#sample writing

Hugo looked out over the water at a piece of land familiar to him. Cliffs reached high out of the sea, to the west they sloped down to meet a rocky shore. A small town, or more so a village, nestled itself in the hills, surrounding itself with fields. A forest stood strong behind it, embracing the earth it had claimed with its rich foliage.

The ship pulled into the dock that stretched out like arms into the bay. In the water below seals chittered amongst themselves, playfully swimming about. Their sad brown eyes looked up at us with a sort of familiarity. 

Hugo smiled and waved at them. He turned to me with similar enthusiasm, “You’ll love it ‘ere, sure of it.”

I looked at him and sighed. It wasn’t a sad sigh, nor an annoyed or bothered one. I would say it didn’t mean much of anything at all, but Hugo, dear Hugo, always took that sigh for silent words.

 “I’m glad to hear it, love,” he replied, managing to find the words ‘I’m sure I will.’

I cleared my throat to tell him I would speak, he in turn cocked his head and straightened his posture.

“Are you sure?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you sure?” I asked again, “Are you really sure you want to live here? I thought you hated your old life.”

 He paused and turned his gaze to the small island. The fae stayed quiet awhile, simply staring out but seeing nothing. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind, and I could only hope I hadn't shaken any ill memories. His mind was as free spirited as the wind, never resting, always changing its course. 

Hugo leaned against the ship’s rail and a smile played at the corner of his lips before vanishing again, “I wouldn’t say hate, although there were certainly things I disliked. I have no intention to seek out the other f-” He had almost said faeries, and he would have, had he not remembered the presence of the crew, “The other good people. If they come to me, that's a different story.”

“Good or ill intention, let’s hope they don’t come.”

“Mm, let’s,” Hugo hummed.

We took our thoughts from the shore and brought our attention to the tasks of the ship once more. The crew scurried about the deck like mice, making every preparation to dock. We remained silent as the other men lowered the gangplank. 

I cleared my throat once more, “Did you miss it?”

Hugo turned back to me wearing a blank face.

“Here, I mean. Did you miss it?”

He pursed his lips, “A bit, not too often though.”

“What about it did you miss?”

He thought again before continuing, “I miss the forest and wading through the river during the summer. I miss sitting by the kitchen hearth during the winter. But it’s all nothing I can’t have with you.”

“In all honesty,” I said, “I don’t know how to reply.”

Hugo heaved his bag over his shoulder and headed toward the gangplank, “Don’t need to, that smile is enough.”

I shook my head and followed him onto the docks.

Hugo’s steps were light, they never made a sound as his feet met the pier. Light, so light he couldn’t kick up moss from it’s bed when he trods across it.

I kept my gaze down, looking at the ground, weary of the slick boards that rested between myself and the salt water. Spray splashed up onto the deck. The waves must have picked up, but when I glanced at the rest of the bay it was calm. Water still beat against the pier, splashing up, and in a desperate maner grasped at Hugo’s feet. The waves tried once and fell short, twice to the same result, and then a third time with success. 

Like a hand the sea grasped his ankle, it did not drag him in, but pulled it’s form onto the dock. The water rippled and refined itself into the shape of a woman, a faerie, clothed in silver gossamer and a circlet around her head. She looked up at Hugo and recognised him, despite his current human form, as one of her own.

It’s too early for Tommy’s antics.

With a groan, Dream runs his fingers through his hair as he moves closer. “What? What the hell is this?” His gaze is focused on that mask. 

At least once.

Steve was certain of it.

He had so many memories of them—

There had been so many times when Billy had leaned in and stole Steve’s bottom lip for a quick nip. So many times when they’d laid entangled in Steve’s bed, alone in Steve’s huge house, and Steve had peppered Billy’s face with his lips and watched each kiss change the landscape there; watched one brow quirk, the slow-drawn bow of a smile. “The fuck you doin, Stevie?” Billy had said. And Steve had just gone on kissing.

