~ Word of the Day ~

Started by Blythe, March 21, 2017, 01:41:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

persephone325

Today's word of the day is....

pamphleteer
verb pam-fluh-TEER

Definition
1 : to write and publish pamphlets

2 : to engage in partisan arguments indirectly in writings




Today's spook filled pictures are....

This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.
It always ends in a fight.
You pulled me from the river. Why?
I don't know.
"Don't dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up."

persephone325

Today's word of the day is....

multitudinous
adjective mul-tuh-TOO-duh-nus

Definition
1 : including a multitude of individuals : populous

2 : existing in a great multitude

3 : existing in or consisting of innumerable elements or aspects




Today's spook filled picture is....

This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.
It always ends in a fight.
You pulled me from the river. Why?
I don't know.
"Don't dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up."

Flower

Today's word of the day is....

shambles
noun SHAM-bulz

Definition
1 : slaughterhouse

2 a : a place of mass slaughter or bloodshed

b : a scene or a state of great destruction : wreckage

c : a scene or a state of great disorder or confusion

d : great confusion : mess




Today's spook filled pictures are....


Flower

Today's word of the day is....

caterwaul
verb KAT-er-wawl

Definition

1 : to make a harsh cry

2 : to protest or complain noisily





Today's spook filled picture is....


Hob

#1554
Today's word of the day is....

lycanthropy
noun lye-KAN-thruh-pee

Definition

1 : a delusion that one has become a wolf

2 : the assumption of the form and characteristics of a wolf held to be possible by witchcraft or magic





Today's spook filled pictures are....


Lilias

By the time Sophie was finally done and put down her quill pen, Faith was practically bursting with impatience. ‘Oh, thank goodness,’ she exclaimed. ‘You know, you’re the last person I’d have pegged for such a Luddite. Seriously, why take an age to copy that out by hand when you can just copy-paste stuff from the internet into a document and hit print? You could even tweak it to look all ancient and creepy with a few keystrokes.’

Sophie smiled indulgently. She had been that apprentice herself, once upon a time. ‘I’m also a neuroscientist. Do I have to explain to you again what handwriting does for your brain that no amount of keystrokes can achieve?’

‘Don’t bother,’ muttered Faith, absently fiddling with the pendant hanging round her neck, an authentic piece of eight set in amber, with the sigil of the Sphere of Prime emblazoned in the back. The same hung around Sophie’s neck, on a black leather cord instead of the satin ribbon that Faith favoured.

‘Who knows, you might be the one who discovers, one day, how to get the full benefits of scribing without having to put in the effort. It would probably take you loads of hours in my lab or trying to work with the Adepts without murdering any of them, though.’

Faith cracked a smile. ‘I can’t imagine you homicidal towards the Adepts.’

‘Girl, you haven’t been around nearly long enough.’

‘Yeah, keep reminding me that you’re the linchpin of our cabal and I the greenest of apprentices, why don’t you?’ Faith was grinning by now.

‘Right now, I’d rather you told me what you came in so excited about in the first place. Or did you forget about it while waiting for me to be done?’

‘Funny. I got an email from Anna Sokoloff. She will be in the neighbourhood, with Madame Vera, for Samhain, and asks if we would join them. Can we go Starbucks now?’

Sophie nodded. ‘I will need more than Starbucks to handle those two.’
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

Double Os <> Double As (updated Feb 20) <> The Hoard <> 50 Tales 2024 <> The Lab <> ELLUIKI

Lilias

The Halloween celebration turned out pretty well, all things considered. Sure, it was just dinner for the four of us, as we had only had less than two weeks to prepare and everyone else who wanted to do anything had already made plans. On the upside, Bryce and Penny could make it on the Wednesday night itself, and they arrived sharp at eight o’clock, immaculately turned out as Gomez and Morticia Addams, with their Yorkshire terrier, Holly, as Cousin Itt. I could hear Neville’s roar of laughter at the sight all the way from the kitchen.

