Short Stories

22 | autistic | bisexual | losing sleep | aspiring writer

[story-closet]

Introduction Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I’m Kaela—22 years old, fueled by caffeine or anything I can get my hands on, and I enjoy dabbling in writing. My writing journey began at the age of eight when I came across some Harry Potter fanfiction (don’t judge, we’ve all been there). That's when I decided to write my own stories. I wanted to be like those people who wrote those stories (even though I look back, these were probably written by kids around my age at the time), so I started writing.

After taking Professional Writing, I’m excited to unleash the collection of short stories I’ve written, both during my college days and in the moments in between. Am I still technically in school though? Let’s call it “a creative limbo.” I still have one course to finish. But one thing’s for sure: the stories you’ll find here are fueled by everything I’ve learned so far.

This is my creative space, where my imagination runs wild. Of course, I'll have to reign it in a bit (my mind is way too chaotic). It’s a space dedicated to my personal stories—no requests please, just stories I've created on my own. If you have any questions, you may send something to my Inbox. So, grab a cup of tea (or something stronger) and get comfy. It’s time for me to tell you a story.

What You Can Expect on This Blog:

Poetry that reflects my inner thoughts and feelings

Short stories that explore different worlds and characters

Worldbuilding to delve deeper into the worlds I create

Character building to learn more about the characters I write about

Blurbs that give you a peek into my creative process

Opinions on writing and the craft itself

Writing memes and humour to lighten the mood

My biggest hope is that my writing connects with someone—that you’ll read something here and think, “This really speaks to me.” I’ve always dreamed of doing something meaningful with my writing, and starting this blog feels like the perfect first step to accomplishing that.

As I share my journey with you, remember that I’m still learning every day. Even the most famous writers you know today had to start somewhere. So I hope you enjoy your time here and find my writing worth the read!

“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” – David McCullough

Short Stories List

The Flower Shop

A Pearl's Sacrifice

Blood of the Coven

The Myth of the Ice Dragon

The Blood They Touched

Chapter One

[story-closet]

So I thought about writing poems based on the words I choose in the poem selection thing from Doki Doki Literature Club since I'm playing DDLC+ lately.

[proxycrit]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Decided to write some oneshots! Less focus on Zelda and Link, and more on FAMILIAR FAMILIAR’s building blocks.

(Mineru and Naborus’s slow dance are interrupted by the horrors of war.)

(Fic under cut)

——— The First Act (Naborus)

Mineru seems to be actively trying to woo Naborus, and to her disgust, it works.

The zonai woman seems to haunt her steps, with a sly smile and cheeky wink. She slips next to Naborus during morning drills with foods meant to entice, and into evening bouts of paperwork with her little machines, fiddling and tinkering and always ready to help. Even her haughty hat she faffs around with is all but seared into the back of Naborus’s eyelids every time she closes them.

“You do understand,” she tried once, and only once, “that I am a gerudo chief and you are the last of the zonai, serving under the hylian empire.” She enunciates these hylian words as clear as she can, careful with this new language she forced herself to learn within four grueling months.

“Of course,” Mineru responded back in a heavily accented Gerudo. “But I still want to try.”

Naborus has always had a soft spot for fools. She doesn’t bring up their allegiances again, but Mineru redoubles her efforts. Naborus doesn’t explicitly accept them, but she doesn’t refute them either. She even finds herself automatically bringing two mugs of heavily steeped tea to her study one night. Mineru was waiting for her, eyes bright and ears perked.

It’s Ganondorf that ultimately cuts through the stalemate.

“You like her,” he accuses.

“I tolerate her,” Naborus grumbles. “She’s at most a desert lizard I water from time to time, so she doesn’t die.”

Ganondorf gives her a truly bombastic side eye. Naborus doesn’t mention his strange dance around Rauru, even though she’s tempted to point out his hypocrisy. Her soft spot for fools is a weakness.

“She’s working for the princess,” he warns. “We need time to ratify the treaty, and she’s a distraction.”

“She’s a guest,” Naborus responds, temper flaring. “And I don’t see you crunching the paper recently, little brother.”

They glare at each other, bristling like desert cats, before ganondorf’s shoulders slump. He’s been sleeping less and less lately. The dark circles under his eyes have been becoming more and more difficult to hide.

“It’s not safe,” he repeats helplessly. “There’s always a cost, with the hylians. You know this.”

“I know this,” Naborus responds wearily. “But Princess Sonia is different from her mother. Not because of any legends,” she adds, before her brother can protest, “but because she’s reaching out first. The zora and rito are perfectly happy. We have to trust the same amnesty will be given to us.”

“It’s different,” Ganondorf spits, “when their legends don’t constantly paint us as thieves and war mongers.” And Sonia, despite her stature, is part of that legend. That damned sword speaks to it.

The hylians want the great gerudo burial site. They want it for the precious minerals crystallizing deep under the sands, that glow green from the dead. They need it, for the war against the rising tide of undead monsters that threaten them all— gerudo, hylian, all the races of hyrule really. It already took most the zonai.

Naborus knows, deep down, she can not let the gerudo be the next.

But it hurts, to see their culture be trodden underfoot for this. And it hurts more, to hear Ganondorf’s urgent whispers that the Hylians will not stop.

Mineru and Rauru are the last of their kind. Surely there must be other zonai, hidden in pockets deep below or up in the sky, but the zonai (the only zonai) Naborus knows are her two guests. They don’t remember their mother tongue. They were raised by the Goron and Zora and eat hylian food and wear hylian clothes and practice hylian alchemy.

For all intents and purposes, they are hylian. They are what will lay in store for the gerudo, either it be through ganondorf’s terror of a slow cultural death, or naborus’s terror of a steady massacre.

And then Ganondorf finds those ruins, and it all goes to shit.

And then he tries to kill Sonia. Tries to infect Rauru with that malice. Becomes unknowable to her, and calls her traitor, as if he didn’t throw everything away for their shared dream.

Five days later, she arranges for a meeting.

Six days later, Sonia and Rauru show up at her doorstep.

“You can have the burial grounds,” Naborus says, and finds the dull ember of delight in Rauru’s flinch. Good. See him remember his own damned past, and let him know of his crime. Mockingly, she inclines her head to Princess Sonia. “At your behest, your highness.”

Sonia looks back. Implacable. Stone. She’s four heads shorter than Naborus, and yet her presence is crushing. Is this who you love, Naborus wanted to ask Mineru. Is this who you serve?

The rest of the negotiations is a blur. Rito will come help gerudo civilians escape the bombed remains of her city. Her people will find shelter along the coast, if they so wish. All Sonia needs is the Zonaite, and willing hands to take up arms and fight.

Fight who, she does not specify. But judging from her gaze flickering to the empty spot next to Naborus, it’s not difficult to infer.

When Mineru hesitates in front of Naborus’s door later that night, Naborus finally snaps. That dull apathy and shock suddenly becomes a monsoon of rage and betrayal, and she grabs the mug and throws it as hard as she can at the wall, an animal scream rising in her chest.

Mineru flinches back, ears pressed against her head. Naborus sinks, gasping for air, and curls into a wretched ball on the floor. Thin hands carefully encircle against her, and she leans into mineru’s chest, and weeps for her stupid baby brother, for her foolish naive self, for hoping for a beautiful future.

Tomorrow, the gerudo will have the war Ganondorf predicted. Tomorrow, Naborus will bow in front of the Hylian regency.

Mineru mumbles something into her hair, that she is unable to catch. But the zonai’s grip is tight, and she hums a song slow and low.

“What is that?” Naborus croaks, head still pillowed in Mineru’s arms.

