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shay-the-writer · 5 months

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December Writing Prompts

Things are going to be a bit different this month. This seems like a very bad idea for me because I haven't really been accomplishing everything every month this year, but let's go with it.

Now, there are two main writing themes this month, because I couldn't narrow things down to just 12.

December's main writing prompts are:

Blast from the Fanfiction Past. The idea is to go back and rewrite a very old fic of yours, from when you first started writing fanfiction, whether or not you ever posted it. :::OR::: Go back and watch a show you loved watching long time ago and go write a fic for it.

It's the Most Magical Time of the Year. A holiday/winter-themed story, or stories. (see the optional prompts below for ideas).

The optional prompts are categorized because there are a lot of them.

OTP HOLIDAY:

Cuddling, wrapped in soft blankets in front of a fireplace.

Warming up in a big bathtub/hot tub.

Getting snowed in.

It's Christmas Eve and the storm outside caused a complete blackout for the whole night.

We just wanted to make some cookies but now we are lying on the floor, panting and completely covered in flour.

HOLIDAY PROMPTS:

Christmas Classic (Rudolph, Frosty, etc.)

Snowman

Santa Claus

Tree

The Christmas Carol

Cabin in Winter

Wishes

Christmas Shopping

Family

Christmas Music

Naughty/Nice

Red & Green

SONG FICS:

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Blue Christmas

White Christmas

Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

This Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas

All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey)

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Winter Wonderland

Sleigh Ride

Please Come Home for Christmas

Santa Baby

Mistletoe (Colbie Caillat)

Baby, It's Cold Outside (a non-predatory version because it probably can be done so as not to sound like SVU needs to be called in)

No quotes this month. Just an overwhelming amount of prompts I may not get to, but here's hoping.

#December writing prompts #writing #writing prompts #creative writing #winter #Christmas #holiday #Christmas music #otp prompts

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martinwritessometimes · 5 months

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December Short Story Writing Prompts

Challenging myself to write a horror story every day in December. May continue this in 2024 but with a different genre. Will post my progress here and my stories on my blog to keep myself accountable.

#writer #horror #horror story #queer writers #short story #writing prompts #december writing prompts #writing challenge #writing #horror writing #horror prompts #writing prompt #lgbtq+ horror

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bbreaddog · 1 year

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For the December prompts staying in bed, sick + Julie and her ghosts?

Oh god. How the winter sun manages to slash through the curtains so brightly, she’ll never know. It should be a crime to be woken up this early when you’re sick. Even by the loving call of nature. Although she doesn’t feel any of the love right now, not when it’s freezing cold and the sun is offering eye strain in place of warmth.

Julie groans, pulling the covers over her head as she rolls over to turn away from the window. Her mouth is dry from keeping it open all night just so she could breathe. She sniffs now, just to see if she can get more than nothing this time, and is met with zero air flow. She heaves a sigh. Yep. Still sick.

She doesn’t know what time it is, and she couldn’t care less. Being sick is for waking up in the afternoon and staying in bed forever. Under the cosy warm darkness, Julie wills herself to go back to sleep.

Her eyes open on their own accord when faint voices sift through, muffled by the soft cushy barrier of her blankets. It’s probably Dad and Tia Victoria coming in to check on her. She sighs again. She loves them both and she’s grateful for their help. But sometimes they just need to know when to leave a girl alone.

Like right now. When it’s who-knows o’clock, and the sun has a personal vendetta against sick people called Julie Molina.

She can’t make out what they’re saying. They’re speaking softly, and it doesn’t help that her ears have been blocked for the past two days. Having her head under the covers probably doesn’t help either.

Julie shuts her eyes again. Usually, she can tolerate being talked about behind her back, but she’s sick, for God’s sake. She knows Dad and Tia are just looking out for her, but really? In her room? At her bed? That she’s currently in?

Julie huffs in frustration and whips the covers off her face.

“Okay, I love you guys but please give me like, five more minutes.”

“Oh!” exclaims a soft voice that sounds suspiciously like Reggie. “You love us?”

“Reg…” she hears Alex groan. Julie’s eyes snap open.

“Okay, you heard the lady,” says Luke’s voice. “Five more minutes.”

Julie bolts upright and grunts softly when stars fill her eyes. She squints in the direction of the voices, blinking the stars away, and sure enough—Reggie, Alex and Luke are all standing at the foot of her bed, staring at her like deer in headlights.

“What-?” she starts, before shielding her eyes from the sunlight and groaning. “What are you guys doing here?”

