Welcome to Lingdom Quest, a cute and comfy slice-of-life quest about exploring the Lingdom, a kingdom of cute pygmies!You are Rika, a 15-year-old Ling on a journey with your cousin Kari, friends Bubu and Puki, and fox friend Moochy. You are on your Youthful Journey, a custom among your people where you leave your home to travel across the Lingdom to visit relatives and friends in other villages to help out and learn new skills. The function of the Youthful Journey is also to reconnect you with your wider family and make pleasant Memories.>What are Lings?Pygmy humans with large, round ears who live in the Lingdom, a kingdom separated from the rest of the world and under the protection of the Emperor. The Emperor is known as a "Tallie", a human of normal height and normal-shaped and sized ears. Among your people are also "Halfies", individuals with both Ling and Tallie blood who appear like Lings in their childhood but enter a rapid growth spurt in their young adulthood.>Where did Lings come from?The Lings claimed to have once been hosted by the Great Turtle where they learned to be good guests. Much of their core values come from their time being the Great Turtle's guests;>To be neat, tidy, and clean after themselves.>To eat sparingly so as to not overburn their hosts.>To reciprocate gifts so as to share Memories.>MemoriesMemories are something of a religious and spiritual concept for Lings. They represent literal memories that an individual holds but also represent their relationships as well as a connection to their wider family (their "people"). It helps bind them all as one people, not only throughout the land but also through time. Ways Lings share their Memories:>Offering gifts.>Doing activities together.>Telling stories.>Guest-Host RelationshipLings behave themselves in accordance with the guest-host relationship as they learned from the Great Turtle. A Host must be benevolent and gracious to their guests, and a guest must be respectful and considerate to their hosts. This relationship is also attributed to their understanding of agriculture and politics The land they cultivate is considered their host, but the grain raised from it their guests. The Emperor is a sacred individual who allows Himself to be a guest for the Lings, but still behaves as their Host and protects them from the world beyond.>Other Cute Ling ThingsLings are known for a variety of cute habits and behaviors. Here's some of them:>They don't have chairs, preferring to squat or sit on the ground.>Their cuisine largely consists of hand-held foods, wrapping their meals in either tortillas or leaves.>They are pescetarian insectivores.>They prefer sleeping in hammocks over beds.>They consider leaving things on the floor dirty so most of their possessions are hung on the walls or ceilings (like their hammocks)
prev threads:https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5832267/https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5881146/https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5939898/
It wasn't too strange for Youthies to part ways, older Youthies often do it. It allowed them to self-reflect on their final year and be able to decide where they'd like to live for the rest of their lives when they ultimately decided to settle down. But it was different for Puki. She just wanted to be left alone. You asked everybody to walk ahead while you and Puki chatted behind, away from ears Puki might not wanted to be around.Speaking privately with Puki, you learned that Puki doesn't hate any of you guys, but she often feels more anxious around more people, especially strangers. Lucky for her, she was from a Gravie family who lived on the outskirts of the village, making it easy for her to have solitude. Though she didn't mind heading to the village center to play, she could easily just go home when she wanted to be alone. It made her detest labor parties where everybody had to sing together as they worked, and while it was sometimes fun, she didn't like the fact that she couldn't just up and leave in the middle of it all, even if it was to labor on her own."I don't hate you guys... but sometimes I get scared when I'm around you guys. I don't like the same thing as most people and most people don't like the things I like, so I don't know what to share sometimes."It was very apparent that Puki liked edgy things, even her teeth were pointy which she filed herself to look... toothier. You did meet a few Toothies who taught you how to fillet a fish, though there didn't seem to be any of that kind of folk from your village. Still, you couldn't help but feel sorry for Puki, though you appreciated her being able to express her
You suggested to...>Go to All-Colors Field. Tell Puki she's welcome to ask you to slip away with her if she just wants to talk alone when she needs to.>Go to Deep Waters. It's probably best to get away from these musicians for Puki's sake.>Camp out for the night and try to mend relations between Puki and the musicians.
>>5984584Good to see you back, QM! It's great that the previous thread was archived. By the way, Rika won a seat in the /qst/ tournament. She's quite popular!>>5984586>Go to All-Colors Field. Tell Puki she's welcome to ask you to slip away with her if she just wants to talk alone when she needs to.Remind Puki that people can get along even if they have different interests and personalities. It just matters that they're friendly and feel that they can be themselves around one another. Would we be traveling with one another if that wasn't the case? What she's feeling is more common than she probably believes, and that's not to downplay what her experience is, but to highlight that there are others that either understand it or go through the same thing.
