Welcome and Bad Rhyming
Tenethia: I hereby call this Writer's group to disorder fifteen minutes late! Sorry, guys
Ariel.of.Narnia: *is here*
Tenethia: Now if everyone, will just gather in... *hymes* I don't know what we're gathering in around, but whatever smiley-razz
Tenethia: OK, so today we've got a BRAND NEW writing exercise!
Tenethia: Buuut we're going to do it /after/ the sharing is done.
Sir-Edward: OoOOOOoOoOoOooh!
Tenethia: Please keep that in mind as you're giving comments and sharing -- we don't want to be here forever
Ariel.of.Narnia: good move
Sir-Edward: indeed smiley-lol
Tenethia: I know that we've done some characterization, Now bear with me as I give my explanation.
Sir-Edward: *is now a bear*
Tenethia: Instead of speaking with royal tones, We're going to try to rhyme some poems!
Sir-Edward: O.o
Sir-Edward: cool!
Tenethia: I'd like to encourage you for just a bit To try speaking in here by writing couplets!
Tenethia: If this interferes with your comment-presenting Drop rhyming, and be a normalish something.
Tenethia: Also remember that you don't need to rhyme everything : )
Sir-William: That is hard, but it could be very fun
Tenethia: So if you want to just do a few couplets here and there, just do it -- it's just to stretch you a bit smiley-razz
Tenethia: Even I think it's hard.
Ariel.of.Narnia: I will try, I really will but I may come to a standstill. smiley-wink
Sir-William: sounds well layed out
Tenethia: That you try, Lady 'riel, is all that I ask. I realize I've assigned a strenuous task.
Sir-William: I will Rhyme,
Tenethia: I think we ought to proceed with our sharing. To hear all your stories I could be no more caring!
Sir-William: all the time..
Tenethia: In other words, I really really really really want to hear your writing
Who would like to go first?SHARING
Edward Shares:
Sir-Edward: ok, keep in mind that this began as a writing challenge for making a two year long history of a random object, so it's a little less of a story and a little more of a history..
Sir-Edward: herein lies the two year history of a man's simple tool.
this account begins in spring 280 of the second epoch.the tool of which this account entails, Is a shovel.a simple thing, but a tale may yet be made of it. the land of which this shovel came from,was called verden gård. the shovel,when it was not being used,spent it's time in a small shed next to a house. the house belonged to a farmer,who's name was Yerik. it was planting time in the dalen valley and the shovel was used regularly to help with the planting process as well as chasing away trespassers on the property such as the three løp sprites of the haug mound in the northern downs of which many sprites came.and though the farmer much preferred the pitch fork or broom when dealing with the mischievous little fairy people,The shovel would do if ether could not be found.now this account being of this particular shovel, it should be described, so as not to confuse it with another. it was short and stout.made of light alder wood. the scoop was square shaped and made of strong iron. altogether a simple but sturdy tool. at that time the farmer's blueberries where waning in amount due to the sprites and pixies of steinvoll. for it is known that fairy folk have a great taste for berries, the most notable of which are buckthorn berries.which are known for their healing properties.
Yerik worked alone. he grew mostly corn and rye, as did most of the farmers in dalen. he also raised cows,sheep,and chickens.although Yerik was a skillful farmer, he was notorious for making the decision of building his farm over an old cave system said to be inhabited by trolls. everybody said that no good would come of it, and one of these days he would get into trouble. that day came on a wonderfully warm spring day with a calming breeze and, (much to the delight of the farmer) not a sight nor sound of pixie nor sprite. while attempting to dig out a particularly obstinate stump, the ground gave way beneath him he fell into a small tunnel warn so smooth, it shone like marble. Yerik was struck dumb with fear! for such a gleaming smooth tunnel can only have been made by a troll!(trolls are known for polishing their burrows and, when possible, embedding them with gems and precious stones.a troll will guard it's tunnels with a vengeance and any creature that dares to mar it's finely polished burrows will most likely not be alive the next day, if not before then.) so one can understand the farmer's dismay when he saw these sights. picking up the shovel, he started digging a stairway to the surface. a sensible thing to do indeed, for most would have started shouting for help and risk rousing the troll within.despite this effort however, the great sound that came forth as the earth gave way beneath the poor farmer was enough to alarm the troll that owned the burrow to his presence. it came with a great roar, bashing and crashing through the tunnel toward the terrified farmer, who was still in the process of digging out is escape root as the troll's bellowing cries came closer and closer. transfixed with terror,Yerik stood unmoving in the passageway with his shovel still half-raised in the air. then the troll struck. lowering i'ts armor-plated head to smash the intruder. Yerik was thrown backwards through the expanse of the the tunnel and crumpled the the floor in a heap. he was stunned and dizzy but not badly hurt. looking up he saw the troll, and to his amazement it was dead! the force of the attack had rammed the shovel between the two armored plates just between the troll's eyes and his muzzle. Yerik was overjoyed! he had fallen into a troll burrow and still lived to tell the tale! not wanting to remain there any longer then he had to however, he at once set about completing his escape rout to the surface. and, once completed, went straight to his bed and sunk into a very comfortable, and deep sleep.
sofia in wonderland: very good
Sir-Edward: thankyou smiley-lol
Tenethia: whoaaaah
sofia in wonderland: you're a great writer
Tenethia: O.O That's so cool.
