Down with the king! 6-1
I somewhat got very forgetful of the days I published. Probably because I'm just appreciating my artistic energy while I still have it 😅
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** **Chapter 5-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263
**Chapter 6**
**The art of negotiating**
Minutes passed and the smoke still hadn’t cleared up. With the silence, they thought they had won against the enemy witch but when the smoke vanished in an instant, they were easily disheartened to see the witch was still standing tall. Worst of all is that it seemed unaffected by all the explosives they had used on him. No scratch could be seen, he didn’t even seem disheveled by all of their joint attacks.
“This is why we don’t associate with you foolish humans” As the witch raised his hand, the earth began to quake. And once he lowered his hand in one swift motion, spikes made out of stone started emerging from the ground. Some of the men got impaled. There didn’t seem to be any escape for them when the witch spread the range of his spikes to a few hundred meters. That was when Cooper and the others came into the scene. They had to do everything they could to stop the purist witch and his rampage over the defenseless humans.
Camdyn tried to counter the earth magic with his own. Fleta tried to rescue as many survivors as she could by having her winds carry them as far away from the battlefield as she could manage. Winthrop also tried to use his overgrown branches to carry the humans away from the spikes. As for Beverly and Cooper, they did what they could to divert the purist witch’s attention away from the humans.
“Hey! Your enemy is us! Not them!” Cooper all but shouted while he made use of his new ability to make ice from the air. Ice shards formed and he used those, hoping to deal enough damage against the purist. It made him grin when some of his shards managed to at least leave a few gashes over the witch’s skin and clothes.
Beverly summoned more birds and other animals to attack. She also summoned a few other creatures to help save the humans. While everyone was busy attacking, Alden was doing her best to heal those that were injured. It was harder on her now because of how severe the injuries were.
While all of that happened, Audrey was still frozen from shock as everyone else was. It was not how their plan should have proceeded. Far from it. None of them ever imagined they would come face to face with one of the purist witches from the other side. What they wanted to achieve was awareness because any new findings always get reported to the leader.
“Any new findings get reported to the leader…” She thought aloud. That was when the idea hit her. She noticed that those people who were saved, were trying to scurry back into Adroile, hopefully, some of them would be reporting to the leader. They needed to follow those men so she fired a red flare of smoke. They all agreed that they would only ever use it in the case the plan failed or if they ever needed attention on them. In this case, they needed to end this quickly so they could gather and revise their plan.
When the others saw that red flare, they quickly made their escape once they were sure that there were no more casualties around. Of course, they still tried to deal as much damage to the purist witch. They needed him off their trail so with one final strike, Fleta used all her remaining strength to create a strong gust that would blow the purist back to his side of the wall. After their unexpected battle, they all gathered to one side of the wall while Winthrop kept watch in case the purist witch ever returned and was ready to attack again.
“Was it Audrey who used the red smoke?!” Fleta asked in a panic, but as if on cue, they eyed Audrey, already making her way towards them with a larger bag she was dragging around.
“We need a change of plan- put these on quick!” She came running with a bag full of mechanical parts, and a few different clothes for them to wear “We have to follow the crowd to where the leader is while they’ll call for any witnesses they can settle for! Hurry! We haven’t much time!” She gestured for them to hurry before she turned around to allow them some form of privacy to change out of their clothes.
They wasted no time in changing their clothing. All of them seemed uncomfortable out of their traditional clothing, yet it was no time to be complaining. They did require some help with the mechanical accessories. When they got the hang of it and figured out how to put on each accessory, they all made a run towards Adroile’s town plaza. People affected by the commotion gathered there. A number of them still sustained some injuries which Alden was not able to heal. And overlooking them all was their leader, Edric Caldwelle, who was still in a panic over the turn of events.
“People of Adroile! For the first time in the past few decades, we have been attacked by those evil witches! We must formulate a new plan to counter their attack! Who knows when their next attack would come!” Edric spoke firmly as he eyed each and every person who was gathered at the plaza. His gaze seemed downcasted when his gaze fell upon some of his men that didn’t manage to come back alive.
The crowd cheered out to show their support towards the leader’s plans, some even went so far as to spite the witches they knew nothing about. Yet some of them just couldn’t bear to celebrate when some of their own perished in the unexpected battle.
“We cannot wait for the summer solstice any longer. We will make use of the time when the sun is at its highest. As for when that is, we will be consulting with our astronomists. For now, we would like to call upon those who are available to fight, and those that are of age to fight. I hope you’re already aware of who you people are, based on the riots. I shall be awaiting your presence in my office in an hour from now.” After the leader’s speech, he quickly rushed to the grounds to ask around what had happened while the riots were ongoing, that very night. He also tried to give his wishes and a few prayers towards those that perished.
“Come, we’ll sneak into his office before everyone else gets in” Audrey talked to them in a hushed tone while the crowd was in a frenzy trying to witness for the leader. “And Winthrop, this time I need you to just stay still and keep watch by that spot. Don’t get seen and make sure nobody sees you when you take the leader back to his office. Go in by the window, we’ll be barricading the door” She pointed to the large vase that had a few tall sprouts planted in it, it was the perfect place for Winthrop to hide “When Beverly gives you the signal, you’ll take the leader to his office, alright?”
With the people crowding around the leader, it became easier for them to get into the office undetected and unseen. More like… the building was completely vacated so as to tend to the injured citizens. The only time they were ever blocked was when they were about to enter the office. Luckily Audrey’s reputation in the riots was enough to silence the guard so that he would return to his post when Audrey asked.
Once they were all inside, they barricaded the door with the furniture in the room while Beverly kept a lookout by the balcony. They had to make sure that the leader would be alone. They needed his undivided attention just for this instance.
By the time the leader was done with his interviews and his talks, he made his way back up to the office. That was when Beverly sent out a small bird which acted as the signal Winthrop was waiting for. The very moment the leader passed by him, Winthrop wrapped him around the vines, and swiftly, he rushed the both of them to the office. He made sure to have the leader’s mouth covered so as to not cause noise.
“I have him!” Winthrop announced proudly as soon as he entered the room by the window. He immediately tied the leader to the chair by his desk before joining the others on one side of the room.
“What’s the meaning of this!” leader Edric twisted and struggled out of the constraints. He groaned in frustration until he finally calmed down after a while. It was still reassuring that none of his struggles would work against Winthrop’s vines.
Audrey took a step forward. She removed her hood “We have something to tell you, leader”
He looked up at Audrey in shock. He never imagined that the one that used to exclaim about her hatred towards witches so openly, would be the one who would be working side by side with them “A-Audrey?!? What’s the meaning of this?” He exclaimed. “What are you doing with these… these witches?!?”
Chapter 6-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-2-9f3c0a4d
Hello darkness, my old friend
I felt bad that I could not participate in the previous week. Similarities are just too broad a topic for me to go about and me being the morbid creature that I am, can only think of death. I did not want to write such a thought despite how often I gruesomely finish off my story characters. I don’t know myself, but the idea is just not something I can make much sense of.
But darkness though… I do think I’ve written so much of my inner darkness here already and a few older members may have already known of the facts. However, this prompt is one I can relate to the most. This void has been dwelling inside me for so long now and at this point, I often question myself if I’ll ever really get out of it. This darkness is like this small creature always perched on my shoulder, whispering the cruelest things to me. On most days, I can find enough distractions to ignore it. On some days, its whispers become deafening screams and I honestly want nothing more than to destroy my brain. At nights, when I can’t find anything to distract myself with, it gets off my shoulder for a moment but it doesn’t give me relief. No. Instead, it blends into the existing darkness, it multiplies and it just becomes a terrifying beast altogether.
This cycle began around my high school years, really. When there were major family issues that just ruined so many things for me. The number of responsibilities on my shoulders doubled as the years went by. It was no joke being the stand-in mother and a student for so long. And it seems my introverted nature only makes things worse for me. Even until now, it still tolls on me every now and then but it’s not as bad as it used to be. I’m not as suicidal as I used to be (I don’t need to take medications as I used to). And I count it as an improvement. I do think these days, this small creature shrinks in size when I think of all the opportunities that can be made available because of all the distractions I tried so hard to perfect.
Yet despite my relationship with darkness, I still have the galls to call it a friend. I am a strange one, aren’t I? I just can’t deny the fact that darkness seems so comfortable at times. And at times, it just gives my creations the souls they deserve. This darkness that’s so evident in my art and writing seems to be both a blessing and a curse to me in a sense that although I have days that I suffer, I can turn those whispers and screams into a piece worthy of display and showcase. Fear of falling back into the void could also be why I keep myself busy as much as I can. I don’t want to be left in my mind. I don’t want to hear the whispers in my head. I just want to escape the chaos and anything will do at this point.
I’m just happy I learned to value gratitude while in my old therapy sessions. They helped ignite some sparks of light into my void. But I do know that those sparks won’t last for so long. I suppose the only few things that would maintain those sparks from completely flickering out now would be the never-ending requests from my sisters and the new sparks of light that come from the new people I meet every day (although online
***I hope you feel motivated to take up this challenge and follow the wiring prompt.***
Here are the rules:
Write about motivation
Write 100% original content
Write at least 600 words
Tag me **@JonicaBradley** https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley
Have fun
Down with the king! 5-2
Because I forgot to put this up last night 😅😅😅 a sore arm doesn't do any help either
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** **Chapter 5-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-1-59386ab1
Their small get-together lasted until dawn. And gladly, they all asked to walk Audrey at least to the edge of Adroile. They all parted once they bid their farewells to each other. As for Audrey, she wasted no time starting on the three other amplifier helmets. In that entire week, she didn’t step a single foot outside her door. It wasn’t unusual for her anymore yet it concerned Tinble when she was onto something again. Tinble made regular checks on her in that entire week, and at times, the witches would pay her a visit.
Usually, when they would visit, she wouldn’t even be aware until they finally undid their incantations and they would become visible to human eyes again
“You lot really need to give me some sort of warning when you plan to give me a visit,” Audrey said sternly but she was specifically eyeing Cooper, who seemed to be the one who always urged their little group to pay her a visit
“It’s not our fault that your room is far more interesting than Uscad. That village of ours only has magic” Fleta said bluntly as she wandered around Audrey’s room while picking up everything that catches her eye
“And I wish I had more hands to help build these helmets” Audrey teased, but with her words, they were all ready to lend a hand.
Because of the extra help she received, they managed to finish ahead of plan. It gave them more time to better coordinate the flow of their plan. It also allowed them to get a better estimate of how far they should start. It was all falling into place, now all they needed to do was to put the plan into execution.
On the actual day, they waited until midnight before they all gave each other the signal. The first phase of their plan was heavily reliant on Fleta and Audrey. They were fortunate enough that a riot night fell on the night of the full moon. It provided the convenience of an already gathered crowd.
“Are you ready for this, Fleta?” Audrey was already holding onto Fleta’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze as they walked into the riot arena
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” She said confidently as she put the amplifier helmet over her head.
Both of them whispered their count. One… Two… Three! As their count reached three, They both pulled their hoods over their heads and they let their plan commence. It started with Fleta using her abilities to propel herself off the ground. Next, it was Audrey who had to scream in fear
“H-HELP! WITCH! THERE’S A WITCH IN THE ARENA!” With Audrey’s shrill cries, the entire crowd had their attention to Fleta who was now levitating 4 feet above the ground. Her eyes glowed a blinding white and as she moved her hands, the wind she was generating was enough to blow the entire arena away. Before she could do that, she turned away and flew out of the arena at a breakneck pace.
“WE NEED TO GO AFTER HER! WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT WITCH COULD DO TO THE TOWN?!?!”
Just as Audrey was screaming her lungs out, she equipped herself with her usual mechanical suit then followed Fleta, who already managed to gather quite the crowd while she disrupted the area outside the arena.
When she saw that Audrey was already out, she zoomed past the streets. The sound of the wind was the signal they all had been waiting for. When Fleta passed the first crack in the wall that hid Winthrop, vines, trees, and grass came to life and sprouted from the concrete-covered ground. It urged the humans to hasten their chase, thinking that she was trying to destroy the city with what she was doing. Some of them even thought that she was planning her revenge after all the human attacks the witches endured.
One by one, they each showed their abilities. Camdyn made the ground shake and quake. He showed no restraint and made sure that he gave the humans a good scare. With Beverly, the animals she summoned did her bidding for her. Stray cats and dogs came leaping in to attack the humans. When they passed Cooper, he simply froze the floor and with Fleta’s help, they effortlessly pushed the humans to the barrier.
The group actually thought that they overdid themselves when a number of the humans reached the barrier injured. Luckily Alden was there to heal those who reached the barrier in such a terrible state. One by one, they all got up with such a confused expression on their face. Some still seemed aggravated with the amount of damage the witches caused while some just seemed disoriented after everything that happened during that short chase. Just as some of them were trying to walk further ahead in hopes of catching a glimpse of Fleta, some of them complained that they thought they hit something… like an invisible wall. When some of them checked to see if what the other said was too, they just started walking around with their hands outstretched, as if hoping to feel that wall. Some would shout excitedly when they felt it. It was perhaps, one of the strangest phenomena they ever experienced.
“Somebody! We need to report this new finding to the leader. There seems to be an invisible wall here!” One of the heavily armed men exclaimed as he continued to grasp along the surface
“I suppose these humans really don’t see the barrier after all” Fleta muttered to herself as she scanned the humans going on a frenzy over the barrier they have only seen for the first time in their lives “Maybe this was the kind of awareness Audrey was trying to show them.”
For quite some time, she just watched the humans continue to scale the walls to see how far it expanded. They came to a stop when a cloaked figure emerged from above, however.
“You! You’re humans, are you not? Get away from this wall!” The cloaked figure all but shouted. Irritation was evident in his tone.
“Who are you to make us leave! You’re just a witch!” The people all gazed up at him, all shouting in protests while some were already aimed at his head if he so much as made a move.
“You’re just mere humans, get away before I have to resort to using violence” The witch’s tone turned ominous that it sent chills down Fleta’s spine, despite the distance she had from the wall. The tone was enough to silence the crowd, even for just a short time.
Human stubbornness proved to be something else entirely, however. When the humans finally found their bearings again, those that had weapons aimed and began firing one by one. Explosives, bullets, and a few other weapons were fired at the witch yet nobody knew if it ever landed a hit. The smoke they managed to generate covered the sky.
Chapter 5-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-6-1-7c084740
Down with the king! 5-1
Why does the rainy season make me want to sleep all day? I don't enjoy this at all because I was really planning to do something different today
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** **Chapter 4-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc
**Chapter 5**
**It’s all coming together now**
Over the span of that week, Audrey did nothing but try to incorporate the fundamentals of what she learned into a new kind of technology. Something that she hoped could amplify Cooper’s and the other witches’ abilities so that they don’t use up too much of their energy. After so many explosions and multiple revisions on her blueprints, she finally managed to create something stable enough. Now, all it needed was to be tested out.
Hopefully, there would be enough people she could learn from when she and Cooper get the chance to meet again. At the end of that week, they met again but this time, she grew more confident to go to the walls by herself. She only needed to wait for Cooper so that he could perform his incantation to mask her presence.
“You’ve gotten braver, Audrey” He teased her as he gestured her into the wall opening
“I’m just excited to meet these people who would be willing to help” Her grin grew wider, and she was already walking ahead to their meeting spot, “I think I finally figured out something”
“What’s that?” He asked curiously
“You’ll figure out when you see it” She teased as she raised the large bag she had with her “It’s all in here”
On their arrival at the hilltop, there, a group of witches stood waiting.
“Took you long enough” A rather tall and slim woman was the first to speak, the others remained quiet.
“My apologies, Fleta. I had to make sure she wouldn’t be detected by the scouts” He flashed her an apologetic smile before gesturing to Audrey “Audrey, this is Fleta, she’s blessed with wind manipulating abilities”
She nodded her head in acknowledgment, and so did Fleta.
“That macho gentleman over there is Camdyn, an earth caster or so he calls himself. This tall man is Winthrop, his specialty is manipulating plants” He gestured to each one of them “This lovely lady is Beverly, she’s capable of manipulating animals but only at a certain range for now. She isn’t of age yet. And lastly is Alden, she’s a healer”
Each and every one of them was hesitant in approaching Audrey but when Cooper guided her to get closer to the group, they tried to at least offer a small, quick handshake with her.
“So you’re the human Cooper’s been so obsessed with” It was Alden that spoke, A cheeky, teasing grin was on her lips as she took a closer look at Audrey
“I- He’s fixated on me?” Both she and Cooper grew red at the teasing but it only caused the entire group to burst out laughing. “Just how much did you tell them about me?”
They only stopped when Cooper cleared his throat “So, back to why we’re here,” again, he gestured towards Audrey who still had her bag in hand. “She wanted to meet more witches and she was making something that would make us stronger”
Audrey had pulled out a helmet-like contraption from her bag. She only had two so she handed one to Cooper, and the other one, Camdyn took “Not really make you stronger… but it was meant to amplify your abilities. These two were the most successful ones I’ve managed so far” She smiled sheepishly
Each and every one of them took their turns inspecting the contraptions, they all questioned what each component was for and Audrey happily answered every question they had before Cooper hesitantly tried the helmet on.
“So how does this work? Does it have a switch like your other machines? Or do I just have to wait?” Cooper turned to Audrey, although his attention was fully focused on the thing on his head
“It will start when you try to use your ice capabilities” Audrey explained bluntly
“I think… you should step back then, all of you.” Cooper took a deep breath and let his eyes flutter shut as he concentrated all his energy. When he opened his eyes, they started glowing a bright blue once more but unlike last time, the wind wasn’t just cold, snow and bits of ice mixed into the cold air.
“Is this really Cooper’s abilities? He’s as strong as the pure ones-” It was Camdyn who spoke. Upon seeing how much Cooper’s abilities were amplified, he wasted no time in putting the contraption on to test out how much his abilities would amplify. The moment he opened his eyes, the ground quaked under their feet, some parts of the earth even cracked open. It was a terrifying feat yet Audrey was proud of what she had achieved.
Once both of them finished testing out their abilities, Winthrop, Beverly, Alden, and Fleta had their go of the amplifier. For that entire afternoon, the group shared as much of what they knew to Audrey, and in turn, she introduced them to the simplest of technology that humans managed to create. With each of their cooperation, they all tried to devise a plan that would help them introduce humans to the truth that has been hidden from them for so long. But they definitely had to proceed with the plan soon.
They all agreed that each of them should receive an amplifier so that each of them has a fighting chance to escape in the case that humans managed to back them into a corner. In exchange, Audrey asked that she be allowed to keep the scroll where history was written. They were reluctant to do so when it was difficult to acquire a copy of the scroll. She had to assure them that she would give the utmost care for the scroll. It was only Cooper’s trust that made them finally agree to have her keep it.
“You needn't worry about the scroll, I’ll make sure it’s safe with me” Audrey carefully placed it in her bag, followed by the amplifier helmets, as they came to call it.
