#*inspiring tales

[toyastales]

A bracelet clasp with a Medusa on an emerald cameo. Gold is treated with diamond and enamel. 18th century. Made in England.

[phykoha]

2/?? prev|next Boys will be bugs, right?

Sparring usually helps Raph get his aggression out... Ghost thinks it's weird how he didn't accept the offer this time... Perhaps that wasn't the right thing to say.

@amevello-blue

[randyjadeyaoi]

a shitpost off of this post

[bubsmiraculousau]

Taking these from insta because the Zuc ruins everything fr #cringe

[amuelia]

small drawing as im looking forward to watching tales of the empire tomorrow

[cinderduck]

I had an idea what gripped me so violently that i had to make it real

[toffeebrews]

inspired off this set of comics: this one and this one

transcript in alt text

I'm not the best at articulating my words. Dialogue is not my strong suit, but I'm working on it :)

[kaynanarie]

Eyes of Gold (Part 1)

(A WukongxReader story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Lutung Kasarung.) (Next)

            Even in the daytime, the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers was a daunting place to be. You huddled under one of the massive trees, no idea what to do or where to go. Tears trickled down your face as you fought the urge to scratch your itchy skin, wishing you could wake up from this nightmare.

            The feeling of eyes watching you haunted your senses and sent chills down your spine. There were too many shadows to see where the gaze came from but plenty of demons inhabited the mountain, most with a taste for vulnerable humans.

            A quiet thump startled you from your thoughts. Something rolled across the forest floor, coming to a careful stop by your feet. It took you a moment to recognize what it is; a peach, perfectly ripe with a delicate blush on its fuzzy skin. You picked it up and looked around before finding where it came from.

            Gold, glowing eyes were watching from the darkness, staying low to the ground as they approached. You nearly screamed when from the bushes emerged…

            A monkey. A normal, brown furred, curly tailed monkey. You let out a relieved laugh while the creature just stared with his peculiar golden eyes.

            “Hey, cutie,” you greeted, holding the peach up. “Is this yours?”

            When you rolled the fruit back, the monkey glanced between it and you. Picking it up, the monkey hopped closer, tossing the peach back into your lap.

            “Is it for me?” you asked teasingly. The answering nod was unexpected and set you on edge. “Well…thank you, I supposed.”

            You pulled out your knife; a tiny, dull blade no bigger than your finger. The monkey watched you warily as you cut into the peach and offered a sliced piece of the fruit. “I don’t mind sharing.”

            Snatching the snack from your fingers, the monkey nibbled on his share while you cut a slice for yourself. You’d barely taken a bite when he shuffled closer, meeting your eye with a curious tilt of its head.

            “Why were you crying?”

            You almost inhaled your peach in surprise. Hearing the monkey speak nearly sent you through a new wave of panic. Instead, you found yourself too tired and resigned to do much more than stare.

            “I…” you trailed off when tears started to gather. The monkey frowned but said nothing, waiting patiently for your answer. “I’ve been curse.”

            “How so?”

            A sigh left your lips, the peach forgotten in your fidgeting hands. “It’s a long story.”

            The monkey hopped over to sit at your side, expectant and attentive. “I like stories.”

            “It’s not a happy one,” you warned.

            A small paw patted your hand in comfort. “Sharing a burden is the best way to lessen it.”

            Knowing he wasn’t planning to leave you be, you dried your eyes and began your tale.

            “My father is a noble in the village. About a month ago, he invited his friend’s son to be a guest in our house. He planned to arrange a match with my sister or I to unite the families. A few days before he arrived, though, this happened.”

            Rolling up the sleeve of your robe, you held out your forearm for the monkey to see. The skin was blotched with a red, blistery rash. Your nails scratching at the itch had left it raw and stinging, only just avoiding drawing blood.

            “When my family saw the affliction, they locked me in my room, fearing it would spread. My sister was allowed at the meeting and an engagement was quickly agreed upon.”

            “So, you ran away because of a broken heart?” the monkey guessed, no jest or mockery in his curious tone. 

