“Well... all right. Dani Clayton had inexplicably just called her beautiful and was now offering to share a drink with her. Maybe Owen’s insistence she attend their five-year reunion was paying off, after all.
She'd spoken too soon.”
[or the high school reunion reunion]
These hearts adore (Everyone the other beats hardest for)
Damietober ficlets!
[updated as inspiration strikes]
At Your Service (in progress)
“Toolbox in hand, the woman steps around Dani as she stands frozen, processing.
She’d already felt awkward enough coming down here at five past six in the morning, but evidently her concerns about waking the woman had been unfounded. She had not thought to be concerned about being refused service, even if she’d still felt a bit guilty asking for it.
“I, umm, I’m sure you must be busy.”
She turns and watches as the woman saunters down the hall.
“But if you - just when you have - ”
The woman cuts her off with a knock on the wall right beside the elevator and doesn’t stop moving. Dani just gapes for a moment, dumbfounded. Maybe the woman was having a bad day. Dani certainly was.”
[or tenant Dani & superintendent Jamie]
Wishes come true, not free (complete)
Dani is running from her prince when she meets a stranger in the woods. A stranger who will change her life.
[or an Into The Woods-inspired fairytale]
Confetti (in progress)
“I’m not here for you.”
Maybe it’s harsh. No, it is. Categorically. But it’s also the truth. Anything less is harsher. No one ever seems to appreciate that.
Still, Theo hesitates. Rather distracted by the kid.
The kid in Trish’s arms, wearing a flannel hoodie — Trish’s flannel hoodie — and squirming so aggressively the hood falls back, revealing a tangle of brown curls equally disproportionate to her tiny frame.”
[When Theo comes home to surprise the twins on the eve of their Sweet Sixteen (and a grim anniversary), she gets a surprise of her own: cousins.]
Damie: A Vision (in progress)
WandaVision-inspired reinterpretation of Dani and Jamie scenes from The Haunting of Bly Manor as 90s-2010s TV comedies, including Friends, Derry Girls, Fleabag, general mockumentary-style and more to be added...
[Written in pseudo-screenplay-style. It will make more sense once you get into it... sort of.]
One-shot AUs:
If it’s not you (it’s not anyone)
“Sure, Jamie thinks it’s a bit weird. Dani’s idea for “getting in the spirit.” An idea she shares over dinner on a late November night, bright-eyed and pink-cheeked with all the nervous energy of someone pretending to think of something they clearly feel very strongly about off the top of their head.
But her roommate is a bit of a weirdo. And she loves her all the more for it… not that Dani would know. Dani doesn’t even know Jamie’s gay.”
[or the closeted Jamie discord prompt]
Third Time’s The Charm
1) Inviting Jamie to sleep over had been questionable.
2) Breaking into her mother’s wine supply had been ill-advised.
3) Kissing Jamie had been where it all went wrong.
[Or it's still 1987 but they're in high school and Jamie inadvertently reveals her deepest insecurity]
Canon-Compliant One-shots:
The Morning After
“Uh, Hannah’s with her now, so… breakfast?” Smiling, Dani nods toward the door. “Not sure what Owen’s making, but it’s always… ”
She stops smiling as she sees that Jamie isn’t. Jamie looks almost lost, in fact. Dani cups her right cheek.
“Jamie?”
[After getting Flora back to bed, Dani goes back to her room.]
Closure
“Did ya see her?”
Dani whips her head up. How could Jamie possibly know that? She didn’t even know what... oh, that her...
Dani shakes her head.
“Eddie- ” She sees Jamie’s eyes go wide. “Eddie’s mom. She’s here.”
[Shortly after celebrating her and Jamie's 10-year anniversary, Dani has an unexpected reunion.]
This is just for you
“Oh, I don’t mind. You have more clothes than I do, anyway. And those sweaters of yours take up a lot of room.”
Dani laughed.
“Thank you, but it’s - it’s not for clothes, Jamie.”
Jamie finally took her eyes off the chest, furrowing her brow as she turned to Dani, who took a deep breath.
“I thought - I thought this could be like your… your rucksack… but bigger.”
[Part One of Damie Birthdays.]
A Proper Date
“What?”
Her voice had jumped an octave, and Dani had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. It wasn’t that it was funny, really, but it kinda was. Jamie had gotten herself all stressed out trying to make Dani happy, while Dani had been trying to do the exact to make Jamie happy. They really were quite a pair.
[Jamie wants to take Dani on a proper date for their one-month anniversary, but it doesn't go as planned.]
Lost in Translation
“S’what’dyathin? Preecooinnit?!”
“Hmm.”
Dani couldn’t help smiling. Jamie was beaming, and it was infectious. But with Jamie looking at her expectantly, she was also buying time, grasping at straws, trying to process any of what Jamie had just said.”
[A 'fired up' Jamie takes Dani on a walkthrough of what will soon be The Leafling, but her accent gets so thick that Dani can't understand her.]
Earlier That Night
"She quite likes you, you know."
Jamie immediately chokes and puts the glass down, watching Hannah smile as she coughs. After a moment, Jamie wipes her mouth and hesitantly eyes Owen, who’s sitting across from her next to Hannah.
"Oh, don’t worry about me."
He nods toward Hannah.
"We talk about you two all the time."
[Hannah has a heart-to-heart with Jamie after noticing something's changed between her and Dani.]
