#but I am too freaking sick and impatient to get this chapter up to fix it up it right now

[tippenfunkaport]

Because I amuse myself, Chapter 8 of Coming Home is now up and called...

Bless You For Coming Out in Public

After a day of hiding from their post-war responsibilities, Glimbow finally leave The Library to answer a distress signal at Elberon. While Bow fixes a spire, Glimmer tries to figure out how to be a queen in peacetime and finally gets to attend an Elberon party.

Read on AO3

(Note that while this chapter is perfectly tame aside from a few swears, the fic itself is rated E for material yet to come)

[airashisakura]

Pregnancy Diaries

Chapter 6 - Sakura's Birthday

Written for

SakuraHarunoBPBirthday2021 @sasusakublankperiodweek

Prompts - Sakura gets sick on her birthday and Sasuke forgets her birthday

and

@harunosakuraweek Day 8 - Sakura's Birthday

Rating: General audience

Characters : Haruno Sakura, Sasuke Uchiha and Aoda

Summary : When Sakura gets sick and Sasuke forgets her birthday because the expectant parents were too busy panicking

FFN AO3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

Sasuke's eyes were sad as he fixed the blanket on Sakura's body. Though spring had arrived, it was still cold... Or, Sasuke thought, maybe it was because of where they were staying. Sasuke muttered a curse under his breath, because staying at one of Orochimaru's hideouts was equal parts hilarious and dangerous.

Had he been seriously out of his mind when he suggested the idea? He rubbed his temples, berating himself for his decision. The dark dungeons were the last place on the earth where he wanted to bring his ailing wife.

He slumped on the chair beside the bed where Sakura was resting. He covered his eyes with his lone arm, sighing with frustration. Every inch of his body felt tired after all they had been through. He needed sleep, but he couldn’t.

They had stopped abruptly when Sakura told him that she couldn’t continue the mission in her current state. While they had been heading for Konoha, they were delayed by frequent stops because of Sakura's sore feet and nausea. Sasuke made sure to take the safest path, which turned out to be the longest one.

Although his brain wanted to hurry as fast as he could in situations like that, he kept control over his pace. Every wince on Sakura’s face made him anxious, and even when he used Susanoo, he was extra careful.

It was when they were crossing Otogakure that Sasuke found that Sakura was too tired to walk even an inch, and his own chakra reserves were getting dangerously low. The best he could arrange was to find one of Orochimaru’s hideouts nearby and to rest before they could continue again.

Sasuke lifted off his arm and looked at Sakura with concern. He watched as she breathed slowly, but painfully. Her skin was paler than before — a tone he had never seen before on her. He couldn't blame her; Sakura had been vomiting after almost everything she ate.

His eyes fell onto the cause of her suffering — her heavily pregnant belly where the future of his clan rested. The side of his eyes crinkled as he rested his palm there, feeling his child's vibrant chakra. He couldn’t explain how he’d felt when Karin had mentioned that Sakura would be delivering the baby soon. He could relate to Sakura’s excitement to meet their newborn, how she had stuffed half of his satchel with the clothes for their unborn child.

However, his happiness was short-lived when he remembered he had something in his satchel that Sakura was unaware of. When he saw a messenger hawk from Konoha approaching him a few days ago, he had expected it to be some official letter. However, as he read through it, he realised the letters were for Sakura — birthday wishes for her. He had shoved them inside his satchel with a big lump of guilt because he had almost forgotten Sakura's birthday.

How could he? He had been asking the same question from the day he had received their friend’s letters. How could he be so inconsiderate to forget a simple thing for the woman who loved him without any hesitation? Uchiha Sasuke didn't know what infuriated more — his naive decision to let Sakura travel through her pregnancy, or his failure to remember such a small thing.

"Anata, is something bothering you?" Sakura opened her eyes weakly.

Sasuke didn't answer and looked at Sakura with an expression that told Sakura he was bothered about her.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably under the sheets before she propped herself up on her wobbly arms. Sasuke got off his seat hurriedly and placed his palm on her back, providing her leverage to sit up. She smiled meekly before flinching at the building ache in her body. The medic knew it was her body’s way of preparing to let the baby out, but she wondered how she could make her terrified husband understand that.

"You know, Anata, I'm fine. These…" Sakura flinched again as she fisted at the side of her belly, clutching her garment. "These symptoms are totally normal."

Sakura inhaled sharply, straightening her back in an attempt to dissipate the pain. She didn't want to admit that she was freaking out too, so she held herself calm. Sakura tried to stretch her legs to relieve her aching muscles and spoke again, "This is a little painful…"

While Sasuke was helping her, Sakura fell a mild contraction and she yelped.

"Ouch! That hurts. It feels like someone is stabbing kunais at my back." Sakura finally gave up her attempt to keep a brave face. "It feels like my bladder is leaking, and I smell like puke."

Although Sasuke knew he could have been punched considering her bizarre mood swings, he scoffed. Sakura didn't quite succeed in assuring him, but she lifted off his grim mood.

However Sasuke being amused didn’t help the expectant mother and she snarled, "Shannaroo! I'm freaking! Helping to deliver babies and actually delivering one myself are so different."

Throughout their travels, Sakura had never been the one to complain about anything. Sasuke rubbed her back sympathetically and he realised she had been holding back more than he imagined.

"It's just…" Sakura paused, letting the pain subside before she admitted, "It's just that I don't want to give birth here."

Sasuke frowned, his hand abruptly stopping. He knew what Sakura was talking about. He also didn’t want his child to be born in the same place where he had once sought power for revenge. Going back to Konoha would have been the best option, but he was helpless to change that now. All he could do was to trust his previous teammate from Team Taka.

"Karin," Sasuke stated, trying to make a point, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to assure Sakura now.

As if reading Sasuke's thought, Sakura said before shaking her head sideways, “I trust Karin-san.”

It would have been easier for Sakura if she had been in Konoha, being helped by Shizune and others to bring her baby into the world. She’d been tense initially when she realized that it wouldn’t be possible for them to make it back to the village in time. She thought about the interaction she had with Karin earlier — the formation of a mutual bond — that had marked the beginning of their friendship.

“Actually she has been taking care of me more than I could ask from her,” Sakura said, smiling.

Sasuke's eyes softened. However he remained silent, because he could sense now that the reason for her hesitation was the same as his own.

Sakura’s eyes wandered through the dimly-lighted room as her eyes reflected worry, “This place gives me the creeps.”

Although Sasuke tried not to visibly flinch, she could tell by Sasuke’s expression that it bothered him too.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura spoke, "Sorry, I didn't want to trouble you."

She cupped Sasuke’s cheek, and Sasuke accepted the warmth of her loving touch. He wanted to see that smile on her face more and decided to deliver the birthday letters to Sakura in order to change the mood. He got off the bed, before saying, “I’ve something for you.”

As Sasuke dug inside his satchel to find the letters, he heard Sakura chirp, “What is it, Sasuke-kun?”

He felt a tinge of sadness as he held the papers in his hand, because he didn't even have a token to offer. Like always, he was incapable of giving her anything. It was Sakura who had given him her love, a home, and now a family.

“Sasuke-kun? Hurry up and come here,” Sakura pouted.

Sasuke smirked at his wife’s impatience. He handed the letters to her, as he sat opposite, facing her.

“Letters? For me?” She gasped as she hastily unfolded a letter. She squinted, recognising Naruto’s messy writing which read, Happy Birthday.

Sakura’s eyes widened in surprise when she realised she had forgotten her own birthday. She was about to say something, but she stopped. A wave of emotions hit her when she realized their baby would be born a few days after her birthday.

Sakura whispered, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, “You remembered, Sasuke-kun?”

Sasuke didn’t want to disappoint her, but he didn’t want to lie to Sakura either. He averted his gaze from her before saying, “No, I don’t even have something to give you.” He shut his eyes and with a heavy heart, he apologised, “I’m really sorry, Sakura.”

