#the birds and snails are having a party out there

[ent-is-indecisive]

Ice cronch. Good.

#also ruminating about projecting my anger issues on characters #while mentally eating popcorn mostly #ent talks #the funny thing about anger issues is that once you've got some experience dealing with them its just whatever #i mean having a bad episode sucks but you have enough control to put on your big boy pants #choose your words and set boundaries #and its not the end of the world! #idk accomodate anger issues and teach your kids how to deal with them/not hurt people instead of punishing them. bc that just compounds it #the birds and snails are having a party out there

[soleilonthesun]

"Under the water, there was a little newt"

Soleil: Hello! I should be rested after creating movies but @merlucide gave me a great idea! The drawing is made by her, so please support her!

Chigiri: Am I a mermaid now?

Soleil: Yes, I see so. But anyway, *looks at the camera* In the next part, you can read the story! I didn't write it in its entirety because English is not my first language! But, but, but, I hope I wrote well! Without further ado, you can start reading this little story!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

☆ The story is inspired by the Little Mermaid.

☆ Chigiri x Fem! reader.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>[🧜🏻‍♂️]>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Far out in the ocean the water is as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass. But it is very deep too. It goes down deeper than any anchor rope will go, and many, many steeples would have to be stacked one on top of another to reach from the bottom to the surface of the sea. It is down there that the sea folk live.

Now don't suppose that there are only bare white sands at the bottom of the sea. No indeed! The most marvelous trees and flowers grow down there, with such pliant stalks and leaves that the least stir in the water makes them move about as though they were alive. All sorts of fish, large and small, dart among the branches, just as birds flit through the trees up here. From the deepest spot in the ocean rises the palace of the sea king. Its walls are made of coral and its high pointed windows of the clearest amber, but the roof is made of mussel shells that open and shut with the tide. This is a wonderful sight to see, for every shell holds glistening pearls, any one of which would be the pride of a queen's crown.

The sea king down there had been a widower for years, and his old mother kept house for him. She was a clever woman, but very proud of her noble birth. Therefore she flaunted twelve oysters on her tail while the other ladies of the court were only allowed to wear six. Except for this she was an altogether praiseworthy person, particularly so because she was extremely fond of her grandson, the little sea triton.

The grandson was the most beautiful of all, the most beautiful of all the tritons and mermaids. He had white skin, like the fine snow of a frozen winter, and his body, half fish, was pink, like a rose petal. His name was Hyoma Chigiri. He was the heir to the kingdom. We can describe it as curious, curious about humans.

Hyoma Chigiri spent all his time in the royal library, being a scholarly prince. The bookstore was chaotic, seaweed there, seaweed there, starfish, snails, little fish, books. Yes, a lot of books. But we don't know what books we know, but rather wooden tablets.

That was their daily bread. Chigiri was there, in his library, reading and fantasizing about humans... What are humans like? The only thing he knows is that they have two legs to walk or run.

At that same moment, her grandmother came, always elegant, "Chigiri, I would like to talk to you. It's time to tell you something."

Chigiri turned to look at her, and with a doubtful voice, "Anything to talk about? What do you want to talk about, Grandma?"

"When you turn 18, you can go to the surface. To see humans, their lives... It's a good gift, right?" Grandma smiles brightly at him.

Chigiri suddenly became excited and rushed towards her grandmother, "Thank you, thank you, Grandma, I love you! This is a fantastic gift!"

The grandmother smiles at him, but after that, the smile faded a little and her face became gloomy. "But yes. I warn you, Chigiri, never go that far from the surface. There are humans who are... bad, so to speak. Can you promise me?"

Chigiri assisted, "I promise, Grandma."

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<🧜🏻‍♂️>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

After that conversation, time passed, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. After seven months, Chigiri turned 18 years old. The age of a newt. The birthday party was truly wonderful. Delicious dishes, dances, confetti, the entire underwater kingdom was celebrating its 18th birthday. Chigiri, at this moment, felt tired…

Until Chigiri, after taking a breath, left the palace and swam to the surface. When he surfaced, he was amazed. It was night, and the stars decorated the night sky with their brightest constellations. There was a palace nearby, and a huge village, which was full of light. Chigiri, amazed, began to swim. Something piqued his curiosity.

Suddenly, a song began to be heard, a song told by a human. Chigiri, out of pure curiosity, swims a little more... And suddenly, his eyes opened in wonder. She was a human. A human who sang and danced on the ship.

"Oh, come on, buddy." You screamed with euphoria.

"Great Archduchess, you know you can't drink..." Another voice said, it sounded like a man.

"Don't be an idiot, Isagi." You looked at him, "The night is just beginning. You know I suffered a lot this year at that school that mom sent me..."

Isagi sighed, "Okay, okay."

Chigiri saw the archduchess. She was a beautiful woman... Although, I couldn't see her entire face.

However, all the happiness was going to fade. A storm had arrived and dangerously shook the ship where the archduchess was. All the men who were on the ship began to work to balance the ship, even the archduchess!

The storm was dangerous. He shook his thunder and the ship began to lurch as if it were a paper boat, until he finally managed to break it and send it to the bottom of the sea.

In the middle of the shipwreck, the archduchess [your name] fell into the sea, trying to save Isagi.... However, the sea was rough and its strength showed how small the archduchess was…

He was amazed by her beauty, her hair, her lips, her cheekbones... A Greek goddess. It was Athena herself...

Chigiri gave a mental slap, and tried to bring it to the surface with all his strength... After reaching the surface, and leaving her on the sand... Chigiri looked, as if he were seeing a painting, at the archduchess.

"I hope they save you, human..." Chigiri whispered.

At that moment, Chigiri, while there, heard some boys approaching and he quickly swam towards the sea for fear of being seen. In the distance, Chigiri saw how his archduchess woke up and managed to get up.

After that encounter, Chigiri always looked at the surface, in case he found the archduchess, but he never saw her. Where is? And when he returned to his library, the sadder he was. He had fallen in love.

All this time, Chigiri was watched by the sea sorcerer...

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<🧜🏻‍♂️>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

#Behind the scenes:

Soleil: I hope you liked it! I feel like I'm becoming a storyteller...!

Chigiri: It is...

Soleil: *tries not to laugh*

#blue lock #girlfriend fc #bllk #bllk x reader #chigiri hyoma #chigiri x reader #blue lock imagines #the little mermaid

[clarinartiste]

Character analysis: the gargoyles as a reflection of Quasimodo

[This is based on the interpretation that the gargoyles are Quasimodo’s imaginary friends, and that their traits can give us some insight into Quasimodo and his own mind and personality]

Part Two: Hugo

Of the three gargoyles, Hugo is the most fun-loving. At the beginning, when Quasimodo looks out at the city below, Hugo says “Hey Quasi! What’s goin’ on? A fight? A flogging?” As we see later during Quasimodo’s humiliation during the Festival of Fools and Phoebus and Quasimodo in the gallows in the Court of Miracles scene, many of the Parisians derive pleasure from public displays of mockery, torment, degradation, and death. And it’s a reflection of history too, a lot of medieval people viewed these kinds of things as sources of entertainment for them.

Being as sensitive and caring as he is, Quasimodo most likely would NOT enjoy those kinds of public executions or displays of torture—in fact, I imagine they would disturb and horrify him. I think that Hugo saying this line is more of a generalization of what the people of Paris find entertaining, rather than what Quasi himself does.

However, what Quasimodo does find entertaining is the Festival of Fools. It’s a joyous celebration with bright colors, confetti, drinking, and merrymaking. Hugo enthusiastically says, “All right, all right! Pour the wine and cut the cheese!” Victor mentions, “Watching the Festival of Fools has always been the highlight of the year for Quasimodo,” and Laverne emphasizes Quasimodo’s long-standing desire to join the festivities, saying, “What good is watching a party if you never get to go?”

Quasimodo deeply craves fun. He clearly wants to be part of this celebration—to seek that kind of freedom and enjoyment with the Parisians. During the part where the gargoyles encourage Quasimodo to join the festival, they come up with different reasons that he should attend. Being his imaginary friends, I interpret this as Quasimodo trying to overcome his own doubts. Hugo juggles the wooden figures and exclaims that there will be “Wine, women, and song!” and “Bobbin’ for snails!” He says “Playin’ dunk the monk!” while dunking Victor with a bucket of water. It shows a cheeky, playful sort of attitude towards religious authority figures like monks, and it also reminds me of Clopin’s line “It’s the day we mock the prig and shock the priest” with his Frollo puppet.

