Writing Group: The Shadows Talked

Aug 9, 2021

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Hello, Paranormals and Paranoids!

Did you hear that? I swear, I just heard something… like someone speaking in a whisper. There it is again! You heard it that time right? You had to have heard it that time, because…

This week’s Writing Group prompt is:

The Shadows Talked

RULES AND GUIDELINES BELOW!
Make sure you scroll down and read them if you haven’t! You may not be eligible if you don’t!

We’ve all experienced the things that go bump in the night, haven’t we? We’ve seen the people standing in the corner, only to find out it’s a housecoat and a hat. Why do we even hang them that way if they scare us in the dark?

But what if it wasn’t just a hat and a coat? Perhaps you wake in the middle of the night to the sound of whispers, and you feel a pull to look at the corner. You can’t quite make out what’s there, but you know your coat isn’t that high up on the wall. But what is it? Is it facing away… or watching you? Why does it loom over you as you sleep? What is it even saying? Maybe your story revolves around a paranormal investigator focused on debunking ghost videos, only to capture all sorts of paranormal evidence. Orbs, EVPs, all of which this investigator debunks, regardless if it’s real or not. But what about when they start hearing whispers when they’re alone? How do you debunk something like that without stating outright that you might be crazy? Or perhaps you write about an introvert with depression who finds out there’s some sort of entity living in their apartment with them, and every time the lights go out, the voices start up. But what if this entity feeds off the negativity by whispering positive things? Perhaps it is an entity that likes this new tenant and wants to help them get better? Or maybe, just maybe, these whispers really are just in your head. Maybe there are no demons, no monsters or boogeymen. Maybe the voices are just in your mind. But how can you tell? It’s so real, yet no one believes you. Could you truly be mad? Bonkers? Off your head? And regardless if it’s in your head or it really is the shadows… how do you run from either?

Maybe you don’t need to run from them at all. Maybe these ghosts and whatnots just want a friend, someone to talk to. Who knows? You’ll only find out by listening to them. But is it worth the risk?

Well, let’s shut off the lights and find out, shall we?

—Shawna

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Comments

73 responses to “Writing Group: The Shadows Talked”

Tyler Chancey

August 14, 2021

The Unsavory Source
By. Cosmic Desperado30

I gritted my teeth as I entered Williams’ office. It was exactly as I thought it’d be: dark, depressing, and in dire need of a dusting. I checked my phone, desperate for any of my other leads to come up. No texts, no e-mails, and social media was a wash.

But I needed to solve this case.

Williams didn’t react to my presence, his armchair was turned away, and he kept mumbling to himself.

I rolled my eyes and stomped the floor, sending up a puff of dust. Williams jumped and turned to greet me, his eyes darting about like he had several mental tabs open.

“My word, is it really time already? I swear I would have cleaned up if I wasn’t…preoccupied.” Williams lamented, looking pathetic in his patchwork suit.

“And here I thought you were doing auditions for an extra in the Addams Family.” I retorted. Williams didn’t chuckle.

I cleared my throat and pushed through. “Anyway, I need your help. Some of your fortunetelling.” I leaned forward and produced a manilla envelope. “I’ve been told you’re reliable, and I have a down payment.”

Williams kept looking past me. As if there was something behind me. A moment later he smiled.
“It’s not fortune telling. It’s Nyctomancy. The shadows speak…and I listen.”

“Bullshit.”

“Tell that to your mistress.” Williams remarked. How did he…?

“People always underestimate what shadows see, Mr. Talbot. What they are witnesses to. I simply listen to what they have to say.”

He held up a hand before I could reach for my revolver.

“Don’t bother. They’ve already told me it’s empty.”

I froze on the spot. If this was a con, he was an expert. No cameras, no marks, no trick mirrors. The whole place was spartan, save for the chairs and desks.

“So… tell me more about this missing girl you’re after.” Williams leaned back with a smile.

“She was last seen in the woods.” I breathed.

“Well then, I’ll get my coat. Sundown is in about an hour.”

Reply
1. Makokam
  
  August 15, 2021
  
  This might actually be my favorite entry for this week.
  
  It’s simple, but effective.
  
  I really like the way you set this up and I’m curious how much other supernatural stuff is in this world. It’s honestly the perfect first chapter to a supernatural detective story I think. … Well. Maybe the start to a second or third chapter.
  
  Stories like this really make me question my resolve to only write these stories in my “Chronicles of The Dragon” setting.
  
  Reply
Starfle

August 13, 2021

And The Shadows Said

By Starfle

“You’ll never be anything,” Said her father.

“You’re wasting your time,” Said her mother.

“We’re disappointed in you,” Said both her parents.

Rosa was used to this sort of treatment by now, but somehow, today, it had gotten to her. Their words were like the sea beating against the black, jagged rock that had become her heart. Wearing her down until she was nothing but sand, drifting along in the ocean. She retreated to her room and shut the door behind her, trying so very hard to keep in her tears but, like waterfalls, they spilled down her cheeks despite what she wanted. And so she sat on her bed, curled up in a ball, weeping. But, like always, whenever she was upset, she felt a long, bony hand reach out from underneath her bed and take hers.

“You know they’re wrong, my dear.” Said the shadows under her bed.

“You’re not worthless,” Said the wind outside, as it blew through the trees.

“You’re still growing,” Said the spider in the corner, as it weaved its web. Rosa wiped the tears from her eyes.

“It’s not enough,” She choked through sobs. “It’s never going to be enough. I’m not enough. And I never will be.”

“Perhaps not to them,” Said the shadows under her bed. “But you always will be to us. One day, my dear, you will learn to love yourself as dearly as we love you. But until that day, we will love you with all of our dark hearts.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Rosa said, as she slipped off her shoes. “As long as I have you all, I’ll never be alone.”

And the Shadows said, “I love you.”

And Rosa said, “I love you too.”

And just like always, ever since she was a little girl, she let the darkness cradle her in its arms as she drifted off to sleep.

Reply
SRRavencroft

August 12, 2021

The New Warder
By SRRavencroft

In the grand capital of the Republic of Idonia, Luda was one of the finest Idonian cities I ever laid eyes upon. It was such a far cry from the city state of Calderi. I was naught more than an Osprin from the boonies.

The capital city had the least number of violent crimes in the whole of the Republic. Though it was still plagued by crime syndicates. I had to deal with those types when I became a warder in the Ludan state penitentiary.

Apparently, the last guy, some human fellow, turned in his cap to the chief after he got assigned Cell Block D.

“What even made the bastard quit in the first place?” I asked the chief as I scratched my beak in curiosity. “I thought he would have the mental fortitude to deal with the prisoners here.”

The chief just smiled at me and said, “It ain’t the prisoners that made him leave, birdkin. It is a mistake we’ve made in the past that’s haunted us ever since.”

I didn’t understand what he meant until I took my shift in Cell Block D. For the majority of the day, it seemed relatively quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary, with the exception of the prisoners who constantly pestered me to stop the voices.

As night fell however, I was just prepping to turn in for the night when I heard thudding noises coming from down the block. Along with the howls of the prisoners that begged me to stop the noises.

The disturbance prompted me to investigate. I took my flashlight and made my wall to cell 23. Though when I arrived, I saw nothing. That was until I shined my light in and spotted shadows moving inside. Many of them up the wall, surrounding the bed, clubbing at what would have occupied the bed.

