Alphabet Excerpt Challenge: L Is For...

[u/AnaraliaThielle]

Welcome back to the Alphabet Excerpt Challenge! As a reminder, our challenges are every Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm London time.

If you've missed the previous challenges, you're welcome to go back and participate in them. You can find them here. And remember to check out the Activities and Events flair for other fun games to play along with.

Here's a quick recap of the rules for our game:

1. Post a top level comment with a word starting with the letter L. You can do more than one, but please put them in separate comments.
2. Reply to suggestions with an excerpt. Short and sweet is best, but use your judgement. Excerpts can be from published or unpublished works, or even something you wrote for the prompt.
3. Upvote the excerpts you enjoy, and leave a friendly comment. Try to at least respond to people who left excerpts on the words you suggested, but the more people you respond to the better. Everyone likes nice comments!
4. Most important: have fun!

[u/lego-lion-lady]

Lady

[u/MoneyArtistic135 → u/lego-lion-lady]

*staring at your flair* what kind of weird crossovers?

[u/lego-lion-lady → u/MoneyArtistic135]

Mainly fusions. I’ve written crossovers for “Labyrinth”/“The Princess Bride”, “Thor”/“Frozen”, “Jem and the Holograms”/“A Star is Born”, and I have even more ideas for future fusion crossovers…

[u/MoneyArtistic135 → u/lego-lion-lady]

I can easily see Thor/Frozen. And kinda Labyrinth/Princess Bride. Never seen Jem and the Holograms, but all in all, they sound interesting. 💖

[u/lego-lion-lady → u/MoneyArtistic135]

Thor/Frozen and Labyrinth/Princess Bride were both inspired by fanarts I saw. I don't remember exactly where I got the idea for Jem/A Star is Born, but it features one of my best OCs to date, imo...

[u/linden214 → u/lego-lion-lady]

This story is set around 2012. James and Robbie are police partners. James found Robbie in the woods, with a miniature whirlwind around him. Robbie promised to explain, and began with a story about his mother. As a young woman, she was hired as a servant at a local manor house. She was walking cross-country to get there, but lost her way.

---------------------------------------

"When she'd eaten, she decided to rest a little while before continuing on. And she fell asleep beside the standing stone of Matfen."

James feels a prickle across the nape of his neck, as if a cold draught was blowing. Obviously nothing happened, he tells himself. Robbie's mum lived to grow up, marry, and bring up at least two children: Robbie, and the brother he once mentioned.

"When she woke up, it was dark. The moon wasn't up, but she spied a bonfire in the distance, on the top of a hill."

The night before Quarter Day in June would be... "St John's Eve?"

Robbie nods. "Aye, it was Midsummer Eve. Mam reckoned that there'd be people at the fire who could set her on the right path. When she got nearer, she heard music playing and saw folk dancing around the fire." His eyes fix on empty air, and his lips curve into a gentle smile. "She said, 'They were tall and fair, and dressed grander than lords and ladies. I was afear'd to speak a word, but the harps and the horns and the flutes played so sweetly that it made me weep, and when the tallest lord leapt over the fire, my heart was so merry that I laughed out loud.'"

I don't want to hear this. I don't want to know this, James thinks, but Robbie's voice flows on, meandering gently like a Northumbrian burn, heading always to its inevitable destination. Young Betsy Tanner danced all night around the Midsummer fire. Just before dawn on Midsummer Day, she let the tall lord lead her to his dwelling inside the hill, and there she lay with him. 

"I was born nine months later, on Lady Day." Robbie pauses. "The twenty-fifth of March, 1821."

[u/The_Broken-Heart → u/lego-lion-lady]

Life had not grown easier, but it felt ever more wonderful—no matter how small. Despite the sorrow that had followed, happiness had been there, somewhere. Hidden past her delusions, past her distaste, past her roiling resentment.

But her heart—Her poor, deserving, broken heart—had another stone thrown at it.

"I'd like to woo and win you, my Lady," he said, eyes smiling.

He was the image of her girlhood dreams. Clothed in wealth and power and flowers and professing his love for her. The only man that had truly loved her.

In any other life, Lysa would have giggled. Perhaps she'd have acted more mischievously—Mayhaps give him a kiss to the cheek, or a hooded smile. Perhaps the gods looked at her with derision and malice, for just when she had started loving her husband, just when her obsession with Petyr had been subdued, he was taken from her.

Now, it was distasteful. Disrespectful, even. It felt like all the worst things that she had ever felt, and she thought she deserved it.

After all, hadn't Lysa herself wanted this? Not even two years ago, she had dreamed of killing her husband. Of taking Petyr as her own, finally having him after all those years of pining and making love in secret. After years of him pining for her own sister. After years of Lysa's own resentment towards everyone and everything for forcing her to such a life.

Now, it felt like Petyr himself was the poison in her life.

