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damienthepious · 1 year

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AND AGAIN. RRGH. WHY DID I WAIT TO DO THESE.

The Beast In On His Chain (chapter 8)

[ch 1] [ch 2] [ch 3] [ch 4] [ch 5] [ch 6] [ch 7] [ao3] [ch 9] [???]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien, Sir Damien/Rilla, Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Sir Damien, Lord Arum, Rilla, Sir Absolon

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, prisoner/guard dynamic, Dehumanization, (which feels like a weird word to use for a nonhuman person bUT. it’s what i got.), Despair, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, (EVENTUALLY!!!! it’ll take a while), Captivity, Suicidal Thoughts, (that will be a theme throughout. inescapable in this particular fic. alas.), Eventual Romance, (Yes the dynamics in this one are fucked. honestly i’m kinda Stretching my limits these days.), (having fun with it. fucking around. it’s fine.), Recovery, (eventually), Self-Reclamation

Chapter Summary: Arum attempts to adjust to some changes in his environment.

Chapter Notes: good lord this shit is grim always. warnings for uhhh self destructive behavior, mild self-harm, continuing implications of starvation, vague implications of past torture, nightmares, and if i've missed anything please let me know! (and if you see me fuckign with the formatting after this is posted No You Didn't. if the italics are fucky hit refresh and hopefully i've fixed it already.)

Something is... different, the next time the new knight is on duty in the Trophy Room. Something is different, and that fact is made rather abundantly clear as the man pauses on his very first circuit around the room, planting his feet flat as he turns to face Arum, and then-

"Good morning," he says, his tone-

Arum doesn't know what his tone could possibly indicate, because he cannot focus on that in the least. He is too- stunned? Baffled. Alarmed, perhaps. How could he focus on tone?

(Good morning. Is it morning, then? He cannot keep track, down here. He can guess at the time, based on the knowledge that humans are primarily diurnal, and the assumption that their miserable little tours wouldn't happen during the middle of the night, but- is it morning? Are there crocuses and clover somewhere above his head, just now, dampened with morning dew before the sun burns it off into the pervasive humidity of the jungle? How early? Is the sun already high? Has it only just crested the horizon, painting the sky in pinks and fiery orange? Is it-)

(Distractions. Pointless to wonder about. The sun could be high in the sky, or it could have disappeared entirely, and it would make no difference to Arum. It does not matter. He won't see it either way.)

One corner of the knight's mouth twitches, quirks upward after a beat. A smile? A small one, if that. A smirk, perhaps. Is he- is he mocking Arum? Is that what this is?

Arum rounds his shoulders, ducking his head and showing a hint of teeth as the knight just... stands there, watching him. After a beat, the knight's expression tightens, something like discomfort crossing his face, and then he bites his lip.

"I don't... I do not wish to be cruel to you, I don't think," he says, very slowly, very quietly. "A terribly weak concession, I am aware."

His face goes wry, at that, and Arum takes a long moment to work through his words before he decides to scoff. He eyes the knight suspiciously, hoping that his ire shows enough on his face. He hopes the armor-clad irritant can see it when he thinks, I preferred you silent.

The knight sighs, reaching to rub awkwardly at his own cheek as he looks away for a moment. He does meet Arum's eyes again, though.

"I am Sir Damien," he says, placing his hand upon his own chest, as if he might bow. He doesn't, but the idea lingers in Arum's mind.

... why is he telling Arum this?

What purpose could this serve? What tactical end- what does he want from Arum? It must be something. He had thought that the Citadel had long since wrung out every active use they had for him, or had at least realized that he could not be persuaded to part with information on his swamp, his home, no matter their tactics. Are they trying again? Trying something either very stupid or very subtle? Or-

Or is this Sir Damien acting of his own intent, for his own strange purposes?

"That's all," the knight says, drawing Arum's attention back from his inner unwinding worry. "I do not wish to... continue my habit of causing you annoyance, or... of worsening your captivity."

And then he nods, and gives that same small, uncertain smile. And then he turns his body away from Arum. And then he resumes his patrol, as if nothing at all unusual has happened in the last few minutes. As if he has not just flipped part of Arum's brain upside-down.

Arum watches him go, that familiar measured gait carrying the knight in his circle until he crosses in front of Arum's plinth again after a few minutes have passed.

He twitches that smile, when he sees that Arum is watching him still, and he gives Arum a small, subtle nod.

Acknowledging him.

Or- no. Still mocking, likely. For whatever reason. Mocking him, pointing out the ridiculousness of the idea of a knight greeting a monster, the ridiculousness of anyone treating Arum like- like anything other than what he is.

He growls, the next time Damien passes in front of him, and then he curls up tight and proceeds to ignore the creature for the rest of his shift.

He pretends not to hear it, when Sir Damien gives him a murmured good evening, until tomorrow, at the end of the day.

He does the same again the next day. Beginning with a good morning and ending with good evening, until tomorrow. Arum ignores him more thoroughly.

"It's helping. I know it doesn't feel like it is. But just- imagine being where he is, and someone treats you with basic courtesy. It matters, Damien. If nothing else, that matters."

Whether or not Arum ignores him does not seem to matter to the knight. He gives up putting any effort into it after the fourth day. He doesn't pay Damien much attention, but he doesn't play dead, either. He tries-

He sighs, when Damien passes, and returns the nod the human seems bound and determined to give him with each circuit, and Damien's face stills with something like surprise before the tight uncertain smile on his face blooms into something softer, more earnest.

Arum tucks his snout down against his arms, then, pretending that he does not notice when Damien's steps come lighter.

"Tomorrow will be my leave day," Damien says near the end of his shift the next day. "I won't be in."

Arum blinks at the knight for a long moment before he understands the intent of his words. He feels something in his ribcage shift oddly, then, and some of his confusion must show on his face, because Damien clarifies.

"Only for a couple days, and then I will be back. I'm not- this isn't my usual assignment," he explains, "but a temporary placement while I... recover from an injury. But that will still be a few weeks at least, yet. Though," he gives a short little laugh, "I suppose you'll be relieved, when that time is up, hm?"

Arum swallows, looking decidedly away from the knight and then decidedly away from the Janus beast when it tries to catch his eye.

"Er- that isn't... I only wanted to let you know. So you wouldn't have to wonder. Certainly, no one else would bother to explain."

There is a hint, just a whisper, of sourness in his tone, then, and Arum does not know what to make of that, either.

After a long moment, the knight watching him and apparently waiting, Arum rolls his eyes and gives a short, irritable little nod. Acknowledged. Go away. Damien smiles again. Arum looks away from him.

"I suppose I shall see you in a few days, then," he says.

And I shall have some peace and quiet in the meantime, Arum thinks, already closing his eyes.

Maddening. The hours drag. What is this? Has the Citadel devised newer, more clever insinuated tortures? He wants to throw things at the other knights. He wants to scream at them to look at him. He is here. He is alive. He will be seen or he will break things.

(Another forgotten feeling roaring back. Like the more general fury. Like the grief of the Keep's lullaby. Arum had never been anything that could be described as social, but even he- even he had begun to feel like a ghost, with no other creature to acknowledge him as a thinking being. The reminder, the jolting revival of the feeling from two different humans in so short a time-)

(He bites his tongue bloody to keep from shouting. It would not be worth the consequences in any direction.)

He cannot keep track of the hours like this. The other knights are utterly interchangeable; he loses any grip on the time. He convinces himself at least twice that it must have been more than the two days Sir Damien suggested since last he came.

He daydreams through the idea of Amaryllis paying him another visit.

Somehow, this makes everything seem worse. He can remember, shakily, some of her sketches, but he can't-

He cannot imagine anything new, anything he hadn't actually seen. The pages stay blurred and blank in his mind. Losing even that- being so blisteringly desperate, so hungry for more of what she offered-

He feels pathetic. He feels like an idiot. She won't be back again. He's a fool for thinking anything else. Hope is the precursor to pain, here. He should know better.

It wants another smile, the Janus beast hisses. It will whine and beg for table scraps before it is finished.

Pathetic, Arum thinks again. He closes his eyes, and pretends not to hear anything else.

Arum jolts awake to Sir Damien's voice, startled out of a shallow, restless sleep and into a snarl.

Damien winces as Arum's eyes focus on him, and the knight takes an awkward step back.

"Ah- my apologies. I thought- I thought you were only pretending, again. I did not think I would wake you."

Arum pants, gathers himself, and then shoots Damien a look. He intends for it to be admonishing, but- he cannot quite tell what his face is doing. He's... disoriented. He does not know why the primary feeling rolling around behind his ribcage feels almost like relief.

He shakes his head after a moment, hoping for it to be taken as a dismissal, and Damien nods. "Right. Well. Er- good morning again, then. Properly, I mean. I apologize again, for surprising you."

Arum scoffs, flicking a hand towards the knight.

(When was the last time someone apologized to him? Ah- Amaryllis. Right. Strange humans crawling out of the shoddy masonry, these days.)

He doesn't realize that he's made a noise at the back of his throat, a vague humming, until he feels the tickle of the collar threatening at the edges of his perception. That, and the way Sir Damien blinks at him again.

The knight, at least, is polite enough not to draw attention to it, and he nods before he goes to his usual patrol. The threat of the silencing magic fades as well, after a few moments, and Arum... slowly relaxes his hackles.

Nothing unusual, truly. His noisiest guard returned. The rhythm of his footsteps is almost soothing.

It doesn't mean anything deeper than that.

Arum remembers that he did not dream much, before his captivity.

He thinks, perhaps, that the prevalence of dreams now likely has something to do with the fact that he does not have much else to do besides sleep. Sleeping and thinking, and apparently thinking while sleeping. Which is unfortunate, so far as Arum is concerned, because sleep should be his only escape from this place, an oblivion without thought where he need not consider and reconsider his failures over and over again.

The nightmares disagree.

Often, they begin innocuous, or even pleasant. Usually, they pull from his time before. Even if they do not turn to anything darker, waking to this reality after that can be enough to pain him. Sometimes, however-

Cradled in the Keep, safe and warm and home, song in his ears and on his tongue. Everything green, around him. Everything green and growing and gleaming with fresh rain, until-

He can feel the rot within his own body before he sees sign of it in his Keep, before he feels the vines around him weaken and wither, before he sees the humans slashing and pruning and culling and burning, before he feels the weight of the collar, the shackles. Before he-

Wakes, gasping for the Keep, pleading and confused and-

Throat burning. Didn't catch himself quickly enough on waking. He isn't even sure what he said. The Keep's name, he thinks. Not that it matters.

"Are you- are-"

Arum presses his eyes closed, still breathing raggedly, displeased at having woken in the presence of the noisy knight twice in a row, irritated with himself for having fallen asleep in Damien's presence again.

"Oh," Damien says. "You... a nightmare?"

Arum squints one eye open to glare, baleful as he can manage, but Damien does not balk this time. He swallows, bites his lip, and then-

He glances over his shoulder towards the door, and then takes a step closer.

"I cannot imagine what dreams could be worse than this place as it truly is," the knight murmurs, his eyes downcast. "But I do not envy you them."

Inane. Why would anyone envy anyone else their nightmares? Ridiculous little idiot.

Damien reaches the edge of the white-painted stones on the floor, and then he glances behind him again, as if expecting to be reprimanded. As if someone else might barge in and see him... speaking with Arum, perhaps. Deviating from his patrol, at the least.

Damien inhales, exhales, and then he reaches to his side, pulling up a leather flask. He glances towards the door one more time for good measure, and then he meets Arum's eyes.

"... here," he says, and then he steps across the line, lifting his hand out just far enough, just barely far enough to offer the flask.

Arum stares, waiting for the knight to remember himself. Or, perhaps, waiting to realize that this is yet another dream.

After a moment, Damien tips the flask a little in his hand, leaning fractionally closer, and Arum can hear the water slosh against itself inside the leather, perhaps even more tempting than Amaryllis' journal. He reaches out almost without meaning to, the tips of his claws just barely catching, and Damien pushes it the last little bit forward into his grasp before the knight drops his arm, safely out of Arum's reach again.

The scent of the leather alone, this close, is nearly enough to break him. Just the act of holding something new, a different texture against his scales. His breathing comes ragged as he opens the flask, the sharp cool scent of the water (well water, he thinks, he can scent a hint of deep stone) catching in his snout, and he shivers.

