#thumbprint challenge

[winterandwords]

Thumbprint challenge

Thanks to @willtheweaver and @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tags!

📝 Look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

#ThatShouldNotBeHot

Altered states of consciousness

The scars they were given and the scars they chose

Committing murder together absolutely counts as a date

Liminal spaces

Hurt me, I need to feel alive

That is a gun in my pocket and no I'm not pleased to see you

If the system's fucked, fuck the system

Queernormativity

Non-linear narrative structure

Tagging @starscribes, @sunset-a-story and @tabswrites if you'd like to do it, with an open tag for anyone else who wants to join in 💜

Reblogs, replies etc on my tag posts are always welcome, but if you're doing this tag yourself, please make your own post instead of using mine to start a reblog chain.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Thumbprint Challenge

Thanks @oh-no-another-idea for the tag!

Rules: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Back at my old work? Okay...not sure how much of these count but here are the commonalities:

Found family/importance of friendship. The focus on best friends from when I was a kid is very prominent in childhood writing and friendship is still a key part. Interpersonal relationships are a very important theme across everything.

Female main characters. Not sure if this counts, but almost all of my childhood works were about girls. My first male main OC was a character named Julian/Mikey (changed his name) in an old draft of TSP. Hell, my first male POV was my Warriors cats fanfic (they were OCs though) and the first time I wrote a male voice in first person was a character named Jesse in eighth grade.

Queer undertones. Looking back at my old work, a lot of my main characters were sapphic or ace/aro spec. Anahi and Marlis from what later evolved into SOTL were very gay for each other. Even Mossflower and Lemonfrost from my Warriors fanfic. The aforementioned Jesse was asexual-coded. Christy and Trish in TEOS. It was just always there as I hadn't figured myself out yet.

Dialogue-driven storytelling. Maybe not in early early writing, but like age 8 onward included a lot of dialogue. I've always been more character focused than environment focused, so I'd say this adds up.

Intelligent main characters. Most of my protagonists were emphasized to be very, very smart. It's interesting that I'm not a STEM person, but I am a former "gifted kid" so that may have something to do with it, but I usually emphasized this with a STEM field they were interested in. Christy from TEOS, math nerd. Hollyn from Perspectives, science geek. Twinkle in my bear cubs series as a kid, astronomer. Even in the Warriors fanfic the first POV is Mossflower the medicine cat. The only pre-high school time I can find where I emphasized intelligence that wasn't in a STEM field is Anahi, who was very literature based.

Multiple main characters. I liked a group of people, even if it was one POV. TSP D1 followed Alexia and Aurora, then they ran into four other people. 3+ was my usual. I guess it comes from the interpersonal relationships themes, like #1 talked about.

Fantasy elements. Man, I almost never write in realistic fiction. I mean, my earliest works were, but then I'd occasionally have an anthropomorphic animal pop up and now it's fantasy. Now, the only realistic fiction WIP I have on the shelf is Perspectives. Arguably IWAJAD because I guess someone can have a vivid dream where a character arc is forced upon them but idk.

Dramedies. I loved to incorporate humor among things I thought were high stakes. I like to be angsty but that doesn't stop me from being very silly. I mean, look at TSP D1. They are threatened to be killed and I still have humor in there. Good? No, but I still tried.

Communication I realize is a prominent theme. Oftentimes, things are not resolved due to not communicating, or I show communication allowing a character to experience comfort, or how not listening to someone leads to trouble, or how hiding a part of yourself isolated you, or acting like someone you're not pulls the wrong people in... So much, man.

I hope this is an okay list. I'll tag @gracehosborn @illarian-rambling @mk-writes-stuff @little-peril-stories @buffythevampirelover @dyrewrites @elsie-writes @sleepywriter00 @theelfauthor @theeccentricraven @thepeculiarbird @finxi-writes @writingsfromspace @winterandwords @revenantlore + anyone else

[winglesswriter]

Thumbprint challenge

I was tagged by the lovely @willtheweaver

Rules: look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

OMG this one his hard, but I'll try.

