#anyway enjoy the snippets from the event preview :')

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

Silvio really became the "do you need a dog? I can bark" meme ... we've come full circle now 🤭

[dayntee]

[Fic] That Year at Arlathan University - Chapter 14: Finals Week*

Summary:

In which Solas and Ellana are puzzling each other out.

Full chapter on AO3 and a snippet posted below. Going to start keeping the majority of the text over on AO3 to both encourage engagement (fufufu) and also because these are getting really effing long and reformatting them on Tumblr takes for damn ever. If you don't have an AO3 account and want to comment anyway, please feel free to leave it here. Preview below the cut!

*****

When she awoke, she was startled at first at the heavy feeling around her waist. It had been a long time since she had shared her bed with anyone and her sleep had been so peacefully deep that it took a moment for her to fully absorb her surroundings.

But there he was, sleeping blissfully next to her, hair a ruffled mess as it worked its way out of his half-knot hairstyle from the night before. She watched him for a few minutes, still so far away from the waking world, yet anchored to her as his hand rested comfortably on her hip.

‘He likes what he likes,’ she mused, keeping her giggle internal, and gently slid from his grasp and out of bed. He barely shifted; she wondered if dreamers were always deep sleepers or if it was just one of his quirks.

She took care moving about anyway, thinking it likely he rarely afforded himself the luxury of sleeping in. It was a holiday, after all, and while finals week for the semester was rapidly approaching, there was no reason they couldn’t enjoy the day to themselves. A glance at the clock—7:09 AM. No rush needed; there would be plenty of time to worry (and work) later.

She pulled on a pair of underwear and an over-sized t-shirt, a remnant of one of many free handouts from her own time in college. She had traveled out of the Free Marches to Fereldan Community College on an exchange program, and it seemed no matter which region she was in, freebies always came in men’s size large.

A few moments in the bathroom to clean off the makeup she’d failed to remove the night previously, another to remove her contacts, and yet several more to disentangle the pin she’d forgotten in her hair, and she finally looked… well, normal. To herself, anyway, her hair pulled lazily back in a messy bun and her thick-rimmed glasses she very purposefully never wore in public. She’d have left her lenses in if she didn’t know (from personal experience) how horrible the headache would be from wearing them too long.

She gave another peek over at Solas as she made her way to the larger living space. Apart from rolling over and the arm previously draped over her now laying across his face like some tired, inconvenienced cat, he’d barely stirred. She stifled a snort; there was no telling how long he’d be out, so perhaps checking her email would buy her a little time before making some breakfast.

The shared space that stretched from living room to kitchenette (as the simple burner and half size fridge could hardly constitute a real kitchen) didn’t fit much. Beyond a couch that was barely more than a love seat, a coffee table, and a simple entertainment center with a modest TV, she had felt like she had never really left college. In a way, she supposed she hadn’t; building her own space or owning her own furniture just weren’t priorities when the opportunity to come to Arlathan had presented itself.

She opened her university email to several messages; that was never a good sign, especially on a day when no one was supposed to be working. At least three of them were from Josephine, wondering where she and Solas had gone during the dinner last night. She grimaced; while she had every good reason to have gone after Solas, leaving the event when she did likely had consequences and she was going to have to deal with them. She drafted a quick excuse, one that skirted around the truth as much as she could. Solas hadn’t felt well (which was true, in a way) and she needed to get him elsewhere (which was also true, but in a very different way). No one was injured, everyone was fine, and they would both check back in after the long weekend. Hopefully that would be enough to assuage any wild concerns until she could talk to Josie in person.

The next was from Harding. All it said, in all caps, was “CALL ME” and that earned another grimace. Right, her phone. Where was her phone?

She got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, realizing the stray bits of clothes they’d shed last night remained strewn around haphazardly. She gathered as she went, futilely attempting to smooth out wrinkles, when she spotted her clutch at the bottom of the sink.

