April Prompt Series - Tumblr Posts

In an effort to write more, I've made a plan for April. I'll write a short story/drabble with a word and at least one of my characters every day. If anyone has any specific OCs for a word/day you can send in an ask or reply in a post that I will make so it doesn't spam this post

tl;dr I'm writing using these words and one of my characters everyday for April

April Prompts 🐞

Word prompts to use for doodling or writing

ladybug

basket

pastels

easter egg

sunlit

berry red

river

nature

kitchen table

basil

seeds

fireflies

windmill

smiling

daisy

art supplies

nest

caterpillar

skyline

dessert

bicycle

vegetable garden

friends

clouds

hot-air balloon

games

soft breeze

dates

mushrooms

teasing

Here's the post I mentioned here.

And character links for your convenience

Bella

Freddie

Zach

Victor-Hecate

Fera

Nala

April Prompts Day 1 - Ladybug

Featuring: Fera and a brief mention of Vera, who belongs to @pagesofcursive

Pale and cheery, the sun shone overhead. With her feet spread out in front of her, Fera relished in the breeze that swept her short ginger curls around her face. She tilted her head up, squinting and watching clouds glide lazily by. It was a good day.

Sweet green treetops raced down her vision, followed by dense foliage sprinkled with light buds that were chased down by chocolate trunks, a spread of grass and finally, daffodils that shone brighter than the sun. She giggled under her breath as she ran her hands through the short blades, her fingers catching on shallow roots. Brushing her fingers against the edge of a smooth, boxy wooden planter, something clinked among the birdsong. Turning to face the noise, fuschia snapdragons wheeled around the edge of her vision. A tiny clay fairy lay toppled by her clumsy gestures. Sheepishly, she plucked up the periwinkle figure. She paused with the edge of the base resting in place, a flash of orange catching her eye. Focusing her attention away from the figurine she heard it tinkle back down. She winced, but soon forgot as a ladybug captured her gaze. Two horizontal pyramids of dots mirrored on the centre of its shell. The edges of her lips crept up as she laid her chin on her overlapping hands, catlike, as she watched it climb a normally unremarkable clay pot. Although small, the orange critter made quick progress up the black beans Fera was resetting the planter with. It wound its path around the top third of a pole and Fera's heart twisted, knowing it would leave her soon. She hoped it would remain in the garden at least, to join the others she'd begun to see again. She'd seen a two-spot ladybug a week ago, one she'd met right before winter. This amber friend was new. She resisted the urge to catch it; it would be so simple, just to cup her hands around it and bring it inside. She could show her sister, Vera, who loved orange ladybugs the most. It was almost too late now anyway. It reached the top of one of the support sticks. It stopped, as if to acknowledge its audience, as if saying farewell, as if reassuring Fera she would see it again. Maybe she was imagining things. It parted its shell, exposing delicate, translucent wings that extended into the slowly strengthening sunlight. It took off. Fera watched the ladybug for as long as she could, until the glare of the sun cast it into invisible light. A breeze curled around her ankles and a shy thump distracted her search of the sky for her newly lost friend. She bent down with a bittersweet smile, and righted the pale blue fairy with a red dot on its outstretched hand. A friend for them who would never say farewell. Another ladybug enjoying the pale spring sunshine.

April Prompts Day 2 - Basket

Featuring: Bella and mentions of Freddie and Zach, Juni, Lynn, Dawn, Nyx, Aster and Violetta, the latter 6 of whom belong to @pagesofcursive

Bella supposed she didn't need to do this. She could ask for help, or do something simpler. But her perfectionist nature won out, and now she was spending the night before the egg hunt finishing the last of the baskets. Juni might have helped, but the bakery was picking up in sales and demanded a lot of time from her. Bella impatiently stuffed a loose end of Zach's plum coloured basket into a more cleanly woven part of it. She grabbed the shredded teal paper that she was almost certain would end up all over the lawn the next day, matched only by Tora's lavender scraps. It would be such a pain to clean up. It would be worth it though. Hopefully.