“You have already given me a gift,” Sakura said sincerely, her voice full of love.

Sasuke’s puzzled mismatched eyes met with Sakura’s green.

She blushed before interlacing his fingers with hers and placing them on her belly.“And that too, a precious one,” she cooed.

Sasuke was at loss of word, but he still smiled. The guilt that had been plaguing him since the letters had arrived was dissolved by his wife’s simple words.

“Now, if you could, please read these for me,” Sakura ordered Sasuke, keeping her voice authoritative. She waved the letters in front of his eyes and added, yawning, “because I am too tired.”

Sasuke smirked. Though he would ordinarily be annoyed with Naruto’s writing, he said, “O-tanjoubi omedetou, Sakura.”

[alonely-dreamer]

The Valuable Sun | Chapter 19

Summary: Bill informs Eric and Brooke of the new coven in town.

Pairing: Eric x OC

Warnings: 18+

A/N: Please, note that I am French so there might be some mistakes here and there.

Words: 3594

Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18

Walking through the doors of Bill’s house, or as Eric called it: ‘royal castle’, Brooklynne wondered how weird it must have been for Sookie to step foot inside. It had changed more than their own house and was barely recognizable. Of course, Brooke had been there so many times she almost knew it like the back of her hand. She didn’t need for the human guards to lead her to the King’s office. At some point that summer she had spent days and nights helping Bill with a vampire crisis. Walking through the house made her miss the sun. Not just because of the fake windows, but Bill, perhaps in an attempt of modernizing his tastes, had decorated everything in black and white, and Brooke always thought Sookie would add a little color to it.

“Ah,” Bill said as they came in, as if he were impatiently waiting for them. He was sitting at his desk, pen and paper in his hands, and a worried look on his face. “Thank you for coming.”

“What’s so important, your Majesty?” Eric said, the way he always said those words, sarcastically.

“There’s a new coven in town.”

“Again?”

“Oh no, witches,” Eric sighed as he stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

“Based out of a Wicca shop, not far from here. We…” he paused, then stood up. “I sent a vampire to stop them, two nights ago. We only found him earlier tonight… he seems he’s forgotten… everything.”

“What do you mean ‘everything’?” Eric asked.

“His name, his past… He knows he’s a vampire but only seems to remember fragments of his human life.”

“So the witches cast a spell on him?” Brooke deduced.

“They’re necromancers,” Bill informed them. “They brought a bird back from the dead.”

“A bird?”

“Are you certain of this?” Eric asked, suddenly as concerned as his King.

“I had someone on the inside. You know what this means, don’t you?”

“If they can control the dead, they can control us,” he nodded.

“That’s why I need Brooklynne. I need her to ask Marnie if she knows how to undo the spell she cast two nights ago.”

“Can’t you glamour her?”

“Like I said. She’s a necromancer.”

“I’m not letting Brooklynne go in that coven alone.”

“She won’t have to. Marnie’s downstairs.”

“You kidnapped the witch?” Eric scoffed. “Just kill her.”

“I thought that would be the reasonable thing to do as well,” he said. “But Nan disagreed. We’re forbidden from killing her or any human.”

“Fuck her. Make it look like an accident.”

“Any vampire who kills a mortal will be sentenced to the True Death. Is that what you want?”

“It’s fine,” Brooke interrupted them. “I’ll go.”

“Wait,” Eric stopped her. “We don’t know what she’s capable of, she could cast a spell on you too.”

“She won’t go alone,” Bill told them. “I’ll send a human agent down with her.”

“Oh, thanks, I feel so much better now,” Eric replied sarcastically.

“I’ll be fine,” Brooke repeated. “I can read minds, remember? I’ll be out of there before she can say Bibidi-Bobidi-Boo.”

“You think she shares the same spell book as the fat fairy from Snow-White? It’s too dangerous.”

Brooklynne couldn’t help but laugh. “First of all, it’s the fairy godmother from Cinderella. Second of all, I’m not asking for you permission.”

“She brought a bird back to life, she’s not gonna give you a makeover for any ball. You could get seriously hurt.”

“Actually,” Bill cleared his throat. “The bird was only alive for a few seconds before it died again. I doubt Marnie is any threat to a mortal.”

“Your doubts aren’t good enough.”

“Eric,” Brooklynne sighed. “I’m going. I’ll be fine. Okay?”

He paused. He was not happy, he was not happy at all. But most of their missions started that way. They argued about how dangerous it was for her, but she always ended up doing it anyway.

“She gets paid double the usual, for the risk.”

Bill scoffed. “Yeah, for the risk.”

The King of Louisiana gestured a heavily armed agent, all dressed in black and bullet proof uniform, face hidden by a black helmet, to join them in the room.

“Like I said. She won’t go alone.”

 ***

 The cells in the basement were all camera protected and Bill and Eric watched carefully on the computer screen as Brooklynne and agent 14 entered Marnie’s cells. All the rooms in the basement shared the same poor yellow lighting which Brooklynne hated. It was a pitiful attempt to produce fake sunlight and it gave her a headache more than anything else.

The witch was lying on the bed of the small room, and she stood up hastily as she heard the door open. She had long messy hair, a lost look on her face, and was dressed in a discolored light blue long sleeves shirt and a long green skirt which wiped the floor every time she moved. She looked like a witch, alright. An old and lonely lady whose gifts had marginalized her from the world her entire life.

“Good evening,” Brooklynne said with a smile as to not alarm her. “Marnie, is it?” she asked, but the witch just stared at her with confusion.

“A human? They sent a human. What does she want, what is this?”

Brooke escaped the witch’s confused mind as quickly as she had entered it.

“My name is Brooklynne Stackhouse. I work for the King of Louisiana. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

“You work for those… vampires?”

“I do,” Brooklynne nodded, keeping a pretty smile on despite Marnie’s visible disgust. “I just have a few questions for you, if that’s okay?”

“She can’t glamour me, why did they send her, why not a vampire…”

“Recently, a vampire entered the Moongoddess Emporium, your shop, right? He seems to have forgotten who he is. Was that your doing?”

“He attacked us!” she replied with an angered tone. “We started chanting and he left.”

“So you cast a spell on him?”

“It was a… a non-specific protection incantation,” she stuttered. “I barely remember what I said because he took a chunk out of my neck!”

“Vampires tend to do that.”

“We had assembled peacefully to practice our religion!”

“Do you know how to reverse the spell?”

“I told you… I don’t know what I said!”

“Help me. Oh, I need you. Where are you? Help me. Please, help me.”

“But now you know his memory is gone. Don’t you know how to fix it?”

“I have no idea… I’m… I’m sorry.”

And she meant it. She had not lied, not once. She was a pretty incompetent witch, and Brooke wondered if Bill’s concern wasn’t misplaced.

“Thank you, Marnie,” Brooke said before she turned around to leave.

“W-wait! Wh-… Can I leave now?”

“I apologize. It’s not my decision to make.”

 ***

 “Are you sure?” Bill insisted. “She’s no threat to us?”

“She’s kinda insane,” Brooke said. “She kept asking for someone to help her… a… a witch, a dead witch. Apparently, she’s the one who cast the spell on your sick vampire.”

“Did she mention any name?”

“No, sorry.”

“Well… thank you, anyway.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

“You’ve done enough.”

“Can we go now?” Eric complained.

“Of course. Thanks again, for your help.”

Eric handed his hand to her which she quickly took, and he pretty much dragged her out of Bill’s office. As they stepped out, Bill’s cellphone started ringing and Eric rolled his eyes as he heard the vampire call for his human.

“Brooklynne, didn’t you say Jason was missing?”

“He’s not missing,” she corrected him.

“Well, Jessica just texted me. She found him badly hurt on the side of the road, right outside of Bon Temps.”

“What?”

“She and Hoyt dropped him off at his house. I thought you’d like to know.”

“Thanks Bill!”

“Of course.”

“I need to call Sookie,” Brooklynne told Eric. “I have to go. Now!”

