#best body conformation wins and I think that would be fun to participate in but I don’t have the money or space to do that lol

[concoulor]

they had gerbils there and that was a bummer because they’re just going to be subject to the petco hamster treatment now

[fjordfolk]

Well, to be fair, people are much better at stacking and taking appealing professional photos of their dogs these days.... not that some (most) of those aren’t lacking in structure.... but my dogs can look like train wrecks too with the combination of standing funny and a bad camera angle lmao (or in this case an extremely old camera which can also slightly warp the photograph, I‘ve experience this is first hand with my vintage camera) and people didn’t have quite the same knowledge on structure

Oh for sure! I wouldn’t say any of those are «stacked» in any modern conformation sense. And stacking is still a pretty lax deal around our parts, in the breeds I participate in dogs are generally trained to just «stand» steady on all four out of four, and if you can get them to shuffle their feet into somewhat good angles then, well, great.

this is how shelties «stack» in the lineup at our national specials:

still pretty weird? yeah! weirder than the 20s-60s ones? nah!

also worth noting that the dogs in the previous posts are alle Crufts winners and supposedly the best of the best at the time (the ones in the above picture are a random selection, not all scored well)

The historical examples have no more working knowledge of sheep than ours do today, by their time the original smallish farmdogs on Shetland had long since been outcompeted by larger and more efficient collies brough over from mainland UK. The closest would be photo number 6, Clifford Pat, who was the first British champion and only a generation or two out from Lerwick. (And pretty close to a few collies, too)

As they gradually lost their purpose in the latter half of the 1800s (same trajectory as our Buhunds, by the way) their numbers decreased, a handful of enthusiasts sat down and wrote a standard, bred in some more collie to refine and solidify type (not necessarily in that order), argued about the size for a few years, and eventually got the breed popularized as pets in England, which is how we came to have the type we do today. Not a whole lot of working requirement in that equation, unfortunately.

I also think it’s fun noting too, that while we now have a split between US and UK type dogs, the main split used to be island vs. mainland dogs. Mainland shelties turned more and more into fine-boned mini collies, while islanders preferred a smaller, spitzier thing. On the left are the winning dog and bitch at Crufts in 1937, on the right is the top placer at the agricultural show in Tingwall that same year.

All I’m saying is: They’re no more fucked up today than they were a hundred years ago. You can’t just go digging up that one photo of Lerwick Rex and call it a travesty and think you’ll get away with it, no sir, not on my watch!

Many of them still tend to herd everything that moves though, for no god damn discernable reason. The absolute wonders of behavioural genetics! Typically their herding style is pretty old school collie, from what I understand, similar to your welsh and presumably english (english-american?) shepherds, what we in my country call «body-herders».

[relaxandlaughatyourself]

Recap of Ika’s IG Live March 8, 2019.

It’s been too long! They were very lovey and touchy, laughing a lot (when Dem wasn’t sleeping lol). They seemed truly happy. You saw every side of Ika in this live, the petty, the funny, the sweet.

She says that she wants to be able to be busy and still stay connected but it’s hard. Youtube takes a lot of time and they haven’t had it. She’s wanted to do a live when getting ready but she knows she gets distracted so she didn’t.

Was supposed to go to a dinner/event but got home too late.

Someone asks Dem how his birthday was and they both say he had a good birthday. Dem then kisses Ika’s shoulder.

She’s loving the new season of BB, she wasn’t sure before but she thinks they’re there to play and they’re messy. Dem: “Messy, desperate people.”

Ika raves about Afia’s makeup. She had a bunch of people in her DMs asking what she got done.

Ika: “They’re asking if we’re doing a youtube video for tomorrow.” Dem: “Tomorrow?!” Ika says this is her first time being home and sitting down. She feels like going out and dancing. Dem says they’re going out tomorrow but Ika says there’s a game tomorrow, but Dem says they can go out after.

Talks about Laura, she didn’t conform or be fake at all, and you have to do that to stay around sometimes.

Opinion on Kailyn’s age she decided to say she was. She’s silent… “that’s what I think. Black don’t crack but it does chip.” She was trying to send mental signals to her to have her say 33.

