[deerbroken]

username: deerbroken
kalon name: blanche
prompt:
They stare at an old portrait in their hands, the frame worn and scratched, the picture dulled from previous years of passing the bare photo around the room at holiday gatherings. It's simple; a photo of them, their parents, their relatives and siblings, and the tall plastic tree they once used for holiday decorating. The table somewhere behind them holds little mugs of hot cocoa, and presents are visible through the feet of those standing in front of the tree. They laugh a little, though it feels bittersweet, at the old photo, and the memories it brings back.

How easy things used to be. The only thing they would worry about on Christmas morning was what they had under the tree, if their siblings would like the gifts they gave them. They and their family would all mingle and open presents for a few hours, and then work on the family dinner until it was late, the sun far hidden behind the mountains in the distance. At the end of the night, the older members of the family would leave and return to their own homes, bid the young ones goodnight and promise to come again sometime.

They feel tears welling up, a splash hitting the glass protector over the photograph before they can stop it from falling. It had been such a long time since then. So much changed over the years... They knew they could never go back there, not after what had happened. The blinking lights that hang above them in their apartment illuminate the glass, and as their vision blurs from more tears forming, it's all they can make out of their surroundings. A soft voice calls for them from another room, and they wipe furiously at their eyes, give another, bitter laugh before they set the old memento aside, tell themselves that it's not so much lost. That the memory is nice to look back upon, but no more than that; they have their own home now, their own traditions, and their own family, small and not linked by blood though it is.

"Blanche?" They hear their partner call for them again, and they shake their head gently, pull themselves off the ground and wipe at their eyes once more.

"Just a minute," they call, run a hand through their hair before they start to walk to the other room. "I was looking at something."

[400/500 words]

[SilentMelody]

username: SilentMelody
kalon name:
prompt:

[Knickknacks]

| username; knickknacks | kalon name; ursa | prompt; [-/500 words] |

wip

[Corey Taylor]

Username: Corey Taylor
Kalon name: Luna
Prompt: When Luna was way younger, her father always used to take her on special roads trips around the city to look at all the rich neighborhood houses. They've always had it at a specific date: December 20th. When Luna was sad one year on that day, her father wanted to cheer her up and so he picked her up, brought her to the car, and drove to the city. Luna was in love. She was pointing out the window left and right, yelling at her dad on how beautiful the lights were. Now, they do it every year without fail. Every year, the lights are different in each neighborhood the visit. It's always a pleasure for Luna when she sees the new lights. Her eyes sparkle with happiness and she just goes on and on to her dad how wonderful they look under the December night sky. Her and her father always have a checklist for all different kinds of lights. They would drive around neighborhoods until the list was completed.
(171/500)

[bug]

username: honchkrow.

kalon name: sugi

prompt: creating small candles with christmas live scents to them with their friends. everytime they smell a candle with somewhat similar scents they are reminded of it. it makes them happy whenever they think about it :]

[doubledare]

username: doubledare
kalon name: aurora
prompt: "you know me better than i do"

mark :)

[Cyrano]

-wip

[Sweet Woof]

username: Sweet Woof
kalon name: Alaska
prompt:

❄❄❄
Too many nights Alaska had gone hungry.

Too many nights Alaska had to fear for her safety.

Too many nights Alaska had no place to call home.

Worst of all, it seemed like the best day of the year - Christmas - would be spent once again out in the biting cold, alone, watching others curled up in the warmth, enjoying the company of others.

Snowflakes drifted from the bleak gray sky, a gust of wind ruffling her messy fur.
Scurrying between trees, scanning the area for any potential shelter, Alaska couldn't help but feel so hopeless.
"Will life always be like this? A thick haze of uncertainty and insecurity? Why even try?"

She hadn't eaten in weeks, and fatigue was dragging her down, her feet feeling heavy and her body going numb.
Her strength was withering away, as was her will, finding herself leaning onto a thick tree for support, tears welling up in her eyes and threatening to fall and join the snow beneath her feet.
"Maybe I should just... Close my eyes... And let the dark take me..." She thought.
Eyesight fading, she let out a sob and rest her head on the rough bark of the tree.

"...Hello?"
A voice that sounded like a bell rang through her ears, her eyes weakly fluttering open.
She was met with the sight of a small thick white and pink feline, a hulking tail behind it, a large basket in it's maw.

