The Little Things

LATE NIGHT INSPIRATION

(I have no idea where this came from)

I was watching a show and just started sketching. To my dismay, the scketch sparked a new story idea into my head, but I have too many things I'm working on at the moment to give it the proper attention it needs.

Not being able to fully finish most of the stories I start has always been a problem for me and it frustrates me to no end, but I liked the art for this one, so I figured that I might as well post the sketches.

Quick plot synopsis because brains really do go off the edge when tired: the knight was about to take a bath after being on the road for three months, and the robot pirate was raiding. Just as they were about to reach their goals, both of them were abducted by aliens trying to collect data. The two of them break out of containment and meet up, deciding to put aside their differences so they can escape the alien planet.

Thanks for the tag, @seastarblue

Three facts about me

1. I have broken my wrist before

2. I love fantasy stories (but I'm good with most genres if the story interests me)

3. My favorite color is blue

Tagging in (no pressure)

@renasdoodles

@kuebiko-writing

@davycoquette

+open tag

Ah shit, I was gone for another ten days or so... Woops...

I finished editing during that time and am now currently taking a vacation from writing.

I should be doing some tag games now... Hehe...

God, why am I so bad at being active???

Thanks for another fun prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial !

Happy New Year!

This is another random snippet inspired by the prompt.

Cold Winters Night

The falling snow turned to slush around midday and had continued pelting down in an endless onslaught well into the evening. Annexed from the other houses and nestled between two towering warehouses, a pair of windows glowed brightly with an inviting warmth that seemed to cut through the howling wind. Inside, the fire burned brightly, keeping the week's soup and most of the bar toasty. It helped that Zora had finally invested in some proper insulation over the summer months, but what good did it do her if there were no customers filling the tables?

Usually, around this time, the bar would be packed with workers, just back from the mines, drinking and carrying on about whatever petty squabbles that had grabbed their attention this week. Today, it seemed that the slush was enough of a deterrent to send them all scurrying back to whatever holes they called home. Even the corner closest to the fire was completely empty. If the weather continued to get worse, and this became a trend, she might have to take Ruth up on her offer to go to the country for a bit. It would be nice to see the kids again, even if she’d end up suffering another lecture about starting her own family, and Prior had been asking to borrow the bar for storage anyway.

Just as she was convincing herself that the trip would be a good choice, Zora’s solitude was interrupted by the little bell above the main door ringing. A dripping figure draped in a brown sack stepped through her door, tracking in a mess of ice. The shivering child who barely stood three feet tall struggled to close the thick oak door before turning to the counter and tottering forward. From the boney limbs poking out from under her ragged clothes, the child looked to be a beggar, but Zora hadn’t heard word of any kids on the streets lately.

When the child finally made it to the bar, Zora watched in silence as the scruffy child pulled herself slowly onto one of the bar stools and shoved a bag across the counter towards her. As the torn burlap scraped forwards, the twine strap holding it closed came loose, spilling shining gold coins between them. The child looked from the coin up to Zora with a determined expression that didn’t belong on such a young face.

“I want you to be my father.”

Zora briefly wondered if her years of drinking had finally resulted in hallucinations but quickly decided that the child was just confused. Turning away from the child, Zora grabbed a clean bowl and filled it with soup. Her appearance had always been on the masculine side, sure, but usually flirtatious drunks were the only ones to mistake her for a man. Maybe Prior wasn’t completely off basis with how much she’d let herself go.

“Eat up kid.”

Setting the soup down, Zora watched the child’s eyes light up.

“Thanks Dad!”

After gulping down the soup like a starving animal, the child gave her a big smile and offered up the clean bowl. Zora chuckled and accepted it, filling the bowl once more, much to the child’s delight. She wasn’t sure what this father business was all about, but there was nothing else going on tonight, and it wouldn’t hurt to figure out what the kid was doing with so much gold.

Which character has the most symbolism surrounding them?

Thank you for the ask! Sorry, I'm so late with the response. This week has been something else 😅

Honestly, I might have to say that MA fits that bill the best. Without giving too much away, her story is mainly rooted in the idea of innocence vs. The worst of human depravity.

There's more to it, but it's hard for me to properly explain without giving away a plot point that I'm still debating on.

She is the heart and soul of the main group of misfits, and to slight her is to make an enemy of them all.

Your writeblr coffee shop order is ready!

Tea: What does your character find comfort in?

Thank you so much for the tea. It's perfect!

