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Writing Group / Re: Writing Prompts!
« on: December 30, 2010, 12:19:09 AM »
You are walking down a back alley, and you meet Jason from DragonMount. He’s getting all uppity about how good his submission was. What do you do to him?
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“There you are, Jason!” I throw a copy of his writing excuses submission at his feet in the muddy puddle of the alley. “I suppose your proud of yourself.” I watch as a self satisfied smile etched creep across his face. His attitude of late has been so smug and cocky it has been utterly infuriating. “Wipe that look off your face.”
“Why should I?” Jason asked. “Who wouldn’t be proud after receiving accolades from our Masters at the Writing Excuses guild. Are you trying to suggest that I do not deserve the praise?” He bent down and picked up his entry and took a moment to shake off some of the muddy water. “You have read the submission, right? I think the submission speaks for itself. No need to be jealous over my success and wait…Did the masters shun your submission? Ah that would make sense, you are just lashing out at me due to your own failure. Well, I can’t say I blame you. However, I’m not heartless for a small fee I could review some of your writings and give you some pointers. How does that sound?”
“You uppity bastard! This is not about me it is about you and that attitude of yours. It is rubbing everyone in the guild raw. Have you not wondered why anyone hardly talks to you anymore, and it’s not because they are jealous of your talents. They cannot take your ‘I am so great’ so I look down upon you manner.” In my frustration I look way from Jason and glanced down the alley and saw something move in the shadows behind Jason.
“You know you may be right,” my eyes opened in surprise as Jason spoke. “I think the rest of the guild deserves the same opportunity that I offered you tonight. I will announce it tomorrow during self study, I thank you for helping me to realize that I should share my talents with the entire guild.” As these words hung in the air, three shadows lunged at Jason and restrained him.
“Jason,” call a voice from a hooded individual slipping out of the shadows. “We at the guild are done with you and your conceited attitude.” I could not place the voice, but it sounded familiar. “Not only have you alienated all of your student brethren, but you have angered the most of the guild members, including one of the masters. The only reason we had not acted until now was due to the favor you had with the masters. However, that no longer matters as the guild has voted to punish you and it was approved by a master.”
“Wait a minute. Hey don’t put that on me. I was just talking with neophyte here and he has helped me to see the error of my ways. Tell them!” Jason pleaded.
The hooded leader asked, “Is that correct, neophyte?”
I took a long look at the hooded men holding Jason in place and their choose speaker. They had a manner that suggested that this was just business, bearing not malice towards Jason. I looked back to Jason and took a long time peering into his eyes. As I looked Jason found something in my face that he thought was encouraging and let a smirk briefly cross his face.
I turned the hooded leader and said, “I don’t know this man, I was just asking him a question about his submission.” I waved my hand to Jason’s submission that sat soggy in the muddy puddle.
With that the look on Jason’s face changed from self assured confidence to utter terror and he screamed. Then the hooded men placed a hood over Jason’s head and gloves on his hands. There was eyes, mouth, and ears painted on the hood placed on Jason’s head. This was in stark contrast to the plan black hoods the men wore. The gloves also had hands painted on the back of the gloves. Jason’s flailed against his restrainers to no avail.
The hooded leader stepped back and began to mutter. I strained to hear and only caught a few words, “…blind…deafen…mute…relegate to obscurity…” As the hooded leader spook the painted symbols on the hood and gloves began to glow in a brilliant golden light. My eyes drifted to the submission soaking up the puddle on the ground of the alley and found the letters on the page began to glowing as well.
The only sound that escaped Jason’s hood was a whimper. With a final pulse of golden light the hood, gloves, and submission stopped glowing. Jason’s knees gave out on him and he fell with a splash to his knees.
The submission began to rustle drawing my attention. I watch in disbelief as the letters ripped themselves off of the page and began to pool on the alley. Soon the pool of letters began to rise and take shape. In moments the submission was blank and the pool of letters resolved into the shape of a rat about a foot talk. As soon as the letters were recognizable as a rat they sprinted out of the alley and turned left.
The hooded leader turned to me as his companions gathered the hood and gloves. He said, “Let this be a lesson to you neophyte. Cross the guild, act beyond your station and be wary. For what the guild teaches you it can take away and more. Take Jason here for your example. The guild took his writing away from him. He will not be able to see letters of his own hand. He will not be able to hear people speak about his past works. He will not be able to speak about writing. As you saw with that submission anything he has written for the guild has be banished. The guild cannot not make him forget what he has written. He will forever know what he was, but will never be again. He will not even be able to express it. So be warned, do not forget what you saw here today and tell your friends.”
