245. EXCHANGE WRAP | SEASONS OF DRABBLES.

I'm so behind on doing my exchange wraps, so I figured that there was no better way to kick my ass into gear than to start with seasonsofdrabbles' Winter round!

This exchange is so much fun. I love being challenged to convey an idea and character and/or relationship in a small amount of words. I also really, really love seeing what others come up with. I do hope for the next round that I try and do some more drabble sequences/series (are they the same thing?) because I find them the most challenging.

These are the drabbles I wrote:

braid
mcu | yelena/kate
teen, 600 | for lionessvalenti
Kate braids Yelena’s hair.

I wanted to experiment with a drabble sequence and try and paint a full picture by switching between Kate and Yelena's POV. This was a lot of fun—my approach with Kate was to have her drabbles focus on emotion while I wanted Yelena's to appear more calculating. I won't lie, I love writing from each character's POV, which was the main reason why I chose to do alternating POV with this.

hickey
mcu | sarah/bucky
teen, 300 | for lionessvalenti
Bucky’s determined to give Sarah a hickey.

I wanted to write Bucky and Sarah carefree and having a moment to themselves. I focus so much on the angst and trauma with Bucky that it was just nice to write something light.

not you
mcu | natasha/steve
gen, 100 | for lionessvalenti
Natasha doesn’t understand why Steve’s so picky with his dates.

I've converted myself into a Steve/Natasha shipper since doing exchanges and I wanted to see if I could capture their dynamic, unique character traits, and a scenario of Natasha being able to read everyone but Steve correctly in just a few words.

family keepsake
mcu | natasha/bucky
teen, 200 | for Ultra
When Natasha and Bucky get ready for a dress up party, Natasha encourages Bucky to wear something from his past.

I really wanted to write some light BuckyNat and thought showing Bucky accepting himself for who he was and who he is and having Natasha admire him for the man that he chooses to be was light and fluffy. I love writing Bucky simping for Natasha.

shiver
mcu | natasha/bucky
mature, 300 | for schifaroo
Natasha thinks Bucky’s very nice to look at.

I enjoy trying to write porn in drabble form, and this is my entry for this round. I really wanted to focus on the physical and hands/arms in particular and the way that Natasha accepts Bucky for who he is.

red orchid
mcu | elektra/matt
teen, 200 | for alchemise
Elektra makes herself known to Matthew.

I really wanted to capture Matt's grief and patience for Elektra, and Elektra's loss of self in this. I challenged myself with trying to establish a connection between them using the colour red and tying it into Matt's keen senses. Red represents passion, love, blood, hurt, and their uniforms, and I really wanted to make this an intimate piece as much as possible.

husband and wife
the witcher (netflix) | yennefer/jaskier + geralt
teen, 200 | for kingstoken
Geralt stares after Jaskier and Yennefer. "What the fuck?"

I just wanted to write something fun for Jaskier/Yennefer. Getting to write this from Geralt's POV where he's not privy to what they went through in season two was a lot of fun.

marry me
gilmore girls | rory/jess, lane/dave, lorelai/luke + paris, kirk and taylor
gen, 1800 | for svgurl410
Five times Jess tried to propose to Rory and the one time someone else proposed for him.

I've never written a 5+1 fic before, so I thought that I would give it a shot with another ridiculous GG fic. I'm not too sure what inspired this other than I love writing GG for svgurl and trying to showcase just how Jess is the straight man amongst such dynamic and eccentric personalities. This was a lot of fun to try and craft. All I knew was that I wanted [redacted] to be the one who proposed for him, and built it around that scene.

These are my lovely gifts!:

A Weird Kind of Sense
mcu | natasha/bucky
teen, 300 | by Ultra
Bucky, Nat, and a surprising amount of domestic bliss.

I love that this triple drabble captures how BuckyNat simply work even when they're not out fighting aliens and saving the world. Who are Natasha and James when their guns are in their holsters? This is it. The dialogue at the end is my absolute favourite bit—it really captures their easy domestic vibe.

a memory worth keeping
mcu | natasha/bucky
gen, 300 | by svgurl410
He remembered her too.

One of my favourite things about BuckyNat is their shared Red Room history, and this triple drabble captures the aftermath of Bucky remembering his life in the Red Room. I love the distant voice of Bucky—he's still learning who he is—which I feel is really effective (I absolutely love the opening) and Natasha's characterisation is really subtle and rings true to her complex character.

