#it will. sometime. its future chapter previews :)

[retellingthehobbit]

"If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is! Or will be, when the time comes."

[tokyomiracle]

✨Click here to start reading!✨

[hummingbird-games]

2024 in Review (Indie Games)

2023 | 2022 | 2021

Helloooo gamer friends!!!

I'm so tired.

Lol.

Anyhoo, y'all don't care about that!!! Y'all are here to see what games I played and what the heck I have to say about them! Reminders: I don't bash games I didn't like, and I try to post more in-depth thoughts and reviews and general yapping to Gem's Game Gems.

DEMOS

When Stars Collide - I am by no means a sci-fi girlie. I need a HEAPING dose of fantasy or fantasy elements to help me out. That said, y'all might remember how I went feral for Gilded Shadows, so I am locked in for this journey with WSC. It's just as mysterious and lore intense as GS, but also just as intriguing and engaging!

Love Me, Love Me Not - I looooove when a game charms me to pieces??? Our MC Addie, the introduced LIs, the story, the art??? Where do I begin?? Anyway, please check this one out y'all! I'm impatient for the full game (shocker, I know).

Threads of You: Beyond the Bay - So my thoughts and reactions for this one are on the side blog, but I really enjoyed the demo and I have eyes for Chris, Vince, and Alex hehehe.

Lost in Limbo - While I'd been keeping tabs on this game for what seems forever because of the character art that originally caught my attention, I almost didn't finish the demo because it was lowkey disturbing (I'm a wimp and not all horror is made equal). But!!! BUT!!!! I push through to the end, had a good time, noted that I need to play the full game in the daylight with the music turned down low. And I absolutely adore Ara and Xal so, so much.

A Simple Twist of Fae - Absolutely no one cares, but I read a lot of manga this year. Like, a lot-a lot. Like, ~180 books and 1/3 of that was manga. Anyhoo, When JMB announced she was cooking up this game, I was impatient to get my grubby hands on it. AND THEN I PLAYED IT AND IT WAS THE SHOJO INSPIRED GAME OF MY DREAMS?!?! Like.....I wish I could both have it on my computer and also on my bookshelf. Final build dropping when??? (Also the UI design is utterly delightful, I cry.)

The Summit Library (FULL DEMO) - The last time I reviewed this game, we got chapter 1 as a taste, and I was. Locked! In!! The full demo gives us the first 2 chapters as well as the previews for all the romance routes and while giving everyone a whirl I'm *still* undecided on who to go for in the future, I must mention this: TSL is so aspec friendly???? I do love a game with smut, don't get me wrong looks at College Craze but sometimes I have my moments of being overwhelmed/sliiiiiiightly repulsed and the variety of options you have to choose how you react and interact with the various LIs in this game is amazing. (I have more thoughts on this, so I'll try to remember to post to the sideblog, but please understand that this game is totally worth your attention and time imo!!!)

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

Rabbit Trail - This. Game. Is. SO. Cute. *punches the air* 😭🥹(Copy + paste of my review on the itch.io page -> This was so charming, so fluffy, so cozy, just delightful all around??? I've only reached one ending so far, but René is just the cutest protag to play as, and his interactions as he delivers his mail made me cheese so dang hard! (Also, I wanted to fight his parents for not properly appreciating their kid LOL))

Stuck by Design - I checked this game out because I was looking into games that fellow programmers had worked on, and this cozy game stumbled onto my lap. The music was perfect, the UI is beautiful and clean, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the VA for the LI, Yuki.

Wake Me Up If You Need Me - I called this game older!HSDJY MC x Ryan coded and I'm still right. The voice actor MAKES this game, and the interactions the player has with Reed is so flippin' delightful?? All my love and adoration to the game developer. May they make more beautiful games.

CTRL FREAK - The developer team brought us The Faithfulness of the Universe which is a banger in its own right, and CTRL FREAK is the team's commercial, finished project that I also found delightful. The soundtrack and the animations are chef's kiss 💛

Breathless Winds - Ooo, baby, ooo. So. If there is only one game you play from this list and you have some spare cash to spend (at the time of writing, the game is on sale!!!) please, please, check this one out. It left me absolutely spellbound, both the orginal demo, and then the full game. While I didn't get to blog fully about this one, and I only tackled 2 of the 4 routes, this game is absolutely everything. This is my indie game of the year. Poppy and her journey resonated with me, and between the music and the art, everything just came together so perfectly.

Wake Up Magical Girl - Listen TF up, if miseri creates it, I'm gonna play it, idc, idc. That being said...this game had a kick to it that when I finished my first playthrough, I had to stare off into space and gather myself. It takes the concept of magical girls and heroism and gave me a teeny tiny existential crisis, but other than that, I'm fine, it's fine, play this game, thank you.

Sleeping Under Spells - God, I love me a game where I get to argue with a LI. I love it. Bonus points if it's lowkey stupid stuff we're bickering over LOL!!

Our Wonderland - Yeah, uh huh, you thought you'd escape me talking about this game this year, didn't yah???? Too bad. The fifth and final arc dropped this year and I played it and I cried and felt for the briefest moments that life was okay. To say something different than my review of last year, I love that this seems to be the game that helps fellow ace devs find and flock to each other, I'm not kidding 🤣 so thank you Carrot for helping us fellow aspec peeps feel seen and validated and understood!

I Watched a Full Game Playthrough and Highly Recommend

Replay Boys - Okay so technically at the time of posting, there's still one more video I'm waiting to watch (Naja of BlerdyOtome uploaded her stream to YouTube) but my Godddddd. I've had my eye on this game for FOREVER but I was lowkey waiting for it to move to itch.io (I'm still a lowkey Steam hater 🥹) anyhoo, watching this absolutely wild game made me go ahead and buy a copy for myself to replay at a later time, but it's just great. The summary only scratches this surface of what the game entails 🤣

Gemi’s Gushies

(a list within a list of games that have devs trucking along in the background and I want to spotlight for y’all)

Save the Villainess - Life got away with me and unfortunately I never finished my play of the demo BUT what I have played was fun and I hope to return to this in the new year!

Woman of Xal 2 - Plot Twist Studios is on that Sequel Train with the next installment of WoX!!! Which I'm VERY excited for!!! I've unfortunately only completed one playthrough of this game, but the first game is definitely a masterclass in replayability, and I hope next year I'll be able to do a second playthough as I wait for game 2's Kickstarter!

...

And that's 2024! Any shared favorites?

- Gemini 🫶🏾

[redtsundere-writes]

Tyrant's Favorite | Sukuna Ryomen

Chapter 9 “Defense” is available now!

King!SukunaRyomen x Servant!FemReader

Summary: You used to be just another servant among the army of humans operating under the command of the terrible king, Sukuna Ryomen. An ordinary human who only knows how to wash, clean and cook. Until one day, he notices something in you that you hadn't seen before.

PICK YOUR FAVORITE!

AO3 or Wattpad?

Preview ↆ

“A knight of gigantic height, a pagan hero with great strength and benevolent heart, very skilled at handling weapons, his name was... Fie..." You brought the book up close to your face to read the unknown word. 

A couple of days had passed since you became King Sukuna's future fiancée and started your private lessons with Master Kenjaku. Your cleaning days were over and you were slowly getting used to the new routine that the king had imposed on you. Everyday, you got up early to dress up with the finest clothes he had gotten you, had the delicacies Uraume prepared for breakfast, studied the rest of the day in the library until your hands got tired of writing, ate lunch, took your piano lessons and  reported to the king what you had learned at the end of the day. Sukuna wanted to know if bringing a traitor from distant lands to be your tutor had been worth it. 

Spending all day stuck in the library wasn't the best thing in the world, but it was more comfortable than running around the castle, doing chores. Even though you still couldn't read that well, you could enjoy books in other ways. You liked being surrounded by unfamiliar covers, smelling the yellowish paper and the sound of the inked pen gently grasping the paper. You had never been to school, but it felt like going to a high prestige one. Even though the king had asked you not to waste your teacher's time, you liked to take it at your own pace because what is well learned, is never forgotten. 

Kenjaku was a very polite and formal teacher. Always speaking with elegance and with gestures typical of his character. He never tired of talking at his own calm, almost seductive pace. Sometimes he used complicated words, but never got annoyed when you interrupted him to explain a definition of a word. He was enthusiastic about mentally challenging you so that your mind would be nourished with valuable information. Your journey of exploring the world was just beginning and he would take you by the hand so you wouldn't get lost in the confusions of life. 

“Fierabras,” Kenjaku completed the word you were trying to read. 

“Yeah. That. Fierabras,” you smiled as you read the whole word. 

“Although it is a proper noun. It is also used to describe a big, strong and boastful person,” the teacher explained. 

“So would it be okay to say, ‘King Sukuna is a fierabras curse’?” You asked innocently. Kenjaku laughed at your quick thinking. After his reaction, you realized what you had said and covered your mouth, surprised of yourself. 

“Yes, well implemented,” he said, trying to not burst out laughing. 

You were intuitive and curious. Even though you were constantly wrong, you didn't let that break your optimistic spirit. Kenjaku has had no problem having you as a student so far. In fact, you were the easiest student he had ever had to deal with. He was about to tell you to keep reading, but the library door burst open. You both opened your eyes in surprise to see who it was. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon, a strange time for the king to show up at this side of the castle. You and Kenjaku immediately bowed to his presence. 

“I want you on the parade ground in 10 minutes,” Sukuna ordered before closing the door so they could finish the class as soon as possible. 

“Do you think he heard me?” You whispered to Kenjaku worried. 

“Are you religious?” You shook your head. “Then choose a god and pray to him that he didn’t,” Kenjaku advised you. That didn't sound good. 

The red sky radiated in its entirety as soon as you stepped out of the castle. The grass tickled your feet half exposed by heels. You lifted your yellow dress to keep the edges from being dyed green. King Sukuna and Uraume were waiting impatiently for you in the middle of the parade ground, next to a large wooden table that held several artifacts you were unfortunately familiar with. 

[bretteblogs]

A Little Preview For A Future Adam/Eve (my adamsapple fanfic on a03) Chapter!!!

This is the Cain birth flashback so it won't be on A03 for a few more chapters, but I wanted to share something on here because I haven't published anything for the fic in a long while. Junior year of undergrad has been wild. I should have a new chapter sometime in the next week (fingers crossed) as I am finally going to be done with my work soon. Curse my school for running on such a weird fucking schedule compared to the rest of American colleges. Anyways, here is a little Cain as Adamsapple child because I love throwing shit in the void.

