Thanks For Another Fun Prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial !

Clarity

@flashfictionfridayofficial

FFF263 In the Meadows prompt

1317 word count (I'm sorry it's a bit over... I tried condensing as much as I could.)

CW: violence, referenced forced drug use, a bit of body horror, and dehydration.

Summary: Maren wakes up in an unfamiliar meadow with a clear mind after years of living under a fog.

On an island surrounded by great forests sat a meadow hiding from the ocean. Laying among the blades of grass that swept by her like waves on the ocean, Maren woke in a state of listlessness. She was utterly exhausted, and without the aid of the deep to facilitate her navigation, she was stuck against the cool earth, blind to all but a gentle warmth on her skin.

Usually, she was quite sluggish between hunts, struggling with even the most basic of thoughts, waiting until they charged the water with those fowl drugs, sending her into a frenzy. Occasionally, she would have bouts of clarity, usually just long enough to witness the end of her hunt, but now it felt like her mind was sharper than it had been in years. With this new freedom, Maren’s thoughts drifted to the fathomless depths of what had until recently been her home.

With a clear mind, Maren did not remember it with the fondness she had felt when her brother was given the opportunity to show his devotion to the queens, or in the reverence that had surged through Maren’s entire being when her sister was accepted as a royal guard.

‘Oh how fortunate you are, Maren, to have been bestowed with the favor of our queens.’

How many lonely nights in the empty nursery had she prayed for such a thing before her naive devotion had doomed her? No, she had long lost any reverence for their tyranny, and her thoughts of that place had turned just as rotten as her limbs in the burning darkness of the mines.

Musing about her isolation, Maren could see herself for the pawn she had been. Her mother had warned her long ago, but the queen’s guard had claimed her mother was a traitor, not to be trusted. She had been ripped away from Maren before those precious lessons could be ingrained properly, and so, like a fool Maren had fallen for every lie they’d fed her, burying the barbed hook of their deception deeper into her throat until she wasn’t even a shell of what she had once been.

Another gust of wind swept by, drying her skin. Despite her newfound clarity, all of these revelations were little comfort in the face of her demise. Maren would have laughed at the irony if the queens had left her a proper mouth. At least death didn’t seem so painful as the screams of her victims had made it sound. The executioner, the being that even the queens had grown to fear as a monster, was going to die, dried up on land like some hapless fish that had unwittingly beached itself.

If there had been a higher power, and her wordless prayers had been heard in the darkness of her isolation, then maybe she had been spared from living in that hell any longer. After so many years of being a puppet, Maren wouldn’t be picky about the means of her salvation, and this was already too grand a fate for a monster such as herself. After all the innocent lives she had taken in the name of the queens, she deserved a far greater punishment. She accepted this death and was glad she could greet it in her own right mind.

As time continued to pass, Maren could feel her muscles gradually beginning to shrivel down as her breathing became ragged and the warmth against her skin continued to sap the life from her veins. Maren’s mind was fluttering away, split between fragmented memories of faces she could barely recall, until she felt something warm suddenly pressed under her scorched skin, lifting her up from her grassy resting place. The sudden shift cracked her skin at odd angles, causing sharp spikes of pain to run across her body, but she made no effort to move. Even with the sudden sensation of a beating heart coursing underneath her, the dehydration was too far along for Maren to comprehend anything until she suddenly lost track of the pulse and felt water enveloping her.

WIthin seconds of being submerged, her cracked skin healed over, and she began to explore the area, exhibiting a level of curiosity she thought had been lost to youth. A strange sense of wonder overtaking her foggy reason. Once satisfied with her findings, Maren turned her attention to the surface, she could sense another presence, and her newfound curiosity drove her to inspect.

“** ****, ****** *****.”

It was a strange chirpy language, nothing like the deep bellows she was familiar with from the Briney Court, but not entirely unpleasant. Even if she couldn’t understand the words, at this range, Maren was fairly confident when it came to gauging intent, and the voice sounded relieved. The emotion confused her, and after a brief hesitation, Maren found herself getting closer to the edge in an attempt to form a connection with one of her functional arms.

