Sunny's Literature

Welcome to Sunny's Literature Thread!

This will be the cozy little home for snippets of writing involving Sunny. I don't know for sure what I'll put here, but probably some scenes from her childhood, events leading up to her joining the Overlord, and probably some journal entries or letters home to her family. We'll see what happens.

Letters Home 1
Boot Camp - Day 1

Nighttime at the Overlord's boot camp. In her recruit's tent, Sunny had a nice satisfying stretch. Working out the kinks and stiffness of a busy day, she couldn't help but think about what a day it had been! It had been so very eventful, arriving at Kua'Kua for boot camp, meeting other recruits, starting to get an idea of what life might be like once she became a full minion of Overlord Fox. Sunny's head spun just trying to remember it all at once. So instead, she sat down at the end of her little bunk and opened the scarred, embellished, and well loved lid of her trunk.

It made her smile that she had been able to bring it with her. The chipped and battered old thing had been with her forever. As a little fuzzball it was her toy box, hiding place (for herself as well as her secret treasures), and occasional victim of creative overflow. Now it accompanied her on her biggest adventure, carrying her belongings and mementos from home as she started a new life.

She dug inside carefully, pushing aside a heavy sweater (that she might need to send home, based on the heat of the island), a few spare civilian clothes, a ukulele case wedged against the side to make it fit in the overstuffed trunk, and finally uncovering a pack of decorative letter paper and a pen. Sunny closed the lid of her trunk and lay on her belly on the surprisingly comfortable camp bunk, using the closed trunk lid as a desk as she started to write:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today was our first day at boot camp. This place is really busy! You wouldn't believe how many different people are here. Bears, tigers, wolves, bats, cheetahs, and more! I'm pretty sure I saw someone with three heads! It was his turn to check in, though, so I didn't really get to say hello. Commander Steele is even human! He seems pretty nice, but stressed out as the day went on. And you'll never guess who was here to check in today too... Jimmy Wilson! I can't believe he didn't tell me! He came to cook for the Overlord! We both kind of scolded each other for not saying anything. I guess it just slipped our minds in all the excitement. It'll be nice to have a friend from home around though. He even brought a green apple ant lollipop with him! Actually I think I'm going to eat that while I write this... Yum!

Tomorrow's supposed to be our first real day of training. I'm pretty nervous, not knowing exactly what they'll ask me to do, but I hope I can make a good impression. Maybe since the Overlord has a non-lethal policy, it won't matter so much that I can't really fight. I'm not sure I could do much to the other recruits anyway. Most of them are so tall! I know Dad and I are kind of on the short side, but I think everyone except Jim is about a foot taller than me at least! I'm not worried about it, but it's pretty interesting to notice. Maybe I can find something helpful to do that's not so easy for the taller people. My height didn't matter earlier, of course, when I helped Commander Steele. I made some friends and we went to explore, but after a while I decided I might want to help out around camp in case the officers needed something little done. There was a line at the check-in tent, so Commander Steele asked me to chat with the recruits waiting in line. That was kind of fun. I met a leopard talks kind of like Oba-chan used to. You remember her 'mysterious voice'. There was also really nice cheetah who's actually signing up to be a scuba diver! It sure sounded like fun, maybe I'll try it someday.

The food here at camp is really good! I know Mama was worried that it would be gross army rations or something, but they had everything! Meat, fish, veggies and fruits, and bugs! And there was lots of it, so I had a really good lunch and dinner. The nice cooks even let me bring some of their spiced crickets and candied toasted meal worms back with me to my tent to snack on. They're so good! And Jimmy's going to make chef, I just know it, so I don't think you have to worry about me going hungry. They seem to be ready for any type of person to come up, even if they have a metabolism like mine or Dad's.

It's been a really good day. I got to explore the jungle near camp a little bit. The trees are huge and the undergrowth is really thick. It'll be fun exploring and hiding in it all. I'm sure they're different from the ones back home, so I may have to learn a few new things, but I'll be careful. Don't worry! I'm pretty tired now, though, so I think I'll wrap it up here. I miss you guys already. I can't wait until I'm settled in the lair on Aukate and you guys can come visit! I hope your trip home was safe. Give Nannygoat a kiss for me... just kidding I know you'll pat her on the head like always. I love you!

