#storyranger writes

[storyranger]

WIPS Peer Pressure Polls

THE RULES

Make a 24hr poll listing the titles of every WIP you want to work on. (It's fine if you only have one, still make a poll for the vote count)

Tag anyone you think might also enjoy this game (No pressure of course)

Whichever WIP title gets the most votes, write 1 sentence for every vote received.

If somehow that completes the fic or reaches the end of a chapter, move to the WIP with the second highest votes and continue where you left off on your sentence/word count. Repeat until you reach your goal.

(Optional) Share what you wrote in a new Tumblr post with a link to the poll or in a reblog!

nobody tagged me. I saw @sparklyslug going rogue and decided I needed to break myself out of my birthday-induced malaise by attempting to apply external pressure on my writing process. If you feel like this is a post you should be tagged in? Guess what, you are. Do the game. Do it now.

[fuctacles]

can i have some more wereshifter please?? 🥺 I love that AU so much 🥺

Absolutely! And tysm! You're gonna like this one. I hope I think.

<< 7 | 0 | 9 >>

Steve starts jotting things down and the tension from his body quickly melts away, and he leans more comfortably into Eddie's side. Now that he's not worried that any movement might startle his friend, Eddie reaches for the coffee with his free hand. Soon, Steve does the same, and when he sits back, he shimmies his shoulder back under Eddie's arm, and tucks his legs up onto the couch. 

It's really hard not to chuckle into his coffee, but Steve doesn't seem to either notice or care about his own movements and Eddie's reaction. Feeling emboldened, he points out that paper towels will be better than napkins, while sliding his hand down Steve's shoulder.

It's not dissimilar from how he'd pet the dog while watching TV. Up and down, with a gentle drag of his nails.

If he thought Steve was relaxed before, now he might be turning into goop. With a quiet, huffed out sigh, he liquifies against his side. Eddie presses his lips together, but can't stop the amused puffs of air that come out of his nose.

"Shut up," Steve murmurs while crossing out 'straws' from his list. "It's nice."

"Good," Eddie smiles, gently squeezing his shoulder. He feels warm inside knowing Steve's being honest. With his friend and himself, most importantly. He resumes his scratching with more purpose.

Steve twitches under his arm.

He looks down, but the man is laser-focused on the list, now on the snack section. But the tips of his ears are crimson red. Not averting his gaze, Eddie scratches down his arm the same way he'd do along a dog's spine. Steve's foot moves. Once, twice, and while he keeps scratching with more purpose, it starts tapping against the couch. Steve stops writing.

"No way," Eddie grins in delight at his discovery. 

"Eddie, come on..." The embarrassment is squeezing his throat, so Eddie presses him closer, hoping to provide some comfort.

"Uh, no," he protests. "This is golden. Is this what you were so scared of when you ran away? When you told me about the dog allergy?" He doesn't let go, scratching with ferocity like he would an overjoyed dog. Which, in a way, Steve is. 

"Stevie, man. Sweetheart," he coos. "Just let go."

So Steve does. 

The pen falls out of his grip and he leans against Eddie with a sigh, almost cuddled against his chest. His leg spasms while Eddie scratches him along his arm and the side of his back that Steve turned up to him. Eventually, whatever itch he had that needed relief gets scratched enough to satisfy him. Eddie flattens his palm against his arm and Steve sighs into his chest. He's now fully sprawled in his lap and breathing deeply. Eddie cradles him close. 

"See? It's all fine. Is it weird? Probably, but we fought interdimensional monsters, so. Just embrace it okay?"

Steve chuckles against his skin. 

"Okay," he agrees softly. Eddie scratches his head for good behaviour. 

"Great. Now up, I gotta pee."

Tags: @noodle-shenaniganery @jaytriesstrangerthings @imaginary-maggie-waggie @samsoble @croatoan-like-its-hot

@dragonmama76 @storyranger @scoops-aboy86 (if i missed anyone lmk)

[childoffantasy]

2021 Year End Fic Review

@stinastar has tagged me in like 2 of these now haha so I’m finally Doing The Thing

How many stories did you complete?

