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undertheopensky · 7 months ago

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Extinction

Whumptober Day 27: I misread Alt Prompt #7 Examination, so I guess this is now a Skies-specific prompt of Extinction. Though if you wanted to get poetic about it, I guess ‘Scars’ would also work.

Characters: Sky, Four, everyone’s kind of there especially in the first part

Trigger warnings: Panic attacks, grief, dehumanisation, it makes sense in context

Read on Ao3!

–––

“No, see, wolves are to wolfos what unicorns are to horses,” Hyrule is explaining to a perplexed Wild. “And rabbits to a pols voice. Y’know, the non-monstery version.”

“Out of curiosity, what the fuck do you think a unicorn is?” Legend asks, visibly fascinated by the whole conversation.

Hyrule thinks for a moment. “I’m pretty sure it’s like a horse with fairy wings? That doesn’t want to kill you.”

“Okay, I think we need to introduce you to more horses than Twilight’s monster.”

“Oi!” Twilight protests, looking up from his leatherwork.

“Last week she stomped and then ate a deku baba,” Legend says flatly.

“So?”

“Oh my god,” Legend mutters. Then, as Time walks up, his patrol apparently finished, “Hey, old man! What’s a unicorn to you?”

“Horse with a horn,” he replies easily.

Wild wrinkles his nose, clearly struggling to imagine it. “What’s the horn for?”

“For stabbing people, obviously.”

“What?! No!” Indignant, Four looks up from his book. “They cleanse water and purify poisons! There are no legends associating them with the battlefield, except for one country that uses them as the heraldry device for medics!”

Time shrugs, clearly unbothered.

“No wings, then?” asks Hyrule, slightly crestfallen.

“Nah, that’s a pegasus,” says Warriors.

“Like the boots?” Legend squints at the wings on his own.

“I think so? It’s a horse with, like, bird wings. One of the noble families back home uses them in their heraldry. There’s a lot of mythical creatures on heraldry, actually.”

“Rabbits ain’t mythical,” says Twilight.

“I’ve never seen one before.”

“Wait, back up – what’s a rabbit?” says Wind.

“A non-monstery pols voice.”

Wind isn’t pleased with Hyrule’s answer. “And what the hell is a pols voice?”

“It’s like…” Hyrule is stumped by the question. “It’s like… a, a blob with whiskers and long ears, except then it opens its mouth and it’s ALL mouth, and all teeth, and –”

“Oh, those! Huh, I never knew what they were called. I only came across ‘em once. And a rabbit is…”

“Smaller and less evil,” says Legend dryly, which which for some reason makes Twilight sputter with choked laughter.

“Oh, yeah - Sky,” Hyrule turns around to address him, “Sky, you’re the earliest -”

“I have never seen a unicorn,” Sky interrupts. “And I’m not sure what a rabbit is, but there’s a lot of flora and fauna on the Surface we’re still struggling to figure out, and I haven’t seen much of it that’s familiar while travelling with you. Things must change a lot through the eras.” He feels his face fall as his heart does. “Like loftwings, I guess.”

“What are loftwings, anyway? You’ve mentioned them before.”

Sky’s brow furrows. “Have I not explained loftwings yet?”

“You got partway through and then we were attacked by those chuchus and got distracted,” Wild offers.

Sky pulls a face. Right, and then cleanup had taken forever, because chuchus. Of all monster species, why were those ones so universal? They were barely even functional! “Okay. Loftwings are… huge birds, I guess is the easiest way to describe them. Each Hylian gets a loftwing partner when we’re young, and we grow up together. It’s - everyone has one. It’s been really weird to me that none of your eras have them. Since we’re on an isolated series of islands - or, well, we were - loftwings are essential to carry us from place to place.”

“They carry you? How big are they?”

“Pretty big.” Sky squints for a moment. “Crimson’s wingspan would stretch between that log and where Twilight’s sitting, easy.”

“Giant birds?” Wind screws up his face. “Like the Helmaroc King? Don’t like that.”

It’s Hyrule’s turn to make a face. “What’s a helmaroc king?”

Wind shrugs. “Massive bird monster. Oh, hey, maybe that’s what happened to Loftwings?”

“Hm?” Sky blinks back from where he’d been imagining Crimson sitting between Twilight and Warriors, sneakily tugging the captain’s scarf whenever he looked away. Goddess, he misses him. “Sorry, what was that?”

“You said it was weird that they don’t exist in any of our eras, right? Maybe it’s because they turned into monsters over time, like wolves and rabbits!”

Sky doesn’t know what noise he makes at that, doesn’t know what his face is doing. He feels cold, and sick, and horrified, because no no no that can’t be what happened please tell him that’s not what happened -

But why did the loftwings disappear? Left behind only in heraldry and insignia, not even their names left to history? How could they have been forgotten so completely?

“No,” he chokes out, “no, that can’t be. Loftwings aren’t monsters.”

“But sometimes animals can become monsters when they’re exposed to lots of dark magic over many years, like with wolfos. It would make sense why we’ve never heard of them, right, if they all became, like, kargarocs or something.”

The voices of the others die away to an indistinct hum. Sky thinks he should be concerned about that, except he’s already occupied with the sudden chill against his skin, the way his heart feels simultaneously too large and too small for the space it occupies, straining and racing, the way his lungs burn when he tries to breathe and ache when he doesn’t.

His head hurts.

His heart hurts.

Slowly, the buzzing fades.

“If we find a unicorn, do you think we can smuggle it back to my Hyrule?” Hyrule is asking.

“The hell do you want one of them for?”

“If they can really purify water, then –”

They’ve moved on from the conversational bomb that had rocked Sky to his foundations. Accepted the explanation without comment or question. To them, it’s just another strange fact about the world, like the way monsters in Wild’s Hyrule will all spring back to life when the moon turns red, or that there’s magic trapped in music. Over time, animals can turn into monsters.

And Sky just – doesn’t know how, doesn’t have the vocabulary to explain to them that loftwings aren’t animals – they’re people.

(He’s never had to explain it before. On Skyloft, everyone knows this, from the smallest child to the most forgetful elder: loftwings are your partner, the other half of your soul. They’re people.

When they can’t even understand that much, how does he even begin to explain how horrifying it is to think of them becoming nothing more than monsters, over the millenia?)

–––

Maybe this time, Sky thinks. Maybe this time the portal will take them home.

To his home, at least. He’s never been away so long before. And his jaunts to the Surface had in no way prepared him for the loneliness of being eras and countries away from his friends and his family and his loftwing. And maybe - maybe with it all close to hand, the feelings at his fingertips - he’ll be able to explain it better to the others. Explain it so they’ll understand.

The saturated colours and faint burr of magic through the earth raise his hopes briefly, but - no. This isn’t Skyloft. Isn’t even the Surface beneath it. It’s - it’s easier to define it by what it isn’t. The Surface has lain untouched by Hylian hands for centuries, ancient and wild. This place - it feels tamer. Steadier. Young, almost, but not in the sense of age - in the sense of, of rawness in its magic. It feels new.

And for all that - he knows the days of Skyloft and her Knights are long behind this place.

“Mine,” announces Four, unknowingly confirming Sky’s thoughts. “We’re not far from Lake Hylia, from the looks of it. Anyone wanna watch Wild go fishing again?”

“Hell yeah!” Wind cheers immediately, over Twilight’s groan of frustration.

“Cub, really -”

Wild brightens. “We should compete! See who can catch the most fish for dinner!”

“Now that’s jus’ not fair, Wild, yer explosions will scare off any fish they don’t kill -”

Always happy to stir the pot, Legend says, “Sounds like a skill issue,” and grins at Twilight’s dark look.

Sitting at the base of a tree - or slumping, more accurately - Sky watches their antics with a quiet gaze and no interest in joining in himself.

He’d known it wasn’t likely. The number of times they’ve gone to a familiar Hyrule are far outnumbered by the times no one can identify, and even then, there’s eight other time periods they could land in. He can’t help the disappointment, is all.

Is this what homesickness feels like?

It kinda sucks. No wonder Wind was so miserable.

He’s drawn from contemplating the pooling unhappiness under his ribcage by Four inching closer, hands tucked behind his back. He looks - nervous. Not like he’s going to try to drag him into the water fight now happening on the lake’s shore, at least. Just uncertain. The smile Sky musters for him is probably not a very good one. “Something up, Four?”

“I, um.” Four rocks on his heels, looking almost uncertain. “I… wanted to show you. Something.”

Sky doesn’t actually want to be left alone with his thoughts, so he nods agreeably and hauls himself to his feet. “Lead the way, then.”

Four takes him far enough into the forest that the shouts and laughter and echoes of Wild’s small explosions fade entirely, before choosing a wide clearing to pause in. “I, um.” Four spins, clasping his hands behind his back again. “I noticed that you - well. When the others were talking about loftwings the other day. You got really upset when they were talking about them becoming monsters, or going extinct.”

Ice shoots through Sky’s heart, freezes over his throat for one critical moment. “Yeah,” he finally rasps. “I don’t - it’s - they don’t -”

Four shakes his head. “It’s okay. You don’t need to explain it. I just wanted to show you -” He fumbles with his pouch, pulls out a child-sized ocarina that’s not quite too small for his hands.

The tune he plays sounds almost like a birdcall.

It’s pleasant, if mournful. Sweet-toned and piping like wind instruments tend to be. Sky wonders why Four had moved them so far away just to play him a short song, and then -

Wingbeats. Loud and unmistakeable.

He startles and looks up as a shadow passes overhead - a shadow too large to be any of the birds of Four’s era - and all he can see is a half-silhouette framed in the sun, but his heart leaps at the familiarity.

And when they land -

A loftwing.

Small, but distinctive: the beak broad and long and golden, the curl of their crest and their tail. Pure white, save the bars of colour across the feathertips - Sky’s never seen one like them and he’s never been so relieved.

“Her name is Zeffa,” Four says, from where he’s half-wrapped around the loftwing’s neck in a hug.

“You never told me you had a loftwing,” Sky breathes, stepping forward to greet them - to greet her, as she reaches out in curious welcome.

Four shrugs, feathers ruffling against his back. “I never knew what they were called. She was always just Zeffa, to me. She came to me when I was eight, in the middle of my first adventure. She saved my life,” he adds, snuggling his face into the side of hers as she ducks down and croons at him.

Sky takes the opportunity to look her over more closely. Definitely smaller than average, but with Four as her rider they’re perfectly proportioned. Her feathers are all clean white, no countershading or freckles or markings except the traditional wing bars, the gold fringed by something he’s never seen before. He’d thought it was a simple deep blue at first but it keeps changing colour as Zeffa shifts and the light hits it in different ways. Green one way, red another; a rainbow trapped in keratin fibre.

Sky can feel the grin creeping across his face; wouldn’t dream of trying to stop. “She suits you.”

Four grins back. He looks so comfortable, standing in the shade of Zeffa’s beak and leaning up against her. “She does, doesn’t she?”

Her mind is different to Crimson’s, all shades of cool water instead of open sky and cloud, but it’s still crystal clear. Greetings, Chosen Hero.

“Been a while since I heard that one.” Been a while since he’d last spoken with a loftwing, for that matter; he hopes he’s not rusty. Hopes she can sense his delight and fondness and gratitude, for the care she shows to Four.

She clacks her beak at him, pleased.

“Do all the loftwings call you that?” Four asks, riveted, and Sky’s heart swells at the knowledge that Four can hear her too.

“Usually just the ones who don’t know me personally, or the ones who are making fun of me.” He steps closer, with her approval.

The top of her head barely clears his own. Taking that into account, Sky thinks her beak is a little smaller, too. She smells of feathers and ozone and rain. She smells like home.

“So loftwings do still exist.”

She regards him with something like sorrow, and his heart drops.

I am the last.

I was born towards the end of your reign; the last true loftwing born to Skyloft. And I knew even then that I would be waiting a long time for my beloved. I was born knowing it.

You grieved that, even then. I was too young to tell you, but I will say now, in hopes you will remember: I do not regret the waiting. They were worth waiting for. She tugs Four’s headband playfully, making him shout in protest when it slips over his eyes.

“How long did you have to wait?” Sky whispers, heart aching. Even if she says - he knows it’s a long, long time between Four’s era and his own.

She shrugs, wings settling back against her sides. Who can say? What is time, and how does it pass? Is it truly waiting, to simply live?

And oh, her personality is shining through - mischief hidden under patience, the glee of being deliberately and annoyingly cryptic. No wonder Four didn’t know what she was. Every attempt to ask was probably met with a riddle until he gave up. Sky finds himself smiling again. Even though it hurts. “You still had to be alone, and for that, I’m sorry.”

There is no fault to claim. All things change. From the kikwi to the zora - as the world changes, all must change with it, or be left behind. She runs her beak through his hair, an attempt at comfort.

Sky buries his face in the side of her neck.

I am the last. But do not grieve us.

Four tugs on his sleeve, breaking the focus of his connection. “C’mon, I wanna - I’ve still got something to show you, Zeffa’s not all of it.”

Sky glances back towards the lake. “Is it far?” They’ve been gone long enough as it is, really, and he doesn’t want the others wasting their time searching for them in a panic.

Four shrugs. “It’s fine. I told Time where we’d be going. C’mon, hop on, it’s not far by air but I wouldn’t wanna walk.” He follows his own advice, clambering up Zeffa’s side with ease and sitting across her shoulders, legs in front of her wings. He doesn’t even seem to notice the lack of saddle.

Why would he? Sky thinks with another pang. Loftwing saddlers haven’t been needed for centuries. Does Four even know they existed? “Are you sure she can carry us both? I’m pretty heavy.”

Four looks offended on Zeffa’s behalf. “She’s not that small! And she’s taken multiple people before!”

I will be fine, your majesty. Zeffa clacks at him, amused.

Sky deliberately does not pay attention to that last part. “If you’re sure I won’t hurt her…”

“You won’t,” says Four, and he’s so confident with him that Sky believes him.

There’s nowhere to jump from so like Four he mounts up on the ground, Four in front and Sky behind. It makes him nervous, riding without a saddle - not because he thinks he’ll fall off, but because what if he hurts her? Crushes her feathers the wrong way, clamps down too tight without leather to buffer the force? And is Four sure she can take off from here, getting airborne is hard enough without carrying so much extra weight -

She turns her head to laugh at him with one large, dark eye.

Her wings spread wide. They’re beautiful in the sunlight, red and green flashing at the edges of her primaries. There’s even some purple in the shadows closest to her body, all four of Four’s tunic colours shining through her wings. Goddess, she fits him so beautifully.

Two steps and a powerful wingbeat and then the air is rushing up around them, catching them like they were already falling, and they’re in the air. It can only have been magic but Sky doesn’t know where it came from; can’t bring himself to care, when the forest is getting smaller and blurrier under their feet and the wind is streaming ice-cold against his face and neck and ears.

Goddess, he’s missed this.

The sky looks so much more beautiful from up here; the clouds like they could be solid enough to walk on (though he knows that’s not true). Laid out beneath them is the kingdom, in lines and squares and patches of colour, abstract and strange. Could he draw a map of this, Sky wonders? Could he figure out where things used to be, if he can find the right landmarks?

Four grins at him over his shoulder, delighted by Sky’s happiness.

True to Four’s word, they’re not in the air long before Zeffa is banking, beginning a descent that for the first time in years makes a pang of disappointment rise in Sky’s gut. Goddess, he wants to go home.

Four lets him jump off when they get close, but doesn’t follow. Sky has a moment of panic before remembering Four definitely has a gliding item, he’s not trapped up there, and then Zeffa’s actually landing with the Hero of the Four Sword still perched on her back. There’s another blast of definitely wind magic as she touches down, cushioning what might otherwise have been a heavy landing. That explains it. Does that happen every time? Is it something Zeffa learned, since there are no sky islands to jump off of here? He’ll have to ask her, later.

“Where are we?” Sky says as Four swings off the loftwing’s back. The ruins they landed in are ancient and unfamiliar, but he thinks - he can almost understand the text carved into stone, if he tilts his head and squints. He doesn’t know this place - it just - echoes, somehow.

“The Fortress of Winds,” Four says. He hasn’t moved from the centre platform, still pressed up against Zeffa as he watches Sky move around. “This is where I first met Zeffa.”

“Uh huh?” Sky’s listening, he swears, but there’s something about the letters on this stone tablet, almost but not-quite the same as his own. If he squints just a little - no, maybe this way -?

Four comes over to tug on his sleeve again. “C’mere, I think you’re moving too much.”

They both sit in the shade thrown by Zeffa, as she spreads her wings to sunbathe.

“Are we waiting for something?”

“Shhhh,” is all Four says in response.

Sky gives up and settles in. With Zeffa’s wing breaking the worst of the wind, and her dusty feather-smell surrounding him, Sky’s the most relaxed he’s been in weeks.

Then he starts to hear something.

