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 Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:10 am
Quote: Prompt 14 (Plight of the Penguin): Most birds migrate south for the winter. Destiny City is hardly a tourist destination for any migratory bird–much less penguins. They don’t even fly! And yet, Destiny City has a colony of roughly a thousand penguins that have decided to take a winter vacation in the metropolis. One evening, the horde of penguins waddled into town, and though they’ve broken up into smaller groups for the time being, there are still so many of them. They are friendly and they are foolish. They don't know anything about city life. They waddle into stores, hang out in the road, and stare at decorative lights. They look like they’re having the time of their life, and they are not afraid of people, at all. They will follow you home. They’ll croak at you. They’ll try to eat whatever you have in your hands. The penguins look like Adélie penguins, but they are only about a foot and a half tall and some are far more plump than others. All sorts of rumors have been going around about these penguins–they’re migrating because of climate change, they escaped the zoo and bred in the forests of Destiny City, they’re escaped from a lab attempting to create a new wave of pets, they’re aliens–to be honest, no one really seems to know. The city is corralling them and attempting to relocate them somewhere safer, but the friendly little penguins are happy to be involved for as long as they can. By the end of the season, Destiny City will have safely recovered all of these cute little birds, so they cannot be kept as a pet and will escape if you attempt to confine one, but they are mostly friendly and like to be involved in whatever you’re doing. Their calls can be either cute or creepy, and they look like funny little monsters if you manage to agitate them enough to get them chasing you. They almost always travel in small groups and always look after each other. Stribor was still getting used to life in Destiny City—but even he felt quite aware that the penguins were not a naturally occurring phenomenon. They were rather cute, though. Even if they might get in the way of fights. He really hoped they didn't, but they were very curious and very insistent on being up close to the much taller beings. He didn't want to accidentally hurt any of them—the poor little things seemed delicate, and as he heard, they definitely ought not to be this far south (north? weren't they south pole creatures?). Sighing, he followed a few of them as they toddled off into a snowy park, tilting his head and rotating his ears just in case he needed to hear a threat. At least his first experience with penguins was an interesting one—he hadn't yet had the time to visit a zoo to see the animals of Earth like he really wanted. Earth was just so fascinating. The seasons all around the planet being so divided, even being five minutes north or east instead of south or west made a huge impact on what local weather you experiences, and then the different climates—all resulting in such interesting and different creatures. He loved it all so much. Even when the creatures in question were definitely being naughty and escaping from their usual home, where they were safe.
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Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2023 11:54 am
The cold wasn't something Procyon was used to yet, it had never been this cold back home and he was still figuring out the best way to stay warm while out. Tonight though, he'd seen some odd little creatures wandering through the streets while he was exploring. Wrapped up in a brightly colored poncho, lined with soft fluff, he followed them into a park. There was someone else there too, following these cute little things as they toddled along. Kneeling into the snow, he reached out his prosthetic hand first. The birds inspected it before shying away, making a weird kind of noise that he figured they didn't quite like the metal and whatever else Daedalus had made it out of. Shifting and pulling his other arm out from under his warm poncho, he tried to pet the thing, scooting forward on his knees through the cold snow. "Come on... pleaseee. I wanna say hello little friend." Noticing someone out of the corner of his eye, he paused as the bird finally tottered into his hand. It felt... smooth? Not fluffy or soft like a regular bird, well a bird here on Earth. He wasn't looking at them now though, more at the other senshi standing in the snow. Something felt a bit familiar but he couldn't quite figure it out through the falling snow. "Oh, hello!"
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:47 am
Stribor stopped, tilting his head. Huh... This senshi... another alien like himself. Alien to Earth, anyway. Alien to each other. He wasn't quite sure, but he felt like they'd known each other? Before The Big Sleep? He shrugged the thought away and came to squat next to him. "Hi," he said with a lopsided grin, reaching out to pet another of the penguins as it toddled up to them. "These guys sure are cute, huh? Nice to meet you... or, meet again? I'm Stribor—I feel like I know you, but I can't seem to place the name to the face, I'm sorry to say."
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Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2023 10:32 am
Settling down into the snow a bit more, he shivered. Still didn't quite like the cold but he could warm up later. "Yes, I really like them. They're so cute and really curious. I'm Procyon and... I think I remember you maybe? Everything is a bit fuzzy though." Bit and pieces foggy between longer periods of just nothing, he'd been awake but now wholly aware while everything fell apart around him. Offering a smile back as he reached for another penguin with his other arm, they still avoided the metal and resin fingers that tried to pet them. "I guess they don't like my arm, do they? It's alright if we don't remember though, just means we get to meet again and make new introductions." It would be fine, he had gotten used to moving on and meeting new people. It was nice here, other than the weather he could never really get used to. "How has it been here for you? I've avoided most of the trouble since I got here."
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 2:52 pm
Stribor sat next to the other senshi in the snow, not feeling particularly bothered by it—after all, his fur had shifted to the winter season fur, and while the Striboran skin part of him didn't shed in a similar way to make way for better insulated skin, same as the fur, he felt quite at home in the cold. "Yeah, I have the fuzzy memory thing too. Oh well, I'm sure we'll figure it out, or we won't, and either way, we'll be pleasant in the meantime," Stirbor said cheerfully, giving one of the penguins a belly scratch. "Your name is definitely familiar to me, though. But anyway, uh, I wouldn't say I've done a perfect job of avoiding trouble—there was a spot of trouble with a pile of leaves not long after I came here, but I've stayed quite low for the last couple months while I learn everything I can about Earth with someone who has the means to help me."
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:58 pm
He felt just a bit jealous of the other, at how they looked much more comfortable in this weather than he did, much like Selinur had when he'd had that run-in with the monsters. It was fine though, it just meant he had to find warmer things to wear and maybe stay inside a bit more. "I like that idea, I do hope that the trouble you've run into hasn't been too bad. I had some creatures after me once but another senshi like us came and assisted me. He was rather used to the cold as well, I find it a bit much but that's alright. It's new and exciting here and I have been lucky as well with a few friends who have been helping me." Between the few other senshi he met and miss Illyria, he'd been rather comfortable on Earth. Sure things could be a bit better, he could maybe have a more permanent place to stay, but he had so many things to explore and look into here. That and he had an arm again, even if these little birds didn't like it that much. "There really is a lot going on here isn't there? Not just with all of us here but the people that live here too." Looking back down at the bird he was petting, he quite liked the thing. It was making all manner of noises but they seemed happy which was just fine with him.
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:19 pm
Stribor nodded. "I've been lucky," he said sagely. "Not much trouble yet, and the people I've met have been quite lovely. Even if there is a lot going on, as you say. Winter seems quite... active." He chuckled. "It's nice, though. So much life, after... all the destruction of our planets, hm?" He petted one of the penguins, feeling rather content.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 4:31 pm
Nodding along with them, he noticed that a few of the birds were starting to toddle off towards the road. "It really seems that way, maybe a bit cold and dry for my liking but it's very pretty. I uh... wonder if I should make sure these little friends don't get hurt." Watching as a few more moved along, he stood and shook the snow from himself. "It is nice and there are so many new and amazing things. Oh! Speaking of that, so we can talk again soon," he said as he pulled out his little phone Illyria had given him. By now it was a lot easier to manage with two hands and he snapped the picture quickly. "So we can talk again soon, okay Stribor?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2024 12:34 am
Stribor chuckled a little, helping clear the silly little birds from the road. He beamed and took a picture of Procyon quickly as well. "Makes sense to me," he agreed pleasantly. "Talk to you soon, Procyon."
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