★ Daily #1 ┆ 327 words

Note:This is based off from Avatar: The last airbender. It kinda has spoilers (and i didnt try to hide them), so if you dont want spoilers on the Avatar series, its best you dont read this <3

It has been over 10 years since the dreadful war ended. Children chased each other as a group of adults were racing with their Ostrich Horses

As the sun slipped below the horizon, Aang was sitting on the top of the Western Air Temple, thinking deep about how far he came. All of a sudden, he felt a hard rock, hard enough to make him slip and fall. His instincts was fast enough to rescue him from grave danger

“Twinkle toes!” He heard Toph's voice nearing towards him. Toph has not changed much. She still walked with the confidence of someone who could flatten a mountain before breakfast.

Sokka, Katara and Zuko arrived with Appa, Aang's flying bison. They try their best to meet like this every few months. But having the Fire Lord and the Water Tribe greatest healer, finding spare time is quite hard.

They discussed many topics, from politics to nation drama to their daily lives.

Katara has gotten busy with healing not only the water tribes, but as well as the whole Republic Nation as well. Soka proudly shared his newest invention, a water sling, which ended up backfiring just a little

Zuko has been quite busy restoring peace together with the Avatar as well as ruling over the Fire Nation. Toph started training earth benders how to perform professional earth bending techniques like seismic sense and metalbending

An awkward silence came, followed by a wave of memories flowing through them

“ Do you remember when we almost got eaten by the Library? ” Katara started the conversation. “Dont even get me started on how my hands were dripping sweat when I was trying to see when the eclipse will happen”, Aang followed. “Remember when we thought Appa went missing forever?”

“I remember someone crying the loudest” Sokka teased

As they watched the sun set, Aang put his head on Katara's shoulder. They all watched the view, wondering what adventures will come next.

Word War w/ @bluewarbIer
270 words, prompted, 5 minutes,

Today is the end of my story. Today is the beginning of the world. I had hoped it wouldn’t have come to this- but there is no choice now. The darkness just keeps getting bigger, more pressing, more depressing. I have to save who I can.
Kori disagrees with me.
“Let go Kori!” I plead, trying to tug my arm away from her iron grip.
“Don’t- don;t go!” She sobs, nails digging into my arm. “We can’t do this without you! I can’t do this without you!”
My heart breaks as I finally get my arm away from her.
“If I don’t do this, you won’t have a future. It needs to be done.” I turn away from her and start running. Running through the shallow water that coats the ground, reflecting the pitch black sky.
Water now is different. Once, in distant memory, I could remember a time when it had been clear and refreshing. Now it was as thick as blood and had a metallic tang to it. Practically undrinkable.
I needed to do this.
I ran with all the strength I could, though after a while it grew more difficult. My steps came slowly and my breaths were lethargic. I need to do this. I force myself to keep going, step by step, breath by breath, through the never-ending water.
I don’t know how long it takes.
Perhaps minutes. Hours. Days. weeks. I don’t know. All I know is that with each step I come closer to saving all my friends. At last, I arrived at the edge of the water. A thin bridge connects me to

Word War w/ @coder63892
332 words, prompted, 7 minutes,

Today is the end of my story. Today is the beginning of the world. A new chapter for humanity. My death will save them all. I know it. You can’t convince me otherwise.
I know you say I’m narcisiscitic. You say I’m just another person.
But every once in a while there’s someone who’s special, whether good or bad. Cleopatra. Alexander the Great. Hitler, unfortunatley. Why shouldn’t I believe that I'm destined for something greater? Why do you always beat me down? Discoruaging me like a mean teacher and their ambitious student.
But your doubts won’t stop me.
I will save this world.
Today, right now.
With this step I will become the worlds savior.
I’m almost there now- just a few more steps.
I know it might seem evil what I’m doing. Surely, I don’t need to kiII so many to save everyone, right? Well, that’s where you’ve always been wrong. Destroy one to save a million- seems worthwhile, doesn’t it?
I will use whoever I need to get this world to be cleansed.
And yes, before you ask, they are the evil ones- not me. There is no doubt about it. You’ve seen what those… Things did to that poor girl, years back. And you’ve seen what they’ve done since then.
You say it was an accident. Maybe it was. And yet, if someone accidently commits a terrible sin, they still must be stopped to prevent it from happening again.
They must be destroyed, to save the rest of us
I know I am right.
And I will get you to agree with me, before I have to leave.
You’ve never wanted to admit that someone besides you was right. That’s porbably your biggest fault. Trust me, I know you.
We’ve known each other for eons.
And you know I am right, subconsciously. Not even you could bury the truth so completely.
At least he agrees with me. He’s dead now, but still, somehiw I can feel his aproval. I know

Billie-Jo's writing thread! (real-fi july '26)
1. Word War With Chocolate_Camps
2. Word War With nneoma-wrldd

1. word war with chocolate_camps who wrote 209 words | five minutes | “i thought i lost the only part of you that I had left” | 189 words | lost <3
“i thought I lost the only part of you that I had left” i remember saying that to the sky when you moved away. we had been good friends since before i could remember. we had something special. and we went to school together for a little while. but then i got held back and so even though i was older than you, you were in the grade ahead of me. shoot, and then we grew apart eventually. then we grew apart. shoot. it took a while. But it happened, no mistake. You hung out with the girls from your grade and you did cheerleading and you were in theater and you were always busy doing something. and you had a crush on Peter and you had nice nails. i was a grade below, fooling around, learning to play guitar and shooting baskets with my friends. and i tried to make you friends with my friends, but you didn't click. and your friends were mean and too girly. but you still lived across the street. and then you moved away. you were still there, but then you moved and y


2. word war with nneoma-wrldd who wrote 232 words | five minutes | “… i probably owe you an explanation ” | 228 words | lost <3
when you walked into me with spoons on my eyes in your room, you looked very confused. “… i probably owe you an explanation?” you agreed an explanation would be helpful. so i told you the story. it started out when i took my dog fuzzy for a walk, i was walking the route i normally walk when fuzzy really wanted to go right on this one street. so then i guess i thought, why not? i walked down the street, and eventually i came to this house with really cool flowers and i wanted to know what kind of flowers they were so i went into the yard a little bit to get a good picture so i could figure out later, but then i chanced upon a key under the flowers. i thought you must have not meant to leave it there because it was a very bad hiding place so i went and knocked on your door. but you weren't there but i figured the best thing to do was to just wait. so then i waited. and waited. eventually this kid came and asked me why i was waiting. he was kind of scared of fuzzy. so then fuzzy decided to bark at him. i explained to the kid. he decided to show me in. i thought it was not a good idea to let…

Word War w/ @Marialisl
335 words, no prompt, 10 minutes,
Note: This is me working on the daily

