#untitled ghibli project

[bixels]

Concept art of the Sparrow, a light, 2-person scout/recon ship, for Untitled Fantasy Project.

My challenge was to design a "modern" flying machine that'd be made during pre-industrial, 14-15th century times, a la Nausicaa or Howl's. Lots of design notes from Ghibli.

[destiny-in-the-universe]

New Introduction [Searching for Moots]

Good timezone, my lovely dreamers!

It's been a long while since last I'd been active in tumblr, but I figured getting to meet new people would be worthwhile as I've made my comeback!

To start, I answer to many names but primarily- you can call me Clay or Danny. I hoard names like a possessive dragon (/lh), but that's also in part due to my kin-list and I carry their names around proudly. (And also the fact I'm a system)

I'm bodily an adult, 23 years old to be exact and counting! I use they/them pronouns, though neos are fair game at times (such as pup/pupself and ghost-themed pronouns).

Now, I am a multi-fandom blogger and enthusiast of neurodivergent content- especially as I connect to a lot of characters.

Fun Things About Me

✦ I'm bilingual, knowing both English and Spanish

✦ I'm a fanfic writer. Mostly specializing in AU's, angst themes, and recently- working on two crossover projects

✦ I have multiple disorders (auDHD, suspected BPD and DID, and diagnosed with MDD)

✦ Current Fixations are Teenage Superhero Cartoons

✦ I'm a roleplayer! (I can be a bit picky with who I roleplay with, and maybe further down the line- I can send out a request)

✦ Profound animal lover. I don't claim to be an expert-

✦ I kin hard.

Fandoms I Am a Part Of

[Key - ♡ (Active Fixations), ✩ (Dormant Fixations/Will Talk About Them if Asked), ➶ (Casual Interests)]

♡ Danny Phantom

♡ American Dragon: Jake Long

♡ Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja

♡ Kim Possible

♡ My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

✩ Gravity Falls

✩ Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus/Riordanverse

✩ Laika Films (Coraline, Paranorman)

✩ Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss

✩ Doctor Who

✩ Anime (Mob Psycho 100, My Hero Academia, The Promised Neverland, Hetalia, Death Note, Disastrous Life of Saiki Kusuo, Fruits Basket, Black Butler, Wolf Children, Studio Ghibli)

➶ Warrior Cats

➶ Supernatural

➶ Merlin

➶ Sherlock

➶ K-Dramas

➶ The Owl House

➶ She-Ra: Princesses of Power

[Ask if there might be others I've missed!]

Current Projects

Independent Fanfics

✦ tell me atlas, what is heavier (the world or its people's hearts?): Danny Phantom - [Canon Divergent Timeline] -Angst/Whump Trope. The Guys in White manage to capture and detain Danny Phantom, alongside kidnapping securing Tucker, and what follows- well, it's only a matter of time before the truth spills out. - Work in Progress (Unpublished)

✦ DannyMay 2024 - Danny Phantom. A series of one-shots surrounding the fandom Danny Phantom. - Work in Progress (tag: dannymay2024, personal tag: PENDING)

✦ Bad Things Happen Bingo - Fandom One-Shots. A series of angst-filled prompts based on the Bad Things Happen Bingo card. - Work in Progress (tag: PENDING)

Crossover Fanfics

✦ Unlocked Doors AU (Mystery Kids AU) - Danny Phantom, Coraline, Paranorman, and Gravity Falls. Two years have passed since the fated summer trip to Gravity Falls, Oregon, and well- now Dipper and Mabel are returning for the new summer. When a group of untimely teens also end up spending their summer in the seemingly quaint town, nothing will ever be the same. - Work in Progress (Unpublished)

✦ [UNTITLED] (Secret Trio AU) - Danny Phantom, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and American Dragon: Jake Long. A sudden, unexpected turn of events leads to three teenaged superheroes meeting. It goes about as well as you could expect. - Work in Progress (Unpublished)

✦ [UNTITLED] (Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons) - Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon. A new threat has presented itself across the world, and somehow- it leads to a group of young adults coming to cross paths. - Work in Progress (Unpublished)

[A rules/guidelines of my blog will be posted separately!]

