forum What you got so far?
Started by @SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group
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@SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group

I unfortunately dropped out of NaNo because it was causing me unneeded and unwanted stress. I have, however, decided to share what I managed to accomplish.

Nadine Quartermain steps out of her bright red car, brushing her long silky blonde hair out of her face. She breaths in a breath of fresh air, letting it go in a slow, steady exhale. It had been a while since she last stepped foot on this property. Her light yellow blouse billowed in the wind as she ambled up the walkway to the cabin-like farmhouse.

"I'm guessing that you're Nadine," a tall, muscular man with bright orange hair asked. Nadine looked him up and down, taking in his features. His muscles rippled as he threw a bale of hay into a pile.

"I am, and you are?"

"Edward Stein, but Ed is fine," he said, bending over to grab another hay bale. "Your father hired me as a farmhand while I also take care of him."

"I see…. Wanna help me with my bags?" she asks as she turned back to her car. She opens the trunk, and lifts two suitcases out. Edward sauntered over, and grabbed one of them.

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"I don't know. Probably a few months; just long enough to help my father through this, and make sure that he's alright."

They strolled up onto the porch where Edward opened the door, allowing them to enter the open floor plan house. The living room area was sparsely arranged. Next to it was the kitchen. An elderly man with crisp, gray hair, and paleing blue eyes, the color of the sky, sat in the living room watching TV.

"Mr. Quartermain, your daughter is here. Isn't that great?" Edward calls out enthusiastically.

Mason Quartermain turned in his chair, casting his gaze over his daughter and his caregiver. "Nadine's here?" he asks while struggling to stand up.

Edward quickly moves over to him, and helps him stand. Nadine sets her suitcase down, and goes to her father, wrapping him in a gentle, but loving hug. Tears of joy deep from the corner of the old man's eyes as he hugs his daughter back.

"Nadine, I thought that you weren't coming until June 10th."

"Today is June 10th, dad," Nadine says gently, pulling out of the hug. She looked at her father, examining the wrinkled features of his face. His hair was shaved down to a slight buzz cut. Lines cries crossed his face, the mole on his cheek now hurried under a small flap of skin.

Edward clasped onto Mason's arm to help balance him as he move to sit back down. Mason indicated the empty chair beside him, heading Nadine to sit next to him. She moved over to him, the heels of her shoes clicking against the scuffed up oak floor. Edward continued to take her luggage upstairs to her room.

"The paper let you come, Nadine."

"They let me work from wherever I want to, dad. Besides, most of what I do is all online. As long as I get my articles typed up and sent out, my boss doesn't mind." Nadine explains, brushing her hair out of her face again. She crosses her legs, stretching the material of her pants.

"You always wanted to be an author, sweetie. Remember that story about the teddy bear that you wrote?"

Nadine gave a small smile, happy that her father remembered something. She let out a small sigh.

"Dad, I have to go unpack; we can talk later," she says, standing up to grab her other bag. She moved out of the living room, and made her way to the stairs. Family pictures hung on the wall along the stairs. In one a younger version of herself was seated in her father's lap, her mother with her long light brown hair seated beside them. Nadine smiled, her dimples becoming even more prominent in the process, at the memory.

She continued her path up to her room. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she opened the door to her childhood bedroom. Everything was as she left it. An assortment of cutesy stuffed animals sat on the corner of her bed. Posters of 90s boy bands suchs as Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Boys II Men clung to her light blue wallpaper. The wallpaper itself was decorated with pink and yellow flowers.

Nadine let out a sigh, and thought 'its nice to be home, but did they have to leave my bedroom exactly how I left it?'

She sat down on the end of her bed, and looked at a picture of a golden lab.

Nadine wandered around the store, her emerald eyes wide and bright with excitement. She skipped along, happily looking at the myriad assortment of animals. Mason followed closely behind her, watching his daughters pigtails bounce about wildly.

He led her over to the dog and puppy area.

"Remember, we can only pick one pet out, sweety."

"I know, daddy!" she exclaimed while looking at a St. Bernard puppy. The puppy jumped about excitedly, and ran around in circles. Nadine moved on to another display where a litter of pitbulls suckled on their mother. None of them appealed to her.

"Come here, Nadine. I think you'll like these ones."

Nadine walked over to where her father was standing. Golden Labrador retrievers playfully climbed over one another, yipping and snapping at each other.

"They're all so cute!" Nadine squeals in delight, jumping up and down.

"Which one do you want, dear?" Mason asks, placing his hand on her shoulder. Nadine looked at them, her eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"That one, daddy, that one!" she points excitedly.

Mason looks to where she's pointing, his blue eyes landing on the smallest of the puppies. "Are you sure, Nadi? That one's pretty small."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she responds.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, we can get you the ring of the litter," he says while laughing. One of the employees came over after Mason got his attention, and reached in for the tiny puppy, which whined as soon as it was removed. Nadine was given a pink leash and collar, which was slipped into the pup's neck.