Posted 23 works on AO3 plus uhhhhh about a dozen assorted fics Not On Main

What is your total word count for the year?

81,063 on AO3 (and I just had the shocking realization that if we count the Not On Main stuff I’m almost certainly up over 100k for the year which is fucking me up)

What fandoms did you write in this year?

The Witcher, Lord of the Rings and one work in my crossover between Tamora Pierce’s Tortall and the Witcher that I keep swearing I will work on more, rip. Oh and I haven’t written any yet, but I did have a few ideas bounce around for The Locked Tomb

Did you write more, less, or roughly about what you expected?

Wayyyyy the fuck more, yeeha. I have been writing fic for years, but most of that amounted to half-finished wips that rarely if ever got posted, so I’m still getting used to thinking of myself as a Fic Writer even after a year and a half of writing stuff in the Witcher fandom.

What's your favorite story of the year?

What, you want me to pick a favourite child??? Ye gods. I’m gonna say The Herald Announcing at least in part cause it’s recent so I still remember the details lol. But it’s Éowyn and Faramir and Éowyn being very gender and Faramir being very sweet and I love them a lot your honour.

What is your most underappreciated story of the year?

Mmm I’m torn again rip. I think in terms of kudos compared to how much I like them, my Ciri/Coën fics (so get up to get some action and I like it between my...) are what I think deserves more attention. However, I am aware that’s a pairing that would set off the warning bells for a lot of people, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Psst if anyone’s curious, Ciri is grown in the fics and it’s not a mentor/student kinda deal at all)

Biggest fanfic-related surprise of 2021?

Passing 100k posted on AO3, hands down. Two years ago I would never have expected myself to be capable of writing that many words, let alone a single 23k long work. thats-growth.gif

Something you look forward to working on in 2022?

God I have so fucking many fic ideas all of the time and I am so excited about all of them always. I’ve got a couple more LotR WIPs on the go, and a Tortall wip that I’m trying to bully myself into working on and plans to write some fix-it following season 2 of the Witcher, the list goes on, and my ideas word doc keeps expanding help

Uhhhhhh tagging people. @gendzl @storyranger @machtaholic if any of y’all feel like it go ham! Anyone else who wants to talk about their shit also go ham!

[beg-for-it-black]

The REAL voting is here!  Sorry about that, everyone!  Turns out, trying to post this whole thing on tumblr ended up being a shitshow!  But, what’s new?! So, drabbles will all be posted over on my LJ.  You can vote there, or you can vote here. If you vote here, send me a message, not on anon.

And PLEASE!  Please!  Take into the account the quality of the writing, not just the pairing!  I know it can be tough, but this is about the WRITING not the PAIRING!

@logicstates12 @ambruises @autopsy-mauve @ayumidah @sethsevolution @this-is-my-bisexuality @penelo14 @rocknrolleigns @storyranger @captainbigdickmoxley @jackthesinisterjakethejust @homo-pink @deanseths

[bastardnev]

Cheat Day

in which i inexplicably decided to write a fic about mustafa’s cereal-nutella-oreos breakfast combination

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mustafa Ali/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Mustafa Ali, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: damn i guess i gotta start tagging aew in my nevstafa fics huh, Fluff, Silly, mischief involving nutella and oreos Series: Part 1 of Jess Has Too Many Fics In Her Notes Summary: Neville wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the scene in his kitchen that morning.

(ao3 link)

i ended up making a new tag list bc its been so long since i last posted a nevstafa fic + i didnt wanna tag ppl who might not be interested anymore -- im going off the likes/replies to the post i made abt this yesterday so if you’re not on the list and you wanna be added lemme know !! i’ll add you 🥰

tag list: @sailor-slam-dunk @residentjoth @riveliciousx @lambchopviking @storyranger

Neville wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the scene in his kitchen that morning.