Can't wait to see you soon,
Sunny

Sunny sighed heavily and folded up the letter, tucking it into an envelope and sealing it to be sent along once she got the chance. Maybe they had mail collection here at camp somewhere. She'd figure something out. Once it was secure she put it away safely at the top of her trunk. She bit down on the last of the lollipop in her mouth and happily crunched up the candy, tangy ants and all, while laying on her bunk. She'd scold herself in the morning for not brushing her teeth before bed, but she had already fallen asleep, lulled by accomplished weariness and the sounds of the cool jungle night.

this was really cute! I rather enjoyed reading it!!! can't wait to read more of it!
(not sure if you want comments on your stuff, I'll delete this if thats the case <3 ))

Nah that's fine! I plan on titling them all so it's easy to tell! Thank you so much!

Really well done, Merri. Sounds just like a letter home from early in Basic. Sunny is such a cutie, and her personality really shines through in this.

TM

Aww thanks TM! That's really sweet of you!

A really sweet and nice letter back home
Wonderfull written

Oh, really nice!

Days Gone By - Oba-Chan Moves In

Age 5

"Sunday? Sunday where are you?"

Hana came peering out the front door of the house for her tiny daughter. All the neighbors knew the family, so she wasn't particularly worried, but she preferred to at least keep tabs on her very active offspring. She got her answer quickly enough, however, when she heard a squeal and bubbling laughter approaching. A large muscular badger came down the path carrying a plank of wood, and there was Sunday, dangling happily from one end of it. Hana smiled and shook her head, "She's not causing you any trouble is she, Mr. Clive?"

"Who that? No trouble at all. I barely knew she was there," the badger glanced back, "Alright, kiddo, I've gotta go put this in, so ride's over."

He gave the board a playful jiggle, which flicked the little marten enough to let go with another squeal of laughter and land in a happy heap on the ground. Hana watched the badger take the board into the house for a moment, then turned around in time to see her daughter stuff a grasshopper in her mouth and begin munching, "Honestly, Sunday, I wish you'd at least let me clean those first, not to mention you'll spoil your dinner." She shook her head in affectionate exasperation, then scooped up the fuzzy yellow child and carried her inside.

Sunday looked around curiously, taking in the new construction in their living room as her mother set her down at the foot of the brand new stairs and gave her a smile, "Alright then. Sunday, I have a surprise for you. That loft Mr. Clive has been working on is for you! We're going to turn it into a bedroom for you."

The little marten's eyes gleamed excitedly, "For me? I get to sleep up high near the big windows?!"

She looked ready to scamper up the stairs immediately and check it out, but her mother put a soft brown hand on her shoulder and smiled, "Yes, pumpkin, it's going to be your very own space to sleep in, because we have another surprise. Do you remember your Oba-chan who lives on Mei? She came to see us  for your birthday?"

Sunday bounced and nodded, "I like Oba-chan. She smells like flowers and wears a fancy bath robe all day!"

Hana tried to stifle a laugh, and failed, shaking her head with a warm and patient smile, "Actually that's a kimono. She wore the special one for your birthday, but she has some for her normal clothes, too. Well, your Daddy and I  were thinking we would like to have Oba-chan come live with us. Would you like that?"

More bouncing and a vigorous head nod followed, "She can sleep in my loft!" The child declared proudly, planning to share her new bedroom with her grandmother already.

Hana scooped up her daughter and carried her into the kitchen where she had let some newly dried tea leaves cool on the counter. She set Sunday on an empty spot and began putting the leaves away before they got scattered by the excited child, "Actually we were wondering if she could sleep in your old bedroom, since you won't need it anymore. All your things will be up in the loft with you, so the bedroom will be empty."

A thoughtful expression crossed Sunday's little white face, which was smudged with a little of the usual dirt she picked up playing outdoors. After a moment, she nodded, "I think so, Mommy." Another moment of thought followed, before she spoke up again, "Does she need any of my toys to play with?"

