#wip title game

[zzoomacroom]

Retired amnesia Dream + coma Hob for WIP ask game please 🥺🥺🥺

Thank you for the ask! @linzod asked about this one too, and I'm super excited about it! I only have it outlined so far, but I'm hoping to write it once I'm done with the mpreg fic.

So Murphy is just some guy, as far as he knows. He's an artist, and he's kind of a shut-in with no friends and no life to speak of. He starts having really vivid dreams that, unbeknownst to him, are showing him memories of his past life. He also keeps having these recurring dreams where he meets with this guy named Hob who seems really familiar and keeps telling Murphy that he's real, he's been looking for him, he's trapped in the Dreaming and he needs Murphy to find him in the waking world. Murphy doesn't believe any of it, thinks his unconscious mind made the whole thing up, and he's like, "great, I'm so lonely that my sleeping mind made me an imaginary friend." But then he keeps finding clues suggesting that Hob is telling the truth. He goes to the White Horse and, even though it's abandoned and boarded up, he recognizes it from his dreams. He also maybe finds mentions of Hob in historical texts, the drawing of them from the 1789 meeting, etc. So now he understands that it's all true, and he has to find Hob and hopefully regain his memories in the process.

Now I'm going to put what's happening from Hob's perspective under the cut, because it's a plot twist that would be revealed later in the story.

So how did they end up in this situation? Well, after the Wake, Hob became more unhinged than ever and couldn't accept that Dream was dead. So he planned to do a whole "Dream of a Thousand Cats" style thing and have a thousand people dream that Morpheus is alive again. But in order to organize and orchestrate this whole plan, Hob puts himself into a magically induced coma so he can stay in the Dreaming and make sure the plan works. But once it does, he finds himself stuck there. The mysterious and sketchy person he hired to put him into this coma has disappeared, and now he's trapped with no way to wake up. Morpheus keeps finding him when he dreams, so Hob is overjoyed about that but heartbroken that Morpheus doesn't remember him and doesn't believe any of his dreams are real. Eventually, Morpheus finds Hob in the waking world, wakes him up, gets his memories back, and they live happily ever after.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this fic will also feature Death, Delirium, Daniel, Lucienne, Matthew, Johanna Constantine and Mad Hettie.

Hopefully I'll actually be able to get it written before too long 😭

#ask game #wip title game #the sandman #dreamling #dreamling fic #sort of #retired dream

[onewingedsparrow]

WIP Game

Tagged by @mistresslrigtar, and @zeldaelmo, thank you both!! <3 This is the WIP game where I have to post my wip titles and you can ask after them. Most of these titles are final, but a few of them are still being workshopped :) I did a Read More because this was getting long, as usual :P I'm also gonna tag @prismicnexus @afaroffsong @silvercaptain24 @sunburned-cyborg and @skyyknights but no pressure! And if you've been tagged already that's all right, you can ignore this. ❄️ Over the Edge (Original Work) This is the tale of an illustrious creature residing in a high tower—and the secret of the broken, bloodied bones scattered about the dungeon floor. 🦋 I'm Coming After You (Robots in Disguise 2015) Why is there a sparkling on the prison ship Alchemor? How will Lieutenant Bumblebee fare when said sparkling interferes with his work in capturing dangerous Decepticons at large? Where is Steeljaw's new base, and what in the Allspark is he plotting now? Bumblebee would also like to know.... ⚔️ When Push Comes to Shove (Hyrule Warriors) Link and Zelda return to the Temple of the Sacred Sword to seal away the darkness, and Link is forced to face his insecurities, whether he's ready for it or not. 🐝 To Bee a Leader (Robots in Disguise 2015) Bumblebee knows that Optimus Prime chose him to be leader of the Autobot team on Earth…but he's tired and he misses his dad.