A cry. Something inside of him, some instinct, recognized it and said mine, mine, mine. That was his and he needed to help it right now. He wanted it so badly, he began pushing as if stopping would mean death. He needed it right now. He pushed and pushed as what was his cried and cried. Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, he knew it was over and he was ready to take what was his. How he knew was a mystery. He knew very little, that was clear through just how badly he failed at his purposes. But he knew this. 

With the last bit of his strength, he pulled himself up and cautiously looked in front of him. A beautiful little thing lay there, perfect in every way. It had little fingers and little toes. Its little tufts of hair, illuminated in the moonlight, was the same beautiful color he had grown to love on Luci. This creature was the both of them, wrapped up in one. Losing his hesitation, he reached out and gently lifted up the little thing. He understood than his purpose, just why the Elders wanted more humans. The little bundle in front of him became his entire world in an instant. 

The little one quieted in his arms. The infant instinctively latched onto his parent. Adam smiled.

“My baby,” he cooed, stroking the blonde curls on the infant's head, “My perfect little Cain.” 

Things weren’t perfect. He was alone in taking care of Cain. Somehow, he knew that the child was Lucifer's and that fact would cause issues. He still didn’t understand many things. But one thing was certain, he loved his Cain.

[notamewsed]

Don't Blame Me - Chapter 10 (Preview)

Pairing: Enver Gortash x Tav (Original Female Character)

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Tags: Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Power Imbalance

“Diplomacy is a useful tool,” he said, voice dipping lower, “but it’s not the only one in the arsenal. Sometimes, a blunt instrument achieves what a careful hand cannot.” 

Aurea tilted her head, her pulse flickering for a moment. Was it still strategy they were discussing, she thought?

“Fear might quiet rebellion for a time, but empathy and respect builds lasting loyalty and strength in other ways.” She paused deliberately before adding, “I prefer methods that don’t leave scars.”

“A noble sentiment,” he said, his voice smooth but edged with amusement. “Idealism has its place, but power demands results. Learn that, and you’ll find yourself far more formidable.”

Aurea tilted her head, a wry smile gracing her lips. “I didn’t realize this was a test.”

“Every conversation here is a test,” Gortash replied. “Especially when it comes to ruling. You seem especially eager to prove yourself. Or perhaps to challenge me.”

“I simply intend to understand the rules of this game you insist we play.” Aurea arched a brow. 

Gortash leaned forward, elbows resting on the table and fingers steepled. “And that, my dear, is where we differ. I don’t play games. I win them.”

“Bold words from someone whose grand plans failed.” Aurea jeered. 

He smiled thinly. “Plans are never meant to be perfect; the great ones are meant to evolve. Adapt, survive, grow stronger—and in the end, triumph.”

He was always thinking ahead, Aurea thought. The idea of catching up to him, trying to unravel his next scheme, felt both daunting and strangely intriguing. It was infuriating to know he always stayed a step ahead—but perhaps, it was also an invitation to dig deeper. If that meant spending more time with him, so be it.

“You have good instincts and a strong will. Two qualities I admire, Aurea.” The tops of his fingers brushed along her cheek. “You will do well here, if you can keep that attitude in check.” 

Aurea’s breath caught for a moment. She wanted to recoil, or at least told herself she did. 

He tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, but his hand lingered, slipping through her hair until it rested at the nape of her neck. Then, his fingers curled tightly, not enough to hurt her, but firm enough to tip her chin upward, forcing her to meet his eyes.

She should shove him backwards onto his feet, should bite his hand, swear him off, anything. She wasn’t sure if it was instinct, defiance, or…something else. But she remained, her thoughts drowned out in his steady gaze. 

“Well then, you will have your hands full,” she managed to get out. 

“It seems I will.” He looked down at her, the hard lines around his eyes smoothing over for a moment. 

Gortash took a breath and straightened, posture shifting into his practiced pose of authority. 

"I trust you’ll make the right decisions, Archduchess. After all, the city’s future rests in your hands as much as mine now," He said distantly, attitude shifting like the breeze. 

Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode toward the door, cloak brushing the floor in his wake.

Check out the full chapter here:

[ashesandhackles]

Beyond the Veil (masterpost)

Co-written with @thedreamermusing

Sirius Black/Severus Snape. 97k.

A canon-divergent rewrite of Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows that follows the relationship between Sirius Black and Severus Snape. Think of it as mine and Dreamer's character study with romance.

Our list of chapters (and tiny previews where you can see we have experimented with multiple POVs) under the cut! Also a Snape and Lily prequel written by @thedreamermusing here: January 30th, 1975 (Happy Birthday Lily)

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Time was a standstill in these long hallways and empty rooms, full of memories that ticked under his skin like a pulse under a livid bruise.

Chapter 2 - changing perceptions

He was tempted to laugh, laugh like a maniac, at the absurdity, the injustice, out of grief--let out all his curled up emotions in a big hearty laugh. But then again, that hadn't worked out so well for him 15 years ago.

Chapter 3 - 12 Grimmauld Place meets Spinner's End

What Pettigrew lacked in skill; he made up for in malice.  This seemingly pusillanimous creature hid within him a rusty sword whose efficiency lay not in the sharpness of the blade, but in the unnoticed poison of the rust.

Chapter 4- Enemy of my Enemy

"I brought him here because I finally see the advantages of being brawny rather than brainy," Snape smirked.

Chapter 5 - The Prince and Padfoot

"You disgust me.” rang over and over in his head like a church bell, a judgement in a confessional, a whisper that haunted his ears when he dreamed and lay awake, sometimes unable to tell the difference.

Chapter 6 - Monsters and Old School Friends

His wildness hung over him like an aura of a predator. Long-limbed, lax, but there was danger bubbling within him, an inexplicable ferocity that filled the air around him. How could anyone else not see that monster?

Chapter 7 - Circular Path

When Severus saw it for the first time, he was amazed. It was an answer to a question he had all his life, a representation of what could be built if he just reached out for the future and grabbed it with greedy hands. Now, as Narcissa opened the door with a stone face belied by the terror in her eyes, he was able to see the Manor for what it really was--a mouldering dump of pureblood affectations that concealed its decay as well as Grimmauld Place accentuated it.

Chapter 8 - Tale of Two Black Stars

Severus had known all along how to see who held the room. It was ingrained in him since he was a child. In Spinner's End, it was his father. A looming presence of overbearing violence that his mother, his magical mother, cowered against. He noticed it again in the playground - where Lily flew in air, in a burst of extraordinarily controlled magic. 

Chapter 9 - The Wounds of Men

He did not know where their sudden leap of faith for the ferret came from ( “C’mon mate, I know Malfoy is a git but Death Eater is serious business!” ), but it made him feel stupid and ridiculous--it was almost as if he was back at Aunt Petunia’s, listening to her sweet talk the neighbours about Harry’s delinquency. ( “He told you he sleeps under a cupboard? A nasty, nasty lie! But the poor dear has got no one else; his parents didn’t leave us any money as well. It’s been such a strain on our finances…” 

Chapter 10 - By The Light of The Full Moon

The first week at Azkaban was truly horrendous. Peter valued his mind - it was his best weapon and it helped him fade into the background. Losing the ability to think clearly, unable to tell dreams and memories apart; it was a sensation that terrified him. It felt like getting sucked into the quicksand of his resentment and anger and guilt that he kept at bay. He didn’t want to feel it. What use were those emotions, if they failed to help him survive?

Chapter 11 - Face Death in Hope

Death, Pain - all unavoidable things. Things he had to play with - in hope that one day, he would be able to expiate what he was carrying.  He would not live to see it, he was sure. But he could hope. The only relief he had is that he would not die by his - Gellert’s- hand. “I am the only one who should be allowed to kill you,” he had said, a declaration, a threat - he wasn’t sure. “It is me that keeps you alive.”

Chapter 12 - Who Are You?

He was a son of the House of Malfoy, a noble house, one of the sacred 28, whose line went back generations. Their legacy was set in stone, the purity of their blood unquestioned. It infuriated him that nobody recognised that--that Potter, with his filthy mixed blood and mudblood mother--didn’t recognise that. And now, it had become so much worse. His father was a laughingstock. His mother looked pale and frightened all the time. It was up to him to bring things back to normal.

Chapter 13 - The Last Enemy (Part 1)

There were so many things that he thought were forgotten, so many memories whose life and colour had been drained away by grief and Azkaban. But standing here in the square, it was clear that they had always been there. He had felt something similar after walking into the doors of Grimmauld Place for the first time, but the only memories rising to surface there were of misery long-replaced. Here, every bit of youthful joy and love rose and flickered through his mind like stained-glass colours through snow, and every unremarkable step they had ever made on the square seemed precious in a fragile kind of way. 

Chapter 14 - Shedding the Maker's Skin

“Lyall Lupin,” Fenrir said, smiling at the infinitesimal jerk Remus’ body gave. “I knew you came from money, boy. You’re his son, aren’t you?”

Remus went cold. 

“Soulless, evil and deserving of nothing but death,” Fenrir quoted. “That is what he believes.”

A rage Remus had never felt before was travelling up his spine, fossilising hatred into the marrow of his bones.

Chapter 15 - Ozymandias

Once upon a time, Voldemort had looked at Snape and seen a mirror, a broken mirror of course, because Severus did not have even a shadow of his charisma, charm, looks, or skill. But even so, when Severus had come to him, an angry, profoundly gifted young half-blood brewing with hatred over his Muggle heritage, he had been so hopeful at his promise. They had both seemed to view the world in the same way; they both understood that magic was where power lay. Magic had made Voldemort immortal and then mortal again. They both respected it in a way nobody else did, and Voldemort had thought he found someone who could equal Bellatrix’s esteem. 

But Severus’s weakness had been disgustingly banal. To think that it was lust of all things to claim him, and lust for a plain Mudblood at that. And now, it was the same, only for Lucius’s dullard of a wife.

Chapter 16 - In Noctem (Carry My Soul)

The idea of it makes me feel ill. He is no longer whole; his soul is distorted. He is no better than those vile creatures that guard Azkaban. He intended to murder Kreacher, who has been serving our family for generations. Our family, whose blood is pure and unbroken, has been used to destroy the soul of a magical being. It has become clear to me now. This monster will ruin us all more than any mudblood ever will. 