After that, I left the job. I never told anyone about what I heard, for they wouldn’t have believed me anyways. Every time I closed my eyes I could see the shadows beating at whatever laid in that bed.

Reply
Ezequiel Mercado

August 12, 2021

“Bless you”
By Ezequiel Mercado

At first it was just a whisper. I fell ill that winter and spent a few days in bed. It was sooo boring, I watched a ton of Youtube videos on my tablet.

My nose ran a lot but my mom said it was good because the virus was coming out with the boogers. Gross!

That night I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t tired because I couldn’t go to school or do anything. I just closed my eyes and waited like dad said.

I felt it, my blanket moved a bit. I grabbed it and covered my head. In the morning I told mom and dad but they told me I was tired of being inside.

The next night I was in my pijamas, ready to go to sleep. I had my tablet on one hand playing a video so I didn’t feel lonely. I had a plan, a great plan. I would pretend to be sleeping and take a picture of it. I called it Mr. Dark.

I sneezed and heard a soft “bless you”. I dropped my tablet and ran to my parents.

—What’s wrong honey? —Mom said.

—Mr. Dark is there! He said “bless you”.

—Again? You have to sleep in your bedroom. We’ve talked about this. —Dad said.

—But I’m scared! He comes when I’m alone.

Dad then checked my bedroom and said everything was fine. I wanted so badly to not sleep alone I started coughing. Mom noticed it but asked dad to sleep on my bed. That trick worked!

It was a very cold night. I was scared but tired. I knew I’d fall asleep soon. My nose ran like crazy, great. I held my sneezes as much as I could. A big one came and it was loud.

I heard nothing. I looked around and saw nothing. I reached for my tissues when I heard “here you are”.

I turned and saw a big fluffy bunny standing on two legs. I gasped and he handed me the tissues.

—I’m Mr. Dark, as you have named me. And I am your new friend.

Reply
1. Starfle
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  This is *very* sweet. If only I could make friends appear out of nowhere by sneezing!
  
  Reply
ThatWeirdFish

August 12, 2021

The Voice of Light (content warning: suicidal thought)
By: That WeirdFish

I am alone, as usual. Sitting by myself in my ritual of eating lunch under that one tree in the corner of the schoolyard. It doesn’t take long for the dark ones in my head to start whispering again.

“Worthless.”

“You’ve failed the test, what will they say?”

“No one likes you, you know. They’re all faking it.”

I frown at the dark fog swarming my mind. It’s… pointless to stop it. It will always come back so why bother. I look down at my half-eaten sandwich and set it aside. No point in that either, just delaying the inevitable.

I pull my knees to my chest and stare at the shifting leaf shadows in the grass. The voices grow bolder, meaner as the fog grows blacker. I feel my heart sink, drowning in the pain they cause. I close my eyes and rest my forehead on my knees. I wish I could just stop.

“Hey, you alright?” I recognize that voice. It belongs to the new kid. Kali… was it?

A crack in the fog. A spark of light that I try desperately to grab onto but… my hands slip and the moment is gone.

“Leave her alone,” says another voice. Li, I think his name was. “She won’t talk to you anyways. She’s weird.”

The dark ones echo the word menacingly. Labeling me the freak, the outcast. The… unwanted. I curl against myself tighter. I just want everything to stop.

“I don’t care,” Kali announces. “Y’all can play ball or whatever, I’m gonna be where the cool people are. Right here.”

A flash so bright it shatters the fog and silences the dark ones. I look up at her in shock. She… is defending me?

Kali grins down at me with genuine joy. “Isn’t that right, Aurora?”

Reply
Samurai Jackson

August 12, 2021

I’m foreigner, sorry for any mistakes.

I Can Still Feel You
By Samurai Jackson

I can feel it, her softy hands gently caressing my hair, her hot breath in my face, her body touching mine, even without opening my eyes, I know who is this person laying down besides me, everything about her is in my memory, I could never forget even if I wanted to.

I meet her in a dark moment of my life, I was trying to be anyone but myself, I though that there was nothing good within me, she was the one that stopped my path of self destruction, thanks to her I was finnaly able to dream about good things.

She was always trying to cheer me up, whenever I was feeling depressed, she used to lay down with me to calm my mind, to show that she was always there for me.

I open my eyes to see the face of the only person that I ever loved.

She is not there again.

“It’s already bean a year my love, since you passed, and yet…” I look at her picture besides my bed “You visit me everynight, at least that’s what I like to believe, maybe I’m just going bonkers.”

“It just feels so real… and it does make sense, you know that I wouldn’t last long without my lovely lady.” I start to tear up little “even after death you still look out for me, I really am a luck man.”

“I don’t know how this ghost thing works, but can I ask you something?” for some reason, I waited to see if I would get an answer “Well… the next time that I open my eyes trying to see you, could you be there, just for a split second would be enough, I know it’s greedy of me to ask that, but I have to try.”

“Good night my love.” I close my eyes.

Reply
1. Tamela Redfin
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  Sorry about the incorrect posting. I don’t how that happened.
  
  But reading through, I really did this work. It captures the lost lovers in a good way. The want to cling on but at the same time let go. Which one is right? Neither one completely.
  
  Reply
  1. Samurai Jackson
    
    August 12, 2021
    
    “I really did this work”, you’re saying that this story that I writed is very similiar to yours? My english is really not that great, I’m sorry if I just misinterpreted your coment.
    If that’s the case, I just delete the post.
    
    Reply
2. SRRavencroft
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  This is a good way to tug on my heart strings. The second to last paragraph practically did it for me. Really good stuff. The way you described the mental state of the poor guy who’s still longing for his dearly departed even when her spirit is there is nothing short of sad.
  
  Reply
Tamela Redfin

August 11, 2021

Welp, the title drew me in, despite not being a huge vampire fan. (But add cats, and it’s better)
Shiloh is a curious character and that drives the people to want to read more and that I did. I’m interested to see where this cat(?) came from.

Reply
1. Harshmellow99
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  I’m honestly super excited about this one. I think that once I write the full story, it’ll be both super cute and spooky. Thanks for the kind words!
  
  Reply
2. Makokam
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  *psssssst* You didn’t post this on the story. XD
  
  Reply
  1. Tamela Redfin
    
    August 12, 2021
    
    Huh. You’re right, you’re an alien did it…
    
    Reply
Arith_Winterfell

August 11, 2021

“A Favored Darkness”

By Arith_Winterfell

The tavern was filled with a steady murmur. The shadowy figures of townsfolk amidst the smoky atmosphere. Some of the townsfolk were actually quite loud. A man boasting here, a burst of laughter there. Other townsfolk, and myself, were more hidden away in various corners or alcoves of the tavern. The quiet chatter among these townsfolk were various sundry things: a jealousy, a bitter resentment, a secret, a plot. I strained to hear if any among them talked of my arrival in town. None seemed to care. Good.

I watched a man stagger up from his stool by the bar, and I knew where he was headed as he left the tavern. I followed after a brief pause so as not to arouse suspicion. I entered the alley adjacent to the tavern, and of course the man was there spilling his urine. It stank as I passed him heading into the darker parts of the alley. Then I watched him and waited. Eventually after he finished, he looked up at me with little care. Our eyes locked for a moment. It was enough! His gaze was fixed upon me. “Come,” I commanded simply. Lured, he came deeper into the alley’s darkness under my hypnotic gaze.

