worderlands | 3-sentence stories: Day 4

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!3sentencestories

3-sentence stories: Day 4

Something something *comment about self-inserts here* aaaand here's today's prompt...

The challenge: Write a three-sentence story that involves the prompt and share it in the comments! The prompt doesn’t have to be used with the precise wording - just make sure it’s clear the prompt has inspired the piece.

There's no deadline on these stories, though sooner is better if you'd like others involved in the event to read and comment.

Day 4: Fireflies in the night

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Every night, she points at the sky in awe, showing him the "lightbugs".

Every night, he forces a smile and nods, before raising his eyes skyward and watching the show with concern.

She doesn't understand that the lights are explosions from a space battle that is getting closer every night.

Embers swirled, scattered further as he loosed another breath—shakier than his last. His eyes scanned what little else remained of what he’d wrought…

…In any case, a worthy cost.

Like yesterday, no specific inspiration I can cite here beyond a cheeky prompt interpretation. There were probably more particulars in my backlog that I could draw from instead, but I was feeling edgy for whatever reason, and here we are—sue me!

As the first few freed spirits rose up into the twilight air, Luigi couldn’t help but think of fireflies, like what he would see sitting on the porch at night—but then as multitudes more joined, weaving together, they instead seemed more like massive tendrils, reaching ever upward for their homes as they left iridescent trails of light in their wake.

And they had been so close to losing all of that.

Luigi shuddered, shuffling closer to Mario, who finally let go of the tension in his shoulders.

After eight years of unwanted imprisonment inside a crypt, Horst found new appreciation for the little things in life; chief among them, presently, was the soft glow of fireflies around the two men as they walked, well, wherever Johannes was taking them.

Vampirically enhanced sight let him spy one of the little buggers land on his brother's shoulder, leaving Horst to wonder if he should bother letting the other know or wait for possible notice.

He doubted Johannes would care— whatever he did.

Edited 2025-06-26 17:43 (UTC)

Oh, I love the descriptive imagery of this one, very well done!

THIS is a comforting read.

Her fingers are wound with those of the woman she loves as she lets herself be pulled through the trees, and despite the darkness, despite the branches threatening to smack her in the face as they push through and speed past them, she lets out a laugh of unbridled joy at the spontaneity of it all.

They stop in a clearing pierced by a shaft of moonlight, with tiny gold dots and the faint hum from swarms of fireflies flitting between trees around the edge, and she is taken back to the fairy groves she read about as a child. But even a place with this much beauty, that can cause this much wonder and delight, cannot surpass the feeling of her lover's kiss and when their lips meet, the rest of the world disappears.

---
Oh, hey, I made it! This week is flying past, but I can now say I at least got one in! Will try for a couple more before the week's out!

Thank you!

Thanks!

I love the vivid descriptions when the two get to the clearing.

Thank you! It was fun trying to get as much of the image in my head into one sentence!

A young Kei stands on Benkei's lap as she reaches her hands out to the sky to steal from it, while Benkei's grip on her tightens so she doesn't fall off–She says, "You mean there used to be bugs that were like the stars in the sky? I wish I could've seen them."

Surrounding them is a world ravaged by Saotome's doings–A dangerous invader infested world that was gray, dry, cracked, and devoid of all life.

Benkei holds his daughter against himself now before saying to her ruefully, "Me too."

There isn't a huge amount to be cheerful about in the middle of an emergency department, not when life threatening injuries are the norm, blood and pain and chaos, meeting patients and family on probably the worst day of their lives.

And although people would often describe Dean as being a grumpy curmudgeon ("pissy little bitch" still whispers in his ear every so often and, no, he won't forget that any time soon) he's learned to look for the good every shift he's on.

Looking across the room at Hannah, her sparkling eyes, her teasing smile, her sassy quips lighting up her face, it's like magic, like fireflies dancing in the night, and Dean wouldn't have it any other way.

It’s a warm night, stars scattered across the sky like a swarm of dancing firelights, and as Jinx takes a slow breath through unburdened lungs, she can’t help but think of what she’s leaving behind— reflected in the shine of the sky above, she sees a thousand familiar faces, a thousand snapshots in time, all disappearing as soon as she exhales.

No looking back, not now, not ever; it’s time to move forward, to make a new life for herself. It’s a good thing, then, that she’s always been good at reinvention.

Edited (spelling mistakes!) 2025-07-04 18:21 (UTC)

I love how this starts off as sweet and then by the last line turns so much darker.

Edited 2025-07-06 10:07 (UTC)

Sounds like the aftermath of a close call! I'm curious what this cost was...

Beautiful imagery in this one!

Love the contrast here between the imprisonment and the seemingly small moment of the firefly landing on a shoulder.

This makes me want to know more about the fairy groves and such! Cute.

Ooh, I don't know what this is from, but that's bleak. I like.

Cute!

I'm not too familiar with A:LoL, but this was a fun read.

"unburdened lungs" is such a phrase...and that last line is great.

Thank you verrrrrry much < :)

I am not sure how to explain the context?

Getter Robo is one of my fave franchises of all time and I have a big love for the Armageddon series in particular (It's only 13 episodes and someone uploaded the Japanese dub onto yt). Kei is an orphan Benkei took in during his time surviving the world going to hell and the series really likes to rub it in how much orphans like Kei were too young, at the time, to remember the world before was devastated like this.

Fucked up spoilers here

Kei, as it turns out, is actually a child of Dr. Saotome's, but she doesn't remember since the trauma of the apocalypse gave her amnesia. Benkei KNEW this all along, but decided to cover this part up to protect Kei, since the rest of Japan's survivors openly hated Saotome for what he did and were planning on getting back on any of his other family members that they found in the wild, so to speak.

Edited 2025-07-06 13:48 (UTC)

It absolutely makes my day when my favorite lines are picked out as the great ones. Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!!

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3-sentence stories: Day 4

Red vs Blue ; Leonard Church & Carolina ; PG [very-the past]

no subject

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

To Free, to Glow - Johannes Cabal

Re: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

Re: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

no subject

Re: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

Re: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

no subject

no subject

Getter Robo Armageddon, Benkei and Kei (again)

Chicago Med, Dean/Hannah

Arcane: League of Legends - Jinx

Re: Red vs Blue ; Leonard Church & Carolina ; PG [very-the past]

no subject

Re: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

Re: To Free, to Glow - Johannes Cabal

no subject

Re: Getter Robo Armageddon, Benkei and Kei (again)

Re: Chicago Med, Dean/Hannah

Re: Arcane: League of Legends - Jinx

Re: Getter Robo Armageddon, Benkei and Kei (again)

Re: Arcane: League of Legends - Jinx

Re: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, Luigi & Mario

Re: To Free, to Glow - Johannes Cabal