REMNANTS: Writing Contest (winner p. 3) | Creative Corner

@Dembai I hope this is good enough to win! ~~I've been wanting a remnant for a few months now.~~

USERNAME: JadedMagi
REMNANT'S NAME: Majikaali
PRONOUNS: Male (he/him)
ENTRY: Normally I'd spin you a recreation of the tale of how spiders came to be and why it's not good to boast or brag too much or a fable about a simple spider who taught a big lion quite a lesson on niceness...but that's not why I'm here today. Today I am not here to tell stories of myths from long ago...today I am here to tell you a truth.

I am the story-teller. My real name is unimportant so I'll keep it to myself...it's better this way...knowing my name gives you the power to summon me and I would prefer to stay in my current realm. It's safer here. Safer for you that you don't have the power to accidentally summon me whilst you sleep.

The truth I am here to tell you about today was not always known to me, so I have a story too...a story about how this truth revealed itself to me...you need not worry about getting bored. It's a rather short story I promise and one I believe you might find interesting...if even a little scary at first.
Please, relax, I tell you this not to instill fear in you but to give you the knowledge to know better than I did. So my fate doesn't fall upon you next.

At night, when you dream, where do you think your mind goes? Whilst you sleep your body lies in your bed but...your mind tends to wander away from it. Dreaming, it's called. Be wary of the places your dreams take you, not all of them are safe.

I spread the word of how your very own dreams can be your worst nightmares in disguise.

Lucid dreaming it's called.

Paul Tholey laid the epistemological basis for the research of lucid dreams, proposing seven different conditions of clarity that a dream must fulfill in order to be defined as a lucid dream:

1. Awareness of the dream state (orientation)
2. Awareness of the capacity to make decisions
3. Awareness of memory functions
4. Awareness of self
5. Awareness of the dream environment
6. Awareness of the meaning of the dream
And 7. Awareness of concentration and focus (the subjective clarity of that state).

Later, in 1992, a study by Deirdre Barrett examined whether lucid dreams contained four "corollaries" of lucidity:

1. The dreamer is aware that they are dreaming
2. Objects disappear after waking
3. Physical laws need not apply in the dream
4. The dreamer has a clear memory of the waking world

But

What happens if a dreamer of a so-called lucid dream knows not they are dreaming? Is it still considered a lucid dream?? What if a select few of these requirements are not met?

The results can be dangerous.

Thinking a lucid dream is reality or not knowing 'tis only a dream...can be fatal. Dreams often turn dark with little to no warning. What happens if you're having a lucid dream about walking through a dark yet beautiful forest? You can't see the dark creature that lurks in the shadows just on the edges of your peripheral vision...not until it attacks you...and kills you.

...but you can't die if you're dreaming right?

Wrong.

If you don't know it's a dream and you die...it can put your body into extreme shock. It CAN kill you. You could die in your dream and never even know you were dreaming.

That's what happened to me. It's why, in death, I became a sleep paralysis demon. And soon your fate may be the same...I AM getting hungry again. Who's to say I won't be the monster who kills you in your dreams when you don't even remember falling asleep?!

Or...maybe...I'm just your vivid imagination twisting up into a nightmare as you doze off on the couch. Maybe you don't want to find out the truth...maybe you need to wake up from your coma...that last lucid dream you had was almost the death of you.

Just be careful when you wake up, your reality might turn out to be a little different than you were expecting...you HAVE been dreaming this whole time after all. Or maybe you'll wake up into the dream...you can't escape now.

NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR (me): This is mostly fiction...a twisted jumble of facts on lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, fear, the dreaming mind, and the effect your brain and what you perceive to be true has on your body...all crammed into a single nightmarish tale of caution to dreamers to be careful what they perceive to be real while sleeping. Though mostly fictional there are a few truths to be found if one is knowledgeable on these topics HOWEVER the way I worded my prompt is to make it seem entirely fantastical (and slightly confusing near the end) so the horror aspect (hopefully) doesn't scare younger users too badly. ~~I can't really write anything but scary stuff these days, sorry.~~ I also referenced two different myths in the first paragraph that are meant to teach moral lessons (The story of Athena and Arachne from Greek mythology and The Lion and the spider from African mythology/folklore) I also later in my story refer to the story-teller as a sleep paralysis demon...really he is Anansi, the trickster who appears as a spider, from West African mythology.

