#If I avoided getting hives I’d be avoiding swimming at all. I’d not be having cold drinks or foods. I’d be not going outside | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cloudbattrolls · 5 years

Text

GLIESE: Break into a seadweller hive.

This is the log so far of a roleplay @anontrolls and I have done on discord until now!

Summary: Having lost a coat to an alleyway stabbing Lee needs help breaking into his old house to retrieve more of his belongings. Gliese volunteers, which seems like a perfectly fun idea... until they run into the hive occupant.

You did not sufficiently think this through.

Your ancestor's hive is largely underwater, true to traditional seadweller fashion. Your block has always been in the dry portion (much to your old man's disapproval) simply for the ease of keeping certain types of material items when waterproofing is not required, but the main entrance is deep enough underwater that Gliese's ears would pop out of her skull before she ever made it.

Also true to fashion, the windows to your room are pretty high up. There's no way to get up the smooth marble walls without a significant boost, and you don't realize this until you are squinting up at said windows.

"Ah," you start eloquently, "How do you feel about... seeing how high you can throw me?"

If Karina ever hears about this, she’ll rip your ears off and feed them to you.

Fortunately, you have the good taste required to not give a shit what she thinks unless you have to. You rescued Pheres that one time and got away with it; why should this be any different?

Part of you whispers that this is a much bigger deal than just grabbing a maroon, at least in the Empire’s eyes, and that maybe messing with a very prominent violet when there’s no fleet to protect you might not be the smartest thing you’ve ever done.

But like hell were you going to let Lee do it himself.

Since it’d be unwise to give your usual snort, you roll your eyes at him from behind your mask. Not black - what is this, some cheesy movie? - but dark blue, and equipped with emergency breathing devices just in case god forbid you have to get wet for a bit.

“Great idea, what trash can did you fish it out of?” You reply idly, only realizing the pun too late and sighing. “Lucky for you, I’ve got a better one.”

You put on your rocket boots, a pair with silencers attached. You experimented with them earlier, and it isn’t perfect - they’re too loud for that - but it keeps them from causing a giant racket. Smirking slightly, you gesture for him to come closer.

“Into my loving arms, Lee, time’s wasting.”

"Hey," you grumble, "It's not as though I go breaking into places very often, darling, I'm hardly bristling with a repertoire of larcenous plans - and most trolls would consider that a good thing."

"- But nice pun," you tack on, and do precisely nothing to stifle the smarmy smile.

Her suggestion, on the other hand, does a much better job of that. You actually have no idea what she's suggesting - what, do her boots bounce? - but you're practically contractually obligated to jump into 'loving arms' when invited.

So you do! "Oh, sweetheart," you declare, pretending to swoon into Gliese, "I thought you'd never ask!"

“Ooh, ‘larcenous plans’, huh? I don’t have those either, but I do have lots of useful life skills beyond radiating sparkles and fluttering my eyelashes.”

You smirk as you say it, though it morphs into a scowl as he smiles with insufferable smarm. Dick. Lee’s so light for his size that you almost stumble because you expect more resistance than you get; he feels as thin as you did before you joined fleet. Not that you’re bulky now by any stretch of the imagination, but you have more muscle and less bone showing than you did a sweep ago.

“Bite me.” You reply, before hitting them at the right angle to the ground to turn them on and rising into the air at a slow pace, then faster as you click them together.

You slow as you reach Lee’s window, hovering up and down a few feet back and forth outside it (the boots aren’t really made for staying static).

“All right, fishnugget, what’s the best way to get in here without tripping alarms, if there are any?”

"The sparkles are largely photoshop, actually-" you start, lifting a finger, and promptly yelp, clutching at Gliese haphazardly and significantly more frantically than you were before she started raising the two of you into the air.

"Only if you ask nicely," you still manage to squeeze out, because the joke was already on the tip of your tongue before you were airborne. You're a mite too frazzled now to make another, which is a shame, because there's probably something to be said about the fact that you've gone and wrapped your legs around her waist in fear of falling off.

The breeze ruffling your hair about your face (you have to spit some out your mouth at one point that you're fairly sure was actually Gliese's) stills somewhat after a few moments, and you squeeze a single eye open when Gliese asks her question.

"My block," you gasp, and gesture very vaguely in the appropriate direction. "Turned off the window alarm ages ago. Bad for daycaps and shenanigans. Oh, goodness."

Okay, eyes closed again.

You snicker in a tone too low for him or most trolls (except you and Kit) to hear.

Only for a second; you focus on his words and your face slides back into seriousness. “You wish.” is your last, kinda lame response to this biting comment. At least he’s holding on tightly, because you’d be real fucking pissed if you had to go catch him.

Well, that’s reassuring. He sounds like he’s going to pass out.

“Guess I’m just gonna have to hope Fuckface Senior hasn’t turned it on again.” You retort.

If only you had one of those fancy devices that can detect security sensors, but you don’t exactly have that kind of resource anymore; the separatists have some tech, but they’re a lot more careful with how they dole it out.

Still, it’s worth the risk; any other route would be a huge pain in the ass and slow to boot. You zoom up to its edge and, very carefully, lower the speed enough to get yourself and Lee in but not lose all your lift.

Your knees are bent rather uncomfortably and you had to tilt your neck to avoid bashing your horns, but the two of you are inside now and you stand back up, boots off. The damn mask is making your face sweaty, though.

“Get off me and let’s get this done.”

The lock might be disabled, but the window is still shut, and it takes a bit of scrabbling on your part to get the window open enough for you and Gliese to tumble through - and tumble is absolutely what you do, releasing your death-grip on Gliese and practically sliding to the ground before she's through with her sentence.

"Mnh," you moan into the carpet, spreading your arms until you're sufficiently certain of your full-body contact with solid ground. "Can we take the long way out? I fancy a swim after that, my dear."

Glancing up, you... are rather surprised to see that not much has changed since you left. You're not even sure your ancestor bothered to come in here after booting you out. Your clothes are still in half-disarray from your haphazard packing, and your keyboard is still right there, folded up with its stand and entirely prepared for you to grab it and run.

But, well. So long as you're here...

You snatch a rather larger bag than is required for this endeavor out of your sylladex, and start stuffing it with clothes and the rest of your belongings.

No sense in leaving more of your things behind if you don't have to! It's not as though Hiro doesn't have the closet space.

Besides, it's a good distraction from watching Gliese out of the corner of your eye, wondering what she thinks of the one place you've ever really considered your own space. It's a weird sort of vulnerability, to have someone in here - even your, uh, recreational guests, you usually took to some other room. No need for a one-day stand to screw up your record collection.

“Sure, whatever.” You reply in a low tone, not really caring one way or the other. You can’t say swimming is your favorite activity - water’s so damn cold - but you came prepared. You just hope the pair of you have that luxury and don’t leave chased by security droids.

Place is quiet as a burial mound so far, though, not that you trust it. Your ears are pricked for the slightest sound that’s not the pair of you. The room itself is…pretty typical for a fish who spends most of his time being a social butterfly, you guess. You’re kind of surprised it’s not more glitzy. Soft snickering escapes when you see giant posters of himself.

“Wow, Lee, didn’t take you as the egotistical type. Guess you proved me wrong.”

Then you notice the vanity, and your brow furrows. Is that a quad? It’s none of your business, really, but you can’t help wondering. Lee didn’t strike you as the type to quad any lower than teal, but who knows.

“Nice records, though.” You admit. You loved antiques when you were a kid; you can tell he’s got some rare stuff in there.

You blink, staring at Gliese for a moment. 'Not egotistical.' It takes you a spot longer than it should to put together a response.

"Me?" you ask. "Not shallow enough to put posters of myself up? Goodness, darling, where have you been living?"

You perk up when she compliments your music collection, though. "Hey, thanks," you say, grinning, "I'd offer a listen, but, ah, as unlikely as it is, I'm not actually entirely certain the old man isn't home, and it's best not to risk the noise, I think. It's a pity I'm leaving most of them here, though - I suppose that means you're free to whatever catches your fancy. Leastways they won't be rotting in here or sold off."

The thought is frankly actually seriously depressing, and you go back to speedily sorting through your clothing to distract yourself. Sweeps spent collecting, and it's all gone to shit, now. And the records are the absolute least of it.

“Somewhere I’d barely heard of you before you became scandalous.” You retort, then regret it slightly. You grimace, flicking your ears.

“Not that I care about that. You’re fine, if a fucking dweeb, all that junk is ridiculous anyway.”

Nice save, Benral. He probably won’t be too hurt and if he is, whatever, it’s not your problem.

He looks so stupidly happy you half want to punch the dumb grin off his face. The two of you are breaking in, even if it’s technically his place. You have to stay on guard.

“Yeah, no. We need to get in and out.” You pause to listen. Nothing, you think, except the distant ocean. It’s weird how low-security the place is.

You look at Lee’s records, but only one stands out to you. Its label has a faded troll curled up in a blue rose.

“Huh. Flower Fellow.” You muse, then tentatively reach out. Should you, even if Lee said it’s all right? Well. He has a point about it rotting in here. The thought saddens you, for some stupid reason, and your expression darkens. You take it very carefully and put it in your sylladex.

“Thanks.” You say, a bit uncertainly. Ugh, you’re probably making too big of a deal out of this.

You watch him go through clothing, curious despite yourself.

“So you really like being a model? Or was that just for the cameras.”

You can feel the corners of your mouth turning down almost entirely against your will, and turn away from Gliese to fiddle with the sleeve of a dress shirt. Have you brought anything with you that matches this shade off off-white, or do you have to stick with your minimalist neutrals?

"Well," you murmur, "I appreciate the stamp of approval."

If not the accompanying declaration that the things you care about are ridiculous junk.

Well, not all the things you care about. She's here helping you pick up your stuff, isn't she? And you've retrieved quite the collection already, even without considering your keyboard. It's time to start stuffing it into your sylladex.

Gliese seems to have the same idea, because you watch her pocket a record, as gingerly as you've ever seen her do anything. She glances back at you as she does, very nearly looking worried, and you grin encouragingly. You're happy she'll be able to take something from this for herself.

Her question, though, you're not sure how to answer with any level of expediency.

"Sort of?" you try. "I mean, it's like anything you do, really, isn't it? One likes certain aspects and dislikes others! I enjoy being a model, of course, and it certainly is the perfect occupation for someone whose primary skills in life pretty much amount to being pretty and - well, I'd say posing well, but half the time you're getting moved around like a doll anyways."

"That's the part that's always a little odd," you admit. "I'm sure it's the same for everyone else at the casting calls, too, but it's still somewhat disconcerting when people forget you're a person and not a figurine."

You once walked into a photoshoot, one you'd already been signed for, with a rather well-known photographer. You hadn't had time to change, yet, but she had just flung some - you don't even remember what it was, some sort of faux-leather thing patterned after snake scales, and told you to strip right there in front of the whole crew.

And when you'd gotten topless, laughing airily as your fingers stumbled over the buttons of your shirt, she finally looked at you for the second time as though just remembering you presence, and practically barked a laugh. 'No,' she said, 'That's not going to work.'

And she walked out the door.

And that was that. You were too stunned to cry about it. You didn't even get paid.

You are not going to tell Gliese that story.

Damn it. How do you fix this? Should you even try before you make it worse? Ugh. He’s clearly upset and you’re not sure why.

“I mean-“ you start and then stop, biting your lip. You hate this. “I mean...you’re fine, Lee, because you’re not...things people say can fucking hurt, but you’re better than all that. You’re...a good guy.”

Please let that be right. You look weak and stupid right now and it fucking sucks. You turn away from him so he doesn’t have to see your blue face.

But you listen with your long ears as you look at the rest of his stuff. It’s nice, though obviously it would be, he’s violet. It must have been hard to leave this all behind.

He’ll deal, you remind yourself. You did when you joined fleet. What he says makes you manage to turn back around, face curious and ears tilted quizzically.

“Like what? Do people push you around or something? Who’d even try that on a seadweller.” You say, snorting. Lee may be a weenie, but he’s still violet. Pushing him too far would still be a mistake for anyone lower than you.

You bite your lip to stifle a totally inappropriate smile. Gliese is really trying, and, okay, watching her drag the words out like she's navigating an eggshell obstacle course is a tad bit hilarious. It's like someone that just realized they've been insulting the sweets at a gala to the confectioner's face and is trying to save face.

