[Cheeb]

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“it is beautiful, it is endless,
it is full and yet seems empty.
it hurts us.”
― jackson pearce, fathomless

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username cheeb
name rei
gender agender



xxxxxi hated water.
xxxxxwater hated me, too. it's taken everything i've had: puddles have taken my homework, the pond has taken numerous books, and the ocean... the ocean took my parents.
xxxxxi was young when i learned. it wasn't granpda's fault that i found out, but the obituary hung on the refrigerator was enough to let me know that "a fatal boating accident" caused their demise. i refused to swim, and i hated even being near water.
xxxxxgrandpa kept a koi pond in his backyard, starting long before i was born. he claimed they kept him company. i never understood the appeal: they were fish. he always tried convincing me to feed them, but i refused to go anywhere close to the pond. "it's too dangerous!" i would yell shakily.
xxxxxhe would sigh. "oh, rei. the waves are very unpredictable, dear, but it was not their fault." i protested this notion -- even as a child, i wasn't willing to give up -- but he wouldn't let me have my way. "someday, you will join your fellow fish and learn how to swim."


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xxxxxinstead of worrying about falling victim to the waves, i spent my time gardening. it was calming to watch a little seed become a magnificent, blossoming plant. grandpa always tried to help me as best as he could, but he was better at maintaining his pond. we would be in the yard at the same time: i'd water my plants, humming a tune to myself, while grandpa would skim leaves out of the pond. this was our way of bonding. we would have little talks while doing our own thing.


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xxxxxit had been 16 years since they'd left us. at midnight, i crept out to the pond. i don't know why i did.
xxxxxi sat on the pond's bridge, gazing into the deep blue water. my face was reflected by it. i saw myself quiver as the koi's sleek bodies came dancing past. hovering over most worst nightmare, i had never been more scared, but i was entranced by the koi. i wanted... to be like them.
xxxxxwithout hesitating, i climbed over the railing of the bridge. "i can't be afraid all my life," i murmured, taking one last breath. i dipped a foot in, causing small ripples and the scattering of koi. i couldn't wait any longer.
xxxxxi finally found the courage to join the fish and swim.


(400/400 words)

[doktor monty]

xxusername; The Monty
name; Brucie (means forest sprite)
gender; female
prompt; xxxxxxxxx“All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.”
Everyone will look up at the sky. It is always the same sky, yet everyone will see something different. With the wide array of minds that live upon the Earth, it would be assumed for someone to think that way, yes? Don't you find it odd that two people would look up at the dark unknown above their heads, and one would count them while the other finds pictures? A child could even dream about the sky, with the curling castles made of nebula's powder letting their citizens sing. Dark sludge that was once seen as the impossible matter of the entire universe could start to warble, and sing like the birds a child may have sitting outside their window. Beaks would start to pop out- feathers too- with soon entire flocks of dark, starry birds carrying the milky way on their backs...
the birds would flutter over the big dipper, and split their dark shapes so the moon will still shine as if liquid. Waves of Van Goh like night would urge the hidden fish to sprout from their hiding spots. And with their gaping mouths and flowing tails, they would tug a string of glowing powder behind it as if mixing the far away suns into a paint.
Koi!
The storks, once birds, and the koi, once just simple fish would glide through the crystaled sky, and past the castle in the dark. The streaks of light the koi once dragged paved the roads for the people... riding horses and carrying flags to lift the spirit of their bands. The storks would carry the arms of the milky over the lands of the people, letting the lights give birth to many fertile hills. The glowing grass would flake with feather-light stars....
And the only thing an adult would see, would be the blinking lights. So far away that they knew they could never reach them.
but Brucie will always see through a child's eyes...
She will see the storks carry down the glowing fields to help her with her next harvest, and she can see the beautiful glowing bodies of koi show her the path to walk. And she will hear the voices of the people in the dark sky sing advice to her.
And she is happy.
She is the Kalon who never grew up.
(400/400)

[castiiian]

