

Hiatus
@archivesGrip
I suppose I should make an introductory post. I have finally caved into the social pressures that surrounded me. I made this Chittr account out of social necessity. I can only spend so many evenings listening to drunk poets musing over vampire sym8olism at writing clu8 without eventually deciding I require a more efficient method of o8serving strangers pu8licly unravel. For those unfamiliar with me, I am Aranea Serket. Yes, THAT Aranea. At least, I am one of her. Thankfully, we live in a society in which that distinction has long since ceased to matter socially. I currently reside in Little 8eforus, a small Earth-C Neigh8orhood. I work is a li8rarian and archivist. I specialize in pre-scratch literature, o8scure session information and records, and the categorization of all historical nonsense. It is a surprisingly peaceful existence compared to my earlier ventures into cosmic manipul8ion and narrative self-destruction. In my industry, we call it growth. We adore to see it. Outside of work, I host a weekly writing clu8 at the Velvet Cham8er. A historically queer 8ar downtown with excellent cocktails and terri8le open-mic poetry. We are currently during a months-long epidemic of young writers attempting to reinvent tragic romance as a genre. While I support them, I do not enjoy the quality of their work. I also enjoy 8oard games. I should warn prospective opponents that I have an unhealthy competitive streak disguised underneath my many layers of intellectual politeness. I have ended friendships over resource management mechanic interpretations and Catan. Not proudly, just honestly. You will find me posting a8out literature, timeline anthropology, strange historical trivia, flirt8ion disguised as academic analysis, and the occasional existential crisis. Please, feel free to say hello. Unless you are attempting to recruit me into discourse regarding troll reproduction. I have survived enough epochs already. #su8stance #intropost #amicoolenoughforchittr
Simply 8ecause I enjoy recognition for my work, I am posting this comment as its own post. "Eight Times Sasuke Uchiha Pretended Not to Care A8out You, and the One Time He Was Forced to Admit That He Did" 8y Aranea Serket, penned for "V" of Chittr.ing. 8efore we 8egin, it is important to understand Sasuke Uchiha. He is not emotionally unavaila8le. This extremely common misconception is one I am o8ligated to correct 8efore it interferes with the accuracy of my narrative. He possesses emotions in considera8le a8undance. In fact, it could reasona8ly 8e argued that he experiences emotions with such catastrophic intensity that he has 8een forced to construct his entire personality around pretending he does not have such tur8ulent and fruitful emotions. His aloofness is not an a8sence of feeling. It is more akin to a hastily constructed dam placed across the river that has drowned his previous villages (relationships). You, unfortunately, have decided to stand directly downstream. The first indication that Sasuke cared a8out you occurred during a routine mission outside the Land of Fire. You had 8een assigned to escort a merchant whose primary talents appeared to 8e complaining, sweating, and wandering toward o8vious danger whenever no8ody was looking. The mission itself was unremarka8le. There were 8andits, of course, 8ecause there are nearly always 8andits in stories such as these. They leapt from the trees wearing expressions of such misplaced confidence that you almost felt em8arrassed for them. Almost. You dispatched the first with a kick to the ri8s, 8ut the second caught your sleeve with a kunai, tearing the fa8ric and drawing a thin red line across your upper arm. Sasuke saw it. The 8andit did not survive long enough to regret this. “You didn’t have to hit him with a Fire8all Jutsu at that range,” you said afterward, pressing a cloth against the cut as the merchant stared at the smoking patch of earth where his attacker had previously 8een standing. Sasuke inspected the surrounding forest with an expression of practiced disinterest. “He was in the way,” he replied. You pointed out that the man had 8een running away. Sasuke responded that he had still 8een in the way, which was plainly inadequate as an explanation. He knew this. You knew this. The merchant knew this, although he possessed the good sense not to mention it. Sasuke turned his 8ack to you and continued walking, the tips of his ears slightly red. You followed him with a smile he could not see, although I suspect he knew it was there. The second indication occurred several weeks later, when you arrived late to training. Again, I must emphasize that Sasuke did not wait for you. He merely remained at the training ground for forty-three minutes after everyone else had left, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed despite having previously announced that he intended to train alone elsewhere. When you finally appeared, 8reathless and apologizing, he looked you over from head to toe with a degree of attention that would have 8een flattering had it not 8een disguised 8eneath an expression of carefully cultivated irritation. “You’re late,” he said. You informed him that you had noticed. He said you could have sent word. You asked why you would need to do that when he had not 8een expecting you. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “Tch. I wasn’t worried,” he said. You asked why he was still there. Sasuke stared at you, which was a tactic he frequently employed when confronted with a question whose truthful answer could dismantle his facade. He would narrow his eyes, then 8ecome silent. He hoped you would grow uncomforta8le enough to withdraw the inquiry. You, of course, had long since 8ecome immune to this tactic. When you continued waiting, he claimed that you were wasting his training time. You reminded him that he had already waited forty-three minutes. He insisted it had only 8een thirty. You asked how he knew that unless he had counted. You caught him off guard. His eyes widened so slightly that most onlookers would not have noticed. You noticed. Sasuke immediately turned toward the training posts and ordered you to prepare yourself. He did not mention his worry again after this incident. The third indication was somewhat more difficult to identify 8ecause it involved tomatoes. Sasuke liked tomatoes. This is not particularly romantic information 8y itself, although I would caution against dismissing the sym8olic potential of food. Sharing a preferred meal can represent trust, domestic intimacy, and the su8conscious desire to esta8lish a mutual household. In Sasuke’s case, it also represented the fact that he was extremely territorial a8out his lunch. He had 8rought sliced tomatoes and rice to the training grounds, while you had forgotten to 8ring anything at all. You sat 8eside him 8eneath the shade of a tree and attempted not to stare at the container in his lap. “Hey. You. You’re doing that on purpose,” Sasuke said. When you asked exactly what it was you were doing, he readily accosted you and su8sequently accused you of staring at his food. You came up with an excuse. You claimed you were looking out at the forest. He pointed out that the forest was in the other direction. You explained that you were simply appreciating that forest through your superior peripheral vision. Such a terri8le excuse forci8ly extracted a sigh from Sasuke, as though he were 8urdened 8y an unreasona8le companion rather than thoroughly entertained 8y one. He pushed his container toward you. You asked whether he was sharing. He said no. He wouldn’t waste his food on you. You looked 8ack down. He had slid it directly onto your lap. You couldn’t help 8ut appreciate the slight pause he took upon touching the 8are flesh of your thigh, which was poking through your slightly torn tights. He said he was simply moving it, although it had already 8een within range of your hungry eyes and was now within reach of your digits. Finally, he told you to take exactly one piece 8efore he changed his mind. You selected a slice of tomato and ate it. Sasuke watched with an intensity that would have 8een alarming had you not already understood that this was the closest he could come to asking whether you liked something he liked. When you told him it was good, he said that he already knew. You asked whether he had prepared it himself. He replied that it was only a tomato, which did not answer the question. You took another piece. Sasuke looked away, 8ut he did not stop you. 8y the end of the meal, you had eaten almost half of his lunch, and he had complained precisely once. This was, 8y Sasuke’s standards, a declaration of profound devotion. The fourth indication occurred when Sakura asked whether the two of you were dating. You choked on your tea. Sasuke did not react at all, which was itself an extremely pronounced reaction. A person who genuinely felt nothing would have simply denied it. Sasuke instead 8ecame perfectly motionless, his cup suspended halfway to his mouth while his entire 8ody appeared to await instructions. You quickly said no. Sasuke lowered his cup and repeated your answer with enough emphasis to make it immediately suspicious. Sakura looked 8etween the two of you. There are few things more dangerous than an intelligent woman, especially one who realizes that she is correct. 8ut this isn’t a8out that man-stealing floozy, now is it? “We’re teammates,” Sasuke added swiftly. Sakura pointed out that she had not asked him to explain. He claimed he wasn’t explaining. This, in turn, caused her to o8serve that he sounded very much like he was explaining. His gaze sharpened. You knew that if he were a lesser man, he would 8e as red as those tomatoes he so loves. Sakura smiled into her drink. You attempted to recover 8y changing the su8ject to her recent mission. She rattled on for a moment a8out how well it had gone. Her training with Lady Tsunade had paid off tremendously, may8e a 8it too well, as she had recently 8egun to fear that she appeared a 8it 8oyish to those around her. Let’s hope that egg doesn’t 8oil for too long. After regaling you with stories of her mission, she was swift to throw you off tempo. She asked you how your date had 8een. Your face flushed as hot 8lood pooled under your skin. You insisted it was not a date. 8efore you could finish, Sasuke a8ruptly stood and announced that he was leaving. When you reminded him that he had not finished his tea, he said he was done. When you pointed out that he had also paid for yours, he froze again. Sakura’s