W_L

Excellent police procedural, it reminded me of classic gay mystery novel like Dave brandstetter series from 1980s to 90s that highlight similar murder mysteries

A few days after Ritchie’s twenty-second birthday, they sat him at the kitchen table and did not soften the truth. Dexter’s transplanted liver was failing. Reese had late-stage stomach cancer. Dexter explained first, as plainly as he could. His labs had crept the wrong way for months—bilirubin up, INR stubborn, and GGT telling the same quiet story. Ultrasound showed a beaded, narrowed bile tree. The team offered to reactivate him on the transplant list, to chase a second graft, maybe a livi

A well-written, visceral, and nuanced werewolf tale. Krista's writing style enhances the story with superb details that immerses the reader into the story, allowing you to experience the riveting plot as it unfolds. In terms of character, Nicholas is a fascinating character, he's a tortured soul, who was drifting through life until the fateful encounter at the start of this story. You will discover his backstory and insecurities over the course of the story. A great read for people seeking a story that draws you in with its main character.

I chose to start with your story early! It was a great story, loved the packless werewolf aspects and mystery of the missing abducted girl. The tracking was a well-written plot element, creating some reader immersion into your story. I found the werewolf to be engaging with his tracking instincts on full display. You also built in consequences for the death in the story, which is a refreshing realistic aspect that a lot of stories ignore with paranormal creatures. A dead body is like a neon sign. Nicholas reserved behaviour as a werewolf felt like a callback to older werewolf stories before the advent of the shifter genre, making stories far lighter. The truth that Nicholas was turned at a young age by werewolves, who stole him from his family, and lived a harsh life among wolves. It feels like he was suffering from some psychological issues. This was a much darker take on werewolves.

Definitely a group effort, @Valkyrie and @Aditus deserve a round of applaus from us, along with @Myr and @Cia for tech support

Lot of stuff to read, going to be a busy weekend! @Krista I know what you mean, I wanted to go unconventional with my theme, too. But it ended being pretty straight forward. ------------ Overall, it was fun to write and let me practice my starcrossed ideas.

A Frozen Exchange Part 1: This story from the 1960s, about two nuclear-armed nations fighting over a small island, is not the one you might expect. It did not unfold in the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean, but on the sometimes-frozen Amur River. Nor did it involve the much-celebrated United States, so often cast as the central superpower in these kinds of struggles after World War II. Instead, it pitted the People’s Republic of China against the Soviet Union—former allies turned

In 1969, two boys from opposing nuclear-armed nations along the banks of the Amur River met. This is their untold story with the backdrop of ideologies, rhetoric, and national priorities. (Part of the 2025 Prompt Team Event)

Scorpius would get jealous if Colin tries to steal his Albus from him

Can't wait to see what you all came up with

Among organs, the liver is a rare optimist. Give it a margin of healthy tissue—roughly a quarter—and it will try to knit itself whole again. The problem, as Dexter’s specialists reminded him, is that regeneration isn’t choosy. Healthy cells can multiply; so can malignant ones. For six years, his scans had shown mostly good news: thickening bands of healthy parenchyma, only the occasional suspicious spot burned away by modern wizardry. Then, without ceremony, the balance tipped. The newest lesion

@Seraph28 , @peter rietbergen , @Calvin , @chris191070 , and @andy cannon There will be a lot in the next few chapters, but I can promise you that Dexter and Reese will live "fully". As for whether this is a tragic story or not, I personally don't think of it as tragic. But, it could be a matter of perspective.

Plans rarely survive contact with life. At forty, Dexter stood at the summit of his profession; at thirty-four, Reese was climbing alongside him. They helmed a small constellation of places to eat—one fine-dining flagship, two bistro-style rooms, and five gleaming gastro-bakeries—and came home to an eight-year-old son who filled their house with noise and light. Ritchie had everything a child might want, and he gave back everything two fathers could hope for: a quick mind, loud laughter, a

