#swynwrimoz

[bad-moon--rising]

Task 28 - Around the World in 30 Days: Write 10 headcanons for the location where your character is from!

10 Facts About Magicks in the Southern United States: Tennessee

The Bell Witch and Creation of Spirit Sanctuary laws

Ghost stories are a long-standing tradition in the Tennessee mountains, and many of them are connected to real ghosts. This is largely because Mediums are commonplace in the Tennessee area and early on they began documenting these ghost stories in the storytelling tradition. Verbal history has been a form of documentation in the area for generations, so few question the authenticity of even the more outlandish stories of hauntings.

One of the most famous is the Bell Witch and her cave home and anchor in Robertson County.

Her story has been noted in literature and movies and recounted over time as largely malicious, but many Mediums have argued otherwise. Attempts to convince her to move on have been met with opposition as she insists her story needs to be told, so local Mediums have instead pushed for her earthly place of rest to be viewed as a protected area.

This push has led to other areas being recognized as Spirit Sanctuaries and led to state laws forbidding disruption of places known to have active spirit anchors.

Smoky Mountains Guardians

The Smoky Mountains is considered to be one of the most Magick-dense areas of Tennessee. Historically it was an area where many Magicks settled during times of threat of anti-Magick backlash in the States. The mountains have been home to many guardians watching over the area, established there by native tribes who predated more modern development of the area, who still remain there today.

Most are now mislabeled as cryptids, and many are very elusive and don't concern themselves with anything outside of the mountains.

These guardians in their various shapes and purposes are particularly harsh towards those with ill-intent towards Magicks, since many of those who make their homes in the mountain range are not species often welcome in other areas easily such as giants, werewolves, or more reclusive fae.

Efforts have been made to communicate with these guardians through their apparent speaker, a towering two-headed Not-Deer doe, known only as The Mother, accompanied by a ghostly, midnight-black fawn.

She and her youngster appear often when there is disruption or infringement on the mountains by those who attempt to destroy, warning the park staff that she and the other guardians will address the threats that continue.

The Fawn, who has never made their name known, is often seen by lost hikers and children on the trails, leading them back to safety if they mean no harm.

The Park Service And Magicks - Douglas Lake

Due to most of the beings who live in the mountains being Magicks it was decided by the park service that the positions of park rangers, staff and guides were best suited to Magicks as well, although this has never been specifically noted on official documents or publically disclosed by the agency in order to avoid scrutiny by the government.

Many of these jobs are filled by werewolves or fae, although occasionally other Magicks with skill sets useful to certain areas are also employed.

One specific instance of this being the case is Douglas Dam, where it is public knowledge that a water elemental works with the scientific team there both tending to water levels and working to keep the lake clean and healthy.

Often seen in the waters around the lake and dam, this Magick, who prefers to be called Loch, is quite friendly and has always spoken fondly of the visitors to the lake, taking great care to oversee repairs and safety of the dam and stepping in on several occasions to rescue visitors in distress in the waters.

Forbidden Caverns Pixie Hollow

The Forbidden Caverns in Sevier County are one of the only underground Pixie Hollows in the United States.

It has become a tourist spot of sorts, and the Pixies make use of this in a unique way by working alongside geologists and visitors in exchange for the caverns to remain an area protected by the National Park Service, leading guided tours through the rock formations and underground waterfalls.

The innermost areas of the caverns are the home of the pixies, a beautiful tree grows from a silvery pool there, and is off limits to outsiders.

It is speculated that the Hollow itself actually covers miles underground and houses hundreds of pixies in vast cave systems under the mountains.

The collective magic from this community also aids in protection of the surrounding Smoky Mountains above, and serves as a welcoming beacon to Magicks seeking safe haven temporarily until they can be taken to the Guardians of the mountains.

Oak Ridge Nuclear Research

Oak Ridge has long been noted for its involvement in nuclear energy, and it is common knowledge that its stability is due to the power source of the nuclear plant being a star fragment that was gifted to the scientific community at the beginnings of the project by a still-unknown species of celestial humanoid Magick who, or so its been suggested, found humanity's attempts to harness energy particularly amusing.

This being, present in a semi-physical body composed of a shimmering matter that most have compared to sunlight or starlight, can change shape fluidly, although most people claim to have different opinions of what the being actually looks like.

So far as reasons for doing so, that has never been clarified by the being, it simply remains there looking after the star and observing the various experiments carried on in the facility and has helped during several times of crisis by absorbing the excess energy produced by the star as a result of some of those past experiments.

Nashville's Coven of Octave

The Nashville area is one known for music, and a sorcerer's coven in the area that specializes in entertainment-focused magic that is said to have first formed before Nashville became the booming area it now is.

Spoken of as modern day bards of sorts, these sorcerers compose magic mostly with an auditory speciality known as sonokiness. Due to the nature of their magic revolving around entertainment, the Coven's headquarters is actually found in the Octave Lounge and Bar, which is both an active bar open to the public and meeting place for coven members.

While not the only coven world-wide that teaches this speciality, it's widely recognized as one of the best, and responsible for promotion and support of several well-known musicians with sorcerer backgrounds and continues to count among its ranks many famous entertainers.

University of Tennessee Magizoology Facility

The University of Tennessee veterinary science department is home to one of the South's largest Magizoology research facilities, including a rehabilitation for the many local species native to the area and breeding programs for out of state efforts to preserve endangered magical creatures.

In the past decade the faculty has focused on protection of the small indigenous species of Fire Drake Salamanders that can only be found in the Smoky Mountains with the creation of the Southeastern Magical Amphibious and Reptilian Institution.

This center cares for this rare variation of fire-breathing amphibious magical creature nearly driven to extinction by poaching for its unique flammable throat pouch, and has made great strides in increasing their numbers in the wild back to a stable population.