🐺 Enduring the Twilight (Twilight Princess) As regrets from his past failures haunt him, Link finds an unexpected counselor—and ally—in a mysterious golden wolf who regularly crosses his path. 🍃 Deku Tree Link AU (OoT Canon Divergent) When the future Hero of Time was adopted by the Great Deku Tree, he inherited more than a home and a family among the Kokiri—he also received the Great Deku Tree's abilities, as well as the mantle of Guardian of the Forest. 🎭 When the Dust Settles (Miraculous Ladybug Apocalypse!AU) Paris has fallen. Two survivors roam the wreckage, spared only by the Miraculous they themselves carry. 🪽 Under My Wings (Transformers: Prime) Arcee never wished to join Team Prime. Optimus never planned to raise a sparkling during the war. Bumblebee never meant to change the course of history. The road ahead of them is not at all what they expected.... 🧣 All I Am (Skyward-Sword-and-Hyrule-Historia-manga-inspired) The captain of the Knights of Hylia has been tasked with holding back the demon king’s forces. Aware that he is out of his league, Link struggles with coming to terms with the gravity of this command. Fortunately, Hylia is watching out for him. 🌙 Moonquake WIP (Original Work) Kaya is tired of the power going out. Tarka Sevan seeks a light from beyond. ❤️‍🔥 Tripled Threats (Transformers Crossover) Three road-raging warriors and one cheerful ray of sunshine share what is perhaps the strangest plot twist of their lives. 🥠 Sandwiched (Age of Extinction) Bitter from the battle of Chicago, Optimus Prime holds strong opinions about humanity's profane treatment of his people. Trapped by convention with a group of humans, in addition to another equally unwanted ally, the Autobot leader turned war criminal is forced to consider the deepest truths of life...even that which he has been running from for ages untold. 🏴‍☠️ Overboard one (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) On the voyage to Far, Far Away, Kitty falls into the sea. 😇 [The smile one] (Rise of the Beasts) Mirage points out something that Bumblebee can never forget. 🧵 [It's Official] (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) Puss and Kitty don't appreciate how stinky Perrito's sock has become over their long voyage, and plot to expand his wardrobe. 🌌 [Fire Emblem Megafic] (Three Houses / Three Hopes / more) Two new professors arrive at the Officer's Academy—and the fate of the World is forever changed. A single crack in a castle of glass is enough to shatter the structure of time...now imagine what one could do with two.... ...this isn't all of my WIP's, of course. :D But, these are the ones I'm either in-the-zone-working-on right now, or I'm gearing up to get back into, so ask away! ✨

#long post #ask away #wip title game

[lysenfeu]

Shhh, Quiet Please

Ahh ty for sending a WIP Title!

"Shh, Quiet Please" is a College!Matt Murdock x College!FReader 18+ fic set in the Columbia Law School library. It's a draft from my (very belated) Kinktober list for the prompt "public" 👀 College Matt is mischevious and an incorrigible flirt while offering to help Reader study for a shared class in a quiet corner of the library.

Here's a little snippet!

You huffed in frustration, unable to come up with any sort of answer to his quiz. You knew it was a softball question and that just increased your annoyance. Warily, you eyed Matt and then casually moved your gaze down to your textbook on the table. A little peek couldn't hurt…right? Your hand was halfway to the book when you were suddenly stopped by a soft but firm grip on your wrist.

"Ah ah, no cheating!" Matt shook his head at you in mock disappointment.

You were momentarily stunned at how he noticed your actions and caught you so easily but your mind immediately short circuited when he started rubbing his thumb in soothing, little circles over the back of your hand.

“Come on, you know the answer.” His tone was soft and sweet, intended to encourage you. He continued to hold your hand, turning it over and tracing across your palm with his fingers.

“Uh, could…could you repeat the question?” You stammered out, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment at how distracted you were by such a simple touch, but you still declined to remove your hand from his grasp.

#lysenfeu fics #matt murdock x you #matt murdock x reader #matthew murdock x reader #matthew murdock x you #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock smut #asks #answered #wip title game

[teejaystumbles]

Anything you would like to share for Orc Hob would be fabulous!

I'd love to! I have been plotting away at it recently, putting some ideas in order.

