As the festival begins to close, take into consideration the walls that we've celebrated during this event. You've grown up with them around you your entire life; to you, they are the norm.
What do the walls represent to you? What is safety worth? What do you feel is our future?
There is no word limit, so write as little or as much as you need to ponder the existence of the walls. No judging this time around - participate to be added to a raffle list.
Also a note that entries into the writing prompt and the wall philosphy may be counted as solo RPs (minimum word count 300) if you already own a trainee or win one during this event.
Ends: June 8, 9pm central.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:24 pm
"Out best defense against the titans, besides the walls themselves, are the cannons on top of them," Walt was saying. "Of course, they would be more effective if they were actually mounted into the walls."
"Why aren't they, then?" Zinnia asked curiously.
"The Wallists have too much influence," he explained. "They don't want anyone to interfere with the walls; it was a struggle to get the cannons on top at all, despite how much we need them."
"Weird..." the blue-haired girl replied. She and her two best friends, Walt and Colin, were eating lunch together. They'd just gotten out of a class that went over some of the defensive measures taken against the titan threat, and, good students that they were, they had begun to review the material together. Zinnia, however, was more interested in the Wallists and their opposition to what seemed to make perfect sense to her.
"I wonder why they care so much about the walls. Isn't protecting the people more important than protecting the walls?" she mused.
Colin spoke up, "Maybe it amounts to the same thing. If the walls fall, so will Shiganshina."
"That's impossible, though," Zinnia interjected. "And mounting cannons wouldn't damage the walls that much."
"I guess you're right... I don't know, then. You'd have to ask a Wallist," Colin replied.
"Don't the Wallists think of the walls as goddesses?" said Walt. "Maria, Rose, Sina... They think they're actually alive and watching us."
"Creepy," Zinnia laughed.
The bell rang for them to clean up their trays and return to class. Zinnia's thoughts lingered on the walls for a while longer. She'd never spared any particular thought to them; they'd always simply been there, a constant feature in the landscape. She was grateful for the protection they provided, but she shared none of the extreme feelings that the Wallists seemed to possess. She had, on occasion, wondered about the world outside the walls, but she'd never felt a great desire to travel beyond Maria. It was forbidden except for the Scouting Legion in any case, and was obviously dangerous. Zinnia had no desire to meet a titan; she'd be happy to be a useful member of society within the walls.
"Come on, Zin," Colin called.
"Ah, wait up!" Zin caught up to her peers and walked with them out of the dining hall.
Renekai
Offline
Mriae
Devoted Cleric
Offline
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 7:32 pm
The walls are meant to protect us. With the walls surrounding us, we are kept safe.
What a bunch of crap.
From the time we are children, those are statements that are drilled into our very being: the walls will keep the titans out. They are meters upon meters high – so much so that nothing can get over them. Next to nothing can break through them, as they were made thick and durable solely to keep things out: and yet that didn’t work, either.
If anything, the walls that surround our villages and homes are one thing and one thing only: a façade.
What do the walls mean to me, I am often asked. Frankly, the walls are a false sense of security and nothing more. Those who built them thought they were doing us a favor, and perhaps, for a time, they were. Not anymore. Tens of thousands think that, just by hiding behind a few thick walls, that they are going to be ok, but I know better than that. Inside the walls, we are nothing but caged animals, ripe for the pickings of those titans that relish in devouring us merely for sport. I’m not afraid to say how I feel about the walls. Some people might disagree with me completely – that the walls are a godsend and we’d be long dead without them. Let them disagree, I say. I am entitled to my opinion, as they are entitled to theirs.
Mere walls alone are not going to stop the titans – I can tell you that right now. Being trapped within the walls – what others might consider their “safety” – is not even worth it as far as I’m concerned. It isn’t worth being “safe” if it means being trapped within the walls, easy targets for the titans should they brake through. That is not what safety is worth at all. Safety is worth fighting for, worth dying for. Safety is worth giving it everything you got. It’s worth giving it everything you got, kicking and screaming. That is what safety is worth in my eyes; not simply hiding behind walls, waiting for the inevitable.