(side note: I also wanted to bring up the part at the beginning where Victor chastises Hugo, “That’s what you get for sleeping with your mouth open” and Hugo sarcastically retorts, “Heheh… go scare a nun.” Also, encouraging Quasimodo to go to the festival, he quips, “No, the Pope. Of course, you!” while putting the wooden figure of a clergyman into Quasimodo’s mouth. This might be a bit of a stretch, but I read that Victor Hugo’s original book has some anti-clerical elements, as he felt disillusioned with the institution of the church at the time he was writing it.

Religion can be a very beautiful, inspiring, and wonderful thing. But unfortunately, some people will weaponize faith for their own personal ambitions, and corruption in churches and other religious institutions is a real issue. Perhaps Hugo the gargoyle lightly poking fun at these clerical figures is a subtle nod to that same concept in the book? After all, in this movie, Quasimodo is raised by a cruel man who claims that the horrific crimes he commits are all in the name of God. Even though Frollo is a judge and not an archdeacon in this adaptation, I feel like the point still stands)

Anyway, back to Hugo and his antics. He loves to have fun, acting unabashedly goofy and outrageous. He plays card games (“I’m losin’ to a bird!”) he crushes on Djali, and he messily eats food and smokes a sausage. Hugo is never afraid to get silly, which is especially prominent during “A Guy Like You.” Using things to imitate curly hair, getting dizzy and seeing double, dangling wooden figures in the gallows (some dark humor), acting as a barber and giving Quasi an over-the-top wig, grinning suavely while pretending to be the head of the muscular statue, getting his horns stuck, and dressing up like Esmeralda.

(look at Quasimodo’s amused smile here :)

Throughout the song, Hugo calls Quasimodo “kid” a lot as a reassuring, affectionate term, and he tries his best to hype him up and make him feel good. Quasimodo and the gargoyles bounce on a cloth like a trampoline, again showing Quasimodo’s strong desire to have fun.

Going back to the point about the Festival of Fools, and Quasimodo being fun-loving, it makes sense why he would want to join. The boisterous revelry, bright colors, singing, dancing, and hedonistic nature of the festival must be incredibly appealing for someone like him. Being isolated in the bell tower for twenty years has really taken a toll on him. His upbringing under Frollo is very strict and ascetic—the alphabet lesson emphasizing sin (abomination, blasphemy, contrition, damnation, eternal damnation)

When Quasimodo absentmindedly says “festival,” he betrays his true desires, and Frollo quickly notices. Realizing his slip-up, Quasimodo becomes more anxious and stutters, “F…f-forgiveness.” But Frollo sees right through him, and he presses, “You said… festival.”

With a look of regret and worry in his eyes, Quasimodo covers his face with his hands. He unsuccessfully tries to reason with Frollo, who swiftly and sternly shuts him down.

Hugo is loud and unapologetic—and, deep down, I think that this is what Quasimodo wishes he could be to Frollo. But Frollo has been an imposing figure to him all his life, and he does not feel like he can stand up to him (until the film’s climax)

I also wanted to point out Quasimodo’s internal resentment towards Frollo. At their lunch, when Frollo asks, “Shall we review your alphabet today?” Quasimodo looks down and mutters, “Oh…yes, Master, I would like that very much.” His tone has a very subtle bite of sarcasm, hinting at his bitterness. But Frollo doesn’t pick up on it, and he continues speaking to Quasimodo as normal. In fact, I don’t think it occurs to Frollo to even consider that Quasimodo is being snarky here.

In the grape scene, when Frollo realizes that Quasimodo helped Esmeralda escape, he loses his temper and thunders, “You idiot! That wasn’t kindness, it was cunning!” He violently grabs Quasimodo by the tunic, shaking him and yelling “Think, boy! Think of your mother!” Then, after calming down and clearing his throat, he says, “But what chance could a poor, misshapen child like you have against her heathen treachery…”

With his condescending attitude, Frollo consistently underestimates Quasimodo’s intelligence. He treats him as though he is lesser—and, fundamentally, I don’t think he really sees Quasimodo as a person. Frollo believes that Quasimodo is incapable of thinking for himself, and so he imposes his own beliefs on him. In “Out There,” he sings, “I who keep you, teach you, feed you, dress you” while holding Quasimodo’s face, demanding that Quasimodo be grateful towards him. Ultimately, Frollo assumes that Quasimodo isn’t capable of free thought or free will. And, in his own cruel and twisted sense of self-righteousness, he sees himself as a “savior” to someone he perceives as below him, devaluing Quasimodo because of his physical deformity.

And, VERY understandably, Quasimodo resents Frollo for this. Even if he does not outwardly show it much, he has been accumulating a sense of bitterness for all the years that Frollo has mistreated him. I believe that Hugo is representative of Quasimodo’s desire to disobey Frollo. When encouraging him to go to the festival, he says with a mischievous smile, “Who says ya gotta ask? You sneak out… and ya sneak back in.”

“You could wear a disguise! Just this once. What Frollo doesn’t know can’t hurt ya.” Suggesting that Quasimodo not tell Frollo about his escapade, he encourages him to assert his independence.

Later, in the dialogue leading up to “A Guy Like You,” Hugo holds a deck of cards and says, “If I know Esmeralda, she’s three steps ahead of Frollo and ask out of harm’s way.” He holds up a three of hearts when he says the word “three,” and flips it. When he says “Frollo,” he holds up the joker card.

The implication here being that Frollo is a joker, a buffoon, a fool. It’s a subtle and impudent jab at him that suggests that while Quasimodo might fear Frollo for how controlling and cruel he is, he doesn’t entirely respect him as a figure of authority. Through his imaginary friend Hugo, Quasimodo lightly makes fun of Frollo as a way to “get back” at him, coping with how horrible he is.

I also wanted to explore how Hugo reflects Quasimodo’s feeling towards Phoebus. After Quasimodo forces Phoebus to leave the cathedral, Hugo congratulates Quasi and says, “The nerve of him! Snoopin’ around here, trying to steal your girl!” and “Way to go, lover boy!”

He really encourages Quasimodo and raises his hopes of being with Esmeralda. Later, when talking about Esmeralda, Victor says, “Knights in shining armor certainly aren’t her type”—alluding to Phoebus—and Hugo adds, “And those guys are a dime a dozen! But you, you’re one of a kind.”

In “A Guy Like You,” he constantly references how Quasimodo is unique. He sings, “A guy like you, she’s never known, kid” and “You’ve got a look, that’s all your own, kid.” Hugo also tries to elevate Quasimodo’s self-esteem by comparing him to other guys (read: Phoebus). He knocks around wooden figurines hanging from ropes, singing,

“Those other guys that she could dangle / All look the same from every boring point of view!” (also, this might be kind of a stretch, but the figures being blonde and having shoulder-length hair might be a little reference to Phoebus too haha)

Hugo positively affirms again to Quasimodo, “You’re a surprise from every angle / Mon Dieu above, she’s gotta love a guy like you” (side note: I love the ringing of the bells on that second line, something about it sounds so sweet :)

Immediately after the song, Esmeralda brings an injured Phoebus to the bell tower and she asks Quasimodo to hide him. The kiss scene happens, and Quasimodo quietly cries, broken-hearted. But he still helps hide Phoebus, and after the grape scene with Frollo, Quasimodo expresses doubt about himself, bitterly saying, “She already has her knight in shining armor, and it’s not me.”

But his compassion wins over—he cares about Esmeralda so much that it overpowers his resentment towards Phoebus. Of course, he still feels really hurt after seeing Esmeralda and Phoebus kiss, and so he acts bitter and quarrelsome around Phoebus. I really appreciate this because I think it makes Quasimodo more real and believable as a character. Yes, he is a very sweet and sensitive person, but he’s also capable of being jealous and petty, and I feel like that contrast makes him really interesting.

Phoebus pats Quasimodo’s back and asks, “Truce?” After hesitating, Quasimodo says, “Well… okay,” with a forceful pat on Phoebus’ back (right where the arrow struck him)

Phoebus grimaces in pain, and as they head off to follow the map, Quasimodo utters a simple “sorry.” Phoebus grumbles, “No you’re not.” It’s a funny exchange, and another example of Quasimodo being bitter. Like I said before—although he is an overall kind and gentle person, he also has moments of spite, and I think these add some wonderful nuance to his character.