Along with their fire salamander program, students and experienced staff run one of the few Familiar support and care facilities, offering both medical treatment and rehabilitation services for injured magic Familiars, as well as working with displaced Familiars in matching them with potential sorcerers.

Nashville's Parthenon

Nashville hosts a very unique tourist attraction in The Parthenon; a full recreation of a Greek temple situated in bustling Centennial Park.

As one would imagine, not only does this attraction draw in tourists but also is appealing to Magicks with Greek heritage, so a fair number of them visit yearly to take in the historical tours and admire the careful attention to detail and accurately put into the building construction and replicated architecture and statues.

This has actually led to several spirits of Greek origins haunting the building due to artifacts being brought in for study by the archaeology department and choosing to remain to share their experiences with Mediums on staff who recount these stories to curious guests.

One of the museum's curators actually lives in-house, and is considered to be a leading expert in art history. She is also one of the few Gorgons in the United States who is openly Magick and uses her status to encourage visitors to embrace Pro-Magick history and the role of Magicks in the progression of civilization.

Ms. Stheno is hailed as a pillar of the Nashville Education and Historical Society community; having spent her time since the eighteen hundreds advocating both for Magick rights and the preservation of Magick-related history.

The Blackwater Pack and Coven

Several werewolf packs and witch's covens make their home in the Tennessee and Appalachian area, and most go unnoticed or undisturbed by the locals. Rather than make a point of hostility towards these Magicks, many generations of farmers and mountain homesteaders have instead turned to them for protection and aid during times of trouble with droughts, flooding and bad growing seasons.

While the Blackwater Pack and Coven, named for the natural spring with ebony water assumed to have mystic properties in the Coven's community, are no more distinct than any other separately it is their decision to live and work together early on in their creation that marks them as unique. As well as their willingness to offer aid to their Mundus neighbors around the forest where both groups live.

As a historical note it was one of the then-leaders of the coven who was elected mayor of neighboring Townsend in the early nineties, a big boon for Pro-Magick representation at the time, although since the coven has removed itself from politics and the werewolf pack has settled more widely across the Townsend, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge area as it has grown.

[Well this had a banner too but Tumblr image limits...eeh]

Cades Cove Centaur Settlement

Cades Cove has, for nearly as long as the area has been occupied, homed a large community of centaurs. As intelligent humanoid Magicks, these beings have built a comfortable and thriving farming homestead within the private areas of the park and surrounding forest that was established before current modern areas were developed.

Because of this it was determined in the last twenty years that Cades Cove and the surrounding area technically already belonged to the original settlement, and was recognized by law in 1990 formally as a Magick Township under the Tennessee Township Regulations.

This land is already recognized as a preserve, but the centaur settlement falls under justification of the community itself and is protected from outsiders by law. Many of the centaurs interact with and even are employed by the Cades Cove tourist committee as park guides and outsiders are even welcomed into a staged version of the existing, and magically-hidden, actual settlement as a means of promoting Pro-Magick relationships.

This arrangement is, of course, at the discretion of the centaurs, rather than a push from the park services and every effort is taken to ensure respect for their customs and privacy.

#swynwrimo #swynwrimoz

[ianthedisastrous]

Z's Swynwrimo Tracker

Wednesday, November 1 -- Villanelle Poem: A poem in a villanelle structure! Can be written from a character’s perspective, about a character, or about something in the RP in general. Bonus points if it is canon. (Read more about villanelle) .

Thursday, November 2 -- Community Flyer: Make a flyer for a community event that could possibly happen somewhere in town. These can be pre-established or make up something new! (Open mic night at Hatter’s, poetry nights at Chapter Three, local blood drive, arts and crafts at Town Hall, music lessons, trash pick up, etc.)

Friday, November 3 -- Everyone’s a Critic: Write ten reviews that your character would leave for books on Goodreads, movies on Letterboxd, or something similar! Include their star rating.

Saturday, November 4 -- Crack!ship AU: Write a crack!ship au. This should be a one shot of any characters in the roleplay, yours or someone else’s! Definition of a crackship: seriously this shit can’t happen but in an alternate universe. Add 10 applicable aO3 tags (enemies to lovers, modern au, etc.) This is a one-shot.

Sunday, November 5 -- Family Ties One-Shot: Write a one-shot revolving around your character’s family, include 3 family members minimum. (This can include whatever your character’s definition of family is.)

Monday, November 6 — Daylist: Make a playlist for a specific day and time for your character, inspired by what they’d typically listen to at that time. Has Spotify decided your character likes to listen to Happy Indie Sunshine on a Monday morning? Or Witchy Goblin Scream on a Saturday night? Make sure to come up with the funky description and examples of the specific weird “genres” Spotify thinks they listen to – and write about what they’re usually doing at that time of day. Click here for examples!

Tuesday, November 7 -- Community Togetherness Thread: Plot a thread that takes place in one of Swynlake’s community events (or one of Pride U’s societies) with a mun that you don’t currently have a thread with. If they’re not in any of the existing community groups or societies, you can do a thread where someone is trying to recruit them! Or use this as a chance to create a new group!

Wednesday, November 8 -- 160 Characters or Less: Write a story using either Tweets or entirely in texts between characters. (This is a one-shot prompt, not something you do with others.)

Thursday, November 9 -- SwynRPVision: Create your own TV show, book, video game, piece of media, etc. that would exist in the SwynRPuniverse which does not exist in ours. Write a description, make a graphic, write a script or do whatever you want.

Friday, November 10 -- Love Is Stored In The Garlic: Write about 10 significant meals that your character has had in their lives. Is it their favorite pasta dish? Is it the meal they were broken up over? Up to you to decide! Bonus points for images.

Saturday, November 11 -- Short and Sweet One-Shot: Write ten short-short stories of no more than a paragraph long (can star one or multiple characters.)

Sunday, November 12 -- Background NPC: Write about a moment of your character’s life from the perspective of an NPC character.

