#gt july melancholy

[awkwardgtace]

Self Reflection

hey hey day 11 we have melancholy. This time I went more for the overwhelming feeling of the story rather than my usual methods of taking prompts. Will add this to ao3 once the ddos is over

Kaiju Ash is thinking about their life, both current and former. Unsure what they want if they should let things continue as they are.

TW: Mentions of death, probably other things i'm not realizing please lemme know if I should tag them.

Self Reflection

I stared at the clouds as the water fell over my body. I never stood for storms before, but I wanted to clear the dirt from my skin, or rather scales. Alessia said it, my body was no longer human skin. I was covered in something more like carapace. After a day of begging I did promise the two I would use the next storm to clear the dirt and leaves from me. Of course they had to stay in the small house, one made of my vines. Even with it separated sometimes it let me hear, let me know things I shouldn’t. Now was one of those times.

“We need to go into a town soon,” Alessia said. I frowned, if they left I shouldn’t let them back. It wasn’t safe near me. I closed my eyes as the water continued to pelt my body. I sort of enjoyed the feeling of the rain on my eyes. I knew that wasn’t normal.

“You know if we both go Ash will need convincing to bring us back,” Delphia said. Despite the way their voices traveled, I enjoyed hearing such normal talk between them. I didn’t even know this could happen. I should stop being shocked when the vines become an extension of myself.

“So you stay.” The two sounded happy, it had been too long with me. They should leave. I tried not to react to their words. If I moved it would still bother them despite the security we’d managed to create. 

“No, there’s too much for you to get alone. Too bad Ash can’t just grow everything we need.” The unflinching trust continued to hurt my heart. The willingness to abandon their world, their lives, just everything… I didn’t think I could ever feel worthy of their actions and choices. “Plus I’m a bit better at hiding from people than you are. We can’t have someone following us.”

I wanted to keep listening, but the vines decided I’d heard enough. What would happen if someone followed them? If someone new found me? I had met other humans, ones I helped to get to safety. Those ones might not have discussed my existence, or maybe no one believed them. I shook my head, I couldn’t think about people like that. I wasn’t something else, I was human… wasn’t I?

I walked away from my miniscule loves. My focus was at the edge of the forest. The forest that fit me, that grew around me. Trees tall enough that they hid me even when I stood. This wasn’t natural or normal. I ran my hands, more precisely my claws, over the bark. It was stronger than the trees I faintly remembered from my life before. When they weren’t just a little taller than me. 

It didn’t take long for me to reach my goal. I stood next to the town that I’d turned into a grave. It still hurt to think of what I’d done. Delphia and Alessia were convinced it wasn’t my fault, but it was. I could have listened, I could have gone back to sleep. So many lives would have been saved if I had never woken up. The days I dreamed, the times I woke up to phantom feelings of arms around me, were all ones I wished I got to live more often.

I started to reach out towards the edge of the trees. I could leave, I could reveal myself to the world. It would free Alessia and Delphia. It would change things, explain so much. Possibly even make others be believed. My claws hovered near the edge, my hand was shaking. I couldn’t remember what would leave me scared, but revealing myself was terrifying. My memories before this, ones that didn’t include Alessia and Delphia, were still too hazy. Sometimes it felt like they were fading away, that if the others weren’t with me I would lose everything that explained who I was.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” a small voice said. It wasn’t coming through my vines, it was masculine. Familiar. A shiver ran through my body, water fell from places it had pooled on me. The only thing that reminded me that rain was falling all around me.

“Leave then, I’m not walking away,” a new voice. Also masculine… Also familiar… I was frozen, the strange scales or carapace caught water all over me. That didn’t matter, those voices… Those voices terrified me.

“So you can disappear too?” I was tempted to try and find them. To face the terror in my blood. They were going to be the same size as the others… I couldn’t risk doing anything to them.

“I’m finding them. This is the last place they checked in from.”

“You know how likely it is that they survived out here this long?! Their car isn’t even here! At least wait until the storm is over.”

“You can wait until the storm is over. If my sister is out there I’m finding her. I’m dragging them both home because if she’s there so is Alessia!”

My heart froze. They… these voices wanted Alessia and Delphia. Were they from that life? That time that I can barely remember? I felt it as they entered the forest. My forest. One storming ahead, something in my mind tingled at the knowledge. As though it was something that bubbled with joy and memories.

“Strawberry, we should at least stay together!” I stumbled at those words. A thousand arrows attacked my heart. I knew those words, I knew these people. I knew these humans. “Shit, run!”

They were running because of me. Something I did, my steps or my vines I didn’t know. I had to stop them, protect them from the truth. From finding the damage I’d done by existing. I heard screams. A part of me wondered if Delphia and Alessia would hear them. If they’d hate me for what was happening now. Another part thought they should and then they would leave.

I heard shouts as my vines grabbed the two humans. I was conscious of the choice to grab them. I focused on keeping the movement of my vines slow even as I crouched. I was still towering over everything. The vines stopped just at my eyes. It was like the day Delphia and Alessia returned to my life. One face of anger and fear, another of something akin to a calm understanding.

“Rhys, do not say a thing, do not ask questions, I will get us out of this,” the angry one said. He had scars on his eyes, the shape of an X on each. They were a pale contrast on his dark skin. Silver hair that had fallen in his face and hung heavily due to the rain. Mismatched eyes like my own, different colors though. A brilliant emerald and striking violet.

“Vincent…” Rhys said it, at least that’s what I could assume was his name. Salmon hair, tan skin, pink eyes that saw through me. I knew this person, I’d spent a lot of time with him. A flash in my mind, someone yelling with the pink eyed man laughing beside me. I pushed him, a smile playing on my own lips.

I brought a hand up to shield them from the rain. Both stared at me, unflinching eyes. I… I shouldn’t have grabbed them. I should have left them to wander, only blocking them from going too far. Instead I took my other hand below them. Another thing I learned I could do, the vines moved over to my skin without a need for me to try. More screams.

I stood, slower than normal to be safe. I looked around the world, these two on my hand a stark reminder of what I’ve lost. I kept my hand low. It was difficult, but I knew raising them too high might cause them to be hurt. I was lucky Alessia and Delphia had been safe. I made the choice to change how my vines held them. Holding them safely together instead of apart. I could hear the mumbles from them, reassurances that they would survive. 

I could speak, I could tell them. Words didn’t occur to me, the ones to fix this. I… I wanted them not to know who I was. More memory flashes made it hurt to imagine them scared of me when they knew it was me. I took the steps I needed to return to Delphia and Alessia. The small women were waiting for me, ignoring the rain still pouring from the sky.

As soon as I brought my hand close the men I held reacted. The words were… not kind. I didn’t want to think about the consequences of how they acted. Directing my vines to set the men down was easy, the two grabbing Alessia and Delphia and trying to hide them from me was not. I still couldn’t make my voice work. When they knew it was me, would they still be scared? Was I not something to be trusted? I wasn’t… I wasn’t a human no matter how much I wanted to believe I was… was I?

“Rhys?” Delphia said. She was trying to pull away, to be in my view. It made me feel happier, warmer, more human. “Let go of me. What are you even doing here?”

“We came to find the two of you. It’s been months with no contact!” Rhys shouted. The shout made me jump. It was louder than I expected, but my jump caused both men to lose their footing.

