Writing Explorations: Week 80, Ozymoronic

The Mood is Write

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  1. Looking for partners
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  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
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It varies wildly.
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Prestige
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Nonbinary
  3. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
I'm open to a wide range of genres. Obscenely wide. It's harder for me to list all I do like than all I don't like.

My favorite settings are fantasy combined with something else, multiverse, post-apoc, historical (mixed with something else), and futuristic. I'm not limited to those, but it's a good start.

My favorite genres include mystery, adventure, action, drama, tragedy (must be mixed with something else and kept balanced), romance (again must be mixed, and more.

I'm happy to include elements of slice-of-life and romance, but doing them on their own doesn't hold my interest indefinitely.
My Writing Explorations series of exercises are a chance for users to explore new concepts and practice the art of raising two fingers to Writer's Block while screaming obscenities to fickle muses: to rebel against the idea that a person requires a mythical force inside them to make new and amazing things.

No. Listen well, users: there is no being inside you waiting to be let out. You are the writer, and in this exercise, you are given a place to push not only against Writer's Block, but also against the forces of stagnation. Feel trapped in your genre? Explore a new one! Stuck with a singular archetype? Do something else! In this thread, you will not be critiqued unless you request it. Should you wish it, I will happily offer my thoughts on how it might be improved, but I will not comb looking for fixes: this isn't the place: this place is for safely trying new things and indulging a love of writing.

Shake the bars of your cell block and roar, writers!

[fieldbox=How do I take part?]You can write to one or more (or none) of the prompts, the theme in the thread title, the bonuses—hell, you can even cast aside all of what I offer if you get a different idea.

The whole point is "get writing!"[/fieldbox]

Prompts:
  1. A chance home invasion starts off with the homeowner ignored, but eventually the invader teaches the homeowner that there is more to existence than rotting in the dark and cold of their home, and the two bond quickly. What happens after the invader leaves suddenly?
  2. She said they were old. He misunderstood and assumed they'd aged to death. She corrected him, and his fears rose within his mind.
  3. When asked about her past, the woman begins her answer with how she ran away from home when she was three years old.
  4. Archaeologists unearth a stone wall covered in ancient writing. One tourist goes to see, and discovers that they can read it perfectly.

Bonus Rounds:
  • Write in a random genre.
  • "Sorry, I totally lost track of what dimension I was in."
  • "You saw me when I was invisible."
  • "My name became a curse after the corporations overthrew my empire. I look on my works, and I see my father was always right. I was stupid to believe conquest the solution."
  • "You can't keep kissing strangers and pretending that it's him."
  • "You—You are—"
    "Beautiful, a genius, immensely talented—?"
    "Dangerous."
    "Ah. That one. Yes."
  • "Never trust a survivor until you find out what they did to stay alive."
 
Damn you, Moody. I want to write all the things. <3
 
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I will! Maybe.
 
Bradley read the newspaper while he sat on the balcony of his hotel room drinking his morning coffee and eating a stale bagel that room service had delivered half an hour ago. This was his first trip to cost Rica and he was enjoying the salty sea air and the breathtaking beach views he was afforded from this balcony.

He saw an article in the paper that caught his attention. "Ancient discovery unearthed." As he read he saw that the find was now open to the public for viewing and he was immediately intrigued. He'd never seen such a thing first hand, and he doubted he would have another opportunity like this. he rolled up the paper and left it there on the table and stepped back into the room to dress for the day and explore this ancient discovery.

He hailed a taxi and gave his destination as he leaned back in the seat to enjoy the privilege of not having to navigate this crazy traffic. As far as he could tell there were no traffic laws here, and he wasn't going to attempt to figure it out. He was more than happy to pay someone else to drive. they arrived without incident, thankfully, and he paid the driver and then purchased a ticket to see the exhibit. It turned out to be a large wall covered in an odd ancient writing of some sort. The writing carved into the stone of the wall was beautiful and elegant and as he looked he realized he was reading. Not only was he reading, but he was understanding what he was reading.

He stepped back and was about to take a picture with the camera on his phone when he was tapped on the shoulder by a guard, "No pictures please." He nodded and pulled out his day planner and wrote down what he was reading. It was a clear and specific prophesy, and a chilling one. He finished writing it all down and then left the exhibit. He was horribly troubled and more than a little afraid.

As he was leaving though a young woman ran after him and grabbed his arm, "Excuse me..." she said as she tugged on his arm, "Please...wait."

Bradley paused and looked back at her. Good lord she was stunning and he forgot to breathe for a second. "Yes?"

"Thank you. Would you spare a moment of your time?"

"Can I help you in some way?"

"Perhaps. I noticed you writing in there." She looked around and then leaned closer to whisper, "You know what it says don't you?"

He was instantly chilled and when she leaned back he looked at her again. Her eyes were glowing with knowledge and something else. "Excuse me? I don't know.."

"Oh yes you do. You wrote it down ... word for word."

Bradley blinked and shook his head, "Wait...how do you know it's word for word?"

Her smile could blind the sun for his beauty, "I should think that would be obvious."

He frowned and started to step away from her. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean..."

"Come now Bradley," she said in a voice that almost purred out his name. "You know. Look inside yourself, you know the truth."

Now he was truly terrified. "How do you know my name?"

Her smile was gentler then, but her beauty was stunning his senses making it difficult for him to concentrate. "You...You are..."

"Beautiful? A Genius? Immensely talented?..."

"Dangerous."

"Ah. That one. Yes."

Suddenly he felt an odd sensation, like something was crawling inside him. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation but it was strange. "What are you doing?"

"Surviving...you read the prophesy. You know what is happening. I must survive. This host will not last much longer. You are larger, you will last a little while...until the next one who can read the prophesy arrives." With that the beautiful girl fell to the ground in a heap as people rushed over to see what was the matter, Bradley disappeared into the crowd.

Never trust a survivor until you find out what they did to survive. This was the prophesy inscribed on the wall.