#October Writing Prompts

[scealaiscoite]

halloween prompts ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🎃 ꒱

-ˏˋ. dialogue ˊˎ-

⋆ "what do you mean you've never gone trick-or-treating?!"

⋆ "i really appreciate that you're getting into the halloween spirit, but it's ten in the morning. please turn off the slasher films so i can eat my breakfast in peace."

⋆ "ah, you've made the mistake in thinking that just because this is a couples/family costume that you get any kind of say in it. you don't, actually."

⋆ "i love you, i swear i do, but we're not wearing matching costumes."

⋆ "do you remember what happened the last time you tried to carve a pumpkin?! we'll get laughed out of a&e if i have to haul you down there over this again."

⋆ "you're like the toughest person i know! am i really supposed to believe that a horror film is enough to have you cowering into my lap?"

⋆ "stop squirming, you're gonna mess up your face paint!"

⋆ "not to rain on your parade or anything, but since when are gingerbread haunted houses a thing?"

⋆ "please, i'm begging you. don't make me watch the nightmare before christmas again."

⋆ "should i be worried that you know how to replicate fake blood this well? i probably should be, right?"

⋆ "come on, if there was ever a time for me to be superstitious it's definitely now."

-ˏˋ. actions / scenarios ˊˎ-

⋆ carving pumpkins together

⋆ having a scary movie marathon

⋆ going to questionable lengths to decorate their house/apartment

⋆ passing out candy to trick-or-treaters

⋆ throwing a halloween party

⋆ going to a carnival / fair

⋆ comforting the scaredy cat amongst them

⋆ putting an inordinate amount of effort into planning their costume

⋆ going to a pumpkin patch

⋆ laying wide awake at night after watching a horror movie that left them unnerved

[trashlama]

Whazzup my fellow heathens! It's finally that time of year again. the spooky season is once again upon us! Soooo you know what that means~

Its time for some Spooky Halloween themed fics!!!! And boy do I have some plots planned for you guys this month.

Tbh it's not a lot buuuuutttt, I couldn't keep my excitement for these ideas to myself. Tbh I'm still working out the kinks with the last idea. So it may stay the same or change by next week.

Otherwise this is what I got planned for this month so far! They're currently listed in the order I plan to post them.

OCTOBER SPOOKY WIP LIST!!!

Yan!Vampire!Donatello x Reader "Contest"

Yan!Leo x Reader "Monster Mash"

Yan!Mikey x Reader "Because it's Witchcraft~"

Zombie Apocalypse!Yan!Raph x Reader "Never gonna give you up"

To be continued...

Also yes I do have LMK tagged in this because, I want to write one for this fandom, I just don't have anything really brainstormed yet. I kinda have an idea of what I want to do. Might be hcs or fic, not sure yet. Though I definitely want to do some spooky writing for this fandom. Just don't know exactly what yet. I'm doing some research.

Anyways—

Sorry for the nonsensical rambling once again and thank you everyone for bearing with me! I suck I know. Also thank you for looking! Here's some scary memes to show my appreciation for your guy's patience with me.

Sorry this is long↓ I don't own these memes. I've never claimed to do so. I just come across them on Pinterest when I'm on break at work and think they're funny so I like to share them. If I mistakenly put one on here that I shouldn't have please let me know! I like to respect people's wishes. And if you could add the creator names too that would be great so the same mistake isn't made twice. Sorry for the inconvenience that my sharing may cause. I hope you have a good day.

[gnpwdrnwhiskey]

This is all @trulybetty's fault, lol! Her daily drabble idea looked so fun that my messed up little brain said oh, the VM Promptober isn't enough - you should do more, so here we are.....I picked me a list off Pinterest, which can be found here, and I'm gonna try to do six sentences every day. We'll see how it goes....

