#WIP Romance Week

[writingamongther0ses]

First Kiss of Love

I found out today it was WIP Romance Week and decided to write my first draft of Siv realizing that she loves Kari, in a quiet moment of realization.

"You're a good friend," Siv said, gripping Kari's hand in hers. He smiled at her, a soft laugh lighting up the room, and she felt her own smile form at the softness in those eyes.

It was like realization snapped into place at that moment.

Siv had read about love. She had even daydreamed about finding it herself during the long days on the education planet, alone except for the cold stares and the snickers and Loki breathing down her neck. She had heard of the denial, or the delighted oh, or just the sudden realization that swept the protagonist off their feet with emotions. It sounded all very startling, but a good kind of startling.

The realization was a tad startling, but Siv wasn't knocked off her feet. It was like one thing snapped into place and her mind had that missing piece, like it always knew that was the missing piece.

Huh. I'm in love with Kari.

"Uh, Siv? You're turning red."

Right, right, she wasn't alone and her body was heating up with her power. "Just had a thought." Siv pushed off the desk and Kari, reliable and kind, gripped her waist and helped her down. "I need to go outside, otherwise I'm gonna set something on fire."

Kari blinked. "Uh? Are... are you okay? I didn't piss-"

"No, no!"

Siv couldn't help it. She tugged on his wrist and he bent down slightly. A burst of courage made her lean forward.

He needed to shave or change his aftershave soon. Still, the stubble wasn't entirely unpleasant against her lips.

Kari went stiff under her. When she pulled back, his eyes were wide. His hand reached up and brushed his cheek as he stared at her.

"You...you did wonderful."

With that, Siv scrambled out of the room, feeling a smile form across her face.

She was pretty sure she was burning the floor, but she didn't care.

[void-botanist]

WIP Romance Week Day 2

Today's WIP Romance Week prompt is "classic example of their love", and for that I'll refer you to this short scene:

Their dynamic is usually Nemoru trying to protect Marcus in one way or another, because even if he doesn't need supervised his mental health feels scarily fragile, and Marcus trying to draw Nemoru out of their shell and sense of unimportance. This hasn't really changed with the move to Tobarsha, but they've both found that there's a lot more room to grow out here, outside of the palace.

Iecunem taglist: @vacantgodling @kk7-rbs @theskeletonprior

[tessa-liam]

W.I.P. Wednesday

for King Liam Appreciation Week, November 17 - 21

and Marabelle Series, Chapter 20

...here is a sneak peak of the commission I won from @indiacater!🥹 Thank you, again, ...so much! for this gift!😍❣️🌹

I was going to wait until November to share this....but I can't wait an entire month to share ... here is a snippet! 🤷‍♀️ 😉

The Royal Romance, King Liam Rys x Sophie Taylor

@pilitella, you are such a gifted artist!✨️

Thank you for bringing my fantasy 'to life'....this is an incredible gift!🌹

😁the full reveal in November!

[dam-peace]

(02/11/24) Demo Update.

​I've officially overcome my infection, THANK GOD! 😩🙏🏾Other stuff has come to kick me in the ass but whatever, what can you do right? 🤷🏾‍♀️​ 

Anyway! I have another very small update down below:

What's New?

Added content to Chapter 1.

Players can now choose their MC's "Vices" which in term determines their "Virtues" 👀

Got rid of the "persona" stat for the time being.

Played around with some "behind-the-scenes" coding.

​P.s. I skipped the beta-testing portion of this update so that it could be updated as soon as possible. Therefore, I ask that if you find any coding/spelling errors etc. Please let me know!

Also, please remember to restart the game!

[hansoeii]

very much obsessed with bg3 and a specific vampire at the moment so I couldn't help myself and had to draw him with my tav

[wangxianficrecs]

🔒 Tricks and treats by apathyinreverie

🔒 Tricks and treats

by apathyinreverie (@apathyinreverie)