In conclusion, as an imaginary friend, Hugo reflects Quasimodo’s sense of humor, his fun-loving nature, his desire for independence, and his potential for irreverence. While Quasimodo is overall a very loving and gentle person, he also harbors resentful feelings towards Frollo, and a grudge against Phoebus (the latter fading away as the two develop a stronger trust and friendship :)

#quasimodo #victor #hugo #laverne #gargoyles #frollo #phoebus #character analysis #the hunchback of notre dame

[plainviewwelcomesyou]

Sit the closet one

You play it safe and just sit in the one closest to you.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Ya know what we like to do here, kid? We like to have ourselves a good load’a fun. And hey - what’s more fun than a lil’ game? So let’s play a lil’ game called “Who’s Who”. Need I explain more?

You shake your head ‘no’.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Good. Ya already know ya place.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Obviously -

He puts his hands on his chest.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: There’s me. Good ol’ Lucia Celebration, the one ‘n’ only Birthday King. When things get run, I’m the one runnin’ em. ‘Head honcho’, ‘big shot’, whateva’ words ya have to sum up “the guy in charge”.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: And over there,

He points to another member. This one bearing the resemblance of a three-headed fish.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Is-

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: HARK! FOR I AM IMAGIO DIATRIBE, ORDERER OF THE GUNCH!!! YOU, LOWLY RECRUIT, HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY STRIPPED OF INDIVIDUALITY, AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO ME!!!! ME AND THE GUNCH, OH THAT MAGNIFICENT MACHINE THAT I ALONE BUILT TO PEEL AT THE FREEDOM OF THE MIND - THAT’S RIGHT, THE GUNCH AND ME!!! SO TO HELL WITH THE TULSE AND HER INFERIOR ROBOT CREATIONS, WHO’S LAUGHING NOW YOU FUC-

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Imagio would you please get off of the table.

Imagio is, in fact, on the table.

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: OH.

Imagio is no longer on the table.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Now, for someone who actually knows how to ACT correctly - Mx. Adelias, would you do the honors?

The bird-like being closes the fan that had once been obscuring their face, revealing a suave, put-together appearance.

EIDELIAS ADELIAS: Charmed to. Hello, dear - you can call me Eidelias Adelias, or going by my title, ‘Official Birthday Party Supervisor of Spectacle’.

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: THERE THEY GO, “OFFICIAL BLEHBLEHBLEHBLEEEE”- WEAR IT OUT, WILL YOU?!

EIDELIAS ADELIAS: Imagio, for the self described ‘pillar of control’ you certainly don’t have the best grasp on controlling yourself~

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: I WILL RIP YOU APART YOU LITTL-

LUCIA CELEBRATION: MR. DIATRIBE I CAN AND WILL RETURN THAT PUNY LITTLE PIPE ORGAN OF YOURS IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!

Imagio gets teary in all three pairs of eyes.

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: MY ORGAN??? MY PRICELESS ORGAN?!

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: THE ONE BOUND OF PIXIE-SILVER AND THE FINEST BIRCH?!

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: I-I SWEAR UP AND DOWN ON MY LIFE, SIR, MOTHER GOSS FORGIVE MY SOUL, I’LL BEHAVE! I’LL BEHAVE!!!! I PROFUSELY APOLOGIZE FOR EEEEVERYTHING!!!!!!! I’M SO SORRY FOR EVER TORMENTING YOU WITH QUARELLSOME NOTHINGS!!!! I DIDN’T MEAAAAN ITTTTTT!!!!!

The fish - or fishes - turns into a shaky mess of incoherent tears. At least she’s not talking anymore, and that seems to be good enough for Lucia.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: B.B., would you-

EIDELIAS ADELIAS: I regret to inform you that it appears that B.B is absent from today’s gathering. In the Gauntlet, I presume.

Lucia looks over to an empty chair, the one meant for B.B.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: RIGHT. RUNNIN’ THE GAUNTLET. YEAH.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: PHINEAS GEARSHIFT?!

An elderly half-mechanized snail-man sitting across from you wakes up from somehow being able to sleep through all this.

PHINEAS GEARSHIFT: HUH? BWHUH? HUH?!!

LUCIA CELEBRATION: READ. WHAT’S ON. THE PAGE.

PHINEAS GEARSHIFT: Oh.

Mr. Gearshift shuffles paperwork around, before reading off one sheet in particular.

PHINEAS GEARSHIFT: ‘My name is Phineas Gearshift, owner of Gearshift Incorporated and a … gl…GLAD endorser of The Birthday Party. As the appointed Old Money Manager of this fine establishment of hardworking individuals, I proudly back the Birthday Party with…MILLIONS of my own dollars…each. Year.’ That good enough fer ‘ya?

LUCIA CELEBRATION: It works.

Little Man sits up from one of the member chairs - shocking you that he even has a chair at all. But, his name is on a plaque, so..?

LITTLE MAN: DHDHDGSGSGSHSSJAHSHSHSSHHSNSNSBSBSJSHSGSBSKSJSJSBJSSJHSHAHSJSJSSHHEBBEJESHSHJSJSJSSBSHSBSSBSISHSH

LUCIA CELEBRATION: …Wisely said, Lil’ guy.

IMAGIO DIATRIBE: WAIT WHY DOES HE HAVE A SEA-

LUCIA CELEBRATION: Shuttup AND LASTLY, THE STAR OF THE SHOW - CINNAFUN SWIRL HERSELF!

Cinnafun laughs and waves awkwardly, looking incredibly uncomfortable for such a confident pop star.

CINNAFUN SWIRL: Ummm. Hiii~iiii. I’m Cinnafun Swirl, and….I….I’m the appointed Diva of Doom, and….~ Ha. Yeah. That’s me. Hi.

LUCIA CELEBRATION: That’s ‘em all, then. Finally. New guy, is there ANYTHING you need me to repeat on that front?! ANYTHING AT ALL?!

(No, we… we can move on.)

(YOU PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS.)

#plainview

[redscorpiocat]

Random facts about my characters that you may or may not know since we got this far

Mr. Feral got his name after being ferocious since birth

Sweet Pea's halo can be used as a magic hulahoop or a circus ring

Mrs. Migraine celebrates her parties in the catacombs with the dead and the lords of the dead

Mrs. Rebrand and Mrs. Migraine are sisters

Lanna's mother is a fashion designer and her father is a photographer and a story writer

Sweet Pea's waist is slightly cinched

Carlos can change color on what background he chooses to blend in like a real chameleon

Darby is obsessed with early to mid 2000's Hot Topic stuff

Lanna has designed her own outfits with the help of her mother's inspirational artwork

Sir Plasma is inspired by the rainbow light prism, hence the rainbow colored body

Sweet Pea speaks a bit of Japanese whenever he needs to

Lanna sings Latin whenever she needs to

Mr. Feral can be a sweetheart at times despite his name, which was based on his looks and not his attitude towards the innocent folks

Mrs. Migraine used to be a princess that used to suffer from migraines, hence the name she got in the afterlife

Mrs. Rebrand's favorite song is anything made by May Roosevelt and was actually inspired by the songs

Mr. Feral can rap whenever he wants

Sweet Pea's snap mode can act like a pterodactyl if hungry

E.H is part cartoon and can break fourth walls a lot of needed for comical moments

Outsmarter! C.M can shape shift into an entirely different being and take any form as desired. Examples: A cat, a man, a woman, a tree, an oversized green Phoenix bird, even a person he knows and can take their place to make it better if their friends, or worse if their enemies

Outsmater! Eteled is an 8 foot walking stereo

The name for Poki the Pilk-ling was inspired by Rachel and Jun's cat named "Poki (They're cats are adorable >w<💝)

Spicy Sherbet (Feral and Lanna fusion) eats anything spicy, including the reaper pepper

Angel amethyst (Lanna and Sweet Pea fusion) can sing a heavenly voice if needed

Feral Pea (Feral and Sweet Pea fusion) Has durable and non-toxic ecto-wings

Tammy hangs out with other snails, including slugs and all

Carlos can swing on trees, attack/defend himself, or just hang around with his strong-ass tongue

Sullivan's favorite food is sushi, despite not having teeth, but has a bigger stomach like his mother (That I'll introduce later in the future)

Sour Puss is one charismatic bastard (Of an angle boyo)

Psychosis barks when he's in his straight jacket, but can turn sicko mode when he doesn't have his straight jacket on

Shaniqua listens to Michael Jackson a lot

Zachie and Darby have a relationship, just wasn't introduced yet (But will be ;3c)

Manipulator-chan can crawl on walls

Darby is into early to late 2000s trends and all

Bridgette likes being called a geek, because it makes her feel boosted with energy

Manipulator-chan's real name is Julietta

.

