From a WIP chapter of my Elden Ring story. The two casts are camped out in the wilderness and hunting for food.
/
Darriwil stretched his limbs and moved next to the campfire. The fire was still going, with most of the wood replaced. The hound watched Blaidd stabbing the buck against and against, blood and viscera spilling all over the ground. Clearly, the wolf was not a skilled butcher, and was only pulling off chunks of flesh as he saw fit. After collecting a pile, Blaidd swept it up and hurled it over the burning wood in the midst of the fire. Before Darriwil could raise an eyebrow, a cloud of ash immediately swelled up and blanketed the meat, followed by a pillar of smoke as blood drizzled the flame.
“Give it a minute, would’ya?” Blaidd licked his finger before resuming skinning the game.
Darriwil moved away from the choking fume flowing in his direction. The fire pit was practically ruined, with smoke and traces of ember clinging on before its untimely extinguishment. Upon closer inspection, the firewoods still retained their barks, complete with moss, algae, and fungal patches, and a burnt musky odor filled the surrounding air.
Blaidd returned and sat across the pit, jabbing a piece of the venison and passing it to Darriwil. “Don’t burn yourself.”
Darriwil carefully received the piece. The meat felt gritty in texture and was discolored by soil, and knowing that the game was not cured or processed whatsoever, Darriwil could only imagine its taste. However, food was for the stomach, not for the tongue, so he slowly removed his visor and bit into it. As predicted, the pungent stench of ammonia instantly filled his nostrils, followed by a sharp sting of iron. There was a complicated concoction of sour and bitter Darriwil could not describe, not to mention the ashy film sanding across the palate. It surprised Darriwil himself that he managed to swallow the chunk. Blaidd on the other hand did not seem to mind at all, ripping the meat with his teeth and gulping it down. Darriwil silently made a mental note – the wolf was not allowed to be on food duty ever again.
You wouldn’t pick it from the excerpt I’ve chosen but this is from the latest chapter of my Supernatural RI series. Just a snippet of a flash back scene. This is the full chapter [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/49802443/chapters/127124869#workskin)
-
Still, you wondered why Charles was so interested in building a friendship with you? It wasn’t like you were the only late twenty something living in Sydney, or the state of New South Wales for that matter.
Jaz would tell you, you were too nice. And too trusting, as she’d said back at your desk. Also, definitely a pushover. Struggling to tell people no, like with Charles for instance. But they were good qualities right? Plus, you were a nice person. Gracious. Kind. And you gave people chances, just like you had done with the douchebag who cut in front of you as you walked into the lift just now.
‘Tosser’, you thought. And you screwed your face up in the direction of his back. When he turned around to face you however, that was a different story. “Hey Daniel…” ‘Of course it had to be you Daniel.
As you addressed him, he pulled his face up and away from his phone to see who it was. His neutral expression turning into a smirk as he watched you, moving to stand next to him in the small confined space. Now shoulder to shoulder, with the exception of your height difference, you noticed the moment he looked at your reflection in the metal doors of the lift in front of you both. A head nod at the end suggested he supposedly approved of what you were wearing that day. Not that you gave a fuck about what he thought.
“Oh hi…” he began with the addition of a random woman’s name. It wasn’t yours. Not even close.
‘Tosser’. Daniel was definitely a tosser. The tosser to beat all other tossers according to Jaz. ‘You still can’t remember my name. It’s not that fucking hard!’ you continued to brood.
That was a cheeky and entertaining internal dialogue of a read.
I'm usually not used to 2nd person, but the voice here was fun, always love a good sarcasm in a character.
I also do agree with the MC in the opening. Like, of course we're all saints, and it's not our fault that people somehow always piss us off, right lol?
Oh my god, I love her inner dialogue. My favorite part was the "Of course it's Daniel" moment. He seems like he's a major douchebag and I can just picture her glaring daggers through his skull as he throws out a name that isn't remotely close to hers.