Chapter 17 - Wings to the Kingdom

Until the time Death claims me, let the moth sing to your bones: I loved you since I saw you. I loved you when I hated you. I loved you when you betrayed us. I loved you when you destroyed me. 

Yours, Gellert.

Chapter 18 - The Last Enemy (Part 2)

The window brought in a draft of salt as Remus cut up chicken for the Order lunch.  Tonks was just beside him, mashing the potatoes with zeal, her arm brushing up against his own on occasion. He felt embarrassed, it was ridiculous the degree to which any proximity to her affected him. It was the isolation of the cottage, he thought, that seemed to keep them away from the dark cloud hovering above them.  It was the rhythm of the sea, a comforting lullaby of a different world, a different life.

Chapter 19 - A Lament in the Ashes

Where is my golden palace? Where is my ivory bed? Where is the joy of my morning hour? Where the Sons of Eternity are singing, Draco thumbed through the book from the shelves in the bedroom. Years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of perusing a book of poetry written by a Muggle.

Chapter 20 - Epilogue

“It must be nice,” he said. “To start again every time you die. You can make as many mistakes as you want and be reborn from them.” 

Fawkes trilled. The corner of Serverus’s mouth lifted. 

[thetotomoo]

Location/ Lore Hunting

Sometimes procrastination leads to useful resources such as location hunting for scenes in upcoming chapters. It took a bit of revising to settle on this particular location around Keensbridge. Particularly the tower that sits at the base of the hill (just past a bridge) between the a Rookwood encampment and a village.

Ignore the glitch where I can’t access that whirlpool— I hear it’s a common thing? But nevertheless, a fun thing to incorporate in a story I suppose.

Preview of Ch 66 “Sacred Ground Part 1”

What had begun as a journey of three had become more at the insistence of their family and friends. There was no old woman to greet them when they reached the foot of the hill, no figure they could give their offerings to, and no whisper assuring them that the loaves and biscuits they carried were no meager offerings at all.

Instead, they filed one by one, at the instruction of Matilda Weasley and led by Tessie, up the steps into a small alcove of ruins. Will-o-the-wisps flitted through the open rafters as moonlight cast ripples of shadows to pass across each face. Vincent trailed closely after their mother, hands clenched into a fist around his wand and loaf of bread. Ominis and Garreth stood nervously hand in hand along the edges. Anne, she could see, stood beside her and Sebastian— her impish smile replaced by a grim and wary stare across the room while Sebastian peered at the watch in his hand.

The slow steady tick and the howling wind did little to ease the heavy silence. And while Caroline returned the smile Tessie threw her way, she was unwilling to admit the dread creeping up from under her skin. However delicious and incomparable Tessie’s biscuits and loaves were, Caroline could not speak of its value before the unknown. If they were like the god the Muggles spoke of, they would be blessed most assuredly. But if they were the spirits and other beings of old, they were fickle— favored one moment before being struck and cursed the next.

“What now?” Vincent asked.

“We give thanks,” Matilda smiled, hand sweeping around the room. Lammas Day. In any other year, they would have slept peacefully before breaking bread in the comfort of their homes with their friends and families. But tonight they stood amidst ruined stone— desperate. Matilda smiled as she ushered Tessie to the rounded nook in the southeast of the tower, “Choose one. We must cover all.”

Vincent nodded as he gripped their mother’s hand beside the modest and crumbling bookshelves while Garreth and Ominis took their place amongst the tower of cauldrons. Caroline moved, feet dragging across dust and dirt with the Sallows, passing beneath the carved figure of a sphinx in stone beside a fireplace.

No sooner had Caroline tear her gaze from the slab, did the wind settle into a deathly stillness and bells began to ring.

“Not one, two, three, or four— Seven beings and not one more.”

Louder and louder, it grew until the scent of earth filled her with dread down to her bones.

“Seek the summit, and you shall find all the answers to be divined.”

The words hissed and howled as the world plunged to black and then the deepest blue.

“Beware, beware, when next night draws near, at the seventh bell, unknown appears. Foolish mortals make haste— go fast— face your future and the past.”

[theduckofindeed]

Google Translate Butchers Chapter 14 of My Fanfic

Recently, Youtuber NotRealName NotAtAll made a funny video where she ran a portion of the FNAF story, The Fourth Closet, through Google Translate several times to see how it would change.  Hilarity ensued, and it inspired me to try the same thing.  So below is a preview of chapter 14 of my FNAF fanfic, The Life of a Star.  Some of the punctuation was altered, as well, but I cleaned up some of that.  The altered portion of the chapter is below, but some highlights include:

Miss Sullivan leaves her hand in some soup and considers the "freedom situation"

Sun's name shifts between Sun and Sol.  Also, sometimes he's a girl.

Cassie reassures Sun that he mustn't cry

Cassie's the best kindergartener 

Sun is both terrible and awesome at talking on the phone

"Hello! Hello! Hello, I'm Cassie. Cassie...oh, Lord Barnabas, can I tell my father?"

But Cassie is on the phone, all Miss Sullivan's anger can be directed at the Sun.  His finger left in the soup after sleep began to point.  "Hey, what's your job? Clean the sleeping bags!

"Cassie is on the phone now. Be considerate." That chastisement was often given to him, because he was much more dutiful.

Miss Sullivan got up, but before she could argue, she had something else to say to the Sun: she hesitated to object.  "All the boys are gone for the day. Now you are welcome home."

Sol paid off the suggestion when Miss Sullivan's mouth was closed.  He bit his bottom lip as he considered the freedom situation and finally leaned in to whisper in her ear, "You better not screw this up. I will never be troubled again because of your mistakes!"

What?  Mrs. Hutton has already declared that the relationship must be dissolved by Miss Sullivan.  Unless he changed his mind after his last mistake.

"Father! Is it you?"

Wait, its wrong?  It took a few seconds before he could calm down enough to respond coherently.  The sun looked into her eyes.  If a girl like Cassie could stand up to him, then she probably could.  “I'm not sure what you mean about failures, Miss Sullivan.  Please allow me to continue my work in peace.  Uh… Goodnight," she added as the woman's eyes narrowed.

So maybe I'll be in a better mood tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Cassia's speech continued behind him.  “I know, but it's getting late.  When did you come to pick me up?

Sol wasn't sure if he heard Cassie's private phone conversation.  But here now, to...

When Miss Sullivan had finally removed herself from the situation and the others were no longer free to make noise, it was easier to hear the voice on the other end of the line.  "I'm sorry, but something came up. So it's better...

"What happened there? Father, why can't I stay with you in Parts and Services?"

"Cassie..."

"As before!  This doesn't make sense!  Come on, tell me something!

The phone groaned.  "There was a . . . incident with some endo-"

"Did someone attack?"

"He never said! And...the details aren't important!" There was a pause, and when Cassie's voice resumed, Cassie's father sounded a little softer than he had two seconds ago. "Is the foreseeable future."

"So, is this permanent?"

"Not necessarily. Until... look, I don't know. I'm a little late this evening. You have the daycare staff at the security office and you…"

“Actually, I stay in daycare.  The sun said it was fine."

There was a delay.  "But does the staff agree to this?"

This time it was Cassie's turn to stay.  "Yeah… I mean, you probably don't want to accompany me to the lobby anyway."

"Cassie..."

"Dad, it's okay, what does it matter? I'm safe here. The sun will look after me. He's like an adult. Why don't you talk to him?

Before the sun could react, Cassie held the phone up to her face.  "Say hello to my father."

Sol has never spoken on the phone before.  He didn't even have time to prepare!  How could a person hear from the end of the line so far away?

"Hello, Cassie's father!"

"You must not cry. He will hear you well when you speak."

"H-hi, hi...um," Sol tried again, "getting to know you. Cassie's a good girl. She's done the best job in all of Kindergarten! You've got me doing a great job! Oh, I was at Parts and Service the other day to get my battery I'm sorry, but I haven't seen you. Maybe we can see you again in person!

I'm not too excited to be next time either.  But maybe a familiar face would make the experience a little less... uncomfortable.

Of course, Cassie's father was not a familiar face.  Although.  But once

He was stammering in the last train.  "O-okay, um...can I talk to my daughter again?"

Sol gently pushed the phone to Cassia.  "He wants to talk to you."

He is terrible at talking on the phone.  Simple awesome!  He probably humiliated Cassie too!

Sol covered his mouth with one hand and continued his conversation with his father as he thought about Cassie's recent misfortune.  I could hear a voice on the other end of the line saying, "Cassie, please don't let the robots make another call."

"It's okay, I'm sorry."

"It was pretty awkward talking to Roxy then I'll go back."

"It was Shannon's idea! I don't see what it is. You work with robots all day!

"Of course I work with them, but I don't talk to-"

"But you said your AI thinks you're getting as close to real people as possible."

"Im serious, I have to get back to work. The longer you talk, the later it gets."

"I can't I just wait-"

"Cassie, please stop questioning me and take my opinion!"

Cassie's head fell back as she realized she had reached a dead end.  "Oh, okay. So," by this point the phone cord had already been wrapped around her hand a few times, "at least you're fine staying with me at daycare, right?"

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

"But when?"

"I don't know."

"But dad-"

"I love you! Goodbye!"

"I love you too..."

When handing the phone back, the sun's longer range made it easier for the sun to return it to its place behind the desk.

Your Cassie, "I was hoping the lady was lying."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes, well...I'm sorry I made a mistake with the phone."

"Huh? Oh no, you did it right. I was also always very nervous when I spoke on the phone. Then I answered for the first time, and the call was unwanted, I froze and could not speak at all."

After a quick lookup in his dictionary, Sol couldn't figure out what canned food product to do with the phone.

[elysianstars]

Fic Teaser: Amaranth

So, this is a preview of my offering for day six of @malflearweek. Day four was a deliberate break, and day five was a less deliberate break because I ended up having to stay 13 hours at work (compared to 'only' 11 hours today). I don't want to rush out more stories I'm not fully satisfied with, so the completed fics for today's and yesterday's prompts will appear...at some point in the future.

Anyway, for now here's this!