@Seraph28 Yeah, it's hard to kill off characters, but natural progression within the story leads to a tragic ending for some people, who honestly don't deserve it. As for Dexter's cancer, you are correct, it's seldom portrayed in fiction, but recurrence rates are pretty high. Another sad point of realism that I feel needed to be portrayed. @andy cannon Yeah, Carnes did nothing wrong technically, except his visa lapsed, and the lottery for H2B's shrank (real-world issue, too). I left out an extra-long scene of Carnes and Josie debating about giving up their baby boy to Dex and Reese, it felt a little too maudlin and contrived. It's best to leave the unspoken and unseen struggle in-between the lines delivered by Dexter to the others. Knowing they tried to cross the border to see their son and died in the crossing was sad enough to convey their longing and desperation. @chris191070 It's a chapter full of healing and desolation, there's a lot of real life involved with what people do and what people must overcome both within themselves and beyond them. @Calvin Good meme as always @Modified Cub I tried to portray characters and plot as an evolving narrative; their struggles are framed with realistic concerns and contemporary problems. Cancer isn't like what you see on TV or movies, you can be in good shape until recurrence strikes, which isn't portrayed at the percentages that it happens to people with prior cancer diagnosis. (Getting rid of tumors doesn't get rid of the body chemistry that caused them). Carnes' immigration issue plotline was hinted at several chapters back, and I also mentioned his newborn baby boy early in the story as a throwaway comment. Giving up your child to other people is hard, there's bound to be regret and a desire for reunion. Sadly, in today's environment, reunions posed mortal risks for Carnes and his wife Josie.

Jasmine came back to herself slowly, layer by layer. Therapy helped—during Jasmine's absence and months after her return—quiet rooms with harder questions, all underwritten by Dexter without fanfare. She hated taking the help; she knew how much his own cancer treatments must cost. But he and Reese insisted. Reese joked to alleviate her distress that she was “a better long-term investment than any wine vintage for the restaurant.” Jasmine’s memories of the night returned in fragments—sounds

Life at Le Coq snapped back into tempo after Cloves’ botched robbery—pots rattling, tickets snapping, burners hissing—a deliberate, almost stubborn normalcy. Dexter set the pace. He floated between stations with a side towel over his shoulder, firing off a quick “behind” as he slid to sauté, tasting sauces for salt at the pass, then ducking to dish to help a rookie unload racks. Carnes tapped the rhythm on the stainless with his spoon, Clove’s old station covered by a quiet rotation of line cook

The next day, Dexter fired Cloves. The cook left spitting threats, which Dexter had expected. Dexter gathered the staff, spoke plainly about his decision without divulging anything about the case, and made it clear the kitchen would run as usual. Reese stood with the other staff; the emotional distance between him and Dexter was obvious enough to spark rumors—some said Reese opposed the firing, others that he forced Dexter’s hand. Before the whispers ended, Dexter had other news to share. H

Yeah, my dad was a Chinese line cook and then a chef for years before he retired. I grew up around kitchens and heard a lot of gossip from the waitresses in the front when I visited. @chris191070 can I get an order of tater tots and a PB&J?

@peter rietbergen Appreciate your interest, and it is a lot of things I'm covering for realist sake of restaurant issues. @chris191070 It is sad, but it is part of the characters' live. @andy cannon With pain we will have growth @Seraph28 The intensity is just starting to ramp up.

The days that followed moved slowly and burned hot. With Jasmine off the line, Reese slid into the kitchen whenever he could, trying to cover the gap. He was two semesters from finishing his associate's degree in Classical French and World Cuisine, but he managed with coverage from Sara, who was relieved from motherhood duties with the appearance of Colby as her babysitter. During the first evening, Colby arrived at Sara’s apartment with a snack-stuffed backpack and the swagger of an eighte

Hope you get better soon

Well, I got inspired yesterday, and I'm going to run it through grammar checks next. Is 10K words too much for a prompt? I blame it on being Saturday, and something I was watching. I had too many hours to write.

Thank you @Valkyrie

@chris191070 and @peter rietbergen Not going to spoil what Dexter's phantom pain is This was a hard chapter to write, trying to balance happiness, joy, and success with a sudden reversal of dread, pain, and foreboding. I wanted to create a realistic story. The conflicts in this story are very real and common.

Wonder what kind of story you'd write. Haven't written vampires or werewolves yet, either, but I've read plenty of MM romances with them, a little bloody at times and very spicy.