“So how do we get the humans to see the barrier?” Fleta was curious
“We could be bait!” Winthrop eagerly suggested as he played with a stray vine that he had grown from a tree
“Easy for you to say, you could be bait even while you’re hiding” Camdyn spoke in protest at the idea yet Beverly couldn’t help but agree with the suggestion
“No, no- he could be on to something” Audrey couldn’t help but agree with the idea “I mean if each of you would have an amplifier helmet, you could all do it from afar!” Her smile grew from ear to ear as she picked up a stick and she started making illustrations on the ground. “You guys could use incantations to mask yourselves or you could stay behind the walls, like what Winthrop, Beverly, and Camdyn can do. Alden can be on standby in the case that someone gets injured but hopefully, that doesn’t happen and we wouldn’t need to have you fight too”
The three mentioned looked amongst themselves at first, wondering for a bit if it would be a good idea yet in the end, they all nodded in agreement
“But what about Cooper and Fleta? Would they need to be seen?” Beverly came to ask when there were no mentions of their names yet
“Cooper can also stay behind the walls or above it, but Fleta… You’ll have to lead them there” Audrey looked apologetically at her
“Hey, since that machine of yours can make me fly incredibly fast, I doubt they would be able to catch up. I like it. Go ahead and let me be bait. I’ll blow them all away” She said excitedly.
They were really excited about the plan and with everything they had talked about yet they forgot one important thing that Cooper remembered: “Wait- when are we going to execute this?” That was when all the attention fell on him
“When are you guys in your best condition then? So that I know when I should be done preparing the amplifier helmets” Audrey felt quite flustered for having forgotten such an important detail. She was quite thankful that Cooper remembered
“It has to be on the night of the full moon. It’s when we’re at our strongest” Alden had said bluntly
“That would be in a week from now. Are you able to build that many contraptions in such a short amount of time?” Camdyn was curious as he again eyed the helmets that protruded from Audrey’s bag
“I’ll make sure I can even if I have to lose sleep over it” Audrey exclaimed with full confidence. She couldn’t afford to let any minute go to waste when their plan was all set. All they had to do was wait and build.
Chapter 5-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-5-2-6fe71263
Getting things into habit
I think… I may not be the best person you could ever ask to write about motivation because bluntly speaking, I’ve never really been one who enjoys listening and reading motivational speeches and passages. I get that for some people, they need that extra push and reminder but for me, it’s always been different. I honestly have never needed a push or a reminder. I know how to motivate myself. Unlike most though, I’m not so reliant on the tangible, I look more into habits than anything.
**By definition, motivation is the reason why you’re acting a particular way**. In most cases, it’s seen in a positive light and is often a very needed component in achieving dreams and goals, something tangible for most people.
When I think of motivation, the first thing I think of is **a mental state and graduality**. Those are the best ways in which I can pull any form of motivation, really.
**Motivation is a state of mind in the sense that you can easily fall into a rhythm or a pace once you start on something and you focus on it**. I don’t know if anyone has ever noticed this but when your environment is fitting for a certain task, or you’re already working on a task, you can sometimes easily focus. And I do think that aside from being in a state of focus, you’re already motivated enough to do a task. Motivation isn’t so hard to achieve, honestly, you just need to know how you would pace yourself and you just need to get to know the task at hand.
In my case, once I already find a pace for myself, I already count myself as motivated, whether it be art, studying, or cooking. My initial complaints don’t matter because my focus falls on the task.
Then at times, when a fitting state of mind isn’t enough, I **think of graduality. The progress I’ve made so far**. As much as a task can be tiring and sometimes motivation does run out, just stop and think of how all your efforts gradually became something so significant. Be it in the positive light or negative light. But of course, we will always strive harder when it’s on a positive note.
Another thing I do enjoy with getting motivation from graduality is that it becomes part of your habits. Something as simple as say, stretching your body for some 15-30 minutes, at first you’ll really need all the motivation and energy the world can give you to even get out of bed, especially on a rainy day. But come a few weeks, a few months and you won’t even need to find the motivation for it, it just happens naturally.
I know it doesn’t really make sense to you guys but this is the motivation for me, it’s on a natural and functional view and not on tangible things like people, family, and goals. **I try to motivate myself just for the sake of finishing a task because that is the most basic of reasons for me to do something**, allocating a task because she wants me to do this or he wants me to do this just stresses me out and takes me longer to finish any task at hand. But when I say: I need to finish this I know I have to with or without any other motive to back it up. It’s a miserable view to some and is very borderline unmotivated, actually. Yes, it kinda is, but then, some actions and tasks really don’t require a motive, they just need to be done and that’s that.
@Ozzyy @Leo_kitti ***I hope you feel motivated to take up this challenge and follow the wiring prompt.***
Here are the rules:
Write about motivation
Write 100% original content
Write at least 600 words
Tag me @JonicaBradley https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley
Have fun
Down with the king! 4-2
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** **Chapter 4-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4
As dawn approached, they made no action to leave just yet. They were too lost in thought to even bother with anything.
“We need to come up with something soon. Would you mind coming to my study one of these days? I might just be up to something” She asked hesitantly
“I don’t see how that would be a bother. I can easily sneak off for a few days. I just hope you have a good plan up your sleeves” he grinned cheekily at her before his attention turned to the rising sun
“I will eventually. Meet me at the arena front tomorrow morning” She said firmly
As soon as a few people from the village started leaving their homes, it was a sign for them to get back to the other side of the wall. Luckily his incantation was still in full effect and nobody noticed their presence. He could only take her as far as the wall because he knew people would start looking for him soon.
“I’ll be seeing you tomorrow” Was all he managed to say when he finally undid the spell, and they bid their farewells for the time being.
Audrey went home in a rush. She didn’t have time to waste. As soon as she was safely in her room, she started drafting plans that could work for both her and Cooper. Just one thing came to mind while she was finally sitting on her drawing table. What were Cooper’s abilities? She thought that if she was to make a plan, she at least needed to know what she could make use of, and what she could try to improve. One of those ideas was how to amplify his powers. When she saw him undo the incantation, earlier, she could see that it did tire him out after keeping them hidden for a few hours.
If she were to amplify his abilities so that he would minimize his energy, it would be something impressive. A number of ideas were finally coming to her yet she knew that she definitely needed his presence so that they could pull the plan off.
As if on cue though, Tinble knocked on her door, ready with her breakfast in hand. “Dree, I have your food, come out here”
She peeked out of her door, glanced side to side before she pulled Tinble into her room “Okay, I have some unbelievable news to tell you!” She was ecstatic about all the things that went on in her head that very moment, and she knew that she couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning to tell somebody of those plans. “A witch I know will be staying with us tomorrow!”
“What- will you tell mother?!?” He quickly placed the platter he brought on the drawing table, and he just lightly shook her by the shoulders “You’re inviting a witch here?!? Are you in your right mind?”
“Look, what we know in history is all wrong” She wriggled out of his grasp and showed him a replica of the scroll she had managed to write down... Or what she remembered, at least “This was the real history we really had. We were fighting the wrong enemy all this time!”
“You sound crazy right now. I can tell that you haven’t been sleeping so get some sleep and tell me when your witch friend actually shows up.” He said the last part sarcastically
She could tell that he was also baffled by her news but she was sure that he would listen to her again when he’s calmed down by the evening. He never did though.
She just waited and made plans for the following day. At the break of dawn, she was already out of the house, and on her way to the arena. She was greeted with the same smiling figure that she had been excited to see.
“I hope you don’t mind all the questions I have prepared” She flashed him a cheeky grin and gestured for him to follow
“I’m used to it by now” He gave a light shrug while he trailed behind her.
“How much energy do you use when you use your abilities?”
It took a while for him to respond, and by the time he could think of an answer, they were already outside of her room “I think I use up a lot of energy but I just get really hungry after”
“So food is your power source? That’s different from what I imagined” With a shrug, she climbed down the window with ease, followed by Cooper who she had to help climb down.
“Where did you think we got our abilities from? We were born with it” He breathed a light chuckle before he paused to look around her room “You have… quite the messy space”
“I’m aware… I build most of the time” She gestures for him to take a seat on her bed as she removes her plans from her drawing table “So I thought… there might be a way to amplify your abilities? That’s why you need to tell me how your abilities to work”
He was confused with how she represented things, It wasn’t messy, per se, yet machine plans were things he never could understand “Uhh... well, even we aren’t sure of where our abilities come from. We just kind of rely on nature. We get born with different abilities too”
“Is there… a sort of similarity besides nature? Like… maybe a kind of science to it?”
“We think there’s some part in our brain that gives us these abilities, and humans just don’t have that part. But it’s been forbidden for us to study our kind since it disrespects nature”
She could only nod in understanding as she began drafting a few new things out on her desk. “Would you mind showing me your ability again? And maybe other people’s abilities? I have something I want to know.”
Over the hours that Cooper stayed in her room, they managed to have a deeper understanding of both sides. Cooper had a better understanding of human technology… or at least the most basics of it, while Audrey gained a shallow understanding of the fundamental laws of nature and magic. So when Cooper had to leave, he left with a promise to introduce her to more witches the next time that they would meet.
Next short break, I guess I'll be going for the motivation prompt because I do love these prompt challenges tbh
Down with the king! 4-1
And so, I'm back at it again with this series! I do think I need to try to free write again in between chapters just so I can get rid of my writer's block
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** **Chapter 3-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb
**Chapter 4**
**History isn’t always what it seems**
The moment Cooper was out of sight, she rushed back to their house. Luckily it wasn’t that late yet so she could still sleep it off and hope that everything that had happened was all just a dream. When she returned home, she just immediately climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep.
The very next morning, she did whatever she could to go about her day. She tried making new plans but she would just get lost in thought after a while. She tried to build yet she just couldn’t think of what she could build. She even went so far as to come out of her room. She asked her mother if she needed help in the store or for supper. It left her mother, and Tinble dumbfounded for a while. After years of confinement, Audrey was finally out and about, all because she was restless. Even she couldn’t believe it. But she just wanted to keep herself distracted for now.
“What’s happened to you, Dree?” It was Tinble that spoke as she was headed back to her room.
“Just… needed to distract myself” She heaved a sigh and went back into her room. Tinble just followed after her.
“Why do you need the distraction? This is unlike you” he leaned in closer to have a better look at her.
“It’s… different this time… “ She pulled him into her room before she locked the door “Remember the witches? They’re really out there and I met one!” She spoke in a hushed tone yet there was still fear in her tone.
“You-You met a witch?!?” He looked at her with wide eyes “Wait- when?!?! How?! Don’t tell me you went to the walls?! That place is forbidden-”
“I didn’t go alone… The witch I met took me. He was an odd one…” She deflated to her bed at the memory “But their village was so peaceful. He was so kind. I can’t understand how they’re the enemy”
“Maybe that’s just one side to them” He sat down beside her “So what do you plan to do with this new information?”
“I don’t know… I just feel like… there’s more to all this” She sat up again and just leaned her frame against Tinble “What would Daddy have done? I bet he would have had so many questions for Cooper, he probably wouldn’t have run away as I did…”
“Well, dad was weird like that. We don’ t know if he would but think about it. If he seemed to have something to say. Try to listen” His arm draped over her shoulder and he patted her head lightly in hopes to calm her down
“I will. I’ll try to meet him again… eventually” She sighed in relief, happy that Tinble would still listen to her ramblings when she needed it the most
“Don’t make him wait too long though. Now get some sleep” He said in a teasing tone
“I’ll try not to…” She offered a small smile before settling in her bed “Hey Tin! Thank you for listening”
That night, she didn’t get much sleep. She just tossed and turned in her bed. Questions flooded her mind. Like what were the weak witches. Were they different from the witches they’ve been fighting for the past 300 years? How were they even weak witches to begin with? From her standpoint, Cooper seemed powerful enough to freeze the land yet he called himself weak?
For the succeeding days, only those thoughts occupied her mind. It even hindered her day a lot. At times, she would just be in a daze and she knew that she would continue to be restless until her questions were answered.
2 weeks since she last saw Cooper… It was about time she finally faced him again. She wasn’t scared this time around, if anything, she was determined to hear his side of it all. That very night, she made her way to the riots, where she was welcomed as if it was her own home. People were worried about her, but none of them were as worried as Cooper was. He was the last to approach her.
“You’re finally back! I’m really sorry for-” Before he could even finish his sentence, she already had her hand over his lips to hush him
“Let’s talk somewhere else. You know people here… and witches” the last part she basically whispered to him as she pulled him to a more secluded area.
He nodded slowly. He fully understood what he would be up against when he started talking here. Audrey wasted no time pulling him out of the arena
“Take me back to the walls, please. I think… I’m ready to know about your kind” she was still quite unsure of what she should call Cooper besides a witch, yet he was something different, or so he said before
“Are you sure…?” He looked shocked. He never expected that she would be the one asking this time “You don’t need to force yourself”
“I want to. Some things just don’t add up with our history. I always thought the battles were strange. Well, my father always did.”
“Very well. But we should go before dawn approaches”
As an answer, she nodded firmly, and then they were off. This time around, they needed to go undetected and unseen so as soon as they were far enough from the arena, Cooper performed a small incantation before they headed off to the walls. He didn’t need to mask her scent, they just quickly made their way to the same spot where he first revealed his abilities.
“So… before anything… Tell me about your history, Audrey” He gestured to sit on the grass so that they could talk more comfortably “What I know might be different from what your people are told”
She sat beside him and thought of where to start for a moment “Hmm… If I have to sum it up… for the past 300 years, we believed that witches got arrogant and evil and that they started worshipping the devil to gain greater power. That greater power wiped out half the human population. We fought back by the witch hunts but in the end, we still had to flee the land and from there, we just relied on technology and hoped it would kind of… be the way to kill the witches”
“So the witches did much more than alter history” Cooper reached for his bag and pulled out a rolled-up scroll that contained images that looked like it was drawn ages ago “Your history’s not entirely wrong. But it lacked so many elements”
As he stretched out the scroll, she could see the humans and the witches, then a dark kingdom at the far end of the scroll.
“What’s that part? That black thing” She pointed out as she leaned closer to get a better view of the illustration.
“That’s the king of shadows. I suppose he made sure he and his followers remained hidden from history. He was the one that divided the worlds into what it is now”
“Didn’t all the witches do that?” She looked at him in disbelief. She wasn't even sure what to believe in but she was getting the answers she so longed for.
“No, it was only him. He was the purist king and he has been our true enemy in the past 300 years”
“Then what does that have to do with your race… weak witches, was it?”
“Perhaps… I should tell you our history first” He grinned sheepishly as he pointed to the sides of the scroll. “You see, the witch hunts were real. The satanic rituals done by the purists, all happened. Humans got involved in it too but the difference is that the remaining family members of the witches tried to continue the satanic rituals that the captured witches failed to do… And one succeeded. That man managed to summon the devil. And what he wished for was the power and immortality that could defeat the humans. So he was granted that power in exchange for all the souls of the people he killed.”
“But then what about the weak witches?” She asked curiously
“Our kind… we weren’t really weak. But we still wanted to protect you, humans. Some of us had human parents too. We were deemed weak because of our love for humans, and again, because some of us were half-humans”
“Is that why you tried to mingle with us at the riots?” She asked with a chuckle as if teasing him.
He answered with a nod before he rolled up the scroll ever so carefully “We weren’t that different from your kind. It just so happened that we were taught different things”
“Is there anything we could do for people to see that…?” For a moment, she just turned her gaze towards the peaceful village that would definitely be a target once the time for the summer solstice came.
“We could tell them the truth. Of our worlds, of the shadow king… Everything”
“Do you even know where the shadow king is? All Our lives, we have only seen this wall that divided our walls” Audrey gestured to the wall that has been there for the past 300 years
“He’s out there. At the edge of both walls” He glanced afar and pointed somewhere “I’m not sure if you could see it but there’s a barrier at that end of the wall. Humans would usually enter an illusion when they reach that point while we weak witches avoid it as if our lives depended on it”
“Are the purists that dangerous...?” The thought seemed to scare her when she thought of the purists
“They are, they’re blessed by the shadow king. They receive a portion of his power when they ask for it… You have no idea how much we struggle to keep two sides at bay…” For the first time that night, Cooper seemed to have lost all his energy.
“Humans… and the purists? Then why didn’t your kind try to talk to the humans?”
“We did. But they kept attacking… We’re sure the shadow king played some part in that” He soon lied down on the grass
“So this was all his doing…” She soon followed suit, gazing up at the sky while she tried to piece together all the things she had learned that night. It bothered her that they have been fighting the wrong enemy all that time. Much more so that she was determined to be a hero for the next summer solstice. They simply stayed in silence, both of them lost in thought but they were sure that they needed to formulate a plan that would first put an end to all the useless fighting.
Chapter 4-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-2-448d53fc
If you managed to read up to here, thank you! and also, I'd like to ask a favor for my ex. He made a site on this gogetfunding thing since he had a mild stroke sometime last week. I told him that a bch address might be more convenient so I made him make a local bch wallet if you wouldn't mind helping out since I already gave my fair share. I'll just leave the address and site there in case you guys would be willing to help him
bitcoincash:pqdvw8tx4kd9m374c4llk0c9xl647vw7hceq2t7s29
**https://gogetfunding.com/fundraising-for-stroke-medicine-and-therapy/**
She is Red
The prompt really reminded me of something I wrote months ago, sorry. I think I have writer's block but I did edit this to the point that it reached 3k words. I used this to apply back in upwork but it doesn't seem like they liked it. In the meantime, I'll check more reddit prompts
**[WP] I am the wolf from "Little Red Riding Hood" and this is my story.**
Everybody knew the tale of how little red riding hood saved her grandmother from the big bad wolf but nobody knew exactly what came after and why such a scene ever happened to begin with. For you to know, I should take you back to when I was still a free wolf. Yes, I was the big bad wolf and I even have stitches on my abdomen to prove it; but enough of that. This is a story of a valiant hero's and my master's humble beginnings and the tale of how she had saved me.
First off, it wasn’t Red who had called for the woodchuck. The woodchuck had arrived when he thought the usually lively house had all its doors and windows shut. I should have observed the household more when I was still scouting the place but my hunger had gotten the best of me. I couldn’t restrain myself further upon seeing the young child walking the woods in such a carefree manner. I had wanted to feast on her right then and there but I couldn’t risk being seen and being executed on the spot.
It was a mistake to give in to hunger at times but I couldn’t suppress my urges further. I made a run towards the cottage she had mentioned her grandmother was. I wasted no time in getting there. The moment I arrived, I was greeted with the sight of an elderly woman that looked to be around her 60s, maybe 70s. The elderly doesn’t appeal to me as much as the young ones do so against my better judgement, I flimsily tied her up and threw her into the attic where I was sure, would keep her from making any noises. I wore some of her clothes and did everything I could to have limited the light. I had no abilities in this state and I was desperate, I didn’t need to eat the girl but I just needed a bite.
As I settled myself on the bed that had the strongest scent of the old hag, I heard her footsteps.
“Granny! I brought the herbs you asked me to gather!”
