#david rothman

[jackiehadel1]

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA STREET ART: SEA TURTLE by DAVID ROTHMAN

12dec23

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[realashergray]

NaNoWriMo Day 1: "Suitcase"

So I'm going to be doing some short prompts each day hopefully, to try to stretch my author muscles before I finish the last little bit of my novel. Please enjoy!

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The bedroom door is ajar, and beyond it is a hallway Alvah knows almost as well as his own. Somewhere beyond that door, David is. His room may be bare and nearly lifeless, but his eyes. His eyes.

Alvah didn't know what it meant for eyes to "sparkle" before. Now he does. And he's happy for David, he really is, but...

Three suitcases on the bed. Small and green, large and made of worn leather, and purple, canvas, full-to-bursting. Is this everything David is? Is it really so easy to pack up his whole life and leave?

The bedroom door is ajar. Alvah can remember when that became a rule, when they stopped being allowed to close it. It had been his fault. Maybe if he hadn't opened the door, David wouldn't have been able to slip away. Maybe it's his fault that David is leaving.

The door swings open and David enters. His eyes gleam with his future prospects. He had always been a good student- much better than Alvah- so it hadn't been that much of a surprise when he made it into Brown. Now, he is positively marinating in his own success. And Alvah truly is happy for him.

He just wishes David would be successful a little closer to home.

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Hope you liked it! See y'all tomorrow for the next one!

Taglist: @neeksknocks @niva-writes @toboldlywrite @wallpatterns @writings-of-a-narwhal @xanderswriteblr | DM me to join the taglist

[realashergray]

WIP: Hell Fire

Summary:

Alvah Mencher is just your average college student- young, bright, and struggling to find his place in life- until suddenly, he wakes up in Hell. With a helpful shade named Dmitri at his side and the clock ticking before he is trapped in Hell forever, Alvah is going to learn the value of love, and what it means to truly live.

Current Word Count: 52K words

Status: Nearly finished

Author: @realashergray

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Taglist: @neeksknocks @xanderswriteblr @toboldlywrite @niva-writes | DM me to join the taglist

[realashergray]

NaNoWriMo Day 3: the Blood of the Covenant is Thicker Than Water

Again, sorry this is late, I had a band competition all day yesterday. Hope you like this.

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"No, Ma- I don't- I am not going to go out with him!" Isabel protested. David glanced over at his best friend. Her perfectly-made-up face was creased with frown lines.

"Yes, I'm sure!" David put down his pencil. He already knew he wasn't going to be able to study until the phone call ended and Isabel had vented about it to him.

"Oh my G/d, Ma, just drop it. I have to go study now," Isabel huffed. "Love you too. Bye." She dropped her phone in agitation.

"Is your mom still giving you a hard time?" David asked. Isabel sighed.

"I told her I'm a lesbian, but it's like she doesn't believe me. She thinks I'm dating you."

"I mean, if either of us were straight, I know I'd pick you."

"Thanks, babe," she sighed. "I just... Sometimes I wish I had never come out to her. She was never this obsessed with me getting a boyfriend when I was still in the closet."

David considered this.

"What if you could go back into the closet? Would you want to?"

"Yeah, I think so. Does that make me a bad lesbian?" She joked. David playfully flicked her.

"No. Your well-being is more important. The only bad lesbian is a dead one." Isabel smiled.

"Thank you. But I don't think it's possible for me to go back into the closet, so it's a moot point."

David deliberated, considering the idea that was talking shape in his mind.

"What if you told her that we were dating?" Isabel frowned.

"You would do that?"

"What, hang out with you? Be mildly affectionate when she comes to visit? I think I can manage." David replied wryly. Idabel chuckled, and then nodded, smiling in relief.

"Thank you so much."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

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Sorry I'm so behind, but I hope you like this! Their friendship is mlm/wlw solidarity goals

Taglist: @neeksknocks @niva-writes @toboldlywrite @wallpatterns @writings-of-a-narwhal @xanderswriteblr | DM me to join the taglist

[realashergray]

Character Concept: David Rothman

His father was exactly the kind of man he wanted to be when he grew up. A well-known novelist, a family man, who knew a lot of things and was always willing to learn what he didn't know.

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@neeksknocks @xanderswriteblr @niva-writes @toboldlywrite

[realashergray]

First Impressions Tag

I was tagged by @damnwrites (what a sweetheart btw) so here goes:

1. First sentence of your WIP?

Alvah Mencher had never been, by any standards, the type of guy that one might call a “saint”.

2. Genre?

Yikes this is difficult, uhhh satirical gay fantasy? That's the most general description I can come up with

3. Name and age of your main characters?

Alvah Mencher - 20 years old

Dmitri Volkov - 24 years of age, 101 total years of existence

David Rothman - 20 years old

(I know it looks bad to have only male main characters but in my defense I have a very small main cast and a lot of strong and diverse secondary characters who are women)

4. First bit of dialogue?

“Hello there,” The man called out, with a New York accent that was marred slightly by another accent, which Alvah couldn’t place. “My name is Dmitri. Who are you?”

