So, I love organization, and Tumblr doesn't do folders. And I am not gonna make a million different pages for each individual thing when I barely post. So, here's an organized post of all the tags I use. Every single post I've ever made has one of these on it.
First, this is a link to the A.U.'s page on the Skylanders Fan Wiki.
Amalgamation is the series designation name for the Skylanders A.U. created by ISS600. This A.U. isn't exactly AU-ish, it's more of an expan
---• ☆ Main Stuff ☆
Artistic Endeavors: Art and W.i.P.'s I've made and drawn. If anything like bases are used or specific people's works, I'll provide credits in the description with links.
Cheeps: Very short posts akin to Saying Stuff. Emphasis on being short, pointless and possibly made in rapid succession. Think of a Tweet or one of those types of Tumblr posts.
Saying Stuff: These are posts I make to actually say something. Usually not related to any of these other things; it's really just me talking.
---• ☆ Amalgamation Stuff ☆
Amalgamation AU: Posts relating to my Skylanders A.U. "Amalgamation".
Skybrids: Post related to the fangame that created the "Amalgamation" AU, "Skylanders: Skybrids".
Skylander Summon: Posts discussing a Skylander with lore and my own ramblings.
Notes of Nomenclature: Posts on the real names that I made up for Skylanders. Features a breakdown of the name and my own notes.
Drawing Board: Posts related to characters' (re)designs and such details, again with my own ramblings.
Soundtracking: Posts about the A.U.'s (hopefully) extensive soundtrack and featured songs.
Lore Logs: Posts related to worldbuilding, history and all that lore stuff.
Hey I'm opening commission for my art
Rules:
! I ONLY ACCEPT PAYPAL ONLY !
*DO'S
OC's
Monsters
Robots
Humans
Vehicles (but I'm not as goo
Thanks to my good friend Omega, I bring you my AU's official redesign of Free Ranger. It's the same as regular Free Ranger, but with a reproportioned body to be less off-model-feeling (the enlarged lower limbs don't work for some characters, and Free Ranger is one of them) and resemble a real chicken (which is why he has the hips and thighs alongside his usual sturdy build). As for the shoes, that ties into a bigger thing: I made him a ballet dancer. And an Indigenous dancer, but that's more flavor that gameplay function (it's for his lore; he's Indigenous-coded since, well, it makes sense because he's basically thunderbird-lite).
His armor was also redone because I really didn't like how bulky it looked. I prefer a streamlined sort of thing for him. Also his spin animation is the reason I gave him pointe shoes. I did not like how he points his feet, so, now he spins on perfect point.
Oh yeah, and I gave him tailfeathers. And a longer ponytail (which I made his comb). It looks nicer that way. And speaking of which, those are below. His comb is on the left, the middle are his sickle feathers and the right are his regular tail feathers.
Not an in-universe one, but an out of universe one. Essentially, here's what's going on:
The Early Years: A comic series meant to tell the stories of Skylanders in their earlier years of the job.
SSA-SI: All normal, all expected. Games like you'd think with some minor changes.
Skybrids: The first fangame in this AU, the technical start and the main focus of it. This is my Skylanders 7 and acts as a "chapter 2" kind of. It reposes every figure created (variants and more), and it generally is meant to act as a major shift in the series.
Skybrids 2: The sequel meant to act as a return to form for the game after the major shift of Skybrids. 8th game and a good time.
Sentinels: Not the class, but rather the 9th game.
Skylanders 10: Essentially a massive multiverse crossover...kind of. In really, it's gonna have chapters jumping into some different worlds. Nothing major.
Skylanders 11: Unsure but gonna focus on the Cores.
We now have 2 new children. Meet Rea (the rooster chick on fire and on a horse named "Amegan"...because chicken jockey) and Mendi (the hen chick with the Wendat-Huron-inspired drum).
I've been working on Rattle Shake for my AU lately, and I bring good news. This man now has a personality and a dynamic with the group.
By a complete miracle, he actually enjoys the company of Free Ranger. It ranges from "tolerate" to "like", so it isn't like they're best buds forever, but they are friendly. They banter, they joke, they actually have conversations (granted, Free Ranger's usually initiating) and most of all, Rattle Shake actually agrees to hang out with the storm chicken for one specific activity: horse-riding.
No really, I came up with this whole dynamic and gave Rattle Shake a big boost in development of his personality and character through horse-riding. It's for an episode of Heroes in Harmony. In a nutshell:
Free Ranger takes Rattle Shake out to learn how to ride a horse. The two end up assisting a tribe of Storm Chickens and a village of Dirt Sharks against a group of bandits.
Expansion will follow because this is a very bad description and the plot is still a mess. This is the best I got though.
Anyway, here's Rattle Shake's W.i.P. wiki page. It's still a heavy stub and has little original content, but it exists now.
"Go ahead, snake my day!" —Rattle Shake's battle cry Rattle Shake is an Undead element snake who is a part of the SWAP Force. He first d
Doom Stone and Free Ranger's children! Some statues were carved and handmade by Doom Stone and Free Ranger, others were adopted, and the chickens are also all adopted. One big happy Freestone family.
