~ Word of the Day ~

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

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ZephyrInk

Her eyes eagerly watched the man study the heirloom in his hands, brushing his fingers over the rugged edges where the twists and turns of the coils were, resting then onto the central diamond. The way he assayed the gold piece proved to her that he was more than a technician - that she had finally found a professional who knew his work.

She waited patiently for his assessment, her gloved fingers drumming over the marble counter.   

Dys Astyr

Kahlynor assayed the man before him. Once Godrek had been among the finest of his knights, an example for the hopeful initiates to aspire to. Now he was a ghost of his former self, his honor tarnished and his once fiery zeal little more than cold cinders. The noble features of his face were marred and disfigured. Godrek was a haunted shell now, bitter and angry. It was only the mournful circumstances and the memory of the his former glory that stayed Kahlynor from expelling him from the order. Losing a battle brother was never easy, and the loss of Dryden had been especially painful for them all. The knight commander's heart was all the more heavy for his survey, the incident that had felled Dryden had cost him two noble warriors.
Alive! Trying to catch up but there is a lot, please be patient! Thank you. <3

Theta Sigma

The turpitude of it all.

How dare he.

How dare he.

The book was pulled from his bag, and tossed onto the table.

'What sick person has such a thing these days? A book? A book?!'

'I, just... I...'

'You've got some nerve, boy.'

There was an intense pause, and he couldn't resist it. The book was burning a hole on the table with its knowledge burning inside. His actions were quick. He moved, grabbing it, and forcing the door open with his shoulder, an action that caused him to stumble as he ran down the street, shoes thudding with each placement.

'And stay out, disgusting creature!'

O&Os
 
A&As/Tracker
They/Them pronouns



Caedy

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

repudiate
verb rih-PYOO-dee-ayt

Definition
1 : to divorce or separate formally from (a woman)
2 : to refuse to have anything to do with : disown
3 a : to refuse to accept; especially : to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force
b : to reject as untrue or unjust
4 : to refuse to acknowledge or pay
No New Games At This Time
A/A updated Important: 6/2/17
Caedy's Pretty Things (SFW&NSFW)
Blog: My Bullet Journal Journey
Word of the Day
~...still like air, I'll Rise...~ Maya Angelou

corvusul86

The stark lighting, cast by too bright filming lights, did the scene no favors.  It made everything stand out in stark contrast as everyone froze, the humans unable to breath, and the vampire not even faking it as the enraged Elder strolled onto the set.  The only motion were the feathers that slowly fell through the air, still dancing in the breeze of the air conditioning from the last take.

"You... how can you do something so... ignominious?" the Elder finally demanded.

The younger vampire winced slightly, looking around at the other actors, all of whom refused to look at either of them.  It was rare that humans had to witness the wrath of a true Elder, and none of them were prepared for the sickening, cloying weight of her presence.  "Mistress... it really isn't so-"

"Did I give you permission to speak?" the Elder asked mildly.

"No, mistress," he said, dropping his head humbly.

"I did not," she agreed.  "Nor did I give you permission to go on this debased Vaudeville show.  You are a vampire, not some cheap burlesque strumpet.  You bring shame upon our kind... you bring shame upon my bloodline."

"I'm sorry, mistress," the vampire said.

"It is past time for that," the Elder spat.  "I repudiate you.  You are one of my blood no more, exile."

The vampire gasped despite not needing breath.  "Please, mistress!  That is far too much!  I apologize for somehow causing offense, but I didn't think acting would bother you so deeply!"

"It isn't acting that is the problem," the Elder snarled.  "It is what you are acting in!  This is insulting and blatantly discriminatory!"

"I'm sorry, mistress," he said, looking down.  "I didn't know you would feel so strongly on the subject..."

"You are playing 'Dracula' in a soap opera!" she snapped.  "You have a cloak on!  Fake blood on your mouth!  You were born in Tennessee, not wherever that faux eastern European accent is supposed to be from!  You may as well be teaching children to count!"

With that she stormed out of the room, leaving a scrambling film crew and a fledgeling vampire actor in her dust.

Shores

"You can't repudiate an edict from the King!"

"It's my life. I can choose what I want to do with it."

"Yes, you won't have much of a life left if you tell him you're not going to marry the man he's selected for you."

