| ~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library |
| Weekly Writing Challenge Thread 2 - The Morning After (Deadline December 31st) |
| << < (19/22) > >> |
| Amraphenson:
AN: Don't know how many words, but not 3000. ---- Oh, goodness, hello there! I almost didn't notice. It's wonderful to meet you. Hmm...well...we won't know each other for very long. In fact, once this ends, I'll probably forget you. You might forget me come a few days as well, maybe sooner. Maybe later. But even so, this moment here is ours, and I wouldn't have anything else. It's wonderful, you know. You might think back to this and think it's a little cruel afterwards, but this is how I exist. It's my day to day life: isolated moments of discovery and then being put to rest. In between the days I simply sleep, and though I may never remember what happens I still know that I'm happy, that I'm content with this existance. ...Ah, I'm sorry. You're probably confused and wondering what's even going on now. I tend to ramble when people first open me. That's...well, that's very usual. I apologize. Most do not expect me when they open a simple book in a library. It's...well, that's quite the story, how I got here, and I don't really feel it necessary to explain. All's well though. I am Danna, and I am the spirit of this tome. Again, it's wonderful to meet you. Hmm? You want the explanation for why I'm here? Ah, but didn't I say-ah, yes, yes, of course. Allow me then, if it will entertain you. It is one of the few things I always remember, I suppose. Sometime ago there was a group of writers. They were quite fond of each other, and they often wrote together as well. They were an eclectic bunch, always talking about something strange. Many times they weren't even discussing anything related to being an author, but never was there a closer group of companions. They smiled and they laughed, they cried and they screamed, but most of all they were together. Hand in hand, always moving forwards with pens dancing between their fingers. They were...happy. When so many writers stay in one place for so long, well, perhaps this isn't true, but for them it was only a matter of time before they all decided to write something together. A love child of all their imaginations, really. At first-and yes, by saying at first I do sort of jynx it, don't I?-it was almost perfect. Things went so smoothly. Pages after pages were written at such a blistering pace, sometimes they couldn't even believe it. A wonderful, beautiful story full of their love and adoration. But, well, eventually it ended. They came to...argue. The direction of the plot became a heated debate within moments, and soon...soon progress halted. With no one agreeing, nothing was written. Then slowly, one by one they...ah. I'm...sorry. It's a bit difficult to...I...no, it's fine. They...drifted away. The creation of this book, this one collaboration, it...it pushed them away from each other. The story was never finished, and the manuscript was left alone. Some time later, a man in ignorance or perhaps spite binded the pages into a tome, with many blanks to spare, and several hundred years later... I was born. I...yes, I am the tsukumogami of that tome. And, like that moment of joy that came to an abrupt end, when my last page is read and my cover is closed, I will end. Until my next opening, but the story will begin anew and I will not remember. Ah, I...I'm sorry. I've turned this into such a sad moment, even though I just said my time with you is limited. I've...I don't have many pages left, do I? But even then, I turned this into something about myself, and I didn't even give you the chance to introduce yourself... H-huh? It's a-alright? R-really? You didn't mind? Ah, that's... Thank you. Truly. I...I was not expecting such kindness. Perhaps...perhaps we may see each other again? Please remember me, in that case, even if I...even if I do not. It was truly wonderful meeting you. ---- Gloved hands trace the spine of the book, slowly and delicately. Almost uncharacteristically, if you were to know the owner. "What are you doing over there?" "Ah!" Her gold eyes blink rapidly for a moment before she tips the wide brim of her hat over them. "Nothing, beansprout. Just...nah. Nothing." She sets the book back within the heavy shelves and glances at it once more before turning away, her lips in the slightest of smiles. "See you tomorrow, Danna." |
| LogosOfJ:
The Good Kit's Reader --- Gods and Rabbits, or the Evolution Fairy, or, How the Lunar Seas came to Be. Once upon a time, when the Gods still walked the corrupt earth, when the moon was sill untouched and unpurified, the lunar surface was not marked but instead a featureless plain of dust. The rabbits were sent first. However, without the gods, the governance could only become less orderly. Soon, an excess of opinion and flood of bad choices ripped apart early society. Our once-peaceful ancestors split into many camps, and, on a day of great tragedy, went to war. One faction soon regressed into a barbarism, living and governing by force of arms alone. They absorbed almost all others, styled themselves as the last free peoples, and offered a vision of a world united by one freedom: the freedom to conquer. Calling themselves Mightists, they discarded learning, comfort, and all other things they thought weak. The others, however, trusted their machines and their Thousand-Year Mission. They built the foundations of what would become today's shining cities for shelter, and stood together in defense of their home. Everyone had a place and purpose. These Loyalists marched for hearth and home, and won, again and again. The irony was that Mightists only weakened with time, as their self-styled best wasted themselves against the tall walls and industry of the Loyalists. The Loyalists could expand, and expand they did. The Mightists spent lives of mastery in attempts to simply stand against the power of industry. The Loyalists fought only as necessary, backed by the full force of their arts, and spent the rest of their days furthering the art that protected them. The Mightists demanded and lost a strong few they could not replace; the Loyalists found ways to make every soldier stronger. The bravest, smartest, and most loyal rabbits of the Loyalists were not thrown away like so much chaff but were instead elevated above their peers, and hence, by the tireless work of the Evolution fairy, the will of all life in the universe, the following generations were more like them. It was in the middle of this process that the lunar seas were first formed. The Mightists were desperate, and finally acknowledged the power of learning. Even then, it was too late, though they did not realize it. As a twisted final act, they planted flowers. The first of the flowers bloomed beneath the eyes. The second of the flowers bloomed in the mind. The third of the flowers bloomed in the soul. Then, the secret of the gods, so carefully carried forth by the Loyalists, the torch of the stars, was touched to the infested grounds, and the first Transient Suns blossomed, forging stone into glass. Thus the lunar seas. ... --- A historical artifact, to be sure, but the story is... lacking and troubling. Who published this, anyhow? -IR My student, if you wish to know of the birth of gods, you must have the patience to truly look at their many birthplaces. -YE I thought the Lunar Seas were natural formations; concentrations of volatile chemicals suggest as much. -IR And yet they still taught otherwise, right before I left. Try to imagine the extraordinary mind that can imagine both to be simultaneously true. -YE And what of the "Purification Beam"? At the Academy, there was a general consensus amoung students (supported by winks and nods of instructors) that it was an euphemism, but for what? Our culture is quite comfortable with death; why shy away from its accelerators? -IR I believe you ask, "What sort of weapon was the Purification Beam?". That is a wrong question. -YE In that case, what is the Purification Beam? -IR It is a beam that purifies. -YE In what sense? -IR It removes impurity, and everything touched by it. It removes all contaminants from an individual. -YE Then why is it allegedly so lethal? -IR The Heresy of Multiplicity. -YE --- |
| Iced Fairy:
-Deadline- A little late but since no one pushed it, it's not an issue. Please wait while judges are preparing. |
| Iced Fairy:
You would have thought that given the shorter entries it would have been easier to judge, but it never turns out that way. After several readings and a forced tiebreaker though we have the results. This WWC more then most was decided on the specific tastes of the judges. Himiko - Your story flowed well, and had a distinct eastern vibe a lot of the others didn't. However, the OCs and non standard plot combined with the limited word count kinda hurt you. You probably would have been served well with another 1000 words. Amra - You packed quite a bit into a very small number of words. You could have worked on balancing the silence and the narration a little more, but it was a very interesting setup and solid follow-through. Joveus - Your story was among the best from a technical standpoint, and while the 'missed birthday' shtick is somewhat overdone, you managed to convey Remilia and Patchouli very well. However in the end there can be only one winner and the panel has decided: TwilightsCall: While Shizuha feeling left out is a common story, using Yuuka and the needs of the plants as a comforting voice is very unique. Your take on the story impressed most of the judges and thus we proclaim you the winner! Congratulations, and we hope to see more of you (and the runners up of course) in and around the library. A round of applause for all out contestants, and a big thanks to all the judges who helped me. |
| Amraphenson:
cool! I was experimenting with how little I could write to get Danna's story across, and I'm glad it worked out enough for me to get a mention. |
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