Community
Collaborative Community
Plentiful sentences X 1 Story X 1 Community | Collaborative Storytelling Community
in narrative’s collaborative storytelling community is a social media initiative that was launched to encourage collaborative work under the slogan "We are all writers of one story"
Seven Suns
The first collaborative narrative | Seven Suns | Was written over a period of two months - July to August 2017.
She entered the room of the seven suns. How peculiar, she thought, that after emerging into the dazzling light, she still felt cold. The suns were no more than iridescent globes of frost. She had completely forgotten there is no longer such a thing as free warmth on this planet. The real star, the sun with rays of heat remained hidden inside the palace of power. After the supernova, all what humanity was left with was an impossible balance between seven dwarfs - fragile, yet powerful. All the knowledge of our universe and its power is now oddly balanced in this room, inaccessible by any living thing. Snapping out of the moment and back to the task at hand, she scanned the room to find what she came for. She had to hurry; the barrier only dampened the dwarfs, and her hardware wasn't made to endure such exposure. Every step she took was calculated and careful, for the ground below her was fragile and any wrong move would end in her plummeting into the abyss. Scanning her horizons with machine advanced sight, she pinpointed the device that would restore humanity to its former glory. She paused for a small instant; was it going to work? Would she be able to fulfill the task at hand? She knew that time wasn't on her side, but she had to be sure; this was her calling, she was here for a reason; she was the chosen one. As she reached out to grab the device the heat intensified to an unbearable level, It seemed like the seven suns were about to burst with every step she took towards that instrument... That one glimpse of hope to save humanity. Her grip on the instrument was far more strong and stable than her belief in her own capability of fulfilling this task. She paused and allowed herself to enter into a cold, unfeeling state of mind. It dawned on her that she had to make a sacrifice - she was the vessel through which the original star could be freed. She closed her eyes and let the heat from the device overcome her, it flowed through her veins like lava, engulfed the room and allowed the original star to rise back up and warm humanity.
Contributors | Rasha Mattar | Mais AlGhanim | Yuliya Yudchenko | Elena Shulgina | Ashwaq Shukralla | Taiba AlNajjar | Noor Rana | Sarah Sager | Sara Abdulla | Yasmeen Khalil
Illustrations | Mishari AlNajjar
Collective Imagination X Polls Galore X 1 Community | Collaborative Imagination Community
in narrative's collaborative community is a social media initiative that was launched to encourage collaborative imagination. With the beginning of each week a series of polls were introduced to IN Narrative's Instagram audience. The results of the polls dictated what each room housed, from objects, finishes to furniture. The room is then illustrated by IN Narrative's team and revealed the end of each week along with a matching narrative. The eight resulting rooms were produced over a period of two months - July to August 2018.
Illustrations | Mishari AlNajjar - Sara Abdulla - Narratives | Mishari AlNajjar
Room for Rent:
Semi uninterrupted ocean views.
Oxygen tank included for free.
Ps. By signing the contract tenant agrees that:
- The landlord is not responsible for any water leaks and / or shark attacks.
- Resident approves to partake in any underwater living research conducted on him/her
My grandma's butter scones are the best. I know that you're thinking to yourselves oh yea... everyone says that. But it's the truth, they're really good, so much so that my greedy uncle turned her entire apartment into a factory. But grandma, bless her heart, she didn't let my uncle take over her place. The conveyor belts run across antique Persian carpets, the factory's employees rest on floral hammocks. It really is a sight to behold.
My mom told me about the Sandman when I was young. She told me about his bike operated hot air balloon and how he flew it above the entire city every night. How he looked down on all of the sleeping children from his window, sprinkling magical sand on their closed eyes. The Sandman also filled our sky with stars, but no one knows how he does that.
My aunt Elanore is three things; Filthy rich, eccentric and obsessive.
Every month or so she would find a new obsession, something to latch on to and dedicate her life to, well... for a few weeks until she latches on to the next thing. She has one room in her penthouse apartment that is ever changing. From wanting to have the thinnest fish tank ever made, to practicing rock climbing. The place is never one thing or another, always evolving with Elanore's whims. Her latest thing you ask?
The Maasai dance. Eager to perfect their excellent jumping skills, she installed a trampoline as big as the room, she also changed the wallpaper to some wild jungle pattern and even added a bamboo matt around the walls. I can't wait to see how this one turns out.
My uncle finally convinced grandma to mass produce her infamous biscuits. Her apartment was already taken over by the scones bakery, so they built a factory instead. The factory had one of a kind ovens where biscuits are baked on the walls. But grandma had to add her touches to this space as well. Pink marble covers the floor. Pink glass ornaments hang from the ceiling dazzling as they reflect the oven's fire. She even added a recliner to tan on. The security guard was such a fan of this oven, and he would spend hours tanning, sometimes leaving without taking his keys.
Everyone knows Christopher Columbus and his expeditions. But no one speaks of Jeremiah Sconce. The man that spent his entire life traveling the world collecting as many books and painting recreations as he could. His crew always spoke of his exceptional taste and his keen eye for details; they spoke of the love seat gifted to him by the Queen Isabella I of Castile. Sadly the chair clashed with his ship's decor.
Salma, the disgruntled artist, moved her studio from the city to an open lavender field, desperate of inspiration she hoped the change of scenery would inspire her. She covered the walls with canvas, bought a couple of ladders and started filling up her space with objects. It didn't take long for her to regain her confidence as an artist and fill up the walls with art. She also can’t put brush to canvas without a fresh cup of coffee
Meiko, a world-renowned former geisha, was set to perform in a charity event at Al-Hambra Cinema. Al-Hambra is under the threat of demolition, and this event was meant to bring light to old-school cinemas. Ironically the show was canceled last minute due to claims of cultural appropriation. Meiko had to be rushed out of her dressing room before she took a bite out of her favorite cinnamon rolls, she even forgot her lucky brooch. They had to leave before the swarm of "woke" protesting millennials got to her and her backup dancers.