There’s a shift of muscle under Naborus as Mineru readjusts herself into a more comfortable position, and then— “my mother taught me this.”

“Ah? I thought gorons are all men?”

Mineru laughs. “In hylian, yes they are called men. But no, I’m talking about my birth mother.”

“Oh,” and because Naborus has little filter, “what’s her name?”

Mineru went silent at that. Naborus feels a rush of self hatred. She shouldn’t have asked. She presumes much from somebody who isn’t even her citizen.

“I don’t remember,” Mineru says. She smiles at Naborus, eyes half squinted. “I just called her Mah. Zonai baby teeth give us terrible lisps, and young children don’t really know their parents as people, per say. Just protectors.”

“I’m sorry,” Naborus says. She wants Mineru to hum that song again, but doesn’t know how to ask.

“It’s okay,” Mineru says. “I don’t remember her. Its hard to miss what you don’t really know.”

“No,” Naborus protests. “It’s not okay at all. You shouldn’t have to-“ she back pedals, looks for anything to say at all, and settles on squeezing Mineru’s waist. “You deserve more than just a song.”

Mineru starts to hum again. Seeing Naborus unwilling to continue, the zonai sighs, cutting into the wound if the situation.

“You did the right thing.”

“Did I?”

“You want to save lives. There is no shame in that.”

“And what of the children who won’t remember their mother’s names?” Naborus asks, hurting. What of her people’s history?

“They’ll be alive to wonder, won’t they?”

Mineru’s voice sounded flat and far away.

And Naborus has nothing to say to that.

(Mineru tells herself this is for the best, and that she and Rauru turned out perfectly fine.

It’s a lie she’s grown comfortable with.)

———— The Second Act (Mineru)

When Ganondorf cuts her throat, she can’t bring herself to be surprised.

Scared? Yeah. But surprised? Not really.

She took his sister from him. She represents hylian royalty. She’s collateral to Rauru. A sort of message, if you will.

You took my sister. I will take yours.

Fucking idiot. Naborus will never forgive him now, and neither would Rauru. He has single handedly severed any remaining goodwill, any chance of recollection, with this stunt, and the worst part is he probably did it on purpose.

Ganondorf looks different. His eyes are tired. The infection from his arm has spread to under his jaw. Baby Dragneel’s been practicing magic, she sees. He reaches down and gently plucks the secret stone from Mineru’s neck, and suddenly it’s worse.

She’s never going to be able to tell Naborus her secret. She’s never going to be able to give that stone to her beloved. She-

A scream splits the night air. It can’t be from her, because all her air is being stolen from her throat before it can reach her tongue, which tastes like iron. It can’t be from Ganondorf, who’s mouth is clenched shut, secret stone (alchemist’s stone) shining in his hand.

Ganondorf is blasted back by a wave of light.

The world is greying. Mineru feels the burn of Sonia’s time magic entrap her, freeze her. It hurts. It hurts more then her throat. Everything is tinged yellow and Mineru can’t move, and this must be what death is— caught between a peaceful slumber and agonizing living. She’s suffocating slowly. She’s scared.

Rauru’s face comes in focus. His hands are shaking. She can feel him pressing desperately against her as in the distance, Sonia, still clad in her white dress, chases the shadows away.

Mineru’s eyes slip close.

When she wakes up, she is surprised she’s not dead. She tries to say something, but the searing pain stops her, and her muffled jerk causes the lump at her feet to quiver. Rauru looks up, eyes bloodshot.

“Mimi?” He asks, voice hoarse. Mineru tries to say something, but the pain flares and she settles for a thumbs up. Rauru’s eyes start watering, and he presses his face into her hands.

“Mimi,” he whispers, and mineru pets his ears, like they were children again. She didn’t mean to scare him. She waits for him to collect himself, and takes the chance to look around the room.

It’s a nice room. The architecture is distinctly zoran, with luminous stones embedded into the walls for light and kelp thread curtains for privacy. It smells like fragrant lotus root and medicinal herbs. There’s a small study in the corner, filled with papers and a single potted specimen of a sundelion.

Rauru’s study, she realizes with a rush of fondness. This must be his room, when he was apprenticing under that Zoran healer.

“I…”

Her attention snaps back to her brother. At her attentive look, he quails. It’s not right. Rauru rarely quails, and mostly preens, like a peacock. At her impatient look, he closes his eyes, and Mineru’s stomach sinks.

“Ruta’s afraid there might be complications,” Rauru continues in a rush. “You’ll be on observation for possible lung clots and brain damage and infection.”

Mineru breathes.

“We couldn’t save your throat,” Rauru confesses, looking small. “Ruta cleared up your lungs and I managed to stabilize you, but. We couldn’t, your.”

That’s okay, she wants to say. I’m alive. That’s more than I expected.

But she can’t say that.

With her nonanswer, Rauru bows his head. Mineru grabs on to his hand before he can flee, and squeezes.

After a moment’s hesitation, he squeezes back.

Mineru doesn’t take her new found muteness well. She struggles with hylian sign, and finds a near apoplectic rage in being unable to quickly explain her thoughts.

Writing isn’t the same, she wrote in harsh angry scratches with her chalkboard she’s taken to carrying around.

Naborus, bless her, has fashioned a straw for her with glass when they meet up for tea. Mineru used to haunt Naborus, enraptured by this woman and her no nonsense attitude and her unexplainable kindness. Now Naborus haunts her with bedding and sustenance.

They should be on the battlefield. The malice has overtaken another settlement, Mineru heard. But when she dug, she was sent away.

“More pillows?” Naborus asks, and Mineru holds up two thumbs for an aggressive agreement.

Can you get me construct f12, she writes when Naborus comes back wielding two cream pillows. Twinges, can fix, she slashes quickly at Naborus’s frown.

“You’re working?”

No time, Mineru scribbles. And at Naborus’s hesitant glance, she adds: bored.

“You should be resting.”

Can’t.

She will have nightmares again. Rauru promises the sundelion specimens he’s working on will stop the malice from taking hold, but she still dreams of that red pulsating mass, infecting her, burrowing into her.

She underlines Can’t twice, and hopes Naborus will get it.

Naborus drags a hand down her face, and exhales roughly. “Shit. Okay. I’ll go get your construct, but if you need any help at all you tell me, alright?”

At Mineru’s flat glare, she grimaces. “Sorry. I’ll get you a bell.”

The two sit in companionable silence after that. The construct mineru chose is a small, light weight thing. She is considering adding some sort of projectile weapon when she hears the low rhythmic hum of a song.

Oh, Mineru thinks. This is the song my mother taught me, and I taught you. Oh, Mineru thinks after suddenly overwhelmed with the realization— she will never sing her mother’s song again. She will never be able to join the chorus that was her last, remaining link. She will never-

Mineru wipes her eyes angrily. She can learn how to play a harmonica. Or a flute. The option isn't actually gone, just changed. She should just be glad she’s alive.

Doesn’t stop the tears, though.

When Naborus quietly holds her arms out, Mineru doesn’t fight the pull and slumps into her friend’s arms, and tries not to think of how Ganondorf stole not only her project’s notes, but her history from her too.

He’s Naborus’s brother.

She hates him more, for it.

[story-closet]

The Blood They Touched (Chapter 1)

I looked outside; the snow was falling from the sky. I wondered if I could even go back and go to where my real home is. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a harmless cat running down the snow-covered path outside. The wind blew furiously, snow pelting the cat in the face. It’s not going to survive for long if the weather keeps up like this. I slipped my shoes on, exited through the window, and shut them behind me. My hair turned a light brown, my eyes turned crystal blue, wolf-like ears appeared on my head, and my boned dragon like tail appeared behind me. The ears would always match my hair colour so they blend in easily. My dark brown scales glistened bronze as the snow melted on my tail.  

