#novel emporium

[novel-emporium]

Online Marketplace to Buy & Sell Coins, Notes - Novel Emporium

Novel Emporium is India's only trusted portal for buyers & sellers, powered by Marudhar Arts. We specialize in selling & buying antique coins, notes, stamps, etc. Do you want to buy or sell ancient Indian coins, notes, stamps, and other collectibles online? Then Novel Emporium can be a one-stop online antique coin shop for you, and with us, you can collect complete antique items collections. We propose coins in different metals such as silver, gold, and copper. Additionally, To know more about us - https://www.novelemporium.com/ Follow us on: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RippleofNE Twitter - https://twitter.com/RippleofNE Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/novel_emporium_maru/ Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/RippleofNE/ Telegram - https://www.t.me/novelEmporium/

[notbecauseofvictories]

it would be funny in a horrible, helpless way, if I've spent all month in a funk---trying various things to break out of it, or at least do something productive---when I just needed to go back to my parents' house for a second visit and insist I leave early, refusing to take no for an answer.

[francescaswords]

Introducing ROTTING TREES, a Bezzina's Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities novel

Ta dahh! Cursenovel is called ROTTING TREES, and you can read it from 11th December at the No.1 Readers’ Club on Patreon.

All the women in Ariel Scarlet’s family die before the age of forty. Family legend blames a cursed Victorian necklace, and Ariel is determined to discover who cursed it and why. Sophey Cartwright works in Bezzina’s Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities. She can help Ariel find out the truth... but is Ariel ready to face the past and choose her own place in history?

The prologue is on Patreon now and I can’t wait for you to get to know Sophey and Ariel. I’ve put together a little info post on my blog.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 1

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

ONE MONTH EARLIER

.💙💙💙💙.

𝖂𝖊'𝖉 𝖇𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊 from Hogwarts for maybe two weeks when Trang came knocking on the door. Dad and I had been sitting on the couch reading the newspaper together. Quickly, dad put the newspaper down, upside down, so that if it was a Muggle, they wouldn't see the newspapers' pictures moving.

I got up, hoping that it was Trang and when I opened the door, I saw that my wish had came true- but she seemed nervous. No, not nervous. . .almost frightened. But I knew that could mean two things: she was hiding something from me and was worried how I'd react or something bad might've actually have happened. It was always hard to tell with Trang.

"H-hey Elizabeth?" She said, swallowing hard. "Can we. . . can we talk?"

I frowned and said, "Yeah, sure. Wanna come upstairs to my room?"

She'd paled, and then seemed to recover, and said, "Yes."

I let her in, closing the door behind her, and she followed me up to my room. I was a bit nervous, not sure if I'd put everything from school away. Trang didn't know about me being a witch and I certainly had to keep it like that.

I opened the door, peering in quickly. My broom was lying in the middle of the floor and I quickly picked it up and put it over in the corner, propped up. I wished at that moment it looked more like a broom to sweep floors with even though my bedroom floor was carpet.

Sadie's cage was in the corner, but she wasn't in it at the moment, she was off delivering an owl to Ginny, one of my school friends.

I sat down on the bed and Trang leaned against the wall, looking nervous.

"Well, spit it out." I said. "The suspense is killing me."

"I've been keeping this a secret for a really long time. . ." Trang said, "And I'm afraid you'll hate me for it. . .that I've kept it for so long."

For a split second, before she said what it was, I thought with dread that she was going to come out, saying she was gay, and say she had a crush on me. I wasn't going to be able to do that. I had enough people crushing on me as it was. And then, she said,

". . . I know you're a witch."

I blinked. "Sorry, what?"

Trang sighed. "You're a witch. Your dad's a werewolf. You fly on that broom right over there." She said, pointing to the broom that I had propped up in the corner.

I opened my mouth to protest and she said, "Don't lie- please. I was on a camping trip with my parents when I was seven. I watched your dad turn into a werewolf on that night, no one else was around."

I felt the color leave my face. "After that, I checked the calendar every time your dad had to leave for a trip." She continued.

It was too late, she knew, and I said, "Do you know how dangerous that was! He could've bitten you!"

Trang looked at me hesitantly and then pushed up her glasses that were slipping down her nose. "Are you mad that I know?"

I hesitated. And then I said honestly, "No. I just wished you'd told me sooner."

Trang blinked in surprise, "Really? I thought that there was some sort of magical secrecy code?"

I dropped my mouth. "How do you know about that?"

"Er-" Trang blushed. "I didn't- I assumed."

I rubbed my eyes and then my eyes lit up and I said, "Do you know how much stuff we can do now! I can bring you to Diagon Alley! We can ride brooms together!"

"Is it fun?" She asked, looking at my broom with the skepticism of a muggle who wonders if flying on a broom can be fun.

I thought about it for a moment, debating the idiocy of the plan, and then got up and grabbed my Nimbus 2000. "Let's go." I said.

We ran down the stairs and I said, "Dad, we're going out!"

"Okay! Be home by dark!" Dad shouted from the kitchen.

I snuck the broom out the door and Trang followed me out to the forest where I went in deep to a small clearing I had never seen anyone in and where I normally flew.

I handed her the broom. She took it, nervously. "Alright, now we have to be careful." I said with jittery anticipation. I wasn't supposed to be doing this. I was breaking the Secrecy Statute. "You need to know how to control it first, so don't get on it right away."

She nodded and just held it in her hands like it might explode. "So," I instructed, "The way that you mount it is by swinging your leg over it, but don't just yet." Trang nodded again. But really, hadn't she broken the stature first? "You have to lean forward to go forwards and pulled up and down to go in those directions. It's kind've like whatever you think, it'll do, but you have to do an action for it."

I took the broom from her and swung a leg over it. Then I jumped with my legs and the broom went up but I pulled and it stopped. "So watch." I said. I flew around a bit, much slower than normal so that she could see everything and then touched back down. Well, too late anyways. "Don't go too high." I warned. "I don't want you to fall and break something."

Trang took the broom from my hands and with a nervous breath, swung her leg over the broom. She jumped off lightly and took off. She screeched and nearly crashed into a tree and dodged it at the last second and flew in circles before she got control of her broom. She flew around for a few moments before touching down.

"That is fun!" She exclaimed. "You need to tell me more."

I grinned. "It's easier to show you than to tell you."

We spent nearly two hours in the forest and by the end of practice, she was doing well on the broom.

"Maybe I'll get a broom." She said happily. "How expensive are they?"

I hesitated. "Depends on the type. This one was 200 Galleons."

"Galleons?" Trang frowned.

"Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. A Galleon is about £5 per Galleon."

Trang paled, "I might not have that much money."

"Consider it a birthday present then." I said.

She stared at me in shock. "What?"

"I have my own bank account." I said. "From my parents." I answered. As we had flown, I'd told her the whole truth about my parents, my brother, my secrets, my visions and the past three years at my school- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Oh." She said softly. "This Voldemort dude. . . he's dead, isn't he?"

I hesitated, not wanting to scare her with everything at once. "I don't know Trang." I finally said. "There's some sort of part of him that's still alive. . . but he's weak and that's a good thing."

I put my broom over my shoulder and we headed back to my house. "Come back tomorrow and we can go over more."

.💙💙💙💙.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, Dad was out, looking for jobs. Since he'd resigned from being a Professor at my school, he'd been out of work and we'd been struggling. I think it had something to do with some sort of decree someone in the Ministry had passed. But he wouldn't talk about it, though his lips thinned every time the newspaper added the name 'Dolores Umbridge'.

I'd gotten a new side job that paid £13 an hour, but I only worked for a couple hours on Friday and Saturday, and it wasn't nearly enough. It was about the equivalent of 2 Galleons an hour. But Dad wouldn't take money from my vault and so the money I earned at the job went into the money jar in the living room above the fireplace.

Trang came over bright and early and I took her up to my bedroom again where I had all my course books out in stacks based on subject starting with year 1 on top through year 3 sitting on the bottom.

I also had my Quidditch books and other magical books not related to school sitting on a stool by my bed. She dropped her mouth as she picked up the cover of the Quidditch book and then looked at me, "The pictures move?"

I grinned at her amazement and excitement. Today was going to be fun.

.💙💙💙💙.

𝖂𝖊 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖆 majority of the day looking through the books and then we went downstairs so I could cook dinner and she kept looking through the Quidditch books.

"Is this the only sport in the wizarding world?" She asked curiously as I flipped the Italian sausages into a metal pan and turned on the stove.

"Hmm." I said, thinking. "Well I suppose it's our biggest sport. There's gobstone tournaments too but those don't get as much popularity. Wizarding Chess is also quite popular. We also like to collect cards like chocolate frog cards and we have self-shuffling packs. And there's exploding snap- that's a card game too."

"But those are mostly games." Trang said, "They aren't really sports."

I dumped string beans into the pan next to it and put the heat on up to 9. "No, perhaps they aren't. Quidditch I suppose would then be our only sport. There are some other broom sports, but they either died out or are only played in certain countries, not worldwide."

"That's kind've sad." Trang said.

I bristled, "It's a perfectly good sport!"

Trang was amused, "Touchy, touchy. I never said it wasn't a good sport, I just said it was sad that you only had one sport."

I rolled my eyes. "Name a good sport."

