sunflower words

written things from a sunflower king (icon by solrex)

[helianthology]

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4

The tag cupped in his wrong hand says a thing. He thinks it may-be an elf thing; all-same, it is not a thing he grips. He thumbs at it a small bit longer, then lets it go. He looks more at the some-dead elf the tag comes with.

He thinks he is empty. He thinks One is empty.

This is empty.

This some-dead elf looks like the others in the ruins. Looks like One's Hope. This one doesn't bite at him. This one looks at him with no words, no hunger, not a thing.

He thinks back far, to the time when he was broken and gone and this empty, where no one could sing him. Thinks of Smiles, who held his wrist, and gave him: Hold on to me.

He gives the thought to the some-dead elf. Talks for a small time, other thoughts. All the things he can think up. He has a small thought, the most-small thought: if he can fill up the empty even a small bit, may-be this one will not be like One's Hope.

When he runs out of thoughts to say, he sings the things that his uncle does for him when he feels the most empty.

He opens his mouth and empties his head, and for a time, he doesn't think. Not of bloody dreams or broken bones. Not of rot-painted skin or his gone-arm or even his wrong arm. Not of the scars closed up wrong like bad seams, the ones he rubs under his fingers.

He sounds like a summer drought: loud as the seventeen-year bugs and burned down to bone and hot ash.

A hand, clawed and all bones like his, bumps his knuckles. Tries again.

Hold on to me. 

Sunflower and the white goat find him later. The sky is stars again, and the air tastes like crystals, full of bite and magic. They look to each the other, then to him. To the some-dead elf that sits next to him at the roots of his tree, eyes closed and head down and rocking this-and-that like Yaru does on his most bad nights, when he feels the most empty.

He tells Sunflower: I sung him. He means: he is not all-gone. He means: he can come back.

Like me.

He gives One the rock he finds with the some-dead elf. She takes it and holds it like it might break, like she might break. It is just a rock, but he thinks a thought: it smells like Hope, and tastes like the sky to-night.

He gives her his ask when she looks at the tag: what it means?

She reads him a name he doesn't grip, and a number he does.

Sixteen.

He smiles some, ugly red face breaking to show gapped and crooked teeth.

Her eyes are not so much empty now, and Sixteen’s clawed hand, all bones like his, holds his wrong-hand by the wrist.

[helianthology]

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4

When someone wants to find a thing, a thing no one else can find, Sunflower sends them to Yaru. Yaru has some things he is so good at, but finding a thing that can't be found is one of the small things he is best good at.

One wants them to look for another star elf, and Sunflower's others find papers from the star elf but that's not the same thing. They bring them to her, a page and a page and a page and a page. He stops counting after six.

When they find a body, and bring it back to One, she looks at it and looks, and looks more. Her words say this is the star elf she asked for. Her empty eyes as she names him and the wet on her face as she sits with the body say this isn't the star elf she asked for.

When they go again, and One stays, he stays for a small bit, also. He watches. The Circle go to find other things for her, coming back in somes and many--and some of the time only ones. They all come back with her asks in hand. None of them bring back any a thing that eats the empty out of her eyes, though.

He asks her, on one of the days he is also not out there, looking and seeing and hunting. Asks: why are you empty like me?

And she looks at him, her face wet again. She names the dead star elf Hope. Says, it's all gone, Hope.

He looks at himself, at his red skin and his wrong hand, and thinks of the heart-scar beneath his dress. Touches the knuckles of his metal hand to the spot.

Why? He has asks some more. He's seen the dead come back. He's come back. He says to her: I came back. Hope can come back?

He thinks she doesn't grip--then he thinks may-be it's him that doesn't grip. She laughs the kind of laugh that is sharp and brittle and matches her empty eyes.

She has says for him: she hears Sunflower talk of him, that he is a finder of the things others can't.

One gives him an ask at last--an ask only for him. She has more says for him: find Hope, then, Red Bird, if you think you can. Bring Hope back for me.

He leaves. He hears behind him only the hard noises of her brittle laugh gone soft and done and not so much a laugh now.

Like him, not all of the dead stay dead. Like Look Out, not all of the all-dead stay dead, also. But some of the time the dead stay dead for-true--like his gone friend in the fight with the iron orcs.

Like One's Hope.

This hurts and he doesn't like it. He wants to give her the thing. She is like him.

He can't give her Hope back.

He goes to the ruins, near to the far side no one will go yet. There are big things there; big things with two faces on one body, big things big as the Mountain-Who-Walks.

He has a sit under a tree--his tree, he thinks of it now--for this last thought.

He is not afraid of them. Only--

Thinking of Mountain-Who-Walks makes his heart-scar hurt. He remembers so much, remembers the red and the dead and his heart being eaten.

He sings himself until he thinks he can breathe again. Then he goes to the far side, where no one will go yet.

[helianthology]

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4

Sunflower and the others find a star elf past the ruins and the forest. They take her to the Circle’s most-new post.

She looks like him--only she's tall like the moon elves, with stars for eyes like them, and skin deep and dark like them, like the cave he found, the cave Sunflower agreed was a good hide, the best hide, while here.

She's skinny as him, no tits but all sharp and angles and lines.

Sunflower calls her a lady, talks to her while the white goat dresses her gut hurts with plasters and right-fire. The white goat all-ways uses right-fire that shines blue like a star's heart. Her eyes shine when the right-fire does, and she looks from the sides of her eyes at the white goat like she might eat him here and now.

He grips that look. Magic burns and hurts, and right-fire more-all than the rest--and still he all-ways wants it. Needs it. Eats it. Small bit by small bit, Sunflower learns him to use it, also.

She doesn't. Doesn't use it; doesn't eat the right-fire, or the white goat. She talks the whole time at Sunflower, teeth closed but with her shoulders back and her chin out, so much like Old Bear's. Like forest. Like him.

Her words sound like the sky when it cried the stars away. Like the ruins, and the trees. Old and done and sad and tired.

He has red skin and she doesn't. He has green eyes like yellow poison, she doesn't. He has a black hand, and black feet. She doesn't. But she sounds like him. She is all sharp bones like him. She aches for the right-fire like him.

He grips it. This star elf is like him. She is a not-elf, and she dies with every breath, and she will all-ways die with every breath.

She gives up the thought to Sunflower easy without him needing to say it, but she doesn't name her ask as right-fire. She names her ask crystals and mana and ley lines.

He edges close, out of the more deep and dark and into the lights Sunflower and the rest set out to see by.

She sees him. Her head turns from Sunflower and her eyes like stars do not look through him. Her face makes a sick look, the kind that all-ways means hate--only her old voice sounds more done, more tired, and not at all hate-like.

She sees him. She says things that sound like elf words, but not Sunflower's kind. Not the moon kind. First Arcanist Thalyssra.

He thinks: they are star words.

Sunflower gives his face name. Says, Lord Commander Sunchoke, of the Parhelic Circle. Sunflower gives the white goat’s, also, a big name for a small goat. Exemplar Elandrel, my right hand.

He thinks then: the star words are her face name. She has a big name like Sunflower, long and old as her, and so much elf. It's hard for him to call all of it. It's hard for him with all names, but especially elf names.

She holds a big hand out, nails long and full of shine like the crystal ones in his metal hand. She has an ask. His face name. He saw Sunflower write it on his papers, Ja’rukel Swiftblade, son of Primal Janu.

He gives only: Red Bird. Yaru. She says it back, and the empty in him gets a bit more small.

He calls her One. One is small and easy and doesn't hurt his mouth to sing it, and it sounds a small bit like all of her name.

He does not give her his wrong hand, or the metal one. He gives her a sit though, a forest's sit like Old Bear gives, and lets her see him more.

He thinks a small thought, a small bit brave, with all the quiet and the secrets that need eating: she is not-elf, and she is ugly, but she is still pretty.

He wonders with the same quiet secrets: if may-be, she thinks him pretty, also.

