A New Start

Talking to someone about monster ideas and came up with this one.

Krow's Abomination

This creature was a madman's failed attempt to artificially produce sentient life. The creature burrows under cities and primarily infiltrates children's dreams at night, replacing their dreams with its nightmares in order to offset the pain of its existence.

If left unchecked, the dreams steadily get darker and begin to twist the victim's minds under the control of the abomination, which then uses its victims to draw in others for it to feed on.

The best time to attack the creature is when it is trying to feed, but be warned that it's victims can and will alert the creature of any danger, even going so far as to sacrifice themselves for the creature to escape.

There have only been a handful of sightings since they were released into the world, but recently, a city suffered from an earthquake that drove a fifteen meter specimen to the surface. It proceeded to devoure the city's residence before succumbing to its injuries.

This incident indicates a level of patience and cunning that was not previously attributed to the creatures.

Bad Deal

Fairies causing trouble doesn't always go in their favor.

Word count: 307

Warning: some violence, implied/ referenced child death

Thanks for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial

“I’ll count your late husband's debt fulfilled with this. Be grateful I don’t come for the next one.”

Leona stared down at the doll in her hand, remembering the bloated swamp fly’s words more clearly than the night they’d been spoken. In her travels, she had often wondered what possible reason that foul being could have had to rip her child away before she even had the chance to hold him. A part of her had hoped that the fay just craved connection to the world like she had. That might at least have made the loss more bearable. 

“DON’T KILL ME! IT WAS MY RIGHT TO TAKE HIM, THAT WAS THE DEAL.”

A gently thump emanated from the burlap bunny, and Leona knew that connection had been the furthest thing from this insect’s mind when robbing her of the last thing she could care for. It had been foolish to suspect anything else from them, but it wasn’t too late to learn from her mistakes. 

“No, you never had any claim to my son… Theo couldn’t have children.”

The insect’s face bunched up in rage, and it shook it small fist’s in the air while screeching. 

“I WAS TRICKED? MY PRIZE WAS JUST A FAKE!?! I DEMAND…”

Frowning in disgust, Leona pierced her bident through the frustrated fay. The heartbeat in her hand fluttered as the creature’s light faded, making her chest tighten. No magic in the world could bring back a body ten years gone.

She’d been too diplomatic, listening to the advice of those who feared the old magic. Gripping her weapon tightly, Leona swore to the boiling rage in her heart that she would not make the same mistake again. Valleys would be turned to rivers, filled with their putrid blood before they came to know the despair she would bring to them. 

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Write between 100-1000 words. It can be any genre, in any text format and 18+ is fine by us, just please tag accordingly.

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✨ And now, the new prompt!

[#FFF264 Counting Clocks ]

Why are there multiple clocks? Why are they being counted? Is time running out? Is it just a simple clock maker's daily task? Do the clocks bring distress or relief or something else? Get writing and let us know! Go, go, go!!!

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The Collective <3

one year of #FFF 🎉🎉🎉

so with this week's entry, i have participated in flash fiction friday for a whole year now, keeping up a streak of 52 :D and because i'm lowkey proud of that and also just love FFF a lot, i will yap a litte.

what is flash fiction friday?

FFF is a fun little event where the very cool people over at @flashfictionfridayofficial post a new prompt every friday at noon cet, then you have 24h to fill that prompt, and over the next week they will rb it to that official account and it gets put into a showcase post.

why is that so cool and why should you join?

for so many reasons!

first of all, the whole community (as in, the people usually participating, as well as "the bosses") is extremely nice and sweet and welcoming, and full of amazing writers. and it is alway such a varied mix of works! there's fanfics of various fandoms, ranging from more "popular" things to very niche, there's original works, both with people having their own ocverses/bigger works as well as just great little disconnected short stories, there's poetry, there's everything.