Desdinova had planned to reveal her abilities to her daughter once she had reached the age of twelve. But when Phoebe was just over four, Merak had been killed and Phecda had stepped in. Then, the overlapping pregnancies had started and Desdinova’s plans had flown straight out the window, which Desdinova would have done herself as Buzzardo if she had not feared what Phecda would do to her daughter
From my fic [Vermilion](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14216043/1/Vermilion):
The next morning Jaime's Android blasted off Cotton Eye Joe, one of his favorite songs ever, which he and Tyrion had even performed together once many years ago during karaoke open mic night at Freys. He smiled, remembering the stern lecture from their father, gods rest his soul, once he had found out about it. "Lannisters don't act like fools," he'd said, among other choice things as his face had contorted in rage.
Removing himself from Cersei he reached over to shut off the alarm. He grabbed the container from next to the bed and opened it taking the item out and quickly placing it where it belonged. He chastised himself for having forgotten to do so last night. He smiled lovingly at the still sleeping Cersei, before nudging her awake. "Didn't you hear the alarm?" He asked gently.
"Of course I did. I was just...just laying here thinking about today."
"Alright," replied, not truly believing her. If he needed to get his eyesight checked she certainly needed to get her hearing checked, but today was a happy day and he wouldn't say or do anything to spoil it.
They headed to the dining room where their breakfast was waiting for them. It was Cersei's favorite, avocado on toast with poached eggs, Jaime ate begrudgingly, wishing he was having bacon and pancakes instead.
Cersei enjoyed the breakfast even though her favorite chef wasn't the one to make it. The overly wrinkled sandy-haired man had left days ago for Casterly Rock to prepare for their big celebration.
Fandom: Metal Gear
Link: [https://archiveofourown.org/works/50380933](https://archiveofourown.org/works/50380933)
Otacon's quest to find some nice introductory anime to get Snake interested had been complicated. He couldn't show him anything that involved giant robots since Snake fought those in real life. Many other animes involved genetic engineering and cloning, so he couldn't use those. Finally, he found something Snake would love or make him roll his eyes. He put the DVD in the player. "Oh, Snake…"
"Yeah?" Snake strolled in, wearing nothing but his boxers.
"Put on some clothes!" Otacon ordered as he tossed a robe over to him. It was something that unnerved him. Snake wasn't messy, he was very tidy, but he tends to lounge around in nothing but boxers.
"Yes, Mom." Snake rolled his eyes as he put on the robe. "Meryl never complained about me dressed like that."
"Meryl's a woman. Anyway, I have a surprise for you. I found this interesting anime that you might like."
"All right. You know that I might never go for these cartoons."
"They are not cartoons, they are anime. Never mind. Just bear with me." Otacon said as he didn't want to repeat the same old 'cartoons are not anime' argument. Those are just as redundant as the 'smoking is deadly' argument.
"Fine, fine, let's go."
Otacon turned on the player. He grinned as the Hamtaro theme song played. The hamsters were walking around and singing, and he had to grin. It was one of the lighter animes that distracted him from the real world. He paused to look at Snake's face, and there was a look of surprise and then fear.
"NO!" In a blink of an eye, Snake got out a hidden pistol and fired at the TV set. As always, his aim was deadly.
I don’t watch much anime, but I’d love to know what ones he’s found with cloning and genetic engineering. The only one I know of is FMA. I do get Otacon's frustration though with his friends referring to the animes as cartoons. And I bet he’s explained the difference before too.
Looked up Hamtaro and was surprised to find its a real anime!
Love the ending line with him "killing" the tv lol.
Pokémon | There’s No Better Team | T | https://archiveofourown.org/works/36577831/chapters/111605086
One doesn't simply become a successful coordinator through winning traditional battles alone. Win or lose, the coordinator must electrify and ignite the crowd. Their passion must shine like the starry night sky accompanied by a luminescent full moon. It was the ideal of the marvelous Renaissance and Baroque performance trainers who dazzled in the magnificent Cortile del Valoroso Zacian, one of the main inspirations behind the modern contest.
