u/EnchantEleven

Main Line: The primary flow of time at a set rate. The "true" version of the timeline. Most of it is unknowable to outside observers. Flows forward like a river or conveyer belt, with the past, present and future happening all at once.

Microloop: A small period of time that splits in two, folding back in on itself as well as continuing the Main Line flow. Periods of time contained in microloops continue to repeat in an endless cycle. Their repetitive nature makes them them incredibly stable, so outside observers can view them more easily. Some microloops encompass multiple isolated periods in the main line. Most last no longer than 30 seconds.

Deviation: When two outcomes can happen at one point, the timeline splits. One continues to flow into the main line as something that "actually happened", while the other creates an alternative, less stable hypothetical future. Flows alongside the main timeline at an equal rate.

Decided to use a Discord template to make a little relationship chart for Fidgety Ferret! The basic explanation here is that on his arrival, his fight or flight instinct led him to smack Mother's hand away and yell at her to get away from him, for reasons he wasn't fully aware of. It just happened. (He has good instincts like that.) He made a really bad first impression with the other children. Hence why nobody really likes him at first. (His subsequent nervous ticks and stammering and jumpiness led to him receiving his house name.) Od and Catie are the only ones willing to really give him a chance after that. And I put him neutral for Mother because he isn't fully aware of why he feels so nervous around her. But after some time, he manages to show that he's not such a bad guy after all and is ultimately accepted by the others. Mother doesn't like this - how he could manage to just get away with disrespecting her like that and the others just forgiving such a sleight. But she can't really do anything now or she'd look bad. By this point, he has already had an encounter that he wishes he could forget, hence the mutual negative feelings. It involves him going out at night for a glass of water where he ends up shielding himself from a blow from a nightmare with a stewpot lid, hiding in the bathroom and using the lid to bash out a pipe from under the sink to use for self defense. He stays in the cabinet under the sink until morning, just as scared as can be, clutching his pipe, silently crying his poor little eyes out, bless him. It's Mother's lukewarm response to hearing about his late-night incident that solidifies his disdain for her. She was so calm about it, brushing it off like "oh, just stay in your room at night and you will be fine." It felt like she was shrugging him off. That scenario can change though. Thoughts?

I think it’s alive? I mean it can’t move, can’t speak, can’t really… well eat. But it’s kinda warm? It feels squishy.

The moral of the story is not to play with swords.