Julie can practically hear the few high-pitched “um”s and “uh”s hitting the ceiling. They better not have been watching her sleep, like some creepy… whatever. Her brain doesn’t work enough right now to come up with anything. But what she does know is that she does not appreciate being gawked at like a zoo animal.

“We wanted to run something by you?” Luke blurts out.

Julie drops her hand and deadpans. They haven’t been able to do any music or songwriting since Julie was deemed diseased by Carlos a few days ago when he’d heard her sniffle. Luke was disappointed when Julie called off any music work until she got better, but he knew it was for the best. He’s not nearly enough of an idiot to keep pushing.

“We, uh,” Alex cuts in, “we just wanted to check on you. We knew you weren’t feeling well, so…”

“Yeah!” Reggie smiles. “We didn’t want you to be lonely, so we came over to keep you company.”

Julie sighs shortly. She’s sick and she’s annoyed and she wants to stay mad. But as she rolls her eyes, Julie can’t help the way her lips curl up into a fond smile.

“Thanks, guys,” she says. “I appreciate that.”

They smile at her, and the room brightens. The morning chill strikes her back and she shivers.

“Right,” she chuckles nervously, settling back down in her bed. “Gotta stay warm if I wanna beat this cold!”

“Oh, yep,” Reggie says, pointing at her as she pulls the covers back up over her shoulders. “You do that.”

Julie laughs softly and closes her eyes as she is embraced by the heavenly warmth of her bed. Finally, she thinks. No sick person should ever have to wake up during the morning.

Julie’s eyes open at the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looks up. “Are you still here?”

The boys splutter unintelligibly. Julie raises her eyebrows and purses her lips. “You can go now…”

“Mm-hm.” Alex nods, turning towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“We’re leaving,” Luke announces as they make their way out.

“Yes, ma’am! We are out of here.”

Reggie, Julie thinks, shaking her head fondly. Alone again, she closes her eyes once more and sighs into the comforting warmth. And honestly? The sunlight isn’t too bad right now.

Send me a December-themed prompt

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 1 year

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Me: okay, this prompt sheet's gonna be super simple, I'm gonna make it so easy on myself.

My brain:

Me:

My brain:

Me:

My brain: Or—

Me: No—

My brain: Have you considered making it SUPER difficult for yourself?

Me:

Me: I'm listening.

#mine #writing #Fluffcember #December writing prompts

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filet-o-feelings · 1 year

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December prompts - day 2 (baking)

I know I just linked to AO3 for day 1, but I think I'm going to post the rest here, since they're short. Although this one got a bit longer than intended, so I'll throw it under a cut.

“Hey, Twy?” Alexis looked like she had something on her mind as she sat at the counter sipping her tea.

“What’s up, Alexis?”

“Do you know a good banana bread recipe?” That’s not at all what Twyla had been expecting, but she’s happy she can help.

“I do, actually! My aunt used to make the best banana bread before her second husband ran off with the produce manager at Brebners and she swore off fresh produce for the rest of her life. We had to sneak vegetables into her food like she was a toddler so she wouldn’t drop dead from malnutrition.”

“Oh! Oh wow. Um. Anyway, we somehow ended up with way too many bananas so I need to use them up. And David’s been kind of down lately so I figured maybe I could cheer him up with carbs.”

“That sounds really lovely!”

“Um. There is one small problem though.”

“What’s that?” Twyla asks as she wipes down the counter.

“I live in a motel and don’t have a proper kitchen,” she says, and Twyla smiles.

“Well, I’m done with work in about 2 hours and happen to have a fully stocked kitchen, if you want to stop by later,” Twyla suggests.

“Oh my god, yes, Twy that would be perfect!” Alexis exclaims, grinning.

🍌🍞

Twyla prepares all of the ingredients, sans bananas, before Alexis arrives. She’s grateful that she had time to shower and put on one of her favorite dresses before Alexis arrives.

Not that this is, like, a date or anything. She just felt gross after working all day.

She’s just finishing tidying up the living room when she hears a knock at the door.

“Alexis, hi, come in!” she says when she opens the door to the adorable sight of her friend all dressed up in a gorgeous pink dress, heels and all, holding a bunch of bananas up and in front of her.

“I remembered the bananas!” She said, proudly. As if remembering the one thing, and the literal reason she was coming over tonight was a huge accomplishment.

Twyla really kind of wants to kiss her right now.

Instead, she takes the bananas and leads her to the kitchen.

“Twy! Your place is so cute! How have I never been here?” Alexis says, looking around in wonder.

“Well, you’re welcome here anytime,” she says, and she’s really hoping Alexis takes her up on the offer.