He had heard Mustafa get out of bed earlier, but he figured he was just going to get breakfast started — it was his turn, after all. Technically, he still was, but not at all in the way that Neville anticipated. Rather than finding him cooking the pancakes they’d agreed upon the night before, Neville instead walked in on him preparing a bowl of cereal in a large serving dish he’d placed on the island. This in itself wouldn’t have been so odd (other than his choice of bowl) if he didn’t follow up his milk pouring with a big search around the kitchen. He was rummaging through the cabinets that lined the walls for... for something. Something that Neville couldn't quite figure out, especially since the only thing he could plausibly be looking for was a spoon. What a can of olives had to do with anything, Neville had absolutely no idea.

And so, he choose to ask him about it. “What the hell are you doing?”

Mustafa glanced over at Neville quickly before putting the can back and going right back to his hunt. “Oh, good morning. Where’s your snack stash?”

Neville blinked, confused. “My what?”

“Your snack stash. Y’know, where you keep the snacks?”

“I— I know what a snack stash is, Mustafa.”

“Then where’s yours? I know you have one — everyone does. Fess up.”

What was he trying to do? The fact that he still hadn't given Neville a clear answer was a bit concerning. “What does it matter where my snacks are? Wait, forget about that, aren’t you supposed to be cooking pancakes?”

"Who said anything about me making pancakes?"

"You did. Just last night."

"Ehh, that was just pillow talk."

"You told me about how badly you were craving them when we were eating dinner." Why would they be discussing pancakes during pillow talk, of all things?!

Mustafa scoffed, and he offered no further response other than continuing to push aside the items stacked up on the shelf. "Are you planning on answering my question at all?" Neville crossed his arms. "What are you doing?"

“You'll see!" Mustafa responded when he finally decided to speak again. "I’ve got something even better than pancakes in mind."

Mustafa placing a breakfast food above pancakes was almost enough for Neville to consider the idea that he'd been replaced with an imposter. Almost. “And, that is...?”

“A secret — until you tell me where your snack stash is, of course.”

Neville sighed, rolling his eyes. He knew there was no getting out of this no matter how hard he tried. “Oh for the love of God, it’s the one under the microwave,” he at last confessed.

“The only one I didn’t check!” Mustafa grinned, and he darted over to the appropriate cabinet, digging around excitedly. “Ooh, you’ve got a lot of good stuff in here!”

“No need for the commentary, just take what you need.”

“You’re pretty defensive over your candy, huh?”

“You’ve got the biggest sweet tooth out of anyone I know — how can I not?” Now that he thought about it, seeing as Mustafa now knew where he hid all of his sweets, Neville would probably have to find a new hiding spot once this visit was over...

“Hmm.” Mustafa pouted as he moved a variety pack of mini candy bars aside. “You bought the Oreos I asked for, right?”

“Of course.” Like Neville honestly wasn’t going to do so after Mustafa practically begged him to pick some up when he went on his most recent grocery run.

“You do love me!” The package of cookies in his hands, Mustafa triumphantly brought it over to the island, pulling back the seal.

“Can you tell me what you’re doing now?”

“Patience, Nev! Geez. You can’t rush these things, you know?”

Neville wanted to retort, but the distinctive crunch of Mustafa crushing a fistful of Oreos over the serving dish interrupted him, and all he could do was watch in silent awe (and confusion). Mustafa repeated this process over and over again, unblinking, until he’d gone through one of the sleeves. “There...” He muttered, sealing the pack back up and putting it aside. “Now for the last part...”

Last part? Neville found himself a little afraid to say this out loud. His question received an answer anyway, however, as Mustafa then returned to the cabinet, pulling out the large jar of Nutella that Neville was secretly hoping he wouldn’t notice. (Man goes through jars quicker than I can count.) "Not really much I can work with here..." Mustafa mumbled as he put the lid aside, looking at the jar's contents. "You ate it all on me. Naughty boy."

