Loksfjoer

TDAC#1 - There are two sides (theme and discussion)

Upon request the deadline for this contest had extended. I will give another week to complete entries.

New deadline is September 7th

Paranormal Activities [SporkoBug and Calle]

Benjamin listed to Steph as they walked to her room and he looked inside, taking in the broken things. "Kintsukuroi," he said as he turned to her. "The art to repair things with gold and make them better than they were. I'm not much of a sculptor, but we could give it a try and repair your statue. If you do want to keep it."
He bent down to pick up one of the pieces of the statue. He knew a bit about clay as his father had done a bit of pottery and sculpting with clay.

---

Stuart nodded. "Yes, thank you. We will go somewhere private, I will write down the visual characteristics of you, and I want you to file a report about things you noticed changed." He glanced to mr. Johnsson. "Do you need her?"

"No, you can have her," mr Johnsson said. "We discussed everything we need to. Rose, thank you for your cooperation."
The sooner this abomination left, the better it was.

---

The agent turned to the humanoid spider. He didn't give in to the urge to step back from this monster. "We are putting a barrier around your habitat," he explained. "You should have enough room to live, but this will prevent humans to enter your territory. The average human will fear you, and when people fear something they wish to eradicate it. It's best to will not learn about your existence."

RPGC#28 - There are two sides (prompt and discussion)

It's august 31th and instead of 9:00 CET it's already 21:00 CET, which means we're a full twelve hours over the deadline.

I only got one valid entry for this contest so a voting round is not needed. If anyone would like to give feedback to the entry, they may do so in this thread. Two other entries I received were below the minimum word count and can therefore not be used for this contest.

Next up will be another Microfiction and Poetry contest. The starting date will be next week and that's when the theme will be announced as well, so keep an eye on the contest section and the side-bar.

For now, here is the entry that will get an automatic win for submitting something within the parameters of the contest. Congratulations.

Across the street

There she was.

Tristan looked at the woman sitting on the steps of the building across the street. The busy four-lane road congested with cars and the equally busy pavement didn’t make a great setting to lunch in but she made it all worthwhile. Just like him, she was sitting on the steps of the building she presumably worked in. Reading a book outside in the nice spring weather while having lunch.

He first noticed her a month ago. He had been eating and reading outside for a couple of days in the early spring when he looked up once and saw her sitting there. His heart skipped a beat before making up for the lost beat by going in overdrive. His tongue had dried and he was just baffled. He must have stared at her for minutes before he realised he was staring. She hadn’t noticed, he thought, but he had blushed nevertheless.
The next weeks, whenever it was dry outside, he kept having his lunch on the steps of the building and, much to his delight, so was she.

*

There he was.

Sarah glanced towards the building across the street. Yes, he was looking in her direction again. Her lips curled upwards in a slight smile. She could see he was holding a book and it was obvious he was having lunch outside just like she was. She was pretty sure he worked in the research facility across the street. She didn’t really like the noise from the traffic but everything was better than to sit in in the library’s canteen listening to the endless chatter of her co-workers.

She had first noticed him a week or two again. With the distance between them, it was difficult to make out much but she almost felt him looking at her. Much to her amusement, every time when she locked eyes with him he diverted his back to his book real quick.
Every day, when she was having lunch on the steps, she tried to look as stealthy as possible in his direction and had noticed he sat there every day if the weather allowed. Sarah lifted her head and looked at the man directly for a few seconds before she got up and entered the library again.

*

She looked at him.

He almost choked on air when his heart rate went up. A blush crept up and his eyes shifted in every direction for a few seconds. When he noticed she got up and went back inside he sighed and also gathered his things and entered the research facility.

He walked back to his floor, put on his lab coat back on and went through all mandatory proceedings before sitting in his chair with a sigh.

His co-worker and friend nudged him. “And? Was she there?”

Tristan nodded and sighed again.

“You should walk up to her and ask her out,” he said. “It’s obvious you like her, take the chance.”

Tristan glanced at Duncan, “I-I know…” He took a breath. “I-I j-just don’t k-know how or w-what to say.”

Duncan grinned after he waited patiently for Tristan to finish the sentence, “How about ‘you’re the most beautiful woman I ever saw, you are a dream come through, an Angel descended from Heaven, would you do me the honour of going out with me?’ That usually works.

Tristan shook his head. “M-maybe for you. I-I’m just not that eloquent.”

Duncan chuckled, “And yet you know words like eloquent. If you can think them, you can say them. You’re a smart guy, probably the smartest in the entire building.”

Tristan nodded, feeling more and more uncomfortable. Luckily Duncan noticed and dropped the subject. Again.

