Titania Tempest
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Titania Tempest
@titaniatempest.bsky.social
400 followers 380 following 150 posts
Wielder of pens, sometimes as tiny swords.

Author of PAPER DAFFODILS

New #agegap #lesfic - A THOUSAND REASONS - coming soon!
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titaniatempest.bsky.social
#vss365 prompt #reflection

excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Viv turned on her heel, retreating fast, her composure fraying with every step. By the time she reached her trailer, her hands were shaking. She slammed the door, leaned against it, and counted her breaths – one, two, three – but the tremor in her hands wouldn’t stop. She tried again, but her pulse refused to settle, and after a few seconds, she stalked to her mirror, lifted a sharp finger at her reflection and snarled, “Stop it. Damn you – STOP IT.” The sound split the small space, brittle and intimate. She stood there trembling, chest heaving, the echo still hanging in the air – and then a voice, smooth and quiet, cut through the static. “Viv.” She spun. She hadn’t even heard the latch click. Framed by the light, Rowan leaned against the doorframe in full regalia – calm, breathtaking, entirely unreal. The world tilted under Viv’s feet. “You can’t be here,” she managed – too sharp, too fast, as if venom might substitute for control. She recoiled until the makeup station caught her spine. “It’s— not a good time.” Rowan stepped inside. Her voice came steady, low. “It’s never a good time with you, is it?” Gently, she closed the door.
November 26, 2025 at 8:08 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt 22/11 - #crystal
The hotel’s warm, cosy function room glittered like something out of a period drama as Rowan swept in for the press dinner the following evening. Ahead, crystal glasses caught the glow of chandeliers, candlelight glinted off polished silver, and the soft clink of cutlery mingled with low laughter. No one had noted Rowan’s arrival yet, and she paused just inside the doors to adjust the fall of her long black dress – and to take stock of the room. Across the way, she spied Viv already holding court with a bevy of journalists and photographers, and her mouth tightened. Draped in sapphire silk, the older actress commanded half the room, her light laughter measured to the decibel, her smile polished to perfection. Flawless. Unbothered. Ice. Like nothing in the world was amiss; like there wasn’t a glacier spreading through their suite, slowly crushing Rowan’s sanity. Deliberately, Rowan told herself it was professional indignation – simple resentment at how neatly Viv had bested her in their little rivalry – but beneath the veneer of logic, the ache felt older. Familiar. The kind that came from misplaced trust. And she couldn’t quite contain the sensation that something inside her was cracking.
November 22, 2025 at 8:02 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#Excerpt from #AThousandReasons

for #lesficfri prompt #chill
November 21, 2025 at 2:50 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt #direction
The tension between her and Viv in character was addictive, and she pursed her lips as she thought about it. She knew she had to keep it strictly on set, because to let it distract her external routine would certainly play to Viv’s advantage. Viv was dangerous in that way; she had the intoxicating ability to live in people’s thoughts for weeks after they’d encountered her, and Rowan was adamant she wouldn’t fall into that trap. She was halfway through convincing herself that she could rise above that kind of manipulation when the bell above a café door jingled ahead, and Viv herself stepped out. Rowan stopped dead, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks at the unexpectedness of her appearance, and briefly considered whether she should make a break for it. But Viv had already looked in her direction, and it was too late to escape. “So much for keeping it strictly on set,” Rowan muttered with a sigh. Swinging a quick glance around the vicinity to check who might be watching, she thrust her hands into her pockets, willed herself to keep her wits about her, and made a beeline for Viv.
November 21, 2025 at 2:47 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt 16/11 #run
The Highland night air bit at Rowan’s skin, the chill cutting through the last of the bitter fury that had driven her from the bar. As she walked laps around the hotel, skirting the edge of the lamplight where the gardens gave way to the dark, her pulse slowed and anger ebbed toward misery, until she had her arms wrapped around herself against more than the cold. Stifling a shiver, she wished she wasn’t in heels and an evening dress. Because then she could run. And keep running, until the hurt fell away behind her. She knew she’d struck a nerve with her dig at the dinner, but she’d never expected Viv to come sweeping into the bar like a hurricane afterwards. She’d never seen her like that – wild, electric, spoiling for a fight – and she hadn’t been ready for that kind of confrontation. Three whiskies deep, hiding in the corner and brooding over her behaviour, she’d been wide open. And Viv’s opening statement had cut so close to the bone that Rowan could still feel the splinters.
November 16, 2025 at 12:18 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

