Other September Writing Bonanza - Event is over but you can still find inspiration in the prompts!

[RpNation]

Are you tired of staring at a blank page, desperately trying to overcome writer's block? Do you yearn to break free from the confines of your imagination and explore uncharted territories in your writing?
We are thrilled to present to you an event dedicated to smashing through barriers, and inspiring writers to think outside the box:

SEPTEMBER WRITING BONANZA!​

For this event, we planned some fun prompts for you to push the boundaries of your imagination.

How to participate​

Starting September 1, and then every following Friday in September (8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th), a new prompt will be added to this thread.

• Feel free to pick up the prompt and write... absolutely anything! There is no length limit, no submission deadline!
• You don't want to write a story but fancy some poetry? Sure!
• If you miss a prompt nothing will happen (except missing the prompt), and you can always go back to it later!
• You can post your piece as a reply to this thread, or in your own thread in Writing section. Or you can write something privately and not post anywhere at all! This is entirely up to you! But if you DO post it here, all RpNation rules apply!

No matter if you're a new user who just registered, an old forum veteran, a Helper, or a Staff member! EVERYONE is welcome to have a go at our challenging prompts!


Please note, that this event is NOT A CONTEST and there will be NO PRIZES at the end. This is an event for personal entertainment and writing enjoyment that may (or may not) help you smash that pesky writer's block and motivate to do some writing!



But but but... is there any point in participating if there are no prizes?!
Fear not! Firstly, our prompts may inspire you to write something unique, and isn't that satisfying?
And also, one work from each week's prompt will be picked by the Newsletter team and featured in the October RpNation Newsletter!
If you want your work to be considered for the Newsletter feature, please post the full story/poem in this thread or link to a thread in Writing section. Off-site links won't be accepted!

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Prompts​

September, 1 - The Unusual in the Mundane​

Take the most mundane event in your life. Going to work. Being in class. Shopping... Anything you can think of.
And then write a short story where this event is described through the most unusual metaphor(s) you can think of!
Navigating your shopping cart could be going out sailing with you as the brave captain shouting orders! Cooking dinner could be a fierce battle where you're crashing your foes with a giant club. Let your imagination run wild! BUT try to keep the event recognizable. No matter how far off your metaphors are, try to sprinkle some clues in your story on what kind of event it was originally supposed to be!

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September, 8 - Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder​

Think of something you find beautiful (flowers, scenery, appearance, music, etc ....) and describe it as something very bad, ugly, awful, make it disgusting!
Write in a form of a letter to someone! It could be a letter to your friend/ to your favorite character/ to your dog/ to your future self/ anyone else. Make the recipient of your letter believe that interacting with this (beautiful) thing is actually a bad experience!

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September, 15 - I Am My Character​

Write from the point of view of a character. It can be an existing fandom character or your own OC, like your current rp character or character you just made up! Write it in first person! Write about something this character might experience in their daily life. What would they think and feel? How would they describe it? What would they say? Try to express this character's patterns of speech, their way of thinking!

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September, 22 - Focus on Ambiance ​

Write a story where the main focus is not on humans. It could be about winter snowfall, the Moon, a forest, a river, wind, night, etc. But leave the humans (or animals, or robots with AI) out! Make it as abstract as you can! Make it descriptive!

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September, 29 - BONUS PROMPT! - A Dream of Dreams ​

This is a bonus prompt, as there will be less than a week to write something, but it wouldn't be fun without extra challenge!
Write about your most recent dream! If you didn't have any dreams, don't worry, make something up! BUT the story must imply that it's a dream somehow. The way you show it is up to you!

 

[LazyDaze]

TO THE OTHER SIDE

There was no other way of passage to the other side, or the outside world as they called it. A world of freedom, beauty and endless possibilities lie just beyond the inordinate gate staring back into my soul lifelessly. Unadorned, nameless, this was as extra-ordinary as anything could be; nevertheless, it gave me pause. The fear of it's judgement consumed me, yet I could not slow my pace lest the other travelers catch wind that something might be amiss, that I might not be one of them, that I could not see the true essence of this portal to the other side. Unfortunately for me I had been preoccupied with other matters and so I failed to observe how my peers had passed through. How did it judge them? What was their decision? How did they make it to the other side unscathed? Life could often be summed up in binaries: good, evil, light, dark, up, down, left, right. Surely, the others who passed through the Great Gate to the Outside were tested by that magnificent binary. I could not help but feel as if failing here would be a crushing blow to my forefathers and generations to come. A cold bead of sweat slid aimlessly down my cheek. I was afraid. The Great Gate to the Outside had not changed; in fact, the closer I got the more ordinary it seemed.The more I longed to run away, the faster my feet pulled me toward the gate. What choice would I make? Should I flip a coin? Leave my fate up to chance hoping lady luck would finally smile upon me, scratch that…if I had any fortune left in the threads of my life no one would take notice my passage.......especially the ladies. My eyes darted for even the smallest of hints to my current predicament. The answer to this puzzle eluded me so effortlessly that it’s simplicity fed my frustration endlessly. Finally…I arrived.

