Vicky and Eabha collab writing comp SWC July 25’ (FINAL)

Chapter 1 (Jace)

We wrote a book about her. Not together. God, no. But side by side. Pages in parallel.
My story started with the beach. Theirs with the fire escape.
But in the end, after all the trying, and the failing, and the getting back up to see if she still cared,
We both got it wrong.
We were both clinging onto a lost cause. Trying to wring light from a faded cloth.
Look at what that did to us. Look at what we've become

Flashback 1 (Jace) Morning after her death

She's dead.
I have to say it out loud as I put down the phone, otherwise there is no way I'll believe it. How could I? I just saw her last week, and she was more alive than ever. It's hard to think that minutes before, I wouldn't have believed you if you told me I was going to hear the phone ring. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me I was going to walk over sleep-deprived and lazy-minded, and pick up the phone. And most of all, I wouldn't believe it if you told me what the person on the other end of the line was going to say. I might even have laughed. That thought gives me a sickening feeling that runs down my spine and makes me shiver.
The thing that hurts most is that there was a time when I didn't know. Where I just went about my day as usual, and I feel oh-so-guilty about that. And here I am, standing in my hallway, phone dangling from the wall, and still not believing she's gone. I mean, how could she be?
That's when I realized what the operator had said next.

Grace Thompson was killed.

Chapter 2 (Vale)

For a split second there is stillness. All sounds drained into background noise and I feel light.
That’s all it is though. A rare second of sanity immediately snatched away from me.
Then it all goes to hell.
She comes seeping through the gabs between the wall and door in heavy black clouds of smoke, thickening the atmosphere and making my eyes water.
She’s clogging my nose and I’m almost chocking:
My tears drop inside my throat, sizzling my oesophagus like acid.
It’s the sort of slow torture she’s always subjected me to.
The type where I can't scream, only slowly burn away. Carried by the wind like a pile of ash.
Then all of a sudden, the rush of the world is true against my ears, rushing into my ears in too loud clusters.
The buzz from downstairs only brings memories from the other night. My parents and relatives were arguing in the living room, when it felt their voices were so loud the walls would collapse in on me.
‘you’re not going to bail him out? he’s your son!’
‘good hard years in prison will teach him murder is not okay.’ It wasn’t about the money. It was never about the money with Dad, only hard-learned lessons and harsh punishments.
(how is it harsh when he took a life?)
I don’t know.
‘you have two children for God’s sake! you’re just gonna let one of them waste away his life in jail?’
Waste. Waste. Waste. Waste away. My life is wasting away. She was laying waste to it.
‘he was the one who brought this on himself! that girl was Vale’s friend.’
Friend. Friend. Friend. No, not my friend. She was no friend of mine.
‘I’m sure Vale wants their brother back too.’
Everyone turns their heads to me. The attention I used to thrive in is making my skin crawl.
Expectancy.
I don’t know.
They want me to choose between the obsession “love” I felt for Grace and the blood ties i have for my brother.
It should be obvious. Afterall, he rid me of someone I could’ve never had the guts to face myself.
(How can you say that?)
(Had him do your dirty work?)
(Pathetic little Vale)
Look at me.
Look at what’s left without her.
This hollow obsession —
Every thought orbiting her name,
Every craving for a smile that’s gone.
She built
me to need her,
tied me so tight I couldn’t
breathe without her. And now she’s gone,
and the ruin she left behind is
l o u d e r t h a n e v e r .
My mouth is dry, and their eyes are boring through me,
Burning holes through my heart.
I’m buckling under the pressure, beads of sweat creeping down my face.
I can’t take it.
I CAN'T TAKE IT.
I’m creeping back into the shadows and just like that I’ve disappeared.
The world jerks back into focus.
Jace’s breathing — steady, unbothered — drowns out the static in my head. I cling to anything about him to stay grounded: the fall of his hair, the flicker of his lashes, the curve of his nose. Anything but the restless creak of his chair, the uneven tap of his fingers against the wood.
It drives me insane.
He sits there — perfectly fine. Perfectly neutral. And I hate it. (I hate that I can’t be the same)
I hate that he doesn’t worship Grace. (Like a saint)
I hate that he doesn’t * her either. (Like a curse)
To him, she’s just… a person.
(A saint and a devil all in one.)
And somehow, he moves on with life like that’s possible.
‘Why are you looking at me like I slapped someone?’ humour evident in his voice, (how can he joke like that.)
I don’t have words for him.
I stay silent.
He does too.
Not out of respect. Out of curiosity.
The silence stretches, thick enough to choke on.
I wonder if he can hear the screaming in my head — if he even cares to.
Maybe that’s why Grace loved him. Maybe that’s why I can’t.
“Vale?” he says softly.
I don’t answer. I can’t.
Because if I do, everything will spill out.


Flashback 2 (Vale) Months before her death

‘I… I feel like you’re not here for me enough Grace. Like you’re leaving me behind.’ Vale’s eyes were fixed onto the floor, arms around their body as though trying to clutch the pieces together. They slowly lifted their eyes to meet Grace’s, only to immediately look away, tears threatening to fall when they see the dark look that shifts in her gaze.
‘How can you say that?’ Her voice sharp and harsh, ‘when one moment you’re here and the next you’re not.’ Her voice had a tone of heaviness, as though she felt slightly guilty.
‘Because you’re too much!’ they scream, voice raw and emotional, sobs choking her words halfway through.
‘Maybe you’re just not enough.’ She barely whispers, but Vale catches in through the wind, the words echoing in their head. They clamp their hands on their ears as if to block the words out, her eyes wide and pupils shaky.
And then they’re gone.


Chapter 3 (Vale) Week after her death

I look through her dark window.
Her house used to glow, full of her. Now it’s empty — like her life got ripped straight out of her hands and took everything with it.
I don’t exactly know what brought me here, but I find myself turning the doorknob ever-so-slowly and pushing the door in ever-so-slowly. As if too much pressure might break it.
Break her.
Break me.
I wish I could say I don’t want it. But I do. I crave it. And the craving makes me sick.
I walk up the stairs, trying not to make the floorboards creak, my presence shuddering the walls as though they remember what it was like to hold life.
I stop in front of an open door peeking into a room that looked as if it was holding it’s breath, waiting for me to notice something.
Then I see it. Scattered innocently across her bead, beckoning me towards it.
Her diary.
I’m trying to stop myself – I swear I am – but that voice. Her voice. Venomous and intrusive.
It’s whispering its prophecies in my ear.

(Open it.)

(She deserves it.)

(You want to see who she really was.)

(I know you can’t resist.)

Before I can stop it, my fingers are already flicking through to an entry.

12:08 pm - 17th August
Dear person who’s obvi not listening,
Why can’t she be better?
She’s never here.
All she does is DRAG ME DOWN.
Why idoesn't she care?
I want her here, with me.
Sometimes it’s ok. I smile and hug her and she stays. Right till the end.
Those days I love her.
Sometimes it’s not. She sees through me. She sees through my lies.
Vales sees everything. Maybe she sees too much.
When I spill my tears she just stares. When I start to rant she squeezes her eyes and clutches her head with her hands like she’s trying to block something out. I don’t know what to do, only that my usual tricks wont work. I blink and just like that she’s gone
She leaves me thinking about all the tricks i could’ve pulled to make her stay.
Too good to be good.
Maybe that’s my punishment.
She’s like a star i can never seem 2 grab hold of. Wrigley like an eel.
00:09am - 19th August
Dear Diary,
(idk why i still say that it’s so STUPID)
I met up with Jace today. It was like an escape…
Like freedom.
He’s so carefree, so worriless, he just drops everything and just… Just lives.
More importantly, we spent the whole day together and he was THERE. Every single bit of him gave me all the attention I need. He didn't disappear and was always there for me.
Always.
You can hear the unspoken end of the sentence.
Unlike HER. Them. Whatever
—-

I’m…

I don’t know what I am.

Shocked?
Here’s how she shocked me: She wrote like it was all true, like she actually believed herself with every single word she wrote. She wrote with purpose, with dignity, and I’m still here, shocked at her declaration. The one I was never supposed to hear - Not that she would have cared.

Resentful?
I’ll tell you exactly what made me resent her so much. She writes like I don’t exist, she writes as if nothing but her matters - as if I don’t matter. (Maybe you don’t. Ever think of that?). Her sentences flow in a way that lets you know, whatever she says; she's always right. Every line paints her as the savior, and me the villain. (Me. Who could have guessed?). Her tiny words, innocent as they looked, pulled me under. Made me want to trust her, let her drag me out of the dark. Made me want to worship her — tell her I’d stay forever. (Forever’s gone now. She took it with her.)

