Jump to content
Stray Fawn Community

Orniekis


CanDLinkZz

Recommended Posts

Been a while since I started a new playthrough properly, I've been needing a way to get my thoughts straight lately, and I've been meaning to post a playthrough here for a while, so here we go. This is a story-based 'challenge' that I came up with not too long ago but didn't have the guts to post. I probably won't post many screenshots, if any at all, but I'll do physical descriptions. I like writing those.

My own thoughts that weren't explicit in the writing will be in underline or something-- I'll see what I feel like doing. I'll probably have comments on things like personalities and such, but for that stuff I'll try to let the story do its work.

So. Starting with one teenage and female Nicheling, blind genes on, Grass Adventure island, let's do this. If I really feel like it, I'll post the full settings in challenges. 

 

Adding the tribe rules here-- story-wise, these haven't been established yet, but these are what I'm basing this playthrough off of. They'll probably be changed around a little throughout.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dsVH60ad8_Kh31MXnQP1dw7FrFIu0CyAhCb-ojQuMx4/edit?usp=sharing 

Not sure if that works.

Okay it works.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Orniekis wakes up to the burning feeling of the sun on black fur. She blinks her eyes open in confusion. Last she remembers, she was gnawing on bearyena bones in the dusk-- but her bones feel too dead for that to be just yesterday. She sits up and revels in the cool relief to her scorching fur-- oh, but now her face is burning.

Orniekis sighs and hides from the sun in the grass to her right. This isn't a place she recognises. The grass is too yellow. The focuses on the sounds around her. A termite hill. Two, actually. Other than that, there's nothing interesting around. ...But where is everyone?

Wait-- 

Bold of her to assume there was an 'everyone' in the first place. 

Her eyes wander across a nest sitting on the cliff in front of her. Lonely nest. Lonely.

Just like her.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Orniekis startles herself awake. Hold on... when did she fall asleep again?

The sun has only just lowered over the hills. That was a short nap. There's a coconut laying below her on the sand next to the nest. Well, there's dinner sorted.

 

Okay, writing in her perspective is already really interesting. I didn't know it was physically possible for me to write a sentence as short and simple as 'That was a short nap' without going over it 52 times and stressing over the fact that it has zero detail. But then again, that's sort of how I think when I'm not writing stories. My brain makes no sense to me.

Now I'm curious what'll happen when a new Nicheling joins the group. I feel like the reason Orniekis' perspective makes me feel more relaxed when writing is because I associate her with myself in the way that we have the same sort of thought process-- ecept she actually thinks in words and I usually think in nothing but sounds, colours and images. But I can't make all the Nichelings exactly the same. So.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing has moved in a while. Not that anything has moved really since she woke up. But somehow it scares her. The noise of birds is starting to get obnoxious. She doesn't even know when they started chirping.

She decides that now is the time to leave the lonely nest to be lonely again. Perhaps someone else will stumble upon it someday. 

She follows the beach toward the greener grasses. Perhaps something will move out there. Orniekis knows where she's going now. Achievement unlocked.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Orniekis stumbles upon another nest not too long after dark. This nest isn't so lonely. It has a friendly stump next to it. Perhaps this is a sign. She decides to settle down in the nest and sleep for a while. Maybe she'll have more energy to do things in the morning.

 

And yes, I'm combining multiple days into one just to make it less... jagged, I guess. 

 

Orniekis wakes up, a little less confused and a lot less uncomfortable now. Although, she was wrong about waking up with more energy. She has just about the same amount as before. She takes a while to sit back and observe. Her stripes are a similar colour to the fibres of the nest; just with a little more pink, maybe. She wonders about the story of the pretty little gems on her chest. And the equally pretty gems tied to her pearly white antlers. She wonders where she came from. How did she end up here? Or maybe she was here to begin with. Perhaps she's overthinking things.

She scrabbles onto the tree stump next to her nest and sighs.

  • Like 2
  • Eek! 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was that a sneeze she heard?

She smells the air. Agh, darn her weak little fanged snooter!

After the little sneeze, there was a something stumbling around in the grass for a second or two, but then the noise stopped. Too quiet again. Even the birds stopped chirping.

Can predators sneeze? Probably not, but she doesn't know if she should take that risk. She lowers herself back into the nest, snagging a few berries from the other side of the stump along the way. Whatever the thing is, maybe it'll come closer if it smells the berries. That is, if it's not something that would prefer to eat her

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Orniekis found the thing.

There was a big blue bird in the sky, see, and it make the most horrible noise and it startled her onto the beach, and there up on the cliff on the other side of the berry bush from where she was sitting was a big brown thing with a long, long nose and a little nasaly voice. He was reaching a paw out for her.

I guess he got bored of waiting for her to react, because he turned away to eat the berries on her berry bush. And just then, it starts raining. 

"Suit yourself, kid, but I'd get outta the rain if I were you. I don't think you wanna be as sick as me in your young years. My name is Pridukven."

And now she's sitting on the beach with a big giant blue bird circling above her in the rain and getting wet sand in her fur. Eugh.

  • Haha 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This whole 'documenting everything I do in Niche' thing isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I thought I would get tired of stopping all the time to write everything out, post it and then get back to playing, but it's actually really fun. I like this. I wanna do this more often.

  • Like 1
  • Eek! 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The next few moments are spent in uncertainty as Pridukven hops up onto what was probably his stump before Orniekis arrived. The rain eventually stops, and she is still sitting on the beach, sad and confused. The clownkoi that darts up next to her in the water seems to have some empathy and decides to stay by her side for a while.