Sir-Edward: smiley-lol smiley-lol smiley-lol
Ariel.of.Narnia: an excellent tale, Sir Ed; what a wonder the troll is dead!
Sir-Edward:
the months went by quite quickly after that,once the troll den was filled, he went about the normal preparations, plowing and planting his fields for harvesting that fall. It was in fact, one such a day in fall when he received a strange letter from the village messenger. dark tidings from the grensen border. Berserkera had been seen crossing the river elvspeil burning villages and farms as they marched.as their name entails, the Berserkera were a ravenous and bloodthirsty force of berserk warriors. an unknown force of destruction. what they truly were, is unknown for they covered their faces and bodies with bear skins. axes they bore and none dared to appose them.the secrecy of their identity was a weapon to them, for the mystery that surrounded them gave rise to terrible myths and legends of their power that would make even the greaebs warrior quake.or so at least were the stories from the east. for none of the villagers of this green vale had yet known of these terrifying warriors other then myths and stories until now. Yerik's letter was a call to arms. all able bodied men were to gather at bakke hill in an attempt to repel the invading marauders. being a farmer and therefor having no decent weapons with which to fight with,he made use of his trusty shovel (which he was quite proud of after killing the troll with it.)he sharpened the tip and edge of the shovel for use as a weapon. he then made preparations to have his farm and animals looked after and left for bakke the very next day. it was not long at all before he became aware of the fact that he was not a very good traveler ,indeed,he had never had need to go outside of dalen. bakke hill and dalen were divided by the northern downs,and the prærien grasslands.as such he decided that, in order to arrive at bakke in time, he would have travel through the prærien grasslands and then to cut across the ørken desert. (of which many tales say few ever come out of again.) however being a rather sensible fellow and not one to believe legends, Yerik decided that he would make the crossing. it took one and a half weeks to cross the prærien grasslands to get to the ørken boarder and once there, he took up lodging in the vertshuset inn. there, he learned a little more of why the people feared the desert so much. great beasts were said to live there, and attack any travelers who dared to enter the desert. they where called the farligdyr and it was said that if one were to get close enough to the border of the desert, you could hear their wild cries. all these stories and more were told by the firelight in vertshuset. in the darkness of the night the stories now didn't seem so far-fetched and the farmer started to have second thoughts about making the journey. however he soon came to the realization that he did not in fact, have much choice in the matter, and resolved to leave as soon as he had packed enough supplies to make the crossing.
just before leaving the inn the next day, he was stopped by an odd looking man with a long white beard. the stranger stared at the farmer for a long moment and then said, "If you wish to cross the desert this you must know,whatever you do, do not sleep on the sands of ørken " then he was gone. blending into the crowd of people making their way across the road from the inn to the market. perplexed the farmer decided that, although he was not one for myths and the like, it would make sense that at least something had to live in the desert, and it would not hurt to be cautious. so making a mental note to himself to avoid sleeping on the sands of ørken,he set out north for the desert and managed to make it to the "border sands" by evening. the sun was low in the sky and the clouds were red and black in the dusk of the on-setting darkness. unlike other deserts, ørken had a very unique landscape of dunes and tall sandstone spires. furthermore what set this desert apart was the trees! odd-looking trees with no leaves and thin twisted branches. the legends say these tree were cursed, for any who attempted to go out and bring one back to grow would never return. as night came so did the night sounds. there were sand crickets, and a small collection of night birds, but one sound that Yerik could not decipher was a high-pitched eerie cry that froze his blood. If he had not been sure before, he definitely was now. he was not sleeping on the dunes of ørken. climbing a short way up one of the sandstone spires, he found a ledge, and decided it would be a decent place to rest for the night. the eerie cries kept him awake most of the night, but at last, sleep overtook him.
Tenethia: ooooooooooh
Sir-Edward: the next few days passed in much the same way, and he slowly grew accustomed to the sounds of the night. however his trekking was soon slowed by the valley of vinder. terrible winds lashed the dunes there and the farmer had to often take cover atop or behind one of the huge spires to protect him from buffeting winds. one thing that was beginning to alarm him was as he continued into progressively windier territory, the spires in which he took refuge on during the night were starting to become more and more smooth and warn, making it harder and harder to clime them every night. sooner or later he thought, he would no longer have the protection of the spire's height. sooner or later, he thought, he would have to sleep on the dunes of ørken.
sofia in wonderland: avoid the trees..
