Tag: language

Letters from Camp

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I realized I haven’t done a letter post for a little bit! Oops! Suffice to say, some more plot is happening, and I’ve definitely got a better idea for what the next sequence in the story will be. I’m on the home stretch!

Word Count: 11,103 / 15,000

Excerpt:

Storms were easy. They carried a lot of energy in them, around them, and it preceded their coming and lingered after they left. They were powerful and heavy and beautiful and terrifying. Elias had learned all he could about handling storms after discovering the ability within himself. The speakers at the temple always said it rained and crashed the day he was born, only to calm when he was placed in his mother’s arms for the first time. Storms had always been the part of him that people could easily see, could easily name.

The other half could take a few different names. Mischief. Disruption. Sabotage. Elias preferred the former, but he embraced the latter when it came down to it.

When it came to fucking up someone else’s plans, he was one of the best.

Excerpt: Bottled Rage

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One story I like to work on from time to time is another short featuring Elias Dawn and Eral the Arbor Pixie, entitled Bottled Rage. It’s a fun little foray into the way Eral acts as tough as anybody when he’s drunk–a task that takes quite a few thimblesfull to achieve.

He still likes his demigod buddy well enough, but good luck getting him to admit it.

Bars were great. One of Eral’s favorite places to be after a successful quest. And before. And during, if there was time.

Elias was off chatting someone up. He had all the luck with the ladies (or guys) he happened to pick out. Eral just wound up being called cute most of the time. He didn’t try to be too friendly, unless he was angling for someone to let him borrow a thimbleful of their drink.

Drinking put a warm feeling in his gut and a lightness in his steps. For a pixie, the world could be heavy sometimes. Eral didn’t mind the help. The more he had, the easier it became to follow along with drinking games, anyway.

He had already had to regale whoever would listen of his adventures. Before Elias sauntered into his life, Eral had accomplished plenty on his own. Strangers didn’t chuckle at the notion as much as Elias did, but then the damn demigod never took anything seriously.

“Idiot thinks ‘cause he got um, them tattoos on’s arm that he’s the best at … at doing the thing and getting the reward shit,” Eral complained. He had a seat on an overturned shot glass, and a few of the bar patrons laughed along with his bluster.

“Whassis tattoos mean?” someone asked. Eral squinted to focus on who said it, and then glanced around the place. Elias had a corner booth with a couple of hangers-on around him. His sleeves were rolled up casually to reveal the curling runes in black ink on one arm. Still there.

“Fucked if I know,” Eral said, slopping some beer from his thimble when he used it to help his dismissive wave. “Buncha temple shit I think. Told me once an’ I damn forgot.”

A wavering hand descended slowly from above. Eral glanced up as its shadow flickered, and then he took a drink from his thimble. The hand came to rest next to his seat. “Shit,” the human slurred. The hand tilted and a finger tapped Eral’s back lightly. He almost spilled more beer.

“Atta … atta pixie,” the human said with a grin. “Who needsa bard anyway?”

Drinks Too Many

Neon Bright1 Comment

It’s time for an Elias & Eral short! Featuring a side of Elias we don’t get to see very often.

Reading time: <5 minutes

“If I seem dangerous, d’you get scared?” Elias’ voice was much quieter than usual, and not as articulate. Eral looked to him with a sharp frown, finding the halfgod staring dejectedly at his drink. The guy could hold his liquor pretty damn well, but from the looks of things it had finally caught up to him.

“What the hell kinda question is that?” Eral dismissed, taking another swig of the mead in his thimble. Proportionally, he could outdrink almost anyone. He knew what spiral Elias was on. “I’m cutting you off.”

Continue reading “Drinks Too Many” →

A Little Change (2/?)

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Got a pretty great response to the first one, so it’s a good thing I kept on writing more. Time for a look at how Jacob saw that first few moments of the switch.

(x)

Jacob could swear he was on the set of a bizarre sci-fi movie. Tall, leafy ferns stood over his head. Thick leaves the size of throw blankets layered the damp ground. Blades of grass wider than several fingers stood in clumps all around him. Huge ants meandered past in a determined march as they sought out something to bring back to their den.