Artist Credit: @omegaprime100 (Tumblr) and OmegaPrime.
In order from left to right for all. First picture:
Kassiópeia (gorgon)
Animikii Torrence (storm hen)
Greg (scarecrow)
Second picture:
Jake (rattlesnake statue)
Ares (basilisk with the flaming horse)
Third picture:
Athena (centaur)
Crystal “Chris” (cockatrice)
雷火/Raika (basan)
Turea (storm hen)
Ronni (storm rooster)
Heno (storm rooster)
Ina (storm hen)
And now, for some fun facts.
Kassiópeia is named for the Caspian Whipsnake and Cassiopeia.
Animikii is the Anishinaabe name for the Thunderbird. Torrence comes from "torrent" in "torrential rain".
Jake is named for Rattlesnake Jake from Rango, who was his inspiration.
Athena and Ares are named for the Greek gods of warfare.
The characters in Raika's name mean "thunder" (雷) and "fire (火).
In Wyandotte: Turea comes from the word for cold, Ronni from sky, Heno from thunder and Ina "it rains".
2 concept sketches (exceptionally rough sketches at that) of the Harmony Radios, special items integral to the story of my AU.
This is a rough sketch of where and how the radio attaches to your arm. It's worn on the wrist and reaches around halfway up your forearm. Two bands at the top and bottom of the radio secure it to the arm while the radio itself is on top.
Bird's eye view of the Harmony Radio, or at least what it looks like right now. The top and bottom have two speakers to project sounds from. The dial in the center is a tuner volume controller, allowing you to turn on, turn off, turn up and turn down the radio. The red ring is either a volume indicator or a tuner; rotating it allows you to tune it to another radio and person. The center of the dial may also have a small projector crystal in the center, allowing you to replay "Melodiscs" (essentially, music videos of any song sung while the radio was used). There should also be a slot where you can eject and store Melodiscs but I'm still working out where that will be.
Some HeroForges of the Skylanders From Skylanders: Skybrids 2
So, for Skybrids 1, there's 10 new Skylanders and maybe like, 4 Guests. For Skybrids 2, there's like 40+ unique characters. So, here are some of the characters made in HeroForge.
Torrenada
Meet Torrenada, an Earth/Air elemental hybrid. She is a Dust Devil, a hybrid species aligned with the Earth and Air elements.
Head Light
Meet Head Light, a Light/Dark Deer (the model is an Elk so work with me please). He is also a hybrid elemental, though his species is just a regular Deer; he's just infused with power. He's based on the phrase "a deer in headlights" as his ability involves stunning people with bright flashes of light. I'll expand his kit better but that's the basic.
Two-Step
Meet Two-Step, an Undead manananggal. She's got a unique moveset in that I really wanna incorporate the splitting into her mechanic. I have no idea how I'll do it, but my current plan is to make her regular form a bit slow and tanky, and her split form stupid fast, but also vulnerable and weak. So it's a tradeoff every time it's used.
Hopalong
Meet Hopalong an Undead jiāngshī. Her kit, like her name, and her myth, is Goomba Stomp. She uses her legs to leap and stomp the crap out of enemies. And the pole on her back is for polevaulting onto enemies. Overall, she got kicks.
Lady Luck
Meet Lady Luck, a Light Qilin. I don't know what her powers would be, but I really wanted a Qilin Skylander.
Ursa Major
Meet Ursa Major, a Dark element constellation. He's a bear, he's a star, he's a bear made of stars. He's basically Captain Barnacles from Octonauts and Freddy Fazbear from Five Nights at Freddy's in one body. Personality of Barnacles and the fashion style of Freddy Fazbear. He shoots people. End of story.
My research of chickens and their eyesight as well as a little too much reading into Free Ranger's canon bio has led to this headcanon.
Dude's a complete weenie when it comes to jumpscares. He's a prey animal with obscenely fast visual processing and stupidly good reflexes. He's hard to sneak up on, let alone actually catch off-guard. So if you do?
Full on chicken screech (and he's a rooster so believe he can put force behind those lungs) and he probably whips up a storm all over whoever got him because you just triggered his most primal of animal instincts.
Because of this, he manages to be amazing at FNaF through the power of sheer terror and reflexes. Fear is a great motivator.
The following are a big old list of headcanons I have for the SWAP Force. Tried to include at least one for every character.
Age-Coding
60s: Night Shift
30s: Wash Buckler, Blast Zone, Trap Shadow, Rubble Rouser, Grilla Drilla, Rattle Shake
20s: Fire Kraken, Free Ranger, Magna Charge, Spy Rise, Stink Bomb, Doom Stone
19: Hoot Loop, Boom Jet
18: Freeze Blade
Team Dynamics
Freeze Blade, Hoot Loop, Boom Jet and Fire Kraken are the youngest and see Night Shift as “grandpa” (more so Freeze Blade than others).