______________________ι ∂ση'т ℓιкє тнєм ιηησcєηт___________________
☾ 𝓊𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓂𝑒 \\ Cast
☾ 𝓃𝒶𝓂𝑒 \\ Layla
☾ 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 \\ Female
☾ 𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃𝒾𝒻𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 \\ 340/400 Words
...Layla sat on the edge of the pond, fingers lightly stirring the reflective surface, touch as light as a feather against a mirror. Here is where she has always waited. Many moonlit nights were spent outside, in her father's garden, besides the koi pond. This is the hardest part of her evening, where she was to simply wait for her. She never knew how long she was going to take to come over, or if she'd ever even show up that night. There were many nights where Layla has fallen asleep in exhaustion, or simply stayed up the whole night without her guest ever making it. Guest. What a silly way to label how she felt about the other. Her tangled and long raven hair, her tattooed arms, her hilariously garbage attitude. Well, see, she'd never meant to fall in love with the other girl, it just sort of... Happened.
...Her father was furious. In an absolute blind rage. It wrecked her for weeks, and her lover for just as long. That's when it got harder to see each other. They could no longer meet up in town, in fear that he'd hear rumors of it, so they took to the little garden. Layla's sanctuary, where the ivy grew thick and the koi were leagues beyond beautiful. Though this would have been a nice way to send this story, with secret meetings in the middle of the night, a love that was forbidden but could not be contained- It does not end with only that. Her lover stopped coming. Night after night, Layla would stay awake, waiting besides the speckled fish, for someone who simply stopped showing up. The experience with Layla's father sprouted doubt in her lover's mind. It made her believe that, possibly, it would be less painful for Layla, if she'd disappeared. And that's just what she did. She was gone forever, but Layla couldn't be convinced. She would continue to wait by the koi pond each and every night. It is where she will always wait.
______________________ι ℓιкє тнє ѕα∂ єуєѕ, вα∂ gυуѕ___________________

[migraine]

♒username; migraine
♒name; Asha
♒gender; agender
♒words; 398/400





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The islanders rejoiced when the two Kalons announced their marriage. Senn and Tarah had been close since they were kits, and their small fishing village was determined to put on a wedding party that would be remembered for years to come. The love and support in the air that night was palpable. For Tarah, the only thing that could complete such a perfect life was a child, and Senn agreed.

Months turned into years. Relatives and nosey villagers would ask about babies incessantly, to which the couple would put on a fake smile and speak quiet assurances. Eventually, whispers became rumors, which became gossip: the couple was barren. Senn began to notice townsfolk staring at him sadly. Tarah would cry silent tears when alone. She spent much of her time on her boat, comforted by the waves and wind, as if searching the sea for answers. Fishing became a lonely but unexpected comfort, away from the prying eyes of the villagers.

One such night on the water, Tarah had had no luck catching fish, but was too caught up in her thoughts to care. The moonlight was bright, the black ocean gleamed, and Tarah allowed herself to relax and rest her eyes. Suddenly, the boat lurched forward. The shimmering water foamed around her net as she crawled along the thrashing ship. A great koi fish, fiery and beautiful, was caught in her net.

A booming voice sang in her thoughts. “Land walker, release me. I would not be caught this day. Do so, and I will grant you one boon.”

Tarah had heard tales of a koi fish, almost whale-sized, that lurked beneath the island waters. The creature was said to be divine, and Tarah shivered as she pulled a knife from her belt. Just as she was about to cut the ropes of her net, she hesitated.

“Great fish, I will release you. But I must know that you can give me what I want. I have lost hope, and you have returned it; I cannot lose hope again.”

The voice let out a knowing, kind laugh. Something illuminated the water below, and Tarah felt a warmth spread throughout her body. Tears streamed down her face as she cut the last of the ropes and watched the sea god swim free.

“Thank you.”

Months later, a baby named Asha was born, marked by the great koi fish.
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[King Andre]

--

[Gaycko]

Username: Champion.
----
My name is Icarus

And I am a man
----
Stay calm. Stay collected.
These are the laws for the prince, these are the laws for me.
One step, two steps, we move onto our third and fourth steps on the forest trails.
Created by our ancestors years before.
Trees tower around us, the wind rustles the leaves.
I am the last of my people.
Our home is dying. My father has joined the soil, to feed the trees.
My mother is long gone, died from the 'sickness'.
the lavender cough.
Now I'm letting the blades of grass tickle my feet as my chest swells inhaling the air.
It's toxic.
My home is rotting underneath me.
Night after night as I sleep inside my den, it flashes before me.
Red rain turning my peaceful streams and pools to a crimson. Screams echo through everything.
My nights are restless even though I sleep.
I travel to the Towering Oak, the oldest tree in the forest.
He grew before the forest.
My elders worshiped him like a god.
He is my god.
The tainted world all around kills him slowly.
They do not believe in the power he has.
The giver of life.
We call him Torshoo.
Now I stand before him, my fur lacks the proper markings to be named the true prince of the forest.
I bow before the god.
Offer a woven willow basket of foods and animal furs.
"I bring you my offerings Torshoo. I ask for your blessing."
Their is silence. Not even the wind speaks now.
My home is silent, now my breathing is soft.
"Torshoo I am lost now, please I beg of you give me the markings! Give me your blessing!"
I'm crying.
I cannot let me home die.
I am all that is left.
There is something surrounding me.
My eyes unable to see it.
My heart feels it.
My father stands tall with my mother beside him.
A strange tingling engulfs me.
Everything sways. It all blurs together.
Black is all I see.
When I awake I am no longer a prince.
My fur is marked, my tail glints in the slivers of sunlight.
I am the koi of my family.
The king of the forest now.
I am marked for my bravery to challenge the odds.
I, Icarus, king of the forest, will change the fate of the forest.
My father the fox, I the koi.
King of the Forest.
Koi in the tree, and I have a song to sing!
[410/400]

