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beforethefall

Friday Micro-Fiction [Writing prompt!]

by
I've been wanting to do something like this for a while. So, why not? The idea is that anyone who wants to join in can do just that in the comments; let's spark some creativity and get people in a writing mood!

If you like this idea and want to play along, feel free. There are no wrong answers! Any creativity is good creativity. If you want to help spread the love, please share links to these journals as well!

Rules:

You get one comment (4000 characters) to do whatever you'd like with. You do not have to use all 4000 characters, but that is the maximum.
Please submit one top-level comment. Top-level comments should be short-form fiction, vignettes, scenes, moments in time, setups or vibes using the prompt as inspiration. You can respond to your own or others' writing as much as you'd like, or comment/talk in the 'discussion' thread.
Horny is absolutely fine, but maybe keep more extreme fetishes (bathroom stuff, non-consent) for private posts. :o)

Today's prompt:
It was fading, but you could still see…
Viewed: 132 times
Added: 1 month, 3 weeks ago
 
43 Comments on this Journal
Leave a Comment...
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Discussion thread here. :o)
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
link
Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Owner
It was fading, but you could still see her ghostly silhouette against the backdrop of amber, worn smooth by years spent against his chest.

"It took so long, my love," he whispered as he kissed the shallow, smooth depression of her visage where it was once etched in flawless detail onto the pendant, "So many lifetimes. I've gone so far, but I finally found my way home. I found my way home, and I did it. I did it for you."

A ghostly wisp of ash fell into his palm beside the pendant, and then another. He clutched the pendant into the safety of his gauntlet, shielding it from the taint of the ash that began to rain from the sky. His gaze rose to the ruin before him. From the hilltop, the entire kingdom laid before him. The light of the fire against the night was so bright it hurt his eyes to look at for long, but in spite of the sting in his eyes he stared, hard, at the monarchy crumbling before him.

"I used to be so naive, in my assumption that some things were too precious to ever be claimed by time. Now I know the truth. With enough time, even the strongest stone will falter. My only memory is that I loved you with the same fire in my heart that lays before us now. Forgive me. Forgive me for forgetting your name. Forgetting your face. I've forgotten my own too. But that's okay." he said. He gently placed the pendant back under his robes. Under his armor, where it had been kept safe for so many centuries. He picked the weathered, age-hardened wood staff at his side up, and felt satisfaction still lingering within the gnarled, twisting branch; his connection to his patron.

"I've found myself again. A new name, given to me by my mentor and patron. A name that all evil will know and fear, until never again will someone suffer as you have. As I have." the man solemnly spoke to himself, to the vague and fading memory of now-ancient love. A subtle wind wafted smoke and the smell of sulfur and brimstone from behind him, and he smiled over his shoulder to the towering fire dragon. A dragon patron whose name that in itself was a testament to the constant wear of eternity and age. The dragon spoke, yet its mouth did not move. It never did. The dragon spoke to him, and him alone.

Have you been satisfied, Vengeance?

"At last, my beloved Rust, I believe I have."
StupidSquirrel
StupidSquirrel
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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It was fading, but you could still see the faint bruising around his eye. A reminder of why he was there now, eating breakfast with you. A reminder that you were right, she WAS bad for him, and now he understood what you tried to warn him about. She treated you the same way when you were together, showering you with gifts and affection whenever she could, only to snap and blow up over seemingly nothing when something didn't go her way.

Things always seemed so perfect in the time between her blowups, you could easily look past it, but deep down you knew something was wrong. She wasn't really as nice as she seemed, and it didn't take anything at all to make her snap. She liked to yell, and that was the most she ever did for a while. She'd spit venom at your insecurities, remind you of all the money she'd spent on you, ask how you could treat her this way after all the effort she'd put in for you when all you did was disagree with something, or when her jokes didn't land the way she wanted.

It was a shock, the first time she hit you. It was just an accident, it had to be, right? She just lost control for a second, she didn't mean to. She seemed so apologetic after, all the gifts, the nights out, she said she was so sorry, it would never happen again. But then it did. It kept happening, over and over again. You couldn't take it anymore and you finally left.