Freeze Blade, Fire Kraken and Free Ranger are good friends and the main chaos trio. Hoot Loop helps, but is usually too busy taking pictures and eating popcorn as they get their tails handed to them.
Boom Jet and Freeze Blade are stunt friends.
Rubble Rouser and Grilla Drilla are friends and play instruments together: Rubble on ukulele and Grilla on goblet drum.
Trap Shadow avoids everyone. Stink Bomb socializes with everyone but prefers solitude. Rattle Shake is friends with everyone, but prefers to be alone with his snakes. Night Shift is old and grumpy and keeps to himself with an aristocratic sense of respect and dignity. All get along courteously with Trap Shadow. All are considered “the resident loners”.
Magna Charge and Spy Rise are best friends. They like to geek out with one another in private.
Wash Buckler and Blast Zone are both best friends and co-leaders, Blast Zone sees himself as the one who keeps Wash Buckler on a leash, Wash Buckler is the one who thinks that's kinky.
Night Shift, Grilla Drilla and Blast Zone are the sane ones of the team. Rubble Rouser is the sane one who is also a reasonable bridge to insanity. Trap Shadow is the straight man, so he goes about and sets up all the punchlines while acting like he's sane.
DoomRanger
Free Ranger and Doom Stone are very close companions and often check up on one another either emotionally or with gifts like food for late nights of work or extra clothes, repaired and polished weaponry etc. Small favors and such to help the other out. Also dance partners as Free Ranger likes to dance and loves to invite Doom Stone to dance with him specifically, and Doom Stone enjoys dancing.
Doom Stone acts as the therapy friend and is always looking out for others and helping in any way he can. He feels immense pressure to be this way. Because of this, Free Ranger will often reassure him and comfort him whenever he's stressed.
Free Ranger and Doom Stone look out and care for one another. Doom Stone takes care of Free Ranger by keeping him calm and helping him through panic attacks. Doom Stone acts as a pillar of support, giving Free Ranger somewhere to vent and be vulnerable about his struggles. He also brings Free Ranger food to make sure he’s fed.
Free Ranger takes care of Doom Stone by giving him somewhere to cool off and vent. As Doom Stone takes care of others, Free Ranger gives him that same luxury of being cared for. Free Ranger comforts Doom Stone and supports him, doing work to take the load off his shoulders and so on. He’ll polish his weaponry, repair things, clean and more so that Doom Stone isn’t swamped with work.
Doom Stone and Free Ranger were the first to become friends on the team. Their friendship tests the limits of friendly and romantic so often that the entire team made a betting pot for when they'd become boyfriends. Everyone adds 10 gold to pile. The betting pot is up to 292,600 gold (10 gold x 14 people x 209 years from 1813 to 2022), and that isn't counting the contributions from Master Eon, several Senseis and the previous Chieftess of Woodburrow. And the Ancient Elementals. And Brain.
Color-Vision
Tetrachromatic: Free Ranger
Trichromatic: Magna Charge, Spy Rise, Blast Zone, Fire Kraken, Doom Stone, Rubble Rouser, Boom Jet, Night Shift, Grilla Drilla
Hoot Loop is nocturnal but he's been screwing up his sleep schedule for so long it no longer matters. Either way, he sleeps when he can and he sleeps in a small ball on any kind of surface above the floor. He has been caught sleeping on light fixtures, inside people's closets, on hangars etc. Makes sense since he's 4ft tall and the smallest member of the team.
Trap Shadow hates wearing clothes and proudly champions not wearing clothes. Everyone else is usually demanding he put on some pants, or at least underwear. He refuses.
Magna Charge is often found racing the SuperChargers on their racetrack or in Spy Rise's lab doing science experiments. So far, he's supercharged a potato and has built a magnetic-wheel-powered wagon to give the kids a fun ride. Unfortunately no one told him that wagons are not permitted to carry children if they go above 100mph.
Spy Rise is a gigantic geek for spy stuff to the point of worshipping Tidepool and fanboying over her. When he found out she was a Sensei, he straight up fainted on the spot, and then swung around squeeing.
Blast Zone is one of the team's better cooks and is a grillmaster supreme. He is often making large cuts of meat on a grill just for fun which he then gives to homeless shelters and such.
Fire Kraken is a gigantic culture nut and basically absorbs cultural knowledge into him. Related to his search for wisdom, he tends to chase after small spherical objects that float.
Freeze Blade tries to put on a cool guy persona but he secretly desperately needs affection and hugs. Luckily, he gets all the affection he needs no problem.
Wash Buckler speaks 4 languages: Pirate, Swears, Innuendos and English in that order of fluency. He can and will say crazy stuff or d crazy stuff because Y.O.L.O. is a motto and rules are guidelines.
Doom Stone often mixes up or misunderstands idioms and slang. Alongside his general tendency to say stuff with incorrect context, he inadvertently has the dirtiest mouth of the team by pure accident.