for me personally, the whole process is just very good and has so many perks: - one prompt a week, so there's a habit going on. even if i don't get my ass up for writing much all week, i can do a short friday bit, which means there's the accomplishmentTM as well as just keeping the writing muscle moving, so to speak - only a day time, so you can't overthink it too much, just hammer something out without fiddling with it forever (good for people with perfectionism-brainworms) - it feels kinda low stakes, but in a good way - that gives me the freedom to just try shit out. experimenting with style or pov, writing stuff i normally probably wouldn't (i did a random Saints Row fic because i was playing that at the time and the prompt fit so well - would have never written for that otherwise), or just producing random bits and backstory lore for my ocs (like, for example, fiona went from "has a name, died sometime in the past" to #fiona tag)

and of course, the rb comments on the official account are always SO NICE and SO ENCOURAGING and just... knowing that at least one person will read your stuff and comment positively on it - yea, that helps, lame as it sounds.

anyway, that's why y'all should join me and write :D

now what?

now on to the second year... :D no but seriously, i plan to keep the streak up. BUT ALSO over the next few day i will reblog some of this year's bits, with added author's commentary, just because i can. they're gonna be tagged #fff recap.

shoutout

as mentioned above, there's so many cool and talented people in that whole community, special mention of some of them - go read their things! (and i'm probably forgetting half)

@ineedaplacetostay @ruvastuon @aalinaaaaaa @zorilleerrant @ark-inkweaving @drowning-in-cacophony @hd-literature @starlightfireflies

the whole list

(incoming) special fff recap commentary is marked with "#!"

#252 spill the tea: what's a chicken? (fnv)

#253 pushing up daisies: pushing up daisies (fnv)

#254 horizon line: just one more step (fnv) #!

#255 in the heart: doing the right thing (fnv)

#256 muted colors: un-muting the colors (fnv)

#257 count the days: 4261 days (ocverse: daria) #!

#258 milky way dreams: mojave night sky (fnv)

#259 house of cards: wildcards (fnv)

#260 fear is a sickness: how to live your life without breathing (ocverse: july)

#261 maybe one more: nuka cola quantum (fnv)

#262 run far and fast: he runs and he runs and he runs (ocverse: gabriel)

#263 in the meadows: accidental baby acquisition (fnv) #!

#264 counting clocks: six damn clocks (ocverse: mika) #!

#265 galaxies away: this is my human costume (ocverse: el & quinn)

#266 great expectations: no one sleeps when i'm awake (ocverse: mika & aaron)

#267 gifted violets: viola sororia (ocverse: july & daria)

#268 fractured forms: picking up the pieces (ocverse: gabriel & kat)

#269 living weapon: can't win them all (fnv)

#270 lights and sirens: can you feel my bass (ocverse: valerie, annabelle & eli)

#271 tantrum entrance: pastry bribery (ocverse: mika & gabriel)

#272 change in tone: and let me sing forevermore (ocverse: aaron & mika)

#273 invisible guest: and there are days like this, too (ocverse: daria & fiona) #!

#274 empty house: the hills have eyebots (fnv: courier mags) #!

#275 full moon frenzy: low ebb tide and high full moon (ocverse: fiona)

#276 dark and stormy night: drift, drift away, into now (ocverse: fiona)

#277 silver sparks: jury rigging (fnv)

#278 singing in the candlelight: ever-drifting smoke (ocverse: fiona)

#279 warm hands: that familiar smell (ocverse: mika & gabriel)

#280 seek for insight: well, just you wait (ocverse: el & quinn)

#281 ripple effect: ripples (ocverse: july & daria)

#282 out of love: the el-question (ocverse: el & quinn)

#283 calling, calling home: mommy issues (ocverse: fia) #!

#284 noticing small things: all those little details (ocverse: mika & gabriel) #!

#285 how it begins: loud lights (ocverse: helena)

#286 anything could happen: any way the wind blows (ocverse: july, mika & aaron)

#287 i can’t stand it: good taste and where to buy it (ocverse: mika & quinn)

#288 loud lie, quiet truth: hard-hitting confessions (ocverse: mika & aaron)

#289 blinding gaze: first impressions (ocverse: fia & helena)

#290 midnight distractions: midnight creature feature (ocverse: mika & gabriel)

#291 stuff of legends: celestial love triangle (ocverse: fia & helena)

#292 paper promises: dear daria (ocverse: daria & fiona)

#293 unbridled rage: burn it down, baby, burn it down (saints row) #!

#294 cursed trio: what's in the cards (ocverse: daria & fiona)

#295 help not wanted: lonesome road (fnv)

#296 before the party's over: men of few words (fnv)

#297 like a weed: the legend of the courier (fnv)

#298 hidden chemistry: mmm... mentats. (fnv) #!

