`( all work and no play

[arcadian.]

writing challenges are probably some of the coolest things ever and i'd like to participate in a few. to keep myself organized and to not clutter the thread, any challenge i participate in will be posted here. each post will (hopefully) be properly linked in a sort of table of contents.
i would prefer if you pm'd any critiques and not post them here. thank you! xx

[arcadian.]

xxxxtwenty random things challenge

write short stories according
to these 20 random themes:

-inspired by a favorite song
-a fan fiction of a book you like
-a fantasy
-a realistic fiction
-as if it was a journal entry
-an action story
-a drama
-a mystery
-a horror
-a crime
-a romance
-something suspenseful
-best friends
-historical
-adventure
-best friends
-enemies
-awkward situation
-sad
-happy

delcie & captain's 100 scene challenge

xxxxxxxxxxcaptain's ultimate challenge

Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｍ Ｐ Ｔ Ｓ
__________________

style

person switch

if you normally write in third person,
write in first or vice versa.
If you write in both, take a character
you only use one for and use the other.

no dialogue

Now's the time to focus
on description and body language.
Not one spoken word!

just dialogue

At least one line of dialogue
in every paragraph.

one character

use only one character in
the entire scene.

emotion

as an added challenge,
use characters that do not normally
express these emotions.

love
anger
happiness
humor
sadness
fear

senses

focus on sensory descriptors.

color
smell
weather
sound
touch

characters

alternate universe

write your abnormal characters
in modern present day or vice versa.

alternate ending

write what would have happened
if something in your story went different.

interaction

take characters that never interact
with one another, and have them do so.

illness

take a mental or physical ailment
your character suffers from and write
them struggling with it.

personality break

write a scene with an event that
breaks a character's composure and
causes them to act differently than
they normally do.

parents

how did one of your character's
parents meet?

xxxxxxxxxone hundred one-shots challenge

Injured / Sinking / Father / Exploit / Boredom
Art of Conversation / Take your Best Shot
Creativity / Flash / Puzzling Words / Ill / Skeleton
Nothing / Servitude / Possibilities / Weightless
Just Say It / Last Words / Immature / Blazing
Help / Presence / Because / Forced / Reversed
Cast Away / Emotions / Questions / Wishing
Crackling / Curl Up / Together / Look Again
Brief / Space / Special / Jinx / Stop Fussing
Cozy / Breaking / Either Or / Tell Me a Story
Waiting / Willpower / Who Am I? / Idol
Unseen / Just Try / For Me? / Your Choice! (50)
Useful / Treasure / Ceremony / Lightning
Protection / Stay With Me / Mint / Rescue
Dominant / Thief / Deserter / Stolen
Sarcasm / Darling / How Much is too Much?
Over / Try Again / Hidden / Forgotten
The First Time / Aging / Soldiers / Justice
Tread Carefully / One False Step / Connection
Mess / It Can't Be / In Due Time / Awake
Delicious / Fallen / Trickery / Around the Bend
Well Traveled / Choices / Surplus / Rough
If / Friend / Found Not Lost / Spiral / Deep
I Could Have / Desirable / Resentment
Build Up / Inch by Inch / Dilemma / Blue Sky

