Creative Corner

@Zikta, my apologies for the shortness. As I sat down to choose songs from, I started with over twenty. Then as I moved them around and tried to keep a central theme, i got rid of some meaning to replace them but i kept blanking on the songs and artists I listen too. I've put the short poem on the left and the artists and songs on the right.

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Don't want to hear it's over Won't you reach out your hand Follow me through the dark Throw your soul through every open door And we will come back home And all these sorrows I've seen Relivin' the past wishin' it'd last Since you've gone away I try to picture me without you but I can't All I need is you, come please, I'm calling The promises I made if you just hold on I'll scream until my lungs give out

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Disturbed Save Our Last Goodbye Skillet Save Me Ellie Goulding Love Me Like You Do AdeleRolling in the Deep The Greatest Showman From Now On Imagine Dragons Dream Imagine Dragons Birds Three Days Grace World So Cold Fall Out Boy Immortals Nickelback Savin Me Fall Out Boy Twin Skeletons The Score Fear

@Zitka so... this kinda got away from me and ended up way longer than I meant, but I think I like it? I'm not quite satisfied with it but I haven't figured out exactly what needs to change yet, so here's the almost-but-not-quite-right version :/

(As a note, the story mentions later on that humans are named for the earth they came from, which doesn't make a lot of sense in English, but in the original Hebrew adamah means earth and Adam is the name of the first human.)

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(In the beginning, there is nothing. And then -)

I am.

Yes! But what does that mean? Am I anything? Am I nothing? This is the beginning, and there is nothing, and so, perhaps, I too am nothing, here in the ocean before all.

No. Someday, there will be more, others to understand. Perhaps after I have figured out what I am, perhaps before. Perhaps there will be many other things, but first I must figure out what that means. What anything else would even look like.

Perhaps I can start there: look. What is a look? I cannot think without the words to guide me, but there is nothing to give them meaning. So I will give them meaning, and we will make each other. A look is a way to perceive. A look requires...

light.

(Something changes -)

(- everything changes.)

Yes! Yes, it is good. The light is good. The light is different from what came before, from the empty waters of the beginning. I will call the nothing darkness and the something is the light. There will be a time for the light - day - and a time for the darkness - night! Yes!

It is good.

(In the new universe, night falls.)
(In the new universe, morning comes.)

There is water everywhere. Water which was here before because the water is everything and nothing at once and everything else is born of the primordial ocean. Perhaps even me.

But now, let there be a place! Yes, a place, another new idea, a thing to be measured by... I will call it distance. Let there be distance between the water of this place and the water of all other places. I will call the new place Heaven.

Yes, yes, it is good!

(In the new universe, night falls.)
(In the new universe, morning comes.)

I wonder... can there be anything except the water? The water is nothing and everything but perhaps that does not have to be true forever.

Let there be another place, one that can rise out of the waters! I will call it Earth, and it will be good to build upon.

The water needs a name now, since there is something else that it is not. A name to call it by so others can know that it is not any other place. I will call it seas. And I will create others who will hear and understand because they will be like me, be with me, so that I am not the only I in this universe. So that I am not alone.

It will be more difficult. I will try anyway.

Let there be others, other things-that-create and let them grow and create others of their kind out of themselves! Let them be called plants and let them be plentiful upon the Earth and let them live!

(And suddenly the I-that-came-first is no longer quite so alone because to live is to create and to create is to live and the I-that-came-first is not the only thing alive. And yet these things are not quite yet alive enough, they have no sense of self that would let them understand the I-that-came-first, but they are a good first step and so -)

It is good!

(In the new universe, night falls.)
(In the new universe, morning comes.)

Something should be in the Heavens so nothing feels alone.

(The I-that-came-first is still alone.)

Lights, one for the day and one for the night to mark the time that passes. Lights, one for the day and one for the night to keep the universe from ever growing lonely again.

It is good.

(In the new universe, night falls.)
(In the new universe, morning comes.)

In the waters and the sky, there should be life there as well. Life that creates, but does more than that, life that swarms and moves in the waters and in the sky between Heaven and Earth.

Each thing-that-creates, each thing that lives will be different, each of its own kind, whether in the sea or the sky, and yes, yes, it is good.

Let there be more life, always more. Yes!

It is good.

(In the new universe, night falls.)
(In the new universe, morning comes.)

In the sea there are things that live and move, and in the sky there are things that live and move, but the only things that live upon the Earth are still.

