[Flowerlily]

PROMPT 2
Tell about a time your kalon's loyalties were tested, and how they resolved the situation.

The smooth-talking Augustus weaseled his way out of a sticky situation once again.

[opossumbreath]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxx牛牛牛
xxᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛ 𝟶𝟸
xxᴛʜᴇ ᴏx
xxʟᴏʏᴀʟ, sᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ, ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs
xxᴄᴀɪɴ (all other characters were made up for this)
xx [𝟷𝟻𝟼𝟺 ᴡᴏʀᴅs]
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8th of August, 1951
BEFORE

The local newspaper sat unread on the counter of the towns main
attraction, a quiet little dinner with scuffed hardwood floors and yellow lighting reflecting of coffee mugs that had been around as long as the older folks who drank from them. No one touched the pristine white paper, ink unsmudged by thumbs swiping through the pages today, for they all knew what had happened last week, and it wasn’t something they talked about in the open.

Front page news
Last week in the town of HAVEN a fire ran rampant through the local woodland, burning down the pine forest but not affecting any known residences, including a home at the center of the flames. The Haven Woods have been a spectacle for a while, gaining some attention when a young family (who had built the aforementioned home in the forest) disappeared in pine forest shortly after moving into it, never to be seen again, and no bodies were ever found. The cause of the fire is determined to be man-made, but no suspect names have been released and there is no one currently in custody. One local questioned said that the forest was set on fire to ‘cleanse it of evil’ and that the woodlands were haunted but refused an interview.
Birth and Death
Cain Allsopp - 01/08/1951, male - The Allsopp's had a baby boy late on the first of august, congratulations to the new family on their first child

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25th of May, 1964
THE FIRST TIME

Thick, dark hair fell in plumes over his forehead, the black tufts swaying softly in the breeze. The boy, no older than nine, sat huddled tight against a pine trunk, the charred bark rubbing inky marks on his red sweater that his mother would surely fret over later.

“The forest is too dangerous for children, wouldn’t you rather play on the sidewalk with your friends.”

He wouldn’t, in fact he answered the question with a simple ‘what friends?’. Though his mother was the one who made it sound like a choice he shouldn’t chose, his father reassured him it was a command, stern voice booming off the panel walls about towns law of not setting foot in the burnt woodland.
Despite this the young boy spent his days playing in ash and soot between the towering black sticks pointing up from the ground, making friends with the laughing children with torn clothing and grey skin that walked out of the river.

“We drown, but the others tried to save us, tried to stop him.” The blonde one spoke softly one day while they sat in the shade, sipping iced tea and dipping their feet in the same stream that took the twins lifes years ago.
“Yes, they dragged daddy into the water too, we don’t see him though like we can see everyone else that died here, he’s just gone.” The other spoke, her blue lips turnt down into small frown that tugged her soft features.
In history class when they had studied local events his teacher, unlike everyone else in town, had spoken about how he believed that whatever was in the forest only killed people with a dirty conscience and bad intentions. Mr. Miller was replaced by a substitute the next day, and the next, and the weeks following. Until that moment Cain hadn’t even realized that he had never seen the teacher again after that day, he swallowed hard around his iced tea and met the ghost twins eyes.

“Mr. Red said we have to stay here and help protect the forest from anyone else bad who sets foot in it, this place is a sanctuary for lost souls he said.” The one twin spoke while the other nodded along beside her. “I’m glad you’re good Cain, I don’t want to have to hurt you like everyone else who lives in town.”

The two started to speak in unison, “You could stay, they are bad people in town, you could stay with Annie and me and Missy and oh a new person named Joseph Miller came a while ago and he has a checkerboard we can teach you how to play. Mr. Red would let you stay if we ask nicely-”

“No,” His voice sharply cut off the girls, “I know they are bad but my mother and father and grandparents are those people, I can’t just leave them.”

His eyes cut back over to where they sat, their forms dissipating like fog in sunlight, and he was alone at the riverbank.

