4. The Axe Forgets; The Tree Remembers

[viagra]

Monday, August 12th-7:38 p.m.

1,913 words. Approximate reading time: 9 minutes, 33 seconds.

Rhian stepped into his bedroom and softly shut the door behind him, then walked over to his bed and promptly collapsed onto it. He had told his parents that he was tired from his first day and wanted to get to bed early, and, while that was certainly true,

Comments

[roina_arwen]

Very cool. Dark but not too dark. Well done!

[viagra]

Thank you :) It's hard to strike a good balance - I do enjoy dark stuff but I don't like when it's too overt and as a writer, I don't like putting myself into that headspace too much. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[banana_galaxy]

Oh gosh, I could really feel what Rhian had experienced here. That sounds horrifying. But also, like, in a way kinda grateful things haven't gotten that bad here with masks in schools? Like, I think masking is important, but not to the point of traumatizing folks!

[viagra]

Seriously! In the timeline I have in my head, this particular story takes place about 15 years after the initial "event" - so Rhian and all of his classmates have never lived in a world without masks and, in this particular part of the world, the face coverings have become so normalized that I think his classmates probably don't even understand why it's such a big deal to uncover their face; they just know that is is.

The adults here are the ones that upset me more, as most of them would have been in their teens and lived through the societal change - but then if you live in a society that enforces punishments like this, most people might be inclined to just "go with the flow" to avoid any sort of repercussions. I doubt that the teacher in this story has ever experienced a "time out" like she administered to Rhian, but I do think she thinks she's doing him a favor by helping him get rid of his "bad habits" from living out in the Free States.

[banana_galaxy]

Oooh, yeah, if it's all that you're used to, I can see why it would be really taboo and shunned without even knowing why. You had a good way of showing that!

Yeah, that "go with the flow" description feels kinda like 1984. Or... have you read the graphic novel SFSX(Safe Sex), which is a kind of anti-sex/anti-gender non-conformity dystopia? I think that has a similar sort of energy in the sexual realm. There's actually two volumes out but I haven't read the second one yet.

Gosh, so much trauma is caused by "good intentions."

I'm sorry I didn't read your first couple of entries (I was pretty busy those weeks, but maybe I'll go back and catch up because I've enjoyed what I've read so far), so this may have already been covered, but I'm finding myself curious for a comparison with the Free States.

[viagra]

I haven't read that graphic novel, but it sounds very intriguing! I'll have to check it out once the competition is over (I'm deliberately avoiding dystopian media right now so I don't muddy my ideas).

I haven't done anything with the Free States yet; just a few hints. I do have story ideas already in mind to show life in the Free States. One in particular I'm pretty excited about and I hope the idea lines up with a prompt soon!

[beautyofgrey]

Jesus H., viagra, you are going to give me nightmares. Seriously, though, this is very good - the right mix of tension and creepiness, all caught up in what seems like it could be a few steps away from our current world. *shudder* I also want to know what's going on with mom and why she's completely zoned out. I really do love the direction your stories have been exploring this season - would love to see them compiled in a book.

[viagra]

Thank you so much! This is my first big foray into straight-up fiction and I'm happy with how it's going so far. My ultimate goal is to get something published, so that's encouraging to hear. :) I do have plans for some lighter stuff that hopefully aligns with the prompt soon. Thank you again!

[bleodswean]

YIKES!!!! You're really going for the 1984 vibes here and hitting it so freaking hard!!! Where are you getting all these FEELS??? I thought you lived in the State of the Free? This clips along nicely, I enjoyed the switch to his POV via the journal. Great work, S!

[viagra]

Thanks so much! To be honest, the future freaks me out a little bit. I see commercials for VR "Metaverse" stuff and it unsettles me. Combining that with COVID stuff and imagining what would happen if it just all kept going for like 20 straight years is what inspires my world. I'm ready to show some of the ideas I have for the Free States!

Also would you believe I've never read 1984 or even seen the movie? I know the jist of it, but I was literally one chapter in when we started and I didn't want to find myself aping it too much.

[bleodswean]

The furture can be freaky, but I think these past few years have made that feeling so much more intense and I think that's tragic! I'm exhausted by it and have decided I'm simply not playing anymore. I'm monitoring my news intake big time and trying to find books and movies that have some sort of message of hope. If we lose hope, then all is lost, my friend.

[dsrmousey]

Wow. Just wow. Well done. Peace~~~D

[viagra]

Thank you very much! :)