Groundlings

groundlings

ALRIGHT lets talk groundlings. this is no particular order btw its essentially an infodump BUT BUT BUT. it lays a nice basis.

Groundlings (mostly those who are suburbian or common) do not understand the purpose of human currency. In their societies, trades of labor or other goods are the norm. However, some smaller communities have developed a credit system. Urban groundlings understand the purpose of money and adopted their own form of it, often using something such as buttons or other common things that humans lose. This differs by city.

General Culture:

Common: closely knit to their communities and to other communities of groundlings. They are fighters, and many collect the ribs of small animals, form them into artificial fangs, then store snake venom in them for protection. Many communities also dose their children on poison to make them resistant and also poisionous. Common groundlings are very friendly with other small folk, but can get hostile with humans. they wear clothes made of leaves and furs and do not have verbal slang, but often use certain body language or hand gestures instead

Suburbian: closely knit within their households, which can sometimes hold up to ten groundling families at once. They are the most peaceful of all the small folk, and often try to convince other groundlings of the virtues of humans. they are friendly with the common groundlings and all faeries, but the sprites consider them traitors. they wear clothing made out of human scraps for the most part, but sometimes they make traditional clothing out of leaves and do not use all human slang, but they do use human curse words

Urban: often not in large groups, many times only with their family or even just a friend or two. they use human weapons to fight off others, and are the most hostile to anything that is not human. they wear human clothes and use human slang

Agriculture is the common groundlings best friend. They rely mostly on growing food, as hunting is a struggle. However, there are many common borrower communities that scavenge as well. Scavenging is becoming more and more popular due to the fact it helps the groundlings to gather seeds, better tool building materials, and furs for clothes. Suburbian groundlings still rely on their agriculture, though they also can rely on the human household they inhabit for certain 'human exculsive' foods, essentially anything processed or bought from a store. Urbans rely only on 'human exculsive' foods.

Names are based on the regional differences as well, but here is the naming system simplified.

Common: simple names, often off of animal names or the name of a plant the groundling was born by.

Suburbian: many plant names, oftentimes shorter names. They were the first groundlings with nicknames

Urban: human names, sometimes based off of streets in their city, or even off of restaurant chains or car brands

Human relationships are pretty strained. Common groundlings have little contact with humans, thus causing stories told to children about how they can be monstrous. However, many commom groundlings can take down a human, if they have enough people to fall a giant. Suburbian groundlings are the most likely to develop relationships with humans, mostly because of their living situations and their constant close proximity to the same humans. Urban groundlings are comfortable with being around humans, but don't often form close relationships due to the idea that they are still dangerous.

Communication between two of three groundling groups(common and suburbian) includes a form of sign language that is most often used in dangerous situations

Assorted Fun Facts

despite the fact that there are common groundlings, suburbian groundlings have the most in numbers

common groundlings and urban groundlings are the most likely to have disputes, due to many common groundlings strong connection to their culture

oftentimes, there is regional mixing, though sometimes it causes resentment because of the erasure of culture on either side

every groundling type has a tail and ears that can rotate one hundred eighty degrees for better hearing.

poor eyesight is not very common, but it does occur commonly in urban groundlings

trauma is very common, thus the creation of rehabilitation centers by suburbian borrowers

The Date (oneshot)

HI. this is my first writing, i hope the g/t community on here likes it

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Sal was not a confident person, they would count themself as far more anxious, in fact. It didn’t help that sometimes they felt as though they had a phobia of Lobians - a newly befriended species that just so happened to be huge. Sal hadn’t even graduated college yet, they were an intern at a company to pay the bills, but they didn’t care much for the work. It would look good on a resume, and that was all that mattered. Lobians were frequent in the office - well not in the office but near it - but Sal never had to talk to them. It wasn’t until they met another paid intern that they first spoke to a Lobian.

“Hi,” he said, a small wave of a hand that could cover Sal like a weighted blanket, “you’re Sal, right?” They looked up from the forms they had been filling out and took a minute just to give him a light nod. “I’m new here - only been working for a few months actually - and my boss told me you’d be the best person to talk to about how to use the copier.” 

