squido (she/her) art and writing blog is @squidos-goodies :D i firmly believe that hope and courage are the most beautiful things in this world. but what use are hope and courage without adversity and fear? & Romans 5:3-8
hi hello i’m squido and i’m studying to be a clinical psychologist! one psychology fun fact is that the way we conceptualize the adversity we face has an overwhelming impact on how we respond to it! because of this, i’m out here expounding on the beauty and power of stories where characters face hardship and grow from it and might even be grateful that it happened—i know i am for some of the harder moments in my life. this is a masterpost of everything i’ve said on the subject for those who want to see more uplifting content about rising above our circumstances :D (yeah this is all linkeduniverse because i’m an addict sue me)
The Post That Started It All - screenshots of the boys having good times on their adventures. a beta version of...
This Pile of Art I Did - maybe it wasn’t wanted; maybe it hurt. but maybe? maybe it was beautiful; maybe it was fun; maybe it was an adventure. and maybe that meant something.
This Post I Made - spiderman presentation meme with a bunch of stats about the prevalence of PTSD in response to traumatic events and how it’s not as high as some might think
This Screenshot from Skyward Sword - “It seems every time I bump into you, you appear stronger and somehow more confident. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up, Link.”
These Screenshots from an Article About Spaceflight - people can and often do grow from adversity and experience positive psychological effects from living through difficult/stressful experiences
This Post With More Science Articles In It - because growing from hardship is beautiful and possible and we need to stop acting like it isn’t!! i will throw hands!!!
This Art I Did - drawings of my favorite boys looking happy with quotes from canon about how much fun they had
This FIc I Did- where legend isn’t actually traumatized from koholint and loves adventuring
This Other Fic I’m Working On - in which four and wind have an ADVENTURE!
its like. someone could say 'i wish there were more lunch options than peas in the school cafeteria i dont really like peas' (imaginary example) and i go yeah me neither. and then someone goes 'yeah peas suck' someone else goes 'they shouldnt even offer peas at all' 'honestly i cant imagine liking peas' 'people who like peas are weird!' 'if you like peas im going to assume you my moral enemy' and its like woah hey guys maybe im going to take a step to the pea likers side because this is getting weird
people are asking if this is about fandoms or about a specific line of discourse and i dont know how to tell you but any time a large group of people starts really angrily creating an imaginary devil in their mind ive made it a habit to step back and go 'now wait a minute' not as someone who has never done this but as someone who tries to learn from their mistakes
*digs through lecture notes*
ah okay so there's "identity-based cognition" which is when people think "hey, people like me all believe this thing, maybe i should believe it too." this is part of why it can be hard to have nuanced takes on things—cuz you don't want your friends to think for even a second that you sound like Those Other People.
and there's "surprising validators" which are like "wow, even [x] person believes this? well that means there's something to it." this is basically that "wait person who has otherwise good tastes in media but hates this one genre actually likes this piece of media within the genre? wait hangon it might be something special."
so it could be an offshoot of one of these... no i'm certain it's in here somewhere *keeps digging through notes*
AHA WAIT I FOUND IT—
"reactive devaluation" is the term for when you believe something, but then you find out terrible people also believe that and you go "hey you know what actually i changed my mind." it's NOT like the "heartbreaking: worst person you know just made a good point" meme because in that instance, you're holding your dislike of that person and your belief in that point separately from each other and not letting them bleed together.
fun fact: the opposite of this is called "biased assimilation" and it's when you're more open to something you'd usually disagree with just cuz you like who's saying it.