Rubble Rouser is a real country guy, and he's a great cook. Unfortunately he cooks rocks and rocks only. His best dishes are Marble Muffins and Fossilized Shrimp and Gravel Grits. Only Free Ranger actually eats anything he makes.
Boom Jet rarely removes his flight suit and helmet, but when he does, he always has the most adorable helmet fur
Free Ranger, because he's a storm rooster, has really long comb feathers and tail feathers which are bioluminescent and make for great decoration. His teammates regularly steal them to use for clothes.
Grilla Drilla does not date men and women, he dates ladies and gentlemen. He's a very high-class man and with refined tastes and a feel for the finer things in life. He is the only one on the team who actually understands the finer things in life.
Stink Bomb does not actually like to smell bad. In fact, he prefers to smell like nothing at all, or like whatever his environment is. So he usually takes long baths and uses lots of soaps and stuff. He's actually quite good at that kind of beauty.
Night Shift has adopted the entire SWAP Force to a degree. He looks out for them, and though he isn't afraid to punch them when they do something monumentally stupid, he loves and cares. He gives the best Grandpa Advice and everyone has gone to him for something at some point.
Rattle Shake is such a loner to his team that it's hard to discern any quirks from him. But one that has become extremely well known is his tendency to sleep on warm surfaces. So sometimes he'll be found taking a nap in a pile of freshly dried laundry if it's warm. One time Doom Stone was unloading dry laundry and Rattle Shake slithered into the room, slithered into the dryer and fell asleep. Doom Stone just left the machine open with a sign to not disturb him or run a cycle.
Basic Information
Skylanders Name: Blast Zone
Real Name: Zane Alablaster.
Gender: Male
Species: Furnace Knight
Age: 30s
Height: 7ft
Skylander Classification
Element: Fire
Swap Power: Rocket
Type: Swapper
Team: SWAP Force
World: Skylands
Extra Information
First Appearance: Skylanders: Swap Force
Latest Appearance: Skylanders: Skybrids
Voice Actor: Jess Harnell
Blast Zone is the co-leader of the SWAP Force. Noble and upstanding but with a short fuse and short temper, he's the high-strung anger-ball compared to Wash Buckler's more relaxed and chill nature. Like the fire he's made of, he tends to burn others with his aggressive personality and high standards. He does not tolerate behavior that isn't by-the-book and his drill sergeant attitude and intimidating nature can make him come off as a bit of a jerk. But nevertheless, he is quite disarming despite his fiery nature and he's gotten better at controlling his temper and becoming a nicer person.
Wash Buckler's best friend and co-leader. Only official Skylanders team to have 2 official leaders.
His standards come from his time on the bomb squad. Seeing people do impulsive things or reckless behavior and the grisly results of such things, not to mention the emotional fallout, has left him quite scarred. This is the reason he pushes people so hard and has such little tolerance for certain behavior.
The bomb squad years really molded his behavior to the by-the-book and rigid-thinking Skylander he is, but his time with the SWAP Force has helped him think a lot freer and comfortably act on impulse.
He and Free Ranger are friendly and cordial but the two used to hate one another 200 years ago. They've gotten better.
One of the few sane members of the SWAP Force.
Also one the few members who actively tries to stop Doom Stone from talking when his mangling of idioms, slang, social blindness or inability to pick up on subtext and subtlety make him say inappropriate stuff. He's also the one who delivers a good "shame on you" to those who enable the poor statue, that is, if Night Shift doesn't punch them first.
Basic Information
Name: Pandergast
Titles: Pandergast the Magnificent, Prince of Pontification, Sultan of Swagger, Reigning Hoopla of All Hucksters
Gender: Male
Species: (Whatever Boom Jet is)
Age: 40
Height: 6ft
Skylander Classification
Element: Dark
Type: NPC
Team: Companions
World: Skylands
Extra Information
First Appearance: Skylanders: SuperChargers
Latest Appearance: Skylanders: Skybrids
Voice Actor: Max Mittelman
Pandergast is the flashy, egocentric showboat host of multiple circles in the Skylands racing community. From the Speedway to Ridepocalypse, he's got a hand in every piece of pie and cake one could find, and he's got sources and their sources and their grandmas' sources. He is king of the ring and he knows it, never less than proud and prideful, but surprisingly not the evil mastermind one may be led to believe. Despite his money-driven tendencies and love of making bucks, keeping bucks and spending as little as he can, he has some kind of moral upstanding and standards and will do what's right at the end of the day.
He knows everyone and everything about everywhere. The man has connections beyond your dreams, literally, and he has no problem trading information for a fee, specifically, money, exposure and as a competitor in whatever upcoming races he's holding.
He is not Baron Sharpfin's friend anymore. That being said, he has no issue cozying up to the dirt shark for information or some enchiladas.
He is best friends with the SuperChargers and is the one who built their racetrack in Skylanders Bay. With the catch that he could use it any time, and he could film them any time. They don't care 'cause Spitfire and Stormblade use it as an opportunity to sing Taylor Swift.
