#wip: dyads

[sunlit-gully]

WIP GAMES

Rules: Make a week-long poll with the names of your wips, let it run, then write one sentence for every vote the winner received.

This poll will be up for a week, until 28th August.

[sunlit-gully]

Anthologia Sovietica: I already made a playlist for it. Each season should have at least 2 songs from this (not counting the tidbits of Soviet pop and folk that plays over other segments). And there are 9 seasons. Go figure.

Weathering the Waves: any folksy songs east of the Ural containing a melancholy tune and some string instruments will do as season theme songs.

Dyad: cutesy contemporary classical or hardcore orchestral, no in-between, thank you very much.

If your WIP became a TV show, what would the theme song be like? Instrumental? A repurposed pop song? A specially-written song with lyrics that explain the premise? A five-second musical sting over the show logo?

[jessicas-pi]

Ben has kind of been having the worst day of his life, what with the dying and all.

It’s a marked improvement when he’s tramping through the forests of Takodana and a familiar voice demands, “Would you believe me if I told you Palpatine was my grandfather?”

He turns around.

Stares.

Rey stands ten feet away, her blaster pointed at him, a challenge in her eyes.

“Would you believe me if I told you Han Solo was my father?” he says, answering the question with a question.

“Yes,” she says, lowering the blaster.

“Well, that answers that,” he replies, turning off his lightsaber.

The silence stretches on.

Takodana is unpleasantly hot.

Why did he ever think wearing all-black was a suitable fashion choice?

Rey falters, apparently not having planned what to say if she got this far. “I suppose this is where we save the galaxy.”

“I suppose so,” he agrees. “To Exogol, then?”

“Have you got the Wayfinder already?” she asks, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Picked it up on the way here.”

“Ah. That simplifies things.” She holsters her blaster and sets off at a brisk pace, adding as she brushes past him: “And try not to die this time. It was so inconvenient.”

“You died first,” he mutters.

[virtie333]

WIP Wednesday

Poe finds out what Luke and Rey are planning in regards to Kylo Ren in tomorrow's chapter of The New Recruit.

“You’re going to what?!” Poe couldn’t stop the shrill sound his voice produced at his exclamation, and he wasn’t embarrassed by it, either. He was too shocked. Rey’s eyes shifted a bit, her demeanor suddenly nervous. “I’m going to try and contact Ben through the Force,” she said, her voice much softer than the first time she had said it. Apparently, Poe’s reaction was unexpected.

[iamtechnos-world]

A Crown of Frost - Book One of The Valedor Saga (on Wattpad) Come check out my WIP dark fantasy novel: https://www.wattpad.com/story/385328636-a-crown-of-frost-book-one-of-the-valedor-saga?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_myworks&wp_uname=GiantFox732 

 Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown - William Shakespeare 

The Kingdom of Valedor will never be the same again. 

 An old king gives up his crown, but has he truly relinquished the throne? 

She was just 19 winters old when her angel prince chose her. When he gazed into her eyes, stole her heart. 

 But, a shocking chance meeting led to a second suitor, a warrior who may just change her life. 

In the North, a debt binds her to the ice palace, but her power lies within. 

The world of Valedor is a treacherous place, a world where trust is as as scarce as peace. Maria, a beautiful princess of 19 winters, is about to meet her prospective suitor. Chosen at a royal party by Raphael, a gorgeous young prince, she thinks her life is set. But then, an accidental meeting and a chance feeding brings a new stranger into her life: Drevan, a young Lykan with a strange secret. Meanwhile, Rin, a kitsune, senses a way out from her frozen prison in the Ice Castle. Each one of them will shake the world of Valedor. Each one of them will unveil stunning secrets. And hence the Saga of Valedor begins. 

Warning - Upload schedule will be sporadic. Cover by Freepik

[jamiepaige]

Constant Companions Closeup #1: DYAD

(also on spotify!)

Hello everyone!! It's been a couple weeks and change since Constant Companions, my newest album, was released unto the world, and I've been genuinely blown away by the response. Genuinely, thank you to everyone who's been streaming, commenting, making mashups, changing their pfps and usernames - it means the world to me!

I wanted to give some of that love back with something people have been asking me a lot about - and, admittedly, something I love doing. Song explanations! Deep dives! Dropping the lore! Welcome... to the Constant Companions Closeups...

