Legend Of The Winter Holiday Man

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

The End of A Story

Thanks for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial

No warnings, just the end of a little story.

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A horse, a bull, and a goblin walk into a bar…”

The minotaur rolled his eyes before slowly turning his attention back to his pint. 

“It was never a funny joke, Jerry, and I’m a pony anyway.”

The talking ‘pony’ raised her head from a bowl of hay to fix him with a disappointed look that wasn’t half so effective now that her eyes were almost as large as watery cue balls. 

“Ha, then why the long face?”

The minotaur snorted in amusement, not quite pulling his attention from his drink while the talking ‘pony’s ears flicked backward. 

“See I told you that the big guy was the only one that still has a shred of humor left. Anyway, what do you think of the place?”

The barkeep gestured to the ocean waves, lapping against the not so distant shore while giving them a wide smile. He’d gone for a resort look this time, taking advantage of the natural beauty of the coast line to compensate for his lack of decor. If nothing else could be said for him, he was good at making the best of a bad situation

“I like what you’ve done with the place, nice open air concept, now where’s my blasted money Jerry?”

The Goblin face poking over the table top was plastered with a sour expression as he watched the gold swing fron the barkeeps’ ears. 

“Have some more food.”

He placed another plate of carrots in front of the trio and went back to dealing with his other patrons, only glancing back over to their table occasionally to make sure that the group was still content. 

In the relative silence that quickly overtook the quaint establishment, a lone figure approached their table and set down a familiar looking lamp. 

“Ten years already passed… How time flies, but I wonder, are you still interested in changing back?”

There was no outburst this time, no bargaining or desperation that had been so often present in their past encounters. After a moment of silence passed between them, the Goblin grinned, his pearly white smile now mixed with shining golden teeth that complimented his velvet suit coat. 

“No, I think I speak for the lot of us when I say that won't be necessary. Now leave us to our meal, and we shall show you the same courtesy.”

The djinn chuckled ruefully at the results and disappeared, leaving the trio to continue their misadventures. He may have pegged them wrong, but they had been interesting to watch nonetheless, and there would always be others far less resilient to mess with.

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.”

✨ What have we found...?

It's a new Flash Fiction Friday!

✨ New to FFF? Let us fill you in!

Flash Fiction Friday is a fun writer event that’s meant to inspire, share and connect writings of all genres and writers of all ages. It’s designed to make people want to write, especially if they’re feeling blocked. Everyone and everything is welcome!

We always do our very best to keep the prompt’s genre open, entertaining, positive and encouraging.

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

Use this Friday’s theme in your text. Any way you see fit.

Post on your tumblr blog and remember to tag us at @flashfictionfridayofficial​!! So we’ll see it, read it and reblog it!!

Deadline is 24 hours after the prompt has been issued (12 pm CET).

And then, next Friday, we’ll mention your work in a showcase post on our main blog before our next prompt drops.

Please post your entries as regular posts, not screenshots — or provide the text as a regular post as well. Let’s keep everything as accessible as possible!

We ask you to tag your works with any appropriate content warnings and let the reader know what they’ll find before they get the chance to read your work!

If you have a question, check out our FAQ page! If your question isn’t on there, don’t hesitate to ask!

You don’t need to ask for permission or need to get added to a list to join in. Just write, have fun and don’t forget to tag us!

We do not condone fiction, asks or comments that contain: direct hostility, unconstructive critique, LGBTQIA+ hate, slurs, racism and/or general no-no behaviors.

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✨All your amazing works from last week can be found HERE.

Go check them out and consider supporting your fellow FFF writers with some likes and reblogs!

✨ And now, the new prompt!

[#FFF 263 In The Meadows]

This prompt has been brought to you by someone who wishes to remain anonymous, thank you so much! What can we find lurking in the meadows? Perhaps it's somewhere that was and is no more? Are their flowers? Have they all but died? Is it a picnic? Or dandelions blowing in the wind? Whatever it is don't let it escape; write!

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The Collective <3

Wolf Hunting?

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Exerpt from Tori's story and part of my Bloodmage WIP. Fair warning, I was very tired when editing, so just know things might be a bit messy.

Warnings: Mentions of torture, violence, mutilation, and a monster drawing at the end of the story.

“Tori, I have something to tell you…”

Then the room lit up with red light, and Ma was ripped away from him just as the words were being spoken. 

Checking his gun again, Tori stepped deeper into the moonlit forest grumbling. He needed to get this blasted favor over with and find where Ma had been taken to. The old man in the village seemed to know something of what was happening, but he was too frail to force information with Tori’s preferred methods, so he’d decided to play nice for now. Just deal with a blasted wolf in the woods, and he would get what he needed, simple enough.