Maybe Lynn could have helped. Bella grimaced. She hates pulling Lynn away from her work; she'd heard plenty of times, especially during college, how hard inspiration and drive was to come by for writing. She stood up from her position on the floor, stretching out her legs and flexing her toes, which had been jammed under the opposite thighs. Was that a cramp? She groaned quietly and pulled herself up on the table. Glaring down at Zach's basket as if it had personally deleted her work files, she bent over, cursing her endless hours seated at a desk, and carefully arranged it on the table next to Aster's basket. She ran her finger around the edge, marvelling at the craftsmanship. It was the only one she'd bought - it was a bit of a cop out, but Aster wasn't their kid. Technically none of them were, and Aster was almost part of the family, but she was running short on time and figured she wouldn't mind something more plain. Violetta's pink one sat next to it with cotton candy pink and white flowers twisted around the handle.

Freddie and Tora's baskets sat on the floor, begging to be filled. Bella sighed and sat down again. Dawn could have helped. There had been a lull at her theatre and besides, she could never say no to Freddie. Not that she'd admit it. At least she'd assisted her cousin in liberally coating the garden in chocolate eggs in not so inconspicuous hiding places. Shuddering at the thought of the sugar rush the next day, Bella packed Freddie's basket with white paper. He was a simple kid, thank goodness. She glanced at the table and considered getting up to put his basket up but decided against it. She was already down here, she might as well finish. Almost falling over in the process, she dragged Tora's sea green basket over. The edges were a little haphazard, on account of time, but it matched the rough and tumble three year old well. Besides, she made sure to sand off the more severe parts of it, so the kid wouldn't get hurt. Or at least it decreased the chances. Tora always found a way. Sprinkling the last bits of purple paper into her basket Bella seriously regretted not asking for help. The past few late nights working on the baskets were taking a toll. It would be worth it though, to see the five kids' joy the next day. With a huff, she hauled herself up and plopped the last two baskets onto the table. Yawning widely, she rubbed sleep from her eyes. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she fell asleep on her way to bed.

Despite her best efforts to at least maintain some dignity before collapsing, she was asleep before she'd finished lying down.

April Prompts Day 3 - pastel

Featuring: Nala, Fera and Vera (@pagesofcursive character)

"I just don't know what to get." Nala paced nervously in the open plaza.

"I'm sure you can think of something," Vera's voice was tinny over the phone.

Nala groaned and sat down on a plastic bench facing a pathetic fountain, "I'm sure I could, but it's just… I don't know. Pressure? I want to impress her. It's just our anniversary, and I'm sure she has something amazing and-"

Vera interrupted with a chuckle, "I'm sure she definitely does. Hey, Fae!" she yelled away from the phone. A distant "yeah?" was heard in the background. Vera continued, "Have you got something for your and Nala's anniversary tomorrow?"

Nala heard stomping approach the phone and her heart fluttered in anticipation. "Not yet," she melted at Fera's severe tone. She was super cute most of the time, but when she was ticked she had had a lot of steam to blow off. "But I'm coming up with something. Besides," Nala could almost hear her glare at her twin, "why is it your business? I appreciate the concern, but you have your own relationship."

"Oh, no reason," humor was obvious in Vera's voice. "You see? Nothing to worry about, Nala."

"Wait, you're on the phone with Nala?" Fera's voice softened, but grew louder as she approached the phone. Nala let out an uncharacteristic squeak and hung up the phone, not ready to be confronted by a potentially judgemental girlfriend. She was probably overreacting, probably overthinking, and probably blowing it out of proportion. She took a breath. Calm. Steady. Rational. Ready to make a choice. Well, maybe not that far.

She heaved herself off the tacky green bench and meandered towards the shopping centre. A pair of basketball shoes caught her eye in a sports store window, but she stayed strong and kept moving. Maybe she could get Fera clothes? Was that too simple? She always did well with bright colours and pastels, right? That seemed too easy. But it was still better than nothing. Sighing heavily, she turned into the shop.

Half an hour later, she drooped out, empty handed. She had a dozen photos of ideas she came up with inside, but none of them seemed right. A tie dye shirt, lavender overalls, a pack of rainbow socks that would've been absolutely adorable, a baby blue circle skirt and a couple of other options for good measure. They all seemed too simple alone, but too busy together.