Neville and I had been taking turns handing out treats for what felt like hours. We were keeping track, for a while, whether the kids liked his Doctor Strange or my Wonder Woman better, but soon lost count. I was just glad the kids kept coming. There had been some brouhaha in the neighbourhood over the last few days, with some nutters going around pamphleteering about how eeeeevil the glorification of ghoulies and ghosties was. Someone is always triggered like that, this time of year. Thank goodness, it would have taken a lot more than trashy tracts to put these kids off their candy.

By now, though, most of them were already in bed as the four of us sat down to dinner, and when we came out into the living room with our wine and our own stash of chocolates, even the tealights in the jack-o-lanterns on people’s front lawns had burned down and a huge moon, already near the zenith, was silvering everything beyond the yellow circles of the streetlights. ‘At least it’s not full until tomorrow,’ I observed, pulling the curtains closed. ‘There will be no Opening or Closing attempts this year.’

‘You know,’ said Bryce, ‘in western European folklore, growing hair in your palms is a sign of masturbation, while in eastern European folklore, the same is considered a sign of lycanthropy. Plenty of potential for misunderstanding there, I guess.’ Penny chuckled. Her family were first-generation Polish immigrants. There had been quite a bit of culture clash when she had brought Bryce home.

‘Yes, but which one causes the other?’ asked Neville. ‘Or are you just suggesting, in your trademark roundabout way, we watch Underworld for movie night?’

‘Not again,’ I groaned. ‘Can’t we watch something proper spooky for once? I’ve had Crimson Peak on the Netflix queue for ages and still haven’t seen it. Or Pan’s Labyrinth, at least?’

Pan’s Labyrinth was nixed because ‘we were too drunk already to follow subtitles’. Uncultured swine. Penny wasn’t sure about Crimson Peak, because she doesn’t do creepy well, so we decided to play it safe instead of risking ruining her night. Neville promised to watch it with me the next evening, though. Promises, promises.

We ended up settling down with The Book of Life, and you know what, kids really get the best stuff these days.
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

Double Os <> Double As (updated Feb 20) <> The Hoard <> 50 Tales 2024 <> The Lab <> ELLUIKI

The Green One

This is Halloween
This is Halloween...


Someone is binge-watching Halloween classics.

Skulls, pumpkins and cobwebs
Fugacious running and laughter

An orc mask, green dark and ugly
A princess, all pink and dainty
An S emblazoned in bright blue

Trick or treat? We'll gonna get you!

A witch tangled in mist
Skeletons dance and sing
The cauldron bubbles and pops

It's Halloween night, you better lock your door!

Not available for new stories

Hob

Today's word of the day is....

verbose
noun lye-KAN-thruh-pee

Definition

1 : containing more words than necessary : wordy; also : impaired by wordiness

2 : given to wordiness


Hob

Today's word of the day is....

connive
verb kuh-NYVE

Definition

1 : to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose

2 a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink

2 b : to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding

3 : conspire, intrigue


persephone325

Today's word of the day is....

sinew
noun SIN-yoo

Definition
1 : tendon; especially : one dressed for use as a cord or thread

2 a : solid resilient strength : power

b : the chief supporting force : mainstay — usually used in plural
This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.
It always ends in a fight.
You pulled me from the river. Why?
I don't know.
"Don't dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up."

persephone325

Yesterday's word of the day was....

gridiron
noun GRID-eye-ern

Definition
1 : a grate for broiling food

2 : something consisting of or covered with a network

3 : a football field
This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.
It always ends in a fight.
You pulled me from the river. Why?
I don't know.
"Don't dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up."

Flower

Today's word of the day is....

mordant
adjective MOR-dunt

Definition
1 : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive

2 : acting as a mordant (as in dyeing)

3 : burning, pungent

Nico

"Your presence is expected tomorrow night."

What. The. Fuck. This might as well translate to 'I will not accept a no for an answer.' And didn't he know it. Like it ever had been any different. Expectations. Those were exceptionally high. Only the very best. Excellence and all this. Who again said that life was easy if one had the right name? They all knew nothing. All the rules, the restrictions. Then again, laws and rules are meant to be broken - they are stupid rules, anyway. The trick is to not get caught. Certainly, he could caterwaul and revolt and he had. Each mark on himself was a lingering reminder of the attempts. Not fruitless ones, mind you. Quite the contrary. How ironic it was, all things considered. The one who was responsible for the scars also was the one who showed him the faults in his approach without being aware of who he was raising to be his successor one day.