Monday, November 13 -- #OOTD: Come up with five significant full outfits from your character’s wardrobe/life and describe them in detail.

Tuesday, November 14 -- Neighborly Plotting: Plot a thread with your neighbor(s) using the demographic sheet. If you live somewhere like the Woods, where there are no house numbers, headcanon who you live near!

Wednesday, November 15 -- NPC Playlist! Make a playlist for an important NPC in your character’s life – 10 songs minimum, a little description for each song.

Thursday, November 16 -- Character #Inspo: Find five existing fictional characters who remind you of your character (or who inspired your character). Post two pieces of inspiration from each character (A gif, a quote, a video clip, a screenshot) and write a little bit about how that character relates to your own. If you’re having a hard time thinking of characters like yours, check out this quiz!

Friday, November 17 -- Choose Your Own Swyn AU: Do you have a dream AU-week event? Create your own! Make a graphic, write an opening blurb, and create a sample bio for one of your characters. [example of a past event, you do NOT have to do the whole thing, but this has the graphic/opening blurb]

Saturday, November 18 -- Which Character Are You?: Make a UQuiz for people to determine which of your characters they are.

Sunday, November 19 -- Five Times X, One Time Y: Five times your character did a thing and one time … they didn’t. Get creative with what this means, but structure it in that same manner.

Monday, November 20 -- Personality Playlist: Create a playlist for a personality trait for a character! This could be an Enneagram, Meyers-Briggs, zodiac, etc. or anything else. – 10 songs minimum, a little description for each song.

Tuesday, November 21 -- Back to the Future Thread: Write either a flashback or a flashforward thread with another mun! (This could be an existing connection or a connection that could possibly happen 10 years in the future! Should be 10+/- years in the past/future.)

Wednesday, November 22 — Enter the Metaverse: Your character’s computer! List five bookmarks, their last five visited websites, their last five Google searches, five applications/programs they have on their computer, their screensaver and lockscreen!

Thursday, November 23 — Instagram Stories: Post five IG stories from a single day of your character’s life. This can be photos of their activities and their friends, but also memes, news, funny videos, and other types of posts!

Friday, November 24 -- Relationship Aesthetic: Make three different aesthetics for three different relationships (Romantic! Platonic! Sexual! Familial! Adversarial! Any type of relationship or combination) in the RP – only one of them can be yours! Try to spread it across at least six different muns.

Saturday, November 25 -- SWYNRP Memes: Create memes (there are websites where you can do this) about characters, places, or things that happen in Swynlake! (10 minimum)

Sunday, November 26 -- The Final Labor: Based on the final task for the labors, write an AU featuring all your characters in a role. Choose an AU, set out a list of goals for yourself based on tropes within that AU (ex. a red shirt has to die if you’re doing Star Trek or someone in the group gets bitten by a zombie and doesn’t tell the rest if you’re doing an apocalypse), then write to your heart’s content! To count, each character must have a role and your tropes must be laid out beforehand.

Monday, November 27 -- Fairy Talent! What’s your fairy talent? Drawing, cooking, sewing, outfit styling, GIF-making, video-making, singing? Create a Swyn-inspired masterpiece and share it with the group!

Tuesday, November 28 -- Around the World in 30 Days: Write 10 headcanons for the location where your character is from! If your character is from a place where other characters are from, you can either collaborate with them to post a mutual headcanon list or just make sure to get their approval before you post.

Wednesday, November 29 -- Wordy Web-Weaving: Pick a word that is significant to your character or their story and create a web-weaving aesthetic based around that word’s definition. Feel free to incorporate your own writing, others’ writing, and/or media that inspires your writing. Read more about web-weaving here.

Thursday, November 30 -- SWYNRP Character Wishlist: A list of 10+ characters you’d like to see in the RP (for you to play or someone else!)

#swynwrimo23 #checklist #swynwrimo #swynwrimoz #yes I'm still clinging to my spooky aesthetic #always

[isaac-morey]

Task 10 --  Love Is Stored In The Garlic: Write about 10 significant meals that your character has had in their lives. Is it their favorite pasta dish? Is it the meal they were broken up over? Up to you to decide! Bonus points for images. 

TW: child neglect, food issues/childhood trauma from them, abusive relationships, blood (not graphic but mentioned)

Peanut butter sandwich (Chicago, age five)

He didn't know where his parents were. There was some assumption they were both at work, but he didn't know exactly what work was; just some place people went, like school was where his older siblings disappeared to; and he was too young to do either so he stayed at home. 

Was supposed to stay inside, but inside was cold, the heater wasn't working again, and he liked sitting at the big window at the end of the hallway, near the stairwell; he could see the city streets below from there. People were never home that time of day. It was safe, quiet.

"What're you doing out here?" 

He froze, fingers resting on the dirty glass, eyes wide under hair that needed a trim but nobody was going to bother fixing.  He said nothing. 

"Seen you before," the owner of the voice was just a bit taller than himself, bundled up in a jacket and holding tight to a plastic box decorated with a castle on the front. "You live over there," she pointed, "don't you go to school yet?" She must have been a little older, he decided, as he shook his head no.

"I don't haffta go today, mommy said so, cause my sister is sick." She continued, studying him as if not sure what to make of this odd, scruffy little kid before her. "Where's your mommy? She at work? Why'd she leave ya out here?" 

He swallowed hard at the questions, at being caught. And she must have figured out he didn't want to answer because she shrugged and walked past him. 

"Don't talk much, do'ya?" And that was that, until she sat down on the wide sill of the window and opened her little box, shifting around the contents. "Well, I'm gonna have lunch out here; you gonna stay?" 

He blinked, head tipped to watch as she set her drink upon the ledge, followed by her chips, and finally a sandwich wrapped in plastic. He glanced away, his mom's voice ringing in his ears. 

Don't stare at people, it's rude! You want them to think we ain't got anything? They're going to if you stare so much. They didn't, but people knowing that must have been the worst thing in the world given much his mom yelled at him about it. 

