Mod Post: Round 3 Lightning Drabble Round (Open to Everyone!)

[almostblue.livejournal.com]

Hello!

The mod team (roebling and myself, almostblue) just want to say again that we are so incredibly grateful to everyone who has written, read, and commented for this third round of TBB. Thank you for your time and effort and talent! It's been amazing to see so much great enthusiasm and energy!

While we wait for the last few stories to get posted, we're going to hold a Lightning Drabble Round!

Before I get into what that means, I want to introduce this year's honorary mods for the lightning round - i_luv_tvxq, (you may know her as @TVXQluff) and akmongs (@himchanni), who runs bapfanfiction. They are both wonderful people who keep the fandom running through recs, comments and kudos, quietly and without much fanfare. We think they're great, and we wanted to thank them for all of their hard work over the years.

So as this round progresses, feel free to ask them questions as well! If roebling and I aren't around (or aren't...awake, ahaha, timezones /o\) they are here to help you out :)

Our hope is that the Lightning Drabble Round will be a fast, fun, low pressure opportunity for everyone to keep writing a little bit more! Here's how it will work:

1) If you want to participate, comment on this entry with a pairing you'd like to write. Please keep it to one comment per pairing.

2) A mod (any mod!) will reply with 3-5 random one word prompts.

For example, you might comment with the pairing DaeJae. A mod will reply to your comments with the prompts: apple, blonde, sneakers, failure, nuna

3) You have until September 13th to write as many drabbles as you want based on those prompts! All the drabbles you write should be under 1,000 words. They can use any of the words, all of the words, whatever you want. Post your fics as replies to the mod comment, and title them like this:[prompt, pairing, rating, warnings] in the heading of the comment. There's no assigned posting times or deadlines, so you can post 'em as you write 'em!

You don't have to have participated in the exchange to take part in the lightening round! Anon commenting will be enabled so anon participants should also be able to take part. It's low stakes, so if you can only write one drabble based on your prompt, that's absolutely fine. 10 drabbles? Fine too! Real life gets in the way and you can't write at all? We get it.

If there are any questions we haven't answered just comment below and we'll try to answer them right away! Otherwise, that's it! Lightning Drabble Round starts now, and runs until 9/13! Hwaiting!!!

THE LIGHTNING ROUND IS NOW CLOSED! Please stay tuned for an updated masterlist shortly!

Comments

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

bangdae

[i-luv-tvxq.livejournal.com]

*spews gibberish*

bear, steam, spirit, magnet, peal

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

bear, steam, spirit, bangdae, implied himdae, pg, indentured servitude

part one

The cherrywood floors gleam with the coat of polish that Daehyun has just painstakingly scrubbed over it, and now he sits on the little stool by the wall of pipe whistles and rubs at his red, sore knees.

The huge analog clock on the wall opposite has three levels of readings: the time, the level of activity in the bath-house, and a gauge for customer satisfaction. They indicate: late, 13 vacancies, and moderately content.

A whistle on the wall sounds, and Daehyun sighs, craning his neck to see what room has called for him. Floor 17, room 8. That's a steam room. Daehyun pulls on the little tassel by his stool to make the noise stop and to let the customer know he will be tended to shortly.

His amulet buzzes against his chest on the leather cord he was instructed to wear as he hustles to the express elevator. Sometimes the charm acts up when Himchan is around, like it's trying to get back to its owner.

When he'd first stumbled into the world of spirits as a child, Himchan had been the one to find him and claim him. He was lucky, really. Not many spirits would have been so kind. Himchan had painted a sigil onto his back in thick black ink that sunk into his skin and then told him to wear the amulet, always, or else the other spirits would smell the human on him. And, in general, other spirits didn't like humans.

Now, he thinks bitterly that Himchan had tricked him, a child of twelve, into a life of service in a wretched bath-house with no promise of helping him find his way home. He'd offered protection, and that was all. It's been years since then, and Daehyun's had a lot of time to think about it.

Floor 17, room 8. There's a waterfall that goes down the side of the building through all the floors, enchanted to clean and be cleaned as it recycles the water being used throughout, and Daehyun goes there first to fill a huge wooden pail with as much water as he can carry, taking care not to spill too much of it as he struggles with it down the hall. Daehyun rings the little bell outside of the door to announce his arrival, and then he goes in.

Steam billows out and sweat gathers almost immediately at his temples. "Sir, I've come to replenish the steam."

"The coal's are dying out," a low voice grumbles at him from within. Daehyun squints through the condensation and makes out a humanoid shape, which surprises him. Many of the spirits are huge compared to Daehyun, taking the form of animals or monsters or things he cannot recognize entirely. This one, though, looks human.