There was nothing I more I could do. There were no hints to find and turning back was no longer an option for it was my time, just as many others, to enter the outside world. Reaching out with a quivering hand I pressed gently against the gate hoping it would hear the beating pleas of passage from my heart. My place in the binary had been cemented in the etches of history. The pleas of my heart transformed into passionate screams as I pressed even harder wondering why it refused to acknowledge me. Was I not worthy? I had lived a mundane and just life up until now. I begged for passage. If I had to, I was prepared to dismantle the entire gate. I could feel my cheeks burn with determination. My fingers stiffened with resilience; I would not be denied, I could not be denied. II had logn since forgotten when I had last blinked as my eyes threatened to turn bloodshot with heightened focus as every cell in my body worked to break through the great gate to the outside. With tears rolling down my face I cursed the gods of my enemies. I cursed those just beyond the barrier enjoying the freedom of the outside world unaware of my tribulations. I would never give up, I will break down this gate if it’s the last thing I-

“Sir, it’s a pull. You have to pull the door.”

"......Thank you ma'am. Have a nice day."

I have failed my ancestors…..but I have set myself free.

 

[darkred]

Prompt- September 8th

What is Home?

What is home? Why is Florida beautiful to some and ugly to most?Ah, Florida, the vacation state, the sunshine state, the water state, the theme park state. Why is it so hated?Let me describe it, politicians, hurricanes, angry people, bad drivers, low wages and more. What else could I say?

 

[Voider]

The Scaled Marksman​

September 15th Prompt - I Am My Character

A/N
I don't typically write stories, so please don't expect this to be quality writing. The prompt seemed interesting enough to me, so I decided to cough take a shot cough at it anyway; not sure how well I did at "being" one of my characters, but this is the result nonetheless.

661 Words, 3,684 Characters​

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I knelt on the cold grass, shaded from the sun by a lone tree in the field. To my left lay the narrow dirt road, and in front, about a hundred feet or so, sat a large tree stump. My orange scaled tail was still, unmoving, my claws firmly gripped on the musket. I'd have thought my current form preposterous back on earth; yet now, having these features felt almost natural.

The past was the past, however; having made sure to purchase a surplus of ammunition, it was of importance for me to train and improve, especially when having to face the dangers of this world. I owed at least that much to my mentor.

I reached for the bandolier secured around my torso, grabbing a container hanging from it; with practiced ease, I poured some primer into the flash pan, before pouring the remaining gunpowder into the barrel. Then opening a bag on the bandolier, I fished out a small lead ball, placing it at the muzzle. From there, I used the ramrod to push it down, pulled back the flintlock hammer, and took aim. While loading a musket was a complicated process, it seemed to go far faster than it should in reality; time or speed manipulation was likely just another odd facet of this fantasy-like world, which it seemed to never tire of producing.

Holding my breath, I aligned my snout up with the barrel, right eye staring down it, straight at the tree stump ahead. After a moment of adjustment and steadiness, I pulled the trigger. With a loud crack and plume of smoke, the projectile flew rapidly through the air before connecting with the stump, the distinct sound of splintering wood sounding out.

Standing up, I walked the distance to the stump, inspecting the damage. The shot hit moderately to the right of the target's center, digging deep into the material; while not ideal, my aim was still enough to reliably hit it, which would be enough for immediate concern. Not enough to properly call myself a skilled marksman yet, though; it would be a long road to proficiency.

"Hello there!" My head whipped around to the road, spotting a human in armor standing there, waving his hand at me with a smile. "Couldn't help but overhear the practice!"

Making sure my bayonet scabbard was still at my hip, I approached the man with a wave of my own, my other hand remaining to hold my firearm. "Greetings. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Adventurer's Guild work nearby, dealing with a local pack of wolves I believe. The name's Henry, professional swordsman. You?" He asked with an outstretched hand.