As Maren’s arm came in contact with an outstretched hand, she felt her limb quickly entangle the arm above to establish a connection. A flood of information cascaded freely into her mind as Maren saw the world through this creature’s eyes and understood his feelings, at least on the surface.

It wasn’t a skill she relied on, and had only resorted to it as a form of interrogation or out of pure desperation from isolation in her moments of clarity, and on every occasion she was met with a flood of negative emotions that were strangely absent here. Interested to find out more, Maren decided that it would be good to spark discussion with the creature so she could properly take in the terrain from the stranger’s eyes and enjoy the strange company she found herself in.

“Why am I here?”

She could tell he was quite shocked by her sudden intrusion into his mind, and flinched, waiting for him to pull away, but unlike the fear or anger that she had so often experienced with her own kind, the individual seemed more amused than anything.

“The tank you were being transported in broke open in the crash, I think? I was worried that I ate everyone, but if they were transporting you like that, then they probably deserved to die anyway...”

There was more that he wanted to say about that, but he stopped. There was no reason to pry about his eating habits, but at the mention of a tank, Maren quickly skimmed through his latest memories, carefully extracting what she was looking for. It was more of a glass coffin filled with stagnant water and salt crystals as far as she could tell. Frustrated by the torturous design, Maren pulled away, severing their connection while trying to remember how she could have ended up in such a thing?

“* ***** *** *** **** **** ********.”

The unintelligible words once more filled her mind, pulling it away from the putrid memory. Wondering if he had any more information about the situation, Maren quickly re-established the connection and caught his assumption that she had been kidnaped. A laughable conclusion, but he didn’t know any better. No one made it in and out of her cave alive, not while she was on the hunt, it was more likely the queens had drugged her last victim with something stronger than usual and tried to dispose of her for good. Though why they would go through all the trouble of shipping her in a glass coffin was a complete mystery. Whatever their intentions, there had been an intervention of some sort, and those involved had been properly taken care of.

“Thank you for saving me.”

A warm sensation spread through the connection as he exhibited genuine happiness at her remark. The surge shocked her slightly, but she found that it was an easy sensation to get used to. She had been given the salvation she longed for, and this creature had been the instrument to accomplish it.

Note: This is Maren after years of experimentation, all in the attempt to make an eldrich creature artificially. I use the term arms in place of tentacles because tentacles sounded a bit weird when I was writing it, and 'arms' has been used as an acceptable term, so I just went with it instead. Sorry for any confusion.

What is the craziest thing any of your OC's has done? What motivated it?

Thank you so much for the ask Wyked!

I feel the need to mention that the story I am writing is a bit off the wall with most of the things that happen in it, but it makes me happy so I want to roll with it and see how things turn out.

To the quearion: I think that Luis probably holds that position, but since the thing he does is a very big spoiler for the story, I'll share another individual's dip in sanity.

A side character tech witch named Nickolas took on the roll of the Winter Holiday Man.

To give a bit of context, the tech witches learned of a significant power source many years ago, but due to the nature of that power they weren't able to locate the source even after wiping out the warlocks who were protecting it. They tried to take advantage of the imagination of the hiding power source by giving more credence to various holiday figures in an attempt to locate him.

Most of the tech witches assigned to their roles were purely doing what they had to and seriously hunting the fleeing child. Nicholas, on the other hand, became engrossed in his role and gradually descended into the persona he'd been given, abandoning his original directive. He does end up finding the child who was a teen at that point, but he couldn't bring himself to betray such an innocent and ended up helping him find someone whom he could trust, giving him hope for the future.

Legend of the Winter Holiday Man

The Winter Holiday Man lives in the frozen lands, making presents for all of the most patriotic boys and girls in the world.

On the coldest night of winter, he puts his bottomless bag on his belt and rides his flying bear around the world to deliver presents to all of the deserving people who believe in him.

So traitors beware lest he runs out of sulfur, and his flying bear grows hungry during their perilous treck.

Poem Writing challenge

Thanks for tag @renasdoodles

I don't write poetry much, but this was fun! Thanks for sharing the prompt.

Waiting

Staring at a wall of clocks,

He timed the tics, counted the tocs.

He waited in her favorite chair,

Sitting with a quiet stare.

Till suddenly with grave despair,

He saw her spirit floating there.