“Vincent, Rhys calm down. We’re fine.” Alessia looked up at me with a bright smile. Another thing that made me feel human, gifts constantly offered by them. “We found them. We found Ash.”

Both men stared at me. It didn’t take long for Rhys to be on his feet holding Delphia’s shoulders. I wanted to pull him away. To stop him from hurting her. He wouldn’t… Rhys wasn’t that person. I knew that. Vincent was glaring at me on his feet. It… I knew that glare. I knew him too. I hated this terror budding in my heart.

“Del, that-that thing is not Ash!” I closed my eyes. I needed to stay calm, but my tail didn’t agree. The loud thumps of the appendage were already causing the four ant sized humans to stumble. “This is proof! That thing is a monster and we need to escape.”

“No.” Delphia set herself free. She actually came closer to me. I brought my claw near her, she reached for it. Vincent pulled her back, he had a firm grip on Alessia’s wrist too. Something rumbled up deep in my chest, I had never noticed the growls I could make before.

“That is not a human reaction, Strawberry is right. We need to get away from this thing. You two are brainwashed.” Vincent had always been harsh. My brain had so much firing at once. Times with both, pushing Rhys to speak to the glaring man. Vincent unsure how to admit his own feelings. Smiles with both of them, nights where I spent time away from Alessia and Delphia. Where I spent time with another family, my new family.

“Who cares!? This is Ash and we’re not brainwashed. You two shouldn’t even be here. Go home. We’ll be back once we’ve fixed this.” Alessia’s firm voice calmed me. The rumbling in my chest disappeared. The ones most important to me were fine and didn’t see me as a monster.

“It can’t even talk that isn’t Ash! I know you miss them, but they died. Just like everyone else when this forest popped up, please just let us try to figure a way out of this and get home. Everyone’s been worried about you two and this constant searching.” My chest rumbled again, but there was more pain than anger.

“Will you stop talking like they aren’t here? Like they can’t understand you!? This is Ash, you're both just being cruel. It’s… how can you treat them like that!? You both were as devastated as we were when the news came and they’re here and you’re treating them like a monster that can’t even speak!”

“It can’t speak! All it’s done is growl. It probably just decided to look like them.”

“I do speak, I.. it is me,” I whispered. Despite the safety my vines promised my voice I was terrified. Now those humans would know who I am. The memories of happy times would be tainted by fearful faces. The men stared at me with a cocktail of pain, shock, and fear.

“They’re really alive, Rhys. It’s them.” Delphia was grabbing Rhys’s arm, trying to make them listen.

All I could do after that was watch them. Words exchanged all while the staring continued. I wanted to do something. Find a way to prove who I was. It was clear they didn’t believe in me. They only saw a monster. The pain I feared came together the longer I watched them. 

“Fine, we’ll get your supplies and come back. We’re staying at least for a few weeks,” Rhys said. 

That would make sense, it would work. There would be room in the house for the two of them. Although… I could almost remember what their home looked like. At least Rhys’s home I couldn’t recall if Vincent lived there. On top of my claws a small square of vines appeared. I pushed the cube off, vines trailing off my claw. I snapped it before the cube settled next to the home I barely remembered.

“Is that our house?” Vincent said. It was always him when there was a strange mixture of shock and suspicion.

I watched Rhys walk in, despite Vincent calling him back. The man walked out and stared up at me with awe. Vincent grabbed his arm, but stopped. I wasn't sure why. It didn’t matter, they were too far in the forest for a human to walk back in a reasonable time. It looked like they were slowly realizing it.

“Well we should go… assuming ‘Ash’ will take us… and pick us up when we get back,” Rhys said. It was clear they didn’t believe it was me. That I was some monster that Alessia and Delphia had trained. Maybe I was.

Regardless I offered my hand. The two didn’t move. I wasn’t sure what to do. I noticed Delphia pointing towards a loose vine. I should grab them? I tilted my head. She nodded, reading the question despite how hard it must be to read my face. So small and delicate. In the back of my mind I knew those words didn’t suit the men my vines were grabbing.

“Woah, easy with the vines godzilla,” Vincent said. The words hurt, but the nickname stuck out. Vincent… he gives people nicknames; it's a part of him. I… calling me something else might be good. I set them down in the center of my palm. Where I knew I could keep them safe. Ant sized humans… How had I started to trick myself into thinking I still was one.

I stood, with my hand at my waist to avoid hurting Rhys and Vincent. Only a few steps to travel what would take them days or weeks. I couldn’t call myself human. Near the edge, not quite outside the trees that towered thousands of feet over humans… over creatures I was starting to struggle to believe I ever was one of. I crouched again, setting my hand down and hoping the two I could faintly remember laughing with wouldn’t show me more fear.

They stumbled off my hand. Stared at me with emotions I couldn’t understand.

“If you really are Ash. Alessia says she’s finding a way to turn you back. If it works well… I’m glad they found you and I’m sorry… for treating you like a monster,” Rhys said. My eyes widened. Vincent pulled Rhys towards what I knew had to be a car. It was so small… I constantly found myself in awe at the trust Delphia and Alessia put in me.

“You’re keeping the nickname whether you’re Ash or not. Godzilla fits you pretty damn well,” Vincent pushed Rhys towards a door as he spoke. I stood up straight as I watched both men climb into the vehicle. It was hard, I could remember riding in one. The danger it posed before. Only now could I crush it like a bug. I… I didn’t like thinking like that. 

I watched it drive off. The distance it covered would be faster for me. I could travel farther than I had ever dreamed. Yet I had to stay within these trees. Where nothing could find me from above and I controlled the ground. I stared at my clawed hand, looked over the scaled body I now existed in. I wasn’t human.

My vines apparently wanted me to know this. They pulled back from my skin, the skin akin to stone. It looked like stone when I focused on it. Other vines pulled my tail forward, even with the rain that continued to pour I could see the red smears that I never cleaned off. Remnants of what I’d done, who I’d hurt. People with names and faces I couldn’t remember or know.

I didn’t know why the building was unharmed that day. Why the people had survived and stayed past the terrifyingly large trees. Maybe I had disrupted them. This monstrous body was covered in sin after sin that I could never escape. I turned to look at where I knew Delphia and Alessia were. Humans that loved me… that loved a me that was dead. 

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I love you and I miss our life, but I don’t think I can go back. After everything I did… Everything that happened because of me. I don’t deserve to live a simple human life again.”

I wouldn’t tell them now… I wouldn’t end our time yet. I would wait for Rhys and Vincent. Wait for them to leave and when- when supplies were next needed I would tell them. I would send them off and lock my forest away from humans for good. No one would be at risk because of me or anything I might cause.

[reborrowing]

Gt July- Melancholy

sometimes all you can do is be there

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Melancholy / Video Games

So, I maybe read the prompt list in the wrong order, but... I spent like all day yesterday trying to hype myself up (hooray for anxiety) to post this first piece since it's one of the longest and I think most well-written one I have. So we're just rolling with the punches here, if i am sent to the jar for my crimes then so be it. Not that anybody's going to read this anyways, but...

Word Count: 900ish (😅) Character bios in my pinned post. TWs: Vague depiction of a panic attack / PTSD episode (non-POV), and light discussion of triggers and past abuse, in a supportive way.