[cookiecrumbles52]

Welcome to Palace

About the Artist . . .

Name: Madison Riley (aka CookieCrumbles52 or Fale “Fae”)

Current Age: 23

Fav Color: Blue

Fav Food: Pasta 🍝

Current Fav Animal: Siberian Sable

Years of Experience (Art/Writing): 12yrs

Status: "The Grandma Friend" & "Just an Anxious Little Bean"

Main Fandoms:

TMNT, Pokémon, DC Comics, Minecraft, FNaF's, Undertale, Wakfu, Voltron, The Arcana, Zelda BotW/TotK, The Octonauts, Poppy Playtime, Moomin

Current Fav Illustration(s): “ Cult of the Lost ” ( 9hrs 8m ) and “ Fale_Tsuyoshi has joined the game. ” (Over 12hrs, half of the project was lost) “ Assessing the Damage ” ( 8hrs 37min )

Tools of the Trade:

Pencil, Paper, Tablet — Procreate, my brains

Other Interests:

Writing, Video Games, Lore Theories, Cosplay

(Aka a massive nerd)

Want to see more of my works? Here are my socials (I don’t post art on my main account just reblogs)

ASKS ARE OPEN . . .

[ No DM's unless you're a Mutual, please. I've had way too many people follow me just to DM requests for art. I'm not doing any requests or trades (unless stated otherwise), my comms are closed, please don't DM just so I draw something for you. I'm an adult with a very busy life/work schedule, I'll only warn you once. If it keeps up I'll have to block you. ]

—

More interests if you care for my ramblings . . .

(This is the point of no return so if you actually want to get to know me then you gotta commit!!)

Favorite Visual Artists:

flowerygarrland, fdevitart, Lackadaisy, Froustious, Jerome-K-Moore, Don Bluth, Earthsong9405, Neytirix, Sadist Animations. Suzukiwee1357, Richard Chen (Insta), Burrotello, Van Gogh, Hayao Miyazaki, Cartoon Saloon

Favorite Movies:

(All) DragonHeart Movies, (All) TMNT Movies, First Knight, King Arthur, Narnia, (All) Jurassic Movies, Quest for Camelot, Stardust, Ophelia, Oliver & Company, FNaF's, Sahara, The Christmas Dragon, Justin and the Knights of Valour, Monster in Paris, Song of the Sea, (All) Studio Ghibli (Except Grave of the Fireflies . . .😭)

Favorite TV Shows:

TMNT, The Octonauts/Above and Beyond, Moomin, BBC Merlin/Sherlock, HeMan, SheRa, ThunderCats, Rainbow Brite, Voltron, The Gummi Bears, Jane and the Dragon

Anime:

Fairy Tail, BlackButler, Inuyasha, OHSHC, Free: Iwatobi Swim Club, Life of a Househusband, BNHA

Favourite Bands / Musical Artists:

The Oh Hellos, Kalandra, Rag'n'Bone Man, Jason Graves, Cody Fry, Cosmo Sheldrake, CG5, Dzivia, Sail North, Natewantsbattle, PEGGY, Billy Joel, Yaelokre, ABBA, Michael Jackson

Fav Genre of Music:

Singer Songwriter, Musicals, Whimsical Fae Vibes, Folk, Cultural Folk

Favorite Songs: (Changes may very)

"Mother to a Savior and King" - Journey to Bethlehem, "Still" by Hunter Hayes, "Top of the World" by Shawn Mendes, TWRP - "Starlight Brigade", "Harpy Hare" by Yaelokre, "Euclid" by Sleep Spoken, "What Makes Me Tick" by JT Music, “Ruined Lullaby” - CG5, "False Idol" by Ivycomb, Octonauts Theme Song & Creature Report

Fav Musicals:

Anastasia, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, School of Rock, Shrek, Alice in Wonderland, Newsies, Phantom of the Opera, The Prince of Egypt, In Strange Woods, EPIC, Jane Eyre, The Lion King

Favorite Books:

The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, Six of Crows, Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur, Beauty & the Beast, Sherlock Holmes, Rise of the Guardians (GoC), Outsiders, Number the Stars, The Hobbit, Narnia