For everyone new, the orc Hob AU is called Good Intentions and has spawned last October thanks to several prompts, "sigil" and "orc". I wrote a drabble and it was really good and so I proceeded to flesh it out into a whole story. It features orc Hob who has escaped Burgess, and wizard Dream who is also on the run from Burgess, despite being his former court wizard, for reasons he keeps to himself. Dream asks for Hob's help in retrieving his ruby and freeing his friend Jessamy. Hob agrees (for revenge reasons) and so they go on a quest together. It features enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, a Witcher-like road trip, sexual tension, beloved tropes and magic. 😁 Everyone who frequents my thread in the Mr Sadman server has probably already read this but I'll just share a bit. (It gets so confusing after a while, I can't remember what I shared here or only there 😅)

Over the course of the day Hob has shed clothes as the temperatures rose. It’s the high end of summer and Hob’s furs and leathers must be uncomfortable, Dream thinks. He valiantly tries not to stare as more and more of the olive green skin of his companion is revealed and keeps his eyes steadfastly on the road, but the urge to look is almost overwhelming. When they make camp it is Dream’s turn to keep first watch. The orc falls asleep quickly and Dream takes the time to finally look at him more closely. Hob’s green skin glows with an orange sheen in the firelight, illuminating a myriad of small scars on the orc’s arms and half-naked torso. A tattoo in blue-black ink adorns Hob’s left forearm, a tribal symbol of some sort. While intricate in its design, Dream’s gaze is drawn away from it by reddish bands winding around Hob’s wrists. He leans closer to get a better look.  They’re not tattoos. These are wounds left by rope or shackles, Dream guesses. They look painful, new enough to look raw in the middle and old enough that it’s clear they’ll never vanish completely. Dream looks over what he can see of Hob’s skin more thoroughly and finds more rope burns around his upper arms, his thighs, ankles and even around his neck, all of them ragged enough that they’ll clearly scar. “What did they do to you?” Dream murmurs to himself, barely holding himself back from reaching out and touching the orc’s blistered skin.

#the sandman fanfiction #dreamling #fic: good intentions #orc Hob #teejay writes #asks #wip title game

[flyinghome-againstthewind]

Wip game questions! A Thrill of Hope and whisky convention ☺️☺️

Hello! 🥰

I told myself this last December that I would not write a holiday fic bc I didn't have the stamina or an idea, and then an idea plopped itself right into my brain 🥲 I still v much did not have the stamina, which is why nothing was posted over the holidays lol, but A Thrill of Hope is a Beside the Seaside one-shot taking place a few years beyond the current timeline. There were like two scenes that wouldn't leave me alone, so those are written but the rest will wait until this next holiday season, most likely. Here's a wee snippet:

“Ye sure she should be reading that Agatha Christie novel, Sassenach?”  Jamie’s voice was scarcely above a whisper, and Claire noticed how neither of the children in the backseat so much as twitched; she and Jamie might as well have been alone in the car. “She saw Fergus reading it and she insisted she wouldn’t get scared by it. Tried to make her wait, but she’s stubborn.” Her thumb traced over his knuckle where their hands were still laced together. “She learned that from you, I think.”  Her husband shot her a quick, incredulous look. “Me? She learned that from you.”  “Agree to disagree.”  Jamie exhaled a smile. “And what if that book does give her nightmares? She’s getting too old to be crawling into our bed.”  “Don’t say that, she’s only nine.” He arched an eyebrow at that, and she sighed, unprepared for how this conversation had poked at an open wound. “And she won’t be nine forever. Are you so ready to leave that stage behind? You won’t miss those moments with her when they’re gone?” 

The whisky convention au is a modern au where Claire is hired to plan a major whisky competition/convention, and the new Board President of the organization that hired her is a large, Scottish pain in the arse! They sort of start out as antagonistic towards each other which changes into a begrudging respect - all of this is developing over emails and zoom meetings and such, and they meet for the first time in person at the event that they've been working so closely together on planning, and of course they are staying in the same hotel for it and also, you know, whisky is involved so 👀👀

[ask me about my wips]

#wip title game #fic meme #thanks love for the ask!! 💜💜💜

[silv3reyedstranger]

i’d love a dating app snippet if you’re so inclined 👀

your wish is my command🫡

so to preface, this is all i have and it’s completely based off that one tumblr post with an attached screenshot that i can no longer find, so if anyone knows what i’m going on about feel free to link it in the comments! also, unfortunately tumblr likes to make single emojis large and aggressive so. apologies. please pretend that’s a very normal sized and very non-aggressive emoji😃

okay, onwards!

