Writing

Into the drowny deep they’d gone, far past the places other men had dared to travel. Past arching cities and seemingly endless green jungle, they’d set sail from the farthest edge of the Last Isle of Men, intent on seeing all the world had to offer.

They reached the edge of the world after two years of sailing. As the sun was setting, they finally reached the place where the world ended and the curving blackness of space began.

They traveled along the invisible barrier until they found the Door. Then they left the world behind and traveled the multiverse, experiencing things they’d only ever dreamed of seeing.

1 comment on "“Partial Curse” PROMPT-FILL: 407."

PROMPT-FILL: 407. Cursed by a random and cruel stranger

A stranger casts The Curse on a young girl with not a single exchange of words between them. In fact, with the heavy traffic on the road, she never saw who cast The Curse.

She simply woke up the next day in screaming agony as her body began to rearrange itself in preparation for the change.

She was terrified but helpless to it. There was no cure and no stopping what was happening to her.

She forced herself to endure as her bones shifted and broke. As her skin ripped as it failed to stretch over her new, larger shape. Blood and plasma stained through her sheets and ruined the mattress below. They were the gushing fluids of her rebirth.

And for a time she rested in wretched skinlessness. Days passed with no food or water. Her breath came in a dull, agonizing wheeze as even the tiniest motion made her flesh burn.

She’d thought she’d died. She should have died. But she didn’t. She endured.

She survived until she could crawl from the bed to the bathroom sink. To the water she greedily swallowed even as her patchy and scabbed skin stung and brought tears to her eyes.

She stayed in her home for weeks, surviving on water and the few scraps of food she could force herself to swallow.

Gradually she healed. Until one day all the pain was gone and her scabs were solid and had ceased to split and bleed. She wasn’t healthy yet, but she was mending.

So with some trepidation and a large dose of fear, she stepped in front of the long mirror. And she looked at herself, at her new life.

=THE END?=

Want a Prompt filled* and dedicated to you? Donations … Read the rest ““Partial Curse” PROMPT-FILL: 407.”

As you can see, a new section called Games has been added to the menu. That’s because I’ve begun making Visual Novels and CYOA games using Ren’py and Twine 2.

My first story written with Twine is complete. It’s called “Death and Layla Hanson” and you can play it for free.

Though I use the term “play” loosely, as it is a linear story with no choices. But I did figure out how headers, footers, and some customization in Harlowe* work while making “Death and Layla Hanson.”

Here’s the games page => Kimichee.com/gamelist
Here’s “Death and Layla Hanson” on Kimichee => kimichee.com/games/Death_and_Layla_Hanson.html
Here’s my itch.io page => harperkingsley.itch.io

“Death and Layla Hanson” begins with mentions of a death, but there’s no horror, gore, or anything terrible about it. Layla is simply dead and it’s a fact. The same with the presence of Death who has come to guide her to whatever comes next.

There are 20 screens comprising 2000+ words. And the story is COMPLETE.

* Harlowe is the format I’ve chosen to use with Twine 2. Some people prefer SugarCube, which followed from the original Twine.

I have strange and extravagant dreams.

I let myself imagine the kinds of things that other people feel.

I wrap myself in the somewhat-safety of being someone else. It’s an old game I used to play.

I can see them looking at me, wondering. “Is Project Athena going off the rails like the McKabes and the Quin-Jongs?”

It almost hurts, to think that they doubt me so. I have been nothing but loyal.

I am loyal.

I was made in the Labs of Olympus, spliced from the Zeus gene-mod. I was the pride and joy, one of the Original Twelve phenotypes.

From our DNA is the rest of the Olympus Catalogue made. They might use my eyes and put them on a different face. Everything is mixed and matched and guaranteed to be a viable offspring, even when paired with lower quality DNA.

One Athena in every generation is Chosen, just as there is one Ares, one Hera, one Apollo, etc, etc. We live in the Lab so our gene-children can live free with their parents.

We have perfect genes, expressing all required characteristics of our class.

I remember when I was separated from the rest of my age group. I cried.

That was the first time I realized I was different. In front of an assembly full of people.

I remember that I was put in a group with other Athena-candidates. We wore tunic dresses and had classes together.

One by one, our class was whittled down to me and another girl. I remember that she had my face. My voice. It was like fighting myself.

And then there was just me. And I was standing in front of the Dagger Throne. And there were cameras everywhere and the whole world was watching my Ascension.

I never … Read the rest ““Project Athena””

Things I like: bacon. Bob's Burgers. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. cats. cheese. chocolate. crossword puzzles. Dredd. eggrolls. fried chicken. gochujang. Hannigram. HEAs. HFNs. jigsaw puzzles. kimchi. lo mein noodles. mushrooms. nectarines. Nintendo Switch. paperback books. pineapple. pizza. potstickers. raspberry jam. Rick and Morty. sleeping in. snickerdoodles. spaghetti. strawberries. sudoku. tacos. tomatoes. vacations. vaccinations.