Favorite Writers:

C.S.Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Favorite Games:

Jinx & Minx’s Tower, Minecraft, Undertale, FNaF's, Zelda: BotW/ToTK, Prop Hunt, Sims 4, Lay, Mario: Galaxy/Kart/Super Mario Bros, Untitled Goose Game, Animal Crossing, Cult of the Lamb, Harold Halibut

Favorite Gaming Platform:

Nintendo, Steam Powered

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk :)

[ Updated: Sept. 2024 ]

[axemetaphor]

i love being really bad at titling things because it results in all my projects being either titled after song lyrics (stolen words, basically) or just a very blunt description of what they are (like Untitled Villains Project). this is the animatic/storyboards i made in under a month (like 3 weeks?) and turned in and somehow despite it all being quite shaky and also the fact i am So not a sound designer they approved it! i dont know yet if this pitch was just meant to demonstrate my skills or if theyre gonna make me make this whole film as my master's thesis so uuuhhhmmm i will let you know !

i was thinking a lot on studio ghibli films, specifically something i read at some point about how miyazaki wanted to make things that emphasize the ordinary even in the extraordinary and also the timing philosophy of 'waiting' with a scene for longer than is necessary. making you confront the idea of maybe not everything has to be isntantaneous. also was thinking in regards to my own work that a great amount of my narrative telling is based on dialogue and i wanted to make myself make a film that tells a story without a single bit of dialogue. even though lip synching animation IS my favourite and i will sorely miss it if im made to finish this film out fully lmao

[nadir-writes]

I'm Skykid Nadir (nay-deer), but I also go by Siliv Lexington on Pinterest! I'm Autistic and LGBT+. My pronouns are she/they. I am currently studying anthropology/archaeology, but also enjoy creative writing! This is my side blog for creative writing. For Sky fandom content, see skykid-nadir. For my other fandoms see fangirl-nadir! Likes and follows will come from my main account, Skykid Nadir.

My Carrd: https://skykidnadir.carrd.co/

I might be open for some light roleplaying or character asks!

For a list of my works and OCs, see below the cut (WIP):

Original Novels

Godborn Trilogy: YA fantasy series about a group of teens caught up in a war between the Gods of their world.

Steampunk Novel: Follows the crew of an airship as they navigate a magical world with the aid of a precious relic.

Wolfkin: A princess, her Wolfkin guard, and their Healer friend rally an army to oust a rival kingdom from their land.

Wolfbane: A prequel to Wolfkin, establishes the kingdom's history and tells the story of the first Healer.

Untitled Fantasy Series: The plot of this one is pretty loose; there's a magical school portion and a portion following the nation's army.

Talent: A reluctant mage's apprentice accidentally unleashes a demon army and must atone for his mistakes.

Princess Tara: A rebellious princess discovers that her home isn't the paradise she thought.

Myna: A witch struggles with the murder of her family and must learn how to forgive.

My NaNoWriMo Project: After discovering that he is adopted, a young boy accompanies a talking cat to find his birth parents and figure out why they gave him up.

Marian of Sherwood: An LGBT+ Robin Hood retelling from the perspective of Maid Marian.

Three Kingdoms: When an ethereal enemy threatens the world, three rival kingdoms must unite to save humanity.

Elaxi: The story of an assassin questioning her cause.

Still in Development

King Arthur retelling: Set in the same world as Marian of Sherwood, this is a retelling of the King Arthur myths.

War: A genetically enhanced soldier learns how to be a human.

Mage: A man and his adoptive son must mend their damaged bond when a sorcerer threatens their home.

D&D Adventure: A crew of misfits meet in a bar.

Superhero: Fairly standard super hero fare.

Ghibli Aesthetic: Follows two brothers and their robot as they travel across a vast, magical world.

Forbidden: The son of a billionaire falls in love with a rock star.

Dracoventh Chronicles: A world where dragons are bonded with a Drakoventh and use them to communicate with mortals.

Industrial Fantasy: A farmer falls in love with a deaf boy who turns out to be a witch.