"I'm... sorry?"

"Better be." Mustafa then went to the silverware drawer and pulled out a big spoon, and before Neville could wrap his mind around what was happening he'd scooped out a healthy amount. "This'll work, though."

"What—"

Neville wasn't able to finish this sentence, as just as he was going to Mustafa let the Nutella drop right on top of his cereal. Neville looked back and forth between the bowl and Mustafa, who appeared to be debating what to do next with his messy spoon. Rather than put it in the sink like Neville assumed he would, however, he shrugged, dipping it into the bowl.

It was right as he was about to put a spoonful of cereal into his mouth that Neville decided to go through with asking his question. "Okay, what the hell?!"

Mustafa paused, spoon hanging in the air. "What?"

"What is this..." Neville gestured towards the bowl, trying to find the right words to describe what he was seeing. "This... concoction?"

"It's... my cheat day breakfast?" Mustafa said this as if it were the most obvious thing ever, like he couldn't understand why Neville so was baffled. "Duh?"

"How did you even come up with this?"

"Easy — I woke up one morning, couldn't decide what I wanted for breakfast, so I just mixed everything I wanted together. It's better than you think it is, really."

Neville pointed to the package of Oreos. "You wanted to eat those for breakfast?"

"You haven't thought about eating cookies for breakfast before? What are you, an amateur?"

"And— And the Nutella, what were you planning on doing with that if you hadn't thought to throw everything together?"

Mustafa didn't respond, instead choosing to avert his gaze. Suspicious, Neville followed up with, "You weren't seriously considering eating it straight from the jar, were you?"

Mustafa made eye contact with Neville again, and neither of them said anything for a solid few seconds. Eventually, though, Mustafa shot Neville a sheepish grin, and the latter brought his hand to his forehead, slowly shaking his head. "Oh, God..." He let out a breath. "All this, yet you still have those abs..."

"I sure do." Mustafa brought the spoon back to the cereal and mixed it up a bit. "Now, maybe instead of pickin' on me you can come give this a try. You might like it."

"I have no use for any of that."

"False — everyone needs this in their lives."

"Not everyone needs something loaded with sugar so early in the morning."

"What are you gonna have instead, then? Egg whites?" Mustafa shuddered at his own suggestion, and he held a spoonful out towards Neville, who leaned away. "You know you want toooo..."

Neville looked at the spoon with a narrowed gaze. He knew damn well that he gave in to Mustafa way too often (something about the look in his eyes, he figured). He'd told himself that he would stop being such a pushover when it came to him, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to stick to his word for once. Mustafa wanted him to try some food combo that he swore was amazing, something that Neville thought was completely ridiculous. He would be lying if he said he found it to be anything but.

...But he would also be lying if he said that he wasn't at least a little curious as to what Mustafa saw in it. Not to mention that he was giving him the dreaded eyes...

Neville said nothing. Instead, he took a few steps closer to Mustafa, allowing him to put the spoon into his mouth. "There we go..." Mustafa took it out a moment later, giving Neville a second to chew and swallow before asking, "It's good, isn't it?"

It was. "It's fucking disgusting."

"Liar, liar..." Mustafa singsonged, and Neville huffed. There was no point in denying it.

"Maybe you're right..."

"Ha! I knew it."

"Why do I always agree to go along with your nonsense..." Neville lamented, and Mustafa chuckled, leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Because you love me," he replied as he pulled away, and Neville struggled to hide the little fond smile that forced its way onto his face.

"...Yes, I do."

[logicstates12]

Tagged by: @shes-a-voodoo-child

Relationship status: Single

Favourite colour: Fuchsia

Favourite food: hmmm. Food is awesome. Probably Campbell’s Vegetarian Vegetable soup and Double Chocolate Quadratini wafer cookies. Also, Sour Patch Kids

Song stuck in your head: "Waiting On A Miracle” but also probably anything from Encanto. I’m obsessed.

