Word of the Day Challenge

Started by Britwitch, December 16, 2018, 10:59:34 AM

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Britwitch

Today's Word of the Day is....


proliferate
verb pruh-LIF-uh-rayt

Definition
1 : to grow or cause to grow by rapid production of new parts, cells, buds, or offspring

2 : to increase or cause to increase in number as if by proliferating : multiply

Weekly Theme
Historical


Did You Know?
Proliferate is a back-formation of proliferation. That means that proliferation came first (we borrowed it from French in the 18th century) and was later shortened to form the verb proliferate. Ultimately these terms come from Latin. The French adjective prolifère ("reproducing freely") comes from the Latin noun proles and the Latin combining form -fer. Proles means "offspring" or "descendants," and -fer means "bearing." Both of these Latin forms gave rise to numerous other English words. Prolific and proletarian ultimately come from proles; aquifer and words ending in -ferous have their roots in -fer.

Current status : Selectively seeking new stories

Sebile

#101


spacerPerched prominently at the microscope, Dr. Fontaine remained hypnotized by what he witnessed. Behind him on the cold slab of polished steel lays another cadaver, its body promptly the possession of science upon imminent death. The sole way to garner knowledge was to be hands-on, and that required corporeal donations. Until now, cogitation has bidden on the disease that killed the poor bloke. The current rate at which it continues to proliferate was alarming. If his theory was accurate, it would mean by the week's end that the country would be infected. Perhaps faster! Expeditiously he scribbles inklings, worry riddling features as he does so.

At his rear, there's a stretch, laggard and quiet.

The carcass folds at the middle, positioning itself to sit upright and the sheet falls away. It cranes a bloated neck toward the ambitious doctor, bones cracking as it does so; an unmistakable warning to flee.



tallied! -Brit
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Lilias

#102
The adjudicator was the most irritating person Faith had ever come across, and mage society was not exactly short on those. He was from neither Tradition, which was to be expected, but he didn’t bother to introduce himself, and actually cut Sophia off when she attempted to do so. He looked like a teenager, and had the attitude to match, but one look into his watering, myopic eyes was enough to put the impression to rest. He was dressed like a dandy from the 1890s, with meticulous historical accuracy, except everything was unrelieved black. His ebony cane was a lot similar to Madame Vera’s, but where her grip was shaped like a silver serpent’s head, his was a faceted crystal pommel that always reflected the light from one angle or another--a wizard staff if there ever was one, even to mundane eyes.

‘I understand this is your first foray into the wonders of magical dueling,’ he half-sneered, blinking owlishly at them. ‘Go on, then, impress me.’

Like you’ll notice, thought Faith. The next moment, another thought sprang up in her mind, unbidden, as if someone had planted it there. There are other senses for that.

Thoroughly rattled, Faith moved to take her place in the circle. Anna looked pale, but that was all. Both their displays of reserve spheres were pathetic, Faith thought, but they couldn’t use what they didn’t have. Unsurprisingly, the adjudicator ruled for Anna, though by a very narrow margin, he stressed. He proceeded to offer a few tips, very on-point despite the gruff delivery, then declined an invitation to lunch and departed without even acknowledging the two apprentices any further.

‘Well, there goes the sunshine,’ commented Anna, ever the screw-consequences one, as soon as the door closed.

‘Next time you roughhouse in the library, I’m sending you to apprentice with him for a week,’ said Madame Vera, without any trace of humour. ‘I suggest you don’t push your luck.’

tallied! -Brit
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

Miss Lilly

#103
The hot sun beat down, burning the back of the woman's neck.  As it was the only part of her directly exposed to the elements, it was very much at the sun's mercy.  She tucked a wayward strand of hair back inside her bonnet. A recent foray into challenging the established dress code and going without the expected headgear proved to be something of a mistake.  If nothing else, the hated bonnet protected her delicate facial features from the harsh, cumulative effects of the sun.  If only it extended in the back to shade her poor neck!

