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Tomatoa
Aug 11, 2020 22:52:47 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Aug 11, 2020 22:52:47 GMT -6
The tat lung was reacting to Ashe's 'no' pretty well now! He was pleased to see that she had started to do so without even needing to use treats. He didn't quite know how to feel about having had to use a scare tactic to start, but hey, if it got the desired result... And didn't cause damage in the meantime... He tapped his fingers across the surface of the water to get her to approach him again and leave that thing alone and she started to swim back toward him. She was almost there when the blue fish swam past her, and he could tell she was tempted to go swim after them.... While it wasn't a behavior he wanted to rid her of, he did want her to focus on just him when they were communicating, not getting distracted. So, once again, he said, "Ah!" But it was quieter this time, not so much a shout as a firm command. And she responded quickly, righting herself and facing him, then swimming the rest of the way to the surface. She had that down pretty good!
Yidhra: 4 2/5
Ashe: 1 3/20
Fishing Post 23
"No" post 6 -- fin
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Tomatoa
Aug 11, 2020 23:30:44 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Aug 11, 2020 23:30:44 GMT -6
One thing Ashe wanted to work on with his tat lung next was to get her used to him touching her. It wouldn't do well if she got hurt, or stuck, or something and needed attention, but freaked out all the more when Ashe went to touch her to help. So he kept his hand in the water, petting and stroking her like he had been, playing with her scales and fins. She was okay with the pets on the head and her back, and even her belly when it was her choice to allow him to touch her there, but she had concerns when he started touching her fins. She backpedaled to get away from the hand, and Ashe gave her her space, not wanting to overwhelm her. He kept his hand in the water, still except for the slight curling of his fingers as the water pushed around his hand. Eventually, the tat lung recovered and swam back to him, seeking his attention. Ashe smiled down at her, resting on his elbow as he watched her swim against his hand.
Yidhra: 4 3/5
Ashe: 1 4/20
Fishing Post 24
"Tolerance" post 1
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Tomatoa
Aug 12, 2020 1:25:34 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Aug 12, 2020 1:25:34 GMT -6
Ashe continued to play with her, using his hand to stroke those scales, boop the snoot, let her nibble on his fingers. So far, so good. He wanted to build up her confidence a little more before he tried reaching for her fins again, and it wasn't for another three minutes that he finally went for it. He held one of her front fins between his finger and thumb, gently rubbing it. She tolerated it for just a moment or two, then started to squirm again. Ashe loosened his hold and let her wiggle free from him on her own, so she wouldn't be afraid of being trapped. It seemed to work. She didn't swim too far away before she came back to him and rubbed against his fingers again. He let her relax again before trying anything else. Trying to pass the time, he decided they had to settle on the inevitable. She needed a name! Sooner, rather than later, so maybe she could start picking up on it.
Yidhra: 4 4/5
Ashe: 1 5/20
Fishing Post 25
"Tolerance" post 2
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Tomatoa
Aug 13, 2020 10:19:14 GMT -6
Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 10:19:14 GMT -6
 What a weird little fish. |
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Tomatoa
Feb 26, 2021 15:13:08 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Feb 26, 2021 15:13:08 GMT -6
"What kind of name should I give you, anyway?" Ashe asked, watching his little fish swim around his hand. He reached his fingers out wide, stretched, and watched as she tried to swim between them. She was a little too big to do that, and ended up with his fingers trailing across her back. She didn't seem to mind. Before he knew it, she was rolled over on her back, belly bare toward the surface, and Ashe was giving her a little bit of a belly rub. Her scales were so smooth, in a hard to describe kind of way. You had to have touched a fish before, to truly get the idea of it. And then add a little more magic because these weren't typical fish, after all!
She rolled back over and swam around again, seemingly unable to hold one position for too long. Ashe let her do as she pleased, and simply kept his hand nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed they had a visitor...
Yidhra: 5 0/5
Ashe: 1 6/20
Fishing Post 26
"Tolerance" post 3
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Tomatoa
Feb 26, 2021 15:23:31 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Feb 26, 2021 15:23:31 GMT -6
The little fish seemed to notice the newcomer right after Ashe. It was almost like the baby tat lung was able to sense Ashe's attention on something and looked, too. She hadn't been looking in that direction after all. But it could, just as likely, be her sensing eyes settling on her. Because this was one weird looking fish and who knew if it had terrible intentions or if it really did just want friends?