"So? The only reason he let me live was because I'm a girl. I won't threaten him like our brothers did. He won't kill me as long as I'm still politically useful."

ZephyrInk

Detective Hotchner shoved the papers across the table over to her, "Repudiated. That's what these documents will be once they are sent to the courts. You cannot rely on the words of a few drunk men Mrs. Hughes!" he bellowed, slamming his fist hard on the table that made her flinch. He rubbed his face as he pondered over their possibilities - there was no way out, he shook his head furiously at that. He was hopeless, a first in his tenure. Add to that, this time he was involved in this as much as she was, which meant his job was on the line.

"Manny please. I cannot go to prison" she cried and the man sharply got up, the metal chair harshly grating what remained of the floor as he did so. It made her sob harder.

"I can't help you this time, Lisa. I can try but everything written in there is so tight, its impossible, I repeat impossible to find a loophole" he tried to reason with her but she wouldn't listen, shaking her head vigorously at him, her mascara flowing down her cheeks when she looked up. "Just do what you have to, Hotchner". The use of his surname from her lips made him tense up and he snatched up the binder and left, slamming the door behind him. 

Blythe

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

onerous
adjective AH-nuh-rus

Definition
1 : involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : troublesome
2 : having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages

corvusul86

Owning the tiny stretch of woods at the edge of the city hadn't seemed like much.  It was technically part of a larger nature preserve, but to save money the state had auctioned off sections of it for personal use.  The deal hadn't had many clauses; I simply had to keep the trees safe, the land in good condition, and make sure it wasn't polluted.  Mostly, the out of the way section of forest cared for itself, so I simply had to give it sweep every year and fill out a one page form indicating that it was in good condition.

In exchange for that limited effort, I could do with it as I otherwise pleased.  It was my land to camp on, to take nature walks, to fish and hunt and do any other outdoors activities that sprang to mind.  As a city girl I'd rarely spent much time in nature, and the chance to have my own little piece had been too tempting to pass up.

Then the problems started.  Every time I would go out there I would lose everything with me at some point.  Cameras, paperwork, food, tents, spare clothes.  It didn't matter what it was, it would disappear.  Only the clothes on my back seemed immune, but unfortunately not my purse, or keys, or even the chapstick I kept in my pocket.  I was getting sick of calling a mechanic for a replacement car key, and I'd been to the DMV six times for a replacement license before the first year's paperwork was due.

It wasn't until that night, however, that I finally figured out why the simple task had become such an onerous one.  I set up a deer blind in a tree, pitched a tent with a nice cooler of food, and then climbed up and hid in the blind.  It wasn't he best cover; a human was unlikely to be fooled, although they would need to think to look up to spot me.  I settled in for a long, boring wait, taking solace in the peace and quiet of nature while I kept an eye out for whatever animal or animals had been causing so many headaches.

I was not expecting a wooly, worm-faced creature with tentacular limbs and a tubular body, but I was certainly impressed with how fast and quietly it managed to take everything I owned.  It did not bear thinking on how often the things must've rifled through my jacket pockets with its furred tentacles to take some of my possessions, and a quick check of my pockets revealed that somehow I had been robbed again despite finally spotting one of the thieves.

Two days later I was filling out the paperwork to sell the property at a loss.  At least I'd get a tax break for it.

Shores

Life had always seem onerous to him. It was like traversing down one long corridor, with doors on either side. He could never open and explore all of them. Behind each door was another corridor, or room, or a trap. He was supposed to know from a young age which door was right for him, and which was wrong. He had been certain of his corridor, that it was the right path. To inherit and continue the family business, make it grow, become more prosperous. What might have been heaven for others, felt like hell to him. He never luxuriated in this certainty of his position in life, a long slow and boring trek to the end. He thought he knew what was expected of him, and what he expected out of life, until he met her. And then he knew which door he had to open.

ZephyrInk

Taking care of a family of eight was an onerous job for the old man. His paycheck barely paid for the bread and that too had to be stretched on for a week. The stress of making ends meet was slowly taking its toll on him but still he persevered. Family was everything to him!