“Dem is not participating! He is laying down in the corner.” He’s really tired.

She loves that production is so messy.

She wanted Cory to go into the house, she showed up in the interview and was energetic and more fun.

“Do I like cats? No.” Someone asks if Dem likes cats and he says no too.

Ika knows she likes Dane still and wants to continue liking him.

Damien doesn’t give a good first impression, he was one of her least favorite people, and she’s surprised the guys didn’t take him in, but he comes off too cool. But she’s here for it. She wants him to form his own alliance and go on his own.

They’re gonna start posting on youtube again, it’s in response to a question.

What do you think of Adam? Not her favorite but likes watching him.

She shows us Dem sleeping… “who was I talking about? I forgot because you guys were talking about Dem.”

She hasn’t found the person she’s going to stick with for the entire season.

CBB ideal cast? Tiffany. Evelyn Lozada. Jussie Smollett. Jordyn Woods. “I want messy.”

She screamed when Evelyn followed her, she was with Dem but he wasn’t as excited so she called her friend.

“He can just lay there and fall asleep. It’s so annoying and frustrating. You might hear him snoring.”

“If you take a closer look at his hand you can see he still wears the bracelet, my hair band around his wrist. He never takes it off, two years later and he never takes it off. Even when he’s mad at me.”

She wakes him up a bit, but just stares at him. “Honey? I don’t want to be too loud.” She keeps looking back at him and laughing too.

Who does she think should win? It’s too hard to say. She doesn’t want Estefania and girls like that to not do anything all season.

She takes us to the bathroom to show us new makeup.

“I do need to grab some wine.” She goes to drip wine on Dem’s face but he woke up.  Dem: “The Greek gods were looking out for me.” Dem tells her not to open the wine.

Dem asks if she’s going to his hockey game tonight and she says yes, she wants to watch him play.

Ika: “Honey, you can get some rest, I won’t bother you again.” Dem: “I don’t believe you.”

She will prank Dem back, but not sure she’ll be able to record it for youtube, she’s not good like that but will IG story it. She wants to do things while he’s sleeping. Dem: “Your little threat is not going to make me lose any sleep.”

Ika: “Honey, where are the wine glasses? Did you hide them so I can’t have any?”

Dem came for her today and said she’s messy, and she said Beyonce is messy so she can be too. He said when she starts bringing home coins like Beyonce she can be messy.

She feels bad that they haven’t posted youtube videos. She feels as though they’re so much funnier off youtube. They tried filming yesterday and it was so busy and crazy. Youtube is also hard.

In your opinion who is the best player in bbcan history? Ika: “Me.” Dem: “I thought you thought it was me?! I thought it was you and you thought it was me. I guess we both think it’s you.”

They think doing a video on ancestry DNA tests would be cool. They show their youtube setup in the corner.

Favorite moment on bbcan? Dem: “Spinning on that wheel with you.” Ika: “I was testing you to see if it would change because you always say that.” Ika: “What was my favorite moment?” Dem: “Meeting me?” Ika: “Yes, it was meeting you.”

They filmed a video but they were missing a part of it, it was good though. They miss the chapstick video.

“Let’s just give my boyfriend a big shoutout. He’s been so supportive and so nice. And he’s a realtor in Toronto and they’re busy and stressed, but he tries to come with me wherever I go to support me and make me feel comfortable. Thank you, honey bunches. I’m still pranking you though.”

Dem: “That’s why I let you drink the wine, the compliments keep coming out.”

Dem has hockey tonight and wants to make sure his athletic abilities don’t deteriorate. Dem: “I want to age like wine.” Ika: “I don’t want you to age like wine.” Dem: “Is that why you hide your lotion?” Today Dem knocked over her super c and broke it. Ika was upset, it’s expensive and she loves it, she tried to hide it. He felt so bad and says that he’ll buy it for her, she says he doesn’t have to.

Dem: “I never used to put lotion on.” Ika: “You can continue that.”

Dem takes her wine to have a sip, she filled it way up, Ika: “you only let me have one glass so I fill it all the way up.”

