Well it was dark at least, surprisingly so when I instanciated. I thought I even saw a bat, although I may have been imagining that. But it was certainly dark, and looked a bit nippy, and I wondered if I'd see any others awake at all on such a night.



No sooner had I started to wander the darkened forestthough than there was the sound of hooves and I was joined by Eris and Valaire.



Meeting-frolicking ensued, followed by a greetings-nuzzle. It's always so nice bumping into other deer in the forest, everyone's so pleased to see one another and joyous in greeting. If only humans were as welcoming and pleased to see one another. Mind you it's probably for the best that they aren't, imagine how chaotic it'd be in Basingstoke town centre if everyone was frolicking and nuzzling all the time. And glowing.



It is rather lovely though. Very shortly we were joined by Widmung and there was more leaping, nuzzling and glowing.



Followed by a not inconsiderable amount of circle-dancing. The previously chilly-seeming night was warmed by dancing, good company and all manner of good-natured frivolity.



Including the ever-popular interpenetrating with a tree, with which we all joined in with alacrity. It made me laugh to see a row of deer butts all sticking out of the tree with their little tails wiggling. I think that little tail wiggle is one of my favourite aspects of the deer animation.



Even amongst all this amiable silliness Valaire found a moment to look properly imposing with that long mask and those scary blood red antlers.



More dancing followed, and of course a bit more frolicking.

*wakes up* uuh. What the... where am I?



oh man these rocks are *cold* And hard. How did I...

oh yeah I remember now... bits at least... it was raining confetti... deer were dancing and I was bumbling about trying to climb up here and I almost fell down and then... I don't remember...

man... must have been something in that candle smoke... I gotta get myself home.

*stumbles slowly across the forest, wondering if it'd've been better to call a taxi*



unf. zzzzz.

At least that's how it seemed at times. Surreal evening in the forest haha

I hope you have all had a lovely peaceful holiday. Here a week of rain gave way to a lovely sunny day, with fluffy clouds, fluffy and very relaxed sheep and even a couple of Easter bunnies passing through. I spent part of the afternoon just dozing with my woolly companions.



In the evening I thought I'd poke my nose into the forest and upon instanciating I was greeted with a colourful particle shower. I do love my particles so this pleased me.



New flowers tall as trees were growing everywhere, adding to the surreal atmosphere, making me feel like an ox-ram-deer-thing transported into some 1960s psychedelic rock band's album cover. I paused to rub against a giant dandelion.



I wandered around for a bit and bumped into Petaldance and Valaire and things got incrementally weirder. I felt like there ought to be a soundtrack of early Pink Floyd and the scent of some recreational herbiage! Fortunately all I'd had was a cup of tea.



They blew giant bubbles that wobbled up into the sky. I was laughing at how daft and lovely it was and we frolicked around for a bit.



The rocks nearby were covered in candles, and there were a bunch of other deer sitting up there. I attempted to join them, failing again and again to negotiate the geometry, and I am sure the other deer must have been laughing at my attempts to climb up. I made it up there in the end haha.



And there I am now and shall remain until I head off to bed, happy to be in such pleasant company. <3

Oof, mad few days IRL. Last minute prep for a software release, but it's done now and I even don't think people hate it. Deer time. I instanciate and I'm rudely intersecting two other deer on the little hill. Sorry about that!

And hey it's night time in here.



I don't think I'm awake for more than 30 seconds before I am greeted by other deer. That's lovely.



I'm still in my peculiar pyjamas from last time I was here a few days ago. I kinda miss my proper horns. But hey it sure is nice to turn up after days of absence and immediately be in such lovely company.



Everybody sitting on the log. I must practice and perfect that move myself one of these days lol



then we went to ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE RED DEER WITH SCARY ANTLERS AND NO PICTO. This fella is certainly what we Brits would call "an absolute unit".



Dancing ensues to try to wake the big guy up. Do we wanna wake the big guy up? He's massive!



Here we are lined up by the big fella. An imposing presence and no mistake.



Big lad's asleep though despite our din so we reconvene at the ruins. And someone's given me my ram horns back, thank you! And my pelt. I'm feeling more myself. Ramly. Perhaps I ought to start baaing.



More dancing ensues because we're all daft as brushes, and there's a new skeletal arrival.



We decamp to the twin statues and there is an outbreak of glowing holy purity.

Weather and work continue to be unusual, intense bursts of trying to debug something with someone on a different continent interspersed with periods where it's just too nice to be inside so I go outside and take pictures of sheep in the sun <3

Got to be away at the weekend so I wanted to at least poke my nose in the forest first.

Instanciate, is anyone around tonight?



I take a little walk to the fountain. I'm home alone so I can blast out some tunes tonight so I stick on some 808 State.



I'm browsing in another window when amongst the electronic beats I think I hear mooing. I shift my focus to the forest and assume the Listening Stance.



And yes, there is definitely mooing. I can hear various moos back and forth. And so I moo myself, even though I am not a cow. (Yaks are unable to moo, hence their Latin name "bos grunniens", the grunting ox).

Nonetheless, I moo.



And before long, I am not alone.



We all gather and moo vigorously at a bunch of deer who are sleeping below a willow tree. There really is quite a lot of mooing.



In between all the mooing there is of course time for more frolicking, with which I join in enthusiastically. A day without frolicking is a poorer quality day than one with copious frolicking, I believe.