Trang started rattling off a list, "Football, Soccer, Baseball, Volleyball, Tennis, Gymnastics, Hockey, Swimming, Bowling-"

"Bowling isn't a sport." I snorted, flipping the sausages. "It's a game- like the way you think gobstones is a game."

"Bowling isn't a game!" She interjected.

"And what the hell is Soccer?" I continued as though I hadn't heard her.

"Oh, well Americans have a backward system." Trang stated. "So what we call football, they call soccer. And for them, Football is a game played with a brown oval shaped ball and-"

I yawned, "Sounds boring, I'd rather watch Quidditch."

I ducked as she threw a spoon at me.

"American Muggle sports are perfectly entertaining." Trang said. "I love watching Gymnastics and even Hockey because they are great sports."

I snorted, turning the boiling greenbeans off. Though admittedly, I did love watching Gymnastics at Trang's house on the TV. "Sure, whatever you say, but I'm going to take you to a Quidditch game one day."

And then, I realized that a Quidditch game was coming up. The Quidditch World Cup. I turned to her, opening my mouth.

"What?" She asked, putting all joking aside, "What is it?"

"I should take you to the Quidditch World cup this year!" I exclaimed, rifling through the cupboards to find tea to go with dinner. We had about thirty different types of tea.

"The Quidditch World cup?" Trang frowned, "What is that?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's Ireland vs. Bulgaria. They'll be competing for the cup, obviously. And it's Quidditch."

"Will I be allowed to go?" Trang asked hesitantly, getting excited.

"I think so." I said, deciding on Lemon Zinger tea. "There'll be plenty of Muggles there, I think, or at least like parents of Muggle-born wizarding children. I already told Ron- he's my friend at school- to get me two tickets or I'd buy two tickets, so I must've known somewhere in my subconscious that you would be going."

"Well if you predicted it, I'll trust it." Trang said, picking up a Quidditch magazine and watched the brooms race back and forth on the page.

"We'll have to get you you to floo powder though." I said, quickly flipping the sausages again, biting my bottom lip.

"What's floo powder?" She asked, flipping through the magazine.

"It's the way underage wizards travel." I said, grabbing a steak knife so that I could start cutting the sausages into pieces. "We can't apparate until we're eighteen, and brooms will take to long. Since we'll be staying at Ron's house, we'd have to travel there by the fireplace, floo powder helps us do that."

"Elizabeth, who are you talking to?" Trang and I both froze at dad's voice. My cheeks started to burn. Dad must've come in when we were talking and we didn't hear him. My hands were frozen over the pan, the sausages half cut.

Dad came into the kitchen and looked from me to Trang to the magical book in Trang's hands and his face drained of color.

"Hi. . . dad." I said weakly, turning off the stove, setting the knife aside.

"Elizabeth. . ." Dad didn't seem to be able to comprehend Trang knowing about magic.

"It's my fault." Trang said quickly, putting the book down, face up so that the pictures were zooming around on the cover. "I already knew you guys were a magical family since I was seven and I only just told her yesterday when we went out and er- well I've been grilling her for questions ever since."

Dad raised his hand to put his leather bag on the counter and missed. I quickly took the bag from him, cheeks still burning, and put the bag down on the counter for him.

"Maybe you should sit down, dad." I said anxiously, pulling the pan off the stove.

Dad gave a stiff nod and went into the dining room. I dished out the sausages on the plate with the greenbeans and filled three glasses with milk, forgetting about the ice tea I'd just put in the refrigerator. I put the slightly rarer sausages on dad's plate and gave Trang and I more thoroughly cooked ones.

I put the plates down on the table while Trang put the milk glasses and silverware down and we both sat down, Trang on my side so that I was sitting between the two of them.

"How- how much did you know before you approached Elizabeth?" Dad asked, his hands folded and his forehead resting on them.

"I watched you transform into a werewolf." Trang said, a little to bluntly. "When I was seven."

The little color that had come back to dad's face drained again, and he moaned softly. "Oh Merlin. . ." He put his face in his hands.

I pitied him, knowing that his worst nightmare was that someone might get close enough to him that he'd bite them. He never wanted to hurt anyone- much less bite someone as a werewolf. Especially a child.

"I'm sorry!" Trang exclaimed, looking horrible. "I didn't mean too. My family was camping and I was exploring at night when my parents were asleep, and I saw you and I was going to approach you and ask you what you were doing cause you were naked and then you transformed and I -er- ran back to the tent."

I almost laughed. Dad had been naked?

"Dad. . . are you okay?" I asked gently, putting my hand on his arm.

"I just can't believe I could've. . ." He drifted off. He seemed mortally embarrassed about the naked comment.

"I- I can leave." Trang murmured, cheeks red, and got up from her seat quickly, looking distressed.

"No!" Both dad and I exclaimed. "No, it's alright." Dad said again, still looking pale. "You've known for a long time and you've never told anyone. . . have you?"

Trang shook her head. "I knew no one would believe me and I didn't want to bring any potential trouble down on you regardless. I didn't want to lose Elizabeth."

"Well that's good." Dad said, sounding breathless. He picked up his plate. "I'm going to recover in my room, Elizabeth. Good night girls."

"Night dad." I said.

"Night Mr. Lupin." Trang said, still sounding troubled.

Dad heard the tone in her voice and gave her a strained smile, "Learn as much as you want Trang, a lot of it is very interesting."

His footsteps went upstairs and I wolfed down my sausages and cleaned off my plate. "Okay, let's go." I said.

Trang finished her food quickly, looking confused. "Where are we going?"

I checked the clock. It was eight-thirty. "Hmm, actually, I'll just show you how to travel and we'll go tomorrow. It'll be less busy and we can explore the entire day."

"Oh." Trang said as we went over to the fireplace, "Okay. Er- where?"

I pulled down the pail with the green dust in it. "Diagon Alley of course. This is called floo powder. Now, what you do is you take a handful- not tonight- and you hold it in your hand when you step into the fireplace. Then, you throw it down and shout where you want to go."

"Doesn't sound to hard." Trang said, frowning at the fireplace but her voice sounded nervous.

"You'll probably want to put your glasses in your pocket when you do it." I said. "People usually fall on their face on the first time and I'm underage and won't be able to fix them. Anyways, you have to speak very clearly because if the fireplace doesn't understand, you could get lost in the gates. Or you could end up in Timbuktu."

Trang laughed. "How early should I be here?"

I thought about it. "Depends on if you want to eat three meals there or two."

"Just two, I think" Trang said. "I'll eat breakfast at home."

"Then come here around 8:45." I said, putting the bowl of powder back on the fireplace mantle. "A lot of shops open up at 8:00 and they won't be to crowded until later."

Trang left after a cup of tea. I quickly boiled some water and made Dad's favorite Earl Gray blend with the right amount of honey, made myself another cup of cold Lemon Zinger tea, and then carried the two cups upstairs.

I knocked on the door and dad said, "come in."

I went into dad's room. His empty plate and glass were on the bedside table. He was already in his bed clothes and he was sitting up on the bed with a book in hand, the small lamp lit behind him.

I climbed onto the bed next to him, handing him his cup. He thanked me for the tea, putting it on the bedside table. I did the same.

I wished I was smaller now. Before, I had wanted to be taller and I had gotten my wish. I'd grown five inches this summer. I snuggled up next to him and he put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Are you okay dad?" I asked softly. He was reading a book on the American industry.

"No luck where jobs are concerned." He said lightly, flipping the page with one hand. "But I'm okay. And I'm glad you and Trang are able to put the secrecy out of the way. I just worry about you getting in trouble for it."

"It'll be okay dad." I said. "No one will know."

"You were talking about bringing her to the Quidditch World Cup." Dad said imploringly.

I blushed. "Well, okay, yeah. We were talking about sports and I thought it would be fun to take her."

"Are tickets expensive?" Dad asked and even though he tried to hide it, I'd lived with him to long. I knew he was thinking about the job. Was he really thinking about going to America to get a job? He'd need a passport and a green card. . .

"I'm not spending a knut." I promised. "Ron's dad is going to get free tickets from Ludo Bagman." I paused and then said, "Dad, why don't you just use my Gringotts-"

"No." Dad said firmly. "I'm not going to support this family on your funds. I'll get a job, it's just going to take some time, okay?"

I bit my bottom lip and snuggled into his chest.

Dad laughed, "You're getting a bit big for snuggles, don't you think?" But he hugged me to his chest regardless.

"Only a little bit." I said sullenly. This made dad laugh again.

"You know I meant height." Dad said amused, "You're still very skinny." He put his book aside and put both his arms around me, pulling me higher up on his chest and resting his chin on my head. "What are you so worried about?"

"We're going to be okay, aren't we?" I asked.

"Of course we are." Dad murmured. "I'll find-"

"I'm not worried about the job or the money." I interrupted. "Worst comes to worst, use the fund. . . but. . . I don't know. . . I just have a really bad feeling about something and I don't know what. . ."

Dad squeezed me tighter. "I'll always protect you." He whispered.

I turned and hugged him back, laying my head on his chest. I may have fallen asleep at some part because I woke up in my bed the next morning with no idea how I had gotten there.

Trang showed up at 8:40 and so I let her in, yawning. I had already dressed and combed out my hair. She was bouncing with nervous energy. I had already told dad over toast and bacon what we were doing today, and he looked over his newspaper, not bothering to hide the moving pictures this time.