No shadows whispered here in the darkness of the alley as I fed. The throbbing of the life force in his blood filled me. After I was done, he was still breathing. Good. I healed him with my magic. Just enough to halt the bleeding and seal any wounds. No evidence. His mind was still clouded. He would not remember our encounter.

Reply
1. Tamela Redfin
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  Sounds like a shady moment or the beginning of a DnD story (with the tavern part). I feel a lot of tension as it should be. Keep up the great work.
  
  Reply
2. Makokam
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  This didn’t really go the way I thought it would. I expected a piece more about the tavern as a whole, not vampires. But vampires are cool and a nice twist.
  Though in this group nothing is ever REALLY surprising.
  
  Though, being able to drain their HP, heal them back to full, and erase their memory seems a little cheap.
  
  Loved the waiting for someone to slip off alone part though. That was great.
  
  Reply
3. SRRavencroft
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  This is a pretty decent little vampire story told in the perspective of the vampire. Was expecting a bit more spook factor into it but that’s alright for the most part. It was a nice read.
  
  My advice though is whenever you do dialogue, have a new line in place for that.
  
  Reply
Tamela Redfin

August 11, 2021

It cannot be helped

By Tamela Redfin

Trigger Warning! Experimentation, mild torture and racism.

Days passed and I kept my eyes peeled for those rotten cyphas. Luckily, with weekdays, the cyphas had strict work schedules. Somedays, you’d pass the buildings and hear the sharp noise of riveting in the air while feeling the hot sand between your toes. What were they complaining about?

Today I also heard rumors some of the cyphas were going to that campsite and they caused quite the stir in our capital Adler. I shook my head thinking about how upset Cecilia got. She was probably sick of socializing.

“Hey Phosphorus Cameron, what’s going on?” It was Feldspar Augen, the head scientist.

I bowed my head. “Things are well. I didn’t expect to see you here, sir.”

“I heard something about a rogue cypha in this camp. Radon Cecilia Owens? Do you know anything about her?” He smirked and brushed long white hair out of his red eye, “I have a solution. Come with me.” I followed him, trudging through the sand to Camp Goodjoy.

Something felt off as I got closer. Had the building been so windowless? “Of course it has, Cam. You’ve seen the exterior.” A voice whispered to me

“Did you say something, Feldspar Augen?” My spine tingled, but Feldspar Augen didn’t acknowledge the question at all.

“Here we are, Phosphorus Cameron, ignore the loud ones. You’ll hear them when I open the door.” But he was wrong. The halls were dead silent. Yet, they were not empty. The light flickered as we walked.

He clicked a button. “Radon Cecilia? Sapphira?” He called out. “If you don’t come here, your punishment will be far worse.”

There she was. “My cousin did nothing wrong. Leave her alone.” Radon Cecilia’s breath hitched in her throat.
Feldspar Augen smirked, motioning to another guard. A sticky pad was placed on Cecilia and her cousin.

“You do realize that girl can’t be older than ten?” A voice whispered. No one spoke, until a flip was switched. Two screams split the air, and not in a good way.

“Humans would die if exposed to that, Cam.”

Reply
1. Makokam
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  So, it’s taken me awhile to figure out what to say about this, and I figured the best thing to say is to explain why I was having trouble..
  
  This was A LOT. Too much, in fact. It’s full of things and names that we, or I at least, don’t know. For example, you have this mention of racism and experimentation but it didn’t really come across, though where it is is pretty clear. I just don’t have a reference for who or what “cyphas” are. Is that a slur? Their race? They’re not human it seems, so what do they look like?
  
  You tried to tell us so much but we didn’t get to see any of it. I’m not even really sure where this was happening or what was going on, even at the end. Were they being shocked? Everything happened so fast. And yet you started with “Days passed”. Days passed since what?
  
  You clearly have a LOT going in this world and have put a lot of thought into it, but I think you tried to put too much into this bit of micro fiction and it just leaves me overwhelmed.
  
  Reply
  1. Tamela Redfin
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    Yeah, I’ll break it down a bit. Sorry to overwhelm. But some questions have been answered.
    
    1. Cyphas are human like being that are underground dwellers with long claws, thick light grey skin. (I did mention this prior, so that’s why I left it out) They are also solitary creatures, living in small family group, hence Cameron’s bite on Cecilia not liking socializing.
    
    2. Why racism? Sulfur Cora (the president of this land, known as Western Rolt) uprooted all these cyphas and are forcing them to live like humans. They are in a desert, which cyphas don’t like digging in.
    
    3. Days passed since Cameron met Cecilia (aka Radon Cecilia) and the last prompt.
    
    4. A few important names in this world:
    
    Phosphorus Cameron aka Cameron aka Cam (in mind): He is a researcher at the cypha rehabilitation center and is usually quite proud. He is part of the “Inner Circle” who work for Sulfur Cora. Someone strong would have to break his hubris.
    
    Radon Cecilia aka Cecilia Owens: A rebellious cypha who is often landing herself in trouble or getting out of it. She has a bad reputation amongst the humans and other cyphas love or hate her. Cameron finds her a person of interest.
    
    Feldspar Augen: The lead scientist in Western Rolt and part of the “Inner Circle”. Like his “girlfriend” Sulfur Cora, he hates cyphas, but enjoys experimenting on them and treating them sadistically. He also is obsessed with eyes. (Augen is German for eye)
    
    (Vanadium) Sapphira: Cecilia’s younger cousin who is like a sister to her. She is named after her sapphire yellow eyes and likes building and repairing. (Also note, humans/cypha don’t get their element, aka rank for career, until 14)
    
    We will meet other guards/cyphas. Hopefully I can better introduce them.
    
    5. The ending? Yes, they were shocked. That is what that building, Camp Goodjoy, is. A prison and torture chamber for all eyes to watch. Cameron’s mind (the one who calls him Cam) mocks him for letting Sapphira (in particular) go through this torture. As Cecilia mentioned, Sapphira did do nothing wrong and is being punished in the fashion of “If you don’t do what WE want, we’ll hurt someone you love.”
    
    Again, I apologize for this confusion, but thank you for reading.
    
    Reply
Makokam

August 11, 2021

Knock Next Time (Chronicles of The Dragon)
By Makokam

Scribe skipped through the halls of their new headquarters, with Bit flitting around her.

When the workers finishing up construction got tired of her bugging them, she’d tried to play with her new teammates. After they got tired of her, they gave her an important mission: figure out where all the damn rats were coming from.

After she got bored with that, she built a tower with all the rats she froze. And when she was bored with that, she decided to finish exploring the building.

She thought she heard that the building used to be a lab belonging to Sae-Tee’s parents, and that’s why parts of it were still under construction and off limits.

The hall she was in now she’d been down before, but as she pressed the buttons on every door she passed, one of them actually opened.

She and Bit stopped and looked in to see…nothing. The light from the hall formed an almost perfect rectangle on the floor, and nothing was visible beyond. Scribe stepped in, with Bit hovering close to her shoulder, but the shadows still didn’t yield.

Though, a purple tinge seemed to cover the world.

She stepped further in, reaching the edge of the light, and stretched her hand out experimentally.