so yeah OP idk if you actually wanted an answer for what that thing would be called, but it's "reactive devaluation." it kinda sounds like it has a negative connotation cuz usually it's got more of a "well i don't like you so now i disagree on principle" kind of vibe rather than a "hey i know where this rhetoric can go and it's dangerous so i'm gonna get out now" kinda vibe, which is sounds like you have. anyway hope this is interesting to someone
do you ever think about shadowhand essek thelyss at 1am and how the cast asked matt during the campaign 2 wrap up if he was supposed to be a major antagonist and matt said no because he was "meant to be an antagonistic force in the world" like he was never even meant to be an antagonist, just a force, because his actual personhood was so deeply unimportant from the very beginning, and that he was invented with the sole purpose of making the world a worse place and was never supposed to matter beyond the ways in which his actions harmed others and then he saved the world not because he was a good person but because the mighty nein loved him so much that they bent the narrative around him and he became a character whose personhood mattered because they decided that it mattered and it was their love and nothing else that not only changed him but made him a person that could be changed at all and more than just an antagonistic force in the world, but an antagonist, who could grow and ultimately come to love them back and—
Not sure how many of these truly have fandoms, but they absolutely should. these are the characters, in order, that interest me most. I know 1,3,4,8, and 9 dont have super active fandoms, but they should and if theres some secret fandom for them, I want in lol
Coda - The Beginners Guide (video game)
Tony Stark - Marvel Cinematic Universe (Movie)
Emcee - Cabaret (Musical)
Day - Legend (Book)
Javert - Les Miserables 2012 (movie)
Chidi - The Good Place (TV)
Viktor Hargreeves - The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Happy Buddy - Presentable Liberty (video game)
Estelle - No Exit (play)
Katniss' mother - Hunger Games (book)
Anyone who would like to participate, feel free! I dont know quite who to tag, but if you wish you had been tagged, then imagine im tagging you !
oh dear am i even in this many fandoms? Thankfully, I recently re-experienced a bunch of old favorite media. (thank you for the tag, esthelle!! some high quality picks up there :D)
also how dare you make me pick only one character per fandom this is agony favorite characters must come in pairs and trios do you understand me
Wind (LinkedUniverse)
Caleb Widogast (Critical Role Campaign 2)
Cerrit Agrupnin (EXU: Calamity)
Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Merlin (Merlin BBC)
Robin/Avatar/Player Character (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
Sadie Kane (The Kane Chronicles)
Ryosuke Takahashi (Initial D)
Alm (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)
That was surprisingly hard!!
@nutmegs-tired @klesek @discatded @kate-m-art there's definitely more but i'm eepy so go wild friends
HI I'M DOING INCREDIBLY JANKY PSYCH RESEARCH ON TUMBLR WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG
basically i'm doing a paper and trying to really dissect and understand the experience of having and coping with depression. while i've thought about this, i've sort of been extrapolating off my own experiences, but i just realized i have no idea if anyone other than me has had this experience:
do you ever feel depressed emotionally and physically, but not cognitively and like, morale-wise? like you have no energy, and are really sad, and nothing seems interesting or can hold your attention, and you're just kind of a lump who wants to curl up in a ball under a desk somewhere and melt into the floor.
but at the same time, you're not like,,, deeply existential or mentally spiraling or having self-hating thoughts about it. like your internal monologue isn't depressed, too. somewhere in the back of your mind, you're sitting there like "hey, man, i know it's rough right now. just hang in there, okay?" maybe your brain produces the thought "what's the point?" and you go "dude. no. there are so many points. don't talk like that."
i'm sort of imagining an army that's been losing a war but still has high morale, if that helps at all. like you're not winning. you're not okay. but in a sense, some part of you is okay, because you still have hope. in short:
Have you ever experienced emotional/physical symptoms of depression WITHOUT any conscious negative/depressive thoughts that you actively agree with?
Yes, often, and I have Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Yeah, though it's only sometimes/rarely, and I have MDD
Yes, and I have some other psychiatric/chronic condition(s) but not MDD
Yes, though I don't have any diagnoses or particularly strong suspicions
No, I've been depressed but never like that, and I don't have any conditions
No, I've been depressed but never like that, and I have something other than MDD
No, I've been depressed but never like that, and I have MDD
I've never been depressed I just want to see the results
Voting ended onNov 6, 2023
i couldn't have as much specificity/put as many options as i would have liked so please feel free to elaborate in the notes/tags if you want, but i know it's personal so no pressure. also don't worry about if you're Officially Diagnosed or not—if you have a reasonably strong suspicion, go with it for this.
Why is Legend sour and grouchy? Like he’s sarcastic and curses a lot. He seems hot headed and annoyed?
I’m just curious because I’ve played Link to the Past, the oracle games, and Links Awakening.; and he wasn’t like that…?
I thought he was very sweet. Especially when going through Link’s Awakening. He seems like a guy that’s been through a lot and I’d think he’d be one of the most humble?
To my normal followers, I’m just really passionate about LoZ sorry 😅
The guy does genuinely have a good heart. I think the general idea is that he's somewhat bitter fro his adventures, but even just looking at those (as @squidos-goodies pointed out) he clearly had fun for PARTS of his adventures
The fact that Twilight labels him as a bully in the early comics is more an indicator of Twilight's initial impressions, which Sky refutes shortly after to point out that "he just does't give a second thought about his attitude" which is true!
