wardenred

[wardenred]

REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

#writing inspiration #writing prompts

[wardenred]

Angstober 31: Won't Forget

And to round another month of flash fiction off, a tiny Halloween-appropriate drabble. Whew!

“Memory spells are tricky and fickle  things,” the witch explains. “I can erase this man from your mind, for sure. The time you spent together, and how he loved you, and how he hurt you. Your heart, though... The heart won’t forget. It will be as broken as ever, full of feelings you can’t explain. All the dreams with their razor-sharp edges. Are you sure you want this?”

She hopes her customer hesitates.

They say, “Do it.”

I will see them here again, the witch thinks, and wonders fleetingly why the notion squeezes around her own heart like a manacle.

#writeblr #warden's random scribbles #original fiction #drabble #angstober2023 #day 31 #100 words #witchcraft #memory spells

[wardenred]

Flufftober 30: Self-Love / Self-Worth

More MTWNK! After writing all that angst about Bariq being a jerk, I clearly need to pick Veliesh up.

Rinouk plopped down on the grass next to Vel and shoved a skin of wine into his hands. 

“You should stop listening to Bariq’s bullshit,” they said without preamble. “Your magic is awesome.”

“It’s not bullshit,” Vel said. He ignored Rinouk’s eye roll—a perfect imitation of one of Vezee’s. “Not completely, at least. He’s right. All my powers are good for is destruction.”

Rinouk scoffed. “No. Bariq’s sword is only good for destruction—although scratch that, even that big piece of iron has other uses. Chopping down dry branches for the fire to keep us all warm. Digging up a hole or a trench in the absence of a shovel. Breaking through ice to get to the water when it’s freezing. Even more than that, really, those are just the first things I’ve thought of. And your magic—it’s so much more versatile than a blade.”

“What have I done with my magic other than damage things?” Vel asked bitterly. Rinouk bumped their shoulder into his.

“I could answer that, but you know what? You tell me. Come on. In the last week alone, I can recall at least seven times you’ve used your magic for utterly non-violent purposes. I don’t have much faith in your memory when you’re all moody, but I trust you can name three.”

Vel took a breath. Then a sip of wine. Then he pretended to be excessively interested in a butterfly that fluttered back and forth between two blooming Lady’s bedstraws.

“I’m waiting,” Rinouk reminded him.

“I... I suppose it was useful when I kept the fire going during that heavy rain a few days ago and Dagatha got to finish making soup?”

Rinouk nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, and you also did something to the air above the cauldron so the soup didn’t get watered down. See? Totally non-destructive and really useful. Next!”

A hesitant smile was beginning to form in the corners of Vel’s lips. “That bear cub that got tangled in the bushes. I made the vines leave her alone.”

“I loved that bear cub.” Rinouk sighed. “Too bad her mom wasn’t anywhere that friendly. Anyway, yes, another good deed to your name! Come on now, just one more.”

“I... I helped Dagatha find the herbs she needed to make poultices for Bariq’s bruises. That was magic, too. And I redirected the lightning from the tree we were sleeping under on the night of the blood moon thunderstorm. And the next day, I made the path through the mire more solid and less likely to drown us.” Vel drank a bit more. “Those hardly count, though. They were small things. All the really big, flashy things I do, on the other hand...” He shuddered.

“Big, flashy things are always terrible in some way,” Rinouk said. “Magic or not. And in the long run, it’s the little things that make a life. If we weren’t adventurers, we wouldn’t be razing castles and slaying beasts on the daily. But we’d still need soup, and medicine, and safety.”

Vel’s smile was somewhat sturdier now. “When did you get to be so...”

“Wise?” Rinouk supplied, when the pause grew a little too long.

“That, too. But I was rather going to say: so determined. When we first met, you were often too meek to say anything to anyone. And now here you are, harassing me with kindness.”

Rinouk shrugged. “It’s all thanks to you and Kastur. You’ve really helped me build up my confidence, you know.” They gave Vel a teasing grin. “So now I’m obliged to return the favor.”

