(Should this have been posted before ockissweek started? Yes. Did I plot and write it during said week? Also yes. Am I still posting it late? Blame Day 7 XD)
It was close to 2 in the afternoon by the time anybody stirred from the guest room. Somehow, Harmony noted, it wasn’t anywhere near the latest they’d gotten up though.
The first to emerge was a woman Harmony didn’t know, all messy blonde hair and smudged mascara, wearing Jayy’s shirt and not much else as far as she could see. When she caught sight of Harmony, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with a little giggle.
“Whoops, sorry,” she said, sounding absolutely not sorry. “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”
“Not their girlfriend,” Harmony corrected, returning her gaze to the laptop in her lap. “I’d suggest changing though. They don’t like sharing their clothes."
“You sure sound awful jealous for “not the girlfriend”,” the woman teased.
Harmony just raised an eyebrow and took a slow sip of her coffee. Maybe once upon a time she would have thrown a fit at this scene, back when their relationship was fresher and she’d still had hopes of reconciling, but by this point she knew how Jayy was and had no patience for how petty some of their flings could get.
Before she had to sincerely contemplate if she wanted to respond or not, Jayy stumbled out of the guest room, shirtless and still looking half asleep. Their eyes locked onto the woman still standing in the middle of Harmony’s living room, and they narrowed for a moment as Harmony saw the living embodiment of a computer loading wheel spinning in their head.
“Hey baby,” the woman said, flashing Harmony a smug smirk.
Jayy blinked a few times, then held out their hand. “I want my shirt back.”
The woman startled for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. “In front of your roommate?” she teased.
“Not my roommate. Shirt.”
That pulled a frown from the woman, but with a huff she complied and pulled the shirt off. Again, if Harmony were a few centuries younger she might have been scandalized, but she was too used to it by now.
“Cool.” Jayy took the shirt back and slipped it on over their head. “Now get out.”
The woman made a face that was reminiscent of a fish gasping for air for a moment. “I—what?”
“Out.” Jayy brushed past her to head towards the kitchen. “Coffee?” they called over their shoulder.
“Last of the pot is here,” Harmony responded, lifting her mug for a second before draining it.
Jayy turned around just in time to catch the tail end of the action and responded by flipping her off. “Asshole.”
“Love you too darling,” Harmony said with the fakest, most saccharine tone she could muster.
The woman finally recovered from her shock and turned on her heel with a huff. Harmony watched her retreat to the bedroom with a small smile, because while she hated dealing with Jayy’s flings herself she did enjoy watching them deal with a grumpy, hungover Jayy. After a few minutes she reemerged in last night’s dress, and with one last glance after Jayy in the kitchen and a scowl for Harmony, she tugged her shoes on and slipped out the door, closing it harder than strictly necessary behind her.
At the sound of the slam, Jayy reappeared. “Where the fuck is your coffee?” they grumbled.
“Look harder,” Harmony said.
“Fuck you.” Jayy crossed the living room to collapse across the couch, landing with their head in her lap. “What’re you doing?”
“Internet stalking our new friend,” Harmony replied, adjusting her laptop so she could still see the screen around their bedhead.
“Mmph. Nerd.” Jayy reached out blindly and slammed the computer shut.
“Rude.”
Jayy ignored her and just used her shoulders to pull themself somewhat upright until they could nuzzle into the side of her neck. “I’m bored.”
“I’m sure if you run you can catch up with your girl from last night.” She knew better than to let them pull her in again, but habit and remnant fondness had Harmony running her fingers through their hair, smoothing out the tangles.
She practically felt how hard Jayy rolled their eyes even with their face buried in her skin. “Too needy.”
“You sure know how to pick them.”
“Mmm.” Jayy’s lips skimmed her collarbone, half a kiss and half nipping at the skin. “What does that say about you?”
“Arranged engagement,” Harmony replied instantly, tugging their hair in an admonishment she knew they would ignore.
“So better than anybody I could ever choose.” Jayy’s mouth wandered higher on her neck.
“I know what you’re doing.” Harmony tilted her head to try and pin them with her best unamused stare.
“And?” Jayy brushed a kiss along the edge of her jaw. “I don’t see you saying no.”
Harmony hummed, letting them bask in the thought of their victory for just a moment before she shoved them off her lap. They landed on the floor with a loud thud and a startled yelp, and she stood with a smirk. “I’ll go make some more coffee,” she said.