Working the fields was her current lot in life.  As a yet unmarried woman, still living under her father's roof and subject to his myopic view of the world, she was treated primarily as a farm hand.  Luckily, the fields were proving to be quite prolific this year, and her father had been in a semi-good mood for several weeks now.  He even appeared to be considering a future for his only daughter than didn't involve working her into an early grave.  A quite well-to-do young man had recently moved to town - quite a charismatic fellow, Bella had heard. Although not yet officially introduced, she had seen him in discussion on several occasions with her father, and she had the feeling that she may have been the topic of conversation on at least one of those occasions.  She did have something of a reputation for being quite a catch around the district, something that always managed to drag her out of her doldrums, should she find herself wallowing in self pity.

She, of course, would have little say into who she ultimately married.  Thankfully the practice of having the Council of Elders adjudicate potential parings was no longer followed, but those decisions were still not left to the individual. Especially when that individual was a woman.  No, her father would choose her husband for her, and was under no obligation to consider her feelings at all.  Bella, who fancied herself something of an amateur sleuth, had asked a few questions of people she trusted, and learned that this newcomer - Lynton was his name - had quite good credentials, and was showing himself to be quite the gentleman.  Bella thought she would be quite content if her father chose Lynton as her suitor.

Checking the position of the sun, the young woman realised it was noon.  Time for a much needed break and the midday meal.  As she wandered towards the house, she noticed a horse and expensive looking carriage out front.  Odd she thought, rubbing the beast's nose as she passed it by.  We don't know anyone who owns such a fancy carriage.  She entered the small house and found her father, Lynton and an older gentleman sitting around the table, deep in discussion.

"Ah, Bella," her father greeted her.  "This here is Mr Barnes, and his son Lynton. They're new to town, and Mr Barnes is in need of a wife."  The older gentleman smiled kindly at her.  Bella looked from her father, to Mr Barnes, and back again.  She didn't like the way this was going. "That will be you, daughter.  Go and pack your things. You'll be leaving today."  Her father sounded quite proud of himself, as if he'd brokered a very important, very profitable deal.  And he likely had! There would no doubt be a payment to him in return for his daughter.

Her face fell. She'd thought the young, handsome Lynton would be her betrothed, not his elderly father.  But then, she should have known better.  Her father had always been good at looking out for himself first, and everyone else second.  She was sure that was what drove her mother to her deathbed, leaving Bella and her younger brothers to the mercy of a man who didn't even like children.

Tears welled in her eyes as Bella gathered her meagre belongings.  She didn't have the wherewithal to argue. She was too shocked by the sudden change in her circumstances to be able to form a coherent defence.  She glanced around the small bedroom she had shared with her brothers for as long as she could remember.  Would she get to say goodbye to them?  Would she ever see them again?  She hoped so.  Mr Barnes seemed to be kind. She could only hope that he was.

Lynton took her small bag from her as she emerged from the bedroom. 

"Here, let me help you with that," he said, his eyes looking directly into hers.  Bella had the feeling that he was trying to silently tell her something, but she couldn't imagine what.

"Well, Mr Cobb," Lynton's father had risen from the table and was shaking her father's hand.  "I'm glad we came to an arrangement that was agreeable to us both.  I promise your daughter will be well looked after."

Her father pumped Mr Barnes' hand twice to seal the deal.

"Right you are," he replied, avoiding his daughter's eye.

Bella followed the two well dressed gentleman to the waiting carriage.  Mr Barnes took her hand and helped her climb the two steps, and settled next to her on the seat, with Lynton sitting in the driver's seat.

"Farewell, daughter.  Behave yourself!"  Her father's parting words contained no warmth. No love. Nothing.  She did not respond.