========

It was happening again. Mel sighed, she had been through this before with her little roommate. Slowly, carefully, she stood up and walked away, watching the little creature on her living room table cry and hug his backpack like it was a security blanket. She wordlessly went to the fridge and grabbed a strawberry, carefully cut the skin and seeds off, and then placed it on a napkin on the other end of the table from her tiny companion, knowing better than to intrude on his personal space. They sat down on the floor, and gently whispered.

"Patch… Patch… it's me, Melody. We're friends. You're safe, everything is fine. Look, I got you a strawberry. Please calm down Patch, come back to me buddy…"

They knew that living with a tiny little thing like Patch would be difficult, they had accepted that when inviting him into her home a few months ago. But, the strangest things would set him off into these episodes. She knew he had… a bad experience in the past with humans, but didn't know what she even said this time to set him off. He was just watching them play a video game, and they said something about… they didn't even remember. Was it the friendship meter? Something about axes being useful for this boss? And the next thing they knew, Patch was freaking out.

The human repeated her kind affirmations, full of regret for something she wasn't even sure of. After a few stressful minutes, the little thing's eyes returned to normal. He looked around the room, as if waking from a daze, noticing that the game was paused and Mel was sitting on the floor, clearly worried about him. His sparkling purple eyes glanced at Melody, a shameful look in them. She responded with a kind smile.

"Welcome back, Patch. I got you a strawberry, I know they are your favorite. Please eat some? You were crying a lot, you need to stay hydrated."

Patch looked full of shame as he crossed the table, took his little utensils out of his bag's pocket, and began to eat a bit of the strawberry.

"So… would you like to talk about it? You don't have to right now, but I'd like to know what I said to upset you so badly."

Patch just looked at Melody's eyes, that guilty look still on his face. He shook his head no, and pointed to the TV, which was sitting on the home menu for the game system.

"Was it… something about the game? I know it has fighting in it, was that upsetting to you?"

Patch shook his head no. Mel seemed to think deeply, her eyes glancing between Patch and the TV. Eventually, she grabbed the notepad kept on the end table, which Patch used to draw out things he couldn't explain with just gestures.

"Okay… it might be notepad time. Can you please try to explain? I don't want to upset you again. Unless thinking about it would be upsetting right now. If so, just shake your head no and we can do it later."

The little being began drawing, clearly drawing one of the enemy characters Mel was facing, a despotic king. She was actually impressed at how accurate it was for a character who Patch had only seen for the first time a few minutes ago.

"That guy upset you? Why?"

At that, Patch drew lines coming out of his mouth, as if to indicate speech. Mel thought about his voice lines… Maybe the actor sounded like somebody? Or maybe it was about the lines themselves.They were pretty commanding, he was supposed to be an evil tyrant and all. She realized that Patch's episode happened right after he gave a big speech about the world bowing to him. Her expression went grim as she started to put some pieces together.

"Patch… this is about… that monster, isn't it? Did… did the king remind you of them?"

Patch's purple eyes glancing away from her, combined with a sad nod said everything. Melody was suddenly filled with a fire inside.

"Listen to me, Patch. That character? Is a bad guy. He's not… he's a bad person. Humans hate people like him. The literal point is to hate him. And… people would hate that monster that hurt you, too. At least I do. If I could have them arrested… or worse… for what they've done…"

Melody stopped and took a deep breath, sighing and collecting herself before continuing. They know that anger was a big trigger for Patch, even if it was born from a desire to protect the little guy.

"You know… one reason people like video games is because you get to do things you can't in real life. How about this, I'll mute the TV, and the two of us will kick this guy's ass and pretend that he's the one who hurt you. Would that be okay?"

Patch looked up at her, a small smile on his face. He pointed to her hand. As she curiously brought it up to him, she was surprised as he wrapped his arms around her fingers in somewhat of a hug. Considering how apprehensive Patch usually was about being touched, this was huge. When he backed away, she gently returned to her seat on the couch, ready to help her tiny friend face his demons in this small way.

[creatorofuniverses]

Gt July Day 11 – Melancholy

I’m back again with giant Sawyer, except this time, have some feelings.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Sawyer sat up on the hill, tall pines brushing past his shoulders and just barely rising up past his head. He wasn’t supposed to sit up there – Charlie had told him he wasn’t as hidden as he needed to be there, and an enterprising hiker could spot him – but the morning was quiet and he figured it would be okay. These hills were still relatively new to him. They had more humans around them, not just the handful of campers he had been used to deeper in the mountains. Here, trails and neighborhoods peppered the foothills, growing denser and denser until they became the city in the distance, skyscrapers taller than Sawyer stretching up hazy and distant against the bright blue sky.

That city, which Sawyer could never go to, was the reason he had made his way here from his last home. Charlie lived in that city. “Denver”, it was called. It was bigger than any human settlement Sawyer had seen so far in his life; people like him didn’t usually risk getting so close to cities like that, but the other option had been to only see Charlie once a year rather than a couple of times a month. Sawyer had considered that the bigger risk.

Charlie was his only friend. Sawyer wanted to be as close to him as he could be without putting himself in danger.

And Sawyer would be in danger. He sometimes daydreamed about going down to the city, walking among those tall buildings and seeing all the little humans milling about. He would find Charlie’s house, and sit in his backyard, and be there all the time. In his imagination, nobody screamed, nobody was shocked or alarmed. Nobody called the military and tried to take him away or hurt him. But if he actually tried to do that… those things could easily happen. Sawyer’s dad had always said so, and so did Charlie, so it must be true.

So instead Sawyer sat up on the hill, and looked at the city from afar. He waited, melancholy and lonely, for Charlie to make time to come out and visit him. Charlie had school and other human friends, he had his sisters and his parents- but Sawyer only had Charlie. Sawyer didn’t begrudge Charlie his normal human life, but it was hard on him all the same. He spent so much of his time waiting.

But at least Sawyer had a friend, and a safe human at that. That was more than anybody else like him could say. So he would sit on the hill, and look at the city, and wait.

[thebrigeedadraws]

Day 11: Melancholy

Was originally going to do something a little darker for this one, but I think the stand-by of "being smaller than the unfamiliar lonely world around you" works a bit better

ya'll voted for this

Happy Gt July everybody

[borrowedtimeandspace]

GT July 2023 Masterpost

@gianttol

I liked this idea last year, since things can easily get jumbled on Tumblr. Every prompt I fill is also put on Ao3 for ease of reading. Larger AU are added to chronologically, and smaller AU/scenarios are updated the same, just in a larger prompt collection. Whenever those get big enough, they're moved to be their own proper story.

Basically, instead of things being updated in terms of when they were written, I do my best to arrange things by when they take place in a given story. I hope to avoid confusion this way if people stumble on my Ao3, or find me through these posts.

EDIT 2024: Once again implementing AU markers for BTaS (my doctor who g/t verse) and BAU ( @brothersapart ), the two main things I write here.