>>5984588>>Go to Deep Waters. It's probably best to get away from these musicians for Puki's sake.
>>5984640Thank you, I was following that thread for a bit but then I believe it was put on recess in preparation for the actual event. Last I checked there was a loser bracket event going on.
>>5984588>Camp out for the night and try to mend relations between Puki and the musicians.Nice to see this return!
>>5984588>Go to Deep Waters. It's probably best to get away from these musicians for Puki's sake
>>5984588>>Go to Deep Waters. It's probably best to get away from these musicians for Puki's sake
>>5984586>>5984588So I don't know why but 4chan has been failing me lately, I didn't even realize it didn't even post my whole post. I'm not sure what's going on, maybe they decreased the text limit and didn't bother giving a warning. So here's the rest of the post and another 24 hours to change votes if you want:It was very apparent that Puki liked edgy things, even her teeth were pointy which she filed herself to look... toothier. You did meet a few Toothies who taught you how to fillet a fish, though there didn't seem to be any of that kind of folk from your village. Still, you couldn't help but feel sorry for Puki, though you appreciated her being able to express her feelings honestly to you.[red]"I don't want to leave you guys, but sometimes I just want to be alone. I don't like those girls because they keep trying to get me to join even though I don't want to. They're so annoying..."[/red]You and your friends came by a fork in the trail, one path led to the village All-Colors Fields, known for its vast tracks of beautiful flowers and buzzing bees and the main supplier of honey throughout the Lingdom. The other path led to Deep Waters, a village located in a deep lake filled with Crockos, dog-sized dragons who dive deep into the water to gather kelp, a sacred plant that makes a good gift to the Earth and could be turned into soap. The trio of musicians wanted to go to All-Colors Fields as they knew a festival was to be held there and they wanted to listen to all the music. Kari wanted to go to Deep Waters because she wanted to swim with some Crockos and maybe make a new friend to tag along with. Bubu was indifferent and seemed to have been consoling Moochy for Kari's betrayal.
>>5984586>>5984640>>5985891No worries and thanks for the info. This is very important context, so I'll change my vote to>Go to Deep Waters. It's probably best to get away from these musicians for Puki's sake.
>>5984588>Camp out for the night and try to mend relations between Puki and the musicians.
Voting closed, drawing and writing.
You agreed to go to Deep Waters, disappointing the musicians who wanted to stay with you and your friends. Bubu tried giving Tina's drum back but she told him to keep it. He didn't know what to offer so he pulled out an empty snack container with chopsticks, simply because it was drum-like. Tina looked happy to receive it, so you and the musicians said goodbye.You left on the path to Deep Waters and when the musicians were out of earshot, Bubu yelled:"One TWO THREE!" while banging his drumsticks. He began beating the drum as fast as Puki did. You, Kari, and Puki were caught off guard and stood there staring at Bubu furiously beating his drum while singing about jam-filled dumplings in the most belligerent manner one could imagine."I thought you would like that song, Puki..."Puki snickered at first but soon broke out laughing. Her laughing was so uncontrollable that she fell into a roll."I did, I did like that song! It was great!" With Puki's approval, you and Kari joined Puki's laughter.You and your friends continued on the path to Deep Waters playing music in the same manner as Puki and Bubu did. When it was Kari's turn she couldn't play her flute while singing so she just sang instead. She sang about how much she wanted to travel beyond the Lingdom to see the world, the first thing she wanted to do was to follow the trail your Popappy took to return to the Great Turtle.On your turn to sing your heart out, you sang about...>Being with your friends forever.>All the Little Ones you want to have and cook for.>Getting out of the podunk villages across the Lingdom to live and work in the Hammock with high society where you belong (and maybe run into an Imperial Prince).>Write-In
>>5986930>>Getting out of the podunk villages across the Lingdom to live and work in the Hammock with high society where you belong (and maybe run into an Imperial Prince).
>>5986930>Getting out of the podunk villages across the Lingdom to live and work in the Hammock with high society where you belong (and maybe run into an Imperial Prince).
>>5986930>Being with your friends forever.
Voting closed, writing and drawing.
