02-03-2020, 12:46 PM
decisions to decisions are made and not bought
Pain was motivation. It was something that would keep simple minded creatures from getting hurt. It was motivation for more complicated persons as well. Touching a stove would result in a burn, and therefore the burned person would be less likely to touch the stove again in the future. Burns lasted for a long, long time. Astiar had 'learned' this. It was debatable, truly, if the insect was capable of true learning. Some things - passive, normally - were easily grasped by his simple mind. Trees were food. Bugs were friends. Heat was pain. Those were the sorts of things that Astiar easily was able to comprehend. His simple mind demanded equal simplicity. He was a creature that was tied down to instincts due to his bare mind, a mind that was time and time again referred to as being nonexistent. There was something there, though. It was just as simple as the rest of him. He was, after all, not just a cicada. He had been ripped from his cicada body and thrown into that of a dragon. He had grown in ways that no other cicada would have been able to. He was a dragon in body and function, but his mind was entirely that of a bug. It was only devoted to finding and eating food. Yet, somehow, in the midst of this, the dragon had somehow managed to form an idea of friendship. Recognition. Things that simple minded bugs could barely do. Yes, Astiar barely managed and therefore it fit into the category of more bug-minded nonsense.
What instinct bound minds were not bound to was reason. Reasoning and logic were two things that Astiar was exempt from. Applicable learning - such as being yelled at - had it's responses. He could not use deductive reasoning and create conclusions from prior knowledge. Repetition and trial and error were the biggest methods that he could use in order to survive other than instinct. Food used to be plentiful in the Pitt's territory. Now, it was all gone. It had been burned. There was hardly anything left for him to eat there. Dangerous situations and starvation had prompted him to come here once before to feast upon the plentiful trees. It was a trial, and there had been error. He had been burned, one of his legs bitten and his chest slashed at by mighty claws. His body still bore the wounds, even if most of it had been healed. The lava burns had darkened a decent chunk of the scales of the injured limb. They had grown back jagged initially, but had now smoothed down to match the rest of his scales spare their discoloration. A bite wound had been administered the second time that he'd returned. It had healed quicker than the lava wound but still showed itself with the dents present in his scaly armor. Again, mostly healed was the wound, but still present nonetheless.
After all these injuries, perhaps a smart person would have reasoned to never return to the place where they had occurred - much like a child touching a stove. It was simple cause and effect. Doing one thing had caused another. Astiar had been hurt both times he had come to this swampy place. However, his simple mind was running along a track of impulse. Instinct heavy was his mind, but there was the barest presence of something else. If he could manage curiosity, there was room for other deviations to arise as well. Utter stupidity of what he was doing currently fell within that category. A few hours prior he had risen up and set off on this absolute mess of an activity. His noisy wings had carried him through the air to the shore. Tropical portion of such, where he had hoisted a mighty palm tree from the ground. He was weak, hungry, and it had required him to dig at the sand around the tree. He had taken the liberty of trying some of the coconuts up in the higher portion. His strong jaws were easily able to crush the coconut and obtain the sustenance within - not to mention gulping down the shell portion in addition to the fleshy insides. Astiar eyed the felled tree for a few moments. Slowly he craned his head down, and picked up the tree from its center. Then, his mandibles clenched down against the bark in order to further secure it. Getting back up into the air had been difficult, but he had managed.
Currently he sat with the felled palm tree before him. His sitting position had always been awkward and gawky. Astiar didn't know how to sit - cicadas certainly didn't do such. His wings were buzzing as always, but quieter than the norm. Exhausted were the flight enabling wings from lugging both his massive body as well as the hefty tree over to the current location. It was somewhat tiring, and how badly did Astiar want to rip into this tree to sate his hunger. However, he restrained. Barely. His antennae curled and his head was lowered. Soft chittering noises parted from his mouth which hung open, panting. The heaviness of the tree was the reason for why he did not drag food back to the Pitt and store it there. It simply was pushing the upper limits of Astiar's strength. The tree was close to him, placed somewhat underneath his lowered head. When the dragon heard noise, the noise of approach, his ever present buzzing began to increase. In contrast to his last times of wandering into the territory of Tanglewood, he now had a new method of communication other than physical movements and nonsensical noise. The blue antennae that the mighty beast possessed raised, and he sought to shriek into the mind of whomever was approaching with the same level of noise that his screeches and shrieks possessed, "GREETING SMALL NO FOOD NO BURN NO PAIN LIGHT FOOD SMALL." It was loud, noisy, but it was better than absolutely no words being exchanged at all. There wasn't fear, not yet - the bug's stupidity and basic processes was immeasurable in that manner. His mandibles clicked, another absent noise that added to the symphony of ear wrenching noise and bleeding eyesore that was the dragon.