Surely her new life couldn't be any worse than her past.  Right?


tallied! -Brit


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Lovely Complex

#104
The King walked inside of the throne room with his usual charisma swagger then turned to sit down. His Lords and Generals directed their gazes at him, wondering what this meeting was all about as it was called rather abruptly. The King sat there with a face that was full of thoughts. He had pressed his hands together before dropping them down into his lap and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I am just going to say it." He stood up and faced his fellow Lords and Generals again. "I am going to proliferate the army with a neighboring kingdom since war is upon us." The Generals understood as the Lords grumbled under their breaths but the King made the final decision at the end of the day. "Now that we that settled, you guys go and wait for them to arrive." His Generals bowed their heads before they exited to go and do as he commanded them to. He had a small smile form between his lips. "We're going to win this war." He muttered to himself as he made his exit from the throne room now.


tallied! -Brit
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Britwitch

Today's Word of the Day is....


raddled
adjective RAD-uld

Definition
1 : being in a state of confusion : lacking composure

2 : broken-down, worn

Weekly Theme
Historical


Did You Know?
The origin of raddled is unclear. Its participial form suggests verbal parentage, and indeed there is a verb raddle just a few decades older than raddled that seems a likely source. This raddle means "to mark or paint with raddle," raddle here being red ocher, or sometimes other pigments, used for marking animals. Raddle eventually came to mean "to color highly with rouge," the metaphor connecting the raddling of animal husbandry with immoderate makeup application: to be raddled thusly was not a compliment. The "confused" sense of raddled is often associated with the influence of alcohol or drugs. That connection is in keeping with the word's earliest known use, from a 1694 translation of French writer Francois Rabelais: "A … fellow, continually raddled, and as drunk as a wheelbarrow."

Current status : Selectively seeking new stories

Sebile

#106


spacerShrouded in blankets and foregathered in an ambitious attempt to share what little warmth they could, the raddled wayfarers settled on the fringes of the village for the night. It'd be blistering, bitterly harsh as the storm advanced. Their temporary tents wavered, shuddering with every fleeting frigid gust. Billowing puffs of breath wafted upward, the pleasant conversation just as airy as it. In the fullness of time silence swelled, figures propped up by shouldering brethren slept. Little fires expanded the contours on wearied faces, lines held depth and speckled dirt shimmered in the glowing light.

By morning's glare, they had commenced their slow trek past the settlement; traveling wherever the wind ferried them.



tallied! -Brit
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Sebile

#107


spacerReverential wings of ivory had been torn asunder, the snow white plumage soiled by ruddy saturation, broken beyond repair. He stares off, his attractive features slackened in personal reminiscence. Seated leisurely upon luxury leather canapé with a double Patrón in hand, poised betwixt his thumb and middle finger weightlessly; he yielded to thoughts.

The melodic music below his lavish abode reverberated through the brick walls, some heady beat promoting promiscuous behavior; an old sin in the newest of ways. Still, what a waste of unparalleled charisma to merely bask in the shadows, exiled from the pious Paradise. Lucifer can smell the smoldering pinions cast to the wayside, forsaken like himself. He scoffs, tosses back his head. The fiery liquid was downed quickly, the emptied glass left upon the counter.

People were waiting for him, so he descends into his club wearing the time-honored devil-may-care smirk.

The past would not be allowed to tarnish tonight's social affairs.



tallied! -Brit
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Britwitch

Today's Word of the Day is....


largesse
noun lahr-ZHESS

Definition
1 : liberal giving (as of money) to or as if to an inferior; also : something so given

2 : generosity

Weekly Theme
Historical


Did You Know?
The word largesse, which also can be spelled largess, has been part of the English language since at least the 13th century. It derives via Anglo-French from the Latin word largus, meaning "abundant" or "generous." Largus is also the source of our word large. As far back as the 14th century, we used the word largeness as a synonym of largesse (meaning "liberal giving"), but largeness was also at that same time being used more frequently as it is now: to refer to physical magnitude and bulk rather than to magnanimity.