Pandergast, being a showman first and foremost, is surprisingly adept at committing to the bit and acting. The man can perform, sing, dance and play with no issue whatsoever.
He isn't really an ally by any means but that doesn't stop him from trying to be one anyway. Everyone just lets him because why not? Better he's on their side than others.
He has tried to sell numerous Skylanders during Ridepocalypse. Sometimes they even let him if he agrees to let them in on the profits (cough cough, Smash Hit, cough cough).
He complains of joint pain from being cramped inside so many seats of small vehicles and cockpits or stuck sitting watching the races.
He likes bikes. He prefers to cycle too because it gets him to stretch his joints. But unfortunately for his hands, he is a chronic bike handle gripper to the point of hand pain.
Basic Information
Name: Tessa
Title: Chieftess
Gender: Female
Species: Fox
Age: 21
Height: 5ft
Skylander Classification
Element: Life
Type: NPC
Team: Companions
World: Skylands
Extra Information
First Appearance: Skylanders: Swap Force
Latest Appearance: Skylanders: Skybrids
Voice Actress: Kari Wahlgren
Tessa is the plucky Chieftess of Woodburrow. Full of adventure and youthful joy, she's a determined little lady and keeps her head on straight. She isn't one for logic or science, preferring to keep in tune with her Life element roots and using feeling, her gut and the natural movement of the Cloudbreak Isles to guide her. She tends to be the more emotionally-driven of the group, but balances it out by being relatively emotionally mature and like a true leader, she looks out for others.
She tends to be mistaken for being younger than she actually is. Because of this, she has at least 6 forms of ID that she cycles through as needed.
She is strangely friends with Mags by a complete miracle. Cali is her truest compadre, and of course, Flynn is her hero worship crush.
She's often away in Woodburrow on duty, but makes time to drop by the Academy and see the others.
She's proficient with a bow and arrow, and while melée isn't her specialty, she isn't helpless.
Her hair smells like strawberries. This is because she uses strawberry oil. Her outfits are also somewhat fragrant as she uses herbal leaves and such for clothes. They feel more comfortable that way.
The following is a oneshot that I decided to write upon the suggestion of @doomstonee. She writes some DoomRanger stories and I really really like them, and they inspired me to write my own.
Here it is on my Wattpad if you want to read it there.
Author's Note (Pre-Reading):
One, this oneshot is written in a style that I do not often write in. It's written in a style more recognizeable as Stonee's and that's because I tried to write this oneshot my way and it just didn't work. For some reason, I couldn't get it to sound right. So I wrote it in the same first person and present tense manner as Stonee. Not trying to rip her off at all. It just did not work in my usual style. In fact, I rewrote it three times before settling on this version because it was such a struggle.
Also, there's a second author's note at the bottom but it's spoilers so I'd advice you read the oneshot first.
Reading people isn't a strong suit of mine. It never has been, and I don't think it ever will be. But, even then, I know when my best friend isn't himself. And is most certainly not himself right now. Free Ranger hasn’t been for a week and it’s starting to worry me. I have a bad feeling as to why he’s been off, but I’m sure that there is more that meets the eye.
It's 3 in the morning when I smell smoke in the air. That’s surprisingly normal here, so I don't pay much mind. But I do wake up, pull myself together (literally, my pillar is in pieces) and sneak out of my room. I don't want to wake anyone up, so I haven't bothered to put my armor back on. I make my way out of the hallway and down the stairs to the living room. Where there’s smoke, there's fire, and in our treehouse, that's in the living room. You’d think it’d be because of our fireplace, but it rarely ever is.
I round the corner and enter the living room to see Free Ranger standing there. He's got a bowl of burning plants, Air herbs I think, and he's waving around the smoke they're creating with one of his feathers. I've seen him do this before, it's called "smudging" and it's a cultural practice done by Storm Chickens. Something feels off though. His mood is pensive. I knock on the wall to alert him to my presence. Don’t want to make the mistake of jumpscaring a chicken with rather powerful lungs. Last time, the team made sure they chewed me up.
"Hey, Ray. You’re up early.” I say, giving him an admittedly lovestruck smile. I can’t help it, I’m smitten with him.
“Oh, hey Dom.” He smiles a little at me, but I can see that it’s forced. His eyes don’t lie though, I can see how much he loves me when I look at them. They’re tinted faintly with yellow, almost imperceptible to many. The lightning-bright glow of his light shines into the nearly pitch-black room, piercing through the darkness. I can see that his comb is messy and undone, not tied back in its usual ponytail and left hanging loose down his back. His tail is a similar story, having not been preened yet and fluffed with disarray. Free Ranger looks so unbelievably cute right now and if I had a heart that could, it would be leaping out of my chest and hitting me over the head. I’m so in love, but I need to focus on the task in my hand.
“Whatcha doin’ up at this hour? You don’t get up before 6, much less 3.”
“I smelled the smoke and got curious. How about you?”
