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Things turn around so quickly. The world seems gently gilded today -- was it that way yesterday, and I was too worried to notice? Or is it that, as the world is dies and is reborn in an instant, that the world simply was born gold today? I need to write a poem, but I don't know what to say. Oh, well, I'll think of something.

I woke up this morning, the weight of unanswered questions settling heavy in my chest. The questions rattled around like stones, bruising my heart. Maria was around, and so was Iaurdagnire, who was playing with Saosin. It was a bit of a hard choice, but I had played with Maria more recently than Iaurdagnire, so I ended up choosing to go and be with him. Besides, he is the wisest deer I know, and I would have liked to ask him what he thought I should do. I never got around to it, though. We frolicked there, and the pair began to flower-spar. I started to join in as well, but a fawn interrupted us.

And then Nevilly arrived, and I had no idea what to do or how to great her. An awkward bow -- the best I could manage then. I hoevered around after Iaurdagnire said goodbye, not wanting to get too close but too fond of her to leave. As Saosin and she groomed one another, I came to a resolve. I needed to talk to her, as openly as my heart could manage. It took a little bit to get her away from Sasoin, but eventually, I led her to a little area where the dandelions and the ferns grew wild between the trees.

We settled down into the downy bed of greenery...and we talked. I won't repeat what we said exactly, but it was what you could expect. Our feelings, old mates, my fear, her heartache...other stuff, not bearing repeating here... I really didn't know what I was going to tell her until I reached the end of it, where I had all the pieces assembled for me like a puzzle. I swear, that was the moment where the world went gold. I was afraid, even as I said it, but I was also very sure: I wanted us to have a chance.

My goodness, I wish I had remembered to ink any of the doodles I have of him. Or set up a bio proper, which I will do once I've gotten him in the forest a bit.

Krim, put simply, is the son of Sithrim and Athena.

This is his pictogram: http://tale-of-tales.com/TheEndlessForest/register/pictogram.php?username=Krym

He's an energetic, tough little fawn, and he's about to take his first romp through the forest.

Edit: OK, so, he just had his first romp through the forest. I'll probably throw him back in later, when my fingers are less sore. But, in the meanwhile, here's a picture of him with his parents.


And, now, I have a question: who is this deer? I've seen his picto around a lot, and he was a lot of fun for Krim to play with.

((If I throw Seed on more, it won't get added. This entry is about full.))
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I awoke and wandered a bit, until I spotted Virgil, and rushed out to meet him. After a bit of frolic, he, for no discernable reason, went first to a pine tree to gather up spells (I was very naked, save for my traditional flowers). I elected to cast antlers on him in return, and when I did, I saw they were the same ones he cast on me. Instantly, the idea of being twins leapt to mind. While we were working on the pelt portion, I heard a sound I recognized. Nevilly, who I haven't seen in what feels like an age.

I'm sorry, Virgil, for running off the way I did. Really: I felt guilty even then, as I dashed off to meet her. But I really wanted to see her -- too often I'll meet someone who I grow to like quickly, and then they vanish, never or rarely to be seen again. I am not letting this happen again if I can help it: and even if I cannot, I think I must strive to make that time for the people I don't see as often, no matter who I may be leaving behind to do so. Is that the right thing to do? I need to ponder this.

Anyway, so I dashed to meet her and we said our hellos. She seemed a little amused at my strange combination of spells, and we worked fairly quickly to rectify this. When we were getting my pelt from a sleeping deer (whose picto I know very well, but whose name, alas, escapes), the deer awoke, giving us both a little start. I always feel emberassed, and uncertain as to what I should do. I bowed a little awkwardly, and he cast a spell on Nevilly before settling back into the mushroom circle. The newly-mini'd Nevilly and I went to find someone else to get pelt spells from. We finished up around the bridge, and began to bound our way alongside the lavender river, turned strange by the reflection of the snowy sky.

I had a very nice morning today, so I decided to write a few poems. They're nothing special, just reflections on a snowy day with a friend...Or something.


((This has been another visit to Seed's Poetry Corner. Collect them all!))

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A stranger sharpened his antlers on bark, raging against the tree. A couple nuzzled one another. A deer sat among the ruins in perfect, contemplative silence. And I wandered, looking for someone solitary and willing to aid me in the recovery of my pelt. I had little luck, though.

I walked for a while with a nice, but not-useful fawn (though I perhaps should have indicated my wishes, but...) and down at the lake, I ran with one of the gods. It's refreshing to see them about at times, even though I am both puzzled and suspicious a little -- the gods are very good at cloning themselves, it appears. I don't understand it, though I like to imagine. It was a nice run around the lake shore, with the water splashing beneath our hooves and the wind in our stripped-clean fur. He departed (in that form), and I at last spotted a familiar and largely-unoccupied pictogram, and knew it to be Virgil's. I ran to meet him, and after some intense and puzzling sniffing on his part (I do not know my own smell; it's an amazing mystery of the self. I can see my eyes and touch my flesh, hear the slide of my own voice, but I cannot smell my own scent.), we began running around the forest and hills. I love running. As we came to a stop, I at last directed him to my request for a new pelt, since him volunteering such did not seem forthcoming. It was not a long work today, which came as a relief. We had ended up at the ruins, where we began to play... Until I noticed a descending figure standing behind a wall.