JadedJester

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August 19, 2019 04:25:25

@Dembai I hope this is good enough to win! ~~I've been wanting a remnant for a few months now.~~

USERNAME: JadedMagi
REMNANT'S NAME: Majikaali
PRONOUNS: Male (he/him)
ENTRY: Normally I'd spin you a recreation of the tale of how spiders came to be and why it's not good to boast or brag too much or a fable about a simple spider who taught a big lion quite a lesson on niceness...but that's not why I'm here today. Today I am not here to tell stories of myths from long ago...today I am here to tell you a truth.

I am the story-teller. My real name is unimportant so I'll keep it to myself...it's better this way...knowing my name gives you the power to summon me and I would prefer to stay in my current realm. It's safer here. Safer for you that you don't have the power to accidentally summon me whilst you sleep.

The truth I am here to tell you about today was not always known to me, so I have a story too...a story about how this truth revealed itself to me...you need not worry about getting bored. It's a rather short story I promise and one I believe you might find interesting...if even a little scary at first.
Please, relax, I tell you this not to instill fear in you but to give you the knowledge to know better than I did. So my fate doesn't fall upon you next.

At night, when you dream, where do you think your mind goes? Whilst you sleep your body lies in your bed but...your mind tends to wander away from it. Dreaming, it's called. Be wary of the places your dreams take you, not all of them are safe.

I spread the word of how your very own dreams can be your worst nightmares in disguise.

Lucid dreaming it's called.

Paul Tholey laid the epistemological basis for the research of lucid dreams, proposing seven different conditions of clarity that a dream must fulfill in order to be defined as a lucid dream:

1. Awareness of the dream state (orientation)
2. Awareness of the capacity to make decisions
3. Awareness of memory functions
4. Awareness of self
5. Awareness of the dream environment
6. Awareness of the meaning of the dream
And 7. Awareness of concentration and focus (the subjective clarity of that state).

Later, in 1992, a study by Deirdre Barrett examined whether lucid dreams contained four "corollaries" of lucidity:

1. The dreamer is aware that they are dreaming
2. Objects disappear after waking
3. Physical laws need not apply in the dream
4. The dreamer has a clear memory of the waking world

But

What happens if a dreamer of a so-called lucid dream knows not they are dreaming? Is it still considered a lucid dream?? What if a select few of these requirements are not met?

The results can be dangerous.

Thinking a lucid dream is reality or not knowing 'tis only a dream...can be fatal. Dreams often turn dark with little to no warning. What happens if you're having a lucid dream about walking through a dark yet beautiful forest? You can't see the dark creature that lurks in the shadows just on the edges of your peripheral vision...not until it attacks you...and kills you.

...but you can't die if you're dreaming right?

Wrong.

If you don't know it's a dream and you die...it can put your body into extreme shock. It CAN kill you. You could die in your dream and never even know you were dreaming.

That's what happened to me. It's why, in death, I became a sleep paralysis demon. And soon your fate may be the same...I AM getting hungry again. Who's to say I won't be the monster who kills you in your dreams when you don't even remember falling asleep?!

Or...maybe...I'm just your vivid imagination twisting up into a nightmare as you doze off on the couch. Maybe you don't want to find out the truth...maybe you need to wake up from your coma...that last lucid dream you had was almost the death of you.

Just be careful when you wake up, your reality might turn out to be a little different than you were expecting...you HAVE been dreaming this whole time after all. Or maybe you'll wake up into the dream...you can't escape now.

NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR (me): This is mostly fiction...a twisted jumble of facts on lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, fear, the dreaming mind, and the effect your brain and what you perceive to be true has on your body...all crammed into a single nightmarish tale of caution to dreamers to be careful what they perceive to be real while sleeping. Though mostly fictional there are a few truths to be found if one is knowledgeable on these topics HOWEVER the way I worded my prompt is to make it seem entirely fantastical (and slightly confusing near the end) so the horror aspect (hopefully) doesn't scare younger users too badly. ~~I can't really write anything but scary stuff these days, sorry.~~ I also referenced two different myths in the first paragraph that are meant to teach moral lessons (The story of Athena and Arachne from Greek mythology and The Lion and the spider from African mythology/folklore) I also later in my story refer to the story-teller as a sleep paralysis demon...really he is Anansi, the trickster who appears as a spider, from West African mythology.

bump!

(I've been thinking this prompt is too hard but I'm glad I got one entry. I haven't read it yet, though!)

Dembai

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August 19, 2019 07:58:03

bump!

(I've been thinking this prompt is too hard but I'm glad I got one entry. I haven't read it yet, though!)

USERNAME: DetectivePopcorn
REMNANT'S NAME: My'lock
PRONOUNS: male, he/him
ENTRY:

The Limerick of the Rag Man

~~~

The town of Everfrown was gloom and glum
A grumble the common greeting for everyone
It was uncommon to talk
At a favor they'd balk
Only concerned with their own problems to come

On a cloudy day, with a storm and no sun
While children sat round, having no fun
A man in rags came
And offered a change
To sell happiness for a mere meager sum.

The children and town's folk all gathered round
Their faces painted with perpetual frown
A miserable lot
who had long since forgot
How happiness even was found.

For Blacksmith John had never a bed.
Baker Tom complained of his hair of red
Jane longed for a boy
Jack wanted new toys
And Jimbo cried bout' a bruise on his head.

Rag man listened as the town's folk whined
About their empty pockets and their love declined
As he hung up a rope
The village lost hope
For they realized he was likely out of his mind.

"But wait-" he said. "For here's the deal.
Hang your sorrows, and let yourself heal."
So Baker Tom shrugged
From his head tugged
And suddenly he was bald as an eel.

The townsfolk took turns, till their problems all hung
And the rag man watched, and when it was done
Turned to the crowd
And with a slow bow
Said "Now, in turn, you must all go take one."

For a moment they froze, not a word was said.
Till old hairless Jim put Tom's hair on his head.
Some traded bad smell
for a farmer's dry spell
And Tom took the hunger, for he could make bread

Some walked up sheepish, hoping no one would see
For not a single thing hanging they could agree
was better than what
they had given up
So they took their own problem back for free.

When all was done, and the line was clear
The man of rags smiled, from ear to ear
for all seemed content
and there wasn't a hint
That they'd complain for the rest of the year.

For he had taught them to talk, taught them to care
That their neighbors had struggles, from money to hair
And from then on
Even when ragman was gone
The town never hesitated to share.

So my original entry didn't fit the prompt. I think I misread it. Anyways, last night I wrote a poem I found more suitable. This is the third piece of writing I've done for this contest whoops. I left the links up in case anyone wants to read it.

Here's a link to the picture on imgur

and here is a link to a google doc with the plain text for judging and checking word count. I know the newspaper can be hard to read and I know you have bad eyes Demby I'm sooorrrrrrryyyy!!

Author's note: I wanted to make a story that seemed like it could be rooted in the real world, and as you read it, became stranger and stranger till you started to question if it was fantasy, and then reveal the truth in the end. I wrote all of Jacen Archimedes story out, about how he captured Kavi and solved the case but that was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than 2k words. Then I got the idea to sum it up as a newspaper article!

DetectivePopcorn

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August 19, 2019 12:06:32

USERNAME: DetectivePopcorn
REMNANT'S NAME: My'lock
PRONOUNS: male, he/him
ENTRY:

The Limerick of the Rag Man

~~~

The town of Everfrown was gloom and glum
A grumble the common greeting for everyone
It was uncommon to talk
At a favor they'd balk
Only concerned with their own problems to come

On a cloudy day, with a storm and no sun
While children sat round, having no fun
A man in rags came
And offered a change
To sell happiness for a mere meager sum.