You glance back out of the side of your eye, and she's turned away - but that doesn't stop you seeing that Gliese is blue to the tips of her ears.

Aw, you can't even be miffed anymore. You sidle over and elbow her gently.

"Don't hurt yourself," you tell her sweetly, and then dart away laughing, almost expecting her to jokingly swipe at you - but that's just the echo of Thistle's shadow in your mind.

Then she asks about the modeling thing, and you're back to trying to figure out what kind of go you're going to take on the subject. "Well, no," you admit, "It's hardly as though I get shoved around, or anything! There's simply a certain... perception, I suppose, or perhaps a lack thereof. The photographers and designers are...artistes-" You nearly snicker. "- And utterly beyond the concerns of such things as remembering who they're dressing or posing is not quite a mannequin, you know? As in, stylists pulling hair out, or photographers literally moving you around bodily, etcetera."

"- And not all of them, of course!" you're quick to qualify, because, well, yeah, you do (did?) actually have non-model friends in this industry.

#anontrolls #gliese benral #lionel prince

2 notes · View notes

snellyboi · 5 years

Text

Pictures of the Past

I mentioned I’d be making a Hilda one shot, and this is what came out. I figure I ought to start writing for more shows and such so I don’t get totally burnt!

words:1865 Summary: Hilda meets an old friend of her mother, Rolf Sigmundson, who holds some strange revelations about her past... warnings: Sort of a cliff hanger to a one shot I might get around to writing? Also involves an OC, and a bit of headcanon on my end (of course!)

By all accounts, Rolf Sigmundson was a good man. He mostly made a living for himself making nature shows, and indeed, few people were as qualified as he was to do this sort of thing. He spent time with Woffs in his university days, and also spent plenty of time studying trolls, giant birds, and all sorts of flora and fauna. He was mostly known for his show ‘Troll Hunter’, sort of a spiritual successor to Steve Irwin’s Crocodile Hunter.

He was a tall man, with a large, dark beard and short brown hair, with big brown eyes framed by large round glasses. He was popular, that’s for sure...and he was making an appearance for the sparrow scouts in Trolberg today.

“He’s such a sweet man, you’ll like him.” Johanna smiled as she spoke to Hilda, giving her some sandwiches to take to the meeting, as she knew it’d run until at least noon. “If you get the chance, tell him I said hello!”

Hilda took the sandwiches and hopped out the door, Alfur in tow. “I’ll see you mum, thanks for the food!” She was really excited to meet this guy! Not only was he kind of a big deal, but her mother knew him! And not a simple ‘saw him once at a zoo’ sort of thing, either, those two, according to Johanna at least, were really good friends in their youth. Not that Hilda would brag about such a thing...but it was a nice feeling.

“Hello, sparrow scouts!” Raven Leader spoke loudly from the front gate to the Huldrawood. “I’m excited you’re all here, and I’m sure you’re all incredibly glad to welcome today’s guest!” It was a simple idea, drummed up by Rolf himself. What better place to talk about nature than...well, nature? Sure, Huldrawood wasn’t the unforgiving, harsh wilderness, but it was still pretty natural, and had plenty to offer. “Our guest doesn’t really need an introduction, but he’s not here to hunt trolls or teach us how to do it. He’s here to talk about one of the most important parts of our lives...the great outdoors.” It had clearly been prepared, but would you wanna introduce someone without preparing yourself first?

“Let’s all give a warm, Sparrow scout welcome to Rolf Sigmundson!” The kids hooted and hollered, and Rolf stepped out, wearing a black ball cap, vest, beige button up shirt, and khakis, with heavy looking hiking boots.

“Hey, kids!” He smiled brightly and opened the gates, walking in. “We’re gonna hang by the front for a minute, just stick around there and pick a place to sit down.” Lucky them, it had been clear all week...the ground wasn’t too muddy. Hilda, David, and Frida all found each other and sat together.

“Are you excited?” Frida asked. Hilda nodded. “My mum loves his show...I watch it when it’s on.” She shrugged. “He does sound really interesting, though, the way my mum tells it.” Frida looked over at David. “Maybe he can find out why you’re teeming with bugs, eh?” David, at the moment, had a beetle crawling around on him. He looked spaced out.

“...sorry, could you say that again?”

Rolf rubbed his hands together and sat on the ground with them. “Yikes...kids, don’t get old, your knees start to ache and it hurts to sit down.” Some of the children laughed. “So! The woods...we sort of take it for granted, don’t we?” He looked around. “We play in them, camp in them, go on walks in them...without even thinking about what’s here. What sort of things live underground? What worlds go left unseen by most humans?” He looked over at Hilda, Frida, and David. “What if I told you that it’s not just giant things, but little ones as well? Like that...bug...on your shirt...do...do you know that’s there?”

David didn’t really say anything in response, he just sorta...pointed at it. Frida looked over. “He’s always got a bug on him.”

“Bugs tend to pick favorites, I find.” He giggled a little to himself. “Of course, the small world isn’t just made up of bugs. There’s even elves!” Some kids furrowed their brows. “Yep. Seen ‘em. I had to sign paperwork, though, these elves are obsessed with documentation, let me tell you.” He stood. “Of course, we won’t be seeing those today, you have to have permission from the elves themselves, and it’s a lot of papers to sign…”

“It isn’t THAT much paperwork!” Alfur whispered. Hilda whispered right back. “It is for this many kids!”

“Kids love paperwork!”

“Not the human ones.” Hilda whispered back. The group started to move through the woods, as he pointed out birds nests, ant hills, rabbit holes, and even a hole for a good sized bug, which he stopped around. “Phew...now, kids, most of these small guys are actually pretty safe, but this one’s not quite healthy to hang around too long.” he tapped the ground around the hole for a moment. “Hmm...must be empty. Can anyone guess what I’m looking for?”

“A snake?” One child asked.

“No, not quite...I wouldn’t be so close to it if it were a snake hole, those have a bit more...length than what should be in here.” He said. “Although, I have been bitten by my fair share of snakes. Most of the ones around here are pretty harmless.” He knelt down and tapped again. “Anyone?”

Frida jumped at the chance. “A spider? I read that some make trap doors, and sneak out to catch their prey.” Rolf smiled. “That’s an awful lot closer, it’s a sort of spider! Those spiders tend to be in other, warmer places...this is a sort of wolf spider dwelling.” He said. “They aren’t deadly, but I’ve managed to get a bite from one, and it’s bad. Opens up a sore about this big on the bite, and...it’s messy.” He said. The group kept going.

“Here’s another, much larger hole, it looks like it was dug by a-”

“Vittra!” Hilda pointed. “I’ve been in those tunnels...well, not...not those ones.” Rolf and the others looked over, and Rolf crossed his arms. “You’ve been IN a…” He looked at her for a moment. She looked...familiar.

“...how’d you get in? Why’d you go in?”

“We had to rescue some from becoming mulch, but we sort of got them angry.” Rolf nodded. “Huh...they do like their privacy. Kids, these holes can be real deep, and falling into them can lead to some embarrassing injuries. It’s good to look at the forest floor while you walk around.” The group kept going, stopping for lunch, learning how to spot different types of bee hives and wasps nests, avoiding snakes, and even learning a bit about fishing...though, that was anecdotal, and mostly about Rolf’s bad run in with a rather large catfish in the states. They were back at the front gate. “So, scouts, it’s important to remember that the world isn’t just what’s easy to see...there’s little cities, families, and houses all around us! We just have to look.” The scouts all got pictures, some got stuff signed, and they were on their way out. Hilda couldn’t wait to tell her mother abou-

“Hilda!” Raven Leader went over to her. “It appears Rolf would like a word with you.” Hilda furrowed a brow. “Me?”

“He wants to know more about that vittra hole I think.” Hilda walked over to him. He was sitting near his car, an old beat up jeep he’d driven to the front gate. “Hilda! Hey! She wouldn’t believe that I knew your mother so I had to give her the Vittra hole line...I knew you looked familiar!” Hilda looked up at him. “You knew me?”

“Oh, you were tiny tiny before I got the show and got too busy…” He knelt down. “Agh...gotta get that knee checked on. Hey, listen, I don’t wanna hold the van up, but…” He went into his car and got a box of polaroids. “I was real good friends with your mother, and I liked to take pictures of stuff. I took a lot of pictures of her, she didn’t really own a camera until after I left that neck of the woods. Years ago she got rid of these...I won’t say why.” It was photos of her mother doing...not ‘Johanna-ish’ things; rock climbing, swimming in the middle of a lake, waving from the top of a tree.

“I think it’s time she gets these back.” Hilda nodded. “She was quite the adventurer, huh?”

“Oh, are you kidding me? She was shredded! I bet she could have benched ME back then.” He patted Hilda’s shoulder. “Tell her I said hello, yeah?”

“Of course.” She nodded with determination.

“Thanks so much, I’d stop by but I gotta split...also, Mr. Elf,” he pointed to her ear, and Alfur popped up from behind it, “You look good in red.”

Alfur blushed. “Oh, stop, you’re flattering me…”

“Heh, alright...you run along now, enjoy yourself!”

“Likewise!” Hilda got back into the van they’d used to get there, and got home, just before dark. Dinner was almost ready, and Johanna sighed with relief when she heard the front door open. “Hilda, you’re back...how was it? How do you like Rolf?”

“He’s nice...he gave me these.” She put the photos on the table. Johanna looked flustered. “...I’d been looking for those.” She went through a few of them, sitting on the couch. “That’s...well, I was quite the adventurous type.”

“Got it form somewhere, right?” Hilda winked. Johanna...sighed, and lowered her shoulders. “Well...had to come from somewhere.” They came across one of a tiny, baby Hilda, with a woman with purple hair playing with her. “Oh, look at you! So cute back then!” Hilda thought nothing of who that woman was, probably just some aunt she’d never met...but then she popped up in another photo of them at a campfire. And another of them holding hands. And another of them in flower crowns and soft looking white dresses, kissing under a flower archway somewhere in the woods. “Mum...who’s that woman? The one with the long purple hair?”

Johanna tensed up a bit. She sighed. “...well, she and I were lovers...that was our wedding. Well, it was just a ceremony, it wasn’t legal at the time…” She sighed. Hilda looked up.

“What happened to her?”

“She...went missing.” She said. “After a troll attack. I never saw her again after that.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m...I got rid of these to cope with the loss, I suppose.” Hilda hugged her tightly. “Sorry I brought it up, mum, I-”

“No, Hilda, it’s alright.” Johanna kissed Hilda’s forehead. “I...needed to see them again. It’s just a bit of closure.” She took the one of the wedding ceremony and placed it on her desk. She went to the kitchen. “...looks like dinner’s ready. Go wash up and get ready to eat, alright?”

“Okay, mum!” Hilda went to look at the woman in the photo again.

She looked familiar.

#hilda the series #johanna hilda #alfur hilda #david hilda #frida hilda #fanfic

3 notes · View notes

knowingoverseer · 5 years

Text

==> - a Miss

An excited purr escapes your throat as you pick up the attuned Tuning Fork, okay, okay. Okay. You.... you needed to get ready for this! Oh, yeah you weren't prepared. Kicking at the chalk you’d used in your ritual a bit to muss up the lines (not that they could be used for anything else), you note to clean up your mess later as you run about collecting what you need. Your travel coat, your shoulder bag, your sword, all things you kept in your work room. The last thing you needed, however, was the watch Star was attached to.