Tenethia: ooooooooooooooooooh
Sir-Edward: that time came one chilly desert night. the sun sank below the horizon and the last rays of light finally vanished behind the dunes. the farmer tried climbing one spire after the next but every time he slid back down the smooth faces of the sandstone pinnacles to land once again on the soft sand below. before long Yerik realized that there was no escape from the sandy floor of the desert and he was about to put his sleeping mat down for the night when a thought occurred to him. the trees! they were not very tall but surely taller then any beast that might haunt the dunes of ørken! he quickly cast his eyes about and soon spotted two tall,leafless,gnarly trees near him. making his way quickly over to them, he decided to clime the one on the left. a eerie cry sounded nearby and he hurried to gather his supplies and clime. he put his right foot first onto the tree's lowest branch. the desert was now terribly dark and he could not see more than ten feet in front of himself. another cry sounded. nearer this time. he climbed faster, almost slipping, he reached the fifth branch up.then it happened. another cry, just like the others but with one thing different. this one was right below him! at that same moment, the tree the farmer was climbing, started to lean dangerously, swaying from side to side, It was going to fall! another cry rang out just below him and the tree swayed again but this time it didn't stop! it plummeted in a terrifying arc straight toward the ground! clinging on with all his might the farmer prepared for the impact! but it never came. opening his eyes he saw that instead of nine feet off the ground, he was now about twenty! looking down he saw a huge body,shoulders and head which supported the two, giant antlers which he was clinging to. the great beast reared up on it's huge hind legs and gave forth a bellowing cry! all at once the behemoth jerked it's head forward, flinging the farmer to the sands below. he hit the sand with some force and the air went out of his lungs. he gasped for breath and started running for the nearest spire for cover.the beast gave out another roar and gave chase. stumbling through the sand the farmer made it to the spire and turned to see the creature barreling toward him! he dropped to the desert floor just in time for the beast to come crashing over him, slamming into the tall sandstone spire behind. a great sound erupted from the rock as it shattered and cracked from the impact! rocks and large boulders came crashing down toward them, the last thing Yerik heard before he was struck by a falling rock was the beast's haunting cry.
He awoke to the feeling of bright sunlight on his face and he blinked. he found that he was buried under a thin layer of dust and scree. struggling loose of the rubble, he looked up to were he could see the collapsed sandstone spire strewn across the desert sands. then he heard it, a long mournful cry that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, echoing around the dunes like a sweeping wind. Yerik had never herd the beasts call during the day, and it puzzled him. however pushing this thought aside, he decided that, if he did not wish to repeat the previous night's events, he should push on toward bakke in order to be out of the windy valley by sundown. then he herd the cry again, it sounded strained, and painful, but more distinct. It seemed to be coming from behind one of the rocks A few yards away.he tried to ignore it but curiosity got the better of him and he cautiously crept toward the place where the sounds emanated from. stumbling down a steep sand dune made by the falling rock, he rounded the bend in the rock and gasped. that's when Yerik got his first look at what the ørken borderlander's called the farligdyr. It was huge. It had a large stocky body, patterned alternately with a mix of reddish and desert tan fur. it had tall antlers that snaked and twisted upward from the top of it's huge bearded face. Yerik thought at first the beast was dead, but inching a little closer he realized that the beast's eyes were open. and they were looking right at him.
Sir-Edward: and that's it smiley-lol
sofia in wonderland: very good
Ariel.of.Narnia: I do so approve! I like your writing style, Ed!
Tenethia: I tell you, Ed, you and your brother have SUSPENSE down perfectly!
Sir-Edward: Thank's smiley-lol
Tenethia: *applauds*
Tenethia: I love your descriptions!
Ariel.of.Narnia: *should ask you and Will for suspense-writing lessons *
Ariel.of.Narnia: *... and action-writing lessons*
Sir-Edward: smiley-razz
Tenethia: You do so well describing things, and the order of how it happened and you reaaally evoke emotion.
Tenethia: Yeah, ditto. I'm seriously going to make you a special speaker some week.
Sir-William: lol
Sir-William: Very good(applauds)
Tenethia: Two things -- You used eerie twice in describing that call. It just kinda stuck out, though I don't think it's wrong. Just perhaps there's another word to describe it?
And you described the desert as cold.Tenethia: I live in the desert. Ain't got no cold here, Bro. We were 70's all winter long.
Sir-Edward: well some desert are.
Sir-Edward: this one sure is smiley-razz
Sir-William: at least at night, may be
Ariel.of.Narnia: I've also been in deserts, Tenny. some do get cold at night
sofia in wonderland: i thought deserts were hot in daylight, and cold at night
Sir-William: The Gobi desert in Mongolia is freezing, it may never get warm
Tenethia: We won't dispute it. smiley-razz It's possible for it to get cold, but it's not often in normal deserts and generally readers would consider it to be hot
Sir-William: good point
Tenethia: Unless global warming finally actually kicks in ; )
Ariel.of.Narnia:
Sir-William: heh
Tenethia: Any other comments?
Tenethia: Questions, fangirling, anything?
Sir-Edward: smiley-razz
sofia in wonderland: lol, no
Sir-William: lol
Tenethia: going once, going twice,
Ariel.of.Narnia: *fangirls*
sofia in wonderland: ^_^
Tenethia: *grins*
Tenethia: *does too*
Sir-Edward: LOL
Tenethia: Seriously, Ed, if you stop writing that, we'll hunt you down. And force-feed you a bag of MARSHMALLOWS
Sir-William: haha
Tenethia: andyou don't want that. *nods solemnly*
Sir-Edward: *flees*
Sir-William: Pick me! Pick me!
Tenethia: *giggles* no, just write ; )
William Shares
Sir-William: Ok, well, I have this idea
Sir-William: I wanted to try writing a story off the cuff at the same speed at which one would ussauly post
Tenethia: *puts her stamp of approval on it* go for it!
Ariel.of.Narnia: go for it!