Self-worth issues: most of my characters have to realize their own worth throughout the story

Love doesn't fix your problems but it gives you the strength to fix them yourself - that's it, that's what my stories are about and always will be

Supportive characters - I don't like my heroes to exist in a vacuum, they are always surrounded by people that support them and that they care about

Lovers coming from different backgrounds - I have yet to find true enemies to lovers but my MCs always come from the opposite end of a scale

Dreams and nightmares - meaningful (prophetic?) dreams or nightmares occur in all my works. I don't have a rational reason for that, maybe it's my own messy relationship with sleep 😄

Gentle tag for: @astorichan, @ramwritblr, @sunset-a-story, @satohqbanana, @sarandipitywrites

[tabswrites]

Thumbprint Challenge

Tagged by @winterandwords here!

Tagging: @sam-glade @mysticstarlightduck @theprissythumbelina @the-down-upside-finch @thatndginger

Look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

I compared my three most recent works because I think my writing style is unrecognizable from my older stuff...

What do Batman and my OCs have in common? Dead parents.

Someone has to be emo

We all use sarcasm 'round these parts

Tragic backstories are a key ingredient

Grumpy/sunshine ships (they're just so good)

Moral ambiguity

At least one character is super dramatic for no reason

I pick One Person to be the punching bag

Dramatic monologues!

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Thumbprint Challenge

Thank you @all-write for tagging me for this.

RULES: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

This is interesting to think about... let's see...

Coming-of-age stuff/life lessons (hopefully not done in a super preachy or overly on-the-nose way lol)

Close friendship groups (which often double as a found/chosen family dynamic, which technically counts as its own thing)

Romantic subplot (typically featuring the friends-to-lovers trope because I'm basic)

Problematic characters (or characters that frequently engage in or feel pressured/tempted to engage in problematic or dangerous or unhealthy/toxic behaviours)

A house party or big event that goes wrong somehow

There are probably others, but these are the ones that I can think of right now.

Tagging these people: @winterandwords, @hd-literature, @clairelsonao3, @mysticstarlightduck, @magpie24601, @the-stray-storyteller, @gummybugg, @writingalterras, @tea-and-mercury, @exquisitecrow

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Thumbprint Challenge

Got tagged by @winterandwords here, thanks!

Quickly Tagging (no pressure): @kittensartswriting @mysticstarlightduck @mjjune and @vacantgodling

RULES: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Living outside of whatever is deemed 'appropriate' by whatever society is present

Finding your own way

"You can do this, but you don't have to do it alone"

Angry Is Soft For Sunshine

They're More Guidelines Than Actual Rules

Smarty ones and punchy ones

Otherworldly Wonders

Thanks for the tag!

[felixwriting]

Thumbprint Challenge

@winterandwords tagged me in this and now that Art Fight is over I'm going to try and actually do these tag challenges lol ^.^

RULES: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

💜 Monsters in love

👿 Made to feel monstrous

🩸Noncon body mods

💞 Mutual pining

⛪ Religious trauma

🌈 Outcasts, weirdos and queers

🌱 The cycle of life and death

🛸 Aliens

Tagging: Open tag <3

[sunset-a-story]

Thumbprint Challenge!

Thanks to @moondust-bard for the tag!

RULES: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Queer/mlm/ace-spec/queer-platonic stuff

Snark. So much snark

Action/fight sequences

Tension

Nature-writing-esque descriptions

Playful-to-biting banter

Things that come in threes

No pressure tagging @words-after-midnight @pandoras-comment-box @thatndginger @cljordan-imperium

[winterandwords]

Thumbprint Challenge

@rickie-the-storyteller tagged me in this one. Thanks, friend!

RULES: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

🧠 Altered states of consciousness

🌈 Be gay, do crime

🔪 Hurt me, I need to feel alive

🔄 Non-linear narrative structure

🔥 If the system's fucked, fuck the system

🌊 Nature and weather symbolism

🖤 They deserve each other (derogatory)

🌃 Liminal spaces

⛓ Angsty kink (but no genitals, thanks)

Tagging @eyes-talks-ocs, @felixwriting, @forthesanityofstorytellers and @i-can-even-burn-salad if you'd like to do it, with an open tag for anyone else who wants to join in 💜

[lachesismoonmist]

I've Been Watching You - Chp 2

That's a Different Kind of Sweaty

Rating: Mature. Minors dni

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook / Reader

Words: Total: 73k

Status: Complete. 2 out of 26

Summary There's a hot new guy in the gym. You can't keep your eyes off him, and it seems he can't keep his off you either. What starts out as Friends-with-Benefits turns into something a lot more complicated as your past comes back to haunt you and you find out your best friend's long-kept secret.