Legend's not mean, he's just guarded. And guarded people, people who are wary of losing or getting attached, are likely to sow their rougher sides with little care for the effect because 'it's not like they're going to get attached anyway, so why put in the extra effort?'
Legend genuinely cares for his fellow heroes. Please look at any time anything bad happens to one of them! He's there, worried, offering help, maybe panicking, but he clearly cares. Legend's issue isn't that he's a jerk, it's that he doesn't trust easily.
I will be blunt: Legend displays the common behaviors of a person who is used to being self-reliant, used to being hurt, used to losing, used to being used. Legend is defensive, wary, and avoids discussing himself or is own feelings and instead uses humor and snark as a way to redirect and hide how he actually feels. He's probably a huge softy behind all the thorns, but he's also scared of being used, of being betrayed, of being hurt; be it by someone or through the loss of that person. He's putting up barriers and distancing himself from people that, yeah, he loves, but who also are capable of hurting him in ways they can't even imagine.
He's harsh because it's easier and because if they can't handle him as his raw and real, then why waste his energy being nice?
On that note though, he's not mean, he knows his boundaries. He messes around, but he's not mean. He teases, snarks, and makes jokes about the others, but that's just the way guys are! He knows when a joke goes too far though, and when to pull back and stop because this isn't just fun and games, there are times when it might actually hurt someone (Mipha's journal) and he needs to pull up and make it right, to offer something more genuine instead.
Legend's not an ass, he's just not yet comfortable enough to be vulnerable and honest without magical hijinks forcing him to.
^ this absolutely accurately and concisely explains the fandom interpretation of his character—that is, why the character that exists in fandom behaves the way he does on a psychological level.
op's question is also about how people got This Guy from Those Games. a big part of it is character drift due to detachment from the source material. most people in the LU fandom haven't played all of legend's games. i'm on the more prolific side, having played nearly all the 3D zeldas to completion and many of the 2D zeldas, and still haven't played most of his games (he has so many!!). if someone's only played one of his games, unless they're a real fandom veteran, it's gonna be link's awakening, because it's on switch and a recent release.
link's awakening. you know. the really sad one. this is most people's only insight into his life. people play this game and think "woah he got struck by lighting out at sea and almost died?! and his cute, sweet, funny, girlfriend wasn't even real?! that's so cruel!! and WAIT this little kid saved the world three whole times before he had to go through this? he must have suffered so much." this gets especially exacerbated with the perception that older zelda games are harder, so it makes it adventures seem scarier and more grimdark than they really were.
i remember explaining to my brother, who's played all the zelda games and doesn't engage in fandom at all, what legend's personality was like in LU fanon, and i remember him getting almost upset about it. he was like "he's just a funky little guy! my funky little dude!! we had adventures together!!!!" that interaction with him is actually a big reason why i write legend as in love with his adventures as i do. i do still write him tinged with a deep sadness, as he has undoubtedly experienced hardship, but i write all of the boys that way, as i think it makes for more compelling characters.
i think every link's characterization in LU canon has necessary deviations and extrapolations from the source material. if i recall correctly, jojo mentioned at some point that she wanted more diversity in personality so it wasn't literally the exact same guy nine times. so we already have that divergence from the source material (and divergences from the source material aren't inherently bad! i know i've taken my fair share of liberties, too). if we add on top of that people who have read LU without having played many of the games, especially legend's, which is probably most people, and then add to that the people who read more fanfiction than they do LU canon (entirely justifiable because there's so much more fanon than canon at this point), you basically end up with a long game of telephone, where legend's character falls a little more out of touch with his games with every step.
there are a lot of different characterizations for legend, and honestly a lot of them are fairly hit-or-miss for me. i've also read plenty of fics about a really interesting and well-developed character who happens to be named legend, but just isn't That Guy from Those Games.
honestly, if people have recs for fics with a more optimistic/lighthearted legend, i am SO DOWN because he's undeniably one of my favorite lads and last time i looked, it felt like i'd already read everything that wrote him the way i like.
and obligatory disclaimer that there is no Objective Wrong Way to write legend. there are ways that i feel are more accurate to the source material and there are ways i personally enjoy reading more but like none of these things have any moral value. it's fanfiction; it's the wild west—follow ur dreams, kids.
