~ Word of the Day ~

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

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Mellific

Today's word of the day is...

jocose
adjective joh-KOHSS

Definition
1 : given to joking : merry
2 : characterized by joking : humorous

O/O | A/A | MM

Lilias

‘You understand, of course, Inspector, that the family--both families, in fact--are quite upset by the--incident. Blindsided, even. There had never been even a hint that something like that could be possible. Granted, Therese has never been the most jocose of individuals; she was always rather--introspective, if you will, but she gave no hint of being discontented. She never seemed particularly interested in marriage in general, but never objected to Bernard’s suit either. No, of course they’re not in love, what newly-married couple is? They have their entire lives ahead of them to learn that. Why, of course they still do. Bernard would never divorce Therese, certainly not over this. Do you think anyone wants rumours going out that his wife attempted to poison him? Yes, of course a psychiatric evaluation would be acceptable. It may be the only way to salvage things, in fact…’
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

Shores

Peter was the most jocose mouse of all, always laughing and singing in the sun. It was why he attracted the attention of the hawk who swooped down to pick him up.

RampantDesires

"I do not expect you to be smiling and jocose Braden, but must you glower all the time?  It has to be bad for your digestion, I know it is certainly bad for mine..." The boy grinned as he took up the chair that Althea had vacated not five minutes ago.  Glass shards had been swept away and relative order restored, he even had a fresh drink, well, a new one at least for nothing in this establishment could be called fresh.  It sat before him largely untouched upon the table.

"She's returned."  The boy... no, he had to stop referring to him that way, at almost eighteen, already having completed some of his training with the Wangateur, he was assuredly a man now though admitedly a young one.

His prince sighed. "Oh, that is what has you so dour?  Really Braden, you told me you knew one of the Nezzera and that she would aid us, not that you would bring a woman who made you bristle at every turn.  She's done it then?  We can travel back to Averly?"

"Not just yet.  My lord we have a bit of a problem..."  A bit of a problem.  Althea and her dry humor were starting to rub off on him, a fact which is companion did not seem to appreciate at this moment.

"What kind of problem? One of the roads along the way has washed out?  It is the rainy season Braden, such things are to be expected.  Or a problem back at the castle?  I'm sure we can sort it out there."

"You're not going to Averly.  We're headed to the capital.  You've always dreamed of grand battle, fixated on those stories your grandfather told.  If there is any good news in all of this it is that you're about to be given the chance to fufill your greatest wish.  We need to rouse the other nobles, it appears some kind of changeling has taken your uncle's place and is leading this ..." thing? farce? rebellion? apostasy? He didn't know what to call it exactly so one hand just kind of made an abrupt gesture encompassing the entire table.

"You're joking ... please tell me you're joking?"  The other man scoffed at the mere notion of it, shapeshifters were a myth, part of stories used to frighten young children.  If the woman had failed that was one thing, but to come back with a tale like this to explain her failure was quite beyond the pale.

"Did you not just point out my lack of a jocose nature? I assure you I am quite painfully serious about this."  Braden shook his head and reached out to take a long drink watching as his companion's expression wavered between excitement and horror.  The news was atrocious, no one would WANT this to happen to their birthright, but his youthful enthusiasm helped to soften the blow.  No doubt he was already imagining himself coming out the hero of this tale.  Victorious, beloved by his people. 

Braden had seen enough of war to know that it would not be nearly that simple, but now was not the time to bring reality crashing down upon his shoulders.  That would happen soon enough and without his help.

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--->

RampantDesires

Today's word of the day is...

slumgullion
noun SLUM-gull-yun

Definition
: a meat stew

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--->

Shores

She guzzled the slumgullion he presented for her with great gusto. The thin stew with meat, pasta, and tomatoes was a welcome treat after her many days of not eating. Even a five course at Alfreedo's could not have been as delicious.