Caedy

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

meme
noun MEEM

Definition
1 : an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture
2 : an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media
No New Games At This Time
A/A updated Important: 6/2/17
Caedy's Pretty Things (SFW&NSFW)
Blog: My Bullet Journal Journey
Word of the Day
~...still like air, I'll Rise...~ Maya Angelou

corvusul86

The pounding club music and gyrating teen bodies just reminded me of how old I was getting.  Not that you could tell from looking at me; they say forty is the new twenty, but nights like tonight I feel every one of my years.

The flickering lights are starting to give me a headache by the time I spot my contact.  He's dressed in the current ridiculous trend, which this month apparently involves wearing flexible computer screens running a randomly selected collection of videos the owner likes.  I'm not surprised to see so much hentai.

"Hey," I said, sliding in across from him.

He looks me over.  "Hey.  You my meet up?"

"Yeah, you got the goods?"

He gives me a long look, and I just stare blandly back at him.  "You got my money?"

I pull out a thumb drive and slide it across the table.  "1.1 bitcoin," I say, as if I hadn't just given him more money than I'd made in the past year.

He checks it.  "Alright, I got your product.  One military grade meme.  This stuff's as dank as it comes, you know what I'm sayin'?"

I took it and stuck the drive into my own phone, chuckling slightly at the irony of his statement.  There was no way he actually said 'stuff', just like there's no way the hentai playing across his body was actually censored, but years of living with a complete cortex package had taught me to notice the subtle signs of world censorship.  Having to keep the thing on all the time was the price of selling my soul to DisneyCorp, but they were better than most Megacorps.  Sixty more years in the field and I'd actually get a chance at a real retirement, instead of the usual corporate agent 'retirement' package.

The image came up, and I examined it with a critical eye.  It was nothing special, just a VR clip edited to look like some amateur tried to mod it with all the grace of an automatic hacksaw, but my enhanced visual processors told me the real truth; within an hour of seeing it it would make whoever watched it a little more positively inclined to sign a contract with DisneyCorp, and have a need to pass the video on.  Nothing too obvious, but we didn't need it to be.

"That's not gonna do much, you know," my contact said casually.  "Stuff like that doesn't really change people's funning behavior, no matter what your focus groups might think."

I smirked.  "Oh, this isn't about swaying the masses."

He raises an eyebrow.  "Then why the fun would you want a meme?  All they do is spread like some kinda sunny mind virus."

I grinned toothily.  "We don't need to sway people to our products; DisneyCorp revenues are always up.  No, this is targeted to just one person.  Anyway, see you around."

"You too," he said, taking a sip of his drink and staring back out at the dance floor.

During the Corporate Wars of the 2030s all the big Megacorps had learned that using memes as literal viral marketing for the mind didn't really work.  No matter how complex the VR encodings, no one would be swayed in a significant way, and any impact was lost not long after watching it.  If someone was legitimately on the fence, though, it could serve as a little nudge.

The VR clip wouldn't make it past email scanners, but if a thousand fans shared it on Twitter, the odds the actor I was trying to get to re-up his contract would see it went way up.  Even if it wasn't the tipping point, it might help incept him into thinking about it harder, and that was enough to be worth dropping a house payment's worth of bitcoin on a hacker for it.

After all, what would Avengers 23 be without Iron Man?

Shores

"Kittens were the first meme. Their cuteness and usefulness spread from person to person and soon they were worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt. Without kittens, the Egyptians would have had their grain eaten and been unable to build the pyramids, the British empire would have perished at sea with lesser food, and the Lion King would never have been made. We owe a lot to kittens which is why in the 20th century they were still popular on the internet and worshiped with live cams and upvotes." The professor slammed the whiteboard. "So, I want all of you to create a kitten meme today as extra credit."

Blythe

Apologies for the delay! July 14th's word of the day was....

savant
noun sa-VAHNT

Definition
1 : a person of learning; especially : one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature)
2 : a person affected with a mental disability (such as autism) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music)






And today's word of the day is....

copacetic
adjective koh-puh-SET-ik

Definition
1 : very satisfactory

corvusul86

"This bunker contains the greatest minds alive in the world today," General Harding said.  "Savants in the maths and sciences, poet laureates, best selling authors, philosophers, everything you can imagine.  If they're brilliant, they're here."

"Impressive," Dr. Keller said, looking around the area.  Men and women wandered around the facilities, demarcating personal areas, or gathering in new communal spaces.  It was obviously some form of converted military base, but they'd done what they could to make it a pleasant space.  "Why, though?"