“Well, I-I don’t know if you’ll be able to use it,” they began, then realized that if they made this giant angry it could be over for them. “B-but, um, I can copy some things for you, i-if you need.” Sal tapped the papers on the table once, then set them down and stood. The Lobian offered another kind smile and scratched the back of his neck.

“Thank you so much,” he stated, reaching his hand out. Sal flinched and prayed he didn’t notice. He unfurled his fingers - about the size of Sal themself - and in his palm sat a piece of paper, a little wrinkled and wet from the sweat of his palm. Sal offered a nervous smile. 

Little did they know that would be the first of many interactions. Sal eventually learned the Lobians name - it was Ezra. Sal also learned a few other things about Ezra. He was talkative, friendly (at least on the outside), and oblivious as hell. He was denser than a rock. At least Sal knew he’d never get angry over their little flinches or the times Ezra would laugh and Sal would shake for a few moments after that. Still, Ezra scared them, and Sal knew deep down that there was something off about him. Nobody was that happy. 

There was one time, of course, when he slipped that facade. Watching when a man who was several stories tall yells at someone? It’s an experience you don’t forget. It didn’t help that the incident practically confirmed office rumors. People had already begun to claim that Ezra had been violent in the past, that he had anger issues and had only gotten the job because he had intimidated the boss. After the incident, the rumors furthered in severity. The secretary, Jenni, had looked his name up on the internet one time, and an article popped up. Allegedly, when he was sixteen, he had been caught trying to french a human, and then that human was found dead a few days later. Unrelated, the article had said. But Sal didn’t believe it.

“Sal? I had a request, if you aren’t busy.” He poked his head through the balcony window. Sal spun around in their chair, trembling lightly. How could someone so big sneak up on people like that? 

“You, um, you have the floor Ezra.” They noted, sitting on their hands so that they would stop shaking. 

“Would you like to get lunch together?” He asked, his cheeks lightly dusted with red. No. Sal thought. No, no, no. This can’t be happening. They panicked silently with their eyes open and a soft smile on their face. He couldn’t be serious. There was no fucking way. Either way, Sal could not have a choice in the matter. They had seen what happened if Ezra wanted his way - he got it, always.

“Okay,” they practically breathed out the response, their muscles tensing. They flinched when his hand laid down on the balcony. 

“Well, lunch break starts in a couple minutes, you wanna go now?” Sal stared at the hand. They couldn’t take too long in their response, or Ezra might get mad. But even if they said yes, would it be safe to go with him? If he had an unstable past, it surely wasn’t. But, if he had an unstable past, what was stopping him from doing whatever he wanted? So Sal got up from the chair, trembling of course, and sat in his hand. They tried not to look at his face as he blushed again.

Ezra had talked their ear off the whole way there, but Sal hadn’t been listening. They were preoccupied with the fact that they were now on a date with a guy they didn’t like who might’ve had a track record of hurting human partners. They trembled in his hand the whole way to the cushy restaurant, and felt even worse when the giant hostess made a face at them when they walked in. She seated them swiftly, but gave a knowing look to Sal. They’d gotten it before. It was one that meant ‘if you need out of here, just let me know.’ 

“So, I’ve probably bored you with all the nerdy work stuff, what do you want to do outside of filing papers all day?” Ezra asked, still oblivious to Sal’s discomfort. They fiddled with their fingers in their lap.

“I-I’m studying to be a psychologist right now, but, um, I don’t know if that’s what I’m going to go with yet.” They said, using the menu as a shield to hide behind. Ezra looked at his own menu, but continued the conversation.

“That’s really cool, Sal!” He noted loudly, though he changed the subject with a laugh. His laughter was always so unrestrained and loud, but now it felt mocking, which only added to Sal’s discomfort. He smiled playfully, “I know just what you should get. The fish and chips! Ha, I still remember when you told Jenni about how much you hated fish.” Sal’s toes curled inside their shoes and they desperately tried to make themself look smaller. How had he even known about that conversation? He wasn’t even a part of it? Had he just been listening to everything they said? When the waiter finally came, Ezra ordered himself a chicken parmesan sandwich. 

