Benice Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) The point of this thread / contest is to incentivize people to practice writing through creating short stories around various prompts. "I don't know how to write!" I hear you say. Not a problem! This is less a competition and more an excuse to sit down and write something. Most importantly, this thread is meant to force yourself to improve through practicing and facing fears of being judged by others. Regardless of whether you receive any votes, you still receive experience which may help you as a writer. On 3/9/2019 at 1:30 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: The Rules: 1) In order to sort of extend writing times, I have made the executive decision to have the cycles start on the 1st of each month and end with seven days left. Over the next five days, voters will choose their favourite entry. A winner will be named on the sixth day, and the winner will have until the 3rd of the next month to prepare for hosting the next week's competition, although having a prompt out on the 1st is encouraged. 2) Though not hard limits, entries should seek to remain between 1,000 and 10,000 words. However, the preferred word count is the one you feel works best for your story. 3) No smut. Try to keep entries within a PG-13 rating. 4) You may not submit old work, even if it has been edited or rewritten. All entries must be completely new. 5) Post your entry in this thread within spoiler tags 6) You cannot vote for your own entry. 7) We do accept anonymous entries! If you wish to participate anonymously, send me your finished submissions via PMs, and I will submit them on your behalf, designating it as an anonymous entry. The Theme: A prompt chosen by the host as the theme for contestants to write their entries for that cycle about. The theme can be about anything (only FE-related, must be original work, holiday-themed, etc.) as long as the theme does not force contestants to break the above rules. Current Round: 20 Current Phase: Writing Phase Round 20 Writing Phase Countdown Prompt: On 6/9/2023 at 6:30 PM, TheSilentChloey said: Soul told me in the event that he takes this one out to give the following as the Theme: Goodbyes Entries: --- Competition 358/II.8: Spoiler Round 20 Round 19 Spoiler Prompt: On 5/8/2023 at 11:53 PM, Jotari said: It Was At This Moment He Knew He Fucked Up (feel free to substitute 'he' for 'she' or 'they', of course). Entries: Make You Own (TheSilentChloey) The Price of Betrayal (Soulweaver) (Winning entry) (Farewell, Soul!) Round 18 Spoiler On 4/6/2023 at 9:30 AM, indigoasis said: Yes, I think a group prompt would be a cool idea. Everyone can pitch in a prompt, and we can either decide on a single one to use, or we could forge them all into a single mega-prompt. I think that might offer a unique challenge, but if that's not anyone's cup of tea, no big deal. I guess to pitch in mine: Create a complete character arc within a single short story/chapter. Exposition dumps and time skips are BANNED. On 4/6/2023 at 4:37 PM, SoulWeaver said: My suggestion is Contracts. Entries: Based on True Events (AnonymousSpeed) In Medias Res (SoulWeaver) The Memoirs of Ludveck, Duke of Felirae (Jotari) (Winning entry) Round 17 Spoiler On 3/3/2023 at 8:24 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Funeral(s) This is to be distinguished from death. The ceremony is at least of some importance here. Entries: May All Our Souls be Saved (Jotari) Shadow Tactician: To Fairwell a Tactician (TheSilentChloey) Open Wounds (Indigoasis) (Winning Entry) Uhhhhh I'mma let you guys come up with something (Soulweaver) Round 16 Spoiler On 2/2/2023 at 5:57 PM, SoulWeaver said: Write about someone or something that is unusual to the point of being something of an outcast. Entries: Outcast (TheSilentChloey) Different Course of Fate (Acacia Sgt) Out of Bounds (Indigoasis) The Hardest (AnonymousSpeed) (Winning Entry) Round 15 Spoiler On 8/14/2020 at 10:29 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write using the setting and characters from a story someone else submitted in a previous round. You may not consult the original author or ask for their permission. Entries: Mercy (TheSilentChloey) Eggs and Cheddar (Indigoasis) Who ate the Cookie? (SoulWeaver) (Winning entry) Round 14 Spoiler On 12/10/2022 at 5:26 PM, Acacia Sgt said: I know it's December and all, but right now I am more inspired by the significance of what tomorrow means in my country. So here's the prompt: Mothers. Be it biological mother, mother by adoption, or just someone acting motherly. The story has to portray at least one character fulfilling such a role. Entries: The Mother Discussion (TheSilentChloey) Prelude (Indigoasis) Kidney Stones (AnonymousSpeed) (Winning entry) Round 13 Spoiler Prompt: On 11/6/2022 at 7:07 PM, indigoasis said: Extra Credit Opportunity If you have any ideas from prior months that you wanted to write down, but didn't get the chance due to time constraints, lack of motivation, or whatever else, now's the time. Likewise, any stories that you weren't able to finish on time in prior months are eligible for submission. If you have an itch to write a sequel, you can do that, too. Otherwise, you can essentially treat this prompt as a freewrite. Why didn't I just call it a freewrite in the first place? Because I wanna remind you of those ideas you had, and give them the opportunity they truly deserve. Entries: A Break on the Beach (Acacia Sgt) (Winning Entry) The Falafel and Burger Addicts (TheSilentChloey) The Cliff (Jotari) Round 12 Spoiler Prompt: Quote 'll let you guys pick between Halloween-themed and the following: Hide contents "Wait, where am I?" Write a piece about a character(s) who suddenly find themselves in another world. Ideally this would be another world in their universe(Mario and friends find Mr. L is now the one causing problems during their latest Party, for example), but if you think you can make it good feel free to try mixing things up(Robin now has to figure out a strategy to save Hyrule from the Twili, for example). Whether or not the inhabitants of the new world notice the visitors are out of place, or whether they replace any character in the new world, is up to you. Entries: Resurrection (Indigoasis) (Winning Entry) Untitled Entry (SoulWeaver) This is Late... (TheSilentChloey) Peacewood (AnonymousSpeed) Round 11 Spoiler Prompt: On 9/7/2022 at 11:05 PM, TheSilentChloey said: Some old, once forgotten reappeared and no one bar the crazy loony was prepared. Entries: Untitled (Soulweaver) (Winning entry) Round 10 Spoiler On 8/3/2022 at 4:39 PM, indigoasis said: Write a story based on a song of your choice. Literally any song you want. Entries: FML (TheSilentChloey) (Winning entry) Untitled entry (Soulweaver) Purim (AnonymousSpeed) Round 9 Spoiler Prompt: Quote Well then, here's the keyword: Beach. Anything goes, as long as a beach is involved. Entries: Untitled (TheSilentChloey) Crooks and Nannies (Indigoasis) (Winning entry) Round 8 Spoiler Prompt: On 6/3/2022 at 10:51 AM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write about a small town. Entries: The Smallest of Things (TheSilentChloey) Vivarium of the Goddess (Acacia Sgt) (Winning Entry) Definitely Not Yu-Gi-Oh! (Soulweaver) Round 7 Spoiler Prompt: On 5/3/2022 at 10:26 AM, Newtype06 said: Mecha Anything Mecha goes Entries: Mek-Alpha (Jotari) Voice Log #195144-851216 (Indigoasis) Dank Dill Begins (AnonymousSpeed) (Winning entry) Round 6 Spoiler Prompt: Quote As such, here's what I got: The gray (or grey) area between good and evil Recipe for disaster Alright folks, good luck and Godspeed! Entries: Light and Dark (TheSilentChloey) Tomorrow is the Weekend (AnonymousSpeed) Red dyed Gray (Shrimpolaris) An Inquisitor's Letter (Newtype06) (Winning Entry) Round 5 Spoiler Prompt: Quote For your prompt, you may choose between Twisted Timelines or Wrecked World-realms. Interpret either statement how you choose, of course. Entries: Bleeding Hearts (Indigoasis) (Winning entry) Charlie Screws Up (AnonymousSpeed) Breaking Hallowed Ground (Anonymous Entry) Reflection of Time (TheSilentChloey) Untitled non-entry submission (Soulweaver) Round 4 Spoiler Prompts: On 2/3/2022 at 8:11 AM, SoulWeaver said: Absurdity taken seriously On 2/3/2022 at 7:31 AM, indigoasis said: (You may be entitled to) Financial Compensation You may choose one or the other. Combining the two into one entry is also an option. Entries: Isekai? What's that?