Prompt table challenge starts today
Sep. 1st, 2025 01:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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worderlandsWelcome to Worderlands' September challenge: a prompt table challenge with one prompt per day. You can find the prompt table (and code to copy it into your own journal) below.
The challenge is pretty straightforward:
Write stories (or a single story, if you're wanting a bigger challenge) based around each prompt. So long as it's clear the prompt was used, you're good.
There are no particular word count goals or minimums to aim for. Just write what works for you, whether it's a 3-sentence story per prompt, 100-word drabbles, flash fiction, one chapter of a novel per prompt, or something else.
Don't worry if you don't finish all the stories or prompts - you can take on as much as you'd like. And if you're not done by the time the challenge has ended, you can keep going in your own time (and even share your writing on the posts late) if desired.
++
That's about all you need to know, I think? If anyone has questions, just leave a comment.
I'll make weekly check-in posts (8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th), where you can share your writing or progress updates, and a wrap-up post on the 30th. For this week, feel free to share writing or progress updates on this post too, if you can't wait for the first check in.
Have fun, and I hope the words flow!
Table code in case anyone wants a copy (please link back to Worderlands):
The challenge is pretty straightforward:
Write stories (or a single story, if you're wanting a bigger challenge) based around each prompt. So long as it's clear the prompt was used, you're good.
There are no particular word count goals or minimums to aim for. Just write what works for you, whether it's a 3-sentence story per prompt, 100-word drabbles, flash fiction, one chapter of a novel per prompt, or something else.
Don't worry if you don't finish all the stories or prompts - you can take on as much as you'd like. And if you're not done by the time the challenge has ended, you can keep going in your own time (and even share your writing on the posts late) if desired.
++
That's about all you need to know, I think? If anyone has questions, just leave a comment.
I'll make weekly check-in posts (8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th), where you can share your writing or progress updates, and a wrap-up post on the 30th. For this week, feel free to share writing or progress updates on this post too, if you can't wait for the first check in.
Have fun, and I hope the words flow!
| 001. | Fields of flowers | 002. | A dark hallway | 003. | Around a fire | 004. | Beneath a blue sky | 005. | Liminal spaces |
| 006. | "I'm emotionally invested now." | 007. | "You weren't there." | 008. | "Stop being so cute." | 009. | "I don't know if I love you or hate you." | 010. | "Can we try again?" |
| 011. | Believing something strange | 012. | Hoping something works out | 013. | Packing something in a box | 014. | Setting something on fire | 015. | Leaving something unsaid |
| 016. | Blessed with this curse my whole life - Paradise Lost, The Used | 017. | Now it's not too late to change everything you wanna change - Better Days, Yellowcard | 018. | If I'm not broken like I used to be, will you still find me interesting? - Oh No!, All Time Low | 019. | I check the doors, check the windows, and pull the blinds - The Contract, Twenty One Pilots | 020. | Memories, they fill the wall, like paint and nails and frames that fall - Sleeping With The Lights On, Daniel Seavey |
| 021. | Light sources | 022. | Trickle of water | 023. | Touching grass | 024. | Smoke on the wind | 025. | A presence felt |
| 026. | Glance | 027. | Caress | 028. | Atmosphere | 029. | Scenery | 030. | Consume |
Table code in case anyone wants a copy (please link back to Worderlands):
001. Fields of flowers
Date: 2025-09-01 03:36 pm (UTC)Figured I might as well try a few sentences every day—to keep the words flowing throughout the month, if nothing else!
Fields of flowers, now withered and worn.
Swaths of sawgrass, now tattered and torn.
A pestilence rampant, in time reborn.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-02 09:06 am (UTC)Let's see what I can whip up this week.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-02 11:44 am (UTC)Re: 001. Fields of flowers
Date: 2025-09-02 12:21 pm (UTC)002. A dark hallway
Date: 2025-09-02 12:28 pm (UTC)A chill went down her spine as the door shut behind her, the fluorescent lights ahead dimming further still. She stared into the pitch black that lay just beyond…
Nothing should have been there to stare back.
Re: 002. A dark hallway
Date: 2025-09-02 12:43 pm (UTC)The implications... XD
Re: 002. A dark hallway
Date: 2025-09-02 05:13 pm (UTC)Ominous, are they not…?
Re: 001. Fields of flowers
Date: 2025-09-02 05:13 pm (UTC)Thanks!