The child seemed clueless as she approached the bed. I said no words but gestured for her to come closer with one hand as I readied my claws on my other hand. I needed her to get closer. My stomach grumbled and as soon as she was at an arm’s length, I rose from the bed and pounced on her. I had her pinned to the floor, my claws, digging into her soft, plump flesh. Ah yes. Soon my teeth will be the one sinking into that softness.
I almost managed a bite but I did not account the old hag ever having other visitors at all. I never took into account that there were other people that passed this cottage, So the moment this woodchuck saw me, a wolf attempting to eat a helpless child, I knew I was in for something terrible. I just wanted to eat! He could have the old had, I had never wanted to eat the old lady, she was far too old to be eaten. All chewy and tough, bah it's like chewing rubber but youngins, now that's something I'll never get tired of. I had wanted to make a run for it and abandon the idea of eating this lass but the moment I stood and tried to find any other available exit, the blade of his axe greeted me with a blow to my abdomen. I fell over and as expected, flesh and blood oozed from the large wound. Blood was dripping. I was getting dizzy. It wasn't long til I fell in the pool of my own blood and it also didn't take long til everything faded to black.
The moment I came to... well... I never expected to anymore. I had hoped I would be in hell by now with all the kids I've ever eaten but no, here I was, settled in a bed that looked oddly familiar. I tried to sit up but to no avail, I could only yelp in pain. Each movement hurt like hell. And as I was about to force myself up, a pair of hands had gestured me to stay still. It was the girl. The one I had planned to eat. This wasn't right... I was supposed to be dead for attempting to eat this girl. Well, now that I was awake, I still could.
"Why is a kid like you telling a wolf like me to stay still. I could try to eat you up, you know" I muttered weakly, sleep still heavy in my tone
"I know you won't" she said in such a flat tone that it was rather irritating. She was right, I can barely stand up without whimpering. "So I would appreciate if you would let me continue healing you"
I looked at her incredulously. She seemed to have a few screws loose, or so I believed when she had told me that "Why do you want to heal me?"
"Because I need a familiar. Soon my grandmother will put me to training but before that, a familiar is needed. I don't think I would enjoy the ones she chose. But you, you're different" she was really something was what I thought. To have wanted the enemy as an ally. I was sure at that time that she hit her head too hard when I pounced on her or something but to be called different... did she know? That I was not purely a wolf?
A soft hum was the only response I could give her at that time but now that I think about it, it might as well have been the first time I was ever chosen and not shunned when even those who were supposed to be my own kind have shunned me.
For quite some time, I pondered on how she thought of me as something different. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I could barely put up any protests. I let her heal me and care for me. I still wasn’t allowed to hunt nor bite off her fleshy arm. The food I was mostly only allowed was soft human food that was coated with some animal blood so as to make the taste more palatable for me.
Weeks passed until I was able to at least sit up and walk around in the confinement of that small room that I later learned on, was the attic I threw the old hag into. And it took a few months before I was able to run again to my full speed. In all that time however, I would continue to run away from them the moment I could. I even plotted some really great escape plans that seemed fool proof in my head but each and every time my attempts would fail. Every time I would try to make a run for it, there she would be, hunting me down as if I were a prey for the hunt. I thought it funny at first how our positions had changed from our first encounter but as I made more and more attempts, it just grew frustrating.
It was probably the 100th time that this game of hunt commenced and once again, I was caught. I honestly thought my escape would be a success this time after I had remastered the old techniques passed down from our tribe. But I guess I underestimated her… yet again. She had gotten faster and better at finding my tracks no matter how well I try to hide my trail and presence and it seems that the more I tried to escape, the more she would improve.
"Be my familiar" was all she would tell me as she had once again put that cursed body harness around my frame. I remained silent seeing as I couldn't shift yet because the injury would not allow it but I was certain it will soon.
I was dragged back to the room we had now come to share after a heated argument we had a few weeks earlier, when I made my first escape attempt. Since then, she would always keep her eyes on me, even when she slept she stayed alert that it was terrifying. She was acquiring the skills of a fine warrior indeed. It was as her family wanted. But to have a lone exiled wolf such as myself as her familiar seemed so shameful. I was a accused of things I never did in my tribe. I was an exile. I almost ate her. Guilt had weighed on me since I woke up in her care and I had wanted nothing more than to escape from this child.
That night, the moon was at its fullest and I was sure that my body could bear with the shifting now. I turned to see the bed adjacent to mine and saw that she was already sleeping. It would make it easier but I know she would jostle awake the moment she senses something off. I couldn't go out, I couldn't escape and the moonlight was reaching my bed.
I had no intentions of shifting in such a confined space but with the light radiating the room completely, it was a problem. It wasn't long til a howl escaped me and my bones and joints had started realigning themselves. I had forgotten what it felt like to shift back and after so long off not being able to, my bones and joints grew rather rigid. The popping sound caused by my bones shifting jostled her awake. I didn’t care, I was just thrilled I could have my human form again-
She woke. And without a second’s delay, was rushing to my side with a blanket. She was in awe. But until now, I could never tell as to what amazed her. Was it the shifting or was it the fact that I was not purely wolf. It didn't seem like she had anticipated that the wolf that had originally tried to devour her was a male no older than she apparently was but it seemed like nothing about me could faze her.
"I knew you were different" she had whispered in my ear softly as she had come to wrap the blanket around my exposed figure.
I nodded. I was tired, close to dozing off but I still had the last bit of energy to at least do something in return for her. It was the least I could do for all the trouble I had caused her since our first encounter.
"I accept being your familiar" and so with the last ounce of my energy, I leaned close and sealed the contract with my lips pressing against her, as it has been done since ancient times. Her soft lips were the last thing I could remember before sleep had taken over me. When I woke, my head was settled on her lap and she was caressing my hair whilst smiling warmly at me, as if I were the most precious thing to her.
________________________________________
That very morning, we went to meet the old hag that had to train the both of us. And honestly, if I thought escaping Red was hell, I was mistaken- Surviving her grandmother’s training was far worse-
She had thrown everything she could at us, forced us into desperate scenarios where we had to make use of all our abilities. And quite frankly, we were both amazed how we survived our two years of training with her when she had kept claiming that it was only the basics. Neither of us had an idea how having to escape the deepest depths of a dungeon on our own was basic but through the training, we learned better than to even argue back.
After she had declared that she had nothing more to teach us, we took some day pondering on what to do next. That was when the old hag had given us weapons. Weapons only we could use for she had them forged from an acquaintance of hers. She had urged us to travel since. And for the proceeding years, we were sent from master to master so as to fulfill whatever warrior oath she had taken when her family had sent the both of us off.
It was rather challenging for me whenever we would have to be under the care of a new master because not all of them were so accepting of myself. But with each passing master, she would assure me my worth. That I was no less a familiar than any of those so called noble beasts despite the kind of creature I was. It was simply amazing how she would defend me each and every time. And with each passing day I found myself adoring her more and more.
She had grown more radiant and beautiful as the years passed by. And 10 years after that faithful day, neither of us expected that she would be the image of a true warrior. One ever beautiful even when clad in armor. One who always had that blade by her hip and one whom I had always accompanied on whatever quest she chose to seek. There was still, of course, one more quest that we both had yet to try. And that was a life of peace and love.
I had no intentions of asking her to live a life of peace with me when we were in our youth. She lived for the adventure and I could see it in her eyes whenever we would go on a conquest. I never got tired of seeing her excitement with each fight, or even duels. She was a warrior through and through. But what I definitely hated was when we needed to cooperate with other teams and form parties. In those times, I would never assume a human form and would instead assume the wolf form so as to ward off the unpleasant men that ever approached her. My precious Red.
With the years catching up to us, we had thought that continuously travelling needed a break. We still travelled from village to village and from town to town but unlike before where we would barely stay a few weeks, we started staying at places for months at a time. We still continued to train and we somehow did each village a favor by doing regular rounds of patrolling in the mornings and in the evenings.
I had no objections since she was insisting on doing it anyways but to me, each moment with her was far too precious to be spent alone. I would like to believe that to some degree, I was just being protective but she would just laugh and tell me that it was in no way protective, but rather, I was being clingy. I hated to think so when I was part of the wolf tribe. But when her eyes would crinkle into thin crescents and she would let me hear that melodious laughter of hers, I wouldn’t dare argue back.
At times, I had wanted nothing more than to convey my feelings for her, especially when we both arrived at the age of thirty. We were no longer that young then and I was sure she had wanted things for herself too. I was sure I wanted to already. I was sure by that time that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
In the more recent years, my head was filled with nothing but thoughts of having her, being with her. There would be times, idle moments where I would simply gaze off into the distance and daydream of a future together. Oh how I wished.
At times I would invite her to patrol on the afternoons instead just to have an excuse to watch the sunsets with her. When we would, she would always lean her frame against mine and I would try to keep her as close to me as possible. I never tell her how much I cherish those peaceful moments.
Routinely, we would stand over the edge of the valley, doing our usual rounds of patrolling over the village we had temporarily decided to settle in, but for that day I had asked her a question that had been on my mind since the day I had shared all my burdens with her.
"Will you form a contract with me, red?"
"What would that be this time? We still have the original one in effect" She looked at me with shock. Never had I opened up the idea of forming a new contract or any form of contract, actually but here I was, asking.
"Will you stay with me forever?" I had gotten on my knees, gazing up at her whilst I held both her hands in mine.
When I saw that same smile I had seen the day she saw me shifting, I already knew the answer and just simply mirrored her smile as we both leaned in to seal our newly formed contract with a kiss that would mark the start of many more wonderful adventures.
“I love you, Red” Was all I could manage to tell her before her lips pressed against mine again. This time, it held more force and need than the last and with just that simple gesture, I knew that she had harbored the same feelings I’ve had towards her for quite some time now. Although I’m still curious as to when it all began but I’m sure that I would find out with time. After all, we had a life time figuring out more things together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I just want to draw
For those who have known me on this platform and on noise.cash and maybe outside of these platforms, they know me as an artist. Someone who loves to create and mix colors together. Someone who is probably moody af but ~~manages to calm down once I have a pen in my hands~~. Okie, actually… scratch that, I lose it when my sketch doesn’t go the way I imagine it too 🤣🤣🤣 but art is the most liberating hobby I have.
Art is the most visual representation of freedom in the sense that the artist just shows everything they have to their audience. It is vulnerability and at the same time, **it’s just being able to do things** and that’s what makes art so worthwhile. All the creatures in your head, all the thoughts you don’t want people to tell, you can just show them.
What others think won’t matter and shouldn’t even matter, nor their opinions because they have their own view of things. And hopefully, as an artist, you **don’t feel dominated by their views because you may lose yourself in the process**. You might get restricted with their own expectations of you and how your art should be. It will basically strip you of the only way you can express yourself so don’t be afraid to show people your drawings even if it isn’t so good yet. We all have our own styles and our own techniques.
Eventually, you will find something that will suit you. But it wouldn’t be so bad to **understand the difference between constructive criticism and just hurtful comments** XD those will help you get to where you want to be. I mean, **liberty was never achieved by one person alone**, so it would take a few other people’s help to make you feel liberated even in an artistic aspect. Even I had some help along the way, and I still do (but even with the help, I still can’t draw a proper nose 🤣🤣🤣)
Despite the fact that I still can’t draw some stuff like backgrounds and different nose angles, I still draw to get better because **drawing gives me a sense of control**. I already know the world itself is made of chaos, that’s why we have the theory of entropy but just with art, I can control it and manipulate any medium the way I want it to. Seems kind of weird that I’m writing about freedom yet I’m also writing about control. Well, freedom still has its limits (but this is in my opinion. And is heavily restricted to abilities. In this case, I’m restricted by my own movements and by the capabilities of my materials but aside from that, I’m able to do what I want). I’m also not saying that just because you can’t do something doesn’t mean you will never be able to. That’s what practice is for, dear. Let your capabilities expand bit by bit to make you feel more able of doing something, and to make you feel freer.
With being able to expand your capabilities, **the ability to express more just comes hand in hand with that**. Like when you learn watercolor (the messiest mediums I’ve had and one of the hard ones to control besides ink) and you finally come to understand how to manage it, how to control the flow, and the way the colors bleed into the paper, you just feel like you can make anything. But I think it works the same when you figure out how to work with any media. There is just this undeniable satisfaction and sense of happiness when you know you can handle any kind of artistic media they throw at you.
I don't think I need to emphasize my definition of freedom because it's scattered everywhere butttt @Ozzyy @Ghostwriter @gertu13 @Jane @Ruffa why not give this challenge prompt a try?
Challenge rules:
Write about Freedom
Write 100% original content
Write at least 600 words
Tag me **@JonicaBradley** https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley
Have fun
Down with the king! 3-2
Gona try to take a break from this one maybe because I miss doing short stories too but after just one or two, I'll get back to this asap :")
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** **Chapter 3-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4
A new friend excited her. And as the weeks passed by, she would simply be thrilled to see his familiar figure in the crowd. The moment she saw him, she would just rush towards him.
Maybe what Audrey liked the most about him was that he was curious about everything to the point that he never ran out of questions. She, on the other hand, was just happy to have someone to talk to. Or more like… someone who was willing to learn about the kind of things she enjoyed. It was refreshing to both of them. And with just the topics of automatons and witches, they grew closer to each other.
Things became rather strange one night though when Audrey told Cooper about their history. And the reason why she fought in those riots. He could see the hint of anger in her eyes, and the sadness when she talked about her father for the first time since they met.
“Hey, Audrey. Are you free tomorrow?” He meant to ask it as a way to cheer her up “I wanted to show you something…”
“I could try to. When would you want to show me that?” She gazed at him curiously, It was the first time her ever wanted to show her something
“Maybe around the afternoon?” He was unsure, himself “I think by evening would be the best time”
She only answered with a soft hum and a shrug of her shoulders before she glanced back at the people fighting in the arena “I’ll see if I can get out by then.”
After that short conversation, they went about their night like they often did. They cheered on their favorite fighter, and at times, they tried to encourage the new ones who gave the fights a try. Especially the younger ones who were just dragged into the fights by their older siblings or by their parents. Again, the crowd was in high spirits that night until they all had to separate again by morning.
“I’ll see you later tonight?” Cooper flashed Audrey a wide grin as he bid her a farewell
“We still have to see, but I’ll try” With excitement in her tone, Audrey quickly took off and headed back to her house for some well-deserved rest.
By the time she woke up, it was already evening. She heard Tinble knocking on her door, probably there to bring her supper like he always did. “I’ll just leave your food by the table, make sure you eat it”
This was all he had to say before she heard his footsteps fade. She wasted no time eating. She quickly downed her food then got herself dressed when she remembered that Cooper might still be waiting for her. It was 7 p.m. and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t have that much patience to wait for her. Yet she still hoped he did. She made her way out the window once more and ran to the front of the arena where she saw his figure leaning against the wall.
“I apologize for being late. I overslept!” She said breathlessly as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath
“I knew you would be the type to sleep in. Good thing I left late as well” Cooper simply offered her a cheeky smile as he extended his hand for her to take “Ready to get going?”
She took hold of his hand and followed him as he began to walk “Where are you taking me anyway?” She asked curiously as her eyes scanned each street and each corner they would take
“I’m going to show you a secret” Was all he told her whenever she grew impatient and asked again.
By the time they reached a small opening on the wall, Audrey was backing away “This is not somewhere we should be” She was tugging him by the hand, pleading him to go back “It’s so late too, please, let’s go back before the witches come out-”
Instead of going back, he just raised his hand and chanted a few words. For a moment, a mist covered Audrey’s body. Once Cooper finished chanting, the mist disappeared.
“We’ll be alright, trust me” He managed the most assuring smile he could before he tugged her into the small opening.
Beyond the wall, she feared so much as a village. Just a small, quiet village that looked like such a peaceful place to go to. It was a huge contrast to the mechanical town she was used to.
“Cooper… are you a witch?” The realization finally hit her when she remembered the incantation he had cast on her just moments ago “What did you do to me?!?” panic was evident in her tone
“Calm down, Audrey- I only changed your scent! They would know the smell of humans right away”
“Then what would they do when they know I'm human???” She was already pacing back to the opening in the wall when it suddenly vanished
“They won’t do anything to you. You need to calm down” He was speaking in a calm tone, hoping that it would get her to relax in a way “I ask of you… please stay calm and trust me”
Again, he offered his hand and as much as she was reluctant to, she held onto it and allowed him to guide her to a hilltop that overlooked the village. There, Audrey was able to calm down, even for a brief moment, yet there was still fear. She didn’t have any of her weapons or animatons with her. Nothing she could use to escape. Cooper probably blocked the entrance too for all she knew. Yet she was still there, sitting next to him like they often did when they were at the riots.
“I apologize for having brought you this far” Cooper was the first to speak but he was cautious of how he would go about talking to Audrey when he could still tell that she was frightened.
“So… you’re a witch…” Her voice was barely audible. It was more like she was just muttering to herself “Why did you bring me here…?”
“I was hoping.” He heaved a soft sigh as he glanced at the peaceful village he called home “That you wouldn’t be so frightened. But it seemed like I terrified you instead”
She let out a sarcastic laugh before she made him face her “yes you did. And now what do you plan to do? Sacrifice me? Get back at my kind for all the witch hunts?”
“Do you honestly think I would do that? Why did we even become friends, to begin with?” In a moment, the air grew colder. His eyes soon started to glow a bright blue that matched his natural eye color. “I brought you here because I trusted you…” His eyes remained downcast yet one could clearly see that the small comment had affected him heavily. “I wanted to show you that not all witches are evil. Yes, I’m a witch, a weak witch. My entire race is! We never wanted any of it! We never wanted war! We never wanted to be the weak witches! We just wanted to live!” His voice sounded broken while he ranted and quite honestly, Audrey didn’t know what she should feel then and there. Should she empathize with his sadness or get swayed by her fear.
The moment he turned to face Audrey, it honestly terrified her much more. She was shaking and hiding from him. The moment he realized that he lost control of his abilities again, he stopped for a moment to calm himself down
“I- I’m sorry for frightening you… I didn’t mean to… My emotions... “ He heaved another deep sigh and slumped on the ground “I’m sorry for having brought you here. It’s just... When you spoke about your father’s vision where witches and humans could co-exist… I thought you would be willing to listen…”
“I did… but this is too much for me… I would like to go home please” She was still shaking, somewhat almost glued to her spot, and he could notice the tremble in her voice as she approached him again “I need to process all this… I’m sorry too. I may not be the one who you should be asking for when it comes to these things”
Without words, Cooper stood up and gestured for her to follow him. They walked in silence until they reached the wall, and she waited until Cooper removed the enchantment on the rocks so that she could pass through. He had insisted to walk her up until the arena, that which she was grateful for. The area near the walls was the most dangerous part of town, and they both knew that. Once they reached the front of the arena, Audrey didn’t bother saying her farewells that time.