"I'm going to name her…. Roxie!"

"Happy early birthday, sweetie,"

Nadine leaned back into her bed, smiling from the memory of the pet store. Roxie was a great dog, whom she loved with all her heart. Nadine sighed, sitting back up. She went to work unpacking her suitcases, and loaded her clothing into her dresser. Pulling out her laptop, Nadine plugged it into the charger before plugging the charger itself into an outlet, and went into her bathroom to shower.

Nadine went back down stairs and into the living room. She sat down next to her father, and watched Wheel of Fortune with him. Mason stared at her, looking her up and down, as if trying to figure out who she was.

Nadine glanced over at him. "You alright dad?"

He continued to sit and stare at her, not saying anything.

"Dad, do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do! You're my daughter, Jasmine!" he snaps. Nadia looks at him, tears in her eyes. Jasmine was her twin sister, who had tragically taken her own life.

"Yes dad, that's who I am," Nadine says, playing along with the delusion, knowing that it's far easier than attempting to correct him.

"I haven't seen you in so long, sweetie. How are you?"

"I've been getting by. I have a great job; the pay isn't that great, but I enjoy what I do," she says, flashing a tight smile. Mason reached over and patted her hand.

"That's good. And your sister, how is she?"

"Nadine? She's got a great job as well. She's working as a journalist for some small town paper!" she replies, smiling.

Mason smiled, and moved to brush his hand along her cheek. Nadine recoiled. She stared at her father, not sure why she had pulled back from him. Mason frowned, withdrew his hand, and placed it on his leg. He put his attention back on the TV, and continued watching. They sat in silence for a while until Mason had to get up to use the bathroom, which required help from Edward.

Nadine walked outside, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag off of it. She exhaled the acrid smoke, watching as it curled and twisted upward into the sky. The warm night air dashed over her skin as she leaned against the railing. The stars shined brightly in the sky, nature's night light. She turned around when she heard the screen door swing shut.

"Oh, hi Edward," she said, and turned around to draw another hit off of her cigarette.

"Those things will kill you, ya know?" he says, putting his back on the railing, leaning up against the sturdy wood, standing beside her. "He's down to the night. Can I snag one of those?"

"We all gotta go sometime," she responds, holding her pack of Marlboro Black 100s. He reaches over and pulls a cigarette free. Retrieving a solid gold lighter from his pocket, Edward lights it.

"How'd you start working on my dad's farm, Edward?"

"I was originally brought in to be your father's home caregiver. Your mother arranged this before her death. I took it upon myself to do the work around the farm," he answers, slowly inhaling the cancer inducing chemicals, and blowing them back out.

Nadine looked out at the pasture, and let out a sigh. Memories of horseback riding with her sister and her parents raced through her mind. The wind toddler her hair, making the scent of apples drift towards Edward. Edward smiles at the scent of her, and turns to her.

"So, you're a journalist?" he asks.

"Oh, you overheard me? Yeah, I write for a small town paper, but as an advice columnist."

"Advice columnist, huh? What's that like?"

"It's… stressful, exhilarating, fulfilling, and challenging," she replies, a smile on her delicate lips. Edward gives her a look that reads admiration, and nods as a response. He stands leaning against the banister, his legs crossed at the ankles.

"I heard about your sister, and I'm sorry for your loss," Edward tells her, a look of remorse showing in how the corners of his lips are slightly downturned. Nadine stabs her cigarette out on the railing after taking one last drag from it. Her head hangs over the edge, hair hanging over her face, and shoulders slumped downward.

"Jasmine was beautiful, but she had her problems," Nadine starts. "Methamphetamines and obbituates."

"So she overdosed?"

Nadine nods, trying to hold back her tears. She wasn't sure why she was so comfortable with telling a complete stranger about something so serious. Perhaps it was because he was taking care of her father. Maybe it was because he was also doing farm work, keeping the farm going to the best of his abilities, or it was due to how easy-going he was.

"Do you have any siblings, Ed?"

"Oh, I have several siblings," he starts, and laughs when Nadine gives him a questioning look. "We were all adopted."

Nadine gave a curt nod of understanding. She had written multiple pieces of advice for parents who were thinking about adopting.

She stepped off the deck, and walked along the dirt pathway that was the driveway. She looked back behind her, giving Edward a beckoning look. Edward followed, his long legs quickly carrying him to her.

Nadine led him to the barn, where she had spent many a night with her last lovers. She climbed up to the loft, giving Edward a fantastic view of her voluptuous bottom. Edward climbed up after her, following her in the light of the moon, a devilish grin plastered on his face.

"What are we doing out here, Nadine?"

"Oh, I just wanted to show you one of my favorite spots. I'd often come up here with my sister to hide from our parents while they were fighting," she says, tracing the initials carved into the wood so many years ago.

"They're only little girls Mason; they can't be out lifting bales of hay, and driving tractors! That's work meant for a man!" their mother yelled.

