#Tumblr Project

[lonely-letters-from-xeria]

A Letter of Beginning

Dear… whoever,

My name is Glenn. I’m a student at Rexridge High School. Was? I’m not sure. I’m writing this down to process everything that’s happened, and I guess a part of me hopes someone back home will somehow receive it and know what happened.

It hasn’t been that long. Twelve hours, give or take by the position of the sun. It’s not too different from the one at home, so small mercies, I guess. Glad my field knowledge doesn’t go to waste here. But I don’t know if there’s a time difference between here and home, so… just in case…

Hello. My name is Glenn. Yes, the Glenn on the missing posters.

I’m with the other four missing kids. Fyrus, Avery, Sophia, and Adrien. We’re alright, for the most part. Just… lost.

It all started like this.

————————————————————

Glenn doesn’t know why the woods are calling to him.

The small forest bordering their high school is nothing significant. Aside from the unusualness of birch next to red cedar trees, the dense shrubbery and common moss don’t exactly stand out as some mysterious landscape. It isn’t particularly big either; it wouldn’t take long to walk through it, and nobody ever got lost in it. 

All in all, it’s rather unremarkable.

And yet Glenn’s boots drag him there after school one seemingly random Tuesday. He trudges along, bandana scarf ruffled by the wind. His nature guidebook sits in its usual place in the satchel next to his waist, but that isn’t why he’s walking into the woods.

He’s not sure why he’s walking into the woods.

But he’s walking into them all the same.

Dirt muddies the soles of his boots. The fresh scent of cedar spikes his nose. He brushes twigs away from his sightline, curiosity ballooning in his chest alongside the mysterious feeling tugging him forward. Distantly he can hear the last bell ring, shooing any stragglers in the schoolyard away. He reaches an open glade in the woods and pauses. As far as he can tell, he’s completely alone-

A twig snaps somewhere on his blind side.

He whips his head to the right, immediately defensive whenever someone or something approaches from his right. A guarded scowl tugs at the scars under the trusty eyepatch covering the right half of his face. He scans the trees, trying to find who made the sound.

A teen in a grey and red hoodie stumbles through the bushes, shaking leaves from his carbon-fibre leg. When he catches sight of Glenn, a bright smile bursts over his face. “Glenn!”

Glenn’s shoulders drop from where they’d been tensed. “Fyrus. What are you doing here?”

Fyrus stretches, swiping spiky bands of black hair from his freckled face. “I could say the same to you, but I just kinda... felt like going into the woods for some reason? Like-” He makes a gesture with his hands as if a rope was connected to his chest pulling him to the glade. “Odd, right?”

Glenn frowns at that. “I... have a similar feeling.”

Fyrus cocks his head. “Wait, really? No way! That’s so strange!”

More rattling shrubbery catches their attention, and from another side of the woods steps a teen in a white and blue jacket, ripped black pants, and knee-high boots. Her hair is swept on one side, shaved on the other, and dyed black, white, and light blow. A baseball bat is hefted over her shoulders.

She looks at the two of them in surprise. “Who’re you?”

Glenn opens his mouth to answer, but before he can, another rustle catches his ears. He turns to see yet another teen step from a different direction towards them, this time from a more clear trail. Her face pinches slightly in discomfort as she tries to tie her long blond and blue hair behind her to avoid getting it caught on branches. Glenn recognizes her as a member of the student council, though he doesn’t know her name.

She catches sight of them, gaze swiping over each with an analytical, skeptical look. “What are you three doing here?”

Fyrus pipes up before Glenn or the girl with the baseball bat can speak. “Glenn and I just kinda felt a tug. Weird, huh?”

Baseball bat girl’s eyebrows raise. “A weird tug? Same.”

Student council girl crosses her arms in disbelief. “Oh, sure. You just felt a mysterious tug. That’s definitely not an excuse you’re feeding me because you three got caught.”

Fyrus tilts his head. “Caught?”

“Yeah, caught before you could do... whatever you gathered here to do.”

Glenn shakes his head. “We didn’t intend to-”

The bushes rustle again, quieter than before. Glenn trails off, staring ahead as a fifth teen cautiously steps into the clearing. He moves quietly with soft footsteps, a burgundy umbrella held open above him despite the sunny weather. His hair is black, the roots stark white. In the shade, his eyes look red- though they might actually be that colour. He’s dressed in a fashionable slim silver coat with a maroon scarf.

The other four teens quiet. Glenn’s never talked to the kid before, but he recognizes him as the mysterious loner of the school, the one with countless rumours swirling around him. What rumours, he doesn’t know, never bothering to pay attention to those, but he does at least know they exist for some reason.

The mysterious teen watches without speaking, gaze switching between them. His knuckles are white around the handle of his umbrella.

“So who are you?” Baseball bat girl asks. 

“Did you feel a ‘weird pull’ too?” Student council girl says with a disbelieving scoff.