His first memory of visiting the Somniel is hazy, dreamlike. Five or six years old, and excited because it was his first trip outside of Firene, to the holy shores of Lythos and then the private sanctum which floated overhead like a cloud. His caretakers impressed the etiquette on him beforehand, how he needed to be on his best behaviour, show due reverence to Queen Lumera and her sleeping child (not that he was capable of causing much trouble back then, besides chattering on silly topics until his breath ran out). A blur of perfect blue skies, delicate white flowers, and curtains of translucent gauze encircling an altar-bed. A figure lying still and silent as the grave, and he had to believe the adults, insisting it wasn't actually death and simply a long, healing slumber.

Queen Lumera's son was a heroic warrior, in the terrible struggle against Fell Dragons a thousand years ago. Struck down by a near-fatal blow, but not before his actions saved all of Elyos for generations to come. Alfred's mother told him the story, and shook her head sadly when he asked if a magical sleep like that would help make him better, too. They aren't Divine Dragons, only humans, so it doesn't work the same way.

Seven years old, and the memories are clearer. That was a bad year, and sometimes he sat miserably confined in a wheelchair, because his legs couldn't be trusted to stand firm, and his lungs couldn't be trusted to draw enough air for activity. Still, when he heard that his family were planning a visit to the Somniel, he begged not to be left behind. He remembers the slow, stubborn struggle of climbing each step to the enchanted bedchamber, to kneel between his parents in prayer, proving he was capable of that without needing to be carried. Queen Lumera waited patiently, indulging a sickly little boy's yearning for inclusion.

Nine years old, and Alfred was growing taller – though not so tall or strong as he wanted – but the figure on the altar looked just the same, peaceful and unchanging. He didn't look injured either, and maybe that meant the spell working on him was almost complete, and soon he'd wake up. Queen Lumera smiled, when Alfred voiced that thought. Perhaps even a goddess liked to hear words of reassurance, sometimes.

Once, Alfred asked her what the Dragon Child was like as an actual child, when he was Alfred's age. Was he obedient or mischievous, lively or shy? What games did he like to play? Did they play the same things a thousand years ago? Instead of answering though, Queen Lumera only said something vague and sad, and then Alfred felt guilty. He'd thought she might enjoy it, reminiscing about when her son was awake, but maybe it only reminded her of what she'd lost. So he didn't ask again, after that.

Eleven, barely. Fatherless and forlorn, in the months since the epidemic's shadow lifted from Firene. Of course they had to wait until all symptoms vanished before travelling, to ensure it couldn't spread. Of course the symptoms lingered in him more than anyone else, brewing restlessness and frustration. He didn't want to act badly though, to upset his mother or sister. For their sake, it was important to try and smile, to be brave for them rather than a burden.

Finally, it was deemed safe. Boarding the ship at Florra Port – the Seablossom which always carried the royal family, with its specially embroidered sails – felt like closing a chapter on their sorrows, as the fresh ocean breezes whirled around him. A return to their normal lives, in a healing realm. Even if only three of them would be crossing to Lythos, this time...

After the standard rituals of their Somniel visit, his mother retired to speak with Queen Lumera alone, in a corner of the tranquil gardens where they wouldn't be disturbed. At the time, Alfred assumed they just wanted a friendly chat, but looking back with an adult's perspective, there were likely politics in play that afternoon, tensions hidden beneath the sunny surface. Mother was worried that Brodia might take advantage of her kingdom's weakened state, wasn't she? She wanted to ask where Lythos stood, if they'd offer support or remain neutral, and didn't like to discuss that in front of the children. Later she'd secure the pact of non-aggression, but it was only in draft at that point, no firm guarantee of safety.

But Alfred wasn't worried, oblivious to such grown-up problems, so while the queens handled matters of state and Vander took Celine to pick peaches in the orchard, he wandered back up to the altar. Trusted as harmless, no longer contagious, and too pious for pranks in a place like this.

Celine sometimes gave him a light scolding, for telling foolish things to the Dragon Child besides prayers. Alfred insisted he'd like it though, hearing something new instead of the same old words repeated every time. Stories of the dolphins who followed the Seablossom, and horse riding lessons, and the delicious marmalade the castle's new chef made. Nothing bad, nothing about plagues or sorrows that might disturb sacred dreams, only the good stuff. Sharing small joys with a person who couldn't go out and find his own.

Maybe if he knew more about all the different things happening in the world, it would encourage him to wake up faster and join in. Queen Lumera's stories made him sound amazing, so surely everyone would be happier, getting to meet him at last.

Thirteen, and another level of appreciation was forming for that lovely face, with its eternally gentle aura. Alfred had enough sense to keep that thought to himself, though. Besides, there was a limit to how attractive someone could actually be, simply lying around, lacking animation or a voice. Like a painting the artist had sketched out, but not filled in the colours yet.

There was no official rule forbidding weird thoughts about deities – and Alfred's family didn't follow those niche religious branches that tried to shame people into chastity – but Queen Lumera showed no inclination to find a king, and never mentioned the father of her child. After a thousand years, maybe personal interests like that just...faded away. Which seemed lonely, but then again, Alfred's mother barely spoke of his father anymore, after a much shorter span of time. It made his chest hurt to dwell on too much – a duller, heavier, less panicky sensation than one of his attacks – and so he decided not to.

Fifteen, and he ignored Celine's sideways stare as he chattered to the dormant dragon, mentioning his retainers and exercise regimes. There was an upcoming festival too, his favourite of the year. Oh, but when the Divine One finally wakes then there's bound to be a huge, once in a lifetime celebration! So he'd better wake soon, because Alfred would hate to miss out on that. Celine sighed, but then in the Somniel's always-perfect sunlight – radiance softened by the layered curtains of this chamber – she smiled a little at her incorrigible older brother.

So the years pass, and Alfred manages to keep going, past milestones everyone feared he'd never reach. Perfecting the training that help strengthen his weak frame, and lessen the strain on his heart. Cheering up everyone who needs to see a happy, prosperous Crown Prince, someone they can place their trust in. The exercises aren't just maintenance, but daily self-reassurance – because if he can run so many laps without struggling, or complete his lance drills without a stumble, then it's solid proof he's okay, pushing back his worries. A sick person, a dying person, couldn't manage that, could they? The sentiments echo back from those around him, building his confidence, even if the muscles don't follow quite the way they should.

The Somniel visits are a family tradition, as much as a religious rite or display of political unity. Not every kingdom does it, but that's up to them. Queen Lumera is always welcoming, ageless and serene. Fresh white roses arrayed over fresh silken sheets, every inch of the chamber pristine, the most holy and well-protected sanctum in all of Elyos. And yet the figure it was arranged for never stirs, time after time.

Until finally, everything explodes into action. Corpse-like monsters invading the land, tainting the bountiful earth of Firene with malice. Rumours that the Divine Dragon was glimpsed soaring over Lythos, when her true form is so rarely taken. The decision to place Alfred on their swiftest ship, to seek guidance from their deity and ensure trouble hasn't spread to those sacred shores.

It has, though. He isn't prepared for what they face in the castle. Corrupted swarming halls where they shouldn't be able to tread, running riot against a small number of attendants. Pure white marble scorched and bloodstained.

And amidst it all, the most beautiful vision Alfred has ever seen. The Divine One, awake and vibrant and glowing with magic, floating on the gold and azure wings of an Emblem.

[maverick-werewolf]

AUGUST - A look ahead + some general updates

Hi, all! Just keeping everyone posted on what I've been up to and what's coming up in the future. Here are some things you can expect to see in the month of August, both publicly and exclusive to the Patreon...

Public posts:

New Werewolf Fact - That's right; it'll be a werewolf fact again this month! What will it be about? Well, that's up to my patrons. They have several choices this time. Whatever they pick, I'm going to refocus on werewolf facts again for a little while, especially to prepare for the promotion of my upcoming book Knightfall - and possibly even for the announcement of another nonfiction werewolf folklore book from me.

Preview for an upcoming short story - Depending on how efficiently I get these two new short stories written, I would love to post a public preview for one this month!

Website updates - I'm going to be doing some website updates this August, including some updates to the character pages on my website and possibly more (I would love to improve the look/feel of several pages, but I'm not sure I have time to get to that this month). If you haven't seen my website redesign, by the way, don't forget to check that out! It has lots of useful pages now, including character pages and reading order guides to my fiction, as well as previews of all my books and links to purchase them online from Amazon (they are also available online at most book retailers). I am especially fond of the Characters section, myself.

Patron-only posts:

Poll on next Werewolf Fact - Patrons will get to decide what August's werewolf fact will be! The poll will go up around the start of the month, and it'll run for a while before I take in the final results and start working on the fact itself.

Monthly Preview, Chapter 8 of Knightfall revision (near-final draft) - Already loaded up and ready to be posted soon, the monthly preview for August will be chapter 8 of my Knightfall revision in its near-final form (not final yet, though)! This chapter introduces a brand new plot twist, and we're fast approaching the point where I will no longer post chapter previews of this revision, as things are really heating up. I'm very excited to hear what readers think of this preview!

Previews for 1 or 2 new short stories - I'm not sure how much writing I'll get around to in terms of these short stories, but I know what I want to do with both now, so I'm really hoping to post a preview at least for patrons this month of one, if not both, upcoming short stories! If you missed the writing journal on those, check that out here.

Writing Journal on short stories - You can expect new writing journal(s) about one or both upcoming newsletter short stories.

Writing Journal on newsletter - You can also expect a writing journal about my newsletter itself, what I hope to achieve with it, what to expect from it, and more.

Possibly other journal(s) - Who knows what I might write a journal about? I like to do journals at random sometimes. I actually have had something in the works for a while that's totally unexpected... we'll see if I get that posted this month or if it continues to lurk in the drafts for a later date.

Will I finish at least one short story to the point of posting a public preview in August? I can't say yet! We'll see how it goes. I am going to run them by my patrons first; I do know that. So if you're a patron, definitely expect at least a preview of one or both new short stories this month.

Patrons are going to be my test audience for these short stories, so patrons will receive these short stories in their entirety before they are available publicly through my newsletter!

Also, as a more general update, I have removed the Character Questions reward from my Patreon for the time being in order to make space to experiment with other potential rewards in the future.

If there's anything anyone would be excited to see from my Patreon rewards, be it related to my folklore work or my fiction or whatever else, I'd love to hear from you!