The smaller spikes in my tail stuck upwards and into the roof tiling to balance me out. I steadied myself before I jumped off the roof and landed on the ground. I ran over to the cat, picked it up, and held it close. The cat immediately sought my body heat, curling up in my arms. My tail and ears disappeared, my eyes turning back to brown as I noticed Dong-Sun and Chanwook looking out our bedroom window. I pulled the cat closer to my chest as it shivered violently. Right, time to head inside. I went into the house and up the stairs to my room. I placed the cat on my bed and allowed it to snuggle up in my blankets.  

 “WHO BROKE THE ROOF!?” Dae-Ho bellowed, “IT’S SNOWING IN THE BATHROOM!”!” 

Whoops...  

The twenty small spikes on my tail were for balance. The four large spikes were used for defense and hunting weapons. Four large spikes between every five spikes and grow back after I shot one out.  

“Korain, what did you do to the roof?” Dae-Ho asked; his arms crossed over his chest with a glare on his face.  

“I needed to keep my balance,” I replied, “It’s not as easy as you think when there’s patches of ice on the roof.” 

Dae-Ho sighed and walked away. He’s probably gone to contact someone to fix the roof. I backed up as I noticed Dong-Sun glaring at me. My tail flicked into appearance as he pushed me to the floor and in one fluid motion a large spike went flying at him. It flew, and it suddenly stopped millimeters in front of his face. I glanced over to the top of the staircase to see Heng, his gaze fixated on the spike. The spike then faces me, and my eyes widened. I scrambled to the side and swung my tail to block it as it flew toward me. It clattered to the ground, venom oozing out the tip of the spike. Dong-Sun gulped while Heng looked down at his hands with wide eyes. He ran downstairs and out the door.  

“Heng!” I shouted. 

“Hyung, I swear, I didn’t mean to-,” Dong-Sun started to say, but I cut him off with a glare before I ran out after him.  

I sensed someone chasing me. My tail spikes raised, and I swung my tail as I ran. A smaller spike flew out and hit them in the arm. I glanced behind me as they stopped running. They’ll heal and I can’t allow them to follow me.  

I stopped as I reached the forest. I must focus if I’m to find Heng. My wolf ears perked up from atop my head, the left one swiveling at a pained cry from afar. I focused on the sound before I pinpointed the location and followed it. Once I approached, I hid behind a tree to quietly observe the situation ahead. I saw Heng blocking attacks from this mysterious man. All my spikes raised on my tail as I went on the offense. I swiftly swung my tail, and a large spike hit the tree above the guy’s head, venom oozing out angrily.     “Trying to protect your friend, are you?” the man sneered. 

“It’d be nice if you left him alone,” I snarled as I stepped out from behind the tree, ears pinned against the top of my head aggressively.  

I noticed Heng’s human ears were starting to be replaced by deer ears, antlers growing through the base of his skull. I flinched and jumped back as he rammed his antlers into the man’s thigh. Blood gushed out the wound, and crimson splatters against the white snow as Heng rammed his antlers into the man’s leg again. The man howled and yanked himself back, limping off into this sort of run before Heng could do anymore damage. He looked over at me and his eyes widened. His deer features disappeared, and he stumbled back before he ran off. No! He’s headed toward his childhood home! My tail spikes folded down, and I hid my tail, running after him. I ran through the trees, following his scent. I caught up to him, grabbing his wrist and stopped him in his tracks. 

“Don’t do it,” I warned. 

“What choice do I have!?” Heng cried, “They don’t understand what we are! No one will! We don’t belong!”  He twisted his wrist out of my grasp and kicked me to the ground. As I was getting up, he ran into the trees again. I brushed the snow off me and frowned. Snow fell from the sky peacefully like cherry blossom petals in the spring. The others need to know. 

I ran back to the dorms, heading into the house. Seems Dae-Ho got someone to start fixing the roof. I went upstairs and into Heng’s room. I went to turn the light switch on, but it's been severed from the wall. Weird. I grabbed a flashlight and turned it on. What a disaster. Why is his room such a mess and who caused it? I walked in, being careful not to trip on anything as I searched around. Maybe there’s some clue here as to what is going on with Heng.  

I noticed a drawer slightly ajar on his desk. I walked over and opened it to see a larger folder with a piece of deer fur attached to it with Heng’s name underneath it. I carefully took it out of the drawer, opened it up, and scanned the pages. All his personal information is here. I flipped through a few more pages to find information on all of us who live here and an uneasy feeling pool in the pit of my stomach. What was he doing? I flipped through a few more pages, and a bulky but smaller file fell out and onto the ground.  

I placed the larger file on the desk and picked up the smaller one. I turned it over and saw a patch of wolf fur on it with a name underneath that I knew. Dong-Sun. I opened the file and studied it. His personal information is here. Wait, there’s fresh blood on this page. What is going on here? 

“Hyung?”  

I spun around and pointed my flashlight at the doorway to see Dong-Sun standing there. How long has he been watching me? He turned on the hallway light so there was some light in here. He walked in and hugged me. I saw a wolf tail sticking out from his pants which was wagging. I carefully pulled away from the hug. He looked so happy to see me, yet there was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite define.  

“What’s wrong?” I asked.  Dong-Sun looked down at the ground, the wolf ears atop his head flattening in his Mahagony red hair.  

“What is it?” I pressed.  

Just by his posture, I could tell he was hiding something.  

“They forced me to make Heng run back home,” he muttered, “He’s in so much danger.” 

“Who is they?” I questioned.  Dong-Sun shook his head. I guess I can find out later. I then remembered the files and picked them both up.  

“What is this?” I asked, gesturing the files in my hands. 

“They did so many things to us,” Dong-Sun said. 

I gave him a sympathetic look, and I noticed him take his shirt off. What did he want to show me? I hesitantly pointed at the flashlight at Dong-Sun, and my eyes widened. Scars littered his chest and stomach. I walked behind him, and I swallowed hard. These two large gashes that form an ‘X’ look fresh. I gently traced my fingers down the wounds which caused him to wince. I frowned. I raised my tail and a curved spike raised out the end. As I raised the spike toward Dong-sun’s back, he turned to look at me and growled lowly. 

“The spike at the end is for healing,” I reassured him, “I have no intention of hurting you.”  He looked at me, eyes golden yellow. He lets out a hesitant breath before he nodded and looks back toward Heng’s desk. I pushed the spike into his back, frowning as he tensed. 

“Sun, it’s okay,” I reassured him once more, “I just need to get the healing substance into your body.”  

He barely nodded as the gash on his left diagonal started to heal. He winced as I pushed the spike into the right side of his shoulder where the other gash started which caused me to frown. I hated seeing him in pain because of me. I took the curved spike out of his back and wiped it off, allowing it to fold into my tail. I watched as he put his shirt back on before he faced me. 

“Where’s Heng now?” Dong-sun asked.  

“He’s ran off toward that old town we used to live in,” I replied, “I tried to get him to come back, but we fought and he got away.” 

“We have to get him back!”  

“Even if we could, how do we stop him or the people who hurt both of you?”  

“Aren’t you from another world?” 

“Yeah, but only Dravara are allowed.” 

“Then how do we get in?” 

“You have to hide your wolf tail,” I explained, “If anyone were to ask you to show your tail, you tell them it hasn’t grown in yet.” 

As Dong-Sun tucked his tail comfortably into his pants, I messed up the fur on his ears to make the fur a bit more unruly. I noticed him frown a little. 

“It’s how our ears are,” I said, letting my own ears appear on top of my head. 