'Fuck you very much, father.'

If he would be capable of caring, he might as well hate them all. But it was just this silent rage in the back of his mind and even this was subdued because it didn't really matter. Rage was blinding, it would only distract him from the only thing that mattered: himself. It was almost amusing to observe them, however. Almost. All to quickly it bored him to tears and that gave leeway to more savage thoughts. On the other hand, watching them for as long as he already did, had left them bare, predictable. They were all so vulnerable. So easily controlled by the most simple of means. It never took much to have them do exactly what he wanted them to do.

Why couldn't they all just die? Food poisoning, perhaps. Or a plane crash. Those things happened. So sad.

How he loathed being summoned like this. To yet another function that was just like all the others. Predictable. Always the same people. Always the same conversations, the same bragging and showing off. Who did this bastard think he was? It was infuriating, it put him in the right mood to do something imprudent, but only for a split second. He knew better, even if the process of entertaining certain thoughts eased the almost overbearing desire to just do it. Something. Anything. For the sheer rush. Just to not be bored for a little while. But no. No. None of his -undoubtedly enticing- ideas would serve him in the end. Not yet. A shame, almost.

Could it be avoided? Hardly. He was neither willing nor very interested in dealing with the possible outcome. In the end, it would sabotage himself and his own plans and he was a lot, but stupid was not among it. It wasn't that he truly cared. Not about the people that will be present, not about his father, or the whore that was his mother and not about anyone else. They were all sheep. All disposable and only obstacles that had to be removed, sooner rather than later. 'I cannot help it if they cannot defend themselves.' Trash, all of them. Admitted, some of them were well-dressed, beautiful trash but that never managed to elevate them above their assigned level. Some of them were useful, granted, but only a means to an end. They already were on the way to shambles, they just were not aware of it. They never were. Stupid, pathetic sheep.

Just some more years he had to endure this farce. Just some more years before it would be all his. Sooner or later, it all will fall into place, just right. Ultimately, the best plans are the intricate ones, the ones nobody was expecting. It always had been so easy to fool them all. Chess was the game of the Kings, indeed.

Alea iacta est.

They will never know what hit them. And then, in their very last, breathing moment, he will make sure they would know. What a way to go, was it not?

It will be a glorious day. And none of them would matter.

Flower

Today's word of the day is....

umbrage
noun UM-brij

Definition
1 : a feeling of pique or resentment at some often fancied slight or insult

2 : shady branches : foliage

3 : shade, shadow

4 a : an indistinct indication : vague suggestion : hint

b : a reason for doubt : suspicion

Hob

Today's word of the day is....

derring-do
noun dair-ing-DOO

Definition
1 :  daring action : daring

Hob

Today's word of the day is....

palmary
adjective PAL-muh-ree

Definition
1 :  outstanding, best

Hob

7298]
Today's word of the day is....

boustrophedon
noun boo-struh-FEE-dahn

Definition
1 :  the writing of alternate lines in opposite directions (as from left to right and from right to left)

The Green One

#1568
Hidden in lakes alow enigmatic mountains, there's a creature berrefted of any love and grace. Hatred and wrath fester her soul, consuming her existence livelong.

A distant mentor for acolytes, the ancient naga gives her vaticinations. Her oracular gift in exchange for their ever wished adulation.

Languid motions drag her out of her hideout, when she hears the voices of those that claim would end her life. Mordant teeth forming a smile, the lives of human soldiers her soul will pacify.

Not available for new stories

persephone325

Yesterday's word of the day was....

furlong
noun FER-lawng

Definition
: a unit of distance equal to 220 yards (about 201 meters)
This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.
It always ends in a fight.
You pulled me from the river. Why?
I don't know.
"Don't dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up."

