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TroublesFest authors have been revealed, and this is my story:

All That Time We Were Buccaneers (3857 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haven
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Duke Crocker/Nathan Wuornos
Characters: Duke Crocker, Nathan Wuornos
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Mind Control, Injury, Alcohol, Kissing, Flashbacks, Hand Jobs, Missing Scene, Pirates
Summary: Duke has been mind-controlled into playing pirate, but Nathan is not playing. Duke is not a pirate, and neither is Nathan, dammit. ...Not anymore.

I'd been interested in writing this missing scene for some time (as you can tell, from my previous post about Last Year's Me). In episode 3x10, "Burned", Duke is mind-controlled for a while by a little girl with a Trouble. And eventually he's playing 'pirate' for her, dashing about, fighting off invisible enemies, with the stereotypical pirate yarrr and so forth. Audrey and Nathan arrive while Duke is swordfighting on the perilous top rail of the Gull's balcony, and Nathan races up the stairs to help him, but before Nathan can get there, Duke slips and falls. Nathan rushes to his side (to put his hands all over him, natch), and tries to look after him, while Duke unwisely staggers to his feet and then passes out. Commercial.

Then there's a scene where Duke and Nathan are both not present, while Audrey talks to the Troubled girl. When we finally see Nathan again, he says that Duke is "resting", and "at least he stopped thinking I'm an enemy pirate".

So, you know, nice hurt/comfort missing scene potential. But what pushed it over the edge for me is a little exchange toward the end of the episode. On the page, it's nothing special; they stand by the truck, Nathan asks Duke if he's good, Duke says he is and asks Nathan to keep the town from imploding until he gets back. But the proximity, the touching, the way they look at each other, the husky softness of their voices, it's a surprisingly intimate moment (and in that gif you can't even see low enough in the frame to see how Nathan is touching him). In season 3, they'd been having some rocky times (rockier than usual), so it was interesting to see their guard so willingly down here.

That was the endpoint I had in mind for the missing scene, then, positing some change that might have happened while Nathan was looking after Duke. Also I figured, what if the pirate thing took a little while to finish wearing off? (Yarrrr. :D)

This is also my entry in the "explain the old pirate sticker in Nathan's truck" sweepstakes--Killa noticed the sticker in season 1 episode 3 and put up a nice screencap: http://killabeez.dreamwidth.org/406570.html , and people have drawn (delightful) connections between it and Duke ever since.

TroublesFest 2014 stories are live! There are 23 Haven stories in there at the moment.

And TWO of them are MINE! *gloat, gloat, curl up on hoard like Smaug* I don't know what I did to deserve two gifts, but man, I'll take 'em!

They are:

Winter's Flotsam (7944 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haven
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dwight Hendrickson/Nathan Wuornos
Characters: Nathan Wuornos, Dwight Hendrickson
Summary: It's been a hard winter for Nathan and Dwight, and they're both a little worn at the edges. But maybe the wear and tear can bring them closer.

and

Breathe (2797 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haven
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Duke Crocker/Nathan Wuornos
Characters: Duke Crocker, Nathan Wuornos
Summary: Duke tries to teach Nathan how to meditate. Set season 4 after 'The New Girl'.

"Winter's Flotsam" is a Dwight/Nathan slash story, set after the events of 4x01, "Fallout". Dwight is worried and capital-R Responsible, and Nathan is still shocky and getting back on his feet; they end up learning more about each other and steadying themselves against each other as they adjust to what is to come. (This is the X-rated type of steadying. :D ) I really like how much Dwight needs to be needed and leaned-upon; his dazed reaction when Nathan tells him that Garland would never have disapproved of him, it's very endearing. And Nathan, though he's in a really matter-of-factly dark place, accepts this moment of connection, and reveals a lot of things I think he otherwise wouldn't have. (Also: Dwight is built like a brick shithouse. Aherm.)

"Breathe" is a warm, UST-ish story of Duke trying to show Nathan how to meditate, and actually succeeding despite everything. Duke is still Duke, in his jokes and his happy bulldozing through Nathan's stubbornness, but he also has a very real desire to help Nathan somehow. So with every apparent obstacle, whether it's Nathan's exhausted derision or Nathan's Trouble with his sense of touch, Duke just shakes it off and adjusts things, until he can make the situation work. And in calming Nathan, he seems more strongly affected than he had expected to be.

I hug these stories to my face, and stick the giftwrap-bows upon my head like on my birthday. And there are all kinds of other stories there, waiting to be discovered!

Haven story submitted! If all goes well, TroublesFest 2014 goes live sometime tomorrow, and authors are revealed in a week.

I can't be specific, due to the anonymity and all, but I did have to mention this: about halfway through the story, I felt stuck and unsatisfied with it. The voices were sliding away, and it felt trapped in the wrong sort of tone.

So I thought I would tuck it into my My Writing Spot space, which is a really nice, streamlined little online text editor. I usually have whatever story I'm currently writing (or brainstorming/note-taking/outlining) in there, in case I want to add things on a break at work, or just so I can get to it anywhere.

I pasted it in, and went to put a name on it. And when I did, I noticed that I had a doc in there with a similar name. Huh. Notes, probably, but to see if there was anything useful, I took a look.

A year (!) ago, I had wanted to write a Haven story with this same plot, just for fun and to fill a spot on a bingo card I had signed up for. And I remembered taking notes on it (I have them in my paper slash-notebook). What I didn't remember is that I actually WROTE OVER A THOUSAND WORDS OF IT, then stopped. I mean, I remember why I dropped pursuit of the idea, because I got last year's TroublesFest assignment (which asked for something different). But I had completely spaced the fact that I had gotten well into an actual story.