“You, my dearest,” Jayy said, dramatically flinging an arm over their eyes, “are an asshole.”
ok i sewed up repo. no rocks inside him. i gave him a shot of painkiller so now he's out of it, but he shouldn't be bleeding everywhere anymore and his body will regenerate soon, and it should push out the stitches and whatever after. dont let him drink anything other than water for six hours tops.
you know i think we, collectively, give the old guard immortals a lot of shit for their single shared brain cell and occasional incompetency (and tbh, they deserve a lot of it) but be honest: none of us would be any better. having more time at our disposal wouldn't mean shit. as an immortal i'd be like "yeah i'll get around to learning cantonese" [cut scene to three decades later, a life-or-death moment, in Guangzhou] "fuck."
Got tagged forever ago by @emelkae, and I’m taking the last line offering (I have so many 7-Ups waiting for me DX). Thanks for the tag!
Here’s something Dumbass Immortals that’ll hopefully eventually get finished off properly
Jayy had only taken a few steps before Harmony apparently registered what had happened. Their ring finger burned for a moment, and Harmony’s voice rose over the train’s cacophony. “I’ll be waiting!”
Jayy raised a hand in acknowledgement and didn’t look back.
I’ll tag @magic-is-something-we-create, @blind-the-winds, @smol-feralgremlin, and anybody else who wants to!
Will paused while picking up the hoodie, wondering why the sweeping jay was suddenly blurry. Then, something wet hit his wrist, and he realized he was crying.
Oh.
Will reached up and scrubbed at his eyes.
Shit.
Jaw (Dumbass Immortals)
“Oh quit your pouting,” Harmony said, snapping her fingers. The coffee left in the pot steamed up.
“Doesn’t change the fact that I put effort into reheating that coffee,” Jayy grumbled, though they opened the cupboard above Harmony’s head to grab another mug.
“Poor baby.” Harmony leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Jayy’s jaw.
Jayy tilted their head to catch Harmony’s lips for a proper kiss. Then, while she was still distracted, they stole her coffee back and downed it before she could even protest. Scalding their tongue was worth it.
Click (Astral Part 2, Always My Kitten)
James sighed and ran a knuckle along her head. “So kneady,” he said lightly. “I wonder where you get it from, huh?”
Before Smokey could give him another unimpressed look, her attention was drawn by the unmistakable click of the lock opening. In a flash, Smokey leapt down from the bed and raced into the hallway.
“Traitor,” James called after her.
Rub (Traitor Queen)
Charlie stretched, then pushed himself to his feet. His left leg twinged a bit, and Charlie bit back a wince, resisting the urge to rub what remained of his leg.
Tagging with no pressure @whimsyqueen, @blind-the-winds, @world-of-fire-and-flight, and anybody else who wants to! Your words will be comfort, memory, silent, and lightning.
Got double tagged by @loopyhoopywrites and @emelkae. Thanks for the tags y’all!
Since it’s a bit long, up here I’ll tag @writinglyra, @violetboy, @qelizhus, and anybody else who wants to! Your words will be run, loyal, secret, and room.
Words: Silly, stop, sandwich, dead, walk, feeling, and light.
Silly (Traitor Queen)
“Charlie’s getting a visitor in a few minutes.”
“Oh?” Holli asked again.
“Family stuff,” Charlie muttered. He still felt vaguely uncomfortable with the thought of seeing Jenna again, knowing what she would likely say.
“Want us to hang around and tell them to fuck off?” Holli offered.
Charlie couldn’t help but laugh. “Holli, I invited her here.”
“Now why’d you do a silly thing like that?” Holli teased.
Charlie shrugged. Because he’d be hunted down otherwise unless he appeared to comply.
Stop (Dumbass Immortals)
Jayy slipped away from the crowded street into an empty alleyway before taking out their phone. They dialed a familiar number, then held the phone up to their ear as it rang. Just as they were wondering if she wasn’t going to pick up, the ringing stopped.
“You have a lot of nerve.”
Jayy smirked, even though she couldn’t see it. “Hello my dearest Harmony, how have you been?”
Sandwich (Lost Beneath the Waves)
“It’s okay.” Matthew rested his chin on top of Ronan’s head. “You’re my brother, Ro. I’ll stick by your side no matter what, okay?”
“Me too!” Katherine added, hugging Ronan from behind so he was sandwiched between his siblings.
Ronan let out a breathless laugh. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Dead (Nova)
Jay let a curse hiss between his teeth. Even now, three years after the whole ordeal, he was still uncomfortable with his striking resemblance to a presumed dead boy, especially when it came to how much it fucked with whatever relationship he had with Will.
Walk (Band AU)
Brian noticed Theo’s cheeks reddening as he pointedly turned away.