A cheerful ping goes off and Lena startles a little, looking up just in time to see her phone screen light up. That’s definitely not the sound for her text notifications. Okay…

Lena reaches over and unlocks the phone. 1 New Notification from Tinder. Oh. That’s quite a lot sooner than she thought she’d be getting a message.

Hi! I’m not exactly looking for a hookup right now, but my bathroom sink is currently flooding the bathroom

Lena stares at the message for a second. She reads it again. Okay. Right. Good to know, she supposes? That’s not exactly the type of message she was led to believe she would be getting on Tinder. Sam had said to expect, “Hot women sliding into your DMs looking for a good time.”

The three dots pop back up again, indicating that this kara.d is typing again. Lena leans against the counter and waits anxiously, toying at the string of the tea bag.

I know this is super random and weird, but I was wondering if I could borrow a flathead screwdriver by any chance?

Lena blinks. Now that has to be unusual. She sets her phone down on the counter, conflicted. On one hand, she does want to help. She does actually have a flathead screwdriver. On the other hand, what if this person’s an axe murderer? Or worse, just playing a prank on her?

Another message soon follows.

My neighbors are unfortunately not home and you’re the closest person to me on this app lol

Oh, great. So she’s being propositioned to (Lena’s pretty sure this doesn’t even count) as a last resort? Well, it’s not like she has anything else to do. And she knows all too well what it’s like when she doesn’t have a tool she needed on hand.

Ping.

😅

A emoji is tacked on to the end of the message, and for some reason, Lena finds herself inexplicably charmed by the person on the other end.

Should she? Or should she not? Lena sips her tea and paces her kitchen. It’s really no bid deal. She can just drop it off at kara.d’s doorstep, leave and then send a text. Yeah. That’s smart and logical. Mind made up, she replies.

Hello there, I don’t mind. Where is a good place to drop it off at?

#wip title game #so this is fun #ive been dying to write more #but this is all you get atm #supercorp ficlet #screwdriver au #supercorp

[delicatefade]

wip title game

I was tagged by @theluckywizard, @inquisimer, @rosella-writes and @nirikeehan (thank you!!) Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it. Tag as many people as wips. I will do this as Lucky did by sharing the chapter reference names I have within scrivener for my Eilan and Lex OCxOC fic.

Missing Lex

Homecoming

Gifts, Scar, Trip

River, Arris, Mamae

Rabbits and Calves

Love and Fake Potions answer here >>

Swindling and Burgling

Ass Bongos answer here >>

Tag it forward! @about2dance @sunshowerdandelion @oliversrarebooks @mindfogger @flaggermuser @liza011 @crackinglamb @the-rebel-archivist

#tag games #wip title game

[appropriatelystupid]

WIP Tag Game

Rules: post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips.

tagged by @inkedroplets and figured it’ll fill the time while i wait for some water to boil nicely

below deck au

food truck shenanigans

modern medieval

motocrossed au

xmas waltz au: chapters 5-16

bonus option: ideas list # 1 - 48

consider this as me tagging you if you wanna play too

#figured the ideas one at least mixes it up a little #assuming i can remember what i meant by some of them #wip title game

[f1-birb]

what is tangled up in knots??

this is a wip I have recently come back to, see if you can guess the video that inspired it:

Lando blinks and the movement of his eyelashes is distracting, the soft flutter of the long curls. He's always loved Lando's eyelashes.

Oscar shakes himself mentally, lifts a hand to go back to the spinner, and he makes a show of flicking the arrow even though he knows Lando won't see where it lands, won't see Oscar lie.

