Figment |Writing Contest

Leef

Game Owner


July 2019

 ​

WRITING CONTEST

Week 4 Book - OPEN


Entries accepted until Wednesday, June 19th @ midnight PST

Week 3 Book - CLOSED


Voting is open: vote here.​

Week 2 Books - CLOSED


"Left" - "Middle" - "Right"

Voting is closed.

WINNERS:

Left: The Creature

Middle:  A Day at the Caroussel

Right: A Rumpled, Stilted Kin

----​

Week 1 Books - CLOSED


"Left" - "Middle" - "Right"

WINNERS:

Left: The Golden Hoard and the Three Warnings

Middle: The Stuff of Nightmares

Right: Diary of Mari Gold

 ​

Alright folks, strap in your seatbelts– it’s time for a friendly storytelling contest!

We’re looking for some community authors to fill the content of the books available for purchase in the lands of Figment (Fanterra). (That's right-- we have a readable books feature!)

There will be a weekly rotation of books that need filling, which will continue until we’ve got all the books filled– or, alternatively, until the alpha opens for testing! Other players/fans will vote on the winning entries each (following) week through a Google form.

Rules:

  1. You cannot vote for yourself, but you can vote for another writer.
  2. Enter for as many weeks as you'd like. You can win for multiple weeks.
  3. Maximum 500 words per story
  4. Remember to name your book!
  5. Options: Fiction, non-fiction, human author or otherwise– the choice is yours, just fit it to the category at hand!
  6. Entries will be judged on creative storytelling and not necessarily writing skill.
The prize for each of the weekly winning writers will consist of:

  • 1 Alpha Key (gift it to a friend if you already have one!)
  • A free copy of your book in-game
  • Royalties in-game (standard site currency) from the sales of your book
  • One-of-a-kind pet raffle entry (drawn every 2 weeks; or per every 6 winners)
To encourage participation of voting, every 2 weeks we will draw a winner for a CUSTOM pet from the pool of voters.

Finally, we do have a grand prize!:

View attachment 3704

For those of you who don't know, this is a special Critter. (Critters are like "petpets" in Figment).

The writer who gets the MOST votes out of the WHOLE contest will win 3 copies of this Critter. These 3 copies are super exclusive and will be the only ones in the game, so you can keep them, sell them, or whatever your heart desires. We expect these to be quite coveted.

How to Enter:

Simply share your story as a comment on this post. Or, if you don't have a 'The Gaming List' account, or would rather use an anonymous name, you can email your story to [email protected]

Please include your Discord name in your entry, if you have one. Also let us know which book/s you're entering for. :)

Finally, here are some Lore points that you might find useful in crafting your stories.

  • - Fanterra is the land of Figment, with veins of a magical essence known as mana running through the planet’s core.
  • - While dragons and fae were the original sentient residents of Fanterra, humans appeared centuries ago, taking residence among the mystical creatures and creating entirely new dichotomies, politics, and ways of living.
  • This gives you a very wide scope in terms of possible authors– did an idealistic fae write about the possibilities that came with the arrival of humans? Did dragons record times long gone in heavy scrolls and parchment? Or did humans record all the new flora and fauna they found upon coming to Fanterra?
  • - The pet cats and dogs that accompany the humans can understand their companion’s language– though none of them can speak English themselves!
Other Lore

TOWNS: (names subject to change)

Three towns have revealed themselves this week, the mist slowly clearing as the looming date of the alpha approaches! But what— oh. Oh my. It appears we have a problem– a major problem!! All the books in the town are completely empty– the words seem to have vanished off the pages! The residents of all the towns are scrambling to fix this issue, but without any titles left behind either– well, it’s a job that’s easier said than done. Perhaps you could lend a hand? The council of the three towns have come together, and agreed to ask for your help, with a reward for your efforts.

-x-x-x-x-

Imagine Nation

With cheek to cheek grins and wide, welcoming arms, the folk of Imagine Nation are a comforting sight for any new citizen of Fanterra. Friendly and agreeable, the citizens of the town have dedicated a lot of money to making their home one easy for any newcomer to navigate. Cheery guides stand on every other street corner, eager to point tourists in the right direction– if they’ve happened to lost their guide somehow. This clean and effective town layout is deceptive in only one way– it’s impossible to believe this was the first human settlement established on Fanterra! However, once you manage to get the locals talking, the mystery of the struggle the townsfolk faced in renovating their town into the majesty it is today is easily unfolded. Just like, well, everything else about this place!

Erabarrow: As a founding human establishment on Fanterra, Erabarrow found itself subject to the ebb and flow of human eccentricities. The settlement itself appears to be a mix-and-match of various decades and styles of the long-gone Earth– as if no one in the town could decide upon one theme, and then they all shrugged in unison and threw it altogether anyway. If you’re looking for a good place for a snack, the The Eatery serves the best all-day-breakfast around under it’s glowing neon signs. Or, perhaps, the golden-trimmed entrance of the library is calling you– eager to lead you back through time with the ancient Earth text’s it holds in its (admittedly, rather glamorous) four walls. Where ever you do go, however, there’s not a moment for boredom to stake its claim of you in this town!

