vallo

Wow, look, I once again just found some random stuff in my stuff this morning when I woke up, how very strange and coincidental:

- a set of dice, I think? One of them looks like a dice, but the rest are interestingly shaped *
- a marker that says COPIC on it *
- an eyepatch *
- just a fuck ton of daggers that I'm pretty sure are your make, Fen *
- a little friendship looking bracelet *
- a book that I think might be in Zemnian, Caleb *
- several sets of keys that can probably be identified by keychain *
- two different chapsticks, both vanilla latte flavored
- a black bucket hat that says "Raccoon Whisperer" on it
- a nearly empty pot of what I assume is body glitter (this is becoming tradition and makes me think younger me should have had more access back home)
- one black fingerless glove
- jar of crunchy peanut butter that might just be from our kitchen, now that I think about it
- a sewing kit with all the black thread missing, apologies
- a rainbow scrunchie
- two empty flasks this year, oh ho
- a belt that isn't one of my many belts

There also are a number of items here that I recognize from a certain shop. I will return them to you, my glorious fiance, when I bring you lunch.

Anyway, I do apologize--my fingers were incredibly sticky as a teenager due to a slew of father-based issues that we don't have to get into right now. If any of the above sounds like it belongs to you, let me know and I'll get it to you, alongside my deepest apologies and an offer for a round somewhere, because wow.

[ooc note - if an item is marked by * then it has been volunteered by someone, otherwise feel free to claim any of the other items! also poke me if you'd like to add anything to the list.]

Who pushed me into the blood pool last night? I am not mad, I swear.

Follow up: Who told the children about the blood pool?

YOUTHS FILTER [AKA AGES 16-22]

Look, I know a lot of us aren't supposed to be this age normally but we are and we're here for fuck knows how long so I think we need to have some kind of get together. A party, as it were.

Thing is, I have plenty of money for things like food and drinks and shit, but I don't really have a place. I'd say at the place I've been staying, but there's an old as all hells gnome, an anxious bard that probably needs a fucking nap, a literally tiny child, and FCG and while most of them are fine, they still kind of, you know, cramp some style.

So: party tonight, I can make sure there's drink and all that, but anyone have a suggestion on the where? Don't know how long we'll all be here so might as well fucking enjoy it while we can.

OLD AF GNOME, BLUE BARD-IN-CHARGE, & FCG

I have plans tonight.

This is me showing some fucking growth and not just disappearing so I think that means you're supposed to show you trust me by not following me around.

I am in need of two things:

1) To be returned swiftly to Syngorn before I get in so much trouble my father sends someone to maybe murder me or, worse, bring me back for a lecture retrieve me as soon as he notices my absence which might be never but maybe this time he'll.

2) For someone to come collect their children so they'll stop following me around giving me Looks.

Wait, no, three things--

3) To find my brother, Vax'ildan. He's going to be so worried

P.S. I'm keeping this bow and the pastries I found because Father would never I can.

I am not from a world with things like high school and pep rallies (this is something I just learned about, in fact, and am certain I would have absolutely hated every second of it as a teen), so I didn't know what prom was until it was explained to me and hey, guess what. We're having a prom for so-called grown ups.

So: as long as we aren't displaced in time or space or fighting monsters, anyone 18+ is invited to adult prom on June 10, the theme being Under the Sea, which I was told is one of a handful of popular themes for these kinds of events. All proceeds from ticket costs will be going to the youth center, as well as any added donations and such at the event itself. The usual suspects will be there: good food, open bar, music, and other surprises.

There will be a contest for best Proprom ProposalPr Promsal Promposal to go along with this. This is another thing I had never heard of, but here we are, learning things together. If you make a bit of a fun fuss asking your date to prom with you, record it, send it to vvessar@vcyc.org, and there will be votes during the event on the best promposal. The couple/pair/duo that wins will get bragging rights and a weekend package for two at Galdin Quay.

All right, questions? I'll try to answer them or make something up. Otherwise, hope you'll be there.

We've been home for a couple of weeks now and it feels like I'm finally settling back into my normal routines which I know my very particular child is happy about. There was a lot to process and unpack about our brief trip to that future, but the one takeaway that's stuck with me is that there's too little time to spend it stuck in the future--or the past. Which feels a bit too introspective for this early on a Friday morning, honestly, but here we are. Serving up a bit of gratitude for the present alongside fresh chocolate croissants this morning.

So here's my Friday morning question to the rest of my fellow Outlanders: Besides the obvious choice of indoor plumbing, what are you glad for here that you don't have where you came from?

I went to the cellar with a few adequate enough bottles from local Vallo vineyards to attempt the beginning of restocking what I had absconded with from myself and ( cut for image! )

Thank you, Vallo. Several bottles include good years of Solvia Groves Diamond Plum Wine as well as some rice wine from Rosohna that I have not had since dropping here three years ago, and so I am pleased. I am also changing the physical locks and the wards. Perhaps it is time for heightened spellwork, to protect against myself. Caleb, I need all of our oil and any unenchanted rod we have hidden away. And Gilmore, fair warning, I am coming to buy all of your incense and string.

no

The problem with keeping your more prized spell components, books, and wine locked away where few know to look is that one of those "few" apparently includes your future self that has the stickiest of fingers, it would seem. Not even a payment left behind by way of the apparent spell for time travel, either.