[helianthology]

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4

He likes these ruins. He sees lots of old things while he walks. Gone things. Lost things. Walls so old and tired the magic that seeps from them tastes like a song he should grip but can't.

There's so many trees. Big and big and big, with tops of golden fire and roots gnarled like Old Bear's hands. Enough trees for his memory of Sunflower's map to call it forest and think itself not-wrong.

It is so wrong. It's not a proper forest. He grips it's an elf forest, with an elf name, which means may-be it should be his--but it's not a for-true forest. Not by Old Bear's thoughts.

He doesn't hate these trees for being an elf forest, like may-be he should, like Old Bear does.

They remind him of the trees by Sunflower's gold elf city. He used to hate those trees, just like Old Bear does still, also. Elves twisted those trees, gave new names to them, gave all the wrong shapes to them. To make them pretty. To make them good and right, by elf thoughts.

The forest of their home is all wrong, and never will be right. Like him.

It's too hard to hate a tree trying to be a tree. He doesn't grip how to give this thought to Old Bear. He all-ways eats it quiet-like, and says not a thing to Old Bear.

Today, he doesn't eat it, but he doesn't give it to Old Bear. Old Bear didn’t come with Sunflower's star-banner all the way out here. There are so many places past the star fort to go, and for them, that is not here. He sings the thought in this old ruin to one of these trees with its top of golden fire. His tuskless mouth calls the forest songs in a graceless hum that buzzes his tongue and teeth and lips.

He tells this tree, it is forest in its roots. Like he's forest in his bones--though his outsides lie and name him elf.

He has no elf thoughts. He is too much wrong for elves to shape, for them to give a name. To make pretty, good, and right.

It's too hard to hate a tree trying to be a tree. He hates himself a little less, thinking this thought. Hurts a little less, singing it to the tree.

He hurts only mostly anyway, when elves look at him from the side of their eyes, when they talk of him from the sides of their mouths, like he isn't here. Like he wants to be elf, but failed.

He sits quietly with the tree under its golden top of fire, for long enough that the sky cries away the stars over him, and then more long than that, so that the sun comes all-back. Sits until he's found because all those Sunflower marches with are too slow, and take that long to reach the ruins all themselves.

He keeps his wrong hand on the tree's big roots, and he thinks: this is a not-tree, this is a not-forest. And he's a not-elf.

He likes these ruins. The magic here is old and sad and tired. He feels like he can finally breathe, after the years of holding his breath.

[helianthology]

x helped me find a mog for my paladin dork that i actually dont hate even if it aint as perf as id like blizz srsly just fucking give me the blue firelands paladin tier like maladaar already jfc

the only drawback is i have the purple version of this gear, not the blue and chases guild isnt running that content anymore so im not likely to see it during the last few weeks of pre-leg day content

in the meantime ill just stare longingly at this and sigh

[helianthology]

finally got my mog squared away for sorry

pls admire the nice bone/spine corset and the horns that are a good visual stand in for sorrys crystal horns poking thru

and also

i rly love how it looks like he has a scarf and wrap around his head to top everything off

other bonuses include the starburst motif (+ red gem insets) which both fit perfectly for the fact that he works under sunchoke (argent themed, soon to be its own pseudo faction come leg day due to Events) and the fact that a lot of his background is tied into fleshcrafting and crystal shaping as much as being blood discipline

pls ignore that it doesnt QUITE perfectly match, colour-scheme wise; i had to sacrifice a bit for the look i wanted, but i think it still holds up p well

if blizz would just go ahead and give me a 2h red crystal mace (preferably a version matchy match to the typical 2h draenei-themed crystal mace), id be even happier

but i settled for a weirdo sword-axe as a stand in until then

[helianthology]

log for 5/12/16! more fun was had w my roommate (@pacified) and i ( (@helianthusrex)

this time featuring the generous and funny @12-amu!

unfortunately imma dum

and forgot to start logging until a little later

so the first two posts are missing (which was just Riley getting a message delivered via Cobble)

and im too tired so i didnt do much more than skim bf copying and pasting this SO IT MIGHT still have some dumb yell posts from alliance crashing thru town

