[Fragmented]

Username:Fragmented
Name:Anteros
Pronouns:he/him
Prompt: Anteros was a hopeless romantic. He was in constant, desperate search for a lifelong partner, craving an end to his lone-keldine journeys. There was one occasion of which he thought he had finally found what he needed to soothe his aching heart. One night, he was wandering alone in a cavern illuminated by odd large mushrooms while scavenging for a tasty bug or two. He lost himself to his favorite song, mxmtoon’s cover of “Crave You” by Flight Facilities when he stumbled upon another keldine that was snoring under a pile of rubble. It did not take long for Anteros to clumsily stumble and wake the snoring keldine of which he had only noticed was there after the fact. Frightened, the mystery keldine bit at his feet and growled, but could not manage to get out from under the rubble. “I’m warning you, I might be pinned but I still pack a nasty bite! Who are you?” She said in a snarl. “Woah, woah, woah! I’m not here to cause any trouble, I promise I do not intend on putting you through any harm. Quite the opposite actually. I want to help you out of the pickle you seem to have gotten yourself into.” Anteros replied back in almost an unintentional laugh. He thought the keldine looked somehow comical in such a situation, but he did not want to anger the keldine any further. “I’m Anteros, and what’s your lovely name?” “Keket. Now hurry up and get me out of here already, it’s getting kinda cramped in here.” She hastily replied. That’s how it began. They soon found out that Keket was bound by some kind of magical chain that had stopped her from leaving a radius of which had ended by the edges of the Camari Forest. So Anteros promised to help break free from the chains that restricted her so. Through a journey involving monstrous cows with swords, a couple stone pterodactyls, and the occasional romantic stroll through the forest, they grew closer to each other. It was something about the way they consistently had each other’s backs, laughed together, comforted each other, and fought together that developed a kind of yearning for one another. Even still, Anteros began to notice something was constantly bothering Keket, and it wasn’t the chains. Then came the fateful day of which they had managed to set Keket free. The answer remained within the last place they had looked for the answer, the cavern they had first met. They returned after they were sure they had searched the whole forest for clues unsuccessfully, with Keket anxiously suggesting not to go back; but not before Anteros could sneak in a vibrant undying red rose from the forest to give to Keket. So there they were, Anteros playfully bothering Keket while they walked past the rubble she was rescued from. The floor then began to cave under them and they fell and slid for a while, deeper and deeper. The further they slid down the darker it became until they finally tumbled onto stable ground, Keket clinging on to Anteros and him holding on just as tight to reassure her he’s there. Once they got up, all that they could see was the glow of Anteros’ horns in which he could illuminate a small radius around him with. “Hey you. Are you alright?” Anteros began. “Yeah, I’m alright.” Keket said in reply. “Before this journey gets anymore complicated, I wanted to tell you something.” Anteros said, beginning to fix his bow and take out the rose he had snuck in with him. Though before he could say another word, the floor beneath the two of them lit up with strange symbols and began to violently shift. A voice, echoing loudly in the distance, spoke to them “So you finally brought your replacement. It took you long enough. I was beginning to grow bored in this itty bitty cave of too many wonders to care about. Let’s get this over with, shall we?” “Not this one, not this time.” Keket said, in the same angry tone she had when she was stuck under all the rubble. That strong, fight-until-the-last-breath spirit was still there in her heart, “Anteros... run.” She stepped in between him and the direction of the echoed voice. Stepping in front of her, rose in mouth and wearing a playful smile, he said to her, “My love, you must think me a fool to run away from you. Don’t you remember the promise I made to you?” Keket, losing hope in the situation, played into his playful banter with sadness residing in her eyes in fear this would be the last time, “To remove these chains off me?” “No, silly, to never leave you alone for as long as I can help it.” He replied. Before he could give her the rose, placing it behind her ear, knowing in his heart this felt like a goodbye, they were both whisked away in opposite directions. They both fought it as hard as they could but to no avail. They were restrained by some kind of dark magic against a wall and had no access to the ground. Keket began to glow brightly until Anteros could hear and see translucent chains loudly break right off of her. With her eyes she looked towards Anteros and said with love, “Looks like I’m the helpless one now.” With those words she disappeared in a shroud of mist. Anteros was enraged, he growled and never stopped fighting it, but in the midst of all that he never dared to let go of the rose he held. Soon he wore black chains and had disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He was then under the same pile of rubble Keket was under. He sits there awake, endless days and nights, waiting for the day he could give that rose to Keket.