Dream trip: if I could go anywhere, probably Paris or Japan for both the stationary and the experience. Realistically? I want another wrestlecation with Ren. We need to make it to Atlantic City!

Last book you read: I’m currently listening to ‘The Facemaker’- A Visionary Surgeon’s Battle to mend the disfigured soldiers of World War I.’ Very gory but very interesting!

Last book you enjoyed: hmm. Hard to say. Maybe my last reread of Rosemary’s Baby?

Last book you hated reading: The upstairs house – I got three hours in, but I couldn’t get past the plot.

Favourite thing to cook/bake: probably Collard Green soup, what sounds weird as hell but I swear it’s tasty

Favourite craft to do in your free time: Writing and knitting

Most niche dislike:  probably ball point pens. Anybody who knows me knows I love the vintage fountain pens. 

Opinion on circuses: I’m stealing Drea’s answer!They're fine? I like Cirque du Soleil? Southern gothic carny stories are amazing, though.

Do you have a sense of direction: nope. I get hopelessly lost even with google maps.

TAGGING: @sethsevolution , @storyranger and @bubblegumlefty

[childoffantasy]

@storyranger I’m gonna write a thing

A big thanks to the Anon who asked me for this special week!

F*CKYEAHDARCYLEWIS - Gen WEEK - A DARCYLAND  CHALLENGE

When: From  Saturday September 29 to  Friday October 5  2018.

What:  Hello, Darcylanders! I’m happy to officially announce a new challenge and this time this is a gen week, what is “gen”? Short for “general,” it is what you get when your fanwork isn’t primarily concerned with romance.

  Each day will have a different prompt. It’s up to you to create something and post it to your blog. Remember, the goal is to create something about Darcy.

For this challenge, you can draw, write, GIF, edit, mood board, whatever suits your fancy.

How:  Make sure to tag your contributions with “darcy lewis” (it needs to be on your first 5 tags for it to be found). Don’t repost somebody else works, put triggers warning on your posts if it needs to be done, put too long works under a cut. Don’t bash other characters.

PROMPTS:

sept 29, day 1:  Survival Techniques

sept 30, day 2: Comfort Zone

oct 1, day 3: Good Decisions

oct 2, day 4: Improvement

oct 3, day 5: Superstitions

oct 4, day 6: New Kid

oct 5, day 7: Are you Afraid?

Don’t forget to reblog this post to spread the word ^^

[storyranger]

2021 Year End Fic Review

@childoffantasy tagged me and it felt rude not to participate (plus I love rambling about my work, let’s be honest)

How many stories did you complete?

I completed two stories (but technically published five because I imported three over from my fanfic dot net account).

What is your total word count for the year?

11,210 actually written in 2021, but if you count all words posted to AO3 it’s 15,700 for the year.

What fandoms did you write in this year?

WWE and Peaky Blinders were the two that got finished and posted. I have a Pokémon fic done that just needs a final editing pass, and I got some sections added to my NXT/AEW Magic Academy AU fic for @shes-a-voodoo-child from 2020 that I’m still fucking working on.

Did you write more, less, or roughly about what you expected?

Less, I think. Then again, the fact I managed to write at all in the face of global turmoil and some health stuff deteriorating a bit this year is a minor miracle. I fought to earn every word I got onto the page. I have a habit of expecting more from myself then is possible when it comes to creative output, and I probably need to be kinder to myself.

What's your favorite story of the year?

King and Lionheart hands down. It took me over a year to finish and I’m really proud of how it turned out. Some of the lines in there I’m still just like, “fuck yeah, I wrote that, it’s so good.”

After the war, some men came back poets; Arthur and Tommy just came back broken.

What is your most underappreciated story of the year?