Originally posted on AO3

MY MASTERLIST

Chapter 2 - That's a Different Kind of Sweaty The sexual tension in the air was suffocating. Since we’d both driven to the gym, we only now found ourselves in such close proximity in Jungkook’s condo carpark elevator, willing the floors to go faster. Jungkook stood behind me, running his fingers up and down my arm, making me break out in goosebumps.

When the lift finally stopped at eighteen, Jungkook grabbed me by the elbow and steered me down the hall to the corner unit. One thumbprint later, I was shoved into an apartment, then pushed up against the door by one hot mass of muscle.

His lips were warm and soft, a contrast to his cool and hard lip ring, yet firm on mine as he caged me in with his hands. He then trailed kisses down my neck and along my collarbone, growling between kisses “You. Have. No. Idea. How. Long. I’ve. Wanted. To. Kiss. You”.

“So shut up and kiss me” I challenged. He slanted his mouth over mine, as I licked his lower lip, running my tongue over his lip ring to gain entrance. He tasted of lemon and lime mints. My hands wound into his soft, silky hair. He reached down to lift my left knee so it rested on his hip and pressed himself against me.

“Ooh, someone’s excited. Are you excited, Big Boy?” I snaked my arm down in between our bodies and cupped the prominent bulge in his pants. “Ooh, you ARE a big boy”, and started massaging him.

He moaned and pressed up against me harder, but I put my palms on his very muscular chest to push him away slightly. “Hold on big boy. I want to wash some of this gym sweat off”.

“We’re just going to get sweaty again anyway” Jungkook teased, grabbing my ass and grinding his hips against mine.

“That’s a different kind of sweaty”, I said as I wriggled away. “I promise, it’ll be worth the wait. Which way to your bathroom?”

As I walked in the direction he pointed, I could look around Jungkook’s apartment. It was extremely neat, everything had a proper place. It was all very Marie Kondo. The color scheme was monochromatic, whites and greys of varying shades. “50 shades of grey?” I murmured to myself and giggled.

The only messy area was an impressive desk in the first room off the living room. It was covered in all manner of camera bodies, huge telephoto lenses, even an occasional film roll. A row of monitors dominated the wall behind the desk. Stacked against the wall beside the desk were a hodgepodge of reflectors, C-stands, dishes and umbrellas.

What really drew my eye though, was the floor to ceiling windows along one wall of the living room. It offered a magnificent view of the city, since the condo was on a hill. It was a posh area of town, the grounds for each housing development were sprawling, dimly lit to create an intimate ambience. It was the perfect place for star gazing since the blazing lights of the city center were far away.

Jungkook’s shower was as monochromatic as the rest of the house. All the fixtures were brushed silver. The floor was a mesmerizing tessellation of black and white overlapping circles The long grey-and-white marble vanity rested below an equally long frameless mirror. The bath towels were all charcoal grey, folded neatly like the ones in hotels. I dropped my gym bag on the floor beneath them.

The shower stall was wide enough that I could just touch both walls with my arms stretched out. There was a ledge on one side, high enough to sit on. I decided to snoop around, opening Jungkook’s body wash with an experimental sniff. My eyes widened at the heavenly smell. Geranium! I took a deep breath of my favorite scent, marveling that everything was geranium and rosewood scented – the shampoo, conditioner, body wash and face wash.

I turned on the rain shower, stepped under it with a sigh and started working the shampoo and body wash into a nice lather. I closed my eyes, luxuriating in the warm spray. It was like taking a shower in a spa. Then I heard the shower door open. A pair of hands snaked around my waist, and a warm torso pressed against my back.

“I couldn’t wait”, Jungkook growled, dropping his head to plant kisses on my shoulder as the suds got washed off by the spray. His big hands moved up past my ribs slowly to cup my breasts. As he massaged them and moved his fingers to pinch my nipples, he nibbled at my right earlobe, intensifying the ache between my legs.

