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kingdomofgufalla · 5 years

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Introduction

The land of Gufalla is a Kingdom Roman created because of his desire to bring joy to the other sides/figments. The fic below is written by my friend who we will call Kitty, even though that is not their real name as they wish to stay anonymous. Basically, a summary of the fic is Roman showing them the ropes of the new kingdom that he has created. After this fic, is when I and Kitty started to world build on Gufalla together. Before I go any further, please read the tickle fic.

Sander's Sides Floral Fic

Words ~ 4,089 ~

"Welcome to my newest kingdom!" Roman exclaims with a grand gesture as he leads Virgil, Logan and Patton, in that order, behind him.

"This is so beautiful, Ro!" Patton wears a grin as he walks behind Logan and admires the myriad of colors and wonders in the Imagination.

"It does display your creative abilities well, Roman. All of these plants and natural additions make it seem almost feasible that they could exist in reality," Logan chimes in, a small smile adorning his face as well. Roman had definitely wanted to make Logan feel heard when he addressed these issues to the prince.

Virgil glances at everything around him, the strange newness to it all. "It is pretty cool, I guess. But safety is number one, Princey, you know that. So...?"

"You're all too kind! And yes, everything is this wonderous new land is completely safe. Not to mention it's designed to bring out joy from all who enter it!" Roman continues to walk, Virgil letting out a breath of relief at his statement.

A bush with muted purple leaves catches Patton's eye and he takes a few steps away from the others and toward the mysterious plant. He crouches down in front of it, his eyes full of childlike wonder as he picks a single berry off, turning it in his hand to examine it.

It resembled a blueberry but a little bigger, and it was a beautiful and gradient shade of Kelly green. He remembered that Roman said everything was safe so it couldn't hurt, right? He popped it in his mouth, chewed, and melted at the flavor. It tasted like a pistachio muffin!...maybe a few more?

Patton ended up eating about five more berries before he paused, a fluttering feeling appearing on his stomach. He looked down and brushed at his shirt but there was nothing on him. He tried to rub away the sensation but nothing happened. In fact, the feeling was getting more apparent and felt oddly like.. Feathers?

Feathers.

Patton couldn't hold back his giggles if he tried, putting a hand over his mouth to somehow dam them back but to no avail. In about twenty seconds flat, the father figment was lying on the soft grass, curled up and squealing and giggling as the ghostly feathery sensations continued.

Virgil could hear something behind them and quickly turned his head around to see not only a lack of Patton but the addition of laughter in the distance. And also Patton.

Virgil was a blur of black and purple as he raced over to Patton, kneeling beside him and calling out for the other two, who also came rushing over at the sight of Patton on the ground.

"Roman, I thought you said it was safe!" Virgil exclaimed, still confused and concerned as to why Patton was on the ground and giggling.

"It is! I don't know why-" Roman catches himself mid sentence, his eyes locking onto the bush where a small patch of berries was missing from. "...ah. He simply ate some rainbow buttons."

Virgil's eyes go wide. "He ate buttons?! Roman, I swear-" Roman points to the bush and the hoodie wearing side's shoulders slump. "Are those...berries?" Roman nods and clears his throat.

"Indeed they are! Patton has eaten a certain variety of fruit that grows in this new kingdom called rainbow buttons. They have many variations that can affect different parts of the body."

"And how do these 'buttons' affect the body?" Logan asks, half out of concern for Patton and half out of curiosity.

"I'm glad you asked!" Roman walks over to Patton, seeing that his giggle fit was over and he could talk again. He offers a hand and Patton takes it with a silly smile, standing with the prince's help. "Patton, would you care to explain what you felt just now?" Roman inquires, putting on his own grin.

"It felt like feathers all over my tummy. Gosh, it really tickled a lot!" Patton explains with another round of soft giggles as Logan and Virgil's cheeks turn a slight pink.

So that's what Roman meant by 'bringing forth joy'.

"Uh, w-well, that's good to know. Roman, do all of these berries have the same basic shape?" Logan asks as he picks one to look it over.

"They do, but they all have different colors and markings. That one you have there is the Kelly green gradient variety. The color decides what part of the body it affects and the markings tell you what ticklish sensation you'll feel." Roman also picks a berry, holding it out for the rest of them to see. "This particular one targets the tummy and feels like feathers. Ain't that right, padre?" The princely side teases and Patton turns away with a shy grin, nodding.

Virgil stands from where he was kneeling, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets. "What other plants and flowers and whatever else should we know about?" He mumbles, eying the bush with the same slightly pink blush as Logan.

Roman perks up at this, a shining grin flourishing on his features. "A wonderful question, but I'm afraid I don't want to spoil any surprises. I can, however, show you around the different flora in the kingdom. Come! Let's explore!" And with that, Roman was already strutting down another path, the other three following suit.

They soon reach a clearing in the woods full of flowers, some normal daffodils and daisies but some looked magical, to say the least.

"Ooh, these are all so pretty! What's that one?" Patton points to what could be a bleeding heart flower, save for the claw shaped petals rather than hearts. Logan and Virgil both look at the flower, curious and slightly wary of it.

"A brilliant question, my dear! These," Roman pulls a stalk of flowers from said plant gently, laying it on his palm. "are called monster flowers. Each blossom has a red berry inside that you can eat! They taste like strawberry hard candy, too." He opens one of the flowers and pulls out the aforementioned berry, handing the stalk to Patton, who admires the flowers' beauty.