Jealous?
Ah, this is the one I hate most, and you know exactly why. Because after all that, she still had me eating out of the palm of her hand, just waiting for my first command. Anything to please her. After all that time, after all the trying and failing and getting back up again, I’m still not enough for her - I never was. She treated me like an item. To be used, cast away, then called back when needed again. (That’s who you were.) And then she talks about Jace. Jace who left her, I don’t know how many times… Jace who lives his carefree life. Ugh… carefree. I’m the opposite of him. (Maybe that’s why she liked him so much - anything other than you.) She never liked me. But she made sure I loved her.

~~~
Flashback 3 (Vale) Four days before her death
I wake up.

The clock on the wall makes its usual ticking sound, as if to threaten me.
I know it’s not, I know it couldn’t.
But who knows where my mind is at 3:41 AM.

tick. tick. tick.

I feel dizzy, my head is hot, I just can’t stop thinking about her.
She did this to me.

tick. tick. tick.

I look outside the window, at the dreary dark scene.
The rain splatters and taps the glass.

tap. tap. tap.
tick. tick. tick.

Where is she right now? With him?

I held the pieces together when he left her.

Right?

splish. splish.
tap. tap. tap.
tick. tick. tick.

I can never be enough for her.
She refuses to see me as enough.

And just like that the bell shatters the stillness.

tick…

tick…

I force myself to get up, dragging myself out of the bed.

I walk lazily down the staircase, wondering who’s ringing my bell at 4 AM.

(Who could it be, Vale?)

As I approach the door, I hear my name.

“Vale”

Panic freezes me.


“Vale?”


“Vale, let me in please.”

Her voice is wrapping around my throat.

“I know you’re there.”

No.

No no no no.
No No No
NO.

It can’t be.

It just can't.

That voice echoes in my head, paralysing me to the spot.

I want to move.

I just can’t.

A part of me still craves the sweetness of her words.

“I’ll always be there for you Vale” (She wasn’t.)

“You can count on me Vale” (I couldn’t.)

“I love you” (…)

But another part of me

(The part that’s tired of bleeding for her)

Knows I can’t let her in.
It knows I can’t take this anymore.

But the part of me that’s still clinging onto those precious (ugh) memories, is inching its way to the door, and turning the doorknob (ever-so-slowly).

And then I see her.

And I just want to fling myself into her arms.

So badly.

Well… I guess “whatever’s left of reason” is doing its job…

Because I’m standing here, staring at her.

Not knowing how to act.

(When have you ever gotten that right?)

Not knowing what to say.

(You never have.)

(Sweet, naive little Vale.)

(Never known anything.)
(You thought you understood her.)
(You didn’t.)
(But she’ll make sure you do now.)

I snap back to reality, a quick relief…

And then I see her face.

And it is ever-so-tempting.

Her curly red hair is like a splash of colour in a black and white world.
Her green eyes just compliment it.
Her smile looks like she just descended from heaven.

And she is just
Beautiful.
No, that’s an extreme understatement.

“Vale? Hello?”

“Hi”

“Um… can I come in?”

My heart pounds.

“Sure.”

She steps into the hallway and looks around.

“Your house…
It’s… changed.”

My stomach clenches.
She doesn’t get to say that.
She doesn’t get to notice, when she was the one gone for so long.

(But she always does. Always gets to. She’s already taken over; you just haven’t realised.)

“What do you want?”

It comes off sharper than i intended (She deserves it)
Part of me hates myself for saying it.
The other part craves the sweetness of bitter revenge.

Her eyes glisten and regret floods me before I can stop it.

She looks at me like a hungry puppy, eyes shining and face begging.

Nice try, that doesn’t work anymore. (I wish)

“I came here to…”

Don’t say it.

“Apologize.”
.

I want to rip my hair out.
It’s happening all over again.
I’ve watched this movie a million times before.
(you make sure nothing ever changes)

She goes quiet for a second…

“Vale, I know what I did was wrong, I know it”

“Yeah, well knowing doesn’t do anything, does it?”

An ever-stretching pause.

“Vale…

Jace… dumped me.”



(That’s why she’s here. She doesn’t want you, she just wants a replacement.)

No.

I can’t believe I expected more from her, I can’t believe I hoped she would mean it this time.

(She never means it, yet you still fall for it every single time.)

I’m tearing up, my nose is burning. I wish I wouldn’t cry like this in front of her.

(You call it hate, but look at you — still caring.)

“Vale…”

“No…”

“Vale, please”

“NO. GET OUT.”

“Please, just listen” (she never does? Why should I?)
“Please…”

“Jace broke up with me… because of you.”

I freeze.

“He was asking me to pick, Vale. Him or you.”

“And I told him…”

Now she’s sobbing her eyes out.
Is this what being a villain is like? Watching someone helpless cry, and just looking at them, with an icy face wiped of all feelings? Just knowing that all the love that used to shine so brightly in her eyes is just…gone? And each time you do, that’s another wave of sorrow, washing the same love out of yours.
But do villains bulk under the weight of guilt, knowing they were the reason for the crying? That they’re the ones behind this?
It’s crushing me, weighing down my shoulders, chest, buckling my feet.
I know I should embrace her, should tell her I'm sorry,
But I'm left trying to see through the tears that cloud my eyes.

(pathetic. pathetic little vale, trying to keep up. You’ll never get there. No matter how hard you try.)

“I told him…
That no matter what he did…
I choose you.

Every

single

time.”

Her voice is replaying in my head, taunting, haunting.


And that’s what broke me.
She shattered my tiny little heart into a thousand pieces.

(How dare she?)

And restraint ceases to exist as I pull her into my arms.

The way her hair brushes my cheek.

The way her warm tears touch my shirt.

And everything is exactly as it was before.

And it makes that tiny voice in my head just…disappear, for a moment (even though it seems like forever).

It just fades away.


And as I cradle her head in my shoulder… I don’t realize.

And as I tell her she’ll always have me… I don’t realize.

And as I promise this isn’t the last time (naive little me… didn’t think twice about that promise)…I don’t realize.

I simply walk around the corner of the hall, and…

I see him.

Ear up against the wall, scurries away when he sees me.

Even after she’s gone… I don’t realize.

I stay standing there, hands still trembling, breath still uneven.
And that’s when it hits me.

I shouldn’t have been the one holding her.
I shouldn’t have been the one comforting her.

And most of all… I realize that I did, without thinking twice.

She did that to me.

And I never saw it coming.

She tortured me.
And I’ll never forget it.

The way she knew exactly what to say to make me hate myself.

She.
Made.
Me.
Hate.
Myself.

Right?

That was her, right?

She did it slowly in the most horrifying way.

She.
Made.
Me.
Love.
Her.

So much.

So much, so that there wasn’t a single drop of love left for myself.

So instead of filling my heart with the love that it lacked.

She took over.

And she filled it with hate.

She used every last drop.

Right up to the brim,

Overflowing off the sides.

And all that hate was stacked against me.

Cause you could never hate someone like her.

Could you?



Could I?


Chapter 4 (Vale) Weeks after her death

In memory of Grace Thompson.
Her voice used to shine in rays like light.
It could make a room still, make the world pause to listen to what she had to say.
She was always demanding attention. And attention she was given.
Even the flowers used to perk their petals for her.
Her voice used to trail out in messy tumbles, because she always had too much to say.
Yet everyone would cling to her every word trying to grab a piece of her: she never used to divide equally. And so we clung onto the words we could grab.
If only they could leave me now.
If only I could let go now.
To the torture they bring me.

I don't know why people use the phrase ‘having a lump in your throat’.
I used to know what that meant, I guess.
‘The uncomfortable feeling of being on the verge of crying, while trying to hold it back’.
I’ve upgraded.
Right now it feels less like a lump; more like a trainwreck.
It hurts.
So much.
Too much.
Always too much with her.
It's as though some fierce beast is clawing at my windpipes, forcing itself to get out.
Or maybe it’s the water pressure of the vast sea of tears I've cried up, that I’m now drowning, no, suffocating in.

(You were not enough.)
The voices whisper, bringing new sobs to my throat.
(Never enough.)
enough
enough
enough
Always the weight of expectations I can't meet. The things I desperately tried to grab for but couldn’t reach.
I tried to be enough for her, but it was too much.
(Too much. Not enough.)
(You were always dragging her down.)
I hope her soul is free from the burden of me.
I’ve cried all my tears and my body is hollow.
Hollow yet still bursting with her.
I thought she was the problem.
(How could you say that?)
Yet I looked at her for a solution.
(—silence—)
When she was talking I wanted her to stop.
When she was silent it ate me whole.
I said she was too much but when she was nothing at all-
…It kills me.
Her silence isn’t empty. It’s heavy.
It presses on my chest, on my throat, until I can’t breathe. It screams louder than her words ever did, like a monster with a roar so loud it’s deafening.
I try to forget everything bad that happened and focus on the good times, but something convinces me those aren’t real.
How can I forget her?
when my brother is in prison,
when her diary is gaping at me,
when Jace looks at me expectantly
every single time.
We’re supposed to write a book about her.
But who was she?

Total *ahem* 3665 words - Come to Vicky @unercornshine or Eabha @Eabha2023 for questions, credits to Vicky - She's a superstar, and the only reason this piece came together!

Unofficial Critique for Sage ⟢ WIP words

───── ⋆⋅ ⟡ ⋅⋆ ─────

Hi Sage Here’s your speedy speedy critique! Before I start I’d like to add that I can sometimes be a bit direct when critiquing so please don’t take that personally <33 Also, quite a bit of what I say may just be personal opinion xD anyway, let’s get started! Before reading through this piece thoroughly, I skimmed through, and my first impression was that it was paced really well and was quite intriguing.

One traveler.
One blip in this world.
No meaning.
No significance.
Nothing.
That’s what I am.

I

I’ve been here for what feels like ages. I lost hope a millennia ago. I’m stuck here. No water. No shade. Only the sun beating down on me. Nothing to hold onto. I’m just a soul drifting through this heap of sand. No sign of water. Not even a single sign of vegetation within sight. Each night I lie on the freezing sand and wonder how I’m still alive. Each day I continue my arduous journey. I traipse through this hot burning heap of nothingness, my ankles burning from the sand’s scorching touch. I wish there was a way out. I wish I could see my family again. But no. All I’m left with are the memories. Regrets looming over me. My guilt shatters my mind, but I still grip my sanity, or what’s left of it. My pain. My punishment. The air around me is shimmering and sparkling. It was quite disorienting. As I look around, I see something in the distance. Something green and blue. Water! I feel a sudden burst of adrenaline, and I take off towards the small body of water.

When I get there, I feel the water. Its cool touch makes my pain subside. Once I decide it’s safe, I cup some water in my hands. As soon as I consumed the liquid, my throat was filled with an excruciating, fiery pain. The oasis melts into the mounds of sand. I quickly cough up the searing sand. When the sand came up, it was covered in gold liquid. Blood? No. Ichor. The blood of the immortals. No. No. No. I was right. I would never die. This will never end. I’m trapped here. Forever.

Hi Sage :3

This is awesome! (I also remember this from before… JWC, right? Anyways) I love this. My only critique is more paragraphs.

I’ve been here for what feels like ages. I lost hope a millennia ago. I’m stuck here. No water. No shade. Only the sun beating down on me. Nothing to hold onto.
I’m just a soul drifting through this heap of sand.
No sign of water. Not even a single sign of vegetation within sight.

And,

All I’m left with are the memories. Regrets looming over me. My guilt shatters my mind, but I still grip my sanity, or what’s left of it.
My pain.
My punishment.
The air around me is shimmering and sparkling. It was quite disorienting. As I look around, I see something in the distance. Something green and blue. Water! I feel a sudden burst of adrenaline, and I take off towards the small body of water.

To me, it just looks better. But that might just be a stylistic choice, on your end. But overall, it’s a super wonderful piece! I like it a lot! Especially the beginning and ending. The dread is palpable, it feels like I could touch it.
I especially like the whole ichor part, very cool!

☀ Writing Contest: Oasis ⊹ ₊

Writer's Note - Hey there! It's Sage Anyways- This small piece is a daily from JWC (January Writing Camp) where they gave us all one word and we had to take what the word meant to us and craft it into a story. That word was “Oasis” as you can probably already tell by the title. When I think of the word Oasis, I always think of a trick or an illusion. Something that gets your hopes up and then overwhelms with pain, fear, loss,and devastation. Or basically a trap.

Credits - Thanks to Alfie and Elly for the quick critique <3

☀ Oasis ⊹ ₊

One traveler.
One blip in this world.
No meaning.
No significance.
Nothing.
That’s what I am.