“Look at how your breasts fill my hands” he murmured, as he rubbed against me, his erection digging into my back. He pulled back a little, his fingers tracing the tattoo on my lower back. “I’ve been wanting to see what tattoo you have here. It’s a phoenix” he marveled, fingers following the shape of the wings. “Is there a story?”

Not wanting to talk about my phoenix. I reached back and took him in one hand, feeling the warm, smooth skin, whimpering at how thick he was. Keeping my hand on his cock, I turned around, then dropped to my knees. I looked up at him coyly, “I told you it’d be worth the wait”, then took him in my mouth.

He forgot all about his question. He tasted salty, the tip wet with precum. I pulled back to swirl my tongue around the tip, earning me a raspy moan. I took all of him then, dropping my jaw to accommodate his impressive length. I could barely reach the base before I felt the tip at the back of my throat, making me swallow instinctively, earning me another moan. I looked up at him and saw that his head was thrown back, eyes closed, mouth slack. I reach out to cup his soft, velvety balls and massaged them lightly, as he groaned and placed both hands on my head. I used my fingers to apply some pressure to his perineum and heard him gasp, as his eyes flew open and he looked down at me, his eyes burning.

I fell into a rhythm, guided by the gentle thrust of his hips and his groans. “Yeah baby, just like that” he ground out as his eyes closed again and his hips started thrusting faster and harder. I hollowed out my cheeks and applied more pressure, choking a little when he thrust all the way back into my throat, and then his warm cum filled my throat and mouth. I swallowed it all, looking up at him with big eyes as he sat down on the ledge to catch his breath.

“All clean now!” I told him as I wrapped myself in a towel and moved past him to exit the shower. He sprung to his feet, followed me out, catching my arm in one hand “Where do you think you’re going?”.

“Oh, I just wanted to move this” as I gestured between us “outside”.

“Why?”

“So I can watch you fuck me on your marble counter” as I leaned forward , dropping the towel and placing my hands on the counter, sticking my ass out at him.

"Fuck me" he said to himself as he opened a drawer in the vanity. “So you like to watch, huh?", he asked as he pulled out a condom.

“I’m on the pill”.

“Perfect” he said, chucking the unopened condom across the room, making me laugh. He stalked over to stand behind me, looking at me in the mirror, fingers trailing up the back of my thigh. “Want to see how hard I can fuck you? Are you ready baby?” as he dipped two fingers into my folds. “Yes, I’d say you’re ready” my wetness coating his fingers when he pulled them out. He kicked my legs apart, pressed down my lower back so that I was leaning more over the counter, and took his hard again length in one hand to pump it slowly.

He positioned the head of his cock near my entrance, gathered my hair in his other hand and pulled, forcing my head up and my back to arch. My now hard nipples brush against the cold marble, making me shudder. He thrust into me in one smooth movement, burying himself to the hilt as I moaned loudly.

I watched as his forehead creased with concentration and he bit his lower lip, worrying his lip ring. His hips snapped hard as he fucked into me so hard I rocked back and forth on the counter. I watched my breasts bounce with every thrust of his hips. The sound of skin slapping on skin and his harsh breaths echoed in the bathroom. He let go of my hair and reached around me to apply pressure on my clit as he built from a slow, driving cadence to a hard, fast pistoning. My walls fluttered as my eyes rolled up and my orgasm washed over me, making my toes curl up. His hips stuttered not long after as he emptied himself inside me, his breaths coming fast as he cradled me in his arms as we both caught our breath.

“Wait here”. He squeezed me, before padding over to his towels. He retrieved a small hand towel, wet it in the sink, knelt behind me, then proceed to wipe me, cleaning the combination of our juices that was running down my leg. When he was done he stood and pressed a kiss on my tattoo.

“You’re gong to tell me the story of your phoenix one day”.

“What makes you think we’ll be spending enough time together for me to tell you the story” I jested as I pulled on a clean tee and shorts from my bag.

“I don’t know. Call it a hunch.” He winked at me as he put on a pair of shorts.

“We’ll see,” I teased, picking up my gym bag and making my way to the front door. “See you around, Big Boy”. He stood in his doorway, watching me walk down the corridor to the lift lobby. As the lift doors closed, I blew him a kiss.