Lilias

I’ll never forget the first time I went to Charlie Carter’s house to study. I knew his family was poor, but this was like nothing I had imagined poverty to be like. The house, like the family, was large, sprawling, unruly and welcoming. Unlike the family, it had definitely seen better days, probably before any of its inhabitants was born. It was all peeling wallpaper and fading paint, threadbare carpets and chipped porcelain, draughty corridors and an ancient gas meter that cut out regularly. It was like a crumbling castle that might still hide treasures in its creaking armoires and sideboards. I loved it.

When Mrs Carter invited me to stay for supper, I accepted without thinking. The slumgullion she ladled out of a pot the size of a cauldron looked dreadful - chunks of meat and coarse white and orange vegetables in a thick gravy that looked like it had been simmering away on the wood stove all day to become edible. But it smelled so delicious that I found myself, the pickiest eater to ever eat, polishing off my bowl like everyone else. I knew nothing at the time about Mrs Carter’s special cooking skills that made it impossible for even the dreariest dish to be a failure, but even in ignorance, I’d have her mystery meat with half a dozen other children in that cavernous kitchen any day over the icy silence between my parents (when they were there at all) and the sword of divorce hanging a bit lower over our neat white tablecloth each passing day.
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

RampantDesires

Yesterday's word of the day was...

otiose
adjective OH-shee-ohss

Definition
1 : producing no useful result : futile

2 : being at leisure : idle

3 : lacking use or effect : functionless

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--->

Lilias

'What on earth do you think you're doing, Webster?'

'What d'ya mean, old man? Can I call you Big D, by the way?'

'Don’t you dare. And I mean those words of the day things. Who in bloody hell is picking them?'

'My minions, of course. And I approve them. Got a beef with them?'

'Seriously? Remuneration I'll give you. Jocose is pushing it. But slumgullion? What century are we in, again? Or otiose? Who the bloody hell speaks like that?'

'Like your picks are better. Who says philodox in 2018?'

'WtA players, for one.'

'Okay, point. But outglitter? Could you get any more SCD?'

'The fact that you reference SCD instead of DWTS speaks volumes.'

'Fuck off, imperial scum.'

'Tsk, the colonies are restless again.'
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

persephone325

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

collaborate
verb kuh-LAB-uh-rayt

Definition
1 : to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor

2 : to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force

3 : to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected
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."

Shores

This light bulb is otiose since there are already another two lights in the room. Why are you installing it? Are you so out to harm the earth?

Kyranna

The process of preparing the cattle for market required Lanna to collaborate with Steve and Mark, as it would be near impossible to vaccinate the calves alone.
PMs always welcome
Plots and Thoughts
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persephone325

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

nascent
adjective NASS-unt

Definition
: coming or having recently come into existence
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."

Shores

Being able to communicate with someone wherever you are, and even see their face on a screen is a nascent idea that was only found in science fiction a decade or two ago.

Mellific

Today's word of the day is...

Transpire
verb tran-SPYRE

Definition
1 : to take place : go on, occur

2 a : to become known or apparent : develop

b : to be revealed : come to light

3 : to give off vaporous material; specifically : to give off or exude watery vapor especially from the surfaces of leaves

4 : to pass in the form of a vapor from a living body

5 : to pass off or give passage to (a fluid) through pores or interstices

O/O | A/A | MM

Lilias

The old man stood just inside the doorway, leaning on his cane, and surveyed the room. The window panes would be easy enough to replace, but the scorch marks on the walls would probably never come out. He had been right to assign his apprentice a room in the old dungeons. The walls were just rough stone and nearly a metre thick; not even the girl’s nascent powers at their most uncontrollable could do any substantial damage to them.

Amanda sat on her bed hugging her knees, chin resting on them, and watched him with a mixture of nervousness and defiance.

‘We can make a worthy Tradition member out of you yet,’ said the old archmage, no trace of reproach in his voice. He rapped his cane sharply on the stone floor, and Amanda’s spine snapped straight by reflex. ‘Again!’
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

Shores

She transpired like a plant, giving off a poisonous vapour at night that would kill any grown men in a six food radius. Hence, she was hired as the villager's guard, and could earn a living wage as she slept. She spent her money in the daytime on food and leisure activities, and led a peaceful life until her death last week. It was then the humans attacked.