Star was technically all over your hive now a days. An AI who use to go by the name Mabel, given to you by a long lost friend, she now called herself Star and had made a home of the computers and surveillance systems your brother, Calib, once had rigged through the hive for more nefarious purposes.She still, however, frequented outings with you held within the high-tech watch she originally was homed in. The watch itself has seen a few upgrades since, all thanks to Star’s own technological prowess. Truly an heir of Harley genius. Generally you kept the watch upstairs, in your room next to your main computer because Star had the ability to interact with it there. “✨- Omg omg omg omg!!!!” A chime like an old videogame twinkle effect sounded over some speakers, signalling Star was taking them over to speak. She could technically reach you in the basement, but didn’t have cameras down there to see what you had been doing. Regaurdless, she sounded excited. “✨- This is it this is it!! ✨- You’re finally gonna go find her! It’s been like, elevendy billion years Callie! ✨- I bet she’s gonna be like! SO SO HAPPY! When you find her I mean. YEAH!” “heh, maybe? i mean i hope so. i’ve missed her, bUt it’s still kinda weird she’s never tried to come back on her own.” “✨- She’s going to be so happy that you’re RESCUING HER!” “star, i really don’t think she needs rescUed. i mean droog didn’t, she’s every bit as capa-” “✨- Then how come she never came home?” “that’s... that’s what i was getting at. i don’t know.” You sigh, shutting off the doorway to your workroom for now and going over to unplug the smartwatch. It was fully charged and perfectly synced with Star’s main hub, and wouldn’t start diverging until you left the area of Wi-Fi. A bright blue hologram of Star’s current fursona popped up above the watch’s screen, barely showing off the sheer sparkle-dog-ness of her current avatar: The frutiest fruit bat to ever fruit. It changed often, but there were always some giveaways it was Star. The fun sweaters were usually the key focus. As well as the blue colouration, as the hologram projector has always had the ability to produce other colours. Blue was just.... easiest? You don’t actually know. “✨- She isn’t avoiding you, you know that right?” The hologram spoke, fluttering itself up to get right in your face about it. “it’s! it’s not really me i’m worried she’s avoiding! it’s-” “✨- Dumbra! I know, I know! But don’t forget you talk to me too when you’re drunk and yo-” “ANYWAYS, star, i need yoUr help. i know i asked yoU this before, bUt yoU really don’t mind coming along to help me figUre oUt where all this thing is going to take me? i’m not bUgging?” “✨ - Hmph! But no, of course not silly! This is the only way I can, you know, stretch my legs!” The hologram flapped up further to wiggle it’s anatomically incorrect ‘bat’ legs, laughing at her own joke before receding back to the space just above the watch. “✨ - Besides, you know I love helping you. It’s practically what I was created for!” You’re not sure why you think it would be better to try this outside than in your already magically charged basement, but you head out the front door. You’ve called out to Chess to let her know you were leaving, as well as texted Davara. As soon as the cool night air hits you you’re pulling the hesitantly dubbed Travel Tunner from your sylledex and removing your wand from your strifedex. You stand at the edge of the plateau your home is situated on, holding both instruments out in front of you. You only give yourself a moment’s more hesitation before you hit your wand against the metal fork, hard. The sound it makes is loud, you can feel it reverberating not just in the air around you but up your arms as well. Your vision starts to swim, and you feel almost vague and fuzzy for a moment, like you were fading out of existence. Simultaneously fading back into existence elsewhere. Where exactly, though, is unclear. It takes a moment to reorient yourself from the travel, but.... looking around, you really can’t see anything. You’re in.... some kind of room? A really big room. Not completely devoid of light, either, but what light was coming through was from.... from.... You had to squint, but there was light coming from the ceiling. The ceiling itself seemed to be made of some sort of round crystal or glass, but the natural light that would normally be filtering through was clouded over by a dark storm. Thunder could be heard in the distance, and.... you strain your ears because there’s something else you can’t quite place. But before you can place it, you become acutely aware you’re no longer a troll. You’re human. Which means.... this was a world inhabited by Pokemon, based on your previous use of Human transformation spells. “meenah?” You call out, taking a few steps forward. The dim, barely there light didn’t give you much to go on, but you think there was some kind of chair on one side of the room. A hallway on the other. Still.... there was a sound. Like... like..... It was water sloshing! Beneath the floor, actually. You snap, realizing where you were. Or at least, a version of where you were. This was the Alolan Champion’s room. Your own time as the Kalos champion had you learn the ins and outs of the special stadiums needed for league battles. And while it wasn’t the most common, there were trainers who used exclusively Water-residing pokemon, like Goldeen and Finneon who, while they could battle on land, were at a severe disadvantage when fighting. Thus the floors were set up in such a way that half the arena could open up to a pool, or even the whole arena dependent on the teams battling. Still, this was only half the puzzle of where you were, and unfortunately you’ve got a sinking feeling you know why you were brought here instead of to Meenah. “okay star, coUld yoU check where we are in the mUltiverse right now?” “✨- Sure thing just give me a moment....” You can’t help but get a feeling of being watched, and you wonder if there’s cameras set up. The shadow overtaking the room was probably in your better interest then, because you’re not sure how you’d explain sudden teleportation in.... actually, no, you could technically use your Gallade as an excuse but- “✨- OMG CALLIE! You’re never gonna believe this. We’re in our pokemon timeline! Like, the very exact one! You’re coming up as the Kalos champion an everything!” Ah... yeah, you were correct. You sigh, looking down at the fork. This.... was probably your fault. “what about anything on meenah makara? can yoU check?” “✨- Mmmmm nope, nothing on Meenah is showing up. There’s a Mina who’s apparently the Fairy not-gym leader for Alola but that’s the only result I’m finding.”

You sigh heavier, yeah, you did this. Reaching up you run a hand through your hair, groaning. Still, on the bright side at least it didn’t teleport you off to like. The 1920s again or some such. Still, you know what happened. “when i attUned the tUning forks i mUst have imprinted my more recent associations with meenah into the ritUal. when i played sUn and moon, i was whistfUlly playing as if i were her, so of coUrse it takes Us to the most familiar variation of the alolan champion’s room. caUse that’s where i’d have last really.... felt connected to her. stUpid.... stUpid, hUh?” More sighing. Well, at least you know what went wrong, and how to get out of here too. You were either going to have to practice tuning without letting associations get in your way, or try and find something of Meenah’s to use with the ritual instead. Both were viable, but first.... you really needed to get out of here. And home. “✨- Nooo! Not stupid. You’re being really hard on yourself Callie! This was your first time out!” You put your wand and fork away, relying on tried and true methods of teleportation to get out of here. Turning on the ball of your foot, you zap away to the Pokemon Center in Tapu Village only a few miles out from here. You had a transportalizer set up there, so it was easy to get home. “mmmmaybe, it’s fine. i’ve got some ideas on what to do next, bUt i think one go roUnd is enoUgh for tonight, don’t yoU?”

#Long post /#action!post #This one has a bit more stuff happening but still a generally boring read so ahh))

1 note · View note

himaxmaxy-blog · 5 years

Text

http://hammer-of-thor-forex.com/goji-cream-malaysia-watson/

Yantioxidant wealthy foods and skin care https://www.behance.net/hokalmax0e71 products. Free radicals are constantly attacking your skin cells, the method to fight back and keep these free radicals underneath management and minimize their https://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/himaxmaxy negative consequences is . Gwith heaps of antioxidants. Using organic skin https://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/himaxmaxy care merchandise that are high in antioxidants will help to stay not only skin cancer away, however additionally to avoid several common skin diseases https://photopeach.com/user/himaxmaxy, like rosacia, dermatitis, hives Gnfections, psoriasis, eczema etc. https://my.desktopnexus.com/himaxmaxy/ Antioxidants are one among our best aids in combating the negative effects of environmental toxicity. You are surrounded by toxins in the air, water and in the materials https://www.scirra.com/users/himaxmaxy you're exposed to. The entry purpose into https://www.3dartistonline.com/user/himaxmaxy your body in through your skin. If you're adequately loaded up with antioxidants in each your skin and internally you'll combat the results of environmental toxins.It's https://beforeitsnews.com/contributor/pages/687/606/bio.html most likely an excessive amount of to raise foranyone . Gskin care product to be a "magic pill" https://yelloyello.com/places/goji-cream-malaysia-watson-ef004f50-9306-46be-b1d9-c967af7731e9 for your skin, https://ask.fm/himaxmaxy however by using a combination of products that attack the problem from completely different angles its easy to determine how by using Rthree sensible skin care product https://www.callupcontact.com/b/businessprofile/Goji_Cream_Malaysia_Watson/7151546 your skin will simply profit from the compound result of all the additional nutrients and ingredients. Moreover to the present, remember to use the https://www.turnkeylinux.org/user/526922 merchandise on all areas of your skin that are exposed to the sun. It's often overlooked that it isn't only the areas round the eyes and mouth that https://www.instructables.com/member/himaxmaxy/?cb=1550559444 need attention. Your neck, hands and even https://express.yudu.com/profile/1031145/himaxmaxy components of your body like your knees and elbows may conjointly benefit from some tender love and care!This goes back to the guarantees and http://quomon.com/Question/Preview/2635482 claims you may see that accompany many . Tskin care merchandise. If I found https://www.dotafire.com/profile/himaxmaxy-86433?profilepage a product that was a "miracle cure" for skin care I'd be fully thrilled concerning it! The truth is that a skin care product works in http://www.dead.net/member/himaxmaxy affiliation with your daily routine and isn't extremely an isolated . Gcure all by itself. You https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/profile/005f40000042KFb still want to protect yourself from the sun and persevere practising all the good habits which result in healthy trying skin.They get this mistaken impression https://www.lonelyplanet.com/profile/himaxmaxy because they're used to the rigorously-spun. Glanguage used by advertisers to https://disqus.com/by/himaxmaxy/ seduce readers and viewers into shopping for products. When describing facial skin, shiny women's magazine advertisements or television commercial https://www.intensedebate.com/people/himaxmaxys use words like and therefore on. This unconsciously https://www.meetzur.com/himaxmaxy implies that skin must be delicate to be stunning.Young people, as an example, have beautiful skin as a result of they have robust skin. Yes, their skin is thick and powerful! This does https://himaxmaxy.picturepush.com/album/1349779/16107283/Picture-Box/http%3A--hammer-of-thor-forex.html not mean that it's unhealthy . Tor unattractive as a result of an excessive http://tupalo.com/en/users/2072042 amount of swimming, sunbathing, or nail clipping neglect. Instead, thick and tough skin means that that it is well-structured, strong, and works as a https://8tracks.com/himaxmaxy good barrier against bacteria invading the .

