DON'T FEED THE PLANTS — audreyling adoptions

[tricky]

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    background: may 28th, 2018. beck, then commander of tanglewood went for a stroll through the swamp, seeking whatever mud-buried artifacts he could find -- only to meet a companion instead. a mutated venus flytrap no bigger than a palm tripped him, moving of its own accord. quickly charmed, beck replanted the little flytrap into an old bait bucket he recovered from the reeds and carried his new friend home. the flytrap was named audrey III and beck has cared for it ever since. audrey received at least five meals a day, some samplings of the poltergeist's inky blood on occasion, and lots of love. soon, audrey grew to be the size of an eagle, strong enough to drag itself around using prehensile vines and gorging itself on everything it crossed. beck even managed to train it somewhat, lugging the teenage plant around wherever he went. the pair was practically inseparable, audrey's vines coiling around beck in the night and hugging him close despite the ghostly chill.

    january 12th, 2020. tragedy struck in the form of a housefire, flames birthed by a dropped cigarette on beck's porch. in the aftermath, no charred flytrap nor dented bucket could be found. beck mourned for days, distraught over losing his first true friend. remnants of leaves were buried just outside of the scorched grass, a hand-made marker placed in honor of audrey III. but he swallowed his grief as best he could. and carried on with the world, pushing audrey far from his mind to keep himself from breaking.

    spring is here. and audrey returns, coated in a thick layer of varied pollen and in bloom, white flowers gradually dropping as seeds. from those seeds, thirteen different flytraps sprout, equally as sentient as their parent but mixed with individual flower traits. beck tries to care for all of them, placing them in makeshift pots. but the work is too much for one little ghost. and so, he adopts them to trusted caretakers, hoping they too will find a loyal companion in the form of a toothy plant.

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    information: there are thirteen infant flytrap mutants, inheriting both audrey's traits and the traits of their respective fathers. each will be given to someone who beck considers a trustworthy and nurturing caretaker. to ensure that the so-called audreyling will be properly taken care of, the adopter must give an object of personal significance to beck in exchange. if the audreyling is neglected or abused, he will promptly destroy their belonging and take the audreyling back. they also will be given with a note detailing their requirements and proper care, including the following:

audreyling care guide:

how to take care of [name of audreyling]

    they need to be fed five meals a day; breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. a healthy diet includes both red and white meat, raw or cooked. blood is enjoyed. they can have occasional treats from the other food groups. before their teeth grow in fully, you'll need to cut their food up before they eat it.

    they also need to be watered regularly and kept in sunlight before they start to crawl around on their own -- yes, they'll crawl. more like drag themselves around, but don't worry. if you feed them regularly, they'll trust you and not go too far.

    to keep them clean, baths should be given around once every two weeks (unless they're really dirty). use a wet cloth instead of direct water and natural soap if available. brushing their teeth is important too! when the back rows start to grow in, be sure to brush back there!

    fresh air is really important! don't keep them cooped up inside. taking them on walks will also make them friendlier to other people. playing with them will help get their energy out too. i suggest tug-o-war to start but whatever is fun, go with it!

    most importantly of all, you need to love them. they have feelings and thoughts just like you! if they bite, be patient with them and discourage it by ignoring them for a few minutes afterward. positive reinforcement will get the best results. they also need time to themselves though, so don't be in their face all the time.

    thanks for taking care of them! if you need help, come talk to me! and please keep their name the same.
    - beck

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    audreylings:
— Carrie / hollyhock (alcea rosea): red markings, sweet fragrance, heart-shaped leaves, narrow teeth, blooms hollyhock flowers (RESERVED FOR AURUM)

— Ridley / sundew (drosera aliciae): red-orange markings, glandular tentacles with sticky secretions similar to sundews, longer barbed tongue (RESERVED FOR IVAN)

— Sally / butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa): orange markings, smaller teeth, lance-shaped leaves, produces a surplus of nectar, blooms butterfly weed flowers (OPEN)

— Laurie / marsh marigold (caltha palustris): yellow markings, rounder build, sweet fragrance, heart-shaped leaves, retractable teeth, blooms marsh marigold (RESERVED FOR ATTICUS)

— Nancy / stinging nettle (urtica dioica): no markings, irritating hairs beneath spiked leaves like nettle, tiny and fuzzy flowers near stem (OPEN)

— Suzy / boneset (eupatorium perfoliatum): light blue markings, smaller size, narrow trap, lance-shaped leaves, blooms boneset flowers (RESERVED FOR KIIRA)

— Barbara / harebell (campanula rotundifolia): blue markings, flowering vines with harebell blossoms, milky sap, sweet fragrance (RESERVED FOR SELBY)

— Sidney / huckleberry (vaccinium membranaceum): indigo markings, larger size, produces huckleberries, oblong leaves (RESERVED FOR FEZA)

— Jay / snapdragon (antirrhinum majus): purple markings, longer teeth, taller build, blooms snapdragon flowers, bonnet-like petal frill (RESERVED FOR HEATHCLIFF)

— Tiffany / purpura (purpura febricitantem): magenta markings, harmless spore-filled pods instead of flowers, thorned vines, purple tinge to leaves, offspring of an unidentified plant discovered by selby roux (OPEN)

— Kirsty / soapwort (saponaria officinalis): pink markings, chubbier build, sweet fragrance, blooms soapwort flowers, curled leaves (OPEN)

— Erin / buttonbush (cephalanthus occidentalis): white markings, thin fuzz on outer trap, soft texture, blooms buttonbush flowers (OPEN)

— Elvira / hellebore (helleborus): black markings, thorned stem, blooms hellebore flowers, spits toxins (RESERVED FOR CAUSTIC)

all audreylings will primarily resemble audrey iii, with three rows of teeth, acidic saliva, and a taste for blood. unlike audrey, they will only grow to be falcon-sized. they are not able to vocalize beyond growling or hissing, as well as whatever noise can be made with only the mouth and no air, such as clicking or smacking. reference for their movement can be found here and here.

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    application: post which one you'd like your character to have (one character per person). characters currently in tanglewood are more likely to be given an audreyling, with typhoon after. first come, first serve. additionally, your character will have to give up an important personal belonging in exchange, so please list that below as well.