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affirmations for when you have to send emails

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kept getting requests for gryphons so heres a bunch of them At Once

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advice for writing a stutterer from an actual stutterer;

okay no shade at all I just want all of u to learn and grow and become better writers! so here’s a handy tip list!

we don’t stutter on every word. okay, sometimes it can seem it, but honestly, we don’t, so leave a few words in there to give your readers some breathing room.

we stutter more on specific sounds. for me, f and s sounds are big ones. everyone has their thing and most stutterers have sounds that are harder to get out.

we don’t just stutter at the beginning of words and sentences. okay, honestly this is a big one for me. sometimes, a word starts off really well and goes down the drain at the second syllable! and the stutter doesn’t disappear once we’ve made it past the first word - it clings in there, so don’t forget it.

some of us don’t always stutter. some, not all, of us have what’s known as an anxious stutter, which generally comes alongside anxiety disorders. so, while it may be usually present, when a person with an anxious stutter is particularly comfortable with a situation, it tends to get better (or even almost disappear).

we don’t stutter when we swear. this is why some of us can stutter and stutter and stutter on a word and then shout fuck and everything’s cool. as far as science knows, this is because swearing is from a more primitive part of the brain, and so it bypasses the bit that makes us stutter! it’s so cool honestly.

we don’t stutter when we sing. the biggest two reasons for this one is 1) music comes from a different part of the brain to talking (language=left; music=right), and so it once again bypasses the stutter, or 2) ‘easy voice’, which is the voice that people sing in, is softer and smoother, and the sounds are longer so there’s less opportunity to stutter. either option is way cool but we don’t stutter when we sing.

sometimes, we give up on words. after a certain amount of stuttering on a certain word, you may see a stutterer take a deep breath and either try again, or replace it with a synonym. sometimes that word just won’t fit right in our mouths!

we hate it when people try to guess what we’re trying to say or try to speed us up. this might be a more personal thing for me, but there’s nothing I hate more than that clicky sound people make or the weird hand gestures or being told to “spit it out.” because we can’t control this shit and it gets tiring. it’s better just to let the person get it out and take their time with it, so when you’re writing, keep this in mind!

it gets worse when we’re anxious or stressed, and when we’re excited! I get really really stuttery when I’m enthusiastic about the topic of conversation, because I know so much about that thing that I try to talk really fast and my mouth can’t keep up! it’s the same when I’m anxious or stressed - when there’s more on our minds, the more everything gets a little muddled.

I hope this was helpful! feel free to add on and spread around!

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Watching my toddler figure out how to language is fascinating. Yesterday we were stumped when he kept insisting there was a “Lego winner” behind his bookshelf - it turned out to be a little Lego trophy cup. Not knowing the word for “trophy”, he’d extrapolated a word for “thing you can win”. And then, just now, he held up his empty milk container and said, “Mummy? It’s not rubbish. It’s allowed to be a bottle.” - meaning, effectively, “I want this. Don’t throw it away.” But to an adult ear, there’s something quite lovely about “it’s allowed to be a bottle,” as if we’re acknowledging that the object is entitled to keep its title even in the absence of the original function.

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the suffering never ends

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The Wink

Ricci was rushing to get ready that morning, barely washing her hair and tossing it out of the way. She threw her clothes on and ran her toothbrush over her teeth a few times. Her alarm was screaming again, reminding her that she was running embarrassingly late. She paused for a moment, staring at her reflection intensely before she dashed out the door, shaking her head and muttering to herself.

She was properly chewed out at work, and had to scramble to get started on her assignments, struggling to keep up with the ridiculous fast pace of the office. Exhausted, she slumped in through her door and crashed on the couch, turning on the show she had been watching that week. The images flashed by and the sound rang in her ears as she ate her noodles out of a cup. When the sound stopped, she opened her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep. With a groan, Ricci pushed herself off the couch and turned off the TV.

Taking her time brushing her teeth now that she wasn’t in a rush, Ricci inspected her reflection, remembering the morning. Shaking her head again at her foolishness, Ricci rinsed her mouth and reached for the light switch. She froze, staring hard again. Her reflection stared right back, looking just as horrified and confused. Then it changed, slowly shifting into a grin, and winked.

Ricci screamed, and smashed her fist into the glass. The mirror cracked, splintering across the whole wall. Several pieces fell out right where her fist had connected, and a sharp pain told her that at least one had embedded in her skin. Ricci looked at the broken mirror, eyes searching frantically, but her reflection mimicked her over and over in all the broken pieces. Breathing heavily, she looked down at her hand, where blood was seeping out of several small cuts. Resigning herself, Ricci wrapped her hand in towels, slumped to the car, and drove down to the hospital.

The nurses were very nice, especially when Ricci said she had been trying to kill a spider when it happened. They laughed and sent her on her way, but Ricci’s heart was slamming against her ribs hard enough to cause a sharp pain in her chest. The entire time, Ricci had been staring at a large mirror on the wall, where her reflection had looked shattered like her bathroom, despite the mirror being completely whole.

She walked to her car slowly, not wanting to go back to her house now that her hand was glass-free and bandaged up. She caught several flashes of eyes in car mirrors as she passed cars. Fear was beginning to paralyze her. She could barely breathe. Her car seemed far away and entirely too close.

She got in and hesitantly glanced at the rear view. Her scared eyes stared back, whole and perfectly reflected. She heaved a huge sigh until her eyes traveled to the back seat, where a dark body was sitting.