(shut up it's the best I could come up with it's 11:45 at night) (Soulweaver) (Winning entry) Crack fic (TheSilentChloey) Round 3 Spoiler Theme: On 1/3/2022 at 1:28 PM, TheSilentChloey said: Your theme is: New Beginnings Entries: His Woes (Indigoasis) (Winning entry, tied) Untitled (Soulweaver) (Winning entry, tied) I'll add this later (AnonymousSpeed) The Hollow Dragon (Benice) Foreign Shores for Foreign Hearts (Anonymous) Round 2 Spoiler Theme: Quote Time is running out Write a story where someone is under pressure for time in some way. Entries: The Last One (TheSilentChloey) (Winning entry) Peaches 'N Pearls (Indigoasis) Palisade (AnonymousSpeed) Round 1 Spoiler Theme: On 4/19/2021 at 7:17 AM, Acacia Sgt said: "Character A impersonates Character B" Entries: Shadow Yugi (TheSilentChloey) Sword and Heart (Jotari) (Winning entry) Moonlight? (Eclipse) Impersonator (Indigoasis) The Impostor is dishonourable (AnonymousSpeed) Competition II.5: Hide contents [ Header ] Round 45 Hide contents Theme: On 4/3/2021 at 9:13 AM, Maof06 said: Write a story in which a character swaps bodies with someone of the opposite sex. Entries: Acacia ("Swap Order Mayhem") Round 44 Hide contents Theme: On 3/13/2021 at 8:57 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write a video game fanfiction where a glitch or exploit is now canon. Entries: Maof06 ("An Oath Renewed") SoulWeaver ("å Røb0t n@M∂ F1t3") TheSilentChloey ("Severa's Journal") Round 43 Hide contents Theme: On 2/21/2021 at 10:08 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Anything goes! Feel free to make suggestions. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Dream") Non-Participating Entries TheSilentChloey ("Lif's Arrival") Round 42 Hide contents Theme: On 2/8/2021 at 8:30 AM, Shrimperor said: ''Save the Witch, Abandon the Princess," The Hero decided Entries: N/A Round 41 Hide contents Theme: On 1/18/2021 at 4:20 PM, SoulWeaver said: Pick a Round you did not participate in. Participate in it, and make sure to state which Round your piece is about. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Tadashi vs Czonka") Shrimperor ("Those Left Behind") TheSilentChloey ("An Emperor's Escape") Round 40 Hide contents Theme: On 12/24/2020 at 3:24 PM, TheSilentChloey said: Pick a character you wouldn't normally write about (or one you really like to write about). They've been put on a survival training mission with their mentor/trainee. What shenanigans ensue during this training session? Do the mentor/student get along with the other? Or do they argue? Your characters have three days of the training session to figure that out among themselves. Entries: SoulWeaver ("Thing, no name decided") Round 39 Hide contents Theme: On 11/28/2020 at 12:26 AM, Jotari said: The theme is a Festival, with the caveat that it can't be blatantly based around a real world festival. Come up with something original. Or if you are going to steal from something that exists already, don't just grab Halloween or Easter. Base it on one of those crazy Spanish festivals where they throw tomatoes at bulls. Entries: Ottservia ("Blue Moon's Shadow") TheSilentChloey ("Havalia") Round 38 Hide contents Theme: On 11/8/2020 at 10:38 AM, Sire said: "Journal/Diary Entry." Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("BJ's Journal") Jotari ("The D.E.N.T.A files") TheSilentChloey ("Byleth's Journal") Round 37 Hide contents Theme: On 10/18/2020 at 11:15 AM, SoulWeaver said: Dreams. Entries: Sire ("Of Knights and Nightmares") TheSilentChloey ("What Dream?") Round 36 Hide contents Theme: On 9/25/2020 at 9:31 PM, Ottservia said: Write a fight scene between two characters. Entries: Eclipse ("Fashionably Offensive") SoulWeaver ("Dance with Death") TheSilentChloey ("Birb vs Birb") Non-Participant Entries: Jotari ("Through Osprey's Eyes") Round 35 Hide contents Theme: On 9/4/2020 at 9:03 PM, DarthR0xas said: A character is transported into a different world. What happens? Entries: Ottservia ("Reflections in the Moonlight") Shoblongoo ("Fire Emblem Three Houses, but Byleth is Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force") TheSilentChloey ("Portal") Round 34 Hide contents Theme: On 8/14/2020 at 10:29 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write using the setting and characters from a story someone else submitted in a previous round. You may not consult the original author or ask for their permission. Entries: Azure ("Black, White, and Crimson") DarthR0xas ("Smiling with Innocent Eyes") Jotari ("Huzzah They're Dead") Ottservia ("Breathe, Once More!") Shoblongoo ("Amongst the Fae") SoulWeaveer ("Secret Comb-ANNA-tions") TheSilentChloey ("The Price of Patriotism") Round 33 Hide contents Theme: On 7/25/2020 at 1:09 PM, Azure loves his Half Elves said: vampires. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Stop the Vampires") TheSilentChloey ("Meeting Marik Ishtal") Round 32 Hide contents Theme: On 7/3/2020 at 10:09 PM, Shoblongoo said: Patriotism Entries: Anacybele ("Long Live Crimea!") AnonymousSpeed ("Meet the Saxton 2") Azure ("The Corrupted Pride") Jotari ("Blood and Soil") SoulWeaver ("What Makes a Nation?") TheSilentChloey (Insert Something Stupid Here ffs) Round 31 Hide contents Theme: On 6/13/2020 at 3:19 AM, Morgan--Grandmaster said: write a story about either the discussion of LGBTQIA+ rights or one or more characters in an LGBTQIA+ relationship, or lack thereof Entries: Ottservia ("The Story Unknown to All") Shoblongoo ("Reformation") TheSilentChloey ("To Be In Love") Round 30 Hide contents Theme: On 5/24/2020 at 8:49 PM, SoulWeaver said: Select another person on this Thread. That person selects a character for you. Write a piece about waking up to find yourself in that character’s body. This can be in your own world or in the character’s world, and you can choose whether or not anyone notices the difference in you/the character. Please keep in mind what kind of character the person you have in mind may pick, and please be considerate thinking of a character for anyone who picks you. Entries: Morgan--Grandmaster ("Invisible Shroud") TheSilentChloey ("The Time I woke up in Gimurei's Body...") Non-Participant Entries: SoulWeaver ("Crimeany!") Round 29 Hide contents Theme: On 5/1/2020 at 10:23 PM, Shoblongoo said: ”Oh wow. Why did we ever think THAT was a good idea?” Entries: AnonyousSpeed ("The Little Guy Assault") SoulWeaver ("Bullcrap Lifehack") TheSilentChloey ("Why did I ever think it was a Good Idea to Do This?") Round 28 Hide contents Theme: On 4/11/2020 at 10:52 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write about cooking. Entries: Anacybele ("The Cheesecake Caper") Shoblongoo ("Iron Chef: Fodlan") TheSilentChloey ("Slice of Life") Round 27 Hide contents Theme: On 3/20/2020 at 2:50 PM, Dragoncat said: A character is reduced to a seemingly weaker, hindered form. Entries: Acacia Sgt ("A Transfigurative Overclass") Anacybele ("Cursed") AnonymousSpeed ("Bass Takes a Sick Day") KingStaragna ("Hairline") Ottservia ("The Screaming Pain") Rapier ("Unlikely Encounter") Shoblongoo ("Life's Legacy") SoulWeaver ("Her Most Dangerous