"What happens when you eat it?" Virgil murmurs, tilting his head as his gaze lingers on the berry. Logan nods at Virgil's inquiry.

"Yes, and how long does it last?" Logan looks at Roman now, eyebrow raised.

"One berry will last you about one minute, maybe two. The more you eat, the longer it lasts." Roman replies as he moves his hand holding the berry towards Logan. "Why don't you try it out for yourself to see exactly what it does, teach?" Roman has a huge smirk on his face because Logan was a sucker for two things; Crofter's and experiments.

"I-If you simply told us, it would be a more simple experience for both of us." Logan's cheeks heat up a little but Roman knew just what to say.

"Are you sure? If I only tell you, how can you possibly know what exactly it would feel like? You wouldn't want to lose an opportunity for possible data...would you?" Roman quirks a brow, still smiling and holding out the berry again for Logan.

A moment passes and Logan hesitantly takes the small fruit and places it in his mouth, taking no more than a few seconds to chew and swallow. For a brief moment, nothing happens, but-

"RoHOhomahan!!" Logan exclaims, his arms suddenly wrap around his midsection and Virgil jumps a bit at the outburst of laughter, looking to Roman.

"Yes, specs? What can I help you with?" Roman responds and then turns to Virgil. "Just give him a minute, it'll wear off soon." He assures, calming the darker persona's nerves a bit.

"WaihiHIHit, nahAHAHAHaha!!" Logan could feel the playful scribbling of claws all over his sides and rib cage, skittering quickly over every spot they could find in that area. A giant grin split Logan's face in two as he continues to fail miserably to hold his laughter in. But as soon as it started, it seemed to stop all at once, leaving Logan leaning against a nearby tree for support as the last few leftover giggles leave his lips.

Virgil can't help but chuckle softly at the logical side's adorable giggles. Logan would never admit it but Virgil knew for a fact that the bespectacled side had an incredible laugh. Patton and Roman were also smiling at Logan's wonderful giggles and Roman spoke up again.

"Well? How was it, calculator watch?" The royal asks with a smarmy tone.

Logan clears his throat, fixing his glasses before he speaks. "It, uh- it felt like small claws. Very small claws. Tickling me." He gets it out in short sentences, attempting to will his blush away somehow.

Virgil grins at this. "What other flowers can Teach over here test out, Ro?" Before Logan can object with a much redder face than before, Roman interjects with a wide smile.

"An excellent question, my dark and stormy knight!" The royal makes his way over to what looks like a belladonna plant, berries and flowers blooming, but the petals were a light lavender color and the berries had a gradient from white to black.

"These are a little something I like to call 'bellapiuma'! But Logan will probably recognize it as-" Roman starts but the logical side interrupts

"Belladonna. You based it off of belladonna?" Logan asks with an almost curious tone. Roman smirks at Logan's interest and continues.

"Indeed it is! But this is completely safe for consumption, I assure you. It fills your tastebuds with the flavor of cookies and creme but the effects seem to escape my memory...perhaps a certain Sherlock Holmes could help us solve this case?" Roman wonders aloud, sneaking a crafty glance toward a very conflicted Logan.

"I- Roman, you-" Curiosity wins out and Logan plucks a monochromatic berry from the bush, examining it for any blemishes. "How dare you use the great detective against me?" Logan murmurs to Roman, popping the berry into his mouth.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Roman purrs, watching the other eat the berry and stepping back over to Patton and Virgil, chuckling to himself. He whispers to the two of them as Logan's cheeks turn slightly pink.

"Bellapiuma means 'pretty feather' in Italian. Eating one of those berries causes the feeling of tickling feathers. It starts at one general area and slowly zones in on a specific spot but let's watch it in action, shall we?" The prince nods toward Logan, who was currently clamping hs mouth shut with one hand to try and hold his laughter in.

It started in Logan's legs, causing him to lean against a tree as giggles start to pour out of his mouth. The sensation of the many feathers, some stiff, some fluffy, were scattered all across his upper and lower legs. "Rohoman, what's hahappenihing?" Logan calls out, sliding to the ground as his laughter increases in volume.

"The feathers should focus on one spot in a moment, Logan, don't worry!" He yells back to the other, wearing a snarky smirk.

"Romahan, whahahAHAHAHA, NAHAHAhaha!!" As Roman had told him, the feathers honed in on his calves, some flicking quickly and some running up and down the skin slowly as cackles bust out of him, a smile spreading across his lips as he tries in vain to rub away the seemingly nonexistent ticklish sensation.

Patton, Roman and Virgil all smile as well. It was always nice to see the serious side let loose and laugh when he could and they would all be lying if they said it wasn't cute.

Logan's laughter soon turns into silent, hysterical giggles, curling in on himself as his cheeks turn a deep scarlet. The feathery feelings soon fade as well, leaving him on the soft grass taking deep breaths intermingled with giggles. Patton moves through the flowers carefully, kneeling next to Logan with a gentle grin.

"You doing okay, Lo?" Patton asks as he offers a hand to Logan, who takes it and sits up, nodding.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Logan takes a final huge breath, straightening his tie and adjusting his glasses as Patton helps him to stand, the duo making their way back to Virgil and Roman.

"Let's find another area, something a little more calm." Roman gives Logan a sympathetic look, gently patting his shoulder, the bespectacled side nodding and smiling softly at Roman. The prince returns the smile, leading the others to a different part of the kingdom.