He stumbled away from them. Those ants were too big to be real. He blinked, and then looked past the nearest tall grass and plants. Things drifted into focus and he almost wished they hadn’t.

Continue reading “A Little Change (2/?)” →

A Little Change (1/?)

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image

Oh my God yes. I’ve mused briefly about this before, but not for very long each time. Getting a prompt for it really made me want to try it. So try I did.

This is not the end of this little crack story.

The Fire Spirit didn’t often turn His focus on a sprite other than His own children. He and His siblings watched the sprites they lovingly made, answering their Prayers when they could. Even as the fire sprites all over the world asked for magic from the Lord of Change, and even as He answered, He couldn’t help but look in on one of His sister’s children.

A wood sprite had befriended a human. It wasn’t the strangest happening, but it always amused. Most of the Spirits couldn’t resist checking in on the pair from time to time.

This time, as the human trudged through the woods with the sprite flitting to and fro among the leaves that the Earth Spirit had designed him to match, the Fire Spirit had an idea. A sudden notion of mischief ran through His core. If He could smile, He would.

My sister will forgive me, little one, He thought as he reached out from the place where the Spirits lived. I hope you will, too. Nothing wrong with a little change.

Continue reading “A Little Change (1/?)” →

Chase In Lilliput

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Chase Lisong & the word is “Trap” (I’ll do the other questions in separate posts, worry not!)

This is …. probably not precisely what anon had in mind for this character/word combo, but I have been waiting for a reason to go ahead and write this silly little AU. So, here we have the unveiling of Lilliputian!Chase. Don’t worry, he’s still the same little dork he is in any universe, and this is definitely not the last we’ll see of him.

All it took was one misplaced step, and suddenly Chase didn’t have solid ground under him. His arms flailed up from his sides in a desperate bid to grab onto a branch or vine or something, but they only found air. He tilted uncontrollably and toppled, claimed by the slope.

He rolled down a muddy hill, miraculously avoiding rocks and thick tree trunks while crushing small ferns instead. Twigs scratched his face and his eyes shut tight as he tried to stop his descent. He wasn’t far from the seaside cliffs, and the knowledge seized his breath in his chest.

And then he reached the edge.

Continue reading “Chase In Lilliput” →

Wakeup Call

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Another one from this post and sent in to @brothersapart. This one is most likely Fairy Tales canon, though I don’t have a specific time for it to be set.

Reading Time less than 5 minutes

Camping had a rugged charm to it that couldn’t be replaced. Jacob always enjoyed a chance to hike out to the middle of the woods where he could relax and ignore the outside world for a while. He could sit in his clearing and watch the blue sky give way to yellows and purples before finally allowing a black stage for the stars.

Sleeping under those stars, glancing up before he drifted off to spot a shooting star streaking across the sky. Dozing off at last to the gentle sound of the breeze in the canopy. Dreaming peacefully and hoping the following day would bring a visit from his best friend.

Waking up with a small green shape right in front of his eyes that wasn’t there before.

“Jesus-fuck!” Jacob stammered, flinching back while still wrapped up in his sleeping bag. The small shape fluttered backwards, just as startled as he was, and Jacob squirmed to free his arm from the sleeping bag.

“Thanks for deafening me!” Bowman complained, his snarky voice reaching Jacob as he freed a hand to drag it down his face.

“Thanks for … you were like an inch in front of my face, dude,” Jacob pointed out exasperatedly.

Bowman fluttered into the air and flew in a lazy circle around Jacob’s head now that the human was awake. “You must have walked up after I finished my patrols for the day yesterday,” he pointed out. His tone suggested that he was perfectly aware of the rapid subject change, and didn’t care.

Jacob sluggishly swatted a hand at Bowman in mock annoyance, aiming to miss. “Yeah, didn’t expect a wake up call is all.”

“I’m just generous like that,” Bowman shot back, a chuckle in his voice.