I’ve been here for what feels like ages.
I lost hope a millennia ago. I’m stuck here. No water. No shade. Only the sun beating down on me. Nothing to hold onto.
I’m just a soul drifting through this heap of sand.
No sign of water. Not even a single sign of vegetation within sight.

Each night I lie on the freezing sand and wonder how I’m still alive. Each day I continue my arduous journey. I traipse through this hot burning heap of nothingness, my ankles burning from the sand’s scorching touch. I wish there was a way out. I wish I could see my family again. But no.
All I’m left with are the memories. Regrets looming over me. My guilt shatters my mind, but I still grip my sanity, or what’s left of it.
My pain.
My punishment.
The air around me is shimmering and sparkling. It was quite disorienting. As I look around, I see something in the distance. Something green and blue. Water! I feel a sudden burst of adrenaline, and I take off towards the small body of water.

When I get there, I feel the water. Its cool touch makes my pain subside. Once I decide it’s safe, I cup some water in my hands. As soon as I consumed the liquid, my throat was filled with an excruciating, fiery pain. The oasis melts into the dunes. I quickly cough up the searing sand. When the sediment came up, it was covered in gold liquid. Blood? No. Ichor. The blood of the immortals. No. No. No. I was right. I would never die. This will never end. I’m trapped here. Forever.

ଳ 294 words ଳ

“… Coco?” Tulip called, padding towards the temple. “… Coco!”
Faintly, she remembered that Coco would almost always be in the temple. Er, that’s what her father had always told her. She didn’t actually know if that was true, herself. She had never actually seen Coco at the temple, back home. At least, not when it wasn’t a festival day.
The only cat she ever saw there was Elli. But even then, that was only on the third of any given season. Never after, never before. Seeing her daily was weird.
“Coco?” Tulip called again, bounding into the entrance of the temple. She had yet to enter the temple since it had been erected, last night. She had done her part, made sure everyone had a clean, warm den, a cozy nest, and then promptly passed out in her own bed.
This was her first time seeing the inside of the temple, herself. Feather had never let her go inside of the one back home. Why? She wasn’t quite sure. Her assumption was that it was dangerous, or something.
So, she didn’t understand why her father got to go to it every day, when she didn’t. Not to be childish but… it just wasn’t fair. She was the eldest, and had always followed in her father’s pawsteps, according to everyone she knew. Why wasn’t she allowed to do what he did?
Pale, golden bricks graved with strange symbols made up the walls and floor. Two, deep blue streams bordered the walkway, guiding Tulip towards the center of the temple.
Coco sat there, his tail curled around his paws. His head was lifted slightly, and it looked like he was watching for something. Or maybe waiting.
Carefully, Tulip padded closer. “… Coco?” she asked, her voice quiet. She didn’t want to disturb him, if he was doing something important.
His ear flicked and he glanced back. “Tulip,” he greeted. “It’s good to see you.”
She nodded her head. “It’s good to see you, too,” she responded. “I… haven’t been keeping you long, have I?”
… she may or may not have woken up nearly two hours later than she usually did.
“No,” he shook his head. “Not at all. I think everyone woke up late, today.”
“… if you say so,” she hummed, sitting down beside him. “What are we doing here?” she asked after a moment.
“I was hoping for the Forest Guardian to return,” he said, and his head lowered. “But… she has yet to do that.”
“… oh,” Tulip said, voice small. “… I hope she returns, soon, too,” she mumbled. “I… I really don’t think I can do any of this on my own.”
Lady Tulip. Lady Tulip. Lady Tulip.
That had been ringing in her ears for the past season and a half. That’s what everyone had begun to call her, now. She was getting sick of it. She wanted to go back to just Tulip. No titles attached.
Coco opened his mouth before jumping back as a bright blue light filled the room. Tulip jumped up, tail lowered and ears pinned to her head. Both cats had shut their eyes, trying to save their vision.
And then, the light disappeared. Coco blinked his eyes open first, Tulip following him shortly.
“… what was that?” she asked, looking at Coco. He wasn’t paying her any attention; his eyes fixed on something above them. She turned, about to ask him what he was looking at.
The Forest Guardian, sitting oh so elegantly upon the raised podium made just for her.
“You’re back!” two cats cried at once.

unfinished writing project | july 29 daily
note this might not make much sense lolol

—

“I do indeed dare!!” Asher shouted back cheerfully, making a beeline for where I keep my roller skates. “Since you decided not to help me, I’ll just help myself… to your stuff!”
“That’s not how it works!” I yelled angrily, but not really. It was hard to be really and truly angry at Asher.
“It is too!”
“Is not!”
“Too late!” Asher triumphantly held up my bright pink roller skates (they didn’t even fit me anymore, but still).
I skid to a stop mere inches in front of him and poke him in the chest. “You better have a good explanation for why you need those.” But as mad and indignant as I sounded, I was roaring with laughter inside. Classic Asher, always needing random things for random pranks.
“It’s simple,” Asher began, a devious and evil grin spreading across his face like the Grinch (well, no, not really). “Well, actually, it’s not, so I don’t really have any time to explain. Come on!”
If exciting and adventurous music was playing, the record would automatically make that scratchy sound that it does when music stops suddenly when I held up my hand. “Pause. Time. Out.” I rolled my eyes dramatically. If there was one thing my twin and I could agree on, it would have been the theatrical dramatics. We both had an aptitude for that, which might have been the reason for our… competitiveness.
“You have time to explain,” I began calmly- or, as calmly as I could be, considering I had just chased Asher down an entire flight of stairs and into the garage. “Because I’ll make time for you!” I smiled cheerfully. “Want pancakes?”
Asher groaned, setting the roller skates down. They glared a really hot pink, and it almost made me want to tell Asher to go use them for whatever prank he was planning to pull. “You always have to spoil the fun, Melody.”
“Yeah, because I’m the sensible and responsible one,” I called jokingly over my shoulder as I dragged him into the kitchen-literally.
“No. You’re not sensible,” Asher challenged me. “You literally wake me up at three am on Sundays to go jogging around the park.”
“Sensible!” I said, throwing ingredients onto the table as I rifled through cabinets. “You need exercise. It’s good for you.”
“Well, yeah, I didn’t argue against THAT,” Asher said, wandering over to the pantry and pulling out snacks- chips and other, various unhealthy things. I slap his hand away, because it’s nine am in the morning and he doesn’t need chips (maybe he was right and I do sound like Mom).
“My point is,” I continued. “You need to take a break from pranking everyone once in a while. The lady down the street complained when you egged her car.”
“Hey,” Asher protested. “It was only because her kids egged our car two years ago.”
“Two years ago,” I repeated. “No one remembers things from two years ago-”
“-except me!”
“Except you.”
“Listen, just because you’re the older twin doesn’t mean to get to boss me around-”
“I’m not bossing you around,” I cut in. “Call it… strong suggestions.”
“Yeah. Right.” Asher shakes his head at me, blond curls flopping into his face.

—
536 words ^^
HA BEA /silly

693 words, daily for 7/29/2025

At this point in her self-imposed exile from the wild-ness of her family, Lisa had made a good amount of…friends? Kind of. They joined her in her misery: mourning when she needed them to, but more often than not, Lisa would escape from the group and go sit by herself in the forest near their makeshift (although, becoming more official) camp. Once she knew she was far enough that her… well, newfound found family wouldn’t be able to hear her, she began to wail. For her husband, her parents, their family cookie shop, and, lately what had been the most significant loss for her, the disappeared chance of a family with Colin.

What made her think of this was two things: the relationship John was curating with Gallant and the woman who had showed up at their camp a little less than a month ago.

John had taken to really caring for Gallant. Gallant had grown much in the time since he’d hatched, and John had taken, despite the fact that he didn’t want to, his brother’s words to heart. Abel had told him that most fire-lizards escape their guiders shortly after they are born. He had shared this in a moment of hatred, and Lisa wasn’t sure how accurate it was. Either way, John seemed to want to follow his brother’s advice. And Lisa was jealous of a) him having a brother around to give him advice and b) the love John seemed to have in his heart for the young fire-lizard. John could be seen, multiple times a day, making Gallant his first priority. Gallant would be fed before John, he’d be pet and cuddled while John was resting, and John had been taking him out on patrols quite regularly.

Despite the constant hustle and bustle of the people living in the same square footage as her, Lisa was having trouble making deep connections with her subjects. It seemed like they were all connecting much better than she was—and even starting up events on their own, without her help!

For example, one night Harvey had convinced Carmen and Scout to go out and look for sticks for a bonfire. Harvey had taken control of this right from the start. It had been his idea, he had told people what to do, and he hadn’t involved Lisa at all! The bonfire had been started and the chairs had been propped up around it before Lisa had even realized it was happening! Then, Harvey had the audacity to knock right on Lisa’s door and ask her to join with them. It was very frustrating to Lisa that other people were taking over her authority as leader of the camp. She had started this situation, she thought, with her father’s family feud leading the way. Her father would have wanted it the same way she wanted it; with Lisa making the decisions and no one else. Everyone listening to her and knowing she had power.

The reasons she did end up going to the bonfire were twofold. If Lisa had wanted to admit things to herself, the threefold reasons would be the two listed and the fact that she wanted to show the others she had power. However, despite her whole tirade previously, she didn’t accept that she attended to recoup power. For her, the two reasons were: First, to try to grow better relationships with her teammates. She wished to be involved, however sad that may be for the leader of a nation. Second, and she wasn’t quite sure why, and it felt rather betraying to Colin…for no reason at all, to see the woman who had joined the camp recently. Maia was her name. She was gorgeous, especially when she let her body relax over the (flammable, so perhaps too dangerous for a bonfire, but they hadn’t had a problem) logs the group had been using as makeshift benches. She was intelligent. She had invented a new way to perform her warrior duties that was faster and easier, along with the fact it led to better results, than what they had been doing earlier. Lisa adored her, for no reason at all.

Daily 29
556 words
“…Told us where to bring you when the time is right. Told us that if we didn’t bring you there by your sixteenth birthday, that we would all face the consequences.”
“My sixteenth birthday?” That’s a week away.
Andrea nods. “So, we were hesitant to believe him. But with your birthday coming up… we decided to tell you. And now you have a choice to make. Do you want to fulfill it?”
Juliet looks skeptical. “I’m not sure.” She admits. “If you would tell me what my legacy was…”
Andrea looks down at the floor and takes a deep breath. “Okay. But it’s a long story.”

”Have you ever heard of the Athenians?” Andrea asks.
Juliet nods. “They were the people who lived in Athens back in Ancient Earth.”
“That’s true,” Andrea says, “but those aren’t the Athenians I’m talking about. The Athenians are the people who mastermind Athens, a huge corporation, and you probably know some of their byproducts. Do you know the brand Lixygen?”
Juliet thinks about it then realizes that she does. “You mean the bottled liquid oxygen?”
“Yup,” Andrea confirms, “that brand is made by Athens.”
“Okay but,” Juliet interrupts, “what does that have to do with my legacy? Am I supposed to sell liquid oxygen?”
Andrea sighs. “I’m about to get to that.” She says. “The Athenians, like their name suggests, follow the Old Earth goddess Athena’s core values: wisdom, strategy, and crafts. No one knows how they operate, because they never hire anyone from the outside. And no one is ever fired.”
Juliet is thoroughly confused. “How do they have employees then?”
“I’m getting to that. Each year, the Athenians find children who are exceptionally gifted in one of Athena’s core values. They set them apart until their sixteenth birthday. Once they turn sixteen, they are expected to attend the Academy. They learn at the Academy for a year until the annual Athene Games roll around.”
“Athene Games?” Juliet cuts in, “Are those just knock-off Hunger Games? Is there like a Kanteen Everdiss or whatever? Those books from Old Earth for what New Earth is supposed to be like? It’s gets everything wrong, of course but— ”