Hi hi hi I really really loved your fic 'What Hyrule Hadn't Seen', it was really touching and beautiful, and I was wondering if you would be okay with me doing some fanart for it? No problem if you don't want me to, of course, just a thought :3
OH HI HELLO YES PLEASE THANK YOU AAAAAAAAAAAAAA
for the record, fanart is always always always allowed, encouraged, and cherished dearly! i have a special folder where i keep all the fanart i've ever recieved, no matter how "good" it is (yes there are literal stick figure drawings in it i'm not even kidding).
i've never met or heard of an author who doesn't go insane with happiness over fanart, let alone one who actively discourages it, so unless you hear otherwise, feel free to assume that all authors want fanart :D
BUT YES THANK YOU AAAAAA YOU CAN POST IT HERE AND TAG ME OR DM IT TO ME ON DISCORD (or @ me on the LU discord. i check discord more often than tumblr, but i should still see it either way)
i, like every other fic author in existence, love getting comments from people who enjoyed my work. i don't care if your comment is "late" (that's so weird to me like it's literature—do you apologize to homer for being late to reading the odyssey?) or "unintelligible" (late night commenters, english language learners, people who feel like they "just aren't that good with words", believe me, i entirely understand what you mean and appreciate it immensely), or anything else that you feel might make your comment 'not good enough'. i love all of the comments i receive and i am eternally grateful to all of you for your continued support.
and yeah, i've read fics where i felt like adding a comment would be doing the fic a disservice because there was nothing that could be said that wouldn't cheapen or patronize the magnum opus i'd just witnessed. in instances like this, that is exactly what i say in the comment: "there's nothing i can say that doesn't do this work of art a disservice. thank you for writing this."
actually, now that i think about it, there are a bunch of ao3 comments i've gotten that i still haven't replied to because i felt any thanks i could give would be inadequate. i should really get around to replying because i want them to know how spellbound they left me. i love you all, have i ever mentioned that?
all of that being said, i would like to make a public service announcement!
at least under default settings, ao3 authors do get notified every time you edit a comment. i've accidentally hit send too early before, or realized i forgot something i wanted to say, i get it, i really do. i have edited many comments in my day.
but you don't have to do this. really, it's okay. most of the time i honestly can't tell what the difference is. i'm not going to think worse of you for having typos in your comments because i guarantee that there were more in the fic you just read sfkljghsl
also these edits were over the course of twenty full minutes. i got another email while writing this post and had to update the image. please do not spend 20 minutes agonizing over your comment and changing the capitalization and adding a few words. it's okay, i promise. i love your comment, and i'm very very grateful for it, regardless of how "polished" it is. i'm not your english teacher in disguise.
tl;dr, i love you all and i hope you don't feel anxiety or a compulsion towards perfectionism in my ao3 comments section. i won't judge you, i promise <3
@quiddie i drew your girl!! laerynn is so much of why exu calamity is what it is and she means so much to me so thank you for creating this wonderful, insane, brilliant, sassy, hubristic, deeply loving purple wizard. she will be remembered forever, maybe not by the history of exandria, but certainly by us. It happened and it mattered. she mattered. brb gonna go back to crying about her
Sorry for doing this on anon but I'm a bit of a shy person.
So a about 2 1/2 years ago you read some of my LU fics and on the multichapter one you left long and detailed comments of your reactions for every chapter. I never replied (mostly because I'm in a non US time zone and if I don't reply to anybody, I don't feel guilty for forgetting to reply) but just want you to know that I still remember back then how you lit up each day whenever I woke up to find one of your comments. Even now, I still go back to them whenever I'm feeling down or unsure about my writing since I tend to months without writing or posting anything. Even from what interactions I remember from before I left the LU server, you were an amazing kind and encouraging person.
Thank you and I wish you many pleasant and joyful days.
SJFKLDKJFGKSJDFGLSDKJFGLSDKJFL EHEHEHEHEHE YES!!!! I'M SO SO SO SO GRATEFUL I WAS ABLE TO SPARK JOY AND INSPIRE AND ENCOURAGE YOU!!!! if you ever need more encouragement in any of your creative endeavors, i am just a discord or tumblr away and always happy to see what you've got going on and help you get out of your slump. God bless!!
Shy anon again and hahaha didn't know you were doing skyloftian's ask game
I haven't had much time to read for leisure recently, but scrolling through your AO3 page and some of the titles give me a gut punch reaction and my favourite heartwrenching scenes suddenly reappear. And for that to happen after so long is really a testament to the impact of your writing.