01. All The Reasons Why (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

02. I Hear You (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

03. Gentle Thoughts (Marcus Pike x f!reader)

04. Tell Me I'm Fine (Javier Peña & ofc!Grace)

05. Should I Feel Insulted? (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

06. Cool Autumn Air (Tim Rockford x ofc!Mags)

07. Elusive Feeling of Home (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

08. Temptation (Jack Daniels x ofc!SunDrop)

09. Sitting At The Bar (Javier Peña & ofc!Grace)

10. Poetic License (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

11. Behind My Back (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

12. Lunatic (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

13. Safe Place (Javier Peña & ofc!Grace)

14. Solitary Figure (Jack Daniels x ofc!SunDrop)

15. Effortlessly Loving You (Frankie Morales x ofc!Dani)

16. Clean Cut (Jack Daniels x ofc!SunDrop)

17. Blurry Image (Tim Rockford x ofc!Mags)

18. Rummage Shop (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

19. Run Faster (Dave York x f!reader)

20. Life Beyond (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

21. Ready For The Pain (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

22. Say Goodbye (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

23. Take A Drink (Frankie Morales x ofc!Dani)

24. Daydreams (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

25. Long Look Goodbye (Tim Rockford x ofc!Mags)

26. Sad Eyes (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

27. Fairies in Flight (Frankie Morales x ofc!Dani)

28. Primitive (Javier Peña & ofc!Grace)

29. Scared Cross Eyed (Jack Daniels x ofc!SunDrop)

30. All Cried Out (Joel Miller x ofc!Bee)

31. How Long Will it Hurt (Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava)

[bradshawsbaby]

For the Bradshaws: “are you cold?” Because I just lose it with gentlemen Bradley 😭

(I also set this one before they got married, while they were dating!)

The evening air wasn’t exactly cold. Even in mid-October, the weather never really dipped below 60 degrees. Still, it had a bit of a bite to it, much chillier than you had been expecting. Then again, you were currently walking the shoreline, right beside the ocean, well after the sun had gone down.

Bradley had wanted to take you out to dinner somewhere different than your usual date night spots, so he’d surprised you with a little impromptu drive up to Oceanside. You’d found a really delicious seafood place and had indulged in so much pumpkin ice cream from a small dessert shop nearby that you thought you might burst. When Bradley had suggested a walk on the beach before driving home, it had seemed like the perfect plan.

Now, however, you were starting to rethink that. You could feel the goosebumps rising on your bare legs as the cool air rushed in off the ocean, the flimsy white sweater you’d donned over your red plaid dress not doing much to ward off the evening chill.

Resting your head on Bradley’s shoulder, you tried to tuck yourself more tightly against his warm side, surreptitiously rubbing your arm as the two of you strolled. Your boyfriend was like your own personal heating system, and you were especially grateful for that right now.

Bradley glanced down and noticed your movements immediately, picking up on the tension in your back from where you were clenching your body in an attempt to hold onto the warmth.

“Are you cold?” Bradley asked, stopping in his tracks at once and resting his hands on your shoulders so that he could turn you towards him. You could see the concern in his eyes and it melted you instantly.

“Just a little bit. It’s no big deal,” you assured him, trying to brush it off with a wave of your hand.

“Honey, you should have told me,” Bradley insisted, immediately pulling back so that he could shrug his dark green bomber jacket off his shoulders. Before you could say a word, he was draping it around you and rubbing your arms tenderly. “We don’t have to stay,” he added, cupping your cheek in his hand.

“No, I want to. I love being here with you,” you told him, smiling as you stood on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips. “I feel warmer already,” you went on, gladly burrowing more deeply into his jacket.

“Good,” Bradley smiled, lowering his head to kiss you deeply.

“Oh yeah, definitely feeling warm now,” you said when the two of you finally pulled back for air.

Bradley laughed loudly at that, wrapping his arm tightly around you and holding you close to his side as the two of you made your way back to the boardwalk.

October OTP Writing Prompts 🌊

[crockettmarcel]

Baking

“You’ve got leaves in your hair.”

“What are you reading?”

Local bakery

Black cat

Thunderstorm

Exploring a graveyard

“Here, take my sweater/jacket/coat.”

Big family dinner

Coffee date

Blackberry picking

“Your hands are cold.”

Back to school/university

"Are you scared?"

“You look cold, do you want a hug?”

“I bet you can’t catch a leaf.”

Wearing someone else’s clothes

Fall-mark AU

Trick or treating

Cabin retreat

Apple picking

Pumpkins

“You’re soaked through!”

Warmth

“Pumpkin spiced latte, please.”

“You think anyone’s ever died here?”

Crunching leaves

“It’s sweater season!”