I picked one the squad members from my main WIP right now, Bloodmage (working title). His name is Hati, and he finds comfort in his foil lined hat.

For a bit more context...

Hati is a warlock who possesses the inherent talent of belief. If he believes in something, it comes into existence. At the age of 8, his collective was hunted down and massacred by the tech witches who wanted to harvest their power after learning that a Believer had awakened. In the chaos, his mother hid Hati and put a tin foil lined hat on his head, telling him that it protects him from the vision of tech witches, a statement he believes wholeheartedly to this day. Since he was so young when everything happened, Hati doesn't know about his ability, making him much stronger and unpredictable as a result.

Ever since escaping, he has always worn the hat and fiddles with the brim when he is nervous. He has only shared the full significance with Billy, but the rest of the squad knows the gist of what happened.

Waiting for Reinforcements

Thank you for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial

Walking across the dark field towards the barricade, Silus couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy despite the fact that Null had already been passed on to a more fitting vessel. He should have been pleased to rid himself of the burden, but it only felt like his shoulders had started to get even heavier them before.

Rose said it was nerves, and while he knew it wasn't helping things, this was different from the nerves that he'd grown accustomed to.

"Still brooding?" Silus jumped slightly as he noticed her waiting in the shadows with a bottle quietly extended toward him. He accepted it easily for a sip and quickly returned it before the drink could draw him in fully.

"Any word?" She shook her head with a sour expression as she finished off the last several drops of bottle before smashing the glass against the ground.

"No,if we can hold out another day though..." her voice trailed off, unconvincing even to herself it seemed, but he appreciated her attempts. Worrying wouldn't get them anywhere, especially with the mess they had to clean up tomorrow.

"I'm sure they're on their way." He tried to force a smile, but the corners of his mouth felt strangely heavy. He hoped for all of their sakes that they were on the way, because if anything happened to Nulls' new vessel... His newfound freedom would be quite short-lived.

( I'm very tired today, so I just got a rough sketch done)

@flashfictionfridayofficial

100th Anniversary

We return to Luis and Jade to take a peek at an important milestone in their relationship.

Story Warning: Mentions of forced mutation, violence, and a bit of self-deprication.

When the Blood Crystal was first embedded in his heart, Luis had been filled with so many emotions that it had paralyzed him. At some point during his transformation, many of those feelings had withered into husks. The only one that he was able to maintain past the pain was an all-consuming anger. Without anything to hold him back, like all of the first Bloodmages around him, Luis channeled that anger into power, destroying anything that stood in his way.

His anger burned the brightest of them all. It burned through his entire being, leaving nothing but a monster driven by destruction.

Humming absently, Luis ran his hands through Jade's hair in a calming motion while glancing down at the strange little clock she had offered to him earlier. She had gotten the idea because of some silly little comment he had made after she pulled him back from an attack, and as embarrassing as that had been, he enjoyed the gifts.

As he was considering when to give her his gift, Jade suddenly pulled away from him, and Luis quickly untangled his fingers from her hair.

“I have something extra special for you dear.”

"Love, you already gave me a gift."

Taking a moment to reach out and gently grip Jade's hand, Luis smiled reassuringly at her. It was a big day for both of them, but her sudden outburst took him a bit by surprise.

"No, this gift is a special gift. You get too lonely while I am away, and I wish to hunt without worry."

As straightforward as ever, she would worry about a monster like him getting lonely. Jade produced a small box from somewhere in her hair and presented it to Luis with a beam of pride.

He could feel her energy pulsing from the object even through the box. Gently prying the box open revealed a set of green earrings that filled his mind with the forest as he touched them. A small chuckle escaped him as he felt the box in his own pocket grow heavy, to think she would have the same idea on their 100th anniversary.

“What am I to do with you Love?”

Nuzzling his chin affectionately, she picked up the stones and carefully put them into his ears with too much care for a creature of her power. Once she was sure they were in place, Jade pulled back beaming with excitement. Luis froze as he took in the energy. This was a part of her. They were connected in so many ways, but this one was different. He could feel her heart beating softly if he focused on the earrings.

A burst of emotion boiled over in his chest, and he leaned over, kissing her on the cheek. Now was as good a time as any to give his gift, so Luis stood to his feet and carefully presented his own gift with a sheepish grin. Despite being late to present his gift, Jade’s ears twitched with interest as he opened the box revealing a pair of blood red crystals he had spent months crafting so that they would be just right for her.

