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- Thecatperson19
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Scratcher
63 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Daily 25
File Request > File 7154
File 7154 - Topmost Security Clearance Required
View
…
Documents:
> Mission SS17 Day 40 3:00 PM Transcript
Statement
…
Transcript Record:
{Navigation Specialist} - Commander? (Pause) There’s something strange showing up on the view screen.
{Commander} - I see it {Navigation Specialist}.
{Mission Specialist} - Oh, you guys see it, too? I thought I was going crazy. (Laughs)
{{Commander} stands and steps closer to the view screen. {Navigation Specialist} looks up at him. {Mission Specialist} is sitting next to {Navigation Specialist} and leans forward, watching the screen.}
{Navigation Specialist} - It looks like some kind of oncoming (Pause) object.
{Commander} - {Mission Specialist}, get a read on this thing.
{Mission Specialist} - Roger, roger! (Long Pause)
{{Mission Specialist} turns back to her station}
{Navigation Specialist} - Commander, it’s coming closer.
{Pilot} - Any orders, Commander?
{Commander} - Stand by, {Pilot}.
{Mission Specialist} - {Commander}, I can’t get any data.
{Commander} - What?
{Mission Specialist} - Our sensors aren’t picking anything up.
{Navigation Specialist} - Magnifying view screen.
{The view screen zooms in on the approaching object. It appears to be a growing swath of golden light}
{Commander} - Any ideas, (Mission) Control?
{Mission Control} - There doesn’t appear to be any strange objects in your area.
{Commander} - (To Crew) People?
{Flight Engineer} - Dark matter?
{Mission Specialist} - Thought it was supposed to be dark. (Chuckles)
{Flight Engineer} - Dark matter has never been detected by any kind of sensor before.
{Commander} - I’m hesitant to believe we’ve encountered any kind of dark matter.
{Pilot} - Supernova?
{Commander} - Plausible.
{Mission Control} - No new supernovas have been detected in your area.
{The word “new” is subjective and refers rather to the effect of the supernova, which lasts millions of years into the future. No supernova remnants were detected nearby SS17.}
{Mission Specialist} - Yeah, our spectrometer should be able to see something.
{Mission Control} - It could’ve been damaged.
{Flight Engineer} - Spectrometer is fully functioning.
{Navigation Specialist} - Object is fast approaching.
{Commander} - How far away?
{Navigation Specialist} - Gimme a sec(ond).
{“Gimmie” is a contraction of “give me”}
{Navigation Specialist} - At least 600 million miles.
{Commander} - Speed?
{Navigation Specialist} - I don’t know. Fast, Commander.
{Mission Specialist} - We need data on it.
{Mission Control} - Crew, can you get data on Exoplanet 863-B?
{Mission Specialist} - Yeah, but I don’t see what’s the point. (Long Pause)
{Mission Specialist} - I (Pause) don’t see anything on (Exoplanet) 863-B.
{Commander} - Clarify.
{Mission Specialist} (Mission) Control it’s like there is no (Exoplanet) 863-B.
{Pilot} - Exoplanet 863-B lies beyond whatever that thing is, right?
{Mission Specialist} - Yeah.
{Flight Engineer} - (Hushed) It ate it.
{Mission Specialist} - (Giggles)
{{Commander} smacks the back of {Mission Specialist}’s head lightly.}
{Flight Engineer} - Mission Control, do you think it’s possible for it to be a black hole?
{Mission Specialist} - Black holes don’t exist, {Flight Engineer}. They’re just a mathematical construct.
{Commander} - I’ve checked that math, Specialist. It’s plausible.
{Pilot} - But is it possible?
{Mission Control} - It doesn’t seem likely that the object you are encountering is a black hole, though it would certainly be an interesting idea. (Pause) Can you get any kind of reading on it?
{Mission Specialist} - No.
{Navigation Specialist} - Object is at 400 million miles and seems to be picking up speed.
{Pilot} - Orders?
{Flight Engineer} - It’s going to get us if we don’t do anything.
{Mission Specialist} - Wait. Zoom out, {Navigation Specialist}.
{{Navigation Specialist} zooms out so the object is in frame again and takes up the majority of the view screen. It appears to be a line of light moving steadily across space. Everything that lies beyond it is bathed in light as well.}
{Commander} - Pump the brakes, {Pilot}. We shouldn’t be running at it full tilt.
{{Flight Engineer} stands to inspect the view screen closer while {Pilot} applies the spacecraft’s counterforce brakes.}
{Mission Specialist} - Can you see anything beyond the line?
{Flight Engineer} - All I see is light.
{Mission Specialist} - Exactly. No stars, no planets, nothing.
{Flight Engineer} - Are there any nearby celestial objects we could try to get a read on?
{Mission Specialist} - Let me see. (Pause) Maybe a few close by stars and exoplanets.
{Flight Engineer} - Try checking on those.
{Mission Specialist} - (Long Pause) There’s nothing.
{Commander} - What about in front of us, but not beyond the line?
{Mission Specialist} - A couple of decent sized meteoroids. Some are pretty close to the line.
{Commander} - {Navigation Specialist}-
{Navigation Specialist} - Zooming in.
{The crew watches as the view screen zooms in on a meteoroid nearing the line of light. As the line passes over it, it disappears from view. {Mission Specialist} pounds her fist on her keyboard.}
{Mission Specialist} - It's gone. The sensors lost it.
{Flight Engineer} - All systems are operating at 100 percent. It’s not an error on our part.
{Commander} - Well my friends, this could be the end of the line.
{Mission Specialist} - Or the-
{Flight Engineer} - End of the world. (Long Pause)
{Pilot} - Difficult to believe.
{Mission Specialist} - This could be the crux of our mission. Finding the limits of the universe.
{Navigation Specialist} - Commander?
{Commander} - If this is truly that, then something’s wrong. The universe is supposed to be expanding, not shrinking.
{Navigation Specialist} - True. The line is still approaching quickly, and we've slowed considerably.
{Commander} - What do you think, (Mission) Control? Do you think we’ve found it? (Pause)
{Commander} - Mission Control? (Long Pause)
{Pilot} - This is getting weird, {Commander}.
{{Commander} puts a hand to his face in a gesture of thinking.}
{Commander} - Okay. We’ll wait here for a few more moments. Try to document as much information as possible. {Mission Specialist} and {Flight Engineer} keep tracking meteoroids. {Navigation Specialist}, keep tabs on its distance and speed. {Pilot}, prepare for evasive action.
{Commander} - Mission Control? Are you feeling chatty? (Long Pause)
{The crew members return to their stations and busy themselves.}
{Comm Break}
{Mission Control} - Good work, crew. Please initiate return.
{Pilot} - Back to home base?
{Mission Control} - Affirmative.
{Mission Specialist} - Wait!
{Commander} - What, {Mission Specialist}?
{{Mission Specialist} stands and moves in front of the view screen.}
{Mission Specialist} - There’s something out there.
{Navigation Specialist} - Where, {Mission Specialist}?
{{Mission Specialist} points at the screen at seemingly nothing.}
{Mission Specialist} - In the light beyond.
{Flight Engineer} - There’s nothing but light.
{Mission Specialist} - No, no, it's not in the light, it is the light.
{{Mission Specialist} waves her hands frustratedly.}
{Mission Specialist} - It’s sort of making shapes. Impressions. My God.
{{Mission Specialist} fingers her bracelet.}
{Mission Specialist} - We need to go out there.
{Mission Control} - Return home SS17.
{Commander} - (To {Mission Specialist}) Excuse me?
{Mission Specialist} - There’s something there; we need to get closer.
{{Commander} flaps his arms in the general direction of the view screen.}
{Commander} - You’re telling me that you just saw the literal end of the world, and you want to go look at it?!
{Mission Specialist} - Yes! Something major is at work here.
{Pilot} - I think she’s right. I’m starting to see something, too.
{{Commander} spins around the module and stares at each of the crew members.}
{Commander} - We cannot go out there. We risk never coming back.
{Navigation Specialist} - Well, I think we can make it if we go for a quick peek then hyperdrive back.
{Flight Engineer} - It does seem ludicrous, but you can’t deny that there’s something wrong out there.
{Commander} - Yes, something’s wrong! The universe is crumpling up like a paper bag! Don’t you know what this means?
{{Commander} takes a deep breath and smooths back his hair, most likely trying to recover from his outburst.}
{Commander} - (Whispers) This isn’t just the end of the line, my friends. This is quite literally the end of the world. And it’s coming for us. Fast. I’m afraid it’s not something we can simply outrun.
{Mission Control} - Unfortunately, Commander, you don’t get to make that choice.
1275 words
File Request > File 7154
File 7154 - Topmost Security Clearance Required
View
…
Documents:
> Mission SS17 Day 40 3:00 PM Transcript
Statement
…
Transcript Record:
{Navigation Specialist} - Commander? (Pause) There’s something strange showing up on the view screen.
{Commander} - I see it {Navigation Specialist}.
{Mission Specialist} - Oh, you guys see it, too? I thought I was going crazy. (Laughs)
{{Commander} stands and steps closer to the view screen. {Navigation Specialist} looks up at him. {Mission Specialist} is sitting next to {Navigation Specialist} and leans forward, watching the screen.}
{Navigation Specialist} - It looks like some kind of oncoming (Pause) object.
{Commander} - {Mission Specialist}, get a read on this thing.
{Mission Specialist} - Roger, roger! (Long Pause)
{{Mission Specialist} turns back to her station}
{Navigation Specialist} - Commander, it’s coming closer.
{Pilot} - Any orders, Commander?
{Commander} - Stand by, {Pilot}.
{Mission Specialist} - {Commander}, I can’t get any data.
{Commander} - What?
{Mission Specialist} - Our sensors aren’t picking anything up.
{Navigation Specialist} - Magnifying view screen.
{The view screen zooms in on the approaching object. It appears to be a growing swath of golden light}
{Commander} - Any ideas, (Mission) Control?
{Mission Control} - There doesn’t appear to be any strange objects in your area.
{Commander} - (To Crew) People?
{Flight Engineer} - Dark matter?
{Mission Specialist} - Thought it was supposed to be dark. (Chuckles)
{Flight Engineer} - Dark matter has never been detected by any kind of sensor before.
{Commander} - I’m hesitant to believe we’ve encountered any kind of dark matter.
{Pilot} - Supernova?
{Commander} - Plausible.
{Mission Control} - No new supernovas have been detected in your area.
{The word “new” is subjective and refers rather to the effect of the supernova, which lasts millions of years into the future. No supernova remnants were detected nearby SS17.}
{Mission Specialist} - Yeah, our spectrometer should be able to see something.
{Mission Control} - It could’ve been damaged.
{Flight Engineer} - Spectrometer is fully functioning.
{Navigation Specialist} - Object is fast approaching.
{Commander} - How far away?
{Navigation Specialist} - Gimme a sec(ond).
{“Gimmie” is a contraction of “give me”}
{Navigation Specialist} - At least 600 million miles.
{Commander} - Speed?
{Navigation Specialist} - I don’t know. Fast, Commander.
{Mission Specialist} - We need data on it.
{Mission Control} - Crew, can you get data on Exoplanet 863-B?
{Mission Specialist} - Yeah, but I don’t see what’s the point. (Long Pause)
{Mission Specialist} - I (Pause) don’t see anything on (Exoplanet) 863-B.
{Commander} - Clarify.
{Mission Specialist} (Mission) Control it’s like there is no (Exoplanet) 863-B.
{Pilot} - Exoplanet 863-B lies beyond whatever that thing is, right?
{Mission Specialist} - Yeah.
{Flight Engineer} - (Hushed) It ate it.
{Mission Specialist} - (Giggles)
{{Commander} smacks the back of {Mission Specialist}’s head lightly.}
{Flight Engineer} - Mission Control, do you think it’s possible for it to be a black hole?
{Mission Specialist} - Black holes don’t exist, {Flight Engineer}. They’re just a mathematical construct.
{Commander} - I’ve checked that math, Specialist. It’s plausible.
{Pilot} - But is it possible?
{Mission Control} - It doesn’t seem likely that the object you are encountering is a black hole, though it would certainly be an interesting idea. (Pause) Can you get any kind of reading on it?
{Mission Specialist} - No.
{Navigation Specialist} - Object is at 400 million miles and seems to be picking up speed.
{Pilot} - Orders?
{Flight Engineer} - It’s going to get us if we don’t do anything.
{Mission Specialist} - Wait. Zoom out, {Navigation Specialist}.
{{Navigation Specialist} zooms out so the object is in frame again and takes up the majority of the view screen. It appears to be a line of light moving steadily across space. Everything that lies beyond it is bathed in light as well.}
{Commander} - Pump the brakes, {Pilot}. We shouldn’t be running at it full tilt.
{{Flight Engineer} stands to inspect the view screen closer while {Pilot} applies the spacecraft’s counterforce brakes.}
{Mission Specialist} - Can you see anything beyond the line?
{Flight Engineer} - All I see is light.
{Mission Specialist} - Exactly. No stars, no planets, nothing.
{Flight Engineer} - Are there any nearby celestial objects we could try to get a read on?
{Mission Specialist} - Let me see. (Pause) Maybe a few close by stars and exoplanets.
{Flight Engineer} - Try checking on those.
{Mission Specialist} - (Long Pause) There’s nothing.
{Commander} - What about in front of us, but not beyond the line?
{Mission Specialist} - A couple of decent sized meteoroids. Some are pretty close to the line.
{Commander} - {Navigation Specialist}-
{Navigation Specialist} - Zooming in.
{The crew watches as the view screen zooms in on a meteoroid nearing the line of light. As the line passes over it, it disappears from view. {Mission Specialist} pounds her fist on her keyboard.}
{Mission Specialist} - It's gone. The sensors lost it.
{Flight Engineer} - All systems are operating at 100 percent. It’s not an error on our part.
{Commander} - Well my friends, this could be the end of the line.
{Mission Specialist} - Or the-
{Flight Engineer} - End of the world. (Long Pause)
{Pilot} - Difficult to believe.
{Mission Specialist} - This could be the crux of our mission. Finding the limits of the universe.
{Navigation Specialist} - Commander?
{Commander} - If this is truly that, then something’s wrong. The universe is supposed to be expanding, not shrinking.
{Navigation Specialist} - True. The line is still approaching quickly, and we've slowed considerably.
{Commander} - What do you think, (Mission) Control? Do you think we’ve found it? (Pause)
{Commander} - Mission Control? (Long Pause)
{Pilot} - This is getting weird, {Commander}.
{{Commander} puts a hand to his face in a gesture of thinking.}
{Commander} - Okay. We’ll wait here for a few more moments. Try to document as much information as possible. {Mission Specialist} and {Flight Engineer} keep tracking meteoroids. {Navigation Specialist}, keep tabs on its distance and speed. {Pilot}, prepare for evasive action.
{Commander} - Mission Control? Are you feeling chatty? (Long Pause)
{The crew members return to their stations and busy themselves.}
{Comm Break}
{Mission Control} - Good work, crew. Please initiate return.
{Pilot} - Back to home base?
{Mission Control} - Affirmative.
{Mission Specialist} - Wait!
{Commander} - What, {Mission Specialist}?
{{Mission Specialist} stands and moves in front of the view screen.}
{Mission Specialist} - There’s something out there.
{Navigation Specialist} - Where, {Mission Specialist}?
{{Mission Specialist} points at the screen at seemingly nothing.}
{Mission Specialist} - In the light beyond.
{Flight Engineer} - There’s nothing but light.
{Mission Specialist} - No, no, it's not in the light, it is the light.
{{Mission Specialist} waves her hands frustratedly.}
{Mission Specialist} - It’s sort of making shapes. Impressions. My God.
{{Mission Specialist} fingers her bracelet.}
{Mission Specialist} - We need to go out there.
{Mission Control} - Return home SS17.
{Commander} - (To {Mission Specialist}) Excuse me?
{Mission Specialist} - There’s something there; we need to get closer.
{{Commander} flaps his arms in the general direction of the view screen.}
{Commander} - You’re telling me that you just saw the literal end of the world, and you want to go look at it?!
{Mission Specialist} - Yes! Something major is at work here.
{Pilot} - I think she’s right. I’m starting to see something, too.
{{Commander} spins around the module and stares at each of the crew members.}
{Commander} - We cannot go out there. We risk never coming back.
{Navigation Specialist} - Well, I think we can make it if we go for a quick peek then hyperdrive back.
{Flight Engineer} - It does seem ludicrous, but you can’t deny that there’s something wrong out there.
{Commander} - Yes, something’s wrong! The universe is crumpling up like a paper bag! Don’t you know what this means?
{{Commander} takes a deep breath and smooths back his hair, most likely trying to recover from his outburst.}
{Commander} - (Whispers) This isn’t just the end of the line, my friends. This is quite literally the end of the world. And it’s coming for us. Fast. I’m afraid it’s not something we can simply outrun.
{Mission Control} - Unfortunately, Commander, you don’t get to make that choice.
1275 words
Last edited by Thecatperson19 (July 25, 2024 23:58:35)
- pepper-and-a-pencil
-
Scratcher
500+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
daily 25 - world ending - 239/200 words
tw : death, drowing
enjoy perhaps the worst writing i’ve done all month :')
there are four mountains safe to live on in the world, every other piece of land is covered in water. the sea level has rapidly risen over the past month, and anyone unlucky enough to live somewhere without a mountain in sight is now dead. on occasion, someone will jump in and force themselves to drown, unable to bear living anymore. sometimes, someone shoves someone else in who doesn’t know how to swim, only to pull them out after they are dead so everyone else has a few more scraps of food. it’s absolutely sick, but i’m holding out hope that the water will stop rising and everything will go back to normal. if it doesn’t happen soon, i might be one of the next victims to get shoved into the water. as the top of our mountain grew in population, i made the mistake of saying i couldn’t swim in my introduction instead of lying like nearly everyone else. ever since then, i’ve been fed less, treated less than all the good swimmers, and almost been pushed in a few times. that’s how your ranked now, instead of your career and how much money you have, people fawn over you depending on how well your swimming is. and you get extra attention if your purposefully go in to bring back a fish or some other water animal.
i wish the world would end already, it’s been long enough.
tw : death, drowing
enjoy perhaps the worst writing i’ve done all month :')
there are four mountains safe to live on in the world, every other piece of land is covered in water. the sea level has rapidly risen over the past month, and anyone unlucky enough to live somewhere without a mountain in sight is now dead. on occasion, someone will jump in and force themselves to drown, unable to bear living anymore. sometimes, someone shoves someone else in who doesn’t know how to swim, only to pull them out after they are dead so everyone else has a few more scraps of food. it’s absolutely sick, but i’m holding out hope that the water will stop rising and everything will go back to normal. if it doesn’t happen soon, i might be one of the next victims to get shoved into the water. as the top of our mountain grew in population, i made the mistake of saying i couldn’t swim in my introduction instead of lying like nearly everyone else. ever since then, i’ve been fed less, treated less than all the good swimmers, and almost been pushed in a few times. that’s how your ranked now, instead of your career and how much money you have, people fawn over you depending on how well your swimming is. and you get extra attention if your purposefully go in to bring back a fish or some other water animal.
i wish the world would end already, it’s been long enough.
- chrisluk002
-
Scratcher
23 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Daily for July 25
Springfield turned in bed, worried. The images burned in her mind. The smooth blackstone armor. The crimson fur was scorched and badly burned in some places. The piercing gaze, filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. It chilled her whenever she remembered. She kept trying to sleep, but was instantly pulled into a nightmare. She gasped, eyes wide and heart racing. Her godfather, Mariano, ran in upon hearing her. “Springfield? What's wrong?” The lilicat shivered, shaking. “Springy?” “I- I… I had a nightmare…” “What about?” She took time, breathing. Her heartrate slowed, and she held back tears. “Do you know… when we met early on… I… felt bad because of something I did to Paulina…?” Mariano tried to recall, but his memory didn't stretch that far. “No, I don't…” “Well… there was another version of me… She was jealous and angry at Paulina, bitter at the things she did to me early… And… She almost ended everything… even her…” Mariano stared, processing this information, but felt some understanding. He felt like his other adoptive child had mentioned something like this. “It's okay Springy. She's gone… Don't worry about it.” She looked up to him, staring into his eyes behind his glasses. “Are you sure…?” “Yes, I'm sure. She's gone, don't worry about it.” Springy sighed, feeling a little relaxed. Mariano smiled. “Come on, lets get you a glass of water and we'll put you back to bed.” She looked at him, ears lifting up. She'd like that… She got out of bed and took his hand. The two smiled, and headed to the kitchen together.
Springfield turned in bed, worried. The images burned in her mind. The smooth blackstone armor. The crimson fur was scorched and badly burned in some places. The piercing gaze, filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. It chilled her whenever she remembered. She kept trying to sleep, but was instantly pulled into a nightmare. She gasped, eyes wide and heart racing. Her godfather, Mariano, ran in upon hearing her. “Springfield? What's wrong?” The lilicat shivered, shaking. “Springy?” “I- I… I had a nightmare…” “What about?” She took time, breathing. Her heartrate slowed, and she held back tears. “Do you know… when we met early on… I… felt bad because of something I did to Paulina…?” Mariano tried to recall, but his memory didn't stretch that far. “No, I don't…” “Well… there was another version of me… She was jealous and angry at Paulina, bitter at the things she did to me early… And… She almost ended everything… even her…” Mariano stared, processing this information, but felt some understanding. He felt like his other adoptive child had mentioned something like this. “It's okay Springy. She's gone… Don't worry about it.” She looked up to him, staring into his eyes behind his glasses. “Are you sure…?” “Yes, I'm sure. She's gone, don't worry about it.” Springy sighed, feeling a little relaxed. Mariano smiled. “Come on, lets get you a glass of water and we'll put you back to bed.” She looked at him, ears lifting up. She'd like that… She got out of bed and took his hand. The two smiled, and headed to the kitchen together.
