[mal du pays]

Hello gang! Another year, another staff litter.

This year, I went with The Tower, in the Upright position.
The Tower is a card that signifies the worst; unforseen disaster, misery, and ruin while upright.

So, for this kalon, please tell me about the worst moment in their life. How did it affect them? Did they change for the better from it? Did it all go downhill from there?
This is a generally loose prompt. No word or art limit, although please make sure your form is broken into legible chunks, is a legible font color, and a legible font size.
There will be a word minimum however - in order for your form to count, you must have at least 100 words answering the prompt.

You can post your form on another thread on-site, as long as it's linked here. You cannot host your form on another website, like Tumblr or Carrd.
Basically, I need to be able to ensure your form isn't edited past the end date.

This will end December 11th, 2021, Noon MST (18:00 CS time)
You're free to PM if you have any questions, or need an extension (closer to the end date)

Code: Select all

Username:
Name:
Gender:
Prompt:

NR: Sclera color
S: Shine, hair (Underneath the hair)
C: Fur, tail
UC: Ears, fur

[craig?]

marky mark

[cecro]

Username: FuzzyWorms
Name: Coza
Gender: Male (He/Him)
Prompt: (232 words)
The worst moment in Cazo's life was when he had gotten lost in the woods. He was out there for around two months. He had intended to just go out on a short hike and found a path that interested him, but it was a mistake. He realized he was lost, and due to his short memory, he could not remember where he came from first, so his only option was to set up camp and hope for the best. After three days, he found a proper water source, after days of only drinking the juice from the fruits within the forest.

It traumatized him, but he did manage to get out of there, though it would take years for him to properly recover from it. He feared this would be what killed him, but surprisingly, he had managed to avoid sickness or injury, due to his cautiousness. He decided after he got back home, that it would be a mistake to leave the path he first decided on and to think about it first if he feels adventurous and wants to try a different route.
This also affected his personality. He used to be an adventurous young kalon, but now he is a tired, sensitive and scared kalon, who still loves nature, yes, but prefers to stay inside after this event. He tries not to talk about this with other kalons.

[Dewy Feathers]

Username: Dewy Feathers
Name: Skylar
Gender: Female
Prompt:
366 words

Several bad things have happened to Skylar, like the death of her family and not being accepted into her dream college. The worst had to be the fall.
She was visiting an old castle. It was something to help take her mind away from the deaths of her parents, who had died on January 6. She had her camera ready and was taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. There were no tourists around to annoy her, and it was just the right weather. Chilly, overcast, and windy. Skylar loved it. She was climbing to one of the towers when it started raining. Freezing raindrops plastered her fur to her sides. The steps were slippery, but Skylar kept going. She reached the top. The birch trees' leaves were red in the autumn weather. It was around thirty feet high from above the forest floor, and Skylar could see for miles. The rain kept coming. She was walking around the tower space when her feet slid out from under her, and she fell.

"Lucky to be alive."
"Hard to survive that fall."
"She will probably pull through."

Skylar woke in a hospital. She tried moving, but it was impossible. There was a nurse beside her. "Oh, you're awake!" Skylar tried to nod, tried to do something. Her ears were ringing, and she had a pounding headache. The doctor started talking.
"You fell thirty feet. Your spinal cord broke, resulting in paralysis that is hopefully temporary. You have brain damage and have broken a leg. You might not survive, but we will try. You have been unconscious for two days.

Skylar had been in the hospital for a while now. She would survive, and her body was healing. She could move a bit now. Her physical health was good, but her mental health wasn't. After her parents died, she could still move, still do what she wanted to. Now, she had brain damage and temporary paralysis. She could still walk, but her muscles would freeze from time to time. Skylar sighed. No one had come to visit her. She didn't have friends, and she didn't have a single family member that loved her and was alive. She was alone.

[Domino Tricks]

Username: Domino Tricks
Name: Unison Spire
Gender: Fluid
Prompt: (220 words)
The worst thing to have ever happened to Unison was way back when he was just a child… Unison’s father was an advisor to their kingdom’s ruler during the old wars, During that time famine was rampant and ever growing, and the end was far from sight.

He was born during the first sieges of the war. His mother named him Unison in hopes he would help end the war one day.