shrugs into the sun

---

[12:24:33] Cobbled Together bobs their over large noggin to go with the silent flick of fingers back at her. They don't seem very intent on leaving, now that their assignment is complete--especially given that they lean up a little with the strained noise of wood stressed. [12:24:40] Cobbled Together | Someone's trying to peek at the letter. [12:25:32] Riley Atwood unrolls it and frowns down at it. "Eh. Boss isn't too happy. Nothing unusual." She holds it out for Cobbled, even if they might not be able to read the whole thing. [12:27:56] Cobbled Together tilts their head, neck rustling under the layers of leaf matter and moss. The sound is a bit too much like something coiling and rasping over itself. They don't take the letter. [Not happy?] they ask, eventually. [12:28:46] Riley Atwood bobs her fist, flapping the letter in the process. Then, even though the letter is a soggy mess, she jams it into a pocket and motions for Cobbled to follow. [12:29:20] Cobbled Together rights their head, though with some effort. It takes grasping at it and pushing it back into a more upright pose. They don't pester further, only follow. [12:29:39] [Riley Atwood] says: Nice bird. [12:30:02] Maern Sunreed looks like she was in a daze and seems a bit surprised. "Oh, why thank you. She's rather pretty, isn't she?" [12:30:08] Cobbled Together flutters kindling-stick fingers in imitation of flying wings. [12:30:19] Maern Sunreed claps excitedly for you. [12:30:54] Riley Atwood tilts her head. "You alright? Lookin' a lil green around the gills..." [12:31:30] Cobbled Together pauses, the light in either socket snuffed out briefly. Then, as it flickers back on, they raise both hands higher, to either side of their head, and tilt them back and forth, still in silence. [12:31:31] [Maern Sunreed] says: Quite fine, if you meant me. I was just thinking about some things that I've seen. [12:32:04] [Maern Sunreed] says: I believe I may have passed you on the bridge, actually. I thought I saw something. [12:32:25] [Riley Atwood] says: Okay, good. ....uh. Maybe. I was lookin' for something. [12:32:53] Riley Atwood laughs low, scratching at the side of her neck. She eyes Cobbled, and her laughter becomes more at ease. [12:33:09] [Maern Sunreed] says: What a coincidence, so was I- though probably not the same thing. I don't recall hearing that you were a botanist. [12:33:31] [Riley Atwood] says: I'm notanist. [12:33:50] Maern Sunreed looks between the two. What a fine conjuration the Pumpkin headed one has made. "Is that supposed to be a pun?" [12:35:20] Riley Atwood shrugs, and points at Cobbled. "If you're into plants, my gourd friend here knows a thing or two." [12:36:06] Cobbled Together turns their head slowly when they're pointed at. The slithery rasp of something precedes the snap of wood. [12:36:21] Maern Sunreed gets a little closer and peers over closer. "What is your story?" [12:37:12] Riley Atwood translates what Maern asks to sign for Cobbled's sake. [12:37:27] [Maern Sunreed] says: Oh do they only sign? [12:37:38] [Riley Atwood] says: Yeah, can't hear a word. [12:38:44] [Maern] whispers: ill try to keep your character's pronouns in mind too- i just got around to checking the mrp [12:38:50] Cobbled Together considers what's been translated while turning their head back to face the new face presented to them. They "squint," in that the light inside the pumpkin dims, narrowing to thin bands rather than a bright glow. [12:38:56] To [Maern]: no worries c: [12:39:02] [Maern] whispers: very cute character [12:39:11] To [Maern]: im a little slow in responding cause i was saying night to my partner! full attention now--and thanks! [12:40:13] Cobbled Together holds a hand out abruptly, arm held stiff and straight and angled up to the mounted undead. Their fist is closed and tilted slightly downward. [12:40:45] [Riley Atwood] says: Oh, I think they got somethin' for you, if you wanna take it. [12:41:08] Maern Sunreed looks down at her hands for a moment, squinting a little to see how much sign language she can recall and starts to form a compliment before the fist was put before her. awkwardly reaching out. "Oh for a moment I thought they were gesturing and. Well." [12:41:43] Maern Sunreed puts her free hand up to her mouth, fingers over her lips in a thank you gesture. [12:42:39] Riley Atwood squints her eyes shut, bouncing on her toes a little. "You know a little sign?" [12:43:59] Cobbled Together hesitates for the aborted gestures, light snuffing out again, then returning. They hold up their other hand, also fisted, and this arm as awkwardly stiff and straight as the first. They seem to be waiting on something. [12:44:22] [Maern Sunreed] says: Yep. It's been a while since I've used it, but I thought it would be useful to communicate with people who came close to Quel'thalas. [12:45:13] Riley Atwood makes a 'go on' gesture at Cobbled. [12:45:22] Maern Sunreed smirks at Cobbled. She moves her hands again to gesture out, "I'm sorry- Your friend said you were trying to give me something but is there something you wanted me to do?" [12:45:29] [Riley Atwood] says: Yeah, that makes sense. I picked it up for Cobbled here. [12:45:34] Maern Sunreed puts both her hands back out. [12:45:51] [Riley Atwood] says: And ah, sorry, they can be a little slow sometimes... Death gets the best of us all, right? Haha. [12:49:23] Cobbled Together rolls their wrists a little. They still haven't unclenched their hands at all. Slow, indeed, it seems. When hands are held out for them in turn, they open up their hands, a finger at a time in exaggerated slowness. There's nothing there--yet? [12:50:02] Cobbled Together | makes a show of scratching at their "head" and staring at a palm. Then they repeat their first gesture: arms out, fists forward. They even shuffle forward a pace or three. [12:51:00] Riley Atwood squints at Cobbled. She signs: [Are you playing?] [12:51:12] Maern Sunreed asks, "Do we have our fists? Collide? I've seen that gesture but I feel like it's only appropriate with one hand." [12:51:24] Maern Sunreed giggles at you. [12:52:20] Cobbled Together opens a fist again long enough to "titter" in silence; they press their fingers to the carved mouth passing for their lower face. Then, with hesitation, they finally answer: [Pick!] [12:52:35] [Maern Sunreed] says: Oh oh [12:52:43] Maern Sunreed points at their left hand! [12:52:50] Riley Atwood makes a false swipe at Cobbled's shoulder. You scamp! [12:53:55] Cobbled Together repeats their absent laughter with their newly freed hand, while opening up the chosen fist. There's no fancy smoke like Riley's witnessed before: just a glinting metal object nestled on an open palm that wasn't there at all before. [12:54:27] Maern Sunreed gasps at you. [12:55:42] Maern Sunreed reaches out, [Oh, what might this be? You're rather dextrous aren't you?] [12:58:03] Maern Sunreed waves at Canthar. [12:58:08] Cobbled Together watches with glowing--ha--intensity as the object is plucked out of their hand. Quite literally, too: though it turns out to be just a junky, rusty bit of zipper, to get it free of the miniscule vines attached to it, their new friend will have to tug [12:58:11] Cobbled Together -- a little. [12:58:47] Maern Sunreed does. She isn't very wise and pulls gently. [12:59:21] Riley Atwood watches with morbid fascination as bits of Cobbled's vines get stuck to the zipper. [Good job.] Then she twists around to see who Maern's waving at. "Someone you know?" [12:59:37] Cobbled Together | She gets, for her softness: absolutely nothing. Cobble leans back a little as if to encourage pulling harder. [01:00:18] Maern Sunreed tugs a bit more. "I saw him around a few times. I heard he also deals in plants and desired to speak with him before. Mrr come on, give." [01:01:20] Cobbled Together steps back half a pace--pop! Maern wins a zipper, and... oh. A hand, too. Dangling off the zipper with all the bones tumbling apart to spin slowly like a gross little windchime. [01:01:37] [Maern Sunreed] says: W-was that supposed to come off? [01:02:08] Riley Atwood whips around at the gross sounds, eyes wide. "Oh! ...Oh geez." [01:02:26] [Riley Atwood] says: Probably not. [01:02:33] Maern Sunreed gestures the message back to him with her free hand before taking it closer to inspect the planty bits with an ohhh. How fascinating, how it's kept together. They will need more. Inspection. [01:02:48] Cobbled Together very slowly tilts their head to stare at the wrist bones and bits of wood. Thick vines twine and writhe against each other, with nothing to grasp. [01:03:38] [Riley Atwood] says: We uh. We should probably put that back. I mean, if they want it back. [01:03:44] Riley Atwood leans towards Cobbled. [Do you need that hand?] [01:03:48] [Maern Sunreed] says: [How are you put together? Do you need your hand bits?] [01:03:48] Canthar wonders what the hell's going on over there, but won't dare go check it out... [01:04:16] Maern Sunreed lifts the hand-zipper-chime up so Canthar can see! Isn't it neat? [01:05:13] Cobbled Together is, if nothing else tonight, innovative? They use the thick twining tendrils in place of their missing hand, and answer finally: [Handy.] [01:05:23] Riley Atwood snorts laughter. [01:05:40] Maern Sunreed takes a moment before smiling widely and laughing. [01:05:41] Canthar looks over to the other side of the fountain, noting the possibly-drooling undead. [01:06:05] [Riley Atwood] says: Guess that means you've got a spare hand. [01:06:31] Cobbled Together gives two thumbs up. Or.. one thumb and a ... vine? [01:07:19] Maern Sunreed looks down at her own, ultrapristine hands and feels bad. [Maybe in the future, I can also give a gift back.] [01:08:19] Cobbled Together blinks. Several times. Magic word? Magic word. They light up, light practically pouring out of all the carved holes in the pumpkin. [Gifts!] [01:08:51] Canthar ... does a double take. Can't help it, it's compulsive. [01:09:09] Cobbled Together totally looks like someone turned on all the flashlights right now. Set to high beams. [01:09:23] [Maern Sunreed] says: [Eventually, I said! It'll be a bit before I can give it though. Maybe I have something to hold you for a bit.] [01:09:36] Riley Atwood perks up. "Oh right!" She busies herself with rifling through her many pockets and pouches. [01:09:36] Canthar rolled a 43, it was pretty average considering 75% of the town goes without some article of clothing. [01:10:32] Cobbled Together stares. The torch effect fades. [01:10:50] Maern Sunreed pokes through her satchel. She extracts some things and puts it into cloth and hands it over! [Please, this will have to do for now.] [01:11:34] Canthar sighs... Might as well introduce himself to the fresh meat. Can you even call someone who's undead 'fresh' meat, though? [01:12:36] Cobbled Together reaches with the limb ending in bits of root and vine. They grasp the handy dandy notebook--er kerchief. And then draw it back; their new friend gets to witness the whole kit and kaboodle drawn up through fragments of arm bone and wood until it's tucked [01:12:38] Cobbled Together -- out of sight. [01:14:06] Riley Atwood finally finds what she's looking for. Pauses. Squints at Cobbled. "Gross." She laughs, holding out her offering. Using a rusty bit of wire, she's made a necklace out of the shiny bit of glass from the other day. [01:15:26] Maern Sunreed claps excitedly for Punchline. [01:15:44] [Riley Atwood] says: And for the lovely lady... Uh. [01:16:02] Cobbled Together has returned to being a lighthouse in a very dusty dead sea. They turn their spotlights on Riley. This new offering doesn't get slorped up, at least. They pick it up delicately with the same bits of root, though. [01:16:04] Riley Atwood pulls a book out of a pouch and offers it. It's kinda covered in swamp muck. [01:16:12] Maern Sunreed has to hold herself down at the sound of HERBS but is quickly re-distracted by "lovely." [01:16:21] [Maern