Sal ordered fish and chips. 

“Hey, you know I was just joking, right? You-you didn’t have to order the fish and chips.” Ezra suddenly got quiet and lower to the table. Closer to eye level. His face changed, and for a minute Sal’s brain lied to them about what it meant. It was by no means an angry face, but the sudden shift in Ezra’s mood made them more twitchy. Sal kept quiet, their eyes keeping away from him like the way he looked was poison. “Sal? Are…you okay?” Sal’s gaze snapped up to meet him and they nodded quickly. It was then Ezra caught on. “Oh. Oh no. Not again.” He gasped lightly and sat back up again. Sal tensed and he noticed. “I-I. Sal, you aren’t…no. No. I didn’t- I’m sorry.” He stood up from the table. “I-I’m going to the restroom.” Sal was left alone at the table.

~

He’d done it again. This happened so many times. Ezra would meet someone, mistaken their complacence was kindness, and then think they were way closer than they were. He looked at himself in the mirror of the bathroom, desperately messing with his hair.

“Oh god, no. I-I didn’t mean to-.” He didn’t know how to deal with it, so he just cried. He slumped onto the sinks and cried. Soon enough, someone came to check on him. 

“Hey man, you okay?” It was the waiter that was waiting his table. He looked up at him and sniffled.

“I-I did it again. I th-thought- I didn’t know.” The waiter just looked at him, confused.

“Your date sent me, by the way.” He added, washing his hands. “You might wanna head back out there.” Ezra splashed some water on his face, took in a deep breath, and let out a ragged exhale. When he got back to the table, the food had arrived, but he wasn’t hungry anymore.

“Listen, Sal, I am so sorry. I-I thought we were friends, and I didn’t know that you were…” he trailed off, his eyes refreshing with tears again. He slumped on the table, not wanting to look at the little face he had admired. There was a soft touch on his forehead and his head slowly moved up. Sal was standing right in front of his face, shaking, but there.

“N-No. I-I’m sorry, Ezra. I-I should’ve…” It was then he took in their nervous body language and recognised it as the language that had been there the whole time. That first day with the copier, he knew they were nervous then, but he assumed they had never talked to one of his kind before.

“Sal, I-I’m going to quit.” He said quickly and quietly. “I-I’m so sorry I didn’t notice before- oh god, I-I’m so sorry.” Ezra cried softly, mindful of how close Sal was to him. 

“No, no, y-you don't have to do that, i-its okay, really.” Sal tried to assure him, though they were shaking and stuttering. Ezra sighed into the table.

“I…is everyone there afraid of me too?” He asked softly, terrified of the answer.

“Well I-I know Mr. P isn't,” they offered.

“That's the boss, he doesn't count.” Ezra frowned. “I-I’m so sorry. It wasn't supposed to go like this again.” Sal gave him a confused look. “This isn't the first time I fell in love with someone who was afraid of me.” He commented, not really wanting to speak on it further.

“I-Is that what that article was about?” Sal asked themself quietly, probably trying to make it so Ezra couldn't hear them. But he did.

“What article?” He began to sit up. Sal flinched and he clenched his aching fingers.

“Jenni showed us an article, um, about…you.” Sal said, legs shaking. Ezra inhaled sharply.

“Oh. Wh-what was it about, anyway?” He had a hunch, but he needed to hear it from someone else just in case it wasn't what he thought. Sal took a deep breath and backed away, like they were afraid he was going to lash out. His stomach sank, knowing that fear was actually reasonable. He had freaked out at the boss a few weeks ago.

He was interning in HR, and somebody had voiced a complaint about him. Instead of doing the reasonable thing and saving his frustration for later like he typically did in the presence of humans, he expressed his frustration to his boss. Loudly. For a minute he forgot the office was made almost entirely out of windows and he yelled about it. Mr. Picker had told him softly that he could have the rest of the day off, and so Ezra left early that day.