“Okay, so the recipe is actually really simple. We’ll just need three bananas, and you want to make sure they’re ripe so these are perfect. I already took out all the other ingredients, so if you want to peel and mash them in that bowl, I’ll start the oven and butter the loaf pan.”

Alexis mashes the bananas and Twyla checks the next step. “Okay the next thing to add is melted butter so I’m just going to throw that in the microwave for a few seconds.”

Once the butter is melted, she adds it to the bowl with the bananas and instructs Alexis to add the remaining ingredients, one at a time.

“Great, just the flour left,” she says, dumping the flour in the bowl while Alexis continues to mix.

Somehow, way too much flour ends up on the outside of the bowl and ends up on both of the girls.

“I’m so sorry, I should have given you an apron to wear! It’s all over your dress!”

Alexis is laughing, though, and Twyla is relieved that she doesn’t seem to be upset. “It’s okay Twy! This is surprisingly a lot of fun.”

“Oh, good! I love baking, I’m glad you’re enjoying it too,” she says, pausing before deciding to say the next part. “Maybe we can do this again. Make a thing of it? Cupcakes, cookies, maybe even fudge!”

Alexis grins and nods, "Mmhmm!"

Twyla takes a look at the bowl, “Okay I think it’s mixed enough. You can pour the batter into the loaf pan now.”

Alexis does as instructed, then Twyla places the pan in the oven, setting the timer.

“Is that it?” Alexis asks.

“That’s it. Now we wait.”

“What do you want to do while we wait?” Alexis asks, and Twyla blushes, thinking of all the things she would love to do while the bread bakes.

In the end, they decide on a movie, and creep closer and closer to each other on the couch. Twyla thinks if things continue this way, she might actually end up kissing Alexis tonight.

And then the oven timer interrupts her thoughts.

Twyla jumps up and goes to check on the banana bread, Alexis following closely behind.

“It looks like it turned out perfect,” she says, placing it on a trivet before removing her oven mitt and turning the oven off.

“Thank you, Twyla. It smells amazing! David’s going to love this.”

“You’ll have to let me know what he thinks,” Twyla says.

They finish their movie while the bread cools, but start again at opposite ends of the couch, the moment gone for now. Once cooled enough, Twyla wraps the bread up and sends Alexis on her way.

An hour later, she receives a text with a picture of David eating a slice of banana bread with a look of pure bliss on his face.

She smiles, knowing she made at least two people happy today.

Three, if she includes herself.

#twylexis #sort of?#either way my first twylexis fic somehow #I kinda want to continue it #december writing prompts #schitt's creek fanfic

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givethispromptatry · 5 months

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花より団子

"Dumplings instead of flowers"

Origin: Japan

Meaning: Choosing something useful over something pretty

#writing prompt #story prompt #december 2023 #turn that phrase month

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dindjarindiaries · 5 months

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IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Welcome to Dincember 2023!

If you’d like to participate, use #dincember 2023!

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙

December 1: Snow December 2: Fire December 3: Gloves December 4: Lights December 5: Cold December 6: Gifts December 7: Star December 8: Flame December 9: Boots December 10: Sweater December 11: Icicle December 12: Warmth December 13: Family December 14: Home December 15: Candle December 16: Sweet December 17: Joy December 18: Snowflake December 19: Coat December 20: Celebration December 21: Love December 22: Cozy December 23: Frost December 24: Ice December 25: Holiday

#LIVE LOVE DINCEMBER 🫶#starts december 1!!!#din djarin #the mandalorian #dincember 2023 #dincember #writing prompts

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comp-lady · 6 months

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DOMESTIC DECEMBER 2023

(I add the year as if I have plans to continue this every year)

I've never done this before, but I wanted a month of domestic fic prompts. So I decided to make one myself! While I put this list together with the Ghost fandom in mind, it is fully open to all fandoms!

Participate as much or as little as you wish! There are two prompts for each day, and 2 free spaces in the month.

Posting it early to give people time to prep if they so desire.