"I'm a good Little One, waking up Baba to help her cook tacos~I'm a good Little One, singing in the fields to encourage my friends~I'm a good Little One, thanking the Earth and Trees for hosting Our family~But I long for the Hammock, to be a host for Tallies and a guest of the Emperor~I'm a good Little Princess, waking Our guests with fresh tacos~I'm a good Little Princess, singing to entertain Our guests~I'm a good Little Princess, thanking Our guests for allowing Us to host them~"Your song wasn't as intense as your friends, but they enjoyed it all the same. You continued on the trail towards Deep Waters while making music and crossed paths with another troupe of Youthies. They watched you play your music and were intrigued by it, so one of them copied the style and began singing about how much he wanted to build the tallest building so he could see the whole Lingdom from the sky. You all played for a bit before saying your goodbyes and sharing snacks. It seemed that Puki's musical style might be more popular than she believed.As the sun began to set, you entered a marshy land, a planked path continued to lead on to Deep Waters. The trees soared much higher, and as it got dark the fairies and ghosts rose from the waters, illuminating the path. Kari was spooked and held onto Bubu's arm the whole way while you chatted with Puki from behind."Bubu really likes ghosts, doesn't he?" said Puki.You told her how inquisitive Bubu has always been and how it was hard to hold hands with him during your marches because he often got distracted by every little thing that was remotely interesting.At the end of the path was a lake, illuminated by fairies and ghosts. At the center of the lake was a village, built entirely on a grove of swamp trees, the outlines of buildings are easily seen from the bright blooms on the trees.They don't look like it, but the trees at Deep Waters are probably the tallest in the Lingdom! You are only seeing the upper third of the trees, the rest submerged deep in the waters.A few rafts were tied to the shore, so you took one with your friends and paddled to the village. Crockos, dog-sized crocodiles, converged onto the raft and swam along it. Moochy pawed at a crocko's head, so it snapped its toothless jaw at Moochy and pulled him into the waters, getting him wet. The crocko chuckled in a monotonous and creaky tone as Moochy struggled to climb back onto the raft. Puki laughed at Moochy's misfortune while Bubu took his paddle and tapped it onto the crocko's head as Kari jumped into the waters to help Moochy back onto the raft.
You and your friends reached the village and were received by a few grownups who saw you on the lake. Much of the village seemed to be a large spiraling staircase reaching to the top, with some branches jutting out. They suggested you put up your hammocks at the very top so you could look at the beautiful lake from up high, so you and your friends took up that offer and climbed to the very top of the village.On your way up to the very top, you were waved at by many people, asking where you guys came from so you shouted your answers. A baba recognized the village you came from."My my, you Little Ones came from Pointy Bell? I can tell from your hat, Little One! My sister must have made it for you, didn't she?"You learned that this Baba was your Baba's elder sister who grew up in Pointy Bell like you! She showed you her hat, which looked very much like yours, though she confessed she doesn't wear it much anymore since there's a lot of shade here."You Little Ones must want to sleep at the very top every night, but if you'd like you can eat here every day. I'm sure your Ems here would love to meet you."You and Kari hugged your Auntie Baba before continuing up to the top of the grove where you came across many other Youthies who set their hammocks under the canopy. Unfortunately, as you came late, most of the good spots were taken. The Youthies agreed to switch places to give everybody a chance to have a good spot, though it does seem that there is one spot that still offers a good view to take, but only two could fit...Who should take the spot?>Bubu and Kari! Bubu really likes ghosts and maybe it would help Kari overcome her fear.>Me and Bubu! I want to learn all the interesting things he has to say about ghosts!>Me and Puki! I want Puki to know I consider her a friend, even if that means she'll tell a scary story!>Nobody, we should wait until tomorrow night so we can all watch the lake together!>Write-in.
>>5990460>>Nobody, we should wait until tomorrow night so we can all watch the lake together!
>>5990460>Me and Bubu! I want to learn all the interesting things he has to say about ghosts!
>>5990460>Nobody, we should wait until tomorrow night so we can all watch the lake together!It'd be a memory we share together.Dubs says the village catches on fire.
>>5990655
>>5990460>Nobody, we should wait until tomorrow night so we can all watch the lake together!
>>5990460>>Me and Bubu! I want to learn all the interesting things he has to say about ghosts!
Voting closed with a tie.Odd post will be wait for tomorrow night.Even post will be to watch it with Bubu.
