Not Safe For Words

March National Crafting Month Bingo Card

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:07:45 GMT

This is my prompt card for the March 2026 National Crafting Month Bingo Fest challenge at the AllBingo site.

My plan is to make 200+ word fills or ACTUAL CRAFTING fills for most of my prompts. The writing fills might not end up being a complete story, but many of them connect into longer stories in my ongoing series:

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants. Currently there are 3 monthly logs posted, and I'm actively writing the log for April 2053.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

I'd appreciate reader suggestions that expand on any word or phrase on the bingo card. Feel free to make suggestions that tie into my ongoing series or for something completely new.

Squares that have been filled in any way will be Struck Through so it will be easy for everyone to keep track of what's been done & how close I am to a Bingo!

Mended Clothes	WIP	Craft Hoarding
The Day Job	Muslin	Writing
Embroidery	Velvet	Quilting

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2025 Reader Suggestions Bingo Card

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 23:01:07 GMT

2024 wasn't my best year for writing, and 2025 poses several challenges to my usual Winter Writing Season. Primarily my commitment to sew more this year - at least 1 sewing project a month. I stopped sewing for no discernable reason in 2014 (looks side-eyed at Depression) and I started to pick it up again a decade later in 2024. I want to stay committed to that goal, but am not completely willing to sacrifice writing.

So, a new strategy is necessary! Instead of a full monthly Bingo Card based on the bingo fest's happening on the AllBingo site, I've instead made all of the best looking fests their own square on my 2025 Reader Suggestions Bingo Card and I've filled the other squares with all the reader's suggestions I received in 2024 that I haven't fulfilled. As a month's bingo fest is announced I will come back to this board and update that month's square with a real prompt from the prompt lists given.

My plan is to make 200+ word fills for most of my prompts. These might not end up being a complete story for each fill, but many of them connect into longer stories in my ongoing series:

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants. Currently there are 3 monthly logs posted, and I'm actively writing the log for April 2053.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

As the year goes on, I'd appreciate reader suggestions that expand on any word or phrase on the bingo card that I add through the Bingo Fests. Feel free to make suggestions that tie into my ongoing series or for something completely new.

Squares that have been filled with 200+ words of story will be ~~Struck Through~~ so it will be easy for everyone to keep track of what's been done & how close I am to a Bingo!

Silicon Shaman - Green Skies G.T - stray cats/mamma cat	March - Tolkien Bingo Fest "Fellowship"	April - Aesthetics Fest "Bohemian"	October - Fall Fest "Reaper"
Ysabetwordsmith - Green Skies G.T. - Storage	September - Piracy Bingo Fest "Deep Six"	Ysabetwordsmith - Green Skies G.T. - new peripheral	May - Colors Bingo Fest "Little Brown Jug"
February - Valentines Fest "Anniversary"	November - Fairy Tales and Fantasy Bingo Fest "Siren"	Chanter1944 - Green Skies G.T. - Aaliyah and Iris Johnson	Ysabetwordsmith - Green Skies G.T. - Baby somethings
Amber_Fire - Reprint - Wishes	Ysabetwordsmith - Green Skies G.T. - Haunting	June - Pride Fest "Support"	July - Western Fest "Spurs"

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Yardening Adventures - Spring 2024 - The Forest Garden

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 01:42:58 GMT

Spring came early in Michigan, and with it my Writing Season ended early, and Yardening Season began. Now, in Mid-August I'm beginning to run out of steam, and while there is much still to be done, and several months of lawn mowing to keep up with, I was drawn back to my keyboard for a night inside the A/C, rather than playing outside.

One of the major projects we started this Spring (but are nowhere near finished) was the reclamation of the Western property line. Our home, which we were blessed to purchase in 2021, had been sitting empty for 5 years before we moved in. And in that 5 years the wooded county drainage ditch park we share a property line with had done a stellar job of trying to eat our yard! An area about 65 feet long x 30 feet wide had been lost to trees, poison ivy, wild grape vine, Virginia creeper, and multiflora roses.

So I'm taking it back! The trees we're taking out are all scrubby young Catalpa, and while very pretty, they are aggressive spreaders. I'm keeping 3-5 of the more mature catalpa, but I don't need the 50+ that are crowding the edges of the yard.

2/25/2024
We started the project in late February, but in my eagerness to get started, I didn't take a single before or after picture of the 20x30 foot section we managed to clear on the first weekend.

3/2/2024
The second weekend we moved all of our loose fieldstone into a pile, and cleared a bit more towards the brush pile. The horizon is due West in this picture.

3/17/24
This weekend we cleared another 10x10 foot section of trees and brush, and sorted the rock pile into colors. I then used the largest and bluest stones to make the base row for the Tear Drop garden bed.

4/6/2024
I received three free native trees this weekend, and made a bed for the Butternut in the newly dubbed Forest Garden. You can't really see the baby tree in this pic, as its essentially a leafless stick, but August update - its doing great!

5/13/2024
Happy Belated Beltane! The world has exploded with vibrant green life, and I've added the second layer of stone to the Tear Drop bed and filled it with soil.

5/19/2024 (CW: Discussion of pets that have passed)
This weekend the Husbando and I buried our lost furchildren in the Tear Drop bed, and planted a special plant over each. We'd lived for so long in apartments, and I never felt comfortable burying the cremains in those locations, so they moved with us each time until we had a place I felt comfortable releasing them into. The plants are White Bleeding Heart, Red Bleeding Heart, and white/purple speckled Hellebore.

6/3/2024
This weekend was the final destruction we did for this year. We got about 1/3rd of the land cleared we intend to, and will pick it back up in the winter. I also created another garden bed, this one deeper in the shade, and I used it to encompass some native Jack-in-the-Pulpit that was already growing in the area. From this view the horizon is due East, and you can see the Offering Stone in its temporary location, the fire pit, and the back of our house in the distance.

6/10/2024
Final work on the Forest Garden for 2024 - I added to the Native Plants bed. In the upper left corner I added Great White Trillium, in the upper right is the existing Jack-in-the-Pulpit, in the lower left I planted Wood Poppy, and in the lower right I put the roots of Dutchman's Breeches. We'll see what comes back next spring!

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Story: Daily Interventions

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:07:37 GMT

This story was inspired by a prompt from readera and fills the "crocheting" and "knock over the water cup" squares of my March National Crafting Month Bingo Card. This story is 910 words, and is not set in any of my current worlds.

Daily Interventions

In some places, at some times, they’re revered as gods. Granters of favor and misfortune, and humanity can perceive them easily. In this universe, in this short piece of the loop of time, magic is exceedingly rare and those few humans who do possess some are disbelieved and shunned. So, their perception of supernatural beings such as Corbin and his companions is incredibly limited.

It makes walking among them easier in many ways. No one stops him from wandering about as he will, begging for his divine blessing, but it has its frustrations. Making people believe (and respect) his workings is a much harder sell.