Sunreed] says: ! [01:16:42] [Maern Sunreed] says: A tome of stories? Oh who told you I liked to read [01:17:06] [Riley Atwood] says: Lucky guess. Books're usually a safe gift for first times. [01:18:29] Cobbled Together wears a crown. We have awkwardly placed the wire necklace atop our too-fat head. Who says it doesn't fit. [01:18:41] [Maern Sunreed] says: Given their multiple uses, I agree. [01:18:59] Riley Atwood gives double thumbs up, first directed at Maern, then Cobbled. [Nice tiara.] [01:19:17] Maern Sunreed reaches out to make sure the necklace is caught on the stem. [Befitting. Very cute.] [01:19:41] [Maern Sunreed] says: Oh, hello Ammity. I didn't hear you up there. [01:19:53] [Maern Sunreed] says: Oh, there she goes. [01:20:07] Cobbled Together makes the creakiest bow in the whole wide world. Their new crown tries to slide right off and gets caught on the twisty bit of vine left on this pumpkin's top. Nice save! [01:20:09] Riley Atwood sidesteps to narrowly avoid getting barreled into. [01:21:33] Maern Sunreed hums for a moment. It would be wrong to not give something to the other new friend. [I just realized we haven't exchanged names.] [01:22:28] Maern Sunreed fishes a bottle out of her bag with a "Oh, there it is. Here, enjoy it," as it's handed to Punchline. [01:23:56] Riley Atwood ooh's as she accepts it. "Hey damn, that's sweet! Thanks!" Into the pouch it goes for later. It clinks against whatever other junk she has squirreled away. "I'm Riley, by the way." She gives her name in sign, too. [01:25:29] Maern Sunreed smiles, ["Maern, pleased to meet you. Very nice name."] [01:25:37] [Maern Sunreed] says: And a nice mask to boot. [01:25:58] Cobbled Together |Amid the protest of wood and root they straighten up out of their rather prolonged posing. [Cobbled Together.] [01:27:12] Riley Atwood taps her crystal finger tips against her mask. Clang clang. "Hah." [Probably not so different from your limbs.] [01:29:34] [Maern Sunreed] says: "Is it? Not to be a bother but is it necessary that you have it?" [Nice to know your name, Cobbled Together. I hope we become good friends.] [01:30:55] Riley Atwood tilts her head back, regarding the sky as if it has answers. Mostly it seems to have gloomy clouds. [01:32:23] Maern Sunreed frowns. She hopes that wasn't an upsetting question. [01:32:34] Cobbled Together is quite a contrast to Riley's behaviour. They couldn't possibly be more brightly lit up if they tried. The eerie green light shines enough to catch a myriad of dust motes from the air. Vines slip out from under the pumpkin top's "lid" to slowly bloom [01:33:12] Cobbled Together -- into delicate little yellow blossoms. [Friends,] they repeat. in a clack of wood and bone and vine as they twist fingers together. [01:33:49] Maern Sunreed plants another frostvine amongst them. [01:34:01] Riley Atwood lowers her gaze and shakes her head, expression clearing. She points at Cobbled and gives a thumbs up. Nice! [01:34:47] [Riley Atwood] says: But nah, I guess not. It's kinda... grafted in there. To look cool, maybe. [01:35:17] [Maern Sunreed] says: Well, it's there now, and it certainly does look interesting. [01:35:35] Cobbled Together waves their hands--er, hand and stump--back and forth. We are silently clapping. [01:35:44] Maern Sunreed gets off her bird and pats it to cause it to walk away. [01:35:17] [Maern Sunreed] says: Well, it's there now, and it certainly does look interesting. [01:35:35] Cobbled Together waves their hands--er, hand and stump--back and forth. We are silently clapping. [01:35:44] Maern Sunreed gets off her bird and pats it to cause it to walk away. [01:36:35] Riley Atwood taps fingers to chin. [Thanks.] [01:37:01] [Maern Sunreed] says: [Will I be able to see you two around here often?] [01:37:36] Riley Atwood reaches out to poke gently at one of Cobbled's blossoms. [What do you think? You like it around here?] [01:38:24] Cobbled Together waves their stump now in what's supposed to be a bobbing motion but lacks the hand--the means--to do it with. When they realise this, they swap to the other hand and bob out a proper [Yes] this time. [01:38:58] [Maern Sunreed] says: [It's certainly okay if you don't. I don't truly live here and simply pass through most of the time.] [01:39:54] Cptnspoony-MoonGuard smiles at Brashsong. [01:40:01] Riley Atwood hums, pleased. [Town's nice, when it's not...] She pauses, and shrugs. [You know. Filled with cultists. We'll be around!] [01:40:31] Maern Sunreed smirks, [Yeah I've heard my fill of that. Or perhaps not enough. It isn't clear to me what happened and I'm rather fenced on the topic.] [01:42:28] Riley Atwood waves her hand in front of her face, almost dismissive. [What little I was involved in wasn't fun. Decided to lay low.] [01:43:55] Maern Sunreed looks toward the town square. [I witnessed some kind of town collective and a warlock getting killed. But I was told he was a slippery guy and managed to get away and keep the cult going. He didn't seem very nice at all, but I knew some of the cultists- [01:44:24] Maern Sunreed -even briefly from a get together by the lake. I was saddened by the news.] [01:44:33] [Maern Sunreed] says: [So many potential friends were lost.] [01:44:38] Maern Sunreed sighs at Cadaveriffic. [01:46:43] Riley Atwood bobs a fist. [Saw that warlock go down, too. He came right back and snatched a bunch of us. Think that soured a lot of friendships.] [01:47:12] Cobbled Together scrabbles bony fingertips down their face, mimicking tear tracks. [01:48:22] [Maern Sunreed] says: [What did he even want? Was being a felcaster not good enough for him?] [01:48:26] Riley Atwood shrugs at Maern.  Who knows? [01:48:32] Maern Sunreed gently pats Punchline. [01:49:19] [Riley Atwood] says: [Don't know, and don't think it would be polite to ask around.] [01:49:42] Riley Atwood shrugs again. [Hopefully it's over.] She doesn't seem very confident about it. [01:50:07] [Maern Sunreed] says: [I'll try to not be so inquisitive. Even though I sometimes can't help myself.] [01:50:30] Maern Sunreed smiles at Canthar. [01:50:39] Riley Atwood glances over at Canthar and nods. Sup. [01:51:00] Maern Sunreed stares Maulfalcon down. [01:51:34] [Maern Sunreed] says: Let's try to just make things better then. [01:52:26] [Riley Atwood] says: Yeah! [01:52:53] Riley Atwood glances around them. [Town could use some work. And more smiles.] She looks to Cobbled when signing 'smiles'. [01:53:20] [Maern Sunreed] says: [The awful looming sense of dread ought to not last forever. Though my original idea of having an in-house distillery might not be the best.] [01:54:07] Cobbled Together seems to give a little shudder. The light inside had faded during their conversation, but comes right back on full force now. [Smiles,] they repeat, rather emphatically, and even tap fingers and vines to the corners of the carved mouth. [01:55:08] Maern Sunreed smiles at Cobbled in support. We'll keep our spirits up, won't we? [01:55:10] Riley Atwood chuckles. [Depends on if the town is all sad-drunks or not! What kinda brews would you distill?] [01:55:48] Maern Sunreed laughs nervously, "Oh I'm not sure yet. I'm not experienced in anything other than ethanol synthesis so it isn't exactly something tasty." [01:58:43] Riley Atwood taps her fingers thoughtfully against the side of her mask. [Haven't drank anything since death. Maybe ask around town to see if anyone is a connoisseur of liquor?] [02:00:23] Cobbled Together holds up a finger.. er... vine. [02:00:55] Maern Sunreed gestures to Riley's Bag of Stuff. "It's good I gave you the wine to ease back into it then. Maybe. I get the feeling the Deathguard who curses and threatens to much might be interested." [02:01:59] Riley Atwood laughs. [02:02:14] [Riley Atwood] says: [I'll see if I can drink it. For science!] [02:02:35] Cobbled Together pops off the top of their lantern-for-a-skull like its the lid of a cookie jar. They rummage around for several long moments. There's ominous little clacking and clinking and even a slosh or three. [02:02:52] Riley Atwood blinks at you. [02:03:06] Maern Sunreed is about to go CHUGCHUGCHUGCHUG but of course, Cobbled is ever the spectacle. [02:04:04] Cobbled Together gives a tug. Nothing happens. Harder tug. POP. They pull free a squat, round ceramic jar. Except... they lose their grip on it for their efforts and it goes flying. [02:05:06] Maern Sunreed stumbles to catch it! [02:05:12] Riley Atwood watches the bottle go sailing, frozen. [02:06:37] Maern Sunreed catches it before it hits the floor. She's frozen once it's there. [02:09:19] Cobbled Together has next to no reflexes. Good thing someone else does. They set their top back in place and then wave their hands in a silent clap. [02:09:48] Riley Atwood gives a little shake, snapping out of the daze. "Nice catch!" She mirrors Cobbled's signed clapping. [02:10:25] Maern Sunreed stands back upright, laughing nervously, freeing a hand, [Please be careful. Something like this isn't so easy to put back together once broken.] "What is this anyway?" [02:12:14] Riley Atwood puts her fists on her bony hips, eyeing Cobbled. She's frowning a little. [02:12:33] Cobbled Together | Uh oh mom pose. [02:13:14] Cobbled Together stares at them both, turning their head slowly from one to the other. Riley's pose sets them into looking decidedly elsewhere. Nothing to see here. [02:14:06] [Riley Atwood] says: Hey, don't you turn your gourd away from me! [02:14:18] Maern Sunreed looks inside the thing. What is it?? [02:14:22] Riley Atwood leans forward and waves hand in front of Cobbled. Can't quite get into their line of sight. [02:15:34] Cobbled Together keeps turning their head when Riley tries to get their attention this way. It ends up with the carved pumpkin twisting all the way around on their shoulders. [02:15:59] Cobbled Together | Maern will find that the contents of the jar are rather foul smelling and not likely meant to be ingested. At least... for the living. [02:16:18] Maern Sunreed leans all around to keep eye contact before falling over and dropping it. [02:18:48] Riley Atwood jumps, spooked by the sudden shattering of glass. Shadowy blue-purple smoke swirls around her. "Holy--" [02:19:08] [Maern Sunreed] says: !!!!! [02:19:15] [Maern Sunreed] says: Are you okay? [02:20:06] Riley Atwood huffs out a big sigh, staring at Maern. "Are *you*?" [02:20:35] [Maern Sunreed] says: I do think I am, you were the one with shadows around you. [02:20:50] [Riley Atwood] says: You dropped it like it was hot. [02:20:51] Cobbled Together whips their head right back around in a display of speed they don't normally express. There's an awful lot of vines creeping and sliding and slithering on out through all the gaps of bone and flesh and cloth. When they realise Riley only spooked [02:20:55] Cobbled Together --everything retreats immediately. [02:22:25] [Maern Sunreed] says: I got clumsy. A rare occurence, I swear. [02:23:18] Riley Atwood waves her hands slowly, dismissive and reassuring. The shadows drift away like smoke. [Everything's fine. Nothing sentient creeped out of that bottle and nobody got cut. Right?] [02:23:30] Riley Atwood glances around warily. [02:23:39] [Maern Sunreed] says: [Perhaps it's a sign that I need a moment to rest and ground myself.] [02:24:04] Riley Atwood nods at Maern. [02:24:11] Maern Sunreed backs up next to the building and sits. She looks around just in case something, indeed, was out of the bottle. [02:24:28] Cobbled Together droops now, all light fading. They noticably don't bring up the bottle at all. Or its contents. [02:24:40] [Riley Atwood] says: [We should go water your roots, Cobbled.] [02:25:12] Cobbled Together bobs their head slowly in reluctant agreement. [02:25:37] Riley Atwood waves at Maern. [02:25:41] Maern Sunreed waves at Punchline. [02:25:44] Maern Sunreed waves at you. [02:26:37] Riley Atwood herds Cobbled off to the usual stomping ground for some fresh water and mud.