Someone asks if she likes being wrapped up in Dem’s big arms. Ika: “Demetres’ body temperature is so hot, I can handle it for about five minutes and then I’m like let me go.”

Ika says hse doesn’t mind him snoring when she likes him, when she’s mad at him she wants to beat him in his sleep. They both laugh. She says there’s a couple things he does that she doesn’t like, but when she likes him she likes almost everything.

She says she needs to check her emails, there are probably a lot of opportunities in there.

She says that if her phone signal stays up, she’ll show us Dem on the ice.

Ika says she doesn’t love the taste of wine but it gives her a nice buzz. Dem: “She didn’t like wine until she met me.”

Someone asks who Ika would be friends with of this cast. She says she usually doesn’t try to befriend them, if it works out to connect it will. She does like Erica and have hung out with her and Chey before and they like them a lot. They talk to Cass. Karen is a given, they talk almost every day. They love Gary. Dallas and Dem are very close, go out all the time. She talks to Kenny and Sarah, Sabrina sometimes. They love Merron, consider him a friend. They like Andrew. She’s good friends with Zakiyah, they talk about everything, like a little sister. Even if she doesn’t talk to people it’s not that she doesn’t like them, it’s just that they don’t talk. Topaz lives in Miami now, Dem: “life happens.” Dem: “I am the only one that matters.” Ika: “I also talk to this guy. His name is Demetres.”

Ika says that she is happy with her relationship with Dem, if anything fades, like ET Canada, she would still be happy with her life, with Dem, with her kids, and that’s all that matters. “I came on the show, I met someone, and I got this opportunity, an extension of that experience, so it was great.” She says if someone comes on bbcan and gets those opportunities that would be great. She doesn’t feel entitled. Ika: “You need to be happy in other parts of your life, so if it’s gone you’re not depressed and dying. Right, honey bunches.” Dem: “If someone takes your spot I’m slashing their tires.” They laugh and joke.

Ika: “Demetres has been there for every single thing I’ve done. He just wasn’t there for the Canadian season (he says he wasn’t allowed), and I kept looking over because he gives me little signs. He’s so supportive and helpful. I know you think he only eats the fruit baskets, but he does a lot more than that. And sometimes I’ll do interviews and ask questions and he will give her advice and say what to say. These interviews were… if I do anything again, I’m going to be like ‘listen, he has to be there.’” Dem says today was good, it was cool.

Ika runs her hands through his hair, says it’s soft, he says there’s no gel.

Ika says there’s a huge difference interviewing the Americans vs the Canadians. Dem says he can tell, he says the Americans are easy to read, he can tell how they’re going to be. Ika agrees, they will give you more of who they are, the Canadians are so controlled with their answers, Dem says they have a guard up. Dem says it’s more stock answers, they don’t give much actual information. He says the Americans almost act as though they’re still trying to get on the show.

She says she thinks she saw her niece in the live. The live ends, she says she’s going to watch TV with Dem. Ika: “Honey bunches, say bye.” They wish him luck on the game. Dem says he’s not convinced she’s going to go, and she says she isn’t either. He says she’ll prob be the only person watching.

[melonoverlord]

ABCs for the Dwarphen

I’ll answer these for her as she will appear in EoE

A: Aptitude

1. what are your oc’s natural abilities, things they’ve been doing since young?

She’s always been a fairly good runner, and when she first was taken in by Xo, she took her mother’s bow from her home. So she’s been doing that since around four or so.

2. what activities have they participated in?

Professional archery in a sense, helping Xo run their brewery business, and now in her job as a bounty hunter.

3. what abilities do they have that they’ve worked for?

When she was a little kid still travelling with Xo, she had trouble distinguishing which forest berries or plants were safe to eat, and up until her job now she has people watching her telling what to eat and what’s safe. She’s had to learn how to learn recognizes which foods are safe to eat and which ones are poisonous.

4. what things are they bad at?

*Xo voice* Eating any fucking green food. But in all seriousness, she’s bad at keeping track of time. She could think she’s running around town for just three hours until Xo is coming after her in tears because she actually been gone for ten.

5. what is their most impressive talent?

Archery by far. She made a name for herself in her skills years ago, which is how they were able to reunite with Xo.

