#fire swamp

[tempest-melody]

Writing Group: Scene Rewrite

The prompt this week was to change an element in a scene from a piece of media. I selected the ROUS scene from the Fire Swamp in the Princess Bride. Despite my overall love of this movie, and understanding that certain directorial choices were made, it always bothered me that Buttercup just watched in this scene. Westly just saved her from the lightening sand and now she is just watching him get…

[muffinlance]

The feral cat gator of a 13 year old freshly scarred Zuko being forcibly adopted by the foggy swamp tribe! Bonus points if they willfully ignore the fact he's a firebender and treat him as a very strange waterbender bending-wise

It was Earth Kingdom ships that drove the metal one onto the reefs, so when the little thing came crawling up through the marsh spitting and hissing and dressed in red, they knew it weren’t no earthbender. No matter how much mud it had tripped in, trying to find where the ground stopped sucking at its feet.

“Wow-ee,” said Old Earl, “that sure is one way of keepin’ off the ‘squito-chiggers.”

And they all watched from Big Earl’s porch, sitting or rocking, as them bugs came for the all-you-can-eat and ended up on the bar-b-que.

“Sure is some weird bending,” said Little Earl, who was taller than Big Earl, but when they'd been twelve and they’d wrestled for the title it hadn't been Little Earl who’d won.

The little thing looked maybe twelve, too. And he was little little. But he had that same look like he was going to shove someone’s face in the mud until they said otherwise, as he stood there all panting and dripping and just realizing they’d been watching him this whole time.

“It’s firebending,” the one-kid mud-wrestler said, as bugs kept pop-snapping into flames around him.

Old Earl cupped a hand over his ear, like he couldn’t hear. And he kept doing it, while the kid got louder and louder about that bending of his, but quieter and quieter about looking at them like they were his next bugs.

“Oh, firebending,” Old Earl said, nodding like he’d only just got it, when the kid had stomped straight up to his chair. “Right, right, Old Jane’s got fire-water-bending, too. Why don’t you take him to her, boys.”

“It’s not-- ugh,” shouted the kid, but maybe he only had the one volume. Certainly only had the one volume for stomping, even though stomping was what got a fellow’s shoes shoved down so deep in the mud they’d be seeing them again as mole-shrimp hats. Not that the kid had shoes. Neither did Earl, Earl, or Earl. ‘Cept for Fancy Earl, but he’d gone off to Ba-Singing-Se, to be fancy.

Anyway, Old Jane was the best at turning anything and everything into fire water, which was the kind of thing a fellow called his or her liquor when they wanted fancy folk to keep right on walking. Was really good for making shouty little firebrands take their naps, too, which let Old Jane get her glowing mitts all over that fresh burn of his. And the love-bites from the shark-wrasses that had probably been half the reason the kid had come a-shore all a-shouting in the first place.

“Nope,” diagnosed Old Jane, when the kid woke back up. “That’s just how he talks. Mother was a screamer-bird, I’d say.”

“You take that back about my mother,” screamed their screamer-bird, who had pretty good hearing for someone who’s ear had lost the same fight as his eye. Anyway, Old Jane had done the best she could about both, and nothing was on fire that shouldn’t be, and she had that extra quilt she’d been working on that needed a body under it

And the waves and the shark-wrasses had all the rest of the kid’s crew

So sure enough they set their little screamer-bird up with a nest and let him cry loud as he wanted.

Anyway, if there was one thing Earl Earl Earl and Jane knew, it was how to make a joke so good the other person didn’t even know it were a joke.

“Firebending,” their little fledgling shouted, and waved his arms around, like all that fire pointed at no one was going to get them startled off.

“A-yep,” nodded Old Earl. “That there is some fire-water-bending. Just like Old Jane.”

Old Jane wasn’t the kind of gal who showed off, but she wasn’t the kind who missed no cue, either. She swirled a lick o’ liquor out of her latest barrel and twirled it ‘round and straight into her mouth, and when she spit it out, it looked so much like the little bird’s breath-o’-fire that he didn’t even notice the spark rocks she kept on her fingers as jewelry. No one did, ‘til they’d seen the trick a few times.

The kid’s mouth hung open so low and so long, a moth-tick flew in. That was some kind of life lesson, that was. The swamp was good at sending those.

