It’s Day 3 of Klonnie Weekend, and the prompt is “Arranged Marriage!” Inspired by Queen Charlotte, Bonnie's already planning her escape from a marriage she never wanted. But when she runs into a handsome stranger in the garden, things take an unexpected turn.

The gown was too tight, the jewels too heavy, and the garden wall far higher than it looked. Bonnie hiked up her skirts, braced her foot on the ivy, and scrambled over with a graceless thud into the grass below. She ran away from the palace, the altar, and the judgmental eyes of the court.

Then, from the hedges, a figure emerged. He wasn’t a guard. Or a royal. Just boots, an open shirt, and eyes that watched her in confusion.

“Forgive me,” Bonnie said breathlessly. “Are you lost?”

The man chuckled. “That depends. Are you offering directions or looking for a companion?”

“I’m offering nothing.” She narrowed her eyes. “Unless you know of any women nearby willing to take my place.”

“Your place?”

“In this gown. At that altar. In that life.”

The man looked her up and down, slowly. “Doubtful.”

“Doubtful?”

“I doubt any woman would look half as good in that gown as you do. A beautiful woman,” he said, “is not so easily replaced.”

Bonnie was startled by his flattery. “That’s not even the point!”

He smirked. “Oh, forgive me. What is the point?”

“This was never supposed to be my wedding. Or marriage. My mother left years ago—fled the country, left her debts behind. And now I’m the one meant to pay for it all. With this.” She gestured to the palace behind them.

“I see,” the man said quietly.

“You’re handsome,” Bonnie said bluntly. “Surely you know women—young women—who would gladly marry a king.”

“Most women,” he said, “would give anything to be a queen.”

“Well, I don’t care for titles.” She crossed her arms.

“Strange sentiment. Why do you care so little for power?”

“Because I’d rather have freedom.”

That gave him pause.

He tilted his head. “And where have you not been free?”

Bonnie sighed. “Everywhere. My entire life, I’ve been the one who cares. Who gives. Who cleans up. Who stays behind. Now I’m meant to marry a man I’ve never met, live for him, breathe for him, bear his children, and what do I get in return? Nothing. I don’t know anyone here. I have no allies. No way out.”

She took a breath. “Running away is an act of treason. But staying feels worse.”

The man folded his arms, thoughtful. “Power,” he said, “is freedom. You could have anything you wanted. No one would force you to do anything. Not as queen.”

She looked at him. “And what if the king doesn’t agree with what I want?”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Then the king would be a fool.”

That startled a laugh out of her.

“You’re kind,” she said. “But it’s still a terrible idea to go back.”

“Perhaps.”

“There has to be another woman who’d take this life. This crown.” She looked at him. “What do you think of the name McCullough?”

He blinked. “Pardon?”

“Or Annie. Annie McCullough. I’ll need a new name if I’m to disappear. Something… plain. Easy to forget. I’ll have to be comfortable never seeing my family again.”

“It’s a fine name,” he said carefully. “But not as fine as Bonnie Bennett.”

She smiled, barely. “You like alliteration?”

“Quite.”

“Shame,” she said, voice quieter. “I don’t want there to be a wedding. I’ve heard things about the groom.”

He arched a brow. “Things?”

“Terrible rumors. That he’s cruel. Cold. Aggressive.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “He might be a monster.”

“Mm,” he said. “He might.”

“You already know my name. Shouldn’t I know yours?”

He hesitated—just for a moment. Then offered a hand.

“Klaus,” he said. “But you can call me Nik. Just Nik.”

Bonnie took his hand, and he placed a kiss upon her knuckles.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For the kindness. I know I’m… dramatic.”

He bowed his head. “Not at all. It’s not every day a beautiful woman runs away from marrying me.”

Bonnie stiffened. “What?”

“I mean,” Nik added casually, “a mere hour before the ceremony, no less. Very theatrical.”

Her mouth opened. Closed. “I—what?”

He smiled wider now, teeth flashing. “Cold feet, was it?”

She gasped, face flooding with heat. “I didn’t mean—I was joking! I mean—of course I wasn’t really leaving. That would be treason! Beheadable treason!”

Nik chuckled. “Relax, darling. You weren’t wrong. Most people are terrified of me.”

She stared at him. “So… you’re the king.”

“I am.”

“And you let me ramble about fake names and treason?”

“I liked hearing what you had to say.”

“Why?”

“Because you didn’t speak to me like a king.” His gaze softened. “You spoke like someone who wanted something real.”

She examined him with uncertainty. “And what do you want?”

“Someone who challenges me,” Nik said. “Someone who doesn’t bow unless she damn well chooses to. Someone who tells me when I’m being a nightmare.”

Bonnie studied him. “You might regret saying that.”

So I am working on a project for NaNoWriMo next month that is Bonnie Bennet inspired about black witch who realizes that she's the token black best friend in a supernatural series and in the name of self-preservation works to usurp the protagonist role so that she can have plot armor. But her stepping out of "her place" too many times becomes a villain origin story for the protagonist she's trying to dethrone. Would anyone be interested in betareading this once the draft is completed. I am hoping to complete it by the end of November. Let me know!

Fucking UGH. All that time and effort to build a new site, plan the calendar, scan the artwork, WRITE THE FRICKEN STORIES, and the website gets hacked and destroyed by bots on Thanksgiving Day.

Guess I didn't do as well as I thought with the build.

I'm sorry y'all. But we're fixing it. A bigger, better, stronger, faster website.

Or maybe I'll just let go of this idea of a "artist forum website" for all my creative endeavors. It seems the harder I try with it, the harder it gets.

Eh. I'm gonna go cry for awhile and figure it out.

As of now, there isn't a Gofundme. Let's ask the following organisations to evacuate this child to safety:

Doctors Without Borders [Website / Instagram / Twitter]

Palestine Children's Relief Fund [Website / Instagram / Twitter]

Medical Aid for Palestinians [Website / Instagram / Twitter]

Palestinian Red Crescent Society [Website / Instagram / Twitter] (you should also message Red Cross)

The Egyptian and Qatari governments (especially if you're a citizen of either country)

"There's something different about Bonnie."

 Klonnie Appreciation Week | Resurrection by thescribemc

To contend with Marcel and his witch, Klaus visits Mama T for insight into his future.

“You just gon’ need a witch too,” she says and bends over the water and looks up at him with a conspiratory grin. “And you gon’ have the most powerful witch there is.“ 

Handwrite. (If you already are, write in a different coloured pen.)

Write outside or at a different location.

Read.

Look up some writing prompts.

Take a break. Do something different. Comeback to it later.

Write something else. (A different WIP, a poem, a quick short story, etc.)

Find inspiring writing music playlists on YouTube. (Themed music, POV playlists, ambient music, etc.)

Do some character or story prompts/questions to get a better idea of who or what you’re writing.

Word sprints. Set a timer and write as much as you can. Not a lot of time to overthink things.

Set your own goals and deadlines.

Write another scene from your WIP. (You don’t have to write in order.) Write a scene you want to write, or the ending. (You can change it or scrap it if it doesn’t fit into your story later.)

Write a scene for your WIP that you will never post/add to your story. A prologue, a different P.O.V., how your characters would react in a situation that’s not in your story, a flashback, etc.

Write down a bunch of ideas. Things that could happen, thing that will never happen, good things, bad things.

Change the weather (in the story of course.)