"Please be careful girls." He said anxiously.

"I'll go first." I said. "That way you can watch and then dad can help you on your way here, okay?"

"Sure." Trang said nervously.

I took a handful of power and then stepped into the fireplace and threw the floo powder down and shouted, "Diagon Alley!"

Green flames erupted around me and Trang took a frightened step back and then I was swirling through a mixture of colors and images and then, I stepped out into the Leaky Cauldron. I waited, nervously for Trang to come through.

Two minutes later, Trang shot out of the fireplace, onto her face. I laughed, helping her to her feet. She looked around with a dropped mouth.

"Close your mouth," I hissed. "You've been here before."

Luckily, no one had paid us any attention. I waved to Tom the bartender as we headed out the back door. Trang was still looking around, having put her glasses back on her face, taking in the surroundings.

When we reached the brick wall, Trang looked confused. "I don't understand." She said, looking around the small dump. I giggled.

I took out my wand and tapped the bricks up three and two across and tapping it twice. The bricks moved away to form a gateway and I walked through, Trang trailing behind me looking as though she might drop her mouth again. "Where do. . . where do we start?" She asked faintly.

I paused, thinking, and then said, "Let's start at Gringotts, alright? Then we'll make our way down."

"I brought some money." Trang said pulling out a lot of bills. "Not necessarily for a broom, but I wanted to pay my fair share for some things." She said quickly.

I smiled. "We can get the bills exchanged at Gringotts, alright? They'll exchange Muggle currency for Wizarding coins."

She nodded, relieved.

We headed up the streets and she kept looking around, but it wouldn't matter to anyone out here. We walked up the large marble steps into Gringotts and I led her over to a counter, taking the money from her hand. She nearly fainted at the sight of the goblins.

"We'd like to exchange this for Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts please." I said, handing up the money to the Goblin behind the counter. He took it in his long fingered hand and counted it out and turned to a large old fashioned machine and converted the pounds into wizarding gold and slipped the coins into a little bag and gave the bag to me.

"Thank you." I said.

He nodded and got back to weighing some emeralds behind his desk. Trang eyed them with interest for a moment and then followed me to a different desk.

"Requesting a cart?" The goblin behind the counter asked promptly.

"Yes please." I said. I named my vault number (718), handed up the key, and Trang and I followed the goblin through a door, and into the stone hallway where the carts were. Trang was looking around the cavern as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"First time?" The goblin asked me, nodding to Trang.

"Yes." I said with a grin.

The goblin chuckled. "They always look stunned on the first trip."

Trang climbed into the cart and I got in next to her and we took off down the ramp. She shrieked, clutching the side of the cart. I laughed aloud.

"It's like a roller coaster with no seat belts!" She exclaimed.

I looked at her mischievously. "Why would we need seat belts? Takes the fun out of everything!"

When we arrived at my vault, I opened it with my key and took out a large quantity of gold. I was surprised that after three years, a dent had barely been made in the size of my pile. I wondered if maybe it replenished or something. It made me uncomfortable when Dad had nothing. I filled two bags to the brim and then we set off.

The goblin was very interested in the amount of gold that I was taking out, especially two student aged kids with no parental supervision.

"Racing brooms." I explained. "Firebolts hopefully."

The goblin nodded and said, "Yes, those do require a lot of gold, don't they?"

I nodded, "But worth it."

Above surface, I put the bags of gold in the backpack I had brought with me so I wasn't lugging around two big bags of gold and gave Trang her little bag.

I quickly filled out a transfer form so that 1,000 Galleons would magically be transferred into Dad's account under the name 'anonymous'. I did the same for the Weasleys with 500 Galleons. Then Trang and I laughed.

She laughed as she held her small bag, dwarfed by my large ones. "Even £500 doesn't match anywhere close to what you have."

"It's okay." I said, though I wondered dully how she had gotten her hands on £500! I wondered if maybe dad could get a job wherever Trang's dad worked. "We'll spend most of mine anyways."

"You're not really going to get me a firebolt are you?" Trang asked nervously. "I don't want a better broom than you. Either same or under is fine with me." She'd researched the different brooms last night. "To be honest, I wouldn't have minded a silver arrow."

"They were a pretty model." I said. "I liked them better than swiftsticks anyways, and don't worry, I'm not getting a Firebolt, I just needed an explanation about the amount of gold we're getting. I have a feeling your going to want a lot of books."

"As many as I can carry." Trang said earnestly. "But I'll spend my money first."

I shrugged, "I don't really care. Maybe you can just pay for our meals."

She thought about that and pocketed the small bag she kept tossing from hand to hand. "Deal."

We went into some of the smaller shops first. There was a junk shop with legitimate items and I found film developer to make pictures move. I bought two boxes, one for me and one for Trang. Now I'd be able to make some of my posters move and some of my pictures as well.

Trang was fascinated with everything she saw and I kept reminding her to be careful not to touch anything.

"Remember." I said. "Muggles have a sort of allergy to some magical things. That's why you can't take magical concoctions like potions."

Then, we made our way to the broom shop and she looked at all the different models and I bought her the Firebolt- despite what I'd previously said. "Happy Birthday." I said, giving it to her. She took it carefully as though it might explode if she dropped it, a huge expression of joy on her face.

I showed her the robe and wand shops, but we didn't go in because she didn't need robes and she couldn't get a wand, though she stood outside the window for a couple of seconds in longing. It was the first time that I wondered if perhaps this had been a bad idea.

But then she turned, smiled, and teased, "At least I don't have to carry a piece of wood in my pocket all the time!" and we hurried down the street to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. There, we put her broom down and we ordered large ice creams. Then she paid the bill and we made our way back down the street.

Next was the book store. She explored the books shelf by shelf, picking up nearly every book available. She had started a stack and the book-keeper watched amused.

"She must really be your friend." He said as he rang up all of her books. "She buys nearly as many books as you do!"

Mr. Blotts had seen me coming and going since I was maybe seven or eight. So, he knew what sorts of books I liked reading. Sometimes when I came in, he'd have a book or two under the counter to recommend. I usually ended up buying them. Dad and I were his best customers.

I chuckled. "I'll buy my own extra books soon."

I did indeed pick up a few books. Mostly about the different creatures of the dark world. I thought it was a fascinating subject and it was also what dad had taught last year. I also picked up another divination book. I didn't know my Hogwarts booklist yet- it wouldn't come until the end of July.

Trang had about twenty or thirty books and I stacked my own six up next to hers and we bought them. I had, had dad enlargen the backpack with a spell so all the books fit into it and the bag stayed fairly light.

"So, are we going home now?" Trang asked, looking around. The sun was a bit lower in the sky, perhaps about four o'clock or so.

"Not yet." I said. "Two more shops."

First, we stopped by a Divination store and I searched for a really good Tarot deck. I closed my eyes, moving among them and trying to see which one felt the best to me. There was so much that had to be done for tarot cards. Certain boxes, certain jewels, certain stones, certain herbs.

I finally found my Tarot deck. They were covered with bunnies and I absolutely loved them. I also had to get a box to keep my cards, herbs for cleansing, and stones or crystals to enhance the cards.

The thing about Divination was that each component had it's own properties. For instance, those who specialize in questions about health got Apple wood boxes. Those with fiery personalities got Mesquite wood boxes. Hazel was fire resistant. Alder wood boxes are best for those who kept their boxes outside or underwater.

I personally debated between a Bay wood box which is best for those artistically inclined (I am a good artist if I may be so humble), a Chestnut wood box which is for those who crave knowledge, or a Beech box which increases accuracy for readings about the past. I saw the future, but I wanted to known more about mine and my parents past.

But the other thing about Divination is that you can't just choose a box and hope that it works. You have to feel the box. Like the way that the wand chooses the wizard- the cards, the box, the herbs, the gemstone choose the wizard as well. . .to a slightly less powerful degree.

Finally, I went with the Chestnut wood box. It was very smooth and the top lifted up, connected to the box by small hinges. There was no handles to carry it and there was no lock either. The wood was very smooth, though the light colored wood had dark blemishes along it.

I browsed the herbs next. There are 23 types of wood boxes, 115 different types of herbs, and 246 different types of stones, crystals, or gems that could be used. Each had different properties, different uses, and different strengths and weaknesses. Needless to say, picking tarot cards and utensils is very difficult.

I finally went with Blackberry as a herb (for those who wish to get more accurate reading on big questions [marriage, moving, new jobs]) and Bloodstone as the gem (well suited for self-readings).

After everything was rung up and I paid, I led Trang to the Owl Emporium and gestured around at all of the owls. "Pick one."

She looked at me, "An owl?"

"How else do you think we're going to send each other letters now that you're a full member of the magical world." I said, smiling kindly.

Trang took a long look at all of the owls. After careful consideration, she selected a brown and white speckled Barred Owl. She paid for him.

I got in the fireplace with Trang's broom and owl, having given her the backpack instead as she was less experienced with floo travel. She had gone first and I hadn't seen any problems and so I named where I wanted to go and ended up in Dad's house.

I stepped out into the living room. Trang let her owl out to fly around and petted his head feathers. "What do you think I should call him?"