“Juliet!” Andrea interrupts. “Stop talking while I’m talking! That’s incredibly disrespectful and the kind of mistake that would cost you your life at the Athene Games.” Juliet closes her mouth and Andrea continues. “I don’t know much about the Athene Games. It seems that the Athenians didn’t tell your father a lot about them. What we do know is that sixteen teenagers go in and do a selection of challenges based on the core values. In the end, the top participants are selected to become apprentices at Athens. Eventually, if your apprenticeship goes well, you will get hired!”
“Okay but wait,” Juliet says, “what happens to the people who aren’t selected to become apprentices? Of the people whose apprenticeships DON’T go well.”
Andrea gets a faraway look in her eye before morbidly saying, “No one truly knows. Maybe they’re reassigned to a new identity, kept at Athens for maintenance jobs or…”
Juliet’s mind fills in the blanks. Or they’re executed.
“I still don’t get what this all has to do with me.” Juliet pointedly says.
Andrea sighs. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re one of the chosen sixteen. You need to go to the Academy.”

29/09 daily | 569 words
this was so painful to do please don't read it sobbing

Dumbledore’s office is just the same as it has always been—dark wood furniture and the same assortment of magical trinkets on the shelves. The same flame-red phoenix sits on its perch behind the old wizard. Currently, it’s in its youngest and strongest phase, ruffling and cleaning its feathers without sparing a glance at the two newcomers.

Four, actually. Pandora and Professor McGonagall follow the two of them out of the green flames of the fireplace. McGonagall has her wand drawn, like Dumbledore. Another reminder of how they will invariably be seen by outsiders.

Regulus decides he doesn’t care. He’s not so quick to accept the help of the Order of the Phoenix, given how he’s seen their pitiful efforts at resistance first hand.

“Mr Black. Mr Rosier. Please, sit down. Lemon drop?”

Regulus sits down, but refuses the sweet, and Evan does the same. He doubts they’re laced with Veritaserum, but he’d still rather not take the chance.

“So, the information I have received from Miss Trelawney seems to be rather notable,” Dumbledore says. “Which is why I have requested to hear it from you, if you’d please.”

Evan sends a sideways glance towards Regulus, who nods. “Of course, Professor.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Dumbledore replies, but his expression is indifferent. “Minerva, if you would…?”

Professor McGonagall picks up a glass vial on the other side, filled halfway with a clear liquid. Regulus has the feeling that Dumbledore isn't merely offering them a cooling glass of water.

The liquid is decanted into smaller glasses, a few drops at a time. Regulus knows just that small dose will have the two of them spilling secrets uncontrollably. He just hopes either Dumbledore or McGonagall will have the decency to not ask unrelated questions. If only they could have used Legilimency.

They have no choice, so they drink. Actually, when in Pandora’s cottage, he had begun brewing an antidote to Veritaserum, but it hadn't even brewed past its first phase before it most likely became dust and water.

The Veritaserum slips down his throat, and he bites his lip in anticipation of the questioning. When he looks to his left, Evan looks content, but his fingers curl and uncurl under the table in a way Regulus only saw last at the Ancient Runes NEWT exam.

“Pandora, you can leave,” McGonagall says, though it is phrased as a command, not a suggestion. She leaves, dipping her head and drifting out, down the spiral staircase.

“Now, I suppose I shall begin. How did you come to betray your Lord?” He notices not even Dumbledore dares to utter the name of the Dark Lord—meaning the rumours must have been true. Some Dark enchantment has been placed on the very word, to reveal the locations of Order members.

“The Dark Lord revealed information that suggested he had created a Horcrux. When he took my house elf to test the Horcrux’s defences, I learnt of its location. I then enlisted the help of Evan.” The words slip out, almost unprompted, and it unsettles Regulus.

The hints of a frown grow on Dumbledore’s face—a small pinch between his silver eyebrows and a troubled glaze to his eyes. It would seem that this is news to him too.

“A Horcrux? And how did you know of this advanced magic?”

“The collection of books available at Grimmauld Place are more than enough to detail the use of Horcruxes,” he replies shortly.

Daily #29 - 512 words - Excerpt from my novel “Her Pack Must Rise”
Within moments, we land on solid ground. As I open my eyes, I realize that I’ve never seen the outside of the Formery. Everything is made of quartzite, and somehow is spotless. There’s multiple gardens, an elegant fountain, and a massive temple.
“Did I sleep in the temple?” I ask Maple.
“Yeah. I’d check on you, and then come out here, clean, garden, and anything else I needed to do,” Maple explains.
Orin and Flynn look around in awe.
“Woah,” Orin mutters.
“So we’ll be safe here?” Flynn asks.
“Yup! The Formery was created by the Empress to be a safe haven for the Heroine. No one can get up here unless they’re blessed by the Empress, Lady Rosemeadow, or the Heroine,” Maple informs us.
Molly’s brow furrows. “Then how did I get up here?”
Maple turns to look at him. “What do you mean?”
“When I first came up here, with Ivory. I hadn’t met Empress Lovetta at that point,” Molly states.
“Well, I guess there is another way to enter. But, I’ve been told that it shouldn’t be used unless absolutely necessary,” she quietly mutters.
“Ivory did give me a bracelet, one that was identical to one that he wore. He told me that it was needed,” Molly tells Maple.
Her eyes widen. “A bracelet?”
“Yeah,” he hesitantly replies.
Maple mutters something angrily under her breath. I can’t tell exactly what she’s stating, but it sounds like “I hate him so much”.
“Why is that such a huge deal?” Molly inquires.
“The original protectors had bracelets! If Ivory had two, they must’ve once belonged to the Heroine’s first protectors,” Maple explains.
“So he has some connection to the first protectors?” Molly asks.
“He might, but I don’t know for sure. After all, you won your position rather than inherit it like I did,” Maple replies.
I jump in. “Sorry, but who’s Ivory?”
“Oh, right! You haven’t met him yet. Ivory is the current messenger and delivery boy of the Formery. His family line has helped the protector stationed on the Formery since the first generation of both family lines. He brought food, supplies, and any news from Kejian up to the Formery. Four years ago, he brought Molly up with him because he needed help carrying a massive amount of food and other stuff,” Maple explains.
“Now, apparently he had the bracelets of your first protectors. In fact, he might still have them,” Molly states.
“So, were the bracelets the blessing before Empress Lovetta did it?” I ask.
Maple nods. “Yeah, the bracelets were blessed before she made the Formery a haven. They’ve always allowed access, but protectors have been told to never use them unless it was the only option. That’s why I was so mad at him and Molly. Those bracelets are a last resort, and I couldn’t believe that Ivory had just decided to use them because he needed help carrying stuff.”
“Well, maybe he had a reason?” Orin chimes in.
“That’s what I’ve thought, since he was so willing to let me help him,” Molly agrees.

“I Hate you, Isla”
I get out of the car and breathe in the fresh air. Sea air. I've never been close to the sea, that used to be a fantasy - but now that I'm here, it's not as picture perfect as I thought.
“You'll never be good enough”
I look across the perfect lawn and stare at the house in front of me, white, beautiful, perfect. So this was her house. This is where she came when she wanted to get away from me. It's much nicer than our old one. Our old one? More like her other one. I can't believe she made me think she was poor my whole life. That we were poor. There is no we anymore. There was never a we. Just her. And now there's just me. The first time I came into picture was after her death. I'm the only one left. She deserved to die.
“How dare you talk to me like that?”
I step onto the grass, the sensation makes my feet tingle. Is this what life feels like? Real life? Not the fake one. Not the pretend life. As I'm standing here, barefoot, on the grass, I realize that I have no idea how to live. Huh, what a funny thing to realize. In reality it's not funny at all, it's more… sickening.
“How dare you talk to your mother like that?”
I wonder if this is what it's like, to never have to worry again. To never have to hide, fear the people around you, or dread the next day. If so, it feels sort of… empty. Light, free… but empty. Not that I miss her.
I just want to escape.
I just want to escape her. But if I can't escape her in terms of her death. I don't know if I'll ever be able to.
I walk up to the front door, slowly, hesitantly… Somehow, now that I see the house, it's all real now. I can't believe I didn't realize she was doing this, I can't believe it was all an act… I should have known.
“You are nothing like me, and you never will be.”
The only compliment she ever gave me…
I slide the keys into the hole, and turn the knob ever-so-slowly.
There's no creaking sound coming from the door… the silence hurts.
And then…wow.
The house is huge, too grand. Too grand for me. Too grand for her mistake. She would be horrified if she knew social services gave me her house. They didn't know it was just hers anyway, I didn't tell them. They wouldn't believe me if I tried. That's what she did, huh? Made my story so unbelievable that I would look like a fool trying to make a crowd laugh.
“You are a mistake, Isla. I hate you for ruining my life.”
I still can't believe that I was the product of “one beer too many” on a glum night. She didn't want me. I ruined her life (not that there was much to ruin), just like she ruined mine. I'll never forgive her for that, I promise.
I walk into the hall (this is where the daily start) I can feel her everywhere. The way she breathes, the way she smells, everything. She sticks to me like honey, her words fill the air. But most of all, she fills up my senses, I can't breathe - I can't breathe anymore. If I do, I'm breathing in her toxicity, her cruel words. I'm letting go of me and she's taking over. She makes me suffocate, I can feel her in the air, circling around me, laughing at me. “Oh Isla, will you never learn” I can feel her smirking at her mistake, who's gaping for air. This is what she wanted, even if she had to die for it. She's the one who's dead, but I'm the one who suffers. This is her revenge, and as they say, revenge is a dish served cold. But not only is it icy, no, she didn't stop there. The way her poisonous words run down my throat like syrup. The way her sharp voice whispers its prophesies in my ear. Telling me I'm not good enough “Haha, good enough you say? Sweet, naive little thing. You'll never be good enough, not even close.” Her voice echoes in my head. Of course it does, it always does. Telling me everything I try to block out, everything I don't want to hear. “Haha, you can't hide forver, Isla. At some point you're going to have to come out of you're cocoon and face reality.”
Reality.
She says it like she actually believes it.
Does she?
I can't help but wonder - and I hate myself for it.
“Why Isla? Why did you have to do this to me? You broke up my life. You broke up everything that I had. And I kept you…” (She doesn't mention the fact she had no choice, of course she doesn't - why would she anyway, it made no difference in the grand scheme of things. All it did was tear away a little, tiny piece of my heart. And I hate myself for being weak enough to let it. I hate myself for caring. I hate myself for hanging on to the thought that maybe, just maybe, she might apologize someday. That she'll see what I've become. That she'll admit she was wrong… Stupid me, I guess dreams really never do come true.) “…out of the goodness of my heart. Why did you ruin everything Isla? How could you? You ruined my life, and I'll repay you, every single little bit of the damage you've done me. Every bit, Isla. Every bit.”
I need to get out of this house.
I need to run.
Now.
I don't know where I would go.
But I know…
I just know.
That I can't stay here any longer.
“Haha, too weak to face me? Too weak to even look at my house? It was never yours anyway, it was, and still is mine.”
I try to move.
I really do.
But her voice is haunting me.
Paralysing me to the spot.
I can't move.

Total: 501 words

Daily 29 - Word count: 518\

Probably won't make the most sense since this is from the middle of a chapter of a story im writing

With purple and maybe gold or silver. And the flowers would look great with birds and leaves winding onto the ceiling where she could paint constellations appearing out of sunset. Designing how exactly she was going to paint her room was going great.
“Goodbye, I’ll be back around 5.” Her mom shouted heading out to work, closing the front door.
Putting her yogurt cup in the sink and putting water into it Zella went to get dressed.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Sitting outside on the driveway Zella had taken chalk and started doing some practice sketches for her wall designs. Usually she would have just done them on the walls themselves but, she didn’t necessarily ask for permission to just start drawing on the walls which meant that she was going to be doing her practice sketches outdoors. Plus sidewalk chalk was amazing to do practice sketches of things. Unfortunately she didn’t have any metallic ones (she didn’t think that anybody actually made metallic sidewalk chalk) so it was gray for silver and a dark yellow for gold.