The Earth Kingdom sent troops a-stompin’ through, losing boots and scaring catigators out of their sunning spots left and right, askin’ all rumbly about those fires they’d spotted, and if anyone from that shipwreck had made it on shore, and talkin’ about how there’d be money in it for them if they made that last answer a “yes,” sounding like Fancy Earl and all his talk about commerce and living standards.

“Got a few parts of them ship people in the lagoon,” Big Earl said. “Probably still floatin’ if you want ‘em. But we better bring the shrimp-minnow nets, ‘cuase they’ll just slosh on through the turtle-sturgeon ones.”

“...No thank you,” the head stomper said, like sayin’ polite words made a fellow a polite man. He’d tracked those boots of his right up onto their porch without so much as a scuff on their mud rug. Even the kid had used the mud rug. “And the fire?”

“Oh,” said Little Earl, with a grin, “that was Old Jane.”

And she did her trick again, only less tricky, so they could see the spark rocks real good. “You boys want some fire water?” she offered. “It ain’t blinded no one who wasn’t already headed that way.”

They didn’t want any, which was grand, ‘cause she hadn’t really been offering.

When the last of them had gone stomping off back to the kind of land that let people stomp it, it took them two whole hours to lure out the catigators from under the porch. And their little screamer bird, too.

“...Why didn’t you turn me in?”

“What?” asked Old Earl, cupping his ear.

“Why—”

“What?”

“—didn’t—”

“WHAT?”

“—you—”

“Speak up, boy,” Old Earl said. “I never heard such a quiet child.”

And boy, did that set their bird back to singing.

[reality-detective]

The failed presidential candidate who is NOT the real Killary Clinton is claiming that Elon is staging a “blitzkrieg-style administrative coup” of the US government.

If you don't know what that is: 👇

To Me... When the slandering blasphemy is all the same and coming from the same people who created chaos during President Trump's last term, it's obvious who the real Nazi's are. The pattern is in your face and clearly recognizable, but if you don't... STOP 🛑 following the herd and break off from the pack to take the road less traveled.

As for judging people without knowing what's going on and name calling others you don't know... 👇

These people don't care about you, they do NOT want to give up their power and they really call everyone else what they truly are. If you speak up and go against them, you are labeled a domestic terrorist and your name is put on a watch list. It's just like social media (Fakebook) when you violate their community guidelines and then you are on their radar. 🤔

[pnglove]

[incorrect-upon-a-witchlight]

Gideon: The risk I took was calculated but, man, am I bad at math.

[seaworthit]

Nettles and Sheepstealer!!!!!

[seabeck]

Went to my favorite bog yesterday but oh no! There was actually enough water there to warrant boots (last time I visited it was just a bit muddy). Good news, I brought my boots, bad news, I ripped a hole in my boots while I was on an island. I did get to finally do something on my wishlist: actually touch a blooming western swamp laurel (my beloved).

Left to right: swamp laurel x2, wild cranberry, big Labrador tea, two baby slugs, tufted loosestrife (new plant for me), northern white violet (also new!), Corona cups maybe, chrome spagnum

[tokumei1ka]

Beneath the Moon

[old-hubba-art]

Old ship art

[raindrop-stimmies]

Adventurer Stimboard!

For Deadboy’s 600 (Special Interest!)

🧭🌴🧭

🌴📕🌴

🧭🌴🧭

[misplaced-aquarius]

1.13.2024 - Mushroom to Nap

Lambert and Heket get to take a nap together, it's totally a safe spot~

[reality-detective]

Idaho lawmakers have advanced a bill to make a firing squad the state’s primary method of execution.

If passed into law, Idaho could become the only state to have death by firing squad as the primary death penalty method. 

All nine House Democrats opposed the bill. 🤔

[ashscarce]

The forgotten warrior

really wanted to make a more bright piece. I tried to make it feel kinda dream-like.

I mostly based the design on water buffalo, with the large horns and droopy ears.

[scribledon]

The Princess Bride has gotta be one of my favorite movies, books, and all time THING

[skullfragments]

What are the three terrors of The Fire Swamp? One, the flame spurt - no problem. There's a popping sound preceding each; we can avoid that. Two, the lightning sand, which you were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in the future we can avoid that too.

Presenting: The epitome of comedy in the cinematic world via my favorite scene in The Princess Bride

the GO Reference Library Study Club did film and album cover redesigns this week, and I maybe got a little carried away!