"Up to you." I said, gently releasing the books from the bag and separating my six from her books. "Harry named his owl Hedwig from a book he'd read and I just came up with the name Sadie for my owl off the spot."

Trang flipped through books while I cooked and finally she came up with the name Carter for the owl. "There's just something right about that name." She said.

I shrugged. "Alright then." Who was I to stop people from doing what their feelings said? I did things off my feelings. . .100% of the time.

She had her books in two stacks and her broom next to it. Carter was still flying around. She helped me fix dinner and then, I put the lids on everything and I helped her get everything home.

After that, nearly every day was spent in the field flying or inside reading. We sent each other little notes over the weekend with our owls when I couldn't hang out because I was working. Carter and Sadie liked each other too, which was nice. I was always glad when owls got along.

Sadie was finally getting along with Sushi, my rabbit, too. I caught her sleeping next to him one night, her wing over his furry back and his head tucked in. I'd taken a picture and kept in my album.

Nothing exciting happened for a very long time. 

⬅️➡️

[scenteddelusion5]

"Two households, both unalike in dignity, In our unsightly hell, where we lay our scene," PART 2

Vox x gn reader (Alastor's child)

Note: I learned how to do ť̷̛̠̝͐̀͗̈̎̐h̵̢͎̥͙̳͚͉̮̊̿̋͑̃͜͝ị̵͖͉̈́͂̾̽s̷̮͖͕̞͉̲̝̿̈́͗̿̏́̚͜͠

Also this is definitly going to be a 4 or 5 parter.

Word count: 3385

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Y/n was sitting on their bed, looking at the surprisingly tin device in their hand. These smart phones looked so different compared to the phones in their time. Turning the thing on was a bit of a struggle, but thanks to Vox choosing the settings were easy and his phone number was already saved.

Hello Vox, this is Y/n. I hope you get this message.

The man on the receiving end hadn't read it yet, which they learned they could see bases on colour of the checkmarks, so instead they started exploring the unfamiliar tech a bit, mainly the internet. It wasn't invented yet when they were alive but with the amount of books they read, they were familiar with how it worked.

Y/n was looking up pictures of the TV Demon when a knock came from their door. "Little fawn, we need to talk." They swiftly hid the smartphone under their pillow.

Y/n sighed, "come in."

Alastor walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Fawn, I would first like to apologize for the way that I acted yesterday, it was unbecoming, however, I need you to understand that you can't trust Vox." His shadow grabbed one of their romance books and brought it to him. "He only wants to get close to you, to get to me and I don't want you to get hurt. Not only does he already have such a relation with his colleague Valentino but me and him have been in a long feud. You see..." Their father proceeded the tell them the same story Vox had.

"So that's why, I'm sorry this wasn't the novel worthy romance you hoped it was, but if you wished to meet new people, I would gladly take you out of the house sometime."

"Thanks for telling me dad." They put their head on his shoulder. "I forgive you... So where would we be going?"

"Hmm, that's a surprise. Put on something decent and come down for breakfast." Alastor stood up and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Y/n reached for the phone. A message popped up from the screen.

God, I got to teach you how to text Anyway I was thinking There's this new restaurant opening up, want to go?

I see, Y/n thought, texting is very casual.

I would love too but my father is taking me out today to make up for yesterday. We could go tomorrow

Sure I'll see you at the edge of the forest

Y/n was casually dressed, their phone hidden in their jacket. Alastor and them were walking down a familiar street. "I've already been to Cannibal Town, you know that."

"Yes, yes, I know, little fawn. That isn't the surprise." Alastor waved them off.

The two made their way to Rosie's Emporium. Rosie was standing outside with a younger looking man standing next to her. He wore a brown waistcoat, matching pants and a bowtie. His eyes were pitch black like Rosie's.

"Alastor! You really kept us waiting!" Rosie laughed. "And here I thought you were a gentleman."

"Yes, yes, we took a bit longer. Anyway speaking of gentleman, Y/n, meet Paris." Alastor pushed the man in front of them. "He's a young, stand-up, cannibal demon. I thought that you surely didn't want to explore the rest of hell with your old man, so I asked Paris here to go instead."

"It's an honour to meet you." Paris kissed Y/n on the hand. "I would love to show you around the rest of hell."

"Uhm... I..." Y/n looked between him and their father. "Sure, let's go," they sighed.

Alastor and Rosie watched the two leave. "Once they've spend their day with him, Y/n'll forget all about Vox. Now come inside. I've got a new shipment of livers." Rosie invited her old friend inside.

Vox was still removing the thorns and branches from his favourite suit when Velvette entered his room.

"Wait, so you did go after them?!" She pulled one of the branches out of his hat. "You're sooo whipped. Did you find some dirt on Alastor?"

"No, I didn't." Vox stood up and straightened his suit. "But I do need to prepare for tomorrow."

"No-" Velvette jumped onto him and held his screen between her hands. "- you have a DATE!!! OMG, you two should totally get married, could you imagine the Radio Demon's face. Hahaha." She pulled up her phone and started typing something in google. "So where are you taking them? What are you wearing?"

"We're going to that new restaurant and I'm wearing my usual suit." He pulled away from the other Vee.

"You're not wearing your work clothes. Follow me, we're going shopping."

"So yeah that was the first time I had ever eaten a human heart, it was quite experience, hahaha." Paris was rambling on and on. "Rosie had introduced me to your father, he seemed have approved of me. I, mean, that's crazy, he is THE Radio Demon and all... Oh, have I already told you about my cooking? I-"

The whole time this demon had been talking about himself, oh and the Radio Demon of course. Paris seemed to idolize him, which only put Y/n off more. At least they got to see the rest of hell. The two were walking down the road, a unfamiliar city standing in the distance.

"We should go the other direction." Paris was about to walk the other way.

"Why?

"Oh that's like, uhm, the three Vees territory. It's not a place to take a fair maiden to."

"Dad told you to show me around hell and I want to go there." They continued to walk to the city and it's flashy lights. "Are you coming or am I going alone?"

The two were heading towards the shopping centre. The whole way Paris was trying to convince them to go back. But Y/n was stubborn.

"This really isn't a place for civilized people as you can see, I can show you around another circle in hell." As Paris was talking, they walked up to a window.

The shop window showed a total of ten TV's. Vox 2 Night was on. He looked so handsome in his suit talking about VoxTech's newest invention. They were immediately pulled away from their conversation with the cannibal and lovingly stared at the demon on the broadcast.

"Hey, Y/n." That wasn't Paris' voice.

"Velvette, why are we going to the mall when you can just conjure an outfit for me?" Vox asked.

Velvette pulled up her Sinstagram and showed it to Vox. "Because it's part of the EXPERIANCE, just look. Shopping pics are all over everyone's for-you-page and if we say we're preparing you for a date, we'll totally go viral."

"That's no, we're not telling anyone I'm going on a date." Vox grabbed her phone out of her hands. "Who knows how Val will do when he finds out. No, nope."

"But-"

"No!" Vox's screen zoomed in on his left eye, black circles spiralled in it. As he was using his hypnotising powers, he caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the distance.

"Fine," Velvette sighed, "but at lea-"

But Vox wasn't paying attention to his colleague again. He was walking to the person standing in front of one of his techshops. They were intently watching his night show. Their eyes sparkled.

"Hey, Y/n," he greeted them.

"Vox! What are you doing here?" Y/n's face immediately brightened seeing the TV Demon.

"Hello, I'm Paris." The demon stepped in between the two lovebirds. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, you can fuck off." Vox pushed past him.

Y/n, me and Vox were just about to go shopping. Do you want to come with?" Velvette asked.

"I would love to." They pushed a hairlock behind their ear.

"Another time, I was showing Y/n around and we were just on our way to doomsday district." Paris butted in again. "Besides, aren't you and the Radio Demon rivals? It's highly inappropriate for someone who has not been approved by their father to be around them."

"And I don't think a wannabe, cannibal who doesn't know his place is worthy of being seen with them." Vox retorted. "So Y/n, what do you think?"

"I would love to go shopping with you!" They turned to the other cannibal. "I'm going to hang out with them, you can either come with or leave us alone."

"But-" Before Paris could make another objection, Y/n dragged the overlord by the arm to the shopping centre.

"So what's up with hollow eyes over there?" Velvette asked as Vox and Paris were fighting about a suit or something.

"Oh yeah," Y/n's nervous laugh filled the room, "dad wanted him to come with me while going out, I've never been here before. I didn't really get a choice in the matter."

"Hmm, don't worry. I got ya!!" Velvette walked up to the bickering boys. "Hey, Paris! I saw this polo that would suit you. Come on." She winked at her colleague while pulling him away.

"I never realised Velvette's taste is stuck-up bitchass," Vox murmured.

Y/n linked their arm around the TV's. "It isn't, that's why we should make a run for it now before she gets sick of him."

The mall was giant, every corner held a store a different store. The two were looking around a souvenir store.

"How about this?" Y/n asked as they held up a keychain of a hung rat.

"That's disgusting, wh- HEY HEY!!" Vox screamed as they held the dead animal close to his face. "Stop it!"

"Fine..." Y/n took a step back. "Hey, how do your hypnosis powers work? I know you use them for your shows, but I didn't sense anything at all."

"Indirect hypnosis isn't as strong as direct. My shows only work on lowly denizens, so you have nothing to worry about in that regard." Vox looked at the snow globes decorated with death animals.