---------------------------------------------------

The four figments happen upon a rather relaxing scene; a small pond with a cherry tree next to it. The usual light pink sakura petals are colored a deep red, almost the same as a rose, with the cherries now the color of the flowers.

"This seems like a pretty peaceful spot, Ro. We can recharge and rest up for a little while!" Patton states excitedly, walking into the clearing, the rest following suit.

Roman nods and sits on a nearby rock, letting out a sigh of content. "It is very peaceful, yes."

Virgil stakes his claim under the tree, leaning against the trunk and Logan sticks with Patton, the two of them sitting in the grass near the pond.

After a few minutes, Virgil looks up at the cherries and then calls to Roman. "What are these, Princey?" He nods up at the tree.

"Hm? Oh, those are cheery cherries! I believe they taste like cherry jubilee. They don't have any direct effects, either." Roman explains as he removes his boots, stretching his legs a bit.

"Huh. Couldn't hurt to try one..." Virgil mumbles to himself, standing and grabbing a single cherry from a low branch. It looked like a normal cherry, aside from the light pink color, but slightly bigger. He puts it in his mouth, biting down on it and- oh. It did taste like cherry jubilee.

...Maybe a few more couldn't hurt?

But he should've learned from Patton's earlier escapades. After eating about four cherries, Virgil hums in content and leans against the tree again. Roman, noticing just how many fruits he had eaten, wanders his way over to sit next to the anxious side.

"I did forget to mention one little detail about those cherries, by the way." Roman pipes up, trying to hide his growing grin.

Virgil looks over at the other, his glance wary at the look on his face. "What's that?"

The prince lets his smirk take center stage as he makes a gentle grab for Virgil's ankle, causing the other male to yelp as his leg is trapped in Roman's grip. "Hey! W-wait, what did the cherries do?" Virgil asks as he fights the urge to smile in anticipation.

"Oh, nothing. You know what? Let's find out!" Roman exclaims, sliding off one of Virgil's black leather combat boots.

"P-princey, don't you- wahIHIHihihit!" Virgil squeals as Roman scratches one nail over his socked sole, giggles waterfalling after with no signs of stopping.

"They simply made you even more ticklish than you already were! Which means just this one little finger can give me those lovely giggles that we all adore so." Roman coos, moving said finger up to wiggle under Virgil's big toe, drawing out a snort from the hoodie clad side.

"Rohomahan, dohohon't!" Virgil's smile is unbelievably bright, using one sweater pawed hand to try and cover it.

"Aww, don't hide that sweet smile, kiddo! It's so beautiful!" Patton chimes in, chuckling to himself.

"Padre's right, son of Skellington! It truly is a sight for sore eyes." Roman adds as he changes positions, wrestling his way to rest softly on Virgil's thighs, making sure there wasn't too much weight on him at the same time. "You know, I distinctly remember Patton calling you a little kitten at one point. Let's test this out, hm?"

Just the sight of Roman's devious smirk is enough to make Virgil bust into bubbly giggles but the gentle scribbling of all ten of his fingers on his stomach certainly didn't help either. "Roho, dohon'T, NAHAHEhehihihihi!!" His hands scramble to grab onto Roman's but they don't do much to stop him.

Unbeknownst to Virgil, Roman's plan was working perfectly. "Coochie coochie coo!" The prince teases, his smile softening at the adorable sight in front of him. He suddenly lifts his hands away in the air, fingers splayed out. "Coo!"

Virgil copies Roman's arm and hand movements, immediately pulling them back down with a face full of shyness and a blush like no other.

Patton squeals and smiles at the scene. "Oh my goodness, he's like that one kitten that gets his tummy tickled!" Even Logan nods and has a small grin on his lips.

"It does seem that he replicates the behavior seen in that video, proving Roman's hypothesis." Logan remarks, gazing fondly at Roman and Virgil.

"Sh-shuhut ihit!" Virgil mumbles, hiding in his hoodie and trying to rub away the redness from his cheeks.

"When will you admit how adorable you can be, Virgil?" Roman whispers in a teasing tone, the darker clothed side groaning and hiding further into his sleeves.

"I won't cause I'm not- AHHahehehihi, wahihihihi!!" Roman continues his cooing and gentle tummy tickling as soft laughter escapes Virgil's lips yet again.

"What were you saying? I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of your precious giggles, Virgil. Tickle tickle, little kitten!" The prince snickers as Virgil lets out tiny snorts between rounds of giggles. Roman pulls his hands up again and Virgil does the same, causing the former to smile sweetly and the latter to hide his flushed face again.

"You're too cute for your own good, I hope you know that." Roman murmurs as he moves to sit next to a slightly embarrassed and giggly Virgil.

"Youhu juhust- just you wait, Roho. You're gonna gehet it." Virgil breathes out, sitting up against the tree trunk but still wearing a little grin.

"I'm sure I will, sunshine." The royal stands, smiling, and offers a hand to Virgil, who takes it and dusts himself off, placing his hands in his hoodie pockets. "I think we're ready to head out again, yeah?" Roman asks the other two, who nod and stand as well.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"So rainbow buttons can grow in any environment as long as there's soil?" Logan asks his almost endless questions about these new species of flora, Roman elated to answer them all.