- minergold48
-
Scratcher
100+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Daily 25 || 392 words
“Mom?”
Jackfruit peeked into his mother’s bedroom, holding a bowl of food. Recently bugs had begun to act…weird, and his mother had been one of them. She was sitting on her bed, gazing off, orange fog clouding her eyes. She had been like this for a few days, muttering nonsense, and Jack hadn’t been able to find any doctors who were available.
She wasn’t the only victim, though. Every day more of his neighbors had clouded eyes, wandering aimlessly, not responding to anything at all. Jack sighed as he sat next to his mom, wearily feeding her dinner.
Suddenly he was roughly shoved to the floor, yelling in a panic as he scrambled to his feet. His mom was staring at him, the clouds having formed into glowing orange pupils as she moved to grab him. Jack crawled away and ran to his room, breathing heavily. He heard the sounds of screams outside, and moved to grab his nail, unsure of what to do.
His mom came in, making indistinguishable noises, trying to swat at him. Jack stepped backwards in fear, glancing at the window.
Being a grasshopper came in handy when you lived at high elevations. As he jumped out of his apartment in the City of Tears, Jack felt the rain bashing against his wings. He landed on the scaffolding being used to construct some building, turning and seeing his mom staring at him apathetically from the window. She then turned and went back inside.
Jack let out a sigh, before hearing a weak battle cry behind him. He saw a winged sentry, one of the many who were supposed to protect the city, except this one had orange eyes and was actively attacking him.
Trying to remember his training, he turned and parried the attack, before running and jumping down, bolting past the crowds of infected bugs. There were a few who still had their minds, but they were too busy running to help him.
Jack didn’t know where he was going, but he kept running until he found a strange building. Ducking inside, he recognized it as the home of the Nailsmith, who…wasn’t there at the moment.
Jack sat down, panting. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew what this was.
The Infection had returned. The Pale King and the Hollow Knight couldn’t even stop it.
“Mom?”
Jackfruit peeked into his mother’s bedroom, holding a bowl of food. Recently bugs had begun to act…weird, and his mother had been one of them. She was sitting on her bed, gazing off, orange fog clouding her eyes. She had been like this for a few days, muttering nonsense, and Jack hadn’t been able to find any doctors who were available.
She wasn’t the only victim, though. Every day more of his neighbors had clouded eyes, wandering aimlessly, not responding to anything at all. Jack sighed as he sat next to his mom, wearily feeding her dinner.
Suddenly he was roughly shoved to the floor, yelling in a panic as he scrambled to his feet. His mom was staring at him, the clouds having formed into glowing orange pupils as she moved to grab him. Jack crawled away and ran to his room, breathing heavily. He heard the sounds of screams outside, and moved to grab his nail, unsure of what to do.
His mom came in, making indistinguishable noises, trying to swat at him. Jack stepped backwards in fear, glancing at the window.
Being a grasshopper came in handy when you lived at high elevations. As he jumped out of his apartment in the City of Tears, Jack felt the rain bashing against his wings. He landed on the scaffolding being used to construct some building, turning and seeing his mom staring at him apathetically from the window. She then turned and went back inside.
Jack let out a sigh, before hearing a weak battle cry behind him. He saw a winged sentry, one of the many who were supposed to protect the city, except this one had orange eyes and was actively attacking him.
Trying to remember his training, he turned and parried the attack, before running and jumping down, bolting past the crowds of infected bugs. There were a few who still had their minds, but they were too busy running to help him.
Jack didn’t know where he was going, but he kept running until he found a strange building. Ducking inside, he recognized it as the home of the Nailsmith, who…wasn’t there at the moment.
Jack sat down, panting. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew what this was.
The Infection had returned. The Pale King and the Hollow Knight couldn’t even stop it.
- -WildClan-
-
Scratcher
100+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
(Folklore QOTDs for reference)
JULY 1
ɪᴛ's ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅᴀ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ sɪɴᴄᴇ sᴜɴ ɪs ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅɪᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟʟʏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅᴀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀssᴏᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ɴᴏʀᴛʜ?
JULY 2
ɪᴛ's ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴜꜰᴏ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ? ᴡʜʏ ᴏʀ ᴡʜʏ ɴᴏᴛ?
JULY 3
ᴏʜ ɴᴏ, ɪᴛ's ᴅɪsᴏʙᴇᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀɪʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴀʙɪɴᴍᴀᴛᴇs
ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ᴍɪsʙᴇʜᴀᴠᴇᴅ, ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ?
JULY 4
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ɪɴᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ʙᴀʀʙᴇǫᴜᴇ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛs?
JULY 5
ɪᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ ᴄʀᴀᴄᴋᴇʀ ᴅᴀʏ! ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ, ɢᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟꜰ ᴀ s'ᴍᴏʀᴇ — ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ-ᴀssᴏᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴇssᴇʀᴛs?
JULY 6
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ's ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜰʀɪᴇᴅ ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ ᴅᴀʏ (ᴡᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ sᴜᴄᴄᴇssɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴇʟᴇʙʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴs) ᴀɴᴅ sᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴏᴛᴅ ɪs ʏᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs ᴏɴ ᴋꜰᴄ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴇxɪsᴛs? ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏᴇs ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏ, sᴀʏ, ᴋᴏʀᴇᴀɴ ꜰʀɪᴇᴅ ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ? sᴘɪʟʟ :⁰
JULY 7
ᴊᴏʏ ᴏꜰ ᴊᴏʏs, ɪᴛ's ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ ɪɴ ɪᴛ?
JULY 8
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ɪᴛ's ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ɢᴀᴍᴇs ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ɢᴀᴍᴇs ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴ?
JULY 9
JULY 10
sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs… ᴛᴇᴅᴅʏ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴘɪᴄɴɪᴄ ᴅᴀʏ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ/ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ sᴛᴜꜰꜰᴇᴅ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟs ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?
JULY 11
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴄʟᴇʀɪʜᴇᴡ ᴅᴀʏ (ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄʟᴇʀɪʜᴇᴡ ɪs ᴅᴀʏ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)! ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴛʏᴘᴇs ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏᴇᴛʀʏ?
JULY 12
ɪᴛ's ᴍᴀʟᴀʟᴀ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴏʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʟs ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ?
JULY 13
ɪᴛ's ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜰʀᴇɴᴄʜ ꜰʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴅɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ sᴀᴜᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀɪᴇᴅ sᴘᴜᴅ?
JULY 14
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʙᴀsᴛɪʟʟᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! (sᴜɴ ᴡᴀɴᴛs ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ's ᴀʟsᴏ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴍᴀᴄ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʜᴇᴇsᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜰɪɢᴜʀᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪꜰɪᴄ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴs). ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ “ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ ².⁰” — ᴀɴʏ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ꜰᴀᴄᴛs ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ꜰʀᴀɴᴄᴇ?
JULY 15
ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʜᴀʟꜰᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇssɪᴏɴ, ᴡʜᴇᴡ! ᴄᴏɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛʟʏ, ɪᴛ's ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜᴛʜ sᴋɪʟʟs ᴅᴀʏ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ/ɴɪᴄʜᴇ sᴋɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?
JULY 16
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ sɴᴀᴋᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴜɴʟᴇss ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴘᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ sʜᴀʀᴇ, ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ sʜᴇʟᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sɴᴀᴋᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴛs; ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀɴ ꜰᴇsᴛ, ɢᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏɢʟᴇ sɴᴀᴋᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇ :ᴅ
JULY 17
ɪᴛ's _;P_ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ _map_ ᴇᴍᴏᴊɪ _:3_ ᴅᴀʏ _P:_ ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴊɪ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴜsᴇᴅ?
JULY 18
ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴍᴜsɪᴄ-ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʏ. ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪᴛs, ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ, ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴡᴀʟᴋ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴡᴀsʜ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ — ɪ ɢᴜᴀʀᴀɴᴛᴇᴇ ɪᴛ'ʟʟ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ. (ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴀᴄᴏᴜsᴛɪᴄ ᴇᴄᴏʟᴏɢʏ, ɪᴛ's sᴏ ᴄᴏᴏʟ.)
JULY 19
ɪᴛ ɪs ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ʀᴇᴛᴀɪɴᴇʀ ᴅᴀʏ
( ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ ʙʀᴀᴄᴇs/ɪɴᴠɪsᴀʟɪɢɴ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ?
JULY 20
ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴇss ᴅᴀʏ! ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ? ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏ, ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪʙᴇs :>
JULY 21
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴊᴜɴᴋ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴀʏ :ᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏ sɴᴀᴄᴋs ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴏɴ ᴀ ʙᴀɢ/ʙᴏx/ᴡʀᴀᴘᴘᴇʀ? ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪɴᴅᴜʟɢᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟꜰ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴏsᴛ ꜰᴇsᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴄᴄᴀsɪᴏɴs?
JULY 22
JULY 23
ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ᴅᴀʏ ɪɴ ᴊᴜʟʏ, ɪᴛ ɪs… ɢ̷̧̖̦͗̑ᴏ̶̣̱̺̎̐͊ʀ̷̣͆̆ɢ̴̞̞̍͒ͅᴇ̶̹̒̊͜ᴏ̶̟̟́ᴜ̵̲͚͕̾͠s̸̪͙̑ ̷̳̐ɢ̴̲͛̚ʀ̶̯̓ᴀ̵̢͝ɴ̸̢̧̜̍̃ᴅ̷͉̐̓͒ᴍ̸̧̬̭́ᴀ̵̱̪͛̆̏͜ ̷̮̟̐̊̒ᴅ̸̜̀́ᴀ̷͓̺̰̈́ʏ̸͎̩̼̿̉. ʏᴇs, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴍᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ. ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ? ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ, ɢɪᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀ ̷̡́ʜ̵̞͆ᴜ̴̘͠ɢ̷̣͋,̸̻̂ ̸̍͜ŝ̴͕ᴇ̷̙͊ɴ̸̭͘ᴅ̷͉͋ ̸̣̕ʜ̵̩̈́ᴇ̵̜̀ʀ̶̛̙ ̵̪̃ᴀ̴͙͋ ̶̯̉ᴛ̸̺̊ᴇ̶͇̾ẍ̴̘ᴛ̴̲̉ ̸͓̕ᴏ̵͉̌ʀ̷̗̉ ̶̇ͅɢ̶̫̚ɪ̸̝̈́ᴠ̶̘̕ᴇ̸̨̄ ̵̺̍ʜ̸̤͝ᴇ̵̥̇ʀ̶̢͊ ̸̟̀ᴀ̴̟͋ ̵̞́ᴄ̶̰̚ᴀ̸̳̃ʟ̸̡̛ʟ̸̙̚ ̷̼́<̵̱͒3̷̗̆3̵̻̍
JULY 24
̴̫̹͊̒ᴛ̶̜͑ᴀ̷̱͂͝ᴋ̴̜̠̀̾ᴇ̸͓́ ̶͎̗́͆ᴀ̵͖̈́ ̶̛̠̟ᴅ̶͓̼͒͗ᴇ̶̧̒̉ᴇ̵̹̾ͅᴘ̵͎͍̄ ̴͕̈ʙ̸̯̘͒̍ʀ̶̤̙̍ᴇ̸̺͆͠ᴀ̵͕͗ᴛ̵̮̔̾ʜ̷͈̈́͝:̴̈͜ ̴͔͖̂͠ɪ̷̢͚̏͋ᴛ̸͇͒'̸̔̐ͅs̵̩͉͌ ̶̨͍̈ɪ̸̮̖͒̎ɴ̴̰̑̒ᴛ̵̐̽ͅᴇ̶̥͇͒ʀ̸̗̳̀ɴ̷̨̫̽̾ᴀ̴͔̪͂̍ᴛ̵̪̃͛ɪ̶̖̈́̓ᴏ̸̢̙͌ɴ̶̪̈́ᴀ̴͓̠̍ʟ̸̭̓ ̷̰̀͝s̶͙̘̀͒ᴇ̵͇̓ʟ̶̲͎̑̇ꜰ̸̝͗̏ ̶̝͈͋ᴄ̸̹̤̕ᴀ̸͇̮̾̿ʀ̵̡̾́ᴇ̶͔͕͛̕ ̴̳͖̃͗ᴅ̶̨̯̆ᴀ̶͉̝̌ʏ̴̥͌.̷̯̎ ̶̻̭̈́͋ᴛ̵̹̲̃̿ᴀ̶̻̎͘ᴋ̵̜̰̔͂ᴇ̶̫͠ ̶̠̊͂ᴛ̷̒ͅɪ̸̱͘ᴍ̶̡̭̈́̃ᴇ̴̪̋̚ ̵͓̞͆ᴏ̴̰̰͊̈ꜰ̵̤̠͌ꜰ̴̜͠ ̸̡͕͝ꜰ̵̜͎̓ʀ̸̹͗ᴏ̸̦̲͘ᴍ̷̙̗͛̆ ̸̫́ᴀ̵̳̑ ̶̬̻̋́s̵̲͛ᴄ̶̰̄̉ʀ̵͍̙͛̄ᴇ̵̰̗̆ᴇ̸̠̔ɴ̵̡̀,̶̺̖͂ ̸̢̡̋ᴅ̸̨̻̏ʀ̴̨͚̂́ɪ̶̺͔̾̉ɴ̷͙̫͊̓ᴋ̷̮̈ ̶͉̀s̷̻͠ᴏ̵̪͉͆͝ᴍ̴̗̞̓̏ᴇ̵̖̫̈́̎ ̷̛̹͔̊ᴡ̸̪̲̆ᴀ̴̻͋ᴛ̴̬̠̋͠ᴇ̴͎̉ʀ̸͉͘ ̵̠͓͒—̸̞̇ ̶̯͘ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs ᴛᴏ sʟᴏᴡ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟꜰ?
JULY 1
ɪᴛ's ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅᴀ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ sɪɴᴄᴇ sᴜɴ ɪs ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅɪᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟʟʏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅᴀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀssᴏᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ɴᴏʀᴛʜ?
JULY 2
ɪᴛ's ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴜꜰᴏ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ? ᴡʜʏ ᴏʀ ᴡʜʏ ɴᴏᴛ?
JULY 3
ᴏʜ ɴᴏ, ɪᴛ's ᴅɪsᴏʙᴇᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀɪʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴀʙɪɴᴍᴀᴛᴇs
ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ᴍɪsʙᴇʜᴀᴠᴇᴅ, ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ?JULY 4
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ɪɴᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ʙᴀʀʙᴇǫᴜᴇ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛs?
JULY 5
ɪᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ ᴄʀᴀᴄᴋᴇʀ ᴅᴀʏ! ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ, ɢᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟꜰ ᴀ s'ᴍᴏʀᴇ — ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ-ᴀssᴏᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴇssᴇʀᴛs?
JULY 6
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ's ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜰʀɪᴇᴅ ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ ᴅᴀʏ (ᴡᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ sᴜᴄᴄᴇssɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴇʟᴇʙʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴs) ᴀɴᴅ sᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴏᴛᴅ ɪs ʏᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs ᴏɴ ᴋꜰᴄ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴇxɪsᴛs? ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏᴇs ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏ, sᴀʏ, ᴋᴏʀᴇᴀɴ ꜰʀɪᴇᴅ ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ? sᴘɪʟʟ :⁰
JULY 7
ᴊᴏʏ ᴏꜰ ᴊᴏʏs, ɪᴛ's ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ ɪɴ ɪᴛ?
JULY 8
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ɪᴛ's ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ɢᴀᴍᴇs ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ɢᴀᴍᴇs ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴ?
JULY 9
JULY 10
sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs… ᴛᴇᴅᴅʏ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴘɪᴄɴɪᴄ ᴅᴀʏ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ/ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ sᴛᴜꜰꜰᴇᴅ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟs ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?
JULY 11
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴄʟᴇʀɪʜᴇᴡ ᴅᴀʏ (ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄʟᴇʀɪʜᴇᴡ ɪs ᴅᴀʏ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)! ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴛʏᴘᴇs ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏᴇᴛʀʏ?
JULY 12
ɪᴛ's ᴍᴀʟᴀʟᴀ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴏʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʟs ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ?
JULY 13
ɪᴛ's ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜰʀᴇɴᴄʜ ꜰʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴅɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ sᴀᴜᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀɪᴇᴅ sᴘᴜᴅ?
JULY 14
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʙᴀsᴛɪʟʟᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! (sᴜɴ ᴡᴀɴᴛs ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ's ᴀʟsᴏ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴍᴀᴄ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʜᴇᴇsᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜰɪɢᴜʀᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪꜰɪᴄ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴs). ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ “ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ ².⁰” — ᴀɴʏ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ꜰᴀᴄᴛs ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ꜰʀᴀɴᴄᴇ?
JULY 15
ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʜᴀʟꜰᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇssɪᴏɴ, ᴡʜᴇᴡ! ᴄᴏɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛʟʏ, ɪᴛ's ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜᴛʜ sᴋɪʟʟs ᴅᴀʏ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ/ɴɪᴄʜᴇ sᴋɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?
JULY 16
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ sɴᴀᴋᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! ᴜɴʟᴇss ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴘᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ sʜᴀʀᴇ, ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ sʜᴇʟᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sɴᴀᴋᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴛs; ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀɴ ꜰᴇsᴛ, ɢᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏɢʟᴇ sɴᴀᴋᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇ :ᴅ
JULY 17
ɪᴛ's _;P_ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ _map_ ᴇᴍᴏᴊɪ _:3_ ᴅᴀʏ _P:_ ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴊɪ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴜsᴇᴅ?
JULY 18
ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴍᴜsɪᴄ-ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʏ. ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪᴛs, ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ, ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴡᴀʟᴋ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴡᴀsʜ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ — ɪ ɢᴜᴀʀᴀɴᴛᴇᴇ ɪᴛ'ʟʟ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ. (ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴀᴄᴏᴜsᴛɪᴄ ᴇᴄᴏʟᴏɢʏ, ɪᴛ's sᴏ ᴄᴏᴏʟ.)
JULY 19
ɪᴛ ɪs ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ʀᴇᴛᴀɪɴᴇʀ ᴅᴀʏ
( ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ ʙʀᴀᴄᴇs/ɪɴᴠɪsᴀʟɪɢɴ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ?JULY 20
ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴇss ᴅᴀʏ! ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ? ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏ, ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪʙᴇs :>
JULY 21
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪs ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴊᴜɴᴋ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴀʏ :ᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏ sɴᴀᴄᴋs ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴏɴ ᴀ ʙᴀɢ/ʙᴏx/ᴡʀᴀᴘᴘᴇʀ? ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪɴᴅᴜʟɢᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟꜰ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴏsᴛ ꜰᴇsᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴄᴄᴀsɪᴏɴs?

JULY 22
JULY 23
ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ᴅᴀʏ ɪɴ ᴊᴜʟʏ, ɪᴛ ɪs… ɢ̷̧̖̦͗̑ᴏ̶̣̱̺̎̐͊ʀ̷̣͆̆ɢ̴̞̞̍͒ͅᴇ̶̹̒̊͜ᴏ̶̟̟́ᴜ̵̲͚͕̾͠s̸̪͙̑ ̷̳̐ɢ̴̲͛̚ʀ̶̯̓ᴀ̵̢͝ɴ̸̢̧̜̍̃ᴅ̷͉̐̓͒ᴍ̸̧̬̭́ᴀ̵̱̪͛̆̏͜ ̷̮̟̐̊̒ᴅ̸̜̀́ᴀ̷͓̺̰̈́ʏ̸͎̩̼̿̉. ʏᴇs, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴍᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ. ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ? ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ, ɢɪᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀ ̷̡́ʜ̵̞͆ᴜ̴̘͠ɢ̷̣͋,̸̻̂ ̸̍͜ŝ̴͕ᴇ̷̙͊ɴ̸̭͘ᴅ̷͉͋ ̸̣̕ʜ̵̩̈́ᴇ̵̜̀ʀ̶̛̙ ̵̪̃ᴀ̴͙͋ ̶̯̉ᴛ̸̺̊ᴇ̶͇̾ẍ̴̘ᴛ̴̲̉ ̸͓̕ᴏ̵͉̌ʀ̷̗̉ ̶̇ͅɢ̶̫̚ɪ̸̝̈́ᴠ̶̘̕ᴇ̸̨̄ ̵̺̍ʜ̸̤͝ᴇ̵̥̇ʀ̶̢͊ ̸̟̀ᴀ̴̟͋ ̵̞́ᴄ̶̰̚ᴀ̸̳̃ʟ̸̡̛ʟ̸̙̚ ̷̼́<̵̱͒3̷̗̆3̵̻̍
JULY 24
̴̫̹͊̒ᴛ̶̜͑ᴀ̷̱͂͝ᴋ̴̜̠̀̾ᴇ̸͓́ ̶͎̗́͆ᴀ̵͖̈́ ̶̛̠̟ᴅ̶͓̼͒͗ᴇ̶̧̒̉ᴇ̵̹̾ͅᴘ̵͎͍̄ ̴͕̈ʙ̸̯̘͒̍ʀ̶̤̙̍ᴇ̸̺͆͠ᴀ̵͕͗ᴛ̵̮̔̾ʜ̷͈̈́͝:̴̈͜ ̴͔͖̂͠ɪ̷̢͚̏͋ᴛ̸͇͒'̸̔̐ͅs̵̩͉͌ ̶̨͍̈ɪ̸̮̖͒̎ɴ̴̰̑̒ᴛ̵̐̽ͅᴇ̶̥͇͒ʀ̸̗̳̀ɴ̷̨̫̽̾ᴀ̴͔̪͂̍ᴛ̵̪̃͛ɪ̶̖̈́̓ᴏ̸̢̙͌ɴ̶̪̈́ᴀ̴͓̠̍ʟ̸̭̓ ̷̰̀͝s̶͙̘̀͒ᴇ̵͇̓ʟ̶̲͎̑̇ꜰ̸̝͗̏ ̶̝͈͋ᴄ̸̹̤̕ᴀ̸͇̮̾̿ʀ̵̡̾́ᴇ̶͔͕͛̕ ̴̳͖̃͗ᴅ̶̨̯̆ᴀ̶͉̝̌ʏ̴̥͌.̷̯̎ ̶̻̭̈́͋ᴛ̵̹̲̃̿ᴀ̶̻̎͘ᴋ̵̜̰̔͂ᴇ̶̫͠ ̶̠̊͂ᴛ̷̒ͅɪ̸̱͘ᴍ̶̡̭̈́̃ᴇ̴̪̋̚ ̵͓̞͆ᴏ̴̰̰͊̈ꜰ̵̤̠͌ꜰ̴̜͠ ̸̡͕͝ꜰ̵̜͎̓ʀ̸̹͗ᴏ̸̦̲͘ᴍ̷̙̗͛̆ ̸̫́ᴀ̵̳̑ ̶̬̻̋́s̵̲͛ᴄ̶̰̄̉ʀ̵͍̙͛̄ᴇ̵̰̗̆ᴇ̸̠̔ɴ̵̡̀,̶̺̖͂ ̸̢̡̋ᴅ̸̨̻̏ʀ̴̨͚̂́ɪ̶̺͔̾̉ɴ̷͙̫͊̓ᴋ̷̮̈ ̶͉̀s̷̻͠ᴏ̵̪͉͆͝ᴍ̴̗̞̓̏ᴇ̵̖̫̈́̎ ̷̛̹͔̊ᴡ̸̪̲̆ᴀ̴̻͋ᴛ̴̬̠̋͠ᴇ̴͎̉ʀ̸͉͘ ̵̠͓͒—̸̞̇ ̶̯͘ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs ᴛᴏ sʟᴏᴡ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟꜰ?
- BookHuggers2022
-
Scratcher
90 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Critique for Rusha
Warning: This is super critical, so don't think your writing is bad.“Hellooo. How are ya?” He asked playfully, his lips in the tinge of a smile and his hand held out in a wave. “Still here, I see! We should hang out sometime soon. Also, I made this for you—I've known you for about five months so I thought it’d be perfect!”First off, is there supposed to be a symbol in between these two paragraphs? In the other time breaks, there is a hyphen. To make it clear these aren't the same day, make sure you add one here.
“Hey. You good?” He asked, his eyelids drooping. He pulled out a cart, offering me a sleepy smile. He stopped at my table for a second to talk. “Ahhh, I’m so tired. How is cashier-ing going? You know— there’s someone who reminds me of you, maybe I should pay you a visit from him!”
]
In the first paragraph, do you want to specify what he is giving her? I know you are going for vague, but if you mentioned what he made, it might make their relationship more intimate, a symbol of how close they are.
Another note; in the second paragraph, do you want to use the word table? Or was it just a replacement for lack of a better word? I get the vibe that she works at a small grocery store, so should you call it a counter? I don't know the proper word, but ‘table’ doesn't seem right.
Sometimes in your writing, words are randomly crossed out. Not even full words sometimes, just parts of two separate words. Is this on purpose? Double check the formatting around these places.sometime soon
almost || smiled.?
He isn’t here
always leave me.
He must be
visit, I’m not
I'm assuming she has a crush on Kel, simply from lots of implied subtext. But for all I know, he could just be a friend. Try to make her feelings toward Kel a bit more obvious. Is she jealous of the pink-haired girl? Does she react towards his company? Does she think about him or wait for him? What about the guy she meets at the end? Your writing has lots of actions, not thoughts, but I feel like even if you don't add more thoughts and feelings, there could be a way to make them more obvious.“You there?” Kel asked softly. I then left, I left after a moment of finding something that was never there in his brown eyes, running and hiding behind the walls of the shop I work in. A tear fell, then another, and then I was crying. Ugly, wrecking sobs escaping my throat as I quietly cried. I tried to swallow the despair, but all it did was bring tears down my pale cheeks and turn the frames of my eyes red. I suddenly felt a hand on my back, and I whipped my head up to a boy with wild blond hair and blue eyes that were shadowed in the dim light of the alley. I fumbled backwards, away from his touch.What is happening here? I love the writing and your style, but I can't understand bits of it. It takes rereading to understand, which, in a good piece of writing, shouldn't happen. The second sentence especially. I don't have a lot of ideas for how to help this, but I did find it a recurring theme in your writing. Here is an idea:“You there?” Kel asked softly. I look into his eyes, that were so familiar, finding things I didn't recognize. I need to leave. I need to leave this boy I thought I knew. And I left, running and hiding behind the walls of the shop I work in, alone with my thoughts.I am trying to write something similar to your writing style, but feel free to edit this as much as you want.
I love your writing. The storyline, the style. It is amazing. A few overall suggestions are just try to slow down the pacing. Try to make sure the thoughts and emotions behind the words are clear. And keep writing amazing pieces!
Last edited by BookHuggers2022 (July 26, 2024 03:18:10)
- rynn_
-
Scratcher
45 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Weekly 4: IslandSWCTotal: 3,636 words
Introduction (157 words)
“This is amazing, Sky!”
“It'd get even more amazing from here, Val!”
My 7-year-old self would be desperately thanking Sky for making her pirate dreams come true. For this year's vacation, Sky managed to rent a boat for us to explore and traverse across the popular Maza Seas. I don't know how he pulled it off, but I am extremely grateful and amazed by this vacation.
The Maza Seas were surely worth a tourist's sightseeing adventure. My heart was encapsulated by the pristine waters and clear skies the moment we set foot into its boundaries.
Even better, it was just Sky and myself. We had the entire week to ourselves to explore and to escape from the horrors and troubles of reality.
I make my way to the bow, and I extend my arms as if I was embracing the sky. I close my eyes as the wind breezes through, and I lose all sense of negativity.
Non-Fi | Writing Prompt (258 words)
Incorporate multimedia into your writing — a letter, diary entry, newspaper article, etc.
As the moon rises, I retreat into the inside of the boat. I get comfortable on my mattress before rummaging through my backpack. I pull out my diary—a leather notebook gifted to me by my dad a few years ago. Since then, I’ve used it to document highlights in my travels or events.
With a click of my pen, I begin telling my diary about the beginning of my new adventure.
Monday: July 25, 2024
Dear diary,
Mondays are usually a day of dread for me, but this is entirely different. I’m on a boat in the Maza Seas with no other than Sky! I know my younger self would be astonished (and possibly in disbelief) at the fact I am writing this on a supposedly mundane day, but it’s happening! We woke up early to get on our boat and make our way to the sea, which didn’t take too long. Nonetheless, it’s been absolutely amazing. I keep asking Sky how he pulled it off, but he’s pretty secretive about it. He probably just doesn’t want to reveal how much he spent. The vacation feels like a dream, honestly. My mind has been all over the place for the past few weeks, but this takes my mind off of everything. I wish I could be here forever, but that’s quite a statement I’m making.
Well, that’s all for now, I suppose. I’ll be sure to write a lot more once we’re back at home, and hopefully pick up a couple photos and souvenirs along the way, too!
Script | Non-Writing Prompt
Listen to a song, audiobook, or podcast
Song: Good Luck, Babe! - Sabrina Carpenter (Chappell Roan cover)
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/youtube/io0UQ74sXfw/
Sci-Fi | Writing Prompt (629 words)
Write a flashforward into your story! Does your character predict the future? Do they get a glimpse into the future somehow?
I close my diary and set it beside my mattress. Writing about the start of my vacation prompts even more excitement for the rest of the vacation!
I stare at the ceiling, smiling as I imagine how the vacation could go. We’d take pictures by the bow on my polaroid, point out constellations and stars in the night, and perhaps even catch a fish.
This would be a memorable adventure, I thought.
“Val! Let’s have dinner!” Sky calls out from the outside of the boat.
“Coming!” I reply, immediately joining Sky. He prepared a picnic blanket at the center of the boat, with an assortment of food in the center. Rose petals surround the area with lanterns. It was like a scene from Tangled, except I was the one experiencing it.
“Sky, what is this…?” I ask, slowly walking to the picnic blanket whilst taking in the environment. My eyes lit up as I saw the food. He picked out my favorites—my favorite main course, side dish, dessert, and beverage.
Sky grinned at me as he takes my hands. “Come, let’s enjoy our meal.”
We sit down on opposite ends of the blanket. We say a short prayer before eating. I was about to get my food, until he handed me a plate that was already filled with the meal.
I take the plate, repeatedly changing my gaze from Sky to the meal. It felt weird that this was happening.
“What’s going on, Sky?” I ask with a chuckle. I can’t help but smile at him and this heartwarming gesture. I could see the excitement in his face as he looks at me.
“I did the best that I could to prepare this. I figured it’d be a nice start to our evenings here at the boat. What do you think about it?”
I chuckle again. “What kind of a question is that? It’s beautiful, Sky. I really appreciate this. It’s—I don’t even know the exact word to describe it. It’s simply beyond words.”
He smiles again before taking a sip of water. We both begin eating while chatting about the scenery. It doesn’t take long before our plates and glasses are empty.
“How was the meal, babe?” Sky asks, eager to know my answer.
“It was delicious! Your cooking only gets better with each attempt, you know that.”
“Well, what would you think about this, then?”
“What?”
Sky slowly gets up and kneels on one knee. He reaches into his back pocket, revealing a small, black box.
I cup my hands to my mouth. Tears start forming on my eyes.
“Sky-”
“Ever since the day we met in the neighborhood, I knew you were special, Val. Your laugh, your smile, your charm—everything about you is perfect. Your face is the face of a strong, independent woman who knows not to give up, and that’s just a bonus. Your personality is as stunning as your appearance. Your unwavering confidence is just one of the many things I adore about you. I never thought I would even have a chance to be your friend, much more your boyfriend, but now I’m ready to take things to the next level.”
The cover of the box pops up, revealing a silver ring with a circular-shaped diamond. He puts the box back in his pocket, leaving only the ring.
“Valerie Leona Kinaiya, will you marry me?”
I couldn’t wait to answer. I was more than ready to spend the rest of my life with him.
As I was about to respond, I hear my name being called in the background.
“Val! Val!”
I wake up, seeing Sky in front of me.
“You fell asleep on your diary, babe,” He says, slowly picking up my diary from under my head.
Well, that was strange.
Thriller | Non-Writing Prompt
Play any kind of puzzle—sudoku, a nonogram, a crossword, etc.
Puzzle: Word Search
Horror | Non-Writing Prompt
Play any kind of board or video game
Game: Chess
Dystopian | Non-Writing Prompt
Do twenty jumping jacks then drink a glass of water
Status: Success
Folklore | Non-Writing Prompt
Play the Google dinosaur game
Score: 1,361
Solarpunk | Writing Prompt (314 words)
Incorporate the environment into your story in some way—do your characters reach a natural obstacle? Does nature help them somehow?
I wake up to our 2nd day on the boat. I wrote on my diary and had dinner with Sky the night before, but I also dreamt of Sky proposing to me for some reason. Although, the dream does make me wonder if it will happen anytime soon, or if Sky even already has a plan of proposing to me.
I wash my face in the comfort room before heading out to meet Sky. I see him by the deck, looking straight ahead at the sea. He had a concerned look on his face, and I didn’t know why.
I got closer to Sky for him to notice me. His expression changes to a more positive one as he brings me in for a hug.
“Good morning, Val! How was your sleep?”
“It was great, what about yours?”
“I didn’t exactly sleep. I’m just too excited about this trip of ours!” He exclaimed with a grin.
The grin transitions to a look of urgency as Sky looks back to the sea.
“What is it?”
“Take a look.”
A worried expression also clouds my face when I look ahead. It was a pile of tall rocks that seemed to form a wall in the sea.
“Those are sea stacks. Rock columns that look like towers,” Sky explained. “Unusual there’s a lot of them.”
“Surely there’s a way past those, right?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, Val. If I can’t find a way around we might just have to turn back—what?”
The sea current begins to pick up, shifting our boat to face the west. The boat slowly gains speed.
“Did God just hear me, or are we actually going to make it past these stacks?” Sky chuckles, looking surprised yet satisfied with the change in course.
I lean my head on his shoulder, watching the rock towers pass by. “God does hear us after all.”
Poetry | Writing Prompt (270 words)
Introduce a symbol into your story, something that represents a larger idea than the literal thing it may be
My mind wanders into the sky as the sun begins to fade. Footsteps approach from behind me, and Sky places his hand around my shoulder.
“Beautiful scenery, isn’t it?” He asks, moving my hair away from my cheek. I look at him, his eyes focused on me. His warm, brown eyes always bring comfort to my mind, as if I had nothing to worry about.
“It’s even more beautiful when you’re around,” I reply with a chuckle.
I lean into his gentle embrace, enthralled by the environment and the touch of his skin.
“I have something for you.”
He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a leather wristwatch with a gold case. The numbers were in Roman numerals.
“This is pretty, Sky! Where did you get it?”
“Picked it up somewhere. Also, you might want to look at the inside of the strap.”
He places the wristwatch in my hand, and I hold out the end of the strap. The strap had a message engraved.
“Always and forever, your Sky,” I read aloud. “This is-”
“While our time may be limited, I will always be yours, Val. Always remember that. This watch,” He says, tracing his finger along the words on the strap, “is more than just an indicator of time. It’s an indicator of my dedication to you, Val.”
“I really appreciate this, Sky. I really do. I just wish I could make it up to you somehow-”
“You don’t have to. You being in my life is more than enough.”
Our eyes turn back to the dimming sky, and we slowly fall into each other’s arms.
Fantasy | Writing Prompt (490 words)
Try playing around with magical realism—introduce a magical element into your story no one thinks is out of place!
The third day of our adventure was a day of rest for the two of us. Sky and I relaxed on our deckchairs as we observed the flow of the sea whilst taking pictures of each other on my polaroid. On occasion, we’d see dolphins jumping out of the sea, and one dolphin splashed a bit of water on Sky in the process. It was our first time seeing dolphins, which made it an even more surreal experience.
As my eyes were fixed on the sea, I begin to notice a yellow, glittery trail on the side near the boat.
“What is that?” I ask, pointing my finger out to the trail.
Sky takes a look, and his eyes immediately widen. He rushes to get his phone, pulling out the camera app.
“Val, have you ever heard of the Vulerius?”
“The what?”
“It’s a critically endangered subspecies of a manta ray that has vibrant colors and leaves a glittery trail wherever it goes. Only a few people ever have the chance of seeing it, considering it’s been hunted down ever since people discovered it.”
“Wait, I think I remember hearing stories of it. That can’t possibly be-”
The glittery trail slowly becomes more noticeable, and a silhouette emerges from the waters, making its way to the surface.
It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
The Vulerius had an intricate pattern on its body, showing patterns of flowers, leaves, and shapes. Its skin was mainly a vibrant blue, and its patterns were a mix of yellow, red, and purple. It swam at the pace of the boat, as if it were escorting us throughout our journey.
“I can’t believe it,” Sky whispered. “I can’t believe it!” He erupted into a joyous laughter as he stood up from his seat. He leaned closer into the railing, admiring the manta ray’s beauty. He took a few pictures of it on his camera before savoring the moment with his eyes. I had never seen him so happy, but the sight of it made me feel happy, too.
We both stood in awe as it accompanied the boat, moving in a straight line without changing course. Perhaps it felt safe knowing Sky and I weren’t going to touch it.
“I remember obsessing over sea creatures when I was young, but my obsession for the Vulerius was on a whole other level. I can’t believe I’m seeing this.”
Sky continued rambling for the next five minutes or so, sharing his knowledge on Vuleriuses and manta rays in general. He even tried calling out for the manta ray, extending his hand as if it were a puppy. Of course, the Vulerius didn’t really pay attention to it.
Eventually, its glittery trail began to fade, and the Vulerius slowly made its descent back into the waters.
“Bye, Vulerius!” Sky called out, his grin slowly turning to a wistful smile as the Vulerius disappeared from sight.
Bi-Fi | Writing Prompt (485 words)
Use one of these sentence prompts:
- All of a sudden, a rabid moose…
- Then, next to the (location), I spotted a glowing potato!
- After, I decided to get a coffee with a bit of turnip.
After, I decided to get a coffee with a bit of turnip.
A while after the Vulerius left and Sky and I went back to observing the sea, my stomach began feeling a kind of pain that I haven’t experienced before. It was similar to a typical stomach ache, but there was still something different about it. I kept shifting positions in my deck chair, hoping that the pain was just caused by my sitting position.
Sky takes a look at me and notices how I’ve been shifting in the chair. He pulls his chair in closer, giving me a concerned look.
“You okay, Val?”
“Not really. My stomach began to ache a few minutes ago, but it doesn’t really feel like a typical stomach ache. There’s something different about this one, but I can’t identify the cause of the pain.”
“Maybe you’re feeling seasick? Are you used to being on a boat?”
“Hmm, not really. I think this is my first time, so that probably explains it.”
Sky gets his phone and starts scrolling, until he pauses to tap on something. “Ah, here it is!”
He hands me his phone. It was a note titled Seasick Remedies, with the first line being *from my Aunt.* I read through the first remedy, which was a coffee with a bit of turnip. The thought of it made me feel queasy, which did not help with my stomach ache.
“Coffee with turnip? Is your aunt serious?” I ask, passing Sky’s phone back to him.
“She’s used to being at sea, and she said that the mix of coffee and turnip bring great benefits to a person feeling seasick. According to her, it’s a simple yet highly effective remedy, but the taste might not be the best.”
“No kidding. Do we have turnip?”
“Yeah. She handed some turnip over before our trip, just in case one of us starts feeling nauseous or sick. It’s in the pantry; I can help you out with the turnip if you’d like.”
“No, thanks. I think I got this, but if your aunt is joking-”
“Trust her, Val. She’s an expert.”
I make my way to the pantry in the inside of the boat, and true enough, there’s a turnip on the top shelf of the refrigerator. I wash it before slicing up the turnip and transferring it to a container. Sky’s aunt didn’t specify the exact amount of turnip to put, but she did say a bit, so I separated a fifth of the turnip for the coffee. Fortunately, Sky prepared some coffee earlier this morning, so I didn’t have to worry about any additional steps.
I diced up the fifth of the turnip before pouring it into my coffee. I wanted to vomit while doing so, but I had to trust the process.
“Okay Val, you got this. It won’t be too bad.”
Spoiler alert: it was really, really bad.
Gothic | Writing Prompt (355 words)
Change the setting of your story! Does the location change suddenly? The time?
By the time I finish my coffee and head back out to tell Sky about the taste, we were in a completely different environment.
We were closing in on a pier of a bustling town. There seemed to be a market right beside the pier, with extravagant buildings in the background.
“Where are we headed, Sky?” I ask, joining him up front on the bow.
“We’re going to take a pit stop here in Kalaeri to restock supplies. I might have underestimated how much stuff we’re actually going to need for this trip,” Sky replied, his arm on his head and an embarrassed smile on his face.
“That’s alright with me! At least we’d have a bit of sightseeing on land.”
Shortly after, the boat comes to a complete stop. Getting in Kalaeri was pretty easy, since Sky had connections with some of the people there.
My hands interlock with Sky’s as we wander around the busy streets. We decided to go exploring first before heading to the market to restock our things. Kalaeri had unique and interesting architecture—the buildings were coated with vibrant colors, and it seemed to be inspired by modern Greek architecture. On the sides of the streets were some food vendors and a couple of buskers signing popular ballad songs. We dropped a few coins into the busking group’s tin, although we hadn’t converted our currency.
“Thank you, sir and madam!” The lead singer exclaimed before going back to his rendition of Glory of Love by Peter Cetera.
“Their singing is lovely,” I chirped as we continued along the road.
“I agree—I would sound like a dying cat trying to sing,” Sky joshed.
“With that, I can also agree,” I bantered.
On the way to the market, we decided to try out some street food. They were meat and vegetable skewers which tasted really good, especially since they were straight off the grill. It was also a nice way to fill our stomachs since we hadn’t eaten lunch yet.
We bought a couple of stuff with the help of Sky’s friends, and within an hour, we were off again to sea.