Accessible list of prompts under the cut:

cooking together | blanket forts

Helping each other with chores | going to a concert/play together

cuddling | Stuck waiting in line together

borrowing clothes | adopting a pet

caring for them when sick | admiring them all dressed up

sharing the bed | staring in adoration

good morning/night kisses | helping them pick an outfit

lazy mornings | comfort during a storm

staycation | a day at the fair

unexpected gifts | kids

playing with their hair | cute habits

grocery shopping | someone set off the smoke alarm

laundry day | someone can't sleep

morning routine | handiwork around the home

FREE DAY | Combine any of the others

spontaneous dancing | cute aggression

Hobbies together | Conversations at 3am

Saying I love you without saying it | Birthdays

Picnics | fun with magic

Forgetting things | movie nights

Nighttime routine | massages

Rainy days | stopping the other from overworking themselves

I got you flowers | finishing each other's sentences

Singing together | couples/family language

Can't stop laughing | pregnancy

Playful teasing | Holidays

Game night | sharing food

Comforting them | outsider perspective of them

Power outage | making up after a fight

Sock skating on the floor | building furniture

Free Day | Combine any of the others

#the band ghost #ghost bc #ghost band #Domestic December #Prompts #story prompts #writing prompts #domestic #fluff #domestic prompts #fanfiction #writing #creative writing #inspiration

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i-want-men-i-cant-have · 5 months

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𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓾𝓷. 𝓼𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓶.

✿ summary: after eating strawberry scones and maybe a bit more than a little snow, riddle won't let you leave

✿ ft. riddle rosehearts

you hadn't expected it. you really should have, but you didn't.

the perfectly cut grass along with those pops of red in heartsabyul had been draped in a pristine white layer of snow. the once almost postcard blue sky transformed into a muted gray hue. soft mummers of the wind now were hidden with a biting nip. tiny snowflakes began to multiply, swirling and twirling in the wind. the atmosphere began to shift into a flurry of snow.

voices yelled to get back inside once the wind kicked up.

you had followed the dorm leader inside the half eaten strawberry stones left to fly with the wind or be suffocated by the mounting layers of pristine powder.

now, after being stuck in his cozy room, it didn't seem so bad to be stuck here. who knew it was against the queen's rules to get out in the snow thirty minutes after eating a strawberry scone?

was it even coming down that hard? maybe the snow could go up to your knees, but grim needed you back at ramshackle. he did have the ghosts, and you had, well, riddle, overbearing as ever. he passed back and forth in his room, hand on his chin, muttering something under his breath. his eyes would occasionally glance your way before immediately diverting to the floor.

you were lucky enough to find yourself on his bed, blankets and duvet draped around your form keeping you warm, a nice contrast to the freezing blizzard coming down outside.

"aren't you cold, riddle?" you asked the boy who momentarily paused, his shoulders tense in the chilly air.

"no, don't be ridiculous," he almost responded too quickly, but there was a subtle shiver beneath his confident tone.

“riddle.”

“i told you, im fine.” he snapped before a high pitch sneeze erupted out of him, leaving him frozen in a moment of vulnerability.

“sure.” you looked at him, a playful glint in your eyes. “just join me.” you tell him and pat a spot next to you, the soft noise nustling into his ears.

he looked at you, obviously thinking it over. yes he was cold, very cold and you were warm. you were also a friend. a friend he cared about a lot. what if he embarrassed himself? what would his mother say?

riddle hesitated for a moment, his expression softening before he reluctantly moved to sit beside you, not before peeling off his gloves, heels and cloak, seeking the warmth both from your words and the shared space. bed dipping the air between you held a subtle tension, a mixture of the biting cold and an unspoken connection.

opening your am with a blanket you wordlessly invited him closer to you. shoulders brushing until nudging and then finally touching, no space in between the two of you. you wrapped the blanket to his shoulder.

“what are you doing?” he snapped back, his shoulders tense as he resisted the urge to yank the blanket off.

“keeping you warm,” you said calmly, unaffected by his abrupt response. you rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes, a sigh escaping you as you allowed yourself to relax. he inhaled quickly, his posture stiff and straight as always.

you opened your eyes and looked into the red head's. “you can relax, you know.”

“i am relaxed.” he retorted, but his words contradicted the truth. his fingers fidgeted, his posture remained tense, and everything about him screamed awkwardness. despite his efforts to maintain composure, the vulnerability beneath the surface was palpable, like a tightly wound coil just waiting to unravel. the air held a quiet tension, a delicate balance between his resistance and your gentle persistence in breaking down the walls he had built around himself.