[cyncerity]

AU Masterpost

This doesn’t have links to all my stories, that would take forever, but here’s a rundown of all my aus and what you can find with each!

(i ran out of room in the pinned post for tags to keep track of my aus)

wss dni

Any vore-centric aus will have “^^” while any aus that have vore but can be understood with the vore content blocked will be “^”. Reminder: if you have “#tw vore” blocked you can avoid those specific posts entirely!

If you wanna see my longer stories specifically, they’re under the tag “#cynwrites” my art is under “#cyn art” and my oneshots are under “#cyn oneshot”

i’ve tagged as many of these aus as i can in this post so you can get to them right from here, though i ran out of room for the bottom four so you’ll just have to type those out.

all of these aus are always open for asks and suggestions! even the ones that haven’t been updated in years. if any of these aus interest you, please send asks!!

also i’ve said this before and i’ll say it again: i write for characters. only characters. i don’t like/have never watched non-dsmp content of half of the people i write about, but their characters hold a special place in my heart so im stealing them for my own uses. their creators didn’t deserve them anyway (dteam and william gold this means you).

last edited: 6/15/25

The Big Ones:

#cynborrowerau^

* First au i made on this account! It’s a bit hard to describe cause of the sheer amount of characters and lack of solid plot, but it’s your run of the mill humans and borrowers/tiny hybrids.

#moth!tommy au

* During the Big Innit Hotel debacle, Tommy is turned into a small moth hybrid by Jack. Good news: Tubbo found him! Bad news: the whole server thinks Tommy is missing and he can’t get Tubbo to recognize him.

#sizeshifter!tommy au^^

* Tommy is a size shifting humanoid creature trying to pass as a normal human in a normal world. Thank god his family and two best friends are around to help him keep his secret.

#grow your own tiny au

* “Grow Your Own Tiny” is a weird new-fangled toy for kids similar to Sea Monkeys, where kids can plant a pod and end up with a tiny living doll. Phil caves and buys one for Tommy, and he gets twins Techno and Wilbur. Everything is fine until the dolls go missing suddenly, but evidence of them starts turning up over a decade later…

#Giant Techno AU^^

* Techno is a wanderer who happens upon a town where tinies are treated as food and pets. He saves 3 tinies from a royal feast and finds a family. Shenanigans ensue.

#store shifter au^

* Some borrowers and humans have a gene that makes them able to change size once they experience a trauma. Sapnap, a borrower born shifter, lives in a store with his 2 fiancés and poses as a human who works there. Things get a bit more complicated when Sapnap’s boss and the store owner, Dream, turns out to be a human born shifter.

#Naga!Phil AU^

* Phil becomes a tiny naga. it’s up to his three basically incompetent sons to take care of him (this au is also being written for by @ totallynotbat)

#Eyes Off Me AU

* About one hundred of years ago, the Crafts were cursed to be immortal small antique dolls that freeze when looked at by humans. This isn’t a huge issue until their “dollhouse” gets sold to an anxious teenager and they’re left with a kid named Tubbo who had no idea his dolls were alive.

#Dad's Troubles AU^

* A young Schlatt adopts a borrower toddler named Tubbo who left behind after his colony was exterminated. Years later, Quackity becomes a co-parent. Now, Tubbo is a teenager and his dads are adults, raising their son in a world where borrowers are seen as animals.

#Trapped Wilbur AU^^

* c!Wilbur has just been revived and, unfortunately, is stuck at Ghostbur’s tiny size. Tommy decides that Wilbur is a dick and doesn’t deserve to be free around the smp until he learns to be nicer. And Tommy knows just the place to keep him.

#Flubber AU

* A re-write of the Disney movie Flubber. Quackity is a distracted and frazzled scientist, constantly stressing between his failing engagement and his university job, who only catches a break when he makes a scientific breakthrough: Slimecicle.

#creature tommy au^

* Tommy is a borrower genetically engineered to hunt other borrowers as prey, since borrowers are overpopulated. When he escapes from his lab and is taken in by Wilbur, though, he starts to learn actual morals and compassion.

#bet on the crown au^

* Tommy is the young king of a nation that was just attacked by a ruthless emperor named Dream. One day Tommy is approached by someone who offers him a magic weapon: a knife that can instantly kill what it cuts. In a world of magic where humans are the weaker minority, Tommy takes it. It’s then that Tommy meets Phil, a man cursed to be a weapon who just wants another chance to see his family.