Mystery | Writing Prompt (440 words)
Your characters find an object that changes the course of the story. Is it something from a character’s past? Is it magical? What does it do?
“Sky, I need some help!”
My arms were never really built for lifting, and I was reminded of that once again when I tried to carry a box of snacks and drinks. Sky rushes to my side, lifting up the box with ease, as if it were empty.
“I’ll do the lifting, don’t worry,” Sky advised, walking back into the inside of the boat with the box.
“Fine,” I conceded, rolling my eyes in amusement. I followed him back inside since it was the last of the supply boxes.
Sky brought out the supplies from the boxes as I sorted them in piles on the floor—food on the left, drinks in the middle, and maintenance supplies on the right. We only had a couple more days to go, so there wasn’t really much to sort out.
“I can store the food and drinks, and you can store the maintenance supplies. The maintenance supplies go in that cabinet,” He says, pointing to a white cabinet in the corner. Sky and I immediately get to storing our supplies, especially since we didn’t have much else to do and the sky was getting dark. I’d definitely have to write in my diary about Kalaeri before going to sleep, along with a reminder to spend a vacation in Kalaeri. It was a fun place to explore.
After storing the last of the items, Sky asked if I could fold up the boxes used to store our supplies. I begin folding the first box, but then I notice a sealed gray envelope attached to its bottom.
Sky notices me detaching the envelope from the bottom of the box. “What’s that?”
“I’m not sure. I got it from the bottom of this box,” I replied.
“Huh, weird. Is there something in it?”
“Let’s see.”
I remove the envelope’s seal, which was a small piece of transparent tape. I open the envelope, revealing a message written on the inside of the flap.
TO: SKY
CALL ME
8900 - 1234
A piece of paper was inside the envelope, too. I unfold the paper, expecting a letter or a note. Instead, it was a crayon drawing of a house with an adult man and a kid, both having big smiles across their face. It seemed to be the work of a kid.
“Sky? Any idea what this is?” I ask, examining the drawing.
He gets up from the floor and joins me in looking at the drawing. His eyes turn to the envelope flap before a panicked expression dawns his face.
“Dang it,” He sighed, crossing his arms.
“What?”
“Sorry Val, but we have to cut this vacation short.”
Conclusion (238 words)
Without hesitation, Sky changes our course, making us head back south, toward home.
I race after him. “Sky, what’s this about?” I scoff. “A number and a child’s drawing and our vacation’s done?”
“I can’t really explain right now, but trust me, I’ll make everything clear to you once we’re back on land.”
“Why not now? I’m not liking this at all, Sky.” I scorn, placing my hands on my hips.
“Look, I’m not liking it either, but if I tell you now, you’d tell me not to go home.”
“Either way, I’d tell you not to go home! This is a vacation, Sky. We’re supposed to rest and have fun!” I protest, raising my voice.
“I know that, and I’m terribly sorry, but we really have to get going.”
Sky kept his eyes straight ahead, not paying attention to me. I could see the hurt and regret in his eyes, but I couldn’t tell what made him respond this way.
I storm off, heading back inside. I begin ranting to my diary about how I was upset that we were heading back home, but I was also worried about the number and the drawing. What was this about?
While writing, I heard Sky’s muffled voice talking to somebody. I couldn’t make out everything he said, but the last line was clear.
“We’re on our way, Mr. Rune.”
That is Sky’s surname, I immediately thought.
Who’s Mr. Rune?
player7607's submit code: | order of cabins visited: 8, 11, 10, 13, 6, 2, 4, 12, 9, 3, 1, 5, 7 |
prompts chosen: 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | we love the POLAR BEARS <3
- WestEndLover15
-
Scratcher
57 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
2624 words
—————
“Come on, Teddy!” a girl yanks on Edward’s shirt, dragging him towards a blue tent sitting in the middle of the crowded carnival. Next to it is a sign that reads:
THE FATE LADY
DISCOVER YOUR FUTURE … IF YOU DARE
“Not now, Tabitha,” he responds wearily. “We’ve already seen the contortionist, acrobat, the fire-eater -”
“Teddy!” the girl whines. “Please!”
Edward rolls his eyes but allows himself to be dragged towards the tent. “Fine. But after this, we’re going home.”
But the girl - Tabitha - isn’t listening. She’s running towards the tent, eyes alight with excitement. Edward takes one look at the queue lined up and changes his mind.
“Tabby darling, hurry along now. We’re going back.”
Tabitha pouts. “But you promised!”
“I did not!”
“I’m staying here.” Tabitha says sulkily. “Or else I shall scream!”
And so, they wait. They wait for what seems like hours, but is probably only forty minutes, until finally they are at the front of the line.
“Come in!” a voice calls from inside the tent. Tabitha’s eyes widen.
“Are you alright, Tabs?” Edward asks playfully. “Not getting cold feet, are you?”
“No!”
“Alright then. Let’s go in.”
The two open the flap of the tent and climb in. It’s almost pitch back inside, lit only dimly by a candle smelling of heather. It’s like all of the world’s darkness has been sucked into the tent, leaving only a flickering candle to light it.
“Who’ll go first out of you two darlings?” The lady inside - the ‘fate’ lady - asks. Tabitha shakes her head, frozen to the spot.
“Oh, alright.” Edward groans. He steps forward, and sits in a rickety chair across from the fortune teller. He can see her more clearly now. She’s old and wrinkled but with piercing green eyes that seem to stare right into his soul. A few locks of grey hair are tumbling from her bonnet. “Can we begin?” he asks.
The lady shakes her head, tutting. She holds out a wrinkly, gnarled hand. “My payment?”
Edward fumbles in his pocket, pulling out three shillings.
“Perfect.” the lady smiles toothily. “Tell me dear, what do you love more than anything in the world?”
“My sister.” he immediately answers.
“How sweet,” the lady cackles. “But I’m looking for … something not human.”
Edward hesitates a moment before he responds. He knows the answer of course - but why should he tell this old hag?
“Don’t you want to know the future, son?” the lady laughs.
Edward replies finally. “My music - piano, violin, flute, I don’t care. I think … I think a melody is the sweetest gift our world has to offer.” he says stiffly.
The old lady cackles a moment before she responds, her green eyes glinting in the candlelight.
“Well, my precious. Let me tell you this - in a hundred years, it will all be gone.”
“What?”
“Art. Poetry. Music. Gone, perhaps never to return.”
Edward’s eyes flash. She’s lying. “Come on, Tabby. We’re leaving.”
He grabs his trembling sister, and drags her out of the tent, shaking.
“The future cannot lie, Mr Collis!” the fortune teller calls out. “There’s no way of running from it!”
—————
COMPLETED: DINOSAUR GOOGLE GAME
—————
COMPLETED: SPOTIFY ‘MYSTERIOUS’ PLAYLIST
—————
Dear Miss Vázquez,
I had the pleasure of attending your exhibition three days ago, and am writing to you to admit that I was taken aback! Your artistic talent was apparent upon arrival, and I must say your use of colouring was very striking. I myself am an art critic, and as the Chief Editor of The Artist’s Gazette, I would be very pleased if you would meet me for an interview to be featured in the next edition. The interview will take place in the Gazette’s office (the address is written on the business card I have enclosed). I believe you will go very far in this lifetime, Miss Vázquez, and would be happy to endorse your talent in the Gazette.
As I’m sure you are aware, a feature in The Artist’s Gazette could be life-changing. Thousands of art enthusiasts and critics read it monthly, and dozens of commissions could come your way upon publishing. I am offering you an opportunity many aspiring artists would die for.
However, I must warn you - the life of an artist is not for the weak. I urge you to only appear for the interview if art is your one true passion. The love of your life, if you will. If you can imagine doing anything else for a career, I don’t believe an artist’s life is for you. You must love it more than anything, love it with every ounce of your being. You must hunger for it, devote yourself to it.
If, and only if, you are willing to do this, I shall see you on the seventeenth of July for our meeting. Please contact me as soon as possible.
Your obedient servant,
John Attley
—————
COMPLETE: PLAY VIDEO/BOARD GAME
—————
COMPLETE: 20 JUMPING JACKS & A GLASS OF WATER
—————
“What are you doing out here?” Mona asks softly. Outside, Vivienne is sitting on the faded grass, with her knees to her chest.
At first, she doesn’t respond. She just sits on the grass, rocking back and forth slightly. There’s a moment of silence that Mona wants to fill, but she stops herself.
“Sometimes the world gets to be a bit too much,” Vivienne finally replies, almost a whisper. “I go outside when I need to feel …”
“Calm?”
“Safe.” Vivienne finishes.
Oh. Mona’s never really thought about it like that. Her garden isn’t the nicest place to sit in, with yellowy dried-out grass, and soil where flowers haven’t sprung in years.
“Do you like gardens?” she asks.
“More than anything. I never had one myself, but there was a little patch of forest behind the school I worked in. I would take the children there most days when I was a teacher - they would draw sometimes. Or look for squirrels.
I went there every day after school to write poetry. It was loud and full of wildlife, but still the calmest place I ever knew. I wrote fifty - maybe a hundred poems out there, just watching the stream go by, listening to the birdsong. Sometimes I would go to the forest at the break of dawn just to watch the sunrise beam out of the trees. It was my paradise, in a funny way.”
Wow. That’s the most Mona’s ever heard Vivienne say.
“That sounds lovely,” she smiles at Vivienne. She smiles back.
—————
COMPLETED: LISTEN TO A SONG
—————
“What was the best song you ever wrote?” Mona asks Edward, not expecting much of an answer. He ignores her questions most days. But today he surprises her.
“I never got to name it. But there was a piece I began a week before …” Edward clears his throat. “Well. It came to me in a dream - sorry, that must sound ridiculous to you -”
“No. Go on.” Mona interrupts. This is the first time she’s properly talked to Edward. It’s the first time he’s opened up - perhaps since his death.
“Well, sometimes I would have dreams with … I’m not sure how to describe it. It was like my dreams at night had musical accompaniments. Not full songs, but snippets of melodies - piano usually, a violin here and there. Then in the morning I would wake up and the song would be gone.
But once I woke up in the middle of the night, and the song was still there. So I ran downstairs and wrote it down.”
“Can you still remember it?”
“God, yes. It’s all I hear nowadays.”
Mona pauses. She doesn’t want to scare Edward away.
“Could you … hum it for me? I’d love to hear it, if that’s alright.”
At this, Edward’s expression turns cold. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”
“Where?” Mona calls out. But he’s already gone.
—————
“All of a sudden, a rabid moose jumped out at me!” Vivienne tells the class. They stare back at her wide-eyed.
“Really?” a curly-haired ginger boy whispers.
“Really.” Vivienne nods, seriously. “He chased after me for fifteen whole minutes - I was really and truly scared for my life. But do you know what I did then?” she pauses for a moment. “I put a spell on him!”
“Wow!” the whole class whispers. Vivienne smiles.
“Yes. I whipped out my wand and turned him into a butterfly! Then I scooped him up, and
let him fly away. He was blue and gold, and had the most magnificent wings - I wanted to keep him for myself, he was so marvellous-looking. But I let him go, and he flew out, out, out, into the blue sky.”
“Can we see your wand, Miss Martin? Please?” a redhead boy chimes in wide-eyed. He’s followed by a chorus of pleas, but Vivienne shakes her head.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “It was such a big spell to cast, that all the magic just flew out of my wand, away with the butterfly! If I were to show the wand to you now, it would just seem like any old stick!”
“She’s a liar!” a button-nosed girl with her hair in pigtails shouts out. “There’s no magic - it’s just a story! You’re lying!”
At this, the whole class goes silent. Vivienne pauses before she answers.
“If you don’t believe in magic, then of course it isn’t real, Charlotte. But if you do - well then, that’s a different question. You have to believe, and true magic will follow. Everyone’s magic is different - you have to create your own.”
—————
“What is going on?” Maria shouts. There’s a sobbing girl to her left, a stone-faced young man who won’t say a word on her right, and she’s caught in the middle.
The man breaks his silence suddenly, yelling.
“Do you think I bloody know? If I did, I’d be gone in an instant! One moment I feel perfectly fine, then the next the world goes black and I wake up … Lord knows where! Here!”
The crying girl - Maria can see now that she’s a bit older, around twenty - clearly makes an attempt at talking, but can’t get any words out, just horrendous gasping noises that make Maria’s stomach turn. In other situations she would be comforting her, but now is not the time for tears! First, she needs to find out where they are - waterworks afterwards.
She takes a better look around the room. It’s relatively tidy, with odd piles of clutter here and there. There’s dust everywhere, however - clearly no one has been here in years. The walls are empty, no paintings or posters hung on them like Maria’s walls at home.
It feels oddly haunting. A cold draught pricks up the hairs on the back of her neck - Lord knows how, as there are no windows to let any air in. Maria suddenly feels like she might suffocate.
Where is she?
—————
“Well, go on! Walk right through!” the man urges Mona forward. “And your little ghost friends too, of course.” he smiles. He wouldn’t if he could see Maria’s eyes throwing daggers at ‘little ghost friends’.
“Thank you.” Mona returns the smile, walking down the hallway and wincing at the creaking floorboards. There’s a cheery yellow door at the end, and a brass doorknob shaped like a lion. Mona turns it nervously, and the door swings open.
“Go on,” Edward murmurs - Mona isn’t sure who to.
When she sees the inside, it’s like all the breath is taken away from her body. A grand piano - or at least, that’s what Edward tells her it’s called - is sitting elegantly in the middle of the room, polished to perfection. She walks towards it, almost in a trance.
“Wow,” she breathes. She presses a key, and a sweet note rings out. Her eyes widen.
“Magical, eh?” the man says to Mona. She looks at Edward, who’s staring at the instrument wordlessly. A smile plays at his lips, and Mona grins. This is the first time she’s seen Edward smile - Maria and Vivienne look just as shocked as Mona is.
“It definitely is.” Mona replies. “Do you play, sir?” she asks the man.
“Please, call me Vincent,” he replies. “And yes, but only a little. It was my wife’s but she …”
“Ask him to play something,” Edward whispers, hungering for the music.
“Will you play something for us? If it’s not too painful, of course,” she adds in hastily. “Edward wants to hear.”
And so he does.
And it is the most beautiful noise Mona has ever heard.
—————
“Clio? Hello?” Mona calls out. “Maria was wondering if she could take a look at -” she stops dead in her tracks. Something feels off.
Why is the room dark?
Why hasn’t Clio responded?
Her hands fumble for the light switch, but when she turns the lights on, she wishes she hadn’t.
The scene in front of her looks straight out of the horror story Maria told her. There are paintings lying face-first on the ground, holes smashed through the walls, and blood.
Blood is everywhere.
It’s on the walls, on the floor, somehow even splattered across the ceiling. Mona’s stomach churns at the sight of it.
And then, she sees it. In pride of place, hung on the walls is a new addition to Clio’s collection.
A framed photograph of the president.
She wants to scream - scream for help, scream out of fear, scream for Clio. She would scream like it was the end of the world if she could, but she can’t. There are probably cameras watching her right now, noticing every little move. She needs to get out of here, fast.
It’s a warning, Mona knows. If the President’s soldiers know about Clio’s gallery, they sure as hell know about her, and probably the ghosts as well. She’s been so reckless recently, going to secret art galleries, banned bookshops, disregarding the law completely - she had completely forgotten what’d been drilled into her since the day she was born.
In this world, there are always eyes everywhere.
—————
The ghosts stayed with Mona for years after that - and what adventures they had! Of course, eyes were still watching them at all times, but Mona learned not to care. The ghosts were worth it, bringing art into her life. Anything was worth it, if it brought art into the world.
The president died, leaving his son in power. He was similar to his father in many ways, but different in others. He brought back singing, for one thing. That shed a bit more light into the world, as music always does. Mona wonders how long it will take before instruments are allowed again, and poetry, and paintings. Maybe years.
She’s willing to wait.
One day, Mona discovered a newspaper that published illegal poems - and wonderful ones at that. She’s sure that Vivienne would love them if she was still around.
But she isn’t.
One day the ghosts just -
Disappeared.
She’d known it was coming for months. Mona was growing older, growing as an artist as well. And with growth comes outgrowth - she didn’t need the ghosts any more.
That didn’t mean it hurt any less when they went away. She still longed for them as friends - her only friends, really. She cried for them, and many poems came out of it.
But they’re not gone, not really. They left an eternal imprint on Mona’s life, and a legacy
that will last forever. They left melodies and lyrics, poems and stories, drawings and paintings. And most of all, they left hope.
So yes, Mona still misses them. But she also knows that as long as she remembers them, they cannot truly be forgotten.
After all, some songs stay in your head forever.
WestEndLover15's submit code: | order of cabins visited: 10, 6, 2, 4, 12, 8, 11, 9, 3, 1, 5, 7, 13 | prompts chosen: 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | we love the POLAR BEARS <3
—————
“Come on, Teddy!” a girl yanks on Edward’s shirt, dragging him towards a blue tent sitting in the middle of the crowded carnival. Next to it is a sign that reads:
THE FATE LADY
DISCOVER YOUR FUTURE … IF YOU DARE
“Not now, Tabitha,” he responds wearily. “We’ve already seen the contortionist, acrobat, the fire-eater -”
“Teddy!” the girl whines. “Please!”
Edward rolls his eyes but allows himself to be dragged towards the tent. “Fine. But after this, we’re going home.”
But the girl - Tabitha - isn’t listening. She’s running towards the tent, eyes alight with excitement. Edward takes one look at the queue lined up and changes his mind.
“Tabby darling, hurry along now. We’re going back.”
Tabitha pouts. “But you promised!”
“I did not!”
“I’m staying here.” Tabitha says sulkily. “Or else I shall scream!”
And so, they wait. They wait for what seems like hours, but is probably only forty minutes, until finally they are at the front of the line.
“Come in!” a voice calls from inside the tent. Tabitha’s eyes widen.
“Are you alright, Tabs?” Edward asks playfully. “Not getting cold feet, are you?”
“No!”
“Alright then. Let’s go in.”
The two open the flap of the tent and climb in. It’s almost pitch back inside, lit only dimly by a candle smelling of heather. It’s like all of the world’s darkness has been sucked into the tent, leaving only a flickering candle to light it.
“Who’ll go first out of you two darlings?” The lady inside - the ‘fate’ lady - asks. Tabitha shakes her head, frozen to the spot.
“Oh, alright.” Edward groans. He steps forward, and sits in a rickety chair across from the fortune teller. He can see her more clearly now. She’s old and wrinkled but with piercing green eyes that seem to stare right into his soul. A few locks of grey hair are tumbling from her bonnet. “Can we begin?” he asks.
The lady shakes her head, tutting. She holds out a wrinkly, gnarled hand. “My payment?”
Edward fumbles in his pocket, pulling out three shillings.
“Perfect.” the lady smiles toothily. “Tell me dear, what do you love more than anything in the world?”
“My sister.” he immediately answers.
“How sweet,” the lady cackles. “But I’m looking for … something not human.”
Edward hesitates a moment before he responds. He knows the answer of course - but why should he tell this old hag?
“Don’t you want to know the future, son?” the lady laughs.
Edward replies finally. “My music - piano, violin, flute, I don’t care. I think … I think a melody is the sweetest gift our world has to offer.” he says stiffly.
The old lady cackles a moment before she responds, her green eyes glinting in the candlelight.
“Well, my precious. Let me tell you this - in a hundred years, it will all be gone.”
“What?”
“Art. Poetry. Music. Gone, perhaps never to return.”
Edward’s eyes flash. She’s lying. “Come on, Tabby. We’re leaving.”
He grabs his trembling sister, and drags her out of the tent, shaking.
“The future cannot lie, Mr Collis!” the fortune teller calls out. “There’s no way of running from it!”
—————
COMPLETED: DINOSAUR GOOGLE GAME
—————
COMPLETED: SPOTIFY ‘MYSTERIOUS’ PLAYLIST
—————
Dear Miss Vázquez,
I had the pleasure of attending your exhibition three days ago, and am writing to you to admit that I was taken aback! Your artistic talent was apparent upon arrival, and I must say your use of colouring was very striking. I myself am an art critic, and as the Chief Editor of The Artist’s Gazette, I would be very pleased if you would meet me for an interview to be featured in the next edition. The interview will take place in the Gazette’s office (the address is written on the business card I have enclosed). I believe you will go very far in this lifetime, Miss Vázquez, and would be happy to endorse your talent in the Gazette.
As I’m sure you are aware, a feature in The Artist’s Gazette could be life-changing. Thousands of art enthusiasts and critics read it monthly, and dozens of commissions could come your way upon publishing. I am offering you an opportunity many aspiring artists would die for.
However, I must warn you - the life of an artist is not for the weak. I urge you to only appear for the interview if art is your one true passion. The love of your life, if you will. If you can imagine doing anything else for a career, I don’t believe an artist’s life is for you. You must love it more than anything, love it with every ounce of your being. You must hunger for it, devote yourself to it.
If, and only if, you are willing to do this, I shall see you on the seventeenth of July for our meeting. Please contact me as soon as possible.
Your obedient servant,
John Attley
—————
COMPLETE: PLAY VIDEO/BOARD GAME
—————
COMPLETE: 20 JUMPING JACKS & A GLASS OF WATER
—————
“What are you doing out here?” Mona asks softly. Outside, Vivienne is sitting on the faded grass, with her knees to her chest.