I mean, doom-scrolling currently has 99 hits to King and Lionheart’s 775, so I guess statistically speaking it’s the less appreciated one? But honestly I wrote it more for me, to process some of my feelings, and set in the extremely small cruiserweight corner of the WWE fandom with a pairing basically only me and @logicstates12 ship so I can’t expect it to have the same reach as a Peaky Blinders fic.

Biggest fanfic-related surprise of 2021?

I didn’t realize that my increase in output was so drastic. I published ~275% more words this year then I did in 2020, when everything else about this year has just felt like 2020 Part 2, so that’s really heartening.

Something you look forward to working on in 2022?

I want to finish the goddamn Loki fic sequel I’ve been working on for almost half a decade. I want to finish Midnight for Sami Zayn. I wanna write a Sidney Carter/Inspector Sullivan fic. I wanna write Vienna Blood fanfic. Mostly I’m just looking forward to being able to work on fic, hopefully. I think my brain is finally coming back to me.

Okay tagging my loyal rubber duck @logicstates12, my witcherfic crush @a-kind-of-merry-war and, as a reach, my idol @mithen

[storyranger]

Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: Peaky Blinders (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Isaiah Jesus/Finn Shelby Characters: Isaiah Jesus, Finn Shelby, Tommy Shelby, Ada Shelby, Aberama Gold, Arthur Shelby Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Period-Typical Homophobia, Injury Recovery, Protective Isaiah, Tommy is a Good Big Brother, Ada ships it, First Kiss, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Alcohol, SO MUCH ALCOHOL, Cigarettes

Summary:

Hold him. Hold him.

[storyranger]

hey remember when I posted a rush-job fic for Extreme Deadline this year and  promised @shes-a-voodoo-child that “there's something longer and crazier and better and completely different coming to you in the near future” ahaha I lied it’s going to be a while longer but here’s a teaser.

Darkness has come to NXT Academy. To defeat the elder demon Balor Béimnech, Becky Lynch has gathered a secret coven from among her fellow classmates. Together they shall take up the Mantles of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and combine their budding magical powers to prevent the demon's destruction. That is, if they can decide who's wearing what.

"I don't want to be Pestilence," whines Sasha. "Pestilence is gross."

Becky shrugs, helplessly. "Well, you have to be one of them, and Pestilence is the only one left."

"Give me War, then. Charlotte can be Pestilence."

"No fucking way," snarls Charlotte, and Sasha quickly abandoned that avenue of attack, turning instead to Bayley with puppy-dog eyes.

"Bayley, you don't really care which Mantle you get, do you?"

"Sasha-" Bayley says, a warning, but Sasha doesn't heed her.

"I mean, you should just be happy to be included, really, so switching isn't really such a big-"

"Stop it!"

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Bayley, just be grateful and let me take Famine.”

"No.”

Sasha’s momentarily stunned, to hear such a flat refusal from the normally meek and pliable Bayley.

“Sasha, I know about you trying to poison Charlotte against me. You told her it should be Ruby here, not me. You convinced me it’s was Charlotte’s fault Becky wasn’t picking me, promised me you were on my side, but you weren't, not when it counted. Pestilence isn't nice, but sometimes… sometimes you're not nice, either."

"Fine," Sasha hisses. "I'm pestilence. Rot. Poison. The backstabber. Is that how you all see me?"

"Sasha, I'm sure Bayley didn't-"

"No," cuts in Charlotte, "no, Bayley's right.” She turns to Becky with a shrug. “We can't keep pussy-footing around the bitch forever. We're about to break into the Hall of the Horsemen and steal their most precious relics. This whole plot is insanely risky, something that could get us thrown out of the academy on our asses, if not worse. And I, for one,” she continues, now addressing Sasha, “am still not entirely sure I can trust you."

"We've been friends since kindergarten!"

"And that didn't stop you telling Nick Jackson I had crabs in middle school."

"Char, I said I was sorry."