#crimeboys runaway au^^

* Tommy is a teenager in an abusive home. He needs to get out, and he needs to run away to a place his family won’t find him. Thank god there’s a new service to help the bond between humans and giants that would be perfect for what he needs.

#Home Home au

* In a world where borrowers are treated like pets, Wilbur adopts a troubled one named Tommy. While he wanted a pet, Wil ended up with a brother. He’s come to learn Tommy was treated poorly by the world, and it’s his job to teach Tommy his worth.

#epic au

* A re-write of the 2017 movie Epic. Tommy is the prince of the forest whose father has just gone missing. In his attempt to find him, he accidentally shrinks and summons a man named Technoblade to his kingdom. Now he and his friends have to get Techno home and save King Phil from Techno’s mom.

#Hiraeth AU

* Tommy doesn’t remember his past at all. He spends most of his life alone looking for any home he may have. When he gets caught by Ranboo, he decides maybe he doesn’t have to look alone anymore.

#superhero au^

* Sapnap, George, Karl, and Dream are 4 of the top heroes of L’manburg. Quackity is one of the top villains. Dream doesn’t know. Meanwhile, Tommy’s whole family are villains, and he’s just lost his brother in a fight. Now as a vigilante, he wants to make the top villain, his dad, pay for letting it happen.

Going on Account^

* Sapnap, Dream, and George are navy men tasked to hunt down a troublesome team of pirates. When they get kicked out, they learned that some of the pirates were family they were stolen from. Now these three navymen have to learn that pirates aren’t what they were taught, and Sapnap isn’t what he was told.

The ones with only a few posts and no stories:

#tiny avian au

* Phil is a small avian who’s on the run with 3 eggs he saved from being stolen by humans. He thinks he finds a safe place to keep them, only to figure out too late that he kept the eggs in a human house under construction and now the homeowners have his kids…

#Deep Sea Mer AU

* Tommy was lost at sea as a kid on a boating trip with his scientist family. After years of searching and mourning Phil, Techno, and Wilbur give up. Until one day in their studies of deep sea fish, they discover not only mermaids that live below the depths, but that their little brother has been taken in as one of their own.

#Lab Twins AU^^

* Techno and Wilbur were made in a lab to be inseparable: literally. If they stop physical contact with the other, they can’t breathe. Oh, and they have to co-share height, so keeping two separate lives while being forcibly stuck together gets more difficult when they enter high school.

#unnamed swamp au^^

* Boomer is a frog hybrid and Hannah and Purpled are insect hybrids. In a world where hybrids are almost extinct, the three of them are taken to a hybrid sanctuary by Sam and Ponk to keep them safe.

#giant!fire au

* Sapnap is a giant fire demon and Karl and Quackity are two very fearless villagers who happen to run into him

#witches and gems au

* Ranboo is a very lonely teenage witch. Thank god someone dropped off a few gems pieces that he could enchant into a pocket sized best friend!

#Shark Tale AU^

* AU of the movie Shark Tale. Ranboo is the little brother of the head of the shark mafia. Tommy is a poor merman with a need to be loved. Tommy pretends to kill Ranboo and the two end up becoming unlikely friends.

#tombelina au

* Thumbelina au. Tommyinnit is just a kid who grew out of a flower and is living with his human family. Until he gets kidnapped. Now he’s lost in the woods and it’s up to a weasel and a bee, Ranboo and Tubbo, to help him get home while his family goes out to look for him.

#Vampire Culture AU

* Quackity was born a vampire. Vampire hunter Sapnap has been a vampire for a few months, and his vampire historian fiancé Karl is a human who just wants to help. Quackity takes them in to try and help after the hunters leave them to die, but what they don’t know is that Quackity is the leader of Las Nevadas, one of the biggest and most dangerous vampire covens.

#Infested AU

* In a world where giant bugs coming out of the woods to kill you is normal, humans have learned to deal with it. Tommy is one of these humans. Well, at least he thought he was. Until he starts to get psychic messages from the insect hive mind and learns that it’s not just the giant bugs humans need to be fearing, it’s the Parasites: giant bugs that can perfectly disguise themselves as humans…

#fairy au

* (will think of a better name later) Tubbo is the son of the dictator like mayor of Manburg. Tommy is the little brother of one of the most powerful fairies in his forest. Tommy runs away right into Tubbo’s political schemes and the two make fast friends.