B: Basics

1. what is their hair color?

Dark brown, very close to black.

2. what is their eye color?

Dark brown.

3. how tall are they?

3′5

4. how old are they?

13

5. how much do they weigh?

130 lbs

C: Comfort

1. how do they sit in a chair?

Criss cross, or with one leg cross over the other.

2. in what position do they sleep?

She’s used to sleeping either straight up and down to conserve space or in fetal position.

3. what is their ideal comfort day?

Dressing in just pajama pants and shorts and falling asleep to the sound of rain while listening to music play. She doesn’t get a ton of those.

4. what is their major comfort food? why?

Chile con Queso. She remembers her birth mom giving it to her when she was a baby and it’s the only thing she has left to connect with her birth family.

5. who is the best at comforting them when down?

Xochitl by far. There’s a lot of thing she has to thank them for, but helping her through her trauma is definitely the biggest. They’ll just hold her and braid her hair and sing to her.

D: Decoration

1. how would they decorate a house if they had one under their name?

First of all, she’d choose to live in a tree house that sprawled across the tree tops, but if she had to live in a normal house, she would still choose one close to nature with lots of house plants and little critters running about.

2. how would they decorate their child’s room?

Listen, Yaretzi is a 13 year old girl. Do you really think she’s not going to want to give her kids the coolest room ever where your room is a treehouse and the floor looks like grass? On top of that she would give all her kids stuffed animals of woodland creatures because she’s that dedicated to theme.

3. how do they decorate their own room?

She just recently got her own room (though she still sleeps in Xo’s bed a lot) but it’s fairly small and has her bed in one corner with a sad attempt at a canopy by Xo, a small shelf that has all of her dolls and book, and small desk that has a little notebook that Xo bought her for her birthday.

4. what type of clothes and accessories do they wear?

At home she wears a similar shirt to Xo (off the shoulder white peasant blouse) and a long flowy skirt, but in the field she wears dark trousers, her blouse, a thick overcoat, and a bandana of some kind to keep her hair out of her face.

5. do they like makeup/nail/beauty trends?

She likes painting her nail, but putting on makeup reminds her of being forced to wear makeup for her slave family. 

E: External Personality

1. does the way they do things portray their internal personality?

Pretty much. She’s usually very honest with her personality, which means that you will know firsthand whether she likes you or not.

2. do they do things that conform to the norm?

She did it as a slave to stay safe and not cause waves, but Yaya has a free spirit that doesn’t really care if people think she’s out there.

3. do they follow trends or do their own thing?

She’s like her mom and simply doesn’t give a fuck what others think and does her own thing. She only follows trends if her life’s in danger.

4. are they up-to-date on the internet fads?

Nah, she’s more likely to run outside and play in literal mud than go on the internet, if it existed.

5. do they portray their personality intentionally or let people figure it outon their own?

Usually what you see is what you get, so the personality she displays is how she really is.

F: Fun

1. what do they do for fun?

Run in the woods barefoot and try to climb the tallest tree. But if she is confined to the city, she actually really loves pulling pranks on her family and friends. It helps when your best friend is a bear.

2. what is their ideal party?

Everyone in their pajamas playing charades or Never Have I Ever/Truth or Dare. She is a fan of party games.

3. who would they have the most fun with?

Xo, her Uncle Tarel, and Auntie Ellie.

4. can they have fun while conforming to rules?

Yeah. Most of what she does for fun is legal and it’s only her job that’s technically illegal. She’s more willing to follow rules than Xo is.

5. do they go out a lot?

Out to party, no, but she definitely leaves the house just to wander around the woods.

G: Gorgeous

1. what is their most attractive external feature?

She has the most beautiful curly hair you’ve ever seen. Both she and Xo like brushing it out.

2. what is the most attractive part of their personality?

She has the cutest, innocent laugh and laughs with her entire body just because she’s so openly, honestly her. If she likes you, she will let you know and love you til the end.

3. what benefits come with being their friend?

She is that little sister you always wanted to have and will strive to protect you as long as she lives.

4. what parts of them do they like and dislike?