“Um,” Sal's voice brought his attention out of his thoughts. “It was about something that happened when you were sixteen. I-It involved a human who later died and, um, yeah.” Ezra covered his eyes with his hands and began to cry again. “Ezra? I-I’m sorry.”

He was sixteen and in love with a human boy at his school. By now the two had begun dating, and Ezra had thought things were going well, at least, until the police burst in when they were getting very passionate. It turned out that Ezra's boyfriend hadn't been in love with him, in fact he was afraid of him. A few days later, his ex was found dead and he was taken to court over it. It was the most stressful time in his life, and he became more angry as a result. He was tired and scared.

“No, no, i-its partly true. I-I had done what I did to you, b-but it went further than it should have. B-but I didn't kill him.” He said, not looking at Sal at all. There were a few moments of silence between them as he cried. “I-I’m so sorry, it makes sense why you're all so afraid.”

“I'm sorry I judged you so quickly. That was wrong of me.” Sal commented, not able to look at Ezra. “Let's just go back to the office.” Ezra wiped his face.

“I shouldn't carry you right now. I'm sorry.” He said, sniffling. “I shouldn't have taken you out. I should have known better.” His head was laid in his arms and he kept his gaze away from Sal.

“Focusing on the should’ves doesn't help.” Sal said automatically, but then Ezra looked at them and they flinched. “I-I mean from a psychological standpoint.” Ezra laughed breathily.

“I know,” he wiped his eyes, “it's just really easy to.” The pair sat there in silence for a few minutes. “Thank you for not, I don't know, running away or screaming or hiding from me.” Sal gave him an honest soft smile.

“It's the least I could've done.”

Eventually, the two of them made it back to the office and were called in by Mr. Picker. Ezra was fully ready to take the fall, but Sal surprised him when they told their boss about all the ways Ezra was doing well at his job. He almost cried for the third time that day when Sal said they would stake their career on him. He would get to work there, but Mr. Picker was changing his job to be a delivery boy between employees to help prevent the collective fear due to ignorance.

giant tiny sentence starters

1. “please don’t be sick in my pocket.” 

2. “So are you just going to keep me in a jar forever, or…?” 

3. “This is insane! People don’t just shrink!” 

4. “I’m not scared of you, not really. You’re just… big.” 

5. “You’re so small, I’m always worried I’m going to accidentally hurt you.” 

6. “I like being held in your hands. They’re warm and gentle and safe.” 

7. “Please put me down! I don’t like heights!” 

8. “Ha! You can’t get me now! You’re too big to fit in here!” 

9. “I have to admit, finding a tiny person hiding in my _____ was not what I was expecting out of my day.” 

10. “Are you going to be okay? I mean… you’re so small.” 

11. “What are you doing?! You can’t just walk around at your size! What if someone sees you?” 

12. “I know I must seem big and scary to you, but I don’t mean any harm, promise.” 

13. “Wow, you’re big. I mean, I knew you were big, but now that I’m right next to you… you’re really, really big.” 

14. “Do you plan to come out of my pocket any time soon, or do you just live there now?” 

15. “Oh please, you won’t hurt me. You may be big, but you’re also a big softie.” 

16. “”You okay with riding on my shoulder?” 

17. “I don’t care how big you are, I will fight you!” 

18. “Please don’t try to fight someone literally ____ times you’re size.”

best friends

this was inspired by this post bc it gave me the juices and i just had to write something with it...the potential was too great

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Nikki and Simon were best friends. Ever since kindergarten, the pair had never been apart. They each completed each other in a way. Nikki had never been all that good at communicating with others, especially not when she was younger. That was mostly caused by a speech impediment, leaving Nikki insecure and afraid that people would make fun of her. Oftentimes, that left Simon to do all the talking, which he was completely happy to do.

"Friends don't let friends be scared," He'd say with a wink whenever Nikki hid from someone new.