 ***

 Eric had left Brooklynne and Sookie at Jason’s house where they found Hoyt and Jessica waiting for them.

“Thank you for staying with him,” Sookie said as she joined them in the kitchen, behind the counter. “Is he okay?”

“I gave him my blood,” Jessica replied. “He should be fine.”

“Did he say what happened?”

“He hasn’t talked to us,” Hoyt shook his head. “He’s pretty freaked out, though. He… he looked like he fought with a bear or something.”

“A bear?” Sookie repeated with a dumb look on her face.

“We’ll let you take care of him now,” Jessica said as she slid her hand in Hoyt’s. “You can count on us if you need anything.”

“Thanks so much, Jess,” Brooklynne nodded.

“He’s in his bedroom,” Hoyt told them.

“I know,” both sisters replied in unison.

The usual awkward moment followed and passed quickly as Jessica dragged Hoyt out of the house. Once they were alone, the two sisters made their way to their brother’s bedroom where they found him pacing around shirtless.

“Jason?” Sookie called quietly. “Are you okay?”

“No,” he whined. “I don’t know. No,” he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair.

“What happened? Hoyt said you were in pretty bad shape.”

“I… remember Crystal?”

“Your crazy ex-girlfriend?” Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow. “Sure.”

“She kidnapped me!” he said so loud it startled his sisters. “She… with her family… and they… they bit me!”

“They bit you?” Sookie frowned.

“And they scratched me!”

“I told you they were insane, but you never listened to me,” Brooke shrugged. “File a police report, get them arrested.”

“I… no I don’t care about that!”

“You don’t want to press charges?” Sookie asked. “I’ll do it for you. I’m not gonna let them get away with this!”

“No, you’re not listening to me!” he yelled. “They bit me!”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Jason,” Sookie said.

“I’m not embarrassed! They bit me!” he repeated. “Oh, I’m so screwed,” he sighed as he let himself fall on his bed.

Sookie and Brooke looked at each other and shared the same thought.

“Maybe we should take you to the hospital? Did you hit your head?” Sookie asked.

“I’m fine!” he quickly replied as he sat up. “No,” he shook his head, “I’m not fine, I’m gonna turn into a werepanther!”

“A what?” Brooke breathed out.

“I’m getting the car,” Sookie said, ready to exit the room.

“I’m not crazy!” Jason stopped her. “My ex-girlfriend, she did this to me! And her werepanther tribe… they bit me! And they said I would turn into one of them on the full moon!”

“Oh!” Brooklynne realized. “That’s what it was about. I knew they were weird but I thought it was just because they’re father’s also their brother.”

Brooklynne had never met Crystal or any of her family, but she had seen them a few times around, and had always found their thoughts to be extremely bizarre. She just thought it was because they were poor kids raised between meth and V, who could barely read and knew nothing but their deranged family.

“Yeah, they want to make more werepanthers so they keep it in the family!”

“Gross,” Sookie grimaced. “Damn it, werepanthers? How does that even happen?”

“The same way shapeshifters and werewolves happened, I suppose,” Brooklynne said.

“But can you even become a werewolf, or a werepanther? Don’t you have to be born one?”

“I don’t know, if they went through all this trouble to make Jason into one of them maybe they know what they’re doing?”

“Guys!” Jason interrupted them. “When’s the full moon?”

“The full moon?” Brooke repeated. “That’s tomorrow night.”

Jason whined again as he dropped on his bed. “God help me.”

 ***

 Eric had first thought Brooklynne was messing with him when she told him about Jason’s situation. But he came to realize that unlike what he had thought, he didn’t know all there was to know about the world, despite having been alive for over a thousand years. The vampire had agreed to help them watch over Jason, just in case he did turn into a werepanther, but Bill called as soon as the sun was set, and Eric had to leave for an emergency meeting. All the sheriffs of Louisiana met at least once a month at Bill’s, but this meeting came too early and it could only be about Marnie. “Bill worries too much,” Eric had said, and so far, Brooklynne couldn’t really disagree with that statement.

Left alone in the cool night, Brooklynne met with her siblings at her former parents’ house. Sookie was armed with a shotgun, at Jason’s request.

“The second I start sprouting fur, I want you to shoot me right in the head.”

“I’m not gonna shoot you,” Sookie chuckled.

They were sitting between two trees, on the old patio chairs that had been through many summers and winters outside and were probably a heavy weight away from breaking.

“But you promised!”

“We promised we’d take care of you,” Brooklynne reminded him.

“What do you think that meant?” he yelled. “Change my kitty litter? Guys, I’m gonna have claws and big fucking teeth! I could rip you to pieces.”

“So can vampires and we’ve survived this long,” Brooke said. “Besides, what makes you think you won’t be able to control yourself once in… panther form?”

“I don’t know! And you don’t know either! I ain’t never been good at controlling my impulses! Come on!”

“You’re still our brother, even if you are a were…” Sookie paused, she couldn’t say it, it was already hard not to laugh when she heard it.

“Panther,” Jason sighed.

“Right,” she rolled her eyes. “Every time I get my head wrapped around one kind of supe… new ones come along. Werepanthers… witches…”

“Kinda makes you wonder what else there is out there… Maenads… mermaids… Gods…”

“Mermaids are real?” both Sookie and Jason asked in unison.

“I don’t know,” Brooke shrugged. “But would it surprise you?”

“No, not really,” Sookie sighed as she laid back in her chair.

“Bright side, you won’t be alone,” Brooke told her brother.

“I barely know any regular humans anymore,” Sookie realized.

“Hoyt, Tara, Arlene, Terry, Lafayette…” Jason started to count them on his fingers.

“Lafayette’s a witch too,” Brooke told them. “Or some kind of magic creepy stuff.”

“How do you know?” Sookie asked.

“Holly told me.”

“Holly? The waitress?”

“Yeah,” Brooke chuckled. “She’s a wicca too. But witches are just humans using magic. Anyone can do it. Some people like Lafayette just have special gifts is all.”

“Right,” Sookie said, “so we know four people who aren’t supernatural.”

“Well, I like being a regular, old, all-American human,” Jason told them. “I don’t wanna be some freak of nature.”

“Like us?” Brooke said, laying back in her chair.

“No, that… that ain’t what I meant.”

“I know.”

“It’s okay,” Brooke shrugged.

“Most of my life, when I’d say my prayers at night, I’d wish to God to be normal. Then I realized there ain’t no such thing as normal,” she scoffed. “Everybody’s got something in them they’re ashamed of or… can just do without even trying.”

“Yeah, like I’m extra good at sex? And shooting?”

“Uh-uh,” Sookie nodded. Brooke silently chuckled. “But those ain’t the things that make us who we are. It’s what we do with them that really matters. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah…” he nodded, then shook his head. “Uh, no, not exactly.”

“You can’t run from what’s inside you,” she explained. “But it might be a blessing if you let it. And I’ll be happy to help you… we’ll be happy to help, right Brooke?”

“Of course! Dude… you may be able to turn into a panther, at will! That’s awesome!”

“You… you think so?”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah? … Yeah!”

It was easy enough to put any sorts of ideas in Jason’s head, even without using any of her powers.

“Are you guys hungry?” Jason asked.

“I can fix us some steaks,” Sookie said.

“Yeah, and… can you grab me a fresh one?” he asked, giving his empty can of beer to Brooklynne.

“Coming right up!”

Both sisters got into the house, leaving their brother alone for no more than two minutes, but when Brooklynne got back with a cold can of beer, she found nothing but three empty chairs.

“Motherfucker.”

 ***

 “What are we gonna say when someone sees us walking through the woods with a shotgun?” Brooklynne asked.

“Why would we have to say anything? It’s Bon Temps, after all. And who’s gonna be walking through the woods at this time of night?”

“You mean on a full moon? Oh, I don’t know, werewolves, werepanthers…”

“Not funny.”