Two inches to the left and it would have landed in a dirty bowl of water, left soaking from her oatmeal the previous morning. She let out a sigh of relief; for once, a little luck. She pulled the clutch, then her phone, out and swiped. Dead.

Oh well. A little luck was better than no luck at all.

As she returned to the couch, she did her best to lay out their clothes in neater piles across the back before returning to her inbox. There was one more email from an address she hadn’t seen before, but the domain address was more than recognizable.

Anything from a venatori.inc address couldn’t be good news. Surely the “Future Ellana’s Problems” box had room for one more item; she closed her laptop lid.

That box was admittedly starting to get pretty full.

She plugged her phone into a wall charger in the living room and set about making breakfast; maybe it was a diversion, but just like the sleeping man in her bed, it was a welcome one.

Read more.

[onesaltyerik]

Remember how I had two chapters done of a three chapter one shot for a QSMP fic? I finished it. It done now. I am so very late to the QSMP and am lost on the lore and what all is going on, but I did enjoy writing this little snippet even if I did start it like, months after the events it's based on? Anyways, enjoy! Preview:

Was it the blood loss from his own wounds? Or the adrenaline from the fight? Or the terror and grief of losing his child still fresh in his mind? Or maybe it was all of it that was making him list to one side…

“You’re bleeding, papa.”

Chayenne’s face was blurry. His voice sounded…far away…was he in a tunnel? When did he get to a tunnel? That wasn’t right….

Philza barely felt the floorboards when they caught his fall.

[antiloreolympus]

11 Anti LO Asks

1. honestly the fashion in LO was never great (the Korean readers saying Persephone looked like she was in a napkin was so right) but at least there was a few stand outs, usually Hera and Minthe, but S2 has been such a downgrade. It's all either frumpy 60s fashion or just?? boring minimalist sheets? and all the men are in the same boring suits as always. if she cant bother to make the characters or environment look good, cant they dress nice at least?

2. it honestly feels like hades is more of the MC at this point than persephone. we know so much about his past, his goals, his wants, his dreams, he has fleshed out relationships and is on an arch to get something (a wife/family), meanwhile persephone is just there. she has no friends, no family, we know nothing about her past beyond random flashbacks that get retconned anyway, and her world only revolves around him. it really feels like shes secondary in her own supposed story.

3. you know how the synopsis of LO is how "you see the gods as youve never seen them before" or w/e? yeah, youve never seen them like this before because rachel made them completely OOC from their actual mythology counterparts, butchered any sort of connection/basic foundations of mythology, and isnt following a single myth and is just making a convoluted fanfiction versus actually retelling the myths. literally none of the "myths" or characters match what we know. that's not good.

4. i was reading a review on the lo book and the reviewer posted a snippet of the dialogue (without visuals) and it just dawned on me how generic the writing actually is? and how personality less it is? like it was a part of artemis talking, yet you wouldnt be able to tell, it just sounded like a generic party girl over the goddess of the hunt. like truly, if it didnt have that unique style in the beginning to ride off of, i honestly doubt this writing would even pass an intro to writing class.

5. I've stopped going to WT theory pages because overwhelmingly every LO theory is either so obvious it's not a theory, or just obsessed about demeaning every other character (woo boy, they love saying Artemis will be the next twist villain because she's purple!) or saying Persephone HAS to give Hades kids "like in the myths" like?? That's so dehumanizing, Does Persephone have no worth or purpose outside of bearing him kids? Also, no, they didn't have kids in the myths. Sorry to say but it's true.

6. In regards to that one ask, I don't believe RS has said in particular in she's only writing the Trial week by week, but she did give in interview early in 2020 where she admitted she writes the next episode as soon as its published on Saturday, so it's not that she's only writing this plotline in a weekly fashion, it's that in general she writes everything in LO in a weekly fashion. That's why plot lines are dropped, new ones randomly pop up, and there's too many retcons to count.