They twisted their mouth as they wracked their brain for more ideas. Wait. An orchid! Fera has been telling her about them for weeks. Her flower garden was flourishing, but she was missing an orchid from her patch. She beelined to the hardware store at the edge of the mall, which had a greenhouse next to it. She fought through hoards of people before squeezing into the shop. Five minutes later, she triumphantly strode out, a thigh high orchid in arm. It was gorgeous, even for someone who wasn't well versed in flowers. The centre petals had pale purple streaks, and the backing petals were a precious pastel pink. She did end up with something pastel after all. Should she get the socks? Would that go with the flowers? She decided to consult Vera again. She walked to her car and delicately placed the flowers on the bonnet and snapped a photo.

Nala: what do you think

Vera: really? You couldn't think of anything else

Nala: nice to know how much you think of me

Vera: it's my baby sister, what do you expect?

Vera: but it's a cute gift. i think she'll love it.

Nala: thabks

Nala: *thanks

Nala opened the passenger door and put the flower on the seat. Briefly contemplating, she pulled the seatbelt down to secure it. It might be silly, and possibly ineffective, but on the off chance it worked, it was worth the slight degredation. Nala slid over the bonnet to the other side and flung herself into the driver's seat. The pale petals caught the corner of her eye and she grinned giddily, imagining the look on her girlfriend's face when she'd see them.

April Prompts Day 4 - easter egg

Featuring: Bella and Freddie

Freddie heard a faint whistling from the stairs, matched with a rhythmic tap of someone coming. He groaned, recognising the footsteps. Replacing a vial in its stand he wheeled back on his sleek office chair. To call it an office chair was an understatement. After establishing himself enough resources to be relatively independent he started putting funds to what someone affectionately called his supervillain chair. It had wide armrests for coffee, and a luxuriously tall back for dramatic reveals. It curved at the top, making half an egg and simultaneously a good place to hide when jammed against a wall.

The melody peaked with the footsteps and a slight figure stood shadowed in the doorway.

"So," the voice was melodic, dusty, and feminine, but the word was commanding and perfectly articulated, almost cocky. The lurker had power and they knew it. "You're still working today."

He scoffed, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because it's a holiday for most people, pipsqueak," they drawled.

"Don't call me that," he squawked. "And I don't need holidays. I have work to do. Villainous projects."

"You know, you're not as intimidating as you think you are," they teased.

"Neither are you," he shot back, "Scarlet Maiden."

Scarlet Maiden, also known as Anabella, frowned and stepped into the light. She wore a white graphic tee, embellished with a small galaxy on it and chunky black jeans, armed with at least half a dozen pockets. She made a small noise of disapproval, "Not with that name I'm not, pipsqueak." She ignored his protests. "The Crimson Programmer however, holds more power. Doesn't it make you shiver?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I think you're just a dork."

She swept an arm over his area cluttered with beakers, vials and containers. "Look who's talking! I could shut off 73% of your equipment right now," she threatened.

"And lose such a valuable flow of cash?"

"Please. I've been doing this for years, you're not my only client."

"Maybe, but I have to-"

"Look," Bella interrupted, "we could do this all day. But we both have things to attend to. So here, take this and I'll relieve you of my presence." She walked forward and placed something thumb-sized wrapped in cerulean foil.

"What is it?" He turned it over in his hand and held it up to the light. 

Her eyes widened, "Are you serious? Did you even have a childhood?"

Freddie leveled a glare at her. She rolled her eyes in response.

"It's an Easter egg. Considering that's what the Christian world is celebrating up there. It's chocolate."

He wrinkled his nose, "Really? And the purpose of this is…"

"Fun," Bella shrugged. "Kids look for them and then gorge themselves on them. Just enjoy it and don't think too hard about it." She ruffled his hair and strode out, once again ignoring his indignation.

He huffed and stuck out his tongue at her retreating combat boots. Curious, he unwrapped the foiled egg, depositing the foil scraps in a small waste basket. He popped it in his mouth. Average. It was nothing compared to the chocolate his mother used to buy on rare occasions. But then again, German chocolate was a hard standard to match. Still, it was a sweet gesture. He cringed at the unintentional pun, but let a smile grace his lips as he turned back to his work.