But now they were older, and Nikki had grown into a better, more well-adjusted teen. She had eliminated her speech impediment for the most part, and she had grown to be far more comfortable with people other than Simon, even if she didn't know them. Simon, though, hadn't changed. He still acted childishly and foolishly, often not thinking about the consequences of his actions before he did them. He got rougher with the ways he showed affection, always squeezing his hugs a little tight or hurting someone with what was intended as a playful slap on the back. Nikki had heard something about him tackling another person to the ground, but she hoped it wasn't true.

He had all these crazy ideas that usually ended in careless destruction, like her fifteenth birthday when he broke in through the window at six in the morning just so he could be the first to wish her a happy birthday. It was a sweet gesture, but the shards of glass that littered her floor after told a different story.

The worst of it was when Nikki could tell he was feeling bad about something, but when she asked he'd change the subject.

All of that was fine with Nikki, of course. She knew that he was still a good person. He was still a good friend, even if emotions made him run and he was never vulnerable with her. That didn't bother her. It didn't bother her at all.

...

Okay, maybe just a little. But Nikki had gotten closer to finally getting Simon to be real and not just some cartoon facade he put on to make himself seem more fun.

That was, until he found a raygun at a pawnshop and decided he wanted to surprise test it on Nikki.

He had asked her to meet him at their childhood playground, right by the swings they had shared many conversations on. She agreed, and she instantly spotted him when she made it to the park.

"Nikki! I bought something from the pawner!" Simon waved, kicking his legs out on the swing. She stood in front of him.

"What even is that?" She asked, pointing at the raygun.

"I don't know what it does," he admitted, fiddling with it in his hands, "but I was hoping we could test it out together?" He looked at her with a glow in his eyes.

"Okay, sure. I haven't got much else to do." Nikki shrugged.

"Great. Now hold still." He closed one eye and aimed the raygun at her.

"Wait, wha-"

ZAP.

Nikki closed her eyes the minute the bright light had fired, but after a few minutes, she opened them again. The mulch ground of the park now looked far, far bigger than it should have been, and as Nikki's heat began to pound in her chest, she looked up to see Simon squatting over her.

"Wow. Now you're really short." He snickered, setting the raygun down. "There's no way I could've guessed it would do this! This is so cool! Look at how tiny and cute you are!" Nikki's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. How could this have even happened? It wasn't scientifically possible! She was snapped out of her thoughts as the shadow of Simon's hand descended upon her. She yelped, though she didn't scream, and pushed his fingers away. It did almost nothing, as Simon was quick to scoop her up.

She resisted the urge to scream again when he brought her right up close to his face and she saw a scratch on it which only reminded her more of his carelessness.

"S-Simon..." She stuttered, uncaring that her impediment had returned. "Ple-please...put-put me down." Her voice was at a whimper.

"Huh? It's...it's me, Nikki." He sounded nervous, which made her even more nervous. "It's just me-"

"That's-That's exactly the problem!" She yelped, and he pulled his face back a little in shock.

"What...do you mean?" His lower lip twitched, and for a minute Nikki thought she could see his eyes gloss over.

"Simon- you-you're loud! And clumsy! And you hurt people all the time without realizing it! I-I don't want my life in you're hands! Especially- Especially not if you're going to treat it like it's funny that now I'm the size of your finger!" She shakes as she says it, but letting it out makes her feel better. "Just- for once in your life! Treat this seriously!" Simon doesn't look at her, his fingers twitching.

"You know I'd never hurt you," Simon said, biting his lip, "right? You do know that, right?" He still couldn't look at her. Nikki glanced away, thinking about all the times he had grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her someplace he thought was cool, the times when she had come home bruised on the back from when he thought something was particularly funny and slapped her on the back. She looked at him and finally recognized the doubt on his face. At least he was taking this seriously.

"You're...scared of me?" Simon finally looked at her, sounding very close to tears. "I know I can be a lot...and I can be careless, but I-I'd...I thought you liked it?" Nikki slumped, feeling gross. "You...I...I can be gentle...with you." Nikki still couldn't look at him, now overcome with the weight of guilt. She felt humiliated and scared and guilty all at the same time.

