"Hey, everybody, welcome to another episode of Animalia Ambassadoria," said Grace, "Or perhaps I should saying 'Yar, ahoy there!' That's because today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day." (A clip of a tavern of pirates cheering.) "It's not really a big holiday, but considering there are few other holidays in September and how everyone loves the theme, I'd think it's catching on."
"And while the trend is lasting, the Animalian School of Modeling is releasing a small line of pirate-themed clothes," said Betsy, "Which would be ideal for some people who are wanting to get a headstart on buying their Halloween costumes. And today, there is going to be a photoshoot to show off these new designs."
"And we're letting you guys see what the fashionable pirate will be wearing this fall," said a female parrot Animalian. She had green feathers and a yellow head. There were a few red feathers on the bends of her wings. The comments buzzed with wonder of who this new parrot was. "Oh, did I forget to introduce myself? I'm Lexia and I'm a Yellow-Headed Amazon. I was uplifted to give testimony against an animal smuggler who was poaching animals for exotic pets. And now I'm a member of Animalia Ambassadoria."
"You see, Animalia Ambassadoria is a revolving door," said Betsy, "Members graduate from high school and move on to college. And not everyone is in the same grade so it's not always a full roster change like with the original Ambassadoria crew. Though former members are always welcome to come back and help out with reports."
"And I'm sure Lexia is going to be a good addition to our crew," said Grace, "Even if she tends to parrot others' opinions and use corny old jokes. But Lexia is ready for Talk Like a Pirate Day, aren't you?"
"Awk, Polly wants a cracker, awk," said Lexia jokingly. (Iago: "As a parrot, I find that stereotype very offensive.")
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"And where else can one do a pirate photoshoot than at the beach?" asked Betsy, "A beach on Mieni Atoll, of course."
"We get to enjoy a last few days of summer before the Fall Equinox," said Grace, putting on a pair of shades.
"Is there much difference between summer and winter here?" asked Lexia.
"A slightly cooler temperature here," said Betsy, "But it's mostly some seasonal things like whale migration or the life cycle of the native plants."
"When you're this close to the equator, the seasons aren't well-defined," said Grace.
"Believe me, I know that," said Lexia, "I'm from Guatemala."
"And here are some other people taking advantage of the last days of summer," said Betsy, spinning the camera to show the photoshoot going on at the beach. As was to be expected, most of the models were dressed like pirate wenches. A common theme were corsets and loosely-laced shirt in order to capitalize on their impressive bosoms. The corsets may not seem necessary on Animalians who already have trim figures, but just a little squeezing can have considerable results. Of course, the men weren't being left out either. Nearly all of them were wearing shirts so open, they may as well not be wearing them. Some of them weren't wearing shirts at all. It would be a rather acute comparison to say that they looked like they came off the cover of a trashy pirate romance novel.
"Well, they weren't going to do this photoshoot for historical accuracy," said Grace.
"You know, there were a lot more female pirates than you might think," said Lexia, "And I don't mean just famous pirates like Anne Bonny. Women have been pirates since all the way back to the Viking era. There was a Norwegian princess named Sela who gave the throne to become a pirate. And one of the most successful pirates of all time was Ching Shih, who dominated the South China Sea with her fleet of more than 400 ships and 40,000 sailors in the first decade of the 19th century. She was so unstoppable, the Chinese government had to offer a surrender and allowed her to retire. She lived 34 years after that in peace and prosperity before dying at 68."
"Wow, that is impressive," said Grace, "You don't successful pirates like that these days. Unless you count bootleggers." (Ba-dum-tish.)
"And here's a familiar face," said Betsy as one of the models came over. Those familiar enough with Animalia would recognize Zoe, even dressed as a pirate. Her hair had been done up in dreadlocks and her eyes have been marked with kohl to give her a bit more of an exotic look.
"Enjoying the beach, girls?" asked Zoe.
"Probably could be more if we had time to swim," said Grace.
"Speaking of swimming, any swimsuits as part of this pirate line?" asked Betsy.
"Technically, but they're more like regular swimsuits with Jolly Rogers and other pirate things on them," said Zoe, "This line is mostly about full costumes. Good for costume parties and roleplay. And we've got a special selection for bedroom roleplay." This generated quite a buzz in the comment.
"But we can't really show them here on an open channel," said Betsy. Disappointment filled the comments.
"Though there will be footage for those who have premium accounts," said Grace. There were a few new subscriptions after that.
Zoe looked at Lexia and asked, "So who's the new bird?"
"I'm Lexia. I joined Animalia Ambassadoria recently," said Lexia.
"Putting a parrot behind the microphone, eh?" chuckled Zoe, "Polly want a-" (Iago: "Say 'cracker' and I'll let you have it on PRINCIPLE!")
Zoe seemed a little confused by the sudden cut, but Grace said, "We'll show you later.
"So anyways, all these costumes you see here will be available to purchase soon," said Betsy, "You'll be able to get one in plenty of time for Halloween."
"Is these year's Halloween going to have a pirate theme?" asked Lexia.
"I can neither confirm or deny that," said Betsy, "But Halloween does cover a very wide variety of spooky themes so no one should be feeling embarrassed over getting a pirate costume and finding it's not specifically a pirate theme."
"But as October gets closer, we'll be sure to fill you in on what's coming," said Grace, "Until then, we'll be seeing you in the wilds of Animalia."