Now let there be beasts upon the Earth that live and move and create to join the other life that lives within the sea and sky. Let there be nowhere in the new universe without life!

It is good!

(But the I-that-came-first is still lonely. And so, at last...)

Let there come from the Earth something that is like I.

It will be called human, named for the Earth it came from, as I came from the water, my creation, my pride and joy, and I will give it everything there is. Dominion over the Earth and the things that live upon it, over the sky and the things that live within it, over the seas and all the things that live within them. I will give this human everything, everything I can, until finally, one day, it will ask me for something that I cannot give.

And then, when my child has bested me, created something within its mind that I could not...

Then I will not be alone.

(In the new universe, night falls.)

(In the new universe, morning comes and a creator looks at its creations and sees that they are living and bright and beautiful and good.)

It is the seventh day. I have had my fill of creation. Now it falls to my children to grow and change and imagine and create, and I am looking forward to seeing what they will do.

(The Earth and the seas and the Heavens are full and no place is lonely at all.)

@Zikta for context, there's a creature in the Madoka Magica universe known as Kriemhild Gretchen, who absorbs everything to create a perfect world.

There's no one.

I stumble down the front steps as Mother slams the door behind me.

There's no one.

My friends seem to have disappeared, and no one answers when I knock on their doors.

There's no one.

The seat across me remains empty, and it appears my date has forgotten about me again.

There's no one.

Here in this apartment, only I can hear my own sobs as I finally break it off.

There's no one.

I seek out the site that can bring me to a fantastical world.

There's no one.

The creature before me, whose body resembles an egg, towers high over the landscape, engulfing everything around it.

There's no one.

There is only one remedy for my curse.

There's no one.

Every bad memory, every negative emotion- It all fades away as I willingly become one with the creature.

As my body falls limp to the floor, I remain conscious as black tendrils crawl over me, devouring my despair as I lose everything. The creature expands, taking everything into its perfect world. I watch as this reality is replaced with the next. A universe made just for me, where only things that can make me happy exist.

And there is no one.

Hello everyone!

I'm very, very sorry for the long wait. I needed a while to think everything through as choosing the winner was not an easy task. Again, I'm sorry and thank you for your patience.

@CatInDisguise I really like this sort of mysterious poetry which you can interpret in many ways. To me, yours is a perfect allegory of the insignificance of the human race to the universe, with a small hint that a person is all alone in their own mind, in a reality filtered by their own untrustworthy senses.

@seige I simply must point out that I really love the ending. As much as humans have developed over the years, as great as our minds and inventions may be, we're still the ones to carry the burden of being the most social animals on the planet, and this single sentence conveys the idea in a humorous, yet terrifyingly accurate way.

@catmeow1 While the barkeep is perfectly aware that he's all alone, his subconscious is trying to convince him otherwise. His feelings and memories contradict with each other, causing me to question whether he built the tavern in the first place, or is he still sitting in an old shack, living a better reality in his dreams? You construct the surroundings very skillfully, which makes the story incredibly engaging.

@Farryx I had never heard of such type of poetry and I must admit I'm intrigued. It must be very hard finding the right lyrics and putting them together in a way that makes sense so I'm honestly really impressed with what you made here.

@MxMagpie I really enjoyed your take on the biblical account of creation. The creator, who doesn't even know exactly what he is yet, is trying to make a good world while craving for someone to keep him company. It almost feels like he's coming up with random ideas and bringing them to life. A very interesting concept, it kept my eyes glued to the screen.

@CrystalPeacock The last "and there is no one" really hit me. It's not "there is no one who can help me" but "there is no one who can hurt me", and really "there is no one at all". The story evokes the idea that loneliness can destroy a person really well.

First place goes to catmeow1 with CatInDisguise being a close second. Choosing just one winner was not easy, as all entries were very well-written, so I would like to thank everyone for filling out the prompt. Stay creative and keep writing ^^

Thank you, @/Zikta , I really didn't expect to win, but I'm very pleased to have won. Thank you for the kind words!
For the next prompt:

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Prompt: "Whose idea was this?" (Hey! As with the last time I gave the prompt, this doesn't have to be dialogue, or directly said! Go wild as long as the prompt is in someway there, even loosely.)

Deadline: June 13, 6:00/18:00 FR time.

-Pinglist was here!-

TW for violence in the first full paragraph.

A ball of fire flew right by Alexander’s face.