"Operation Masterstroke," the general said, returning to the entrance.  He stepped through the heavy metal doors and turned to look at the doctor.  "The people of the world have gotten tired of listening to experts.  Every year fewer people vaccinate, dumber politicians are elected to implement less possible policies, and the common people lash out at those who know they are making mistake after mistake."

"So... this is what, some kind of arc?" Dr. Keller asked.  "Some way of preserving the best minds on earth from whatever is coming?"

"No, Doctor," General Harding said, closing the doors.  "Just getting all of you in one place."





"Wow, this is quite the little niche you've carved for yourself up here," Karen said, sitting down beside her girlfriend.  "How'd you get lounge chairs on the roof of an eight story building?"

"Pulley system," Ann said, gesturing vaguely towards the mass of ropes and metal on the other side of the roof.  "Want some champaign?"

"Sure," Karen said, accepting the glass.  "Want me to pretend to know anything about it?"

"No," Ann chuckled.  "I'm the wine snob in this relationship.  Just lean back, enjoy the bubbly, and let's cuddle for a bit."

"Sure," Karen said.  They leaned back and stared up at the night sky.  "Hey, it's starting!"

"Cheers," Ann said, clinking their glasses together as they watched the meteor shower begin.  "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful."

"Flatterer," Ann chuckled, giving her a quick kiss.  "This is the life.  Very copacetic."

They watched in silence for a while, until Karen pointed.  "Is that it?"

"Yup," Ann agreed, taking another drink, before setting the flute down to cuddle closer to her lover.  "That's the one."

"It's beautiful," Karen said, watching as flames like the sun lit up the entire night's sky.

"Yes, yes it is," Ann said.  "Too bad it's the end of the world."

"Worse ways to go," Karen whispered.  "Hold me?"

"Forever."

Shores

He was a savant in the janitorial sciences. Any bloodstain, mudstain, chemical spill could all be taken care of by his knowledge of organic chemistry. None could withstand his cleaning powers, his eye for detail and his sensitive nostrils. He left each lavatory better than when he entered and he was soon hailed as a town hero. He soon became a consultant, running his own cleaning services for major defence departments, instructing them on the optimal ways to disinfect a warzone with the limited supplies they had, to prevent disease outbreaks. Thus, when the first aliens made contact, he was brought in to inspect their excrement. And that was how he got his Order of the Shooting Star, for exceptional and life-saving services rendered by a civilian.

Shores

She was copacetic in her father's eyes, though her mother had always wished for a boy instead. She envied her best friend, for being the only girl in a long line of boys. And yet she was also thankful that she didn't need to wait on brothers hand and foot like her friend did.

ZephyrInk

"its not meh-meh" Darcy screamed out for the hundredth time but Lucy didn't seem to hear her. She enjoyed teasing her roommate.

"This meh-meh of a cat is adorable. Come take a look?" she repeated yet again, this time drawing out the syllables while she beckoned the other, only stopping midway as she realized how serious she appeared then. "How do you say it?"

"meme, its not that hard - meme!" she stressed on the 'e' and the other grinned at her, stifling her laughter. "meme" she repeated and then straightened up, brushing her hair back as she tilted the screen towards her friend.

"Okay, cat meme. Funny right?"

A fit of uncontrollable laughter filled the dormitory hallways.

--------------------------
The man looked every bit like a savant as he walked in through the heavy doors. Sharply dressed, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, a thick folder clutched under one arm while the other carried a rather tattered briefcase. Sporting a bow tie and a tweed suit with shiny salt and pepper hair he sauntered over to the main hall where he was eagerly awaited to deliver a lecture on the mysterious specimen.

--------------------------
Selina thought the array of bottles in the cellar made for a copacetic sight for the night's event. Everyone from the small town had been invited to the opening of the gallery, which meant the place had to look spotless and in order for the tour. She gazed up at her reflection in the bathroom, fixed up her loose curls and breathed a sigh. Tonight was going to be her night.   