April Prompts Day 5 - sunlit

Featuring Zach and a mention of Ethan, his cousin and childhood friend

Rolling over, Zach sighed and gazed forlornly into the emerald leaves. He fiddled with the twine knot that secured the ladder to the treehouse. The treehouse he and his cousin made. His cousin, Ethan. His best friend of many summers. He remembered breakfast. Homemade waffles, with thick, sweet, maple syrup that cascaded down the ridges like the streams they played in when they were younger. Fresh fruit on the side that stained their lips red. Was- was that a seed? Stuck in his teeth? That was the worst. The only thing worse was that Ethan had left him. He huffed again, sadness tinging the breath. Sadness and syrup from earlier that day. Syrup and sugary waffles. He lifted his wrist to his face, his hand drooping as he checked the time. It would be hours until Ethan returned from his dentist appointment. His arm flopped pathetically to his side. Bathing in the dappled sunlight in the treehouse, a thought flitted across his mind. He barely tilted his head, using as little energy as possible, and checked the time again. Seven, no, eight minutes since he’d left. Ethan had been gone. For Eight. Minutes. What was he going to do for hours?

    He surveyed the sunlit yard; a rusted goal sat on the corner of the lawn, a beam was pushed against the house, and a rumpled net concealed a container full of various balls. Heaving himself up, he leaned against the side of the treehouse, the wood worn smooth with time. A tire swing swayed gently in the breeze. Almost shiny branches stretched enticingly upwards. He let out a whoosh of air. It just wasn’t the same alone. He popped up and slid between the lateral fence posts. Grabbing the rope that secured the tire swing, he slid down, calluses disguising the rope burn. Bouncing briefly on the balls of his feet, he began a chasse forward, picking up the pace, his steps getting higher and higher until he let the momentum guide him into a side flip, landing him in front of the beam. He paused, catching his balance again, arms in front from a premature preparation to fall. Satisfied with his steadiness, he took a step forward and immediately stumble, his toe getting caught in a grass clump After brushing himself off, he grabbed the beam. Grunting and grumbling about how much easier it would be if Ethan was here, he dragged the beam towards the middle of the lawn, inch by inch, centimetre by centimetre.

    He stood with his heels together, his shins pressed against the edge of the beam, and his arms up in a y-shape; the traditional starting position. Inhaling sharply, he tilted forward quickly, wrapping his hands around the bar and flipping upside down. His legs wavered in midair, and his bare feet were pointed. Still following the momentum, he kept tilting and landed upright, now on the beam. He should have gotten his foot wraps. He readied himself, bending his knees and holding out his arms. Exhaling sharply, he sprung. His heart lept with him. The sky careened over him, grey wispy clouds blurring by. Maybe the rest of the morning wouldn’t be that long. He landed with a quiet thud, in the finishing position once more.

April Prompts Day 6 - berry red

(finally! I am wayy behind but I'll do my best to catch up. Motivation has been low, and school has been piling up work, and exams are coming up and I should stop making excuses)

Featuring Fera and Nala

Fera hummed as she tended to her garden. The woods stretched beyond the cottage, bright and cheery, with birdsong echoing among the trees. She heard a pattering behind her, a small animal skittering around in her rows of cultivated crops. Sighing, she turned around and spotted a flash of brown heading towards the berry bushes. Her skirt swished around her ankles, the apron bouncing on top of it as she efficiently skirted around the boxes of squash and radishes, picking out weeds that grew on the edges of the path and planters as she went. She took too long. A now brown and berry red blur bolted past her, teasingly, and disappeared back into the forest. Exasperated, she approached the bushes and pulled back the leaves; the red currants were decimated. There were a few that were salvageable, and probably more if she looked closer, but currently it looked bad.

She heard clanking footsteps approach the front gate. With a hop and a skip, she zipped around the cottage to see Nala, still clad in her uniform.

“Hey, darling,” Nala murmured into her ear as she pecked Fera’s cheek.

Fera giggled and wrapped her arms around Nala’s neck. Immediately, she felt Nala’s hands on her own, pulling her off. “You’re home early today. Why?”

“I’m a little sore today, sorry sweetheart,” she explained, brushing off her question, “I can’t cuddle right now. Besides, it can’t be very pleasant to hug metal.”

Fera mumbled petulantly, “It’s not the same with you in it.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” she singsonged. “Can I get you something?”