You could never tell him the real reason. It was embarrassing, you were ashamed, but beyond that, you didn't wish her ill. You didn't want everyone else to think badly of her. After all, you were together for so long, and you shared a lot of friends. You told them things just didn't work out, and that was that.

You used your new found freedom to get closer to him. He was your best friend, he always was, and you'd always secretly liked him more than you'd ever admit to him, but she knew. She knew you liked him, and she swooped in and stole him from you. You tried to warn him they weren't a good fit for each other, but you couldn't bring yourself to tell him why. You couldn't tell him what really happened.

Your heart sank when he showed up at your door, visibly drunk and crying. It was over, and you knew exactly what happened from the black eye he failed to hide with his sunglasses. He was in the same state as you when you finally left her, and now it was your turn to help him the way he'd helped you. It crushed you to see him like that, but deep down you were thankful. Thankful that you finally had him back, thankful he was done with her now. It'd been too long since you'd been able to spend much time together.

It'd been a few days, and things were better now. There was still a deep sense of sadness in his eyes, still feeling like he'd done something wrong no matter how much you reassured him that the problem was her, but he was finally starting to understand. You'd grown so much closer over those last few days he was crashing at your place. It felt like old times, getting drunk with your buddy and shooting the shit just talking and spending time together.

You couldn't help but gasp and cover your mouth on reflex when you drunkenly admitted you'd loved him since you were kids last night, but he passed out while you were talking. You covered him with the blanket and fell asleep on the floor in front of the couch. It felt warmer next to him than it did alone in your room.

Things seemed normal when you woke up, but now there you were, eating breakfast together, your cheeks burning and your eyes wide in disbelief as his words echoed in your head. "I love you too, you know."
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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OMG. I love this. It hurts so good. ;.; These boys were meant for each other and she just had to take her fucking pound of flesh before they could finally land in each others' arms.

What an awesome little thing to share. <3 Thanks dude.
EclypseSkunk
EclypseSkunk
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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It was fading, but you could still see a glimmer, a faint hint of consciousness in her eyes as she lay curled up on the floor.  It was trying its best to convert into spite, but everything just hurt so bad it just wasn't able to.  Her ribs were aching, her ear was sore, her lip was busted, her eye was swollen.  She'd probably have that shiner all week long.  One of the primary thoughts running through her still-capable thoughts was, "I don't want to be here anymore."  Whether that was something temporary regarding the immediate situation, or something more permanent, is certainly a matter of debate...

Earlier today, at lunch, the note was delivered.  Meet me after school, under the bleachers.  If you try to tattle or run it'll just keep getting worse for you.  And from prior experience, she knew it was no bluff.  Courtney, the 'queen bee' of the school's social circle, the head cheerleader, the girl with everything, decided she didn't like someone...she really went to great lengths to embarrass and humiliate them.  Doubly so if they had the gall, the absolute death wish of trying to stand up for themselves.

The girl, a scrawny, skinny little thing, never tried to do that with words, yet here she was - about to be on the receiving end of a savage beating from Courtney's enforcer, a rhino named Gina who could easily play linebacker for the boys' football team.  Because heaven forbid the popular girl chip a nail doing her own dirty work.

The sentence was passed.  Her crime:  simply being different.  Existing as a little pariah in Courtney's world.  To her, it was completely unacceptable.  So when the prissy mink decided she didn't have anyone else to get out of her business, she turned to the back corner of the lunchroom.  The misfits and outcasts, the ones no one else would stand up for because they'd get a taste of the same treatment.

Caught by the neck after her last class, the target of the queen's ire was frog-marched to her impending pummeling.  She didn't even try to fight back, or defend herself.  She knew better.  Just take it and eventually they get bored.  The only thing she was determined to never give them was a tear.  She would not cry from this.  There would be time for that, later.  Somewhere private where no one here got the satisfaction.  Her ear was pulled to the point she thought it might come off.  She took two punches to the face that felt like a brick in a sock hit her.  She shouldn't be so familiar with the coppery taste in her mouth, and the red droplets falling down from her jawline onto her favorite shirt.

