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 Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:15 am
 Vodyanoi was a stranger in his own land. He had left these shores a long, long time ago, and he remembered very little of them. Until the last few weeks, all the water earthlings he had ever met were slaves, and lived a life much like his own; they were divorced from their country and unaware of it’s happenings, cultures and traditions. He walked through Matori like a visitor now, peering curiously at things, nibbling at foods he had never tasted, and listening to strange rhythms.
And yet… it was all strangely familiar. He felt as if he were walking in a dream. And in fact he was, because that was where he had seen (or heard, at least) Matori all these years. In his dreams he had heard the sound of crashing surf and the rustle of grass in the wind.
Now they were here, the real things. He had been listening to them for weeks as he wandered, and he had still not gotten bored of them.
He had come to the edge of one island, where he heard a ferry might take him to the next. But it was nearing dark now, and no ferries would come until morning. There were rocks near the shores here and it would be dangerous for boats to go at night. This didn’t bother Vodyanoi in the slightest, and the very fact that it did not bother him filled him with a sort of joy. Now that he was free, there was no schedule, no rules, nothing to hem him in and worry him. He would take the ferry tomorrow. Or he could take it the day after, if he felt like it. The weather was warm and he had no need for shelter, and he still carried some food in his satchel. He could stay as he wanted, and go as he pleased.
A short walk away from the ferry dock, he found a branch from which to hang his bag, then walked towards the waves. The sand went from soft and crumbly to solid and wet, packed like a good dirt road. This too made him strangely happy. Could this place, this land, really be his?
He felt strangely compelled to run along the shore, as if that would somehow prove the fact. His legs kicked out behind him, leaving water-filled footprints in the sand. He soon picked up speed and listened now too to the sound of himself moving -- his bracelets and anklets jingling merrily, accompanied by the slower beat of the water.
Jingle-shake-jingle-shake-jingle-shake-swooooosh,
Jingle-shake-jingle-shake-jingle-shake-swooooosh…
The stretched out his arms like the wings of a bird and let himself fall back onto the dryer sand, laughing at the plume that rose up about him.
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 11:45 am
Stereochrome mah babben is artless sadly~ But he's broad and scarred... Journal here for you to peruse~ Mynshaka, after talking with the locals in Natad found out that the fastest way to the next island was actually to just walk down to the southern end of the island and take a ferry from there. A little put off at first because he'd wasted an entire day waiting, he soon forgot his irritation as he wandered down the coast. His memories of Matori were not fuzzy, but it had been five painful long years of slavery since he'd been here... and the land was still as beautiful and awe inspiring as ever! He was humming in a deep off key voice bits and pieces of an old song his father used to sing to him when he noticed another boy dancing about then falling and laughing. Shaka watched for a bit then snorted with amusement; looked like one was just really happy to be free! Like him! Deciding that maybe he shouldn't just rush back to the place he once called home; Mynshaka called out to the other Matori; "Yoooo~ Yer looking rather happy. Ye just get back from Oba too?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 9:33 am
robot kitten yuhh, i read through it! i can't wait for when he gets art. o 0 o
When this melody faded, though, it was replaced by a voice --an equally deep-toned one.
Vodyanoi sat up and twisted around to find the voice’s owner. Predictably, he was a big fellow, but neither him nor his voice were much older than Vodyanoi. His words seemed to suggest that he too had come from Oba.
“Hi, stranger!” Vodyanoi waved, his bracelets jingling as he did. “I am, and I did! Come, sit with me if you have the time.”
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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:46 am
"Got all the time in the world now! Really just wandering back towards where I think my Da should be living..." He said as he sauntered over to the more petite boy. "I'm Mynshaka, or just Shaka. You?" The other had a very impressively braided hair style, and clothes in better condition than his. Guess he had better masters or found better clothes, Shaka thought. I ought to do that too... after I get home though! Figure I'll end up messing up new clothes traveling so may as well keep the old stuff....
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:09 pm
The stranger looked a little… rough around the edges. His trousers were frayed and his shirt was faded -- both had obviously seen better days. But this was not at all unfamiliar to Vodyanoi. While he had been a house slave, responsible mostly for cleaning and bringing food to the table, he had seen other water earthlings labor for the Oba. No doubt this boy had done something like that type of work… as his impressive musculature seemed to suggest.