If he had not heard Jenora’s call of warning, it very well might have succeeded. Gritting his teeth, Alexander breathed in heavily before shooting up and vaulting over the bit of crumbled stone he sat behind. With one swift movement, he used his sword to knock the watching guard off her feet. With another, he jammed the jagged edge of his halved sword in the chest of the second guard. There was a gurgle of blood—he’d pierced the lung—and then the dull thud of an arrow hitting a body. The guard on the floor did not get back up.

“Stop daydreaming, Alex!” Jenora landed nimbly on her feet from seemingly nowhere (she was always climbing up trees, towers, buildings and leaping off them like a bird of prey) and whacked him in the chest with the back of her hand. “Come on.”

Alexander scowled at her back. “I wasn’t daydreaming,” he argued back. He looked down at the guards at his feet, at their sallow skin and blue lips. Did rot normally take in so fast? Shaking his head, he hurried after Jenora. “I was thinking. You should try it some time.”

Despite the fact that she was ahead of him, Alexander could practically feel her rolling her eyes when she said, “Oh yeah, the start of a fight is the best time to ponder life’s mysteries. What were you ‘thinking’ about this time? What to have for dinner?”

“No,” Alexander growled. “You’re telling me you’re not currently wondering what sort of horrifying creature we’re about to find in here? That not a single person has ever left these ruins once they’ve entered it? Not in thousands of years?” He waved a hand as if she could see it. “That hasn’t crossed your mind?”

“Nope.”

Alexander trotted forward to walk alongside her, stepping over a patch of crumbled stone in the path. “Liar.” Jenora didn’t reply, however, and he didn’t press.

As the light grew dim, Jenora took a torch from her bag and Alexander quickly lit it, cupping it into his hands and willing fire to leap from his fingers. As his mother taught him.

With the fire licking off the walls, the ruins looked more ancient than they had a moment before. The etchings in the walls seemed to dance, brought alive with the new arrival of light. When was the last time shadows had been cast on these walls? That this air had been breathed? Alexander stifled a shiver.

“It’s not too late to turn back.” Jenora’s voice broke through the still silence, and when Alexander looked at her it was to find her looking back through the corner of her eye. She’s spoken in a very careful tone.

“Yes,” he replied, tired. “It is.”

Slowly the hall widened. The walls grew less decrepit, less old. The stone beneath them was whole and unbroken, smooth and polished to a shine.

“Almost there,” Alexander whispered. “Are you ready for this?”

“No.” Jenora smiled weakly at him. “Are you?”

“No.”

Finally, a stone archway stretched before them. By now the hall was perhaps four meters in length, and easily twice that height. The arch was curved and spiraled on the edges. Here the designs in the wall were thickest, some running over each other in a confusing mess of symbols and words. The pair paused right before entering the chamber, peering in and seeing only unyielding darkness that even the torch didn’t fierce. They turned their eyes to each other. Alexander nodded, and without a word they both stepped forward.

“YOU STAND BEFORE ME, THE CHILD OF THE SUN AND MOON AND CHAMPION TO ALL THE STARS. WHAT GIFT HAVE YOU BROUGHT A DEMIGOD?”

The words were cacophonous, echoing off the chamber walls a dozen times. So disorienting it was that it took a moment for the siblings to realize the room was somehow lit despite the earlier darkness. Torches of blue flame cast the room in a peaceful glow, but that peace was easily disturbed by the figure seated before them.

The demigod’s skin was a complicated mixture of light and darkness. It was nigh impossible to comprehend, and even more impossible to describe, and so they simply stared. The figure was three times the size of a mortal man, seated in a chair made entirely from marble fissured with black streaks. They were dressed in silks that reflected the night sky, with gold accents on the edges that glittered when the demigod moved. In his hand was a scepter, the top of which was the moon and the bottom of which was the sun. Blearily, Alexander thought of the full moon they’d left outside.

Jenora grabbed hold of Alexander’s arm. “Gift,” she echoed back, voice quiet as a mouse in comparison to the demigods. “Yes, of course.” Alexander looked at her in alarm, but she only dug her hand into her bag and shuffled about. A moment later, she withdrew an old book.

“Here,” she called out, voice louder now. Confident. “It’s a first edition. Wrote it myself. It’s the story of our people, our tribe.” Alexander felt a stab of pain in his heart; he and Jenora had worked on that book most of their childhood, and their parents had done the same before them.