“Short version, then you’re not allowed to nag,” Aiden said, noticing Theo’s gesture, “but Theo’s apparently hanging out with someone and Nessa nearly walked in on them once—”
“Oooh,” Summer smirked.
“—but Theo doesn’t want to tell us and so we wouldn’t be down a guitarist I banned Nessa from badgering Theo about it.”
“Can I ask who the guitarist down would be?” James asked with a grin.
“Good question.” Aiden snuggled up to his boyfriend. “Either Theo would kill Nessa or he’d leave the band, and I’m not keen to find out which would happen first.”
Feeling (Astral Part 1)
“I don’t—I can’t—” Aiden laid back before his arms could give out on him. The snow swirled in front of his eyes, further heightening the dizzy, sick feeling creeping up his throat. “Will, I can’t.”
Light (Stars)
It’s nighttime. When I open my eyes, moonlight is streaming in through the window. I know I’m supposed to be alone. Papa left when it was time to pick up Coli from school, and Mamma left when visiting hours ended.
But despite those facts, I’m not alone. Somebody is sitting on the edge of my bed, holding my hand.
For any WIP(S) of your choice, what has inspired you to write your WIP(S)?
Thanks for the ask! <3
Not sure if you mean motivation or artistic inspiration, so..... gonna answer for both, for as many of them as I can think of.
For motivation, there’s two main ones that are behind every story I write: The characters in my brain want to escape, and I want to write the story I’d wanna read. Astral is special and gets a third minor motivator of spite, bc if I can ever get my ass in gear to finish it, I’d like to try to publish it one day. And uh, that is a bit of a spite dream, thanks ma and brother :P
For artistic inspiration:
Astral: I’ve talked about it before, but the initial inspiration for Astral comes from this post here. And, for funsies, all the stuff I’ve hoarded as Astral inspiration since 2015.
Child of Flame and Sky: ..... I just really wanted to write something where people had wings lmao
OG: ..... okay look. I was 13 and wanted to write something to be cool and and show off to my friends and post on Figment lol. Is the initial story full of cliches and deus ex machina? Yes. Does it have good bones? Obviously, otherwise the characters wouldn’t still be kicking and I wouldn’t be contemplating redoing their original story approx a decade later lol.
Racing the Sun: Look. If you spend your formative years being told “Don’t drive after dark!”, then don’t be surprised when your brain starts to throw spaghetti at the wall of “society where everything stops at sundown bc something comes out at night”
Dumbass Immortals: Fun fact, actually inspired by a dream I had! I remember none of it now except the vibes, the characters that would become Harmony and Jayy (and a random child. idk), and one really fuckin cool scene I hope I can actually work into the story itself lol.
Lost Beneath the Waves: Inspired by the prompt “Prince/princess has to give up something to escape the world they come from.”
Space Pirates: The vibes of Star Wars, honestly. Sorta that space opera/western vibe (except replace western with whatever genre pirate movies are lol)
Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line, then tag some of your favourite authors!
This’ll end up long, so I’mma tag people here and toss a read-more partway through. With no pressure as usual, I’ll tag @writinglyra, @pseudepigraphic, @cheshawrites, @incipientdream, @seasteading, @sourrcandy, @citywillow, and anybody else who wants to!
Alright, time to start with the ones that have tags on this blog, then wander into older AU territory
(adding year written bc why not)
Astral (2020)
The sound of the dungeon door opening startled him awake, though he didn’t move from his cot. It was only when the door closed gently behind the visitor that he rolled to his feet and approached the bars of his cell. “Long time no see Calipsa.”
Nova (2019)
He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he had woken up, but now that he was aware of it, the knowledge scratched at him, urging him up. He reluctantly stretched, relishing the feeling as his joints popped, then finally opened his eyes.
He immediately recognized that he was in some sort of hospital, but how had he gotten here? Where was here?
Title Redacted (2012. A relic since I haven’t started the rewrite yet lol)
“Crap”, I thought, watching my wall of water being beaten back by his fire.
Traitor Queen (2020)
The bar was crowded and noisy, like it usually was after the races. With all the commotion, it was hard to keep track of who was where. Which was why, when Holli turned to make a comment, she was disappointed but not surprised to find her companion had vanished.
On her other side, Johnson noticed her looking and leaned down to be heard. “I saw him wander out a couple of minutes ago.”
Dumbass Immortals (2021)
In her defense, Milo tended to be incredibly distracting. So in all honesty, it wasn’t completely Alysia’s fault that she wasn’t looking where she was going, and therefore ran smack- dab into the guy.
“Are you okay?”
Alysia looked up. Icy blue eyes stared down at her with concern.
“I’m fine.”