Chapter 4-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-4-1-f7da36b4
Down with the king! 3-1
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** **Chapter 2-2** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-1aec8a9d
**Chapter 3**
**Riots can have strange audiences**
For the next few years, Audrey spent every waking moment she could in her father’s study to the point that it was concerning. Her mother had given up trying to have at least supper together. It was only Tinble who was able to talk to both her and their mother. He was basically the only person that held their family together since their father’s passing. He was also the only one that would force Audrey to eat her meals. He would always make sure that she was eating the food cooked and he would make sure that she would leave her new room once every few days.
The routine continued until she started studying with her father’s old colleagues. Having her follow in her father’s steps ruined her relationship with her mother yet she could care less at that point on. She was 16 and should be independent at that age. Or at least, that was what she hoped for. Her mother just kept insisting that she stayed in their household so that she would worry less about Audrey. She was still worried when she found out Audrey started participating in the machine riots held on a weekly basis.
Those riots caused a larger strain on their relationship yet her mother was fully aware that her daughter had become one of the youngest robotics masters of that era. It wasn’t her place to stop her anymore.
People would often tell Audrey that if her father would still be around, he would be proud that she had surpassed him in every way at such a young age. But the praises and the comparisons meant nothing to her. What mattered to her was the reputation she had established in the underbellies of their society. On the surface and in broad daylight, she became known as a respectable lady and a brilliant inventor. At night, she was someone people feared, especially those that loved a good fight.
She became known as the queen of riots. Through her Automatons, she had reigned as the queen since the riots for the past 5 years already. It had been that long since she first heard of those riots. And in all that time, she became a force to be reckoned with. Ever since the riots were established, she had always been a prominent figure in the scene. At the age of 11, she had already managed to overrule the scene. Her automatons were enough to tell people what she was fully capable of.
Originally, the leader proposed the riot idea to find the strongest people that would, later on, become the heroes that would fight for their freedom. Yet for some, they treated it as a pastime, like those that were still not of age yet. And what was amazing was that it was showing results. For the past 5 years, there had been minimal deaths in the yearly battles with the witches. It was either that or the heroes sent would be capable of eliminating towns and villages the witches lived in. They honestly thought they were making progress with the new steps they were taking.
Audrey, on the other hand, was just happy that she could make use of the machines she was building. They weren’t made to be exhibited, to begin with. She was sure she was taught how to build machines for a reason and perhaps fighting, was it? Helping was also one thing. Of course, she tried to help and teach the other participants of the machine riots to the point that she knew everybody. Yet nothing fueled her more than to see her machines come out triumphant in the matches.
She fought so frequently that she knew each of them by face, she knew by name, after all, it had been 5 years together. The only time someone would disappear was when they were selected for battle. And new people would only appear when someone introduces a newbie who became fascinated with fighting or machines. Those were the only times there would be new faces. So it intrigued her when a cloaked figure wandered into the riot grounds.
It reminded her of herself when she was still sneaking out of their house to attend these riots. Yet there was something about this new figure that made her curious so she approached them.
“I’ve never seen you before” She was leaning in pretty close to getting a better view
“Ye-yeah- I got lost and found this place” The figure took a step back and tried to keep his face covered by the hood “I was just looking for someone but it seems like he isn’t here”
“Maybe it’s someone I know. What does the person look like?” Despite her curiosity, she knew when she was overstepping her boundaries so she took a few steps back
“He’s just a short little lad, about yea tall? Messy brown hair? And bright eyes? Maybe around 9 years old?” He gestured to a height estimate but it didn’t seem like anybody matched the description when he looked around the arena “But I don’t think he would be here so I’d rather take my leave”
“You just got here though. Best look around to see if he ain’t here” Without being allowed to protest, Audrey took him by the arm and dragged him deeper into the arena where she showed him around. “What’s your name, by the way? I’m Audrey. Audrey Greames”
“Cooper. Cooper Holte is my name” He muttered shyly while he just followed her around the area.
She introduced her to some people who were her age. As well as a few other people she had come to know in the arena. One look and everyone could tell that he was not from around these parts. Yet they still welcomed him and even encouraged him to try to drop by if he could in the following week. That night, Cooper got a glimpse of what being an inventor entailed. He saw the machines try to destroy each other in an arena. Then on another side, there were half-human, half-machines that fought each other until one of them gave up. The highlight of the night, of course, was something that shocked him.
There, at the center of the arena stood Audrey, fully equipped with a mechanical suit. Her opponent was a half-machine being too. Cooper honestly thought Audrey had no chance yet he was surprised when the battle didn’t even last a few minutes. As soon as the bell signaled each contender to start, Audrey already had her hand raised. She fired out a metal net which soon sparked with electricity. Not powerful enough to kill, but enough to paralyze her opponent to admit defeat.
After that match, she immediately ran up to Cooper, who she spotted among the crowd
“So how’s your first night here at the riots?” She was ecstatic after winning her last match
“It’s simply amazing! These machines are just amazing!” He reached a hand out towards her while she was wriggling out of her mechanical armor “And your suit is amazing as well!”
She offered him a warm smile and accepted his hand. She hoisted herself up then sat next to him on the spectators’ seats “Isn’t it? I have a new suit I want to try out next week. Will you be there?”
“I’ll see if I can… my parents don’t let us go out so much at night” He soon lifted his hood and ruffled his hair just a little “We’re not from around town either so hopefully I can find my way back here”
“Hopefully you can. It would be fun to see you here again” She offered him one of her best smiles.
As dawn set in, the people that enjoyed the riot left one by one. Each one heading in different directions. As for Audrey, she just walked Cooper to the last place he could remember before she walked back home.
Chapter 3-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-2-1bf7c0fb
Maybe After this chapter, I'll put up something different for a change of pace since this is a real long book ;;-;;
Down with the king! 2-2
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-1** **Chapter 1-2** **Chapter 2-1** https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9
Their father made a deep sigh before he started with his words “I'm pretty sure you guys have an idea of who the enemy is but maybe it’s about time I tell you about our world” He glanced at each of them before he proceeded “We used to be a free nation. There were so many different kinds of creatures back then too. Witches were the most powerful ones though. They were amazing beings. Healers, creators, protectors… They were everything we humans could never be. Things changed when humans started hunting them down, thinking the witches turned evil. There came a point where the witches got too arrogant that they wanted to be the rulers of our world. When that happened, we humans started capturing every witch we could find. A lot of them were innocent. A lot of them had families of their own too. Nobody understood what our ancestors were up to before but it got brutal”
“What does have to do with you fighting?” Audrey scratched her head slightly, confusion was definitely the only thing she was feeling then.
“Patience, darling. We’ll get to that part” For the second time that night, Their father heaved another sigh “To continue… well… we can’t really tell humans from witches. It was almost impossible so things got chaotic. Humans turned on humans. Witches turned on witches. It was just terrifying. Witches then started doing rituals and offerings to the devils to gain more power. They were hunted down more when that happened” He paused for a moment when he noticed that they had gone silent. Probably from the shock, but he could never be too sure.
“Anyways, the witches gained powers much stronger than they already had. It was a terrifying time. They wiped out almost half the human population in a single night. We humans… or at least those that survived... fled to the wastelands after. You could only imagine what our ancestors went through just to manage to survive. For the past 300 years, we have suffered from the selfishness of both witches and humans. And since the defeat of humans, we made technology for the sole purpose of defeating them. We studied them closely. We found out that the witches are at their weakest point for only one day. That was during the summer solstice… It was always the perfect time to attack. And since then, we’ve been trying to fight these witches. Yearly, we would attempt to. And this year, it’s my turn. I want to make this world safe for you… I’m getting old and I don’t think I can bear leaving you guys in such a terrifying world. So just let your father do what he has to” All of a sudden, he got down from his chair and knelt on the ground, as if he was begging.
For the very first time, Audrey and Tinble saw their father being so vulnerable that it shocked them. They were unsure of how they would respond but for some time, they just sat dumbfounded whilst their father silently sobbed before them.
“You shouldn’t be begging like this, Daddy…” was what Audrey muttered before she got up from her bed. She walked up to him then knelt in front of him “If you think it’s what’s best for you… I won't stop you…” She leaned down and wrapped her arms around him. Soon enough, Tinble was already beside them, hugging him just as tightly while he was stifling a sob
“Daddy… You have to come back, okay? Make sure you come back…?” Tinble was the one pleading this time.
“I…” Their father wasn’t sure how to respond then but when he looked at their hopeful eyes, it seemed to break his heart more to have to say things they didn’t want to hear “I’ll try to. For my beloved children” He then pressed a lingering kiss on each of their foreheads. None of them wanted to stand up then. They just stayed like that for some time until the children fell asleep and he had to carry them back to their beds. “Good night my dear children”
For the first 2 weeks of that month, their father was given to prepare, he spent all the time he could with them. He taught them both about the tools he used, the plans he had, and the projects he was working on. He instructed them on what they should be doing when he goes into battle. He even asked them to help him build the weapons and items he would be using for the battle. He even told them of a world where he imagined that humans and witches could get along. It was one of his wistful thoughts yet it made sense for him.
2 weeks before the summer solstice, their father and the other heroes were called back to the leader’s office. They needed to coordinate an attack pattern that would work for all of them. But before he left to go to the leader’s assigned meeting point, he made sure to leave the key of his study to Audrey.
On the day of his departure, their father listed off a few things that should be done. He also left a few things he wanted to ask Audrey to do for him. Things that should be kept from their mother. He was about ready to leave. His bags were already packed, and he only had to say his farewells “You have to be a good girl for me. Take care of your mother and Tinble while I’m gone.”
“I will… but you have to promise to come back as soon as you defeat the witches, alright?” Audrey looked up at her with teary eyes. Same with Tinble who was just beside her
Their father then faced Tinble and gave him a tight embrace “And you, young man, you need to make sure you get stronger to help your mum carry all those heavy parts”
Tinble only answered with a nod before he leaned in and hugged his father. “Promise you’ll come back soon…?”
“I’ll try to. Even if I have to crawl out of hell for it” Their father answered back with a cheeky grin and hugged them both tightly before he stood up and kissed his wife who was standing by the doorway.
“You have to take care out there, Chandler. We’ll be waiting for you right here…” Their mother finally spoke yet she didn’t dare lift her downcasted gaze. She only looked at the floor and their two children who started crying.
“I will. Have the kids help out in the store in my stead…” For the last time, their father gave them one of his goofy smiles
“They’ve always been a better help than you ever were,” She said with a light chuckle “You should head off soon. The leader might be waiting”
With a nod, he waved goodbye to his family then headed off in the direction of the assembly area.
Their mother closed the door, and like any other day, she opened up the shop, made preparations for the day, and asked Tinble for help. Audrey, on the other hand, locked herself up in her father’s study. She knew the chances of him ever coming back was close to impossible. Yet she wanted to believe that in 2, maybe 3 weeks, he would be knocking at their doorstep again with that goofy smile of his. Then they would be building automatons and new machines again like they’ve been doing for a while now.
She was angry at herself. Sad that she couldn’t do anything to stop her father from going off to battle. She has spent every moment of her day there in his study since. And no words of her mother could ever get her out of there. She even went so far as to carry her bed to the study just so she had no reason to leave. For 2 weeks, she waited there. She desperately hoped that by the end of the day, or maybe even by the end of the week, her father would come back since he said he would try.
He did come back. But not in the way they all expected. What came back was nothing but a few limbs. The men that delivered his remains said that there were no survivors this time around. That all the heroes perished in battle and that their father fought bravely despite how many enemies he was up against.
When the men left, it was Audrey who thought of going through his things when her mother strictly forbade her from doing so. She dragged the back he packed back to his study then one by one, she went through the articles of clothing, as well as a few other gears crammed messily inside. There, she also found a small journal.
In the journal was a list of things he had wished for on its first page. The remaining pages were filled with scribbles and drawings. Some plans that he probably never attempted to build. On the very last page, there were only a few words scribbled on it. No words, no rushed sketch unlike all the other pages, just the words that read “Make a better future for them”
They were just simple words yet with just those words, she couldn’t help the tears that streamed down her cheeks. For the first time in 3 weeks, she got up from her bed, picked up the last plan her father was working on, then started building again. In the next few years, she continued her father’s work. She may have even surpassed him when she started improving the steam engine he used as the basis for most of his works, but since then, she became known as someone as eccentric as her father. Most said she might be even worse.
Chapter 3-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-3-1-5cd9f8a4
I finally got to properly put the links in ;;w;;
Down with the king! 2-1
**Prologue** **Chapter 1-**1 Chapter 1-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e
**Chapter 2**
**The things we needed to know**
The crowd was enthusiastic about the event. Many even fired a few explosions towards the air. It was all just an overwhelming atmosphere.
“May we call upon our brave fifty people who would be participating as this year’s hero? Come to the podium so that our people may see the brave faces of the people who would bring us one step closer to freedom” The leader stood expectantly on the podium. A proud smile was on his lips as the heroes came up to the podium.
One by one, men and women came marching from the crowd. So many of them were heavily armed people with automatons that basically replaced their entire bodies. Some of them only had a few modifications but what struck them the most was when they saw their father, walking up to the podium. What was their mother doing to stop him, was the question on both their minds. As soon as Audrey saw her father going up the podium, she immediately raced across the crowd. She tried to squeeze her way up to the front as much as she could. She was barely making it past the crowd. What’s worse was that her voice got drowned by the cheers the people made for the heroes.
Tinble, on the other hand, just stood in his spot, frozen with fear of what would happen to their father when he goes to this battle the man was talking about. The realization hit him far too late. The hero volunteers were already receiving something this person was giving them. They just weren’t sure what it was.
By the time their father was making his way back to their mother’s side, Audrey was already so close to him that she noticed how her father had started looking around the crowd, calling out her name. It was a struggle when the crowd continued to congratulate him, being the reason why his path kept getting blocked. There were just too many people that it took so long before Audrey finally reached him.
“What are you doing here, Audrey??” Once their father reached her, he grabbed onto her arms and shook her lightly “This is no place for children. You should be asleep”
“But Daddy, why do you want to fight?” Audrey looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. She was already aware of what was happening after all the things they talked about while building but now seeing that he was willing to sacrifice himself was a different feeling altogether.
“I have to… Did you come alone?!?” He looked from side to side, hoping to check if Tinble was with her
“Tinble! I left Tinble at the entrance-” She gasped at the realization and immediately looked back to the crowd “We have to go get him!”
Instead of walking through the crowd, she was surprised when her father’s legs extended much higher. It also surprised her how easily he leaped over the crowd while looking around. The father she thought was just a normal inventor was much more than what he seemed. She was sure of that now. Tinble was still at the entrance when he found him, still crying since Audrey left him there to go after their father. Yet he was just as shocked when he saw their usually clumsy father have a few mechanical pieces attached to him. Ones they’ve never noticed before.
The gathering was dismissed by the time it was dawn. All but the hero volunteers stayed behind to have a more detailed discussion with the leader about the plan and how they would attack.
“Petula, take the kids home for now… I’ll go home when the meeting ends” Their father pleaded as he gently pushed the two towards their mother.
She answered with a nod and placed each hand over the children’s shoulder.
“Daddy no! I don’t want you to be a hero!” Audrey was struggling out of her mother’s grasp, trying to reach her father who was already walking towards the doors at the other end of the building “Daddy! You have to come back with us!”
“I will, darling… Daddy will come back home when the meeting is done” He turned back and forced the most assuring smile he could before he disappeared behind the doors.
Audrey just cried and allowed her mother to take them back home. They were forced back in their beds, and as punishment, they were to help out at the shop for sneaking out at night. For that entire day, the two just spent their time in their beds. They had so many more questions in their heads now, and nobody was answering them. It was like they were back to square one but this time, they didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t helping that they didn't know when their father would return from the meeting and if he could even stay for so long. For so long, they just stared at the walls, the ceiling, at whatever could distract themselves until they both eventually just fell asleep from exhaustion.
It was the sound of the door creaking that woke them up. And when they looked out the window, it was already dark outside.
“Your mother asked me to fetch you. She’s been waiting at the dinner table for a while no-” Before their father could go on with his sentence, the two had already tackled him into a tight embrace. Both of them just clung to him like he would disappear if they didn’t.
He wrapped his arms as tightly as he could around their frames “We need to eat supper, children. Then maybe after that… I could tell you a story”
They perked up when their father mentioned a story. The last time he ever told them one was when they were little. By the time Audrey had turned 5, the stories had stopped and the very next day, they found out that their grandfather had passed away. Since then, there had been no more stories so they both had a bad feeling when he suddenly brought it up again
“What’s the story about, daddy…?” Tinble asked, worry could be traced in his tone.
“You’ll just have to find out when I tell you. Now get up, mummy’s still waiting” As reluctant as their father was to break out of the embrace, he did with a sigh.
With that, they all got to their feet and made their way to the dining room where they ate their meal in silence. When they had finished supper and the dining room was cleared up, their father guided them back to their room. He sat them down on their beds while he sat on the seat that used to be his storytelling spot when they were younger. Yet this time… they knew it wasn’t just any story…
Chapter 2-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-2-05854dae
Down with the king! Ch. 1-2
Prologue Chapter 1-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-1-73a8a1a6
I should really put up the rest of the chapters in my drafts just in case i get lazy again
When they arrived at the dining room, Her mother was already there, tapping her foot impatiently over the wooden floor “Where have you been, and why are you so filthy?”
“Mummy! I was-” Audrey tried to think of an excuse as to why her dress was a mess from the oil and grease.
Before she could think of something, her father already spoke for her “I was showing her something but it kind of turned into a mishap again” He muttered an apology before he took his seat at the center of the table
Supper went on as usual, with their mother going on about the most unusual customers while their father talked about the things he did in his study. Yet this time… he was telling lies. For the first time, Audrey was beginning to see her father in a different light. And despite her young age, she was frightened.
That night, Tinble and Audrey talked of their day with either of their parents.
“So mum has a hard time at the store sometimes. I don’t know the things yet but she’s teaching me…” Tinble reported his findings as he settled into bed.
“At least mum isn’t acting weird. Daddy on the other hand... “Audrey paused for a few moments, unsure of how she would describe him “Odd is the only thing I can think of”
“Odd?” He looked at her, curiosity clear in his eyes
“He lied about the mishap. He was teaching me how to build” Her tone was firm “I can show you what I was building now” She sat up from her bed abruptly, clearly excited to show her brother what she had been up to
“You want to sneak out?!” He asked her incredulously
“I want to know what daddy’s hiding. Aren’t you curious?” She spoke in an enticing tone.
“I am… but mum might catch us-” He settled further into bed, hoping it would show Audrey that he didn’t want to leave his bed.
“She won’t! They should be in bed around now” She pointed to the clock that hung in their room. 10:32 p.m. was what it read.
“Promise?” He asked meekly while he gazed up at the clock she was pointing to.
She only responded with a firm nod, and in a matter of no time, they were on their feet and were on their way to their father’s study in the basement.