The adult marten chuckled, "That's very thoughtful, sweetie, but I think she'll be ok. She has her own things she's bringing with her. But I'm sure she'd love to share with you."

Sunday nearly took a cluster of tea leaves with her as she clambered off the counter, "I'm gonna go draw her a picture!" she declared.

Hana smiled, calling after her daughter, "She won't be here for two weeks, sweetie!"

~

The two weeks came and went in a blur. Sunday's transition to the loft went fairly smoothly. She had one bad night at first, and only got lost getting a drink of water twice before she seemed to have the hang of her new room. Her mother would swear she slept more peacefully up above the living room than she had in her bedroom downstairs. The little marten seemed perfectly settled by the time her grandmother was due to arrive.

The day of the arrival was a big one indeed. Lucas went with Mr. Clive to pick up the elderly marten at the town's main dock while Hana finished preparations. She had chosen to wear fairly ordinary clothes, but had been working for quite some time before this day to craft Sunday a simple cotton kimono of her own with a purple floral pattern on it. She meant it to be as much a treat for the child as it was for her grandmother. She had even put her daughter's white hair up in little pigtails with fresh purple flowers to go with her kimono.

They waited on the front porch until they saw Mr. Clive pulling a small cart down the path. He didn't seem to mind it at all, even with the one passenger and her belongings. They didn't quite have a chance to stop at the actual front of the house before Sunday's excitement overcame her and she scampered from the porch to greet them.

Akiko descended from the cart on her own, but very carefully, pausing a moment to straighten her simple everyday kimono and ensure that her well-greyed dark hair was under control before turning down to face her granddaughter, a warm smile spreading across her face, "Hello there, little one. It is so good to see you again."

Sunday beamed up at her grandmother, and offered her a small bundle of fresh flowers hand-picked from her mother's side garden, "Welcome home, Oba-chan!"

N'awww. That was a wonderful read. Very cute.

Very cute, and well done slice-of-life piece, Merri. Nice backstory-telling of Sunday's character. Guess she's always been a super-cute little bundle of energy and joy.

That is adorable! And such a pleasure to read!!!

Oh, such a wonderful little slice of life! Love it!
Really, you're crafting your character marvelously. I couldn't help but smile reading, it's joy was contagious!

Days Gone By - That First Sting

Age 14

A temperate and sunny Tuesday afternoon made the perfect conditions for springtime on Àperirà. Birds sang, the occasional cicada would pierce quiet moments with its unique buzzing chirp, and the light breeze wafted through the trees to whisk away any excess warmth left by the bright sunlight. The day was as perfect as it could be for the season.

Except for one person. Sunny came forlornly out of the forest, dragging her tail in the crushed seashell gravel of the path outside her home, eyes fixed miserably on the earth ahead of her. Her elderly grandmother Akiko perked an ear curiously as she realized her granddaughter hadn't greeted her at all. She kept her eyes fixed on Sunny even as she slid the ribbon marker to the correct page, shut the book, and placed it on the porch table, "Sunday?"

Sunny paused, raising her head as she realized someone had been there all along. She forced a smile and waved, attempting to give her grandmother the missing greeting, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'm home, Oba-chan."

"Something is wrong, Sunday?" Akiko cut to the chase, rising from her seat with the stiffness of age and walking across the porch to stand by Sunny at the front door. There was no hiding it from Oba-chan, and Sunny knew it, so she let the facade slip and nodded, "Yeah I guess so... Sorry..."

Akiko reached down and tipped up the smaller marten's chin, smiling gently, "Do not apologize unless you have a reason do, little one. Come with me, we will sit and talk about this. But I think it requires more than just a poetry book."

She led Sunny into the house and to the kitchen, immediately putting her granddaughter quietly to the task of heating up some water. Sunny opened her mouth to try and talk about what was wrong, but her grandmother stopped her gently with a raised hand, and nothing unrelated to the task at hand was discussed. Akiko used the hot water to warm a carafe of sake, which she placed on a tray, and sent Sunday to fetch a case from her bedroom while she took the tray outside to the table where she had been sitting earlier.