Our future is not meant to be spent hidden away. If people want anything out of their future, then they need to go ahead and grab it. Nobles, villagers, even the military police, the supposed “best of the best”, they can stay as far away from the titans as they can, but ultimately it won’t do them any good. Our future is meant to be fought for. Our future is meant to be taken – taken by our own hands – not snatched away by horrendous monsters bent on wanton carnage. That is what our future is: ours for the taking, and I intend to do just that. I’m going to grab it by the horns and run, taking as many titans as I can with me in the process, or at the very least, I’ll die trying. They’ll be able to say one thing about me, at the very least: I didn’t go down without a fight, and that's more that can be said for most.
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 9:07 pm
For one hundred years the walls have held within them a safe haven for what remains of the human race. Knowledge of the world beyond the wall has been banned, but a few possess the contraband books and they remain hidden away, priceless relics of the past. The Eden family possessed one of these books; it had been sequestered away in a secret room behind a hidden wall in the library. Due to the observant eyes of Sirantha Eden, the book did not remain hidden for long. Like every other book in that library, the young noble read the text voraciously. The information was startling; there were these large bodies of salt water known as oceans and there were lands covered in sand where only the most resilient of creatures could survive. There were mountains that spewed a liquid fire substance called lava. It was a miraculous and dangerous world the walls protected the humans from. She had read about the construction of the wall, it was to protect what remained of the humans from the Titans, terrible creatures who fancied the taste of humans.
Sirantha drummed her fingers against her ornate wooden desk as she stared at the wall, its white stones gleaming in the sun. It was truly a spectacular sight to behold. There were three walls separating her from the Titans and the outside world. Wall Maria, the land within was where she met Kegan Green. It was also where she learned of his death. There within the protection of Wall Maria, she had felt happiness and such pain. Wall Rose was the next wall, she would visit this area often but it did not have the same allure as Wall Maria, which was mostly due to Green. The last inner most wall was Wall Sina, which protected the land of Utopia. This was currently the wall that she gazed upon. The walls protected the people but they also segregated them, by placing them into social classes that were set in stone even before the erection of the wall.
Her hand reached for the pendant she wore around her neck, its cold surface was calming to the noble. The decorative silver locket was a gift from Green, it was his promise to her that he would return and take her as his wife. He did not keep his promise.
The walls protected her from what killed Green, and the walls around her heart kept her from feeling the pain of his death…
When she first met him, she shared his belief that there was a life for humans beyond the walls. The places she read about in the old book could finally be seen by her own eyes. The idea was exhilarating, but as all things are, the emotion was fleeting.
She was there when the scouts returned, their faces hard. Frantically she looked in the platoon of men for the man she loved. A man who she recognized as one of Green’s friends walked up to her, he pulled her aside into an ally for privacy as he delivered her the ill news. Silent tears were all that could be seen of the war that was taking place inside her body. At that moment in time she was willing to walk out of the walls and become Titan food so she could be with Green. The thought that kept her from that gruesome suicide was that Green would not want her to die for him; he would want her to live and be happy. But how could she be happy when he was being digested in some Titan’s intestine?
Fear of what lay beyond the walls too hold of the young woman, it was worthless to keep sending out men and women out into the Titan infested world. It was a war that humans would constantly lose, to her seeing an ocean was worthless without Green by her side.
He was an amazing man, in just a few weeks he had stolen her heart. Permanent laugh lines were etched into his face; he was carefree and always knew what to say to sooth her tempestuous emotions. He was her true love and the titans took him from her.
Her left hand continued to drum rhythmically on the desk while her right hand clutched the pendant. Her green eyes never strayed as she watched the sun set upon the walls that kept her safe.
Thalea
Devoted Mage
Offline
kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
Offline
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:38 am
I like to think the walls are a challenge, he writes, tapping the pen against one side of his face. An obstacle to be overcome, a game to win. They're standing, and they exist, and they're everything and all that we see; but are they really protecting us from them, or is it more that we're protecting them from us?
Who really knows?
His pen drops for a moment, falls against the paper. He leans back in his chair, frowning slightly as he crosses his arms across his chest, but after a moment his expression shifts, and the frown becomes a faint smile that borders on a smirk. He sits back up and picks up the pen once more, twining it between nimble, bruised fingers, worn down so that they are less soft and more rough.
The walls are a puzzle, he continues to write. A puzzle to be solved, a cipher to be deciphered, a clue to be examined. There is no real way to describe them as "good," but you can't describe them as "bad" either. This world is not simply black and white, it's a mixture of the two, a gray area.
