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Random Writing, Blogs and Adventures |
A mix of Random writing in an attempt to organize my thoughts, storyboard ideas and conserve portfolio space in the process. |
Prompt 6. Sept 6. Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets. Paul Tournier Can you share a secret? Small or big, tell us. No? Tell us why not. Day 6 of Birthday Blogging for "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" ![]() If I revealed a secret, would it still be a secret? My handle is a pen name so there are certain secrets behind it. On the other hand I probably share a lot more on this site than I would in my personal life as I put a lot of my own feelings and thoughts into my writing. In terms of secrets though, I will give a couple away that I can think of off the top of my head. The most immediate is my writing handle Kingssidecastle and where it comes from. Kingssidecastle is actually a type of chess move where the king and rook switch places. In chess castling is done both defensively and offensively. The rook is much better piece for attacking while the king has limited mobility. In addition to that, losing the king results in the player losing the game. Castling usually moves the king behind pawns protecting it while at same time moving the rook into a position where it is able to attack more easily. There are two types of castling in chess a king's side castle where the king switches with the rook closest to it and a Queen's side castle where the king switches with the rook farther away from it. As a chess lover, I choose the move for my handle. It also works really well because I can abbreviate my signature with either the king or rook chess piece i.e. - ![]() or - ![]() Another secret fun fact that ties in with this is that I actually was the person who suggested that Chess pieces be added as emoticons on this site. I am really happy the Story Mistress took it up and added them. In addition to that I was also the person who sponsored the Grandmaster Community Merit Badge. ![]() The image in the badge is actually based on the logo from the Chessmaster computer game series. I originally wanted the badge to be a Chessmaster badge but was politely advised that it was too niche for a community badge. I opted for the more recognized term of grandmaster which still reflects the chess origins. ![]() Word Count 388 Words |
Prompt 5. Sept 5. "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Dr. Seuss Tell us more about the writer in you. Plans/Aspirations/Fears/Status etc?" Day 5 of Birthday Blogging for "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" ![]() It is hard to believe that I used to blog daily at one point. Even 5 blogs in I feel like I haven't exercised my blogging muscles in awhile. Hopefully this will get easier before the end. My writing tends to go in three directions. One would be similar to this where I tend to share my own thoughts in a relaxed type of blog entry. It tends to be a little bit chaotic as I'm giving a train of thought. If I am following a prompt (like with this entry, it is a little bit more organized as I keep to one general idea. I like blogging because it allows to share and analyze different experiences that I have been having. The other type of writing that I like doing is Poetry. There is more of an exercise done for fun as I tend to follow a particular format when I am writing it. It is sort of a game for me. The last of writing that I like doing is fiction. I am a huge Sci fi fan. I am currently planning some adventure, science fiction and action stories and arcs. I have three big projects I am currently working on. A ninja storyline, a steampunk storyline and a magic storyline. I'll tease a little bit about the Steampunk story, this was inspired by WDC prompt and deals with a time traveler who travels back in time using a mystery machine he finds. It has a little bit of a "Back to the Future feel to it. In terms of fears, when it comes I struggle with thinking faster than I am able to transcribe my work. There is always a fear in the back of my head when I plot out a large story that I won't be able to finish it. I look forward to writing out some of these arcs though. ^_^ Word Count: 359 Words |
Prompt ![]() ![]() Day 4 of Birthday Blogging for "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" ![]() This entry will probably be a bit more on the random end as there are a lot of thoughts that run through my mind that this image inspires. One note about the prompt for this, there was a choice of 4 options but I couldn't resist choosing the dragon image. This one seems a little different from the dragons I am typically used to. It has a little bit more of a cute look to it. The nose reminds me a little bit of a lion. It reminds me a little bit of Falkor the dragon in the Neverending Story. With the green color it gives off the feel of a cross between Falkor and a classic dragon. Dragons are becoming popular on WDC currently with the activity Dragon Vale. I have been participating in it regularly raising two baby dragons into adults. I have a Fire and Rainbow dragon currently. My fire dragon is named Blaze while the Rainbow dragon is named Prism. I actually wrote a short freeverse poem for Prism and a rap battle response for Blaze. As a fantasy fan, I actually really like Dragons a lot. I have read a lot of stories about them from one notable appearance in the hobbit, their roles as destroyers in a Song of Ice and Fire, their focus in the Inheritance cycle and lighter stories such as My Father's Dragon. There is also one that is used for comical effect in the Musical series. He looks like a lizard but only at the end of the series he is revealed to be an actual dragon. Dragons come in a variety of with only some having the ability to speak. They all tend to be portrayed as creatures worthy of admiration being either extremely wise and powerful and often possessing both those traits. Regardless of the variety, they are always fun to read about. I always imagined flying on the back of one of them. They are great mystical creatures. Word Count 338 Words. |