"right," you couldn't help but let out a laugh, though a subtle tightness settled in your chest. was he even trying to warm up to you? the fact that he didn't force you to be in the same room as ace or deuce right now suggested some level of care, but maybe not enough to share such an intimate moment with you.

riddle caught on to your feelings, your face not doing much to hide them. gradually, he slid his hand over towards yours, bit by bit. perhaps, in his own way, he was opening up to you. his frostbitten hands latched onto yours, seeking warmth from the cold.

you flinched, and riddle almost immediately shot his hand back towards his lap, muttering a quick apology. his face turned as red as the once red roses outside. how could he be so stupid, reaching out to grab your hand like that? he should have known better. it felt like an invasion of space, a potential disrespect. what would his mother say? he was practically taking advantage of y-

his wild thoughts dwindled away like sugar in water when your hand touched his own, grasping it and squeezing it. the feeling of warmth shot up his arm to his body and then his heart. he couldn't even think of anything; his mind went blanker than ever before. all his problems melted away, his heart beating like he had just flunked a test, but this was a different kind of beating- stressful, yet strangely comforting. it felt fuzzy, even with all the emotions going on in his head.

even with this new feeling, he didn't want to think about it. he didn't want to take away from this warmth. he wanted to relax, to take it in, as if this moment was a sanctuary from the chaos of the outside world.

as the two of you sat there, hands intertwined, a soft silence enveloped the room. riddle's initial tension began to subside, replaced by a sense of calm that neither of you had anticipated.

you could sense a subtle shift in riddle's demeanor. the rigid walls he usually kept up seemed to soften, and he let out a deep breath, as if releasing pent-up stress.

riddle stole a glance at you, his crimson eyes meeting yours with a mix of vulnerability and gratitude. for a moment, the weight of expectations, responsibilities, and the troubles that usually plagued him seemed to fade away. it was just the two of you.

even when you woke up the next day, snow melting into water, your hands were still intertwined.

#day 1 is 1 day late #december #hate this but here you go #december writing prompt #twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #x reader #riddle x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader

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wiseatom · 17 days

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and if i said i had something non-acswy related dropping with the vague timeline of “soon,” then what.

#byler fic #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction #miwip wednesday #wiseatom wips #BRUHHH I HAVENT WRITTEN NON ACSWY IN SO LONG #i have posted 2 wips of this before (it’s from a prompt fill back in december and i still have a few other from that i wanna write)#but it’s like actually getting to the Home Stretch now so that is exciting #this is the last wip i’ll post from it but i hope to have it up at some point next week 🤸

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thepenultimateword · 1 year

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Short Prompt #139

“Why would you help me?”

“I have a weakness for little cute things.”

#I found this in my notes from December #I have no recollection of writing it or what it was for #I’m assuming it was for one of my stories?#I don’t think it was meant to be a prompt #or I would’ve posted it already #Buuuut that’s fine #If I ever remember what it was for I’ll use it for that later #prompt #writing prompt #dialogue prompt #writblr #monster x human #short prompt #hero x villain #antagonist x protagonist #alien x human #it’s whatever you want it to be!#writing #creative writing

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topsyturvy-turtely · 5 months

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Finally close enough - 221b

December prompts! I used Wish & Star. (dec 2nd)

~•~•~~•~~•~~~•~~~•~~•~~•~•~

It was May when I wished for it.

Laying down, looking up, listening to the night. An owl hooting behind, a blanket wrapped around, a sky full of stars above us.

Him next to me: not close enough.

I felt him breathing beside me. I felt myself stopping to breathe when his hand brushed mine. The adrenaline of the case long gone left me behind vulnerable and sensitive. No longer a soldier, just an ordinary guy who's falling in love.

I wished for it and was simultaneously afraid of it. I wished for it again when I saw another shooting star.

It was December when it came true.

A glare. Incredulity. An awkward laugh and my fingers tucking on my collar. Incredulity turning into confusion.

Fear made me wanna turn around. Turn around and run. Run until I forgot. Run forever, because how could I ever forget.

Looking up I saw confusion fading into amazement.

Something in his eyes made me smile. Feel warm inside, feel safe, feel brave.

He must have seen something in mine too because then: him, right in front of me. So close. Not close enough.

I don't know who leaned in first. I do know we met in the middle.

A wish came true and I wasn't afraid anymore. A wish of lips, tasting like biscuits.

~•~•~~•~~•~~~•~~~•~~•~~•~•~

A/N: FLUFF! i love fluff:) not sure how often i can contribute something but here is one 221b ficlet for you, my loves. (let's ignore i already missed one day okay? cool.) thanks for reblogging!!!

!!! definitely read @totallysilvergirl's and @lisbeth-kk's december ficlets too !!! they are already heartwarmingly delicious!