For the next eleven days, I'll be going into each track one by one and babbling about the process, inspiration, details, feelings, and thoughts behind each one! We're getting sappy. We're bearing our hearts. We're telling unfunny jokes. And we're starting with track one - DYAD (featuring unit.0)!

---

Naturally, since this is the first track, it also serves as a great point to talk about my intention with this album as a whole!

I'll elaborate more on this with future tracks, but to me, there are really two main things that define the sonic progression of this album versus my previous work - guitars and vocal synths. Obviously, these things have been present in my work since I first started calling myself Jamie Paige, but Constant Companions is intended to be my overwrought, sappy confession of love to these two things that time and time again have made me simply want to make music. I love rock and I love Hatsune Miku dammit!!!

I had originally written this song in February of 2023 for a game-jam-esque online festival hosted by my friend Loni called HAPPY PARTY TRI, and at that time, I had found myself at a major crossroads. I had put out People Posture Play Pretend and :women_wrestling: the previous year, and while the response was nice, I was feeling listless and lost.

I love singing. I like my voice well enough. I certainly love writing music with lyrics!! But... there was something uniquely electrifying about using vocal synths. Amidst a lot of insecurity and emotional turmoil surrounding the process of making art and putting myself out into the world, it was one of the few things that just made everything feel right. Suddenly, I was making the same kind of music that had touched my heart so many times over.

Would it alienate people, though? Would I lose longtime listeners? Yes, that weighed on my mind more than I'd like to admit, but even more than that... I was worried I'd lose some part of myself, as silly as it sounds. Maybe what I thought was a bridge would become a barrier, and the messages I wanted to send across the gap would never find their way.

Ultimately, I felt that Dyad was the only kind of opener I could've possibly given this album, and a perfect fit for the album's motif. A dialogue between myself, stricken with loneliness and a lack of inertia running in circles, and that synthesized voice (ANRI Arcane my darling), grabbing the outstretched hand and asking a question I already know the answer to -

"Baby, do you know what you wanna hear?"

Yes, it's a love song, but it's not just for a person - it's a love song for the creative impulse, and for the places I wanted it to take me.

im resisting the urge to be jokingly dismissive of myself to diffuse tension but i still need to signal that the emotionally bare part of this is over so pretend im doing a funny little dance Anyways let's talk more technical stuff

---

Like many of my songs, Dyad came together from a patchwork of different snippets and ideas I had laying around. The back half of the chorus - "dream together, we can dream together" - originally came from this idea I had jotted down something like 9 months prior, but ended up being a perfect fit for Dyad in basically every way. The verse snippet that I'd written to go with it got reused for a later song on Constant Companions as well! (I say without naming it, as if it isn't literally lifted wholesale from this demo and thus incredibly obvious)

I wasn't originally planning on brazenly quoting the bridge of a Tally Hall song when I set out to write this song, but while toying around with a bridge idea involving a shortened version of the pre-chorus melody, I realized I had inadvertently copied it anyways. I was going to scrap it... but at the request of my dear friend and certified Tally Hall lover Marcy Nabors, I made it an explicit reference. Which I'm fine with, personally! The first CD I ever owned was a copy of Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum my sister bought me all the way back in 2006 - You can pry that sentimental attachment from my cold, dead hands, TikTok kiddies.

Lastly - not really behind the scenes so much as just a shoutout - thank you to unit.0 for the lovely lead guitar work on this song!! He's been a beloved collaborator of mine for many, many years now, and one of the people who ultimately convinced me this direction was the right one to go in, so it means a lot to share this song with him. Go listen to his music!!! Now!!!!!!

That's about it for this song! Not to sound like a fucking YouTuber, but genuinely, if there are any details you'd like to hear more about, let me know and I might made a bonus post at the end of all this. Otherwise, thank you for listening! Tomorrow: Not Quite There, featuring telebasher!

❤️💚

[stellanslashgeode]

WiP Wednesday on a Friday

Here's a sneak peek at the start of the Vampire Hunter AU. I'm inspired by @charmwasjess and their own WiP to get this underway.