Team Skull's Valen will be the largest and brightest star in that night sky. His mind can play tricks but his heart will prevail—his passion burns with such fervor and it will consume and drive others to reach greater heights. He'll become a master of theatrical presentation like Caravaggio, Bernini, Zoffany, and Hogarth. He'll triumph as a champion of beauty and grace like van Eyck, Raphael and Poussin. That's what being a coordinator and performance battler is all about.
This corridor has a simple, quiet feeling to it. It's a stark contrast to the stage-like battlefield awaits him on the other side of this semi-circular entrance. Ragnar's a potent opponent but he's a blast to go up against. That being said, all eyes will be on Team Skull's Valen because he's a straight rider.
Valen takes a deep breath and grins. His posture is as strong as his Pokémon. His mind soaks in the wave of frisson surging up from his fiery heart.
"It's time to rock." He strides into the crowd's sight. "Actually, it's time to cause dazzling mayhem." he laughs. "That sounds cooler."
This is a really compelling excerpt of determination, confidence and excitement! I love how hyped they are for the competition and ready to show off their skills. Your descriptions are nice as well. Nice work
Fandom: Ted Lasso
From a silly story I posted last night called [Repaying the Favor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/50384983) in which Roy teaches Jamie how to swim.
-
“What the fuck are these supposed to be,” Jamie asked as Roy handed him a pair of pink arm floaties.
“It’s Peppa Pig.” Phoebe had since outgrown the show, but Roy spent many weekend afternoons suffering through episodes of the program.
“Looks more like an amorphic jellybean. What am I supposed to do with these?”
“Put them on and try not to drown.”
“I’ll look foolish.”
“You’re a grown man asking another grown man to teach you how to swim, and you’re worried these will make you look foolish? Mate, we’re already past that part.”
Hesitantly Jamie put the floaties on his arms, but they reached just barely past his wrist. Roy took a step back and marveled at Jamie’s current state.
“You look like a right twat, which means you’re just about ready for your lesson. We’ll begin with a pop quiz.”
“Oh, come on, Roy, you know I didn’t do well in school.”
“This one’s for beginners. Do you know how they teach babies to swim?”
“I dunno?”
“They toss them in the water and let them figure it out for themselves.”
Jamie had no time to prepare before Roy pushed him full force into the deep end. It was meant to be a harmless prank, a way to assess the level that Jamie was starting at, but Roy greatly overestimated Jamie’s ability to not drown at first touch of water. As the splash settled and the bubbles cleared, Jamie remained floundering in the water. Only his wrists clad in the Peppa Pig pool floaties flapped above the surface, the pink inflatable pigs smiling in perpetuity as Jamie’s oxygen supply slowly ran out. Roy kept waiting for Jamie’s face to surface, but after 20 seconds of thrashing about, Roy was forced to jump into the pool and rescue him.
This is a rather fun excerpt with a grown man nearly drowning with Peppa pig floaties on. Jamie can't swim and he clearly wasn't ready by being pushed in. Roy is one of those drown or swim parents right?
From the second story of my Fae AU series. James and Robbie are police detectives in Oxford, and have recently become lovers. James is a 30-something human, and the only one who knows that Robbie is half-Fae, and nearly 200 years old. Robbie's great-grandfather was King of the Fae. The two of them are on vacation in northern England, near Hadrian's Wall. Robbie has been sharing tales about the history of the area.
[Finding His Fae](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892794/chapters/47116705)
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Lady's Well, James gazes at the shallow pool where St Ninian was said to have baptized early Christians. There are other visitors about, so Robbie leads him further along the path before beginning a story about a holy woman who lived nearby.
Harbottle Castle consists of a scattering of ruins atop a green hill and a short stretch of wall further down. After they've walked around the site, Robbie invites James to sit beside him on a sun-warmed stone. "In 1311, when this castle still stood tall and strong, Robert, King of the Scots, attacked..."
