Shadows of the Umbra

A blog dedicated to writing as well as whatever interests me this week.

[shadowsoftheumbra]

Hello all!

Looking for a cozy read this summer? Try this wlw romance fantasy novel. You can find it HERE.

[to-write-or-to-prompt]

gestures of affection

these can be perceived as either romantic or platonic !!

1. A squeezing B’s cheeks and booping their nose

2. B asking A if they can be their reference for an art project (my friend asked me to be their reference model for art class recently and it just made me warm and happy to help them out)

3. C buying snacks/breakfast for B and A when they meet up (school, work, college, etc.)

4. C randomly giving gifts to B and A

5. A asking how B’s project/hobby went and geuninely listening and being interested

6. B showing up at all of A’s workshops/performances/bakesales, etc. and supporting them; the loudest in the audience, the one who constantly asks questions, the one who buys the most food or promotes the bake sale

7. B walking A home even though their own house is in the complete other direction

8. A asking why B hasn’t eaten and then finding out they forgot their wallet so they buy food for them and refuse money if B tries to pay them back

9. C makes and shares donuts/pastries for A and B

10. A and B dancing randomly together

11. A and B sharing earbuds and watching a movie together during their break or free time

12. A and B making spotify playlists together and bickering over certain songs but having fun in total

13. A always waiting for B, especially when they’ve had a bad day

14. A getting what B secretly wanted for their birthday

15. B singing a random lyric and then A recognizing the song and joining in until A and B are just shouting the song as a pair

16. A and B having ridiculous nicknames for each other “macadamia nut” “cranberry” “pikachu”

17. asking each other what to order for lunch

18. A being B’s taste tester for food

19. B being advanced at playing video games and helping A, a very new video game player

20. A making sure to take care of B if they sometimes forget to do important stuff; eat, sleep, drink water, not overwork themselves

21. making pancakes and coffee for them in the morning

22. A packing lunch for B

23. A trying to do something even though they know they are bad at but they know B likes it

24. learning something specific so they can do more things together or understand each other better. e.g learning each others native language, home recipes, etc.

last edited: 16/04/2022

[corvase]

platonic soulmate prompts

these came from my heart and a past friendship of mine. enjoy and feel free to use :)

“you’re my sister, my love, and my best friend. thank you for existing.”

holding hands <33

hugs !!!!

long distance friendships </3

but if they’re long distance they can send each other packages n stuff

“you mean the world to me. did i ever tell you that?”

if one of the characters doesn’t have a father figure, what if their friend walked them down the aisle

“STOP LAUGHING I DONT KNOW WHAT TO GET YOU FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY.” “whatever you get me, i’m sure i’ll love it.”

“i love you.” “don’t make me cry.”

the moment they have their first real conversation and they’re both so much like “THEYRE JUST LIKE MEEEE” and they know right away this is going to be a forever friendship

“this is so weird to say, but i’m so glad i met you.” “that’s not weird to say at all.”

“you’re so freaking cool.”

“i feel like we haven’t talked in a minute. how are you?”

“i love you. i don’t think i can say that enough.” “i’m pretty fond of you, too.”

“i feel like, id give my heart to you if you were about to die.” “…….. id pour water on you if you were on fire too, i guess.”

“you’re a nerd.” “you’re a dummy. now what?”

giving each other life advice

^ “i know it may not help now, but honestly, what’s meant to happen will happen. what’s meant for you will find you.” “i guess that’s why you found me.”

“if you don’t go i’m not going.”

“you know that guy i was talking to?” “which one?” “STOP.”

them saying things at the same time and then being like TWINNNN

“i get to tell everyone my best friend is a [profession]… sounds like a win to me.”

[youneedsomeprompts]

20 partners in crime prompts

requested by: anonymous

Feel free to use and reblog!

