#SHELDA TAGS LIGHTNING ROUND

[fluffyglass]

for when you see your favorite little guy

[sockablock]

Orly’s reaction to realizing he died/this crazy group of misfits can bring people back from the dead/the ship got attacked or any of that? Or just “who exactly are these people?!” From the crew in general?

“—only I heard they got into a huge fight with the Zelezo. And that was before they was even sailors.”

“What? No—”

“Nah, he’s right. I saw it myself. Fought ‘em for a bit at the end, too.”

The rest of the crew turned towards Gallan, who was leaning against a stack of crates to the side.

“Piss off,” Shelda said instantly. “No way that’s true.”

“What? Yes, way!” Gallan protested. “I swear I did.”

“You?”

“Who else? I’ve been on this boat since the beginning, I have. How do you think I joined up? I was kidnapped!”

“What, like Marius says he was?” someone else called. “You really expect us to believe you two? This isn’t a pirate ship, Gallan.”

Gallan snorted, took a swig of his flask. “That just goes to show what you know. Sure, it’s the Ball-Eater now—”

“Awful name—”

“I nearly said no ‘cause of it���”

“My mate did—”  

“—but before that,” he forged ahead, “before it was called that, this ship right here was the Squall-Eater.”

The crew fell silent.

Gallan tapped the deck with his boot. “Cool, right?”

One or two of the crew exchanged glances. And then, they all burst out laughing.

“Yeah, right—”

“Quit jokin’—”

“What’re you drinkin’, Gal—”

“Wh—I’m being seri—shove off!” He scowled. “Really. I mean it.”

“Nah, you’re takin’ a piss.” Shelda gave him a mild shove. “The Squall Eater’s a proper pirate’s ship, and everyone knows it’s got a proper pirate captain. As if a boat like that would be sailin’ merchant routes. As if a boat like that would employ Marius.”

A distant, “Hey—”

“I swear I’m tellin’ the truth!” Gallan cried. “And you all know I was a pirate, yeah? I sailed on The Mista—I mean The Mist! Remember?”

“Then what’re you doin’ on a cargo ship?” Someone asked.

“I told you, this is a pirate ship,” he groaned. “It probably will be again by the end of this journey, just you wait and see what the Captain does.”

“What, Skiffback?”

“Our real captain. Tusktooth.”

“Tusktooth?” Shelda scoffed. “That weirdo? All he does is stand behind the wheel all day and call out boat-terms like he knows what he’s doin’.”

“Attractive, though,” someone offered.

“None of them really look like sailors,” Shelda added. “I swear the furry one hasn’t sailed a day in his life. And our cannoneer doesn’t even like water.”

Gallan sighed. “If you don’t believe me, ask Marius. Or Orly! Both of them were there when we set sail. Marius was in that Zelezo fight, weren’t you?”

The crew’s heads swiveled again. This time towards Marius, who was sitting on a barrel, trying to break into a biscuit with his teeth.

He hastily set it down.

“‘It’s true,” he said. “We’re both being honest. These people are lunatics, they kidnapped me, when all I was trying to do was a, a business transaction. And they put an axe in Gallan’s head.”

Gallan nodded along, sagely. Half of the group craned their necks to examine his skull. The other half seemed to consider this for a moment.

“They…do seem sort of violent,” someone conceded after some brief thought. “Like…in the fight last night! With the fish-things.”

There was a shorter, more profound pause. Then:

“The…huh. Hey, did you know the navigator was a wizard?”

“Forget that, the first mate could punch lightning—”

“The halfling was foaming at the mouth, can they do that?”

“I swear the fuzzy one was gonna commit murder—”

“He did—”

“And what about the small one? She was only doin’ crafts yesterday, then bam, blades—”

“I didn’t even know the pale one was on board ‘til she cut its head off—” 

“Exactly!” Gallan brightened up, though Marius seemed to wince at the memory. “It’s always like this when they’re on board!” he grinned. “Seriously, when they’re gone, it’s so bloody peaceful, and then the second they come back, it’s one thing after another! We had a storm fight us once! And harpies! And other pirates! And don’t even get me started on the flood—”

“They didn’t even ask if I wanted to sail,” Marius grumbled. “They just said: ‘okay, time to come aboard—’”

Shelda eyed Gallan over suspiciously, then considered Marius’s grimace.

“And you two…really are being serious?” She asked. “This is an actual pirate ship? You’re tellin’ a real story?”

From behind them, came a series of thuds. Heavy footsteps, marked by faint jingling, and rumble.

“If y-you want a st-story, sailor, I’ve g-got a story for you.”

They turned, and lit by the lamplight, was the shining, grinning, half-squint of Orly.

He chuckled, and pushed a crate aside.

“Gather ‘round,” he said. “Those two a-a-amateurs can’t be s-sayin’ it right.”

He spread his hands, gave a nod, and almost as if under his spell, the crew of The Ball-Eater leaned in, as one.

“L-let a real b-bard show you how it’s done. Mmm...now. It all started on one…one starry night…”

—

✨ Ko-fi in bio✨ | 💜 Writing Tag 💜 | Requests Are OPEN!

[fluffyglass]

i feel like they understand each other

[fluffyglass]

Reworked all of my Grumpuses YOU WILL LOOK AT THEM NOW

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Abbey

[fluffyglass]

love drawing these guys partaking in mundane activities

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I'm a real bugsnax fan now! I've done the redraw!

[fluffyglass]

Between Chandlo, Wiggle and Gramble, I think none of them actually take in what Shelda teaches them. Sure, they go to her sermons and listen to her ramblings but none of them really "get it", so to say.

Chandlo is the clearest example of this, probably because we see him with Shelda the most. He listens to her explain something, then completely misunderstands it. She tells him not to consume the toxins, and he takes it as avoiding bugsnax that are toxic. He continues to eat bugsnax. Even though he doesn't fully understand her, he probably gets the most out of her lessons, just. Know that it makes sense why Shelda had to just up and say "that boy needs therapy" instead of making a metaphor.

(We literally only see Wiggle and Gramble with her once so everything I'm about to say is complete and utter bullshit)

Wiggle openly admits to the journalist that she has absolutely no idea what Shelda's talking about. She's there for the vibes and that's kind of... it? Her whole thing is that she's looking for experiences, and even though I'm Wiggle's #1 defender, I am fully willing to believe that even if she did understand Shelda, she wouldn't really listen to anything she says. In the one time we see her interact with Shelda, she doesn't take Shelda eating bugsnax seriously at all. Wow cool you're questioning your entire religion and are giving in to the failures you warn others of? Change it up a little, darling! Girlypop does not care and I can't really fault her for that.

Gramble... Gramble's kinda different. I feel that simultaneously he's the only one who understands what Shelda is saying, but he's also the one who's the least ready to actually hear it. They have an important thing in common, with neither of them (cough) initially (cough) eating bugsnax, but they have completely different views on the matter. Gramble doesn't eat bugsnax himself, but his dependence on them is one of the most extreme of anyone in Snaxburg. So when Shelda warns him of the toxins influence, he knows that if he listens it would mean accepting that his bugsnax don't love him the way he loves them. Girl is NOT ready to accept his role in his own unhappiness!

Sorry I'm Sheldapilled

[fluffyglass]

not counting doing it only for the say cheese achievement. i mean throwing cheese at shelda for the sheer joy of throwing cheese at shelda

[fluffyglass]

Picnic for people who are weird and off putting