.

More facts coming sooooon :3

#Me talking #Random facts with Redscorpiocat #my oc #sweet pea #lanna #mr. feral #Mrs. Migraine #Mrs. Rebrand #carlos the chameleon #madeline mermaid #Manipulator chan #Madaline the dog girl #Tammy the snail #Sullivan the baby Salamander #Cecilia (Carlos' mom) #Zachie #Bridgette #Shaniqua #e.h. #Villain au #Rebelliana #sour puss #Mr. Psychosis #Mrs. Tumor and Mrs. Deconstruct #Darby

[justaspecter]

Continuation of Marco/reader wip I did last time . Couldn't get the idea out of my head. This is just a random wip.

"What happened last night?"

A smirk tugged on the side of your lips, without looking from the direction of the voice you knew it was your hungover commander.

"You lose, that's what happened."

A loud irritated "tsk" could be heard from the other side of the counter, as Thatch rummaged in his secret cabinet. "Really? I thought you got hots for that birdbrain?"

You only chuckled when you heard your commander groan and began complaining. "I think you're the one with a brain which matches the size of a seagull commander. You bet off all your stash last night."

Thatch owlishly stared at you. "Ah, fucking hell. And here I thought you're gonna get laid last night."

"Oh, Thatch you ugly baguette you never learn do you?" As you smiled at him you lent him your packet of cigarettes. "Now fuck off and clean yourself up, so you can help me with lunch afterwards."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still your commander you know," He grumbled, a light tease breeze passed through his voice.

Unfortunately from the situation he put you through last night was still raw, the tease only flared the annoyance you pushed aside last night. Because, well let's just say you got pretty cornered last night.

Your nosy commander was being helpful in his own way, and you appreciate it really. He was one heck of a man you would dearly fight for because of familial love for him, but you also wanted to strangle him with his own fucking hair from being shit. And now with his hair down like a fucking mop you contemplate if wringing his hair around his neck would even worth the trouble.

The knife in your hand slammed in the chopping board and stared at your commander, although you have to look up so you can properly match his line of sight, the obvious height difference didn't stop one of your eyebrows from tugging up.

"Well, commander, will you please kindly clean yourself up then." And you watched his nerves fried from your unrelenting stare.

"I'm on it, ok," he snapped before stomping off the kitchen, leaving you alone. Thanks to the party last night most of your companions were still snoring in their respective bunk beds from being shit face wasted and exhausted.

As amusing as it was watching your commander lose his nerves whenever you gave him the look of your neutral displeasure, it only reserved with this occasion when it was just the two of you in the same room.

It's your peculiar way of showing affection with how standoffish you came off sometimes, even distant on bad days.

You admitted you got your issues. The world didn't care about how young you were when tragedy happened, you just survived while emotionally and mentally scared.

And up to this day even if you were now living the life of piracy, with a ridiculous amount of crew, being a part of this so-called "big family" was still a dizzying concept to accept for your distrustful ass.

Of course there's your idiot commander and Pops that you trust. You were still on an awful track of work in progress. A very snail pace of progress in your commander's opinion. So Thatch being Thatch decided it was time to intervene, in the most convenient time too.

…

You thought after last weeks party would led into an awkward encounter with the zoan commander. But no. It was worse, worse than Thatch pulling pranks on you, worse than that idiot friend of yours telling his bread puns for the nth time.

Here you are in the crow nest, chilling for an afternoon break. Desperate for an escape, thinking if you were out of sight, you would be out of his list to annoy.

For the first time in the ship you didn't want to see anything purple, or blond tufted of hair, or blue, especially blue flame in the form of bird or harpy, and even pineapple. You couldn't even enjoy your favorite drink.

An exasperated sigh escaped through your nose when you unconsciously dragged your pencil a little harder from writing down notes for your next project.

Then out of nowhere, not even your observation alerted you of the presence behind you, the only indication you got were the heavy sets of talons perched on your shoulders.

"Can you not?"

The first commander in his bird form chortled and only sagged his weight further on top of your head.

"This is getting ridiculous Marco, with your oversized form you looked like a damn hen incubating my head." Your usual passive voice started to raise.

"I'm trying to help. Thatch told me you're trying to cool off."

"Well, Marco, your definition of help contradicts with what you are trying to achieve."

He leaned his head down over your face, beak almost pecking your forehead. "At least I tried yoi." There's something lingering in his words that didn't sit right with her. As if he was prodding into something that wasn't supposed to be there for him to poke, but somehow he managed to.

Eyes squinted into a glare directed to his lazy pair. This bird! If only he was just a bird you already grabbed his neck and plucked his fiery feathers.

You found his sapphire orbs infuriating as he gazed at you in full attention and interest. Now he dared to seek you out.

"Don't you have better things to do?" You huffed when his fiery feathers tickled your ears and all you could do was stay still, or you'd led him from discovering one of your ticklish spots.

"My work can wait til nighttime. Why are you avoiding me, y/n?"

The scoff dragged out from you was unrestrained of indignation from the offensive inquiry the zoan threw at you. "Me? Avoiding you. What nonsense. Why would I do that when we barely interacted before? Isn't the right question is, why are you seeking me out all of the sudden?" You berated as polite as your patience could take.

What's with the sudden interest? You were sure the explanation you gave him would conclude whatever Thatch led him on from that night. Whatever bet that was it should have ended that night, Marco shouldn't be here annoying you.

"How come I didn't notice you before yoi?" Again he was hanging his head upside down as he stared at you.

Never expected this guy could be a literal birdbrain for a man of his caliber. Now you question your standards for liking him.

A pain right on your forehead abruptly pulled you out of your musing. "Did you just peck my forehead?"

"Yeah?"

This guy, no wonder you rather chill with Vista or Izo besides your commander and your fellow kitchen staff, heck you would even prefer Ace's insecure ass over this bastard right now.

"Real mature first commander. Can you–" the urge of telling him to fuck off like how you treat others halted right at the very back of your throat. He's not one of them and he was still a superior. "Can you get off of me, now."

"If you answer my question."

Well, this was frustrating as fuck. Not even the cold flames from his devil fruit could ease the tension in your head. "Busy with my own thing. Besides you occasionally teased Thatch with me before. But other than that we didn't have any interaction. Don't know why you still bother now."

The talons on your shoulders lifted followed by the weight on your head was removed. You didn't bother looking at him as he transformed back to being human before taking a seat beside you.

"You can blame it on me being intimidated."

"By what?" You almost snorted a scoff at his reply. Yes, by all means be intimidated with a standoffish, five feet four inches female body but stubbornly claims being a man (not a secret anymore thanks to Thatch). Your hands continued writing down the formulas for the next batch and estimation of necessary materials for the next concoction.

"By you. Your presence and how you carry yourself."

"Hmm, it must have been my experience from my previous work." Upon turning your head towards him, you were suddenly caught off with the sight of his smile and eyes that reminded you of the first sight of an ocean after the years of darkness, your first taste of freedom.

"Heh, you really are something yoi. Hope you won't mind if I continue bothering you."

You rolled your eyes but the grin on the corner of your lips betrayed the annoyance you wanted to convey. "Sure as if you're not annoying enough. Just don't blame me if you happen to end up getting drunk." You said as you kept your eyes staring straight at him.

His lids no longer held it's usual droopiness as they showed the sign of attentive glee. "Thanks for the heads up, bartender," he chuckled.

Your observation alerted you the emerging presence of your commander towards the deck and you knew your break time was up. Gathering all your material in your arms, you faced the zoan commander as you took a half kneeling position. He was startled when you lightly tapped his cheeks, taking all his attention towards you.

"It's not a heads up if it's coming from me, Marco. It's a promise."

And just like that you left him in the crow nest without looking back.