Tenethia: oh, that's ok : )
Sir-William: The effects could be either impressive or rather humorously fail *clears throat*
Sir-William: In a land far off, the like of which you will not find in the world today. A knight was walking his on a dusty road one day
Tenethia: *snerk*
Sir-William: his dog suddenly began to bark
Tenethia: *read that as "the like of which you will find out about today"*
Sir-William: HAHAHA
Sir-Edward: LOL
Sir-William: the knight looked around, but only his head moved, while his helmet stayed stationary
The knight was greatly annoyed, for unless his helmet moved as well, he could see nothing
Seizing the helmet, he rotated it right, then left then straight
Ariel.of.Narnia: ha!
Sir-William: However he could not see what his was barking at
Tenethia: *snork*
Sir-William: It is commonly known that one has limited vision from a knight's helmet, and this knight had fallen prey to that
Sir-William: For had he looked up he would have seen the dragon hovering over his head
Tenethia: (I think he needs to oil his armor or something)
Tenethia: whoops.
Sir-William: Lol
Ariel.of.Narnia: hee
Sir-William: The began barking more furiously as they approached the castle
The knight continued to look about him as he walked, but the smell of recently oiled metal took away his... something
he didn't smell the fire...
But his armor with stood the fire
However, the helmet blocked his hearing...
Tenethia: (or hear the enormously loud beating of wings above his head, but somehow heard his dog barking overtop of it)
Sir-William: LOL
Sir-William: yeh, that
Tenethia: (that explains it)
Sir-William: The dragon began beating on the knight, breathing fire on him, and emitting harmful gases in his direction
Tenethia: (let's hope the dragon has bad aim)
Sir-William: However, he did not take notice, and his dog was forced to kill the dragon for him that day. THE END
Tenethia: (sorry, Will, I'm really loving this -- I'll stop interrupting now!)
Sir-Edward: LOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOOL
Tenethia: *cheers*
Tenethia: *dies of laughter*
Sir-William: you don't have to
Tenethia: That is awesome! Smiley-razz. Publish it. Sell it. I'll be the first buyer.
Sir-William: Lol
Ariel.of.Narnia: Will, I will pay you marshmallows to take humour lessons from you
Tenethia: Ed on suspense, Will on humour *marks them down for future guests*
Tenethia: That was awesome, William smiley-razz you do great writing humor on the spot.
Sir-William: thanks
Ariel.of.Narnia: and simply writing on the spot period smiley
Tenethia: *nods solemnly, then bursts into laughter*
Sir-William: lol
Tenethia Shares:
Tenethia: I would share, I really would But you won't like it -- no one would. ; )
Tenethia: *is SUCH a marshmall... marshwiggle*
Sir-Edward: NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! you must share!
Tenethia: ok, I will share! : )
Sir-William: Yes!
Sir-Edward: *dances!*
Tenethia: So... this is the challenge I gave last week. I thought it was only appropriate I write the challenge I issued smiley-razz. And it's only half-way finished or so. So I'll share the rest of it next week. The prompt was: What happened when Edmund found out Shasta wasn't Corin*dives in*
Sir-William: *grins*
Tenethia:
/I do wonder what his hurry is/, thought Prince Corin as he watched his look-alike hurry down the street and around the corner. /Who is he? Shasta... What a wonder we do look so alike!/ He, of course, was regretting the loss of his new acquaintance, and thinking wistfully of all the lovely pranks they could have pulled on the Narnians.
When he turned away from the window, it passed through his mind (ever so briefly) that perhaps someone ought to be told he was back safely. He might have gone to speak to someone right away, but his stomach began to rumble, reminding the prince how terribly thirsty and hungry he was.
Distracted for the moment, Prince Corin turned from the window and headed for the door, on his way leaping playfully onto some of the cushions spread around the room. He headed to the kitchen, but it was locked and there were no windows, either inside the house or from the outside. He finally tried to use his pocket-knife to unlock the door.
A minute later, Prince Corin had succeeded in opening the door. To his surprise, he was able to get into the kitchen, get something to eat, and get back out and lock the door without being caught. It was as he stepped away from the kitchen, taking bites of the spoils of his kitchen burglary, that he realized how very quiet the house was.
“I suppose I really ought to go find someone. Where is everyone?” he said. Then he remembered again, now that his stomach wasn't rumbling quite so loudly, that he really did need to go tell King Edmund that he was back. They'd probably been quite worried about him, hadn't they? But no, they had that other boy they thought was me. They can't be worried. He trotted upstairs to Queen Susan's room.
The two dwarf guards, who Prince Corin knew as the brothers Thistleface and Bumbledrum standing outside of the queen's rooms bowed to the prince as he approached. Upon rising, their eyes came to rest on the sight of the prince's black eye and swollen lip. The older of the two dwarfs, turned and rapped on the queen's door. “Your Majesty, it's Bumbledrum. Prince Corin has come up to see you.”
“Do come in, Friends,” the queen replied in cordial tones.
Bumbledrum lifted the door latch and pushed the door open. He bowed low to Queen Susan, who Corin could see was writing in her journal, and then stepped aside. “Prince Corin, Your Majesty,” he announced.
“Thank you, Bumbledrum.” Queen Susan glanced up from her writings and nodded, dismissing the guard and rising to greet Corin. Corin stepped in and bowed shortly. The queen frowned slightly. “Really, playmate, thou ought to be resting. After all the sun and – oh!!”