*

He was also going inside.

Sarah put her hand against the door but waited with entering until the man from across the street had entered his building. She put her things away and walked to the stack of books that needed to be put back.

Unfortunately, her co-worker was already standing next to the cart looking expectantly at her.
“And?” she asked, “was he there again?”

Sarah sighed irritated and nodded. Christine had the ability to not notice any irritation, hints to go away or any sign Sarah would much rather not talk. Christine had deemed them friends and therefore friends they were.

Christine looked through the windows at the research facility. “And?” she asked impatiently.

“And what?” Sarah asked. “I had lunch, I assume he had too, I read my book. Nothing happened,” she said while she rolled her cart and continued her work.

Christine looked at Sarah and shook her head. “Oh Sarah, we don’t live in some costume drama or regency era book. You know in this modern time it is allowed for women to walk up to the guy they fancy and ask them out. You don’t have to wait for men. Just cross the street, wrap your arms around him, kiss him like you two are the only souls on the planet and ask him out.”

Sarah groaned. “Christine, please. I’m definitely not doing that. The guy already doesn’t know where to look when I look at him, what do you think will happen if I march up to him and declare my interest in him?”

Christine’s eyes started to sparkle amused. “So you are interested in him, good to know,” she said. Christine turned triumphantly around and walked to her check-out desk.

Sarah felt like banging her head against the wall.

*

After work, Tristan waited for the bus.

His bus would stop at the library bus stop.
He looked at his watch and his eyes drifted to the underground parking exit nearby. Any minute she would emerge from there on her bicycle.
Standing even more upright when he saw her coming from the exit. He looked at her when she passed him, he started to raise his hand to greet her but decided otherwise halfway and let his arm drop again.

He stared in the direction she went and jumped back startled when the bus stopped in front of him and opened the doors to welcome the tired people and help them on their way home.
Tristan took his usual spot near the door in the middle, next to the window. The first street they crossed he could just make out a flash of her dancing hairs in the distance to his right.

*

After work, Sarah went to the underground parking to get her bicycle. She unlocked it and walked to the exit.
In the shade, she could see him standing at the bus stop. But he couldn’t see her, a precious minute in which she could observe him from closer.
She knew which bus stopped there, when it stopped there and what it’s route was. She had studied it and learned it by heart.

She mounted her bicycle and cycled out of the underground parking. She noticed a weird hand movement in the corner of her eye and wondered what it could be.
Sarah looked over her shoulder when the bus stopped and he entered it before turning right.

*

The next week was rainy and Tristan had to eat inside. He looked longingly to the library more than once.

One day he had an hour of free time because his project was finished but his supervisor needed to check it once more. His friend had urged him to go to the library, even if it wasn’t to talk to her he could always lend a book or do some research there. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of her.

It took Tristan fifteen minutes to decide, ten to cross the street and five to get enough courage to even enter the building.

Christine looked up when he asked her stammering if he could see some research papers.
When she learned he worked across the street she smiled knowingly and would have fetched Sarah right then and there if she wouldn’t have other people to help, but for now, she could only give him directions.

Tristan looked around more than he was looking for whatever he asked for, he couldn’t even remember what he had asked the lady behind the desk.
He returned to his work after walking around aimlessly and gave a brief report to Duncan, who was trying to get every bit of information out of him.

*

Sarah detested the rain, she couldn’t read with her co-workers constantly talking to her. She couldn’t sit outside and see whoever might also be outside.

One day she was working on the floor upstairs and, when she looked through the window, saw him standing outside his building, crossing the street and linger in front of the library.
she felt a peculiar shortness of breath and was sure her heart beat faster for a couple of minutes. He was here!

She slowly walked to a window where she could see the ground floor entrance and Christine’s desk. She followed him as well as she could with her eyes when he was walking all around the building, stepping back if his gaze lifted upwards.

When he left again she walked downstairs to get the inevitable over and done with.
Christine looked at Sarah. Letting her know her mystery guy had been here and that he looked very cute but awfully shy. Couldn’t utter more than two words properly, the poor guy.
Sarah listened silently and when Christine examined her friend she was very sure she could see a faint blush and her friend definitely seemed more out of breath than the exercise of walking down the stairs could explain.

*

“I’m going to do it.”

Duncan looked up from his work and lifted his eyebrows. “You are doing what Tristan?” he asked.

Tristan swallowed hard. “I’m going to do it,” he repeated a bit less sure of himself.

Duncan grinned and raised his thumb up. “You got this Tristan,” he said encouragingly.