There’s not really a part of her she dislikes physically, except maybe be a little taller because no one takes her seriously as a 3′0 dwarf.

5. what parts of others do they envy?

She does wish she was a little older like her family because they allowed to do whatever they want without supervision, and although she loves Xochitl more than life itself, she wishes she could go her own path without worrying about giving Xo a heart attack every time she falls from a tree.

H: Heat

1. do they rather a hot or cold room?

Cold. She likes being a blanket burrito and cuddling next to either her mom or a bear.

2. do they prefer summer or winter?

Summer. It’s when more people are out shopping and usually it’s the season where she gets more offers at her job. And since it’s festival season, Xo usually has to pay more attention to their customers than her.

3. do they like the snow?

She didn’t get to experience it a lot since a lot of her childhood was spent down south, but the few times she did experienced it, she loved it. There was once a particularly bad snowstorm in her current town and she and Xo made snowpeople and had a snowball fight. Of course Xo let her win the snowball fight even though against anyone else they are ruthless.

4. do they have a favorite summer activity?

Running in the forest for hours barefoot or climbing trees. She likes feeling tall.

5. do they have a favorite winter activity?

Drinking spiced hot chocolate.

I: In-the-closet

1. what is their sexuality?

Bisexual

2. have they ever questioned their sexuality?

No, she never really thought about it and just thought she’d get a crush when she was ready.

3. have they ever questioned their gender?

No, she’s always been comfortable in her gender.

4. would/was their family be okay with them being LGBT?

Absolutely. Their mom is a nonbinary pansexual dwarf, and honestly there is little she could do that Xo would be mad at her for.

5. how long would/did it take for them to come out?

She didn’t come out in the traditional sense. She asked Xo about who they liked and when they said they liked all kinds of people, Yaretzi nodded and said that she does to. Xo was very accepting of her daughter and her relationships, on the one stipulations that she doesn’t date a fucking bard. Because her experience with Arzan was enough to scar them for life.

J: Joy

1. what makes them happy?

Being in the woods, archery, and listening to her family’s stories.

2. who makes them happy?

Xochitl, Buttons, and her friends at her last job.

3. are there any songs that bring them joy?

If modern music existed, it would be ‘Whatever it Takes’ by Imagine Dragons, and ‘Renegades’ by X Ambassadors.

4. are they happy often?

Yeah, for the most part. She’s a bit saltier than she should be at that age, but she’s not flat out sad.

5. what brings them the most joy in the world?

Archery and being out in the wilderness.

K: Kill

1. have they ever thought about suicide?

Nope, if she did it would have been right after she was kidnapped, but she was too young to think about death.

2. have they ever thought about homicide?

Only in passing, but the thought always left her mind before she could really think about murder.

3. if they could kill anyone without punishment, would they? who?

The slavers who kidnapped her, (she technically did kill her owner without punishment), and anyone who ever upsets her mom.

4. who would miss them if they died?

It has been proven that Xo would be broken beyond repair, and Yaretzi knows that Xo’s friends would probably be sad too.

5. who would be happy they died, anyone?

Honestly, probably the family that she used to serve as a slave under.

L: Lemons

1. what is their favorite fruit?

Blueberries. Once she got sick by eating too many blueberries.

2. what is their least favorite fruit?

Kiwis. They make her mouth hurt.

3. are there any foods they hate?

Pretty much any and all vegetables, especially mushrooms.

4. do they have any food intolerances?

Tree nuts. Which in her line of work, sucks.

5. what is their favorite food?

Chile Con Queso, and pretty much anything spicy.

M: Maternal

1. would they want a daughter or a son?

She’s too young to think about having children, but she wouldn’t mind raising a kid when she’s much, much older, and wouldn’t mind either gender.

2. how many children do they want?

Depending if she had someone to help, max four.

3. would they be a good parent?

Yeah, she’d try her best to find the medium between strict and laidback, kinda like Xo has done (Xo honestly is a great parent, Yaya just can’t be contained).

4. what would they name a son? what would they name a daughter?

She’d definitely name her sons after the two men who helped her most in her life: Teodulo, her father, or Revan, the man that helped her escape slavery (and possibly Tarel). For daughters, she’d name after her mom, Valentina, her little sister, Pacifica, her current mom Xo, or even her Auntie Ellie.