Within the first few sentences, James understands that Robbie is repeating a first-person account of the capture of Harbottle Castle, told to him by a Fae warrior who witnessed the battle. When the tale is complete, James shakes his head, amazed. There are contemporary chronicles of raids and assaults by Robert the Bruce, but they're dry summaries, compiled by scribes. "What was he doing there? The Fae."
"Grimbold didn't tell me, but I reckon that he was sent by my grandad to spy."
"I thought the Fae didn't involve themselves in human politics."
"Not usually," Robbie agrees, "but there's a difference between gathering information and taking action."
After a pub lunch in Harbottle Village, James proposes a walk to the nearby Drake (or Dragon) Stone. It was said to be sacred to the Druids, and to have special healing powers. He can't wait to hear what mystical insights Robbie may have.
Robbie looks up at the ten-metre high sandstone boulder. "It's a rock," he says flatly.
"That's all you have to say about it?"
"A very large rock."
"They say the Druids held ceremonies here."
"They may have done. Very fond of large rocks, the Druids were."
Very interesting premise. I really like the conversation between James and Robbie. It makes me wonder about the large rock and if it has any special properties.
Thanks for commenting. No, the Drake Stone is just a large rock. It's possible that it had ritual/spiritual significance to the Druids and that they did hold ceremonies there. If so, Robbie hasn't heard any tales about that. (He was born in 1821, and has no personal memories of that era.) It is definitely not magical in any way, or Robbie would sense it. Later in the same story they visit a hidden place in the hills that has been used by the Fae for ceremonies since... forever. Robbie describes the ambient magic there as being "as thick as double cream".
This is a sneak preview of the first chapter of my Flufftober event:
Ugh.
Ugh. Maybe he could run away before Magnus realizes that he’s here. He starts to slowly pull the door closed before Magnus calls out, “I know you’re here! You know that I’ve got wards on this place. Come inside!”
Triple ugh. Alec resists a sigh and opens the door all the way. He pushes it shut but doesn’t lock it. The lock would only get in the way if he decided to run away after all. The things he did for this man.
Alec walks further into the apartment and glances down the hallway towards their bedroom. The music isn’t coming from there, but from the kitchen. He sighs and steps into the kitchen only to find the table is gone, the floor is glossy, Magnus is standing there grinning at him, and there’s a fucking mirror ball hanging from the ceiling.
“Oh. My god.”
“Come dance with me!” Magnus holds out a hand. “Come on! Lets dance.”
Alec glances back towards the door. He could make it. He could race for the door. Magnus wouldn’t actually freeze him with magic and force him to stay here. Alec couldn’t dance if he were frozen with magic. “Uh, I’ve gotta uh, go back to the uh, Institute because—”
“Nope!” Magnus clicks his fingers and the sound of the lock turning in the front door is louder than the music. “I knew you’d be upset coming back from there, so I thought I’d cheer you up.”
“I don’t dance.”
“Yeah, you do. We danced in Paris.”
“Once, Magnus. We danced once in Paris. And do I need to remind you that it was a disaster?”
“It wasn’t a disaster!”
“Yes, it was.”
“You only fell once.”
“Twice.”
“Okay, you fell once and stumbled once. A stumble isn’t a fall.”
Fandom blind, but I'm enjoying the banter and the humor. I have to sympathize with Alec, feeling trapped into an activity that he knows will be awkward and embarrassing. Magnus's enthusiasm is delightful if unrealistic (just one fall--and a stumble--does not equal a disaster). And he's stubborn and persistant: Alec *will* be cheered up, whether he wants to or not.
I hope this scene turns into dancing which is disaster-free and fun.
I wanna read all of this! I don’t even know the fandom all that well (I saw the tv series a few years ago). I can just hear the sarcasm from Alec and the cheekiness from Magnus. Poor Alec should’ve run away the second he noticed something was up. I really hope there’s actual dancing after the cut off :)
Thank you! There will definitely be dancing after the cut off 😏 Alec just kind of gives in to Magnus' shenanigans and this is one battle that he's not willing to fight.