[helianthology]

idk how the cool kids do it but

heres @pacified and i’s (@helianthusrex) contributions to feigning we know how to socialise in rp anymore, courtesy of dicking around in @blindedfatewra

featuring a very patient player by the name of @korivos

--

[11:27:49] Cobbled Together sidles on up in that stilty-legged fashion of theirs. They seem to be holding something clutched between closed, muddy looking hands. [11:28:47] Riley Atwood is sitting in the dirt, doodling with a stick. She looks up at Cobbled's approach. "Oh." [11:29:03] Riley Atwood motions them over. [11:29:51] Cobbled Together ambles forward a little more, and rather than present their closed hands, they crouch all awkward limbs in the dirt next to Riley instead. The carved gourd passing for a head tilts toward the scribbles. [11:30:40] Riley Atwood has drawn a stick-figure dog with wiggly tendrils on its back chasing two balls while a spread eagled stick figure lays on the ground nearby it. [11:31:03] Riley Atwood sets the stick in her lap like it's some important tool, then signs: [What you have?] [11:31:48] Cobbled Together stares fixated at the image--or, presumably does, if the tilt of their "head" remains any indication. [11:32:50] Cobbled Together very, very slowly holds up both hands, without turning away to look at Riley. It's almost like they wait for Riley. Or maybe they are just that curious about the picture. [11:34:19] Riley Atwood huffs, amused, then relays the adventure that the pumpkin head missed out with quick signs. She concludes with: [Town's weird.] [11:37:14] Cobbled Together "blinks." The light gutters in the carved sockets, twice, three times. Then, since their hands are still full, they only bob their head and stretch their arms a little further. The gesture looks very stiff and awkward--but intent is clear enough. [11:37:33] To [ecks]: cobble is like WELL OKAY THEN: weirdos (ur all weirdos) [11:37:46] To [ecks]: and then the no face ah-ah-ah give give motion [11:37:59] To [ecks]: u want buy some gold kid [11:38:44] Riley Atwood blinks too, tilting her head as she peers into the offered hands. Shrugs, palms up: [What?] [11:39:57] Cobbled Together takes the opportunity they apparently were waiting for and opens their own twiggy hands. Something glints vaguely in the light as it paps into her palms. On inspection: it's a piece of muddy, stained glass with worn down edges. [11:40:56] [Riley Atwood] says: Oh! [11:41:36] Riley Atwood huffs a sigh. Wasn't sure what to expect. She signs a smile, then, pointing at the shiny: [Did you find this?] [11:43:08] Cobbled Together bobs their head--and a held up fist--in time. Then: they mime with their other hand, a bent thumb and forefinger pressed to their "eye." [11:43:25] Cobbled Together repeats this gesture again, along with: [Look!] [11:44:09] To [ecks]: LOOK I DONT KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT BUT: kaleidoscope or w/e COBBLE EXCITED AB THE PRETTY LIGHTS [11:45:05] Riley Atwood gives a fond little laugh. [Am looking!] She holds her free hand out for it while signing: [Can I close-look?] [11:46:00] To [ecks]: is she asking for looking at the glass? its in her hands already i thought [11:46:22] To [ecks]: MISSILES LATER [11:46:25] [ecks] whispers: p much [11:46:39] [ecks] whispers: take it as her asking if she can take it then [11:46:39] Cobbled Together bobs head in agreement again. We are weirdly enthusiastic about this little spit of glass. [11:47:10] Riley Atwood motions for the pumpkin head to follow as she stands up, the fragment of glass held carefully between forefinger and thumb. [11:48:15] Cobbled Together pops up like a jack-in-box to loom up over her. [11:49:00] Riley Atwood playfully bumps her knuckles against the spindly-tall construct's shoulder and then darts away, off towards the fountain with the shiny held up so it glints in the light above her. [11:51:06] Cobbled Together stands still for several seconds, delayed in action. Shock, maybe? Or just slow-witted. Either way, they toddle off after toward the fountain well after Rilely does. [11:52:36] Riley Atwood sprints up to the fountain and skids to a stop. She lowers the muddy bit of glass, head tilted as she eyes the deader perched on the rim of the fountain. "How's yer face?" [11:53:23] Korivos Ancil'leone stiffens up and stares at Riley, a bit uncertain of what she was planning-- oh, okay.  He gives her a thumbs up. [11:54:32] Cobbled Together halts behind her, wobbling a little on their feet from heel to heel like stopping isn't quite what they planned on at all. The crackle of twigs and dry leaves precedes the pumpkin headed construct tilting to face the fountain properly. [11:55:34] Korivos Ancil'leone peers curiously at Cobbled, head canting to the side.  He flips open his journal and makes a few quick notes. [11:56:38] Riley Atwood gives a thumbs up back. "Good! Let's hope that fel pup don't start thinking we're all chewtoys." She half twists to look back at Cobble, motioning him closer to the fountain. [11:57:01] Riley Atwood *them. sorry report me to the sjw police [11:57:13] Korivos Ancil'leone riprip [11:57:54] Cobbled Together stares. Maybe. The carved pumpkin serving as their head is certainly pointed in the right direction and no longer moving. Then, abruptly: motion; they shamble forward on limbs that sound like they could snap any second. [11:57:58] Cobbled Together | REPORTED. CLEARLY. [11:58:09] Froststrider watches Sii for a moment longer then just starts to walk off, wanting to get away from whatever this weird feeling is. [11:58:55] [Riley Atwood] says: Oh. Don't think I got your name, fa--- book. This is Cobbled Together. [11:59:05] Riley Atwood signs the pumpkin's name as she says it. [12:01:19] Cobbled Together turns their head a scant inch or so. Riley's signs cause the light inside their "eyes" to flicker on again, one side at a time. They turn back, and hold out their hands straight in front of them. Both are fisted closed. [12:02:38] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: Nice to meet you.  Name's Korivos.   [12:02:52] Korivos Ancil'leone winces as he speaks, but he offers a hand out to try and make up for his clipped words. [12:03:29] Cobbled Together continues to hold their hands out, arms up, fingers curled in. They make no response to the returned greeting, not even a blink this time. [12:03:41] Riley Atwood fingerspells Korivos's name for Cobbled. Then nods at the offered fists. "Think they got somethin' for you. Maybe guess what hand." [12:06:10] Korivos Ancil'leone taps his chin a few times, then points towards Cobbled Together's right hand. [12:09:08] Cobbled Together's boglight in the right socket winks out with a dramatic little puff of green smoke. The construct opens their matching fist for Korivos' prize! ...Which turns out to be a piece of... cork? It's stained in dark ink on one end. [12:10:05] [Riley Atwood] says: Oh, nice. I wonder who's missin' their stopper. [12:11:02] Riley Atwood bends over the rim of the fountain and dunks the muddy bit of glass in the dregs of murky water at the bottom. Her friend's weird gifting habits are no big deal. [12:11:32] Korivos Ancil'leone claps his hands and starts to grin-- then remembers that is a very bad idea when his face is healing.  OW.  "Hehe, that's a pretty sweet trick!  How'd they do that? Magic? Sleight of hand?" [12:12:08] [Riley Atwood] says: Mmm, not sure! [12:12:26] Riley Atwood looks over her shoulder, waving a hand to get Cobbled's attention. [Where find?] [12:14:07] Cobbled Together holds their other hand--obviously empty now--up in front of their carved mouth. It might be the gesture's intended as a silent titter. The cork-filled hand continues to be held up like an offering. [12:15:09] [Riley Atwood] says: Guess they ain't tellin'. It's yours now! Such a prize. [12:15:41] Korivos Ancil'leone sagenods and offers his palms forward with great reverence. [12:16:02] Riley Atwood bounces back to her feet, dripping water everywhere, and holds the now clean piece of glass up to the light. A fat drop of water smacks her in the forehead. [12:18:18] Cobbled Together tilts their hand--gnarled in vine and bone and clumps of mud--and allow the bit of cork to tumble into the waiting palms. Crumbs of fresh damp dirt join in, before Cobbled Together pulls their arm back. [12:19:56] Riley Atwood offers the glass back to Cobbled. [12:20:23] Cobbled Together refuses! Hands up, palms forward, head turned aside. Yours, now~ [12:23:54] Riley Atwood nods knowingly at Cobbled. Ok, friend. She delicately tucks the glass away in one of her pouches, as though it is the finest of treasures. [12:24:38] Korivos Ancil'leone takes the cork and gives Cobbled Together a big Thumbs Up.  Approved!  