At first, the queen of Narnia had been unable to see the prince's eye, but as they drew closer to one another she realized that he was rather bruised and worn. “Whatever happened? I did think that you couldn't possibly attract any more mischief in that room! By the Lion's mane, you look worse than you did earlier!”
Prince Corin grinned apologetically.
Tenethia: Aaaaand that's as far as I am smiley
Sir-Edward: AWESOME! smiley-lol
Tenethia: I'd like to know a couple things -- do you think that's how a Narnia would introduce a prince to their queen while in a strange land, and do you think Corin is in character?
Ariel.of.Narnia: you already know what I think, Ten
Tenethia: Say it again, Ariel smiley-razz I wanna know what the dudes think of your thoughts.
Sir-William: That was just so cool, Tenny
Ariel.of.Narnia: *wipes hands on a cloth* I think Corin's in character, I love the dwarfs names, and I like that Corin takes care of his belly first. smiley-lol
Tenethia: *grins*
Tenethia: thank you : )
Sir-Edward: my answers are "yes" and "yes"
Sir-William: I loved the way they give who they think the Prince is all of these good thing, food, rest, whatever, and then he comes to the queens room even more battered than before.
Ariel.of.Narnia: lol, true
Sir-Edward: and hungry no less smiley-razz
Sir-William: The dwarves names made me laugh too, but they do sound right
Sir-Edward: indeed smiley-lol
Tenethia: *giggles* I thought that was amusing, too, Edward.
Tenethia: I thought about Bristleface, for another story smiley
Tenethia: er, William, not Edward smiley-razz
Tenethia: Su: surely Corin's feeling better. Corin: Nope, my tooth hurts.
Sir-William: Susan must be thinking(we stuffed that boy with more vittles than one could wish for in a lifetime, and now he's as hungry as fish, heh
Sir-William: although he did raid the kitchen
Tenethia: Corin: ... and my nose, and my lip, and my eye, and my fist, and I'm hungry, and who was that boy?
Ariel.of.Narnia: *grins*
Sir-William: Lol
Sir-William: very good
Tenethia: Right now I really want to know about the Narnian courtesies of announcing and such
Sir-Edward: weeeeeeell
Tenethia: I've always imagined it was rather informal, and yet there was /some/ level of respect and such. It's a weird line.
Sir-William: I think it flowed right. It was quick, and efficient but courtly and proper
Ariel.of.Narnia: Bumbledrum's initial announcement almost sounds like a "hey, it's Bumble, can I come in?"
Sir-Edward: I think you really nailed the informalish formality of Narnian royalty smiley-lol
Tenethia: thanks, Ed and Will smiley *is glad about that*
Tenethia: Would it help, Ariel, if he didn't mention his name but rather just said "Your Majesty, Prince Corin has come up to see you."?
Ariel.of.Narnia: yeah, it might
Ariel.of.Narnia: *thinks* yeah, I think it would
Tenethia: great *makes the change*
Tenethia: thanks, Guys smiley
WRITING EXERCISE:
Tenethia: *grins* I'm excited about this one.
Tenethia: I'm going to give you a line of dialogue. In response, I'd like you to give me one of two things:
Sir-Edward:
*looks on expectantly* O.o
Tenethia: 1. one or two words describing the facial expression that character have (what type of smile, frown, raised eyebrows, pensive, impatient, etc) or 2. The tone in which that character would say the line. (frustrated, sarcastic.)
Tenethia: Remember that there is not just one right answer, or just one situation these lines could be used in. You could be thinking of completely separate scenarios than another person, but both of them be possible and the words you give would accurate describe that.
Tenethia: Make sense?
Sir-Edward: Indeed! smiley-lol
Sir-William: no problemo!
Tenethia: *holds up a flashcard* “Oh, my... what piano playing... um, certainly, different than I've ever heard!” (The character has just heard a horrible piano piece by a young musician)
Tenethia: *waits for your words*
Tenethia: I'll give mine... Patronizing. That would come from a kind older person who couldn't bear to hurt the child's feelings.
Sir-Edward: slightly anxious, eyes casting about. eyebrows raised, voice slightly high, and fidgeting.
Sir-William: um...
Sir-William: (nodding head slightly with lips together and eyebrows slightly raised
Tenethia: *gives Will an idea* let's say this character is a meaner, older person. How might he say that to the child? What tone would he use?
Sir-William: That sounded terrible!The tenor section was weak!
Sir-William: lol
Sir-William:I'll go with what I wrote earlier
Sir-Edward: eyes in a frown, mouth in a frown, eyebrows in a frown, voice in a frown....
Tenethia: Sum all that up into /one/ word, Ed smiley
Tenethia: *can think of two words to describe that*
Sir-William: Eyebrows frowning, and face is critical
Tenethia: Critical! Good one, Will.
Tenethia: How about... condescending?
Sir-William: that would work
Tenethia: or disapproving, even.
Sir-William: I like that better
Tenethia: I was thinking sarcastic -- said by an older person who was less than kind to the poor student.
Sir-William: Condescending can sometimes mean that the other person feels that he/she can do whatever it is better
Sir-Edward: head pointed down condescendingly, hands ether behind back or pointing at "victim"
Sir-William: Disapproving just means: that didn't sound good
Tenethia: “Oh, my... what piano playing... um, certainly, different than I've ever heard!” commented the older instructor disapprovingly
Tenethia: *approves of that sentence*
Tenethia: *holds up another flashcard* “Would you please pass the salt?”