5. would they adopt?

It’s how she was able to find Xo, so absolutely.

N: Never Have I Ever

1. what would they never do?

Actively betray her mom. There was nothing you could offer her that would make her go against Xo.

2. what have they never done that they want to do?

She wants to befriend a panther or another big cat. She’d probably die, but she’d die happy.

3. is there anything they absolutely can’t believe people do?

Keep slaves obviously, and also dislike animals. What’s to hate about animals? They’re perfection in tiny furry bodies.

4. what is the most embarrassing thing they’ve done?

When she was at her first job as a free person, she was riding a horse while standing and trying to shoot at a target, and the horse got spooked and bucked, her, making her dive head first into horse shit. She was seven years old.

5. have they done anything they thought they’d never do?

Kill people.

O: Optimism

1. are they optimistic or pessimistic?

She’s usually optimistic, even if it’s hidden under a snarky tone. Despite the trauma that Yaya’s faced, she finds the future hopeful.

2. are they openly optimistic, throwing it on others?

Nah, she keeps her optimism to herself unless someone asks for it. She’s all for people following their own philosophy.

3. are they good at giving advice?

She tries her best, but she’s 13 and all the people in her life are at least in their late 30s at best and at worst like mid 100s. But because she’s pragmatic, the advice tends to be sound.

4. is there anyone in their life that throws optimism on them?

Probably Auntie Breda. She agreed with Xo when they said that Breda was one of the most optimistic people that Xo had ever met. And she is glad for it, since the rest of Xo’s friends tend to be on the angstier side.

5. were they always optimistic?

Yeah, it’s been her personal philosophy since childhood with her birth parents that there is always something better in the future, so it’s important not to lose hope. While that has helped her look on the bright side of things, it kinda worked backwards because now Yaretzi is never content and that is the biggest reason why she tries to work for something more.

P: Personality

1. what is their best personality trait?

It actually probably would be her youthful attitude and optimism because god knows that Xo isn’t optimistic.

2. what is their worst personality trait?

Brutal honesty. If she doesn’t like you, she will let you know and you will know it in an instant.

3. what of their personality do others love?

Xo loves her endless energy and optimism, and of course her cheekiness and sass.

4. what of their personality do others envy?

Xo envies their daughter’s ability to be honest and love herself completely (though they wouldn’t have it any other way).

5. do they hate anything about their personality/about other’s personalities?

She dislikes people who hide their true feelings and put up a front just to get people to like them.

Q: Questions

1. do they ask for help?

Yeah, mainly from Xochitl or any of her other family. She usually only asks for help from someone she trusts.

2. do they ask questions in class?

Yes, just so she can do her tasks perfectly and not get in trouble. She was very dedicated to not making mistakes so no one would yell at her or punish her.

3. do they answer questions that make them a little uncomfortable?

She will just because she thinks she doesn’t have anything to hide, but she won’t want to answer it.

4. do they ask weird questions?

Yeah. When she was little and just met Arzan and Mae, she asked them if they know where their earholes go because they don’t have earlobes. She also asked Tarel why he doesn’t have hair on one half of his head (Xo answered that it was because Buttons’ mom at the other half)

5. are they curious?

Yeah, it’s about 90% of why she gets in trouble with Xo. Xo of course understands that kids should be able to run around and get dirty, but they’re still dealing with the trauma of losing Yaretzi twice when she was a little kid.

R: Rules

1. do they follow rules?

She tries to. When she was a slave she followed the rules as close as she could so she wouldn’t get punished, and now she wants to be as good as a child as she can for Xochitl, but she does lies in order to do her job.

2. would they be a strict or laid-back parent?

Given how Xo struggles to keep the line between letting their child live her life and keeping a close eye so she doesn’t go missing again, Yaretzi thinks she’d be a laid back parent but still be open in case her child wants to talk to her about stuff that’s bothering them.

3. have they ever been consequenced for breaking a rule?