[ethium]

Username: ethium
Name: Lucien
Pronouns: he/him
Prompt:

"Hello Little Glowworm."

Velvet eyes darted in the direction of the enchanting voice, a smile cracked across his maw as he found of whom he searched for.

"Darkness." he spoke, inclining his head to the other keldine, the nickname ringing off his tongue. He watched as Erebus found purchase beside where he sat. "Lucien, we really must find a more seclusive spot to meet next time. Your practically lighting up the entire cavern." Lucien simply rolled his eyes, "You're one to talk, your eyes shine like the moon's surface in this place. Tell me again why your named after the chaotic god of darkness and shadow, when you yourself provide such light." He could hear Erebus's flustered response, and chuckled lightly to himself. Which earned him a good shove. "Speak for yourself, your name literally means light." Lucien smiled into the darkness. "And so the light fell in love with the darkness." he hummed softly. "How cliche." Airy laughter came from Erebus, whose dark form was visible as an outline beside him. "I don't understand why I cannot see you, how have I fallen in love with someone I've never even seen the face of." The other keldine fell silent for a moment, presumably thinking. "I am darkness, and you light. For the light to gaze on the darkness would mean the destruction of both. I cannot thrive in the light, nor you in absolute night. and thus it is better for us this way, to meet halfway at both ends." Lucien sighed through clenched jaws, impatient. "How long must I wait, until I can be with you. How long must I put up this facade of being single, and having to flirt with everyone of whom I care nothing of." He turned then, imploring Erebus to see his side of things.

"Why must our love be forbidden?" Lucien asked, which caused Erebus to make a noise, a pained, troubled noise that lurched Lucien's soul. It was more pain than he had ever seen the figure of darkness ever display in front of him. "Forgive me I overstepped-"

"No, you deserve an answer. You deserve more than this seclusion." Erebus sighed and turned then, to meet Lucien's gaze. There was raw pain, and longing in his eyes. "People do not understand those who are like us. Change scares them. We, scare them. Our love is stronger than anything they could ever experience, and so they seek to destroy it. We are different, and they despise different. We have nothing but love, but that is what they desire." He turned his head then, breaking Lucien's eye-contact. "They see us as different, and society sees different as a threat to our way of life. Society is like a herd of sheep, if one goes over the cliff. So do they all. We are different than the rest of the herd, and have chosen our own way of love. This upsets the herd, who wants nothing but uniformity, and to follow their leader off the cliff." A heavy silence fell over the cavern.

"Society dislikes what goes against the norms they create. It makes them feel as if they are no longer in control."

Lucien nodded stiffly. He understood now, but that didn't make the pain of hiding his true feelings any worse than it was a few minutes prior. "I understand this is hard for you Lucien, you live in the outside world and I do not. You have experienced many things, but so have I. We can get through this, together. One day, in the future, it will be safe for us to walk together upon the surface." Lucien nodded then, and turned to Erebus who was also facing him. Erebus reached out, and Lucien looked down to find a velvet ribbon. Gently, Erebus looped the ribbon around Lucien's neck, tying it into a loose bow. A gift from the darkness to the light. Lucien smiled, and picked up the rose that he had sat next to him. Gently handing it towards the still form of Erebus, who took it with elation. Erebus lifted it to his nose and inhaled it deeply, "Roses are always my favorite." Lucien smiled, "And why is that?" Erebus bashfully looked away, muttering softly.

"Because you always smell like roses when you come to me."

-- potentially might add more?? def gonna add an art piece.

[Divantae]

maark

[Alckatraz]

Username: Alckatraz
Name: Amedeo
Pronouns: he/him
Prompt: wip

[spiders]

Username: spiders
Name: felix
Pronouns: she/her
Prompt: oh hell yeah
wip

[Ucanthandleme]

Username: Ucanthandleme
Name: Rui
Pronouns: He/Him
Prompt: Mysterious Man

The moon illuminated the rocky pathway, thorny rose vines draped the trees seemingly strangling them in a woven hug. Small buds bloomed from them, white, black, red, a collage of colors intertwined together in harmony. Rui slowly paced down the path, the soft patter of his footsteps blending into the noiseless night. You could hear every breath, every sound in the night yet it couldn't disturb the calmness of the garden. 'Thump, Thump, Thump', a strong heartbeat broke the silence, its rhythm and sound prominent against the nightly backdrop.