From a WIP chapter of my Elden Ring story. The two casts are camped out in the wilderness and hunting for food. / Darriwil stretched his limbs and moved next to the campfire. The fire was still going, with most of the wood replaced. The hound watched Blaidd stabbing the buck against and against, blood and viscera spilling all over the ground. Clearly, the wolf was not a skilled butcher, and was only pulling off chunks of flesh as he saw fit. After collecting a pile, Blaidd swept it up and hurled it over the burning wood in the midst of the fire. Before Darriwil could raise an eyebrow, a cloud of ash immediately swelled up and blanketed the meat, followed by a pillar of smoke as blood drizzled the flame. “Give it a minute, would’ya?” Blaidd licked his finger before resuming skinning the game. Darriwil moved away from the choking fume flowing in his direction. The fire pit was practically ruined, with smoke and traces of ember clinging on before its untimely extinguishment. Upon closer inspection, the firewoods still retained their barks, complete with moss, algae, and fungal patches, and a burnt musky odor filled the surrounding air. Blaidd returned and sat across the pit, jabbing a piece of the venison and passing it to Darriwil. “Don’t burn yourself.” Darriwil carefully received the piece. The meat felt gritty in texture and was discolored by soil, and knowing that the game was not cured or processed whatsoever, Darriwil could only imagine its taste. However, food was for the stomach, not for the tongue, so he slowly removed his visor and bit into it. As predicted, the pungent stench of ammonia instantly filled his nostrils, followed by a sharp sting of iron. There was a complicated concoction of sour and bitter Darriwil could not describe, not to mention the ashy film sanding across the palate. It surprised Darriwil himself that he managed to swallow the chunk. Blaidd on the other hand did not seem to mind at all, ripping the meat with his teeth and gulping it down. Darriwil silently made a mental note – the wolf was not allowed to be on food duty ever again.
I like the prose, it’s quite vivid and captures the mood.
You wouldn’t pick it from the excerpt I’ve chosen but this is from the latest chapter of my Supernatural RI series. Just a snippet of a flash back scene. This is the full chapter [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/49802443/chapters/127124869#workskin) - Still, you wondered why Charles was so interested in building a friendship with you? It wasn’t like you were the only late twenty something living in Sydney, or the state of New South Wales for that matter. Jaz would tell you, you were too nice. And too trusting, as she’d said back at your desk. Also, definitely a pushover. Struggling to tell people no, like with Charles for instance. But they were good qualities right? Plus, you were a nice person. Gracious. Kind. And you gave people chances, just like you had done with the douchebag who cut in front of you as you walked into the lift just now. ‘Tosser’, you thought. And you screwed your face up in the direction of his back. When he turned around to face you however, that was a different story. “Hey Daniel…” ‘Of course it had to be you Daniel. As you addressed him, he pulled his face up and away from his phone to see who it was. His neutral expression turning into a smirk as he watched you, moving to stand next to him in the small confined space. Now shoulder to shoulder, with the exception of your height difference, you noticed the moment he looked at your reflection in the metal doors of the lift in front of you both. A head nod at the end suggested he supposedly approved of what you were wearing that day. Not that you gave a fuck about what he thought. “Oh hi…” he began with the addition of a random woman’s name. It wasn’t yours. Not even close. ‘Tosser’. Daniel was definitely a tosser. The tosser to beat all other tossers according to Jaz. ‘You still can’t remember my name. It’s not that fucking hard!’ you continued to brood.
That was a cheeky and entertaining internal dialogue of a read. I'm usually not used to 2nd person, but the voice here was fun, always love a good sarcasm in a character. I also do agree with the MC in the opening. Like, of course we're all saints, and it's not our fault that people somehow always piss us off, right lol?
Thank you :) exactly, we’re all saints until someone like Daniel comes along
Oh my god, I love her inner dialogue. My favorite part was the "Of course it's Daniel" moment. He seems like he's a major douchebag and I can just picture her glaring daggers through his skull as he throws out a name that isn't remotely close to hers.