7. The anon that said LO only concerns itself with aesthetics is so right. It does! It coasts off all the bright colors, fun events (like Hades and Persephone going shopping), shallow drama (like the various non-canon sexual and romantic relationships between the gods) and out-of-nowhere stakes (like Kronos waking up), which all sound very nice and interesting and attractive in theory, but in LO's story they're so random and disjointed... They're only there for the aesthetics of a good work!

8. Honestly looking on Barnes and Noble at the images included for how the pages look between Hooky and Lore Olympus. Even if I enjoyed Lore Olympus the book would have to look really amazing, but instead it looks like it was done relatively quickly with not enough care(again from the images they’re trying to sell it with, I have not seen a physical copy personally to judge)

On the other hand, while I hate the daily pass system, it was part of the reason I was looking into getting the Hooky graphic novel, along with the fact the preview pages look amazing. Hooky overall offers a much more interesting story and it suits the graphic novel form, while Lore Olympus just does not in its current state. 

9. if the fans are perfectly willing to excuse persephone for mass murder, excuse hades and hera having a centuries long affair while acting holier tthou than zeus, hades' constant abuse of his citizens, employees, and literally owning slaves, then i think they could have handled persephone being like, 200 years old. RS claiming shes "subverting" the "powerful old man with a submissive young girl" trope is such a blatant lie its honestly maddening.  its your kink, lady, lying about it doesn't help.

10. i hate how the stans claim rachel is "being so respectful" with the serious topics like SA and the age gap when she doesnt. she constantly sexualizes the fact persephone is so young and depicts her as acting even younger (why did she retcon their first meeting to where persephone was NAKED and possible underage?), and the SA is only there to push the couple along, with it not depicted well at all and even forgotten most of the time. If actual victims tell you it's badly depicted, LISTEN TO THEM.

11. Been looking through your blog and though I agree with most takes, I gotta tell you that as a designer it's actually quite important to ask the target audience for feedback on the product. User testing for a product is important. It isn't odd that she asked her fanbase what they'd like to see more in a story since the story IS a product. We do that in my field all the time. Now, can't say that she made the wisest decisions in her story, but the approach to the fandom to ask about their expectations is normal. 

From OP: Ah ok! Thank you for telling me /pos

I found it weird because it wasn’t very specific but then again, that’d probably spoil the story lol

[for-the-ninth]

So I’d love to know that if Cullen has to “earn” Shielan’s approval what does Shielan have to do to earn his approval? Because idk why he would care for someone who is outright awful to him in general and dismisses his trauma (despite having literally seen the memories) and struggle trying to break his ties to the chantry?

Ah yes, another anonymous Cullenite complaining about Cullen being treated like the criminal he is.

Listen, the excerpt you're referring to hasn't even been posted on AO3. It's one of many preview snippets of later chapters I've written that require context to understand, which you don't have bc you haven't read the fic. So I'm not terribly inclined to give you personally - someone who does not understand Shielan's history, motivations, or values, bc again, you've not actually read my shit - a thorough answer. But I will expand for the sake of those who do read and enjoy my fic, as a lil meta treat for anyone curious.

First things first, Cullen's trauma is valid and what he went through was awful. And it doesn't justify the harm he inflicted and endorsed on people who did not cause him that trauma. People who can't understand that very basic concept just aren't gonna like this fic.

Secondly, Cullen doesn't have to earn Shielan's approval. He wants to, because he admires her strength, resilience, and leadership and he (unlike some of his fans, apparently) knows he fucked up. The mages of the Inquisiton, Kirkwall survivors among them, petitioned for his removal as Commander, and he resigned and imprisoned himself voluntarily. He's heard from the survivors of the Rite of Annulment. He knows all won't be forgiven - and he's trying to do better anyway. Because your accountability process shouldn't be dependent on the forgiveness of your victims. It places too much pressure on their shoulders and stifles your own growth if they choose not to forgive you.

Now if you'd read any of the actual story, dear anon, you'd know just how laughable it is to suggest Shielan earn approval from anyone. She left her own clan before her vallaslin even healed, knowing damn well she probably wouldn't be allowed to return. You really think she gives a shit what some templar fuck thinks of her? (Spoiler: she def doesn't lmao). Shielan cares about justice for her people and the mages of Thedas, not her oppressors.

