Round 2 is closed.

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Comments

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[(Anonymous)]

JESUS FUCK ANON
THIS IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST THING EVER
IT HURTS SO DAMN GOOD

:bows:

Re: [Secondfill?] Memory [1/1]

[luciazephyr]

and wow, now I want a spin-off/sequel with Harry at his first Accords meeting and he doesn't remember Marcone or Ivy.

And Marcone decides FUCK WINTER and helps overthrow Mab so the Leanansidhe can be in charge and in return she gives the Knight to Marcone because Harry is meant to be a subject of Chicago, not Winter dammit. And Harry has to re-meet all his friends and deal with remembering what he's lost.

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[luciazephyr]

:crying fit:

Oh jesus christ, that hurt in so many ways. I should've seen the twist with Marcone coming, but I didn't and then it got worse and :criiiies:

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[(Anonymous)]

God this hurts so much.

(and are you nuts Writernon? This was not terrible at all, it was fucking great. In a very heartbreaking way)

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[cyprinella]

This is seriously awful, I am sorry. Try not to read it. You have better things to do. This just fails on so many levels. The reason I'm posting is that breaking a promise would be even worse.

You're full of wrong here, anon. This fill is really fantastic.

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[(Anonymous)]

I liked it.

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[(Anonymous)]

That was STUNNING. Gorgeous, painful, right, what needs to be true, narratively.

Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[(Anonymous)]

Fucking *hell* this was painful and beautiful.

The last line! *cries*

Alternative Link -- What Happens In Midgard

[binz]

http://archiveofourown.org/works/168263

Tigers

[(Anonymous)]

This link randomly turned up on my reading list today: http://thecore.uchicago.edu/Winter2011/editors-note.shtml :

Sometime in the early 1970s or shortly before - around the time John Marcone was born - an intricate, astonishingly realistic tiger was drawn in chalk on a blackboard in a laboratory at the University of Chicago, as if it was stalking out of the darkness. The only clue as to the drawing's origin or meaning is a Chinese character for "King" worked in to the linework of the fur on the tiger's forehead, but for nearly forty years, the simple chalk drawing was left magically untouched by generations of students and teachers.

In 2007 - around the time Marcone became Chicago's freeholding Lord - an attempt was made to damage the drawing, and as a result, it was restored and protected by fixative and plexiglass.

...surely this is not all simple coincidence?

Re: Pern crossover: Queens High (5/5)

[(Anonymous)]

Loved how this ended up being about the politics of the weyrs as much as anything else. Fascinating!

Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9

[(Anonymous)]

I stole Marcone's watch.

It wasn't all the difficult, a soft hold here, my hand curled around his wrist, a bare whisper of contact and then I palmed the thing. He'd started wearing a big old fashioned watch, not one of the digital things that popped in five seconds of exposure to me.

I slid the band up over my own wrist, under the cuff of my shirt and excused myself from the lunch table.

There's one good thing about the reputation women have for spending way too much time in the bathroom: you can disappear for a nice little chunk of time without most guys questioning it. They don't want to know what you've been doing because they're afraid it has something to do with 'feminine products'.

It gave me plenty of time to lock myself into the ladies room, lay out a circle and enchant Marcone's watch. The most time consuming part of the process was etching the sigils into the back of the metal plating. I needed them to be right, and deep, but small enough that they wouldn't be noticed right away. And that's hard to do without all my tools, but I couldn't very well steal the watch and keep it for a day or two while I fiddled with it.

The enchantment was a variation on my own shield bracelet. Only it didn't rely on Marcone's will or magic, but mine. It would use him sort of like a battery to keep itself up and running, but if it was activated - like if someone tried to knife Marcone or shoot him - it would draw on my power to raise a shield. It wasn't as good as my own and it would only be good for a short period of time once the shield went up. But it was better than nothing, and until it was active Sigrun wouldn't notice it.

Slipping it back on his wrist was a little more difficult, but I managed. Marcone caught my hand as I was sliding it off his wrist and held it for a second, a gentle squeeze as he did so. My stomach rolled and I felt a little nauseous.

He hadn't noticed at all.

~

"Harry! Harry!" I fumbled my keys, let them slip down further in my palm so I could reach for my blasting rod. Tina came running down the sidewalk in front of my office building. As she got closer I could see that she'd been crying. Her face was red, swollen, and I thought there was a bruise starting to darken around one eye.

She was alone.

I let go of my rod and dropped my keys into a coat pocket.

"Tina? What happened?" And how did she find my office? I didn't remember telling her anything about my job. She sobbed and heaved herself at me, nearly tripping over her own feet. I caught her and she clung to me, arms wrapping around my neck like a monkey.

"He-" Her breath shuddered in, thick through the tears. "He-" I barely felt the prick of the needle. It was the stinging burn of whatever she injected me with that caught my attention. That and the cold that trickled through my veins, faster and faster as the parking lot spun and now Tina was holding me, lowering me to the asphalt.

~

Idiot.

