Gorillas in the Sand

by **Gale Austin McCenry** on October 5th, 2012, 1:49 am

50th of Fall
Afternoon
The Docks

Note :

Today, Gale had a goal. He was determined to make a more enlightening picture, instead of his usual sad and downing pictures. He had a great idea too; all he needed was a bucket. If it weren't for an unpleasant experience with a redhead he met last season, he would have asked to borrow one of her many buckets she bought to fill up her pool. But that wasn't happening any time soon. So he decided to get his own bucket. Even though he was rather low on money, he figured he could use it to hold water for when he wanted to paint on later dates. But for now, it had a much more childish task.

The murderer carried his empty pale and sketchbook to the docks, looking for a nice open spot in the sand. It took him several chimes but he found a fairly inactive spot, though there were still people there of course. He smirked and set his bucket and sketchbook down carefully before slipping his shoes off and rolling his pants legs up. He scooped up the pale once again and went over to the water to fill it up.

The water was freezing but it was nice to kick the water again and not really care how stupid he looked. Which is exactly what he did. He kicked the water a few times, watched the foam float on the sand, and step on a few rocks. Though after the second one, he decided he should get to building the structure to get the picture done. After all, it probably wouldn't be there tomorrow. He gather up a bucket of water and brought it back to his little spot. Setting the full bucket down, Gale moved his sketchbook further away. He dumped the water, watching it soak into the sand as if it was a sponge.

The blonde stood there more a moment, hands on his hips, smiling a completely natural smile at the sand. Gale was trying to picture how it would turn out for a few moments before saying to himself. "Wait- It was a sand castle! You don’t need to plan that out! They make themselves basically." With that thought, Gale plopped down and started to fill the bucket with sand. This was going to be a great picture.

Ledger-5 GM for Bucket

by **Srath** on October 6th, 2012, 11:50 am

Srath hesitantly put his hand down onto the sand, feeling it give way to his intense weight more than any ground had ever done before. The feeling was disconcerting at best, the feeling of shifting ground making the Jamoura nervous. He could plainly see dozens of humans walking across the sand, but they weighed a fraction of his weight. Would he sink or get stuck? If so, what would happen?

Srath pondered these thoughts for almost half a bell before he just stepped out with all four limbs, his hands and feet sinking into the sand slightly, but nowhere enough to be a risk to him. Smiling, he proceeded on towards the beach taking each step carefully as he started to adjust to the shifting ground beneath him, watching where each hand was placed so he could watch the grains of sand shift and tumble. The sight was curious to watch, seeing how easy Srath could manipulate the sand compared to hard-packed earth.

Continuing on with his musings, Srath reached the line where the sand became wet. A wave rolled up from the ocean and crashed gently onto the sand, rushing up towards the Jamoura where it washed over his hand partially, the water cold but a wonderful reminder of the cold waters in his homeland. Suddenly though, the sand was moving under him was the water receded, taking the sand with it. This feeling of the ground being pulled from under his hands was worse the shifting sand before.

Srath stepped back, but not far enough as the following wave rolled up under both hands and a foot, the sand moving from under them all as the water moved away, causing the Jamoura to move back further into the dry sand. That would take some getting used to for sure.

Standing where he was, the Jamoura watched and enjoyed the salty air scent, watching the people around him, especially one blonde haired young man who was carrying water back up the beach. He had some items on the sand next to him as he poured the water into the sand. Srath wondered why if the man wanted wet sand did he not just carry some up, but he waited a moment and watching. Sure enough, the young man moved the wet sand into the bucket, though Srath knew not why. What better way to find out than ask, and asking was not something Srath was shy about.

Sand was kicked up with each step he made towards the blonde man, walking out and around so that he approached within view of the man so as not to startle him. "Hello, I am Srath. I was wondering why you carried the water up to make wet sand, and why are now putting the wed sand back into your bucket." He nodded as he introduced himself to Gale, acknowledging Gale as an equal to himself.

by **Gale Austin McCenry** on November 3rd, 2012, 3:29 am

OOCA MILLION apologies for the extra extremely long delay. What a horrible person I am for putting so many people off. DX Hopefully I'm not going to be hated for doing so.

Scooping the wet sand by handfuls into the bucket, Gale filled the bucket and took the handle and base of it. Hesitating a few moments, Gale swung the bucket so it was now upside down in the sand. But as soon as he did, someone started to speak to him, questioning what he was doing. Does Srath not know what a sand castle was? That seems odd.

“Well, I’m filling the bucket with the sand because it’s easier to-“ Gale raised his head an blinked for a moment. Was he looking at a giant gorilla? The guy was HUGE! “t-to make tall structure for a sculpture.” Scratching the back of his head, Gale gave out a single chuckle from shock of the image he was seeing,” Did you ever stop growing?” Of course, Gale wasn’t trying to be rude but things slip out of your mouth when you’re flabbergasted. Seeing a Jamoura for the first time would be a pretty big shock to most people in Gale perspective. “Apologies, I just haven’t seen…one of your kind before. It’s just a mouthful, I suppose.” Gale chuckled at his own attempt to be polite. Shaking his head as he glanced at the ground,” Um-“ Gale thought of what to say as he stood up, still being significantly shorter than Srath. They were like David and Goliath except Goliath in this situation was more of a friendly giant, at least at first.

