Welcome to Defying Gravity, a semi-realistic natural horse rpg!
There are no mutations, magic, or rainbow ponies here; the horses of the Homelands must carve out a life for themselves by their wits and strength alone. We have no cannons or "site-wide plot" to speak of as we've found that there are a ton of creative people out there and when our members are left to their own devices the plots stay fresh and fun for everyone. So if you're looking for a laid back site with no so called "unique" plot you must adhere to, Defying Gravity just might be the place for you!!
News
December 29, 2013
NEW SKIN FOR NEW TIMES!! Come back, guys! We're ready to start anew!! :D
Le Hud
Season
Year VI
This summer's a hot one!! Things might get a little dicey for those on the south end of the Homeland who aren't used to temperatures above 70 or 80 F. Coldbloods beware!!
the layout was made by zenat from lspa, ote, and btn. codes were taken from support boards andw3schools. the banner was found on zerochan and edited by zenat. character and everything else belong to their owners. smiley icons located in the cbox are courtesy of iNekox3 on deviantart.com. art is courtesy of its respective artist. if there is something that is yours here, but it isn't credited for, please contact an admin and we will immediately add you to the credits.
The full moon, high in the sky, cast a moonlight over the misty Drulan forest. A pale yellow mare, bleached white in the moonlight, stood at the edge. The mare was small and slender, with warm brown eyes, and a white, silky mane and tail. A cool breeze wafted around her, filling with secrets of the old wood. She had never been into the forest before, even though this region was her birthplace. It was also her home until she was three, when she was instructed to leave and find a new herd. She had found one in the Plains. A disease, however, overtook the herd. The weakest, foals and elders, were the first infections. Aspen didn’t stick around for the rest. Aspen knew that her old herd wasn’t the only one hit by the epidemic. Everywhere she journeyed to seemed devoid of horses. From the desert (but it had never been bursting with life anyway) to the bayou, she had not met another soul. The Drulan Woods, however, had a certain something. The mare couldn’t explain how, but she knew that there was someone in the ancient forest. So she called to them, from the edge of the woods.
OOC: Can you believe that this took me a hour to write xP. I swear I am usually more intelligent xD
Post by skibbereenfarms on Mar 9, 2013 14:23:43 GMT -6
TIOGA ―the bandit king
If he were willing, the woods would tell him everything. As a newly proclaimed King, however, Tioga felt that he should use his own instinct as the source of his drive. If he were to pick things back up where they'd been hastily left, changes had to be made. He would not sit idle and wait for others to slowly migrate home; for some, he would have to be quite convincing. To an outsider his wood appeared to be just another dense and confusing forest. In his heart he knew it was so much more than that. It was a sanctuary.
Any attempts for the forest to lead him along were ignored, and the stallion navigated his home on his own accord. Trees whispered every which way, attempting to lead him left and right, but he gave no heed. The fact that he was exploring because of a mere hunch seemed to be putting them off. Instinct would have brought him to a different part of the woods, but Tioga knew that he had to be here. It wasn't until he caught a foreign scent in the air that he realized why he was in this particular area. Curiosity obviously piqued, the stallion followed after it.
His journey brought him to the farthest edges of his home, where the borderlines ended and the land gave way to thinner trees. It was here that he discovered a break in the trees, where a bit of light was allowed to sink through from the pale orb in the sky. It was also here that he spotted the source of the scent he had been chasing since dusk.
While the creature appeared generally harmless, as a King he knew not to take every encounter so lightly, especially when they were this close to the border. The King held his head high, easily towering over the mare. Tioga cleared his throat. "I am surprised that the wood did not respond to your calls," he said. "My sincerest apologies. They still seem to be adapting to the new hierarchy. Might I ask who has entered Drulan?"
The moon continued it’s nocturnal voyage, sinking towards the western horizon. The break of day was fast approaching, and Aspen started losing hope in the mystical feeling she had earlier. She had watched the woods intensely for any movement, and her ears rotating to every rustle, crack, and creaking from inside the woods. It seemed as if the whole forest was abandoned, of even the smallest mouse. Or maybe her hearing wasn’t as trustworthy as she thought. At the edge of the forest, the pale mare stood, debating, as a cool spring breeze caressed her from behind. ‘He’s here.’ Aspen’s head shot up, and she scanned the trees. A horse was among them. The horse, a stallion, maneuvered through the forest toward her with grace that only a native could have. Obviously, Aspen had already been spotted. With a soft nicker, she greeted him, and walked carefully through the forest, meeting him halfway. This stallion was King. Aspen could tell. His posture and attitude said it all. And she needed to act accordingly. When he greeted the smaller mare, she gave him her full attention. She didn’t quite know what to make of the first part, so she ignored it. “I’m Aspen,” she said softly, “and nothing more. Can I assume that you are the king of these lands?”