#299 stranger than fiction: something's missing (misc) #!

#300 let me go: shadow-maker (ocverse: daria & fiona)

#301 what happened here: the trouble with eyebots (fnv: courier mags)

#302 talk to me: foreboding silence (ocverse: mika & gabriel)

#303 out of the box: chess pieces (ocverse: fia & helena)

stats

ocverse: 33 fallout: 17 other: 2

Sketch and line art for the judgment room. First sight of the purrberus.

Thanks you for the tag, @flashfictionfridayofficial

INTOLERABLE INACTION

How far can one tollerate injustice for the sake of advancement?

Bitter heat forced its way down Pearl’s throat, burning his lungs. Every muscle in his body ached to turn and do something, but his hooves remained planted firmly on the scorched stone. His tail flicked back and forth as bits of his fur began to singe, marring his pristine coat with numerous imperfections. Even that price wasn’t high enough to atone for his inaction. 

As he listened, wails of torment rang out over the sound of the crackling flames. They were merely mortals, their lives meaningless in the grand scheme of the world he lived in. Their suffering was a mercy compared to the life of mediocrity they would have faced. Still Pearl’s grip tightened around his staff. He could still recall the boundless fields, filled with lush flowers and children laughing as they ran down the uneven streets without a care in the world. That hadn’t been nothing. The cry of a baby echoed above his resolve, his ears flattening against his neck. The council had made it clear that they wouldn’t tolerate further insubordination from him, but Pearl hadn’t been all that interested in immortality anyway.

Dropping his branded spear, Pearl turned from his post and charged towards the burning village. Fire birds circled above, destroying every ounce of life that their burning eyes landed on. He needed to be faster, to make up for every moment of pain his inaction had caused. Rushing to the blackened river, Pearl planted his hooves deep in the soft stones.

Power coursed through his veins, bending the water to his will. They attacked without mercy, and he would swallow them whole. Great snakes of glistening water rose around him, swimming through the air as though they were traveling through the ocean’s depths. They hissed in anticipation, hungering for battle, awaiting his command. Swiping a claw across the night sky, Pearl ordered his constructs to feast on the burning fowl. 

Without hesitation, the snakes rushed to the village, biting down on their prey and extinguishing the fire in their souls. The swift formation led to unstable constructs, making Pearl’s skin burn as each of the snakes shattered. As their forms unraveled, torrents of water crashed against the burning buildings, enveloping the land in billowing clouds of steam. Now, they could run or rebuild. Either way, he wouldn’t let the council have their way here.

“What have you done!”

Pearl turned to face his former commander, one of the water serpents coiling around him protectively. 

“I have tried, brother, but I can not force my knee to bend in the face of tyranny, no matter how tempting the rewards.”

Travel Buddies

Thanks for the tag, @literally-just-zay

I'm picking my main WIP for this one.

1. Doing mad research for an affordable place for everyone to stay

Tori-, as the leader of this rag-tag group of fighters and by far the most sane of the bunch, the responsibility of accommodations often falls to him.

2. Hoping to try all the new food they can.

MA - Ever eager to try what the world has to offer past pain and suffering. MA will often try anything at least once, baring things that will directly harm those around her.

3. Wants to stay inside and sleep through the whole vacation.

Billy - He isn’t one for merriment and prefers to tend to plants or read books in his spare time.

4. Believes no vacation is complete without certain activities (going to the beach, swimming, skiing, sightseeing, hiking, ect, whatever they’re passionate about.

Hati - The resident mechanic is a staunch believer in doing things in the way that he believes is ‘objectively’ correct. If he gets the opportunity, he will drag others along with him willing or not.

5. Is annoyed that certain people are in the same travel group as them.

Billy and Ember - They tolerate each other for the sake of the whole, but with one being a pyromaniac far to willing to burn anything in her wake, and the other being a forest guardian, their personalities tend to mix like water and oil.

6. Buying souvenirs for everyone back home

Ma/Owen/Hati/Ember/Tori/ Billy - In that order. While some of them might be more stoic in their expressions of affection, everyone on the crew is fairly close besides Ember and Billy. While some of them don’t lean towards sentimentality, none of them can resist the urge to pick up bobbles that remind them of their squad mates.