Mission") TheSilentChloey ("Unknowns") Round 26 Hide contents Theme: On 3/1/2020 at 11:04 AM, SoulWeaver said: Hang on, that's...me?! Write a piece about a character meeting another version of themselves. Entries: Anacybele ("Peace of Mind Across Time") Dragoncat ("Double Teach") Shoblongoo ("Both Sides of Time") TheSilentChloey ("Shaken") Non-Participant Entries: Scoot ("Shen-ANNA-gans") SoulWeaver ("The Chromspiracy Chromtinues") Round 25 Hide contents Theme: On 2/8/2020 at 3:42 PM, Shoblongoo said: “Subvert the reader’s expectations. Write something that makes the reader think they know what’s going to happen next, then does something completely different.” Entries: Anacybele ("The Lessons in Life") AnonymousSpeed ("The Scourer") Benice ("The Trials of a Soldier") Ottservia ("The Time I Heroically Died Saving My Cute Little Sister Only To Be Reincarnated As A Demon Lord In Another World") SoulWeaver ("A Summoning Surprise") TheSilentChloey ("Fourth Wall Break") Non-Participant Entries: SoulWeaver ("Insanity") Round 24 Hide contents Theme: On 1/18/2020 at 9:18 PM, Ottservia said: write a story about overcoming loneliness Entries: Anacybele ("That Fateful Day") Shoblongoo ("One") SoulWeaver ("A Curious Conversation") TheSilentChloey ("Dragontouched") Round 23 Hide contents Theme: On 12/28/2019 at 9:09 PM, DarthR0xas said: Two people drifted apart in some manner, could be over years naturally, could've been with one big blow-up. Regardless, something forces them back together. What happens? Entries: Anacybele ("Demons of the Past") OrcaWolf ("Not So Different") Ottservia ("The Weight of a Sword") SoulWeaver ("Blue Angel, Red Devil") TheSilentChloey ("Summoner's Luck") Round 22 Hide contents Theme: On 12/8/2019 at 9:01 AM, AnonymousSpeed said: Hohoho, children! Christmas season is upon us, and that means some of mankind's most beautiful music fills the air once again! We've had music prompts before, and Christmas carols fit that idea like a santa suit. Your prompt is to create a story inspired by one of the apex installments in this great musical tradition: Entries: Anacybele ("The Greatest Gift") Benice ("Ho Ho No!") DarthR0xas ("Solo: A Star War Holiday Story") TheSilentChloey ("My First True Christmas") SoulWeaver ("On this Holy Day") Round 21 Hide contents Theme: On 11/16/2019 at 9:17 PM, Azure, Roundabouted Out said: This is a Fire Emblem-Specific prompt that starts with the writer flipping a coin. What they write is dependent on the result. This is only for the main series, no spinoffs like Heroes and Warriors. Heads: Write a story about a solo ending or a paired ending of a playable unit of your choice (as in, what can be seen as the end credits roll). Tails: Write the story of how a playable non-Lord unit you like dies. Cannot be before their recruitment or after the events of the game’s plot ends. The death cannot be canonical, either (so no Ninian). And no resurrection Entries: Anacybele ("A Knight's Duty") AnonymousSpeed ("The Fireman") Ottservia ("Always Left Behind") SoulWeaver ("Why I quit Shadow Dragon") TheSilentChloey ("Birthwrong") Round 20 Hide contents Theme: On 10/26/2019 at 10:30 PM, TheSilentChloey said: “I believed that the darkness would give me strength, but how naïve of me to believe that...our hearts have to be stronger than the darkness churning within us…” A character often times walks their own path, using the above quote however you see fit, write about a character who has come to regret either their actions or powers that they obtained in some way, and realise that they are too far gone to turn back. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("The Emperor") Azure ("What is a Promise?:") Benice ("The candy justifies the means.") Dragoncat ("Time for a non entry.") Ottservia ("A Promised Reunion") SoulWeaver ("A Mother's Reflection") Non-Participant Entries: TheSilentChloey ("Silent Reminisce") Round 19 Hide contents Theme: On 10/6/2019 at 6:59 PM, SoulWeaver said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtEdhKOMgQ Let's get the spirit of my personal favorite holiday on, my dudes! Write something Halloween-themed. It can be scary, horror-style scribbles, lighthearted Harvest Scramble DLC stuff, whatever comes to mind. Heck, we just got some inspiration this past week with that FEH Channel, with Hector and lil' Lilina, so even something along those lines works great, or you could pick a character who may not have access to Halloween-style celebrations in their land and write out their first Halloween/Harvest Festival. Entries: Anacybele ("A Trick for no Treat") Dragoncat ("The Harvest Trick") Ottservia ("The Price of a Wish") TheSilentChloey ("Reflection") Non-Participant Entries: Azure in a Roundabout ("A Ghost at Heart") Round 18 Hide contents Theme: On 9/15/2019 at 9:20 AM, Jotari said: Sympathy for the devil. Entries: Anacybele ("The Burning Flame") AnonymousSpeed ("The Accuser") Azure ("Sympathy from a Scarlet Devil") SoulWeaver ("From the Devil To the Devil") TheSilentChloey ("The Devil's Advocate") Round 17 Hide contents Theme: On 8/26/2019 at 10:43 AM, Anacybele said: A parent or parents find out their child has done something wrong or gotten themselves into a messy situation, and they have to figure out how to handle it. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Choose Mercy") Jotari ("Unconditional Love") TheSilentChloey ("The Rhythm of Life") Round 16 Hide contents Theme: On 8/3/2019 at 9:14 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: A duo of super criminals attempts a big job. Entries: Anacybele ("Divine Powers Collide") TheSilentChloey ("I really don't know what the hell to call it") Round 15 Hide contents Theme: On 7/14/2019 at 10:12 PM, jankmaster98 said: "History Repeats," whether you choose to write about something as big as a nation as personal as a single lifetime is all in your hands. Perhaps history does not have to repeat itself, perhaps it only rhymes. Either way, the idea of the past repeating itself must be present, even if only as a fear. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("The Tatarans") Azure in a Roundabout ("Blood of a Tailor") Dragoncat ("A Truce on Frigid Air") SoulWeaver ("One Last Time") TheSilentChloey ("Repeated History") Round 14 Hide contents Theme: On 6/23/2019 at 5:31 PM, TheSilentChloey said: This time the theme is Sacrifice. Now it could be like the little snippet above, where one character gives their life for another, or it could be a character having to give up their time for someone else. The choice is yours- as long as it's within the rules of course. And an added challenge for those who wish to push their skills a bit more, use the above snippet and expand on it. This is completely optional of course. Entries: Anacybele ("To Nurture a Life") DarthR0xas ("The Fires of a Loss") Jankmaster98 ("Resplendent Death") Ottservia ("I'll Face Myself") SoulWeaver ("Two Silver Candlesticks") Non-Participant Entries: TheSilentChloey ("Sacrifice") Round 13 Hide contents Theme: On 6/3/2019 at 2:55 PM, Ottservia said: My prompt is to write about a character who either feels like they don't or actually don't receive the acknowledgement they deserve for the hard work they put in. Bonus points if you make reference to the song linked above(well that song or Rolling girl either will do) Entries: Azure in a Roundabout ("The Undiscovered Journal of Nakira Nordunkerian") Jankmaster98 ("Dragonstone") TheSilentChloey ("Failure is Never an Option") Non-Participant Entries: SoulWeaver ("Two-faced Unknown Rolling Refrain") Round 12 Hide contents Theme: On 5/12/2019 at 4:32 AM, Azure in a Roundabout said: Take a ship in fiction you like. Sometime down the line in their relationship, one of them confirms that they’re pregnant. What happens? (Specifications- the