(keep reading = tag list)

tag list! (tell me if you wanna be added or removed please 💚) @justanobsessedpan @helloliriels @catlock-holmes @fluffbyday-smutbynight @inevitably-johnlocked @hisfavouritejumper @rhasima @forfucksakejohn @ohlooktheresabee @turbulenttrouble @so-youre-unattached-like-me @peanitbear @train-mossman @loki-lock @smulderscobie @timberva @grace-in-the-wilderness @chinike @jawnn-watson @whatnext2020 @escapingthereality @missdeliadili @kettykika78 @musingsofmyown @7-percent @speedymoviesbyscience @astudyin221b @francj15 @ladylindaaa @we-r-loonies @mxster-jocale @sherlockcorner @noahspector @our-stars-graveside @jobooksncoffee @baker-street-blog @macgyvershe @myladylyssa @battledress @a-victorian-girl @dreamerofthemeadow @oetkb12 @ohnoesnotagain @mutedsilence @jawnscoffee @raenchaosandcozyadashofmurder @quickslvxrr @compact-and-beautiful

#i hope this is any kinda good #it's 2:30 am #lmao #turtely writes #december prompts #december 2nd #johnlock ficlet #221b ficlet #happy about reblogs! 🥰#johnlock #bbc sherlock #sherlock #john watson #sherlock holmes

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head-in-the-shrouds · 5 months

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366 Prompts For 2024:

One word prompts for 2024 (all 12 months) and some alternatives. These are mostly horror / fantasy aimed.

January (31):

Behold

Justice

Oak

Weave

Hook

Waggon

Torch

Jinx

Prey

Must

Lit

Keep

Vanquish

Yarrow

Intended

Tomb

Marsh

Leather

Blanket

Kin

Lordling

Promises

Heath

Rot

West

Under

Sworn

Rusted

Transformation

Quest

Pond

February (29):

Midwinter

Oath

Croak

Blush

Nimble

Malady

Deal

Roots

Willow

Orders

Moss

Lantern

Portent

Lovelock

Mourning

Horned

Keys

Earn

Remedy

Bog

Yearning

Lace

Trunk

Coiled

Linger

Soothsayer

Revenge

Oleander

Revered

March (31):

Metal

Pride

Gunpowder

Inheritance

Master

Brandish

Enchanted

Path

Sacrifice

Tailor

Crypt

Remain

Toad

Understanding

Legacy

Archway

Mirror

Omen

Home

Fur

Dust

Bow

Necklace

Sly

Permanent

Grin

Aim

Nest

Hex

Church

Valour

April (30):

Masonry

Inquiry

Ledge

Years

Hospitality

Clay

Priestess

Sunken

Lavender

Trust

Waters

Guilt

Dusk

Protection

Musket

Castle

Flee

Ancient

Value

Charm

Fever

Penance

Silk

Foxhole

Ornament

Tradition

Meld

Hare

Well

Pest

May (31):

Moonrise

Sea

Wander

Absolution

Bark

Ridge

Crackle

Sacred

Bind

Frozen

Thatch

Naming

Elder

Wealth

Dappled

Reading

Father

Cathedral

Tent

Grey

Payment

Enshrine

Tales

Velvet

Cell

Guide

Dawn

Mines

Riddle

Falling

Clock

June (30):

Vixen

Stolen

Worth

Tar

Alchemy

Fickle

Barrell

Harrow

Pyre

Chest

Worship

Steps

Armoury

Tear

Den

Ladder

Ruins

Bargain

Snake-leaves

Corn-doll

Garnet

Eccentric

Telescope

Antler

Stone

Break

Laden

Tower

Chain

Rook

July (31):

Masquerade

Pines

Mother

Herbs

Limb

Prize

Rescue

Scales

Melody

Shore

Tempest

Appease

Queen

Hermit

Separated

Bear

Righteous

Chimney

Storm

Manipulate

Boots

Apple

Rings

Crafted

Trail

Bleak

Dear-heart

Sanctify

Feast

Gathering

Door

August (31):

Luck

Display

Greed

Autumn

Found

Wildfire

Sleep

Grandfather

Watch

Hidden

Lookalike

Whimsey

Thicket

Runes

Horseshoe

Smoke

Awaken

Gargoyle

Wig

Poison

Thousand-fur

Shatter

Barrow

Tempt

Flag

Mercy

Web

Beast

Candle

Hunt

Serpent

September (30):

Belladonna

Magician

Birch

Reflection

Sight

Elaborate

Captive

Rope

Glass

Decades

Blade

Sorrow

Finickity

Carving

Stag

Fairy-tale

Spark

Blackthorn

Mountain

Century

Fury

Question

Claws

Fangs

Decay

Gift

Shipwreck

Blessed

Harvest

Crown

October (31):

Troll

Vines

Scattered

Prayer

Hatchet

Coat

Fireside

Grim

Sealed

Walled

Healing

Cobbled

Secure

Forest

Blind

Constellation

Shroud

Regal

Helm

Shadowed

Ward

Sinking

Hills

Goldsmith

Silver

Entwining

Soldier

Courtship

Guest

Defy

Crone

November (30):