Mystery boy stares at them. As he opens his mouth to answer, the ground suddenly begins to shake. Fyrus throws out his arms of balance, pinwheeling them. The others struggle to keep their footing, eyes wide in surprise. 

“An earthquake?!” Student council girl shouts. “What-”

Glenn rubs his eye, shaking his head to clear it. For a moment he could have sworn the trees around them were moving in unnatural ways, twisting and contorting and growing with bending shadows. It must have been an illusion from the earthquake, like the sudden prickling feeling of heat across his skin. Oddly enough, he hears the... ocean? Waves crashing on a beach.

It must be branches falling in the woods. They’re nowhere near an ocean. 

The wind picks up, whirling around them with vicious howling. Glenn raises his hands to protect against it, squinting through the sudden storm. His boots slide in the shaking dirt. A burnt taste suddenly finds itself on Glenn’s tongue.

As he watches, strange symbols of light seem to etch themselves in the air and on the ground. Indistinct shouting rings out from the other teens, muffled by the wind. The soil under his feet starts to give away with a sinking sensation, crumbling from the centre of the glade outward into a forming hole. But the hole doesn’t have dirt at the bottom, nor is it a black void. It’s a spinning collage of colours, rippling like a mirror.

Glenn tries to stumble back, but the swirling spiral of wind pushes him forward. The ground cracks away underfoot, sending him pitching forward into the vortex along with the other four teens.

The next thing he knows, he’s laying in the grass of somewhere distinctly not Earth.

————————————————————

I know, I know, sounds impossible. A cave-in? Underground gas pipe explosion? Science class fumes hallucination?

No. We discussed all the possibilities together, and there’s only one conclusion.

We fell through a portal to another world.

It’s mind-blowing, honestly. Scary. A part of me is trying to distract from the fear and confusion by wanting to study the unique flora of this world. I mean, there are so many new mushroom types alone here. I’ve already seen honey-coloured caps and ones that mimic tree bark. And the trees in this area seem similar to birch, though more silver in colour. It’s weird but kind of cool, that’s for sure. Hopefully we can find something edible.

Another part of me finds this place strangely familiar.

Right now we’ve managed to set up a base camp in a nearby glade using a boulder as cover. The others have turned to me for guidance because I’m the only one with experience part-timing as a camp instructor. Fyrus and Avery managed to find some firewood and Sophia found some giant plant leaves to use as a tarp. Adrien did his own thing and cleared the area of stones and sharp twigs, and is now sitting under a tree in the shade of his umbrella and... doing something, I’m not sure. 

I’ve never met Adrien before. There’s a lot of rumours about him- he’s a loner, he always has his umbrella, gives off “mysterious vibes” according to my classmates (apparently he’s “totally a vampire”, which I highly doubt) - but I don’t pay attention to that stuff. He’s careful of where he steps on the flora, and that’s good enough for me, I guess.

Sophia and Avery are also newcomers to me, though I’ve seen Avery on the sports field for the rugby team and the baseball team. She’s got her bat with her, and she’s already said she’d fight anything that approaches our camp to defend us. A little brash, maybe, but her words helped Fyrus and Sophia, so it’s comforting. Sophia’s on the student council and I see her around the library, though she usually avoids the campgrounds I work at. Avoids a lot of the outdoors, but hey, she’s doing her best here.

Fyrus is really the only one I know well. He’s a good friend of mine, full of energy and drive. He won’t stop for anything once he puts his mind to a task (usually because he gets so focused he forgets), and I’ve had to remind him to grab food and water before. He calls me a hypocrite (and then immediately apologies- he’s too nice for his own good) because I can go overboard on work too. Kid’s a little naive and overtrusting, but he’s got a good heart. 

I don’t know why I’m writing all this down. Probably as a record in case... well, just so people know who we were in if something happens. 

Morbid thought, I know.

That’s it for now. I want to save paper space for the others and it’s starting to get dark. Not great for the eye to be writing in the dark.

And I want to check on the others. Just because I don’t know them well doesn’t mean I shouldn’t make sure everyone’s handling this okay.

We’ll get through this together.

We have to.

- Glenn

[impulsivefanwriter]

Side Blog Project Assignment

Hey all! Usually I don’t self-promote but, while not Ninjago based, I have a major project for homework where I need to make a Tumblr Blog with 3 short stories & transmedia elements based on one of the listed prompts. I chose “Alone together” and am happy to announce a fun little blog project called “Lonely Letters from Xeria”, a found family fantasy isekai original story for your enjoyment! 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lonely-letters-from-xeria

I will be posting small updates daily (along with the big letter updates roughly once a week) for the next 3 weeks ; character asks are highly welcome and appreciated (though they might not be answered immediately)- feel free to check it out, ask questions if you wish (anon is available if you prefer that), you can spam questions now if you want and I'll save them for the journey, etc. or send asks during the event as the story unfolds

I hope you enjoy! 

- Imp

[fer-xiv]

Miku trend with sardininan Miku

[foxbirdy]

A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.