Fan Fiction

Sky COTL: Follows the misadventures of my three OCs; Apocrypha, Nadir, and Tahti.

Warrior Cats: Tells of the conflicts between Emberclan, Stormclan, and Ironclan.

RWBY: The adventures of the rag-tag Team EBNI(S)!

Journey: A jaded wayfarer is tasked with guarding her tribe's Elder on a pilgrimage across the desert.

Hollow Knight: My own take on the game's story.

Moomin: The same lovable characters but slightly older!

Skyrim: What if the Dragonborn was a child?

Short Stories/Novellas

King's Staff:

Warring Kingdoms:

Talent Short Stories:

Fire and Ice:

Nim:

Crown:

Traitor:

Cosmere Knockoff:

Selkie:

Selkie Sequel:

Chosen One:

Lost Prince:

Beacon Nine:

Home:

Return:

Dragon Princess:

I have OCs for

Sky: COTL

Journey

Warriors

Hollow Knight

RWBY

The Arcana

Star Wars

Stormlight Archives

Harry Potter

Misc

[butterflies-and-bumble-bees]

ok so for word docs we have

dystopian story

a story

AIU story - Masterdoc

Misc. Writings (the AIU Archive)

AIU BLURBS

Misc To Draw

The Kara Method

Tales of Saints of Old

Lost in the Foreset/The Little Black Dog

Slowed Timeline

Story Stuff

(circus)

Circus

cedarwood

for digital art:

Kat

Tali

St. Philomena

The Pevensies

MOTHMAN

Studio Ghibli Mrs. B

bluegreen

a mon goos marki

dracula

mama mary

misc

christmas geese

Abby

untitled (x)

And I don't really have a good list for other art projects cause I have them scattered from one end of my house to the other but a few off the top of my head

knit frog

flower postcards 1-5

Fairy Postcard

Treasure Island

Girl by the Pond

Orphies Animatic

the baby blanket for MrsA(+baby) knitting project

@cursedchildofchaos @lotrreactionmemes @daughter-of-mary

WIP ask game, artist edition! (writing welcome too)

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Already did writing, so here's art: I definitely didn't just barely go through and give these names lol

little Malon

LU lads color how

Stealth Time >:D

Plink's DTIYS

Me as Link

Thank you for the tag, @raycatz! Five people shouldn't be too hard, let's see... @thepinklink @ladye-zelda @nancyheart11 @whyoneartheven uhhhhh brain blanking okay close enough wsdxfghuikol

[sidhewrites]

Storyteller Saturday! 💖 If your characters had the opportunity to get any pet they wanted, what would they choose? Who already has a pet?

Hey hey! Thanks for sending something in. I’ll pick a few characters from different projects below

Coriander, from my main project (found here) techincally has pets – she and her mother have two chickens, but they’re more so treated as livestock than pets. She would probably want a big hunting/sheep dog (that of course is just a big softie) or a small lizard to sit on her shoulder and eat worms and things. Both, of course, would be strays she befriended and adopted over time.

Jasper, from the same story, wants a firebird, or a peacock, or a Bagwyrm – a massive caterpillar that builds a mobile cocoon on its back. Info here.

Bette, from A Crown of Hoarfrost, also has a not-quite pet, Skau their mousing cat. Cats in this world are regular household fixtures, in a sense, meant to ward off malevolent spirits and unwanted mice, as well as eating leftover scraps of fish. However, she wants another, even bigger and fluffier than Skau to use as a pillow.

Her husband Endymion meanwhile is the most extra to ever extra, and requires a living stag made of ice and nothing less.

Beck, from Mx. Fortune, also has a cat named Quincey (tfw you realize everyone has cats), but she’d love a boa or python that’s as big as she is. Something big and slithery and scaley with a perfectly boopable snoot, while her friend June wants a thematically appropriate “henchpet,” aka a semi-sentient who-knows-what that goes along with her supervillain theme of evil pastries. A talking cupcake would be, in her words, “sweet.”

Finally, Lise, from my latest and untitled project, really wants a kitten. A soft tiny cat that would sit on her lap while she crochets and can be carried about in her pocket. She also wouldn’t mind a rat, but kittens are her favorite.