Vodyanoi had never thought himself to be either small or skinny -- he was light on his feet, that much was true, but even trays of food needed a firm arm under them -- but he felt rather small in comparison to the other, and dragged a sheepish hand through his braids as the boy approached.
“Vodyanoi. So you know where your parents live?” He pursed his lips, feeling a little envious. “I don’t remember mine. I wouldn’t know where to look, and, I mean… I doubt they’d remember me. I was probably just old enough to walk when I left.”
When he was taken, that is -- but Vodyanoi saw no reason to be bitter about old grievances, not when the sun danced so pleasantly on their blue-green skins.
“What were you humming before? I heard you.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:57 pm
Mynshaka sat down next to Vodyanoi and grinned. "Well, not really! I know where Da used to be... dunno why he'd move considering he's gots a bad back and leg. But I'll just start at the ol' home and search from there... An I bet they'd remember ye... Yer names from them right? how many Vodyanoi's ye think there are? Tis a rather unique name!" Mynshaka had a rather bright outlook; he tried to think of the better things and the glass half full rather than focusing on the empty parts. "Ah that song? Dunno most of it, just bits and parts of an ol sea shanty my da used to sing. He used to sing it when we were fishing. I can recall it and a lullaby but that's about it." He shrugged. He'd been lucky and actually had a childhood with his family, for all the pain of the past few years he knew he was a bit luckier than some who were taken at a much younger age. "Ah can sing it fer ye.. there'll be big gaps in the shanty though!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 9:33 am
“I hope you find him!” Vodyanoi nodded -- he didn’t really know why anyone in Matori would move either, if they were free. Was one stretch of sandy beach any worse than another? But at the mention of his name, he paused and shrugged.
“You know, I’ve never thought about it before. About where my name comes from, I mean. One of the older women who worked in the household told me what it meant, but I don’t believe she named me.”
He laughed then, tossing back his braided hair. The decorations woven in it shimmered as he did. “She said it meant ‘watery one’. Watery one! Why, that could be anyone’s name around here, couldn’t it? And I didn’t even remember the sea very well, not until I came back. I do like it, though.”
He watched the waves a while, then turned back to Mynshaka when the boy spoke more about the tune. “A fishing song!” He clapped his hands, delighted. “I’ve heard a few sung along the coast already, and they’re so much fun! Please sing what you know of it, if you can? And if you want me to, I can sing you one in return. You know, to be fair.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:47 am
Stereochrome I am totally using rl shanties 8D I can make up a song for him later! This one is actually to help sailors while they work .. though from the bio this was specifically to help them raise the anchor. Shaka chuckled when Vodyanoi told him his names meaning; "Maybe ye was leaky as a babe? Ah dinna think my name has a meaning..." He chuckled again. "Other than it sounded nice to Ma." He looked out over the sea and smiled. "Ah lived on a small beach like this one till 5 years ago so Ah've got lots of memories of the sea... Ye should see it in a storm! All crashing and wild! Being out on boat during that time is dangerous... Fun though!" He'd gotten a real bad scolding from his father that time... He grinned happily; "Sounds like a good trade! The one Ah was singing is called Drunken Sailor..." He cleared his throat and began his deep slightly off key singing. " Way, hay up she rises,
Way, hay, up she rises,
Way, hay, up she rises,
Early in the morning!
What will we do with the drunken sailor?
Early in the morning?
Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him
Hoist him aboard with a running bowline
Put him in the brig until he's sober.
Way, hay up she rises,
Way, hay, up she rises,
Way, hay, up she rises,
Early in the morning!
What will we do with the drunken sailor?
Early in the morning?
Make him turn to at shining bright work.
Put him in a boat and row him over
Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm
Make him clean out all the spit-kids
That's what you do with a drunken sailor!"He stopped and shrugged. " I'm missing a lotta versus in the middle... all sorts of tasks but I never can recall em. I think yer supposed to sing it and make it p as ye go along and be drunk while ye sing it... or sing it while others are drunk! Certainly feels like Ah need to be conducting while holding a beer!" He chuckled and lay back in the sand. "Yer turn!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:41 am
“Eeeew.” Vodyanoi made a face when the other boy mentioned him being a ‘leaky’ baby, and batted at his shoulder with a decorated arm. “That’s gross.”