“Didn’t say it was…”

“Jason!” Sookie started calling again. “Jason! Please, just come home! We’ll deal with this!”

“Shh,” Brooklynne stopped, putting a hand on her sister’s arm.

“What?”

“Listen.”

For a moment of silence, all that could be heard were the usual forest noises from the wind in the leaves and the birds in the trees. But then, they heard something else. Something that sounded a little like footsteps.

“Sook,” Brooke whispered.

Sookie raised the weapon as she put a finger on the trigger and started aiming it at the bush where the sound was coming from.

“Jason?”

Someone came out from the other side of the bush, but it wasn’t Jason. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt underneath her black leather jacket.

“Debbie?”

“Hey Sookie,” the werewolf greeted. “Brooklynne.”

“What are you doing here, Debbie?” Sookie asked, not lowering the gun down.

“She’s with me.”

As soon as Alcide appeared before her, Sookie relaxed, and put the shotgun away.

“We’re on our way to a meeting with our new pack,” he said.

“See, told ya,” Brooke smirked. Sookie merely rolled her eyes.

“You guys really shouldn’t be wandering around like this,” Debbie said. “Full moon and all, never know what could be out here tonight.”

“No kidding,” Sookie replied dryly.

Brooke frowned as she realized her sister was fuming. Was it… jealousy? She smiled.

“You hunting something?” Alcide asked, gesturing at the weapon.

“Kinda,” Brooke half shrugged, half nodded.

“Hey!” Sookie breathed out as she realized they could actually be really helpful to them. “Werepanthers, they’re basically like werewolves, right, except cats?”

“Please tell me she did not just compare us to cats,” Debbie said angrily.

“Oh, she didn’t mean it as an insult,” Brooke told her. “She’s genuinely asking.”

“Sorry,” Sookie said. “It’s hard keeping track of which of y’all hate each other.”

“We tend to stick with our own species,” Alcide explained. “But most weres have got more in common with each other than they like to admit. Why you asking?”

“How does somebody become a were… whatever?”

“They don’t,” Debbie answered. “Unless one of their parents or both of them are full-blooded.”

“So if I got bit…” she started to say but then saw worry take over Alcide’s face and corrected herself, “uh, not me, per se, but if somebody I knew got bit…”

“There’s no way to turn a human into a were, if that’s what you’re asking,” Alcide told her. “It’s hereditary. Not a virus.”

“You sure about that?”

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?”

“You’ve already helped a lot, Alcide, thanks,” Brooke said. “Wanna tell me why we didn’t just call him first? Would’ve saved us a lot of trouble.”

“I didn’t think about it…” she shrugged. “And neither did you, so don’t start!”

“Well, thank you anyway,” Brooke thanked the werewolves again.

“Go shift, kill stuff,” Sookie told them. “Do whatever werewolves do. We got this,” she said as she grabbed her sister by the arm and dragged her back into the dark forest.

“Have fun with your new pack!” Brooke waved at them before she disappeared behind the thick bushes.

 ***

 Sookie and Brooklynne never found Jason, though after filling his voicemail with messages and having walked through the woods for hours, both sisters decided to go home, knowing Jason wouldn’t be turning into a giant cat after all.

Brooklynne collapsed on the couch and it was moment like this she wished Eric was around so he could give her an energizing amount of his blood. Sookie had gotten into the shower, and Brooklynne was about to reach the stairs when the front door slammed opened, startling her.

She jumped, but quickly relaxed as she saw it was only Eric. However, her worry came back just as fast when she saw his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Turns out the witch means business.”

“What happened?”

“Luis is dead, he tried to kill Bill,” he said as he closed the door before making his way to the living room.

“Luis? The sheriff of area 3?” she asked as she followed him. “What got into him?”

“The witch. She’s a necromancer, she can control the dead.”

“Marnie made him attack Bill?”

“Not Marnie. She’s being possessed by another witch, a dead one. Her name is Antonia. She hates vampires, she’s already killed a lot of us back when she was alive. She made them rise during the day. Bill thinks she’s going to try it again, tomorrow.”

“What? She wants to make you meet the sun?”

“I’m gonna need your help,” he said as he took her face in his hands.

“Of course, what can I do?”

“I need you to silver me downstairs. No matter what happened, do not let me out of the chains.”

She nodded as she put her hands over his. “I know. I won’t.”

**********

Tags: @thepoet1975 @nerdysandwichqueen @catchmeupimgettingoutofhere @raegan-hale @colie87 @heavenly1927​ @abbey7103

[stayextrafrosty]

I am Your Future, I am Your Past: Chapter 2

A Roswell New Mexico Soulmate AU

Note: So I’m clearly not following the themes for Malex week except for the AU but because I’m devoting all my time to this, the goal is to update daily for the whole week then every few days following.

Warnings: Abuse and homophobia

Read on AO3

-

Michael fidgeted in the hospital bed. He was sick of just sitting there. Maria had come back first thing in the morning and he appreciated it but there was only so much sitting still he could do. Maria was snuggled up with him on the bed as they watched some bad daytime television. Nurses came in and out periodically to make sure his vitals hadn’t changed.

“I swear if Isabel doesn’t show up soon, I’m gunna leave by myself,” he complained after another vitals check.

“They just want to make sure you’re ok. So please just listen to them Michael? For me,” Maria said, giving him a sweet smile. He chuckled and shook his head.

“Only for you. Thanks for staying though. You really don’t have to.” She raised an eyebrow at him, looking offended by the thought.

“I’ve told you before that I’m not leaving you. Not when you need me.” She pressed her forehead against his. He used his free hand to pull her close, kissing her gently. He loved her so much. She might have been perfect.

A small knock at the door forced them apart. Isabel stood there, an eyebrow raised.

“Really? In a hospital? This isn’t ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ or something.” Michael sighed and rolled his eyes. Maria got off the bed, crossing her arms. They had gotten along the night before, but the thinly veiled dislike seemed to have returned.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” she pointed out. Isabel scoffed, shaking her head. She tossed new clothes at Michael.

“Let’s go. There are things that need to get done. Sanders mentioned that you were supposed to finish fixing a car this morning.” Michael let his head fall back against the pillow.

“Shit. He’s gunna kill me,” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry. He said being in the hospital is a good enough excuse. This time,” Isabel said, grinning. “I’ll send a doctor in to get all those tubes out of your arms.” She left the room, leaving Michael to wonder if his truck was still outside.

“Hey Maria, mind telling me where my car is? And where the keys are?”

“Oh, I think Alex drove it home yesterday. I’ll take you over there to get it if you want. I just need to be back at the Wild Pony for opening this evening.” Michael nodded as the doctor walked back into the room. He hadn’t seen Kyle since the previous night. He figured he should thank him for taking care of him.

Alex was going to be a problem. The doctors made him leave before he got to ask too many questions. That was probably why he drove the truck home. Forcing a conversation. Michael had no idea how to answer the questions without freaking him out. Hell, Alex might never want to see him again.

The doctor gave him the all clear to move around and he was up. He couldn’t sit in that bed anymore. Maria laughed at his impatience as he changed.

“Shut up. You weren’t forced to stay in the same position for fifteen hours.”

“Maybe not but you didn’t used to have a problem sleeping on my bar,” she grinned and crossed her arms. Michael laughed. She did have a point.

“Man. Picking on a guy’s low points? Not cool.” Michael pulled a white t-shirt over his head, trying not to flinch at the pain in his arm.

“Hey, wait,” Maria said, eyebrows drawing together. She stepped up to him, moving the t-shirt away from his chest. Oh shit. The mark. “Isn’t this… the same tattoo Alex had…?” She trailed off when she looked up at him.

“Uh yea. Guess you caught us. We um, knew each other back in high school. Used to be friends. Did some stupid stuff,” he said, thinking on his feet. The word ‘friends’ stuck in his throat, but Maria didn’t notice.

“No… You didn’t have this a month ago,” she said skeptically. Michael cursed how observant she was. “What’s going on Michael?”

