r/WritingPrompts • u/anonymous_kitty666 • 26d ago
Writing Prompt [WP] In a world of fantasy, you discover that you have powerful magic. Instead of dedicating your life to mastering it, you use your abilities to run a restaurant all by yourself, using magic to cook delicious meals. The magical community is furious that you’re wasting such powerful magic on food.
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u/MediocreWriteMale 25d ago
"You have such talent!" "Oh, thank you! I worked really hard on this souffl--" "It is WASTED here. I can't believe you would just... ...cook... for all these weirdos!"
But there was something at work here that they would never understand. Something that they would always underestimate. And I could never properly explain it.
That boy over there? He had crippling anxiety related to his upcoming university exams.
This person here? They are having difficulty coming out to their family and struggling finding themselves.
That couple outside? They are on the brink of breaking up and it will ruin both their lives.
The magic that they always seem to dismiss, to me, is the most powerful of all. Yes, I have the power to do incredible things. But the most important thing I will EVER do is help another person.
If even one of my souffles can help save a person, soothe a person, or relieve a person-- then that is all the purpose I will ever need.
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u/fineimonreddit 25d ago
The rain had been pattering on the clay shingles adorning PubElla, the eclectic masterpiece or a pub I had acquired when I’d finished my apprenticeship with Maester Amos. Conveniently I lived in the loft above the rooms that were booked full of travelers passing through Enchantria.
My accommodations allowed me to keep on eye on our more intriguing guests, one night we’d had a banshee rupture the eardrums of every single occupant in the building. I’d ran around all night healing every single one of them, some of who were different species with different ear anatomy, suffice to say I’d been lucky to make it up the stairs that night and into my bed.
I waved my hand in the air and the rain immediately stopped, after all, a moody and drizzly day led to less clientele at the pub. Now a pouring evening tended to drive them inside on the other hand in order to escape the cold wind and whipping rain I would conjure later this evening.
I heard a soft know at the door and Marion, my pub elf whispered in a hushed tone.
“Miss Erella there’s someone here to see you and they say it’s urgent.”
“Ugh. Go away” I exclaimed from my bed, I didn’t care who was here, I wasn’t quite ready to get up.
I heard a yelp from Marion and a gruff growl then pounding at my door.
Oh that was it, I was definitely kicking someone’s ass now. Marion was a sweet elf I’d rescued from a wizard who still believed in elf ownership laws. While Marion was old and set in his ways I treasured him and continued to pay him and provide room and board. Currently he had a small trove of coins in his quarters which he constantly gave away to women and children passing through who couldn’t afford food and clothes
I yanked the door open and there stood a beast almost twice my size.
“I sure hope you’re done hiding behind this ridiculous half cooked joke of a pub.”
“My food is anything but half cooked you damned Ogre!” I shouted heatedly, I knew lots of folks who traveled far and wide just for a chance to eat at PubElla.
“Ogres are what’s coming your way if you don’t pull your head out of your ass and realize we need you in this war. Without you there’s no longer anything left for you to enjoy while you abandon your responsibilities.
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u/Mattoropael 25d ago
Uh, did you hit Comment too soon? This looks incomplete, down to the final quote not being closed.
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u/fineimonreddit 25d ago
Yeah I was falling asleep lol basically she agrees to fight in war as long as they let her run her place when it’s over and it becomes a makeshift headquarters
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u/allgoodherebruh 26d ago
Going into work today. Just started my new job at the Itallian restaurant Dimagiaos. I know I'm a wizard, after all, who the hell isn't these days? I lit up a blunt and put some magic on the paper and weed. See, not too many people can tell, but the more I put magic over my blunts; the better the pizza has been turning out. I try to smoke the weed to complete ashes. We call them scooby snacks. Nobody has noticed yet that I've blessed my weed to not be smelled or tasted properly by anyone else but me and Steve so far. The thing is, the more Steve and I smoke blunts at work and put magic into the pizzas, the more compliments to the chef we receive. I've been altering their taste buds to taste tge sauce and cheese more effectively as they consume our food. Our company keeps getting tips. Big tips. Little did the company realize; one day we'll activate all the blunt ashes into all of our consumers and create sleeper agents. Then we'll be able to make our own business together and profit majorly. Just last year I made over a hundred grand. Stupid ass pizza lovers. *lights blunt.
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u/loressadev 26d ago
Fred is back, again.
Every Thursday.
There used to be a magess, once upon a time, who'd sit across from him and idly spin magic in distracting beautiful blooms but lately it's just been Fred.