At first, she doesn’t respond. She just sits on the grass, rocking back and forth slightly. There’s a moment of silence that Mona wants to fill, but she stops herself.
“Sometimes the world gets to be a bit too much,” Vivienne finally replies, almost a whisper. “I go outside when I need to feel …”
“Calm?”
“Safe.” Vivienne finishes.
Oh. Mona’s never really thought about it like that. Her garden isn’t the nicest place to sit in, with yellowy dried-out grass, and soil where flowers haven’t sprung in years.
“Do you like gardens?” she asks.
“More than anything. I never had one myself, but there was a little patch of forest behind the school I worked in. I would take the children there most days when I was a teacher - they would draw sometimes. Or look for squirrels.
I went there every day after school to write poetry. It was loud and full of wildlife, but still the calmest place I ever knew. I wrote fifty - maybe a hundred poems out there, just watching the stream go by, listening to the birdsong. Sometimes I would go to the forest at the break of dawn just to watch the sunrise beam out of the trees. It was my paradise, in a funny way.”
Wow. That’s the most Mona’s ever heard Vivienne say.
“That sounds lovely,” she smiles at Vivienne. She smiles back.
—————
COMPLETED: LISTEN TO A SONG
—————
“What was the best song you ever wrote?” Mona asks Edward, not expecting much of an answer. He ignores her questions most days. But today he surprises her.
“I never got to name it. But there was a piece I began a week before …” Edward clears his throat. “Well. It came to me in a dream - sorry, that must sound ridiculous to you -”
“No. Go on.” Mona interrupts. This is the first time she’s properly talked to Edward. It’s the first time he’s opened up - perhaps since his death.
“Well, sometimes I would have dreams with … I’m not sure how to describe it. It was like my dreams at night had musical accompaniments. Not full songs, but snippets of melodies - piano usually, a violin here and there. Then in the morning I would wake up and the song would be gone.
But once I woke up in the middle of the night, and the song was still there. So I ran downstairs and wrote it down.”
“Can you still remember it?”
“God, yes. It’s all I hear nowadays.”
Mona pauses. She doesn’t want to scare Edward away.
“Could you … hum it for me? I’d love to hear it, if that’s alright.”
At this, Edward’s expression turns cold. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”
“Where?” Mona calls out. But he’s already gone.
—————
“All of a sudden, a rabid moose jumped out at me!” Vivienne tells the class. They stare back at her wide-eyed.
“Really?” a curly-haired ginger boy whispers.
“Really.” Vivienne nods, seriously. “He chased after me for fifteen whole minutes - I was really and truly scared for my life. But do you know what I did then?” she pauses for a moment. “I put a spell on him!”
“Wow!” the whole class whispers. Vivienne smiles.
“Yes. I whipped out my wand and turned him into a butterfly! Then I scooped him up, and
let him fly away. He was blue and gold, and had the most magnificent wings - I wanted to keep him for myself, he was so marvellous-looking. But I let him go, and he flew out, out, out, into the blue sky.”
“Can we see your wand, Miss Martin? Please?” a redhead boy chimes in wide-eyed. He’s followed by a chorus of pleas, but Vivienne shakes her head.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “It was such a big spell to cast, that all the magic just flew out of my wand, away with the butterfly! If I were to show the wand to you now, it would just seem like any old stick!”
“She’s a liar!” a button-nosed girl with her hair in pigtails shouts out. “There’s no magic - it’s just a story! You’re lying!”
At this, the whole class goes silent. Vivienne pauses before she answers.
“If you don’t believe in magic, then of course it isn’t real, Charlotte. But if you do - well then, that’s a different question. You have to believe, and true magic will follow. Everyone’s magic is different - you have to create your own.”
—————
“What is going on?” Maria shouts. There’s a sobbing girl to her left, a stone-faced young man who won’t say a word on her right, and she’s caught in the middle.
The man breaks his silence suddenly, yelling.
“Do you think I bloody know? If I did, I’d be gone in an instant! One moment I feel perfectly fine, then the next the world goes black and I wake up … Lord knows where! Here!”
The crying girl - Maria can see now that she’s a bit older, around twenty - clearly makes an attempt at talking, but can’t get any words out, just horrendous gasping noises that make Maria’s stomach turn. In other situations she would be comforting her, but now is not the time for tears! First, she needs to find out where they are - waterworks afterwards.
She takes a better look around the room. It’s relatively tidy, with odd piles of clutter here and there. There’s dust everywhere, however - clearly no one has been here in years. The walls are empty, no paintings or posters hung on them like Maria’s walls at home.
It feels oddly haunting. A cold draught pricks up the hairs on the back of her neck - Lord knows how, as there are no windows to let any air in. Maria suddenly feels like she might suffocate.
Where is she?
—————
“Well, go on! Walk right through!” the man urges Mona forward. “And your little ghost friends too, of course.” he smiles. He wouldn’t if he could see Maria’s eyes throwing daggers at ‘little ghost friends’.
“Thank you.” Mona returns the smile, walking down the hallway and wincing at the creaking floorboards. There’s a cheery yellow door at the end, and a brass doorknob shaped like a lion. Mona turns it nervously, and the door swings open.
“Go on,” Edward murmurs - Mona isn’t sure who to.
When she sees the inside, it’s like all the breath is taken away from her body. A grand piano - or at least, that’s what Edward tells her it’s called - is sitting elegantly in the middle of the room, polished to perfection. She walks towards it, almost in a trance.
“Wow,” she breathes. She presses a key, and a sweet note rings out. Her eyes widen.
“Magical, eh?” the man says to Mona. She looks at Edward, who’s staring at the instrument wordlessly. A smile plays at his lips, and Mona grins. This is the first time she’s seen Edward smile - Maria and Vivienne look just as shocked as Mona is.
“It definitely is.” Mona replies. “Do you play, sir?” she asks the man.
“Please, call me Vincent,” he replies. “And yes, but only a little. It was my wife’s but she …”
“Ask him to play something,” Edward whispers, hungering for the music.
“Will you play something for us? If it’s not too painful, of course,” she adds in hastily. “Edward wants to hear.”
And so he does.
And it is the most beautiful noise Mona has ever heard.
—————
“Clio? Hello?” Mona calls out. “Maria was wondering if she could take a look at -” she stops dead in her tracks. Something feels off.
Why is the room dark?
Why hasn’t Clio responded?
Her hands fumble for the light switch, but when she turns the lights on, she wishes she hadn’t.
The scene in front of her looks straight out of the horror story Maria told her. There are paintings lying face-first on the ground, holes smashed through the walls, and blood.
Blood is everywhere.
It’s on the walls, on the floor, somehow even splattered across the ceiling. Mona’s stomach churns at the sight of it.
And then, she sees it. In pride of place, hung on the walls is a new addition to Clio’s collection.
A framed photograph of the president.
She wants to scream - scream for help, scream out of fear, scream for Clio. She would scream like it was the end of the world if she could, but she can’t. There are probably cameras watching her right now, noticing every little move. She needs to get out of here, fast.
It’s a warning, Mona knows. If the President’s soldiers know about Clio’s gallery, they sure as hell know about her, and probably the ghosts as well. She’s been so reckless recently, going to secret art galleries, banned bookshops, disregarding the law completely - she had completely forgotten what’d been drilled into her since the day she was born.
In this world, there are always eyes everywhere.
—————
The ghosts stayed with Mona for years after that - and what adventures they had! Of course, eyes were still watching them at all times, but Mona learned not to care. The ghosts were worth it, bringing art into her life. Anything was worth it, if it brought art into the world.
The president died, leaving his son in power. He was similar to his father in many ways, but different in others. He brought back singing, for one thing. That shed a bit more light into the world, as music always does. Mona wonders how long it will take before instruments are allowed again, and poetry, and paintings. Maybe years.
She’s willing to wait.
One day, Mona discovered a newspaper that published illegal poems - and wonderful ones at that. She’s sure that Vivienne would love them if she was still around.
But she isn’t.
One day the ghosts just -
Disappeared.
She’d known it was coming for months. Mona was growing older, growing as an artist as well. And with growth comes outgrowth - she didn’t need the ghosts any more.
That didn’t mean it hurt any less when they went away. She still longed for them as friends - her only friends, really. She cried for them, and many poems came out of it.
But they’re not gone, not really. They left an eternal imprint on Mona’s life, and a legacy
that will last forever. They left melodies and lyrics, poems and stories, drawings and paintings. And most of all, they left hope.
So yes, Mona still misses them. But she also knows that as long as she remembers them, they cannot truly be forgotten.
After all, some songs stay in your head forever.
WestEndLover15's submit code: | order of cabins visited: 10, 6, 2, 4, 12, 8, 11, 9, 3, 1, 5, 7, 13 | prompts chosen: 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | we love the POLAR BEARS <3
Last edited by WestEndLover15 (July 26, 2024 08:00:57)
- Le_lake
-
Scratcher
63 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
7/26/24 - 450 words
“Like a moth in the night, I'm desperate for a minute in the light”
If you recognize any of these names or places no you don’t, shhh.
Endear stood at the top of a building, wings puffed out behind them, staring wide-eyed at the commotion below. A giant fissure to the depths had just opened up in the middle of the street. Cuteguy had noticed it before he did and swooped down in an effort to catch the fallen people. You could see citizens of the depths staring up at the sunlight, wonder in their eyes. And a bit of fear too, for the people in the city were staring back at them. The police had arrived within minutes, meaning Endear had to remain on the building. Hybrids were illegal and it’d surely be arrested if seen, vigilante or not. The pair of wings on their head flicked as Cuteguy landed next to him, he didn’t turn, its eyes seemed to be glued to the disaster unfolding below.
“The cops are going to find some way to close the fissure.”
“How?”
“By blowing up the area of the Undercity below it, probably. Then they’ll put beams up and concrete over it, or something like that.”
Endear’s hand flew to their mouth, green eyes that sparked with blue glamour darting towards their mentor. “They’re going to blow up our home?”
“They’re going to blow up our home.” The macaw hybrid, well, parroted back.
Endear’s wings came to wrap around it. Create was no fool, they knew what something like this could cause.
“They’re going to be on even higher alert for hybrids until they cover the fissure, aren’t they? They’ll be on our cases even more.”
Cuteguy looked at his sidekick, a forlorn expression on his face. “Yes. We may have to go into hiding. I’ll ask Hotguy what he’s hearing the institute say.”
“… all of our work, gone just like that. Everything we did.”
The vigilante didn’t respond, just stared at the fissure with them. Endear let out a sharp exhale, carding its fingers through its hair.
“We need to go before they start looking for us.”
Cuteguy nodded, “take care. We’ll need to meet with Pearl and Jimmy to figure out where to go from here. You’re our marketing guy so we’ll depend on you for a lot of this.”
He sighed “yup. I’ll bring my folders. See you later.” Endear saluted their mentor and jumped up, wings spreading out as they flew to an alleyway near their dorm. This would probably be the last time they flew in these open blue skies. So they would enjoy it and pretend the tears in its eyes were from the wind buffeting his face and not the fact that everything they’d been working towards had fallen apart within just a few minutes. They could fix this, right?
“Like a moth in the night, I'm desperate for a minute in the light”
If you recognize any of these names or places no you don’t, shhh.
Endear stood at the top of a building, wings puffed out behind them, staring wide-eyed at the commotion below. A giant fissure to the depths had just opened up in the middle of the street. Cuteguy had noticed it before he did and swooped down in an effort to catch the fallen people. You could see citizens of the depths staring up at the sunlight, wonder in their eyes. And a bit of fear too, for the people in the city were staring back at them. The police had arrived within minutes, meaning Endear had to remain on the building. Hybrids were illegal and it’d surely be arrested if seen, vigilante or not. The pair of wings on their head flicked as Cuteguy landed next to him, he didn’t turn, its eyes seemed to be glued to the disaster unfolding below.
“The cops are going to find some way to close the fissure.”
“How?”
“By blowing up the area of the Undercity below it, probably. Then they’ll put beams up and concrete over it, or something like that.”
Endear’s hand flew to their mouth, green eyes that sparked with blue glamour darting towards their mentor. “They’re going to blow up our home?”
“They’re going to blow up our home.” The macaw hybrid, well, parroted back.
Endear’s wings came to wrap around it. Create was no fool, they knew what something like this could cause.
“They’re going to be on even higher alert for hybrids until they cover the fissure, aren’t they? They’ll be on our cases even more.”
Cuteguy looked at his sidekick, a forlorn expression on his face. “Yes. We may have to go into hiding. I’ll ask Hotguy what he’s hearing the institute say.”
“… all of our work, gone just like that. Everything we did.”
The vigilante didn’t respond, just stared at the fissure with them. Endear let out a sharp exhale, carding its fingers through its hair.
“We need to go before they start looking for us.”
Cuteguy nodded, “take care. We’ll need to meet with Pearl and Jimmy to figure out where to go from here. You’re our marketing guy so we’ll depend on you for a lot of this.”
He sighed “yup. I’ll bring my folders. See you later.” Endear saluted their mentor and jumped up, wings spreading out as they flew to an alleyway near their dorm. This would probably be the last time they flew in these open blue skies. So they would enjoy it and pretend the tears in its eyes were from the wind buffeting his face and not the fact that everything they’d been working towards had fallen apart within just a few minutes. They could fix this, right?
- rocksalmon800
-
Scratcher
500+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Daily 26: Fallen Hero (467 words)
“It’s over, Elizabeth. I win.”
Bitter tears streaked down my hollow cheeks, mixing with the blood on my face as I began to sob.
“I killed them all, Elizabeth. There’s no one left. Except you, of course.
I think that’s an acceptable outcome, to be perfectly honest. I’m not entirely evil, you see? Or maybe I’m even more evil for leaving you here - alive, yet alone, safe, but in miserable pain.”
“No!” I cry, the gravelly ground grinding into my cheek as Alejandro slowly withdrew his heeled, newly-polished boot from my throat and helped me to my feet, his eyes lingering on my bloody, tear-stained lips as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my temple softly. “Just like old times,” he murmured against my face, trailing another kiss down my cheeks as he snaked an arm around my waist.
I could barely stand without Alejandro’s strong arm holding me up, and I was unable to stop him as he pressed his forehead to mine, his cold, hardened eyes staring deep into my soul, as if he could sense the overwhelming battle going on inside.
“You know, Elizabeth, my offer still stands. We were once partners in crime, until you met that goody-two-shoes Alix and decided to betray me. But I’ll forgive you for everything if you promise to join me again.”
I could barely see through the pain and dust clouding my eyes, but Alejandro lifted my chin anyways, his gaze brushing over my beaten body as he gently brushed away my tears. “What do you say, Ellie?”
A strangled cry escaped my lips as I imagined the lifeless faces of all of my dead comrades and friends.
I had no one left. Nothing. All of the silenced voices of the people I’d once known urged me to resist, to take my newfound goodness and hold it tight, take it to the grave.
But all of those voices were dead, and the part of me that had once been good had died with them. Now all that lit my eyes was the constant thrum of fiery red, the promise of revenge that would bring the world to their knees, starting with Alejandro.
“I’ll join you, Alejo,” I said softly. His face lit into a smile, and he picked me up into his arms, his strong fingers playing with my hair as he whispered, “I knew you’d come around, Ellie.”
With my face buried in his shoulder, my expression shifted into a smile of pure, cold, dark hatred, edged with the kind of hopeless insanity that came with watching everyone you’d ever loved being murdered in front of your eyes. My eyes burned red as he carried me away, and I vowed that someday, I would bring him to his knees, and the world with him.
“It’s over, Elizabeth. I win.”
Bitter tears streaked down my hollow cheeks, mixing with the blood on my face as I began to sob.
“I killed them all, Elizabeth. There’s no one left. Except you, of course.
I think that’s an acceptable outcome, to be perfectly honest. I’m not entirely evil, you see? Or maybe I’m even more evil for leaving you here - alive, yet alone, safe, but in miserable pain.”
“No!” I cry, the gravelly ground grinding into my cheek as Alejandro slowly withdrew his heeled, newly-polished boot from my throat and helped me to my feet, his eyes lingering on my bloody, tear-stained lips as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my temple softly. “Just like old times,” he murmured against my face, trailing another kiss down my cheeks as he snaked an arm around my waist.
I could barely stand without Alejandro’s strong arm holding me up, and I was unable to stop him as he pressed his forehead to mine, his cold, hardened eyes staring deep into my soul, as if he could sense the overwhelming battle going on inside.
“You know, Elizabeth, my offer still stands. We were once partners in crime, until you met that goody-two-shoes Alix and decided to betray me. But I’ll forgive you for everything if you promise to join me again.”
I could barely see through the pain and dust clouding my eyes, but Alejandro lifted my chin anyways, his gaze brushing over my beaten body as he gently brushed away my tears. “What do you say, Ellie?”
A strangled cry escaped my lips as I imagined the lifeless faces of all of my dead comrades and friends.
I had no one left. Nothing. All of the silenced voices of the people I’d once known urged me to resist, to take my newfound goodness and hold it tight, take it to the grave.
But all of those voices were dead, and the part of me that had once been good had died with them. Now all that lit my eyes was the constant thrum of fiery red, the promise of revenge that would bring the world to their knees, starting with Alejandro.
“I’ll join you, Alejo,” I said softly. His face lit into a smile, and he picked me up into his arms, his strong fingers playing with my hair as he whispered, “I knew you’d come around, Ellie.”
With my face buried in his shoulder, my expression shifted into a smile of pure, cold, dark hatred, edged with the kind of hopeless insanity that came with watching everyone you’d ever loved being murdered in front of your eyes. My eyes burned red as he carried me away, and I vowed that someday, I would bring him to his knees, and the world with him.
- CherryMango17
-
Scratcher
100+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
In the city of Arganis, where the skyline once gleamed with the promise of a brighter future, the hero known as Sir Cedric stood amidst the ruins of his life's work. The once-mighty Citadel of Hope, a towering bastion of justice and progress, lay in smoldering heaps, its walls reduced to ashes by the devastating assault of a ruthless adversary. Sir Cedric, clad in the charred remnants of his armor, stared at the destruction with eyes hollowed by disbelief.
Years of sacrifice, of blood and sweat, had been invested in this citadel—a beacon of light meant to guide Arganis toward an era of peace and prosperity. Sir Cedric had dedicated himself to this cause with unwavering resolve, pushing his limits and leading countless battles. But as he surveyed the devastation, the weight of his failure pressed down on him like an iron shackle. The citizens of Arganis, who had looked to him for salvation, were now left with shattered hopes and a fractured sense of security.
His heart, once a furnace of relentless determination, now burned with an unfamiliar coldness. Sir Cedric dropped to his knees, his fingers sifting through the scorched remnants of what had been a symbol of hope. Tears of frustration and despair mingled with the ash. The enemy had struck where it hurt the most, not merely defeating him but dismantling the very foundation of his dreams.
As he struggled to reconcile the magnitude of his failure, Sir Cedric's thoughts turned dark. The promise of justice that had once driven him seemed a distant, cruel joke. The whispers of disillusionment crept into his mind, tempting him to abandon his ideals. He had fought for the greater good, but the greater good had betrayed him, leaving him in ruins. The thought of surrendering to the very forces he had opposed seemed enticing.
306 words
Years of sacrifice, of blood and sweat, had been invested in this citadel—a beacon of light meant to guide Arganis toward an era of peace and prosperity. Sir Cedric had dedicated himself to this cause with unwavering resolve, pushing his limits and leading countless battles. But as he surveyed the devastation, the weight of his failure pressed down on him like an iron shackle. The citizens of Arganis, who had looked to him for salvation, were now left with shattered hopes and a fractured sense of security.
His heart, once a furnace of relentless determination, now burned with an unfamiliar coldness. Sir Cedric dropped to his knees, his fingers sifting through the scorched remnants of what had been a symbol of hope. Tears of frustration and despair mingled with the ash. The enemy had struck where it hurt the most, not merely defeating him but dismantling the very foundation of his dreams.
As he struggled to reconcile the magnitude of his failure, Sir Cedric's thoughts turned dark. The promise of justice that had once driven him seemed a distant, cruel joke. The whispers of disillusionment crept into his mind, tempting him to abandon his ideals. He had fought for the greater good, but the greater good had betrayed him, leaving him in ruins. The thought of surrendering to the very forces he had opposed seemed enticing.
306 words
- Whimsy_lux
-
Scratcher
73 posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
FATALITY!
I crash to the crackly ground that feels a lot like how TV static tasted. Okay, hold up, that description made like no sense. Maybe the fact that I was probably bleeding into too many places to count is starting to make me woozy.
Shadows begin to crawl out from the corner of my vision like a crappy horror game as I watch the figure of the man I was fighting approach me. With each harsh step I finally realize what it meant to see your life flash before your eyes. Just days ago I was taking a rare walk in the park after essentially being under house arrest my entire life. Of course the second I, a gamer, touch grass, I get trapped by some mysterious person into my favorite video games which actually aren’t so great when you're the player character.
Each time I realized I was in a simulation and gained my memories back, I was sucked into another one and another one, until eventually the mind erasing didn’t work on me anymore. I mean, clearly, my mind is a steel trap afterall. If only my body was too.