*Clang* *Clang* *Vrrrrrr*
It was working!
Varian pumped his fist up in the air, Ruddiger cheering alongside him on his shoulders. Rapunzel should like this! Varian grinned and hoisted his new invention - he called it a microwave- up into his arms.
When Rapunzel had had trouble finding a quick way to prepare a warm meal before she had to leave on a horse riding expedition with Eugene, Varian had an idea. This was going to make a lot of things easier.
Ruddiger jumped off of Varian’s shoulders to grab one of his apple treats before Varian left to go find the Queen. He headed down the spiraling staircase of his tower, mind buzzing with new ideas. What else could he do with these energy waves? What kind of new technology could be created with them? If he could expand this knowledge and share it with the other kingdoms, who knew what their scientists could build?
At last, Varian reached queen rapunzels room. Varian was allowed access (after some arguing) now that he was Head Scientist for Corona. Varian knocked upon the intricately painted door.
No answer.
Varian knocked agian.
This time, it opened to show Old Mrs. Crowley, who was somehow still alive and as grumpy as ever.
“Oh, hi!” variant said, a bit thrown off balance.
“What do you want?” Crowley said, voice crackly and hoarse.
“Do you happen to know where the Queen is?”
Crowley stared at him, eyes distrustful. Finally, she nodded. “Her majesty is out in hte gardens with that Cassandra girl.”
Then she shut the door. Hard.
Varian paused. Wait, already? He had thought that Cassandra wasn’t coming over for days.
Wait, had it been days?
“I guess I let that invention take over my time for a while, didn’t I?” He said to Ruddiger, as he headed back through the castle to the gardens with the large microwave still in his hands. Boy, it was heavy. Maybe he should get a cart or something.
Nonetheless, he made it to the gardens. Though he was panting hard by the end of the long walk.
Cassandra and Rapunzel were in teh

Word War w/ @Ibukaigan
153 words, prompted, 3 minutes,
Note: This is me working on the daily

“I owe you an explanation, don’t I?” I said as I sat in the principal office, waiting for him to call me in. My mother sat beside me, reading a book. ‘The Princess Bride.’
“No, it’s quite alright.” She said to me, her voice calm.
I looked at her. This wasn’t usual. Surely, she at least wanted to know why I had done it, didn’t she? Or did she just not care at all? Admittedly, I was a little hurt. Shouldn't a parent care when their child had broken a school rule?
“O-kay then…” I wen back to staring at the ground

Sometime later, the principal finally called us in.
“Mister Wichshire, surely you know why you are in here?” He said, staring at me with hard eyes.
I nodded, a bit ashamed, a bit defiant. “Yes sir, I punched a classmate sir.”
“You did. Now why exaclty did you do it?”
I

daily 5

Man, I’m beat…

One of the most embarrassing facts that Ren Yamamoto had about himself was despite the fact he was currently standing at the big age of eighteen, just the thought of getting on one of those terrified him to the core.

Unfortunately for him, he had just gone on the second train ride of the year.

The first was for his college entrance exam—to which he nearly passed out and made a fool out of himself—and the second was for now, visiting a hospital.

Apparently, his university wanted them to all visit a workplace environment to see what jobs in the future might entail—not only that, but also seeing what doctors actually do would be helpful. Some of the hospitals even had alumni from the school he attended now.

Ren jumped at the opportunity—the only issue was that the hospital he was assigned to go to was…quite far away, and required a train…

It was a phobia he knew he had for as long as he can remember, whenever he got on trains he was just about ready to pass out. He had no idea why.

“Well, at least that’s out of the way…” He murmured under his breath, checking his phone to check the address. “Just gotta take a left and then we’re good…”

As he walked forward, he noticed a girl with white hair. She wore a sun hat and was looking down at her phone. She was like any other passerby, and she really shouldn’t have stood out—but…

She was humming a song.

Ren has heard that song before.

The girl walked in the opposite direction he was going,

He turned around and touched her shoulder.

“H-Hey…” He called out suddenly. The girl turned around, her large yellow eyes glancing up at Ren.

Ah…this is awkward…

“Have we…met before…?”

The girl tilted her head, before shaking it. “No. We haven’t.”

“Ah…S-Sorry…”

The girl nodded her head and walked away. Ren decided to continue walking to his destination and pass the interaction off as a strange occurrence.


“Yamamoto! Pleased to meet you!” A doctor smiled and extended his hand, “I’ve heard some good things about you—I hear you’re an exceptional student?”

Ren nodded, “You flatter me sir…I appreciate you being my guide for the time being.”

“No worries! This is more fun for me than it is for you, in all honesty.”

The man guided Ren to a nearby room—Room 202-A, and opened the door. “You’ll be observing a routine checkup with one of our regular patients—her name is Taeko Suzuki, she has a heart condition that requires regular checkups.”

Ren nodded, “I understand. What type of condition is it?”

“Coronary Artery Disease.” The doctor opened the door—Ren froze.

It was the girl from before.

“Hello Suzuki—“ The doctor smiled, “how have you been doing?”

The girl looked down for a moment, before glancing back up. “Good.”

“That’s great. I’ll have to grab some equipment real quick—but Mr. Yamamoto here will stay here if you’d like someone to keep you company—he’s about the same age as you.” The doctor gestured to Ren.

Taeko nodded, “Okay.”

The doctor left.

Ren laughed awkwardly before sitting on the nearby metal folding chair. “Sorry, sorry…for, er, earlier I mean. That song just felt kind of familiar to me, I thought I knew you from somewhere…”

The girl shook her head. “Don’t be.” She tilted her head, “In fact, I lied a little there. I had somewhat sensed you felt familiar.”

I think she’s just saying that to make me feel better…

“A-Ah…really?” The girl nodded.

I looked at the girl for a moment—even now that feeling of deja vu washed over me. Where did I know this girl from? No way my mind was playing tricks on me…right?

As I mulled it over in my head, the sudden noise of shattering glass came from the room next to us—Room 202-B. I bolted up—“Suzuki—stay here, I’ll check that out…”

I ran out the room before waiting for a response and went to the room next door. The patient was a girl with bright pink hair. Her eyes moved to the side—but her body wasn’t moving at all, perhaps she was paralyzed?

There was a broken window. I walked a little closer, and noticed a baseball on the ground.

“Someone playing baseball at the nearby park must’ve threw it here…” Jeez, How irresponsible could you be…?

A few moments later—a girl with purple-pink hair in a darker shade showed up—“What happened?!”

“Some guy launched his baseball in here or something. Are you hurt?” He turned to the pink haired girl, she shook her head, “All good then.”

A few moments later a blue haired boy appeared wearing baseball gear—he’s the culprit for sure.

“Whoops! Accidentally launched my ball here…aha…”

The door behind us slammed open—a boy with shoulder length black hair appeared—he wore a hospital gown and wore a nametag that said 202-C, “I heard something?

