#rassel tag

[morphlingunderscore]

hehehe. :]

ref image under the cut!!

[morphlingunderscore]

fbic title: "when they come to eat my mind, i'm yours"

when they come to eat my mind, i'm yours - Rassel gets sloshed trying to match Eli drink for drink.

Eli had warned them at the beginning that their tolerance for alcohol was way higher than most peoples, but Rassel had taken that for a challenge, or a boast maybe. Now, splayed across the cool floor in the basement to make the room spin a little less, glaring up at a still-steady Eli, they're realizing that it was. Probably an earnest warning. "whyyy'd you let me do thisssss..." Rassel moans, clawing the floor to give their swimming brain something to focus on. Eli laughs, unapologetic in the face of their misery. "I didn't let you do anything," they snort, kneeling to sit beside them. The bottle of mead in their hand is almost empty, but they don't so much as wobble on the way down. Even sitting, they still tower over them, flattened as they are. Evil. "I told you you'd get sick if you tried t' match me, and you said 'no I won't, watch me!' And then you got sick." "m'... not sick yet," Rassel huffs petulantly, propping their head up on their forearm, which feels burning against their cheek compared to the floor. They eye their phoenix closely, more overtly than they probably would sober. "Just... dizzy. You- hic -haven't won yet!" Eli snickers, smug and smiling at their misfortune. They lean over and plop one hand on Rassel's forehead, like they're taking their temperature, and Rassel leans into the touch like a starved animal. Eli's laughter is fonder, after that. "Maybe," they concede, before adding cheekily with one last pat, "But you definitely lost, Thaumaturge." "Hah!" The bark of laughter sneaks out of them without their permission. Stomach beginning to settle, they roll over onto their side proper, stretching out their legs, ears flapping lazily. Now that the nausea is beginning to pass, they're feeling pretty nice. Probably won't be in the morning, though. "Y'know, I like that." The few seconds it takes for Eli to cock their head at them quizzically is just enough time for Rassel to realize they said that aloud. Their cheeks burn, no thanks to the alcohol. "Like what?" "Ffff. You know," Rassel tries to deflect vaguely, but all it takes is one raised brow from Eli before they cave. "Th' nickname. I... like that you call me it. No one else does." Nobody else would have reason to, the more rational, brian-flavored side of their head points out. That was the first name Eli knew them by. Everyone else knew them as Rassel first. Of course nobody else would. But... they don't particularly mind that nobody else does. Their addled mind struggles to put it into words. If Eli means to interject, they don't notice, so inwardly-focused. "It's like... man, I dunno. It's a good name. Not just- I'm not tootin' my own horn for comin' up with it or anything! But it's-- it's cool. It's cool, and so was being that. And so was fighting you." Their eyes drift lazily to Eli's face, which is scrunched up into some sort of Expression they're unable to parse. The bottle is empty, now. "I like that- that you call me that. N' I like knowing you as Phoenix. 's like... a cool thing just for us. Does that make sense...?" Eli coughs, face shifting, and Rassel recognizes the warmth there, as well as probably embarrassment. Probably 'cause Rassel's being a drunk idiot. "I get it," they finally say, shifting to lay their hand on Rassel's head again-- or, more shoving it. They're unceremoniously shoved onto their back by the movement, letting out a quiet oof. "You still shouldn't've drank this much. You know you're gonna hate yourself in the morning, bud." "Eh," Rassel shrugs, scrunching up their shirt with the motion. "I don' mind. I like hanging with you." "...I like hanging with you too, Ras," Eli murmurs, and Rassel smiles. Funny enough, they like the sound of that, too.

[morphlingunderscore]

alsoooo. hm. 'the bastardisation of me and you' we're on a pairs theme tonight

The Bastardization of Me and You - Rassel witnesses something that shocks them to their very core, and simply has to show Eli.

Bang!

Roughly 200 lbs of Enderman hit window like a butterfly splattered across beautiful stained glass. Declan's house, wonderfully built as it is, only shudders in response.

"Eli!" The voice is winded and distant, calling pathetically from the lawn, flopped out. "Eliiiiiii!!"

"y'know, dec told me you can fly better than that," their obscenely tall friend remarks after calmly and slowly making their way outside, because apart from the brief heart attack, they know it can't be anything serious. "did you make a bet?"