Soon, the driveway was covered with sketches of the night sky with lanterns and animals and purple flowers. Wiping her chalky hands on her overalls shorts that were already covered in paint from previous projects and pushing wisps of her blond hair that had escaped her braid back, Zella stood up to look at her work. The sun had been baking on her back all morning and it was most likely around noon she guessed by how the sun was in the sky. The chalk had actually turned out better than she had expected but, it was just about perfect as inspiration to do her wall. And Zella was actually really happy with it she thought as she headed inside to make her lunch.

Putting water on to boil on the stove and opening the pantry where the night before she had put the boxes of pasta Zella also grabbed a dish of cat food for Pascal. She put Pascal’s food in his bowl which she had painted on a couple months ago since it used to be too boring. After washing her hands and putting the pasta into the pot she sat down on a chair that was set up at the table tucked into the corner and pulled out a book. She was really getting into reading fantasy books and Sorcery of Thorns was a really good book that she had gotten for her birthday 2 months ago.

She continued reading while she was eating her pasta. And after washing her dishes Zella headed back upstairs to start unpacking her stuff. Zella’s stuff was already pretty much unpacked since they had taken a couple trips to move to this house and during that process the main furniture like her dresser had already been put up there as well as the bed which meant it was mostly putting the books away on the shelf and putting her clothes into her dresser. A majority of her furniture showed marks of her painting, like flowers and vines curling up the sides of the bookshelf.

The teddy bear is crying over the blood on its paws.

Pronouns: she/they/he (uses different pronouns at different times; generalize with “they” when not referring to a specific time)
Gender: genderfluid (biologically female)
Orientation: androromantic/androsexual
ID Color: dark red

Personality
Their deepest instinct is to protect those they love. They’re highly in tune with others’ emotions, but they don’t always understand the cause for those emotions. They especially don’t realize when they themselves are the problem, as they naively behave as though good intentions make up for any accidental damage. Still, they recognize that they often mess things up, resenting themselves for being clumsy when they take action and cowardly when they don’t. This low self-esteem makes them sensitive, but they hate to admit that, instead getting defensive and claiming to laugh at pain. In their worst moments, they will seek physical hurt to distract themselves from emotional hurt. They’re loyal to a fault, following orders, ignoring red flags, and refusing to give up on others even when they’ve changed or attempted to move on. They’ll do pretty much anything to save a loved one, then suffer the consequences of going too far, still believing that they did the right thing and any downsides are due to their own failures. They are easily manipulated. Despite all this, they are loving, generous, dutiful, and braver than they know. They’re great at connecting with others when given the chance. Anyone would be blessed to have them on their side.

Mannerisms
They will physically show pretty much whatever they’re feeling; it’s difficult for them to hide their emotions. Being afraid of heights, they exercise their wings far more when communicating than actually flying. They also like using their tail quite a bit, though they prefer side-to-side motions over vertical ones. Their limb gestures aren’t particularly articulate, but they are pronounced. They can be a little clumsy. They enjoy close physical proximity with others and will happily cast a wing over someone to snuggle and signify their protection of them. They prefer head rubs to tail rubs when showing affection. When scared or worried, they will pull their tail close to their body. They often move with their head lowered since their heavy ruff of neck fur makes it difficult to hold a more upright position.

Relationships
Ember (father): Dewdrop and Ember have been close throughout Dewdrop’s entire life. Dewdrop believed every word Ember ever said and always tried to follow his example. After every episode of losing control of their emotions and failing to behave as Ember would have, Dewdrop felt like they let their father down. Ember, however, never got disappointed or upset at them, instead clinging to them even more tightly when Thorn left and backing Dewdrop up after they hurt others on Ash’s behalf. Ember was shattered after the climax of the colony conflict when Dewdrop ran away, and further horrified when Dewdrop came back under the control of Chervil. After all that was over, Dewdrop mostly retreated from society, but it was still them who encouraged Ember to become friends with Hurricane.
Marigold (mother): They were close when Dewdrop was a hatchling, and when Marigold lost her memories, Dewdrop spent a lot of time looking after her. This was a heavy burden on Dewdrop, who was still very young at the time. The beginnings of Dewdrop’s feud with Thorn sprung from Thorn’s unwillingness to help Marigold even while Dewdrop put all his effort into caring for her.
Thorn (brother): Thorn, Parsnip, and Dewdrop all hatched at similar times, but Dewdrop naturally took on the older sibling role. Thorn didn’t mind when he was young, but as he grew older, he pushed back against Dewdrop’s attempts to steer him in the “right” direction, feeling smothered by their overprotectiveness. Dewdrop was deeply hurt by Thorn’s apparent rejection of the family bonds, as well as his opinions on the larger turmoil within the colony. They had a huge argument, after which Thorn left the colony, both of them upset with each other. However, after they both ended up in similar situations of being overwhelmed, traumatized, and exhausted after the major drama was over, the two siblings recognized that their past feud didn’t matter anymore. Thorn tried to reach out, but he didn’t know that Dewdrop was under the mind control of Chervil, a turtle who didn’t like shazarxi at all. Mind-controlled Dewdrop nearly killed Thorn, terrifying and bewildering Thorn. Once Thorn realized what was happening, though, he helped fight Chervil’s influence. Dewdrop mostly retreated from society after that, but Thorn left their relationship open, just in case.
Parsnip (brother): Parsnip was a handful of mischief when they were young, and Dewdrop did their best to restrain him from causing too much trouble or playing too roughly. Still, Dewdrop was very fond of him, and they often goofed around together as fledglings. As they grew older, Parsnip did not reject Dewdrop’s affection, even when Thorn did. Dewdrop did notice Parsnip’s lack of strong emotion, but they had no idea that Parsnip was planning such destruction. They were also unaware of Parsnip’s manipulation of both Ash and themself. When Parsnip died as part of his own finale, he spent his final moments pushing Dewdrop to safety, allowing them to run away and end up giving in to Chervil’s control, which was also part of Parsnip’s plan. Through Chervil, the traumatized Dewdrop became aware of Parsnip’s machinations, though they struggled to be angry for everything Parsnip did. When Parsnip’s ghost showed up, he greeted them cheerfully, but Dewdrop wasn’t sure what to feel toward their brother anymore. They don’t interact much after that, not even after Parsnip gets trapped.
Breeze (former friend): As fledglings, Breeze, his brother Ash, and Dewdrop were good friends. Breeze was often treated badly by his stepbrother, Flood, and Dewdrop felt powerless to help him. Breeze eventually ended up running away and taking on a new identity as Blaze. Dewdrop searched for him, but they didn’t meet again until much later, after Dewdrop’s arc with Chervil was over. Blaze had briefly reunited with Ash’s ghost but didn’t wish to rekindle things with the shazarxi, Dewdrop included. Dewdrop was in no state to argue with that.
Ash (friend and crush): Ash was Dewdrop’s best friend when they were young. Dewdrop witnessed Ash’s first flight, but Dewdrop themself was afraid of heights. Ash was sympathetic and did a lot to ease Dewdrop’s insecurity over the matter. When Swift died and Ash took on the leadership despite conflict with Shade, Dewdrop wholeheartedly backed up their friend. They fought on Ash’s behalf even when it meant arguing with their brother, Thorn, and hurting others. However, Ash was so consumed with his own issues that he failed to notice Dewdrop’s efforts or their growing feelings for him. In fact, when Ash felt like the whole world was against him, he questioned Dewdrop’s true intent, wondering if his friend was only manipulating him. Ash’s death falling off the canyon wall deeply traumatized Dewdrop, while Ash’s ghost became trapped in an afterlife spun from their own anger and regrets. It was through this replay of his past, though, that he came to understand what Dewdrop had been unable to admit to him all this time. Ash didn’t reciprocate those sort of feelings, but when he broke free and began to make amends, he knew he had to make it up to Dewdrop. The ghost tried to save Dewdrop from falling from the mountain as a result of Chervil’s control. Dewdrop pulled away from Ash’s grasp, but instead managed to fly, saving both their own life and the turtle’s. The two of them were honest with each other afterward, and though they then went their separate ways, they’re on good terms now. Dewdrop is still fond of Ash, though they have mostly let go of their crush.
Chervil (enemy-turned-ally): Chervil, being a turtle hivemind with powerful telepathy, is able to ease Dewdrop’s emotional pain after the event where Ash and Parsnip died. Dewdrop willingly gives into her influence. However, she doesn’t like shazarxi due to the fact that they’re an invasive species. She uses Dewdrop to test what methods are effective against their species. Dewdrop is put through a variety of struggles, from injury and illness to drowning and fire. Dewdrop is remarkably resilient, gaining Chervil’s reluctant respect. Though Chervil does control Dewdrop into attacking other shazarxi, she also allows them to explain shazarxian society to her. When Dewdrop gets knocked off the mountain while under Chervil’s influence, it breaks the turtle’s control over them. However, Dewdrop realizes while falling that Chervil’s intentions were good despite the harm she caused them, and they use their wings to fly themselves and the turtle safely to the ground. Chervil is surprised by Dewdrop’s selflessness and lets the shazarxi live in peace, as long as they agree to stop the behaviors that are harming the native ecosystem. They aren’t exactly fond of each other now, but they’re satisfied with their agreement.
Orbit (friend): Orbit had a bad experience with watching someone else die, similar to Dewdrop’s experience with Ash. Orbit also ran away afterward, and ended up meeting and connecting with Dewdrop. Even though Dewdrop was staying away from society at the time, they allowed Orbit into their life, possibly because Orbit reminded them of their brother, Thorn, due to Orbit being technically related to him. Later in Epilogue, the two work closely together.

Lore
Dewdrop is best known for being Ash’s bodyguard during the Ash/Shade conflict where both shazarxi are trying to claim leadership of the Canyon Colony. They attack many shazarxi on Ash’s behalf, despite their usually gentle nature. When Ash dies and Dewdrop’s brother, Parsnip, causes mass destruction in the canyon, Dewdrop runs away, traumatized and overwhelmed.
They find the solution to their mental breakdown in the form of a turtle hivemind, Chervil, who can exert control over their emotions, easing their fear and pain. However, Chervil is opposed to the invasive shazarxi, and she puts Dewdrop through a lot of hardship and forces them to attack other shazarxi in the name of eliminating the problematic species. Despite this, they come to an agreement, and Dewdrop even saves a turtle while falling off the mountain in a moment that is far more climactic for Dewdrop than Chervil.
In Epilogue, Dewdrop distances themselves from most of society except for Orbit and Ash’s ghost. They do still play an important role when Epilogue’s visitors arrive, though, and they are present at the potential apocalypse.

30.07.25 ⟢ 222/200 words - The Moon

it isn’t as interesting as you’d think, being the moon. having people stomp around in you, monitor you, take parts of you back to the earth to examine. everyone always write stories about the mystical, mysterious moon. drinking the moon, stealing the moon, princess pony of the moon or whatever. but it’s the earth that’s truly magic.

everyday, i watch the earth. i have been for a long time. i’ve seen it grow and i’ve seen it change. i’ve seen it hold on to the beauty of life, even while its life was being stripped away. at nighttime, i now watch over a twinkling globe, but that’s not how it used to be. and, despite the deforestation and melting ice caps, earth is still breathtaking. a wonder. i don’t have any of that. i’m just a smudge of grey in even more darkness.

the earth and the sun taunt me with their grandness as i am stuck in this endless cycle of being a side character at most, trapped into watching this planet slowly die. but i would prefer for that to happen to me than to have no life at all. and so, i am doomed to be empty and forgotten forever and forever. without me, they would all die, and so would earth. but at least it would mean something.

Weekly #4 - The Tale of the Pendant - 5,414 words
Story Elements/Ingredients:
Gurtle: Add foreshadowing to your story