I knew him, though only vaguely: his name was Kinsha. I greeted him, since he did have my acquaintance, and he didn't seem to notice. I wondered if he didn't see me, or if he didn't care... I hoped for the former, and decided I would make myself be seen. I know I am no ninja, and my skills at sneaking from behind him were horrible -- but it was a fun amusement, humming some action-filled song in the back of my head.

I'm sorry I've been away for so long: I've been busy with school. And Animal Parade. ...Yeah, I'm an awful person. I'll try and be on more often, though.

I composed this this morning while watching the Big Zombie Deer sleep. I specifically went out to see him for this, though I did pick up a pelt spell for the sake of a Halloween costume (I would have much preferred the DotD pelt, but what can you do?)



((This has been a Halloween-tastic visit to Seed's Poetry Corner))

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I awoke in the great oak, with a fawn sitting nearbye. I elected to play with him and another fawn that appeared for a moment. The first fawn and I bounced our way out from the oak when Tally came by and elected to join us. She seemed to be in good spirits, which is a little surprising, considering what I've heard about her emotionally tangled social life -- I'm happy to see she can put those worries in the back of her mind and enjoy herself for a while. It's a very special gift, ad one I've worked very hard to master. For while we sprang about, I couldn't help but notice something that drew my attention away...

Pepokeen. It's been a long time since I saw him last, and a long time since I felt real kinship with him -- But I would still think of him fondly, and I decided that I would like to rekindle that old connection with him. As I left them, though, I did hope that they'd follow. They didn't, and so I must only hope it didn't seem too offensive. I joined Pepokeen with another fawn, and we played and danced until the fawn flickered off. The sunlight fell on us like a bright blanket -- compared to the golden radiance, the bare nibs of my cold candles couldn't compare, casting no creditable coruscation, I though it was best to replace them. And as Pepokeen's antlers were bare, I led him to a flower patch and asked him to replace them for me with the tender blessings of flowers soaking in the sun. As he gave them to me, a fawn arrived and gave me its own flowers, creating a double-thick layer of the tissuey purple blossoms over the candles. I thanked the fawn, and in return, Pepokeen and I cast a few antler spells on it, provided by a nearby pine. I normally am not so fond of magic for magic's sake, but when it's for a fawn, I get a glimpse of how wonderous the world is through their eyes. After that, we went running and bouncing around in great circles, until the time came that I had to go. It was very nice, seeing Pepokeen again.

[=#006400]Every now and then, she stop and looks... so surprised, like she didn't expect that anyone would be interested in being around her.
Nevilly transformed me into a squirell when I arrived, and we spent a little while playing the squashing game -- I had, unexpectedly, a bit of a knack for stepping out of the way the moment before she struck. A little bit before the cat-and-mouse (deer-and-squirrel, I should say) got monotonous, I transformed back. We bounced our way around the ruins, our hooves making echoing beats around the dry earth and cool stone. We played for a while in the cage -- the cage, I think, is a funny thing: We play in it freely, we mime being caught -- and sometimes, we mime that there is a reason, that we are dangerous when we are not. Perhaps the cage lets us -- in jest -- uncage something in ourselves? But no, this is besides the point. We played a little longer, and then came to stand on the small platform, and she laid her head on my back. We stayed like this for what felt like a long time.


After she left, I went and joined Zelig and a friend of his (I assume), in sitting in the poppy patch. Alice V and another deer came and joined us, and Saosin, who had been asleep, woke up. We ran around for a while, but I admit -- I wasn't in the mood to run with a large group, so I fled off with Alice V the first chance I got, and I left not long after besides.

And you know what's starting to get on my nerves? "Oh, what has happened to the Forest? Everything used to be so much better." Especially in the format of the long rant. That actively kills my enjoyment of the Forest and the community, right here and right now. But just asking people to stop isn't going to fix anything, especially when they have a valid reason to complain about something. What's going to fix things is action.

So, I figured what might be a better idea would be brainstorming about what we like and liked best about the community, and then think of ways to implement it and spread that implementation, for the better of everybody!

I guess I'll start. I like diaries, and I miss reading them a lot. Just the "daily happenings" on someone's updates don't do it for me in the same way. Now, what I think I'm going to do about it is:
a) Be more contientious about putting Seed's diaries up. Hopefully more people will see them and be encouraged to do the same.
b) Maybe I could start some sort of diaries contest...Maybe a randomly selected person who writes a diary that week (that I can find or that links it to a pre-arranged contest page) will get a chibi of the character whose diary it is?

Anyone else? You don't have to have an idea of how to fix something yet: if you post something you like and want to see more of, maybe we can help you think of how to do something ^^

Also, here's a list of things being posed thusfar, with some proposed ideas in parenthesis:
More Diaries (self-example ; possible contest?)
More Stories (possible contest idea ; "Writer of the Week")
Group Runs ("Marathon Map")
More ways to tie the community together
Some sort of group roleplay
The Coalition for the return of Casual, Non-Violent Sparring!

EDIT: I'm specifically re-bumping this because of everyone's current feelings about violence and evil. Want to try and find a way to fix it? You bet you do!