M, WIP, 12k, Wangxian

Summary: A fox, Lan Zhan thinks a little dazedly from where he has come to an abrupt stop, Bichen still raised but no longer intent on attack, halfway between the cave’s entrance and the position of the fox by the wall, eyes caught on the tails. Several of them, to be exact. At least six, as far as he can see. Kay's comments: Here with another foxxian fic by apathyinreverie that I hold dear. It's set in the same shifter 'verse as the story that I recced recently, though it's a different story and not connected to the other story. Here, A-Yuan gets found by the Lans during a patrol and soon it become apparent, that there has been someone else caring for him, that something bad happened. Luckily, Lan Zhan manages to connect with the child and learns the truth, that his caretaker, a celestial fox, was injured and caught in a trap, and is in dire need of help. I love, love, love it when foxxian is a celestial fox like in this story, who's rare and coveted but also in danger because of his status. How very fortunate that dragonji found him :D Excerpt: If Lan Zhan were to guess, he’d say the boy is around five or six, seven at most, and he doesn’t seem malnourished as such despite his appearance suggesting an elongated stay in the wilderness by the time the disciples found him. He looks well taken care of, even. If one ignores the formerly dirty robes, the matted hair, and the bleeding fingers. It is those wounds that truly have the healers baffled, unable to entirely make sense of them, except for the fact that they aren’t ordinary wounds, that they are far too sharply cut, far too imbued with spiritual energy to have been made with anything other than some sort of spiritual tool. That fact alone has the entirety of the Cloud Recesses up in arms, furious at the thought of anyone deliberately using spiritual power to harm a child, even more so for such a thing to have happened so close to their home, possibly within their territory. The healers mentioned that the child doesn’t seem to be injured anywhere aside from his hands, that some of the wounds on his fingers are fresh and deep while others seem partially healed, though torn open by newer wounds cutting across those already healing… Which does seem notable. Because, for the wounds to be solely concentrated on the child’s hands… it almost seems like the child might have been deliberately touching whatever spiritual attack or tool caused his injuries. Like he did so repeatedly. Willingly. Lan Zhan lets a slight frown creep upon his face.

pov lan wangji, canon era, alternate universe, animal transformation, fox wei wuxian, dragon lan wangji, phoenix lan sizhui, possessive lan wangj, mates, domestic lan wangji/wei wuxian, worldbuilding, slow burn, romance, hurt wei wuxian, caring lan wangji

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[velidewrites]

One of my goals for the new year was to start doing WIP Wednesdays, so enjoy this Feycien snippet for this very first one!

Lucien's hand was like an anchor on Feyre's back, warm and steady and coarse—from the rough stone of the dungeon floor or the centuries he'd spent holding a weapon, she could not tell. It was probably both.

"You're a surprisingly good dancer," she told him as he led them into yet another waltz. The song melted into a new melody with an ease she hadn't expected from Hybern's orchestras, their violins so smooth and lulling Feyre hardly registered the change.

His other hand—the one he'd been keeping firmly in her own, their fingers intertwined—moved them both to the middle of his chest in a rather exaggerated show of shock and outrage. "You wound me, Feyre," he said, and she couldn't help but chuckle in response. "I am, and have always been a courtier, thank you very much."

She could've sworn she felt his heart race beneath her palm. They had never danced together, she realised, not even while she was still human back in Spring. Before everything...well. Before everything. Somehow, at her many engagement balls later, Feyre had always found herself dancing with only Tamlin—his sentries, sometimes, if he was not available—but Lucien...for some reason, Lucien had always kept a safe distance away.

What a waste.

To make up for the time lost, and perhaps to fill what little of it they had left, she pulled back an inch in a mockery of a curtsey. "My apologies, Lord Lucien," she winked. "Courtier and emissary. How could I forget."

Lucien snorted—a sound she had not heard from him in weeks, if not months, even—and shook his head, auburn hair spilling over his broad frame in waves. "You're impossible," he said, and spun her around.

Feyre returned to him with a grin. "And you are a rake."

He sketched a bow of his own as the music faded at last, his eyes shining as he levelled with her gaze. "Something tells me you prefer me this way."

[forcedhesitation]

*wheeze* slowly, but surely, working on art of them all

[crows-of-buckets]

I really wanna do a Morrigan romance run in dao now because I've never actually done one??? Shes like my favorite character in the game but I've never romanced her because she was male warden locked in her romance... I may just also watch a playthrough because I want ideas for Morrigan/Aviae but the idea of dragging myself through the deep roads again.... Shudders

[verawhisk]

everythings going twinkingly i mean swimmingly

[somethingclevermahogony]

OC Kiss Week Ninma Excerpt

Hello y'all, I've been seeing these posts here on tumblr about this OC Kiss Week business. Unfortunately I have next to zero artistisc ability, and so instead I have chosen to share with you a little excerpt from my WIP.

This takes place a little more than 11 years after the beginning of the book, so Ninma is around 17 when this takes place (Jani is also 17, you haven't been introduced to him and he wasn't in the poll because he doesn't appear in Part 1 of the book). I will be posting another scene (a queer one), with different characters, tomorrow for Valentine's Day! Young Love today, Queer Pirates tomorrow

Also! Shela post and new poll will be coming out either tomorrow or Wednesday!