“What do you want?”

The voice came to her from nowhere and everywhere at once. Bit hid under Scribe’s hair.

Scribe’s eyes darted around the room. Or was it an abyss? She opened her mouth but could only stutter out an, “uh…uh…”

Bit poked out to say, “You can’t scare us, we’re powerful superheroes!”

There was a soft giggle. “I’m aware. Why have you come to my room?”

“We… We were just… exploring? We didn’t mean to bother you?” Scribe said, slowly backing out.

As soon as Scribe’s foot touched the hallway, Bit yelled, “RUN!” and bolted down the hall. Scribe turned and ran after her.

A ghostly pale young woman stepped out of the room, the shadows seeming to cling to her and blend into her gown. “Scribe?”

After a moment, she shrugged and returned to her room.

Reply
1. C. M. Weller
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  Interesting. I read Scribe as a kid and Bit as… some variety of toy? Young fairy pal? Bird? Very likely not human. Given the title, it may even be safe to guess that this is dragons all the way down.
  
  I’m confused. If dragons, then fantasy. If fantasy, then buttons rarely open doors. I am definitely missing something here.
  
  Reply
  1. Powell
    
    August 11, 2021
    
    chronicles of the dragon is a recurring setting from mako, which I think this time did leave a lot of questions.
    
    Reply
  2. Makokam
    
    August 11, 2021
    
    I’m happy you found it interesting. ^_^
    
    Scribe isn’t really a child, she’s just…irresponsible? She’d much prefer to be off doing something fun than training or helping get their new home set up. But I knew she’d come across that way as I was writing, and was fine with that. It’s not a wrong impression to have. She just isn’t.
    (She looks vaguely adolescent. Giving her an actual age is impossible because lore.)
    And Bit IS a pixie, yes. In fact, you could probably say Scribe herself is a bit fae as well.
    
    As for the setting…
    It’s a Marvel/DC/”comicbook” universe. So there’s magic, sci-fi, and everything between and beyond.
    
    I’m sorry to hear it felt like there was so much left up in the air though. Every time I thought of cutting out part of the first half to add to the second, I thought everything was too nessecary to set the scene to cut out. But I guess it needed more.
    Granted, adding more to the end could have helped with that as well. :\
    
    Anyway, thanks for reading and commenting. I’m glad you thought it was interesting.
    
    Reply
2. Marx
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  Lol this story is pretty fun. For nothing if because of how childish and carefree Scribe is in this one. Most of the ones I see Scribe in are darker in tone, usually because of Jonathan. But as has been mentioned, to someone who wasn’t familiar with your world, she would absolutely come across as a child and that takes nothing from the story. Bit only helped to solidify that vibe.
  
  But yeah, opening random doors in a superhero base was probably never going to end well if she did it long enough. Though I do get the feeling that Scribe was never in any danger. Actually kinda curious what relationship the woman in the room has with Scribe, from the way the story ended. All in all, very fun story.
  
  Reply
  1. Makokam
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    Heh. Yeah. I might have gone a little overboard with the “just looking to play” aspect of her personality. But whatever. I like the visuals.
    
    Well, it’s only newly a superhero base. It used to be a lab where they did all kinds of experiments and research! All the better for exploring and adventure!
    
    The woman in the room is actually one of the super-hero mentors to the new team. She’s “part ghost” and one of her powers is a “fear aura”. Kind of like scarecrow toxin except passive and psychic. But it looses it’s effect once you become familiar with her. And her with you.
    
    Reply
3. Tamela Redfin
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  Hey since you commented on that accidental post, I got curious about your work. I love it! It’s very written. It feels surreal, but makes sense, which I like.
  But rule number 1 NEVER PUSH ALL THE BUTTONS. *sigh*
  
  Reply
4. i-prefer-the-term-antihero
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  After the other Bit story, it’s really nice to see Bit and Scribe as friends XD
  
  “After they got tired of her, they gave her an important mission: figure out where all the damn rats were coming from.
  After she got bored with that, she built a tower with all the rats she froze. And when she was bored with that, she decided to finish exploring the building.”
  –This was great XD
  
  I very nearly copy-pasted everything from “What do you want?” to the end XD So needless to say, I LOVE the end. This is exactly the kind of creepy story I adore, and I would have loved that part of the scene to be even longer and creepier.
  I will say “Bit poked out to say, “You can’t scare us, we’re powerful superheroes!”
  There was a soft giggle. “I’m aware. Why have you come to my room?” was probably my favorite part though.
  
  “A ghostly pale young woman stepped out of the room, the shadows seeming to cling to her and blend into her gown. “Scribe?”
  After a moment, she shrugged and returned to her room.”
  –Very curious about this part. I can’t tell if it’s a situation where this is the explanation for the creepiness–ie it’s really not that creepy, just this girl saying hi. Or if there’s something about the room–that she’s a monster in the room, but not outside it. Or if it’s neither.
  I’m guessing she’s probably just a superhero with a shadow-manipulation…but I can dream it’s something scarier XD
  Also the image of her walking out of the room with the shadows clinging to her is definitely one I’d like to see art of…
  
  Love it!!
  
  Reply
  1. Makokam
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    That’s why I thought this idea would be so much fun!
    
    I’m glad you liked so much of the story. I wasn’t sure what to keep and what to cut to add more in other places.
    
    That’s Ellen. She’s there with the rest of her team to Mentor Scribe’s Team for a few weeks to get them working as a team. She’s also “part ghost”.
    
    Reply
C. M. Weller

August 10, 2021

Ill Met in Darkness (A Tiefling Tale) [From Private]
C. M. Weller

The door was solid and heavy and took more than a bit of muscle to shut, which made the bar that Fel placed across it almost superfluous. He added locks and chains as he caught his breath. This was good. Nothing else could get in. He was, at last, secure.

“Nice bunker you got here, mein herr,” said a voice not his own. “Only one real problem with it.”

Fel whirled, steel drawn and ready in an instant. Nothing there but his supplies and a lot of shadows.

One of those shadows opened its eyes and split a sharp smile. It developed a demonic shape and became a fully-fleshed being with blue skin and yellow eyes. Wearing the black cloth traditionally worn by assassins. “There’s only one door. Not a lot of options if someone else got in, ja?”

“Tansie sent you, didn’t he?”

“Tansie gave me money, but I’m not killing anyone today. Tansie’s an ass. Further, the Harpers aren’t in favour of your demise.” At this news, he flicked about a part of his gi, showing the harp-shaped pin inside.

Relief. “You’re with the Harpers.” They had been keeping things balanced for centuries. Preventing malicious dictators from taking control. “How did you find me?”

“Expenses, mostly. It wasn’t hard to guess a highborn was hiding in this mansion. The only question was up or down… but it’s not much of a question.” He gestured to the supplies. “Expensive stuff. You’d have saved a lot of money and avoided notice with simple rations.”

“I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m threatened by a former friend,” snapped Fel. “I presume you know who I am.”

“Baronet Felzyan Watchward Victor Velroth… fourth of the name. Quite the falling out with the traditions of your realm.”

“My friends call me Fel,” he said, offering his hand.

The Tiefling – who looked a hell of a lot like the Demon Lords of homeland legend – said, “You sure they’re your friends?”

