#writing prompt set

[prompt-heaven]

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

[literaryvein-reblogs]

more words for characterization (pt. 4)

Age

adolescent, afresh, ancient, antiquarian, antique, big, childish, crude, doddering, elderly, fresh, full-grown/full-fledged, green, hoary, immemorial, infant/infantile, junior, late, medieval, mint, modish, new, novel, older, old-fashioned, originally, outdated/out-of-date, passé, quaint, refreshing, secondhand, stale, state-of-the-art, undeveloped, up-to-date, well-preserved, youthful

Appearance

adorable, aesthetic/esthetic, artistic, beautiful, comely, crisp, dapper, decorative, desirable, dressy, exquisite, eye-catching, fancy, fetching, flawless, glorious, good-looking, graceful, grungy, hideous, homely, irresistible, natty, ornate, plain, pretty, refreshing, resplendent, seductive, spiffy, striking, stylish, ugly, unbecoming, willowy, with-it

Genuineness

abstract, actually, alias, apocryphal, apparently, arty, authentic, baseless, beta, bona fide, circumstantial, concrete, contrived, credible, deceptive, delusive, dreamy, ecclesiastical, empirical/empiric, enigmatic/enigmatical, ersatz, ethereal, factual, fallacious, fantastic, far-fetched, fictitious, foolproof, fraudulent, good, hard, historical, honest-to-God, illusory/illusive, imitative, indisputable, invisible, just, lifelike, made-up, magic/magical, make-believe, matter-of-fact, metaphysical, monstrous, mystic/mystical, mythical/mythological, nonexistent, openhearted, ostensibly, paranormal, physical, positive, pretended, quack, quite, realistic, right, sincerely, specious, spurious, supernatural, synthetic, tangible, true, unearthly, unnatural, unthinkable, unvarnished, unworldly, valid, veritable, wholehearted/whole-hearted, wrong

Movement

ambulatory, brisk, clumsy, fleet, fluent, frozen, gawky, graceless, immobile, indolent, itinerant, leisurely, lifeless, liquid, lithe, maladroit, migrant/migratory, motionless, moving, nomadic, oafish, passive, pendulous/pendent, portable, restless, roundabout, sedentary, slow, speedy, static, vibrant, winding

Style

adorable, baroque, becoming, black, bold, brassy, cheap, class, classy, contemporary, country, cultural, dashing, dowdy, eat high on the hog, exquisite, featureless, flamboyant, floral, flowery, formless, futuristic, garish, gay, glamorous, gorgeous, grand, graphic, hot, improvised, informal, innovative, kinky, loud, lush, luxurious, mean, meretricious, modish, neat, new, obsolete, old-fashioned, orderly, ornamental, ostentatious, outdated/out-of-date, palatial, picturesque, plush, posh, prevalent, quaint, refined, resplendent, rustic, scruffy, sharp, simple, sleazy, smart, snazzy, spiffy, spruce, stately, state-of-the-art, stylish, swank/swanky, tacky, tasteless, tousled, two-bit, unbecoming, unworldly, up-to-date, vogue

NOTE

The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.

It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary. Writing Resources PDFs

Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary

[stealingyourbones]

Danny is a damn good mechanic. Working on his parents automobiles have made how he works on vehicles a bit unorthodox. Why disassemble half of the entire car to get to the battery when you could just go in intangibly? OSHA is a scam and a fraud. So what if Nightwing sees him put tension on some coil springs he needs to add back to a cars suspension BY HAND BY SQUISHING IT DOWN and using safety squints while he secures everything in place. He also can MacGyver up absolutely anything you’ll ever need and anything you never should ever attach to your vehicle. All he asks is that no one ever repairs that part besides himself till the end of time or risk a chance of the item exploding in your face. Is it made out of half a toaster and a raspberry pi? Yes. It can however allow you to see the real time positions of any cop within 25 miles and that’s worth rapid disassembly.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

How to create an atmosphere: Club

Sight

strobo light

very different styles of clothing

groups of girls and groups of guys huddled together

people dancing wild and free

people just slightly swaying from left to right

people grinding on each other

stressed barkeepers

bored looking security guards

vip areas

Hearing

loud music

whatever their conversational partner is screaming at them

a random girl crying in the bathroom

girls having random conversations with strangers in the bathroom

a fight breaking out outside or on the dancefloor

Touch

sticky floor

bodies bumping into each other

cold glasses with drinks in them

the hand of a friend out of fear of losing each other

bodies pressed together while dancing

Smell

the smell of sweat

the smell of alcohol

the smell of smoke from the smoke machine or from zigarettes or other substances

Taste

the taste of overpriced drinks

the taste of the smoke in the air from the smoke machines

the taste of a drunken kiss

[raynewolferune]