Excerpt below the cut!

Ninma

Ninma closed her eyes and smiled. She hadn’t talked like this, with someone so openly for some time. She felt an unfamiliar tingle creep across her cheeks, her heart fluttered, invisible and intangible beings seemed to dance in her belly. She opened her mouth to speak but Jani spoke first. His tone was somber. “Thank you.” “For what?” She searched his face, and tried to ascertain what had caused the sudden shift in his mood. “For being so kind to me, for not calling me a coward.”  “Why would I?” She said softly. Jani turned to her, his cheeks tinted, whether by the chill of winter or by some deep emotion, she could not tell. She had never noticed just how pretty his eyes were, the way that little flecks of gold seemed to sparkle amongst the mahogany rings of his irises. “I...I don’t know, I suppose...I was worried. I didn’t want to disappoint y~” He had only time to take in one quick gasp of air as she pressed her lips to his, stood on her toes to reach them. She could feel his arms slowly wrap around her body, as he held her close, pulling her against his chest. How strange, she thought to herself, all the snow around her, and the breeze that nipped at her cheeks, and yet she had never felt quite so warm.

@patternwelded-quill @flaneurarbiter @skyderman @blackblooms @roach-pizza @illarian-rambling @dezerex @theocticscribe @axl-ul, @persnickety-peahen

(Sorry that y'all have sort of become my default taglist, if that is something that you'd rather I take you off of let me know! Alternatively if you want to be added to the taglist also let me know!)

[eruukat-art]

flower + lui as unlikely best friends and some experimenting w/ flowers makeup :]

[void-botanist]

WIP Romance Week Day 1

The first prompt for WIP Romance Week is just to introduce my chosen pairing. I don't have many excerpts for these two, but I do have a nice intro for you:

Marcus and Nemoru Asalun are relative newcomers to Tobarsha. They've been living on the upper east side for five years, in a spacious house that Marcus has filled with magicraft paintings and knitting and Nemoru has filled with the smells of strange local spices and a collection of dresses and parasols. Like half of Tobarsha they speak with accents from a faraway locality, but like no one else in Tobarsha, they're royalty back home, and it's critical that no one ever knows that.

Marcus Asalun (he/him), aka the Heir of Iecunem, Anchesh Pabat, is a black cyoran (grey fox gijinka person) with close-cut curls usually dyed a bright color. His wardrobe is all flowing shapes with patterns that look like real-world teacups or dishtowels or linoleum floors, but that a Tobarshan would probably compare to a parasol. He's a pigment magician with a particular knack for making paintings that move, and he takes commissions, such as the sign outside Horatio's Flowers. He's also unfailingly polite, and five years has given him a decent sense of Tobarshan manners, but underneath that he is full of anxiety and dread. To be honest, he's glad that Nemoru was the one who came with him, since their steadfast presence is so calming.

Nemoru Asalun (they/them), aka Heir-Magister Umedes Ores-Pabat, is a silver ferasca (dragon person) with bright pink eyes and mica-like plating. In the palace, they wore almost exclusively robes and other draped looks, but since that would stand out more in Tobarsha they've switched to dresses cut with a similar silhouette. They work in the registrar's department at Tobarsha Community College, mostly answering calls and emails about the arcane rituals of registration. They were the only one of Marcus's five spouses who both wanted and was able to accompany him on his escape. People often comment on how quiet they are, but don't always notice how gentle they are, in words and actions.

Iecunem taglist: @vacantgodling @kk7-rbs

[tessa-liam]

❄️Marabelle, Chapter 18

Liam leapt to his feet and grabbed Neville by the collar, and slammed him against the wall. One arm reined Neville's throat steadily, the other firmly in place on his shoulder, immobilizing him.

"How dare you say that!" Liam's voice was deep and dangerous, full of fury that could not be ignored.

Neville's face suddenly went white, as he felt the intense anger and irresistible force emanating from Liam. He struggled, but found that he could not move at all.

"I... I..." Neville's tongue began to knot. He had never seen Liam so angry. For the first time, he realized that he was in front of a man who was not just a gentle, friendly prince, but the future king, with absolute power and strength.

❄️All is Fair in Love and War 2

15 years later,

Maxwell was enjoying the morning sun, lounging poolside at the Beaumont estate.. He was sipping on a fruity drink and listening to music. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful. Maxwell was lost in his own thoughts when his phone vibrated, signifying a new message. Maxwell picked up his phone and read the text from Daniella. She was inviting him to attend the opening of her new dance studio. Maxwell smiled as he remembered the time he spent dancing with Daniella at the palace. He replied to the text immediately, accepting the invitation.

