The sun was high, it was hotter than it had been in days. The salt seemed to stain the oxygen that lingered above the stagnant waters that carried the iron craft through them ever so slowly. It was like the slow burn of a candle, as the boat floated through out the sea. It had been days, without food or water. Blonde locks dangled in front of his face, tangled and matted. He was slowly starving to death. A fishing pole with a line cast off the side of his boat remained off the starboard section of the vessel. His clothes were tattered and torn, and his mind was delusional. Lost and transfixed on a life that he had left behind, and not by choice.
A storm had ripped his boat to shreds, and here he floated on what remained of the thing. Looking around, he saw it was nothing more than a raft really. Just parts of the boat he had managed to swim and gather after he woke up. Floating there on a piece of wood. He had found ropes and bound the debris together. He was hoping that someone would come for him, but eventually he gave up hope. It had been three days without food, he hadn't caught one damn fish. Dehydration was starting to set in, and hunger was driving him mad. Looking toward the horizon, he sighed heavily, What he would do to see Asclepius again, but she had cursed him for leaving on this venture out to sea. She had caught him sleeping with her sister, and it had crushed her needless to say, that he thought this cruise was just what the doctors had ordered.
Until he heard the crew screaming. The night was still very vivid in his mind, yet he had no clue how he had survived the crash. A hurricane had ripped the sea apart and torn his boat asunder. He had hit his head in the initial impact of the first wave. By all rights he should have drown, but he didn't somehow. He could remember the feeling of arms around him but as he awakened There was no one in site, Just the piece of decking he had been floating on. Starving and dying, he began to hallucinate about a woman. A woman with the torso of a human and the bottom half of what seemed to be a dolphin, the mythology would call her a mermaid but to the mind of Pollux he didn't know if she was real or not. Was she just a hallucination and did he honestly save himself? Guess he would never know. Looking off to the right. he saw something sticking out of the water, at least at first it started off small. But his boat was drifting toward it.
At least that's what he thought, but in honesty he was being pulled toward it. Meanwhile something was starting to arise from the ocean, at first it looked like an iron spike. Yet made of gold, and as his boat began to pick up speed. So did this strange obelisk, within moments other pillars began to protrude. Pollux gasped, his heart leaped into his throat, eyes widening and now he could feel his heart pounding there were it was lodged. He was choking from the dehydration, what was this? Was he this delusional; Could he possibly be making this up? His need, his urge to have something to feast on, something to drink building something this vivid. This real. Even the sea beneath of his floating rickety craft began to rise, and the ground that was beneath of him was made of gold. Everything sparkled and would glow in the vivid sun light. He stumbled off the boat and began to walk around this amazing city.
"This cant be real...." He whispered to himself as he explored this magnificent spectacle. Every thing was so unreal, the craftsmen ship alone was so surreal. He couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the buildings, the statues and the designs that were carved into each building that he passed. Everything seemed to be made of gold or silver, and as he made his way through the city he realized he was heading toward the center of it. Within the center seemed to be some sort of pyramid. No one was coming to rescue him, they all must of thought he died in the boat crash with the others that were on the cruise, he didn't know. He wasn't sure what had caused this strange place to rise from the abyss, his mind was gone. And as he stumbled through the city, he thought he heard commotion behind him, but as he looked behind him and over his shoulder. There was nothing there.
This place was quickly turning from warm embracing air, to something eerie and grim. Sighing heavily he continued on toward the strange pyramid like thing in the center of the city. At this moment he felt as though he was being watched, but from where? He kept his eyes peeled, on the buildings that surrounded him. This place felt as though it had ghosts everywhere. His clothing started to whip about as the winds began to pick up. Then he thought about it, what if this strange place was to sink as fast as it had arisen?
