February Vignette

[Tyr]

Welcome to the February Vignette!


Prompt

With the inspiration of a love song in mind, write about a love of anything pertaining to your character.


Vignette Close Date

February 28th, 2021 at midnight EST


Rules

1. One submission per character.

2. All entries have to be within the declared period. Editing your post and completely changing your submission is okay as long as all the edits occur before midnight EST on the closing day.

3. The moderator judging the monthly vignette contest may post a vignette at the end, but will not be eligible for first or second place.

4. Only on-topic vignettes are liable for rewards. The topics are broad enough that no character should be particularly limited.

5. PCs must be involved in all vignettes. How "canonical" you choose to have the events of the vignette is up to you.

6. All participants receive EXP. The top two finishers also receive GP. (Clarification: this excludes off-topic submissions, as per Rule 4).

7. Entries are assessed on the following merits:

Use of topic: Did the writer use the topic, or write something completely random and off topic?

Creativity: Did the writer make something unique out of the topic or was it more cliche?

Mechanics: Basic writing mechanics: spelling, grammar, punctuation, word usage, etc.

Notes: Additional comments.

[Flamebird]

Blush by Plumb. (https://youtu.be/4I7_iIWTHRA)

When you look at me I start to blush
And all that I can see is you and us
Oh baby, I'm so afraid to be in love
With you

When stars are falling dark we'll light the way
Will hit the ground and fall into to the shade
I'll light the night with fire and run away
With you

Just want you for myself
Don't want anybody else to love you
I want you right next to me
I want you, baby

Wanna be in love with only you
Wanna watch the sky turn gray and blue
I wanna know the kiss that's always new
I wanna be in love with only you

Just you
I wanna be with just you
I ain't got no more that's real


Crickets chattered in the night as Felicity ran down the dirt road. Her feet kicked up dirt and dusted her dress (https://pin.it/3jQBA6m) in brown as she ran through the outskirts. It was dark as she left the town behind her and ran into a field of cool grass. The dew tipped blades of grass touched her ankles like dead hands as she ducked behind an oak tree, blushing wildly.

What's wrong with me!

Felicity panted. Her purple and black dress was tighter than her usual clothing. Her chest rose and fell heavily with the constricting purple corset hugging her too tightly. A bar fight had broke out. Felicity's face was beat red as she looked down. Her shoulderless dress exposed her shoulders and collarbone. Beyond the purple corset, black cloth draped down her muscular arms. See through black cloth. That same black cloth reached near her ankles, with a solid, covering underlayer reaching down to just above the knees. Her toned legs were clearly exposed, and her short purple slippers left her ankles visible as well.

Her hands brushed the rough tree as nightfall blanketed the countryside in shadows. Why had Felicity chosen to wear such an exposing outfit? She remembered the hoots of strangers in that bar, calling out to the attractive redhead. She remembered one of the drinking buddies at his table getting too close. Of course, she also remembered the leaps on her chest when he rose and attacked him. That entire night, she was conscious of his gaze across her figure. She still had been when they fought some tipsy drunkards together.

Yet, when it was all over, he had one thing to say about the fight. "I came here to drink and get into brawls. I got both."

So... he had not risen to defend her? He just fought for his own pleasure? The thought left Felicity feeling vacant and... was that longing? She let herself fall, resting against the tree as she sat on the ground. The cold night was bitter. Light yet harsh winds rustled a dress that offered no warmth and chilled her to the bone. As she shivered, Felicity thought more on that night. Once, Felicity would not have appreciated him glancing at her for a second. She had not. She remembered the embarrassment when he accidentally slammed into her during training, then got a good look as he sat on top of her. Then, she remembered how he used those same gazing eyes to watch other women in the inns and brothels. Oh, those ice blue eyes that made her want to watch him. Why did she feel so outraged? She knew she loathed the lifestyle, yes. She could not deny, however, that there was something more either. When she had walked into the inn in this very dress, she remembered the nervous tension as he turned and stared at her. She crossed her legs where she stood, hands clasped behind her back as she leaned instinctively to appear smaller. Why? What possessed her to not only let him look, but to enjoy it? Back against the tree, her forehead burrowed in disgust. What was this feeling she was trying to avoid?