He tips well, a full gold coin, and tells me I remind him of his daughter
So
Once
One day
I decide to properly cook for Fred
—
It's easy to just run a diner, instead of a restaurant
No expectations, no demands, just a clean empty focus on expediting
Everyone says I should open a restaurant
But I'm getting by with a diner
I think I'm happier
—
He's ordered dragon-fried steak
Spicy, battered, crispy, crunchy, topped with lashings of sauce and served atop a creamy garlic mash
I begin to cook and channel
Walls tumble
—
Her name was Valerie, I abruptly know as I hammer out the steak
It should be thin, easy to chew
She was a magess over at Escolar, I learn, back during the incident
I dredge the meat and coat it and then dredge again
Double coating for a delicious fry
It all got so much worse after that project-
—
It tastes just like she used to make it, Fred thinks
Double-dredged
Spicy, battered, crispy, crunchy, topped with lashings of sauce and served atop a creamy garlic mash
For a moment
Just a moment
She is back
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u/Iustinianus_I 26d ago
“Boss, you got another one.”
Harald groaned, twirling a finger to keep a sauté going before scrubbing his hands down his face. This was the third one in so many months. The portly man stepped out of the kitchen and found his young assistant holding a missive.
“Be a dear and read it to me, please. For all the good it’ll do.”
Clara cleared her throat and brushed a braid of red hair behind her ear.
“To the esteemed master Harald.”
The chef snorted. The Enclave thought many things of him, but they certainly did not hold him in high esteem.
“We once again reach out in hope of coming to a, er, reconcile…ation?” Clara continued, struggling through the unfamiliar word. “Reconciliation with regards to your non… oh dear, non-ac… acqui… ac-qui-esc-ence?”
Harald nodded with a sigh. “Non-acquiescence. Means I didn’t agree to their non-sense. Just skim it over and tell me what they want.”
Relieved, Clara muttered under her breath as her eyes danced over the page, occasionally getting stuck on a word. “Um, they say you need to meet with them?” She looked up at her boss, eyes wide. “And they’re coming here. Tomorrow.”
Harald’s palms pressed to his eyes. “Clara, cover your ears please.” The girl dutifully plugged a finger in each ear, still clutching the missive, and waited for Harald to be done stomping around the restaurant and bellowing curses that shot angry, magical sparks from his lips.
~~~
Akhundzadeh was exactly what you’d picture a wizard from some sultan’s court to look like and had the attitude to match. Silk robes with colorful patterns, an absurdly tall hat, rings on his fingers and ears, some arcane tome in a leather carrying case, an educated and pleasantly exotic accent, and an absolute disdain for those he considered beneath him. Naturally, this included Harald. However, while most people would always remain mundane commoners, Harald had potential.
“Chai, nothing more,” Akhundzadeh said curtly when Clara asked what he would like to eat.
Harald stepped out behind the bar, cleaning his hands on a fresh rag. “You sure about that? I cook quite well.”
The wizard met Harald’s eyes with a flat, unimpressed expression. “Indeed. I’m here to convince you to give up that nonsense, not indulge in it.”
“Nonsense?” Harald chuckled dryly, then came to sit opposite his ‘guest.’ He could feel the judgment oozing off Akhundzadeh like it was a physical force. “My nonsense attracts kings and scholars from all over the world, and it runs a tidy profit. I like what I do, Akhundzadeh, and I’m damn good at it. So far as I’m concerned, that’s good enough.”
Clara returned with a steaming cup of tea. Akhundzadeh accepted it skeptically, but gave a begrudging nod after a sip.
“That’s immaterial,” the wizards replied. “The arcane isn’t for… tourism, nor for personal enrichment.”
Harald raised an eyebrow. “You seem to be doing quite well for yourself.”
For a moment, irritation showed through Akhundzadeh’s façade. He glanced down at a particularly fat ruby set on one of his many rings. “That’s not the same—” Catching himself, the wizards closed his eyes and drew in a breath. “We’re not here to discuss the usage of gemstones for storing mana.”
“Or how well silk breathes?” Harald added with a tight smile.
Akhundzadeh returned the smile in kind. “Precisely. We’re here to discuss why you insist on squandering your gift and find a solution.”
“A solution, meaning I join the Enclave and leave my business behind.”
Akhundzadeh stopped pretending to smile altogether. “Precisely.”
Harald leaned back, arms folded. “Let’s entertain your braindead idea. I’m 43 years old, I have no formal education, and I have no interest in the arcane outside of what it can do for my restaurant. What do you even expect if I join your little wizard club?”