The silence stretched out and she took it in stride, only catching him right as he was about to go back across the hall to the cold apartment with a wave of her hand as she plucked the plastic from around the bread. 

"Here, you wanna share?" 

The question perplexed him, so openly that it stopped him in his tracks as she continued. 

"What's your name anyway?" She thrust her hand out, offering up half of the sandwich, faintly sticky from the peanut butter tucked between the bread. 

He couldn't find his voice and he wondered if it was fair; everyone else was gone though and it maybe wasn't fair that they had lunch at school or work or whatever else, without him. So it wasn't okay, he knew with a hint of guilt, but if nobody knew? Maybe just that once?

And he was hungry, it was hard not to be; sometimes that feeling went on all day, or, when dad was gone too long and mom was busy, longer.  He couldn't find his voice though, it got drowned out by yelling so often he didn't even like the sound of it, but in a panic he realized that she might rethink her offer if he didn't answer. 

But it wasn't much of an answer, just a hesitant, soft murmur "Isaac." Was it enough? 

"Isaac, huh? Okay." Satisfied, she pushed the half sandwich at him and motioned to the spot next to her, and in a numb daze he sat down, nodding at her confirmation. 

She smiled, taking a bite of her half and he was careful to match the motion, right down to the smile that he offered after; it happened so naturally he was surprised. 

Chicken Makhani (first meal with the Moreys)

He didn't know how to fit in there; it wasn't much different from all the other foster homes, still better than the group ones; but someone else's home. It was always someone else's home and he was just passing through, a temporary visitor. 

He had a bedroom to himself though, all to himself for once, and spending most of his time there seemed like the best way to get through it until things changed again. 

He dreaded going downstairs when Mrs. Morey called him for dinner; he still dreaded that every place he ended up at. He was never sure what to do with himself while everyone else talked and carried on. And he was hopeful maybe she'd just forget he was there; sometimes they did. Sometimes he knew it was on purpose. But he never blamed them, the tired strangers and the dismissive ones; he wasn't really supposed to be there.  But that call came, so he couldn't ignore it. 

He couldn't find a corner in the kitchen to put himself out of the way in though, the space was endlessly busy and Isaac was sure he was going to panic trying to. Then something was pushed into his hands and his brain registered it as a bowl, but he had no idea why and simply stood there staring down at the large wooden object filled with rolls.  He may have stood there a while, if not for Mrs. Morey's hand resting on his shoulder and guiding him over to the dining table. 

He had little idea what many of the dishes spread across the table were in their grayscale unfamiliarity but it didn't matter, he'd never had a chance to learn the luxury of being picky. 

The rolls joined the rest as he pushed the bowl in with the others and waited to be motioned to one of the chairs. He sat quietly while all the conversation happened around him, nodding at times but training his attention on his plate to make certain he wasn't eating too slowly. Eating too quickly was a reflex, one he couldn't help. Eating too much still was too, but that wasn't usually a problem, it wasn't usually an option. 

When the questions came about if he liked the meal he wasn't sure why they had asked, but the answer felt like it should have been yes so he nodded as he idly chewed on another roll, falling silent and sitting with his eyes roaming from person to person around the table as they talked. He wasn't quite part of it, the moment, but it felt like he almost was. It was the closest he had gotten before. 

Rogan Josh (first cooking lesson)

She was teaching him how to cook, Mama, she was Mama now, and he had asked so she was teaching him to cook. He had her recipes on the counter, a set resolve to doing it mostly himself, and a mess on his hands. 

And it wasn't going well at all. The rice was wrong, he'd stared in utter dismay at the scorch marks on the pan as he'd dumped the sauce out of it; he couldn't put a name yet to the shade of orange it was but it didn't look like the one she made. Everything was wrong. 

He sighed, eyes drifting towards the trash bin near the sink, gripping the bowl tightly; he probably needed to start over. But the thought of it made his stomach tighten, a wave of nausea washing over him at the very idea of doing that, of throwing away even that mishap. There was an anxious feeling there that made him dizzy, still. 

Well, he didn't have to make anyone else eat it, he could though; that thought eased some of the tension in the pit of his stomach that was trying to tie itself into a knot. 

Mama breezed into the kitchen and took quick stock of the scent of faintly burnt spices in the air, the seemingly frozen boy clutching that pot with a weary determination, and smiled as she placed a hand lightly upon his back. She might have suggested starting over, any other time, but it felt important not to. 

"I messed it up," he got the words out but barely above a breath, it was his eyes he couldn't lift though. 

It could be fixed, she confirmed, guiding him back to the counter to tend to the problem at hand, smiling rather than let her thoughts dwell too much over how he looked so relieved at her words, more relieved than any small child should have been. 

Dinner was still not great, they all knew it, but they smiled regardless and let it be what it was. Isaac didn't say much, he was grateful nobody did either; the next time would be better, he hoped. Mistakes could be fixed; he hadn't believed it before. 

There would be a next time, there would even be a day where he'd end up enjoying the process of figuring out how to adjust and fix his mistakes, plenty more meals he would cook for mama. 

But that first one, mistakes and all, she would always say was still her favorite. 

Airport Food Court (leaving after graduation)

"I'm not sure this counts as real food," he laughed, elbows resting on the narrow table and eyeing the edge of the plastic container. The faintest scent of airport faire drifted upward, hanging in the air around the table like a cloud. 

Papa huffed, pushing the container forward with a nod of agreement. 

"Not like anything your mother would have made," he commented in regards to the pale yellow liquid that, as far as Isaac could assume, was intended to be some manner of soup that was too nondescript for him to really make sense of. 

Papa was right, Mama would have been nothing less than appalled if she knew. 

"Best we not tell her," the older Morey added, as though it were some conspiracy between them. Isaac laughed and nodded, the messy crest of his bangs falling into his eyes. 