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober2023 #day 30 #more than we'll never know #veliesh #rinouk #friends #friendship #i love rinouk and their entire arc so fucking much #being my own fandom

[wardenred]

Angstober 29: Almost

Oh, look, it's my favorite angsty trope.

Some days, I'm not sure if it's our friendship I mourn or the possibilities that are gone with it.

It feels selfish to think this way. I don't know why.

But there was always something about us, wasn't there? An undercurrent beyond the laughter and the banter of the early days, the increasingly frequent arguments later. When we held hands like little kids, unthinking, just because. When you fell asleep with your head on my shoulder When I stayed over and we shared a bed—platonically, simply because your couch was so small and lumpy, but we always woke up entwined. There was something there. A chance none of us dared to take, for the fear of ruining what we had.

(Was I the only one who wanted it, after all? Did I imagine everything I saw in your eyes on those long nights and languid mornings? Was I fooling myself about you, always, on more than one account?)

And then later, too. When we were only friends in name, when every conversation ended in yelling at each other. When you called me a fool, and I called you a traitor, right before the door slammed for the final time—wasn't there something? In some alternate reality, did you push me against the nearest wall? Did I kiss you to shut you up?

Now, none of it is allowed to matter. You've chosen your side, and I've chosen mine, and the next time we meet will be as enemies. Honest and simple.

Our past will never be so clear-cut. I feel like even in ten, twenty, fifty years, I will look back and see—no, not a friendship. A maybe, a what if, an almost.

And even that is going to be better than the big, fat nothing that we are to each other at present.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #flash fiction #angstober2023 #day 29 #angst #friends to enemies #mutual pining

[wardenred]

Flufftober 28: Soothing Touch

Pre-Champagne Problems Elair and Miq again. Even more awful rich people around than in the previous one, but the boys still manage to be kinda cute together.

Jaequar’s face was a mask of disdain as he surveyed his reflection in the mirror wall of the City Hall’s entrance hall. “This uniform is awful. Makes me look like a wanker. Do you think I should make a few adjustments?”

“Uh-oh.” Glenda laughed. “Quick, hide the scissors and the sewing kits... like we have any.”

That earned her a withering glare. “Like we need any, you surely meant to say. Plenty can be done with a few creatively applied spells.” Jaequar cast another look at the mirror, this one more appraising. “I think I might start with the color. This dreary brown does nothing for my complexion. How about... hmmm...”

Elair cleared his throat. “Might I remind you that we’re here as part of Academy practice? And that we’re supposed to be playing the part of junior clerks? Who all wear identical uniforms?”

Condescension was written plainly on Jaequar’s face. Glenda and Yunis did a slightly better job at restraining their expressions, but Elair knew them well enough to see past the neutral masks. He tilted up his chin, meeting their eyes one by one. Here it comes. Another reminder of the unbreachable gap between us, and how I’m the only one here who can draw benefit out of this assignment, because surely none of them, after the Academy, would be caught dead—

A warm pressure between his shoulder blades drew him out of the emotional pit. Unthinking, he leaned into Miq’s touch.

“Elair is right.” Miqualis spoke calmly, with a shade of cold. “But if you want to violate the rules from the first minute, be my guest, Jaeq. Better marks for the rest of us while you flunk.”

Jaequar scowled. “Like any of us even need this class.” He glanced briefly at Elair, but the Except for you remained unspoken.

“You don’t need to stand up for me all the time,” Elair whispered in Miq’s ear later, when they were standing in line in front of the Higher Clerk’s office to receive actual instructions.

Miq responded with an innocuous smile. “What do you mean?” He laughed when Elair swatted his shoulder, then let out a small sigh and leaned closer. “I’m just trying to nip their foolishness in the bud when I can, all right? I have no idea why they insist on being so stuck-up every time they get the chance. They care for you, truly, you’re everyone’s friends here. They’re just—I don’t even know.”

Elair sighed, too, and squeezed his hand. “It’s fine. None of it is going to matter after we graduate.”

He had no idea what it was about his words that made Miqualis beam. “No. It definitely won’t.”