7. Is about to turn this trip into a business trip.

Billy all the way. If he finds a target, his rifle is never far out of reach, and he will abruptly split off the group to do some “Gardening” if he sees someone that crosses his bottom line.

No pressure tagging: @kuebiko-writing @renasdoodles @flurrysahin @davycoquette ,

@literally-just-zay @creatrackers @somethingclevermahogony +open tag

Writer Questionnaire Tag

Thanks for the tag @renasdoodles !

What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you’ve ever had?

I really don’t know honestly, there have been so many that I’ve been scared to touch for years at this point. I couldn't pin down a favorite though, my top favorites are all there for different reasons.

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes? 

‘Are you a cat person or a dog person?’ This one always gets me conflicted because by all accounts I would say a cat person because I am far closer with them, but I also really like dogs. It’s a bit of a stupid question to keep thinking on, but it keeps popping back in my head at the most random times. 

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

I love being able to write the stories that I want to read, sometimes I go back to a draft that I abandoned months ago and re-read it to find that I'm really interested in what happens next, and that's a really fun experience. 

What I don’t particularly enjoy is probably when I leave notes for myself to fill stuff in later and it really isn’t enough information to know what in the world I was intending to write. 

What is your greatest motivation to Write/create? 

When It comes down to it I really want to be able to reach a point where I can write the stories from my mind in a way that does them justice. I also want to be able to draw the things that are rattling around in my head.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard or been given as a writer? 

First drafts aren’t meant to be perfect, you are just getting the ideas down on the page and setting the ground work for your story to start solidifying your next steps. I particularly struggle with this one since I want to have everything perfectly in place but for my writing style that just isn’t realistic. 

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

Don’t be scared to ruin your stories, just write them. If you get to scared to even try working on something it will die in your mind forever unspoken and for me that is worse than failing because I gain almost nothing from the wasted creativity.  

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

Honestly, I’ve disappointingly only been able to finish a couple of fan fictions since I developed a really bad habit of abandoning story ideas out of fear for the results. I’m trying to get myself back on track but it’s just a bit of a task to keep myself in line. ;-; Sometimes I wonder if the writer part of my brain got switched with that of a hyperactive child. Of the Fan Fictions I've managed to post on Ao3 'A Bit of Clean Water' Fandom: Vampyr (Video Game) is short little story that I'm pretty happy with.

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you particularly feel about their ideals? 

I won't mention the character but their mindset is that people are inherently weak short minded creatures that are incapable of governing themselves. No matter how great a thing they might make it can be devastated in the span of a generation because their will could not be inherited by their successor. The character believes that because of this people are inferior and do not deserve to stand at the top of the food chain.

I personally understand some of where he's coming from because it is pretty scary how easily something great can be destroyed by a bad successor no matter how great the founder might have been, but I feel like this character is a bit to critical of the race and extreme with his execution.

If you when you first started writing met you now, what would younger you think? 

Probably be a bit horrified at first, but the first story I wrote before I was ten ended with the main character dying in a car crash after someone cut her breaks for a petty reason, so I like to think that my younger self would at least somewhat understand where i'm coming from with my writing. As for my personality... That would probably be a much harder sell. (Younger me could barely play mobile games that had any community features, knowing that I put my writing out for people to see might give younger me a heart attack)

No pressure Tagging:

@kuebiko-writing @wyked-ao3 @creatrackers @davycoquette,

@somethingclevermahogony @laisley-writes @flurrysahin @zaynabameen,

+Open Tag

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt

A Bad Time to Remember the Past

I wasn't planning on putting this guys perspective up yet, but it seemed to fit for the prompt, so I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Discriptions of medical procedures, violence, blood, burning skin, laceration, and dismemberment.

@wyked-ao3 (a bit more on the villain of my story. He now has a proper name! Albrecht)

Glossary:

(In case you are curious about any of the terms in the medical procedure)

Topical Benzocaine: a gel spread on skin to numb before injections.

Articaine: a type of numbing agent injected locally in tissue to numb an area.

Epinephrine: used in local anesthesia to increase the duration of numbness by constricting blood vessels in the area and preventing the local anesthesia from being absorbed by the blood stream as quickly.

Buccal: the gum tissue covering the outer side of teeth.