"You're always sorry, Sasha." Becky finally speaks, her voice low. There's no judgement in her tone, but it's firm. "And you expect to be trusted again, and again. All your life you have been loyal to yourself, first, and all else second."

"Fine. What will it take, huh? What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm legit?"

"You have to take Pestilence." says Bayley, suddenly.

Charlotte snots, derisively. "C'mon, Bayley, how's that going to-"

"No, shush, Charlotte.  Listen to me, just for once. The harbingers are about the darkness, right? The worst parts of humanity. And to take on the mantle of the harbinger isn't just about control, counteraction. It's about acknowledging the worst bits of ourselves. Charlotte likes pain. To feel it, and to cause it. I've never been satisfied, ever. I always need to prove myself, I'm always hungry for something more. And you-"

"I sow distrust wherever I go. Clearly you have it all figured out, little Bayley. But what about our perfect, fearless leader? She's not exactly Morticia Addams. What about our manic pixie Irish girl here just screams darkness and despair to you?"

There is a long moment of silence before Becky speaks. Gone is the even, measure tone of before. Now her voice is a cold, merciless crescendo.

"Finn has been my best friend since we were two years old. We came here together and we survived together.  I have trusted him with every secret, every fear, every problem, and he has been there for me in my darkest moments. And when I found out my best friend was now unwitting vessel to a demon, I could have told him. I could have helped him run. But instead I formed this coven." She is furious now, and she will not stop, and Sasha will forever regret provoking this wrath. "You ask me, do I have darkness? Despair? Without Finn I would have drowned in it. And I am willing to sacrifice him, without hesitation, because that is what's required to prevent the destruction of our world. Do not question me, Sasha The Betrayer, with your forked tongue and your blighted words.

I am Death. And I am growing impatient."

 ***

 Death crowns them all, and they crown Death.

The Horsemen mark the choosing of The Four with pomp and circumstance. The Horsewomen have time for neither.

Dr. Helmsley is going to be furious about the smashed display cabinets, Bayley thinks ruefully. If there's a Dr. Helmsley around to be mad, after this is over.

"I guess I have to start things off." Becky says, without much conviction.

"Should we like, kneel or something?" Bayley asks. "It would give things some gravity, maybe."

"Yeah. Okay. And that way I can actually reach over Char's head."

Charlotte rolls her eyes, but kneels in front of Becky nonetheless.

"Charlotte Flair, do you accept the Mantle of War?"

"I am War. I am the arrogance of men. I am hubris. I am history, ignored and forgotten. I am pain and bloodlust and the wailing of orphans. Over all this shall I hold mastery."

Becky places the red mantle around Charlotte's shoulders, and picks up the black.

"Bayley Rose, do you accept the Mantle of Famine?"

"I am Famine," Bayley recites, her voice trembling. "I am hunger, craving. The endless, yawning emptiness. I drive men mad and turn brother against brother. I am a bottomless pit that can never be filled. Over all this shall I hold mastery."

Becky drops the black mantel over the younger girl's head and gives her shoulder a quick squeeze of pride. Then, with a deep, steadying breath, Becky picks up the white mantle.

"Sasha Banks, do you accept the Mantle of Pestilence?"

There's a tense silence, as Charlotte and Bayley wonder if this is it. Their chance blown, the coven betrayed. Then Sasha lifts her head and catches Becky's gaze. and recites, quiet but forceful.

"I am Pestilence. I am the rot that breaks foundations." There is a bitterness in her voice, a resignation, but also something deeper. Something vulnerable. "I am the blight which ruins crops. I am blood in the water. I am the snake, whispering in mortal ears, trust not yourself, but I. Over all this shall I hold mastery."

Becky drops to her knees. For the first time since she discovered Finn was Béimnech's vessel, she allows herself to cry.

"Becks-" Bayley begins gently, "Surely we could find some other wa-"

"No." Becky whispers, with a vicious shake of her head. “Ask me. Just get it over with.”