  Autumn leaves crunched under her feet as Ahsoka reentered the long-abandoned power plant. The sky was turning vivid orange and purple behind her; but the rising sun did little to subvert the gloom of the building interior. The leaves were the only sound, and the dawn’s light and whatever anemic light penetrating the dust and cobweb patina on windows to the exterior provided the only light. 

  Ahsoka sought to swallow the knot of nervous energy in her throat and reached for the glowrod attached to her belt. She shined a vivid bright white LED beam cutting a blade through the gloom, light bouncing off every dust mote.

  She could have called out to her partner, but the plaintive exclamation died in her windpipe, blocked by that knot of grief at her trachea. 

  “Go on in, Ahsoka. That fiend must be asleep by now.”

  She was retracing steps she had taken with Barriss a week previously. Ahsoka looked over her shoulder as if she could see her companion, her fellow Jedi vampire slayer at her side.

  She looked up from her trusty datapad and smiled brightly. Her adorable Cupid’s-bow lips gently curled into a sly smile just for her. Just for her. Like lucious ribbons securing a present for her to unwrap. The screen left dual rectangles of reflected blue light on her glasses. Her stupid sexy glasses. She had her hair tied back in a bun and covered with a kerchief. 

  Otherwise she was dressed like an office secretary. Ahsoka never could grasp how she refused to alter her costume for missions. Ahsoka had her combat gear on, her plate-reinforced vest with the stiff metal collar over her throat. A garlic garland strung across her shoulders like a feather boa. She was holding her stake already, even here at the door in morning sunlight.

  And Barriss in a blouse, pencil skirt, kitten heels, and hose like it was a Tuesday at the office.

  “You’re sure she’s in here.” Ahsoka sought to intone it as a statement rather than a question.

  “According to my data this is the central point where the attacks originate. We are doomed to chase down its victims in villages all over the province unless we slay the monster inhabiting this old plant. Exterminate the queen, and the nest withers and dies.” 

  She pushed up the tortoiseshell frame of her glasses casually with a pinkie finger. Ahsoka was suddenly struck by the urge to grab her wrist and take that delicate digit into her mouth and surround it with her warm wet tongue. But she banished that urge lest her fellow Jedi hunter read her thoughts or emotions.

  She nodded and gave her a half-smile. “Okay.”

  Ahsoka was scared, but having Barriss here both as support and as a loved one to protect bolstered her. This wasn’t their first rodeo. As Jedi Knights they had joined a holy army of the light in opposition to these Sith bloodsucking freaks. Their masters had paired the two together after they showed how effective they were as a team. Perhaps they had also noted the attraction that grew by the day when they were together? Perhaps. Perhaps they sought the knights to overcome the temptations of the emotions and the flesh by serving the light together as a dyad.

  But damn, she wanted to kiss her right now. In this lull before confronting a great evil. Just to reassure each other and to get Ahsoka’s blood pumping rearing for the fight.

  “Let’s go, then. For light and life.”

  She tilted her head and her smile grew. Ahsoka’s heart leapt into her throat.

  Ahsoka sighed. She was returning here a failure and alone now. Barriss was either dead or a creature subverted by evil. And the best option was death. It would be a blessing to find her corpse inside.

  She spent a few days and dreamless nights at the tavern, in the room they rented together, in the one bed they had vacant, drinking herself into a stupor each night and secretly wishing to be awakened by Barriss’s fingernails tapping on the exterior of the third-floor window. Asking to be invited in.

[zmwrites]

Writemas 2024: Day 6

As always, thank you to @agirlandherquill for the prompts and for hosting this event!

WIP: The Last Lightbringer

Prompt(s): “You were never worthy of my trust, nor my heart.” + A bridge

Words: 479

Notes: Literally some of the first words I've written for this vibes-only WIP. Probably set somewhere near the end of book 1? I know as much as you at this point.

Mirra coughed and dragged herself to her feet. Her lungs burned from her sprint from the palace to the gate, but she’d made it. She was out. She was free. 

Dust from the bridge’s explosion filled the night air. The blast had sent shards of stone in every direction, and more than a few had caught her exposed skin. She brushed herself off. There would be bruises and cuts to count tomorrow, but today she was grateful she was alive.

On the other side of the chasm, the shadows seemed to darken and gather in one spot. Vesper emerged from the darkness. She held herself with poise and casual indifference as always, but she couldn’t keep the rage from her face.