Please know that I understand this is the least of our worries and I am not trying to make light of a very real situation, but I feel better having lodged my complaint nevertheless. I am willing to lend aid if I can, either magically or through research.

Also, to add: the honeymoon was lovely, I continue to be grateful to be legally attached to my husband, and Aeor is still very cold. The lights are reminiscent of the last Apogee back home that I remember from my youth, too, which leads to an odd sense of nostalgia.

SHAUN

Hey. I know you're probably busy preparing to leave, so just reaching out now for when you're free.

FILTERED TO FRIENDS:

Ja hello, if you did not know, Essek and I are departing tonight on a short belated honeymoon to Aeor. We wish to experience the leyline aurora there and study how the magic affects it.

We plan to return home on Tuesday. Kir and Kiri are under the care of Vax and Gilmore but please feel free to borrow them if they are willing. They are on a long weekend school break and Kir has his homework done for the next three months, as far as I am aware.

We have our sending stones for emergencies but will not have our electronic devices, so do not get into too much trouble without us. Oh! Ah- the Wizard tower will be going with me, so it will not be available for those days. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Darlings, if you'll indulge me in a poll. Say one had a blood pool--which is exactly what it sounds like a pool of blood, and one had to submerge oneself in said blood pool, would it be preferable for the blood to be warm or cold? Alternative answers regarding temperature are accepted, of course, this doesn't have to be an either or, but the existence of the blood pool is mandatory.

And I ask this because by the "what's mine is yours" property, as Vax is the owner of a blood pool, I now own a blood pool and the question has been the source of riotous debate between us, second only to the great "onyx, panther, obsidian, and midnight are all the same color" debacle, the likes of which we still cannot discuss to this day.

All questions regarding the function of the blood pool may be directed to my beloved, as I would have preferred a sauna or a salt cave, however please do go relatively easy on him because he did come to the store this morning with a lavender latte and also, look at him.

Also, your skincare tip of the day is to apply moisturizer in circular motions, upwards and and away from the center of your face. Skincare products are applied lightest to heaviest! Your magic tip is that when crafting potions, follow the recipe as written--diced goldenseal operates very differently from chopped or minced goldenseal and the line between simmer and boiling is fine.

Today I learned that my three-year-old is not a fan of finger painting because she can't stand having paint on her hands. Which, fair. It's amazing, really, learning something new about her every day. I'm sure it's like this back home where I remember everything about her life, too, but it hits so much harder here where I've only had a handful of months of knowing her.

We're going to stick to crayons for now.

VAX
This is my daily obnoxious check-in. How are you feeling? Still good? Still you? I made you a basket of food. Some pastries, some meat pies, cookies. Want to stop by the bakery to pick it up, or do you want to wait for it until we get home?

ADORA
Hey, you. I wanted to let you know before anyone else that I'm going to step away from the Defense team. I've thought about it a lot since Vesper stayed behind, and I just think it's the right thing to do. I'm all she has, and Vallo is always throwing new shit at us. I just want to make sure she's always taken care of, you know?

SHAUN

Hello, my darling fiancé and father of my future children. Tell me again your feelings about Vasselheim.

What is this "Vallo Sexyman Poll" and why did my Saturday morning student give me the full update on "Magic Edition is Professor Essek vs Gilmore and Professor Essek is losing!"? There are others? It is a trend? They said God Edition has Thor vs Kratos right now and it's tied and I still do not get it. I am very confused. Is there a reward?

My vote goes to my husband, obviously. Essek is very sexy.

( OOC COMMENT )

My house is gone, my wardrobe is gone, my wine is gone, and my sister is gone. I don't think that this arrival money is going to cut it this time, Vallo.

I have had the pleasure of free soup at Soups, Soups, Soups, Soups for a month now--eleven more to go--and I have no eaten enough soup to feel that I have a solid opinion on which are the best, at least according to my own personal tastes. As such, I have an official ranking, of which you need to listen to my most recent podcast to hear about.

That attempt at a cliffhanger is also an attempt at marketing. Let me know if it works.

Other topics beyond soup for this most recent episode include: a frankly fascinating conversation with our Angroboda about magic, particularly her brand of it, and also an overview regarding this world's upcoming Temporal Concurrence, including what it is and what it might mean for any of us.

Anyway, it has been a while since I talked about the podcast, so here I am, doing that. You're welcome, Blue.

I've sort of been surprised before about just how long I've been here, so I'll skip that part of this post and instead focus on how in that time I've met way more people than I would have ever expected. I spent a number of years traveling on my own before a bunch of wild adventurers shook up my life, so maybe I should be used to that. The difference between that and here, though, is how we're all from such varied, different places. Back home we were a scattered group across continents, but here in Vallo it's worlds.

I know this isn't news to literally anyone here, but it just had me thinking and I wanted to ask: what's your original home like, wherever you were before you were here? From those I've talked to, it's been a real variety with some having similar to Vallo itself, others from places with no magic, some in space. So, if you're so inclined, tell me about it.

Oh and I should add that the last thing I want is for anyone to get too overwhelmed or bummed with homesickness, so don't feel like you need to answer this if it'll be too much. I'm curious and want to get to know folks, but not so much that I want anyone to feel bad.