“Er- McCenry. Gale McCenry.” He said while laughing, “Pleasure to meet you, Srath.” Gale stuck out his hand before realizing that it might not have been a good idea. Hopefully where the apelike humanoid came from handshakes were common. It would most definitely be strange if he didn’t know and Gale did so. And if he did know, hopefully he knew his own strength. He doesn’t need a hurt hand while drawing.

by **Arianthe Swansong** on November 14th, 2012, 9:32 pm

Usually getting sand between her toes would only seek to infuriate her, but today Arianthe was feeling more at peace with the world than she usually did. She held her shoes, her stockings and the hem of her floor-length emerald green skirt in her left hand, her book of poetry in her right and her long honey blonde hair, which was usually tied back demurely, was loose in soft curls down to her hips.

Arianthe walked along murmuring a verse of a poem she had written. As always pleased with how quickly she had come up with it, if not the quality of the verse itself. She repeated it with a small smile, and stopped for a minute, sitting down on the sand (oblivious to how damp it was) to write it down into her book, pulling a long quill and a tightly fast vial of ink from one of the pockets of her vast black cloak. After a few moments, she stood back up, placed the quill and ink back and continued walking. The sea looked so peaceful at this time of day, when the sun was setting and sending light darting magically across the waves.

She paused and repeated this then considered how she could continue, but was suddently struck by two figures further along the stretch of sand, in the direction she was heading. Noting that by this point, her appearance must have been perfectly wild, she tried to tame her hair into something more respectable, but the lack of tools available to tie it back meant that even as she flattened it down, the wind would whip it backwards.
Giving up, she at least dropped the hem of her skirt and pulled her hood up. She would have put her stocking and shoes back on but her feet, but the prospect of introducing grains of sands into her footwear did not fill her with joy.

She drew closer to the couple and finally realised one to be the man who had helped her when she had accidentally ventured and the other to be an enormous ape-like creature. She raised a hand vaguely in greeting, not sure what to say though, she decided, she could always thank the blond for having helped her.

by **Gale Austin McCenry** on February 19th, 2013, 4:11 am

OOCIt seems we lost our dear friend Srath. Until further notice from him I am afraid we will have to continue on without him, as sad as that may be.

What a strange sight to see something so large and something so...not human. Well-er- not that is a bad thing! That's not a bad thing at all! It's just strange! No, strange to the untrained eye. No- Gah!!

Gale's thoughts buzzed around in his head like a hive of distracting bees. Though he was awaiting for a response to his outstretched hand and his introduction of awkwardness, his face slowly drift to one that could have been taken as either extreme confusion or great discomfort. Despite his blundering was in his head, and with his luck, he wouldn’t be surprised if Srath read his mind and beat him for it. Worst case scenario but it was still enough to make Gale a little uncomfortable. But the Jamoura seemed nice enough…

Despite Gale’s attempt to maintain eye and not to fiddle around, a distinct movement to his right subconsciously made the artist whip to the side. “Hey! What do you know! Long time no see!” His response was almost instant and involuntary.

He wasn’t trying to look or sound so…what’s the word…jumpy, however, Gale had all but forgot about his castle and standing next to someone…like Srath was one of Gale’s worst nightmares. Wait- not really, it wasn’t the fact it was Srath, it was the fact that he was tall! Wait- no, not that either!...Maybe it would be best that he did not think about it.

by **Arianthe Swansong** on February 22nd, 2013, 2:58 pm

Arianthe smiled as she drew closer, and pulled her hood back, “You've built a sandcastle. I haven't done that for a long time.” She looked at the meagre sand structure, “Rather, you're building a sandcastle. When I was younger, my brothers and I used to make Sand-Palaces. It worked well if you built the sand up in spires rather than turrets, and then they would sort of crumble and it looked like a melting palace.” she flushed, “I am sorry. I'm just in an unusually loquacious mood today. I am not sure why.”

Arianthe really wasn't. It was not a habit of hers – talking – at least not any more. She supposed she had been rather talkative younger, but the experience of her marriage had discouraged her from idle talk for a good few years. It was just that it left one so often open to ridicule and, in her memory, ridicule went hand in hand with maltreatment and violence. She was also not in the habit of randomly greeting people she had only met once, but the blond man inspired a little confidence in her and he almost sounded happy to see her emerge.

“Yes. Long time, no see. I don't know if I ever thanked you. Properly.” Or maybe she had. Too much. Thanking people too much could irritate them too.

The blond was with a huge gorilla-like creature, a jamoura, since she doubted real gorillas had so much control. She did her best not to stare at him, but she had not really ever seen such a creature before. Once, but it was a long time ago, and not in the sand. A gorilla in the sand. Well, that was an interesting image.

“I am Arianthe Swansong,” she said, introducing herself, before turning back to the blond, and saying quite boldly and, she supposed, strangely, “The beach, especially on a day like this, suits your demeanour. You have a distinctly melancholy face and with the sands and the grey sky and the stillness of the sea, still dressed like that, you look whole-heartedly woebegone.” She paused and smiled nervously, “Of course, I might be very much off the mark. I often am.”

by **Abstract** on July 2nd, 2013, 8:17 pm

Loot, Lore, and Skills!

Gale :

Srath :

Arianthe :

This was fun and pretty lighthearted, though... short. Sad it had to end. Since you didn't say anything about actually building the castle, I couldn't give you anything for that... Please PM me if you have any questions, concerns, or comments!

Closed Gorillas in the Sand