“Ok, it’s a long story—” Isabel coughed behind them from the door. She was a life saver. He had never told Maria about the curse because it didn’t matter. He thought it wouldn’t matter. But now he has two explanations to give.

“Michael. We gotta go.” He took Maria’s hand and kissed her forehead.

“Give me some time and I’ll be able to explain. But I’ve gotta go.” She opened her mouth to say something but he was already out the door. Him and Isabel pretty much ran out of the hospital, hoping she didn’t chase after them.

“No outsider has ever known about the curse. You can’t just bring her into it,” Isabel lectured quietly. Not that anyone would even be listening.

“We’re dating. I can’t just hide it from her.”

“Of course you can. People do it all the time!” Michael shook his head as they rushed through the parking lot.

“That’s not a good practice to have. Especially for relationships.” He pulled the door to her car open, climbing in, trying to be careful of his arm. He relaxed into the leather, staring out the window. Isabel pulled the sun visor off the front window and started the car.

“Look. It’s dangerous for her to be involved. If she tries to protect you or Alex, she could die. You know the trials only get worse.” Michael could hear the worry in her voice. She was right. But keeping this from her would just lead to making assumptions.

Michael didn’t respond as she pulled out of the lot. He had been stupid to let her see the mark. Of course, she would have seen it eventually but now the conversation had to happen sooner than he wanted. He shook his head. He had to focus on Alex first. It affected him a bit more directly.

“Hey, you know where Alex lives?” Isabel glanced at him and nodded. Of course she does. She probably started looking into it as soon as she found out about Michaels mark.

“Have I mentioned how creepy it is that you can get information about almost anyone?” A smile settled on her face.

“It pays to be the town socialite.”

-

Dead

The word had been ringing in Alex’s ears since the previous night. He survived ten years of war and he might die because of some supernatural curse put on him and Michael’s family? It was surreal. And why his father wouldn’t tell him about it was just as much of a mystery. But his father refused to include him in most things so maybe he shouldn’t be surprised.

He had driven Michael’s truck home last night in the hopes it would force him to talk. But if Michael really wanted to avoid him, he could just hotwire the car. Alex had watched him do it a couple times.

Back in high school, Alex found his willingness to break the rules attractive and fun. Then he started getting into fights. He wished he could have stuck through it. Maybe they would still be together…

Alex shook his head, not wanting to think about the past. Things happened the way they did for a reason. He wasn’t sure whether he believed in a God or not. The church was never exactly very welcoming to him. Even if they didn’t know. If a God that loved all his children existed, there would be no exceptions. Not for things that he couldn’t control. He just wasn’t sure. He hadn’t been to church in years, though he doubted things had changed.

A knock at the door shook him from his thoughts. He stood slowly, not bothering to put his prosthetic on this morning, though he kept it close. Leaning on the crutch, he hopped to the door. He hoped it would be Michael but something wasn’t sitting right in his head.

He opened the door to a green uniform that matched his own. He’d learned from his time in the army to trust his gut. Alex sighed and fought against rolling his eyes at his father. What he was doing here was any one’s guess.

“What do you want?” The spite refused to be contained.

“I was informed that someone saw you get shot,” he said, no emotion.

“Oh, spare me the fatherly concern,” Alex snapped back.

“I am a commanding officer in much higher standing than you. Show some respect.”

“Once I see something to respect I will.” Alex watched his father’s nose twitch. He should have slammed the door in his face right then. But of course he ignored his instincts.

Jesse grabbed the front of his shirt, putting him off balance. He stumbled forward trying to catch himself, only forcing him to rely on his father to hold him up. He was a teenager again. Helpless at the hands of a man who hated him…

Alex stumbled into the living room, his brothers nowhere to be found. His father grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back.

“Dad stop… please…” Alex cried.

“Not until you learn how to be a proper Manes man. You are a disgrace to this family.” He shoved Alex to the floor. Alex scrambled to stand up, knowing the ground was the worst place to be.

“You want to fuck around like you don’t come from a long line of respected soldiers then you’re going to learn the hard way. You’re lucky I let you live here.” All he had done was go out with some friends. His father had assumed it was Michael and that they were sleeping together.

His father grabbed him again, punching him in the gut and sending him back to the ground. Alex coughed but didn’t try to get back up again.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” he mumbled, praying to whatever god existed that this would stop.

“Alex! Get away from him!”

Pulled back to reality by a voice dripping with fury, Alex stumbled backwards and fell as someone tackled Jesse from behind. Alex pushed himself away from the bodies on his porch so he could see what was going on.

Michael had a knee on Jesse’s back and was trying to get hold of an arm. Alex watched, wide eyed. He had never seen Michael look like this before. His face was twisted into a snarl. And for just a moment, Alex was worried Michael would kill him. He had pinned his arm with his other foot, holding his face to the ground with the hand not in a sling.

“Let me be very clear. You ever come near him again and I will end you.”

Jesse didn’t have time to respond before Michael was standing and walking into Alex’s house, slamming the door behind him. Alex could only stare at the closed door. He jumped slightly as Michael crouched next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, you ok?” Michaels voice had done a one-eighty. Gone was the rage only to be replaced with a gentle comfort.

“Uh… yea. Think so.” Alex tried to stand on his own but a missing leg and shaking arms made it difficult.

“Come on. Lean on me,” Michael said softly. Alex met his eyes and nodded slowly. Michael lifted his arm over his shoulder, standing slowly, letting Alex find his footing. He still had the crutch in his hand, but he hardly used it as Michael did most of the work.

Alex directed him to the couch where his prosthetic sat. He didn’t want to need Michael.

As soon as Michael set him down, he reached for the leg. He couldn’t meet his eyes, afraid he would see pity. Alex didn’t know if he could handle it right now.

“You don’t need to put it on if it’s uncomfortable. I’m here to help if you need it.” Alex paused in his movements. “Besides. I think you might want to stay sitting for this conversation.” He looked up at Michael. There was no pity. Not even the slightest indication that he thought any less of him. In fact, he seemed nervous.

Alex sat up, watching Michael as he paced around the room. He looked at photos of his friends. Liz, Rosa, Maria and others. He paused at the one on the end table. Alex wasn’t sure what emotions passed over his face.

“You kept this,” Michael asked, showing him a picture of the two of them, each holding guitars. Alex shrugged.

“It’s a good memory.”

They looked at each other for a moment before Michael cleared his throat and turned away. He set the picture back in its spot. He moved to sit next to Alex, though not close enough to touch him. He considered reaching out but it would be too obvious.

“I don’t really know where to start to be honest. Do you know anything? Did any of your family talk about it?” Alex tried to think about early conversations with his mother and brother’s but nothing came to mind. He shook his head.

“Nothing about curses. And definitely nothing about you.” Michael ran a hand over his face.

“Damn.” Alex opened his mouth to apologize but Michael spoke again. “Don’t say ‘sorry.’ It’s not your fault. It’s just kind of complicated. Now I probably won’t tell the history completely correctly, but I’ll give it my best shot.” Alex nodded, waiting patiently for him to continue.

“Well it starts kind of like a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ situation. A princess and a servant fell in love after being friends their whole lives. One night, the father caught them together and tried to force them apart. This is also the time where sacrifices were normal and the princess was set to be the next sacrifice. The servant boy broke her out and they ran away. Her father chased after them. Once he caught up, he shot his daughter in the back. He left the servant boy to suffer without her. He pleaded to the gods to take his life over hers. They did.” Alex’s eyebrows drew together.

“Ok. This is a good history lesson and all but what does that have to do with us?”

“The name of the head family was Manes. The servants were Guerin.” Alex stared at Michael. There was no way that was possible. Most last names don’t last that long unless the family was having no children other than boys. That was also assuming they all had children.

“And there were consequences for the two lovers. The condition for bringing her back to life would be a curse on the families. Every few generations, a Manes and Guerin would be drawn together and forced to complete trials. These trials get more deadly as they go on. No pair has ever survived them.” Michael moved his shirt to the side, showing the flower.