Iriverse: Iriverse’s population is as colourful in variety as the town itself, hosting a population consisting of dragons, faes, humans, and more! This wide spread can cause some intense conflicts between residents however– while all have the prosperity of the town in mind, almost no one can agree on the right way to achieve it… The town itself is positioned right on top of a magical hotspot, and the overflow of natural magic is what gives the town it’s array of glowing neon features. Some affectionately dub the area the heart of Fanterra, as all veins of mana snaking across the planet, eventually, come to rest below Iriverse’s feet. With such a reputation, it’s no wonder the majority of the population were attracted to spot with scientific interests in mind. There’s something they’re hiding though; something that has the dragons whispering and the fae scowling. The humans of the town seem far too bright and inquisitive for the cold welcome they receive from the local residents…


That's it! Good luck! :)

 ​

 
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Melody’s Storm

Melody flew through the air on top of a dragon, a grin on her face despite the rain, she played a violin, a beautiful melody poured out of it, it was almost as if the violin was a part of her. “Melody, your beautiful playing astonishes and please me as it always does,” rumbled the dragon. Meolody dipped her head, “Thank you Asha,” she said. “It will only take about another hour to my cave, the egg will hatch safely there.” Meolody touched the bag strapped onto her shoulder which held Asha’s stormy colored egg.. Thunder rumbled, followed by a heavy downpour. “Asha?” Melody said nervously. “We’ll land soon,” Asha reassured her.  

Melody put her violin into the bag.

Suddenly lightning struck Asha’s wing.

Asha plummeted towards the ground, Melody screamed as she clutched the saddle, vibrant colors flashing in her eyes as they fell into a deep jungle below. Melody tumbled off Asha, every bone in her body hurting. She stumbled towards Asha, “Asha!” she shrieked. The great dragon moaned, turning her head. “Get to.. The cave,” she managed to grunt out. “There.. No hope for me.” “But-” “Go!” Asha growled, eyes flashing. “You are a great friend Melody. Take care of my hatchling. Please.” Her eyes closed and she moved no more.

Tears stung Melody’s eyes as she stumbled towards a cave a dozen feet away, although it felt like miles.
She lay, exhausted and soaking in the cave, softly and weakly stroking the egg.


The top of the egg started to split, and within the hour, a small female baby dragon, about the size of a human toddler, tumbled out. She tilted her head at Melody, confused at her distress, Melody reached into the bag, and pulled out a piece of soft fruit, tossing it to the dragon who gobbled it up, then scampered over to Melody and nestled against her.

She weakly pulled out her violin and played a soft sound, the Healing Song it was called. Melody’s pain faded, but she was still exhausted, her heart ached for Asha, and now she had a dragonet to care for.

“Storm.” she whispered softly to the dragonet.

Storm grew very attached to Melody, and she loved it when she played the violin and told stories, something unusual for a dragon.

Most of you are probably wondering something, if the lightning struck Asha, why did Melody not get shocked? Why was the violin not broken?

It is still a mystery to this day.

Diary of Mari Gold

Strange new creatures have arrived, although they are somewhat like some Fae in appearance. they don't seem to possess any knowledge of magic-in fact they seemed completely in awe of everything here, they act like they've never seen Fae nor dragon before!

It’s unbelievable.

They’ve started up their own settlement, I heard they’re calling it Erabarrow, I’m interested to see the design, me being an architect of sorts, some of them can make lovely music, a talent that is greatly appreciated here in Iriverse, they brought with them an instrument called a violin, which when played properly sings out beautiful melodies, they’ve started teaching me and other Fae how to play it, it is a most lovely instrument.

One who seems especially good at it is a young human girl named Melody, the violin almost seems like an extension of her hand, she is also a very talented dancer.

Enough about the violin, although it is most likely one of my favorite subjects.

One of the dragons, Sapphire, does not trust them at all. Can’t say I don’t blame her, if I was a dragon I don’t think I would, considering many of the humans point at them, I even heard a foolish youth joking about hunting one. My, he got an earful, when Carna heard him, Carna adores the dragons perhaps more than any other fae, she was raised amongst them after all.

The humans brought many many books with them, and my how interesting they are! Tales of woe and love, so many daring they sure do have imagination!

Although some dragons grumble under their breath about how many times they are the villain in the story.

And so in conclusion, humans can be extremely odd, their arrival either signals great new possibilities..

Or very dark ones.

Time will tell.

-Mari Gold, resident of Iriverse.

(I completely forgot if I emailed this already, it isn't showing up in 'sent' soooo idk?

 
Anonymous:

(Right book)

In the quiet land of Fanterra, there lie mythical wonders beyond our understanding abound in magical mysticism. Her fair lady Abigail Lindsworth found herself amidst vines deeply entangled in her hair as she strolled one day through the landscape. "Oh, this won't do at all! At this rate I'll never found a gemnu! Gemnus were precious treats for human and critter alike, as their bright colored exteriors outclassed even the brightest of rubies and diamonds, as their taste was unlike any other food anyone had ever tasted. As her eyes gazed upon a bright and shiny gemmu, she began to smile a wide grin, but it quickly faded as a wonderfully tiny dragon descended upon it as well. "Hi there! Won't you share your yummy treat?" As Abigail lie in her vines and tangled, the dragon took mercy on him. The Dragon let out a big snort, and the vines began to burn away harmlessly. "I might share my Gemnu with good company, are you such?" And so as the two became while acquainted, a new tale was unfolding before their eyes. 

