Ivy White
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ivy-white.bsky.social
Ivy White
@ivy-white.bsky.social
88 followers 48 following 110 posts
I write, I study, and I work. Who needs sleep anyway?

Urban Fantasy Romance

WIP: Steeped in Shadow #SteepedInShadow

Follow me on Tumblr for longer snippets
https://www.tumblr.com/ivy-white-thewritingfactory

I also write poetry.
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ivy-white.bsky.social
November 13th: "build"

How useful, a castle built to move when needed!

#Duvac #SteepedInShadow

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
The device buzzed once, then a voice answered—deep, gravel-rough, and unmistakably ancient. “Yes?” came Rafael’s response, calm and terse as always. “Get the gang ready,” Duvac said without preamble. “We might have to move the castle. Security breach—Grade A.” He didn’t wait for confirmation. He already knew the Gargoyle would act the moment the line went dead. Duvac turned back to Margaret, his jaw set like stone. “Take care of him,” he said, jerking his chin toward Judah. “And get Nina. I want every person we rescued and every human we captured checked for embedded tech—anything that could compromise us.” Margaret nodded sharply. “I’ve got it. Go.”
November 13, 2025 at 8:37 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
November 12th: "Shirt"

When you've been forced to wear scrubs for months, a simple shirt feels like a luxury item.

#Judah

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
The water was already cooling by the time he rinsed the last of the suds from his hair. Eventually, he shut off the water with a reluctant twist and stepped out into the bathroom, dragging a towel from the nearby rack. Margaret had left him a change of clothes. Simple things—but to Judah, they may as well have been robes sewn from silk. A long-sleeved shirt, slightly too big, but sleeves riding short on his forearms. Sweatpants tied at the waist, still baggy around his thin hips. He looked like a scarecrow in hand-me-downs, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t white. And the best fucking part? Socks and shoes.
November 12, 2025 at 8:41 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 17th: 'difference'

#Judah reflects about his choices.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
It didn’t matter that most of these programs were illegal. That their laboratories were frequently raided, their participants never heard from again. It didn’t matter that the risk was astronomical, that he might end up another nameless corpse dissected in some clandestine research facility. He was already dying. And whether it was the tumor or a vampire’s fangs or the claws of a gargoyle, death was death. The only difference was the possibility of escaping it.
September 17, 2025 at 11:40 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 12th: 'worst'

#Duvac and his morning musings.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
He retrieved the now-warm blood and took long, deep gulps. The vampires had suffered the worst under the surge of human experimentation. It had all started here, in Russia, with that insufferably curious bastard—Dr. Galkin. His thirst for knowledge had set off a chain reaction, and now, the majority of the labs were hidden beneath layers of snow and permafrost, buried deep in the icy earth. Though it wasn't the reason most vampires had established their primary base of operations in this godforsaken tundra. The convenience of the polar night made it worth the misery. Less sunlight. More usable hours. More time to burn those laboratories to the ground. Duvac finished his drink, rolling his shoulders as the blood settled in his system, giving him a much-needed jolt of energy.
September 12, 2025 at 8:20 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 11th: 'half'

#Judah post-surgery.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
Nina’s tone didn’t change. Calm, direct. “Margaret removed the tracking chip. And the rest of your brain tumor.” He blinked, stunned for a moment. “Tumor?” The word felt heavy on his tongue, distant and strange. “But… they said they’d cure me.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Said it would go away…” A phantom pain lanced through his skull, sharp and sudden—like a ghost of one of the old headaches returning to haunt him. He winced, one hand rising instinctively to clutch his skull—and that’s when he realized: they’d shaved half his head. Needing a clean path carved through the hair to reach the thing that had once been killing him. Nina moved without hesitation. She rested her fingers at his temple, and a gentle warmth pulsed from them—soothing, steady. The pain faded like mist under sunlight. “Apparently, their version of ‘curing’ you was waiting for the immortality to eat the tumor away,” she explained softly. “No surgery. No real treatment. Just… time.”
September 11, 2025 at 9:51 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 10th: 'outside'

#Judah arrives in Moskow.