003. Around a fire
Date: 2025-09-03 05:06 pm (UTC)“…So, now what?”
He stared on into the fire, sutures still throbbing fresh. “We rest while we can, I guess.”
004. Beneath a blue sky
Date: 2025-09-04 05:28 am (UTC)She loosed a sigh, looking up to the sky; it was just as blue as she remembered it being.
Though, her eyes trailed back down to the bloodstained ground. “I wonder if this blade is worth keeping…”
Re: 003. Around a fire
Date: 2025-09-05 12:54 pm (UTC)Re: 004. Beneath a blue sky
Date: 2025-09-05 12:54 pm (UTC)005. Liminal spaces
Date: 2025-09-05 06:57 pm (UTC)“Hello?”
Only her own voice stood out against the old showtune she still couldn’t recognize, echoing off the atrium’s all-too-worn walls all the same.
…Even still, for better or worse, she swore she wasn’t alone.
Re: 004. Beneath a blue sky
Date: 2025-09-05 07:37 pm (UTC)Thanks! I certainly felt some whiplash in writing this, at least…
006. "I'm emotionally invested now."
Date: 2025-09-06 05:29 pm (UTC)“It’d be easier to just shoot him down, you know. Why drag things out with a duel and whatnot?”
“Emotional investment.”
007. "You weren't there."
Date: 2025-09-07 07:25 pm (UTC)He nearly fell over as she practically fell onto him, his wide eyes blinking down at her own bloodshot gaze.
“I was so scared that you wouldn’t be here…”
He could barely believe that she was.
008. "Stop being so cute."
Date: 2025-09-08 06:15 pm (UTC)The way he smiled off into the distance, wistful yearning in his eyes; the way his lips curled around another sip of cocoa…
Her trigger finger twitched. “Shit; he’s even cuter through a scope…”
009. "I don't know if I love you or hate you."
Date: 2025-09-09 05:34 pm (UTC)Even amidst the swaying flames, her eyes held fast his own.
“…How dare you…?”
Even through the swirling dust, he couldn’t damn her smile.
010. "Can we try again?"
Date: 2025-09-10 04:34 pm (UTC)She could barely swallow with the knife’s edge against her neck; she could muster a smile, though, for whatever it was worth.
Not much, that is, save for a shot. “Okay, let’s say we started off on the wrong foot…”
011. Believing something strange
Date: 2025-09-12 01:05 am (UTC)“I don’t know what to tell you, dude.” With a shrug, he shelved the last strip of film.
To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure what to tell himself.
012. Hoping something works out
Date: 2025-09-12 09:42 pm (UTC)And so, he sat—yet uncomfortable in the cushioned chair, second and third thoughts swimming about in his mind.
And so, he watched—out the window he’d hollered the order through, as now only wind whispered in return.
And so, he waited—with a freshened weight on his shoulders; one he wouldn’t be able to shake for some time.
013. Packing something in a box
Date: 2025-09-13 11:08 pm (UTC)She stared down at the trapdoor, her heart sinking even further; for as wretched as it sounded, she knew whimpering when she heard it…
…Even still, it would have to wither. She would simply have to let it.
014. Setting something on fire
Date: 2025-09-14 11:53 pm (UTC)The flames danced fore him, as the last of his sorrows started to simmer. When only ashes remained here, it would all be over besides…
…A thought flickered, for a moment, to join them himself.
015. Leaving something unsaid
Date: 2025-09-16 01:29 am (UTC)Just like that, the connection cut out.
…She supposed, then, that was all she needed to hear.
…She supposed, then, that she needn’t shed any tears.
016. Blessed with this curse my whole life - Paradise Lost, The Used
Date: 2025-09-16 05:16 pm (UTC)With a nod, he licked the blood from his fangs; another name crossed off the list. Yet again, the deed was done…
…Yet more did he need to do.
017. Now it's not too late to change everything you wanna change - Better Days, Yellowcard
Date: 2025-09-17 06:37 pm (UTC)She clenched fists she couldn’t recognize; she lurched forward on unfamiliar legs. With lungs and through lips equally fresh, she took a breath…and sighed.
In time, this would be worth it.
018. If I'm not broken like I used to be, will you still find me interesting? - Oh No!, All Time Low
Date: 2025-09-18 08:36 pm (UTC)Her laughter tickled his ears, heartily loud like never before. Her smile was warmer still, a stark shimmer in her eyes…
…One that he couldn’t meet anymore.