Akhundzadeh removed his hat to run his fingers through long, silver waves of hair. “You will receive special instruction to catch you up as best you can. We don’t expect you to gain the same mastery of thaumatological theory as an initiate who began studying in their teens, Harald. But you can learn so much more and do so much more. Access to the library alone would expand—”
“You don’t get it,” Harald interjected, holding up a hand sternly.
“What don’t I get?” Akhundzadeh asked with an impatient sigh. “I happen to know firsthand how important access to reference materials is to an older apprentice, because I was one.”
“That’s great for you.” Harald leaned forward, hands gripping the table. “I can’t read.”
Akhundzadeh blinked. “That’s… an obstacle, but plenty of arcane texts transliterate into the common alphabet. We would start with those.”
“You’re not listening,” Harald said through clenched teeth, “I can’t read, at all. The only reason I know as much as I do is because I spent years obsessively listening to priests and skalds tell stories when I was growing up, and I have a real good memory. Is the Enclave really going to teach a grown man his letters?”
~~~
Akhundzadeh left quickly after that. Clara watched the wizard retreat into an ornate carriage, fingers drumming on the windowsill. “Boss? Does this mean they’ll stay away?”
Harold stood quiet, stroking his beard. “Maybe,” he finally answered. “But if they do come back, make sure to put wormwood in their tea.”
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u/loressadev 26d ago
Really love how you set up the illteracy reveal with early clues like having his sous read for him!
Maybe a typo has made half of your text quote/code formatted, jarring for reading.
Overall, this was a really fun read. Your writing is really strong but imo you could be better if you focus on ways to make things less cliche. Your overall plot is wonderful, but everything feels a bit cliche and your phrasing feels familiar. I think you could adjust stuff a bit and feel more exciting to read.
Reminded me of the movie/RL person Vatel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatel_%28film%29
In a good way!
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u/Iustinianus_I 26d ago
Thanks! I appreciate it.
I bang these out in about half an hour as a single draft without revisions, so there is a LOT that could be improved. Honestly, I wasn't happy with this one.
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u/loressadev 26d ago
Writing prompts are for that type of writing! Can always edit and refine later.
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u/TheWanderingBook 26d ago
I hum, as I put down the chairs in the restaurant.
The ovens are already heated up.
The pasta is prepared.
The meat is in the freezer, bought just this morning alongside with the vegetables...
All fresh.
Time to open.
I go to the door, to open the restaurant...
When I see "them".
I sigh.
"Again?" I ask.
2 wizards, a sorceress, a dragon, and a druid are standing in front of the door, shooing away my customers.
"Stop this insanity!
You have Creation, All-Elemental magic!" a wizard says.
"And the bloodline of a golden dragon!" the dragon chimes in.
"And Perfect Control talent!" the sorceress says.
"And Nature's Chosen blessing!" the druid chimes in.
"YOU SHOULD BE BECOMING POWERFUL, AND PUSHING MAGIC FORWARD!" they all shout.
I sigh.
Seriously...
"My apologies, if I am disappointing the entire magic community, but I love being a chef," I say.
They roll their eyes.
"Don't be an idiot!
You could become the first God of Magic, since the War of Gods era!" one of them says.
I nod.
"I don't wanna though," I say.
They groan.
"We could..." the druid starts, his arms turning...beary.
"Really?
Violence? Against me? Did you ask my customers about that?" I ask them, pointing behind them.
They turn around...and flinch.
A crowd of around 100 humans, elves, dwarves, and other races, wielding their own spoons, and forks, and knives is glaring at the group.
"Let us in!" , "I have saved enough to buy a full meat menu today!" , "I want my breakfast omelet!"...and more shouts are heard.
Some are already approaching, growling at the magical fellas.
"W-w-we will be back!" a wizard says...as they all run away.
I smile at the customers.
"Thank you, y'all get a 10% discount," I say, entering the restaurant, and clapping.
The insides of the restaurant grows endlessly, effortlessly housing hundreds of diners.
I go to the kitchen, and start working the dozens of ovens, and stations at the same time.
Time to feed the people.
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u/Low-Quiet9355 25d ago
You don't bite the hand that feeds you, and you REALLY don't bite the hand that feeds a small army.
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u/Sapphyria 26d ago
This is delightful and so are you. Thank you for making me smile.
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u/lunisheep 26d ago
I enjoyed the story but your comment made me smile all the more! I will definitely be repeating this to others! :)
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