He was going to miss her cooking; nothing else was going to be as good, nothing would feel quite like home.  But home would still be there; Isaac was ready to see what lay beyond it. 

"You look after yourself," Papa reminded him, the board on the wall behind them proclaimed in illuminated letters the arrival and departure of flights and every so often his head would lift, eyes towards it as he kept check of the minutes. 

"I will," Isaac promised, the same way he had promised Mama, and Dian, Mads, Elli, Seb, even Gem and Devyn; had promised he would be okay so they didn't have to worry. So they could be excited for him instead about his new job, new life; so he could keep them with him but still find his own way. 

They would worry a little, regardless, and he would miss them; that was all a part of distance. Absently, he grabbed the spoon for a bite of his own meal, cringing at the terrible idea that turned out to be. "Oh, yeah, no; that's terrible." 

A moment of shared stillness among the rush of people on their way from terminal to terminal, shared laughter among all the other busy noise. 

Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce (the breakup)

He didn't bother to clean up the broken mess, the splash of red across the tile had spread outward into runny streaks, jagged shards of colorless glass spiked upward from it and, in the back of his mind, he considered the risk of leaving it there. 

But he was just so, so very tired. 

Just tired, an empty, emotionless gray that seeped into the edges of everything around him. And, not for the first time in the last month, Isaac just wanted to close his eyes and block out even that. 

He'd stopped trying to see the colors in the apartment weeks past, everything remained the same hues of stark, tense crimson and sickly swampy yellow-green and when it never changed it felt suffocating.  It gave him less warning though at the sharp words as they brushed past him, making him bristle. 

"I'm not cleaning that up; I don't have time to deal with this anyway."  Max was a blurry, shrill tone as Isaac felt as though everything was out of focus. 

He watched the sticky line of sauce drip downward from the edge of the counter, a puddle of inky darkness to his eyes; oily at the edges.  A disarray of bits and pieces, a dull, shattered plate fanned out in chunks married with the splatters.  He was so very tired. 

"Isaac, wake the hell up; did you ever hear what I said?" 

He hadn't, he hadn't even been trying to that time; most of the questions never felt like questions and the demands all sounded the same.  He wondered, idly, if there was going to be a stain across the tiles later. 

"Isaac." 

He couldn't bring himself to care, not about the stain anyway, or the broken dishes, the ruined meal or even the fight that had caused it all.  He couldn't remember what the fight had been about; that too just ran all together those days.  Work? Maybe it was that. Maybe it was nothing at all; there were more of those lately. 

Max had made it all the way into the living room, a trail of accusations heavy in the air that felt like he was only hearing it muted, from a distance. 

Isaac sighed, retrieved a cloth from one of the drawers and knelt to pluck piece by piece the broken glass from the puddle. If he didn't do it Max definitely wasn't going to, and the argument later would be worse than just a few broken dishes; he was too tired for that, to even consider it. 

He flinched, feeling the bite of glass and drawing his hand back sluggishly, the line of swelling blood the same indistinguishable gray as he held the fabric to the shallow wound. 

Too tired. 

"I'm leaving," he left the cloth in the sink, the glass scattered across the floor and the spreading red to sink into the tiles; more of a mark than he wanted to have there anymore. 

Max scoffed, disinterest obvious in the eye roll that accompanied the words, "Yeah? And go where? You'll just come back anyway." The sneer, cold, turned into a mocking laugh.  

It was a good point though, a point that felt like a weight on his shoulders, a dragging sensation; did he have anywhere to go? Friends? Anything that hadn't been poisoned from the inside out by Max?  No, he didn't, not anymore. 

"I don't know," he answered, honestly.  He didn't care either, so long as it was anywhere else but there. 

Chinese Takeout (the night after)

It shouldn't have felt so strange to be alone, shouldn't have felt like such a relief. 

The too-oily, too spicy noodles in the white carton weren't even good; the plastic menu tossed on the bedside table argued otherwise but was clearly a poor judge of such things. The ugly carpet blanketing the floor was the distinct mix of red, brown and gold that made up the hotel room standard but he didn't mind; it was better than grays. 

His phone had been buzzing for a good hour, bouncing and humming on the bed with missed calls, texts and voicemails but that time he had made his mind up not to answer. That time he was sticking by his decision. He didn't even notice when the battery finally died and the phone went blissfully silent. 

The glow of infomercials on the television lit up the space in soft tones of saturated blue as he took a bite of the weakly flavored Chinese takeout and thought, again, that there in the quiet of the tiny room it was just about the best meal he'd had in months. 

Pizza Planet delivery (Dian's disappearance)

"You need to eat," she reminded him in that tone both kind and resolute; giving no room for argument. And he had plenty of them to offer, not the least of which was how he couldn't bring himself to care about those things when everything else felt so out of place.  The knot was back in his stomach in a way he hadn't felt since before Swynlake, before home and family. 

Because family was the reason for it, wasn't it? Every day that tumbled into the next he felt the space where his brother should have been get a little larger, the ache settled a little deeper; Isaac didn't want to mourn someone he knew was still there, just too far for him to reach. But it felt that way, like he was standing vigil over an empty grave. 

He couldn't find much reason to manage many meals lately that weren't only something to dull the worries; alcohol had taken the place of anything more substantial on his worst days, indifference had taken over the rest. 

"Sorry Jess, I don't feel so great is all." The excuse felt weak, true, but that didn't make it less shallow when he offered it. The couch around him was soft enough that he just wanted to stay there, pretend it was all okay, and count the days. 

"I can see that," she agreed, but gave him little choice as she pushed the plate into his hands, "but you promised me a movie night and we can't have one of those without pizza." As though it were some rule, some dire truth that the entire evening hinged upon.  It wasn't that, but she would make it be, if it swayed him into the idea of doing just a little better job of taking care of himself. 