Alvah jutted his chin in acknowledgement of the man's greeting.

“I’m Alvah. Where are we?” Alvah wasn’t one to waste time with small talk. Not when he was in an unknown location for unknown reasons, and as scared as he was.

“Well, to put it frankly, welcome to Hell,” Dmitri replied, smiling wryly.

I hope you guys liked this! I tag @writerlydays @arwallace @xanderswriteblr @niva-writes @toboldlywrite and @skyfootsteps

[realashergray]

For the writing prompts list, 47

Thank you so much for the ask, dude! This one takes place a few months before the events of Hell Fire! Hope you enjoy it!

47. “Go on. I dare you.”

“Go on. I dare you.” Alvah challenged, his expression deadly serious. He held out the tuna sandwich to David, and David backed away. The sandwich was giving off a rather unpleasant stench.“Alvah, no. I am not going to eat that sandwich. My roommate left it in the mini fridge for weeks!”“Coward.” Alvah said, putting the sandwich down on the freshly cleaned desk.He had flown in with the Menchers and the Rothmans to sightsee on the east coast a bit before helping David pack up and clean the dorm as the semester ended and everyone went home for the summer. David had refused to let his or Alvah’s parents clean his room, however, so they were now somewhere on the campus, presumably making a spectacle of themselves and embarrassing him in front of his peers.Well, at least they weren’t in this room. His roommate had been a complete slob- like Alvah, but a million times worse- and he was sure his mother would’ve rioted on the spot when she saw the state of the desk drawers- crammed with old food, crumpled papers, and an actual mouse. David had been appalled at the discovery, but not surprised in the slightest.“Hey, Alvah? Since you’re an engineer, you probably know how to do this… Can you take the bed down? I had it higher up so I could fit my desk below but it’s supposed to be at its original height when I leave.” David requested. Alvah grinned.“Leave it to me, boss.” David smiled back, a little weak in the knees. He hadn’t seen Alvah’s smile in person in almost a year. He had forgotten how beautiful it was.Pull yourself together, David. It’s been over for too long for him to still have this kind of power over you.Alvah, studying the bed’s connecting point with the legs, did not notice David’s internal conflict. Thank HaShem for that.“Got it! Oh, this will be easy. I had my doubts since our dorms didn’t have the same beds, but I figured it out. Never fear.” Alvah declared, and started to push the bed up on one side. Sure enough, the legs on that side became disconnected and, unbalanced, leaned against the bed.“Can you get the legs and move them? And then take my spot while I do the other side.” Alvah directed. David did as he said, and then they were standing very close to each other. This wasn’t the most unusual- Alvah didn’t have any qualms with physical affection- but it always made David’s heart flutter a little. Plus, this time, Alvah’s arms were on full display. And he packed a lot more muscle now than he had when David had last seen him in person.“You like my guns?” Alvah grinned, noticing him staring. “That’s solid engineering right there. When I’m not metalworking, I’m pumping iron.” David felt faint. Alvah’s smile was more lethal at this proximity, as he could see the crinkles around his eyes, the lift of his cheeks. When paired with the arms, it was too much. David looked away with difficulty, blushing profusely.“Alright, let me just-” The mattress became lighter on David’s side, as Alvah disconnected the other end of the mattress. “Okay, let’s set her down and then we can focus on putting it together the way it was.” Alvah suggested. They put the bed on the floor.David glanced at the tuna sandwich on the desk beside him, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Was it… Greenish? Or was that just his imagination?“I can’t believe you tried to make me eat that. It’s inedible. You wouldn’t eat it either.”“Hey, I know a challenge when I hear one. You don’t even have to dare me.” Alvah crossed the room and picked up the sandwich.“Alvah, no. There’s no way.”“I disabled my gag reflex a long time ago,” Alvah said, winking. “This will be easy.”As he took a big bite, David turned away, feeling disgusted and disappointed with himself. Why was this the guy he still liked? Why couldn’t it be someone with a little more sense?Well, the heart wanted what it wanted. But, this time, it wanted what it couldn’t have.

@niva-writes @toboldlywrite @neeksknocks 

[realashergray]

bloop bloopity bloopers

Thanks for the ask! I’m well prepared for you this time, as I have just stayed up all night making a list of all the random fun facts I peppered into Hell Fire!

1. David has three people on speed dial: 1 is his mother, 2 is his best friend Isabel Santos, and 3 is Alvah

2. Dmitri is surprisingly strong from working in his family’s butcher shop for much of his life.

3. Proserpina, the queen of Hell and former angel of life and springtime, is part bird- but not like you’d expect. She had completely black eyes with no white or iris and the feet of a crow.