Ricci screamed and spun around, but nobody was in the seat. Heart pounding, she turned and looked at the mirror again. There was the body, clearly silhouetted against the lights coming from the hospital. Ricci stared, gasping for breath as the body leaned forward and light dropped over its face. She screamed again as her own eyes caught the light, reflected many times as though through a broken mirror. She blacked out, fear finally overwhelming her body.

*~*

Ricci blinked her eyes open, feeling groggy and unsure of where she was, something itching at the edge of her mind. She tossed her blankets off and stood up, groggily walking to the bathroom as she rubbed her eyes. Flicking the light on, something caught her eye. She turned to look at the mirror and saw the spider web cracks leading away from a large hole splattered with blood. Memories of the night before crashed into her mind, but she was too paralyzed to move away.

There was something moving in the center of the hole, and Ricci stared, unable to tear her gaze away. It was coming closer, she realized, until a hand thrust out to grab the broken glass of the mirror. Ricci’s scream broke her paralysis, but she couldn’t pull the door open. The hand clutched and pulled, bringing an arm and shoulder out of the hole next. Horrified for the rest, Ricci started kicking the door.

A soft thump sent shivers up her spine, as she turned slowly, not daring to blink. Before she had turned around, sharp pains exploded across her body, splitting in harsh lines as though she were breaking. The pain cracked and splintered until she collapsed onto the floor, crying and begging for it to end.

“That, I can do.”

The voice scared her, but not more than the cold hands grabbing her shoulders and shoving her toward the mirror. She fell through a long tunnel, slamming onto a hard surface at the end. Already suspecting what had happened, Ricci started to push herself up. Her body responded before she had wanted, standing quickly and staring through a fogged window at her own bathroom. Her own reflection smiling back at her.

Smiling? Why am I smiling?

Her arm reached suddenly to her toothpaste and toothbrush, and before she had even thought about it, she was brushing her teeth.

Where did I get these from?

Ricci couldn’t lower her gaze to look for the counter that she knew was not there. She wondered what would happen when her reflection moved to new mirrors. How would she continue to do this work?

Lazy Writing Prompt #280

I saw my reflection blink, so I smashed the mirror. That was a mistake.

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Charley slipped through the shadows, her footsteps muffled by the cars rolling down the main street. She needed to blend in, to not exist. She had her sweater, skinny jeans, and Ugg boots on, and clutched an empty Starbucks cup. Sliding into the crowds was easy, navigating them, maybe not so much. The boots were her sisters, as she preferred sleeker, heeled boots, and didn’t fit her feet quite right.

Luckily, her destination was close. Barely four blocks away from her house. She walked inside, took a fake sip from the cup, and glanced around. A few people had glanced up as the door jingled, but their eyes were already moving back to their partners, books, phones, or computers. Charley smiled and walked through the library, confidently locating the psychology isles. Taking a steady breath, she walked down the first isle, scratched her head, walked up the second, then coughed twice. She then walked halfway back down the first isle to peruse the section that carried books about moods and emotions.

Exactly sixteen minutes later, somebody tapped her twice on the shoulder. Charley stood, and followed the shorter person out of the isle. They stopped at the end and slid to the side. Security cameras couldn’t see them here.

“What do you want?”

“I need more this time.”

“Two per customer per transaction. That’s the deal.”

“Then I need to make two transactions.”

Charley was sure she felt the other person start to push away from her.

“No, come on. I have the money. I have more than enough. I’ll pay you extra for the second transaction. Come on. I need more.”

“Overdosing on my product casts a big shadow. I only supply non-lethal amounts.”

“I’m not overdosing. You know me. I’m not doing that. I need it to…do something.”

“Killing with my product casts a bigger shadow.”

“I’m not killing anyone either.” Charley felt her face heating up. How dare he suggest-

“Look, Charley. I like you. I can’t take that kind of risk.” He patted her shoulder and definitely moved to walk away.

“Please, no.” Charley grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “I need mine. My usual. But I need something for my dad, too.”

Charley felt his arm stiffen. “What are you spiking him with?”

“Fear.”

“I have Terror. No charge.”

Charley almost kissed him as relief crashed over her. “Thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever-”

“You still have to pay for your Happy and Serenity.”

“Of course. Of course.” Charley put her money in his hand and opened her Starbucks lid. He placed the four differently colored vials inside the cup. After a quick pause to pat her arm, he left quickly, disappearing down another isle of books. Charley paced through the books for another thirty minutes before choosing something from the romance section and checking it out, clutching her Starbucks cup the entire time.

She made her way back home carefully, not wanting to shake the cup too hard and break one of the vials. She had never held so many emotions before, and found that fear came from more places than a little green bottle.

Lazy Writing Prompt #2

Write an AU where people can buy bottled emotions off the black market. 

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dipped into this useful chart to populate my little nightmarish army here in this original story based on a prompt found here

Clara woke, rubbed sleep from her eyes, and sat up. A few animals scampered around the campsite, and Clara shooed them away from her own sleeping mat. The sun was rising, sprinkling the forest floor with light. She rolled to the side and starting collapsing her campsite, packing everything into a bag that was far too small, despite the very few belongings. Sleeping mat, extra blanket, canvas pitched over her head, and portable fire pit were all shoved into her pack to join her three sets of spare clothes. She tied the pack shut and slung it over her small shoulders before turning to the mound of earth beside her.

She checked the position of the sun one more time before sighing and walking toward the mound. Seemingly resigning herself to something, Clara poked the mound with her toe. “Timo, the sun’s up. Let’s go.”