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September 19th, 1974
THE SECOND TIME

Thick black hair cut away from his eyes now but the same overall dark appearance of his being intact, Cain grew older and over the years stayed exactly the same. Night was his escape, already an outcast in town for the rumours about him he didn’t dare step foot into the woodland when others were awake to witness it. In the dead of night, when the snores of his father filled the hallway, the boy pushed out the window of his bedroom and disappeared into the treeline. Most nights he talked with Annie and Judith, conversations drawing out into the early morning when the sky lit with pastel yellows. Every once in awhile, when the girls found better things to occupy themselves with, he would sit with his back against a fallen log with Mr. Miller and talk about history and deep things that he would never speak of out of the veil of darkness, and that he trusted his past teacher not to either. Mr. Red didn’t like him as a child and as he grew that blossomed into a deep disdain, a human boy who lived with the people who caused the death of most of his ghostly family didn’t rank high on his favorite peoples list. However, he never tried to push Cain to stay out of the forest or laid a single ebony claw on him, and that’s how the boy knew Mr. Red wasn’t as bad his hard exterior made him seem.

The air was sticky and hot with late summer, sweet tasting with dying flowers mixed with the familiar scent of charred wood as the dark haired young man sauntered towards the forest. It was like every other night really, except this strange aching feeling on his back, like eyes were burning holes through his skin from the shadows, sinister in a way he never felt from the gazes of the dead folk in the woodland.

A branch snapped behind him as his foot hit the border between the two completely different places, making him spin around so fast he almost broke his neck with the whiplash of it.

“So, this is what you have been doing at night, sneaking off into the forest are ya boy?” The figure of his father stepped out of the haze of late night fog, soon followed by little orange lights that grew into the shape of torches held by local men and women, the warm lighting glinting off cold metal in some of their hands. Vaguely he could recognize most of the town, his mother huddled tight behind his father with a sad look on her slightly wrinkled features, the man who the ghosts had told him pushed his wife Missy down the well in ‘37 with his empty eyes, the sheriff who stepped forward in front of the rest of the group with a snarling dog connected to him by a chain.

A thick knot formed in his throat, two parts unease and one part fear. “So what if I have? I’m not hurting anyone.”

“You know well that the things in that forest don’t take kindly to folk like us, good people don’t set foot in there and come walking back out.” The sheriff spoke, “You’re putting us all in danger by communicating with the devils.”

“Where does your loyalty lie, does your faith not belong with your family and friends any longer?” The voice of his father spoke, unwavering and hard, stepping forward slightly, though no one else followed suite.

Cain realized with a sick sort of relief that the townsfolk kept a good few feet away, for none of them dared come too close to the forest that he himself felt safest in.

A soft scoff left wickedly upturned lips, a crooked smirk that in no way held humour but instead perched upon his face with a sense of irony to it. “The thing is, father, my faith never did lie with y’all.”

The greying brow of the scowling man furrowed in anger and confusion as his son turned on his heel, slowly stepping away and further into the plot if land fear kept them out of, kept them from laying hands on him. The sheriff spoke from behind his salt and pepper mustache with a hardened tone, anger creeping into it along with a sense of urgency. “What exactly is that supposed to mean boy, huh?”

For a moment the footfalls had quieted. “My loyalty has always laid here, with them.”

In that moment the unseen forces of the forest, the things that kept grown men with tough stature from even looking towards it, stepped from the shadows, translucent forms gathering around the black haired boy like the fog, almost impossible to see where one started and the other stopped. And into their embrace, without hesitation, he walked.

[Midnightkitkat]

Prompt Two

Everyday's a test when your the bodyguard/partner in crime to one of the most wanted kalon's of the Outback.
Jamison belongs to D.Va Online

[trans]

❝ tell about a time your kalon's loyalties were tested, and how they resolved the situation. ❞ - day 2 - ✧
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[ ❧ ] in retrospect, she has a right to hear him out, if she wants. she has a right to allow him a few seconds to talk, to try to explain himself, to make an excuse. she has a right to decide whether he is allowed inside or not, whether she wants to even give him the opportunity or shut the door forever. knowing her mother, she would want to make the decision herself. she would be furious for a minute, maybe cry for a minute, but she would still want to decide for herself. she wouldnt want anyone else to interfere, to make the decision for her.