“Dear, you could have hurt yourself again!”

She held him close for a moment before pulling away to inspect him carefully. After inspecting him for any signs of injury, Jade seemed satisfied that he was okay and leaned down, letting him put the earrings in. Standing still for a moment, Jade suddenly began to purr with excitement as she felt his heartbeat.

“I will delay my hunt for the time being.”

Cooing affectionately, Jade settled back onto the couch, pulling Luis into her embrace.

She had given him hope, and Luis was finally looking forward to living out his extended life. The pain of his past was long gone now, just a fluttering memory that held little significance. Even if he had bad days, Luis had what none of his kind should have been granted, hope. Today was another gift that he didn’t deserve, but he couldn’t help but be greedy when it came to his Love.

Writing share tag

Thanks for the tag, @aalinaaaaaa !

(I haven't been getting much original writing done lately for reasons... this is a small snippet of a story I come back to every so often whenever inspiration strikes)

Warnings for: mild self harm and withdrawal.

Withdrawal

Scraping his nails against the cobblestones, 408 looked down at the pouch around his neck. The blood in his veins was like fire, burning his reason and making his will falter. He just needed to hold out for another couple of hours, just until the sun set. Looking up at the blinding light, 408 cursed the spirits, longing for time to start moving again. Illusions flickered past his vision, and spikes of pain stabbed his heart with every half breath that he took. The last thing he wanted was to go mad, but he would tow that line as closely as he needed to if it meant that he could feel something again.

The pouch around his neck weighed like lead against his skin, silently offering a cool release from the pain. He’d told himself that he would wait until this evening, but the temptation seemed to double with every second that passed. His fingers began to reach for the bag without his mind’s permission. One of the pills was pressed to his lips by the time he realized what he was doing. 408 slammed his hands to the ground more forcefully than the last time, digging his fingers further into the stone until he drew blood. He’d set out to change his fate, and he wouldn’t accomplish anything by backing down now.

No pressure tagging @renasdoodles @kuebiko-writing @wyked-ao3 @creatrackers @somethingclevermahogony , @laisley-writes +Open Tag

Heads Up, Seven Up

Share 7 lines from one of your WIPs

Thanks for the tag, @renasdoodles

I haven't reached the editing faze of my WIP yet, so you just get the unedited insanity that it is at the core.

Taking a deep breath, Owen released his hold. Maren had finally calmed down once he got her out of the water and rested.

Well calmed down in the fact that she was currently unconscious. He still had to go off into the woods to look for anything that could help fight the withdrawal symptoms.

This was fun. Thanks for the tag!

No pressure tagging: @kuebiko-writing @davycoquette +open tag

Attack of the dead men 

Thanks for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial

Note: Given the prompt, it didn’t feel right spin things into a story completely of my own, so I decided instead to summarize a story that has firmly embedded itself into the back of my mind. I became aware of this story because someone showed me the song ‘Attack of the Dead Men’ by SABATON. While gruesome in nature, it presented me with pestering question of how people can drive themselves past impossible limitations while unprepared in the face of death. 

Warnings!!!: Discussion of warfare including the deployment and descriptive effects of weaponized Chlorine/Bromine Gas. 

Chlorine and bromine. While still dangerous, these chemicals have proven to be significanly useful tools for disinfection among other things. The result of their combination in a gasious form though? A toxic cloud that can devistate both humans and the environment, corroding tools and nature with almost instantanous effect.  What then of the human body? How might it react with living cells?

 For the 800 men guarding the Osowiec Fortress in 1915 without the protection of gas masks, those effects were almost completely fatal. Of the entire garrison only 100 soldiers survived due to their distance from the gas batteries. As the gas gradually dissipated and reinforcements arrived, the burned and dying survivors crawled up from their trenches like the living dead to attack the charging enemy. While coughing up their own lungs even as their organs were slowly being desolved by the resulting hydrochloric acid formed from the moister in their lungs and the chlorine gas, they stumbled towards the attackers without hesitation. The sight of their horrific forms was enough to cause bedlam in their enemies ranks, and paired with a concentrated artillery strike form the reinforcements, the soldiers were able to temporarily secure the garrison in the face of overwhelming odds. The victory was short lived however as the reinforcements were later forced to retreat from the garrison at a later date. It is a haunting story from a haunting time that can leave one to ponder the limits that the human will can force a broken body to ignore.