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Description

I FUCKING LOVE DRAWING SUNSETS

- - -

   Waddling down the grassy cliff side on awkward, unsteady hind legs, a rather large stump made their way over to a group of stems. Even if they had seen them before, now clad in blue and masked, surely they would be able to fit in with the super cool stems. At least, that’s what the stump thought.

   “-don’t think I can stand another day of this. Maybe we should just…tell someone, get some help.”

   The stems were mid-conversation, and didn’t initially notice the stump staring at them. The incognito stump wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but maybe they could just…slip into the discussion. But how? Putting on their best “cool guy” accent, the stump spoke.

   “Hi,” wait, no, that wasn’t cool enough, “heya…buckos.” Yeah, that sounded cool.

   Three pairs of eyes went from aimless gandering to an intense glowing stare straight through the stump. They tried to steel their nerves, stay chill, before their pale white pelt started to illuminate back. The stump thought these stems might not appreciate if this strange newcomer started lighting up like a lamp.

   Wobbly legs and a hunched posture, and a bit shy of their height, the stump appeared to pass as a young stem whose tongue gland had just faded. Regardless, what was important to them was whether or not the “stem” had heard their private conversation, and how much. They couldn’t simply open the floor to what they were discussing, however.

   “What do you want,” groaned the beige one, his eyes dead with teenage angst and surely nothing else.

   The stump wasn’t sure what to say. Their blank stare glanced between the stems in an attempt to gather the words to return.

   “Well? Weem got your tongue?” snarked another, sticking out a vibrant purple tongue between sharp fangs.

   “Give him a second-!” the third urged in a hushed tone, as if familiar with the scenario before them.

   “I…” the pale stump seemed paler as they searched for some kind of response. Their gaze honed in on a pair of unusually hot pink footwear belonging to the only patient stem of the three.

  “I like your boots?”

  Was that a normal thing for stems to say? Would they appreciate the comment? Wait, him? Should the stump correct them? Before they even got the chance to hear a reply, their pelt lit up a subtle teal rather than the usual soft green. It felt like the wind was knocked out of their body as they lost their sense of direction and balance.

  Just out of sight of the stems the stump crumpled into the grass, winded from the sudden relocation.

- - -

   Knickknack handed a small stack of clothes to Everglow, neatly folded.

   “Here’s the clothes your little sunshine asked for,,,!” Knick beamed.

   “Already?” Everglow wondered aloud, “They asked only yesterday.”

   “Well, most of it’s just my old clothes,” Knick admitted, “buut,,! I’ve thrown in a little extra as per their request! Something cool.”

   “Oh?”

   “Well they said something about looking cool, so I made them a little mask and cape so they can be a little superhero!” Knick smiled, “well, cape scarf thing. I made it so they can’t trip over it or tie it around their neck too tight.”

   “You think of everything, don’t you?” Everglow grinned, “I’m sure they’ll love it, thanks!”

- - -

   Weemstide in full swing, Everglow strolled through the festive atmosphere with Cometdrop in his pouch and Snapshot following beside him in their new clothes. On the prowl for entertainment, there were countless fair games to try and give a go for the day! With a bright sunny sky and the smell of fried delights in the air, it was looking to be an even better day than yesterday.

   A flash of red and orange caught Everglow’s eye. A peculiar stand, resembling a food stand at first but soon revealed itself to be another carnival game. Or…both? A sign atop the stall read out “Can YOU fry ‘em?”, an interesting proposition. His eyes then met a familiar brown hue.

   “Smeak?” the pale staxie questioned. Wasn’t he usually back in the ocean by now?

   “Not Smeak,” the staxie who was totally not Smeak replied, pointing at his hat, “staff.”

   “Alright,” Everglow smirked, albeit a bit confused, “so, what’s this game?”

   “Fry food with magic,” Not Smeak stated simply, “free food if you can cook it.”

   Everglow grinned. Sure, he was taking it easy, but a chance to pull off some magic again couldn’t hurt. Y’know, show his kids what he was capable of. Especially given that Snapshot had albinism like him, he hoped to show them from a young age that they could do anything they put their mind to.

   “Check this out,” he said, glancing to Snapshot. He hoped he hadn’t gotten rusty.