"Just woke up that way. Figured I’d…do some smudging.” I noticed his hesitation but decided not to press while he’s in the middle of it. It feels inappropriate. So I wait. I take a seat on our couch and watch. He waves the smoke around himself, then me a few times, and then taps the embers out. He pauses for a moment and grimaces, his glow dimming before it perks back up. He turns to leave but I stop him.
“Ray, sunshine? Can we talk?” I ask, motioning for him to sit. My face is serious; his face is nervous. His glow dims again and I open my arms, welcoming him for a hug. His head twitches as he looks around, before he cautiously slips into my embrace. He and I curl up on the couch and he pulls a blanket over us. His head is on my shoulder. I kiss him on the forehead. Don’t have lips but anything is possible if you don’t care enough.
He looks up at me a little confused. “What’s up, Dom?” he asks. “You’re not yourself, Radyn. What’s wrong?” He looks at me again. “What do you mean? I’m fine.” Body language is not my specialty either, but I know Free Ranger well enough to waver a guess that he’s not being completely honest. I give him my best “I’m serious and I know you’re lying” face and run my fingers through his comb, detangling the glowing feathers.
“I’ve known you for over 200 years, Ray. I know when something’s up.” I hold him closer. “What’s got your stoat?”
Free Ranger chuckles lightly and pecks me on the cheek. It’s sweet and soft even though his beak is sharp keratin. I love his lovetaps. I can’t help the small giggle that erupts from my chest. I have a feeling that I messed up an idiom again but I don’t mind it. It made my darling Ray of sunshine laugh even in his pensive mood.
“It’s goat, not stoat, Dominic.” Free Ranger corrects me and sighs, laying his head back down. “And…I guess you’ve finally cracked the code to reading me, huh…”
I nod and kiss him again. “I’m your boyfriend, it’s my job. Now come on, what is it that’s bothering you? Is there anything I can do?” I paused and my voice becomes a little quieter. “Is it because of your birthday coming up?” His birthday has always been a sore subject, and for good reason. The rooster underwent a tragedy no one should ever have to experience, and it shaped his very being for the next 21 years of his life…and to this day, the pain still lingers.
Free Ranger trills softly, claws running across my smooth bald head. He likes that I’m bald. I think it’s because he enjoys rubbing his face all over my face and head. It’s how chickens show affection, so you best believe that I enjoy every moment of it. “Well, it…it…it’s stupid. It’s nothing, really, just stupid angst over my parents. Again.”
He’s so dismissive of his feelings. Always has been, and I wish he wasn’t.
“Radyn…” I begin to stroke his feathers. “Angsting over your parents it’s stupid. I know how hard it’s been for you to move on from what happened. That isn’t “nothing”, sunshine.”
“I…Dom, it’s been over 200 years. I should be over this. I shouldn’t be so upset all the time. But…” Free Ranger sighs and goes limp across my body, sounding so tired and drained. “I’ve gotten therapy for the survivor’s guilt. I should be over it. For the most part, I am over it. I’ve accepted it.”
“Survivor’s guilt isn’t something you can cure like a cold. It will always be with you, you just have to let it be a part of you, not what defines you or decides who you are and what you do.” I kiss him yet again and lean my face against his beak. Our eyes meet. I love his eyes so much. They’re blank, but that makes them all the more expressive. I can see everything in them, every bit of sadness, happiness, love and pain. “It’s OK to feel that pain, Radyn. Therapy or not. Take comfort in the progress you’ve made. You’ve done so well; you’re in a much better spot than you were a century ago.”
He nuzzles me, his touch so tender for someone whose fingertips are not fingers, but instead thick, curved claws. “You always have such insightful wisdom, honey.” he says. “Thanks…I needed to hear that.”
I nuzzle right back and hug him more as he lays atop my body. “Is that all that’s been bothering you, Ray?” I question.
Free Ranger pauses for a moment, then shakes his head. “No…there’s something else.” He sighs again, his voice filled with frustrated aggrievement. I begin to pet him more, large fingers combing through dense, thick, fluffy feathering. He shakes his body and fluffs his feathers out before settling down. He does that a lot, usually when he’s cold or trying to get comfortable. I’m not sure which it is so I pull another blanket over us. Just in case.
“I spoke with my therapist at the beginning of the week. She says that…” he pauses briefly, needing a moment to collect his thoughts. “She says that she wants me to celebrate it and make new memories of it. Do something happy and try to avoid making myself sad.”
I frown. No wonder my poor rooster has been acting off. That’s a steep order. In the time we were a team in Skylands together, a little over 100 years, Free Ranger never celebrated his birthday outside of 3 occasions. He didn’t even tell us when it was for 10 years. The only reason he ever celebrated it those 3 times was, to be honest, because everyone else threw him a surprise birthday. To my surprise, he actually liked the gesture.
Free Ranger takes notice of my face. “Yeah, see? You get it. You know why that’s so…so difficult to do. Dissociation that day from everything around it…I’d rather stay inside during a hurricane. And I can’t even go storm chasing because it’s clear weather for the next month.”