High-pitched chitters and whistles, the beating of small wings. Four had said there were no monsters left in the fortress, but that sure sounded like keese to Sky. Slowly, so as not to attract attention, he turns his head to peer around the edge of Zeffa’s wing.

His heart leaps into his throat and stays there.

Birds. Brightly coloured, greens and blues and oranges, perching on the rockwork and hopping around the lichen-covered floor.

Their beaks are short and sharply curved. They’ve lost the long, flexible tails that streamed out behind them in flight, replaced by a fan of feathers that seems impractically small. The feather banding is missing, the white and gold of the goddess and the contrasting partner flashings.

And of course, they’re tiny. Small enough to sit on an outstretched arm; the smallest could sit on his hand.

But the crests are still there, three wispy, curling feathers on the back of the skull that flex and stretch as they chatter amongst themselves. There’s still a flash of intelligence in their small, dark eyes. The nearest hops closer and chirps in greeting, and he feels a press of joy! and welcome! and sneaky, mischievous play? Play! Play with us!

Sky doesn’t realise he’s crying until the tears spill over in hot rivers. Four shoots him a worried look.

“They’re still here,” he chokes out, and smiles.

After everything, the loftwings are still here.

#whumptober 2023 #skies writes #linked universe #lu fic #lu sky #lu four

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demigod-shenanigans · 29 days ago

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Hi I’m super stuck on the “Nicknames/Wilderness” prompt for Day 1 of Lost Trio Week, and for various reasons I only have a week to write something. If you could be so kind as to drop a few hcs/thoughts that might get me inspired to write, that would be very much appreciated! (The writer’s block is real)

Laughing a little bit because that’s the prompt I’m also stuck on

I will share headcanons, too, but a general gentle reminder: if it’s too much or you’re not feeling a certain prompt, you can absolutely participate in lost trio week without participating in every single day. Also not sure how you’re doing it, but personally, I’m not writing these in order. I started with Day Four because that was the one I felt most inspired to work on

That being said:

-If we’re talking Wilderness as in Wilderness School, Leo and Piper clicked the moment they met. I’m not sure what it was, exactly—maybe he made a stupid joke and she was the only one that laughed. Maybe she caught him trying to play a prank on someone and wanted in on it. Whatever it was, they’ve been inseparable ever since. It could be interesting to explore some of those memories, or how they looked like with Jason added, or maybe what it would have been like if Jason had actually ended up at the school with them somehow.

-When it comes to Wilderness as more of a general concept, one of the specific silly things my brain just went to was camping trip. Piper has little to no skills when it comes to that stuff. She’s lived in mansions and had private chefs for most of her childhood. The closest she’s ever come to camping has been missions and the time her and her dad camped in the yard of her grandpa’s old home when she was ten, but that wasn’t real camping. Jason has lived in the woods before when he was very little and probably has skills based on that and some stuff he picked up from survival classes in that context, but living with wolves is very different from regular camping and if he’s ever had to apply his theoretical Camp knowledge, he cannot remember it. Leo has the most practical skills when it comes to sleeping outside but he was just kind of making shit up as he went and didn’t really have equipment. —This is all to say they take like an hour failing to set up a tent. Leo has never been more frustrated in his life because he rebuilt a celestial bronze dragon from scratch but is somehow being foiled by a tent instruction manual. Jason keeps bringing up that sleeping under the stars at age three wasn’t that bad. Piper goes from frustrated to laughing hysterically because this being the thing they fail at after every ridiculous impossible task they’ve mastered is objectively hilarious. The whole trip is a disaster for a variety of reasons but I feel like they end up having a great time

-I’m not very good with Nicknames (neither as a prompt nor as a general concept honestly, I’m not really someone who gives people nicknames a lot), but one of the things that comes to mind there could be these changing over the years? Leo and Piper go from strangers to friends and use nicknames for each other for the first time, and it means something, because Leo’s not stuck around another person for long enough to come up with a nickname in years. Jason getting a nickname from Piper and Leo and not really being sure why it feels as strange as it does since he doesn’t have his memories—Reyna doesn’t feel like she’s the type of person to really use nicknames, and since everyone at Camp Jupiter saw him as a leader, I don’t feel like they’d casually call him by some nickname either. Jason hearing that nickname and it being meaningful because for the first time in ages he feels like a kid instead of a leader. Jason getting to use a nickname for Leo and/or Piper for the first time and it feeling significant for the same reason. Jason and Piper post-breakup trying to figure out what to call each other now because they’re objectively better as friends but it’s still weird and new and everything is different and it’s too strange to keep using the same nicknames they did when they were dating.

Hope some of this was helpful!! Please feel free to use however much or little of it as you’d like! Writing this out actually helped me massively because it made me realize I’m a massive idiot and do have a concept I want to use for this prompt (not any of the above ones so again please feel free to grab them if you’d like!) so thank you for that haha

#Asks #poppitron360 #hoo #heroes of olympus #lost trio #jason grace #leo valdez #piper mclean

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princess-of-the-corner · 5 months ago

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Miraculous Sonic

(Listen, I have had a DAY, so I’m going to relate a discussion I had with my 4-year-old Nephew about this, cause honestly, It’s pretty funny)

premise: What animals would the Miraculous Ladybug characters be, if they got dropped into the Sonic World?

First, my nephew had to make me understand that just because a character had a certain miraculous, it didn’t mean they were that animal in Sonic. Because Sonic is a Hedgehog, but he would ABSOLUTELY have either the Monkey or the Black Cat, you see. The reasoning is OBVIOUS, apparently, because he did not feel the need to explain.

(Again, keep in mind - my nephew is 4)

Marinette - a mouse. Nephew’s argument was that she reminded him of the mice in Disney’s Cinderella (animated). This is his favourite movie.

Sabine & Tom - Sabine is also a mouse, but Tom is a rat, apparently. Because they are bigger, you see.

Adrien - this was very divided. He’s either a golden retriever, or a cat. Specifically, nephew’s best friend’s cat, Caramel (basically a blonde tabby, with gray-green eyes, and a few brown spots), only with “an actual tail” (Caramel’s tail had to be half-docked at some point). He also argued that, if he’s a cat, Adrien should be declawed, because Gabriel wouldn’t let him keep his claws (Jesus, kid). If he’s a dog, nephew said Gabriel would put him in a fancy prong-collar, or possibly a shock one (JESUS, KID).

Emilie & Gabriel - Emilie is a dog, a very fancy, sleek golden retriever/poodle mix. Gabe is apparently a Sphinx cat. I pointed out they wouldn’t be able to have a kid together. He argued that since Adrien is a Senti, this did not matter.

Amelie & Felix - Amelie is the same as Emilie, because they are twins, but Felix is apparently a grey cat.

Nathalie - a German Shepard. He refused to elaborate.

Alya - Alya is apparently an African Grey Parrot. Because she wants to be a reporter, so she “parrots” things she sees and hears (he didn’t know the exact pun, but that was the gist).

Nino - Gecko. Species unspecified, but he showed me a picture of a brown-striped gecko with tiny headphones, so I assume that’s where that came from.

Alix - “you know the snakes with legs? The speedy one! She’s that!” He refers to several lizards as “snakes with legs”, but based on context, I assume he means the basilisk lizard, which is very fast and can run on water. He occasionally calls it “Scaly Jesus”, cause that’s what his uncle calls them, to the disapproval of the grandparents, and the laughter of the rest of us.

Kim - Kim is a tiger, because they like swimming. But a smaller tiger.

Rose - He kept saying she was the “real bouncy hamster” I think he meant Chinchilla? This one was less clear, but I THINK Chinchilla was what he was talking about? It might also have been gerbil, but he doesn’t like gerbils, so I think Chinchilla is a safe bet.

Max - Raven, because ravens and crows are smart.

Juleka & Luka - wolves, or wolf-dogs. Cause they howl, “and that’s BASICALLY singing.”

Mylene - This one was a bird. Not sure, again, but I THINK he meant a bird of paradise? Love bird? “One of the small, rainbow ones. With ‘tenna.”

Ivan - a bear. He also felt no reason to explain this one.

Nathaniel - monkey. One with a “Looooooooooooong tail” apparently. He once saw a small monkey with orange fur, and he loves that one in particular.

Marc - a raccoon. Because they have thumbs (???).

Chloé - a hummingbird. Specifically, the bumblebee hummingbird, because they are his favourite. (“It would fit in my mouth! But I don’t one in my mouth! But it could fit!”)

Sabrina - otter, because that’s his Auntie Sabrina’s favourite animal, so that means ML!Sabrina is an otter.

Lila - ferret/weasel, they are interchangeable to him.

Anarka - also a wolf. He spent a while drawing what I’m fairly certain was a wolf with a pirate’s hat.

Jagged Stone - is a crocodile, because he has Fang. I asked what that would make Fang, in this universe. Fang is apparently, to quote, “the safety guy. And they have kisses”, so Sonic version of Fang is apparently Jagged’s bodyguard/boyfriend?

André - a very big toad. Nephew said all his political rivals would be flies (o…k?).

Audrey - praying mantis, cause they scare him.

Fu - a tortoise, cause he’s been alive FOREVER.

These are absolutely perfect and I love them.

#submission

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olivescales3 · 6 months ago

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The Forgotten Legends of Chima Episode 4

“My dad really knew what he was talking about. There’s nothing in here”, Eris ruffles up her white feathers in frustration as she picks up everything available to analyze in this small section of a tall shelf.

The piles of paper and files have been growing ever since noon. And even before that, Eris’ voice didn’t stop echoing around the library from morning until now. The sunlight that was hitting our heads is now softer, but still feels like a heat wave is upon us, with the ceiling made out of glass radiating extreme warmth on us. I’m surprised how this hasn’t gone down with fires yet. Cragger is panting, trying to cool himself off, alas, to no avail— his arm’s temperature is hotter than normal, I can sense his scales getting dull from the touch of my paws. Eris, however, seems unbothered by all this heat.

She turns around, giggling a bit, “Guess you guys live in the cooler side of Chima. Just wait for the sun to move away.”

We continue listening to the incessant page-flipping noises. How come we’ve been almost the entire day here, and yet no sign of clues?

“If we don’t find anything soon, I fear that our situation might actually turn for the worse. I might’ve recovered, but this doesn’t mean we don’t have someone behind our backs.”

Eris freezes in place for a brief moment, her beak pointed at the empty shelf. She then turns around, facing the mounts she accumulated throughout the day. They look intimidating for sure; I wouldn’t have the brainpower to absorb— furthermore dissect— all of that information. She’s very dedicated to her goals. Pages upon pages of archived material won’t stop her from spreading them all across the wooden floor. This vast library’s walls are covered with books, but its center is empty; how many books are there, really? After a few minutes of thinking, the eagle calls us to stand besides her, then sits down.

The countless papers describing our sky and starts in detail… Ah, even from the distance I can find studies about the moon!

Eris sighs, perplexed, “So far, the only information I’ve found about the Hundred Year Moon was from anecdotes—”, she picks up a piece of thick, old paper, “and the document my dad previously talked about, like, a week ago”.

Unfortunately, ever since I got myself entangled on the inter-tribal dispute with those crocodiles, my dad started to be more worried with my vulnerability on the outside world… which is something I can’t deny. The incidents related to wolf deaths and the Purple Moon also began to increase, alongside to the strong rise in robbery of Chi— it’s a strange coincidence, too.

“The old piece of document aside, which I’ll try to decipher later— we only have three crucial clues for our mystery: the Purple Moon being linked to wolves going insane, who afterwards go searching for Chi.”

I ask, “Do you mean that the Purple Moon and Chi are somehow linked?”

She nods in response.

“Aight, but… If that’s the case”, Cragger interrupts our conversation, “then why did a lone wolf attack Laval?”

Eris shrugs; perhaps that specific wolf wasn’t affected by it, as they attacked me independently of the others in a premeditated manner.

She proceeds to grab a book, one that is open on a section about the moon. “I’ve been speculating about this for a while now… Chi has a liquid form, doesn’t it?”

I nod; Chi, in a liquid state, can be seen all the time, back at the Sacred Pool of Chi.

“It’s a well known fact— at least inside our Eagle circle— that the common moon shakes the lakes and rivers of Chima”, the bright eagle continues speaking as she looks at me attentively, “but the Sacred Pool of Chi is unaffected by this strange pull.”

The heat begins to die down a bit, enough for our minds to refresh. I have slight difficulties breathing because of the altitude, but it’s the expected. I’m feeling better, at least.

“Chi is normally found in crystal form, Eris.”

“Yes… but!”

She observes once again all of the things she had previously scattered, and focuses on them with her eagle vision. If there’s something unclear to us, then it’s obvious to her. I don’t doubt that a genius like Eris will let us down.

She adds, “ It wouldn’t hurt to test it out. Tomorrow will be Chi’s Giving.”

Because of the reoccurring incidents, our visits have to be done from inside the lion temple. Lagravis had discussed with his brother on how to let important visitors without risking them being attacked by the wolves— they reached the conclusion that events such as our “Chi’s Giving” can only be executed in the morning, around the time the Sacred Pool of Chi is bright enough like the sky above it.

I observe the blue, liquid Chi inside the pool; it twitches around in small waves, almost freezing at certain areas, which soon sinks then rises to the surface as a crystal.

Those waves… do they react with the Purple Moon?

“What are you looking at, son?”, Dad interrogates me, his worried tone of voice sounds passive aggressive— or that’s what it feels. He’s behind my area of view.

Lagravis kept his body stiff on top of his throne the entire time we waited for our guests. He chose to not budge. I fear for my dad, that anguish has started to consume him whole…

The temperature in the room refreshes a lot, and not even the scorching torches that hang from pillars are able to heat us up properly. It’s much better than whatever went on at the library.

I turn around; Dad’s head lies on his hand as support, and he’s sitting with legs crossed. The tapping noises from his toe echo across the octagonal room, though they blend in against the noises of the Chi waterfall behind my father.

“I’ve been thinking about Chi for a while. Do you believe there’s a reason for the wolves to want it so much?”

He sighs. “One can only speculate, Laval.”

Tall silhouettes appear on the distance, who seem to walk at our direction. A surge of relief falls upon me— I’ve been waiting for this moment, eager even, as Eris might push us forward and give us a boost to end this mess. Then, the clouds of feathers shine through the Chi’s light, revealing themselves as Ewald and his kin. They greet us with a shy hello.

It’s only a few minutes later that someone brings the courage to speak:

“Ah… well, quite complicated, isn’t it?”, Equila stuttered.

His white feathers blend with the blue reflection of the Chi; the light also hit his eyes, which aren’t protected by his goggles.

No one else had the audacity to speak over Lagravis’ silence, but Equila’s words have compelled my father to reply.

“Good morning. Yes, everything thus far has been more than complicated”. The lion king stands still behind the Sacred Pool of Chi, itching his chin nervously. “I hope you understand why I took these measures. It is simply not possible to hold the Chi’s Giving event outdoors. We have to escort Chima’s kings inside the lion temple.”

Ewald bows in agreement without letting his golden wreath fall down to the ground.

Eris and I glance at each other; this is the longest my dad has taken to execute this ceremony. He seems hesitant, his eyes staring down the electric blue liquid. I can see his paws shaking ever so slightly, and his black, shiny lips struggling to open.

I walk next to him and hold his hand; it’s cold and sweaty, kind of like mine sometimes. Lagravis melts a bit, his anxiety tones down. My eagle friend also comes to comfort Dad: she lays her head on his shoulder, then hugs him tight. It’s not we’re supposed to treat a king, but he isn’t bothered by our manners at all.

Ewald chuckles. “I’m sorry—”

“No. Do not apologize. I… needed this.”

Lagravis detaches us off him, proceeding then to kneel to the Sacred Pool of Chi; his muzzle falls near the reserve’s water, appearing as a distorted reflection on the liquid’s surface. Afterwards he raises his arms to honor Mount Cavora above us.

“I, king of the lions, hereby lend you the Chi bestowed by our creator, Mount Cavora. Your tribe shall be blessed by its magnificent power.”

This isn’t even the beginning of the ritual, and yet, the water inside the pool already begins to vibrate with intensity— it sways in huge waves, forming crystals from below. Nature itself is manifesting its power. It intimidates both Eris and I– her eyes glint not in a way it would–, because we’re sure to test whatever it takes to learn about this miracle we call Chi. Some may say it’s a daring move, or that we’re going against nature’s will, but I don’t care—

A surge of uncertainty pierces my heart.

Well… perhaps I do care. But I believe that I’m doing this for Chima, for everyone.

Lagravis continues his speech, while retrieving the crystals, “Please, accept this gift from Mount Cavora. We would be nothing without it.” He marches towards the leader of the Eagle’s Ruling Council. “Use it well, use it wisely.”

Lion guards, including Longtooth and Leonidas, surround them while wielding ceremonial spears, and tilt them, making some kind of ‘tent’ shape. They raise their spears and shout, “For Chima!”, before hitting their polearms on the ground in synchrony.

Usually, music would play. Seems that this event is going to be more discrete than usual.

