Chapter Break Filler - Round 2

[Jitter]

Thank you all. Mind you, I could have posted it for today, but didn’t. It’s not a sad story, they have had a wonderful life. There must be endings to make room for new beginnings. They are wise old men (who would have thought?) and have already have time to find acceptance. The lung thing is not a completely new one, but another one.

[Annuil]

Ooh! Hi everyone and thank you all! 

I love the detail of the little plant..

Yay! You saw it, Grey!

Well, the prompt is kind of terrible itself, so...


I read everything that was posted here and everything is so amazing!

Your artwork, GaelleDragons, is lovely! Lalli, little burglar... 

Keep Looking, that poem is wonderful! How do you, people, write such nice poems?

Midwestmutt, haikus you write are always awesome

Vulpes, your story made me a little sad, because it is so... natural? Or just true... I have a few things, like that boat, that remind me about the life “before”, when I had a friend in the house on the next street (now we are separated by, literally, an ocean) and a completely different life...
Huh, I got an interesting thought about that “before”. Now the whole world has that “before” and “after” life, you hear more and more often: “Oh, I’ve done that! Well... before COVID happened”
Isn’t it a little scary to understand that our own world is facing a strange disease now?..

Mirasol, can’t wait to see your drawing!! 

I hope I didn’t miss anyone, if I did, I beg your forgiveness... And sorry for a lot of text 

[Vulpes]

Annuil, great take on the prompt, right down to the dead plant. As Jitter said, you've managed to evoke Minna's style while keeping it your own.

Vulpes, a great vignette! Very good characterization of everyone involved and very... lifelike? Her tradition would explain how intact the boat still looked at Y80.

Yes! That was what got me started on the idea. It looked in pretty good repair, and Lalli said only that they had a cool old boat in the yard, not that the kids played in it or anything. I thought about why it was kept up - no hope of getting fuel for it, probably not able to retrofit it to the current technology, so why is it there? Aino was the one most clinging to the idea that "this will all blow over in a few weeks," so it was easy to imagine her lingering on the past. I'm glad you liked it, and that it fits believably.

Gaelle, I see your drawing now, it's wonderful.

I love the linked haiku, midwestmutt. Very beautiful and true.

<snip>
Vulpes, your story made me a little sad, because it is so... natural? Or just true... I have a few things, like that boat, that remind me about the life “before”, when I had a friend in the house on the next street (now we are separated by, literally, an ocean) and a completely different life...
Huh, I got an interesting thought about that “before”. Now the whole world has that “before” and “after” life, you hear more and more often: “Oh, I’ve done that! Well... before COVID happened”
Isn’t it a little scary to understand that our own world is facing a strange disease now?..
<snip>

Sorry I made you sad, but that sort of thing was also in my mind as I thought about and wrote it. There are a lot of befores and afters in life, mostly little personal ones, but here we are with a global Before. It will be interesting to see what After turns out to be like!

It just occurred to me, I have a boat that connects me to a time before. Well, a half hull - these were scale models used by boat-builders back in the day to design the shape of the hull. We had one at the family cottage. When my father decided to sell, he told us all to take whatever we wanted. I took the half hull, which now hangs on my living room wall, and serves as a reminder of many happy times. Maybe that's why the Lumilintu caught my fancy.

[Annuil]

Sorry I made you sad, but that sort of thing was also in my mind as I thought about and wrote it. There are a lot of befores and afters in life, mostly little personal ones, but here we are with a global Before. It will be interesting to see what After turns out to be like!

No! It's a good kind of sadness, the one that comes from the happiness of passed days as you said there. (I love to be sad this way because it inspires me to draw and write cool things sometimes). Yeah, our "after" is still unsertian...

It just occurred to me, I have a boat that connects me to a time before. Well, a half hull - these were scale models used by boat-builders back in the day to design the shape of the hull. We had one at the family cottage. When my father decided to sell, he told us all to take whatever we wanted. I took the half hull, which now hangs on my living room wall, and serves as a reminder of many happy times. Maybe that's why the Lumilintu caught my fancy.