Isaac started to protest but lost the determination, knew she was right; but that didn't make it any easier. Didn't make the first bite more appealing, nor the second, but nothing was going to taste very good while he was so resolved to disconnect from that simple pleasure. It was a purposed motion, an effort. 

But an effort he had to make, bite by bite, so he could get through that evening, the next, and a few more difficult ones still to come. 

It would get better, it just couldn't yet. 

Eggplant Parmesan (first date, the second time around)

He moved around the kitchen with what was fast becoming practiced ease; only a few months in the house, his house, and Isaac had spent enough time inside that brightly-lit, sunshine yellow space to navigate it without having to devote his full attention to watching his step. And there, even more than most of the house, he felt in his element. 

A splash of red spilled across the counter and something in the back of his mind shifted with an old discomfort that had been buried for years. He stared for a moment, then took a breath and shook his head, reaching for the cloth by the sink to wipe it away. And if it stained, well, he could fix that too with just a hint of the magic that ran through his veins, couldn't he?  That was all that mattered; even stains could, like mistakes, be fixed. 

The oven door stood open, the glass dish retrieved and set up the counter, and his hands didn't shake that time. They could have, but they didn't. 

There were so many could haves and might haves in his memories; all greytone and stale and so far away in that moment. He wasn't certain they would be, in a way it was like a test again, for himself. 

It would be different this time, he told himself, let himself believe it; years since he had ever thought things might get better but maybe they could. They were starting over, starting better; starting with more honesty between them.

He didn't feel giddy over the possibility the way he assumed he might, he felt something better than that; Isaac felt grounded. He felt like the maybes weren't just hopeful notions because he needed something to hold onto; they were possibilities that gave him something to work towards.  And he didn't have to do that alone. 

He admired his efforts as the kitchen filled with the warm scent of oregano and garlic, wiping his hands on the cloth; he hadn't forgotten the faint scar across his fingertips, no, it just didn't really hurt as much anymore.  He still needed the scars, and what he had built from them, but the apprehension came and went, good days and bad ones. 

The knock at the door pulled him away from his thoughts and left them behind there within the sunny walls. Good days and bad ones; it was a good one.  He reached for the handle when he reached the end of the hallway, knowing that Nick was waiting on the other side; the smile had already reached his lips.  

Of all the places he could have, there wasn't anywhere else he would have rather been.

#swynwrimo #swynwrimoz #i didn't make it to ten #but this was so long already #so #tw: child neglect #tw: food issues #tw: domestic abuse #tw: abusive relationships #tw: blood

[superhiro-hamada]

Tuesday, November 8 -- 160 Characters or Less: Write a story using either Tweets or entirely in texts between characters. (This is a one-shot prompt, not something you do with others.)

Sometimes it’s the conversations you can’t have that are the hardest. CW: Reference to death and grief

#swynwrimo #swynwrimoz #takes place in the roughly little less than a year time span after the accident and before Hiro moved to swynlake #the last message being about eight months after Tadashi's death and Hiro's supposed death #tw: death #tw: grief #featuring: Hiro's friends back home #history: ari #history: rina #history: jai #history: anders

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Wednesday, November 23 — "It's time to BeReal": Post five BeReals from a random time of day in your character’s life; give us a front-facing pic and a pic of what they’re doing. 

#swynwrimo #swynwrimoz #of course I picked Cael #he counts as a character #absolutely #he has his own storyline #yes #medes is fine #also I did six of these #oops #it's fine #cw knife

[ianthedisastrous]

Task 30 -- SWYNRP Character Wishlist: A list of 10+ characters you’d like to see in the RP (for you to play or someone else!)

Patricia “Trixie” Schaal

So, here's the thing. This is a newer skeleton, yes, but also? The want I have for this character to exist is fully selfish and I already have such a strong plot idea here. Just the skeleton alone! Do I absolutely need a mysterious rival/friend to Hiro who he has interacted with online for so long and is absolutely probably a crush, actually showing up and busting him on his sneaky illegal online activities? Yes! Do I need this person to be someone with a crush on him from his online persona? Yes! Do they share the same 'i am so much cooler online' people anxiety? Absolutely! Could it potentially be even funnier if she's a uni student and Hiro had talked about his own college exploits with her, outing himself as lying about basically everything in his life now? Also yes. 

Please someone bring me some weirdness and awkwardness because I truly need more tech characters around with Hiro and this one caught my eye the minute it was posted.

Ichabod Crane

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is, in fact, my favorite old horror story. I absolutely have devoted so much time learning about that story and the history to it and I love it very much. So I need, not want, need, some to pick up the character for three reasons; I have some very big plot ideas with Zero here, Ichabod is just absolutely amazing and making him a writer is such a good choice, and lastly…someone needs to pick him up so I won't. Because I shouldn't, but I want to, very badly, and I want very badly to see what the very creative people here would do with him. There can never be enough spooky characters; I stand by this. 

Miriam Mendelsohn

Again, this is another potential tech kid I want to see for reasons. (if I can't have BH6 characters around I will steal connections with any tech character from any franchise, yes) But even beyond how much I love 'the living a life online, having to adapt to a real social life' vibe (obviously given Hiro), I also love the possibility for diversity! Miriam was easily my favorite character in Turning Red and I can fully see some room for gender diversity here!

James “Zurg” Zetterburg

I loved Lightyear, it's right up there with my favorites now and Zurg's skeleton just brings me such intense pain, in the best ways. I think he would be an excellent addition to the older demographic of town and I love a good sympathetic 'villain' story so I'm so wanting to see him around. Just the desperation of spending your life trying to find the one thing you think will fix everything but the world moved on without caring about what you were trying to do? It's especially poignant with an older character who feels their voice is going unheard. We get that dynamic with some of our teens because it's a very common teenage issue, but it's overlooked that that sort of dismissal can haunt people in any frame of life.  Honestly, I can see so much potential with this character and need to see it play out, so badly. 