It smiled in a simple way,

As her visage faded into grey.

Staring at a wall of clocks,

He couldn't hear their muffled knocks.

He stood up from her favorite chair,

Left with nothing but despair.

Tagging @kuebiko-writing @davycoquette @flurrysahin +open tag

(if you would like to be removed from the tag list, please let me know!)

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.

Unconventional Gifting

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Story Warning: Mentions of burning people, sadistic behavior, and descriptions of body horror.

Much to his disgust, the air in his tent felt fresher than it had in months. How long had it been since his fingers had started to twitch again? With a renewed wave of irritation, the Sergeant stood up from his desk for the first time in days and decided it wouldn't be breaking orders if he stopped the fire from getting out of control this time. Since he was young, it had been the one thing that brought him joy. Back then, he would burn anything he could get his hands on, bugs, animals, or plants. It didn’t matter much. They all sparked a strange joy in his heart. That being said, there had always been something missing, some itch he’d never quite been able to scratch no matter how much he burned.

Then the war came, and he discovered the one thing he had failed to consider as a target: people. Unlike the other things he had burned, people tended to beg and plead. They might call him a monster, but at least he was aware enough to know that the sense of power he felt from their cries sated the desire he had been starving from. To date he had burned three-hundred and eighty-seven prisoners, with only one survivor who he would track down eventually, but the war was still young, and in what was proving to be a battle of attrition, the Sergeant could tell that he might even be able to push those numbers into the thousands.

“Is the area clear?”

His assistant exited the tent and quickly returned. There was fear in his eyes as the Sergeant stared down at him intensely. There should be several more prisoners, so the assistant wouldn’t have anything to fear unless he got on the Sergeant’s nerves.

“The troops have rounded up all the rats.”

A smile spread over his face at that. They had sent more pathetic mice to try and end him, but they were just providing him the entertainment that he craved. It was poetic in a way that he realized was probably sick.

“Well, then we can’t keep them waiting.”

Stepping out of his tent, the Sergeant felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down to see a spot of red right above his heart that was quickly expanding. His assistant stumbled and grasped one of his eyes with a scream of pain. The Sergeant’s skin grew cold as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him as screams of pain began emanating through their camp. His soldiers were the best. They wouldn’t have been taken out so easily, he couldn’t be taken out so easily.

Collapsing to the ground while clutching his wound, the Sergeant watched his assistant let out a final cry of agony as a green sprout began to poke out between his bloodied fingers. The Sergeant barely felt his own pain as he lay almost paralyzed on the ground, wondering how this had happened. As his vision began to grow hazy, he saw what looked like a living tree stepping towards him. He couldn’t understand what had happened, but he could feel in his bones that the thing was coming for him.

-Five-thousand eight-hundred and twelve, quite the high toll for someone so young-

The words sounded like a whisper of wind rustling through leaves. HE didn’t have time to contemplate what this creature was as a crushing pain passed through him and for the first time in his life the Sergeant began babbling incoherent pleas for his life for what felt like an eternity before his body stopped responding to his commands and he was forced to lay in frozen agony as his body was eaten from within.

…

“Hey Billy! MA was worried”

The Forest Guardian begrudgingly took his eyes off of his latest target. Owen was running towards him with a stupid grin plastered over his face like he wasn’t stepping over twisted bodies while covered in blood. This man… he needed to get his head checked.

Still, he meant well and seemed to be in functioning condition, so Billy didn't need to spare his attention just yet. With a wave of his hand, Billy dismissed his concern and turned back to the bodies with a smile of surprise. A field of violets had begun to bloom from the dead. It was well worth the three days he’d spent watching the tent through his rifle scope.

It never ceased to amaze him how people who had caused so much pain to the world always seemed to make the most beautiful flowers.

Writing share tag 

Thanks for the Tag @wyked-ao3 ! I haven't gotten to the stage of editing yet, but here's a little something that I was able to get written a couple of weeks ago.

Blood Mage: council meeting 

No one enjoyed these meetings, but unless the fairies or vampires picked a fight with Luis there was usually no cause for concern. At a subtle gesture towards Marie’s seat, Susian’s face went pale. The witches were fairly peaceful these days, why would they go and pick a fight with Luis of all people?