But it’s ok. Today he’s roaming the aisles of a Joann Fabrics in Topsham, Maine, watching for moments of inspiration. He’d already scored a “trick” by literally tipping over the water cup of a young man taking a watercolor painting class. The lad believed he’d nudged it with his elbow and would give up the art as he now felt he was too clumsy to excel. Humanity in general believed Corbin (if they knew of him) to be a cruel being, full of such tricks. What they didn’t understand, and couldn’t see, was that the young man taking a watercolor class could have become a master of the art, and as a professor at a prestigious university, would have ruined the lives of countless others. Now, he’d more likely become a reporter or a stockbroker, and his ruthless streak wouldn’t cause as much harm in either of those endeavors. A little mischief now, less harm later. Good work, if you could get it, in Corbin’s opinion. And the chaos at the painting table had caused Corbin’s smirk to ratchet up three notches.

In the yarn aisle, Corbin spotted another opportunity. There was a person there, chewing their bottom lip raw, as they considered the myriad fiber offerings. Corbin saw them with a luminescent glow around them, rapidly shifting from light to dark shades of auburn and drawing his eye to look further down this individual’s possible paths. It was going to get dark, and in most paths they didn’t survive. Suicide, to escape a wretched future of abuse and societal alienation. Partner betrayal that led to a deadly domestic violence incident. And a few more, all bringing Corbin’s mood down significantly.

Seriously considering the stranger, Corbin glanced at the few paths that they could walk that would keep them on this plane of existence a while longer. They could decide to move across the country with a friend headed to California in about 8 months. Not a likely scenario, too expensive. Flipping through a few more long shot options, Corbin found a moment of hope. There’s what he’d been looking for, the reason this person deserved his intervention.

If granted a small, seemingly insignificant wish, to be good at just one creative thing they tried, this person had the potential to radically move forward the gender equality movement of America. In about 17.5 years from this current perceivable moment, Nadia Tyson (deadname Nathan), if able to survive, would enter local politics and start on a path that ended in revolutionary change.

The trouble Corbin always got into when he granted these wishes, was that not everyone would appreciate these changes. There was just no pleasing everybody.

But Corbin was incredibly fond of the trans and non-binary movements. Eon after eon, and across cultures, tricksters were predominately perceived as male by humanity. He’d had a few aspects that were female, Eris in Greece, Laverna in Rome. And he adored the times when he was just an animal spirit, Raven or Coyote. But in the now of human experience, he was shoehorned into “he,” and there was a burning desire to be something new, something free.

Society wasn’t there yet, but Corbin was working on it, damn it!

“Hi, I see you’re angsting over which yarn to get. What has you stumped?” Corbin appeared as a dark-haired, dark eyed 20-something Joann’s employee, fiddling with his green apron.

“I need five or six skeins of this yarn to finish my crocheted blanket project, but we’re really low on cash. I can only afford, maybe, three skeins, and my zucchini said they wanted the money for a gaming tournament. Maybe I should give it to them instead,” Nadine lamented.

“Oh, easy fix! You missed the sign that these are Buy One Get One!” Corbin magicked the BOGO sign into existence and nudged the electronics of the store to agree with his perception of reality. Easy wish to grant, really, so he pushed the universe for a smidge more.

Corbin grabbed the six skeins of blue-into-green-into-purple yarn and as he passed them over, brushed against Nadines fingers and planted in them the skill of a master crafter.

“Finish the blanket, and all the projects that come after,” Corbin whispered, and with the last of his interventions for the day firmed up the bits of intuition Nadine had already ignored that pointed towards their partner as an abuser.

“Wow, thank you.” Nadine’s eyes were wide and confused for just a moment. Just because humans in the now couldn’t easily perceive the divine walking amongst them, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t feel a direct touch.

But the moment passed, and all of Nadine’s senses told them Corbin was just a young man, working his shift at JoAnn’s, who’d been surprisingly kid, but otherwise seemed completely normal.

“No problem. Thanks for shopping at JoAnns.”

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Final Friday Fics - Fluff & Cute

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 18:56:08 GMT

The Prompt Call is Closed. I’ll be writing for the prompts I've received over the next few weeks - thank you to everyone who participated!

Today's Final Friday Fics is open with a theme of "Fluff & Cute." Final Friday Fics are a way for me to reach out to readers to gain inspiration at the end of the month to write stories they would like to read. I'll use the prompts and suggestions as inspiration for short drabble sized pieces of fiction, generally 200+ words in length.

I'm hoping to get prompts for all the Fluff & Cute - adorable animals, holding hands, kissing booboos, and all the moments that make you go "awww!" Feel free to make suggestions that tie into my ongoing series or for something completely new.

I still have 8 open squares on my February Valentines Bingo Card if you'd like to riff off of those prompts to help me complete a Bingo. I'd also love any requests that expound on a February Ficlet Challenge prompt!

These are the current Series that I'm writing episodically that you might want to offer prompts for:

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

Ways you can help support Final Friday Fics:

Leave prompts, suggestions, and encouraging comments.
Feel free to share this page and promote more people to participate in the Prompt Call.
Would you like to buy me a Chai as I write? You can find my Tip Jar on Ko-Fi.

~~~Notes~~~

February is SO short! I am still working on prompts from January's Final Friday Fics, and never worry - your prompt won't be forgotten. I'm just a slow author sometimes :-)

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Story: Epistolary Promises - Village Witch #14

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 03:50:06 GMT

This is the 14th session of the solo TTRPG Village Witch, and this 1,613 word story was inspired by a prompt from Sarah Becca on my January Final Friday Fics.

You can read the earlier stories for this series on the landing page for Village Witch - Edwina!

Epistolary Promises

Edwina's first visitor to the stilt house during her convalescence had been Edith Abreo, the older woman fully recovered from her son's assault, bearing the gift of a savory chicken and rice bake smothered in cheese. They ate portions together for the evening meal with thick slices of buttered bread and a cold cucumber salad. It was perhaps too hearty a meal for summertime, but Edwina found herself to be ravenous. As they ate, Edith kept up a running commentary on the gossip around the town.

Viola and Edouard had been out and about, gathering requests for magical assistance from residents to be performed by the Trinity, and at last count there were enough issues to keep the three witches busy well into the second year of their sentence.

Alain had been sentenced to six months in a reformatory camp. Edith admitted she was torn between grief at the mess of her son's life, relief that he'd be away from her for a while, and hope that the mandatory therapy would help him learn to control his terrible temper. She'd told the judge that he'd only be welcomed back in her home if the medi-Witches from the reformatory camp declared him no longer a physical threat to his own mother.

As they wrapped up dinner with a cup of iced tea Edwina asked a question she'd let slip her mind since coming to Murkwell.

"Edith, do you know of an Engel or Rowan living here in Murkwell, or working for the mining company?

"Eh, yes, they were a pair of miners who stayed for a season, about a year back. Nice boys, not as rowdy and randy as the usual bunch, but they didn't get on well with the Foreman. Marc LeBeau had a real problem giving them a couple’s bunk, and I guess the stress of having their supervisor disdain them so openly caused them to move-on fairly quickly. Why?" asked Edith.

"I've got a letter from Engel's sister I've been tasked with delivering, and I'd like to find them to pass on some family news," said Edwina, keeping the love letter a secret. Edith was a great source of information about the town, but Edwina knew anything she shared with Edith would make the rounds very quickly.

"Hmm, best ask the postmaster where their mail was forwarded, maybe it'll be on your way, or maybe you'll just have to post the letter and hope it reaches them." Edith nodded sagely, and then pulled a small leather wrapped flask from a pocket in her skirts and waggled it enticingly. "Does your healing allow for a little bit of fun in your tea?"

"Top me up Edith," Edwina offered her cup.