“Get back to your room!” Ren cried out—why was everyone here?!

The pink haired girl and blue haired boy began bantering over the baseball—the black haired boy joined the girl’s side—what is happening? Taeko appeared in the doorway with a clueless expression on her face.

Something felt familiar about it all.

877 words

Daily #5:
“Daily:
After our hero’s journey ends, our stories come to an end as well. But you know what they say…After every story’s ending, comes only a new beginning. What would happen if you were given just a few more pages? Or more minutes for a movie or show? For today, you’ll be continuing the passage of time within your favorite media—how have characters changed after their story? Write 300 words of your favorite characters several years after their finale for 400 points, and 100 more for sharing proof!”
so basically, what happens to joey in the future is he has a bunch of cats.

(done for liv and maddie)

Joey was sitting on the porch with his 30 cats, Buttermilk, Ava, Zelda, Pickles, Maya, Kara, Sharon, Diana, Chocolate, Tornado, Snowy, Wren, Hazelnut, Coffee, Myriah, Flower, Daisy, Lilac, Lilly, Jose, Jacque, Gabriella, Robat, Opal, Pie, Soapy, Pumpkin, Kitty, Cat, and Tristan.
Parker helped joey do some catification. he added some tunnels, cat trees, shelves, Things for them to knock down, And Some Other things too. Joey was 20 now, and was still grocery shopping on that crazy website. him and artie were broken up, after 37 break ups, and made that 38. then, the doorbell rang. it was artie.
“Hello, joey.”
“Artie!” Joey yelled.
“We never did decide on our ship name.”
“Well, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying- Minions, get the thing! -i’m saying… Minions, drumroll… we should get back together.” Artie held up a sign saying, ‘joey, you must take me back’. then he flipped it around and it said ‘we need to decide on a ship name’.
“Artie, you’ve done this 37 times before. Okay!”
“Great. now, We must be ARTY.”
“Arty?!?! that’s just your name but with a Y at the end!”
“How did you know that?”
“oh, there’s text describing what we’re doing. THERE’S TEXT DESCRIBING WHAT WE’RE DOING?!!”
“Strange.”
“anyways, let’s be Jortie!”
“Arty!”
“Jortie!”
“Arty!”
“Jortie!”
“Arty!”
“No, Jortie’s better!”
“But Arty is… MAGNIFICENT.”
“No!!”
“this is MADNESS!!! We are never talking again!!”
“Arty, you’ve done this every single time we broke up, and then 2 hours later, you come up here and say we never decided our ship name, or finished that pasta we fought over.”
“Well-”
“Wait, your name is misspelled.”
“GASP! How dare the writer do that! Minions, Fix it!”
“ ‘ Artie Is Awesome’ ”
“Hey! That’s not what it said!! it said that Arty is the best ship name and Jortie is stupid!”
Joey Said.
“And i, joey, from now on will do everything that the magnificent-”
“Hey!! That’s not what i want to say!”
(Joey snatched the pencil/keyboard/whatever it is they’re using to write the story from the minions’)
“Our ship name is now Jortie.”
(Artie took it back).
“Artie is my king and i will obey him and every word he says.”
So, things went on like that for a while.

390 words

word war 2

I can’t find it.

It was a terrifying realization to come to at the moment—realizing that something you were sure you had just a moment ago was now gone. I checked in the cupboards, beneath the bed, and even within the fridge—despite that, it was gone.

Currently. I was in our old apartment—the one with ceilings that looked like they were about tog I’ve out any second now and walls so thin that you could probably hear a car start outside.

Needless to say, the apartment complete was going to be torn down soon—but before that happened—I needed to find something.

Your heart is somewhere here.

I don’t know where, why, or how, but I distinctly remembered you gave me your heart. But when we moved into our new apartment…I left it behind.

But now, your body is gone. It withered without a heart—but I can fix this. I need it. I need to find your heart, hidden in a book and cranny somewhere here. I checked everywhere, but despite that, your heart was gone.

I cried and wept desperately as I searched, hope dimming with every passing minute—but as time went on, I still caught no sight of your heart. I bell into deep despair.

What if it’s gone forever? What if it never turns up? What if you’ll be gone for the rest of eternity and it would be all my fault? I cried once again at my misfortune.

I thought I saw it—bu I didn’t. Anything red looked like your heart. Perhaps it was bad on my end—not even being able to discover where your heart was—did that make me a bad person? Of course i was.

After all, I was the one who selfishly asked for your heart then lost it. But now, I might never be able to find it again. I stared at the room in despair after turning it upside down to no avail. Perhaps I had truly lost the last part of you I had.

It’s not possible.

It can’t be.

No way.

Denial after denial came, but none were

348 words

Daily 5 - Continuing a story
5/7/2026

Sophie Foster stared at dark, stormy clouds from her window. Lightning danced and twirled through the clouds as droplets fell from the sky. She sighed as she looked at her homework. Now that she was level 5 in foxfire, her work loads increased significantly, and Sophie was now struggling to balance her work and trying to defeat the Neverseen, a villainous group. It always seemed like they were a hundred steps behind, but thanks to her friends and the wisdom of the Black Swan, she learnt to focus on one thing at a time, and things were not always as they seem.

“Sophie, are you okay up there?” her adoptive father, Grady, called.

“Yes, why?” Sophie replied, trying, and failing, to sound optimistic.

“Well good thing you've got a visitor to cheer you up!” Grady said, and a boy with carefully styled blonde hair and humorous blue eyes immediately threw open the door.

"Keefe, I told you I've got homework, lots of it too.“

”Now Foster, where's the fun in that?“ Keefe ran a hand through his hair and smirked his famous smirk. ”Plus, what else would you rather do, then spend time with me?“

”I can think of a lot of things right now.“ Sophie ignored her fluttering heart and forced her eyes to focus back on her book.

”Whew I wonder what emotions you're throwing at me, anyways, today we're going to sneak into the Foxfire and sneak into my list of most annoying mentors' rooms, and sneak some fake custardbursts inside! They're actually these really disgusting rotten egg things, and they make you stink for weeks!“ Keefe rolled out a long piece of paper, titled ”My Mentor Victims“ and was about to hand it over when a shouts and screams erupted from downstairs.

They rushed downstairs to see two black cloaked figures disappear, with Grady and Edaline, her adoptive parents, both wrapped in bonds and drugged.

Everything in Sophie shut down completely. Every bit of sense. Every bit of positivity.

She was about to let panic win when she felt a cool breeze swaying calmly in her brain.

”Calm down Foster.“ Keefe whispered, ”We'll find them. I heard where they're going.“ Sophie took several deep breaths and calmed down a little.

”They're heading to one of their hideouts.“ She said quietly as Keefe pulled out a crystal. ”What? How did you get that?!“

When the light finally faded, Sophie realised they were at one of the Neverseen hideouts, and in the corner, there were two figures, drugged and tied up.