Soul Stealing: Add a section in letter/diary format in your story
Frying Pan: Add a scene with a new point of view to your story
Arson: Add a plot twist to your story
Strike Chaos: Causes story to break the 4th wall

Outline (882 Words)
Basic Plot:
Demon Lord Astaroth sends his favorite demon, Pyre, and a puppet, Loki, both are bards
Loki meets a random merchant, Brim, who helps him get a start as a bard
Aetheria’s Army lead by a strong captain, Imelda
One soldier, Brydget, is a diva
Top soldier is Koa
Twins called Ravyn and Raelyn
Ravyn has a crush on Koa
Raelyn doesn’t like fighting in the war between their land and the Demon Lord
Runs away from the army
Raelyn meets Pyre a few days after she flees
He begs her for help, but she doesn’t know what to do and runs away from him
They meet again a week later
He helps hide her from the search party that Imelda sent to look for her
He brings her to where he’s hiding
She stays with him
Ravyn is trying to get Koa’s attention
There are some, very subtle feelings between them
Brydget acts very bored during training, but turns into an absolute menace on the battlefield
Imelda splits her time between training the army and looking for Raelyn
Every soldier is important, and she can’t risk any of the army’s secrets being spilled
Astaroth threatens Pyre, telling him that he needs to get Raelyn to rejoin the army so that he can destroy them from the inside
Astaroth tortures Pyre more for every day he fails his task
Pyre’s only lifeline is Raelyn, and he find himself constantly relying on her to keep him sane
Raelyn and Pyre have romantic feelings for each other, end up confessing, and have a little affair
Koa and Ravyn also get together
Brydget finds Raelyn, and practically drags her back to the army
Raelyn manages to convince Brydget to let her bring Pyre with her
All of this happens in a few months (except for all the romantic stuff - that takes longer)
Astaroth tells Pyre that he’s happy that he’s actually doing something, but still tortures hime because he’s not getting what he wants

Character Descriptions
Raelyn (she/her):
20 years old
Human
Ravyn’s younger twin (younger by 2 minutes)
5’8”
Light tan skin
Dark purple hair that is shoulder length
Wisteria eyes
Wears the white armor of Aetheria’s army
Shy personality
More reserved than her brother
Doesn’t like violence
Soft voice
Can be very anxious at times
Occasionally has panic attacks

Pyre (he/him):
Appears to be 21, more like 150 years old (since he’s a demon)
Elf turned demon
6’
When he looks like an elf:
Tan skin
Tousled dark blue hair
Black eyes
Wears simple brown clothes
When he’s a demon
Dark purple-grey skin that’s almost black
Black hair
Black eyes
Wears dark purple robes
Sarcastic personality
Nice when he wants to be
Very loyal to Astaroth
Powerful voice, but he tries to keep it gentle around Raelyn

Ravyn (he/him):
20 years old
Human
Raelyn’s twin brother (older by 2 minutes)
5’10”
Light tan skin
Dark purple hair that is always very neat
Wisteria eyes
Wears the white armor of Aetheria’s Army
Extroverted personality
Loves talking to people
Will do anything to make people notice him
Confident voice

Koa (he/him):
22 years old
Orc
Top soldier in Aetheria’s Army
5’11”
Pale green skin
Yellow-green eyes
Dark brown hair
Wears the white armor of Aetheria’s Army, but his is embroidered with silver thread as a sign of his ranking
Carries himself with confidence
Incredible on the battlefield
Doesn’t tell people much

Brydget (she/her):
19 years old
Katari (cat person)
5’6”
Perfectly tanned skin
Ruby red hair that reaches her lower back
Blue-green eyes
Wears the white armor of Aetheria’s Army
Absolute diva
Carries herself with confidence and grace
Turns into a menace on the battlefield

Imelda (she/her):
32 years old
Half-elf
Captain of Aetheria’s Army
6’1”
Dark tan skin
Brown hair that’s braided into two braids that lay on her shoulders
Dark green eyes
Wears the white armor of Aetheria’s army, but hers is embroidered with gold thread and has gold accents to symbolize her power and position
Commanding
Natural-born leader
Everyone greatly respects her and takes to heart what she tells them

Astaroth (he/him):
As old as time
Demon Lord
Can change his size and appearance as he wishes
Normally chooses to be 6’7”
Inky black skin
Hair that seems to be purple fire
Piercing red eyes the color of blood
Elaborate robes that are black with gold, silver, and amethyst embroidery
Dominant
Commands a room
All demons fear him
Tortures those who fail their roles
Aetheria has raised an army against him to vanquish him

Loki (he/him/they/them/it):
100 years old but appears to be 18 years old
Demon puppet who takes on the form of a halfling
4’3” normally, shrinks to 3’1” as a halfling
Halfling form:
Pale skin
Maroon eyes
Blonde hair
Loose grey clothes
Demon form:
Dark purple-grey skin that’s almost black
Black hair
Black eyes
Wears purple robes
Charismatic personality
People-pleaser
Clumsy
Unusually flexible

Brim (they/them):
27 years old
Faun
5’9”
Dark brown skin
Tufts of cream colored fur cover their body
Platinum blonde hair that is long
Blue eyes
Very caring
Likes to help people
Easily fooled
Easy to bargain with

Exposition (316 words) - (“You” in section titles means the reader :D)
You and the Merchant
As you walk through the busy market place, an older gentleman wearing grey attire stops you when you pass him.
“Looking for anything? Perhaps I can sell you some valuable relics of this land,” he pitches, looking at you with slightly crazed brown eyes.
Mildly taken aback, you quickly tell him that you’re just passing through.
“Are you sure you don’t want to at least look at some of my treasures?” he inquires, grey hairs blowing into his face.
Realizing that he won’t leave you alone, you listen to some of his sales pitches, each one more unbelievable than the last.
But then, he reaches a dark tan hand to grab a pendant - one with a silver chain and heart-shaped purple sapphire - that catches your eye.
Your eyes must widen a little, since he asks, “Like this one?”
You nod.
“It’s got quite a story behind it. Care to hear it?” he tells you.
The pendant has intrigued you, so you absentmindedly tell him that you’ll listen.
He pulls up two chairs. “It’s a long one.”
The two of you sit down. He holds the pendant in his hand, playing with it.
“Well, this little story begins in this very land, Aetheria. This was when the war between the Demon Lord Astaroth and Aetheria’s Army. At the time, the army was led by a strong female captain, Imelda. Her top soldier was Koa, and one of the most deadly soldiers was Brydget, who was often referred to as a diva. Among the newer recruits, there were twins called Ravyn and Raelyn, a boy and a girl who were very different from each other. Raelyn left the army shortly after she joined. Well, she ran away. But that led her to meet Pyre, a young man who would change her entire life. This is Raelyn’s and Pyre’s story. It all started with…”

Story (4,216 words)
Astaroth, the Demon Lord
“NO!” Astaroth bellowed.
Three red and black demonic fauns cowered in fear at the being before them: inky black skin, hair that looked like purple fire, piercing eyes that were the color of blood, dressed in elaborate black robes with gold, silver, and amethyst embroidery.
“All I wanted you to do was infiltrate that stupid army, learn their plans, and tear them down from the inside out!” he yelled at them.
They opened their mouths to speak, but a bolt of purple fire shot out of his finger, disintegrating them on the spot.
“Should I come back later?” a different demon asked from the doorway of the massive room, which overlooked Aetheria via magic.
“Bring me my favorite. Oh, and that puppet,” Astaroth ordered.
“Yes sir!” they quickly replied as they ran off.
A few moments later, another demon, more humanoid, walked in.
“You requested me?” he asked.
Astaroth smiled. This one was his favorite. Although he looked similar to most of the humanoid demons with dark purple-grey skin that was borderline black, black eyes, black hair, and dark purple robes, his powerful, convincing voice made him superior.
“Yes, I have a job for you,” Astaroth told him, smiling creepily.
“What is it?” he asked, voice strong.
“I’m sending you to do what everyone else has failed to do. You get to break down Aetheria’s Army from the inside out. Get in, learn their plans, tell me, and report back to me,” Astaroth explained.
“Yes sir,” he replied, not letting any fear creep into his voice.
The doors opened again as two demons rolled in a wooden structure that hung a halfling-sized puppet demon by strings made of shadow magic. It’s appearance was almost identical to Astaroth’s favorite, but he was less put together.
Astaroth snapped, and the strings fell away. The puppet fell to the ground before clumsily standing up, eyes opened and crazed.
“Hi,” it stated.
“Hello, are you ready for a duty?” Astaroth asked.
It nodded.
“You have to entice people with music, and drain them of their essence,” Astaroth commanded.
“Okay!” it replied.
The favorite and the puppet walked to stand on portal to Aetheria.
“Just remember, for every day you fail, I torture you more,” Astaroth threatened.
“Of course, sir,” they both replied.
With that, they were sent to Aetheria.

Raelyn
“Keep your head down,” Raelyn muttered to herself as she walked to one of the army’s many training rooms.
The 20-year-old human tried her best to hide her light tan face and nervous wisteria eyes behind her wavy, shoulder-length dark purple hair. Uncomfortably, she adjusted her white armor, which was the armor of Aetheria’s Army.
“You talking to me?” Ravyn, her twin brother who was older by two minutes, asked.
His dark purple hair was much neater, and didn’t hide his face or eyes, which match Raelyn’s. He donned identical armor to hers, but he wore it with much more confidence.
“No, just to myself,” Raelyn quietly stated.
“Okay. We better speed up a little. Don’t want to be late,” Ravyn told her, picking up his pace.
The two made their way to a conference room, where Captain Imelda waited.
The 32-year-old half-elf woman with dark tan skin, braided brown hair, and dark green eyes stood in front of a chalkboard that was covered in writing. Her armor was white like everyone else’s, but it had gold embroidery and gold accents that symbolized her power and position as captain.
“I was just about to start without you,” Imelda scolded as the twins walked in.
“Sorry, Captain,” they apologized.
Raelyn sat next to her brother, right in front of Imelda and next to Koa.
Raelyn rolled her eyes when her brother sat down right next to Koa, who he had a hopeless crush on.
Raelyn didn’t see it. Sure, Koa was the top soldier in the army. The 22 year old orc who had pale green skin, yellow-green eyes, and dark brown hair had quickly earned Imelda’s favor. His white armor was embroidered with silver thread - a sign of his ranking.
Ravyn, in Raelyn’s eyes, tried way to hard to impress Koa to the point of which it was embarrassing for her.
Then, just as Imelda was about to begin discussing battle plans to the room which was now filled with soldiers, a katari woman raced in.
Raelyn recognized her immediately: Brydget, one of the youngest soldiers in the army at 19. Her skin was perfectly tanned, blue-green eyes shining brightly, and her ruby red hair flowed down to her lower back. Her cat ears that had ginger fur poked out of her flowing hair. Her white armor was somehow perfect - not a single stain on it.
Everyone knew her as a diva in these rooms, but a menace on the battlefield. Many thought she had a higher kill count than Koa, but Imelda favored Koa more, hence why he was her top soldier.
“Ah, thank for joining us, Brydget. There’s a seat next to Raelyn,” Imelda states as she finished gathering her notes.
Brydget plopped down next to Raelyn, who shifted awkwardly.
“Hi,” she whispered quietly.
“Hey,” Brydget replied, already bored.
Imelda began discussing the army’s plans, since the war was escalating.
The Demon Lord Astaroth had been a threat to Aetheria for a few decades, and the army’s duty was to vanquish him for good.
They still had yet to meet with him in combat as far as Raelyn knew, but they’d fought massive hordes of his demons.
After about half an hour, Imelda stated, “I will send out Koa with a few soldiers to patrol the area. Who would like to join him?”
Ravyn threw his hand into the air. “I can!”
He coughed awkwardly before calmly telling her, “I can.”
Two other soldiers volunteered, and Imelda sent the four off.
Ravyn gave Raelyn a thumbs up as he walked off, which prompted her to roll her eyes.

Ravyn
Ravyn almost couldn’t contain his joy. Almost. He was on patrol with Koa! Handsome, strong, absolutely perfect.
“Are you okay over there?” Koa inquired him as he handed him a weapon.
Ravyn blushed. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Koa took a defense position, eyes scanned their surroundings.
“So, how’ve you been? Training going well?” Ravyn asked, trying to start a conversation.
“Fine, it’s going well. Keep your voice down, in case demons notice,” Koa told him.
Ravyn took the hint that he didn’t want to talk anymore. He copied Koa’s stance, and waited for a chance to show his crush what he was capable of.

You and the Merchant
“A few more months went by before anything exciting happened, so do you just want me to skip to the exciting stuff?” the merchant asks you.
You nod. “Yeah.”
“All right. A few months later, Raelyn..well.she…”

Raelyn
Raelyn was done with this. She hated all the violence of the war. Everyone else was fine with what was happening. She wasn’t.
That night, she gathered a tiny bag of supplies. It had a single flask of water, some food she stole from the kitchen, and a dagger just in case. She wrapped herself in a black cloak to hide her armor.