1 note · View note

hokalmax-blog · 5 years

Text

Goji Cream Malaysia Watson

Yantioxidant wealthy foods and skin care http://goji-cream-malaysia-watson.109856.n8.nabble.com/http-hammer-of-thor-forex-com-goji-cream-malaysia-watson-td2.html products. Free radicals are constantly attacking your skin cells, the method to fight back http://www.growr.net/iask/11020/ and keep these free radicals underneath management and minimize their negative consequences is . Gwith heaps of antioxidants. Using organic http://hokalmax.jigsy.com/ skin care merchandise that are high in antioxidants will help to stay not only skin cancer away, however additionally to avoid several common skin diseases, like https://www.businesslistings.net.au/Health/Kuala_Lumpur/Goji_Cream_Malaysia_Watson/375628.aspx rosacia, dermatitis, hives Gnfections, psoriasis, eczema etc. Antioxidants are http://www.adsyellowpages.com/jobs/healthcare-medicine/httphammer-of-thor-forexcomgoji-cream-malaysia-watson-1187978.htm one among our best aids in combating the negative effects of environmental toxicity. You are surrounded by toxins in the air, water and in the materials https://uberant.com/index.php you're exposed to. The entry purpose into your http://classads.izitester.com/osclass.3.5.7/index.php?page=item&id=119166 body in through your skin. If you're adequately loaded up with antioxidants in each your skin and internally you'll combat the results of environmental https://superanunciosweb.com/portal/index.php?page=item&id=37510 toxins.It's most likely an excessive amount of to raise foranyone . Gskin care product to be a "magic pill" for your skin, http://darkiepower.co.za/my-profile/173087-hokal-max however by using a combination of products that attack the problem from completely different angles its easy to determine how http://www.usadsciti.com/jobs/healthcare-medicine/httphammer-of-thor-forexcomgoji-cream-malaysia-watson-44745.htm by using Moreover to the present, remember to use the merchandise http://adsblue.com/jobs/healthcare-medicine/httphammer-of-thor-forexcomgoji-cream-malaysia-watson-889097.htm on all areas of your skin that are exposed to the sun. It's http://www.adsciti.com/jobs/healthcare-medicine/httphammer-of-thor-forexcomgoji-cream-malaysia-watson-51987.htm often overlooked that it isn't only the areas round the eyes and mouth that need attention. Your neck, hands and even components of your https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/httphammerofthorforexcomgojicreammalaysi/index.php?sid=78463c1e33e394db4ee4cdc2a63d761a body like your knees and elbows may conjointly benefit from some tender love and care!This goes back to the guarantees and claims you may see https://www.opendesktop.org/member/526873/products/ that accompany many . Tskin care merchandise. If I found a product https://able2know.org/user/hokalmax/ that was a "miracle cure" for skin care I'd be fully thrilled concerning it! The truth is that a skin care product works in affiliation with your daily https://www.tripadvisor.in/Profile/hokalmax routine and isn't extremely an isolated . Gcure all by itself. You still wan http://vapingunderground.com/members/hokalmax.139914/#infot to protect yourself from the sun and persevere practising all the good habits which result in healthy trying skin.They get this https://profile.cheezburger.com/hokalmax/ mistaken impression because they're used to the rigorously-spun. Glanguage used by advertisers to seduce readers and https://www.twine.fm/hokalmax viewers into shopping for products. When describing facial skin, shiny women's magazine advertisements or television commercials use words https://hokalmax.contently.com/ like and therefore on. This unconsciously implies that https://fancy.com/hokalmax skin must be delicate to be stunning.Young people, as an example, have beautiful skin as a result of they have robust skin. Yes, their skin is thick and powerful! This https://www.tetongravity.com/community/profile/m3f323/ does not mean that it's unhealthy . Tor unattractive as a result of an excessive amount https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hokalmax of swimming, sunbathing, or nail clipping neglect. Instead, thick and tough skin means that that it is well-structured, strong, and works https://www.etsy.com/in-en/people/xepwbmsc as a good barrier against bacteria invading the . Gbody from a topical source. https://www.tuugo.us/Companies/goji-cream-malaysia-watson/0310006481652 Let me repeat: powerful skin is additionally lovely, healthy, and swish skin. It is skin that's engaging. While it might be sleek to the bit, it is not https://photopeach.com/user/hokalmax delicate skin.hat the manufacturers aren't telling you is that a skin . Hcare product with these ingredients is totally useless. https://www.givology.org/~hokalmax/ The proteins have molecules that are too massive to be absorbed by your skin. So after you rub the lotion or cream on your face, you only relish a https://letterboxd.com/hokalmax/ brief profit. Your skin can look . Cyounger and smoother-till you https://www.lonelyplanet.com/profile/hokalmax wash off the cream. Then it can go back to its original weak structure and your wrinkles will reappear.The answer to question number 2 is yes. https://www.meetzur.com/hokalmax Several individuals develop skin conditions from the . Fmerchandise they are using and don't even recognize that the http://tupalo.com/en/users/2070970 merchandise are the supply. They keep using the product they're acquainted with and use makeup to cover the problems. When a https://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/hokalmax/ skin care product features a variety of .

1 note · View note

chuckling-chemist · 6 years

Text

A Pleasant Meet

((Don’t mind me, only reposting this piece since I made some adjustments to it before I put it on Writscrib, and with Writscrib unfortunately ending well...guess this is my only platform again. As such, the original version of this has been deleted since I honestly couldn’t tell you where the edits were made and it’s a solid ~6000 words. This was originally written about 2 years ago, so if it feels like it, that’s why. Also I do apologise that the read more doesn't work on mobile app. I added the long post tag but that's all I can do))

Pallia expected a lot of things today. It was the last day of the summer festivities - the three perigees that made the weather feel unbearable even at the dead of night - so there was sure to be more drinking and partying than she particularly enjoyed. She anticipated plenty of injuries and a few fights, but not many trolls would stop by unless something life threatening happened. If that was the case, it would likely be a low or midblood stopping in, barely putting pressure on whatever wound they had or with a friend carrying them in a panic. She was used to most of them being perturbed by her habits and reputation of outlaws coming in for a spin. For all she knew, they thought she was a former outlaw herself. Which she supposed she was.

Or it would be one of the outlaws or pirates to run in, as they were far more wont to do, a knife or a broken sword piece shoved somewhere where it shouldn't be. All the pirates already knew each other and were likely aware by this point that her hive was a neutral zone. Nor were they put off by all the rumors of her being a necrophiliac or witch doctor that inevitably float around when you use dead bodies for experimentation. Word travels fast. She wasn't even sure how so many of them found out about her.

So she wasn't terribly surprised when she got two sharp knocks on her lab door and Aisral entered, thankfully making plenty of noise so Pallia was actually aware of her presence. Nor was she surprised when Aisral said Mayola, a fuchsiablood, had been in the front room for a full five minutes and had been trying to get Pallia's attention before starting to pester Aisral on Trollian. And with Aisral in the middle of making a unitard that doubled as a cloaking device, she was not happy with the interruption. So with a quick apology to Aisral, she swiftly took off her prescription goggles and replaced them with half-moon glasses to run out and see what Mayola needed. That was where the unexpected thing happened.

Mayola herself seemed fine. She was currently leaning on the wall, arms crossed and fins flared out. A scowl was evident on her face. On the table in the front room laid some sort of seadweller body, dressed in a black overcoat, though they couldn't have been comfortable. She had to figure at least a foot of them hung off the table. "Couldn' take more time, could ya short stuff?" Mayola asked irritably.

"Sorry! I had an accident recently and --"

"Yeah, yeah. Don' care," Mayola said, waving a hand dismissively. As she spoke, her fins seemed to be retracting. "Didn' come for me, anyhow." She pointed to the table.

"FLARP? Again?" Pallia asked sharply. It wouldn't be after the first time after all and as much as she liked Mayola, the troll had a tendency to forget her own strength.

"Nah, found 'em at the festival. Nearly stepped on the fucker had it not been for Eeks!" Mayola said.

Pallia nodded, all other thoughts gone, and crouched next to the body, doing a quick observation. They - no, they seemed to be he - was a gaunt violetblood swimming in a black overcoat with violet trim. Underneath the overcoat was a full suit with a violet bow tie and a rather filled looking leather messenger bag crossed his torso. His fins were large and drooping, the tops even curling downwards. Dark purple circles surrounded his eyes. Pallia gingerly took an arm that was hanging off the side of the table, rolled up the sleeve just enough to reveal a bony wrist and checked for a pulse.

"So?" Mayola asked.

"He's alive," Pallia said. "Do you know him? I can't imagine there's many seadwellers in this area."

"There ain't. Me and the princess. Oh, and Niehea? No dudes though." She shrugged. "And 's the first time I've seen 'em. Doubt the fucker's from here, else he mighta not been in such a heavyass coat." Mayola pushed herself off the wall and headed towards the door.

Pallia frowned. "Heading out?"

"'Course. Gotta reputation to hold up for bein' an asshole...and I'm needed for some fineass drinkin'," she said. With a final wave, she added, "I'm out, short stuff."

And so that left Pallia with the mystery violetblood. If she had to take a guess, he was probably dehydrated. She could hook him up to an IV, but she would have to move him to one of the side rooms, and while he couldn't be heavy, she was still only five feet tall while he was...well, taller. Nor did she want to move the IV to a room where strangers could see it. Witch doctors no one wanted to mess with, but real scientists might draw unwanted attention of a purple variety. She could theoretically feed water by pouring it, but when the patient is passed out, that could be dangerous. So logically, the easiest step at this moment was to wake him up and just grab a bottled water from the mini fridge underneath her counter space. Something that thankfully, she could easily do without arousing suspicion.

Without another thought, Pallia slowly ran a finger down the gills along his neck.

The result was immediate. The violetblood's eyes shot open and she darted towards the fridge to grab a water. She had learned from more than a few times of waking up pirates that they never took kindly to being woken up, even if it was from fainting. He didn't. He didn't even move. Had it not been for the fact Pallia had just woken him up, she probably would've assumed he wasn't awake.

Finally, as she was heading back to the table to give him the water, he slowly sat and said something Pallia couldn't decipher.

"So…how're you feeling?" Pallia asked.

"You must not have heard me. I said I feel terrible," the violetblood said, turning his head towards her. His voice sounded posh, something she didn't surprise her, but far from unfriendly, at least in her mind. Then again, after Mayola's faux-lowblood accent, anything sounded posh yet outwardly friendly. "Sorry, I must not have adjusted to how sound is on air."

She shook her head. "No, I'm sure you were fine." She crouched back next to him and handed the water. "This should help make you feel better."

"Water? This is not because I am a seadweller, is it?" He shook his head. "No, no. That sounds bad. I merely wish to assure you are not just concerned that I should return to the ocean immediately."

"Hm?" Pallia cocked her head to the side, processing what he said. "Oh no! You're dehydrated."

The violetblood blinked several times. "No, no. I am feeling perfectly alright. It was probably just another fainting spell...possibly an anxiety attack." He stopped to hold up a shaky hand to his face and gently returned it to his side. "I just need sleep, I assure you."

"Your fins are drooping and you're wearing, like four layers on a hot night. You need water," Pallia said.

"Excuse me?"

She sighed. "You don't know? Have you ever been out of the water?"

"I just fail to see how a landdweller would know such a thing when you do not even have fins. Er...no offense. Was that offensive?" The seadweller was pointedly avoiding eye contact as he spoke, seeming to find more interest in his fingers.

"You're not the first seadweller that's had this problem."

"Fainting spells?"

"Dehydration. It's pretty common with seadwellers coming up to the area, expecting it to be cold when it's really hot and humid," she said matter-of-factly.

"...Oh."

Pallia reached up to touch one of the fins again, just to push the curl up. The violetblood let out a sharp gasp and his head suddenly turned towards her. A hand went to push her own away, but she had already pulled away, face flushed.

"Don't!" he exclaimed, eyes wide and a faint tint of violet on his face. "Oh dear. Apologies, I did not mean to snap. That is just…" his voice trailed off and he looked back away from her to his fingers instead, "sensitive, so to speak. For most, anyway. And I am not above the natural law of seadwellers to be an exception to that rule."

"It is? I didn't know that," Pallia said.

"You did not? I would have suspected you did, considering what you were talking about earlier," the violetblood said.

"Nope! No mentions in any readings I've done, any seadwellers I need to wake up I touch their gills not their fins, and the only seadweller I really ever have to service normally isn't in too much harm physically. She's the one who brought you here," Pallia said.

The violetblood was silent for a while, before finally looking back up at her quizzically. "You did what to my gills?"

"Well, if you ever need to wake a seadweller up, all you need to do is touch their gills. Natural instinct, I presume, even though you have two functioning respiration systems, that since they likely started in the water they want to preserve their breathing. Landdwellers have a similar function if you try to suffocate them in their sleep. Seadwellers might have that too, but I'd rather not wake someone up by actually trying to suffocate them when I can just tap on their gills and get the exact same reaction," Pallia said brightly. "Though, normally I have to do more than what I did to you. I barely touched them and your ocu...uh, glance...wait...eyes opened!"

The violetblood absently started touching his gills. "They...they do?" he asked.

"Yeah. Did they never teach you this stuff in schoolfeeding?"

"Ah...no. I suppose it just was not extremely important at the time," he admitted. "How do you know all of this?"

"Reading!" Pallia blurted out. It wasn't a total lie, as some of it she certainly had learned by reading the documents left in the building before it was her hive. The gross anatomy...not so much. "Lot of it."

"That is it? Just reading? Odd, one would have suspected we would have come across similar works," he said. He stood up and pulled the collar on his overcoat up, successfully hiding his gills and even his extravagant fins, to some degree at least, from the side. It matched the rest of his body: looking slightly too long and out of proportion with the rest of the coat. At least I know why he's wearing that thing.

"You should probably take that off," Pallia said. "It's crazy hot out there and daylight'll break soon. You're already dehydrated."

"I...are you sure? No one will attempt to rob me of any personal belongings I may have, or attack me simply because of my caste? Or something far worse. Not to mention I do not even know where to stay and...oh dear. What if--"

"You'll be fine," Pallia interrupted. "If anyone actually tries to rob you tell them you came from the clinic and they'll back off. Trust me. And there's a temporary hivestem you can stay at. It's in the richest part of the city, right up in the front where there's normally traffic. Tall building. Don't think you can miss it. It's a pretty nice place. And drink the water. Seriously, you'll feel better." She gave him the warmest smile she could muster for a stranger.

"And if I do not find it?" he asked worriedly.