Fun fact! Being good at fighting games doesn’t mean you're actually good at fighting. Who would’ve thought! My mind snaps out of my haze as the man in front of me crouches in front of me with a strange look of pity on her face. I mean, I wasn’t able to do much damage to hp, but his face was stupidly insulting!
“You really are an abomination.” Was all he said, though his voice had this weird quality that made him sound like he had a filter on. Who cares about that, I was about to die, and I was pretty sure there was no respawning.
“Eat @%!&, dirtbag!” I swear even though safe chat was on. It made me wonder why some frankly terrifying monster that laughed as she beat the * out of me cared about profanity, but whatever.
His jaw ticked, but he kept the same expression, “Don’t blame me. Kalimi love to use anyone but themselves to solve their problems. Know you wouldn’t be here if not for him, so know you’ll die by his hand. His solution turned to nothing but pixels.”
With that utter nonsense he was spouting, the thing picked me up, the shadows curling around his body, fading away to reveal a weak human looking man, a sneer on his face but eyes full of anguish. Kind of creepy but okay. He threw me aside and my head smashed into the ground. I let out a scream. Black.
Game Over.
Restart?
I crash to the crackly ground that feels a lot like how TV static tasted. Okay, hold up, that description made like no sense. Maybe the fact that I was probably bleeding into too many places to count is starting to make me woozy.
Shadows begin to crawl out from the corner of my vision like a crappy horror game as I watch the figure of the man I was fighting approach me. With each harsh step I finally realize what it meant to see your life flash before your eyes. Just days ago I was taking a rare walk in the park after essentially being under house arrest my entire life. Of course the second I, a gamer, touch grass, I get trapped by some mysterious person into my favorite video games which actually aren’t so great when you're the player character.
Each time I realized I was in a simulation and gained my memories back, I was sucked into another one and another one, until eventually the mind erasing didn’t work on me anymore. I mean, clearly, my mind is a steel trap afterall. If only my body was too.
Fun fact! Being good at fighting games doesn’t mean you're actually good at fighting. Who would’ve thought! My mind snaps out of my haze as the man in front of me crouches in front of me with a strange look of pity on her face. I mean, I wasn’t able to do much damage to hp, but his face was stupidly insulting!
“You really are an abomination.” Was all he said, though his voice had this weird quality that made him sound like he had a filter on. Who cares about that, I was about to die, and I was pretty sure there was no respawning.
“Eat @%!&, dirtbag!” I swear even though safe chat was on. It made me wonder why some frankly terrifying monster that laughed as she beat the * out of me cared about profanity, but whatever.
His jaw ticked, but he kept the same expression, “Don’t blame me. Kalimi love to use anyone but themselves to solve their problems. Know you wouldn’t be here if not for him, so know you’ll die by his hand. His solution turned to nothing but pixels.”
With that utter nonsense he was spouting, the thing picked me up, the shadows curling around his body, fading away to reveal a weak human looking man, a sneer on his face but eyes full of anguish. Kind of creepy but okay. He threw me aside and my head smashed into the ground. I let out a scream. Black.
Game Over.
Restart?
- ChueyTheCat
-
Scratcher
500+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Sing me to Sleep | 511 words
The world had fallen, and her hopes had fallen with it.
Unidentifiable grime smeared her cheeks, and she stared at an empty landscape, slumped on the ground.
They were gone, all of them, just like that. A snap of the fingers had ruined her life.
The owner of the fingers lifted her chin, squatting to reach her eyelevel. Lyran. The man who had destroyed it all. The exile. The Songless.
“I told you, didn't I?” Lyran said. “I said, so clearly, that if you made one wrong move, they would go away.”
She said nothing. There was nothing to say.
Lyran kicked her over into the dust of her friends and family. “Pathetic. Even less resistance that I had hoped for. You're nothing but a spineless jellyfish.”
Her fingers clenched and unclenched, uselessly. What was she now? She'd failed, it had all failed, and what did she have to show for it? It was all gone.
She didn't want to think. She didn't want to exist. She didn't want to resist. She just wanted to die. Every breath was a painful reminder that she functioned while they didn't. She did not even deserve her name.
Tears prickling at the edges of her vision, she began the name-releasing ritual, mumbling into the ashes of her failure. Name-releasing was reserved for only the worst, but she knew she fell into that category better than anyone.
Something jerked and squirmed up her lips, and she shuddered, coughing.
She was truly alone now. No family. No friends. No name. She had sacrificed her identity.
Clench. Unclench.
If she could muster enough strength, she could sing her final song. She could fulfill her final wish–to die. Her lips, cracked and bleeding, parted. She'd heard tales of heroes releasing their songs for a greater good. Of elders releasing their songs in a solemn ceremony, usually with an heir nearby ready to receive the song into their own heart. For centuries, her people's lives had circled around music.
White-and-gold mist floated out of her mouth with the first few notes. Her lifeforce. She watched it distantly. If she stopped now, she would live, and sustain minimal damage. Her body would eventually repair itself. She might even be to repair the rest of her someday, if she tried hard enough.
It was easier to give up. She kept singing.
Lyran turned, a sadistic smile playing around the corners of his lips. “Giving up, are we? I'll enjoy seeing your demis-”
He jerked, and tendrils of mist streamed from him, too. The girl with no name did not stop singing.
“What?” Lyran coughed. “How could you possibly–No-”
The mist clashed between them, gold-and-white swirling. It was beautiful.
She did not care for beauty any longer. Why was the song taking so long? She just wanted oblivion.
She sang until the mist obscured the man and girl from sight. She sang until the song had drawn out everything she had left to give.
She sang until she died.
The man went with her.
The land was still and silent.
The world had fallen, and her hopes had fallen with it.
Unidentifiable grime smeared her cheeks, and she stared at an empty landscape, slumped on the ground.
They were gone, all of them, just like that. A snap of the fingers had ruined her life.
The owner of the fingers lifted her chin, squatting to reach her eyelevel. Lyran. The man who had destroyed it all. The exile. The Songless.
“I told you, didn't I?” Lyran said. “I said, so clearly, that if you made one wrong move, they would go away.”
She said nothing. There was nothing to say.
Lyran kicked her over into the dust of her friends and family. “Pathetic. Even less resistance that I had hoped for. You're nothing but a spineless jellyfish.”
Her fingers clenched and unclenched, uselessly. What was she now? She'd failed, it had all failed, and what did she have to show for it? It was all gone.
She didn't want to think. She didn't want to exist. She didn't want to resist. She just wanted to die. Every breath was a painful reminder that she functioned while they didn't. She did not even deserve her name.
Tears prickling at the edges of her vision, she began the name-releasing ritual, mumbling into the ashes of her failure. Name-releasing was reserved for only the worst, but she knew she fell into that category better than anyone.
Something jerked and squirmed up her lips, and she shuddered, coughing.
She was truly alone now. No family. No friends. No name. She had sacrificed her identity.
Clench. Unclench.
If she could muster enough strength, she could sing her final song. She could fulfill her final wish–to die. Her lips, cracked and bleeding, parted. She'd heard tales of heroes releasing their songs for a greater good. Of elders releasing their songs in a solemn ceremony, usually with an heir nearby ready to receive the song into their own heart. For centuries, her people's lives had circled around music.
White-and-gold mist floated out of her mouth with the first few notes. Her lifeforce. She watched it distantly. If she stopped now, she would live, and sustain minimal damage. Her body would eventually repair itself. She might even be to repair the rest of her someday, if she tried hard enough.
It was easier to give up. She kept singing.
Lyran turned, a sadistic smile playing around the corners of his lips. “Giving up, are we? I'll enjoy seeing your demis-”
He jerked, and tendrils of mist streamed from him, too. The girl with no name did not stop singing.
“What?” Lyran coughed. “How could you possibly–No-”
The mist clashed between them, gold-and-white swirling. It was beautiful.
She did not care for beauty any longer. Why was the song taking so long? She just wanted oblivion.
She sang until the mist obscured the man and girl from sight. She sang until the song had drawn out everything she had left to give.
She sang until she died.
The man went with her.
The land was still and silent.
Last edited by ChueyTheCat (July 26, 2024 23:04:07)
- -WildClan-
-
Scratcher
100+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Glory couldn't believe it was finally over. He had won! Summit had been dethroned from his seat of power. In the final showdown, his friends and family had come through to support the rebel movement- Blood finally got her revenge for how Summit had treated her, and Silhouette and Legend had defied Maroon's orders in order to provide backup from Briny Pack. Maroon had been defeated, too, at Legend's very own paws. Glory's rebel companions had fought bravely, and now nothing stopped them from building a great new Sliver Pack, better than ever before.
There were still wolves loyal to their old rulers, of course, but Glory was sure he could persuade them, given time. While the wolves of Briny would soon accept Legend as the new crownbearer, the wolves of Sliver would soon respect their new leader, too- Rise! The long-time leader of the Sliver rebellion, he would be a wise leader of the whole Pack. And Glory was proud to serve as his Speaker.
Speaking of which, where was Rise?
Glory sniffed the air, trying to find his commander's scent. The battlefield was still a mess, with wolves scattered about, confused and awaiting instruction. There hadn't been any serious injuries, as far as Glory could tell.
However, he found Legend first.
Legend was holding the crown he had won, considering it with an expression Glory couldn't quite read. His face was caked with blood, remnants of his earlier battle with Maroon. Glory wasn't sure if it was his or hers. He looked up as Glory approached.
“Thanks for… everything, Legend,” Glory thanked his brother. “We couldn't have won without you.”
Legend nodded slowly. “The fighting is over at last. I suppose I'm finally free.”
Glory smiled tiredly. “Looking forward to leading Briny Pack?”
“Leading?” Legend's voice took on a hard note. “There will be no more leaders. No more tyrants. It's done.”
“But we're supposed to make the Packs better than before! Of course we'll have leaders!”
“You want to be a hero, Glory?” Legend snarled. “Because it doesn't work that way!”
There were still wolves loyal to their old rulers, of course, but Glory was sure he could persuade them, given time. While the wolves of Briny would soon accept Legend as the new crownbearer, the wolves of Sliver would soon respect their new leader, too- Rise! The long-time leader of the Sliver rebellion, he would be a wise leader of the whole Pack. And Glory was proud to serve as his Speaker.
Speaking of which, where was Rise?
Glory sniffed the air, trying to find his commander's scent. The battlefield was still a mess, with wolves scattered about, confused and awaiting instruction. There hadn't been any serious injuries, as far as Glory could tell.
However, he found Legend first.
Legend was holding the crown he had won, considering it with an expression Glory couldn't quite read. His face was caked with blood, remnants of his earlier battle with Maroon. Glory wasn't sure if it was his or hers. He looked up as Glory approached.
“Thanks for… everything, Legend,” Glory thanked his brother. “We couldn't have won without you.”
Legend nodded slowly. “The fighting is over at last. I suppose I'm finally free.”
Glory smiled tiredly. “Looking forward to leading Briny Pack?”
“Leading?” Legend's voice took on a hard note. “There will be no more leaders. No more tyrants. It's done.”
“But we're supposed to make the Packs better than before! Of course we'll have leaders!”
“You want to be a hero, Glory?” Legend snarled. “Because it doesn't work that way!”
- minergold48
-
Scratcher
100+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Daily 26 || 619 words
“This place is weird. Everyone here is weird,” Pacific sighed, hiding in a tree with his companion, Piranha. “You sure this will work?” Piranha didn’t respond, glaring through the leaves at the trio of innocent fluffy critters who they were supposed to be robbing from. Pacific could not understand for the life of him why this required a full plan, as the two were both powerful animi, but Piranha had insisted that if this worked, the results would be more amazing than anything they could ever imagine.
“Piranha, can’t we just summon these… crystals to us?” Pacific looked over at her as she sighed. “I tried that already, you dork. No animus magic is going to get them in our talons. We’re going to need to convince them to give them to us.” “I can be nice,” Pacific scoffed. He could be nice, actually. That’s why he was friends with one of the happiest dragons on Pyrrhia.
Piranha raised an eyebrow, looking at him. “Then you go talk them into showing you them…and I’ll handle the rest.”
Paulina looked at the Seawing approaching her and her friends. “Oh hi!” She smiled, recognizing him from a visit to one of her other friends’ den. She could tell he recognized her too in that moment. “…Yo,” he said, looking at Walnut and Bagliora. Feeling Bagliora press against her in fear, Paulina gently rested a paw on her head, saying “What brings you here?”
“I need some help,” he sighed, “and Flame said that you had something up your sleeve that could do the trick.”
Paulina nodded, not super fond that her friend had told someone else about the emeralds. “A friend of Flame is a friend of mine,” she said. “What do you need?”
Pacific explained to her how he had got into a scuffle with another animus who had disabled his magic, and now he was stuck on their planet. “Eesh,” she said, “well that should be an easy fix! Just…avoid that dragon I suppose.” She reached toward her pack, pausing when she felt Walnut’s paw on her shoulder. >You sure we can trust this random dragon? There might be a reason why his powers were taken away,< he told her in the shared language of the emeralds. >I’ve seen him before with Flame,< she responded, >and Flame has told me about how he’s a decent guy. Even if he has some plan, it probably has nothing to do with us.<
Walnut nodded understandingly, stepping back. Paulina smiled and pulled out the seven emeralds, Pacific’s eyes widening as he saw their magical glow.
Paulina felt herself shoved to the ground, letting out a yell as Pacific jumped onto her. In that moment her first instinct was to summon the emeralds to her, but she only felt a flicker of their energy before they turned dormant in her mind. Walnut shoved the dragon off of her, and she scrambled to her feet, looking around to see who had the emeralds.
She saw Piranha in front of her, grinning maniacally as she held out a glowing, chaos-enhanced talon. “Nice try.”
Paulina let out a shriek as she felt the sheer force of chaos and animus energy ripping her powers out of her, flowing to Piranha and Pacific, who was standing beside the older dragon.
The next moments went like a blur to Paulina. She could barely stand, severely weakened and unable to do anything. When she came to, Walnut was severely damaged and unconscious, Bagliora was nowhere to be found, and she was in horrible, horrible pain. The dragons were gone, and so were her powers.
She looked up at the darkening sky, on the verge of tears.
“What…what have I done…”
“This place is weird. Everyone here is weird,” Pacific sighed, hiding in a tree with his companion, Piranha. “You sure this will work?” Piranha didn’t respond, glaring through the leaves at the trio of innocent fluffy critters who they were supposed to be robbing from. Pacific could not understand for the life of him why this required a full plan, as the two were both powerful animi, but Piranha had insisted that if this worked, the results would be more amazing than anything they could ever imagine.
“Piranha, can’t we just summon these… crystals to us?” Pacific looked over at her as she sighed. “I tried that already, you dork. No animus magic is going to get them in our talons. We’re going to need to convince them to give them to us.” “I can be nice,” Pacific scoffed. He could be nice, actually. That’s why he was friends with one of the happiest dragons on Pyrrhia.
Piranha raised an eyebrow, looking at him. “Then you go talk them into showing you them…and I’ll handle the rest.”
Paulina looked at the Seawing approaching her and her friends. “Oh hi!” She smiled, recognizing him from a visit to one of her other friends’ den. She could tell he recognized her too in that moment. “…Yo,” he said, looking at Walnut and Bagliora. Feeling Bagliora press against her in fear, Paulina gently rested a paw on her head, saying “What brings you here?”
“I need some help,” he sighed, “and Flame said that you had something up your sleeve that could do the trick.”
Paulina nodded, not super fond that her friend had told someone else about the emeralds. “A friend of Flame is a friend of mine,” she said. “What do you need?”
Pacific explained to her how he had got into a scuffle with another animus who had disabled his magic, and now he was stuck on their planet. “Eesh,” she said, “well that should be an easy fix! Just…avoid that dragon I suppose.” She reached toward her pack, pausing when she felt Walnut’s paw on her shoulder. >You sure we can trust this random dragon? There might be a reason why his powers were taken away,< he told her in the shared language of the emeralds. >I’ve seen him before with Flame,< she responded, >and Flame has told me about how he’s a decent guy. Even if he has some plan, it probably has nothing to do with us.<
Walnut nodded understandingly, stepping back. Paulina smiled and pulled out the seven emeralds, Pacific’s eyes widening as he saw their magical glow.
Paulina felt herself shoved to the ground, letting out a yell as Pacific jumped onto her. In that moment her first instinct was to summon the emeralds to her, but she only felt a flicker of their energy before they turned dormant in her mind. Walnut shoved the dragon off of her, and she scrambled to her feet, looking around to see who had the emeralds.
She saw Piranha in front of her, grinning maniacally as she held out a glowing, chaos-enhanced talon. “Nice try.”
Paulina let out a shriek as she felt the sheer force of chaos and animus energy ripping her powers out of her, flowing to Piranha and Pacific, who was standing beside the older dragon.
The next moments went like a blur to Paulina. She could barely stand, severely weakened and unable to do anything. When she came to, Walnut was severely damaged and unconscious, Bagliora was nowhere to be found, and she was in horrible, horrible pain. The dragons were gone, and so were her powers.
She looked up at the darkening sky, on the verge of tears.
“What…what have I done…”
- -NightGlow-
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Word War with Pepper
word count - 236 words
I can't believe that it was all just a joke, I kept working day and night only for this. Only to be called a failure, someone who should never have graced the surface of this planet. It felt like no matter what I did, it was never enough. I just wanted to call it quites and leave my old life behind. Everything was cathcing up so quickly and I wanted it to end - whatever chaos thi was, I had enough with it.
Things were never going to be the same, and my mind never truly realized that. It felt very scary.. I wasn't ready for such a big future, a huge change that would change everything I had ever believed about the world. Closed in my room, locked away from the world, darker thoughts took over. I had to have a purpose, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
I wanted to be loved, needed by someone. But here I was, practically worthless to everyone all around me. I couldn't breathe when I was put into these situations cause I never knew if I would make it out safe again. The walls were closing in on me and I knew I couldn't handle any more pressure. Pressure. Yes, that was the breaking force that had tore me apart from the inside out these past few years. It hurt so much and I didn't even have
word count - 236 words
I can't believe that it was all just a joke, I kept working day and night only for this. Only to be called a failure, someone who should never have graced the surface of this planet. It felt like no matter what I did, it was never enough. I just wanted to call it quites and leave my old life behind. Everything was cathcing up so quickly and I wanted it to end - whatever chaos thi was, I had enough with it.
Things were never going to be the same, and my mind never truly realized that. It felt very scary.. I wasn't ready for such a big future, a huge change that would change everything I had ever believed about the world. Closed in my room, locked away from the world, darker thoughts took over. I had to have a purpose, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
I wanted to be loved, needed by someone. But here I was, practically worthless to everyone all around me. I couldn't breathe when I was put into these situations cause I never knew if I would make it out safe again. The walls were closing in on me and I knew I couldn't handle any more pressure. Pressure. Yes, that was the breaking force that had tore me apart from the inside out these past few years. It hurt so much and I didn't even have
- -NightGlow-
-
Scratcher
1000+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Quick Ramble Merc Piece
word count - 516 words
The sights the wonders the skies the seas, it feels like it's all coming together you know? I wanted to live a life of joy and freedom yet here I am trapped inside my kindgom. It felt so relieving to finall breathe a sign where the winds could go long and far. The salty nice of the seas, the bitterness of the skies are truly what kept my going despite it all. Cliffs over skies tredged past the horizon and all I could do was wait.
– Now comes the unhinged ranting!
Ok so hello my name is Marc Mangoseon, if you can't tell already.. I'm a Mango! MWAHAHA- that was my evil laugh..be warned! I know you probably don't know much about me since you're too caught up with Smarlls, Gurtle, Skog, and Blahaj. Well let me tell you this.. I'm just as important! I don't appreciate being treated as if I'm nothing.. I am so much more than a silly mascot y'all can forget. Remember me. Remember me and never forget. For I. I am Marc. I am Marc, and I will make my amazing comeback someday!
For the time being, Alana's just going to use me to speedrun her merc war, but I'm going to rant awayyy cause I really neeed this you know? This is a fifty headed hydra and I don't think proper grammar is being used, but who cares! Tis the time to ramble and rant and scream my head off! I knew that things would never work out, but I guess I'm just happy that it did in one way or another. I'm currently reaching 300 yet I feel so far away.
It's as if the cliffs are rising and I'm falling off of them. The grassy plains stretched out for miles and pink puffy clouds were everywhere. I saw flowers. Roses, tulips, you name it! The saffron-like sky was gorgeous and I just knew thaf I couldn't give up this marvelous sight.. I just wanted a chance to breathe, to feel alive once more and not have to worry about a single thing or problem in this world. Ranting my head off like this is surely not easy, but I need a way to release my emotions, for I am the NEW and imrpoved mascot, so all of you better start wanting more of me! Aside from all this rambling, I think I've just given up on the fifty-headed hydra and decided to turn this into a rant cause my fingers and burning with pain..
Who knows who or what I'm actually talking about at this point, but the incoherency of this entire piece is quite funny in my opinion. I just need to get a bit further,, just a few more words, and then we can all hold hands and celebrate - the confetti cannons are ready, high in the air, ready to be launched at just the right command!
I can see the mangoes being loaded, and I finally breathe a sigh! Ahh the end is finally in sight!
word count - 516 words
The sights the wonders the skies the seas, it feels like it's all coming together you know? I wanted to live a life of joy and freedom yet here I am trapped inside my kindgom. It felt so relieving to finall breathe a sign where the winds could go long and far. The salty nice of the seas, the bitterness of the skies are truly what kept my going despite it all. Cliffs over skies tredged past the horizon and all I could do was wait.