As Susan decided the best way to word such a question to the already dozing representative, she was interrupted by a loud boom accompanied by an explosion of plaster and metal crashing down from the ceiling above. 

“What is the meaning of this?”

A cry came from the indigent Fairy King now covered in a layer of dust and red crystal fragments, his ever-faithful guard having taken the brunt of the explosion’s force shielding him. 

“Shut up bug. I have no time to prattle with insects.”

Susan and the others froze at the vitriol in Luis’ tone, sure he never got along with the king, but that voice wasn’t one that he used on anyone unless he had a mind to end them. The eyes of everyone drifted to the enraged bloodmage now standing several feet from the table, carefully trying to gauge how to react. Red lines covered his skin, pulsing with an unnatural glow, threatening to split him at the seams if he let himself slip even minutely. Her mouth went dry as Susian realized he had entered a frenzied state, and even the Fairy King made no move to speak now.

“I came to inform the council of my formal intent to eradicate the Witches.”

His words felt like a hot iron being slammed into Susan’s gut. Her predecessors and colleagues had long wondered what to do if such an eventuality came to be, but to hear it now drove her mind to despair. What had they done to offend him to this degree? Why in their right minds would the witches have picked such a foolish fight? Now everyone would be dragged into this insanity, and more than anything that meant she wouldn’t be getting her time off again, no one in the Order would. 

No pressure Tags: @renasdoodles @kuebiko-writing @laisley-writes @leahnardo-da-veggie ,

@creatrackers @somethingclevermahogony +Open tag

Just wanted to pop in and say I like your art, and your oc Margaret! No pressure but I'd love to see more of her. 😊

Thank you so much! Sorry for the late response, I'm not great with this app, so I just found this message 😭. I'm really glad you like my art since I'm a bit over critical with my own work. I struggle with my motivation and anxiety about posting things, so I really appreciate your encouragement! I look forward to seeing your work as well!

Hypothetical scenario

Your OC's come to life, which oc are you terrified of ? Who are they?

Thank you so much for the ask Wyked! Sorry for the late responce.

I was thinking about this for a while, and I tried to reason that It might be someone from my main WIP, but really, when I laid all the facts out, I would be most terrified of Null.

Null is a chaotic spirit driven by his hunger and twisted nature from a WIP that likes to pop up in my head every now and again. I’ve tried writing it about three times, but when I get several chapters in the story, it always just feels wrong. Anyway…

To give some background for the story, there are 8 great spirits, 4 focused on creation, and 4 focused on distraction with a multitude of lower spirits for each type. Every 3-5 centuries a battle of sorts is held between them using chosen vessels (Humans who are compatible with specific spirit power) to determine which set of spirits is locked away into the spirit realm and which is left to mold the world to their whims.

Less significant spirits of either side can slip through the cracks and make it into the world despite their alignment. Null, being one such creature, came to the world following his drive for food and stumbled upon the creation spirit representing water. Since it was resting, Null was able to eat the great spirit. Long story short, he ended up with the Great Spirits' role in the next conflict and had to seek out a vessel that could withstand his dual nature or suffer in the spirit realm with no hope of food if he failed.

If he popped into this world, he would litterally have a feild day eating anything he could get his mits on. If he had any idea that I was responsible for some of the things that had happened to him, then I would not meet with a swift end.

An illustration below the cut off

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

Welcome to the first '24 Days of Christmas' event for the Creators’ Club. Every holiday, we plan to have a custom event planned. For Christmas, we are hosting a prompt event.

Prompts:

Day 1:

Holiday Words: snow, reindeer, fireplace Holiday Phrase: "All is calm, all is bright."

Day 2:

Holiday Words: mistletoe, stockings, cocoa Holiday Phrase: "Home for the holidays."

Day 3:

Holiday Words: garland, sleigh, twinkle Holiday Phrase: "A winter wonderland."

Day 4:

Holiday Words: chimney, bells, frosty Holiday Phrase: "Silent night, holy night."

Day 5:

Holiday Words: candy cane, ribbon, wreath Holiday Phrase: "Deck the halls with boughs of holly."