[btsmosphere]

🌹 2021 TUMBLR YEAR END REVIEW GAME

tagged by @taegularities 💜💜

rules ; post the top 5 works you're most proud of that you released this year (not necessarily your most popular), your top 4 current WIPs that you're excited to release in the new year, your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year, your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year, and your number 1 favorite line you've written this year!

top 5 works i’m most proud of

the web: we all know my whole heart is made of mafia aus so this couldn’t not make it onto the list haha. I had a lot of fun with this series

breathe again: I feel like I did kinda acheive ghibli vibes with this fic. it’s just very wholesome and heartfelt, so it feels very personal

highway to you: when I say Rent Free!! this yoongi can have my entire soul, I have so many headcannons about this couple too. I would love to write more of them someday

across the tracks: probably my biggest project this year, it was so fun adapting the film into this while putting my own spin on it. very obsessed with this tae

not your time: this drabble was just quite healing to write. idk, it just has a ~vibe~ that I like a lot

top 4 current WIPs i’m excited to release this year

eek you act as if I have 4 stories!!! I have several bits and pieces but not sure how many of them I can confidently call ‘wips’.. my motivation has been waning so I’ve been trying to focus on a smaller number of things while others may never see the light of day. I’ll try to list four but no one is allowed to hold me to this ok:

supercharged: jk, enemies to lovers, supervillain au. VERY excited about this

between the pages: namjoon, childhood friends to lovers, period drama. think jane austen with the heroine running across the moors in a storm.. yeah

sunken heart: namjoon, atlantis au with demigod!joon and royalty!reader. there’s gonna be seamonsters

untitled: jin, spy au... kinda. no i wont elaborate

my top 3 biggest improvements in my writing over the past year

this is HARD. I did most of my writing earlier in the year and it’s fallen off a bit towards the end, so it’s kinda difficult to think of. but here goes:

using prompts: this year I tried drabble games for the first time, and also took part in some birthday events for the bts writers’ club, all of which involved prompts and now I feel very comfortable working with them, which is great! the zenith was probably using 12 prompts for one story, which was a challenge to say the least, but I did it!

starting/ending stories: looking back on my fics this year, I was pretty happy with all my opening and ending lines, which are things that have always intimidated me a bit in the past

varying descriptions: I think I’ve become familiar with words/phrases that I tend to overuse or fall back on, so I’m more able to avoid them and put more variety into my stories

my top 2 resolutions when it comes to my blog/writing

make sure to reply! I love whenever people interact to say they’ve enjoyed my writing, and I always try to reply, but I think sometimes I slip up and forget, so I want to be more diligent about that because I appreciate every kind word!

get back into writing regularly. first I was in slump central and now I’m swamped with uni work, but once my dissertation is done in around march, I can’t wait to have more time and energy for writing because I have lots of ideas I’m excited to share!

my favourite line i’ve written this year

my ending line from across the tracks: the tracks whizzed by below you, taking you to a city where they wouldn’t divide you.

tagging @eternalseokjin @aglassofpinkchampagne @crazy4myself @pars-ley @eatjeanjin @joheunsaram @joonscypher if you wanna do it! also, anyone else who fancies joining in!

[keerkeh]

Spare beta readers please?

Is writerblr around? Idk how to find it!! I'm looking for beta readers or an accountability partner for this project I've been working on since October last year. It's still untitled so I just call it 'the story' lmao. I definitely need help with the title too....anyway, here are some details:

It's an original btw

Two kids discover an alternate version of their city and claim it as their new kingdom. With no plans of returning home, they are declared missing and a trio from back home venture out to find them. The rescue party is split up on the way between the worlds and they are faced with a calamity that threatens to wipe out their old world from existence.

fantasy with a tiny hint of time and space travel

themes of pride, creating change, and rejection of the mundane

the main cast can be trivialized to: selfish forest warlock and her more comptenent but lazier best friend, walmart rory gilmore and his time travelling mother, an actual star that pretends to be a person, and The Only One Who Gets Any Real Work Done

Current word count: 38,000/80,000

Yes this is a 3 Act Novel and it's barely halfway through

Likewise, I am also offering to beta read! We can trade. We will get along well if you enjoy the works of Diana Wynne Jones, Neil Gaiman, and Madeline Miller. I'm not a very niche reader. I'm also influenced by Ghibli films and Bee and Puppycat in terms of the energy I try to go for.