Post by skibbereenfarms on Mar 10, 2013 10:09:35 GMT -6
TIOGA ―the bandit king
The King would say he heard her name echo through the wood after she spoke, though he supposed it was merely his own psyche repeating it. As Tioga looked upon her, he couldn't shake a sense of familiarity about her. It was likely that she had been to Drulan before, as even visitors tended to unknowingly absorb some of the wood's mystical qualities. However, something told him that she had been here longer than a couple of days. She most likely made a living around here. He brightened up almost immediately, quite satisfied that what was left of Drulan had not been destroyed entirely because of disease; there were still some who lived on elsewhere. He momentarily wondered if she had been around during his crime streak, but did not dwell upon the idea for very long. Times had changed, and so had Tioga.
"Aye, that would be correct." His response assured both the mare and himself; he was now in control. The stallion swiftly lowered his head, practically bowing before her. What sort of King would he be if he did not show respect to those from the outside? "However, you may call me Tioga if you so please. Just because I have adopted a new title does not mean it has to replace that which my mother gave me. Although―" He paused momentarily, taking a moment to think something over. The stallion grinned widely before continuing. "The title Bandit King is something I could live with." A soft chuckle rumbled within him.
Tioga supposed that since introductions had been given, he had the right to question her about her presence upon his land. This stallion was in no way stingy, so his tone remained as calm and collected as it had been. "What has brought you here on this lovely night, Aspen?"
Tioga, or the Bandit King as he preferred, made a grand gesture of bowing before her. A strange mare that he had met moments ago. The gesture had very quickly swooped her off her feet and melted her exterior. After that display, an involuntary smile escaped from her lips. She was a sucker for gentlemen. In her herd, the whole lot of them had strong traditional beliefs; the stallion being superior, mares were just broodmare, and so on. Their code of morals was what she was raised on, and Aspen never resented it. They were her beliefs, too. However, after getting used to the hot-tempers and biting tones of other high-ranking stallions, Tioga was a fresh breath.
“The Bandit King does have a nice ring to it,” the palomino mare agreed, smiling with Tioga. Aspen quite enjoyed this light-hearted conversation, and would have loved to continued. However, his next question, called for more than just smiles.
“Yes, here, it is a lovely night,” she began, “I came up from the bayous, and before that, the plains. I was with a herd in the plains, for a short while. Unfortunately, it was disbanded after it was infected by an aggressive disease. So, I came back home, just to find someone.” She looked over at Tioga with tired eyes.
Post by skibbereenfarms on Mar 13, 2013 9:13:55 GMT -6
TIOGA ―the bandit king
The King had no doubts with the mare's story, for it seemed that disease had ravaged his own home as well. It was the only explanation for the absence of life and how overwhelming the forest seemed to be at the moment; there was quite a lack of balance between the living and the dead. Tioga hoped he would be able to fix this, and with Aspen being here, he could already see a bit of a difference. The last part of her claim piqued his interest, and in response his ears perked up slightly. How difficult it had been to find one of Drulan origin, and yet before him stood a mare who claimed to be a child of the wood as well.
Before pursuing the thought, however, he felt she deserved some sort of gratitude. Watching a herd crumble to pieces certainly was not something any wished to stick around and see, and even though Aspen escaped before disease had a chance to touch her, it certainly had to be a tough thing to deal with. "Ah, what a shame. In my youth I had known the plains to be quite a bountiful place. I must say I am glad that you were able to escape relatively unscathed." Tioga tilted his head slightly, his curiosity on the matter getting the best of him. "You say you have returned home? Then you once lived beneath Angus, correct?" The stallion's brow furrowed slightly at the name, the action being the only sign of his resentment toward the stallion.
When Tioga commended her for her survival, a mild guilt pinched at the back of her mind. Survival wasn’t an accurate term on how she escaped the infectious disease. When the disease made its first kill within the herd, an aging mare, Aspen bailed. She didn’t leave the Plains, but isolated herself away from the herd and from a distance, she watched the herd slowly dwindle to nothing. Then, she left.The worst part of about the whole ordeal was that Ashe didn’t feel emotions that a horse should feel. No guilt, sorrow, shame, ect. She felt terrible that didn’t feel bad about her abandonment, but she had to look after herself. After all, wouldn’t she be dead if she hadn’t?