"Okay," Charlotte says, and she picks up the green mantle. The other two girls each place a hand on it, and in unison, the trio asks,

"Rebecca Lynch. Do you accept the Mantle of Death?"

Her heart is breaking, but her resolve holds true.

"I am Death. I am the inescapable. I am despair, the departure of hope. I am the long night from which no day breaks. I am the end of all things."

 Silence descends as they hold their breath, waiting for something to feel different, for the universe to acknowledge the magnitude of the vows they have undertook.

Nothing happens.

Becky roughly wipes her sleeve across her eyes. Getting up from the floor, she sets her teeth in a harsh grin.

"Okay, witches. Let's go slay a demon."

[storyranger]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mustafa Ali/Elias Samson Characters: Mustafa Ali, Elias Samson Additional Tags: Current Events, cw: US politics, Elias has learned a lot Series: Part 3 of The Prince and The Drifter Summary:

"Put down the phone for a minute."

Mustafa is reacting to 2021 about as well as milk reacts to lemon juice. It's Elias's turn to do the comforting.

[storyranger]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hop & Masaru | Victor, Hop/Masaru | Victor Characters: Masaru | Victor, Hop (Pokemon), Nezu | Piers (Pokemon) Additional Tags: Misunderstandings, Guilt, Angst, Communication, making a friend, completely self-indulgent, i have a giant crush on Piers okay?, can be read as platonic or preslash, maybe Hop and Victor will trip and fall into a relationship, or maybe they're just bestest bros, who knows? they're young. they've got time, rated T for language alone, just let the Galar kids say fuck! Summary:

It’s not fair, really, that one can work to learn so much and still be so, so stupid.

(don’t worry, it all works out in the end)

[storyranger]

I use that writing technique where if I get stuck I just skip that bit and go ahead to the next place where I know what I want to write.

And let me tell you, few things compare to the feeling of realizing what connective tissue is needed to bridge those scenes and weaving it in.

[storyranger]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Goodbye Paris (Musical), 20th Century CE RPF, American (US) Writer RPF, The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway, Being Geniuses Together - Robert McAlmon Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Robert McAlmon/Ernest Hemingway Characters: Ernest Hemingway, Robert McAlmon Additional Tags: Spain, altered fiction, Artistic Liberties, the lost generation, Expats Summary:

Those steamy nights in Spain, me and Hemingway, a picture etched in acid that haunts my everyday… Nothing happened in Spain, except for one true thing.

[beg-for-it-black]

Voting is here!  Guys, we’re down to our last FOUR writers!  FOUR!  Go on and read these rare pair fics about Christmas in July!

Remember, when voting, it’s about the quality of the writing and how it fits the prompt, NOT the pairing or characters! 

@autopsy-mauve @this-is-my-bisexuality @ayumidah @storyranger @penelo14 @sethsevolution @rocknrolleigns @logicstates12 @ambruises @jackthesinisterjakethejust @chris-sales-belly-ring @captainbigdickmoxley @deanseths

Feel free to share the word to read and vote!  You can vote in the LJ poll, or message me here with the number and title of your MOST and LEAST favorite drabbles! Enjoy! 

[beg-for-it-black]

LDWS Week 2 voting is here!  This week’s prompt was Close Up, had to be between 375-400 words and had to be femslash! 

To vote, either vote in the poll on LJ, or send me a message here with the number and title of your MOST and LEAST favorite drabbles!  If you send me a message here, I just ask that it’s not on anon. 

And, as always, this is about the quality of the writing, and the depiction of the prompt, NOT the pairing!  Yes, I know it’s hard sometimes, but please, don’t vote based solely on the pairing, but on the quality of the writing. Thank you, and enjoy! 

@logicstates12 @chris-sales-belly-ring @autopsy-mauve @ambruises @storyranger @penelo14 @ayumidah @jackthesinisterjakethejust @this-is-my-bisexuality @rocknrolleigns @sethsevolution @captainbigdickmoxley @deanseths