The Hurricane
The currents were rough as the storm raged on over the water, the surface choppy and dangerous, but beneath the waves was even more dangerous. The lightening striking the water was definitely something to watch for, depending on the strength of the bolt, depended on how much water became electrified. She had been just minding her own business under water when a rip current came out of nowhere and snatched her right off her path, sending her hurdling through the water, at the ocean's mercy. When she managed to free herself from the current, she found herself in dark waters, and turned her gaze upwards to find the bottom of a ship bearing down on her, and that it was so dark because she was underneath the blasted thing! Moving quickly, she turned, and gave her long, glorious, finned tail a powerful stroke as she moved her arms back and dove, the powerful thrust sending her shooting downwards as the bottom of the craft descended upon her in the watery abyss.
Then it was lifted away from her again, she could feel the pull of the wave as it gained height and she whipped her tail harder, trying not to get sucked into the wave with the ship. She saw it capsize, then shatter as the wave crashed it's enormousity down upon the exposed side. She rolled with the wreckage and the bodies, the cargo and the wood. Her tail became tangled in a rope and she began to sink. Doubling over, she had to work fast, as a large wooden crate was sinking down fast right above her and her aqua teal colored fins were pinned to her tail. Just as she was about to be caught and pushed by the crate, she got the rope loosed from her tail and shot out of the way, just in time.
And just like that, the sea calmed, and the storm began to break apart. She swam amidst the floating wreckage, mostly just to see satisfy her curiosity of survivors. Not that she cared, they were humans. And she was not so very fond of the cruel bastards. She found one, he was floating on his back on the surface, his blonde hair floating around his head in the water. Looking around, she saw a large chink of the side of the ship, and for some reason she couldn't figure out, she grabbed him under the arms and pulled him over to the makeshift raft. He was too heavy for her to lift over the edge of the wood, and looking down at him, she smirked. He was unconcious anyway. Using one hand, she firmly pinched the man's nose shut and promptly dove, speeding down to a depth of about thirty feet, she would have to be fast, he couldn't breathe under water like she could, and with a few powerful stroked of her her tail, the two shot back up through the water like a torpedo, gaining more speed with each stroke of her magnificent tail, until they broke the surface with an explosion of water, and she held tightly to him as she leaped out of the water, angling the jump to take them over the platform of wood, where she would drop him as she continued to sail through the air and dive back into the water on the other side.
Coming back up again, her head cleared the water, and the sun broke through the clouds to light up hair the color of pure gold, and eyes that were as blue as the ocean, and just as shifting in color. Looking out across the surface, she floated with the raft for a moment, then swam away, looking for a few items in particular. The rope that had entangled her, it was a good long rope. All the food he could eat had been destroyed in the storm, as well as any fresh water. She wasn't sure what this pole thing was, but she took it too. Well, he would have to make do with this. But first she needed to get him away from the wreck before the sharks came. Going under again, she used the rope and tied it off in a couple places before she took it and began pulling the raft away. Once clear, she untied the rope, and threw it over the side of the raft to lay next to the man. Retreating to what she thought to be a safe distance, she watched.
And now, three days later the poor bastard was still alive. He didn't know it, but she had remained with the raft, keeping watch over him from a distance when he was awake, or swimming right underneath the raft. She knew where they were headed, but wondered why it called to this man. She watched as his raft beached and he began to stagger around, heading for the center of town. What was he doing? They weren't going to like that..
Moving into the shallows, she pulled herself out of the water and onto the sand, where, after a few moments, her lower half changed and her tail split into a pair of legs. She stood, totally naked now, except for the shells she wore on her chest as a sort of bra like garment. Seeing a white cloth fluttering in a nearby window, she ripped it off it's rod and used it to cover herself in sort of like a togs, and used a short piece of rope to tie it close to her waist and stay. A few more steps and she would fall, hissing softly at herself. It had been quite some time since she had walked on land last, this was going to take a minute. Getting back up, she looked up and made sure to note the time. By the same time tomorrow, she would have to return to the water, or be stuck with legs. She hated legs. They were weird, and didn't look very powerful, or feel very strong, in comparison with the strength of her tail.
