Fictional Writing Challenges

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@TheSongofTheStars Ah thank you so much! I really like your Judgment piece- it really hits hard. Great job!

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☙ I am either going out for ice cream, or to commit a heinous crime. I'll decide in the car.

My name, is Todd Baker. Yes, that Todd Baker. The one you keep hearing about on the news.. that 16 year old kid who robbed those banks.
If you've found this note, I've probably been caught. And you're probably that lead detective- James Gordan was it?
Yes, James.
You're looking for evidence, right?
Wondering who my partner in crime was?
Well let me tell you a story.

Everyday he'd pick me up from my house. My mom would ask where we were going, and I'd tell her: "I'm either going out for ice cream... or to commit a heinous crime. I'll decide in the car." She'd always laugh and wish us best.
Speaking of my mom- she's probably crying. Crying that her son would do something so terrible.

Me and my partner in crime would go back to his house, and head down to his basement. His parents were both blackout drunks who could care less about their son, so they didn't care whether we used their basement for anything.
We'd collect maps of the banks from my dad. He designed most of them, and kept the blueprints in his office. My partner was incredibly smart; in all honors and AP classes, almost head of his class. I was so proud of him. I had almost all C's and D's in my classes.
He'd take pins and put up the maps on the walls, and mark them with red Sharpie. He'd circle entrance points, exit points, where the safe was, etc. He knew where to go, what to do, how to do it, and what we'd get from it.

Because my father built the banks, I was allowed almost everywhere. The guards would say "Hey, Todd Baker!" and I'd smile and wave, forcing myself to go through the same imitation of emotion towards them. Better not to get close to the people who'd probably end up dead by your hand, right?
Anyways, I was able to go to the staff room in the back to get snacks. The staff rooms don't have cameras, because of that stupid workers strike for "privacy". But the staff rooms do have an alarm button, so I'd wait for the workers to leave while sitting and drinking coffee. I'd hit the button, act oblivious, and run to hide under the table. I'd wait, counting the seconds it took for the police to get there. When I'd hear the police get inside, I'd stop counting.
Generally with the door blocked, the police take around 10 minutes to get there and break them down.

He'd pick what we'd wear, and I'd buy it. It was like a science project- a cruel yet enjoyable one.
Originally that was all it was.. a science project. But I told him that we should go through with it. To see if it would work. He agreed, hesitantly, and we went through with it.

Eventually we had robbed most of the banks. We had bags of money hidden away in his basement, with labels on them.
One said "For Retirement plans", another said "College". A majority of the bags had names of Charities that we were going to donate the money to.
We didn't get around to spending any of the money. It's all still there, all of it.
Well, except 5 dollars. We bought Ice Cream from Rite Aid one day.

We decided that we shouldn't steal from banks anymore. We were done, and we decided to record a cassette tape. On that Cassette tape, (which should be attached to this note) we admitted what we did, said what we were going to spend the money on, etc.
I remember when we recorded that cassette tape. We sat in his basement, and had to whisper because his father was asleep upstairs. We kept laughing every other sentence, but it was fun. We were being really loud, I guess. And it was really dark in his basement.
I guess he didn't notice his Dad had come downstairs when he kissed me.
At first it was great. But when his Dad yelled "What the HELL" it wasn't.

I left with a split lip and he left with much worse. He stayed at my house that night, but it was like he wasn't there.
Eventually his spark was apparent again, and he was laughing just like normal.
We made our way out of my mom's house, and I waved to her. She asked, "Where are you boys headed?"
And he responded "Out for ice cream. Or to commit a heinous crime. Todd will decide in the car."
My Mom laughed and went inside the house as I opened the car door to his old, beat up Corolla.
I put my feet up on the dash, pulling out the five dollars.
"Rite Aid?"
"Rite Aid."
He paused for a second, kissed me for the second time, and we headed down to Rite Aid.
You're probably wondering... why does any of this matter?
It matters because of the reason I got caught.
Because the school cleaned out his locker by now, right? They cleaned off the memorial, they threw out the flowers people had taped to it.. found the cassette, and took me into custody.
I wrote this as best as I could.
I just wanted someone to know, that he was great. That they shouldn't blame him for what I told him to do.
I'm sure people will scorn his name, say "Who cares that a robber killed himself."

He had a heart. Jacob Williamson had a heart. He was going to be valedictorian. He had all A's, he was sweet, caring, loving, creative.. everything in a good person. He would take me out to get ice cream on Saturdays because no one else would.
He saw the lonely kid and talked to him because no one else would.

Don't blame him for something I did.

Please.

[VoidAstor]

Prompt 20: The chef ran through the night, clutching the son of the assassinated king.