Just as they neared the stairs, they could hear the voices of their parents arguing
“You said they should be-” Tinble wasn’t even allowed to finish his words when Audrey’s hand immediately covered his mouth
“Chandler. I know you want someone who would succeed you, but she’s not ready to do things yet. And let her grow up as a girl. Teach Tinble instead-” It was their mother that spoke, more like, she was nearly shouting
“She made such huge progress today! She’s curious so I know she’ll manage to learn in time! I know you want her to grow up as a proper lady, Petula… but I want someone who would succeed me before the battle…” Their father’s tone grew softer as he said the last part.
They both leaned closer and closer to the stairwell. The conversation wasn’t so clear, but they could still hear some parts of it. Once their parents’ arguments became shouting, and they could hear the heavy footsteps of their frustrated mother nearing the stairs, they rushed back to their rooms and made sure they were both curled in the bed in the case that she suspected something.
A minute passed… a few heavy steps, then the sound of the door slamming shut resounded across the hall and even reached their room. After a few moments, a soft creak could be heard, followed by their father’s inaudible words.
“I think… We should sleep, Dree” Tinble said in a hushed tone
“... Yeah… Let’s continue this tomorrow night” Audrey nodded as she pulled the blanket over herself.
They both settled in bed for a while, letting the silence fill the room while their young minds became filled with questions after hearing their parents lie and argue. That night, they did what they could to force themselves to sleep.
For the next few days since Tinble and Audrey stuck with the same pattern of activities. Tinble helped out at their mother’s store while Audrey helped their father with his inventions. Days passed. Audrey continued to learn about machinery. She even learned how to read the plans. She also learned how often her father seemed to lie just to avoid the conflicts inside the household. It wasn’t as though he was a compulsive liar, but he did mean well when he did. Yet with each passing day, she noticed that her father seemed to grow more and more paranoid and more fidgety than he usually was. He also grew more clumsy, and sometimes at dinnertime, she would often see their mother looking at their father worriedly. She also told Tinble about the events but they both just agreed to continue what they were doing.
On one of their nightly checks in their father’s study, they heard footsteps from the kitchen and voices. When that happened, it was usually their parents fighting over something that happened during the day, yet this time, they spoke in a hushed tone and were fully dressed. Very different from what they usually saw. When they heard their parents creep to the door, they knew they had to follow them. They rushed back to their room, grabbed their coats and hats then ran in the direction they saw their parents going.
“Going out at night is much different than the day. This is why it’s best not to go out at night” was what their father always told them when they asked to go out. Now they knew why he said that. The faces of the people that walked the streets at night looked more dangerous. Just those looks were enough to send them home. But they came out determined to know where their parents were headed off too so they followed every path and every alley their parents passed until they stumbled upon an entrance.
“Should we go in?” Tinble asked as he looked around to see if anybody was guarding the entrance.
A mixture of voices, shouting, and yelling could soon be heard from the entrance, and without a second thought, Audrey grabbed Tinble by the arm and pulled him into the building. The first thing they saw upon entering was the crowd. The crowd was much different from the people they saw in the mornings because a number of them had replaced some of their body parts with machines. Audrey suddenly remembered the arm and leg plans her father had in his study. Some plans showed mechanical bodies, as well as a few body modifications. She knew that their father knew how to do such things but she never thought that other humans would want to modify their bodies to such a degree. It terrified both of them.
Another thing they noticed was that the building was much larger than it seemed outside, it was big enough to let in so many people. Some were on elevations, some were on machines but most of them stood before the stage, they were trying to get as good a view of the man speaking at the center.
“Settle down, settle down folks!” A man standing on the podium finally spoke, his hands raised to call for the people’s attention. “I’m grateful you all could come to this yearly gathering once more”
The crowd grew silent, and they could see that each and every person’s attention was fixated on the man they called ‘Leader’
“As you should be informed, the witch faction has been getting better and better at hiding from us. I heard reports that some of them have started mixing in with us. Some of them may have been disguising themselves among the crowd. They might even have an idea of our technology by now. That’s why we need to figure out how to wipe them out so that they don’t end up wiping us out first.” The leader looked quite disheartened by the thought “We need to get the upper hand while we still can. While they still don’t have much of an understanding of our technology yet. On the next summer solstice, we will be attacking! That’s in one month from now, so those of you who will be our brave warriors for this year, I hope you show them what we humans can do! Best make all the preparations you’ll need in that time frame”
Again, the crowd grew restless with cheers and jeers. The people who gathered would scream things like “Down with the witches!” and “We’ll show them what we got”. The two were still unaware of what they were talking about. But they did understand one thing, and it was that their enemy was the witch. What they were yet to find out was why.
“To the courageous men and women that have gathered here to witness our heroes. May you give them the strength they need to be able to defeat the witches. May they be the brave souls who will finally free us from oppression against those evil beings!” With the leader’s ending speech, he gestured for those so-called heroes onto the stage.
Chapter 2-1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-2-1-0b34e1c9
Down with the king! Ch. 1-1
Prologue https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-prologue-5b3da736
**Chapter 1: Parents always have secrets**
**19th-century Adroile**
The sky had fallen dark yet the steam-covered sky doesn’t make much of a difference on whether it was night or day. Central Adroile still stayed as gloomy as ever. People still swarmed the streets even at an ungodly hour. There was no time for sleep, you’ll get plenty of time to do so when you’re dead. It was common to hear such words from the workers who slaved away their lives just to put food on the table. It was a highly unjust world. Those below the poverty line stayed below, no matter how hard they tried. While those that were above that, did everything they could to stay above.
Those that were fortunate enough to be born into a family who could provide for their needs... well, they at least experienced some sort of freedom. They were the ones blessed enough to be given the freedom to decide what to do with their own lives. At least… that was what it seemed like from a spectator’s view. However, it wasn’t the case for Audrey Greames. No, not at all. Even at an age of 9, she experienced none of that freedom she was said to have. A fixed routine set up by her mother was all that greeted her from the moment she and her brother, Tinble, awakened, to until they lay their heads to sleep.
There was no time to play, they were only ever allowed to read and study whilst their parents worked their lives away at the mechanical parts shop they owned. Well, their mother did, anyway. Yes, their mother, Petula Greames basically ran the store by herself ever since their father became occupied with other things. Their father, Chandler Greames, was always the curious one. An inventor was what he was called by their colleagues. He spent most of his days in his study whilst they, the children, stayed in their rooms. Sometimes, they would be allowed to go around to help out their parents with the shop, and sometimes with deliveries. They were only ever allowed in their father’s study when he needed the extra hand. Or he simply wanted to show them something. Perhaps the only times they ever really get to see their parents were during meals. Mostly, it would be around breakfast and supper time. And if Audrey was to be quite frank, supper time was one of the most exciting hours of her day. Around those times, their father would make a grand unveiling of his latest inventions or ideas before they would start on their meal.
A number of those inventions would always end creating a mess and some of those may have caused a few minor explosions which they would have to clean up after their meals. But on the rare times that his inventions did work. It simply leaves Them in awe. Like the first fully mechanical doll their father made for her. It was amongst his most prized possessions. Yet why he continued to build despite the failures was beyond all of them.
Whenever Audrey and Tinble would ask their father why he built and invented, he would always state that they were still quite young to understand some things. When they hoped to get an answer from their mother, she would simply redirect the question or they would be answered with a question of her own. The avoidance made them conclude that, so their, parents were hiding something. And whatever it was they hid from them was something that was either too terrifying or it could be a surprise for them. For a few days, Audrey talked Tinble into watching their parents whenever they had the chance to. Out of sheer curiosity, Tinble agreed. Each of them marked a parent that they would watch. For Audrey, it was her task to keep an eye on their father while Tinble would be with their mother in the shop.
Since that agreement, they would often carry the books they needed to study where their parents were. And for Audrey, she started spending an ample amount of time in her father’s study. For the first few days, she would just watch him tinker with some of his old machinery and inventions that ended in a disaster.
“Daddy, why do you build machines?” Audrey asks as she places the book she was reading onto her lap.
“Because I want to,” Her father said bluntly as he was putting in the last few pieces of screws on the newest contraption he was building “And it’s fun”
“Is it?” She soon jumped off the chair she sat upon and made her way to her father’s side where she was handed the screwdriver he was using
“Give it a try” He urged her
She looked at the item curiously before she did as her father was doing previously. After some minutes, she had finished and she handed him back the screwdriver “It didn’t feel all too fun, Daddy”
“That’s because you don’t know what they’re for” He ushered her to take a few steps back while he lit up something at the side of the machine.
Once done, he took a few steps back. In a matter of minutes, wheezing and hissing sounds came from the machine. And a few more moments later, some of the cogs started turning and the piece that Audrey had helped assemble was now in rotation, as well as the other small boxes that were fixed onto a rotating wheel. “You see that? It’s the piece you helped with. Look at it go”
She watched with wide awe-filled eyes, as the wheel rotated “I see it! But what’s it used for, Daddy?”
It will be for lifting things. From a low place to a high place. It looks like it would be good for small things though” he muttered as he scratched the side of his head. Maybe if it was bigger, it could carry bigger things”
“Then you can just build something bigger! I’ll help!” She was beaming as she picked up the tool she previously had, back in her hands
“Now that’s an idea.” He was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the overly-enthusiastic Audrey being ready to build alongside him “Or we could try building something you want!”
“I want to make that doll you gave me before. I think she needs a friend” She said with a wide, cheeky grin stretched on her lips.
“Let me just find the prints for that” He turned to a bookcase at the far end of the room where rolled-up papers were stacked neatly on each shelf.
“What’s that? What are all those papers for?” She followed after him yet her question remained unanswered so she decided to pull out some of the rolled-up paper as well “Oh you were making people, Daddy? What’s an animato-”
Before she could finish her words, her mouth was immediately covered with his hand and she was met with the most terrifying look she’s ever seen of her father “Don’t touch those. I think you should wait by the table while I look for the plans.” he told her sternly while he pointed to his drawing table.
Without a word, she just nodded almost instantly and rushed back to the drawing table that was on one end of the room. Shivers ran down her spine upon recalling the look she was given. She had never seen her father so terrifying yet it somehow confirmed that he was hiding something. Her thoughts became too occupied with the events from moments ago that she didn’t even notice when her father started calling out to her. She only snapped out of her train of thoughts when her father poked her side with the roll of paper in his hands.
“I’m sorry for scaring you earlier, darling. Those were just important plans. Didn’t want them ruined” He said as he offered an apologetic smile “Shall we get building?” He laid out the plans over the drawing table and taped them into place.
“Where do we start?”
“We’ll have to start here…” He points to the small box figure that was in the middle of the paper “Then maybe… the body?”
“What about the head?”
He had already gone about to collect the materials they would be needing “That can be next” He assured her before placing the materials on a table beside where she stood “Now come here so I can teach you”
For the entire day, The pair spent their entire afternoon locked up in the study. Luckily, Tinble was enough to keep their mother occupied as well, else, the both of them would have had an earful from her. By the time it was supper time, Their father was ready to call it a day while Audrey, on the other hand, wasn’t quite willing to leave her small doll alone just yet. It was just a few pieces away from completion.
“Daddy, can’t we just finish this?” She gave her one of her best pouts yet it didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest that time.
“You know how your mother gets when someone’s late for supper. Come on” He ushered her away from the table and out the room.
Chapter 1-2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/down-with-the-king-ch-1-2-a485241e
I had to cut this into parts because the full chapter was apparently 3,500 words and it would have been an overwhelming read. So this might actually turn into 20 chapters after all OnO
Down with the king!: Prologue
I honestly wanted to do a science article today but the topic I had in mind was a bit lacking so I still need to do further reading on that when I'm in the mood for it. Anyways, here is one of my rejected books. I posted the story summary/idea here if you want the spoiler but for now, I'm going to start off with a prologue. This has maybe 12-15 chapters? depends on how I'll cut the entire 30k words XD https://read.cash/@Hanzell/story-idea-06457969
**Prologue**
It was that time of the year again. Uscad needed a few envoys that would be sent to Adroile and purist territory. The number of volunteers decreased as the years went by. By the start of the 19th century, almost nobody wanted to volunteer. Why would they when none of their envoys ever returned. No news of their negotiations ever came, and there seemed to be no progress in their noble efforts of reaching peace within the three factions. The weaker witches were giving up on such an idealistic world.
The few that were still willing to go were the few who still strongly believed in Uscad’s noble goals. Such families were those like the Holte’s whose race was actually part human. They still hoped to achieve an understanding among the races. At the start of the 19th century, Beorhtric and Lilyana Holte volunteered to be the envoys for that year.
The Elder was reluctant to proceed with sending more envoys but the Holte’s were determined to make peace; at least with the human faction, that is.
Preparations were made for their departure. They were blessed by the elder and all the other members of Uscad. Charms and relics were given to their family as protection, and they greatly appreciated it.
“Father, will you and mother come back soon?” A young Cooper asked while helping his parents pack their belongings
“We will. We’ll be back in a week’s time” His father said proudly as he took the items Cooper was handing him.
The young couple was ready to set off towards the human faction that day. As soon as dawn broke, the family was already out of the house, and was walking towards the wall. The young Cooper wanted to see his parents off. He insisted because he was sure that he would miss them while they were gone.
Once they reached the wall, the couple bid their goodbyes to their only son, before making a small opening in the wall. They told Cooper to be a good boy and wait while they tried to talk things out with the humans. And wait he did.
Each day, he would sit beside the small opening his parents made, and each day he made sure that he would be ready to greet them and welcome them back. Days passed and there was nothing. The days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months. He still waited beside the opening, and on some days, the elder would sit beside him, waiting for their return as well.
“Elder… are my parents coming back?” A disheartened Cooper asked
“They will… Or you could go get them when you’re of age to leave Uscad” The Elder said as she guided Cooper back into the village “One day, you can go out to check if your parents are still alive… But for now, nobody can pass through these walls again.”
As they walked away from the wall, the elder sealed off the small opening. She had to make sure that no other witch would perish while she was still there to protect them. The Holte’s were the very last envoys that ever left Uscad, and she made sure of it.
Ghostwriters: a few myths and truths
This will definitely be the last part of my ghostwriting frenzy, then I'll return to my stories for a while. Or maybe I would put some thought into my list of other ideas, who knows but for now, I hope you enjoy this write-up as well.
So for the last part, let me just go over some of the few myths that revolve around ghostwriters.
**Ghostwriting is plagiarism and intellectual property theft**
It technically isn’t? Well in a personal opinion, there’s no intellectual property theft unless the ghostwriter legit just copy-pasted something they claimed to have written. The thing is, the ghostwriter is only given an idea and then the rest is their own words. And as I keep mentioning: the ghostwriter has no claims whatsoever of whatever they’ve written once they’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement. That non-disclosure agreement will make sure that the person who hired the ghostwriter gets all rights to the written work. No, the ghostwriter will not receive royalties unless it was also indicated in the agreement, and most of the time, it isn’t.
**It’s hard to find a ghostwriter**
Nope, not at all. They’re everywhere, really. Just look it up in Upwork or on the net and you can easily find one but it all comes down to how skilled your hired ghostwriter is. That’s why a portfolio is always needed. If the ghostwriter has a website or blog they use for their portfolio then that’s better. The client can get a better understanding of the ghostwriter’s writing style and if the ghostwritter is capable of switching styles.
**Isn’t it illegal to hire a ghostwriter?**
Not at all! As I’ve said, so many famous authors have made use of ghostwriters. Holy scriptures such as the bible may have been the few of the first ghostwritten pieces that sold worldwide (I don’t want to cause controversy but since the “words of God” were passed throughout history by songs and poems, and not by paper and books in the times of the old testament, it is clear that it was ghostwritten. Plus how can He write those down without the aid of a prophet? Again, no controversy, just stating what I've observed). What is illegal is if you literally steal some unknown writer’s work just to publish it as your own because you’re famous. That doesn’t make you cool, it makes you an a$$hole that plagiarizes.
**Is it ethical to hire a ghostwriter?**
Well, that’s hard to answer… but the fact that the practice is so widely accepted so it’s hard to question at this point. I mean, even in the academic field, there’s at least 20-25% of academic journals that were written by ghostwriters, and even among established authors, at least 25% of them actually admit to hiring ghostwriters.
But now that we’re on the topic of authors and ghostwritten works. I actually want to mention a few because they piqued my interest while I was looking up some fun questions.
First on my list is R.L. Stine. Although there was never any statements or proof that he hired ghostwriters for his series it's highly suspicious for just one man to write 62 titles by himself in the span of just 5 years (1992-1995) and to top it off, there came a time where he could release at least 2 books in a month. Although yeah, his works were short that even I could finish it in one sitting, but it still seems highly suspicious.
There's also the holy scriptures but I don't want any controversies so onto the next XD.
It might come as a surprise to see Shakespeare here but based on what I've read, there's honestly not much information on whether he did or did not hire a ghostwriter for his works. I mean, there isn't enough information about his personal life as well. His life was quite a mystery because his works spoke for him. But to whether there was another behind his famous works, I'm interested to find out, actually. But he did create so many playwrights that it kinda makes one wonder how one could pull that off alone.
The last one and probably the one that actually has proof of being a ghostwriter before was H.P. Lovecraft. Here, he was the ghostwriter, he never hired ghostwriters to do things for him. I haven't read any of his works but I want to;;w;; I'm gonna get his books one day.
Back to the topic: In 1924, he wrote a book for Harry Houdini. It was entitled "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" I'm not sure about the story itself and whether Houdini insisted on a different writing style or he just let Lovecraft go with his established writing style but maybe I'll add this to my "To Read" list so that I can find out
That concludes my fascination with knowing about my previous job XD I hope you enjoyed it. There are also plenty of other books that had a ghostwriter behind them and you can look if you're curious but I just listed off the authors I like reading from and those on my list. Anyways, let's see if you'll have the patience for a 10 Chapter full novel next time because I'm publishing my rejected novel.
Ghostwriters: the basics... or at least an idea
Based on my previous article about ghostwriting (you could check that here: https://read.cash/@Hanzell/ghostwriting-a67e6c42) I gave an idea about what a ghostwriter is, the range of things that they can do for you, and my own experiences as a ghostwriter for books. I also talked about a few issues I’ve experienced as a ghostwriter for those books but i also experienced ghostwriting lots of academic papers back in my college days ;;-;; so I just wanted to expand that.
A ghostwriter is someone who will write something and another person will be called the author of that written piece. The practice has been around for so long, honestly so tracing back in history would be near impossible. The only records people have of people using ghostwriters date back to the 5th century; when people in court and in high positions used them to make a more appealing announcement to their subject. No leader has gone without a ghostwriter but in their time, I believe they were called scribes. Even in films, and especially in Hollywood. The trace of ghostwriters is everywhere. From a celebrity’s social media post to the script of your all-time favorite movie, they’re just everywhere.
There was also a case where people used ghostwriters to write love letters. If you’ve watched the anime Violet Evergarden, it’s the first anime I’ve ever seen that showed how ghostwriting works. It’s a very emotional one that shows why there are ghostwriters and what they do on an emotional level. But I’m not gonna dive deeper into that.
