[magpie!]

edits;
[s] hair, shine
[c] fur, tail
[uc] ears

---

xviii - the moon
illusion, unconscious, risk, intuition, caution, confusion

for this kal, tell me about a lie they've told!
did they get away with it or not?? you can have up to 1000 words and 1 art piece!

prettying up is encouraged, no extras!



Code: Select all

[list][b]username & number;[/b]
[b]name;[/b]
[b]gender;[/b]
[b]prompt;[/b] [ 1000 words and/or one art piece ][/list]


ends on November 28th at 8pm EST

[König]

username & number; Thoma & 799302
name; January
gender; Nonbinary
prompt;
“ I’ll always be here Ali, whenever you need me. You always know where to find me. “ January muttered softly, hugging Alistair. They spoke in an almost comforting manner; though in the end knowing what they had just said was a lie. They wanted to believe what they were saying was true, for the sake of Alistair they wished it was true. Despite everything, January knew they wouldn’t be around for much longer, day by day they got worse, it was only a matter of time until they would pass on.

A lie as simple as what they had muttered that day, was a lie easy to disprove. Days would pass where they couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t help their friend when he needed them. Alistair had been worried for them because of the lack of contact, though they wouldn’t admit they had lied to him.. So they would lie again and again about their condition.

It happened, January passed and their words had been proven to be false. Alistair was never told about what was happening with them, due to the number of lies and excuses January would give to keep him from worrying. As much as they hoped the words would be proven true, it didn’t play out how they had hoped.

They would silently roam the castle Alistair lived in, “I suppose I'm haunting you huh?” they said through a sigh, away from any wandering ears.

They would follow Alistair around sometimes, being there to catch him if he had crumbled. January knew they could show themself whenever they wanted, but they could never bring themself to. The way they had hurt Alistair made it almost impossible for them to face him. January struggled to even tell how Alistair was feeling, no way to determine if what they had done was right; How would he react? Would he be angry that I had lied? Does Alistair even mourn after what I have done? Why did I do such a thing, he needed me to be truthful so he could brace himself, Thoughts and questions swirled in January’s mind, they wanted to believe what they had said was in Alistair's best interest, but they couldn't help feeling the guilt of not being able to tell the truth.

January knows the day will come where they can face Alistair and apologize for their petty selfish lie. When said day comes, and they finally get to finish what they started, they can finally fade away. Though.. They know, doing so would further show everything they had said that fateful day, was nothing but lies.

[ford]

droppin out gl yall <3

[SilhouetteStation]

username & number; SilhouetteStation + 676516
name; Cerene
gender; demigirl

prompt; (862 / 1000)

Everything started with a mistake.

I try not to think about it too much. It's hard some days, though. There's a bitterness that rears its ugly head from time to time, and sometimes I worry I won't be able to keep my mouth shut.

My family was poor. I can't put it more bluntly than that. We lived in a shack. The wood was rotting, the roof was leaky. In summer it was too humid, in winter it was wet and cold. There were only two rooms; the bedroom we all shared, and a space for everything else. We slept on the floor. While my mother took care of me at home, my father would work until his bones ached to make sure we had food on the table. It was never enough for a full belly, but every mouthful was appreciated.

One day a small group of Ilumna were passing through town; worshippers of the Moon Sprite, travelling the region. They were all so graceful, so beautiful, so softly spoken. Everything I wasn't. Their hair was braided with silver ribbon, their wrists and necklines adorned with gemstones. Their clothes were clean, their coin pouches full. Part of me hated them. Watching them walk the streets, collecting compliments and admiration from passing strangers. I'd been here my whole life, and none of these people had ever treated me with such respect.

It was by chance that I saw a ring fall from one of their fingers, and luck that no one picked it up before I did. No one saw me tuck it into my pocket and slink home. I washed it in the creek behind the house and just...stared at it. The silver band. The smooth oval piece of moonstone. Never before had I held something so extravagant, so...valuable. I had no intention of keeping it. What use did someone like me have with a ring like this? I wanted money, not a sentimental piece of jewellery. I could have gone and sold it then and there. But I didn't. I wondered, maybe...maybe I could get more. Maybe the Ilumna would take pity on this poor, dirty little street urchin, and reward her.