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His suitcase finally appeared, a battered black carry-on with a frayed handle. He grabbed it, adjusting the strap over his shoulder, and turned toward the exit. Outside, the Moscow air hit him like a slap—sharp, cold, thick with the scent of snow and car exhaust. The terminal lights cast long, pale streaks onto the wet pavement, reflecting off the endless sea of vehicles lined up at the curb. His green eyes swept the street, searching. There.
September 10, 2025 at 8:27 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 9th: 'pressure'

Two snippets today because I couldn't decide!

#Duvac interrogates some humans, and #Judah wakes up post-surgery.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
Breaking humans had never been difficult for Duvac. It wasn’t just the ease with which their fragile minds buckled under pressure, or how little pity he had for those who dared to harm his kind—it was also the edge he carried, the weapon buried not in blade or fang, but in his mind. A gift. A curse. A power known only among vampires. They called it Terror. And the name wasn’t a poetic exaggeration. It was precise. When Judah woke, the first thought that slithered through his fogged mind was that he’d never left. That the shadows, the warrior, the explosion—freedom—had all been a dream. A cruel, vivid hallucination crafted by a brain that had finally cracked under pressure. Because the room was too familiar. Too white. Too quiet. Too clean. The air smelled sterile, tinged with antiseptic and that strange metallic scent that always clung to clinical places. For a few long seconds, his heart squeezed in panic. His body tensed, muscles readying for a punishment he couldn’t quite remember earning. But then… something was different. There was no searing light. No blistering brightness flooding every corner, no cruel lamps humming overhead like vultures. Shadows nestled in the corners of the room, soft and still. He wasn’t surrounded by light. And… he wasn’t restrained.
September 9, 2025 at 7:41 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 8th: 'ability'

#Judah had an accident regarding the desperate use of his abilities.

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Judah pulled himself in tighter, as if making himself smaller might somehow lessen the crushing weight of light. He remembered the last time he’d tried to use his ability—his desperate attempt to escape his own skin, to merge with the darkness that did not exist here. The memory sent a shudder through him. It had gone wrong. So, so wrong. Only parts of him had vanished. His hand, his ribs, the sharp jut of his collarbone—all of them torn open as if something had peeled him apart in ribbons. He had felt his own body unraveling, felt the air whisper against raw, open flesh before he collapsed, unable to hold himself together. The pain had been unbearable.
September 8, 2025 at 7:41 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 7th: 'nowhere'

#Duvac visiting a ghost town that serves as a prison.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
He didn’t take a vehicle for this trip. The snow had thickened into soft, heavy flakes that fell in steady, muffling waves, blanketing the forest in silence. Driving through it would have been more trouble than it was worth. Instead, he took the underground tunnel, connecting the stronghold to the huts. It wasn’t just faster—it kept his path untraceable. He didn't have Grace's ability to eradicate tracks in the snow behind him with a mere flick of the wrist. So this was the only way he could travel undetected. No tire tracks. No footprints to lead back to the others. And the tunnel itself could be destroyed at the push of a button, the second an intruder found it. Placing his hand on the fingerprint console and allowing the machine to scan his eye, the heavy metal door leading out of the tunnel opened with a mechanical hiss, revealing stairs leading into what outwardly appeared as an outhouse.
September 8, 2025 at 7:23 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 6th: 'dust'

#Duvac pondering UV light and the sun.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
For a vampire of his age, a single blast of ultraviolet light wouldn’t just injure him—it would be final. Younger vampires barely felt the weight of it, and if they did, the process was agonizingly slow. He would suffer something far worse. The centuries he had outrun would catch up to him in a single instant. His body would wither, shriveling to nothing as time devoured him all at once. His bones would crumble to dust in seconds. That was the fate of the turned—those who had once been human. Born vampires had a slight advantage against the sun, able to endure its presence for short bursts before the agony set in. But turned ones? They were rare, and the few that did survive the change rarely lived long afterward. The transition was merciless, tearing apart both body and mind, leaving many trapped in a frenzy that stripped them of all reason.
September 6, 2025 at 9:07 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 4th: 'coffee'

Just #Chase being your typical IT guy...

