Prompt 3: Home Is Where the Heart Is (closed)

[yen.]

caelius smiled a little, preparing his words. He wasn't sure how much to say; being vulnerable, especially with strangers, never quite settled right with him, but he still opened his mouth to answer.
"My home.. has changed a lot since I came into the world. Both my physical home, and my perception of... the universe, in a way." The explanation didn't come easily to him, but his voice had a practiced steadiness. "In the beginning, I thought the world was fairly normal. Everything followed a set of rules, everyone worked in a certain way. I was the only one exempt from that way, because of a few oddities of mine." Caelius vaguely gestured towards his horns. "These, among some others."
"Perhaps because of my exclusion, I could see how everything worked, and could move around the pieces. Well... that's beside the point. I've learned a lot of things about my world since then. One day I was visited by an angel, and he showed me that there was much more than the mortal world." Caelius's guarded expression softened a little, but he regained himself to explain further. "A heaven that's hell, and a hell that's not much better... I've been to both places. And my world is still changing. It seems that wherever I go, nothing quite stays the same." He lowered his head and laughed good-naturedly, before looking Mel in the eyes again. The traces of a smile lingered as he spoke "Well, that's okay with me. Because even if the world is changing, as long as my family; my real home, no matter where I am; stays with me, I know it will be okay in the end."

[lovage]

Nabirye’s home is in a large desert oasis along the coast of a small sea. It is a small kingdom with many small villages in the rural valleys beneath towering sand dunes and a few cities close to the sparling capital, housing the royal in its old, protective walls. Though, this kingdom is small and less populated than the bigger countries of the area. It is what Nabirye calls home and is called the ruler of the kingdom. This is the kingdom known as the Flourishing Kingdom of the Desert. That is due to how much flowers and plants are involved in its history and traditions.

The kingdom is a mix of medieval and modern traditions with mostly modern traditions taking hold of the small kingdom. Traditions revolve around the flowers in the region. It is something that dates back from the medieval times and symbolizes their old rebellion on which the flowers of this kingdom are always involved in anything the kingdom does.
The whole part of the kingdom has flowers blooming everywhere and can easily be seen within a couple of feet of where someone is standing. This is often bad for anyone with allergies but they have preventative measures for someone not to go into a sneezing fit due to all the flowers in the kingdom. The whole kingdom is always in bloom in the oasis in which they live in and it always smells very nice there.

Overall, Nabirye’s home is one in a desert along a sea with many villages and few cities. It is what she calls home, and she wouldn’t trade where she lives for anything since it is so special to her.

280 words

[CSMintCat]

Xiao, ft. Atticus (who I can't find a ref for smh Kyo).
(265 words.)

Xiao's cheerful countenance faltered a bit at the mention of home, though he quickly regained his composure.
"Home.... where I originally came from, it wasn't very nice."
He spoke slowly, haltingly, as he tried to describe his home in a way that wouldn't be too heavy to his enthusiastic new friend.
"People there weren't very friendly, and being different wasn't accepted as easily. But I think that was because of how hard it was to live there, you see. People got sick often, and death.... Was common. But no matter how often you saw someone you knew get buried, it never made it any easier."
Xiao heaved a sigh, shaking his head. Just speaking those few words seemed to have aged him. His shoulders were slumped as he continued.
"It wasn't all bad there, don't get me wrong. Life was hard but we managed with what we had. As kids, we would make do with whatever we found to use as toys."
He gave a short, quiet laugh.
"It's bittersweet, thinking back to it. Home was hardships and struggles, but it was all I knew back then. As much as I knew it was for the best, it still was hard for me to leave that place."
There was a bit of a sullen silence as Xiao shook his head again, brows furrowed as he remained lost in thought in whatever bitter memories he had.
"Though now..." He mused, the suddeness of his words startling you slightly, leaning back in his seat, "Now I consider my home to be with Atticus, wherever that may be."

[hiraeth + hound]

sorry for the late judging on this!

the winner of the art prompt is shinjitaro! the atmosphere and color vibes of this art piece is so stunning, i cant stop looking at it. it gives such a beautiful holy and calming aura

and the winner of the writing prompt is lavender towns! i love how you were able to give some information on the world your characters live in while also dipping into a bit of their mysterious past. also, i love that you were able to introduce multiple characters that are all related to your character in some way!

thank you to everyone who entered : ) ill have your points added to the bank shortly!

[~Levi~]

Congrats!

[deerbroken]

adkjfhdfh thank u,,, i'm glad you liked my prompt! and congrats shinjitaro on winning the art portion! :3