Scanning the room, she made sure everyone was sleeping, which they were. She opened the window quietly and crawled out in one smooth motion. With that, she took off running.
The night air was cold, and there was a soft breeze. Raelyn was happy to leave behind the endless fighting.
She didn’t know why she’d grown to dislike the violence so much, but she had. Now, she walked alone on a dusty road. Away from the fighting. Away from her brother.
That hurt the most: walking away from her brother.
But, Raelyn felt that it was for the best.
A few days passed, and she just kept walking. Everything was going smoothly.
It was midday, and Raelyn was walking on sunshine she was so blissful. Nothing could bring down her mood. At least until she passed another person. She hadn’t seen anyone since she left the army’s base.
She’d been walking, minding her own business, when she ran into the stranger.
“Ah!” she briefly gasped.
Losing her balance, she started to fall.
But, the stranger’s reflexes were fast, and they grabbed her wrist to keep her from falling.
That was when she saw his face. He was an elf, seemed to be in his early 20s. His eyes were black, hair dark blue and tousled, and skin was tan. He wore simple brown clothes. Around his neck, there hung a pendant. It was a silver chain the a hear-shaped purple sapphire hung from.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” he exclaimed, helping her up.
“Um, yeah. I’m fine,” she muttered quietly.
Raelyn was flustered. He was ridiculously cute.
Quickly, she dusted herself off, despite their being no dust on her at all. She wrapped the cloak around herself tighter. Anything to avoid an awkward conversation.
“Can you help me?” he asked.
“With what?” she retorted.
“Joining Aetheria’s Army. Please, my family needs me to,” he begged.
“I-I’m sorry. I can’t,” she answered anxiously.
“Please, I’ll give you anything. I need to,” he pleaded.
She hated how desperate he sounded. She wanted to help, but she couldn’t go back.
Not knowing what else to tell him, she bolted. Just ran away from him. He called after her, but she didn’t turn back. She was the wrong person to help him. He seemed put together; she wasn’t.
She ran much longer than she needed to, but she wanted to put distance between herself and him.
A week passed. By then, Raelyn had put some decent distance between her and the army. Between her and Imelda. Between her and Brydget. Between her and Koa. Between her and Ravyn.
She thought there was distance between her and that elf, but apparently not, since she ran into him again a week after she first met him.
“Oh, it’s you again,” he exclaimed when he walked by.
He stopped, turned, and approached her.
“If you’re trying to get me to help you, it’s not going to happen,” she told him as sternly as she could.
“Even though you’re wearing their armor?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.
Quickly, she looked down, and realized that she was no longer covered by her cloak, which she’d thrown in her bag.
“Um…well…” she started to state.
Then, she heard voices in the distance.
“Over there! I see someone! I think they’re wearing white armor!” a voice commanded.
Raelyn recognized it as Imelda, even though she was a little ways away. Panic started to overtake her. Breathing fast, she wrapped the her arms around herself, trying to hide her armor.
The elf looked at her, confused.
“Hey, you! Show yourselves!” Imelda yelled, only ten feet away.
Raelyn moved closer to the elf, doing anything to hide her face.
In a flash, he stepped between her and Imelda, raising his left arm as he pulled her close to him.
“What are you-“ she started to ask before he cut her off.
“Be quiet. We’re invisible, but she and her soldiers can still hear us,” he muttered as quietly as he could.
They carefully backed towards one side of the road were a massive rock and a dead tree stood. Carefully and quietly, they hid behind the rock, just in case.
“Are you sure you saw someone, Captain?” a soldier asked.
“Yes, but we can’t waste time. Keep moving. She can’t have gotten far,” Imelda stated firmly.
Their footsteps retreated.
The elf peaked over the top of the rock. “They’re gone.”
Raelyn’s breathing calmed.
“Come on, follow me. I’ll bring you somewhere safe,” he told her, already leading her.
She followed.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a cave.
“I’ve been hiding out here. You can stay as long as you want,” he explained.
“Oh, thank you. I owe you,” she mumbled before she looked up at him and asked. “What’s your name? I never got it.”
He glanced down before stating, “Pyre. You?”
“Raelyn,” she told him.

Pyre
That night, after Raelyn had gone to bed, he pulled out a notebook and began writing.

Dear Diary,
I met someone: a human girl called Raelyn. She wears the armor of Aetheria’s Army, but she won’t tell me anything about it, or help me get in. She seems sweet, just nervous. I think she had a panic attack when those soldiers (and the captain) of Aetheria’s Army saw her. I hope I can figure out what’s up with her. For now, all I can do is keep her safe. And hope that He won’t kill me…

Morning came fast. Pyre thought he’d made it through the night unscathed. The thought made him happy. Maybe it wouldn’t start immediately. But, the voice entered his head right when he was going to wake up.
“One day of failure. You know what that means,” it jeered.
Pain shot up through his body.
Gentle hands grabbed him.
“Pyre! What happened? Are you okay?” Raelyn’s quiet voice asked worriedly.
His eyes opened. Not unscathed.
“I’m fine. Just a nightmare,” he assured her.
“Okay,” she stated quietly. “You looked like you were in pain.”
“I have vivid dreams from time to time,” he explained.
The conversation ended there.
Raelyn started sketching things into the cave’s stone interior using a tiny, sharp rock.
While she was distracted, Pyre grabbed his notebook.

Dear Diary,
He didn’t kill me. Just tortured me. I thought I’d be okay, but I wasn’t. It happened just as I was about to wake up. Pain swept through me. I hated it. Raelyn ended up waking me up, which stopped the pain.

“What are you doing?” Raelyn asked, looking up.
Clumsily, Pyre shut the notebook and hid it behind him.
“Nothing important,” he told her.
He thought she was going to question him, but she just went back to her sketching.
In a short period of time, she’d somehow become a lifeline. He didn’t realize that anyone could save him from the searing pain.
He couldn’t let himself show weakness around a girl he just met, but he already needed her.
Desperately.

You and the Merchant
“Do you want to know what her brother was up to?”
You nod.
“Okay. Well, Ravyn was obviously shaken, but he did enjoy the chance to try to impress his orc crush…”

Ravyn
In one night, Raelyn was gone. Ravyn didn’t know what to do. His sister had just gotten up and left. No warning, no rhyme, no reason.
“Hey, I heard your sister left. You doing all right?” Koa asked him one morning at breakfast.
It took everything in Ravyn to not squeal when Koa talked to him.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just miss her,” Ravyn admitted.
“I get it,” Koa responded.
Ravyn tilted his head, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I have a half-sister. She’s older than me by about 5 years. She just got up and left home one day. Her leaving made me leave, which then led me to Imelda and the army. So, I guess it all worked out,” Koa explained.
“Do you miss her?” Ravyn asked.
Koa shrugged. “Sometimes. But, I’ve accepted that she’s probably happier now.”
Ravyn looked down. He knew he needed to do the same, but some tiny part of him hoped that she would come back.

Koa
He didn’t know why he suddenly cared so much about Ravyn. But, something about seeing him so distressed made Koa want to help him.
While he didn’t know what to tell him, Koa could tell that just being near Ravyn made him relax.
During the next few weeks, Koa started to care more and more about Ravyn.
It took him a bit to realize that he liked Ravyn. He was cute, always tried to impress Captain Imelda, and just gave everything 110%.
One day, Koa caught Ravyn when he was outside training.
“Hey,” he stated,
“Oh, hey,” Ravyn replied, setting his weapon down. “What’s up?”
Koa took a deep breath. “I need to tell you this before I lose the courage. Ravyn…I like you. Like, have a crush on you, like you.”
Ravyn’s eyes widen, and an adorable pink tint took his cheeks.
He giggled cutely before replying, “I like you too. Also, have a crush on you, like you.”
Koa smiled, and gently kissed his forehead.
“Well, that works out nicely,” he joked,
Ravyn chuckled. “Yes, yes it did.”

You and the Merchant
“So they got together and dated for a long while. I think they eventually got married. But, the important people in this story are Raelyn and Pyre. They stayed together, hiding in their little cave. Occasionally, they would purchase stuff from merchants who passed by. As the months went by, they grew closer. Pyre came to heavily rely on Raelyn to protect him from the aggressive flashes of pain he had,” the merchant kept talking.
You asked about the demon puppet he’d mentioned.
“Oh, that one? Well, he was busy…”

Loki
Living world! Loki was excited. Their first mission too! They’d been given a lyre by a random demon in the living world, and was told that they needed to steal people’s essence.
“Ooh!” they exclaimed, taking notice of their limbs and slapping them on the ground.
The form they’d taken on was that of a halting with pale skin, maroon eyes, blonde hair, and loose-fitting grey clothes.
They stumbled around clumsily.
“Hey, are you okay over there?” a merchant walking by asked.
The merchant was a faun with dark brown skin, long platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, and grey clothing that tufts of cream colored fur poked out of.
“Who are you? Are you a person?” Loki asked.
“Um, I am Brim, and yes I am a person,” they answered.
“Cool. You have horns,” Loki pointed out, gesturing to the jagged cream horns that poked out of their hair.
“Yes. Oh, is that a lyre?” Brim inquired.
“Yes. I don’t know how to play it though,” Loki admitted.
“I’ll help you. I think you can make quite a bit of money with me if you learn how to play it,” Brim mischievously stated.
Loki, not knowing better, let Brim teach him.
“What’s your name, little halfling..boy?” Brim asked.
“Loki. I’m he, him, they, them, it. I think that’s everything I’ve been called,” Loki answered.
Brim shrugged. “Okay.”

You and the Merchant
“Loki became a bard with Brim’s help, and was very successful with his mission given to him by Astaroth. Do you want name to go back to Pyre and Raelyn?”
You nod.
“Okay, well, like I already told you, Pyre became very dependent on Raelyn…”

Pyre
Why did he feel like this? Pyre knew he couldn’t catch feeling for anyone, but Raelyn had broken through all his defenses without even knowing.
In a few months, she’d become the only thing that kept him from giving into the pain. Every time he struggled with the searing discomfort, she would wrap her arms around him and comfort him. Sometimes she traced her fingertips across his back. Other times she’d gently massage his shoulders. If it was really bad, she’d just cuddle him, keep him close, and let him melt into her.
The one time she wasn’t there had been awful. Pyre never wanted to experience that pain again.
One morning, the pain hit again. Harsher that time. It came with the voice.
“Get her to rejoin. Stop killing time.”
“Pyre?” Raelyn’s soft voice cut in. “Is it back?’
He winced in pain.
In an instant, her arms were around him, holding him close. He buried his face into her neck. Her fingers ran through his hair.
“I’m here,” she whispered, lips brushing his forehead.
The pain ended after a few minutes. When she noticed him calm down, Raelyn tried to pull away from the cuddle.
“No,” Pyre grunted as he pulled her back into him.
She gently ran her fingers through his hair. “What’s been up with you? You’ve gotten way clingier.”
He met her eyes, gently cupped her face, and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I need you. More than I should,” he muttered.
“To help with the pain flashes?” she asked.
“With everything,” he admitted. “I love you.”
She sucked in a breath. “Pyre?”
“I love you,” he repeated.
That made her smile. “I love you too.”
Gently, Raelyn kissed his cheek.
“You missed,” Pyre teased before closing the distance between their lips.
He dropped one of his hands to her waist and kept the other on her cheek. Her hands were tangled in his hair.
“Pyre,” she mumbled as if it were the most important thing in the world.
The sound of her voice like that lit a fire within him.
He kissed her again, cutting off whatever she was going to tell him.
Pyre didn’t want this moment to end. Having Raelyn pressed against him, her lips on his, brought him a feeling he couldn’t describe.
She was perfect.

Raelyn
The way Pyre’s behavior changed confused Raelyn. Just one “I love you” turned him into a desperate, clingy person.
But, something about it was endearing. So, she stayed. She held him during his flashes of pain, cuddled him when he couldn’t take it anymore.
He did the same for her. Whenever she had a panic attack, he was her anchor, bringing her back to reality.
Raelyn loved being with him, in the safety of their little cave.
But, all good things come to an end.
There was a heaving thudding sound on the rocks the Pyre had moved to the entrance of the cave.
“Step back, I’m gonna blow these up,” a female voice commanded.
Raelyn knew that voice. It was Brydget.
A few seconds later, the rocks exploded into a million pieces. Brydget’s eyes widened when they met Raelyn’s.
“Raelyn?” she asked in disbelief.
“Hi,” Raelyn replied nervously.
“This is where you’ve been? We’ve passed by this cave so many times. Why did it take us so many months to just blow these rocks up?” she stated.
“Yes, I’ve been hiding here. If you’re here to drag me back, I just have one request,” Raelyn told her.