Rui couldn't help it, his eyes were stuck, his mind screamed to make a movement, but he couldn't, he was like a goldfish opening and closing his mouth. Breathtaking, he could only use this to describe the scene in front of him. 'He's the one', that was all he could think. The one, he had heard people talking about it before but Rui always scoffed, how could there be one person perfectly made for you, how wrong he had been. Because right in front of him was the one, the one made for him. His breathing sped up, his ears turning a shade of crimson, so he took a deep breath to calm down. He looked around his mind swimming to find a way to greet them.

Rui reached out plucking a red rose from the vines, them seemingly shuddering from the force. He tied his hair back and fixed the bow around his neck, he attempted to make a smile but his usual facial paralysis only made it look forced and awkward so he gave up. Settling his mood he gripped the rose taking two steps forward one step back until he finally reached his target.

"Hello", the young man in front of him whispered, his head uplifted to match his eyes, after Rui stood there in silence for some minutes, the young man's eyes started growing question marks as to why Rui was so close and not speaking.

Finally gaining the courage Rui spoke, "Hello, it's very nice to meet you, I look forward to working with you." The young man smiled, pearly teeth showing, he held out his hand, Rui looked at the outstretched hands for some time before reaching his own slowly shaking. He suppressed his excitement, then said, "Well let's get down to business then."

He found his one, he found the hero to his villain, and he hopes they will have a lovely rivalry in the future.
(412/2000)

[Chamrosh]

Username: Chamrosh
Name: Salman
Pronouns: He/Him
Prompt: [I might add in the actual background info of the setting and so on, but... probably not? I think it shows the awkwardness I'm going for better if it's clear he's not looking around too much. And yes, radiating pure awkward energy. I might add in a drawing later, but for now, this is my feeling on the writing section of the prompt. -1330 words]


