#also if anyone wonders what those weird lines on my farmers neck is. well shes a mermaid and those r her gills aha aha

[azuneekun]

did sebastian come out of a romance drama or something

[ask-rijus-ocs]

[ Carly was resigned to the fact that she has both not told Twilight about his weird lens flare, and that she is not going to. ]

[ The old book on sheikah translations in her hand meant nothing, absolutely nothing. She's sure it's nothing. It's fine. Twilight is just some edgy swordsman. It's fine, she repeats again. She was just curious. Damn her and her curiosity.....this is far too much to handle. Twilight has that flap that leads to the basement locked for a reason. She's sure it's nothing, though. After all, what could a simple brunette teenager have to hide?]

[ Oh, she's being a hypocrite, isn't she? She's only sixteen, and yet, here she is, replacing the Hero of The Wild, Master Sword still in her possession. Twilight hasn't noticed - after all, she's a pacifist, and so she doesn't really have it out, it's still in her sheikah slate. She still doesn't understand the strange messages it receives from time to time, but then again, Carly is just a kid, so she can't be expected to know everything. Everything about this seems so - adult-y. She isn't cut out for this. And yet, here she is, in all her 5 foot 5 glory, inside the man's wack as heck basement, holding a centuries old translation book, writing down the meaning word by word.]

[ Twilight had to go out for work, as he often does. He took the bag with his journal with him - he's not that stupid, unfortunately. He herds the goats, that's his job, she reminds herself, just a farmer, just a farmer, it's fine. Luto was kind enough to give her this book once they made up, and though she would prefer the Sheikah boy himself to translate, she knows that it'll be a while before they meet again. And Luto isn't chaotic enough to give her a faulty book as a prank. He is, at least, somewhat honorable. ]

[ Carly's sketchbook is laid out beside her- the picture of Twilight is hastily put together, and certainly not her best work, but she had to work quickly on the translation. "The hero of." Hero of what? Hylia above, she needs to know. Hero of farming? Of goats? What the heck? Why did her Sheikah Slate even recognize him? It's only ever done that when.....when.....]

[ Princess Zelda. When she took a picture of princess Zelda.]

[She gasps lightly. "It - recognizes historical figures. Hero of, hero of...T. Okay, and this one is W and that's I. T, W, I. Twi." Why did she have to choose that as his nickname? It makes it so much worse. She feverishly checks the rest of the word. "Hero of Twilight."]

[ Just a farmer, mhm, yeah right. She still isn't telling him, but ooh, the fact that he wasn't upfront about it kind of makes her mad. She's starting to wonder about that green tunic and the facial markings and the strange wolf hairs that just happen to appear on him at random intervals. It takes a few minutes to check the next sentence. "Trained by the Hero of Time." She reads off, flabbergasted. The huh? She doesn't even know who that is! And she's still mad at him!]

[ Then, a noise, but she brushes it off. The lantern here makes weird sounds all the time. "Capable of transforming into a b-" "Beast," he corrects. Wait, he? Oh. Oh.]

[ Twilight is right in front of her, in the same pose as he is in the compendium picture, still entirely composed, but something's not the same. Carly almost wants to check to see if fairies are still in the slate, because the something is the fact that Carly can tell that he is most certainly pissed off.]

[ "May I see the screen, please?" Well, even though he's pissed, he's being quite polite about it. "Uh, one second." Carly holds up her index finger, closing her sketchbook. She only trusts Mama Nadetta, Mama Eshana, and Luto with that thing and no one else. He's patient. "Am I dead?" She whispers, raising an eyebrow as she hands the slate to him. ]

[ "No, you're fine. Honestly, I kinda expected me to be dead at this point with how you handled the lance," He shrugs, looking through the entry. "Sorry about breaking it, again," Carly replies sheepishly. How foolish. A sheep in the wolf's den.]

[ "It's okay." There is no hatred in his voice as he sighs. "I got home early. Epona was really energetic today. You're pretty loud, so it wasn't that hard." He sees the picture. "Ah. Yeah, that. So, uhm, if you have any questions or wanna cuss me out, now's the time." He rubs the back of his neck. Is he apologizing?]

[ "Okay - I - what the hot footed frogs does the 'turning into a beast' part mean?" Carly blinks. "It means I turn into a beast. Simple as that," He nods. "So - so you can just - do it? Like, anywhere? And you can turn back anytime?" Carly puts down the other book, confused. Another nod. Okay, so now she's even more confused, if that's even possible. And then another thought crosses her mind, coming out slowly and carefully - "....can I see?".]

[ "I suppose there's no point in hiding it now, after all, you figured out my biggest secret in record time." He smiles. Twilight reaches into his tunic to tug on the strand of a necklace, at the end of which is a small, pointy crystal with orange engravings. He clasps it into his hand - how does that not hurt? - and there's what she assumes to be a flash of black particles, who knows with the low light, and finally, left in his place is a huge, gray wolf, biggest heckin' wolf she's ever seen, dear Hylia, and the boy - man - wolf- whatever he is has some sort of broken chain attached to his front paws. In the exact same place that she always sees those heavy arm guards or that cloth, she notes. Oh. Oh, that's why.]