“Little by little, day by day, okay?” // “Get. Off. Right now.” // “... That’s it.”
// “So, uh, we should… probably run now.” // “You’re insane! I love it.”
“Hey, I offered to help you.” // “Who’s laughing now?” // “Would you please just be quiet?”
“Whoa, buttercup, whoa.” // "I can’t believe you talked me into this." // “Marry me?”
“Hey! I was gonna drink that!” // “You did all of this for me?” // “This isn’t over.”
“If you die, I’m gonna kill you.” // “Well, this is awkward.” // “It was you who was standing there.”
“That is the stupidest idea you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”// “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”
“Uh, she’s gunna punch you, man.” // “BAHAHAHA- ahem.”// “I think I am concussed.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” // “This ain’t that kind of movie.” // “Is it… dead?”
“I’ll just sit here and wait for you to be finished.” // “You wound me.” // “Trust you? PAH.”
“I don’t know who you are.” // “It’s okay. I promise. I’m here.” // “Oh, this is going to be good.”
“Well, I finally got your attention.” // “Like a hole in the head.”// “I'm... okay.”
“Well, are you coming?” // “Where are your pants!?” // “Help me push it.”
“It’s almost midnight, no way!” // “Positively smashing.” // “Don’t let go, okay?”
“You can’t leave me like this.” // “Say that to my mother.” // “Sing me a lullaby, please?”
“This hurts worse than I thought it would.” // “Hah! - oh, wait, you’re serious?”
“As much as I’d enjoy that…” // -gasp- “The plague!” “No!” “YES.” // “I won’t let you do this.”
“I’ve still got it.” // “I can’t do it. I just can’t.” // "Don’t you ever do that again!"
“I thought I lost you.” // "Teach me?" // "Don’t you dare throw that snowball-"
"It could be worse." // "We’re in the middle of a thunderstorm and you wanna stop and feel the rain?"
"I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice." // "What are you so afraid of?”
“How did you get that scar?” // “You said WHAT?” // “Can you stop bringing that up?”
“Wait for me!” // “We’ll be dead by morning.” // “STOP TALKING.” // “I do.”
“I don’t want to.” // “What did I ever do to you?!” // “Follow me.”
-SIGH- “I can’t reach it.” // “What are you waiting for?” // “WAIT NO THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT-”
“I don’t need you.” // “You deserve better.” // “If you love something, let it go.”
“Why do I have to wear this?” // “Here goes nothing.” // “Where the heck were you?!”
“I don’t need help.” // “We’re gonna be parents…” // “I didn’t think you knew.”
“I thought those were poisonous.” // “Don’t make me go alone.” // “I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”
“I’d be lost without you.” // “Just leave me!” // “I dare you to…” // “Run!”
“How did you manage that?” // “Liar!” // “I don’t even want to be here.”
“Oh crap, we fell asleep!” // “Is this the life you wanted?” // “GIVE ME THAT.”
“Get back here!” // “Let go of me!” // “I’ll just follow you.” // “YOU DON’T SAY.”
“And yet, you love me anyway.” // “I just thought I’d have a swim.” // “Don’t cry.”

[arcadian.]

extra space in case i need it. xx

[arcadian.]

for cap's ultimate challenge written
from the first person pov of a npc
wc: 739

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nervousness bubbled up inside my chest as i sat the front stoop. i didn’t care that i looked odd, sitting, waiting. sure i had been here for half an hour already but this was important. life-altering, world-stopping kind of important. my whole life revolved around one letter. ink on paper. important ink on paper because whatever that ink said would change me. one word could either be my beacon of light or my downfall.

everyone had tried to convince that everything was going to be okay. even if the letter didn’t say what i was praying it would say, at least i had backups. the thing, though, is that they’re called just that. backups. not first choice, not the ideal spot, not the number one big shot. the leftovers. the “i guess i would make this work” choices. i rubbed my sweating palms against my jean-clad legs as i tried to tell myself to calm down.

but it was no use.

every time something with an engine drove down the tree-lined, quiet street my eyes quickly shot up from my phone - a handy distraction tool - and towards the vehicle in question. each time i saw that it wasn’t the one i would chew on my lip and look back down at my game of angry birds. hurling birds at pigs turned out to help clear my mind quite a bit. it turned my uneasy, worrisome feelings into anger and frustration towards a cartoon game.