Bones

Fear

Talisman

Song

Witness

Cloak

Plague

Hearth

Returned

Testament

Ceremonial

Yearning

Written

Silhouette

Gilded

Boundary

Hunger

Stranger

Fiend

Dungeon

Huntsman

Want

Birdsong

Wish

Hierophant

Favour

Dreaming

Coal

Brother

Fields

December (31):

Bottles

Curse

Horizon

Supplies

Wallowing

Hodge-podge

Thorns

Wisdom

Trinket

Warmth

Timber

Honest

Ritual

Welcome

Branches

Disguise

Bound

Gallows

Shield

Window

Finality

Tinder

Starlight

Winds

Bridge

Fortune

Tracks

River

Guardian

Summon

Warmth

Alternative Prompts:

Cunning

Puppet

Hound

Brambles

Eldritch

Garden

Eldritch

Cosmic

Bells

Tainted

Sleigh

Sect

Glowing

Coven

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aparticularbandit · 4 months

Text

Making Cookies

Summary: Peeta tells Katniss he needs to talk, but they end up baking instead.

Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mallark

Rating: T.

AO3

“We should talk.”

Peeta’s stern, more stern than normal, but it’s better than the stilted formality that’s grown between us ever since the games.

But I don’t want to talk to Peeta. I don’t know how to talk to Peeta anymore, if I ever did to begin with. It doesn’t seem fair to keep up the ruse he’d created, and there’s no way to return to what we’d been before. We hadn’t been anything before. Just the boy with the bread and the girl he’d saved, a tentative past connection that meant everything and nothing.

But it isn’t just Peeta. It’s impossible to return to anything the way it was before the games. Other than Haymitch, he’s the only one who understands that.

Maybe that’s what makes this so hard.

I give him a silent nod. It isn’t as though much else fills my days, and it isn’t though I have any excuse not to meet with him, other than simply not wanting to do so. My eyes shift about me, taking in the empty houses around us, my own barely used with my mother and Prim, and Haymitch’s. Sometimes, I envy his loneliness. I do not envy his nightmares; I have my own.

“When?”

Peeta’s house smells strongly of bread. It’s the same way he smells, but stronger; in the Capitol, during the games, that smell was gone, replaced with their fancy oils and powders then with dirt and blood. By the end, he smelled like one of the rabbits Gale traps in the woods. They have more time to be afraid.

Even now, away from the bakery, Peeta’s house smells like bread. He bakes the way I hunt, to keep his mind off of everything else. But no matter how much we try to go back, we can’t. There will always be a difference between us and everyone else. A different kind of surviving. The scent is even stronger inside the house, overwhelming flour mixed with the sweeter scent of sugar and the sharp alcoholic tang of yeast.

I find him waiting for me in the kitchen, apron tied about his waist, flour decorating his hair like snow that doesn’t melt. “You wanted to talk?”

“Mm. Hold on. I’m almost done.” Peeta pushes his hair back with one hand, leaving a trail of flour behind. Then he sets his newest loaf on a tray, sticks it into the oven where it will be seared with fire, and leaves it be. He offers me a smile. “Needed a break.”

“I know.” I sit on the stool across from him. “You’ve got flour—”

“Everywhere. I know.” Peeta chuckles. It’s a real laugh, even though it isn’t much, and the smile he wears when he makes it feels normal. Like the way he’s supposed to be. He lifts his apron and rubs his face with it. “Better?”

Now there’s just as much flour on his face as there is on the counter. “No,” I say. “Worse.”

“Huh.” Peeta looks confused. He stares at his apron. “That was supposed to help.” He sighs and looks up at me. “Well, I guess we’re just going to have to make you match.”

I barely get my mouth open before Peeta throws a spray of flour at me. It coats my face, thick like the powder they force me to wear in the Capitol, and my mouth drops open as a little cloud puffs around me. I reach over and push him. “Hey!”

Peeta stands back, out of the way, and he smiles like he does when he’s happy, not the fake sort of thing he wears when we need to pretend for our safety. “Now you don’t have an excuse.”

“An excuse?”

“Everything’s been so tense lately,” Peeta says, placing his hands flat on the flour-covered counter. His smile fades as he looks down at them. “You can’t teach me how to hunt, but I thought….” He glances up and searches my eyes. “I thought I could teach you to bake. Something simple.” He pulls a few shaped cutters from a nearby tray. “Like cookies?”