Things were getting very woozy, sharp senses turning hazy.  A heavy punch in her midsection made her knees forget how to function, and she dropped to the floor.  Just don't fight back, was her predominant thought.  It always gets worse when you fight back.  They want a reason to make it worse.  Never give them a reason to make it worse.

Another stiff kick to her stomach made her clench her teeth, hard, and curl up in the fetal position.  Now not only was it a fight to not defend herself, it was a fight to keep her lunch down.  The pain was searing, and on top of all that, the last thing you need is to puke in front of everyone.  One of those things you never live down.

One more shot was all it took.  Gina knelt down and threw one last punch.  Luckily, it glanced off our victim's shoulder before it hit her temple, else this story might end up with a much worse outcome.  The aggressor would see zero repercussions from it, either.  Nearly killing someone and walking away scot-free.  "Kids will be kids, right?"  "I'm sure the snotty little half-breed did something to provoke it...no one takes a beating this bad without doing something to deserve it."

As darkness collapsed in from the outer edge of her vision to the center, consciousness decided that it was going to treat her exactly like everyone important in her life had.  Only this time...it was a blessing.

It left.
StupidSquirrel
StupidSquirrel
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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I can just picture travis falling head over heels for both courtney and gina until he winds up as the one on the ground for pestering them
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Dang, brutal. Poor kiddo. ;.; So real though, the crime punished by being bullied and beaten is far too often simply just being different in harmless ways.
TheWolfsDen
TheWolfsDen
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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It was fading, but you could still see its slender form through the mirror over your shoulder. Its gaping maw, filled with rows of jagged yellowy fangs that crossed from one side to the other; its pale-gray rubbery skin covered by remains of black tar that dripped on the floor, steam rising up from the intense heat; and its eyes, they were too dark, too oily to be able to see through. And though they were angry, the corners of its lipless mouth curled up in a smile.

Since you were young, it visited you in your dreams—staring at you over your bed and breathing a breath so hot that you would wake up soaked in sweat. And then scream
You would scream so loud that your parents came running into the room every time—cradling and assuring you it was only a bad dream. More than once did the neighbors call the police, forcing them to embarrassingly explain that their kid simply had a nightmare. It got tiring.

After years of waking up to the sound of your voice, your parents didn't care no longer. Short nights of sleep, having to work the next morning and take care of your sibling too, it simply turned them them into tired, uncaring figures. They would still talk to you, take you to games and events, and even gifted you on your birthday.
But it was in your teens when you realized that they were cold and standoffish—their voices devoid of emotion. That you never wanted to go to those places; and that you were suddenly celebrating your birthday on the same day as your older sister since they were only a week apart. And she hated you for that.

"Why can't you just fucking sleep?" she would hiss at you every time. In between the tightness in your chest and the rambling words coming out of your mouth, she would just slam the door shut in annoyance.
Later on she started to wake you up by blaring music, drowning you in cold water, or simply dragging you out of your bed. All these were bad, but her nails bit into your leg whenever she did the latter, reminding you how much of a pain you had become. You reluctantly tried to talk to your parents about it. She never stopped.

Outside of your house wasn't much different. Sleepovers were frustrating whenever it visited you—making your friends and their parents mad that you were screaming from the top of your lungs in the middle of the night.
They slowly began to avoid you, and then they isolated you. They would spread rumors that you were crazy or retarded; that you were cursed or a serial killer—only if they knew that you saw it almost every night. It only got worse as you got older.

You grew into a shy teenager that could barely hold grades and maintain yourself awake enough to pay attention to class. Sleeping during the day and staying up at night just so nobody else would hate you, or at least not hate you more than they already did. You went through high school as a freak, a weirdo, and a horrible student. A failure.

You moved out as soon as you graduated, finding yourself in a run-down tenement filled with other failures like yourself, and holding a shitty job at the liquor store only to blow the next paycheck on the same bottles you sold. But at least, it wouldn't show up when you were blacked out.

"Sleep paralysis", was the term you learned while talking to a buddy. A state where the body is asleep, but the brain is running, thinking it's time to wake up—and in cases, it could cause hallucinations.
That's it, that had to be it. That had to be the reason why you saw it almost every night. Why you were hated by family and friends. Why you were a failure.