Sunny returned with Oba-chan's case and the elder marten removed a long elegant pipe, which she packed carefully with an herbal blend and started lighting as Sunny took a seat, patiently waiting for her grandmother's permission to speak what was on her mind. Akiko took a soft pull from the pipe and exhaled, then gestured for Sunny to pour sake into a small cup for her. Once her cup was full, Akiko took the carafe and filled a second cup, which she placed in front of the girl, "Now, Sunday, tell me what the problem is."

"Oba-chan, this is alcohol..."

"That is why you only get one. You are young, but you are not a baby, Sunday." Oba-chan stated simply, taking a sip of her own and breathing a relaxed and pleasant sigh, "Please tell me what is bothering you."

Sunny nodded, not touching the drink yet as she gathered her thoughts. She was clearly more calm than when she arrived, though, having time to center herself during the household ritual of helping her grandmother, "Well... There's this boy..."

A knowing smile crossed Akiko's face as she finished a puff of her pipe, "I suspected as much."

"It was that obvious?" Sunny looked slightly ashamed.

"A beautiful spring day. My granddaughter coming home in the middle of the afternoon with the weight of the world on her shoulders? You looked just like your mother. I have seen this face before. What happened?"

Sunny had picked up the sake cup as her grandmother spoke and took a sip. She started a little and wrinkled her nose. Akiko chuckled, smoke from her recent puff of her pipe wafting out with the sound. Sunday took a deep breath and set the cup down, "Well, it's this boy named Jenkins, in the village..."

"Is his mother the seamstress?"

"Yes, but... well... I've been spending some time with him lately, and he's cute and really nice, and . I thought we got along really well, and we were having fun... And I started liking him... but I thought he liked me too. I mean he was acting like he did... But when I tried to tell him, he was really surprised and told me he never thought of it... and that he really wasn't interested in me like that, and he actually likes Sylvia, this really pretty sugar glider who lives near his house..." Sunny sighed miserably, a few tears welling in the corners of her eyes, "I was so embarrassed... and now I know he doesn't even like me that way. And Sylvia's so pretty... I guess I never had a chance..."

Akiko listened patiently, but as Sunny finished explaining, she reached over with a gentle hand and placed it on her granddaughter's shoulder, "He was not cruel to you, was he?"

"No... He was actually pretty nice about it. He said he still wants to be friends, but after he told me about Sylvia, he just kept saying how pretty and nice and smart she was, and..."

"And you do not have to be Sylvia, or anyone other than yourself."

"But... he didn't like myself... Not that way, at least..."

Akiko nodded, relaxing back in her chair a bit and puffing the last of the herbs in her pipe, "Then perhaps he is not the one. It is not what you want to hear, I understand, but it is true. If this boy is foolish enough not to realize your worth, then he is not the one for you..."

"He's not foolish, though. He's smart and interesting and-"

"-And foolish..." Piped up a male voice from the door of the house. Unbeknownst to Sunny, her father had heard part of the conversation as he was about to leave the house to go into town. Instead he was now standing in the doorway, holding a glass of scotch on the rocks. Once the two had looked at him, he smiled and came to join them at the table, glancing at Akiko for a second, "You know Hana hates it when you smoke."

"Which is why I do so rarely, save for emergencies and special occasions. I believe this counts."

Lucas chuckled, "And the booze?"

"Ask Hana what her father did the first time she had her heart broken. He gave her a shot of whiskey..." Akiko smirked, finishing her pipe and placing it on  the case where it had a notch to rest in. She then sat back and let Lucas lock eyes with his daughter.

"Sunny, even if he was the smartest most talented guy in the whole world, he'd still be a fool not to appreciate you, ok? I know it hurts right now, but it's gonna get better. You may even be good friends with him later. Heck you might even like this Sylvia girl once you get to know her. Or they may be jerks, but you never know. But that's the chance you take with people..."

Akiko cleared her throat, and Lucas chuckled in acknowledgement, returning to task, "Ah, right... But my point here, pumpkin, is that there's nothing wrong with you just because one person doesn't share your feelings."

"But he likes her instead..."