Only once, when she snuck out of the house to try to go to a festival that was happening a town over. She knew that Xo wouldn’t let her go because it was winter and there was storm coming that would be brutal, but she had enough faith for herself to go. Of course, she got caught in the storm and Xo barged in like an angry mother to come save her and Yaya had seen that rage at those who tried to harm her, but had never seen it directed at her. Of course, Yaya got sick and wasn’t allowed to leave the house for three weeks.

4. have they broken any rules they now regret breaking?

She regrets breaking the above because she feels extremely guilty about using Xo’s trust in her against them.

5. do they find any rules they/others follow absolutely ridiculous?

She hated the work she had to do as a slave. As far as roles went, it was all menial work and the other slaves made sure she didn’t get anything that would pout her in danger, but she can’t just understand why slavery is a thing.

S: Streets

1. are they street-smart?

One of the many Xo’s taught her is that the world is full of both very bad and very good people, but you never know who is which when you meet them. So always be wary.

2. would they give money to someone on the streets?

Every time she goes out, she tries to. She keeps most if it so she and Xo can feed themselves, but at least 10% of her money she tries to give out.

3. have they ever gotten in a fight on the streets?

No, she’s always been a good runner and a smart girl that if she senses danger, she will run the other way.

4. has anything happened to them on the streets?

No, she’s always had people to look out for her, unless you count when she was kidnapped and sold into slavery.

5. are they cautious when out?

Absolutely. It’s one of the few rules Xo has for her along with ‘Always be back before sundown’, ‘Never go with anyone no matter what they say they have’, and ‘Always beat Tarel at anything involving accuracy just so I can tease him later’.

T: Truth

1. are they honest?

She’s usually brutally honest, unless she’s lying to save someone (or lying to Xo about what she really does all day). But for the most part she will say exactly what’s on her mind whether that’s good or bad.

2. can they tell if someone is lying?

Oh yeah. Girl was taught to be kind, but wary of everyone, so she has a +6 to insight. If she thinks you’re bullshitting her, she will find out.

3. is it obvious when they’re lying?

Not really. Probably to people who are naturally distrusting she would be found out quick, but in the case of lying to Xo, she knows that her mom cares so much about her that they’d believe just about anything she told them just because they believe she has never done anything wrong in her life, ever.

4. have they lied about anything they regret lying about?

She doesn’t necessarily regret lying to Xo about her job, but she does feel incredibly guilty about it because if her mom knew how her little Yaya was getting them bills, they’d probably have a heart attack.

5. have they told truths that have been spread against their will?

Not really. She’s been lucky that most stuff about her life has been kept secret. Xo wants the both of them to live in as much anonymity as possible, and so far that hasn’t been an issue.

U: Underdog

1. have they been bullied?

Definitely, especially in both the places where she was forced to work as a slave.

2. have they bullied anyone?

Nah, Yaya knows how detrimental bullying can be and vows not to do it to anyone. Except possibly Uncle Tarel because she’s just that niece.

3. have they been physically attacked by a bully?

When she was kidnapped by the slavers, she got tackled to the ground and nearly choked out.

4. have they ever been doubted?

When she worked for her first slave family and escaped, the people she left with just planned on having her work in organizational work but then saw how stellar she was at archery.

5. have they surprised people with being good at something?

She surprised almost everyone at being and archer prodigy. Also being good at murder?

V: Vomit

1. do they vomit often?

Nah, she’s got a stomach of steel. She’s worked with enough animals and their shit to keep any food down.

2. do they get lots of stomach aches?

Nope. The only type of sicknesses Yaretzi gets usually is sniffles and head colds.

3. are they good at comforting someone ill?

She’s decent at it. She tried comforting her sister when she had the plague that eventually killed Yaya’s entire family, but since then she’s usually been the youngest everywhere she went, so never really had the practice.

4. what do they like as far as comfort goes?

When she gets head colds, she really likes Xo making her soup or cider and just being tucked in and hugged.

5. do they burp, cough, or hiccup most when nauseous? when vomiting?

She usually does little burps when vomiting. She hates it.

W: Water

1. do they drink enough water?

Xo makes sure that she does, and when she was living with her past caretakers before she and Xo were reunited, they all took her under their wing and made sure she drank enough water.