"Must be a hallucination..." Alaska told herself. "Or maybe it's an angel?"
"Erm... You don't look so good. Here, eat." The brightly colored cat reached in her basket and dropped a pile of berries in front of her.
Alaska couldn't help but stare for a moment in disbelief, before reaching down and wolfing down the fruits. They tasted so pleasantly sweet and refreshing!

"Th.. Thank you... Thank you so much..." Alaska croaked, gazing at the feline.
"No need to thank me. My name is Jolly. What's yours?" Jolly chirped, a small smile on her face.
"Alaska.."
"Well, Alaska, looks to me like you could use some help. My cabin is not too far from here, how about I give you a paw? You won't have to, like, pay me back or anything."
"Really? You mean it?"
"Of course. It's Christmas. Well, it's Christmas Eve, but that's, like, basically Christmas. Come on!"

Jolly helped the Kalon up onto her feet, her legs wobbling under her, leaning onto the Cinnacat for support as they made their merry way to Jolly's home.
On the way there, Alaska suddenly burst into tears, Jolly pausing and glancing over, concerned.

"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing... Just... Thank you. Again. I really appreciate it."
Jolly grinned and patted her on the back. "Don't mention it. To me, nothing's better to do for the holidays than giving to others. That's what Christmas is all about, anyway!"

Alaska knew she would never forget this moment, for many Christmases to come.
❄❄❄

(491/500 words)

[pigeoncore]

username: pigeoncore
kalon name: Nico
prompt:
Nico padded through the snow, glancing up into the endless night sky. They liked the emptiness of winter, the bleak forever that made them seem insignificant. There was such a beauty in being alone; alone with their thoughts and their soul. Snowflakes began to trickle down, landing in their fur and melting. The cold was like a caress of light, calming them down to their essence. They had never been lonely; winter was everything they were.
This particular night, they could just barely see the moon shining high above them, right before it was obscured by clouds. The snowflakes were coming down harder, and they laughed a little, starting to run. Their paws slapped the snow, sending crystals flying behind them as they ran. The landscape seemed to stretch on forever as they raced. They leapt into a snowbank, rolling around and laughing. Their voice echoed into the nothing- winter was like a void... but Nico loved the void. They had spent their entire life in it and couldn’t imagine anything else.

175/500 words

Good luck to everyone!

[ruse]

username ruse
kalon name len
prompt 420 words :)

- ─ ── ───
the word "favorite" is finicky, isn't it? does "favorite" refer to the memory that elicits the happiest memories or the one that jumps you like a sneeze when you sigh after a good meal or file your nails? anyways, len's favorite holiday memory is a dream.

in the world of slumber, he had dark, violently lovely wings that stretched the sky. he felt the wind tickle his cheeks. he felt the sun press its warm hands against his neck and between his eyes. len flew with others like him. he felt loved, even when their numbers slowly dwindled. he wanted to ask where the others went, but the words never made it out. len would repeat this process of leisurely flying with and inevitably losing his comrades to the unknown.

one day, len's wings finally tired. he landed on a grassy plain. he saw some people in flashy but sporty outfits in the distance. they came closer as he preened, speaking in excited voices. he heard the first part of their words, "that's corvi-!," but the rest was foreign to him. len sighed. he felt something hitting and jabbing at him, but he couldn't bring himself to care, because the pain was dumbed down by the thickness of his feathers. at the edge of his vision, something started flying at him, a sphere halved in red and white. it's pretty, he thought, as it ricocheted off his cheek. another dull sensation. it's pretty, he thought again, and a red light seized his vision. fear finally sunk in. len was a pokemon ─his mind sloppily filled in the name "corviknight"─ and he was being captured. enclosed in the pokeball, the dark nudged the fear away from him. this is the unknown, isn't it?

len woke, breathing heavily. his phone laid next to his face, but he made no movement to poke it awake. he instead opened the window of his apartment and climbed onto his not-quite-a-balcony-but-a-balcony-for-poor-people. he stood out in the cold. lights twinkled; he shivered at the sight of them flashing at him. snow landed in his hair. len waited for it to melt on his scalp. he stretched out his arms like wings, then immediately retracted due to fear of habit. he started to make his way inside. maybe the tag-team of university and his part-time job was taking more from him than he thought.

but there was good in the dream though. len had felt loved.
─── ── ─ -