Day 3 of Birthday Blogging for "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" ![]() Prompt 3. Sept 3. You can achieve all the things you want to do, but it's much better to do it with loved ones around you; family and friends, people that you care about that can help you on the way and can celebrate you, and you can enjoy the journey. ~John Lasseter Your most significant other(s) is/are....! Write about your loved ones (furry or not). This was an easy entry for albeit it might be a little bit more Sappy and sentimental than my typical writing. There are 4 people in my life that immediately come to my when I think about loved ones. My mother, father and two brother. I touched upon this briefly in my last entry. My parents have always been there looking out for me and I am really grateful to them for it. My father is one of the people I admire the most. He is extremely smart and kind. He is always able to keep cool in challenging situation and I aspire to be like him. My love of reading an ability and an writing abilities I possess comes from him. My mother is an amazing woman. She has incredible artistic skills and she is smart in her own right. I often times take her for granted but she has always been looking out for me. We tend to clash rather often as she has a bit of a hair trigger temper but when I think about all she has done for me... driving me and my brothers to school every day while working part time and looking after us every day... I realize how great she is. My two brothers are awesome as well. I am the oldest of 3. Compared with my middle brother, I tend to be a bit of an underachiever but he continues to admire me. He is an amazing brother. He always makes an effort to look out for me and I try to do the same him as well. My youngest brother is really sweet. He is extremely smart and aspire to be a scientist. I am always impressed with how much he grows every day. He is a great brother as well. I am very lucky to have such a good family. ![]() Word Count 383 words. |
Day 2 of Birthday Blogging for "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" ![]() Prompt: Tell us about an earthshaking Life-or-Death situation in your life. What happened, how did it change you, if at all? This prompt made me think about one of the turning points in my life. My weakness has always been making important decisions as I tend to take a long time considering my options. I had gone into my late 20s without deciding on a career choice. It had gotten very bad as I was only working part time without any goals set. If I didn't make a decision soon... I would not have been able to secure a future. I had gotten my degree in English literature because I love reading but the careers available to me from it seemed to be only writing based or teaching. I didn't really like either of those options. The other options left to me was to study a new career path in college. Looking back I think that I was too scared about my future to decide on anything. I was extremely lucky that I had really good family support. My parents never gave up on me and kept encouraging me to go forward with my life but they also gave me the time to think things through. I had delayed making the decision for years. Then my younger brother passed away and everyone in my family was devastated. This was an earth shattering event for everyone. As my family was grieving I didn't want them to have worrying about me as well. It ended my indecisiveness and it pushed me forward in deciding where I wanted to do. I applied for a Master's Degree in Computer science switching fields and using the money I had saved up working part time to fund my education. It ultimately led to my current job though there have been a lot of bumps and hurdles along the way. Thinking about this was a life and death decision for me. If I hadn't made the jump forward I do not know where I would be now. Word Count 346 Words |
This is just a brief entry for tonight following the Birthday prompt for "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" ![]() Prompt Day 1: Prompt 1. Sept 1. "It's the site's 24th Anniversary. Tell us about your love or fondness of Writing.com. What makes this a wonderful place for writers? Why are you (still) here?" It is hard to believe that I have been on the site for over 17 years now. I joined Writing.com back in November 2007. For me the site is purely extracurricular. I tend to only write for fun though surprisingly my writing has developed a lot from being part of this community. I originally was drawn in for the Interactive story feature which allows authors to create multiple choice adventure stories. They also have a feature that allows other authors to continue the story. I originally started as a reader but couldn't resist participating in the adventure stories adding my own chapters and choices to my favorite interactive stories. For awhile I only contributed to the interactives here but some of the writing prompts and activities were too tempting not to try. I am a gamer at heart and I love activities like writing challenges. When the challenges offer cool prizes like merit badges for participation, I was not able to resist taking part in them. Writing.com also introduced a Trinket feature a few years back that I really enjoy a lot. They are collectible icons that writers can add to their activities and stories. I have really enjoyed scavenging the site to try to find them. I have also created a few of my own to share with the community as well. The other thing that I really love about Writing.com is the people on the site. The people I have interacted with on the site have been really nice and kind and I have made a lot of friends here. This site is a really great place with a welcoming community that allows authors to develop and grow. I have really enjoyed being a part of it. Happy 24th Birthday WDC ![]() Word Count 356 |
A crimson pollinator... encapsulates the scene. The lady of the insect world. The background canvas green. Polka dots and daffodils. Red and black and white. A golden centered flower... Shining in the light! Prompt: "Ladybug" for "EIGHT, the Weekend - 08.25.24" ![]() Image: https://www.writing.com/main/images/action/display/ver/1724549954/item_id/230713... Word Count: 33 words Line Count: 8 Lines ![]() ![]() |
The two gentleman surveyed the landscape. "We'd better inform the rest of the council," the elder of the two stated. The younger man nodded. Only one thing could have been responsible for this type of destruction... someone was experimenting with dark magic! Photo Prompt: https://www.writing.com/main/images/action/display/ver/1722806884/item_id/229335... for Round 15 of "Hook of the Book" ![]() Word Count: 42 words ![]() ![]() |
Adventurer you must be brave. What you seek lies across the waves. From there you'll journey through a cave and find a troubled path to pave. Avoid the ones that rant and rave. They'll pull you to an early grave. Give up the wish the dreamer gave and only then you'll make the save! Author's note: This was written for "EIGHT, the Weekend - 08.10.24" ![]() Word Count: 54 words Line Count: 8 Lines ![]() ![]() |
As I was drowning in the sea, a Mermaid came and rescued me. Her lips touched mine upon the shore and I could breath again once more. After she had made the save she vanished quick beneath the waves. It seemed a dream but I know this... I will treasure this mermaid's kiss. Prompt: "Mermaid" for "EIGHT, the Weekend - 08.03.24" ![]() This was most certainly inspired by the Disney version of The Little Mermaid. Word Count: 54 words Line Count: 8 Lines ![]() ![]() |