[ "You -" Words evade her. There's this weird marking on his head, the same that she sees on his forehead when he's human. Oh, that's why. The fur is the same color as the hairs that magically end up on his clothes. Oh, that's why. Everything, strangely, makes sense. "Are there any other animal forms I should know about?!" Carly throws her hands up in the air, dumbfounded. He transforms back. "No, I'm afraid," Twilight shakes his head that totally didn't have wolf ears two seconds ago. ]

[ "And the hero thing?" She ventures, and realizes that this is apparently a touchy topic, because he flinches at the word hero, as if it's some taboo. "That's why I can do - well, that." He confirms. "Nothing else about that you wanna explain?" Carly has a rising tone now, unsure if she wants to pursue this line of questioning. "Actually, I'd rather not, but if you want to ask, then that's okay. I only have one condition, really." He sighs, almost as if he's ashamed with himself. ]

[ "And that is?" "To please, not tell anyone about this. Mi - my companion told me that I have to keep this secret. I would've been upfront about this otherwise, but my life hasn't been the greatest, and if people knew that I was some alter ego demon beast then - well, there'd be problems. Do you understand, Ms.Callisto?" ]

[ Companion? What? Honestly, that could've been formed as a threat and still worked, but somehow, Twilight is sincere and almost seems like he's pleading to her. "Who else knows?" She asks, curious. "Only Rusl. I believe he's told Uli as well- there are no secrets between lovers- but Colin and pretty much everyone else in Hyrule doesn't know." Twilight explains, fixing the lantern to where it's on the actual hook that it's supposed to be on. Oops. "Okay. I get it - but - and here's the kicker -" Carly sees his eyes light up as she agrees, and then he gets pale as snow as soon as he hears "but". She doesn't believe she's ever seen him actually get scared. Before this she was convinced that this man has absolutely no fears whatsoever. "You also have to be honest to me from here on out, alright? Friends aren't supposed to tell lies, friend," Carly brightens, getting up from her seat. Twilight doesn't say anything, but she can physically feel the sigh of relief that flows through him at that.]

[ "That's fine with me." He nods. "Friends also call eachother decent nicknames! Quit it with all the 'Ms.Callisto' stuff." Carly laughs. "I'm sorry, Ms.Call- Carly." Twilight offers awkwardly. "Hylia, you're hopeless. Okay, I don't actually mind your weird formal stuff, as long as it doesn't get awkward." She sighs. "Promise?" "Promise." ]

// Story development time!

- Mun Riju

[recordofmyreverie]

Natural Selection (February 2017)

Back in November 2016, I had been shopping at a store called “The Buffalo Exchange” in Plaza Midwood. While I was at checkout, the cashier introduced herself to me as “Humble”, and asked me if I’d done any modeling before. I told her I had a little experience, but not much. She said that she really liked my look, and was looking for models with an edgy vibe to feature in her fashion show coming up in December. She invited me to audition to be a runway model, but I was working so much back then and couldn’t get the right days off in order to audition or do rehearsals, so when the show came up in mid-December, I decided to go and watch it instead.

As people were still taking their seats along the runway for the “Peace of Fruit” fashion show, there was art lining the walls featuring various fruits, and a girl in a leotard with a ruffled sleeve appeared to be asleep on a mattress on the middle of the floor with fruits scattered around her. One of the massive canvases was seconds away from falling and hitting the girl on the bed, and I saw a guy wearing a Portugal fûtbol scarf sprint across the room to catch the painting. 

I took my seat next to an old man wearing all brown instead of all black like we were supposed to. His name was Barry, and he told me that he knew the lady who owned the venue, and that he was surprised I wasn’t a model in the fashion show. He said that I was definitely tall enough and had an interesting enough look, and that if I wanted, he would introduce me to the lady who owned the venue since she also had fashion shows of her own. 

The show started with male models opening the show by coming down the runway holding signs about depression. Their makeup was colorful, yet meant to make them look ghastly at the same time. The female models all had colorful hair designs whether the hair color be something dyed or sprayed in. Humble’s designs were all so unique and varied, but I could tell her specialty was sleeves. A lot of her designs had these ginormous sleeves, turtlenecks, and endless ruffles. My favorite designs from the show were a Victorian-esque dress with a bamboo print in a form-fitting mermaid silhouette, An over-sized clear plastic coat, and a cocoa leotard that had a turtle-neck stretched over the chin like a mask. 

There was a standing ovation for Humble and the models at the end of the show. Everyone loved it. 

I ended up meeting the owner of the venue like Barry had said I could do. Her name was Sacchi, and she said I should come out and audition to be in her calendar. I never did because of work. It seemed like all these awesome opportunities were cut off for me because my job got in the way. 

I was about to leave the show, and as I was walking in the parking lot, I passed by the guy in the Portugal scarf. He was smoking outside, and he said “Wait. You’re just going home after that? Why don’t you stay and hang out?”

“Well, I would, but I don’t really know anyone here,” I said.

“Neither do I! I only know Humble,” he admitted.

“Humble was who I knew too, but I barely even know her either,” I said.

