Irwin was still staring at his card, wondering about the bottom line, when a jarring sensation hit him. For a moment, he felt like he was in two places, his mind dizzy. Then the familiar sensation of his otherself reasserted itself as it seemed to flow away, separate from him.
A moment later, two of them hung in the soulscape. It was an odd feeling, as it usually was, looking at himself ...
Irwin looked at Boohm, not sure what to say.
"He's looking at me, isn't he?" Boohm said, his voice as loud as ever, his dull eyes narrowing as he looked roughly in Irwin's direction. "Don't you dare think this is your fault, captain! Instead, you should be angry. I failed to protect your children. That's unforgivable!"
"I'm not angry with you," Irwin said, getting anno...
2024-10-25 17:26:28 +0000 UTC View PostEDIT1: SO, I'll just update this message to get more info to you guys instead of posting more.
So far, the reactions are roughly split between something with Scifi and a story to expand the backstory of Irwin's. Although I eventually want to write some of those backstories, for this Writathon, I will focus on something unrelated to Irwin's.
So, that means that so far, there are a co...
Greldo listened to the sounds slowly die down, sitting beside Scintilla, who was surrounded by her and Irwin's five remaining kids. Zan had returned to his lap and fallen asleep while Soot was finally asleep, hugged by his mother, who hadn't let him go since seeing he was wounded. She was softly whispering with Flux and Mia while Ti was staring at the wall, seemingly lost in thought.
... 2024-10-20 19:11:49 +0000 UTC View PostGlow shook himself, trying to stay conscious as the Niox teleported them in bursts across the surface of the moon. Each moment that they reappeared, his arms felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets. Just as he felt he couldn't hold back the encroaching darkness anymore, they reappeared mere feet above the ground. The massive wall of fire that had been growing closer cast long shad...
2024-10-19 18:10:37 +0000 UTC View PostStone splinters erupted out of the walls as a deafening guitar screech echoed between them. Footlong fissures and cracks appeared, shooting down along with the source of the sound.
Irwin watched with a tiny bit of satisfaction as the stone table cracked, then shattered apart under the initial barrage of his soulstrum guitar's power. The rest of him only wanted one thing: for these t...
2024-10-18 17:12:29 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin ran after Sadita, wondering about the oddity of being wreathed in flames and likely being the coolest point in the surrounding area. As they moved, he'd experimented with extending his flame, and it was now billowing two feet all around him, draining away the fire within another ten feet. It sounded great, but it still meant he could only see a short distance around them.
"It...
2024-10-13 17:14:26 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin waited quietly, watching Zan. She and the rest of his family stood in one of the training areas near their house. Irwin knew a few of the Blademaidens were watching them from the walls and other areas while Boohm was likely looking from somewhere. That said, none had come over, letting them do this as a family, and he appreciated it. Although the town wasn't as small as a ship, being this...
2024-10-12 18:00:48 +0000 UTC View Post"It was incredible! Though it did become a bit loud at the end," Zan said, sitting on Irwin's arm as she waved her arms around.
Irwin hummed, having a hard time keeping his attention on his daughter and not on his otherself, who was hovering with Ambraz above his soullake. Zan had been gushing over the singing of him and Chaos Whales from the moment they headed back.
"...
2024-10-11 18:31:20 +0000 UTC View PostTwo days after he and Greldo had returned, Irwin was staring at the card that lay on top of Ambraz. The image of a curved sword that was glowing within its yellow borders exuded a complex, winding web of soulforce that matched the multi-layered resonating song that was softly reverberating through the room.
"This is the best I can do," Irwin said, feeling annoyed.
"Do I hear some ...
Irwin took a deep breath of the much cooler air as he looked around the watery moon. Unlike Smolderball, Jellyfish Moon had a temperature closer to what Irwin knew was perfect for most species. That said, except for the massive Draighneán Neamha, on one of which he was standing right now, there was barely any creature alive.
"It's very, very, close!" Greldo said as he pop...
2024-10-05 19:36:43 +0000 UTC View Post"I'm glad we didn't run across this on our own," Mia whispered to Flux.
Glow was poking his sword into the unmoving form of the primate.
"Scaledmonkey," he declared, putting all of his paltry weight on his blade, which was still not piercing the scaled skin.
Irwin sighed, then nodded.
"Fine, we can call them Scaledmonkeys from now," he said. H...
2024-10-04 17:42:42 +0000 UTC View Post"So… what are template cards?" Greldo asked.
Irwin pulled his gaze away from the sand below his feet.
"Do you remember what I told you about Derlin cards?" Irwin asked.
"Yeah, that crazy story about a race of rabbits that live inside cards and grant wishes?"
Irwin grimaced, remembering that he said something similar. From Ambraz's soft, snor...
2024-09-29 19:48:46 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin watched the moon as he hung in the odd place just between it and the gas giant. He was already feeling himself falling toward it, but it was so slow it wasn't distracting. Not compared to looking at the moon.
Covered in vast brown-leaved forests split apart by vast regions of green liquid, he was startled by the lack of diversity. Just a single type of leaf and a smooth, homo...
2024-09-28 19:53:02 +0000 UTC View PostRindiri slowly walked through the room and saw that many of the captive smiths were looking at them, faces hollow and covered in gruesome wounds. She had expected screams and shouts to let them free, but none of them let out as much as a groan. Somehow, their quiet suffering made it worse.
The crying became louder as they reached the door, and as they looked inside, Rindiri swallow...
2024-09-27 17:54:09 +0000 UTC View Post"I'll be fine," Irwin said as he stood beside Scintilla in the tiny sloop.