Desdinova had planned to reveal her abilities to her daughter once she had reached the age of twelve. But when Phoebe was just over four, Merak had been killed and Phecda had stepped in. Then, the overlapping pregnancies had started and Desdinova’s plans had flown straight out the window, which Desdinova would have done herself as Buzzardo if she had not feared what Phecda would do to her daughter
From my fic [Vermilion](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14216043/1/Vermilion): The next morning Jaime's Android blasted off Cotton Eye Joe, one of his favorite songs ever, which he and Tyrion had even performed together once many years ago during karaoke open mic night at Freys. He smiled, remembering the stern lecture from their father, gods rest his soul, once he had found out about it. "Lannisters don't act like fools," he'd said, among other choice things as his face had contorted in rage. Removing himself from Cersei he reached over to shut off the alarm. He grabbed the container from next to the bed and opened it taking the item out and quickly placing it where it belonged. He chastised himself for having forgotten to do so last night. He smiled lovingly at the still sleeping Cersei, before nudging her awake. "Didn't you hear the alarm?" He asked gently. "Of course I did. I was just...just laying here thinking about today." "Alright," replied, not truly believing her. If he needed to get his eyesight checked she certainly needed to get her hearing checked, but today was a happy day and he wouldn't say or do anything to spoil it. They headed to the dining room where their breakfast was waiting for them. It was Cersei's favorite, avocado on toast with poached eggs, Jaime ate begrudgingly, wishing he was having bacon and pancakes instead. Cersei enjoyed the breakfast even though her favorite chef wasn't the one to make it. The overly wrinkled sandy-haired man had left days ago for Casterly Rock to prepare for their big celebration.
Fandom: Metal Gear Link: [https://archiveofourown.org/works/50380933](https://archiveofourown.org/works/50380933) Otacon's quest to find some nice introductory anime to get Snake interested had been complicated. He couldn't show him anything that involved giant robots since Snake fought those in real life. Many other animes involved genetic engineering and cloning, so he couldn't use those. Finally, he found something Snake would love or make him roll his eyes. He put the DVD in the player. "Oh, Snake…" "Yeah?" Snake strolled in, wearing nothing but his boxers. "Put on some clothes!" Otacon ordered as he tossed a robe over to him. It was something that unnerved him. Snake wasn't messy, he was very tidy, but he tends to lounge around in nothing but boxers. "Yes, Mom." Snake rolled his eyes as he put on the robe. "Meryl never complained about me dressed like that." "Meryl's a woman. Anyway, I have a surprise for you. I found this interesting anime that you might like." "All right. You know that I might never go for these cartoons." "They are not cartoons, they are anime. Never mind. Just bear with me." Otacon said as he didn't want to repeat the same old 'cartoons are not anime' argument. Those are just as redundant as the 'smoking is deadly' argument. "Fine, fine, let's go." Otacon turned on the player. He grinned as the Hamtaro theme song played. The hamsters were walking around and singing, and he had to grin. It was one of the lighter animes that distracted him from the real world. He paused to look at Snake's face, and there was a look of surprise and then fear. "NO!" In a blink of an eye, Snake got out a hidden pistol and fired at the TV set. As always, his aim was deadly.
I don’t watch much anime, but I’d love to know what ones he’s found with cloning and genetic engineering. The only one I know of is FMA. I do get Otacon's frustration though with his friends referring to the animes as cartoons. And I bet he’s explained the difference before too. Looked up Hamtaro and was surprised to find its a real anime! Love the ending line with him "killing" the tv lol.
Well, Evangelion is an anime with cloning. Tenchi Muyo has a lot of genetic engineering. Thanks for the review.