Damien watches him.

And-

(Why?)

It... it has to be a trick. Doesn't it? A trick. A trap.

(Or-)

(Oh. Worse.)

Or, perhaps, it is simply that Arum is so pathetic that this creature has decided to pity him.

This is more cruel than not offering at all, isn't it? If Arum takes a single sip- and then what? Then to return to an eternity of never tasting anything on his tongue again besides dust, besides his own blood? A cruelty of offering anything, a cruelty of false hope, of pretending that this is something Arum is allowed-

He tightens his grip, his breathing gone even more shallow. He is... he is so, so thirsty. He has not been offered water since-

Since they realized that he could endure without.

"It's alright," Damien says in a murmur, and the rage flares hot and fierce and prideful in Arum's guts.

Whatever they have made him- whatever he has sunk to-

(He can control this. He is not without choice. He is not an animal.)

(will whine and beg for table scraps before-)

(He is not an animal.)

His claws are too brittle and dull to do any damage to the leather of the flask. Arum chooses instead to throw the thing with as much force as he can muster (as little as that is) to Sir Damien's feet, weakly splattering his boots.

And his throat already burns, he almost relishes the way the pain spikes when he spits, "I do not- need- your pity."

He would say more, his pride hissing and spitting, if not for the feeling of lancing thorns in his throat. As it is, he snarls and glares as the knight stumbles a half step back, staring up at him with wide, startled eyes.

"But-" the knight hesitates, winces. His shoulders sink slowly, like a wilting plant. He bows his head, the motion sliding into a half-crouch as he retrieves his flask, wiping the mouth off with a sleeve before he seals it and tucks it back against his side. "Very well," he says, muted and almost sighing. He turns away, then, without another look.

Arum curls up as best he is able, ducking his head between his hands, beneath his arms, scenting the water on the air as it dries, wanting and wanting and wanting until he feels dizzy and sick with it, deep in his brittle, awful bones.

Damien wishes him a good evening, regardless, when the times comes. Until tomorrow.

Arum pretends not to hear.

#elle's fanfic #second citadel #rad bouquet #lizard kissin' tuesday #lord arum #sir damien #amaryllis of exile #the beast in on his chain #ONE FUCKING MROE AND I'M DONE

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space-prophet · 3 years

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Artober Day 8 | I Take Care of Myself

Fickle is as fickle does, as solitary links My, oh my, it's hard because she says just what she thinks

#inktober2021 #inktober #artober #my art #sona #clover arum #Was too tired to post this last night #i know i haven't posted all of my art peices this year but you don't want them all <3. One day I just drew 15 sketches of characters that i #EVENTUALLY plan to line and color. Which...yeah holy shit that took FOREVER. I did that two days in a row about 7-8 characters a day.#maybe I'll make this Octclover and just draw my sona all month wouldn't that be dun #*fun #this was actually me lining an coloring a really old sketch i made forever ago

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soledadcatalina · 4 years

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[id: a three image photoset featuring sketches of damien, rilla, and arum from the penumbra podcast, as babies. the first image shows three sketches of damien, one of him crouching to get a better look at something, one of his sitting and holding his foot, and last a closeup of his wide gummy smile as he laughs. simple doodles of honeysuckles adorn the drawing the second image shows two sketches of rilla, one of her in gold dress, sitting on the ground, sucking her thumb, and one of her in an orange dress sitting on a step, leaning forward. doodles of amaryllis flowers frame her. the last image is sketches of arum as a baby lizard, sticking his tongue out with a grumpy face and a TKTKTKTK beside him, and one of him sprawled out in the grass, holding a clover in one hand.]

ngl i really just wanted to draw babies and my brain went baby bouquet so here we are.

bonus:

[id: a digital sketch of damien and rilla enthusiastically looking at a comically long wallet photo album of arums baby’s pictures, held up by one of the keep’s vines. flustered and embarassed, arum in another panel shouts “KEEP WHAT ARE YOU SHOWING THEM?!”]

#the penumbra podcast #second citadel #sir damien #amaryllis of exile #lord arum #rad bouquet #accessible fanart #image description #tpp #casetrippy does art #arum: humans are so weak and delicate i cant imagine being that small and vulnerable #rilla: isnt this a picture of you sleeping on the blossom of a rose and barely making a dent #sc

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navyacademia · 3 years

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Plant facts

. The largest flower in the world is called Rafflesia. It smells like rotten flesh and is meant to attract flies.

. Dendrochronology is the science of calculating a tree’s age by its rings.

. Red spider lillies are poisonous and they were planted near burial sites in Japan to prevent animals from digging up corpses. As a result, the flowers are now associated with death, funerals and the afterlife.

. Aconitum is a genus of over 250 flowering plants so poisonous that it’s toxins were used in arrows and spears to kill wolves, giving it the nickname “Wolfsbane”.

. Gympie Gympie is an Australian shrub that is nicknamed “The Suicide Plant”. It’s stings can last years and is so agonising that people have been known to kill themselves after touching it.

. There is a tropical flower called Dumb Canr that has been nicknamed “Mother-In-Law-Tongue”. It’s poison can hinder your ability to speak.

. Venus flytraps were believed to be an alien species because they seemed to grow in places where meteorites where found. It was thought they had been brought to Earth by meteors.

. Nintendo bred their own type of flower to market the Pikmin series. The scientific name is Chaenostoma cordatum, also known as the bacopa cabana.

. The Mimosa Pudica is a plant that instantly folds its leaves when touched or disturbed. It is capable of learning and retaining memories of previous experiences.

. Foxglove is poisonous to ingest and can cause heart failure, but applying a precise amount can actually make your heart stronger.

. Vanilla flowers only open once for 2-3 hours and require hand pollination to produce a bean.

. A pitcher plant in Borneo had evolved into a toilet for tree shrews. The plant provides nectar to attract shrews and the shrews’ defecation feeds the plant.

. In Australia there is an orchard (Rhizanthella gardneri) which grows entirely underground. It was discovered in 1928 by a farmer after he noticed a sweet smell coming from the ground. The discovery generated such excitement that a wax model was toured around the British Isles.

. The Titan Arum, nicknamed the Corpse Flower, is both one of the largest and odorous plants in the world. Reaching to 3m high, it smells similar to a decomposing animal. Specific stenches released include Limberger Cheese, rotting flesh, sweaty socks and mothballs.

. There is a plant called Ramona Serbia, which miraculously comes to life when watered even if it’s completely dried. That is why it’s also called the Serbian Phoenix flower.

. The world record for the fastest growing plant belongs to a certain species of bamboo. They have been found to grow up to 35 inches per day at a rate of 0.00002mph, which is nearly 1.5 inches per hour.

. The Stenocereus eruca, also known as the Wandering Devil, is a cactus that can move 60cm per year. It grows horizontally, growing at the top and dying at the bottom, moving like a caterpillar.

. Clovers have double the chromosomes of humans. Because of their crazy reproductive habits, it’s almost impossible to figure out if four-leafed clovers are genetic traits or caused by the environment.

. Dandelions are edible, containing more beta-carotene than a carrot. Beta-carotene is a red-orange pigment found in fruits and vegetables, especially carrots and colourful vegetables. The human body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. Dandelions only exist in the US because European settlers introduced it as a salad green.

#plants #plant facts #academia #dark academia #light academia #classic academia #academic #cottage academia #cottagecore #forest cottage #junglecore #facts #knowledge

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kaizokuwritings · 3 years

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( * FLOWER PROMPT !

❝ The tradition of giving flowers to send a message is universal and timeless. The different varieties of flowers and types of bouquets are articulated in a true language of flowers, which allows to express an infinity of feelings with an elegance and a subtlety envied by the verbal language. ❞

A —

ACACIA. platonic love, grace and elegance

ANEMONE. affection, trust.

ANGELICA. inspiration, extase.

ANTHEMIS. break-up.

ARUM. trust, spirituality.

ASPHODEL. regret of the past.

ASTER. elegance, fidelity, confidence.

AZALEA. sincere love, joy of loving.

B —

BALSAM. offense, coldness.

BARBERRY. bitterness, resentment.

BURDOCK. "you bother me".

BEGONIA. cordiality, sincere friendship.

BELLADONNA. silence.

BLEUET. delicacy, tenderness, shyness.

BORAGE. change, abruptness, firmness, energy.

BUTTERCUP. impatience, joy, gentle mockery.

BURNET. exclusive love.

BUGLOSS. lie, falsehood.

BOXWOOD. stoicism, stability.

C —

COLUMBINE. sadness, trouble.

CACTUS. maternal love.

CAMELIA. admiration, eternal love, perfect beauty.

CENTAURY. happy love.

CHRYSANTHEMUM. death.

CINEREA. painful feeling.

COLCHIC. love ending.

COSMOS. innocence.

CROCUS. joy and youth.

CLOVER. lightness of the soul, lucky charm if it has 4 leaves.

CYCLAMEN. jealousy.

CYTISE. broken heart, abandonment.

CYPRESS. immortality.

D —

DAHLIA. recognition.

DAISY. youth, hedonism.

DAFFODIL. desire.

DANDELION. jealousy.

DIPSACUS. thirst for the other.

E —

EGLANTINE. incipient love.

G —

GARDENIA. hidden love, or sincerity.

GENTIAN. contempt, disdain, pain.

GERANIUM. sociability, friendship, esteem, kindness.

GLADIOLUS. success, love appointment.

GLYCINE. shared friendship, tenderness

GOLDENROD. "you are stingy of feelings".

H —

HAWTHORN. cautious hope.

HEATHER. robust love.

HELENA. tears.

HELIOTROPE. rapture, intoxication of love

HÉLLÉBORE BLANCHE. proposal of marriage.

HEMLOCK. perfidy, poison, betrayal.

HIBISCUS. delicate beauty

HOLLYHOCK. beauty.

HONEYSUCKLE. bond, loyalty, fidelity.

HYACINTH. absolute fidelity.

I —

IMMORTAL. eternal regrets.

IPOMÉE. devoted friendship, declaration of love.

IRIS. good news to come, festive event.

IVY. eternal love or friendship, marriage.

L —

LAMIER. reproach

LAVENDER. fervent love, silence, or "answer me".

LARKSPUR. lightness.

LILAC. emotion, pure feelings, motherhood.

LINEN. simplicity, gratitude.

LILY OF THE VALLEY. happiness found, joy, reconciliation.

LILY. purity, nobility, chaste love.

LIME TREE. desire of conjugal love.

LOBELIA. good thoughts.

M —

MAGNOLIA. cheerfulness, strength.

MARGUERITE. shy love, "do you love me?"

MARJORAM. consolation, libertine love.

MALLOW. pure and sweet affection.

MIMOSA. sensitivity, fragility.

MOURON. accepted date.

MYOSOTIS. "don't forget me".

MYRTLE. shared love.

N —

NASTURTIUM. ardent passion.

NARCISSUS. selfishness, self-love.

NIELLE. invitation to lust.

O —

ORCHID. fecundity, fervor.

ORANGE ROSE. desire.

R —

RUSH. submission.

RED ANTHURIUM. sensual ardor.

RED TULIP. declaration of love (more discreet than the rose).

RESEDA. secret love.

RHODODENDRON. first confession of love.

RED ROSE. declaration of love, voluptuousness, passion.

S —

SNAPDRAGON. desire

SNOWBALL. slander, decreasing love.

SNOWDROP. hope for better days.

SUNFLOWER. pride, dazzlement.

T —

THISTLE. revenge or austerity.

TAMARIS. protection.

THLASPI. consolation.

TUBEROSE. voluptuousness, dangerous pleasures.

P —

PERIWINKLE. sweet memory.

PETUNIA. anger, obstacle.

PEONY. regeneration or sincerity of feelings.

PINK ROSE. tenderness, joy.

POTENTILLA. "I claim your esteem", or family love.

PRIMROSE. renewal, youth, incipient love.

V —

VALERIAN. ease, comfort.

VERONIQUE. fidelity.

VIOLET. modesty, sensitivity.

W —

WALLFLOWER. fidelity, constancy in love, elegance.

WILD STREET. independence.

WORMWOOD. absence.

WHITE ROSE. charm.

WHITE TULIP. forgiveness.

Y —

YARROW. dispute or healing.

YELLOW ROSE. infidelity (eventually forgiven), jealousy.

