Staff Litter Discussion Thread

[Atwood]

-snip-

Apropos of nothing, it took me a moment to realize this guy was not, in fact, wearing a tiny pair of horns on top of his real horns.

[GreatWhiteDragon_1]

I was not expecting this!!! Who's pet is this?! Fess up!

[limalicious]

Adopt virtual pets at Chicken Smoothie!

I shall name it Moo-cifer.

[moonbeam.]

I have a new friend ;_;

I love cows, cows are cute. I needed to put cow in blanket right away.

XD. It's a redbull. GET THE PUNS? Red Bull. *casually adds picture*

I agree, it reminds me of the red bull drink ^^ BTW it looks cute!

[Desmond]

2014: Caer’s Story -- 2015: Lir’s Story

Caer knew nothing of time. It was a mortal construct, designed to keep track of one’s own existence before they withered into the ether, swept up either by the darkness that continued to permeate the world or led into peace by the Guides. Caer and the Brethren, they all existed outside such things, their existence immeasurable by any points of reference that could be understood by creatures whose lives came and went like the light of the firefly in the vastness of the cosmos.

The Dreamer’s job was quickly becoming harder as the population grew, and the creatures started closing in on the places that the wild, shadowy beasts still roamed. The monsters feasted, no matter how fast Caer raced toward the destined receivers, and so, so many succumbed; it was a very rare moment indeed, when a victim managed to see the light of the dawn. Carriers were being trapped, dispersed, or lost - and the Creator could not bring more into creation to bring back their numbers.

And yet, there was still honor in the living creatures. A sense of unity that thrived within certain members to protect, to love. This bond, common in family and friendship, extended even to strangers for the most honorable, and it was these who received the greatest rewards in rest. If any were to experience such ties, the Dreamer was glad that it could be the mortals - their lives were so fragile, so fleeting; kindness brightened their hearts with a glow unmatched by the waking sun.

These, too, were hunted by the shadows.

One of the brightest spirits that Caer personally watched after was a young thing; barely old enough to stray from its parents, and certainly not able to manage navigating the mountains that it found itself in after they disappeared. The love held within the little creature burned unmatched, even when hope wore thin. The young thing’s life was cut short not long after its light flickered into being, having spent its last moments on the living plane defending its den-mates from the despair of hunger and need, and the long claws of those who feed upon it.

As the little soul awaited its guide into the final realm, Caer guarded it, cradling it with soft wings. The poor thing wasn’t scared, but… worried. And not for itself, but for those it loved. Without ears, it could not listen to Caer’s condolences. Without a voice, it could not speak of its troubles.

But it could take comfort that the Dreamer could spare.

The warmth of Caer’s creator spread over the pair as they waited. For a long moment, the three were still and quiet, until the all-encompassing voice echoed softly, as if taking care to not frighten the little mortal. You care for this one more than usual, my Creation.

“This creature is of pure heart. It wanted to protect, to love and spread hope, and now…”

Now it is to be taken to its place of final rest. A just reward, is it not?

“Yes, but… hope is dying in the mortal realm. There is so much discord here, our purpose is threatened. Your creations, your dreams, they are in jeopardy.”

What do you propose?

Caer did not know the answer to the creator’s question. It was not a Dream Carrier’s task to imagine or solve problems, only shelter and deliver dreams and give hope. Though special, though gifted with the ability to dream, Caer was still fundamentally one of them. “I do not know. I just wish such a light did not need to be extinguished so soon, before it could truly do anything about the encroaching hopelessness.”

I cannot return a mortal’s life to the dead, Creation. You know this.

The Dreamer nodded, knowing this. Resurrection was the duty of another being, a jealously kept power that was used so rarely that it might as well never happen at all.

But I can, perhaps, help.

Caer froze, not daring to turn to look at the Creator in disbelief. What was the great being getting at?

This creature will be remade, and assigned to protect those who wander, and are in greatest need. Though its original form was that of the wild, its new form will echo domesticity; most mortals find comfort in each other, after all. Would that not allow it to spread what the world needs so desperately?

The Creator did not wait for Caer to answer, instead waving away both the Dreamer and the incoming Guide to work with the soul, remolding it with delicate ease.

Before long, the newly remade creature was unleashed into the mountains, using its new wings and horns to race to the rescue. It, like Caer and the other Dream Carriers, and like the water guardian Lir, existed now outside of the mortal’s realm.

We never gave the creature a name. You stopped to shelter it, perhaps you wish to name it as well?

“Soláthraí. It is of a mortal tongue.”

Provider. I could think of nothing better.