"God...I'm such a coward," she admitted quietly to herself.

"No, no you're not...I'm the coward. I-I never took anything seriously, and that was wrong-"

"No, I-I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. That was wrong. I'm sorry. I'm just so tired...tired of feeling like you're acting like you're okay when I know you aren't." Nikki sighed in his hand.

"I...Sometimes I feel bad. Like the time I broke your window. But I don't know how to say sorry." Simon admitted, sitting on the ground after setting Nikki down. "I just feel like...maybe sometimes you don't want me around anymore."

"No! That's not true at all!" Nikki was quick to say. "I'd never want you out of my life! You were my first friend! There's no way I wouldn't want you around anymore!"

"You...do you mean that?" Simon asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah. You mean a lot to me."

"Thanks. You, uh, you mean a lot to me too."

hug a giant day !!!

this is just a collection of small little blurbs from my favorite characters i've written!

Rehabilitation (featuring Oliver and Goosefoot)

Oliver was coming home from a long night shift at his janitorial job. He hardly got to see his brother anymore, and he hated it.

"I'm...I'm not what he needs. He needs a father and a mother, not a brother." He admitted to Miss Goosefoot one early morning.

"You're doing the best you can," She said, side hugging his wrist. "Carter knows that."

The Date (featuring Ezra and Sal)

It had been a month or so since the date, and Ezra was excited to go to work. Sal was fairly used to him now, and a few others at the office liked him too. It had taken a lot of work, but he was happy to know that people weren't terrified of him anymore.

The morning was slow, as nobody needed to give anything to anyone else, but eventually the Boss called him in and said he needed to deliver a note to Sal. Ezra had smiled and accepted the task with a nod, quickly heading straight to Sal's office. He had to remind himself not to blush too much, as there was no way Sal would ever like him that way, especially not after the disaster of that very first date. However, he was still excited to see them again.

"Sal, the Boss had a note for you," he said, smiling through the balcony window.

"I know," Sal said, a smile on their voice. They came out onto the balcony and looked as though they were up to something instantly. "Do you want me to read it to you?" They asked, holding back a laugh. Ezra scratched the back of his neck with one hand, and offered Sal the note with the other.

"Um, am I going to regret-!" He gasped as her felt Sal wrap their small arms around his finger. He blushed hard, fingers trembling lightly before he let out a soft exhale. "May...May I pick you up for a proper one?" Sal nodded with a smile. Ezra delicately plucked them up and brought them close to his heavily beating heart and he tried not to smother them into his chest so much.

"Thank you." He said, holding them close.

Best Friends (featuring Simon and Nikki)

Nikki was still small, as it had only been a few hours since Simon had used the gun on her. He had brought her to his house during that time, regretting the fact that his desk and floor were a mess. Nikki hadn't said much, but Simon had certainly thought a lot. He was mostly circling one thought, why don't you ever think before you act?

"Uh, Simon?" Nikki asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Are you going to set me down anywhere?" Simon cringed, hating the thought that maybe Nikki was thinking of all the ways he could hurt her. He set her down on the desk quickly, before sitting in his chair.

"I need to figure out a way to get you back to normal." He remarked, wishing he could go back in time and fix everything. "But...I don't..." He sighed, dropping his head on the desk, causing Nikki to jump. He groaned into the wood, eyes starting to burn. That was, until there was a soft touch to the side of his head. He turned slowly to see that it was Nikki hugging the side of his head.

"Look, we'll find a way out of this, okay?"

MASTERPOST

LOOOOOOOORE

LINEAR STUFF

Rehabilitation (ft Carter, Oliver, Goosefoot, and Thimbleweed)

Plush

Grit

Prologue (to the main story)

(COMING SOON) Read the Signs (ft Caleb, Snakeweed, and Pix)

ONE-SHOTS (may be subject to becoming two shots)

The Date (will they? won't they? I don't know, but one of 'em seems scared!)

Best Friends (reckless boy meets quiet girl. what happens when recklessness leads to trouble?)