For your art, what always hits me is your beautiful and dramatic use of colour and lighting that also gives me a classic oil painting vibe. I remember participating in your Legend dtiys however long ago that was and the epic split between the orangey reds and deep blues is still something so beautiful and inspirational
If you dont mind me saying this, you truly have some God-blessed talents and are putting them to good work (and as you double what you've started with, may more be poured out to you)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THANK YOU THANK YOU AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA i don't have words help skfjhgslfkgsdkf i'm just so very blessed to have people like you in my life!!! i've never felt unappreciated in this space and i have people like you to thank for that so thank you so so so so much to everyone who's shared their God-blessed talent for making this humble creator feel loved.
i hope your week to come is just as lovely as you've made mine!
I’ve read so many of your stories and they’re so amazing. Other than actually seeing the comics by JoJo, your writing is actually what got me into Linked Universe. I still read it and love it so much. To Isolate really gave me feels. I wanted to cry, laugh, and punch Legend.
Thank you for writing so many amazing stories. They’re amazing. Also I love leaving notes on you Ao3 stories so some of those are mine. 😁
Have a great day!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH THANK YOU WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH SFDKLGJSHDFLGKSJGSKDFLK i'm so so grateful i've been able to create stories that mean something to you!! and i'm also very happy to see that my ever-present desire to punch legend is contagious sfkgjhsdlkfg
i hope your week to come is as lovely as you just made mine!!!
How are you doing? I love all your works, and I think you're a great person! Stay hydrated and get lots of sleep!
ah!! thank you!!! this summer has been a gently undulating rollercoaster that regularly alternates between "hnnnnnnnnnnng i miss being okay aaaugh my brain is full of bees" and "oh! everything's actually just... okay! heck yeah!! i feel good!" right now i'd say my head is full of jellies and they are blooping and blorping around. i'm not quite sure what that means either but i don't think i could put it any more accurately if i tried.
as i have for the past two summers now, i've been addicted to sewing, so i have capes and floofy pirate shirts and petticoats galore and i will be flaunting ALL of them next semester, thank you. i've had a digital artblock for some reason, so i've been doodling on paper lots, and i think my writers' block is less writer's block and more "ehhh i'll do it later" (doesn't do it). my goal is still to have the next chapter of hfwkadwm done by the end of the summer, and i think i can make that, because i've knocked out most of my low-hanging-fruit-projects so before too long the next chapter of that will be the next lowest hanging fruit sfkghf.
thanks so much for checking in aaaaah you all are so sweet! i love all you guys so much and am wrapping all of u up in big cozy weighted blankets :D
(for context, my little sister's running a D&D campaign where one of the characters is learning to read. because we are supremely extra, we wrote an entire children's book for this character to learn to read with. then we fell way too hard in love with it and now it is 3k words (oops). BUT YEAH IT'S REALLY CUTE AND WE WORKED REALLY HARD ON IT so we wanted all of you to be able to read it too :D)
This is Girl. Girl lives with Mom and Dad. Girl and Mom and Dad live in the town.
The woods are next to the town. The woods are very big. Mom and Dad tell Girl to stay in the town. But Girl likes to see new things.
“I want to see the woods!” says Girl.
Girl wants to get set for the trip. Girl gets all her cool stuff.
First, Girl gets her best bag, to put the things she finds in it. Next, Girl gets her shiny rock, to make new friends. Then, Girl gets her magic stick, to hit mean things. Last, Girl gets her big green cape, to show how brave she is. Her mom made the big green cape for her, so it will keep her safe.
With her best bag and her shiny rock and her magic stick and her big green cape, now Girl is set to go to the woods.
Girl steps out of her home. Girl goes out of the town. The woods are tall and green and pretty. Girl will see the woods! Girl takes her first step into the woods.
Girl sees lots of new things in the woods. Girl sees a huge leaf and a funny bug and a rocky hill. Girl is very happy and goes to see more things.
Then Girl sees a gray dog! The dog is big and looks very soft.
“Hi! I am Girl!” says Girl. “You look very soft.”
“Hello,” says the dog, “I am Dog. Do you want to pet me?”
“YES!” says Girl, very loud. “I do want to pet you! You look very soft.”
“Okay,” says Dog. Dog walks to Girl. “You can pet me now.”