There was a terrifying moment of silence, and then the book vanished from Jenora’s hand. “YOUR GIFT PLEASES ME. YOU MAY APPROACH THE CHAIR.”

The siblings glanced at each other and then promptly did as instructed, the soft shuffle of their shoes the only sound in the room. Stones guided them to the foot of a great series of stairs, the end of which brought them chest-height with the demigod.

“YOU HAVE COME TO TEST YOURSELF ON THE RELIC.”

It was not a question, but given the confusion Alexander and Jenora felt, perhaps it should have been. Alexander scrambled to remember any time their parents mentioned a relic, whereas Jenora quickly tried to fabricate a lie. A lie for a demigod.

“Yes, the relic.” She sidled to the side, pressing her arm against Alexander’s. “Like our parents before us.”

The demigod’s eyes grew white. “I CAN SEE THEM.” His voice had taken on an echo that was not born from the wide room. “THEY DID NOT PASS THE TEST. DO YOU HOPE TO SUCCEED WHERE YOUR KIN FAILED?”

“The test?” Alexander asked, unable to stop himself. He had to know.

The white light faded from the demigods eyes. “THE TEST,” he repeated. “TRY YOURSELF ON THE RELIC. TO SUCCEED IS TO KNOW GODHOOD, TO BE SEEN BY THE UNIVERSE AND TO SEE IN TURN. TO FAIL IS TO BE UNDER ITS THRALL FOR ALL ETERNITY, TO BECOME A NEW GUARDIAN FOR THE TEMPLE.”

Alexander’s eyes widened, thinking of the guards they’d killed outside the ruins. They’d seemed too long-dead to have just been alive, and now he thought he understood why. He glanced at Jenora as if to say whose idea was this? But of course it had been both of theirs. To know what had taken their parents so long ago.

When the siblings hesitated too long, the demigod leaned forward. “WILL YOU TEST YOURSELF?” he asked. “WILL YOU BEAR YOURSELF TO THE UNIVERSE?”

Alexander knew he would do whatever Jenora wished. She was all he had, and he had always chased after her dreams. Secretly, he wanted to know the truth too. And when Jenora took his hand in hers, squeezing it for comfort, he understood her decision even before he spoke.

“We will,” she said calmly.

"Here." Tabs receives an armful of apron. "You know how to assemble a dumpling, right?"

Matt has already returned to pleating the skin around some filling. "Sure," Tabs replies. Granted, years has passed since they've last done it with Grandma, but between their memory and discreetly copying her uncle, they'll manage.

Skin. Filling in the middle. Don't overstuff. Don't be stingy. Moisten the edges, then line them up. Pinch here, here, and here. Place on tray. Next.

"What does your Uncle Mel want this time?"

Tabs pinches the dumpling shut and inspects their handiwork before moving it to the tray. "What," they say, "I can't just come and visit my favorite uncle?"

Matt laughs. "Oh, Tabs." He puts a finished dumpling on a tray and reaches for another skin. "I love you a lot, too, but you came to my doorstep looking like a kitten caught out in the rain. If it's school or work, we would've heard it by now." He dips a finger in water and runs it along the edges. "Out with it."

Tabs feigns affront. "It is perfectly vulgar to speak like a dentist. It gives a false impression."

"The line before that is, 'better have the thing out at once'—"

"Oh, c'mon, Uncle Matt! You got the reference anyway."

"—plus, the joke doesn't work because I am a dentist."

Tabs pouts. "Spoilsport."

"And yet I am still your favorite uncle." Matt chuckles. "As much as I love quoting Oscar Wilde, are you going to keep avoiding the topic?"

Tabs deflates mid-dumpling. "He wants the storage key."

"I see." Tabs envies her uncle's sangfroid. "Doesn't he have his own?"

"He lost it."

"To lose one is a misfortune..."

A groan. "Uncle Matt!" Tabs stretches out the vowels. "I'm trying to be serious here!"

Matt chuckles and chopsticks some filling into a skin. "Whose idea was this?" He folds the skin over. "To send you as a messenger?"

The counter is just...so comfortable. Tabs thinks they can stay there a while longer. Maybe forever. "Mine."

Matt quirks a brow at the dumpling in his hand.

Another groan. "I swing by here on the way home anyway, and I know you hate talking to him—"

"I don't hate talking to him." He frowns. "It's—"

"—complicated, I know, and you just need some time and space." Tabs sighs. "I know."

They feel Matt side-arm hug them. "I'm sorry, Tabs."