“A petal will disappear from one of us each time a trial is completed. This is like a connection between us. I can feel you and you can feel me.”

“Ok, that all makes sense… Sort of. But why did you take on my wound when I got shot?” Michael chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

“Just another condition of the original curse. I will take on any injury you receive while we’re connected. That’s what the slave boy did when he first saved the princess.” Alex looked down at Michaels arm that was wrapped in a sling.

“I… I didn’t know… I’m—”

“Stop. No apologizing. You have nothing to apologize for. It is not your fault. Do you hear me, Manes?”

“But—”

Alex froze when Michael grabbed his face, callused hands holding him firmly in place. He had pulled his arm out of the sling. He wanted to look at the bandages wrapped around his bicep but Michael forced him to keep his eyes on him.

“I will protect you. With my whole life, I will protect you.” Alex didn’t know what to say. What could he say? All he knew was how badly he wanted to pull Michael closer. Alex reached up, laying his hands over Michaels cautiously, not knowing how he’d react. He looked over his face and glanced down at his mouth. He wondered if it still tasted the same.

When Alex met his eyes again, they had darkened. Maybe… just maybe… Michael was feeling the same thing he was right now. He pressed his forehead against his. Alex sucked in a breath and everything that was Michael overloaded his senses. The smell of rain and maybe still bourbon from the previous night. He was acutely aware of the way his hands moved. He had moved one to rest over his heart. Michael would know just how fast his heart was racing. Their noses brushed against each other.

“Michael.” Alex let his name slip out under his breath.

Suddenly he was gone. Alex almost fell forward from the lack of contact. He had stood up, refusing to look at him. He wanted to reach out for him but would that make him pathetic? He was clearly just rejected. He’d be a fool to chase after more.

“Sorry, the connection can uh… make you feel things. Like things you don’t really feel,” Michael said, voice shaking. Alex flinched at his words. He may as well have smacked him across the face.

“Anything else?” He tried to hide the hurt but couldn’t be sure if he succeeded.

“I only know the main story. If you want information about past reincarnations you’d have to come to the Evans’ house. They have all the history books and diaries.” Alex nodded, although Michael couldn’t see him. “Just let me know when and we can go over there.”

“Ok.” The awkward silence stretched longer than Alex would have liked. But there was nothing he could say. If he tried it would just come out as cursing Michael.

“I uh… have to go. I have to explain some of this to Maria so…” He trailed off, looking back at Alex with an expression he couldn’t quite identify. Maria. Of course. Michael was dating one of his best friends. He wasn’t allowed to care about Michael anymore. Their time had passed.

“Your keys are in the kitchen. Sitting on the counter next to the pile of mail. Sorry for taking your car but I figured you didn’t want to pay to park it at the hospital overnight.” Michael chuckled but it seemed forced. Alex ran a hand through his hair as he walked away.

Maybe Michael was right and the connection did make him feel things that weren’t really there. But it felt real to him. He placed a hand over his heart, feeling it beat, strong and steady.

Michael returned, keys jingling in his hand. He noticed Alex and a look of pain crossed his face. Alex could feel the shift in his mood. Maybe he needed comfort. That wouldn’t make sense, given he had just torn away from him like he was some kind of poison.

“Here’s my number. Changed while you were gone. If you need anything, just call.” He set a piece of paper down on the end table next to the picture of them. Alex held his gaze for a moment before nodding and looking away. “Right... So, I’ll see you later?”

“Yea. See you soon.” With that, Michael let himself out. Alex heard the truck start but then it just sat there. What is he waiting for?

He was about to look out the window to see what the problem was but then the sound faded as he drove away.

-

He was a liar. He lied. Right to his face. Even if the connection did make them feel things they wouldn’t normally, that didn’t make them less real. And even if the connection effected it, there was no mistaking the emotions he was feeling from Alex.

He wanted nothing more than to forget everything and just be with him in that moment. Hearing his name in that pleading whisper could have broken any man. He cursed whoever got to hear it next.

But he was with Maria. And he was happy. Happier than he’d ever been. And she deserved an explanation. He wouldn’t tell her the whole truth. It would be too dangerous for her. But he didn’t know how to make her not dig deeper. Or try to protect them. She was one of the most caring people he knew and if she thought either him or Alex were in danger, she’d fight God to make sure they weren’t hurt.

Michael’s arm started to ache. He had forgotten about it. Driving with one hand was no problem but trying to maneuver his arm back in the sling while also paying attention to the road was proving difficult. He didn’t want to rip the stitches. He didn’t exactly have the money to get them replaced before they needed to be.

Pulling into the Evan’s driveway, he pulled the seatbelt off to get his arm back in the sling. Damn prick. Why’d he even have a gun? New Mexico was an open carry state, even had one of his own, but he rarely brought it places.

Michael needed information. He needed to know what the other people did to get through the trials. Would it be best stick around Alex? Leave him in protective custody? Michael shook his head. Alex would refuse that one.

He stepped out of the car, slamming the door harder than he intended. Michael searched through his keyring for the spare to the front door. He didn’t see any of the cars but that didn’t mean anything. Max and Isabel’s parents were always all over him about learning the history. The last thing he needed was to have them breathing down his neck.

Once he located the key, he pushed it into the lock, though he found no resistance. Unlocked?

He pushed the door open slowly, cursing the door as it squeaked. Nothing looked out of place in the front room, but it was quiet. Michael doubted they forgot to lock the door before they left. He shut the door as quietly as he could behind him. Looking around for items that he could improvise a weapon from, he clenched his fists ready for a fight.

Michael stepped into the kitchen, scanning over everything. Again, nothing was out of place. He let his shoulders relax as he made his way through the rest of the downstairs. Nothing looked bothered but something was not right.

He made his way upstairs to where he knew their collection of history books was. The last door on the right was usually left closed to keep guests from wandering in. Michael stopped when he saw it propped open, like someone didn’t fully close the door as they were leaving in a hurry.

He still knew the places where the hallway creaked under pressure. He avoided them easily and he nudged the door open with his foot, grabbing the small statue on the coffee table against the wall.

His jaw clenched at the sight of the room. Books scattered the floor, some pages ripped. Bookshelves had been toppled. Drawers had been ripped out of their spot in the desk. Whoever was here was looking for something. Who knows if they found it.

“Damnit,” he whispered to himself. It would take hours to reorganize whatever was left. He carefully stepped over books and papers. There were scrolls that supposedly held all the original information. Those were locked in a safe behind another bookshelf. This one didn’t seem to be knocked over like the rest of them. Michael held his breath that they were still there.

He had never read the originals. Most people in the family hadn’t. Rumor was they stole them from the Manes family a long time ago. Why was never explained. At least not to him.

Michael did the best he could to move the bookshelf himself but without the use of his other arm, it was useless.

“What the fuck happened?” He jumped at the voice from behind him. Max stood there, taking in the disaster. Michael stood slowly.

“That’s what I’d like to know. I came to read up on some stuff and I just found it like this. Where are your parents?”

“They’re out of town,” he said slowly. He walked over to Michael. “What are you looking for?”

“The original scrolls. They’re in a safe behind this thing, right?” Max nodded and traded places with him. He shifted the shelf to expose the safe. It appeared untouched but that obviously didn’t mean anything.

Max spun the dial and pulled the door open. A second door inside made Michael raise an eyebrow. This one had a keyhole. Max stood and reached to the top of the bookshelf, pealing something off the top.

“You gotta come up with a better hiding spot.” Max rolled his eyes as he pulled the tape off the key.

“It’s still there isn’t it?” Michael shook his head. That didn’t mean anything. Max opened the second door, grabbing the plastic bags with the scrolls in them.

“How would you even know they’re all there? No one ever looks through them from what I remember.” Max sighed.

“Someone counts them on a regular basis. There’s six of them in total.”