He nodded as he saw my wolf-like ears. We exited Heng’s bedroom and snuck out the hallway window. No one can know what we’re doing. As we walked, the first thing Dong-Sun did was let out a whine. He hugged his arms around himself, rubbing his arms as if to warm up and stop shivering. 

“It’s cold,” he mumbled, “You could’ve gotten me a sweater.” 

I flicked him in the forehead which earned me a glare and a pout.  

“You can shift into a wolf, remember?” I reminded. 

“Oh right,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.  

Dong-Sun got on all fours and shifted into a Mahagony red furred wolf that matched the colour of his hair. He looked up at me with amber eyes before we continued our way. We walked Northeast through the snow, going through the forested trees. Snow continued to fall from the sky the last time I was outside. I stopped as I noticed Dong-Sun had tumbled through a small rift. Looks like I wouldn’t have to open the rift, but that left me uneasy. Was it left open like this the entire time, or did someone open it? I slid into the rift, welcomed by a long dirt path with dimly lit flames on torches going down the path. Dong-Sun kept close to my side as we moved forward. I then saw a curtain of vines hanging from the dirt ceiling as we neared the end of the path.  

I pulled the vines back and we walked through the open passage, eyes adjusting to the light. A familiar smell hit my nostrils— the smell of freshly cut wood. I nodded at Dong-Sun, and he shifted back to humans as the temperature warmed up. I slipped the files into a bag I didn’t realize I was wearing until now. I messed up the fur on his ears again which made him pout. I smiled softly to reassure him. 

“Hyung, where do we go now?” Dong-Sun asked, staring at the landscape in front of us in awe. 

There was a meadow that expanded out for kilometers before we reached the town. Green grass with different kinds of flowers and trees scattered about. I walked through the meadow with him and in a bit, we reached the town of Dallood, the place I grew up. The streets were busy, crowded with people full of marketing shops. I grabbed his hand as people stared at him. Everyone around us including myself had a tail present, but he had to hide his. My tail appeared and I led him to my place which was on the outskirts of the town by the forest beside it.  

“Where are we?” Dong-Sun asked. 

“Where I used to live,” I replied, heading inside with him.  

The whole house was made of wood with vines hanging over the door. The inside walls were made of stone and the floors of wood. I ran up the wooden stairs and into the room where I used to reside. The blankets and bed sheets were a mess on my bed. Scattered across my desk was a laptop, various papers and books too. It’s the same as when I left it. With hurried steps, I made my bed and organized my desk. I looked around and organized the shelf on the other side of the room. Much better. I looked at the smallest drawer, and I opened it up. Okay, it’s still there. I grabbed the file on myself and slipped it into my bag.  

I closed the small drawer and went downstairs. I looked around but Dong-Sun wasn’t in sight. Where is he? I searched around until I came across him in the living room, and I let out a sigh of relief. I followed his gaze to see what he was looking at, and I immediately looked away from the frame on the wall. It was a photo of me, my sister, and my mom together. 

“What happened to them?” Dong-Sun asked. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I murmured, my ears flattened, “Let’s just get to our next destination.” 

He slowly nodded and we left the house in silence. I looked back at the house one more final time before I walked toward the forest behind the place.  

“Where are we heading now?” Dong-Sun asked me. 

“Toward the library,” I replied. 

We continued our way into the woods and toward the library. His tail wagged back and forth as we made our way through the dense trees. As we started getting further from town, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. 

“What is it?” I asked. 

“I hear something,” Dong-Sun replied.  

The spikes on my tail bristled.  

“Where is it coming from?” 

“Underground.” 

I opened a passage to the underground passages, and we both went inside to see what was going on. I gasped as I saw a tall brown-haired boy covered in blood. I kneeled beside them, turning them over carefully, my eyes widening. The spike at the end of my tail lifted, pressing it into each wound to heal him. What the hell happened!?  

“Shik...” I murmured under my breath. 

I watched as his wounds healed, and the spike folded into my tail. Shik’s eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, looking at me and then at Dong-Sun. I quickly let my tail spikes relax.  

“You... You’re one of them...,” Shik sputtered. 

I looked at the ground, my wolf ears flattening.  

“I would never kill anyone!” I shouted, “Why would you think I would after everything we’ve been through!?” 

Shik stared at the ground. 

“I got to go,” he mumbled, running through the passage and back into the forests of Dallood.  

Dong-Sun gave me a look and I nodded. Why would he react like this? Shik is like a brother to me. Is it because he knows what I am now? I sniffed the air, and the smell of smoke hit my nostrils. I ran up into the forests of Dallood and he followed. We both ran toward the source.  

I stopped, putting my arm out to stop Dong-Sun. Shik as on his hands and his knees, flames engulfing his body. Screams of agony rip through the air as bone protrudes from his shoulder blades in the shape of wings. Firey feathers grew from the boned wing outline. The fire doesn’t burn anything around him, like he’s in complete control of it. The fire swirled and died down, leaving embers floating toward the sky. Sehun turned around and stared at both of us. 

“Shik... whatever it is, we can solve this,” I started carefully, “Are you okay?” 

“No...,” he replied, “I was attacked while trying to find you.” 

“Shit, are the others okay?” Dong-Sun questioned worriedly.  

“Yeah, they’re okay,” Shik replied.  

I opened my mouth to speak. 

“We off to the library then?” Dong-Sun interrupted.  

“Yes, we are,” I sighed. 

We back tracked the way we came toward the shack in the woods.  

“How is this a library?” Shik asked. 

I shot a small spike from my tail it flew into the lock. The door swung open. Dong-Sun's eyes widened and Shik’s face paled.  

“Are you sure you’re, okay?” I asked him. 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m okay,” He replied.  

I decided not to push it for now, and I guided both boys into the shack. Once we entered, the shack door shut behind us. We walked inside, coming into a more open space.  

“This is beautiful,” Dong-Sun muttered. 

The library was tall and stretched up for miles. The whole place was made of birch wood; the rails of the spiraling staircases had intricate designs. Each of the twenty levels had books on various topics.  

“Where are we headed?” Shik asked. 

I smiled and led him and Dong-Sun to the ninth level. I walked toward the back, placing my bag onto the empty desk I found familiar. I placed all the files on the desk.  

“I wonder why they were both in Heng’s room,” He pondered.  

“I do too,” I said.  

I opened Heng’s file, going through various papers inside. I handed Dong-Sun his own file to go through. I handed Shik the file in the Ziplock bag to go through. I saw his eyes widen. I looked at him.  

“What is it?” I asked.  

“There isn’t just information on me in here,” Dong-Sun replied, “There’s information on Chanwook.” 

“There’s info on Yong here too,” Shik added, gesturing to the file he was holding.  

“What does it say?” 

“Chanwook is... I’m not so sure,” Dong-Sun said, “I’ve never seen this species name before. What is a Kruxali?” 

I froze in my spot. Those creatures... 

“Are you okay Ko?” Shik asked, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

I shook my head and cleared my throat, getting back on track. 

“Oh, nothing,” I lied, “I thought it was familiar is all.” 

Shik raised an eyebrow, but he let it go.  

“Anyway, what does it say for Yong?” 

“He’s a cat hybrid.” 

Shik placed the file back in Ziplock and handed it to me. Dong-Sun passed me the other file, and I placed all three back into my bag.  

“We need to get back to Chanwook and Yong before they do,” He chimed in.  

“Who is they?” I asked, “You’ve said that to me before.” 

“It’s an organization located in Seoul,” Dong-Sun started, “E.C.H.O. is their name, stands for Experimental Cellular Hybridization Organization. They capture humans and turn them into hybrids.” 

“That’s horrible,” Shik said.  

