Hey everyone!

Recently I was nominated by the amazing Diamond for two tags, and I’m really excited to share it with you guys! I decided it would be easier to put both of them in the same post rather than making two separate posts for each tag, so hope you enjoy!

The Write a Prompt Tag

Rules

1. Link back to the creator of the tag and thank the blogger that tagged you. (Thanks again Diamond!)
2. Write a short story, poem, or flash fiction inspired from one (or more) of the prompts of the person who tagged you.
3. Make 5-10 of your own prompts. They can be anything: phrases, single words, quotes, pictures, music–get creative.
4. Have fun! (and let me know if you do this so I can read yours).
5. Tag 4-8 other bloggers

 I was originally planning to write a completely new story with the prompts, but then I read them and realized the one I wanted to write worked a little too well with a certain character of mine, so here we are. (Did I write this at midnight? Yes. Am I going to cringe at it in the future? Possibly. But am I posting it anyway? Absolutely.) 

The prompt I chose was: “This wasn’t how this story was supposed to end. “

 He stood alone in the middle of the crumbled city, the stone cold and unforgiving beneath his feet. The silence was interrupted only by the whistling of the wind— a stark contrast to the cries and screams that had filled the air only a few minutes before. He stood alone, staring at the now empty space in front of him, the space that had once been filled with familiar faces marred with anger and betrayal. His sword had fallen out of his hand long ago, lying forgotten on the ground near him. He didn’t have the heart to pick it up. 

 He almost felt numb. Everything that had happened felt like a dream. He wished it was— he wished he could wake up and find his friends again and laugh about how ridiculous his dream had been, because how could something like that ever happen? 

 The silence was deafening now. He’d always hated silence— even since the beginning he’d filled the quiet moments with music and the sound of his own voice. Then he was contented to hear the sound of comforting voices, of laughter and banter, and the silence was long forgotten. But there were no voices now, no music, and he didn’t dare speak aloud, because if he did the reality of the situation— the reality that it was over— would only hit him harder. 

 Something broke inside him, and the overwhelming guilt and pain threatened to swallow him whole as he fell to his knees. This wasn’t how this story was supposed to end. Their story was supposed to end with laughter and joy and long-deserved, well-earned peace. Not with a city on fire with no one inside left alive. Not with the rubble of a building that was never meant to be a tomb. Their story wasn’t supposed to end.

 So where did it all go wrong? Was it the moment he had let her stay in the city while he was away, where he couldn’t protect her? Was it the moment he had stepped foot into that building and the rest of them had followed after? Was it some random moment, some careless mistake that he hadn’t noticed, where it had all started to go downhill? Or were they doomed to fail since the beginning, since the minute he laid eyes on them, wondering who in the world they were and not realizing they would become his everything? Had all of this been to give him a fleeting glimpse at happiness, only to have it ripped away from his grasp the moment he became too comfortable? 

 And for what? He’d only been trying to fix it, trying to fix something that was never supposed to happen. In the end, it had cost him everything. Now he was left alone in the aftermath with nothing but the knowledge that he’d lost every good thing that had ever happened to him, and he had no one to blame but himself. 

 Oops, that ended up being a lot more depressing than I intended. And yes, I left out names because I’m really mysterious and definitely not because it was more fun that way. Can you tell I like writing characters having a mental breakdown soliloquies?  

Prompts:

We’d broken at least ten laws so far. 

 “If you wanted to borrow my flamethrower, you could’ve just asked.” 

 He’d told them that it was an accident. 

 “Promise me you’ll be okay.” 

 These two were going to be the death of me. 

The Sunshine Blogger Award

  The Rules:

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
2. Thank the person who nominated you.
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
4. Answer your nominator’s questions. 
5. Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
6. Ask your nominees 11 questions.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

What is a singer that you keep hearing about, and maybe you know a song or two, but you want to start listening to?

 Laufey. I have a lot of friends who love her music and I’ve heard snippets on the internet, but I’ve never sat down and properly listened to one of her songs. I guess this is a sign for me to do it! 

How has blogging differed from your expectation?

 I first started blogging around two months ago (isn’t it crazy that’s it’s already been two months? Time flies!) and honestly it’s somehow everything and nothing like I expected. It can be a struggle deciding on what to write each week, but once I start writing it’s hard to stop. It’s definitely been an experience so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes in the future! 

What is a memory from this year that is one of your favorites?

This is a really hard one! So much has happened this past year that there’s absolutely no way I can pick one. One of my favourite ones was serving as a counselor at a three-part kids’ Christian camp for two weeks. I loved every single one of my kids and it was a lot of fun hanging out with the other staff before and in between camps. 

If you could see any artist in concert, who would it be?

 Ooh, I would honestly love to see a For King + Country concert. I feel like there are a bunch of others but theirs is the first that comes to mind. 

What is a movie you would recommend to anyone?

 Christopher Robin— it’s one of my comfort movies. It’s such a cute film that’s an easy watch, and as someone who grew up with both Winnie the Pooh and too many stuffed animals to keep track of, this movie holds a special place in my heart. 

What is your favorite dog breed?

 I feel like this one changes on a daily basis, but right now it’s definitely Corgis! Have you seen them??? Have you seen a baby Corgi????? 

Do you prefer fall or summer?

 If there’s one thing you need to know about me, is that fall is my all-time favourite season. Summer is great for ice cream and time to hang out with friends, but fall is hands down the best. Like c’mon, you can’t beat the autumn vibes! 

Would you rather never read a new book or never watch a new TV show again?

 Okay, to be fair, the question is a new book or show, and as someone who always rereads and rewatches the same fifteen things, these aren’t too bad options. But it’s still hard to choose… I’ll probably choose never watch a new TV show again because there’s just too many books I want to read. 

What is a piece of slang that annoys you?

 Oof, there’s honestly a lot. The ones that annoy me the most are probably the newer slang. As a Gen Z, I do use slang, including some more recent ones, but there are some that I’ll die before I ever use it in a genuine sentence. One that annoys me would definitely be ‘sigma’ (I feel physical pain having to write it here) because unfortunately I hear it a lot in my daily life which is… not ideal, to say the least. 

What is your favorite vegetable?

 Either carrots or tomatoes. Honestly though, carrots are one of those foods that I can eat nonstop and probably never get tired of. I know some people say they taste like dirt but I like the taste and the crunch is so satisfying?? 

Would you rather live in a place with distinct but extreme seasons, or a place that has a comfortable climate yearround?

 Hmm, I’d probably pick one with a comfortable climate because it saves me from having to have different clothes for each and every season lol. 

My questions

1. What’s your favourite type of weather? 
2.  What is the worst food combination you’ve tried? 
3. If you were caught in a zombie apocalypse, which two fictional characters would you choose to help you out? 
4. What’s something you wish you could tell your past self? 
5. Which countries do you wish you could travel to? 
6. What book/movie/show do you like because you grew up with it? Do you think you would still like it if you read/watched it for the first time now? 
7. Which music artists did you grow up listening to? 
8. Do you listen to non-English music? If so, what kind do you listen to?
9. What’s your favourite month? 
10. How many languages can you speak? What language would you like to learn? 
11. If you could have one fictional item, what would you choose? 

People I nominate for both tags: You!! Or basically anyone who wants to! (Definitely not doing this because I’m very lazy lol).

Thanks for reading! – Em