* all the flowers are not present otherwise this list would be longer than it is already! Also sorry if some flower names are wrong or weird, but being French, the names differ between the two languages, so excuse me for any confusion!

#writing prompt #writing #for writing purposes #afloweramong700 #flowers #language of flowers

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livingcorner · 3 years

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Safe Aviary Plants and Toxic Plants for Birds@|what plants can i put in an outdoor aviary@|@|24

Plants not only add aesthetic value to an otherwise sterile-looking enclosure, but they also provide a more natural, engaging, and secure environment for the inhabitants to enjoy. Using plants to create visual barriers within the flight may help reduce aggression among cagemates by providing objects for the birds to hide behind.5 This in turn helps to make the birds feel more secure, and may therefore result in reduced stress levels. Foliage in the cage gives the birds something to occupy themselves with–birds often chew on, play within, and even build nests out of plants placed in their living space.

For this reason, care must be taken when selecting plants to decorate a flight. Both live and fake plants may be used, but all parts of the plant must be safe and nontoxic. The best fake plants to use are constructed of untreated silk and plastic. Make sure the silk plants do not have any components that may be easy for a bird to consume, tangle itself in, get caught on, or stuck by. Treated wood baskets and paper plants may be hazardous choices and are not recommended for decorating flights. Two benefits of using silk plants are: 1) they are not as easily destroyed by the birds, and 2) they can be scrubbed clean and disinfected as needed.

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Live plants tend to demand more upkeep and may need to be replaced more frequently, as finches often love to pick them apart. Try to obtain plants that have not been sprayed with any pesticides or chemicals, and be sure to rinse the plants off before placing them in and around the flight. Do not add any fertilizers to the soil (they are toxic);6 if fertilizers are already present in the soil, repot the plant with uncontaminated soil. Leaving each plant in its pot is suggested, in case a plant dies and needs to be removed.

Helpful Hints41

Placement Plantings should be spaced appropriately to allow room for flight paths and to permit the birds to access to the floor of the enclosure. Walk-in enclosures should also have planned pathways for birdkeeper access. Be careful to provide climbing vines with trellis to support the weight of their growth; otherwise they could break the aviary mesh and allow escape of the birds.

Selection Aside from ensuring that the plant(s) you have selected are non-toxic, try to avoid purchasing plants which are tall and rapidly-growing as these will require constant pruning. In addition to considering what plants are best suited for your area, don’t forget to also consider the needs of the birds. Avadavats and Munias enjoy climbing small bamboos and grasses, for example, Munias and Mannikins prefer to weave their nests into grass clumps, and Weavers need palm leaves and broad-leafed grasses for nesting material.

Timing of Live Plantings Plants should be added to the enclosure as it is being completed. The plants should be allowed to grow sufficiently before adding the birds; this way, the plants will be better able to withstand being nibbled on. Ideally plants should produce their densest foliage while the birds are nesting.

Safe Aviary Plants25,17

When choosing plants for your aviary, consult a botanist or experienced gardener who can help you select plants which are suitable for planting in your locale (considering your hardiness zone, soil type, sun exposure, etc.). Below are some options which have been listed as safe for birds.

Note: Please be aware that roses and bougainvillea have thorns.

Outdoor Plants

Trees & Shrubs Acacia Almond Arbutus Ash

Aspen Autumn olive Bayberry Birch Bladdernut Blueberry Camellia Cottonwood Dogwood Elm Fir (balsam, douglas, subalpine, white) Forsythia Fuchsia Guava Hawthorn Larch Madrona Magnolia Mango (zone 9+) Manzanita Mountain ash Nectarine Papaya (zone 10+) Pear (as long as the seeds aren’t eaten) Pine (ponderosa, spruce, Virginia, white) Pittosporum (zone 9+) Poplar Pyracantha Raspberry Rose Rubus odoratus Spruce (black, Norway, red, white) Viburnum White poplar

Vines Bougainvillea (can also be grown as shrub or small tree) Grape vine Russian Vine (Polygonum baldschuanicum)

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Grasses & Herbs Bamboo Oregano Rosemary Thyme

Ground Cover and Short Plants Baby’s tears aka Polka Dot Plant (Helxine soleirolii) Chickweed Creeping jenny (Lysimachia)

Wild passerines built a nest in a hanging petunia.

Dandelion Marigold Mother of pearl Nasturtium (zone 9+) Petunia Piggyback begonia (Begonia hispida variant Cucullifera) Piggyback plant Plectranthus (zone 9+) Sedum Thistle White clover

Indoor Plants (Safe Houseplants) and Tropical Plants

African violet (Saintpaulia spp., Episcia reptans) Aluminum plant (Pilea cadierei)

Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) Bloodleaf Bromeliads Burro’s tail Cactus (except pencil, peyote, mescaline, candelabra) Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) Cissus: Danish ivy aka Grape Ivy (Cissus rhombifolia), Kangaroo vine (Cissus antarctica)

Emerald ripple peperomia

Flame nettle (Coleus sp.) Gold-fish plant Hens & chickens

Lipstick plant

Madagascar jasmine Monkey plant Nerve plant Palms:

Potted palms provide privacy around the nest.

Areca (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Bamboo (Chamaedorea erumpens)

Butterfly Cane

Canary Island (Phoenix canariensis)

Date

European Fan (Chamaerops humilis)

Fishtail

Golden Feather

Paradise/Kentia (Howea foresterana)

Parlor (Chamaedorea elegans)

Lady (Raphis excelsa)

Madagascar

Miniature Fan

Phoenix

Pygmy Date

Robelein Lady

Sentry

Wine

Peacock plant (Calathea) Pepperomia (Pepperomia sp.) Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) Purple Passion aka Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca) Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) Swedish ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus)

Wandering jew (Tradescantia sp.) including Giant white inch plant Wax plant (Hoya carnosa) Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)

Plants which Allow for Perching Dwarf or Hawaiian Schefflera (Schefflera arboricola) Umbrella tree/Schefflera (Brassaia actinophylla) False aralia

Toxic Plants

Plant toxicosis in birds occurs if they chew on or ingest toxic plants. The toxic reaction can be due to pesticide residues on the plants, or to toxins within the plants themselves. Birds which chew on toxic plants may develop oral irritation; if they ingest enough, systemic clinical signs can occur such as vomiting or diarrhea. There is likely significant species differences in sensitivity,16 and studies are lacking. However, plants which have been reported as toxic in some birds, or which are considered to be potentially toxic include:6,25,52,29,56,16,17,28

Common Name Scientific Name Poisonous Part Symptoms Aconite Aconitum sp. all parts Agapanthus Agapanthus sp. sap Amaryllis Amaryllidaceae bulbs American yew Taxus canadensis needles, seeds Apple seeds Apricot pits Arrowhead vine Syngonium podophyllum leaves Arum Lily Arum sp. all parts Autumn crocus Colchicum autumnale all parts Avocado Persea americana pits, skin, flesh Reduced activity, inability to perch, fluffing feathers, labored breathing, rapid death, generalized tissue congestion. Azalea Rhododendron occidentale leaves Balsam pear Memordica charantia seeds, fruit rind Baneberry Actaia sp. berries, roots Bay tree Laurus nobilis Beans all types if uncooked Belladonna Atropa belladonna all parts Bird of paradise Caesalpina gilliesii seeds Bishop’s weed Ammi majus Bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara immature fruit Black locust Robina pseudoacacia bark, sprouts, foliage Blue-green algae Schizophycaea sp. some forms toxic Hepatotoxic, lethal respiratory arrest. Boxwood Buxus sempervirens leaves, stems Buckthorn Rhamnus sp. fruit, bark Burdock Arctium minus Buttercup Ranunculus sp. sap, bulbs Caladium Caladium sp. leaves Calla lily Zantedeschia aethiopica leaves Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. Camel bush Trichodesma incanum Candelabra cactus Euphorbia lactea sap Castor bean or Castor oil plant Ricinus communis beans, leaves Vomiting, diarrhea (possibly bloody), necrosis of organs (liver, spleen, lymph nodes, stomach, intestine) in mammals. Chalice vine Solandra sp. all parts Cherry bark, twigs, leaves, pits Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus clippings release cyanide fumes Chinese evergreen Aglaonema modestum all parts Christmas candle Pedilanthus tithymaloides sap Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum sp. leaves, stems, flowers Clematis Clematis sp. all parts Coffee bean Sesbania sp seeds Gastroenteritis, can be fatal. Hyperthermia, hypertension, hyperactivity, seizures, tachycardia. Coral plant Jatropha multifida seeds Cowslip Caltha polustris all parts Croton Codiaeum sp. sap Crown of thorns Euphorbia milii sap Daffodil Narcissus sp. bulbs Daphne Daphne sp. berries Datura Datura sp. berries Deadly amanita Amanita muscaria all parts Death camas Zygadenis elegans all parts Delphinium Delphinium sp. all parts Diffenbachia or Dumb cane Dieffenbachia picta, sp. leaves Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. Eggplant Solanaceae sp. all parts except fruit Elephant’s ear Colocasis sp. or Alocasia sp. leaves, stems Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. English ivy Ilex aquafolium berries, leaves English yew Taxus baccata needles, seeds Ergot Claviceps purpurea present in poorly stored seed, silage, dog food Gangrene, hyperexcitability, seizures. Euonymus Euonymus sp. all parts False henbane Veratrum woodii all parts Flamingo flower Anthurium sp. leaves, stems Foxglove Digitalis purpurea leaves, seeds Digitalis glycoside – vomiting, bradycardia, arrhythmias, heart block Golden chain Laburnum anagyroides all parts Hemlock (poisoin and water) Conium sp. all parts Henbane Hyocyanamus niger seeds Holly Ilex sp. berries Horse chestnut Aesculus sp. nuts, twigs House plant ferns Pteris sp. Hyacinth Hyancinthinus orientalis bulbs Hydrangea Hydrangea sp. flower bud Iris Iris sp. bulbs Ivy Hedera sp. leaves, berries Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum all parts Japanese yew Taxus cuspidata needles, seeds Java bean (lima bean) Phaseolus lunatus uncooked beans Jerusalem cherry Solanum pseudocapsicum berries Arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block, severe gastroenteritis, calcification of vascular system, lungs, kidneys. May be teratogenic. Jimsonweed Datura sp. leaves, seeds Tachycardia, convulsions, death. Juniper Juniperus virginiana needles, stems, berries Lantana Lantana sp. immature berries Larkspur Delphinium sp. all parts Laurel Kalmia, Ledum, Rhodendron sp. all parts Lily Lilium sp. bulbs Lily of the valley Convallaria majalis all parts, including water housing the plant Vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block. Lobelia Lobelia sp. all parts Locoweed Astragalus mollissimus or Astragalus emoryanus all parts Hyperexcitability and locomotor difficulty. Lords and ladies Arum sp. all parts Lupin Lupinus sp. Marijuana Cannabis sativa leaves Maternity plant Klanchoe sp. Mayapple Podophyllum sp. all parts except fruit Mescal bean Sophora sp. seeds Milkweed Asclepias sp. Weakness, ataxia, seizures, cardiovascular signs. Mistletoe Santalales sp. berries Mock orange Poncirus sp. fruit Monkshood Aconitum sp. all parts Morning glory Ipomoea sp. all parts Narcissus Narcissus sp. bulbs Nightshades Solanum sp. berries, leaves Arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block, severe gastroenteritis, calcification of vascular system, lungs, kidneys. May be teratogenic. Oak Quercus sp. Anorexia, diarrhea, small intestinal ulceration and hemorrhage, renal failure & polydypsia, hepatotoxic, can be fatal. Oleander, bay laurel Nerium oleander all parts Digitalis glycoside – vomiting, bradycardia, arrhythmias, heart block Parlor ivy Senecio sp. all parts Parsley Petroselinum sativum Peace lily Spathiphyllum sp. Regurgitation, oral pain, dysphagia and anorexia Peach pits Pencil tree Euphorbia tirucalli sap Philodendron Philodendron sp. leaves, stems Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima leaves, flowers, stem, oily white sap Irritation, vesication, gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis. Poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans sap Poison oak Toxicodendron quercifolium sap Poison sumac Toxicodendron vernix sap Pokeweed Phytolacca americans leaves, roots, berries Ulcerative gastroenteritis; acute hemolytic crisis in people. Potato Solanum tuberosum skin, eyes, new shoots Arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block, severe gastroenteritis, calcification of vascular system, lungs, kidneys. May be teratogenic. Pothos Epipremnum aureum all parts Regurgitation, oral pain, dysphagia and anorexia. Precatory bean Arbus precatoius Privet Ligustrum volgare all parts Ranunculus Ranunculus sp. sap Rhododendron Rhododendron sp. all parts Rhubarb Rheum rhaponticum leaves Rosary pea, prayer beans, Seminole beads Abrus precatorius seeds Vomiting, diarrhea (possibly bloody), necrosis of organs (liver, spleen, lymph nodes, stomach, intestine) in mammals. Sago Palm, Zamia Palm, Cycad Palm Cycad sp. Liver failure. Skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus all parts Snowdrop Orinthogalum unbellatum all parts Snow on the mountain (ghostweed) Euphorbia marginata all parts Spindle tree Euonymus japonica all parts Split leaf philodendron or Swiss cheese plant Monstera sp. all parts Sweet pea Lathyrus latifolius seeds and fruit Tobacco Nicotinia sp. leaves Vomiting, diarrhea, hyperexcitability, muscle fasciculations, seizures, rapid death. Pododermatitis if bird handled by a smoker. Coughing, sneezing, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, secondary respiratory infections if exposed to cigarette smoke. Umbrella plant Cyperus alternifolius leaves Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolio sap Western yew Taxus breviflora needles, seeds Wisteria Wisteria sp. all parts Xanthosoma Xanthosoma sp. leaves Yam bean Pachyrhizus erosis roots, immature pods Yellow jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens flowers Yew Taxus media wood, bark, leaves, seeds Vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, shock, coma, seizure, deaths from cardiac or respiratory failure.

