SMASH! 2025 - Fantasy Camping: Tales of the Forest

Fantasy Camping: Tales of the Forest -

The crackling of the campfire was the only sound in the forest. Skadi and Cyrus, twin explorers extraordinaire, had just returned from a week of time travelling through centuries—dodging gundam, reading aged manga, and even dancing with some very confused Victorians. Now, it was time for something simpler: camping under the stars. Well, as simple as it could be for these two.

Skadi poked at the fire, her pink eyes reflecting the flickering flames. “Hard to believe we just spent a day in ancient Japan and another in the Jurassic, and now here we are. Back to basics.”

Cyrus, sitting across from her, stretched his arms and yawned. “Yeah, I think I’ll take a bear over a Godzilla replica any day. At least bears don’t chase you for miles when you steal their food.”

Skadi chuckled. “You mean when you steal their food.”

Cyrus opened his mouth to reply, but a loud rustling in the nearby bushes made them both freeze. The siblings exchanged a look.

“Did you hear that?” Skadi whispered, gripping the stick she’d been using to stoke the fire like a weapon.

“Yeah, I heard it. Could be a fox,” Cyrus suggested, though his eyes darted nervously to the shadows. “Or a... bear?”

“Don’t jinx it.” Skadi stood, stepping away from the fire and towards the edge of the clearing. Her hands balled into fists, ready for action. Time travellers or not, bears were a whole different challenge.

Cyrus picked up a large branch for protection and joined her. “If it is a bear, we play dead, right?”

“That’s grizzlies. Black bears, you make yourself look bigger.”

The rustling grew louder.

“Right, right. Totally got this. I’m gonna puff up like a—”

Suddenly, a figure burst out of the bushes, and both twins gasped. But it wasn’t a bear at all.

It was a frog.

A giant frog, at least the size of a golden retriever. But that wasn’t the weirdest part. Perched on top of its head was a set of fuzzy, fake bear ears.

Skadi blinked. Cyrus blinked.

“What… the…?” Skadi muttered, lowering her stick in disbelief.

The frog croaked loudly, its massive yellow eyes glistening in the firelight, and then did something neither of them expected—it stood on two legs and crossed its arms, glaring at them as if they were the intruders.

“Did that frog just...” Cyrus started, but he couldn’t finish. The sheer absurdity of the situation was scrambling his brain.

The frog, clearly unimpressed, continued to stare at them. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, it hopped closer and plopped down by the fire, rubbing its belly like it had been on a long journey of its own.

“Okay, this is definitely weirder than anything we saw in that manga store,” Skadi whispered, now genuinely fascinated. She cautiously crouched down near the frog, who shot her a side-eye. “Hey, buddy, nice ears. Did you lose a bet?”

The frog croaked again, this time softer, almost mournful, like it understood what she was saying.

Cyrus, finally recovering from his shock, dropped his branch and approached too. “Maybe it’s from the future. You know, like a genetically engineered frog-bear hybrid or something?”

Skadi tilted her head. “We’ve seen stranger things. Though I don’t remember any timelines where this makes sense.”

Suddenly, the frog reached into a small pouch slung around its neck (because apparently, giant frogs wear pouches now) and pulled out… a scroll. It handed the scroll to Cyrus, who, still trying to process this amphibious ambassador, took it gingerly.

Unrolling the scroll, Cyrus squinted at the writing. “It’s in some sort of... frog language? Or maybe a cipher?”

The frog nodded vigorously, pointing a slimy toe at the scroll and then tapping its head, as if to say, Figure it out.

Skadi grinned. “I love a good puzzle.”

The twins huddled together, examining the strange script. Meanwhile, the frog, apparently satisfied that they were working on it, lay down next to the fire, snoring softly within seconds.

“What do you think it says?” Skadi asked, her eyes scanning the symbols. “Directions? Warnings? A shopping list?”

“Whatever it is, it’s important enough that our friend here crossed dimensions or something to get it to us,” Cyrus replied, his fingers tracing the patterns. “But why the bear ears?”

Skadi shrugged. “Maybe he’s just a fashion-forward frog.”

As they worked on deciphering the scroll, the firelight flickering between them and their snoring frog companion, the twins couldn't help but feel a strange comfort in the absurdity of it all. Time travel had taught them one thing: the universe was full of surprises, and sometimes you just had to roll with whatever it threw at you. Even if that happened to be a giant frog in bear ears.

Eventually, Skadi cracked a smile. “Hey, Cyrus?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re gonna need a bigger tent.”

////

(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ WELCOME BACK SMASH!EEs ✨

🌇This year the theme for 2025 is FANTASY CAMPING 🏕️!
😎 SMASH! 2025 will be back at ICC Sydney on 12th and 13th July 2025. Our team are already working on a packed schedule of fun-filled adventures and joy! 🌸 More updates are coming soon, including Artist Market Applications, and Crew Volunteer Applications!

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