The voice that came out of the little girl was as strong as that of a grown woman. Although years hadn’t even started taking away her rounded face, there was a hollowness in her cheeks that living on the brink had carved out. The mound shifted slightly. Clara rolled her eyes and put both hands on the side, sending sparks flying where they touched.

The mound flinched and rose, revealing a creature of nightmares. Unfurling black, leathery wings, the creature exposed a heavily plated back, tapering into a tail with a stinger, a coarse black mane surrounded an elongated face with red eyes and a mouth too large for its skull, housing several rows of sharply pointed teeth. It’s face was bare, skin stretched and cracked, it’s back legs, solid muscle under tight skin, claws large and curved on the ends of its four toes. The joints of the wings ended in a fiercely hooked talon attached to a pad it used as front feet. Clara smiled, reaching forward to scratch through the mane. The creature closed its eyes and hummed, the sound vibrating and clattering together in a sound that wasn’t threatening nor comforting.

“We need to get started.” Clara laid a kiss on the side of the creature’s face and turned her back on it. Her voice and face were hardening as she surveyed the end of the tree line, not fifty feet away from where she had camped for the night. “Wake the others.”

The creature, Timo, turned away from Clara to face the forest. Rearing onto its back legs, it spread its wings and opened its maw. The resulting sound was not loud, but low, and rumbled through the rocks, trees, and ground. An echo of movement responded, shaking the earth beneath Clara’s feet as creatures woke around her.

Some trees peeled themselves out of the ground to reveal limbs among the branches, lethal twigs sharpened at every opportunity, thorns growing and twitching, ready to be fired. The ground came alive with the small, crawling and slithering around Clara’s feet. Scales, fur, feathers, and spines all amassing together in a chorus of fear as the creatures approached. Clara was careful not to look down, as the basilisks were among the serpentine friends near her toes. A deep rumble cause Clara to turn and see Timo greeting another massive beast. More graceful in appearance, the griffin sported the shoulders, claws, wings, and head of an eagle, and back legs of a lion. The two rubbed their heads together before turning back to Clara.

More enormous creatures were arriving to the group. Gigantic three headed dogs, horses sporting everything from fanged teeth and sharpened claws, to deadly horns sprouting from their foreheads, to great wings on their backs. The combinations of these features becoming more deadly as the horses transitioned from fur covered bodies to more reptilian scales. Lion-like creatures huddled together, wings folded to reveal the heads of goats resting beside the manes, and tails ending with snake’s heads shipping together above the hooved back legs. Clara smiled at her nightmarish group before turning back to the clearing.

At the fringe of the forest were tree stumps, the graceful giants having been severed cleanly from their roots and carried away by humans. Her eyes sparked as she surveyed the carnage. Scores of homes, ripped away by greed. It was never enough for the insatiable beasts, but Clara would not allow one more friend to go hungry. No more trees would be taken under her watch. And anyone that tried, well, she had her ways.

The morning whistle sounded in the town far below, agitating the still-growing crowd around the young girl. Last to the party were the creatures too reptilian to warm their bodies without the sun. Large creatures with scales and pebbled skin, many legs carefully treading around the smallest creatures still flooding the forest floor. Clara had made her opening statements the day before. She had approached the men alone, in good faith. She had explained that these trees were home, that the men had already taken more than they could possibly need at the current time. She had asked them to stop their efforts, or face the wrath of the forest-dwellers.

She had been laughed at, and shoved to the side. She had been grabbed and pinched and tweaked by grown men who found the wild child pleasing. She had made them all bleed, cursing the very breaths they took, and escaped with nothing more than bruises. Now, she would show them what wrath they had invited.

“Timo, Krifoj, Akrajn, please. Everybody else, to positions. If you weren’t given an assignment yesterday, find one now. Half-mile perimeter from my position. Be ready when we signal you.”

The movement shook the ground again, and Clara grinned as the large trees settled in to block the movement, pulling their leaves low as shields. She had needed her sleep after working magic on these trees, hardening their bark and sharpening their leaves. They were nearly indestructible as she could make them, pure shield and power ready to strike. She touched the stone around her neck and closed her eyes, drawing the power out and pushing it into every cell in her body. A gift from her mother, the stone was going to prove its worth in the coming fight. Now Clara would see how she had done storing excess power day after day.

She felt a warmth on her arm and turned to look into Timo’s gentle red eyes. “Are you ready?” His answer flooded her bones as he screamed his defiance at the yellow monsters the humans had brought. The griffin Timo had been greeting nudged Clara with its beak. “Krifoj, thank you for coming to the front lines. And Akrajn.” Clara turned to the third creature, opposite Krifoj with its lion’s head and shoulders, but haunches of an eagle. All three spread far apart to give their wings enough space for take off. Clara climbed onto Timo’s back, the plating giving her a perfect saddle.

The first rumblings of machinery reached their ears, and the trees in front of the greeting party opened. All three creatures pushed off the ground together and launched into the air. Clara felt the wind whipping her face, the cold slicing away any vestiges of sleepiness she hadn’t known she was feeling. As they soared above the forest, Timo swooped back to fall behind. Krifoj and Akrajn stayed wingtip to wingtip as they approached the front line. They landed solidly in front of the yellow army and screamed their displeasure in unison. Timo flew through the sunlight to land as the griffins’ scream ended, landing with an earth-shaking crash.