As the lift descended to the basement, it struck me. I didn’t even ask him for his number.

Previous (Chp1) || Next (Chp3)

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Man these are good tropes!

Already did this here!

Thumbprint Challenge

thank u sm for the tag @corinneglass! this was so interesting to think about <3

Some things that are consistent in my writing are...

IDENTITY!! when do we become the masks we wear?

losing someone you love and doing everything, anything, to get them back somehow, even if as nothing more than a shadow on the wall

unnecessary tangents on philosophy

street smart, annoyed women who make their unrequited feelings everyone else's problem (i got obsessed with éponine thénardier when i was 17, can you tell)

gentle, soothing love

tagging (gently, no pressure): @leahnardo-da-veggie @elizaellwrites @kaylinalexanderbooks and anyone else who'd like to do this <3

[baronessvonglitter]

Sprinkle of Cinnamon ✨

Frankie Morales x f!Reader | WC: 1.3K

Summary: While getting some holiday baking done, your boyfriend has a big surprise in store for you.

WARNINGS: Absolutely none. Pure fluff and family friendly themes ❤️ Mention of fire (Frankie burns some brownies but he’s a pro and gets the fire put out quickly.

Author's note: This fic is for @frenchiereading who I got in the Secret Santa challenge by @pedrostories. This was such a lovely challenge idea and I had a wonderful time writing this for you, Mel! Wishing you a very happy and peaceful holiday, and I hope you enjoy this little slice of Frankie sweetness 🥰

FRANKIE MORALES MASTERLIST | FULL MASTERLIST

Cinnamon is the last thing you need from the store, and as you wedge yourself in between other shoppers' carts during the last-minute Christmas baking rush to get down the spice aisle, you grab the last plastic bottle of McCormick's and head to the checkout line.

Now that you have your last ingredient a calmness washes over you. All the gifts are wrapped, the house is ready for your Christmas guests tomorrow, the first with your live-in boyfriend Frankie Morales and his young daughter Daniela. Everything is going according to plan. No surprises, just how you like it.

All that's left is the baking, which little Daniela blithely asked to assist you with.

However, when you arrive home, the sight you behold is of Frankie, apron haphazardly strewn about his person, emptying the last contents of the fire extinguisher at the stove. Acrid smoke hangs in the air and a sheepish smile creeps upon his face.

"Hey honey," he says pleasantly, coughing a little from the smoke. "Didn't expect you home so early."

"What happened?" you ask, wide-eyed, assessing the damage, of which there is thankfully little.

His seven year old daughter Daniela speaks up. "Daddy was trying to make brownies!"

"To surprise you," he groans, his secret unraveled by his own flesh and blood. "You have so much baking to do before tomorrow and I just wanted to help you get ahead."

"That's sweet." You wrap your arms around him and give him a soft kiss. "I'm sure they would have been delicious."

"I don't think so," Daniela shakes her head, unsuccessfully evading her dad as he scoops her up into his arms and tickles her.

A shuffling noise is heard upstairs, right above the kitchen in the bedroom you share with Frankie. "Is someone here?"

"No," Frankie says, giving his daughter a look as he holds her in his arms. "I didn't hear anything. Did you hear anything, niñita?"

Daniela hides her face in her dad's shoulder and shakes her head, but a tiny giggle escapes. 

"Still, I should go check." He puts her down and races upstairs.

"Okay.." you side-eye them, a little smile on your lips. "Dani, sweetie, want to help me start with the cupcakes?"

Later that night everything is cleaned, back to its normal settings, and you're mixing a bowl of gingerbread with Daniela's help. She's excited to be involved in the baking process, carefully arranging the decoration icing tubes and separating the sprinkles by type, making the thumbprints in the jam-filled thumbprint cookies, and meticulously adding red and green M&Ms to the cupcakes she helped you frost.

Frankie, who claimed not to find anything suspicious earlier, is upstairs wrapping gifts (so he says), and suddenly emits a loud curse. There's a loud bump. You listen, watching the ceiling above you where the noise comes from. "You okay, babe?" you call out.

"Yeah! I'm good, baby.. don't come up!" he warns you.