Some say that by keeping us here, we're locking ourselves in; we're trapped.
Others say that the walls protect us, keep us safe, and they will happily live on forever if it's within the boundaries of the walls.
I say it's a load of rubbish, really.
Who are we to tell people what they can't and can't do? Since when were we the masters of anyone's souls? If there are those who feel trapped, those who feel better suited without the walls, then they should be allowed to leave; if the titans crush them, then be it on their own head.
There is no balance right now; how do you balance life? That is the real mystery here, the real puzzle.
This is a war. Survival is of the fittest, after all.
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 9:01 pm
With the celebrations winding down and things getting cleaned up, Rikki found himself alone again. He was pretty sure Danny had already left for home, and he hadn't seen Shun or Elliot for a few hours. He could head home, too, but the thought of seeing his parents so soon left him scrunching up his face in distaste.
He walked along the walls, instead, wasting time. All of this had been held in honor of these very monstrosities, and yet Rikki had no feelings towards them. He'd never considered what they meant to him, or to the other people living here.
He was just used to them.
But now that he considered it, he still couldn't muster up much care for them. They probably kept the people here safe, yeah, and Rikki was sure they should probably be admired for that. But his brother had died beyond the stone and concrete where there was no protection. If he was being honest with himself, Rikki probably would too.
So what could the walls possibly mean to him? Not much.
DarkHeartedSorrow
Adorable Trash
Offline
Lelouch Ri Britannia
Agile Noob
Offline
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:48 am
Cyril glanced up at the wall he lived under his whole life. They were the same walls he had been vandalizing his entire the life. His main reason for doing so?
To have the people in the town he had lived his entire life notice something from him. During his seventeen years of living, he has made many different carvings. Words, symbols, anything a teenage boy could right to express his inner self. This wouldn't go unnoticed. People would acknowledge his work. Whether it be people praising his work or wallists threatening to kill the person who vandalized the walls, Cyril would always smirk at their remarks. He was just happy someone noticed something that he did. Even though he can't come out in the open and take all the glory for the work, he still takes pride that people notice it. It makes him feel like less of a shadow.
So what do the walls mean to Cyril? They are a means of making his mark on this small city.
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 1:52 am
Alec had been wrapping things up and breaking down his booth late into the afternoon. The sun was lowering; it was long after his mother had stopped by to pick up his sister. Memories of the event and how fun it had been were still fresh on his mind and Alec couldn't resist humming happily to himself. He’d removed the classic Wallist costume, and stopped his Wallist-inspired shouting, but little did he know he’d attracted the attention of a rather foul, unpleasant man who didn’t find his antics so humorous. It seemed like the man had sprung from the ground like an angry daisy, and was now yelling angrily, shouting at him. Alec cringed when he saw an object come flying at him, but still the small rock hit him squarely in the head. The shape edges cut the flesh of his temple and he let out a startled yelp. Angry green eyes glared at him, seething, unrepentant for their violence.
“Heretic! How dare you make a mockery of our religion!” The Wallist would've continued screaming, his shoulders tense with unresolved anger, but a larger purple-haired man suddenly came up behind him. Placing one gentle dark hand on the angry young man, he stuttered out that violence was perhaps not best how to prompt the peace and love of the great walls. The white-haired man shrugged off the touch and huffed crossly, telling the other off for interfering. The friendlier of the two shot Alec an apologetic look.“I-I am so sorry! Are you ok? ...S-stephen is n-not usually like this.” He sighed sadly, looking back at his companion, and gently tried to resume his soft chiding of the other's rash behavior.
“It's... fine.” Alec flinched, looking away. Before either Stephen or the purple haired man could come any closer to him, Alec was already backing off and excusing himself. He was more than okay with retreating; the rock that had bounced off his temple earlier had hurt worse than getting one of the balls from his booth thrown at him. As long as he wasn’t near the pair, he felt safer, less fearful that the purple man couldn’t control Stephen from further rage. Alec had no desire in being target practice for angry Wallists. His feet moved swiftly, blindly going anywhere that was away from them.