“Oh, yeah that’s what I’m here for. What’s your request?” Brydget inquired.
“Let me bring Pyre with me. He wants to join Aetheria’s Army,” she stated.
Pyre stepped out of the shadows and stood beside Raelyn.
“Please, my family needs me to. I’ve been living out of this cave. I try to ask people how to join, but no one helps. Raelyn told me that she could help, but she needed a break from the army,” Pyre explained.
Brydget raised an eyebrow. “Needed a break? Oh, well. More soldiers are always welcome. Sure, why not.”
Raelyn gasped. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’ll head back and tell Captain Imelda. You think you can make it back on your own?”
“Yeah, I can. See you in a few days,” Raelyn stated.
“See you in a few days,” Brydget repeated as she and the other soldiers with her backed away from the cave and walked away.
“You ready? Raelyn asked Pyre.
He nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”
He leaned in and kissed her. Happily, she kissed him back.
“Anytime,” she told him as she pulled away.
They grabbed their things from the cave and started making their way to the base of Aetheria’s Army.
“Can you give me a moment?” Pyre asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be outside when you’re ready,” she replied as she walked out.

Pyre
The purple sapphire that hung from his neck began to glow.
As it did, his skin turned dark purple-grey - almost black. His dark blue hair got darker, turning black. His brown clothes turned into dark purple robes.
A purple fire appeared before him.
“Astaroth, I am on my way to the army,” he stated, voice strong and powerful.
“Good, you’re finally doing something. But that took way too long,” Astaroth’s voice replied.
Sharp pain jolted through him. He wanted to call for Raelyn, but she couldn’t see him like this.
“How about I bring her to you?” he asked. “She could be of use.”
“Hmm, yes. Bring this girl to me. This is why you’ve always been my favorite, Pyre,” Astaroth told him.
“Pyre? Is someone in there?” Raelyn asked peaking in.
Pyre made no effort to hide his face. “Hello, love.”
Her eyes widened, taking in the sight of his true form.
“What is this?” she asked.
Astaroth’s voice rang from the fire. “The last thing you’ll see in this realm. Pyre, bring her to me.”

You and the Merchant
You gasp. “What happened to her?”
The merchant shrugged. “No one knows for sure. But this pendant I’ve got is the same one Pyre wore. Some believe he gave it to Raelyn at one point to keep her safe. Others think she became a demon. All I know is that she and Pyre stayed together, and were happy together. She eventually found it in her to forgive him for hiding so much from her. But, that’s beside the point.”
You look at him, confused.
“Will you buy this pendant or not?” he asked.

the moon's lament | july 30 daily

—

Oh, how I long to be down there with them.
They have so much fun without me down on Earth. I hear their shouts of joy, their lively music blasting over speakers, their laughter, their love, their lives, and I long to be a part of it too. Down there, they live. They feel. They feel happiness, sadness, joy, anger, fear, and everything in between, yet I am here, feeling…
…feeling what? Nothing? Something? Perhaps my loneliness has eaten away my other emotions, leaving this gaping hole that cannot be filled, the absence of wanting fueling my own longing, and yet I stay here.
I stay up here, all alone, my silvery light reflected from the sun casting shadows down upon the earth at night- at night, when there is no one awake to see me as they see the sun. And I am up here, waiting, waiting, waiting, for someone to notice me, the moon, the isolated one, the one so close, yet so far at the same time.
I long to be down there, still, yet I am so, so far, and it has been so, so, long since people visited me. And yet, I am still up here, alone.
And I wait for the day I will no longer be lonely.

—
214 words
yk what was i doing haha

•┈๑⋅⋯ ꒰ ꒱ ⋯⋅๑┈•

i. “man has brought himself to ruin, i think”

⋆˚✿ day 30
body of a star . sci-fi . 534 (wip)

I blink into the distance, watching other stars come to be swathed by light brighter than that omitted from ourselves. As the sky becomes aglow with thousands of specks, freckles illuminated by the glow of their own being, others dim and fade softly, still radiating a kind of energy that simmers and boils, but the light has flickered into a warmer sort of blaze, making way for that of us others.
In the distance, a faint cry is audible only through the utter void of darkness.
It is small, that cry, but it is sickly. It pleases no body to be forced to bear the sounds of something so painful, a scream of despair. Indeed, those very sounds now echo through the endless void of Space, drifting through it peacefully so unlike the terror it is borne from.

And Man, he clamors about his desolate isles to bathe himself in his own Wrath and his brother blood, drinking the marrow of Priest and sin of Child, all while grovelling for a taste of His divine kiss.

Man has brought himself to ruin, I think. And still, we stars with nothing to do but bask in the corridors of still silence and ever consuming darkness while waiting for the inevitable moment where we drift to close to the edge, savor a taste of That Feeling, and fall and crash and then burn.

Upon the Earth’s sun-kissed shores and storm-soaked grasslands, Man destroys all that is natural to crowd more of the things he calls Garbage into the ruins of a land once precious. And yet he still fights against those who do the very same thing, claiming to be above all Else and to hold power in his trembling hands, claiming that it is his that he holds and not that robbed from a deity much more Pure than his own kind.

We hate the sounds of Man bringing upon his own demise, his shouts of fury and drunken power that leak into the blood of Child, the sparks of rage and envy that embed themselves into the flesh of Newborn. I hate that I must bear the burden of hearing the sobs of Man at the mercy of Man, each resentful of the other. And yet we stars, too, clamor about, listening for more to ease the sorrows and worries of the other, to tend to the wounds we have inflicted upon ourselves through years of succumbing to the same cycle of pain and pleasure. I do not know why both Man and I think to end this Cycle in spite of the tortures, yet continue to rely upon it like a sick addiction that is forced by the hand but taken by the mouth.

So Man will force Man to grovel at his feet and plead to he and Him for mercy for the sins he did not commit, and Man will watch Man fall farther into an agonistic fury that consumes oneself. Should this cycle end one day, I do not know, but should this cycle end at the end of Time, perhaps, (but) not until Man himself realizes the spite he himself throws at the feet of those just like him.

okayyy no fancy formatting as i'm subbmitting this for critique.

also a lot of painful editing because uh innapropriate language apparently ahaha-

***

It was well past 11pm and Agent Sakura Xiaoliu Miyahira-Zhang AKA Luna Tsuki Miyazaki, teenage spy and rising figure skating star, wished she was in bed. But no. Instead, she’s spending her Saturday-into-Sunday night stalking through the criminal underworld of the city trying to track down some criminals who were almost definitely international security threats.

Screw the International Centralised Intelligence Service, Sakura thought. Or rather, the Director of the ICIS. Sakura wanted her sleep, curse it, she had to be up at 5am tomorrow and being up late was not helping.

She had to admit though, there was something freeing about being sent on missions at night. It was a time for her to be herself, away from the media circus that built an image for her that she now had to conform to. Everything she wore tonight was in stark contrast to the “innocent and elegant academic powerhouse” the media made her out to be. Instead of her beautifully designed skating dresses, she wore a somewhat form-fitting two part black combat suit. Instead of her usual elaborate hairstyles, her hair was done up in a ponytail. Instead of her weapons being concealed, tonight her weapons were openly carried, holstered by her legs and a harness carrying her electroshock staff. Instead of her face being uncovered and her smile on display for the public, she wore a half-mask that covered the lower half of her face. If she was recognised in public like this… there would certainly be a scandal.

Another silver lining was her friend and partner, Agent Sasha Wilder. Sasha was currently monitoring the situation from a random rooftop, ready to spring in if Sakura got in trouble. And Sasha was a delight to hang out with while on a mission.

Two figures walked past the alleyway she was hiding in, which Sakura then followed from a distance. She was fairly sure they were the people she was supposed to be tracking, and followed them as they moved through the slums. She would go out and straight up arrest them now, but since a trial was very probable, they had to be caught in the act.

As if their 20-page long file wasn’t already enough to be considered evidence that could be put up in a court.

Sakura followed the two figures until they stopped just outside of a run-down building. “Position report,” Sakura said, jumping when she heard the voice modulator in her mask change her voice. She had to have it, it was a key part of her Not Being Recognised and Damaging Her Public Image, but it really sucked to get used to after a long day of speaking in her own voice. “I’m just outside an abandoned building in an alleyway just off Park Lane.”

“Acknowledged, Ethereal,” Sasha said over comms, calling Sakura by her codename. “Go in, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Copied,” Sakura replied, before cautiously picking her way through to the alleyway. As she lurked near the doorway of the run-down building, she could hear voices.

“You got the package?”

“Yeah, I did. It’s right here.”

“Hey, you! You got the wires?”

“Why would I be bringing the wires? You never told me to bring the wi-“

“I did. I very clearly did.”

That short conversation was enough. It was proof. She checked that Sasha had heard it, before she carefully made her way into the building, careful not to make a sound. She began to sneak up upon the three people, taking them down in quick succession when-

BAM! There was the sound of a swooshing noise and a crash as two new intruders entered the room, the wind whistling as air rushed in through a hole in the wall. What the heck just happened?

Soft moonlight rushed in through the opening, illuminating the space Sakura was in. She quickly retreated to a corner, watching the scene unfold before her. The two newcomers seemingly had superpowers, and they were fighting in such a strange way. Perhaps they were self-taught?

One of the two newcomers was wearing red, their face covered with a mask stylised like a bird and had mechanical wings that complimented their apparent superpower of flight, with a costume painted in shades of red. The other was wearing a sleek, warm yellow and light blue costume, with a classic superhero mask covering their eyes. Their hair was short, and a dirty blonde. In addition, they seemed like they had light-bending and manipulation powers.

The three people Sakura was supposed to be arresting were currently being dealt with by the two newcomers, which meant she couldn’t get in and do the job she was sent to do. “Hey, Toronto,” Sakura asked Sasha over comms, using Sasha’s codename. “Do you copy?”

“You’re loud and clear,” Sasha replied. “You need me to come in?”

“No, we have a situation.” Sakura responded, watching kicks and blows and strange fighting techniques play out before her. “It seems our targets are currently being fought out by two people with superpowers. There’s no way I can get in, I can’t see an opening.”

“Hold on, I'm coming,” Sasha responded, before the line went silent. “Stay to the side and don’t get involved, we can’t risk you getting injured.” Sakura sighed as she couldn’t do anything but helplessly watch the two brightly dressed, superpowered individuals do their best to fight her targets, and they were failing. Badly. A quick swoosh there, a dodge there, and they were hit. They always seemed to get up though, without any major injuries. Or if they did get any major injuries, they were hiding them really well.

“Hey,” Sakura heard a voice say. She turned and saw it was Sasha, already grabbing her weapons.

“Okay. So what’s the plan?” Sakura asked, reaching for her electroshock staff, and connecting the two halves together. She could defend more easily with it, and she wasn’t as open as when she used her other weapons. In addition, it allowed her to fight in a more graceful and dance-like style, as opposed to the quick and dirty style of hand-to-hand combat.

“Just go in, and don’t get hurt. Arrest the targets, but let the others go.” Sasha said. “Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Sakura replied.

Sasha charged forwards, taking the targets by shock once again, before Sakura charged in, using their momentary confusion to take them down in quick succession, while Sasha arrested each one of them. They didn’t struggle that much, which was surprising.

“Who are you?” One of the two “superheroes” asked - the one who was wearing red.

“We,” Sakura said, “are Agent Miyazaki and Agent Winters of the International Centralised Intelligence Service. And you were interfering in our operation.”

“But how could we know that this was your operation?” The other one asked.

“Vigilante crime fighting is illegal,” Sasha stated, clear in her intentions. This was clearly a threat. “We’ll let you off this time, but if we find you again next time, you can and will be arrested.”