It was the first thought I had, as I woke up. I could feel my body, distantly. Like we hadn't quite reconnected all the way just yet. I was seated, upright. Tied to a chair, I thought.

And I was a fucking idiot.

"He's late." Tina's voice and the sound of her heels clacking against concrete. I kept still, listening. I didn't hear anyone except for her moving through the room. I chanced a look through the veil of my hair. It looked like the office of a warehouse, maybe. Bare and functional. It was just the two of us. Tina was muttering to herself.

I flexed my fingers, slowly, willing feeling back into them, back into my arms. Tina'd used rope to tie me down. If I could find the knot with my fingers, I could slip it. My dad hadn't gotten around to handcuffs before he died, but I could get out of a rope, given enough time.

Tina gave me more than enough time.

I slipped the rope and found the small knife I'd started carrying on my belt. I hoped no one ever found out about this one. Being kidnapped was one thing. Being kidnapped by mafia Barbie, too dumb to even fucking search me and take my weapons, was embarrassing.

I waited until Tina had her back to me, trying her cellphone again. She'd been calling Morelli for the last five minutes and not getting any answer. I sliced through the ropes around my ankles and rose, sliding up behind her.

"Hi Tina!" I grabbed the back of her head and slammed her forward, smashing her face first into the flimsy wall of the office. She shrieked, dropped her phone and started scrabbling at my wrist, her nails failing to find purchase through my coat, which she had also left on me. Like I said. Embarrassing.

The cold metal of the flat of my knife against the back of her neck made her freeze. I sighed and clucked at her, like I was disappointed.

"Tina, Tina, Tina. I have to tell you, I don't think this is the right life path for you. You kind of suck at being a bad guy."

"Bitch!" I twisted the hair in my hand. It was almost as though I could hear the strands separating, tearing free of her scalp.

"Now that's just uncalled for. I thought we were friends!" I shook her like a rat. "Now, let's all play nicely and you can tell me where Morelli is, and what he's planning." I twisted my knife so she could feel the edge.

She told me.

~

I broke every traffic law I knew of getting over to the Varsity.

I hadn't had time to stop off at my office to retrieve my staff from the Beetle, but I could do plenty of damage with just the magical tools I had on me.

The doors were closed, the marquee off. A large wooden sign stood in front of the building, declaring them closed for renovations. At least there wouldn't be innocent bystanders. I could see lights on inside.

I parked Tina's car across the entry way, tires leaving a little trail and a screech and jumped out, blasting rod ready. A deep breath and I readied my will. The door creaked open before I could throw my spell and Gard walked out.

"Harry?"

"Sigrun?" We stared at each other for a second. She clearly hadn't been expecting me, and I had been planning on walking into a trap. To save everybody, including Marcone, of course. But Gard looked very...un-trapped.

"Um...so...Morelli?" She nodded. "Is planning on coming here and killing you guys."

"He was, yes. We drew him in, let him think this was a weakly defended building. It's been handled."

"Oh." They lured him in...a few things clicked. Son of a bitch. "You wanna send Marcone out? Just for a second." Her blue eyes narrowed and I knew she was taking in my flushed face, the faint traces of rope burn on my wrists and maybe even a couple spots of blood. Then she smiled and ducked back into the restaurant.

Marcone walked out a few seconds later. There wasn't a single hair out of place. His suit jacket was off, his shirt unbuttoned, baring the hollow of his throat, the beginnings of his chest. My stomach clenched and I stomped on it.

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Great. Fine. Tina's fine too. A little unconscious, but nothing permanent. Morelli was kind of a jackass. Old school jackass, right?"

"Yes."

"And you knew that. You...played him. The whole time."

"Of course." He crossed the foot or so of space between us, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. "I told you I knew what I was doing. I showed him a weakness. Let him believe that I was infatuated with you. That I'd gone soft and was neglecting business. He was going to make a move at some point, I simply chose the time."

"So it was all..." I waved my hand in the air. "Playing a role."

He nodded. Relief hit me, followed by something else. Something I couldn't put a name to. But it hurt, a little. There wasn't any sign of...anything. No regret, no flash of pain in his eyes. Certainly not the affection I'd seen over the past weeks. His hands on me were firm, professional. I took hold of his wrists and stepped back, dropping his arms as I did.

I turned. I was just going to get into the car and go home. Or maybe to Mac's. I wasn't sure I wanted my own company at the moment.

"Har-"

I stopped, lifted my right hand and pointed at the first dark sedan in the parking lot. "Fuego." Paint peeled under the beam of fire, the tires melted, popped, hot shards of rubber flying through the air around us. Glass warped and ran. I stopped when the car was a melted ruin.

Explosions are only fun when you're not standing next to them.

I didn't look back. I pressed down on whatever it was inside me that made my head echo so oddly, and I left.

OP Re: Terrible Fill 2/2

[(Anonymous)]

It's not terrible. It's so fucking far from terrible that I had tears in my eyes when I finished reading this. It was exactly what I was looking for, bittersweet and longing and so fucking in love, it hurts. My god if you think this is terrible, how much more brilliant are your other works?