Platonic:

#1 - always looking out for the other's safety

#2 - anticpiating the other's next words and moves

#3 - finishing each other's sentences

#4 - calling the other out on their shit

#5 - getting aggravated whenever the other does something slightly different from their plan

#6 - to outsiders, it looks like they don't along at all

#7 - knowing the other's weaknesses better than their own

#8 - picking on the other for their defeats

#9 - spurring each other on to better performance

#10 - having each others' backs unconditionally

Romantic:

#11 - yelling at them because they thought they'd lose them

#12 - romance getting in the way of their missions

#13 - showing off their skills to impress the other

#14 - getting turned on when they see the other succeeding

#15 - kisses in the 'workplace'

#16 - using their affiliation to get further in their mission

#17 - denying their relationship strongly

#18 - falling asleep in each other's arms after a stressful mission

#19 - vowing to protect the other from all harm

#20 - being inspired to master every challenge because their love makes them strong

[archive-on-jpxfrds]

Injury prompts:

CW for mention of injury, blood and death

Bandaging them up while you both tell each other about your day

Using your hand to lift up their face to check for any injury, when you notice how pretty their eyes are, causing you to blush

Scolding them for their reckless actions, while they look at you, smiling softly

Trying to hide your injury from them, but failing miserably once you faint right in front of them

Hugging them tightly, telling them how worried you were

Staying the night in case they need your help, being asked to sleep on the bed instead of the couch/floor

Helping them wash off the blood from their body

Carrying your wounded enemy on your back, taking them home to treat their injuries

Noticing some not-so-recent scars on their back while applying some ointment, asking them where they got it from

Dragging them to the nearest clinic since they're too stubborn to go get themselves healed

Dialogue:

"Stay still, I don't want to hurt you"

"Drink this. It'll help you heal faster"

"Go to sleep, you need rest"

"This might hurt a little..."

"Where does it hurt the most?"

"Is it a deep cut?"

"How long have you been hiding this?"

"You moron... Why are you so careless!?"

"Relax, it doesn't hurt that mu- Ow!"

"I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this"

"I don't know it was just... there when I woke up" || "...That's the best excuse you can come up with?"

"I promise I'm fine... I just need some rest that's all"

"I'm glad you're alright"

"I... thought I lost you..."

"Never do that again. Please"

"I'd hate to be a burden..." || "It's alright, (Name). I don't mind taking care of you"

"...Who did this to you?" || "Let it go (Name), it doesn't matter-" || "Yes, it does. Who did this to you?"

"You saved me...? And bandaged me up? Am I dreaming?" || "Yeah, well, I wasn't going to let you die just like that..."

"Are you okay!? Are you hurt!? A-" || "Calm down, it's just a scratch"

"Don't even try to get up" || "Watch me!" *stumbles and falls on the ground*

(X)

[autumn-leaves-winter-breeze]

Source

[dumplingsjinson]

List of fluff prompts

1. “I gave you one hundred and one reasons to walk away, yet you never did. Why?” “Because I love you. It’s really that simple.”

2. “Remember when we first met here?” “Yeah, of course. That was the day when you spilled coffee on me and apologised profusely but all I could think about was how gorgeous you are and how great it would have been to get your number.”

3. “It’s always been you, and it will always be you. Please never forget that.”

4. “You make me feel all soft and mushy inside.” “That is a good thing, right?” “Of course! You melt me, love.”

5. “You’re an idiot.” “Well, at least I’m your idiot, right?”

6. “You’re the reason why I believe in love, you know?”

7. “Stop back-hugging me while I’m trying to cook! You’re distracting me,” Character A whines, cheeks becoming a delicate shade of rosy pink as Character B nuzzles their neck and mumbles sleepily into their neck, arms only serving to tighten around their waist at their flustered protests.

8. “C’mere and rest next to me. You’ve worked hard enough today.”

9. “You feeling any better?” Character A asks, stroking their fingers through Character B’s hair. “So much better now that you’re here. I love you,” Character B mumbles, snuggling close to them.