Everything happened so suddenly.

I stood by the long buffet table, proudly displaying my works of art on silver platters. Macaroons, tortes, crepes, and puddings... all desserts that the king had requested. It was his son's birthday- specifically his sixteenth birthday- and I gladly filled the king's request for desserts of all sorts. The son, named Nicholai, was a kind boy, and my daughter, Verity, loved him, just like every other girl in the kingdom. They all swooned over his golden-brown hair and bright blue eyes and mini strip of freckles across his cheeks.

"Prince Nicholai, you and your friends are free to indulge on the treats," the king said, gesturing towards the table. Nicholai smiled a little, but his eyes drifted away. He caught sight of something, stepping in front of his father immediately. An arrow came out of nowhere, striking Nicholai in the shoulder, and he cried out, collapsing onto the floor. Shrieks came from everyone standing around, and they all ducked for cover. I didn't. I raced forwards, scooping up Nicholai in my arms. Another arrow flew into the neck of the king, who inhaled sharply. His eyes grew glazed, but he wasn't quite dead yet. His gaze wandered over to me. "S-save Nic..." he croaked, before another arrow entered his skull, killing him instantly.

Save Nicholai.

I ran to the kitchen, Nicholai in my arms, and I pushed a panel in the wall aside. Nicholai was in shock, reaching up to the arrow. "Don't touch it," I ordered sternly, closing the wall behind me. I sprinted through the passageway, Nicholai appearing to be tiny in my muscular arms. I slid another wall panel aside, entering the outside world. Closing it behind me, I sprinted into the forest, heading to my house. As long as I protected Nicholai, no one else would be able to take the throne. But who would do this? Who would dare kill a just and generous king, who reigned over a kingdom with good intentions? Maybe someone with nasty intentions. Or maybe someone who thought they could rule over better than our king. Whatever the reason, I would not let Nicholai die and let someone else rule over.

While running through the forest, I caught sight of Verity picking blueberries in the light of the full moon. When she glanced up at me, her blue-gray eyes widened.

"Verity, go home and clean off the kitchen table. He's wounded terribly," I demanded, and Verity nodded, getting up and racing home before I could get there.

I arrived at my little home quickly, and Verity had already cleaned off the kitchen table, setting up some final things to help me clean Nicholai's wound. I laid him down on the table. "Verity, get me a wet washcloth," I said, and Verity jogged to get to the bathroom. I tore Nicholai's shirts, but when I got to his chest, I was confused. A binder? For breasts?

"Don't... tell," Nicholai rasped, but I was just frozen. I could hear Verity's footsteps as she raced down our small hallway, and so I went to meet her halfway. I had to let Nicholai heal before anyone else figured out. He didn't have the energy to carry out a full conversation now.

"Verity, I'll take it from here. You go... you go get some more herbs," I said, snatching the washcloth from Verity's grip. I didn't stay to watch her reaction, and I hurried back to the table. I gripped the arrow close to Nicholai's chest- which had barely missed his binder strap- and within a matter of a few seconds, I eased the arrow out of Nicholai's chest. He grunted in pain, but thankfully, he didn't squirm too much. I threw the arrow aside, and I began cleaning Nicholai's wound. It wasn't incredibly deep, but he would have a scar for quite some time and the wound itself would have to be dressed properly everyday. And Nicholai wouldn't be able to wear his binder. The strap would more than likely irritate the wound, and if I wanted to get Nicholai back to his palace in good shape, he couldn't wear the binder.

The back door closed on the other side of the house, meaning that Verity was gone. My memory doing me well, I remembered that she had a strapless bra that she was planning to wear if she ever signed up for the military. It was technically a binder of sorts, so it could work. I rushed into her bedroom, digging through the clothes in her worn-down dresser, and I found it at the very bottom. I took it, going back to where Nicholai laid, and I began cutting the straps away from his binder.

Nicholai grabbed my forearm, his grip powerful despite his fatigue from seeing his own blood. "Sir, I would recommend not doing that. This binder is important to me and my identity," he muttered, but I showed him Verity's binder.

"It's alright, Nicholai. I have another for you."

Nicholai went silent, but he sat up immediately. His wound began to bleed- it hadn't actually been bleeding before- and I grabbed the same washcloth and applied pressure. Nicholai took the washcloth from me, applying pressure himself, but then he stripped himself of his binder. I handed him Verity's binder, and he put it on, glancing over his shoulder. "We can talk later, sir, but I'm feeling extremely faint as of right now," was all he said, laying back down. I strolled over to the living room, grabbing a blanket and a pillow, and I walked back over to Nicholai. I taped some gauze to the wound on Nicholai's chest, but it was odd to see the prince of my kingdom wearing a binder to hide his... breasts. I placed the blanket over his torso, hiding his small bust, when Verity walked in with a basket full of leaves.