~~~

After her evening with Edith, Edwina devoted an afternoon to reviewing the last few village names on her list but felt apathetic about trying again. None of the names immediately drew her attention, and a pendulum session revealed that these villages were insignificant to her life path.

She wasn't upset to be leaving Murkwell precisely, but she felt weighed down by failure. Two villages, two seasons passed, and neither had accepted her as their village witch. Glancing again at the uninspired list of villages remaining, Edwina took ink, quill, and paper from her carry all and began drafting a message to the Arcane Order. It was a long shot, but perhaps villages other graduating witches had declined could be added to her list, to give her more promising options. She made sure to detail the pendulum session results, knowing the Order would be more deeply swayed by the magical results than Edwina's own intuition.

She then continued drafting letters. One was a long rambling tale of what had happened in Murkwell for her parents, loaded with reassurances that she was on the mend and would make a full recovery with rest. Another was a short note to her favorite instructor at the order, who had gifted her the Giant Black Pearl, simply asking for wisdom and guidance, and summarizing her failure to fit in at Llyne of Mossly Woods and how the trial sentencing of the Trinity had made her unnecessary in Murkwell.

By the time she completed her tasks late that afternoon her fingers were ink stained, but the letters were all ready.

~~~

It was another two days before Edwina felt well enough to meander down the boardwalk of Murkwell into the refurbished area occupied by Alpha Minerals Mining Company, and to the brightly painted sky blue and yellow building with the scrollwork sign of "Postmaster." Bells over the doorway jangled merrily as she stepped inside, out of the bright summer sunlight, and into the relatively cool and shaded interior of the post office. The smell of paper and ink filled the space, and Edwina gave a small smile, reminded of quiet times at the Arcane Order's Archives.

"Hello, hello!" Called a voice from behind an open doorway in the wall behind a long wooden counter. "I'll be right up there, just let me…oof. Ok. Up ya go there. Alright."

"Whew! Hello, how can I help ya?" A frazzled older man, shoving a tangle of greying curls back behind his ears, came through the doorway to stand just barely head and shoulders above the countertop.

"Good morning. I have some post. And perhaps a question?" Edwina approached the counter.

"Yeah, good. Set your letters or parcels here on the counter and I'll get your postage tallied. Do you need any help addressing them?" asked the postmaster.

"No, I believe they're all addressed appropriately." Edwina set the three letters on the polished surface of the counter and slid them across.

"Oh, nice. A customer who knows the system." The small man gave a genuinely pleased smile as he flipped through each envelope, and on a small sheet of scrap paper began to tally the postage for each destination.

"These'll be one and a quarter sovereigns, three hours of trade labor, or equivalent trade goods. How're you paying today?"

"I didn't know you'd take anything but money. They don't at the other post offices," Edwina was a bit stumped by the offer to pay in trade and plunked her coins on the counter.

"Oh sure, in these smaller villages and such. Wouldn't be any post coming or going if we only took coins. Lots of villagers want a letter sent, but they aren't going to if I'm taking what little money they've saved up for emergencies. We get on well with trades out here!" the postmaster enthused.

"Makes sense, I suppose." Edwina agreed.

"Anyways, you had mail and a question?"

"Yes! I was hoping you could tell me the forwarding village or city for some miners who were here last year."

"Why? I'm not going to just give away people’s addresses, miss." The postmaster's jovial expression started to turn stern.

"No, no, I don't mean anything sinister by this. I have a letter from one of the pair’s sister, that she wanted me to deliver if her brother still lived here in Murkwell, but it's clear I've missed them and they've moved on again. So, I'd like to find a new address for her letter." Edwina tried to explain the situation, and diffuse the sudden tension.

"Who's the letter for?"

"Engel from Llyne of Mossly Woods and his partner Rowan, it's from his sister Telsa."

The man reached under the counter and pulled out an enchanted folio, the runes along the book’s leather spine etched and filled with gold.

"If they've kept their address updated with the postal system, it should be in the master files," he stated and began thumbing through to the entries beginning with "E." He spent several long minutes comparing entries and flipping deeper in the book to the "R" section to cross reference.

"Yup, I've got a fresh address for an Engel and a Rowan, home city magically erased for both of them. That's a sad reality for same-same pairings sometimes. Do you want to give me the sister's letter to post?"

"Yes, please, and I’d like to know their new city, if you're feeling generous." Edwina slid Telsa's letter across the wooden counter.

The postmaster closed the book, hastily readdressed the envelope, and tucked it in the stack of Edwina's other letters.

"Free of charge on this letter. I've got a soft spot for family trying to reconnect," he cleared his throat, and stared far over Edwina's shoulder for a long moment, before purposefully making eye contact. "They've gone to Antiris Harbor, on the west coast."

"Thank you, Postmaster."

~~~

The lake was calm, and the drone of cicadas deafening in the muggy heat of summer's end as Edwina lazily swished her legs through the dark water, watching ripples move out across the mirrored surface. She contemplated the last month she'd spent recovering in Murkwell, and the gossip and correspondence she'd gathered. She tapped a crisp white envelope on her palm, the seal of the Arcane Order pressed into indigo wax on the back. They’d responded.

Taking a slow deep breath, she cracked the wax, and withdrew a single parchment card. Three names were written in elegant script across the front. Presumably these were the additional village prospects she'd requested. She flipped the card over, and in a different handwriting, one she recognized, was a short note.

Try Bellmare. It'll be a taste of home, but there's something there to call your own.

~Professor Adelaide Wright

There was guidance and wisdom, if she chose to heed her favorite instructor's words, and in the pit of her stomach, the excitement she'd been missing when considering any other village for her third attempt to find a home.

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Story: Claiming and Claimed

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 17:16:53 GMT

This fill was inspired by a prompt from ashelterofpages and fills the "crave" square of my Valentines Day "ChocoBar" Bingo Card. This story is 552 words, and is an expansion on my earlier story "Seeking."

CW: This is set in a Dark Fantasy world, and contains some possession weirdness.

Claiming and Claimed

As I stoked the fire, laying it in a circle of twenty-one polished obsidian stones, I reflected on the sacred lessons I had learned.

The foundation of the Temple rests upon the Sentire Sisterhood.

Our Sisterhood is a collection of women blessed with seven enhanced senses.

We are the only ones blessed to hear and perceive the souls of the departed.

To protect our sanity, we must be joined by our Guide, the spirit of a sister who now resides beyond the veil.

My Guide protects my mind, and in exchange I grant her access to the mundane world through my seven enhanced senses.

The Circle is complete, Sentire to Guide, Guide to Sentire.

We are willingly led by the Temple Mother, who watches over our coven, and our village.

These principles had been my life since I was marked a Potential at twelve and moved to live within the Temple. I had been deeply devoted, until they kicked me onto the streets ten years later, Guideless, and worthless.

Winter howled in the air above the cellar I’d sneaked into. The Temple was the only place in the village with the resources needed to complete my ritual. The obsidian fire circle, the rich summoning oils, and the precious herbs whose smoke would reveal the portal my Guide would soon walk through.