– Now comes the unhinged ranting!
Ok so hello my name is Marc Mangoseon, if you can't tell already.. I'm a Mango! MWAHAHA- that was my evil laugh..be warned! I know you probably don't know much about me since you're too caught up with Smarlls, Gurtle, Skog, and Blahaj. Well let me tell you this.. I'm just as important! I don't appreciate being treated as if I'm nothing.. I am so much more than a silly mascot y'all can forget. Remember me. Remember me and never forget. For I. I am Marc. I am Marc, and I will make my amazing comeback someday!
For the time being, Alana's just going to use me to speedrun her merc war, but I'm going to rant awayyy cause I really neeed this you know? This is a fifty headed hydra and I don't think proper grammar is being used, but who cares! Tis the time to ramble and rant and scream my head off! I knew that things would never work out, but I guess I'm just happy that it did in one way or another. I'm currently reaching 300 yet I feel so far away.
It's as if the cliffs are rising and I'm falling off of them. The grassy plains stretched out for miles and pink puffy clouds were everywhere. I saw flowers. Roses, tulips, you name it! The saffron-like sky was gorgeous and I just knew thaf I couldn't give up this marvelous sight.. I just wanted a chance to breathe, to feel alive once more and not have to worry about a single thing or problem in this world. Ranting my head off like this is surely not easy, but I need a way to release my emotions, for I am the NEW and imrpoved mascot, so all of you better start wanting more of me! Aside from all this rambling, I think I've just given up on the fifty-headed hydra and decided to turn this into a rant cause my fingers and burning with pain..
Who knows who or what I'm actually talking about at this point, but the incoherency of this entire piece is quite funny in my opinion. I just need to get a bit further,, just a few more words, and then we can all hold hands and celebrate - the confetti cannons are ready, high in the air, ready to be launched at just the right command!
I can see the mangoes being loaded, and I finally breathe a sigh! Ahh the end is finally in sight!
Last edited by -NightGlow- (July 27, 2024 14:22:38)
- pepper-and-a-pencil
-
Scratcher
500+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
daily 27 - cabin wars two thread
writing dare from @Starthorn “I dare you to write an advertisement for a food you hate/dislike! >
”
mouse’s inspiration project prompt - “write about frying pan forbidden love with a soup pot who decides it (?) doesn’t need love in the end”
rambling
editing more writing into this once i finish ^^
writing dare from @Starthorn “I dare you to write an advertisement for a food you hate/dislike! >
”*holds flashy bottle of barbeque sauce with a smirk* here folks, is, you guessed it — barbeque sauce! it’s dark brown purple ish color leaves you questioning what exactly it’s made of, and sure does rip your intestines around as you squeeze some out onto your plate! ;D as you dip a piece of meat into the sauce or swirl some on top of it, you begin to wonder why you’re using barbeque sauce, but for a whopping eight dollars, it’s quite the deal! *cough not cough* the meat goes into your mouth and as the taste of the barbeque sauce whacks your tongue, instant regret fills your stomach as you gag, but that’s what barbeque sauce is all about! it gives you great gag reflexes! that’s all folks ehehe129 words
mouse’s inspiration project prompt - “write about frying pan forbidden love with a soup pot who decides it (?) doesn’t need love in the end”
panny (the name of the frying pan ahaha) sits anxiously atop the stove, her insides churning as an egg slides its way across her metal interior. across from her, is a lovely soup pot sitting on another burning. he is equally nervous sitting besides panny, his emotions bubbling up inside of him as water boils within.264 words
“i love you i think,” panny blurts, swiveling to face him and almost dropping the egg.
he gasps, shocked that she would suddenly admit it, but filled with relief that she felt the same way. “i’m pretty sure i like you too, but we can’t love each other… you’re not one of my kind.”
panny chokes back a sob. “but…” her voice trails off as she realizes it’s true.
“i’m a pot, and you’re a pan. it’s not allowed,” the soup pot, soupy, tells her sadly.
“we could escape the kitchen!” panny suggests, eyes lighting up at the idea. she would never have to cook another egg again, that was also a plus.
soupy shook his head. “how? we don’t have legs bestie,” he laughed.
panny let out a dramatic gasp. “DID YOU JUST FRIENDZONE ME????!!?!?” she shouted, her face filled with disgust.
soupy’s jaw dropped. “no, i mean yes, but i would never… on purpose no–” he muttered apologetically.
“I WAS FRIENDZONED,” panny went on, rambling about the pain of her one true forbidden love shoving her in the dark, terrifying zone with friends. “i don’t need you after all!” she said matter of factly. “i don’t need anyone! love is bye bye,” she finished. “and goodnight!!!”
rambling
i just hit page 25 on my doc so i’m going to leave this as the only sentence on this page and go back to page whatever to work on my weekly B)566 words
wait i’m stupid that wouldn’t work because more writing would be pushed down once i start writing the weekly xD guys i just woke up and haven;t eaten any breakfast give me some slack bwahaha
anyways gasping i just realized it’s 8:02 and from my comment in our bi fi cabin, i woke up around 37 minutes ago which means i woke up before 7:30??? that’s a first all summer omg that’s really early. i was playing with my dog and like scratching her belly when i looked at the clock and threw off the blankets and was like it’s cabin wars frankie we gotta go get my laptop and head downstairs!!! so that was fun way to early for me so i’m slightly sleep deprived, my hands hurt, and i haven’t eaten breakfast but i’m not doing so until this war from gothic is finished so that’s that. i’m sad we couldn’t get non fi’s war done but that’s because nobody was awake which is fine, it was the dead of night for most people in our cabin i think and sleep>>>swc so it’s also good in a sense <33 i should probably keep on mindlessly talking, i might start another 1k word intro just for the funsies but probably won’t make it to one thousand words because i don’t feel like writing so much in one sitting haha i’m more of a “lots of short mindless rants and rambles” type of person and OOH i just thought of something to ramble about so here we go-
i was at my grandma’s cousin’s house for my grandma’s birthday and near the end of our visit my grandma’s cousin asks me about my swc bracelet!!! she was like what does swc stand for?? and i was like it’s scratch writing campand she didn’t ask about the camp but we talked about writing a little bit and turns out her sister or friend or daughter or someone (i may have forgot maybe whoops) used to do a lot of storytelling which i thought was cool <3
ok i’m almost to 500 words with this rant which is the goal, usually if i find something interesting to talk about the words come a lot quicker so i’ll just do that. that’s the hard part though is finding something interesting to talk about ahahah
got it, i’m just going to describe my writing space right now. so i’m sitting on the living room couch in the same spot i’ve been sitting all summer, in the corner facing the dining room right next to a little coffee table and up pretty close to the tv which is fine because the stuff my brother watches is brain rot and i don’t need to watch it anyway haha. in front of me is the dining room with the table, 6 chairs, blue placemats and yeah. and then just behind the table is our kitchen - we have dark brown ish wooden cabinets and countertops but the countertops aren’t wood, idk this is hard xD i hit 500 words though so i’m just going to add it to the war and be done - bye xD
editing more writing into this once i finish ^^
Last edited by pepper-and-a-pencil (July 27, 2024 15:16:00)
- rocksalmon800
-
Scratcher
500+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
WEEKLY 4: 2674 words
INTRO: 157 words
alex stood over the bridge, her emerald-green eyes wet with tears as she scrubbed her cheek with the heel of her palm. the rushing water below her was clear, reflecting the fat gray clouds that hung in the baby-blue sky above her.
alex traced a long-nailed finger over the metal railing, her other hand a fist by her side, grasping a small object in her curled fingers.
her heart-shaped lips twisted into a heartbroken smile, pressing a gentle kiss to the object in her hands. she unfurled her fingers and let the object drop into the creek below, the tears on her face collecting in her eyelashes like spider silk as they dripped down her face, watching the small object land in the frothy depths as it sank. “goodbye,” she said.
without another word, alex turned and left the bridge, the spray from the river drenching the hem of her pale yellow sundress as it swished softly.
PROMPT 1: SCI-FI (FLASH FORWARD) - 282 words
alex left the bridge behind her, venturing deeper into the forest through the dirty path. as she wove through the twisted trees, she began to walk a bit faster, gaining speed quickly as if she was trying to outrun her past. as she began to break into a jog, her foot caught on something, twisting her ankle as she fell to the ground, dust rising into a cloud as she coughed.
she sat on the dusty path for a moment as she tried to catch her breath, eyes scanning the path behind her as she looked for what had caused her to fall. her fingers scrabbled through the dust, searching, until she noticed a piece of glass sticking out of the ground behind her.
she brushed the dust from the glass and gasped. it was a mirror of some sort, but it didn’t reflect anything alex could see. instead, she saw herself, tearstained cheeks shaking as she stood on a green-tinged copper bridge, her fingers gripping the rail - a perfect recreation of the scene moments before.
the past.
the mirror shifted quickly, flashing to a scene that alex didn’t recognize - she was in the same yellow dress, but it was ripped and bloodstained, and her hair was tangled in her face, unkempt and dirty.
but what alex really noticed was the expression on her face: she looked absolutely devastated.
if the image from before was of the past, alex thought, then this must be the future - but this was a future she would do anything to prevent.
only one person in this world would put that expression on her face, and she would walk through fire before letting anything happen to her.
PROMPT 2: HORROR (HALLUCINATIONS) - 276 words
alex tried to breathe deeply, her chest rising as falling quickly as panic clouded her vision.
wait - was it panic? her brain was scrambling, rushing, she was gasping, gasping, gasping - wait, why were the trees floating?
this wasn’t normal.
something was wrong - maybe it was the dust? did it have something in it, something that was poisoning alex? she had to get out of here.
alex tried to close her eyes to shake away the nausea coiling in her stomach. the calm blackness was so nice, but colors were quickly flooding her vision, bursts of rainbow searing her eyes until she jerked them open with a panicked gasp.
in front of alex stood her mother. but that wasn’t possible - her mother had died two months ago.
“why are you here?’” alex yelled, panicked sobs escaping her chest as she struggled to breathe. she had to get out, but her brain was beginning to fail, and her mother was still standing in front of her, an expression of utter disappointment lining her face.
“i didn’t think you’d go through with it, to be completely honest. i’m quite proud, actually - you finally made good on your word to make me disappear. first you dump my favorite ring, the ring i was going to give you as soon as you married someone respectable, in the river, then you try to run away from the very memory of me. it’s quite impressive.”
“i hate you!” alex screamed into the air with the last of her breath. “you tried to kill the only person i’ve ever loved. i will never forgive you, even in death.”
and then the darkness took her.
PROMPT 3: FOLKLORE (GIVE AN ANIMAL HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS) - 303 words
alex woke up again in a field she recognized as being near her house, her head remarkably clear. she had thought she was going to die - how was she still alive, with nothing more than a couple scratches and scrapes from her fall?
had someone saved her?
alex tried to stand, but a burst of blood rushed to her head and her knees buckled, sending back to the spongy ground.
“you might want to wait a little before getting back onto your feet, eh?” a deep, gravelly voice called to her.
“what?” alex called, eyes casting around for the source of the voice, but she didn’t see anyone, save for a small deer resting across the field.
“over here!” the voice said, and alex craned her neck. “where are you?”
“i’m right here, silly,” the voice said. but all alex could see was the deer, who was now waving its legs around as if it was trying to signal to someone. that couldn’t be normal deer behavior, could it?
wait.
“you can talk?” alex said hysterically as the deer pranced closer, giving her a strangely human grin as alex wondered frantically if she had a concussion.
“yep! and before you ask, no, you’re not dead, or imagining this,” it said. “anyways, do i get a thank you for saving your life?”
“uhh… thank you?”
“you’re welcome. now, shoo. also, i would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone that you ran into me, i’m not very well-liked around these parts.”
“okay? um, bye…”
alex struggled to her feet and walked back in the direction of her house, chancing a look back at the deer, who was now happily munching on the purple flowers that filled the field.
this had already been one crazy day, and she still had so much left to do.
PROMPT 4: SOLARPUNK (USE NATURE) - 232 words
alex was no stranger to magic, but all of this craziness in one day was quite unusual, and it was beginning to wear on her.
her mother’s words, however imagined, still echoed in her head as she wove through the trees, her fingers tracing their bark as she searched for the familiar initials that she and elsie had
carved into the bark all those years ago, the day that they had realized that they really, truly loved each other.
alex couldn’t help but smile as she pressed her forehead to the rough bark of the tree, memories of that wonderful, magical day flooding her with sparks.
this forest, this tree - this was her home. she belonged here in the trees, her pale-moon skin lit by the stars every night as she fell asleep in elsie’s arms.
but then her mother came in and ruined everything, of course.
elsie had almost died. alex had sat at the base of this very tree, elsie’s head in her lap as she panted and cried, blood streaming down her body as she took shuddering breath after shuddering breath, her eyes fluttering closed as she begged alex to keep holding on.
this forest held magic and love, of course, but it also held heartbreak and pain, pain that she vowed never to experience again.
alex would protect elsie, no matter what.
she would do whatever it took.
PROMPT 5: POETRY (SYMBOL) - 261 words
taking one last look at the initials carved into the tree, alex continued on, walking along the well-trodden path that she and elsie used to have secret meetings on, shrouded in cloaks, holding hands in the dark, until she eventually reached the small, cozy cottage that she and elsie shared.
“i’m home!” alex called, and smiled as she heard elsie jump up from whatever she was doing and rush to envelop alex in a hug, her small, nimble body clutching alex’s waist with surprising force.
“did you miss me?” alex asked, chuckling softly as she wrapped her arms around elsie’s, playing with her hair.
“oh, yes,” elsie said with seriousness, then her eyes lit up.
“i almost forgot! i painted you something while you were gone!”
alex smiled softly as elsie led alex from the room and into her small painting studio. she quickly grabbed a canvas, on which an exquisite painting of a small blue butterfly shined in the light streaming in from the windows. “i chose to do a butterfly because they remind me of you,” she said softly as she tried to pass the painting to alex. but suddenly the painting fell to the floor, as
though it was ripped out of her hand, and it landed on the ground with a thunk, tipping over a can of red paint on its way.
“oh no,” elsie said, close to tears. “i’m so sorry!”
“it’s okay, darling,” alex told her, picking up the painting from the dusty floor and bringing it into the light.
it was streaked with red.
PROMPT 6: GOTHIC (SETTING CHANGE) - 512 words
after alex had assured elsie that it was, in fact, okay that her painting had been destroyed, alex decided to take a little nap, exhausted from the poison and the other events of the day. inside the cocoon of warmth formed by her soft, downy covers, she was finally able to fall asleep, to tumble into dreamland, like always. eyes drifted close and…
“again, we meet, daughter,” alex’s mother said, her long, sharp nails dragging across alex’s arm as they stood in another house, a large, victorian mansion covered in cobwebs and dust.
alex’s old home.
alex began to tremble, her mind flooded with all of the terrible memories that she held deep, deep down, that filled her nightmares and fueled her fears, all because of this terrible place and this terrible woman.
“ick - alex, don’t give me that look, child,” alex’s mother tutted, nails gripping alex’s chin as she jerked her face over to the wide stained-glass windows, dust motes swirling in the shafts of multicolored light.
all alex could see was the shattered holes in the glass, and, with a shudder, she remembered the reason the glass had cracked in the first place. alex broke away from her mother and wandered over to the doorway, lurking like a ghost as she began to leave, done with this dream.
“elsie is in danger - do you want to save her or not?”
alex mother’s voice, sharp and nasally, broke through her thoughts, the meaning of her words slicing into her as she whipped around.
“excuse me?”
“alex, you know that elsie is in danger - you saw it in the mirror, right? I know you’re stupid and lovesick, so you’re going to try to stop it, of course - and the only way you can do that is by sacrificing yourself to his service for eternity, just as i did. it’s quite poetic, isn’t it; the way death makes his trades?”
“okay, let’s say i choose to believe you,” alex said, sitting down on a ratty velvet couch. “i still don’t understand why you’re choosing to help me, though. also, why did you pledge yourself to his service in the first place?”
alex’s mother’s eyes soften for just a moment.
“i wouldn’t say that telling you that you have to die is really helping you, but i did always know that you loved elsie more than life itself.
“as much as you refuse to admit it, alex, i am your mother, and i do care about you. in the past, i haven’t made great decisions, but i hope someday that you’ll realize that my misguided plans and ideas were all to keep you safe. i don’t know if you’ll even believe me, but the reason that i’m serving death for eternity is because of you. alex, the disease that killed me almost killed you too - i wouldn’t let that happen, so now i’m here. anyways, i love you, alex. i’ll see you on the other side.”
and then, before alex could say another word, the dream dissolved, and she was in the dark again.
PROMPT 7: MYSTERY (OBJECT) - 212 words
when alex awoke, she found the butterfly portrait resting on her chest, the line of red paint slashed through like blood, with a jeweled dagger embedded in the butterfly’s abdomen.
the dagger was beautiful - a solid gold hilt etched with gorgeous flowers and vines, crusted in tiny, glimmering diamonds, with a beautiful, shimmering blade that was so sharp it almost hurt to look at.
alex noticed a name engraved on the hilt as she turned the dagger over, inspecting it from every angle.
agatha.
her mother.
alex took a deep breath, in and out, in and out, chest rising quickly so the panic didn’t cloud her lungs.
the dream was real, all of it. which meant alex had to sacrifice herself - swear to serve death for the rest of eternity, never see the sun again - if she wanted to save the person she loved.
the choice was easy for alex, though. she had promised elsie that she would protect her and keep her safe, whatever it took, and alex refused to break that promise.
clenching the dagger in her clammy palm, she picked up a pen and a piece of paper, sat down on the desk, and began to write the love of her life a letter that would break her heart.
PROMPT 8: NON-FI (MULTIMEDIA) - 306 words
“alex?” elsie called, walking through the cabin door, holding a basket of fresh blueberries. “we can make muffins for breakfast now!”
her pretty face curves into a frown when alex doesn’t respond. she calls for alex a couple more times as she searches the house, eventually entering her bedroom.
“alex, are you okay?” elsie asks, fear edging her voice. she notices alex curled up on her bed and sighs softly, thinking that she just fell asleep - but then she notices the red staining the blanket.
elsie screams as she flips alex’s cold body over and spots the dagger embedded in her chest, sobbing and crying as she realizes that alex is dead.
then she spots the note on the desk, elsie’s name written neatly on the front. she picks it up with trembling fingers as her tears drip onto the paper, then shakily unwraps the letter.
dear elsie,
i love you, more than anything else in the world, and i’m so, so sorry to have had to leave you. but trust me, i only did it to save you. I promised you last time that i would never let anything happen to you, ever again, and i’d rather die than break that promise.
about that! i don’t think i’m really dead - i’m just going to be death’s servant for the rest of eternity, just like my mother. by the way, it turns out she actually kind of loves me - who knew!
anyways, i’m so sorry to say goodbye. i wish we could have had a million more years together, but this was the only way to save you. i’m so, so sorry, and i wish i had the time to explain everything, but death is calling, and i made a deal.
goodbye, elsie. you’re the love of my life.
love alex, your one and only butterfly
CONCLUSION: 133 words
elsie collapsed to the floor, her skinny knees bruising and splintering on impact with the sharp, rough wood tiling. the letter in her hands was clenched so tightly that it was beginning to crease
in big, ugly folds, the tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks wetting the parchment in spots of water that made the ink run and run, smearing alex’s name.
there she stayed for who knows how long, until the sunlight streaming through the open door turned dark, drenching the room in shadows, until her tears finally dried up and her sobs turned to coughs.
elsie stared at alex’s unmoving body, her red-rimmed eyes turning determined as she imagined the sacrifice alex had made for her.
“i’ll find a way to save you, alex,” elsie swore. “i’ll do whatever it takes.”
NON-WRITING PROMPTS
Dystopian: 20 jumping jacks and a glass of water
Fantasy: Bake a sweet treat (I made a plum torte with the plums from the tree in my backyard)
Bi-fi: Make a nutritious snack (peanut butter bananas)
Script: Listen to a song (Drown by Tate McRae)
Thriller: Play a game (Did the NYT Crossword)
rocksalmon800's submit code: | order of cabins visited: 10, 6, 2, 4, 12, 9, 3, 1, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13 | prompts chosen: 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 | we love the POLAR BEARS <3

Last edited by rocksalmon800 (July 27, 2024 15:56:56)
- ChueyTheCat
-
Scratcher
500+ posts
swc megathread ⌘ july '24
Lost in the Woods| 2407 words
The woods were dark and deep and silent. Strange things lurked in the shadows, and strange eyes shone luminously from corners and crannies, fading and reappearing in new spots faster than they should. Leaves rustled and tree limbs danced even on windless days, and cool mist swirled even in midsummer.
Thorny vines stretched tendrils through branches and bushes, creating winding paths that sometimes led to nothing but nonsense and mazes, and sometimes to treasures of incomparable value. And if you followed the vines themselves, you might, if you were lucky, spot something even rarer.
In the center of a clearing, in the heart of a forest, a single rose bloomed in crimson splendor, the only rose on the rosebush that ruled the woods.
Well, it had been blooming.