[Orbit.]

username;
theonlyones
name;
Sachi
gender;
Female

prompt; (POV of Sachi)

The Beginning
The air was cold and the wind blew briskly. I remember everything perfectly. The moon seemed to illuminate the water, the glistening fish swam in patterns that seemed to be rehearsed. I peeked out of the hand-woven basket I was placed in. I was just a helpless child being carried to an unfamiliar place, I didn't like it. Abruptly, the woman carrying the basket picked me up and held me close to her, I was confused by what she was doing then, but now I think back and wish I would have held her closer. She placed me back in the basket and closed the lid. I didn't know what happened, I floated in the basket a for a short time until I suddenly felt something rocking the basket. This calmed me and I fell asleep. When I awoke I felt the warm sun on my face, I looked up and heard a small splash. A beautiful orange and white koi fish jumped over the basket, this made me giggle of course. Another fish jumped over the basket but this time it was a shiny silver one, more and more fish jumped over the basket and it rocked back and forth. Suddenly, the basket flipped and I was in the water, I couldn't swim but somehow the fish were lifting me up. I could somehow understand their form of communication, it was as if they could put ideas into my head. At that moment although I was so small and didn't understand much, I knew I would become on of their own.

The Past
I could feel their polished scaly bodies brushing against me. Today I would meet the queen. After all the years I had been there, that day was the day. In the time I'd lived with the koi, they had taught me everything I would ever need to know. They called me Sachi,they named me this because it means "fortunate" and I believe I am the very most fortunate. The queen was now before me, she was even more elegant than I could have imagined. She seems to beckon me. I am stunned by her beauty, she swims around me in a circle, a feeling of peace washes over me. I look at my shine and see a beautiful koi fish there to greet me. I close my eyes.

The Near Future
From that day forward I vow to always protect that beautiful koi pond that I call home. Nestled away in the forest, I couldn't dream of a better place to defend. I help nature preserve her beauty by preventing others from harming my precious home. I will always be a koi fish at heart.

[dandyLION]

the fae guardian of lost koi lake

Thudum....thudum...thudum.

The sound of her heartbeat woke her restless form, her paw brushing the lose strand of hair out of her face. Her pale mint orbs scanning the dark room thinking someone had to have been there, as she stumbled to find her footing. Something in the back of her mind summoned her… beckoning her to move one paw in-front of the other.

And so she did.

Eventine shakily proceeded out of her small abode, not knowing where she might end up. The darkness enveloped her like a blanket, pushing her further and further into its grip. She normally would never travel in such darkness but the voice in her mind continued to beckon her forward. And so she pressed forward, her tail gently trailing against the trees as she moved throughout the small forest she was acquainted with.

Time went by, soon leaving Eventine staring wide eyed at a glowing lake. Never in her time here had she found this mystery. Her kneed buckled under the sight, her mind mystified by the sheer beauty of the place… and the whispers in her mind fell quiet for a moment. She sat there for what felt like an eternity, before a determined look crossed her gentle face. She stood and walked to the edge of the lake before she padded slowly into it.

A voice broke through her mind, her eyes glossing over as the pool around her glowed even more brightly… as if accepting her as its own.

"Eventine, the last descendant of the druids, please protect me."

Eventine had an overwhelming feeling course throughout her body, memories of those past on running rampant through her mind. Her mind clutching to a memory of an older man with the same koi markings chanting, a staff drawn against a hooded stranger who had an aura of anger around them. The scene progressed in a fight, before the stranger fell… and so did the man. The lake glowed brightly behind him, and while the man should have been lost… he rose as if he never was hurt to begin with while a large fin collapsed below the water's surface. Suddenly it made sense.

Eventine accepted her fate, becoming only a rumor of a mysterious girl who will come to the edges of the world if you come to her forest… to her ancient glowing lake where a mysterious koi lives.



398 words.
username; dandyLION
name; eventine
gender; female
screenshot

[♡Chocolate♡]

username; ♡Chocolate♡
name; brooklyn
gender; female
prompt; brooklyn sat at the edge of her families pond, admiring the beautiful water invested with pretty dragonflies, and the occasional croak of a frog. one thing she especially loved about this particular pond was the koi that danced in the rushes. beautiful variations of colors from the fish, and felt proud it was her families symbol. the royal family, her royal family, their symbol was koi fish. she felt grateful that the beautiful fish was adopted into her family.

[snafu,]

dropping out, gl to everyone!