"No, it's just fun to pretend to be a bug," they chirp, bouncing back from impacting with the side of a house face-first in record-breaking speed. They're clutching something in each hand. Plushies? "But for real. This is so important! Look at these!"

They thrust the plushies into the air, face twisted into something caught between smile and grimace. Though, admittedly, that could be the remnants of hitting that window.

Taking the bait, Eli ambles closer, craning down to inspect the evidently very important plushies-- hang on. Wait.

"What the hell?" Eli chokes out, trying not to laugh. "Is that supposed to be *you?*"

Rassel responds by throwing the plushie - that is definitely meant to be The Thaumaturge - directly at their face.

"Shut up!" They whine, flustered. "It's cool!! I have a stuffie!"

Eli strategically doesn't mention that they technically already did, eyeing the poor thing with a critical eye, unable to hold back snickers. "oh man, they must've outsourced to a different guy this time. They made your horns backwards and forgot your torn ear! plus they cheaped out and just made 'em glued on felt. Eugh."

"Yeah, okay wiseguy," Rassel huffs, sitting up to pick at the grass, hugging the other plush to their chest. " 's not like yours came out any better this run."

Eli snaps to attention at that.

The rest of the afternoon is spent tussling in the grass, a direct result of dissing eachothers plushie selves.

[morphlingunderscore]

fic title 'it rained again'

It Rained Again - After eight months and a handful of days, the drought finally breaks.

"Cloudy out," Rassel murmurs to themselves, with an audience of one, maybe two, if Tom's managed to sneak up on them - unlikely. Peering out the window, they admire just how heavy the clouds look, how dark, how ominous.

They step outside.

"Schatzi?" Brian's voice is muffled by the thick, clammy air. Her tone is, as always, somewhere firmly in annoyed, but they allow themselves to pretend there's concern there, too. But no other words follow. Just... Silence, trembling and anticipatory. Molecules vibrating, air unseasonably warm.

Rassel watches the sky darken, and darken, knowing the sun is far from setting. Standing out in the open, a shiver making its way down their spine. Watching, waiting.

"...Rassel..."

Rassel turns, heart pounding, turns to face that doorway where they know Brian is hovering, observing them, maybe even trying to find the right words--

--and the sky opens up.

The raindrops don't hurt, not really.

What hurts is that moment slipping from their grasp.

[morphlingunderscore]

scrosciare for Rassel?

scrosciare - the action of rain pouring down or of waves hitting rocks and cliffs

"Everything is different now.

And I don't know what to do about it."

A small figure on chalky cliffs inhales deeply. The salty ocean spray stings for them worse than it does for most.

It is not enough to deter them.

"It'd be easier if I could say it was a bad thing. I don't think it is at all. Everyone seems so much happier now. We have more friends than ever, and they're..."

A breeze buffets them, harsher than the rest.

That's the only reason they hesitate.

Surely.

"...they're nice. I'm sure they're cool, lovely people. Evan made Echo laugh so hard juice came out of nose one time. Even I'm not so blind that I can't see how inseparable Eli and Dec are, mooning over eachother like that."

A soft laugh drowned out by the waves. As if it needs to be. As if anyone was around to hear them.

Or... Well.

Anyone that hasn't already heard worse. Said worse.

"And Tizzy is cool. It's still so wild that she found my lute. I thought I sent it straight into the sea."

A seabird lands beside them, large enough that its wingspan dwarfs their own. The little figure freezes, a shiver skittering down their spine.

"And where am I?"

Rassel exhales slowly, slumping inward.

"Talking to myself. Only a bird as company."

A thin spike of annoyance stabs them. They brush it off easily.

"You said you'd give me alone time, Brian, can you try to act like you aren't listening?"

The wall slides back up. Rassel sighs.

The seabird clacks its beak, inscrutable, before settling down beside them. The small amount of grass beneath it can't possibly be enough to keep it warm, separated from the cold stone, but it stoically watches the sea, head twitching to look around every few seconds.

Rassel looks forward with a sigh.

"I'm being dumb," they laugh quietly. Self-deprecatingly. "I know I am. I don't need anyone to tell me that. I'm just..."