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober2023 #day 28 #champagne problems #elair and miqualis #poor miq is literally making plans for the proposal and their wedding at the end there :( #he has no idea what the prologue of the actual book has in store for him :(

[wardenred]

27. Flufftober 27. Outdoor Event

Some days, writing pre-break-up/pre-Champagne Problems fluff about Miq and Elair is all I wanna do. Even if it ends up including some awful rich people in the process. And therefore starts less than fluffy.

It was a typical dull, rainy spring day all over the Stalbererg Coast, but above the Korunds’ mansion on the tip of the peninsula the sky was a stunning tableau of blue and golden, with only a few feathery white clouds for the sunlight to sift through. The intricate weathercraft spellwork to achieve this was expensive in itself. The costs no doubt paled compared to the toll Dom Korund had to pay to compensate for messing up the weather around the entire region and beyond.

For these people, Elair reminded himself as he observed the crowd from the shelter of a sprawling apple tree, none of that money mattered. If anything, they were always looking for another outrageous display of opulence to splurge on, whether it was a dignified charity, a completely unnecessary city square renovation, or a birthday reception such as this.

He tried his best not to think of the numerous real problems that could be solved with the fortunes being squandered here. It would only sour his mood completely. He was already feeling cranky after barely an hour of socializing. All this would’ve been endlessly easier to bear with Miqualis by his side, given his boyfriend was the entire reason Elair was here. But Miq had been whisked off by his father almost as soon as they arrived and so far there’d been no sign of him returning.

Elair could of course continue mingling with their so-called mutual friends from the Academy. However, without either Miqualis or homework assignments to act as a buffer, he found it increasingly hard to find things to talk about. It used to be easier when they’d all been in lower grades and everything revolved around coursework and typical apprenticeship worries. Now, though, there was only a year and half a trimester left of the Academy, and everyone was getting ready for their real lives to begin.

Lives full of excessive spending, fake sunny days, and ever-blooming gardens by the sea.

Funny how he was the one faking his entire existence, and yet amidst all of this, he felt like the only living, breathing human trapped in a theater of paper dolls.

“Uh-oh. Are you brooding?”

Elair whirled around, grateful the flute glass in his hand was nearly empty for now. Miqualis grinned at him, leaning against the tree.

“What are you doing here? The last time I spoke to your sister, she implied that your father won’t release you until you personally greet every guest he deems important.”

“That was the plan, yes,” Miqualis agreed easily. “I have a bad habit of ruining my father’s plans, though. It would probably be for the best if I stayed out of his sight for a while now. It’s a nice spot you’ve found, mind if we stick around? Unless of course you want...”

“No,” Elair said quickly. “No, it’s fine—I’m fine here. Especially now that you’re here as well.” Damn, what was it about Miq that always made him act so sappy? The heart-melting smile he got in return was sure worth it, though. “But are you sure you won’t get in trouble?”

Miq shook his head. “It’s nothing. Honestly, after all this time my father should know better. I’ve never had the knack for these things.” He wrinkled his nose, leaning out of the shadows briefly to survey the brightly dressed crowd. “In fact... Maybe we shouldn’t stay here at all. There’s a spot by the sea that I’d love to show you. I used to come there all the time when I was a kid.” Elair was momentarily confused by the nature of that warm wistfulness in his voice, then pegged it for what it was. Nostalgia.

“I can’t deny that sounds good,” he said, “but I also get the feeling the guards will intercept you and politely escort you to continue doing your duty, as defined by your father.”

Miq’s grin turned mischievous. “Not if we distract them with a bit of party-friendly magic and climb the fence.”

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober2023 #day 27 #champagne problems #elair and miqualis #romance #achillean #parties #awful rich people

[wardenred]

Flufftober 26: Fireplace

And here's just one more MTWNK one. Again, not 100% sure how objectively fluffy it is, but for these two, I insist it counts.

When Vel sits by the fire with Sufjen, he thinks of being on ice. Not the thin kind that cracks under your feet as soon as the solid ground gets just out of reach. The proper sort, solid and sturdy and oh so clear, like the ice that encases the Deepstill River by his hometown every winter. Polished to perfection by the cold winds, with lumps of algae and long tendrils of underwater grasses clinging to it from within. He remembers stepping on it with friends, laughing and grasping at each other, looking down.