I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to learn how to bake from Peeta, almost as much as I don’t want to teach him how to hunt. Our lives are already so hopelessly entangled that this only makes everything more confusing. It would be easier to not, easier to go back to my house and wash everything off.

But Prim will ask. I can ignore my mother, but I can’t ignore Prim.

So I scowl and nod. “Fine.” I nod at the shapes. “But only if we make one that looks like Haymitch.”

Peeta pulls out another cutter, one that looks like a wine bottle. I don’t ask why he has one that shape or who would ever want a bottle-shaped cookie. He offers me a smile. “Drinks and all.”

I don’t smile. “Drinks and all.”

Peeta convinces me to make another batch while we wait for the first one to cook, and while we wait for the first batch to cool enough to decorate – I tell him I won’t be good at it, but he won’t let me leave the decorations up to him – he slices the freshly cooled loaf of bread, slathers it with butter, and hands it to me. I try to tell him I’m not hungry, but he won’t listen. Despite this, I take the slice and take a bite.

The bread melts in my mouth. It’s sweet from the butter, a luxury that we have more than enough of now but that still feels like a luxury. I scarf the rest of the slice down but don’t ask for another. He smiles, assuring me that he’ll send the rest home with me. Peeta gives us fresh bread and cookies every day, but it’s still – it’s another luxury. One we don’t deserve.

It’s while decorating the body-shaped cookies that it happens.

My attempts at recreating Effie with her bright pink hair look nothing like her, just a puff of pink covering the whole of what should be her head. I scowl at her and grab for another one of Peeta’s intricate decorating tools. I want to scrape away all of the icing I’ve already laid, but that would be a waste. Even something as simple as this, I can’t waste food.

I glance over at the cookie Peeta is decorating and stop.

The cookie, burnt a little from something beyond our control, has a much darker color than the other golden cookies we’ve been decorating. This one, Peeta’s decorated to be a girl instead of a boy, and she looks the spitting image of Rue.

My breath catches in my throat. “Peeta?”

Peeta doesn’t look up. He stares at the cookie, continuing to decorate it – continuing to recreate her – as though it’s the only thing in the world. “I won’t eat her,” he says.

I hadn’t even thought about that. Eating Rue – biting off her legs, her arms, her head – the idea of it makes me sick to my stomach in a way that eating a fake Haymitch didn’t. I remember her in those last moments, after she was dead, after I’d surrounded her with flowers, after I sang for her, for an audience I didn’t see and didn’t care about – and still don’t care about, although their investment saved the both of us together – and I stumble backwards. “What are you doing?”

When Peeta finishes, he holds the cookie gentle in his hands. “This is the only way I can save them.”

It’s a horrible explanation, and it doesn’t make any sense. “You aren’t saving anyone—“

But Peeta lifts the carefully decorated Rue cookie. He takes her to the freezer and sets her inside, where other cookies decorated like each of the other tributes – even Cato, who’d attacked him, who’d been left with us at the last; even Marvel, who’d killed Rue and who I’d—

“You made all of them,” I say, trying not to feel sick. “All of them.”

“This is the only way I can save them,” Peeta repeats. He sets Rue inside with the rest of them and then shuts the freezer door. “I know it’s a waste, but—”

I wrap my arms around him the way I need someone to hold me during my nightmares. “It’s not a waste.” I stare at the closed freezer. “It’s an honor.”

I don’t tell him that I saw myself in the freezer, too, or that I’d noticed how there wasn’t a cookie of him.

While Peeta is visiting with his family later, I sneak into his house. It isn’t hard. He doesn’t lock his door. I don’t think I would either, if my mother and Prim didn’t live in my house. Whatever I have can be stolen; it’ll just be replaced later, and I don’t need any of it, don’t want any of it.

Streaks of flour coat my face like claw marks.

I open the freezer and gently place another tribute inside. The Peeta I’ve made isn’t beautiful, like the cookies he’s decorated. It’s misshapen, and one of its legs has a lump in it. I’m not good at baking. Prim won’t even eat the other cookies I’ve made.

But this one wasn’t about baking. It was about this, setting a Peeta to be protected, to be saved, with all of the others he’s made.

A few days later, Peeta meets my eyes and gives me a nod. That’s how I’ve known he’s seen it.

For once, in all of this, I feel warm.

#bandit fic #december banditnanza 2023 fic #the hunger games #thg #katniss everdeen #peeta mallark #everlark #katniss x peeta #katniss everdeen x peeta mallark #peeta mallark x katniss #peeta x katniss #one of you prompted this and here you go #i'm sorry i was going to write fluff and then this happened #because i was using catching fire as my base for trying to get voices right #and like #here you go sorry not sorry

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