Ashe moved slowly, intending to get his makeshift net, so he could scoop up this fish into the tank he'd brought with him, specifically to house these fish until he could get them home. This guy would look quite lovely in one of his fancy tanks at the aquarium! He couldn't let this opportunity slip on by! His little fish was approaching, slowly, carefully, with a bit of curiosity. So far, the weird fish wasn't freaking out and running away. Hold steady...
Yidhra: 5 1/5
Ashe: 1 7/20
Fishing Post 27
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Tomatoa
Feb 26, 2021 15:28:43 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Feb 26, 2021 15:28:43 GMT -6
The tat lung was moving to block one direction, and Ashe moved to block the other with his net. His little comrade seemed to put two and two together, and she was willing to betray her fellow fish. She made a quick lunge, spooking the newcomer, who turned and swam fast, blindly. He swam right into the net, got tangled, and tangled himself more as he struggled to get free. Ashe scooped up the net and turned it inside out over the tank he had, gently freeing the fish. With a plop, he landed in the water, and swam around and around, quickly finding all four walls of his temporary prison.
"Don't worry, it won't be too long! I'll have you swimming in a tank nearly as big as this river!" Ashe promised. Slight exaggeration. But a fish this small wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Now, back to the tat lung... "You did great! Thanks for the assist back there."
Yidhra: 5 2/5
Ashe: 1 8/20
Fishing Post 28
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Tomatoa
Feb 26, 2021 15:36:30 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Feb 26, 2021 15:36:30 GMT -6
"Back to getting you used to me touching you!" Ashe crooned to his precious fish. He splashed his hand around in the water to excite her again, and soon she was swimming around his fingers, playing some sort of game with herself. He was an unaware participant and he didn't know the rules, so he just kept doing it. She seemed to like it. Slowly, when he was able to, he would reach out and stroke her back, grab at a fin, grab her tail - all lightly, playfully, and she seemed to be accepting it all with a regal grace. It was as if she sensed his intention was to play, without a hint of malice, because she didn't panic or even swim away to get a breather like she had previously. Maybe their tag team operation had helped her grow closer to him. He personally thought that was odd, betraying a fellow fish like that to a life of captivity was brutal. But who was he to judge!
Yidhra: 5 3/5
Ashe: 1 9/20
Fishing Post 29
"Tolerance" post 4
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Tomatoa
Feb 26, 2021 15:39:42 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on Feb 26, 2021 15:39:42 GMT -6
Ashe pulled his hand back, finding his arm growing a bit sore from holding it there the whole time. He stretched it above his head, twisting his wrist, feeling it pop and crack as feeling returned to it. He shook out his hand and his arm, then shifted to lean forward again, this time with the other hand. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw his fish waiting for him right there, as close to the shore where Ashe was perched as she could get. He put his other hand down in the water and stroked her scales thoughtfully. She allowed it, almost rubbing against his hand like a cat might.
"Now, what to name you.... You deserve better than something simple. You need something regal..." Ashe had many texts at home, that spoke of kings and queens, gods and goddesses. Perhaps there would be a good one in there. "Pity you can't talk to me, and tell me your name yourself.'
Yidhra: 5 4/5
Ashe: 1 10/20
Fishing Post 30
"Tolerance" post 5
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Tomatoa
Feb 26, 2021 16:22:49 GMT -6
Post by Jack on Feb 26, 2021 16:22:49 GMT -6
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Tomatoa
May 14, 2021 2:31:42 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on May 14, 2021 2:31:42 GMT -6
Ashe had found a nice little itchy spot, under her fin. He scratched it with his finger and she rolled to the side, giving him better access. He smiled and continued, then trailed his other fingers across her belly and toward her other fin. She seemed to like that as well, because she stayed real still and let him touch.