“i will destroy you,” i mumbled under my breath before going back to absentmindedly chewing on a thumb nail. for once that afternoon i felt like i could breath; my head was clear, my stomach didn’t twist up, my hands weren’t sweaty. well, weren’t too sweaty. in fact, i was so lost in the animal warfare that i didn’t hear the set of wheels i had been dying to hear all day.

a set of squeaky, overused brakes made my heart pound in my chest as i slowly looked up. it was like a movie scene: it felt like everything was in slow motion as that white-and-blue van rolled up to my mailbox, threw in whatever bills and magazines my parents had to pay for and then rolled off. i was still in slow motion as i lifted myself up from the hard concrete stoop and ran.

i couldn’t hear anything except for my heartbeat in my ears and the sound of my naked toes against the paved driveway. adrenaline coursed through my veins as i came to a sudden halt in front of the mailbox, the slight pain in my feet from stopping was so minimal that i didn’t even register it.

i once more took a moment to wipe my hands against my jeans, push my thick, auburn hair behind my ears as dread and hesitation suddenly washed over me. maybe i should wait. maybe i should let mom or dad open it first, just in case. i still had time to brush past the mailbox and go back inside and sit on a much more comfortable object.

i didn’t ponder my worries further before i suddenly jerked open the small door of the mailbox. i intuitively reached inside and quickly pulled out its contents. in my haste of reading my parent’s names on multiple envelopes, i dropped a few.

and then, i saw it. my own name printed clear as day on the middle of a white envelope. i licked my lips as i just held the note in my hands, forcing myself to remember to breath as i turned it over and ripped the seal.

squeezing my eyes shut i pulled out the letter inside. due to the lack of vision i fumbled to unfold it and dropped the ripped envelope in the process. once i was sure the letter was open i slowly and hesitantly opened my eyes.

a groan escaped my lips when i saw i had opened it to the blank backside and i was quick to turn it over and rightside up so that i could clearly read the dreaded words.

as i read what it said, tears welled up in my eyes and i had to clasp a hand over my mouth. it got harder to read the rest of the letter but it didn’t matter. i knew what it said. all that mattered was that one word.

congratulations.

[arcadian.]

for the twenty random things challenge challenge written
from the third person pov of twins chloe and connor
wc: 653

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chloe couldn't stop shaking her leg up and down as sat in the passenger seat of her brother's old, yellow pickup truck. one elbow was propped against the window frame and she leaned her head into her open palm. her gaze flitted around; one moment she was looking at the street, then down to her warn, used-to-be-white converses, to her brother, the trees. connor glanced out of the corner of his eyes and let out a little snort.

"will you calm down, for god's sake? you're twenty, not ten," he said, though his tone held no malice. he adored his little - by three minutes - sister too much.

"it's the carnival, con, how am i not supposed to be excited? it's been a whole year since we've last been and you know this is a tradition," chloe rambled on, moving a strand of her blue hair out of her mouth. ever since they were little the sanders twins went to the carnival out in long island. of course they had to go with their parents back then, but since they were adults they went on their own. they enjoyed the commute out from the city and onto the island. it brought back memories of beach days and ice cream and stuffed animals and that one time chloe lost a shoe on the roller coaster.

after another twenty minutes the twins rolled up to the packed carnival and chloe nearly tripped while rushing out of the car. she was the actual embodiment of a child but she really just loved her little adventures. she was planning on going on every ride and playing every game. she learned to be careful about which prized to win, though, because her roommate was getting a tad annoyed with all the stuffed animals laying around the apartment.

after their passes were bought, connor shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. "where too first?" he asked, knowing how this worked. chloe led him around and picked what they'd do. he didn't mind since this was her sort of event. all he got in response was a smile before having to chase after his sister who was expertly weaving through the families and couples. the roller coaster was always first.

the day waned on and the sun crossed the sky while the two got dizzy on the teacups and had a slightly aggressive competition at the water gun booth. after a while, the two managed to take a break in the cool shade behind one of the game booths. connor was busy eating cheese fries, his guilty pleasure, while chloe was examining a stuffed panda she won. for once, she was quiet, mainly because she was thinking.

"connor, you're my best friend, you know that?" she suddenly said, breaking the silence. she took a look over at her brother who had paused mid-bite of a cheese fry. chloe rolled her eyes for a moment at him before schooling her face mainly because she was waiting for an answer.