10. “You always manage to make me feel like I’m worth it.” “That’s because you are worth it. You’ll always be worth it in my eyes.”

[urfriendlywriter]

romantic rainy day prompts:

(feel free to use<3 requested by @lifeislikeagame! yall tag meee when u write these omdss, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and the 9th one is!!!! )

kissing under the rain!!!! in the middle of an abandoned road!!!

dancing under the rain with your arms tightly wrapped around them

sneezing and your partner clutches your cheeks and goes, "how cuteee" while completely soaked in the rain

making soups after getting drenched and cuddling in the bed while watching the rain

^ "put your arm around me-- or just hug me to sleep, come here."

dancing with your little siblings/cousins or kids with your lover in the rain!!! ughshshsh

taking a shelter under a tree because of the rain and they seductively lean towards you. =)

drying up after coming inside and they help you towel dry your hair while you sit between their legs

^ "why you do smell like my soap, love :) ?" "oh, uhm- *blushes* "

going on a drive during a drizzle while singing to Taylor Swift heheheh

getting stuck in a library while it rains outside, so you sit on the floor of an empty aisle, with your legs on your lover's lap as you read to them

"what, hey-" and they kiss you, lips barely leaving yours as they taste every rain drop mixing with the sweetest taste of you. barely leaving to mumble, "god ive wanted to do this in the rain for a while,"

proposing to them under the rain >>>

when they wrap their jacket on you and takes your hand in theirs, "are you ready to run?" "RUN??----"

"oh god- why are you half-naked?" you throw a pillow at their bare chest, "nothing you haven't seen before, love" you fumble to move away, "it's freezing, go put on a shirt-" "nah, you can warm me up." and they hug you from behind!

[urfriendlywriter]

random ship dynamics:

hiii I'm back<3! happy holidays and feel free to use<3

flirts boldly x equally flirts back

"you want to kiss me?" x " you think I'll stop just at kissing? :) "

calm and attentive x restless and flirty

"how many times have you gotten lost today?" x "well, but i always find my back to you, darling, don't I?"

a loud introvert x a shy extravert

"come on, you bitch!" x "shhh, [name] you don't call strangers bitch-! I'm sorry, they're drunk, I'm taking them to the mental hospital."

depressed but funny A x depressed but unbothered B

"fuck the world." x "right.. but u can fuck me instead.. *a heavy pause* right ?"

babies them a lot x hates being babied

"awhh, did my baby not get any sleep?" x "BABY? the fuck you gon do? BREAST FEED ME ?? don't call me that, love."

always optimistic A x very sarcastic B

hopeless romantic A who loves to read x B who makes everything their lover reads come true ;)

the heir to the throne A x B who tried to steal their crown but fell in love with them instead

"is this--your way of making me give up my crown to you? by making love to me? :) " x "well.. how does my lady like it? :))"

naive, bubbly, and overly excited 24/7 A x B, the secret agent of a highest rank, who got stuck with A because of their mission

"okay, you're coming back FROM A CRIME SCENEE?? *eyes shining* " "yes- uh, three shots to the chest, eyes gauged." "WOWWWWW"

naturally flirty and absolutely outgoing x the silent nerd who tries to flirt back

"god, you make sexy sound so good." x quietly blushes and tries to agree, "yeah I'm- I'm fine, i guess, on the other hand YOU? GORGEOUS."

[corvase]

hesitant love prompts

+ accommodating love interest dialogue :)) feel free to use <3

“how many times do i have to tell you you can trust me?”

“what can i get you? do you need water? a hug? space?”

“i’m sorry. i just don’t think i’m ready.” “don’t apologize. it’s okay.”

“i think i’m ready.”

“thank you for being patient.” “you never have to thank me for that.”

“are you frustrated with me?” “never.”

“i just don’t want to be hurt again.” “i understand.”

“can you give me a second? i need a moment.”