Reply
1. Alex
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  Interesting story. The name Velroth sounds familiar; remind me, was he the king who tried to have his son removed, because he was born tiefling? I like the addition of German words for the tiefling, made me picture his accent quite well. He seems to have a flair for theatrics. Then again, if you’re gonna hide in the shadows, at least do it in style.
  
  The last line was really chilling. When Fel mentions his friends and the tiefling responds with that… oh boy, either way you slice it, that is not a good sign. I am really curious about this tiefling and the Harpers (who I assume are a family).
  
  Well done!
  
  Reply
  1. C. M. Weller
    
    August 11, 2021
    
    The Harpers are a secret organisation (Ssh!) who manipulate politics behind the curtain. Making sure the knives end up in the correct backs, sort of thing. It’s D&D, so there’s always evil to snuff out.
    
    I don’t recall using Velroth before [I probably have, it has good mouthfeel] There’s Earl Valiant Stormwight Hallowfine Whitekeep and his younger son Spitebane Fortitude Bulwark… If I did write a King Velroth, then it’s unrelated to this tale.
    
    The whole thing with the last line revolves around the nickname “Fel” – which is a synonym for the demonic. Kosh (the Tiefling) has dealt with being called Fel in UNFRIENDLY ways, has doubts that Fel actually has friends.
    
    Reply
2. Arith_Winterfell
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  I really like the way the prompt about shadows talking becomes an introduction to our tiefling friend. Furthermore it was also a nice touch of realism about people being tracked by their expenses. Even if Fel hadn’t been a nobleman who naturally was a big-spender, and only bought rations as had been expected, he still would have had to spend some sort of money for supplies and thus leave a trail. The turn about that the assassin was a Harper and thus not killing Fel was a nice element. Even better, the final line about are his friends really his friends was a really good turnabout and ominous touch to end the story on! It was a really good tale.
  
  Reply
  1. C. M. Weller
    
    August 11, 2021
    
    I didn’t mean it to be ominous I thought it was funny ;_;
    
    Reply
3. Makokam
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  Ha! This was a great little scene. These stories are so good!
  Harpers huh?
  Rings a bell.
  
  This was a great use of the prompt. I’ve seen similar from others but this just worked better. … Technically I did similar too.
  
  The whole set-up with the guy locking himself in…only to have locked himself in with someone else was just a great bit of sudden horror. Especially with the reveal.
  
  I like how he tracked the guy down…but was he having the supplies delivered? Or did he just go around the shops asking about him? And I assume this was… actually I don’t know what this is. A building I assume. Who’s building? Abandoned? Was he followed? So much story! AH!
  
  Anyway. All these stories of yours make me want to play…or write, I guess, a tiefling bard.
  
  Reply
  1. C. M. Weller
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    It wouldn’t be hard to find merchants with sudden income scrambling to fill big orders. Especially if one knows the Gentleman’s favoured varieties of wine.
    
    Reply
    1. Makokam
      
      August 13, 2021
      
      I see the man has his priorities straight.
      
      And good detectivw work.
      
      Reply
Joy H

August 10, 2021

The Sister Next to You

Rennie was bored of lying in bed. She would have informed Sis of this fact, except Sis would just say “We’re in the depths of night, just let your boredom knock you out.” Then Sis would roll over in her slightly more interesting (or just messy) bed and ignore her.

She had this knowledge cause she’d asked her forever ago and that’s what happened. It was probably just a few minutes ago in adult time, but in mind time a century had staggered past. She dragged herself upright and peeked at Sis’s bed again. A shadowed lump marked where she was rolled up in impressively mismatched blankets.

That’s a little weird, since the air’s trying to become bathwater. Did she get dared to use them? Is Sis secretly more warm blooded that Rennie though? There’s at least three blankets there, which is nuts, so probably a dare. Hmm.

“Are you smothering yourself on a dare?” she asked.

The lump grunted and feebly wiggled away from Rennie. Was that- the red blanket was actually two entirely different blankets!

“It’s way too hot for it to be cause you’re cold, so it’s got to be-”

“Cold.” Sis’s voice said. Flat, empty.

“R-really?”

There’s something wrong- Sis doesn’t sound like that-

“Cold,” the blankets say again, no emotion in the voice.

“But you’re warm.” The voice’s owner sits up, and turns a face bundled in blankets, a alien, gray and sweat drenched face, toward her.

It slides off Sis’s bed, Rennie frozen under dead eyes.

“So warm.”

Reply
Harshmellow99

August 10, 2021

Vampcat (or meowpire?)
Reposted from private
By Harshmellow99

Shiloh was a ghost of a little boy. Well, not really a ghost, although he often pretended to be one. Rather, he’d been described that way several times by people he wasn’t particularly fond of. It’d also been said, again by people he didn’t much like, that he needed what one might call friends. It was lonely being so enigmatic and cool.

Pale as death, bags under his eyes, a look on his face that didn’t fit his age. That was Shiloh. It wasn’t illness that made him look somewhat like a zomboy. It was the hours he spent nightly reading terrifying stories in bed that no child should ever read, certainly not past one’s bedtime. Shiloh called this a “mandatory curfew.” It’s probably obvious that his parents didn’t really know what he was doing all those nights. Good. Shiloh knew he didn’t fit, but man, he sure loved things that creeped others out.

Tonight was another night of villainous subterfuge.
Shiloh leapt ninja-ly into bed, a maneuver practiced many times to perfection, with an old, beaten-to-hell-and-back book in his hands. He turned off the lamp and threw on his protective layer of heavy blankets.

An owl sang its own strange little song somewhere outside. Shiloh flipped the book’s weathered pages and found the one he was looking for.

The owl hooted sagely again, but this time its song ended very abruptly and didn’t sound very pretty at all. It sounded like a shriek. Not like an owl kind of shriek, but like a real one. Shiloh looked up, his mouth contorted in a face of “what the-?”
His small bedroom got real quiet real fast, but the overly curious little boy swore he heard the shadows talk in the silence. Then came a rumbling chuckle.

A silhouette appeared on his floor in the moonlight that shone through the window. A cat’s silhouette. But to Shiloh, the feline visitor in the window looked a lot more like a vampire than a regular cat, huge and black with inches-long fangs and searing red eyes. The wings were another odd addition.

Reply
1. Makokam
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  Fun little story. Little light on the prompt, but I enjoyed it regardless.
  
  Very much a character piece. Shiloh seems interesting.
  
  Curious about the cat. Is it actually a monster/vampire cat, or are the wings from the owl it just merked? Lol
  
  Reply
  1. Harshmellow99
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    The wings do indeed belong to the “meowpire” (which is Shiloh’s term for this giant cat-like demon-monster-vampire-creature thing that feeds on children’s blood.) Thank you so much for the feedback!
    
    Reply
Zac Scarpellino

August 10, 2021

The Past Can’t Be Cut
By Zac Scarpellino (aka Reluctant Discord User)

Awake at night once again. In my bed I lay still as the dead. My muscles tense as sweat drips down my forehead. It is the time I always dread. The medication has stopped working again. I only upped the dose last week. My therapist, bless her heart has tried everything to reach out to me.

But I can’t let her.

I won’t let her.

No one can know. No one… except them. I turn my head to greet them like always. From the darkness, people cloaked in the gloom stand before me. The shadows that deny me light.

My tormentors.