He drops his eyes to examine it further, murmuring something in Thalassian. [12:27:39] Riley Atwood helps herself to perching on the edge of the fountain, one leg tucked up. "A connoisseur of corks, are you?" [12:28:56] To [Korivos]: im curious ab the spirits mention in ur rp profile! cobbled probably could see it--depending on what it is, anyway. [12:29:18] [Korivos] whispers: It's a ghost! He has a magpie ghost perched on his shoulders. [12:29:36] To [Korivos]: ahhh! it alright for me to go ahead with cobble being able to see then? [12:29:43] [Korivos] whispers: Yeah, go for it! :D [12:29:46] To [Korivos]: awesome [12:30:14] Korivos Ancil'leone makes a so-so motion with his hand in response.  He is a conoisseur of pulling corks out of things so he can drink them.  Does that count? [12:30:33] Riley Atwood [Totally.] [12:31:14] Dyrihm [Definitely counts.] [12:31:16] Cobbled Together lowers their arms as Riley makes like a bird to perch; they seem interested in something else entirely now, because the light in their sockets narrows to tiny pinpricks and they shuffle forward a step, another, until they stand right up in Korivos' space. [12:31:19] Cobbled Together | YES. [12:33:39] Riley Atwood flaps her hands at Cobbled. Hey, hey, personal space, pumpkin! Probably gets ignored because pummakin does what they want. [12:34:21] Cobbled Together | Yep. Ignored. Not even looking at you, Riley. Ouch. [12:34:23] Korivos Ancil'leone leeeeeeans back from the pumpkin man.  Pls do not hurt me. [12:35:34] Cobbled Together hunches forward, not quite at eye level to the dead elf given the spindly tall frame and the lack of actual eyes anyway, but! They make a go of it all the same. [12:36:25] Cobbled Together | Up close, they smell rather pungent. Not necessarily unpleasant, but definitely like mud and vegetation that's been moldering a bit too much. [12:37:20] Korivos Ancil'leone seems to realize something, glancing to his shoulder and then to Cobbled, then back to his shoulder.  Lightbulb seems to go off.  He churrs softly and slips a hand over his own shoulder, then lifts the seemingly empty hand up to Cobbled. [12:37:56] Riley Atwood stoops to scoop a pebble up from the ground, but pauses halfway through sitting back up, blinking in bewilderment. [12:38:14] [Korivos] whispers: || For Cobbled, it probably makes much more sense.  Korivos carefully shifts the magpie to his hand, then lifts it up for the pumpkin-thing to investigate.  The magpie floofs her neckfeathers up, regarding Cobbled Together curiously. [12:40:01] Cobbled Together lights up--literally. The light inside the carved pumpkin flares up again, bright as candles and just as wispy. They lift a hand again, curling all the fingers but one to nudge at the empty space in Korivos' palms. [12:40:09] Cobbled Together | Their actions are careful even if they move with no grace whatsoever. [12:41:32] Korivos Ancil'leone smiles up at Cobbled and starts to lift his hand up-- but then he pauses and blinks, eyes flicking up to the top of Cobbled's head as if following something. [12:41:38] Riley Atwood blinks. Imaginary friends and uh. Naked armless dead things running by. Okay. She drops the pebble and rubs at the back of her head. [12:42:12] [Korivos] whispers: || The magpie waches Cobbled Together's  hand suspiciously, then abruptly takes off and flaps up to sit on the pumpkin instead. [12:43:10] Cobbled Together goes uncommonly still. Might as well be a scarecrow in a field! The light in their sockets rolls upward. Then, very slowly, they frame a sign in front of them: [Bird!] [12:43:55] Riley Atwood blink-blinks. Repeats the sign. Then slow turns to peer at Korivos. "Bird?" [12:44:14] [Korivos] whispers: || The bird floofs up and preens herself from her perch.  She is queen of the pumpkin patch. [12:45:02] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: [Forsaken] Ghost. [12:45:10] Korivos Ancil'leone nods to Riley. [12:45:56] [Riley Atwood] says: Oh, no wonder they're excited. [12:46:09] Riley Atwood peers at Cobbled, tilting her head this way and that. Nope, can't see the birdie. [12:46:11] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: [Forsaken] They enjoy birds? [12:46:24] Korivos Ancil'leone oops, meant all of that to be in orcish)) [12:46:35] Cobbled Together is in awe. Or probably. They continue to be the pretense of inanimate, gaze trained on the little spirit convinced they are the most suitable perch. [12:47:14] [Riley Atwood] says: Would be funny, a scarecrow that likes birds! [12:47:50] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: It'd certainly make a wonderful children's story. [12:48:42] Korivos Ancil'leone gives an amused glance up at Cobbled's head.  "Her name is Bragi, by the by.  I figure you deserve a name, what with her intrusion on your personal space.  Naughty bird." [12:49:06] Riley Atwood hums. "Sure. You a writer type?" She takes the time to relay the gist of what they're saying to Cobbled: [Scarecrow like bird. Maybe good story.] Then she fingerspells the bird's name. [12:49:30] [Korivos] whispers: || Bragi looks so very pleased with herself, naughty or no. [12:49:33] To [ecks]: i cant not read "naughty bird" w/o thinking of the 50 shades reference that arakkoa makes during questing in spires... [12:50:57] Cobbled Together reluctantly looks to Riley, though they very likely appreciate the clueing in on the conversation, since they respond back with, [Good bird. Birds see things.] [12:51:29] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: Mhm. I write up songs and occasionally a short story or two. [12:54:06] [Riley Atwood] says: Ohhh, neat! Still trying to teach Cobbled to read, but I bet they'd like to see some of your stuff sometime. Yanno, after they done befriending all the fowl ghosts in town. [12:54:07] Riley Atwood laughs. [12:54:45] Korivos Ancil'leone snorts. [12:55:42] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: Sure, I'd be happy to show them when they're ready.  Are they deaf? [12:56:36] Riley Atwood looks Cobbled up and down. "Yeah, someone forgot the ears." [12:56:51] [Riley Atwood] says: All gourd, though. [12:56:54] Riley Atwood gives double thumbs up. [12:57:07] Korivos Ancil'leone quietly snickers to himself. [12:58:13] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: At least his hands didn't get squashed. [12:58:52] Riley Atwood cackles maniacally at Korivos. [12:59:02] Korivos Ancil'leone quietly snickers to himself. [12:59:18] Cobbled Together is very good at imitating a scarecrow still--it helps to have their own personal feathered accomplice. But--wait. There's not complete stillness after all. [01:00:12] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: Well, at least he seems to be doing vine. [01:00:26] [Riley Atwood] says: Good, someone else who doesn't think puns are the root of all evil. I'm glad to know ya. [01:01:14] Cobbled Together | Vines creep up from out of the pumpkin top. Several of them, coiling around each other gently. The thorns on them turn out to be little flower buds, because they unfurl into buttery yellow and orange blossoms. [01:01:28] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: I'm a writer, I have nothing but great appreciation for a bit of wordplay. [01:01:48] To [ecks]: HAPPY [01:02:01] [Korivos] whispers: || Abruptly, Bragi flaps back over to Korivos's shoulder and starts biting at his ear. [01:02:07] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: -Ouch-.  Brat.   [01:02:18] Korivos Ancil'leone grumbles at his shoulder, then pushes himself up. [01:03:03] Riley Atwood sits up, peering first at Cobbled's pretty flowers, then over at Korivos and his invisible friend. "Trouble in paradise?" [01:03:08] [Korivos Ancil'leone] says: I need to go take care of the little terror.  It was nice meeting you two, yeah? [01:03:14] Cobbled Together blinks. The flowers fade as quickly as they grew, wilting and folding in on themselves as if the moisture has been sucked right out of them. [01:03:26] To [ecks]: SAD [01:03:57] Riley Atwood flaps her hands, humming. "Okay, it was great!" She quickly signs to Cobbled: [Korivos and bird go. Say bye.] [01:04:02] Korivos Ancil'leone gives Cobbled an apologetic smile. [01:04:17] Cobbled Together reluctantly waves, a creaky flutter of fingerbones. [01:04:23] Korivos Ancil'leone waves. [01:05:59] Riley Atwood pats at Cobbled's shoulder. There, there. [01:06:30] Cobbled Together practically wilts, themselves. They hunch forward, low under the hand that pats them, head down and fingers uncurled and limp. [01:07:16] Riley Atwood taps gently on the pumpkin head, then signs in front: [Will see again.] [01:07:49] Cobbled Together perks up a bit at this assurance. They straighten up with an ominous creak of damp, wet wood. [01:08:22] Riley Atwood hops down off the rim of the fountain, tilting her head back with eyes closed. The rain patters off her mask and has already soaked her through. [01:09:20] Riley Atwood slow-signs: [Want see Benny? Garden?] [01:10:14] Cobbled Together considers this with the air of one being offered two difficult choices. Eventually, they hold up a finger, then two. As if that's not clear enough, they add: [Both.] [01:10:52] Riley Atwood bobs her head and her fist, then motions for Cobbled to follow. Off we go to to see the puppy and muck around in the mud! [01:11:33] To [ecks]: AMUCK AMUCK AMUCK