How dare you? she demanded across the Dyad bond. Her words were icicles in Mirra’s heart.

I told you, I can’t stay, Mirra said. I won’t serve the empire that destroyed my home.

This is your home, Mirra.

She shook her head. No. My home could never be alongside those who view my people as vermin.

You could have ignored them!

It’s not just the few vocal people, Vesper, it’s the whole system! It’s so intrinsic to the values of this place that it couldn’t be cut out.

The emperor handed you everything you could have wanted. How dare you turn your back on him?

Mirra tilted her head, waiting for the actual question. Their Dyad bond wasn’t so open that she could read Vesper’s thoughts, but she knew when she was redirecting.

How could you turn your back on me? Vesper’s voice cracked, a momentary flash of pain showing through the anger.

Mirra swallowed. I’m sorry. I wish you would’ve come with us.

Even from across the chasm, she could see confusion cross Vesper’s face. Her eyes snapped to something behind Mirra.

She looked over her shoulder; Ren stood ten paces behind her, waiting at the edge of the debris field. His arms were folded and his brows were drawn as he watched them.

I guess you’ve both made your choice, then, Vesper said coldly.

Mirra frowned. It’s not like that.

You were never worthy of my trust, nor my heart. She shuttered her mind, just like she had when they’d first been bound together.

Vesper—

Something snapped. Mirra doubled over, a silent scream ripping out of her. It felt like she was dying. Like something had been torn out of her and now her organs didn’t fit right.

“Mirra!” Ren’s arms wrapped around her and half-carried her away from the remnants of the bridge. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I think she broke the Dyad bond,” she managed between ragged breaths.

He looked at her, then glanced back across at Vesper. “Shit.”

Mirra followed his gaze just in time to see Vesper turn away and be swallowed by her shadows. She closed her eyes. Shit, indeed.

[mayfriend]

wip title tag game

thank you to @starlightandsunshine who tagged me <3

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs

i'm gonna be so real with you. if i gave u all my wips then we would be here all night. so i'll go with the recent, unpublished ones with the more interesting names

buenos aires

every fledgling louis never made

paul de pointe du lac vs. the devil

(he loved him) as himself

daniel meets claudia's ghost (kinkmeme fill)

unmaking

driftmark presentation au

throwing girls

vaderwan force dyad

for the love of it

vladimira

and i'm (no pressure!!) tagging @searchingforserendipity25 @downstairsbar @officialclaricestarling @a-witch-in-endor @this-world-of-beautiful-monsters @freshairforrabbits @corrosivesaints and anyone else who wants to do it <3

[words-after-midnight]

Hey thanks for the follow and reblog! Just stopping by to say your WIPs sound interesting and unique. For Storyteller Saturday: Since Life in Black and White is an aughts period piece, is there a song from that time that reminds you of the story or characters? Or a song the characters like? (Believe it or not I was going to ask this anyway before I saw your playlist poll lol. Im curious either way tho!)

Ooooh thank you for this, I love music questions!

I'm sure I will forget some, but here are some songs from the aughts that I associate with the story/characters (many of these were on the original playlist, as I actually drafted the story in the late aughts):

Yellow by Coldplay (2000)*

It's Been Awhile by Staind (2001)

Weathered by Creed (2001)

My Sacrifice by Creed (2001)

Hide by Creed (2001) - This song still makes me emotional to this day, bwuh. 🙃

Breathe Your Name by Sixpence None the Richer (2002)

Down and Out of Time by Sixpence None the Richer (2002)

Dark Diamond by Elton John (2002)

Original Sin by Elton John (2002)

This Train Don't Stop There Anymore by Elton John (2002)

Unwell by Matchbox Twenty (2002)

Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty (2002)

Clocks by Coldplay (2002)* - I've considered this the story's theme song, pretty much, since I started drafting in 2008.

The Scientist by Coldplay (2002)*

Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5 (2002) - Generally not a fan of Maroon 5 but this song is lyrically great for Gabriel

Fallen by Sarah McLachlan (2003)

Stupid by Sarah McLachlan (2003)

Train Wreck by Sarah McLachlan (2003) - this one is funny because I refer to the Gabriel/Jeff dyad as "trainwreck," but this song is not where the name comes from. It just fits lyrically.