After replying to the text, Maxwell put his phone away and laid back on the lounge chair. He closed his eyes and let the warm sun soak into his skin. His mind wandered back to his days of dancing with Daniella, and he couldn't help but smile. He had really enjoyed spending time with her, and he hoped that maybe there could be something more between them.

❄️Smoke and Mirrors, chap 12

“Well, I am on a mission. Leo asked me to attend the council meeting today. So, I am here a little earlier to review his notes before we get started.”

Olivia arched her brow. “Oh.”

Amalas chuckled and smiled ruefully. “Don’t worry, I won't encroach onto your territory,” sensing Olivia’s hesitation.

“You know, Olivia, I really respect your work as the head of the Royal guard. You have done a remarkable job at protecting the Royal family and the Crown since the arrest of the former head guard.”

Olivia was surprised by the compliment, never being one to seek or appreciate praise.

“Oh, well, thank you ... I appreciate your commendation.”

Amalas noted her solemn expression and wondered if her former lover was doing well personally, as well. After a few moments of awkward silence, she turned to look at her former partner.

“I think you should know ... I never stopped caring for you, Livvie. Despite what happened, you will always be special to me. You know that ...right?”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean ‘maybe’? That was a yes or no question.”

“I understand. We were so much more than you let us be.” Olivia smiled sadly as she shifted her focus and watched Liam and Leo as they entered the study.

@choicesficwriterscreations @choicescommunityevents

[shivunin]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you for the tag, @dungeons-and-dragon-age!

I'm working on a Fenhawke thing currently. It's sort of themed around this quote, which I adore:

and skipping between the act 3 romance scene and post-Inquisition (their two reunions).

Dreams could not capture the sheer immediacy of her, the precise texture of the skin at the back of her neck, nor the way her breath caught when he stroked his thumb across her palm. Even so, Fenris asked himself again and again if this was a dream. How could it be real? He had wanted this for so long and… “Hawke,” he said, breaking away only enough to speak.  When she blinked at him, her eyes were languorous and soft and deep. Fenris leaned forward again at once, pulling her back against him, drunk on her mouth and her eyes. It was foolish; he’d intended to say—something. No, it didn’t matter right now. 

“Fenris,” she murmured several minutes later, and he trailed kisses over her cheekbone and jaw while she caught her breath. The taste of her—how had he forgotten? When he nipped the skin at her jaw, she shivered against him. He would have kissed her again at the sensation, but she turned her face away.  “Yes,” he said, gathering himself. He did not quite manage to make it a question.  “Were you going to say something?” she asked, half-laughing, and he leaned his forehead against hers. “Or did you just want to say my name?” He did want to say her name, over and over again like a chant, as if saying it would keep her here, as if speaking it aloud meant something entirely different now. Perhaps it did.  “Maria,” he said, quiet, for he’d thought of her name as often and as privately as he’d thought of the way her lips had felt. Hawke closed her eyes and sucked in a breath at the sound of it, and for a moment he thought he had erred. But… “Say it again,” she murmured.  From the moment she’d stood from the bench—or he’d half-pulled her from it—they’d been standing before the fire, too distracted by each other to sit or move. Fenris pulled her with him now, leaning back against the table and waiting for her to join him there. She relaxed against him, filling every empty space he left for her, and Fenris traced her cheek with his fingertips before speaking again.  “Maria,” he said again. “Maria. You are here.” “Here I am,” she agreed, dark eyelashes closing over her lovely eyes. Look at me, he wanted to say to her, as he’d wanted to say ever since that night.  But now was not the time. “What now?” he asked instead.  Instead of answering, she angled her head to the side and kissed his jaw, achingly careful and very, very slow. After the first kiss, she gave him a second, then a third, rising from the hard bone at his jaw to the swell of his cheek. Fenris held still for her, but he did not realize that he was holding his breath until she eased back again.  “Alright,” she said, so solemnly that he straightened to attention. He needn’t have bothered. “There you are. That’s my contribution. Now what?” Fenris blinked, then rolled his eyes upward.  “Hawke…” “There it is!” she said, grinning, and added in a scowling, gravelly imitation of his own voice. “Hawke.” Fenris grasped her hips and pulled her to him, kissing her again and again, somewhat more difficult while she was laughing at him. He persisted nonetheless, until her laughing petered off to soft noises instead. He nudged her nose with his, stealing one last kiss before he pulled away.  “You knew what I meant.” “Did I?”  “You did,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Unless—you have no thoughts on the matter.” “I have plenty of thoughts,” she told him solemnly, “just ask poor Sebastian. He’s heard enough of them to fill a thousand volumes.” Fenris snorted, but he was searching her face even as he reacted. Hawke was avoiding the question; she only ever did this when she didn’t want to talk about something.  Very well. He would speak first. They’d come this far, had they not?