Slowly, she followed him, watching. Then she felt it too, the pull, and she came out of the alley where she was watching him, about the same time the wind picked up and began to whip around him. There was something different about this one, she couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he was definitely an oddity. Cocking her head to the side, she made a noise that, to him, would sound like a dolphins whistles and clicks. When in actuality she said, 'hey, you!' that was going to be a problem. How was it one spoke human again? She had been forced to learn, many many years ago when she was very young. But she had long since forgotten most of it, having been alone and under the sea for so long that her only friends were fish.
As soon as she spoke, there were people! She jumped to her left as they began to emerge from the houses and buildings around them and she bared her sharp, tiny fangs, hissing at them as they emerged and she crouched down slightly, bringing her hands up before her in a defensive sort of way. She had no idea what she was doing, thats why you don't take a fish out of the damn water, oh don't panic don't panic... One of them would wave a hand at her, and she would drop, suddenly unconcious, but otherwise fine.
Hi Frost! Would it be possible to give credit to your coauthor? In this case I wonder... where are they referencing plagiarism from? Do you know? Is this already published somewhere?
Hi @theinkwell,
I’m just thinking out loud here... it would be helpful to also include the source for your accusation of plagiarism.
Rather than just dropping the shoe on someone new... and then waiting for the other she to drop with the blacklisting of someone new and just starting out...
I’m also curious... what happens if one author sells their copy write to someone else? (Or, as Frost is saying, this was co-authored.) I know that things like this happen all the time in Hollywood (as an example) with written works being sold to other parties...
I’m finding this interesting and it also shows that we need to proceed with care before levelling accusations... and if we do we need to substantiate those accusations carefully and transparently.
A friendly Hive that is marketable is at stake if we do not evolve our procedures and practices.
I would be very interested to hear from you on this aspect of this particular situation.
Sincerely,
@wil.metcalfe
Here is the source, @wil.metcalfe: https://www.valucre.com/topic/43861-asunder/. You're right that we should have provided that information.
Here are the two stories, placed side by side:
As we've shared with @frost77, our rules are that no previously published work of any kind is to be published in The Ink Well. The rules are posted clearly in our community. Thanks for looking out for new members. Hopefully this clears everything up.
I made a mistake! And I'm owning it and will not do it again!. I hope that from this point on, we will have no more issues. I apologize for the way things turned out. May I still post my new work there as I produce it? I enjoy the hive and don't wanna give up on my dreams of being a professional writer one day!. Again I am sorry, it will not happen Again.
I’m sure it will be fine going forward @frost77.
Take heart, do your best to stay within the guidelines of each community, and I wish you the highest amount of luck and good fortune as you pursue and hone your craft here on Hive!
You have a future here my friend... and I’m confident that you can build it one word at a time. 🙌
@wil.metcalfe
Thank you for being an amazing friend and truly awesome person will. If there ever comes a time to nominate someone I would definitely nominate you and blue for being the best people to help guide a new through out the hive. You two have done amazing work and been pretty loyal and protective friends! I am lucky to have met you all
@frost77, we very much look forward to reading your original work. Thank you for your commitment to making things right. We all make mistakes!
The Ink Well is a very open and welcoming community. We may come on strong sometimes when we perceive abuse of creative privileges or disregard of our rules, but you will find that we are very supportive and nurturing to those who are making an effort to turn out honest work.
Please check out our catalog of fiction writing tips. You will find a treasure trove of articles to help you on your writing journey.
Be sure to check out
Thank you very much and it was no problem what so ever!
Thank you for taking the time to maintain a professional demeanour while also maintaining the standards you’ve set out for @theinkwell.
I believe that new authors need to be nurtured and respected even if there are missteps along the way. If we are too bring them quickly, fairly, and decently UP to speed this is very necessary so I do appreciate you acknowledging this and adjusting.