He looks inquisitively outside. “Do you think a rain dance would summon some bad weather?” Now that sounds a little more like the Free Ranger I fell in love with. I smile at him lightly and shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe you could spend your birthday doing that. Maybe even teach us. I’m sure the Ancients can’t ignore a plea for bad weather from 16 Skylanders.”
The rooster laughs a little, a genuine smile on his face for the first time today. “One can hope, that’s for sure.” he says.
We share a small laugh and some more happy grins before returning to the main focus of discussion. “So…do you have any ideas for what you’re going to do?” I wonder. Free Ranger shrugs. “No clue, and…I…kinda forgot to…say…anything…to the team that I was instructed to do this.” he replies sheepishly.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “That’s OK, there’s still time. Your birthday’s the 21rst, that’s not until tomorrow.”
Free Ranger shoots me a funny face. “Honey? Today is the 21rst.”
“No, it’s tomorrow. It’s still night time. It’s not tomorrow until-” I look at the clock on the wall; thank the Ancients it’s digital. It reads 4:10am. AM means morning. Oh dear. OH DEAR. I am a terrible boyfriend.
I slap my hand over my face, using the blanket to muffle the noise. My beloved rooster suddenly bursts out laughing, having to hold his beak shut to avoid waking the others. “Dom, my sweet sweet honey, it’s already morning.” he chokes out, smiling wide with amusement. I have the goofiest, most embarrassed, sheepish and proud grin on my face from making my darling Ray of sunshine laugh.
“Oh what a horrible boyfriend am I. Forgetting that today is the day the love of my life blessed this world with his presence.” I say, a little dramatic in my tone for comedy. Free Ranger is beside himself with laughter. His mood has improved dramatically and he’s no longer pensive.
“Dominic, honey, thank you. I needed that laugh. I’ve been so stressed out and worried about what I’d do today and how I’d break it to the team.” He kisses me, his sharp beak scraping my stone mouth. He has a beak, I don’t have lips. Again, it’s amazing how anything is possible when you do not care hard enough. I kiss him back and the two of us just lay there savoring the other’s presence.
Eventually, we stop. I’ve remembered something, something I’ve had for a long while now, but have been apprehensive over unveiling. “Sunshine, about what your therapist said.” I begin, sitting up from the couch. Free Ranger looks at me, once more serious, but this time in an understanding and curious manner. His chicken curiosity is so very endearing and it warms my nonexistent heart to see it all over his face.
“Yes? What about it, honey?”
“Well, you said that she wanted you to try and make new memories…and..well…” I’m struggling to put my thoughts into words. I take a moment to think it through. My beloved rooster waits patiently. I’m so grateful for him.
“I know that the memories of that day will always be there, and I don’t want to invalidate them at all. So, this is your choice to make; what I’m about to ask you.”
“I understand, Dom. Lay it on me.”
I nod. “I have something that I think would aid you in making new memories for your birthday. Positive ones, at least, I hope they’re positive.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a gift. One that should hold significant cultural meaning. I got it made a while ago, but I wasn’t sure when or how I would give it to you. Now, with what’s been asked, I feel like…I feel like it would be best to give to you now. So, would you like me to give it to you now as a birthday gift?”
Free Ranger takes a minute to process. I sit and wait. I don’t expect him to say yes or anything. I understand fully if he doesn’t want it right now. I am ready for him to say-
“Yeah, sure, I mean…that sounds…yes. I’d like that, Dom.” he answers. I blink, processing. Then it hits me. He said “yes”. I get up and sprint for my room, moving my pillar as quickly and as quietly as I can. I briefly wish I’d swapped legs with Stink Bomb or Trap Shadow. Those two could run a marathon in a library and nobody would notice. Anyway, I get to my room, grab the box and haul my pillar back to the living room. I’ve only just realized that this is Free Ranger’s first birthday where he and I are boyfriends. I feel all happy inside at that. I guess it shows because my observant rooster mate has the lights of the room on and is looking at me funny.
“Something’s got you all giddy like a storm chick. What is it, Dom?” he queries. “Patience, my lightning lover. Open the box and you will see.” I don’t always give such strangely dramatic speech, but I feel it’s necessary at this moment.
Free Ranger takes the box into its claws. It’s neatly wrapped in unassuming blue paper and tied with a gold ribbon. No surprise for who it was for. He unwraps it, tearing through the wrapping with his claws. I suddenly remember just how sharp those things are.
The box is now unwrapped. Free Ranger scans the box curiously, a black felt box of high-quality and subtle fanciness. He looks at me and makes quite the adorable little chicken noise. “This is a really nice box. Dominic, what did you get me?”
He opens it and bawks in surprise before covering his beak. I see tears forming in his eyes.
“Do you like it?”
He pounces me with a kiss, one full of love and gratefulness. I almost fall over from shock, but thankfully, he’s only 30lbs and I am…far heavier than that. I kiss him right back and pull him into my arms, curling back up on the couch and taking a moment in time to just exist with my true love. When we finally break apart, Free Ranger is crying.