The children and town's folk all gathered round
Their faces painted with perpetual frown
A miserable lot
who had long since forgot
How happiness even was found.

For Blacksmith John had never a bed.
Baker Tom complained of his hair of red
Jane longed for a boy
Jack wanted new toys
And Jimbo cried bout' a bruise on his head.

Rag man listened as the town's folk whined
About their empty pockets and their love declined
As he hung up a rope
The village lost hope
For they realized he was likely out of his mind.

"But wait-" he said. "For here's the deal.
Hang your sorrows, and let yourself heal."
So Baker Tom shrugged
From his head tugged
And suddenly he was bald as an eel.

The townsfolk took turns, till their problems all hung
And the rag man watched, and when it was done
Turned to the crowd
And with a slow bow
Said "Now, in turn, you must all go take one."

For a moment they froze, not a word was said.
Till old hairless Jim put Tom's hair on his head.
Some traded bad smell
for a farmer's dry spell
And Tom took the hunger, for he could make bread

Some walked up sheepish, hoping no one would see
For not a single thing hanging they could agree
was better than what
they had given up
So they took their own problem back for free.

When all was done, and the line was clear
The man of rags smiled, from ear to ear
for all seemed content
and there wasn't a hint
That they'd complain for the rest of the year.

For he had taught them to talk, taught them to care
That their neighbors had struggles, from money to hair
And from then on
Even when ragman was gone
The town never hesitated to share.

So my original entry didn't fit the prompt. I think I misread it. Anyways, last night I wrote a poem I found more suitable. This is the third piece of writing I've done for this contest whoops. I left the links up in case anyone wants to read it.

Here's a link to the picture on imgur

and here is a link to a google doc with the plain text for judging and checking word count. I know the newspaper can be hard to read and I know you have bad eyes Demby I'm sooorrrrrrryyyy!!

Author's note: I wanted to make a story that seemed like it could be rooted in the real world, and as you read it, became stranger and stranger till you started to question if it was fantasy, and then reveal the truth in the end. I wrote all of Jacen Archimedes story out, about how he captured Kavi and solved the case but that was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than 2k words. Then I got the idea to sum it up as a newspaper article!

Last edited on Aug 29, 2019 09:21:30 by DetectivePopcorn

USERNAME: chorderaos
REMNANT'S NAME: Phrixus
PRONOUNS: They/him
ENTRY:
Rules of Engagement:
1. Not all battles are worth fighting.
2. Your partner is your lifeline.
3. In case of separation, it is never best to flee.
4. Your strongest weapon can sometimes be your own weakness.
5. Weapons are not always necessary. Do not engage in unnecessary things.
6. Always listen; ignorance is destruction.
7. Sharing is caring. Help not just your partner nor just yourself; share as much as you are able.
8. Never listen too closely.

Notes from the author: Uh, so... sudden random inspiration here. On Tumblr, I have seen some of these "tips for how to X" with most often supernatural context with seemingly very good, real advice. So... here's this. Referencing three types of "engagement" in one. Battle engagement, marriage engagement, and engagement with supernatural/fantastical things.

chorderaos

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August 20, 2019 05:20:38

USERNAME: chorderaos
REMNANT'S NAME: Phrixus
PRONOUNS: They/him
ENTRY:
Rules of Engagement:
1. Not all battles are worth fighting.
2. Your partner is your lifeline.
3. In case of separation, it is never best to flee.
4. Your strongest weapon can sometimes be your own weakness.
5. Weapons are not always necessary. Do not engage in unnecessary things.
6. Always listen; ignorance is destruction.
7. Sharing is caring. Help not just your partner nor just yourself; share as much as you are able.
8. Never listen too closely.