The training sessions rolled in her mind. Sure, the tall, golden skinned athlete was always shirtless, something she struggled not to stare at. More importantly, however, she remembered how stern, yet patient and calm, he was. She remembered how she enjoyed those times. She also recalled the lighthearted humor as they swapped quips on a regular basis. She then looked back on how he helped the people of the town just down the road with a gift giver's heart. How sweet and passionate he was with the little girl he adopted, the strong moral desire not to kill, how soft and compassionate he was with Felicity when she felt down.

Was that seriously the same man who drunk like a sailer, debauched after women, and lived for only himself? Was this the same man who had extorted a desperate group for extra money, frequently insulted Felicity for her physical flaws, and carried an ego bigger than a wyvern's?

She gritted her teeth. Why all this anguish? Why all this emotion? What desire, what yearning, was forcing her to chase this charismatic jerk?

She thudded her head against the tree with an exasperated moan. It was stupid, but looking back, she recalled how when he looked at her in the inn, she had blushed.

Her eyes widened in realization.

Did she dare admit it?

Felicity had never thought she would fall in love. To her, it was a dumb lovey dovey concept she had no interest in. Or was it? Felicity had been completely happy being single, but the nagging insecurities always haunted the corners of her mind. The Eiskaltian girls taunting her, reminding her that she was unworthy of romance, or of any kind of love in general. The words mocking her forehead, hair, eyes, always stuck with her. She was simply too ugly for any man to love.

She sat straight up. The wind rustled her hair as she gazed towards the town. She loved him. She wanted him. She wanted to just love him, and she wanted him to stop gawking at those prostitutes and dancers and look at her! The jealousy, anger, and hurt were too intense to be anything else. She was simply too ugly for any man to love, yet, here she was, shocked at herself. Unbelieving, bewildered. She had fallen in love. She realized, these feelings she had never felt before, obeyed without questioning their motives, were love. Love, huh? How great, for Felicity's heart seemed to have chosen the worst possible man to feel these things for.

Leoric!

Felicity's thoughts spat in disgust. Was she disgusted about Leoric himself though? Or was she disgusted by her own poor tastes?

[Philomel]

"Did you know that we did not meet like usual couples?"

She shook her head, gazing at her friend through her eyelashes and over the cup of tea poised at her lips.

"Well, he was a writer." There was a delicate laugh as the speaker rubbed her long-fingered hands together. "A penniless writer, one of those aspiring types. And I, of course, was - well like you."

Philomel slowly sipped her tea, but still said nothing. No one was really 'like her'. There were whores, there were concubines, and courtesans - and then there was her. But she just politely smiled as the girl continued to gush.

"Well we played it dangerous for a while. I told him he couldn't fall in love with me. You know," she gaffawed. "Others pay me to make them think they're in love, and to have the time of their life. They pay for the experience. But he kept coming back, repeat client and all that and - gosh."

Raising an eyebrow Philomel waited through the pause, just listening. This is what this stranger wanted to do after all. Just talk to the famous (or infamous) Faun of Radasanth, who was rarely seen but when she did caused a ruckus. The woman who had saved the city, the woman who courted princes, the woman who now proudly bore her pregnant belly through the streets.

"Well he was sweet. So I gave him the time of day. Turned out he had lied to me and actually wasn't all that fancy, and I had another suitor - a Duke - but ... Well," she leant back, laughing louder now as they sat in that tiny tea shop. "He took me away. We rode on the back of a mammoth through the streets of Sweedon, we travelled to see the Marharajah of Fallien. And the writer was always here when I returned, seeking me, saying he was in love with me. It's so hard you know. So hard."

At this point Philomel didn't know if the girl was talking of the love and denying it, or the writer and the Duke's ...

She stuck a finger in the air, through the hole of the handle at her tea cup.