prompt 15/11 #progress

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Her pulse skipped brittle beneath the aftermath of their exchange. She found her mark, lifted her chin, and waited for her cue. But her focus wasn’t on the director; it was riveted on the woman in front of her, close enough to touch and yet impossible to reach. Viv looked so fragile, suddenly. As if she were the furthest thing from ready for this scene. “Action!” Charlie called. Rowan reacted instinctively, drawing from Lyric’s anger to give Viv something to push against. “I told you this would happen,” she snarled. “I told you your pride would spawn your fall. You burned the last trace of grace between us and now there’s nothing left but ashes.” Viv responded, “You think you understand the stakes, Lyric – but you don’t. And I will never forgive you for choosing your temper over me.” Her voice came softer than it should have, not with the Queen’s fury, but with a quiet tremor that didn’t belong to Selandra at all. As the take progressed, the undercurrent of strain in her every move began to match the shadow behind her eyes.
November 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
Formatting is EXHAUSTING 😭
(probably because I'm not very good at it lol)

BUT
I'm pleased to announce ...

📢 IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A BOOK 📢

🫶
November 14, 2025 at 10:20 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#lesficfri prompt #leg

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Viv gestured lamely toward the armchairs. “Shall we just… sit?” Rowan nodded and crossed to the one by the window. The rain tapped against the panes, steady as a heartbeat, and she sank down with a small sigh – the first real breath she’d managed all day. Viv settled opposite, tucking one leg beneath her and fussing with the cushions; a small, ordinary motion that hit Rowan with an ache of affection. She watched, absorbed by the way Viv’s hair escaped from behind her ear, by the faint furrow of concentration on her brow as she attempted to get comfortable. When Viv finally stopped fidgeting, she glanced up and caught Rowan staring. “What?” “You’re… beautiful,” Rowan said. Viv blushed, ducking her head.
November 14, 2025 at 8:22 PM
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#WIPSnips

#week
Exhaling, she leaned her elbows on the counter and pressed her face into her palms. This week had been one of the hardest she could remember, and she knew it was spiralling. The worst part was, she didn’t know if she could bring herself to pull it back. The rift with Rowan had started to show in their performances, in the way the crew whispered when they thought neither of them was listening. Even Charlie had noticed. In the twenty years since her wayward days, Viv had never once been told she wasn’t present. The truth of it stung.
November 14, 2025 at 11:55 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt 13/11 #build

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Rowan tipped him a jaunty smile, strode across, and found her spot. She settled her feet, limbered her shoulders, and let the tension inside her build. She was in better spirits, and more than ready to work. Viv stepped to her mark opposite, her expression carefully neutral, and they began. Rehearsal ran. Lines they’d fumbled yesterday suddenly found purchase, an undercurrent threading between them that neither of them acknowledged, nor denied. Rowan met Viv’s gaze on a cue and felt it land, clean and true; Viv held it, effortlessly, and the moment between their characters practically caught fire. When Charlie finally called, “That’s it – we’ve got it! Thank God.” relief rippled through the attending crew like a change in the weather. And throughout the rest of the morning, the work held. Nothing overt, nothing reckless; only the sense that the wire between them was live again. Rowan did her job. So did Viv. But the space they’d been living in wasn’t empty anymore; it had a shape. A hum. A promise.
November 13, 2025 at 9:11 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt 12/11 #shirt

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Rowan’s pulse fluttered. She tilted her head free to brush her lips along Viv’s throat, tasting the faint sweetness of her skin. Viv gasped, the sound fragile and human, and Rowan felt it echo somewhere deep inside her. The rush of heat it brought with it made Rowan pause, and she bit at her lip to steady herself. “Something wrong?” Viv whispered, a faint hitch of fear beneath her words. “God, no,” Rowan murmured, smiling. “I’m just… trying not to lose it.” Viv smiled back. “Maybe… we can? Just for tonight…” Her fingers skimmed higher, tracing fire beneath Rowan’s shirt. Gentle. Sure. Rowan closed her eyes, leaning into the scorching certainty of it. She wanted to let go – to stop thinking about cameras, endings, the ticking clock on their impossible little world – and beneath Viv’s touch, she almost could.
November 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips
prompt 09/11 #picture