The lion guards leave, marching outside the temple. Lagravis nods to signal that the event is over. It was quicker than I expected.

Eris waves to me. She blinks, because she knows she’ll see me later. I wave back. They leave.

…A surge of loneliness hits me. Why does all of this feel so… lonely? Before, animals from all tribes would look at us receiving our Chi. They would cheer out of excitement. Now, it’s just us, afraid, in danger. We’re terrified, with no light giving us hope to leave the cave of despair. I can’t understand why would this Purple Moon even happen in the first place, but it’s making our lives miserable. That’s why I want to find a solution; I want to bring peace again, just like a prince would do. Or, I hope to do such a thing. I will not disappoint.

----

I had seated myself on the first step of the Lion Temple’s entrance, as the scorching sun sizzled on my bruises and made them ache. I kept observing the few clouds that barely did anything to protect my fur; they came and went, just like the hours did. I ended up submerging myself into some kind of weird reality where only the blue sky existed, but it was just me drowning under my boredom. I had waited for Eris, and she came.

“Laval! Hello? Please, get away from the sunlight, you’re going to have a heatstroke!”, my friend scolds me, “You’ve been still for a while, it’s worrying, you know.”

I nod. “Yes… Sorry.”

I didn’t notice it at the time, but she parked her white, shiny Speedor right in front of the stairway. Animals go up and down, avoiding the vehicle that’s blocking their path. A few of them even glance at us, which is understandable, because they’re witnessing two important animals just… staying in the middle of their way. Me almost suffering from a heatstroke is also concerning. Eris hops on her unicycle, and I place myself behind her. As she takes her leave, riding us away from the Lion Temple, she turns to the left.

Our surroundings become drier, the landscape barren and fragile. Eris took a decent path towards the Eagle Spire. I think it’s quite fun to see that tall peak from far away.

She begins to speak, waving her head sideways, “So… you see, I may have just found something important… Actually— it may be just a hunch, but I need to test something out.”

I poke my friend’s back to remind her that she’s driving.

“Sure. What is it?”

She points at the sky, bringing my attention to an almost transparent dark dot. “That might be the Purple Moon. I saw it using my telescope just to make sure.”

“And you’re still not sure?”

“…Yeah— Doesn’t hurt to test it out, though!”

“Test what—”, my voice is cut off by Eris’ sudden speeding.

A marvelous sight at the Eagle Spire’s helipad greets me. It’s awesome! Eris brought a single Chi crystal with her. It shines bright, spreading light blue across our view.

The eagle observes her Chi up close.

“After the ceremony, my dad told me about the wolf invasion that happened inside your borders. I am sorry for the losses of both the Lion and Wolf Tribe… However, he said that those wolves were after your Chi, and it made me think for a while!”

Eris’ enthusiasm with her research surprises me… How can she keep such a bright spirit amidst the horrors of the Purple Moon?

“I have a tiny speculation… that might crack the code! That’s why I chose to call you under the Purple Moon.”

I ask about her ideas; she raises her voice in excitement.

“The Chi might be influenced by it!”

“Does this mean that you’ll have to use this crystal for your own research? Chi is a scarce resource! Do not!”

She groans. “Do you want more wolves to die?”

I shake my head.

Then, a familiar approaches us. Equila has come to see us, but why? Eris smirks in silence, refusing to utter a word. She giggles a bit before raising her head with a menacing grin. A macabre and suspenseful weight pushes both Equila and I down as we wait for the genius eagle to speak.

At the helipad, our horizon broadens exponentially— I can see the Outlands from here! It’s amazing to see the gray landscape of the Alpine Tundra, where stipples of dull greenery scatter across the surface. Sometimes, if I tilt my head, everything flattens up.

A cold touch pokes my shoulder, catching me off guard. Did I get distracted again?… Eris and her brother stand behind me; Equila’s expression right now has changed into fear, with sweat falling down his slick feathers, an unbelievable face considering how overly happy he was at the time of the last Speedorz Race; his orange goggles can’t be found on him, which reveals a worried and anxious look I’ve never seen on him before. He’s quiet.

Eris, on the other hand, is excited, chirping underneath her fluffy feathers. She has been holding a Chi crystal between her delicate talons. But then, she hands it to Equila.

“What do you want..?” He shrieks quietly.

Eris has not spoken yet, as she would only chirp merrily; a macabre suspense haunts the air around us, raising anxiety at each breath she takes. The bird looks at her awkward, scared brother, who reciprocates the visual contact.

“I want you to eat the Chi.”

Equila gasps in response, his beak open wide; this terrifying demand pierced through Equila like a thunder and left him paralyzed from head to toe. It was only seconds later that he managed to sweep away the shock and snatch the crystal from Eris’ talons, placing it behind his back.

“Eris! What went through your head?”, his despair shoots through his screaming voice, “Where did you get that idea from!”

In the blink of an eye, Eris holds herself back but returns to her eager face; her eyelids shine slightly with a faint violet tint of the Purple Moon that’s far away into the sky, hidden in plain sight.

She sighs, “I’ve thought hard about this. I’m not doing a sort of gag— if I understand how the Chi works, we might solve the problems that cause the wolves’ aggressiveness.”

Equila is visibly unable to understand his sister’s words and chooses to not ask any further.

“Your sacrifice won’t go in vain! Please, help us free the Wolf Tribe from suffering.”

“S— sacrifice? I don’t want to die! Eris, I’m begging you, for the Phoenixes’ sake, leave this idea behind. I am not going to swallow a Chi crystal.”

My friend clenches her palms; she frowns her fluffy eyebrows; her patience is reaching its limit. In an outburst, she cries:

“If you won’t, then I will!”

She’s not willing to back down.

I swallow my saliva in anguish. There’s no way she would do that, I thought, but if she’s this determined…

I lay my paw on her tall shoulder. She freezes for an instant.

Equila’s eyes twitch between the Chi on his grasp and his sister. He has a multitude of choices, but seems to only think of two. And so, with grief… he shoved the Chi down his throat. He flinches in pain, gulping multiple times; he starts to gag uncontrollably afterwards.

Eris stands there, staring at her brother— who once was an extroverted, outgoing eagle— transform into a surge of uncontrollable anguish. As the Chi went down his throat, he choked for a bit— then, a blue, almost ghostic silhouette of his rose from the ground, and it pushed us away with a powerful blow. After that, Equila’s eyes shined like the Chi he had swallowed. He couldn’t hide the pain, wouldn’t stop screeching; his cries have been piercing our eardrums, along with the noises of his nails scratching the helipad’s floor. Tears fell down his face until he was unable to hold himself any longer. It feels like an eternity—

He pounces on me, but lands face first onto the floor. I quickly turn around and run up to Eris, who kept watching everything without moving an inch. Senses come back to her, she pulls me tight to her bulky chest.

The haze leaking from Equila’s beak transitions from blue to purple, and the screams that rise out of his lungs become more and more unbearable.

“Somebody help us, please! Equila, hang in there!”, Eris pleas, her voice blending in with the painful noise underneath. Her panting breath grows louder as she holds me strong in the air.

A flash turns at us, and, in the blink of an eye, we’re inside a jet. My head stumbles itself into a state of shock; all that surrounds me become twisted into a fuzzy mess hurting my brain.

Soon enough, my eyes return to normal, yet I feel light headed. To my side, where the passenger’s door is, I can see ten other jets surrounding the Eagle Spire’s helipad, beaming downwards blue fire to stay afloat in the sky.

“Stay where you are, Equila!”, a deep, breathy voice shouts, “We won’t hurt you— just be still!”

The feral white eagle can be seen clenching himself from afar; he’s really trying to not go against those orders. However, I have a gut feeling that it won’t take too long for Equila to lose his control.

A sudden gust of wind races from Equila’s wings and wobbles the jets, including the one I’m in. At this moment, I turn around and notice that Ewald was the one who saved Eris and I from any further harm. He, the leader of the Eagle’s Ruling Council, put his life on the line for our sake. Right now, he looks horrified. His son has gone into a state of madness because of the Chi.

Eris cries with her hands over her face, “D— dad! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault.”

“What do you mean?”, her father shuddered.

Then, Equila punches his wings around the sky and they push the air at every flap, but it seems like he can’t keep up with the flight— the bright electricity on his body begins to sizzle, and the eagle has become unable to maintain his position. He lands on the Eagle Spire’s ground, exhausted.

When our eagle jet roosts down, Eris pushes the door open and sprints towards her unconscious brother. I follow suit, walking behind her.

The bird’s face rests emotionless, besides the pain felt wrinkles near his eyes. My friend lays her head on his chest; the tears that fall across her feathers would soon hit her brother’s apparently unmoving keel. His wings are spread across the floor, tainted with dust. However, Equila’s body is not stiff; when I lay my fingers on his wrist and press it for a bit, I can feel the blood crossing inside of him.

I smile in tears. “He’s not dead”, I cry.

A navy blue eagle— the one who helped us just now— leaves his flying vehicle. He walks up to Equila and, with a red magnifying monocle, analyzes his every feather.

Ewald whispers, his voice weak, “Eglor… Tell me that my son is alive!”

“Yes, he is. It would be a lie to say that he isn’t!

Eglor pokes Equilas knee, and the tendons jerk in reaction.

“Now, call the paramedics! I can’t help him all by myself”

Both Ewald and Eris screech with every strength their lungs can muster; thereafter, from a faraway building at the Eagle Spire, blue-tinted raptors slide in the air towards us, and four of them seem to hold a stretcher; they quickly come by, laying their golden claws down on the helipad. Equila is placed on top of the stretcher, disappearing alongside the other adults.

For a fleeting moment, I saw Eris' eyes shed tears, but she fled just as fast as the other eagles while mumbling to herself; each step she took was too fast for me to keep up with, and her words got lost in between her despair. I could see her silhouette from afar, getting farther away from me.

She continues to sprint without looking back; one of her talons twist right at the edge of the ground— and Eris has fallen in front of my eyes. As I reach the same edge as she did, my heart starts to punch down my guts. However, she's flying fine— a bit disoriented, I'd say— straight up to the library. I run around the stairs of the mountain, trying to reach the same destination as my friend; they are long and hard to climb for a lion like me, though bearable enough right now; at my top speed, I drift along the stairway a few times and enter the library.

Absurdly tall bookshelves corner me akin to a maze, yet they cannot stop me from overhearing Eris' weeps that echo from left to right. I go through the jungle of books; the sections vary by subject, like religion and geography. Until, something catches my eye: Eris is removing a book from a shelf; her body quivers a lot, shaking the arms without control; she opens the book, trembling, which reveals pages filled with child-like handwriting.

"I— I can't believe! Where is it?" She wails, the sound of flipping papers whispering beneath her tears.

The eagle seems to land on a specific part of the book, one that makes her stop and read; afterwards, she drops it and herself onto the wooden floor.

My soul can't stand looking at Eris like this!

"Eris! Don't worry, I'm here... Please—"

"I almost killed my brother!"

----

I can’t wipe the image off my mind— Equila’s reaction to the Chi was awful, and I suppose the pain he felt was horrible too. Though… I still don’t understand how this was influenced by the Purple Moon. Is it even a moon? And Equila ate a crystal, instead of drinking a liquid. Anyhow, now’s the perfect time to ask questions. Cragger and I have been waiting for our other friends to come, in hopes of discussing what to do next.

During our time doing nothing, Cragger kept nagging me about what games to play next.

I told him, “We’re in a critical situation right now, Cragger. It’s not safe to play out there!”

But then he got down to his knees and looked at me with big, watery eyes, begging me to race at least once.

“I have cool tricks to show you that Papa taught me! …Pretty please?”

“Okay, okay”, I grunted, “We’ll play later, just promise me to not do anything hasty.”

Well, at least that made my buddy calm down… He’s leaning on the same rock as I am, somewhere in the route between the Lion Temple and the Eagle Spire.

To think that I’ve been frequenting this area quite a bit…

Eris and Worriz arrive on their Speedorz, and we greet them.

“Good to see that you kept your promise, Laval…“, Worriz laughs, “You’ve been keeping a keen eye on this Chi stuff.��

I sigh, “Only keeping a keen eye… Since Eris is the one doing the actual research.”

My fur looks unkempt; I barely had the energy to tidy up, as the recent memories of Equila’s agonies haunted me down to my core— it made my paws tremble, and I needed to hide from Dad whatever happened beforehand by lying through my teeth that I was fine. I’m laying lies after lies; this will not end well. Dark circles cast from underneath my eyes, very much so, to the point where not even makeup could make them less visible.

“What are you going to do next?”, the pup asks Eris, snarking, “You guys are catching up some pace, but are still nowhere. Sacrificing your brother won’t do much.”

She puffs up, frustrated at Worriz’ words. “I’m planning to bring a bucket of Chi where the Purple Moon is near.”

Cragger, who was distracted with the rattling leaves from above, becomes startled with our conversation. “Where is the bucket of Chi? Don’t we just have crystals?”

“Or so you’d think— but I let the Chi simmer on hot water and melt for a long time. Oh, also, I thought that you could take notes with Laval during our experiment. We have to document everything we see... Everything.”

He nods.

Eris speaks with a melancholic tone of voice, “Great... Let’s go at the West side of Chima tonight, the three of us.”

Worriz huffs while hopping on his Speedor without afterthought and quickly leaves the area. It’s surprising that he spoke so little during our short meeting— perhaps it’s another jab against us? Or is he wimping out like a coward? … Is it my appearance?

----

The sky is pitch black, but It doesn’t bother us for the experiment. Instead, this might as well be the ideal scenario for Eris�� plans. From above, the only source of light remains the Purple Moon, and from below– where we are– dances a tiny flame at the eagle’s palm; a torch brightens the liquid Chi inside this bucket on the floor.

“When the moon moves, it might pull the liquid Chi. I made sure to come here when the normal moon was unable to be seen”, says Eris.

I— I can’t believe we’ve come this far. Equila's temporary sacrifice of his well-being showed itself to be the key for our experiment. We will save the wolves, I’m sure of it. If this water sways along with the Purple Moon, Chima will finally have some peace of mind.

I poke Cragger’s shoulder and point upwards. “Are you keeping track of the moon?”

He looks at me, slightly startled, as if I had caught him off guard, then returns his gaze to the bright, cursed sphere that hangs atop the horizon.

I stare deep at the Chi. Adrenaline pushes my heart back and forth. Pencil and paper in hand, my paws shake as sweat begins to crawl down my forehead— I swipe it aside with the back of my wrist as to not let it fall into the bucket. But the liquid wont move.

A sudden force pushes my arm.

“Look! The stars, they’re shinin’.”

At that moment, the Chi shook— it moved!

“Take notes!”, Cragger shouts.

I rapidly push my pencil on the paper and scribble down what I witnessed.

Eris and Cragger rush towards the bucket, observing it with all of their energy. Again, it moved!

Tears slide down Eris’ eyes. Cragger shoves us into a hug. We start to jump around and frolic.

Who could’ve thought that this was so easy, so quick? It’s amazing!

Thud!

Something hit the bucket; it’s circling on its own circumference. The liquid rocks violently, and it’s pushing the metal object.

Thud!

The bucket falls down. All of its insides flow out, being absorbed by the grass.

Then, a gust of dust blinds us for a second, before our surroundings tremble. Worse— I can see that a huge stampede runs at our direction.

A piercing agony cuts me in half, hardening my legs like dry clay. I can see the wave of creatures consuming the horizon. They get closer and closer each time I blink.

“Laval, what are you doing? Run!”, Eris screams from the bottom of her lungs.

She pulls me with her hand. I can’t stop looking behind me, even if she’s dragging me away from that crowd.

Loud howls form a symphony of wildness, followed by the percussion of paws running on the ground.

My legs return to their senses and begin moving with my will. I turn around and sprint far away from the stampede, but the darkness of the night engulfs us into a sudden, unpredictable maze. The cracking noises of leaves and branches can’t muffle down the stalking wolves; they get louder by the minute— they might catch us soon.

A sudden pebble gets stuck in between my toes— I loose my balance and trip. I can only feel the leaves breaking under my fall. But something lifts me just after, as it tightly grips my tunic.

I tried to scream, but fear shut my mouth.

And yet, the stampede is behind us. Maybe.

“How’re you this heavy?”

This familiar voice breaks the suspense haunting me. Childlike and brittle… It can only be Cragger!

“Alert! There’s a big tree nearby. Follow me!”

We follow suit the eagle’s words.

An explosion of leaves echo out of our sight.

“I— They’re getting closer!”

Eris’ voice becomes louder than before, "Cragger, please, hold my friend tight!”

He groans, “What do you mean?”, before a gush of wind pushes upwards on us.

Wing flaps can be heard, slow but steady. Worse— it seems that Eris picked us up just by herself! The pressure on my tunic gets stronger, starting to rip part of my clothes, and it worsens with my friends wobbling atop the sky, until I’m finally able to touch on high branches.