"Indeed! They are quite adaptable and hardy plants, not to mention- PATTON, DON'T!" Roman suddenly calls out, tugging the father figment's arm away from a seemingly normal but large bush with bi colored peonies growing from it.

Patton's eyes widen and he looks at the bush. "Sorry!- Well, it doesn't look dangerous to me, kiddo, why stay away from such pretty flowers?" He asks, tilting his head at the plant.

"It isn't dangerous, per say: nothing in this kingdom is but..." Roman mentally finds the right words. "It's a sentient plant. It feeds off of laughter and it takes close examination to see how 'full' it is. They can tickle someone for close to an hour if they're too hungry."

Patton nods at this, taking a few more steps back. "Good to know, Ro."

"Close to an hour? Could someone pass out 'cause of that thing?" Virgil wears a concerned expression but Roman quickly shakes his head.

"No, I made sure of that. It can sense when a living thing has reached its limits and allows a break to keep the captured creature from fatigue." Roman explains, taking a slow step toward the plant in question. "It's called a Laughter Lure, the flowers can lower someone's guard enough to make them approach it."

"Fascinating." Logan mumbles to himself, hand on his chin in thought. "How can one tell how 'full' it is, as you put it?" He inquires and Roman points the flower in the center of the bush; it was noticeably bigger than the other's at a close glance and was a slightly more vibrant hue as well.

"The head flower is the only surefire way to know. If it's completely satiated, the flower glows dimly." Roman squints at the flower, examining it from afar. "It seems to be pretty well fed, almost full."

Virgil grins as an idea comes to him. "Why don't you show us how it works so we know what to look for in the future, Ro?"

Roman opens and closes his mouth a few times, unable to respond at first but he soon finds his words. "I- well," He then sees Virgil's smirk. "I can see what you're plotting, Hot Topic." He squints at him, pouting slightly.

"Who, me? Plotting? Never." Virgil holds up his hands in surrender, still wearing that smug grin.

Logan catches on, also smiling, and adds, "He's right, Roman. We wouldn't want to be unprepared should we be by ourselves in your kingdom."

Roman can't even rebuke them, huffing a little as he starts to slowly make his way over to the plant. "First things first, no sudden movements! It uses vibrations in the ground to sense things!"

Roman takes a few more steps closer and a curious, harmless vine pokes out of the bush. The prince pauses as the vine seems to turn to face him. It then retracts back into the bush and Roman lets out a sigh of relief. "See? Slow and steady wins the race!" He turns around to look at the others, Logan Patton and Virgil looking back at him in shock. "What? Is something wrong?" Roman asks.

Four thicker and longer vines are poised behind him, the tips of them wiggling teasingly. The other three could only watch in amusement as Roman finally turned around, his eyes going wide. "Uh...can we talk about this?"

The answer was no.

Two vines pull Roman to the grass, a third wrapping around both of his wrists and holding them above his head. "Virgil, I blame you for this!!" Roman yells, twisting and turning only to find no escape.

"This isn't on me! You walked over there, Princey!" Virgil teases, smirking. The two vines that pulled Roman onto his back on the ground are now slowly rolling up his shirt to reveal his belly.

Roman's cheeks heat up to a light pink, biting his lip to hold in his giggles as one vine traces little spirals all over his side, causing the royal to squirm in the opposite direction but not getting far. Another vine slithers up his shirt, drilling gently into his underarm.

"NAHhaha, nahahAHAT THEHEHAHA!" Belly laughter explodes out of Roman's mouth, his whole body wriggling around in mirth.

"Roman almost looks 'pit'iful, huh?" Patton whispers to Virgil, causing the latter to snort and cover his smile with his sleeve.

The vine on his side suddenly takes interest in this new spot as well, using slow and teasing strokes in his other armpit. Roman bucks and flails but the vines are sturdy and determined. "BAHAHAHA, WAHIHIHAHAHA!!"

Logan is extremely intrigued by the plant; how it seems to perceive a person's laughter and its fluctuation, directing vines to draw out louder laughter to feed on. Perhaps he could ask Roman to summon a houseplant sized version for him to observe back in the mind palace.

Meanwhile, Roman is losing his mind, cackling and squeaking up a storm but the vines pull back and stop as soon as they started, leaving the prince a flustered mess on the ground. "Thahank Odihin..."

The other three come over and help Roman stand, supporting him as the prince stands on wobbly legs for a moment. "Doing alright there, Ro?" Virgil asks in a sincere but slightly teasing tone.

"Yes, I'm alright. Let's head back home, yes? I think that's enough adventure for today." Roman admits and Virgil lets out a soft gasp.

"Did Roman Sanders just say he had enough adventure?" The anxious side remarks in a sassy tone, causing the others to laugh. "But I agree."

"Additional affirmation. While today has been...'fun'...it's also been a bit tiring." Logan adds as they all start the journey out of the imagination.

"I guess all these new plants really tickled your funny bone, huh, Lo?" Patton jokes, a groan and two bouts of chuckles following.

(Thank you for reading.)

The world building begins with Roman giving Logan his own tickle plant from the kingdom in his laboratory. Afterwards, all the sides/figments began accumulating their own tickle plants each with their own personality and different ways they interact with the other characters. The plants cannot speak, but are sentient and able to write using their vines and other leafy appendages to express how they are feelings. They have no faces and are plants, but have the emotional and intellectual capabilities of any normal human beings. And that is what makes the world of Gufalla so unique. (Or one of the reasons.)