smile widened. Sasuke placed several additional coins on the ta8le with unnecessary force 8efore he walked away without another word. Later that evening, he appeared outside your apartment with no warning. He said you had made Sakura 8elieve that something was happening 8etween you. You asked how this had 8ecome your fault. According to Sasuke, you had not denied it properly. You reminded him that you had literally said no. He accused you of hesitating. You explained that you had 8een choking on your tea, although he seemed to consider this a poor excuse. When you asked whether the misunderstanding 8othered him, he said it did not. You then asked why he had come all the way to your apartment to discuss something that did not 8other him. Once again, Sasuke deployed the stare. Once again, it failed. “I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a misunderstanding,” he finally said. You assured him there was not. He said good. He did not leave. You waited in the doorway while Sasuke continued standing in the hall as though there might 8e another reason for his visit, one that had not yet found the courage to clim8 into his mouth. Eventually, you stepped aside and asked whether he wanted to come in. Sasuke entered without answering. He remained for three hours. Neither of you mentioned Sakura again. The fifth indication was jealousy, though he would have preferred nearly any alternative word. A shino8i from the Hidden Sand had taken an interest in you. He was charming, 8road-shouldered, and possessed the deep confidence of a man who had yet to 8e struck 8y a Uchiha. Sasuke was quick to fix this. The man was, of course, a spy from the Sand. Sasuke was a8le to use that as an excuse to strike him considera8ly hard. Even after the man had 8een felled, Sasuke made sure to 8reak his nose despite the man’s unconscious state. You pointed out that you and the man had spoken only once. Sasuke said once had 8een enough. You smiled. “So you don’t want me to go.” Sasuke claimed that he had not said that. You told him he did not have to. He glared at you for the remainder of the afternoon. You declined the invitation. Sasuke was noticea8ly less unpleasant afterward, although he never thanked you for it. The sixth indication came during a thunderstorm. You disliked thunder. This was not 8ecause you were weak. Nor did it indicate that you were childish or incapa8le of understanding the meteorological process involved. You recognized that intellectual comprehension does not erase the 8ody’s autonomous instinct to cower at a loud sound. In fact, many people would 8enefit from understanding such a distinction. You were awake when Sasuke knocked on your window. Not your door. Your third-floor window. He was crouched on the ledge with rainwater dripping from his hair. “What are you doing?!” you asked. Sasuke claimed he was patrolling. You inquired as to why his patrol route led him directly outside your 8edroom. He said it was happenstance. You pointed out that it couldn’t have 8een. Your complex was far out of the way of his typical route. The thunder cracked overhead 8efore he could invent another excuse, and you flinched. Sasuke’s expression softened su8tly. It was as though the tension within him had shifted from com8at readiness to concern. He clim8ed through the window without waiting to 8e invited in, leaving wet footprints across your floor. “You’re soaked!” you exclaimed. “It’s raining,” he explained, as though you might not have made such a connection. Another roll of thunder sounded, lower and closer than the first. Sasuke glanced toward the window and then sat 8eside you on the floor. He did not ask whether you were afraid. He did not make you admit it. Instead, he 8egan descri8ing the mechanics of the Chidori, explaining how lightning chakra was shaped, controlled, and focused through the hand. His voice was quiet and even. You knew perfectly well what he was doing, 8ut you allowed him to pretend that he had entered your apartment in the middle of a storm to provide an unsolicited lecture on elemental transformation. At some point, your shoulder came to rest against his. He stiffened 8ut did not pull away. When the thunder grew louder, his hand shifted across the floor until his smallest finger touched yours. The two of you remained there, apparently 8y accident, for the rest of the night. When you awoke the next morning, Sasuke was still 8eside you. His 8ack was against the wall, and his hand had fully enveloped yours. He withdrew it immediately upon realizing you were awake. You did not mention that his thum8 had 8een tracing circles against your skin. Chapter 1. Last updated 7/15/2026. I might finish it l8r.
A modest upd8: my week has 8een pleasantly consumed 8y shelving disputes, archival repairs, and a novel series that I am pretending has not taken complete command of my evening schedule. Oh, and my Alternian self gained access to Chittr fully and wholly. This is certainly not a pro8lem.
hey what’s up guys here like i literally am am making my first like post on apparently the honestly fucking canserous like website, like looks like like u like fuckers will honestly finally literally get the honestly premium content u deserve. make sure literally to hit that bell and follow for like more.