"ovv course i knuw that. yur my," connor had a habit of talking with his mouth full, so he took a moment to actually chew and swallow his food before continuing, "best friend, too, chlo."

a pleased look appeared on chloe's face as she leaned back against one of the metal rods that was supporting the tent. the two lapsed back into their peaceful silence, the sounds of the carnival enveloping them. the joyous shrieks of children, the screaming bells of games, the wooosh of the roller coaster. in the background they could barely hear the sound of the cars on the freeway.

"i hope you know that i'm still expecting you to take me here when we're eighty and wrinkly and old," chloe offhandedly mentioned, getting a teasing flick on the ear from her brother, though he was grinning ear-to-ear.

[arcadian.]

for cap's ultimate challenge written from the
third person pov of audrey, an amputee
wc: 787

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"oh, hey, that seems a bit big. do you want me to carry it?"

the question bounced around audrey's head and she had to force a smile towards the man who asked said question. she was carrying boxes of her possessions out to her grandfather's truck. she was leaving home for good - and not on a rainy night when she could crash and lose another arm - and her grandfather had come to help her move. she was doing just fine; her boxes were fairly light, just full of clothes or books or knickknacks, and she had a perfect balance going on.

she understood, really, that this man was trying to be nice. you see a one-armed girl and your first instinct is to help. that's the problem, though. audrey didn't want help. she didn't want anyone's help. if she could do it herself, she will. no questions asked. so that's why she had to force a smile at the man because she was getting sick and tired of hearing that questioned asked. if she got a penny, one little penny, for every time she was asked that she could buy herself the best prosthetic arm out there.

"i am perfectly fine, sir," she managed to spit out through clenched teeth. after that the blond quickly moved around him so that she could, rather harshly, dump the box into the bed of the pickup truck. she went back inside the house and into her bare room and slammed the door shut.

her chest felt tight and her throat felt like it was closing. her eyes brimmed with tears and she was confused as to why she was sad. but she realized that when she slammed the door it felt good. really good. and audrey quickly realized that she wasn't blinking through sad tears but angry ones. all the anger and frustration she felt whenever someone asked herr if she needed help had been building up inside her for the past few years and she was at her breaking point. she was shoving too many repressed feelings into an already-full jar and now it was broken.

something inside of her snapped. the usually quiet, observant woman turned into someone else as she slammed the side of her one fist against the wall. she repeated the action over and over until she couldn't feel her hand and she switched to her bed. her bed, the one safe haven she had. the place where she'd side under the covers when her father came home furious after losing hundreds.

her father. the man who gambled their lives away. the man who forced her to leave that terrible night. the man that was the indirect cause of her losing her left hand. she stared down at the nub, blinked at it through unclear eyes, and screamed. and screamed. and screamed. angry, hurt cries that made her throat sore as she used one hand to quickly wipe away the fallen tears.

suddenly pouncing on the bare mattress, she pounded her fist and stub against the springy surface. she muttered inaudible swears as she turned onto her back and thrashed like a child. limbs wildly flew as she kicked, punched, thrashed against the mattress, letting it absorb all of her feeble hits. she then, just as quick as she threw the tantrum, sat up and buried her face into her hand, letting a bitter sob rack through her frame.

it only lasted a few minutes because soon there were no more tears to cry. all that was left was her heaving chest, her bruised hand and a slight headache from the tears. wiping away the last few survivors, she sniffed a bit before looking around her childhood room. the last box patiently waited by the door. a slight dent from her punches lay in the wall. old strains dotted the carpet from when she spilled unbalanced drinks.

she was soon going to leave this room and, with it, the pent up anger from all the "good samaritans" who had tried to help her. she'd leave her cruel father behind, for good, let him dig himself deeper in his grave. she slowly climbed off her bed then went and reached down for the last box, the last object tying her to her room.

audrey nudged the door open and stepped through the frame, feeling like a different person. she had let it all out, had let her negative feelings free. she was going to start a new life in a better home with people she cared about before moving on to bigger and better adventures. prove to everyone that she was stronger than she seemed. prove that she was capable of more while physically having less.