relationship may be between any two characters from an officially published work of fiction, and does not have to be canonical) Entries: Anacybele ("Second Time's the Charm") Dragoncat ("Biological Rhythm") Interdimension Observer ("Twenty Years") Ottservia ("The Sun's Gentle Hands") TheSilentChloey ("Shadows of the Past") Round 11 Hide contents Theme: On 4/22/2019 at 10:14 PM, SoulWeaver said: 'Write a piece depicting something in a different light than it usually is depicted' Entries: Anacybele ("Regrets of a General") AnonymousSpeed ("Newhill") Azure in a Roundabout ("The Sun Casts a Shadow") Dragoncat ("Destiny Awakes") Interdimensional Obverserver ("z2w.y5b1o2") Jotari ("The One I Love The Most") Ottservia ("Just once more? No, no more") TheSilentChloey ("A Dragon's Question") Round 10 Hide contents Theme: On 3/31/2019 at 5:32 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write a story which introduces a brand new, high quality villain. They may have redeeming qualities, but may not be redeemed. Entries: Anacybele ("More Than a Friend") Jotari ("The Armada") Ottservia ("The Rise of the Ice Queen") Shoblongoo ("AVAST, YE SCURVY DOGS!") SoulWeaver ("BEHOLD A CONCEPT") TheSilentChloey ("Removal") Round 9 Hide contents Theme: On 3/9/2019 at 9:28 AM, Anacybele said: Your character has a deep, perhaps dark secret, and it gets exposed. How does he or she face the results and consequences of this? Maybe it ends well for them? Or maybe...it doesn't. Basically, take a character with a big crazy secret, have it get exposed, and make the character and the characters around them react and stuff. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Being Honest") Emperor_Siegfried ("The Dragonborn's Pack") Jotari ("This Is Who I Am") Shoblongoo ("Into the Dark") TheSilentChloey ("A Moment's Play") [ Footer ] Competition II: Hide contents Round 8: Hide contents Theme: On 2/13/2019 at 4:47 PM, TheSilentChloey said: "Humans make mistakes...no one is perfect after all and life is messy at the best of times. So don't be too hard on yourself." Write a story where a character is going through tough times and a friend/family/lover helps them get back on their feet. The above quote may be used anywhere in said story if desired. Bonus points for including the quote XD Entries: Anacybele ("The Strength Within") AnonymousSpeed ("Going Forward") Emperor_Siegfried ("The Heart of Dedication") Ottservia ("One More Time") Shoblongoo ("Perfected") SoulWeaver ("No One is Irredeemable") Tactician Robin ("Simply a Hunter") Non-Participant Entries: DarthR0xas ("The Zero in Darkness") TheSilentChloey ("Mistaken Identity") Round 7: Hide contents Theme: On 1/21/2019 at 4:25 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Write a two part story, but only the second part. The story must begin in medias res, and the events of the first part must be inferred entirely from the events of the second. Please notice the usage of the word "inferred" and "events," not "told" and "words." The previous happenings cannot be explicitly stated- no exposition dumps here. No flashbacks are allowed either. Entries: Anacybele ("To Be A Leader") Dragoncat ("After Twilight") Jotari ("You're Here Because of Me") LdotRage ("Track of Time") Ottservia ("Fractured Understanding") Rafiel's Aria ("Under Your Scars") Shoblongoo ("True Romance") TheSilentChloey ("The Silent One") Round 6: Hide contents Theme: On 12/30/2018 at 7:09 PM, Shoblongoo said: Write a story about something that happened because your main character got really, really, really, really drunk. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Ferrous's Night Out") Jotari ("All Good Things") TheSilentChloey ("A Night to Remember") Round 5: Hide contents Theme: On 11/30/2018 at 6:35 PM, Jotari said: Round 5's prompt is Mercy. Entries: DarthR0xas ("The Requiem of a Sith") Farina's Pegasus ("How I Met Trent Rockefeller") Rafiel's Aria ("Another Beginning") Shoblongoo ("Folly") TheSilentChloey ("Mercy") Round 4: Hide contents Theme: On 11/1/2018 at 6:28 AM, Shoblongoo said: Write a story about a character in a failing relationship, and how + why the relationship is falling apart. Entries: DarthR0xas ("The Ninja's of Love") Jotari ("The Hereafter") SoulWeaver ("Heart VS Soul") TheSilentChloey ("Seasons") Round 3: Hide contents Theme: On 10/3/2018 at 5:44 AM, Jotari said: Write me a story about a character who has committed an immoral act (or acts) in their past. Entries: Anacybele ("The Daein Vagabond") AnonymousSpeed ("The Ethical Issues of the Contemporary Emblem") DarthR0xas ("The Cursed of Youth") Dragoncat ("Declawed") Ottservia ("A Princess' Lament") Rafiel's Aria ("Orchids for Arrow") Shoblongoo ("The Better Man") TheSilentChloey ("Redemption of Grima") Round 2: Hide contents Theme: On 9/4/2018 at 6:19 AM, Shoblongoo said: Fire Emblem Fandom based comedy about the unintended consequences of messing with time travel, or outrealm gates that grant access to alternate-timeline versions of the present. It can be a light comedy or a dark comedy--writer's choice--but there has to be some element of humor to it. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("The Chrom Conspiracy") Jotari ("Tauroneo and Volug's Excellent Adventures, or, the Emblem Saga") TheSilentChloey ("Unexpected Consequences") Round 1: Hide contents Theme: "Write about the first time a character (or a group thereof) went through their jobs" Entries: Anacybele ("The First Time") AnonymousSpeed ("Anon's Awful Spectacular Spider-Man Fanfiction") Dragoncat ("Finding a Colonel's Courage") Eclipse ("From Above") Shoblongoo ("The First Judgement") SirNicee ("Dead Man's New Job") TheSilentChloey ("A Dragon's First Mission") Have a nice day, my friend. Competition I: Hide contents Round 18: Hide contents Theme: On 11/25/2016 at 8:14 PM, Jotari said: 1.Write Something Set In A Fantasy World. 2.Write Something With Unarmed People In A Tense Situation 3.Write Something Set In A Bunker But Not During A War Entries: Blah the Prussian ("Walking with Pokemon") Snowy_One ("Goldstreet Cleric") SoulWeaver ("Avia's Tale - Beginning") Round 17: Hide contents Theme: On 11/6/2016 at 5:04 AM, Crazy Foxie said: For this time's prompt, write something that involves a dramatic fall-out between two best friends. It can be over something serious and entirely valid. It can be something nonsensical, absurd and absolutely petty. Just make it absolutely gasp-worthy! Low jabs, cutting remarks, chair throwing and the like go. Entries: Blah the Prussian ("Just one Man") Eclipse ("A Midsummer's Daydream") Jotari ("Her Words") Round 16: Hide contents Theme: On 10/8/2016 at 9:19 AM, Jotari said: Write a story about a character becoming a villain. Entries: Crazy Foxie ("Losing my Marbles") Eclipse ("Your Own Good") NJ7009 ("Possessive Boy") Round 15: Hide contents Theme: On 4/13/2016 at 10:12 PM, eclipse said: Five people have been summoned by the investigation branch of the Interdimensional Law Enforcement, each one under suspicion of a grave crime: Stealing the last cookie from the cookie jar. Entries: Jotari ("Intradimensional Lunch Thief") Round 14: Hide contents Theme: On 3/21/2016 at 4:43 PM, Jotari said: I'll give this round an open prompt. Entries: Blah the Prussian ("Death of a Demigod") Eclipse ("Choices") Hylian Air Force ("Desert Sands") Jankmaster98 ("Getting a Job") Kotovii ("Dal Segno") Round 13: Hide contents Theme: On 2/15/2016 at 4:38 AM, Kotovii said: Whatever comes to mind with the phrase (pick one): "Diaries of an exhausted tactician" "Morgan goes to prom" "Deadpool stole the precious thing" Entries: Jotari ("Final Hours") Life ("The Prom Last Night - Rated Mature") Star ("Limbo") Round 12: Hide contents Theme: On 1/3/2016 at 11:08 AM, Jotari said: So for this weeks prompt, write me a story in a