“Thanks!” says Girl. Girl sits and pets Dog.
Dog is very soft and warm and fluffy. Dog starts to wag his tail. Dog is happy.
“Where are you going in the woods?” asks Dog. “You are far away from the town.”
“I am on a trip!” says Girl. “I want to see new things! I have my best bag and my shiny rock and my magic stick and my big green cape! Now I am set for my trip!”
“Wow!” says Dog. “You must be very brave. But there is one thing you do not have. It’s the best thing to have on a trip!”
“Oh!” says Girl. “What is the best thing to have on a trip?”
“A friend!” says Dog. “Trips are way more fun when you have a friend! I want to be your friend. I want to come with you on the trip and you can pet me lots and lots.”
“WOW!” says Girl. “I like to pet you a lot. I want to be your friend too! Thank you! You are very nice.”
Girl gives Dog a big hug. Dog is very happy and wags his tail lots and lots. Girl and Dog go into the woods to see more things.
Girl and Dog walk in the woods for a bit. They see a pretty tree, a red berry, and a mossy log. They sit on the mossy log under the pretty tree and eat the red berry. It is a yummy snack!
When they are done, Dog says “I have an idea for the next part of the trip! How about we go to the big rock?”
“Ooh!” says Girl, “the big rock is a new thing! I want to see the big rock!”
“Okay,” says Dog, “I know the way.”
Girl and Dog go to the big rock. On the big rock, there is a small bird. There are twigs next to the bird.
“Hi!” says Girl. “I am Girl! Do you want to be my friend?”
“Oh, hi Girl,” says the small bird. “I am Bird. I think a friend would be nice.”
“Okay!” says Girl. “You are now my friend! And I am now your friend!”
“Hooray!” says Bird. “Friends are very nice.”
“Now that we are friends, what will we do?” says Girl.
“I want to show you my nest,” says Bird, “but I don’t have one.” Bird is sad. “I want to make a nest so all of my bird friends can have a home. But it is very hard to make a nest. Can you help me?”
“Okay!” says Girl. “I will help you make a nest! I will see if any of my cool stuff can help us.”
Girl looks in her best bag. Her shiny rock is there. But the shiny rock will not help Bird make a nest.
“Oh!” says Bird. “That is a very nice bag.”
“Thank you!” says Girl. “It is my best bag! I put the things I find in it.”
Girl looks at her best bag. It is nice and soft. Girl looks at Bird. Bird is very small.
“Bird, do you fit in my bag?” says Girl.
“I think so,” says Bird, “let me try.”
Girl takes the shiny rock out of the bag. Bird gets in the bag. Bird fits in the bag! There is lots of room in the bag.
“Oh my!” says Bird. “This is so cozy. I bet me and all my bird friends can fit in here too!”
“Yay!” says Girl. “You can keep it. I don’t need it very much.”
“Thank you!” says Bird, “I will take this bag to use it as a home for me and all my bird friends.”
“Hooray!” says Girl. “I like to help my friends. Now what will Dog and I see next?”
“The lake is very pretty,” says Bird. “I think you two will like it a lot.”
“Thank you!” says Girl. “We will go to the lake.”
Girl and Dog wave bye to Bird. Girl and Dog saw the big rock and now they will go to the lake.
“That was fun,” says Girl. “I am very happy we can help our friends.”
“Yes,” says Dog. “That is also why friends are the best thing to have on a trip. Friends help their friends.”
“You are so smart,” says Girl. “You know so many things.”
“Thank you,” says Dog. “I like to talk to my friends and learn new things.”
“Okay,” says Girl. “Let’s go make some new friends and learn some new things!”
“Yes!” says Dog. “This will be fun!”
Now Girl and Dog are at the lake. The lake is very big and pretty. It is shiny and looks like the sky.
“I am so happy to see the lake!” says Girl.
Girl puts her hand in the lake. The lake is nice and cool. Now Girl’s hand is wet.
“I want to see what is in the lake.” says Girl. “I will go in the lake!”
Girl gets into the lake. It is very fun to swim in the lake. Girl sees a nice shell, a smooth rock, and a wavy plant.
Next, Girl sees a fancy fish.
“Hi!” says Girl. “I am Girl. Do you want to be my friend?”
“Hello Girl,” says the fancy fish. “I am Fish. I do want to be your friend.”
“Hooray!” says Girl. “I like to make new friends a lot.”