**Why do people hire ghostwriters?**
There are plenty of reasons why other people need them but the main one is that **the claimed author doesn’t have the skills nor the time to focus on writing. this is the most basic excuse you'll hear when you try academic ghostwriting.**
**Writing is a commitment** and if you plan to make a living out of it, you have to develop your own writing style with the help of another author’s works. But what if you, as a writer, can’t manage that? It would make your work a bit hard to sell on the market. Also, the case where you don’t even have the time to sit down to think about how to go about with your ideas.
There’s also the case where the claimed author just doesn’t have the patience to write. (again, applies on both academic content and novel contents) They don’t want to write in general yet they want a book or papers made for them (I’ve encountered plenty of these people :< ). They don’t have the patience to think of how to expand the idea, nor the interest to do a bit of research on their idea yet they're so fixated on their idea.
There are also people that really can’t manage to piece their ideas together. Not because they don’t know how to, but because they lack the skills and educational background to do so. Then there are just some that hire ghostwriters to improve and elongate their already written ideas (also experienced this and it was the smoothest and most chill project I had back in college)
The last addition to your clientele list is the successful authors who are riding on their fame while it lasts (this was the case with my very last client who really begged me to stay solely because I could write like how they write). The best example I can think of with this kind of client is R.L. Stine. Although it wasn’t proven that he hired ghostwriters, it’s honestly quite suspicious how he could produce 2 books a month when his Goosebumps series was all the rage.
These are the usual clients you’ll get or find when you enter the ghostwriting business (A lot of them are such whiney ass b!tches though, I swear-). And if you plan to then here are some things you need to keep in mind.
**You really need to be patient and tolerant** because the clientele can range from people who never had a proper educational background, to people who are just plain whiney and indecisive. Each of those people gave me a different kind of headache I never want to go through again, especially those whiney a$$es, they don’t understand chill and your brain capacity, they just know that they want their book done ASAP! Also, when you get clients that aren’t English natives… you need a whole lot of patience with them because of the language barrier.
**You also need the skills and the capability to proofread your own work.** So yes, that includes having a basic understanding of the English language or the language you’re writing in. The punctuations, the expressions, and the figures of speech, they’re all important to know because there are so many people in the market who are really looking for someone who can efficiently proofread their own works so that they won’t need an editor service anytime soon. But then you have to really understand what the client wants you to do too, especially with academic projects because they require certain methods so you need to check those too.
**You need to learn how to adapt to a certain tone and way of writing.** Yes, you honestly do, especially if you got hired by a famous author already or a student that wants you to write in a specific way just so it doesn't look like they didn't do their own homework 😂. This is where some people struggle when it comes to ghostwriting because it means that you’ll need to abandon the writing style that you’ve worked so hard to establish and not everyone can do that unless they practice adapting different author's styles every few months (I do when I get fixated on a book and an author tbh).
After I'm done writing about my ghostwriting venture. I might try publishing one of the rejected books I wrote for this one client.
Secret of that forest Ch.3
Chapter 1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/secrets-of-that-forest-5f9bf831
Chapter 2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/secret-of-that-forest-ch-2-2aeed212
One by one they tried the key into all the locks they could find and surprisingly, with each opening they created, they found more and more information on various things. It started with notes on sylphs, from physiology and abilities and as they explored further by using the key on doors… horrific sights greeted them. The door to the house’s bathroom led to a dungeon of sorts. His bedroom was what looked like a confinement room. His parent’s room… had blood stains and medical equipment spread across a stainless steel table. And what made it worse was the dried-up blood that coated the blades. Byron’s parents must have used it before they disappeared. His father’s study didn’t seem to be enchanted. There was one last door they needed to check. The door that leads outside.
Based on all the things they saw, it didn’t seem like Byron could even stomach whatever might come up next. Yes, his parents were rather secretive and odd but what were they hiding. He had no choice but to see it through. With a deep breath, he steeled himself for what he would be witnessing.
Shaky hands reached for the knob that he already unlocked. It didn’t help that there was the light that seeped through the door cracks. The moment he opened the door, the sight of both his missing parents was the first thing that greeted him. But not with their usual hugs and kisses. No, this time, they greeted him as corpses floating in a cylindrical glass container.
Shacked didn’t come near what Byron felt. He was frozen in place. Even as the door shut close and the room grew chilly with cold air, he could care less as he dragged himself to stand in front of his parents for a closer look.
“They deserved it”
His head slowly turned to Sylvia “Deserved what?” He grew more terrified as he eyed her up and down.
She didn’t look like her usual self. There weren’t any stitches on her arms and head. Her hair wasn’t so thin. Her wings weren’t torn. “Everything we did to them”
Again, a strong gust of wind circulated the room nearly blowing him away but with the wind were voices. Murmurs, endless murmurs that sent shivers down his spine.
“They deserved it! They deserved it!” The voices grew louder and one by one head popped out after the other, all of them mutilated in one way or the other. Was this what his parents had been up to all these years?
“Did they do this to you?” his tone was barely audible among the haunting voices. He was shaking, and slowly backing up to the door
“Now that you know what the humans have done to us, especially your parents… we need to kill you and every other human on this planet too”
“Sylvia, I know my parents were horrible but not all humans are like that” He pleaded yet his hands were grasping around for the doorknob, or whatever opening he could use to escape.
“You wouldn’t understand!!!” Her voice grew shrill as a scream escaped her. The kind that was enough to make Byron’s ears bleed. She was manipulating the air around him, making the air molecules vibrate faster to the point that he started bleeding on every open orifice on him.
“Ple-please... Stop” Agin, he begged while desperately trying to cover his ears to block out her voice but no matter what he did, she continued.
She continued on for a while longer. Until his skin turned blue from the internal lacerations that the molecules in his body were causing.
“Sylvia... why..?” With his last breath, he gazed at the sylph he had tried to help out. He still wanted an answer but his body finally gave out and he succumbed to the darkness of death.
"I didn't have a choice... if I didn't become the villain I would have been a weapon or a lab rat! They would have continued torturing my kind for their science!” Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she approached Byron. “Even if you save them, it won't be long before they wonder how to use you. That’s just how humans are."
Pretty short but ayyeee I'm done with this one UwU
Secret of that forest Ch. 2
Chapter 1 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/secrets-of-that-forest-5f9bf831
I'm only editing on the phone XD too lazy to open the laptop to post but oh well. I'm definitely ending this in the next chapter;;-;; but the prompt ideas were so good- send help so I can end this once and for all
“I’m sure you’ll find them” Byron’s tone changed, he was getting quite nervous when she had mentioned his family name “Anyways, I can only make vegetable soup for today, will that be enough for you?”
He was answered with a questioning look. But based on her confusion, she probably didn’t know what he was talking about. Another sigh escaped him as he got to picking the ingredients he would be needing.
It wasn’t so bad having company for once. Although he didn’t really enjoy having someone constantly asking what he was doing. Perhaps her kind was so removed from society which was why she had no clue. Either way, he had to muster all the patience he had to explain everything to her one by one. It was a challenge, yes. Luckily, she picked up quite fast that in the next few days that she was under his care, she was able to cook and do some of the repairs that still needed to be done after her rampage. She was magic reliant, that much he could tell from the way she would make use of her wind and plant magic.
“So tell me, what do the Greames have to do with your kind?” Byron had been meaning to put the question off for a while but curiosity really wasn’t something he enjoyed experiencing. From the moment she mentioned his family’s name, he already knew it was no good.
“They promised us something” Was what she said “Our leader was supposed to meet them but he didn’t make it. It was only me” Her gaze fell to her feet and she seemed quite saddened by the memory.
“I… may know where they live” He forced a smile and gestured for her to look at him “Want to see if they’ll be around? I’m allowed into their house sometimes” He lied. He knew they wouldn’t come back, and he definitely had no plans on returning to his former home, but he wanted to know what it was his parents did to even be involved in the extinction of a race.
Without a second’s delay, she nodded “Then tomorrow, let’s go see them. I can turn human so no need to think about how to hide me” A mischievous smile then played on her lips before she turned on her heels to head to the room she was allowed to use.
“She- what? How?!” He was baffled for a moment, stuck to his seat as he processed just how she figured out what he was thinking of before he could even mention it. Could she read minds? He didn’t want to think about it anymore. With an exasperated breath, he got up and headed to bed. Tomorrow was going to be an exhausting day was the last thing on his mind before he retired to bed.
After finishing their meal, they headed towards the old cabin on the other side of town. And honestly, it wasn’t the town that distracted Byron, not at all. It was the figure Sylvia assumed. In her sylph form, she was adorable, almost child-like but as a human… he could only stare slack-jawed at her features. Beautiful couldn’t even come close. He never expected anything like this so he wasn’t sure how he would even talk to this sylph without stuttering. All he knew was that he needed to end this visit as soon as possible so that she would return to her sylph form
“If it makes you that uncomfortable, I can change back as soon as we get into your house, Byron” Her tone was teasing
It honestly made him question if she’s always been like this but when she said ‘your house’ that was when all his suspicions were confirmed: “So you can read minds!” He explained once they were nearing his former home.
“I didn’t need to this time, you just looked uncomfortable with me in this form” She ushered him to keep walking so that they could get there sooner “But yes, I can read minds. I knew all along”
As irritated as he might have been, he just groaned in frustration while unlocking the door as soon as they arrived “Things could have been a lot easier if you had told me sooner” he muttered underneath his breath while he showed her his parent’s room “So what do we even need to find?”
“It was… I’m not sure, honestly” As soon as the realization finally came to her, she deflated on the plush bed “It was the leader that knew. I was only told that they would know what to do as soon as they saw me in this form” She heaved a deep sigh as she shook off the wind spell she used to change her form.
“Do you guys have like, your own language or something? My parents had weird books’ Byron gestured out the door where he showed her his father’s study. He wasn’t really allowed in there much. But at times when his parents were gone, he did manage to sneak his way in by picking on the locks.
“We do but we mostly use our language for spells” She was now zooming after him “But why would humans have our books?”
Byron could only shrug as he laid out all the books on his father’s old desk “They were odd. They had a lot of secrets but they meant no harm. Or so I think” he opened the books one by one but what caught his attention was a book written in English. It was hollowed out to have a key. But to where the key would fit, neither of them knew.
Sylvia took a closer look at the key, and what bothered her more than anything was that it was one of their coveted enchanted keys, The kind that could hide certain things even in plain sight. “I agree that they’re odd. This one must be hiding something powerful” She twirled the key over her palms “Look at the amount of scripture written on it”
“But what does it even open” He leaned in closer
“Let’s just try this on everything that has locks! They must have hidden it in plain sight if they didn't bother to hide this well enough. Maybe they were even making sure that you would find the key.
Chapter 3 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/secret-of-that-forest-ch3-f2345822
Secrets of that forest
**[WP] You are walking in your local forest when you see a strange sapling; wilted, half-eaten, its roots exposed but still alive. You take it back home as the sun sets in hopes of studying it in the morning, but wake up to find a wounded forest spirit instead.**
**[WP]"I didn't have a choice, if I didn't become the villain I would have been a weapon or a lab rat. Even if you save them, it won't be long before they wonder how to use you" Even if you hate to admit it, they were right.**
Life in the woods wasn’t all bad, or so Byron thought. If he stumbled upon anything strange, he would bring it back to his cottage to inspect the item. Oftentimes he brought home more plants to add to his now flourishing garden. At times he would bring home some new items when he would go to town to sell most of his produce but that was all there was to his life since he moved to his isolated cottage.
He used to live in the village along with everyone else. Since his parents perished… they never treated him the same. Perhaps his parent’s shadows were too dark for him to step out of or perhaps the villagers just didn’t approve of his ways. Either way, a year since his parents passed from poisoning, he fled their home and decided to move into the forest where he was isolated. And where no gaze fell upon him except when he had to sell his items.
On his way back after a day of successful trade, a plant, a sapling caught his eye. It was a different kind. One that probably didn’t grow in their forest. Yet for a pretty unnoticed plant, it was in bad shape. It was probably just dumped there because the roots weren’t settled in that deep. It was also wilting and had a few leaves chewed off, probably by bunnies. There was no way he would be passing the opportunity up so he dug up the plant and carried it back to his cottage with his bare hands.
“I’ll make sure you grow nicely so we can see what kind of plant you are” he muttered to himself and to the plant as he made his way deeper into the forest.
He wanted to study the plant a bit more, and maybe confide in his botany books to see if the plant was something he might have overlooked, but when a yawn escaped him, Byron knew he would have to forgo everything in his mind for a well-deserved sleep. As soon as his head hit the pillow, his heavy lids remained shut, and deep breaths were the only noises that filled the room.
Morning came in an instant and had it not been for the bright rays beaming down on him, he would have stayed in bed longer, but that wasn’t the case. No matter, he had his new plant to look forward to. He kicked the blanket off then he rushed to his kitchen to see how the plant was. What greeted him was definitely not the plant. A pale, injured woman had managed her way into his home. And what more was that she was still sound asleep.
“Who could this be… she is different…” He inched closer. He couldn’t dare pry his gaze off the beautiful creature for some reason.
He really wanted to examine the creature more while she slept, but when she turned to her side, a wince escaped her and before he even got the chance to back away, she was already wide awake. He wasn’t even her main focus, what she focused on was what looked like a wound on her side.
“A-are you okay?”
The creature’s gaze immediately stopped on him. She sat up abruptly, causing her to hiss in pain. She looked at him with a hint of fear as she backed up into a corner “Please-- stay away from me!” her dress grew redder on the side “Don’t harm me!”
Byron wasn’t even sure how he should approach the creature but he could clearly see that whatever injury she had was opening up. And judging from her expression. They were quite drastic ones.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I merely want to help” Slowly, he inched closer to her again. “Please, let me inspect your injuries” He reached for the medical equipment he kept nearby and showed her, hoping that she would recognize the things in the box.
“That’s what they all said to our kind too… but we were lied to!” the memory might have aggregated her instead as Byron watched the fear in her eyes turn to one of pure rage. And without much consideration for what he had to say, she summoned forth strong gusts of winds that shattered the glass windows. Her eyes glowed a blinding white as the gusts grew stronger. The cottage shook with the wind she managed to create. It was terrifying but it didn’t last long. In a matter of minutes since her rampage, she again fell on the kitchen counter.
Luckily Byron hadn’t been thrown back that far, but the mess he had to clean up… he heaved a heavy sigh and told himself to clean it up later. He first had to tend to the small creature.
She was carried to his bed. Once she seemed comfortable enough, he left her there to rest so that he could clean up what he could manage.
Hours passed and Byron really thought he had cleaned up enough. He was next planning on harvesting some crops for supper but a small head popped out from his room.
“I’m glad you’ve calmed down”
The bandaged creature soon came out, her gaze was downcast as she approached him “I’m sorry for the scene earlier” Was all she managed to say before she retreated a few steps back
“It’s alright. Would you like to help me gather materials for supper? Or would you like to rest more?”
She looked hesitant for a while, quite unsure of what to do but when Byron already had a foot out the door, she just followed suit.
“So were you the plant I found?”
She froze in her tracks, looking at him cautiously before nodding slowly. “I needed to recover my strength… and I was in a mission to look for people”
He raised a brow, curiosity had gotten the best of him yet again. “Who are you looking for? It might be someone I know”
“Do you happen to know the family of Greames?”
It was his turn to stop in his tracks, he… was a Greames. What did he have to do with enchanted creatures? Was it why his parents disappeared?
Chapter 2 https://read.cash/@Hanzell/secret-of-that-forest-ch-2-2aeed212
I'll just keep this short. but ngl. I really liked this prompt
Ghostwriting
Ｇｈｏｓｔｗｒｉｔｉｎｇ
By definition, it is to write for someone else. You have no authorship over whatever you have written, nor do you have any claims over it.
As for the written material, it varies and depends on who you write for. It can be something as simple as a letter or a social media post, essays for academic purposes, novels and books, to even somebody else's dissertation. The limits to what can be written by a ghostwriter are limitless. As long as a person has an idea, there could always be a ghostwriter that has the ability to put those ideas into reality. To give them a much deeper and more detailed elaboration than what the supposed author could never think of.
Why did I think about writing this all of a sudden? Well, from February to just recently, I partook in ghostwriting just to feel like I was still working, because honestly. I'm not the type that enjoys not doing anything and just drawing things wasn't cutting it for me. It was helping for a while. My first client asked me to do a biography for him. Despite the struggle to understand his accent, it was a smooth job. Although I honestly couldn't understand why he wanted to have a biography done when he couldn't even remember parts of his life when I asked for more details. The project took me 2 weeks. What followed was a diet book that focused on a keto diet. I managed to finish that in a week because the diet is a basic thing in our biochemistry class. Then I experienced having to write property books. I had to do 2 of those and I swear, I never want to touch any of those again. I don't ever want to see another property book in my life after everything I had to go through with those books! Then I worked on a fantasy fiction, the one that stressed me out the most because I was given basically only 5 days for that. After all that pressure, I resigned but my employer forced me to write one last biography before I left because the client specifically asked for me. I hated that job, yes. They were so late in paying for some of those books but I do think my writing really leveled up after everything I went through.
**Ghostwriting isn’t for everyone.** And if it is, pray to the heavens that they give you a good handler for the projects because I was assigned to a huge a$$hole. He forced me to keep up with deadlines I was never even informed of. They would spam me with at least 20+ emails when I don’t respond. It was like a harassment threat, I tell you! And to make it worse, I already told them that I would be working on the documents yet they still spam me with emails. How can you expect anyone to type while answering questions? It was precisely why I gave them access to the documents I typed, so that they can check when they want. I understand that they have other documents in their drives but it was just a stupid mindset, I swear.
Another thing that made me question ghostwriting was the fact that **I had no claims over anything when the entire book was based on everything I wrote.** I would usually just be given a paragraph to get an idea then the rest was up to me to write and arrange. Of course with biographies, I was allowed to interview the clients but for the rest, I was on my own. and after the entire project book is said and done, I always have to sign a non-disclosure agreement, stating that I in no rights have any claims over the finished book and anything relating to it, including profit.
**It’s hard to write for someone else because you don't know them and you have no assurance that they’d like your ideas or if you’d even be paid for what you wrote.** That happens, actually. The handler still makes you finish a book but the thing is, the client doesn’t like it so you don’t get paid for it. Then the next thing you know, your finished book still makes it to the market. How did that happen? The handlers sold it to someone else who was looking for something written with the same idea. It’s frustrating and the handler I was assigned with made the experience much worse.
I came to a point where I thought of writing a book but where i should start was the question as well. I had no connections in the publishing world. I had no fame and reputation in the writing world aside from read.cash and just searching doesn’t help because they only show the surface level identity of these publishing platforms. So **where should an amateur writer even start?** That is a question that will continue to plague me for a while, or until I find a distraction from the question.
Perhaps I'll write other things I learned while ghostwriting because I don't think I have the brain to think of a good story these days.
If Crypto was used for research
To those that have known me for a while now, you may already know that I’m a chemist by profession and by study. My life is research and will probably be until who knows when 😅 This is not written as a rant but it’s just a what-if.