I reached out my own scaled hand, shaking his. "I am Darin, marksman. A pleasure to meet you, Henry." Ending the handshake, my eyes slightly narrowed. "I do believe that we're travelling to the same location; I picked up that exact mission from a guildhall in the nearby town."

"Great! If we're going to be working together, then we might as well travel there together too." Henry cleared his throat, before adding on "Unless you want to keep training, in which case I'll meet you at the village later."

I glanced back to the tree stump, then checked that my rucksack, bandolier, and bayonet were firmly secured onto my person. "Very well, I shall join you on the trip there."

As we began walking on the road, Henry turned to me with a slightly amused, yet also curious expression. "You know, this is the first time I've actually met a gun wielder. Not many willing to use a weapon that essentially explodes in their face."

I turned my head to regard him a sideways look, before turning my eyes back onto the road. "Hmph, I hope to change that. It's an art, just as much as swordsmanship, archery, or other such things are."

Henry stroked his chin, his eyes now also looking ahead. "Hm, well said."

 

[Shawdios]

=SEPTEMBER PROMPT THREE=

- I Am My Character -​

>use First person​

-==--==--==--==-


Cut short


The cracks on my arms ache, and so I get up and tell James to continue playing without me. I stretched my arms as I walked up the basement stairs that were brightly lit with fairy lights. Then when I make it to the main room, I peer out the window. The sky was dreary with storm clouds leering from close above. I gotta get back into town before sundown hits. But I’d need to fly in the storm.... I think I could do it. It probably wasn’t gonna rain within the hour.

I dash back down the stairs to James.

“James, I gotta go, there’s a storm comin’!” I say frantically, rushing around to grab anything I left out during my visit.

James pops up from where he’d been leaning on the armrest of the couch and his ears swivel in confusion. Putting down his guitar, he gets up and heads over to hand me my bag.

“Do you really have to go?” the Wolfborn asks, “It's only been an hour since you got here, Flame, all that effort for sneaking out and-”

“And if I don't sneak back in before curfew, my brother’s are screwed! I need to leave before that storm hits, flyin’s gonna be nearly impossible in it.” I snipped back, cutting him off. James met my glare for a few seconds before sighing and helping me round up the rest of the items I'd brought with me.

Meanwhile, I steeled my will and continued packing up my travel bag. With a click, I snapped its straps around my shoulders and waist. The bag settled right between my wings and wasn’t too much of a hindrance, considering it was made with flight in mind. Then James came over and pulled me into a side hug.

“Be safe okay?” He said quietly. I nodded with a pat on the wolfborn’s shoulder in response. Then I waved goodbye to him as I rushed back up the basement stairs. Out the front door I went before leaping and flapping my wings to push myself into the sky.

I hated having to cut the visit short. We had planned it for so long, Bezel didn’t even get to see me! He’d been still caught up with whatever job he worked. Bezel never told me what it was, just that he’d been stuck closing and couldn’t make it to me arriving. A sigh leaves me. We’ll just have to plan a different visit.

The outskirts of Blitzcity start to fade into farmland and forest as I fly. The wind starts to pick up and I propel myself through the air as fast as I can. My wings weren’t built for speed, but I needed to outfly this storm that was looming over me. With the wind starting to pick up, it was going to grow dangerous to fly in soon. The fading greens and yellows of the upcoming mouatian’s lower forests tear by beneath me.

I needed to make it past the mountains that surrounded Flurmere. Then I could glide down. That’s it.

I was shoving air beneath me as I tried to gain enough height to make it past the mountain when the lashing whip that was the wind around me began to throw my stability to and fro. My teeth grit and I flapped harder.

This blasted wind— A particularly strong gust of wind knocks me into a spin. My wings flap frantically as I try to reorient myself. Oh Light, Oh Dark, please no! I could feel the instinctual panic of falling trapping my lungs. I was losing the height I needed. In a last ditch effort, I throw my wings open as wide as I can. My feathers barely catch the wind in just the right way to angle me correctly. Thank the Shades. With a series of flaps, I correct myself from there.

Then I’m at the lowest point of the mountain range where I can fly into the valley that Flurmere rested in. I dip and practically hug the tops of the trees with how close I keep to them. There are a few stray branches I have to narrowly avoid or else I risk injury. The winds continue to fight me, but I push on with relatively few problems.