but she wasnt here. and you have had it up to here with your "father", and you use that very loosely, barging into your life when he needed something from mom or when it was convenient for him to see you. he never considered how any of you felt, how mom felt, to see him come back every few years with his tail between his legs begging her for another chance or asking to speak to you and your sisters. and yet, he didnt even know you had an adoptive sister until last year. he didnt even know mom was remarried.

it made you mad. it made you furious. once upon a time, when you didnt understand and you were much younger than you are now, you thought things could change. things could be happy again. they could get back together and mom wouldnt cry anymore. but that isnt how you feel anymore. you've grown out of the childish wishes of a younger you. a foolish you. you know now, that people like this do not ever get better. and if they get better, they only want to clear their name to the people they hurt, even when it's clear their presence is no longer wanted in their lives.

that's what your "father" is. that's what he's doing. he's got all the money in the world now, but he doesnt care about you or your family. it's not his family anymore, and you'd give anything in the world to make it so he could never say those words again; "his family." it stopped being "his" family when he walked out on your mom and you and your sisters.

you've made up your mind now, and with clenched fists, you dont hesitate when you give him one last look in the eyes, and slam the front door in his face. some might say you should've given him a chance, you should've waited, you should love your family no matter what. but your loyalty lies with your family; your real family. he isnt, not anymore. he lost the privilege of using those words, and he will not make your mom cry ever again. and this was the easiest decision you've ever had to make.

[.paris.]

lunar new year

[prompt 2] | [addison] | [.paris.]
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xxxxxaddison always grew up believing her life was perfect. her parents were obnoxiously in love, she always got straight a's in school, and she was nearly spoiled rotten by her parents and friends. nothing could shatter her perfect life.

xxxxxthat is, until her brother jack came out as gay.

xxxxxhe came to his family, shaking and nearly crying, and sat them all down for a family meeting. addison had no idea what was up; she had never seen her brother so emotionally disturbed before. he looked like he'd killed someone. then, he finally mumbled the words-- "I think-I think I'm gay."

xxxxxa small hush fell over the room, but no words needed to be spoken, because one by one, the entire family surrounded jack with hugs until he was smiling and laughing again. nobody in the family cared; it was just like saying "my favortite color is green" to them--it didn't phase them at all.

xxxxxhowever, the outside world was not so kind. as jack slowly came out to his friends, the news spread around to their 8th grade class like wildfire. some were supportive and kind, but some very vocal others were not. specifically, the girls addison called her friends were not.

xxxxxthey hissed their disapproval in the halls, and refused to talk to addison. they stamped her with the same scarlet letter they assigned to jack, and she couldn't stand it. these girls used to be her friends, and now they wouldn't even speak to her. addison, confused and upset, began to shun her brother along with the rest of them. she just wanted her friends back.

xxxxxhowever, all that came crashing down when she accidentally walked in on her brother crying a few days later. tears streaming down his face, he was staring at every heart-felt birthday card addy had ever made for him. she always put effort into them, every year, considering they had the same birthday; it was somewhat of a tradition between the two. before jack knew addison had seen him, she sprinted away, down the hallway to her room and slammed the door.

xxxxxshe cried for a while. she couldn't believe she had outsold her own flesh and blood, her own twin for the sake of some attention from her so-called "friends." who cares if he likes boys! who cares who he loves! so long as he still cared for addison, she realized, she wouldn't care if he loved called himself a flower and loved purple walruses! he was her brother, and he always deserved her love and respect. in this instance, her family loyalties had to come first.

xxxxxthe next day, addy went into school and very pointedly told all of her friends that either they'd accept her and her brother, or they couldn't have her at all, because she loved jack no matter who he loved. a few girls, immature and grossed out, rejected her, but the majority of the group admired her convictions and decided to stick with her. as they became closer with jack, they realized and overcame their prejudices, and soon, he became such an integral part of their group they couldn't imagine life without him.

xxxxxaddison still felt bad for treating jack the way she did after he first came out, and she made sure to apologize to him profusely. however, he assured her he was fine, became she came to her senses and overcame her judgements, and that's all that matters. family came first, she realized, and she was so glad she chose him, because she loved jack more than she ever loved any of her friends. blood, in this case, was so much thicker than water.