[three knocks on a door]
C: "Come in!"
[the door doesn't open]
C: "Are you okay?" [footsteps]
S: "Yeah, um. I'm sorry, I-" [the door swings open suddenly, a pained wince, more footsteps, some fiddling with something soft and the tink of glass against wood] "I hope it's fine to put these here, I just... I find eye contact hard sometimes and it's easier to have something to look at because I don't want to be looking everywhere and to look nosey because that's rude and I don't want to be rude and I don't want to hurt your feelings." [a big breath and a girlish giggle]
C: "It's perfectly fine. Do whatever you need to be comfy."
S: "I brought chocolates and coffee and cookies and, um, in case you can't have dairy, I brought some vegan cake? And the cookies are gluten free, too, and the coffee doesn't have sugar so-"
C: "That's very sweet, Salman, but you don't have to worry about any of that. If you want to bring food for yourself, that's fine. If you want food for me, I can't have nuts, and that's it." [a quiet take in of breath] "I can bring in things for you, too, if you want them, and it helps. I have a shelf of little things."
S: "Oh. May I have the cushion, please?"
C: "Of course." [fabric being caught, and the change in breathing of a nose being pressed against something soft] "So what was it you wanted to come here for?"
S: "My brother did counselling before, and he said it was helpful to have one person he could just talk about whatever was bothering him to, you know? But, um. I, um. Sorry. I. Aah." [a long pause] "I... I don't really know how to start."
C: "That's okay. Start when you're ready."
[a second pause]
S: "I guess I..." [pause]
C: "It's alright, you can say it."
S: "No. I... I can't yet."
[a third long pause, in which eating can be heard]
C: "These cookies are really good."
S: "Thank you. I've been practising making them a lot, and this is like... the 10th batch this week? I think? I made two attempts on Monday, and then one on Tuesday and then two on Wednesday... wait, it was two on Tuesday, so that would make it the 11th batch, and then there were... Anyway! I've been practising making them."
C: "You want them to be perfect?"
S: "I want everything to be perfect. Um. I want them to be especially perfect though, because, um. There's this guy, and he's... he's so pretty, his eyes are beautiful, and he's so tall, and-" [an awkward cough] "I want to make a good impression?"
C: "I... would say I'm not hear to give advice, I'm here to help you make your own advice, but... I'm sure he'll like these how they are already."
S: "You think so?"
C: "Yes."
S: "Okay. So. I. My um. My parents didn't um. They didn't really teach me how to handle romantic things? I don't know how to go about anything? I don't know how to talk to him and I don't know how to handle anything there!"
C: "So you want to know how to talk to boys?"
S: "I mean, that's part of it? I also... um. There's also..." [a very quiet whisper]
C: "Let's look at the romantic stuff, first. What's holding you back from asking him?"
S: "I just get really nervous I'm going to mess up, and, um. I get scared that he's going to think I'm rude and never talk to me again, and I'm not going to be able to ask anyone else out for the whole of the rest of college, and then I'll go to work and no one will want to be my friend and I'll end up homeless and eating bread rolls from a dumpster in a back alley."
C: "Have you ever seen anyone else have to deal with that?"
S: "Well... no... But that doesn't mean it can't happen! Anything, if given sufficient time in an infinitely large universe will eventually happen, no matter how unlikely, and it'd be deserved, right, if I messed up real bad!"
C: "If you knew how to minimise how badly you might "mess up", would that make you feel better?"
[a little pause]
S: "I think so?"
C: "Okay. One of the best starting points is to try to make sure you're both having fun and are both comfortable around each other. Can you think of anything you both enjoy?"
S: "Cookies?"
C: [another girlish laugh] "What did you meet doing?"
S: "I met him in the library cafe? We were both in the queue for getting coffee, and he made a joke about the misspellings on the specials board. And um. He saw I was alone, and he asked if I was okay, and I said I would be once I had coffee, and um, he started telling more jokes and uuuuuum... he asked me over to his table and we studied together? And um. A few days later, I saw him in the library again. He had some books, and I went over to ask what he was studying, and he wasn't actually studying, he was reading Game of Thrones with a cover slipped around it. And um, I met him at the cinema a few days later and he had booked the same seat as me, and um. It turns out he's in one of my classes, too, and he's really creative and he always has great ideas when he speaks in lectures, and sometimes he sits next to me and um. He's asked me to study a few times?"
C: "What sort of jokes was he making in the cafe?"
S: "...Nerdy ones? He referenced a couple different card games, and Pokemon, and Star Trek..."
C: "And do you like those things?"
S: "Yes? But I like them a lot more when I'm with someone nice?"
C: "Then that sounds like what you should do to ask him."
S: "He's really good at them, okay, he's amazing at them, but it's really fun to do as well, still. We played yu-gi-oh in the library one time for ages because he wanted to teach me how to play it. And, um, he wanted to teach me, because um. When we first met he made a few jokes about it, and I didn't get them, and I think he noticed that, because he asked how I didn't know who white eyes orange dragon would be, and um. Yeah, he offered to teach me, and I spent like... 3 afternoons trying to work out the rules, but then he just tried teaching me form the beginning, anyway.
S: "Did I say he's really good at maths? Because he's really good at maths."
C: "Have you considered taking him to a gaming cafe? You feel more comfortable when you have food, don't you?"
S: "...Yes?"
C: "So you could get some food there, and they shouldn’t judge you if you want to bring in some cookies, and then play together, and you should both be very relaxed, and that should work. You know, he might even ask you out!"
S: "Oh, no, no one would ask me out. Especially not after..."
C: "I'm sure that lots of people would ask you out. There's lots of fish in the sea."
S: "Oh, but, no, I. Um. I messed up at the counter. I, um. I said the wrong thing? I said entirely the wrong thing, and it was even worse than the misspelling in the order board, and um. I looked like a total idiot."
C: "He still wanted to talk to you, right?"
S: "...Yes?"
C: "Did you ask him why?"
S: "He said he... thought it was... 'cute'."
C: "...How soon can you get this guy to a gaming cafe?"