Mr. Brightside by The Killers (2004)

Savin' Me by Nickelback (2005) - The actual only Nickelback song I've ever liked because of how perfect the lyrics are for this story lol

Amid the Falling Snow by Enya (2005)

Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap (2005)

Us by Regina Spektor (2006)

To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra (2007) - Not to be dramatic but I can barely listen to this song now lol.

Death and all His Friends by Coldplay (2008)*

O My Heart by Mother Mother (2008)**

Burning Pile by Mother Mother (2008)**

Body by Mother Mother (2008)**

Ghosting by Mother Mother (2008)**

Try to Change by Mother Mother (2008)**

40 Day Dream by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (2009)

Bulletproof by La Roux (2009)

White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons (2009)

The Cave by Mumford and Sons (2009)

*Can you tell I was listening to a lot of Coldplay as a teenager? The opening chapter is called "A Rush of Blood to the Head" after the album that Clocks and The Scientist are on.

**Alternate playlist for libaw: the 2008 Mother Mother album "O My Heart."

In terms of what music They™ enjoy (ie. stuff they actually listened to at that time, so mostly older stuff than the aughts):

Gabriel's mostly an alt rock/metal/punk & similar type, which I'm sure will surprise approximately no one who's read Gabriel. His frequently played artists include Nine Inch Nails (his favorite band), Joy Division, Tool, Radiohead, RATM and the like. He's also been known to dabble in more electronic genres (eg. we share an appreciation for Daft Punk and Depeche Mode), enjoy classical music (eg. Beethoven), and have a certain nostalgic fondness for some classic rock, such as GNR and Pink Floyd, and Elton John, who was his late mother's favorite singer.

Jeff's a big classic rock snob* - think GNR, Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, CCR, Van Halen, Springsteen. His favorite band is Pink Floyd (favorite album Animals). Caveat: if you get him drunk enough there's a chance he'll jokingly (read: fully seriously) put on either Aquamarine by Aqua or Voulez-Vous by Abba and get very into it.

*He gets that from me. The classic rock part, not the snob part.

[sunlit-gully]

a wip by yours truly

ABOUT:

genre — slice of life, drabble, one-shot, contemporary, fantasy, historical

target word count — 3mil

status — first draft

themes —

warnings — violence and gore / death / physical & psychological abuse / trauma

SYNOPSIS:

(no spoiler this time hehe)

Basically these are short imagines for MBTI pairings! Really, this is just where I dump all my personality theory brainrots - maybe the characters are one-shot, maybe they'll get series of their own, who knows? I have a personal preference for shadow pairs (based on shadow functions), BUT you may request for whichever pairing you would want to see in a scenario of your choice!

[REQUESTS ARE OPEN]

Note: concepts related to personality tests must be taken with a grain of salt.

And here's to hoping...

[paisleypudge]

mostly posting this wip because i wanna show off these freakin vocals

[ifonlyweknewwhatiwasdoing]

WIP Game

Rules: in a new post, post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how nondescriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet and tell us about it!

I was tagged by @bluemaskedkarma.

Bear with me; this is about to get ridiculous. XD

Alpha Obi Padawan Fic

AlphaObiCody (Kittywan)

Mando Family Com

JastObiKal ONS

Kittywan, JastObiKal, Poor Little Meow Meow

Bratty JastObiKal

Sky and PJ Bonus Bonus Bonus Bonus Fic

Sky and PJ Bonus Bonus Bonus Bonus Bonus Fic

Feralwan vs JastKal

Blind Jaster Fic

Codywan Dementia

Dyad AU

Fluff Fic Attempt #22

Hung CD

JangObi No Way Home

JastObi Paralyzed

JastObi PC

JastObiJang

QuiObi TA

Tainted Love Idea

JastObi SYG Fic

JastObi SYG: First Babies Born

JastObi SYG: Snip, Snip

JastObi SYG: Space Viagra

JastObi Time Travel Mando Bait DILF Fic

JastObiKal Nonsexual BDSM

The Sun, The Moon Sequel

The Sun, The Moon Sequel Sequel

The Sun, The Moon, The Moments Between the Fic and Epilogue

I'm tagging: @skylariumrose @frostbitebakery @littledumplingwrites @nightoftheland @tennessoui @theshinylizard

[virtie333]

WIP Wednesday

I thought I was nearing the end. Then silly me had to write a chapter that did not go where I had planned. So, guess what? This monstrosity is getting even longer!