Taglist: @fluffymary @soft-blog-for-tickles @adoryblegiggles @violetmcl @novaticklee @chituri @shadowkittycat97 (Let me know if you want to be tagged.)

#sanders sides tickling #sanders sides tickle AU

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littlemissnellie · 5 years

Photo

Maude Marsh for Bedelia’s Bachelorette Challenge by @smallcowplant

thank god my laptop’s back up and working so that I could enter this

Maude didn’t talk a lot after her parents disappeared. All it took was one trip in a rickety propeller plane to Selvadorada to explore a temple thought to be lost to the living world and they were never heard from again. Her grandparents welcomed her into their home with open arms and a wealth of love, but grief left her numb. She buried herself in books: old, leather-bound classics that cluttered every inch of the crumbling cottage or yellowed collections of scrawling sheet music. Her fingers would dance over the keys and thumb the pages and Maude was able to escape the cruel world that took people she loved away from her.

Soon her grandparents’ time came as well, as she had come to learn that everyone’s did eventually, and all at once she found herself completely alone. She couldn’t bring herself to leave their cottage, still soaking in what little security she still could from the lingering spirit that swathed their belongings. Some scream in terror, but Maude fell silent, too scared to breathe. Overcome by apprehension she drifted through life, if that’s what you could call it, with crippling caution. Until the staircase gave up on her as well.

Splintering wood. A cloud of dust. A collective gasp from the antiques. And Maude met her quiet demise. No matter how careful she’d been, the underworld had claimed her as its own and her time on earth had been drawn from her trembling hands.

After the disappearance of her parents the thought of an afterlife was somewhat comforting to Maude. But as time pressed on the idea grew as cold and lifeless as she believed them to be. So when her eyes fluttered open and she felt crisp satin beneath her fingers in the darkness that enveloped her, she was paralysed with fear. She held her breath, fearing that what little oxygen she still had left in this box that would allow her to scream for help would be wasted on a gasp. But whilst the air should have been thick and musty, it felt cool and almost refreshing. Was she even underground? Tentative as ever, Maude pushed on the wood above her and felt fresh earth simply slide out of the way. Eventually her fingers broke the surface and clawed at the dirt packed onto her grave. Once her whole body was free she shook the soil from her hair and her hand moved down to brush off her clothes as her eyes adjusted to the moonlight. Blinking life back into her eyes Maude’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed in a terrified stupor at her hand, or at least what had become of it.

Her skin was grey. She told herself that it must be a trick of the moon. The cold night air, ebony sky and shock of waking up in her own coffin were toying with her mind. But as she looked at her fingers again the horror of her reality dawned on her. Decay crept towards her palms, eating away at the flesh that once danced across ivory keys. She had to be dreaming. This was a sick hallucination. She was laid on a hospital bed with a ‘last-attempt’ dose of medication draining through her body and it was warping her thoughts.

But a breeze rustled the leaves of the trees around her and she felt it tickle her cheek. How could that be if this was a dream? How was dead skin capable of feeling? How could a girl who’d never really lived still stand here long after her life had ended?

Stumbling on stiff legs she didn’t feel she should be using, she made her way through the graveyard where her grandparents rested to the fountain she’d become so familiar with. Moonlight glittered on the water’s surface and as she reached out, the water spilled onto her hand. Recoiling in shock, she looked at her hand again. Still dying before her eyes, but dripping water nonetheless, and she could feel all of it. Her reflection snatched her gaze and all thoughts in her head fell away. It wasn’t just her hands that were beginning to decay, her whole body was bruising and faltering beneath the greying exterior. But her eyes were what rooted her to the spot. Where green beads had once hidden behind wire glasses, ghostly white orbs stared back at her. Any sign or irises or pupils had disappeared all together. There looked to be about as much life in her eyes as the rest of her body.

Staggering backwards she grabbed at her face, alarmed by what she’d seen. This was no dream. It was a nightmare. It had to be. But as her chest heaved with effort to take in enough air for her to hyperventilate, moonlight broke through the trees and bathed her creaking bones. Her head turned to the sky without conscious effort and suddenly energy like she’d never felt before coursed through her body. Sure her movements were still a little jerky, but she made her way back to the fountain with co-ordination that even surprised herself. Gazing into the rippling water once more she was almost hypnotised by what she saw. Her eyes glowed with what she could only explain to be the energy that had overcome her. In the few years she had spent on earth she had never felt like this. So vibrant, so awake, so…alive.

Her days had been spent quietly caring for her grandparents, tending to weeds in what should have been neat flower beds and escaping from her dreary reality with literature and music. It had hardly been a life. Her parents had wildly adventurous spirits that drove them to explore every inch of the world, yet she had caged herself away from it, kidding herself that painting pottery and wandering through libraries was enough to fulfil her time. Scared into hiding from anything that strayed from ordinary, Maude now found herself yearning to live. Everything she never experienced had never felt so appealing. There was so much more to life than she ever dared herself to believe but it had been snatched from her grasp before she realised it.

Still, her bones twitched beneath her skin and newfound determination fluttered in her chest where her heart once beat. Bruised lips twisted into a grin as reality dawned on her. This was her chance. She may be dead, but she was finally ready to live her life.