[skywalker,]

ＰＲＯＭＰＴ ＴＷＯ ！
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Kalons used ;; Galileo and Daphne
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Galileo stared at the brownie sitting on the table, the scent of it wafting up to his nose as he gripped the counter tightly, fighting the urge to drool. His blue eyes gazed at with with hunger, and he looked over his shoulder to the other room where his sister was chatting with their mother about her report card. Galileo turned his head back to the brownie before back towards the living room. Conflicted raged in his head, 'eat the brownie and get beaten up by Daph, or not eat the brownie and go without ever experiencing it's amazing taste..', he let out a pained groan, and closed his eyes. Daphne had told him not to eat the brownie.

What was he gonna do?! He reached for the brownie, and picked it up, his tail swishing back and forth anxiously. Oh god.. He heard Daphne laughing in the other room and almost dropped the brownie in his panic. He shook his head suddenly, and quickly placed the sweet back on the plate. That's when Daphne suddenly walked into the room, a beaming smile on her face "You wouldn't believe what mom just said! She want's me to go to work with her to see how everything works! I love biology.." Daphne sighed dreamily, before looking between Galileo and her brownie. She smiled a bit brighter when she saw that all the brownie was still there "Thank you for not eating my brownie, Gal!" She cheered, hugging her brother before bouncing over to her brownie and taking the plate, munching on it.

Galileo was happy his sister was so cheerful. He would never admit that outloud, though, he was too proud too. He huffed and crossed his arms "Yeah, whatever.." He grumbled, and that's when suddenly a hunk of the brownie was being pushed into his hands "Have some, I know you want it" Daphne giggled at her brother, before skipping off into the livingroom, where their father had just arrived home. Galileo watched after her with a shocked face, before looking down at the brownie hunk. He smiled, before putting it into his mouth and chewing gratefully. Maybe not eating that brownie was a good idea.

[Novalien]

Dᴀʏ 02: Tʜᴇ Ox
Novalien ~ Kai

Ha. Loyalty tested? That was a daily event. A scientist like him, experimenting on other kalons like himself...it was a test of loyalty, every day. He was quite sure he had no choice though, as after all, a government of a country this large would hunt him down, and thus he often cursed his brilliance with genetics. It felt like with every creation he was digging a deeper hole into the darkness.
The greatest test so far happened recently. An experiment gained awareness far, far too early, and a young kit he was, slamming on the tube wall and yelling into the liquid that surrounded him. Every time Kai passed the tube, the kit watched him, pleaded with him, and many, many times Kai almost released the kit. But if he did, all his experimental secrets seen in his lab would be free if the kit talked, and the government would surely, surely have his head.
The situation was easily resolved. The kit’s experiment was quite insignificant, and so he was terminated. Easy as that.

Sometimes Kai wondered whether he was loyal to his government or his life.

[Cheeb]