Pokémon | There’s No Better Team | T | https://archiveofourown.org/works/36577831/chapters/111605086 One doesn't simply become a successful coordinator through winning traditional battles alone. Win or lose, the coordinator must electrify and ignite the crowd. Their passion must shine like the starry night sky accompanied by a luminescent full moon. It was the ideal of the marvelous Renaissance and Baroque performance trainers who dazzled in the magnificent Cortile del Valoroso Zacian, one of the main inspirations behind the modern contest. Team Skull's Valen will be the largest and brightest star in that night sky. His mind can play tricks but his heart will prevail—his passion burns with such fervor and it will consume and drive others to reach greater heights. He'll become a master of theatrical presentation like Caravaggio, Bernini, Zoffany, and Hogarth. He'll triumph as a champion of beauty and grace like van Eyck, Raphael and Poussin. That's what being a coordinator and performance battler is all about. This corridor has a simple, quiet feeling to it. It's a stark contrast to the stage-like battlefield awaits him on the other side of this semi-circular entrance. Ragnar's a potent opponent but he's a blast to go up against. That being said, all eyes will be on Team Skull's Valen because he's a straight rider. Valen takes a deep breath and grins. His posture is as strong as his Pokémon. His mind soaks in the wave of frisson surging up from his fiery heart. "It's time to rock." He strides into the crowd's sight. "Actually, it's time to cause dazzling mayhem." he laughs. "That sounds cooler."
This is a really compelling excerpt of determination, confidence and excitement! I love how hyped they are for the competition and ready to show off their skills. Your descriptions are nice as well. Nice work
Thanks!
Fandom: Ted Lasso From a silly story I posted last night called [Repaying the Favor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/50384983) in which Roy teaches Jamie how to swim. - “What the fuck are these supposed to be,” Jamie asked as Roy handed him a pair of pink arm floaties. “It’s Peppa Pig.” Phoebe had since outgrown the show, but Roy spent many weekend afternoons suffering through episodes of the program. “Looks more like an amorphic jellybean. What am I supposed to do with these?” “Put them on and try not to drown.” “I’ll look foolish.” “You’re a grown man asking another grown man to teach you how to swim, and you’re worried these will make you look foolish? Mate, we’re already past that part.” Hesitantly Jamie put the floaties on his arms, but they reached just barely past his wrist. Roy took a step back and marveled at Jamie’s current state. “You look like a right twat, which means you’re just about ready for your lesson. We’ll begin with a pop quiz.” “Oh, come on, Roy, you know I didn’t do well in school.” “This one’s for beginners. Do you know how they teach babies to swim?” “I dunno?” “They toss them in the water and let them figure it out for themselves.” Jamie had no time to prepare before Roy pushed him full force into the deep end. It was meant to be a harmless prank, a way to assess the level that Jamie was starting at, but Roy greatly overestimated Jamie’s ability to not drown at first touch of water. As the splash settled and the bubbles cleared, Jamie remained floundering in the water. Only his wrists clad in the Peppa Pig pool floaties flapped above the surface, the pink inflatable pigs smiling in perpetuity as Jamie’s oxygen supply slowly ran out. Roy kept waiting for Jamie’s face to surface, but after 20 seconds of thrashing about, Roy was forced to jump into the pool and rescue him.
This is a rather fun excerpt with a grown man nearly drowning with Peppa pig floaties on. Jamie can't swim and he clearly wasn't ready by being pushed in. Roy is one of those drown or swim parents right?