On that note, if you're reading this, a heartfelt thank you.

“How do you know this?” Leia asked, her expression incredulous.

“Palpatine may have been great at keeping secrets before he became Emperor, but he wasn’t so close-mouthed afterwards,” Luke said with a smirk. “There are recordings of his ‘triumphs’ all over the place.”

Leia scoffed. “Kriffing shitstain,” she muttered.

Rey couldn’t help but laugh and Luke’s smile grew. Then he focused on Rey, becoming serious once more. “What I want to know,” he told her. “Is if you think you can connect with him intentionally?”

Rey’s own smile faded. She had often reached out with her senses, attempting to distinguish between the individual presences of everyone on the base, and she had gotten quite good at it. She was able to find Poe easily, now, and had even been able to tell when he was in orbit. But to try and connect to someone lightyears away?

She looked at Leia. “The both of you can, can’t you? Talk through the Force, even when you’re far away from each other?”

Leia nodded. “Yes, but it took years of practice.”

Rey looked at Luke. “If I can, would I give away where we are?”

Luke shook his head. “I don’t think so, unless you told him outright.”

“And if I can’t connect with him?”

“Then my theory is wrong,” he said simply. “But if I’m right, we might be able to use it to our advantage.”

Rey took a deep breath. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

[vedavan]

💫"i'll be the light and lead you home"💫

💖Modern AU canon fix-it

💖 Dyad, soulmates, birthmarks, rebirth, reincarnation

💖WIP, 1/3?

Her fingers skate lightly over his abdomen. The silver-dollar sized mark is flat, the same texture as the rest of his skin, just a few shades darker and with blurred edges, almost like the skin has been scorched.

Burned.

"You know, some cultures believe a birthmark is from a past life, showing how that person was killed." Rey hears the words coming out of her mouth, but it's too late to stop them.

She cringes. What a crazy thing to say.

She must have read it somewhere once, but still. It’s a horrible thought, one she doesn't even wish to linger over, the thought of someone killing Ben… and besides, she doesn’t even believe in the idea of past lives. It’s total nonsense.

Isn't it?

Or: Rey's new boyfriend has a very unique birthmark.

Read on AO3 here

Gorgeous moodie by the amazing @sofondabooks

[starsscarmyceiling]

Homemade Dynamite, please?

OmGGGgg yay I am glad someone asked about this! Thanks anon! Unfortunately, this one’s been on the back burner for quite a BIT, but I mean @jan-uarys and I spent several hours last night freaking the FUCK out about it and it honestly got me hyped for it all over again!

This fic came about from my first Reylo modern AU, Keep the Blinds Open, wherein Ben moves across the street and Rey has to wipe her drool away and be like OH NO HE'S HOT…and basically, Rey wants to be in denial for so long and they’re both so stubborn that they didn’t even talk to each other or MEET until Ben had been living there for like a whole YEAR haha. Then one day my dyad in the force @saratogagrounder and I were talking about what it would be like if that happened with Merrical…and we were like LOL Merrin would never stand for that…and she ofc encouraged me to write the fic after we giggled about it for quite some time and we all know it takes like absolutely NO effort for me to take on another WIP—💀

But yeah so Merrin moves in across the street, Cal FREAKS out about it obvs, and is like omg how am I even going to live my life now with her being there and being all hot all the time and stuffs FUCK—and she’s been living there for like a couple of months at this point, and then Cal is standing in his kitchen one day contemplating if he should make himself some dino chicken nuggets for dinner and they make eye contact for the first time when she comes home, and he is just like frozen in place like SHIT SHIT SHIT SHITTTT WHAT DO I DO…and WHAT does our boy do?? HEH, he ends up just like awkwardly waving at her ofc. Then she just tilts her head at him, and then promptly leaves her apartment.

“Oh my god,” Cal said out loud, “I fucking—freaked her out so much she immediately had to leave her apartment.”

He let out a severe exhale as he started to pace about his kitchen for several minutes.

“Jesus Christ Beedee, I think we’re gonna have to move now—there’s no way I’m coming back from that—I can never look at her again.”