Day 6:

Holiday Words: eggnog, Santa, frost Holiday Phrase: "Naughty or nice?"

Day 7:

Holiday Words: nutcracker, sugarplum, scarf Holiday Phrase: "‘Tis the season to be jolly."

Day 8:

Holiday Words: sleigh bells, gift, evergreen Holiday Phrase: "Over the river and through the woods."

Day 9:

Holiday Words: carolers, snowflake, gingerbread Holiday Phrase: "Do you hear what I hear?"

Day 10:

Holiday Words: poinsettia, icicle, peppermint Holiday Phrase: "Walking in a winter wonderland."

Day 11:

Holiday Words: elf, chimney, mittens Holiday Phrase: "Underneath the mistletoe."

Day 12:

Holiday Words: ornament, pinecone, sleigh ride Holiday Phrase: "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

Day 13:

Holiday Words: candy, cocoa, snowfall Holiday Phrase: "Rockin’ around the Christmas tree."

Day 14:

Holiday Words: holly, lights, cheer Holiday Phrase: "It’s the most wonderful time of the year."

Day 15:

Holiday Words: ribbon, present, sparkles Holiday Phrase: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas."

Day 16:

Holiday Words: star, tree, joy Holiday Phrase: "Peace on Earth, goodwill to all."

Day 17:

Holiday Words: tinsel, cookies, glitter Holiday Phrase: "Oh, what fun it is to ride."

Day 18:

Holiday Words: wrapping paper, icicle, marshmallows Holiday Phrase: "On a cold winter’s night."

Day 19:

Holiday Words: snowman, jingle, candy cane Holiday Phrase: "Making spirits bright."

Day 20:

Holiday Words: lantern, cider, log Holiday Phrase: "Bringing tidings of comfort and joy."

Day 21:

Holiday Words: snow globe, sled, chocolate Holiday Phrase: "Under the sparkling lights."

Day 22:

Holiday Words: angel, melody, starry Holiday Phrase: "A child is born."

Day 23:

Holiday Words: gingerbread, carol, magic Holiday Phrase: "Let your heart be light."

Day 24:

Holiday Words: holly, miracle, velvet Holiday Phrase: "As the world awaits Christmas morn."

Guidelines Under the Read More

The 24 Days of Christmas Writing Challenge will officially run from December 1st to December 24th, giving participants the chance to immerse themselves in a festive creative journey. To provide a head start, participants can begin brainstorming and drafting as early as November 18th, though official entries will be accepted only during the event dates.

All submissions must include the hashtag #cc24DaysofChristmas to ensure they are recognized as part of the event. During this time, there will be no regular Creators Club events, allowing members to fully focus on this unique challenge.

Submissions must be entirely original, as AI-generated content is strictly prohibited.

Each day, a new prompt will be shared, offering participants inspiration to create something festive and engaging. While writers are encouraged to follow the prompts in order, they may use them as flexible starting points for their work.

While there is no strict word limit, all entries should demonstrate thought and effort.

Collaborative entries are welcome, provided all collaborators adhere to the same guidelines.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send @creators-club a question.

@bardic-tales @megandaisy9 @watermeezer @littleshopofchaos

@kricketbee

@themaradwrites @pinkevilwriter

@serenofroses @asirensrage @aalinaaaaaa @goldenlilium-ocs @glbettwrites

@wyked-ao3 @badscientist @thebadphilosopher @andromedalestrange

@fantastictrashpolice @seastarblue @happypup-kitcat24 @chickensarentcheap @allaboutmagic

@ryns-ramblings @kathaliabloodyrose @riemmetric @andromedaexists @kckramer

@tales-from-nocturnaliss @pastelpinkhobbies @idonthaveapenname @the-bar-sinister @rosesonkittens

@bloodred2023 @kanobarlowe @aquixoticwrites @new-royston-cursebreakers

@rosemirmir @salmonandfox @fablesandfragments @paganmindidnothingwrong @elshells

@viscerawrites @ellowynthenotking @dawsonskyelar @greenapplespider

@edupunkn00b @the-duke-of-nuts @exclawshou @karkkidoeswriting @meerawrites

@theglitchywriterboi @mayarab @memento-morianon @mrsmungus

@pebblesfromtheshore