Enchanted (BTaS AU)

Bird (BTaS AU)

Impulsive [BTaS] [BAU]

Stargazing (BTaS AU)

Caught (BAU)

AU (BTaS AU)

Thief (BTaS AU)

Dream (BTaS AU

Rainy Day (BTaS AU)

Ancient (BTaS AU)

Melancholy (BTaS AU)

Video Games (BAU)

Banter (BAU)

Instrument [BAU] [BTaS AU]

(Break)

Celebrating (BTaS AU)

Home (BTaS AU)

Fire

Trickster (BAU)

Intimidate (BTaS AU)

Secret (BTaS AU)

Garden (BAU)

Weapon (BAU)

Memory (BTaS AU)

Pajamas (BTaS AU)

Tangled (BAU)

Jewelry (BTaS AU)

Cursed (BTaS AU)

Element (Good Omens/Doctor Who g/t)

Self Care (BTaS AU)

(Free Day)

[firenze11]

Tom has some bad days sometimes. Alex tries to help, and sometimes is even successful.

Prompt: Melancholy

I’m using this prompt list: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/711879325397450752/gt-july-2023-prompt-list-big-thanks-to?source=share

As usual, all renders post two weeks early over on my patreon. Also, the stories that go along with these will be posting over there as well.

Scene from: https://www.patreon.com/posts/gt-july-85360966

[nonsubstantial]

(3 more albums)

These are just three albums I listened to in July that I think are going to be some of my favorites from this year:

--

GT ULTRA - GUERILLA TOSS Listen if you, like me, are immediately interested in any album labeled with the genres ‘acid funk’ and ‘noise rock’. Very short album, at less than thirty minutes total, but all eight songs are packed with such intensely cool shit that I can’t get a single one of them out of my head.

--

FLEET FOXES - CRACK-UP Listen if you want some folk that’s going to hit those deep solitary parts of your psyche but leave you feeling rejuvenated and uplifted. I really think this band has created a sound that’s instantly recognizable, totally unlike anything else out there right now, and gives back exactly the amount of feeling you want to put into it.

--

TYLER THE CREATOR - SCUM FUCK FLOWER BOY Listen if you like Tyler’s unique, grimey rap voice but crave hearing something less rowdy/offensive, and more toned down and melancholy. Honestly, I’ve found all of Tyler’s past releases to be off putting for one reason or another, and while I wouldn’t say that this is completely turning over a new leaf, I do think that Tyler’s doing something different here. His bombastic flow over these generally chill beats is just a really refreshing combination.

[skrskrskr]

2015 Third Quarter Results

School's begun and summer is over, so it's time to take a look back at the best albums from July, August, and September. I felt that just after our second quarter wrapped up, there was huge outburst of great albums. It was, however, nothing compared to the stuffed September that just ended. Even in just the last week it was hard to keep up with all the absolutely fantastic music released. As always the summer months were dominated with light, airy anthems, and salt covered ballads. With most albums from expert veterans in the field, it's obvious why it was such a strong 3 months. In no particular order, here are my favorite albums from the third quarter of 2015:

Chvrches - Every Open Eye

Artists with such established direction on their debut often find themselves under a lot of pressure on their second album. But Chvrches feed off that fame and steer right towards it, delivering a spectacular synth-pop album. It's easy to see the steps the band took from Bones, but sometimes it's bit too nostalgic. Every Open Eye isn't as bouncy or sporadic and definitely leaves a some personality at the door. The video for Leave A Trace shows it off well: where's the rest of the band? Still, I've never complained about pop before, and the tracks here are delicious anthems of empowerment. I'll definitely be blasting this in the same situations I blasted their last.

Favorite Songs: Leave a Trace, Clearest Blue, High Enough To Carry You Over, Bury It

Empress Of - Me

The songs on Me are, as you'd might imagine, quite intimate to singer-songwriter Lorely Rodriguez. Each touches a personal story or hardship and, to the privileged white male listen I am, it's all often in a way that's quite startling. She matches it musically too, freely shifting pitches and tempos. I have to say most of the album isn't filled only with oddities though, often it is an album filled with a danceable EDM with catchy riffs and vocal melodies. It feels somewhat immaturely pasted together, like Twenty One Pilots, but that gives the disorientation and personal stories a credibility, which is what makes this album not just great, but important. As much as Lorely Rodriguez's stories are horrifying, they are true and as much as listeners like me may not experience them, they are quite common.

Favorite Tracks: Standard, Kitty Kat, Make Up, Threat

Youth Lagoon - Savage Hills Ballroom

Trevor Powers, the brainchild of Youth Lagoon, disappointed me on his sophomore release after I fell completely in love with his debut. Wonderous Bughouse just didn't give off the same tone that his mesmerizing debut did and his sense of melody seemed gone. But Savage Hills Ballroom is, for the most part, follow-up to Year of Hibernation that I feel it deserves. Many of his old elements are here, like the slow-builds that explode at their apex, the odd instrumentation production that always feels more natural than I'd expect, and the mystical lyrics that seem to know exactly what I'm thinking. Still, for as many great songs like Highway Patrol Stun Gun and Kerry, there are a few that never deliver. Powers, doesn't have the musicality to enthrall during the instrumentals between those absolutely magnificent moments. Still, the songs that hit do the same thing that Youth Lagoon's debut did. They says so much in some of the most simple and relatable ways.

Favorite Songs: Highway Patrol Stun Gun, No One Can Tell, Kerry

The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness

I've known The Weeknd since he showed off his Thursday mixtape years ago. His newest effort is a bit different than the dark, drugged out RnB he set out with on those three mixtapes, but I still remain a fan and can certainly appreciate the more pop approach has blown him up to levels I've always thought he deserved. Because of that though I see a lot of people accusing Abel Tesfaye of softening his act. I think they're way exaggerating it though. The first half of the album obviously pulls influence from his the nocturnal RnB and then even in the faster, Michael-Jackson-esque songs later in the album, the Weeknd still uses similar tricks as his old days (the bass line lament on Can't Feel My Face harks back to Wicked Games). Though I'm not a fan of some of the collaborations, Beauty Behind the Madness is a fantastic, pop rendition of The Weeknd's established self, and that includes as always his eye-opening imagery, great musicality, and knack for fire melodies.

Favorite Songs: Real Life, The Hills, Tell Your Friends, In the Night

Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness

Julia Holter's new album puts a lot of emphasis on her voice, but it's less about her singing than it is her storytelling. Lavished by airy instrumentals, Holter sometimes simply speaks her stories about little moments in life. These aren't insignificant events, but events that we don't typically talk about. Take How Long, which worries over asking someone to spend the cold winters with them, or Night Song's which focuses on the speeds which time passes during a relationship. A lot of Have You In My Wilderness's enjoyment comes from deciphering these ambiguous meanings while the vibrating strings and the swelling ambiances slowly embrace you. That pairing, between Julia's introspective stories and instrumentals that evoke beach imagery, makes for an album that feels so natural and personal that you can't help but empathize.

Favorite Songs: Feel You, Sihouette, Betsy On The Roof

Shy Kids - Lofty!

Mix together Animal Collective, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and maybe a little Local Natives and you'll end up with Shy Kids. Obviously, since I'm comparing them to a few other bands, Shy Kids are very small. Regardless that they have less than 2000 monthly listeners on Spotify, I'd easily consider them my favorite Bandcamp discovery since Snowmine. Like those bands I mentioned before though, you'll find a lot of almost everything here on Lofty! Faster songs feel a strong influence from afro-pop, with echoing drums and chanted vocals, while slower songs feel an authenticity that comes with an honest voice. Meanwhile bells ring, synths boom and sparkle, acoustic guitars strum, and gentle pianos sing. The myriad of sounds even brings a song filled with iPhone samples. They've completely committed to the throw-everything-at-the-wall strategy that Alt-J had with their debut and succeeded in the same way. Lofty! feels like what everyone dreams of when they start a band in a empty high school summer.