Little did either of them know, but two other fish had decided to swim over and investigate. People were having fun without them, it seemed! Ashe spotted the movement out of the corner of his eye as they were approaching, one of them with a piece of plant life wrapped around its tail, dragging behind it. He decided not to alarm his little fish until they were closer. He was enjoying this bonding time too much to worry about all that, but he was also a little excited to see they had company! It meant more fish in the tank at the aquarium.
Yidhra: 6 0/5
Ashe: 1 11/20
Fishing Post 31
"Tolerance" post 6
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Tomatoa
May 14, 2021 2:47:27 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on May 14, 2021 2:47:27 GMT -6
Ashe rubbed her belly and went down to her tail fin, which she squirmed a bit, but with some gentle prodding, she allowed too. He gave experimental tugs on her tail, then used his hand to flip her over. She seemed to tolerate his touches pretty well by now, he didn't think there was much else he could do besides shoving a finger in her gills, and he wasn't about to do that! She swam around his hands, rubbing against them on her own from time to time, as if starting to seek him out.
But the other two fish were upon them. His tat-lung was alarmed and darted away, while Ashe acted quickly. The first fish, while not aggressive, was moving too fast for comfort, so Ashe scooped him up and tossed him into the little cove he'd made, to hold his aquatic catches until he could transport them. The other one got startled and tried to swim away, but the leaf was slowing it down.
Yidhra: 6 1/5
Ashe: 1 12/20
Fishing Post 32
"Tolerance" post 7 - fin
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Tomatoa
May 14, 2021 3:08:33 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on May 14, 2021 3:08:33 GMT -6
His little Tat Lung swam around and blocked the second fish, which surprised it and it whipped around to get away, and smacked right into Ashe's hands. His reaction time was quick enough that he was able to grab the fish and toss it with his friend into the holding pen. The leaf went with it, too, and he decided to leave them alone. Enough stress for now.
He turned back to his still nameless tat-lung, and wondered what else he should be trying to do to train her. Training would help in the future, but it would also give him some bonding time while they were here together. He ran through the list of basics in his head, and settled on one that should be easy enough.
"Next," he announced. "You'll learn to stay!" The tat-lung watched him, as if recognizing his 'training time' voice. The goal here would be to get her to stay when he held up his hand, but he would have to start with using the word first.
Yidhra: 6 2/5
Ashe: 1 13/20
Fishing Post 33
"Stay" - 1
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Tomatoa
May 14, 2021 3:22:23 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on May 14, 2021 3:22:23 GMT -6
"Stay," Ashe said. "When I say that word, you stay right where you are. Do not move. Stay." He kept his hand held up and stood, starting to back along the river bank. The tat lung made to follow him, not understanding any of this at first. She certainly didn't want to be left behind! Ashe stopped and moved his hand for emphasis. "Stay," He said again. He waited for her to come to a stop near him, then he repeated the word again. He started to back up. She started to follow him again.
"No!" He told her, knowing she knew that word. The Tat-lung was a little confused. Ashe said the command again and started backing up. When she followed, he said no. She stopped, not knowing what else she was doing that Ashe could be "no"ing. When she stayed for a couple of seconds, Ashe hurried back and tossed her some treats, which she gobbled up. "Good girl! That's it, that's what I want from you!"
Yidhra: 6 3/5
Ashe: 1 14/20
Fishing Post 34
"Stay" - 2
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Tomatoa
May 14, 2021 3:30:46 GMT -6
Post by Ashe on May 14, 2021 3:30:46 GMT -6
The tat lung was pleased to have the praise, though she didn't quite understand what Ashe wanted with that word. She did a little flip, landing with a splash. Ashe grimaced a bit, hoping the splash wouldn't scare off the fish he was also trying to catch. But maybe it would also attract them?
"Stay," Ashe said, and he backed away. The tat lung was trying to puzzle out what she had done right and the only thing she could think of was staying still. So she did. But as Ashe got further away, she started to doubt herself. She tried to swim toward him, but Ashe gestured with his hand again and said that word once more. Remembering she'd also gotten told no, and not liking getting told no, she hesitated and stayed put once more. And Ashe came hurrying back with more treats and praise! She was so excited, she must have done the thing again! So was it staying put? Letting Ashe...leave her?
Yidhra: 6 4/5
Ashe: 1 15/20
Fishing Post 35
"Stay" - 3
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