   Focusing on the vat of oil, Everglow envisioned the space beneath it. He stuck out his tongue slightly as it began to glow red hot like an ember. Snapping his fingers like sparking tinder, the oil began to bubble. Everglow’s face lit up. That must’ve looked so cool.

   Taking a skewer and fitting various fixings onto the kebab, Everglow placed it into the oil and focused on maintaining the flame. His free hand had a soft red aura as he kept the oil sizzling.

   Cometdrop was all over the sight, fascinated with the spark of warmth and the red glow. Looking up, they emulated their father’s blep and followed suit, fully sticking out their jet black tongue. Looking back towards the cooking food, they couldn’t wait to try some! After all, their dad had just started letting them try more solid foods.

   Everglow caught a second glow beneath their eyes as the fire began to grow. Looking down, to their surprise Cometdrop’s tongue had begun to glow as well!

   “A real natural,” Not Smeak nodded.

   Everglow was ecstatic. Their kid had a magic quirk?! He couldn’t stop smiling, this day couldn’t get any grander. He knew he’d have to watch out though, especially if it had to do with fire.

   Snapshot stared at the two of them. They weren’t apathetic, in fact they were quite interested and shared the joy of the moment. But their face remained unchanged. They remembered their pale tongue and wondered if they would ever be able to do anything like that.

- - -

   With the day coming to a close with many families heading home for supper, others headed to high points to watch the sun set. Up a grassy cliff side overlooking the beach, it was a perfect place to view it all - the setting sun across an endless ocean, the weems migrating from the ocean to the forest, and that strange cloud that only seemed to come closer with each passing day. Hopefully such a downpour would come only after Weemstide, after all the festivities had ended and the staxies wouldn’t mind a couple days indoors during a passing tropical storm.

   Perched at the top with his children, Everglow sprawled out on the soft grass with a light groan and the popping of joints. When it could be heard, it sounded worse than it really felt. It was worth it for such a fun day with his new family.

   Snapshot seemed distracted, however. Gesturing down the cliff side they had just traversed, they had other plans.

   “Can I go play with the others?” They asked.

   Everglow’s eyes followed their paw, spotting Leutogi’s daughter Skipper and a couple other stumps halfway down the cliff.

   “Alright, just be careful!” Everglow smiled, before adding, “make sure you can still see me! I’ll be here.”

   Snapshot wandered down the slope, Everglow watching every step to make sure that they would be alright. To his confusion, they stopped by a group of stems before getting up on their hind legs.

   Everglow couldn’t make out what they were saying as the three stems turned to face them. Hopefully nothing mean. He knew what it was like to be picked on for his strange features, and he couldn’t stand the thought of his kid getting the same treatment. Especially not so young.

   Suddenly, there was a flash of teal, and Everglow lost sight of Snapshot. He nearly jolted up, he was frantic. What happened?! A flash, then nothing?! Where was his kid?!

   “Dad?” Cometdrop questioned curiously, picking up on their father’s sudden sense of urgency.

   Everglow’s eyes darted across the cliff side, before spotting a familiar lump of white and blue not far from where they had disappeared. A familiar situation crossed his mind - teleportation - but how? Snapshot’s tongue was just as pale as his was at their age. It didn’t matter, not at this moment.

   “Stay here little guy-!” Everglow urged, before picking himself up. Without even bothering to reach for his cane he rushed over to his collapsed child.

   “What happened - are you alright?!”

   “I- dad?” Snapshot asked, dazed, “where am I?”

   “We’re still on the cliff,” the worried father replied, “I think- no, you definitely teleported?!” He sounded almost bewildered.

   “I did magic just like you?” the exhausted stump asked as their father’s arms wrapped around them. A slight smile crept across their face, the first smile Everglow had ever seen from them, “cool.”

  They were definitely his kid, that was for sure.

- - -

Everglow, Cometdrop, Snapshot - mine!
Serendipity, Alouette, Pigeon, Skipper - NPCs
Vengabus - MULTIUSER-L0SER
Pins ‘n’ Needles, Doodlemoth, Reaper, Ambrosia, Chili, Salsa, Mycorrhizal - milknaps
Nyx, Chiron - novae-s
Milk, Kamiro, Silly - MusiqueHarmonia
Moon - Twilightmyyst
Creeper - lunar-le0
Jacquez - Shadowlarky

58/1200 BEANS (1550 words)(Character cap surpassed)

Description

I FUCKING LOVE DRAWING SUNSETS

- - -

   Waddling down the grassy cliff side on awkward, unsteady hind legs, a rather large stump made their way over to a group of stems. Even if they had seen them before, now clad in blue and masked, surely they would be able to fit in with the super cool stems. At least, that’s what the stump thought.

