Created for the Monthly Simlit Short Story Challenges hosted by Lisabeesims. We are a little story telling community that would love to see new writers joining in. Get more info and read the other stories at the end of the month HERE. There is usually a readers choice poll that I will link and encourage reading all of the submissions.
Credits To find Sims used here find #SalamanderBay in the gallery. Thank you to everyone who has joined in on this theme this month. The big community of homes on water is a lot by Tuittu1111 in the gallery.
Created for the Monthly Simlit Short Story Challenges hosted by Lisabeesims. We are a little story telling community that would love to see new writers joining in. Get more info and read the other stories at the end of the month HERE.
She sips her wine while pensively gazing out of the picture window at the old, gnarled and essentially dead tree with it’s single living branch bearing three diseased leaves clinging to life. She sings along to the lyrics that speak to her, even though she cannot discern their metaphorical meaning with any certainty. Somehow this song always feels deeply relevant.
The dying tree, the family tree; infected from the roots up. It has been there long before she was alive. She let it die, walking away from the lost cause that it was, but now there was no question that it needed to be cut down. She would have to call in an arborist for the job, otherwise she would risk those roots spreading disease through her now thriving garden nearby.
Ruminating about roots is a common occurrence for her; odd since she denies having or even needing them. But, she cannot help herself as she imagines herself a ghostly figure travelling back in time to the furthest known histories documented of her own family tree with curiosity and fascination.
As the beast of a tree is felled she wonders what nurtured this sprawl of once-living branches? When did the infection begin? Was it always there only to grow stronger with each new branch? Or did it arrive on the wind to weave its way into the parent plant’s tissues? Did the ongoing procreation and regeneration spread the disease or did the disease mutate the future growth? Nature or nurture? Environment or genetics?
The garden is bright now, no longer permanently shaded by the repressive gloom of the dead overhang. Blooms and colour come alive again. Birds and critters joyfully return. The tree is gone, but not without leaving one hopeful seed behind. She will plant it and call it her own. With care it will weather storms and hot searing droughts despite living in this confined space.
It will not reproduce; bear neither fruit nor seed. It will not burrow in deep roots of its own; that would be too risky with elements of the infection surely remaining deep down in that soil. But, these new roots are enough to bear the weight of growth as it reaches towards the sky to soak in the sunshine.
I highly recommend reading The Fool and The Frog to learn about Salien’s parents and their species.
I was very much inspired by the two days in my Twitch stream where we discussed many variations of the HOT theme. Also… you have to know about these amazing pets meticulously hand painted by Pugowned.
Find each of these in the creators’ gallery or with the #minraedmini or #minraedminis hashtag.
“I am your dwarf. I am the enemy within. I am the boss of your dreams. See. Your hand shakes. It is not palsy or booze. It is your doppelganger trying to get out. Beware.” Anne Sexton
“They say that when you meet somebody that looks just like you, you die.” P. Wish
Today’s writing prompt spins… above and below.
Sending out well wishes to Mena and her husband today. xo
Sentence Stems for Writing Warmup
If I had a doppelganger I would get them to…
My alternate universe/reality doppelganger would be…
Today’s spin was a Believe Card
Goth Family post apocalyptic doppelganger micro story panels will post soon.
If you can use the word “febrile” in your story, a new Sim in CAS, or micro-simlit (a single image with a few lines of text that tell a story) then tag me and use #minraedminis as the hashtag. Keep scrolling for the prompts and inspirations shared over the two weekend streams.
Above is what is called a sentence stem; try writing a short description of what is happening to lead to this image of a scorched sim.
Saturday’s spin of inspiration wheel…
Today’s creative spark came from using the first submission for the HOT #minraedminis, Lady Valentina and the home that I gave her in stream today.
When you hear of me speaking of “micro simlit” this is what I am hoping to inspire – very short story bits with a corresponding image.
words that either mean hot or are used to describe hot in metaphorical ways maybe helpful
Then continued on Sunday…
The top rhyme is an old fashioned thing I used to hear my day say. The bottom one features Peapod’s #minraedminis submission. We made a set, a photo and Menabuchner wrote a little poem.
Thank you for joining in. I hope you enjoy the mindfulness and writer’s self care prompts for this week. For next week’s theme click HERE
Credits below for the two builds and two main sims used here. All of these came from submissions to Murkland’s Murkspiration Challenge Mutant Motors. Find more of these with the #mutantmotor hashtag on the gallery.
The background story idea started with my #plumbobber14 submission Heqet Hu’Ah HERE (as per rules – approximately 550 words – within the 800 word limit) The gorgeous lots used for set designs are as shown below…
Created for the Monthly Simlit Short Story Challenge hosted by LisabeeSims HERE When it comes time to vote please read all of the stories submitted before voting. Credits and notes at the end of the story. (oh the glaring spelling mistakes I didn’t catch during proof reading, ug) I recently watched the show Behind Her Eyes, which also inspired bits of this. .
as per the rules – 20 images, approximately 810 words I will add the images of the gallery sims and lots used when the gallery is working for me again. .