“Ok… so are they all there or what,” Michael asked, impatient. Max shoved the papers back into the safe, slamming both doors shut.

“No. One’s missing.”

-

The fire burned as Jesse Manes moved the wood around. He would show that damn boy that threatening him will be worst mistake of his life. He wanted answers to the curse? He would never get them.

If their lines ceased to exist, then this would be over. No one was ever strong enough to prevent the original sin from happening again. He would end all of them. They were the doppelgangers of the original. It was sick. Wrong.

Sacrifices needed to be made. He opened the scroll to the drawing of the two original lovers. A prince and a slave. Jesse’s nose scrunched as he looked at someone the spitting image of his disgraced son.

Then he tossed it into the fire.

[trenchcoatkitten]

So I’ve been reading Temperature of the Heart, and you’ve mentioned how you have the whole thing written already. Can you describe what that’s like? What’s your writing process? How long does it take for you to write everything start to finish? Do you plan it all out or just kind of wing it? How long do you sit in an idea before you start?? Sorry about all the questions, I’m just so curious >_

bro!!! are you sure i will scream about writing for days omg

first of all THANK YOU its so freaking cool that you came to ask your questions and that you like my writing, im still sort of getting used to my writing not just being garbage that i read in the dark at 2am and never share with anybody, and i am always excited to answer questions waaaah 

(THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG I APOLOGIZE IM PUTTING A READING BREAK IN CAUSE I WENT OFF BRO, IM THE WOOOOORST) 

my process is pretty weird, it’s kind of all over the place? I’m kind of a halfway planner halfway pantser. I have an idea and usually make some disjointed notes about character and the main idea, in my phone or maybe on a google doc, and then a pinterest board maybe? Something to get excited about, a visualization. I ALWAYS tell myself im going to make an outline first and then i ALWAYS just jump right into writing because I’m too excited/impatient to wait. give me words on a page. give me dialogue. 

Usually when I’m a little bit into the project, when i know that I’m not going to abandon it to the depths off where my WIPs go to die (rip like literally over 300 individual and unique works, this is NOT an exaggeration, you should see my document bank its gross) Ill say “ok fuck you sami its time to actually know where you’re going” and I’ll sit down and make the grossest outline you have EVER seen. like im talking, my outlines are littered with memes, me yelling at myself, actual stuff thats going to end up in the final project, and just general random garbage? its so gross. Ive literally only showed one of my outlines to one person ever (hi akira!) bc im super self conscious of them and hate the way that i write them. making an outline usually sucks up an entire day of writing. they’re pages and pages because some parts will be INCREDIBLY specific and other parts will be so vague you dont even know

From there, when im done with my garbage outline, (after going back through what I’ve written and fixing the shit that was just me going off like a psycho) I usually start writing in earnest. I’ll highlight the parts of the outline that I’ve done and I’ll go back and check it often to make sure im following through on my plans and the character arcs and such, making sure that everything ties in and such. This section is me like. every day getting home from work or whatever and sitting down at the computer and not moving until 2am, this is the section where i forget to eat and I dont sleep enough and i forget to drink water or take my vitamins and I do word sprints with myself and have days where I write 10 thousand words in one sitting. (very not healthy and also terrible i do NOT recommend) this is the section where I’ll handwrite anything i can in the back of classes and at rehearsals because im pouring out words.

during this section I go back and edit ENDLESSLY. i cannot write something and just let it be. I go back to the section I wrote the night before, I go back to the section I just wrote, i go back to the very beginning. I generally dont have to do 1st 2nd 3rd draft this way, but it is much more time consuming as Im just writing. i dont know if i reccommend this its a MESS

THeN once i finish writing the whole thing, i sit down and reread/edit the whole thing once through. this makes sure i have good flow, the paragraphs go together well, the prose feels right to me, timelines make sense. during this time i make ENDLESS paper notes with calendars, section notes, additions, drabbles, thoughts about my own shit. i have notebooks full of just garbage. im not kidding. full notebooks. 

Once I finish that read/edit through I’m usually happy. only once something is completely finished will I consider posting. I go back too much, I add shit, I can’t let go of shit, not until it’s done. While I’m posting - I go through the chapter I’m going to post with a fine tooth comb, try to catch any tiny little mistake, add words here and there, but never change anything large if I can help it. Then i format it on Ao3 (this is literal hell, fuck the HTML editor it wants me to die) and then post it. Deciding to post a chapter to actually hitting ‘post’ usually takes me 1-4 hours, depending on the length, the difficulty of formatting, and how many goddamn links i wanna put in the chapter notes cause im the worst~ (insert jean ralphio voice) 

~~~

LISTEN im probably super extra but I’ve been writing since I was in sixth grade (thats twelve years! time is an enigma and i hate it!) and so I have a bit of practice, i have a bit of experience and while I’m not the best me that I can be, I KNOW myself, and this is just what works best for me. 

As for timing - it depends on the length of the project and how motivated I am. It took me about a month to write Royal (~50k), just a little over a month to write All Might’s All Night Shop Stop (~75k), and just about two months to write Temperature of the Heart (~115k). I try to post every few days, because as a person I hate waiting and I don’t want to do that to my readers! 

~~~

As for the ‘how long do i sit on an idea before writing it’ it really depends. Some things I will receive inspiration or a sliver of an idea and start writing it in the next ten minutes, even if I have to stop working on something I’m already working on, because that was Brain Has Decided. Sometimes I will consider an idea for like. months before actually doing it. I’ve had the idea for FBoW (the newest thing im working on oops? have i told anybody about this NO cause that will make it REAL) since before I started Royal, which was like. Last november. But I just couldnt quite do it for some reason, and it wasn’t pressing. My brain is super broken, and a lot of times I get sick over ideas. I can’t sleep or eat until I’ve written, and I will repeat phrases to myself until i can get them out of my head by writing them down. (Sometimes this is something nice or poetic - “The golden hour lights up the whole world, wiggling its fingers into every nook and cranny, lighting up two people lounging on a bench-swing, someone leaned onto porch stairs with a mug of tea, the space between those walking down a dirt road, a couple of dogs laid out on the deck.” and other times its literally “Ranch Fiddlesticks.” I’m not kidding. i have a note in my phone that says ranch fiddlesticks because I was actually going to Die if i didnt write it down.)

I do wish my brain didn’t do this - but I guess it makes some fun art, doesn’t it? 

WOW OKAY THIS WAS SO LONG im so sorry jesus christ. SOrry i will ALWAYS go off about my process and what it’s like to write. Writing is so so important to me, I LOVE it with every tiny atom of my weak, alcohol-infused, overworked heart. Despite how scary it is sometimes I am very glad to be sharing my work with the world, seeing peoples’ reactions and hearing things about my words, hearing how this little picture in my mind has gone into yours. 

okay jfc im done now im so sorry. thank you again and again and again, a thousand times over, for reading my work and enjoying the worlds that i enjoy building. It makes me feel like I’m worth it. It makes me feel like I’m doing something good. 

ily :’)

[xoxo-buttons-xoxo]

Warned.

There are horrifying, spine-tingling people and things all over this world. Murders, rapists, abusers, drug dealers, who will stop at nothing to get every penny they earned, live all around us and we come into contact with them more often then we hope to. From birth we are raised to stay away from anything or anyone who could harm us, but what about what our parents forgot to warn us about? What if the thing that traumatized you the most had stunning brown eyes and the dark, chestnut crew-cut hair that tries to distract you from the dangerous lifestyle he lives. We should not be warned about dangerous drugs and malicious murders in the streets. We should be warned by the demon in disguise. We should be warned about him.

Chapter One- The Town Where Nothing Happens.