“Now I understand why Heng is in danger,” I said. 

“It’s my fault,” Dong-Sun mumbled. 

“How?” I asked. 

He shook his head and ran; my eyes widened as he ran through one of the underground portals to the land above. Shit, I forgot to close it when we chased after Shik earlier. We ran after him and through the underground door. This time, I closed the rift, sealing it off.  

“Where are we?” Shik asked as we took in our surroundings.  

“I don’t know,” I replied, “We should be home, no?” 

“Yeah, we are,” Shik said, “We’re in the city though.” 

My ears and tail disappeared, and Shik’s wings burned into embers.  

“We need to find Dong-Sun.” 

“We have to get back to the dorms now!”  

[story-closet]

The Myth of the Ice Dragon

In the glacial lands of the Arctic, deep below the surface lay a large egg. The egg was a scaled icy blue, with seamed cracks glowing blue as a dormant power rested within. Along the surface, the night sky was illuminated by the stars, and northern lights danced across the sky as an eerie silence washed over the snow-covered glacier. The energy of the snow around the egg swirled in a magnificent display before it started to crack. A burst of glowing icy energy emitted from the egg; the shell scattered all over the ground as it cracked open violently. Sitting there in a fetal position was a lean male figure, faintly glowing, icy blue veins pulsing under his skin.

He had sharp yet naturally dark eyebrows, a slender and straight nose that balanced out at the bridge, matching his smooth and slightly hollowed cheeks. A sharp yet smooth jawline that softened at the curve, complementing his full, well-shaped lips with the subtle cupid bow on the bottom lip. His skin was fair and smooth, casting a dim, icy glow beneath the surface. His slightly tousled platinum blonde hair cascaded down his shoulders, the strands glittering and shimmering as a dormant power began to wake. A few strands fell in front of his face as he took his first breath. His eyes snapped open, irises glowing an icy blue before dimming; his large, expressive eyes filled with warm brown hues that dimly glowed with a soft, icy light.

He slowly stood up, lifting a hand and with one swift, powerful motion, the glacier cracked, bursting open. Powdery snow swirled around him, fitting him in a white frosted cloak. He quietly walked further, his bare feet moving through the dense blankets. The cold didn’t bother him, for he was the one who commanded these elements.

He continued to walk, almost tripping over something in the deep snow. As he bent down to get a closer look, it occurred to him that there was human unconsciousness. He felt their pulse, a frown playing on his lips as he felt a faint heartbeat.

As his gaze landed on their pale, blue-tinged form, he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. He didn’t know why, but something told him that it wasn’t this human time. It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

Without hesitation, he scooped the human up in his arms and walked back into the glacial cave where he had first emerged. He placed the human down in a patch of snow away from the glacial waters. Lifting his hands to create a thin, crystalized, glittering barrier of frost, his veins hummed with an icy ethereal glow as he channelled some of his energy into the human inside, protecting them from the biting cold.

The barrier shattered as the human began to wake, their eyes fluttering as they stirred in their groggy haze. Slowly, they sat up, their gaze sweeping across the glacial cave. Struggling to make sense of their surroundings, their eyes settled on the mystical figure that appeared slightly drained. The man’s veins shimmered faintly; the ethereal, icy blue glow dimming under his skin. It was clear the person who saved them was far from ordinary. The human hesitated, then opened their mouth to speak.

“Who... Who are you?”

“I go by many names, but you may call me Nivian,” He replied, his voice deep, filled with a warm undertone. “Rest assured, you are safe here."

They gawked at the cloaked figure in front of them, opening their mouth, but no words came. They couldn’t comprehend what he had witnessed, let alone the fact that they were still alive. The last thing they remembered was passing out during a hazardous blizzard.

“I... I shouldn’t be alive,” They stuttered, their heart pounding in their chest.

“You should be thankful you are alive,” Nivian replied gently, holding a stern undertone.

“How... How did you-?” They stumbled on their words.

“Some things are better left unsaid,” He replied calmly, his gaze landing on them. “What is your name?”

“My name is Camellia,” The human responded.

Nivian took in her appearance. She had supple skin paired with a fair tone; her jawline was sharp, yet rounded out, giving her a gentle, balanced look. She had doe-like eyes that complemented her medium, rounded nose. Her lips, almost full and small, formed a delicate heart. She had a slim, lean build that matched her refined features, too.

“It’s nice to meet you,” He greeted her.

“Nice to meet you too,” She responded quietly.

Something about Camellia was different—something he couldn’t place, yet it felt so familiar to him. A calm that soothed his soul like the rustling of the swaying tree branches. A gentle breeze; a soft reminder that everything would be okay. He studied her for a moment longer before he slowly stood up.

“Do you have a place to stay?” He asked.

She looked up at him and slowly stood up as well. She brushed the loose snow off her clothes before she took a breath to speak.

“Yes, I do,” She replied, “It’s a small cabin near the woods where I collapsed.”

Nivian led Camellia out of the glacier and led her toward the area she had collapsed in. He thought this would help her retrace her steps. He stopped on the hill and turned to look at her.

“Does this help you find your cabin?” He asked.

Camellia surveyed her surroundings to the best of her abilities. She saw some light through the trees at the bottom of the hill. Nivian noticed it, too. Both headed down the hill and toward the light. What they found was the cabin.

“Is this where you live?” He questioned.

“Yes,” Camellia replied.

She walked to the door and unlocked it, headed inside, and took her stuff off. As Nivian walked into the small cabin, he took in his surroundings and watched Camellia lock the door. It was warm and cozy inside, the dim light calming his senses. Only the essentials were strewn across the room. There were two other doors in the cabin: one for the bedroom and one for the bathroom. It was comforting despite the frigid air outside. It was small but cozy. He thought that’s why Camellia chose to live here. He noticed her cleaning up her belongings scattered across the couch; her movements were determined as she was cleaning up for a guest right in front of her.

“Sorry for the mess,” She apologized.

“No worries,” Nivian responded, “You didn’t know that these recent past events would happen, so take your time.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” 

[story-closet]

Blood of the Coven

He leans his arms on the railing of the bridge, overlooking the city of Seoul. It's been years since he'd been called upon by the council to serve his purpose. He sighed softly and looked down at the black glittering water below. He wasn't going to like returning to the vampire's realm.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked down the sidewalk. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished within seconds. He appeared in an ominous land. It was dark outside, but his piercing crimson eyes could see perfectly. He scrunched up his nose at the smell. He wasn't fond of it, contrary to what he was. He let out a breath and walked toward the royal mansion.

As he walked inside, he was greeted by the familiar scent of roses, and it was dimly lit as usual. His footsteps echoed across the marble floor as he wore boots with slight heels. He carefully took his hands out of his pockets and walked downstairs. As he took his last step down the stairs, he heard a familiar voice.

"Welcome back, Taehyun."

The muscular boy slowly turned around, as he wasn't fazed by the presence behind him. He only gave the female presence a hard stare.

"Why am I here, Morana?" He asked with a cold tone.

"You're here because your father is ill," She spoke softly.

Taehyun's eyes widened as he stared at his mother before his expression became blank again.

"That's not possible," He scoffed.

Morana took the prince's hand and led him to his father's bedroom. As the door opened, there he was, his father bedridden.

"We should stay away," Morana told him, "So we don't catch it."

"Yeah, whatever," Taehyun mumbled and turned on his heels before he walked away.

Morana sighed softly as he watched her son walk away. What did she do to deserve this? That's what she thought. She followed Taehyun and grabbed his wrist. The boy was stopped in his tracks, and he turned around, giving his mother another cold stare.

"Is there another reason I'm here, or can I leave?" He asked.

