art & design © yours truly


 

5225

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origin
abnormal . nature pesky . boundary city riverwalk . size diminutive
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nature features forget-me-not (Myosotis)
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original form bird control spike
transformed by tbd
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available as a creator | all art & writing welcome | may be freely used in others’ stories


 
 

pesky | persistent | meddling | quarrelsome

5225 is a pesky and meddlesome esk who haunts a city riverwalk. Most of her time is spent causing trouble for the people who work in and visit the riverwalk; taking objects from them when they’re not looking, rifling through their belongings, and generally poking her nose into their affairs. She darts in and out of restaurants and shops quickly, curious and attracted by various things like the smell of cooking food, a glimmering tchotchke, or maybe even a mouse hiding unseen by everyone else. She is inquisitive and clever, but can be destructive in order to create her own entertainment when bored. Her original form’s purpose was to keep birds, often seen as harmful nuisances, away from certain areas of the riverwalk, and through its transformation has resulted in an esk who operates in essentially the opposite way.

Unfortunately, due to this, 5225 is very prone to accidents and disaster. She has been known to break glasses and dinnerware, fray electrical wires and connections, startle people off their bicycles and scooters, and may have caused a fire or few, among other things. Most often these mishaps are merely the unintentional consequences of her poking around, but she can be purposefully destructive as well; when bored she will create her own entertainment by tearing things apart, harassing others, or poking her nose in places it really does not belong. She does not feel remorse, embarassment, or apologetic for any of this. She can sometimes be quick to start squabbles and tiffs over trivial affairs, like a fallen french fry or who gets to perch in the best spot. When upset, she flies wildly around, vibrating as intensely as possible, swooping at what or whoever is bothering her, and tossing about anything that is within reach. She will follow those she is annoyed with and harass them as much as she can until they leave the area. She frequently uses the steel fragments on her wings to catch the sunlight and shine it into others’ eyes or within their view to cause a diversion or in an attempt to deflect them away from something.

Despite this, she is rather social, seeming to enjoy being among birds in particular, and so makes attempts to attract them to the river by stealing and putting food in accessible places and removing anti-bird measures like spikes. She will occasionally work together with her flying friends to various ends, such as aiding gulls in mobbing, or helping pigeons reach a desirable piece of food by distracting any humans nearby. She can be particularly unruly when caught in the act of meddling or stealing, and will start squabbles if and when someone tries to get in the way of whatever she is doing or desires.

5225 does not have a name and can go by whatever others nickname her as.


icon © twwm

city riverside

5225’s boundary is inspired by San Antonio’s riverwalk (though hers is not meant to be exactly San Antonio.) It is a bustling area with lots of restaurants, shops, cafes, and galleries, and is lined with lush trees and well-maintained plantscapes. There are all kinds of events held here throughout the year so never a shortage of adventures to be had and things to see.


Impressions

  • 5225’s vibration is high pitched, a little screechy, and persistent. It is unpleasant and annoying and she intensifies it when upset.

  • Her size is comparable a larger thrush or cardinal, and her wings are sleek and shaped like a gull’s.

  • The stems of the forget-me-nots trailing behind her are flexible and can be expressive. Most often they drape loosely behind her, but she may raise them up in an attempt to make herself look bigger when upset or trying to be intimidating.

  • Her eyespots have pattern shift and can move around to form different displays.

  • Parts of the her wing tops are made of steel. She takes care to keep these clean and polished, and uses them to reflect light onto various things when in need of a diversion or defense, though this happens incidentally as well. There are bands of steel on her legs too.

  • She occasionally leaves her boundary, usually by following someone a little too long. Every now and then she is driven out by cold weather, which she does not appear to tolerate well and will seek warmer temporary refuge elsewhere. She will visit the conservatory only when led by another esk, never on her own, and does not have a personal wing.

  • 5225’s behavior and tendencies are nearly identical to a bird’s (think perhaps a corvid or gull). She does not have human-like language capacity, or mannerisms, and her actions are driven mostly by impulse. This does not mean she is empty-headed - she is clever and capable of learning, using tools to solve complex problems, and does experience emotions and form attachments.

Examples of pattern-shift and a view of 5225 from behind


Relationships & Stories

Tiko and 5225 and the Cheese Curl Heist

Relationships

5225 is social and enjoys the company of other esk, but is bad at traditional friendships as she lacks the ability to form, understand, or recognize many of the emotional and social nuances that friendship tends to require, though she will bond to others that she spends a lot of time with and form a sort of emotional attachment to them. She gets along best with other inquisitive or meddling esk who she can work in cooperation with to various ends.

By nature of being an esk, she has an inherent ability to tell when others are lost or suffering, which couples with an instinct to try and fix their situation. While she can be surprisingly patient and tender in these instances, her inability to understand what the other needs can sometimes result in her help being a little tone-deaf. When these attempts at helping do not appear to be successful she may become agitated and overbearing (though in a harmless way).

1321 | Púca - creator
3879 | Tiko - a kindred spirit

Origins & Stories

None yet

Transformations

5225’s transformations are unlimited and can be motivated by many things. As a post-transformation mentor, she has a strong instinct to be helpful and motherly but this tends to translate into being overly fussy and a little obnoxious rather than particularly helpful, especially when she cannot understand the particulars of what the transformed esk may need.


Gallery - Empty

Click images to view fully. Much of this artwork is not mine but has been gifted or commissioned. Credits and links to these wonderful artists’ profiles are listed - on desktop, hover over the image; on mobile, you will have to hit the white circle in the bottom right corner (I am working on trying to find a different solution to the latter.)