Cal grunted, bringing his index finger and thumb to his eyes and rubbing at them.

“Why—why are you like this? That was so fucking—”

There was a knock on his door. His head whipped over to it and he thought he might have been hearing things as he just stood there for a moment—or it could have been several before he heard it again as Beedee also barked along with it.

Cal looked at his dog, “Go lay down boy, it’s fine.”

The dog listened and went to his bed, but still whined a little.

“What the…” Cal said to himself as he placed his coffee down on the counter and paced to his door in such baffling steps, “who would—”

Cal unlocked the door, and there on the other side of it, was none other than her—his hot neighbor—right in front of him.

His eyes were probably popping out of his sockets as he said nothing for a sequence of seconds and just gawked at her, almost tempted to ask if she meant to come here.

She did know that—he lived here, right?

“Well,” she stated in a voice with an accent oh god she had an accent, “are you going to invite me inside?”

Cal just blinked a couple of times as she raised an eyebrow at him.

Oh my god say something—

“Uh—yeah, right,” Cal stammered, knowing he was severely red as he cleared his throat and stepped aside, “come on—in.”

She sounded Russian to him. Why was that hot? Jesus Christ she was so much hotter up close—

Strolling past him like she’d been here before, Cal closed the door behind her and he immediately shoved his hands down the pockets of his jeans as she still hadn’t faced him.

“Did you uh—” Cal panicked, so taken aback and so confused, “did you mean to come here?”

Why did he ask that?

She chuckled a little, “No, I meant to go to the Italian restaurant down the street and somehow ended up here.”

Cal snorted, not expecting such a quip from her, but then still felt all his anxiety crushing him as he took an unsteady breath.

“You know, I get that a lot—probably from all the gourmet meals I am always cooking for myself—the secret’s out.”

His heart was racing as she laughed again, and wow her laugh was—beautiful? Was that a weird thing to think?

All he knew is that he was trying not to focus on her, but then all he could focus on was her and no he wasn’t checking out her body or her perfect ass—

“Perhaps you could pitch them your favorite meal of chicken nuggets and whiskey—I am sure they’ll be very interested in hearing the recipe,” she responded, and honestly, he didn’t know why that felt like the wind was being knocked out of him, but there were just too many implications in that sentence that he simply couldn’t brush aside—

Cal needed to breathe; he wasn’t breathing—

“Uh—huh—they’ve been hounding me for years over it,” Cal stated in a voice that really didn’t sound as steady as his last sentence…almost like he had just gone through puberty and he was pretending to sound older than he actually was.

“My my, I am sure,” she stated, and Cal really didn’t know what to say to that.

He couldn’t still quite believe that she was just walking around in his apartment as she placed her purse down on his counter, clearly judging his things as he just stood there openly gaping at her like that was going to make this situation any better.

“You waved at me,” she pointed out.

And see Cal was trying to completely forget about the fact that his innate reaction to actually making eye contact with his new hot neighbor for the first time was to fucking awkwardly wave at her.

“Yeah—I…certainly did that.”

She turned to him finally, her eyes completely scanning over him like she was trying to size him up for something.

“Was that not an invitation to come over?” She asked as casually as if this was for some reason an entirely normal, commonplace really, way to interact with someone. Step one, sure, stare at your hot neighbor like some creeper, and then step two, wave at her like a complete buffoon, which will obviously lead her to showing up at your door unannounced.

What world was he living in right now?

“Oh, uh—” Cal stammered, knowing for damn sure that was not his intention, and if he were less awkward of a person perhaps he could actually be trying to accomplish something with this gorgeous person—even if it were to at the very least be having a successful conversation, “I guess it could have been…because it’s not like I mind you being here or anything—” oh fuck where the fuck was he going with this he needed to change gears now— “do you want some coffee or something?”

Her expression was difficult to read, but it could have possibly been like she was pitying him, “I suppose so…I take mine black.”

Cal lifted both his hands and pointed his index fingers at her, “Great.”

Well that was a weird thing to do. Then again, so was everything he did.

He thought being able to concentrate on doing something would help his anxiety as he noted Beedee had approached her and started sniffing at her. She bent down to give him a pet on his head.