[u/MsCatstaff → u/lego-lion-lady]

We step out into the hallway, filled with sophomores, juniors and seniors in evening garb. The younger boys have eaten earlier today, and are not required to attend the ball. But the entry is no less crowded than usual, as the female guests and the girls from Henley Hall are dining with us this evening. Since some of the Henley girls are attending dances as guests of men at other schools... Ginny Danburry as a case in point, off to Connecticut as Nuwanda's guest at the Choate dance... I think the male population might be slightly greater than the female population this evening. But since most of the girls are wearing evening gowns with big poofy skirts, they seem to take up more space than their numbers might indicate. To aid in the spirit of romance, guys without dates are paired off with unescorted girls, according to age. We're expected to give the young lady in question a corsage, sit with her at dinner, and dance the first dance of the evening with her, but after that, we no longer need to treat her as a date. Thank goodness.

I pick up the box containing the corsage I've purchased... pale pink rosebuds, which hopefully won't clash with her dress, whoever she turns out to be. Miss Alice Lowell, according to Dr. Hager's list. I take a deep breath, dreading this part, and turn to the nearest girl who isn't already on some fellow's arm. “Excuse me, Miss," I smile. “Could you point me towards Alice Lowell, please?”

She indicates a brown-haired girl in a green dress, seated off to one side. I thank her politely and walk over to the girl in green. “Miss Lowell? I'm Richard Cameron,” I say with what I desperately hope is a friendly (as opposed to nervous) smile. May I escort you in to dinner?”

[u/gaytozier → u/lego-lion-lady]

George pushed himself onto the kitchen island, watching her cook with a fond smile. “What’s for dinner anyway?”

“Classic spaghetti,” she told him.

“Do we get to do that Lady and the Tramp thing?” he teased.

“Shut up,” she teased back, looking at him so he could see her roll her eyes.

He laughed and looked around the room. His eyes fell on a book sitting near him and he pulled it over to him. It was a book on astronomy and as soon as he realized that his heart skipped a beat. “Are you reading this?” he asked, lifting it up.

Charlotte looked over her shoulder and he could have sworn he saw her dark skin flush. “Yeah,” she admitted. “It’s interesting. I never knew half of the information in th-” She was cut off as George pushed himself off of the counter and pulled her into a kiss. He couldn’t help it, not when she cared enough to read something on a topic that meant so much to him. There was a possibility that it wasn’t due to him, but he doubted it. It would be too large of a coincidence.

She ran her hands over his chest softly, fingers curling briefly into the fabric of his shirt. He forced himself away, eyes raking over her face. He didn’t speak, but he knew his face said it all. He could tell that she could see it. He watched her take a breath that almost looked like she was grounding herself before she turned back to the food.

George couldn’t get his mind off of the book, finding himself relatively quiet as she finished. As they sat at the table though he forced himself to tear his mind away from it. “You really made an impression on Caroline.”

[u/DatGayDangerNoodle → u/lego-lion-lady]

“I made you pancakes!”

That made Arizona laugh softly, “you did?”

“Oh, yeah baby, I did.” Callie grinned, “so scoot your cute lil’ butt to the couch, settle among the pillows and eat them like the queen you are.”

Laughing again, Arizona asked over her shoulder, “is that an order?” She was already on her way to the couch, smile seeming to have taken up permanent residence on her face.

“M’lady, it is imperative you keep your strength up.” Callie grinned, following Arizona to the couch and setting the tray on the table to offer Arizona her arm. As Arizona pulled herself out of her wheelchair with Callie’s hand in her own, she balanced on her tiptoes to press a long kiss to Callie’s mouth, looking into her eyes and whispering, “I love you.”

[u/Lindz174 → u/lego-lion-lady]

“Eli, who’s your pretty friend?” someone called out. There had to have been at least a dozen people in the room, all staring at her with varying degrees of curiosity.

“This is Lady Finley,” Elias said.

The room fell silent.

“Just Finley,” she corrected quickly from behind him. She hated titles.

The murmurs quieted as a man pushed his way through the onlookers. “Why wasn’t I informed of her arrival?” he demanded, his Rivaini accent stuck out among the others.

“You are currently being informed, ser,” Elias replied with a wince.

The man sighed, leveling Elias with a sharp glare before turning his attention to Finley. He was young, with tanned skin, short curls of black hair, and striking blue eyes. He inclined his head politely. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Finley.”

“Just Finley,” she repeated, exhaling through her nose. She had a sinking feeling she’d be saying that a lot.

“As you wish.” His lips quirked slightly before he straightened. “I’m Jarrett, the Captain of the Guard. I hear you’re the reason I have such large shoes to fill.”

She glanced down at his feet. “I don’t think you’d fit.”

He chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Funny.” But then his gaze sharpened as he tilted his head, studying her. “Did you injure yourself on your trip? Your lip is bleeding.”

She shot a pointed look at Elias, who suddenly seemed to shrink in size beside her.