”Your parents are gone, kid. Unless, you give me access to all of the Black Swan's hideouts.“ Genthen, one of the Neverseen members rasped.

Sophie knew what she had to do. Slowly but powerfully, she wrapped up all the anger, the sadness, the desperateness, and the fear, and exploded it, straight at Genthen. He was knocked out onto the ground, and Keefe ran ahead and was already untying the bonds.

”It's weird Genthen was the only one here,“ Keefe wondered. Sophie agreed, but there was no time to think about it. Together, they took Edaline and Grady, and leaped out of there and into Sophie's place, Havenfield.

A few hours later, when she was sitting at her desk and fiddling with her finger, trying to ignore Keefe as he paced heavily up and down her room, her Imparter rang.

”They're completely fine, don't worry Sophie. Your parents will fully recover in a few days." Elwin's voice rang out of the screen.

Sophie breathed out a sigh of relief. The Neverseen might bee a few steps ahead, but she had her family back.

daily 5
349 words

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 8 OF LORD OF THE MYSTERIES (1)




The Fool is asleep and the world is hurtling towards an acopalypse, and surely, Leonard thinks, this would mean he would be granted some liberties — but no, for who had to descend into endless sleep but Klein, his dear Seer?

Leonard wonders if it would be appropriate for him to call Klein that anymore. After all, the last time they had met, Klein had been a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries, a true King of Angels. In the matter of a handful of years, he had climbed the Beyonder ranks at an unfathomable pace, as though he had a divine presence directly supporting him. Someone, perhaps, like the Fool.

Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that Klein was so intricately tangled up with the fate of the Fool, that he was gone. No, Leonard thinks — not gone in the permanent sense of the world. He will be back, even if Leonard has to pull him back from the Fool's divine kingdom above the grey fog himself.

Still, it's odd. He had always assumed Klein and the Fool were of the same Beyonder pathway, the Seer pathway, but it was clear they couldn't be, if Klein was a Sequence 1 King of Angels at the same time the Fool was a Sequence 0 true god. There was something ofd about the entire situation, but Leonard tries to not think about it, lest the Fool decides to wake up from “His” hibernation to smite him down with a strike of lightning.

No matter. Leonard is getting his dear Seer back, whatever it may take. Perhaps Klein is forever faithful to the Fool, but Leonard has a much smaller attachment to the deity. And what could Klein be doing for the Fool, anyway?

Leonard's pen scratches against the books and paper in front of him as he researches apotheosis rituals, the organisations of past gods, in an attempt to find a way to free Klein. Occassionally, he pitches a question to Pallez Zoroast, and the Old Man proves himself to be useful every once in a while.

Leonard will be getting Klein back.

7/5 - 535 words

It had been a long-standing agreement between Af and Jamie that no matter what happens, the pair will never have to interact with each other’s parents. It’s always been too awkward, what with the divorce both of their fathers spurred into action. The agreement had worked well, given the strange working hours of Jamie’s mother. In the moment an interaction threatened to draw near Sasha or Cameron (who were always with the pair, their quartet rarely separated) would manage to sneak whichever child wasn’t supposed to be there out. It became even easier when they had all gone away to college (the same college, the middle of nowhere Arizona didn’t have an excess of options) they didn’t even need to factor in their parents into meet-ups. Except when they came home for the summer.
Cam and Af were sitting on the floor, leaning against each other as they listened to the escapades Jamie perpetually regaled them with. Sasha was looking out the window, keeping watch and “listening” simultaneously. She stirred and began to speak, cutting Jamie off,
“Your mom is pulling into the driveway.”
Jamie swore and scrambled to his feet, “I’ll go distract her, one of you get Af out of here.”
Af, upon hearing the forbidden meeting was in danger of taking place had jumped up and started putting on their jacket. “Jamie, Cam and Sasha rode here with me, if I leave they have no ride back home.”
“I’ll take them home on my scooter or something. Or steal my mom’s car. It doesn’t matter, you just have to go.” He spoke as he hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind him.”
Sasha beckoned Af over, pointing as she spoke, “I think, if you’re careful, you can sneak out the window, climb down the roof of the garage, and take off while we distract her.”
Af stared incredulously at their partner. “You want me to climb down the roof and drive away in a truck without Jamie’s mom noticing?”
At this point, Cam, who had been quiet, came up beside them and pushed the window open as far as it would go. “I’ve done it before, if you move quickly and don’t panic it’s not that hard.”
Af, ever the leap first type, nodded and hopped out of the window, saluting as they went.
Af, on all fours, scrambled across the roof as fast as they could, run-crawling down the slope until they got to a tree. Okay, you’ve done well so far. Don’t mess this up. They took a running leap and grabbed onto a branch, swinging from it for a moment until their feet found purchase on the trunk. Yes! Maybe Cameron had been right, maybe this wasn’t that hard after all.
“CRRACK!”
And Af fell to the ground, crashing into the grass flat on their back. They were vaguely aware of the sound of a door opening and several people running towards them. They opened their eyes, which had been screwed shut in a mix of fear and pain, and saw their friends and Jamie’s mother standing over them.
“Nice to meet you Ms. Wrenly.” And, with a concerning amount of effort, they gave her a salute.

⪻ word war against @surfdudewave ♪ 7/5/2026 ⪼

back to directory

“oh come on, i just wanted to hang out with the octopus!”
“you did? that weird thing?” she said, skeptically. after all, not only was the octopus big and creepy, it also had a habit of pulling people down the lake, and eventually pulling them back up. of course, the octopus never killed anyone, but it still certainly gave people a fright – a scare so bad that they protested that the lake was to be restricted and the octopus to be strictly monitored.
“yes! i heard that collecting the tentacles of the octopus and mixing it in with…..” it was at that moment that alria tuned out. ritalin was quite known into spewing such nonsense. it would’ve been obvious to anyone that the tale was certainly a myth, and not fact – anyone except for ritalin.
“and then you would’ve been arrested and caught,” she interjected, cutting of ritalin’s ramble. “how unfortunate. for you, of course. not for us and the rest of the town.”
“am i seriously that unliked?” he said, devastated and face falling.
“yes, yes you are. pulling of weird stunts and whatnot certainly makes you face a considerable great amount of backlash.”
“awh. but research! exciting research! don’t you think it’s fun and unique?”
“no. if anything, you simply get in the way of everything. nobody is enjoyed by your antics.”
ritalin sighed and pouted. it appeared that alria had deeply upsetted him.
“it’s merely the truth,” she said. “if you don’t like it, fix something about yourself.”