"And direct."

Vox looked away from them. "I could make you do anything I wanted but I'm not going to do that. I like you just the way you are."

His words shot straight through their heart. "Stop saying corny stuff like that." A red blush decorated their face.

"But I love your reactions, sweetie."

"Stop."

"Sweetheart."

"Vox..."

"My love~"

"VOX!" Their face was brighter than Alastor's hair. "S̴̹͎͗̈́͂̏͛̈̿͝͝T̸̡̛̼̥͓͖͂͛́̒̈́̄̀͛̏̔͒̎̌̕͝͝O̵̧̖̖͍͕͔͈͂̈́͑̅P̸̢̥̝̦͎̂̌̽ Ȉ̴̟̗̗̗̖̟̞͍̙͊͑̐̋̂̀̆̋T̵̺͉͔̮̺̩̔͌̽͊̔̍̆̿́̔̇̇͘." Their ears fell back, eyes glowed and their teeth got sharper.

Vox was stunned by this reaction, they were terrifying yes, but they were also kind of cute? Pixel hearts floated across his screen. "Wow, you're so hot."

"I, I- uhm, you're handsome too." They twirled a hairlock around their finger.

...

...

"So." Vox broke the awkward silence. "How is that phone suiting you?"

"Oh." They pulled the little device out of their pocket. "Yeah, I'm still figuring out what the apps are all about but I think I understand the chatting and goulgle." They opened their phone and showed it to him

"You still have the standard VoxTech background?" Vox asked.

"You can change it?"

"Yes." Vox grabbed their phone and posed for a selfie. Y/n, not completely understanding what's going on, copied him. "Wait," the overlord said as he was focused on their phone, "here."

He showed them their new background; a picture of the both of them smiling, Y/n looking straight into the camera and Vox glancing lovingly to them, a edited in, glowing heart surrounding the both of them.

"That's so cute!" They stared at the picture now decorating the background of their little picture device.

"I also downloaded 666+ for you along with a free account. you can watch any 666 show on there."

"Even your shows?" Their eyes sparkled.

"Of course." Vox was definitely going to download that image of them to his hard drive once he got home. "Anyway, let's leave. I don't think we're going to buy something here."

"Velvette? Where did Y/n go?" Paris asked.

"I don't know," she answered, "oh look at this shirt." She held up a striped polo.

"I promised their dad I would look after them. Oh, if the Radio Demon finds out I lost them, he's going to hate me!" The cannibal started to panic. "No, I should go to him, if I tell him in time maybe he won't kill me."

"Relax." She rolled her eyes. "Let's go find them, they couldn't have gone far. Besides what would the Radio Demon say if you left them lost and alone now?"

"Right, yeah right." Paris started searching throughout the entire shopping mall.

Vox! I can't keep distracting this guy He's dead set on finding them

We'll come Meet you at the restrooms on the Westside

"Hey! Paris, I know where they are!" She yelled at the still freaked out man.

"Right, lead the way!"

When they arrived, Vox and Y/n were already there.

Paris rushed up to them. "Y/n are you alright? You're not hurt are you? What would your father say if he knew you ran off?"

"I don't care what he would say. I'm my own person." They retorted and then turned to Velvette. "Are you hungry too? Me and Vox wanted to go get some food."

"Sure, I could use a snack."

Paris' face brightened. "I know this great restaurant close by that I just know you would love." He tried to hide his smirk when they agreed to go there.

The restaurant looked nice enough but there didn't seem many people inside. But that also meant they got a table of four immediately. The inside was decorated with abstract paintings and decorative, animal skeletons.

"I've never been in this place. It's rather nice." Vox studied a squirl skull. He couldn't understand why Paris was looking so smug. The waiter passed around the menu and left again. Even the staff was polite, what was going on? But when he opened the menu, it clicked...

It was a cannibal restaurant.

Vox was about to protest when Y/n spoke up. "Oehhh, I didn't think they had places like this outside of Cannibal Town. They even have my favourite!"

He looked over the menu again, looking for anything he could possibly stomach. There weren't any vegan options... shit. This was going to be a loooong lunch.

Velvette shot a concerned look at Vox, when the waiter came back. "Have you made a decision?"

"Yes, I'll have the legbeef, medium rare, and the lady will have the smoked heart." Paris ordered for the two of them.

"Uhm-" Vox glitched, hastily trying to make a decision. I'll have the smoked heart too." It was their favourite dish, he should've at least tried it once.

Velvette was still in utter shock that her colleague was going along with this. "I'll have the uhm... Liver bolognaise." She quickly chose the least horrible sounding dish, at least there would be a shit ton of cheese and sauce on it. The girl still couldn’t believe she was doing this and for Vox of all people!!!

The dinner went fairly well all things considered. Velvette barely touched her dish, while Vox did take a full bite and it didn't taste as bad as he'd expected, actually it tasted great! But knowing he was eating an actual demon spoiled the dish for him. Still, he finished it.

After lunch the group split up again, Paris and Y/n going back to Cannibal Town while Vox and Velvette went back to the V-tower.

Alastor had brought some of his daughters romance books to Rosie, one of them laying open on the table. He wanted to at least try to understand what got Y/n so hung up about Vox and romance.

"So, they basically get threatened and stalked by this vampire and they fall in love with him? I can't believe Y/n has been reading this nonsense." Alastor rolled his eyes and reached out for the next novel. "And this one, to get over her heartbreak, a young demoness writes heartfelt letters, confessing her love for the sinners, never intending to send them. However, when she opens her box one morning she finds all her letters gone, send out. How will she deal with the 5 denizens she accidentally confessed to? Is this supposed to be interesting, I don't get it."

"Come on, Alastor. You want to bond more with her, right? This is part of it." Rosie picked up one of the books to and reads the back. "This one doesn't seem too bad, it's about the love between two demons who look back on their living years as young champs."

"Ugh," the Radio Demon complained. "Luckily I don't need to worry about them and Vox anymore. I must say that Paris boy is quite the charming man, a perfect addition to our home, tell me how did you find him?"

"Oh, Paris is a BIG fan of yours and came to Cannibal Town in the hopes to meet you. For the last few months he has been admired by ALL the ladies in town. Dapper, charming, smart, looks, he got it all as they say, " Rosie laughed, "so when I heard your little conundrum I just knew he was going to be perfect for them."

"Yes, he would make quite the son-in-law but we'll have to see how the date went first." Alastor almost spit out his coffee when he read the backside of the next book; an older Cannibal and younger tech demon falling in love despite being from rivalling families. Was this were Y/n got the idea of falling in love with vox? "Seems like I'll have to have a talk with y/n about fiction and reality."

When Velvette and Vox got back, the last Vee was waiting on them. "Did you two go out without me? You're hurting my feelings."

"Oh, fuck off Val, we just went out for a new suit." She held up her middle finger as she left for her department.

"Oh really?" Val asked, "you went out for a new suit? And you weren't with that whore?" He held up his phone showing Sinstagram. A blurry picture of Vox and Y/n could be seen.

"Yes, I was buying a new suit Valentino, we just ran into them is all." Vox tried to keep back his blush. "Besides, what do you care?"

His colleague's answer infuriated him. "What do I care? Since you met that useless whore, you've kept me dry."

"Not everything is about sex and I highly doubt you're dry, you've got enough playthings." Vox walked towards the elevator. "You don't need me, get over it."

The elevator doors closed again, leaving Valentino all alone. "That fucking doe-eyed BITCH!! I'm going to kill them! Kill their whole fucking family!!!" He grabbed a glass from his assistant and threw it against de wall. "But I'm going to start with them..."

"It's unfortunate our date was interrupted by those two, but no matter we could always meet again," Paris spoke as the two of them were on their way back to Cannibal Town. "I am free this wee-"

"Wait!" They yelled. "This was supposed to be a date?"

"Well, yes."

"No, not happening! Listen up, I am in no way shape or form, interested in you that way!"

"Hmm, I see, what a shame." Paris put on a seemingly fake frown. "You know I was going to keep quiet about Vox and you but it seems like I'm more devoted to the Radio Demon. I wonder how he is going to react... What he'll do to that bastard... Oh well."

"What? I... Please don't tell dad!" Y/n begged.

"Hmm, how about this, I keep quiet about your little rendezvous, your affair, and you become my girlfriend."

"I... Uhmm..."

"How about this I'll give you two days to think about it." The cannibal put on an atrocious smile. "Choose wisely, or you might never see Vox ever again."

"There is my favourite demon." Alastor patted their head. "Did you have a good time, little fawn?"

"Yes, I did. It was great." Y/n smiled widely, doing their absolute best to hide their nervousness.

"That's amazing dear." Their father turned to Paris. "Thank you, I hope you will show them around some more another time."

"I would love to sir!"

Part 3

I'm an unoriginal ass. I know, I know, <3

JK here's part 3

Masterlist/request guidelines

[lifmera]

Hallo, may I please get a platonic parent/sibling figure for Hazbin hotel matchups, if you allow platonic matchups? Thanks either way.

I am not quite certain on what to supposedly add so please excuse any unnecessary information.