single scene. No time skips or location changing unless the character(s) is specifically waiting or walking. Entries: Jankmaster98 ("Drink to the Future and Remember the Past") Kotovii ("A minute in the rain") Round 11: Hide contents Theme: On 12/9/2015 at 3:56 AM, Sunwoo said: For this week's prompt, write something that is winter holiday-themed. Entries: Eclipse ("Silent Hill") Glaceon Mage ("Sketched Language") Jotari ("Christmas By The Grave") Oceanbourne ("Equivalence") Round 10: Hide contents Theme: On 10/4/2015 at 2:26 PM, Knight said: Prompt: In honour of Halloween, my prompt is things that lurk in the darkness. Whether it be the monsters that live in the woods, the ghosts in the graveyard, just the old man who never comes out of his house, or any spooky thing you can imagine, many mysteries and tales surround them. Write a story about the things scarcely seen, it doesn't need to be a horror story, it doesn't need to be paranormal either, and the mysterious thing(s) can be either benevolent or malevolent. Use whatever kind of plot, characters or setting you want, as long as it can, at least loosely, fit with the theme. Constraint: The main character cannot be the thing that lurks in the darkness. Entries: Eclipse ("A knight's vow") Glaceon Mage (untitled) Jotari ("In the Shadow of the Light") Round 9: Hide contents Theme: On 9/6/2015 at 1:23 PM, eclipse said: Anything goes, as long as it abides by both the competition rules and SF's Code of Conduct! Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("The Art of Duction: Introduction Part 1") Blah the Prussian ("A corruption of Karma") Jankmaster98 ("Yo JimBo!") Jotari ("The Wedding of Victor Cross") Knight ("I'm Not a Mercenary") Snowy_One ("Sugar, Spice, and Magic! The twin sister arrives!") Round 8: Hide contents Theme: On 8/10/2015 at 12:03 PM, Glaceon Mage said: On 8/10/2015 at 3:03 PM, Glaceon Mage said: They're tough. They try their best. They're the hardest worker, the most hungry for adventure. Except... They aren't the chosen one. That's their best friend. Write about a character whose greatest wish is to save the world, but they aren't the one who should be doing so. Show how they learn about their friend's place in the grand design, their feelings about it, and how they learn to cope with it. Entries: Blah the Prussian ("Dude, where's my respect: Marcus Agrippa") Eclipse ("Scruffy") Jankmaster98 ("Stannis and Jon") Sunwoo ("Ensemble Gaiden II") Round 7: Hide contents Theme: On 7/18/2015 at 2:32 AM, eclipse said: The One Who Fulfills the Prophecy has arrived! Except there's more than one of them. Write a story where a prophecy, intended for a single person, applies to multiple people instead. Whether this dooms the world or causes hilarious mayhem is up to you, the author~! Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Old Timers") Glaceon Mage ("All...Four of Us?") Snowy_One ("Divine Blood") Round 6: Hide contents Theme: On 6/21/2015 at 3:36 PM, Sunwoo said: For this week’s prompt, write about a day in the life of a superhero team consisting of 3-6 members as they interact and defend the city from their evil nemesis. There must be at least one fight scene in the story. The team and the characters on it may be from a preexisting team and franchise, completely original, or an original team composed of characters from a preexisting franchise or multiple franchises. If you need a more specific example, contact me via PM. Entries: AnonymousSpeed ("Beginnings") Carnation07 (entry deleted) Dual Dragons ("The Fifteenth World") Eclipse ("A Traitor's Worth") Jankmaster98 ("Fighters Assemble!") Jotaro Kujo ("Soul of the Astrai") Kriemhild ("Tempestuous Second Sun") Loki Laufeyson ("Prelude") Round 5: Hide contents Theme: On 5/31/2015 at 11:42 PM, Formina Sage said: Prompt: Write a story about two or more characters unexpectedly developing a strong relationship between each other. Explain why such a relationship would be unexpected, and how this bond was developed despite those factors. Optional: Explain how this relationship has an impact in a later event (or multiple events). Scope: Any characters from any world. The characters and/or world can be real, fictional, original, or a mixture of those. The relationship can be of any nature. Constraints: The characters focused on the entry should not, in any canon material, already have or develop such a relationship as described by the entry. Entries: Aisuko Lyrical ("Ace of Hearts") Glaceon Mage ("Recreation of Blazing Hell") Ragged ("Peace in a Bottle") Sunshine ("Ruined by Parental Advisory") Sunwoo ("Ensemble Gaiden") Round 4: Hide contents Theme: On 5/10/2015 at 9:02 PM, eclipse said: Outline the single, insignificant event that altered the course of history for any given world (this one, another fictional world, or a world of your own imagining, though the last one will take a lot of creativity to pull off), and why that small change was so very devastating. Entries: Blah the Prussian (("Swastika against Sun") Glaceon Mage ("No title yet. Help me.") Kay ("The Fall of Daein") Kriemhild ("Celebi's Dream") Ragged ("Red Sun Over Paradise") Snowy_One ("Czar") Round 3: Hide contents Theme: On 4/23/2015 at 2:15 AM, Jotaro Kujo said: A character's weapon suddenly has the ability to speak to them and others; how do people react to this? (Optional: how does this affect how the character uses the weapon in battle?) Things you can do: Any weapon. It's fine to get creative! You can have the weapon communicate however you want. It's also fair game to have a weapon talk through a character, because they're still communicating with people. You can use original characters or preexisting characters. Your constraints are: You cannot use a weapon that already has some way of communicating, no matter how the communication is done. However, if you want to use an existing character who hallucinated that their weapon was communicating with them or it was in a dream (and the character's weapon can't communicate through dreams) then that's fair game. You also can't write a backstory for how the character met the weapon, even if it's not explained in canon. If you have a question about this topic, feel free to ask in this thread or shoot me a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. Entries: Blah the Prussian ("My father's son") Eclipse ("Prelude") Glaceon Mage ("Durandal") Snowy_One ("Destroyer of Worlds") Sweet Summer Tana ("Whispers") Sunwoo ("When Books Talk") Vashiane ("Of Holds Stronger Than Steel") Round 2: Hide contents Theme: On 4/5/2015 at 11:52 AM, eclipse said: Write a story where the main character doesn't have his/her/its full five senses at his/her/its disposal. This can be something like "blind in one eye", or "inability to feel heat". If you decide to go with an alien race that has different senses, you'll have to describe what the main character is missing, and why it's a hindrance. Entries: Anacybele ("Scarred") Dragoncat ("Musings of a Black Dog") Dual Dragons ("Lenora the Little Knight") Glaceon Mage ("Feeling") Jotaro Kujo ("Siblings") Snowy_One ("Apples") Round 1: Hide contents Theme: On 3/22/2015 at 9:05 PM, Sunwoo said: This week's theme: Anything goes! Write about whatever you like, as long as it doesn't break the rules! Entries: Anacybele ("The Son of a Legend") Blah the Prussian ("Steven") Dragoncat ("Snow Forts and Fur") Eclipse ("Untitled") Glaceon Mage ("Divine Virtue") Loki Laufeyson ("Doctor, Doctor") Mister IceTeaPeach ("Kittens, Kittens and more Kittens") Snowy_One ("Unexpected") Sweet Summer Tana ("Anger Relief for an Angry Pup") Have a nice day, my friend. Quote Have a nice day, my friend. Have a nice day, my friend. Edited June 12, 2023 by Benice Have a nice day, my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousSpeed Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Alright boys. Let's get ready to write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Hmm. Not sure I'll be able to think of a completely original story, so I might default back on Shannam, aka the funniest character in all of Fire Emblem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear World Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 So since I'm new to this, I just want to double check since the rules don't really mention it and I don't want to assume. What we write & submit, does that have to be FE-related? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 33 minutes ago, Clear World said: So since I'm new to this, I just want to double check since the rules don't really mention it and I don't want to assume. What we write & submit, does that have to be FE-related? Nope. The only limitations are no "smut" and it must be newly written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Just a reminder that the usual SF rules are in effect, so it's not only smut that's disallowed. I'll be a bit lenient on stuff like double-posting, but it must be within reason. As for the prompt, I have no idea how to approach this. Maybe something will come to me later this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigoasis Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Oh, this looks pretty simple to start with. It's due at the end of the month, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARMADS!!! Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) Sooooo, I'm also new to this so I just want to confirm: We can post the prompt anytime now, right? Like, the round was suposed to have started between 11/1 and 11/3 but since it started now we can already post, and its suposed to end on 11/23 ayway too? Also can one contestant post more than one prompt? And if so, what is the limit? (Not that I think that I would reach the limit or even write more than one prompt anyway, I just want to be sure, like just in case I feel inspired to write one more thing or two) And, since my first language is not english, I'm not sure of what the word prompt means,exacly (I can't find an exact translation to portuguese). Like, given the context I have a very clear idea of what it is, it means the thing we will write, but I looked up online to be 110% sure and it says that it doesn't have to be a complete story, like it can be only a dialogue or a scene of the story and stuff like that. is that correct? Doesn't it have to be the complete story? Can I post like only a dialogue or something? And one last thing: Does it have a formal way to post, like with a title or I have to announce that I'm posting my prompt in a formal way or something? EDIT: Sorry, two more things: 1) do we post the story in this thread? 2) I cheked out the themes for the previous rounds/competitions and sometimes it says "Non participants entries".How can you be a non participant if you participate?Is it because they broke the rules? Thanks for anyone who answers me Edited November 13, 2021 by ARMADS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted November 14, 2021 Author Share Posted November 14, 2021 2 hours ago, indigoasis said: Oh, this looks pretty simple to start with. It's due at the end of the month, right? Yep! Although if you get it in a teensy bit late, it'll be OK. 2 hours ago, ARMADS!!! said: And, since my first language is not english, I'm not sure of what the word prompt means,exacly (I can't find an exact translation to portuguese). Like, given the context I have a very clear idea of what it is, it means the thing we will write By prompt, it basically means the "theme" on which you will write a story-So indeed, you are correct. Quote , but I looked up online to be 110% sure and it says that it doesn't have to be a complete story, like it can be only a dialogue or a scene of the story and stuff like that. is that correct? Doesn't it have to be the complete story? Can I post like only a dialogue or something? The intention is generally to write a complete short story, but the manner in which you present it is up to you. 2 hours ago, ARMADS!!! said: Does it have a formal way to post, like with a title or I have to announce that I'm posting my prompt in a formal way or something? The way most people post their story is something like this: Entry title: Ho Ho No! Word count:8,131 [Optional desciption or pre-read notes, etc.] Hide contents [story] Post read notes: (Completely optional as well) (Link to an example with story and stuff included; other submissions can be found on the same page.) It's definitely a good idea to write the story elsewhere, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Some people copy-paste the whole story into the spoiler, while others provide a link to a google document with the story. 3 hours ago, ARMADS!!! said: I cheked out the themes for the previous rounds/competitions and sometimes it says "Non participants entries".How can you be a non participant if you participate?Is it because they broke the rules? Non-participant means that the entries were not added to the voting poll, for whatever reason. Most often, it was a winner-submitted story, (Previous versions of the competition had it so that people couldn't win consecutive rounds) but occasionally it was simply a late submission. 3 hours ago, ARMADS!!! said: We can post the prompt anytime now, right? Like, the round was suposed to have started between 11/1 and 11/3 but since it started now we can already post, and its suposed to end on 11/23 ayway too? Yup, you can post your story as soon as it's ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 Is the word count still enforced, or no? Might make a difference in future prompts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousSpeed Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 5 minutes ago, eclipse said: Is the word count still enforced, or no? Might make a difference in future prompts. Pretty sure we nixed that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted November 14, 2021 Author Share Posted November 14, 2021 1 minute ago, eclipse said: Is the word count still enforced, or no? Might make a difference in future prompts. Not really, no. Whatever you feel is the best length for your piece the accepted one, although it's possible that length may be criticized depending on how big or small you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulWeaver Posted November 16, 2021 Share Posted November 16, 2021 358 prompts, oh boi. Welp, let’s see how this goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSilentChloey Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 (edited) Oh starting again? Nice. Looks like I couldn't help myself and wrote something... Title: Shadow Yugi Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! AU Words: 1,553 Spoiler https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lYV2A9z77rx4c3O-_tmTZ01hFkVZZXWy4iPsnYswkoE/edit?usp=drivesdk Yeah I'm going back back to my roots. Have some Yu-Gi-Oh! lol Edited November 17, 2021 by TheSilentChloey Entry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulWeaver Posted November 19, 2021 Share Posted November 19, 2021 (edited) Less than a week in and already Chloey is off to keeping her title as both fastest writer and most consistent entrant, gotta admire the dedication there. In the event I put something together, I think Anon is going to like it, I recently rediscovered an old pic from DA that I forgot I enjoyed as much as I did. Also dang Chloey, Season Zero stuff, nice. You ever watch YGOTAS, if I might ask? Edited November 19, 2021 by SoulWeaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted November 19, 2021 Author Share Posted November 19, 2021 (edited) Wowzers, Chloey is extremely quick. Also, I would like to apologize; the timer is presently completely wrong. I had it set to end on november 30th, when it's supposed to end on 23rd. I shall fix that now! EDIT: Fixed. Five days remain! Edited November 19, 2021 by Benice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSilentChloey Posted November 19, 2021 Share Posted November 19, 2021 42 minutes ago, SoulWeaver said: Less than a week in and already Chloey is off to keeping her title as both fastest writer and most consistent entrant, gotta admire the dedication there. In the event I put something together, I think Anon is going to like it, I recently rediscovered an old pic from DA that I forgot I enjoyed as much as I did. Also dang Chloey, Season Zero stuff, nice. You ever watch YGOTAS, if I might ask? Wow, I'm flattered lmao, it's been a while and nope, never seen YGOTAS because I'm not a fan, though I've seen the one with Marik involved, and yes it was hilarious, but so, so wrong. 