I craved the completion of my bond, to be made whole again. Every day my seven senses tore at my mind, an incessant burn and itch, without the buffer of a Guide. I knew I’d succumb to madness, and the elements, if I didn’t find one soon, as had been the fate of other Potentials cast from the Temple.

As the fire reached a peak I poured the oils, sprinkled the herbs, and said the words.

“I am open, and I wish to be filled. I am a vessel to be Guided. Hear me and grant my Wish.”

The smoke billowed, grew redolent with the burning herbs, and with my enhanced Sight I witnessed a portal forming. Exhilaration burned through me. I would succeed!

Smoke spun around an opening vortex, and from within I could hear many voices, clamoring for attention, the dead seeking a way back to life. One seemed to grow louder, stronger than the others, and with a mighty rush, poured through the tear in the veil, and into my open heart.

Then another.

And again.

I screamed in agony and fell to the cellar floor. A Sentire was only meant to host one Guide, how could I possibly contain three? They strained against the confines of my body, and in a panic, I lashed out. I flailed my arms and kicked my legs in terror, and through sheer luck managed to dislodge a few obsidian stones and cut my hands through the smoke. The ritual dissolved, the portal closing before a fourth soul had cleared the rift.

The fire circle disrupted, the flames quickly leapt from the floor onto the stacks of stored supplies and reached for the beams ahead. In mental agony, and in fear of the spreading flames, we hoisted our body from the floor and ran.

My wish to find a Guide has been fulfilled.

*My wish to return to life has been realized.*

~The goal of reincarnation has been achieved.~

+I’m alive again!+

~~~Notes~~~

A Dark Fantasy Sentinel/Guide reinterpretation.

Delandra - was an acolyte in a Temple of the Sentire Sisterhood until she was released from service when she failed to realize her potential and attract a metaphysical Guide. This Temple's approach to culling their less mystically gifted members is seen as necessary by the Temple Mother, and as a cruel betrayal by the girls she evicts, after she raised them to believe they were Special. Delandra could not let go of her belief that she was going to be a powerful Sentire, and attempts an esoteric ritual to try and regain her former valued position.

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Story: A Better Path

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 01:54:02 GMT

This 413 word story was inspired by a prompt from fuzzyred during my January 2024 Final Friday Fics and the image at the bottom of the page. This belongs to my fantasy series The Earthen.

A Better Path

An Earthen’s name marks their path through life and highlights their worth to the warren. As a child they’re gifted a simple name by their fruiting parent and as they come of age they choose something that appeals to their inner being.

Basia despised her name. She was marked a Stranger in her current warren, and it stung more and more each time she heard the other Earthen repeat the moniker. In her home burrow, before the Giants had destroyed the forest, she’d had a youngkin’s name of Tola because she was Priceless to her parents. She hadn’t settled into her calling before she’d been forced to run, and now it had been years of being called Stranger amongst her adopted community. She wished it could be different; she needed things to be different.

She sought Zotia, to see if it would be Wise to try and change her name, or if she was stuck on this path of never quite belonging.

“Do you know what you’d prefer your name to be? You didn’t wish to be called a nutlet’s name anymore after your great flight across the forest, so I doubt you wish to return to “Tola”?

“No, I am no longer my parent’s Priceless child. My parent’s and that warren are gone, I can’t return, even in name only,” said Basia mournfully.

“Is there an attribute you wish to be known for? I know you often struggle with anxiety, but Obawa would not be a very pleasant name to carry,” Zotia fretted.

“No! I want something that makes me feel better, makes me feel wanted, and admirable.”

“Hmm, have you settled on a craft? Last I knew you were still testing the waters with several,” asked Zotia.

“Yes, I’ve apprenticed with the crafter’s guild and believe I’m going to be most skilled at the intertwining of roots used to make the Burrow entrances strong.” Basia looked proud as she stated her skill. She knew that she’d floundered around a long time, trying this and that, but mostly spending her time since joining this warren recovering from her ordeals. No one had complained, her recovery time was understandable, but it felt good to finally be settling into work she felt called to complete.

“Well, that’s excellent! And inspires me to call you Tkaczka, as you’ll be an important Weaver for the warren,” Zotia exclaimed.

The whole world seemed brighter then, as Tkaczka accepted her new name and a warm embrace from Zotia.

~~~Notes~~~

An example of the entrance to an Earthen Warren/Burrow showing small roots woven across the opening.

Artist Credit: Montague57 on DeviantArt

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February Valentines Bingo Card - ChocoBar Edition

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 22:06:33 GMT

This is my prompt card for the February 2024 Valentine's Day Bingo Fest challenge at the AllBingo site.

My plan is to make 200+ word fills for most of my prompts. These might not end up being a complete story for each fill, but many of them connect into longer stories in my ongoing series:

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants. Currently there are 3 monthly logs posted, and I'm actively writing the log for April 2053.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

I'd appreciate reader suggestions that expand on any word or phrase on the bingo card. Feel free to make suggestions that tie into my ongoing series or for something completely new.

For this bingo I'm doing something a little fun - I had a chocolate bar recently that was divided into little pieces with words, and I took a cute pic to use as this month's bingo card! I'll list the squares below as they're filled to keep track of my progress towards a bingo.

Crave - "Claiming and Claimed" - Delandra completes her ritual to open a portal through the veil.

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Story: A Loving Evening

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 02:12:13 GMT

This was inspired by a prompt from wyld_dandelyon for my Final Friday Fics - Wishes and a square of my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card.

This 905 word story is the 4th installment of my new series The Witch's Kitchen, which now has a landing page!

A Loving Evening

The acoustic strains a mellow guitar, in harmony with the haunting notes of a plucked lyre harp, filled the dining room of The Witch’s Kitchen. The music was soothing and enhanced the romantic atmosphere that suffused the restaurant. The seven oak tables were decorated with blush, ivory, or maroon tablecloths, and contrasting short centerpieces of white, red, or pink roses and carnations.

On the specials board the Tea of the Day, for Valentine’s Day, was “Loves Awakening.” Jeannette’s magical blend of cacao nibs, carob, rose petals, orange peel, crushed cinnamon stick, and vanilla. Its sweet floral earthiness could melt away one’s cares and worries and leave their heart in a state where love of all kinds might flourish.

It was Valentine’s Day, and the restaurant was fully reserved for all three seatings. To make it a special night, the tables had only been available by reservation, and diners had been asked to indicate their preferred love experience for the evening; platonic, familial, or passionate, and were sat at tables accordingly.

Lucia surveyed the front of house from where she was currently leaning in the doorway to the kitchen and felt the wash of love and affection that filled the whole building. It soothed the final nerves from the botched Grand Opening two weeks prior. That day had started so disastrously, and after waking up from the Time Out Tincture, she and Jeanette had reworked the plan to formally open the next day on Sunday, February 2nd. It had gone well. They had enjoyed a steady stream of diners, and no one seemed to carry any ill will that the opening had been delayed.

Now, they were hosting the restaurant’s first special event, and really pulling out all the stops on the magical dining experience. In addition to Jeanette’s love tonic, and Lucia’s Daily Special, the musicians they’d hired for tonight had a special magical talent as well. They moon shaped lyre harp played by Rayna could grant wishes if the circumstances proved fortuitous. Lucia and Jeanette were both fascinated by the potential gift locked inside the very simply carved instrument and hoped to catch a glimpse of its magic that night.