Stars (2021)
My first breath tastes stale and plastic, and I’m retching before I’m even half- awake.
Sensations return in flashes; padding under my shoulders, pale blue light interspersed with red, the pressure of a mask over my face, a dull ache in my arm.
I hold my breath for a few moments to claw the oxygen mask off my face. At least now it doesn’t taste like I’m licking plastic.
Lost Beneath the Waves (2021)
The carriage slowed to a stop at the foot of the palace stairs, the rain sloshing around the wheels. As the driver hopped down, the palace doors opened, revealing a man who hurried down the stairs.
“Lord Coranth!” he greeted as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “I’m glad you arrived safely.”
“Likewise.” Lord Coranth stepped down from the carriage, careful to avoid stepping in any puddles. “It’s good to see you again, Aranadar. I just wish the circumstances were better.”
Space Pirates (2021)
The first thing they realized was that they were breathing. Their mother’s words echoed in their head; Breathing is a gift Caelan. Don’t ever forget that.
They took a deep breath, then another, relishing in the feeling of air actually filling their lungs. Right then and there, they decided nothing could ever compare to the terror of trying to take a breath, only to find no air to breathe.
Powers AU (2019)
Aydan was always the first one to the forest path that lead to their small village, but she never minded waiting for the boys to catch up. Even today, the last day of school, she was in no rush to get home.
The breeze brought a whiff of salt water, and Aydan felt a sudden longing to be out on the water. But knowing her father, that was no real surprise.
Magic AU (2020)
James stared up at the building, doubt stirring yet again. He shoved it away again, just like he did every time. After all this was his best shot, their best shot at fixing their mistakes.
A familiar presence brushed against James, but James brushed them off. Lay off.
Now for the random AUs. Some of these are real titles, some of them are just the doc names, some are me sassing my past self. Which one’s which should be fairly obvious I hope lol
Of Fairy Magic (2018)
The night is hot and muggy
And in the distance
is the sound of drunk college seniors
up to their last shenanigans
But they avoid this place
Even drunk
they understand
it’s best to be other places tonight
Prologue to a mermaid AU I never wrote (2014)
Cold. He’s so cold.
“Come on,” the pirate growls, grabbing James by the arm. James stumbles and whimpers, but doesn’t protest. He knows it’s better if he doesn’t say anything
Fountains at Night are Pretty (But Not as Pretty as You) (2017)
You trail your hand through the water of the fountain, and I watch, entranced at the way the light flickers across your face. After a moment, you look up at me. “This is the secret surprise you wanted to show me?” you tease.
“Of course,” I reply, closing the distance between us and sitting next to you at the edge of the fountain.
Gems (2017)
The water sloshed around James’s knees, and he gritted his teeth, bracing himself a little more firmly against the shifting sands. Another wave crashed into him, and he debated letting the water take him, but then it withdrew, leaving James feeling cold again.
Mother I can tell what you’ve been thinking (2016)
Melody woke up from her impromptu nap feeling vaguely uneasy, as if something important was missing. She quickly shrugged it off though, getting out of bed. Of course something was missing. The stillness of the tattoos on her arms attested to that.
The story I should have called Ink Stained (2015)
Blue eyes flitted nervously around the crowded bar, and shadows shifted under his cloak.
Shh. He lightly dragged his fingers over his right arm, and the shadows followed his fingertips. Shh. Calm.
Soulmate Colors AU (Stars) (2015)
Divo sat on the bus with his arms crossed, glaring at anybody who dared to look at him or Nicoli the wrong way.
“You know,” Nicoli sighed, putting away his phone and resting his chin on Divo’s shoulder, drawing the older teen’s attention away from the rest of the bus for a moment, “I wish I could see colors.”
“Don’t we all buddy,” Divo mumbled.
Dragons! (2014)
The stable door opened a crack, letting in a woman carrying a bundle of blankets.
The dragon in the corner stirred, opening silvery gold eyes. Your mate won’t be happy about this you know.
“Shh,” the woman whispered, mischief sparkling in bright blue eyes. “He doesn’t have to know.”
Damp Cement and the Scent of Rain (2014)
It’s the smell of the damp that really makes Kai restless. All day it’s been grey and dreary, sometime between sixth and eighth it turns dark, then ninth it starts raining and storming.
The rain drops in a steady flow from the roof above, heard loud and clear through the half-open window, and almost seeps into the cement building, giving it a cold, damp smell.
When You Wish on a Star (2013. Another relic of pre-rewrite OG)
“Alex, get back here!” Jasmine’s voice echoed down the stairs.
I glanced at Will, an eyebrow raised, and Will groaned. “Whatever she’s done now, I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