In the short time he'd spent listening to their excuse for not dealing with the creature, Tori had noticed at least three capable people in the town and doubted that this was going to be something simple. Much to his irritation, though, he didn’t have time to employ his usual caution, or maybe the idiots had just started wearing off on him more than he’d like to admit. The thought of Owen and Embers' satisfaction of their influence left a bitter taste in his mouth. They wouldn’t need to know. 

He wasn't a skilled or seasoned trackef but paying close attention to the paths that he’d been instructed to look out for. There were definitely tracks of something big, and in addition to paw marking, there were signs of something big being dragged through the area. Any wolf that could make tracks of that size wasn’t something he wanted to be close to, even with his gun. Frowning at the size, he contemplated turning back to try torture after all, but a growl froze him in his tracks. 

It shouldn’t have been able to get so close to him. Turning slowly, Tori scowled at the creature looming several feet away from him. Its matted fur was covered in bits of half chewed flesh and fur that dangled from the unkempt locks of blood-stained gray-brown hair. Tori didn't fail to notice that where hind legs should have been, there was a large snake tail that flicked back and forth in irritation as it held a small squirming bug in one clawed hand. 

Tori’s breath caught in his throat as he began cursing internally, how was that a blasted wolf? A vein in his forehead throbbed as the creature swallowed the bug and turned its attention towards him. By its smug expression, Tori was sure it felt that he would be a quick meal, but it was in for a rude awakening if it thought that He’d go down without a fight. 

Raising his gun level with the thing’s head, tori fired off 2 rounds in quick succession altering his fire for the second shot towards the direction that the beast seemed more likely to move. The first round grazed its ear, but as planned the second landed squarely in the things right eye as it lunged towards him. 

Jumping to the side, Tori fired off another set of rounds hitting the creature in the side, but still it didn’t even flinch, turning its trajectory to grab onto Tori’s shoulder digging its teeth through the layers of protective clothing like they were nothing. Letting out a grunt of pain, Tori quickly reached to his belt and pulled a knife free stabbing it into the creature’s throat over and over as it sank its teeth deeper, snapping his collar bone like a rotten twig. Letting out a scream of pain he felt his mind flash with white for a minute before pulling his knife free and driving it into the creature’s left eye. After a scream of confusion, the creature pulled back with a roar of pain and quickly retreated several feet, slower than the last time. 

“Do you think I’m going to let you get away with ruining the coat she gave me?”

The hatred in his voice might have surprised him if the situation didn’t tick him off beyond reason. Tori’s blood began to pump more rapidly than before as he let the gun fall from his right hand. This creature didn’t seem very affected by bullets but his knife did the trick. His right arm was useless right now, but the creature was partially blind. 

Without giving it time to recover further, Tori rushed the creature driving his blade into its throat as he let a claw graze the side of his head. That was okay, he could work with a bit more head trauma. His blade struck true, severing the creature's artery. This time as he pulled away the creature tried to bolt away from him, but the frustrated man jumped onto its back and quickly stabbed his knife into the creature’s throat again and again. 

The motion continued until the creature’s cries of pain were drowned out by his own frustrated screams. What the hells had she wanted to say to him blast it? Tori let his arms go limp as he looked down at the bloodied creature below him. With the excitement of the battle dying down he felt his stomach beginning to twist in pain as a sudden hunger overtook him. The disgusting creature, mutilated beyond recognition looked almost as appetizing as Ma’s cooking, and like a man possessed Tori leaned down devouring its corpse as the full moon shown above him, bathing the forest in red light. 

I was playing around with ink today, and other than some frustrations involving uncooperative ink, it was pretty fun.

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.

For the wip file ask game

I'm intrigued by three (well actually more but I narrowed it down some lol)

What can you share about them?

Coral Crown Adjacent

The King and His Fairy

Shadows of the Past

Thanks for the Ask :)

Coral Crown Adjacent is the spin off for a story that I only had in the planning phase. Somehow it ended up getting more attention than the main plot...

Summary: A low level guard (Former assassin trainee) is unexpectedly given a promotion to a higher position and sent to be the bodyguard of the kings advisor/regent to spy on him. The king is on a very powerful drug called ambrosia that allow him to communicate with spirits and one in particular has possessed him and is trying to manipulate the kingdom but the advisor is getting in the way. The guard is trying to do his job while doing his best to survive.

I haven't really worked on it all that much, but going back into the document this little snippet was fun :)

Callen had always kept his hair clean and tidy with the time and finances he had but the glossy texture of his hair after being cleaned with the expensive oils scared him. The general smell of the city which he thought had been permanently ingrained in his skin was appallingly absent, replaced now with a slightly floral smell that he couldn't put his finger on.

