[Griff]

username + id no: Griff 254592
name: Colette
gender: Female
prompt:

Colette leaned against the edge of the pool, decked out in her instructor's attire. From her shades to her swimsuit, she tried to keep a professional look that would be reassuring to her students. "Now any other questions before we start?" She asks.

"Miss Colette, how did you become a teacher here? Do you like it?" Colette blinked under her shades, before a soft smile formed.

"I have always had a knack for water... and I love teaching people! Things went hand in hand and well, I saw this job posted and went for it!"

"But... isn't too much water bad for cacti?" Colette took a moment to compose herself, her expression deadpan. This was a question she heard often, and so had to refrain from a cutting remark. Instead, she realized she could teach people.

"I just have cacti-like features, but I am a normal kalon just like everyone else here! Promise. Remember, appearances are not everything yes? Now come into the water, we are going to learn some floating techniques first before we get started into different types of swimming strokes..."

* * * * *

After a long day, she waved the students off before exhaling out and floating upon her back to relax. What a long session. But, it had been an enjoyable one, and she knew at least one or two of them would walk away with a newfound appreciation for the glory of swimming! Closing her eyes she let her worries float away, and for a time the world was just her and the water around her. Would she get a bit pruny for this? Certainly! But it would be well worth it. So with another lesson well taught she let herself be at peace, content with the world and her place in it.

[rem sleep]

this comp has been officially extended! this contest now ends July 4th at 11:59 PM est !

[fisht3a]

username + id no: fisht3a 655686
name: Caryo
gender: female
prompt:
archeologist/historian/anthropologist

Dust clouds formed a silent roll trailing a rickety Jeep speeding down the lonely road. It was a intensely hot day, with the sun beating down on the scorched, orange earth. A sunhat, car visor, and sunglasses protected Caryo's eyes from the shining rays. But, she knew this was a good sign - the desert wasn't for the faint of heart. It was a break from her usual office duties of fighting for protective policies on historic land and teaching lectures at a local college on the history of kalon society, and she loved it. Of course she also enjoyed to educate others on society lost by time, but there was no one in her rural town to really appreciate it like she did. The law makers and townspeople had no interest in protecting the land and it was hard to reason with them using only words; it's nearly impossible to convince others to want to protect history hidden deep out of sight. Alas, the outdoors were where she belonged and where society was formed. It was primal to her, something had always drawn her to the whispers of the wind and land. There was so much that hadn't been unearthed about how the modern kalon world came to be, and even more to know about the local history of the drought ridden land she grew up on. It just had to be discovered before the modern world swallowed it up in its loud, yelling voice.

Passing between two mountains, Caryo reflected on what was hidden in this towering rock. Bones of kalon ancestors hailing from a different species that we wouldn't recognize today, sure. But even more interesting were the relics of a society much like ours, but separated by a gap in time. What were the puzzle pieces buried just under the surface that connected us together? Someone had to take the time to know. She saw the gravel footpath created from her many trips out to the dig site and screeched the car to a halt. Grabbing her trusty tools, she set out on her journey across the barren earth to uncover and listen to its hush secrets, her ancestors, and the stories they all had to tell. In return, she would shout them to the world.
[381 words]


click image for full res|| pose ref

[nermal1999]

username + id no: nermal1999 -(214589)
name: Austin
gender: Male
prompt:

Come on, they said. It would be fun, they said. You can pick next time they said!

Lies! It. Was. All. Lies!

You were just a bunch of friends going out on a adventure, but decided why not make things a little more fun, and each chose a detour. You know a little sightseeing.

But out of all places your friend had to choose the desert. All because they want to go out and see if you all could find some desert landmarks. But nobody would have guessed that while you all were distracted, your equipment would be stolen leaving you stranded... In the HOT. DRY. EMPTY desert.... So yeah very fun.
_________________________

It had been hours since the incident, and you were just about ready to give up, for all those long and tiresome hours you had been walking, sweating, your throat just about as dry as the sand beneath you.
You even began to suffer from a couple of hallucinations every now and then.
So it was no question why you didn't believe what seemed to look like a small town before you. I mean, it couldn't be real, there was no town on the map so surely it was a mirage, but after a couple of slow blinks and a hard slap to the face, you realized it WAS A TOWN! Suddenly filled with one last ounce of strength, you dashed forward before face planting the sand right as you stepped into the entrance... You made it!

"Hey you!"

Suddenly a voice grabbed your attention as you lifted your face up, and glanced around only to see a jolly green Kal behind a wooden stand.

"Hey you, yeah you! Looks like the heat has gotten to you pretty bad, you look like you could use a drink. Why not try some cactus juice? It's very thirst quenching!"

With sand still covering your face, you could only stare at the Kal before you, trying your hardest to make out what was even being said to you.

"Drink cactus juice, it'll quench ya!
Nothing's quenchier! It's the quenchiest!!"

"Plus, we're having a special! The first ten people to order some cactus juice will get a free giant bowl of my friendly mushroom soup!! So what do ya say!?"

As the Kal continued to talk you began to question who really was the one out in the sun too long, but you had to be honest the more the word quench was said the more your throat began to burn, and you were pretty hungry, so why not!

After a few minutes of drinking some cool cactus juice, you realized it was rather thirst quenching, and the soup was quite good. Plus, you got to learn a lot about this kal. Like the fact he runs a cactus juice stand, and he started his business because one, there are a lot of cactus in the dessert, and two he wants others to know how good cactus juice really is!!

[501/500]
Including drawing
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
(Credit)
I'd like to give credit for the idea for my entry, as well as some quote use,
To Avatar the last Airbender. More specifically Season 2. Episode 11.
____
I'd also like to give credit to this image from said episode for use of, inspiration and general visual reference for my art piece.

[Broccoli_Bento]

username + id no: Broccoli_Bento + 965616
name: Gael
gender: male
prompt:

Every day golf balls are lost to the murky waters of ponds next to the courses, and the question is "who retrieves them?", well that is Gael's job! He's a professional golf ball diver and works with two other kals in this profession as a team of three.

What do Golf ball divers do exactly? Well, they dive in the murky water that is so black that they actually have to feel for the golf balls because they can't see, putting any balls they find into a basket to which they pass to another crewmate, whom of which also helps guide the one diving around the pond.

They then clean up the golf balls they retrieve and resell them at a discounted price if golfers want to save some money as there's nothing wrong with them, just simply used.

Now this job can be dangerous, especially from alligators that might be hiding in one of these ponds, to which Gael has had to deal with a couple times. It's a good thing his dad is an alligator wrangler to have taught Gael how to protect himself against one!

Though this job is tiring and demanding, spending hours in a day in anywhere up to twelve ponds, it's what he loves to do, looking for things like it's a search and rescue mission, or like they're little treasures.
And some of these golf balls are treasures to Gael. He likes to collect any colorful ones he finds, which is pretty rare with regular golf courses, but so far he's collected eight different colors, that of which he's very proud of.

[rem sleep]

username + id no: Mnemosyne & 249050
name: Mallory
gender: male
prompt: A dusty wind blows across your face as you shield yourself from the blindingly bright sun. Sweat has already begun dripping down your back. You're in the desert. Who even convinced you to come out to this desolate wasteland?

A bouncing green Kalon bounds up to you. Ah, yes. This is who. "Welcome, welcome! I'm so glad you made it. How was the trip? Did you enjoy the scenery?"

You bite back a retort of "what scenery" - as soon as you left the city, there was nothing but empty plains and dead grass swaying in the wind - for miles... and miles... and miles...

The Kalon doesn't wait for an answer, instead prattling on without a thought. "I'm Mallory, it's so nice to meet you! Anyways, I'm sure you're very curious about my growing operation!" You nod. "That's great, I'll give you the grand tour!"

You follow Mallory as he babbles on, pointing out local "landmarks". A rock vaguely shaped like a potato (aren't all rocks potato-shaped?), a dead, splintered tree that'd been struck by lightning, the scrubby grass that you're walking over. His enthusiasm is endless, if a bit exhausting, but it still feels like coming upon an oasis in the middle of the desert.

And when you come to his "operation", the oasis metaphor feels a lot more apt. Next to a rickety wooden house are few seemingly endless fields of green and a couple of huge greenhouses. Mallory grins at your shell-shocked expression.

"Everyone looks like that at first! But I have to make sure to produce enough, well, produce to feed the nearby village. And myself, of course. And trust me when I say that my fruits and veggies are the best," he says with a wink.

You voice your skepticism that anything grown in the middle of the desert would be particularly... tasty. But Mallory pulls you over to the first of his fields, and you can't help but stare at the sights in front of you. Corn, tall and healthy, swaying in the wind, ears just beginning to ripen. Watermelon vines like a lumpy green carpet, melons scattered here and there like gigantic marbles. It's a veritable farmer's paradise out here, and in the most unlikely of places.

"How do you do it?" you ask, and Mallory waggles his eyebrows mischievously.

"Well, lots of love and tender care, and a little bit of..." he wiggles his fingers, and the plants all sway towards him in unison. "Magic."

Ahh, a plant mage. That would explain a lot of things. As you follow Mallory around his farm and take in the sights, you find yourself enchanted by just how excited he is. By the end of the tour you're gorging yourself on some gorgeously delicious out-of-season strawberries, sitting side by side with Mallory and gazing over his fields.

"So do you get it?" he asks, and you nod. Out here in the hot wind, the leaves whispering around you like friends, you do get it.

[ 498 / 500 ]

winner! i absolutely LOVED this story to bits! Mallory has such an endearing character and your writing was positively charming too! Your vocabulary was fun and flavorful and really gave me a great sense for who Mallory is, what he does, and how he feels about that-- and to top it off you painted a great picture of the world around him as well as his role in it! Overall I really loved the character, concept and subtle world building! Phenomenal work-- please enjoy Mallory!


Everyone else also had some VERY fun ideas though! I'd like to give Honorable Mentions to...
Lex. 959439 - I loved the idea of this friendship and the cactus hunt! The world building here was also very cool and fun! Cactus kalons as a whole subspecies sounds super cool! The teacup cactus horns made me chuckle.
Ucanthandleme + 809102 - poor Sabro is literally just out here doing his best! I thought your art was very cute. Sabro deserves a good pat on the back because he's doing great.
Griff 254592 - the confusion about her actually being a cactus really got me, I loved the angle you took with this! the humor in your piece is stellar!
nermal1999 -(214589) - it IS the quenchiest! I enjoyed the art you drew and the idea of selling cactus juice is just so fun to me cx
Broccoli_Bento + 965616 - the art you drew was so very charming, I simply had to take a moment to recognize your work! the concept was adorable and I am glad the golf balls are not missing forever cx

I would like to offer a Runner Up to fisht3a 655686 ! I loved the concept of this kalon being a history buff with an archeology bend, and the art you did was simply stellar! If you would like me to make you a runner up cactus, please DM me and let me know what you'd like! I'd appreciate if you could provide me some color inspo, one part of this original design you really liked, and one trait or design aspect you'd like changed-- and from that information I will make you a new kalon to suit your concept! n v n They may still have horns like the original if you would like!

Thank you so much to everyone who tried out, and thank you for your patience as I judged this contest! It was honestly very difficult and I wish I could give runner ups to everyone. cx I'm in the process of moving house at the moment so its just been a bit hectic!

As per the norm, thank you all so much for your time and energy! I wish you good luck in future competitions, and I'm excited to see what you all create next! < 3

(Oh, and a happy belated anniversary to Kalons!)

[Ucanthandleme]

Congrats to the winner and ru winner and congrats to all the Hm winners and thank you rem for the Hm!

Edit: winner can keep my art just credit if taken offsite

[Mnemosyne]

adjiaj;ehw thank you so much!! this is such a lovely surprise, i'm glad you enjoyed Mallory's story <33 he's gonna be very much loved in my au!!

everyone had such lovely drawings and writing, i'm sure it was hard to pick!! congrats to all the winners c:

[Lex.]

Congrats and ty for the hm !

[fisht3a]

oh my gosh thank you so much for the RU! i’m at work right now but will get back to you in a bit about it <3

i’d prefer to repurpose my art for the RU, if that’s alright with the winner~