“Me too,” says Fish. “But I can’t find my other friends. We like to meet here to swim, but I think they got lost. It is hard to find places in the lake.”
“Oh no!” says Girl. “Can I help? I like to help my friends. That’s what friends are for!”
“Oh, thank you,” says Fish. “This is so nice. What can you do to help?”
Girl looks at her cool stuff. She has a magic stick to hit mean things and a shiny rock to make new friends and her big green cape to show how brave she is.
“Oh wow,” says Fish. “That is such a shiny rock! I bet my friends can see it, even from very far away.”
“Do you want my shiny rock?” says Girl. “So your friends won’t get lost and you can swim with them.”
“Thank you so much!” says Fish. “Now my friends can find me and I can swim with them.”
“Yay!” says Girl. “I am so happy to help my friends.”
It is cold in the lake and Girl wants to be warm. Also, Girl misses Dog.
“I think I will go back to the land now,” says Girl. “I hope your friends find you!”
“Okay!” says Fish. “If you want to see more water, there is a very cozy stream close by.”
“Oh thank you!” says Girl. “I will go there. Bye, Fish!”
“Bye Girl!” says Fish.
Girl goes back to the land. Dog is there, and he is very soft and warm and dry. Girl gives Dog a big hug. Girl is very happy to be with Dog. Dog is now wet, but Dog is very happy to be with Girl, too.
Girl and Dog sit in the sun until they are both warm and dry.
“I made a friend in the lake,” says Girl. “Her name is Fish. I gave her my shiny rock so her friends don’t get lost.”
“Yay!” says Dog. “I am so happy you made a new friend.”
“Me too,” says Girl. “She said there was a cozy stream close by. We can go there next.”
“Okay,” says Dog. “That sounds very nice.”
Girl and Dog go to the cozy stream. They see a big log, a lily pad, and a red leaf.
Now Girl and Dog are at the cozy stream. The water makes a pretty sound when it hits all the rocks. Girl likes the sound the water makes lots and lots.
Then they see a frog next to the stream. The frog has a funny hat!
“Hi!” says Girl. “I am Girl. Do you want to be my friend?”
“Howdy Girl!” says the frog with the funny hat. “My name is Frog. Being your friend sounds real nice.”
“Yay!” says Girl. “I like your funny hat.”
“Why thank you!” says Frog. “I like your big green cape, too.”
“Thank you!” says Girl. “Mom made it for me. It shows how brave I am. See?” Girl does a spin.
“I do see!” says Frog. “And my hat was a gift from my dear mama, too, but I can’t get to her no more.”
“Oh!” says Girl. “Why not?”
“Well she’s on the other side of this here stream,” Frog says, “and I can’t get over there.”
“Can you hop over it?” says Girl. Girl hops up and down so Frog will know what she means.
“No,” says Frog. Frog looks sad. “I can’t hop very well.”
“Oh,” says Girl. “Can you swim to the other side?”
“No,” says Frog. “The water is too fast.”
“But Fish said this is a cozy stream,” says Girl.
“Oh, not at all!” says Frog. “Maybe this stream is cozy for fish, but not for frogs!”
“Oh,” says Girl. “I don’t think I get it, but that’s okay.” Girl still wants to help Frog cross the stream.
Girl looks down at her magic stick. It is nice and big so she can hit lots of mean things. It is so big it can go from one side of the stream to the other. Girl has an idea.
Girl puts the stick down across the stream. Now there is a small bridge over the stream.
“Can you cross the stream now?” says Girl.
“I think I can!” says Frog. Frog goes on the bridge. “Hot dog! This is the best!”
Frog goes over the stream.
“Yeehaw! Thank you, friend!” says Frog.
“I’m so happy that I can help my friends!” says Girl. She is so happy that she hops up and down lots and lots.
Frog tips his hat. “Have a very nice day! Thanks again!”
“You too!” says Girl. “Bye, Frog!”
Now it is late in the day. Soon it will be night. Girl yawns. “Let’s go to our next spot!” says Girl.
“You look very sleepy,” says Dog. “It’s hard to go on a trip when you’re sleepy.”
“Yeah,” says Girl. Girl pets Dog. Girl is very sleepy.
“Today was a big day,” says Dog. “First, we went to the big rock and you gave Bird your best bag so it could be a nice nest. Next, we went to the pretty lake and you gave Fish your shiny rock so her friends don’t get lost. Then, we came to the cozy stream and you gave Frog your magic stick so he could cross the river. You made so many friends and gave all of them your help.”