Yet, standing in front of the cracked bathroom mirror in the early hours of the morning, you saw it. The cold water kept splashing on your hands before you turned to face it: it was so tall it had to crane its neck as to not hit the ceiling.
It let out a laugh, though it sounded like a gurgle, and it reached a hand to its gaped mouth like a giddy child, as if elated you could see him.

You stared at its hands—long claws with teeth.
StupidSquirrel
StupidSquirrel
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Oooh another semi relatable one >.< Nightmares fuckin suck.
TheWolfsDen
TheWolfsDen
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Yes, they do lol. Though the worst for me will always be the sleep paralysis T-T
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Holy shit, ow. Yeah, this one really hits. Nosleep energy but at the same time a weirdly personal vibe. Love it! Thanks so much for contributing this! <3
TheWolfsDen
TheWolfsDen
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Thanks for starting these, heh. And yeah, I’ve been fighting SP forever now, but it’s been a bit tamer recently :3
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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I hope you learn to reign and wrangle that demon, so you can sic it on all those who doubted you, friend. <3
TheWolfsDen
TheWolfsDen
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Thank you <3
Lnarra214
Lnarra214
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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It was fading, But you could still see him in your dream, smiling as he wiggled on your knot. It was a beautiful fantasy, but like all fantasies, it wasn't to be. You groan, waking from sleep and looking down at the massive, still-damp cum-stain on the sheets over your cock. You know you're not supposed to like him that way, that even attempting such a thing would probably make him hate you forever.

With a long sigh, you look over at the mattress on the floor of your room, a temporary measure, but one that comes with a serious challenge for you: your little brother living in your room. He was young, adorable and sexy, He didn't even sleep in PJs, just his favorite Ranger Pups briefs that were definitely getting too tight, but nobody could convince him to get rid of.

He was still asleep, and the streaks of morning sunlight piercing through your half-drawn blinds let you take your time to enjoy every little curve and bulge. Once again, your mind drifts back to the lewd, adorable little puppy from your dreams, giggling as he bounces on your cock and tries to take your knot. Of course the reality wasn't quite as rosy. Your little brother had made an utter mess of his room, to the point it was currently being bug-bombed. He was a stubborn kid, though he certainly had his little golden moments. He always loved playing games with you, and sometime you could get him to do it on your lap, allowing you just a tiny hint of that lovely fantasy.

You sigh again, getting out of your bed, your sizable canine dong still half-hard, tenting your boxers, Said boxers were ALSO soaked in cum, just like your sheets. You started pulling everything off the bed and thank your luck that your parents haven't wondered why you have to wash your bedding every day or two. that'd be so awkward to explain.

Just before you leave the room, you look back once more at the adorable cub before you, searing that peaceful, beautiful scene into your mind. You feel your cock twitch and swell, and groan softly again. Maybe you can stroke one out while the laundry is running...

(Some wistful lewdness~ Fun idea BtF, thanks for hosting~)
StupidSquirrel
StupidSquirrel
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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nobody can resist the lil bro fantasies x3
Lnarra214
Lnarra214
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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XD yup~ gotta love 'em
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Hhhh! This is so hot! Lovely gay incestuous lewdness. Thank you so much for contributing to this, I was worried nobody would be interested. XD
Lnarra214
Lnarra214
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Happy to join in ^^ figured we had a couple of more serious posts, so i'd throw a lil bit of lewd in
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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No wrong answers lol. I'll probably have my share of horny ones when the inspiration strikes! That's kinda why I love working off of writing prompts within tight/short constraints, I usually just hammer out the first thing that comes to mind and often don't even edit them past a cursory read-over unless I'm desperate to fit the thought into the format and I'm rewording to save characters XD
Lnarra214
Lnarra214
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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good policy~ I just did some spellchecking and word use checks.

Looking forward to more of these!
DaDurr
DaDurr
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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(Pardon the lack of polish, but I'd like to participate. And no, its not horny at all. Its some silly writing that isn't even furry. If you want it removed, please just ask.)

