Umi Siskin of Lumis leads the mischievous Prince Tatsuya of Planet Cygnet across the Plutonian Sea to the land of alchemists and rebirth.
Category: Scenebuilding
7 Microprompts for Growing Up
August 12, if you didn't catch it, was International Youth Day. Seeing as Internet was quite absent where I stayed, I missed my opportunity to make a post about it. But it's never too late to take time and appreciate young writers!
Day 29: Stage Magician
"I told you, I'm not a priestess." Shardae shot up, every bone in her fist pronounced black and rattling with dark magic. Arsemia dissipated lazily into ashes, eddying outwards.
Day 26: Coming Snow
Umi folded the summer curtains while Shiori sat watching. The winter drapes were long overdue; the windowpanes were gray with fog in the morning and had been every morning since Umi had arrived.
Day 23: Wild Lady
Shardae kept her mouth shut. If she said Siskin, they would surely send her back. A life of holy discipline must be better than slavery, but somehow Shardae still felt like she hadn’t run far enough.
Day 17: The King’s Sight
Khurshid tapped her chin with the tooth of his curved sword. Umi flinched.
Day 14: Black Blood
They were indoors. The crowd was spread, but it was still a crowd, and in unpredictable motion. Umi switched from the hilt of his Major to the hilt of his Minor.
Day 11: Breaking Custom
Before their boat touched shore, Umi had listed the behavior and customs expected in Saikasu to the best of her memory. Be conservative in the home of the high priestess, she'd said. Take nothing and give nothing. Do not let anyone read you.
Day 8: Biting Thistle
Umi didn’t know any of her brothers well. She knew they carried the name of Khurshid Azar, which Umi was not allowed to—Siskin girl, you’re a Siskin, they’re Azars, they’ll be Azar men one day. She knew, to some degree, they were named for a king and she was named for a concubine, but it didn't bother her yet. All Umi did know was that, when it came to her full-blooded brother, she wanted to be him.
7 Microprompts for Mythological Marriages
In honor of folks in mythology, and all the ways their numerous relationships went to hell, here are some prompts for dysfunctional unions. Use these as themed inspirations, line inserts, or anything that gives your inner writer the right kick.