"There is another reason," Morana replied, "I'm sure you can guess what that is."

His eyes widened, unable to hide the sudden realization on his face. His face then hardened into a glare as he pulled his wrist away from her grasp; his hands clenched into fists.

"You're going to use me again, and for what!? So, my poor excuse for a father can survive this illness that I've never heard of!?" He yelled, his pupils dilating.

SLAP!

Taehyun grunted in pain, rubbing his burning cheek in pain. He felt tickles of blood underneath his fingers as he looked at the ground.

"If you were around more, you'd know that this illness had been recently discovered!" Morana yelled, licking the blood off her fingers.

"So, it's my fault now!?" Taehyun yelled back, looking at his mother in disgust, "All you ever did was use me!"

"You are an important asset to our coven," Morana spoke calmly, "We need your blood for your father to survive, for our king to survive."

"You never cared about your own son," he said through gritted teeth, "All you cared about was the damn coven."

"The coven is what helps everyone survive," Morana said.

"I'm not sacrificing myself for the good of this place," Taehyun hissed, "I'm done taking orders from you."

The Queen glared at Taehyun, her nails sharpening as she pinned her own son to the wall with the throat.

"You will do everything I tell you, or your friend's precious lives will be on the line, and I don't mean the other princes," She threatened.

"You wouldn't dare," He hissed, his claws growing.

Morana threw him across the room and glared at her son. The boy hit the back wall with a thud, falling to the ground and groaning in pain.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK AGAINST ME!"

Taehyun slowly pushed himself to his feet and off the ground, his eyes glowing with a fiery hatred. "You can die for all I care," He spat, "You never treated me like an actual son. Who are you to call me that!?"

The Queen's expression faltered, but only for a second before it returned to a scowl. This didn't go unnoticed by her son, but he chalked it up to a tactic of manipulation. With that, he left the mansion, gritting his teeth in frustration. He walked down the path of the mansion toward the gardens where white roses grew. He found it ironic that his mother grew these flowers here. In a place that reeked of death, something as pure and innocent as the white rose shouldn't be here.

Taehyun sighed softly, shuffling his feet against the dirt path as he thought to himself. What bothered him the most was the slight falter in his mother's expression. In that quick moment, there was a genuine feeling behind it, yet the way she covered it up so quickly bothered him, too. He looked back toward the white roses. They stood so perfectly among the chaos of the realm. A reminder to be kept or all would be lost.

He looked up at the crescent moon that hung in the sky. He wondered if he should try and see his father, but he was also hesitant. He didn't know if his mother was telling the truth or not, or if she was being her manipulative self again.

He looked toward the infirmary in the mansion, smiling at himself a little. It was still in the same place after all this time. He walked over to the window where the infirmary was and opened the window, quietly climbing inside, carefully shutting the window. He turned around, seeing the figure of his father on a hospital bed, wires attached to him as if he were human. He walked over, pulled a chair beside the bed, and sat down beside his father. He gently grabbed his father's hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. He could feel the veins under his father's hand bulge, blacken, and protrude. He knew his father wasn't the best person, but when it came down to who was the better parent, it was the father. He drew in a shaky breath before speaking. 

"Whatever I said about you before, I didn't mean it," Taehyun started, "You may have had your moments, but I realize that you tried the hardest. I hope you know that I love you more than anything."

He felt a strong squeeze against his hand, and his expression faltered. He looked over to see his father with his eyes barely open.

"Kang Taehyun...," He whispered, "Don't listen to your mother, you don't have to do this."

"I want to," He replied, "I decided. The better parent deserves to live."

Before the father could reject his own son, Taehyun cut his wrist with his fangs and let a few drops drip into his father's mouth. "Only a few drops will heal you," Taehyun spoke, "Mother forgot to mention I'm immune to any disease."

He let his wrist heal, watching as his father slowly came.

"Thank you...," His father said weakly.

"Of course," Taehyun responded, "Is anyone else sick?" "No, it was just me," His father responded.

Taehyun felt uneasy, pooling in the pit of his stomach before he turned to face his father.

"So, Morana was trying to use me," He mumbled.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he instinctively flinched. He relaxed when he saw it was his father; his expression softened slightly.

"Taehyun, you are a good son," His father assured him, "I'm sorry for my wrongdoings, I only wanted the best for you. Your mother isn't like she used to be."

Taehyun looked at him, his eyebrows furrowing.

"How?" He asked, "She's always been a terrible mother to me."

"Before you were born, your mother was innocent and pure like that of a white rose," His father spoke,

"When she was crowned Queen, around the time you turned three, everything changed. When her father found out about your abilities, he manipulated her into believing that you were the one to keep the coven alive.

"Because of her father's manipulation, she is stuck on the idea of her son being an object for a better purpose."

Taehyun nodded slowly, digesting the information that was given to him.

"It doesn't change what she did," he said bitterly. 

"Yes, that's true," His father agreed, "That's why you need to flee and find those friends of yours before it's too late." 

Taehyun immediately snuck out the window and shut it upon hearing the door open. He quietly shut the window and made his way toward the garden again. As he walked over and turned the corner, his heart sank.

In the middle of the white roses, a familiar figure was sprawled on the ground, limp and cold. He clenched his jaw at the sight of the white roses splattered with the figure's blood. He bent down as he examined the figure, letting out a shaky breath as he got closer. "No no no no no...," He whispered, pulling the body close to him, holding them in his arms, cradling them as tears threatened to spill.

"KAI!" He cried out, tears streaming down his face as he cradled his best friend's body.

He couldn't believe his mother stooped this low. He was used to the threats, but he didn't expect her to act on them. He clutched his friend's body, sobbing uncontrollably, his cries echoing through the darkness of the eternal night of the realm. Blood dripped from the white roses in the garden, soaking into the soiled roots of the flowers. Whatever meaning they had before would be lost forever.  

[elexuscal]

"what did students do before chatgpt?" well one time i forgot i had a history essay due at my 10am class the morning of so over the course of my 30 minute bus ride to school i awkwardly used by backpack as a desk, sped wrote the essay, and got an A on it.

six months later i re-read the essay prior to the final exam, went 'ohhhh yeah i remember this', got a question on that topic, and aced it.

point being that actually doing the work is how you learn the material and internalize it. ChatGPT can give you a short cut but it won't build you the the muscles.

[lierdumoa]

I think of an art teacher I had once who said he used to be terrible at drawing hands until he bought a book with 100 pictures of hands shown from various angles and drew each hand in the book 10 times. Magically, after drawing 1,000 pictures of hands, he wasn't bad at drawing hands anymore.

The reason OP could bullshit a decent essay in a 30 minute bus ride is because OP knew how to write and craft a well-reasoned analysis thanks to a childhood full of writing and critical thinking practice.

Feel like I'm transforming into one of those reddit assholes, but this genuinely is just a "skill issue" and you really do just have to "git gud."

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

To be clear people did still cheat before chatgpt. People copy-pasted their homework questions onto Yahoo Answers and copy-pasted the answers into their assignments without really reading them. People paid their older siblings to write their essays for them. People found online versions of similar essays and submitted them as their own.

But everyone knew that this was cheating. If someone got caught, they would be in trouble. They wouldn't openly tell their teacher "yeah I didn't have time so my sister wrote it -- efficient, huh?" If someone in a parent-teacher meeting had said to a teacher "it's not fair that you won't accept this essay that I wrote and put my child's name on!", everyone would agree that that parent had lost the fucking plot. The kid writes their own essay, that's the point of the essay. To teach the kid and to allow the teacher to assess their knowledge. The teacher doesn't set these things because they really love spending an afternoon grading fucking essays.