Tenethia: In one word, how would you describe the tone of the person who said that?
sofia in wonderland: polite?
Sir-William: pleading! No just kidding, I would say calmly, maybe?
sofia in wonderland: not sure..
Tenethia: very good, Sofia!
Tenethia: good, William!
sofia in wonderland: yeah, i thought calm too
Tenethia: This one's a little less... versatile than the other one.
Sir-Edward: eyebrows raised, mouth in polite smile. eyes slightly wider.
Sir-William: *nods*
Tenethia: How about... "courteously"?
Tenethia: *nods at Edward* that's good.
sofia in wonderland: yup
Tenethia: pleasantly, even. There are a lot of words to describe how that might be said, but they're not all so obvious as the last one we did. I mean, they're not rude or funny, so we don't think about them as much
Tenethia: Or so I think
Sir-William: That would work, but at something more...elegant, like a formal occasion, maybe
Sir-William: But it could work either way, I suppose
Tenethia: *nodnods* see, different scenarios affect how we say things smiley-lol *approves of your observation*
Tenethia: Alright, I have two more and then Ariel'd better be ready to share smiley-razz
Sir-Edward: not to mention who the person in talking to.
Tenethia: *flashes flashcard* “Well, I know I said I'd be home by five, but you see, our meeting ran rather late....”
sofia in wonderland: hmmm.. not sure
sofia in wonderland: apologeticly?
Tenethia: That's the one I was thinking of : D great, Sofia!
Tenethia: Regretfully, perhaps?
sofia in wonderland: i've never thought about this before..
Ariel.of.Narnia: ooh thats good
Sir-William: That would depend on who I was talking with. If It was someone who would understand, like a close friend, I would state apologetically, yeh, and also just unfortunite
Sir-Edward: eyes slightly downcast and a little wider, head nodding, eyebrows raised. mouth in set in a slightly downward line.
Tenethia: *grins* nice, Ed. I can totally see that. You do great with mental pictures!
Sir-Edward: I don't have to picture it. I'm doing it right now smiley-razz
Tenethia: The word can change though, by a slight tweak of that sentence... *changes it* “Well, I know I said I'd be home by five, but you see, my friends and I decided it wouldn't hurt to take another ten minutes to...”
Tenethia: *snerk*
sofia in wonderland: i would go with explaining
Tenethia: that would work, Sofia
Tenethia: *inserts her words* evasively; shamefacedly
Sir-Edward: the same up to "it wouldn't hurt" then neck cranes forward and eyebrows raise a little more. mouth is straight.
Tenethia: *grins at Edward*
Sir-William: It would really depend so much on who I was talking with because if I was a young kid talking to an adult, I might use one of those too, and if I was and adult talking to an adult, I would just be apologetic probably
Ariel Shares:
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay, so I asked to go last as my dealie is four pages long O_O
Ariel.of.Narnia: so... is anyone familiar with Wreck-It Ralph?
Tenethia: Ariel writes short stories loong
sofia in wonderland: yup smiley-lol
Tenethia: *raises hand* I'm not!
sofia in wonderland: I loved that movie
Sir-Edward: I don't remember much of it but yes.
Tenethia: smiley-razz
sofia in wonderland: Calhoun is awesome
Ariel.of.Narnia: they're all arcade-game characters who can interact with characters from other games
Tenethia: ooh
Ariel.of.Narnia: Vanellope and Taffeta are from a Mario-cart type game that's sugar-based
sofia in wonderland: Jane Lynch was a great voice actress as her.
Ariel.of.Narnia: that... should be the gist of what you need to know
Ariel.of.Narnia: oh, and Felix and Calhoun are a canon pairing. smiley
sofia in wonderland: okay ^^
Ariel.of.Narnia: ready?
Ariel.of.Narnia: this is titled "Honey Glow"
“Come on, Taffeta!” Vanellope pulled her friend up beside her.
“Are they here yet?” Taffeta whispered.
“Of course they are. Hurry up!”
The two friends were on another of Vanellope’s reconnaissance missions. Though no one would believe it if they were caught, they really did have a good reason for sneaking around on the rafters of Tapper’s. And anyway, there was nothing so fun as eavesdropping on grown-ups when they hold secret meetings intended to keep you out. Together, Vanellope and Taffeta jumped from rafter to rafter, thankful that whatever noise they made was masked by the chatter and the sound of heavy glass mugs against the tables. “Aw, we’ve already missed some of the action,” Vanellope whispered, pointing to the table below: Felix was already blushing, face held in his hands and a very silly expression on his face. Taffeta snickered.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” he was saying.
“And besides,” said Ralph from inside his mug, “she’s a very independent woman. I mean, have you /seen/ her in action?”
“Oh, she’s so much more than that,” Felix countered dreamily. “She’s the most dynamite gal….”
“Oh, stop it, Short Stack,” Calhoun playfully reproached him. “And remember, I didn’t have an escort last time.” She paused her gun-polishing to inspect the gleam of the barrel.
Up in the rafters, Vanellope sighed. “I was hoping they’d be done with the planning,” she muttered.
