trying on a metaphor
todays bird
oozey mess
Claire Keane
occasionally subtle
Cosimo Galluzzi
wallacepolsom
will byers stan first human second
DEAR READER
KIROKAZE
Origami Around
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
ellievsbear
JBB: An Artblog!
d e v o n
@theartofmadeline
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shark vs the universe
styofa doing anything
Kiana Khansmith
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from Türkiye
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@darklingsdreaming
a burning match with no smoke. a classmate with the same face as you, wearing your old clothes, wearing your mother’s maiden name.
you sit alone in your house because no one else can find it, you stare into the mirror for hours because there’s someone else behind it.
you know what i miss??? sand animals
would you accept these soft, funky little dudes into your heart?
@dancefiredance
big fan of violence, rot and corruption :)
Good morning/evening/afternoon to all urban fantasy-esque creatures, humans, and mummies! How are you al this fine..day? Evening?
I made a cave with my mattress and its so good. So I'd say its going well.
one time i was sucked into the mirror but yeah
˜”*°•.˜”*°• someone is trying to tell you something !! •°*”˜.•°*”˜
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
darklingsdreaming:
Just nods, voice almost doubled as if two sets of vocal chords run down his mangled throat and can’t decide whether to be male or female. “Undressed. Don’t want to ruin the clothes. They were a gift.” He lets Ozzie direct him, shuffling along, unaware of where to go. When they get to the tub he fumbles with his dress, pulling it off with awkward and shaky hands which move as though he isn’t used to the size of them.
The nudity bothers him, makes him feel exposed and nervous, like at any moment something might happen. Instead of addressing that fear he sinks into the tub, a noticeable ring of blood pushing out with the movement. “Sorry, I can clean it after.” He’s quiet as he sits in the tub for a bit. “You know I don’t know why I look like this, I think it’s always been like this.”
“Shhh, it’s alright; I’ve cleaned my fair share of blood, that’s easy to wash away.” With that rather...shady attempt at soothing him, Ozymandias kneels on the floor next to the bathtub, looking over Just until the blood obscures the water too much. Then, all too casually, they grab a sponge...and pause when they go to pick a body wash. “Vanilla, chocolate, or jasmin? I think I have tangerine somewhere back there too...”
The shadiness of the comment passes by Just without much notice from the changeling. Too much else on his mind. Feeling eyes on him he curls up a bit, ashamed that this form was so on display. “Uhm... Vanilla. Its sweet.” He turns a bit away from Ozzie and picks at the goop on his leg, pushing it. As if it responded to the touch the goop moved away revealing the raw and exposed muscle underneath. With a hiss he pushed the goo back over it, sealing the pseudo wound.
“Why is it like this? Do you know? So many changelings are so pretty. So pretty... But I look like this.” He fiddles with his hands in the water. “Ozzy, do you know much about changelings? I am one but- Well, its complicated.”
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
darklingsdreaming:
The momentary silence from Ozzie makes Just pause, his lips quirking up slightly with a nervous smile that reveals sharp little fangs. He shakes his head, his four long ears bobbing with the movement.
“Oh no. Not the human form. See, I always look like this,” he motions to himself with clawed hands. “The human face is just what you see. My true form is the one that bleeds. Its a bit less… Pretty.”
In front of Ozzie’s eyes Just’s body begins to melt, his face twisting like thick oil, clearly causing Just considerable pain. His body stretched and soon Just was taller than Ozzie, clearing 6ft easily. Even when the shifting has stopped the ooze that covers Just’s body moves lazily over it, mysteriously not sticking to the fabric of his now much shorter dress. The smell of old blood is now thick in the air.
Goo pulls away to expose long teeth and with a lot of effort Just is able to speak again. “I think the goo might be… I don’t know. It bleeds.”
This time the transformation is more unnerving, and as the flesh and bone elongate and shift out of place and into a new one, Ozymandias has to hold themself back from reaching out to Just and stopping him to spare him the pain. But before they can do anything, it ends, and what stands before them is...certainly something. Right. If their memory serves them right, Just is...a mirrorskin. And one with a rather nasty transformation, from the looks of it. Sure, enough, that part of the shop soon fills up with the stench of meat, cooked flesh, and crusted, old blood, just like some ancient sword that hasn’t been cleaned well.
“It’s alright, buddy, you’re alright. I’ve got you. How about we go to the bath, yeah? You can keep your clothes on, take them off; whatever feels better, alright?”
Just nods, voice almost doubled as if two sets of vocal chords run down his mangled throat and can’t decide whether to be male or female. “Undressed. Don’t want to ruin the clothes. They were a gift.” He lets Ozzie direct him, shuffling along, unaware of where to go. When they get to the tub he fumbles with his dress, pulling it off with awkward and shaky hands which move as though he isn’t used to the size of them.
The nudity bothers him, makes him feel exposed and nervous, like at any moment something might happen. Instead of addressing that fear he sinks into the tub, a noticeable ring of blood pushing out with the movement. “Sorry, I can clean it after.” He’s quiet as he sits in the tub for a bit. “You know I don’t know why I look like this, I think it’s always been like this.”