"That was fast," I commented.

Verity adjusted the glasses on her face. "I knew what to get and I knew where it was. But I'll be heading to bed, so goodnight father and goodnight Prince Nicholai," she said simply, placing the basket on the counter by the sink and heading to her bedroom.

"I'll stay with you for tonight, just to make sure everything will be okay and no one will intrude. Goodnight Prince Nicholai," I said, taking out the pillow, and putting it under the prince's head.

"Wait, sir... I kind of want to rant about..." Nicholai said, nodding to his chest. I arched an eyebrow. "Nobody would really understand that I was born female, and since you've already seen my binder, I might as well spill it all out to you," he murmured, his voice becoming softer as he mentioned that he was born female.

"I'm listening."

To be continued because I could honestly write a whole book right now on this.

[Silver Blossom]

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀
❀Some Changes and Updates❀
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☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧☙❧

☙ An Apology ❧
☙ I apologize for my absence on this thread.
☙ But I am back and ready to keep this thread going!

☙ Updates ❧
☙ I got the great hall of fame up to date.
☙ Check out the new poll! I am looking to reorganize the great hall of fame!
☙ Stay tuned this next week for more updates and fun!
☙ Be sure to check out the weekly writing challenge thread too!
☙ Weekly Writing Challenge Link

☙ EDIT ❧
☙ Three NEW Prompts up!

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[WHEN'DHEGO?!?!]

CHALLENGE SIX
(I'm sorry I've yet to complete my last challenge, but I suddenly wanted to do this one ^.^)
He tried to let all the negative energy leave his body, but the effort seemed to have the opposite effect.
The man-made, mutant cyborg raccoon finally made himself get up.
He really hated yesterday. All Rocket wanted to do was take one piece of Kjaaal cake from that stupid Zbornak corner store nobody ever went to. There was NO REASON AT ALL for the ugly old shopkeeper to kick him out-much less call him names, kick him, treat him like some animal, say he should be dead!
He didn't quite remember if the man had actually said the last part, but it didn't matter. His anger growled inside of him feircly, and he was more than ready to do somethingvto make it even. Probably not to that store directly, it would be too suspicious, but he could always vent into another outlet.
He found Groot on a bench that looked comically small compared to his giant body.
A slightly uncomfortable teenage Ualekotean girl was sitting on the other side, as far from the tree as possible, on her device.
Groot actually looked a little relieved to see Rocket.
"What, you thought I was gonna start a shooting in there?"
"I am Groot." I worry about you when you're frustrated.
"Well cut it out! Let's go!"
He started back towards the ship.
Groot didn't move.
This only heightened his aggravation.
"What, didja take root?! Get the lead out, let's blow this stupid planet!"
Groot gave him a look.
Rocket refused to acknowledge what it meant.
"FINE!" He stalked off.
TBC

[WHEN'DHEGO?!?!]