“Dominic…I can’t believe you…” He sounds overjoyed and the smile on his beak is as beautiful as a sunny summer storm. “Put it on, I want to see on you.” I say.
Free Ranger reaches into the box and removes the object. It’s a necklace, a very special necklace, one deeply intertwined with the culture of storm chickens. It’s a multilayered necklace, two layers of black chain, both strung with turquoise beads. In front hangs a white dreamcatcher-inspired pendant that’s flanked by a yellow lightning shaped storm chicken feather to create a semicircle shape, specifically the comb feather. Beneath the pendant hang 5 red feathers.
He looks at me with a look I’ve never seen before. This gift goes beyond what a regular birthday gift might. Something about it touches his very being, and I can see it all reflected in his featureless glowing eyes.
“Dom…it’s…I love you so much, honey. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” He wipes some tears from his eyes as he slips it over his head and round his neck.
“Look at that! It fits like a dove!” I grin. “Glove, my sweet.” he says, claws fiddling with the necklace. “Oh, right.” I reply, reaching out to brush my hand through his neck feathers and feel the necklace. It feels like it belongs where it is. Like it’s serving its purpose perfectly as intended.
“How did you get this? Where did you get this? Why did you get this?” Free Ranger questions, stunned beyond belief at what he’s been given.
“The 2nd year we were a part of the SWAP Force, you and I once talked about culture. You told me all about yours, about your practices, your beliefs, everything there was. I especially remembered what you told me about the turquoise gemstone and how important it was to storm chickens. How it was customary to gift it to chicks when they hatched and how you wished you could carry your parents turquoise jewelry, but couldn’t as it had been lost in the storm. How you wished you could afford to buy something turquoise but never could.”
My beloved rooster listens intently, more tears in his eyes as I explain. I know that they’re ones of happiness because he just can’t wipe that beautiful smile off his beak and I’m so thankful for that.
“I also remembered what you told me once about jewelry. How it was your “guilty pleasure” that you could never indulge in. And, well, I still had your address while you lived back in your old home, so shortly after you and I became a couple, I had Master Eon and Quigley portal me there and I went to go get this necklace made for you. I had no idea when I was going to give it to you, but I’d say our first year as a couple is the best time, don’t you think?”
I point to the color choice. “I specifically asked for these four colors to be chosen. Every detail of this design was picked because of the cultural significance it held. I wanted you to have something special that really connected to your culture and heritage.”
Free Ranger wraps his arms around me and nuzzles me again. “I hope that this is a good gift. I know I can’t give you exactly what you wanted.” I whisper into his ear, nuzzling him right back.
“What you’ve given me is more than anything I could have ever wanted. I don’t need my parents’ jewelry, if it’s from you that’s already more than enough. You’re the love of my life, my mate. This necklace…it’s more than just a “good gift”. It’s…I feel as if it’s almost healed a part of my soul.” He chuckles. “Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but it does feel like a part of me has been affected in the most positive of ways.”
I hug my lovely rooster and wrap him in the blanketed warmth of the couch once again. He cuddles up with me and nestles into my arms, necklace still worn. He’s so soft and warm. He’s like a pillow of pure sunshine. I can feel myself slipping into sleep again as I embrace him. I’m really not a morning person. There’s a reason I’m never up before 6am. He seems to accept my sleepiness and he fluffs his feathers again, becoming even softer and cuddlier. My arms wrap around his back as his are placed around my shoulders and neck. He trills, not bothering with regular words anymore. I sigh and whisper in his ear.
“Happy birthday, my dear Radyn.”
And that's a wrap. This oneshot was unusually difficult to write, but I'm happy with how it turned out nonetheless. In the meantime, it's time for the second author's note.
Author's Note (Post-Reading):
This would be the necklace that Free Ranger was given by Doom Stone. I like to headcanon that Storm Chicken culture is inspired by elements of Native American cultures, and I've written that into my document on the biology of Storm Chickens. For example, the importance of turquoise, the practice of smudging and others mentioned here. Henceforth, the necklace takes heavy Native American inspiration.
The shape is based on a squash blossom with the yellow feathers creating a sort of semicircle shape, the naja, which is central to the squash blossom necklace. I referenced real Navajo jewelry and real squash blossom necklaces when drawing it as well. I had a total of 9 tabs of pure research open all at one time to draw this.
The dreamcatcher-inspired pendant is drawn to look as accurate to a real dreamcatcher as possible, including a singular bead to represent the spider from the legend. The use of turquoise beading is because turquoise holds significance to several Native tribes such as the Navajo, Pueblo and Hopi.
The colors used are also Native, coming from the medicine wheel which has black, red, white and yellow. The white and yellow were specifically chosen to be the central eyecatching pendant as those colors are what I associate with storm chickens since both feather on Free Ranger's design.
Anyway, that's a wrap completely. I hope you enjoy this DoomRanger oneshot, and maybe I'll make more.