251 words

ꜱᴘʟᴀꜱʜ ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ . . .
↟ cabin ~ xeno-fi
ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛ ɪ
~ tw - bl00d, wildf1re, being knocked unc0nsious
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The sun lazily began to sink to beneath the horizon, bathing the forest in a golden and pink light. The breeze rustled the leaves, a gentle, quiet whisper whooshing throughout the trees, and it seemed like the perfect evening.

Luna, a tan-and white mottled she-wolf trotted through the sun-dappled trees, clutching a rabbit tightly in her jaws, allowing a bit of bl00d to trickle down her throat while resisting the urge to swallow it. The bl00d tasted sweet, earthy, and warm, but earthy and sharp and metallic at the same time, and while her mouth watered at the scent of the fresh, rich, earthy meat, she clenched it tighter, knowing she had to save it for her mate, Dakota. She approached a circle of human dens, some triangle-shaped and some round. In the center, a small, controlled fire crackled, sparks and smoke drifting into the darkening sky. She wrinkled her nose at the disgusting, overpowering, unnatural scents of the humans. Even more disgustingly, it was mixed with the sharp, metallic, ashy scent of fire. She gagged a bit, snarling in a quiet, low voice as she glared at the humans, fortunately unseen.

A human was sitting calmly by the fire, to Luna's confusion. Fire was anger and burning, uncontrolled, unpredictable, and pa!n pa!n pa!n. She could never stand the searing fury and heat of it. “Humans,” she snarled under her breath, hackles raising as she stalked silently behind a thick patch of bushes, low to the ground. Thankfully, the fire would be done soon, as the tall, furless creatures rested at night, and washed away the flames before they laid their heads to rest. A sharp ache of worry jabbed her chest, knowing hunting could be dangerous now that they were in the forest…the things the humans did when they spotted her kind…

She relaxed as the scent of wet earth and leaves nearly overpowered the humans', though the choking sting of smoke still lingered in the back of her throat as she padded on, paws squishing the damp earth. Dusk faded into twilight as she arrived at the den, a large, wide, shadowy clearing dug into a hillside. As to not be noticed by humans, there was a small, narrow tunnel leading to it, which she effortlessly squeezed her way through.

Not surprisingly, she was was met with high, excited yips and whines. “Hello, hello,” she woofed back, allowing her two pups, Akira and Loki, to scramble over to her. They excitedly licked her chin, tails wagging furiously. Dakota emerged as well, looking exhausted but relieved. Luna rubbed her head against his gray and brown mottled fur gently, a warm, loving greeting. Wagging his tail, he touched noses with Luna, nudging away the excited pups gently but firmly. “Little rascals,” he growled, shaking his head, but his eyes were warm. “They've already had some deer, so you and I can share the hare,” Luna woofed, “And don't worry, I'll put them to sleep. Oh, and there's humans in the forest…a bit of a bother but doing no harm. Stay out of their way, alright?”

Grabbing Akira by her scruff, she dragged her to a clump of tree roots bulging through the ground, with a patch of comfy, soft moss she had placed there for the pups. As she did, she was met with high, playful growls and nips.
Akira had always been the more playful, feisty one, while Loki was cleverer and quietly naughty, escaping his way through anything Luna put him in if he felt like it. “Akira,” she scolded the pup firmly. “Time to rest, I'll keep watch.”
“But keeping watch is fun…!” the wriggling pup whined back, earning herself a gentle, firm nip on the ear. “Fine, fiiiiiine…” she yipped sleepily, nestling herself in the moss. “Goodnight, dear,” Luna whined softly, licking her small, wet nose before padding over to place Loki gently next to Akira. “Have a good rest!”

As Luna trotted over to Dakota, she could have sworn to the moon she caught the slightest trace of flame and smoke, a bitter, hazy, ashy tang against her throat. “Smell that?” Dakota barked softly. “Humans must be putting the fire out, mmm? Suppose I can go hunting now, not lit up by that moon-cursed fire.”

“Good, good,” Luna murmured happily, her tail thumping the floor as she had been worrying about the pack starving - after all, many packs lived around the forest and mountains, and with the addition of many packs of humans, now they had to compete with them, too. Greedy creatures, they're so spoiled, they have food whenever they like it, and then they decide to HUNT as well… she thought - greedy humans were the WORST…!

She curled up near Dakota, who was happily chewing on the hare's leg, gnawing through the stringy, rich, earthy meat and licking the bl00d off of his lips. Her tail swept the sand of the floor, smooth and soft and cool like the twilight breeze.
They both turned to gaze warmly at the two pups, squirming and barking sleepily as rest wrapped its pelt around them. Akira's silvery-white and gray mottled coat looked like a shimmering, dull star amongst the shadows, and Loki's brown and tan fur nearly blended in with the sand, roots, and dust. “They're so beautiful…” she yipped softly, gazing affectionately at their slightly squirming, fluffy bodies.

“You eat the rest of the hare,” Dakota yawned, hopping to his paws. “I'll catch some food for the pups for the morning, the opossums are out and there were some nice blueberries they'd like.” “Alright, I'll keep watch,” Luna replied, and with a nod, Dakota's tail disappeared through the tunnel. As he left, his body fading into shadow, a crisp night gale whooshed through the tunnel. It let out a breathy howl, whispers and scents on its tongue.

Her fur ruffled, but she paid no mind. She knew all was peaceful . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ↟. . . ↟ later . . .

A hot, searing sting jolted Luna out of the warm, comfy shadows of her rest. She sat bolt upright, furiously blinking the blurs of sleep out of her eyes. She could feel in her instincts pumping into her heart, her bones, her gut…something was wrong, wrong, wrong. Dakota was pacing near the pups' nest, whining anxiously as he roused them awake. “Wha…whazzwrong…?” Akira mumbled, hackles raising.

Luna whimpered, and tail tucked beneath her legs, she crept towards the exit tunnel. Her heart pounded hard in her ears, her vision spinning and blurring with terror. FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE went off like an alarm in her mind, her breath catching in her throat. Instead of the familiar, welcoming greens, grays, and browns of the forest in front of her, the horizon was bright with orange-red, trees attacked by the orange-yellow flames. Hate rose in her chest, and she let out a huge, deep, furious snarl. Humans. THEY NEVER PUT OUT THE FIRE.

The smoke made her eyes sting and burn as she tried to escape, turning tail, but it was too late…

Before long, everything went black . . .

~ THE END ~

daily 5:

DISCLAIMER: un-hidden spoilers for the anime Attack On Titan (RLLLLLLLLY BIG SPOILERS BTW!!!!)
Notes: I have not actually watched the whole thing. I have watched the whole series but not the two movies yet <3

Mikasa's head jolts forward violently, her heart aching in a way that feels like broken ribs and piercing blades were slicing through it, her head throbbing in a way that feels like a thousand migraines bashing into her skull, her throat burning in a way that feels like she's inhaling raw flames.
Every blink is difficult, as sticky tears gush through her eyes, running down her face in a stream of liquid pain.
Her ears rush as if the pressure of the sea had been pushed against them.
She watched her hands as they shook uncontrollably, the taste of her trickling nasal fluid and salty tears turning stale in her mouth.
Still in shock, she tries to shuffle around; her body refuses to shift, shocks rattling through her spine at each attempt at moving her numb body.