Clara stood on his scales to address the men, who were falling out of their mechanical beasts. “I warned you that these trees are my home. They are home to many creatures that rely on their shade, protection, and food. If you continue to defy me, we will be forced to retaliate.” Clara created a starburst that exploded around herself, signaling her friends in the forest to send up their own discordant response. The displeasure rippled through the humans, and Clara grinned to see the fear on their faces. The starburst was a simple, harmless charm, but one that never failed to make grown men falter. Her friends took those faltering breaths and exploded them into paralyzing terror with their voices alone.

“Witch!” Clara’s eyes narrowed on the large man shouldering his way to the front. “You don’t frighten us!” And he pulled a small bag from his pocket to hurl at Clara. She felt its power before it touched her; a mixture of herbs and spells that smelled deadly in the air. She dropped to Timo’s back and the bag missed, exploding on the ground behind her three guides. Her griffins smelled the death instantly and took off, fear turning their talons green. Timo, however, crushed the bag with his back foot, opened his mouth and screeched at the humans. His mouth glowed white, then red as heat rippled from his throat. The machines in the front twisted and groaned, melting under the pressure. The humans closest started yelling, covering their faces with arms that were dripping away. Timo held the screech until Clara herself covered her ears, fearing for her eardrums. She rose again, staring directly at the man who had thrown the bag, who was laying on the ground, writhing in pain as his arms, legs, and face melted away.

“Your tricks will not help you here. Leave my home, and never return.”

As she watched the humans falling over themselves to escape, dragging wounded and dead in their wake, Clara caught the eye of the man who had thrown the bag. Revenge was burning in his eyes, icy as he met her gaze with a promise.

 This was only the beginning.

Mythical creatures: The most complicated diagram on fictional animals you’ll ever need!

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. And then the murders began.

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Charmed, I’m Sure

Sorci walked through the door of her shop, her keys jangling as she tossed them into the bowl under the window. She waved her hand at the windows and all the shades pulled themselves up, the curtains tied themselves to the sides, and the windows themselves slid open to let in a soft breeze. Walking past the rows of little potted plants, Sorci ran her fingers along all the sprouting leaves. She came to a sudden stop at one and picked up the pot, squinting at the seemingly normal growing plant. Muttering to herself, she tossed the pot toward the front of the shop, where it landed softly on her desk, coming to rest in a patch of bright sunlight.

After completing her walk through the plants, Sorci checked the shelves along the walls, filled floor to ceiling with books. They all appeared to be in order, so she moved onto the labyrinth of jewelry displays, which seemed to be glowing slightly brighter than the sunlight drifting across the soft purple carpet. Past the jewelry, Sorci twitched her fingers at the storage bins hidden behind her desk. Clothing, boots, hats, and other accessories flew across the room to settle themselves onto shelves, tables, and hangers in the middle of the store.

Sorci settled herself behind her desk near the door to consider the small plant again once she had wiggled her fingers at the door to set the open sign ablaze. She lifted the pot to eye level again, eyebrows furrowing as she poked and prodded at the sprout, only stopping when the bell above the door announced her first customer of the day. She settled the plant back into the sunlight and stood up.

“Welcome to Charmed, I’m Sure, do you need help finding anything today?”

“Hello, yes, thank you. I’m looking for a…plant.”

Sorci smiled kindly and gestured toward the rows of pots sitting happily in the sunshine. “I have many plants. What are you hoping your plant can do for you?”

“I was hoping- um- you know, I need a plant for the-uh- bedroom.” The last word was whispered and a dark blush seeped up the young woman’s face.

“Right over here, ma’am,” Sorci gestured to the end of the end row. “I have nutmeg and clove here, which both work just fine, but this little plant here is called Passionflower, yes I know, it’s a bit on the nose. However, it’s the best plant I have for the bedroom, and has the added benefit of reducing anxiety and relaxing the body. It’s a bit pricier, but I think it’s worth it.”

The young woman nodded, still blushing to the roots of her hair. “I’ll take it.”

Sorci summoned a small plant carrier over to the table and set about preparing the little sprout for its journey. “There is a small booklet on care and maintenance, which is necessary to read if you want the plant to last longer than a week.” She tucked the little booklet into the box and sent it flying to the desk. “Is there anything else you want?”

“I was hoping to find a charm actually, my friend said she bought one from you and she’s having her baby any day now and I was hoping you might have more or something similar, you know?”

“Absolutely! I have a large range of fertility charms right over here.” After browsing the jewelry for a few minutes, the young woman chose a small but pretty necklace and brought it to the desk. By the time she had finished paying, two more customers had walked in.

“Welcome to Charmed, I’m Sure, do you need help finding anything today?”

The older woman grunted and shuffled away, but the middle-aged man nodded enthusiastically, gesturing with his hands. Sorci recognized the movements and called on her language pool to respond.

“Do you need help finding anything today?”

“Yes, please, I’m looking for a hijab for my sister. It’s her birthday. One like yours would be nice. She likes flowers.” The middle-aged man smiled when Sorci waved her hand toward the clothing racks. “I’m hoping for a special stitch.”

“How many charms would you like? I’m having a sale, buy two get a third free.”

His smile widened and he nodded, but did not respond immediately. He was browsing the options until he found the right one; white fabric with light blue flowers. “Do you have protection, good fortune, and preservation?”

“I do. When do you need to pick it up?”

“Her birthday is in two weeks.”

“I can have it complete in one.” Sorci took the hijab from the man and sent it into the back room, writing herself a note in floating runes to accompany it as he thanked her and left the shop.

The older woman shuffled toward the front of the shop now, clutching a small school bag and a blue teddy bear. “These already have protection runes, yes?”