[helianthology]

i made some minor adjustments to my planned mog in preparation for actually making a proper ref for cobble

and got off my butt to write a dumb mrp for him too

i should probably worry ab whether its too much prose or too much word in general but

idgaf

i had fun

edit: i love how tumblr resized the fuck out of everything ha ha ha fml

heres links to bigger: 1,2,3,4,5

[snarksonomy]

You know, I’m actually really happy to see people willing to design characters of more than one Azerothian race now? Because holy shit, when I first came to WrA, the amount of nastiness (and passive-agressiveness) I dealt with because Klimma’s kiddo was draenei/human was kinda icky, and a part of the reason I slunk over to hordeside to begin with. That, and the holier-than-thou compulsion people had to keep telling me she shouldn’t have a surname.

[helianthusrex]

that was one of the main motivations behind when i originally retconned what meros’ son was

i mean i dont regret the retcons now bc of where it led to

but i regret that i let myself feel so pressured and anxious u no?

these days ive lost my fucks so its like OKAY U DO THAT GO FOR THE GOLD

even if that gold is half whatever

(and i shamelessly made an npc thats half orc and draenei, and keep meaning to noodle some other half-and-halfs lol but me being me i havent gotten around to it yet i mean i only JUST finally figured out more of what i wanted for sweetheart im so slow orz)

THIS IS ME AWKWARDLY SAYING IM SRRY U WENT THRU THAT

also fwiw more and more blizzard is producing npcs that are draenei and have surnames

so even if its them just going fuck the bucket and forgetting ab it, thats still canon u can use to say SHOVE IT

[helianthusrex]

@solrex

okay so that actor in z nation we talked briefly ab bf u conked out

the one that pings me so fucking strong for macaws appearance as he gets older

turns out the reason hes so small and skinny is during his formative years he battled hodgkins

“What kind of diet are you on to keep that amazing figure?”