40 minutes ago, Benice said: Wowzers, Chloey is extremely quick. Also, I would like to apologize; the timer is presently completely wrong. I had it set to end on november 30th, when it's supposed to end on 23rd. I shall fix that now! EDIT: Fixed. Five days remain! Oh well, I had a lot happening last time and for once I actually feel like I can write again, so that's a thing. Suffice to say I'm going to be busy building Yu-Gi-Oh! decks if anyone needs me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted November 19, 2021 Share Posted November 19, 2021 6 hours ago, Benice said: Wowzers, Chloey is extremely quick. Also, I would like to apologize; the timer is presently completely wrong. I had it set to end on november 30th, when it's supposed to end on 23rd. I shall fix that now! EDIT: Fixed. Five days remain! What? Five days. But the thread only opened on the 13th. Ten days seems like too short a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSilentChloey Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 19 hours ago, Jotari said: What? Five days. But the thread only opened on the 13th. Ten days seems like too short a time. I guess it's just the way it is for this round. Still doesn't change the fact I'm first off of the mark though XP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 19 hours ago, Jotari said: What? Five days. But the thread only opened on the 13th. Ten days seems like too short a time. Yeah, this round's gonna end up being quite scuffed. Should I shorten the voting period to two days? It'd then end on the 28th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousSpeed Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 On 11/18/2021 at 7:33 PM, SoulWeaver said: In the event I put something together, I think Anon is going to like it, I recently rediscovered an old pic from DA that I forgot I enjoyed as much as I did. Well well, count me as cautious exci- On 11/18/2021 at 7:36 PM, Benice said: Also, I would like to apologize; the timer is presently completely wrong. I had it set to end on november 30th, when it's supposed to end on 23rd. I shall fix that now! EDIT: Fixed. Five days remain! wait no frick turbo drive agh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benice Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 (edited) 2 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said: wait no frick turbo drive agh ...Okay, two day voting period it is. The writing period now ends in nine days! Edited November 20, 2021 by Benice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSilentChloey Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 LOL I'm sorry this is too hilarious kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 Name: Sword and Heart Word count: 2200 Spoiler I feel someone should record the life o’ me friend Shannam. He wasn’ a particularly remarkable man, he didn’ do much to change the world. Heck I wouldn’t even say he’s that good a man. But, well, he existed and I feel he should be remembered by someone. Shannam was born in Isaach shortly before the war broke out. Like many, he lost his parents to the chaos and became a wandering orphan. Somehow he ended up in Leinster, where I first met him. I was an orphan too, thanks to the Grannvale invasion o’ Leinster. There were a lotta poor people around trying to make a living at that time, and not a whole lotta honest work going around. I won’t lie, we resorted to thievery some, but neither o’ us were particularly good at it. No mistaking us for Dandelions, that’s for sure. So if someone can’t steal and is too much o’ a coward to kill, there ain’t a whole lotta avenues left to find something to eat. T’is either begging or philandering. Fortunately for us we didn’ ‘ave to resort to that as we were adopted by a travelling troupe after a few months. I was the one that got us picked up. One o’ the ladies in the troupe took a fancy to me. O’ course I was far too young for her at the time, barely more than a child, but such tough times allowed people to be looser in more civilized morals. We spent a few years traveling wif the troupe, learning to sing and dance. It wasn’ exactly rosy, there were days we went wifout food, but I reckon we had it better than most. Me lady soon lost interest in me as I grew ol’er, but by then girls me own age had started to take an interest in me. Traveling around like that made it pretty easy to get wif the girls, if I do say so meself. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t bragging. Don’t mean to talk about meself that much, but t’is all related to Shannam. For you see he wasn’ nearly as successful wif the girls. In truth he wasn’ bad look’n, but I think he lacked the confidence. Which is strange, as on stage he was quite a good actor, but wifout a script to follow, he’d usually fall apart when talking to the girls. He took that hard, so he did. I told him not to worry too much about it, and bless the lad, for all his faults, I don’t think he was ever jealous or resentful towards me. Nah, instead he sort o’ bottled it all up in himself. I did notice he started acting more like me, which one would think would be flatter’n, but at the time I felt it quite annoying, so I told the poor lad to stop. One day we were at Melgen. Not sure if you know where Melgen is. Sit’s right at the very edge o’ Leinster, up near Darna and the Yied Desert. Serves as a sorta crossroads for the continent. T’is probably because o’ that there were wanted posters up o’ all them Isaachian rebels. They’re famous now for liberating the continent and all, but back then they weren’t o’ much interest to the common folk like us. You’d occasionally get some ol’ guy waxing about Prince Leif or the ol’ king, but no one really had much interest in the rebels in other parts o’ the world. Anyway, there were all these wanted posters up, and most people ignored them. The exception was the poster o’ the Isaachian prince, Shannan. The girls passing through the city would always crowd around that one poster and gush about how handsome and dashing the prince looked. Me mate Shannam noticed this. It also didn’ take a genius to notice the two o’ them had practically the same name. “I’ve made a decision,” he said the day we left Melgen. “From this day forth I am Prince Shannan o’ Isaach.” Obviously I thought he was bonkers, but it seems something significant happened in his mind at that time, as he really committed to the role. He grew his hair out and started carrying around some random iron blade he called his legendary Balmung. We had plenty o’ Isaachian costumes in the troupe and he was from Isaach originally, so he did look the part. Though I once spoke to someone who had allegedly seen Prince Shannan in person and told me there was no resemblances at all. And obviously the real