 
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Discord name: FluffyBirdie

Book: Left

Word count: 473 / 500

Type: Fiction, human author

(In all honesty I'm not sure what I wrote, it's so confusing xD But anyway thanks for the chance!)
I'll say that fairytales by default are confusing and roll with that
The Golden Hoard and the Three Warnings
by Aiden Kinto

(I've heard that our books lacked stories, and felt compelled to write some of the older stories, originating from our old Earth and adapted into this new world. For any dragon or fae folk reading, I deeply apologize for any offense. This is an ancient tale, and I wish to write the truth, though it can be at times blunt and rude. But I digress.)

There was once a little girl, who lived in a small town. To its back was a vast vast forest, which stretched as far as the eye can see. "Don't wander into the forest, young one," she had been told, but the warning flew straight through her head. She was curious, and she wanted to find out why everyone feared the trees.

On a day when her parents were away, she ran off. She ran and ran, dashing to the forest, and the dogs and cats of her town ran with her. She was overjoyed; she had friends! But they bit at her heels and tried to block her way, and angrily angrily she kicked them all away. The dogs and cats knew nothing, she thought, for she was captured by her inquisitiveness. So the animals' distress went unseen by her eyes.

Into the shade of leaves she went, jumping over branches and leaping over streams. How cool the air was, how fresh! She could not see why her parents feared the forest. Lights appeared around her, and she was mystified, but they became faeries, armed with tiny spears. "Leave, human," they ordered, but she refused to listen. She swatted them away, like flies, like flies, fleeing into the forest's misty depths. And again, foolishness clouded her vision.

The child was tired now, and wandered into a cave. How beautiful it was, how grand, how bright! Beautiful crystals adorned the cave, and in the center, a mountain of gold! She frolicked and danced, for she was rich, and no one could ever order her around if she was a princess. Truly spent now, the girl sat down, on an elegant bench fit for royalty like her. But it bent and broke, and she cursed and kicked at the delicate stool. Fruit was nearby, and she ate some, throwing away ones that disgusted her. Finally, exhausted, she crawled on top of the golden pile, and slept amidst the luxuries she believed was hers.

A dragon then entered, unheard by the sleeping girl. It looked at his precious chair, and the food given by his friends. "Someone broke my chair, and ate my food!" It looked around its home some more, for at this point this was clearly a dragon's lair. "Someone disturbed my gold, and she's still sleeping in it!" The dragon roared, and the little girl woke up. Fearfully, she fled, and was never seen from again.

 
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Anonymous:

(Left book)

How Dragons came to Fanterra 
Dragons and humans lived beside each other peacefully long ago. The dragons would fend off invaders in return for a few sheep and the occasional golden trinket.

One day, a conflict between the south and north kingdoms sparked the Great War. Dragon clan against dragon clan fought, seeking to protect the humans they allied with.

The war lasted many years.When it finally ended, neither side had won.

The surviving dragons went into hiding to recover, promising their human friends they would not take revenge on those who caused the war.

When the dragons woke from their healing slumber they sought out the humans to announce their return.

The humans worked in the field, and upon seeing the dragons, fled, screaming, back to their towns.

The dragons looked around the land. Many more towns scattered across the land. The towns they once knew had flourished into vast cities, the cities they once knew had crumbled into mere ruins.

The dragons realized they had not been asleep for weeks- they had been asleep for centuries.

They tried telling the humans they meant no harm, only be to chased away by armies with powerful weapons.

The fairy queen observed this, and made an offer to the dragon king: All dragons could live in a land hidden from humans, where perhaps, one day, only select humans who accepted dragons would come.

The dragon king agreed.

And that is how the dragons disappeared from Earth and came to live in Fanterra.
 
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Anonymous:

Book: Left book
Genre: Historial Fiction
Author: Human
 
The Fire Salamander
 
A fierce beast once lived in Fanterra; one which had ten heads, body of a dragon and wings that could block out the sun itself. Only a few had dared to fight the beast but every battle had ended in another victory for the beast and the loss of another life.
 
As time passed the beast saw fewer fights and the lack of a challenge caused the beast to grow bored. Finally he stood up and spreading his gigantic wings he jumped into the air and soared across the land in search of a new opponent.
 
As he soared a strange dark mark appear on the horizon. Puzzled he flew towards it until it was revealed to be a forest burned until only the scorched corpses of the trees remained. He landed with a mighty thud to gaze at the death before him.
 
"Something fierce must have done this..." the beast muttered, growing both confused and mildly excited, "but how...and where can I find them?"
 
"I know who did it." Came a soft voice.
 
He whipped his heads around, searching for the source, "who dares speak to the destroyer of worlds!?"
 
"Me, I am by your feet."
 
Looking down he finally spotted a tiny creature no bigger than his smallest toe looking up at him.
 
"You know who did this?"
 
"I do indeed my lord..."
 
"Then tell me so I can find them...and kill them..." his claws raked the earth.
 
"You may not want to know mi-lord..."
 
"Bah!" He snorted in annoyance, "You just don't want to get eaten. Now tell me before you slip past my teeth and down my throat!"
 
"...me."
 
"You?!" The beast was immediately furious, "you dare lie to me little worm?!"
 
"I tell no lie Lord of Destruction...I cannot lie." The creature licked an eyeball, "for if I do the curse I have will awaken once more."
 
"Tell me the truth!"
 
"The truth stands before you...whether you like it or not, Master of Fear." 
 
He shrieked and in one quick movement the creature was swallowed whole, "that...is what you get for lying...pest." He murmured.
 