Information : my name is Ron, a male, I am a diagnosed autistic with possibly ADHD (I did not get diagnosed with ADHD, I only suspect it), non-verbal, a Muslim from Palestine🇵🇸, Iraq🇮🇶 and Jordan🇯🇴, I am a repulsed Aromantic and Heterosexual Ace (like, little to no attraction), to me family is the most precious thing in the entire world (plot twist : getting beaten like 4 times a week by parents and older brother and insulted daily, yay).

Likes : I really have huge dreams, and I am proud of this :]. I want to be an author, an artist and an encyclopedic scientist. Which requires that I have to work hard. My favorite science subjects are : Zoology, botany, Marine biology, astronomy, biochemistry, Geology and war art. I like collecting and shiny things.

Hates : being physically weaker and shorter than the average boys my age, more than one people speaking at once, unnecessary complicated informations, being treated like a pet.

Relationship preference : someone that actually cares and allow to be cared of. like, when I do something that might harm me they warn me, no sugar coating.

Bye bye.

omg wait yes i will totally do one!!!

And dw i get it lol!! My parents are balkan- most people from where i live are spilt muslim & catholic!!

I’ve decided your platonic matchup is…….. ROSIE!!!

Cannibal mama!!

She is probably the biggest sweetheart to her kids!

She would LOVE to hear about your likes, and support you in it all!!! Shes like “THATS MY KID!!!”

She’ll make sure she can provide you with anything you need.

She won’t sugar coat things. She tries to understand, but she’ll tell you it straight. She doesn’t want you getting hurt.

I personally see rosie as someone who’s also into botany!!!

If you wanted, she’d even read your novels and tell you what to fix/correct!!

Although there aren’t really stars in hell, she’ll make sure you can still study astronomy and bring you to the human realm! only by her side though.

If you like Marine biology she’ll tell you to go to leviathans ring.

Probably has a collection of the stuff you collect, either frames it in her emporium, or has a wall full of it!!