I write and illustrate childrens' books that are unpublished but free to read online, so I do go into storywriting with YA or younger in mind.

I'm excited to connect with more people! I've been keeping quiet about this project for so long that I'm afraid I will burst. Please reblog 🥺

My DMs are open ♡

[kurokoros]

WIP tag game

Tagged by: @shinsotired and @dabi-hates-fish. Thanks lovelies <3

I’ll just do the handful that I actually have titled and/or started (to some degree). These are all either going to be very long one-shots, or 2+ parts.

paper moon [iwaizumi x reader, spirited away!au]

these desperate times (call for desperate measures) [kaminari x reader, modern!au aka the cam sex au]

I hope you feel blue (less than I do) [oikawa x reader, enemies/reluctant friends to lovers!au]

operation: heartbreaker (?) [iwaizumi x reader, idiots friends to lovers!au]

nekoma matchmaker au [kuroo x reader, idiots to lovers where the nekoma first years play matchmaker]

untitled bsd canonverse fic [dazai x reader, dark fic]

Crossfire [dabi x oc, shouto x oc, mafia!au]

Obviously, I have a lot more wips (I think I counted ~30 the other day). Some of those are for kinktober, some are part of the ghibli au series I’ll be doing, and some are just wish fulfillment that I may brainstorm for, but never post. Feel free to ask about any of my ongoing projects!

I’m tagging: @whats-her-quirk, @pleasantanathema, @jojosmilktea, @strawbirb, @thisisthehardestthing, @bratwritings, @cellotonin, @southsidewrites

[priyaele]

ten questions xx

tagged by @astralysis thank you so much!!

1. Who has the darker backstory, your protagonist or your antagonist?

Hmm, in The Girl of Crimson, both of them had dark backstories. Salem, my antagonist, had the darkest though it is not revealed in book one. They both cope very differently, to the point that if India, my protagonist, had continued coping as she had in the beginning of the book, she could have ended up in a far worse place. 

2. What creeps out your main character?

India: Salem.

Hero (untitled fantasy:) Terrorists.

Elody (The Summer of Dead Roses:) Monsters.

3. How long have you been working on your latest WIP?

The Girl of Crimson: about 3 years 

Untitled Fantasy: I drafted it last year but it’s been on a standstill for a while (even though I want to return to it so bad aaa)

The Summer all the Roses Died: been drafting since August

4. Which character is most like you and why?

Elody! I’ve been drafting the project with her through some rocky points in my life and I’ve subconsciously found myself channeling everything through her. Also, socially, she’s in a similar situation as me, being in high school and all, not that I’m doing any monster hunting or anything.

5. What genre is your latest WIP?

The Summer of Dead Roses is a young adult fiction novel with bits of fantasy.

6. What’s your main character’s idea of a perfect date?

India: doing anything without having to worry about getting attacked

Hero: a day in a big city 

Elody: going out to brunch or something probably

7. If your main character was an animal, what would it be and why?

India: probably a black cat or a peacock or something she gives off those sort of vibes.

Hero: a golden retriever puppy, just because. or maybe a dove.

Elody: a fawn. there’s lots of spotted deer in her hometown and i just feel like it’s fitting.

8. What books/films/songs have influenced your WIP, if any?

In no particular order:

1. The Harry Potter Series

2. Lady Bird dir. Greta Gerwig

3. A bunch of different Ghibli movies

4. Avatar the Last Airbender

9. What annoying writing habit do you have? (ie, too many commas, too many looong sentences etc).

flowery language and lots of internal monologue

10. Describe your WIP in one sentence.

the girl of crimson: group of teenagers finding family in each other, making dumb decisions, and plotting to end a war in a post-apocalyptic world

the summer of dead roses: party girl turns monster hunter during the most eventful summer her small town will ever have

untitled fantasy (which actually has a title i’m too lazy to announce right now): the nicest character i’ve ever written is tormented by a traumatic past as she attends a school for magic, unearths secrets from her family, and plots to take down a terrorist organization.