Tioga’s sympathy was much appreciated by Aspen, though it was void given what had happen. From what she experienced, he was a kind soul; a rare thing. Tioga continued curiously about her origins. “Ah, the previous Drulan King. No, I never lived under Angus’s rule. I was with a rather small herd that liked to make its home right where the in between Drulan and the lands surrounding Voldea River. A band of gypsies we were; we could never secure a homeland,” Aspen explained amiably. She realized the hypocrisy of her birth herd long before, very traditional but no land, and it had always amused her. It was obvious that Tioga had lived here previously; nobody can navigate the Drulan easily unless they’ve lived there. She assumed that there was more to the story, however, she knew it’d be rude to ask questions at this point.
Post by skibbereenfarms on Mar 15, 2013 10:22:08 GMT -6
TIOGA ―the bandit king
There was a brief recollection of a time during his youth which the stallion encountered a band of horses living outside of the herd. So curious then, he had attempted to make peace with them, but was quickly chastised by his own mother for doing so. While she had no issues with the attempt, she knew that Angus would be quite upset, for back then those which he had dubbed gypsies were not to be trusted. It was likely because of a personal qualm Angus had, but it was one of the things that Tioga just did not understand. It was also one of the first times he witnessed fault in Angus' rule.
Now aware of this new information, Tioga simply responded with a slow nod. He wished he could have done more back then, but sadly he was too young to really have a say in anything. Everything was different now, and since he was calling the shots, he decided that no one would be turned away because of such personal issues. "I must apologize for any disrespect toward you and your band from my father," he said to her, sincerely hoping that his words were enough to make up for what Angus had done. "Things are much different today now that I have claimed the throne. You are welcome to come and go as you please, for example." He knew how some tended to keep their population rounded up, but Tioga was not like them; if Aspen intended on staying for a while and then departing, he was not in a position to prevent her from doing so.
In the time the two spent talking, the moon had set and taking its place was the rising sun in the East. The eastern horizon glowed with a rosy light that transitioned into violet, blue, and dark blue across the sky. Aspen noticed that the sun put the Drulan forest into a whole new light, literally and figuratively. She found that the ancient trees less ominous bathed in morning light, and that, with the sun, small critters and chirping birds rose. From the foreboding fog came a morning dew that settled on the grasses and spider webs that shimmered in the light. With the transformation of the forest from sinister to serene, Aspen’s attitude had also changed. The Drulan would be a very agreeable home.
Tioga, the self-proclaimed Bandit King; though, Aspen had no idea why he had given him that title. Bandit gave off a negative impression of terrorizing rebels and ruthless thieves; Tioga was anything but. Why, the ‘Bandit’ King had just apologized for his father’s actions, which he had no control of any ways. The difference between other stallions Aspen had knew and Tioga was very obvious. Maybe she was quick to judge, but she could tell by the bay paint’s introduction that his moral code was vastly different from her traditional herds. However, given what he had told her, he came from a herd who also had similar beliefs as hers. She was thankful that Tioga had switched things up.
“I should be apologizing for the inconvenience my birth herd caused you and your herd,” Aspen smiled lightly, she dipped her head in respect before continuing, “I’ve never enjoyed my birth herd’s ways.” She admired the change Tioga had made, and recognized that he thought she was still a wanderer, after he told her that she could come and go whenever she pleased. She hope Tioga wouldn’t mind if she could become a more permanent fixture in Drulan.
Post by skibbereenfarms on Mar 19, 2013 7:36:54 GMT -6
TIOGA ―the bandit king
Tioga found himself smiling softly, though it was quite obviously not because of the mare standing before him. He did not have to glance behind him to see that the sun was rising, for he knew that each morning brought a new kind of life to the forest. The various critters who lived here began to stir as the sky was painted like a brand new canvas. Tioga could practically feel the land taking a deep breath, telling him of the day that had just begun. A lot could be accomplished today.
At Aspen's words, the stallion simply shook his head. She should not have felt so sorry for something she could not prevent. "Believe me, my father was wrong to frown upon any who were not an official part of Drulan. I can safely assure that I am quite different than he, and should you wish to stay on your own, I would gladly allow you to." The stallion paused, taking a moment to consider his words before continuing. "Unless perhaps, you were looking for the structural benefits that come with being in a herd. Our numbers have dwindled since I had last lived here." By dwindled he of course meant wiped out entirely, but he wasn't going to promote that sort of attitude. While he would obviously respect her decision, there was a part of him that wished she would accept his offer. A King wasn't truly a King without subjects to care for, after all. Not only would it be more fulfilling, but satisfying as well. He liked this mare already, and what with being from Drulan, he could see her as a viable asset. They could bring the Drulan culture back to the wood.