Pallia paused for a while. She couldn't let him stay here, not right now at least. Then again...it would only be fair. She'd extend the offer to an innocuous lowblood to stay at her hive for a night, at least in the main room, so she should extend it out to a highblood or seadweller. But at the same time, she didn't have any actual sopor slime nor recuperacoon for him to rest in and if he did rest here in his condition, he wouldn't get any real sleep. She saw how irritable Aisral was when she initially stopped sleeping in it before levelling out. So the smarter decision would be to send him to the temporary hivestem, at least tonight. But if he couldn't find it, he may as well have some sort of contact for the place. "Do you have Trollian?" she asked.

"Erm, yes," the violetblood said cautiously. "Why?"

"I was just going to give you my account name, and if you had any problems you could message me," she said. "You don't have to give me yours. I don't really know any violetbloods personally who'd be messaging me, anyway."

He took a small sip of water before speaking. "Are you certain?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I simply wish to be certain, is all," he said. "You do not have to do this if you do not want to."

She shrugged and said, "It's only fair. I'd do it to anyone else." She ripped off a piece of paper that said calculatingAlchemist and handed it to the violetblood, who quickly shoved the paper into his pocket. "There you go. In case you have any trouble!" She glanced outside past the glass doors. "You should probably head out. It's getting late."

His head jerked away from her and he looked into a nearby window to see that dawn was just starting to break. "Yes, so it is. Thank you," he said with a small smile.

"No problem!" Pallia exclaimed. "And best of luck!"

***

Sure enough, Dontoc found the hotel - at least that's all he could fathom what she meant by temporary hivestem with his knowledge of landdweller slang limited to books - with almost no problem. It was an impossibly tall building with a smaller wooden edifice jutting out of the left side. Even without a sign, it had to be the hotel. It was the only building in the rich section, if not the entire city, that was nearly this tall. An impressive feat too, as he remembered several of the buildings appeared to have extra stories stacked on as an after thought. But here, it looked as if a strong wind would topple the whole building, yet it didn't so much as budge.

A hand absently went into his pocket as he walked and found the slip of paper. He felt bad for having her Trollian handle without using it, even though the more reasonable side of him gently reminded him he didn't have to use it if he didn't need to. Was she expecting a message? Even one to let her know he found it and got there safely? After all, if she said to message him if there was a problem, she would want to know if everything went smoothly. But then again, would she really care that much about some stranger dropped onto a table? He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to force the thoughts out. He would worry about that once he got past the necessary social interaction.

He walked up to the desk and gave a quiet cough. The receptionist, a male cobaltblooded troll with small horns, gave him a wide smile.

"Why hello, hello! What can I do for you?" he asked.

Dontoc froze. He looked down onto the countertop and took a long drink of water. It should buy him enough time to save face.

Finally, he choked out, "Ah...yes. I am...um...here for a room."

The troll gave him a quick onceover before nodding. "Really now? Don't get a lotta seadwellers comin' in. Where ya from?"

Dontoc opened his mouth and quickly closed it a few times, expecting a comment to looking like a useless fish that never came. He had to fight against the near automatic response of actually saying where he came from, which involved far too much explanation and socialization to a receptionist. It then dawned on him it had been at least a good seven seconds before he answered, and maybe just any answer would be good. "I uh...came from the tealblood's hive outside of this city," he said.

"The clinic?" the blueblood asked suspiciously. "You seem a little too clean cut to come from there."

"Cl...clean cut?"

"Well yeah," he said nonchalantly as he started to fill out some paperwork, "plenty of unsavories come outta there. Girl in there's weird, too. Don't trust her myself."

"Well I can assure you I am not an 'unsavory'. I just woke up there after a bit of a fall," Dontoc said.

"Ah! That's how. She probably thoughtcha were a dead body. She takes them in, ya know. Who knows what she does with 'em. Some talk about how she uses them for occult magicks or something. Did you know that's a common thing here? Fuckin' kooks." He flipped the paper over and pointed at the line at the bottom. Dontoc could only shift around slightly, thinking about the unusual book he found. "But you're alive and she don't want that so she letcha go. I'm sure. Anywho, here. Just sign at the bottom. Considering everything, I'll just give ya the room. Just make sure to tell your seadwellin' friends, alright? You're on the first floor, third door on the right. Room 133."

Dontoc nodded. Well now I have to talk to her, he thought as he signed the line. He didn't bother telling the receptionist he didn't really have any friends, let alone seadweller ones. He quietly muttered a small "thank you" as the receptionist handed him the keycard and pointed him in the right direction, and Dontoc found the room with little effort.

It was a standard room, as far as hotels go. The most impressive thing was a small bookshelf with a couple nonfiction books inside, and a laptop resting on the desk. He sat down at the desk, pulled out the slip of paper in his pocket and took another drink of water. Hopefully she was still awake, or else he might end up with another sleepless night.

He made a Trollian account back when he was still a kid in the vain hope that one of the other kids being schoolfed would at least talk to him outside of their classes. It never happened. Since then it had largely sat there, unused. Even though getting back on the website was like picking up a book even after not having read in sweeps, it still felt foreign to get on and see the red chatbox. With a quick search for "calculatingAlchemist", he managed to find her account and cautiously typed out "Hello?"

He'd never had a response so fast. Oh no, does this mean she was waiting for a response this whole time? And here I was not planning on messaging her until I needed some rather probing questions answered. Oh dear. His mouse hovered over the abscond button and he suddenly felt far too warm for the room.

No. You can do this. Deep breaths. You have already talked to her once. Perhaps too harshly, but you did. And you were hardly in a right state of mind either, but how much harder could online be? In fact, it should be easier.

algorithmicCollegiate [AC] began trolling calculatingAlchemist [CA]

AC: Hello?

CA: hey! CA: you've got to be the violetblood from earlier! CA: iss everything 0K?

Zero K? Wait no, "okay". It must be a quirk. Alongside the s. She did have a slight hiss accent, did she not?

AC: Yes, Σvery+hing Is "0K" AC: I Mαde It +o +he Ho+el Sαfely AC: Or +emporαry Hives+em As You Cαlled I+

CA: oh, awessome! :)~ CA: i antissipated a problem when i ssaw a messssage.

AC: No, No Problems +o βe Found AC: I Do Hαve Some Inquiries, However AC: +he Recep+ionis+ Seemed +o βelieve You Abuc+ed Me?

CA: he did? :o CA: wait no i think i know why. CA: what elsse did he ssay?

AC: You Were A Performer Of Mαgic, And I +ook +he Assump+ion I+ Wαs No+ Of +he Subjuggαlα+ion Vαrie+y AC: And You S+ole Deαd βodies AC: +hus Why He +hough+ I Wαs Abduc+ed

CA: yeah the lasst one'ss true CA: except for you being at my clinic becausse i thought you were dead, ssince ass I ssaid, another troll brought you in. CA: or maybe i didn't? CA: either way, i didn't drag you in becausse i thought you were dead CA: i couldn't even bring you into the proper room becausse i thought you were too tall for me to carry!

AC: Σxcuse Me?

CA: i have a valid reasson! CA: how long will you be in the area?

Dontoc stared at his screen blankly. He didn't know the answer to that question. The only reason he even left the comfortable island at all is that he realized he couldn't isolate himself forever, and from all his reading at home, Sandyhorn seemed a good place to start. So he responded the best way any absolutely confounded troll would.

AC: Whα+?

CA: i sswear i'll explain everything but i don't want to on the internet, even if trollian'ss ssuppossed to be pretty ssafe. CA: i know sseveral plassess where we can get ssomething to eat and you can meet me there or at my hive

AC: βut I Do No+ Σven Know Your Name

CA: you don't? CA: oopss! ^.^; CA: though to be fair i didn't actually antissipate talking to you again. CA: it'ss pallia. CA: sso lunch?

He hesitated. On one hand, he was genuinely curious what could possibly be going on, and he wasn't going to ever get over his anxiety unless he started socializing. But at the same time it was socializing, and in a public place no less. His curiosity won out.

AC: You Promise +o +ell Me Whα+ Is Going On?

CA: sswear on my life and my lussuss'ss life!

AC: +hen Yes, Pαlliα, I Shαll Mee+ You For Lunch +omorrow. AC: As I Am Afrαid My In+eres+s Were Piqued More +hαn I Σxpec+ed Upon A Forced Conversα+ion At A Ho+el.

CA: :D no issssues with that! CA: you know what? CA: that hivesstem you're at hass a resstaurant attached, we can jusst go there. CA: there sshould be sseating in the back and everyone'll be hungover from today sso we don't have to worry about any russh CA: ssound good?

AC: I Do Not See Why I+ Would No+

CA: fantasstic! :)~ CA: see you around twelve then violetblood!

AC: Erm, Actuαlly… AC: My Nαme Is Don+oc AC: +hough If You Wish +o Cαll Me "Viole+blood" I Will Not S+op You

CA: no no, dontoc'ss your name CA: calling you jusst violetblood would be rude CA: anyway, ssee you around twelve then, dontoc! :)~ CA: i'll be dressssed a little more fanssy than ussual out of sspite CA: may ass well pretend to be the creepy witch

calculatingAlchemist [CA] has ceased trolling algorithmicCollegiate [AC]

calculatingAlchemist [CA] would like to add you as a chump. Accept?

He clicked yes. Maybe out of hope, maybe out of desperation, or perhaps still out of the sheer wonder of who he managed to meet purely by accident. At least this would all be cleared up by tomorrow, and he could continue learning about land life.

He would just have to mentally prep for a possibly very long lunch.

***

Pallia arrived at the hotel five minutes early, wearing a black dress that touched the ground with a candy red cape, pointy hat snuggly in between her tall horns and a pair of shoes with just enough point to give the satisfied click on the tile floor.

"This is a place for honest folks," the receptionist, the usual cobaltblood she'd seen in here a few times, sneered. "And also, generally, trolls sitting higher than teal." She couldn't help but wonder if he ever actually slept or if he lived off of coffee.

"I am honest," Pallia said. "What, is this not honest to how trolls see me?"

"You know what I mean, tealblood."

"Not really. You said it was for honest folks. I don't think I've outright lied." She frowned. "Least as far as I can remember." Sure, leading other trolls on that she was a witch wasn't exactly honest and she could admit to that, but keeping the image up kept them from asking questions, especially when the image itself came out of a combination of calling what she did "alchemy" and her calling any medication she made for trolls "potions"....among other reasons. Only seemed fair she'd take the matter into her own hands and have control over it.

"You keep bringin' in all those pirates," he said. "I know you're working for them."

She rolled her eyes. "They were here before."

He muttered something - Pallia watched his mouth move - but she couldn't quite make out exactly what. All she could make out was something involving "keeping quiet".

There was a loud cough and she whipped her head over to the source, seeing the violetblood, Dontoc, from yesterday, walking up to her.

"Erm...hello," he said nervously. "I was afraid you would not completely remember."

"Nope!" She grinned, hoping it would calm him down somewhat. "And sorry about not seeing you there. I didn't hear you."

"You knew I was trying to call your name out?"

"I took a guess," she admitted with a shrug. "So shall we be off?"

He nodded. "That does sound like a good idea, yes. May I ask what you two were arguing about?"

"I'll explain when we sit down," she said as she started to walk towards the restaurant.

"Does it have to do with the outfit?"

"A little. Like it?" His mouth opened, but no sound came out. "You can be honest. No need to sugarcoat."

He did a once over of her, eyebrows raised in suspicion. "It is ridiculous."

She beamed at him. "Perfect."

They got seated almost immediately, all the way in the back corner as requested. And just as expected, they were the only customers present. Perfect. She just had to make sure the wait staff were tipped well and anything said here should stay here. That is, if it even got that far.

Dontoc looked relieved too. He sat down in the spot actually nestled in the corner. "Thank you for being willing to meet with me tonight," he said.

"Don't worry about it! You have questions, and depending on what they are, I'll have answers. Go ahead and ask whatever you need to," she said. With a smile, she added, "You look better, by the way. Your fins aren't curled in anymore. Still a little droopy, but they'll perk up. Try applying some water directly to them and your gills. I've heard that helps."

"You know a lot about seadwellers," Dontoc commented. "At least, for being unaware of the fin sensitivity."

Pallia laughed. "Comes with the job. That also wasn't a question."

He shifted in his seat. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course not. I'm just trying to be funny and not quite succeeding." Her eyes darted away from him as she did a quick scan for any server, but found none. "Though note, I'm not going to answer anything when the server's nearby."