DC x DP Prompt: Bruce is bad at emoting but at least ghosts are empathic (too bad bat kids are not)

Was reading Twincognito on AO3 when I stumbled across this gem again:

~

" “Danny, Tim. I was just…checking in. Is everything alright?” Curse his inability to make meaningful conversation when it wasn’t a life or death situation.

They glanced at each other and shrugged.

Then Danny hauled himself out of the bed and walked over to Bruce.

Bruce tried not to let too much excitement show on his face. "

~

Now I really want to read a story where Bruce adopts Danny post Meta trafficking and is being his usual emotionally constipated self. His kids keep getting mad at him because he's treating their new meta brother who was trafficked poorly (generally being stilted in conversation with him, walking away hurriedly mid-conversation, avoiding Danny when he's feeling really awkward, etc). They think Bruce is discriminating against Danny for being a civilian, meta, dealer's pick, but really it's just Bruce being horribly socially awkward. Danny knows this because of ghost empathy and find the whole thing hilarious. The whole thing comes to a head with the Bat Kids staging an intervention in the Bat Cave.

[littlemissadams]

DpxDc Prompt

Danny's really good at summoning the dead. 100% success rate type deal. Just bring something they were attached to in life and ta-da! A chance to say whatever to your lost loved one.

6 months after Jason Todd's death a greif riddled Dick Grayson tracks Danny down to try and see his little brother one more time. Except the summoning fails.

Several times.

Finally, Danny asks if Dick is sure the person he's looking for is dead.

[thelotusrabbit]

DpxDc #4

cw: implied sa

Vlad Masters is a man who knows what he wants.

He does have everything that he wants.

Except… Recently, things started to change.

He knew that his interest in Maddie was starting to fade, but his attention shifted to Daniel.

The desire to have him burned inside his chest. His hands hitched with the desire to give him everything, to have him be his, to keep the naive teenager in a glass case so nobody could put their filthy hands on him.

With time, his obsession started to bloom into something sick and violent.

Like a natural disaster, Vlad swept Danny’s family out of the picture (alive or not) to force him to always be next to him.

And Danny…

Danny is ill.

Ill because Vlad separated him from everybody, because he doesn’t make him fulfill his obsession, because he is punished, and because Vlad always seems to want more from him.

He wants so much more that, soon enough, Daniel turns out to be a disappointment.

The standards started to become too high. Etiquette, isolation, training, and the draining of ectoplasm were starting to wear him thin.

But having him it’s not a total waste of resources.

Vlad could always try for a new heir.

Tim forces himself not to snarl in disgust as he sees one of the guests slide his hand around the teenager next to him.

He sees his hand squeeze the kid’s shoulders as the poor boy’s eyes start to space out. 

That slimy smile was something Tim had seen too many times, and he subtly brought it to the attention of the whole family. 

He saw Brude get Masters's attention, making him lose his grip on the young boy, as both Cassandra and Damian got him away.

Now, it was Tim’s turn to do something, as he slipped away from the crowd to do some research on the man.

[iguessthisisanewobsession]

The ring was small and silver with a single emerald embedded in the metal.

It wasn’t something flashy, it probably cost less than the smallest gem from his vault all together.

But it was perfect.

Which made it so heartbreaking to turn it down.

“Dick.. you know me so well.. I wish I could take this ring, i really do.”

Dick was still on one knee in the little apartment, but he put the small box down on the floor as he asked.

“Then what’s stopping you?”

Danny let out a bitter chuckle,

“The US government.”

[unboundprompts]

Hi do you by chance have any prompts for describing the city (especially at night)? I'm looking for like a futuristic fantasy setting if that makes sense. Thanks!

Describing a City at Night

-> feel free to edit as you see fit.

The city glowed with neon veins, casting a strange, electric light over towering spires that scraped the sky. Holographic advertisements danced across windows while streams of fog curled through alleyways like rivers of light. Above, drones drifted lazily, their shadows weaving patterns on the streets below, creating an endless maze of pulsing, glowing reflections.