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
“How big is the facility?” No prelude, no greeting. He wanted to get this over with quickly and crawl back into bed. Chase, currently hunched over a sprawling array of construction plans, lifted his head. The usual glint of mischief in his blue eyes was absent, replaced by something far more serious. The flickering glow of multiple monitors illuminated the mess of coffee cups and empty plates littering his workspace. His girlfriend made sure he ate, but judging by the state of things, she hadn’t been around to clear the wreckage in a while. “About 1,200 square meters,” Chase replied, straight to business. “Layout’s similar to the last facility we hit, but this one’s got some… anomalies.” His brow furrowed as he pointed to a section of the blueprints. “There are warded-off rooms here. Can’t explain them yet.”
September 4, 2025 at 8:58 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 3nd: 'sane'

#Juda is not quite sane...

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
“Did you get anything out of him?” Duvac asked, his voice low as he handed the file over to Margaret. She shook her head, golden eyes tired. “He didn’t answer a single question. But his behaviour... It reminds me of the half failed bitten vampires,” she said quietly, glancing briefly toward Judah. “The ones that don't completely lose themselves, but don’t stay sane either. Teetering on the edge.” Duvac exhaled a slow, grumbling sound, somewhere between a growl and a sigh. “Chase is going through the surveillance footage from his cell. But these—” he tapped the manila folder in her hands, “—are his medical records.”
September 3, 2025 at 12:07 PM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 2nd: 'tired'

#Duvac needs some sleep!

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
“You get some sleep,” Chase said again, his tone softening. “Judah’s resting post-surgery, the Gargoyles are still running relocation protocols, and unless someone decides to break into the stronghold tonight, you’re officially useless.” Duvac snorted. “You’re lucky I’m too tired to punch you for that.” Chase grinned. “I live for your affection.” Duvac gave a tired chuckle—a rare sound, gravelly and short. Chase was one of the few people alive—or undead—who could draw it out of him. “Wake me if anything important happens,” Duvac said as he turned toward the door. “And only if it’s important.”
September 2, 2025 at 8:40 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
September 1st: 'excuse'

#Judah wakes up at the stronghold.

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When Judah woke, the first thing he noticed was softness. The mattress beneath him cradled his frame in a way that felt foreign—too comfortable. It wasn’t the sterile, paper-thin excuse for bedding he had grown used to. A warm, heavy blanket cocooned his body, the fabric soft against skin that had known little more than clinical linens and icy floors. Outside the room, muffled voices drifted through the door—calm, indistinct. Not the cold commands of scientists or the heavy bootsteps of guards, but something far less aggressive. His eyes fluttered open.
September 1, 2025 at 7:35 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
August 30th: 'nose'

More of #Judah 's turning.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
A guttural scream tore loose from his throat, raw and animalistic. It echoed in the sterile room, ragged and horrifying—until it choked off into a wet gurgle. Blood bubbled into his windpipe, and he gasped around it, coughing weakly as black ooze streamed from the corners of his mouth, nose, and eyes—sliding down his temples like oil-slick tears. The heart monitor was no longer rhythmic. It stuttered in erratic bursts, like gunfire. Sharp. Frenzied. Fading. His vision darkened at the edges, shadows slinking inward like smoke devouring a flame. What had once been light narrowed to a tunnel—then a pinprick—then nothing. Black.
August 30, 2025 at 10:37 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
August 29ith: 'scrub'

#Judah takes a shower post brain surgery.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
As he absently reached for the soap—generic, industrial, and mildly disappointing in its attempt to smell like coconut and vanilla—he worked it into the long, tangled strands of his hair, scrubbing it into his scalp until his fingers ached. He tried to chase the fragments again. The memories before the lab. The moment he was turned. There were memories there, he was sure of it. Pieces. Impressions. Flashes of uncaring voices, pain and white light. But every time he tried to grab hold of one, it slipped away like trying to catch smoke. Margaret had said his brain was healing. That the swelling was gone. That, in time, things would come back. But for now, his thoughts were as knotted and difficult to navigate as the strands he tried and failed to comb through. And after the fifth attempt to trace one of those shadows through his memory, he sighed in defeat and tilted his head back under the stream.
August 29, 2025 at 7:51 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
August 28th: 'broad'

Happy little coincidence that it's like a continuation of yesterdays snip!