My friends proceed to hold themselves onto the tree alongside me. From the looks of it, as I stare downwards at the tree’s roots, the trunk is very, very tall. Weird enough, the branches are long yet sturdy, flowing in whatever direction it can.

The moonlight shines, hitting faintly on these huge, hollow seeds that hang from those branches. They’re not just hollow; they have open holes like doors and windows! Are they houses?

Cragger whimpers, “Eris… Tha’was close! How did you…”

“You just answered me by yourself.”

He sighs.

From below, the rush of wolves pass galloping in a hurry, avoiding us and the tree, but their noise attracts an unexpected rumble at our height too. We hear heavy panting, and it gets louder by the minute.

“Dude!”, the disembodied voice groans, “What in Cavora is going on?”

I look behind me and notice a small gorilla, perhaps a kid even, juggling from branch to branch until he reaches us— up close, his bright markings all across his face feel familiar.

“Ey, Gorzan!”, Cragger greets the child in relief.

“Oh, hi bud. Crocodiles never climb trees.”

Gorzan stares at us, suspicious of why we’re here in the first place. Though, he looks down once more, then analyzes us briefly, before nodding.

“So you guys are also troubled by this mess?…”

“Wait— what do you mean ‘also’? Where were you during all of the past Hundred Year Moon incidents?”

Eris starts to propel herself using an offshoot in an attempt to wrestle the kid, but he remains unfazed. The eagle’s eyes shine with tears— I suppose adrenaline also pumps violently in her, just like it does in me.

“…We stayed home each and every night it crossed our view. We’re not reckless, you know!”

I unwillingly giggle, my voice trembling a bit; now everyone’s attention is directed at me, so I lower my voice.

“Yes… We aren’t reckles… I guess…”

The gorilla laughs loud, swaying himself around. He’s amused, but I’m not. I don’t think my other friends are amused either. But he’s there, kicking his feet on the air, for a minute. Underneath his smile, I can notice he’s slightly nervous. Then, he returns to a calmer stance, hanging with one hand.

"You guys should come with me. My grandpa won't be happy to see us here like this..."

After being led with my friends by Gorzan into his village, we're greeted with faint lights that scatter across the enormous tree they're hanging from. Those lights all come from the houses of the Gorilla Tribe; one of them in particular strikes attention because of its flashy blue paint job. Gorzan points at it, telling us about a little party that was going on in there; it got previously interrupted due to the sudden wolf stampede, followed by our screaming. He proceeds to vocalize and whoop; the other gorillas who remained inside that house reply and wave at us. We swing our way to the party.

As we set our foot inside that abode, a dizzy sensation makes me lose focus; the seed is more hollow than I had imagined, with a lot of empty room, besides a circle of gorillas awaiting for us. One of them, a grayed elder, itches his dry lips before drinking straight from an open coconut.

"Thank you, grandson, for saving the future of Chima...", he bows to the child in relief, "When I heard them, I immediately recognized their voices... An old leader like me can't do much."

Gorzan gives him a massage on the shoulders. "Grizzam, don't worry about it, I brought them here just fine! Let's just relax and party!"

Another tiny gorilla, dressed up with flowers, hands us a handful of coconuts. Her blue skin bears a resemblance to Gorzan's, but her fur is brown.

“Drink it— you’ll feel much better, especially if you did a lot of exercise beforehand!

She crawls up to us, then whispers, “My bro loves coconut water… That’s because it helps you regain the salts you lose when sweating!”

Gorzan blushes in reaction after overhearing our small conversation.

He says, “Don’t mind G'loona, please! My sister's kinda talkative about our lives…”

“But she didn’t say anything special… Oh well, perhaps I do need to drink this more often”, I tilt the fruit at my muzzle and drink the refreshing liquid, “I tend to sweat a lot… Do you Gorzan?”

His face immediately becomes shiny, with water dripping from his forehead. He covers his face in shame and everybody laughs.

Eris starts to dance to the rhythmic clapping of the animals around us; Cragger also joins the fun; everyone chants and sway around eagerly... but me. I look behind, stare at the dead of night, thinking about the bucket of Chi we abandoned. Oh well, I wonder what those wolves did with it. The music bounces around the house— my ears hurt! Eris, however, probably noticed me crouched on the floor; she reaches her hand, inviting me to dance.

Should I?

My legs wobble and I fall back to the ground. She giggles and lifts me up.

"Don't be shy, Laval! I know you can dance."

"Yes... But—"

The gorillas stop their music. Grizzam's pale blue eyes shrink unexpectedly.

"You heard that?", he utters, "Troops are marching their way here. Gorzan, take care of the unwarranted visitors!"

The grandchild bows before hopping down the house; he descends from branch to branch, until I can't see him well at this height. I crouch again and tilt my ears forward; the silence helps me eavesdrop a husky voice below, then faint metallic noises. Eris sits near me, picking her feathers.

"Hey—", "Calm down..."

"Bring them to me!"

Afterwards, Gorzan comes back, panting and trembling.

"It's... It's the Crocodile Tribe's commander, grandpa! He wants Cragger and Laval!"

My blood runs cold— The commander, he said!

Grizzam coughs. "I suppose someone had to come rescue these children..."

I snap, "But— Why would it have to be the commander-in-chief? What about Cragger's dad! He's the king! Right, Cragger?"

He stays quiet. "I— uhh... I dunno..."

Gorzan pulls our hands, visibly afraid. Cruz— I can't even imagine what that deplorable criminal said to him!

"Guys... We have no choice", he whispers.

Cragger and I are brought down to the earth's level, face to face with the blue, tall, intimidating crocodile and his army. The moon still shines bright, but the purple tint has gone away. Gorzan runs back to the tree, and we're left alone with the crocs.

A medium sized vehicle stands behind Cruz; it's bulky and wide, with a crocodilian mouth open on the front. Cragger is slowly escorted by some guards to the back of that tank, slow enough to be deliberate; I see him distracted, his back facing me.

A blunt force hits my head and all fades to black.

----

That... horrible, disembodied voice— I know it... I've heard it one too many times. It pierces my skin without remorse. It haunts me, crawls inside my eardrums, spits on me, screams at me.

"And you thought that you could get away from me, brat!"

Cruz' foul breath hurts my eyes; I tear up, and whatever I could barely see is now gone. The humid and airtight room makes me squirm.

"What are you even doing?", I cry.

He pushes my head onto something hard; the pain spreads around the back of my skull. "Making sure you don't get in my way."

"Way of what?"

He hits me again, but I hold myself back from crying. "What do you have to do with the wolves?"

A finger shoves itself onto my muzzle; it pulls my mouth upwards, then snaps it back to place.

"You rat— Why should I tell you anything?" He stays silent for a moment, breathing heavily. "It doesn't matter anymore. I got what I wanted; you'll see it soon when I kill your entire family!"

No— not my family!

Chains rustle as I shake my body, trying to free myself. Cruz laughs with a raspy, sadistic cackle, before wet steps begin to hide his voice: "The Crocodile 'king' has a huge storm coming for him... Hah!"

Dead silence.

Here I am, once again caught in between these chains, hidden by the shadows of a selfish commander.

"If someone tried to attack us, we'd have no choice but to defend ourselves", the words of my uncle echo in mind.

While I am left here to rot, Cruz will, without a doubt, start war against my tribe. Perhaps... kidnapping me was the plan, to avoid the wolves from being saved, to continue this disaster and take advantage of it? Stir violence from violence? Meanwhile, where is Crominus? He's the one in charge; where is he in a fragile moment like this!

I stare down at my stiff, tightly held body; the strength of those chains begin to hurt my bones. An anguished sigh leaves my throat.

If I recall properly... Cragger didn't know where his dad was, right? I wouldn't be surprised if my Dad summoned him because of Cruz' actions. But it doesn't make sense for Cruz to be left alone and do what he wants!

Sudden noises– of what sound like sparks– burst around the surface; I hold my breath and listen to them, but they're interrupted by faraway screaming; it's followed by dashing steps that get stronger by the second, alongside a torch I see, being held by Crawley. He enters the cave, looks around, then whispers: "Dang it! Cruz has to stop drifting away from my plans!". When he noticed that I listened to it all, he gives me an ugly look, akin to a threat, and leaves the place.

"Troops, to the entrance! Go!", Cruz' orders manage to get inside my eardrums.

Noises of metallic weaponry clanging and banging around follow suit, but one seems to direct itself inside the cave. A tall brown crocodile, with a metal lower jaw, rises from the depths holding a torch.

The crocodile moves behind me and begins to melt down the chains holding me; the dampness of this cave makes them sizzle ever so slightly, as fire appears within my view.

“W– what are you doing!”, I cough blood.

Suddenly, the chains fall free onto the muddy floor, but I’m held by unbelievably huge, muscular arms.

“Silence”, he whispers, “They’ll catch us if you make any noise.”

The stranger hugs me tight before running away; I cannot see properly for I have been tied up longer than anything in my life; though I lost track of time, the light quickly blinds me in a matter of what feels like minutes, and deafening noises of heavy vehicle tracks invade my unrecognizable surroundings.

Even if my senses are adrift, I will always find my way— unfortunate, however, the stench of blood floats on the atmosphere; rich and metallic— a smell that I am too familiar with.

I cry, “The gore… It’s sickening…”

The crocodile’s heart beat shoots fast.

“Crug, you insolent swine! Go to the battlefield like I ordered you to!”, Cruz’ orders echo from afar.

Crug rubs my eyes, helping me regain my sight. He pets my tiny little mane and leaves me behind, hidden besides a tall tree, whose roots rise of the ground with very good shade. I hide underneath it, then stare at the mud on my legs and arms. Ugh.

And so I dive myself into the mud, hoping that my adrenaline stink becomes less noticeable.

Ugly screams of agony shake the ground, mixed with thuds of dead bodies being shot with Chi lasers, metals clanging, blood splattering. I could not interfere. Neither could I help. I'm left to rot here, and if I leave, I will die! Oh Mount Cavora— I had a hunch that Cruz was indeed plotting something... And he did! Outside of the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout is a battlefield!

Underneath all of the noise, a firm voice passionately screams far away: "Give my nephew back to me, heinous criminal! You will never be king, speaking as the brother of one! You are nothing but—"

A heavy gunshot silences Lavertus.

"I will run over all of your lions! Crominus is no longer with us— I, the commander of this tribe's army, have become the Crocodile Tribe's only ruler!", other gunshots ensue, followed by painstaking roars of demise, "Your nephew keeps meddling in my business; I'll take care of him just like I did with those soldiers!"

Crocodile soldiers bellow in pain; I close my ears in reaction. My body shakes in fear, as sweat surges from my skin.

No... First the wolves, now the crocodiles... No... Cragger— Oh Cragger, I'm sorry, I hope you're alright...

Lavertus groans, "Crominus... Crun— They're at the Eagle Spire, and you pounced at the moment they left because of the Purple Moon! You coward!"

I shut my muzzle shortly after, as to not gasp. My heartbeat loses all rhythm and goes out of control. Tears cascade down, burning my eyes.

Everything around me becomes bleached of color in a sudden— these wooden walls that surround the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout curl into an oddly familiar shape, similar to the Coliseum; it's like I'm watching a Speedor Race from above, as the tiniest of ants spiral, until a crocodilian mount of dirt rises from the ground, holding a gun.

Its eyes shine bright, like amber.

"The wolves, Laval... They don't know it yet!", it screeches into a macabre laugh, "It's too late. Give up."

In a fraction of a second, the entire scenario dissolves, revealing Lennox in front of the hideout's now burnt down walls. He pulls me away from underneath the tree, and, while he runs to somewhere, my eyes begin to lose their senses.

"Laval! Oh, please...", Lavertus' voice is swallowed by the never-ending cries of misery, as I fall asleep within someone's grasp.

----

I start shoving my face onto the bed's pillow with strength— it becomes stained with warm tears and mucus. I cry, scream, muffling down my voice on the cushion.

"Why, why? I'm useless! Oh Mount Cavora— ever since that sinister wolf hurt me, everyone's lives have been falling apart. I tried all I could, but it always ends up unfolding into something terrible. Wolves are being killed everyday, and now we got crocodiles trying to take advantage of this for power!"

My tail, whipping sideways, hits something— then it gets grabbed and pulled around! Ouch! And so I turn around.

It was Furty who picked my tail; but as I stare at his body, I notice the stiffness of his bright orange fur; his tan raggedy clothes are covered in dirt and grass. The fox’s quaking in place, kneeling in front of my bed, clenching his hands as if begging.

“Please, Laval, hear me out!”, he whimpers, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but please give me one chance!”

“W— what is it? How did you even get in here? Guar—“, I tried to scream, but he shut my muzzle shortly after.

Furty lets me go, then wipes the tears off his eyes. “I betrayed you, okay? I told them about your plan. They went after you. It was my fault! But it was at that moment where things escalated— I had to run away! But they found me and threatened to kill me if I…”

His cries start to become too loud, so I shut his muzzle for a second.

“You… were involved with Cruz?”

“Yes! I thought he was some… crazy, overenthusiastic croc, but he’s actually doing it! His plan… He told me that if I snitched, he’d kill me. I don’t want to go back. I am the last of my kind— and I am done for!”, he cries on my bedsheet.

“You sneaky— Argh! Guards!”

Furty grabs my cold hands in despair; his dry paw pads uncomfortably itch my skin. He moans in fear. “No! If your guards catch me, they’ll kick me out! Don’t you understand?”

He looks at me with very, very wet eyes. It is a life or death situation for him— it must feel horrible to be the last fox, with his impending doom right behind the door. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone’s death… No… He put my life at risk, but I would never want to do the same…

“I need refuge. Please.”

I sigh, hiding the pain of my voice, “Look… I’ll try to save you, Furtivo. But you will have to promise me two things!”

His ears raise.

“First, you’ll have to tell my dad everything you know, spoke and heard about this; and you will never, under any circumstance, meddle yourself in crime! I will call the guards and you’ll be imprisoned— then, you’ll soon be interrogated by my dad and kept behind bars for your own safety.”

Before the fox could do anything, Longtooth gently opens the door, catching him on sight; to my surprise, I'm able to get out of bed and walk to the bodyguard. He looks at me with a worried expression, but he's understanding of Furty's presence; the lion pets Furty's orange fur and wipes away his tears. Of course, it was only a matter of time for that cunning youngling to be arrested. He better explain everything he knows about Cruz and the wolves... If he wants to be forgiven by those around him...

The leaders from each and every tribe of Chima have reunited to discuss about the reoccurring issues of the Purple Moon. Not only that, but—

"The commander-in-chief of your tribe has attempted to overthrow your ruling", Dad speaks with an assertive tone of voice that echoes within the lion temple, "Explain yourself, Crominus."

I tug on my father's leather skirt, afraid. Cragger... I am so afraid for you...

"Your Majesty, I went to visit the Eagle Spire with my wife and children— we had important matters to solve with the Eagles, right, Crunket?"

She, queen of the crocodiles, remains silent, without budging any of the pale green scales of her lips. Her moist pink dress flows stiff as she pinches it in inquietude.

He continues, "The wolves began to advance into our territory each Purple Moon. Their power is... Uncontrollable. The walls protecting the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout might not be enough. I had to consult Ewald for help— his tribe has the technology, after all."

Ewald picks on dead skin of his talons. "Exactly that, Your Majesty! But we're at a tough place right now. As I've said before, we have almost nothing about the Purple Moon. My daughter found extremely crucial clues, though they're not enough..."

Dad sighs, tapping the index finger on his arm. Those words don't seem to convince him of anything...

"You're drifting away from the point, Crominus. The captain you chose was not a trustworthy one; he kidnapped and tortured my son multiple times! I can't imagine how you weren't able to crack down on this sooner."

The crocodile king tries to speak, but his words are run over by those of my father, who gives Furty his turn to speak. Lagravis' menacing stare pieces through the poor teenager, whose face has become expressionless with dread. He laughs a bit, shaking.

"Ah, Lagravis— I mean, Your Majesty... It is of—"

Dad roars, "Do not play with me! Be honest and direct or face a father's wrath!"

Furtivo audibly gulps, "Yikes! Sorry— I first saw Cruz at the swamp... He was gnarling at Crawley— you know the one, who shot a bullet during the Speedor Race— about kicking Crominus out of power. His tirade was so absurd that I had to butt in... I swear to Mount Cavora, I didn't know he had that much power!

His breath runs short with saliva dripping from his muzzle down to his tan raggedy clothes. "He kind of hired me as his personal spy... But it was only at the moment where he began to manipulate the wolves that a red flag rose, especially with whatever happened after the Speedor Race. I couldn't back away as he had threatened my life when I did so."

I hide behind Lagravis' back, holding myself from tears. All of this can't be a ruse, the Chi moved along the Purple Moon, how could that crocodile even control such a raw item of nature?

"Furtivo, are you implying that the wolf attacks against my son have a correlation with Cruz' actions?"

"Yes, sir."