Traits: self-assured, glutton and clumsy

Maude Marsh is a zombie with a twisted sense of adventure. Once scared by the squeaking of a door, she wasted her mortality hiding from the world around her. But with immortality on her side and a desperation to explore the world she left behind, she’s ready to take on everything the afterlife has to offer. Now fascinated by things she would have never given a second thought before, she spends her time scouting out rubbish bins that litter the town to pilfer for trinkets to grow her collection oddities. It’s amazing how much you can find if you rummage hard enough! Her pockets are usually stuffed with rusty badges, paper straws and soda can rings.

Expressing herself in ways she never would have dared to before, she plays around with outfits she bargains from other corpses, putting on fashion shows for herself and any graveyard attendees that she doesn’t send fleeing in terror. Who’d have thought that greying pigtails could be so scary? The screams quickly became melodious to Maude, drawing smiles that grew bigger and bigger every time someone would recoil in horror. Something about making people feel something after a lifetime of feeling numb was incredible.

False life buzzes through empty veins as she giggles and rolls through trampled weeds, letting the grass tickle her skin. Sometimes she weaves dandelions and wild flowers into bouquets to leave for the gravedigger in hopes of making a friend, but they hadn’t been successful yet. Companionship was something Maude never allowed herself to experience in her life, too scared to open her cage and allow anyone to step inside. But with her cage long gone she now longs for a connection. She wants to discover everything life (and the afterlife) has to offer: the good, the bad and the straight up twisted.

Maude sees beauty in everything: sunlight filtering through foliage, old bubble gum stuck to a withering crisp packet or the glint of something wicked in a smile. As she falls in love with the world around her, Maude finds herself wanting nothing more than to find someone to share this adventure with. Can Bedelia get her heart to beat again?

dumpster queen

she/her pronouns

5′ 8′‘ in the cute boots she found in a ditch and re-laced with a lock of her hair

looooooves hugs

still not totally used to moving all her dead weight at once so is a lil’ clumsy most of the time

likes munching on daisies

if the other corpses don’t want to talk to her (which is often) then she’ll just sit and talk to their gravestones instead

loves doing the quizzes in old magazines she digs out of the trash

tried to write a note saying ‘hi I like your shovel’ to the grave digger with a stick

labradoodle puppy trapped in a zombie body

fishes coins out of the fountain to just throw back in

currently looking for more throw pillows for her coffin as well as a cuddle-buddy

sometimes follows people out of the graveyard just because she likes the way that they scream and wants to hear it again

private download if you’re interested!

#maude marsh #bedelia's bc entries #I had so much fun making her #and coming up with her story and everything #I know that I went waaaay overboard but I haven't done much serious writing on this blog recently so I clearly had a build-up of creativity #i'm really happy with how she turned out though #and i'm pretty proud of this post #so all in all this has been great #you really know how to inspire me sam #so thank you internet big sis #you're the best and you bring out the best in me #she’s a zombie btw #I don’t even think I explicitly said that lmao

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onpenselameme · 6 years

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The things he never said that I wished he would - as a poorly written story.

Union Station.

No one trusts themselves to take transit in Toronto alone. I’ve got to admit it can be a little confusing but I am really good at giving people directions. But he insisted I meet him here.

He should be already down here, at least coming down the stairs. My impatience if embarrassing. I’m staring through all the glass walls. Searching. So many of these guys have dark brown hair and a beard. He looks like half the guys in the city but I’ll know it’s him as soon as my eyes find him. I always know. My heart knows.

My hopeful eyes haven’t been in one spot for more than half a second since three minutes ago when his train pulled in. The shuffle of footsteps and murmur of distant conversation starts to cloud my mind.

And then I see him. Standing still in a sea of rushing humans.

And he’s staring right at me. Waiting for me to notice him.

Everything goes silent.

A smile cracks across my face. Wide. As wide as the 401. Wider, even. Maybe.

The second I do he starts walking towards me. He’s weaving through the people so effortlessly. But he never takes his eyes off mine. Like we have a magnetic pull and not a single soul can stand in the way. As he’s getting closer I notice the right corner of his lips. Rising ever so slightly. That damn half smile that makes my insides boil.

I can’t help but smile bigger.

He’s only a couple feet away from me. As the distance closes my heart starts to play double-dutch. His hugs make me feel complete.

At peace.

At home.

Inches left… I can smell him.

How can one be so in love with another who doesn’t feel it back? Who says he doesn’t at least…

My fingers brush against his shoulders as I wrap my arms around his neck. Just fingertips create a spark.

His arms around my waist, tight. The only cage id ever welcome. I can feel his fingers pressing into me. I take the deepest breath. Absorbing every smell I have been missing. And my legs follow the actions of my arms. Crossing behind his back pulling him as close as possible. Begging him to melt into me as much as I’ve melted into him

It hasn’t even been that long since we’ve been together. It feels like no time at all has passed but it also feels like a lifetime.

I’m not ready to let go. I could stay here to the end of time.

He starts to pull away and my heart starts to break. Only slightly. I’m used to this. My legs drop to the floor, not without hesitation. I’m already missing the hug.

He looks into my eyes. The way he always has. I can feel something deep in my soul that’s impossible to understand. But even more impossible to ignore.

And then it happens.

The thing that changes absolutely everything.

He kisses me.

Reality peels away. My lips are set ablaze. Quickly joins my heart. My cheeks. My stomach. My brain. My crotch! On god. Absolutely every inch of my body. Burning desire. Like lava. I see gold. Then red, then sparkly white. Then gold again.