“I did help lots of friends,” said Girl. “Today was a very good day.” Girl sits with Dog. “But you’re silly, Dog. You didn’t say that we met! That was today and that was very big.”
“You’re right,” says Dog. “That was very very big. I’m so glad we met and are now friends!”
Girl sits up. “Oh Dog!” she says. “You’re my friend! I like to help my friends lots and lots! I gave help to Bird and Fish and Frog, but not you! What do I do to help you, Dog?”
“You’re silly, Girl,” says Dog. “You did help me lots and lots just by being my friend today. Trips are best when you have a friend with you. You got to go on a trip with a friend today, and so did I!”
“Okay!” says Girl. “I’m so happy I got to help you today. You helped me too, Dog. You are my friend! You made this trip so much fun. I’m so happy we’re friends.”
“Me too,” says Dog.
Girl yawns some more. She puts her head on Dog’s head.
“You need to sleep,” says Dog. “Do you want to go home?”
“I don’t know,” says Girl. “Mom and Dad will be mad I went into the woods. They tell me not to. I don’t think they’ll let me come back to the woods.”
“Oh,” says Dog. “Do you want to stay in the woods? We can go to the spot I like to sleep in.”
Girl pets Dog. “I don’t know. I don’t want Mom and Dad to be sad. They’re really nice all the time. My mom made my big green cape for me.”
“I see,” says Dog. “So what will you do?”
Girl thinks lots and lots. Dog is really nice all the time, too. Girl also doesn’t want Dog to be sad.
Girl thinks about the town. Girl thinks about how warm and cozy her bed is when Dad tucks her in. Girl thinks about all the things she learns in school. Girl wants to learn to read big books. Girl thinks about Mom and all the things she shows her how to make. Girl wants to learn to make capes, too, even cooler than the ones Mom makes.
“I think I will go home,” says Girl. “I’m very glad I came to the woods. I really like all the new things I saw and the cool trip we had. And I really really like all my new friends!” Girl pets Dog some more. “But I want to go home.”
“Okay,” says Dog. “I’m glad Mom and Dad will be happy to see you. But I will be sad that I won’t get to see you again.”
“Me too,” says Girl. Girl gives Dog more pets. “I will miss you lots and lots.”
“I will too,” says Dog.
Girl takes off her big green cape that shows how brave she is. But Girl knows how brave she is. Soon she will make her very own cape. Girl will make lots of capes.
“Here,” says Girl. “I want you to have this. So you can keep it and think of me for a long time.”
“Oh Girl,” says Dog. “I will think of you lots and lots, even if I don’t have your big green cape.”
“I will think of you lots, too,” says Girl. “But I still want you to have it.”
“Okay,” says Dog. “Thank you very much. I will take care of it so much.”
“Just like you took care of me!” says Girl. Girl puts her big green cape on Dog. Girl ties her best knot, to keep it nice and snug. “There,” says Girl.
“Thank you, Girl,” says Dog. “I love you so much.”
Girl gives Dog the biggest hug.
“I love you too, Dog,” says Girl. “So so much.”
“Goodbye, Girl,” says Dog.
Girl lets go of Dog. “Goodbye, Dog,” says Girl.
Girl is going home. Girl turns around to wave goodbye to her best friend, Dog, in a big green cape.
Girl goes back down the cozy stream. Girl can see Frog on the other side with his mama, who has a funny hat too.
Girl goes from the cozy stream to the pretty lake. She goes past the big log, the lily pad, and the red leaf. Girl looks in the pretty lake and sees Fish and her friends going for a big swim by the nice shell, the smooth rock, and the wavy plant.
Girl goes from the pretty lake to the big rock. She sees Bird with lots of bird friends in the nice nest. They are going to sleep. Girl wants to go to sleep, too.
Girl goes past the huge leaf, the funny bug, and the rocky hill. Girl is now at the end of the woods.
Girl goes out of the woods. Girl goes back to the town. Girl goes back to her home. Mom and Dad are very happy to see her and give her a big, big hug. Girl loves Mom and Dad too.
“Oh no,” says Mom, “did you lose your big green cape?”
“No,” says Girl. “I gave it to my best friend.”
“Okay,” says Mom. Girl is so sleepy. Mom picks her up and takes her to her bed. Dad tucks her in.
Girl is so cozy in her bed. Girl had the best day.