Shannan was off busy being a rebel in Isaach. You’d think no one would believe he’d be wandering around in an acting troupe in Leinster, but surprisingly, people lapped it up. Shannam got the attention o’ the ladies like he’d always dreamed o’. And all he had to do was become someone else entirely. I guess I should ‘ave warned you from the start that this ain’t a pretty story. Well I guess you could ‘ave figured it out given the whole piece is meant to be a remembrance for him. Suffice to say, acting like a notorious rebel brought wif it a fair share o’ trouble. We might not ‘ave been in Isaach, but the whole world was run by Grannvale at the time, and naturally they hated the likes o’ Shannan. Even though it was obviously ridiculous that the rebel prince would be openly working wif a bunch o’ actors and singers, that didn’ stop the soldiers turning up one day to slaughter the troupe. Shannam, the fool, tried to fight them off. He waved his rusty little sword around telling everyone to fear is Balmung. He’s lucky he wasn’ killed then and there. Instead they captured him so the notorious prince could be publically executed. The rest o’ the troupe weren’t so lucky. Most o’ them were killed. I managed to get away, along wif a few others, but we were split up and lost. A lotta those people were like family to me, and for a while I really hated Shannam for what happened. But, ah, well, he was like a brother to me, so I couldn’t hate him too much. I’m not sure on the exact details as to how Shannam escaped imprisonment from Grannvale. I was told some other rebel group broke him out, thinking he was also the real deal. Lead by Prince Sety that one was, or maybe it was Prince Ced. Seems you couldn’t spit in those times wifout hitting some rebel prince. I don’t know why Shannam didn’ stick wif them. Maybe he wanted to act out the ol’ Isaachian cliché o’ the wandering sell sword, as when I did meet up wif him, it was on the opposite side o’ the country. Things were steadily getting worse in those days. The soldiers working for Grannvale kept takn’ more and more from the people. It seemed like being a soldier or a rebel were the only options for most folk. I was a useless fighter though, so all I could do was keep moving about, hoping to find a place quiet enough to do some decent work. That’s why the free city o’ Tahra seemed attractive to me. It don’t get much attention now, but Tahra was a city that rebelled against Grannvale. I guess if I had any sense in me I would ‘ave stayed away from the place, as sure enough Grannvale went down on that rebellion harder than the last emperor went down on his sister (or so they say). But naïve fool that I was, I thought it could be a place where a man can make something o’ himself. It was by coincidence I reunited wif Shannam. Only when I was in the city did I hear they had the legendary Shannan in their walls, emboldening them to rebel. I guess if Shannam made any mark on history it would ‘ave been prompting Tahra to rebel and Grannvale to quash it. Though in the end it was Thracia that got the city. Not that it mattered much to the likes o’ us. Shannam pretended he didn’ know me when we reunited. He’d say things like “A performing troupe, why would the prince o’ Isaach know a commoner in a performing troupe?” It sounds cold o’ him to dismiss his friend like that, and I won’t lie, I was hurt, but it ain’t as bad as it sounds. He’d still hang out wif me, we’d get drink and play wif the ladies together. It was all just part o’ his act. He was very committed by that point. And he, I guess you could say, elevated me wif him. We weren’t making much money, but we didn’ need to. Shannam was getting everything for free as so many people had bought into his Shannan shtick. Those days in Tahra were some o’ me happiest. For the first time in me life I felt like I could settle down in a place. Didn’ last though, as I said, Grannvale came-a knocking again and soon I was a refugee again. Shannam, the lout, ditched me a few days earlier, before the battle had even started. When he next turned up he was working for the bloody Grannvalians! You’d think that meant he’d drop the whole Shannan act, but no, he just got weirdly meta wif it and committed to being Shannan disguised as someone else, rather than just being the someone else he already was! There was some good in him though, or, maybe it was just cowardice, but he didn’ fight wif the Grannvalians for long (not that he was even much good at fight’n). He upped and joined the rebels, that’s where I met him again. By then the rebellion had really begun to take steam. Prince Leif was back and libera’n the capital. But what was more important to Shannam was the approach o’ the real Prince Shannan. For ya see, the Grannvalians had been kicked out o’ Isaach, and now the real Prince Shannan was traveling south to do the same in Leinster. The obvious contradiction o’ “Prince Shannan” fighting for the rebels and rushin south to save them at the same time didn’t seem to bother Shannam all that much. He just kept up the act like he always did. We stayed in Leinster for a while, though it wasn’ the same as when we were in Tahra. Wif an actual prince around, that being Prince Leif, no one paid any attention to Shannam. We tried to ‘ave fun like we used to, but it felt, I dunno, more hollow then. I missed the ol’ shy and wimpy Shannam I’d grown up wif. And sadly that’s where the story o’ Shannam ends. He was killed in a battle when trying to take Connaught back from King Blume. They say his dying words were an apology to Prince Leif. I’m not sure what to make o’ that. Some might say it meant he’d grown to care about the cause and all that. Which I think is true, in some way. He wasn’t the same man that ditched me back in Tahra, but it wasn’t Shannam that had changed. It was Shannan. I think by the time he died, he’d become so committed to the role o’ Shannan, that he’d forgotten who he even was. He died apologizing to the prince because that’s what the real Shannan would say when dying. It really got me thinking, why did he even become Shannan in the first place. For a long time I thought it was just some trick to get girls and free stuff, but if so, why commit to it so much? He was an actor, he knew how to act in front o’ people. He could have kept the charade up in public and went back to being Shannam in private. But that ain’t what happened. From that day onwards in Melgen, he was always Shannan. I must know him better than anyone ever did, so if I don’t know, nobody knows. And I don’t know, but I can guess. The girls were part o’ it, but t’is crazy to be a rebel prince just to get girls, right? Nah, it wans’t just the girls. He became Shannan because he just didn’t like being Shannam. Plain and simple. He didn’t like who he was as a person, so he’d rather be someone else. Why he chose someone as dangerously stupid as a rebel prince to be his new identity is anyone’s guess. T’is a sad thing when a man can’t love himself enough to be who he is. And maybe I should respect his wishes by calling him Shannan. But that’d be sorta disrespectful to the real Prince Shannan. And t’me he’ll always be Shannam. Maybe he didn’t love himself enough to be Shannam, but I can say I at least always loved him as Shannam, and as Shannan too. I just wish he’d also learned how to fight. Then maybe he’d be wif us now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSilentChloey Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Welp time to relax and wait and see if anyone else has something for this round. It's kinda funny that I'm at it again, but having left what I'd call a very bad situation (no details) I'm on the up and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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