November Writing Prompts 2018

[iam_senpai]

Happy November everyone! I just want to take a second to give a HUGE thank you to Felix's mun Falx conjuredskies for helping me out with the selection this month. She's orchestrated things this time around so be sure to give her a thanks ;)

As always--

Disclaimer: I never close old writing prompts from previous months. People can and should be encouraged to post on old month's prompts and I highly encourage players to track these posts to catch stragglers or new people writing on old prompts.

Now. With that out of the way, onto this month's prompts.

November's Writing Prompts

1. "But how does that work?"

2. Arts and crafts projects gone awry.

3. "That was my first mistake."

4. Brimming with anticipation

5. House Rules

Bonus image prompt:

To go along with Hazel's seasonal question I've gone ahead and fished up something that might get folks in the mood to write about something reflective and mysterious.

Comments

[alittlehinky]

that was my first mistake

I feel like what I ended up writing is sort of indirectly related to the prompt, but it was definitely meant to go with it, so there you have it.

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley has certain House Rules for her Home of Wayward Boys.

[coldsong]

Aaaaand something reflective and mysterious and probably a huge red flag: Death Shall Have No Dominion.

Prompt 2: arts and craft project gone awry

[liverfree]

It's a creation myth, everybody!

[rekindledtitan]

Somewhere far from the Nexus, another kind of House Rules are being enforced.

4 - Brimming with Anticipation (Christmas-themed Ziggyverse AU)

[willoftheblackbird]

It had been a long run in Europe with the winter festivals and celebrations. Every night, there was either a show, an engagement or dinner at someone's family's house. Now, back home for a short break, Jay and Dee were finally getting their own Christmas celebration - albeit a couple weeks late.

"Are you almost ready for Christmas dinner?" Jay walked in behind his fiancé, practically brimming with anticipation. "Dad's pulling up now."

"It's January 6th." He laughed, buttoning up his jacket.

"Día de los Reyes." Jay kissed him sweetly. "It's close enough. And Mom made her rosca de reyes with extra fruit on top. Just like you like it."

He offered a hand, helping Dee stand. The younger man smiled. Jay's family had a lot of festive traditions he'd become part of over the years. But Christmas seemed to last at least a month.

"...oh! is there a ramp for the chair?"

"Don't worry, don't worry." Jay insisted, gathering the presents they'd purchased for his parents. "He borrowed ours before he took my car to the shop. Which is ready, by the way. It's waiting for us in their garage."

It had been in the shop for weeks, but fortunately, most of that time they'd been away on tour. Jerry came over to check on the townhome and seen something leaking from under it, Jay said not long after they reached Denmark. It must have been quite the repair job, Dee thought to himself. That, or maybe everything was just slower due to the holidays.

"Oh, good." He smiled.

"We'll get everything taken care of. I promise."

Dee didn't think he needed the chair today, per se. But he liked having it around, just in case. The first time he brought it to the Andrews' estate, Jerry finally made good on that promise to give him a whole tour of their orchard. It really put the track mode to the test.

The whole ride over was filled with stories from tour, the recently published article on disabled artists taking the music industry by storm, the amazing place in Copenhagen with the perfect acoustics for a dream wedding and whose piece of rosca would have the muñeca this year. (Which had been Jay for the past three years - something he was starting to think was a Candlemas hosting conspiracy.)

As they pulled up to the massive estate, Jay's mother, Maria, was waiting for them on the veranda. As they got out of the car, she came out to greet them all warmly.

"Bienvenidos! Mijo!" She embraced her son, peppering his face with kisses. Dee snickered softly, but was not spared the same treatment when she turned to him, "...Mijito!"

Jay watched his fiancé blush, and it warmed his heart. When they first started dating, Dee used to cringe at the thought of his mother fussing over him. But he'd gotten attached to the pet names. To Maria Andrews, he was part of the family, and every bit her son as Jay was now. Just smaller and more adorable, Jay said of the translation.

"It's so good to have you both over for dinner! But presents first!" She looked between both of them, and her husband, who was unloading Dee's chair. She seemed to be practically brimming with anticipation too. "Good children always get presents on Día de los Reyes!"

Jay laughed, as he was almost forty. But the sentiment was a familiar one. And since the youngest always went first... that meant Dee.

"We have your present right here." Jerry announced, pressing the remote for their three-car garage. "It was all Jay's idea, we're just like Santa's helpers."

Dee turned his head in confusion as the door rose, revealing Jay's car with a massive bow on top.

"That's... just your car..."

"The present's IN the car." Jay smirked. "But you have to come open it."

He held out his hand, leading his fiancé into the massive garage. His parents followed behind, Jerry wrapping an arm around Maria.

"Driver's side." Jay hinted.

"What did you get me?" He smiled, confused but anticipating some sort of wonderful surprise.

"You'll have to open it to find out."

Dee slowly opened the door. He was expecting to find a wrapped box sitting in the seat. But instead, all he saw were strange electronics covering the entirety of the center console and a good part of the dash.

He looked back at Jay, completely confused. "I don't get it... What's all this? Why does your car look like..." he paused, recognition coming along with the words. "...the controls of my chair..."

He noticed, then, the World Enterprises logo on some of the new equipment.

"Surprise, my little blackbird." Jay wrapped his hands around Dee.

"This... this is..." he stuttered. "But... it's your car..."

Jay leaned in, whispering. "It's OUR car now. Do you want to sit in it?"

There was no expectation to drive it, or even flip the ignition. Just to sit in it and let the magnitude of the gift sink in.

"I haven't driven a car in years..."

"You'll have plenty of time to learn at your own pace." Jay encouraged, helping his fiancé into the driver's seat. "See this little switch? It toggles between your controls and what was originally there. As long as the car's off, of course. So, either one of us can drive this car."

Dee looked around at the controls, his fingers dancing over the trackball interface he'd become so familiar with. Tears began to swell up around his eyes.

"Do you like it?" Jay whispered.

"I...I don't believe it..."

When the interviewer from the magazine asked if there were things he wished he could do that he couldn't, he didn't answer anything specific. However, driving was the first thing that came to mind. Years had passed since he stopped trusting himself to move his feet between the pedals fast enough, slam on the breaks hard enough, or even keep his hands up on the wheel for any real length of time. He'd completely given up on ever driving a car again.

"This is amazing... Jay, this is..." he hiccuped, "Oh my god. Thank you... Thank you so much..."

Jay leaned in, kissing Dee's cheek, tears and all. "Merry Christmas, Sweetheart. And feliz Día de Los Reyes."