There had been times when Steve’s tongue touched out tentative, slotting into Billy’s open mouth, past soft lips and sharp white teeth and Billy’s tongue had stroked its shyness away, his rough hand in Steve’s sleek hair staking claim. Connecting. Times when they’d panted into each others mouths. Shared each other’s breath. Each fresh moan licked up and swallowed down. Whole.

So many memories of them.

One of them had to be real. One kiss. Not just something Steve had dreamed up in his head, all alone in his empty bed. In his huge empty house.

At least one kiss had to be—

Steve was certain of it.

At least once.

They’d kissed.

~*~

Alex had always had a bit of a rebellious streak, and it all stemmed from people telling her who she was, and who she was to become, rather than being who she was inside.  Her problem was rooted so deep, that it affected every relationship she's ever had; unable to keep anyone for longer than a few months.

She found a soulmate with Lena.  A lost soul who also fell under the shadows of her adoptive parents, aligning her to focus every second of her life to the advancement of technology.  She too, rebelled against them once she'd found her calling with music.  

That's how she met Alex, the lead guitarist for one of the city's local bands.

They drank, they laughed, they flirted, they slept together, they fell in love.

But it didn't last.

Because Alex had a mean streak.  Insecurities caused her to push people away with words that were never meant to be directed to the person she was ever with.  And Lena... Lena was fragile.

Have a writing prompt! The characters are two roommates: one is a hero and one is a villain. They’re arch enemies, but don’t know the other’s secret identity. They’ve just fought, and are injured as they come home. Write the dialogue as these two idiots try to find excuses that explain why they’re injured without giving away their identities.

This was my one:

Steven came home, nursing a wounded arm that was already smothered by thick, white bandages. John was waiting on the sofa beside a lamp, like a parent waiting for their child after curfew. “Where have you been?” asked John, his voice curious.

Steven practically jumped out of his skin. “Ducks!”

“…Ducks?”

“Yes! I was… feeding the ducks at the park!”

“…And what happened to your arm?”

“I was mugged!”

“…By ducks?”

“Yes! Wait… No! Well… Um… Yes, they were mutant ducks!”

“… Let me get this straight, Steve… You went down to the park to feed the ducks, but instead of feeding the ducks, you got mugged my mutant ducks, which broke your arm?”

“… They were REALLY hungry mutant ducks… Well, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Isn’t that a burn mark on your shoulder…? Kinda looks like… a laser vision burn…”

“How would you know what a laser vision burn looks like?”

“I read the newspaper! Don’t avoid the question.”

“I was making sushi.”

“…Sushi…?”

“And I burnt it.”

“…How…did you burn sushi?”

“I left it on the grill for too long.”

Steven looked horrified. “You put sushi on the grill? Man! What are you? A villain?”

John sweated, nervously. “No,” he said quickly, “just a really bad cook! Why? You some sorta food hero or something?”

Steven gasped, also sweating nervously. “N-No! Just someone who really doesn’t think you should cook sushi on a grill! … Hang on…”

“What…?”

“…You’re allergic to rice…”

His fingertips grazed the symbols on the walls, though he said nothing, not wanting to give away his own SECRET. The younger Winchester slowly approached the other, careful not to startle him, before kneeling in front of the shorter, golden-eyed male. "I'm not expecting you to talk to me right away- I k n o w..trust me, I DO know what you are going through right now, Gabriel. You aren't going to suffer through this alone." The taller paused for a moment, swallowing HARD, forcing himself to continue to speak. "As you know..when you..were gone, I shoved Michael and Lucifer in the cage- I was in there a YEAR- Easily 120 years in Hell time.. Though I know that's nothing compared to a THOUSAND. Death- He pulled me out, per dean's request..For awhile I was soulless. BROKEN. Traumatized as you are now, hallucinations or worse. I endured Michael. So I do understand, when you are ready to talk. Cas- He needs you. You're his family. You're our family. We..I need you, Gabriel." Sam all but CHOKED OUT, nearly rambling now, emerald hazel eyes never leaving golden ones.

He refused to leave him. Even if Castiel thought he was LOST to them.