Submission (#633) Approved
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Submitted
6 August 2025, 21:44:10 CDT (1 week ago)
Processed
11 August 2025, 19:14:43 CDT (2 days ago) by BrokenBottleChandelier
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🌊 “Scales and Softness”
Word Count Goal: 250+ | Prompt: Set during the strange low tide week in the Cascades, near the fishing stalls lining the tidepools.
The town had turned into a festival of sails, salt, and makeshift fishing poles.
The receding sea had revealed treasures in its wake—strange, flickering fish with translucent bones and colors that shifted like moods. Tatsukoi of all kinds swarmed the tide-carved market stalls, eager to barter for rare catches or simply marvel at creatures no one could name yet. The scent of roasted kelp, sizzling shellfish, and sun-warmed seawater hung heavy in the air.
Zephyra walked like a storm cloud in the breeze.
His sleek, star-draped body gleamed faintly in the twilight, the gold flames flickering low in the wind. His wings, patterned in constellations and cosmic lines, stayed tucked close, but his eyes were alert.
“Come on!” Lumiora chirped ahead, her bioluminescent freckles blinking softly in excitement. She tugged at his wrist with a grin that could part waves. “They have the fish I was telling you about—the one with the see-through belly and the grumpy little face! I swear it smiled at me last time.”
Zephyra gave her a look that could cut stone. “Fish don’t smile.”
“You don’t smile,” she teased, twirling a flower bracelet on her paw. “You could learn from them.”
Still, he followed.
Even with the clamor of merchants and the glow of lantern-lit stalls, his gaze never left her. She sparkled in this setting—her soft feathers tucked, blossoms that swayed in her fur as she walked, her eyes full of wonder. She was so unlike him it ached.
They stopped at a vendor’s tank, where a Glassfin Grouper hovered lazily, its glowing fins trailing light like ribbons underwater. The merchant—a puffed-up Tatsukoi with barnacle-studded fins—shouted over the crowd, “Only one left! Caught just this morning, nearly dragged me off the rocks!”
Lumiora gasped, pressing both paws to her cheeks. “That’s the one! Look at its angry little face! Zeph, he looks like you.”
Zephyra looked at the fish. The fish blinked slowly, unimpressed. “…It’s staring at me.”
Lumiora nodded eagerly. “That means it likes you! They only do that with potential mates—fish mates, I mean. Not yours. Obviously.” She realized what she said and immediately turned scarlet, wings twitching with flustered energy. She coughed, turning to the merchant. “We’ll take it!”
A short while later, they sat side by side at the edge of a tide-worn boardwalk. The sea was low, calm, glimmering with distant light as dusk melted into night. Lumiora dangled her paws in the water, humming a tune that only her flowers seemed to know. The fish swam in a water orb she’d conjured beside them, occasionally circling Zephyra like it was planning something.
She handed him a dried seaweed chip. “Here. Locally harvested. Very trendy.”
Zephyra took it and bit down like it owed him money. He stared at it, then muttered, “Tastes like regret.”
Lumiora laughed, leaning into his shoulder. “Still worth sharing.”
They didn’t speak for a moment. The tide pulsed below like a second heartbeat. Then, quietly, Zephyra said, “You shouldn’t walk around alone out here.”
Lumiora turned to him, soft amusement in her eyes. “But I wasn’t alone. I dragged a moody star-beast with me. He even paid for my angry fish.”
“You dragged him,” Zephyra repeated, deadpan.
“And he let me,” she replied, smiling up at him.
Word Count Goal: 250+ | Prompt: Set during the strange low tide week in the Cascades, near the fishing stalls lining the tidepools.
The town had turned into a festival of sails, salt, and makeshift fishing poles.
The receding sea had revealed treasures in its wake—strange, flickering fish with translucent bones and colors that shifted like moods. Tatsukoi of all kinds swarmed the tide-carved market stalls, eager to barter for rare catches or simply marvel at creatures no one could name yet. The scent of roasted kelp, sizzling shellfish, and sun-warmed seawater hung heavy in the air.
Zephyra walked like a storm cloud in the breeze.
His sleek, star-draped body gleamed faintly in the twilight, the gold flames flickering low in the wind. His wings, patterned in constellations and cosmic lines, stayed tucked close, but his eyes were alert.
“Come on!” Lumiora chirped ahead, her bioluminescent freckles blinking softly in excitement. She tugged at his wrist with a grin that could part waves. “They have the fish I was telling you about—the one with the see-through belly and the grumpy little face! I swear it smiled at me last time.”
Zephyra gave her a look that could cut stone. “Fish don’t smile.”
“You don’t smile,” she teased, twirling a flower bracelet on her paw. “You could learn from them.”
Still, he followed.
Even with the clamor of merchants and the glow of lantern-lit stalls, his gaze never left her. She sparkled in this setting—her soft feathers tucked, blossoms that swayed in her fur as she walked, her eyes full of wonder. She was so unlike him it ached.
They stopped at a vendor’s tank, where a Glassfin Grouper hovered lazily, its glowing fins trailing light like ribbons underwater. The merchant—a puffed-up Tatsukoi with barnacle-studded fins—shouted over the crowd, “Only one left! Caught just this morning, nearly dragged me off the rocks!”
Lumiora gasped, pressing both paws to her cheeks. “That’s the one! Look at its angry little face! Zeph, he looks like you.”
Zephyra looked at the fish. The fish blinked slowly, unimpressed. “…It’s staring at me.”
Lumiora nodded eagerly. “That means it likes you! They only do that with potential mates—fish mates, I mean. Not yours. Obviously.” She realized what she said and immediately turned scarlet, wings twitching with flustered energy. She coughed, turning to the merchant. “We’ll take it!”
A short while later, they sat side by side at the edge of a tide-worn boardwalk. The sea was low, calm, glimmering with distant light as dusk melted into night. Lumiora dangled her paws in the water, humming a tune that only her flowers seemed to know. The fish swam in a water orb she’d conjured beside them, occasionally circling Zephyra like it was planning something.
She handed him a dried seaweed chip. “Here. Locally harvested. Very trendy.”
Zephyra took it and bit down like it owed him money. He stared at it, then muttered, “Tastes like regret.”
Lumiora laughed, leaning into his shoulder. “Still worth sharing.”
They didn’t speak for a moment. The tide pulsed below like a second heartbeat. Then, quietly, Zephyra said, “You shouldn’t walk around alone out here.”
Lumiora turned to him, soft amusement in her eyes. “But I wasn’t alone. I dragged a moody star-beast with me. He even paid for my angry fish.”
“You dragged him,” Zephyra repeated, deadpan.
“And he let me,” she replied, smiling up at him.
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gold | 5 |
| Betwixt The Tides - Design, MYO, Item, and Pet Raffles (Raffle Ticket) | 1 |
Characters
MYO-0488: Zephyra
No rewards set.
MYO-0536: Lumiora
No rewards set.