"Okay," you stifle a little giggle, exchanging a glance with Daniela, who looks just as amused and shakes her head and keeps at her work, adding snowflake crystals to some freshly baked brownies.

"Ow! Hey, damn it," you hear him grunt, then another sound is heard, something muffled and whiny.

"Frankie?" you call upstairs.

He's silent but you hear some rustling and scratching. "What's going on up there?" you call out again.

"Daniela!" Frankie calls, evidently trying not to sound frazzled. "Can you come up here, niñita? Please?"

She dutifully goes up, abandoning the brownies. 

"What is going on today?" you mutter to yourself, mixing the gingerbread as the oven dings its readiness.

Finally you have time to rest. Daniela's still helping out her dad with the wrapping, even though you'd offered your expert gift-wrapping technique. He didn't want you to see what he'd gotten you.

"I don't need anything for Christmas, just you," you'd told him all holiday season. But Frankie was insistent. He loved giving gifts, even something as small as a small bouquet from the florist or your favorite snack from the corner store where he took your car to fill up the tank.

You hope he'll like the watch you got him. You'd saved up for the expensive one he'd been looking at in the sales catalog for weeks.

"Babe, take a break and come down here for some cocoa!" you call up, putting down a tray of steaming sweet hot chocolate in three mugs, topped with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and some candy canes for stirring.

There's that shuffling sound again, like little taps on the stairs. You hear Frankie's curse and Daniela's high-pitched giggling before a golden retriever puppy comes bounding downstairs, a little Santa hat on its head, pawing at your legs.

"Oh my gosh, who's this little guy?" you bend down to scratch the puppy's ears as Frankie and Dani come downstairs.

"He's your surprise," Frankie says, swiftly picking up the little cutie. There's a red ribbon tied to his tail, with something on the end of it. "What is that?" you ask.

"I did that! I was very careful," Daniela says proudly. And before Frankie can move away with the puppy, you touch the ribbon and find something heavy on the end. Bright and sparkly.

"A ring?" You give Frankie a confused look.

If it's possible for someone to both pale and blush at the same time, Frankie accomplishes it. He unties the ring from the ribbon and slips it off, holding it between two fingers as he gets down on one knee, the puppy tucked safely under his arm.

"Baby.." he starts, and your eyes blur with tears of joy and excitement. Daniela claps her hands happily.

"I had a whole speech planned, but I'm just gonna wing it, and speak from my heart," he says, big brown eyes looking up at your like you're his life raft.

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever met. Not just on the outside, but on the inside. You're caring and smart and funny, you made Dani and I feel like part of a family again.. and you put up with all my bullshit."

Daniela gasps. "Daddy, don't say bad words!"

You laugh with him. "But it's true," he continues. "I don't deserve you, not one bit. But if you marry me I promise I'll show you every day that I can be worthy of you.."

Your heart is racing so quickly you're afraid it'll fly right out of your chest. "Frankie.. of course I'll marry you!"

It takes a moment for him to register your answer, then he's up and hugging you, the puppy wagging its tail and Daniela wrapping her little arms around yours and Frankie's legs.

"It was the hardest thing to keep her quiet," Frankie says, watching Dani play with the puppy, affectionately named Holly in the spirit of Christmas.

"That was all the noise I heard?" you snuggle on his shoulder as the two of you sip your hot chocolate, The Santa Clause playing on TV. 

"I know you don't like surprises, but I wanted this to be memorable for you," he says with an apologetic look. You can't resist him, giving him a soft kiss which he returns with eagerness.

"It was.. I just feel bad I only got you a watch when you got me an entire engagement ring.."

"Baby, it's no big deal- wait, you got me a watch?"

You groan, smacking your forehead. "Yeah. That's meant to be a surprise for you too."

"The one we saw in the mail catalog? The expensive one?" You can't help loving how hopeful he sounds.

"It wasn't that expensive," you smile.

Content as you rest on the sofa, watching Dani play with Holly, life can't possibly get better. The diamond on your finger twinkles in the lights of the Christmas tree, but you're too enamored with the people in the room, the ones who belong in your heart.

dividers by @thecutestgrotto 👑

[recareels]

warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, pseudocest

big brother ajax is the type to press a thumbprint into the obscenely massive blotch of navy staining your neck as he slinks by you in the kitchen—nonchalant, unobtrusive, but annoying—and ask ‘who gave ya that nasty mark, huh?’ in front of the entire family, knowing full well that he gave it to you after sneaking in through your bedroom window at three am last night. 

‘whoever it is, they really did a number on you,’ he’d continue, jabbing at the hickey again and asking, ‘why do you let ‘em do that to you?’, knowing full well that you can’t do anything but stutter out some incoherent response, tongue tripping over your lies, choking on half-formed excuses as your adoptive father glares at you. 

ajax’s mask of mock concern is good—sufficient enough to appear authentic from a distance: brow warped with worry, creased just a little too perfectly; tone composed with ideal amounts of fretful and distress, balancing the two in a way that’s a little too calculated—but you’re not fooled. because you can see that sharp shard of mischief glimmering in his eye; you can see the playful smirk incessantly yanking at a corner of his mouth. 

he’s offering a challenge.

and you’re going to get him back.

[poolnoodling]

hiiii so good to see you back!!! about the little fanfic draft file names game, would you mind sharing a little about concrete??? and/or maybe DRAFT_CHERRY??? their titles are very intriguing and i’d love to hear more about them :D

ahh hi i love you. thanks so much. it's been a minute right!!!!!! i'd love to share some info/glimpses of both.

concrete feet ok so this title is taken from florence and the machine's heavy in your arms which. strong vibe for this angsty canon fic (threw some abo in there too why the fuck not) in which i wanted love (see: gojo satoru) to be a condemnation, a death sentence, rather than a blessing. this fic explores power dynamics in a heavy heavy way - Getou was a stock-motion doll. Gojo’s fingers manipulated his frame. His thumbprints a permanent whorl in the soft plasticine flesh of Getou’s inner arm - a huge step away from my usual lovey dovey equal partnership vibe. on that whimsical note :)

It’s only the following day that Getou returns from a mission to find Gojo in his room, cross-legged in front of his chest of drawers. About him is Getou’s underwear, strewn carelessly, and in his palm sits the plastic orange bottle, like a pilfered conch shell Gojo can’t work out if he wants to probe for meat or toss back into the ocean where he found it. 

At Getou’s appearing, which he does not explicitly acknowledge, he takes his time tucking the bottle back into the cotton recess from which he extricated it. 

“I was looking for my sweatbands,” he offers by way of greeting, smoothing Getou’s clothes back down like compacted earth over a sapling. 

Ridiculously, Getou has to remind himself he need not ask permission to enter his own fucking room; he still crosses the threshold with stifled hesitation. “I don’t have them,” he replies plainly. 

Silence wedges itself between them, personified. It looks between them expectantly.

Ask me, then, Getou thinks. Just ask.

Gojo does regard him, then, with a tilt of his jaw. And for all of Getou’s exhaustion, for the new tinge of humiliation he’d found bleeding at his corners, he feels, with an unstoppable vehemence, that he could hit him. The expression on Gojo’s face – the source of Getou’s immediate and blood-hot fury – is pity. He is certain of it. 

Gojo shuts the drawer carefully, slowly, and Getou trembles in the doorway. 

“I’ll check laundry,” he says lightly on his way out, letting their shoulders brush, and heads uncaringly in the wrong direction.  

fun fact - this scene directly follows from another snippet i have somewhere else on my blog :) i can't wait to finish this fic and show you guys just how fuckin insufferable i can make gojo be

and as for Cherry! idk why i named the draft this. the fic is so far title-less, but has a cherry coke/pink neon/sour candy vibe in my brain. this au is a little grimy, a little lighthearted, a little bratty. maybe a bit of an indulgent description-fest rather than plot heavy or a character study. and i'll be honest, i've absolutely stalled at the smut scene so as it stands it's about 10k of extended foreplay in one way or another.