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Viv looked up over the rim of the reading glasses and accepted the sticky chocolate treat Elaine held out. Elaine licked her fingers after its release and bustled back into the seat beside her to see the screen again. “That’s a powerful picture of Rowan,” she said. “Queen in the making, that.” “Mmm.” Viv handed the tablet back and turned her attention to the cake. “Rattled you already, has she?” Elaine continued, in her gruff, entirely too candid way. “You got that from ‘Mmm’?” Viv said, raising an eyebrow as she handed back the reading glasses. “It’s obvious to anyone with eyes she’s caught your attention,” Elaine replied. “And we both know how that kind of scenario ends. But the series is nearly over, and – well, just… keep it together, all right?” Viv sat back in her chair and fixed Elaine with a bland expression. “You do know you’re the only person in the world who can get away with saying things like that to me.”
November 9, 2025 at 10:03 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips
prompt 08/11 - #little

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
“Heavens,” she said, reaching tentatively for her sense of humour as Rowan took another huge mouthful, “acting opposite me all day really took it out of you.” Rowan snorted – and choked – and the last slip of wary ice melted as Viv rose to thump her on the back. When she’d recovered enough breath to respond, Rowan gasped, “It’s having to carry your performance that knocks me.” And Viv laughed, finally. “Cheeky bugger.” Rowan schooled herself to seriousness. “You know, Viv… If you want any pointers…” Viv threw a cushion at her. Grinning, Rowan ducked and then got up to rinse their bowls. When she’d finished, she topped off their wine glasses and dropped back into her chair, and then her face settled to something a little less sassy. At length, she gently said, “I’m glad you came back tonight… Part of me feared you might sleep in your trailer.” Viv almost blushed. “I’ll admit I considered it.”
November 8, 2025 at 11:45 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#lesficfri prompt #smooth

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
November 7, 2025 at 12:17 PM
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#WIPSnips
prompt 07/11 - #movement

Excerpt from #AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
November 7, 2025 at 9:02 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

prompt 05/11 - #trail

#AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Opening her eyes with an irritable expression, Viv vainly attempted to settle herself. “You are insufferable.” “I think the word you want is irresistible,” Rowan corrected, jovially. She turned toward her seat, deliberately letting her fingers trail across Viv’s shoulder – a feather-light touch that sent heat chasing down its path – and Viv gave in to the tide rising inside her. She caught Rowan’s hand and tugged, and Rowan lost her balance and tumbled sideways into her lap. “The word I want…” Viv said, her voice low and loaded as she looked down into Rowan’s wide eyes, “…is most definitely irresistible.”
November 5, 2025 at 1:07 PM
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Ooo... today's word shows up probably more than it should in my WIP 🤭😇

#ILoveAWomanWithSomeSteel 🗡️💖👀🌈

#WIPSnips prompt 04/11 - #steel
#RowanAndViv
November 4, 2025 at 8:01 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#vss365
prompt 03/11 - #domestic

(WIP excerpt from #AThousandReasons)
Viv poured into two mismatched mugs, carried them across, and set one beside Rowan. She settled opposite with a soft sigh, pulled her reading glasses down from her hair, and lifted her script from the coffee table. It was ridiculous, how natural she looked – as though this were simply a quiet evening at home. Rowan dropped her gaze into her mug, seething. Why did she have to look so relaxed, so domestic? Damn her. After a beat of brooding silence, Viv tried for a truce. Lightly, she said, “Only two weeks, Rowan. And then you’ll be rid of me.” Rowan looked up, met her mild gaze, and bit back all the things she’d like to say. Swallowing hard, she rose with an easy smile and offered a sarcastic toast with her mug. “Won’t be soon enough.” The joke was thin, and she could see on Viv’s face that it landed that way. Reminding herself to be more polite, she added, “Thanks for the tea. I’m going to turn in – get an early night, head start on tomorrow.”
November 3, 2025 at 5:58 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt 03/11 - #nice

#AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
Rowan gave a short, humourless laugh. “You were right. They’re always watching.” “They are,” Priya agreed carefully. “But like you said, the media only tells half the truth. Fans see what they want to see. You’re two brilliant women, trading fire on screen – that’s bound to stir any pot.” “Nice of you to skip over the fact they caught me clear as day, staring at Viv before we started,” Rowan said with a self-deprecating smile. “And – Christ – seeing it from the outside… I really must learn to control my bloody face.”
November 3, 2025 at 10:13 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
In case you've never seen a "story seed" before...