“Oh uh—that’s Beedee, don’t worry he’s very friendly,” Cal said as he got a mug from his cupboard. He paced to the coffee machine and grabbed the pot. She seemed to have no response to him, but she was still giving his dog attention, so that was hot—

That was hot? What? Was everything she did hot just because she was so hot?

“And I’m Cal, by the way—Cal Kestis—um—if you wanted to know.”

She looked up at him, and he couldn’t quite tell if there was an upturn to her lip or not, but she definitely had raised her eyebrow at him, “Congratulations Cal Kestis.”

Normal—he felt very normal about her uttering his full name.

“Yeah, I get that a lot too,” Cal said without thought, “short for Calcium.”

For the first time there seemed to be a crack in her mostly stoic countenance as he walked over to her and offered the coffee mug.

“Is it really?”

Cal couldn’t help it, he smirked as she took the mug from his hand, “Of course.”

Her eyebrows knitted together, “Did your parents hate you?”

Parents—what an always excellent topic with him.

“You know—I think they must have.”

Honestly, not such a bad explanation on the fly.

She eyed him, making no attempt to drink her coffee.

“I feel as though you are making another stupid joke—but your tone just seemed more confident this time,” she claimed, and then he smiled again, trying not to focus on how he loved the shade of her brown eyes.

“Yeah, and now I just ran out of material, so it’s all downhill from here I’m afraid,” Cal said back, not even sure where that came from.

“Hm,” she hummed before she now took a sip of her coffee, “what a shame.”

Frankly, he was a little gobsmacked. She was—like very intimidatingly charming? And it just rendered him devoid of any more words or stupid jokes.

Damn, maybe he really was out of material.

As she turned from him again and began to once more circumvent the room.

And he watched her, just not finding it in him to look away again, and he just—he really wanted to ask her if she really came over here because he just fucking awkwardly waved at her.

He opened his mouth, but then she began speaking again.

“You watch me,” she stated in a complete matter of fact manner. Cal was not finding it difficult to decipher that she was just an extremely blunt person.

“Oh, yeah um,” he said, placing his hands on his hips, “you’re kind of…hard to miss.”

He looked up into her eyes and those brown irises were staring into his soul just a few paces away from him now.

Jesus—could he say anything remotely normal?

“I’m sorry,” he stated simply, hoping it would suffice enough for being a total creep, “I didn’t mean it in like—I—I mean I am not trying to be—”

God—he should probably just inform her that yes, he will be prompting moving out as soon as possible.

Because could he even deny his extremely inconvenient but still very real attraction to her?

She kept her stare on him for another few moments before she spoke, “Do not be sorry,” she stated, not turning from him entirely as she walked over to his window, “I watch you too.”

Cal was incidentally and entirely grateful that she could not see him right now because his jaw dropped a bit and his brain definitely forgot how to function for several seconds.

AHHH this is very first drafty EXCUSE

After disssss things get real REAL fun as I am attempting my first NON slow burn ever as they start boning right away, and it becomes and emotional slow burn. Merrin is like oh, feelings? I had those removed several years ago and Cal is like bet.

Cal’s a paramedic, and one day him and Kanan unfortunately lose someone and they have to wheel the body down to the morgue and GuEsS wHo’S tHe NeW MorGuE DoCtoR—😏

OOOOoHHH it gets SO fun from here as they navigate just banging on the reg and Merrin is like LOLZ I don’t do feelings and also being neighbors and seeing each other at work. There’s def a time or two they also bang in a janitor’s closet. Calamity ensues as Cal gets her coffee one morning along with everyone else’s and Merrin’s like you’re not allowed to be nice to me—and Cal’s like HA well too bad because I’m gonna anyway, actually.

Also @starryjediknight, I am DEF putting in some background Sabezra in there with Ezra being a nurse and Sabine being another doctor who lowkey caught Merrin and Cal coming out of the janitor’s closet, and she’s like lol girl you banging that hot ginger mess…and Merrin’s like NOO…well..maybe…YES we’ve banged a ton what do you want from me, and then Sabine is like lol I’m not judging I’m banging that nurse Ezra. I think I should also throw in some Cal and Ezra bonding over having scary hot doctor gfs LOL

Soooo YEAH v excited for this fic. It’s gonna be the best angsty ridiculous smutty Merrical rom com I as per USH from me���so I hope you guys will enjoy just as much too!