Anyways, after reading @CryptoMax 's article (which you can read here: **https://read.cash/@CryptoMax/the-system-is-rotten-do-something-about-it-f2e84b7a#comment-74cd317c**) I really got to thinking of what the research field would be like if it were to be fueled by crypto. Quite a far-fetched vision right now, yes but I couldn't help but think how it would really benefit so many researchers, especially here in my country.
You see, researchers here are so undervalued. The only reason there are still researchers who stay here is that they either want to make a change in the country, or they’re on the industry and the government’s side. The rest honestly aim to leave the country so they can continue their research. Let’s face it, the government organizations established to help researchers and the science sectors aren’t doing a very good job at it. The most recent and most expensive equipment I’ve seen them get was the one used for the development of the covid vaccines but aside from that, nothing followed. It makes you think that unless there was a pandemic, the government probably wouldn’t even bother getting more and better equipment.
This is not an exaggeration. In most government testing labs, it takes forever to request good equipment. And if we do get new equipment, it will come in small quantities. There’s a lack of understanding of how fundamental the research sector is to every sector of society, like in the food sector, if we falsely pass failed products, there would be an outbreak of either food poisoning or something, In construction, if we approve the usage of a certain brand of cement even if it doesn’t meet standards, you’ll be ridden with guilt over the number of deaths you caused because you approved a substandard material. A lot of lives will be affected with one just falsified product report.
Researchers here try to create makeshift instruments and equipment just to cope up with the things we don’t have. These makeshift equipment work and they are reproducible yet what we always lack is the funding to further have the equipment validated by other laboratories. It’s easy to say that we can approach the science sector the gov established but getting the funds for it might result in having your research stolen. We’ve seen a few stolen research that was used by the gov, some were sold off and the rest just end up on a shelf, gathering dust. And in the rare case that they do agree to fund your research, you’d have to have really exceptional research like some amazing cancer detection kit that can trace cell abnormality even on the Femto scale. But what about individual researchers that just want to make a difference? It’s near impossible to get any sort of funding.
But what if research funding was done with crypto instead of the taxes you pay the gov? It would be more transparent, the masses could have a say in what projects and research should and should not be given a chance. For a timely example, the covid vaccines. If the mass only knew how limited the gov provided funds were for all the trials they would need to test its effectiveness, a number of us would have donated or invested already. The transparency researchers would get for the funding will be rewarded with transparency on the project or research’s end because research has always been transparent with reporting its findings.
Yes, the idea could potentially abolish the science sector of my country’s gov system but in return, the research sector could eventually be censor-free. That’s also one thing we face with the gov: They censor out a lot of important facts and information. But if crypto became a major driving force with research though, the research field would be censor-free and maybe it would advance and could be on par with those of other countries.
How could I say this? Because I have seen so much good research in these research symposiums we attend every few months (pre-pandemic, and they are hosted by private companies, universities, and private research facilities), and I have seen so much potentially good and profitable research go to waste because they couldn’t get the funding it deserves.
It also made me think that the masses here aren’t that undereducated so advertising what your research can do to the masses in order to get support wouldn’t be such a bad idea, especially the green-researchers that I’m part of (although my specialization is nanomaterials, my materials are usually waste materials). The masses might actually support the research more than the gov ever will because research, solutions, and progress isn’t their goal, their goal is to get a fraction of the people’s taxes to themselves (I’m not saying it’s all of them, but the corruption history in my country is just ridiculous, so is the lack of transparency with the funds).
I should stop myself before I take this further but even on a surface level, this is the research side here. This is my reality and will probably continue to be until I either leave the country or until some sort of change comes and they find better ways to gather funding. Anyways, these are just my thoughts and wishes for the research sector.
Her voice
**[RF] You fall in love with a voice on the radio.**
Day out and day it has always been the same for me, especially when I started working in this 24-hour diner. My shifts ran from 10p.pm. To 7 a.m. Yes, they weren’t the best of times for a uni student but those were the only free times I could get. And the setup wasn’t all bad. There were barely any people around that time. If there would be, it would be at least 1 or 3 people to serve then they’d leave me alone. It was a peaceful time for me and I could still study when there was nobody around or some random dude wasn’t calling out for more coffee or syrup for his sugar-filled pancake.
I’ve no complaints because I’ve always been more of a night owl too. I mean, the working conditions and the pay wasn’t all bad. I could say that for a uni girl in her early 20s, who is living alone, this setup isn’t that bad. What makes the nights better for me was this radio station the diner’s radio was stuck on. Couldn’t tell whether it was the old waitress’s fault or if the radio’s always been like that but it’s always tuned on to this specific station.
Every single night, from midnight until 6 a.m. there would be a late-night station and in that entire session, this girl would be the host of the station. At first, I didn’t mind it. I actually wanted to turn off the radio then but after a while, I just let it play.
She read letters to late-night workers like me. Played select songs from her own playlist that kept her up. And amazingly, it worked for me too. What was more amazing was how soothing her voice was. It wasn’t like the voices you’d hear on the radio during the day. Her voice was husky yet soft and extremely calming. I liked that voice that much.
Not a day passed that I would pass up the chance to listen to that voice of hers. I even wished she was my instructor instead but that seems like a dream too far-fetched. I would settle for hearing it over the radio.
Saturday, My last shift for the week. Something really unexpected happened. It was 6 a.m. My shift was already done and I was getting ready to pack up and hand over the keys to the guy who took over my shift but there was this customer that ordered coffee and I could swear- my heart almost exploded when I finally recognized that voice.
I wasn’t even sure if she was the host of that radio show, but I could have sworn that was the same voice. I didn't want to ask right off the bat but I was curious. I mean, it’s not every day that your celebrity crush would walk into your workplace to have coffee.
But- confirmation first! I steeled myself and approached her table as I was heading out for the day. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just assuming things or my curiosity.
“Hi, sorry to disrupt you while you’re enjoying your drink” I offered a shy smile as I spoke “I was just curious about something. Is it alright if I asked something?”
She gave me a deadpan looked as she carefully placed the Styrofoam cup down “Go ahead, but I’ll have to leave soon so make it quick”
I immediately nodded and went straight to my question “Are you the DJ that hosts the late-night shows on this radio station daily?” I may have sounded a bit too excited but when her eyes widened, it seemed to answer all my questions
“And what if I am?”
She was so different in person but I guess that was how professional she wanted to be “I have been a fan of yours for a while now and I really love your segment!” I couldn’t stop the excited grin on my lips. I was basically bouncing in my place but she didn’t seem all that excited to be recognized.
“I appreciate that you tune into my show. Maybe I’ll come back here. You make good coffee, miss. It’s strong but it’s not the kind that would kick you awake. It has a subtleness” She said as she got up from her seat.
I could only stand there and stare as my crush walked out of the diner.
True to her words, she did come back. At first, it was on every few days, then it became every other day. I honestly wished she would visit me daily but seeing her this often was enough to brighten up my day and in return, I would sneak in some sweets and maybe a few fruits with her regular order of coffee. I wasn’t sure if she ate them because she usually ordered on a to-go basis. And usually, I would engage in small talks with her. Anything to hear that voice of hers.
I wasn’t even sure of myself but I think… I was falling for her. Not just with her voice, but also with the way she would laugh when I would make a small mistake because I get nervous around her. And the way would hum while she was thinking of something else to get along with her coffee. Also when she would always sit at the far end of the diner so she could take her time looking out the window.
I honestly thought hard about if she would even date me. Most importantly, on how to confess to her. I thought long and hard on my next moves but then I recalled a segment on her show where she would read letters out… And maybe that was it. I would write her a letter.
Who knows if this was the best way to go about things but It was better than taking precious sleep time away from her, and I definitely can’t after both our shifts because I still had classes. So this will work just fine. I sent in my letter to their office… then I waited… A day? A couple of days, nothing.
It made me wonder if they had that many submissions but after a week of waiting and tuning in to the station, I finally heard her read my letter.
“The first letter we have for this week seems to be a love letter. How adorable!” She said in her calm tone, She even said it with a little chuckle. She might not be aware of what those letters contained. “So let’s get to it. Dear DJ Em. Oh, it’s addressed to me? How unusual” I turned the radio up and sat closer to the small device “First off, I haven’t been a fan for that long. Maybe only a few months now. Even so, I still enjoy listening to you every midnight until my shift ends. I also love your music playlist you share with us. A love the things you share with your audience because you make it feel like we have a friend in you because of the kind of bond and interaction you have with us. It’s comforting to hear your voice, especially when you offer your personal advice. But most of all, I love that you’ve been visiting the diner more often. I wanted to tell you this in person but I didn’t know how to go about it. I like you. A lot. This is my first love letter and will hopefully be my last. I don’t plan to confess to any other girl besides you. From, the waitress girl that always makes your coffee”
The line went dead for a while and none of us could tell how she reacted to the letter but after a while, her voice came up again. It sounded softer as if she just finished crying “Let me just set up this song while I get my thoughts together” was all we heard then a soft tune played over the radio. By the time she was back, her voice sounded normal again, as if she didn’t sound so vulnerable just moments ago.
Perhaps it was too much of a shock for her. I would never know until the next time I saw her again. Or if I would ever see her again…
Luckily I did. She still made her way to the diner and she still ordered her usual coffee and bagel but with her payment, she left a letter for me as well. Hurriedly, I read over it, and the words messily scribbled all over the paper were enough to have me grinning ear to ear. I didn’t even ask for permission. I just bent over the counter and pulled her into my arms
“Thank you for liking me back. I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.
Been thinking of continuing it onto this prompt because I was thinking it would be cute for this ❤
[WP] 2 girls realize they like each other, and try to hide their relationship from their friends. Problem is, they're terrible at it.
Strays worth saving
So I’ve been a bit occupied with a few things lately. One is what I’ll do for my board reviews because I was allowed to do online reviews by my review center so I won’t be staying in a dorm anymore and I won’t need to move out! And that’s a huge relief to me and my wallets already. It also means I won’t be sad anymore because I don’t need to be far from my family again ^w^
Another thing I’ve been busy with is this stray rescue organization I’ve gotten involved with. They’re called Strays worth saving (SWS) (you can check the link here for your personal validation: https://www.facebook.com/straysworthsaving/ ). It's a local group here that’s situated in the metro. They have a Facebook group and a few other connected pages that help out outside the metro. https://www.facebook.com/straysworthsaving/?ref=page_internal
The organization has been around since 2019 and since their first successful rescue, they have helped countless strays that they’ve found. Although it’s mostly in Luzon (the area where the metro is located), it’s still great to see that they never stopped helping the animals that are in need. They’ve been doing what they could to gather funds. They started using their own money, then donations, and now recently, they’ve been trying to sell shirts for a cause. (I don't see their shirts on their page but when I asked the owner, she said that it's a plain shirt with their logo on it)
Their group has been amazing so far, and if I was allowed to, I would have joined them in their rescues but given the pandemic, donations are the best I can do for now.
So I started the idea on Wednesday, April 21st. I finally decided to really push through with donating to the strays because if you check their page, the organization is really transparent with what they do. They show the condition in which the animal was found, the assessed fees for medication or for helping, any other expenses, they also show the amount of funds they have received so far.
It’s good to see that kind of transparency so you know that whatever you give will go to good hands. Another thing about them is that they really strive to help their rescues find a forever home. They keep updating their page for adaptors, animals that can be adopted, and the current conditions of the ones that are already in treatment.
I would have loved to adopt and home some of them too but my mother gave me a big N O as an answer so for now, donating regularly is the best I can do for these little ones because if you look through the page, the animals are in really bad conditions. Some of them were abused and dejected, starved, abandoned. Some of them have tumors and really extreme skin conditions. Some of them were victims of hit and runs with vehicles, some of them became the target of amusement and it’s just horrible to see. What’s worse is that strays are the biggest victims of abuse and they just die like that most of the time because they don’t even have the voice to ask for help. If they do make any form of noise to ask for help, they’re seen as a nuisance and the next thing they know, objects might come flying towards them.
It’s just a sad thought and so far, I can’t give much but with whatever I can get, I’m trying to make sure that a portion goes to the organization and hopefully it will encourage them to help more… or at least until I can volunteer with helping too 😅😅😅 because I really have a passion for animals given that I’m a pet owner too.
Since Wednesday, this has been my progress
To those who would love to donate even a little, you could do so through these accounts, although they're local banks and wallets of my country
Chinabank: SWS Good News Foundation - 137500012221
Gcash - 09178914214 or 09955093124 or 09955093125
Paymaya & Coins.ph - 09176363824
Banco de Oro: Antonia Ramirez - 002280238329
BPI Island: Antonia Ramirez - 1286134494
Paypal: melanieramirez1717@yahoo.com.ph
I asked them about making use of the BCH function in one of the local wallets but they weren't sure how to do that or how to utilize the funds... so I think, the wallet I made for them would be okay? Since the funds will still go to them, after all
bitcoincash:qqrgl3syuyn8ymfyyd7la5qmwm700d093ykrllwg9l
Colored memories
I was going through some old drawings and I remembered this kind of painting book series I wanted to do before so I thought I should write it down while I still remembered it. It was supposed to be longer but this is a draft of sorts XD
Also, I started something OwO but I'll write about that on Friday
Graduation day. For someone in fine arts, it meant their grand debut into the art scene. Not like they didn’t establish a name for themselves while studying, they did. But this… this was different. Each candidate for graduation had only one chance to show off the best of the best among their creations.
Graduation night meant that all the available alumni, known art collectors, and curators would be there, and they will be looking for an artist to sponsor and to help out in the industry. It would be a nerve-wracking moment but what was more nerve-wracking was waiting for the announcement of who will get the center spot. The wall that has always been given to that batch’s top student. Everyone wanted that spot, and if given the chance, they would definitely fight for it. But who that spot will go to, that will always be up to the college dean to decide.
**Monday, May 3rd**
The year head for the graduating batch came into the year lounge to post up the much-awaited announcement of who will get which spot. From their current batch of 17 remaining students… the one that received the was someone none of them expected. Elton Hornee. The silent guy that always seemed so anti-social. The guy that always seemed to run off, only to miraculously pop up again with all the requirements for the course. He was always the mysterious figure of the batch but to think that he would be getting the center wall. It was unexpected. And the fact that he didn’t seem particularly amused with the news was worse. But being himself, he again vanished without a trace. They had a week to prepare. That was all. https://read.cash/@Hanzell
That very day, Elton came back to his flat exhausted and evidently stressed. Luckily, his partner, Cenrick, was there waiting for him.
“How was the announcement?” Cenrick greeted the tired Elton with open arms
“It was okay, I got center wall” Elton said nonchalantly as he deflated into the other’s hold, obviously exhausted from the day and from the number of orientations and warnings given to them when they were shown the venue for their graduation exhibit “What did you cook for dinner? Today was tiring” He said with a sigh as he looked up to Cenrick who smiled proudly at him.
“Since I knew you would be the top student, I made your favorite burgers” Cenrick said lovingly as he tightened his arms around the other’s frame
“More like you just wanted to comfort me in the case that I got a bad spot” Elton teased but he couldn’t help but smile as they both waddled over to the dining area of their flat.
“Whatever works for you,” Cenrick says with a shrug before pulling out the chairs “As long as you get fed your favorites and you help me choose what you’ll put up anyways,” He said cheekily as he gestured for Elton to sit.
“But you’ll be helping anyways, it is your face that will be all over my wall” He muttered sheepishly while seating himself in his usual spot.
For the rest of dinner, they went about their usual day of teasing and then desert! After cleaning up everything, they both headed to Elton’s studio (What was supposed to be his room)
“So which ones to put up,” Elton thought aloud as he uncovered the canvases that lined the room’s wall. Some were hung and some were just on the wall but one can’t deny the fact that he only had eyes for Cenrick.
“How about a theme of sorts” Cenrick was helping him uncover some of the paintings, sometimes he would cough from all the dust the room had somehow accumulated.
“Never thought my art could have themes. A theme of you?” Elton grinned cheekily yet with the number of years that they had been together, Cenrick grew immune to the cute pick up lines the other could say
“Come on, be serious! This is your graduation we’re talking about” Cendrick said with a light smack on Elton’s arm “You draw in monotones. Does that give you ideas?”
“A rainbow? All the shades of you and me?” Elton started his train of thoughts again, yet the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him.
Soon enough, he was dashing around the room, inspecting each piece he had made. Those he thought were good, he placed outside the room and those that he wasn’t so sure of, he placed to another side of the room. It went on like that for an hour and by the time he was done, Cenrick was already moving the pieces to the living room where they all stood evenly spaced against the wall.
“So which ones do we pick?” Cenrick hummed in thought as he eyed each painting one by one “These are old ones. Don’t you have better new ones?” He eyed Elton curiously.
“Because… they’re the most memorable to me” Eton muttered sheepishly “I thought… they were colored memories” He then reshuffled each of his paintings by color “First is red. Red like the lights of the club where we first met”
How could they forget those lights, especially Elton. The moment he saw this man before him, he came to the point if he was simply intoxicated on the booze or was it simply by this man’s presence. He could still remember how he just stood there and watched as the red glaring lights he hated so much, graced this man’s skin and basked him in such a sultry glow.
“Then brown and yellow because you know I hate orange. And this is our favorite breakfast spot” Elton said with a chuckle
It was a painting of the first cafe they had visited together… After an eventful night, they went off to a cafe Cendrick recommended. Elton was pretty sure the brown ambiance of the cafe and the soft warm light that seeped through the windows made Cenrick glow as if he was also made of light. But when he thought back on the memory, Cenrick probably did glow. He still did when they went there for breakfast on Sunday mornings.
“Why the green then?” Cenrick pointed out, yet he couldn’t hide the sheepish smile that graced his lips
Elton grew flustered because that painting was of him sleeping under a tree. It was drawn in their local park yet if anyone would look at the bigger picture, they wouldn’t notice how detailed cenrick was despite how well his figure was hidden among the crowd. Elton had wanted to say that it was because in their favorite park, even if he faded into the greenery, he would still notice him. But just the thought of saying it out loud made his cheeks flush a bright red
“I-it’s our favorite park! That’s why!” Elton said in a rush as he quickly picked up the next painting “Blue and gray… like you on a rainy day”
It was among the pieces that was the most memorable to him. It was on the night of their first fight. The rain poured hard that night and Elton could do nothing but watch Cenrick brood over their dining room table. He thought that nonsense fight would have ended them but as soon as Elton finally put his brush down, Cenrick called him over and for a while, they just muttered apologies and relished in each other’s hold. It was a painful memory yet it was the first of the many trials they had together.
“Why is pink at the end?” Cenrick pointed out “And you’re going to put one of your colorful pieces in?”
“This wasn’t supposed to be here but you looked too pretty in this that I had to include”
The pink one… it was from the day Elton had finally had the courage to ask Cenrick to officially date him. Both were incredibly flustered by the event yet when Elton presented the bouquet of pink carnation, he couldn’t tell if Cenrick was the one blushing or if it was just the carnations tainting his skin so brightly like that. After he asked, he took Cenrick to an open field where wildflowers grow. It was one of his surprises for Cenrick since the man always talked about his hometown that had such a field.
It was a beautiful sight to see Cenrick be covered in petals. It was like all the colors in Elton’s life. It was a sight indeed.
On the day of Elton’s graduation exhibit, the couple walked to the spot hand in hand. They didn’t care about the stares they got. It was the artist and the muse he so proudly shows the world. None dared question what Elton had decided to put up but it was clear as day that he had eyes for no one else but the man beside him
The struggles of an unlicensed chemist
I’m honestly not in a mood to think today… I’ve just been a bit down because in a few week’s time, I’ll need to move out again but this time, it’s not for work, it’s for my studies. I’ll be taking a licensure examination for chemists here in the Philippines. Yes, I’ve already graduated and unlike their promises in the college of getting job offers left and right, that, my dear friends, is one of the biggest lies they will ever tell you.
**The reality for a fresh grad chemist is:**
That diploma doesn’t matter. What matters is if you’re licensed or not. So if you’re in the same country, I’m telling you now, better put a lot of effort into your certs and licenses because that’s mostly what companies are looking for. They don’t value performance enough. Except of course, if they have no choice.
There is a lack of consideration when it comes to the professional regulatory board here. Not just in my program of study but basically in all areas like in architecture where a 2-year internship in all sectors is needed before they’ll be allowed to take the boards. And I think the accountancy boards will have that same policy too. As for us, we need to have published a research paper. Luckily I finished mine within my college years so I’m up and ready for the exam.
**But will there be an exam?**
That we don’t even know anymore. They keep getting canceled left and right here. And for the batches that got caught in the pandemic… well, we’re all on the verge of an anxiety attack. None of us know if we’ll get licensed or if we’ll even get to take the exams. All we know is that we need to try to make ends meet somehow. And when it’s an unlicensed fresh grad applying, the requirements somehow get higher and harder to reach that it’s just ridiculous.
It’s depressing, honestly. You’re a fresh grad, you have no license because there are no board exams and the employers are always looking for licensed or experienced professionals. What do you think will happen to the fresh grads, they’ll look for unrelated work like what I’ve been doing.
The worst part is that sometimes, you pass all the interviews, all the things they need and want for their company, yet the moment they see that you’re unlicensed, they would tell you that you don’t qualify, even when they already laid out their offer.
There was also the case where you were just waiting for a call from them so you can start gathering your pre-employment requirements, but as soon as someone that has a license applies, they won’t think twice about telling you that they don’t need you anymore.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told: “We’re sorry, your credentials are outstanding, and so was your application interview but we see that you don’t have a license. Perhaps you could consider reapplying when you do get one. For the meantime, we’ll keep your profile here in the case you do”
There was also: “We’ll be calling you soon, Based on your final interview with the lab head, they seem excited to have you” Only for HR to call a few days later with the news that they won’t proceed with your employment because you are unlicensed.
It’s very disheartening, I swear. And kind of makes it traumatic for me to start applying again because of this.
I want to work in the laboratory but I can’t. Not without a license.
**Why is the license so important?**
It’s actually because of the Chemistry law of my country. It doesn’t allow unlicensed chemists to function in a laboratory without one. The only people allowed to function in a lab are licensed chemists or chemical technicians. It’s a really faulty law because they say it’s to protect chemists from getting their jobs stolen but it fails to protect the new grads that are far more qualified to be in a laboratory compared to chemical technicians who are often from other sciences courses.
I just needed to rant about this, my apologies but I am terrified of applying again without that license. Yet you can’t blame the companies because they’re just following the law, else they’ll be fined for hiring an unlicensed professional.
In a country where licenses and titles are everything… it’s hard to do anything about issues like this.
Just a wall apart
Kind of an idea I got from the anime "Your lie in April" but nobody dies here at least. I just wanted the idea out of my head
I was just supposed to be staying for a while. Yeah, just for a few weeks. I planned to go back home as soon as my three weeks of vacation time was done but that wasn’t the case. The news came out about a deadly virus, the coronavirus, it was called. As per safety protocols, a two-week lockdown was implemented. Before I could even be informed of the circumstances, it was already too late. I didn’t have much on me, and I didn’t have that much food to live off of. But I had my violin. That was the most comforting thought I had at least.
Two weeks passed and the home quarantine was again extended. I was ready to get home by then. When that happened, I just continued to play the violin day in and day out. It eased my anxieties, it even allowed me some peace of mind.
Another two weeks passed and I still wasn’t allowed to travel home yet I was allowed to buy food for myself. Luckily my family would send me money I could use for food at least.
On my return to the rented apartment, I found a note
`I’ve been listening to you play. You’re good. I’m your neighbor, by the way`
`-Noemie`
A smile curled on my lips. I remember someone telling me that my playing was horrendous. I was surprised when someone wanted to hear me play.
On the free space of the paper, I wrote:
`I could play something you’d want to hear if you want?`
`-Esme`
I wasn’t sure which door this person was behind so out of good nature, I just let the note hang on my door, in hopes that they would notice.
Noemie was a nice name, I thought to myself. Maybe a girl’s name, I wasn’t sure but whoever they were, they were nice and if they loved hearing me play so much, I would play only for them.
The very next day, I saw a note on my door again, but this time, it was on a different colored paper.
`Could you play river flows in you by Yiruma? I also left you bread as thanks. It’s nice to meet you, by the way :)`
`-Noemie`
When I looked down at the doorknob, there was a bag that hung from it. And as promised, the bread that was still so warm. Did they bake this, perhaps? I took a bite of it and it was delicious and very filling. It energized me and I saved the rest for when I got hungry again at any point of the day. After the small meal, I immediately played. I wasn’t sure how to go about playing it but when I thought about this mystery neighbor, I think of how subtle and delicate their approach was towards me, a foreigner… I was thankful so that’s how I thought of playing it. And for the whole day, I only played such soft and delicate tunes that matched this stranger.
https://youtu.be/12ibMHRQDGc
By the evening of that very day, I left a note of my own on the door and a bag that contained my country’s delicacy. I still had leftover candied fruits so I gave some of them to my neighbor.
`Noemie, I hope you enjoyed the songs today. I appreciate the bread, I hope you would enjoy these fruits as I’ve enjoyed your food. What’s it called?`
`-Esme`
For a while, we continued with our small exchanges by note and by food. I found out that she was indeed a girl. And when I couldn’t offer food, she would say it’s okay. Things got more interesting when she mentioned that she used to play piano and that she started asking for duets. And so we did.
Usually, this would be done through calls or just meeting each other since we were just neighbors but I was enjoying our exchanges too much so we continued with our notes. I even collected most of them. There’s a different feeling when someone would send notes. It just made one feel warm.
Going back to the duet… since she said she was a bit rusty, we agreed to start small so I asked her if she knew Mozart’s twinkle twinkle little star. Luckily she did and for the whole day, we played that over and over again until she managed to perfect it.
https://youtu.be/pIeFZaAeV_Q
Next, we went for eine kleine Nachtmusik, minuet then we tried a more difficult one like river flows in you. We didn’t stop until she could get it right. It all just seemed pretty funny to me, she was just a wall away yet we still didn’t dare meet each other.
Months passed with our setup being like that. Food, notes, and music. I didn’t even notice the months pass. When I checked in on the world again, the travel restrictions were lightened and I was pretty excited to be home again… yet it saddened me that I’d have to say goodbye with my shy mystery neighbor so I told her on a note.
`Hey… this might be sudden but I can go back to my country. Can we play one last duet? Do you know Leibeslied by Rachmaninoff?`
`-E`
I knew she practiced it all night because I could hear her piano from beyond the wall. She really wanted it to be a proper send-off, it seemed.
I was expecting a note again when morning came but it wasn’t a note that greeted me. It was a woman probably around the same age as me. She had the cloth bag that we used to exchange food with
“Hi… I’m Noemie” An awkward smile graced her lips. Definitely a french girl with her accent. I could only smile in return
“It’s nice to finally meet you” I smiled in return and gestured her inside “What brings you to finally meet me?” I teased but her reaction wasn’t quite what I had in mind
A pair of arms wrapped around me and pulled me in an embrace. Surprised was an understatement, honestly. I wasn’t even sure what I had to do
“Would you mind if we tried playing that song in my apartment? I want to watch you play. This might be the last time”
With that, I just smiled and gave her back a light pat. She let go of me and allowed me space to get my violin. I never expected to ever meet my stranger but this was more than I could ever ask of her. I was happy that she invited me and she even gestured to the food she had prepared.
“Since you’ll be leaving by the weekends… I wanted to remember you as a person and not as a mysterious violinist I suddenly met during the lockdown”
I couldn’t agree more. That was why as soon as she was done setting up, we played the song, shared a meal on the same table and we just talked. It went on like that until I had to move back to England. She did promise that she’ll be the one seeing me soon. In the meantime, we kept communication up with our song recordings. We still tried to play together on video chats but I can’t wait for the day I’d get to play with her again. She said she had a surprise for me the next time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIeFZaAeV_Q
She worries too much
**[WP] You're immortal. Your spouse isn't. Your aging spouse keeps trying to get you to meet new people**
**January, 192x**
I’ve recently found an interest in alchemy. It’s a fascinating study. Yes, the modern science of the 1900s is advancing incredibly and I get fascinated by it as well, but it does not compare to how alchemy worked despite the lack of materials. Turn lead into gold? The elixir of life? It was all just fascinating.
**March, 192x**
I’ve found a community in my country that was as fascinated by alchemy as I was. It’s only been a few meetings, but I enjoy their company. Alchemists and those who had ancestors that practiced alchemy gathered at the meeting place, and there, an exchange of knowledge happened. So this is what it meant to belong to a community. They were all so friendly and welcoming.
**July, 192x**
I don’t write enough in this journal as much as I did before. Perhaps it was because of the company I’ve found. Anyways, someone claimed to have found information on the philosopher’s stone. Yes, the elixir of life! They gave a copy of how to make it. To all that was curious, that is. I wanted to create one so I am included as the recipient of those papers.
**August, 198x**
I’ve not written here in a while. I thought I had lost this journal in the explosion as well… At least I have somewhere to write out my thoughts again. See, I’ve had this problem for a few decades now… Since I delved too much into alchemy. It was supposed to be a harmless little hobby of mine. And the experiment circulating in the community… It was supposed to be a harmless trial. Yes, a trial has gone completely wrong. I just wanted to try out the new trend in the community. They said someone finally recreated the philosopher’s stone! To anybody with interests in alchemy, it was huge news. And I can just imagine how many people tried this experiment and failed. I bet their results were much more catastrophic…
I dared not ask the community about news on this. Since the day I somewhat gained immortality from recreating that accursed philosopher’s stone, I didn’t dare show my face in the community again.
I tried to live my life in complete solitude. With what accumulated wealth I gained during the decades, I used to buy a piece of land at the far end of town, the property that no road reaches. I was really keen on privacy, yes. I couldn’t have nosy neighbors poking their noses into… my mistake.
If I would attempt to go into town… It would maybe be once every few months when I feel like I’ve somewhat been forgotten by the last person that saw me. I was perfectly fine for the past few decades, I swear-
**September, 199x**
It was about time to go out to restock my supply once more. My small farm can only provide me with produce but it cannot provide me with other essentials so here I ready myself to meet people. I wonder what the trend is now. The last time I was out, was 6 months ago.
There was this young lady in the store that kept following me around. I think she was a worker there. She was lovely and extremely helpful towards me. Is this what I’ve been reading about seduction? Do I respond to it? I suppose she would be shocked when she found out about me. She also said I talked funny. I have no idea how people of this era would speak. I didn’t even intend to interact with her. Unless she was bank personnel that would accept the antiques in my household.
**December, 199x**
I needed to gather some supplies for the holidays. Despite not aging, I still tried to celebrate the holidays since the pets I’ve collected from the road seemed to enjoy these things and being able to feast to their heart’s content. Yes, in recent years, there seemed to be increasing abandoned animals on the road and I’ve been driving around and adopting them when I can. Thankfully they ate my cooking so it wasn’t a struggle for me.
What was a problem was when I saw that young lady again. She was assisting this one scared dog. I offered to take it with me, and she insisted that she oversees the animal’s safety so I allowed her into my home where she saw the number of rescued animals I’ve kept around. It was astounding to see the animals gather around here when I struggled with a number of them. Perhaps she was an animal person.
**January 2000**
It has been some 2 years since this young lady intruded into my home and she seemed to make visiting me and my animals a frequent thing. I had no objections to it yet I fear for when she starts asking me questions as to why I do not age. Yet she gives me a strange look. Something akin to a woman in love. Perhaps it’s with the animals.
**February 2000**
It is valentines, and this young lady, Audrey, has declared that she would be courting me even if I’m a strange man. I had no idea women were allowed to court now. It used to be a man’s duty to do so. But I will see how this would proceed.
**May 2000**
Despite her bold declaration and her silly yet adorable attempts, I showed her how to properly court and on this day, she accepted becoming my partner and companion.
**April, 200x**
I asked her for her hand in marriage a few months ago. We are to be wed in the upcoming weekends so that her family could attend. So… In the registry… She found out about my records… and my documents…
She was shocked for a few weeks but she somewhat still accepted me. It’s just that her questions grew more and more out of hand. She was surprised to know that she was the first person I ever courted but I call it a gentleman’s loyalty that cannot be found in this generation. She loved me regardless. I hope to live the rest of her life with her because who knows how long I would live.
**July, 201x**
It has been a few years in sheer married bliss. We were blessed with a daughter and a son. Who knew I would still be capable of reproduction. I just hope they don’t become immortal as I did. It would be sad to see my own children live a lonely life such as I did.
As for Audrey… she’s starting to age. Although ever beautiful as the day we met… She’s been growing increasingly worried about my life when she disappears from my life.
**October, 201x**
She’s getting closer to 40 and I don’t really mind but she’s been trying to make me go out more with her. And at times, she would ask me if anyone else catches my eyes. How would I tell her that I don’t see anyone else but her? I know she means well but there would be the animals that would keep me company once she’s departed. There are also the children who still try to visit me. I’m thankful they age though.
**November, 202x**
We got into an argument over this. I think this is the menopause thing I’ve read in her magazines.
I had to put down the journal with a sigh. How many times have we gone through this? She has been getting more and more emotional since the kids have moved out. She’s been dragging me out more and more too. I get that she doesn’t want me to be lonely again… but she needs to understand that I’ll be fine. I honestly do not like arguing with her because she gets quite illogical.
“Dree, love. You must understand that I will never be lonely even after you pass” I try to give her the most assuring smile I could manage
“You always tell me that… But before me… you weren’t so happy. Yes, the animals kept you company but they can’t give you what people can” She heaved a deep sigh
I came up to her and wrapped my arms around her. I held her like I did countless nights before “I love you” With those simple words, she smiled and leaned into my touch. When she finally got the point that I would be fine even after she had passed, the arguments became less and less. It was a sort of relief I needed.
She went on with her 40s and 50s. I had hoped she would be allowed to be with me until her 70s but by her mid-60s, she left me and the children behind. Sad as it was, there was just no getting around the inevitable. She was buried beside the gazebo I had built for her. She always loved dancing there.
I understood now what she meant when it would be painful for me to be alone again. But I will never truly be alone. She’ll always be there and I can always visit her when I need someone to talk to. Hopefully when I take up alchemy again… I can figure out how to perish with her.
My motivation to make series is gone OnO why is it so hard to make long stuff but it's so easy to make short stories like this
Love at first smell
It's been a while since I last wrote anything scientific here, but then I was engaged in conversation with someone on noise.cash, and they didn't know about this attraction model so I thought of writing it down just for a change.
I’ve always been curious about what determines attraction between people. They say it’s all about that animal instinct… but they’re not entirely wrong, actually. Yes, men will find attraction in a girl with wide hips or in large chests because nature will dictate that those kinds of women would provide healthy children. While most women, on the other hand, tend to lean towards those bad boy kinds, those that look strong. But in the end, it all boils down to how they’ll help each other survive.
You may have heard of the pheromone thing mentioned a lot in sci-fi movies or in fiction books that boost sex appeal? That thing isn’t real. Well, not for humans at least, but it is a thing for animals and it’s the major driving force for them finding mates (Don’t ever trust products that advertise pheromones in their items because those often contain pig pheromones; which is the closest you can get to human pheromones). Scientists still can’t even figure out what makes up the human pheromone is yet, or if they do have an idea of it, it’s just non-conclusive. But what is a good basis of love is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
**What is MHC?**
The MHC codes your proteins on the surface cells. This complex helps your body recognize immune system invaders. It also regulates immune functions. But more than that, it actually is the key to helping you find the perfect partner. It’s probably the closest thing we humans have that can be called pheromones.
How to detect that MHC? Same as animals do, we detect it by scent. Sounds weird to go about sniffing people just to find a partner, right? But scent really has a lot to do with attraction. The more diverse the MHC of a person, the more attracted you get to them because their scent becomes more appealing to you. I found a study that the more diverse the smell is, the more attractive a person becomes. It’s designed this way so that you stay away from people that smell like you. I also believe that it’s like that so that inbreeding doesn’t happen and so that you don’t accidentally end up dating a close relative.
**But what about love at first sight?**
I'm still not sure about that, but I have seen some papers say that it's still based on the impression your scent gives off, even if it's from a distance, your innate scent will still reach some people.
I just find it fascinating because unconsciously, our bodies are still looking for a way to get stronger. You see, the more different a person’s MHC is, the stronger their immune system is, and usually, they have the opposite immune system from yours. Our bodies just want to get a better immune system that they want to pass down to future generations. And one thing I like about this specific topic is that it doesn’t just apply to heterosexual couples but also homosexual couples. It’s one of the most ideal models of attraction that I believe in because when cohabitation happens, both partners try to adapt that difference in their immune systems, and sometimes, it's a reason why people say couples often look similar. It's a minor consequence of trying to adapt a better immune system.
So I guess the saying **“Opposites attract”** holds true? Only in this case. Well, just with the immune system part, your body will still aim to find a partner that has a very similar biological make-up to yours. I mean, almost all of us have a 99.9% similarity with genetic make-up, the MHC is the 0.1% difference that we have. There’s also this study about **assortative mating**, where **“like attracts likes”** make better sense. But this model of attraction is mostly aimed to preserve a specific quality. It’s not close to inbreeding, but it’s just a way to pass on a trait to future generations like height, eye colors, hair colors, etc.
**What about if I use perfume? Won’t that make it hard for people to catch my scent?**
Not really, you see, the kinds of perfume choices you have are actually matched to how you perceive your own scent. So perfumes and colognes won’t ever mask your natural scent, if anything, it enhances it. This is actually where the saying that “A good smelling person will always be attractive” because their MHC is boosted. Perfumes and colognes actually provide a way to alert potential mates about your presence, it also gives them a general impression of your health.
Primary source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6333523/pdf/nihms-1509206.pdf
@Hanzell