Although he supposed all babies were sort of ‘leaky’, so maybe it wasn’t very far from the truth? Anyway, it wasn’t worth thinking about, he decided, not when Shaka was telling him about the waves and the storms and boats. He’d only been gone 5 years! That must have been nice. Or, well… maybe not. He had noticed those scars, after all.
When the other started singing, Vodyanoi grinned widely, quickly picking up the beat of the song and clapping his hands to it. He hadn’t heard this one before, and the words of it made him laugh. He hadn’t any idea what half of them meant (what was a ‘running bowline?’) but he could tell that it was supposed to be funny. When the boy stopped, Vodyanoi applauded loudly, and got to his feet for his turn.
“That was great! I also know a fishing-song, but it’s not about boats. I heard it a few days ago. See in this village there is a sheltered bay, and they fish with big nets. The fishermen bring the nets out in the morning, on little boats. But then in the evening, when it is time to pull in the nets, everyone comes to help. The net is heavy and full of fish, so everybody takes these long, long ropes -- everybody, even the children come. Then they start pulling, and they sing this song, and with each beat they take a little step back. That way the work is not so hard. See, they do it like this --”
He mimed an invisible rope and slowly began to stomp his feet, each a tiny, shuffling step back from the last. His song followed the same rhythm.
“Sea, sea
Big blue sea
Lapping at the sand-banks
Net, net,
Broad strong net,
Spreading ever wi-der
Fish, fish
Silver fish
Ripples in the wa-ter
Sea, sea
Stormy sea
Time for us to go ho-me
Net, net
Heavy net
Slowly coming clo-ser
Fish, fish
Tasty fish
Soon to be my di-nner.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:36 am
Stereochrome Do you mind if I have my bushi familiar Bumi be attracted by the singing? He's an escaped pet gone slightly feral. This song is actually in his journal cause I liked it so much!! Mynshaka laughed as the other punched his arm. "What? Is a good a reason as any! Ah oughtta call ye Leaky! Though ye has a good name so... nah..." He snickered. Shaka was happy the other enjoyed his song and listened with enjoyment to the others story and song. Myshaka adored the sea and all things fishing and boats. He hummed and clapped along with the other after a while, doing his best to memorize the song. It was one he rather liked, a good simple beat and easy words. "Ah like that one! Gotta remember it.... Here's a bit more somber fishing one... One Ah heard Obans sing it when they were unloading their fishing boats... Ah dinna like them but ... they do have some good songs.... Wi' our nets and gear we're farin'
On the wild and wistful ocean
It's there on the deep that we harvest and reap oor nets
As we hunt the bonny shoals o' herrin'
T'was a fine and a pleasant summer's day
Outta quiet harbour I was faring
As a cabin boy on a sailing lugger
We were off to hunt the shoals o' herrin'
Now the work was hard and the hours were long
And the treatment surely took some bearin'
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the shoals o' herrin'
Now we fished the deeps and the stormy seas
I was cook and I'd a quarter's sharin'
And I used to sleep standin' on my feet
And I'd dream about the shoals o' herrin'
Well we left the home ground in the month of heat
And for canny Shiels we were bearin'
Wi' a hundred cran of the silver darlin's
That we'd taken from the shoals o' herrin'
Through the stormy seas and the living gale
Just to earn your daily bread you're darin'
From the roaring straits to the lonely Islands
As you're following the shoals of herrin'
Now you're up on deck, you're a fisherman
You can swear and show a manly bearin'
Take you turn on deck wi' the other fellows
As you're following the shoal's o' herrin'
Night and day we're farin'
Come winter wind or winter gale
Sweat or cold, growing up, growing old and dying
As you hunt the bonny shoals o' herrin' " He had hated working in the docks... but this was the only part he hadn't minded; listening to the songs of the unloading sailors. He and the other slaves of the merchants didn't sing and he had envied those oban sailors who actually worked on their ships; and didn't have slaves (as far as he could tell) do all the heavy lifting. Behind them a large creature was slowly approaching. A dark blue and black bushi was attracted to their singing, and it sat a distance away, laying down in the sands behind them and watching.