#writing #one piece x reader #marco x reader #marco x y/n #marco the phoenix #just a wip

[noro-noro-noro]

had a dream where the firsthalf was a bit like zombie apocalypse survival. I remember like cleaning my hairbrush and throwing the hair out of my car onto a collapsed building and a bird picked up the hair knot to use it as a nest or something & I was like oh isn't that bad for them won't it get tangled around their feet...? but anyway yeah I knew (meta knowledge) there were probably other safe places that weren't les by crazy people since the one we were at was like... the westworld universe or something, but I had no map or location.

second dream is that me & my sister & my dad moved to some small blue house high up in the mountains. the view wasnt that great but there was a big lake next to this hill. there was a truck that drove on the water and I was like oh I want one of those it looks cheap and fun to take around! we had a lot of neighbors that had ways to cross the water. one of them had 3 kids who seemed between ages 6-10. they were all blond and they followed us back home bc they wanted to play with us, so they went with me to explore this cave that led under the lake. the insifeof thr cave looked like one of the secret zones from snailiad, the one under snail city called ??? that you have to go through to get to the temple of the moon god snail or whatever, except with more muted and pastel colors. I wasn't able to make any progress before, but this became like a side-on platformer and with multiple party members I could start getting around and opening doors. they each had abilities. two could turn into a shape and fly short distances & then glide, which helpd a lot.

we got to this glowing figure in a room that imparted a curse onto me, where the character in party slot 1 would die permanently if knocked out so we had to protect it for 3 (??) it felt like it said days but it wasn't that long. that was me. but I had the sword that did the most DMG and could one or two shot the enemies in this wave, but the projectile attacks were an issue. i used characters 3 & 4 more bc one had a weak but aoe knock back and 3 had a slightly shittier dagger.

e eventually got through that and split up to each take on one enemy & just as I was finishing combat with mine after the other 3, I woke up bc my sister called me on the phone to complain

#dreams

[myaztecadventure]

Moctezuma Meeting Cortés

(Public Domain)

My third day in Tenochtitlán has been the most interesting by far. This morning I woke up to a flurry of activity happening all around me. I asked what was going on and apparently a large group of Spanish explorers are making their way into the city. I quickly follow the crowd, attempting to get a good view of the welcome party that was led by Emperor Moctezuma (Cortés). Moctezuma, dressed in his finest attire, looks very regal surrounded by his chiefs and numerous attendants to greet the visitors (Cortés). As we approach, I notice a vast number of Spaniards on horseback but there is one man that stands out among the group (Cortés). The leader looks incredibly familiar…it is the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortés! Cortés dismounts his horse to greet Moctezuma but is stopped by Moctezuma’s two chiefs (Cortés). The Aztecs must first perform a customary greeting, bowing to kiss the earth, which I assume is their way of showing respect to visitors (Cortés). Cortés finally meets Moctezuma and gives him a gorgeous necklace made of pearls and cut glass (Cortés). Similarly, Moctezuma presents Cortés with a gift of two necklaces with eight hanging shrimps of refined gold, wrapped in cloth made from red snail shells (Cortés). Moctezuma holds Cortés and the visitors in high-esteem; he almost treats them as if they are gods come to earth. Listening in on their conversation, Cortés assures Moctezuma that they are his friends and the Aztec people have nothing to fear from them (Cortés). I am not sure why but I get a very unsettling feeling when I look at Cortés as he speaks of his intentions…Finally, the group begins the walk back to Moctezuma’s palace for a welcome feast and Moctezuma and Cortés grasp hands as a show of affection (Cortés).

Moctezuma’s palace is beautiful! There is an enormous courtyard with a chess-board style pavement, multiple cages with many different species of birds, and cages with lions, tigers, wolves, foxes, and so many more (Cortés)! We make our way into the palace and it is full of Moctezuma’s subjects (Cortés). I feel so lucky to explore the palace and to be included in this lavish feast that we are about to have. We arrive in the large hall, which is Moctezuma’s preferred place to eat, and sit down on the leather cushions at the table (Cortés). Before the meal begins, water is brought out to cleanse our hands (Cortés). The young servants bring out an array of dishes, including all types of meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables (Cortés). Due to the colder climate, a chafing-dish with hot coals is put under every dish to keep the food warm (Cortés). There seems to be an endless amount of food and I do not even know where to begin! When each dish is empty, a new one is brought out and they do not use the same dish or chafing-dish with hot coals twice (Cortés). After the meal, fresh water is brought out again to cleanse our hands (Cortés).

[gooberpg]

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 3)

The Binmanwa Party

Malakas, a shamanistic healer

Bantok, a bow hunter

Eumining-gud, an aswang (?)

Dumalapdap, a ratfolk musketeer

Alon, a textile weaver

Kilala, a ratfolk cook

Tusok, a witch's apprentice

Enter Tusok, New Party Member

Another boat entered the ruin behind the party. It had just one passenger. He waved at the party with his tattooed arms.

He called himself Tusok, the apprentice of a witch connected to the Company. He had a debt to her, so he's pretty much in the same situation as the rest of the party. He claims his companions have gone ahead of him in the ruin.

The party gave their wary introductions. Some don't know whether to trust him yet. "Prove your worth," they said.

Eumining-gud recognized the tattoos, shaped like elephant tusks. They are Mentala that will change his entire form. But to what, she doesn't know yet.

The Lungs

Exploring the ruin, they came upon a fork in the road with three paths. They took the first one which led them to a dome chamber.

It looks like a ballroom, at least it must have been before. But now its carpet is that of roaches and guano, its ceiling fixtures are that of kingfishers hanging like bats, and its dancing music is that of deafening chirps and chatter.

One kingfisher stood out. It looks like a hologram projected into incense smoke. "Stupid human! Come here! Trapped here? Name's Sikkukurut!"

The party is wary of the smog bird, but they conversed with it.

"Sikkukurut knows stuff! Help Sikkukurut?"

The bird wants treats; vampire snails are her favorite. The bird wants help with pranks. She tells them to completely detooth a cave crocodile. "Funny shit!"

The party had no idea what a vampire snail or a cave crocodile is like, but said they'll come back when they have done either. They wonder if the real prank was on them.

The Cloth-Packed Belly

The party doubled back and took the second tunnel. The path is interrupted by an abyss. There is a path across made of teak logs, staked onto the face of the wall. The party hopped onto each teak log to pass through.

They come upon an ink-black archway sporting cavorting monkeys. Beyond it is a shopping-arcade-like space. Each open lot is overflowing with a different kind of human accountrement. A hulking mass of pebbles and stones is sorting through a pile.

The party is intrigued by the pebble golem. They tossed a random stone in its direction, to get its attention. The stone snaps like a magnet and joined the pebble golem's body. It noticed the party, but doesn't seem to be very interested.

Some turned their eyes on the overwhelming piles of stuff. Dumalapdap found a handful of tokens inscribed with monkeys. Eumining-gud found a sarong with softneck turtle patterns; wearing it makes her neck longer. Alon found a pedal harp made of solid gold, buried under a pile of sandals. Tusok found the clothes of his former group.

The mystery of what happened to the group that came before them weighed on their minds. They remembered something Sikkukurut said. Trapped here, was it?

Treasure Logistics

The party decided to check if the boat they came in with is still where it was, in the mouth of the ruin. Half of the party wanted to bring the gold harp with them. It could make a dent in their collective Debt, after all.

The harp was heavy, made of solid gold. It required two pairs of hands to carry. It was a manageable problem until they got to the teak log path above the abyss. Can't really hop while carrying a large golden instrument, can they?

An illustration of the situation, by Tusok

After much deliberation, they had a solution: stick their swords underneath the harp to act as skiis, then pull the harp across with some rope.

The plan seemed to work. The harp was halfway through the teak log bridge when they heard a roar of twittering and fluttering. A swarm of kingfishers were heading their way. Almost everyone are on the other side already, but Dumalapdap was right behind the harp, pushing it. He hugged the log he was on and waited for the swarm to pass him by. And pass him by they did.

After the swarm, getting the harp to the other side was an easy task.

The Closed Mouth

The party reached the mouth of the ruin. Something was different. Gone was the sunlight reflecting on shimmering water, now it's just completely dark.

Their boat was still there. Alon and Tusok used it to go where the opening used to be, only to be met with solid rock. Sikkukurut was right. They are trapped.

