alone?