"Right hand yellow, mate."

"This is a joke!" And Lando grunts as he shifts, twists and curls his body in a way Oscar didn't know he could. He plants a wide palm down in the centre of a red circle, shifts it with a squeak of plastic, balances his fingertips on the edge of yellow before settling.

The sun isn't in Lando's eyes anymore and Oscar gets to have the pleasure of watching blue and green shift together as Lando looks back at him. He can't help it, enraptured and captivated, powerless to his own wants.

He leans forward, as stably balanced as he is, and presses a soft kiss to half pouted lips.

#wip title game #landoscar #lando/oscar #i really don't know how you could guess #birb writes #birb speaks

[zzoomacroom]

I *need* to know more about Apocalypse Fishbowl Rescue. 👀👀👀👀

Thank you for the ask! This is another one that's still in the brainstorming stage, so it's kind of just a vague idea right now.

It would involve John Dee doing his thing with the ruby and more or less taking over the world before Dream gets out of the fishbowl. So it's anarchy and chaos--everything we saw in "24/7" but on a global scale. This goes on for a few years before the story starts, so at the beginning of the fic the world has been in this post-apocalyptic state for a while.

In the midst of all this, Hob is more worried than ever about what might happen if people find out he's immortal. So he gets out of the city and looks for a place to hole up until this all (hopefully) blows over.

He finds the perfect place to hide out: an old manor in the country called Fawney Rig. It's clearly been abandoned for years, and there are rumors about it being haunted or otherwise dangerous, so nobody will bother him there. The place has been ransacked, there are some corpses here and there, and the door to the basement has been sealed and barricaded.

Hob stays there for months before he manages to get into the basement. And I'm sure you can guess what he finds there...

#ask game #wip title game #the sandman #dreamling #dreamling fic #(not actually written yet but yeah)

[nimata-beroya]

WIP Titles game

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Thanks for the tag @annwayne !! ☺️

Let's see (in random order of priority):

Goodbye (Merrical)

Unbroken (Andor/Rebels)

toothpick thursday tbbaw2023 (TBB)

The Betrothal (Kalluzeb)

Rough Awakening (TBB)

Sandawuni va umtidagir (The Mandalorian)

How to save a life (Foxiyo)

Deconstructed reality (Kalluzeb)

A reason to fight (Kalluzeb)

The One to survive (OC squad, TCW)

The enemy within (Kalluzeb)

Uninvited (Foxiyo)

Praising Crosshair (TBB)

Everything I do, I do it for you (Foxiyo)

Warrior's fortune (Kalluzeb)

6 more for TBB Appreciation week (TBB)

The list has grown longer since the last time I did this (and these don't include the ones I have in hard standby) Oops 😅 That's my curse, always having an idea floating around my head. My problem is to finish them 🫣 Anyway... You can ask me whatever you want about any of these!! Please 🥺👉👈 Pretty please!!

Ugh I need to tag 16 people? Ok! Feel free to ignore the tagging if you want. No pressure: @takadasaiko @photogirl894 @renee561 @seleneisrising @genericficerblog @airlockfailure @yukipri @ahsoka-its-all-of-us @rachaelkelleher @probablynot-john @mistr3ssquickly @sunshinesdaydream @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @apocalyp-tech-a @kanerallels @fanfictasia anyone else who wants to do it!

#wip title game #mare writes star wars #the bad batch #tbb #the mandalorian #sw rebels #the clone wars #tcw #kalluzeb #foxiyo #merrical #andor

[xstrawmari]

WIP TITLE GAME

tagged by @faceless-inthecrowd (thanks! 🩷) as y'all can tell I'm verrry creative with doc names.

Ranch AU l RomanGerri

Cheer/Boxing AU l Brio

Spy l Brio

Crime Writer l Stuby

Modern AU l Snowbaird

Sweet P's l Brio

tagging: anyone who sees this & hasn't done it yet!