Lucia ducked back into the kitchen to get her part of the show underway. Appetizers had gone out very recently for the first seating of customers, and all the standing order dishes were prepped and ready to serve with finishing touches. So now it was time to make some magic.

Nonetto’s cauldron sat gleaming upon Stanley, the wood fire below crackling and scenting the kitchen of apple and cherry wood. She began singing an incantation, loading her voice with a husky sultriness.

Birds do it, Bees do it

Even educated fleas do it

Let’s do it, let’s cook with love

The cauldron’s rounded potbelly seemed to blush as it heated to a rosy copper glow, and the sudden sizzle of steak hitting hot metal rose into the kitchen. Lucia could smell tantalizing hints of a spice rub, picking up cocoa, paprika, allspice, and a hint of cayenne. Anticipation of what the cauldron was preparing rose as she watched the steaks rise out, perfectly medium rare, onto her waiting platter, only to hear the pot sizzle again as butter and chopped shallots joined the drippings in the bottom of the cauldron, followed a few minutes later by the powerful aroma of red wine pouring into the mix. She’d tempted the pot into creating a very romantic Cocoa Spiced Steak with Red Wine Chocolate Sauce. As the cauldron completed enough entrees for the first seating of diners Lucia sang the closure of her incantation.

In shallow shoals English soles did it

Goldfish in the privacy of bowls did it

We’ve done it, we’ve cooked with love

She offered three noisy smacking kisses and the cauldron settled, at rest once more on Stanley’s burner, and slowly losing its rosy blush.

“Gorgeous compare, brilliant as always!” Lucia praised. She tucked the steaks and sauce under the warming lights and dashed for the dining room to write the Daily Special on the board with a flourish.

~~~

It happened as the third seating was well underway, and the atmosphere in the restaurant had taken on a sultry twist. The later reservations had mostly requested passionate love experiences, and at a table tucked into the farthest corner from the musicians a lovely couple of women were holding hands and murmuring to one another around bites of their meal. Lucia was helping Jeanette behind the counter and waiting to assist with serving the evening’s final dessert course when they both felt the magical change in the air. They listened as the melody from Rayna’s lyre harp turned even more fluid and haunting, and around her fingers tiny glittering sparks arose, red, gold, and iridescent into a swirling mass of wish magic. It coalesced above Rayna’s hands, hesitated for a moment, and then streaked towards the women where it burst above their heads, glistening down over them in a shower of warm sparks. Diners all around the room watched in awe, and then a gave a rush of applause as the women embraced while the magic settled within them.

Lucia wondered what wish they’d been granted. She’d ask Rayna if she knew after they closed for the night, but now she joined in the applause and grinned at Jeanette as they realized one of their own sweetest dreams for their little café.

~~~Notes~~~

Rayna's moon shaped lyre harp

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Final Friday Fics - Wishes

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 15:35:18 GMT

The Prompt Call is Closed. I’ll be writing for the prompts I've received over the next few weeks - thank you to everyone who participated - WOW!

Today's Final Friday Fics is open with a theme of "Wishes." Final Friday Fics are a way for me to reach out to readers to gain inspiration at the end of the month to write stories they would like to read. I'll use the prompts and suggestions as inspiration for short drabble sized pieces of fiction, generally 200+ words in length.

I'm hoping to get prompts for all kinds of desires - heartfelt wishes, secret desires, yearnings, cravings, and what characters might long for. Feel free to make suggestions that tie into my ongoing series or for something completely new.

I still have 5 open squares on my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card if you'd like to riff off of those prompts to help me complete a Bingo. I'd also love any requests that expound on a Funuary prompt!

These are the current Series that I'm writing episodically that you might want to offer prompts for:

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

Ways you can help support Final Friday Fics:

Leave prompts, suggestions, and encouraging comments.
Feel free to share this page and promote more people to participate in the Prompt Call.
Would you like to buy me a Chai as I write? You can find my Tip Jar on Ko-Fi.

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Advanced Notice: Final Friday Fics on January 26, 2024

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 19:53:50 GMT

My next open prompt call is set for Friday, January 26th, 2024 with a theme of "Wishes." I'm using the Final Friday Fics event as a way to reach out to readers to gain inspiration at the end of the month to write stories they would like to read.

For the theme of "Wishes" I'm hoping to get prompts for all kinds of desires - heartfelt wishes, secret desires, yearnings, cravings, and what characters might long for. Feel free to make suggestions that tie into my ongoing series or for something completely new.

Please hold actual prompts until the "Final Friday Fics" post next week. If you're intrigued please come by my blog then and comment with your ideas, comment on other people's suggestions, encourage others to come check me out, or whatever makes you happy! I hope to see you next Friday!

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Snowflake Challenge #10 - 5 Things

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 13:47:47 GMT

Here is a list of my Top Five Re-Reads:

1. BDSM Universe by Xanthe. The OG BDSM AU, so if you haven't read it you really should! My favorite story from the whole series is "Hiding in Plain Sight" an SGA/NCIS crossover, which has several great pairings, but is primarily Gibbs/Tony. This Tony is heartbreaking in a beautiful way.

2. Ties that Bind Series by Kiera Marcos. This is Keira playing with her take on a BDSM AU and it is the BEST. THING. EVER. SGA John/Rodney, and so many other excellent pairings, including some iconic OCs. Kiera is incredible at consistent characterization and world building.

3. The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. My all time favorite series of books. I come back to this series over and over. I assume it would be considered Dark Fantasy, given some of the themes, but it always leaves me feeling hopeful and bittersweet. I've read many of the additional books in the Realms of the Blood, but haven't yet read the new trilogy starting with "The Queen's Bargain."

4. "Emergence" by Jilly James. NCIS Gibbs/Tony story with crossovers to SG-1 and the Magnificent Seven in later chapters. They're DRAGONS!!! I don't think I need to say more, right?

5. The Talents Universe by Anne McCaffrey. I've read a lot of the Pern books too, but her sci-fi series about the Talents is one that brings me back to reread them again and again. Its also one of those eerie situations where you watch things from so-called fiction written decades ago coming true IRL right now, and its unnerving.

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Snowflake Challenge #9 - Current Projects

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:23:27 GMT

What is the new hotness in my life? Here's a list of 5 great things I'm loving in January 2024!

Television: I'm watching Saturday Morning Cartoons with the Husbando! We watched all of the new Duck Tales series, absolutely excellent, and are now watching Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, The Owl House, and The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos. Its a great way to kick off fun weekends for two 80's kids. On my own I'm binge watching Season 2 of Prodigal Son, now that it is back on streaming. This show you guys! I cannot believe it wasn't renewed after season 2, the acting is so very good. Michael Sheen makes his monstrous character sympathetic and I love/hate him for it!

Fanficton: I'm still stuck on SGA: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard mostly, but have been branching out into The Hobbit: Thorin/Bilbo. Recs for excellent Explicit fics gladly accepted. I love this idea of Heart Seeds! Has anyone else read these Heart Seed stories? Where'd that idea come from?

Inspiration: I've joined a few new communities this month to try out some other sources of inspiration. Froday Flash Fiction Challenge and Bite Sized Bits of Fic have already caused me to commit fic, and I'm still using Allbingo, which I've been a part of for several years and is always inspiring.