Sorci nodded, “All merchandise for children comes with protection runes ready stitched.”

The old woman held out the two items, “I would like to purchase these.”

Sorci sent the items to the front desk. “Do you need help finding anything else today?”

“Goodness no, I haven’t the money to buy these kids anything else!”

With a grin, Sorci lifted a small necklace from a display case. “What about for yourself ma’am? This charm is on sale, for long life and good health. I can even add an energy boost to it free of charge.”

“Whatever would you do that for?”

“Oh, energy boosts are no trouble at all, barely even take one whole breath to complete. I only charge for a boost in large quantities.”

The old woman considered the necklace for a long moment, checking and double checking the price tag. “This is the sale price?”

Sorci felt the woman’s energy depleting, and a swell of emotion rose in her own chest. “Sorry, no, it seems I forgot to change the price. 60% off today.”

The woman’s energy rippled back up as she nodded, “I’ll take that too.”

They walked to the front together, Sorci asking about the young child that the gifts were for.

“Oh, my granddaughter. She’s a bright one, just the sweetest little pea. My son says I spoil her too much, but I can’t help myself. She’s got me all wrapped up, she has.” Sorci’s heart blossomed at the love and joy in the woman’s energies as she spoke. She was reminded of her own grandmother, who had died far too young, and changed the price of the teddy bear as well.

After wrapping up the items and sending the grandmother on her way, Sorci turned back to the little plant on her desk. “I know you’re doing this on purpose, you know. Yesterday there was a big bloom right on top. Come on now, put it back.” She squinted at the plant, bringing the pot so close to her face that the tip of her nose brushed it. A faint giggle burst out of the dirt and a purple flower opened at the top of the sprout, little pink sparkles falling into the dirt.

“Come out here and stop messing with my plants, you little trickster.” Sorci’s voice was amused, laced with laughter that she didn’t quite release as a small pink pixie hopped out of the flower pot and onto Sorci’s shoulder. “I was wondering where you were hiding when I locked up last night. It’s not very nice of you not to say goodnight, you know.”

The high little giggle sounded again as the bells over the door chimed. The pixie zoomed off into another part of the shop as Sorci went to help her new customers. Two young men, holding hands, and glowing slightly, though Sorci knew only she could see their joy so plainly.

The taller of the two nodded when she greeted them, asking if they needed help. “It’s our anniversary,” he beamed at his partner, “and we’re looking for a few things for our house.”

“A couple plants for relaxation, an air freshener that keeps away bad spirits, and we were hoping for a couple of protection charms we could keep on us,” the other one was no less excited, but definitely more business-like in tone.

“My charms are over here, they come in necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and hair clips. I do sell partner charms that alert the companion if the other is in danger that the charm is not powerful enough to stop.”

“Please, we’ll have a look at those.”

Sorci had a lot of fun looking through the charms and then plants with the couple. It was their first anniversary, as well as the week they were closing on their new house. Very excited to be out of apartments, the pair had decided to go on a small shopping spree. Caught up in all the good feeling, Sorci’s pixie came fluttering around to greet the couple, who were absolutely charmed by her.

“Watch out, she may be cute and sweet, but she’s also devilishly tricky,” Sorci called as she moved to help another customer. Floating between patrons, Sorci could feel her spirits lifting with each sale. The customers were all satisfied with their purchases, and left in even better moods than they had come in with. Sorci’s pixie fell asleep in her hair at one point, which made walking a little more difficult, but the three customers she had at the time were very understanding.

At closing time, Sorci lit up her sun lamps for the plants; they needed three more hours of sunlight. She decided to use those three hours to start working on the special orders she had received that day. Among them, the floral hijab with three charms, a child’s blanket with one charm, and a box of chocolates to be filled with special flavors. Excited to begin working on the challenge, Sorci picked up the chocolates.

The customer who had ordered them had been very specific. 30 chocolates and 10 different flavored fillings. They were for the customer’s girlfriend and boyfriend to celebrate their third anniversary. Sorci picked one flavor to begin working on; the moonlight walk down a beach in the summer, and started brewing and bubbling at her table as she waited to turn down the sunlamps.

okay but domestic witches:

stitching sigils and runes into the insides of your clothing (or that of your children to protect them) 

making your own laundry detergent and lacing it with good luck and preservation spells

putting protective charms on your child’s backpack or in your spouse’s bag before they go to work

planting flowers and herbs for joy and relaxation

making small dolls with herbs inside for comfort and placing them on your children’s bed

putting special herbs into the sauce for good health

DOMESTIC WITCHCRAFT

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Charmed, I’m Sure

Sorci walked through the door of her shop, her keys jangling as she tossed them into the bowl under the window. She waved her hand at the windows and all the shades pulled themselves up, the curtains tied themselves to the sides, and the windows themselves slid open to let in a soft breeze. Walking past the rows of little potted plants, Sorci ran her fingers along all the sprouting leaves. She came to a sudden stop at one and picked up the pot, squinting at the seemingly normal growing plant. Muttering to herself, she tossed the pot toward the front of the shop, where it landed softly on her desk, coming to rest in a patch of bright sunlight.

After completing her walk through the plants, Sorci checked the shelves along the walls, filled floor to ceiling with books. They all appeared to be in order, so she moved onto the labyrinth of jewelry displays, which seemed to be glowing slightly brighter than the sunlight drifting across the soft purple carpet. Past the jewelry, Sorci twitched her fingers at the storage bins hidden behind her desk. Clothing, boots, hats, and other accessories flew across the room to settle themselves onto shelves, tables, and hangers in the middle of the store.