Current status : Selectively seeking new stories

Sebile

#109


spacerThe Château de Versailles knew no bounds when it came to extravagance, particularly when The Fêtes Galantes held majestic grandeur utterly unrivaled. Gilded halls festooned with crystalline decor gleamed radiantly, even the denizens swaying rhythmically in time to melodic serenading donned festive metallic and frills. The King reveled in compliments for his largesse and sensational balls, pomp he could afford. Nobles traveled from far and wide to spend the night sipping champagne, devouring mouthwatering delicacies, and waltzing to lyrical ditties. However, many found other pleasures; there was no rest for the wicked.

Boredom had prevailed. The oxidized seraphic leisurely strolled the private hallways, wandering through expansive rooms she had no business being in. Vasilisa felt a firm grip seize her, pulling her back against the wall and into the threshold of shadows.

"You shouldn't be here," the steely voice growls near the shell of her ear, hot wafts of breath fueling the rosy blush beneath her mask.

Introspection agreed, wholeheartedly.

"My sincere apologies." She offers softly, a rueful smile teasing at lush lips. "But I will go wherever I please. Withdraw your hand from me at once, or I shall have you flogged in the streets, you mossy, pimping swine!"

Delighted laughter threatens to end her charade, but the pressure of melding lips only tugs heated simpering forth. Eyes glint in glee upon opening to spy roguish features, a horned vizard shrouding half of them; she would recognize them blind.

"I don't have much time—"

"We have long enough, Philip."



tallied! -Brit
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Britwitch

Today's Word of the Day is....


portend
verb por-TEND

Definition
1 : to give an omen or anticipatory sign of

2 : indicate, signify

Weekly Theme
Historical


Did You Know?
Portend has been used in English in the context of signs of things to come since the 15th century. The word derives from the Latin verb portendere, which means "to predict or foretell." That verb, in turn, developed as a combination of the prefix por- (meaning "forward") and the verb tendere (meaning "to stretch"). So you can think of portend as having a literal meaning of "stretching forward to predict." Additional descendants of tendere include extend, tendon, and tension, among others.

Current status : Selectively seeking new stories

The Green One

#111
He threaded carefully, pushing away bushes and the low foliage of trees. Machete in hand, the explorer made his way into the raddled temple, hidden away by centuries of intertwined jungle branches and vines.


tallied! -Brit

Not available for new stories

Sebile

#112


spacerPalms nearly encompass the glass ball, revolving around it nimbly despite their elderly appearance. Colors swell within the crystalline sphere, churning and whorling. Dazzling flashes of concentrated light portend considerable trouble on the horizon; a dreadful storm was brewing. Already brittle bones ache, lithe limbs retract from the orb to a kneed old and wrinkly physique. It was precisely days like this the crone wishes for youth once more, at least in those memorable days it wasn't so cold.

Sighing, fine china raised and she partook of the steaming tea. Twas none of her business.



tallied! -Brit
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Daeva

#113
Today's Word of the Day is....


senescence
noun sih-NESS-unss

Definition

1 : the state of being old : the process of becoming old
2 : the growth phase in a plant or plant part (such as a leaf) from full maturity to death


Weekly Theme
Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?
Senescence can be traced back to Latin senex, meaning "old." Can you guess which other English words come from senex? Senile might (correctly) come to mind, as well as senior. But another one might surprise you: senate. This word for a legislative assembly dates back to ancient Rome, where the Senatus was originally a council of elders composed of the heads of patrician families. There's also the much rarer senectitude, which, like senescence, refers to the state of being old (specifically, to the final stage of the normal life span).

Absences Updated 6/15/22 Selectively Accepting New Stories
Ons and Offs & Current Story List | Desired RP's

Sebile

#114


spacerThis was it.

He couldn't believe it.

Fingertips graze the thick, compressed pages, yellowed and riddled with stains. Byways of centuries-old ichor produce arcane sigils, forbidden arts that undoubtedly hasten senile dementia and spills untold horrors into the waking world. How absolutely diabolical, he thinks tenderly. Once more taking in the splendid sight of the Necronomicon: the leather-bound cover, nearly a carapace-like, and the iron claw clasps left agape. Truly, delights unrivaled.