AFTERTHOUGHTS

Ever had moments in a session when you forget details of rooms or encounters? Or when you change a feature of an adventure because you think it would be cool, but in the back of your mind you hope this change doesn't betray the other elements of the adventure?

This session had a lot of those. Here's hoping nothing breaks lol.

At least my group said they had fun. :D

#actual play #osr #play report #rpg #rpgsea #ttrpg

[seconddoubt]

CTRL, sza!

hi and thank you<3 i had only heard drew barrymore from this album so it was fun to listen through it all! i just know i would have been obsessed with this album if it had been out when i was 17 and devoured contemporary r&b playlists on 8tracks. these days i have a little harder getting into it, i actually feel my music taste is getting narrower as i get older, SAD! but it's what it is

my favorite lyric: i def like broken clocks best lyric wise

I don't eat, can't sleep past 9 AM Heartbeat make me feel young again (Make me feel like a—) Can't beat 'em, just join the party (Let me join the party) I don't wanna, don't need nobody

though i will say i was a little disappointed to find out spotify had the wrong lyrics, they thought it said "feel young again (like a snail, like a—)" and i thought that was just wonderful because - sidenote - snails always remind me of my childhood summers, i used to walk around the garden and put as many as i could find in a box and release them in the forest to save them from getting in the snail death traps, so having "feel young again" and "snail" in the same line made perfect sense to me,

but then i listened again and it didn't sound right and i looked it up on other pages and yeah, still good though

my favorite song: since it's all so new to me nothing is solidified but i really like garden (say it like dat) that real low, rumbling synth bass and the little bubbly synth line in the verses, lovely! really like pretty little birds and 20 something too

the song that makes me cry: none

the song that’s a fucking bop: it's a very chill album so it's not really boppy is it, but i think drew barrymore or prom is closest

the song i most dislike/least love: love galore

(link to the ask post in case anyone wanna rb it, it's fun!)

#asks #ask games #anon

[fromanartistsheart2]

U asked for a down by the creek version of under the sea in Adam lee Marcus music supporters

Down By The Creek

Ronda, listen to me

The corporate world, it's a mess

Life down by the creek

Is better than anything they got out there

The creek mud is always squishy

In somebody else's creek

U dream about going out there

But that will b a mistake

Just look at your world around u

Right there on the creek bed floor

Such relaxing times surround u

What more r u askin' for

Down by the creek

Down by the creek

Honey it's better down where it's wetter

Take it from me

Up in the office work all day

Out in the sun they do not play

While we devotin'

Full time to floatin'

Down by the creek

Down here all the people's happy

As off thru the mud they stroll

The peeps in the office r mad

They mad 'cause they have to work

But those in the office lucky

They in for a worser fate

One day when the boss gets angry

Guess who gone get be gettin' fired?

Oh no, down by the creek

Down by the creek

Nobody beat us

Try it and u'll see

There's harmony

We what the corporate loves to hate

Down by the creek worms on our hooks

Forgetting troubles

Making the bubbles

Down by the creek (down by the creek)

Down by the creek (down by the creek)

Life here is sweeter

We got the beat here

Naturally (na-tur-a-lee-e-e)

Even the crappie and the bass

Open their mouth and it's not sass

We got the music

U got to use it

Down by the creek

The gar play guitar

The croc he can rock

The clams they can jam

And don't give a damn

Raccoon play bassoon

The snail he can wail

The gator sings baritone

(Yeah)

The snake he can hiss

The caiman bellows

The catfish they yowl

The rattle snakes shake

The snail and minnow

They know how it goes

And oh that bird can screech

Yeah, down by the creek (down by the creek)

Down by the creek (down by the creek)

When the salmon

Begin their journey

It's magic to me (It's magic to me)

What do they got? A paper cut?!

We got a hot long pontoon party

Each little redneck

Has a bottle longneck

Down by the creek

Each little redneck

Causing a boatwreck

Down by the creek

Each little redneck

Knows how to cause hell

That's y it's hotter

Down by the water

Ya u're in luck here

Down by the creek

© From A Poet's ❤️

Adam Lee Marcus I can't post it in the group but this is what u inspired with the under the sea challenge

[declanfs]

May 21, 2023

So you’ve gotten a lot more independent and we’re doing so many fun things now that the weather is nice, so I’ve been neglecting updates. Since my last post in March:

- you like to play and lay and dig in sawdust that dada dumps over the fence

- we started giving you melatonin at bedtime and it has been a game changer. Instead of taking 90 min to fall asleep, it takes 20-30, which is a totally normal amount of time. I think that your body just has a hard time winding down and then you get overtired and its just a disaster. But melatonin is the little nudge you need to relax.

- you dug in the ashes of the fire pit and burned 6/8 of your finger tips

-you completed your second wave of survival swim and can now begrudgingly survive and swim to the edge of the pool if you somehow fall in unsupervised - highly unlikely, but better to be prepared.

- we’ve learned you like to wear noise canceling headphones for chronic loud noises (lawn mowers, power washer, etc), so that’s really cool to be aware of when you are so little. (I ordered them for a monster truck show that we ended up not going to)

- you got your second haircut

- Easter! You did so great at the egg hunt and loved your stuffed honey bee the Easter bunny left. Along with egg shaped chalk and garden tools and way too many other things because the Easter bunny spoils you even more than we do. We dyed eggs. You were a cute outfit with a bow tie.

- you’ve learned how to identify specific bugs and birds. Roly poly, ladybug, worms, snakes, beetles, slugs, snails, robin, cardinal, owl, woodpecker, goldfinch. I’m amazed by you and your vocabulary.

- riding with you in the car is actually a delight most of the time. You look out the window and make all kinds of observations. Pink house! Water tower! Excavator! BIG truck! Cement Mixer! Horses! Cows! Trees! Jeep! Van!

- You still really love to see the mail truck or delivery drivers, they are local celeb status in your world.

- we went to a tulip picking farm! You weren’t super impressed by the tulips after the first 10 minutes, but you really liked the bouncy houses and the little houses and playgrounds. We’ll definitely go back and plan better in regard to your nap.

- you ran a race at the Stafford hospital with Ryan on a weekend you spent with Granny! You ran for a part of the way at least, but you were only 1 and new to races so you did really well all things considered.

- We got a new car - a Hyundai palisade. We all love it very much.

- You love to eat coconut milk ice cream sandwiches and have started asking for them for breakfast.

- You love to go on the trails and to the parks. Our neighborhood park and the court land park. It’s tough for you to understand that we cannot go to Courtland elementary during the weekday.

- Your vocabulary has really exploded in every way, and I feel so grateful. You are so chatty and communicative about what you want and what you need. We can say “show me” and you’ll take us to what you need if you don’t know the words for it yet. You’ve said things like “a cardinal on bird feeder”

- we’ve had play dates with so many friends: Lily and Chase; Archer; Jace and Cami; Rey and Remi; Stella and Laney;

- You learned how to rock your body back and forth to get a car you’re riding in to roll down a hill

- we got you some of those bank box blocks and you love to make a big house and watch Tumble Leaf inside

- We had a whole tumble leaf themed birthday party that only one other family truly appreciated because Tumble leaf is wildly under appreciated

- we got a new trampoline with netting so that you and your friends will be safe

- we learned you share a birthday with Sir David Attenborough, which is honestly so perfect for your current demeanor and interests

- you and dada had a 3-day party together while mama went to Philadelphia to see Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour

- you’ve been to 2 more birthday parties (Remi/Rey and Jack)

- you pushed a shopping cart around Publix and it was the cutest thing ever

- You’ve helped me workout in the gym twice and it actually wasn’t as difficult for me as I expected

- you went camping and slept in a tent for the first time!

I will probably do posts about more of these things in detail, but wanted to document just in case time gets away from me again and I just do a big photo dump.

[subqtaneoussmut]

The Tea Girl's Gambit (Chapter 3)

Roxa yawned and blinked against the early sunlight flooding the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the curtains a brilliant white. She rose and padded naked to her armoir. Stretching like a cat, she grinned at her own reflection, remembering her dreams. She’d been back home at the Rose Keep, where waterfalls tumbled down fern-covered cliffs of granite and rose quartz, and thousands of birds wheeled and drank the mist and called to each other. She’d been out riding with a lovely girl and they’d returned to the keep and fallen right into Roxa’s silk-sheeted bed…

Roxa made a wry face. It had really been two months, hadn’t it? Lady’s glittering tits, she’d known the Yavanese were uptight about sex, but somehow she hadn’t really expected to suffer the consequences herself. She knew that there was some delightful frisson of attraction between herself and her cute roommate, but it didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and Roxa was not about to push Mila at all if the Opali girl wasn’t ready.