Unison would often visit his father in between meetings when he wasn’t busy. It was just about 8 years since the war started when Unison got the devastating news that his father was on one of the caravans that was ambushed on the way to another hurting part of the kingdom.

Unison was so saddened by the news that he shut himself off from those who were once friends, and even refused to attend the celebrations when the war ended.

Only after 2 years did he find peace about the incident, and started to open back up to others. He even went back to the ruler’s court and was offered an advisory position, of which he politely declined, and made a friend.

While he isn’t as cheerful or happy as he once was, he still cares for the kingdom and continues to work on opening up to people.

[SolarSam]

Username: SolarSam
Name: Freyr
Gender: male (he/him)
Prompt: (1184 words)

23 years ago

It was a warm, sunny day. Freyr and his mother where on their way to a local landmark - a tall tower from which one could see the whole town. Freyr trudged dutifully behind his mom, occasionally running ahead to chase away some birds that dared to sit in their path.

After what felt like ages (Freyr had asked "are we there yet?" and variations thereof at least five times) the tower finally showed up on the horizon.
Excited, he yelled "first one there gets to stay up late today!!" and took of running. His mother chased after him, laughing the whole way, and managed to overtake him just before they reached the base of the tower.
"Hey, that's unfair!", Freyr complained. "Your legs are way longer than mine." His mother scooped him up into her arms and replied: "or maybe you were just too slow!", twirling him around. "Hey!" Freyr managed to get out between a fit of giggles.

After a bit of bickering, they finally entered the tower.
It looked rather unremarkable - just a whole lot of stairs, some damaged and crumbling apart. Freyr groaned loudly. "I changed my mind, I don't wanna go to the top anymore." He turned around and was about to leave when his mom stopped him.
"Aww, come on. It'll be worth it, I promise." She looked up at the faraway ceiling, a wide smile on her face. "The view from up there is amazing." Freyr huffed, reluctantly turning back. "Fine." And they began their ascent.

After a while, Freyr started to count the steps out of sheer boredom. He was tired and his legs were starting to hurt and wanted to go home. Just when he was about to reach 500, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Another Kalon! They looked old enough to be his grandpa, with a long white beard and great bushy eyebrows. Kind of like Santa! He giggled to himself at the thought. What would Santa be doing so far from the northpole in the middle of summer?
He had just made the decision to keep walking and ignoring them, because his mom had told him it was rude to talk about strangers right in front of them, when his curiosity got the better of him after all.

"Who's that mom?" His mother turned around to look and suddenly, her whole demeanor changed. The smile slipped off her face and her eyes widened in surprise. She whirled around to face him again and whispered urgently "You need to leave. Now."
"But we haven't been to the top yet!" Freyr protested, although he didn't really care about that anymore. He just wanted to know what was wrong. His mother laughed, and it sounded like she was about to start crying. Fear settled low in his stomach. "We can go up there later, ok honey? I just need to take care of this first." She glanced toward the strange Kalon, who was slowly advancing on them. Freyr didn't like them.  They looked scary.
His mother gently pushed him backward, making him focus on her again. Tears were spilling down her cheeks now. He wanted to comfort her, to make her stop crying, but he couldn't think of the right words to say. "Just go back to the bottom of the tower, ok? I'll meet you there." Her voice wavered as she talked. She pushed him again, a bit more forcefully this time, and he nearly tripped over his own paws.
The strange Kalon was a lot closer now, and Freyr caught their gaze - their eyes were terrible, bright red and filled with anger, so much anger- he stumbled back, and cried out when he hit nothing but air, loosing his balance and tripping down nearly an entire flight of stairs. He heard his mother shout at him to GO from above, and he turned and ran.

Once Freyr arrived at the bottom, exhausted and out of breath, he collapsed to the ground. He closed his eyes, struggling to regain control of his breathing, but all that accomplished was to make him light-headed. It was starting to get dark now, and the cold evening air made him shiver. He looked at the tower helplessly. He knew his mom was in trouble, but he had the feeling he was too small to really be able to help her. He didn't understand everything the adults did yet.
He was ripping out grass and shredding it into tiny pieces to pass the time and calm his nerves when a sudden noise from the tower made him look up again.