Sadness seeps in through the cuts of her wounded skin, her body reacting slowly as the poison leeches through her blood, her bones, her soul.
Confusion furrows her brows as her memories being to settle in, a little gasp turning into desperate attempts of inhaling air as panic seizes her.

Eren.

Terror grips her heart, its sharp talons digging deep into it and ripping it apart. Her eyes widen in horror; her jaw hangs open.

Eren.

This can't be real she whispers to herself internally it cannot, it cannot.
And through all her desperate denial, she knows it's true. She can feel it: the wait of his life -his existence- lingering on her bones, her chest, her being.

She slams her hand on the earth beneath her, the dry skin in the palm of her hand grazing as she pounds the other besides it; forcing her stiff body into motion. Every hair on her skin perked up with a new ambition, every cell in her body lit up with passion and purpose.

—
05.07.2026 - 315 words

continue about:
- stands up to go find eren
- armin stops her and jean and connie ans stuff are mad
- big fight or smth (the try to literally physically restrain her (bcs its dangerous for her to go ad eren didnt want them to find him and blah blah ) but she goes all ackerman yk )
- they end up going wtih her

- smth smth idk maybe they find him or smth like on some distant place just like lying there on his own giant island looking all gross in his ugly final form yk and its devastating (AND UGLY SHIVER ME TIMBERS) (like how am i supposed to write mikasa and eren getting a happy ending if eren turned into a super gross extremely massive wierd titan thing ugh)

⪻ daily #5 ♪ 7/5/2026 ⪼

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The five spent several long, excruciating days turning the caves into the classrooms.
The caves had to be cleared of all obstacles, including heavy boulders that would impede students’ pathways, not to mention stablizing the stalgmites incase they suddenly dropped. The five also had
Even after all that was done, the mazes of caves still very…cold. Distant. Harsh. Not a welcoming place.
And so, there went another couple of days working on decorating everything, hanging leaves, flowers, decorations to make the rooms feel more warm and welcoming.
Starflight was in charge of calculating the sum of all the materials and data collecting, while Tsunami and Glory headed off to the rainforest to harvest the decorations. Clay and Sunny hung everything up and placed all the furniture, arranging everything neatly to make the school more homey.
“I think everything’s done!” Sunny exclaimed, after all the rooms were decorated.
But so, she was wrong. For the five now had to recruit all the students to attend the school.
Finding RainWings to attend the school wasn’t much of a challenge. Queen Glory was able to recruit dragons to attend pretty quickly. Kinkajou, Tamarin, Boto, Coconut, and Siamang all filled in the RainWing slots at the school.
Recruiting NightWings posed a bit of a challenge. Moonwatcher and Mightywings were the first to get a spot in the school. The other three had to be persuaded by their parents, the dragonets, the Queen, and the RainWings to finally agree and attend the school.
The other tribes posed a big challenge. Letters after letters to the queens of all the kingdoms, only to get short, one-sentence respond. The five dragonets were seriously annoyed. Even Starflight, the wisest of them all, was stuck on how to convince the queens to allow dragonets to attend their school.
Day after day, week after week, and finally the dragonets finally got one response from a queen.
The list of SeaWing dragonets that were attending have been finalized.
And soon after, letters from other queens followed. Apparently, Tsunami was able to convince Queen Coral to persuade the other royalties. And it worked.
So, after several weeks, maybe months, Jade Mountain Academy was finally finished and ready to open.

367/300 words

Fanfiction Future – July 5 daily

For today, you’ll be continuing the passage of time within your favorite media—how have characters changed after their story? Write 300 words of your favorite characters several years after their finale for 400 points, and 100 more for sharing proof!