We all work incredibly hard to bring new people here. They come from all sorts of places and with all sorts of backgrounds and experiences. Each one is valuable however.
With every 1 person we have convinced to try out Hive we have had conversations in the social2.0’s with UPwards of 100 people. The point being that currently with this sort of conversion rate everything is UPhill.
THIS is exactly why I am adamant for a friendly Hive and why I advocate wherever I can.
Yes. We need to direct energy here on Hive, especially within our communities... but we also need to maintain a high standard in doing so. It can be difficult, especially as more and more people onboard, but we must do our absolute best to do so in ways that lift people UP, show them the way, and brands Hive as better (not just from a technological standpoint) than the other social2.0’s we are competing with.
This is all about hearts and minds... and I don’t know about you all... but from one community builder to another, Let’s keep winning and let’s do it one comment at a time! 🙌
Regards & Respect,
@wil.metcalfe
Absolutely, @wil.metcalfe. Very well said. You won't find disagreement here.
This is not an excuse, but an explanation. We are a tiny admin team, and in our creative arena plagiarism is an enormous problem. People steal others' creative work, claim it as their own and expect to be rewarded for it. Nurturing and hand-holding do not always come to mind under the circumstances.
That said, we absolutely know that people make innocent mistakes. We work daily to take that into account, to understand that there are different cultural norms, and to teach, advise, and offer second chances. Thanks for being a warrior for Hive and taking the time to share your thoughts. Regards and respect coming back your way.
p.s. This is jayna. :)
That's the thing though, she gave me the go ahead. Her name is kierston Sullivan and yeah I have no problem giving her the credit. It was part of the deal anyway. I still don't see it as purgery. Unless it being purgery because I used the story me and her wrote and a site called valucre.
Regardless. My experience here has just been blacked out. It has leveled my ambition, and made me feel horrible. Like trash, for trying to share a story that I had written.
I don't handle being called a thief lightly. And that is exactly what was done. I don't even understand what blacklisting is.
https://www.valucre.com/topic/43933-calamity-of-the-heart/?tab=comments#comment-794969
This is were it was originally written. I'm brand new, still wet behind the ears. And had no clue that using my own work would qualify as plagerism. .
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STOPThis story is directly plagiarized and will be reported.
Whatever you say bub. I don't want a bad reputation, if you say it's plagerized. I'll scrap something that my friend kierston Sullivan and I, Vincent Meisman wrote before I went to prison. She gave me permission to use it here and continue the story. But...I digress. If you feel as though I am a thief or worse....
Than maybe you have gotten the wrong impression of me. Hard not to feel frustrated right now. I worked hard on that story and had plans for it. Now I will scrap months of things I had planned out for after it was caught up and come up with something new.
I just hope that you have nothing against me, because I had no idea that using a writing that I wrote with my friend would be considered plagerism.
So, I hope to continue on the hive in the future, but now I'm worried that whatever reputation and progression I was building was just smashed into the ground like a spade cutting through dirt.
Very uninspiring. Very upset.
Again, I would like to know how it's considered plagiarism when I have the author and I'm one of the authors and every character in the story is original it's not like I went and stole something from someone so I would like to know where you're getting plagiarism from if I have to be concerned about this because that is an all original story.
And until you show me some kind of proof that it's plagiarism some references something then I think I'm going to continue posting it!
Here's the source, @frost77: https://www.valucre.com/topic/43861-asunder/
Please note that our community rules explain that only original content is allowed in The Ink Well. If you were the author of the story by the same name with the same words, that is fine but it still cannot be re-posted in The Ink Well.
For more information, read our manifesto. This rule is explained there as well. Thank you for understanding. You're welcome to publish 100% new, unique stories here.
Thank you! I apologize for making the mistake. And there will be completely new dialogue and story's in the not so distant future.
[Edit] The authorship has been verified for this post.