The skyline stretched sharp and unbroken, towers of glass and steel rising in clean, geometric lines against the sky. Windows glowed softly, each one a story of someone working late or an empty office left on standby.

In the dead of night, the city seemed to take on a different rhythm: quiet but with an underlying hum of energy. Few people walked the streets, but the occasional flicker of a phone screen or quiet murmur from an all-night café hinted at life. The shadows of the alleys were cut by security lights, giving them a strobe-lit effect, while the dull glow from rooftop gardens and balconies softened the city’s sharp edges.

A canal snaked through the heart of the city, the water dark and reflecting neon signs from towering skyscrapers above. Sleek boats glided quietly, transporting passengers between stops along the waterfront, each boat’s headlights cutting clean lines through the night. Pedestrians strolled along the edge, pausing to take photos or enjoy the city’s lights reflected in the gentle ripples below.

Even at 3 a.m., the city streets were alive, the constant flow of traffic muted yet steady as it moved beneath rows of LED streetlights. All-night coffee shops and convenience stores dotted the blocks, their windows spilling soft light onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians, many lost in their own world of screens and earbuds, walked with purpose, the occasional laughter or conversation blending into the endless hum of the city’s heartbeat.

[scealaiscoite]

setting prompts ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🕊️ ꒱

¹⁾ a rural gas station in the middle of the night

²⁾ the last room at a drive-in motel in the small hours of the morning

³⁾ a cold, draughty church on a thursday night

⁴⁾ a stranger’s bedroom at noon

⁵⁾ a window seat on a red-eye flight during a storm

⁶⁾ a hospital waiting room with only one other person in it

⁷⁾ a sleeper train eight hours from its destination

⁸⁾ the first night in a new house, alone

⁹⁾ the steps of a wedding chapel in the rain

¹⁰⁾ a dingy truck stop after ten hours on the road

¹¹⁾ a divorce attorney’s office on valentine’s day

¹²⁾ the beach at ten on a monday morning

¹³⁾ a police station in a foreign country

¹⁴⁾ a coffee shop at two in the morning

¹⁵⁾ a concert venue, hours after the band’s set has finished

¹⁶⁾ a boat miles from land in any direction

¹⁷⁾ the third highest floor in a skyscraper

¹⁸⁾ the end of the line at a b-list movie star’s meet-and-greet

¹⁹⁾ a bar an hour after last call

²⁰⁾ an overgrown garden in a heatwave

²¹⁾ a car park lit only by streetlamps

²²⁾ a film set two days from the end of production

²³⁾ a graveyard in spring

²⁴⁾ the lap of someone who’s been gone for too long

²⁵⁾ a kitchen counter whilst dinner’s being made

[youneedsomeprompts]

~ SUBTLE LOVE ~ WRITING PROMPTS

requested by: anonymous request: hi!! idk if this has been req before but do u have prompts for subtle love? it will take some time for u to realise that their actions are somth u do out of love. thank u!

Feel free to use and reblog!

Part 1 (kinda): ~ GENTLE LOVE ~ PROMPTS

listening attentively when the other is talking

taking the other into consideration whenever making a decision

smiling at the other to encourage them

taking over the other's tasks to disburden them

the last thing they're thinking about before falling asleep is always the other

sitting back and staying quiet to leave the stage for the other

giving the other their space, knowing they need it

enjoying the sound of the other's voice

distracting the other when they see they're distressed and close to freaking out

trying to learn every way to put a smile on the other's face

experiencing this strange feeling in their chest when the other comes to them for support and a word of kindness

"You can call me. Day or night. I'm there for you."

enjoying the most basic time spent together just sitting next to each other, each doing their own

hyping the other up

being their biggest cheerleader

checking up on the other regularly when they know they're not feeling their best

thinking about the other at the most random times

'Oh, this coffee has such nice latte art! I wonder if [person B] would like it.'

'Oh, there's a new movie showing in the cinema about an ice skater. [Person B] once did ice skating. Would they like this movie? Or are they even better at ice skating than the ones in the movie? I'm sure they're the best ice skater!'

stopping themselves from messaging the other too often

sharing their food with the other

always making another coffee/tea when they're making one for themselves because sharing is caring

smiling by instinct when they see the other

^ breaking into a grin and being unable to stop it

sending the other little notes of encouragement to show that they're thinking of them

"You're doing just fine. I know you've got this."

promising to catch up, even when there is no time at the moment, they're making sure it doesn't go under

"Wanna talk about it later? I will make time."

making the other a priority

giving their honest opinion when it's asked

[semperama]

if you're still taking setting prompts - 46 💛

the back of a taxi stuck in traffic

"Where are you?" It's Buck's voice in Eddie's ear, crackly from poor signal and thready with...something like panic?