He sighs contentedly, joyous over newfound treasure, though something felt off.

Something felt wrong.

Withdrawing his hand, he beholds rapid senescence turning flesh wrinkly, liver spots speckling it. Bones became brittle, fingers curve in tandem, growing severely strained until there's a- SNAP!

It vanished, and he swears bitterly that in all of the panic, the hysteria, he can feel the book wriggle, almost gleefully.

Vecna scolded it, slamming the grimoire shut promptly and tucking it into his satchel hastily.



tallied! -Brit
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Daeva

Today's Word of the Day is....


condone
verb kun-DOHN

Definition

1: to regard or treat (something bad or blameworthy) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless


Weekly Theme
Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?
Since some folks don't condone even minor usage slips, you might want to get the meaning of this word straight. Although English speakers sometimes use condone with the intended meaning "approve of" or "encourage," the more established meaning is closer to "pardon" or "overlook." Condone comes from the Latin verb condonare, which means "to absolve." Condonare in turn combines the Latin prefix con-, indicating thoroughness, and donare, meaning "to give" or "to grant." Not surprisingly, donare is also the source of our words donate and pardon.
Absences Updated 6/15/22 Selectively Accepting New Stories
Ons and Offs & Current Story List | Desired RP's

Sebile

#116


spacerIn and out of sleep the elfin being dozed, its back against the wall and head lowered, offering only the slightest curtain from the remote world. From its peripheral vision, sight spies another unfortunate prisoner being totted into the adjacent cell. Shackles of iron hindered the use of magic, furthermore, the ample weight made a subtle escape well-nigh impossible. Jest should know, it had all been tried. How had this inevitably happened? Ashen eyes fall to the used dagger located on a sore hip, knowing full well whose lifeblood coated it.

Murder was murder, regardless of justification. The cityscape of Celetu upheld laws that severely persecuted those who committed unspeakable atrocities to exile, or worse yet, to imminent death. No, they certainly did not condone the use, even by magical means. Jest knew precisely the possible consequences, now they'd suffer a fate much like the guard that slew a friend.

Eye for eye; it was cut and dried.



tallied! -Brit
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savvi

I grabbed Ezra's arm as he tried to walk away, and while he could have easily shrugged me off, he paused.
"I agree not to kill Argent, for now, but that doesn't mean I'm letting you get away without giving me an answer," I said, practically hissing my words.
"An answer to what, Cleo?" he asked, pulling his arm away. "I told you everythin' I know."
"Why didn't you tell me you knew them? That you were helping them?" I stared hard in his eyes, and he wavered, heaving a deep sigh.
"I told you that, too. I knew you would attack 'em without stoppin' to think, so I wanted to arrange a meetin' once you had calmed down--"
"So you were just going to let me flounder around, desperately searching for someone you knew perfectly well?" I dug my fingernails into my palms, unable to stop myself from shouting. "Didn't you think of how that would hurt me? You betrayed me, Ezra! You lied to my face!"
Ezra's eyes widened, and he dropped his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Cleo." He sounded sincere, and I hated that. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes but I gripped my fists tighter, and laughed dryly.
"Y'know, the worst part is? You're probably right. I wouldn't hesitate to wipe their fucking face off the planet. I still wouldn't. If you had told me about them before, you wouldn't have been there to stop me when I finally found them. I wouldn't have let you follow me."
"I was goin' to tell you eventually. I know you're hurtin', Cleo. There ain't nothin' I can do to fix that. But I wanted to find the right words and timin' to explain Argent's situation. They ain't as bad as you think they are," he tried to explain, but I scoffed.
"So you want me to just condone all the killing, the terrorism committed by their hands? You want me to forget that they fucking killed my brother?"
Ezra shook his head, eyes heavy.
"You don't have to forgive 'em. Just work with 'em until we take down that bastard Crow. I won't try to stop you after that, but... I do hope you'd try to understand 'em, least a little." I shook my head, walking towards the door.
"I can work with them. But I'll never understand." With that, I left, slamming the door as hard as I could behind me.