[Comfie]

Username: Comfy
Name: Étoile
Pronouns: She/Her
Prompt:
Treble in Paradise
The neon lights burn her eyes as she blinks. They all fade into one nauseating blaze as she feels that damp line trail down her cheeks, messing up her fur with black streaks. Étoile had tried so hard tonight. She thought they had hit it off. Her messages with him on Kelder had all been perfect, carefully calculated down to the very punctuation mark she used. And he had seemed smitten with her too! When she spoke with him, suddenly she was transported into the sky and was flying. She finally felt free and stretched her wings towards a new beginning. But alas, she must've flow too high, too close to the sun, and soon she went plummeting. Her stomach scrunched into knots as she zoomed to the ground, smashing into the current karaoke bar she was residing in. They were supposed to meet here together. To fly into a new dawn together. Here and tonight. But he wasn't here. He hadn't been here for 5 hours. She had rented the room out for the whole night because she knew that this was the one! This was gonna be perfect! Her trembling paw reaches for her phone. She checks her messages. Nothing, except his last message from this morning.
"I'll be there."
Yeah, right! She thought bitterly, quickly wiping at the black streak across her face, further smudging it. Suddenly, her phone buzzes. Sparks arise and she has grown her wings and shot off again into the sky. He must've responded with a heartfelt "I'm sorry I'm late, but I got caught up with something super important, like curing a disease or saving the president, but now I'm here because I love you and you are the one!"
One New Message: Richie
Disappointment seeps into her veins. Richie. That stupid "aerospace engineer in training" keldine she had met at the coffee shop all those months ago. How they even became friends she didn't know.

"Hey there, um, Étoile is it? My order is the following, and you've gotta get this right. I can tell when its off. I'm in the aerospace program, after all. I want a venti strawberry, pecan, blood orange, lemon, blueberry frappe with ten atoms of zinc, 2π tablespoons of salad dressing (Yes, I want that out to the fifth decimal place), exactly three nanoliters of water (please measure that using a micropipette.. nothing else is accurate enough), three and 7/12 pumps of caramel (it is not that hard to measure if you've been in the science program for any time), and some space rock on top. I brought the rock myself; I just want you to grind it up and put it on top of the whipped cream for me. Thanks a bunch! I know you can do it!"
Étoile stares back at the blue keldine blankly. You had got to be kidding her? She had just gotten this job a week ago and so far it hadn't been too bad. Sure, there were the occasional customers with obnoxious orders, such as needing twenty pumps of caramel in their drink (who could even drink that? They might as well just buy a bar of caramel and melt it at that point, but she wasn't one to argue with what the customer wanted). When customers got angry at her, she could always stick the manager with them and move on with her day. But this was different. The manager was currently unavailable and it was one AM. One AM. She and this keldine were the only one in the shop. And he was asking for whatever that order was.
"Pardon me, could you... repeat that?" Étoile started. Maybe she was just imaging things.. there was no way someone could..
The blue keldine huffed. "Fine, but pay attention this time. I want a venti strawberry, pecan..." She tuned him out. Yep, he definitely wants that. She contemplated just up and leaving the shop for a moment.
"Look, sir, but I can't serve you that. For one, we don't have nearly any of those fruits here. This is a coffee shop. Second, I can't measure "nanoliters" for you. We don't have a micropipette. If you want something this specific, you're gonna have to make it at home. Also, you said my name completely wrong" she snapped. She really wasn't in the mood for this at 1 AM. Her words seemed to register in the keldine's mind as his blank eyes widened.
"Oh, uh, right, I apologize," he looked away sheepishly. She frowned. He had gone from this huffy self-righteous keldine to a shy mess in two nanoseconds. Did he really not get challenged this often or had she been especially cruel? She opened her mouth to apologize, but was cut off.
"Look, I guess it is one AM, and most people can't make this order, but, um, no one has ever stood up to me before. So, you are special, because you are scientific anomaly. YOU are the .01%, and that is statistically significant!" He started to prattle, going from a shy demeanor to that annoying smugness from earlier. She started at him with a frown etched into her face, eyebrow arched.
"Oh, right, the point is here is my business card," a blue paw rises to the counter and pushes a card across the table. Étoile looks down.
"Richard (Richie)
Aerospace Engineering Student
Keld U"
"That is your student ID. Not a business card."
"Oh, well, they serve the same purpose! I'll be famous one day anyways, but if that isn't enough for you, then here," he pulls his ID back and pushes over a crumpled piece of paper. Before she can ask him what it is, he leaves the shop, bidding her an au revoir (said horribly because while he seems to be proficient in science, his ego blinds him to his lack of language expertise). She raises her black paw to the wrinkled slip. She unfolds it gingerly, and sees a number scrawled there in messy handwriting. It must've been his number. Her red eyes dance over to her phone sitting on the counter. This would probably be a stupid idea considering he was one of the most insufferable customers she ever met.. but there was something there. He was interesting. Throwing caution to the wind, she bounds over to her phone and punches the number into her contacts. No customers would be here at 1 AM anyways. She had time to talk to this new person.

