[Darkanra]

Heil's staff Keld <3

[Guest]

[ u ] plant growth
[ u ](vines, rosebush mane)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ r ] carved scales
[ r ] more scales
[ r ] shaped tongue
[ r ] any tail
[ r ] hair

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ uc ] ears
[ uc ] shaped pupil (left eye)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ c ] colored sclera
[ c ] hair

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ s ] scales

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ nr ] expression edit

kanra was hella kind enough to offer to do my staff keld
for me, and i appreciate it immensely !! thank you so much 🥺 i provided the
aesthetics, concept and traits, and kanra designed the keld and made them real !!

to win this keldine, you need to answer one of the following prompts.
when entering, please specify which prompt you're trying out for! you have 800 words
maximum to answer the prompt, and you're allowed one extra of 500 words OR one art
piece to further develop your prompt answer. coding is allowed, but it is not required!!

prompt 1: what do the roses signify? are they a mark of some curse or blessing? or is it just a decoration? explain!

prompt 2: does this keldine have any regrets? fears? what lurks in the dark corners of their heart and soul?

i'll be mostly looking at how well you develop this keldine's character under the
prompt! i would like interesting concepts that are fleshed out and developed well!

This competition will end two weeks from now, on 12:00am, June 8, CS rollover extended. it will now end at 12:00 am, June 12, CS rollover.
no editing your forms or posting new ones beyond this date, or you will be disqualified!
any questions can be messaged to me directly, on cs or discord! have fun everyone!!

Code: Select all

[list][size=80][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Pronouns:[/b]

[b]Prompt Number:[/b] (1 or 2)
[b]Entry:[/b] (max. 800 words)
[b]Extras: [/b] (max 500 words OR 1 art piece)[/size][/list]

[jointedwishes]

Name: Ivan
Pronouns: he/him

Prompt Number: 1
Entry: (max. 800 words)
Extras: (max 500 words OR 1 art piece)

[Griff]

Name: Valiant
Pronouns: He/Him

Prompt Number: 1
Entry:

The young Keldine could never figure out why the Elders were constantly going on about 'protect nature this' or
'respect nature that.' Ever since he had been a cub it had been the same story, over and over again. The pack would never venture into what they called the 'Sacred Grounds.' Why? Was all the best hunting there? Were they too afraid? BAH! Superstitious ninnies he told himself. He bet there was treasure there, or better yet adventure! Whatever it was, nobody had seen it in hundreds of years.

And he was going to change that.

The others thought he was going out to get a drink at the river. They did not know, trusted him to be telling the truth. Why would they ever suspect? After all, it had been drilled into their heads since birth not to go. Carrying himself with bold confidence he ventured deeper into the woods, beyond the softly glowing trees that marked the Sacred Grounds. It... seemed so calm. Here the birds sang, the animals grazed in peace, and even the wind seemed to carry its own song to it. Whyever would the pack ban such a place? This place was neat! His mind was racing, thinking about all of the new things he could find, the experiences he could create. This was great! This was great!

"Interesting... after so long they have finally given tome a Guardian..." spoke a soft, whispered voice. Startled he turned around to see a sickly Keldine, a walking skeleton with scales flaking off of her hide.

"Wh-what? Who are you?" Valiant asked, his fur prickling up. "I'm Valiant and I dont know about any Guardian business! I just came here to have a good time! Find adventure and treasure!"

"Guardian... my name is Valas. I am the Heart. My energy, my life, my spirit... gives this place life. But, in turn, leaves me unable to protect myself. I met a Keldine once from the nearby pack, who promised me his firstborn son for protection. That must be you!"

"N-no! There must be some kinda mistake! I mean-"

"It matters not. You are here now. All that remains is your Initiation..." He found himself backing up, but bumping into a tree he was positive was not there a moment ago. And before he could say a word of protest, he gasped. Magic was pouring into him, strange and foreign. Prickly. He cried out for anyone who would listen, before he fell in a heap on the ground.

From that day forward, he was bound to the forest. The Guardian and the Heart, forever entwined. He carried her magic, a wreath of floral responsibility across his shoulders. And while now it meant he could use magic of the forest, it came at the price of his freedom. As for the village, a new legend emerged that late at night, if you listen close enough, you might hear the howling of a young Keldine who was not ready for what he found. Perhaps, one day, another brave soul will come to take his place.

Extras: (max 500 words OR 1 art piece)

[Gadgetrocks]

Mark!

[tcw]

┌──────────┐

│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│

CORRIN AX - HE/HIM
──────

PROMPT ONE. . .
TOTAL WORD COUNT [ 745 ]
EXTRA [ ART ]

Website is up... now loading.

pixel credit

│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
└──────────┘

[kitsugeist]

✾ Name:
Zephyrus
❃ Pronouns:
He/him
✾ Prompt Number:
1!
❃ Entry: (800/800 words)

The Lord comes to the manor today.

Zephyrus plodded to the window, wondering if it would rain. Storms meant cleaning debris from the garden, and he always pitied the battered roses.

Zephyrus hadn’t been working there long. He did jobs around the estate, and for the last few months had been training to be the illusive Lord’s manservant. Zephyrus didn’t flatter himself for it. It was because he and the Lord were the same age, nothing he’d done.

Sighing, he got ready for the day.

————————————————————

The servants were lined at the gates, waiting for the Lord’s arrival. Eventually, a carriage emerged from the forest. The steward stepped up to open the door when it stopped.

“Lord Floren. It’s an honor. Now...”

Everything else was lost on Zephyrus, as the world fell away, and anything left was certainly a trick before the abyss caught up. Whether or not he died didn’t matter though, because he knew, looking into sparkling eyes, that angels were real.

————————————————————

“You know, Zephy, I think roses are my favorite thing in the world.”

In the months following, they’d grown close, Floren never spending leisure time anywhere but with Zephyrus. And Zephyrus, for the first time in a while, was... happy.

They walked through the garden, each of them gazing at what they loved most.

“Why is that, my Lord?”

“Well, they make people smile—except you, but you don’t count. The only one in this manor that‘s interesting, and you act like an old man!”

They paused as Floren assessed the shade of a rose bush, and Zephyrus put down the meal he’d been carrying.

“Here, my Lord?”

He nodded, sitting down with a thump, Zephyrus settling more quietly. Floren’s gaze flicked between him and the roses, before plucking one, pushing it into Zephyrus’s fur, and pulling back with a bright grin.

“Now you’ll have to smile at them because they’ll make you think of me, right? Hah, kidding,” he said, setting his attention on his meal. “D’you think they packed blackberries? I keep asking, but they never remember... when I have my own estate, I’ll plant roses everywhere, hundreds and—“

Zephyrus didn’t take the rose out of his fur (nor the others Floren added) that afternoon, or any after.

————————————————————

He’d catch snippets of conversation from the maids about Floren, and Floren’s mother, and, ‘I’ve heard she hasn’t got long.’

Zephyrus carefully didn’t talk about it. If he stood closer to Floren when he came back from the main estate sometimes...

That was Zephyrus’s business.

————————————————————

He woke to knocking on his window. He blinked for a moment, getting up and opening it with a push.

“My—my Lord?”

And it was, moonlight casting his face into shadow.

Floren was not due back for another three days.

“Meet me in the garden.”

Floren closed the window with a click.

————————————————————

He was staring at the moon when Zephyrus found him. The manservant was out of breath, having run there carrying supplies, just in case.

“My Lord. You...” Zephyrus let the sentence trail off.

“My mother is dead.”

A beat passed.

“We’re running away. To—together. Tonight.”

Zephyrus thought he should‘ve been surprised, and waited for his shock to fade. His calm didn’t budge, though, and he set his basket down, sitting next to Floren.

“...My Lord, the company—”

“Not—not ‘my Lord’, with you it’s just Floren.” He sniffled, and this close, he looked wrecked.

“Floren. Where... where would we go?”

“The village nearby. I have everything planned. We’ll go to the seaside from there, and it’ll be easy to get an apprenticeship. I have my education and you’re—you’re just good at everything, Zeph.”

He flushed despite himself. “Your father? You’re his heir, even if you don’t like it.”

Floren scoffed, some of his usual spark showing, “Father? He’ll never let me take over.”

They were quiet, for a moment. Floren moved closer.

“It has to be with you, though. I can’t be without you after knowing you exist. I’ll stay, if you won’t leave. I wouldn’t be happy, but I’d do it for you, Zeph.”

Zephyrus flushed deeper, the declaration warming him in the chill night.

He stood, Floren joining him. Zephyrus glanced back at the manor, but his shoulders were light.

“You know the way to the village from here? And you brought money?”

A grin started on Floren’s face, and Zephyrus felt like he had to blink away sunspots.

“Yes, and yes.”

“And...” He picked up the basket, “Do roses grow by the sea?”

Floren let out a startled laugh, glancing at the garden before looking back at Zephyrus and oh, his eyes were so adoring he felt like he could drown.

“Who cares when I have you to look at?”

Zephyrus broke first, ducking his head, but he was smiling too.

“Let’s go, Floren.”

✾ Extras: (1 art piece)

[rogan]

┌───────────┐

│
│
│
│
░
░
░
░
USERNAME xxxxxxxxxxx demien
NAME xxxxxixxxxxxxxxxxx' here
PRONOUNS xxxxxxxxxxxixi here

WORD COUNT xxxxxxxx 0000 w
CREDITS xxxxxxxxxxixx demien
│
│
│
│
└───────────┘

here? coding may change i'm not too sure yet

[avianAnnihilator]

Mark!

[honeycreeper]

marking this