It was his mom! She had made it to the top after all! Freyr couldn't help but be a bit disappointed that she had gone up there without him, but he was glad she was ok anyway.
"Mom!" He shouted, jumping up and down in an effort to get her to see him, grinning from ear to ear. "Mom, look!"
But she didn't react. Then, the strange Kalon reappeared. Freyr's face fell and he froze in place, suddenly scared again. They were talking to his mother. He couldn't hear what either of them were saying, but they looked tense.
He stood up on his tippy-toes and strained his ears to try and catch even a single snippet of conversation, but it was in vain. They were just too far away. Just when he was about to call out again, something happened. Something that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

It was hard to remember exactly, all details blurred together into one terrible, nightmarish tableau. The strange Kalon's paws, enveloped in a strange glow. An awful noise, like thunder hitting a tree; his own screams. And his mother - falling. Down, down, down... too fast, too far, to soon. And he couldn't do anything to stop it.


Present day

Freyr had been pacing around his living room for the last hour. In front of him, on a table, lay a small letter, its snow-white color a stark contrast to the dark wood. Only a few strokes of ink marred the things otherwise perfect surface. He stared at them until his vision went blurry around the edges.

He thought it impossible, at first. The one who had killed his mother had to be long dead by now, right? And yet... the proof that they were not was right in front of him. Even though decades had past, they were still out there. The thought made his blood boil, and he had to stop himself from ripping the letter up in anger.

Freyr took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He would need a clear head to evaluate what to do next, and destroying the only connection he had to them would certainly not help. He looked at the words written on the paper again. Even though it was quite short, the sender's intentions were painfully clear. His eyes focused on the adress neatly penned on the bottom of the page.

Well. If that monster wanted a meet-up, they'd get it. And this time, Freyr was not running away.

[NE0N-UMBR30N]

mark

[shortstop]

however this form is left when the competition ends, please consider it to be finished <3

Username: shadow9119
Name: Kamen
Gender: Male
Prompt: [-/100 words], [feat. kade], [all art by me]

The click of the handcuffs locking around his wrists snapped Kamen back to the reality of the situation. Rights were read, disappointment was made apparent, and then the Kalon was shoved unceremoniously into the back seat of the cop car. The door slammed closed behind him, and he was - for the moment - left alone with his thoughts.
How in the hell had he gotten here?
He leaned back, resting his head against the worn fabric of the seat. The flashing lights of emergency vehicles started to get to him, so he closed his eyes in a feeble attempt to block them out.
He wasn't going to make it to his final tomorrow, that was for sure.
-----

Finals started in about ten hours. As Kamen sat staring at his open textbook and study
guide, he tried his best not to lose his mind about it. His junior year as a pharmaceuticals
major had been a particularly demanding. If he finished out strong, then it would build a
strong foundation for the next year and ease his workload. That was all any college student wanted, really; an easier time.
To help with this, his friends had created their own study group. Most of the majors that the college offered were represented at the conference table (quietly being borrowed without permission in one of the math building's rooms). They couldn't really bounce ideas off of each other, but it did encourage the students to think outside the box. Kamen found true value in asking the opinions of his friends. Even Kade, the undeclared freshman of the group, had things to say about medical math.
"I'm gonna bomb this chemistry final; I can feel it," Kade sighed, pushing his textbook toward the center of the table.
"Is it just balancing reactions?" Kamen asked. "I've done that before, I can help if you need it."
"I think I'm beyond help, but thanks," Kade replied, shaking his head. "Besides; it's the lab final. I have to work with actual chemicals and stuff."
-----
The study session ended when someone from the math department finally found the group in the conference room and not-so-politely asked them to leave. Kamen drove himself home, still anxious and planning to study more once he was back in his own space. His plans were cut short, however, by a series of pings from his phone.
It was Kade.
-----
A horrifying familiar, orange glow greeted Kamen as he pulled up to the dorm building that Kade lived in. He flinched away from the intense blast of heat that hit him when he stepped out of the driver's seat. An inferno of flames erupted from the building's dumpster. The flames licked the side of the dorm building, leaving striking black marks against the brick. The sound of the fire alarms was almost drowned out by the hubbub of the evacuated crowd. Kamen scanned the sea of faces until he finally found Kade. He ran over to his friend, who was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Kade; what the hell did you do?!"
Through the blubbering and the shaking, Kamen was able to piece together the story.