There's a lot in store, and I can't wait to share it all. I'm really hoping to make 2024 a big year for me and my work, so I'm doing a lot of preparation in the remainder of this year to work toward that.

Until next time!

[zeciex]

Hello Zeciex!

After last night's trainwreck of an election cycle, I'm in desperate need something that will perk me up a little. Do you have a preview or a fun fact about your story or a cute little tidbit about one of your characters? Anything will do!

Yeah, I feel you. Even though I'm outside of US, I can't believe it happened and I feel so bad for every minority and every single woman in the US.

I have some random tidbits: Daenera--Her first kiss was with Baela, she's bi and so is Baela. She had a habit of following Aemond around when they were young and Alicent's influence hadn't poisoned him completely against them. They sometimes hung out in the godswood reading, her, Aemond and Helaena. Daenera made a salve for Aemond after he lost his eye but she either never had the opportunity to give it to him or was too caught up in everything to do so (I haven't decided which one yet). While Daenera was known on Dragonstone as being vibrant and kind, she was also known to be petty, and she had a habit of making food/wine taste bad when she was cross with people.

Aemond--Had a small crush on Helaena, yes, but his crush on Daenera was bigger, though he didn't know how to handle it and so pushed her away. He was one of those kids that teased and pulled a girls hair when he liked them (not literally) and was very hot and cold all the time which threw Dae for a loop. When he lost his eye, he flew home to KL and after some days, the wound had to be reopened so that it could be cleaned and properly stitched up. He spent a week in bed, high on milk-of-the-poppy because he was battling an infection from the dirty blade, which made them reopen it again--and they used maggots for the tissue so he remembers the feeling of those things wiggling in his face which was not fun--after he got better he spent so much time re-learning everything--to walk, to move, to eat and drink, to write and hold a blade, everything had to be re-learned and while we know him as both patient and impatient, this was not something he was especially patient about. Now, for some more lightness: Aemond keeps just about anything Daenera has ever given him--the ring, the salve. He has had some jewlery made for Daenera but doesn't feel like its the time--he knows she'll not accept it, which is why he made Helaena give Dae the red robe.

In the future, we'll get some fluff chapters with them and the baby.

I haven't been able to write much these last few days, which has frustrated me to no end. I want to write, I just can't get it out. So I have nothing to post in a preview yet.

[arielgobuss]

The chapter 39th has been posted. Here is the preview

39. Something's wrong

Something's wrong with you, The walls you build around you now, Seem to fit you like a glove.

Am I too blind to see that there's something there behind your eyes and it's bringing me to my knees?*

On Friday morning during breakfast, Harry received a letter from Lupin. He wouldn't feel comfortable reading it at the staff table where all Hogwarts students ate their meals every day, so he stuffed it in his pocket and opened it only when he was alone in his dormitory.

For the first half of the letter, Remus only wrote about insignificant trivialities, asked Harry how his studies were going, whether he liked his lessons with Tonks, expressed his interest in the Quidditch matches and only mentioned in half-words that he was currently performing an important task for the Order, but for security reasons he cannot reveal anything more to him.

As for your questions, Harry... I know you're eager to know something, and I totally understand that. However, we have certain recommendations and rules. It's not known who could intercept this letter. That's why I can only tell you that our information shows that it's getting more and more dangerous. He seems to be in an unusually good mood lately, so we fear he may be planning something big and very dangerous. We have already lost many Aurors and we believe that number may increase in the near future. That's why I'm asking you not to leave Hogwarts anywhere and not to try to break the Headmaster's ban. It's for your safety, even if you think it limits your freedom. You need to understand, Harry, that you are his main target and we must protect you at all costs. Remember - don't trust anyone, not even your friends. You need to keep an eye out and if you notice anything suspicious, anything, report it to Dumbledore immediately.

I'm sorry for this didactic tone, but I only want your good. Now that Sirius is gone, it's up to me to take care of you and I'm very sorry that I can't be there to support you, but I'm trying my best to do it from a distance. I hope you understand this.

Greet Ron and Hermione from me.

Remus Lupin

Harry put the letter aside, gripping it a little too tightly. His hands were shaking slightly. It was nice that Remus was so concerned about him, but damn it, he wasn't a little kid anymore. He didn't want protection. He wanted information, anything!

Something twisted in his stomach at the mention of Sirius. For months, he had tried his best not to think about his godfather, but sometimes, when someone reminded him of him, something inside him snapped and his mind flooded with images from that night.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the vision of Sirius falling through the veil and his own scream, multiplied by anger and guilt and returning to him with even greater force. He began to breathe deeply, trying to get rid of the weight pressing down on his heart. The problem was that he had had it inside him for so long that he almost never felt it, except when someone reminded him of its presence.

No, he won't think about that now. There will still be time for this. A time when he would point his wand at Bellatrix Lestrange, lying at his feet... and this time he won't hesitate.

He looked at Lupin's tiny handwriting again. Really, did they all have to treat him like this? 'We have to protect you, Harry', 'It's for your safety, Harry', and so on... He kept hearing it and it made him more and more frustrated. Everyone wanted to protect him... and what good will he get from this protection if one day he will have to fight Voldemort anyway? He won't defeat him with Protego alone. It's probably obvious that he would have a much better chance if he knew anything. But no, instead of preparing him, everyone just wanted to protect him. Even Severus...

Hold on. After all, Severus had promised that he would consider teaching him a few curses. Harry completely forgot about that conversation, and the man never mentioned it, but Harry will ask him about it today! Yesterday's meeting ended a bit strangely and they didn't manage to make an appointment at all, but he doesn't always have to come announced. It was true that he could ask him through the stone, but what if Severus refused? No, Harry had to know that today! He'll go to him tonight and... he'll get an answer from Snape!

***

Harry stopped in front of the door to Severus' office and looked at the Marauder's Map again. Yes, the man was still inside.

He took a deep breath, put the map back in his pocket, and touched the door, which immediately opened to him. He walked through the office, taking off his invisibility cloak, and he knocked on the wooden surface of the heavy gate leading to the Potions Master's private quarters.

There was silence for a moment as Harry waited, his heart beating loudly and getting faster with each second he waited.

The doorknob moved and the door opened slightly.

"Potter," Severus hissed, narrowing his eyes as his gaze fell on Harry. "What do you want? I don't remember that we had an appointment today."

"No, but..." Harry started, but couldn't finish because Snape interrupted him. His voice seemed to be carved from ice.

"I don't have time for you. I would be extremely grateful if you would get out of my sight now and come back tomorrow," he drawled.

Harry felt a strange trembling around his heart. Something was wrong. Severus was acting somehow... nervous? But this time he wouldn't let himself be dismissed so easily, because the cause he came with was too important to him.

"Then you have to find it," he replied cheekily and quickly slipped under Snape's arm. The man's chamber was in semi-darkness. "I just have one question and I'll be leaving," he said, scanning the room with an appraising look before Severus could turn around. "Do you remember our conversation about the Dark Arts? You promised that--" he stopped as suddenly as if he had swallowed his own tongue. With eyes wide with horror, he stared at the Death Eater's mask lying on the chair. It was bright, almost pearlescent, reflecting the firelight from the fireplace. There were a few small, dried drops of blood on it. Right next to it he saw a black robe, the sleeves of which were decorated with dark green images of a skull and a snake.

Harry felt his stomach drop to his feet and an icy fear grip his heart, but before he could recover enough to utter a word, Severus' hand grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him towards the door.

"I told you I'm busy, Potter," the man hissed, the anger in his voice seeming to sting. "But apparently you're too arrogant and insolent to respect it." Snape dragged him out the door and across the office, squeezing his arm so tightly that Harry was sure it would bruise. "Now get out. If you have any business with me, come tomorrow. And if you ignore my words again, it will end badly for you." The Potions Master pushed him out into the corridor and slammed the door, and the sound echoed far through the vast corridors of the deserted dungeons.

Harry turned around and leaned back against the wall as his legs gave out. He felt like his head was about to explode. For a moment he just breathed heavily, trying to calm his racing heart and the feeling as if something was about to tear him apart from the inside.

Snape was a Death Eater!

It wasn't that he didn't know it, but now... when he saw it with his own eyes, it became so... terrifyingly true.

He knew that Severus was a spy for the Order, and as a spy he had to be absolutely trusted by Voldemort and the other Death Eaters, and that's why he's forced to do whatever they tell him, but... Harry always tried not to think about it, to ignore it. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. And now he saw it... he saw the bloody mask, the hated robe, and he felt as if what he had been trying to deny opened up above him and fell on him with incredible force.

He took a shaky breath, put on the invisibility cloak, and slowly made his way back to the dormitory.

Only now did certain facts begin to slip into his consciousness that he had not been able to, did not want, or was unable to admit before. He had never wondered before, not really, about this 'second' life of Severus... Somewhere out there, far from his dim chambers, far from the safety of Hogwarts, far from the long school corridors and the students running carelessly along them, far away from Harry... Among hatred, dread, screams of pain, howls of the dying ones, among envy, despair and mind-shattering laughter, devoid of all feelings and disinhibited...

Truth be told, Harry didn't think he could live like this. He suspected he would either go mad or become as unscrupulous a murderer as everyone else. A person, no matter how mentally strong and resistant, will after some time begin to 'permeate' the strong emotions present in the air, absorb them and perceive them as their own, no longer distinguishing them from each other.

But Severus was... Severus Snape. After all, he was someone who could do anything with his mind. At least that's what he said. Harry remembered that conversation.

[ladytauria]

chapter vi. a little bit of spoiling

i meant to get this chapter out last week, however i ended up wanting to edit/rewrite more than i expected, as well as add in some new stuff <3

there may be another slight break in-between updates as i finish adjusting future chapters to match the changes i made to this one, and then also so i can maybe finish another chapter or two ahead xD

chapter preview and content warnings under the cut!

cw: non-graphic panic attacks, non-graphic flashbacks, non-sexual intimacy

Tim pulls Jason aside before they go into the den supplies store. “Can we talk for a second?” he asks.

“Yeah, sure,” Jason says, fidgeting with his sleeves slightly.

“Let me spoil you today?” He tucks a curl behind Jason’s ear, his touch lingering. Jason leans into it. “I know… I don’t want to overwhelm you, Jay, and you can always tell me if I am, but… Like I told you yesterday, it makes me happy to see you happy. Please don’t worry about the prices.”