---

So, yeah, tonight’s bull is my outcome. He wasn’t inspired by anything in particular (except maybe my trip to Texas this summer - I saw a whoooole lot of cattle), but the Red Bull thing did make me laugh at first, after I realized what I’d just made, so I ran with it. ^^; Also, while working on his back legs and anatomy, I found out that cattle actually do sometimes sit on their rumps, and that was a wonderful, wonderful hour or so spent looking at literal sitting bulls.

---

Hints
“Seeing you guys turn into amped-up hint-hungry little monsters from these puzzles... ”
“The jolting, halting paths and the huge vaults into the unknown, I'm loving it~~”
“Relentless, I tell you.”
“Burning all of your time looking backward in order to look forward only makes sense if you're looking in the right places, no?”
“(Pande28: Good detectiving, now amp it up a notch and burn the nos. You'll get there!)”
“(you guys are rock stars at this!)”
This photo [Rockstar, Monster and Amp tabs]
-- > All of these are references to energy drinks. Every single bolded word here is the name of an energy drink and you all have no idea how hard I was trying to not just throw these at you. xD
I ended up tagging the more obvious ones with letters, which probably only make sense to me. That’s the z b x d thing. I figured if you all were searching for transparent text, I could at least do that for you… well, it ended up going nowhere, lol. I said nothing useful was in the transparent text… I didn’t lie.
And, energy drinks, of course, lead to Red Bull. :D Which, I don’t drink, so there aren’t any of those tabs in the photo. Aheh.

“Abominable” and “Adorable” are both nudges toward the word “bull”.

This guy is Ryan Haywood. One thing he’s known for is throwing cows in holes in Minecraft and naming them all Edgar.

The references to pie were mostly red herrings. I just really, really stinkin’ love pie. <33 Though, I guess it could be considered a link to Dean Winchester, a fellow pie lover, who also has a handprint on his shoulder?

I also really love cryptids, so while you guys were talking about it, I had to leave a little joke about you guys summoning me over and over, aheh. But that wasn't a hint at all.

Now the cars… okay. I absolutely love cars. I love racing them (or just going stupid-fast in Need For Speed), so Nos was one of the energy drink hints that I pounced on to use, but that wasn’t really an intended hint, lol. And Stirling was actually a name that came with the dog when I traded for it.

This guy was never a hint, lol. I had grabbed a hoard pet from the Pound and decided to dress him up like a stormtrooper (sorry it’s not so obvious) and throw him in there because you guys were so determined to use my hoards as a way to figure me out - nice try, guys!

[catsmeow]

Pretty cool looking bull!!!!

[Wolven Girl]

2014: Caer’s Story -- 2015: Lir’s Story

Caer knew nothing of time. It was a mortal construct, designed to keep track of one’s own existence before they withered into the ether, swept up either by the darkness that continued to permeate the world or led into peace by the Guides. Caer and the Brethren, they all existed outside such things, their existence immeasurable by any points of reference that could be understood by creatures whose lives came and went like the light of the firefly in the vastness of the cosmos.

The Dreamer’s job was quickly becoming harder as the population grew, and the creatures started closing in on the places that the wild, shadowy beasts still roamed. The monsters feasted, no matter how fast Caer raced toward the destined receivers, and so, so many succumbed; it was a very rare moment indeed, when a victim managed to see the light of the dawn. Carriers were being trapped, dispersed, or lost - and the Creator could not bring more into creation to bring back their numbers.

And yet, there was still honor in the living creatures. A sense of unity that thrived within certain members to protect, to love. This bond, common in family and friendship, extended even to strangers for the most honorable, and it was these who received the greatest rewards in rest. If any were to experience such ties, the Dreamer was glad that it could be the mortals - their lives were so fragile, so fleeting; kindness brightened their hearts with a glow unmatched by the waking sun.

These, too, were hunted by the shadows.

One of the brightest spirits that Caer personally watched after was a young thing; barely old enough to stray from its parents, and certainly not able to manage navigating the mountains that it found itself in after they disappeared. The love held within the little creature burned unmatched, even when hope wore thin. The young thing’s life was cut short not long after its light flickered into being, having spent its last moments on the living plane defending its den-mates from the despair of hunger and need, and the long claws of those who feed upon it.

As the little soul awaited its guide into the final realm, Caer guarded it, cradling it with soft wings. The poor thing wasn’t scared, but… worried. And not for itself, but for those it loved. Without ears, it could not listen to Caer’s condolences. Without a voice, it could not speak of its troubles.

But it could take comfort that the Dreamer could spare.

The warmth of Caer’s creator spread over the pair as they waited. For a long moment, the three were still and quiet, until the all-encompassing voice echoed softly, as if taking care to not frighten the little mortal. You care for this one more than usual, my Creation.