Writing: I started a new original series in December, and have wrote for all of my ongoing series so far this Writing Season. Here's tiny blurbs:

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

I do a prompt call with a theme on the Final Friday of the Month - come back on 1/26/24 for my Final Friday Fics - "Wishes."

Cooking: I've started blogging about my Cooking Adventures! I got gifted some sourdough starter, and its been a journey. Read about the Basic Round Loaf and Soft Cinnamon Rolls that I've made so far.

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Cooking Adventures - Soft Cinnamon Rolls

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 01:37:39 GMT

In late 2023 I was gifted a sourdough starter. The 1:1:1 flour and water kind, which I'd never worked with before, and the beginning of a new series of culinary adventures. Read the story of the Basic Round Loaf for some background about me as a cook, and the struggles I first encountered working with my starter The Yeasty Beasties.

Experiment #2 Soft Cinnamon Rolls. For my second round of baking with my sourdough starter I didn't really want to make another loaf of bread. I want my starter to be used in myriad creative ways. So I googled and looked for interesting things I could do with sourdough. And I kept seeing cinnamon rolls. You can't tease me like that internet! I see cinnamon rolls, I'm gonna need to eat some cinnamon rolls, stat! But nothing with sourdough happens quickly, and after my Basic Round Loaf failed so completely on the first try I was apprehensive about my potential for cinnamon roll success. The solution? Tell. No. One. That way if round one flopped, nobody but me would be disappointed. If it worked, then it would be a very pleasant surprise.

I figured I had a decent chance at success, since I had figured out a strategy to get the Yeasty Beasties nice and bubbly, and the recipe was a fairly simple enriched dough. I also figured that the cinnamon rolls would be edible, but probably just so-so.

Whoa, was I pleased to be wrong about that second prediction! These were delectable! Enjoy some pictures, and sorry I can't share tempting scents through the interwebs:

I wish I'd taken some earlier photos of the process, but here the rolls are in the springform pan, after their 1 hour rise:

Hot n' Fresh out the oven:

Covered in homemade Cream Cheese Frosting and ready to be devoured:

Final Thoughts: A success on the first go, I do have some thoughts on improvements for my next batch. The filling from the recipe I followed is made with white sugar and cinnamon, and is pleasant, but not the KICK of flavor I want in my cinnamon rolls. Solution? Next batch I'm trying the filling with brown sugar for a richer depth of flavor, and doubling the cinnamon. Otherwise I cannot rave enough about how tender, buttery, and delicious these were.

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Story: The Back Room

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 02:52:41 GMT

This fills a prompt from creepy_shetan for the Thursday: Shadows and Darkness prompt call at comment_fic and the "West End Blues" square of my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card. 670 words, this is the 7th story in the OtherWorldy series.

The Back Room

Behind the red door at Barbed Wire was a dimly lit hallway, walls papered in moody black and purple damask with flickering sconces throwing light in small pools just beside each heavy mahogany door. Carnelle had a bizarre moment of dissonance as she compared this darkly sensual hall to the generic grey stretch of hallway she’d traversed earlier in the day.

She released Costa’s hand as they cleared the threshold, confident he’d follow her to the room of her choice. They walked the hall and she let her long, elegant fingers flick across discreet “do not disturb” signs hanging from several crystal doorknobs. They found a room towards the end of the hall, and she pulled their own sign from a pocket by the frame, hanging it delicately on the knob before entering after Costa and shutting the door behind them.

“Well, this certainly isn’t why I normally drag a man back here, but let’s handle our business,” Carnelle murmured as she settled on the navy-blue duvet of the brass four-poster bed that took up the back wall of the room. This room was done in dark blues and golds, with a celestial sky painted overhead.

Costa was goggling around at the array of furnishings in the room when he said, “No, I suppose not. What is all this even for?” He was reaching towards a rack on the wall where an assortment of floggers and paddles hung, each wrapped in clear plastic with a sanitation seal. “Is this a torturer’s chamber?”

Carnelle snorted. Silly Dream. “Nah kid, to the people in this club this is a pleasure chamber. Some humans really get off on a little spice with their sugar.”

He released the royal blue leather fraternity paddle he’d grasped, letting it swing back against the wall. “Right. That must lead to at least some bad dreams. Things gone wrong kind of nightmares. I’m sure I’ve a brother who’s specialized for that.”

“Why didn’t the council find whichever Son of Somnus was specialized for murderous dreams to catch this guy? Why tap you, and make you change focus?”

“There are thousands of us out there, and I imagine finding the singular Dream who has dominion over the types of dreaming I’ll be searching for would take a lot of Council resources. I’m easy to find; I signed up to serve the council centuries ago,” replied Costa evenly.

“Really? I was assigned council duty as a type of community service for breaking a few human interaction rules. I certainly didn’t volunteer that first time. Why’d you?”

“I’m…bored? My work is very satisfying, but it really is all I’ve got happening, and filling my daylight hours becomes tedious sometimes.” Costa scuffed his combat boot against the hardwood floor, then looked up and met Carnelle’s eyes. “I can tell you don’t want to work with me.”

She thought about softening her response, but just replied, “Yeah. I Hunt alone, and I don’t see how you’re going to be helpful with this. Your skills are a little too, ah, ephemeral, for what we’re supposed to get accomplished.” Her hand waved in a gesture of vague frustration.

“I think I’ve got a unique way to help you, that you haven’t considered. My primary role as a Dream is to cause humans helpful nightmares, but that’s certainly not all I can do. Skimming and spying on the disturbed dreams of a whole neighborhood is what I offered to do when the Seven first spoke to me.”

“What?! You can just see the dreams of an entire neighborhood? How long does that take?” Carnelle demanded.

“I could probably clear three or four city blocks a night?” Costa offered.

“Well, what the hell are we dicking around here for? Let’s head over to West End, where my last lead went cold, see if your dream peeping heats things up again.”

Grasping her unlikely Hunting partner by the hand once more Carnelle drug them back down the hallway, through the heaving crowd, and out into the night.

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Story: Take a Time Out

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 03:28:15 GMT

This was inspired by a lot of little prompts all around the internet, but mainly by the Argument Challenge at fffc and a square of my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card. This 786 word story is the 3rd installment of my new series The Witch's Kitchen, following "A Cup of Tea to Start the Day" and "All the Way Home We'll be Warm."

CW: a character is panicking a bit.

Take a Time Out

The Soft Opening had been a hit, friends and family raving over The Witch’s Kitchen’s quaint décor, cozy vibe, and excellent fare. So, Lucia was dismayed when the next day dawned, and she was nervous to the point of feeling ill. She knew they could do this, but somehow opening to strangers, feeding the wide world her cooking, seemed reckless and like flaying herself bare. She left her apartment without eating, worried her sour stomach would revolt, and headed to their café.

Maybe they shouldn’t do this. Maybe this was too big a risk. She needed to talk to Jeanette.

When she arrived, the back door was already unlocked, and she could hear her friend puttering in the front of house. The hiss and clank of Old Copper Joe melded with the scent of roasted coffee and hazelnuts, normally an enticing smell, but wretched to her unsettled stomach. Lucia crept through the kitchen and made her way to the passage door between there and the front counter of the restaurant, feeling her nerves mounting, overwhelmed by what today could be, success or disaster.