            “No, I didn’t know him so marriage was not my concern,” you answered, shaking your head with a smile. “My sister’s fiancé is handsome but he is spoiled and sheltered. She already orders him about like a servant. I do not envy their union but do wish them the best.”

            “Why come to the mountain, then?”

            You sat back against the tree, the physical and emotional pain taking its toll. “Part of my sister’s promised dowry was an orchard of fruit trees near the mountain. The only problem was, they didn’t actually belong to my father. When he went to stake a claim, it angered the Monkey King. Sun Wukong himself appeared, accusing him of stealing and desecrating his mountain. My father begged for his life, offering anything in return before escaping. We barely heard the story before he had packed his things and fled, leaving my sister in charge of his estate. He’s incurred the Monkey King’s wrath and fears he will be killed for his crimes if he returns.”

            The monkey seemed surprised for the first time. “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding; easily fixed and appeased.”

            “Misunderstand or not, my father is gone and my sister took advantage of his absence,” you said, bitterness creeping into your words. “She convinced the village I was to blame. That my illness was proof of a curse that doomed our father and threatened her engagement. She was the one who sent me here, so that my death might appease the Monkey King and atone for my father’s transgressions.”

            “That’s ridiculous! You shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of your father.” The monkey climbed up to perch on your knees, shaking his head in disbelief. “Our King is not so cruel. He only wants to protect the mountain and his people.”

            “I’ve heard stories about him,” you argued. “The only reason I’m still alive is he doesn’t know I’m here.”

            “But he does know you’re here.”

            His casual reveal froze you in place, icy panic stealing your breath and quickening your heartbeat. You looked around, only seeing inconspicuous forest. “He does!?”

            The monkey nodded. “He sent me to find out your intentions. Now that I know, you’re free to stay as long as you follow his rules.”

            “But…what if he doesn’t approve?” you asked, still nervous and unconvinced. “Or what if another demon attacks me instead? Or–”

            Leaning forward, the monkey patted your cheeks in a gesture somewhere between silly and soothing. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. Okay?”

            Despite the average look of the monkey, his golden eyes shown with determination and sincerity in his oath. Even such a small act of kindness was enough to put you at ease.

            “That’s very sweet of you.”

            Leaping off of your knee, he tugged at your sleeve and pointed into the forest. “Come with me. I know a place you can stay for the night. It’s not much but it’ll keep you safe.”

            You scramble to your feet, watching as the monkey scaled a nearby tree. He waited on one of the overhead branches, swinging to the next to lead you down a path only he could see.

            “Thank you,” you said, following after him. As you walked, you realized a lapse in manners that made you blush. “I don’t think you ever told me your name?”

            “Shihou!” a voice answered from the branches. The monkey suddenly appeared in front of your face, hanging by his long tail, lips curled in a cheeky smile. “You can call me Shihou.”

[crisis-takesover]

Live?nah KILL-

>:]

This took too long to make-[Was procrastinating-screw being lazy-]

I was supposed to draw Mayor Thaniyel for the Live part of the meme but yeah changed my mind-

[mewnia]

Sorry! Got a little too focused on these guys today :P These characters are definitely the easiest for me to design a 10-years-later concept. Very proud of them!

Rita - 25 Estelle - 28 Karol - 22 Judith - 29

[maxyvert]

Hello December! ❄️

I'm planning to share some of my recent star girl paintings this month ✨

[toyastales]

Gold, emerald, diamond, and enamel signet ring with clock, crafted by Johannes Butz of Augsburg, Germany, 2nd quarter of the 17th Century AD.

[talesofsonicasura]

To Save A DogDay

I couldn't help but write this after seeing the constant dedication of saving the giant toy doggo. So here's something to assist you guys in the effort. I've done some research(even though Google was being an ass) and took a look at this particular post by @dafloof

First off, DogDay is surprisingly big despite being cut in half. If I have to compare his size then think of those giant plushies you win from a theme park or carnival game. Thus the only possible carry for the average person to safely escort him is bridal or hanging off like a koala on the side due to the grab pack. He might be able to shrink himself to a more manageable size if DogDay is similar to CatNap in body structure.