“Maybe they’ll still say something we can use,” Taffeta responded hopefully.
The priest held up his hands in surrender. “Alright then, alright. No escort. What about a maid of honour?”
Calhoun rubbed her rag over her pistol again. “Do I need one?”
“Well, no, I don’t suppose you do, but it would be good to have someone stand opposite Ralph.”
“I don’t really know anybody I could….”
“What about Vanellope?” Felix suggested.
Vanellope felt herself glitch in surprise; Taffeta had to clutch her by the hoodie to keep her from pitching forward.”
“Hey, yeah!” Ralph said with a bit of a root beer-induced burp. “I know she’d do it for you.”
Calhoun inspected her pistol for a moment, then suddenly stood up. “Tapper! A ginger ale, please!” Tapper filled her order and she downed the tankard in one long draft. “Well, I’m off to talk to our little president.”
Ralph swallowed his root beer and added, “Don’t forget to talk to her about the cake.”
“Wait, you’re leaving?!” Felix suddenly leaned forward on the table. “But we have plenty of time before the arcade opens!”
“And I have pansies to whip into shape before the wedding.” Calhoun planted a quick kiss on the top of his head. “See ya, Short Stack.” With that, she swaggered out, leaving Felix to turn a vibrant shade of pink.
Vanellope sat back on her heels in defeat. “We’ll never find out anything at this rate.” Taffeta patter her arm and the two of them sat in thoughtful silence for a couple minutes before they realized that the priest had left, leaving Ralph and Felix – the latter still blushing brightly – to likewise sit quietly together.
“Ready to go home?” Ralph said at length. “Felix? Helloooooo.” He waved his beefy hand in front of his friend’s face.
Felix let out a happy sigh. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “She gives me the honey glow something awful!”
“Okay, lover boy,” Ralph chuckled, “let’s get you home.”
Vanellope and Taffeta watched them drain their mugs and leave. “Well,” Taffeta began slowly. “Maybe we can just ask –”
“I have an idea!” Vanellope suddenly burst out, forgetting entirely that she had now exposed herself and Taffeta as sneaks to Tapper and his customers. “IhaveanideaIhaveanideaIhaveanidea! Come on, I’ll tell you on the way home!”
o..O..o (<< section break)
Vanellope and Taffeta made a quick stop at the racetrack to get the roster race started – much to the surprise of everyone as neither girl was ever known to pull out of a race – before they themselves raced to the Kart Bakery. Together, they convinced Sugar Papa to open up the storeroom for them, but once they were in the massive vault of baking ingredients, Vanellope stood stock-still.
“What’s the matter?” Taffeta called down from her position on a high shelf.
“I just realized. I don’t know the first thing about… you know?”
Taffeta bounded back down, a piping bag of pink frosting in hand. “That never seemed to stop you before.”
“But this isn’t racing!” Vanellope proebsed. “This stuff isn’t, like, in my code. What if I mess it up?”
“Well,” Taffeta answered brightly, “that’s what I’m here for. And really” – she swiped a handful of cinnamon hearts from a box – “the only way to make what you want is to try it out and see if it works.”
“You mean… there isn’t a ‘right way’?”
“Hey, your car works, doesn’t it?”
Vanellope felt a grin crack across her face. “Let’s do this!”
The two of them bounced around the storeroom at sugar-high speeds, grabbing things, calling to each other, tossing ingredients of any kind onto the work table in the center of the room: cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, lollipops, peppermints, icing sugar, liquid cane sugar, cake mix, marshmallows, waffle cones, honey, ice cream syrups –
“Think that’s enough?” Taffeta panted.
Vanellope looked at the mess of a pile they’d made, suddenly dreading the moment they’d have to clean up. But she forgot about it the next second later. “For now, right? So now what?”
Taffeta brandished a rolling pin and cleared a space on the worktable. “Throw whatever you think makes sense together.” Then she used her rolling pin to pound and grind her cinnamon hearts to powder.
Vanellope just watched her at first, unsure as to what she should do, but soon enough, she ventured to pick things off the table to dump into her mixing bowl: a bit of icing sugar, the bag of pink icing, a cloud of cotton candy, a pinch of Taffeta’s powdered cinnamon candy, and a touch of honey. She revved up a little hand-mixer as if it was a car and thrust it into the bowl. A puff of white and a splatter of pink later, Taffeta was giggling at her. “What happened?” Vanellope asked once she recovered.
“You’ve gotta start it at a slower speed,” Taffeta managed around her giggles. “Or else it’ll make a mess.” She picked up a cloth and wiped at the icing sugar and frosting on Vanellope’s face.
Vanellope, in the meantime, ran her finger through her blend. “Taffeta? It’s not supposed to feel like this, is it?”
Taffeta swiped a finger at it. “The texture’s not right, but no big deal; we just try again.”
o..O..o
And try again – and again and again – they did. Even with Taffeta’s expertise, they seemed to make only little increments of progress. Night turned into day, neither of them sleeping or even emerging from the storeroom. Day turned into night and both of them dropped out of the daily roster race again – Vanellope even had Sour Bill initiate the race so she could concentrate on her secret mission. All was companionable solitude and experiments and – though they didn’t want to admit it – very messy. But, only a couple hours away from the arcade’s opening, they had a breakthrough, or, at least, a potential one.