Roxa pulled on a shift and brought out her practice blade for exercises. As she began to limber up, she considered her quiet, self-possessed roomie. As soon as they’d met, Roxa knew she wanted to be friends and had done her best to set Mila at ease. There was something about the girl that made Roxa want her trust, made her want to win her over, to make that firm mouth curve into a smile—Roxa groaned as she finished a set and dropped her arm. She mopped her brow and paced the room a little, breathing heavily.

She was so mysterious! Roxa began another set. Perhaps Roxa was being too much, coming off too strongly? Perhaps Roxa had scared her, made her retreat like a snail into her shell? This thought sank her heart a little because the truth was that Roxa was really, finally feeling like she could be herself, away from the Duchy and away from everyone who knew her as ‘m’lady’ and, most of all, away from her mother’s shadow.

Roxa was the spitting image of her mother, the Countess Sasha Monir—everyone said so. They were both tall and well-proportioned, and moved with a grace that hid spring-loaded, coiled strength. Roxa had her mother’s reddish-golden hair, her pale, freckle-dusted skin, and her sorcery.

Sasha Monir was the foremost enchanter of the Duchy, a legend in her own lifetime. As far back as Roxa could remember, at dinner parties or banquets or on the hunt, her mother was the center other people revolved around. Every conversation in a room would quiet when she spoke, everybody else would dim. It was more than her power as a sorcerer or as a Countess. People just...parted before her like water before a mighty ship. And the expectations!

Roxa finished another set, sweat dripping off her. She carefully sheathed and stowed her practice blade, then dropped to the wood-paneled floor and began huffing her way through push-ups. Adults and children, everyone in Roxa’s life had seemed to conspire to have her turn out the same as her mother. And so...she had? Or at least, she’d tried.

Classes had always come easy to Roxa. Highest marks in her year in Charms, Summoning, Changing and Dueling. Hawking, riding, spycraft, all of them came easily to her. Her classmates and her teachers had always treated her with admiration, respect, even awe—and stubbornly deferential distance. Though Roxa had always had people around her, she’d hadn’t had many close friends. Turns out pedestals aren’t the best foundations for friendship.

Roxa grimaced. She could still hear her mother counseling her on the strategic advantages of aloofness. Roxa wanted to reject that lesson with her whole heart. And when her mother took a diplomatic post at the Imperial capital in Drago, she’d jumped at the chance to study at Harmine, away from her mother, away from those damned courtiers with their pressures and comparisons and conniptions and their bemused indifference to Roxa’s ribald jokes. Good riddance.

She got to her feet, panting, and headed to the washroom at the end of the hall. So this was it, her chance to make actual friends that didn’t know her mother from some broad in an oil painting hanging in the dining hall. Meeting Mila for the first time, she had rejoiced internally. A commoner! A foreigner from a place where they didn’t even have nobility! Someone who had no idea how to treat her as someone special! Someone who didn’t want to use Roxa as a piece in games of prestige! And it had been so easy and liberating to be herself with Mila.

Except...was Roxa doing it wrong? She chewed her lip. Mila was holding herself back, that much was clear. Which was fine, obviously. The only way to play this was with patience and openness—trust at Mila’s pace, on Mila’s timeline. Not rushing or needing anything from her. Roxa nodded, her eyes closed, her face turned up to the spray of hot water, her mind set.

Besides, there were plenty of other students to befriend or to tumble into bed with. If only she could find some Yavanese that didn’t kiss like cold fish. They must exist...

#tumblr writers #writers on tumblr #trans writers #writing #queer #transgender #writerblr #lgbtq #trans #queer fiction #queer romance #queer fantasy #queer smut #mtf trans

[dtothe4th]

Wob book three

as the three set out they follow the mystical seersbug’s ways of the stars. they are currently talking crochetsbug and hammersbug’s ears off about their special interest which this month is quilting which they learned from a bug in townsquare called quiltsbug who only makes quilts to keep the bugs warm in the rain and the cold seasons. since their food and water were taken care of they kinda just switched to caring about physical goods and it made a huge techonal leap but they still liked quilts because quilts are simple and warm and also quiltsbug was very popular as one of the few prominent softbugs to break into carapacebug society. so seersbug was talking about quilting techniques and crochetsbug was talking about how her hook is an ancient artifact that was used for creating and crafting similar objects but it was a bigperson method not like tbh e bug methods of holding fabric together like quiltsbug does and hammersbug this whole time was just scouting out things to cook because he was just so jazzed about cooking that's all he ever thought of really. they came across a magnificent rainforest on their way to the cave which was a little odd and concerning considering C&B never had mentioned a rain forest and in fact mentioned several cacti which would indicate a desert like climate if anything but seersbug was adamant as fuck about this and they mentioned how yggdrasil’s golden liquid from the ancient kingsbug’s death could have repopulated the desert and turned it into a rainforest which made sense to them so they just went with it. hammersbug was now leading with his sharp chef knifes and other instruments, slicing vines and saving the particularly thick and juicy ones in his pack pack for when they made camp so he could cook them up a delicious soup and a tea that sort of gave them psychadelic visions so they only pretended to drink it after the first night because it wasn't the time to be tripping they were on a very important quest. the rainforest was sort of scary actually there was a lot of noise even through the night but they never found another creature, not until they came across a small river running through a clearing in the rainforest where they spotted a gaggle of snails feeding and drinking from the stream. now snails might be considered bugs to some taxonomists but these were most certainly not normal members of the kingdom of bugs: in fact they had most likely never even heard of it this far out. crochetsbug and her perfect middleground and approachability went up to them and introduced her party with seersbug and bammersbug. hammersbug came to them with a delicious dish he cooked up of fried berry glaze but the snails just stared at them with wide eyes.

the snail closest to them turned around and ducked it's head down low emenating a low voice with words they couldn't understand. another snail with a slightly higher but still extremely deep voice seemed to reply and shake its head but the first snail nodded sharply and said something back that sounded sort of aggressive. the second snail backed off and went back to drinking water. in a very broken and stilted manner but in the language of the bugs, the snail explained that the bugs were in grave danger if they continued this way. there was a huge bird - alive - and it was hunting the snails. they must leave immediately through the way they came as if they went past the stream they were in bird territory. at this time the party noticed that most of the snails had come to their side of the river after taking a sip and or a quick bath, and looked to the one they were talking to for advice or something. main dude explained that some of these snails’ families were still in bird territory and that he and a few other of the women were to go back and save them. their shells were hardier than the rest and could survive a peck or two probably. seersbug used two of their eyes and looked at the tough hammersbug, who shrugged his himbo shrug. he with his girth and power could definitely shield them from the pecks, and crochetsbug’s hook could fight back. they were to escort the headsnail and the others who were returning to save some more snails back to their snail nest or whatever they lived in while these guys here could evacuate in safety. seersbug gave them a crude map of the area that they had drawn and pointed them towards the kingdom of bugs if they ever needed a place to stay. they followed head snail slowly into bird territory with hammersbug taking the lead. seersbug was directly behind him, hiding their soft body from harm. crochetsbug was holding up the rear and coated her shiny metal hook in slime and grime and dirt and mud as to not attract the bird. a couple of times they hear flapping and chittering above so they stopped in their tracks and hid under a leaf or something but before long they were at the snails’ abode. they actually lived in sickass tree houses that the party had literally no idea about, serves them right for judging and assuming so quickly. they climbed up the ladder ana stairs to the bunkers in the centers of the trees where the baby snails and some of the fathers were hiding. they brought them out slowly and the party stood watch outside. they grabbed their important goods, social security cards, vaccine cards, birth certificates etc. and stashed them in their shells. they were now on their way out down the treehouses and seersbug made sure to check this off on their map: this place was dope as fuck and definitely something to visit with a bigger group maybe after the bird threat was dealt with. so they went down the treehouse when suddenly the bird swooped down.