Sorci settled herself behind her desk near the door to consider the small plant again once she had wiggled her fingers at the door to set the open sign ablaze. She lifted the pot to eye level again, eyebrows furrowing as she poked and prodded at the sprout, only stopping when the bell above the door announced her first customer of the day. She settled the plant back into the sunlight and stood up.

“Welcome to Charmed, I’m Sure, do you need help finding anything today?”

“Hello, yes, thank you. I’m looking for a…plant.”

Sorci smiled kindly and gestured toward the rows of pots sitting happily in the sunshine. “I have many plants. What are you hoping your plant can do for you?”

“I was hoping- um- you know, I need a plant for the-uh- bedroom.” The last word was whispered and a dark blush seeped up the young woman’s face.

“Right over here, ma’am,” Sorci gestured to the end of the end row. “I have nutmeg and clove here, which both work just fine, but this little plant here is called Passionflower, yes I know, it’s a bit on the nose. However, it’s the best plant I have for the bedroom, and has the added benefit of reducing anxiety and relaxing the body. It’s a bit pricier, but I think it’s worth it.”

The young woman nodded, still blushing to the roots of her hair. “I’ll take it.”

Sorci summoned a small plant carrier over to the table and set about preparing the little sprout for its journey. “There is a small booklet on care and maintenance, which is necessary to read if you want the plant to last longer than a week.” She tucked the little booklet into the box and sent it flying to the desk. “Is there anything else you want?”

“I was hoping to find a charm actually, my friend said she bought one from you and she’s having her baby any day now and I was hoping you might have more or something similar, you know?”

“Absolutely! I have a large range of fertility charms right over here.” After browsing the jewelry for a few minutes, the young woman chose a small but pretty necklace and brought it to the desk. By the time she had finished paying, two more customers had walked in.

“Welcome to Charmed, I’m Sure, do you need help finding anything today?”

The older woman grunted and shuffled away, but the middle-aged man nodded enthusiastically, gesturing with his hands. Sorci recognized the movements and called on her language pool to respond.

“Do you need help finding anything today?”

“Yes, please, I’m looking for a hijab for my sister. It’s her birthday. One like yours would be nice. She likes flowers.” The middle-aged man smiled when Sorci waved her hand toward the clothing racks. “I’m hoping for a special stitch.”

“How many charms would you like? I’m having a sale, buy two get a third free.”

His smile widened and he nodded, but did not respond immediately. He was browsing the options until he found the right one; white fabric with light blue flowers. “Do you have protection, good fortune, and preservation?”

“I do. When do you need to pick it up?”

“Her birthday is in two weeks.”

“I can have it complete in one.” Sorci took the hijab from the man and sent it into the back room, writing herself a note in floating runes to accompany it as he thanked her and left the shop.

The older woman shuffled toward the front of the shop now, clutching a small school bag and a blue teddy bear. “These already have protection runes, yes?”

Sorci nodded, “All merchandise for children comes with protection runes ready stitched.”

The old woman held out the two items, “I would like to purchase these.”

Sorci sent the items to the front desk. “Do you need help finding anything else today?”

“Goodness no, I haven’t the money to buy these kids anything else!”

With a grin, Sorci lifted a small necklace from a display case. “What about for yourself ma’am? This charm is on sale, for long life and good health. I can even add an energy boost to it free of charge.”

“Whatever would you do that for?”

“Oh, energy boosts are no trouble at all, barely even take one whole breath to complete. I only charge for a boost in large quantities.”

The old woman considered the necklace for a long moment, checking and double checking the price tag. “This is the sale price?”

Sorci felt the woman’s energy depleting, and a swell of emotion rose in her own chest. “Sorry, no, it seems I forgot to change the price. 60% off today.”

The woman’s energy rippled back up as she nodded, “I’ll take that too.”

They walked to the front together, Sorci asking about the young child that the gifts were for.

“Oh, my granddaughter. She’s a bright one, just the sweetest little pea. My son says I spoil her too much, but I can’t help myself. She’s got me all wrapped up, she has.” Sorci’s heart blossomed at the love and joy in the woman’s energies as she spoke. She was reminded of her own grandmother, who had died far too young, and changed the price of the teddy bear as well.

After wrapping up the items and sending the grandmother on her way, Sorci turned back to the little plant on her desk. “I know you’re doing this on purpose, you know. Yesterday there was a big bloom right on top. Come on now, put it back.” She squinted at the plant, bringing the pot so close to her face that the tip of her nose brushed it. A faint giggle burst out of the dirt and a purple flower opened at the top of the sprout, little pink sparkles falling into the dirt.

“Come out here and stop messing with my plants, you little trickster.” Sorci’s voice was amused, laced with laughter that she didn’t quite release as a small pink pixie hopped out of the flower pot and onto Sorci’s shoulder. “I was wondering where you were hiding when I locked up last night. It’s not very nice of you not to say goodnight, you know.”

The high little giggle sounded again as the bells over the door chimed. The pixie zoomed off into another part of the shop as Sorci went to help her new customers. Two young men, holding hands, and glowing slightly, though Sorci knew only she could see their joy so plainly.

The taller of the two nodded when she greeted them, asking if they needed help. “It’s our anniversary,” he beamed at his partner, “and we’re looking for a few things for our house.”

“A couple plants for relaxation, an air freshener that keeps away bad spirits, and we were hoping for a couple of protection charms we could keep on us,” the other one was no less excited, but definitely more business-like in tone.

