[Text]

[swarmoflies]

[There's no actual text here. Instead, an unseen hand sketches out a drawing. It's an illustration of a lion, drawn in a childish hand - or more specifically, like an illustration of a lion done by a girl who had never seen a real one, but who had a picture of one that she'd copied over and over, and is now trying to recall it from memory. She has hand-eye coordination and a natural eye for how shapes fit together on her side, but a lack of real training or practice working against her. Result: even though this is an image she's produced more successfully more times than she can count in the past, it keeps coming out a bit malformed, and she periodically erases the whole thing and starts over again.]

[Bear in mind she's illiterate, and wouldn't be too keen on the whole Gardens knowing who their little arteest is anyway. But she might reply in the form of drawings if she can understand your message.]

Comments

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Or instead of writing... someone can draw a crude stick figure with a spear and shield. ]

[swarmoflies]

[A drawing in reply, of a lion tossing his head back and roaring. It is the mightiest of beasts, and no mere human hunter dares interfere with it! There are quite a few lines indicating the roar's potency and direction. Probably more than there are in the lion itself, for that matter.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Watch out, we got a tough guy here. Katina's soldier is quickly erased and redrawn sideways, to indicate getting bowled over by the loudest lion ever.

Clearly, he needs a few friends, with bows and a net. ]

[swarmoflies]

[And now the lion is...breathing fire and destroying the village? This is incredibly silly.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ A fire breathing lion? What kind of lion breathes fire?

Nothing to do but draw a wizard (see the stick and pointy hat?) summoning a rain cloud then. ]

[swarmoflies]

[Unfortunately, since the local equivalent to Wizards in her world don't wear pointy hats, Sette has no idea what to make of this. But it's clear that whoever this clown is, he's trying to muscle in on the lion's turf! The lion ain't gonna stand for that. He turns to the goon in the pointy hat and roars again with jaw-dropping force.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Well shit, that would still knock him...

Oh hey he could just magic himself up some wings, and then turn the rain into SWORDS! ]

[swarmoflies]

[What. Clearly, she was dealing with a tricksy wright. Twins, she hated pymary.]

[Sadly, she couldn't think of a way for even something as awesome as a lion to beat a hail of swords. The lion is pierced by many blades and dies a noble death. There are 'x'es drawn over its eyes.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Hell yeah wizards. Not that Katina's actually too keen on magic, but she won the stupid doodle contest, all without ever knowing who she was competing with.

There is a solution to that, and it involves writing. ]

Who is it that I just beat?

[swarmoflies]

[Ugh, words. Sette responded with one of the few written characters she knows: a set of question marks.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ What... oh, they probably can't read.

...can't read, drawing fire breathing lions like that... ha. Haha. She should've known.

Maybe she can read her own name? Katina writes it down. ]

[swarmoflies]

[Nope, she can't even do that. Cue another series of question marks and an angry face.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Well what the heck. This is going nowhere, so... aha!

A stick figure. With a tail, bare feet, long hair, and wildly exaggerated teeth. ]

[swarmoflies]

[Sette actually jumps back from the Vine. What the hell? How did she know?]

[After considering for a moment how to respond, she drew a disembodied head that...looked like it was nodding. Kinda.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ If it had been almost anyone else here... if nothing else, literacy seems pretty common.

Katina's not sure how to express that it's her, except to try and draw a face with her own hair on it. It... might look close enough. ]

[swarmoflies]

[Sette...doesn't get it. That's a face, right? But whose face is it supposed to be> Is she trying to start a new doodle fight? This is confusing.]

[So instead she defaces the picture, having it stick out its tongue and cross its eyes.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Ha. Well, that's what she gets for not figuring out a way to draw in color.

Sette stick figure is now wearing a floofy dress. ]

[swarmoflies]

[Oy! This means war! 'This' being floofy dresses. Katina's head now has a body...which is farting. Also a big long booger is trailing from its nose, and its eyes are crossed.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Only a kid can win such a horrific victory.

Katina's not sure if she should continue the battle, or try to raise the white flag. ]

[swarmoflies]

[Better decide fast, your stick figure is getting more deformed by the moment.]

[grandtheftmecha]

[ Okay so maybe she'll be able to tell that this flag is a white one. ]

[swarmoflies]

[A classic sign of surrender! Sette grins smugly down at the scroll,a dn then scribbles a similarly smug face.]

[hotshot_momma]

[Aaaand Anna drew a crude Nightmare for the lion to fight. Because clearly, the King of the Jungle needs a monster to fight.

It's big, it has a skull for a head, and it's flexing it's muscles. Wat do, Lion?]

[swarmoflies]

[The lion pounces, roaring majestically! No skull-headed freak is a match for it!]

[hotshot_momma]

(Well you sure showed it. Anna draws the skullboy recoiling in shock, thrown back by the force of the roar the same way that it would by a baseball bat, but opening it's mouth. Wait, is it spitting something? Maybe FIRING IT'S LAZOR SHOOP DE WHOOP? Think fast, Leo.)

[swarmoflies]

[The lion responds by breathing fire at the skull boy!!! This is probably a good time to mention that Sette only has a vague idea what a lion is.]

[hotshot_momma]

[Well, a firebreathing lion wouldn't be the wierdest Anima Weapon that Anna has ever seen. Anna actually laughs when she sees it, and draws the Nightmare ducking and covering, rolling across the plains on fire, starting to melt. It's pretty gruesome.]

[swarmoflies]

[The lion rears back and roars triumphantly! It has truly claimed victory over a mighty foe this day!]