Be True

Jax sighed, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. The action prompted stars to flash across her vision, brilliant swirls of color not unlike the eyes of the abstractions that haunted her nightmares. She’d asked for this, and now she was getting it, whether she wanted to back out or not. Therapy time with Doctor Kinger, certified quack. At least he probably wouldn’t remember this conversation.

 She couldn’t say the who out loud, not yet, as if that might jinx things even more than she already had. But the what… She could start with the what. Jax took a deep breath, folding her legs beneath her.

“I- I always push people away. Out there, but especially in here, and it’s… it’s people that I care about, or want to care about, but I- I don’t…” She stumbled, gripping her ankles as she fought to find the right words. “I don’t want them to care about me, because then they can hurt me. I guess.”

Kinger was quiet and listened. It hurt his heart how much his friends were hurting. Gangle, Zooble, Pomni ... Ragatha. He did his best to help, but ... he wondered if he'd ever do enough to glue pieces back together.

He hummed in thought. Really giving what Jax said a turnover in his mind. "I wish ... I had been lucid during your tougher years here." He started. Maybe he could've helped ... well, he could've helped a lot of people.

if you are sending to a multi-muse, remember to specify the muse that the questions are being sent for . feel free to edit these as you see fit .

🌟 What’s something small they did as a child that hinted at who they’d become?

❤️ Who is the one person they’d drop everything for, no questions asked?

💔 What’s the one wound (physical / emotional) they’ll never fully recover from?

🗡️ What’s their “I’ve killed for less” trigger?

☀️ What’s their happiest childhood memory?

🌧️ What kind of weather matches their soul?

🍽️ What meal do they cook when they need to feel like themselves again?

🎶 What song instantly makes them emotional & why?

🌙 Do they sleep peacefully / fight nightmares every night?

🔒 What’s a secret they’ll take to their grave?

🪞 What do they secretly hate about their own appearance?

💪 What random skill are they weirdly proud of?

👶 Baby picture of them - what’s the most embarrassing thing about it?

🏠 Describe their home when no one’s watching—messy, spotless, chaotic cozy?

😭 What always makes them cry, even if they hate admitting it?

😂 What’s the dumbest thing they’ve ever laughed at for way too long?

🧸 Do they still have a childhood comfort object? Where is it now?

✏️ What nickname do they secretly love being called?

⚔️ How do they act when they’re furious but have to stay polite?

🩸 What’s the worst injury they’ve ever had & the story behind it?

🕊️ What would instantly calm them down in a panic attack?

🔥 What’s something they’d burn the world down to protect?

🌹 What scent reminds them of the person they loved/love most?

🪥 What’s their most oddly specific daily routine?

💔 What’s the one apology they’re still waiting for that’ll never come?

🃏 Are they the type to forgive / hold a grudge until the end of the universe?

🌌 What’s their biggest “what if” that keeps them up at night?

🦋 What was their “I’m not a kid anymore” moment?

🎭 Do they wear a mask in public? What’s the real them like underneath?

🧳 If they had to leave home forever with only one bag, what do they pack?

🌑 What’s the darkest thought they’ve ever had about themselves?

☕ What’s their comfort drink?

🖤 What’s a “villain” trait they actually possess?

🤝 Who is the one person they never want to disappoint?

🎁 What gift would utterly destroy them (in a good / bad way)?

🩹 How do they react when someone they love is hurt?

🌅 Are they a sunrise / sunset person - what do they think about while looking at their favorite?

🧣 What texture/clothing item makes them feel safe?

🦉 What piece of advice do they give everyone but never follow themselves?

🔪 What’s the most violent thing they’ve ever done for love / survival?

🦋 What seemingly insignificant memory do they cherish the most?

🌹 What is their love language & how badly do they need it right now?

🪨 What’s the hardest choice they’ve ever made?

🧋 What food/drink do they hate that everyone else loves?

🕰️ If they could relive one day of their life, which would it be?

👑 In their own story, are they the hero / villain / someone else entirely?

🌡️ What temperature do they keep their home at & why?

🧸 What would their younger self think of them now?

💌 What’s the letter / text they’ll never send?

He makes me laugh💙

Now he has someone to share his adventures with.

@tcthinecwnself asked: “I don’t know if I’m the right person to ask this. I just married the first girl I fell in love with.” (Kinger, I’ve never fumbled, @ Jax)

random asks || always accepting

"Great. Happy for ya. Doesn't help me at all." Oh, so Pomni and Ragatha could get their friendly dad-like advice from the local nutjob, but when she came to Kinger for help, she got this. She might as well have asked Caine for advice, at least his obsession with the humans would make him actually listen.

"So you had the world's most boring, picture-perfect love life. Hope you and your wife didn't have kids who'll get their hearts broken, if all dear old dad is gonna say is, I just married the first girl I fell in love with."

"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say to me." said Kinger, very plainly. He hummed, continuing with "I can only hope my girls found people in their lives who are --- were just as easy to love as my Queenie." He paused for a bit, tapping his fingers against his -- uh -- sort of knees.

"It would help if I knew a bit more about what, or who, you were talking about." He asked with a tilt of his head. He adjusted his sitting so he could be a bit straighter, facing Jax.

If only Caine could have kept the AI in check. Maybe... maybe things could have worked out. Maybe he could have told everyone the truth, instead of them finding out this way. Maybe maybe maybe.

He shook the maybes from his mind and decided to focus on the here and now.

"I'm not sure how much I can do without... it in my mind anymore. My powers may be very limited." He may be one of the hands that made this world, but a lot of what he was able to accomplish came from the AI. But he would still try -- he would do anything to try and right his wrongs.

With a small sigh, he walked towards one of the gaps in the floor and stared at it for a moment. Thinking very hard, he faced his palms forward and tried to summon a board of wood to cover it. Simple, yes, but something he thought he could accomplish. After a few seconds of straining, a board did indeed appear to cover up the hole in the ground. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

"You're still one of the smartest people I know, Caine," Kinger reassured. "Let's just -- give it a try?" Caine was still one of the original creators of the Circus. If anyone could conjure, it would be him. He followed his friend to the gap, his eyes crinkling at the edges at the display of conjuration.

"I knew you could do it." He stepped up, focusing on his own mind to reach for a shape to cover the rest of the gap. "All it needs is a little reinforcement, and a lot of glue."

LOOK AT HIS FACE

Fold let out an irritated sigh, his face appearing in the far right corner of the map with a frown. "Of course, it has to do with the flowers. Why would it be a normal maze?" That annoyance was at this game world, not Gobbles, for once.

"Alright! Let's head towards each of the flowers, then. We'll collect all of whatever they spit out and figure it out from there." The flowers on the map all lit up in different colors, that way they wouldn't get confused. "Looks like the yellow one is closest. Let's snag that one first, see what it does."

"Maybe there's a slot in the wall or somethin' ..." Gobbles thought out loud. He turned around, using Fold's guide markers to lead him back to the flowers. He worried if activating the puzzle would make enemies appear. Fold seemed a pretty capable fighter, but Gobbles? He could barely wave a stick around.

He went around, retracing his steps and carefully collecting each flower. Each were different colors, but had different objects. There was the health item, then a what seemed like a power boost, a drill item, and what looked like a pair of glasses.