"I'll fix that, sir." Daehyun trudges over to the side of the room, where there's a little enclosure of coals, wet wood, and a flatbed of water. He heaves the pail over the flatbed and swallows a curse when some of the water sloshes out over his sandals, hot and almost burning. Then he kneels down to look at the coals. He quickly lights a match and throws it in, waiting for the spark to catch before blowing it out gently. There's a fan attached to the enclosure. He gently fans the coals, encouraging them to warm and glow.

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

bear, steam, spirit, bangdae, implied himdae, pg, indentured servitude

part two

"Aren't you a little small for a job like this?" the spirit asks him. Daehyun stands, knees protesting. The outline of him is clearer, and Daehyun can see that he is, after all, a man. Or man-shaped. Hung up on one of the hooks next to him by its teeth is a bear skin.

"I'm not small," Daehyun protests, pride taking over curiosity. "And I'm strong enough."

"Certainly look small to me," the bear-spirit says, scoffing. "Where'd Himchan pick up a scrap like you?"

Daehyun frowns. He's not really supposed to engage with the customers, but this one knows Himchan by name. "I don't see how that's any of your business," Daehyun says with a sniff.

"I don't see why a human like you should still be alive in a place like this," the bear-spirit returns.

Daehyun freezes. His amulets hums. "I'm not a--"

"Himchan's always had a soft spot for the pretty ones. Tell me, did he promise you a life of adventure? Money? Food? What did he promise for you to sign your life away?"

He hesitates for a second, but the bear-spirit stands then, and begins to move toward him. He's tall, but not intimidatingly so, and his face is kind. "Protection," Daehyun says.

"Not a way home?"

Daehyun drops his eyes to the floor. "At the time, I didn't want to go home."

"Do you want to go home now?"

His breath gets caught in his throat. It feels tight because of the heat. He can feel his hair curling in the humidity. "Yes."

The bear-spirit smiles. His face becomes even kinder when he does, the gums of his teeth showing. "I can help you with that, if you'll give me the amulet."

Daehyun's hands cover the amulet quickly. His eyes are wide. "But it's my--"

"I'll protect you, now. You just have to give me that amulet, and then I can help you."

But Daehyun is not sure. Here, talismans and amulets and the like have so much power. Names, too. Names have power. "Tell me what your name is -- not what you are called or how others know you but your actual name, and I'll give it to you in exchange for you helping me get home."

The bear-spirit smiles. "It's Yongguk."

Daehyun exhales, heart thumping hard in his chest, and gives him the amulet, and then his world goes black.

[saxophonic23.livejournal.com]

Omg tiny Daehyun signing his life away and regretting it and BEAR SPIRT YONGGUK hahaha I like the feel of this, I like the mystery

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

:DDDDDD tiny daehyun~ BEAR SPIRIT YONGGUK :DDDD thank you for reading~

[arysthaeniru.livejournal.com]

Now I really want to know what happens next! Ahhhh, spirits AU and poor tiny Daehyun, and the bear-spirit Yongguk and there's so much to love inside the tiny details!

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

thank you for reading~ i am considering expanding this :D

[golden-kimono.livejournal.com]

I really like this, though now I can't help but wonder what happens next... I especially love the idea of bear spirit!Yongguk. XDD

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

hahaa omg thanks :D

[i-luv-tvxq.livejournal.com]

oooooohhhhhhhmyyyyyyygoooooooooooodddddd spirited away au (I cannot fully express, but spirited away, spirited away!!!) I have so many feels, your fics always give me so many feels ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

bear spirit kaonashi?! (pls ignore me) yongguk ;;;;

*goes and sobs some more*

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

ahhhh mon :D thanks~ yes spirited away!! :D

i don't know if yongguk is like the kaonashi...that's No Face right? this au isn't fully formed in my head yet but i'm considering it :x

[i-luv-tvxq.livejournal.com]

haha yes kaonashi is no face, don't mind my blabbering, yongguks bear spirit doesn't seem to ride along the same line as kaonashi in the first place, I only mentioned him cos I have a weird fascination for that character ever since the first time I watched the movie.... hehe :x

and yay, sequel! I look forward to it if you do think up of anything~ <3

[andnowforyaya.livejournal.com]

yes kaonashi didn't seem to have very much agency. it was a spirit that was obsessed with....i forget the girl's name. but he absorbed other spirits and took on their personalities, right? yongguk is definitely...his own being hahaa.

i think himchan will still be a witch spirit thing. yongguk the bear-spirit probably has some sort of grudge or something...i wonder how daehyun will fare.