And this old draft was from a different character's POV, and had a different tone, both of which really helped crack the problem I was having with this year's draft. So I took the old draft, airlifted in the things I liked from the new draft, and was out of the mire and running again.

I would like to thank Last Year's Me for putting that stuff into the time machine. Thanks, pal. :D

(I would also like to encourage This Year's Me to do some memory exercises.)

The author reveals on the TroublesFest Haven story exchange went live today. I'll be editing the authors names into my post here about the stories I received; turns out they are

roseveare and

kerithwyn! Thanks, you two!

As for me, I wrote:

Wert Thou the Unicorn (5485 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haven
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Duke Crocker/Nathan Wuornos
Characters: Duke Crocker, Nathan Wuornos, Audrey Parker
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Huddling For Warmth, Poison, Angst, Unicorns
Summary: Written for the prompt, "Duke gets shot, and Nathan freaks out about it."

When I got that prompt, I flopped around for a while trying to think of something especially Haveny about getting shot.

torch, who does not know Haven, nevertheless suggested I include unicorns, just on general brainstorming principle--and funnily enough, that is actually a sort of thing that Haven might have! And you can certainly get shot with things other than bullets...like, say, a tranquilizer dart? Add to that Nathan and Duke's passionately complex relationship, Nathan's determined repression, and Duke's deep desire to poke hornet's nests with a stick, and there you go. :D

I went on a trip, I loafed about with friends, I consumed delicious television shows and movies (oh boy, did I! I'll definitely have things to say on that front later...). I did not, however, keep up with journaling (or commenting...my apologies to those on my reading lists). But in the interest of not letting the perfect become the enemy of the good, I'm not going to go "oh well, I missed out on doing a continuous post-for-30-days so I may as well not post at all". Instead: back on the horse.

One of the things I managed to do on the trip was finish my story for the TroublesFest Haven story exchange. I got a good bit written every day, including one day where I wrote with people talking in the same room. I'd never managed that before! Stories are still anonymous (author reveal will be this Sunday, Sept. 15), but I can definitely mention the ones I received.

ETA: added author names after the reveal.

The exchange story I got is a nice long gen casefic centering on Dwight, my favorite secondary character!:

Dwight Hendrickson and the Tigers From Mars (10937 words) by roseveare
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haven
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Dwight Hendrickson, Nathan Wuornos, Garland Wuornos
Summary: From perpetual flies and illusory zombies to alien dimensions, Dwight's service cleaning the Troubles in Haven, through the transition between Chief Wuornos and Chief Wuornos.

I love getting to see Dwight in action, plus more of Garland, as well as a view of Nathan from an outsider who doesn't know him well yet.

I also got a surprise extra gift, with more Dwight!:

find us a way to make light (1335 words) by kerithwyn
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haven
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Dwight Hendrickson, Nathan Wuornos
Summary: Dwight does what he can.

Dwight is such a Fixer. Sigh! ♥ The author says slash goggles are welcome in this story, and I certainly wore mine, in a couple of directions.

Check 'em out, plus 20 more Haven stories of all kinds!

Only a couple more days left to sign up for TroublesFest 2013, a Haven fic exchange!

Here's the exchange FAQ on AO3.

I have not signed up yet, on account of I have a lot of decisionmaking problems. But soon!

(...wrestles with character tags...pokes remaining writing neurons...ponders...)

killabeez,

franzeska, and I are thinking about having a Haven room party at some point during Vividcon. If you'll be attending VVC and might be interested in Havening with friends, would you kindly fill out this poll? Thanks!

Man...I juuust have some new people checking out my journal and whatnot, and I go all Radio Silence. Sorry about that. I wanted to poke my bedhead above the surface and let you know that I've been sick, and my energy is only now creeping back to me. (Just in time to have to go back to work. But there are physical objects that need things done to them, in order for other people to have them in time, and I guess this illustrates why they really needed to hire me, which is nice... I only wish I could return to the treadmill a little more gingerly, is all. It doesn't take much at the moment to wipe me out.)

It's not that I'm ordinarily a postin' fiend. But if I had the energy and all my coughing muscles weren't about to cramp up entirely and fall off, I would definitely have some things to say about:

* Person of Interest cliffhanger episode! (SQUEE MY FACE IS MADE OF SPARKLY HEARTS.)

* Haven scheduling concerns!

* Yuletide bears!

* TJ and Amal!

And stuff.

I'll be clawing my way back onto the Internet eventually, and you'll be hearing from me in comments or posts or what-have-you, so don't think I'm not out here listening. And coughing. But right now, mostly listening.

As a reward for finishing some stuff, I actually got to watch some more TV! So I caught up on Haven...

( Longwinded positive thoughts about Haven 3x04 and general Haven season 3 behind ye cutte )

Oh, the poor people suffering for my enjoyment. *pets them* :D

1. Justified season 3 starts up tonight! I, as the kids say, Am Excite.

2. On a visit to several individuals of my acquaintance, I watched all of the episodes (so far) of Person Of Interest. And I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THIS SHOW AND THESE CHARACTERS, YOU GUYS. FEELINGS. ♥______♥

3. We also got through an enormous amount of Haven, which I will be finishing up now that I am home again. Perhaps Nathan should officially be renamed "OhPoorNathan!", given how often that phrase comes out of my mouth.

4. And given that all this takes place in and around me having watched the Sherlock Finale Of Agita And Woe, do you think my workplace would let me call in Televisually Wrung-Out for a couple days?