Favorite Songs: Baldwin, Forest Fires, Rockets

Beach House - Depression Cherry

Oddly enough one of the heavier albums on this list comes from the band you'd most expect to match the light summery mood. That was, honestly, one of the reason's I first found it hard to dive into Beach House's fifth album. Despite the usual glistening guitars and arpeggiated pianos, Depression Cherry obeys its name and shows the duo Alex Scally and Victoria Legrande crossing the line between melancholy and gloom they usual tread so lightly. I can't say this is their best simply because it is so depressing, but I have to commend the great imagery here. I can only imagine trying to mend a hardship by going to my favorite spot on the beach. Once upon a time I sat there completely content, but now though it doesn't help at all. Why should it help? The tide comes in, and I know I should move, but I don't and it swallows me whole.

Favorite Songs: Levitation, Beyond Love, Wildflower

Helios - Yume

It's been a long time since I've been as mesmerized with something from Helios as I am with his newest release. Here, Keith Kenniff, the mastermind of so many great projects, has crafted an electronic ambient album that could perfectly soundtrack a day of sitting out in the sun and marveling at the surrounding scenery. Throughout Yume, soft synths and lightly plucked guitars are enveloped by a warming static, a crackle that makes even what could be a sterile electronic album feel natural. As lackadaisical as that may sound, there's a movement to the music. Like Youth Lagoon's work, the seemingly obvious sense of construction instills an ability to accomplish. Yume could accompany both a day of rest, or a day of work.

Favorite Tracks: It Was Warmer Then, Pearls, Skies Minus

Tame Impala - Currents

Because Tame Impala's last two albums were weighed down by a lack of any strong melody and horrendous production, I didn't think I'd enjoy this new one. Somehow though I found myself not just listening to it, but entertained by it. And I say entertained because I enjoy Current's music and lyrics in the same vein that I enjoy vaporwave. Edited nostalgia is great, and I love it's heavy compression and familiar pop melodies, but there's a trepidation whether to call that ironic or sincere. Is it particularly skillful to make an album that simply associates with the listener's cherished memories? Should the amount of skill crafting something affect how much we like it? Either way, I can see why some take Currents at it's face value and label it immature, but I can also see the album accepted as a deeper meta commentary on, well, meta commentary. As you dig into the great pop here, Currents reveals a commentary on the how society is beginning to accept pop and see the depth in what many consider shallow.

Favorite Tracks: Let It Happen, Eventually, The Less I Know The Better, Disciplines

[awkwardgtace]

Gt July 2023 All Stories

So like last year I did a list of all the stories alongside a little blurb, the prompt, and included characters all under a read more

Enchantment or Curse: Rhys has been cursed by an enchanted ring, but then he meets Vincent. Characters: Rhys(Giant then Tiny), Vincent(Tiny then giant) Prompt: Enchanted

A Small Unkindness: Dabria needs medicine for her son, winds up asking Vitus for help Characters: Dabria(Tiny), Vitus(Giant), Rhys(Giant) Prompt: Bird

Fighting Doubts: Ryder wakes up in a bad spot that gets worse when his brothers start fighting (Mafia AU) Characters: Rhys(Giant), Felix(Giant), Ryder(Tiny), Vitus(Giant), Dabria(Tiny) Prompt: Impulsive

StarGazing: Meg is watching the stars and Streya makes it better Characters: Streya(giant), Meg(Tiny) Prompt: Stargazing

Is Indoors Really Safe?: Alessia has been living with the humans and still doesn’t trust them completely. An attempt to spy goes a bit wrong. (Continued from First Time Indoors) Characters: Alessia(Tiny), Vitus(Giant), Felix(Giant), Rhys(Tiny), Ryder(Tiny) Prompt: Caught

Meeting Your God: ff14 AU(Spoilers for patch 6.3 raids) Delphia and Ash sneak ahead of the group to see their next fight, but it doesn't go as planned. Characters: Delphia(Tiny), Ash(Tiny), Alessia(Giant) Prompt: AU

Legendary Phantom Thief: You want to be a legendary phantom thief, and this heist will make you one. Characters: Self insert size shifter Prompt: Thief

Meeting Through Dreams: Mira reaches the point in her life the dreams to meet her perfect match start and she’s not exactly happy. Characters: Mira(Tiny), Kaya(Tiny), Corus(Giant) Prompt: Dream

Rainy Changes: Dabria was walking home in the rain and came across what she thought was an empty bottle. Characters: Dabria(Giant), Alessia(Tiny) Prompt: Rainy Day

Forgotten Pasts: Mira and Kaya are exploring a cave of ruins when they find something strange. Characters: Mira(Giant), Kaya(tiny), Corus(tiny), Zeke(giant) Prompt: Ancient

Self Reflection: Kaiju Ash is thinking about their life, both current and former. Unsure what they want if they should let things continue as they are. Characters: Ash(Giant), Delphia(tiny), Alessia(tiny), Rhys(tiny), Vincent(tiny) Prompt: Melancholy

Statues Aren’t Great For Hiding: Kyrie gets caught trying to watch Melody. Characters: Melody(giant), Kyrie(tiny), Caprice(giant), Byssal(tiny), Pelago(Tiny) Prompt: Video Games

A Normal Afternoon: Rhys is tangled in his string, but keeps joking with his human brothers. (Continued from Ice Cube Prank Gone Wrong… or Right?) Characters: Rhys(Tiny), Felix(Giant), Ryder(Giant) Prompt: Banter

Destruction and Hero: Melody was given a role she hates, but will she even be able to fill it? Characters: Melody(Tiny), Kyrie(Giant) Prompt: Instrument

Broken Changes:Ash is just trying to get some food for them and Rhys. Vitus hears a crash and goes to investigate. Characters: Vitus(giant), Ash(tiny), Rhys(tiny), Dabria(Giant) Prompt: Designated break day, used the word Break

Escaped Cake Topper: At a party for the daughter of the Kamias a human is brought as a gift. They manage to escape, but can they survive? Characters: Alessia(Giant), Vitus(Giant), Sloan(one off tiny) Prompt: Celebrating

Adjustment Period: Ian is slowly adjusting to the expectations of the alien Mikhail. Characters: Ian(Tiny), Mikhail(Giant) Prompt: Home

Beauty in Flames: Two strangers enjoy the beauty of fire and each other Characters: Self insert Giant, unnamed tiny Prompt: Fire

The Menace of Salt: Mira is a house sprite who enjoys playing tricks, but this time something went wrong. Characters: Mira(tiny), Kaya(giant) Prompt: Trickster

Intimidating Presence: Dabria goes out into the forest to find out about the giant watching the town Characters: Dabria(Tiny), Felix(Giant), Vitus(Tiny) Prompt: Intimidate

Open Secrets: Alessia and Delphia take a bath together Characters: Alessia(giant), Delphia(tiny) Prompt: Secret

Garden Mishaps: Mira tried to take a relaxing walk in the garden, a misfired spell changed that Characters: Corus(Giant), Mira(tiny) Prompt: Garden