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
Oh no! I mean that I bleed like that if you put me in water. But only when I'm in my blank form. Its a nifty little trick that doesn't hurt but doesn't feel very good either unfortunately.
Just, dear, that is somewhat concerning and this is me asking if you want me to take a look and see if I can figure out why it happens
Is it? If you'd like to take a look that'd be okay but... Ah well you will have to be gentle and I'll apologize in advance. I hate people seeing me so unwound and ugly.
Yeah it's for the best someone look I think.
Let me be the judge of that, alright buddy? No self-derrigatory talk in my shop. I’ll set up the bathtub for you, think I have a medical kit somewhere around here... Dorr should be opening in three, two, ooone....alright, somewhere within that block, red wooden door, slightly charred. See you seen, Just.
Okay, sorry. Just promise to be nice.
[Just changes into something more suitable for going outside and makes his way to where he expects to find the door. He more scampers than walks. He hesitates as he opens the door, shuffling inside and closing it behind him.]
Ozzie? Hello? Sorry if I'm awkward. I've never shown anyone this form willingly. I can- well whenever you're ready I guess. You don't want me undressed do you?
“Hey, hey, calm down, buddy.”, the sorcerer hurries to reassure him even as he’s just crossed the door, “There’s no one here to judge you. I’m definitely not gonna judge you, and we’ll stick to whatever you’re comfortable with. I just want to see where you usually...well, bleed from, alright?”
Oh well that's the issue. Its everywhere. Ah you'll have to see but just let me show you the before at first. I'm not always so goopy.
[There's an odd pull in the air as magic seems to dispel from around Just. As the mist around Just settles he stands there same as before but now more hunched due to the way his digitigrade legs bent. All in all he is his full blue animalistic self. He stares unblinking with his large yellow eyes.]
See usually I look like this because I like it better. The spikes up here are a bit new because I saw someone with them and really liked them. See this form doesn't bleed. The other one does.
The cnage is...sudden, somewhat unexpected, but by no means unnerving. If anything, Ozymandias looks momentarily awe-struck, their breath caught... Then that moment passes, and their expresison turns thoughtful. “So...you only bleed when you’re in your...’human’ form? Has that always happened, or is it recent?”
The momentary silence from Ozzie makes Just pause, his lips quirking up slightly with a nervous smile that reveals sharp little fangs. He shakes his head, his four long ears bobbing with the movement.
"Oh no. Not the human form. See, I always look like this," he motions to himself with clawed hands. "The human face is just what you see. My true form is the one that bleeds. Its a bit less... Pretty."
In front of Ozzie's eyes Just's body begins to melt, his face twisting like thick oil, clearly causing Just considerable pain. His body stretched and soon Just was taller than Ozzie, clearing 6ft easily. Even when the shifting has stopped the ooze that covers Just's body moves lazily over it, mysteriously not sticking to the fabric of his now much shorter dress. The smell of old blood is now thick in the air.
Goo pulls away to expose long teeth and with a lot of effort Just is able to speak again. "I think the goo might be... I don't know. It bleeds."
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
Oh no! I mean that I bleed like that if you put me in water. But only when I'm in my blank form. Its a nifty little trick that doesn't hurt but doesn't feel very good either unfortunately.
Just, dear, that is somewhat concerning and this is me asking if you want me to take a look and see if I can figure out why it happens
Is it? If you'd like to take a look that'd be okay but... Ah well you will have to be gentle and I'll apologize in advance. I hate people seeing me so unwound and ugly.
Yeah it's for the best someone look I think.
Let me be the judge of that, alright buddy? No self-derrigatory talk in my shop. I’ll set up the bathtub for you, think I have a medical kit somewhere around here... Dorr should be opening in three, two, ooone....alright, somewhere within that block, red wooden door, slightly charred. See you seen, Just.
Okay, sorry. Just promise to be nice.
[Just changes into something more suitable for going outside and makes his way to where he expects to find the door. He more scampers than walks. He hesitates as he opens the door, shuffling inside and closing it behind him.]
Ozzie? Hello? Sorry if I'm awkward. I've never shown anyone this form willingly. I can- well whenever you're ready I guess. You don't want me undressed do you?
“Hey, hey, calm down, buddy.”, the sorcerer hurries to reassure him even as he’s just crossed the door, “There’s no one here to judge you. I’m definitely not gonna judge you, and we’ll stick to whatever you’re comfortable with. I just want to see where you usually...well, bleed from, alright?”
Oh well that's the issue. Its everywhere. Ah you'll have to see but just let me show you the before at first. I'm not always so goopy.
[There's an odd pull in the air as magic seems to dispel from around Just. As the mist around Just settles he stands there same as before but now more hunched due to the way his digitigrade legs bent. All in all he is his full blue animalistic self. He stares unblinking with his large yellow eyes.]