Tagging @gloriawriting @ava-burton-writing @ekinsellaauthor and @1kwordsand10littlecandies

[sidhewrites]

April Showers, Part Two

Part one.

Before them, all of Fellering spilled down the mountainside like a waterfall of life. Power lines swooped over the terraces. The road swerved slowly down the mountain, curving back on itself over and over again until it reached the foothills, then heading straight through the forest and far off into the distant port city. Every rooftop was topped with brightly-colored shingles, every garden teeming with life. Puddles collected on the sidewalks, and raindrops peppered the trees. There were stairs and ramps everywhere, even ladders going from one step-like level to the next.

Cass walked slowly, avoiding any puddles on slopes or particularly muddy areas, with Mops always at his side, loyally resisting the urge to sniff at flowers growing between the cracks in the pavement. 

Lise rested her chin on his shoulder, once again bemoaning the fact that she’d stowed her radio in the backpack instead of a pocket. “I’m going to break that habit sooner or later. I will.” 

“No, you won’t.”

“I will.”

“When?” His grin was audible.

Lise paused, frowning, and buried her face in his shoulder. “Eventually.”

Cass laughed, and they continued on down the mountain road for a few minutes in silence. Eventually, Lise spoke up again, asking about Cass’s dream. Cass would answer, then talk about the letter he got from his father, who’d docked most recently off the coast of Spain.  

“Oh, that sounds amazing. Did he send any pictures?”

“None that he took. But I have a few postcards. I’ll show you at lunch.”

Lise nodded, and grinned, imagining the amazing life Cass’s father must live. He was a nature photographer, going around the world in his boat and waiting for just the right moment to capture birds or fish or whales or goodness knows what else. Neither of them had any real eye for photography, and Lise wouldn’t last a minute on a boat, but it was a romantic life to imagine for themselves nonetheless. They spent the rest of the walk discussing the boats they’d have, what they’d photograph, and where they’d go.

“Antarctica,” Lise said, thinking about penguins and not how the cold weather made it nearly impossible for her to walk.

“New York City,” Cass said, thinking about the massive architecture, and not how crowded, loud places overloaded his senses.

Townsfolk waved hello as they passed, asking how they were doing, and about Great-Aunt Marya’s health. They all knew each other by name, as much a family as they were neighbors. Halfway down the road, Jerzy stopped them from his vegetable garden, waving the pair over with a trowel in one hand and a watering can in the other. His sunhat had flowers stuck in between the woven straw, as bright as the rest of him. 

“Take a look at this,” he said, gesturing behind him. Blue flowers sprouted all along the trellis leaning against his brightly painted house, almost glowing in the soft sunlight. “Biggest blooms I’ve had in years. I bet I’ll win something big this year.”

Cass shifted his weight, allowing Lise to step down and lean on Jerzy’s fence. She ooh’ed appreciatively. “Those are your petunias, right?”

“Morning glories, but close enough. The petunias are over there.” He gestured to a leafy bush sprouting purple blooms instead. “Here.” He stepped away to pull a few of the petunias and held them out over the fence. “For good luck today.”

Lise took them and handed two to Cass before fixing the last flower behind her ear. “What will we need luck for?”

Jerzy shrugged. “You can never have too much good luck, right?”

“Thank you, Jerzy,” Cass said, sticking the flower in his own hat, and one in Mops’ fur. “They’re beautiful.”

Jerzy thanked him right back, and waved them off as Cass lifted Lise back onto his back. They continued on down the road once more, this time talking about their gardens and what they’re planting for the summer, as if they hadn’t helped each other sow the seeds already.

“Squash,” Cass said without hesitating. “I want big squash to make into pies and things in autumn.”

“An apple tree. Just one. We cleared out the space just outside the front gate and planted the seed not too long ago.”

The further down they went, the more shops popped up. A book store, a bakery, and a general mechanic’s. The school sat beyond, at the very bottom of the hill with a wide field. A few children played outside already under their teacher’s supervision, though they wouldn’t be called in for a little while yet.