Prints & PDF

[panstarry]

heads up: this games charity bundle was finally approved on itch.io! it opens this friday, april 12th, and will run for a week. all proceeds will go to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.

you can check out the bundle on itch.io and follow @vgforpalestine on twitter for more updates!

—

EDIT: as of april 20th, 2024 this bundle is now live!!

[sunlit-mess]

coping real hard

[time-traveler-cherise]

Chapter 3 Whispers of the Cherry Blossoms

I found myself back in the real world, unable to recount the specifics of my return, yet there I was, sprawled on my bed in the familiarity of my bedroom. Life resumed its usual pace, the mundane existence of a game designer until an enigmatic email disrupted my monotony:

The answer you seek, tomorrow night, Cherry Blossom Park.

That night, the park's cherry blossoms were as breathtaking as ever. Moonbeams filtered through the petals, casting a pattern of light and shadow.

I stood at the designated spot, waiting until a figure emerged from the mist. "Who are you?" I asked though I had a premonition in my mind.

"I'm Yoyo's friend in this world," the man replied with a steady tone. "She sent me to inform you that the conspiracy is more extensive than we imagined."

My hands balled into fists, anxiety coursing through me. "What are they aiming to control? The game, or the reality of the players?"

"They intend to manipulate reality through the players' consciousness within the game," he explained, each word sending my heart into a frenzy. "But Yoyo stopped their plans, at least temporarily."

I stared at the man intently, trying to find clues in his expression, "So what happened to Yoyo now?"

After a long pause, he spoke softly, "She sacrificed herself to protect the world, but her consciousness still exists and has become the new guardian."

A pang of sorrow struck my heart, yet there was a glimmer of unexplainable solace. Yoyo still persisted, in a different guise, watching over the world. My eyes drifted to Sakura, my heart swelling with emotions.

"She wanted you to revisit that ultimate level you once crafted," he said, handing me a USB flash drive before vanishing into the night.

Back home, I booted up my computer and plugged in the flash drive. An incomplete piece of code, the final level I had created - "Cherry Blossom Dream" - flashed on the screen. A note at the code's end beckoned:

Find me and fulfill our dream

I inhaled deeply and set to work on the code. Perhaps I could use this to establish a connection with her consciousness. It was late at night, and only the sound of keyboard tapping echoed in my room.

As I keyed in the last line, the game world on the screen burst into life. I guided my character toward the in-game cherry blossom tree. On the screen, the cherry blossoms slowly floated down, recreating the moment of our first meeting, though Yoyo was absent.

Deep in my heart, I knew that the last time I saw Yoyo would be before I returned to the real world.

Standing under the cherry blossom tree, I looked up at the pink blossoms that shimmered like stars. Yoyo, though we may never meet again, our shared dream will perpetuate endlessly in this world and in my memory.

[arunneronthird]

[raptorrobot]

...like antennas to heaven

link to the full image

[joycrispy]

Zepotha will never be Goncharov because when it comes down to it, tumblr culture is collaborative, while tiktok culture is merely iterative, and those are not the same thing.

[mahmoud-ziad]

Have we become so desensitized to this scene, or have we lost our value entirely?

Today, I went out to secure some food for my family. I don't want to talk about the high prices or the severe shortage of food supplies.

But what truly breaks my heart is the bombing of civilians in a school in the Nuseirat area, where many martyrs fell, most of them children and women. How long will this situation continue?

How long will we keep waiting? We need a radical solution. We are running out of strength to endure this.

[lonely-letters-from-xeria]

Have you met any sentient life yet? Like animals? Glenn, since you're a nature person, have you seen any animal tracks?

Or maybe all the animals float in this world...

I found this about ten minutes ago. It's... strange, to say the least. Doesn't directly match any animal track I've ever seen, in real life, books, or online, but it's kind of a mix of fox, raccoon, and almost... human.

Seems to have some kind of gripping ability. Climbs, maybe, and digs. I found a few at a base of a tree leading to another tree, so whatever left these prints likely jumped down for some reason and ran up the other tree. Maybe it was hunting someone on the forest floor? Or it was being hunted by something in the canopy and ran to the ground to escape...

Whatever it is, it’s definitely strange. 

We’ve seen a few birds, but mostly at a distance- seems our presence is causing any wildlife to steer clear, if I had to guess. It’s... quiet. 

Fyrus spotted something up ahead that looks like a more clean-cut and walked path, almost like a road. It’s getting dark, though, so we’ll camp for the night and check it out tomorrow.

- Glenn

[diornies]

Suddenly, it's December by margaux paul

[fer-xiv]

Sardinian nuragic civilization Miku. Is this too specific or

[hammerings]

miku + miraidon. This cannot be improved tbh

[myreitha]

So uh. I have that gold fabric/leather paint now. And some gloves sitting around that I never wore. And I got the itch to make things.

Uhm. Enjoy?