His hands are on my face. One hand moves to pull my body closer and keeps me there. The other moves through my hair. He traces my jaw line. He holds my chin then finally pulls away. I wish it lasted longer.

My eyes are still closed. I can feel him staring at them. Begging me to open them. But I’m paralyzed. My mind is simultaneously silent and full of words. Of run on sentences. Of anxiety. Excitement. Confusion. Love. Anger. Distrust. Bliss. Love.

“I’m so sorry.” are the first words that come out of his mouth.

And I can finally open my eyes.

For what? They ask. But I still can’t speak. I don’t need to say it.

“I’m sorry for being so fucking dumb. For so long. I’m sorry for kissing you right now before talking to you about anything but I couldn’t resist after seeing your face once you’d finally found me.” I still can’t seem to find my words. Or even one word. I’m just staring right at him with confusion in my eyes and the very beginning of the word ‘what’ on my lips.

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot. About me. About us. I thought I could forget about it while I was away but I couldn’t. All I could think about was how bad I wanted you there with me. In one of the biggest clubs in the world with hundreds of beautiful girls in tiny outfits it was all you. I just wished you were there to experience it with me. On the way home I couldn’t stop thinking about how excited I was to tell you about everything that happened. To see your eyes light up the way they do any time you hear about any sort of travel story. I couldn’t stop thinking about holding you. I didn’t want to dance with anyone. No matter how much I drank. I even took molly and I still didn’t care about anyone there. No matter what I did you were in the back of my mind, if not the front of it. Every beautiful landscape I saw I thought, wow, Abbs would love this. And if that isn’t being completely in love I don’t know what is.

I’m sorry it took me so long to say something. It took me a while to finally figure it out. It took me a while to accept it and it took me even longer to actually say something about it.

You scare the hell out of me. What we have is so real and I’ve been so scared but I’m tired of running away. I admire you so much and I still think I don’t deserve you. But I couldn’t keep it in any longer. I understand obviously if I’m way too late and you have every right to be pissed. You don’t even need to give me an answer right now but I didn’t want to keep my mouth shut any longer and risk missing out on probably the best thing that’ll ever happen to me.

I’m done fighting it. I’m willing to put in the effort. I want to try. I want us again.”

I feel like I’m going to pass out.

Did that just happen? Am I dreaming? Is this actually real life? What the actual fuck?

I still can’t think of anything to say.

I end up starting to laugh. A light and small chuckle. A panic laugh really…

“Why did you decide to tell me all this in such a public place?” was all I could manage.

He chuckles back, “I guess I thought it would kind of be romantic,” a tear starts to well in each of my eyes. He notices. “But maybe that wasn’t the best idea.”

A single tear starts to roll down my cheek. It leaves a gleaming path of suggestion. He takes the suggestion and brushes it away.

“Are you okay?” He asks. I sniffle.

“Yes” I say with a smile on my face. I start to laugh. “You’re insane. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know where to start.” My mind is still spinning. I’ve been wanting to hear these words for over two years. I gave up hope. I tried to at least. But it was always in the back of my mind. Secretly wishing for him to come back to me. But I didn’t want to let it happen so easily.

“I love everything you just said. And Of course I love you. But I’m scared too. And I’m not ready to just jump in and give us another try. It’s going to take a lot more than a kiss and a speech.” manages to come out of my mouth. I am shaking.

“You’re right, I know that. I didn’t think it would be this easy. I understand of course why you have a hard time trusting me. But I want to prove to you how serious I am about this. About you. I’m hoping you could help me figure out where to start.”

I still can’t believe this isn’t a dream.

“I really don’t know, Cole. I think I need some time to process this. Think about it, you know?”

“Yeah, of course. Take whatever time you need. But how about we just start with having some dinner together and see how you feel? My treat this time.”

I can’t resist him. There’s no way I ever could.

“Alright, Crazy. Take me out.” And with a wink the rest of my life began.

#short stories #i am not a writer #i can try #love story #toronto #feelings

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tummylovin-blog · 7 years

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On the Importance of Tummy Love and Other Things

Once upon a time, I was a little girl, for whom was food was nice, but nothing more, and my appearance was a non-issue. It just didn’t matter to me. Other things were more important: school, friends, my parents’ divorce, books, stories, films. All things that should matter to a little girl.

Then puberty hit. My thinking process began to expand and mature. The media started to affect me more.

I think the catalyst for my descension into body-based self-hatred was when I was 14. I was looking through photos from my 14th birthday party and I began to notice how I looked compared to my friends and compared to the beautiful women you see plastered across magazines, TV, films. Everything about me seemed bigger than my friends: my arms like sausages, my thighs huge, my tummy grotesque. I enjoyed food, but no more than any other of my friends who were thinner and therefore seemed happier and more beautiful. It was the first time I began to really see myself as ‘fat’.

Rationally, I knew I wasn’t. By no means was I skinny or lean, but I certainly wasn’t clinically obese. But none of that mattered: from that moment onwards I began to increasingly hate how I looked, especially in pictures. Because to me, ‘fat’ meant ugly, gross, unattractive, unlovable.

I have never truly had a problem with my face; I wouldn’t want to wear anyone else’s because then I wouldn’t be me. But it wasn’t enough to overcome my confidence issues.