"It teaches them to be responsible! It gives them discipline!"

"They can learn those things by doing more appropriate work, Mason! Has and Nadi can clean out the hatchery, take the yard, help with the laundry, clean the house, and help with dinner. They shouldn't be doing the work that you want them to do; it's not very ladylike!"

@Starfast group

Yeah, I'm 12,000+ words in so I'll spare you guys from having to scroll the length of a football field and not copy and paste the entire thing here.
Mine is actually a sequel though so I'm kinda hesitant to post it in its entirety since there's some things that are kinda spoilery that are brought up. For anyone interested though, here's an excerpt from the first chapter.
—

“I…” Crispin hesitated, trying to find the best way to recount the event. “Well, the others were being tailed by a Patrol guard and in order to save the others I hurt him… and may have killed him. And someone might have seen me do it. I was flogged as punishment, but they doubled the sentence when they realized I had powers too.”
“How is that even allowed?” Alexis murmured.
“It’s not, according to Kit,” Crispin said, “He was going to have his father look into it.”
Alexis nodded, but before she could get another word in, Gerard spoke up.
“Are we just going to gloss over the fact that you killed someone?” He tapped his finger rhythmically against the surface of the bedside table.
“He was a Patrol guard,” Crispin said defensively, “He probably deserves it. Besides, if I hadn’t intervened, they would have taken my friends, and probably killed them too. So what was I supposed to do? Just let them get taken?”
“You could have started by not killing him,” Gerard said, “You can’t just kill someone because they disagree with you. The moment you get stuck in that mindset you become no better than them.”
Crispin let out an indignant huff. Getting into a heated argument was really the last thing he needed. He normally didn’t mind a good argument, but he was still tired and in a lot of pain from his injuries. “Fine,” he snapped, “If the Patrol are ever tailing you, then I’ll just let them take you since that’s clearly what you would rather. Go ahead and try to talk out your differences and see where that gets you.”
Gerard slammed his fist down onto the bedside table with such a force that Crispin thought he might punch right through it. “Have you any idea how insensitive you sound? I can’t believe you would even say something like that! You really are no better than they are!”

@Oakiin

lol If I shared my actual project we'd be here all day bc it's two books soooo
Have this snippet of a side project! It's not great, but I like it okay

Anyways, tell me what you think! I'm pretty excited about this project :)

@ElderGod-Winter-The-Renegade-Legionnaire book

La excerpt
Amirael sat stock straight. She took a deep breath in, and closed her eyes.
Cassius rode up beside her.
“Ami, are you ok? You seem a little out of it. Is it something that you sense?”
Amirael relaxed sightly.
“No Cas, it was just a thought. We’re fine. Let's keep going to that pub…”
Cassius raised his eyebrows. He didn’t believe that, but he decided to let it slide. He didn’t want to upset Amirael. He tried to start a conversation that wasn’t too delicate.
“Hey Ami, what’s your favorite color?”
Amirael cocked her head sideways.
“Cas, why are you asking me that question?”
Cassius sighed.
“Ami, I’m trying to start a conversation. So please, would you answer the question?”
Amirael smiled. It was unlike Cassius to start a conversation. He must have something serious on his mind. She replied.
“Blue. My favorite color is blue. Not the bright sky blue, but that dark ocean blue in summer. It makes me feel at home…”
Cassius was feeling a tumult of emotions. That blue reminded him of loss and something deeper… Something hidden. He was scared of the depths of the ocean, and when he looked in Amirael’s eyes, he saw that same depth in her. She was everything he feared, but he was drawn to her, and yet, he wanted to fall into the depths of her soul and get lost. He smiled to himself, and looked down. He turned his head toward Amirael.
“Blue, huh? I’ve always liked blue, but my favorite color is green. Not the pale green of rich silk, but the green of the trees, and the green of your eyes. That is the green that I like…”
Amirael flushed. She had caught the comment about her eyes, and she was glad that he had noticed. Somehow, she had desperately wanted him to notice something about her, and her heart was flipping in her chest… Amirael managed a nervous laugh.
“Cas, you have actually studied my eyes? I mean, you’ve actually looked into them?”
Cassius sucked in his breath.
“Yes, I’ve looked into your eyes. I saw your soul. You’re afraid sometimes, Others, your soul is nothing but joy, and finally, the part of you that scares me. The part that scares me beyond belief, is that when I look into your eyes, I see fire. Not the warm, inviting fire, but the cold, dead fire, that will eventually get everything it wants. That’s what I see in your eyes. I see warmth in the little gold flecks, but I also see the danger in you. That’s why I…”
Cassius stopped suddenly. He turned his head sharply, to cover the fact that his face was flushed. Amirael’s brows furrowed in confusion.
“Cas, you what? It’s not like you could ever think of me of something more than a protector, or something more than a friend…”
Believe me, I know it's a rough draft. I still have to edit it. But I'm so proud of it.