You suggested that Bubu could take a spot for the night since he likes watching ghosts so much, but also asked if everybody else was alright with you watching the ghosts with him for the night."Hnn!?!? B-but, what about me??? I don't want to sleep without you or Bubu, I'm too scared!" said Kari.You saw Puki with a sly grin. "What are you scared of, Kari? I'm not going and you got me and Moochy!"That seemed to appease Kari, who proceeded to set up her hammock with Puki. You and Bubu hung your hammock at the spot with a good view, doubling up your hammock so you could lay by each other. You sat next to Bubu who blankly stared at the lake and all the fireflies and ghosts that illuminated it. He didn't say anything for quite a while, and you just enjoyed sitting by him."Bubu, what do you like about the ghosts?" you asked.Bubu broke his gaze to look at you with his dumb look. "Baba said that if ghosts could, they would share their Memories with us," said Bubu. "Baba said there are many Memories that never got to be shared, so I think their dancing is them trying to share their Memories with us."Everybody always said Bubu was probably empty-headed growing up, but it seemed more likely that Bubu was just too lost in his deep thoughts. His remark made you wonder what Memories were lost throughout time, Memories We could never learn from as they were never shared in life."Mama said Papa died far away. So he never got to share his Memories with us himself... I hope his ghost found his way back, but I don't know how to read ghosts."It was one of the few moments you witnessed Bubu looking sad. You held his hand while his face was somber. Bubu soon fell asleep like a rock after that, and you were content to cuddle with him throughout the night.The following morning, you awoke to Bubu nudging you to get up and the smell of roasted pinecone. Every Youthie under the canopy was slowly getting up to prepare for the breakfast being prepared by the village. You and your friends made your way down the tree, and while all the other Youthies were heading to the central landing, you went to your Auntie Baba's house instead. Auntie Baba welcomed you and you introduced Bubu and Puki to her.You had your breakfast with your Aunti Baba's family, and all of her 14 Little Ones wouldn't stop pestering you with questions about whatever questions Little Ones liked to ask. A few of them were curious about Moochy and when they learned that Moochy was a bit of a glutton, they kept feeding him until Bubu flicked a finger at Moochy's head, making him squeal into submission.
At the ringing of the village bell, you and all the Youthies gathered by the diving dock where a grown-up briefed you on how to swim with a crocko. At the dock were many crockos lazing about, basking in the sun."Come here Little Ones, let Uncle teach you about Our Crocko friends! When Uncle Mean came to bully Us, We ran from the Hammock and back into the woods, but his bullies continued to chase Us. When We came here We saw this grove We're now living in and thought We would be safe here, but it was surrounded by dragons! We thought We were doomed but some of Us were brave enough to swim, that's when We learned the dragons were just as scared of Us as We were scared of them! The bullies were not good swimmers so they left Us alone, and We lived here ever since!"Uncle proceeded to explain how the crockos are deep divers and would bring fish and mollusks as gifts when We gifted them fruit from the trees. The waters surrounding Deep Waters is... deep! It was a kelp forest that grew rather fast and the village's main source of food, as well as materials to produce all sorts of items. For today, the Grown-Up just wanted you to learn how to swim with the crockos."Our crocko friends are kind of lazy, they like to laze around where there's sun in the morning. So if you want to make one as a friend, just sit by one and gently pet it until it's ready!You, Kari, and Pukie proceeded to pick out a crocko together, but Moochy was apprehensive about your choice. It seemed that you picked out the very same crocko that pulled Moochy into the waters! Feeling betrayed, Moochy skulked off so Bubu followed him to console him.You decided to...>Pick another crocko with your friends.>Let your friends swim with the crocko but go with Bubu to help Moochy feel better.>Let Bubu swim with the crockos while you console Moochy yourself.>Write-in.
>>5992236Damn, Rika is so cute here.>>5992238>Pick another crocko with your friends.Moochy accosted the crocko first. It's time to accept the consequences of his actions.
>>5992238>>Pick another crocko with your friends.
>>5992238>Let Bubu swim with the crockos while you console Moochy yourself.
>>5992238>Pick another crocko with your friends.
>>5992236>you awoke to Bubu nudging you to get up and the smell of roasted pineconeNice foreshadowing.>>5992238>Pick another crocko with your friends.
>>5992238>>Let Bubu swim with the crockos while you console Moochy yourself.