     Hazard Town, Tennessee is the place where I find the most comfort, despite the name there is nothing bizarre that happens in this town. It is a place where all kids grow up together, teenagers swear to leave but never do, and adults settle down and start families. Hazard Town is my home and I have never known anything else. I never wanted to travel. I just wanted to stay in my town where the bright yellow, glazing sun rises early in the humid mornings drying the grass of its fresh dew and sits late at night as the shadow of the moon covers the never ending, mile long fields that are home to grazing cattle and stunning horses. I could never ask for anything more than what I have now. Every other teenager in this town however could not wait to move off and start a life in the town that never sleeps or the town that has the best waves for surfing. I find comfort in my town knowing that nothing hazardous does happen here. I see short TV clips on the news of the awful, wicked things that happen counties over from us, but my town has no crazy history and I would prefer to keep it that way.

    "Ella Mae, get in here and fold the laundry. Please." My mom yells, being overly loud considering my room is right next to hers. "Coming!" I yell back to her, as I drag myself out of bed where if I had been left alone for maybe a few minutes more I most certainly would have fallen into a deep slumber. I walk out of my warm room with a blanket wrapped around me holding on to the warmth still trapped inside the blanket, but as soon as my feet hit the icy cold, hardwood flooring all my warmth is lost and I dart for the black leather couch, rummaging through the piled laundry basket for a pair of warm socks to protect my toes from the chilly air. I have never found out over the eighteen years I have lived here why they keep it so damn cold. Do they not have better things to spend their money on than the damned A/C running all day? I begin folding the clothes and felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the message it was from Caroline. Caroline has and will always be my best friend. She moved here in first grade and we have been inseparable since.

"Meet me at Red's at 9. Girls night out on me."

    I looked at her message and then at the clock sitting on the overly expensive black entertainment center. It is already seven now. I still must finish this laundry and then do something magical with my makeup brushes to transform this mess into club worthy. I speed through the laundry keeping an eye on time knowing I could just throw my clothes into my drawers and my mother would never find out. I sprinted into my room and jumped into the shower not wasting a second. I got out and stepped out of the steam filled room into my bedroom which no longer seemed so warm. I walked over to my closet looking through the rack of outfits that look like I have college final exams coming up. I huffed and contemplated giving up and texting Caroline back telling her I am sick until my eyes land on the black dress I bought at the beginning of this year. I snatched it out of the closet and threw it on. It was nothing too fancy but also not too revealing. It was fitted around my chest area then flowed out until about mid-thigh. It would work besides I have no intentions on bringing any guy home tonight anyways.

    I walk back to my bathroom the steam finally settled so I can see in my mirror. I blow dried my long, blonde hair and then curled it. I put on makeup but not anything too heavy. I hate the heavy feeling of having too much makeup on. I put on some wedges and did a quick glance in the mirror before walking out of my mom. I hollered to mom so she would not be worried about me later, "Mom, I am going out with Caroline. I will be back after while!" I shot a quick text to Caroline letting her know I am on my way and jumped in my car.

    When I pulled up to Red's, it was beyond packed. This is the only club teenagers can get into around here, so they stay extremely busy on the weekends. Parents would rather their kids go to the club and party where security can control a situation if it gets out of hand rather than a house party where kids can drive off drunk. I immediately spot my best friends wild brunette hair through the crowd. I run over to her and laugh at the way the wind kept catching her hair blowing it in her face causing it to stick to her lip gloss. "Bout time you got here, you ready to go in?" She asked me as she begin walking to the door answering the question for me. "Yeah let's go!" I yelled just excited to finally be out of the house. I love my family but sometimes everybody needs a break. We walk through the doors after being evaluated by the bouncers and the immediate heat wave hits from the hundreds of crowded bodies fitting into this not so big club.

    Me and Caroline just dance around to the music for what seems like hours and we both decide we need a drink. "Two waters please!" I yell at the bartender hoping she hears me over the insanely loud music. I understand she did when she nods her head at me. "I have to pee; I'll be right back." Caroline yells at me while shuffling off to wait in the progressively extending long line to the bathroom. I sit slumped on the bar stool waiting on Caroline to get back. I am not a very social person when I am by myself, I need to be within a group to uphold my confidence. I find my naturally nosy self listening in to the conversation of the two guys sitting next to me. I listen in and hear little bits and pieces of what they were conversing about. "Did you get rid of it?" I hear one say. "Of course, I did, I am not going down for this Monty. I have a family." "You will do whatever it is I tell you to do. You forget what I could do to that family of yo--" He cuts of abruptly.     I heard enough of that conversation to know I did not need to hear anymore. I turn my head toward the bathroom to look and still see Caroline waiting impatiently in line.

    I almost jumped out of my seat when I heard a deep, but also kind of sexy voice whisper in my ear. "So, you like to listen in on conversations that you aren't involved in, huh?" I whip my head around causing my hair to hit him directly in the face. "I was not listening to your conversation. I am waiting on my friend to get back from the bathroom." I say, my words laced with attitude. I mean I was listening to his conversation but there is no way he could have possibly noticed but I would never admit what I heard to this guy after hearing what he just said to what I thought was his friend. If he talks to his friends that way, I would hate to be on his bad side. "Sweetheart you don't run the streets I do and not know the game. You were bored waiting on your friend and having the antisocial personality you do let your ears wonder into my conversation. I do not want any trouble here, but I ask keep what you heard to yourself. I promise it is for your best interest. You've been warned." He said and without giving me any time to respond walked off to meet back up with his "friend."

    I rolled my eyes and went back to waiting on Caroline. I was no longer in the mood to party. That asshole just tried to scare me into keeping my mouth shut and after talking to him, I think his ego is too high. Seriously "you've been warned" who says that. I mean after hearing his dramatic conversation with whoever the other guy was, I was slightly freaked out, but now I just figured out he is an jerk who most likely didn't get enough ass whoopings as a kid. With almost perfect timing, Caroline runs over to join me at the bar. "Slurp that down quick, we are leaving." I said, explaining nothing and turning to look where the asshole was on the other side of the bar. What was his name anyway? Matthew, Mike? Monty, that was his name. Caroline quickly interrupted my thoughts with her high-pitched whine she does when she hears something she does not like. "No, don't be a party-pooper. I just started having fun. C'mon, please." I snapped my head around to her not quite feeling like dealing with anyone and started explaining just why I am in such a "party pooper" mood. "You see that guy over there?" I asked pointing him out noticing he was already looking at me. "Yeah, he's cute. You gonna take him home?" She said winking at me with a silly smirk on her face. "No, that guy is the reason I want to go home. He is an asshole. I eavesdropped for two seconds and this guy gets an attitude and threatens me if I tell anything I heard." I say keeping the rudest look I could give fixed right on him. I could do this all night. "Oh, hell no! Nobody threatens my best friend!" Caroline yells and before I could stop her, she is across the bar with her finger in his face yelling at him like a mother yells at her son.

    It did not take long for the guy to put his hand in Caroline's face and shove her out of his way. He started taking long strides over to the bar with a cocky smirk on his face. He stops when he is inches away from my face. I stand up trying to make myself seem more tough, but I am pretty sure I was taller on the bar stool. "So, sweetheart you told your friend over there about our conversation after I politely asked you not to-" I cut him off and begin to let him know what I thought about our run-in minutes ago. "First, you were far from polite if that is how you treat your friends, I am shocked you have any. Second, I did not tell my friend shit about what I heard in your conversation. Finally, just for the record cut the bad boy act you aren't scaring anyone." I shoved him out of my way and began to walk off, but my moment of greatness was short lived when he grabbed me by my arm and spun me around. "You see sweetheart that was nice, and you were right I do not have friends. I have people I work with and you just seemed to get yourself caught up in the middle of it. Finally, for the record, it isn't an act but you will find that out soon enough, just don't forget sweetheart I warned you." He let me go and just like before walked over to his worker I guess is what he is and left the bar.

    Caroline ran over to me and pleaded I tell her what he said, but to be honest I was freaked out. Those words just kept repeating in a constant loop, "You've been warned." I thought it was an act but something in those dark brown eyes told me something far more wicked and dark was hiding inside him and I feared I might have just invited the devil to play a game he has won countless times before.