Avalanche
atla | toph/zuko
mature (underage), 200 | by exceptionallyunfortunate
Even the earth bows to the blind Beifong girl, and the banished prince is no exception.

I have loved Toph/Zuko for years, and I never, ever expected anyone to ever write it for me when I requested ATLA. This double drabble is so sensual and so intimate. exceptionallyunfortunate wove firebending and earthbending so intimately together to create this sensual connection between Zuko and Toph. This double drabble captures everything I love about this pairing.

It is tagged with "underage", though I think it can work even if you prefer adult characters.

These are drabbles in the collection I really, really enjoyed, in no particular order:

the hunter gets captured by the game
mcu | natasha & clint
teen, 300 | by cravetherose
"I'm really glad you didn't shoot me, Barton," Natasha said gravely.
"I'm really glad I didn't shoot you, too, Tasha. Maybe you could get me an annual thanks-for-not-shooting-me card."

Fantastic in-character banter. This triple drabble really shows how Clint and Natasha are truly a well-oiled machine.

Family
mcu | peter parker & morgan stark
gen, 300 | by alchemise
Peter meets Morgan.

Fantastic Peter voice that captures his insecurities regarding meeting Morgan Stark and her importance to him. It also explores the Tony/Peter father/son dynamic really well.

Mother Knows Best
original | cats
gen, 100 | by sweetcarolanne
The Queen of the Cats has an important life-lesson for her little daughter!

You just have to read it. This is so sweet it'll make your teeth ache. The ending is very IC for cats!

Soup for a Winter's Day
original | soup cook
gen, 300 | by Zdenka
A cook in a restaurant makes a pot of soup for customers.

A really effective triple drabble that humanises a soup chef and takes you on the journey of preparing soup. I really love the choice of language in this. Be warned: you'll be very hungry by the end of reading this.

Fall Into Your Gravity
twilight | bella/jasper
gen, 300 | by TonicHoliday
He can barely look at Bella, as though her pulse alone threatens his resolve—how can he protect her?

I have a confession… I used to ship Jasper/Bella back when Twilight was hot. I was so surprised to see this rarepair in here and I was not disappointed at all! This triple drabble is a fantastic exploration of Jasper's relationship with control and blood and gives Bella the agency she deserved.

When the Fiction Is True
original | prince/imposter princess
teen, 200 | by snowynight
The Royal heir is cursed to marry the first person he first meets. That person happens to be Princess Helen.

This is so good and has such a fun twist and is a great exploration of agency. That's all I'll say. 🤐

Bones And Depths
original | merperson
gen, 100 | by Andian
When she was younger, she had asked her mother where their kind had come from.

So effective in capturing the romance and freedom of childhood and the maturity and jaded acceptance of adulthood.

Four Nocturnes
original | cat, monster under the bed, florist, magic tattoo artist, talking dragon
gen, 800 | by larissabernstein
A sequence or chain of four double drabbles, linked by the theme of night and specific motifs that lead from one drabble to the next.

This is absolutely fantastic. So detailed, so poignant—each character is so rich in personality in such a short amount of words.

At the End of the Longest Night
original | santa/mrs claus
gen, 100 | by karameiwaku
After a long shift, it's nice to come home and relax.

Ever wondered how Santa felt after a full night of work? This is it. Fantastic voices for such iconic characters.

Roo Goes Ice Skating
winnie the pooh | roo, kanga, tigger, rabbit
gen, 200 | by Casta_Y

This captures the Winnie the Pooh narration voice so well.

The Blacksmith and the Dragon
original | dragon, blacksmith
gen, 900 | by Isis
A tale about a dragon with a problem, and the clever blacksmith who solved it. Told in the form of a pyramid drabble sequence.

Such a rich fairytale that humanises a dragon and gives a blacksmith the chance to prove he's the hero of the story. The narrative voice is fantastic and so reminiscent of wry fairytales.

Got Milk?
gilmore girls | lorelai, michel, sookie
gen, 200 | by Ultra
Michel is not welcome in Sookie's kitchen if he's going to be so picky about what he eats. Lorelai referees.

Fantastic character dynamics and an amazing Michel voice. It felt like a scene from an episode.

There are over 270 works in this collection. I highly recommend checking them out and seeing if you can find something in a fandom you love.