Inspired partly by the idea of Inktober, but using a different medium, I spent October 2021 writing a short scene every day.
Click the links below to check them out!
Week 1
Day 1: Kat vs. the Middle-Aged Moms’ Book Club
She feels a twinge for a grief for the trees that gave their lives to become… this. As far as Kat can tell, the entire series is based on the premise of rich, elegant people falling in love. And then dying in contrived, overwrought fashion.
Day 2: Why Do Younger Siblings Happen to Good People?
“Gah! Bears!” Matilda Lyte exclaims as she is suddenly shaken awake. “Wolves! Bear-wolves!”
Day 3: K/Cat Café
“That one sneezed! He thinks he’s people!”
Day 4: “It’s Like a Wintermorn Festival in My Mouth!”
“It’s delicious! I’ve never had tongue this tender! ” She stuffs another forkful into her mouth. “And these spices! It’s like a Wintermorn festival in my mouth!”
Day 5: The Sisters Darkstone vs. the Royal Aurorean Opera Company
Dunstana Darkstone isn’t sure how to feel right now. Opera happened, and she is still trying to figure out how to react to it.
October 6, 2021 Realmgard Short Scene: Dunstana Darkstone, Professional Luck-Gremlin
“I always feel lucky.”
October 7: The Lyte Brigade Draws Up a Game Plan
Week 2
October 8: The Chapter That Became the Epilogue to ‘The Treasure of Oake Island’
“You’re so noble and selfless! I’ve never been so honoured to be a Red Wolf! Three cheers for Captain Myra!”
Myra reaches to awkwardly pat his shoulder again.
“Yeah. That’s great. I love you too, man.”
October 9: Tail as Old as Time
The older knights told him to expect the unexpected during this training exercise, but Helgi wasn’t expecting to run into — literally — a girl in the middle of the forest.
And he certainly wasn’t expecting that girl to have ears poking out through her ginger hair or a fluffy tail wagging behind her.
Day 10: The Young Ladies of Porthaven Build a Pillow Fort
The three young ladies, two slightly less young ladies, and one graduate student of Magicology have raised a fortification the likes of which has not been seen in Realmgard since the days of the ancient Elven Empire.
Day 11: The Harvest Festival
“I’m thankful that there’s a turkey in here other than Dunstana for once,” Kat says.
Day 12: Swords, Names & Names of Swords That Sound Like Cheese
‘Ah, yes,’ he can imagine his mother saying to the guests of one of her salons, ‘the Dracomordax pairs delightfully with the Natalian red.’
Day 13: Office Hours With Professor Styrbjorn
Professor Harald Styrbjorn is the University of Porthaven’s foremost expert in the history of Hrimfax and the Hrimfaxi diaspora in Realmgard. As it happens, he takes after his own Hrimfaxi viking ancestors, taking offence to even the smallest slight and seeking satisfaction with the utmost severity.
Day 14: Sally Plays Chess
“Wow. Will you be my Mom?”
Week 3
Day 15: Introducing Lucia, Apolline & Petra — Part 1
She feels like she’s walked into the set-up for a bad joke that goes something like ‘So, a Wilderling, a Half-Troll Amazon, and an Aurorean sorceress walk into a coffeehouse and try to hire a fourth member for their group. And fail.’
She’s laughing already. Well, no. Not ‘laughing’, so much as ‘wanting to scream.’
Day 16: Introducing Lucia, Apolline & Petra — Part 2
Roland is, without a doubt, the strangest alchemist Lucia has ever met. He’s big enough that a family of four could probably live comfortably in him. His muscles have muscles on their muscles.
With the notable exception of a brain.
Day 17: Never Jump an Amazon
“My leg! She kicked my leg out of my leg!”
Day 18: The Tower of Brorvonius
Day 19: On the Sleep Habits of Sally Lyte, Part 2
“I can’t sleep,” Sally says. Not for the first time. Or the second. Or probably even the thousand-and-second.
Day 20: Pela vs. Tall People
“I don’t need help finding my parents. I am not a lost kid. I’m just short, okay?”
Day 21: Throwing a Fit[ting]
“How about this one? Have you ever seen such an utterly truculent paisley?”
“Week” 4
(actually 10 days)
Day 22: “Salnie”
via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
“Has Sally tried biting her yet?” Matilda asks.
Nolan shakes his head.
“Wow.”
Day 23: A Princess of Elves
“Wait, wait, wait!” Kat exclaims to her aunt. “You’re royalty? You’ve been my aunt for ten years, how am I only hearing this now?”
Day 24: Bleh!
“They could cut loose without tying bedsheets around themselves, buying cheap prop fangs and jumping around going ‘Bleh! I’m a vampire!’” Her frown deepens and her pale brow furrows. “We do not say Bleh!”
Day 25: Mostly just an excuse to use the word “amuse-bouche”
“The what kind of bush?”
Day 26: The Lyte Brigade’s Heroes’ Eve Party
“Yeah. I’m going as Nolan for Heroes’ Eve this year,” she answers, picking up a pot lid with a big blue L hastily drawn on it. “See?”
“Um, why?” Sally asks.
“Mostly so I can do this,” Matilda answers. She clears her throat. When she speaks, she has lowered the pitch of her voice and affected a tone of relentless optimism: “Hi. I’m Nolan. I’m Captain of the Lyte Brigade. Adventure is awesome! Let’s go do some!”
Day 27: Heroes’ Eve Night
“Well,” the Musketeer says. “What’s all this, then?”
The Musketeer is going for stern severity, though the effect is somewhat ruined by the fact that his own Heroes’ Eve costume is a fish.
Day 28: The Ballad of the Baleful Saucier
“If anybody has to go to the bathroom, go now. I don’t want you interrupting my story.”
Day 29: When you gaze at the Amara Valda, the Amara Valda gazes also at you
“Hey, Kat,” Dunstana says as she passes by. She glances up at Amara’s Kat costume. “Hey, other Kat.”
Day 30: Heroes’ Eve in Middlesbrooke
“Can I have some candy?” Roland asks from behind Lucia.
“Are you eight years old?” Lucia asks, turning to face him. “Are you — wearing a mop?”
Day 31: Post-Heroes’ Eve
Every year, their mom warns Dunstana not to eat too much candy on Heroes’ Eve night. And, every year, that warning goes unheeded.
The master list of all my Short Scenes is here.
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