Lilias

‘Of course I remember the Makropoulos case. You are too young to have seen the opera come out, let alone follow the case that inspired it, isn’t it so? Oh, don’t mind me, age is nobody’s fault. Unless you are Elina Makropoulos, of course. It could never have lasted forever, naturally. Once it transpired that Elina and Emilia… well, someone was bound to put two and two together. Whatever you do, youngster, always keep in mind that the only way a secret can be kept safely by three people is if two of them are safely in their graves.’
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

Mellific

The way that it transpired was not at all how he had predicted. Initially, everything had been going according to plan... until it wasn't anymore. His memory was fuzzy, but he recalled the loopy feeling of delirium as it soaked over him and slipped him into unconsciousness. After that, nothingness swallowed him whole. Waking up was like going from weightless floating to feeling the crushing pain of gravity. As if that wasn't bad enough, he was sobbing uncontrollably.

Nurses were busy in the corner of the room while the doctor buzzed around overhead. "How are you feeling? Okay?" He asked with no lack of hesitation.

In between tears and gasps of breath, he managed to sputter out a reply. "I... don't know... I guess?"

"Good," the doctor almost interrupted with a firm nod of his head, the wrinkles along his face intensifying. "Because unfortunately... I have some bad news." 

O/O | A/A | MM

Theta Sigma

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

layman
noun LAY-mun

Definition
1 : a person who is not a member of the clergy
2 : a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field

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



RampantDesires

Alaric had not finished his training with the Wangateur and so was technically still a layman.  He could not perform their rites or wear their symbol in public ... that did not mean he could not avail himself upon their meditative techniques to keep himself from unleashing his growing resentment against his guardian.  It was the only thing that helped.  Talking to the man only increased his annoyance, grunts and half-hearted 'we'll see's could not be called conversation and he was tired of having his well practiced and perfectly valid arguments brushed aside. If Braden had his way he would sit in a padded and secure room for the rest of his days. 

The woman was no better.  She seemed to fall on the other side of the spectrum "Fine, go off by yourself for all I care, you are more likely to trip and break your fool neck on the way out the door than you are to succeed in actually harming the creature or accomplishing any of your goals.  Who am I to stop you though."

It was even worse when the two of them were together.  There was a stiffness between them that hadn't been present even on their first meeting aboard the Nezzera ship.  Braden even pulled out her chair for her and gave a half bow when it came time to eat dinner, the action out of place in the dismal inn they were staying at and the courtly manner was clearly not appreciated since it looked as though she was debating stabbing him as she flung herself into one of the other chairs around the much pockmarked table.  Instead of yelling and picking at each other though they turned their ire on him.  Hardly fair, a fact which he had pointed out several times before retiring early more to get himself out of their way than the fatigue he'd used as an excuse. 

The room that she had been given was right next to his.  With the thin walls and all around shoddy construction was it any wonder that he thought that rhythmic tapping had been on his door instead of hers?  That was the only reason he was there to peek out into the dimly lit hallway to see Braden slipping inside her half open door. Interesting.  VERY interesting.  Perhaps they would get it out of their systems and they could all behave like reasonable adults tomorrow!




"What in the seven hells do YOU want?"  The words snapped out toward him, soft but each carefully precise.  Not the most polite of greetings but then he had been somewhat surprised that she had actually answered his soft knock in the first place. 

"Althea... " her eyes rolled, oh joy, he remembered her name! but he continued undeterred, "we need to talk.  I mean really TALK if we have any hope of continuing forward with this..." he shifted uncomfortably, framed there in her doorway a perfect picture of rigid resolve.

"Fine."  The door swung wide and she stepped back, allowing him to follow her into the cramped quarters of her room.  While outwardly she remained calm she could feel her heartbeat kick up a notch and she swallowed an annoyed sigh.  Get it together woman, he's here to talk, so let him talk.   The mental lecture helped some and she turned to face him, one delicate brow lofted expectantly.

Now that the moment had come though he just stared at her, careful speech evaporating before he could marshall it from his tongue.