I looked back to Jason sobbing in the puddles of the alley. That was too much. I didn’t know that they would do this. I went to say something to the hooded men, but they had slipped back into the shadows. What had I allowed to happen?
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“There you are, Jason!” I throw a copy of his writing excuses submission at his feet in the muddy puddle of the alley. “I suppose your proud of yourself.” I watch as a self satisfied smile etched creep across his face. His attitude of late has been so smug and cocky it has been utterly infuriating. “Wipe that look off your face.”
“Why should I?” Jason asked. “Who wouldn’t be proud after receiving accolades from our Masters at the Writing Excuses guild. Are you trying to suggest that I do not deserve the praise?” He bent down and picked up his entry and took a moment to shake off some of the muddy water. “You have read the submission, right? I think the submission speaks for itself. No need to be jealous over my success and wait…Did the masters shun your submission? Ah that would make sense, you are just lashing out at me due to your own failure. Well, I can’t say I blame you. However, I’m not heartless for a small fee I could review some of your writings and give you some pointers. How does that sound?”
“You uppity bastard! This is not about me it is about you and that attitude of yours. It is rubbing everyone in the guild raw. Have you not wondered why anyone hardly talks to you anymore, and it’s not because they are jealous of your talents. They cannot take your ‘I am so great’ so I look down upon you manner.” In my frustration I look way from Jason and glanced down the alley and saw something move in the shadows behind Jason.
“You know you may be right,” my eyes opened in surprise as Jason spoke. “I think the rest of the guild deserves the same opportunity that I offered you tonight. I will announce it tomorrow during self study, I thank you for helping me to realize that I should share my talents with the entire guild.” As these words hung in the air, three shadows lunged at Jason and restrained him.
“Jason,” call a voice from a hooded individual slipping out of the shadows. “We at the guild are done with you and your conceited attitude.” I could not place the voice, but it sounded familiar. “Not only have you alienated all of your student brethren, but you have angered the most of the guild members, including one of the masters. The only reason we had not acted until now was due to the favor you had with the masters. However, that no longer matters as the guild has voted to punish you and it was approved by a master.”
“Wait a minute. Hey don’t put that on me. I was just talking with neophyte here and he has helped me to see the error of my ways. Tell them!” Jason pleaded.
The hooded leader asked, “Is that correct, neophyte?”
I took a long look at the hooded men holding Jason in place and their choose speaker. They had a manner that suggested that this was just business, bearing not malice towards Jason. I looked back to Jason and took a long time peering into his eyes. As I looked Jason found something in my face that he thought was encouraging and let a smirk briefly cross his face.
I turned the hooded leader and said, “I don’t know this man, I was just asking him a question about his submission.” I waved my hand to Jason’s submission that sat soggy in the muddy puddle.
With that the look on Jason’s face changed from self assured confidence to utter terror and he screamed. Then the hooded men placed a hood over Jason’s head and gloves on his hands. There was eyes, mouth, and ears painted on the hood placed on Jason’s head. This was in stark contrast to the plan black hoods the men wore. The gloves also had hands painted on the back of the gloves. Jason’s flailed against his restrainers to no avail.
The hooded leader stepped back and began to mutter. I strained to hear and only caught a few words, “…blind…deafen…mute…relegate to obscurity…” As the hooded leader spook the painted symbols on the hood and gloves began to glow in a brilliant golden light. My eyes drifted to the submission soaking up the puddle on the ground of the alley and found the letters on the page began to glowing as well.
The only sound that escaped Jason’s hood was a whimper. With a final pulse of golden light the hood, gloves, and submission stopped glowing. Jason’s knees gave out on him and he fell with a splash to his knees.
The submission began to rustle drawing my attention. I watch in disbelief as the letters ripped themselves off of the page and began to pool on the alley. Soon the pool of letters began to rise and take shape. In moments the submission was blank and the pool of letters resolved into the shape of a rat about a foot talk. As soon as the letters were recognizable as a rat they sprinted out of the alley and turned left.
The hooded leader turned to me as his companions gathered the hood and gloves. He said, “Let this be a lesson to you neophyte. Cross the guild, act beyond your station and be wary. For what the guild teaches you it can take away and more. Take Jason here for your example. The guild took his writing away from him. He will not be able to see letters of his own hand. He will not be able to hear people speak about his past works. He will not be able to speak about writing. As you saw with that submission anything he has written for the guild has be banished. The guild cannot not make him forget what he has written. He will forever know what he was, but will never be again. He will not even be able to express it. So be warned, do not forget what you saw here today and tell your friends.”
I looked back to Jason sobbing in the puddles of the alley. That was too much. I didn’t know that they would do this. I went to say something to the hooded men, but they had slipped back into the shadows. What had I allowed to happen?