I feel like I've called in everyone for the tag game today, so I'm gonna keep the list very short this time and just tag @greypetrel @star--nymph and (genuinely!) anybody else who wants in!

[e-dragoons]

“I like your hair like this.”

Lehna’s gaze went from her face, where she had just smeared some lotion across her cheeks, and met Estinien’s eyes in the mirror. “What do you mean?”

His expression was thoughtful as he reached out and twirled a finger around a lock of her hair, climbing up slowly to her scalp as he did so. The closer he got to her scalp, the more it sent shivers down her spine. 

“Long,” he said after a moment. “When you leave it down.”

In the time they had known each other, Lehna had gone through so many different hairstyles. It had been long when they had first met, though not nearly as long as it was now. Between how busy they had all been since returning from the First and the injuries she had sustained in Ultima Thule knocking her out for several weeks… It was one of those things she had not really considered, falling to the wayside as more important things became pressing matters they needed to take care of.

Only now during the long, warm nights spent in Thavnair–and only after Estinien had pointed it out–had she realized just how long it had gotten. 

It flowed down in long, beachy waves down the entirety of her back–the only part she had trimmed regularly was her bangs, so they did not get in the way of her daily life. More often than not, her hair was thrown up with a ribbon to get it out of her way–something Estinien did with his own hair, too.

But when she looked in the mirror back to herself, all she saw was the weariness that filled her aching bones–enough of it to spread to her dull eyes, her knotted hair. She still required the assistance of a brace to walk, the injuries to her knees taking so long to heal that the healers warned her that she may not ever fully recover. 

She tried not to think about that part.

“I am glad you like it,” she said after a moment, tearing her eyes away from her reflection. Lehna had never been a vain person–at least she did not think so–but seeing herself now just filled her with an overwhelming sense of disgust. It was not her.

As Lehna swept across the room to their bed, Estinien followed not far behind. His hand rested on her lower back–a supportive gesture he had grown quite fond of after her first few stumbles with trying to walk after their return. It was not a gesture she minded–no one had ever comforted her the way Estinien tried to.

She sat down on the bed and winced as the familiar pain jolted through her. That, at least, was meant to be temporary.

Estinien slid into the bed next to her, pulling the thin sheet over both of them. Radz-at-Han was simply too hot for much more than that.

“I have always liked your hair,” Estinien said after a long silence. 

“Is that so?” A smile played at her lips, though it was not genuine–and sure enough, Estinien gave her a knowing look.

“It is,” he said.

Lehna tried hard to think of a time Estinien had given her a physical compliment that was not about her form or how strong she was. She could not think of one. “Well, thank you I suppose.”

“You…” He hesitated, stumbling over his words for a moment. “You truly are beautiful. You know that, right?”

She did–she was no fool. Even before she became the Warrior of Light, it was a rarity for her to leave the bar alone at night. She took excellent care of her skin when she was able to do so. Her eyes were a jeweled tourmaline unique to her Keeper clan that made people curious–one of the only things she would ever think about thanking her father for. 

And yet to hear Estinien say it… Her cheeks warmed, tinging a shade darker. “Thank you,” she repeated, this time her voice soft and gentle. Vulnerable.

But with Estinien, that was alright. She snaked her arms around his torso as he placed his own hand on the small of her back again, his other positioned so he could run his fingers through the fringes of her hair that fell across his chest as Lehna placed her head there. Eyes closed, she took in a breath of him–a musky aroma with the faintest hint of spice. Her shoulders relaxed and she allowed herself to sink into his side. 

Her own hand wandered across his chest–across scars of all shapes and sizes, the bumps on his shoulder from where Nidhogg’s eye had fused with him feeling much like the scars of a burn. Estinien used to suck in a breath and flinch away from her touch in surprise when she did that–but no longer. Now, he brushed his lips across the top of her head, pressing his nose into her hair. 

“I mean the scars too, you know,” he said. “The ones I can see and the ones I cannot.”

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes at that, but she dare not move–the last thing she wanted was for Estinien to see her cry, even if he had already seen her at her worst so many times before. 

She clung to him as she let out a small sniffle, and in turn he pulled her in tighter. “Get some rest, mon chaton.”

As Lehna allowed herself to drift off to sleep, she laced her fingers through Estinien’s. Her knight.