The King and his Fairy

Summary: After an event called the awakening gives Warframes more sentience and autonomy they struggle to adapt to the new way of life and their interpersonal dynamics. Titania comes back from a mission and comes to Oberon for a bit of healing. Just a short little one shot story between Titania and Oberon from Warframe that takes place in a slightly altered world.

Snippet:

A familiar buzzing sound echoed through his room as Oberon reluctantly looked up from the book he had finally managed to start reading. His ears flicked in minor irritation at the interruption, he had just been getting to the interesting part too.  "Love, what can I do for you?" The buzzing stopped for a moment before a small fairy crashed into his face showering him with kisses. So she was in one of those moods then. Discarding his book, Oberon uncrossed his legs and braced himself for impact as his fairy changed to her full size.  "I didn't think you'd find me this time my deer." He snorted in irritation at the name as she began giggling in triumph. He felt his ears flattening back at the comment and he hummed disapproving of the attack. 

Finally to my little monster: Shadows of the Past. This is a Valorant AU long fic with Bloodborne inspiration for the tone and setting. The Bloodborne tone really started to shine through in the later chapters, but even early on it was prominent.

Summary: Cypher has failed to protect what he treasures the most, but his hope that the hunters will honor their cruel contract keeps him going. So he struggles alone, a shell of his former self, until an unexpected twist in fate sparks the dying embers of hope in his heart.

I made the mistake of not fully editing this piece before I started posting it, so what was planned to be an eleven chapter fan fic written to commemorate my first year of writing fan fiction is now 13 chapters long and about 2/3rds of the way finished. Here's a little excerpt from chapter 3

“We’ve arrived.” The exclamation was said with a level of grandiose that was unbefitting of both the place and time. She seemed to have sensed his hesitation and tried to offer him some comfort.  “Hey, don’t worry, like I said, it's just a simple interrogation just tell us what you know and then we can part ways like this never happened.” The words were sweet, but they didn’t mask the faint smell of blood seeping out from the cracks of the door. The interrogation room then, it seemed this was where the mask came off, though hopefully not in the literal sense this time. 

Extra, while looking for a snippet to share I found this note that I wrote for myself back in November and burst out laughing.

Flipping need to make sure that I go back and do some pre writing every week because the later half of this story isn't even half written. It's really just sad.

A New Start

Thanks for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial

Coming back to a background story from one of my WIPs Bloodmage. Luis first meets Jade.

Chapter warnings: some body horror

A flurry of minute red crystals flowed from his lungs. Mixing with the frosty air, the fragile shards easily shattered, sparking an array of pinpoint explosions. Fragments ricocheted wildly, tearing up more of the ground around his still form. As he lay still as a corpse, a particularly robust fragment landed in one of his unblinking eyes, embedding itself slowly into his cornea; he hadn’t been particularly interested in the view, but it would be a shame to lose his sight before the end.

“What manner of creature are you then?”

A voice rang out to his left, pulling his focus from the cloudless expanse above him. Opening his mouth to speak, he found that his voice refused to work, his heart still too dead to manage even that. He frowned in frustration, but without the energy or will to move, he was trapped here, like he had been for many years.

“It’s rare for someone to have destroyed more humans than plants… You seem to have put most of my little ones to shame.”

What looked to be a deer skull hovered over him, finally coming into full view. Pink hair ran across the top in a messy array, reminding him of cherry blossoms in spring. He’d always enjoyed watching the delicate petals dancing through the wind.

His breath hitched suddenly as a strange surge of power coursed through his skull as one of the creature’s fingers gently rested against his cold face. Whatever this creature was, it was humming with a strange and beautiful power that was strong enough to steal his breath away.

“Don’t give up yet. There is much to this world worth living for.”

He could sense the creature’s disappointment in him and his decision. As the hand began to pull away, a piece of his fractured soul suddenly sparked at those simple words. He’d counted everything lost, felt that this world had nothing more to show him, but this feeling. He suddenly felt that he needed more of it.

“W…it”

The creature’s attention turned to him once more, filling his mind with a strange spark of excitement. He took in a deep breath and let out a choked laugh at his own pathetic efforts. The creature returned the laugh with a trill, and he could almost imagine that it was smiling at him.

“Good, warriors shouldn’t fall so easily.”

The creature’s clawed hands gently encircled him, pulling Luis free of the earth.

Finnaly...

Normally, I wouldn't post something about my gaming, but I literally got over 3k words written because I forced myself to write something every time I died to this child...

It was a surprisingly effective method for circumventing my procrastination, but I think it is one I should use sparingly for my own sanity....