Tristan grabbed his book, took a sip of water but left his lunch as he was too nervous to eat. He walked outside and almost ran back in but Duncan had followed him down and motioned him to go forward.

Slowly but steady he made his way across the street, toward the steps leading to the library and to the woman of his dreams.

*

He was coming.

Sarah looked up from her book and her jaw almost fell. He was walking down the steps of the research facility, crossing the street and walking towards the library.

Sarah swallowed as she put down her book and reached for her water bottle to take a sip.
She tried to keep her composure but her rapid pulse was visible in her neck and a slight colour on her cheeks gave a hint of her turmoil inside.
A quick glance over her shoulder learned that Christine saw it too and put her two thumbs up grinning as big as she could.

*

He stopped a few steps away and tried to find the right words. He looked in her eyes and forgot everything he had been rehearsing while coming over. Stuttering even worse then usually he managed to press out a greeting.

*

She was glad about the hesitation of the other and his looking for words gave her time to recollect herself and look at him from up close. When he looked in her eyes she felt a strange sensation in her stomach. She hoped she looked calm on the outside but feared she failed that enormously.

*

Tristan cleared his throat. She looked so calm and examined him quietly, his anxiety levels rose and he tried to speak a couple of times but had to break it off as he stuttered too much
“I’m Tristan and I work over there and I wanted to meet you.” he managed to push in one breath. He blushed and stared to the ground. After, which felt like hours, he heard her reply he looked up again and felt he was doing something he hardly ever did, grinning.

*

Sarah instantly fell more at ease when Tristan finally spoke. She liked the sound of his voice, didn’t mind the stammering and when he looked down she smiled.
“Nice to meet you Tristan, I’m Sarah. I work here in the library. I’ve seen you having lunch across the street.
Sarah tapped on the step beside her. “Do sit down, what have you been reading?”

*

Tristan was thankful Sarah didn’t mention the stammering and as exalted when she asked him to sit down. He was immensely grateful to start a subject they could converse about.
After talking a bit he glanced at his watch and was surprised to see that the lunch break was nearly over. “C-could we perhaps, ehm, c-continue this later today, after work p-perhaps?”
he asked, mentally crossing his fingers.

*

Sarah enjoyed their conversation and when Tristan looked at his watch Sarah examined hers and instantly her mood dropped, she didn’t want it to end now.
When Tristan asked if they could go out Sarah smiled and nodded. “I’ll meet you at the park after work,” she said, knowing the bus would pass there and it was only a slight detour for her. She got up and slowly and reluctantly she went back inside. She prepared herself mentally for the questions Christine launched at her. She turned to look at Christine when she stopped to take a breath and grinned with sparkling eyes. “I have a date.”

*

Tristan somehow managed to squeeze out a coherent reply before he walked back. It felt like he was walking on clouds. When he entered the building Duncan was still there, waiting to hear from Tristan what happened.
Tristan grinned with sparkling eyes. “I did it! And she wants to go to the park after work to continue our conversation!”

TDAC#1 - There are two sides (theme and discussion)

This didn't work, but that's okay. I'll try again later and maybe in a different format. Keep an eye on the gallery and the side-bar for future contests

A Trainers Ambition [SporkoBug and Calle]

After Rorsh darter away, Andy sipped from his coffee. "I only made one enemy out of the two Legendary Galarian Birds I've met, I'd say the day is going rather well, isn't it?" He winked to Frosiien and sipped from the coffee again.
It was too early to worry about Dialla, but in the end, whether it was Galarian Moltres or Darkrai, he wouldn't back down. He'd take them on if he had to.

Michael turned to Rorsh. "Nice to meet you." When he said that he realised he would meet a lot of legendary Pokémon. He wondered how many of them would be in their human form. He glanced to his uncle, who drank his coffee seemingly without a care in the world. How he managed that after threatning a legendary Pokémon was a mystery for him, but at the same time he was glad to see that.

"That's what we thought," Benny said. "It's good to know it's possible." He glanced to Andy, who was drinking his coffee. "Im going to get him some breakfast. It's going to be a busy day and he doesn't get food in his system he's not going to make it to the end."

---

Outside the Pokémon Center Mabel landed in the grass, with Penalopy and her guardian on her back. Penalopy moved to tap on Mindy's window to wake her up.
Mindy slowly opened her eyes when the annoying tapping continued, got out of bed and opened the window.