Subject 829: Subject 829 is a weapon, but maybe that’s not all. Characters: Ryder(Giant), Rhys(tiny), Felix(tiny), Vitus(tiny) Prompt: Weapon

“Please, share with me your memories…”: The story of someone who found hope in a small human Characters: Harmony(giant), Sy(tiny) Prompt: Memory 

Simple Night: Evelyn waits for Conny to come home and join her in bed Characters: Evelyn(Tiny/Giant) Conny(Giant/Tiny Sizeshifter) Prompt: Pajamas

Tangled Emotions: Rhys is woken up by Sola and Luna climbing his hair, but they aren’t the only humans on him Characters: Rhys(Giant), Ryder(Tiny), Sola(tiny), Luna(tiny) Prompt: Tangled

Planetary Pearls: Streya drifts through space when she finds something strange. Characters: Streya(giant), unnamed tiny Prompt: Jewelry

Cursed Dreams: Melody feels like she's cursed. It gets worse when the dreams of her perfect match start. Characters: Melody(Tiny), Caprice(Tiny), Kyrie(Giant), Byssal(Giant), Pelago(Giant) Prompt: Cursed

Step After Step: You wake up confused, in pain, and tired. Someone helps you. Characters: Self insert giant. Unnamed they to she Tiny Prompt: Element

A Needed Break: You wake up confused as your phone goes off, but your bed is suddenly massive. Characters: Self insert tiny, Unnamed Giant Prompt: Self Care

Secrets Exposed: Rhys has a secret his foster parents just saw so he runs Characters: Vitus(giant), Rhys(Tiny), Dabria(giant) Prompt: Free Day

Princess and Protectors: Alessia and Ash are carrying Delphia home after she took a trip to a human city on her own again. She's caught up in her memories for much of the walk (Using the same world as Enchantment or Curse) Characters: Delphia(Tiny), Alessia(Giant), Ash(Giant) Prompt: Free Day

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Enchanted

I was originally going to post this, but decided it was maybe too much for a first post. But... since I posted Melancholy early, why not just swap them? I am a sucker for "fantasy species has different standards of attraction than humans do", and had to do something with that since I've been developing sprites as a species.

Word Count: 500 Character bios in my pinned post CWs: Spicy vibes, though subtle. Otherwise, uh… mention of appropriation, I guess? Yeah there's not much.

========

"Wow, these do not do a great job staying on… but it's good enough! What do you think, Patch? Tara said we could dress up at work today for the holiday, but I wanted to keep it low-key… I feel like Grant will probably put no effort in as always and I don't want to be the only one dressed up, you know? I mean-"

As Melody went on about her coworkers, Patch tried to avoid staring. Mel said she was dressing as a fairy for “Halloween”, and Patch had actually seen the outfit before. It was a green dress that looked as if it was made of giant leaves, with some translucent, human-sized butterfly wings on the back. On Mel's forearms and ankles were some green bands, and the outfit was complimented by a simple flower crown on their head and some plain white flats. According to Mel, this outfit was what humans thought that tiny people would wear, which got a laugh from Patch. Making an outfit out of leaves? Ridiculous, it would dry up in a week. If a sprite tried to wear that ridiculous getup they'd be vulnerable to literally everything.

However, the inaccuracy was far from the reason that Patch found themself staring. One detail Melody hadn't included in the outfit test was her ears. The human's freakish, round ears were… pointed. They were clearly fake, the color was slightly off from their skin color… but… wow. Their face shape was… different, with them. More balanced. Did… did her eyes always glimmer like that? Patch had been in the presence of Melody for almost a year now, but this was the first time they've… seen her. And oh no, was it about to make their time as this human's roommate a lot weirder.

"... Ground control to Major Patch? Are you… you okay, dude? Why are you staring at me… and red?"

Focus, Patch, Focus! Don't be weird!

They gave Mel a smile and a thumbs-up, but the human wasn't about to let it go that easily.

"... psh, you suck at lying, Patch. What is it, is the dress too high? Oh my gods wait, is it… is it the ears? Oh shit, is this like, appropriation? I swear, I thought it would just be a cute little nod to your ears, you know… Sorry, I can take 'em off… They don't even fit me that well…"

Patch started shaking their head and their hands no, to reassure the human that their outfit wasn't offensive. Partially to reassure the human, but a selfish part of them also just wanted Mel to keep the ears on for at least a little bit longer. Not… not in a weird way, though. Obviously.

As Mel breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't once again offend her little roommate, Patch had a single thought as they looked away, using a hand to hide their rapidly reddening face.

… Oh no… They fit her perfectly.

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Dream / Memory

Posting this early since I'm not going to be able to on the actual day for Dream. Decided to get borderline experimental with these prompts, since it gave me a kind of interesting way to give details of Patch's backstory (they can't exactly... tell it themself, y'know?)

Word Count: 1k Character bios in my pinned post

⚠️hoo HECKIN boy here we go with the content warning list⚠️ Whump, the whole thing is whump, Pest Control in a Borrower story portrayed as vague traumatic memories similar to a fire, unreality in the context of dreams, unreality shown through writing techniques, mentions of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, alcoholic abuser, hints of inhumane living conditions, and a panic attack (All except the panic attack are in a dream, but as the prompt implies, are also memories). Abuse section is surrounded by ⚠️emoji so you can skip over that one if you want/need

If that is too much or too heavy, or if you need a cooldown afterwards, may I politely suggest checking out Melancholy / Video Games, which is a lot gentler.

========

They were running. They had to run, the room was filling with bright clouds, the ones that cause that intense pain. They look around, seeing their childhood home, covered in darkness. They could hear the muffled noises through the wall to the humans' kitchen, the loud whirring of the unknown device that heralded the downfall of their village. The panicking sprite reaches for their backpack, hoping it would protect them like it did last time, but it wasn't there. No! Did they leave it somewhere? They had to go back!

A door, was that always there? That wall should lead to outside, what was this door? An escape from the clouds, that's what it is. They walk through, only to be met by that familiar alleyway. As if on cue, she walks into sight, her blue-green hair, eyes the color of fire, and golden dress a contrast to the dreary gray and red-brick surroundings. She glows in an almost supernatural light. The sprite tries to get her attention, but she keeps walking, causing them to have to lunge out of the way of her sandal. Why didn't she see them?

Wait, the backpack, they forgot their backpack! They turn to the doorway that was never there, replaced with the usual wall, with the offset brick that served as the entrance to their nest for a few months, a little shelter to keep out of the elements.

They enter the bricks and end up in their little outlet room, their slice of home in the human world they've been a part of for months now. The wiring seems different… oh, of course, yeah, they did change that, didn't they? Still missing their backpack, they walk to their shelf, to see if there's anything they can use. As they reach for supplies, they remember that there was nothing there. They reach for supplies, but they remember that there was nothing there. They reach for supplies, but they remember that there was nothing there. With every shelf empty, the young sprite realizes they'll need to go borrowing. Maybe they'll even find their backpack along the way.

As they leave the room, they fill with dread as they realize where they are. This place. The sprite hears the noise, that dreaded noise, the uneven thumping that indicates they are home… and are even more aggressive than usual. The panicked sprite looks around, trying to find where to hide, they can't see them again, this can't be happening! The door to the room opens, that dark, looming silhouette appearing, taking up the doorway, taking up the room, taking up the mind. In a singsong voice, they call out. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ "Paaaaatch~"

Wait, Patch? How… only… they didn't get that name until afterwards… did she betray them?