It was fading, but you could still see it, that warm glow, the void where the skies had been parted now replaced with a singular pillar of dust and ash that touched the heavens themselves.

And that was that.

That was the end of everything.

All of our fighting and bloodshed, our avenging the lost by sending more to die. Our petty bickering, and grievances. It had built to this.

"Victory."

But what is a victory worth when none are left alive to see it? All i see is just one big flash, and then all that is left is but dust and ash.

What did we even win? The knowledge we were "right"? Is that the price of our world? All Civilization? All Life?

I am but one of a few who got to see the midnight horizon turn to morning's greatest, brightest dawn, surrounded on all sides by pillars of light.

I'll live long enough to witness the fall of a world. Our world returning to another empty ball dancing endlessly through the cosmos, amid a sea of countless other balls of plasma, gas, dust, and ice, in endless circles, upon circles, within spirals, within bubbles.

Life was so beautiful. Wind blew through the arbor, the birds chirp and flutter, the bugs sprang from leaf to lawn. Life was everywhere.

We, blinded by our hatred, & lust could not see all of this so clearly then. Now, All that remains is dust, & ash.

If only I could undo this.

I did my civic duty, I chose my leaders as best I was allowed. Perhaps I could have attended more meetings, asked more pressing questions... but in the end, it was not my choice. Likely, had the rest of the world a choice they'd have also chosen otherwise.

But, That's all behind us now.

No more politics, no more beliefs, no more conspiracy, just that glow that faded into a darkness I'd never seen before.

I didn't realize how bright and starless nights were from even out here because of the glow of cities so very far away,... until there are none left.

I'm reminded of another recollection of a sort that said something to the effect of...
'War is like a terrible calamity that killed without mercy like any act of nature. And those who survived were tormented and ruled by the law of the sword. He stated how it ended all belief in a divine justice when seen for the atrocity it was.

I can say now his words are all too correct. As the world beneath my feet trembles from aftershocks, as my walls rattle, my animals huddle together in terror... and i taste metal upon my tongue as my mind rings in my own skull from the ripples of the air warping around the world;

I see no divinity here. I see no possible way any divine figure would be appeased by this, let this happen, or willingly create this themselves. No arbiter of justice least ways.

Erased now are not just the untold countless lives who were snuffed out in milliseconds. But so too is all the knowledge we had built as a species over hundreds of thousands of years. Our cultures... our arts... our beliefs, everything now fading like that horrid light, into this bitter star scattered night.

I look up and wonder... how many other stars saw this same fate befall a planet. If there are so, so many... then we could not have been alone could we?

But how many paid the price, of "Victory"?

As for me... I will tend my crops till they wither as I will. I will care for myself and my herds, and flocks, as if they were cherished family. As I now have none left.

And to anyone reading this journal, possibly one of the last books ever written by my kind... All I ask is you answer; What is the price of victory, when everyone loses everything? I can think of no thing, divine, mortal, corporeal, or not, being worth all life, all history,... everything.

My beloved once asked... "If you had one day left, what would you do?" I can't even remember what i said.

But... What would you do?
DaDurr
DaDurr
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Owner
I was referencing the... 11th(?) paragraph on page 3(12 in the link) of
Boule de Suif, by Guy de Maupassant

Internet Archive of it here

"Orders shouted in an unknown, guttural tongue rose to the windows of the seemingly dead,
deserted houses; while behind the fast-closed shutters eager eyes peered forth at the victors-
masters now of the city, its fortunes, and its lives, by “right of war.” The inhabitants, in their
darkened rooms, were possessed by that terror which follows in the wake of cataclysms, of
deadly upheavals of the earth, against which all human skill and strength are vain. For the
same thing happens whenever the established order of things is upset, when security no
longer exists, when all those rights usually protected by the law of man or of Nature are at
the mercy of unreasoning, savage force. The earthquake crushing a whole nation under
falling roofs; the flood let loose, and engulfing in its swirling depths the corpses of drowned
peasants, along with dead oxen and beams torn from shattered houses; or the army, covered
with glory, murdering those who defend themselves, making prisoners of the rest, pillaging
in the name of the Sword, and giving thanks to God to the thunder of cannon—all these are
appalling scourges, which destroy all belief in eternal justice, all that confidence we have
been taught to feel in the protection of Heaven and the reason of man."
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Owner
No wrong answers, friend!!! Thank you so much for contributing, and sharing this part of you. :o)