Palatal: tissue over the top of the mouth on the inner side of the teeth.

Maxila: upper jaw

Nerve block: an injection that targets higher on a nerve branch to numb more tissue at once.

Infiltrations: injections that target a specific area and numbs the nerves directly adjacent to the injection by targeting the approximate location.

Now, back to the story.

Topical benzocaine followed a minute after by 2 carpules of Articaine HCI 4% 1:100,000 epi. Infiltrations for the buccal and a nerve block for the palatal side of the right maxila. Within minutes he’d watched as the surgeon took out a scalpel and carefully cut gum tissue down to the bone and gently peeled it back as the patient lay, mouth open, not even flinching. Then the drill had come, and with a whir of mechanical power, the bone was carefully bored down to expose the gaping sinus.

Of all the things that Albrecht had been forced to observe in his mandatory job placement hours, this was the one that really stood out to him. It was fascinating what a little chemical compound could do to dull the senses. He’d even been able to hold a mundane conversation with the man about his line of work while the surgeon scurried off to attend some other matters.

Another wave of explosions rocked by him. Albrecht’s head screamed in pain as that long forgotten memory snapped back into the recesses of his mind where it belonged. With both armies cowering in the darkness, he should have been on the cusp of his victory, the whole world bathed in beautiful darkness by his machines. Yet here he stood, recalling the memories of a child, a fool who didn’t understand the meaning of his own destiny.

Looking about him in confusion Albrecht’s teeth gnashed at the husks of his elite soldiers, boiled in their own skin at the shine of an artificial sun. Ever calculating, he could already see that what remained of his force wouldn’t last long after such a devastating attack. Ten blasted years of preparation… all for something like this? The fangs under his mask ached as he fought for control of his raging mind. His careful planning should have seen him to the end, in the way that it always had.

The power coursing through his veins spiked as the pieces of his strength once gifted to his thralls all began to converge back into him in a wave of sickening pressure. The feeling blinded him, and for the first time in his long life, Major Albrecht lost his ever firm grip on reason. Head snapping towards the source of his misfortune, he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

Using his powers, the Major smoothly dropped into the shadows and quickly traveled in their protection until he came upon the small vehicle, still driving away at a speed far beyond its natural means. There were four, no five of them, as far as he could tell, but it made no difference. They would all be dead soon enough.

With an enraged roar, Albrecht materialized in the shadow of the car and dug his teeth into the little warlock at greatest fault for this downfall. The man yelped in pain and raised one hand to secure the hat on his head before using another to push Albrecht away so he could stop the bleeding. He had no intention of letting him live.

A glimmer of something shiny peaked out from underneath, but he had little time to dwell on it as a stake was driven almost into his heart. Whirling around on the would-be attacker, the Major sunk his claws deep into their forearm, tearing through it with a growl of surprise at the strangely wooden texture. He grinned in satisfaction as a sharp hiss of pain rang out from whatever the thing was. It still felt pain, so even if it wasn’t human, he could still break it.

Half drunk on this strange ecstasy, he almost missed the smell of steel. His mind suddenly flared with a sense of danger, and he pulled away as a shot rang out, hitting the side of his helmet and exposing part of his face to the blasted false sun.

Like a bucket of boiling water, the pain brought him back into focus, and Albrecht immediately retreated into the shadows, taking the limb he’d managed to sever with him. With his armor damaged even this much, he wasn’t fool enough to risk an end to his plans even with his spiked blood lust.

Note: The procedure mentioned at the beginning of the chapter is for a sinus lift to increase the bone level enough to place a dental implant.

Dialog tag game

Thank you for the tag, @aalinaaaaaa

A selection of dialog from a short story I'm trying to tackle on the side.

"Given your contributions, such a proposition is not unreasonable.. If I deny you this boon, will you follow in the footsteps of our brothers?"

"Of course not, I will defer to the will of the Emperor."

"And what of your soilders, would you take them on this fools errand?"

"My men are the finest soilders that the empire has to offer, barring your honor guard. They would better serve under your direct guidance."

"It seems at least one of my siblings was born with an ounce of sense."

No pressure tagging @renasdoodles @kuebiko-writing @laisley-writes @somethingclevermahogony @wyked-ao3 @creatrackers + open tag