019. I check the doors, check the windows, and pull the blinds - The Contract, Twenty One Pilots
Date: 2025-09-20 02:23 am (UTC)Lastly, she hunkered against the wall with gun in hand; silence followed in the dark, save for her steadying breaths.
She wanted to say that she was ready for this; she’d lived through this before, after all…
…That being said, the lie only further lost its luster as the floorboards started to creak.
020. Memories[...]fall - Sleeping With The Lights On, Daniel Seavey
Date: 2025-09-21 02:41 am (UTC)He brushed a hand over the long-dried blood, before opening the lock and door.
A lamp yet lit the room, even through its dusty lid; a transmitter still buzzed in the corner, the signal as strong as ever. Were the body still warm, almost nothing would seem amiss.
Re: 020. Memories[...]fall - Sleeping With The Lights On, Daniel Seavey
Date: 2025-09-21 02:11 pm (UTC)021. Light sources
Date: 2025-09-22 03:13 am (UTC)It followed the beams of flashlights; the sounds of laughter further up the trail—telltales of mankind, it yet recognized.
It molded its throat in turn; lit the torch atop its own tail…
“Anyone there?”
Re: 020. Memories[...]fall - Sleeping With The Lights On, Daniel Seavey
Date: 2025-09-22 03:13 am (UTC)Ah, much appreciated!
022. Trickle of water
Date: 2025-09-23 12:50 am (UTC)It sniffed at what remained of the stream—more mud, that is, than water. With a cough and a snort, then, it started trudging onwards.
At the least, for now, it could lick the blood off its lips.
015. Leaving something unsaid
Date: 2025-09-23 11:37 am (UTC)---
She’s aware of everybody else behind her, the rest of the family and the few close friends who came to the cemtery. They’ve tossed their roses into the grave, and now they’ve all stepped back, giving her this last moment.
What to say? “Goodbye” doesn’t seem adequate. “I’m sorry”? No point Neither of them ever said it while her mother was alive. Fat lot of good it would do now. “I love you”? That one’s far too complicated. She doesn’t want to go there.
In the end she wraps her coat around her and says nothing. She nods, letting that final moment project all the feelings, good and bad, wherever they need to go. Up, down, Heaven, Hell… who knows.
She’ll have to wait until it’s her turn to find that out.
Re: 022. Trickle of water
Date: 2025-09-23 11:40 am (UTC)Re: 015. Leaving something unsaid
Date: 2025-09-23 02:00 pm (UTC)023. Touching grass
Date: 2025-09-24 02:44 am (UTC)She coughed out the first few breathfuls of fresh air she’d found in years; unclasping her mask, she fell with it to the fertile earth below.
“Never thought I’d see the day…”
If only he’d been here to see it too…
Re: 022. Trickle of water
Date: 2025-09-25 01:22 am (UTC)Admittedly, I hadn’t thought that much of it myself—but I do like the sound of that idea, in any case! Thanks!
024. Smoke on the wind
Date: 2025-09-25 03:24 am (UTC)Even now, the wyrm’s lair sweltered—as if the beast’s heart still beat aflame. Regardless, there was much rejoice in its death…
In time, they hoped, no-one would remember its name.
Re: 024. Smoke on the wind
Date: 2025-09-25 03:33 am (UTC)025. A presence felt
Date: 2025-09-26 03:08 am (UTC)His heart sank further into his stomach, the chamber’s silence yet swallowing him. Breaths hitched back and forth in his throat, for as hard as he tried to hold them.
Soon enough, in any case, a hand slipped off his shoulder.
026. Glance
Date: 2025-09-27 01:57 am (UTC)And just like that, they at once locked eyes.
His went wide, above a slackened jaw.
Hers yet narrowed, under a furrowed brow.
027. Caress
Date: 2025-09-28 02:08 am (UTC)Through stinging tears, her grip tightened still. “Why now—why you?”
The cold stone of the tomb couldn’t echo an answer.
003. Around A Fire
Date: 2025-09-30 11:01 am (UTC)----
The fire is burning low now but still the old man uses it as his only source of light. An unlit candle sits on the desk but the singed tips of his fingers show how well his last attempt to light it went. The tremors in his hand are so much worse now. When the ink splashes across his page, obscuring the last line of writing, he swears and throws the quill down.
It isn’t a nice feeling, to be getting old. To be made aware of one’s frailties. He’s gone from eminent scholar, author of half a dozen texts that still get references by the undergraduates, to not even able to light a candle or hold a mug of tea. He had so many plans, still so much he wants to say. But the words get jumbled up inside his head, sometimes part way through a sentence. When he does get the in order, then his hand shakes to much and
His cheeks grow hot again as he stares at the ink-blotted page. His jaw clenches. A few furious blinks take care of any tears.
He tries to pick up the quill but it’s no use. The shaking gets worse when his emotions run high. The vicious cycle of shakes and emotions is a bitter irony not lost on him.
A soft knock from outside is a welcome distraction. A blonde head appears around the dor.
“What are you doing sitting in the dark, you silly goose?” the young woman asks.
For a minute, she is all business, bustling around as she lights not only the candle on the desk but the lamps on the walls, too. She pauses as her eyes catch on the blotted paper and she glances at him.
“Getting worse again?”
He grunts a reply.
“I’ll make the tea. Give me a minute.”
“The tea doesn’t bloody help!” She shrinks back a little, and he immediately feels like a right bastard.
“It helps a bit, doesn’t it?” she asks, her voice now uncertain.
He nods begrudgingly. It does help, but only for a while, and he wonders how soon before he won’t feel its effects anymore. Not to mention the way he needs another person’s help getting the mug to his lips before it can take effect.
“Thank you,” he adds, hoping to paper over the awkwardness between them. None of this is her fault and she’s shown him nothing but kindness while probably putting up with a lot more than she should have to.
She smiles and clasps his hands between hers for a moment. He barely gets to register the relief of his hands being still before she lets go again. She ducks out of the room and he sits by the fire. No point in returning to the desk at this stage; he won’t get anything done before she brings the tea.
She returns a few minutes later with a steaming pot and two mugs on a tray, and sets them down on the table in front of him. The mugs have no handles but she has wrapped one in a woollen sleeve to insulate it from the heat. For him to drink, she has to hold the cup for him for long enough that the heat can seep through, enough to burn a person’s fingers. She knitted the sleeve herself.
After a few mouthfuls he nods, and she replaces the cup on the tray, picking up her own instead.
“Have you still got much work to do tonight?” she asks once she’s finished.
“Hmm.” He looks down at his hand. The tea is already having some effect, but he’s not sure he’d be able to handle a quill with any aplomb again tonight.
“I can help you. If you’d let me.”
She’s made this offer before, and he’s always rebuffed her. His pride always gets in the way. But things certainly aren’t getting any easier and perhaps the choice is now accept help or not get everything down that he wants to.
He takes a deep breath, sits up straight. Swallows. “Yes.” He clears this throat. “That would be good. I’d be grateful.”
She beams at him, and stands to retrieve his notes, the ink, and quill. She brings them back over to the fireplace and settles on the floor, her back leaning against the chair.
“Remind me where I was up to,” he says. She skims the last couple of pages and gives him a summary. He nods, remembering now. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts, and she dips the quill in the ink, holding it ready.
They work until late in the night. His still gets stuck on the words sometimes, but having someone else helps him coax them out. She tells him to talk as quickly as he needs, not to stop and wait for her and risk losing his momentum. He doesn’t know she keeps up, though when they’re done, she takes her notes with her and says she’ll “write them up nicely for him”.
As he prepares for bed, he feels lighter than he has in a while. The problems haven’t gone away, but maybe there’s good to be found, too.
X-Y-Z (028-029-030)
Date: 2025-09-30 07:05 pm (UTC)After unfortunately losing my streak the other day, I decided I might as well bundle these three into one last post—partly in dedication to something Pokémon-related that I’m looking forward to finally posting tomorrow/later this week!
X (028. Atmosphere)
Trading ‘tween trees, all kinds of trills and twitters; blooming forth from below, blossoms of every hue.
A forest, flush with vitality—fresh and vigorous forevermore.
A glade, embracing life’s gift—as granted eternal.
Y (029. Scenery)
Leaving languished lungs, last breaths and lost wills; atrophying to the abyss, a myriad of all ages.
A summit, scarped by spoiling winds—as worn as what souls settled upon it.
A chasm, meeting death’s clutches—cauterized in memoriam.
Z (030. Consume)
A hound took in another, and thus birthed a serpent.
A serpent took in another, and thus birthed a colossus.
And so, soon enough, Creation buckled back into proper place.