She swung open the door and called out, “Jeannette?”

“Hey Luci Goosi, you’re here early! Did ya need a cuppa joe?” came Jeanette’s cheery greeting. She saw her friend working with the coffee maker as she expected, her short plump frame draped dramatically in an iridescent purple and blue color-change dress, with her coppery curls flowing loose down her back.

“No, can’t eat this morning. Too twisted up. I thought. Well, I think we should close the restaurant,” Lucia declared, swallowing harshly afterwards, her throat coated with fear.

“Close!? We haven’t even opened yet, Lucia, we can’t close. What’s going on?” Jeannette turned her entirely towards her, abandoning her task to focus on Lucia.

“We can’t do this! With strangers, and who knows how many people will come. What if its too many, or none, or they see us working magic and freak the freak out!” Lucia gulped in an urgent panicked breath. “I don’t think I should do this, with Stanley, with the cauldron, what if Nonnetto thinks I’m desecrating the gift?”

“Sit. Right now, sit down. Yeah. Breathe. Yup, we gotta breathe. More, keeeeeep breathing sweetie.” Jeannette came around and grasped Lucia’s slim shoulders, steering her to the nearest oak table and plunking her down into a seat, where Lucia proceeded to just breathe. Just. Take in air and keep her stomach from flipping over any more than it already was, doing cartwheels inside her abdomen.

“I’m grabbing you a Time Out Tincture. Wait here, and I’ll be right back,” Jeanette said as she hustled into the back to where she kept her magical tea and tisanes. Lucia sat quietly, focused on regulating her breathing, and blinking back a few stubborn tears that wanted to slip free. She hated panic spirals.

Jeanette returned shortly with an enormous sky-blue mug carved all over with blushing roses, her hands clasped around the ceramic were sparkling with bright prisms of energy as she activated her magical connection to the herbal tea. Her Time Out Tincture was an intense blend of chamomile, lavender, valerian, and kava kava. She only broke it out for serious situations, and if she added a kick with her magic, you were going to calm down.

“Small sips. Good. Lucia, I’m willing to discuss your concerns about the opening, and perhaps postpone our plans, but you gotta be in a more rational place first. Capisce?”

“Yeah, I agree. I just woke up so, so panicked. What if Nonnetto is upset? Did he seem upset last night?”

“No! Your grandpa seemed to be bursting with pride over this place. And your mom and dad. The whole family loved what we served, and you know Nonnetto is aware that you’re sharing the cauldron’s gift. You received his blessing before we bought the café,” Jeannette soothed, her hand clasping Lucia’s in her lap.

“He said it was ok, that my gift with the cauldron was meant to be shared. But, maybe...” Lucia’s voice rose in a thready pitch.

“Nope! Drink that tea, yep, and stop winding yourself up. You know the kava is going to make you nappy, so why don’t I get you settled on the couch in the break room, and when you re-wakeup for today we’ll hash this out, and see if we’re opening today, tomorrow, or never. But you’ve got to set it aside for right now. Time Out.”

“Time out, ok. Let’s just reboot this whole day.” Lucia slumped against her friend, sipped her tea, and was grateful that she had someone in her life she could lose her shit with, who’d still stand by and hold her hand.

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Snowflake Challenge #5 - Photo Inspirations

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 14:50:39 GMT

1. Something your favorite character would like and 5. Something you find comforting combined:

My character Althea, from the original hurt/comfort sci-fi series RePrint, has a comfort object that is heavily inspired by this real life Galaxy Blanket and Pillow set:

Bonus picture! If you move blankets in my house, you will attract cats. Here are Alf (buff tabby) and Anika (silver gray tabby) checking out my shenanigans this morning:

Also also - Snow! Happy to see it, as winter has been too warm for Mid-Michigan so far this year.

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Snowflake Challenge #4 - Icebreaker

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 14:59:14 GMT

Lets do another 5-Things post for my Icebreaker. 5 questions about NSFWords, aka Brandy:

Demographics? I'm a 40+ female-ish human who grew up on a farm, but now lives in the suburbs with her amazing Husbando and 2 catholes.

What do you write? I think about writing fanfiction, but mostly I write small 200-1000 word snippets of original fiction in episodic style series. Hear me out! Some of these series are quite cute!

The Earthen - Fantasy - The tales of The Earthen, tiny nutlike beings who live in warrens, and are highly cooperative.
Green Skies G.T. - Cozy Science Fiction - The monthly logs of G.T., a sentient apartment dwelling, and it's inhabitants.
OtherWorldly - Dark Urban Fantasy - Carnelle the Succubus is on the Hunt for a killer.
RePrint - Science fiction - Althea has chosen to undergo an unusual medical procedure that will allow her to imprint new memories of important first experiences.
Village Witch - Edwina - Steam Punk/Fantasy setting - These stories are being created as a playthrough of the Solo TTRPG "Village Witch." Edwina has a year to find the village where she belongs as their Village Witch.
The Witch's Kitchen - Contemporary Fantasy - Lucia and Jeanette are opening the restaurant of their dreams, and it takes a little magic to make things work.

I do a prompt call with a theme on the Final Friday of the Month - come back on 1/26/24 for my Final Friday Fics - "Wishes."

What fandoms do you follow: I've listed them alphabetically, but really, I've been stuck on Rodney/John for about 3 years:

9-1-1 - Eddie/Buck, BBC Sherlock - John/Sherlock, Harry Potter - Harry/Hermoine and Harry/Draco, The Hobbit - Thorin/Bilbo, MCU Steve/Tony, NCIS - Gibbs/Tony, Stargate: Atlantis - Rodney/John, Supernatural - Sam/Dean (don't get cranky with me, its fiction).

What types of things do you procrastinate the most on? Everything. I'm a strong procrastinator, and real life adulting shit takes a lot of energy.

What are your hobbies besides devouring fic? Cooking! My blog has Cooking Adventures posts when I make something really cool. Gardening, Home Improvement/Decoration, Costume sewing, and hand embroidery.

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Story: Morning Interruptus

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 03:12:25 GMT

This 278 word fic was created as a gift for Kalika_999 on fandomtrees

Morning Interruptus

Monroe was a cozy kind of guy. He liked warm comfy sweaters, relaxed fit corduroys, and sleeping in on Sunday morning. He figured it was the Blutbad nature in him, wanting to be warm and safe in its den. Which made this Sunday morning even more vexing, as he’d been awoken in the middle of the night to care for his best friend (secret crush whispered his subconscious) who’d pounded on his door flat-out drunk, and now he was up again at 8:00 a.m. helping said friend swallow some ibuprofen and down a glass of water.

“Merph, go ‘way,” groaned a rumpled Nick from the couch.

“No. Sit up, c’mon.”

“Why’re you here?” mumbled Nick.

“Me? Why are you here? You’re at my house, not yours. I’m supposed to be here, sleeping in, waking up at whatever time I like to make myself muffins or bagels, not trying to help you out after a bender. Sit. Up.” Monroe says the last two words in a growly tone that would take no argument.

As Nick struggled upright on the couch and snatched the pills and water he said, “What the hell happened?”

“

You got drunk, knocked on my door at 4:00 a.m., obnoxiously flirted with me and then vomited all over my feet. Now it’s the next day, you’re hungover and you apparently have no idea why I keep glaring at you,” Monroe summarized.