Media: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
1107 words

The war had ended three years ago, and while everyone was busy with reconstruction, they also had more time for parties than in most of their entire lives. Frosta had thrown the victory party just weeks after the Horde’s defeat (it was only fair, since her Princess Prom had been ruined). Bright Moon and Plumeria had hosted multiple gatherings each, and Salineas devoted a year to rebuilding before it hosted one as well. Now, after years of cleaning up the Fright Zone and Horror Hall, it was Scorpia’s turn.
She meticulously signed each invitation (using a special pen Entrapta had designed for her to use with her pincers), with a little heart next to each signature, and wrote the names on every envelope herself before sending them out.
She pictured her friends’ faces upon receiving them. In Bright Moon, maybe Glimmer would squeal over it and Bow would cheer and Catra would get out of Adora’s lap to see what it was. Swift Wind would be excited to have an invitation addressed to him. In Salineas, Mermista wouldn’t act that excited but she’d still be happy to go, and Sea Hawk would be enthusiastic enough for both of them. In Dryl, Entrapta would be happy, and Hordak… okay, Hordak never came to the parties, but she invited him anyway. In the Kingdom of Snows, Frosta would be reading Scorpia’s extra note — P.S. do you want to make ice sculptures for it? They’re so cool! (Ha, cool!) XOXO, which Scorpia hadn’t been sure about sending because it wasn’t formal like the rest of it, but she also knew Frosta wouldn’t mind. And in Plumeria, Perfuma wouldn’t be surprised at all; she was already helping Scorpia plan the ball. But she’d be happy all the same.
Scorpia paid messengers to deliver those invitations, but there was one she had to deliver herself. She wasn’t going to make anyone else go through the Crimson Waste for her, and anyway, it had been awhile since she’d seen these old friends.
It turned out they’d moved since the last time she’d visited, so she had to ask for directions several times in the Valley of the Lost (which, hey, was fitting since it had lost in the name), but eventually, she found their house. “Knock, knock!” she said, rapping on the side of the house before stepping into the doorway. “Since you don’t have a door, I thought I’d say…”
Lonnie and Rogelio stared at her. They’d been sitting on the floor, playing a card game. Lonnie stood up. “Scorpia?”
“Hey, long time no see! Can I give you a—”
Lonnie and Rogelio pulled her into a hug.
Scorpia hugged them back, tight, “Awww! I missed you guys! Where’s Kyle?”
Lonnie just said “mmph” and Rogelio roared something in lizard. Scorpia set them down.
“Kyle’s out running errands,” said Lonnie. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh right! I came here to bring you this.” Scorpia handed her the invitation. Lonnie opened it, and Rogelio leaned in next to her to read it.
Lonnie looked up at Scorpia. “You’re inviting us to a ball?”
Rogelio roared and grunted.
“Yeah! At Horror Hall. It’s all in the invitation,” said Scorpia
“But… we can’t go to this! This is princess stuff. We’re not— we’re not fancy. We can’t go to a ball.”
“Don’t say that! Of course you can. I used to think I wasn’t cut out for this stuff either, but look at me now! I’m hosting one. Me. Can you believe it? These things used to make me super nervous, but when you have friends with you, it’s fun.”
Rogelio said something to Lonnie in lizard that Scorpia didn’t understand, but apparently Lonnie did because she said, “Yeah, disguised as guards. It’s totally different.”
“What did he say?” asked Scorpia.
“That me and Kyle went to Princess Prom. But that was for a mission, plus it’s not like we were disguised as princesses. We just stood around in guard uniforms the whole time.”
“Hey guys, I’m home— Scorpia?!” Kyle shouted fron the doorway. There was a thud as he dropped the bag he was holding. Spiky fruits spilled out of it and rolled across the floor.
“Kyle! Hey!” Scorpia beamed and gave him a hug. “I was just here to give you this — oh, uh, I already gave the invitation to Lonnie… I’m hosting a ball, and you’re all invited!”
Kyle blinked. “A ball? Us? Like a fancy party princess ball?”
Lonnie scoffed. “That’s what I said! Can you imagine? Us at a ball?”
“We were at Princess Prom. It’d be so cool to go to one of those for real, as a guest!” Kyle smiled, then frowned. “Wait, but what would we wear?”
Scorpia grinned. “Oh, I know a great tailor. She makes stuff that fits with my spikes and tail and everything. Just stop by the Fright Zone and I’ll get you an appointment!”
Rogelio croaked something in lizard.
Kyle tilted his head. “Huh?”
Lonnie’s eyes widened. “Imp! Where is he?”
“What? He’s right…” Kyle looked around. “I don’t know! He was with me a minute ago!”
“KYLE! You lost him?!”
“I, uh… the market was busy, and…”
“Seriously, Kyle?!” Lonnie pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, let’s split up. Kyle, you retrace your steps. Scorpia, you go with Kyle. We better find him before sundown.”
Scorpia saluted. “Yes, ma’am!” Ha! She’d never saluted Lonnie before. In the Horde it was always the other way around. But now wasn’t the time to say that. It was time to search.
While they searched, she asked Kyle, “You’re gonna come to my ball, right? Please? It’s my first time hosting one of these things, and I really want you to be there.”
“Yeah! As long as Lonnie doesn’t kill me for this… Can we bring Imp with?”
“Of course! He’s part of the family. Even if he’s Hordak’s old weird… pet? Servant? Thing? I don’t know what to call him. I should’ve said on the invite that parents can bring their kids. I need to remember to tell Spinnerella and Netossa that… Is he your kid? I was never really clear on what exactly…”
“Yeah, I mean, kind of. Kid works. And they’ll kill me if anything happens to him…”
“Don’t worry, he’s tough. I mean, he snuck all around the Fright Zone for Hordak, right? He can handle this place.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. And he’s gotten lost before and it’s been fine. He’ll be okay.”
“Right! And then you can all come back with me and get suited up for the ball!”
Kyle smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, that’ll be fun.”

After our hero’s journey ends, our stories come to an end as well. But you know what they say…After every story’s ending, comes only a new beginning. What would happen if you were given just a few more pages? Or more minutes for a movie or show? For today, you’ll be continuing the passage of time within your favorite media—how have characters changed after their story? Write 300 words of your favorite characters several years after their finale for 400 points, and 100 more for sharing proof!
Based off of the Odyssey, after the epilogue

Telemachus stepped out of his room and began making his way down to the palace’s second floor. It was strange having his father back— in a good way, but still strange. The twenty years that he had been gone had turned him into a stranger, yet Telemachus refused to give up. He had longed for his father for so long, he was determined to learn to treat him as if he had always been there with them.
“Good morning mother and father,”Telemachus greeted as he entered the dining room. There was something surreal at seeing his father at the head of the table. It painted the illusion that he had never left.
“There have been riots in wake of my return,” Odysseus said gravely. The journey had been hard for him, and it left him transformed. “The family of the suitors are demanding answers.”
Penelope sighed and stared down at her food. “I wish everything could return back to normal.”
Telemachus placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “I know, mother,” he said, “but we must stay strong. Sooner or later, the people will accept father as our king once again.”
Penelope nodded, understanding. “I’m aware, Telemachus. Only, I wish it would be sooner rather than later.”
Odysseus took Penelope’s hand and looked into her eyes. “Do not fret, my love, for we will make the world right once again. I have fought gods and monsters, sorceresses and storms, I can handle a few angry citizens.”
“I do not doubt that, my husband,” Penelope replied, “only, I fear at what cost making the world right again will come at.”
Telemachus, too, feared this. While his father returning was a momentous occasion (and Telemachus did not miss the horrendous suitors, especially Antinous), it had caused great unrest. The families of the slain suitors were demanding repercussions for the massacre of the men. Although their want for closure was reasonable, they were completely ignoring that the fact that the majority of the men had been committing treason for their plotting of Telemachus’ mvrd3r and their plan to h4rm Penelope.
348 words

daily 5! i'm actually really proud of this one <3 I might continue it a bit and turn it in for the writing comp? anyways here you go! some glorious tea dragon fanfic ;D

Greta's hammer pounded against the metal, shaping the handle of the teapot in a perfect semicircle.

She wiped the sweat from her brow, sighing. Blacksmithing was tiring work.

She stood up, setting down the almost-finished teapot. All that was left to do was welding the handle to the body of the pot, but she needed some water before she could get to that. And perhaps now was a good time to go check the mail as well, now that she was giving herself a moment.

She filled a tall glass with cool water and gulped it down in one sip, sighing in relief. She put the glass in the sink, slipped off her gloves, and clomped over to the door, dark hair swinging.

She gripped the handle and swung the door open, blinking as a burst of wind hit her in the face. It was certainly windy out today.

The mailbox was right next to her door, as living near the canals made it hard to have a yard, so she didn't have to go far to get to it. The box opened easily, and she slipped her hand inside to fist a handful of envelopes.

She went back into the house, sat down at the table, and smoothed out the papers.

Most of them were smithing orders, but one had a very familiar address.

“The tea shop!” Greta gasped, startling her poor tea dragon out of a heavy sleep. Gensing gave Greta a grumpy glare and settled back into a cinnamon roll position.

Greta laughed and opened the envelope.

Dear Greta, it began…

It's been so long since we've last seen you! How's the shop? I'm sure you're getting flooded with requests. You've improved so much since Kleitos took you on as an apprentice!

The tea shop is doing great. Rinn and Aedhan visit whenever they can, and it's always so nice to see them!

Speaking of visits… won't you come over and see us when you catch a break in your work? Erik and Hesekiel have been telling me how much they miss seeing you and Ginseng around. I know your blacksmithing keeps you busy, but surely you can find some time to come see your old friends!