This is hauntingly beautiful in a sense of almost bittersweet recognition for the apocalypse that I particularly love here. If you squint your eyes just right it almost looks vaguely...wistful or grateful, even. Finally the end of troubles, in spite of its horror. It might not be interpreted how you intended, but hey, most of art appreciation is in the interpretation, right? XD
DaDurr
DaDurr
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Interpretation is indeed the point.
And yea; finality does have a desirable quality to it for those of us who feel no rest in the world.
I mostly wrote whats been on my mind as of late. Which is to say, fear and struggle. I hope I don't offend people with it, its not my intention. Its one reason i've been away from writing so long is everything i write turns out like this for now.

I'd rather give people boners ya know?

Thanks for the prompt and the read by the way. ^_^

And thanks
StupidSquirrel
StupidSquirrel
for pointing me to it.
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Hahaha! I hear you on the boner part. Sometimes you need to write what's in your heart, though. You and your writing can be better for it. IB knows I've got a few out there that break my usual good-vibes character a LOT but, well, follow the inspiration, vent when you need to, and understand that you don't struggle alone, bud.

I am so glad you found your way here.
StupidSquirrel
StupidSquirrel
is a good one. Keep an eye out, this has been successful enough that I'll likely try to keep it going with at least weekly regularity!
OtterOfAllCosmos
OtterOfAllCosmos
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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(I am not good at quick turnarounds.  This is great practice Thank you.  Enjoy a sweet little tale!)
It was fading, but you could still see the hot coals of the dying fire.  The rest of the beach, outside of this tiny island of light, was an inky black void.  The clear blue water of just a short time ago, was only a sea of shadows.  Only the cool breeze and gentle sounds of waves crashing made this little world flickering around the fire not feel alone in the universe.  The deep red glow faded and all was consumed by the dark.  

A voice from behind you asked what you could see.

You didn't see anything for a while.  With open or closed eyes, echoes of the burning fire gazed back.  You try to speak up but the words got lost in the darkness.  For a while, you closed your eyes.  You listened to the waves, hypnotized by them.  Only then did you take another look.  

This time you saw it.  Across the dark waters, it was a vast expanse. A sky filled with stars.  Below, waves mirrored in a distorted everchanging tapestry, the sky above.  It looked alive as the lights below the surface danced.  

You could not help but lay back into the lap of your love.  A paw firmly holds you close against the infinity in front of you.  His voice guided you among the stars, tracing a path along the hidden beauty.

First, he pointed out the planets.  One hid as a bright red star, it glinted from up above.  Another, pale yellow, was far more faded.  By the horizon he pointed out a third. This last one was small but unmistakably different from the other points of light around it.  Together, they all stood still against the night backdrop, eager to dart across the sky.  Once spotted, they were unmistakable.

Next, his attention turned towards the constellations.  Bright groups of stars told stories from long ago and far away.  The stars shared this wisdom as silent songs.  They twinkled in unknowable patterns, revealing secrets only they might know.      

You could not help but reach out to join them.  Small paws held up against the sky, grasping out across the great darkness.  The stars were so close, almost close enough to touch.  Paws caress you and hold you tight.  They lift you up, up into the sky. Closer now, but your grasp was still infinitely out of reach.  You reached out to your love.  You hold them tight.  Together you push back against the sand and slowly join the stars together.  

Like frozen rain, the stars surrounded you and your love.  They fell behind as the two of you ascended into the sea of stars.   Paw in paw, you swam, waving and wading through the countless points of light.  It was a dance in the dark, lit by millions of tiny lights.  

You embraced each other, kissed soundlessly and became one among the stars. A love reflected in the night sky.  Blessed by the light of Mars, the storms of Jupiter and the heart of Venus.  