“You’re going to bake it?” Vanellope asked incredulously.
“Yeah, why?”
“I didn’t think you’d have to bake this.”
“You don’t have to, but it does make a difference. Trust me.”
Taffeta slid their creation into a small oven and flicked on the little light inside. They both stared: Taffeta to supervise its baking and Vanellope to observe whatever difference Taffeta had been referring to. So focused were they that they quite jumped out of their skins when –
“Vanellope? You in here?”
The girls exchanged panicked glances. “Calhoun!” they whispered to each other.
“We can’t let her see!” Vanellope gestured wildly at the oven.
“You have to distract her,” Taffeta answered, pushing Vanellope toward the sound of Calhoun’s voice.
“What, why me?”
“Because I have to watch this. Go, go!”
Calhoun called again. “Hello? Vanellope? Come on, be in here. I’ve been looking for you everywhere since last night!”
Vanellope dashed down the aisles, suddenly feeling small compared to the towering shelves and wishing she could cover more ground faster, if only to keep Calhoun from seeing what they were up to. She turned a corner and crashed into something tall and metallic. “Hey,” she gasped once she looked up.
“Hey,” Calhoun returned. “You okay?” She knelt on a knee to help Vanellope up.
“Yeah, thanks.” Vanellope stood up and dusted herself off. When she looked up again, Calhoun regarded her with a curious expression.
“What happened to you?”
Vanellope looked down at her clothes again. “Oh….” Her clothes were rather a mess. Great.
“What are you up to in here, kid?” Calhoun craned her neck to look around the corner.
“It’s nothing!” Vanellope said in what she hoped was a breezy tone. “Just… stuff.”
Calhoun’s tone and raised eyebrow contradicted what came from her mouth. “Uh-huh. Listen, I’ve got something to ask you. About the wedding.”
Vanellope concentrated very hard on not betraying the fact that she knew about the whole maid of honour thing… or that she had something else up her sleeve for the wedding. But between her naturally wide eyes and her typical expressions of excitement, Calhoun looked convinced of the act.
“Yes! Yesyesyesyes!” she squealed a little louder than usual. “Nobody’s ever asked me – oh, this is so exciting! Of course I’ll be in your wedding!” She pranced about for good measure.
One side of Calhoun’s mouth turned up in a smile. “Now – Vanellope, will you – hey, calm down a little!” she chuckled. “It’s a pretty fancy affair. Pretty much a traditional white wedding.”
“Okay,” Vanellope said, wondering why in the world Calhoun would bother to point out something as obvious as that. But she took it back a moment later when Calhoun continued with,
As her words slowly sunk in, Vanellope’s eyes grew wider and her mouth dropped. “You mean I gotta wear…?”
Calhoun nodded far too seriously to allow for disbelief.
o..O..o (last section)
Vanellope scratched her neck. She was so warm and this stupid stack of pink frills called a dress was no help whatsoever. Her hands envied the sight of Ralph’s bare feet and begged to be released from the cloying gloves they wore. But then a sweet smell wafted toward her. It had a nice, warm, welcoming sweetness to it and yet a sort of musk underneath: Felix had approached the altar, wearing a chocolate-honey cologne. Vanellope glanced at the audience, flashing Taffeta a little thumbs-up.
Then the Wedding March played, filling the chapel and forcing all eyes to turn as Calhoun made her way down the aisle. Vanellope could hardly believe how sweet and downright feminine the sergeant looked in her gown and veil.
8:58pmShe tried to pay attention, she really did, but the priest’s speech was lengthy and the exchanging of vows took longer than Vanellope thought they would and it didn’t take long until she was thinking about her sweaty hands and itchy collar. Finally, the priest said, “You may kiss the bride.”
Dozens of laser sights dotted the stained glass window – something about Calhoun’s last wedding having had a tragic ending. Calhoun raised her veil and let it fall behind the crystal tiara she wore and Vanellope looked hard at her face. Felix flung his hat away – Ralph caught it – and pulled Calhoun into a dip. Vanellope felt herself swell with pride for, as they kissed, she noted that the blush she’d made for Calhoun matched Felix’s exactly.
The End
sofia in wonderland: awww. sweet
Tenethia: *cheers*
Tenethia: I approve
sofia in wonderland: very well written
Ariel.of.Narnia: so... Tenny... that leaves you to comment?
sofia in wonderland: Ariel, how did the cake turn out??
Ariel.of.Narnia: 9:02pmthe wedding cake? I imagine it turns out well. the "secret mission" is the blush they made for Calhoun
sofia in wonderland: oh.. okay. that cleared it up.
Ariel.of.Narnia: *will work on making that clearer*
Ariel.of.Narnia: thanks for pointing that out!
sofia in wonderland: okay.. I thought they were making a wedding cake..
sofia in wonderland: yur welcome
Tenethia: I wasn't able to read it really well, so email it to me and I'll reread it and send comments?
Ariel.of.Narnia: sent
Tenethia: thanks, Ariel
CONCLUSION
Tenethia: Here are the two writing challenges for next week, in case I have to run off: Narnia Prompt: How did Cor get captured from the nursery in the first place?
Original Prompt: Write a story beginning with “He started it!” and ending with “Well, that went well.”
Tenethia: I hereby close Writer's Group
