[Kyar]

--- username; kyar
--- name; mohimo
--- gender; male
----- prompt;

the surf
rolling upward in thundering spirals
ebbed faintly at the settled stonework
biting and pulling fragments
too small to be seen
from foundation of the old tower
waiting motionless above

silver eyes
reflected space of the moon
and the stars
found horizon where ocean melded
with the graying sky
the shallow clouds gently
masking the world away

the crash
the roar
ever thundering up the stonework
a buzz of saltwater hovering
inescapable
the lull of a familiar life

what would it feel like
to let his feet touch the shimmering sand?
the cool water
would it soothe
or would it burn?

the chains of a curse
sealed at birth by a man
a father
whose son should remain his servant
all time locked away
forsaken by a world
he never knew

mohimo

what is there to find
when the world is so close
yet untouched by your own hand?

his books
his studies of the arcane
of the traditions
the curses
could never lead him away
a breath
a fog so fleeting
it could never cover the reality
he so wished he could break

roaring teal and white
crested below
rocketing upward along faded
worn stones
the tower's base
stained with the tears of saltwater kisses

how he longed for the waves
to come crashing
spiraling
devastating
tearing the tower
brick by brick
to its bed below

should one day the ocean choose
the tower become its own
a crumbling relic on an ancient shoreline
dashed to simple stones
rubble
pulled deep out to sea

one day
would the tower fall?
would with it
the ocean tear away the curse
dash upon shoreline the bonds keeping father and son
so desperately intertwined?

would one day
he find himself lost on a rocky shore
alone
free with the current of the waves?

glimmering cascades sifted out to the sea
returning to the body that scattered
that destroyed
that founded the world

back to the water

someday

----- extra;

mohimo woke from a fitful dream to see him standing over him once more

"father?"

a hand beckoned him silently from his bed, and slowly his legs slipped out of their covers, chilled by the night air

the man was hardened, stone-faced, so long as mohimo could remember

goosebumps trickled up mohimo's legs, the sound of the ocean fading beneath muddled thoughts as he followed his father's gaze

on the table rested two vials, filled with a deep violet syrup

"what are they?"

his father's face, unchanged, turned to him

"find out," he commanded

swirling, blackened mist - and he vanished

326/400 words ----- 100/100 words

[rutilant]

res omg

[snuppy]

mark

[dotdottdoot]

username; •ForgottenShadows•
name; Aria
gender; Female
prompt; Every month, Aria visits her father,, the ruler of the sea. They
aren’t supposed to meet, in fact Aria was never meant to be
born as her father was meant to marry and have kids with
another sea princess. Despite this, he still had a wonderful wife and
children when he was a prince. Eventually, the king and Aria were
caught meeting and he was sent for execution. Now the only memory
Aria has of her father are bodies of water.

81/400

[Mima]

username; Mima
name; Elizabeth
gender; Female
prompt; elizabeth PUNCHES the water. also has a SORD. maybe some lady of the lake nonsense

[Purgatory K9]

username; Anpan
name; Mia
gender; Female

prompt; Mia has anxiety issues and often finds that water and the sound of water helps her calm down from her anxiety. She loves to take baths for her anxiety and she listens to ocean sounds when she is trying to sleep.

[Orawind]

username; Orawind
name; Elodis Merian
gender; agender
prompt; Elodis has always loved water in general. They grew up in a beautiful coastal town, and have always been drawn to the ocean. They can’t imagine life without the sweet, special, salty scent of the ocean filling their nostrils. They knew that they were agender from a very young age, and that pulled them away from their community. Their community didn’t understand them, so all of the kals in it pushed Elodis away. And so, they went to the water. They sat at the ocean’s edge and let the cerulean waves lick their paws. As the tide receded, so did their worries and fears. Their feelings of unbelonging flowed out of them and the ocean carried those feelings away. To this day Elodis still doesn’t really fit in with the community, but they spend their time on the beach and in the water, taking care of their inhabitants.

[mewsters]

mark!

[jinsoul]

username; joy;
name; Alicia
gender; Female
prompt; When Alicia was young, her mother would always bring her to watch the river. Watching the clear blue water flowing through would always sooth her. They'd come to the river almost every day, until her mother passed away. She then realized how much she loved rivers and oceans. She still goes to the same river even now, never felt her mother's presence and calming energy leave.

[Zailune]

Username: Zailune
Name: Aelissa “Ali” Suahn
Gender: Female | she / her

Prompt:

Aelissa feels a sense of comfort from the stirring waters of a flowing river that she can’t seem to find anywhere else. As a child, she would often escape the troubles she faced in her youth by taking walks through the woods and exploring forests. Anytime she’d come across a river, she’d stop for a moment and listen to the sounds of nature around her – it was a reminder of her independence and gave her the mental strength to return to her life, despite the challenges she faced in
her somewhat troubled home...
...
For a time, Ali was in a living situation which was unpleasant. Surrounded by others in a nearly purely industrial world, she felt a disconnect with both nature and her past self. As an aspirant digital advertising artist, breaking into the field meant giving up her choices regarding her living situation. Since then, she has moved to a better location, and is in a more flexible occupation setting. Now, she lives in a small cottage with a woodland path, and a small stream flows outside her home to remind her of the days when she would escape from a difficult reality and bring her some calmness when the stressors pile up.

Aelissa poked her head around a corner in her childhood home where she lived with her parents and three older brothers. She heard a rattling of keys at the front door, her father sloppily trying to fit them into the lock while juggling groceries. After some moments of clanking, the door swung open and in came the father of the house. He was a burly fellow, with a scraggly beard and large frame – around from behind Ali came her petite mother, who’d been doing some daily chores and spring cleaning. She greeted Ali’s father with a kiss, and helped him carry the bags into their kitchen, which was dimly lit by a light which frequently altered between being way too bright and just barely noticeable.

__________________

“As the birds leave the nest, as the leaves turn dull and fall to the ground, through new memories and experiences we find a bitter truth – the lights which revealed a path to us, which gave us hope and visions of a favorable future and the steps to follow to reach our most precious dreams – those lights grow dim and die...”

“Songbird, our rivers can carve their own path.”

400 words