Carnival

Watching scary movies

Halloween party

[ravpocalypse]

LGBTQ+ Fanfiction Writers Club Fictober Prompts 2023

Each quarter, my LGBTQ+ Fanfiction Writers Club puts together a list of seasonal prompts. This is a multifandom, multiship event. Anyone can participate as long as they follow our very short list of rules:

1. Fics written for these prompts should be rated Teen and under as this is designed for students ages 13+. Adults are welcome to participate but please keep prompt responses rated Teen and under. 2. Fics written for these prompts that contain any content included in the Archive Warnings (Major Character Death, Non-Con, Graphic Violence, or Underage) must be tagged with those Archive Warnings. Please do not use "choose not to use archive warnings" - you must tag any Archive Warnings. 3. Do your best and have fun.

Our Fictober 2023 prompts are live and ready to go!

ghost photography | “Seven ghosts are following you through the leaves.”

harvest moon | “And the stars are twice as bright.”

spice | “It’s finally pumpkin spice latte season!”

rats | “Please can we get one?”

cold | “Can I borrow your jacket?”

latte | “You talk like my mother”

log cabin | “Really, we’re staying here?!”

tradition | “I know.”

plague doctor | “Where are the rats in hats coming from?”

leaves | “And they crunch”

halloween costume contest | “And the winner goes to…”

spooky movie | “If you get scared, don’t come crying to me.”

gaming | “You’re weird”

very into halloween vs. scared easily | “What do you mean that’s cute? It’s dead!”

phobia | “You know I can’t.”

handmade | “Ouch!”

overstay | “We can’t only eat pumpkin pie forever”

cuddles | “I’m eeby.” “That's cringe.”

falling | “Your hair’s gotten long”

jack o’ lantern | “Sooo…what’re we gonna use the rest of the pumpkin for?”

summoning | “You misspelled the ritual, didn’t you?”

monster | “I told you to not create things you can’t control!”

stargazing | “They’re not as beautiful as you”

hoodies | “I’m starting to think you even shower in that thing.”

s’mores | “Do you know how to build a campfire?”

abandoned ren faire | “Is that a dead body?”

cursed | “Is this normal?”

tired | “I’m just resting my eyes.”

possession | “Is that grandma up on the ceiling?”

ghost roommate | “Oh come on, man!”

first snow | “What do you mean it’s snowing?”

You can share your works in our AO3 Collection.

[doctordiscosbignaturals]

jamie’s not allowed to watch scary movies before bed for a reason

[tookishcombeferre]

trees do not sway

feet from pathways;

darkness shrouds

travelers as thunder

crashes and boasts

feats of strength.

leaves falling like fireworks

pool in crimson and gold

puddles like bloody

treasure and chests

swung wide open.

twigs and brush

build pirate ships,

swinging from masts

sheets for catching wind

waves yawning wide.

the pirate coat never

comes. for voices rising from

high branches crow’s nest, are

not heard on land. silver has

no voice in a boat rowed out

to sea.

“a pirate ship made of leaves” - Pip B.

(based on the prompt “walks in the forest”)

[auideas]

You were my sun and stars, but to you, I was the pitch black sky.

The Never Book

[mercatpariah]

[moonchildbaby]

⛧Queen of the Night⛧ Jan Valek  x Fem!Reader

Inspired by I_$uss by Ленинград (Leningrad) 

I took the sin half hearted

but in the strictest possible sense

You were beautiful like Jesus

in art masterpieces

I thought I would ascent

because of your beauty or my sensations

A/N: Ritualistic and Cult Initiation, Vampires, Dubious consent, Smut, implicated violence, fem!reader and we pretend that Jan Valek has Terry Silvers nails ok

Wordcount: 1,218

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Scream. That’s it.” the deep voices purrs in a deep slithering hiss. “Scream as loud as you can and know you’ll be screaming only for me.” His grin is all midnight and red lipped against his marble complexation, the long fingers clasped around you drawing crimson patterns on your skin as the sharp nails easily scrape through the surface of your soft flesh. Lovingly he marks you. All his. The moonlight illuminates Jan Valek’s eyes through the painted window high above, the only natural source of light painting his orbs white as snow. His touch is frozen like morning dew yet something akin to warmth still lingers under the surface of his digits, disturbing you even more. Maybe the hundreds of candles illuminating the dark church his followers have lit are the reason for that peculiar sensation. They sit watching, engulfed in eerie silence, their eyes glazed chips of ice as they follow the spectacle taking place on the altar. Having come from far and near, they made their way through the deepest of nights, mere shadows in the late October wind to lay their eyes upon the new mistress of the night. 

Upon the initiation. 

The vampire master claiming his mate for eternity. 

“No god can help you now, no book nor prayer can save you. All there is and will be inside of you is me and the night. “ Jan purrs as lips kiss the tender flesh of your breasts, lying bare to him as you shiver helpless and unmoving completely numbed by the poison coaxing out the night in your veins.  Marked by the father of all Vampires himself. The way he holds you is an unearthly sensation as removes any remaining garments separating your bodies and you find yourself squirming in horror. The light in his pale eyes sends chills of equal desire and horror down your spine. A chuckle slips from the velvet lips as Jan finds himself bemused, your terror so endearing to him. His mouth grazes yours in order to soften the sharp edges of fear. The nightwanderer holds you in an embrace akin to a lovers as you feel his long sharp digits claiming you, pain and pleasure clouding your mind as you feel your own fingers digging into Jan's broad shoulders. Trying to hurt him with, scrape him open with your fingernails, hoping to kill him - only to want him closer, more, intensely, everywhere. In haze your mind struggles for control against the dark fluid pressure coaxing and pressing every nerve as you feel yourself slipping away, slowly and surely engulfed by it’s power. 

And then he is, everywhere and swiftly part of you as your legs wrap arounds his waist, compiling with unspoken commands the horror fading into a lingering white noise under his caresses, rough and gentle at the same time. Every touch holds a never felt intensity to it. Stronger than any drug your lips have tasted before and mind exploding in sensation when Jan's fangs find the soft flesh of your bosom, biting, kissing and sucking. Delicious and bittersweet remainders of the last human quantity of blood you possess wanders down the vampires throat as watches his beloveds reactions from hooded ice blue slits, taking pleasure in the spectacle before him. “Nobody would be able to love you like I do.” he coos the voice deep and sinister, feeling them clench around him shivers running over the exposed skin.

You are helpless as you hear your mouth forming a new name breathless at first, trying to suppress the urge as breath turns into moan and moans into screams. As Jesus turns into Jan, God to master. The white rose petals are painted crimson from your blood as the pressure fleets from your mind, limbs twitching as you feel the coldness creeping in contrasting to the boiling heat inside your womb as your midnight lover claims you roughly. His sharp thrusts mix with the boiling of your blood, feeling like acid in your veins as your screams grow hoarse, high pitched the sound akin to a lamb being slaughtered, half alive as their brains are devoured, as pleasure and pain overtake you thunder mixing with your shared moans of release as you come around him. Jan flings his head back at the sensation, his raven locks shimmering a midnight blue as his fingers dig into your hips. The tarnished droplets of rust leaking from pale skin proves the success of turning as the realization has him wasting himself inside of you. 

Now you will be his and only his. For eternity. And nobody can take you. Not even “God”.                                                                                                              Spine chilling, melodious laughter erupts from the back of his throat. Primal, pleased and greedy it resonates from the Church walls as blackness floods your irises and bliss wipes out the remaining consciousness bidding you good night one last time. 

Sometime after, minutes or seconds have molten into each other, you feel yourself woken by a soft touch of your head and the cool, silken touch of familiar lips against your own. 

Jan’s hand cradles your face for a moment, wolf eyes taking in your nude form, the soft flesh paling as the moon paints the final turning from the livestock to a child of the night. A child of his own like his hundreds of followers. 

“Stand” he instructs, his hand engulfing your own and you let yourself be lifted by his steeled strength. 

The mind in trance your senses flood every fibre of your body. Your vision and smell sharp as the blades on the altar. You taste and smell simultaneously- the  mixed fluids inside and leaking from you, the blood beginning to curst into darkness, the scattered rose buds, the candle wax, the leather band from Jan’s book on the lectern, the wood of the pews and the insects living inside the walls. The stones wet from the rain washing across the thin glass, excitement and aroused murmurs of the crowd when Jan raises his voice. 

“My children, you are invited -                                                                           Join me and my bride in our first hunt as a finally completed family.”

