Chatterbox: Inkwell

The Coda

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It was a land of music. 

The song was buried under the deepest earth and intertwined with the coldest ocean currents. It was guileless as a newborn; it was sullied with age; it was timeless. 

At the heart of the melody stood the City. Built of wood and string, it played in perfect time to the beat of the world. And in a dark corner of the City, a child was born. A child who could save them all.

But. 

A slip of the bow, a catch on the fret. A tremolo so faint that those who felt it could be counted on one hand. 

The child was born breathless, with no voice to sing. 

The mother wept. The father cursed. And the people lost their hero before the babe ever opened their mouth.

***

Hello! Welcome to The Coda (Solo Write)! A set of short stories set in the post-apocalyptic land of music with characters from you, the CB. 

The Premise:

The prior excerpt is from a fantasy tragedy of mine, Dissonance, which I haven’t posted here because it is unfinished, long, and not quite to guidelines. Basically, these stories will be set in the same timeline as the above excerpt, but much further along. I’m being intentionally vague because I’m not sure how it will turn out. Mostly a standard Solo Write. Create one character by filling out the form below. Once I have received enough to fill out the current short story, I will close character submissions. After the story is completed, if/when I decide to write the next one, I’ll open submissions again.

The World (from the harmonious age, prior to Dissonance): 

Telamakus (percussion), a down to earth, cobblestone fishing town. Halitus (woodwinds & brass), a collection of hamlets scattered around a monastery set high in the mountain range, wreathed in fog. And the City (strings) a golden, prosperous, place, the hub of all life and music. Villages, cottages, hermits, and other notes dropped between the measures. 

The Form:

Name:

Pronouns:

Personality in a Sentence:

Appearance:

Theme Song: 

Instrument of Choice:

Place of origin/backstory (as vague or specific as you like!):

How good are you at Jump Rope:

How good are you at Rope Jump:

How good are you:

If thou were in a pineapple under the sea, how many dumbo octopuses doth it take to drag you out:

Tell me your best worst joke: 

Other:

I reserve the right to:

• Choose which characters I want to use for a given story (I’ll try to keep it fair).

• Take breaks between, or during, or before stories, because as much as we may wish it were not so, real life exists and I am a part of it :/

• Change/edit characters, crack bad jokes, totally mess up the timeline, and generally confuse you all as well as myself :)

I’m still exploring this world—let’s see where it goes! Also, this is written under an SI, feel free to guess who if you are so inclined.

***

As the world crumbled, songs were written into The Coda.