“My charms are over here, they come in necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and hair clips. I do sell partner charms that alert the companion if the other is in danger that the charm is not powerful enough to stop.”

“Please, we’ll have a look at those.”

Sorci had a lot of fun looking through the charms and then plants with the couple. It was their first anniversary, as well as the week they were closing on their new house. Very excited to be out of apartments, the pair had decided to go on a small shopping spree. Caught up in all the good feeling, Sorci’s pixie came fluttering around to greet the couple, who were absolutely charmed by her.

“Watch out, she may be cute and sweet, but she’s also devilishly tricky,” Sorci called as she moved to help another customer. Floating between patrons, Sorci could feel her spirits lifting with each sale. The customers were all satisfied with their purchases, and left in even better moods than they had come in with. Sorci’s pixie fell asleep in her hair at one point, which made walking a little more difficult, but the three customers she had at the time were very understanding.

At closing time, Sorci lit up her sun lamps for the plants; they needed three more hours of sunlight. She decided to use those three hours to start working on the special orders she had received that day. Among them, the floral hijab with three charms, a child’s blanket with one charm, and a box of chocolates to be filled with special flavors. Excited to begin working on the challenge, Sorci picked up the chocolates.

The customer who had ordered them had been very specific. 30 chocolates and 10 different flavored fillings. They were for the customer’s girlfriend and boyfriend to celebrate their third anniversary. Sorci picked one flavor to begin working on; the moonlight walk down a beach in the summer, and started brewing and bubbling at her table as she waited to turn down the sunlamps.

100% based on this post

[reginaclairewrites-blog]

Hey, Im pretty new to your blog and Im trying to write a short story about a girl who goes after the "choosen one" to try and stop them from fulfilling the prophesy because it isn't what it seems. How should I start?

Hi :)

That is an interesting idea. You could start with the girl leaving her home to stop the chosen one. Or you could start with the Moment the girl first hears about the prophecy and/or the moment she realises something is not right and that it needs to be stopped.

- Jana

[reginaclairewrites-blog]

Prompt 1939. “Just because we’re metamours doesn’t mean we have to be friends.” “That’s sad. I love you both. I would like you guys to be friends.”

[reginaclairewrites-blog]

In Which Diversity Isn't a Myth

Ok. I’m tired of the typical vampire, werewolf and fairy.I’m also tired of the occidental-centrism in mythology. Hence, this list. 

I tried to included as many cultural variants as I could find and think of. (Unfortunately, I was restricted by language. Some Russian creatures looked very interesting but I don’t speak Russian…) Please, add creatures from your culture when reblogging (if not already present). It took me a while to gather all those sites but I know it could be more expansive. I intend on periodically editing this list. 

Of note: I did not include specific legendary creatures (Merlin, Pegasus, etc), gods/goddesses/deities and heroes.

Dragons

The Chinese Dragon

The Japanese Dragon

The Korean Dragon

The Vietnamese Dragon

The Greek Dragon

The Indian Dragon

The Polish Dragon

The Austrian Dragon

The British Dragon

The Ancient Dragon (Egypt, Babylon and Sumer)

The Spanish Basque Dragon

Of the Cockatrice (creature with the body of a dragon)

Alphabetical List of Dragons Across Myths (Great way to start)

Little creatures (without wings)

The Legend of the Leprechauns, The Leprechaun

Chanaque /Alux (the equivalent of leprechauns in Aztec/Mayan folklore)

Elves

Elves in Mythology and Fantasy

Elves in Germanic Mythology

Kabeiroi or Cabeiri (Dwarf-like minor gods in Greek mythology)

Norse Dwarves

The Myth of Loki and the Dwarves

Ten Types of Goblins

Goblins

Tengu: Japanese Goblins

Gnomes 

More on Gnomes

Pooka: an Irish phantom

Creatures with wings (except dragons)

Fairies

All sorts of Cultural Fairies

Fairies in Old French Mythology 

A Fairy List

Bendith Y Mamau (Welsh fairies)

Welsh Fairies

Peri (Persian fairies)

Yü Nü (Chinese fairies)

The Celtic Pixie

Angels in Judaism

Angels in Christianity

Hierarchy of Angels

Angels in Islam

Irish Sylph

Garuda (Bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist myths)

Bean Nighe (a Scottish fairy; the equivalent of a banshee in Celtic mythology)

Harpies

Spirited Creatures

Druids

Jinn (Genies in Arabic folklore)

Types of Djinns

Aisha Qandisha and Djinn in Moroccan Folklore

Oni (demons in Japanese folklore)

Nymphs

Spirits in Asturian Mythology

Valkyries

Lesovik

Boggarts: The British Poltergeist

Phantom black dogs (the Grim)

Demons in Babylonian and Assyrian Mythology (list)

Demons in the Americas (list)

European Demons (list)

Middle-East and Asia Demons (list)

Judeo-Christian Demons (list)

Nephilim, more on Nephilim

Mahaha (a demon in Inuit mythology)

Flying Head (a demon in Iroquois mythology)

Ghosts

Toyol (a dead baby ghost in Malay folklore)

Malay Ghosts

Yuki-onna (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

The Pontianak (a ghost in Malay mythology)

Funayurei (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

Zagaz (ghosts in Moroccan folklore)

Japanese Ghosts

Mexican Ghosts

Horse-like mythical creatures

Chinese Unicorns

Unicorns

The Kelpie (Could have also fitted in the sea creatures category)

The Centaur

The Female Centaur

Hippocamps (sea horses in Greek mythology)

Horse-like creatures (a list)