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Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:40 am
robot kitten lol that's awesome, yesss 8D
Shaka was singing another song now, and Vodyanoi would have recognized it was an Oban tune even if he hadn’t said so. Their songs were different from the traditional Matori ones, and Vodyanoi nodded his agreement with the other boy’s opinion on them; He didn’t like Obans much either, but their music was the only kind he had heard growing up, and he had always liked it. His only complaint was that he could only listen to it in passing, as he flitted in and out of the dining room with trays of food or other things he was ordered to fetch.
He was clapping away with the new song (and suddenly feeling kind of hungry for herring) when he noticed some movement behind them -- something big, dark, as if the shadows from the treeline were coming out onto the shore.
He hadn’t been particularly worried about it, but curiosity caused him to glance over his shoulder -- and he laughed at what he saw, pointing at the shelled creature sitting there.
“Shaka, look!”
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:34 pm
Shaka stopped his recitation to turn around and see what had his new friend so excited. "Tis a Bushi!" He exclaimed rather excitedly as he rolled over to lay on the sand looking at the large creature. Eyeing it he noticed a worn piece of leather about its neck... had it been a pet once? It certainly was calm despite being so close to them! He'd seen these as a boy... most often eating the gardens of his neighbors! Bright colors on a dark body.. and a shell that was quite useful! He didn't want to kill it though... why not take it back as a mount? Use it to help carry stuff? Shaka didn't mind walking... but he'd always loved seeing people riding mounts. He'd been particularly impressed when he'd seen some Obans on their Janarim. Would a Bushi make a good mount like that, he wondered. "Wonder iffn it likes music too?" He mused as it stared back at them for a while before slapping it's tail demanding into the sand. He sat up and scooted a bit closer. "Gotta be careful.. they're bites got some nasty poison." He told Vodyanoi before he started humming a ditty to see if the Bushi relaxed any more.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:53 am
Vodyanoi had also seen the big shelled creatures before, but only from a distance -- despite their size, the wild ones did not seem to want to stick around when they heard him coming. He would see their shells wobbling off into the treeline, or else into the water. This one, though, was doing no such thing. It was just… sitting there. And watching.
When Shaka stopped singing, the creature -- a Bushi, he had called it -- looked almost impatient. Maybe the boy was right. Maybe it wanted them to sing!
News that the Bushi had venomous bites worried Vodyanoi a bit, so he twisted about in the sand until he was crouching behind the larger prentice. But, venom or not, he wasn’t about to be caught cowering and useless. He could help, at least. He quickly picked up on the rhythm of Shaka’s little humming-song, and began to clap in time. Wouldn’t it be funny if the Bushi started to dance?
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:15 pm
Stereochrome and I finally get to tagging our rps.. .robo is so sorry she's slow!!! Shaka kept humming as he got to his feet and slowly approached the creature. It looked at him for a second but returned to its lazy pose as it twitched its tail in time to Vodi's clapping. He slowly kept it up, repeating the song when it ended, until he was next to the creature. He looked over at Vodyanoi and grinned. He slowly held out a hand towards its head, pausing to make sure it actually saw his hand. he wanted to pet it.. but as much as he wanted too he wasn't about to surprise a venomous bushi!
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 6:33 am
Their little game seemed to be working -- Shaka was getting closer and closer to the big animal, but it hadn’t moved way. In fact, it looked quite relaxed. Was Vodyanoi imagining it, or was it bobbing a little, almost in time to the rhythmic clapping and the pattern of Shaka’s song?
When Shaka glanced back at him, he nodded in encouragement, excited to see the boy succeed in touching the creature. Wouldn’t that be cool? That would be a fun story to tell!
Of course, Vodyanoi knew very little about the bushi… he was still fairly new to Matori’s wildlife, and had no clue which creatures were dangerous, venomous or particularly hostile.The bushi looked friendly to him, with it’s clever-looking eyes and big smooth shell. And it liked music! Surely any creature that liked music couldn’t be too bad?
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