“I think I’m okay. Just go back to the garden, I’ll settle down inside.”

Fera frowned, but went back to weeding. She lasted maybe five minutes before peeking inside one of their few small windows. Nala was sprawled out on a wooden bench pushed against the wall, still in her armor. Fera’s eyebrows furrowed deeper. She strode over to the back door and padded inside.

“Hey,” she called softly. Nala jumped, her armor clanking. “Do you need help getting out of that?”

“No! I mean, no thank you.” Panic fluctuated across Nala’s face.

“Come on,” she whined, giving her wife puppy dog eyes.

Nala caved quickly. “Fine.” She raised her left arm, allowing Fera to pull off the pauldron. Fera beckoned for her to hold up her other arm. She shook her head vehemently, gesturing to her chest piece.

“Please.”

Nala shook her head.

“It’ll be easier to take off the rest of it with it off.”

Nala’s curls bounced as she shook her head again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Fera asked accusingly.

Fera kissed her cheek softly, whispering, “Please, baby.”

Huffing, Nala shook her head slightly again. Growling under her breath, Fera sat on top of her wife, pinning her down, and fitted her hands, rough from gardening, around the shoulder piece. Nala squawked indignantly and tried to push her off, but Fera persevered. Nala grew paler and paler, her eyes unfocusing a little as Fera pulled and wiggled the pauldron. With a yank, it came off, and Nala’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she slumped back against the wall. Fera inhaled sharply, spotting what Nala was so desperate to hide. A growing patch of berry red was stark against the off-white of her undershirt. She hissed softly, lifting the sleeve to get a better look at the wound. It was poorly bandaged 一 thin cloth was laid against her shoulder barely stemming the blood 一 which explained why it leaked onto her shirt. Peeling off the fabric, she revealed a deep wound, about the width of an arrowhead. Practice gone awry, possibly. She drifted off to the kitchen to prepare a healing salve and find more suitable bandages. When she returned, Nala was still out cold. She pouted sympathetically as she spread the thick green paste, flinching away as Nala shifted. Steeling herself, she continued, elevating her arm to wrap the bandage around it. She stepped back, admiring her work. As she did so, Nala stirred, her eyes cracking open. Fera seized the opportunity, surging forward and taking advantage of her semi-wakeful state, and pulling her chest piece off. Nala grumbled vaguely and held up her almost naked shoulder, examining the bandage.

Nala sounded sheepish, “I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Oh, darling,” Fera melted a little, moving closer to sit on the bench. She wrapped a petite arm around her frame. Nala leaned into her embrace. “I just want you to be safe.”

April Prompts Day 7 - river

Featuring Bella and Nyx @pagesofcursive character

What are you doing?” The words were slow and cold. Bella jumped out of her skin, shoving the half-finished gadget into a pocket. It tinkled as it bumped against loose screws.

    Trying to cover her surprise, she asked, “I’m assuming you used your powers to sneak up on me.” Her brain teased her with just-out-of-reach knowledge; she knew this girl, knew she was somehow related to someone she was acquainted with, but her tired mind couldn’t quite make the connection. The only thing that clicked was that she had dark powers.

    “Yes, and no,” the reply still echoed from one of the far corners of the room. “You wouldn’t have been able to see me if you tried, but I didn’t try to conceal my footsteps - you were very involved with whatever it is you’re doing. Also, you didn’t answer my question. What. Are. You. Doing.”

    “I, uh, practicing my powers?” She cursed silently to herself. It was important to make these kinds of statements actually sound like statements. Allowing nervousness to turn defenses into questions allowed for weaknesses to be exploited, arguments to be deconstructed, and her entire facade could come crumbling down. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, unseen by the girl behind her. She needed sleep, her thoughts were turning to an unhealthy place faster than normal. Practicing with her ice during the day and pushing herself to her limits, creating new but simple inventions, at night took a toll on her.

    The girl drawled, “So the glint I saw from across the room was ice, then?”

    Bella swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to steady her voice. “Yes.”

    “Can I see?” Footsteps approached and Bella glanced up to see a flash of blonde in the faint strip of moonlight. Her eyes widened in realization. Nyx, her dormmate’s cousin.