"Aren't… aren't you glad? Glad that-that your friend found you? Just think… you would have been sooooo lost if she... if she didn't bring you back here, where I can, y'know, I can keep you safe. Because nowww you're home! With me. Where you… belong."

Their face grows a dark grin as they finish that sentence, staring at the terrified sprite with those ice-cold eyes of sapphire. As the figure stumbles through the room, trying to capture them, the sprite runs towards the dresser, atop which sat that familiar prison of a cage. They were always able to move the dresser, but it gave a few moments of respite before the pain. Time to brace, to prepare. As they enter the darkness, they cower as their legs cease to work. How… How could she betray them like this? How could she let them know where they were? Didn't she promise to protect them? ⚠️⚠️⚠️

The backpack, that's what they notice. It's sitting there, in the darkness. A bright light shining down on it, drawing them to it. They walk over and inspect it. Their name, the only trace of their identity, gone. The writing seems to shift between nickname after nickname. Lighter names, "Patch", "Buddy", "Little Cutie"... Darker names. Names that sting their very soul to read. All a part of said soul, for better or worse.

The glow, they see the glow again. Looking up, they see her again, facing away. Her outfit is the same as that fateful day they met, a simple t-shirt and jeans. Either she's really far away, or somehow smaller. They approach, cautiously, having some strong words if this is really her. As she turns, her purple eyes – the sprite's own purple eyes, gaze right through them. She opens her mouth, the sound coming from everywhere and nowhere as she speaks in a voice they've never heard, "I am Ri

Patch awoke in a sweat, eyes full of tears. They looked around their room. The wiring was exactly as they left it. Their shelves were full of supplies, a few blueprints, and some snacks they kept handy. Most importantly, their prized backpack hung from its usual hook, their name inscribed on it. Panicked and breathing heavily, they did the only thing they could think of. They ran outside and furiously rang the bell outside of their little room, hitting it like their life depended on it.

Before long, the kitchen light turned on, and the towering, half-awake form of Melody stood before them, her hair messy and eyes bleary. She yawned before starting to speak. "Wh… where's the fire, Patch? You okay?"

The answer was made clear as she focused her eyes, taking in the shaking, crying form before her. This instantly woke her up a bit, as she ducked down to the level of the countertop. "Oh, oh no, Patch, buddy… how can I help? Touch, or no touch?"

Patch held their arms out, signaling that it was in fact a touch situation. Mel gently held out her hand as the scared sprite jumped into it. They were moved right to the human's shoulder, where they embraced her in as much of a hug as possible with a two-inch arm span, as they silently cried. The human's heart broke to see their friend like this.

"... Say no more, Patch. Why don't we go lay on the couch, I'll put the TV on, and we'll help you forget about whatever you dreamed about, okay?"

She needed no approval from the sprite as she laid down on the couch, consoling her small companion, who was already starting to drift off again to the comforting rhythm of Melody's heartbeat, their dreams for the rest of the night uneventful.

[creatorofuniverses]

Gt July Day 16 – Celebrating

Playing catch-up, as always, but this was a fun little drabble to write! I decided to go with an AU we haven’t talked much about, but which I definitely have done something for in the past, so I’m happy to share another little piece of it. As is often the case with this type of AU, I’m borrowing @neonthebright‘s Oscar for a cameo. Enjoy!

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Things were quiet in Sawyer’s apartment.

Since this was not, in fact, the usual state of affairs, it was instead a realization Charlie had halfway through one of his homework assignments. He glanced up from his work, blinking away dates and times, and looked around for Sawyer. He found his friend seated on the couch, uncommonly peaceful. Charlie actually thought Sawyer might be asleep until he padded carefully around the couch and found him thoroughly awake. As Sawyer met Charlie’s eyes, Charlie asked in a hushed voice, “Oscar?” That was the only other reason he could think of for Sawyer being so careful and quiet.

“Takin’ a nap,” Sawyer whispered in reply, confirming Charlie’s suspicions. Charlie’s other assumption – that Oscar was taking said nap in his “room” in Sawyer’s nightstand – was proven untrue as Sawyer moved one of his hands slowly, drawing it away from his abdomen.

Curled up in his palm, all tuckered out, was Oscar. The little boy was very little- he was shorter than some of Sawyer’s fingers, though he had snuggled up to them in sleep without an ounce of fear or wariness. His mousey brown hair was falling in his face, his miniature cheeks pink as he snoozed on. The sight was heart-meltingly cute.

Charlie took a soft seat next to Sawyer on the couch, his eyes still trained on Oscar. He was absolutely precious. “Oh, he always looks so sweet like that,” Charlie couldn’t help but comment.

“He does,” Sawyer quietly agreed. He aimed the gentlest little smile down at the boy in his hand, before looking back up at Charlie with a light of realization. “Oh!” he breathed. “While Oscar’s asleep, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yes?” Charlie looked back, expectant with a not-so-subtle air of concern. He felt like, when it came to caring for a child the size of a finger, there was always something to be concerned about. He loved Oscar, dearly, but the fragility of the child kept him up at night sometimes. “What is it? Is everything okay?”

Sawyer chuckled, reserved little rumbles that took the place of actual laughter, and assured him, “Everything’s fine, Charlie, calm down.” Charlie made a valiant effort to get his heart rate back to a normal pace. “It’s about Oscar’s birthday, it’s next week.”

This took Charlie enough by surprise that his anxiety all but melted away in the face of it. “It is?” he replied, hushed but taken aback all the same. “Only, I thought he would have mentioned it if that’s the case. We’ve been working on months and days all week and he didn’t say a word. We even pinned all the holidays to the calendar.”

“Well, it ain’t his real birthday,” Sawyer admitted. “He couldn’t remember his real birthday, so I just had him pick a day. I’m pretty sure he’s forgot all about it by now, but I saved it in my phone.”

Charlie nodded, the usual melancholy at Oscar’s circumstances washing over him before he set it aside in favor of making the little boy happier now. “In that case, we’d best throw him a very good party indeed to celebrate,” he decided. Who knows, it could very well be the first birthday party Oscar had ever had. He pulled out his phone and started up a new list. “Let’s see, we’ll have cake of course… or, well, cupcakes perhaps… as small as we can get…” It would still be too much cake for Oscar, but a well-decorated mini cupcake would at least give him the sense of a large birthday cake made just for him. Charlie could cut it into appropriate portions after the fact. “And decorations, I’m sure we can find yellow ones.”

“And presents!” Sawyer added, leaning over to watch the list form. “Gotta have presents.” Charlie gave him a look that plainly said “of course” and Sawyer just grinned. “Some games maybe? I bet we could find miniature versions of some party games or something.”

“Quite possibly.” Charlie updated the growing list as they brainstormed; it would probably seem like overkill for a child as small as Oscar but, well, they wanted to do their best. It really wouldn’t be that much all told. “Oh, and we should invite Adrian. And Colfax…” Charlie got hung up on Colfax’s name for a brief moment, as he often did, though he was trying to get better about it. “…is already here. So, that’s that for guests I suppose.” After all, it wasn’t like they knew any other small folk, or could tell any other humans. Oscar would probably enjoy their little party all the same; he was easy to please. The cake alone would probably have him excited for days.