(Forgive me for the double post. I will hopefully finish my story above soon, I really like it and my plans for it. But for right now, since this thread seems to be dead, I wanted to revive it a bit with another short story while I find my motivation for the above again.
Edit: I have now contradicted myself by returning exactly one month later for the second edit.
This one's based on prompt 18.)
With seven main areas and plenty of subareas inbetween, the Skull Ship was a chore to look after.
Of course, the only break-ins that ever happened were those of two space nomads that nobody could stop from coming and going as they pleased, anyway. Any true attacks on or infiltration a of the ship were always announced beforehand by their cocky fellow villians, and even those were few and far inbetween, usually only directly provoked. The actually physical entity of the ship wasn't something anyone, even Lord Dominator, really cared about.
So why pay ten Watchdogs and waste electricity and resources on security? More important to this very moment however was, why waste precious time that could be used sleeping or at least formulating invasion plans wandering the halls to make sure invaders that weren't coming didn't come? Commander Peepers was the Commander the second-to-largest dog, the beta, the second in command, the spine of the Skull Ship. Way too high ranking for menial labor.
Peepers rubbed his giant eye. The answer was that they had to be sure. Like any other enterprise, evil or otherwise, they had to keep their belongings and workers as safe and fit for their purposes as possible. Not having security didn't make sense, even if it wasn't 'needed'.
That must have been the same reason he was awake now. As soon as he was almost asleep last night (listening to all of Captain Tim's weird noises- the monster had decided to sleep somewhere Peepers could easily hear, maybe the vents, making him paranoid that he would burst in his quarters at any moment) the secondary and tererary power in the ship ran out, leaving the primary (the power that kept them from falling into the endless abyss of space or crashing into the nearest planetoid) up but all the lights, cameras, and everything else was gone. Peepers quickly got dressed and sent the night security monitors out to patrol their floors manually. All but David, who was surprisingly asleep when Peepers found him. The Commander would have usually smacked him awake, given him the verbal beating of the year, and kicked him onto the nearest hunk of land, but this time he had to admit, he couldn't do it. He was too tired to seem as threatening as he wanted to. It would be better to surprise him in tomorrow with it. But either way, here he was wandering David's lookout area. Seething mad. And tired.
Speaking of things he'd have to deal with in the morning, Lord Hater was NOT going to be happy about the power.
Then Commander Peepers heard a noise, which made him freeze. Of course no one had actually gotten on the ship, but did Captain Tim find him? Alone and defenseless in the dark? It wasn't the usual scratching or hissing noises, it was a clunk, like something fell over. But it could still be him.
No. Voices. Wander and Sylvia. Well, he didn't immediately recognize it as either if theirs', but who else could it be?
He raced up to the corner where he heard it. There was a sill obits of two forms.
Both too tall to be Wander and too skinny to be Sylvia. Too close to the same height. He got even closer, but they were gone.
It finally sunk in that something strange was going on. This was an emergency.
Peepers frantically looked up and down every nook and cranny, every corner and vent, every hallway and room on the ship and only found Tim sleeping in the locker room again, and Joey eating all the astronaut food in the emergency supply closet again.
"JOEY!" His words got caught in his throat. "Throw the rest of that garbage that you slobbered on away, and get into the Drill Room! I'm sounding the alarm!"
Joey made protesting noises, swallowed, and yelled "It was just astronaut food! Is it that big of a deal?!"
Peepers was too far away and didn't care to correct the misunderstanding. He sounded the alarm, and all the Watchdogs who could wake up enough and wanted to avoid reprimandation in the morning were soon lined up.
"WATCHDOGS! There are invaders on this ship! Not Wander and Sylvia, actual threats! Search everywhere, and I don't want to see any slackers!"
The following noise was combination of fearful exclamations and groaned complaints. Mostly the latter. They all immediately set to work anyway, Peepers keeping an eye on them.
Lord Hater burst in about 15 minutes later. (It was 2:48 AM now.)
"WHAT IS ALL THIS NOISE?!?! IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!! IT'S EVEN MORE THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THAN WHEN YOU MORONS USUALLY AWAKEN ME!!!!" Peepers could just feel the attention shift to him. "PEEEEEEEEEEEEPEEEEEEEEEERSSSS!"
The Commander steeled himself and faced his boss. "Sir, I am sorry, but this is a real emergency. Unidentified intruders are lurking somewhere on the ship-"
"Actually, sir," Damien, another one of the night guards, approached from behind. "If anyone was here, they've already left."
Commander Peepers whirled around to face him, furious, tone dangerous. "Out of all of these ridiculous rooms you imbeciles waste your time in, they can't possibly be hiding in one of them?! Need I remind you that this threat could be must more dangerous than what we usually deal with?"
"HEY." Lord Hater only got more angry. "I am the one in charge on this ship, and I only choose the most dangerous of foes!"
Forgetting any fear of punishment, Peepers let his frustration spill over. "Wander letting you win at a game of hot potatoe two days ago is not a dangerous battle, sir!"
"Th-that's not what I meant! And I TOTALLY WON THAT GAME!"
One of the few Watchdogs with the guts to talk directly to the Commander, let alone interrupt an argument with their leader, Hiehie, did just that. "Sir, no one is here. Yeah, the ship's crazy big and tangled, but we've had everyone combing it."
"And they could have left when they noticed everyone looking for them!" A new recruit piped up, seemingly hoping to get approval. Peepers gave him a glare.
"UGH, so this was all, just, like, for nothing?! That's stupid! This ship is goin' back, like, five hours! Starting right now! PEEPERS!"
Almost every Watchdog whistled and cheered with glee. It was too good to be true! Five extra hours of sleep tonight?! Every now and then, their scary leader would do something super cool, even if it wasn't meant directly for their benefit.
Peepers, in direct contrast, was horrified, although all the work he'd have to do to make this happen was the last thought on his mind. "SIR! The intruders could still-!"
"You heard me, Peepers, five hours! Now!"
"B-But sir-" He wasn't getting anywhere with this. At least he should address the time issue. "But sir, five hours?! That's excessive, and you're very unreasonable when you're tired!"
So unreasonable, in fact, that he grabbed Peepers by the helmet, threateningly, which was pretty unusual.