Alec had seen Wallist fanatics before, but never one so angry nor short tempered. He felt guilty, his attempt at humor spoiled. It wasn’t like he didn’t believe in the safety of their home! But was he willing to stone people and make them bleed over it? Certainly not. The red-head believed in no god nor goddess of any real particular relevance: the only imposing absolute forces in his life were the walls. Wall Maria meant the most to him - it was his home. Wall Rose held some distant family in Trost. He never saw then anymore, but Trost used to be part of the trade adventures he’d ventured out on. No, Alec never had been so fervent about the walls as to turn violent. It was disturbing to know such people existed.
Blood trickled down from his head wound. Slowly sitting down near the Supply Goods back alley, Alec sighed, closing his eyes. What did it mean to be a believer? He’d seen two forms of Wallists in a matter of seconds. He was certain their definition of faith was twisted, misguided. Everyone lived and breathed their devotion in different formats but... The fact he’d been stoned by someone had at least taught him he’d have to watch more closely those around him. Truly, not everyone was as friendly as Alec would like to believe; he had to be more careful.
(( note, i asked unity if i could use her wallist in my prompt. Otherwise I'm afraid Stephen would have hurt Alec further :< ! Alister being used was okay'd by Unity <3 ))
leon_a_darkangel
Dedicated Supporter
Offline
The Semblance of Unity
Predestined Victim
Offline
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:08 am
Safe and Sound
[[lol ty mythee for putting up with all my silly questions about formats for me to just end up writing something instead. you're a saint]]
As usual, Alister walked slowly, one hand outstretched to touch the walls. Alister liked walking around Trost, his hometown, but always on the edges, near the beautifully towering walls. Funnily enough, the clumsy Wallist probably knew more about the edges of his town than he did the center. He smiled a little and patted the wall with one dark hand. Caught up in his own thoughts as usual, he tripped and smacked head first into that wall, letting out a squeak of pain. And, as usual, the garrisoners nearby ignored him. They were used to seeing the violet-haired Wallist roam around, one hand planted firmly on his beloved walls. They were also used to seeing the tall boy trip and stumble as through invisible strings tugged at his ankles. The walking, the falling, both seemed to be a weekly routine for him. When asked, though, Alister would proudly proclaim that he had only fallen three times today, which was five less than yesterday. Of course, it wasn't yet noon. Rubbing at his abused head, he sank into a crouch, the rough stones cool against his back.
"Ughhh..." A lump was forming on his forehead. The damn thing would probably bruise. With that disgruntled noise, Alister gave up and flopped his long legs out in front of him. The dirt would stain his pants, but he had others, and he wanted to people watch. Idly, he wondered where Stephen was - probably off trying to violently convert someone again. In a way, they were equally violent, he thought with a chuckle. Although with Alister, it was all unintentional and typically against himself. Stephen just felt a little too passionately about how others thought, rather than enjoy his own devotion to the walls. Rummaging around in his rucksack, Alister grabbed a piece of cheese, a hunk of bread, and a notebook. Stuffing a bit of the savory cheese in his mouth, he began to draw.
There was a market directly in his line of vision, so he sketched that, green eyes skewing up comically as he held the pencil out to measure perspective. The tip of his tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth, a subconscious gesture of concentration. To the children paying, he gave great feathery wings; to the matron with an enormous hat - an equally enormous bust. Alister giggled, a little like a schoolgirl. Here he was, a grown, 23 year old man, plopped down in the dirt and drawing caricatures. He wondered what Stephen would think of it. That amusing thought was cut short by sound of hoof beats. They were approaching quickly and Alister's green eyes perked up. Drawing forgotten, he scrambled up and covered the distance to the market in long, leggy strides.
The Scouting Legion was leaving on yet another expedition. After Trost, they would wind their way to Shingshina and, finally, outside. Although he knew some Wallists did not share his views, Alister thought it was terribly noble to combat the enemy before they even reached humanity's precious walls. Not for the first time, he thought of joining them. But Allister was all legs and awkward - he didn't think he'd be of any help. But, maybe, one day.... He smiled as they thundered by. The walls were humanity's peace and protection: in a way a cage, but one of necessity. He devoutly wished more people would love the walls gently, as he did. "The Walls are the most blessed tool of mankind, the salvation," he murmured quietly to himself. A woman shot him an odd look and edged slightly away from him. Unperturbed, he watched as the Legion went, leaving behind them a trail of hope and dust. Maybe he should join them; it was certainly worth while to give a life in the service of the walls. Humming, he turned, tripping over a small rock. His arms flew out wide but he did not fall. Alister's grin widened and, as he picked his way back home, he sang softly to himself.