“Im on the childhood cancer diet. The chemo I was on sped up my metabolism. Also, I had it during a time when my bones were growing. They lengthened, but never widened. I have the frame of a very tall 14 year old boy.”

(src)

hoo boy tho, i rly hope that person who asked that question meant it tongue in cheek and not otherwise :x

anyway i just thought it was interesting that his physical appearance and unusual face pinging me so hard for macaw

is bc of the very reasons macaw ends up looking like he does

(well, a magical equivalent and a literal personification/manifestation of cancer anyway)

its an interesting (and sad) little parallel irony u no?

edit: o yeah and apparently he was even a fashion model for prada for a bit

another cool little thing that pings me even harder

given all the idle noodling i have of macaw and fashion interests if he had been allowed to grow up “normally”

also holy shit hes 37 years old wtf

[helianthusrex]

few tmogs im actually pretty proud of

they fulfill my stringent and somewhat arbitrary rules i usually set for my mogs, such as:

- this would be st they actually would wear ic if armor is applicable/necessary - this is a proper colour scheme associated w their theme/concept - easy to acquire outside of raid, other than rng luck - not simply an existing set (nothing against those, i just prefer mix and match usually) - LAYERS! - i wont get bored of looking at it 2 sec later - i already have at least some pieces from leveling or other rng surprises to make it even less spoon intensive - bonus for leg day: i can reuse pieces that will already exist in the new transmog system

many of the above ofc result in similar individual pieces, but idc they fit the aesthetic i want

(esp for gloves and boots… leather gloves and boots that are sleek-fitting and not big/chunky and show bare feet or hands are ridiculously rare :/ )

mmmmmostly posting for my own reference later which is why theres technical doubles included (larger sizes w/o background clutter courtesy of mogit addon)

rng still hasnt given me the stick i need for meros’ mog, but its okay i have a temp stick that does the job for now

stick aside tho, rng was p kind and gave me both final drop pieces from the old content raids i needed, so i dont have to bash my face againt those, just ignis forever and ever

(this is where i thank x for dragging me through keeping me company doing said old content i hate running alone)

i forgot to take a backside shot for silverswift oops o well

[helianthology]

just more dumb name noodling under the cut for my dragon lady

so ive p much narrowed down what i want for my dragon lady’s ic name

in spite of struggling w st for in-game

agapan red-briar

agapan has several things that make it perfect to me:

1. its got “pan” in it which i cant unsee as an easy pun for bread (theres anpan in japan, and marzipan is even a canon traditional treat for tauren, so why not agapan also for tauren lmfao)

and i mean

it even having “pan” in it is 100% unintentional but when i noticed this i was like holy shit thats it thats the one

anyway i got this bc i was looking through etys for various types of love (related to charity, compassion, brotherly love, cherishing, etc.)

i ended up on the greek word agape which is "brotherly love, charity"

and i was like mmm okay i know its not pronounced that way but i cant unsee “a-gape” as in the word agape

so i dug a little more hoping (bc there usually is w these languages) there was another form, or an earlier ety

tada: agapan "greet with affection, love"

2. it looks fairly tauren-like to me! (we get names like magatha grimtotem, for example)

3. did i mention the bread pun that can be made out of it

4. if i go w concepts like “charity” for the tauren name, i can do the same for the dragon name and finally have some sort of direction to go in for looking into that

originally thought st like keristrasza or cheristrasza (cherish) since even if the “sh” isnt written, u get that effect from trying to say “str” but

1. idk im not convinced those are any more aesthetically appealing to me than caritastrasza (latin, charity) which was my first thought

2. theres already a ceristrasz npc AND a keristrasza npc so even if i wanted to use that route im blocked lmfao

so idefk :D

and theres still the drawback to going this route that needs to be considered

which is that AS NOTED BEFORE, cherish and charity arent available in-game on wra

meanwhile charity IS available on doomgun which continues to make me sad

p convinced at this point im gonna hafta abandon the idea of rolling on wra for this dumb character hnnn

[helianthusrex]

ive realised the exact sort of attitude and motivation that i want to make this dragon lady baker

(src)

i cannot for the life of me find proper “IM A PASSING HOUSEWIFE” gifs, or at least ones i can source, but u get the idea

[helianthusrex]

further stuff ive figured out in my idle brainstorming between doing dishes and cooking yesterday:

- i want the first name for mortal/humanoid form to be “amarant” or “amaranth” i havent decided which variant i prefer

- i dont know what to have for a surname past starting it w “red” for the typical adjective/verb-noun ascribed to like all of wows racial surnames

- im leaning toward a very very very loose interpretation of the rpg prestige class “plagueshifter” to account for the red dragon abilities shed make use of (like uhh.. that one tauren dude out in … epl? i think it was, back in …vanilla? i cant even remember, x remembers tho and reminded me of his canon existence so thats cool too)

- technically its orc shaman and tauren druids according to wowpedia but i mean: a) im being fast and loose as it is w this stuff since its for funsies and b) in-game, shaman fits better for my purposes (as far as available spells and class lore go) esp given that druids are more associated w ysera anyway and c) i cant exactly just combine cherrypicked abilities from either class like the rpg junk does so making do w limitations is what i gotta do

- i learned that for the sake of game mechanics, braves/warriors and sunwalkers/paladins wear plate gear in-game, but technically (lore-wise) they totally wouldnt since tauren go out of their way to only use stuff like hide and cloth for their armour and clothes (specifically makes mention of how they dont use stuff like iron, which is interesting to me)

- tauren are so renowned and so damned good at baking that their spice bread is literally everywhere, usually regardless of faction–clearly im making the right choice here for a baker character lmfao

- def gonna draw some mild inspo from izumi curtis im so sold on the “just a passing housewife” shtick holy hell

- speaking of: tauren commonly use those giant ass totem logs as weapons–even tho we dont get jack or shit in game and blizz RLY dropped the ball for artifact junk in legion–and all i can think is

“walk softly and carry a big stick” as my cow mom’s motto

and i just

whispers softly, all my yes

[helianthology]

ive since changed some things (mainly gone a bit of a dif direction w naming stuff) in my brainstorming but i wanna preserve this so on this blog it goes

[helianthusrex]

i

i dont even know how to draw cows

and i dont even know like anything ab their lore

the last cow i rolled was literally back in vanilla and that was way way way bf i ever got into the whole rp or character stuff for this game

and ive happily spent the last ten years playing elves and draenei and trolls so uh

is there anyone out there that rps taurens on the regular

that could maybe barf basics at me

so i could maybe have some starting point for what a fakey background would be for this fakey tauren

[helianthusrex]

i

forgot that the leg day lore (esp wrt hunters) brings new tauren lore

including the highmountain stuff

AND MOOSE ANTLERS FOR EVERYBODY confetti

HMMM 

what i read isnt enough to make decisions on tho

i rly want moose antlers for this lady but

the highmountain kind of sound like they were v secluded this whole time

and theres mention that dragons are afraid of the area and the tauren there since huln and his tribes kicked deathwangs ass so bad

THIS REQUIRES MORE THOUGHT

[helianthusrex]

omg tauren are precious

one of the common sweet treats they make is marzipan

do u know what is common w marzipan

THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE OTHER THINGS

such as fruit

(src)

i

cant handle this its so cute

imagine their various foods like crayfish and bread and corn

only marzipan-ified like the above

[helianthusrex]

fate is conspiring against me settling on a tauren for my new baker dragon concept

baker isnt available on wra but ofc its available on baelgun

S I G H

this keeps happening–and i know why, its cause wra is super high pop and active and baelgun… not so much–BUT IT STILL SUCKS i have literally accounts full of cool names for possible future characters

for baelgun and doomhammer

but not so much wra lmfao

IM NEVER GONNA FIGURE OUT WHAT TO NAME HER KLDFJLKDJF

i mean i could just roll horde on baelgun i guess

but i dont rly wanna do that…

i dont have any horde on baelgun and so i wouldnt have any access to any of my stuff BLEH