Lilias

#118
It started small, like it is usually the case, even with the biggest disasters. Some would blame contaminated batches of ale, others, the fumes of poorly cured peat blocks. It certainly started around the taverns of the rookeries, where cheap drink and cheap fuel made both theories plausible. However, neither explained how it expanded into the rich neighbourhoods across the river, whose residents, and even their staff, enjoyed their imported wines and hardwood fires and might never even have set foot in the slums. The cases proliferated at an alarming rate: crippling headaches, uncontrollable vomiting, death from dehydration or a brain haemorrhage, or, if you were lucky, falling into a waking paralysis that took months to wear off.

The doctors were at a loss, the city was completely raddled, and when cases appeared in the countryside around it as well, Imperial officers descended one night and barred all the city gates. Apparently, the few people who had remained healthy and fled could still pass the infection to others, so the ancient plague tactics were implemented again: stay within the walls until all this is over or everyone is dead. There were reports, later, of people who had left the city being tracked, arrested and put on quarantine wherever they were; some stayed there for more than a year.

Chaos reigned for over six months, the skies over the city red and black with smoke from the funeral pyres. Then, one day, despite the lingering smoke, the sun came up to a brilliant blue sky, a sign that the locals took to portend their salvation. Whether that had anything to do with the ship that had docked in the port downriver the night before, the one with the purple sails and the dragon figurehead, remained to be seen.

tallied! -Brit
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

Daeva

Today's Word of the Day is....


mettlesome
adjective kMET-ul-sum

Definition

1: full of vigor and stamina : spirited


Weekly Theme
Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?
The 17th-century adjective mettlesome (popularly used of spirited horses) sometimes appeared as the variant metalsome. That's not surprising. In the 16th century and for some time after, mettle was a variant spelling of metal—that is, the word for substances such as gold, copper, and iron. (Metal itself dates from the 14th century and descends from a Greek term meaning "mine" or "metal.") The 16th century was also when metal—or mettle—acquired the figurative sense of "spirit," "courage," or "stamina." However, by the early 18th century, dictionaries were noting the distinction between metal, used for the substance, and mettle, used for "spirit," so that nowadays the words mettle and mettlesome are rarely associated with metal.
Absences Updated 6/15/22 Selectively Accepting New Stories
Ons and Offs & Current Story List | Desired RP's

Remec

#120
Title:The Big Reveal
WOD: mettlesome, condone
Theme: Good vs Evil





"Look! It's not the Swamp Monster at all!", Rick exclaimed as he reached beneath the bound creature's chin and seemingly pulled the flesh right from its face. It turned out to be a heavy duty, complex, latex mask.

"Old Man Jenkins!"

The elderly hermit narrowed his gaze at all the teens and Bobo, Curly's pet monkey. "Yeah, it was me. So what? Can't a man go around scaring folks away from his land without a bunch of meddlesome kids getting in the way?"

Darlene's father sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Carl. The kids are a little overly mettlesome, to be sure; but I can't condone what you've been doing. Good thing they solved this. George Carruthers just posted a bounty on the Swamp Monster; they saved you possibly getting shot. Not going to have any privacy in a hospital room."

The sheriff stepped up and took Carl Jenkins by one arm. "About as little as he's going to get at the station. But it's a misdemeanor, so at least he can come home afterwards."

tallied! -Brit

Daeva

Today's Word of the Day is....


ratiocination
noun rat-ee-oh-suh-NAY-shun

Definition

1 : the process of exact thinking : reasoning
2 : a reasoned train of thought


Weekly Theme
Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?
Edgar Allan Poe is said to have called the 1841 story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" his first "tale of ratiocination." Many today agree with his assessment and consider that Poe classic to be literature's first detective story. Poe didn't actually use ratiocination in "Rue Morgue," but the term does appear three times in its 1842 sequel, "The Mystery of Marie Roget." In "Marie Roget," the author proved his reasoning ability (ratiocination traces to ratio, Latin for "reason" or "computation"). The second tale was based on an actual murder, and as the case unfolded after the publication of Poe's work, it became clear that his fictional detective had done an amazing job of reasoning through the crime.
Absences Updated 6/15/22 Selectively Accepting New Stories
Ons and Offs & Current Story List | Desired RP's