Jason bites his lip. Just two days ago he’d told himself that he would let Tim buy him things, as long as it wasn’t anything outrageous.

Blankets… They’re not a necessity, not really but…

That Tim wants their conjoined nest to be half made up of things Jason picked out specifically… It makes him feel soft.

Jason grabs Tim’s wrist before his hand can slip away, turning it to press a kiss into his palm. It… it pleases him to see Tim flush at the simple gesture; butterflies fluttering against his ribs, the gentle brush of their wings making his skin tingle.

“Okay,” he whispers. “I— It would be easier if— Can I have a budget?”

Tim tilts his head. “A budget is a good idea. We… We can sit down and work one out sometime this week,” he says. “For now… Hm. There are eight blankets in my nest. So, you should have eight as well.” His smile softens a little. “We can count the one you like so much, if you want. So that’s seven blankets. Exceptions can be made if any really jump out at you. Does that sound fair?”

Jason considers.

Yes. That sounds fair. He nods, nuzzling Tim’s palm again before letting go of his wrist.

Tim tugs him forward, kissing his forehead. Then he wraps his arm around him again, tucking Jason against his side as they finally go in.

Jason has never been inside of a nesting store before. Most of his nesting supplies growing up had been hand-me-downs from his parents’ nest—and the occasional gift. After that… Well. It had been whatever he could scrounge up. So he’s only ever seen them in advertisements.

It’s less crowded than the grocery store was. Jason still stays tucked under Tim’s arm, at least until they get to the blanket section. The selection on offer is daunting���multiple aisles filled with blankets in varying color, fabric, and thickness.

Most of the blankets are wrapped in plastic, to keep them from collecting unfamiliar and unwanted smells. Each stack has a display blanket, though, meant for testing its weight and feel. Jason slips out from under Tim’s arm, walking slowly down the aisle. He doesn’t touch every blanket—only the ones that stand out to him.

Jason didn’t think he would be so picky, yet… He finds himself dismissing most of them. This one is too plush. That one isn’t plush enough. One is too thick. Another is too thin. This one feels scratchy. That one is soft, but too soft.

Down the second aisle, he finds one that’s perfect… but the patterns weren’t right.

He’s being ridiculous. But—

If he doesn’t find anything else he likes, he can come back for the ones he turned down.

Jason keeps half an eye on Tim as he shops, ready to drop his standards the second his alpha shows any sign of discontent. But… Tim seems almost pleased by his pickiness, smiling each time Jason turns his nose up at a blanket.

Such a weird alpha.

Halfway down the third aisle, Jason finally finds one he likes. He picks a pattern, turning and presenting it to Tim. The smile Tim gives him causes a low, pleasant buzz to vibrate under his skin. He takes it from Jason, adding it to their basket.

Jason makes it to six blankets with only two aisles left to go. He scans the next aisle, dismissing over half of the blankets out of hand. Maybe he ought to just go back for one of the ones he’d dismissed earlier.

He wanders down the aisle anyway.

It can’t hurt to at least look. He doesn’t… really want to go back for one of the ones before.

Jason spots it near the end of the aisle.

He couldn’t say what it is that draws his attention. The display blanket nearly blends in to the others around it; all of them similar shades of cream. But… something sticks out to him, and he finds himself walking straight toward it and taking it in his hands.

The faux fur—mink, the label says—is silky soft against his skin. Jason raises it to his cheek.

A near inaudible purr vibrates through his chest.

It’s perfect.

the sweetness of honey

Pairing: Tim Drake/Jason Todd Rating: Explicit Words: 43,464 Chapters: 5/?

Content Warnings: Underage, Age Gap, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Reverse Robins, Unhealthy Relationships Portrayed Positively, Explicit Sexual Content

Jason tries to sell off his first heat to make ends meet for the upcoming winter. When he’s taken by traffickers instead, he’s sure that’s the end of him—until he’s rescued by a mysterious alpha. That “rescue” comes with a price: Jason’s heat hits shortly after, and… one thing leads to another, and now Jason and Tim are bound together by a fledgling mate bond. It’s not the first time Jason’s had to make the best of things, but… he finds it a little bit easier this time, especially as he grows to genuinely like Tim. Unfortunately, just as Jason is starting to settle into mated life, Tim’s ex-pack starts getting involved, and they don’t exactly approve of Tim’s choice in mate...

My first longfic for DC! This is a highly self-indulgent Reverse Robins AOB AU. It started as a 15k one-shot, but after some encouragement, turned into... this: the slow exploration of a developing relationship.

A list of posted chapters & a summary of them is below the cut. Each chapter has content warnings in the Top Notes <3 Please mind them, and the fic tags!

I hope you guys enjoy—or keep enjoying xD—this fic as much as I do! <3

chapter list

i. a five hundred dollar lure

Jason intends to trade his first heat for enough money to survive Gotham's upcoming winter. He's picked up by traffickers instead.

ii. a gift, pretty and bruised

The leader of the trafficking group decides to give Jason as a gift to a mysterious alpha. Jason is strangely drawn to him.

iii. dousing the flame

Jason's heat comes. Tim's willpower is tested--and fails.

iv. the dawn of a new normal

Three days later, Jason's heat fog dissipates. He finds himself sporting a brand-new mate bite on his neck.

v. prescription: communication

Tim takes Jason to see Leslie, and then the two finally have a much needed talk.

vi. a little bit of spoiling

Jason and Tim have a pleasant day out... and then a less than pleasant night in.

[m-questionnaire]

NaFM: Ch 9 (10?) and misc. thoughts

I don't count the prologue as the first chapter, so I guess it's chapter 9?

(This is a test post similar to those blogs. Simply curious to how it would work when I type my thoughts. Not bad so far lol)

Honestly, the chapter is going to be super long (40k+ words), and with that in mind, I'm sorta dreading how long the chapter covering the 5th yr will be. I feel sorta bad for the readers (srry, if u do read this lol), but I also don't care much cuz I'm sticking to the format of 1 chapter per school yr.

I've been fluctuating between working on Not a Future Missus and continuing planning this x-over fic I have posted (also on my AO3) for two diff. fandoms. Gosh, I also have so many other ideas for HP fics, including a Tom Riddle Sr-centric fic (one of those what-ifs in which Sr. raises pre-Voldy Tom) and a Drarry fic with the Veela!Draco trope (or a Veela!Draco fic with Drarry?), both of which I'm likely to type out; there's also a possible "spin-off" w/ NaFM, but employing time travel??? Idek anymore lol! But goodness the HP world has so much potential despite its numerous controversies (which I won't bring up cuz I'm not looking to start a war).

And sadly (maybe not for some ppl), no Dramione plans as of yet. Yes, I ship it as much as Drarry (don't hate on me now, or at least do it without a word cuz I'm a multi-shipper who refuses to fight over ships), though I haven't been reading much Dramione fics nowadays... or Drarry, since I fandom jump quite a bit.

Anyway, maybe I'll get rid of some scenes, or I'll keep it as it is (my fic, my management muhaha), but I maybe possibly probably perhaps should just make Harry and Ella/fem!Draco kiss each other and type the "23 yrs later" epilogue and be done with the fic LMAO! (April 1, 2024 plans???? If it's still incomplete by then???)

What hobbies do I even have at this point, besides reading/writing fanfics? The occasional doodle/drawing, certainly. And maintaining my Duolingo streak????

To whoever reads this honest-to-goodness sorta-long post, srry for the chaotic writing/typing! Just blurting this out before sleepy time LOL! (Sleep deprivation sure is making me taaalk and I'm probably gonna cringe the next time I see this if ever lmaoo)

Well, if anyone reading this post (and my fic) has proceeded this far, have a preview I may/may not include/edit for the next chapter!

     “What’s the point of this task if we can’t even watch?” Ella grumbled as she glared at the lake. The waters were still as the second task progressed, with only an occasional ripple on the surface. The crowd chattered as they awaited the champions, but Ella was growing impatient.      It had been months since the Yule Ball, and the Scottish Highlands were slowly readying for the coming spring. There was still a noticeable chill in the air, but that didn’t stop the continuation of the Triwizard Tournament. The second task had begun half an hour ago, and to say the least, the surface-dwelling spectators were growing bored.      “If only they used Muggle filming methods,” Tracey said disappointedly from Ella’s right side. “They have these cameras, and you can connect them to these screens that project what’s happening through the lenses. It’s like our moving pictures, but everything happens in real time. I’ve been told about them sometimes.”      “Somebody needs to invent a spell like that if they haven’t already,” Ella said.       Casual conversations continued as time passed. At this point, everyone was preoccupied with each other, with only a few occasional glances towards the water. During the wait, Pansy ended up braiding Ella’s hair, before tying it and switching to Daphne. Why everyone had to get up at nine o’clock in the morning to stand in the cold and watch a lake was Ella’s main concern, but this was one of the more boring days compared to the last few years.

[foggyfanfic]

Love and Fury

Chapter Preview: “Goats love salt,” she informed him, and indeed as she pulled one goat off of him another took its place.

“Good for them, I love wearing pants,” he retorted.

“Then it would seem you and the goats are at an impasse.”

Ch1 Prev Next Master List

Chapter 6 A Change of Scenery

Bruno had a certain image in the village, one he wasn’t particularly motivated to maintain, but didn’t know how to escape. People largely saw him as creepy, and the tricky part was, that image was based in fact, not rumors. After all, everybody knew about his telling the future, and a lot of people knew about his pet rats, a few even knew about his compulsive need to knock on wood when he was worried.

Nobody knew what his hobbies were. 

Sometimes Bruno wondered if it would make a difference if they did. Would it humanize him if more people knew he loved theatre and literature? In his teen years he had looked into the future to watch a couple “World Cups”, if he shared this fact with the other guys down at the cantina would they lend him a friendly ear while he recounted what he saw, maybe ask to watch a match with him?

Would people be interested to know about his love of free running? Would somebody volunteer to join him on his runs, if they were common knowledge?

Bruno resigned himself to never knowing. After all, even when people made the polite effort to chat with him, he was always so worried about saying the wrong thing that he mostly just asked them questions about themselves.

This, he decided, was why he was having such a hard time resisting Reina’s wiles. He could tell her anything becuase he didn’t have to worry about whether or not she thought he was creepy, she was the enemy.

Stonewalling her had worked well enough, but deep down he didn’t want to do that again.