YES, I have taken the liberty of calling it that b/c it's one of several idea kernels that will (hopefully) bloom into a full-blown book 😂🌱🌳

#YesThisIsWhereMyNovelsStart
#DontJudgeMe
#Book5InASeriesIDidntKnowIwasWriting
November 1, 2025 at 9:22 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
I've been so busy with #RowanAndViv 's story, I'd kinda forgotten how cute and wholesome #DawnAndRosie are 🎃👻🥰🌈

#WIPSnips
prompt #monster
“Proper spooky, isn’t it?” Dawn said in a hushed voice, leery of disturbing the unnatural silence. Rosie shouldered against her with a small smile. “I don’t know, I kind of like it… Just you and I and the cold, quiet night.” “Wow,” Dawn chirped, tucking closer as they walked, “Since when are you such a bloody romantic?” “What can I say,” Rosie replied with an expansive sigh, “you do bring out the worst in me.” Dawn giggled and then squinted up through the gloom. “Hey! I think this is the place!” She dragged Rosie to the left, towards a garish orange and yellow sign that flickered against the fog. A bell jangled as they pushed through the door, and then a doorkeeper dressed as Frankenstein’s monster materialized before them.
October 31, 2025 at 8:51 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt #spell

#AThousandReasons
#RowanAndViv
“All hail the Queen!” Nick repeated, throwing himself to his knees. Others shouted, “All hail the Queen!” And Viv, braced against the tree with her eyes locked on Rowan as if nothing else in the world existed, found herself whispering… “All hail the Queen.” Over the heads bowed at her feet, Rowan caught her gaze again. Softer, this time. Coloured by a strange kind of sadness. Against the subtle ache she saw there, a fierce longing surged in Viv’s chest – and she nearly pushed off from her vantage, nearly closed the distance between them, tortured by the urge to claim her, take her, keep her. “CUT!” The sound cracked through her like thunder. She blinked, and the spell was broken. The world was abruptly too bright, too loud. Crew chatter spilled in. Someone swore about a faulty camera.
October 30, 2025 at 8:50 AM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
Dawn and Rosie to the rescue once again for today's #WIPSnips prompt 🤭👻👀

#broomstick
“Right,” she said brusquely. “Let’s get the hell out of here!” Dawn clutched her broomstick and nodded, following her as she stalked over to the next door. Rosie tucked one roller under her arm, turned the handle and pulled. Nothing happened. Frowning, she tried again. “What’s the matter?” Dawn asked from behind her. Rosie’s scowl deepened. “Door’s locked.” Dawn paled, and they turned back to the exit Rosie had barricaded. “It appears the only way out is back through there,” Rosie said darkly.
October 29, 2025 at 1:59 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt #costume
28/10
Viv gave a tight nod of approval. There she was – the woman who had survived every headline and heartbreak. And yet… beneath the paint and polish, she could almost see another self. The one Rowan’s daring appraisal had ignited last night. The one she’d thought was long gone. Narrowing her eyes, she turned away from the mirror. When she emerged, she caught sight of Rowan in the far corner of the soundstage. The younger woman was already in full costume, dashing in her fantasy-knight attire as she leaned a hip against the stunt department’s crash mat and laughed quietly with one of the doubles. She looked entirely at ease – the kind of poise that came from confidence, not complacency – and Viv was faintly irritated to notice it.
October 28, 2025 at 9:36 PM
titaniatempest.bsky.social
I knew this prompt wouldn't appear anywhere in my entire current #WIP manuscript lol, so here's a snippet from #DawnAndRosie 's Halloween short story instead 🤭🎃👻🕷️

#WIPSnips
#blood-curdling

P.S. Entire story is free on my website, if it takes your fancy:
titaniatempest.wordpress.com/2023/10/29/d...
Muttering, she stomped through to the bathroom and roughly hauled the bath curtain aside to reach the taps. But she paused with her hand outstretched – for there, squatting by the plug hole, was another infernal spider. Typical – obviously the boys couldn’t even remember where they’d bloody put them all. Pursing her lips to a thin white line, she scooped it up. And it twitched. For a long, horrible moment, she froze, but then the spider scrabbled frantically in her fingers and cold comprehension dawned. She flung it away with a bloodcurdling screech, and the spider panicked upon landing, skittering haphazardly across the bathroom tiles at an abominable pace. Rosie’s shrieking reached fever pitch as she danced on the spot to avoid it, and, with a mighty effort, she flung herself up onto the side of the bathtub, clinging precariously to the curtain for balance. Dawn came rushing in – eyes wide at the ruckus Rosie was causing – and bolted across to steady her before she fell. “Jesus, Rose! What the hell is going on?”
October 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM