[22tabby]

MARK WOWIE

[☼ morgana]

mark

[Cheeb]

marking!!

[SilhouetteStation]

username + number: SilhouetteStation + 676516
name: Balu

prompt: (600w)

They found me as a babe.

Pulled me from the water tangled in swamp flowers - small, sodden, and squalling, like a midsummer storm. Breathing, somehow, despite the fact that I'd been totally submerged. They barely dared hope as to what I was but, when it was discovered that some of the flowers were growing out of me, they began to weep. A sprite! they cried. We have been blessed with our own sprite!

A half-sprite, the village elder had sniffed, when my bundled self was set down before her. Only a half.

But the villagers were in such dire need of hope, they ignored her.

I love my home as much as I am afraid of it. Everyone has raised me as their own, so I am the daughter of many. I have been bed and bathed and clothed by various hands. I know all of the stories, passed down through bedtime tales and the history shared around the central firepit. I gather food for our bellies. I know the birds and beasts who roam the wilds beyond our hut doors. And I know the swamp, too; know it like the back of my hand, all of the bogs and pools, the trees and bushes, the rotting logs and banks and trees.

But I don't always feel as though I belong.

Desperately, I try my best to fit in - I pretend that I was born here, that I have always been one of them - and sometimes it's all in my head, I know, because undoubtedly they love me as I do them, but we all know the truth.

I was found in the water.

A bog baby. A swamp child.

A half-sprite.

Even here, in our tiny village hundreds of miles away from the towns and citadels I have never seen - that none of these people have seen, for generations on end - knowledge of sprites is well versed. The world was created by the three; Galifeira for the skies, Oruzia for the earth, Neirissa for waters salted and clean. They keep things in balance, and us humans in check. As the world grew, so did their need for help, so they created their own children; lesser sprites to silently populate the earth, watching over their assigned territories and the nature within.

A sprite is magical.

A half-sprite is the forbidden offspring between them and humanfolk.

The villagers are determinedly blind to my heritage. They have convinced themselves that I am magic, to the point where they are blind to truth and reason. They think I am a blessing, sent by Neirissa themself to watch over our swamp; to protect the foragers, to keep the floods from submerging our homes, to keep outsiders at bay and our people safe from the harm they might bring. It doesn't matter that I haven't used any magic yet. They say it is a matter of time, and that I will grow into my powers.

The elder, despite her clouded eyes, is not blind. She knew what I was the moment I was placed in front of her. There is no proper magic in me; only enough trace magic that allows me to breathe underwater, and nothing more. I am just some poor, discarded scrap of illegal breeding who somehow found herself washed up here by chance alone.

I often go to the water, to the place where I was found. Touch it, submerge myself in it, willing something wonderful to happen. For their sake, not mine.

But I fear that the water does not love me.

And so I am afraid of it, too.

[c a b b a g e]

mark ~

[doryphoros]

username + number: doryphoros + 837873
name: clytemnestra
prompt: "go ahead, it is your destiny, clytemnestra." the young kit cringed, hesitantly lowering her paw into the shallow dish of water before her. as soon as she touched the water a searing pain raced through her pawpad, and she let out a shrill yelp. the attendants present immediately rushed forth, a flurry of ointment and bandages being applied. her mother, the stern queen of the country of aurelius, shooed them away once they'd finished their task. "m-mom, i don't know if i can do this..." clytemnestra sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks. "i'm not good enough!" her mother swept her into an embrace, stroking her hair and the buds nestled within. "don't worry, nessie. i know someday, you will find the strength to do so." the young kit simply trembled, crying into her mother's arms.
an older clytemnestra strode through the outer gardens, wandering with no set direction. she came to a stop near the pool her parents had commissioned in honor of her birth, regarding it with disdain. sitting at the edge of the pool, she sank to the ground and sighed. the decorative lotuses before her swayed in the night breeze, blissfully unaware of her internal strife. scrubbing her face with her paws, clytemnestra flopped onto her back. the moon was full tonight, and shone brightly amongst a sea of glittering stars. "mom... what should i do now?" she murmured, squinting into the sky. "it's been years since your disappearance, and i still miss you everyday. it hurts, and the water still hurts too." tears slipped through her lashes, sinking into her hair. "i miss you too, nessie." a faint voice sounded from the waters of the pond, and clytemnestra bolted to her feet. "mom? where are you?!" she said, voice tinged with desperation. the waters churned. " i regret being too harsh on you, and never telling you how much i cherished you. i never even saw the ones who plotted to separate us like this...though my body is gone, the memories of me will never leave you. find them, nessie. you have to avenge me." the voice faded and the pond was silent. "no... you can't leave like this, not again!! where are you!?" clytemnestra cried, frantically looking around. panic rising in her throat, she blindly hurled herself towards where the voice first rang from. all she was greeted with was the slick surface of lilypads. frustration boiled in her gut, and she slammed her paw into the ground. it sank past the lily pads with a gentle gloop, enveloped by the water painlessly. she gaped, finally comprehending the lack of pain. the lotus pods seated in her hair began to tremble, and slowly crack open. a heady sweet scent wafted through the air, and they unfurled into spry lilypads and graceful, pink lotus flowers. "w-what is this??" she sneezed, rubbing her muzzle with her paws as her attendants, who'd crept out from behind a nearby pillar, stared in awe. finally, one came forth, nervously ducking their head. "my lady, you've... you've bloomed!" the heir apparent cocked her head in confusion, twisting her tail to spot the fully grown lotuses. "i-i did it... i actually did it!" her yell rang around the courtyard, flushing out servants who anxiously hustled to find the source. they found clytemnestra happily splashing in the shallows, a strong sweet scent engulfing the area. with renewed purpose, she strode out of the water. "my mother's spirit just spoke to me; those who plotted to disappear my mother must be found, and brought to justice." she declared, the crowd around her cheering in support.

[alphanea]

username + number: alphanea 189339
name: wip
prompt: mark!

[Alantica]

username + number: Alantica - 349242
name: Lian
prompt:

Waves ripple and fold.
Their anger, powerful and turbulent.
Yet their beauty unmatched as the sunlight sparkle and dance on their skin.
A mother’s embrace is warm and comfortable.
Swirling around paws so reassuringly.

🪷 ══════════════════════════════════════

“For most, water is just something that exist. Something we drink, something we swim in, something we take for granted. It’s however more vital than most want to understand. It’s our life line, our home, our everything.”

These words echo through Lian’s head remembering his grandmother’s teaching words. As the water envelops his limbs, its familiar soothing embrace calms his turbulent thoughts. It swirls and shimmers, reminding him about the next step forward. He lowers the offering tray along with his grandmother’s withered lotus. Hymns drift solemnly as he stands alone at the center of where it all began. The water begins to twist and swirl creating a vortex, consuming the offering and flower. The hymns rose to feverish speed, as the vortex begins to glow, enveloping him in a comforting light. As the hymns then slowly drift off into a slow whisper, the water calms to a still, a lotus flower gently floats to the top, unbloomed. Silence envelopes the space as he gently picks up the flower. In barely a whisper, he greets the new family member, “Welcome to the world…”

🪷 ══════════════════════════════════════

Lian furrows his brows as his notes with his grandmother’s teaching lay in disarray on his desk. He’s a grandfather now and will need to remember to teach the young one all he was taught. The unbloomed flower sits silently in a pond beside him as he frantically reviewed his notes.

One note caught his attention, it was from his diary which was thrown open from the franticness. The memory replays in his mind as the words enter his eyes.

His soft voice echo in his mind. He was just formed then, his legs jelly. Not able to see the world, he would spend a lot of time in his head. He looked up at his grandmother and asked, “if you’re my grandmother, who is my mother?” Grandmother looked at him with a gentle smile and patted his head. “My dear, everyone’s mother is the water our lives are blessed with.” A chuckle escaped her mouth as his young and curious eyes looked up at her. “Did you learn the concept of a mother from that book of yours my dear? We beings of the lake are different from those in the books. We are guardians of Mother Lake born from her blessings.” He nods in understanding.