Now it was dying.
Its guardian stirred, staring as another petal broke off and fell, crumbling to ashes before it touched the ground. She stared blankly at the fine gray dust, thoughts spinning.
She had tried so hard. She’d rescued forest creatures, guided travelers, protected trees, in hopes that the rose would reverse its decay, or at least stop. At least slow.
If anything, it seemed to be fading faster every day. She saw her final fate so clearly every time another petal withered. She’d watch the final petal fall. She’d be trapped here forever, cursed, in pain. Nothing more than the mindless beast she appeared to be. Nothing more than what they had always told her she was. Even the oracle ducks, whose vision reached far and wide, had only been able to tell her that she wouldn’t end up where she wanted to go.
Why hadn’t she listened to the ones who had given her this task? They had known better than she did. They had known she didn’t have what it took, that she would fail and flounder.
She had just wanted to be one of them, but look where that got her. She was a failure. She was flawed. Imperfect.
The guardian closed her eyes to restrain the tears. She would not cry. She would persevere. She would fight for her dream as long as breath remained in her body and her mind was her own.
But she couldn’t help feeling doubtful as she continued her long, vigilant work. Not much was going on in the forest today. Some baby griffins had fallen out of their nest, a fire-sprite was setting some undergrowth on fire, and the freshwater selkies in the river were playing pranks on the oracle ducks again. The guardian patiently put things to rights and sat back, satisfied. Things should be fine now. Then, as she always did, she meditated on her reasons for helping. The ones who had set her this task had told her that she would never be able to truly complete a task unless she were as selfless as possible.
Well, she had been fairly selfless today. She had gone in danger of flames to stop the mischievous sprite. She had sustained a couple of wounds from the freshwater selkies, who were never as vicious as when they got caught. She had…
She had done all these things for the sake of the rose. She had not done them for the creatures themselves. She had not done it for the forest. She had done it for herself, to prove she was worthy.
The knowledge unsettled her. How could she ever complete a truly selfless task when everything she did was centered around proving herself to be just as good as her friends were?
How could she ever fulfill her mission if she needed to do something that wasn’t about fulfilling her mission in order to fulfill it?
Drooping, the guardian slunk back to the rose.
She had failed.
Again.
Back in the clearing, another petal had fallen from the rose. The enchanted flower was supposed to both represent her heart, and how much time she had left. Less than a quarter of the plant remained intact, and it was browned and dry around the edges. Only the center was still a pulsing, vibrant scarlet hue. Day by day, her heart was growing less noble and more beast-like. Soon she would be nothing but a monster. The thought tormented her, and she curled up as tightly as she could, her impossible situation buzzing around her brain like a swarm of flies. There was no way out. She was trapped in a labyrinth that only had one ending: hers.
How long would it be, she wondered? Even the oracle ducks couldn’t say for sure. Her future was clouded, they said.
It was probably cloaked in her doom, she thought gloomily.
She went to sleep with that unpleasant thought joining the throng of others. As long as she kept doing what she was doing, there was no way forward. The rose would die, as would her heart. The rose would wither, as would her mind. The one beautiful spot on the thorny snarl would be extinguished. So would its guardian. What would it be like to become an unthinking monster, she wondered? Would she know anything? Would she remember? Or would she know nothing but instinct, and become a terror, a nightmare to be feared and hunted? She didn’t want to know.
When she woke, a soft silver light suffused the clearing. Startled, her gaze whipped towards the rose. It certainly wasn’t the source. It looked worse than ever. No, the light seemed to be coming from under a tangle of vines. Brushing them aside, she saw a vivid green plant, its leaves silver-veined. The main source of the light appeared to be coming from underneath the ground, and she brushed away dirt until she found it.
She stared, wanting to laugh. It was beautiful. It was enchanting.
It was also, quite unmistakably, a potato.
Well, there were all kinds of strange things in these woods. Even after living in them for so long, she still hadn’t discovered everything that lurked in them. Shaking her head, she let the vines spring back into place around the glowing plant and stretched, ready to begin her day. The forest was unusually quiet for this time of the morning. Almost…solemn. Hushed. The guardian herself felt more at peace than she had in a long time.
At least until she heard crashing sounds. Something was coming toward her, something that was a decent size. She prepared herself, wondering if a bear had stumbled into her domain. She could chase it away, but it would hurt.
A bundle of…something lurched out of the trees into the clearing, and the guardian flinched back, surprised.
The bundle of seemingly random junk muttered something and then tripped over a root, sending things flying. Paper went one way, books another, cloth, ink bottles, quills…
Had some kind of scribe stumbled in here? Why?
Whoever the owner was, she had to wait for the choking dust to clear before catching sight of them. Almost all of the books were musty and worn.
When it settled, she finally saw who had disturbed her morning.
It was a human boy, or maybe man–somewhere in between, she decided. His black hair was tousled, messy, and full of leaves, and he blew another one off of his freckled cheeks irritably. He was about average height, wiry, with almost delicate features. His gray eyes widened when he caught sight of her, and he scrambled backwards, clutching the belongings he had managed to hold on to during his fall.
“Wait!” the guardian said. “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
Her voice was rusty from disuse, and she wondered if she had just made things worse.
The boy stared at her in another moment of startled shock before scrambling to his feet and collecting his scattered things. Then questions began pouring out, thick and fast. “Huh. Interesting. I’ve drawn almost every species of known monster, but I’ve never seen one like you before. What are you? Are there any more? Is this a colony? Are you the only one left? Can I draw you? I’m here for the Lightroot–almost no one has drawn one of those before and some of them are obviously fake–not many artists can be troubled to come all this way–are you some kind of dragon? Can you actually use those wings? Do you use your tail like a cat, or a primate? Or a bird? Or another mythical creature?”
The guardian opened and closed her mouth several times. “Um-”
“Whoops, sorry,” the boy said. “I know. I get excited and ask too many questions. My name is Veil, and I’m an artist. I draw the unknown, unlikely, and unsafe.” He beamed, thrusting out a hand.
The guardian delicately lifted a paw and placed it on his palm, careful to avoid puncturing his skin with her claws. “It’s nice to meet you, Veil. I’m the guardian of the rose. I protect the forest. I, um, I don’t think I’m a dragon. I don’t think there’s anyone quite like me, either.”
“Are you enchanted?” Veil asked excitedly. “Cursed? Just the last of your species?”
“No,” the guardian said evasively. “I…have a mission. You’re here for the…the, um, Brightroot, right? I think I know where it is.”
“Lightroot,” Viel corrected absently, scurrying over to the thicket of vines. “No need. I’ve got it. This is the most magical potato in the world, did you know that?”
“Oh. Well. Uh. Have fun…drawing,” the guardian said, withdrawing. She wasn’t sure the boy even heard her. He was too busy scribbling. The tip of his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth, and he hummed to himself as he stroked the quill on the paper. The guardian wavered, but curiosity finally won out, and she peeped over his shoulder.
It was gorgeous. He’d somehow captured the essence of the plant with a few loose strokes, and she could almost see the radiance surrounding the root even in black and white.
She wasn’t sure when her jaw had dropped, but she snapped it closed when he glanced over his shoulder.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve never seen a plant that made my fingers itch so badly. I did a loose sketch…I feel like there’s something missing, but this is just my first try.” He cast the sketch aside and started a new one.
The guardian nabbed the piece of paper when she thought he wasn’t looking. If he started looking for it she’d give it back…but she wanted to look at it, examine the masterful lines, wonder how simple ink had made something so pure and full of life.
Viel spoke without turning around. “You can keep it, if you want. It’s just a warm-up sketch; I don’t need it.”
The guardian’s face felt hot–she hoped he didn’t think she was a thief! She had just wanted to see it again. But now she could keep it. Forever.
She had accumulated a small pile of belongings in her time living in the forest. She normally stashed them underneath the rose, the safest place she knew of.
She didn’t put the paper there.
She carried it with her as she began searching for things to clean up in the forest.
When she returned, Veil had finished sketching the Lightroot for the day and had begun sketching her rose.
He gestured to the flower. “This is so interesting. I’ve never seen another rose like it. Petals fall off of it, and just…crumble.”
He put out a finger to touch the remaining petals, and she lunged forwards, but it was too late, his fingertips were already brushing it…
The entire rose went gray.
She thought her heart would stop. “What have you done? You…I’ll never finish in time…”
Veil looked immensely guilty. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m too impulsive, I do things without thinking, I didn’t mean to mess anything up…”
The guardian cradled what was left of the rose. She had been told so strictly that she must complete the task alone and let no other being help. She must never let someone close enough to touch the flower.
She had failed, as she had so many other times. How much time did she have left now? Weeks? Days?
“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know.”
But the damage he had done could never be repaired. This mistake could never be erased. She was doomed for good.
This was the end.
Clouds scudded over the sun, and rain began to fall on the clearing. Veil’s hair was dripping in seconds.
The guardian found, somewhat to her surprise, that she could still function. Her mind had not yet been lost to insanity. Perhaps that would only happen when the rose faded completely–which wouldn’t be long. Petals drifted down once every few minutes. At this rate, she had maybe three weeks, a month if she was lucky. It was a good thing, she thought wryly, that the rose had started with so many petals. It had exploded out of the bud, looking almost garish in its scarlet opulence.
Now it just looked dead.
The rain fell harder, drenching her. She was almost glad of it; it helped to hide her tears.
“I’m sorry,” Viel repeated softly. “Do–do you mind telling me why the rose was so important?”
The guardian stared at it bleakly. “I had a quest. An important quest. I needed to do it alone. I needed to…to purify my heart, because it wasn’t…wasn’t good enough. I was given this task by some, uh, friends who wanted to help me. They warned me that it would be better to accept myself as flawed, but I wanted to be like them.”
She watched the rain drip off a leaf.
“Now I never will. Maybe I never could. Maybe I was doomed from the start.”
Veil stood up, resolve firm in his eyes. “No. This can’t–My foolishness can’t end your mission here. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll find your friends and make them see it was my fault. You will finish your quest.”
She knew it was hopeless.
But somehow, a tiny spark of hope flared to life, one even the rain in her heart couldn’t put out.
It was silly, and impossible, and she barely knew this boy.
But maybe…they had a chance to fix all the broken pieces of her life.
The sun burst through the storm again as her eyes met his.
“We’ll do it together,” the guardian said.
The woods were dark and deep and silent. Strange things lurked in the shadows, and strange eyes shone luminously from corners and crannies, fading and reappearing in new spots faster than they should. Leaves rustled and tree limbs danced even on windless days, and cool mist swirled even in midsummer.
Thorny vines stretched tendrils through branches and bushes, creating winding paths that sometimes led to nothing but nonsense and mazes, and sometimes to treasures of incomparable value. And if you followed the vines themselves, you might, if you were lucky, spot something even rarer.
In the center of a clearing, in the heart of a forest, a single rose bloomed in crimson splendor, the only rose on the rosebush that ruled the woods.
Well, it had been blooming.
Now it was dying.
Its guardian stirred, staring as another petal broke off and fell, crumbling to ashes before it touched the ground. She stared blankly at the fine gray dust, thoughts spinning.
She had tried so hard. She’d rescued forest creatures, guided travelers, protected trees, in hopes that the rose would reverse its decay, or at least stop. At least slow.
If anything, it seemed to be fading faster every day. She saw her final fate so clearly every time another petal withered. She’d watch the final petal fall. She’d be trapped here forever, cursed, in pain. Nothing more than the mindless beast she appeared to be. Nothing more than what they had always told her she was. Even the oracle ducks, whose vision reached far and wide, had only been able to tell her that she wouldn’t end up where she wanted to go.
Why hadn’t she listened to the ones who had given her this task? They had known better than she did. They had known she didn’t have what it took, that she would fail and flounder.
She had just wanted to be one of them, but look where that got her. She was a failure. She was flawed. Imperfect.
The guardian closed her eyes to restrain the tears. She would not cry. She would persevere. She would fight for her dream as long as breath remained in her body and her mind was her own.
But she couldn’t help feeling doubtful as she continued her long, vigilant work. Not much was going on in the forest today. Some baby griffins had fallen out of their nest, a fire-sprite was setting some undergrowth on fire, and the freshwater selkies in the river were playing pranks on the oracle ducks again. The guardian patiently put things to rights and sat back, satisfied. Things should be fine now. Then, as she always did, she meditated on her reasons for helping. The ones who had set her this task had told her that she would never be able to truly complete a task unless she were as selfless as possible.
Well, she had been fairly selfless today. She had gone in danger of flames to stop the mischievous sprite. She had sustained a couple of wounds from the freshwater selkies, who were never as vicious as when they got caught. She had…
She had done all these things for the sake of the rose. She had not done them for the creatures themselves. She had not done it for the forest. She had done it for herself, to prove she was worthy.
The knowledge unsettled her. How could she ever complete a truly selfless task when everything she did was centered around proving herself to be just as good as her friends were?
How could she ever fulfill her mission if she needed to do something that wasn’t about fulfilling her mission in order to fulfill it?
Drooping, the guardian slunk back to the rose.
She had failed.
Again.
Back in the clearing, another petal had fallen from the rose. The enchanted flower was supposed to both represent her heart, and how much time she had left. Less than a quarter of the plant remained intact, and it was browned and dry around the edges. Only the center was still a pulsing, vibrant scarlet hue. Day by day, her heart was growing less noble and more beast-like. Soon she would be nothing but a monster. The thought tormented her, and she curled up as tightly as she could, her impossible situation buzzing around her brain like a swarm of flies. There was no way out. She was trapped in a labyrinth that only had one ending: hers.
How long would it be, she wondered? Even the oracle ducks couldn’t say for sure. Her future was clouded, they said.
It was probably cloaked in her doom, she thought gloomily.
She went to sleep with that unpleasant thought joining the throng of others. As long as she kept doing what she was doing, there was no way forward. The rose would die, as would her heart. The rose would wither, as would her mind. The one beautiful spot on the thorny snarl would be extinguished. So would its guardian. What would it be like to become an unthinking monster, she wondered? Would she know anything? Would she remember? Or would she know nothing but instinct, and become a terror, a nightmare to be feared and hunted? She didn’t want to know.
When she woke, a soft silver light suffused the clearing. Startled, her gaze whipped towards the rose. It certainly wasn’t the source. It looked worse than ever. No, the light seemed to be coming from under a tangle of vines. Brushing them aside, she saw a vivid green plant, its leaves silver-veined. The main source of the light appeared to be coming from underneath the ground, and she brushed away dirt until she found it.
She stared, wanting to laugh. It was beautiful. It was enchanting.
It was also, quite unmistakably, a potato.
Well, there were all kinds of strange things in these woods. Even after living in them for so long, she still hadn’t discovered everything that lurked in them. Shaking her head, she let the vines spring back into place around the glowing plant and stretched, ready to begin her day. The forest was unusually quiet for this time of the morning. Almost…solemn. Hushed. The guardian herself felt more at peace than she had in a long time.
At least until she heard crashing sounds. Something was coming toward her, something that was a decent size. She prepared herself, wondering if a bear had stumbled into her domain. She could chase it away, but it would hurt.
A bundle of…something lurched out of the trees into the clearing, and the guardian flinched back, surprised.
The bundle of seemingly random junk muttered something and then tripped over a root, sending things flying. Paper went one way, books another, cloth, ink bottles, quills…
Had some kind of scribe stumbled in here? Why?
Whoever the owner was, she had to wait for the choking dust to clear before catching sight of them. Almost all of the books were musty and worn.
When it settled, she finally saw who had disturbed her morning.
It was a human boy, or maybe man–somewhere in between, she decided. His black hair was tousled, messy, and full of leaves, and he blew another one off of his freckled cheeks irritably. He was about average height, wiry, with almost delicate features. His gray eyes widened when he caught sight of her, and he scrambled backwards, clutching the belongings he had managed to hold on to during his fall.
“Wait!” the guardian said. “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
Her voice was rusty from disuse, and she wondered if she had just made things worse.
The boy stared at her in another moment of startled shock before scrambling to his feet and collecting his scattered things. Then questions began pouring out, thick and fast. “Huh. Interesting. I’ve drawn almost every species of known monster, but I’ve never seen one like you before. What are you? Are there any more? Is this a colony? Are you the only one left? Can I draw you? I’m here for the Lightroot–almost no one has drawn one of those before and some of them are obviously fake–not many artists can be troubled to come all this way–are you some kind of dragon? Can you actually use those wings? Do you use your tail like a cat, or a primate? Or a bird? Or another mythical creature?”
The guardian opened and closed her mouth several times. “Um-”
“Whoops, sorry,” the boy said. “I know. I get excited and ask too many questions. My name is Veil, and I’m an artist. I draw the unknown, unlikely, and unsafe.” He beamed, thrusting out a hand.
The guardian delicately lifted a paw and placed it on his palm, careful to avoid puncturing his skin with her claws. “It’s nice to meet you, Veil. I’m the guardian of the rose. I protect the forest. I, um, I don’t think I’m a dragon. I don’t think there’s anyone quite like me, either.”
“Are you enchanted?” Veil asked excitedly. “Cursed? Just the last of your species?”
“No,” the guardian said evasively. “I…have a mission. You’re here for the…the, um, Brightroot, right? I think I know where it is.”
“Lightroot,” Viel corrected absently, scurrying over to the thicket of vines. “No need. I’ve got it. This is the most magical potato in the world, did you know that?”
“Oh. Well. Uh. Have fun…drawing,” the guardian said, withdrawing. She wasn’t sure the boy even heard her. He was too busy scribbling. The tip of his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth, and he hummed to himself as he stroked the quill on the paper. The guardian wavered, but curiosity finally won out, and she peeped over his shoulder.
It was gorgeous. He’d somehow captured the essence of the plant with a few loose strokes, and she could almost see the radiance surrounding the root even in black and white.
She wasn’t sure when her jaw had dropped, but she snapped it closed when he glanced over his shoulder.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve never seen a plant that made my fingers itch so badly. I did a loose sketch…I feel like there’s something missing, but this is just my first try.” He cast the sketch aside and started a new one.
The guardian nabbed the piece of paper when she thought he wasn’t looking. If he started looking for it she’d give it back…but she wanted to look at it, examine the masterful lines, wonder how simple ink had made something so pure and full of life.
Viel spoke without turning around. “You can keep it, if you want. It’s just a warm-up sketch; I don’t need it.”
The guardian’s face felt hot–she hoped he didn’t think she was a thief! She had just wanted to see it again. But now she could keep it. Forever.
She had accumulated a small pile of belongings in her time living in the forest. She normally stashed them underneath the rose, the safest place she knew of.
She didn’t put the paper there.
She carried it with her as she began searching for things to clean up in the forest.
When she returned, Veil had finished sketching the Lightroot for the day and had begun sketching her rose.
He gestured to the flower. “This is so interesting. I’ve never seen another rose like it. Petals fall off of it, and just…crumble.”
He put out a finger to touch the remaining petals, and she lunged forwards, but it was too late, his fingertips were already brushing it…
The entire rose went gray.
She thought her heart would stop. “What have you done? You…I’ll never finish in time…”
Veil looked immensely guilty. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m too impulsive, I do things without thinking, I didn’t mean to mess anything up…”
The guardian cradled what was left of the rose. She had been told so strictly that she must complete the task alone and let no other being help. She must never let someone close enough to touch the flower.
She had failed, as she had so many other times. How much time did she have left now? Weeks? Days?
“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know.”
But the damage he had done could never be repaired. This mistake could never be erased. She was doomed for good.
This was the end.
Clouds scudded over the sun, and rain began to fall on the clearing. Veil’s hair was dripping in seconds.
The guardian found, somewhat to her surprise, that she could still function. Her mind had not yet been lost to insanity. Perhaps that would only happen when the rose faded completely–which wouldn’t be long. Petals drifted down once every few minutes. At this rate, she had maybe three weeks, a month if she was lucky. It was a good thing, she thought wryly, that the rose had started with so many petals. It had exploded out of the bud, looking almost garish in its scarlet opulence.
Now it just looked dead.
The rain fell harder, drenching her. She was almost glad of it; it helped to hide her tears.
“I’m sorry,” Viel repeated softly. “Do–do you mind telling me why the rose was so important?”
The guardian stared at it bleakly. “I had a quest. An important quest. I needed to do it alone. I needed to…to purify my heart, because it wasn’t…wasn’t good enough. I was given this task by some, uh, friends who wanted to help me. They warned me that it would be better to accept myself as flawed, but I wanted to be like them.”
She watched the rain drip off a leaf.
“Now I never will. Maybe I never could. Maybe I was doomed from the start.”
Veil stood up, resolve firm in his eyes. “No. This can’t–My foolishness can’t end your mission here. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll find your friends and make them see it was my fault. You will finish your quest.”
She knew it was hopeless.
But somehow, a tiny spark of hope flared to life, one even the rain in her heart couldn’t put out.
It was silly, and impossible, and she barely knew this boy.
But maybe…they had a chance to fix all the broken pieces of her life.
The sun burst through the storm again as her eyes met his.
“We’ll do it together,” the guardian said.
ChueyTheCat's submit code: | order of cabins visited: 10, 6, 2, 9, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 4, 12 | prompts chosen: 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1 | we love the POLAR BEARS <3
Last edited by ChueyTheCat (July 27, 2024 18:01:46)