“This creature is of pure heart. It wanted to protect, to love and spread hope, and now…”

Now it is to be taken to its place of final rest. A just reward, is it not?

“Yes, but… hope is dying in the mortal realm. There is so much discord here, our purpose is threatened. Your creations, your dreams, they are in jeopardy.”

What do you propose?

Caer did not know the answer to the creator’s question. It was not a Dream Carrier’s task to imagine or solve problems, only shelter and deliver dreams and give hope. Though special, though gifted with the ability to dream, Caer was still fundamentally one of them. “I do not know. I just wish such a light did not need to be extinguished so soon, before it could truly do anything about the encroaching hopelessness.”

I cannot return a mortal’s life to the dead, Creation. You know this.

The Dreamer nodded, knowing this. Resurrection was the duty of another being, a jealously kept power that was used so rarely that it might as well never happen at all.

But I can, perhaps, help.

Caer froze, not daring to turn to look at the Creator in disbelief. What was the great being getting at?

This creature will be remade, and assigned to protect those who wander, and are in greatest need. Though its original form was that of the wild, its new form will echo domesticity; most mortals find comfort in each other, after all. Would that not allow it to spread what the world needs so desperately?

The Creator did not wait for Caer to answer, instead waving away both the Dreamer and the incoming Guide to work with the soul, remolding it with delicate ease.

Before long, the newly remade creature was unleashed into the mountains, using its new wings and horns to race to the rescue. It, like Caer and the other Dream Carriers, and like the water guardian Lir, existed now outside of the mortal’s realm.

We never gave the creature a name. You stopped to shelter it, perhaps you wish to name it as well?

“Soláthraí. It is of a mortal tongue.”

Provider. I could think of nothing better.

---

So, yeah, tonight’s bull is my outcome. He wasn’t inspired by anything in particular (except maybe my trip to Texas this summer - I saw a whoooole lot of cattle), but the Red Bull thing did make me laugh at first, after I realized what I’d just made, so I ran with it. ^^; Also, while working on his back legs and anatomy, I found out that cattle actually do sometimes sit on their rumps, and that was a wonderful, wonderful hour or so spent looking at literal sitting bulls.

---

Hints
“Seeing you guys turn into amped-up hint-hungry little monsters from these puzzles... ”
“The jolting, halting paths and the huge vaults into the unknown, I'm loving it~~”
“Relentless, I tell you.”
“Burning all of your time looking backward in order to look forward only makes sense if you're looking in the right places, no?”
“(Pande28: Good detectiving, now amp it up a notch and burn the nos. You'll get there!)”
“(you guys are rock stars at this!)”
This photo [Rockstar, Monster and Amp tabs]
-- > All of these are references to energy drinks. Every single bolded word here is the name of an energy drink and you all have no idea how hard I was trying to not just throw these at you. xD
I ended up tagging the more obvious ones with letters, which probably only make sense to me. That’s the z b x d thing. I figured if you all were searching for transparent text, I could at least do that for you… well, it ended up going nowhere, lol. I said nothing useful was in the transparent text… I didn’t lie.
And, energy drinks, of course, lead to Red Bull. Which, I don’t drink, so there aren’t any of those tabs in the photo. Aheh.

“Abominable” and “Adorable” are both nudges toward the word “bull”.

This guy is Ryan Haywood. One thing he’s known for is throwing cows in holes in Minecraft and naming them all Edgar.

The references to pie were mostly red herrings. I just really, really stinkin’ love pie. <33 Though, I guess it could be considered a link to Dean Winchester, a fellow pie lover, who also has a handprint on his shoulder?

I also really love cryptids, so while you guys were talking about it, I had to leave a little joke about you guys summoning me over and over, aheh. But that wasn't a hint at all.

Now the cars… okay. I absolutely love cars. I love racing them (or just going stupid-fast in Need For Speed), so Nos was one of the energy drink hints that I pounced on to use, but that wasn’t really an intended hint, lol. And Stirling was actually a name that came with the dog when I traded for it.

This guy was never a hint, lol. I had grabbed a hoard pet from the Pound and decided to dress him up like a stormtrooper (sorry it’s not so obvious) and throw him in there because you guys were so determined to use my hoards as a way to figure me out - nice try, guys!

@Bentley, he's adorable

[lucky333123]

Woah! Bentley, I love your staff pet! I wasn't expecting that!

[Silver Tiger~]

I love the way you're linking your recent staff pets together, Bentley. I understand why most people don't bother, but it's so much fun reading your stories and seeing the mythology grow every year.

Wonderfully done!

[Bunny!!]

I have a question about the staff litters. How come their always dogs?? :3