Sawyer nodded. “Right.” They paused for a moment, making sure they hadn’t missed anything obvious, before Sawyer gave Charlie a beaming smile. “He’s gonna love it.”

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Cursed / Melancholy

Yep, a second Melancholy, it was too good to resist. ... Honestly this... isn't even really a G/t piece since Melody doesn't even interact with Patch until the literal last sentence... but I felt like it was important to me to make a piece that goes into Mel's motivations. So many of the writings this month have had Melody just be the solution to Patch's problems, but honestly Patch is also the solution to hers, in a way.

(It was also kind of a vent piece. Both Patch and Mel have parts of myself in them, after all.)

This is technically an interquel between the full story's Spring and it's epilogue, which sets up their relationship for Summer. (Not that this means anything to people right now)

Word Count: 700 Character bios in my pinned post CWs: Vague reference to transphobia, and a lot of negative self-talk.

========

Was what happened yesterday real? Surely it was. Wouldn't be the first time Melody had driven somebody away… but definitely the worst. That may have been the universe's gift, a glimpse into a magical other world, and she squandered it.

Putting her phone away, she got out of bed and tried to stretch the regret away, to pretend like she hadn't accidentally kidnapped some kind of little fae by being… herself. The memories rushed back, her accidentally hurting him, bringing him inside without asking… trapping him in a misguided attempt to help… if she wasn't so… overbearing, and obnoxious, and rude-

Knock it off, Mel, no spiraling.

Mel sighed and walked into the main room. There was a morning routine to do. They went to the kitchen, got some water, and walked over to the shelves of plants. These plants understood her. Greeting each one, they gave them a healthy drink and checked for any dead leaves.

It was a lot of work, keeping so many plants alive in a place as soulless as a dim city apartment, but truthfully, they needed it. Having that little bit of green in her life was as close as she could get to an escape from the mundane as she could get. At least… aside from him…

Maybe they could find him and apologize? Nah, what would the odds be, he probably ran miles away after what they did. Sighing, they continued getting ready for a boring day at work. On her way out, though, she couldn't help but to place an apple slice in the flowerbed where she first saw the little stranger. Just in case.

They paid no mind to the missing apple slice when they came home. Probably a rat took it, or a bird, or something. But the next morning, they still found themself leaving another one. Just in case.

After a few days, the apple just became a part of the routine. Wake up, water plants, apple slice, go to work, come home, sleep. It's not like there was anything else to be doing. At the library, she kept the loneliness away by researching, desperate to figure out anything about the stranger she met. At the least, he proved there was something out there, even if Melody would never see any of it, since she was too awkward, and overbearing, and pushy, and weird, and-

Knock it off, Mel, no spiraling.

Finally, the weekend hit. As they had been all week, they left the apple slice in the usual spot. Going inside, they spent the day doing their usual. Reading, watching TV, anything to feel less… isolated. But that was the story of their life, really. Isolation. The joys of not having any friends, or family… Her eyes glanced over to the little trans flag sitting in one of the flowerpots, but she quickly took a deep breath and tried to not think of that. 

The last thing I need is to cry about the past.

Sure, their coworkers were cool with her, at least enough to be polite, but they weren't really friends. As far as Melody was concerned, all of their friends were in here, the plants and books. Actual friends were for people with social skills, people who didn't ruin every relationship they came into contact with like a social plague.

Well, with the afternoon free, and the boredom of isolation starting to set in, they could at least get some chores done. Gathering the trash from throughout the apartment, they headed to the apartment's dumpster, back in the alley. As she took in the dark, monochrome alley, the very image of the mundane and boring life in the city, she noticed something moving. Probably just a rat…

But wait… that's definitely not a rat, unless the rats around here learned to use little denim backpacks… Oh.

What should she say? Would he hate her? He should. Is he going to run? Probably. She would run too if she was being stared down by such a giant, careless, awkward, weird-

Knock it off, Mel, no spiraling.

"Oh, Patch! I, uh… hello."

[creatorofuniverses]

Gt July Day 27 – Communication

Decided to write more of Evine and Theophilos for this one! They work hard to communicate with each other a lot of the time.

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Evine lay sprawled across their couch, their head propped up on soft pillows and one leg hanging listlessly off the edge. Theophilos was in their cupped hands – something he was still getting used to, as it was all too strange – held just below their eye level. Their mild curiosity was nonetheless all too noticeable to Theophilos, who made tentative eye contact in expectation of a question or some other action involving his attention.

Sure enough, Evine smiled at him and asked, “You served at one of the noble houses before coming here, right?”

Theophilos nodded. That was the polite way of saying it; he had been a slave, indentured by the household after being arrested for begging on the street. There were servants who were free men, holding higher positions and getting actual pay, but Theophilos had not been one of them. Not that he expected Evine to know the difference; the god lead the blissfully ignorant life of a noble, with the added ignorance caused by their severe isolation from the world. Theophilos wasn’t about to explain, either- he couldn’t, for one, and for another it just wasn’t done. It wasn’t his place to bring up the details of his indenture. Those above him either already knew it or didn’t want to hear about such unpleasant things.

Of course, Evine was kinder than any noble Theophilos had ever met, and curious; but they were already moving along their own train of thought. “It’s always so interesting to hear about life outside the temple,” they said, a familiar tone of melancholy lacing the words. “Pretty much all of my sacrifices had different jobs before coming here. What did you do at your old house?”

Theophilos’s brow furrowed slightly as he thought about how best to answer. Looking around he didn’t find anything to help as a prop – at least not within reach, given that he could barely reach across the hands he was cupped in – and spent a long moment mulling over alternatives. Evine watched him, patient but intrigued. Eventually a thought struck and Theophilos took a few locks of his dark, curly hair, straightening them to chin length and deftly weaving them together.

“You braided hair?” Evine asked, not even giving Theophilos time to shake his head before amending, “Or rope, maybe?” That wasn’t right either, and after shaking his head once more, Theophilos looked around for something to clarify.

He was grateful that Evine never got frustrated with him. Most others didn’t bother to wait this long for his attempts at communication; most knew he was mute and assumed that meant he had nothing to say. The god always waited, however, until they figured it out, or at least got close.

Theophilos eventually grabbed the hem of his knee-length chiton and spread out the fabric, gesturing to it. Evine frowned at the charades for a while before guessing, “You… made clothes?” Theophilos shrugged slightly – close, but not quite – and made the braiding motion with his hands over top of the fabric. “Oh!” Evine exclaimed, their expression lighting up. “You wove them! You were a weaver!” Theophilos nodded quickly, a small but delighted smile on his face. It felt so nice to successfully get an idea across for once. Evine grinned in return, just as excited to have figured it out. “That’s fun! I bet you were really good at it.”

Theophilos’s smile turned shy, but he shrugged one shoulder, taking the compliment as best he could. It surprised him, as most things with Evine did. Other people might have scoffed at the profession, reserved for the lower classes – and for women – but Evine either didn’t know that or didn’t care. Maybe they wouldn’t care even if they knew; gods had no need for gender, after all, and Evine didn’t seem to even notice it amongst humans half the time, much less keep track of who had certain jobs.

It was a warm feeling, to know that the god cared enough to ask these sorts of questions, and accept the answers Theophilos gave. They were communicating in their own way, and Theophilos would never take that for granted.