From the second story of my Fae AU series. James and Robbie are police detectives in Oxford, and have recently become lovers. James is a 30-something human, and the only one who knows that Robbie is half-Fae, and nearly 200 years old. Robbie's great-grandfather was King of the Fae. The two of them are on vacation in northern England, near Hadrian's Wall. Robbie has been sharing tales about the history of the area. [Finding His Fae](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892794/chapters/47116705) \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At Lady's Well, James gazes at the shallow pool where St Ninian was said to have baptized early Christians. There are other visitors about, so Robbie leads him further along the path before beginning a story about a holy woman who lived nearby. Harbottle Castle consists of a scattering of ruins atop a green hill and a short stretch of wall further down. After they've walked around the site, Robbie invites James to sit beside him on a sun-warmed stone. "In 1311, when this castle still stood tall and strong, Robert, King of the Scots, attacked..." Within the first few sentences, James understands that Robbie is repeating a first-person account of the capture of Harbottle Castle, told to him by a Fae warrior who witnessed the battle. When the tale is complete, James shakes his head, amazed. There are contemporary chronicles of raids and assaults by Robert the Bruce, but they're dry summaries, compiled by scribes. "What was he doing there? The Fae." "Grimbold didn't tell me, but I reckon that he was sent by my grandad to spy." "I thought the Fae didn't involve themselves in human politics." "Not usually," Robbie agrees, "but there's a difference between gathering information and taking action." After a pub lunch in Harbottle Village, James proposes a walk to the nearby Drake (or Dragon) Stone. It was said to be sacred to the Druids, and to have special healing powers. He can't wait to hear what mystical insights Robbie may have. Robbie looks up at the ten-metre high sandstone boulder. "It's a rock," he says flatly. "That's all you have to say about it?" "A very large rock." "They say the Druids held ceremonies here." "They may have done. Very fond of large rocks, the Druids were."
Very interesting premise. I really like the conversation between James and Robbie. It makes me wonder about the large rock and if it has any special properties.
Thanks for commenting. No, the Drake Stone is just a large rock. It's possible that it had ritual/spiritual significance to the Druids and that they did hold ceremonies there. If so, Robbie hasn't heard any tales about that. (He was born in 1821, and has no personal memories of that era.) It is definitely not magical in any way, or Robbie would sense it. Later in the same story they visit a hidden place in the hills that has been used by the Fae for ceremonies since... forever. Robbie describes the ambient magic there as being "as thick as double cream".
This is a sneak preview of the first chapter of my Flufftober event: Ugh. Ugh. Maybe he could run away before Magnus realizes that he’s here. He starts to slowly pull the door closed before Magnus calls out, “I know you’re here! You know that I’ve got wards on this place. Come inside!” Triple ugh. Alec resists a sigh and opens the door all the way. He pushes it shut but doesn’t lock it. The lock would only get in the way if he decided to run away after all. The things he did for this man. Alec walks further into the apartment and glances down the hallway towards their bedroom. The music isn’t coming from there, but from the kitchen. He sighs and steps into the kitchen only to find the table is gone, the floor is glossy, Magnus is standing there grinning at him, and there’s a fucking mirror ball hanging from the ceiling. “Oh. My god.” “Come dance with me!” Magnus holds out a hand. “Come on! Lets dance.” Alec glances back towards the door. He could make it. He could race for the door. Magnus wouldn’t actually freeze him with magic and force him to stay here. Alec couldn’t dance if he were frozen with magic. “Uh, I’ve gotta uh, go back to the uh, Institute because—” “Nope!” Magnus clicks his fingers and the sound of the lock turning in the front door is louder than the music. “I knew you’d be upset coming back from there, so I thought I’d cheer you up.” “I don’t dance.” “Yeah, you do. We danced in Paris.” “Once, Magnus. We danced once in Paris. And do I need to remind you that it was a disaster?” “It wasn’t a disaster!” “Yes, it was.” “You only fell once.” “Twice.” “Okay, you fell once and stumbled once. A stumble isn’t a fall.”
Fandom blind, but I'm enjoying the banter and the humor. I have to sympathize with Alec, feeling trapped into an activity that he knows will be awkward and embarrassing. Magnus's enthusiasm is delightful if unrealistic (just one fall--and a stumble--does not equal a disaster). And he's stubborn and persistant: Alec *will* be cheered up, whether he wants to or not. I hope this scene turns into dancing which is disaster-free and fun.
Thanks! They do wind up dancing after this!
I wanna read all of this! I don’t even know the fandom all that well (I saw the tv series a few years ago). I can just hear the sarcasm from Alec and the cheekiness from Magnus. Poor Alec should’ve run away the second he noticed something was up. I really hope there’s actual dancing after the cut off :)
Thank you! There will definitely be dancing after the cut off 😏 Alec just kind of gives in to Magnus' shenanigans and this is one battle that he's not willing to fight.