"Argh!", Lagravis screams as he hits the hilts of his throne, "I should have summoned the wolf elders. Was Wakz right all along? Is Wilhurt on the loose?"

"I... am afraid so, almighty king of the lions."

Taglist: @fenth-eiria @harleyacoincidence @awleeofficial @eldritchx @tigeryasou @shadow-of-tea-and-tea @the-lesbian-demon-queen1 @nexusofdomains

#writeblr #legends of chima #lego legends of chima #lego chima #writing #writers of tumblr #tfloc #the forgotten legends of chima #writers #writerblr

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notalkingbusiness · 11 months ago

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The Book of Carol & The Heroine's Journey - Part 2: The Search

The Search sees our heroine in mission mode - she's left home and she's determined to find her loved one. She'll do whatever it takes to have them safe in her arms again.

According to Carriger, The Search's beats are as followed: the heroine being isolated, the heroine using disguise, the heroine finding friends to help her in her quest, and the heroine visiting the underworld.

Ready to find out how these beats could be used in The Book of Carol?

(1) The heroine’s loss of family yields isolation/risk.

The heroine's mission takes her far from home, far from those who love and protect her.

We all know that Carol can handle herself, but she's still going to be physically and emotionally vulnerable throughout her entire journey.

Carol is venturing into the unknown and she's going to be extremely isolated.

She's got no-one to watch her back.

She's also got no-one to hold her back and stop her from unnecessarily putting herself in danger.

The fact that Carol has no-one to hold her back is a worry because, like most of us, Carol doesn't always make the best decisions when she's in a bad headspace. Granted, things are different this time around. She's not indifferent as to whether she lives or dies like she was at the end of S6/S10b. She's not hellbent on revenge like she was in S10.

Spoiler Alert - I think mistaking a walker for Daryl will be the ultimate moment of isolation/risk for Carol, even if the actual scene is relatively short. What could be more isolating than the love of your life being a member of the undead? All the fight would drain out of her in that split second, she'd be ready to curl up and die.

We've seen how Carol reacts to her loved ones being zombified before, but Carol cared about these individuals in a familial and platonic capacity. I'm interested in seeing how the show makes it clear that this one is different - how this prospective loss wounds Carol like no other. Obviously, Melissa's acting choices will be doing the heavy lifting in this scene. As we know, her choices are always very expressive and she pays close attention to detail. Like, every micro expression has to be *perfect* level of detail. As attested by Khary Payton: "We were going through a scene once and she started to cry and she stopped and said she was sorry because she was crying for the wrong reasons. Most actors would be like, “Who cares? I’m crying. It’s the emotion needed.” She wanted it to be specific to the moment in time."

I have no doubt that Melissa will act her heart out throughout the whole show, I'm just hoping that the script is as strong as her performance. After Caryl reunite, I think Carol and Daryl need to have a conversation about that moment when she thought he was a walker. They need to use their words and explain their feelings for one another. We can't just rely on subtext, not when there are important conversations to be had.

Carol needs to explain why she can't lose Daryl. Daryl needs to explain why he can't lose Carol.

(2) The heroine employs disguise/subversion and alters her identity

The heroine is a shapeshifter. She employs disguise/subversion to keep her safe during her journey.

Carol is an expert when it comes to disguises and subversions. We've seen this many times on the flagship show: she somehow managed to steal a grenade without anyone noticing, she secretly stormed Terminus, she infiltrated the wolves, the list goes on.

In narratives, a good disguise or mask should be speaking to some deeper truth about the character. All masks should ultimately be revealing of their wearers.

I'm not entirely sure what Carol's disguise should look like in TBOC. It could be as simple as donning camouflage like she did just before the Terminus raid, or she could adopt a persona (like when she called herself Nancy). Either way, Carol's disguise should reveal a deeper truth about her - about where she's been and where she's going.

It's worth noting that these disguises/subversions don't have to be literal/physical. I think Carol could alter her identity in a symbolic and permanent way by dropping her last name. She could refuse to provide her last name every time she's asked for it. She could insist she's only to be known as Carol. Carol's name change is long overdue, and I think it would be quite fitting to finally drop Peletier (a surname of French origin) while on a quest to rescue Daryl in France.

Of course, after dropping her surname, Carol would be free to take any name she chooses. If we're lucky, we might get to see her call herself Carol Dixon before S2 closes. I want that to be the reason why she's wearing a ring.

I want her to be wearing that ring because Carol and Daryl chose each other.

(3) The heroine appeals to and forms a surrogate network (found family)

Heroines are social creatures. They don't want to go it alone, but the initial stages of their search forces them into isolation. Until they start making friends, that is.

This is where Ash comes in.

While we don't know the full extent of Ash's role, it seems likely that he's going to help Carol fly across the Atlantic - something she wouldn't be able to do by herself. This is textbook Heroine's Journey - this framework is all about collaboration and connection. Heroines like Carol don't privilege themselves above others - they're big enough to recognize when they need help. The heroine's friends make up for skills she's lacking and vice versa.

The Heroine's Journey provides writers with a great opportunity to create a diverse cast of supporting characters because the heroine is going to be encountering lots of different people on her quest. It's also important to stress that you can't have meaningful diversity and inclusion without depth. Minority characters, such as Ash, need to feel three-dimensional. We don't want him, or any of the supporting cast for that matter, to feel like non-player characters.

I want to emphasize that diversity behind the scenes is just as important as diversity on-screen. TWD wasn't always an inclusive space for minority writers and creatives.

In Conversations with Women Showrunners, Angela Kang shows what BIPOC creatives were up against. Writers of color, particularly black writers, would struggle in Georgia because there were symbols of the Confederacy everywhere. Some symbols were immediately obvious - like Confederate flags flying. Other symbols of a segregated past were baked into the built environment. For instance, the team would go location scouting and some buildings would have four bathrooms because they were built in an era of racial segregation.

In the early days of TWD, Angela Kang "went for days without seeing another person who was an Asian American other than the actor on my show, Steven Yeun [...] When I was on staff while Steven was there, there was a year when there was another Korean American writer on staff with me and it was so unusual at the time. Like, there’s two of us! That sounds so horrible, but it’s very common to be “the only one.” And it becomes your job to represent every underrepresented group somehow.”

Can you imagine the pressure of trying to represent every underrepresented group? No writer should be under that kind of pressure.

Things did get better on TWD; it slowly became a more inclusive and diverse show. Ultimately, Kang says she was proud of TWD's on-screen diversity. And she says that things were getting better behind the scenes - "It's not perfect, but we're trying".

TBOC needs to keep trying too. It would be beyond disappointing if TBOC went backwards in terms of representation. The end product would undoubtedly be poorer for it.

TBOC needs to carry the torch and keep trying to make the show more diverse and inclusive, both on-screen and behind the scenes. Diversity makes for a better show, as does listening to a multitude of different voices.

(4) The heroine visits the underworld, aided by friends and family

Visiting the underworld essentially means the moment of confrontation with the people who took the heroine's loved one.

I think we're probably going to get two big moments of confrontation in Carol's story. I think there's going to be one big fight just before Carol meets up with Daryl. After Carol and Daryl have reunited there's probably going to be another big confrontation so we can see Caryl fighting side by side.

I enjoy seeing Carol kicking ass and taking names as much as the next Carol fan, but action scenes are not the most important scenes for me. I don't want the action scenes and the moments of confrontation to overwhelm the narrative. Heroines don't care about revenge; they just want their loved one back. Carol and Daryl shouldn't be hunting down every last kidnapper/French tyrant. They should do their bit and then leave France as soon as possible. They need to leave Daryl's Parisian ordeal behind and pursue what's important to them.

The people in power need to remember that TWD resonated because it was a deeply human story. It was about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

I'm watching TBOC because I care about Carol and Daryl. I want to see them together in every sense of the word. I want to see their shared future.

Final Thoughts on The Search

I don't know when Carol and Daryl will reunite, but The Search is likely going to take up a lot of Carol's screentime. It's really important that The Search keeps us engaged. I definitely don't want to see a stoic version of Carol who's only there to blow things up - that's not interesting to me. Blowing things up is not character growth for Carol.

Carol's search needs to stand on its own - it needs a solid emotional core.

The Search will feel rewarding and compelling in its own right if Carol has meaningful interactions with others. Strong dialogue is absolutely critical. Carol needs to talk about her feelings. She obviously won't be an open book to her new friends, but she could make some tentative steps towards admitting how she feels about Daryl. Laying this emotional groundwork will make Caryl's reunion a hundred times more powerful.

That's a wrap on The Search!

Do let me know if you have any thoughts or questions on this one.

Do you have any ideas as to how Carol might use disguise?

Do you have any thoughts on how the aftermath of *that scene* (spoiler listed above) should be handled?

What would you like to see in Carol's new friendships?

I hope you'll join me for The Ascent where everything will be coming up (Cherokee) roses for Carol and Caryl. I'm going to be talking about Caryl's reunion and what makes a good TV reunion. I'll also be talking about what comes next for Caryl and what we ultimately want for these two characters.

Thanks for reading :)

#caryl #carol peletier #melissamcbride #the book of carol #twd caryl

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butwhatifidothis · 1 year ago

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If you don't mind explaining, why are all of the Ashen Wolves in the "Ew" tier, save for Constance?

i saw your fe3h tierlist and i’m super curious to know why you don’t vibe w/ yuri/hapi/balthus lol

I've actually already explained why I don't like Balthus or Hapi a few times by now lmao, but finding those posts is annoying soooo yeah I'll just say it again it here:

got long and character hate under the cut it goes

Balthus' character starting point of "gambling moocher with a kind heart beneath it all" annoys the ever loving shit out of me off rip, so he already has a bad leg in the race for me. The main thing that makes me hate him though is his shitty fuckin' supports with Claude. He comes off as a major creep here, blackmailing a teenager with sensitive information that could literally get him killed if the wrong person finds it and which Claude is visibly shown to be uncomfortable with Balthus knowing and visibly shown to not trust Balthus in knowing even after five years of him revealing that he knows it (long enough to, y'know, show that he can be trusted with this information by now)... all to try to fuck this kid's mom. Who he saw only a few times, by his own admission. And nearly 20 fuckin' years ago.

And then Balthus shows that he really shouldn't be trusted with this information, because the only reason he keeps it is because he's under the belief that Claude will, in fact, meet him up with Tiana. If Claude finds that idea, well, fuckin' creepy and weird and doesn't want to go through with it, well, tough shit I guess! It's laughed off by the end of the chain but god it's just so fuckin' scummy and weird and creepy dude.

And sad thing is, there's a part in the A support where Claude goes to Balthus for some advice and Balthus gives some that genuinely helps Claude out some - where the fuck is this for the rest of the chain? It comes out of nowhere and is then buried by the aforementioned "don't worry I won't tell anyone your secrets since you will meet me up with your mom, right?" shit. If the support had more of that or built up to it better I'd be more than happy, but as is? Just makes me bench Balthus lmao.

Hapi is just. Annoying. Supremely annoying. Her characters makes sense to be the way it is in most ways, but hearing her go on about how much she hates the Church (to the point of cheering on Lonato, mind you, despite his shit killing innocent people) becomes grating very quickly.

Okay so like. I was under the impression that she was thrown in some dungeons before she was moved to the Abyss, but like. Rechecking her supports to make sure, she literally says that she was moved to Abyss? And... nothing else? And that's why she hates the Church? Like she mentions nothing about any dungeon the Church threw her in. Which means she compares being trapped and chained and tortured by Cornelia, alone, in who-know-where... to living in a underground mini-society, with guaranteed food and relative safety (enough for her sigh problem to be able to be dealt with should it cause trouble). So like. Yeah no she just got worse lol.

But either way her attitude is just. Very annoying lmao. To be clear, there are things that happen that make it make sense why she's like this (like her A support with Ashe) - she's a fine enough character. Just doesn't help her for me personally.

Yuri is... kinda specific as to why I just don't like him. He's this guy who literally didn't exist before DLC paid him into reality, but he walks in and

he's lived on the streets

he's lived as a noble

he's a gang lord

he's been a spy for the Church

he's been an assassin

he's a great tactician

and oh yeah he's

FUCKING

WHEN YOU FIRST MEET HIM.

I don't mean to call him a Gary Stu or anything - because I don't think he is one - but I do mean to say that he comes in with waaaaaay too much shit in his kit when he first walks up on the block for me. He's just done everything off jump, and those kind of characters are a huge pet peeve of mine.

Not helped with the joyful fandom experience as a Claude fan to have to hear about this bozo being Better Claude Better Claude Better Claude, about how he should have been a lord and not Claude since he's actually smart unlike Claude. That was fun! And unfortunately tanked his already middling stance for me a looooooot.

The only reason Constance is saved is because holy shit, is this girly hilarious. The sheer degree of her melodrama/arrogance in her day and night phases get me cackling. She's a character I don't really take seriously at all and just laugh along the ride she brings, which is a rare thing for me to want do with a character in 3H lmao

#ask #anon #character hate #B/althus is a creep. H/api annoys me. Y/uri is overloaded. C/onstance is my court jester and thus has immunity to execution #for a TLDR lmao

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f0xgl0v3 · 10 months ago

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ToA: Hidden Oracle, silly thoughts?

I finished the book! I also had some thoughts about it and some things floating around in my head, so let’s get to start. (A note for context, barely any idea what happens in the other books, I know the very basic like rough rough outline of the plot.)

First off, Austin’s YouTube channel. This one upset me so much when I read it and it’s so silly. Austin in his first appearance mentions his view count on a saxophone YouTube video. A monumental feat I’m pretty sure but also. The entire book drives in the idea that all the camps/demigods/demigod adjacents have been having trouble with anything internet or communications related. No one can call, text, video face time, Iris message, even physical mail isn’t working. So how is Austin able to YouTube? It’s an entire platform dedicated to communication, and demigods canonically can’t use much modern technology because it monster beacons. Is Austin risking the safety of camp to the monsters that live inside Camp’s forest every time he saxophones? If that is true then he skyrockets in my ToA character appreciations so far.

Now the actual stuff that I bookmarked in the book. This isn’t everything obviously (I marked a lot of stupid stuff like and mention of Harley or the talking arrow dialogue just to go back for laughs so obviously this is a summary of the more important stuff).

The actual content

(I forget to put page numbers after the 1st one)

Feral demigods! Mentioned on page 23 we get a confirmation that there are indeed demigods who are never found (which probably was a given) and the fact they have their own name. Also a set time where it’s most likely that monsters start their tomfoolery when a demigods is 13 (this puts Frank, and Leo, and Piper to still be funky.)

New Rome university specifics! Hehehe new Rome but we also get the introduction of the DSTOMP (the demigod standard test for mad powers). All we know is that there is a music and poetry analysis segment, but we can probably assume that each God (or important Roman God more likely) designed a segment of the test.

Ouranos mentioned of his face? It brings up what state Ouranos is in, how that works and affects him, if he’ll ever reform and that also brings up Gaea because they Ouranos’ed Gaea- albeit in a much different way but still.

Apollo recognizes that Octavian wasn’t the one at fault, even if he doesn’t voice it but at least Octavian gets mentioned, this is totally important enough.

Said that headaches on Olympus are from Gods and Goddesses in a Gods mind that were to be extracted via Hephaestus head splitting, how many immortals are we unaware of that have been formed this way?

Athena thinks that Olympus is going to move to Brazil at some point. Worth noting.

Demeter doesn’t often fall in love with mortals *OFTEN, IM SORRY I DIDNT TYPE. DEMEMTER DOESNT OFTEN FALL IN LOVE WITH MORTALS*. The myths seem to support this, but also that Meg is unusually powerful in relation to Demeter kids who “could do little more than make crops grow and keep bacterial fungi at bay” though considering some of the things that Miranda does near the end throws a karpoi into that statement. Along with that a could pages later we are noted that the Greek forms are indeed stronger (which also seems like a given, but brings up if their even older forms are more powerful.) and seemingly implied confirmation and gods can only claim you if you are in the right camp/domain area. As Apollo mentions that it couldn’t be Ceres because Demeter claimed Meg at CHB, and Meg is powerful.

Apollo mentions other deities (and science) also keeping the sun on track. But especially mentions Sol and the wolves (along with making Aztec and possibly all other mezzo American gods canon to pjo universe). However; and forgive me if I’m wrong. Sol is Helios’s counterpart and I know that Helios is currently chilling in an Ichor vat at the moment, so how is this..? Could possibly just be because Helios and his fading thing wasn’t thought of (even though he still is widely popular in this day and age) during Hidden Oracle’s writing, but still, I don’t.. like? Brain doesn’t function this.

Hades has a haunted house and also for the funsies canonically would sneak up on Apollo using shadow travel and make him mess up on plague arrow shots. Based on my knowledge of Hades I can only assume these were not malicious.

Harley is one of my favorites I love him so much he’s baby.