desiree / / the ox

✿✿✿✿✿


xxxxxdesiree rubbed her forehead. god, usually she was the one with the boy troubles.
xxxxxshe didn't think much of it when charlie said that bennett was acting weird. ben always acted weird. he switched back and forth from being flirty towards the other boy and acting like the two were the purest of best friends. "it's a phase, charlie," dez said, with a giggle. "you know him!"
xxxxxhowever, when bennett texted her in all caps, rambling about how he messed up, she started to think otherwise. he claimed that he actually asked charlie out, which made her actually squeal in delight. however, apparently, charlie took this as a joke. DEZ I NEED ADVICE WHAT DO I DO??????
xxxxxdesiree tried giving bennett the best advice that she could, but it seemed like nothing could patch things up. sooner or later, charlie stopped coming to movie night. gone were the days of bennett and charlie goofing around together; instead, their interactions were a simple awkward "hey". dez swore that she could live with it. it wasn't the end of the world. she was still good friends with both boys, after all. at least, that's what she'd hoped.
xxxxx"say, desiree," said charlie. it was late on a monday afternoon, and dez had swung by to pick him up after work. the poor thing couldn't drive yet, which she pitied greatly. "um... are you still talking to bennett?"
xxxxxdez looked at him blankly. "yeah, why?"
xxxxx"n-no reason. i just... uh... it kind of makes me uncomfortable. he makes me... ugh. i dunno."
xxxxx"what do you mean?"
xxxxx"he's just... invasive, you know? he used to think he could just... pretend to like me and all that. it really hurt me. i guess i just... i wish you wouldn't talk to him. i miss him, but i feel better nowadays."
xxxxxafter bringing him home, desiree couldn't help but wonder if something more went down. she called bennett about it, and he reluctantly explained that the two boys had gotten into a rather nasty verbal fight earlier. "he's such a little --" ben cut himself off before finishing his thought. "i tried making things up to him, but apparently i wasn't sincere enough. he knows i'm bad at being sincere! why can't he just get over it?! ...say, dez, you're on my side, right?"
desiree couldn't answer. she couldn't. it broke her fragile heart to see two of her closest friends in a squabble over their own hearts being broken. she refused to pick either side. perhaps her greatest loyalty was to herself -- to not give in to the situations and demands of others.

[witchcrafting]

{ Prompt two } Friends or power -- 350 words 1,913 characters

“Your call, Lukas.. What’re you going to choose?”
Lukas gulped back, his gaze going back toward where his best friend Jesse was suspended. This mess was his fault. Making a deal with the Admin was a mistake, but to save his friends? He had to do it.
“Work with you?” Lukas finally croaked out, turning back to look at the Admin, who was holding out his hand toward the blonde. “That’s all I have to do?”
“Yeah! Of course. You’ll have everything you want and more. We’ll be best friends!”
“But that’s Jesse.” Lukas huffed. “Jesse if my best friend. I can’t just abandon him here.” He stomped his foot forward, pulling out his bow. “I’m loyal to my friends. I won’t just give up everything for power. If you want a friend, find someone else.”
He released the arrow he had loaded into the bow, it whizzing toward the admin, hitting him straight in the chest. “True friendship is about what you’ve gone through together. And throwing that away for this wouldn’t be worth it.”
The Admin fell to his knees, staring at the arrow lodged in his chest, then back at Lukas. “... Loyalty that can never be broken.. Unless it can.. You haven’t seen the last of me.. But congratulations, Lukas, you’ve saved Jesse.. See you another time~”
As the Admin poofed from in front of Lukas, Jesse fell to the ground. Lukas turned, running as fast as he could to kneel by Jesse’s side. “Jesse! I’m so glad you’re okay!” There were tears on the edge of Lukas’ eyes, pulling Jesse into a hug.
“Thank you, Lukas.. I thought you were going to go with him, I really thought you were.. Thank you.. Thank you so much-”
“Friends don’t abandon friends, Jesse. Remember that next time you think I’d leave for someone like the Admin. I love ya’ Jesse. Never forget that, alright? I care for you. I always will.”
The two smiled at each other, Jesse leaving a kiss on Lukas’ forehead.
“I’ll always remember that. No matter what. I love you lots too, Lukas..”

[apprentice_]

day 2 — rainichi — rune


he belonged to but one person. when he was small, without a place to go, a place to belong, they took him in. they called him their own, and he called this his home. his family. and they raised him, turned a dirt covered child into somebody worth something — a street rat with renewed meaning. he’d do anything for those who cared for him when nobody else would. because he loved them. and he thought, they loved him too.

but with age came understanding. this was not a family, and they were strangers, and he was not who he thought he was.

not a street rat — but a stray cat. and for how long he’d stay this way, he wondered not. his loyalty was in the palm of his own hand; his future in his own control. because no longer were they his family, or associates, or anything more than a memory. and he grinned a sort of melancholy smile as he turned away, and he looked back just once. and not ever again.