When Pridukven glances back at her questioningly, she decides to not be awkward for the first time since they met and snag a few of the poisonous berries on the other side of the normal berry bush that's next to the tree stump that's next to the nest that's next to empty space. She likes those poison berries. She can't remember how she knows this about herself since she can't recall ever eating them before.

The blue bird seems to have forgotten about Orniekis and is now hovering over the sea. Thank goodness.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

would have posted a screenshot there of Orniekis being awkward and Pridukven looking at her weirdly, but now my screenshots aren't cooperating because laptop can only just keep up with niche on its own. Sorry, folks.

 

Pridukven decides that now is the time to bond with this awkward soul, as if he doesn't, he will literally never get the chance again thanks to his deathly illness. He pats the ground a little ways away from him with his nimble fingers and beckons her over. Orniekis makes her way around the obstacles and settles herself awkwardly in the soft grass. The grass is making her feel a little better about this situation. 

"Tell me your name, child."

And so the grandfatherly relationship was formed over a long night of stories and laughs. 

  • Paw up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pridukven knows that his time is soon. So, with a heavier heart than he would have expected, he gently sends Orkienis on her way.

"I'm too old to go out on adventures anymore, though. I've made a home for myself here and I'm happy. You on the other hand have a whole world to explore."

Orkienis knows what he's trying to do. And she's going to let it happen. He will pass peacefuly. 

"Go out and make your own stories. I've enjoyed your company."   +1 self esteem

Orkienis nods with new purpose; one that seems to have been rediscovered from the deepest, darkest depths of her mind. 

And so, with one final wave, she leaves.

  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's raining again now, fittingly, and the silence now is more eerie than it was before. She really is alone now. Sure, she was from the beginning, but now she knows what it feels like to lose someone. Doesn't matter that she only knew him for a day and a bit. 

But there's a new blue bird circling over her, and she wants to make the old nicheling proud, wherever he is up in the sky. So, she presses on through her thoughts. Focusing on the things around her. Although it doesn't help now that the rain is making her nose even weaker than it was before. 

From across the shore, she can see the little lonely nest that she left behind; and the not so lonely nest that Pridukven and she have left behind. Maybe they can be lonely together.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The silence stretches on and on as Orniekis wanders farther and farther from her fallen friend. There are distant cries from dodomingo, but not a single other Nicheling appears to ease her loneliness. 

It starts raining after three long days of travelling. It was the same routine up to that point; wake up, walk, happen to stumble upon a berry bush, eat, sleep, wake up again. Maybe Pridukven was wrong. Perhaps she wasn't meant to get very far in life.

But just as she has this thought, her path is blocked by a grey thing. Nope... a grey and orange thing. The thing was hidden very well among orange grass, nomming on the berries from a bush she had just discovered. But of course, she happened to miss him because her nose is terrible and he has the most velvety of velet paws to hide the sound of his feet. 

And so there they stare, startled, in between two berry bushes, a cactus, and a rock. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Orkienis refuses to be the awkward one this time. "My name is Orkienis. Who might you be?"

The spotty Nigheling finds his voice after a moment of processing. "I go by Joeseki. Are you alone?"

"Yes, yes I am." Orkienis offers him some of her berries just as he finishes the ones on his bush. "But perhaps not anymore?"

Joeseki smiles. It's nice seeing someone smile. Pridukven couldn't really smile when his mouth was so small and his nose was so large. "Are you suggesting that I join you? Because if you are, then hell yeah!"

Orkienis smiles with him. She has a feeling he won't be leaving as soon as Pridukven did.

  • Like 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now I REALLY wish I could post screenshots. This is too cute.

 

"Great. So uh... I don't really know where I'm going."

Joeseki laughs at the confession. "How 'bout we go toward one of those nut trees? They're a realy good source of food. I can show you how to crack them with your mouth!"

"Uhh, I'm not so sure I'll be very good at that." Orkienis has a very vague memory of attempting to do just that somewhere far, far away before she woke up on this island. 

"Well, you can try anyway! But we'd better get moving. These berry bushes are as good as shrivelled."

And so, away they go. But in the grass, Joeki can smell something. Something a little like himself; definitely a Nicheling, male, but a little more... sour. Not a good thing. Probably one of those creepy dudes who... uh...

Yeah. He should keep Orniekis away from him.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't even remember where the name Orniekis came from. But it sounds familiar. I probably heard it in like a tv show or something -- but it's spelt differently, because the name literally exists, like, no where else on the internets from what I've seen, as evidenced from a speedy search on google by my sister which is obviously sufficient evidence clearly

I also have a little habit of having little nicknames for the Nichelings in my playthroughs. Little one-word stories that pretty much sum up the Nicheling's entire personality to me. Sometimes it's like a setting, a word that seems completely random, a smell or a colour? It makes sense to me and no one else. Like, Orniekis is 'Lost' and Pridukven was 'Scrawny'-- but only before I came up with a quick concept for him. 

Still really wish I could post screenshots.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A good 90% of my playthroughs never get this far because I usually find them too repetitive or I'm doing a challenge that I've done too many times or the challenge has way too many story based rules that involve dice and things that I just can't be bothered with, but coming up with this thing myself is actually nice. I wonder if I can come up with another one for when I've gotten farther with this one. 

I'm probably only doing this for my own enjoyment. I guess that's kind of what these are for though. No, what I meant is I guess not many people will read these and find it interesting, but I wanted to post it here anyway because I seem to always need to be talking to someone, whether they're listening or not.

Hm.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even just talking like this in paragraphs is somehow nice. I don't understand myself. Although I should probably get everything down in one big post otherwise I'm going to feel guilty for spamming even though there's someone out there who's gonna say it doesn't matter.

I'll continue the story tomorrow. It's 11:19pm.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...