The tallest one whispers,

“Why?”

I remain silent. I always try to ignore them. Yet they buzz in my head. Heckling me without saying a word. Forcing my attention back to them.

“What did we do to deserve this?”

“Shut up.” I tell them. I won’t to give them the satisfaction. But they always have their way.

“We were just children.”

“SHUT UP!”

I hear banging behind me. I must have woken up the neighbour up again. I hate these thin walls. One of the shadows covers their face, as if they were crying.

“I want my mommy.”

“I… I was just following orders. I didn’t have a choice.”

“All your fault.”

My eyes begin to swell with tears. They’re doing it again.

“All your fault. All your fault. All your fault.”

I cover my ears and shut my eyes. But they start to scream. The same screams on that one day. The wails of agony that scarf down what little of my soul is left.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

The screams stop. I open my eyes and see light seeping into the room.

They’re gone.

I open the curtains and the morning light hits my watery eyes. I can finally breathe.

But they’ll be back.

They always come back.

Reply
1. Marx
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  Oof! This one really hits you right in the jellies! In all seriousness, this came off really powerfully. You don’t even need all the details. You give just enough that we fully understand that guilt is a bitch. You really feel it with the children especially. Assuming they aren’t all children… Either way, very strong take on the prompt. Well done!
  
  Reply
ArkansanDragoness

August 9, 2021

“Unknown” by Magan (Legends of Dra’cora)

The teenage human astronaut jolted awake, staring around the den she’d been given. The light of both moons shone through the knothole window in the giant, hollowed-out tree. She clutched her bedsheet closer, trying to pinpoint the whispers.

Nothing but shadows.

She sighed, rolled over, tried to sleep again. It was the third time in as many nights this had happened. Maybe she should tell her beastfolk friends about it? Their rooms were just down the hall… No, it was her mind playing tricks from loneliness. This village on a planet of sentient animals–beastfolk–and fantasy creatures had adopted her, but she still missed humans, wondering if her colony knew she was alive…

The whispers can again, closer this time. The shadows moved.

That was new.

She threw a pillow at the source, but it only struck the curved wall. The noise stopped. The human grumbled to herself, pulling the sheet over her head. If this was Hazelnut, the flying squirrel, pulling another prank… The voices did sound vaguely Dracorian, though she couldn’t make out the words…

The human shook her head. “Knock it off, Hazel.” Looked like explanations were due that humans weren’t nocturnal like she was.

No answer, no movement.

She dozed again…

The whispers were beside her now, something cold touched her–

–She was suddenly opposite the bed, back to the wall, panicked, with no memory of moving. She felt ill, freezing, but the night was warm.

“Amber! What’s wrong?! We heard screaming!” Her friends rushed into the room, Skyrunner, the cheetah, with Hazelnut riding on his back. Skyrunner held a firefly-filled lantern in his jaws.

The human, Amber, pointed to her nest of blankets, still shaken.

Skyrunner came towards her, purring to offer comfort, while Hazelnut inspected the nest. They listened to her describe the events.

Both beastfolk looked worried. They tried explaining, but Amber still didn’t know enough Dracorian to understand. They left the lantern shining, curling up beside her in the nest.

As Amber slept, Skyrunner and Hazelnut shared a look. A wraith shouldn’t be here. Not outside cursed magic zones. So why was it?

Reply
1. Joy H
  
  August 10, 2021
  
  Nice! I like the ending a lot. The beast folk are interesting, but the way you introduced the idea of them felt almost abrupt. There wasn’t enough of a explanation of whether beast folk normally exist, or if Amber fell into a magic world that has them and their existence new to her.
  
  I mean, I get the idea it’s the second scenario, but wondering about it took away from the submersion.
  
  Reply
  1. ArkansanDragoness
    
    August 10, 2021
    
    I did some editing to try and clear things up. Did that help?
    
    Reply
RVMPLSTLTSKN

August 9, 2021

Shadows like Titans
By RVMPLSTLTSKN

Two persons are looking at a shimmering vista of a boat on an uncorrupted sea. On worlds not their own, they are Brightlings, Dancers, devils, angels, demons, fey spirits, but amongst themselves and to themselves they say they are persons. There are two of them, one mentor to the other.

The boat’s sail is lax and the sole occupant asleep in the gentle rocking of a calm ocean’s night.

Are you sure he is the one, Apalai?

He is alone and wishes to be separated from his fellows. He left them to die. He will die if we do not intervene.

And intervening is in the best interest of the others?

I believe so, but I haven’t decided which world yet.

A board of review will decide if you made the right choice.

Waiddrys, I have good reasons for both.

The mentor holds up a pebble from Garl’s own world.

Shall we let his nature tell us?

Why not.

The mentor throws the stone into the vision of the boat. It lands for only a moment upon the occupant’s head before jumping off and over the side to rejoin its native world in the deep. The occupant awakes and sits up, hand to head, feeling the place where the pebble bounced. He sees nothing of the persons and, after checking the boat and weather and seeing nothing amiss–not even from his dreams–went back asleep.

Well, it’s decided then.

Yes, Waiddrys.

You’re dissatisfied?

No, but I wish I had thrown the stone.

A small matter, not worth mentioning in your review, but you see he’s asleep again and will know nothing until he wakes. You should hurry in your art, Apalai, lest you be seen.

Yes, Waiddrys. I’m Calling the wind of his world.

These persons, of course, can’t affect others’ worlds, only their own, but they see time as wind and wind as time and the story stops here with a gust of one of these concepts and resumes with a gusting of the other on a different world. The two persons are but memories and mirages and imaginings.

Reply
Connor A.

August 9, 2021

Attempted Robbery (Sword Isles)
By Connor A.

Isabel Fernán finished writing a sentence before she looked up at the shadows of her study.

“It is rude to enter one’s home without notice,” she stated with a bluntness few could replicate.

Something moved suddenly at the sound of her voice. A flinch, perhaps. They recovered and said, “It’d be a good idea if you keep your mouth shut, lady.”

“Tell me, how much thought did you put into this whole affair?”

“Enough to know I can make a fortune off of you.”

“Is that so?” Isabel stood up from her desk, smoothed down the front of her dress, and slowly walked over to where the voice was. “Because on the first floor alone there are several priceless trophies you could have taken without confronting me in this fashion.”

No response.

“Also,” she continued, “if you actually bothered to do research on me, you would know I have a… reputation among criminals.”

She suddenly reached into the shadows and wrapped her hand around the intruder’s neck, pulling them out of their hiding place to see what they looked like.

They stared at her with a panicked look that would be better suited for a child than a middle-aged adult. Snapping back to reality, they made an attempt at swinging their knife at Isabel’s face, only for her to use her other hand to block it.

“Now, I will avoid pressing charges if you leave peacefully.”

When Isabel slightly loosened her grip on their neck, they finally spoke up, “And if I don’t?”

Isabel wasted no time slinging the intruder over her shoulder. As they struggled under her grip, she spoke again, “Oh come now, you are at least twenty years younger than me and I have been out of practice for a few years now. I thought you would prove to be a challenge.”

As they continued to struggle and curse while she carried them out, Isabel grimaced slightly at the thought of delaying her other work for this report.