See usually I look like this because I like it better. The spikes up here are a bit new because I saw someone with them and really liked them. See this form doesn't bleed. The other one does.
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
Oh no! I mean that I bleed like that if you put me in water. But only when I'm in my blank form. Its a nifty little trick that doesn't hurt but doesn't feel very good either unfortunately.
Just, dear, that is somewhat concerning and this is me asking if you want me to take a look and see if I can figure out why it happens
Is it? If you'd like to take a look that'd be okay but... Ah well you will have to be gentle and I'll apologize in advance. I hate people seeing me so unwound and ugly.
Yeah it's for the best someone look I think.
Let me be the judge of that, alright buddy? No self-derrigatory talk in my shop. I’ll set up the bathtub for you, think I have a medical kit somewhere around here... Dorr should be opening in three, two, ooone....alright, somewhere within that block, red wooden door, slightly charred. See you seen, Just.
Okay, sorry. Just promise to be nice.
[Just changes into something more suitable for going outside and makes his way to where he expects to find the door. He more scampers than walks. He hesitates as he opens the door, shuffling inside and closing it behind him.]
Ozzie? Hello? Sorry if I'm awkward. I've never shown anyone this form willingly. I can- well whenever you're ready I guess. You don't want me undressed do you?
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
Oh no! I mean that I bleed like that if you put me in water. But only when I'm in my blank form. Its a nifty little trick that doesn't hurt but doesn't feel very good either unfortunately.
Just, dear, that is somewhat concerning and this is me asking if you want me to take a look and see if I can figure out why it happens
Is it? If you'd like to take a look that'd be okay but... Ah well you will have to be gentle and I'll apologize in advance. I hate people seeing me so unwound and ugly.
Yeah it's for the best someone look I think.
About your sword psa, the one with them bleeding in the water. The same thing happens with me actually! Though I wonder if that is less normal. - Just
Well well well, if it isn’t my favourite changeling! :D
So, Just, buddy, what’s wrong with your swords, specifically? ...Actually, do you want to come over? I can take a look at them, free of charge
Oh no! I mean that I bleed like that if you put me in water. But only when I'm in my blank form. Its a nifty little trick that doesn't hurt but doesn't feel very good either unfortunately.
The Mirror-Faced Grim Reaper in Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), dir. Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid
“This film is endowed with an acute sense of restlessness and alienation; reflecting this uncanny estrangement in the doubling, tripling and quadrupling of its central character, and in its cyclic narrative, a structure that seems condemned to repetition. Why is the hooded Death figure constructed as a kind of mirror? Are we dealing with Nietzsche’s notion of ‘eternal return’? (…) You could go on forever about the meaning buried in this particular work. It invites and eludes analysis.” – CINEMA AND DREAM-LOGIC IN MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON
darklingsdreaming:
The gentle ease that Ozzy spoke with makes Just pause. He watches the sorcerer with big eyes that search over his face for a sense of insincerity but when he doesn’t find it he curls into himself. Guilty for how paranoid he is, it was starting to feel more and more unfair towards Ozzie. “I don’t know what an arch mage is but they sound insufferable.” He smiled again experimentally. He is woefully unaware of what a mage or sorcerer goes through but he tries to bridge that gap anyway.
With a little nod Just smiles. A distraction was more than welcome. Standing up he regretfully looks at the tea, the dark swirling giving him an odd sense of discomfort for reasons he just didn’t remember. “I can do that. Oh, also do you mind if I take off my shoes? Shoes don’t really agree with my feet.” He chuckled slightly but really did want them off. He much prefers his paws free, it makes him feel more comfortable and stable.
“Well, most archmages you’ll meet are self-proclaimed archmages, so that should give you a pretty good idea just how respectable they are.” Ozymandias says with a shrug and stands. They turn around to fumble with a small array of bookshelf stacked upon one another. “Mhm? Oh, yeah! Do your thing, buddy; make yourself at home.”, they idly say and search for another couple of moments until they find what they’re looking for. It’s a large hardcover notebook -the sort you’d find at an office supply store for keeping records- labelled ‘ledger’ with twirly ink black letters on the front. With a thump, they place it on their desk and crack it open, flipping through pages upon pages of scribbled records.
“Aaaalrigth, let’s see; first we have the lillies…”
And like that, the next hour or so passes in the familiar comfort of taking inventory until soon the two are back at the little table, with a fresh pot of tea.
Wasting little time Just kicks off his shoes, doing a few little hops afterwards, happy to have them off. Paws and shoes really do not agree. He pushes them under the table to keep them out of the way.
Just seems to relax as he is given the task. He is almost too eager to please, moving quickly to find and count up each thing he is directed towards. A sense of ease comes over him, relieved to feel in some way useful. As long as Ozzie approves of his job Just is relaxed.
Back at the table Just holds the new mug of tea as gently as before. “So where do you find all of these things?” He is curled up in the chair, knees to his chest and tail wrapped around him. Finally, he takes a sip of the tea. A quiet mark of progress.