If you stay quiet in a crowd, you learn things through snatches of conversations. That night I went to where they were staying, at an inn near the edge of town. I slipped upstairs without anyone noticing and went to their room. It was on the second floor, at the top of the stairs, with a window on the wall to my right. Moonlight was spilling through the glass, pooling on the floor, turning everything to silver.

It was a spur of the moment, stupid idea. A joke, almost. Something born of jealousy. Why should they have all of this luxury, while I'm left in the streets? What gives them the right to flaunt themselves? Do they think they're better than us, because they worship the Moon Sprite?

And so I tried to mock them.

When one of them opened the door they found a small, mysterious child, bathed in silver, staring up with wide, alluring eyes reflecting the light of the moon. In her slightly trembling hands she cradled a piece of moonstone, and her voice came out as a whisper.

"The gem told me to find you...the gem told me you would understand."

Everything after that was a blur. I was brought inside, given food, asked about my connection to the Moon Sprite. I fabricated fake dreams, and made out that I'd been told to wait until the time was right - until now. They ate up every word. The excitement in their voices, the wonder in their eyes...I should have stopped it there.

But I didn't.

Suddenly I was interesting. I was special. My parents were so honored, so proud, that their child had been blessed by the Moon Sprite. That their own daughter had been touched by the divine. Suddenly the worshippers were taking care of us. We were moved to their Temple. There was always enough food to keep us full. Hot water to bathe with, soft beds to sleep in, clothes that needed no mending.

How could I take that away from them?

So all these years later, I'm still here. My parents work in the nearby town. They have a house. A home. I live in the Temple, with this makeshift family of mine. I worship the Moon Sprite with them, but I can never look the statue in the eyes. I still fake dreams from time to time to keep up the pretence. There's one woman here who I think doubts me sometimes, but she never says a word about it. Maybe she's waiting for the right moment. Or maybe I'm just imagining things.

I'm selfish. Guilty and selfish. I'll never tell them. I know that. How could I take this away from myself? I have everything here. I'm not prepared to lose that. Even if I wanted to, I know I couldn't. Because, deep down, I couldn't do that to them. Any of them.

Everything started with a lie.

But I'm too far in to get out of it now.

[₊˚ʚ꒷ ₊˚Mallow₊˚ ‧₊]

username & number; ₊˚ʚ꒷ ₊˚Mallow₊˚ ‧₊ // 954866
name; Blueberry
gender; Female
prompt; [ 1000 words and/or one art piece ]

[elyx]

hhh mark!!

[Sadcat]

username & number; CatOwU 1004338
name; Kaera
gender; Female
prompt;
She sighed, looking at the stars.
"I'm sorry, but I do not remember you."
It was a simple lie, really.
Obvious enough to seem off, but not enough to need to be pushed.
Kaera couldn't let him know that she did.
Or what she did.
Or what she caused.
I mean, time travelers are known for having a bad memory, right?
How bad would it be if a dimension traveler tried to fit in for an easy escape?
"W-What?"
God, he sounded so heartbroken...
It hurt but it had to be done.
"I don't know who you are, I'm sorry."
She said, looking down to him with a lost gaze.
A fake lost gaze, he knew exactly who he was.
"Kaera! I'm your husband, remember?"
Aaaand there it was...
It stung, she almost flinched.
"I don't recall having a husband."
"Please- Please tell me you remember at least something! At least some familiarity!?"
It was such a desperate plea.
She still wouldn't submit, though.
She had to carry on with it.
She'll reach her goal soon, she can't back out now.
Specially when that would implicate telling him everything.
She would not take that risk.

[Dewy Feathers]

username & number; Dewy Feathers
name; Selinia Kos
gender; Female
prompt; 250 words

“Ma’am, I need your name.” If Selinia Kos said her real name, the guards would imprison her. “I-I’m Cora Isil, sir.”

Oh no. The guard had papers with the name of every kalon in the village. She could run, and the guards would catch her, or she could hopefully pass into the safety of the ship.

The guard looked through papers.

She could hear the waves against the ship that would take her to freedom.

“Ma’am, I see no Cora Isil in our list. Are you sure you signed up?” Selinia nodded her head. A guard came to the table and whispered.

“Selinia Kos, you are wanted for being a member of the Kos bloodline. Come with us now.”