“Well, then let’s go and introduce you to her again!” He motioned for me to follow him. 

It was only about 10 PM, so the night was still young. I followed the dude inside, only to see that there was a line to talk to Humble, so I had to wait for my chance. We got to know each other instead, and we picked up other people along the way. 

He introduced himself as “Tyger” and was a graphic designer, photographer, and sometimes a DJ. He helped choreograph the show. We also met a dancer named “Isaiah”, a photographer who I recognized from Instagram as “thelunarhippie” whose name was actually Lauren, and two other dudes in trench coats who I have no idea the names of anymore. 

We talked about Tinder and how people were actually using the app as a networking tool for models and photographers these days. Lauren showed us her photography and said that she managed to find two straight dudes on Tinder to do a gay shoot for her series on sexuality. 

Tyger realized that he and Lauren actually already matched on Tinder before, as he already had her number in his phone when we all were exchanging contact information. He said he was glad he didn’t hang out with her at the wrong time otherwise he might have done a gay photoshoot. 

We were all strangers who had just met each other, but the conversations were entertaining and I liked that all of us had the mindset to just go with it and find out who we’d meet in the process. 

I later posted a photo of myself bald on Instagram and Humble contacted me again. She said that she liked my look before, but with my shaved head, I was perfect for the vision she had for her look book. She requested to stay in touch for a fitting and then a photoshoot in the first week of February. 

Towards the end of January, I had been walking to The Diamond Restaurant  in Plaza Midwood to grab a bite to eat after getting my helix pierced twice at Sadu Body Modifications. While walking, I saw Tyger and a guy with long blonde hair walking out of Thomas Street Tavern. 

“Duuuude! What are you doing here? Hey, I love your new cut! It looks great on you!” Said Tyger.

I explained that I had just gotten my ears pierced, and was now on my way to get some food before heading home. I kept staring at the blonde guy because he looked so familiar. I could tell he recognized me too, but I didn’t know from where. 

Tyger asked me if I’d been getting his texts, and I said that I changed my number without telling anybody, so the answer was no. We exchanged numbers again, and he said we could hang out anytime. 

I remembered from hanging out with Isaiah again at a concert one night that he’d said he was hanging out with Tyger and his roommate named Blaine. He said they were both really cool guys who were spontaneous and a lot of fun to hang out with. Then I also went on Tinder again a week before and matched with a guy named Blaine. Who was blonde. Who looked just like that guy. 

I connected the dots, and I added Blaine on Facebook. I messaged him to apologize for acting like I didn’t know who he was, but explained that at the time I really didn’t. There’s something about the online world that makes people look different in real life and is hard to catch unless you’re told who they are beforehand. It’s weird how you can look at a picture of someone, and without them having to change anything about the way they look, they somehow always look different when you see them in person. 

Blaine said that he had recognized me right away, but didn’t want to say anything about how we already knew each other because saying you met someone on Tinder was stigmatizing to some people. I’d remembered on his profile that he said he just got out of an engagement and didn’t really know what to expect or what he was looking for on there, but he still just wanted to meet people. 

I then made the connection that I had seen him before Tinder. I saw him at Graham’s Halloween party, holding the hands of his former fiancée. He was wearing all red and a red velvet top hat to match. His fiancée was the Russian woman I had talked to at the party who told me of her travels to Europe and her experience with fashion and photography. She seemed so freaking cool. I could tell why someone would have a hard time getting over someone like that. 

Blaine told me that he’d love to take me out on a date sometime, but I really wasn’t looking to date anyone. I was enjoying just being single, doing so much on my own, and getting to hang out with anyone anywhere I wanted without there being any conflict of interest for anyone. 

I didn’t really have much time for affection. My heart wouldn’t be in it. I didn’t really want that, and I knew that’s what he was wanting and that wouldn’t be fair. I told him all of this upfront rather than completely ghosting him like most people probably would have done, and he said that he appreciated my honesty and directness. We opted to hang out as friends because we figured we were still cool people that were worth getting to know, and we brought Tyger along with us to break the awkwardness. 

We hung out the next day at Reedy Creek Park and we listened to music while trekking through the forest, lounging on trees, and climbing ruins. I did no climbing. I left that all to Blaine and Tyger. We all talked about what we wanted to do, where we wanted to go, and where we’d been. We all had a similar situation of having a lot of creativity and not knowing what to do with it or wondering when i was going to be our respective times to shine. 

During the conversation, Blaine had gotten a text from his farmer friend who asked if he wanted to come over and build a bonfire. I wasn’t opposed. I loved hanging out with animals, so we first got some sushi, and then headed towards the University area where the farm was just about 30 minutes away. 

The farm was small, but had plenty to entertain us with its goats, chickens, geese, turkeys, a donkey, and a horse. The farmer grew Shitaké mushrooms out of logs in the backyard, so we ate those while we sat around the fire and looked at the stars. It was quite a day for hanging out with people I barely knew, and it all came from talking to strangers. It made me realize that nobody really had to be a stranger, and that it was actually quite easy to make friends if you were in the right places at the right times. You never know who you might talk to and where they might take you.