Avian Plant Toxicology Research

Studies of plant toxicity in finch species are greatly lacking, however a few studies were done using canaries. Unfortunately, because great variation exists among species, it is not safe to assume that plants which are non-toxic to canaries are equally safe to other birds and vice versa.

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AUTHOR(S): Arai, M.; Stauber, E.; Shropshire, C. M. TITLE: Evaluation of selected plants for their toxic effects on canaries. YEAR: 1992 CITATION: J Am Vet Med Assoc, 200(9), +61404532026

ABSTRACT: Leaves or fruit from 14 plants considered to be toxic to pet birds were administered by gavage to 15 pairs of canaries (Serinus canaria). Each bird was given 0.12 to 0.70 g of plant material. One pair served as a control and was given distilled water. The plant materials were flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, pulverized, and resuspended in deionized water for administration. Of the plants tested, 5 (

oleander, lupine, foxglove, yew leaves, and dieffenbachia) were considered highly toxic and were associated with acute death of birds. The remaining plant samples (clematis, Hoya carnosa, privet Ligustrum vulgare, parsley Petrosilium sativum, cherry Prunus sp., Pyracantha coccinia, rhododendron, black locust Robinia pseudoacacia, and wisteria) caused no, or only transient, clinical illness.

AUTHOR(S): Hargis, A. M.; Stauber, E.; Casteel, S.; Eitner, D. TITLE: Avocado (Persea americana) intoxication in caged birds. YEAR: 1989 CITATION: J Am Vet Med Assoc, 194(1), 64-66

ABSTRACT: Following two incidents in which a pet canary and three pet cockatiels died under conditions suggesting ingestion of avocado as cause of death, an experimental study was undertaken. Avocados of two cultivars were mashed and administered via feeding cannula to 8 canaries and 8 budgerigars. Two control budgerigars were given water via feeding cannula. Six budgerigars and 1 canary died within 24 to 47 hours after the first administration of avocado.

Deaths were associated with administration of both avocado cultivars. Higher dose was associated with greater mortality. The 2 budgerigars given water were normal throughout the observation period. It is concluded that avocados are highly toxic to budgerigars and less toxic to canaries. PM findings observed in some birds included subcutaneous oedema in the pectoral area and hydropericardium.

The following study was done using just budgies:

AUTHOR(S): Shropshire, C. M.; Stauber, E.; Arai, A. TITLE: Evaluation of selected plants for acute toxicosis in budgerigars. YEAR: 1992 CITATION: J Am Vet Med Assoc, 200(7), 936-939

ABSTRACT: Pairs of budgerigars were given samples, by gavage, of plants considered potentially toxic to pet birds. Samples were prepared by flash-freezing and powdering fresh plant material in liquid nitrogen and resuspending the material in deionized water for administration. Of the 19 plants tested, only 6 induced clinical signs of illness; these plants included

yew, oleander, clematis, avocado, black locust, and Virginia creeper (Taxus media, Nerium oleander, Clematis sp, Persea americana, Robinia pseudoacacia, Parthenocissus quinquefolio).

The other plants tested in this study were: bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis), privet (Ligustrum sp.), honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), lupine (Lupinus sp.), cherry (Prunus sp.), pyracantha (Pyracantha coccinea), boxwood (Buxus sp.), dumbcane (Dieffenbachia seguine), foxglove (Digitalis sp.), spindle bush (Euonymus alatus), poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherima), rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.), and blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea).

Note how some plants which appear well tolerated by budgies (lupine, dieffenbachia, foxglove) prove fatal to canaries, while some plants which canaries appear to tolerate (clematis, black locust) make budgies quite ill. Until more research is done, it is important to err on the side of caution and avoid any plant which may potentially be toxic. [external_footer]

source https://livingcorner.com.au/safe-aviary-plants-and-toxic-plants-for-birdswhat-plants-can-i-put-in-an-outdoor-aviary24/

#livingcornernews

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liquidstar · 4 years

Text

I finally got around to giving birthdays to ALL my current established ocs in my main ocverse. Nextgen is included but just the main cast which is why I said “established”. I’ll update it for antagonists and side characters and stuff once I actually develop them more :p I’m putting it under the cut if anyone wants to see but for the most part its for my own reference lol. Note: It’s ordered by date order not age

Damask- Jan 1st

Rye- Jan. 2nd

Willow- Jan. 4th

Jatropha- Jan. 8th

Laurel- Jan. 10th

Dill- Jan. 12th

Thyme- Jan. 12th

Mace- Jan 16th

Nerium- Jan. 18th

Snowdrop- Jan. 19th

Anne-Lace- Jan. 20th

Liatris- Jan. 21st

Hyacinth- Jan. 28th

Violet- Jan. 30th

Wedellia- Feb. 1st

Myosotis- Feb. 3rd

Thistle- Feb. 4th

Nettle- Feb. 5th

Ironwood- Feb. 6th

Pinocchio- Feb. 7th

Freesia- Feb. 8th

Snowflake- Feb. 9th

Coriander- Feb. 14th

Kalmia- Feb. 15th

Protea- Feb. 21st

Celandine- Feb. 24th

Fungus- Feb. 29th

Fuschia- Mar. 3rd

Bluebell- Mar. 7th

Rowan- Mar. 10th

Tansy- Mar. 12th

Lily- Mar. 13th

Aconite- Mar. 14th

Arum- Mar. 15th

Clover- Mar. 17th

Geran- Mar. 19th

Elm- Mar- 20th

Althea- Mar. 21st

Hydrangea- Mar. 22nd

Pansy- Mar. 25th

Basil- Mar. 28th

Heather- Mar. 31st

Star- Apr. 2nd

Tulip- Apr. 4th

Anemone- Apr. 7th

Nemesia- Apr. 9th

Erigeron- Apr. 10th

Cornelia- Apr. 11th

Delphi- Apr. 14th

Aloe- Apr. 15th

Ivy- Apr. 16th

Maple- Apr. 17th

Broom- Apr. 23rd

Canna- Apr. 26th

Almond- Apr. 30th

Amary- May 1st

Celosia- May 2nd

Astilbe- May 4th

Yarrow- May 5th

Aster- May 8th

Weigela- May 10th

Calendula- May 11th

Cherry- May 12th

Oak- May 15th

Peach- May 16th

Lotus- May 18th

Chrysanthemum- May 20th

Gallica- May 22nd

Musk- May 22nd

Kale- May 31st

Mullein- June 5th

Zinnia- June 7th

Delilah- June 8th

Linden- June 9th

Coralline- June 11th

Juniper- June 13th

Mint- June 15th

Magn- June 18th

Morel- June 19th

Aster2- June 20th

Viscaria- June 21st

Jasmine- June 24th

Solidago- June 28th

Buttercup- June 31st

Sun- July 1st

Carnation- July 3rd

Narcissus- July 5th

Rosemary- July 7th

Strawberry- July 9th

Rose- July 12th

Senna- July 13th

Cowslip- July 14th

Ilex- July 16th

Jonquil- July 17th

Snowgum- July 18th

Ash- July 23rd

Clove- July 29th

Ambrosia- Aug. 1st

Poppy- Aug. 2nd

Tam- Aug. 4th

Hibiscus- Aug. 6th

Osier- Aug. 9th

Sycamore- Aug. 11th

Lupine- Aug. 14th

Azalea- Aug. 18th

Bamboo- Aug. 19th

Fir- Aug. 21st

Zephyr- Aug. 22nd

Clarkia- Aug. 27th

Tarragon- Aug. 30th

Wisteria- Aug. 31st

Cactus- Sep. 3rd

Sorrel- Sep. 5th

Nemorosa- Sep. 7th

Begonia- Sep. 8th

Cosmos- Sep. 13th

Plumeria- Sep. 16th

Daphne- Sep. 17th

Calla- Sep. 19th

Vanilla- Sep. 21st

Mallow- Sep. 23rd

Belladonna- Sep. 25th

Trillium- Sep. 29th

Cirsium- Sep. 30th

Fennel- Oct. 1st

Ginger- Oct. 4th

Angrec- Oct. 7th

Gentiana- Oct. 8th

Lucy- Oct. 9th

Gladiolus- Oct. 10th

Daisy- Oct. 13th

Nettle2- Oct. 16th

Valerian- Oct. 23rd

Primrose- Oct. 25th

Nepeta- Oct. 29th

Camellia- Oct. 30th

Brier- Oct. 31st

Marigold- Nov. 1st

Veronica- Nov. 2nd

Candy- Nov. 4th

Lisianthus- Nov. 7th

Rue- Nov. 11th

Olive- Nov. 14th

Cypress- Nov. 15th

Hazel- Nov. 16th

Vervain- Nov. 18th

Lobelia- Nov. 19th

Hosta- Nov. 21st

Heliotrope- Nov. 25th

Hellebore- Nov 30th

Phlox- Nov. 31st

Amaranth- Dec 2nd

Moon- Dec. 4th

Peony- Dec. 6th

Reed- Dec. 8th

Asphodel- Dec. 9th

Lavender- Dec. 10th

Kelp- Dec. 12th

Gaura- Dec. 18th

Velvet- Dec. 20th

Winter- Dec. 21st

Pine- Dec. 24th

Holly- Dec. 25th

Petunia- Dec. 29th

Iris- No birthday :(

Crocus- No birthday :(

#finn's ocs #so if i start doing those moodboards i said expect me to start from fennel on the 1st of october and go from there #i dont think ill do one for EVERY character tho . we'll see

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melodiouswhite · 5 years

Text

Here a small floriography dictionary for you: A-D

(A/N: I wanted to do this for a while, so here you go. A small dictionary on the meanings of flowers. Note, those are just the ones I found. Sadly, I don’t remember the sources, where I found the meanings. More are yet to come, but this one alone took me a while.)

Acacia - friendship, beauty in retirement

Acacia (pink or white) - elegance, friendship

Acacia (yellow) - secret love

Aconite - Beware

Acorn - life, immortality

Agapanthus - secret love

Agrimony - gratitude

Allium - unity, humility, patience

Almond blossom - hope

Aloe - healing, protection, affection

Alstroemeria - devotion, wealth, prosperity

Alyssum - worth beyond beauty

Amaryllis - pride, timidity, splendour, pastoral poetry

Ambrosia - Your love is reciprocated

Anemone - forsaken

Angelica - inspiration

Apple blossom - Things will get better, good fortune

Arborvitae - friendship

Arbutus - I love only you

Arum - ardour

Asparagus - fascination

Asphodel - My regrets follow you to the grave, mourning

Aster - love, daintiness

Azalea - temperance, fragile passion, Take care of yourself for me

Baby’s breath - innocence, purity of heart

Bachelor Button - I’m a happy single

Balloon Flower - endless love, honesty

Balm - sympathy

Balsam - Ardent love

Barberry - bad temper

Basil - good wishes

Bay - glory

Begonia - a fanciful nature

Bells of Ireland - good luck

Bird of Paradise - faithfulness

Bittersweet - truth

Black Bryont / Lady’s Seal - be my support

Black-Eyed Susan - Justice

Bluebell - humility, constancy

Bouquet of withered flowers - rejected love

Bouvardia - enthusiasm

Broom - humility, neatness

Buck Bean - Calm repose

Burdock - Don’t touch me!