2. have they learned to swim?

When she was with her previous job, when there was a free day, the people she worked with would teach her how to swim in the nearby stream.

3. do they like to swim?

She likes swimming in the ponds and lakes in the forest, but she really only does it to bathe because she doesn’t like swimming alone.

4. can they dive?

Nah, she’s got the fear of what if she gets stuck upside down.

5. can they swim without holding their nose?

She can, just not for long.

X: Xylophone

1. what is their favorite genre of music?

R&B and anything with a strong bass guitar.

2. do they have a favorite song?

“Rude Boy’ by Rihanna.

3. do they have a favorite band/artist/singer?

If modern music existed, Destiny’s Child or Rihanna.

4. can they sing well?

Her birth mom was a great singer and passed that talent along to Yaya. She doesn’t show it off that much, but it’s enough that one of the things Xo always praises her about (besides everything) is her singing.

5. can they rap?

Girl loves R&B, you bet your ass that the baby dwarphan can rap.

Y: You

1. how old were you when you created them?

18. She was made at the same time as Xochitl.

2. what inspired you to create them?

I wanted Xo to have a “Lee and Clementine” relationship, and thus the dwarfin was born.

3. were they different when they were first created?

I mean, in the sense that she developed as a person as she grew up, but how I intended her to be, not really. I wanted her to be more idealistic as a small child and be more realist and hardened as she grew up. She’s still definitely more idealistic than Xo is, but she’s a salted caramel.

4. do you enjoy writing them more than other characters?

I haven’t really done much with Yaya, but I do love her as a character. I really like playing with child characters because they’re not super mature but they can be major ass kickers.

5. what’s your favorite thing about them?

She just wants her mom to be happy and not have to worry about her. But by striving to fix that, she ends up making Xo worry about her more because of how dangerous Yaretzi’s job is.

Z: Zebra

1. what’s their favorite animal?

Deer. She likes watching them in the forest when she’s working.

2. do they like animals?

She loves animals. Her mom’s a druid and at a lot of her previous jobs she had to work with animals.

3. cats or dogs?

Doggos. She loves big animals and like Xo, feels at peace when surrounded by animals.

4. what’s their dream pet?

She’s not going to lie, she thinks it’d be rad to have a tiger as a pet. At her old just they had a couple tigers and she loved spending time with them and feeding them.

5. do they have any pets at the moment?

She has Buttons the direbear (no longer a cub anymore), but Xo insists on Yaretzi calling Buttons her sister.

[spicynbachili1]

Win a Blu-ray copy of The Unnameable

It must not be named!

If you think I’m going to stop running contests, then you must not know my name. Win a Blu-ray copy of The Unnamable.

Our friends over at MVD Entertainment Group started sending us movies. But then, they didn’t stop. The terror! I have been cursed to send you guys free movies every Tuesday until the end of eternity. This Atlas shall not shrug.

This week, we’ve got H.P. Lovecraft’s The Unnamable up for grabs!

A group of college students decides to use an abandoned mansion for their sexual exploits, as college students are wont to do.Unfortunately for them, an ancient evil inhabits the halls of the derelict house. This creature has a penchant for the ritualistic dismembered of her victims, which of course results in a bloody body count. It’s up to our two heroes to fight the evils lurking below the house and in the very depths of Hell in this classic Lovecraftian romp.

Plus, it’s a fun horror movie involving ancient evils and gross-out deaths. What’s not to love here?

To enter to win your copy, comment below giving a name to The Unnamable creature. I’m going with Shirley. She just kind of looks like a Shirley to me. Like you’d say, “Hey Shirley, what’s happening?” and she’d just rip your leg off and put it in the fridge for later. You know, as Shirleys are wont to do.

We have two Blu-ray copies available. Winners will be drawn on Monday, November 12. Since this is a physical prize, we can only ship to United States addresses. Make sure you comment using a Dtoid account that has your current email address on file. If you comment and I have to hunt you down just to give you a prize, I’m sending Shirley after you.

The Unnamable is available now from MVD Entertainment and wherever gory horror movies are sold. Head over to Flixist for more chances to win!

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