A wave breaks on the stones below, gradually wearing away the cliffside. One day, far in the future, it'll just be a plunge into dark, inky blue.

"I don't know where I fit." An admission to the sea. Their voice wobbles, threatening to break just like the waves. "Everything kept moving without me, and- and everyone looks so fucking happy!"

Their voice crescendos until it's a shout. The seabird beside them startles, squawking, extending giant wings to glide off the cliff, riding the ocean breeze. Away from them.

A smile splits their face. Rassel laughs, clutching their stomach with the force of it. Curling inward as if their silent observer can't tell the difference between tears and seaspray.

"God," they sob, "I hope I still fit!"

[morphlingunderscore]

balter + ras & herbert also

balter - to dance gracelessly, but with enjoyment

"Okay little buddy, you gotta gimme a bit!" Rassel laughs, holding the radio tightly to their chest so they don't send it flying on the off-chance Herbert actually knocks them over, jumping around like that. They do a crabwalk sorta shuffle over to the couch, fending little hooves simply DESPERATE to play with the funny dials off the whole while.

When the set it down on the coffee table, Herbert (predictably) lunges for it, squealing his indignation when they catch him by his armpits and swing him with the momentum, wiggling little legs kicking in the air. After the initial squirm of let me down wretched demon, I have to make music happen!!, he goes limp with a huff, dangling like a sad sack of flour.

"You gotta be patient," they hum, dropping onto the couch with a grunt and setting him on their thigh. He squirms to get comfortable, but he doesn't jump for it this time- probably because they have one arm around his waist like a warning seatbelt. "I'm gonna show you how this works, and then I'll let you pick the tunes. If you find something that'll really annoy your dads when they get back, I'll let you eat a bunch of shadowberries after lunch, okay?"

At the mention of potential sweets reward, Herbert goes still. Cautiously, Rassel unwraps him, nodding proudly when he doesn't go hogwild again.

It takes the better half of an hour for their lesson on how to use the radio to stick. Turns out it's kinda hard to teach someone about this kinda thing when they barely get how it works, and the kid you're trying to teach can't speak(yet? unclear), and also dials are actually kinda hard to operate with overgrown claws and little clumsy hooves.

After making a game out of extending and shrinking the antenna over and over again and babbling and giggling like it's the funniest thing in the world, Hebert finally tries messing with the tune dial on his own, skittering across local and trans-dimensional stations. He's got the most adorable look of concentration on his face, snout scrunched up and tongue sticking out past his schnoz. He's Mission Impossible-ing it, listening with an ear cocked every few seconds before snorting derisively and moving on.

Rassel's distracted fiddling with their comms-- talking in the group chat they know 10 and Broderick always forget exists about how smart the little guy is-- when the station-surfing halts. Their ears twitch and flare, unmuffling the noise to really listen, and--

Their mouth splits into a wide grin.

Polka. Somehow, out of gods knows how many radio stations, Herbert landed on Polka.

Herbert turns, craning his head up to look at their face with big wet eyes, buzzing with anticipation. Waiting to see what they think.

"Herbert," Rassel says seriously, grin widening beyond what most people are comfortable with. Herbert just starts vibrating harder, little hooves click-clacking together to vent some buzzing energy. "You are a genius."

It's up in the air if he knows what that word means, but it's clear tone alone gets across their approval.

Herbert hooks his little feet on their shin-sheath and uses it to jump on their lap, grabbing their ears and flapping them with his hands and squealing, startling a bark of laughter out of Rassel.

"Yeah, yeah, you did it big man!" They cheer, scooping him up and spinning in a circle. Herbert splays his arms wide so their ears catch the breeze, still babbling happily. "You're so cool! This is cool kid music, how did you know? You're a natural!"

Herbert's excitement is terribly, unavoidably contagious, loosening a stiffness Rassel hadn't even noticed in themselves. It leaves them bubbly and bright, so when a familiar song comes on, they immediately start dancing to it, movements clumsy and uncoordinated. Hell, they barely remember the dance they're trying to do, or the name of the damn song!

It hardly matters, though. Not when Herbert squeals and skitters in front of them, mimicking their "dance moves" like it's a test and he's going to pass. He's so into it, focused on his own limbs so he doesn't trip over himself. It's the cutest thing Rassel has ever seen. Their heart melts.