Together you swam.  The two joined in a loving embrace.  Everything was heightened, far more real than back on the shore of a long forgotten beach.  Here, you made love to the universe and it made love to you.  

The countless stars shown like candles.  They guided your way, growing steadily brighter.  They twinkled with excitement as the love inside you expanded.  They held back an even greater light. You felt it too.  It was inside of you too.  You had to nurture it.

One light popped.  A bright light flashed and faded forever.  A second one popped, then a third.  You moaned, and embraced the end as more stars popped.  Each came sooner than the last. They erupted into a twinkle of bright hot light.  It warmed you.

In rapture, you called out your love.  They held you close as the rest of the stars enveloped both of you in heat and light.  

The sand coated your back.  Above you was the shadow of your love.  Behind them with a sky of stars.  They were all still there, just as they were before.  Your cosmic companion holds you close.  Together you fall asleep, excused from your dance among the stars.  
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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This was well worth the wait! I love what you did with this. Warm and serene and steamy and just lovely top to bottom.. So glad you chose to share this! :o)
Deuteros69
Deuteros69
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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It was fading, but you could still see the mist clearing the mountains among the cool gray afternoon. Like a kiss of the sky, you wondered why people thought of rain as anything else other than a blessing. Though your bones had begun to ache as you passed 35, and were alone, you half-smiled at the landscape. The solitude enveloping you, the cool wet air drenching your arms as a distant thunder made your lungs rumble.

It goes beyond the screens, the light that hurts every night you looked for love in the online fantasies and distant lovers that promised to hold you as they grasped their plushies. No. This moment was yours alone. You left your phone inside the cabin. You made sure it was silent. There was no signal. You stood outside as the distant rain fell and covered the high green mountains. You had not breathed like this in months. You filled your lungs deeply with the cold northern autumn scent of pine wood and wet earth.

You sat on the wooden chair filled with droplets and let the soft rain fall on you. As is by instinct, your eyes closed. You forgot your worries. Every moment of sadness and despair that had filled your life post-Covid seemed to melt as an offering to this earth, to the wood of the front porch of this small cabin you rented for the week. You didn't need your pills for this.

Images filled your closed eyelids. The world of people had paused, and nature filled in the space of your memories. You wished you knew how to play a flute or a lyre; any instrument that sounded like this moment. Sudden lightning painted red on your eyelids, and you waited for the thunder to measure its distance. Three... four... five seconds and there it was. It shook you. Five miles, you thought. Another half-smile. This experience was completely yours. You wouldn't write about it, or share it with anyone.

Do you remember the moment you stopped dreaming? And only repeated what others wanted to hear? You had to be popular. You had to be accepted. You had to adapt and be just another man dwelling in unhappiness. To drive the same road, buy the same groceries and laugh at the same workplace jokes. To hear about another marriage and another kid. To drink just one more drink and then get lost on your phone where all your real friends were. They all loved you but were so far away. You wanted to invite them to your house and have fun with you, kiss them, hold them, make love to them. They were keeping you together. You loved them so much for it.

In that moment, on the chair, you started tearing up. You didn't know if you were sad or happy. Perhaps you were both. There are no perfect moments. No happy endings. Every lesson did not end in "and I never fucked up again." You know we all forgot sometimes. Because life did not end after learning. It was not a show like TV taught you: how life MUST be. The perfect family with their perfect dog and their perfect 30-minute lesson. No. The story of your life did not end when we stopped typing. It did not end when the writer of your life decided your experience had been enough.

And as you thought that, you took another deep breath.

Inhale, my love. The rain did not come to make the world sad.

Exhale, my dear. The thunder does not last, but it does repeat.