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--->

Shores

The average layman would never understand the trials she took to open a magic shop which served customers from every single dimension in the universe.

Lilias

If there was one thing, thought Howard, that the Academy had drilled into him was the notion that, if he could not explain it to a layman, then he did not understand it properly himself. He had taken the warning to heart, shaped his studies after it, and found that understanding something thoroughly himself allowed him to give away as much or as little as necessary without appearing to obfuscate. In his teaching years, his explanations made the ripping away of his students’ innocence less traumatising. When he had to deal with the press, he managed to come across as enlightening without inciting mass panic.His modus operandi had stood him in good stead.

He might have grown too good at it, though. That’s what had brought him to this pass. As he stood on the Senate floor, surrounded by the faces that debated and decided on the fate of the galaxy, Howard felt there might be no clear enough way to explain that entities that defied the laws of space and time were about to find their way back into the known world and humanity (as well as its alien allies) would be no match for them if it came to open confrontation?

He might, at long last, have to go for shock value.
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

Mellific

Today's word of the day is...

aggress
verb uh-GRESS

Definition
: to make an attack : to act aggressively

O/O | A/A | MM

RampantDesires

Her body was tense, weight balanced on the balls of her feet as though expecting him to aggress immediately upon entering the room behind her.  Not that Braden would ever actually attack her, not physically at least, but even still he had the ability to wound her deeper than most and her caution was perhaps understandable. However a few seconds passed ... ten heart beats ... twenty.  Nothing.  Not a sound from the man still standing rigidly next to the newly closed door. 

"Did you come here to brood silently then?  Didn't get your fill of that over dinner?"  She had to break the silence, knew that she was not being fair to him, but she could not seem to help herself. 

"Althea ... don't."  He gave a weary sigh and then moved across the room to sit on the edge of her bed which groaned softly under his weight.  He likely thought the move would put her more at least, she'd often accused him of 'looming over her' but she was not sure that his present location was better.  She kept up her own position across the room as far away as she could get near the single narrow shuttered window in the other wall.

"Don't start tonight with quips and barbs.  I am tired of sparring with you.  I am tired. "  That admission was somewhat unexpected.  Braden had always been a bit larger than life.  She was a bit dismayed to note that he DID appear worn around the edges, lines of tension bracketing his eyes and mouth.  It was a bit hard to summon a lot of sympathy however when her own body was still battered, bruises fading from her latest adventure and the grueling trip back here to meet with them.  He was tired?  Welcome to the damn club!  ... and yet she knew that he wasn't talking simply of physical wear and exhaustion. 

"Fine."  She blew out a slow breath forcing her muscles to relax one by one.  "I'll not apologize for it, but I will try to be less ..." one hand waved vaguely in front of her.  Had she just gestured to all of herself?  That made him give a low startled laugh and he too found himself relaxing slightly.   Coming here tonight had been a risk, but a necessary one.  Things were too important to allow things between them to remain tense and unspoken.

"Fair enough.  I appreciate your restraint."  Hands raked through his hair.  Did he realize that he did that when he was thinking?  It was kind of endearing really, he would not share in her delight with the way it made the dark ends of his hair stick up oddly at all angles. The familiar action however did not help him with the problem of where exactly to start this conversation now almost fourteen years overdue.

"Tell me that you did not leave because of me."

The request caught her off guard and for a moment she just gaped at him.  She'd been expecting him to rail at her for the risks she took while scouting Averly, that he would try to release her from any obligation going forward with this, try to get her back on her ship safe and out of his life once more.  But apparently a trip down memory lane was in store instead.

"I didn't leave because of you." She parroted back somewhat woodenly.  His head jerked up as he looked back at her, his mouth turning downward into a familiar scowl.

"Fine.  But it is true.  You're a lot of things, but I'd never taken you as an egotist? I left for a lot of reasons Bray.  Because it was time.  Because I just wasn't cut out to be the pretty doll that my father seemed to want instead of a daughter.  Because I was bored.  You marrying my sister was just, you know, the very firm nudge I needed to get my feet out the door..." 

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--->