Eddie feels an answering anxiety stir in his stomach, because—Buck doesn't know, right? He can't know. Eddie shoots Christopher a look, and Christopher looks back at him, eyebrows raised. When he mouths Buck, Chris's eyes widen and he makes a cutting motion with his hand across his neck, like Eddie needs to be told not to blab.

"What do you mean, where am I?" Eddie asks. He cranes his neck to look out the front window of the Uber—a Prius, as luck would have it—but the traffic still stretches interminably ahead of them, cars inching forward at the customary crawl. Eddie almost picked the 5 am flight for exactly this reason—so they could avoid rush hour—but he's pretty sure waking a teenager up before dawn is against the Geneva Conventions, so. Here they are. Stuck in traffic. The anticipation of surprising Buck fizzing under his skin, making him jittery.

But now Buck has called him, is asking where he is. Does he know? How can he know?

"I'm, uh." Buck pauses, clears his throat. "I'm at your house," he says.

"I know that, Buck," Eddie says slowly.

"No, I mean. I'm at your house. In Texas. Right now." Each word drops like an ice cube into Eddie's stomach. "But you weren't answering the door, and—and I looked in the front window and there's no furniture here?"

That's—what? No. Eddie shoots a panicked look at Chris, who must be starting to put it all together too, because his expression is scrunched up with dismay. Their furniture isn't in Texas, because it's on a moving truck on the way back from El Paso as they speak. And if Buck had showed up at the house a few hours later, he'd have been tipped off by the For Sale sign the realtor promised she'd put up later today.

Did Buck drive all the way to El Paso? Or did their airplanes pass each other in the air?

"Buck," Eddie says, "Chris and I are in the back of an Uber on the 405. We're like three miles from home."

Silence on the other end of the line. Crackling static, like a puff of air. Then, "You're in LA?"

"We were going to surprise you." Eddie had it all planned. He tested the waters a couple weeks ago, told Buck that Chris hinted about maybe wanting to come back to LA eventually and asked him if it was okay if they all shared the house for a while. Of course Buck said that was fine, more than fine, they could stay as long as they wanted, It's really your house anyway, Eddie.

Eddie called the realtor the next day and got to work making little last-minute repairs so he could sell the house for enough of a profit to recoup his down payment. He'd had to cut back on FaceTiming Buck from the house so Buck didn't see the boxes, calling more between rides to make up for it. And he swore Bobby to secrecy when he called last week to ask for his job back.

Everything was going off without a hitch. Eddie should have known something would go wrong.

"Surprise me?" Buck repeats. "I was going to surprise you."

"Well, I—yeah, I'm pretty damn surprised, Buck," Eddie says. He shoots an apologetic look at Chris for the swearing, but Chris just rolls his eyes.

It's just...this kind of sucks. Eddie has been looking forward to this for weeks. Longer than that, actually. Even before he knew for sure he'd be coming home, he imagined it, the look on Buck's face, the way a smile would spread over his face like the sunrise, the way they'd fall into a hug, the scratch of Buck's stubble against his neck. Before Christopher moved back in with him, sometimes imagining that moment was the only thing that got Eddie through a day. And once it became a real possibility, once Chris said he wanted to go home, it became all Eddie could think about, the reunion playing in his head in technicolor all day long, in a hundred different ways,

"Shit," Buck says on the end of a sigh.

"Yeah," Eddie agrees. He scrubs a hand over his face. The traffic keeps inching, inching, but it doesn't matter as much anymore. They'll get there when they get there. "Please tell me you didn't drive."

"No, I flew," Buck says, and thank God for that. "I was only going to stay a couple days. I just thought—Chris said he was kind of missing LA, and—"

It's Eddie's turn to roll his eyes in Chris's direction. "And you thought if you showed up, you'd remind him of what he was missing even more, and he'd want to come home?"

"Something like that," Buck says, and Eddie can hear the sheepish grin in his voice. "Ugh, changing my return flight is gonna cost an arm and a leg."

"I can split it with you," Eddie offers automatically, but Buck scoffs.

"It was my stupid idea, not yours."