   “-don’t think I can stand another day of this. Maybe we should just…tell someone, get some help.”

   The stems were mid-conversation, and didn’t initially notice the stump staring at them. The incognito stump wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but maybe they could just…slip into the discussion. But how? Putting on their best “cool guy” accent, the stump spoke.

   “Hi,” wait, no, that wasn’t cool enough, “heya…buckos.” Yeah, that sounded cool.

   Three pairs of eyes went from aimless gandering to an intense glowing stare straight through the stump. They tried to steel their nerves, stay chill, before their pale white pelt started to illuminate back. The stump thought these stems might not appreciate if this strange newcomer started lighting up like a lamp.

   Wobbly legs and a hunched posture, and a bit shy of their height, the stump appeared to pass as a young stem whose tongue gland had just faded. Regardless, what was important to them was whether or not the “stem” had heard their private conversation, and how much. They couldn’t simply open the floor to what they were discussing, however.

   “What do you want,” groaned the beige one, his eyes dead with teenage angst and surely nothing else.

   The stump wasn’t sure what to say. Their blank stare glanced between the stems in an attempt to gather the words to return.

   “Well? Weem got your tongue?” snarked another, sticking out a vibrant purple tongue between sharp fangs.

   “Give him a second-!” the third urged in a hushed tone, as if familiar with the scenario before them.

   “I…” the pale stump seemed paler as they searched for some kind of response. Their gaze honed in on a pair of unusually hot pink footwear belonging to the only patient stem of the three.

  “I like your boots?”

  Was that a normal thing for stems to say? Would they appreciate the comment? Wait, him? Should the stump correct them? Before they even got the chance to hear a reply, their pelt lit up a subtle teal rather than the usual soft green. It felt like the wind was knocked out of their body as they lost their sense of direction and balance.

  Just out of sight of the stems the stump crumpled into the grass, winded from the sudden relocation.

- - -

   Knickknack handed a small stack of clothes to Everglow, neatly folded.

   “Here’s the clothes your little sunshine asked for,,,!” Knick beamed.

   “Already?” Everglow wondered aloud, “They asked only yesterday.”

   “Well, most of it’s just my old clothes,” Knick admitted, “buut,,! I’ve thrown in a little extra as per their request! Something cool.”

   “Oh?”

   “Well they said something about looking cool, so I made them a little mask and cape so they can be a little superhero!” Knick smiled, “well, cape scarf thing. I made it so they can’t trip over it or tie it around their neck too tight.”

   “You think of everything, don’t you?” Everglow grinned, “I’m sure they’ll love it, thanks!”

- - -

   Weemstide in full swing, Everglow strolled through the festive atmosphere with Cometdrop in his pouch and Snapshot following beside him in their new clothes. On the prowl for entertainment, there were countless fair games to try and give a go for the day! With a bright sunny sky and the smell of fried delights in the air, it was looking to be an even better day than yesterday.

   A flash of red and orange caught Everglow’s eye. A peculiar stand, resembling a food stand at first but soon revealed itself to be another carnival game. Or…both? A sign atop the stall read out “Can YOU fry ‘em?”, an interesting proposition. His eyes then met a familiar brown hue.

   “Smeak?” the pale staxie questioned. Wasn’t he usually back in the ocean by now?

   “Not Smeak,” the staxie who was totally not Smeak replied, pointing at his hat, “staff.”

   “Alright,” Everglow smirked, albeit a bit confused, “so, what’s this game?”

   “Fry food with magic,” Not Smeak stated simply, “free food if you can cook it.”

   Everglow grinned. Sure, he was taking it easy, but a chance to pull off some magic again couldn’t hurt. Y’know, show his kids what he was capable of. Especially given that Snapshot had albinism like him, he hoped to show them from a young age that they could do anything they put their mind to.

   “Check this out,” he said, glancing to Snapshot. He hoped he hadn’t gotten rusty.

   Focusing on the vat of oil, Everglow envisioned the space beneath it. He stuck out his tongue slightly as it began to glow red hot like an ember. Snapping his fingers like sparking tinder, the oil began to bubble. Everglow’s face lit up. That must’ve looked so cool.

   Taking a skewer and fitting various fixings onto the kebab, Everglow placed it into the oil and focused on maintaining the flame. His free hand had a soft red aura as he kept the oil sizzling.

   Cometdrop was all over the sight, fascinated with the spark of warmth and the red glow. Looking up, they emulated their father’s blep and followed suit, fully sticking out their jet black tongue. Looking back towards the cooking food, they couldn’t wait to try some! After all, their dad had just started letting them try more solid foods.

   Everglow caught a second glow beneath their eyes as the fire began to grow. Looking down, to their surprise Cometdrop’s tongue had begun to glow as well!

   “A real natural,” Not Smeak nodded.

   Everglow was ecstatic. Their kid had a magic quirk?! He couldn’t stop smiling, this day couldn’t get any grander. He knew he’d have to watch out though, especially if it had to do with fire.

   Snapshot stared at the two of them. They weren’t apathetic, in fact they were quite interested and shared the joy of the moment. But their face remained unchanged. They remembered their pale tongue and wondered if they would ever be able to do anything like that.

- - -

   With the day coming to a close with many families heading home for supper, others headed to high points to watch the sun set. Up a grassy cliff side overlooking the beach, it was a perfect place to view it all - the setting sun across an endless ocean, the weems migrating from the ocean to the forest, and that strange cloud that only seemed to come closer with each passing day. Hopefully such a downpour would come only after Weemstide, after all the festivities had ended and the staxies wouldn’t mind a couple days indoors during a passing tropical storm.

   Perched at the top with his children, Everglow sprawled out on the soft grass with a light groan and the popping of joints. When it could be heard, it sounded worse than it really felt. It was worth it for such a fun day with his new family.

   Snapshot seemed distracted, however. Gesturing down the cliff side they had just traversed, they had other plans.

   “Can I go play with the others?” They asked.

   Everglow’s eyes followed their paw, spotting Leutogi’s daughter Skipper and a couple other stumps halfway down the cliff.

   “Alright, just be careful!” Everglow smiled, before adding, “make sure you can still see me! I’ll be here.”

   Snapshot wandered down the slope, Everglow watching every step to make sure that they would be alright. To his confusion, they stopped by a group of stems before getting up on their hind legs.

   Everglow couldn’t make out what they were saying as the three stems turned to face them. Hopefully nothing mean. He knew what it was like to be picked on for his strange features, and he couldn’t stand the thought of his kid getting the same treatment. Especially not so young.

   Suddenly, there was a flash of teal, and Everglow lost sight of Snapshot. He nearly jolted up, he was frantic. What happened?! A flash, then nothing?! Where was his kid?!

   “Dad?” Cometdrop questioned curiously, picking up on their father’s sudden sense of urgency.

   Everglow’s eyes darted across the cliff side, before spotting a familiar lump of white and blue not far from where they had disappeared. A familiar situation crossed his mind - teleportation - but how? Snapshot’s tongue was just as pale as his was at their age. It didn’t matter, not at this moment.

   “Stay here little guy-!” Everglow urged, before picking himself up. Without even bothering to reach for his cane he rushed over to his collapsed child.

   “What happened - are you alright?!”

   “I- dad?” Snapshot asked, dazed, “where am I?”

   “We’re still on the cliff,” the worried father replied, “I think- no, you definitely teleported?!” He sounded almost bewildered.

   “I did magic just like you?” the exhausted stump asked as their father’s arms wrapped around them. A slight smile crept across their face, the first smile Everglow had ever seen from them, “cool.”

  They were definitely his kid, that was for sure.

- - -

Everglow, Cometdrop, Snapshot - mine!
Serendipity, Alouette, Pigeon, Skipper - NPCs
Vengabus - MULTIUSER-L0SER
Pins ‘n’ Needles, Doodlemoth, Reaper, Ambrosia, Chili, Salsa, Mycorrhizal - milknaps
Nyx, Chiron - novae-s
Milk, Kamiro, Silly - MusiqueHarmonia
Moon - Twilightmyyst
Creeper - lunar-le0
Jacquez - Shadowlarky

58/1200 BEANS (1550 words)(Character cap surpassed)