    Hastily, Bella’s fingers twitched as she tried to summon so much as a flake. Frost covered her fingers, and the dew on the windowsill froze into delicate shapes. Her breath solidified into a mist as the temperature in the immediate vicinity of her plummeted. Biting her tongue, she tried to gain enough control to slow the unpredictable spread. Employing a psychological tactic she’d read about, she attempted to redirect her focus instead of simply taking it away from her nervousness. She took her bottle from between her legs and poured a bead of water into her hand. Concentrating, she formed it into a simple gear, finer than paper and almost as big as her palm. It wasn’t difficult, nor was it functional, but it was better than nothing. Footsteps stopped by her right side. Discreetly, Bella shifted the cup of washers and screws so it was concealed by her legs.

    “So let's see?”

    Her fluctuating emotions caused her to snap, “Why do you even care? What about my business concerns you?”

    “Touchy. You know, from my experience, people who are this defensive have something to hide.” Nyx crossed behind Bella. Noticing too late, Bella cringed inside as Nyx’s foot knocked the cup, letting out a stream of metal. “That doesn’t look like ice.”

    Rage and frustration simmered. “Maybe it’s not, but how would you know that I wasn’t using those for other things. You’ve seen my tracks? I need something to base it on. I was… studying them.”

    “That seems like a pretty poor imitation,” Nyx pointed out, tilting her head toward the gear that sat unmelted on Bella’s cold leg. “Have you got anything else you’re ‘studying’?” Nyx’s hands didn’t move from her sides. She strode over to a cupboard, and Bella scrambled up to shadow her. “You wouldn’t mind if I look in here, would you.”

    “Sure,” Bella ground her teeth together, “why not?”

    A disorganized river of miniature screws, linchpins, circuit boards, and old tech - phones, tablets, laptops, and everything in-between - streamed out. Bella flinched minutely.

    “You know this isn’t allowed?” Nyx was unreadable.

    Bella rolled her eyes, knowing her fate was set no matter what she said. “Obviously. Why do you think I lied? I was working on this.” She pulled out the gadget, its sides loose and wires sticking out.

    Nyx stood and walked over. She took it from Bella’s open palm, examining it. “You know,” she said, dropping it back into Bella’s waiting hand, “If you want to continue to do this, you’d have to get better at hiding your little… hobby. Do you know what would happen if someone found out about this?”

    Bella raised her eyebrows in response. Duh.

    “Here,” Nyx knelt on the ground and patted beside her. “I’ve done my share of dirty work. You’re going to need some pointers.”

April Prompts Day 10 - kitchen table

A/N: Yes I did skip days. And this is probably the last day I'm doing this. School got the jump on me so I had no time to write. I'll probably try again in June when summer holidays start

Featuring: Bella, Zach and Freddie

“We need a place to eat.” Anabella cast a disgusted look at the rickety metal bench the boys were sitting on.

“What’s wrong with this?” Zach’s words were garbled as his mouth was stuffed with a bagel.

Freddie stood, making the bench sway dangerously. Zach almost dropped his breakfast.

“You’re gross,” Bella remarked snidely. “Remind me why I let you join us?”

Zach shrugged, struggling to work down his overfull mouthful of food. “Protection?” he managed to say.

“Sure, strong man,” Bella said patronizingly. “How about you make yourself useful and help me make a new place to eat.”

“Seriously, what’s wrong with this thing?” He swallowed the last of his food and shifted. The bench shrieked in protest.

Bella rolled her eyes and kicked one of the legs. It flew off completely, making Zach and the seat clang to the ground. He groaned and glared up at her. “See? Now it’s broken. Help me find a new one.”

Zach moaned petulantly, “Because you broke it. And now I’ll be too sore to be useful.” 

Roughly grabbing his hand, Bella yanked Zach up with enough force to nearly pop his shoulder out of his socket. She dragged him bouncing to the door and up the stairs.

The sky was slate gray above as the pair wandered the ghostly streets, searching for a kitchen table. It took serious convincing to get Zach to go into the houses, but Bella wasn’t on the debate team for nothing. They broke the first table trying to get it through the door, and the second one they found was too fragile - glass. The third table was from a storage room - a foldable table.

And that was how, three hours later, Freddie almost crashed into the grimy white table when leaving his room for a snack.