#Judah sees #Duvac for the first time.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
And then he saw him. A shadow detached itself from the dim corridor, stepping into view. Judah’s pulse spiked. This was no scientist. Nor was he security. The man moved too fluidly, each step calculated, deliberate, not the lumbering, stiff walk of a guard on patrol. He was built like a fortress—broad, muscled, yet impossibly silent as he closed the distance to the cell. His black attire molded to his form, but it was the weapons that caught Judah’s attention first. Knives. Guns. Explosives. Strapped to him as if he were a living arsenal. Judah’s skin prickled, every hair along his arms rising as he took in the stark contrast of dark blue eyes against his midnight-black hair. The weight of that gaze settled on him, unblinking, studying him like a predator might study something trapped behind glass.
August 28, 2025 at 7:48 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
August 27th: 'stand'

#Duvac sees #Judah for the first time.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
And then he saw him. Behind a reinforced glass wall. Duvac came to a slow halt. The figure standing within the sterile cell was gaunt, all sharp edges and hollows, as if he hadn’t eaten properly in weeks. His creamy-pale skin was smooth despite the emaciation, stretched thin over his frame. His strawberry-blonde hair fell in messy strands, brushing just against his jawline—one curl damp, tangled from where it had clearly been chewed on. He didn’t look much older than his mid-twenties.
August 27, 2025 at 7:41 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
#archaicpoetry #poetry #mypoem #DawnVsLoss #DawnAndTheSoul #RolimOC #Lathander #Hope #Sun #Dawn
'Radiant Soul', spoketh the Dawn, 'canst thou hear me?' 'Morninglord', spoketh the Soul, 'I believed thou hadst forsaken me.' 'Radiant Soul', spoketh the Dawn, 'I have sought to reach thee time and again.' 'Morninglord', spoketh the Soul, 'thou couldst not touch me through the pain.' 'Radiant Soul', spoketh the Dawn, 'the rays of dawn could not pierce the darkness thou hast dwelt within.' 'Morninglord', spoketh the Soul, 'yet now I feel thy gift once more upon my skin. 'Radiant Soul', spoketh the Dawn, 'take the hand I offer thee. 'Thou hast the strength to return to me.' 'Morninglord', spoketh the Soul, 'Once again, I burn for thee. 'Defy the shadows with thy aid— 'No longer am a helpless shade— 'Thy flame empowereth me.'
August 26, 2025 at 10:40 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
using 'mission' for mine

#Judah #Duvac

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
Without breaking eye contact, he activated his intercom. “Chase, I need a door open. Sector B, 527A.” "Sure thing, boss, but you better move your ass. We’re about ready to blow this place sky-high before reinforcements show up.” Chase’s voice crackled through the intercom, casual as ever, and Duvac could hear the faint crunch of his ever-present toothpick shifting between his teeth. Even in the middle of a high-stakes mission, the bastard barely sounded concerned. "Got it," Duvac muttered in response, his focus already locked on the reinforced cell door as it let out a mechanical hiss, the heavy locks disengaging. The moment the door slid open, he stepped forward, gripping the lanky man’s arm in one swift motion. His fingers pressed against heated skin, clammy and tight. No wonder, if they kept him under artificial lights without reprieve for God knows how long. "Come on, let’s get out of here."
August 26, 2025 at 10:38 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
"same"