Reply
1. Zac Scarpellino
  
  August 10, 2021
  
  Pretty badass story. I like how there’s no tension in the beginning because that’s exactly how Isabel is feeling. No fear whatsoever. She knows what’s happening and she knows what’s going to happen if this robber keeps pushing their luck. This one was fun.
  
  Reply
2. Joy H
  
  August 10, 2021
  
  So, nice story, the scary woman defeating a home invader is a fun concept. The ending feels like there’s not much closure. I mean, the guy’s defeated, but him being carried out of the house fully conscious feels almost anticlimactic (as opposed to seeing Isabel knocking him out, or giving a demonstration of why criminals fear her so much.)
  
  Reply
3. Marx
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  Oh, how I always love a good scary things getting scared story. Isabel comes off like the massive badass she is and it only makes her more interesting in that there’s no tension whatsoever. Literally taking the person over her shoulder was especially a pretty funny visual. Very fun story!
  
  Reply
Calliope Rannis

August 9, 2021

Leave Them All Behind (Nyssa’s Story)
By Calliope Rannis

When Nyssa slept, the twisted shades of people she once knew would awaken.

Quelvara would dig up every mistake she had ever made, and force them before her eyes once again.

Alina would call out to her from afar, only to disintegrate at her touch, leaving Nyssa distraught and alone.

Arling would give her the gentle advice that Nyssa had ignored again and again in her past, painfully reminding her of everything she could have been.

And then there was her parents–

“Why are we still doing this?”

Sunlight burned away the darkness. A woman stood before her, golden (or white?) hair gleaming in the sunrise.

“This is only hurting us. We don’t need to cling to them anymore. We only need ourselves!” Her brown (or yellow?) eyes were filled with passion. “Don’t drag us back into their darkness. Not again.”

Nyssa looked at the other woman, with red and orange robes all clean and undamaged, standing with self-assurance as she shone against the sun. She almost stepped forward.

The shining woman smiled softly, and reached out a (crystalline?) hand. “We don’t have to be scared anymore. We don’t have to wallow in guilt anymore. We can move on with our lives, and make our world a better place!”

Nyssa let her words sink in. Then she closed her eyes. She listened to the voices behind her, voices of cruelty, of longing, of kindness, the voices that all hurt so much – and she stepped backwards.

The sky darkened and the wind started howling, as the sun dimmed to a distant redness.

The woman didn’t look angry, or even disappointed. Just deeply sad. “Why?”

“Because I need this.” Nyssa opened her eyes. “Because I have to remember what I did. Because if I don’t…I’ll just make everything worse. Again.” Tears started running down her face. “I’m sorry.”

She started sinking into the painful darkness, as she heard her past (and future?) self respond once more.

“Don’t worry. We will get through this awful phase, in time.”

Then her light winked out, and Nyssa was alone with her shadows once more.

Reply
1. Alex
  
  August 10, 2021
  
  It’s a pleasure to see Nyssa again. Interesting snippets about Nyssa’s past, I see here. I assume Quelvara, Alina and Arling are her party? Or a former party at least? It looks like she has a history with them, which I’m assuming didn’t end too well. I can’t tell, whether they are dead or not, but given what I know about Nyssa’s backstory, there is a good chance they are.
  
  Again, a lot of the speculations I make are based on what I know about Nyssa’s past from previous stories, but my guess would be this is connected to the amount of destruction she caused before? It would make sense, as that is, as far as I know, Nyssa’s main cause of trauma: guilt. Whether I’m wrong or right, you do a really good job at hinting at various points of her past.
  
  Well done!
  
  Reply
2. Marx
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  Lol I always know the Nyssa stories are going to hit hard and I look forward to them each time. I loved this. It is a weird balance to take. On one side, wallowing in your mistakes, especially mistakes as big as Nyssa’s is practically poisoning yourself, but on the other, because the consequences are so high, it’s very important to remember just what those consequences are to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes. Though I assume the balance in that is what the other Nyssa was trying to impart on her younger self.
  
  I also loved the dreamlike quality of the writing especially with not being sure which color was which, or at least that’s how I read it. It painted an interesting picture in your head as you read it. Very well done!
  
  Reply
3. Arith_Winterfell
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  I really like the dream-like qualities of this story as it not only fits well as a dream, but it also carried a lot of info via dream symbolism. The various characters from her past reappearing to repeat her own self-hatred. The salvation figure she rejects. The darkness she returns too. In a sense, I kind of ended up wondering if the familiar nature of the darkness (and emotional states it represents) are a kind of comfort to her (in a strange way) in that by remaining in her painful state she avoids risking not only making the mistakes of the past, but also avoiding the risks in making a better future for herself (what the salvation figure seems to be trying to offer to her).
  
  Reply
4. Connor A.
  
  August 12, 2021
  
  Gotta love psychology, especially in fantasy settings. I always love how you explore your characters in your pieces; there’s so much thought into who they all are and how they cope with their own problems. This piece was no exception, and the way you balanced it with the fantastic elements was phenomenal.
  
  Reply
  1. Calliope Rannis
    
    August 12, 2021
    
    Thank you very much, I am super glad you liked it! ^w^
    
    Reply
Alex

August 9, 2021

The Omen (Forsaken Universe)
By Alex Nightingale (aka Spectre)

She should have listened. And now, she was going to die. Surrounded by mountains on both sides, as tall as on her home world Vaporius, there was only one way out. The light, straight ahead.

But Lennah wasn’t fast enough. Why hadn’t she listened?

The shadows behind her were scampering with glee, as a familiar voice rang out from high above.

“Not enough, I’m afraid, Lennah.”

Her sandals were torn on the hard gravel, her feet burning on the hot ground.

“Just a bit more,” she pleaded. “Come on, please.”

“You should have listened to the omen, Lennah,” another voice said.

She knew, she was right. One small detour and this entire thing could have been avoided. One small, almost inconsequential detour and this would have been so much easier. The shadowy things behind her came ever closer. Lennah felt her heart hammer, as they closed in. They were almost upon her, their snarling almost palpable in her ears, as the familiar voice from high above whispered sounds and images into her ear.

She sped forward at break-neck speed. She was so close. The light was just within reach. All she had to do was stretch out her arm and she could touch it. At once, the entire area was eclipsed, by a massive looming shape above her. What…

The familiar voice from above rang out again.

“Dekka, no!”

The baby space dragon landed hard on the board, yapping loudly, scattering the game pieces everywhere.

“Dekka!” Morae exclaimed. “We were in the middle of a game!”

“She probably can’t understand you,” Zurian remarked.

“Besides, I didn’t roll high enough anyway,” Lennah added.

“Close, though,” Rain remarked, trying to restrain Dekka.

“One little side quest…” Michael began.

“I know,” Lennah flapped her wings in annoyance. “I thought I was on a roll, so… I got a bit carried away. Sue me.”

“I won’t,” Morae said, holding up a card labelled ‘Omen’. “But this thing will.”

“Why couldn’t I have drawn a prophecy card,” Lennah muttered.

“Can I read it out?” Morae asked, grinning. “I love the flavor text for Talking Shadows…”

Reply
1. Zac Scarpellino
  
  August 10, 2021
  
  That twist got me good. I love how suddenly it goes from intense action to the calm atmosphere of everyone playing the board game. I like that it’s kept vague whether what happened was in Dekka’s imagination or not. That is how I always used to react when I turned the lights off in the hallway as a kid. I would literally run from the shadows into the light room where my parents are.
  