it was magnificent and massive, a huge silver golden beak and bright green feathers. it's eyes seemed of fire and when it opened it's beak there wasn't a tongue but a cryogenics freeze pod there. Who the hell could be inside of that? it squacked and landed atop the roof of the nearest treehouse, leaning down to peck with its silver and golden beak of not just color but pure metal. it was hard. the snails screamed as did the party, but hammersbug’s tough outer shell was able to protect against a beak attack. as the bird drew back for a second attack crochetsbug swung her beautifully powerful hook against its beak and.. it just bounced off. metal on metal didn't work that well. the bird seemed to laugh though it's mouth surely could not contort in the way to produce one: was this an effect of hammersbug’s psychadelic tea? or perhaps something more at foot. either way the bird reeled back for a second peck and struck hard right between the ridges of hammersbug’s thick back shell. he fell to the ground wounded and out of breath. it was crochetsbug’s one opportunity to attack but just as she reeled her hook back the head snail jumped on. He looked at her and in broken buglanguage said do it… she launched head snail directly at the bird and he landed on its eyes, sliming jt up. the bird flapped its wings and squacked wildly, flailing and screaming and crying trying to get this damn snail off. as it's beak was open crochetsbug stuck her hook into its mouth and ripped out the weird cryopod thing. as she did the bird was engulfed in sparks of blue electricity and it froze in place, falling to the ground. face first it planted into the dirt below like some sort of demented statue of organic tissue. the main snail managed to jump off mid-fall but his foot was injured. his husband came up to him and got him back up again, giving him a big kiss on the shell for being so brave and saving the entire village. he called to the other snails to go and retrieve the ones who evacuated: they could come home!! it was so wonderful. seersbug crawled over to hammersbug who was still on the floor reeling from the pain of the peck. his shell was cracked a little bit now holy shit. he was leaking a little intracellular fluid but seersbug was able to use their slimy grimy body to guck it up and stem the fluid loss. the good thing about softbugs is they they had the ability to heal from a lot and thus seersbug was able to grant this ability to others if they had so pleased.

able to get up now, hammersbug joined seersbug and together they joined crochetsbug who was looking at the weird chamber they had pulled from the bird’s mouth. it was much much too small to be a pod for a big being but it also didn't fit the scale of the snails or other animals: it must be a bug. who the hell put it inside the bird’s mouth though that was really weird. either way crochetsbug’s curiosity was really getting the better of her at this point and she pressed the giant red open button that was on the side of the pod. the door slowly opened to the side and slid off with a lot of smoke and the feeling of exoskeleton-chilling cold filling the area. they all coughed and gacked but when the smoke cleared they looked down to see a small and frail bug: but it was neither carapacian bug nor softbug nor anything inbetween; it was an ancient bug. the same race of bugs that the philosophersbug that seersbug had been a part of. this bug had been here eons and eons longer than any bug alive on earth but how did they have technology that powerful so years ago… this ancient bug sat up in their pod and looked around, laughing and giggling and gawking at the surroundings. They looked up and said it worked! wow! it worked! except it was very old time accent sounding like sort of shakespearean in tone in iambic pentameter and everything. they explained that they were the futuresbug and that a terrible calamity had struck the ancient bugs. one that they had hoped to avoid by adapting some big being tech they had the blueprints for. and it Fucking worked. they were now here billions of years after the calamity had apparently struck and were now alive. hammersbug asked how the hell they got into that bird and futuresbug was very confused. they didn't put themselves into a bird, they said. they had a room in their colony specifically for futuresbug and others like them. yeah that's right others survived too. seersbug’s bug ears perked up a little because they thought philosophersbug could still be alive maybe… but futuresbug had no clue how they ended up in that state. so weird and odd. crochetsbug then asked of what calamity had struck them? and futuresbug said Yggdrasil.. at this time seersbug’s third eye saw a red flare in the sky.. oh my goodness a war..

#writing #creative writing #free write #old work #world of bugs #wob #bug world

[wmenvs3000w23]

Unit 05: Nature Interpretation through Science

This week we looked at how science plays a role in nature interpretation. Given the open-ended nature of the unit 5 blogpost, I figured I would elaborate on some topics the bird TED talk from Washington Wachira inspired me to think more deeply about.

In the talk, Wachira emphasizes the importance of simplifying science for audiences not familiar such that the need for environmental conservation is conveyed. In his case, the TED talk provided the audience with plenty of facts about different birds, and the speaker then used the interest he built in the audience to shine light on risk factors for different avian species around the world. Scientific concepts can often be daunting when presented to audiences without experience in the field. If one is able to gain an understanding of their audience however, they can effectively convey their points. Knowledge of one’s audience is also important when interpreting nature, so it makes sense that fitting the material to the needs of the viewer is so crucial when using these scientific concepts in the interpretation itself.

Another key subject Wachira touched on were his childhood memories of caring for and observing an augur buzzard, which created a deep interest in birds he still keeps today. Last semester, I was tasked with caring for a population of brown and white-lipped snails for a group animal behaviour assignment. Like Wachira, interacting with a species I was unfamiliar with deepened my interest in them considerably, and I will probably never look at garden snails out in my backyard in the same dismissive light I used to ever again. When I used to think of snails, I thought of the little shells out on the sidewalk whenever it rains, but in caring for them for a semester, I was able to observe them much more closely and appreciate the nuances of how they live more than ever before. Below is a photo of a few of the snails in their enclosure. We fed them every few days and misted their tank with distilled water once or twice a day.

One of the most interesting things about keeping this tank of snails wasn’t how my interest in them shifted but was instead how I was able to get guests asking questions about them. Whenever we would have parties or get togethers last semester, I would always find myself at the snail tank answering questions from friends who are less familiar with them. In hindsight, I was definitely carrying out some form of nature interpretation, providing watered-down scientific facts alongside my opinions on why snails are so cool.

As nature interpreters, we can use science to convey the value of different species or environments to less knowledgeable audiences. In my case, it was with snails, and it was with birds for Wachira, but the point remains. By gaining better scientific understandings of different components of nature, we are able to better convey their value to an audience if presented correctly.

I look forward to reading everyone’s posts this week!

Wachira, W. (2017). For the love of birds [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/washington_wachira_for_the_love_of_birds

[enchantales]

Violet Is the Color

She dyed afresh her hair. 

“What do you think?”

The hair? Lovely stuff! And the color suits you. 

“Violet, yeah?”

She had on herself a shimmering rainbow gown that her aunt from Boston bought for this celebration in particular. She admitted that it was tacky along with the pink marie sleeves. I smirked just to look at her restraining not to throw any cuss words. Nonetheless, the varicolored trinkets on her hair strands were glinting in the middle of the crammed room. She outshined everyone in the crowd as I spotted her distantly from the kitchen counter where her nanna and her grumpy grandpa were sitting next to each other, conversing about their dead bird. I guess they even failed to observe that they were at their grandchild's birthday party.

I planned to stay at her house for a night. I rendered her bedroom into a little cinema, and a tinge of bluish-purple light flashed on from the projector lamp that I gifted her. Popcorn, slushies, french fries, and s'mores dip were supplied on the marble table. We played her 100-times-watched movie, Titanic.

"I'm having more enjoyment now than I did the whole day earlier." The rabbit plushie was protected in her bear hug. "I despise blowing candles, parties, people clapping in front of me. Singing a happy birthday song to me sounds obnoxious, why didn't they sing it to my parents instead? My mom? She's the one who gave birth to me."

The violet tint of her hair struck increasingly. Violet ... why is it always violet?

"Huh?"

I figured it out. All of her was violet. By the sea snail shell's color only for the ancient noblemen; her trait screamed lavishness, I was having great affection when elegancy was attached in the way she acted, and her smile entirely. To her own innate persona; she had ambition and powerful talents which would rip apart opponents with her sharp-edged sword effortlessly in a type of war, like an unmatched heroine. But she could be delicate and serene since blue was mastering it. And perchance, she belonged to the rarity, mysterious moving episodes. What a fanciful sage hue existing in nature, choosing her to be replete with vivacity and wisdom.

She is everything in the shades of purple. She is the grace, but also the turbulence,¹ whispered an attentive ghost dreamily beside me. So, I couldn't agree more.

I really like you.

"I know ... I appreciate that. Thanks."

And what surrounds you. I think it's beautiful.

"What surrounds me? Purple? Violet? It's my favorite, and the color is mine thusly. Don't you think?"

Oh, the color is yours, buddy. It always is.

—for ning yizhuo

honorable mention: 1. From the one and only kak @.alacatree