She did indeed see a singular memory of the day Uldred took the tower. But neither Cullen nor anyone else has told her exactly what happened, so she has no context for this memory and no understanding of how that event affected him. And at this point in the story, she doesn't fucking care, which brings me to my next point...

It's an enemies to friends to lovers story, ya fuckin goon! It's exactly what it says on the tin! Try reading the tags next time!

I'd personally love to know A. why you even felt the need to type the hot sewage that just left your virtual mouth when you haven't read my fucking writing and B. why you think a Dalish mage should give two fucks about a guy who has actively oppressed her people and thought of them as subfuckinghuman for over a decade.

I look forward to hearing your answers! 🥰😘

[essenceofarda]

The Daily Life of Hobbits: Ch1 (preview snippet)

As referenced in this post, I have always wanted to write a slice of life account of daily hobbit life. Each chapter would be from a different (though sometimes repeating) POV’s, and different aspects of hobbit culture/history/etc. 

here’s a snippet of chapter 1 :) (please note I’ve only just started writing this and the date *will* probably change, that was just a random date I chose and I’ll probably be adjusting it to fit canon more accurately!)

~~

Chapter 1: In which a Murder is Overlooked (and indeed, secretly thanked for)

August 30, 1401 of the Shire Reckoning

Pearl Took was, by all accounts, beautiful. If you asked her she was the most beautiful of all her siblings (although her younger brother Peregrin would often argue he was the best ‘looking’ in the family, though she daresay he only said this to annoy her). With her witty charm, dashing looks, and the admiration of all young hobbits, male or female, Pearl knew she had little competition. 

At the age of 26, she was not quite old enough to be introduced to Society, but she was well known, as the eldest daughter of Paladin Took and Eglantine Banks. 

And so, when she found herself, one summer, as the attendant of Old Lalia Took, a sourly and rather ill tempered matriarch of the Took family, Pearl was quite put out.

It was on one such summer’s morning, just a few weeks into her new duties as Old Lalia’s caretaker, that she stood, morosely, in front of the mirror in the hall that adjoined her bedroom to her siblings.

“Oh Pearl!” sang Pimpernel, one of Pearl’s two younger sisters. “Guess what I’ll be doing today?”

Pearl pursed her lips. 

Pimpernel and Pervinca were being taken by their mother to be fitted for new dresses—an event that Pearl felt rather unfair, since she would be needed to attend to Old Lalia the Fat all day. 

“I couldn’t guess even if you spent all week telling me,” Pearl replied hotly, grabbing a bonnet and donning it.

“Mother is taking Pervinca and I to get new dresses. Isn’t that grand? Dresses! Oh! I do hope that they’ll be ready in time for the party.”

At this, Pearl’s curiosity got the better of her.

“The party?” she asked, glancing at her sister through the reflection of the mirror. 

“Old Bilbo’s Birthday Party,” Pimpernel whispered excitedly, seeming to, in her own curiosity and interest, forget her intention of taunting her elder sister. “After all, what else would all those deliveries be for?”

Pearl thought about this—it was true, Old Bilbo Baggins had caused quite a sensation the last couple months. For packages upon packages had been arriving to his door at Bag End—enough that some hobbit speculated that he would have to move out of the expansive Bag End by the end of the year if this continued. Some of his packages were even delivered by dwarves! Which left much to be imagined about what could be inside said packages.

“What of it?” Pearl asked, her nerves prickling with excitement despite her previous annoyance at her sister’s taunting. “Are you saying it’s for his birthday?”

The idea sent a thrill through her. Old Bilbo Baggins was as eccentric as he was rich—which was to say, very eccentric. And any birthday party of his is surely to be grand (with equally as grand presents to be handed out, as well).

“What else could it for?” Pimpernel giggled. “His birthday is at the end of next month—Mr. Frodo’s too, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Pearl had.