Using chatGPT for your essay is the same as having your mum write it for you, if your mum isn't very smart and sucks at research. "Oh but I just get chatGPT to do the draft and then edit it myself" do you think that if your mum wrote your essay and you went in and changed some of her writing quirks to be more like your writing quirks it suddenly isn't cheating? Write your own fucking essay, or at the very least acknowledge that you are cheating your way through school.

[story-closet]

A Pearl's Sacrifice

"They live for 300 years, simply to become sea foam. Creatures of the ocean, bound to the waters, the life that lives underneath. Their scales shimmer beautifully under the glittering sun, yet their songs are said to be dangerous to those who wander across them while sailing. Living longer than humans, they experience more of the world than we ever could. When we die, our souls reincarnate into someone else, but our memories of our previous life disappear. That's what makes our lives so valuable."

He thought about this every night before he went to bed. The words of his best friend kept repeating in his mind. Is it true? Do these magical creatures of the sea really exist? He rocked himself back before leaning forward as he sat up. He got out of bed, opened the curtains of his window to see that it was the crack of dawn. He looked toward the ocean waters along the nearby sandy beach. He grabbed his hoodie off the chair by his desk and put it on, slipping on his shoes, and heading out the door quietly. He jogged down to the water as it wasn't far from where he lived. He stopped by the water's edge, smiling softly at the sound of the water silently washing onto the shore. The smell of the salty seas, coupled with the chilly morning air, was soothing.

The ocean always seemed to call him, but he didn't mind. It sent a sense of calmness and tranquillity through him. He took his shoes and socks off before he stepped into the water, letting the cool water wash over his feet. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the breeze tousle his hair and rustle his clothes.

"Chris!"

He spun around to see that his best friend was calling over to him. He smiled softly at the freckled boy who had just called his name, watching them jog over.

"Felix, I didn't think you'd be awake this early, too," Chris spoke up, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's okay," Felix assured him, joining the older boy in the shallow water.

Both boys stood, staring out into the expansive sea, a gentle breeze blowing past them. As they stared, his mind started to wander. Upon hearing the waves, he closed his eyes, flitting images of a man under the water with a glittering, scaled tail, beautiful and alluring as they swam through the water. The smell of salt brought him to a first-person view in his mind, imagining himself as the one he saw swimming.

"Do you really think they exist?" Chris asked, opening his eyes.

"As far as we know, they're just legends," Felix explained, looking back at him, "Even so, all they do is lure sailors to their death."

"Don't you want to know what it's like?"

"What is it like to what?"

"To be like them."

Felix sighed softly and ran a hand through his long blonde hair. He looked at him with a serious expression.

"To be human is something special," He warned, "Trying to become something else always has dire consequences."

Chris looked at the water below. Felix patted his shoulder and smiled softly at him before he pulled his hand away and went back toward the house, incredibly worried upon hearing his best friend say this to him. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He swallowed, forcing his emotions back as he walked toward the door. He turned to look at his friend one final time before heading inside.

Felix choked out a sigh as he sat down in a chair in the living room. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he thought to himself. Chris only took this kind of interest when he told him about the mermaids. He gritted his teeth and leaned back in the chair.

"I shouldn't have told him," He mumbled to himself, "I'm an idiot."

Chris made his way toward the docks, sat down on the edge to let his feet dry. He knew Felix was right, but another part of him wanted this. He wanted more than just this normal life. He wished to see more of the world, even the most mystical aspects. He looked toward the water, watching as the water brushed against the pillars holding the dock up on the water. He looked out toward the open ocean, and he saw something surface a little. It glittered a little in a small light. He dived into the water and started to swim toward it, and saw the beautiful creature cautiously approach him. His eyes widened, the salt burning his eyes, but he ignored it. He couldn't believe his own eyes right now. He stared at the beautiful girl in front of him as he held his breath. She had soft, supple skin, her eyes an attractive amber colour. As the sun rose, the scales of her blue, cerulean tail shimmered in the light.

He surfaced to catch his breath. The creature looked at Chris with curiosity, as if she wondered why he needed to go above the water. She then remembered humans needed air above the water to breathe; at least that's what she's heard in stories from her people. When he went back underwater and adjusted to the saltwater stinging his eyes once more, he opened them to see that the creature was holding a pearl in her hand; her arm outstretched toward him. He hesitantly grabbed the pearl from her hand and held it on his own. He wrapped his fingers around it, and the creature grabbed his hand and pulled him to the surface. Chris looked up and noticed they were under the docks.

"Do you have a name?" Chris asked.

"Undina," She replied.

He blinked and looked at her eyes. He was surprised they spoke, let alone spoke the same language humans do.

"Why did you give me this?" He asked, referencing the pearl he was holding in his hand.

"I heard you and your friend talking, but your friend is right too," She replied, "Human beings are precious. Mom told me that being a mermaid is precious, too and becoming something else in an unnatural way comes at a cost."

"What do I do with it?"

"I'm afraid that if you want to be what I am, you'll have to drown yourself in these waters with the pearl in your mouth," She explained, "If the pearl falls out of your mouth while drowning, you'll die."

"Oh."

Chris stared at the pearl in his palm. Why did she even give it to him? How long had this mermaid been watching him and Felix? Before he could open his mouth to speak, she was gone. He quietly got out of the water and pulled himself up onto the dock. He sat there, staring at the pearl in his palm again. Why didn't that mermaid drown at him? Was it because she wanted to be like him? Or did she feel pity for him? He sighed softly and closed his hand around the pearl, staring out toward the ocean. He wanted to be like them so badly, but it came at a cost, a deadly cost. All he ever wanted was to see the world from a different perspective, to break free from the ordinary state of the world. He felt a presence beside him, turning to look over. He saw that Felix was now sitting beside him.

"What are you doing over here?" Chris asked.

"Checking on you," Felix replied, "You didn't come back."

"I'm fine."

"Wait- did you go for a swim?"

"I did."

"What's in your hand?"

Chris quietly uncurled his fingers to show the pearl that was in his hand.

"Where did you get that?" Felix asked, his eyes widening as he looked between him and the pearl.

"A mermaid gave it to me," Chris replied quietly.

"You're not thinking of- Chris, you can't!"

"I'm thinking about it..."

Chris closed his hand around the pearl again and stared at the water. Felix placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder and looked at him. "Don't ruin your life over this," Felix warned him, "What if you actually die?"

"It's the risk I'm prepared to take," He replied.

Felix frowned and slowly stood up.

"I refuse to lose my best friend," Felix mumbled bitterly.

Chris sighed softly and looked toward the ocean again. The sun had almost risen. He had to decide whether he would become like a mermaid or not soon. Felix watched him as he exhaled shakily. He didn't want anything to happen to his best friend. He grabbed Chris's wrist before the older boy could jump off the dock.

"I said don't!" He yelled, "I can't lose you!"

Chris twisted his wrist and pulled it out of Felix's grasp.

"You're not going to lose me!" Chris yelled back, "You'll see me from time to time!"

"I can't live like that!" Felix yelled, "I can't imagine my life without you!"

"You can't decide what I want!"

"I never should've told you about them!"

Felix shoved Chris into the water. Chris's eyes widened as he quickly put the pearl in his mouth before his body hit the water with a splash. Felix's eyes widened as he realized what he had just done.

"Chris!"

Chris let himself sink below the water before he purposely inhaled deeply, letting water fill his lungs. His body instinctively jerked as he kept inhaling voluntarily. He clenched his mouth shut, gritting his teeth as he made sure the pearl stayed in his mouth the best he could. It was hard to move from the pressure of the water surrounding him. His insides burned, clenching his eyes shut as he bared the torture he felt. He felt his body jerk again; his vision spotted. He tried to move to look around him, but he couldn't. He looked up at the sun, now shining through the water. It was beautiful. Bubbles of water came out of his nose as his eyes rolled back into his head.