Theta Sigma

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

yawp
verb YAWP

Definition
1 :  to make a raucous noise : squawk
2 : clamor, complain

O&Os
 
A&As/Tracker
They/Them pronouns



Smize

The hammock swallowing Ivy's frame swayed lazily in the Georgia breeze. She felt the sun's warmth beat onto her eyelids, causing her nose to wrinkle instinctively. Heat, among other things, was on her list of items she could do without. She'd been described as cold blooded by her closest friends, anyways.

Suddenly, a screeching yawp could be heard across the quiet meadow. This sudden, odd sound broke the silence among the weeds and tall grasses stretching for miles along the Earth before her.

"The hell was that?" Ivy pondered, heaving her torso upward in the hammock as its swaying slowed down. Her left foot planted on the dirt beneath her to fully stop the swing, her eyes examining the meadow in alarm. Moments had passed, and a heavy breath escaped her lips. She collected her novel and reading glasses from beside her bare feet and began walking East into the sea of grass.

"Must be my demons calling me back home." she muttered.

corvusul86

He crouched on the ledge, basking in the light of the moon.  Across the way, features gentled by the soft light sat his beloved, gazing up at him.  He raised himself up, opened his mouth, and began to sing.

It was a beautiful serenade, a song of love, of passion, of raw desire.  He could see that it was working, his beloved starting to respond as he'd hoped to his musical seduction.  Tonight was the night, when he would finally become one with his lady love, and in time they could even start a family.  It was a perfect, romantic evening, and surely everyone could feel the love int the air...

Until his song was interrupted by an angry yawp as a window was thrown open and shoe was hurled through it, nearly knocking him from his perch.  "Quit your caterwauling, you stupid cat!  I'm trying to sleep!"

With greatly offended dignity he hissed, before hopping off of the fence and flouncing away, nose in the air.

Shores

He let out a barbaric yawp as the spear plunged through her. Before she could hit the ground, he had already sprinted over the battlefield. Another yell and his axe was impaled into her murderer's back. But the man was not yet dead. He turned around with a grin on his face, and their battle to end all battles started.

Theta Sigma

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

steadfast
adjective STED-fast

Definition
1 a: firmly fixed in place : immovable
  b : not subject to change
2 : firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal

O&Os
 
A&As/Tracker
They/Them pronouns



corvusul86

"Look, I'm just not too sure about this," Shannon said quietly to her new boss.  "It just doesn't feel right."

"What do you see when you look out there?" Bill asked, gesturing out at the crowd.

Shannon took in the scene.  The bustling starport was filled with thousands of men, women, and other from a hundred species as they flocked to the latest member of the Galactic Union of Civilized worlds for business or recreation.  Earth's ecosystem had been ravaged by centuries of industrialization, but it was still full of cultural and historical artifacts unknown to the galaxy at large, as well as a booming young economy still interfacing itself with the rest of the Union.

"I see people trying to visit earth," Shannon said.

Bill scoffed.  "See, that's your first mistake.  They aren't people.  They're xenos.  We fought a war with them, and after we showed 'em we weren't just gonna roll over they decided to 'make peace'.  All it really means is they've found an easier way to conquer us.  In ten years kids will be speaking Galactic instead of good old English, and sharing memes about those stupid squid things-"

"Olagjaunts," Shannon supplied.

"Yeah, those things, instead of good old cats," Bill snorted.  "See, it's already starting.  My generation fought and bled to keep the aliens from taking over earth, and now yours is giving away the baby with the damn bathwater.  Our job isn't to let the xenos in.  We're a steadfast guard against dangerous elements trying to suborn our culture."

"I- I had no idea, sir," Shannon said.  "They didn't... say anything like that in training."

"'Course not," Bill said.  "Politically correct asses think we should all learn to 'get along' and accept that the war was a mistake caused by bad communication.  Screw that.  I've got everyone on my team doing things the right, and if you intend to stay you'd better shape up, got it?"

"Everyone?" Shannon asked.

"Everyone," Bill said.  "Sure, we let some through.  Got no choice.  But we cause as many headaches as we can, try to discourage as many as possible.  Plus, roughing up some xenos is damn good fun.  So, you in?"

"You get all that?" Shannon asked, touching her ear piece.  After getting a reply she pulled out a pair of handcuffs.  "Alright, I was supposed to spend a lot longer than that undercover, but seriously, you just bragged to a stranger about what you do.  You are under arrest, dirtbag."