"Uh, we had the exact same stupid idea, Buck," Eddie says. This will be a funny story later, but for now, it stings a little. All this waiting around, and he doesn't even get to see Buck at the end of it.

"I wish I could laugh," Buck says, echoing Eddie's thoughts, "but—"

"Yeah," Eddie says softly. He glances at Christopher, then away, willing his blood to stay away from his face. "Look, Buck—"

"No, hey," Buck says in a rush, "don't—don't say anything, just. I'll get the soonest return flight I can, and I'll see you soon, okay?" And then Buck does laugh after all. Just a little chuckle, but it warms Eddie all the same. "The way LA traffic is, maybe I'll be on the plane before you even make it home."

It doesn't happen quite that fast. Eddie and Chris have time to make it home, to take showers, to order pizza. They have time to put a good dent in the stash of cookies Buck made with Jee the previous weekend, and then to clean up their crumbs. They have time to blow up an air mattress for Chris, because Buck left his room empty.

It's midnight, and Eddie is fast asleep, when a rush of cool air wakes him up. The blankets pulled back, then hiked up again, a warm body at his back. He turns, slow, and there's Buck, looking at him wide-eyed in the dark.

He puts his hand to Buck's face. Buck's fingers wrap around his wrist. This isn't the reunion Eddie pictured.

"You're in my bed," Buck says.

"Mhm." Eddie shifts forward, his knees slotting between Buck's. "That's what you get for leaving it empty."

"Are you—?" Buck whispers, stuttery. "Can I—?"

"Yeah," Eddie says. "Of course. Anything."

This isn't the reunion he pictured, but as Buck nudges their noses together, as they breathe the same air for long moments before their lips brush, Eddie finds he doesn't regret it at all.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing References: World-Building

20 Questions ⚜ 100 Words for World-building

Basics: World-building ⚜ Places ⚜ Imagery ⚜ Setting

Exploring your Setting ⚜ Habitats ⚜ Kinds of Fantasy Worlds

Fantasy World-building ⚜ World-building Vocabulary

Worksheets: Magic & Rituals ⚜ Geography; World History; City; Fictional Plant ⚜ A General Template

Editing

Setting & Pacing Issues ⚜ Editing Your Own Novel

Writing Notes

Animal Culture ⚜ Autopsy ⚜ Alchemy ⚜ Ancient Wonders

Art: Elements ⚜ Principles ⚜ Photographs ⚜ Watercolour

Creating: Fictional Items ⚜ Fictional Poisons ⚜ Magic Systems

Cruise Ships ⚜ Dystopian World ⚜ Parts of a Castle

Culture ⚜ Culture Shock ⚜ Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism

Food: How to Describe ⚜ Lists ⚜ Cooking Basics ⚜ Herbs & Spices ⚜ Sauces ⚜ Wine-tasting ⚜ Aphrodisiacs ⚜ List of Aphrodisiacs ⚜ Food History ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Literary Cocktails ⚜ Liqueurs ⚜ Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables

Greek Vases ⚜ Sapphire ⚜ Relics ⚜ Types of Castles

Hate ⚜ Love ⚜ Kinds of Love ⚜ The Physiology of Love

Mystical Objects ⚜ Talisman ⚜ Uncommon Magic Systems

Moon: Part 1 2 ⚜ Seasons: Autumn ⚜ Spring ⚜ Summer

Shapes of Symbols ⚜ Symbolism ⚜ Slang: 1930s

Symbolism: Of Colors Part 1 2 ⚜ Of Food ⚜ Of Storms

Topics List ⚜ Write Room Syndrome

Vocabulary

Agrostology ⚜ Allergy ⚜ Architecture ⚜ Baking ⚜ Biochemistry

Ecology ⚜ Esoteric ⚜ Gemology ⚜ Geology ⚜ Weather ⚜ Art

Editorial ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Latin Forensic ⚜ Law ⚜ Medieval

Psychology ⚜ Phylogenetics ⚜ Science ⚜ Zoology

More References: Plot ⚜ Character Development ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[angelilacs]

never leave me in the dark ˎˊ˗

⭑ humming their partner’s favorite song to calm them down when they’re too nervous.

⭑ “i’ve never done this before. sorry.”  “don’t worry, me neither.”

⭑ holding hands during a stressful situation.

⭑ hiding in their partners chest when they’re scared.

⭑ their safe word for wanting to leave a place because it’s too overwhelming is kissing the other’s hand.

⭑ “hey, c’mon, don’t do that. we can leave any time you want.”