/endless fangirling/

Sorry for the incoherence. Summary: I loved it.

Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9

[(Anonymous)]

Hoshit Marcone, you should have explained things really fast. Now Harry's gonna sulk burn down all of your buildings.

Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9

[cathrinerose]

Oh Marcone. For such a smart man you can be so dumb. I bet he was honestly surprised that Harry blew up his car. Hendrick's disapproving face is going to get a workout after this.

Family

[(Anonymous)]

You know how Marcone's Italian and Italians are supposed to have big families, right?

aka I just want to see a member of Marcone's family (brother, sister, parent, cousin, favorite uncle, etc) who's unfamiliar with how things are run in Chicago showing up there. I don't care how this is rationalized or what happens... I just really want to see Dresden!verse reactions to Marcone's family.

This can be gen, but if you can work in Dresden/Marcone (maybe said family member doesn't care that Dresden's a guy, but cares that he's not Italian?) I will sing your praises.

Re: Tigers

[luciazephyr]

DUDE. THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN AWESOME PLOT IDEA. oh my god, that is so significant.

omg what if Marcone is like... not exactly human, like the spirit of Chicago itself and is anchored to the city via that drawing...

Except less stupid. BUT AWESOME IDEA.

Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9

[(Anonymous)]

It's completely fitting that Harry did the most destruction to Marcone's property! I wonder if Gard is sekritly facepalming behind Marcone's back now. Also, I totally wanna know Marcone's reaction to the protection Harry placed on the watch :D

Harem AU - Dresden/Marcone

[(Anonymous)]

Inspired by another prompt on here that left me with a sudden desire to see Marcone as oil sheik somewhere in the Middle East and Dresden as part of his harem.

Bonus if you manage to incorporate other characters into this AU.

Re: Family

[cathrinerose]

I've got a similar idea in my head. I might just start on it. How important is the the Italian-ness of the family?

(AU) Harry Is A Well-Meaning Dragon Chauvinist 1/?

[(Anonymous)]

My name is Harry Dresden, and I'm a dragon. You'd be able to find me in the yellow pages under dragon, except I can't figure out a good reason why someone would want to hire one. Which is a pity, because my hoard could use the help.

Generally, I let people think I'm a human wizard. As a dragon, obviously I have magic, and I can shapechange - a little. Have you ever tried ordering pizza for a grown dragon? Or going to a baseball game when you're the size of a truck? Pretending to be a squishy wizard is obviously the way to go.

Shapechange a little, right. Would you believe the only human form I can manage is 6' 7" and ruggedly handsome?  It doesn't exactly blend in, I know, but believe me, I've tried, and that's what "I" look like. I have a few theories, mostly to do with imprinting on my father when I was very small dragonet and he looked a lot bigger, and possibly the difficulties of scaling something properly to the inch when usually you measure yourself by the ton. I try to downplay it by being as endearingly scruffy as possible and only marginally socially competent, which comes naturally, I'll admit it.

I was playing with potions in my lab - human hands are fun, all small and clever - when I felt Ancient Mai at the edge of my wards. "Bob, remember where we were," I said to my assistant, and went to get the door.

I respect the Ancient, I do, but scale and claw, she's terrifying. 

"Hi!" I said, opening my office door. "What can I do you for?"

Mai looked up at me with a single cold raised eyebrow. I think she thinks I lack proper draconic gravity, which is ridiculous, how much gravity can I have? I'm pretending to be a human! On the other hand, she manages it better than I do, so maybe she has a point, but I digress.

I waved her in. " 'Dresden'", she said, and yes, she pronounced the quotes, it's a skill, "Someone burned down a Red Court brothel yesterday. I trust it was not you?"

Re: Harem AU - Dresden/Marcone

[(Anonymous)]

not the OP, just adding a note to this --

I know that kink memes, by design, are all about appealing to the id and pushing the borders of social acceptability. And I admit that I have as much of a thing for harem stories as does the next fangirl who's read too many of a specific kind of romance novel. But I'd like to request that whoever fills this be really careful about not pushing too hard into the land of Fail. I mean, there's a couple of borders one can't avoid crossing with the general orientalism of harem stories, but if the politics of this are handled respectfully and gently, it means you can have all the hot of the framework with minimal distraction from the superego telling me I am a bad person for enjoying it.

Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9

[(Anonymous)]

This is so, so awesome! I think Marcone totally miscalculated that one. And I kind of want him to find about the watch under really bad circumstances, like someone trying to knife him for real.

I got the impression that he wasn't as clueless as Harry thinks when she slipped it, but still... it'd be awesome if he really didn't know.

Re: Harem AU - Dresden/Marcone

[(Anonymous)]

Heartfully seconded.

Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9

[(Anonymous)]

Oh John. You simultaneously fail to inform your ally that you're putting her in danger and tell your crush that you were pretending to care for her after you made out. Thus no doubt convinceing Harry that you're an asshole, Gard that you're dishonorable, and Hendricks that you're a moron. Groveling is called for.
This is a great story.