[dragonstars]

Username: Dragonstars
Name: Jackson
Gender: Male
Prompt:
It seems quite a small thing to be this upset about, but to Jackson, it wasn't. Jackson had lost his pet python, Odin, as he had gotten out of his tank one night and he didn't notice till a day later. In a panicked manner, he search his entire house, but sadly could not find him. He has been devastated ever since, not really doing much since the incident. But that wasn't the only thing that went downhill, a incident had occurred where his lover had been severely injured, resulting in them being in the hospital. They would survive of course, but they wouldn't be able to do a lot of things for awhile now.

[Foxghost]

Username: Rosemoon
Name: Alaric Pendragon
Gender: Male
Word Count: 2,475/x
Featured: Roman
Location: The Kingdom of Roque, 5th century A.D.
Prompt:
"Citizens of Roque, please come forth to the town square, for the king has prepared a speech for this fine day!" the town-crier called out to the folks of yore.

A handsome gray kalon stuck his head out of his home down by the center of town and jumped out the window recklessly, landing on all fours before standing up once more. Everyone was gathering around the center stage where the king stood with his daughter, Fauna. She was wearing a prince's jacket and stood nervously in front of the townspeople. Her father stood proud and you could feel the beam of his smile from a mile away.

"Everyone! I would like to reintroduce you today, to my only child. This is NOT my daughter Fauna, no... this is my SON, Roman!" the king let out such a hearty and love-filled laugh that it made Roman ease up, it seemed. Everyone cheered and chanted the prince's new name with such glee. There was a warm positivity in the air that made Alaric himself feel as light as a feather.
"And with that, I would like to bring even more news. I am old, we all know age is but a looming cloud. With my mortality in mind, I am announcing that Roman will be taking my place when I am to pass. He will be your king!" The crowd was less enthusiastic about the thought of the king dying, they cheered for the new crowned heir, but a lot of hushed whispers were filled with concern and sadness. The king was such a fantastic person, everyone loved him. It was hard to imagine a day without hearing from him.

"I bid thee good day now!" the king pat his son on the back and walked away laughing.
Roman stepped down as the crowd dispersed and walked towards the marketplace. Alaric followed him in and punched him gently in the shoulder.
"I told you coming out would go well, remember I have The Sight, my lord" Alaric grinned with such dazzling pride. He said "my lord" with a flourish.
Roman grinned right back.

"My lord, eh? I like it. Come now, my friend. Why don't we grab some food and head on out to our spot" he grabbed a nearby apple and handed the merchant some gold coins.
"Sounds like a great idea" Alaric ran to another merchant and grabbed some bread and cheese. The two started running around gathering things to eat, packing it in their capes they adorned around their necks and along their spines. They started heading together to a nearby river with a giant willow tree hanging over it. The tree was blossoming.

They laid their capes out like blankets and sat with their treasure.
"So, how do you feel about being crowned king?" Alaric asked his childhood friend. Roman bit into a piece of bread.
"I feel good, honestly. I'm glad my father is happy as well. He seems at peace, maybe it's because I'm his only child, who knows."
Alaric nodded. He tried talking between chews.
"Well, you know my visions tend to come true. They haven't failed you yet" he swallowed.
"Hopefully you'll have a vision that foretells of my reign being virtuous and grand!" Roman raised an apple in the air like it was a sword before bringing it back and biting into it.
"Yeah, wouldn't that be nice" Alaric sat back and enjoyed the breeze coming from the water, a flower petal falling down and resting on the tip of his nose.

His peaceful moment was suddenly ripped apart.
His eyes went wide and he wrenched his body forward, holding his stomach in pain and screaming.
"ROMAN! I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T SEE!" he cried. Roman lunged towards him and pulled him as close to his body as he could, Alaric trembled.
"Breathe, I've got you my friend, I won't let you go" Roman eased. He knew what was happening to Alaric.