Desire fills your body up to the point you feel it vibrating with greed. Blood. Food. Warmth. The idea abolishes morals and horror swiftly, brains descending into  final darkness, gone akin to a fleeting musing. 

A black robe is draped and fitted around your form in seconds, a crown of black roses and nightshade on your head, hair smoothed out by the gentle hands of your followers. Your hazy mind cannot pinpoint why you would ever have come to think of them as scary, haunting individuals when they could not be more alluring. These are your people, your flock, your home. Pale eyes which have now become your own interlock with the icy blue ones of your new found messiah. Your midnight lover and husband. It is as if you can appreciate his true beauty only now. Deadly and dark as Onyx. Nothing to be afraid of. He is a part of you now. 

The crowd erupts into wild and feral excitement as the two of you share the first kiss that marks the beginning of a new era. A new time. And what a bloody one it will become. 

All is a blur as your eyes take in every lightning illuminating the dark  the masses begin waving back and forth like weeds in a storm. The dead of night in their stare as their mouths open to chant, a dark melodious sound that vibrates through every stone on the premises and that is sure to bestow a nightmare to every human heart close by.  Hundreds of arms raise themselves as they follow you and their leader, thousands of white flowers raining from their palms the white storm reflected in the pale colour of your orbs - “Let her rise -The queen of the night.”

A/N: The queen is an actual flower and is funnily enough associated with good fortune so I deemed it very fitting that if there was a vampire wedding ceremony that this flower would be included. 

I recommend looking at the music video from Leningrads “i_$uss” as it is incredibly well made in my opinion and the song served as my main inspiration for the oneshot. I warn you it is a bid graphic. I believe listening to it while reading this fic enhances the outwardly feeling that “you” may have felt in this clearly outwardly wedding haha. 

Happy spooky season everyone! 🕷 ⛧

[writerbeemedina]

|| Spooky Writing Prompts 2022 October 10 ||

Genre: Supernatural || Paranormal

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

A telephone booth where you can exclusively contact the deceased. 📞

[nonchalantnightowlsworld]

31 Prompts for October: Horror

Day 20: Nightmares

Morgana woke up with a start, gasping for air. She felt a cold sweat on her forehead and a pounding in her chest. She looked around the dark room, trying to calm herself down. It was just a nightmare, she told herself. Just a bad dream.

But it felt so real. She could still see the images in her mind, vivid and terrifying. She saw herself running in a maze of corridors, chased by a shadowy figure. She heard the screams of other people, trapped and tortured. She felt the pain of sharp needles piercing her skin, drawing blood and injecting something into her veins.

She shuddered and reached for the lamp on her bedside table. She needed some light, some comfort. She turned it on and blinked at the sudden brightness. She looked at the clock. It was 3:15 am. She sighed and tried to relax.

She reached for her phone, hoping to distract herself with some social media or a game. Maybe she could text her friend and tell her about the nightmare. Maybe she could find some solace in knowing that she was not alone.

She unlocked her phone and opened the messaging app. She scrolled through her contacts and found her friend's name. She tapped on it and typed:

"Hey, are you awake? I had a horrible nightmare."

She waited for a reply, hoping that her friend was online. She stared at the screen, feeling anxious.

A few seconds later, she got a response.

It was not from her friend.

It was from an unknown number.

It said:

"We know what you dreamt of. We are watching you. We are coming for you."

She felt a surge of fear and dropped her phone. She looked around the room, feeling paranoid. She heard a knock on the door.

She screamed.

[shay-the-writer]

October Writing Prompts

September was ... something. And yet, I still have hope I can accomplish something here.

October's main writing prompt is:

Word Count Challenge. Each day/week, you set the number of words you want to write. It can be 100 words per day/week, or 500 or 1000. Or you just increase the amount each time. 100, 200; 500, 1000; 1000, 2000. You set the schedule and the word count. Work on something new (that you can add to an ever-increasing backlog [cough]), or on a WIP (from said backlog [cough cough]).