Karkadann, more on the Karkadann (a persian unicorn)

Ceffyl Dwfr (fairy-like water horse creatures in Cymric mythology)

Undead creatures

The Melanesian Vampire 

The Ewe Myth : Vampires

The Germanic Alp

The Indonesian Vampire

Asanbosam and Sasabonsam (Vampires from West Africa)

The Aswang: The Filipino Vampire

Folklore Vampires Versus Literary Vampires

Callicantzaros: The Greek Vampire

Vampires in Malaysia

Loogaroo/Socouyant: The Haitian Vampire

Incubi and Sucubi Across Cultures

Varacolaci: The Romanian Vampire

Brahmaparusha: The Indian Vampire

Genesis of the Word “Vampire”

The Ghoul in Middle East Mythology

Slavic Vampires

Vampires A-Z

The Medical Truth Behind the Vampire Myths

Zombies in Haitian Culture

Shape-shifters and half-human creatures (except mermaids) 

Satyrs (half-man, half-goat)

Sirens in Greek Mythology (half-woman and half-bird creatures)

The Original Werewolf in Greek Mythology

Werewolves Across Cultures

Werewolf Syndrome: A Medical Explanation to the Myth

Nagas Across Cultures

The Kumiho (half fox and half woman creatures)

The Sphinx

Criosphinx

Scorpion Men (warriors from Babylonian mythology)

Pooka: an Irish changelings

Domovoi (a shape-shifter in Russian folklore)

Aatxe (Basque mythology; red bull that can shift in a human)

Yech (Native American folklore)

Ijiraat (shapeshifters in Inuit mythology)

Sea creatures

Selkies (Norse mermaids)

Mermaids in many cultures

More about mermaids

Mermen

The Kraken (a sea monster)

Nuckelavee (a Scottish elf who mainly lives in the sea)

Lamiak (sea nymphs in Basque mythology)

Bunyip (sea monster in Aboriginal mythology)

Apkallu/abgal (Sumerian mermen)

An assemblage of myths and legends on water and water creatures

Slavic Water Creatures

The Encantado (water spirits in Ancient Amazon River mythology)

Zin (water spirit in Nigerian folklore)

Qallupilluk (sea creatures in Inuit mythology)

Monsters That Don’t Fit in Any Other Category

Aigamuxa, more details on Aigamuxa

Amphisabaena

Abere

Bonnacon

Myrmidons (ant warriors)

Troll, More on Trolls

Golems 

Golems in Judaism

Giants: The Mystery and the Myth (50 min long documentary)

Inupasugjuk (giants in Inuit mythology)

Fomorians (an Irish divine race of giants)

The Minotaur

The Manticore, The Manticore and The Leucrouta

The Ogre

The Orthus (two-headed serpent-tailed dog)

The Windigo

The Windigo Psychosis

Rakshasa (humanoids in Hindu and Buddhist mythology)

Yakshas (warriors in Hindu mythology)

Taqriaqsuit (“Shadow people” in Inuit mythology)

Stick Indians

References on Folklore and Mythology Across the Globe

Creatures of Irish Folklore 

Folklore and Fairytales

An Overview of Persian Folklore

Filipino Folklore

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

Alaska Folklore

Spanish (Spain) Mythology

Mythical Archive

Mythology Dictionary

List of Medieval and Ancient Monsters

Native American Animals of Myth and Legends

Native American Myths

Bestiary of Ancient Greek Mythology

Mythology, Legend, Folklore and Ghosts

Angels and Demons

List of Sea Creatures

Yoruba Mythology

Ghosts Around the World, Ghosts From A to Z

Strange (Fantastic) Animals of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian Mythology

Creatures from West Africa

On the Legendary Creatures of Africa

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

References on writing a myth or mythical creatures

Writing a MYTHology in your novel?

How to Write a Myth

10 Steps to Creating Realistic Fantasy Creatures

Creating Fantasy Creatures or Alien Species

Legendary Creature Generator

Book Recommendations With Underrated Mythical Creatures

(I have stumbled upon web sites that believed some of these mythical creatures exist today… Especially dragons, in fact. I just had to share the love and scepticism.)

[reginaclairewrites-blog]

the politics of light and dark are everywhere in our vocabulary…psa to writers: subvert this, reveal whiteness and lightness as sometimes artificial and violent, and darkness as healing, the unknown as natural

[reginaclairewrites-blog]

here’s a list of books that have lgbtqa main characters that weren’t killed for shock value :)))) (bc we’ve all been disappointed enough this year)

* = adult or new adult lit

the engelsfors trilogy by sara elfgren and mats strandberg (the lgbtqa witches trilogy we all deserve)

more than this by patrick ness

the foxhole court by nora sakavic*

everything leads to you by nina lacour

the rest of us just live here by patrick ness

proxy by alex london

fan art by sarah tregay

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of universe by benjamin alire saenz

the mortal instruments by cassandra clare

unspoken by sarah rees brennan

the turn of the story by sarah rees brennan

i’ll give you the sun by jandy nelson

carry on by rainbow rowell

the darkest part of the forest by holly black

how to repair a mechanical heart by j.c lillis

simon vs the homosapiens agenda by becky albertalli

far from you by tess sharpe (lesbian character dies before the book which sets the plot in motion, bi mc)

captive prince by cs pacat*

know not why by hannah johnson*

the gods of gotham by lyndsay faye*

him by elle kennedy and sarina bowen*

the understatement of the year by sarina bowen*

the nightrunner series by lynn flewelling*