Before taking a step though a strange sensation formed in his stomach followed by intense pain he had never felt in his life. Crying out he scratched at his scaly belly as he coughed out smoke, followed by huge flames that burst forth from his throat as it burned hot.
 
Unable to handle the pain the dragon retched until a ball of fire flew out and landed on the ground. A few seconds later the fireball was revealed to be the creature as the flames faded from its skin, "...h...how?" The beast asked with a hoarse voice.
 
"One should not make assumptions lord of chaos..." The creature replied before shambling away into the burned forest.
 
The once vicious beast was turned into a wheezing and pitiful thing as it crawled back home. To the end of his days he plotted what he would do to the one who tricked him.
 
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Anonymous:

[SIZE=13.5pt]RIGHT BOOK ENTRY[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Book title: The magical and non-magical properties of the Fig[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Book author: an unknown fig-enthusiast.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Book Content:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt] Figs; they are juicy, sweet, and scrumptious. Due to their delicious taste, one could almost overlook the many useful properties of the mana-enriched Fig. This book records these properties, so that the glory of the Fig will never be lost. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=13.5pt]Nutrition[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]The Fig is composed of many nutritious elements; water (82%), sugar (13%), fibers (2.1%), proteins (1.3%) and fat (0.2%), as well as an array of vitamins (1.4%). [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=13.5pt]Flavour[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Purple and blue Figs generally are sweeter, Red Figs have a tangier flavour, whereas green Figs have a bitterness to them, which seems to indicate it is unripe. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt] [/SIZE]Purple and blue Figs are best eaten fresh; leave them unplucked until their skin turns nice and dark. Red Figs are perfect for drying, mixed into a fruity salad (either fresh or dried) or made into a jam. 

[SIZE=13.5pt] The leaves, twigs and flowers of the Fig plant are unbearably bitter, and do not offer any enjoyment in terms of flavour. They are best left uneaten.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Botany[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Extract the seeds from the Fig fruit, dry them for two or three afternoons in the warm sun, and bury in soft, fertile soil. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]The Fig plant needs plenty of sun and regular watering. Make sure the roots have enough room to develop, and for the love of the Fig, keep dog and cat companions at a distance, to avoid turning your precious Fig nursery into a lavatory. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Healing[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]The Fig is a useful ingredient for your everyday household remedies. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Ingested fresh or as juice, the Fig provides remedy against hunger and listlessness. It can in some cases give relief of throat-aches and headaches. When dried or cooked, Figs provide similar effects, although to a lesser extent.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Fig juice and Fig pulp, when applied externally, can provide near-instant relief on a variety of rashes, itches and insect bites. Important note: The sweet fragrance may attract other biting or stinging insects. Use with care. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]No anti-bacterial properties have yet been uncovered. Do not apply to open wounds![/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Magical spells[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]While the usage of Figs in magical spells remains largely unexplored, most likely due to the delicious taste and preferred usage as food, I must admit to doing some magical experiments with my favourite fruit. The exact extent of the magical effect of the Fig as of yet is underdetermined, but when added to a potion, it does at a rather sweet, pleasant fragrance, in most cases. [/SIZE][SIZE=13.5pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Other appliances[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Fig juice can be used as ink. However, the colour is light, fades quickly, and attracts both insects and rodents. Dried fig skin can be ground down and used to create a dark blue or purple dye. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Fig juice turns sticky when it dries. However, it is not quite sticky enough to serve as some sort of cohesive or glue. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]The fibre of the Fig tree is tough, but with persistance can be woven. It is too rough to wear as clothing, but can be useful as a basket or sun hat. [/SIZE]

 
Anonymous:

MIDDLE BOOK ENTRY

Book title: The Stuff of Nightmares

Book author: Arym Sun

Book Content:

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Myra. She wasn’t pretty on the outside. Others in the village called her names because of that, pushed her around, or even pretended she didn’t exist.

Lonely and without friends, Myra only had the moon to comfort her. Each night the moon would come to her bedroom window, and comfort little Myra to sleep. 

‘You are the most beautiful,’ the moon would tell her. ‘On the inside, you are sweet, and kind.’

But as the bullying continued, Myra’s mood turned sour. One night, when the moon tried to comfort little Myra, Myra became angry at the moon, and shouted at her. 

‘No one cares about my sweetness! No one cares about the beauty on the inside. All they care about is what they see on the outside, and it is ugly. Go away.’ 

The moon was taken aback by Myra’s outburst, and hid in the clouds. That night was incredibly dark and shadows crept into the thoughts of everyone.

The next night, the moon tried to visit Myra again. But Myra was still angry, and told the moon to go away, and never come back. Sad and broken-hearted, the moon left the sky, not to be seen again.

Without the moon the light the night sky, the nights were longer, colder and the shadows took hold of everyone’s thoughts. Each night, people would wake up screaming and crying, for nightmares haunted their dreams. People became sick for the lack of sleep, hollowed by their dark thoughts and dreams. 

Everyone, except Myra. People flocked to Myra, asking her for advice, for help, for anything that would make the cold nights and dark dreams go away. While Myra was at first reluctant to help those who had previously been so mean to her, she eventually came to like the attention she got. The fact that people came to her, needed her. She enjoyed it. 

Myra decided to bring back the moon, as she thought it would make the people love her even more. However, the moon saw through Myra’s scheme. 

‘You apologize to me, but you do not mean it. You only think of yourself. Once you were pretty on the inside. But the bitterness has turned your heart dark and you are no longer kind. Not unless it benefits you.’

Myra was shocked by what the moon said, but she couldn’t deny the truth. Horrified at what she had become, Myra apologized sincerely, and asked what she could give the moon in exchange for returning to the night sky. 

‘I’ll do anything.’ She promised

‘What others have suffered at my absence, you shall suffer with my presence. Nightmares to haunt you at night.’ 

And so it was that the moon returned, and peace settled over village. Except for little Myra, who would forever dream dark dreams. Yet despite the nightmares, Myra was happy for happiness had returned to the village. 

 
Anonymous

LEFT BOOK ENTRY

Book title: Dairy of Sheya – Of the time the huge man came

Book author: Sheya

Book Content:

Day 1: the Discovery

Today the weirdest thing happened. There I was, minding my own business, studying the slow and magical growth of Moonlight Poppy, when I suddenly heard the strangest sound. 

It was too clumsy for the elegant footsteps of a fellow fae, and too loud for any of the beasts that crawl on the forest floor. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. And, studying the many magnificent flowers our forest has to offer, I have heard quite a bit in my lifetime. 

I was terrified on the one hand, but so incredibly curious on the other hand as well. Blame my dear old father, bless his mana, but I had to look and find out what it was that was clumsily stomping through the forest in the middle of the night. 

As loud as it was, it wasn’t all that hard to track down. And what I saw baffled me! It was … sort of like a fae, but it also wasn’t. Whatever it was, it was huge. Really, incredibly, unastoundedly huge. The hugest I had ever seen. 

They had heads, and arms and legs like us. Hair, two eyes, a nose and a mouth. So very familiar. 

But they were different from us fae too. Their skin was like milk and nuts, flat of colour. And their hands…! They had five fingers, five! On each hand! What could you possibly need five fingers for?  And they used some weird guttural sounds to communicate with one another. 

Either way, I am very intrigued and will definitely be back to do some more spyingstudying.

Day 3: the Introduction

I was brave today, and introduced myself to the new neighbours in our forest. Their language is hard to grasp, but I’m sure with patience, we’ll be able to understand one another one day. I’ve shown them all the trees I love, and tried to tteach them the names. They showed me some things too, although I’m not sure what they were saying.  

Day 9: a Name

After a long week of studying, I think I have found the proper name for our new neighbours: Huge man. 

When I went back home to tell the farmer, my neighbour, and everyone who would listen, they didn’t believe me at first. But when I showed them, they had the swallow their words (Call me a liar again, Kael, and I will wither your tree!) 

Now, the huge man is the talk of the day, you can hear the younglings playing outside pretending to be ‘humans’ as they call them. Perhaps huge man is too difficult to pronounce. 

Either way, I can see an interesting relationship blossoming here. I’m sure we our folk have much to teach and learn from one another. 

 
Anonymous:

Book: middle
Word count: 370
Type: non-fiction diary, fae author
 
 
The Diary of Freidrich
 
Our village stands on the precipice of ruin. No matter what magics we weave, what methods we try to revive them, our crops lay browning in the heat. Our animals lay still, heaving breaths into the dusty ground, any one of them their last. 
 
My sister Olette and I have run out of options. We are supposed to be the experts, weaving the mana in new ways to keep our town safe. We research and discover new ways to use the mana flowing through Fanterra. Beacons of hope to those who depend on our expertise. She suggests we use the research of Talekai the Black, taking their treatise on raising the dead and reconfiguring the spells. At first, my knee jerk reaction, was of disgust. The court banished them for a reason! Meddling with the dead was asking for trouble, retribution from the court would come for all of us. 
 
But surely it's not wrong to steer these living creatures from the jaws of death? Is it not our right as beings of magic to bend the rules of this world to fit our desires? We are taking the leap, preparing the research for the rescue of this small town. 
 
----
 
It's been days since I saw her last. Folks are beginning to whisper rumors about what I've done here, what we've done here. This was supposed to be safe, tapping into mana to save our town. The crops were withering, the livestock falling ill, our people suffering. The research was sound! I thought Olette knew what she was doing, I thought it had been safe!
 
But that doesn't change our actions. Using magic like that, twisting life like that. Marley warned us against it. It's not his fault we didn't listen. We were too proud, our heads held high enough we couldn't see the consequences, the land now poisoned, the fae settled here suffering from our individual pride. 
 
And where is Olette in all this? Gone. Left come sundown when the deed brought nothing but ruin. She is my sister, the least she could have done is faced the consequences together with me. I can't just abandon these people to suffer what we've done to them. 
 
She is a coward.
 
Anonymous:

Left Book

Title: A Tall Tale

Genre: Fiction

Words: 499

In the land of Fanterra; there is a town called Iriverse. In that town, there once lived a tiny dragon and a large fae. Both were an abnormal size for what they were, and neither of them wished to be the way they were.

The dragon was called Tiny, a nickname that was given to him by his littermates because of his meager size. He grew up enduring his siblings relentless teasing him about how he couldn’t possibly fly with his tiny wings. He hated to admit it, but it was true. His wings never grew to be as large as they should be for his size, and the closest to that he could accomplish to flying was to glide.

With a story similar to Tiny’s, the fae was named Oryx. He grew up to be taller, and larger than the average fae. Oryx had expansive wings that were a bit bulky, but manageable when flying. His family treated him like they would any other, but others would unknowingly make him feel bad about his abnormalities.

While Tiny and Oryx both lived in their respective areas, neither of them have ever ventured beyond what they've known their entire life. That was until they were both finally fed up with how they were treated, and decided to go out and venture on their own.

They both fled to the outskirts of Iriverse, where the wilderness held many dangers.

As Cold and hungry Oryx became, he's never felt so much joy. He was finally free from the looks he got on a daily basis.

All the while Tiny was fluttering his wings with joy, not a care in the world that he couldn't fly.

But after a few days, their excitement died down. Oryx had a struggle identifying what was edible and what wasn’t, he went to bed for many days with an empty stomach; Tiny had trouble escaping from larger predators, he would end up battered and bruised with low spirits.

And most of all, they were both lonely.

After a few days surviving on the barest minimum, they both came to the conclusion that wanted to go home. Even though they didn’t feel accepted, they both thought going back was the better choice.

But…

Where is home?

So they wandered… and wandered… lost...

Until one dark night, where the new moon shone no light, they met.

That night, Oryx heard a shuffling sound near him. He stumbled through the dark, his toe hit a rock. He tripped and fell down, right on to a shell-shocked dragon. Immediately, the area was lit up by Oryx’s magic, and for the first time in a long time, they found someone just like them.

Oryx looked at tiny and exclaimed, "You're such a small dragon!"

While at the exact same time Tiny said, "You're such a large fae!"

At that moment was when both of them realized who they have found. Someone that could understand them like no other.

Someone that would accept them.

Middle Book 

Title: Kuriosity Killed Kat

Genre: Fiction or Non-fiction, who knows...

Words: 261

Listen to me, do not read this.

I’m telling you, it’s a bad idea don’t do it!!

“Open it.” They said.

“You will find what you’re looking for inside.” They said…

Lies… all lies….

IF YOU ARE STILL READING, CLOSE IT RIGHT NOW.

Nothing but death and pain will be felt if you continue, and remember I warned you.

There will be no one but yourself to blame when we’re finished.

What did you come here for, treasure, power, glory… love?

How desperate are you to continue reading, do you have nothing left to lose?

‘Cause I’m telling you, I did. I lost it all, and gained nothing.

“Kat, don’t go! Please, I beg of you!” Those were the last words I heard from my brother.

“Kat… please remember that I love you.” Those were the last words my mother said to me as I went off on an impossible quest.

How foolish of me.

How foolish of you.

By now I bet you’re feeling a cool feeling traveling up your arms, paralyzing you…

I felt that too, you know.

I have no doubt that you’re starting feel your head ache, your vision blur.

Don’t panic, it’ll pass… soon…

Your bones are cracking, aren't they?

Have you ever wondered what that white sand you were walking on was?

What have you done to deserve such a painful death, you ask?

Nothing, nothing I tell you.

Other than your own foolishness.

And soon you’ll be a fool no more.

 
Week: 2

Discord name: FluffyBirdie

Book: Right

Word count:  329 / 500

Type: Fiction, human author
A Rumpled, Stilted Kin

                                                                               A girl once proclaimed,
                                                                               and quite proudly she
                                                                               did, that she can make
                                                                               gold out of straw. But
                                          of course, no one believed her. It was dark magic, it was unnatural,
                                and she was dismissed as a fool. But she had found a vein of mana, a
                      gleaming, glowing strand in the ground, and had picked it up, as it was pretty
                and she could use it to decorate her home. As she walked through town, mocking
            voices followed her, and she gripped the stone, angry and upset, wishing, wishing,
            wishing.... The stone seeped into her hands, and fearful, she ran home, for no one
            would help the village fool, and           laid on her bed of straw,
                wondering why she made                 such a boast. She rolled
                      back and forth on her hard         bed, unable to sleep,
                              and angry, sat up, about      to curse the fates for
                                      making her bed so.       But the glint of gold
                                                caught her attention, and she jumped, surprised.
                                                         The straw had become gold! Greed crept into her
                                                                     heart, and she grabbed more straw. But it wasn't
                                                                              straw. In her hand was a sold bar of the precious
                                                                                 metal, and she started          to laugh, her voice                                                                                  getting louder and                       louder as the reality
                                                                                 of her situation set in.                   She was rich! She
                                                                                 could  get all that she                had dreamed of, all
                                                                                 her wants and desires.         The story spread that 
                         she could truly turn straw into gold, but unlike the adoration she expected, the
                         townspeople shunned her even further. Fake money, witches' gold, they
                         whispered, and refused to take it as currency. A fae nearby heard her plight,
                         and disguised himself as an old man, his voice strained with age. The girl,
                         happy to have a listener, poured her grief out to the fae, but he too
                         was greedy. The fae had magic darker than the one this world
                                                                               gives us, and cursed the
                                                                               girl to become his ervant,
                                                                               so that he could have
                                                                               riches beyond measure.

 
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More anons!

LEFT BOOK ENTRY

Title: How to tame a dragon, a true-told story by One-Eyed Larry

Author: One-Eyed Larry

Genre: Non-Fiction(-ish), exaggerated autobiography 

Dragons are fierce and fearsome beasts. Huge wings like hurricanes, claws like spears, you’ve heard it all before. Y’see me lad, dragons are truly misunderstood creatures, they are. They are beings, with emotions and feelings, with souls. Much like us, they can feel fear, anger, pain and love. The key to taming a dragon is to earn their trust. So, let me tell you a story, of how I lost both me arms and part o’ me eye, and instead gained a lifelong friend. 

There I were, wing high in me sails, traveling across the endless seas, when I heard a cry on the wind that chilled my blood frozen solid. The cry of a dragon. E’ry honest sailor’s worst fear. I was certain my life was forfeit. Having just struck the best bargain o’ me life, me hull was full to bursting, and I was sure the dragon was coming for me hoard. 

I grabbed me sword and braced meself for the oncoming attack. But it ne’er came. Instead I saw this huge, mighty beast fall from the sky and hit the water with a huge splash. I ran to look over the side o’ me ship, to make sure me eyes (I still had both o’ them at this time) weren’t tricking me. 

Lo and behold, a mighty beast, felled. At first I was relieved, but when  I caught a glimpse of the beast’s bright golden eye, I saw twas full o’ fear and pain. I wanted to turn me ship around and sail as far away as I could, but I couldn’t. I had to save the dragon. 

I dove right into the water, with some rope around me waist. I bound the dragon to me ship and sailed to the closest island. There I pulled the beast on land with me own two arms - I also still had both o’ these at this time, but not for much longer. 

I had hardly removed the rope for the dragon, when a larger, fiercer beast appeared in the sky. Twas clear it was coming for poor, wounded beast. So I did what any honest sailor would do; I grabbed me sword and fought a mighty battle. It bit, and slashed and breathed flame at me, but I held me ground. I poked, and slashed and yelled back at it. And so we fought.

In the end I managed to fell the big beast, but not until it had devoured both me arms and ripped me eye right out of me socket with its mighty claws. Twas a small price to pay, as my wee dragon was safe once more.

While it regained its strength, I buried my treasure on the island, hidden someplace deep in the forest. When it was time to part, the wee dragon promised to protect me treasure. And I vowed to come back with more treasure whenever I could.

MIDDLE BOOK ENTRY

Title: A day at the carrousel 

Author: Unknown author

Genre: Children’s story, Poetry

We are going out today

A day in the park, as mom would say

The bright sunshine to light our way

Let’s go now, it’s time to play

The carrousel, colourful and bright

We want to go for another ride

The horses whinny as they stride

The wind in our hair as we forward glide

Round and round the horses go

Kids squealing with joy on every row

The music stops; it’s the end of the show

Let’s go back here again tomorrow

RIGHT BOOK ENTRY

Title: How to create your own Prosperity

Author: Duna “the Wealthy”

Genre: Non-Fiction, Business, DIY

Prosperity. We all wish for it, especially here in Iriverse. But what is prosperity, and how does one achieve it? Not to sound too full of myself, but I will have to admit that I have been fairly successful at creating prosperity for myself. Now I am not a selfish dragon, very a-typical, one might think, so I am writing this self-help book to help you prosper, so that we might enjoy our prosperity together. 

So, where do you start? Rather than earning more treasures, as one might think, it actually starts with your spending habits. Do not spend a single penny. None of it. Hoard it all. This is probably the most difficult part, but once you have a knack for it, you’ll see your hoard grow every day, never once shrink. The easiest way to achieve this subliminal skill, is to avoid any temptation. Do not let it cross your path. And whenever temptation does end up finding its way to your doorstep, think to yourself ‘Do I really want this shiny new object? Even at the expense of my great hoard?’ The answer is ‘no’, ofcourse. You want your hoard to grow. And so you will be able to decline any offers made, no matter how tempting.

The second step to achieve prosperity is to earn more. No matter how small or invaluable something might seem, everything has a value. And all these tiny steps will add up in the end. You will achieve greatness. It will take some blood, sweat and tears, figuratively speaking of course, but every bit of effort you put in will pay off. 

There are different methods to earn more value more quickly. Niche markets, unique services, great skill, or even just untapped potentials in the existing market. Keep an eye out for any venture that might proof lucrative, and soon, you’ll be as rich as I am.

So remember: 1. spend nothing, 2. hoard everything, and 3. exploit the untapped potentials of the market. This is how you'll become as rich as I am, my friend

Now that I have shared with you my secret to success, of course I do expect a little something in return. If I’ve said it before, I’ve said it a million times; I might be somewhat unconventional for a dragon. So no, I do not require any payment in gold or treasures. If you manage to achieve a bit of prosperity for yourself, all I ask you is to remember: in Iriverse, we all hope to achieve prosperity one day, together. Please share your spoils and riches, share your knowledge. Perhaps buy this useful self-help book as a gift for a friend or family, and help them on their way to greatness. 

LEFT BOOK ENTRY

The Tale of Miss. Taeri

Fiction

In the days of olde, there lived an adventurous young dragon under the name of Taeri. Taeri was of the most peculiar sort of dragon; for she was infatuated with humans. Their food, their games, but most importantly--their fires.

Of course, Taeri had never actually talked to a human. She was a dragon, after all, and humans did not take well to the sight of dragons. Instead, she watched from afar, traveling to different villages, grasping onto the bits of knowledge that she could get. However, on one particularly lonely night, her curiosity overcame her. Taeri had flown down to a village to investigate the fires that had bewildered her so.

Just as Taeri had begun prodding the still-burning pile of sticks in the middle of the human village, she heard a noise behind her. She turned slowly, expecting an angry human with a spear pointed at her heart. Instead, she came snout-to-nose with a small girl, eyes filled with wonder and a book in hand.

“Excuse me, are you a dragon?” The girl asked, unabashedly. Taeri huffed a plume of smoke in relief and nodded her head. The girl’s face lit up in excitement, and she began spitting out words at such a pace that gave Taeri concern for her small lungs.

“I can’t believe this! I have been reading all about dragons, all kinds of amazing things, terrible things, terribly amazing things! Well, you don’t seem very terrible, do you? The book said--” The girl babbled on, waving the book in her hand around. A simple drawing of a dragon spitting fire at a human city graced the cover, snapping Taeri out of her amusement. As she stepped backwards to make her escape, she stumbled, catching her wing on a spear that had been sticking out of the dirt nearby the fire. The dragon watched in horror as the sharp point ripped a tear in the webbing in her wings. She would never be able to fly again. Taeri took of running, the girl chasing after her.

The pair reached a clearing in a nearby forest and stopped. Taeri sat to inspect her injured wing, slowly breathing out a puff of smoke as she calmed down, when a soft voice came from behind her.

“Your wing. I-I’m sorry, this is all my fault, I shouldn’t have... My father was a researcher and after he and mother d-died I wanted to… to continue his research on d-dragons.. ” she hiccuped, tears flowing down her face. The dragon folded her good wing over the back of the human and drew her near. The child sobbed into the dragons side, quieting down as the night grew darker. Eventually, the two fell asleep in a bundle of tears and wings.

It is said in stories that the two beings, flightless dragon and orphaned child, grew to become the best pair of adventurers Fanterra had ever seen, and even better friends. Together, they set to explore the world that had been waiting for them.

 
Anon

Book - in the middle

Title-   An Explanation of Changelings

There are two types of Changelings -okay, maybe three. The third being a shapeshifter in a game about dragons living in dungeons or something like that.

Anyway…

There are two types of Changelings.

By definition a Changeling is a human, usually a child, that is swapped with a fairy to live with the human parents, sometimes without the parents ever knowing. Either the fairies will make the exchange when the human is sleeping, or just lure them away to the door to their homeland.

You might be wondering why.

Well, it can be for many reasons. Sometimes it can be purely out of spite.

You also might be wondering: Isn’t that kidnapping?

It depends on who you ask. Most would say yes.

Many of the fairies from Fairyland -very beautiful place, by the way- will do it out of spite just because they’re mad at the human’s friend or because the human happens to be related to someone who once successfully made fairy ointment. Fairies can be very vain, vengeful creatures that will hold grudges for human generations.

But not the fairies of Fanterra.

The fairies of Fanterra instead help human families if their young child is very sick. They offer to help the child in return for the favor of the parents teaching a young fairy about human culture.

Fanterra families do sometimes bring older humans to Fanterra, too, but only in times of disasters. The human can choose go return home once it’s over. Some decide to stay.

The reason why Fanterra fairies help humans is because so many years ago a young fairy got separated from her family. Lost and injured, she wandered into a human settlement where a kind human family adopted her and helped her reunite with her family.

Since then the fairies have helped humans who are hurt or lost, repaying the kindness of that family.

Fanterra’s fairies are very kind and will often help humans.

For this I am personally very grateful.

 
For the right book!

To Steal A Dragon’s Treasure

Anthony watched as a dragon flew across the blue sky, he walked over to an amber-haired Fae who was visiting. “Hey Mari?” he asked. Mari looked up from her diary, “Yes?” “Do dragons here have.. Treasure?” Mari tilted her head, “Of course. Shouldn’t you know that from the legends from your Earth?”

An evil thought came upon Anthony and he shrugged. “I was just making sure.”

Anthony gathered his closest friends, one of them, Timothy looked slightly uneasy. “Are you sure about this?” he questioned. Anthony scoffed, “How else are we going to get money? The Dragon’s have so much treasure they probably won’t even know some of its missing.”

“How are we going to explain where we got the treasure?” Anthony and the others rolled their eyes. “Tim, if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.” one of them sighed.

Timothy shrugged, “Just saying.”

The boys hiked up into the mountains, Anthony in the lead, his cloak fluttering behind him.

“This dragon, Obsidian, would be out hunting right about now,” Anthony stated as they reached a cave.

They gasped as they stepped in, only a few feet away treasures more beautiful and stunning then they’d ever imagined. Strange and familiar gemstones littered the area.

Their expressions were full of greed as they stuffed gemstones into their satchels and packs, before stumbling down the mountain path, still in awe of the treasures they held.

A week later, a coal-black dragon flew to Erabarrow, smoke billowing from its nostrils.

“Somebody has stolen some of my treasure!” he roared. It was lucky for Anthony and his friends they had not been in Erabarrow, as they were visiting Imagine Nation. Mari’s wings fluttered as she flew up to the dragon. “What do you mean?” she asked. “What do you mean what do I mean? I returned from hunting the other day only to find some of my treasure missing. I smelled human.” “Can you smell them out?” Mari asked, gesturing to the crowd of humans, watching with wide eyes. The dragon lifted his snout and took a deep smell. “I cannot.” he admitted. “Maybe it was some sort of scavenger.” Mari said calmly. “These humans are scavengers.” the dragon snorted. “Nevertheless, it is possible one of the gems the humans have generously given you still carry their scent.” “But it was new!” he objected. “You cannot punish the humans for something you are not sure they did.”

The dragon snorted, and flew away.

Later, Anthony and his friends returned.

Mari glared at Anthony. “That was an extremely foolish thing to do.”

Anthony smirked. “Are you going to tell him? It may have been foolish, but I’m rich now.”

 
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