Buttercup - childishness

Cactus - endurance

Caladium - great joy and delight

Calendula - considered sacred

Calla Lily - magnificent beauty

Calycanthus - benevolence

Camellia - admiration, perfection

Camellia (pink) - Longing for you

Camellia (red) - You’re a flame in my heart

Camellia (white) - You’re adorable

Candytuft - indifference

Canterbury Bell - gratitude

Cardinal Flower - distinction

Carnation - fascination, divine love

Carnation (pink) - I’ll never forget you

Carnation (purple) - capriciousness

Carnation (red) - My heart aches for you, admiration

Carnation (solid colour) - Yes

Carnation (striped) - No, Sorry I can’t be with you, Wish I could be with you

Carnation (white) - innocence, pure love, sweet and lovely

Carnation (yellow) - You have disappointed me

Catchfly (red) - youthful love, I fall victim

Cattail - peace, prosperity

Cattleya - mature charms

Cedar - I live for you alone, Think of me

Celandine - future joy

Chamomile - patience, energy in action

Cherry blossom - education

Chickweed - I cling to you

Chicory - frugality

China-Aster - variety

Chives - usefulness

Christmas Rose - Relieve my anxiety

Chrysanthemum - cheerfulness, rest, You’re a wonderful friend

Chrysanthemum (red) - I love you

Chrysanthemum (white) - truth

Chrysanthemum (yellow) - slighted love

Cinquefoil - beloved child

Clematis - artifice (ingenuity)

Clover (four-leaved) - good fortune (well, duh!), Be mine

Clover (red) - industry

Clover (white) - Think of me

Colchicum - My best days are behind me

Columbine (purple) - resolved to win

Columbine (red) - anxiety

Columbine (white) - folly

Compass Flower - faith

Corchorus - impatience of happiness

Coreopsis - always cheerful

Cornflower - refinement, delicacy

Coronilla - Success to you

Cowslip - rusticity, winning grace, healing, youth, pensiveness

Coxcomb - foppery, unfading love

Crocus - youthful gladness

Crown - Imperial Majesty

Cumin - fidelity

Cyclamen - resignation, goodbye

Daffodil - regard, unrequited love, You’re the only one, The sun is always shining when I’m with you

Dahlia - dignity, elegance

Daisy - innocence, loyal love, hope, purity, I’ll never tell

Dandelion - faithfulness, happiness

Dead Leaves - sadness

Deadly Nightshade - falsehood

Delphinium - flight of fancy

Dill - powerful against evil, lust

Diosma - Your simple elegance charms me

Dog Rose - pleasure and pain

Dogwood - durability

Dogwood (flowering) - Am I indifferent to you?

Dracaena - inner power

Dragon Root - ardour

#flower language #floriography #lexicon #a-d

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catthatquacks · 5 years

Text

FULL NAME: ‘Naiad’ Duck Mallard

NICKNAME: Ducky, Grump, Bad Luck Duck, and Anatra.

GENDER: Male

HEIGHT: 5′2

AGE: 36 years

ZODIAC: Leo (Born August 8th)

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Common language (AKA English)

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬!

HAIR COLOR: Raven Black

EYE COLOR: Golden Honey Yellow

SKIN TONE: Peach

BODY TYPE: Short, thin, not very masculine.

VOICE: Baritone tenor

DOMINANT HAND: Right-handed

POSTURE: Bad posture. Slouched, unfriendly seeming.

SCARS: All over his body.

TATTOOS: None

BIRTHMARKS: None

MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S): Striking Eyes, Scars littering his body, Often appears unfriendly.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝!

PLACE OF BIRTH: A Reservation Park in Washington State, USA.

HOMETOWN: N/A

SIBLINGS:

Cat Family - (1 sister) Nora (3 brothers) Katy, Hunter, Bottle Cap.

Duck Family - (4 sisters)- Lily, Acorus, Clover, Pistia (2 brothers) Arum, Nuphar

PARENTS:

Cat Family - Fisher (Father- deceased) Paper (Mother- deceased)

Duck Family - Lotus (Father- deceased) Azolla (Mother - deceased)

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞!

OCCUPATION: Desk Clerk for Maple Apartments.

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Maple Apartments

CLOSE FRIENDS: Voss, RIP and her family, Razz and his family, Anabelle and her family, Rose ( @rosesilverpenrp ), His boys.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: (AU Dependent)

FINANCIAL STATUS: Lower Class.

DRIVER’S LICENSE: None

CRIMINAL RECORD: Thief, (Accidental) Theif, Assult and Battery, Attempted Suicide, Assult on an officer, Being a stray cat.

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞!

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Grey Asexual Panromantic

PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE: submissive | dominant | switch

PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE: submissive | dominant | switch

LIBIDO: Near Non-existant.

TURN ONS:

sexual: Since he doesn’t get aroused often even he doesn’t know.

non-sexual: Hugs, cuddles, petting, kisses, grooming (Be it with a brush or how animals usually do it), jokes, being told he’s handsome, and bedtime snuggling.

TURN OFF’S: Anything that causes pain to him or his partner. Just. In general.

LOVE LANGUAGE: Quality Time and Physical Touch. My boy is kinda touch starved.

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES: Duck gets visibly jealous and will possibly try to fight whoever is making him feel jealous. He has a sort of ‘this is mine’ mentality when it comes to his partners. If they don’t like it, they have to set boundaries with him. He doesn’t often speak, though he’s a good listener. If he trusts you you can literally just pick him up and hold him without him really caring.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬!

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG: This is Me - Kaela Settle (Song by Caleb Hyles)

HOBBIES TO PASS TIME: Organizing random things around him, swimming, collecting things with ducks on them, and collecting things in the color pink.

MENTAL ILLNESSES: PTSD (Which can come with a lot of other mental illnesses and disorders attached. Such as: Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Trigger Episodes, Panic Attacks, Self-Destructive Behavior, and OCD.)

LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED: ... Well he’s Street Smart, but I have no idea where that fits into it. Left... I guess?

PHOBIAS: Good Days/ Weeks/Luck in general, Abandonment, Losing Loved-ones, and Animal Shelters.

SELF CONFIDENCE LEVELS: It’s low, but steadily growing thanks to Jane Doe (His Therapist)

VULNERABILITIES: Quick to temper, Low-patience, Unable to sit still, not very strong, has a weak stomach and will puke under great stress, has terrible terrible luck.

Tagged by: @two-and-a-half-icejins

Tagging: @rosesilverpenrp @princce7 (Anyone. You pick -w-) @glitter-tornado @murukuru @rphistorie (Anyone :3)

#about duck #canon

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welcometothepenumbra · 5 years

Text

SECOND CITADEL – THE MOONLIT HERMIT (PART ONE)

SOUND: RAIN. TRAIN ARRIVES, CREAKS TO A STOP. DOOR CLANKS OPEN.

CONDUCTOR: Ah, good evening, Traveler. And welcome… to The Penumbra.

SOUND: DOOR CLANKS SHUT.

Take your seat, please, take your seat.

MUSIC: STARTS.

The junction lies ahead, so if you’ll allow me just a moment.

SOUND: TRAIN WHISTLE.

We are now passing through the Swamp of Titan’s Blooms.

SOUND: TRAIN MOVING.

Our next stop?

SOUND: TRAIN BRAKES.

The Moonlit Hermit.

SOUND: DOOR CLANKS OPEN, RAIN.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

***

SOUND: MECHANICAL CLICKS, WHIRRING, CLICK. LIKE A JUKEBOX CHANGING TRACKS.

RILLA: (GROGGY GASPS) Ugh, my head…

SOUND: LEAVES RUSTLING.

Saints, it’s dark in here. Where… where am I?

(CALLING) Hello?

ARUM: Good morning, little human.

RILLA: (GASPS)

ARUM: Did you sleep well?

SOUND: LEAVES RUSTLING.

RILLA: Who is that? Where are you?

ARUM: Of course. I forgot you creatures had such limited vision.

Keep. The bioluminescents, if you would.

SOUND: SNAP. ELECTRIC HUM.

RILLA: (GASPS)

ARUM: There. Is that better?

RILLA: I… I don’t know why you brought me here, monster, but I’m not—

ARUM: Then it might be wisest to stay silent. Listen:

SOUND: MECHANICAL REVVING UP, GEARS SPINNING. RECORDER PLAYS.

RILLA (FROM RECORDER): Looks like… an insect larva, but, not one I’ve ever seen before. Pure white, no eyes, a weird warmth emanating from it… and that sound. Like a heartbeat… like the Numbcap.

I took the specimens I could and I killed the rest, but… what even is it?

SOUND: RECORDER CLICKS OFF.

RILLA: My– recorder… where did you—

ARUM: I’m going to be direct, because I don’t have time for anything else. I brought you here because I wasn’t sure how much you knew about my grubs, and I couldn’t have you telling your soft-minded friends about them. I now know that you know nothing, and so this entire exercise has been a waste of my time, tktktktktktktktk.

RILLA: So… what? I get to go home now?

ARUM: Of course. I’ll just give you your recorder and you’ll be on your merry way. As soon as you do something for me.

RILLA: As soon as I what?

ARUM: There’s no need to sound so surprised. Barter is as old as language – it exists for monsters and humans and everything in between. I give you freedom; you perform a service for me.

RILLA: That’s not a trade! You kidnapped me!

ARUM: I could kill you, instead.

RILLA: You wouldn’t.

ARUM: (CHUCKLES) Keep. Lights out.

SOUND: ELECTRIC HUM STOPS. LEAVES RUSTLING.

RILLA: (GASPS) Turn the lights back on, or I’ll—

ARUM: (HISSES)

SOUND: SLITHERING.

RILLA: Ah!

ARUM: (LAUGHS) This contraption is not the only one of your records I’ve examined. You have a knowledge of plants. How to care for them, treat them, use them. And as it happens I have a sudden need of someone who understands the workings of flora.

RILLA: You want me… to work for you?

ARUM: The diagrams I found hidden beneath your floorboards suggest you’d take great interest in my craft. Vivisections of monstrous life, incomplete formulae on magic spells, theoretical diagrams of creatures unseen… you desire to know the universe as it is, and not as it is told to you. And if you cure my patient, you will be allowed one long, lingering look into that grand infinitude you wish to know.

RILLA: Patient? Who would—

ARUM: Tktktktktktktktk!

RILLA: (HEAVY BREATHING)

ARUM: Or I can kill you right now. In the dark. And you will never know the wonders you could have witnessed, tktktktk.

So? Which will it—

RILLA: The first one.

ARUM: That was… very fast. Are you certain—

RILLA: Is there a plus side to the dying one that I’m missing? ‘Cause, if not, I’m good.

ARUM: (GROWLS) Keep! Retract the walls!

MUSIC: SINGING STARTS.

SOUND: DEEP RUMBLING, CREAKING.

RILLA: Where are you taking me?

ARUM: Nowhere. We’ve been here all along.

RILLA: …Whoa. What is… all this life, all these plant species… I’ve never seen…!

MUSIC: SINGING ENDS.

SOUND: RUMBLING STOPS. JUNGLE AMBIANCE FADES IN.

Those trees over there; those are Everdeads, aren’t they? But they’re only native to—

ARUM: The Western Wastes, yes.

RILLA: And that’s a thatch of Inky Clover! And that’s Dayshade… and… and… there are specimens here I didn’t believe were real. How did you—

ARUM: Welcome to my Keep, little human – the castle from which I rule this swamp, the font from which every Titan’s Bloom springs. It is your patient.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE [FROM THE START OF THE EPISODE].

SOUND: SWAMP AMBIANCE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): Research log. Entry… I guess it doesn’t matter. This is… probably going to be the last one I ever make, anyway.