“Mother says,” Pimpernel added, looking around as if someone could overhear them in this corridor inside their own home. “That the postmaster’s assistant told his wife, who told Miss Rose Banks, who told Auntie, who told Mother…”

“Yes?” Pearl asked, her annoyance returning.

“That invitations will be sent out soon,” Pimpernel said. “Very soon. In fact, the Postmaster’s office is practically swimming in them!”

“Oh?” Pearl was intrigued. Invitations? Well, of course her family would be invited. They were Tooks after all. And…she was old enough that she might even get her own invitation. “How grand,” Pearl murmured, returning her gaze to the mirror and adjusting her bonnet a little righteously. 

“How wonderful that Pervinca and I will have new dresses to wear to the party,” Pimpernel said, sighing dreamily, all the while eyeing her sister with absolute glee. 

Pearl pursed her lips again. “How wonderful,” she agreed reluctantly.

“I’m thinking of getting a dress with…perhaps some…pearls adorned on it,” Pimpernel added. “You know, so that you can be there in spirit.”

Pearl looked at her sister in surprise. “I’m older than you, I may very well receive an invitation of my own,” she snapped, suddenly tired of Pimpernel’s teasing.

Pimpernel gave Pearl a simpering smile,  and said, with unbridled enjoyment, “Oh? But Mother said that Auntie said, that Miss Rose Banks said, that the Postmaster’s assistant’s wife said, that the postmaster assistant said—”

“Just get on with it,” Pearl interjected.

“There may be a limited amount of invitations,” Pimpernel whispered.

“Well, no matter,” Pearl said. “We’ll be invited, that’s no doubt. Mr. Bilbo Baggins and we are related, after all,” she added for good measure.

“But will Old Lalia the Great be invited?” Pimpernel asked. “And if not, who do you think will have to care for her ailing joints while the rest of us enjoy the party?”

Pearl felt her face pale slightly at this. For once, her sister had a good point. Old Lalia most likely wouldn’t get an invitation, and even if she did, she most likely wouldn’t want to go. And Pearl rarely got time off—in fact, starting next week, she was likely to have to go live with the old bat.

She turned to glare at her reflection. “Well,” she said, barely holding back her anger. “Thank you for informing me about all of this, Pimpernel. How very consciousness of you.”

“You’re most welcome,” Pimpernel beamed, before turning and skipping away, and Pearl threw an insulting gesture at her sister’s retreating form.

She turned back to face her reflection. “Won’t be going to the party?” she asked herself. “We’ll see about that.”

~~

There you go! A sneak peek at what I’ve always wanted to write and I figure there’s no better time than now to start lol. Anyway, let me know if this is the kind of fic y’all *might* be interested in reading?? I’m not sure anyone other than myself would be into a slice of life hobbit fic buut figured i ask :)

[seyaryminamoto]

So, I have been binge-reading Gladiator for the past couple weeks for the first time and wanted to let you know how much I’m enjoying it. That being said, I was just curious to know how your outline works? Do you already have the whole story planned? Are chapters released as they’re completed? I ask mainly cause I’m nearing the end of what’s already been written and I’m nervous for the inevitable pause that is coming my way. How much do I need to brace myself?

Thank you for letting me know you’re enjoying the story! :D it’s always great to have new readers on board!

Gladiator’s outline hasn’t been immutable, I admit that much. When I started out I wasn’t entirely sure of how it was going to end, I only knew what the first and second biggest highlights of the story would be... it took me over a year to finally figure out the ultimate direction of the story, and I’ve been building up the story towards that goal since then. It’s always been a matter of figuring out what needs to happen until we can get there xD But yes, Gladiator has an endgame in mind, it’s not being written on a whim. We’re heading places, slowly but surely.

Anyways, I’ve always referred to Gladiator as a three-parter story (despite it’s all published in a single entry). Part 1 takes place between chapters 1 and 101, Part 2 started in 102 and will continue well into the 220+ chapters... and Part 3 will start at some point within the mid-200s, from the looks of it. Each part begins after an important highlight, where the stakes change massively because of groundbreaking events :’D as you say you’re close to the end, I take it you’ve read the 97th chapter so you’ll know what the groundbreaking event between parts 1 and 2 was xD there’s going to be another huge event in Part 2, and that will be the starting point for Part 3.

Each part is, of course, comprised by many small arcs. You can see the arcs in the Gladiator Navigator, or you can simply guide yourself through the chapter titles, since I recently decided to add the Arc names to the chapter titles (at risk of spoiling a lot of things to newcomers, I guess...? :’D). The arcs usually are interconnected, there are a few leisurely ones where not a lot of plot-heavy things happen, mostly centered on the characters and their inner lives instead, meant to lighten up the story’s heaviest moments. Still, I try to interconnect everything, for new arcs to feel like natural follow-ups to the ones that preceded them, whether they’re plot-heavy or not.

As for whether the chapters are published upon completion... that’s how it used to be, ages ago, but I’ve been writing chapters in advance for several years and my system is completely different now. Currently, chapters are published every two weeks, and in the week between updates I always post a preview of the upcoming chapter, as well as a snippet (a scene, or a part of a scene of the upcoming chapter) in my Patreon account. The 2-week schedule has been going strong for the past 3 months, I think? And it will continue this way until I’ve written soooo much in advance that I might dare speed up the update rate into weekly updates instead. So you won’t have to wait too long for new updates, just two weeks... and you can rest assured that the story won’t stop anytime soon, because I’ve already written well past chapter 200 by now :) there’s very few odds of me slowing down or dropping this behemoth of a fic at this point in my life xD I mean to see it through to the end, and I hope you’ll stick around to see it too :D

[wordsparkthefirst-blog]

Upcoming Zootopia Story

Greetings and salutations to all Zootopia fans everywhere!

My name is WordSPark, and for the past year or so, I’ve been working on a multi-chapter story featuring our favorite fox and bunny duo, doing their thing, fighting crime, and falling head-first into yet another catastrophic criminal investigation!

I’m really excited about the whole thing; I’ve yet to publish any chapters, because I’ve had the tendency in the past  to abandon ongoing projects like this. So as a remedy to that, I’ve decided to upload the story only when the final chapter is completely edited. 

The good news? The first 13 chapters are now complete, and only two more chapters left until the big finale! I figure I’m only a month or two away from the big reveal! 

However, since I can’t wait, I’ve decided to leave a little sneak preview of the first chapter here on Tumblr for those of you interested!

I also want to give a big shout-out to my awesome beta-reader, editor, and friend, Azdgari, without whom I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this! So, without further ado, here’s a little snippet from my upcoming story! Enjoy!

Judy strained her eyes against the monitor of her computer as her fingers flew across the keyboard. The previous night’s operation had left her weary and with only a few hours’ rest, but that wouldn’t stop her from finishing her report. Sore muscles be damned, it was all she could do to burn all the leftover energy from the raid.

Still, Judy thought as he reached for her mug of coffee, it could be worse. She took a sip of the decaffeinated drink, licking her lips and sighing contentedly. It still had enough sugar to keep her eyes open and her fingers twitching, for now at least. Her mind was stuck replaying the previous night’s events, trying to glean every single detail it could. It had been her first lead in a major operation. And all in all, it had gone pretty much as planned, even if the end result hadn’t been… expected.

As she spun in her chair, Judy glanced once more at her computer screen. She was at an impasse, uncertain what to type. She kept thinking about the mysterious powder that they’d found in those crates. In the end, they’d confiscated well over 200 kilograms of the stuff, but the lab still had no idea what it could be. Judy’s foot tapped against the floor in irritation; whatever it was, she was certain it could not possibly be legal.

Her reverie was cut short by a sudden knocking on the wall behind her cubicle. She spun her chair around and came muzzle to muzzle with her partner, who smirked at her surprise.

“Mornin’ Carrots.” Nick drawled, taking a sip from his own cup of double espresso. He glanced at the screen, raising an eyebrow. “Still working on that report?”

