February 27th Weekly Challenge Greed

[Tehya]

This week's topic for a creative challenge in Art, Poems, and Stories, is Greed.

Have fun creating,
Tehya

[Stormbringer]

Well I guess SB qualifies on that one

[Artan]

So you look at me,
and rapidly,
you begin asking of me,
what do I want to be,
Is it what you want of me?
You turn be against myself,
putting my personality up on a shelf,
I change who I am and what I do,
to try and finally sate you,
I lose myself in your desire,
even when we come under fire,
I show you the man that I could be,
and that is when you turn and run from me.

You call me death,
you call me insanity,
I am nothing but your greed,
and your vanity,
made manifest and given humanity,
You make the mistake,
of gambling risking my shake, my fate,
to save your own sorry hide,
so gladly kissed my innocence goodbye,
Now you scheme and lie,
behind my back,
it's me that you've always attacked,
afraid that I could be better,
wanting only for your self,
now my little friend it's you on the shelf,
being asked your place,
trying to keep the lies from your face,
when it's plain to all that can see,
that you're betraying your brother, me.

I had your back,
You never gave me any slack,
I kept you protected,
I kept you covered,
you threw me to the wolves,
even convinced the others.
I called you brother,
now I call you prey.
Lie awake at night,
count away each day.
Now you live at my grace,
Running out this race,
for now I am the monster that you made me,
this is the cost of your greed, your vanity.
For never have you deserved the skill given to me.

[mozenwrathe]

*Some people just don't know their own limitations. Other people never face their fears to reach theirs. However it may be, the world of Belariath knows that people love to take more than they have been given and rewards it... until it doesn't. After all, there's at least one who takes no matter what anyone says.*

What A World Of Wonders
by Seppä Eitibrokk Asperquint, half-dwarven smith of Valencia

what I do not have
should I not want too greatly
but will I eventually give in
and work towards getting it
taking what I desire for myself
be it man or beast
a hound for hunting rabbits
or a mate for the night's festivities
as within the laws of this land
might I do so many things here
that my home Clan would frown upon
merely for my being female
and only to serve under my grandfather's thumb
but here might I reach out
taking a beautiful male by the hair
one of those pretty elven boys
dragging him into a tavern's booth
sliding off his clothes with my fingers
and biting into such a tender throat
knowing all the while was he recently
handfasted to some random human
a knight or some landed seigneur
but for this afternoon is he mine
until his seed is spent within me
and his shaft broken by my desires

my eyes are not so broken at all
to know am I not the most lusted after
but will it mean nothing
if I am the one stalking prey
and if my wants are more than they
who forever and a day insist upon
defining what makes me a good woman
care to acknowledge as being right and good
then shall I be branded by their tongues
as wicked and craven
to bear such wants as men often proclaim
screaming out their desires with pride
and expecting women to bow their heads
with meek acceptance of their seed
so shall I brand my own spirit with avarice
and laugh cruelly with much ribald amusement
when I see what I want next before me

necklace crafted by fingers more slender
than ones I possess on my hands
worn around the neck of a wolven
one who could each strangle me
with grip of one of those arms
but must I have that for my own
and have I lost my fear of his kind
so do I bring out my heaviest mace
tapping the male gently above
what would need be his tailbone
beckoning him down to my level
with savage grin in his view
wanting now more than just
what he wears about his neck
but the weapon between his thighs
as my hunger for more has not been
slaked by my earlier prey at all
instead am I inspired for more
and will this male before me
covered in thick dark fur and tattoos
branded by battle and ritual both
give me what I desire and demand

it would not be long before he realizes
that little dwarven maid with weapon
can actually use it with terrible consequence
but the wolven himself cares little now
as in this back alley we have found
behind what most consider the office of sales
for the lands and forests around this region
a most perfect spot to succumb
to that which we need to indulge
his shaft heavy and pounding within me
as the mace now hangs at my side
and the necklace I coveted greatly
now is around my wrist thrice wound
for my throat has his teeth upon it
as he bites down none too harshly
his greed being for females smaller than he
who are not afraid to demand more
yet will I wear him out as well
my thirst for more not to be quenched
until that ring seen I within one gallery
sits well upon my index finger
and that one rather amusing vulpine
who cursed my name with scorn
only two weeks prior to this day
finds himself with his tongue buried
tasting what I taken from three others

[Tehya]

Character Opal:

A Twisted Tale of Greed

Be it said that you may become something more than what you were born for. Magic has a wicked way of twisting things around, but the dark snake that slithers into our mind to manipulate our paths in life can be more treacherous than the venomous bite people fear.

You see it can slither into places you would never dream to look or expect it, and the vices you hold so dear can become chains around your mind squeezing it so tight, poison could never compare.

He was not a young man, nor beautiful to the Moriel’s eyes, until fear made her look twice and he crept through the forest like the evil vice that even she didn’t know existed. After all; magic was what she thought she wanted to learn, and not give in with a happy smile, but to grab what she knew best earth magic plain and simple. Under the deep recesses of her mind something else dwelled there, but no one ever touched that side of her, she was a virgin in that sense and too young to even know herself.

Greed; something learned through other’s powerful magic, since gaining some knowledge only drove her on to gain more. That is dangerous when you know you will walk innocently through a path taking your own risks of never returning as you once were, to commit herself to a teacher knowing there may be a price to pay.

Matwyn’s twisted teachings led her down simple paths of learning how to manipulate earth, and then Miyuka looking at her from a distance, tempting the magic user to want to be like her, and learn more. Takao tempting her with books alive with magic led her to search Unigo for months to find none hidden within the library or the walls of the rooms she was allowed in.

Treachery erased from her mind was only brought forth by Eraelabryn in the temple of Kirva, she learned of her past deeds before emerging. Greed again rearing its ugly head, and showed the Moriel two men that fought for her charm and company, her dark desirable innocence a great price tag they paid with their own lives. She pitted one against the other the weaker teacher died, and the other lay injured looking to her for help only to be put to death by her own hand. Why bother with them anymore when she had drained them of their knowledge, and she stared down into his eyes wishing him a silent goodbye used up and no longer a use to her.

That memory was only uncovered within the Temple of Kirva, and she walked out to accomplish something even she didn’t know existed. When the older man caught her in the forest, he became tempter of her fate, tempter of her greed, tempter of her very existence. An offer to study under him, but this time she didn’t feel superior, stubborn yes, greedy definitely but she was tempting fate, cocky and young enough to think there would be no price to pay.

Another wicked desire presented itself to her, something she didn’t even think of, a magic so subtle to manipulate minds was irresistible, as secretly as her teacher was doing to her.

When she thought of being sent home to openly send her dreams and desires towards this man, or shall he be recorded in this piece of history as the snake she found in the forest. The very man who might peel away each greedy layer of the Moriel wanting to become his protégé, and she had excepted his offer with the most dangerous kind of greed within a person’s nature.

The question is what price comes with this sort of greed.

[Ehlanna]

Someone had to go back to basics ...

[Tehya]

Great stories and art, Ehlanna that made me laugh and so true