When Broderick and 10 come home, it's to a dark house. With a flick of the lights, the reason is revealed--

Rassel lays belly-up on the floor, herbert flopped over their chest. Both of them are snoring. Both of them have dark berry juice stains around their mouth.

And quietly, so quietly it takes walking up to them to notice...

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Broderick laughs, muffling the sound behind a hand. "Partied out to the chicken dance?"

[morphlingunderscore]

pointing at you. mask, scissors, pistol, wrench for oc asks foooooor rassel (of course) and one guy of choice

Ooooh fun selection crow :3

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

Rassel: Very much so! Rassel has many facets, though they went a while where "strangers" was a factor they really didn't have to account for. Around friends and family (interchangeable), Rassel is a pretty goofy guy, if Intense. What they feel, they can't not express if they have even the slightest social safety net. They hum a lot when they're comfortable, and feel more than happy to break into song at Dec's slightest provocation. Lately, things are a little different, but they'll figure it out again.

Around strangers, Rassel tries to be... Like, the perfect stranger, if that makes sense? They try to be nice, or at least civil, but they keep their distance. Even if they can't hold in their Eccentricities entirely, they kind of strive to be forgettable. They aren't interested in making new friends. (Or, at least not without forced interaction, like a feral cat through a closed door.)

Brian: (Of course I choose Brian. Cmon.) Brian used to act differently around different people, to the point that some folks might ask "Are you sure we're talking about the same Brian?" It wasn't really intentional, she was just a social chameleon type. Made things easier.

Now, though? Who gives a single shit. If you don't like her as is, die mad. Rassel hasn't found a way to bind her to a rock and throw her in the void yet, anyway, so she's probably fine.

✂️ SCISSORS - what is the "last straw" for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

Rassel: Eugh boy. I don't... Think they have one? Like, even at their worst, when they hated 10 completely for the sacrifices and what he did to Dec, and barely had any happy, pleasant memories of the guy to give them a reason... They didn't really let him go, did they? They stayed in his orbit. I mean, it was hard not to with the quad As They Were, but... I don't know.

I don't think they really can let people go. Even if that person is for all intents and purposes gone, dead, whatever, I think they'd still carry them. Call it loyalty or clinginess or whatever you think. You can't get rid of them, and they can't get rid of you.

Brian: Perceived betrayal or someone entirely outliving their usefulness. Even before Brian was lost in her obsession with breaking open the world like a kinder surprise, she was a bit ruthless when it came to casual relationships. Close ones, though, that's tougher. That would take something big, like ripping off all her work and claiming it as your own, or killing her in her sleep instead of in the streets like a rabid, sick dog. To give some entirely unloaded examples.

Rassel is a special case, for her. In a very literal sense, cutting ties with Rassel would kill her for good, or at the very least strand her somewhere she knows nothing about. Rassel could get away with a lot more than they probably realize.

🔫 PISTOL - do they trust people easily? how easily will they turn their back to someone? have they been backstabbed before? will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

Rassel: Very, as much as they may say otherwise. A bright-eyed amnesiac, Rassel latched onto all of their forgotten friends with very little prompting, and even some new ones. Even if there was some Baggage, and even if you claimed that was subconscious trust, they did try to rig a presidential election for someone that they (in their mind) met like, a month or two ago. They're an octopus. It's part of why they try to stay clear of new people; they don't need the grief.

Not easily, for turning their back on someone. I mean, they turned around for "10", and they thought he just had a concussion or something. And they have been backstabbed, literally, by a blue-haired braided girl, as well as figuratively (though accidentally) by Brian. As for betrayal... Hm.

If given an ultimatum with a heavy enough weight, Rassel would, yes. But that weight couldn't be their own life. That's not worth betraying a friend, never.

Brian: Lmao, no. Brian only really trusts Rassel because she can literally get a sense on Rassel emotions almost 24/7. She can care for or like someone and not trust them a lick. It's pretty much how she operates. She'll turn her back on pretty much anyone if it means saving her own hide and protecting her Goal to enlighten the world. Key words being pretty much; there are a few folks in her past she refused to let go, to the bitter end.