#wip title game

[teejaystumbles]

I would like to enquire about Nightingale. I don't think I've seen anything about it

It's a retelling of the fairytale "The Nightingale"! I've written it down very roughly and in the same style as the original tale and am not sure if I should flesh it out or just leave it. But the story elements are lovely and I'd like to put them in somewhere someday.

It's very possible that I have posted the whole thing before but in case I actually do work some more on it, here's the first bit.

Emperor Dream's castle and gardens and lands are the most beautiful there are. When people from other countries visit they always praise the beauty of the woods, the flowers, the city, and the emperor himself. But the most beautiful thing, they all agree on, is if they can hear the Nightingale sing. The emperor hears rumors of this (what he assumes is a) bird and becomes curious. How can something exist that puts all his other treasures and dreams to shame? He demands to see the Nightingale, but it will not come and no one can manage to bring it to him. Finally one day, at sundown, he hears someone sing in his gardens, more beautiful than he has ever heard. He stares out of the window and sees no one. The next evening the mysterious singer can be heard again and Dream sends his guards out to seize whoever is responsible. He watches from his balcony as the guards chase a young man in shabby clothes through the garden. He deftly climbs up the nearest tree and grins at the emperor on his balcony. "Was it you that sang?" Dream asks and the man nods. "Shall I sing for the emperor again?" "I'd like you to come inside and perform for all the court at this evening's festivities." "My singing sounds best out in the open," the man winks at him, "but I will sing for you again if that is your wish." "It is." And the young man sings again and Dream is moved to tears. "Come inside, lovely Nightingale, and I will reward you for your singing with gold and all the finest bounties of my kingdom." But the Nightingale smiles and says, "You have rewarded me enough, for I have seen tears in the eyes of the emperor, and that is the most beautiful gift I can think of."

#the nightingale #dreamling #the sandman fanfiction #teejay writes #wip title game

[joelsgreys]

WIP Title Game

thank you for the tag my darling @planet-marz1 🤍

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

so i have way too many WIPS so i’ll be doing this only for the ones i am actively working on to post within the next few weeks or so.

- put on a show (dbf!joel x reader)

- frosting (daddy dom!joel x sub reader)

- wreck my plans, that’s my man (dbf!joel x reader)

- softness (post outbreak!joel x reader)

- you and me, forevermore (dbf!joel x reader)

- A Safe Haven Chapter 10 (post outbreak!joel x reader)

np tags! 🤍 @cupofjoel @cavillscurls @macfrog @sweetercalypso @mrsmando @janaispunk @ilovepedro @tieronecrush @missredherring @morning-star-joy @mandoisapunk @undrthelights @chronically-ghosted

#wip title game

[kingsandbastardz]

WIP Title Game

Thanks for the tag, @bbcphile!

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

(I'm going to include meta writing - but I guess it's up to everyone to interpret WIP how they like. TBH I think art and video content also counts.)

I'm coming out of a massive multi-year drought of creativity so currently have just the 2 fandoms.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Fiction

為人不可有 無可求 As humans there cannot be those who wish for nothing

Pear Blossoms In Spring (fangdi bullshittery if im successful at anything)

SAMSARA Modern world transmigration rebirth AU

timeloop difanghua

You made the mistake of thinking words would finally be acceptable

囍 Marriage - genderfuckery life is hell difanghua

DFS' sparkly underpants srs fic

DFS' sparly underpants II bullshit fic

llh x wuyan 5x1 road to loooove

5 x 1 DFS is also a lying liar fangdi mebbe

5 x 1 DFS FDB stronk???

There is something wrong with the House

remove racism rewrite di fortress nanyin arc

Meta

dfs and The Narrative drunk depression writing

di feisheng parallelism to jiao liqiao in a pretentious essay about power structures (with a side dose of qwm)

di feisheng's outfit choices have a rhyme and reason

My Journey to You

Meta

gong family economics and their position in jianghu and regular society

LMAO... ok maybe including meta and art was a bad idea. I don't have enough people vs wips to tag so I'm going to just tag a bunch of people who I think miiiiight have a wip or two cooking in the oven.