Satoru’s wearing one of Shoko’s baby-tees, which he'd pulled stiff and static from the dryer. On him, it’s cropped. Navel poking above his jeans. Hem flat against hipbones, ruching when he twists. In the reflection, he’d seen Getou looking at the base of his spine when he’d ducked down. He’s got a birthmark there, latte-coloured, that boys like to trace with their tongues.

and

Over her shoulder, through the curtain of her chestnut hair, he finds Getou's eyes. Bodies, smoke, coloured light, forming the traffic between. He’s loosened his hair; Satoru wonders when. Loosened his attitude, too, because he sips his cup right-handed this time, eyes unblinking over the rim, by now understanding the challenge: be the last to look away.

and

Her mouth touches the conch of his ear. “You’re a shameless whore.” She’s laughing, but he still burns and she knows it. “Using me. It doesn’t even have to be much; I know you. You’d probably be content just to watch him fuck me, wouldn’t you?”

“Content? It’d be agony.”

“Exactly.” She gets him.

i think u get the picture. shoko features heavy in this one...... wink wink

thanks again for the ask!!!!!!! hope you guys enjoy these snippets......... god knows it has been too long since i posted anything of mine

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Already did this here!

Thumbprint challenge

Thank you @willtheweaver for tagging me!

Rules: look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Magic or anything fantasy related has to be part of the story. I have like three non-magical wips, but fantasy makes the writing so much easier. It gives me more freedom to invent and create new things.

Characters that are hard on the outside but soft on the inside. I don't know what it is about this trope, but one (1) character always has to be like this in my books.

Secret heritage/identity. I tend to use that element a lot in my books to create a bit of friction between the characters. I wouldn't call it drama, but it definitely helps me bring some flavor into the story.

Tragic backstory. Oh boy, if they don't have a tragic backstory, then they will have a tragic present. Traumatising is and will be one of my biggest plot devices. It keeps the story flowing but explains some of the choices, good or bad, my characters make. I want the reader to think: "Oh, that's why they did that"

Found family (or something similiar). In the telling of the story, most of the main characters get thrown into situations which lead them to meet other characters and eventually grow attached to each other. This trope helps me showcase the growth of, for example, my angry Italian man that, at the beginning, could not stand the main character, but as the story progressed he opened up, found peace and understanding, aka found family.

Romance. Someone is always in love or will fall in love. Can't help it, I'm a sucker for good romance.

This was fun!! Tagging, with no pressure, @agirlandherquill , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @theink-stainedfolk , @njnetails , @cssnder and everyone else~

[umbrellajam]

2, 3, 4 for cass!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

her first word, screaming defiance at the father who did everything in his power to steal words from her entirely. blood on her fist again, tears on her face again, but she's not a scared, confused little girl anymore (she is, she is, but this time--) this time, she takes everything he did to forge her into a perfect killer and throws it in his face.

"STOP!"

wrecked me when I first heard it in the audio drama, I was crying in my car and everything

also her Total Audacity toward enemies and allies alike. and that big gorgeous smile she gets while doing absurd shit like taking on a whole room of FBI agents or putting her face up to the barrel of Shiva's gun and challenging her to single combat

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

ahaha, probably also her audacity and ego 🙃 specifically when condescending toward allies. it cuts both ways as a feature/flaw that's entertaining/fascinating to read about in a comic book character but that I would not vibe with at all irl, Steph put up with some shit in there lol

also the editorial character assassination, sidelining from Batgirl, and complete erasure of her character, of course, but I figure that goes without saying

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

how about Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, because Cass Cain was absolutely definitely nowhere in that movie?? :)))

okay but actually, maybe it's Spirit World or Damion Scott's art style but I'm thinking a Ghibli movie. put that girl in fantastical situations. Cass as San in Princess Mononoke. Cass as Ponyo, guest-starring Steph as Sosuke.

10-year-old Cass tripping her way into the spirit realm during her wandering years after running away from Cain, rampaging her way through Yubaba's bathhouse on pure fist-first fighty adrenaline and then having to stay to work off her debt. Yubaba struggling with the contract for a bit because Cass can't write and in fact has no name to sign away. probably ends up tricking her into giving her thumbprint in blood or something. Cass making friends, sympathizing with No-Face as No-One herself, trying to beat him up when he starts to go gold-crazy and going a bit O_o when her fists sink into his gloop and do nothing. who even is Haku in this AU, idk and I'm not sure I care, I just want 10-year old Cass running around with spirits

ask game