She's been backstabbed quite a lot, academically, and then Quite Literally. Though she claims her death was this, the intent was born of fear for her, not of her. For what she might face, after all she did. That it would be worse than death. That she didn't deserve it, even if she killed someone, risked the whole city's lives several times over.

Brian will betray anyone if you can sell it well enough. You just have to speak her language.

🔧 WRENCH - are they good at fixing relationships? or do they tend to avoid doing so?

Rassel: Mm, tricky question. I'd say that they're... decent at it, for a few reasons. They did try to improve themselves to fix their relationship with the quad (specifically Echo and Dec), and they did actually make progress! They found a way to cope with their anger issues, they stopped attempting to hurt 10 when he was near, they even held a somewhat civil conversation with 5 when they thought he was 10!

But... They're also not great at other aspects. Mending bridges after a long time away seems like an impossible feat. Everyone has grown, and they feel like they've only gotten smaller. They don't know where to stand in the picture frame.

So... Decent. They'll get there. But they always, always want to try.

Brian: I think she could be, if she felt it was fixable. I think she's very much the type to say fuck it, that bridge is burned, mourn it later. Practical, if not very reasonable. She can be very determined if a goal seems plausible, but it's far more likely that she'll decide it isn't worth the grief to try to make amends. As is, she definitely avoids trying.

Even with Rassel now, she never says sorry first. If Rassel doesn't say it, it doesn't get said. She'd rather stew than admit there's something to fix, that it's anything that can be fixed.

[morphlingunderscore]

tomato, watermelon, onion for rassel (AND/OR BRIAN) plus oc of choice (if you so choose)

🍅 [TOMATO] How misunderstood is your OC? In-universe or IRL.

Rassel: In-Universe, Rassel is... Hm. By their close friends, they're understood better than they understand themselves, really. By Brian is a different story. IRL, my beloved friends get this funky guy so well.

Brian: Considering the fact that most of the others just knew her as The Brain In The Jar, Rassel barely remembering her, and Brian playing 4D chess 24/7, I'd say she's pretty misunderstood.

Sniest: Unfortunately very misunderstood by those in the village, barring his mom, Wizard, and Mage. :[

🍉 [WATERMELON] What will your OC take to the grave?

Rassel: The bitter resentment they hold for their birth parents, and the culture of the End in its entirety. It's not something they'll really ever bring up, because what would they even say? "I'm filled with inarticulate grief and rage for people I barely remember, because they chucked me out on my ass when I was 6? Body dysmorphia is less something I'm afflicted with and more something writ into my being the moment I hatched, and I still can't shake it off almost 20 years later? I hate you, but you probably don't even remember me, except as a sick kid you saw as a bad omen?"

Who'd they even say it to, anyway? Their parents are long gone. Their whole city is, probably. So it just... Stews. Always on the backburner.

Brian: She took a lot of things to the grave the first time around. Things she regrets. Things that haunt her.

This time around, she'll die before admitting that she still cares.

Sniest: He baked a pie while Lorraine was gone and fucked it up so royally, once, that the pan was unsalvageable. He buried it in the woods.

No one can ever know.

🧅 [ONION] What is surefire to make your OC cry? Who knows of this information?

Rassel: Rassel will burst into tears at really cute animals. They also cry when they're really angry, or if they hurt themself. Or if they watch an emotional movie. Or if they see a really pretty flower. They're a bit of a crybaby, to be honest, but for the love of god, don't call them that. Pretty much the entire quad, their dad, and any friends they make learn this quickly.

A surefire way (as of s2) though, is to remind them of the good times with their friends. Things they took for granted. Things that they clutch onto with claws and teeth bared.

(Only Brian knows this.)

Brian: I'm going to level with you here. I don't know. I don't know what would really, truly make Brian cry. And if there is something that would, nobody alive knows anymore, and Brian isn't exactly keen on sharing.

Sniest: He's a big sympathy crier. If you start crying, he'll start crying. He also tends to tear up when he's overwhelmed/stressed/overstimulated but he's usually tucked into his shell by the time that hits. Oh! Also, if he's really happy, or really in a sappy mood, or if you're just really nice to him and shower him in compliments, he Will just start bawling. He shares the "big crier" title with Rassel.

His mom knows all of this, and Wizard is sure to learn.