“don’t apologize.” “sorry.” “name.”

“it’s okay. take your time.”

“if you tell me you want me to leave i’m gone, okay? don’t ever feel like you can’t take a break from me.”

when the love interest first asks them out and they’re like i’m really sorry but no… but the love interest doesn’t mind

“would you like to go on a date?” “i could do a date.”

more promrps like this in my healthy relationship prompts in my pinned master list…

[loveb100ms]

Love isn’t hesitant. Bye

[corvase]

hello :)

love can be very much hesitant. not very many people meet someone in their life that they’ll be 100% sure of, romantic or not.

some people have been hurt before, and some people reflect that. they reflect that fear to open up again, that reluctance, just the overall being burned and being afraid to be burned once more.

love is very very much hesitant. even if they haven’t been hurt before no one wants to jump into a relationship headfirst not knowing if the other person even feels the same. EVERYTHING is hesitant. meeting new people is hesitant. moving into new parts of life is hesitant. living is hesitant. we’re human. love is not an exemption.

have a great day :)

[funnytwittertweets]

[theplottery]

97 character motivations

Need a masterlist of character motivation ideas?

Here’s 97 different character motivations you can use for anything from your hero, side-characters, villain, or even to craft smaller subplots. Save this post for later!

Saving a family member from capture

Saving a sibling from disease

Saving a pet from danger

Saving the world from ruin

Saving a friend from heartbreak

Saving the town from financial ruin

Saving friends from dangerous deadly situations

Saving a love interest from dying

Saving themselves in a dangerous world

Saving a community from falling apart

Saving a child from a potentially dangerous circumstance

Saving a place or location from evil forces

Saving a ghost from limbo

Overcoming a phobia

Overcoming an addiction

Overcoming marital struggles

Moving on from loss

Finding a significant other

Finding a new family (not blood-related)

Finding true biological family

Finding out an old secret

Finding a way home

Reconnecting with long-lost friends

Getting out of a dark state of mind

Finding peace in life

Beating a disease

Beating an arch nemesis

Forming a peaceful community

Transforming a location

Bringing someone back to life

Winning a competition

Going on an adventure

Getting a dream job

Keeping a secret

Escaping a location of capture

Proving a moral point

Proving a political point

Winning a political campaign

Betray someone

Ruin someone’s life

Find a suspect or killer

Find the answer to a mystery

Discover ancient sites & secret histories

Perform a successful ritual

Summon the dead

Save a country from dictatorship

Become the most powerful in a community

Outshine a family member in business success

Prove someone wrong

Win prize money to help someone in need

Get revenge on someone who wronged them

Find the person who wronged them

Develop significant scientific progress

Gain respect from family

Get over an ex-lover

Move on from a painful death

Keep their community alive

Lead their community

Heal people in need

Preserve a species (animal, alien, plant…)

Discover new world

Get recognition for hard work

Become famous

Get rich to prove themselves to people who doubted them

Break a long tradition

Challenge the status quo of a community

Defeat a magical nemesis

Take over a location to rule

Find out truth behind old legends

Help someone get over their struggles

Prove their moral values

Prove their worth to an external party

Become a supernatural creature

Keep something from falling into the wrong hands

Protect the only person they care about

Start a revolution

Invent new technology

Invent a new weapon

Win a war

Fit in with a community

Atone for past sins

Give top-secret information to an enemy as revenge

Kill an ex-lovers current partner

Reinvent themselves

Raise a strong child

Make it to a location in a strict time period

Find faith

Find enlightenment

Find out more about the afterlife

Confess love to a friend

Solve a moral dilemma

Have a child of their own

Avoid being alone

Run away from past struggles

Reinvent themselves as a new person

Impress a colleague or boss

Avoid a fight or war breaking out

[blacklilyghost]

it’s all so quiet

[mjgauthor]

Writing advice that changed my sentence

When I was a young writer, I was told that I often started my sentences with "there is/there was/there are." I was told to eliminate those as much as possible.