You opened your eyes and looked at your world. And in that moment you understood the author's intention. You chuckled and wiped your tears, and waved at no one looking. But I, in that same moment, teared up with you and wished for rain.
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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This is so nice. Therapeutic, dude. <3 Meditative moments like this are the best, really. Thanks for stopping in and spending some time here! :o)
Deuteros69
Deuteros69
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Thanks! ^^ I wanted to play around with the idea of second and first person in the same story. I really liked the callback near the ending. Then again, as I reread it I started to hate lots of things too like my repetition…
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Owner
LMAO hey if repetition wasn't valid then it wouldn't be talked about when people are studying Hemingway. :o)

Don't hate yourself man, prompts are *specifically* for getting one-take ideation out. It's about stoking that creative fire not your urge to refine. I have plenty of mistakes in my own post XD
TheFurWard
TheFurWard
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Owner
You were just minding your own, driving down a long paved road in a desert valley, sparsely filled with joshuas and other dry climate vegetation. It wasn't hot, but it should be. So you jot that down in your memory for review later.

There's a ding, and you recognize it almost second naturedly. A text. With one hand on the wheel, you use the other to tap the air space next you to bring up a window which spreads to the space immediately in front of you. It's only slightly transparent, but no matter, you weren't really driving. The message from one of your best buddies read, "Hey dude, don't forget to bring the "stuff". You know what I mean, hehe." Of course, just a friendly reminder.

You proceed to type a reply as though there was a keyboard right in front of you. But you make a typo. Damn. Then you realize, it would just be easier to speak. You backspace until you have an empty text box, then tap the button for speech-to-text. When ready, you proceed to speak. "Dude, lol," It's second nature to just say 'lawl' instead of el-oh-el. "Of course, I won't forget. It wouldn't be fun if I didn't bring it. Could you imagine..."

Just then, the text box disappeared, then a slight shock across your body. Actually, more than a shock, but that special mod you installed a few months ago finally paid off. It dumbed down the pain for you.

You try looking around and notice everything was frozen. You try tapping the space around you, but nothing. Damn! So you sit and wait, thinking maybe it was just buffering.

But then, it was fading. But you could still see the car you were in. It was just the world around you, the desert, the sun, the joshuas. Of course, the car was bound to you, and it probably would be the next thing to fade. Another 10 seconds and it did indeed.

Eventually, your surroundings were completely plunged in black. And then you were you again, and not your avatar. You open your eyes and look around, reorienting yourself with your apartment. You look at the cable you're connected to, and then the computer the other end of the cable was connected to, and then realize the seven segment clock on the nightstand was off. Fucking power outage!
TheFurWard
TheFurWard
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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A few days late, but I wanted to participate. Hope you like it.
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Owner
AHHHAhahahaha I love this! The agonizing defeat of a highly connected lifestyle against the plainspoken and unforgiving nature of a goddamned infrastructure failure.

This could be the opening to an incredible sci-fi story you know! Thank you so much for contributing to the thread, keep an eye out for some later ones too! This has been a lot of fun. <3
TheFurWard
TheFurWard
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Hehe, feel free to use for a story, I don't mind. I'll look out for the next one.
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Hahaha! You should use it yourself, ya goober! :o)
TheFurWard
TheFurWard
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Nah, I don't want to put in the effort of writing anything here. I enjoy lurking and favoriting everyone else's content way more.
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Aww! We aren't worthy!

Just from what I've seen you're a skilled writer, so I'll just keep my hopes up. :o) Thank you for stopping by, still. Thrilled to have you hanging out here!
TheFurWard
TheFurWard
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Thanks for the compliment! I seriously appreciate hearing that!

Honestly though, I struggle with an inability to see "the big picture" in many of the creative aspirations I've ever had. I'll start and then get caught up in the small details trying to make the few paragraphs I've written "correct" instead of just letting the creative juices flow. And on top of that, I struggle making decisions. Knowing how to get where the story needs to go or wants to go... how do I choose if it's a need or a want and how to get there. I fear it won't be good, or, as an example, I won't know how to write medical jargon for a character who has a doctorate in some scientific field. So then I struggle continuing.

Ultimately, I don't want to commit time to writing because I have other things I could do instead. (This is a terrible excuse.)
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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You're definitely citing some struggles I think every writer goes through, especially starting out. But, hey, if you have other ways you'd rather be spending your time, I'm not here to pressure - just encourage. :o) Still super happy to have you along for the ride!
TheFurWard
TheFurWard
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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*hugs*
beforethefall
beforethefall
1 month, 3 weeks ago
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Big hugs, bud! :o)
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