He remembers movement, too. Endless, mysterious movement below the layers of frozen water and river greens. Fish, of course, it could be nothing but fish—but what kind? A common roach or crucian, waiting for one of the villagers to lure it to a witch-crafted melt pond with the promise of snacks? Or one of those beastly northern pikes, favorites of the darkest deities? And if it was the latter, would it mind its business below the river surface, or would it try to find the weakest spot in the ice and break through?

These long evenings in the Thornfield Castle library are nothing like his childhood winters, in theory. Instead of bitter chill and pushing around, there’s the comfort of a plush chair and the warmth of cognac-spiked tea on his tongue. The crackling of the flames, the whispers of the wind and the rain outside. Instead of raucous laughter, quiet talk of magic and gods.

Instead of getting pushed back all the time—oh, that scrawny kid with his book smarts and his creepy ways, lucky enough to get befriended by the strongest guy in town—he is put on the spot every time. The center of Sufjen’s attention. 

Sufjen asks questions, wants his opinions, leans in closer as the hours tick by. His eyes, perhaps, are the only thing in the room that do resemble ice. Not in color, of course—it would have to be a particularly muddy stream to freeze over in that near-black shade of brown.

But there’s something there, lurking behind the surface, promising nurture and doom in equal measure. Vel can never look away.

He can’t get enough of it—the thrill and the exhilaration, the oh so obvious lull of false safety. It makes him feel alive the way no near-death combat experience could.

“So tell me more,” Sufjen says, “about the first time you made an enemy of a deep water god.”

Funny how these are the things he always wants to know most about.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober2023 #day 26 #veliesh and sufien #more than we'll never know

[wardenred]

Angstober 25: Tired of Fighting

Even more MTWNK. Yes, I'm annoyed at Bariq for being hopelessly obtuse in the actual draft, so I'm coping by writing angsty flash fic where he's just as obtuse. What do you mean it's counterintuitive? :D

"I am so impossibly tired of fighting," Veliesh said in a small voice.

Bariq nearly choked on a sigh. Vel didn't look up from his lap, so probably the crackling of the flames obscured the odd sound. Well, that, and all the other noises around the campsite: Kastur picketing the horses and hauling bags closer to the fire, Vezee crooning at the forget-me-nots she was picking. The horses themselves, too. Those beasts were endlessly huffing and chewing on grass and generally shuffling about.

Bariq still wasn't used to having them around, let alone riding one. Walking might be slower, but it was just so much more convenient. You only had your own body to manage.

"I'm tired of it, too," he said softly, settling down next to Vel. Their shoulders brushed, and he winced when his friend stiffened and moved away. "We don't have to fight, though, do we?"

"At the rate things are going, the only way for us to stop is if I give in. What if I don't want to?"

Bariq frowned. He genuinely didn't think about this in such terms. He wasn't after a victory in this conflict, so no one needed to lose—or surrender. They had the same goal here, didn't they? They both wanted what was best for Veliesh. Right?

"Do you ever feel like we're not even speaking the same language?"

He didn't mean to let it slip. He wished he could catch the words with his teeth and swallow them right back.

Vel let out a shaky breath with a hint of laughter. "All the damn time."

"I just want you to be safe."

"I just want to be."

Over and over, they told each other this, empty phrases that were starting to lose all meaning. Bariq pressed down hard on the ball of frustration growing in his chest. The ball won.

"How the fuck am I preventing you from being by caring about you?"

"If you truly cared about me, you wouldn't insist that I give up on my magic."

"I'm not doing that!" Bariq whisper-shouted. Across the fire, Rinouk looked up, worry splashing around in their brown eyes. He glared at them, and immediately felt guilty. "I'm not—Vel. Please. You are this party's leading spell-caster, and don't think I don't appreciate what you do for all of us in and out of battles. I don't have any issues with your magic as a concept."

"Could've fooled me," Vel muttered, crossing his arms. Bariq still tried to go on.

"It's just the specific things. The bad things. Surely you understand—"

"I think understanding your point is the worst possible thing I could do for myself."