The gray kal felt the dark of his vision turn to light, but it was the bright orange of flames on the horizon. What he saw made his stomach lurch and he drooled from the pooling of pain inside him. There were injured townsfolk fleeing for their lives. The town was in flames and the castle was crumbled to ruins. The king was dead. Alaric saw himself cradling an unconscious Roman as a woman stood over them, flames trailing from her body as if they came from her.

Everything went black again and then his true vision returned, reality coming in. His pain eased and he was left breathing heavily in his friend's grasp.
"This vision sounded horrific" Roman whispered.
Alaric could only manage a nod.
"We should get you home to rest, I'll carry you" Roman hoisted Alaric over his shoulders like a wounded deer and abandoned their picnic spot. He carried him through town until they reached the small cottage in the center, there Roman brought him inside and laid him gently in his bed.

"Thank you" Alaric breathed, feeling exhausted.
"Rest love," Roman pat his friends shoulder, "whatever it was can wait until tomorrow, alright? We can talk about it then".
Alaric felt his eyes grow heavy until they closed finally and he drifted off into sleep.

The night was not peaceful. It was filled with demons and memories of the vision Alaric had. The woman who was made of fire. The citizens fleeing in fear. The loss of the king. The prince befallen. Himself wrenched with fear and drenched in sweat. Everything felt like it was falling apart.

Alaric tossed and turned, he couldn't feel rest. The sun rose over the tops of the houses, Alaric was already awake from his nightmare. He sat up, his blanket tangled around him, his brow damp. He had a serious look on his face as if he was thinking.
The light of dawn warmed his fur and chased the chill of fear away for a moment as he closed his eyes and soaked in the feeling. There was a knock at the door but he refused to answer.

"Alaric, prince Roman wishes to see you in his library as soon as possible" a small voice came from the door. Just as quickly they disappeared, small pawsteps fading away.
Alaric sighed and stood from his bed, shaking himself off. He looked and saw his cloak from yesterday folded neatly on his night table. He clipped it around his neck and headed out into the morning air.

There was a light fog over the town, the mist billowing out around Alaric as he quickly walked to the castle, his face stern. He knew what this was about and he knew how important it was to get everything out to his friend. Alaric nodded to the guards in the front of the door who nodded back and stepped aside to allow him in. He knew exactly where to go as he quickly paced around corridors and sweeping past corners. He reached a large set of double doors with huge iron door rings. He pulled on them, revealing a very large library spilling with books.

"I'm glad you came, we'll have privacy here" Roman rushed over and hugged his friend, a tear coming down his cheek. "I was worried about you".
"Worried about me? Ha! I am a lot harder to knock down, you know" Alaric said playfully but his face scanned his friends and could sense the worry it radiated. "I'm fine. But it's imperative that I tell you what my vision was".
The two walked over to a large table and sat down next to each other. Roman held his hands together in his lap politely. Alaric leaned over the table like a grizzled soldier.

"It wasn't much but it was enough. The entire town... Was on fire. Everyone was injured, burned or bruised, and they all were fleeing as fast as they could. They screamed and ran. Your father was on a bed of flowers, passed, as if we were holding a ceremony for his parting when this happened. I was holding your body, you didn't seem to be... Dead. You breathed, you just were unconscious. But someone was beating over us. A woman in black, flames trailing from her body as if she was made from the fire itself. She said something but I couldn't hear it. And... That was it"

Roman nodded sagely.
"I believe you. I believe that this was your vision of what's to come. Now we must prepare, I'll tell my guards to remain vigilante and not let anyone who fits the description you gave into the town. We will do what we can to prevent this from happening"

"Roman you know my visions always have their way of coming true, no amount of intervention will stop them-" Alaric warned but was interrupted by a cough from the hallway.
The king had been passing and he sounded worse for wear.
"My father is not doing as well as we had perceived," Roman said with wide eyes, "this vision may come true very... Very soon".

Alaric nodded gravely and sighed. There was a loud thud from the hall and a groan. The two boys ran as fast as they could to find the king on the ground, breathing heavily. The guards rushed in and carried the king away to his room.
"Stay" Roman commanded his friend and darted after his father.
Alaric stood in the hall, frozen in fear.
"It's happening faster than the others" he whispered to himself, shaking.