Judy sighed as she swiveled in her chair to face the increasingly frustrating document before her.

“Hey, Nick. Yeah, I’m just… I don’t really know what more to write.”

She glared at the offending screen, wondering what more she could say about the raid. She’d typed all she could think was relevant, but there was something missing. It just felt… incomplete.

“Did Packard come by for the paperwork already?” Nick asked.

“No. I wanted to be done before she came by to pick it up.”

A warm puff of air ran across her ears, and they instinctively twitched against the ticklish sensation. Her eyes darted upwards and she saw Nick leaning over her, reading her report. His breath was slow and measured, smelling of bitter coffee. Judy scoffed and rolled her eyes at his invasion of her personal space and leaned on her armrest, watching Nick as he read her report.

His eyes flickered back and forth, taking in her words. For a split second she allowed herself to simply observe him, something unusual even for her. It was Nick, after all. But she couldn’t help but notice the changes. His eyes were focused, his muzzled seemed sharper. Hell, even his teeth were sharper, and she knew that was no meaningless detail. Overall, his face had a distinctive seriousness about it now that it had lacked before when they’d first met. As she watched his lips move ever so slightly, mouthing the words of her reports, she smiled. His look of concentration was a stark contrast to his usual joking self. In reflection, this wasn’t the same fox she’d met hustling popsicles months back. This fox, he looked…

“Looks fine to me.” Nick said, pulling away from her. Judy quickly averted her eyes, hoping that he hadn’t caught her staring. He teased her enough as it was. He didn’t need any more material; she’d never hear the end of it.

“Anyways,” Nick continued, giving her his trademark grin, “I’m supposed to tell you that the chief wants to see us in his office.”

“The chief? Why?” Judy asked, curious at the sudden change of subject. They had debriefed the chief last night immediately after the raid.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Nick said, his smile faltering so slightly as to go unnoticed by anyone who didn’t know Nick. Not a good sign. “But I doubt it’s anything good. Come on.”

Judy hopped from her chair and followed Nick as he stalked off towards the chief’s office. Her mind raced, reviewing procedures and protocols, trying to think of what they might have gotten wrong. Had she messed it up somehow? Doubtful; she’d followed protocol to the letter. Had someone filed a complaint? Excessive force? No, that didn’t make sense either.

“Did he say anything?” She asked him, reflexively gnawing her teeth.

“Not yet. Spots told me he wanted to see us. Both of us.” He replied, his smooth demeanor settling effortlessly back into his voice. She envied that about Nick sometimes. He could play it cool even in the most stressful of occasions.

“You think it has something to do with last night?” Judy asked, catching his eyes as they walked step by step. A familiar sly grin gave her a decent view at sharp canines as Nick tilted his head conspiratorially towards her.

“Geez, Carrots! Not so loud. I thought you didn’t want the others to know.” Nick whispered.

A playful punch to his arm took care of the smirk, but it only caused him to chuckle, and even she was fighting back a smile.

“Oh, shush! You know what I meant.” Judy said, feeling the tell-tale tingle of a creeping blush in her cheeks. The taupe hallways might still be empty, devoid of the morning bustle, but still. He had no shame. Unlike her.

“You think it’s about the raid? Good-enough odds. Maybe he wants to give us a promotion?” Nick asked, only half-teasingly. She could tell there was a slightly hopeful edge to his voice.

“Yeah, maybe.” Judy said, looking down at the ground before them. She had her doubts about any upcoming promotions. She knew the Chief had nothing against either of them, and respected them for their skills. He’d made that clear enough after the Bellwether case, and again after Nick graduated top of his class at the Academy. But promoting a bunny and a fox over other, supposedly more qualified mammals would be an unpopular move.

She’d had that conversation with the Chief before, and he was right. It was one thing to be respected as a fellow officer by other mammals, but having subordinates that could pick their teeth with her bones was something else entirely. The Chief wasn’t willing to risk a widespread case of insubordination. The future, however, still held hope.