Upon listing demigods Apollo had seen turn against Olympus he mentions the Tantalus situation, King Mithridates, Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. Though this implied that Mithridates would be a demigod along with either Clytemnestra or Agamemnon (who if my memory wants to cooperate, I believe was either a grandson or great grandson of Zeus?) along with mentioning that the human sacrifice was to him. For context I believe Apollo is talking about Agamemnon’s daughter that he sacrificed, though I thought that was to Artemis? Oh well.

We get to see summaries of Octavian’s convincing, which like? It’s serviceable to fuel the imagination. Also feel like he might’ve been genuine in a few of these? They all feel like very Octavian things to believe (the War with CHB being quick and easy; which I don’t think he believed whatsoever. And then raising temples to Apollo and how much support he had, both of which I think were true).

Saturnalia mention. Just had to put it out there because apparently Sherman would’ve won most violent holiday decor. Which, knowing what Saturnalia is it doesn’t make much sense? Anyway probably a Saturnalia/CJ ‘Christmas’ festivities post soon.

We get some descriptors of monsters that are inside the Camp Half-blood woods. The named ones including a two-headed wolf that seems standard, and a DRAKON. I say it again, the giant serpent things which are wild and dangerous, a DRAKON living its best immortal life in CHB woods. Excuse me? And Myrmreke, I love the Myrmreke and I want one as a pet and to kiss on the forehead. They are very cute.

Gyser God oaths. Unsure if this applies to oaths made not just with a Gyser God. But uh, a random Gyser bursting forth from the ground and boiling you sounds like a solid reason to not be making Gyser oaths.

Rhea mentions how God-Emperors are made, this feels like it would imply that other important historical figures also reach some form of immortality (Achilles, Theseus, Elvis Presley, George Washington, the sorts). And what about the other Emperors who were deified? Of the original Octavian and like.. the other ones?

Mentions of how Meg can “hear the trees growing” and the idea that the Muses can hear ink drying of poetry pages? Is this another skill to add upon them, no idea and frankly that sounds painful.

Nero and me have the same laugh I think and I don’t know how to feel about it. The best resources I can give you to visualize my laugh would be looking at Dolphins or Hyena’s. His is described as, “a snide little barking sound in the back of his nose” and I’ll be honest if nose was turned to throat It’d be pretty identical. Felt that was important to add to the ever growing and non important Kleos lore.

Nero mentions how it’s impossible for him to fade now due to being permanently remembered through the internet. Man that’s gonna age poorly in tower of Nero isn’t it? Also God-emperors are like, in a weird limbo esque situation and idk how to feel about that? I can only assume the most comparable thing would be something like New Rome’s Lares, the most noticeable other than Vitellius would be the literal ghost of Cato (I assume the younger) in SoN’s senate meeting. He’s called a ghost but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to be in this limbo like state.

Nero yelling about the Rome fire was so funny I put three flags on the monologue.

Ellis can identify the location of the Colossus and the fact it’s a war machine. Perhaps similar to the like Percy boat/nautical knowledge he has innately.

We’ve learned that automatons are possibly being fueled by primarily the life force of wind and water spirits like Apollo states which is.. dark. But also like uh, thought they were engineering? Does this imply Festus is powered by a poor nymph or anemoi?

Gatorade can help speed the recovery process of exhaustion due to shadow travel. My only idea is that it is partially due to the electrolytes and that shadow traveling has similar effects to intense long term workouts and that the sugar also helps. Along with the fact that one singular shadow travel has seemed to wear Nico out after we’ve seen him do much bigger feats and take longer to be passing out like this?

The arrow of Dodona is really funny I’m sorry.

The Colossus is mirrored after.. someone? I don’t know they threw around Nero and Apollo’s name when talking about it. This in context with Nero is no surprise but If talking about Apollo it meant that at some point in Rome’s lifespan and potentially more Apollo had sideburns. Take that information as you wish.

Plaguey, plaguey, plaguey.

Apollo mentioning how much humans truly do affect the gods and how much the gods truly don’t like that.

Leo’s back… yay.

I don’t think Patroclus and Brises had any beef. Please media stop potraying them as containing beef I want them to be buddies.

And Calypso’s back. After reading the Odyssey I like her much less. I mean I didn’t like her much to begin with either.

Okay, I might do this for all of the ToA books? It’s a nice way to quickly get thoughts down that wouldn’t naturally give themselves over to a full post, or a good resource for me to check back on things I didn’t like and therefore will be going back and making full posts.

But also this was fun, I tried to take out a lot of the things I marked just because I thought it was funny but like… oh well lol. Good night!

#hehe :3 #pjo hoo toa #ToA #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo Apollo #ToA the hidden oracle #gonna knock out dark prophecy faster #get to see my baby boy Lit #also Thalia again? idk #and Leo.. I’ll be honest I don’t like him #okay bye

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lottiepumpkinofficial · 4 months ago

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day 3

chap’s 6,7,8

are we ready?

i’m sat drinking literally the best hot chocolate i’ve ever had while reading today so i’ll probably be in a particularly good mood

i need someone who will hug me as enthusiastically as lola

i love lola, she’s so underrated

i kinda want a version of up from anis perspective like that new twilight book. i feel like it would be so interesting to dig into her psyche and what’s going on in her brain, bc we can assume some things once we find out about saskia, but there’s so many little details and things we never fully get to see

this is so random and i’m probably the only person who’d think of this but micky offers lottie a lollipop- presumably a stripy one- and lottie takes it. often lollipop colouring has carmine (bugs) in it, but lottie doesn’t seem fussed so do you think tompkins is entirely vegetarian?

“childhood friends” mmm sure

okay i know lottie not knowing what partizans are is meant to show how out of place she feels, but it kinda also shows that these kids are a little bit out of touch for assuming everyone knows what they are- i mean they’re specifically relevant to rich and important people, and i know at this point they’re all kids but dude it’s lottie’s first day and they’re assuming either everyone knows what they do or that lottie is also rich. maybe im overthinking this

if i could draw i would draw the three house mothers looking like goddesses (like the princesses in she ra style) next to professor croak as a baked bean

also i regularly forget his name because in my head he is straight up just called baked bean man

honestly baked bean man is such a vibe- stands there letting incredible women be incredible and then just smiles and leaves

once again binah is making sure lottie is up to date with info and doesn’t make her feel bad about it. i love all the binahs in the world

“i wonder if i’ll ever meet one” you already have dear lottie

“i know your secret” and boom, we have stepped fully into our story. i love that this comes right at the end of a chapter, particularly a chapter with a lot of just talking and descriptions because it’s like a mini slap in the face to remind you this is not just a story of a girl at a prestigious school

also once again, we have foreshadowing of lottie’s heritage- this time without even the person who wrote it truly knowing. also “the company of wolves” - lottie is in the company of ‘wolves’ without even knowing it at this point ahhh it’s just so clever when you look really deeply

of all the things to choose from the breakfast she grabs a piece of toast? not even a croissant or something that you can still eat on the go??

okay as much as i’m lottie, im also very ms kuma. actually i think connie must have secretly stalked me while writing the books /j

“‘Holy chocolate biscuit!’” best line

ugh maths class flashbacks i’m so glad i never have to do maths classes again

i wanna hear people’s theories about the red dragonfly and the frog. since red is conch- resolute-brave, maybe it’s suggesting lottie’s struggling to be brave

or maybe ani is the “delicate red dragonfly”, and this whole princess business is hurting her

also the dragonfly is on a lily pad, which we now know to be symbolic of lottie and her heritage

“the dragonfly is generally associated with the symbolic meaning of transformation” - googled

so change has come to lottie and it’s been eaten. i suppose on a simpler level it mostly symbolises her struggles with moving to rosewood

anyway, we’ve now got tension on a few levels and it’s starting to amp up a little- ellie has a surprise, there’s the “present”, lottie feels out of place and now people think she’s a princess. once you get to this point in the book you’re not putting it down, from here on out there’s a question for every answer and new threads to follow. we are the dragonfly, and connie glynn is the frog

#rwchreadathon2024 #lottie pumpkin #ellie wolf #jamie volk #rosewood chronicles #rwch #connie glynn #rwch readathon 2024

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warblingandwriting · 1 year ago

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More 'The Company of Wolves' thoughts

Basically, this is a short story with an adaptation that I actually (mostly) really love! The story (featured in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber) is probably my favourite of the collection, and interesting look at folk tales, tradition, and breaking free of the tradition. The ending, while somewhat gruesome, ultimately tied the entire collection for me, and made me retroactively like some of the other stories better because the bluntness of this one admittedly made some of the themes I had been uncertain on clearer to me.

So, that said, it’s not surprising to me at all that this is the one the spawned a movie. The 1984 film was also co-written by Angela Carter, which is probably why it stays as true to the story’s themes as it does, and retains its feminist messaging. On top of that, the production design and special effects are fantastic, I mean check out this transformation scene (TW, Gore, like, a lot of it):

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And the fairy-tale like village the characters live in feels at once whimsical and claustrophobic, which considering the ending, I’m sure is intentional. I’m being a little cagey about it because I truly think everyone should watch the movie and read the story. The story is only like ten pages long, and all you have to do to get it is click this link (Only the first 12 pages in this PDF are the actual story). The film is great too, and available on free streaming services like Tubi, so I recommend checking that out as well.

What I want to talk about though, is the themes, and I do kind of have to spoil both story and film to get there, so here it goes.

The one thing I take issue with in the film is the bookends. See, the fairy tale world we get, in the film, is really just the dream of a girl who is on her way to growing up. The opening scene is two (present-day) parents meeting their older daughter outside of a lavish mansion, and her going inside to wake her younger sister, who she calls a brat, and implies is being difficult. We then see the younger sister tossing and turning in bed, and cut to the woods. Then, at the end of the story, grandma gets eaten (as she does in the short story) and the main character runs away into the sunset with her attacker, becoming a wolf -or werewolf- herself (as she does in the short story). Then, we cut back to the young girl, and a wolf bursts through her bedroom window, and to me the metaphor was obvious: periods, right? Getting older, losing innocence, ect ect. And while I think those themes exist in the original story, I’m far more interested in the one the movie (perhaps inadvertently) sort of cuts out.

That theme is the rejection of tradition. Without the bookends, when the story ends with a young woman becoming a wolf (and running off with the wolf who killed her grandmother no less), she does not just grow up, she specifically grows out not of girlish folly, but of her village, her family, her grandmothers folksy stories. The death of the grandmother, the older generation, serves as both a metaphor for growing up and taking on a mantle, and of rejecting the old ways, the old stories, of leaving what you’ve know for “the paws of the tender wolf”. And I feel like bookends, in making granny’s death and the subsequent love of the wolf not ‘true’ events, emphasize one theme and sacrifice the other. This theme is made stronger by the way it runs throughout the entire short story collection as well. The old guard (usually fathers or elderly husbands, but sometimes simply older/immortal beings and people) die, leaving room for the next generation to flourish. It’s a theme I began to appreciate more and more as I read more and more of the stories in the collection, so it was one I was sad to see take a back seat, because there is no tradition, really, for Rosaline to shed in the film. In fact, we don’t know anything about the ‘real’ Rosaline (although it is safe to assume, I think, that she is at least fairly similar to her dream self).

I still really enjoy both, but it did interest, and disappoint me a little that the immediate metaphor the film came upon and lead into was ‘periods’ over anything else. Granted, Ginger Snaps did that too, and I also love that movie. A bit of a nitpicky thought, but one I wanted to share nonetheless, even what I think is a really great film can drop the ball on adaptation sometimes.

#my writing #books #film #reading #movies #the company of wolves #thoughts #like both are great the blatant messaging of the movie just didn't work for as well #and I just wish they had cut off those bookended scenes and I think it would be a lot better #Youtube

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saritawolff · 11 months ago

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More tags, adding on more length to this post (I hope this doesn’t become the new “do you love the color of the sky”)

You may be thinking of minks, which are another type of mustelid related to ferrets. Minks are bred in fur farms and fur farm minks are larger and softer than wild minks. Since they’re bred in human care, they do tend to be much tamer than a wild mink would be, however, they are not truly domesticated. They’re bred for size, color, softness, and ease of care in a fur farm setting, not for ease of care in a person’s house. Still, some people keep them as exotic pets. As they are semi-aquatic, they require access to water deep enough to submerge in at all times, a varied diet, and a rigorous enrichment program. These are things that can not be provided by a single household. I agree with your friend, if they were in fact talking about minks! If not though, ferrets are good alternative pets to keep but definitely require a specific type of person able to keep up with their enrichment needs and diet, as you’re probably not going to be using them to hunt rabbits.

No, it can take hundreds of generations for an animal population to have evolved enough to be considered domesticated. What you are thinking of is habituation. Habituation involves training an animal (whether intentionally or not) to lose its fear of humans. This is incredibly dangerous for the animal. Some habituated animals end up in zoos, but most end up needing to be euthanized for both the animals’ safety and human safety. It also leads to the spread of zoonotic diseases such as rabies and toxoplasmosis. I really hope you’re joking about luring foxes into your home.

Siberia is in Asia, and from what I read while researching for this, most can agree that dog domestication happened somewhere around there. I’m sure it would have been more Northern, as that’s where Pleistocene Wolves would have been ranging.

I don’t think we can truly ever get an exact area though. All the other animals on this list were domesticated during or after the advent of civilization. Dogs were domesticated when humans were still migratory hunter-gatherers, which is just wild to me.

There is actually a type of sheep called the European Mouflon, which were descended from feral sheep (similar to how wild hogs are descended from feral pigs). I worked with some at one point and they are insane. I can not imagine how the first round-up of truly wild Armenian Mouflon went.

Thank you for pointing this out it’s literally my favorite scientific name

I would be up for it as long as any educators contact me first, after which I can send them the high-res images. I don’t like my stuff being used without permission. I’d also want some time to correct issues I’m already noticing (I forgot to add blood sport for chickens and also the afformentioned misleading way I seemed to include spider ball pythons as a breed rather than an example of unethical breeding).

Phew. This one took, uh… a bit longer than expected due to other projects both irl and art-wise, but it’s finally here. The long-awaited domestic animal infographic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to cover every single domestic animal (I’m so sorry, reindeer and koi, my beloveds) but I tried to include as many of the “major ones” as possible.

I made this chart in response to a lot of the misunderstandings I hear concerning domestic animals, so I hope it’s helpful!

Further information I didn’t have any room to add or expand on:

🐈 “Breed” and “species” are not synonyms! Breeds are specific to domesticated animals. A Bengal Tiger is a species of tiger. A Siamese is a breed of domestic cat.

🐀 Different colors are also not what makes a breed. A breed is determined by having genetics that are unique to that breed. So a “bluenose pitbull” is not a different breed from a “rednose pitbull”, but an American Pitbull Terrier is a different breed from an American Bully! Animals that have been domesticated for longer tend to have more seperate breeds as these differing genetics have had time to develop.

🐕 It takes hundreds of generations for an animal to become domesticated. While the “domesticated fox experiment” had interesting results, there were not enough generations involved for the foxes to become truly domesticated and their differences from wild foxes were more due to epigenetics (heritable traits that do not change the DNA sequence but rather activate or deactivate parts of it; owed to the specific circumstances of its parents’ behavior and environment.)

🐎 Wild animals that are raised in human care are not domesticated, but they can be considered “tamed.” This means that they still have all their wild instincts, but are less inclined to attack or be frightened of humans. A wild animal that lives in the wild but near human settlements and is less afraid of humans is considered “habituated.” Tamed and habituated animals are not any less dangerous than wild animals, and should still be treated with the same respect. Foxes, otters, raccoons, servals, caracals, bush babies, opossums, owls, monkeys, alligators, and other wild animals can be tamed or habituated, but they have not undergone hundreds of generations of domestication, so they are not domesticated animals.

🐄 Also, as seen above, these animals have all been domesticated for a reason, be it food, transport, pest control, or otherwise, at a time when less practical options existed. There is no benefit to domesticating other species in the modern day, so if you’ve got a hankering for keeping a wild animal as a pet, instead try to find the domestic equivalent of that wild animal! There are several dog breeds that look and behave like wolves or foxes, pigeons and chickens can make great pet birds and have hundreds of colorful fancy breeds, rats can be just as intelligent and social as a small monkey (and less expensive and dangerous to boot,) and ferrets are pretty darn close to minks and otters! There’s no need to keep a wolf in a house when our ancestors have already spent 20,000+ years to make them house-compatible.

🐖 This was stated in the infographic, but I feel like I must again reiterate that domestic animals do not belong in the wild, and often become invasive when feral. Their genetics have been specifically altered in such a way that they depend on humans for optimal health. We are their habitat. This is why you only really see feral pigeons in cities, and feral cats around settlements. They are specifically adapted to live with humans, so they stay even when unwanted. However, this does not mean they should live in a way that doesn’t put their health and comfort as a top priority! If we are their world, it is our duty to make it as good as possible. Please research any pet you get before bringing them home!