Lian snaps back to reality as the clock sounds the hour. With a sigh, he begins looking through his notes once again. He can’t let the elders lecture him for being too inexperienced and young. After all, his grandmother entrusted her flower to him even though he’s the youngest over his “siblings”.

🪷 ══════════════════════════════════════

The excited voices of fellow grandmothers and grandfathers drifts through the air of the blessing waters. It’s time for the formation ritual. He lowers his unblossomed lotus into the water gently, making sure to keep his eyes on the floating flower. The elders voices soon bellowed through the space, “It is time.” As they begin their hymns, the water begin to glow with small orbs of light drifting up. The flowers envelop an orb and begin to float back to the edge. As he pick up his lotus, a small pup forms, not larger than the size of his palm. The eyes slowly open, looking up to him, a small voice slowly drifts into his ear, “Grandfather, it’s nice to see you finally.”

[599]

[honee bee]

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· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

username + id:
honee bee - 348767

name: Leith
/lee-th/ meaning "dripping water" or "broad river"

prompt:
Not all who beckon from the water are what they seem.
← click to view full sized art piece
[ mobile friendly ]

· · ─ ·𓆜· ─ · ·

[strawberryy]

username + number: strawberry + 958628
name: Asael
prompt:

“Your holiness, it is time.”

Those words, familiar yet foreboding, stirred him like a stone being dropped into a pool of still water, rippling through the room with an echo he had heard countless times before. Turning around, his lips parted in an attempt to fight, to deny. Words he had been desperate to say flooded his throat, but when his eyes met the of the priest waiting for him, he swallowed them. A cycle on repeat, days flowing by, and yet with each passing day he felt less courage to defy the orders given to him. How could he? He had a duty.

The temple was silent as the priest guided him through the hallways, decorated with gold and other lavish luxuries. Incense swarmed through the air, coating his lungs with its sweet scent but he had no right to cough it out. Glancing towards the ceiling, angels donning glowing halos stared back at him.

As the doors to the courtyards opened, he forced himself to pull his eyes away to face his reality. In the center, a gorgeous fountain beckoned him. Its waters were still, sparkling with expectations he had to fulfill. Beyond the fountain, he knew the Believers were there. They cheered, wept, pleaded with him, but their faces were nothing more than indescribable shapes. Desperation blurred them into one faceless mass, but he could still clearly see their greedy eyes. How long would it be until he could no longer recognize those either?

Approaching the fountain, he knelt down, fingertips trembling just above the surface. This was a dance performed so many times he could no longer recall a time before the performances. Yet, every time, he was hesitant.

The moment he merely grazed the water, he began to feel as though he was suddenly upside down. His pulse slowed, mirroring the ripples his movements made in the water. Now forced to gaze into the fountain, he saw his own reflection. Yet, somehow, it was that of a stranger. Beneath his likeness, he caught glimpses of experiences. In those fractions of memories, he saw the boy staring back at him, but that memory no longer belonged to him.

Power always came with a cost, they would say. The stronger the power, the more one had to give of themselves. Once, he had healed a lady who had scratched her leg. In exchange, the memory of the smell of a rose suddenly disappeared into the endless waves below. Another time, a man with a broken bone. As the bone magically repaired itself before the eyes of those around, the memory of an individual he had once cared for slipped away from him in the form of teardrops.

As the fountain finally released its hold on him, he gasped for air but it was drowned out by the cries from the Believers. Salvation happening just before their eyes, divinity in the flesh. Now, they felt even further away than before, yet their eyes still burrowed into what was left of his soul.

The priest’s hand pressed lightly to his shoulder, jolting Asael’s gaze to him. “It is done. You are getting closer with each ceremony.” Would it truly ever be done? The promise of divinity looming over him for as long as he could recall felt hollow, but could the fountain shining more brightly each time be proof that it was true?

Rising to his feet, priests surrounded him to escort him back as the chorus from the crowd grew quieter with each step until the hallways regained their silence.