"It's happening~" Penalopy chimed. "Wake up, wake up, because today we party! We saw some of the Galarian birds already! I'm sure Grumpy Gavin will be awake too and I'm sure we get to see him smile today~"

Zombies! (Lyly & Calle - Dutch RP)

Andy reed in stilte verder tot hij naast zich een gerucht hoorde. Mae's opmerking dat ze was vergeten dat ze in de auto zat deed hem glimlachen en hij keek even op de klok toen ze vroeg hoelang ze geslapen had. "Niet zo lang," zei hij.
Ook hij zag de jonge zombie lopen en hij slaakte een zucht. Dat was verschrikkelijk om te zien. Stadium twee, dacht hij. Binnenkort zou het kind echt gevaarlijk worden. Het indelen naar de verschillende stadia was iets dat hij vanaf het begin had moeten doen, en ermee stoppen was niet eenvoudig.

Zodra hij de auto's in de verte zag reed hij langzamer en uiteindelijk stopte hij. Hij trommelde met zijn vingers op het stuur terwijl hij door de voorruit keek. Langzaam schudde hij zijn hoofd en zette de auto in achteruit. "Ik vertrouw het niet," zei hij. "We zoeken wel een andere weg om de stad te verlaten. Alle wegen leiden naar Rome, toch?"
Het was wel jammer dat ze langs deze weg niet konden gaan, deze ging rechtstreeks naar de snelweg en dat was wat hij probeerde te bereiken. Een route die veel mensen waarschijnlijk hadden geprobeerde te nemen bij de laatste grote exodus.

Maar waarom waren ze gestopt? Was er een ongeluk gebeurd waardoor de auto's erachter niet meer verder konden? Was het een barricade opgericht door mensen om hun deel van de stad veilig te stellen? Hielden zombies zich verscholen tussen de auto's?
Hoewel hij wel nieuwsgierig was, was hij nu ook weer niet zo nieuwsgierig om dat te gaan onderzoeken.

Hij gaf gas en reed een stuk achteruit. Gelukkig hoefden ze zich geen zorgen te maken over andere weggebruikers. Uit een zijstraat kwam een zombie op de auto af, ze zwaaide met een kapotte paraplu. Stadium 3 of 4 aan haar gedrag te zien. Ze rende recht op de auto af en Andy schudde zijn hoofd terwijl hij achteruit bleef rijden. Hij ramde de zombie, draaide de achterkant in de zijstraat en draaide de auto, zodat ze een stuk terugreden.

"Wil je even kijken of er een radiofrequentie is waar ze nog iets op uitzenden?" vroeg hij. Als Mae dat deed kon hij zijn aandacht bij het rijden houden. Een voor een waren de radiozenders stilgevallen, maar soms kwam er een piratenzender door waarop informatie gegeven werd over de toestand van de steden.

RPGC#28 - There are two sides (prompt and discussion)

The last 48 hours have begun!

TDAC#1 - There are two sides (theme and discussion)

The last 48 hours have begun!

A Trainers Ambition [SporkoBug and Calle]

Andy took Rorsh's hand when it was offered to him and shook it. "Don't call me mister, I'm Andy. And it's a pleasure to meet you."
He watched Dialla leave; he would have to be careful around her, and it would be wise to always keep at least one Pokémon with him. He looked around to see where Varina was; she hadn't been in his room when he woke up, so he assumed Benny had taken her for a flight or something.

Michael held Niccia and stroke her hair and back. He wasn't sure what he could say to make her feel better, but he decided to say: "Hey, things will be okay. You've been looking forward to this day so much and maybe we had a bumpy start, but I'm sure things will improve from here."

Benny turned to Varina. "Do you think it would be possible to catch a legendary Pokémon like Darkrai?" he asked her. If anyone could have inside information about that, it had to be the former guardian.

Nobody Will Believe It [SporkoBug and Calle]

Benjamin glared at Josh. While he didn't get angry easily, Josh seemed to get that done effortlessly. He was glad Josh walked away and he turned to Dia.
"I can do that, but when they examine me they will see there is no swelling of the ankle. And I'd rather not have 'suffers imaginary injuries' added to my file." He examined Dia for a moment, he wasn't sure how long she would be tangible and visible, but hopefully long enough. "I bet they don't know the kitchen staff. Barely anyone from the kitchen comes in person to the asylum; they communicate mostly over the phone and through e-mails. I heard one of the patients needs gluten-free meals. Maybe you can complain to the doctor and ask if that is really needed, because they often have to make a separate dish for her. I could be the one who led you here."

---

Marc looked at the game as he stepped towards it with Sara. He took his wallet to get a coin from it. "Here," he said as he handed it to Sara. "Insert it in that slot, push the red button and try to get a high score by whacking enough moles. You get tickets based on your score and at the end we can exchange the tickets for a small prize."
He took another coin for himself and moved to the Whack-A-Mole machine next to it, so he could play a round as well.