⭑ making the other their favorite tea.

⭑ “i don’t think i’m dying but i’m bleeding a little.” “you’re what? no— are you serious!”

⭑ “they’re just my parents—” “a night out with a wild animal sounds better right about now.”

⭑ “i was serious about this being my first… everything.” “i know, and i’m here every step of the way.”

⭑ wearing a bold outfit and their partner being proud of them for putting themselves out there.

⭑ running out the first time their partner takes off their clothes.

⭑ “we’re fine.” “our phones are dead and we’re somewhere in the middle east.” “see? at least you know we’re in africa.”

⭑ not being able to sleep so they drink a ton of coffee, their partner waking up and dragging them to bed.

based on this ask !

[quadrantadvisor]

DPxDC Danny/Jason Soulmates AU WIP

-

Jason's timer read 044389:21:08, when the display suddenly went dark. 44,389 hours. Five years, 24 days, 13 hours, 21 minutes, and 8 seconds until he was fated to meet his soulmate.

Or not. Because the time stopped.

It wasn’t supposed to happen. He did his research, and with the resources at his disposal (namely, a batcomputer,) he knew for a fact that there should be no way to defy the fate of a timer. People had tried. Avoidance, isolation, putting a hit out on your own suspected soulmate. Nothing worked. Trying to delay the inevitable put you on the path to meet it. Sure, there were people who lamented the unfairness of their own situation, who were devastated they never got time with their soulmate, famous deaths on opposite sides of a battle, etc. But soulmates always, always met eachother, face to face.

Not him, though. His soulmate was dead. Five years early.

Bruce didn’t get it. Dick wouldn’t talk about it. Alfred only looked at him with pity in his eyes.

Jason wasn’t sad that he was the only person on the planet who’d never meet his soulmate. He was fucking angry, because it wasn’t fucking fair. It was another person in his life who was supposed to care about him that he’d never get to have.

So when he found out he had a mom, somewhere out there, who he’d never had the chance to meet… he had to go. How could he not?

-

It was Sam who noticed, when it happened. Danny had just finished a stupid fight with Boxy, and he, Sam, and Tucker were finally ready to call it a night. Danny de-transformed and grinned, shaking the thermos proudly. “Gonna get these guys back into the Ghost Zone,” he said, when suddenly-

“Danny!” Sam yelped, and snatched at his arm.

Danny stumbled, nearly dropping his precious cargo. “Whoa, Sam, what-?’ he stopped, looking as she turned over his arm, baring his wrist.

His timer was dark, like people who’s soulmates were dead. The numbers still showed, faintly, but they were stationary. The countdown had stopped.

Ice spread through Danny’s veins, like the cold that rushed through him when he went ghost, but worse, so much worse.

Danny’s ghost form didn’t have a timer, which honestly freaked him out, but as a human it had always behaved completely normally. When he turned back, it would be there, the time having elapsed just the way it was supposed to. It had been so reassuring. He was alive. He’d make it at least five more years, and be able to meet his soulmate, who would hopefully be able to accept him the way he was. He wanted that so badly. He wanted someone beyond his friends to talk to, to know him as a person and a ghost. He wanted to not be afraid anymore.

He’d just passed the five year mark, not that long ago. He’d been so excited to be that much closer to someone so important.

And now something was horribly wrong.

“Dude, that’s jacked up,” Tucker said, noticing the problem with wide eyes.

“Did anything happen today?” Sam asked, her expression hardened with determination. “Did you notice anything weird while you were transformed?”

Danny shook his head. “No, no it- it was running while we were at school, and we’ve been fighting ghosts since then. I don’t know when it would’ve…” Danny could barely make himself speak. “Is it my fault?” he said, almost to himself. “Did I spend too much time as a ghost and it just-”

Sam gripped at his hand. “No, Danny, it isn’t your fault. Whatever the problem is, we’re going to figure it out, okay?”

“Yeah man,” Tucker added, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, maybe your parents can actually help this time? Weird magic science is kinda their thing, right?”

Sam looked less sure, but nodded all the same. “You’re going to meet your soulmate. Okay?”

“Okay,” Danny said, quiet, looking down at the stopped numbers on his wrist.

-

Edit: Added a readmore

[deepwaterfiction]

Text: The Library of Curses has a catalog of over 10,000, written in blood, or ink, or captured on special records. The librarian can usually diagnose you before you’re halfway through the door.