Work in Progress Wednesday!

[tjs_whatnot]

Sorry I dropped the ball last week. :( But, lets just say, you guys all KILLED it! Thank you so much for being there for each other--especially at this time where I was pretty MIA. I'd say, I'll do better from now on, but here it is almost Thursday and I'm just now turning on my computer for the first time in days.

But, I will try. You guys keep being awesome to each other though, yeah?

♥♥

Comments

[cornerofmadness]

Holy crap how is it this late in May already? Here's more from my BtVS/AtS cross over Like Stone with Connor and Kate currently talking in a bar, picking up right from last week.

“I’m serious, Connor.” Her strong hand closed over mine. Her fingers were calloused and warm but I pulled away. I didn’t want comforted.

“You’re a detective, Kate, and a good one. But you’re not a psychologist so leave it.”

“Bullshit. A good hunk of detective work is psychology and you know it,” she challenged.

I bit at the cuticle of my thumb like I was wont to do when nervous. I couldn’t meet those pretty blue eyes. She would make me feel like I was that scared little boy I once was if I looked at her. “Kate, I can’t accept him. I know that puts you in a bad position, just like Wes and Buffy. I know it’s hard being friends with me and Dad and not being able to reconcile us.”

She leaned on the age-warped wood of the table. “That’s because you’re a pig-headed Irishman.”

I canted my eyes to meet hers, and then dropped them back to my pint glass. I did one of the shots of whiskey. “Maybe so.”

“He’s not going to give up on you,” she said, softly.

I sighed heavily. “I just wish he would.”

“You know better.”

She was right. I did. Dad called me every week and told me what was going on in his life. Well, he told the answering machine at any rate since I never picked up. He sent me emails that I deleted but not before reading. He sent me holiday cards and birthday presents. Until that, I hadn’t even known when I was born. I never thanked him, never acknowledged his efforts. The few times I had spoken to him, I told him how much I hated him. When I walked out on his wedding, he cried silently as he watched me go. Maybe Kate was right. I had my bone-crushing dream because I felt guilty over Dad, and I hated him so much I couldn’t even have him in my dreams. I was a wicked creature but what else could be expected of a bastard demon half breed?

“He erased me, Kate. Like I never existed. Like he never wanted me.”

Her hand was across the table and back again so fast I couldn’t stop her slap. My face stung from the concussion. “He did it because he loved you. You know this. He did what he thought would make you safe and happy because you were dying inside, Connor. Rotting and spreading your decay to others.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “He never fought hard enough for me, Kate,” I whispered. “He just let me go. Every time things got difficult with me, he let me go.” I scrubbed my hand over my eyes, trying to grind away the tears.

“No one’s ever going to convince you otherwise, are they?” Kate scowled at me. There was no pity in her eyes for me but I didn’t really deserve any. “Maybe next time you have the dream, I won’t come here.”

I nodded but I knew she would. She always would.

[tjs_whatnot]

Wow. Powerful.

[cornerofmadness]

Thank you

[silveradept]

From the sequel work, something not an action sequence, but also not necessarily fluffy.

"What. Is. THIS?!" Ladybug demanded, pointing at the full-nearly-to-bursting space as Naminé and Xion arrived to investigate the scream.

"Looks like it's the 'Heroic/Romantic Sacrifice' Gallery," Plagg deadpanned.

"More like the 'Hall of Self-Sacrificing Bad Ideas'," Marinette snapped. "Has he always been like this?"

Plagg fixed Ladybug with as serious a face as he could muster.

"Yes," he said. "Chat's family life is shit and the only thing he really enjoys is being Chat Noir."

"Why this, then?" Ladybug gestured to the various Chat-fantasies.

Plagg sighed. "A long time ago, he decided that he didn't matter, and the best thing he could do for everyone, but especially for the Bug he loved, would be to protect you. Even if it meant he didn't make it out alive."

Ladybug's mouth snapped shut and she turned to face Naminé.

"Fix this," she ordered.

"No." Naminé said.

"This is your...thing, isn't it?" Ladybug pressed.

"No," Naminé shook her head. "I...when I first was born, people used me to take apart someone's memories. It took a year for me to undo the damage that I had done, and in the process, I nearly destroyed the only friends I had made. I won't do it again. Not for anyone."

"He's hurting! Why won't you help him?" Ladybug shouted, curling her fists.

"It's part of who he is," Naminé said. "Breaking those links could break him completely. I don't...I don't want to see that ever again. If you want a happy Chat Noir, you're going to have to forge those links yourself." Naminé fled can where she came from.

Ladybug stepped forward to pursue the argument, but Xion's raised Keyblade stopped her.

"Don't," Xion said, shaking her head.

Plagg floated up to sit on the end of Xion's Keyblade and crossed his arms, indicating where his opinion was on this particular debate.

"Fine," Ladybug sighed. "I can't fight all of you."

[cornerofmadness]

Ooo being about to take apart memories (which is sort of what my own post is about) could be such a two edged sword. How intriguing!

[silveradept]

Take them apart, put them together, make up new ones entirely that are indistinguishable from the originals. She's an extremely powerful character, and doesn't get used much by the narrative in her source material after the game where she's the focus.

[cornerofmadness]

Wow that is really interesting

[tjs_whatnot]

Wow. Super intriguing.

[sodium_amytal]

I've managed 16k on this in maybe 2 weeks? I'm so excited over how this one is shaping up!

The dining room was grand and expansive, with a table that extended to comfortably sit ten. Above the table hung a calming blue glass pendant light. Bucky sipped at a glass of whiskey on the rocks; Sam drank iced tea, while Steve opted for water. Tony and Pepper indulged in red wine, and Morgan lifted her glass of chocolate milk to her mouth with both hands.

“Can I ask you something, Mr. Stark?” Steve said.

“Please, call me Tony. We’re all friends here,” he said, chewing a forkful of green beans.

Steve did not do so, but he nodded as if to acknowledge he’d heard him. “What made you turn this place into a refuge for the ones left behind?” He tried to sound casual, but Bucky heard the subtle hints of interrogation in his voice.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Tony said flippantly. “You might know something about that yourself, Mr. Medal of Honor.” Steve raised his eyebrows. “That’s right, I Googled you. What, you think I wouldn’t run a background check on my applicants?”

Steve had been awarded a Medal of Honor for risking his life, under enemy fire, to render medical aid to Bucky after the bomb blast. He had carried Bucky to safety and applied the tourniquet that staunched the bleeding. Bucky did not remember any of that, but this was the version of the story that had been explained to him numerous times.

“You cross your Ts and dot your Is,” Steve said in admiration.

“And that’s what I’m doing here. Making sure people have a place to go.”

“A little late, don’t you think? It’s been a year since the Snap.”

“You three showed up. ‘If you build it, they will come.’”

Steve made a confused face. Bucky leaned over and murmured, “It’s a line from a movie. Field of Dreams.”

[cornerofmadness]

Oh very nice

[tjs_whatnot]

Woot on the word count accomplishment! That's fantastic! And so was this snippet!

Go you! ❤