In reality, those 14th birthday pictures weren’t the beginning of my growing dislike of myself, but as I said, just a catalyst. Food began to change from fuel to comfort when, aged 11, my Marga died and we had Chinese food with my grieving Grampa. That same age, when a skinny friend commented I had a “back cleavage”. At 13, I was told by another skinny friend that “I actually looked pretty with makeup on”, which I took to mean without it, I wasn’t.

All these things added up, to the point when I looked at those photos and came to the conclusion that I was disgusting. I had braces and glasses. My eyes were too small, my tummy permanently pregnant with food, my limbs flabby, my nose weird. All these criticisms piled up inside me and I just... accepted them. I didn’t do anything about it except hate myself. 14 year old me decided I was never going to be as pretty as my skinny friends, that I couldn’t be, and that was that.

Fast-forward to 17 and I began to feel pretty. Not skinny but pretty. I had left a negative environment, a bubble where it had been decided a long time ago who was attractive and who wasn’t, and I was beginning to experience proper male attention for the first time. I still had body confidence issues, but I no longer felt incomparable to my skinny friends. My healing process had began.

But my relationship with food was still unhealthy and my environment had become increasingly pressurised; A-Levels had began. Increase in stress levels meant increase in consumption: sugary tea, chocolate biscuits, crisps. I was eating without thinking. It all piled on so that by the time I had finished my A-Levels, I had begun to hate myself in pictures again. I wanted to change my behaviour, to be more active and eat better. I achieved this goal, lost my stress weight, found my stamina improving as I found a way to be active by running as regularly as possible to my local park.

Just before I started uni, I had a bad fall during a run. I was sprinting downhill on a woody path and cut up not only both my arms, but my hips and shoulder as well. I still have scars from that run. It put me off running for awhile, and what with adapting to the new environment and atmosphere of uni, I got out of the habit. My eating habits became less healthy and then Christmas came and they got worse. Nonetheless, my weight didn’t fluctuate too much. Whilst I certainly didn’t love my body, I didn’t completely hate it.

And then during my second term (semester) I started seeing someone and it gave me anxiety. All my body confidence issues rushed to the surface. I had never been in a relationship and I wasn’t too sure about the guy. He was awkward and shy like me and not particularly forward. It made me nervous and stressed and overthink everything. Long story short, I ended up breaking up with him; it wasn’t a long-lived relationship. But during that time, I gained 8 pounds from comfort eating. My self-confidence dropped to zero. I hated myself all over again. I had regressed. All of a sudden, I felt ugly: none of my clothes fit like they used to, nothing seemed to make me feel good except food.

This spring break, I faced up to my problem and already I can feel the difference. I’ve begun to run again, replaced sugar with stevia, cut out processed foods and cut down on fats. And now I feel fantastic again, beautiful even.

But here’s the crazy thing: I’m the same weight now as I was before I gained all that stress weight. And before that stress weight, I didn’t feel as fantastic about myself as I do now. I still saw myself as ‘fat’. Not as ‘fat’, but still not thin enough.

The difference? I stopped seeing my flaws and started seeing my attributes. So I don’t have a thigh gap, but my legs are so toned and healthy-looking from all the running! So what if I have a slight double chin, I have a soft jawline! So what if my tummy isn’t flatter than a pancake, but it’s slimmer than before and everyone has a tummy! I think, for me, it has always come back to the big T: my tummy. Before, I’ve always felt like I couldn’t wear things, like body-con dresses and bikinis, because of it. I felt like unless you had a flat tummy, you couldn’t wear things that exposed it. A tummy was something to hide.

Now I view it as natural. A part of yourself to accept and love. I’ve noticed that my even my slimmest friends have a tummy of some kind and they aren’t afraid to show it. And they shouldn’t be! Because it’s unrealistic to put that pressure on yourself, to expect women to not have tummies. To feel like until that point, you can’t be one of those desirable women in the magazines.

What’s more, I’ve come to realise that what matters isn’t whether your body conforms to those images. They aren’t what’s most attractive in a person. What’s most attractive is confidence. It’s that time old tale: how can you expect someone to love you if you don’t love yourself?

So now I’ve decided to love myself. Now I’m going to take care of myself, so that when I see myself in pictures, I don’t see everything wrong with myself but everything right. I want to be active in my journey towards self-love. To wear my clothes and feel fabulous about them.

Essentially, by deciding that I want to feel good about myself, I began to feel good about myself. I have more energy, even the grey days seem sunny. And I recognise that whilst I’m never going to have a figure like those models, that doesn’t mean I don’t or couldn’t have a figure that’s great in its own right.

So, what is ‘fat’? To me, it’s not a physical state of being, but an emotional one. Believing that you’re ‘fat’ is a cage that you feel like you can’t get out of. You begin to believe that you’ll never find that key. But you can, and that key is self-love. Tummy love. Let me tell you right now, even if you are overweight, you aren’t ‘fat’ and by this mean all the horrible things that people imply when they say that word. You are beautiful. Love yourself and the beauty will shine through. didn’t begin to feel beautiful because someone told me I was. I began to feel beautiful because I began to feel beautiful. I began to enjoy my skin and start loving myself.

Self-love is the most empowering thing you can do to yourself. Write down what you want to be and be it. You can do it. I believe in yourself. But me telling you that won’t make it true. You have to believe it. Love yourself.

#6 #body posititivity #self image #self confidence #my journey #fat girl #tummy love #love yourself #be yourself #confidence #inspiration

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