MUSIC: STARTS.

For whoever finds this, my name is Amaryllis of Exile. My home is the Second Citadel. And… please. I need you to get this recording there as fast as you can. I don’t understand it all, but, I hope that this will help them prepare for what’s coming.

SOUND: HAMMERING.

Because the things I’ve seen out here? The things I’ve been told…

SOUND: SPLASH.

(GASPS) It’s out there again. Saints, just keep it away a little longer… I don’t have much time. I was escaping, trying to get out of this swamp, but my ankle… I think I broke it. And now that thing is after me, that… I don’t even know what to call it. Like a monster. No, worse – because I made it.

I probably don’t have enough time to retell the whole story, so I’m going to piece together the recordings of what happened in the living Keep. You should hear it for yourself, anyway. So. This is my final research log. And my final subject: the lizard-creature that calls himself:

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. MUSIC CUTS OFF.

ARUM: Lord Arum, he who rules the Swamp of Titan’s Blooms. And you, of course, are Amaryllis.

RILLA: How did you—

SOUND: CLICK. RECORDER PLAYS.

RILLA (FROM RECORDER): Is it… is it working? Saints, my recorder! It’s really working! (LAUGHS) Marc’s gonna miss this… I should wake him up. I should.

But first… (CLEARS THROAT) Research log, entry one. I am Ril– no, no, make it sound professional. I am Amaryllis of Exile, and I, along with Marc of the Craftsman’s Quarter, have just invented a consistent process by which sound… can be recorded. (LAUGHS)

SOUND: RECORDER CLICKS OFF.

ARUM: That’s how. I’ve only had time to listen to a few of your recordings, but I know enough.

RILLA: But… wait. You should have had plenty of time to listen through my recorder. It takes… nearly two weeks to get to the Swamp of Titan’s Blooms.

ARUM: It might take two weeks for you creatures. We arrived within two hours.

RILLA: Two hours? But, that’s impossible…

Ugh, just… hold on. This is a lot.

ARUM: I’ve told you I have no time for this. My Keep is sick. And if you ever want to return to Mack and the whole gang back in the Cartographers’ Quadrant, you will have to cure it. Preferably before it dies.

RILLA: Right. Oooookay.

So. How do you know it’s sick?

ARUM: The bond that passes between myself and this lifeform is more than your pitiful mind could ever comprehend, Amaryllis. I always know what it thinks. Always.

???: (SINGS)

ARUM: That doesn’t count. I still think you were lying.

RILLA: The plant-house can… sing? Saints, I get to examine the first plant lifeform that can sing!

And… you responded to it. It said something you could respond to, which means it thought of something to say, which means…

Saints, the plant can think.

ARUM: Not very well.

??? [KEEP]: (HAPPY SINGING)

ARUM: Can we move along now? I think you’ve inflated its ego enough for one day.

RILLA: It has an ego!

ARUM: Here.

RILLA: Here what? This is just a rock.

ARUM: This is the Keep’s sickness. You are going to cure it.

RILLA: You want me to cure… rocks?

ARUM: I want you to cure whatever this is, and quickly. You can come get me when you’ve solved the problem. Farewell.

SOUND: SLITHERING.

RILLA: But… wait, what? I’m not done asking you questions yet!

ARUM: Then ask them and be done with it. I have important business that needs attending to, tktktktktktktktk.

RILLA: Alright. When did this sickness start—

ARUM: Irrelevant. That will be all.

RILLA: I can’t figure out what’s wrong with this until I study it!

ARUM: So study it, then. I don’t see what that has to do with me.

RILLA: I need tools! Materials! I need scales, and measurements, and—

ARUM: Scales? Measurements? I don’t care how many pounds of cure you make; I just want a cure!

RILLA: You really don’t have anything like that around here?

ARUM: The forces I work with don’t need them. I understand your measurements well enough to know that I am past them. They are not what truly matters.

RILLA: But—

ARUM: That was your final question. You have the sickness in your hand. You have a greenhouse full of supplies. Anything else you need you will have to make.

RILLA: If you want a cure, Arum, I need to make a diagnosis. And if you want a diagnosis, I need my tools.

ARUM: And if you want your freedom, Amaryllis, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.

Keep. See that her survival needs are met.

KEEP: (INQUISITIVE SINGING)

ARUM: Fine. You may allow her one cushion of her choosing. Just don’t let it distract you.

KEEP: (AFFIRMATIVE SINGING)

ARUM: I’ll check on you in the morning. You may ask a few more questions then.

RILLA: But Arum!

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

ARUM: Enough, you stubborn primate! Stay put, mind your work, and do not follow me!

SOUND: SLITHERING. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: (WHISPERING) Research log, entry four-two-two-seven. I followed the lizard to… whatever the hell this thing is.

ARUM: (DISTANT) Just a few more, Keep. We won’t be making many specimens today.

KEEP: (HAPPY SINGING)

RILLA: It seems like this is some sort of workstation for him, but… it’s alive. A closed flower bulb as big as my hut, and vines keep coming out of the walls and feeding it weird things. A basket of dead beetles, a pile of rocks, a gourd full of pulsating liquid…

No. No, it’s not eating. It looks like… a machine. Not like the devices Marc makes, with gears and springs, but… the lizard just… makes small gestures and the whole thing comes to life.

ARUM: Now, you recall the design we discussed this morning?

KEEP: (SINGS)

ARUM: Very good.

MUSIC: KEEP SINGING STARTS.

RILLA: I can’t see what’s happening. I’m going to try to get a closer look.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS. GROWING, STRETCHING, RUMBLING.

ARUM: Excellent. Now let’s take a look at this one.

RILLA: There’s something moving in the bulb, but I can’t—

Saints above. This is going to sound nuts. Rilla, you are going to sound insane. Those things it ate… they’re moving. The stones are like legs, the dead beetles are all melted into one another, and… they’re alive. The lizard knows how to make life.

MUSIC: KEEP SINGING ENDS.

ARUM: Another failure. (GRUNTS)

SOUND: HIGH-PITCHED SCREECH-WAIL. CRUNCH.

Keep. Again.

KEEP: (TIRED SINGING)

ARUM: Of course I mean now. Act like your life depends on it, you ridiculous—

KEEP: (SINGS)

ARUM: The human? What about—

SOUND: SLITHERING.

You. What are you doing here?

RILLA: I… uh…

ARUM: Do we have to re-examine the terms of our deal, Amaryllis? A plant this large is always in need of fertilizer, tktktktktktk.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): Observations on the subject, Lord Arum, native to the Swamp of Titan’s Blooms: easily annoyed, very picky about the details he cares about, completely dismissive of the details he doesn’t, selfish, haughty, and… unfortunately, extremely competent. I was never going to fight my way out of here like Damien, or talk my way out like Marc. And without tools, I was never going to cure his Keep’s sickness.

But I was the best researcher in the Citadel. I’d found a thousand cures before. Why not a cure for kidnapping?

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: Are you still there? Go.

RILLA: Yes, Lord Arum.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): After all, if this Keep held things like that, things that… could create life? Surely it had all I needed to trick a lizard into setting me free.

And if I gathered some data that might unlock new boundaries in future research along the way… I mean, that wouldn’t be a bad thing, right?

So, I pretended to work on his cure while I took inventory of what Arum had in his greenhouse. It should’ve taken one day. It took me eight. Because Arum’s organization system… or his lack of a system, or— (FRUSTRATED GASP) Listen. I’ve dealt with bad organizers before. Marc once told me, to my face, that he kept all his springs in the right-hand drawer because on the day he got them he was “feeling right.” But I could deal with that. Because, even if Marc was the only person who could decode his system, at least he had a code, and that meant some sense was being made somewhere for someone. But Arum? He had nothing. He had less than nothing. He had negative organization.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: If you need orchids, go find them.

RILLA: That’s not what I asked. I asked where they are.

ARUM: he orchids live where they like, obviously. Am I supposed to count and place every seed?

RILLA: Kind of, yeah! You really just… mix all the plants around? Even the weeds?

ARUM: Have you ever tried telling a weed it has to move? They can’t talk, you know.

RILLA: No, I don’t talk to it, I just kinda move it!

ARUM: And put up with all that whining? Ugh.

RILLA: They can’t talk, but they can whine? (SIGHS) I just… it would make me more effective if you knew where, generally, your specimens are.

ARUM: And all that effort for what?

RILLA: I don’t know, so you could find them more easily? All in one place, instead of spread out across the greenhouse?

ARUM: (AFTER A PAUSE) Ridiculous. We will never speak of this again.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: You want an inventory? As in a list, tktktktktktktktk?

RILLA: Yes, as in… (FRUSTRATED GRUNT) It doesn’t even have to be written down. I’ll take anything at this point.

ARUM: (STRAINED GRUNT) So you expect me to keep a list of all I’ve ever made? Those projects are— (STRAINED GRUNT) —all finished, whether successes or failures.

RILLA: Sure, but if you kept track of what made the successes work, you could keep having successes!

ARUM: (LAUGHS) Oh, so now you think you can predict the future, do you?

RILLA: No, obviously. But if we can figure out the rules that the future operates on, the mathematical and physical and chemical laws, then—

ARUM: Then you may be queen in your tiny sandbox of what’s understood, while I dance among the stars of the impossible. (SNORTS) Of course I know these mathematical laws. We invented them long before you. And then some of us, the ambitious ones, moved— (STRAINED GRUNT) —on. Because in order for something to be measurable, it must be small enough to measure, and some of us want more.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): And he kept doing that, hand-waving at some huge “more” without ever explaining what he meant. I could see some of it in action, plants and animals and fungi that moved in ways that shouldn’t have been possible…

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: Do not be tempted to approach their fronds, even when they molt. When Serrated Palms feel threatened they become sharp enough to cut through solid rock.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: The name is a misnomer. It doesn’t walk so much as kick; the locomotion is an afterthought for the Walking Bonsai. Excellent reflexes, tktktktktktktktk.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: The Macrachnids may—

SOUND: ANIMAL SNORTING, CLICKING.

—look frightening, but they’re quite docile if fed appropriately – which is to say: not at all. No matter how much they beg. Don’t.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): And that big plant that made life… that hermit? I had to know what that was. I had my theories and they were killing me, because… (SIGHS) We’ll get to that soon, I guess.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: (PANTING) Alright. Research log, entry four-two-four-one. I think I found some more of the illness on the Keep’s walls, right by the tops of these cacao trees. Taking samples now.

It’s hard, but brittle. Colors ranging from white to light gray; on the inside, there are striations that could be, uh… like the lines inside some… gems. Like… diamonds? Or… wow, I really don’t care about rocks.

But… hang on…

SOUND: SCRAPING.

These ones look almost like tree rings. Petrified wood, maybe? But… crustier, flakier, with this gummy white stuff on the inside, like, uh… bad skin.

This would be a lot easier if I ever listened when Angelo was talking. Rocks and skin care! This is maybe the only patient out there he’d have a better shot at curing than me.

SOUND: SLITHERING.

Hm? What’s that—

ARUM: Here at last, my little specimen!

RILLA: (YELPS)

ARUM: (HISSES) Amaryllis!

SOUND: BRANCHES SNAPPING, LEAVES RUSTLING.

RILLA: (PANTING) Uh… thanks.

ARUM: Don’t thank me. Apologize.

RILLA: Apologize?!

ARUM: Climbing trees when you should be working! Sitting on branches unannounced!

RILLA: I was working. I was just examining this… whatever this is.

ARUM: Oh. So you were.

Well, I doubt your efforts will be needed much longer. You see, I think I have found the path to the cure myself.

RILLA: You… really?

ARUM: Indeed. A great accomplishment, tktktktktktktktk.

Would you… like a demonstration, Amaryllis?

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): Subject: Lord Arum. Input: the opportunity to show a successful creation. Observations: widening of the eyes. Shortened breath. Rapid flicks of the tongue, suggesting both increased temperature and… heightened pulse.

Then he seemed to notice it on himself, and the old Arum was back.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: A demonstration, strictly for your duties, of course. To help you… find the cure faster.

RILLA: Uhhh… sure, yeah. I’ll watch.

ARUM: Excellent.

Look closely. I am certain this is something you have never seen before.

RILLA: You don’t know—

SOUND: CLICKS, SQUEAKS, PAINED NOISES.