Dr. Dani
“The back room was the only place left to check. She’d knocked but gotten no response. So now she was opening it for good measure. If Jamie wasn’t in here, it was then time to start panicking.
But, as it turned out, she was… and Dani immediately started panicking. Jamie was curled up on the floor, shaking, breathing heavily and alarmingly pale.
“Jamie?!”
[or the sickfic that helped a reader realize they have hypoglycemia IRL, Part 10 of Caretaker Dani]
Valentine’s Day 1988
“Jamie, it’s okay!”
Jamie was still panicking but turned back to look at her. Dani slowly rubbed her arms.
“Whatever your present is, I’ll love it.” Dani smiled softly. “Because it’s from you.”
Jamie started to calm down after a few moments, her lips turning up slightly, then looked down and cleared her throat.
“I just figured ya must’a gotten flowers… uh, before.”
[Part Two of Damie Holidays]
London Calling
“I know you, don’t I?”
Dani turned to find an undeniably attractive woman who looked mid-to-late-30s had joined them in the alley. She had a British accent, unsurprising considering they were in London, that was posher than Jamie’s.
And her eyes were fixed on Jamie, her face a mix of contemplation and amusement. As Dani watched, the woman lowered her gaze to Jamie’s lips.
“Oh my god! Jamie?”
[Before heading to America, Dani and Jamie run into an "acquaintance" of Jamie's in London, Part One of London Calling.]
Golden
“Why would you think that?”
“Ya didn’t answer the question.”
Already running various scenarios, it took her a moment to process Jamie’s response.
“I - Jamie, of course, you didn’t.”
“You sure?”
“Yes!”
Dani hadn’t meant to raise her voice and felt her heart clench as Jamie tensed.
[Already feeling off, Dani grows concerned when Jamie's own mood takes a strange turn.]
AITA for realizing that my best friend is actually a ghost and not telling him because i'm worried that if he realizes he's dead he'll finally be able to accept it and fully pass on and i won't be able to hang out with him anymore?
AITA if i've been dead for a while but haven't told my best friend yet because he doesn't seem to have realized i'm a ghost and if he does i'm worried that he'll finally be able to accept it and let me go and i can't bear the thought of losing him?
- you are Keira Knightley, the high-spirited and ever so slightly spoiled child of a doting father who happens to be the governor
- every man in the world is crazy about you, from the dashing naval officer who asks for your hand in marriage to the handsome young blacksmith’s apprentice who you met as a child and feel a strong bond with to the devilish pirate lord who saves your life and flirts with you shamelessly and you make out with him once but it’s for a good cause
- you have two weddings, one where you femme it up and then it turns all emo when it rains on your wedding day and the groom is dragged off in chains by another guy who secretly has the hots for you and then you have a second wedding where you dress as a man because you’re the pirate king now and you exchange custom vows and witty banter during a sword fight with zombies
- all three of your potential love interests end up on the same ship at one point they have a lot of tension between them but they don’t fight because you told them not to
- a random pirate you knew for half an hour names you his heir and now you command one of the biggest and most important fleets in the sea
- not only that but you became the Queen of all pirates who now obey you and are at your command. You use your powers to destroy the fleet of the East India Company
I feel like on Jack’s days off he’s messaging Shen like “did you do the chant? It’s important for the team”
Shen is like “yes Jack, I did the chant,” and then he has to turn to everyone like “PLEASE say we did the chant, the old man will be so upset with me. Night crawlers Whoo!”
i'm in a group for people who own those 12 foot tall home depot halloween skeletons (i do not own a 12 foot tall home depot skeleton; do not tell on me). the skeleton owners post daily about how they're decorating their skeletons seasonally to circumvent local ordinances about "seasonally appropriate" outdoor décor. they post anonymous fan & hate mail neighbors leave in their mailboxes which appear to be 100% genuine and a number of people are regularly posting updates as they pursue litigation against HOAs and entire cities to defend their rights to keep their 12 foot skeletons standing outside year-round. with lawyers and everything. it's a look into the lives of people who have money to spend on things i can never imagine, but i am compelled by their conviction.
you'd like to imagine the outcome of the bitter legal warfare might have knock-on effects that allow people more freedom in self-expression on their own lawns in general, but mainly it seems to be exclusively about the 12 foot tall home depot skeletons. and what a world.
It is so human and so not romance novel that after Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice reads Mr. Darcy's letter and accepts that Wickham was the real villain and not him, her reaction is not, "Oh no, I loved and lost him!" it's "Oh shit, I fucked up! I hope I never see that man again in my entire life."
Neil wouldn’t call himself father of the year, or the century. But it had been a while since he’d had to do this. Granted, his daughter had been far too skinny back then; and, well, he hadn’t exactly gotten fitter with age.
But he also hadn’t had Victoria, inching closer even as Cassie continued to fight his hold, bare heels banging against the carpet.
“I’m going to take your hand, and we’re going to walk away. Together.”
Cassie grunted with the effort of another attempted lunge, but the graduate took another step, undeterred.
“Harrison is scared.” Victoria had been the only one to successfully send him off, asking if he could find her an ice pack. “He needs you.”
From his direction, he couldn’t see his daughter’s face. But as he felt a lull, he could picture the conflict in those beautiful blue eyes.
“You’re. Bleeding.”
It was spoken through her teeth, her go-to when the mask slipped. Like she could intimidate her own pain away.