[arcadian.]

for the one hundre one-shots challenge
from the third person pov of jenny
wc: 881

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the first time she came into contact with water, it was like a euphoric high that she never seemed to come down from for a long time. remembering the feeling of the cool, fresh ocean water gracing her skin still gave jenny goosebumps. it was one thing just to be free - to be able to run in the waves, to be able to stretch her limbs as far as they could go, to be out of that damned dog cage - but it was another to be able to shift out in the open, out in nature where she belonged.

the first time it happened was an accident. the brunette had been poked and prodded at by the cruel scientists who thought they were helping the world. (how does kidnapping and running tests on teenagers count as helping the world?) they were teasing her, though, and making her feel like the scum scraped off the underside of a boat. when they finally wandered off, all jenny could do to console herself was to wrap her arms around her legs, squeeze her eyes shut, and think of someplace that was far, far away. or to imagine herself as being very, very small. that way no one could see her, could bother her.

and that's when it happened.

it felt like her body was being crushed. her breath got caught in her throat as it happened. it felt like ages but, really, it was only a few seconds for her to change from a sixteen year old girl into a pygmy octopus. as odd as it first seemed, the cephalopod was exactly what she wanted: an animal that was tinier than the palm of a human. the transformation only last a few seconds since she was out of water and very inexperienced with shifting.

now, however, jennifer was free. she had escaped with the others and they were all free, all able to live their lives how they wanted. she knew her three shifts and could control them quite well, even if it hurt. she never actually tested out how well she could be the animal, though. she swam in the upper quarter of the ocean as a dolphin countless times but never wandered too far down; she always stayed in her comfort zone.

today was going to be different. she was going to go down. down, down, down. down as far as she, or at least a moray eel, could go. a mixture of excitement and nervousness bubbled in her stomach as she stood waist-deep in the water. her fingers clenched shut into a fist as she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. a pained look appeared on her face as her bones crushed and condensed, as her limbs quite literally disappeared, as she shrunk in size. upon opening her eyes she took in the ever-familiar flicker of the sunlight under the rolling waves.

with a flick of her body she moved out into the ocean at a downward angle, slowly making her descent into the darkening depths. she tried to keep herself calm by taking in the schools of fish flitting among loose seaweed. she saw communities of aquatic life living among coral reefs and, when she got close, the easily-frightening fish scattered off. it was hard remembering that she was considered a predator.

soon, though, the coral thinned and the schools of fish disappeared. the water darkened but her eyesight quickly adjusted to the dimming ocean. there was odd quiet surrounding her. not quite peaceful, but not tension filled. one could forget about the hidden terrors the ocean held but, for the moment, it was quiet. she approached a rock outcrop and decided that her current depth was a good one. she nestled into the crook of a rock and sat there for a moment, looking out into the open waters she had just been in. the waters seemed to be empty. there was the occasional piece of seaweed that rolled by but, other than that, there was nothing. she could get used to this peace.

suddenly a small but swift figure rushed past her rock in a frightened haste and jennifer immediately knew that that poor creature was being chased. no more than a second later a larger, quite ugly looking fish passed her. it had a spiky back and wide, dilated eyes that were able to see more than her. the two were gone as fast as they came and jennifer decided that, maybe, the depths of the ocean wasn't for her. she wouldn't be able to handle the ever-constant worry of 'am i next? is it me today that's prey?'

the uncertainty, the slight fear, the unknown. it worried her despite how she was near the top of the food chain. in her own haste she darted towards the surface of the water, gladly leaving the unforgiving fathom behind her. just before breaking the surface, she shifted back into her regular self. as she broke the surface of the water a small breath left her lips as she looked around her. the rolling, white-topped waves. the gleam of the sun off the top of the water. a smile appeared on her face because this, with the light and rolling waves, was the ocean she loved.