#Judah #Duvac

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
He heard it then: the soft rustle of cloth, the almost imperceptible shuffle of bare feet against cold stone. His head turned just as the feet came to a stop right behind the door. He stepped toward it and opened it without hesitation. There stood Judah, caught mid-motion—half curious, half guilty. His posture tensed the instant their eyes met, trying to look as though he hadn’t just been eavesdropping on the very conversation that had revolved around him. Duvac raised a brow but didn’t scold him. Who could blame the man? After all, they’d been talking about him. If their roles were reversed, he might’ve done the same.
August 24, 2025 at 7:53 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
Going with "siren" for this one

#Judah

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
Judah heard the sirens first, a distant wail that slithered through the sterile halls, curling into his ears like an unwelcome wail. He lifted his head instinctively, as if the reason for the disturbance would simply present itself, as if the answer hung in the too-bright air around him. Nothing. With a heavy sigh, he curled up tighter on the thin, barren mattress, pressing his forehead against his knees.
August 23, 2025 at 8:26 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
#Judah

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting #UrbanFantasy
His old life was already behind him, left back in an apartment full of unopened bills and a resignation letter on his boss’s desk. There was no point in staying—he wasn’t going to survive long enough for it to matter. The ever-growing tumor in his brain was a death sentence he couldn’t outrun. It was inoperable, eating away at him, stealing his days piece by piece. Even if surgery had been an option, there was no world where he could afford it. So when the promise of immortality surfaced, when the world cracked open and the existence of beings that defied death was no longer myth but fact, Judah hadn’t hesitated. The underground programs had been cropping up all over the world, each promising a different take on the same miracle—some genetic, some alchemical, some harnessing the abilities of creatures that, until recently, had been nothing more than legend.
August 22, 2025 at 7:42 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
#Judah

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #SteepedInShadow #Novel #NovelWriting #Writer #FemaleWriter #AmWriting
His bare feet touched down on the floor—stone—cold and unyielding like the floor of a medieval castle. He winced slightly but pushed through, padding softly across the room until he reached the door. The voices were clearer here, though still muffled. Low, steady tones, conversation—no urgency, no shouting. He leaned in, pressing his ear to the cool surface of the door, heart ticking faster in his chest as he strained to make out the words beyond.
August 21, 2025 at 8:24 AM
ivy-white.bsky.social
A piece I did for fanfiction that I'm really, really proud of.

Archaic poetry is always a pain in the ass to write. But I feel it turned out great!

#BalladOfDawnAndLoss #Ballad #OriginalPoetry #OriginalPoem #CharacterPoetry #LathanderVsShar #SoulVsShar #DawnVsLoss #SoulVsLoss
'Oh, Dawn', spoketh Loss, 'loosen thy grip on his soul, for he can no longer serve thee well.' 'Lady Loss', spoketh the Dawn, 'he may yet redeem himself, and rise from where he fell.' 'Oh, Dawn', spoketh Loss, 'he walketh my domain. Thou art powerless to stay my claim.' 'Lady Loss', spoketh the Dawn, 'what is one soul to thee? Art thou not weary of this game?' 'Oh, Dawn', spoketh Loss, 'thou dost not comprehend me. 'I care not for his soul, but strive only to weaken thee.' 'Lady Loss', spoketh the Dawn, 'his soul doth yet burn bright. 'He may yet turn from thy shadows unto my light.' 'Poor Soul', spoketh Loss, 'art thou in pain?' 'Always', spoketh the Soul, 'yet thy barter for me shall be in vain.' 'Poor Soul', spoketh Loss, 'thou shalt be welcome in my embrace.' 'Never', spoketh the Soul, 'thy arms are but a cold, unfeeling place.' 'Poor Soul', spoketh Loss, 'where there is naught, there shalt thou find peace.' 'I'd rather', spoketh the Soul, 'bear pain than yield yet another piece.' 'Poor Soul', spoketh Loss, 'thy light, it fades. 'And ever more easily my darkness invades.' 'Thou shalt see', spoketh the Soul, 'my flame hath not yet died. 'Time and again I have from darkness pried— 'what little hath remained of me— 'shalt never, ever yield to thee.'
August 20, 2025 at 9:54 AM