"Well. In the end I went for the Duke. Security over love, I guess, but the writer wouldn't leave me be. He followed me, kept saying we were destined to be." She looked away with sorrow. "Poor man. I last saw him crying in the toilet."

Poor man indeed. Perhaps he had managed to get away this time.





Elephant Love Medley
Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor & Jamie Allen
Love is a many splendored thing
Love lifts us up where we belong
All you need is love
Please don't start that again
All you need is love
A girl has got to eat
All you need is love
She'll end up on the street
Uhh
All you need is love
Love is just a game
I was made for loving you baby
You were made for loving me
The only way of loving me baby
Is to pay a lovely fee
Just one night
Give me just one night
There's no way
Cause you can't pay
In the name of love
One night in the name of love
You crazy fool
I won't give in to you
Don't leave me this way
I can't survive without your sweet love
Oh baby don't leave me this way
You think that people would have enough of silly love songs
I look around me and I see it isn't so, oh no
Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs
Well what's wrong with that
I like to know
Cause here I go again
Love lifts us up where we belong
Where the eagles fly
On a mountain high
Love makes us act like we are fools
Throw our lives away
For one happy day
We can be heroes
Just for one day
You, you will be mean
No I won't
And I, I'll drink all the time
We should be lovers
We can't do that
We should be lovers
And that's a fact
No nothing would keep us together
We could steal time
Just for one day
We can be heroes
Forever and ever
We can be heroes
Forever and ever
We can be heroes
Just because I, and I will always love you
I only can't help
Loving You
How wonderful life is now
You're in the world

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Hello everyone. Thank you both for your February Vignette submissions!

The prompt was:


With the inspiration of a love song in mind, write about a love of anything pertaining to your character.

Let's get down to the judgment!

Flamebird

I had a feeling, when I saw the prompt, I knew what the subject material was going to be. What I wasn't expecting was the sheer effort you've put into this entry. I do have one or two small criticisms, but otherwise I was impressed by this submission.

Use of topic: This may seem a little harsh (i'll make up for that later), but I actually don't think you followed the prompt in the way it was meant to be taken. It says "with the inspiration of a love song in mind", and I'm not *quite* sure that the song you chose inspired or specifically connected to the writing. It felt more as if you plucked a love song out of thin air just to meet the prompt rather than tie in with the message your post was trying to convey. Now, that being said, what followed was very much an emotional, well written piece which I felt did very well indeed.

Creativity: Love is always, always a cliche magnet, but not for Felicity. I actually felt that because of who she is, the opposite applies. Her trying to reconcile her feelings about the outward Leoric compared with what she had seen made for a great read, and I wasn't at all disappointed. You certainly have a way of conveying her emotions well, without overdoing it.

Mechanics: There were one or two run on sentences, as well as sentences that could have been shortened. Other than that, not a lot else to worry about.


Philomel

You took a "less is more" approach in this vignette, contrary to Flamebird's rollercoaster style. What I loved (and love) about your writing is how well it flows. The prose is easy on the eye, with flicks of flair that make your style stand out. But...

Use of topic: I think you understood the prompt and followed it to a point. The song you chose was beautiful, and the lyrics themselves seemed relevant to Philomel's situation (particularly the verse "All you need is love, A girl has got to eat, All you need is love, She'll end up on the street"). However,the prompt does say "pertaining to your character". I felt this was more of a story being told TO Philomel than about her, and I'm not sure that fulfilled the requirement as I really didn't learn anything about something Philomel loved.

Creativity: Had this prompt been worded another way, I would have congratulated you. The perspective of Philomel's mystery friend speaking to her was certainly a creative way of telling the story, and I give you credit for that, even with the above in mind.

Mechanics: Flawless. I couldn't see anything of note.

***

After considering both entries, I can announce that the winner is Flamebird, with Philomel coming in second place!

Rewards:

Flamebird receives 1,000 EXP and 200 GP
Philomel receives 1,280 EXP and 150 GP

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

GP added. For some reason, I can't access the EXP function. Leave it with me.

Edit: EXP Added