Notes from the author: Uh, so... sudden random inspiration here. On Tumblr, I have seen some of these "tips for how to X" with most often supernatural context with seemingly very good, real advice. So... here's this. Referencing three types of "engagement" in one. Battle engagement, marriage engagement, and engagement with supernatural/fantastical things.

USERNAME: GrinningWolf24
REMNANT'S NAME: Kazul
PRONOUNS: She/Her (But she's keeping the beard!)
ENTRY:
My muse has run away
Have you seen her anywhere?
She's about this tall, with a whip-quick wit
And a penchant for long-winded stories

My muse has run away
I really am lost without her
I can try to write most anything
But her words would be so much better

My muse has run away
And now my pen is heavy
I cannot even find the strength
To move my fingers 'cross the page

My muse has run away
My mind is blank
An empty haze
Of words that I block out

My muse has run away
And so I sit alone
Stuck in a rut
Puzzling over simple stories

I spend more time
Searching for her
Than trying to write this paper
Since my muse has run away

Have you seen her?

Author's Notes:
I admittedly was really struggling with how to approach this prompt for quite some time. ;^^ As much as the prompt seems simple at the start, I was trying to make it much harder than it needed to be. And isn't that a truth in itself? So often we make things so much harder for ourselves; we get mired in the details and lose sight of what is actually needed.

After much hair-pulling and frustration, I re-read the prompt and rules, and saw your little 'if you can do it in five words' piece. I realized that sometimes the simplest solution is the best, and settled on the oft-used blaming of muses for writer's block. Simple and exactly what I needed. X) The first phrase came easily at that point. And then it kind of went from there, as I wasn't brave enough to submit just 5 words after all, haha.

GrinningWolf24

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August 20, 2019 08:07:33

USERNAME: GrinningWolf24
REMNANT'S NAME: Kazul
PRONOUNS: She/Her (But she's keeping the beard!)
ENTRY:
My muse has run away
Have you seen her anywhere?
She's about this tall, with a whip-quick wit
And a penchant for long-winded stories

My muse has run away
I really am lost without her
I can try to write most anything
But her words would be so much better

My muse has run away
And now my pen is heavy
I cannot even find the strength
To move my fingers 'cross the page

My muse has run away
My mind is blank
An empty haze
Of words that I block out

My muse has run away
And so I sit alone
Stuck in a rut
Puzzling over simple stories

I spend more time
Searching for her
Than trying to write this paper
Since my muse has run away

Have you seen her?

Author's Notes:
I admittedly was really struggling with how to approach this prompt for quite some time. ;^^ As much as the prompt seems simple at the start, I was trying to make it much harder than it needed to be. And isn't that a truth in itself? So often we make things so much harder for ourselves; we get mired in the details and lose sight of what is actually needed.

After much hair-pulling and frustration, I re-read the prompt and rules, and saw your little 'if you can do it in five words' piece. I realized that sometimes the simplest solution is the best, and settled on the oft-used blaming of muses for writer's block. Simple and exactly what I needed. X) The first phrase came easily at that point. And then it kind of went from there, as I wasn't brave enough to submit just 5 words after all, haha.

_

Last edited on Aug 21, 2019 19:39:37 by GrinningWolf24

USERNAME: leeanndawuulf
REMNANT'S NAME: Fe-We (pronounced fae-we, almost soinds like fairy)
PRONOUNS: she/her (beard is preferred kept)
ENTRY:
There's a single female dragon. She's fairly pretty for an average female yet rejects any and all suitors wishing to be her mate. Her clan members try to introduce her to new dragons in hopes that she would finally accept one's offer for her claw. The answer is always the same though, "No."

The truth is, sadly, that she is actually quite lonely and longs to have a companion to be with for all time. But she can't allow that to happen in fear that she'll get hurt again like she has in the past. So instead she fills the empty void inside with the the love of all small creatures that surround her.