Nick and her made a great team, and together they were already working their way to a case-closing record. But despite their unexpected success, she knew Nick had a different outlook on the matter.

She glanced up at him as he simply kept on walking, smiling that stupid grin of his, looking carefree and relaxed, his primary defense mechanism. Masking away the pain from the leers, the insults, the mistrust from other mammals, simply because he was a fox. Even after graduating from the academy with record-breaking scores, it still wasn’t enough. To many mammals, all they’d ever see, was a fox. Bigotry towards bunnies seemed mild when compared to some of the things some mammals still whispered about foxes.

A sudden flash of orange just before her eyes caused her mind to grind to a halt. She faltered mid-step as Nick’s tail swished just past her nose, tickling her sensitive whiskers. Letting Nick take a few steps without her, she once again looked at him. His tail was twitching erratically from side to side, seemingly in discord with the rest of his body. Judy had spent virtually every day with him since they’d first met, excepting his brief stay at the academy, and she’d learned to read his behaviors. Tail flicking? Either he was very nervous, or very excited. Neither was a good sign for her.

She looked closely at him, her eyes searching for more warning signs before finally resting on two manila folders tucked neatly under his arm. Reading the names printed on the tabs, her brow slowly furrowed in curiosity.

“Why do you have the Roughpelt case files? That’s a cold case.” She asked, still trying to read the name typed on the second folder.

Nick smiled at her, clutching the folders tighter to his chest, blocking her view of the name.

“Yes. Yes, it is.” He said, the smugness evident in his voice. Picking up her pace, Judy stormed past him, her worry over the chief’s potential verbal lashing and their discrimination forgotten momentarily. Curiosity was now the only thing gnawing in her stomach.

She hated it when Nick knew something she didn’t. It happened more often that she’d care to admit. And it was one of the things that made him such a good cop. He was much smarter than he let on, and he was constantly making important connections where most others might just see coincidence. Plus, his intricate knowledge of Zootopia’s notorious underworld didn’t hinder him any. But that was cheating, technically. Or at least, she considered it cheating.

Or maybe it just bothered her that he seemed to enjoy tormenting her by withholding information until the very last minute.

“What’s your hurry, Carrots?” Nick teased as he walked calmly behind him, not bothering to keep up pace.

“You know I hate it when you do that, Nick.” She muttered, trying to focus on power-walking the rest of the way to the Chief’s office.

“Do what?” Nick questioned innocently. She didn’t bother looking back to confirm it, but she was certain there was that characteristic smirk plastered on his muzzle.

“Have it you way, Wilde. But don’t complain if I keep things to myself later.”

“Please, Carrots. You couldn’t keep a secret if your life depended on it.” Nick said, chuckling. “Need I remind you of your little confession last week?”

She could almost swear steam was coming out of her ears as they heated up with a stubborn blush. She raised her index finger violently, never breaking pace or looking back at Nick, lest she feel inclined to kick him.

“That was one time, Wilde.” She muttered through clenched teeth. “And how was I supposed to know you still had my pen?”

Nick just chuckled, and she knew he was enjoying this immensely. At least he’d be in a good mood when the chief stomped them both.

“How was I supposed to know you’d confess to something like that?” Nick asked coyly. He was just toying with her now. She hated it when he did that. Not really though. But it was fun pretending to hate it.

“You know full well that I’d had more than my share of-” Judy started, but before she could finish her sentence, the door to the Chief’s door opened just a few feet in front of them, and it’s bulky resident stepped outside, glaring at them with his ever-present scowl.

“Wilde. Hopps. About time.” He said, his voice uncomfortably loud in comparison with his low tone.

Sharing one last glance with Nick, Judy stepped inside and attempted to quell her nerves. Nick followed quickly behind, closing the door quietly behind them.

There you have it. Sorry for the long post! Still, I hope you guys liked it! There’s plenty more where this came from! Feel free to leave any thoughts or opinions, and I hope you’ll enjoy this story. Coming this Summer!

Cheers!

-WordSPark