He liked being able to talk to somebody, he liked that she listened to him, that she didn’t seem even a tiny bit afraid of him. Bruno looked forward to seeing her, because he didn’t have to put on airs around her, he could just be himself.

But oh well! Because she had embarrassed Pepa. And Bruno refused to like anyone that had hurt one of his sisters, he would just have to ignore her again. Somehow.

He pushed the issue to the back of his mind as he ran through the forest surrounding the village. One advantage of running alone was that he didn’t have to pick a route beforehand, he could just point himself at a bit of ground and go.

This particular Monday afternoon, he was vaguely headed towards a pool half way up one of the mountains. It was secluded enough that he didn’t feel self conscious washing off in it, which was good because it happened to be a rather warm day and Bruno had started sweating just walking through the village.

For the time being he was happy to bounce off trees and scale rocks, running up or swinging off whatever looked the most fun.

When he felt himself tiring he focused a bit more on direction and less on pulling random stunts. He took it as a challenge to find the most direct path to the pool, dense foliage be damned. 

Before long he heard the rush of the river. As part of the miracle the river water was always clean, especially this far upstream, so when he reached the bank he didn’t hesitate to drink straight from the river. Once his thirst was sated he strolled down the bank while his heartbeat settled and he caught his breath.

Bruno’s shirt was drenched with sweat, sticking to his skin unpleasantly. He double checked that there was nobody around, then took it off. He sniffed himself and wrinkled his nose. 

Yeah, he was definitely going to wash up a little. 

When he reached the little pond about halfway down the mountain he tossed his shirt into it then got down on his knees on one of the rocks to scoop it back out. He used it as a makeshift rag to wipe himself down then dunked it back under the water a few times.

Finally, he laid it on the rock beside him then turned back to the pool and began toeing off his running shoes.

“Um,” a quiet voice caused him to freeze. Slowly, Bruno looked up, towards the other side of the pool. There, nestled in among the rocks, Reina stood red faced, one arm across her chest, the other holding a dark piece of cloth still on the pool’s surface so that it hid everything under the water.

For a second, or perhaps a whole century, Bruno was frozen. He couldn’t fully comprehend what he was seeing. She wasn’t naked, indeed she was wearing a rather modestly cut white chemise, but considering the white chemise was completely soaked and thus skin tight and largely see through, she may as well have been completely nude. 

She had a half empty basket of clothes sitting on the rock behind her head, and had strung up a clothesline in the trees on her side of the river.

The first comprehensive thought Bruno had was “Oh, she must be doing laundry”, then it promptly occurred to him that she was basically naked and he was just standing there staring at her. 

“LO SIENTO! LO SIENTO!” he shouted, covering his eyes and twisting in place so his back was turned to her. His ankles tangled together and he tried to untangle them without removing his hands from his eyes. 

This was what experts generally refer to as A Mistake, and he promptly fell into the pond, a high pitched screech chasing him into the water.

He struggled under the water for a little, until he found the floor of the pond and put his feet on it. When he surfaced, spluttering and still trying to keep his eyes covered, he was greeted by the sound of Leandra sloshing over to him and asking, “Ay dios, are you ok?”

“I-I uh- w-well, no,” he peeped in between his fingers, got an eyeful of Leandra who was no longer covering up, then screwed his eyes shut, “i-if you could just hold my head under the water until I stop breathing, th-that would be greatly appreciated.”

She giggled, and Bruno felt his cheeks grow warm, “So, is that a ‘Yes, I am uninjured’ or do I need to go running into town to get your sister?”

“Oh god, please no,” he responded miserably, “I’d be perfectly happy if nobody ever found out about this. Ecstatic even.”

There was the quiet splash of water being displaced, then one of her hands landed on his shoulder, he jumped and she softly shushed him like a startled horse, “I’m just going to point you away from me so you can open your eyes.”

“O-oh, right, that’s- good idea,” he bumbled as she gently turned him around.

“Alright, you’re good,” her hands left his shoulders slowly, as if she was worried he would fall over again if she let go too suddenly.

Slowly, Bruno took his hand off his face, he peeked one eye open, then when he found only trees and his own shirt floating in the water in front of him he opened the other. He watched his shirt as it bobbed in the lingering ripples caused by his fall, and wondered if there was any coming back from this.

Maybe now would be a good time to ask what her name was, it’s not like he could make this any more embarrassing than it already was.

“Bruno,” her voice was soft, he gulped as goosebumps erupted all over his arms, “are you sure you’re ok? You didn’t twist an ankle or hit your head, did you?”

“No, no, I’m fine, I- um I’ll just- I should… bye,” he hurriedly scrambled out of the water onto a rock, then almost tripped over her laundry basket. He was on the wrong side of the river. He said as much, turned around, caught the barest glimpse of her, then immediately turned back around as he shouted, “Nope!”

He stood, not even daring to breathe. He had left his shirt in the water and had lost a shoe.

“Um, I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to hold your breath that long,” she pointed out behind him. He exhaled in a long whoosh, then gasped for air.

“I am… soooo sorry about this,” he said, without turning around.

“Yeah uh,  you can make it up to me later, I’m not entirely convinced you don’t have some sort of head injury,” there was a little bit of teasing in her voice, but not enough to cover her genuine concern, “look, you need to dry off anyways, how about you stay put for a little. Just until I’m sure you won’t pass out on the way home.”

“Th-that’s really not-, I’m fine, really,” he took a step and his foot landed in her laundry basket, he immediately pulled it out and tried to place it behind him, but there wasn’t enough rock there and he ended up falling back into the water.

This time, Bruno figured he wouldn’t come up, he would just lie there, at the bottom of the pond until he ran out of air and sweet oblivion rescued him from this entire situation. Unfortunately Reina, evil fiend that she is, had other ideas and she pulled him out of the water almost immediately.

Her arms were strung around his middle and his back was to her chest, he tried very hard not to notice anything to do with her body against his. Honestly, it wasn’t so hard to ignore her near nudity when he was so wrapped up in his embarrassment.

“Put me back,” he told her, limp as a rag doll in her arms.

“What?”

“Let me drown.”

“Seriously Bruno, are you sure you’re not concussed?”

“No, I’m just like this,” he sighed, “por favor, put me out of my misery.”

“Oh hush, it’s not that bad, nobody saw all this but you and me,” she gently prodded him until he was standing on his own two feet, this time she didn’t take her hands away, she just kept them on his shoulders. He wanted to be offended by her lack of faith in his balance, but he had to admit she had a point.

He had lost his other shoe and it floated away from him as he debated the merits of drowning himself.

“This moment will haunt me for the rest of my life,” he climbed back up onto the rock, then realized that he could have asked her to point him towards the correct side of the river. Rather than standing to his feet he stretched out on the rock, on his stomach, head in the crook of his arm and tried not to scream.

“Don’t lift your head, I’m going to check you for bumps,” she told him, then he heard the water splash onto the rock while she followed him up. She put a hand on his shoulder, once again treating him like an easily startled horse, then her fingers delved into his hair. 

Probably the worst part about all of this was how much he was enjoying it. Well, “enjoying it” was the wrong phrase. He did not enjoy making a fool of himself, or repeatedly falling into ponds. 

He was, however, a young man, and she was, unfortunately, one of the most beautiful women he knew. The most beautiful woman he knew, that wasn’t related to him, in fact. And they were both in states of undress, and she was touching him a lot, and her fingers felt so incredibly good as she gently massaged his scalp, and her voice was so soft and low as she asked, “Does this hurt?”

“No,” he squeaked, then cleared his throat and said in a deeper voice, “no.”

She hummed and instructed him to lift his head a little so she could check what his arm had been covering. Bruno swallowed a moan when she briefly massaged his temples.

When she gave him the all clear he dropped his head back into his elbow and debated how he was going to get out of here without her noticing the increasingly obvious effect she had on him. Meanwhile, he heard her slip back into the water.

With his eyes closed like this, there was nothing to distract him from the recent, and very vivid, memory of her standing in front of him as he peeked at her from between his fingers. The sweet pout of concern, the point of her nipples under her chemise, the curve of her hips as they disappeared into the water. This moment would haunt him alright, the embarrassment would haunt him during the day, and she would haunt him during the night.

Not to mention whenever he took a shower.

“Don’t lift your head,” she called.

He held up a single thumb, not trusting himself to answer. If he had felt up to speaking he would have informed her that he had every intention to lie there until the Earth kindly swallowed him whole.

There was the slap of wet feet on rock, then the rustle of grass being tread under foot. She hummed a few bars of a random melody, then returned to the water, letting him know it was safe to peek.

Bruno glanced at the clothesline and saw his shirt hanging from it, “Y-you didn’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense, that thing smelled, hand me your pants and I’ll do those next,” he felt a couple of tugs at the ankle of his pant legs and made a choked noise that drew a giggle from her, “or, you could hand me something out of my basket.”

Bruno pushed himself into a sitting position, being careful to keep one leg bent to hide his erection, not that she would be able to see it with his back turned to her. He grabbed a blouse from her basket and thrust it straight back. Leandra took it and began humming again.

“So uh, do you not have a wash basin at home?” Also, where were her clothes?!

She snorted, “I do, but it sprung a leak. And I couldn’t put off doing laundry any longer since, well, this chemise is the only clean thing I have left. Besides, I didn’t think anyone else knew about this pond, other than me and Papa, I mean. We’re the only ones who even live on this mountain and it isn’t easy to get here without crossing through our land.” 

Bruno grimaced at the implicit question, “I-I like coming here when my runs um, when I need someplace to, y’know, clean off after a run.” 

“I didn’t know you ran,” she handed him the blouse, “could you hang this up, please. Is there a running trail around here I don’t know about?”

He took the blouse, glanced down at his lap, and grimaced. He couldn’t exactly say no without her growing suspicious, so he stood and hoped she wouldn’t notice he was walking funny, “Uh, no. No I just um, I like when there are obstacles.”

“Really?” he dared to glance over his shoulder and saw she had her arms on the rock and her cheek resting on her hand, the rest of her body hidden from view, “Wow, I never took you for the athletic type. Did you run all the way up here?”

He gulped and struggled to come up with a response. She took his silence in stride and reached for her basket, pulling out a pair of bloomers and turning back to her chore. With her back turned Bruno hobbled back to the rock and sat back down. 