The road leveled out about two thirds of the way down the mountain, easy to traverse despite the puddles still sitting here and there. Cass let Lise down off his back, and they walked side-by-side, arms linked as they chatted. Lise occasionally stopped to tap her cane into puddles, sending up small splashes of water and scattering droplets as they went.

Finally, they reached the general store, already open, the striped awnings unfurled and soft music drifting out through the open door and mingling with the planters.

Hattie knelt before a chalkboard sign outside advertising the current deal -- lightbulbs, two for one -- and drawing little designs around the lettering. They looked just like Cass, broad-shouldered with freckles and bright red hair pulled back and out of the way, though they were a few years older and wore colorful makeup, the likes of which he would never touch. Their glasses hung on a beaded chain around their neck, reflecting the light beautifully onto their freckled face.

Cass leaned over their shoulder and asked loudly, “Hey, can I buy a car here?”

Hattie jumped. The chalk went flying, and they flinched back with a yelp, nearly headbutting Cass by accident. He recoiled, more out of fear than anything, while Hattie put a hand over their chest to steady their breathing. “Don’t do that!”

Cass nodded, mumbling an apology and burying one of his hands in Mops’ fur. “We just came to see you, is all.”

“Oh, well.” They blew a raspberry, and smiled. “That’s okay then, I guess. I like the flowers.”

“Thanks. How are you doing?” Lise asked. “How are the kittens?”

Their smile grew into a lovesick grin. “One of them tried to climb onto the bookshelf last night. They’re so adventurous, I could cry.”

“Oh, speaking of that…” Lise pulled the shirt from her backpack and handed it over. “Great Aunt Marya says to stop letting them climb on you.”

Hattie pulled a pout. “But…”

“I’m just passing along the message.”

“And we need blueberries,” Cass said. “Any chance you have some here?”

Hatte hummed, looking back to the shop as they thought. “Aren’t there a few bushes down by the creek?”

“No, that’s blackberries. They’re not in season for another few months.”

“Oh, huh.” Hattie frowned. “Let me check what we have. I think Ursula was going to bring some by this week.”

Lise and Cass followed them in, waiting by the door as they put on their glasses and went through the inventory list. Ultimately, Hattie shook their head. “Sorry, none yet. Ursula’s stopping by the group today, right? You should ask her then.”

Cass leaned over the counter to grin. “Is that all we should ask her about?”

Hattie met his gaze for a minute, not understanding until he winked. They flushed a bright red and turned away to hide their face. “Don’t make fun of me!”

“I will until you ask her on a date.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not? You like her. I think she likes you. Just write her a letter if you’re too shy to talk to her. Put a flower in it, and everything.”

Hattie shook their head. 

Lise wrapped her arm around Cass’s again, this time a silent sign to stop pushing the subject. 

He nodded in understanding, and held a hand. “Sorry. I just don’t know why it’s taking so long for you to ask her.”

Hattie shook their head again, and turned back around to squeeze Cass’s hand. “It’s hard to risk being told no from someone you like.”

“You must hate me then. I tell you no all the time, and you seem just fine.”

“You’re my brother. I’m legally obligated to hate you.” Hattie’s grin matched Cass’s perfectly, before they relaxed and put the inventory charts away. “Oh -- but if she does have blueberries, can you bring some home tonight? I want some, too.”

“Definitely. I’ll see you tonight?”

“You all ways see me at night.” They waved as the pair left, Mops trodding behind them. Hattie groaned, only then realizing that the dog was tracking mud, and that they’d have to clean the floors all over again.

[sidhewrites]

the ghibli-esque story I’m working on is 100% wish fulfillment at this point

a bunch of queer and/or disabled kids getting together and crafting, living in a flowery mountainside village where everyone is nice and it’s mostly self sustaining, the main character has an entire room devoted to indoor plants, mermaids are real

[sidhewrites]

Word Count Update: 4236

For my Untitled Ghibli-esque project. Titles are killing me, and so far the best I have is like, Rainstorms in April, or something like that. Anyway, I’ve been skipping around a bit, but hopefully I’ll have the second chapter up soon!