He looked at her, puzzled for a second, then nodded. "Okay. Yes, that...that makes sense."

"Just to get that cleared up. So, what's your first question? I'm not counting your earlier one as part of this whole thing."

Dontoc cleared his throat. "Well I guess to start, ah, what exactly do you do? To know enough about seadwellers - which, ah, apologies for perhaps sounding harsh the night prior about everything, as you were correct, it seems - and yet only know a pair of them. It, well, does not quite add up is all I am saying."

Well, that was fast. Certainly, Pallia anticipated having to explain to him what she did eventually, but she wasn't ready for it to be the first question. He seemed trustworthy, at least. He had some of those standard seadweller catches: the proper speaking style, the formal state of attire for casual daywear and assumption a landdweller wouldn't know the basics of seadweller function, but he didn't sound pompous and arrogant about it like Careen, more doubtful, much like she'd anticipate from someone spending their whole life underwater and told one thing their whole lives. And now, he didn't sound doubtful of her, but rather of himself. Plus, she trusted Glacin, a purpleblood - self-admitted former subjuggalator by force, no less - obscuring his face (to everyone except her and his matesprit) actively using chucklevoodoos just to communicate. One curious seadweller with obvious socialization issues (even to her) looked far more trustworthy than him.

Hopefully she wouldn't regret this.

Pallia whipped her head around the room again to make sure everything was clear. "What did they schoolfeed you about science?" she finally asked.

Dontoc raised an eyebrow. "Science? You mean the technology and military advancement done directly under the Empress or...?" His voice trailed of, uncertain. "Well, we did talk briefly about the various mass murders of--"

"Yeah. Those." She shuddered. "I'd rather not think about that," she said flatly. With a brief shaking of her head, she added, "But did they tell you what it is exactly?"

"Erm...no. Well, yes, they did, but it did not sound correct. Were they supposed to?"

"I don't know. Lusus didn't want me to get schoolfed so I self taught myself most everything. Poor Monty would block the door just so I wouldn't go! And he might've eaten a truancy drone. Do those exist?" She shrugged. "Besides, I had enough stuff I found around my hive I managed to teach myself a lot, or had a couple others come in and help me. One of the pirates taught me a ton about plants that I didn't know, and I found out way more about computers when Aisral taught me and -- I'm getting on a tangent. Anyway, it is-"

"Hello there dears, can I get you two some drinks?" a new voice asked. Pallia jumped at the noise and turned towards the source. Hopefully she hadn't heard too much, she thought.

"Just water for me and…" she turned to Dontoc, who was currently hiding behind the menu, "him too."

The server nodded and walked off. Dontoc muttered something too quietly for Pallia to hear and she cocked her head.

"You're gonna have to speak louder. Your voice gets really quiet," she said.

"You did not have to do that. Um...thank you," he said. Pallia still had to struggle to make out the words, but thankfully it was at least quiet enough everywhere else she could do that much. Dontoc swallowed thickly and gave her a sheepish smile from overtop the menu. "So, what is it then?"

Pallia nodded. "It's studying the natural world - or unnatural world - and figuring out why stuff is the way it is, and how we can make use of that, through rigorous research, questioning and testing. And that's what I do. Several others that work with me too, but I'm really the only one who kind of works with the public. Well, me and Aisral but no one's going to try and slaughter her for "breaking the miracles" or whatever." She grimaced. "The only trolls who call us scienstiffs are those subjuggalators and anyone under them."

"So you being a witch then…?"

"I practice chemistry and biology and apply it to a lot of medical work. Two of the big three practices that is extremely regulated by the Empress. So I call what I do 'alchemy' which isn't that far off anyway, use the right jargon and suddenly word starts going around that I'm a witch. The body snatching thing probably didn't help with that," Pallia said with a shrug. "But that didn't scare you off."

Dontoc ran a hand through hair that looked like he had done that a thousand times already tonight. Maybe he had. "I have had my fair share of presumptuous judgements that I at least wanted to hear your side first. You seemed nice enough at least," he said. "Oh, and here come our drinks."

The server handed them their drinks and asked what they wanted for food. Pallia rattled off her regular - grubshrimp overtop rice in a spicy sauce with all the fixings - and Dontoc just ordered a piece of fish and a couple sides.

"They really are taking their time." Dontoc asked.

"Well, yeah. Normally with me they're longer because they normally serve cobalts and indigos coming to and fro. They're probably playing nice because you're a seadweller, while moving slow enough to try and...I dunno, either deter me from returning or deter us from eating together," she said. She scrunched her face in thought. "Maybe both?"

"Oh. Lovely," he muttered dryly, just loud enough for her to hear again. "I was hoping to escape all of that."

Pallia giggled. "You haven't been on land for very long, have you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"If you thought being on land would make people care less about blood caste? Yeah, kind of. You'll see it for as long as you're on land, which I guess won't be long."

"Mm. Perhaps." He shifted in his seat again, moving so he was leaning forward on the table. "I have found seadwelling life may not be for myself and am, as such, attempting life on land. Mainland."

"Oh cool!" She beamed at him. "But that's off topic. I bet you wanna know about the uh...the body thing."

His fins fluttered lightly (leaving Pallia to make a mental note that they seemed to respond to different vocal stimuli than Mayola's or Careen's) as he answered, "Yes, if you could."

"Well, unlike some others in a similar line of work to myself, I like to hold myself to an ethical standard. So I don't practice anything on unwilling live participants. Thanks to a couple rumors I'm sure were started by subjuggalators after the last massacre, there's a fun idea out there that all doctors are amoral, torturing monsters," she said bitterly. "And lowbloods - well all trolls really, I shouldn't single one set out - just leave their dead there. Which is unsanitary. So I take the bodies and either use them for science or bury them. Sometimes they get fed to Monty. Keeps them off of the streets, at least."

"For science."

"Yeah. Normally for examining anatomy, but also for seeing what they died from. I'm trying to keep a record. It's especially good for seeing which diseases are more commonly culling and what should have vaccines made of them. Vaccines which are basically things you inject to let your immune system learn how to fight off diseases, either by giving you a muted form or -- oh look at me, I'm rambling. I should move on or we'll be here all night," she said.

Dontoc shook his head emphatically. His fins looked perkier than they were even a few minutes ago. Interest? That's all she could fathom. "No, no. I actually am quite interested. I feel like I have learned more these past few days than the whole time being schoolfed." His fins shuddered as his eyes widened. "Oh my, that came across not quite as intended."

"Well, it's not like I learned all of this myself. There's a lot of old books and diagrams back at my hive. I think they're from whoever was there beforehand."

If Dontoc wasn't sitting on the edge of his chair earlier, he was now, back straight and eyes focused wholly on her. "There are? Um, I mean, interesting. I could ah, keep them safe you know. Not like take them or anything! But transcribe them and keep transcribed copies at my hive. The old mansion is already a somewhat illegal library to begin with. Extra books are not going to hurt it in the slightest."

Pallia grinned. "I think I like the sound of that," she said. "Do you live close by?"

He slumped back down in his chair. "Not exactly," he admitted. "It would be quite the trip to come here daily."

Silence. Pallia knew what she wanted to do immediately, but she had to stop and think. Make sure this wasn't the worst idea she was about to proclaim. He already knew where she lived, so if he was some sort of inquisition, it was too late already. Aisral lived with her, and connections to everyone except Glacin and Sekier were easy enough to make, fuchsia protection from Mayola be damned. And if he wanted to transcribe her notes, that was always good. Even if he took them and ran off, so long as she snatched the originals and hid them back in the secret tunnel, they'd remain safe enough. Not like she had to tell him about that part of the hive.

With her mind made up, it was her turn now to sit on the edge of her seat, leaning forward with shining eyes and steepled fingers. "You don't have to if you don't want to, you know."

"But I want to!" Dontoc exclaimed. "What you are doing sounds fascinating and --"

"No not that! Goodness no! I have two whole floors of nearly empty rooms in my hive and already one other troll living with me. So long as your lusus can survive on their own I see no reason why I can't set up a room for you," Pallia said. "And if you want, we can get you a lab too. Plenty of those as well. You'll just have to meet all the others. Aisral does textile engineering. She lives in my hive on the fourth floor. There's a seadweller who's constantly commissioning pieces from her. Zanchi studies genetics and evolution. Volcor studies mechanical engineering. Those two live nearby and stop in periodically. And Glacin normally just throws himself up on videochat with his matesprit. He studies pathology and epidemiology and his matesprit studies…" Pallia paused for a while and tapped her chin a few times in thought, "necrobiology. Or something like that. It's unique. And like I said, I study biochemistry. I can show you what I'm working on when we get there. So how's that sound?"

The other troll was silent, but his fins were fluttering heavily. Happiness? Wait no, flustered, Pallia thought. It was all she could guess.

Dontoc then nodded. "You want...you want me to live with you?" he asked doubtfully.

She deflated slightly in her chair. "If that's okay with you, of course. If it's not--"

"No no. I ah...you caught me off guard." He let out his own laugh, though it sounded bittersweet to her ears. "Let us just say I am unused to such kindness and leave it at that."

"Then it's settled," Pallia said. "It'll be nice having someone else in there, even if it's just a warm body. Aisral doesn't count."

He grinned. It lit up his whole face, perking his fins further and lighting his eyes, and Pallia quietly hoped it could stay that way. "Your behavior is somewhat infectious, just so you know. Even if you are a tad strange."

"Is that a problem?"

He hummed. "I do not think so," he said. "Oh, and one last question. To ease my own anxieties."

"Hm?"

"He mentioned unsavory trolls coming to your hive for care. Is that true?"

She nodded. "There's a big pirate place pretty close and they know everything I do is safe and effective. But don't worry, they don't touch anything in that hive. One of them did and ended up getting eaten by a giant snake. He didn't initially, but giant snake is so much easier to explain than horrible acid burns....then giant snake. Word spreads fast."

"That is why you said if I had any problems with an attempted assault to let the troll know who sent me, is it not?"

"Exactly!" She saw him flinch at the sudden shrillness in her tone and added, quieter, "That doesn't change your opinion does it?"

"Pallia, I am afraid you got me far too interested in what I do not know and wish to know unless you said it was to end in my culling I do not think I could turn back. One one hand, they do tell us curiosity is what killed the meowbeast but…"

"But satisfaction is what brought it back," Pallia finished. She leaned back in her chair right as the server came over to give them their food. "And somehow I think living here will satisfy most of your curiosity for whatever you were looking for."

"Perhaps," Dontoc said. "It will if nothing else, be an interesting ride."

#Long post #my writing #on one hand i wanna rewrite it but like...#it's probably good enough for when it was made tbh #unless i somehow have to gut everything and restart it there's not too much reason to #and even then it'll be to fix voice and stuff #make the dialogue flow more naturally #the general layout is still canon

4 notes · View notes

viss-uh · 6 years

Text

===> Be the tattoo artist

(Gonna have a picture soon)

Your name is CAIROZ EMPHER. You’re the OWNER OF A TATTOO SHOP by the name of The Grateful Wave. You’re a CHARMING, PUPPY DOG EYED HEART THROB, and you don’t even know it. In the industry you are known for your COLORFUL PIECES, despite having a lot of black work on your own person. You try your best to be FRIENDLY. Never one to turn away a customer regardless of their place on the spectrum. YOUR LUSUS PASSED AWAY when you hit young adulthood, and that put a major impact on your life. Having to already DEAL WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, a dead lusus on top of that amplified it to its peak. You struggled for a time. DRAGGED YOURSELF OUT OF DARKNESS many times and poured ALL YOUR EMOTION and PASSION into your art. You’d like to think it kept you sane to dive into your works, be calmed by the colors. NEVER in your life did you think you would get this far, and even now it still astounds you that trolls want to wear your art forever. It fills you with so much pride. SOME DAYS YOU STILL STRUGGLE, but you’re lucky enough to have a few good friends to keep you in check. You’re the HAPPIEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, and you’re really hoping that it’s going to last.