#phew #hopefully that’s it for now unless I see more tags I feel really need addressed #if anyone has any questions though my ask box is open!#long post #SaritaZoo #Domestic animals #domestication

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lumiereandcogsworth · 1 year ago

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5, 9, 10, 12 for the autism asks 💖

5. What do you wish more people knew about autism? that “on the spectrum” doesn’t mean everyone in the world is a little bit autistic and on some Global Spectrum. this so-called spectrum is what makes up autistic people, specifically. everyone stims, everyone has interests, that doesn’t mean one is autistic. i mostly just wish that medical professionals were doing more research than autistic people were… but currently it seems like we know more than they do lmao. which is embarrassing. and tragic, for those who seriously would benefit from formal diagnoses but can’t for a plethora of reasons.

9. What was your first special interest? wolves is what first comes to mind. that was my first thing that i made powerpoints and binders about. collected stuffed wolves and other merchandise. got absolutely ecstatic when we saw the wolves at the zoo. i loved them so much. i would just search them on google images and look at em afjdk. also some of my first writing was fic about my wolf oc and her pack. her name was duchess and she was my animal jam character lmaooo. animal jam was also a special interest for sure. i LIVED for that game. truly the only thing that mattered to me for a couple years. but anyway, i loved my little fics about duchess. and then one time i showed them to a friend and they laughed at it and i died inside :)

10. What are your most common stims? as i am trying to think of what my most common stims are, my foot is hanging off the bed and bouncing, and i was picking my thumb nails together. so those two, apparently. i do pick at my nails a lot. i used to bite them for like my entire life but i’ve recently kicked that habit in the last few years! i also bite my lip and the inside of my cheeks a lot. curling my toes. bouncing my knee. i like folding and clicking stuff - most of the time it’s a stim toy but sometimes it’s a binder clip or a nail clipper or something of that nature. my bigger stims are lots of hand and arm flapping. i do this at work a lot. i’ve noticed i’ll just start shaking my hands at my computer screen. idk how else to describe it than imagine im like, putting my hands on someone’s shoulders and trying to wake them up when i think they’re dead. but no one is there im just doing that with my arms and hands. lots of aggressive flapping. i also flap my hands above my head a lot, and jump and skip. i do that when i’m making my comfort food usually. i make little happy noises too, especially when i look at my build-a-bear stitch :3 he make me happyyy. singing in general is a stim for me but also just little mm!!! noises. and when i’m watching stuff i rock while holding a stuffie or a stim toy. rocking is very comforting for me and can’t believe how much i used to suppress it. also of COURSE when i am feeling antsy like i need to run around on the ceiling - but cannot do that - i’ll listen to dance/stim music and dance around my room for like an hour. really gets the jitters out. dancing my beloved <3

12. Do you headcanon any characters as autistic? If you want, tell us why you headcanon them as autistic. well GOLLY i wonder why you would ask such a thing!!!! hehehe. yes i headcanon my beloved boy adam as autistic. i’ve made a post about it actually so i’ll link that here. but okay WHY? i don’t know. i didn’t choose to make him autistic i simply perceived him as such. i’m sure a big part of it was unconscious projection but fr read that post and tell me i’m crazy. like i’m MAKING POINTS. i love my autism boy. his special interest is fashion and also geography and history. but fashion is his most most beloved. i think when he was a kid, horses were kind of a special interest. and by “kind of” i mean they Were but he was very abused to the point of masking completely so he suppressed that feeling a lot. but he’s always been fond of horses. sigh i love him so much. i love thinking about his interests and stims and struggles and needs and what brings him the most autistic joy. i love him being in a supportive loving home now and having a family that lets him be himself. makes me craaazyyy.

i also love the headcanon that percy de rolo is autistic too, that’s 1000% canon. and dean winchester of COURSE 😌😌😌 love all these angsty autistic kings and i love even more reading fic about their beautiful happy endings with their badass wives. it’s what they all deserve <3

autism asks!

#thank you emmy 🥺#about me #freakwiththeknifecollection #answered

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trwenvs3000w23 · 2 years ago

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Unit 7 Blog Post: Nature Interpretation Through Music

What is “music”? It’s a part of everyday life, so we should be able to define it. We play it in our headphones in the gym, on our car radios while we drive to work, it’s playing in grocery stores and doctor’s office waiting rooms. So, what is it?

Gray et al. (2001) define “music” as patterns of sound produced for a specific purpose (ie. emotional expression, social bonding, etc). Such a definition expands our understanding of what this artform is, as it does not explicitly require music to be human-made. Cetaceans, birds, wolves, frogs, crickets, bats, squirrels, etc., are examples of animals which engage in behaviours, defined as “zoomusicology”, that meet the criteria of what we call “music”; they communicate with conspecifics and other species through variations in the pitch and timing of their vocalizations, exemplifying complex activities we once thought were uniquely human (Doolittle & Gingras, 2015; Gray et al., 2001).

These species construct their musical formations with detail and precision, and use such displays in fascinating ways, such as the white-handed gibbon, which creates a song to attract potential mates, using half of it’s mother’s song and creating the other half on its own (Doolittle & Gingras, 2015). Researchers have shown that the ancestry of a gibbon can be tracked solely by analyzing its song, and current understandings suggest that this inheritability of songs actually allows individuals of this species to avoid inbreeding (2015).

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So in nature, music is a property found throughout the animal kingdom and the animal kingdom alone….right? Don’t be so sure! According to Yong (2017), when different plants interact with wind and water, they produce unique patterns of sound that vary in pitch and time as a result of their shape and the distribution of sound-making elements. This suggests that plants could possibly use a music for some biological purpose, such as attracting pollinators (2017)!

We’ve seen that music is present in nature but, is nature present in music? Yes! For the purpose of nature interpretation, elements of nature may be taught through musical performances (Beck et al., 2018) however, nature can often take a direct role in the creation of music. Consider flutes and wind instruments which may be constructed from wood and bone, or percussion instruments that may be made from seeds and animal skins (Gray et al., 2017). All of these instruments require natural elements to function! Further, we can likely all think back to a time when we’ve heard a song that has included natural sound effects in it’s composition (ie. rain, wind, animal noises, etc). Can’t think of such a song? Well let me help:

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I’m Here by Russ is a song released in 2017 on the album entitled There’s Really a Wolf, which begins with an audio of a wolf howling. Russ frequently uses wolves as symbolic representations in his music, including graphics of these animals on both There’s Really a Wolf and on his 2020 album entitled Shake the Snow Globe. In many North American Indigenous cultures, the wolf is a creature which symbolizes family, loyalty, and communication, while also being a fierce and successful hunter, and much of this symbology has been adopted by colonial descendants inhabiting the continent (SWCAG, n.d). As such the use of a wolf in Russ’ work may be considered an homage to the properties and traits which this animal represents.

For me, I’m Here is a song that transports me back to the landscape I worked on during my time working at Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park. While I’m Here strays away from the serene structure of songs which you may expect to be associated with nature, this song was important to me as it helped me to develop my own wolf howl. During my time at the park, we would often lead youth audiences on Night Safaris to show them the lives of some of our nocturnally active species, and this event would always conclude with our staff attempting to get the wolves of the park to howl, which required us to howl at them first. I was atrocious at howling at first, and eventually became the butt of the joke around the park, until I started listening to I’m Here. After listening to the introduction of this song on repeat, I began to use it as inspiration for howling to the wolves, and after no time, I was able to get the wolves howling back….don’t believe me? Here’s some proof from the last Night Safari I hosted!

Citations

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

Doolittle, E., & Gingras, B. (2015). Zoomusicology. Current Biology, 25(19), R819–R820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.039

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The music of nature and the nature of music. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 291(5501), 52–54. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.1056960

Spirits of the West Coast Art Gallery [SWCAG]. (n.d). The wolf. Retrieved on February 25th, 2023 from URL: https://spiritsofthewestcoast.com/collections/the-wolf-symbol

Yong, E. (2017). Trees have their own songs. The Atlantic. Retrieved on February 25th, 2023 from URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/04/trees-have-their-own-songs/521742/

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spencersawkward · 4 years ago

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omg I’m so excited you’re on here and taking requests!! do you think you could do something like baby Spence losing his virginity to a close friend & it’s like adorable, goofy, fluffy smut bc he cannot get over the fact that he’s actually having sex with someone

I’VE BEEN WAITIN FOR THIS ONE-- TURN IT UP!!!

on a serious note, i'm so glad you asked for this one bc i really wanna add a scene like this in the fic i'm working on rn. i'm v excited.

summary: when the secret of Spencer's virginity gets accidentally spilled in front of the whole team, reader goes to check on him.

word count: 5.6k

relationship: Fem!Reader/Spencer Reid

content warnings: unprotected penetrative sex, creampie, fluff.

masterlist

hanging out with the team is easily the best part of the week. after spending days in Arizona with our focus entirely on the most recent case, my mind is practically ready to snap. I feel like I've been running on fumes, and when Penelope suggested we take the evening to hit our favorite bar, I was practically already out the door.

so now I'm sandwiched between JJ and Emily as we throw back our first shots of the night. my skin is already flushed with the elation of laughter, the pleasant thrum of conversation that surrounds us.

"that's bitter." JJ makes a face when she slams the empty glass on the table. I screw up my nose.

"why did we pick vodka?" I hate vodka.

"it gets the job done." Emily laughs. I shudder at the aftertaste that sits on my tongue.

Morgan wanders over, Pen on his arm while she totes a brightly colored pink alcohol. they're flirting as usual, but she pauses in her witticisms to grab my arm.

"we're playing truth or shot in that booth over there." she says to me, then gets the attention of the other two women. I let out a disbelieving laugh.

"truth or shot? like truth or dare but without the dare?"

"Reid, is that you?" Morgan says sarcastically. I slug him in the arm with a pout.

"be nice." but I'm giggling. he loops his arm through mine and we head back to the table, Penelope already starting a new conversation with JJ and Prentiss as they follow. Spencer is sitting in the booth with an Arnold Palmer, sipping from the straw like it's his job. I slide into the spot next to him.

"hi, you." I smile. "I haven't seen you at all tonight."

he holds up his glass. "I don't really drink."

"that's fine," I wave it off. "I just meant I wanted to hang out with you."

"oh." he smiles a little. "sorry."

"no big deal. you're here now." I shrug and turn to Pen as she calls my name.

"I'm gonna order a bottle. that okay?" she points to the bar with a mischievous smile. glancing once at Spencer and his slightly awkward position between Morgan and me, I make a snap decision.

"you know what? I think I'll just have a lemonade."

"you sure? Jayge said you spent the whole plane ride back talking about getting wasted--" Penelope's words cause a blush to spread over my face. I cut her off.

"I'm sure. thanks, Penny."

she nods. "of course, sweet cheeks."

I focus back on Reid, who is looking at me gratefully. he would never say it out loud, but I know he feels a little out-of-place sometimes. it's hard enough for him to come out with us to bars; the least I can do is be a sober friend. I open my mouth to start a conversation about an article I read the other day when Prentiss speaks.

"okay, so... who's ready?" her voice, always so certain, carries over the table. all of us make enthusiastic noises of assent, and she grins as Penelope returns with an armful of glasses. Derek gets up to grab the actual alcohol, and then when we're all settled in, the game begins.

"the rules are simple: you tell the truth, or you drink!" the tech analyst explains. the stakes for Spencer and me are lower, but that doesn't really matter. I'm excited to hear the team divulge their secrets.

"I'll start." Prentiss doesn't even hesitate before she looks at Morgan. "Derek, are you still sleeping with that one woman from sex crimes?"

Morgan raises his eyebrows at the question, irises flitting between Emily and the rim of his drink. there's a slight smirk on his face; he knows what a player he is and he's okay with flaunting it.

"Ally? no." he sighs. "things didn't end well between us."

"what? why?" I ask, eyes widening before I look around at everyone. "who is this woman?"

"cool your jets, sparky." Morgan teases me. "only one question per round."

"I'll tell you later." Prentiss raises her drink in my direction and winks.

"uh, no no." Morgan attempts to stop her, but JJ interrupts him.

"speaking of things not ending well," she says loudly. "Pen, why did you and Sam break up?"

"well," Penelope sticks her tongue between her teeth as she thinks it over with a devilish smile. her lips are a ruby red tonight, bright against her pale skin and big eyes. "to be completely honest, he just wasn't... doin' it for me. you know?"

"like--?" Emily glances down at her lap. Pen nods quickly and I snicker. JJ looks awestruck.

"I thought it was going so well."

"it was, but..." Penelope seems to genuinely think this over before she speaks. "if it's right, it just clicks. and it never clicked with Sam."

"profound." I compliment, high-fiving the high-energy blonde. we giggle before she turns to me with a glint in her eye.

"oh, do I have a plan for you," she smirks. "tell me, Y/N: if you had to sleep with one person on our team, who would it be?"

"women included?" I clarify, my cheeks suddenly on fire. how come everyone got easy questions except for me? I'm really just biding time.

"of course." she nudges my shoulder. I mull this over for a minute. I could say the truth, but I don't think that would be the right thing to do. however ironic that is. given the situation, I do something which I have never been good at and which I don't enjoy doing: I lie.

"although all of you are catches," I preface. "I think I would probably pick Emily."

Prentiss almost chokes on her own spit as her head snaps to see my face.

"me?" she asks.

"low-pressure fun." I shrug, the stress of the moment rolling off my shoulders with the ensuing laughter of my team members. Spencer takes a sip of his drink and peeks at me from his spot before I focus my attention to JJ.

we go on like this for a while, our original plan of "truth or drink" really just turning into a game of "truth and drink." as our laughter gets progressively louder, our questions and answers get progressively more provocative. we get into risky territory towards the fourth round, and I can practically feel Spencer's discomfort radiating off of him. thank god everyone has been taking it easier on him with their questions.

that is, until Morgan hits about five shots and decides to throw him to the wolves.

"so, Reid," he asks. there's no malice in his tone and I'm sure he's not meaning to embarrass the boy genius, but the question makes me wince anyways. "have we made any progress on the virginity front?"

it's like a fucking pall over the table. Reid goes rigid in his spot, and JJ's protective eyes dart between him and Morgan. Penelope's jaw drops.

"wait, Reid, you're a--?" her voice is tender, not judgmental, but Spencer's cheeks turn pink and he looks at Derek with a hurt expression.

"not cool." he says, body shifting in my direction. his eyes communicate everything; without a word, I know what he wants. I scoot out of the booth, letting him slip by me to walk outside.

truly, I'm speechless. we all stare at his lanky frame push through the door, but nobody talks until at least fifteen seconds pass.

"what the hell was that, Morgan?" JJ asks.

"I thought everyone knew--" he throws his hands up. "I swear I wouldn't have said anything if--"

"why would everyone know that?" I feel myself get angry for Spencer's sake. "that's an incredibly personal thing, especially to him."

"that wasn't you, my love." Penelope's voice is soft, sobered by the incident that just occurred. the playful air at the table is officially ruined, and we keep glancing at the doorway like Reid will come back in and everything will be fine. he doesn't.

"I'm gonna go apologize." Morgan starts to get up, seemingly beginning to realize the weight of his words. it's one thing to ask about Reid's sex life in general; it's another to point out specifically the entire absence of it. Spencer doesn't seem to be bothered by most things, but this is different. my heart hurts.

we watch Morgan go, the women all looking at each other with worried expressions.

"I feel bad." Penelope says.

"y'know, Spence never told me that." JJ observes.

"he really trusts Morgan." Prentiss says what we're all thinking. Morgan has always been like a big brother to him, and being embarrassed in front of your co-workers like that can't be a pleasant feeling.

we sit in a relative silence for about five minutes until Morgan walks back into the bar. he pulls out his wallet and pays for the drinks, then walks over to us.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. do you need me to call you all cabs?" he asks. those dramatic brows are drawn low over his face, emphasizing his regret. I look between my friends and clear my throat.

"it's okay. I only had one shot about an hour and a half ago. I can drive everyone home."

"okay," Morgan sighs, his head turning briefly to the door before focusing back on us. "drive safe, ladies."

and then he's gone.

"you guys ready?" I start to shrug my jacket on. they all nod and we get ready to go.

...

sitting in my apartment later that night, my head is swimming. even though it's none of my business what happens in Spencer's sex life, I wish I could tell him that it's okay. nobody cares at all if he's a virgin or not. but I know it's still embarrassing.

I hate that I lied earlier tonight, too. I wanted to say Spencer's name when they asked who I wanted, because I meant it. we're close, and I will always love him as a friend. but I've also always wanted more.

nobody, not even any of the other BAU women, know about my crush. I didn't want it to get in the way, or for it to come out and ruin my friendship with Reid. he doesn't like me like that, and that's fine, but what's not fine is not having him as my friend.

he was the first person I really connected with when I came here, and I feel a little protective over him, too.

once the clock hits eleven, I consider calling. he’s definitely not asleep yet. Spencer is a night owl. normally at this time he'd be curled up with a huge book, reading impossibly fast.

when he picks up on the third ring, the air leaves my lungs.