Going to say it. If @aeneasCaldarium offends you, he won. He is just kull farming. If he doesn't offend you, he's won 8ecause he's found like-minded individuals or sheep passive enough to let him 8e himself. If you assault him, he wins 8ecause you prove his ideology right 8y painting your side as violent. Justifying his thought process and ideation of justice. If you insult him, he can just spin that as pitch flirting and you've lost 8ecause there's no good response to pitch flirtation accusations. I have known many Cronii. They do not change for the 8etter. Whatever you're interacting with is a front. If you think you've gotten through to him, it's another layer he formed to cater to you. Genuinely. There is no winning with him. There is no fixing him. Everything is performative. #cagttl

『ADVENTERROR'S FIELD GUIDE - PORTED FROM SWATTPAD @tautologicalTechnique 』 『 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: DUBCON PALE, CRINGE CULTURE, META FICTION, SELF INSERT, PLATONIC PALING, GAMING ADJACENT, AUTHORIAL INSERT, SPECIES BENDING, SECOND PERSON PERSPECTIVE, YCH, Y/C, UNREALITY, TOUCHING, SPORADIC PALE RUBBING, PALE AFFECTION, POLYQUANDARY (CONSENTED), GYGAAX X EVERYONE, YES THAT EVEN MEANS Y/C』 GYGAAX x KRYQUS // PALESHIPPING // FRIENDFICTION // CAVERNS 'N CULLBEASTS CAMPAIGN // SFW // MOIRAIL MULTICLASS // BOUND BY THE BOUND BOOK // @naughtyTechnician // @zebraDad ☆゚.・。゚☆゚.・。゚☆☆゚.・。゚☆゚.・。゚☆☆゚.・。゚☆゚.・。゚☆☆゚.・。゚☆゚.・。゚☆☆゚.・。゚☆゚.・。゚☆ ( Ꮚ⚀ꈊ⚀Ꮚ) < AUTHOR'S NOTE...mmffmm. Sorry for the delay this chapter!!! One of my moirails of four sweeps got caught up in a particularly nasty encounter with a Cullbeast of Unreasonable Hit Dice! Oh noooo!!! Somebody's gonna be out of combat fer more than one short rest!!! But...onto the fic!!! ( Ꮚ❖ꈊ❖Ꮚ); < The Caverns 'n Cullbeasts session shoulda wrapped hours ago...what in tarnation were the lot of 'em still doin' here...? These two ain't had grounds t'yammer 'n yap beyond stats 'n th'doling out 'o treasures accumulated...'n that took place hours ago!!! It took only a scant few moments more fer it t'really click with KRYQUS what this was even about...'n the thought still got dismissed with chudly indifference. Sensation overrode sensibility somethin' sorely suggestive...somethin' deeper...somethin'... ᴗ(ᴗᏊᄒꈊᄒᏊ) < Pale. ( Ꮚ⚀ꈊ⚀Ꮚ) < KRYQUS's trembling hands passed over the character sheet in metered measures...examining for errors, miscalculations, even just a rounding error in carry weight that could set his party back some...He was always like this. Thinkin' 'o others in tiny, invisible ways that made 'm irresistible to anyone with eyes 'n the time t'use 'em. Y/C can't help but buckle back a little as KRYQUS suddenly seizes Y/C's pencil 'n tugs it forward tighter than a nat twenty on an athletics check that he'd piledrive into th'enemy's inferior armor class...the clamp continued, as he started to...sink to ganderglobe level. The EMINENT INDIGOD OF INDIGOCELS who once towered like a one troll rovin' rules lawyer on hoofback now ain't no more than a troll, his imposing sourcebooks gone from a monument to a frame. ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < my character died ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < damn ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < toooo bad the same cannoot be said of climate change or casteism or peoople who talk shit and doont get hit ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < oor any oof the woorlds oother many wooes ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < but i can oonly doo ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < soo much ✧( Ꮚ─_ ─Ꮚ) < as a fat fuckin chud of hooned discipline ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < eventually ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < woorlds gootta save itself ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < oor perish unwoorthy ( Ꮚ⚀ꈊ⚀Ꮚ) < KRYQUS becomes a livin' study in humility. His words underpin the lessons endowed to him by ZEBRADAD. A lodestar. A northern light. The honing beacon 'o morality and th'straight 'n narrow. But his actions. His nonchalance. His utter unquestionably sheer un-fuck-withable energy...this becomes the mantle 'o kingly might he assumes at all times. This becomes th'monarchic tradition passed down from KRYQUS to KRYQUS every few hundred sweeps, so long as he's