Bariq gritted his teeth.

It was all because of that Sufjen guy for sure.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #angstober2023 #day 25 #flash fiction #more than we'll never know #veliesh #bariq #toxic friendship

[wardenred]

Angstober 24: Taught You Better

More MTWNK, sort of a prequel to this fluffy snippet. I've always felt that Dagatha was raised by someone who was perpetually "not mad, just disappointed," so. Yeah.

“Didn’t we teach you better than this?” the Head Friar asked. “The Goddess’s way is about kindness and sacrifice. You’re not honoring her on your journeys, Dagatha. Instead, you’re spreading violence and greed, just like all the others—” His upper lip curled, and he spat out the next word as though it was a slice of rotten meat stuck in his throat, “Adventurers. We sent you on this mission to change the Union for the better; instead, you allowed them to change you for the worse.”

Dagatha studied the patterns on the floor. The faint white lines looked like cracks against the backdrop of dove-gray stone, but she knew they’d been put there on purpose, painted by the Goddess-sworn artisans on moonless night as an offering. Twenty-two people working in the dark with black scarves tied over their eyes, able to rely on nothing but skill and faith.

A rather accurate representation of what the monastery expected from her, come to think of it.

“Well?” the Head Friar prodded. “Is there anything you can say for yourself?”

Mutely, she shook her head. A wordless lie. There were rather a lot of things she wanted to say, but what was the point? Her old mentor had already made up his mind. By disagreeing with him, she would only prove him right.

How could she explain that violence sometimes was the only answer, when it came to putting down monsters that only wished to destroy? That there was a difference between greed and wishing to be fed and clothed and alive on your own terms? That the world outside these prayer-filled walls was so much vaster, so much more complicated than the monks could imagine?

The Head Friar let out a heavy sigh. “Oh, Dagatha. I’m not angry, you know. I’m merely disappointed.”

The tingling sensation in her nose intensified.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #angstober2023 #day 24 #more than we'll never know #dagatha #hero and mentor

[wardenred]

Flufftober 23: Trinket

More MTWNK, more Sufjen and Vel, sometime late in the book (the parts I haven't yet drafted). Not the fluffiest fluff ever, but it's fluf to me.

“I’d like you to take this with you,” Sufjen said, handing Vel a plain copper pendant. “When you go into that dungeon.”

The metal still held the warmth of Sufjen’s skin. Vel stared at the pendant: a simple circle with no gems or adornments, but it radiated enough power. “What is it?” 

“Just a trinket.”

Vel rolled his eyes. “Yes. Sure. But what does it do? Is it going to strangle me if I act against your orders? Brainwash me into thinking that helping you achieve your goal is the most important thing in the world? Will it—”

Sufjen scoffed, cutting him off. Vel expected frustration and annoyance, but when he looked up, Sufjen was smiling. It looked forced, but then, his smiles always did. It took effort for him to smile, Vel thought, because of the markings on his face. To get the corners of his lips up while the scar tissue weighed them down.

That made his smiles all the more valuable. Especially the long, warm ones, like this one. The kind that always made Vel’s heart skip a beat.

“You know,” Sufjen said conversationally, “a month ago, I would have drawn all sorts of conclusions out of this little display. I would have taken these comments at face value and believed that you don’t trust me after all, and that no matter what you’ve said, my past is too heavy a burden for you to carry. I would have made it all about me.”

“I—” Vel started. Sufjen held up a hand to silence him

“But you’re not saying this to hurt me, are you? You don’t genuinely believe I would harm you at this point. It’s just how you are. You have to assume the worst, even in your jokes, because then the world won’t catch you off guard. If I turn out to be the villain here, you can tell yourself you’ve been right about me all along. You can pretend the jokes were honest-to-the-gods suspicions. You’ve known from the start the worst thing is going to happen, so you’re prepared to face it, so it shouldn’t hurt so much. Right?”

Vel looked away. A big part of him wanted to deny this, to claim that Sufjen didn’t know what he was talking about. Except. 

Except.

“I still want to know what it does,” he muttered, as much an admission as he could muster.