Although that doesn't mean the task is impossible outside of adrenaline. DogDay may be big you got to think about his possible weight. Bigger Bodies are still toys with the Smiling Critters being plushies. How much of him is stuffing and not organs?

The necessary body parts for him to still be alive are the lungs, heart, brain, stomach, and some sort of skeletal structure. Here's a weight chart for the average human. (Although these might be smaller if harvested back as a child than an adult.)

Stomach: 2-4 pounds/lbs

Brain- 2.5 pounds/lbs

Heart- 0.25 pounds/lbs

Lungs- 1.8 pounds/lbs

Human Skeleton- 15-25 pounds/lbs

Average weight here 21.05 - 31.05 lbs. His arm bones might be reinforced similar to the Prototype but they still wouldn't be that heavy. For carrying in your arms, 35- 55 lbs is what the the untrained person can hold. Body weight contributes to how much someone can carry with a 139 lbs untrained woman being able to deadlift around 74 lbs. For men it is 125 lbs for 148 lbs.

Adrenaline can help contribute to this as there have been feats done by people in dangerous situations. One example being a human mother fighting off a polar bear to protect her kids or someone moving a car by themselves to get free. We can do insane things when it comes to survival.

There's also the mental side to this. Our brains actually diminish the perception of how strong we are by 40%. If you carry something you love or cherish like a person, then they can weigh less just from that viewpoint. Sometimes thinking like the Little Engine That Could will make a difference.

Now I am not forgetting the dangerous little critters. There are ways to deal with them and have enough time to bring DogDay along. In his cell, there are two ports they can crawl out of. Blocking these whether by flares or stuffing them with nearby items can do the trick.

Second is bribery. We aren't restricted to the environment like in the game and throughout the facility there are intact vending machines. The toys obviously need to eat but seem unable get into the machines. YOU CAN.

Break the glass and stockpile as much snacks as possible. Finding bags or boxes to carry them wouldn't be hard. Offer these to the little Critters in exchange for DogDay. You can open one bag for further incentive as the chance to get a special treat is something no one will be able to resist.

DogDay might be able to drag himself so breaking the chains with the Grab Pack or a different tool is possible. They are probably rusty thus easier to break. It will obviously hurt for DogDay to drag his body so stealing something like a cushion from CatNap's hideyhole could ease the pain.

Should that not be the case then other options are available. Considering Playcare is a fun house, you might be able to find scooterboards or a platform cart to carry him. If not then a makeshift sled to pull DogDay about is the next best move.

Now there's actually another escape route. A duck ride that you couldn't access in the game due to bugs. I think Mob was planning for a chase down there as it is fully fleshed out with puzzles and an environment.

DogDay can hold onto the boat while you solve the puzzles to get out. For those who hadn't chosen bribery then flares will keep pursuing Little Critters away. Maybe set a fire as you escape since there's plenty of items to make a molotov cocktail if crafty enough.

I suggest finding some walkie talkies as someone needs to look after DogDay. The area under the statue can be a possible safe spot but being able to contact Kissy Missy and Poppy will better the chances of his recovery than just survival. Both know the factory's inner works enough to remain hidden so they might know where to find supplies. A possible ally with valuable info can sway them to help.

There is also the option of coming back to Playcare. DogDay might still be alive as you can hear his muffled cries during the chase. He might be worse for wear due to the little menaces piloting him like a bootleg Megazord. Walkie talkies can help you page Kissy Missy to help with escorting the Bigger Body safely.

It is possible to save DogDay if you are smart or crafty enough to use the environment. The factory offers a lot of potential options to help with that. Do know that you can turn a simple water gun into a flamethrower.

Why follow the rules of the game when there are ways to break them?

[thelunarsystemwrites]

Solemn God.

Finally drew Lunarst again, he's just watching over his mortals. I know who the other two gods are gonna be, I just need to draw them 😭

[dasketcherz]

the apprentice's favorite playmate 🐰

@ggyweek2024 Day 02: Rivalry, Comfort - Cat-and-Mouse Game

[mysterious-secret-garden]

H. J. Ford - Andrew Lang's 'The Pink Fairy Book', page 15, 1897.