The optional prompts are:

2. OTP MOMENTS: Going grocery shopping together. (I'm combining this with the movie quote for a Halloween-themed fic)

3. ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS: One minute ago, they were fighting for real. Next minute, they were wrestling on a nice and comfy bed. (combining this with the TV quote because it fits)

4. (MOVIE QUOTE) Austin Powers: I won't bite ... hard. (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)

5. (TV QUOTE) Faith: Relax, and take off your pants. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

The TV and movie quotes can be altered and (obviously) used out of context from their original source.

These prompts can be used for original works as well as fanfiction.

[bradshawsbaby]

one more ❤️❤️

“is that what’s it’s supposed to look like?” for the Bradshaws

You were feeling a little under the weather when you woke up this morning, and Bradley had insisted on keeping you bundled up in bed all day. You hardly ever got sick, so on the rare occasion when you did, your husband became incredibly overprotective and insisted on doing everything for you.

Since uttering the words, “I’m feeling a little out of it today,” you hadn’t lifted a finger to do anything. Bradley had grabbed your favorite sweatshirt—his, which is why it was your favorite—so that you could stay cozy and warm in bed while he made you a cup of peppermint tea and set about completing all the items on your household to-do list that you tried to insist you needed to finish.

“Shh, honey, I’ve got this. I just want you to rest,” Bradley told you when you tried to protest staying in bed while he took care of everything. “Isn’t that what you tell me when I’m sick?” he added with a wink, pressing a kiss to the tip of your nose.

He’d been in and out of the bedroom all day, checking in on you, sitting with you for a little while, bringing you bowls of chicken noodle soup and more cups of tea. After a while, however, you realized that it had been well over an hour since the last time you’d heard from your husband. You’d dozed off for a bit, too, so it might have been even longer.

Wrinkling your nose in confusion, you called out his name. When he didn’t answer, you pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed, his sweatshirt hanging off your frame like a cozy blanket as you slowly made your way through the apartment. When you smelled a familiar aroma of cinnamon and apples, you immediately headed to the kitchen.

“Baby? What are you doing?” you asked, your eyes widening as you realized what a mess the kitchen counters had morphed into.

Bradley turned around immediately at the sound of your voice, a sheepish expression on his face. “Honey, you shouldn’t be out of bed,” he told you, clearly trying to hide whatever was on the counter behind his back.

Raising an eyebrow, you took a curious step closer to him. “Were you making something?” you continued, noticing the flour and the sugar and the cinnamon spilled on the counter.

Your husband let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I was trying to surprise you. But I think I failed pretty miserably,” he admitted, looking like a kicked puppy. “We had some apples left over from when you wanted to make the apple cider, so I thought I’d try making that cinnamon apple cake you love so much. You know, to make you feel better. But…um…”

He stepped to the side and you were able to see what he had been trying to hide. The saddest, mushiest, most lopsided cinnamon apple cake you had ever seen. You covered your mouth with your hand, looking back up at your husband.

“Is it supposed to look like that?” Bradley asked, looking down at his little baking disaster. “It’s not, right?”

Grinning, you stepped closer to your husband and wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. “It’s perfect.”

October OTP Writing Prompts 🍎🍂

[throwra3882]

TES Shiptober Sweetroll

Sweetroll:

Vekel has made sweetrolls.

That’s not the worst part.

The Guild is currently sitting around, joking while they eat, instead of doing work.

Still not the worst part.

Mercer narrows his eyes at his constant thorn in his side. Helarys has gotten some icing on her nose, and Brynjolf is laughing at her as she tries to reach her tongue up far enough to lick it off.

A thought crosses Mercer’s mind, if him licking it off for her and then chasing more sweetness from her lips, her mouth.

As if sensing his gaze, the half-elf glances over at him, still with the damnable icing on her nose, and motions for him to join her.

He tightens his hands on the Guildmaster’s table so he won’t actually go over there and fulfill his brief fantasy. Why can’t she just be a bumbling fool like the rest of them? Or have the personality of a hedgehog, like Vex? Why does she have to be competent and friendly?

He lifts his lip in a snarl, and she shrugs and turns back to Brynjolf, wiping the icing off her nose with a careless swipe of her fingers.

Mercer rips his gaze back to the papers in front of him and grits his teeth. She’s his subordinate, he reminds himself. He can’t have her. He looks back up through the curtain of his hair. She’s laughing at something that Brynjolf said, the corners of her eyes crinkling in mirth. He wants her. Oh Divines, does he want her.