Saints… what is that thing? Did it come out from that… from that…

ARUM: The hermit, yes. (CHUCKLES) Observant, aren’t you.

RILLA: The thorax resembles a centipede’s, but the head – is that a crow’s beak?

ARUM: No. It is this creature’s beak. Currently.

RILLA: Rotating ball joints, connected to legs that end in… stone. It’s actually stone.

And, that noise… like it has lungs? Or a voicebox, but, I don’t see evidence of—

It’s in pain. Of course it’s in pain. At that size its exoskeleton is probably buckling, and with legs that heavy it can’t even stand!

What have you done to this thing?

ARUM: Created it.

RILLA: How?

ARUM: In no way it didn’t consent to.

RILLA: It can’t have given consent before it was alive!

ARUM: My, you humans do enjoy your ultimatums, don’t you?

RILLA: But—

ARUM: Its pain bothers you, does it? Would you like me to bring an end to it?

RILLA: Don’t kill it! It’s one of a kind!

ARUM: Hmmm. She would rather it suffer, so that she can study it. Well. The human continues to surprise, tktktktktktktktk.

RILLA: That isn’t what I meant.

ARUM: I wasn’t going to kill it anyway. But end its pain? That I can do. Now watch closely.

You. Subject. Look… here.

SOUND: CLICKS, SQUEAKS STOP.

That’s more like it.

You are called a Chiselpede. You have been created within the universe, wherein there is a place called the Swamp of Titan’s Blooms, wherein there is a Lord called Arum. I am he. As my creation, and the creation of this swamp, you exist as a level among levels, and you will listen to the levels closest to you, and you will trust that they understand the larger picture better than yourself. That means you will ignore things outside your purview, such as physical laws, which are the business of the universe, and you will trust me to inform you what is possible and what is not. Is that understood?

Good. Now… rise.

SOUND: HAPPY CHIRPS.

RILLA: Wh… what?

ARUM: It is precisely as you see it, tktktktktktk.

RILLA: It shouldn’t be able to stand. It's physically impossible.

ARUM: And yet, it stands.

Here, Chiselpede. You see this sickness? This blight?

SOUND: CHIRPS.

I need samples of it. You are to gather them and bring them to the source from which you were born. Is that understood?

SOUND: CHIRPS.

Good.

Now, I think we’ve taken enough of this creature’s time. Off you go, now.

SOUND: CHIRPS.

RILLA: What was that?

ARUM: That is the nature of my work. The impossible. Phenomena which can be neither tamed nor explained.

RILLA: Magic.

ARUM: In a word, yes.

Those will be all of your questions for today. Farewell.

RILLA: But, wait! I just want to know how it works!

ARUM: (SNORTS) Well. How disappointing. I thought you might have learned something, for once.

RILLA: What’s that supposed to mean?

ARUM: Always looking for rules, formulae, guarantees… humans. Feh.

RILLA: Maybe I would’ve learned something if you actually explained it!

SOUND: SLITHERING.

Hey, come on! You’re gonna magically bring that thing to life and you aren’t even going to tell me how you—

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): So. I’d gained three things from that meeting: a bigger sample of the disease, a sense of what Arum could do, and a deadline, that was closing in fast. Because if he’d only agreed to let me go if I cured the Keep… what were the odds I’d get to leave if he cured it? I tested my first formula an hour later.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Alright! Fake petrification cure, version one. A light acid found in the berries of the Dayshade; testing to see if it softens the stonelike exterior at all.

SOUND: LIQUID POURING, SIZZLES.

Ow! Ugh! …Ooooookay. That might be… a little too soft.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Version four. It’s been six hours of testing, so far. Suitably soft, but when squeezed…

SOUND: TOY SQUEAK.

Yeah, no, he’s not going to buy that.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Version six, twenty hours. Painted this one green.

SOUND: ROCKS CLINKING.

Yep. Thaaat’s a green rock.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Version eleven, twenty-six hour—

SOUND: EXPLOSION.

Ahhh!

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): And each morning Arum still came by and still expected me to have questions. In retrospect, he looked tired, too – but at the time, I was too distracted to tell.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: Here. Some tea from the Serrated Palm’s leaves, taken after group meditation. Don’t thank me; it’s solely to prove you wrong.

I hope you enjoy it.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: You wouldn’t believe the training regimen the Keep and I had to go through to tame the Walking Bonsais in the first place. It was worth it in the end – a great delight, to prune a plant that prunes back.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. MACRACHNID CLICKS & SNORTS.

ARUM: Shh… shh… There, you see? Merely skittish, Macrachnids. They need only to know that you mean them no harm. But once you get them galloping, up walls, across the ceiling…

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): Subject: Lord Arum. Input: several days spent together. Observations: the subject is self-involved, condescending, overly nostalgic, and, if his insistence on sharing his accolades with me is any indication, he is also extremely lonely. So lonely, in fact, that I doubt he even realizes it.

And none of that forgives him. It just… distracted me. Made my research that much harder. But every project has challenges, and I beat those.

Eventually.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Alright, okay, alright. (SIGHS) This is petrification Rilla, cure seven… teen…? Ughhh, Saints, I’m tired. Forty-two hours of this. Have to get out of here. Have to.

I think, I hope, that I’m onto something. The solution resembles a paste, and it’s easy enough to apply with the hands. Composed of two parts Greenstain Sap, one part Acidberry, trace elements from a few other specimens, and three parts aloe.

Burns like you wouldn’t believe. Doesn’t matter. Testing… now.

SOUND: DROP OF LIQUID. RUBBING, SQUEAKING.

It… doesn’t hurt. At least.

It’s… working. It works! I can go home! (LAUGHS) I really did it! It’s soft, and it’s green, and– so… are… my hands.

Ughhh, come on, Rilla! If the monster’s hands look like limes when he’s done he’s never going to buy it.

Okay. Just… one more. Just one more try, and then you can sleep. So get…

KEEP: (SINGING, DISTANT) Meet me by the river / Where the elderberries grow

RILLA: What the…?

KEEP: (SINGING) When stars are silver / No one has to know

RILLA: That’s… I know that song. But– how…

KEEP: (SINGING) Meet me by the river / By driftwood and stone

RILLA: (SIGHS, SNORING)

KEEP: (SINGING) I’ll float down with her / No one has to know

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): Damien always said that staying up all night working on my experiments was never going to do them any good. It never meant much coming from him – the knight famous for his five-night staring contest with a Blinking Gorgon wasn’t so generous with sleep for himself, either. So I knew when he said:

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

DAMIEN (FROM RECORDER): You’ll find the answer if you sleep, my love. In rest, the Saints move through us.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): …what he meant was, I’m worried about you. Take care of yourself. I love you.

But… that just made me want to listen even less. I don’t like being told what to do. Especially by a knight. Even if I said the same thing to him when he worked too hard. Damien…

Anyway… I say that only to make the point that that night, Damien was right. So. Tell him that for me. I guess.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: (SNORTS AWAKE) A– a handle. If it’s applied with a brush, he’ll never touch it! And he won’t know it’s just paint. (YAWNS) Saints, I hope the lizard has a coffee plant somewhere in here.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Research log, entry Rilla’s-goin’-home! I have the cure prepared, put together a nice container and brush to make it look official, and I am ready to hand this over to this monster and get out of here – just as soon as he wakes up.

ARUM: (SNORING)

RILLA: I found him like this a few minutes ago. Totally out cold. Would be a good time to gather some data on a deeply, magically complex sentient creature, but… I want to go home, and ending his little nappy sounds more satisfying.

Materials for this experiment: a big stick and a week’s worth of malice. Testing… now.

ARUM: (HISSES AWAKE)

RILLA: (SCREAMS)

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: —and that is why you must never touch me while I am sleeping, tktktktktktktktk.

RILLA: Okay!

ARUM: And you! I told you not to sing… that!

KEEP: (DISAPPOINTED SINGING)

ARUM: I don’t care how tired I looked! You cannot just lullaby me like some hatchling anymore! It’s… inappropriate!

KEEP: (MORE DISAPPOINTED SINGING)

ARUM: Don’t do it again. (GROWLS) Well, Amaryllis. I thank you for the wake-up call, but I have business to attend to.

RILLA: No you don’t.

ARUM: Excuse me?

RILLA: What were you going to do? Build more creations to help your Keep? You don’t have to anymore. I found the cure.

ARUM: You– what?

RILLA: I have it, and a sample of the infected tissue right here. I’ll show you how it works.

SOUND: CLINKING.

It’s simple, really. You just—

ARUM: I know how a brush works, yes.

RILLA: Alright.

SOUND: BRUSH PAINTING.

You have to give it a second to take hold, and be careful not to touch it until it’s done. It… it only works on plants. It would burn our hands. Definitely.

ARUM: I see. Hand it here.

RILLA: Hang on, hang on…

SOUND: SIZZLING.

And… done.

And the best part is that it’s preventative, too, so you don’t need me to make any more of it. Just spread this around a little and the Keep will take care of itself.

ARUM: Well. I have to say that I’m impressed, Amaryllis. You did this… much more quickly than I’d imagined.

You may go now.

RILLA: Really? Just like that?

ARUM: I would rather the silence, yes. You look tired. Go find a soft patch and… hibernate. Or… pupate, or whatever it is humans do.

RILLA: I’d really rather pupate at home, Arum.

ARUM: Well, I can’t just let you go that quickly, can I? I have rigorous checks I’ll have to perform. I’ll have to ask the Keep what it thinks.

RILLA: You don’t care what the Keep thinks.

ARUM: There are many steps involved, Amaryllis. You’ll have to wait.

RILLA: To wait? You want me to wait? My cure works, doesn’t it?

ARUM: It appears to—

RILLA: Prove it doesn’t. Try it on all the disease you want, this treats it, and what did you say I got if I found a treatment?

ARUM: You know fully well—

RILLA: I want to hear you say it. What was our deal, Arum?

ARUM: (GROWLS)

RILLA: You aren’t going to let me leave. You were never going to let me go, were you?

ARUM: Oh, and did you really expect me to? Did you really think I could, tktktktktktktktk?

RILLA: It’s pretty easy, Arum! You just open the door and— (GASPS)

SOUND: HISS, STRIKE.

ARUM: And what, Amaryllis? What? Let you go back to your hive and tell all the humans what the monster is up to? Where to find him, how to kill him, how many pieces to cut him into?

RILLA: I wouldn’t… I-I don’t want to—!

ARUM: A war is on. What we want stopped being relevant the moment the first stone was thrown, no matter who threw it.

RILLA: But… that’s…

Not fair!

ARUM: It is how things work. Fair and unfair are fables. Myths. They can exist only if there are stable rules that govern all action, all things, but there are no rules here. Only survival by any means necessary.

I must protect myself and my Keep. If you were in my position I would expect you to do the same. I will allow you to live here, in my greenhouse, as thanks… but I can give nothing else.

SOUND: PUNCH.

RILLA: You lied to me. All those little favors, those talks we had… you tricked me! We had a deal.

ARUM: What would you have me do, then?

RILLA: Let me go!

ARUM: And then what? (CHUCKLES) You humans… so naïve, aren’t you? The sun itself could descend upon your bald little bodies, and until the end you’d be standing in its rays searching for a way to change its course. Running calculations until it cremated you to the last.

RILLA: And you wouldn’t?

ARUM: Die for nothing? Of course not. I would survive in the shade until every man and monster was ash, and then I would finally have peace.

Farewell, human. I’ll be sure to test your cure right away. Tktktktktktktktk.

SOUND: SLITHERING.

RILLA: (SHOUTING) No! You don’t get to take that if I don’t get to… (GROWLS) Get back here, you… you monster!

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): I was so angry with him that, it took me a while to remember that the cure I’d given him? Was bogus. And that meant, I didn’t have the time to wallow. By the next morning, Arum would know I’d tricked him. So, by the next morning, I’d probably be dead. And if I was ever going to escape… that night was my only chance to do it.

I started by reviewing my notes.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: —when Serrated Palms feel threatened they become sharp enough to cut through solid rock—

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: —comotion is an afterthought for the Walking Bonsai. Excellent reflexes, tktktktk—

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

ARUM: —ly skittish, Macrachnids. They need only to know that you mean them no harm. But once you get them galloping, up walls, across the ceiling—

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA (NARRATOR): And then… there was the hermit, and the creatures it made.