Crumblecrag was far below them, and a glance down saw the few tiny dots that were his friends and family, seemingly unmoving right below them.
"If that's true, why can't I follow you?" she asked.
"Because you can't survive without air," Irwin said, not for the first time.
<... 2024-09-22 17:41:49 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin reappeared in the yellow clouds, this time unsurprised as he began dropping down. He pulled the small, four-man boat out of his soulscape. As soon as it appeared, he grabbed it and pulled himself inside. The odd shape of the boat caused them to start spinning as he pulled himself to the helm, and he quickly jabbed his finger at one of the runes. Immediately, the boat’s small sail swishe...
2024-09-21 19:16:03 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin examined the instability of the soulforce before him. The massive explosion of the Chaos Whale hadn't done any noticeable damage to the closed portal, and after inspecting it a bit more, he turned to the others.
Mia stood with Zan and Ti, huddled close to Scintilla, while the three boys were being held back by a grinning Greldo. Irwin could see that Mia wanted to join t...
"They are almost in there," Greldo shouted over the constant angry screaming. "A few more got stuck, but I don't think they are going to get free!"
"Alright, then, let's get out of here," Irwin shouted back, rubbing his head.
The two of them were sitting on a fleshy ridge that Ambraz had blown into the highest part of the stomach area, while below them, a few str...
2024-09-15 19:17:56 +0000 UTC View PostIt was quiet in the room as Rindiri waited for Scander to look up from the report he was reading. Rindiri had expected Castibal to start complaining as soon as they returned back and came up with a lot of rebuttals, but it hadn't been needed. The annoying guy had simply handed Scander a paper, told him they were done now and left.
"So… an unknown species," Scander muttered ...
2024-09-14 20:09:58 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin hummed contentedly as he stepped back from where Zender knelt on the ground. The boy's eyes were burning orbs of silver while he was looking in wonder at his own hands.
"Ohhhh!"
A soft, impressed crooning came from the Ignitzians who were watching. Irwin glanced around to find a few of the younger ones whispering excitedly, their eyes locked on Zender.
... 2024-09-13 17:37:19 +0000 UTC View Post"Alright, let's start with Zender, as he seems ready to explode," Irwin said as he stood in the center of his smithy.
"About time we do this," Ambraz grunted. "We need more strong people."
Irwin looked at his companion in surprise, especially because of the slight feelings and emotions he got with the comment.
He's worried about Mia and the...
2024-09-08 19:21:23 +0000 UTC View PostRindiri glanced over the helm, watching Youritz hover above the front of the deck, his eyes closed and gleaming. His arm was still jotted forward, pointed straight into the storm that howled around them. Even after sailing through it for days, most of the crew rarely dared come up deck, fearing the thin barrier might shatter at any moment.
Not that any of them had wanted to be left...
2024-09-07 19:30:05 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin focused on the chaotic jumble of activity in the courtyard. Ignitzian Blademaidens and other soldiers were running around, some heading to walls, others slogging away from it. More were heading into the tower, carrying backpacks. Helm was keeping the airship a few hundred feet up as they searched for a spot to land.
"Irwin, can you take Zender and Boohm into your soulscape?" ...
2024-09-06 18:53:18 +0000 UTC View Post"Are you sure you don't need another day of rest?" Scintilla asked.
"No," Irwin said, quietly listening to her cards resonate again.
Ambraz let out a dry snort. "Are you sure you are prepared for the pain?"
Scintilla's eyes gleamed as she stared at the Ganvil. "I'm always prepared," she said, her smile widening. "Didn't you hear so last night?"
<... 2024-09-01 18:21:57 +0000 UTC View PostRindiri sprinted through the narrow passage, dodging a puddle of mud. The shouts and running from behind were distancing slowly. She dashed around the next intersection into a wider alley, than continued through another set of passages that were so narrow she felt her shoulders bump into the buildings on either side.
She slowed down to a normal walk when the voices were completely ...
2024-08-31 19:56:23 +0000 UTC View PostDead, pain, and anguish.
The tiny being wanted to curl in upon itself. First, it had been alone and stuck, knowing barely anything but the endless passing of time. Fait, very distant memories of before sometimes haunted him. Those were filled with joy and something else, but that was so long ago, almost as long as its moment of ignition.
Then came the pulsing pain as t...
2024-08-30 18:38:55 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin watched in awe as the Earth Titan hung in the Pyroflux above him. He didn't even notice the absence of the horrifying resonance from the lure as he watched it spin around. Its rugged, rock-covered fins flailed futilely, only resulting in spinning it faster. It might have looked funny if it wasn't creating a massive centrifugal force in the Pyroflux that was actively trying to rip every pl...
2024-08-25 20:36:36 +0000 UTC View Post"How much longer!"
Irwin looked up to see Scintilla pace around, the fire in her hair flaring up in agitation.
"No idea," he said, looking up and around.
They had returned to Canadensis over a day ago and were now sitting near the edge of the forest. A stream of Pyroflux gently rippled out from the tree line, moving toward the sea, gleaming a few hun...
2024-08-24 19:32:27 +0000 UTC View Post"No, you misunderstand," Tiscian said, interrupting Scintilla. "I want you and Irwin to go through the exit portal and flee."
"I understand, but we aren't leaving," Scintilla said, arms crossed as she frowned at her mother.
"Are you…. Daughter, if you don't leave now, you might not be able to when this is all resolved," Tiscian said.
"I won't leave one o...
2024-08-23 18:09:18 +0000 UTC View Post