With love, Minette

Greta smiled, a blush creeping onto her face as she read the last line. But she stifled it quickly and put the letter aside to rummage around for some magnets in her drawers. There was one with a photo of her and Minette inside of it hidden underneath some postcards, and Greta fixed the letter onto her fridge with it.

Minette was right. It had been a while since Greta had visited the tea shop— much too long for a place that was so significant in her life.

It didn't feel like a decision at all when she set some time off for the next few days. The tea shop was waiting, and she wasn't going to deny it. She would leave tomorrow.

But first, she had to attach this handle to her teapot.

Daily #5 : Years Later Fanfiction
1168 words, Tangled the Series Fandom
Full disclaimer: The science doesnt science, either that or Varian is actually a god, which is entirely possible

*Beep* *Beep* *Skrtchhh*
It was working!
Varian pumped his fist up in the air, Ruddiger cheering alongside him on his shoulders. Rapunzel should like this! Varian grinned and hoisted his new invention - he called it a Long Graph- up into his arms.
When Rapunzel had been annoyed that communication with the other kingdoms took at least two days, but for the furthest kingdom, four days. Before this, Varian had been playing around with Electricity- which he had found while investigating lightning and static shocks. He figured that since electricity could move very fast, it could be used to send messages.
Then he had figured out how to make a language with the currents- dots and dashes representing letters. After that, it was pretty easy to make the Long Graph wireless, with a transmitter and receiver, along with a device for writing out the messages. Right now, the two parts of the Long Graph could only be a mile or two apart, but he figured that with time he could expand that distance.
Ruddiger jumped off of Varian’s shoulders to grab one of his apple treats before Varian left to go find the Queen. He headed down the spiraling staircase of his tower, mind buzzing with new ideas. What else could he do with this energy? What kind of new technology could be created with them? If he could expand his knowledge of electricity and sending messages and share it with the other kingdoms, who knew what their scientists could build?
At last, Varian reached Queen Rapunzel's room. Varian was allowed access to her chambers (after some persuading) now that he was Head Scientist for Corona. Varian knocked upon the intricately painted door.
No answer.
Varian knocked again.
This time, it opened to show Old Mrs. Crowley, who was somehow still alive and as grumpy as ever.
“Oh, hi!” Varian said, a bit thrown off balance.
“What do you want?” Crowley said, voice crackly and hoarse.
“Do you happen to know where the Queen is?”
Crowley stared at him, eyes distrustful. Finally, she nodded. “Her majesty is out in the gardens with that Cassandra girl.”
Then she shut the door. Hard.
Varian paused. Wait, already? He had thought that Cassandra wasn’t coming over for months.
Wait, had it been months?
“I guess I let that invention take over my time for a while, didn’t I?” He said to Ruddiger, as he headed back through the castle to the gardens with the large Long Graph still in his hands. Boy, it was heavy. Maybe he should get a cart or something.
Nonetheless, he made it to the gardens. Though he was panting hard by the end of the long walk.
Cassandra and Rapunzel were indeed in the garden, talking to each other softly on a painted bench with their backs to Varian. As Varian made his way through the garden boxes, he spotted Eugene coming towards the two girls from the opposite direction. Varian tried to get his attention, but it was hard with the Long Graph in his hands. Plus, Eugene was too focused on smoothing his hair.
As soon as Varian got close to the chair, Cassandra turned around sharply, then relaxed when she saw him. Rapunzel turned around too, confused.
“Oh hi Varian!” she said, with her trademark cheeriness. She looked down at what Varian held.
“Hey princess!” He said in response. He still called Rapunzel princess, even though she was The Queen. Old habits, he guessed. She hadn’t corrected him ever so he guessed it was okay.
“What are you doing here? And what are you holding?”
“This,” He said with a magnanimous tone in his voice, “Is a Long Graph! Now hang on a minute so I can put it down and show you.”
Varian stepped around to put it down in front of the bench. Eugene noticed and rushed over to see what was happening.
“Hey kid!” He said, ruffling Varian’s hair. Varian smiled, but shook off Eugene's hand.
“So what does it do?” Cass said when Varian had at last set down the Long Graph.
Varian grinned at Cassandra, who was perched with one arm on the arm rest and the other on the back of the bench. She was wearing her hunting outfit- loose, muted green shirt and rugged pants with a belt full of daggers. A cloak was hung around her shoulders, concealing her bow.
“I’m glad you asked, Cassie. Have you ever realized that it can take days to send messages in Corona? Even longer to reach the other kingdoms? It can take over a week to arrange meetings or send invitations to other Monarchs.”
Rapunzel and Eugene nodded, but Cassandra didn’t do anything. Varian supposed she didn’t really have to talk to many people outside her little village that she ran.
“Well, I think I’ve found a way to make that communication almost instantaneous.”
Rapunzel gasped, Eugene leaned forward, and even Cassandra looked shocked.
“R-Really? How is that- how is that even possible?” Rapunzel asked, excited.
Varian nodded, grinning. “Here let me show you.” He handed Rapunzel one half of the Long Graph. It was very clunky- Varian hoped to change that later- and looked like a bunch of metal instruments on a wooden block. There was a stack of papers inside the block, with only the top sheet exposed, above them was a sharp pencil connected to a mechanical arm.
“Now,” Varian said, holding the second half, which looked like a giant brass flower on a wooden block. “I’m going to speak into this half and then your device will write out the words I say. Can you press the on switch? It's on the side- yeah that one- okay thanks!”
Rapunzel watched with wide eyes as Varian bent over his device, turning a few knobs before speaking into it in a low voice.
Cassandra gasped and leaned in, reading aloud as the pen wrote what Varian said.
“Hello. Testing, testing. …this is the official demonstration of the Long Graph.”
The pen stopped moving and Varian straightened up. He looked up at the three adults in front of him. They were speechless.
Eugene was the first to speak.
“Kid… This is incredible! This will change the world!”
Varian blushed, turning off his device. “Well, right now the two halves can’t be very far apart - a mile at most.
“Still…” Cassandra said. “This is going to be revolutionary in the science field.”
Varian smiled shyly. “There are still a lot of issues…”
He looked at Rapunzel, curious about her reaction. She was wide eyed, staring at the device.
“Varian… You are amazing.”
Amazing.
Amazing.
Varian turned the word over in his head.
His father had never said that when he had shown him his inventions. He had always said, “Varian, this is what you have been wasting your time on?” or “Varian, this is great but you need to come over here and help me with the cows.” Don’t get him wrong, Quirin was a great father but… Never had he called Varian amazing.
Slowly, Varian started to grin again. This… This was what a real family was like, wasn’t it? Nineteen years into his life and he had finally found it.
“Thanks, guys.”