So I had my method. My means. My theory. I didn’t have any time to test it, but… that didn’t matter. I’d only get one shot at this anyway. So when night fell, and on the ceiling high above, the Keep’s solar bioluminescents faded, I gathered my supplies and began my escape.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. MACRACHNID CLICKS & SNORTS.

RILLA: Shh, shh, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. It’s just a plant. It’s not going to hurt you. It’s… not going to hurt you.

(CLEARS THROAT) Research log four-two-nine-five. I have my supplies. I am entering the hermit… now.

SOUND: GRUNT, LEAF RIPPING. MACRACHNID SCREECH.

Shh, shh. Come on.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

(GASPS) It can’t… no way.

I… would like to correct my previous assumption. The big flower bulb is not the hermit. This is.

SOUND: CHIMES JINGLING.

The Moonlit Hermit.

MUSIC: STARTS.

SOUND: MACRACHNID SCREECH, SNORTS.

Shhh. Petals: five, each around three inches long, translucent, a soft glow like… like stars through mist. That’s how Dad’s notes described it. It has no leaves, no roots, even. Just its stem, which Vogel’s called ‘a single strand the color and thickness of spider’s silk.’ The bloom is huge comparatively, way too heavy for the stem, but it’s holding itself up. When the lizard said hermit I hoped, but… I’ve hoped for this a million times before. It’s just a legend. But it’s here.

MUSIC: ENDS.

I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I—

KEEP: (SINGING, DISTANT)

SOUND: MACRACHNID SCREECH.

RILLA: Okay. Escape first, gloat over the find of the century later. I don’t see anything else in here, so does that mean… the Moonlit Hermit can just bring things to life? (SIGHS) I need to check some of my recorder’s notes. End of log.

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE.

RILLA: Alright, notes reviewed. I had… a lot of them. Quick summary: the Moonlit Hermit, a flower with no ability to reproduce, feed, drink, nothing – and yet it lives. Supposed to grow in the shadows of deep caves, and supposed to be magical in composition – a monster, technically. That’s the fairy tale, anyway. Vogel’s First Citadel Panaceas obviously suggests it was sought by early kings as some kind of solution to death. But, I forgot that Reynard’s Specimens of the Northern Wilds mentions it, too: “A glowing pointe upon the clyffe / her tears shall plant the fae-bloom’s gift.” That, of course, being a reference to a contemporary misconception of hallucinations, or fae’s gifts, first cited in—

It doesn’t matter. Whatever weird things it made happened below it. When it was… crying.

No nectar. Then how—

KEEP: (SINGING)

RILLA: Was that… hissing? Did you hear hissing?

SOUND: MACRACHNID SCREECH.

Alright. Time to go.

SOUND: RUSTLING.

Place the serrated frond here… the bonsai root here… and tie them together… there. Now… cry!

Cry!

KEEP: (SINGING)

RILLA: Okay. Got to think like the impossible singing castle. Make you cry. How do I make you cry?

ARUM: (DISTANT) What is all that racket, tktktktktktktktk?

RILLA: Oookay, sad story! Uh, once upon a time, there was a, uh, little girl, and she had these two parents who were doctors, and they helped people a lot, only one day it turned out the doctors weren’t doctors so much as witches, and magic was super-mega-illegal in the Citadel and so they were exiled, which wasn’t great, and the girl had to live with her friends’ parents, only she didn’t think it was fair, so she kept going over her parents’ old notes to try and prove that they weren’t magic, or at least that magic was really just super complicated medicine, only I got caught, and they exiled me too, so I built a cool hut right outside the Citadel and I’ve been waiting for them ever since, but they still haven’t come back even though the new Queen lifted our exiles and I don’t know if they’re even alive, the end, cry!

Oh, come on, seriously? Nothing?

SOUND: SAD MACRACHNID SQUEALS.

Good. Great. Now the spider’s dripping.

Dripping. Dripping! Agh, Rilla, you idiot, the crying’s just a metaphor! Take out my canteen—

SOUND: DROPS OF LIQUID.

—a few drops to the Hermit, then the components, and…

MUSIC: STARTS.

SOUND: RUMBLING, GROWING.

It’s working. The frond and the bonsai are growing together, fusing, reacting! Just like I planned. A living saw. A serrated palm blade, sharp enough to cut through the Keep, a walking bonsai handle, with reflexes fast enough to protect me. And it’s… alive.

ARUM: (DISTANT) Amaryllis! The Macrachnids are a mess! Where are you?

SOUND: MACRACHNID SQUEAL.

RILLA: No, you don’t! You’re my ride out of here!

SOUND: MACRACHNID SQUEALS.

Ugh! Hold still! I just have to grab my saw and—

Where’d the saw go?

SOUND: THUMPS.

What’s that sound?

SOUND: MACRACHNID SQUEALS, WHIMPERS.

Shh, shh!

That’s… that can’t be…

SOUND: BLADE SWISH. LONG MACRACHNID SQUEAL.

(YELPS)

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. MACRACHNID WHIMPERS, THUMPS.

RILLA (NARRATOR): (WHISPERING) Research log, entry… who cares. The saw, it’s not a saw. It’s… how the hell do I describe it? Like… a huge inchworm, maybe? Its head is a freaking leaf-sword, and its tail is a tree with a hell of a kick and then it– it…

It got the Macrachnid. The poor thing still sounds alive, but… it just took its body. The thing’s using it like a big eight-fingered hand, grabbing and climbing and—

SOUND: WHIMPERS, THUMPS STOP.

Where’d it go?

SOUND: SAWING.

Wh… what…?

SOUND: MACRACHNID SCREAM.

Saints—

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. A MOMENT OF SILENCE. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE AGAIN.

RILLA: (PANTING) Alright. Okay. I think I’m— (YELLS)

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. A MOMENT OF SILENCE. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE AGAIN.

RILLA: (DISTANT) No, no, no… listen to me. Can you listen? This is the, ehm, Swamp of Titan’s Blooms, where there is a Lord called Arum, and—

SOUND: BLADE SCHING. DULL THUD.

(GASPING) Stop it! I made you! I made— (YELPS)

ARUM: (DISTANT) You made a mess. Now step aside.

RILLA: (DISTANT) Arum!

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. A MOMENT OF SILENCE. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE AGAIN.

ARUM: (CLOSER) Don’t you order me, you insolent—

SOUND: MACRACHNID SCREECH. BLADES CLANGING.

Yah!

RILLA: (CLOSER) Arum, watch out!

SOUND: RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. A MOMENT OF SILENCE. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE AGAIN. MACRACHNID SQUEAL, BLADE SCHING. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE. A MOMENT OF SILENCE. RECORDER TRACK CHANGE AGAIN.

ARUM: Yah!

SOUND: BLADE SLASH. MACRACHNID SQUEAL. CRACKING, THWUMP.

RILLA: (AFTER A PAUSE) Is it… dead?

ARUM: (PANTING) It appears to be.

SOUND: RUSTLING.

What do you think you’re doing?

RILLA: I just… wanted to get a closer look.

ARUM: And that recording device, then. That’s supposed to help with your look?

RILLA: There might be some useful data—

ARUM: Data. Answers. Your mindless hunt for those things nearly killed us tonight, do you understand that?

SOUND: QUIET THUMPS.

RILLA: No, actually, I’m pretty sure what nearly killed us was when you wouldn’t let me go home.

ARUM: This again—

RILLA: What else was I supposed to do?

ARUM: Not toying with forces beyond your comprehension seems like a good place to start!

RILLA: Oh, like you understand how the Hermit works perfectly?

ARUM: Perhaps not. But I do know better than to grant the desire to live to something that could kill me.

SOUND: SAWING.

RILLA: Arum—

ARUM: No! You’ve talked entirely enough. You’re lucky that you’re such a useful doctor, little primate, or your throat—

RILLA: Arum! Move! (GRUNTS)

ARUM: Yoh!

SOUND: THUD. WET SLASH.

(PAINED YOWL)

RILLA: It’s getting ready to attack again. We have to move!

ARUM: (PAINED) My side… the blade… (PAINED GASP)

SOUND: SAWING GROWS LOUDER.

RILLA: Oh, Saints.

Oh Saints, protect us.

KEEP: (SINGING, BUILDING UP TO A CRESCENDO)

SOUND: HUGE RUMBLING, CREAKING. SILENCE.

RILLA: (AFTER A PAUSE, PANTING) What… what the…?

ARUM: (IN PAIN) It’s about time, Keep.

KEEP: (EXHAUSTED SINGING)

RILLA: Your house can… just do that? Grow a vine as thick as a tree trunk and just… punch someone with it?

ARUM: It isn’t that impressive. Help me up.

RILLA: Not that impressive? It blew up the Hermit’s cage! It shot that abomination straight through the wall!

KEEP: (EXHAUSTED SINGING)

ARUM: I told you that it is my duty to protect it. That duty goes in more than one direction. Now help me…

SOUND: CRACKING, CRUMBLING.

RILLA: Uh-oh.

SOUND: CRUMBLING ACCELERATES, THEN STOPS. SLITHERING.

ARUM: It’s… petrified. Again.

RILLA: It’s not… I didn’t…

ARUM: Tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch. Tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch.

RILLA: Arum…

ARUM: You told me you’d found the cure. You told me once I applied it this would end.

RILLA: I—

ARUM: So what was it, then? Stupidity? Or a lie, tktktktktktktktk?

RILLA: You told me I could go home. You said—

ARUM: I would like you to turn that thing off.

RILLA: What?

ARUM: Your recorder. I asked you to turn it off.

RILLA: But my notes…! If you think you can order me around after everything you’ve done—

ARUM: It is not an order. It is a request. I saved your life twice tonight. How many more times do I have to do it, before you’ll turn. That. Thing. Off?!

SOUND: RECORDING CUTS OUT.

***

SOUND: TRAIN MOVING, MUSIC.

CONDUCTOR: If you’ve enjoyed this tale, please consider donating to The Penumbra on Patreon. Our artists work tirelessly to bring you these stories, and if you have the means, we hope you will support our efforts. Every dollar helps. You can find that page at patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast. If you support us on Patreon at the $10 level or higher, you’ll receive access to commentary tracks like this one, from actor Noah Simes and co-creators Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert:

SOUND: TRAIN STOPS, DOOR SLIDES OPEN, RAIN.

NOAH: …that it has nothing to do with Damien or their fight!

SOPHIE & KEVIN: (IN UNISON) Right.

NOAH: He has no idea—

SOPHIE: Right.

NOAH: —it seems, what their connection even is, that it’s just… I-I-I love that he– and, and, it ha– did have to do with those grubs, and then… even that—

SOPHIE: (LAUGHS) Right, was immaterial.

NOAH: —ended up being, like, a dead end. Both, in his investigation and plot-wise.

ALL: (LAUGH)

SOPHIE: Yeah, that was funny for us.

But yeah, it’s been, how long has it been? Like, when…

SOUND: DOOR SLIDES SHUT.

CONDUCTOR: You can also support The Penumbra by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter @thepenumbrapod, following us on Tumblr @thepenumbrapodcast, telling your friends about us, telling your friends to tell their friends about us, and especially by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. Every rating, comment, and kind word spreads our stories further and inspires us to keep creating more and better tales to come.

We would like to give special thanks to all who support us on Patreon, but especially to Camille Blanton, Fiona Parker, Ota Arcana, Juno Yanto, Regan, Ko, KC, Kim Zeugen, Atha Lang, Vron, Charlie Spiegel, Minchowski, and Jaimie Gunter for their incredibly generous contributions per episode. Thank you.

Did you know that The Penumbra has merchandise for sale? It’s true! The Penumbra has partnered with DFTBA to bring you the posters, shirts, and pins your heart desires. Just go to dftba.com and search for The Penumbra Podcast.

This tale, the Moonlit Hermit, was told by the following people: Melissa Ennulat as Rilla, Noah Simes as Lord Arum, Kate Jones and Kat Buckingham as the Keep, and Matthew Zahnzinger as Sir Damien.

The Penumbra is created and produced by Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert. If you wish to know more about our ever-expanding, infinitely-creative team of artists, musicians, editors, designers, and managers, you can read about them in the show notes of this episode.

I’m afraid this is the end of the line for today, dear Traveler. We hope you will ride with The Penumbra again soon.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

#second citadel

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