That's interesting! And cool! I have a little grey sharpner for pencils in a shape of an elephant that my friend gave me on one of my birthdays a few years ago. It no longer works as a sharpner, but it's still there, on my desk. 
Isn't it nice to have such things in our lives?

[scottishnottish]

wow i missed a lot!

Keep Looking, the imagery is wonderful as always, I really feel like I'm there along with Árni and feeling what he's feeling.

GaelleDragons I love your drawing! You captured the body-language well and I really enjoy your painterly style.

Jitter what a lovely scene, melancholy and nostalgic and sweet all at once. And I like how you characterized aged Reynir and Onni.

Vulpes this is a nice little moment of reflection, so much conveyed it just a few paragraphs!

Annuil very nice illustration, a perfect mix of gory and strangely beautiful.

midwestmutt I love the trio of haiku, an interesting reflection on mortality--so many thoughts explored in just a few words.

You all keep blowing me away!

[Keep Looking]

Chapter Break Filler
'Circle of Life'

.._.._..

Prompt 19: Decay

.._.._..

Today's prompt of Decay is brought to us by Helium Owl!

Spoiler: show

Thanks very much to Helium Owl for today's piece, and if any of you are inspired by this prompt, feel free to post what you've made down below!

[thegreyarea]

A W E S O M E !   

(little time now, will add more later)

[Jitter]

Oo that is... I don’t have a good word but I absolutely love it. I would put it on my wall despite the gruesome aspects! Wonderful piece, HeliumOwl!

Also it’s very topical with the Book 3 just out with Sleipnope as the cover art.

Scottish, I’m glad you like the characterization. I was worried Onni became too soft. But he’s had 60 years (many of which were good) to mellow

[GaelleDragons]

Wooow Helium Owl, this is hauntingly beautiful! I love the colors you used, they really fit the "decay" theme, and those bright yellows and oranges on the mane and tail... lovely 

Scottish, thanks! I'm glad you liked it! I'm trying to get better at watercolors, letting the colors flow around freely like Minna advised, and it really pays off x3

[Annuil]

Oh no, everyone is so excited and I cannot see a thing... for some reason there is only a blank instead of the image again... 

[Jitter]

Hi,

I’m taking the liberty to repost from PostImage to help Annuil see it.

So, here is HeliumOwl’s absolutely stunning Sleipnope art again (EDIT: under the cut). HeliumOwl, please let me know if you don’t approve and I’ll take it down. This is just to help Annuil and possibly others too.

Spoiler: show

[Vulpes]

No! It's a good kind of sadness, the one that comes from the happiness of passed days as you said there. (I love to be sad this way because it inspires me to draw and write cool things sometimes).
<snip>
 I have a little grey sharpner for pencils in a shape of an elephant that my friend gave me on one of my birthdays a few years ago. It no longer works as a sharpner, but it's still there, on my desk. 
Isn't it nice to have such things in our lives?

I'm glad it's the good type of sadness - we need a word for that. Wistful sort of works, but misses the inspirational aspect.

It is indeed nice to have mementos! I like your elephant ex-pencil sharpener.

[midwestmutt]

THE COSMIC CIRCLE
All matter transforms
decay sounds so negative
Nature recycles

[Annuil]

Hi,

I’m taking the liberty to repost from PostImage to help Annuil see it.

Oh, Jitter, thank you so much!

Yes, HeliumOwl, that is most impressive and most beautiful! Wow...

[scottishnottish]

oh wow, HeliumOwl what an amazing illustration! Your brush-work is very strong, and the color contrast is so crisp and vibrant.

THE COSMIC CIRCLE
All matter transforms
decay sounds so negative
Nature recycles

ooh I really love this one. "Nature recycles" is such a simple yet powerful statement.