"Safe in the bounds of these walls, safe in their tow'ring height, There by these stones o’ershaded, sweetly my heart shall rest...."
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 2:21 pm
Sitting in the cool grass, back against the rough bark of a pear tree, Deacon stared off initially at nothing in particular. But, as they were always there in the distance, his gaze and aimless thoughts eventually settled on the familiar walls...
Deacon tried not to consider too deeply his feelings in regards to the walls. What would it help? What would it change? Nothing, that's what. Whether he liked or disliked being trapped inside mattered not, in the long run. He wasn't naive, and knew that they were there to protect them.
However, he never once understood why anyone would worship those walls. They were stone. Not sentient or alive. How could a thing not alive appreciate the... Appreciation? Wallists were sad, mental individuals in Deacon's opinion. They needed something to cling to, something to do to make themselves look more intelligent or morally higher than the general populace. Most often, he ignored them and just continued on his own way.
But, he could appreciate the walls themselves. Really, it went no farther than that. Sure, he had curiosity to wonder what might be on the other side of them. Hundreds or thousands of miles outside. It would be impossible to ever know, he imagined, seeing as the outside was where the titans roamed. Deacon had seen before the wounded and emotionally broken survey troops returning home.
It wouldn't be worth it.
They had his fill of nature inside the walls, so it wasn't that he felt cheated. Nor did he feel like anything could be done. Those walls would be there the day his last breath was taken, just as they had been for his grandparents and their parents before them. It was just a part of life. A permanent fixture that silently withstood the pass of time. They had lasted one hundred years, and Deacon could only imagine that they'd remain for hundreds if not thousands more. Even if the human population dwindled and fizzled out completely... The walls would still be there.
Deacon suddenly grinned, laughing softly to himself. His thoughts had taken a depressing turn, and that just would not do. He rose from the grass and stretched, turning his attention away from the ever present walls and heading home. He plucked a ripe pear as he went, taking the first juicy bite and easily letting his thoughts on the previous subject simply fade away.
Hitsuzen
Naughty Advisor
Offline
stella cinere
Ice-Cold Codger
Offline
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 4:14 pm
When she was younger she had imagined that deep within the walls she was a princess, waiting as she peered out of her window watching the clouds drift above free. The small round light blue eyes clinging to the small velvet doll in her arms, vaguely resembling its former shape of a dragon were only filled with hopes and dreams of some fantastical world beyond the prison of the tall walls.
They still where, except there was a different dream, the dream to escape beyond the walls Lottie thought as she weaved through the crowd as the event started to wind down to last of the stragglers. It was strange, she was sure, the feeling knowing that things she considered precious like her family, her friends, even the annoying women who came into the shop with their snotty little kids behind them where safe. For them it was protection, even for her it was like being behind the walls in a castle with a mote never considering the possibility of more out there, things far beyond that those walls hid from their eyes. True, it was dangerous and things such as the Titans lingered however that was the job of a knight. It was their duty to go forth, to leave the protection of the walls and to do anything to end the plague that haunted human kind. Like a mother hen, the walls watched and protected them all and despite its best efforts there were always a few who wanted to leave to escape the entrapment of safety and to the taste danger and adventure.
She was one of them. Everything in Lottie’s mind was bent to getting out of the walls. They had their purpose, which she would never disagree with but they couldn’t all live their lives in such ways. One day, Lottie thought as the rapier tapped her side, she would see beyond them far beyond.
One day.
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:05 pm
Wall philosophy has ended! Next post will be to roll 8D
Lady Mist Captain
Galactic Cleric
Offline
Lady Mist generated a random number between
1 and 10 ...
8!
Lady Mist Captain
Galactic Cleric
Offline
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:09 pm
Thank you all for your entries, I adore seeing each character's perspectives on an aspect that seems so domineering, yet so much in the background. And, of course, the festival was all about the walls, so I felt it only fitting to end on a note to consider them.
Winner may choose between a semi custom, or a unique tailor ticket (can decide if an item edit is unique to your character, or added to the stock).
Reply