RampantDesires

Today's word of the day is....

valorous
adjective VAL-uh-russ

Definition
1 : possessing or acting with bravery or boldness : courageous

2 : marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination : heroic

They say best men are moulded out of faults, and, for the most part, become much more the better for being a little bad...
Absences 11/10 ≈ BlindfoldsRequests ≈  On's and Offs
<THIS SPACE PRETTIFIED SOON>
Tentatively Open to a few more 1v1's but also come write with me in Grey Matters--->

Flower

Today's word of the day is....

admonish
verb ad-MAH-nish

Definition
1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to

b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner

2 : to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to

3 : to say (something) as advice or a warning


Flower

Today's word of the day is....

recalcitrant
adjective rih-KAL-suh-trunt

Definition
1 : obstinately defiant of authority or restraint

2 a : difficult to manage or operate

b : not responsive to treatment

c : resistant

Nico

#1573
Sleepwalking

Moonlight flitting through the trees high above, baptizing the whole area into an almost gloomy glow. Little if anything. Stargazing material, this compound. Some would be more inclined to call it 'Right out of a damn nightmare'. Others - not so much. He always loved this home more than the one on Fifth Avenue. He loved the vast woods, the silence and the absence of people. They made his sick. Their voices, their sheer presence at times. Fundamentally, they were the reason why he retreated here, the past weeks. The area was widespread enough to go out of everyones way. The ground was covered in dry leaves, the soil beneath damp, covered in moss but it was more than a little questionable if the young man even realized it at this point. Chances where he didn't. Nor anything else around him. Not the guards and not his arriving father. The young man was in nothing but his dark blue, Mulberry silk pajama pants, despite the chill. And it was quiet. So very quiet. Just breathing filled the air, here and there a rustle of dry leaves, but for the time being, the young man stood there like a statue, staring into the darkness - or so it seemed.

Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen passed before he suddenly started to walk again, toward the well in the distance as if he knew that way by heart. Perhaps he did. It was the very same well he had played at with his sister, when they both were children. But his steps were stopped forcefully when he walked into a tree in the darkness - which woke him up, of course, with a sharp grunt and a gasp afterwards, once he realized where he was. This was not his bed. Not his room. Not even the house. How did he..? He couldn't even.

His head hurting, throbbing as if it was ready to burst. The sudden pain strong enough to force him down to his knees in a moment of vertigo. It felt as if someone was stabbing his skull with a knife and for a moment he could feel warm blood run down his face. No, this was not real. Not. Real. He was breathing hard and heavy, cold sweat in a thin layer covering all the bare flesh, unaware or maybe uncaring of the cold. The first, more than likely. The young man felt as if he was burning up from the inside, as if each pore, each nerve and each drop of blood was boiling. His fingers clenching around the handle of the hunting knife he had in his right hand and not letting go of it. The one his mother gave to him for his tenth birthday, as a gift. Expensive no doubt, with a handle made of ivory, the family crest engraved. Not really an odd gift, considered the familys connection to the hunt. The young always had been valorous, had learned to handle a bow when he was five, by the age of seven he already won his first trophies and he certainly wasn't a stranger to knives.

"I do not want you to be here, father." Dangerously low, hoarse and not lacking a slightly warning edge. This man had always been like a looming shadow, all his life. Admonishing everything he learned to loath. The young man clearly was confused at this point. He had heard the older man. Breathing maybe, maybe a rustling in the umbrage, maybe he smelled his goddamn cologne or maybe he just knew that it could only be his father. Always him. Whatever it was, he was at least aware of the old patriarchs presence. And how could he not? That man was like a force of nature. His other hand set down to the ground, not having risen back to his feet, yet. He felt as if the ground was shaking, unsafe, and maybe he wasn't in the condition to stand, anyways. "Go... away..." the predominant question was - what did the young man do out here in the middle of the night? With a knife, no less. Of all the things he had been 'diagnosed' with (more like labeled) being suicidal never was among them.

Go. Away.

Hob

Today's word of the day is....

tomfoolery
noun tahm-FOO-luh-ree

Definition
1 : playful or foolish behavior