Declan Twaddell

This skeleton fascinates me and I love the take on this character! Although it's pretty open-ended as to what sort of Fae he is exactly, since we do have Changelings that are Seelie or Unseelie, the skeleton leans more to the Unseelie side and I'd like to see how that plays out. Or, what I would really like to see is something beyond our High Fey and a totally different sort of Unseelie. There are so many that could be referenced or adapted to the idea and the Fae are so broad; someone please pick up this outstandingly good skeleton before I do because my brain is already working out the possibilities. Help. 

For real tho, this is my favorite recent skeleton and this character needs to exist! Someone! (Also Declan is a great name so there's also that.)

Sigh. I want this one so bad. 

Reginald “Rex” Barnum

I very much feel this guy is just made to be buddies with Isaac. Their Magick and Mundus inclusive classrooms? The vibes with that are just too good. Rex is too good. Someone please bring me this adorable dragon and give Isaac a work buddy he can be a total nerd about how excited he is over his job. This is fully a pitch because I want more Swynlake Primary folks around, yes, so I can have more work friends for Isaac, but come on, really? Rex is great! We need more sunshine around town! Pls? Someone? Plus, he's a dragon!

Marin MacGill

Yet another someone get this character before I do because this concept is just so good. Mirror world? That just sounds like such a great idea and so much fun to play with. Genius. I love strange magic and this is one that strikes me as particularly unique; I would love to see it fleshed out! Also, as always, I love to see more gender diversity and I could see some real potential here to like the idea of mirror world to some of our existing lore relating to non-human Magicks. I could probably ramble on about this too long so I will leave it at someone really should get Martin, it feels like a travesty that they aren't around yet! (Yanno, before I do because I really don't need to be thinking about it.) 

#Swynwrimo #swynwrimoz #okay once again I failed to do ten #but my brain was tired

[isaac-morey]

Sunday, November 27 --  9 to 5: What does your character’s work/school day look like? Include 7 tasks that they have to complete throughout the day!

A typical day in the classroom, from first person perspective.

Start of the Day! 

That means; checking emails you've definitely gotten overnight about who will be out sick, who has to leave early, and whatever other last minute details parents have graciously left you to find out the day of. Also your early planning period, so organizing supplies for the day, sorting out the ongoing battle that is the snack cabinet, and (hopefully) getting through your morning coffee before the kids show up. 

Morning Sensory Play! 

Meticulously arrange bins, move tables, and carefully set up spots around the room with containers full of this week's array of textures, colors and sounds for everyone to explore as they settle in for the school day. Get an entire ten minutes before bins are scattered, objects are all over the floor and general chaos ensues. Ignore the fact you'll be scraping sticky tape off the floor for a few days, it's fine. 

Snack Time! 

The universal rules about toddlers and food are; what they love one day they will randomly hate the next, no two kids are happy with the same snack, and hell hath no fury like a four year old who doesn't want to share cookies. You, however, know how to navigate this jungle. This is why you have an entire cabinet full of snacks on rotation, have memorized food allergies, and are aware of what colors (because, yes, low grade meltdowns have come from someone wanting pink juice instead of purple) are acceptable to which child that day. 

Storytime/Music Time! 

Depending on the day of the week, we have now reached that point in the morning when it's either testing your voice acting skills via several (one is unacceptable, two is barely tolerable but some days the kids will let you get away with only three) books relating to whatever that week's lesson theme is, or your vocal stylings through sing-a-longs. You're not going to be landing any guest roles on TV or record deals but, hey, at least you know how to get the kids laughing. 

Naptime! 

There are three types of toddlers; those who sleep, those who are content to sit with their quiet time boxes and entertain themselves while those who sleep can, and those who require hugs, songs, and your undivided attention. It's also your second planning period of the day but don't expect to get that done, not unless you're particularly good at typing around a small child who fell asleep in your lap (which child rotates often but expect no less than one) and another quietly recounting the weekend adventures of their hamster, Mr. Fuzzy.

Art Time! 

With a class of, mostly, rested kids it's time to make a mess. There's something truly wonderful about watching them mix colors and glue their masterpieces together. A little less wonderful is the argument and tantrums that often follow sharing crayons, paints and paper but it's easy enough to distract! Magic does give you a little advantage there, and you've never met a toddler who wasn't excited to watch things change colors and learn how to do the same themselves with paint and markers. 

Lunchtime! 

Not yours, or technically yours too but first, while your classroom is absent of kids, it's cleanup time from the morning activities. Art supplies put away, stray toys back into boxes, wiping off the colorful, glittery, impressive mess that always builds until that break. It's mostly damage control though, actual cleaning has to wait for more time. Occasionally you get around to your second cup of coffee for the day, and possibly even a text or two between quick cleanup, this is why you have your own snack drawer after all; eating and cleaning at the same time is a underrated skill. 

Playtime! 

Afternoons are the downward slope, time to enjoy the day and watch the kids just be kids. The toys come out, costume boxes, and, yes, you will be expected to participate. A few arguments over toys are expected, just the nature of things, but most of the remaining afternoon you'll be spending at the demand of a herd of toddlers and their imaginations. The class is studying dinosaurs this week; better make sure you brush up on your T-Rex roars because that's practically a requirement. It's the best time of the day. 

End of the Day! 

After everyone has gone off home it's time to clean up, put things away, play the 'find all the counting bears' game (there are exactly 25 small plastic bears of each solid color, five colors, to be located and put into their bins or you will step on them in the morning and it will hurt. Experience has confirmed this), and call it a day. A long day, but a good day. 

The sort of day you go back to again and again because you can't imagine anything being better than this. 

Although you really are regretting buying those bears; those things are worse than Legos. 