  Reply
2. i-prefer-the-term-antihero
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  Ahhh this is great!!
  
  The twist got me too. I really like the tone of both sides of the piece, and the image of these sci-fi characters playing dnd is fabulous XD, but….I gotta say, personally I would have preferred it if it was real and you kept the dark tone throughout. The twist definitely detracted for me. But that’s my personal preference.
  
  At first I thought Dekka was Lennah too, and I gotta say, I honestly would have really loved that.
  Regardless, Dekka literally crashing their game is an adorable image.
  
  “She should have listened. And now, she was going to die.” Love this first line.
  
  “The shadows behind her were scampering with glee, as a familiar voice rang out from high above.
  “Not enough, I’m afraid, Lennah.”
  –Absolutely adore this image.
  (Also, took me a couple reads to realize this was one of her friends saying “You didn’t roll high enough.” XD)
  
  “She knew, she was right. One small detour and this entire thing could have been avoided. One small, almost inconsequential detour and this would have been so much easier”
  –This is great. I love it because that really is how it feels when you’re in that position. You don’t think forward, you start looking back.
  
  Great piece!!
  
  Reply
3. Calliope Rannis
  
  August 14, 2021
  
  N’awwww, this was a great and adorable little scene here. Of course, Dekka would end up accidentally devastating this imaginary fantasy setting as a dragon. XD
  
  That said, before the twist happened, the tension and build-up of action in the scene was very well done indeed! Truly an impressive feat of Lennah’s imagination, for what is a single (admittedly dramatic) turn in a boardgame. The situation really did look effectively dire, before Dekka squashed it all anyway. 😛
  
  In any case, a very neat story Spectre! Well done! 😀
  
  Reply
Marx

August 9, 2021

OK Boomer
By Marx

Alex looked from the book he was reading and smirked over its pages at the glaring girl beside him. “Can I help you?” He taunted.

“I was just thinking about how much I absolutely despise you, is all…” Jasmine spat out as she read a book of her own.

Alex chuckled and flipped to the next page. “You don’t despise me. Not really. Not yet. You’re just mourning over your family’s… untimely demise and your anger over my part in that is helping you cope. It’s not true hate.”

“Is this where you tell me it’s just a phase or something equally derivative?” Jasmine sighed.

Alex looked from his book again. “Heh. The young always think they know everything. Allow me to educate you.”

“Oh God… Here he goes.” Jasmine rolled her eyes.

Alex only grinned wider at the taunt. “As the centuries pass, you’ll find yourself using the term more. Mortal. You’ll foolishly attach yourself to them only to watch them die as all mortals do.”

“That implies I’ll be free one day.” Jasmine mocked spitefully.

“Of course you will.” Alex chuckled again. “I’ll get bored of you just like I have every other toy. Something for you to look forward to. Or at least you’d think so now. Where was I? Oh yes, mortals and the insignificant little flickers of being they call life. Their deaths will hurt you. Over and over. And you’ll tell yourself never again. Just to fall into the same pattern.

“But one day… a mortal will connect with you in a way none has. It’ll be agonizing knowing how briefly they exist. And when they do die… you’ll cry. You’ll mourn. But somewhere deep inside, you’ll know it’s only an act. You’re just going through the motions. And when you finally accept that, those connections will become meaningless. And you’ll remember this conversation. And THAT is when you’ll despise me. Assuming you live long enough. Immortality doesn’t suit everyone.”

“I’ll never be like you…” Jasmine whispered, shuddering with genuine disgust.

Alex flipped to the next page. “Wanna bet? I have nothing but time.”

Reply
1. Zac Scarpellino
  
  August 10, 2021
  
  After reading the whole thing. The title became really funny to me. I like how casual Alex is when he speaks about things like death because they don’t apply to him. He’s got nothing to be scared of and nothing to hold value to him.
  I also like that Jasmine was quite believable here. Mirroring what most people would say in this situation things like “I’ll never be like you…” but to Alex, he’s probably heard it all before.
  
  Reply
  1. Marx
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    Lol I always try to have fun with my titles and when this one hit me, it was like striking gold. And you have Alex down completely. He has pretty much seen it all. To the extent that it probably sounds like he’s talking from his own experiences, but he’s actually talking from what he knows of his other “toys”. Thanks for the review!
    
    Reply
2. Makokam
  
  August 11, 2021
  
  This was a fun one, despite the hard core sadistic nihilism.
  The title is pretty damn perfect as well.
  
  I’m curious as to what he thinks might kill Jasmine if he also expects her to be…functionally immortal.
  Does the immortality become more “true” the older she gets? Could things beyond Matt or an Avenging Archangel kill him? (Or, below rather.)
  
  Anyway. Fun story. I hate Alex but I love his Glorious Bastardness.
  
  Reply
  1. Marx
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    Fun but dark was absolutely what I was going for in this one so I absolutely take that as a compliment lol. Though I would say there is an aspect of horror going on in the background since Daisy is technically in this scene. She’s literally right next to Alex, and this is the conversation she references later in the other prompt where she worries about morality in immortals. Daisy is there but they both pretty much treat her like she isn’t.
    
    As for what could kill them? Well… themselves. And Alex, of course. He can easily kill any of his thralls. They all only have a fraction of his power after all. As for Alex, himself? Yeah, you would definitely need someone of at least an archangel level. Or a really powerful deity.
    
    Reply
3. Connor A.
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  God, I love that Jasmine is not taking Alex’s nonsense. The banter in this piece was phenomenal. You always have a way with carrying out dialogue that really lets the reader understand everyone’s personalities and how they fair with different characters. It makes every conversation in your submissions all the more fascinating.
  
  Reply
  1. Marx
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    Thank you so much! I do think I work on my dialogue the hardest. Especially in these limited stories where the dialogue basically is the story lol. Very happy that everyone has a clear and distinctive voice.
    
    Lol and there is a reason that Jasmine’s banter with Alex differs from most others. He actually likes her and she(to an extent) came to him willingly. So he hasn’t felt the need to utterly destroy her the way he has with others.
    
    Reply
4. Starfle
  
  August 13, 2021
  
  This is excellent! I really love Alex’s spunky determination. I’d love to read a book about her!
  
  Reply
  1. Marx
    
    August 13, 2021
    
    Heh, funnily enough, I am lowkey working on that lol.
    
    Reply
5. Calliope Rannis
  
  August 14, 2021
  
  This is a really interesting story here. One that I think really gets to the heart of how Alex became who he is now – assuming he is speaking from direct experience, and wasn’t just an asshole the entire time anyway. XD
  
  You did get the unnerving banter of these two down very well. Like on the one hand Alex’s dismissal of Jasmine’s feelings feels just like that, a dismissal – but also, her reactions are *really mild* for someone in the same room as the person that murdered their whole family. It certainly makes me think that Alex’s point is not entirely false, at least.
  
  And that last line is my fave of the whole story, because to me at least it has a very resonant double meaning. “I have nothing but time” isn’t just a self-assured counter-statement, it’s also genuinely the only thing he has left of value in his life anymore. He’s long since gotten bored of absolutely everything else, after all. Even the entertainment he has now is probably something he has cycled through many a time before too.
  
  Awesome story Marx! ^w^
  
  Reply