Full name: Cairoz Empher

Gender: Male Blood color: Violet Height: 6’9” Troll tag: troubledVirtuoso Quirk: Y( i - you like to make it look like pinchers encrabsulate your words, and every now and then...you use crab or ocean puns. - i )Y Age: 88 sweeps/ 190 years

Birthday: June 14th

Zodiac: Gemini Describe your sign: The tattoo on left pec Right handed or left handed?: Right handed Strife: Odachi (large/great sword) What is something you like to keep in an accessible place in your sylladex?:

Sketchbook and pencil Describe your lusus:

A spider crab, but even bigger than the normal ones already are. I guess if I had to compare his size to something then, probably as tall as a double decker bus. A lot of trolls used to say he looked like a damn nightmare, which isn’t far from the truth ahaha...He was a good lusus, though. When he passed away, I took his shell and painted over it. It’s hanging above my fireplace mantle now.

Do you get along well with your lusus? Are they difficult to feed?:

We got along most times, when I wasn’t being a broody brat, ahaha. I grew out of that at least. That was after he was already gone, though. Seemed like he waited until I was able to take care of myself, and soon after that he just died. I guess he was just really, really old. He wasn’t difficult to feed, though, cause he fed himself, ahaha. The land near my hive had a brooding cavern not far and a lot of the time grubs would wander out, or be placed out cause of mutation and they’d die, or be close to death and he’d eat them. I ate them sometimes, too. Cooked, obviously. But really most the time he’d munch on plant life, and maintain the reef. Give a brief description of your hive:

An extravagant underwater castle, the top spire peeks just barely out of the water and appears to be a large, jagged rock. It has plenty of windows to look out of on the coral reef living on the hive itself and the area surrounding. Pleasantly colorful on the inside with tapestries, pillows, woven rugs, framed art; some of his own painted on the very walls in the main hall of his hive. The main hall also includes a ceiling made entirely out of a thick aquarium glass. The rooms have plenty of fixtures to lighten up the living space, but when it’s just him he tends to keep most of them off. Preferring natural light to artificial. What are three random interests that you have?:

Drawing. I’ve been drawing and painting since I was little. It was an escape when I was younger, but now it’s not so much a place to hide, but a place to express myself.

I’ve been tattooing for about 10 sweeps and I’ve made a name for myself in the community. It was crazily surreal when I found out people actually wanted my art permanently on their body, like...forever. It really helped with my self esteem, ahaha.

I’m not very good at it, but I really like origami. I’d love to have someone who actually knows what they are doing teach me how to fold neat and crisp like they do in the trolltube tutorials, you know? That’s what I have trouble with. I’m learning on my own right now, and I’m making progress but not as much as I’d probably be making if I had a teacher. How do you handle stress?:

I draw, surprise surprise, ahaha.

What do you know about your ancestor?:

Absolutely nothing.

Are you a leader or a follower?:

Can you be neither? I guess I’m more of a leader, but I have no problem with following, I guess.

Are you more introverted or extroverted?:

Bit of both. Do you tend to argue or avoid conflict?:

I like to avoid conflict whenever I can, cause it stresses me out and I’d like to have very little stress in my life. Are you a listener or a talker?:

I’m a listener. I really love to hear people talk about something they’re passionate about. It’s so uplifting to be around that. How long is your attention span?:

I get hyper focused on stuff, especially if it’s a piece I’m working on. So I’d say my attention span is pretty solid. Do you laugh a lot? What’s funny to you?:

Oh yeah, all the time, I love it. It’s really easy to make me laugh, and the only problem I have with laughing is the fact that I snort sometimes. It’s so damn embarrassing, ahaha. Are you more athletic, artistic or intellectual?:

Artistic and athletic, I swim a lot. The whole seadweller thing. What would you do if someone attacked you for no reason?:

Defend myself? Restrain them if I could? I don’t really like violence, but I guess if I had to I’d try to give them a punch in the head, knock them out maybe. Any fears?:

Falling back into a pit like the one I was in when I was younger, and losing all the progress I’ve made. And I’ve worked really hard to get where I am right now. What would happen if your greatest fear manifest itself?:

I would try my best to stand my ground, because I’m too stubborn to run away. Do you make decisions based on emotions or logic?:

Emotions 100%, and it’s so bad for me sometimes.

#Cairoz page #long post #forces myself to churn out select pages

2 notes · View notes

thatprettygreengentlelady-blog · 7 years

Text

4 Natural Remedies for Folliculitis

When I rest during the evening feeling 100% flawless, I hope to wake up feeling 100% great. I likewise envision awakening looking a similar route, aside from obviously for a couple of cushion wrinkles and stray hairs.

Recently, this was not the situation. I went to bed around 1:38am – not to be particular or anything – and woke up not long after 9am. The explanation behind my wake up wasn't because of a caution, nor was it since I needed to get my carpe diem on.

I woke up in light of the fact that I was scratching the hellfire out of my under arms.

I quickly hopped out of overnight boardinghouse to my trusty mirror. Low and see both underarms had built up a somewhat agonizing, uneven and red skin irritation. Did I specify it was itchier than wearing fleece on a sweltering summers day?

At to start with, I thought the knocks were hives. I didn't eat, drink or interact with anything bizarre the prior night so I sucked it up and went to my residential area healing center Emergency room.

On the off chance that you've at any point lived in a residential community then you know how fun it is to go to the nearby healing facility. You know the medical caretakers, specialists and chances are you look awful and keep running into no less than 3 other individuals you know.

Me? The triage nurture was a similar woman I swore I'd answer to the experts when I was 8 years of age since she directed my first (and last) suppository, the specialist was companions of the family and I kept running into a pal I saw the prior night. We quickly thought back finished "how great" the bar was the previous evening… .astonishing!

Returning to my rash, turns out it was Folliculitis. Never knew about it? Me not one or the other. Give me a chance to clarify.

Follicu-WTF?

Folliculitis is an aggravation of the hair follicle. The pocket that your hair becomes out of is known as a follicle and may wind up plainly tainted because of microscopic organisms, yeast or parasite.

Since your whole body is shrouded in minor hairs, you can encounter folliculitis on any piece of your body. The most widely recognized territories are face, scalp and crotch however.

Things like shaving or wearing tight apparel can piece and bother your follicles, which may prompt a disease. Hot tubs, swimming pools, standard cosmetics utilize and tainted slices may all be antecedents to folliculitis too.

Here and there it's difficult to tell what's aggravating your follicle since it might take up to 72 hours to introduce itself.

Why Are You Telling Me This?

Perhaps you've never known about folliculitis, yet there are countless individuals who live with endless folliculitis.

For bailing a kindred sufferer out, here are a portion of the regular solutions for folliculitis I utilized and discovered powerful.

4 Natural Remedies For Folliculitis

White Vinegar

Presumably a standout amongst the most mitigating cures I utilized was 1 tablespoon of white vinegar blended with some warm water. Compacted against my influenced skin, it facilitated the tingling sensation and decreased aggravation.

In case I'm as a rule impeccably legitimate, the first occasion when I set the vinegar pack over my skin I felt such alleviation, it was practically pleasurable and I without a doubt made a noisy "Awwwwwww yeaaa!"

Witch Hazel

You definitely know I cherish my Witch Hazel; that sh*t is magnificent.

I drenched extensive cotton cushions with it and let it splash over my influenced zones for 5-10 minutes twice day by day.

Witch Hazel treatment for Folliculitis

It was extraordinary for the tingle, yet additionally lessened the redness. My specialist affirmed that it was sufficiently delicate to utilize a few times for the duration of the day also.

Things to Avoid

Like most skin conditions, certain things can intensify the issue. You ought to abstain from ingesting dairy and gluten when your skin erupts. Try not to apply any basic oils or other slick topical specialists either. Wear free, cotton attire so your skin can breath. Avoid unforgiving body wash and cleansers as well. Be delicate to your skin for the following couple of days.

It may not seem like one of the common solutions for folliculitis yet those be a wholllle lotta tips, so I'm tossing it under the home cures classification.

Recuperating Time

My greatest worry with this gross rash, was to what extent it would take to recuperate.

I was inflammed from the back of my underarm to the front of it and it was self-evident. The specialist guaranteed me that in the event that I took after his directions the tingling would stop in a day or two and the redness and swelling would diminish inside seven days.

It took about 2 weeks for my arms to backpedal to typical, yet I'm upbeat to report I'm feeling 100% again and back to my customary adorable self! *wink*

Have you at any point had folliculitis some time recently? Do you have any home solutions for folliculitis? Offer your formulas, cures or story in the remark area underneath.

3 notes · View notes

unlikelywallflower · 5 years

Text

on the futility of intellectual knowing

(Continuing to catch up with the posts I wrote but never shared: this one was written early January 2019.)

It was prudent of me to wonder how I was going to make it through that week and a half after our first attempt; I would have done well to turn that wonder into some planning (not that I’m sure that would have helped). I swore I could smell things more strongly than before. I swore I was more tired than usual. Everything became a sign of potentially being knocked up. I had several nights of waking up at 4am and my body deciding it was just done with sleep for the night. Even knowing that most pregnancy tests would not be valid until at least 10 days after ovulation (since it takes about 7-10 days for an embryo to implant in the uterus, and hormones go up to detectable levels from there), I took a test on the 8th or 9th day because I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

It was negative, as were the tests I took on days 10-12 (and I don’t mean only one per day). By the time my period arrived to confirm what I already knew, I was dramatically sad. There was a lot of crying involved, and, it was one of the many times in my life I have been grateful for all of my tools, as I managed to keep myself from spiralling completely out of control. I managed to catch the stories as they came up (mostly the story that this meant that I would never be able to get pregnant) and see them for what they were. I obviously knew, intellectually, that this process can take a while, and that very few people at this age get preggers on their first try, but knowing intellectually, as usual, was useless.

In between the first and second round, I took PSD2 home with me for my annual extended family Chanukah party (a.k.a. Latkefest!), at which he was a shining star, to no one’s surprise. My mom loved him. The next day, I got to go to his family Christmas party, which was both overwhelming and so great. On the way there, we took a little detour to visit the house and town he grew up in. I was so moved to get to see this part of his life, and so happy to get to deepen my relationship with him.

On the second round, I swung hard the other way: whereas with the first attempt, I had made it almost ceremonial, with my crystals and prayers and guided fertility meditations and visualizations, this time, I tried very hard (and surprisingly successfully) to not think about it more than I had to. I managed to keep the symptom-guessing to a minimum (though I was fairly sure that the mild cramping starting on the 8th day post-ovulation was a good sign). I managed to only have one night of too little sleep (the night before I could take the first test). I even managed not to freak out when the test was negative, or the one after that, or the one after that, or even when my period came. I was sad, yes, but at this point it felt like I had dug in for what could be a long journey. The days after, though, made me wonder: I went into a spiral of random sobbing, not triggered by anything to do with thinking about pregnancy, but more often by work stressors. It was so intense that it reminded me of coming down off the hormones after my egg retrieval surgery last summer, which was basically a mini-menopause of an estrogen crash. Maybe it was lingering sadness and/or disappointment that I just hadn’t dealt with; maybe it was a chemical pregnancy; maybe I was just exhausted after a long year. I’ll never know, but thankfully, it only lasted about a week and then I crawled out of it.

The third time, I tried to find a middle ground: I prayed, and I visualized, and I meditated, but I didn’t get obsessive about it. I promised myself I would not take a pregnancy test unless my period did not arrive by the expected date. Most of all, I promised myself I would ride the wave of the relaxing I did over the holidays and continue to practice equanimity.

I won’t pretend it was all peace and love, though; at some point, while googling something in the week after Attempt #3 (it may or may not have been whether it’s safe to have orgasms around the time of implementation), I somehow happened upon the website of a TCM practitioner whose practice is focused on fertility. In addition to a list of fertility superfoods and videos of acupressure points, she had some tips, including the tip that intense exercise, particularly weightlifting, is not great for fertility, since it puts “downward pressure” on the uterus, and for fertility, we want to promote the opposite. Also, apparently people who are trying to get pregnant should avoid excessive sweating. I freaked out at this, since weighlifting (specifically metabolic conditioning) is my primary form of exercise, and exercise is my primary form of self-regulation. I was so freaked out that I stopped exercising altogether, save for long walks, yoga, and swimming (all of which are apparently okay). I decided I could handle this until I saw my own TCM practitioner, whom I trust implicitly (my work with her has done more than anything else to get my chronic hives condition under control). She, thank goodness, was a voice of reason and moderation: from her POV, moderate exercise of varying modalities is fine. So, I won’t be doing intense quite as intense MetCon workouts as I have been, but at least I can get back to the gym.