#swynwrimo #swynwrimoz #yes I did way more than I was supposed to but this was fun #and I love Isaac in teacher mode #so

[ianthedisastrous]

Swynwrimo Checklist

Tuesday, November 1 -- Ghazal Poem: A poem in a ghazal structure! Can be written from a character’s perspective, about a character, or about something in the RP in general. Bonus points if it is canon. (Read more about Ghazals here) .

Wednesday, November 2 -- Community Flyer: Make a flyer for a community event that could possibly happen somewhere in town. These can be pre-established or make up something new! (Open mic night at Hatter’s, poetry nights at Chapter Three, local blood drive, arts and crafts at Town Hall, music lessons, trash pick up, etc.) 

Thursday, November 3 -- The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Make a list of 10 items your character has received as a gift and describe what the item means to them (if at all).  

Friday, November 4 -- #OOTD: Come up with five significant full outfits from your character’s wardrobe/life and describe them in detail. 

Saturday, November 5 -- Family Ties One-Shot: Write a one-shot revolving around your character’s family, include 3 family members minimum. (This can include whatever your character’s definition of family is.)

Sunday, November 6 — Soundtrack to Your Life: Create a playlist that reflects a significant story moment for your character (a past thread, a childhood memory, etc). 10 songs with descriptions.

Monday, November 7 -- Business Savvy Thread: Plot a thread that takes place in one of Swynlake’s businesses with a mun that you don’t currently have a thread with.

Tuesday, November 8 -- 160 Characters or Less: Write a story using either Tweets or entirely in texts between characters. (This is a one-shot prompt, not something you do with others.)

Wednesday, November 9 -- SwynRPVision: Create your own TV show, book, video game, piece of media, etc. that would exist in the SwynRPuniverse which does not exist in ours. Write a description, make a graphic, write a script or do whatever you want. 

Thursday, November 10 --  Love Is Stored In The Garlic: Write about 10 significant meals that your character has had in their lives. Is it their favorite pasta dish? Is it the meal they were broken up over? Up to you to decide! Bonus points for images. 

Friday, November 11 -- Lo-Fi Beats to Be a Magick to: Create a playlist for a type of Magick in the Swynverse — you don’t have to have one in play! For instance, a werewolf playlist could include “Werewolves of London”, “Howl,” and  “Running with the Wolves.” Minimum 10 songs, with a line or two explaining why you added it. 

Saturday, November 12 -- Background NPC: Write about a moment of your character’s life from the perspective of an NPC character. 

Sunday, November 13 -- Crack!ship AU: Write a crack!ship au. This should be a one shot of any characters in the roleplay, yours or someone else’s! Definition of a crackship: seriously this shit can’t happen but in an alternate universe. Add 10 applicable aO3 tags (enemies to lovers, modern au, etc.) This is a one-shot. 

Monday, November 14 -- Neighborly Plotting: Plot a thread with your neighbor(s) using the demographic sheet. If you live somewhere like the Woods, where there are no house numbers, headcanon who you live near! 

Tuesday, November 15 -- Pet Playlist! Make a playlist for your character’s pet — or a significant animal in their lives. 10 songs minimum, a little description for each song.

Wednesday, November 16 -- The Character Tour: create a travel itinerary featuring 10 significant locations from your character's life (can be in the same town/city, country, or even around the world!). You can do this in a saved Google Map too. 

Thursday, November 17 -- Wanted Ad: Create a plot call for a service your character needs or wants. Examples include: needing a babysitter, being a babysitter, tutoring/study buddy, etc. Post your plot call in the plot call Discord! (Graphics encouraged, but not required.)  

Friday, November 18 -- Which Character Are You?: Make a UQuiz for people to determine which of your characters they are. 

Saturday, November 19 -- Five Times X, One Time Y: Five times your character did a thing and one time … they didn’t. Get creative with what this means, but structure it in that same manner. 

Sunday, November 20 -- Short and Sweet One-Shot: Write ten short-short stories of no more than a paragraph long (can star one or multiple characters.) 

Monday, November 21 -- Back to the Future Thread: Write either a flashback or a flashforward thread with another mun! (This could be an existing connection or a connection that could possibly happen 10 years in the future! Should be 10+/- years in the past/future.) 

Tuesday, November 22 — Enter the Metaverse: Your character’s computer! List five bookmarks, their last five visited websites, their last five Google searches, five applications/programs they have on their computer, their screensaver and lockscreen! 

Wednesday, November 23 — "It's time to BeReal": Post five BeReals from a random time of day in your character’s life; give us a front-facing pic and a pic of what they’re doing. 

Thursday, November 24 -- Personality Aesthetic: Make a personality aesthetic for 3 characters or 3 different personality types. These can be anything: Hogwarts houses, Myers-Briggs, star charts, Enneagram, vice/virtue, etc.

Friday, November 25 --  SWYNRP Memes: Create memes (there are websites where you can do this) about characters, places, or things that happen in Swynlake! (10 minimum)

Saturday, November 26 -- The Final Labor: Based on the final task for the labors, write an AU featuring all your characters in a role. Choose an AU, set out a list of goals for yourself based on tropes within that AU (ex. a red shirt has to die if you’re doing Star Trek or someone in the group gets bitten by a zombie and doesn’t tell the rest if you’re doing an apocalypse), then write to your heart’s content! To count, each character must have a role and your tropes must be laid out beforehand. 

Sunday, November 27 --  9 to 5: What does your character’s work/school day look like? Include 7 tasks that they have to complete throughout the day! 

Monday, November 28 -- Extreme Makeover: SwynRP Edition: Plot a thread where two characters are giving something — or someone! — a makeover. You also need to create before and after aesthetics/graphics for the makeover.

Tuesday, November 29 -- LinkedIn: Create a resume for one of your characters! Bonus points if you then have them interview somewhere. 

Wednesday, November 30 -- SWYNRP Character Wishlist: A list of 10+ characters you’d like to see in the RP (for you to play or someone else!)

#sywnwrimo #swynwrimoz #swynwrimo22