Thankfully rosie knows how to listen, and she gives great advice.

~~~~~

thank you for requesting love!! So sorry i got to this so late :(

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

[dallasdoesntexist]

dark academic things I love since moving to Edinburgh

I recently moved to Edinburgh to study psychology at the University of Edinburgh. These are some things I like to remind myself of how privileged I am to be able to experience when I'm feeling a bit melancholic

The sun against Arthur's seat in the morning

Feeding the squirrels in George Square garden when you got to the lecture too early

The empty Royal Mile on your way to your 9AM

Mourning the loss of Teviot Row House (may she rest in peace... for two years while she gets renovated)

Watching the sun paint the sky pink and the buildings a deep orange as it sets, cup of hot earl grey tea, laptop open, notebooks everywhere, LED candles flickering around the room.

Tutorials where people take things as seriously as you do

Walking around Greyfriars Kirkyard on a crisp autumn evening, sipping chai from a local coffee house

Sharing biscuits with the crows in Holyrood park

Disgracing the architecture of the Holyrood Parliament building -- much preferring St Andrew's House -- but also just disgracing the Parliament as a whole

Not feeling like you're trying too hard; everyone's trying harder than you

Meeting a bunch of Oxbridge rejects. Being thankful you didn't apply (and thus avoided that embarrassment...)

Buying dried herbs from the herbalist across the street from the university to make your own tea blends

Quoting Shakespeare; someone finishes the quote for you

Pondering your own mortality in the many museums across the city (especially the Surgeon's Hall museum...)

Feeling validated when someone mentions they're on their third coffee of the day and it's only 12PM

getting the bus from Old Town to New Town, being able to look out across the North Sea. Mentally conjuring up Siren's songs

Venturing out to Leith for the Witchcraft Market once a month

Pinning handouts of poetry to your pin board in your room. Saves you spending money to print off your own

the Law library

Taking a French class, because Greek clashed with your main course and Latin had prerequisites. Studying all 3 on your own out of spite

Being taught in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre, where Burke and Hare delivered bodies to

It's normal to wear a suit and tie every day; it's also normal to wear a hoodie and jeans if you woke up too late from studying all night

Cringing when someone compares the city to Harry Potter. Then softening as you realise they're just noticing the same magic that you noticed, too, only articulating it differently

Watching the trees turn red and scatter their leaves across the pavement before they're carried away by the wind. being reminded once again of your own approaching doom

Going to the Frankenstein bar, zoning out of the conversation and watching the black&white film that plays on loop. Then talking at the person next to you about the inaccuracy, using quotes from the novel to back up your argument

Bonus points if they agree

Everyone freaking out about deadlines in a few weeks' time; knowing you'll be fine, because you developed your study methods in school

The Christmas market coming up

Farmers' markets on the weekends

Beltane Fire Society, and the upcoming Samhuinn festival in the pitch black of Holyrood park

Imagining the horses and their carriages trotting along the cobblestone roads

Fantasising about moving to Dean's village; knowing you'll have to settle for Stockbridge

Or wanting to move to Murrayfield, but not wanting to be too far from the university

Vanilla room spray. Fresh black coffee. Biscuits to dip into it

Being the one people go to for answers, but only helping them if they're genuinely stuck and want to learn

Cashmere scarf, tweed coat, saddle bag -- copious amounts of compliments on your outfit choice

Watching the bats flutter past your window

Not being able to go into the castle, lest you fail all your exams!

Buying a hefty coat from Armstrong & Son's vintage emporium

Double doors built so small, you have to open both in order to get through. Then feeling like a villain as the heavy wood slams behind you

Dimly lit, dark wooden hallways

Free coffee, if you know where to look

Taking a nap in the library between lectures. No weird stares

Being able to spot the people you know have definitely read The Secret History, or The Song of Achilles, or The Picture of Dorian Gray

Avoiding the touristy areas, but finding places just as good

[spiribia]

i had a dream that i organized an annual work bonding trip to this emporium where the physics were adjusted that you could pretend to be any animal and be guided by “NPC” actors along a quest line, the over arching lore of the place being that you were shapeshifters belonging to a guild called Team Atlantis. the government in the story was hunting you because you were anomalies all the while so sometimes your story guide, a “guild leader”, would warn everyone to hide and you’d hide behind the miscellaneous props in the room as the light and siren sound passed over our heads. we just kept trekking through various rooms in their huge space. you were still fully human in appearance in reality by the way, sometimes with an animal hologram superimposed on you when my brain remembered to include it, but if you jumped off a ledge and flapped your arms you could fly, albeit slowly since you did not have proper accessories for flight. it was more of a strange conditional gravity adjustment that they did, and one of my in-dream nitpicks with this simulation is that you had to move your arms in ways you probably wouldn't have to move your wings in order to propel yourself through the air. Moving a specific way would trigger the room to recognize your transformation, but the roster of animals was so vast its unclear how they registered which specific one you wanted to be the way they did. The story section ended in us being hunted and the guild leader telling us to split up and run as fast as we can. Most people just picked one animal and ran away as it, like a kangaroo, but I kept changing forms throughout that sequence because i was overzealously into it. I switched between horse, cheetah, and eagle. at this point the main story experience had concluded and we were to individually pursue side quests scattered around the space. My favorite form was eagle because the sensation of flying was so novel but it was so slow I eventually changed into a whale because the drifting speed felt more authentic to that form. I got a new side quest over my earpiece with this transformation that the marine office of Team Atlantis wanted my help with some kind of ocean quest, so I made my way over to the designated room, but it was clearly Team Magma from Pokémon that had impersonated our guild and were trying to recruit me for whatever reason, which was probably not good because they hate the ocean. This was like the most fun I’d had in my life. Most of my work colleagues at this optional side quest section just stopped participating and started hanging out around the refreshments bar by the way because they weren’t as interested in individually pretending to be animals and thought it was weird. Read my egregiously long post boy

[theskeletonprior]

Time for a fresh new introduction! I have exactly one banner which I repeatedly alter to suit my needs, so please enjoy it. I've really stepped into this modern era. I have many names, but here, you can call me Harrowben.

30's. They/them and he/hymn. Biracial. Nonbinary transgender. Polyamorous. Skeleton. BA English Language and Literature. Probably not but possibly two-time Academy Award Winner Guillermo del Toro. (I wrote a text post that got remarkably out of hand one time.)

I’m a bookseller day-to-day. I’m also (slowly) learning to bind books. Sometimes, I even try to write them. Occasionally, when the mood takes me, I also write fanfiction. I like to make digital layouts for books, and of course I love to read! Books are my whole life. I'm a trained editor, and like most everyone these days, I am for hire. Check out my OC x Canon Emporium, but honestly, feel free to inquire if you're looking for some fiction. Words are what I do. Catch me ramblings about original work and characters, skeletons (of course!), bookbinding, and book arts, spooky nonsense, nature being its beautiful terrible self, monsters and the people who love them, that sort of thing. I do reblog fandom things from time to time, chiefly when the aesthetic vibes well with mine, or when the brainrot becomes too severe to contain.

If you need anything tagged, feel free to reach out, anon or otherwise. It’s important to me that my blog is as safe and comfy as it can be.

BIGOTED SHIT. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD FUCK OFF IF YOU'RE A FASCIST PIECE OF SHIT. This was initially a placeholder so I would remember what I wanted to make so abundantly clear, but I stand by it. TERFs and Nazi Punks fuck off. There's no place for you with me. Better yourself.

The Bishop of Black

Honestly, my pride and joy. The Bishop of Black is an ongoing and deeply queer high-fantasy light novel that I'm writing together with my husband @rosieartsie who does all of the incredible art.

In a nation torn by a war that has been waged for centuries, tensions run high as the Kingdoms of Black and White seem to be on the verge of a lasting peace after generations of strife and bloodshed. Femi, a medic in the Kingdom of Black, is swept up into the dangerous politics of the court after a horrible tragedy returns them to the brink of war.

Check out our reading guide, if you like.

RAVENOT

My most developed WIP. A dark fantasy novel about a skeleton knight who ventures into places where the living can never go, to safeguard the balance between life and death. You can read the first chapter for free here!

AO3 | Ko-fi | Patreon (coming... when it gets here)

[notbecauseofvictories]

not going to lie, one of my great joys these days is getting fucked up in the bath. When I moved into this apartment, I couldn't understand why my mother cooed so much over the tub? but she was right, this slaps.

[francescaswords]

Chapter One of ROTTING TREES is live on Patreon! ENJOY. You can trial paid membership for 7 days if you'd like to read a chapter or two before committing.

[wondereads]

Review of The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

Summary

Sybil and Esme are best friends, roommates, and maybe a little bit more. They are also poster thieves, though Esme only reluctantly plays lookout. One night, they are caught by Maeve, the owner of the Absinthe Underground, the premier nightclub in the 1920s-inspired city of Severon, and she offers them a deal; the funds to do anything they want with their lives in exchange for stealing the jewels of the Moonshadow Queen, Mab. And who could resist such an offer?

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Unfortunately, the plot of this book, while it boasts an intriguing presence and beautiful setting, is very rushed and never really takes the time to build tension. Throughout the book, Sybil and Esme must steal three items to then help them steal Mab's jewels. There's a lot of potential for each of these heists to be a clever, hair-raising scenes, but each of them lasts maybe five pages each. While Sybil is portrayed as a daredevil poster thief, she definitely doesn't have the skill set for these high security heists, and Esme absolutely doesn't. They get through these situations far too easily, and it causes the tension to fall flat.

The worlds of Severon and Fae are very aesthetically pleasing, and there's nothing really major excluded in terms of worldbuilding. However, there are some questions I just generally wish were answered, like some things concerning Sybil's family and what the actual power of the jewels is; if there is anything.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The characters are definitely the saving grace of this story. Esme and Sybil have greatly distinctive personalities and pretty decent development. Esme in particular learns to stand up for herself, and their relationship, even just platonically, grows a lot. Despite the lack of plot tension, there is good romantic tension, and the romance is very cute. It was probably the most enjoyable part of the book for me.

There is also a good side romance and some good side characters, but I will say that there are some side characters that really aren't well developed. Their personalities are flat, and their motivations seem to be curated just for the main characters to have aid in their quest.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I'd say the writing for this book is pretty average for a YA novel. The descriptions of Severon really hit that 1920s, art noveau aesthetic, and, like I mentioned, there are quite a few scenes with some good romantic tension. Unfortunately, there is a general issue with telling instead of showing, especially concerning the main characters' thought process. There are many times when the characters explicitly explain why they think something or their reasoning for doing something instead of trusting the reader to draw their own conclusions.

Also, as I discussed in the plot section, the pacing is way too fast in this book. I don't often say this about a book, but it needs an extra 100 pages or so. The story would benefit so much from being taken more slowly, getting more spread out, especially the individual heists.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed by this book. It has a great premise, the aesthetics really come through, and it's got a cute sapphic romance. The execution falls short with just the lack of space for the story. Things happen far too quickly when there are many scenes that really need space to breathe. It affects the tension and doesn't give much room for the side characters to show their personalities. The writing tends to tell instead of show, which may contribute to the rushed nature of this book. This book could have been quite good, but it ends up being somewhat mediocre.

The Author

Jamie Pacton: American, also wrote The Vermilion Emporium and The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

The Reviewer

Hi, I'm Rose, this is my blog, Wondereads, and I review, discuss, and recommend books! You can check out my pinned post for more info :)

[haveyoureadthispoll]

A rollicking, satirical debut novel about a gun-store-owning father and son forced to live together after a near-death experience—an unflinching look at the absurdities of contemporary capitalism and what it means to be a family in America today. “Honest, highwire, virtuosic writing that summons up the world with all its charms and hazards.” —George Saunders, author of Liberation Day “This funny as hell tale kept me moved to the core. Unputdownable.” —Mary Karr, author of Lit Even though his firearms store is failing, things are looking up for David Rizzo. His son, Nick, has just recovered after a near-fatal overdose, which means one Rizzo can use Nick’s resurrection to create the most compelling television commercial for a gun emporium that the world has ever seen. After all, this is America , Rizzo tells himself. Surely anything is possible. But the relationship between father and son is fragile, mired in mutual disappointment. And when the pair embarks on their scheme to avoid bankruptcy, a high stakes crash of hijinks, hope, and disaster ensues. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters, this razor-sharp social satire lays bare both the gun and opioid crises. Fans of Don DeLillo and Stephen Markley will be thrilled by this smart, inventive debut.