They shift around to hug him back. "I only run interference between exes for my favorite uncle."

"You're far too valuable to be doing that even for your favorite uncle." He pats their shoulder. "I'll talk to Mel."

"Thanks."

"But I can't believe he let you do this. Make sure he loses your next game of Mahjong."

Tabs pulls away to salute him. "Yessir!"

---

I'm not really sure what to think of this piece.

I apologize for the short reviews, I am tired right now.

@Mypilot A good fantasy story, and not what I expected! The worldbuilding was nice, and the descriptions were extensive but not too much. The siblings have a very clear dynamic and easy dialogue between them, I enjoyed it.

@nuttysaladtree The piece is nice and implies a larger story. The tone is brighter but alludes to a potentially darker part of that larger story. There is a lot of dialogue but not too much or too little. Even though you don't know what to think of the piece, I think it's good.

First place goes to Mypilot, and nuttysaladtree gets second!

Oh gosh, sorry for the delay. I think FR ate the notification. ;o; [i]Prompt:[/i] [center][url=https://www.artstation.com/artwork/EVqd1K][img]https://i.imgur.com/SefJqXW.jpg[/img][/url] [size=2](click image for larger size/artists webpage)[/size][/center] [center][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1]@Chrisondra @Mypilot @PixieKnight3264 @SamIamLuvDov @Lightshadow101 @hume @coyearth @Avanari @demonslayr62 @Auraelia @Endernil @Arithelia @Annalynn @meddlesomedragon @SocialBookWorm @Kattata @Reiyn @lessthan3 @AwkwardAngel @Draxia @0Musicheart0 @Aphelium @AloneTogether @CelestialNarwhal @Kapara @Slayborn @pharmakraken @Solstices @Elroth @Adaris @LapisDragon17718 @Kumie @MysticalScribe @TwoSwordsClash @AnacondaMiracle @Gula @GalazyBunny @Macchi @MxMagpie @catmeow1 @TundraReign @GreatLordHades @TwilightDreams @stanlley @Eiira @seige @VeronicaSawyer @mischiefsabre @Midoriko @VoyagerII @Emberlight @Chessboard @HardcoreUvula @monochromia @NotThePinkKirby @PalladiumX @Shikigami @Darkmoonbreeder @MythicalCookie @Silver202 @Idyll @Crystalinastar @Farryx @FlamingDragon02 @Everburn @Carvaiine @Pocketdog9 @Zikta[/center] [i]Deadline:[/i] June 20th, 23:59/rollover [center][b]Want to be notified? Self editing pinglist is [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dBM6-s4AYOSpYMqzHtyyTD2IGu27hQDf6MlYMGa76uA/edit]here[/url].[/b][/center]

Alright, that might've been a tough one. How's about this? [i]Prompt:[/i] [center][img]https://swoonproduction.s3.amazonaws.com/media/images/shutterstock_313457024.width-1015.jpg[/img][/center] [center][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1]@Chrisondra @Mypilot @PixieKnight3264 @SamIamLuvDov @Lightshadow101 @hume @coyearth @Avanari @demonslayr62 @Auraelia @Endernil @Arithelia @Annalynn @meddlesomedragon @SocialBookWorm @Kattata @Reiyn @lessthan3 @AwkwardAngel @Draxia @0Musicheart0 @Aphelium @AloneTogether @CelestialNarwhal @Kapara @Slayborn @pharmakraken @Solstices @Elroth @Adaris @LapisDragon17718 @Kumie @MysticalScribe @TwoSwordsClash @AnacondaMiracle @Gula @GalazyBunny @Macchi @MxMagpie @catmeow1 @TundraReign @GreatLordHades @TwilightDreams @stanlley @Eiira @seige @VeronicaSawyer @mischiefsabre @Midoriko @VoyagerII @Emberlight @Chessboard @HardcoreUvula @monochromia @NotThePinkKirby @PalladiumX @Shikigami @Darkmoonbreeder @MythicalCookie @Silver202 @Idyll @Crystalinastar @Farryx @FlamingDragon02 @Everburn @Carvaiine @Pocketdog9 @Zikta[/center] [i]Deadline:[/i] June 25th, 23:59/rollover [center][b]Want to be notified? Self editing pinglist is [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dBM6-s4AYOSpYMqzHtyyTD2IGu27hQDf6MlYMGa76uA/edit]here[/url].[/b][/center]