Sufjen reached out and closed his fingers around the pendant.

“The same thing I always want to do. It will help you keep yourself safe.” He leaned in, the distance between them shrinking faster than a chopped down centipede tree. “If you want to know all the gory technical details, you’re welcome to my lab when you’re back.”

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober #day 23 #more than we'll never know #veliesh and sufjen #being seen for who you are is a form of fluff right #also I'm having way too many feelings about the “help you keep yourself safe” part #because it's different from something like “keep you safe” #a good different #being my own fandom

[wardenred]

Flufftober 22: Picking

One of those freewriting "can I come up with an entire flash fic in a single writing sprint" things. I feel like I'm maybe stretching the definition of fluff a little...

“Why are you spacing out again?”

I blink, shaking myself back into reality, then immediately wince. While I was stuck in my mind, my babysitting charge had apparently climbed a tree. At least she didn’t go as far as she could have, there’s that. She’s sitting comfortably on a thick branch, snug against the trunk. Her face is all stained with sticky red juice, and she’s stuffing more cherries in her mouth.

“Sorry,” I say. Carefully, I inch closer. The branch really isn’t that high—if Maggie slides off it, I’ll catch her easily. And I’ll be able to swat away those bees buzzing uncomfortably close, or to interfere if she chokes on a cherry stone.

See? I’m a responsible near-adult. Even if I do indeed keep spacing out.

Maggie tosses back her fuzzy black curls and gives me a look that’s positively scrutinizing. “So what’s up?”

I definitely shouldn’t be unloading my worries on a kid. I should change the subject, ask her if she’s excited for school to start in a few weeks, or for her birthday party before that. But I’m feeling off, I guess. Might be because of the heat of the sun scorching the back of my shoulders, or the sweet smells of fruit and flowers all around, or the hornets. There are always too many hornets in this town.

So I tell her the truth. “It’s nothing. There are just two big possibilities in my future right now, and I can only pick one. So I worry about that a lot.”

“You should pick the one you like more, then,” she says, and pops another cherry in her mouth. The stone she spits out a moment later whooshes past my ear and probably gets stuck in my ponytail. Maggie grins. “Oops.”

“That’s the problem, though.” I reach up to tug off the scrunchie and shake out my hair. “I like both.”

“Well, maybe then you shouldn’t be picking anything just yet. Maybe you should just pick cherries with me.”

She offers me one, smashed between her sticky fingers. The juice leaking out at the top looks nearly transparent—how does it leave such deep stains?

“You know what? That just might be the best advice I’ve got in ages.”

The cherry is nearly sweet enough to distract me from my worries.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #flash fiction #flufftober2023 #day 22 #ya #summer

[wardenred]

Angstober 21: Can't Save Everyone

Remember Flame? Let's torture him some more. This may or may not be a nightmare sequence. Also, I'm not really happy about how it turned out tbh, but I guess it's also not completely awful.

Moth’s hold on Flame’s shoulder was crushing.

“You can’t save everyone. And some people aren’t even worth saving.”

Flame knew by now it was futile to struggle against his grip, but he did so anyway. His eyes were fixed on the column of fire that used to be a skyscraper. The HQ. The building where his post-amnesia life began, where it almost ended.

Batshit. Starlight. Chamomile. So many people who must be there right this moment and who had nothing to do with the bosses’ scheming. People who were just doing their job: saving others, preventing crimes and incidents. Led by their own sense of justice.

“I mean, I have these powers, might as well put them to some use.”

“I won’t deny this is a bad way to make the world a better place. But this is the one we’ve got.”

“Just stay put and let me help.”

They were his enemies, in the end. They had been his friends.

They didn’t deserve this, no matter who they worked for.

“There are shelters in the basement,” Flame whispered. The air all around them was getting hotter and hotter. “And tunnels leading away from the building. Maybe...”

“I was the one who broke you out of one of those shelters two months ago. Don’t you think I know how to seal them off?”

Flame once again tried to shake off Moth’s grasp. “Let me go!”

His shoulder was going numb under Moth’s fingers. “And do what? Burn with them? You don’t have your powers. You’ve lent them to me, remember?”