We return to the willow tree and re-moo.

Not been in for a while, blame work and weather. Work due to an upcoming deadline, weather for being altogether too nice. I live in a part of the world that is often grey and rainy, and I spent most of the last year sitting in front of a computer while the cold rain fell outside. So when we get a few days of sun, oh my, it feels like a blessing just to sit outside amongst the sheep in the warm sun...

Anyway, thought I'd come back to the forest this evening. Already I have grown to miss the place when I am not there. I instanciated and within a couple of minutes I was not alone, Eris and friends found me on the little hill and invited me to wake.



Greetings were given and after frolicking around on the hill (I swear if I leap off the top of the hill I can walk on the air for a fraction of a second) we found ourselves amongst the flowers.



Deer arranged themselves along the log in a way which made it look like they were sitting down. I must learn how to do that myself sometimes. (I am often impressed by the way in which people use the animations in combination with key inputs to modify the animations in amusing or expressive ways).



Mutual tree interpenetration is always amusing



My screenshots didn't come out that well today. Normally I like captures where everyone's glyph is clearly distinct, and everyone's looking clearly delineated and handsome.

What a lovely day, both IRL and in the forest. Spring is arriving, outside there was lovely sun and the sheep were happy, and for a while I have greater freedom to spend time in the forest so I went in early evening and sat on the hill while I did some tidying in the house. Before long I heard mooing and looked to see Eris and friends running near the little hill so I woke up to join in the fun.



Fun and frolics amongst the flowers ensued.



And silliness of course, with deer becoming one with the very forest itself, amidst that lovely glow of companionship.



I was already smiling but I had to go and cook my tea, so eventually I sat down in good company whilst I went off to do that. Inside a tree, because of course.



After tea and a bit of telly I could hear the sound of mooing and hoofbeats and I awoke in the forest to find a load of deer there! Aah and Saater amongst them, haven't seen them for a few days, so nice to see them again!



So many deer! And so much frolicking! I'm smiling again all over as I join in. I don't normally have music on while I'm in the forest as it's usually late at night, but today I put on Chill Out by the KLF. It's weird and ambient and blends well with the sounds of the forest, big tree noise, mooing, and all.



We run around a bit and end up near the ruins. So many deer! I love this! I should come on earlier more often, obviously.



We're all just dancing and being mad as cheese and it's lovely.

It's raining outside, all the sheep are indoors, everything is quiet, time I think to instanciate in the forest.

I wake and go for a stroll to the water fountain. What will I be today?

A bunny! Let's take a shower.



Hey there's another bunny! Let's go and say hello.



This one does not have the soulmark. Cute company, sure, but I am unlikely to have any deep interaction here.



I visit the waterfall and try on a red pelt. Looks nice with these horns. But everything looks nice with these horns.



Oh hey I never noticed these little flies round the gravestones before!



I thought I noticed some movement but it was this deer sitting down to rest, best not disturb them then. Especially with those scary red antlers.



Passed a deer and they partially dematerialised. Are those... your eyeballs?



I always enjoy seeing a pile of glowing deer all sleeping together all cwtshed up. ("Cwtsh" is a lovely Welsh word that can mean "a hug" and also "a snug, safe space" and when applied to people the feeling is like "physical closeness in a comfortable shared protective space").

It is a lovely word, and a lovely thing to see.



It was quiet, so I went to sit on the little hill for a while. Glancing at my deer in repose I saw motion and stood to investigate and hey it was Eris!

Instantiated thinking I'd likely have a quiet stroll again only to find the place full of active deer.

So nice to see familiar others, Eris, Saater, Widmung, and others I have yet to know well.





Much frolicking ensued, and although my frame rate decreased, my happiness increased proportionately, to be in such nice company. Somebody was trying to get all orthogonal to reality here it seems, disappearing into the floor of the forest haha



Much glowing gregariousness.



I liked it when you all lined up there, I could take a nice group screenshot of you all



Let's all rub on the same tree at once



All aglow, and another deer taking a dive into the forest floor. (The peculiar things you can do to the animations are part of the way you communicate in here, it seems).



Two deer butts sticking out of the tree lol



Such a lovely time hanging out with you all. Thank you for spending time with the ox-deer-ram-thing <3



Goodnight, and I will see you all again soon <3

I instantiate for my evening stroll. Quiet tonight, deer are sleeping, but that's fine, it's still pleasantly chill to be here.

I commence existence in what I think is close to my currently appropriate form. I like the ram horns, I like the light grey pelt, and the real deer mask is also cool, even if it doesn't match my pelt. And I think the species mixture suits me, being a human whose primary "influential animal" has always been an ox, being a deer that's part sheep.

Yes, that's me.



I've given the forest most of my monitor tonight, which is nice, as I can get more detailed screenshots. Deer are sleeping, and as I walk around I take a good look at them, and a picture too, as it will help me to learn the pictos of everyone. I hope they don't mind if I stand quietly by to have a look.

These guys are nearly always asleep here by the ruins. That swirly red and black pelt is very striking.



The butterfly set is also very distinctive. I like the variance in the different sets. Perhaps ram horns aren't that divergent after all.



The skull mask is one I have admired before, and actually evokes a Welsh traditional costume called the Mari Lwyd in which a dancer using a horse skull mask features. It reminds me of the first time I saw Widmung.



The skeleton pelt is nice too. I guess that one only gets allocated at Haloween.