I couldn't believe how often I used them. My first novel was completely littered with them.

I learned to diversify and grow my use of verbs. Instead of the state-of-being verbs, like "is" which isn't very descriptive at all, I started using stronger verbs.

Instead of writing "There were a bunch of trees on the hill" I wrote "A cluster of trees towered over the hill."

"Towered" is a much stronger verb than "Is"

Use the state-of-being words, but if you can, try replacing them with more active verbs. You might be surprised how much your writing improves.

[writingwithfolklore]

My creative writing prof pointed out that I use 'so' a lot and since then I haven't been able to stop seeing it. Every writer relies on certain words and phrases--knowing yours is the first step to writing better sentences and becoming a more intentional writer. Good luck!

[fluffygif]

Gorgeous, romantic and enchanting

[epitome-of-an-openbook]

I feel like this is an unpopular opinion, but more people should read incomplete/unfinished/in-progress fanfics.

I've noticed this huge trend where creators on tiktok and tumblr who will be explaining how to use Archive Of Our Own to new users and they always say "and make sure to scroll down and click completed only" or how people will go out of their way to mention they only read completed fics 'because they were traumatized when they forgot to check the dates and didn't realize this fic hadn't been updated since 2012'.

The thing is - I think by not engaging with and/or actively avoiding writer's WIPs readers are potentially adding to the aggregate of abandoned works. Now this obviously isn't the case for all abandoned fics, anything from major life events, to loss of interest, to getting busy can be a reason for a fic getting abandoned - but at least on some level I just know that writers are quitting while they're ahead when they aren't garnering any response or feedback because reading WIPs has become unpopular. If you're worried about reading something that hasn't been updated since 2012 then you can use the date updated function to sort out old fics.

Anyways, support your favorite fanfic writers by engaging with their WIPs.

[mrsmungus]

Legit, getting a subscription on a fic I'd abandoned 10 years earlier spurred me into action to finish it (and write a sequel!)

[epitome-of-an-openbook]

#The journey of reading a fic while it's updating is part of the fun!

Yes exactly this! I love subscribing to fics forgetting about them a bit and then being pleasantly surprised when they update again and they show up in my inbox. It makes me feel like I'm a Charles Dickens fan living in 1830s London waiting patiently for his new chapter to be released via the daily paper.

[urfriendlywriter]

gestures that gets me on my knees.

(feel free to use<3 the kisses ones are.. im- i-... yall better tag when u write these or else check under ur bed before sleep! :) )

lingering with your lips open, touching, but not kissing, and this one glance at their eyes and you say fuck it and pull at their collar to kiss them

heavily breathing after a kiss (damn ittitit)

gulping when they get a little too close

and not knowing how to talk or exist after they finish kissing you like they've been needing that kiss for a lifetime!!!

loosing your mind when they tilt your chin to look you in the eye

pulling them by their belt to kiss them>>

lazy kisses in the morning, that starts with a grunt as they pull you closer to them as you try to get up and lazily placing kisses all over face and ends with a hoarse whisper from them asking you to stay. fucjfuck

their mouth at your ear, whispering!!!

"give me a chance. to prove what i can make you feel." (ohmykgodks)

when they kiss you, hard, gripping, shaking breaths, fists in each other's clothes, against a wall, but they stop. and smirk, "you want that, love? i want cuddles though." and their grin is too wide, stupid and cocky and beautiful.

you're holding on by a thread and they sort of grin against your lips, mumbling, "just lose control, love."

that glance at your body with their eyes subtly widening, almost gulping as they take in your attire. fuck.

the lips are hot, soft, settling, nibbling and gasping, pulling onto each other for more and when you stop, they have their eyes closed, heavily exhaling, hair ruffled, and they look like the prettiest mess ever.

holding your hands above your head as they kiss you