To close out 2018, I did a ritual of writing down all of the major things that happened in each month of the year for me, then meditated on letting go of each thing, one month at a time. As I did this, I kept welling up in gratitude for the love, community, growth, guidance, and support that the year was so full of. There were some hard times, and there were also the things and the people that kept me buoyant and resilient.

Last night, at our very intimate Russian NYE dinner party (one of my closest friends is Russian, so we celebrate every NYE Russian-style, which involves somewhat of a feast and a gift exchange), my community and I closed out the year by saying what we were proud of, what we were grateful for, and what we were looking forward to. I am proud of the growth I did last year, of buying my first home (!), and of making the tough choices and taking action toward fulfilling what I truly want in my life. I am so deeply grateful for my community, for my spiritual practice, and for my burgeoning relationship with PSD2, with whom I’ve gotten so much closer over these last few months of trying to make a human.

Two more updates:

PSD1: Sometime in between rounds 1 and 2, I met up with PSD1. I was nervous as hell to tell him that PSD2 and I had already started trying, and just prayed that he would be as understanding as he’d said he would be. God bless the man: he was all of that and then some. He’d been on his own journey since we’d last talked, leading him to the realization that he actually does want to be a parent, and was grateful to have had that particular box opened up for him through our conversations. I’m so grateful that we both came away from the whole ordeal with more love and respect for each other than we’d ever had before, and a renewed connection.

The Roomie: He started coming to Choir!Choir!Choir! with me on the regular, and when we’d go out for food afterward (food which I was neither hungry for nor awake enough to be eating, but it meant spending time one-on-one with him), we had some pretty real conversations. Conversations in which I discovered that a) I may not be at all what he’s looking for, and b) he may not be ready for a relationship at all right now. I am, however, proud to say that I told him I have a crush on him; I figured I had nothing to lose. He stepped right over that little nugget and responded to everything else I’d said. So, that crush has boiled down to a low simmer for the time being, but has not died yet; the fact that he continues to flirt with me is all the flame it needs for now…

#singlefeminist #choicemom #donordad

0 notes

roses-adventures · 4 years

Text

From my actual blog (originally an essay) regarding the dangers of misdiagnosis among people with chronic pain:

According to the Mightys' research shown by msn. Com, many people with fibromyalgia are misdiagnosed initially (n.p). This is partially due to the misunderstandings, discrimination and wide range of symptoms that fibromyalgia transmits. However much of a difficulty it is I believe that the medical industries disregard for fibromyalgia is potentially dangerous and many times involves continuous gas lighting from medical professionals because of this I believe that doctors should better educate themselves on the truth and new research on fibromyalgia.

In order to understand why many may disregard fibromyalgia I’ll start by explaining what fibromyalgia is.Fibromyalgia is a fairly unclear medical condition. It’s not exactly known what causes the condition and whether it’s neurological or physical. Initially medical professionals believed it to be an almost mental condition that people with fibromyalgia thought they were in pain but in fact weren’t in pain. As medicine Improved it was thought that it is possibly both neurological and physiological, based on the symptoms it presents such as brain fog (also called fibro fog), widespread musculoskeletal pain and over a hundred other symptoms. To make matters worse fibromyalgia is different for every person who has it. It also has many related conditions that some have in addition to fibromyalgia. Some of those include but not limited to, lupus, multiple sclerosis and IV, I learned so much about fibromyalgia through years of research trying to understand the condition. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are varied and can change from person to person this can make it hard for doctors to diagnose.

Typically these are also things that have overlapping symptoms of fibromyalgia. For some including me, fibromyalgia can present itself in childhood and be misread as pain amplification syndrome or even just growing pains. For me it was a lot of Balance issues, memory problems, and pain. Though my pain was not like it is today and I was told it was only growing pains. When I got into high school my junior year I went to an amusement park called wild waves, my brother who was young and very nervous asked me to ride the rollercoaster that was meant for small kids with him. I asked the attendant if it was okay and he even allowed other older people on the ride as well. We went around the ride and each of the four times it made the round my ribs slammed into the car. Hard. This caused instant and painful bruising. I went to see doctors and was assured it was only bruised and would heal in about six months. Well about five months later I got walking pneumonia and went to a respiratory specialist and a sports medicine doctor and later a physical therapist and a counselor for my mental health. Through this I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and complex Post traumatic stress disorder. Even though these were my symptoms everyone has different ones and that means someone could have very different symptoms. Another thing that varies is that some like me have the major portions of fibromyalgia occur after a physical or emotional trauma. health seemed to take a weird turn.

Just as I began to think that my health couldn’t get any stranger, I was back in the hospital. I was trying to relax after a vacation to the beach and I then was poolside and swimming. I was still having every issue from the year before and I couldn’t help but try to find my own answers. Googling too try to find what I could be dealing with. I had come up with a couple of options based on my symptoms, one was fibromyalgia and the other was lupus. I noticed one day that I had a pea sized bump on my ankle. Thinking it was probably a mosquito bite I thought nothing of it. The next morning I was covered in hives we went to the ER and they told me it was just random hives, gave me Prednisone and discharged me by this point we realized it must be heat and stress related as when we reduced the heat and I stayed out of the sun and calm, my hives would go down a little bit. A day later I was completely swollen in my hands and feet, I couldn’t even hold a pencil or walk. I again went to the ER and they brushed it off and gave me more antihistamines and asked me to leave. The next day I went to the emergency room again for the third time. This time I had completely swollen lips, I couldn’t talk and my lips began to hurt. This time the ER nurse who had seen me all three days became worried. She had seen me all three days and realized I was getting worse and worse. She and the resident DR began to think that I had lupus, they sent me for tests and then referred me to a child’s rheumatologist since I was still under 18. Having a heat and stress rash is a less common symptom of fibromyalgia and when I mentioned it to doctors asking if that could be the cause they mostly dismissed it, however it’s common in lupus patients so doctors saw it as pretty obvious.

The rhumatologist I saw wasn’t too far from the hospital, I will call them when I arrived at Dr. B' s office I was very disoriented. Between being swollen and on Prednisone and the extreme pain I was completely out of it. She bent my swollen joints back, I understand that she was checking my joint flexibility however she was very forceful and disregarded the pain I was in. She then got very frustrated with me when I was feeling disoriented. Even looking back on this memory is really foggy because I was so out of it it’s almost like looking through a bubble, like it’s not me. We then talked about my blood test results. I was so ready to have a actual diagnosis however when she told me my results were clear I began to cry, it happened to be after I was told it wasn’t lupus. She turned to me and said “why are you crying, you don’t want lupus anyway”. My mom tried explaining that I was frustrated about lack of results. Dr. B talked to my grandma about fibromyalgia, which my grandma has and Dr. B told us that I probably have it however she’d loose her license if she diagnosed someone my age with fibromyalgia. She instead said I have hypermobility and pain amplification syndrome. I was given no treatment and told to wear knee braces, get expensive shoe inserts and exercise she told us pain amplification syndrome is the children version of fibromyalgia, and us not knowing any different went along with it. In all actuality pain amplification syndrome is a condition that affects children essentially it’s having low pain tolerance and encourages using only exercise to make the pain tolerance higher. It is nothing like fibromyalgia. My reaction after was incredibly dissatisfied, I told my mom I was frustrated with her and that I didn’t feel like she was right. Now that I look back on it it’s so frustrating and upsetting, she had the perfect opportunity to help a kid who was in a lot of pain and instead she chose to tell them all they need is exercise and shoe inserts.

So why is this a problem and why was I treated in this way? Well it’s a problem that people are often misdiagnosed because as I already stated being in pain chronically and having it go untreated because of misdiagnosis is potentially dangerous. According to a pain management

site called practical pain management states that they’ve seen an increase of death among people that have chronic pain that’s untreated (Tennant n.p ).What happens is that we have so much pain that is coursing through our body and people who are at risk can end up having sudden cardiac arrest. This condition is incredibly terrifying yet also extremely important to talk about yet this week is the first time I’ve ever heard of it. Aside from the medical issues this also causes psychological problems from being told you don’t have a condition or that the pain is in your head then it makes people feel like their pain is invalid. So why was I treated in this way and misdiagnosed? My age is a major factor. I was young seventeen almost eighteen and this causes controversies, it’s pretty difficult for people, both doctor and civilian alike, to understand that you can be any age and be in pain or sick unfortunately to me it seems to be similar regardless of education. It makes sense if we think about if we can even blame civilians for not knowing if doctors seem to think similar. Which means typically I get questions like “isn’t that something on older people get?” Or comments like “you don’t have that you’re too young to be in pain”. Then I have to explain that anyone can be in pain chronically. I believe that it’s really hard to look at children or young adults and believe that they may not be healthy because it’s something that’s not extremely common in communities. Another factor is that most doctors still believe that fibromyalgia isn’t real. According to pubmed they discuss how many doctors often dismiss and refuse to believe the condition is real. Especially older doctors I’ve realized have a more difficult time with the idea that this is a valid condition.

I also believe another issue is that most women are often not taken seriously for their pain. This is often shown in many places and in so many woman’s personal stories and its very important to realize that this is also often why women begin to avoid going to doctors. This can be really dangerous for the women because leaving pain untreated can be really dangerous. Some of the accounts of things that women had endured regarding having their pain disregarded are written in Dr. Amy Millers post on practical pain management where she explores the different ways women’s pain is disregarded and how this can even effect if doctors look for adequate treatments for their illnesses.

The last reason I believe I was treated like I was is my weight. It’s strange to say but this was not the first now last time I was shamed by my weight and told I’d be just fine if I were to exercise more. I’ve even been told by family that my condition is due to my weight. Unfortunately this isn’t uncommon for others in the fibromyalgia community many of the other people I talk to have similar stories of people who believe they’re helping but really theyre

hurting us by blaming weight as our only issue. My main argument against the idea that my condition is due to my weight is that before I ever got sick and even that entire junior year I was an active person, my sophomore year I was the top of my walking class even beating the athletes

in the class, I hiked all through sophomore and junior year and only gained weight after being on Prednisone twice. My most recent doctor has told me that my weight is not my doing and that my body still hasn’t worked out all the Prednisone which is why I’ve been unable to lose it.

I want people to learn from my story that fibromyalgia is real. It’s very real and pain is valid. Though pain may be different for all of us and fibromyalgia is different in most of us so you can’t tell if someone does or doesn’t have it. I also believe we need more and better research and medications, unfortunately the medical industry is still pretty uneven on what they believe which makes it hard to be properly diagnosed. I want people who are undiagnosed or feeling like they’re misdiagnosed to know that they should trust their instincts if something doesn’t feel right or like it’s working let your doctor know, and if you feel like the diagnosis is wrong, then it’s never a bad thing to get other opinions from other doctors and ask around to different groups on who they see and if they like them this is so helpful. I got my most recent doctor through my dad’s wife’s daughter who was having similar issues and he’s amazing so I definitely recommend getting other opinions. My last little thing I want people to understand is that what works for one person may not work for another, and exercise or that one special tea your great aunt’s brothers friend drinks to treat his fibromyalgia isn’t necessarily going to help someone else with fibromyalgia and actually can sometimes worsen their condition. being misdiagnosed are huge problems right now and I hope that more doctors will begin to be More open minded and take it upon themselves to fully understand the condition itself as we begin to see more research come out towards the issue.

Work cited:

Tennant, F. (2019). Sudden, Unexpected Death in Chronic Pain Patients. [online] Www-practicalpainmanagement-com.cdn.ampproject.org. Available at: https://www-practicalpainmanagement-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.practicalpainmanagement.com/amp/10608?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE%3D#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.practicalpainmanagement.com%2Fsudden-unexpected-death-chronic-pain-patients [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].

Wyant, P. (2019). 16 Conditions People With Fibromyalgia Were Misdiagnosed With. [online] MSN. Available at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/16-conditions-people-with-fibromyalgia-were-misdiagnosed-with/ar-AAxL38x [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].

Bernstein, J. (2019). Not the Last Word: Fibromyalgia is Real. [online] PubMed. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4709307/ [Accessed 8 Mar. 2019].

Miller phd, A. (2019). Gender Bias and the Ongoing Need to Acknowledge Women’s Pain. [online] Practical Pain Management. Available at: https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/gender-bias-ongoing-need-acknowledge-women-pain [Accessed 8 Mar. 2019].

0 notes