“You mean you stole them,” Flame bit out.

Moth waved his free hand. “Semantics.” He bent down, his lips almost brushing Flame’s ear. Compared to the scalding air around them, his breath was almost cool. “You can’t save everyone,” he said again. “But you can doom everyone, if you’re ruthless enough. Don’t close your eyes, love. Let’s watch them burn.”

#warden's random scribbles #original fiction #snippet #writeblr #angstober2023 #day 21 #flame & moth rp inspired #hero and villain #cw: fire

[wardenred]

Flufftober 20: Pumpkin

Continued directly from the last one.

“I don’t mean to alarm you,” Sufjen said, “but there is a pumpkin following you around.”

Vel hardly looked up from the vegetables he was dicing. “I know. It has a dragon inside of it, isn’t that cool?”

“Yes, and the dragon is dripping pumpkin juice and seeds everywhere. It’s disgusting.”

“Don’t be a baby, we both know plenty of spells to deal with some stains.”

“When she finally eats her way out of the pumpkin, she’s going to be all sticky and disgusting, too, and she repels all magic.”

“That’s why I’m already hitting up some water to give her a bath.”

“She hates bathing. She bites.”

“Don’t. Be. A baby.”

With a dull cracking sound, the baby dragon broke out of the pumpkin and screeched happily, spreading her orange-stained wings. Seeds flew everywhere.

"This beast is ruining our entire home," Sufjen complained, but he was smiling, just like Vel.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober2023 #day 20 #more than we'll never know #veliesh and sufjen #domestic fluff #dragons

[wardenred]

Flufftober 19: Keeping Someone Safe

A tiny post-MTWNK Sufjen/Vel almost-drabble. I just got this image stuck in my mind and couldn't shake it off.

“I could really use this shell in my lab,” Sufjen said wistfully. “If it has half of the properties I imagine it does—just imagine the possibilities! I’m thinking battle artifacts, first and foremost, but perhaps I could spare some for potions, too...”

His fingers lingered over the jagged edge of the golden egg shell, and Vel hurried to swat his hand away.

“You’ll have time for that later. Don’t wake the baby. The egg makes her feel safe.”

Sufjen gave him a wounded look. “She’d be perfectly safe in a crate or a pile of blankets, and I could be experimenting. When do you think she intends to let go of it? Do I need to wait until she no longer fits inside?”

Vel shrugged. “Probably.”

“But—my ideas.”

“I’m sure I can figure out a way to distract you.”

The baby dragon slept on, curled up in the egg she'd hatched from a few hours ago.

#warden's random scribbles #writeblr #original fiction #snippet #flufftober2023 #day 19 #domestic fluff #dragons #more than we'll never know #veliesh and sufien

[wardenred]

unmatched ship dynamic: "i've done terrible things in the past" x "all i care about is who you are in the present"

#veliesh and sufjen #and it goes both ways

[wardenred]

I realized that some of recovering from depression is changing your perspective on things. So I made my very first two-sided embroidery!

(etsy)

#embroidery #this is AMAZING #two-sided embroidery

[wardenred]

here’s weirder asks

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

lighter or matches?

do you leave the window open at night?

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

what color are your eyes?

why did you do that?

hair-ties or scrunchies?

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

would you slaughter the rich?

favorite extracurricular activity?

what kind of day is it?

when was the last time you ate?

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

can you drive?

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

what hair products do you use?

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

do you say soda or pop?

something you’ve kept since childhood?

what type of person are you?

how do you feel about chilly weather?

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

perfume/body spray or lotion?

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

do you wear a mask?

how do you like your shower water?

is there dishes in your room?

what type of music keeps you grounded?

do you have a favorite towel?

the last adventure you’ve been on?

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

what’s your timezone?

how many times have you changed your url?

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

a soap bar that smells good?

do you use lip balm?

did you have any snacks today?

how do you take your coffee?

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

what’s your take on spicy foods?

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

can you remember what happened yesterday?

favorite holiday film?

what was the last message you sent?

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

can you skip rocks?

can i tag you in random stuff?

#ask games