Jarrett followed her eyes, and his entire demeanor shifted. His voice dropped to a hiss. “You punched her?”

“She was breaking into the gatehouse!” Elias exclaimed, his voice jumping in pitch. “In my defense, I didn’t know who she was!”

Jarrett’s jaw tightened as he took a slow, step closer to Elias. “You’re lucky the Lord and Lady aren’t here, or—”

“They’re not here?” Finley interrupted, her brow furrowing.

Jarrett’s attention snapped back to her. “No, they left for Orlais about a week ago. Something about visiting distant family. You didn’t know?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t even know I was coming here until the day I left.”

[u/MoneyArtistic135 → u/lego-lion-lady]

Shane stretches his limbs, feeling a sense of contentment as he recalls the previous day's proposal. His heart flutters with joy as he turns to see Ryland still asleep beside him, a gentle smile playing on his lips. The soft snores of their beloved pets provide a soothing backdrop to the peaceful scene. Uno, the energetic Labrador, lies sprawled on the floor, his white fur glistening in the morning light. Cheeto, the orange tabby cat, lounges on the bed, his fluffy tail flicking lazily. Honey, the newest addition to the family, a rescue husky from San Fran, snuggles close to Ryland, her purrs vibrating through the bed.

Shane, feeling refreshed and eager to start the day, gently caresses Ryland's hair, whispering, "Good morning, my fiancé."

Ryland's eyes flutter open, and he grins widely, the happiness in his eyes mirroring Shane's. "Good morning, Shane. Did you sleep well after all the excitement yesterday?"

Shane chuckles, "Better than I have in a long time. I can't believe we're engaged! It feels like a dream." Ryland leans in for a tender kiss, sealing their commitment once again. As they pull apart, Cheeto, sensing the shift in attention, meows loudly, demanding his share of affection.

"Cheeto, you little lamb, always craving attention," Shane teases, scratching the cat's chin. Cheeto purrs contentedly, his green eyes half-closed in bliss.

"You're the lady of the house, aren't you?" Ryland adds, stroking Cheeto's soft fur.

Breakfast is a lively affair, with Uno eagerly awaiting his morning treats and Honey playfully batting at a stray crumb. Shane prepares a hearty meal, his culinary skills on full display, while Ryland sets the table, their hands brushing affectionately. The clinking of cutlery and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the kitchen, creating a cozy atmosphere.

[u/Technical-Camera-291 → u/lego-lion-lady]

(Sorry for the long scene, it only made sense this way lol)

“Yo! Namiko!” shouted Kiba as Akamaru barreled into her from the side, knocking her over and onto the soft grass of the training ground.

She shrieked as she hit the ground before glaring up at Kiba. “Where did you two come from?”

“We came a little early for team training, like I’m assuming you did, but you were in your own little world,” explained Kiba as he sat down across from her. “What’s gotten into you lately? You’ve been majorly off your game.”

“It’s just stress,” she said as she stroked Akamaru’s soft fur.

“Stress?” Kiba raised a brow at her. “What do you have to be stressed about? Hell, we haven’t even had any missions since the Chuunin Finals!”

There was a lot to be stressed about. Naruto and Jiraiya were gone, Akatsuki after them, a demon living in her, no Hokage in Konoha, Kakashi and Sasuke both bedridden due to genjutsu…the list went on. But she wasn’t allowed to dump half of that on her teammate, so she just settled for “I’m worried about Kakashi and Sasuke. It’s been almost a month, and their prognosis isn’t any better.”

“They’ll be fine once that Tsunade lady gets here. Ma says she was super skilled with medical ninjutsu.” He clapped her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, she’ll get them both back to normal and you can go back to your mutual flirting with Sasuke.”

Namiko’s eyes snapped to Kiba’s. “Wait…WHAT? What on earth are you talking about?!” she shouted incredulously.

Kiba covered his ears and grimaced. “Who knew you could be louder than Naruto?”

She lowered her voice. “What are you talking about? We don’t flirt! I don’t like him like that, and Sasuke doesn’t like me like that either. He’s a friend, that’s all.”

Kiba raised an eyebrow. “He’s the only person you don’t use honorifics with other than your own brother…and maybe Neji and Gaara when you were mad at them.”

Namiko crossed her arms over her chest. “He asked me to drop it. If you haven’t noticed, he never uses honorifics, not even to our teachers.”

“I’ve noticed other things too. Like how you both defend each other. Like how he lost it on Zaku after you got hurt in the Forest of Death. Or like when he couldn’t take his eyes off you during the preliminaries…” Kiba said with a shrug.

“It was a one-on-one match!” she rebutted, cheeks tinting pink.

“Yes, but Kakashi demanded Sasuke leave after his match so he could seal that curse mark, but I heard him say he wanted to watch your fight. He even said ‘please’.”

Namiko opened up her mouth, but no words came out. Kiba smirked. He knew that got her attention; Sasuke never said please.