Since the day, the two had become unlikely close. Richie would bother her at random hours about his scientific discoveries, while she would complain to him about annoying customers and her romantic woes. Despite having no interest in romance whatsoever, Richie was a good keldine to talk to, even if his advice to just think about how the keldine who had just broken her heart was statistically insignificant was really unhelpful. He'd even help her understand calculus which was really destroying her college GPA. Fate seemed to want them to become closer when Richie suddenly appeared in her musical theory class the second semester of her Freshman year. She knew they went to the same college, but because Keld U was so big, she had never seen him on campus. Étoile was appalled to find out on the first day that Richie was utterly tone-deaf and had zero knowledge of anything music. She begrudgingly agreed to help him after he failed the first music theory exam and begged her to help him pass because "a genius such as himself couldn't get below an A because of some silly mandatory credit class that didn't really matter when compared to the important classes." She ignored that remark pointedly, being a music major herself. Luckily, through her tutelage, Richie was able to pass with a solid B-, although his singing ability never improved, though he sung more often (unfortunately) because his atrocious ego had returned after landing a B-. Sighing, she unlocks her phone and opens her texting app.
"I finally found someone to make my coffee. It didn't taste as good as I imagining." It reads. A small smile finds its way across Étoile's face.
"Of course, it doesn't. Anyone could've told you that, idiot." She sends back. Suddenly an idea comes to her. Her paws hesitate for a moment, but they are itching to type. Ah, whatever, it couldn't get anymore worse!
"Come to karaoke with me. Here is the address."
Send.
After she presses the button, she is hit with instant regret. She probably should've just gone home and watched a stupid romantic soap opera and cried herself to sleep like usual when this stuff happened, but this time she had the stupid idea to invite emotionally incompetent Richie into it. Before she can respond that she was just kidding and that he definitely shouldn't come, she gets another text.
"Ok."
Ugh, inviting Richie was a really stupid idea, but now it was definitely happening. After 30 minutes or so, the orange scaled keldine pushed open and the door. His expression went from confused to concerned in the blink of an eyes.
"Geez, someone break your heart again?"
"Yeah, maybe, but couldn't you not say it like that?" She snarled at him, although it didn't hold any bite. She also wasn't very intimidating with puffy red eyes and black mascara lines. A sheepish smile crossed his face before he fully entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"You know I'm not that good at this romance stuff, but I'm always here to talk to," Richie murmured, sincerity etched into his every word and his gaze. Étoile gave him a watery smile.
"Thanks... but lets not talk about it right now. I bought this karaoke session for a reason, y'know?" Richie's muzzle opened in a full smile.
"Alright, girly, but if you think you can beat me, you're gravely mistaken. I am a karaoke connoisseur!" He puffed out his chest, pride gleaming in his eyes. Étoile guffawed. Maybe this is why he was her best friend.
"Yeah right, show me what ya got!"
Maybe her date didn't show up. Maybe the mascara she had bought specifically for tonight was now ruined and staining her face, obscuring some of her blue markings. Maybe she was stuck singing karaoke with one of the most tone-deaf and prideful keldines she had ever met. Maybe he couldn't even say her name right because he was literally the worst keldine at French that the planet had ever seen. But, if she were to be honest with herself, she wouldn't have it any other way.
(1774/2000)



The other keldine is Richie, space boi extraordinaire.

[MistCat]

SO sorry for the wait, all! <3
I've decided that the winner shall be Comfy! The art and story is super charming and it absolutely won me over. I hope you enjoy your new keldine!

[Comfie]

SO sorry for the wait, all! <3
I've decided that the winner shall be Comfy! The art and story is super charming and it absolutely won me over. I hope you enjoy your new keldine!

Aaaahhh, thank you so much MistCat! ;w; I'm so happy to have won her! I absolutely adored her design and knew I had to try out the second I saw her! I'm really glad that you liked my story and artwork. It makes me so happy to hear. ^_^ Thank you so much again, and would you mind adding me? :)