Felix frantically searched the water, but Chris's body was gone. 

[story-closet]

The Flower Shop

He was setting up different flowers in his shop, from roses, calla lilies, hydrangeas, to sunflowers, baby's breath, and daisies. He smiled softly. This was the change of direction he needed. A change of pace. Something to get his mind off the hardships he's gone through recently. He went into the back room and put on his apron after changing into some simple clothes. Just a loose-fitting t-shirt along with a pair of blue jeans. He looked in the mirror and smiled again. That would do it. He looked over and noticed the bat box outside when he exited the back. 

"Hey Eryx," He greeted, "It's been a while."

He heard the bat squeak softly.  "I'll feed you later, okay?"

He nodded his head and smiled before heading back inside. He turned the lights on and flipped the sign to open; something this shop hadn't seen in years. He went behind the counter and made sure the cash register worked before he checked to make sure everything was in working order. He dusted things off and made it look like the store wasn't closed for a long time. 

It sure was great to be back home after all this time. He looked around the shop as he waited for anyone to show up and do business with him or buy some flowers. Everything looked so familiar to him. The wooden walls, the wooden floors, and the flowers decoratively arranged around the shop. He missed it. He reminisced on the memories of this place, smiling to himself as he stood there. 

"Hello?" A soft voice spoke from the entrance.

His head shot up, and he looked at the girl in front of him. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize that someone had walked in. He smiled as he greeted him.

"Hello, is there anything you need help with?" he asked politely.

"Uh... yes," She replied, "I was hoping to find some hydrangeas for a friend of mine."

He walked over to the front of the store where the hydrangeas were, leading the young girl to follow him.

"What colour of hydrangeas are you looking for?" He asked.

"Purple, please," The girl responded.

He nodded and carefully grabbed a few hydrangeas with delicate fingers. He wrapped them up carefully once he walked back to the front counter and went behind it. He placed the flowers on the counter for the girl.

"That'll be thirty dollars," he said as he put in the product number in the cash register. "So why purple hydrangeas?"

"I'm getting them for a friend I haven't seen in a long time," She replied as she paid for the flowers, "I heard he was back in town, and I wanted to give these to him."

"That's sweet of you," He responded, "I hope whoever you're looking for will enjoy these very much."

She grabbed the wrapped hydrangeas and smiled brightly before exiting the flower shop. He smiled to himself as he thought about why she wanted to buy those hydrangeas. It was very sweet of her to do that. He thought that maybe she didn't recognize him after all these years, and that's why their interaction went the way it did. He didn't mind, though. It gave him time to adjust to this town again.

He had served a couple more people throughout the day before he closed the shop. He flipped the sign to close, and he turned the lights off while he grabbed his bag. He went out the front door and locked it before he headed to the back, which was always locked from the outside. He checked the bat box on the back of the building, noticing Eryx crawl out and flap his wings to land on Kai's arm.

"Hey, little guy, let's get you something to drink," He smiled, and he pulled his shirt sleeve up.

Eryx took this as a sign and crawled down Kai's arm carefully, finding a vein in his wrist. He bared his tiny fangs and cut his skin, starting to lap up the blood coming from the tiny cut on Kai's forearm. He didn't mind this as he always did this with Eryx. He's glad the bat, now fed on his blood, had been feeding on animal blood to stay alive this entire time. He watched as Eryx continued to lap up his blood before he turned to face Kai, feeling full. He let out a contented squeak before flying up to Kai's shoulder. Kai smiled softly at Eryx, his head perking up as he heard light footsteps on the gravel coming toward him. Eryx quickly flew off into the trees, and Kai immediately walked toward the footsteps. As he turned the corner, he saw her. It was the girl from earlier. 

"Oh- Sienna," He blurted out, "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to give something to you," She replied, "I didn't realize it before, but now I do."

"That I was the flower shop owner?"

"Yeah."

She smiled softly and handed Kai the purple hydrangeas. He smiled back as he retrieved the hydrangeas from her. He carefully placed the flowers in his bag and put the bag over his shoulders. 

"I didn't think you'd return," Sienna said as she looked up at Kai.

"There were...," He trailed off as he tried to think of a response, "There were things I had to get away from for a bit."

"What things?" she asked curiously, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Things that... personal things," He replied, looking down at her.

"What personal things?" She demanded, "Why are you always so secretive, Kai?"

"Look, you're my friend, but these kinds of things I'm not ready to share with you."

"I thought friends told each other everything."

"Like you don't have things you don't tell me?"

Sienna sighed.

"It's just that you've never contacted me after you left with both your sisters that one night," She replied.

"I get that you're worried, but I'm not ready to tell you what I've been dealing with," Kai huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

His senses were acute, felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He breathed heavily, looked around as his emotions amplified.

"Kai?" Sienna asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," He replied, turned away from her.

"You don't look fine."

"I said I'm fine!"

Sienna jumped and took a step back. Kai's back was facing her. She had no idea what her friend was going through. He could feel the veins under his eyes starting to darken, his pupils dilating as the irises turned crimson. He looked around frantically, trying to figure out a way out of this situation.

"Whatever it is, you can talk to me," Sienna assured him.

"I... I need to go," Kai replied and quickly ran off.

"Kai, wait!"

She ran around the corner of the flower shop to the front, but saw nothing but an empty parking lot. 

[story-closet]

I'm going to start revising my poetry once again and post it here when I can. I watched Dead Poet's Society last night at 1am because I couldn't sleep and it inspired me, despite THE 10 MINUTES OF CRYING I DID.

Anyway, look forward to that, yeah?

Love you, bye.

[nick-nellson]

Dead Poets Society (1989) dir. Peter Weir

[dionysiaproductions]

[thefugitivesaint]

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), poem 85 from “The Gardener”, 1914 Translated by the author from the original Bengali. New York: The Macmillan Company.

[grammarpedant]

It is an hundred years hence now. Go open your doors.

[story-closet]

This is beautiful. I think I'll put this book in my reading list

[dontsteponourgowns]

Has anyone here read red queen bc I NEED someone to rant to

[story-closet]

No because WDYM CAL BETRAYS MARE!?

[queen-of-the-merry-men]

When writing always remember… a character flaw is only a flaw until becomes useful. 

Is your protagonist manipulative? Well that’s awful… until they manipulate the antagonist into making a decision that saves the lives of their friends. 

Is your protagonist a skeptic? Well that’s not good… until someone tries to lie to them. 

Is your protagonist overprotective? That sucks… until someone they love is in danger. 

Is your protagonist remorseless? Well that makes them pretty unlikeable… until a hard decision has to be made. 

[saeronovace]

[susiephone]

The flipside is also true!

Your protagonist is honest? That’s good… until their survival depends on them being able to lie convincingly.

Your protagonist is brave? That’s good… until they foolishly run headlong into danger without a thought for the consequences.

Your protagonist is forgiving and able to see good in everyone? That’s good… until they continually forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it, and get taken advantage of because they can’t fathom that some people just suck.

Your protagonist is funny? That’s good… until they piss off everyone around them because they don’t seem to be taking the situation seriously, and they keep avoiding dealing with their problems by hiding behind humor.

Most personality traits aren’t inherently good or bad. It’s all about context, and how far they go.

[theglitchywriterboi]

I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you're able to write loads & make lots of progress <3

[chanstopher]

Bang Chan ✧ Railway Unveil

[story-closet]

The story ideas I get from these gifs alone part two