"And that's ok, sweetheart. If he was a jerk about it to you I'd go kick his ass myself... but it sounds like he tried to be kind about it, even if gushing about the other girl to you was pretty tactless. Guys can do that sometimes... But just because one person doesn't like you back doesn't mean it's your fault, ok?"

Sunny sniffed, then nodded a bit, "I guess... it doesn't feel good though."

Lucas smiled and set down his glass, going to hug his daughter, "No it doesn't, sweetheart. It sucks. But you're just fine the way you are. Someday someone's gonna come along who finds you as charming and pretty and amazing as this Jenkins fellow does his Sylvia."

"You don't know that for sure..." Sunny mumbled, hugging her father tightly, "There's no way you can know for sure..."

Lucas chuckled, patting Sunny's back before letting her sit back down and returning to his own chair, "That doesn't mean I don't believe it. It may take a while, but don't let it be the only thing you focus on. When it happens, it'll happen whether you're looking or not. I never expected to meet your mother."

"I hated your grandfather when we first met." Akiko chimed, "I told him he was stupid and ugly and smelled of radishes..." She stated matter of factly, drinking her sake while father and daughter blinked matching grey eyes at her, incredulous. Lucas then started to laugh, and Sunny couldn't resist the infectious sound and started to giggle herself.

Akiko smiled, "We were six... It was the peak of insults."

Once Lucas had stopped laughing, he shook his head, "I think our point here, Sunny, is that it's different for everyone. You'll find your way, and you're still young, so there's no rush, and no reason to let it keep you down."

Sunny smiled a little bit, looking between her father and grandmother, then nodded, "I guess you're right... It still doesn't feel great, but I'll... try..."

Lucas grinned, "That's my girl..."

"I think I want to go upstairs and take a nap, though... Is that ok?"

"Of course it is, pumpkin. You take some time. If you need us, we'll be glad to talk some more, ok? Don't let it beat you."

Sunny nodded and gave both of them big hugs, "Thank you... I love you both..."

"We love you too, Sunday." Akiko smiled. Lucas squeezed his daughter and nodded with a "Yep" as Sunny withdrew upstairs to her loft. They both knew she was still a bit raw, but Lucas looked at his mother-in-law and settled back in with his scotch, "She'll be ok. She's a good kid."

"Of course she is, and she will be back to herself in no time, if I know Sunday." Akiko smiled, sipping her sake.

Lucas nodded and took a drink of his scotch, then glanced at Akiko, "So... radishes, huh?"

Oh this was very insightful. Really well written! I enjoyed it!

Very well done, Merri. I went between feeling very much for Sunny, and laughing at the humor you used in the story. Also a bit misty-eyed, as I recalled the travails such as this from raising two daughters.

Love it, dear.

I love how you're able to give life to Sunny, it seems so real! This one was so sweet!

Letters Home 2
Boot Camp - Day 2

Once Commander Steele dismissed all the recruits for the evening, Sunny made straight for the showers and got thoroughly clean. She had a bit of mud remaining in her fur from her little stumble and fall during all the excitement, and she wanted to get cleaned up after the day's adventures. Once she was all tidy again, she made her way back to her tent and curled up on her bunk for a while. She took out another piece of stationary and lay it across her wooden trunk, picking up her pen and starting a new letter to her parents.


Dear Mom and Dad,

Miss you, love you,
Sunny

Folding up the letter and tucking it away, Sunny smiled to herself and checked the time, "Eep! I'm gonna be late!"

She started gathering things out of her trunk and packing up tea and accessories to take with her to visit the Commander. Once that was all put together, she pulled her uniform back on and made sure her hair and clothes looked tidy, her face was white, and she looked presentable. Once that was taken care of, she grabbed the little box of tea supplies and slipped out of the tent, off to meet Commander Steele for the evening tea he had invited her to.

Awww this is really adorable Sunny! Much more intricate than anything Keir could do. XD I like it a lot.

Wonderful work, Merri. Or should I call you Lt. Sunday on here now, eh? It suits you, if the rank goes with the position anyway. I really like these letters and seeing your take on what happens in training.

Ahhh, she is so very cute!!!

I love how you write her with her adorable, bubbly ways <333 Wonderful, wonderful work!