Roman returned, hours later, his face dark and damp with tears.
"My father..." his voice cracked hoarsely. Alaric interrupted him with a hug. The two embraced for what felt like an eternity to Alaric. Finally they let go as they heard a wagon being pulled out to the front door.
"It's happening" Alaric said. Roman clenched his fists and ran to a nearby room, coming back with a large sword.
"Then I will prepare for the worst" he said with a growl.

The townspeople stood around the steps to the castle, the king laying peacefully on a bed of flowers. His righthand was giving a speech, while Roman clenched the sword so hard his knuckles turned whiter than his fur.
"And with this sad coming, I now pass the word over to his son, our new king, Roman" Roman stepped to the front.
"People of Roque, although my father's passing is... deeply sorrowful, I have even worse news to deliver. I have received word that there would be a witch coming to desecrate our fair town" he said with the grace of a king.

The townspeople spoke in hushed voices.
"Please, stay here where you will be under guard from my staff" he directed, his face filled with concern.
Suddenly a scream cried out from the crowd. The wagon the king was rested on had begun to catch on fire. It spread as it caught wind and fell upon the grass surrounding them, then the hay of the horses, and the houses. It spread so quickly, it was only a matter of minutes before the town was engulfed in fire. The people had already begun fleeing, trapped by the flames. The only way out was through.

They ran through the flames, coming out burnt and injured on the other side.
There was a deeply unsettling laughter coming from the fire. A woman stood out and approached Roman.
"You are not meant to be king!" she screeched before attempting to tear him down with a sword. Roman was quick on his feet and reacted. He blocked her with his own sword and slashed back.

"I was always meant to be king!" he declared like a lion's roar and pushed onward. The fight that ensued was a constant back and forth until the witch caught Roman off guard and knocked him to the stone. He smacked his head hard and fell unconscious. Alaric fled to his friend and held him close.
"No!" he used his body as a shield as the witch hovered over them, sneering.

"I won't kill either of you..." she decided.
"United you stand
Divided you fall
Free yourself from prison
And answer your call
Leave behind old lives
And start anew
Find the one who possesses
The glass of you"
She waved her arms and the fames dispersed. There was no town left. The castle began to crumble to ruin before Alaric's eyes. She touched Roman's body and he glowed a moment before regaining consciousness.

"This prince will be cursed... for eternity. And unless he can break his curse, so will you..." she backed away and disappeared into the remaining smoke.

Alaric lifted his face to the sky and screamed.

-------------- Present Day --------------

A small gray paw reached out across the counter and sleepily grabbed a coffee cup, while the other had a loose grip on a coffee pot filled with black liquid. Alaric poured his coffee into the cup and took in a deep breath. The heat and steam from the drink sent chills down his spine. He took a sip.

"- he was last seen sleeping in the old castle ruins east of here, he seems to be the only one living there. He occasionally goes to the local farmers market to deliver goods before disappearing. Guess he's made quite the living for himself out there, right Charles?"
"You bet Christine, the local man known only as Roman Prince everybody. In later news, local authorities have-"

Alaric sighed as he listened to the T.V..
"Come on old man..." he sighed as he put on slippers and a robe and headed to the door of his apartment. He opened the door and there stood his friend, mid knock.
"You saw me coming" Roman walked in.
"Uh-huh" Alaric shut the door and drank his coffee, "man, you need a place to stay. It's been an eternity since you lived under a roof, you must have mange by now".
Roman snorted.
"I refuse to live anywhere except for where my fathers remains lay. You know that" Roman sat down on the couch and sighed.

Alaric blinked slowly. "Sure" he said with exhaustion. "As long as you at the bare minimum keep stopping by to eat a decent meal... sure" he sat next to his friend.
"We'll fix that curse" Roman said.
"And then what?" Alaric squinted, "I mean, that was the worst day of my life. My entire home was gone, I almost lost my best friend, everything was terrible and now I'm stuck with living forever. What happens when we break that, we die? I don't think I'm ready for that yet, surprisingly enough..." more coffee.

"Fine, we can wait..." Roman rested his head on his friend's shoulder. "What's on the news?"
Alaric patted him gently on the arm.
"Nothing important".