still around. ( Ꮚ❖ꈊ❖Ꮚ); <> <> <> <> JUST LIKE Y/C wouldn't all that mind bein'!!!!! EH? EH? EH? #FOREVERANDEVER #BUTACTUALLY #YCxKRYQUS #YOU+GOT+ZEBRADADS+BLESSING (ᗜᏊಠꈊಠᏊ)¤=[]:::::> Y/C felt inclined t'dispense comfort. There was a possessiveness t'the way Y/C saw KRYQUS cradle the character sheet in his palms. His broad shoulders cinched up like he dreaded th'thought of loosenin' a grip on this concept fer even a moment...but he put on a brave face just fer you. It wouldn't be right t'just let his happiness slip away. And read between the lines a daggum minute, world's gotta save itself or perish unworthy? That's QUITTER TALK! GLOBAL QUITTER TALK! DOOMSDAY QUITTER TALK! Kryqus feels THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD on his bulky sturdy rock steady shoulders right now! ( Ꮚ⚀ꈊ⚀Ꮚ) < Just as Y/C up 'n worked th'courage t'confront his hands, improperly conspirin' t'mount a charge across yer thigh...Kryqus scoffs in indignation. He sees through yer transparent advances...and retreats strategically. All prompt-like. ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < tsk ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < doont attempt to knoow me ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < im way toooo cooool foor yoou ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < and even if i didnt mean that ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < yoou proobably shoouldnt @ me irl ᴗ(ᴗᏊᄒꈊᄒᏊ) < Uh oh! That got outta hand way fast...maybe it's time t'call fer... ( Ꮚ❖ꈊ❖Ꮚ); <> <> <> <> REINFORCEMENTS!!!!!!! ᴗ(ᴗᏊ❖ꈊ❖Ꮚ); <> <> <> <> My -- I mean Gygaax's hands start t'alternate between (#polyquandary anyone???) petting the tops 'o both 'o yer heads...!!! Soft. Rhythmic little circles. My --- Gygaax's cartilage nubs unfurl from the tightly white knuckled meat mallet into a far more approachable set 'o chitinous diggers with a piercingly pale quality...!!! Both Y/C and KRYQUS are treated t'the soft enmeshed interplay 'o palmin' play 'n no strings attached emotional intervention...c-consensually! We can stop at any time. Y/C j...just could use this! A-as could KRYQUS. To uh. CAVERNS 'N CULLBEASTS t'gether... ( Ꮚ‾̀ꈊ ‾̀Ꮚ); < "...Now, KRYQUS," Gygaax began, "Ewe can't be so harsh on Y/C...they've been through a lot. For our sake. For the CAMPAIGN. If anything were to happen to them...it would be on us to see to it they're protected and retrieved. Same as any PARTY MEMBER. Gentler hands should stir these waters. A SHEPHURT should tend 'n mend to its flock." If the two hands mussyin' up Y/C's body in tandem with KRYQUS wasn't BAaaaaaaAAAAAAd enough...a rovin' set of author-emblazoned fingertips were caressin' th'top of yer horns now. Pickin' out stray imaginary somethin somethins. Stalling. ( Ꮚ⚀ꈊ⚀Ꮚ) < Suddenly, the rush of hot breath excites the air...populates it with the powerful gale phrasings of KRYQUS... ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < gygaax ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < what the actual fuck ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < are yoou trying to say i proovide subpar care to Y/C ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < i literally carried this campaign ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < coomplaintlessly ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < Y/C with it ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < i resent the fuck oout of that implication ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < i coould easily be gentler with this ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < weaving lazy river ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < if i wanted to ( Ꮚ‾̀ꈊ ‾̀Ꮚ); < GYGAAX laughed. "Ewe could stand to be, KRYQUS. Yes. Just LOOK at Y/C. How can ewe say even a single solitary mean thing about that there cutie patootie?!" Tuggin' yer face into an awaitin' set 'o authorial brasserie, th'royal menagerie incidentally pits ya right in line with a EMINENT INDIGOD OF INDIGOCELS'S dice bag as th'aforementioned storms back onto his feet, now a monolith again. KRYQUS approaches our hug slowly. But not neverly. His arms hover over you. The river is still. Th'air itself thickens and compresses about yer skull, 'n horns, hardly blanketed by th'hoofbeast-scented torso cheekily just behind yonder... ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < what fucking ever ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < here yoou go lil guy ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < lap it up ✧( Ꮚ¬_ ¬Ꮚ) < <> ( Ꮚ⚀ꈊ⚀Ꮚ) < GYGAAX's hands tug around ya like a vanguard against harm. KRYQUS goes back t'bein his usual self...a monument of offended pride...he hugs you. And. Uh oh!!! Y/C feels a scraping sensation...nails possessively curled about one side 'o yer head, just at the barest nuggatory base of the horns (so embarassin'n!!!) and tracin' back towards th'scalp...no matter where ya look...t'KRYQUS or t'GYGAAX...both are complicit!!! A boilin' sort 'o affection wellin' up with intent t'pale, RIGHT ON TOP OF Y/C!!!!! (P1/P??) #SWATTPAD #Vacillation #PaleMoirail #TheWholeParty #FullCampaign #NotEnoughInventorySpace #SFW #YouAreOverencumbered!!! #XReader #FriendFiction #CnC #CavernsAndCullbeasts #KRYQUS #ImpliedAU #GYGAAXxKRYQUS #PALEMULTICLASS #AdventerrorsFieldGuide #CrossPosting #ScrawlThoughts #Drabbles #DubconPale #Polyquandary #TeamChud #GygaaxXEveryone #Palewhoring

Continuing the history of Uesugi Karkat from his courtesan era: The life of a courtesan had educated the Akatsuki in language, poetry, refinement, and performance before a small audience. The next chapter of his life would prepare him to perform in front of a large one. Chosen for youth, beauty, and the type of androgynous features that can be easily slanted towards femininity with a little cosmetic prestidigitation, the life of an ONNAGATA — a Grubuki actor who plays predominantly feminine roles — afforded the troll who would become Uesugi Karkat tremendous fame, recognition, and inordinate wealth for a commoner of foreign hatching. As a former Boiran, the Onnagata had already learned how to wear the feminine grace of a courtesan like a costume in the theater of the Trollshiwara red light district. It was for this reason that he was scouted to play one of the most prestigious roles in any Grubuki play — the leading female role of Aggaei Makkie in the play "The Florastalk of Troll Edo" — for which the character, a commanding, fiercely loyal, and deeply passionate high-ranking courtesan, spurns a wealthy, but abusive highblood customer to protect her quadmate in one of the most famous monologues of scathing, acerbic, pitch-black venom ever recited in Grubuki theatre — the AKKUTTAI. It was for channeling this performance with such peerless vitriol that Uesugi Karkat became one of the most famous Onnagatas of the Troll Edo period. Naturally, the life of a Grubuki actor means constant pressure. Rehearsal, training, perfection of one's craft. Many onnagata of the time preferred to live their craft vicariously at all times, adopting a female persona through which to hone their "method" in everyday life. This was not the case for Uesugi Karkat, who shed his many-colored persona when off the stage to don nondescript gray robes whenever possible. Yet the constant pressure of life in a Grubuki theatre troupe and his ability to navigate it with grace made him both a leader among his fellow actors and something of a popular figure with the stagehands who he commiserated with in the wings. It was from these stagehands, many of whom were well-versed in the art of securing props with ropes, fastening theatrical rigging, and tying elaborate, functional knots, that the famed Onnagata would learn one final skill from the world of the theatre — one that would lead to his secret life as the NAWASHII. More of Uesugi Karkat's history to come in the following chitts. https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ee6014bb70e8.png #uesugikarkat
Humans are very amusing a8out their shipping semantics 8ecause many of them confuse surface aesthetics with interpersonal reality. Jake English possesses the demeanor of someone who 8elieves he should 8e dominant. Adventurous. Dashing. Masculine in an almost theatrical sense. The sort of man who imagines himself sweeping others into his arms atop a moving train. Dirk Strider, meanwhile, possesses the infinitely more dangerous trait of actual psychological control. This creates a fascinating discrepancy in which Jake may occasionally occupy the physical role while Dirk continues to dominate the emotional, conversational, logistical, and narrative flow of the relationship entirely. In other words: #JakeDirk is often still #DirkJake.