[purplebunnyreads]

🍀The Absinthe Underground🍀 by Jamie Pacton

I saw this book compared to Holly Black in the synopsis and Barbie and the Diamond Castle in the reviews, and I just HAD to give it a try. And it was very much worth it! I absolutely loved the first chunk of the book, especially getting to see the relationship developing between the two main characters and how they live their life.

The characters were definitely the highlight of the novel for me. Esme is so relatable, and honestly I just want to BE her. I also really liked Lucien! I loved his personality and I wish we had gotten to see more of him. He was probably my favorite character.

There were also some other characters that I wish we'd seen more of. For instance, towards the end of the novel there is a character named Chloe who I really wished we'd gotten to learn more about, and it felt like her part in the story was left unresolved. I'm really hoping this was intentional by the author and that we might get a book about her in the future.

I also really liked the setting! The world was so fascinating and magical and I wish the author had gone more into the details. I will definitely be reading the Vermillion Emporium soon because it's set in the same world and I cannot get enough of it. also believe there is a character in that book that appears in the Absinthe Underground and I just HAVE to know who it is.

I will say that the climax felt a little short lived, and overall it felt like the stakes weren't quite high enough, and the characters were able to get away with things unrealistically easily. But honestly these didn't really take too much away from the experience.

Overall, this was a fun read. If you're looking for a cozy sapphic fantasy with compelling characters and a magical world, I definitely recommend this!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-arc!

[anneapocalypse]

Writing Wrap-up and 2024 Goals

It's a weird year to be doing a wrap-up, because I did not post a whole lot this year and I'm not sure I even set any goals last January thanks to having covid and being sick and exhausted for weeks, which still kind of feels like it threw off my whole year even though that sounds dramatic. Whatever. I've moped enough about it being a bad year for writing; now, I want to look forward.

2023 Wrap-Up

In case you'd like to read the one fic I did post this year, it's "Before You Go", a Loghain/Maric fic for Dragon Age (3022 words, rated E), which I am still quite happy with! And though it's not writing, I also made a podfic of RosellaWrites' gorgeous fic "let them not make me a stone (and let them not spill me)" (and if you're not interested in podfic you should still go read Rosella's fic, seriously, it's great).

While November 2022 was the last time I made substantial progress on A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren (my Briala/F!Tabris longfic for Dragon Age), I did make a few attempts to chip away at the draft this year. I didn't keep any records of what progress I made, but lucky for me Scrivener has a writing history feature that can at least give me a ballpark, and... it says I added 17,326 words to the draft this year (all in the first half of the year), which, not gonna lie, seems unreal to me. The first half of this year is mud in my head, so the fact that I did in fact get some writing done is really encouraging.

Over the summer, FFXIV started to really consume me as I had finished ARR by that point and my investment in the story was growing, and I also started taking a more active leadership role in my tiny free company, and so for the back half of the year I've mostly been writing little snippets about my Warrior of Light Ariane and her adventures and relationships, some of which may become part of actual fics later. This totals out to about 19,500 words at the moment.

So I only posted about 3000 words, but in total I wrote almost 40K this year. Is that a fantastic year, no... but honestly, it's a lot better than what my brain has been telling me I've accomplished this year, which is nothing. :P So I'm glad that I sat down to actually find the numbers!

Onward and upward.

So what's next?

2024 Goals

Fandom:

Finish one longfic.

Write and post a one-shot.

Do one exchange.

Original:

Outline an original novel.

Write a poem.

Send out one piece.

Tentatively my immediate plans are to get started outlining and then writing my Ariane/Haurchefant fic. I'm on the fence about February. On the one hand, it would be great to come back to my Briala/F!Tabris longfic for Femslash February, but on the other hand there's a high probability I'm going to be playing Endwalker by that point and I have no hope of keeping my head in Dragon Age during that time, so it's probably best not to commit to it. Dragon Age fic might be best saved for after I've caught up on MSQ when there are (hopefully) a few months still left to wait for Dawntrail and I can take a little break to let it marinate while I work on something else. My enthusiasm for the Briala/Tabris fic has not waned despite the long hiatus, and just yesterday I was reading bits of the draft and getting excited again, so I do hope to finish that this year and get to share it with you.

The alternate candidate for February is either keep working on the Haurchefant fic or in the case of a miracle in which I actually finish it this month (hah!), move forward with the next one I have planned, an Urianger/Moenbryda. That's unlikely but we'll see. I know I still have things to learn about Urianger in Endwalker, which I'm very excited for.

As for what exchange(s) I might do this year, I'm not sure yet! I haven't seen any announcements yet that Chocolate Box is running this year. Black Emporium and FemslashEx are both strong candidates for me. We'll see where I am when those roll around, or maybe something else will catch my eye!

Edited to add: Oh, yeah, also at some point we're supposed to get that final season of Red vs. Blue. I have a few outstanding projects in RvB but the main one that really matters to me is Radio Silence, my Carolina lost years fic. I'd love to use the series' send-off as a kick in the pants to finally finish that one, whenever that happens. We'll see!

Finally, I am making a conscious effort to reclaim my writing time, which traditionally has been the morning between 9 and noon because that's when my mind is the sharpest, but over the past I basically let that slip entirely and be taken over by either housework or gaming, just writing on the fly when something came to me. I'm not morning gaming anymore unless it's for a good reason (timed event I need to catch, etc, which is rare, and finishing yesterday's roulettes is not a good enough reason because the queues are slower in the morning and it just ends up eating more time than it needs to, they happen every day, it's fine).

On to 2024. Looking forward to it.

[miss-ingno]

Everything I Wrote In 2023

...or at least the bits I posted to Ao3 :D 21 works with a word count of 71,998 total! I'm honestly surprised, I thought it was much less considering how little I felt like writing between work and health issues sapping my energy.

I'll sort these alphabetically by fandoms and within the fandoms chronologically from first posted to last.

Assassin's Creed II Title: Return To Sender Ship: Claudia Auditore/Desmond Miles, Claudia Auditore & Ezio Auditore Words: 3.5k Tags: Epistolary, Time Travel, Marriage, POV Outsider (as in Outsider on the Time Traveller PoV), In-Universe Documents Summary: Over the years, Ezio and Claudia exchanged many letters. These are the ones concerning Claudia's husband, then-stranger, Desmond.

Deja Vu by Dreamcatcher (Music Video) Title: All Our Memories, They're Haunted Ship: Jiu/Yoohyeon Words: 1.1k Tags: Memories, Regret, Grief/Mourning, the Queen is dead; long live the Queen, Dark Yoohyeon, Murder Summary: There are no witnesses to her ascent. There is no one she trusts not to stab her in the back. Title: Our Love's A Curse Ship: Jiu/Yoohyeon Words: 833 Tags: Backstory, Happy with A Bad Ending, Off-screen Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Yoohyeon's descent into madness, Assassin Yoohyeon Summary: Yoohyeon worked hard to create a perfect world for Jiu and herself. But perfection isn't forever.

Detective L Title: Both Is Good Ship: Ben Jieming/Luo Fei/Qin Xiaoman Words: 1.5k Tags: Relationship Status: It's Complicated, Pre-Relationship, Developing Relationship, Background Case, Post-Canon, Pre-Poly, Polyamory Negotiations, Insecurity, lbr they all have their issues but they love each other for who they are and that's what's important Summary: The day before the police ball, Ben Jieming and Luo Fei discuss who should accompany Qin Xiaoman. Unbeknownst to them, she already made her choice.

Dimension 20 - Mentopolis Title: Where in Mentopolis are the Prefrontal P.I.s? Ship: Ensemble Words: 800 Tags: Logic Grid Puzzle, Worldbuilding, Post-Canon Summary: It’s the Grand Opening of Daniel Fucks’ new Emporium of Exquisite Pleasures, but none of the other Prefrontal P.I.s have shown up! However, through his criminal network, Daniel hears some rumours about what they’re each up to. Can you help him find them and drag them away from whatever they’re doing for this most important of all events?

Granting You A Dreamlike Life Title: The Hero Returns Ship: Hong Lan & Luo Fusheng, implied Duan Tianying/Luo Fusheng Words: 826 Tags: Late Canon Fix-It, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, PoV Tianying Summary: The first thing Hong Lan does as head of the Hong family is to order Luo Fusheng back home.

Grimm (TV) Title: Back In A Spell Ship: Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton, Nick Burkhardt/Juliette Silverton, pre-Nick Burkhardt/Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton Words: 7.2k Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, POV Juliette Silverton, former Hexenbiest Juliette, Nick is not a Grimm yet, Identity Reveal, Magic Revealed, Dinner Date with Ulterior Motives, Secrets Summary: Going back in time has a price. Juliette will make damn sure it was worth it. Title: Sting Of Love Ship: Nick Burkhardt/Monroe Words: 1k Tags: Kissing Slice of Life Action/Adventure Wesen of the Week Episode Style Summary: Monroe accompanies Nick on Grimm business.

Guardian (drama and novel) Title: Growing Pains Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing Words: 2.5k Tags: Case Fic lite, Haixing-Dixing politics, set between Episode 4 and Episode 5, Early in Canon, Zhao Yunlan takes a bullet for a Dixingren Hurt Zhao Yunlan Protective Shen Wei (Guardian) Morality Summary: During their most recent case Zhao Yunlan's superiors put him in a difficult position: follow orders, or summon Heipaoshi to hand over the Dixingren? Title: Telenovela Ship: one-sided Zhao Yunlan/Zhu Hong, background Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan Words: 315 Tags: Slice of Life, Zhu Hong gets to be snake-y, Pining, Denial Summary: Zhu Hong watches dramas in her free time. Title: In This, As In All Things (WIP) Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing Words: 13k+ Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Time Travel: Post-Canon to Pre-Canon, Secret Identity, Identity Shenanigans, Established Relationship, Family Issues Summary: Given the chance to right the wrongs of the past, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei go back to before they met (again). But how much can they change faced with a very different SID than the one under Zhao Yunlan's lead? Title: Ruffling Feathers Ship: Zhu Hong & Da Qing & Ya Qing Words: 7.1k Tags: Post-Canon, Handwavey Fix-It, Yashou Politics, Case Fic, Zhu Hong and Da Qing team up to solve a theft, Yashou High Chief Zhu Hong, Yashou Worldbuilding, Mistakes Are Made, Zhu Hong is new to this job Summary: Zhu Hong is more than ready to delay her responsibilities for old times' sake when Da Qing approaches her about his missing bells. But the case takes them smack-dab into internal Yashou politics and Zhu Hong's mettle as High Chief is put to the test. Title: Two Of A Kind Ship: Ya Qing/Zhu Hong Words: 12.9k Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Pre-Canon, Yashou Politics, Yashou Worldbuilding, Pre-Relationship, PoV Ya Qing, mentions of the Time Loop, Background Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, mentions of the canonical ending, Antagonist Ye Zun, BAMF Ya Qing Summary: Zhu Hong approaches Ya Qing with a warning from the future. Ya Qing is... intrigued despite herself. Title: Freezing Ship: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng/Ye Huo Words: 507 Tags: Character Study, Missing Scene, Episode 19 Summary: Stuck in the experimental lab, Chu Shuzhi has time to contemplate his newest companion. Title: Days of Splendour Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Zhaodad & Zhaomom (novel) Words: 1.9k Tags: Wedding Planning, Wedding Fluff, Post-Canon Summary: Zhao Yunlan knows what he wants: Shen Wei, at his side, forever. Title: Happy Hour Ship: Shen Wei & Shen Wei's students, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & SID Words: 975 Tags: Background Case, Shen Wei's terrible lies, undercover at a bar Summary: A criminal, a professor, and a cat walk into a bar. The professor's students did not expect to be part of the joke. Title: An Intimate Touch Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan Words: 2.2k Tags: YOHE, Facial Shaving, Hair Brushing, Hair Braiding, Almost Kiss, Domestic Fluff Summary: Shen Wei helps Kunlun shave his beard. Title: Gossip Mango Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Shen Wei's students Words: 1.9k Tags: Social Media, Episode Related (1-8), Canon Compliant, mentions of canon suicidal ideation and murders Summary: Not only does Dragon City university have a great and sophisticated study program for many different majors, it also has a flourishing social media site for students to discuss their studies social activities recent events.

Harry Potter Title: To Seek Knowledge Ship: Hermione Granger & Luna Lovegood & Ginny Weasley Words: 4.4k Tags: Female Friendship, Spell Theory, Bullying, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hogwarts Second Year, Golden Trio (background) Summary: A precocious pre-teen on a quest for knowledge ends up changing the future. She even makes a friend or two on the way.

Naruto Title: Adventitious Ship: Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumak Naruto Words: 5k Tags: Developing Friendships, set after the Wave mission but before the Chuunin Exams, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, in which Team 7 grows closer and Sasuke doesn't defect, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 Have Issues (don't worry they're working on it), Mission Fic (sort of), no literal geese were involved in the making of this fic, in which Team 7 accidentally topples several villains' plans Summary: To keep Team 7 busy, Kakashi-sensei sends his students on a wild goose chase. Much to his dismay, they actually find a golden goose.

长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng Title: By Your Side Ship: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing, Li Yunzhen & Li Chenglin Words: 2k Tags: Post-Canon Court Politics Dom/sub Undertones Established Relationship Relationship Development Summary: After tricking the Chancellor into publicly rebelling, Li Yunzhen retires from politics.