"Y/N?" he asks, more surprised than anything else.

"hey, Spence--" I hesitate, suddenly not sure what to say. sorry Morgan told everyone you're a fucking virgin? “do you wanna come over?"

maybe if I see him face-to-face, I'll be able to collect my thoughts better. the words hang in the air, festering over the line until I'm just about to take them back, before he replies.

"y-yeah. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

my hands are shaking at my side when I open the door for the tall genius. he's still wearing his outfit from earlier, hair slicked back like normal. I've settled for my usual sweatpants and t-shirt winning combo. it's not like he cares.

"hey." I smile, trying to read his micro expressions. there are two possible outcomes here, knowing him: either he's going to be totally, completely over it, or he'll be able to write a War-and-Peace-length book on why he's upset.

"hi." he gives a wan smile and I let him into my apartment, closing the door behind him and gesturing to the couch.

"I missed this place." he says absently, looking around at the mess of decor and case files. I snort as I recall the last time he was here. he wanted to borrow a book that I had, and we ended up watching an entire docu-series about homing pigeons. it was surprisingly interesting; mostly because his commentary is both informative and funny.

"it missed you." I anthropomorphize my living space, but the phrase hangs heavy. I'm worried about him. I'm always worried about Spencer. he turns to look at me, opening his mouth to say something. I brush past him and walk into the kitchen. "coffee?"

"sure." he follows me like a lost puppy, leaning against the counter while I pull out two mugs and get to work.

"hey," I pause for a moment to look him in the eyes. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry-- about what happened... tonight."

"oh, that?" he scoffs, waves it off unconvincingly. "it's fine."

I raise my brows the slightest bit, never breaking eye contact. he wouldn’t have come if he didn’t want to talk about it. he cracks easily.

"it's just embarrassing, you know?" he says, staring out my kitchen window to alleviate his own nerves. I gesture for him to follow me back into the living room and I sit down criss-cross applesauce on the couch. he mirrors me, kicking off those cute black Converse.

"I don't think the fact itself is embarrassing, but I totally get why it feels that way. he shouldn't have said anything." I nod.

"like, that's personal. a-and--" he hesitates a moment, gesticulating wildly now. "and it's not like he's got any right! at least I don't go around with so many girls that I forget their names."

the thought of Reid sleeping with that many women is a little bit funny, but it also makes my stomach twist with jealousy.

"did he apologize?"

"yeah, he did. and he was drunk, I know." he rolls his eyes. "I'm overreacting."

"no, really, you're not." without thinking, I scoot closer to him and place my hand over his, which is sitting on his knee. I remember that Spencer is usually pretty averse to touch, but when I move it back to my lap, he seems a little disappointed. I wonder if he gets lonely.

"is it weird?" the question sounds raw, like he's mustering a lot to hear my response. I shake my head immediately.

"well, for one, Spence, I would never judge anyone based on their sex life, period." I chuckle. "and two, no way! if you aren't into having sex at this point in your life-- or ever-- that's totally your choice and you're entitled to it."

his eyes meet mine, pools of honeyed hazel that swim with a slightly amber shade. his face is so pretty, it's sometimes unbelievable to me that he doesn't get more action. bone structure that would make a sculpture envious.

"that's the thing," he licks his lips nervously before averting his gaze again. "I am interested-- I just don't-- well, I don't--"

"don't have someone to do it with?" I suggest with a slight smile. he nods, then clarifies.

"girls don't really seem to be interested in me."

I let out a laugh, unable to contain myself. his head jerks up to frown in confusion. I’m quick to amend myself.

"Spence, that's not true at all. you're such a catch! you're sweet and funny and way smarter than anyone I know. not to mention that you're adorable." I compliment, letting some of the thoughts I've been keeping to myself bubble to the surface. "any girl would be beyond lucky to be with you, sexually or not." Spencer blushes at my words, but the squirming in his spot tells me that it makes him feel warm inside. he smiles a little.

"you think?" it's genuine. he appreciates being praised, and it makes my heart flutter when he gives me that expression like I've made his night.

"I know." more of what I want to say rolls around my mind, unsure of whether or not I should admit it. but I think that right now, it'll only serve to make him feel better. "actually, I should tell you something."

"what?" he's curious now.

"when we were at the bar and Penelope asked who I'd be with... on the team... I lied."

"okay." he nods, somehow not connecting the dots. I guess it doesn't matter if they've got enormous IQs; boys are still clueless.

"I was gonna say you." the truth presses from the inside out, lifting a weight off my chest now that it's out there. even if he doesn't return that feeling, I'm suddenly glad that I told him.

"me?" he gestures to his narrow chest. I nod.

"yeah. I didn't wanna make you uncomfortable or embarrass you in front of our friends." I explain. he breaks into a grin.

"thanks." like I've given him something. I feel myself smiling as well, and then we're just looking at each other. tension that neither of us is willing to break. as much as I'd like to take him right here right now, he hasn't said anything about actually having sex or even about being attracted to me. for all I know, he could be completely indifferent.

"listen, Spence--"

"would you be willing to--" we speak at the same time, both of us stopping and laughing awkwardly.

"sorry, you go first." I offer, and he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth.

"would you want to... um..." he scratches the back of his neck before his eyes meet mine. "try it?"

"sex?" I raise my eyebrows. he nods. I try to find the right response. that’s more assertive than I expected. my pulse is fast, daring me to tell the truth. "I mean-- yes, I would love to-- but are you sure you want it to be with me, Spence? what about a girl that you like?"

"you are a girl that I like." he says this like it's matter-of-fact, like it's obvious. my heart stops in my chest before it starts to hammer.

"really?" a smile makes its way onto my face.

"I thought you knew."

"no." I laugh. my chest is full of sunlight.

"well, you are."

there's a brief silence where I try to get myself back on track. he likes me, too.

"are you sure you want to do this?" I glance at the space between our bodies, which has grown steadily smaller over the course of our conversation. Spencer is watching my every move with an intensity that tells me he's nervous.

"yes." he's unwavering.

"okay, well, you've kissed girls, right?" I inch closer. he nods.

"one."

"oh, Spencer," I sigh contentedly. "I have so much to teach you."

right after I say this, Spencer shifts uncomfortably in his seat. it's only then that I notice his hand covering his lap, the erection that's forming beneath his pants. my eyes flick up to his hungrily.

"sorry." he apologizes.

"don't be." our faces are inches apart and he's practically holding his breath. "I'm gonna kiss you. is that okay?"

"yes." he replies immediately. I place my hands gently on the side of his face, admiring the softness and sharpness of his jaw when I pull him to me, kissing him with a suppressed desire. his mouth is soft against mine, a little anxious to move. after a moment, he starts to relax.

his lips part and I deepen our contact, tilting my head and keeping it mostly mild at first. I don't want to shove my tongue down his throat. our knees are touching and his hand hesitantly finds my waist, the other going to run through my hair. I sigh into him, his fingertips a new sensation that I adore.

Spencer begins to give in a bit more to himself, asserting himself in the kiss and slipping his tongue over my bottom lip. I almost laugh at how quickly he gets the hang of it. he reads my body language effortlessly, not even skipping a beat when I climb into his lap and lace my arms around his neck.

"is this okay?" I pull away momentarily. he nods.

"you're so pretty." an unrelated response, but appreciated nonetheless. I laugh and peck his nose.

"thanks." and then we're back to making out, his hands resting on the small of my back. it's nice. I could stay like this forever, just pressed against Spencer while my fingers thread through his soft hair. he's cautious with me, and it's innocent.

I can feel his boner, can feel from the eagerness of his kisses that he's trying not to bring up the fact that he's literally just throbbing in his pants right now. in order to give him a little of what he wants, I start to rock my hips against his.

Spencer whimpers into my mouth. I stop and look down at him.

"do you want me to stop?"

"no, god, no— never stop." he's mindless in his reply, already grabbing my hips greedily and trying to regain that friction. I shake my head with a chuckle, then resume my actions. he starts to rut up against me, groaning into our embrace while his hands get more adventurous.

I withdraw, breaking the kiss to straighten up. he doesn't stop the microscopic pushes of his hips. I bite back a smile, enjoying the friction, too.

"do you wanna take my clothes off, Spence?" I ask softly.

"y-yes." he replies, gingerly taking the hem of my top and beginning to lift it over my head. when he places it on the couch beside me, his eyes immediately fall to my bra. slender fingers run up my bare waist, his watch glinting in the candlelight. when he doesn't immediately reach to unclasp my bra, I grab his wrist and guide it to the clasps myself. he moves with a surprising ease, unsnapping the thing and grazing over my skin as he slides the straps down my shoulders. I can tell that he’s shaking a tad, but it doesn’t hinder him.

the second that he's discarded the lingerie, he looks up at me with moony eyes.

"can I... kiss you?" he looks at my bare chest. "here?"

"of course, Spence." I nod. he presses his lips to the space between my ribs, drags them up to the valley between my breasts. lingers, then attaches himself to one of my nipples. I sigh, throwing my head back at the way he moves intuitively, sucking and running his tongue over the peak. he squeezes the other breast, plays with the nipple and starts to acquaint himself with the curves of my body.

the whole time, he's straining against my core, rutting helplessly in pleasure. it feels heavenly, with that sweet face of his so devoted to making me feel good, that I nearly stray from the purpose of the experience.

"Spencer..." I breathe. he moans at the sound of his name, then looks up at me from his place sucking on my tits. his teeth graze of my skin and I buck into his lap, causing him to groan appreciatively. my fingers tangle in his soft hair.

"Y/N," he pulls away from my chest, his lips making a soft popping sound. I gaze down at him, a bit lost in the fantasies running through my head. he's a natural. "can we, um-- like, expedite this process a little?"

"expedite the process?” I repeat back to him, giggling at his formality.

"what?" his voice goes up an octave, but he's smiling. "you know what I mean."

"I really do." I lean down, pressing my thumb into his jaw and angling his face up to mine to kiss. while his hands curiously move over my body, I start to push down the waistband of my sweatpants. I break contact just for a moment to peel them off, and he releases a quiet whine. it's cute.

"come back." he says softly, watching as I slide the bottoms down my legs, leaving me in my panties.

"I'm back." I peck his cheek, climb into his lap again. "can we take off your clothes, too?"

"mhmm." he nods. his lips part when my fingers work at the buttons of his shirt, undoing them with a torturous slowness. I can feel his eyes on my face the whole time.

"what?" I chuckle, peeking up at him for a moment before I pull his shirt open and run my palms up his chest, over his shoulders. he nearly shudders at the sheer touch.

"I just can't believe this is actually happening." he smiles in that way of his, like he's suppressing the depth of his emotions, with his brows slightly raised. I take the opportunity to enjoy the sight of him before me, his rapidly rising and falling chest, the smoothness of his skin.

"honestly?" I start to unbutton his pants, and he jerks up into my hand, blushing once he realizes the earnestness of his actions. I smirk encouragingly. "me, neither."

before I pull down his boxers, my eyes flick to his. "is this still okay?"

"Y/N," he groans. "if you don't do something, I'm gonna cum too early." he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment when my hand moves over his clothed erection, like he's holding on. "please."

"sorry." I release him from the confines. it hits his stomach and he waits for my reaction, as if he's afraid that I'll change my mind right now. but I'm definitely not going to. "holy fuck, Spencer."

"what?" he panics slightly, sitting up more. "is it not enough?"

"not enou--" I stutter, almost laugh. "no, it's plenty. I had no idea..."

"oh." he hides the pleased smile on his face, blush spreading over his pretty throat. in the interest of "expediting the process," I wrap my hand around the base of his cock and gently pump him.

Spencer's stomach tenses and he grabs onto the cushion of the couch with a tight fist, sighing.

"mmm..." he doesn't try to word his emotions, but I know. and I like that I'm making him feel this way, sharing this experience. Spencer and I are such close friends, I never thought we'd actually have sex. my assumption was that I'd watch him grow into himself, find a nice girl and treat her like a queen.

but here I am, spitting into my hand before jerking him off to prepare for what’s next. he’s throbbing, sounds coming from his throat.

"I'm gonna sit on it, okay?" I lean down to whisper in his ear. he touches my waist, my neck, kisses a random spot on my chest in the waves of pleasure that I'm giving him.

"o-okay." he mumbles, waiting for me to actually do it. and there's a moment of tense anticipation between both of us, when I sit up and pull my panties to the side. Spencer watches like I'm the only thing in the world, saving the memory of my body on top of his for later.

I run the head of his cock along my entrance, soaking him in the wetness between my thighs. I didn't realize how turned on I'd already gotten, and he lets out a quiet whine when he feels the evidence of how much I want him.

our eyes lock when I sink down. it's a new feeling for him, and the shape of his member as it stretches my walls causes me to bite my lip to withhold moaning too loudly. he whimpers, neck tensing and fingertips digging into my hips.

"o-oh." he sucks in a breath as I reach the halfway point. he's so big, I have to go slow in order not to overwhelm myself. but it feels good, too. like... unbelievably good. I grip onto his shoulders and my head falls forward into his shoulder.

"Spencer, holy shit." I moan.

"does it feel nice?" he asks, concerned for my own pleasure. I feel my chest flutter at the thoughtfulness of the boy wonder even when he's in the midst of losing his virginity, and I lower myself onto the rest of him.

"mhmm," I rest for a moment. "how do you feel?"

"like--" his breath hitches when I begin to rock back and forth on him. "like I've been missing out."

I can't help the giggle that slips past my lips, but then it quickly turns into a longing moan when he starts to thrust up into me like a helpless thing. Spencer is brilliant, but his brain cells go out the window when he throws his head back and begs me to move more.

I nod, raising and lowering myself until we reach a special pace. it's not fast or slow, just the two of us trying to stay in the moment while we hold on tightly to each other. I can feel the cool metal of his watch when he splays his hand out over my spine, the warmth of his breath while he pants against my shoulder.

he hits my g-spot over and over. my moans are torn from my throat by the burning of my lungs. it's like I can't breathe because I'm so focused on chasing the orgasm building in my stomach. and Spencer... I can tell he's almost finished.

the erratic nature of his jerking body tells me.

"I'm gonna cum..." he moans into my neck. "do- do you want me to pull out?"

"no." I arch my back and throw myself into the friction of our bodies. he stares up at me while I ride him, the merciless grinding of my hips because I just can't help myself. "oh my god, Spencer."

he notices how close I am and, in a surprisingly deft move, slides two fingers over my pussy to find my clit. the ensuing noise from me tells him that he's found it, and he begins to rub in quick circles. it's rough and hard, but that's exactly what I need right now.

"cum for me, Spence." I breathe. his free hand grips onto my thigh and pulls me over him, his own words unintelligible within the sounds of absolute pleasure.

"please." he begs for something I don't know, spills his seed inside of my pussy and holds onto me like I'm an anchor to this world while he peers into the next. the feeling of him spreading through my stomach, along with the reckless movements of his limbs and the way he looks at me while he rides out his orgasm, sends me over the edge.

"oh my fuck!" I collapse, grabbing his shoulders tightly and rolling myself down while he removes his fingers from my body. it's jarring, the intensity, like my normal functions can't respond correctly. all I can process is the tightening of my stomach, the pleasure between my legs, vision going slightly fuzzy at the edges. he moans when my cunt flutters around him, the muscles trying desperately to hold him here with me forever. I take deep breaths and slow down, my forehead dropping again while I start to remember my own name.

neither of us speaks. I think I'm still too in shock about what just happened, but in the best way. he keeps running his hands over my skin, then wraps his arms around my torso so that I'm pulled against his chest. I smile, kissing his ear before I finally break the silence.

"hi."

"hi." he's got a satisfied tone.

"do you need anything? water?" I ask, exhausted but realizing that this is still new for Spencer and it's my job to make sure he's as comfortable as possible. he nuzzles his nose into my clavicle and squeezes me tighter.

"stay here with me." there's a slight edge to his words. he's afraid of me leaving. I snuggle down, perfectly happy to remain. heat radiates from his skin, and I like the way it feels.

"of course."

we linger in each other’s arms, both of us coming back into the real world and holding on in an attempt to soften the blow. I just had sex with Spencer.

"thank you." he whispers into my hair.

"for what?" the smile on my face is lazy.

"for doing this."

"well, I really wanted to." I laugh. "so, I guess, thank you, too."

"you're quite welcome." his response is cheerful and then we're both laughing, the sound rumbling from his chest. "can we do it again at some point?"

"I would be happy to." I beam. the contented sigh that leaves his lips, followed by a slight sinking of our bodies down the couch in collective exhaustion, fills me with a joy that's quiet but obvious.

“I’ll last longer next time, I promise.” he says. I can practically hear the blush in his cheeks.

“you did amazing, Spence. don’t worry about it.” I press a few stray kisses to him.

I'll need to go clean up, soon, but it can wait a few more minutes. this is my favorite place on earth.

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