They sat in mostly silence as Leandra finished her laundry, only speaking when she asked him to hang something up for her. Eventually, her clothes were clean so she asked him to stand watch while she changed into some freshly dried clothes off the clothesline. 

He took deep breaths and tried desperately not to think about her being naked a couple feet behind him. He had only just gotten his erection under control, he didn’t need it coming back.

“Alright, I’m dressed,” she said, as she walked past him with the dripping chemise.

She wrung out the soaked linen over the pond, then hung it up with the rest of the clothes that were still a bit damp. Bruno helped her fold up the dry clothes and put them in her basket then pulled his shirt off the line and slipped it on.

She faked a pout, “Aw, I was enjoying the view.”

“View, what v- me? I’m-? No, no, I’m not a view,” he felt his cheeks grow warm.

“Sure you are,” she shrugged, then picked up her basket, “I’ll come back for the rest later, they should be dry after an hour or two. Come on, we got a bridge on our land, unless you want to jump back into the pond.”

“I’m good,” he grumbled, falling into step beside her. His shoes, which she had kindly retrieved for him, squelched a bit as he walked.

Leandra bit her lip and resisted the urge to tease him a bit more, the poor man had suffered enough, for now. Instead she said, “You know, if you want a girlfriend you should really stop hiding the goods under your ruana.”

Ok, so she was still going to tease him, but in a complimentary way this time.

“B-believe it or not, I’m not trying to get a girlfriend,” Bruno snipped at her, wishing he had his ruana right now so he could hide his face in his hood.

“Boyfriend then, no judgment here. Either way, I had no idea you had such a great body,” she barreled on, “if you dressed a little sluttier-.”

“I’m not-! I don’t-, d-dating is not my… best skill,” he told her, “it’s just better for everyone if I don’t bother.”

“I beg to differ, guapo,” she bumped her hip against his, “you might be a bit awkward, sure, but you’re devoted, kind, and apparently, completely gorgeous. Any girl, or guy, that catches your eye will be real lucky.”

Bruno bit the inside of his lip and tried really, really hard to not be flattered by her words. She had embarrassed Pepa, he reminded himself, Reina was the enemy. And she was probably just trying to butter him up anyways.

Leandra watched him fight a smile and grinned. Bruno was in dire need of a confidence boost, especially today.

“Are you going to apologize to Pepa?” he asked, almost desperately.

“Are you going to apologize to women everywhere for wearing a shirt?” she retorted, both for the sake of spite and her new mission to improve his self-worth.

Bruno sputtered for a second, then frowned at her, “Stop that.”

“Stop what? Pointing out how sexy you are?”

“I’m not-. Si!”

She giggled, eyes sparkling with mischief, “I don’t know, Bruno, I feel like you don’t realize what a catch you are. Which means it is my duty to inform you.”

“It is not.”

“Well, somebody has to do it,” she sighed dramatically, “and woe, it is such a tough job, but I promise you, from this day forward I shall not quit until you accept that you’re hot shit.”

Bruno briefly wondered if it was possible for his cheeks to spontaneously burst into flame, “That’s- you really don’t have to- please don’t.”

She laughed, bumping her hip against his again, “I’ll show mercy, for now, but rest assured guapo, you’re this village's hottest bachelor.”

“I-I’m pretty sure people have to actually want to date you for that to be true,” he pointed out, “so um, th-the actual hottest bachelor is probably Felix.”

Leandra did the sideways nod that was the universal sign for “You have a point” but then shrugged it off, “Still, I bet if more people got to know you, like actually know you, you’d give Felix a run for his money.”

Bruno didn’t say anything, too busy chanting “She is the enemy!” in his head as a smile fought its way across his face.

She let the matter drop as they passed a post marking the edge of her land. He followed her through the fenced in meadow, currently filled with goats and Sombra, Leche’s daughter and replacement. Sitting high on the hill overlooking the meadow, Leandra could see her Dad running training exercises with Lobo, his new herding dog. 

“How many dogs do you have?”

“Just the three,” she weaved around a young goat who had come to investigate them, “No, no treats, sorry. Leche is a guard dog, but he’s getting kind of up there, so Sombra is taking over. Lobo is a herding dog, to help get the goats from one field to another.”

Bruno nodded, he only vaguely understood farming and husbandry. Mostly, he knew what effects various weather patterns and insects would have on crop wield since his biggest job as the town seer was keeping track of those things. But it made sense that they would have a different dog for herding and guarding.

He froze as a goat butted its way in between him and Leandra, sniffing at his pants pocket.

Bruno, being the superstitious guy that he was, never left the house without at least one pocket full of salt. Today included. Salt of course, dissolves in water, and now he had a large salt stain on his leg that the goat seemed to find very interesting.

He tried to dodge the goat, but there was another right behind him. The first goat got its mouth on his pants and began chewing at the salt stain.

“Um,” he called to Leandra, who hadn’t noticed him being assaulted, “I-I’m being eaten.”

She turned, looking startled, then laughed when she saw the goat chewing on his trousers, “Si, it seems you are.”

“Is… is there anything you can do about this?”

“I can try, what was in that pocket?” she waded through the growing crowd of goats.

“Salt.”

She sucked a breath in through her teeth, “Right, and uh, how attached to these pants are you?”

She handed him the laundry basket and he balanced it on his shoulder while she wrapped her hands around the goat trying to eat his clothing.

“Well, I’m in them so that’s… you know, I-I would say I’m pretty attached.”

“Goats love salt,” she informed him, and indeed as she pulled one goat off of him another took its place.

“Good for them, I love wearing pants,” he retorted.

“Then it would seem you and the goats are at an impasse.”

“Reina!”

“Guapo!”

He huffed at her, as she tried her best to contain her laughter, she was not doing a very good job, “You’re just having a really bad day, aren’t you?”

“Well, I’m glad you noticed, feel free to start helping anytime,” he rolled his eyes, then yelped when a goat started nosing at his crotch. Leandra lunged forward and pulled the goat away from him, then smoothly inserted herself as a human shield between the hungry goats and his most sensitive body parts. This involved putting one of her legs in between his, which was not particularly ideal, but it was a lot less distressing than having a goat nipping at his inseam.

“I’ll call my Papa down, he and Lobo can herd the goats away,” she said, and raised a hand to her mouth to yell for her father.

“No wait,” he hissed, catching her wrist, “I-. We-. I-I don’t think your father w-would be all that happy about our current um, position.”

“What? You mean the fact that you’re basically straddling me?” she asked, “He’ll understand once we explain.”

“That’s worse,” Bruno groaned, “You know what, just let the goats eat me, when my familia asks what happened to me, please make something up. Tell them I died with at least a shred of dignity.”

Leandra bit her lip to keep from laughing and instead gave him a short one armed hug and a pat on the back, “Please stop asking for death, it would be a shame to see such a pretty face go. Now. Goats. Alright… alright, no witnesses, huh?”

“Por favor,” he nodded, allowing himself the comfort of leaning into the brief hug, as a treat. 

She took the basket from him. Leandra balanced the basket on the goat that was currently chewing on Bruno’s pants and rifled around in it until she pulled out a pair of her father’s trousers. She held them up to him with a shrug. Bruno stared at them, then looked down at the goats, and closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

“I am not having a good day,” he agreed with her earlier assessment.

“Be quick, I’ll keep watch,” she said,  fixing her eyes on her father who was thankfully still focusing on practicing with Lobo.

He took another deep breath then, quickly as he could, stripped off his pants. The goat chewing on his pocket immediately took the pants and tried running away, but found itself forced to share its prize with other goats. In the meantime, Bruno slipped the new trousers on over his slightly damp shorts. 

They were roughly five sizes too big but he wasn’t about to complain, holding them up with one hand he hurried out of the herd of goats, Leandra at his heels.

“Come to the house real quick, I’ll lend you a belt,” she directed him to the nearest gate out of the meadow. Circumventing it instead of cutting through took a lot more time, but it was time well spent in Bruno’s opinion. 

The house was surrounded by a herb and vegetable garden, which was in turn surrounded by a wall to protect her plants from goats and wildlife alike. Leche greeted both of them at the door and sat with his head in Bruno’s lap while they waited in the dining room for Leandra to return with the promised belt.

“So, do you have any pets?” she asked, when she emerged, belt in hand.

“I have four rats,” Bruno took the belt and got to work securing the pants on his hips, “Two males, two females. I uh, do my best to keep them separated, because, well, you know.”

Leandra nodded, “You’ll have to introduce me some time, I mean, you’ve met Leche and you’ve been to third base with the goats. Only seems fair.”

“Please don’t go to third base with my rats,” Bruno said, rolling the pant legs up to his ankles.

Leandra broke out laughing, and he was almost startled by the sound, he hadn’t expected her to find his joke funny, “I’ll try not to.”

“Gracias,” he stood and moved around experimentally, when he was convinced the trousers would stay in place without his interference he nodded at her and she led the way out the back door.

“The goats will probably suck all the salt out of your pants before they do any real damage. Hopefully,” she told him, “I’ll go back and see if I can rescue them before Pá finds them.”

“Will he notice these are gone?” he held the back gate open for her and gestured at his lower half.

“Nah,” she waved the concern away, “especially if you get them back to me tomorrow.”

“I-I will,” he promised.

“Good, and hopefully I can give you yours back. It’ll be like a gift exchange, but with pants.”

“Oh goodie,” he said, dryly.

When they reached the bridge Bruno realized he knew exactly where to go, as the path they were on was the only path back to town. He told her as much and she nodded, but caught his wrist before he could walk away.

She began counting things off on her fingers, “Handsome, funny, loyal, kind, and smart.”

“What?”

Leandra shrugged and grinned at him, “All the reasons you’re a good catch. Because you’re-.”

“Are you going to apologize to Pepa?” Bruno cut her off, voice strained. He wished that she would say yes, but knew that even if she did, he couldn’t bring himself to befriend somebody that had hurt his family.

“No,” she said, quietly.

He gulped and nodded, “Then I guess I-, we’ll just have to-. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Reluctantly, he turned away from her and started down the path back to the village. He fought the urge to glance back over his shoulder, cursing himself for even wanting to catch a last look at her.

Drew that way back when I wrote this chapter like a year ago, I have a bunch of doodles on my computer from before I'd figured out how I wanted Bruno and Leandra to look. I might post the others if I feel like it.