She was being shoved and pulled in different directions. “Get OFF me!” The guards did nothing, and they headed for the castle.

“We are taking you to the cell with your mother.” “You can’t take me there. She will kill me, please!” “Ma’am, you lied about your name. That’s against the law by itself, but as a Kos, you have magic. Your mother used it to destroy hundreds of people. We cannot take that risk again.”

“Sir, I only lied about my name because I knew you would imprison me with my mother. She killed my brothers with her magic, and she will kill me. That’s why I wanted to get on the ship.”

After a long moment, the guard sighed.

“I’ll see what I can do. You still lied, though.”

[deerbroken]

username & number; triglyphs | 641378
name; deirdre
gender; trans feminine
prompt;
It had started out with a simple question, and a simple lie. "What's your name," to which she replied, "It's Isolde." It satisfied the stranger well enough, but she felt a twinge of guilt somewhere in her chest, knowing that she'd lied. It wasn't meant to be anything serious, she knew she'd see this man maybe one more time before she moved on. Or at least, that's what she'd told herself.

The next morning she'd left the inn, ready to move on to the next part of her journey, but just as her foot touched the boards of the building's porch a massive crash came from the distance. It was visible from the tiny village: rocks and dust and snow came crashing down from the moutain's peak, destroying the only pathway through a thin valley. As it went on, she could only stand and watch the horror. She returned to the inn, telling the owner and asking how much longer she might be able to stay. The man apologized, saying that the young woman could have a few nights on the house, and hopefully by then the path would be cleared. Her only other option now was to cross the mountains themselves, but the terrain and harsh weather had claimed more lives than the villagers could count. She would stay and wait, she decided.

---

Months passed, the rubble still covering the pathways. Importing goods was an option the opposite way of the path, but the worlds beyond the peaks was inaccessible to them all now, the people only able to theorize what happened to the people in the small towns they could no longer trade with. Still, life went on, and Deirdre settled in, with a job on a small farm and a bed to call her own. Her only problem, now, was one little thing: her name.

She'd considered admitting her name was a farce, but as the first week passed the man who ran the inn had introduced her to others, mentioning her faux name to just about everyone in town. If she confessed, she would feel guilty, not to mention the suspicion that would follow. If the people of her new home knew she'd lied about her name, they'd be wary. Why had she lied? Was she a criminal? A spy? Something worse? So she continued on under her new name, the townsfolk unaware of her real identity. Maybe one day the path would clear, and she could move on, but until then, she would remain. She could have ended up worse off. If she hadn't stopped for the night, she'd be under all that rubble now, with the buried path beneath it.

---

"I love you, Isolde." the voice said, their hand around Deirdre's, held tight against the pale light of the moon. She'd left her bed late at night to visit the vast fields of wheat, a letter from a secret admirer requesting her presence. Now she sat with said admirer, both of them on a large stump of a tree that once stood over the farmland. She didn't know what to say. She'd been in the village for half of the year now, still waiting for the path to be cleared; at first, she had only come to visit for the night, and now she practically lived here, the people of the town considering her one of their own.

"I have a confession," she'd said, the words spilling from her mouth before she could think about them. Her eyes went wide, and so did her suitor's, a brief silence filling the air. "It has burdened me for some time." She went on, figuring that by now she had already spoken up, and she didn't want to be loved for someone she isn't. "My name isn't Isolde," she began, sighing heavily. "I did not come to this town as a tourist."

The other stared at her, bewildered. They were silent, for a moment, before they retracted their hand, and walked off towards the village. Deirdre feared she would tell the whole town, that they would chase her away with pitch-forks and torches, but the next day no one seemed the wiser. Only the admirer, who refused to meet her stare, knew her secret.

---

Finally, after months of waiting, a crew arrived, ready to clear the rubble as soon as they could. They stayed at the inn and drank at the tavern, and when they'd nearly completed the work, they offered Deirdre a ride up to the construction site. She accepted, knowing that her time with the village was finite, now. As she clambered into the back of the wagon, a laborer sat next to her, a wide smile formed under his beard. "What's yer name?" he heard him ask, to which she replied, perhaps impulsively, "Isolde."

[800 words / 1000 words]

[Cyrano]

mark ..watching