@romchat @randomingoftherandomness @a-starry-teal @jinguangshanhateblog @redemption-revenge @tiny-breadcrumbs @peridot-tears @giyoonssi @hils79

And I guess anyone else that wants to do this?

#maybe this will help me organize my thoughts better #wip title game

[hamspenalty]

kill bill au?? 👀👀👀👀👀

When Max was a kid, his dad’s favorite knife bigger than his tiny forearm, he’d told him the most important thing about their job. It was simple, really. “Do not get attached. Whatever personal feelings or remorse you have gets thrown out the window. Do your job, and deal with the rest later.”

Since that day, Max had tagged along on his dad’s appointments until he was considered old enough to start taking appointments. When he was 9. He still remembers it; some angry ex-wife who’d asked Max and his dad to kill her cheating, deadbeat ex-husband. His dad had let him fire the fatal shot that ended up killing him. Quick and dirty.

He’d had nightmares about it until he was 13. The blood splatter against the wall. The way his dad had patted his back with a triumphant smile, lips curling into something sinister as he flashed his pearly whites at Max.

At 18, he’d learned all he’d needed to know. How to properly clean a toilet. How to make coffee. And how to hide a dead body.

*

Max stares at his target from the rooftop of some run down apartment that’s infested with rats. It stunk strongly of mold and decay, and if Max hadn’t developed such a strong stomach from seeing and smelling brain matter since the tender age of 11, he’d probably throw up.

He finishes the last of his chocolate croissant, licking the crumbs off his fingers as he looks down the scope on his rifle, zooming in a little on the man’s ugly, screwed up face as he came. Max tamps down a laugh. If only he knew what was coming.

That’s the thing about assassinating people. They usually never know what’s coming for them. One day they’re having their morning coffee, and the next they’re dead. Simple as that. It used to tear Max up inside, all those years ago, but he’s learned how to manage it, he thinks. You see something enough and it becomes normal.

He shoots next to the man’s head, narrowly avoiding his ear. The bullet grazes it, if his screams of shock are any indication. The man does exactly what Max wants him to do. He runs out of the house screaming.

“Got you,” Max whispers to himself, looking down the scope once more. Everything slows down, his back muscles tensing, his breath becoming shallow as he fires one last shot, right into his chest.

The man stops. His eyes glaze over, and he falls to his knees with a deafening crack. Max smiles, triumphant.

As he packs his things up, he wonders whether he should order Thai or Indian for dinner. He thinks about the stacks of various food menus resting in his kitchen drawer, sticking together like one happy, symbiotic machine, and settles on Indian. He’s been craving chicken tikka masala.

He sighs as he gets into his beat up, sun damaged ‘95 Honda Civic, turning on his favorite Dutch radio station. He listens to the familiar songs from his childhood while driving to his apartment, aching for his bed.

Max lives in a shoebox. He has to, though. He can’t live in a nice, expensive apartment while killing people for a living. It just doesn’t make sense. He has to stay under the radar.

So he lives in a shoebox with no heating and no central air, with loud neighbors and two stray cats that love to visit him on the fire escape. He tells everyone that he works a regular job; a security guard for some high end law firm; and pays his taxes like a good citizen. He’s golden. No one has to know that he’s been killing random people since he was a child, and that sometimes he wakes up in a panic because of it. He was mostly okay.

Max runs through the rest of his day in a haze. He says hi to his neighbors, smiling in a way he hopes is believable. He runs through the motions of calling his favorite restaurant to order his food, hoping that his voice sounds normal, and not fuzzy and distant like it does in his head.

He finishes the last of his food while watching some stupid reality TV show that was in the recommended section of the previous apartment owner’s Netflix account. She’d never logged out on the TV she’d left behind, and since Max didn’t want to risk getting found out by something as stupid as a Netflix account, he used it to his advantage.

He let himself sink into the leather of his couch, listening to the contestants argue about who to kick off the island until he fell asleep. Sometimes he likes to pretend that those people were really there with him, that it wasn’t just him and his own parasitic thoughts.

Sometimes it helped.

#kill bill au #my ficlet #wip title game