Lilias

#122
A thunderstorm had raged all night, but the morning had dawned sunny and hot. Between the puddles throwing reflections everywhere and the haze of evaporating water, the town had acquired a dreamlike appearance that underlined its reputation of being ‘between worlds’ very effectively, thought Sarah as she made her way along the narrow streets towards the Arcadian Institute campus.

She was promptly shown into the Head’s office, an airy room with floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the Tor, furniture that would be more in place in a conservatory, and prints of Arthur Rackham’s fairies on the walls, as well as a portrait of Princess Emerentiana Grimaldi, who had founded the Institute in 1970. The Head herself, Dame Eluned Meurig, was a small woman of indefinite age and classical beauty, in a pink twinset and jeans. So far, the Institute seemed to flout every academic convention, and Sarah suspected that the differences ran a lot deeper.

‘I hoped to meet Her Highness as well,’ she said, after shaking hands and sitting. ‘Not many schools can boast their founder is still active in their management.’

‘The largesse of the Princess and her family have made all this possible,’ replied Dame Eluned, ‘and she is still very much involved; however, senescence eventually takes hold of us all, and she is forced to ration her activities. I will be happy to introduce you if you come back for our annual alumni gala, on the 21st.’

‘I will do my best to attend, then. In fact, it is because of two of your alumni that I am here--Fenella Sweeney and Áine Llewellyn.’

Dame Eluned grimaced. ‘Not a very good story, that one. Fenella had begun her teacher training. When Áine was expelled, we had to let her go too.’

‘Did Owen Glyndwr have anything to do with the situation?’ Sarah couldn’t help leaning forward in her eagerness.

‘Everything.’ Dame Eluned’s expression had turned to open distaste. ‘We thought that dismissing him from the governors council would be enough. Clearly, we were wrong. Will you join me for tea? This is going to be a long story.’

tallied! -Brit
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

#123
He walks silently down the hall, his missing confidence convincing him of an inexisting lack of charisma and charm.


tallied! -Brit

Not available for new stories

Lilias

#124
By the time Dame Eluned was done talking, Sarah was wishing there had been something stronger than tea at the table. Was 11:40 too early to hit the pub?

‘Not a very good story’ had been the understatement of the century. Four rogue fae on the loose, and a sorcerer manipulating them to power his own abilities? How had reality not begun to unravel around them yet?

‘As you can understand, the situation is extremely delicate, and increasingly urgent,’ Dame Eluned added. ‘Feeding on human glamour is a sad necessity on this side of the mists, but the Seelie Court cannot possibly condone such methods. We learn to stimulate glamour and harvest the surplus, not drain without restraint. Relations with the Unseelie Court are strained as it is; this could tip us all into the kind of unrest that could threaten this freehold’s existence. Worse, the longer Áine and Fenella participate in this abomination, the deeper the taint goes. Sooner or later--sooner, if the numbers you mention are accurate--they will be judged irredeemable, and it will cost them their lives, once the Court enforcers catch up with them.’

‘How could Glyndwr tap into fae powers if he’s human?’ asked Sarah.

‘He is Kin,’ explained Dame Eluned. ‘He has fae blood--enough to be able to manipulate glamour, not enough to do so with full effectiveness. That’s precisely what makes him and his methods so dangerous.’ She sighed. ‘The other two are Unseelie anyway--they will flee back to their court and face no consequences because, by their standards, they did nothing wrong. But the sorcerer needs to be stopped, preferably without sacrificing our girls in the process.’

tallied! -Brit
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

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