Author's note: It's not the longest story, I'm not a big writer, but I put in a lot of thought to this. Even if it seems simple and straight forward.

leeanndawuulf

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August 20, 2019 20:42:59

USERNAME: leeanndawuulf
REMNANT'S NAME: Fe-We (pronounced fae-we, almost soinds like fairy)
PRONOUNS: she/her (beard is preferred kept)
ENTRY:
There's a single female dragon. She's fairly pretty for an average female yet rejects any and all suitors wishing to be her mate. Her clan members try to introduce her to new dragons in hopes that she would finally accept one's offer for her claw. The answer is always the same though, "No."

The truth is, sadly, that she is actually quite lonely and longs to have a companion to be with for all time. But she can't allow that to happen in fear that she'll get hurt again like she has in the past. So instead she fills the empty void inside with the the love of all small creatures that surround her.

Author's note: It's not the longest story, I'm not a big writer, but I put in a lot of thought to this. Even if it seems simple and straight forward.

Last edited on Aug 28, 2019 21:43:37 by leeanndawuulf

bump!

Dembai

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102

627

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August 21, 2019 07:13:32

bump!

USERNAME: Quillis
REMNANT'S NAME: Calder
PRONOUNS: He/him and They/them
ENTRY:
Calderoth was once a land of turmoil, the seven heavens and nine hells warred upon the earth, humans, elves, dwarves, all life suffered and struggled to survive. Ultimately, the four elemental gods, Ulu, Daja, Hera, and Erd came together with the creator of all the realms and sealed away the heavens and hells in a final climax long known as the Rift Wars.

Five hundred years later, a group of unlikely adventurers discovered a plot by a cult to reignite the battles by freeing Kree, the goddess of darkness and ruler of all the planes of hell. The grouchy alchemist, the Peculiar elven sorcerer, the stylish ranger, and the quiet rogue travelled the land over and United the elemental gods, freed the ambassadors of the heavens, and made myriads of friends, allies, and foes.

When the hour drew nigh and the cultists attempted to sacrifice the Sorcerer’s lady love and their beautiful child, the heroes stopped the plot with their United forces and saved the Kingdom and the world. For their efforts each hero and their chosen allies were granted Godhood and their very own plane to shape as they saw fit.

The truth in this fantasy lies in the fact that it really happened! around a role playing table top campaign I ran for my friends! It was my first time as a game master, and also kind of the last unless I go back to playing some time this fall. (Also I’m on a mobile phone so I’ll have to run a word count later if it’s too many sorry in advance!)

Quillis

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August 22, 2019 20:26:08

USERNAME: Quillis
REMNANT'S NAME: Calder
PRONOUNS: He/him and They/them
ENTRY:
Calderoth was once a land of turmoil, the seven heavens and nine hells warred upon the earth, humans, elves, dwarves, all life suffered and struggled to survive. Ultimately, the four elemental gods, Ulu, Daja, Hera, and Erd came together with the creator of all the realms and sealed away the heavens and hells in a final climax long known as the Rift Wars.

Five hundred years later, a group of unlikely adventurers discovered a plot by a cult to reignite the battles by freeing Kree, the goddess of darkness and ruler of all the planes of hell. The grouchy alchemist, the Peculiar elven sorcerer, the stylish ranger, and the quiet rogue travelled the land over and United the elemental gods, freed the ambassadors of the heavens, and made myriads of friends, allies, and foes.

When the hour drew nigh and the cultists attempted to sacrifice the Sorcerer’s lady love and their beautiful child, the heroes stopped the plot with their United forces and saved the Kingdom and the world. For their efforts each hero and their chosen allies were granted Godhood and their very own plane to shape as they saw fit.

The truth in this fantasy lies in the fact that it really happened! around a role playing table top campaign I ran for my friends! It was my first time as a game master, and also kind of the last unless I go back to playing some time this fall. (Also I’m on a mobile phone so I’ll have to run a word count later if it’s too many sorry in advance!)