What instinct bound minds were not bound to was reason. Reasoning and logic were two things that Astiar was exempt from. Applicable learning - such as being yelled at - had it's responses. He could not use deductive reasoning and create conclusions from prior knowledge. Repetition and trial and error were the biggest methods that he could use in order to survive other than instinct. Food used to be plentiful in the Pitt's territory. Now, it was all gone. It had been burned. There was hardly anything left for him to eat there. Dangerous situations and starvation had prompted him to come here once before to feast upon the plentiful trees. It was a trial, and there had been error. He had been burned, one of his legs bitten and his chest slashed at by mighty claws. His body still bore the wounds, even if most of it had been healed. The lava burns had darkened a decent chunk of the scales of the injured limb. They had grown back jagged initially, but had now smoothed down to match the rest of his scales spare their discoloration. A bite wound had been administered the second time that he'd returned. It had healed quicker than the lava wound but still showed itself with the dents present in his scaly armor. Again, mostly healed was the wound, but still present nonetheless.
After all these injuries, perhaps a smart person would have reasoned to never return to the place where they had occurred - much like a child touching a stove. It was simple cause and effect. Doing one thing had caused another. Astiar had been hurt both times he had come to this swampy place. However, his simple mind was running along a track of impulse. Instinct heavy was his mind, but there was the barest presence of something else. If he could manage curiosity, there was room for other deviations to arise as well. Utter stupidity of what he was doing currently fell within that category. A few hours prior he had risen up and set off on this absolute mess of an activity. His noisy wings had carried him through the air to the shore. Tropical portion of such, where he had hoisted a mighty palm tree from the ground. He was weak, hungry, and it had required him to dig at the sand around the tree. He had taken the liberty of trying some of the coconuts up in the higher portion. His strong jaws were easily able to crush the coconut and obtain the sustenance within - not to mention gulping down the shell portion in addition to the fleshy insides. Astiar eyed the felled tree for a few moments. Slowly he craned his head down, and picked up the tree from its center. Then, his mandibles clenched down against the bark in order to further secure it. Getting back up into the air had been difficult, but he had managed.
Currently he sat with the felled palm tree before him. His sitting position had always been awkward and gawky. Astiar didn't know how to sit - cicadas certainly didn't do such. His wings were buzzing as always, but quieter than the norm. Exhausted were the flight enabling wings from lugging both his massive body as well as the hefty tree over to the current location. It was somewhat tiring, and how badly did Astiar want to rip into this tree to sate his hunger. However, he restrained. Barely. His antennae curled and his head was lowered. Soft chittering noises parted from his mouth which hung open, panting. The heaviness of the tree was the reason for why he did not drag food back to the Pitt and store it there. It simply was pushing the upper limits of Astiar's strength. The tree was close to him, placed somewhat underneath his lowered head. When the dragon heard noise, the noise of approach, his ever present buzzing began to increase. In contrast to his last times of wandering into the territory of Tanglewood, he now had a new method of communication other than physical movements and nonsensical noise. The blue antennae that the mighty beast possessed raised, and he sought to shriek into the mind of whomever was approaching with the same level of noise that his screeches and shrieks possessed, "GREETING SMALL NO FOOD NO BURN NO PAIN LIGHT FOOD SMALL." It was loud, noisy, but it was better than absolutely no words being exchanged at all. There wasn't fear, not yet - the bug's stupidity and basic processes was immeasurable in that manner. His mandibles clicked, another absent noise that added to the symphony of ear wrenching noise and bleeding eyesore that was the dragon.
control yourself and take only what you need from it
TAGS 9/4/19:
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FULZANIN is a 19 year old content creator. Currently roleplaying as Beezlebub in the Pitt and Jotunhel in the Typhoon. Time spent outside of work and writing is typically done in Creatures of Sonaria. FULZANIN is also in a happy relationship, and is aegosexual/asexual herself.
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