Late Night Fluff and Other Distractions from the Real World

9 :: Fetus writing courtesy of the procrastinating author

Hey guys! I hope you're doing well.

So I haven't updated. I'm sorry. I'm just working through stuff and don't feel like following a plot rn you feel? But I have lots of stuff to post on here and I am still updating Ignite, so all is well friends.

Anyway, while trying to find something, anything to put off writing my chap I stumbled across this goldmine here.

These, my dear friends, are the first drafts of The Elementals.

Terrifying.

I guess I'm posting these to show you that it's okay to have two versions of your work, or three, or four. Don't delete them. They might come in handy later, and if not, they're just really, really amusing. But it's kind of, you know, a process. Writing is weird, and twisty and loopy. So it's chill to not know what you're doing and create a wake of cut off first drafts until you do figure it out. And you'll never completely figure it out. But that just comes with the territory. And I really shouldn't be on a soapbox here but I hope this reassures you guys?? idk. Anyway.

Okay so we've got a couple options here. Number one: 2nd/3rd grade, elements are more related to magic, everyone is a girl and everyone is so gay. Honestly, the sheer gayness of my second grade self staggers me. Coal in his original form was an angry emo lesbian in love with Breeze with lots of hot-headed potential to have a foes-to-lovers arc with Tide. Terra is a tiny muffin of a child named Ivy with botanic centered powers, also lots of cute flower crown/badass romance potential between her and Tide. Honestly, I kind of want to write a side thing just around these gay girls I love them so much why did my fetus self decide to shove a boy into it.

(I mean I love Coal. He is my son and my moon and my stars and I wouldn't trade him, but let's be real, in the beginning he was a cookie cutter YA love interest.)

Anyway, here is the Lesbian Cut of The Elementals:

[same intro with Celina and such, 'do the dishes for me' "lol no" 'just dO IT' "NEVER" *chaos*] [we return as Tide wakes up in a forest]

"I dunno; she looks pretty dead to me."

I hear a voice. It's sort of muffled, like they're speaking into a pillow. Where am I? What happened?

"Oh come on Cinder, she can't be dead. Check her pulse,"

I feel a hand turn my wrist over. I'm lying on my right side, where I fell last night. Last night. A rush of memories floods my brain. Celina, the water, everything. It really happened. I moan pathetically.

"See, she was just unconscious,"

"Yeah, yeah."

I sit up and look around. I seem to be in a thick forest. Warm sunlight filters softly through the curtain of leaves giving the ground an almost magical effect. To my right is a clearing with a small lake, sparkling beautifully. In front of me are two girls, one crouching and looking at me worriedly, and the other standing a couple feet behind with her arms crossed. They look about my age. Their clothes are dirty and worn.

"Who the heck are you guys?" I ask when I remember that I can speak.

"I'm Breeze," the girl closest to me answers, "and that-" she points to the second girl- "is Cinder. Nice to meet you."

Breeze has a pretty face; smooth skin, sky blue eyes, light blonde hair that curls at the ends like the wind was playing with it. A touch of the south hangs in her voice. She's smiling now, and it gives me a warm feeling inside.

Cinder, though, is almost the opposite of Breeze; her eyes are dark as thunderclouds, both of her knees are scraped, and she has jet black hair chopped off short like someone hacked it off with a chainsaw. Her face is hard, not even a hint of a smile. She takes a step forward. Cautiously, she holds out a hand. I gratefully take it and she pulls me up.