“Oh shit. Juliette broke up with me,” Nick whispered.

“Man…” Monroe trailed off as his heart gave one huge thump in panic, he swallowed thickly, and that secret little longing grew three sizes in an instant. “That’s, I’m so sorry Nick. Why’d she do that?”

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Story: A Life in the Woods

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 02:33:42 GMT

This 376 word fic was created as a gift for cornerofmadness on fandomtrees and fills a square for my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card.

A Life in the Woods

A curse ran in their blood, but overall, it could’ve been worse. They could have turned full wolfman every full moon or been driven to depraved acts due to bloodlust. Instead, Axel counted himself lucky that he became the Dogman for just for a week each month during years that ended on a 7. The hardest part in Axel’s opinion was the need to prowl the Manistee River during his turn. He had cousins further downstate living in Allegan, Michigan who were tied to the Kalamazoo River the same way his parents and siblings and he were tied to their river, except downstate the job prospects were better.

Axel had to admit, the advent of remote work post-Covid had really made it easier to bear the Dogman curse. His sister Astrid now did all her work as a medical transcriptionist remotely, and so her “puppy nights” out on the banks of the Manistee weren’t hard on the pocketbook like they used to be in his dad and grandmother’s time. He himself had recently gained employment as a remote call center worker, and it too suited the special needs of his affliction.

The worst part of the whole situation was getting spotted. While most of the Manistee ran through remote areas of Northwestern Michigan, there were always campers, hunters, nature lovers, and those wandering lost that you could bump into unexpectedly while shifted. Axel dreaded being seen and possibly filmed. Cell phones were the bane of his existence, everyone with the power of “proof” in their pockets. No one needed to see him, sniffling along the banks of the river with the head of a dog, but his normal scrawny human body, only 6’2” tall (really very short for Dogpeople!) and his hazel human eyes. Or worse! What if they caught him relieving himself, leg cocked, against a tree! It was instinct, nothing he could do about it, but he’d had a recurring nightmare that that was the moment someone would spot him since he was thirteen years old.

Overall, there were cryptids who had it worse. No one seriously believed in the Michigan Dogman, and really, Bigfoot could keep all the bumper stickers and bigfoot hunters, because Dogpeople preferred their little family packs and privacy anyway.

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Snowflake Challenge #3 - Wishlist

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:26:24 GMT

On the 3rd Day of Snowflake a kind Fairy gave to me:

1. An Icon for The Earthen series
2. A better Icon for the Green Skies G.T. series
3. Character Art for any of the main characters in my series Village Witch - Edwina or RePrint (inspiration pics available)
4. Comments! Any and all comments on my posts would make my whole day!
5. A Ko-Fi if you liked my stories and feel exceptionally generous

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Snowflake Challenge #2 - Goals

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:16:05 GMT

My personal New Wheel of the Year Resolutions are:
1. Celebrate all 8 Sabbats, even if I do so alone.
2. Read one (1) pagan/metaphysical/interesting nonfiction book per month.
3. Keep tracking my "points" on Lose It. Reward: One (1) new graphic novel for every 30 day streak I maintain.

My Seasonal Resolutions are:
1. Write as much as my health and other commitments allow January through April.
2. Play in the yard as much as my health and other commitments allow May through October.
3. Stay sane during ALL THE HOLIDAYS in November and December.

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Snowflake Challenge #1 - Housekeeping

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 14:02:09 GMT

My Sticky post has been updated, and I finally setup my profile. They're basically mirrors of each other, but at least the profile now exists!

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Story: Consequences - Village Witch #13

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 03:10:33 GMT

Lucky 13! This is the 13th session of the solo TTRPG Village Witch, and it was inspired by everything, lol! I'm having a lot of luck right now mixing bingo prompts, image prompts, and more. This 1,284 word story was inspired by the image prompt at the end, the game mechanics prompt, and the "Skin o' My Tooth" square of my January Public Domain Day Bingo Card.

You can read the earlier stories for this series on the landing page for Village Witch - Edwina!

Consequences

She sat on the end of her bed, in the small green stilt house in Murkwell, and allowed Beatrice to assist her in rolling on her stockings.

It was only three days after the ecological disaster had befallen the lake, and a Queendom's Judge had arrived the night before to oversee the matter of Alain Abreo, and now to run the inquiry into the slag heap mudslide. Edwina was to present herself immediately, along with the Trinity of witches that had been helping her recover, despite the lingering lung infection that refused to be completely cleared by Gardi's magical broths and teas.

"There you go! We'll slide on these boots, and you'll be as proper as can be," Beatrice said in her perpetually upbeat manner. She'd been the only one of the trio not to have opinions on Edwina's choice of fashions. Even airy Auretta had found Edwina's disdain for Witch Couture to be odd, exclaiming over Edwina's natural colored hair, at first concerned that it was the result of an injury from her heroic rescue of the lake. But no, it was just auburn, rather than ruby.

Boots on and dressed to face the day, Edwina grabbed a small satchel full of soothing throat lozenges, handkerchiefs, and a vial of cough suppressing droplets. She was as ready to face the Queendom's Judge as she could be, all things considered.

***

The inquisition had last hours. Questions for Edwina, questions for the Trinity, questions for the seven Alder's had led to even more intense and damning questions for the organization of Alpha Mineral's Mining Company. The foreman of the project, Marc LeBeau, had been roasted over the coals of the Judge's ire.

In a remarkable stroke of luck for the town of Murkwell, the Judge sent to handle the case against Alain Abreo was more than passingly familiar with cases involving natural disasters and was better prepared to deal with their situation than the average Judge may have been. Edwina felt sure that Arcane forces were at hand, leading to the right Judge being there to help see justice done for Murkwell. The Arcane Order rarely interfered with judiciary matters, but a seeress at the Order would certainly have passed on any information about a pending disaster to all interested authorities.

Regardless of the unexpected good fortune, the Judge's rulings were thus:

1. Alpha Mineral's Mining Company was found guilty of negligence. The retaining wall surrounding the slag heap was insufficient in regard to the heavy summer storms that could be experienced in the Northern countryside.

2. The Trinity was found guilty of negligence in failing to provide adequate protection to all members of the village prior to the disaster once the soothsayer had made their prediction.

3. The Trinity and Alpha Mineral's Mining Company were further found guilty of environmental negligence, as neither were keeping up with the magical and mundane maintenance of the slag heap, a measure that would have certainly lessened the extent of the catastrophe, if not averted it entirely.

After the convictions, the consequences followed:

1. Alpha Mineral's Mining Companies agreement with Murkwell was severed due to breach of contract.

2. The company would bear all costs to restore the lake to a healthy state, including the cost of hosting the Trinity permanently, through the term of their sentence.

3. Auretta, Gardi, and Beatrice would be sentenced to five years of service to Murkwell and its citizens due to their failure to take heed to a credible prognostication, to properly fulfill their duties to the Mining Company, and all-around poor judgement. They were given some consideration for their swift action in rescuing Edwina and would face no magical sanctions.

During the trial Auretta cried quietly, sandwiched between her friends, as Beatrice gently stroked her limp copper curls, and Gardi gruffly patted her hands. The three expressed sincere regret during their Sentiments, and each made a simple vow to take good and honest care of Murkwell and the people during their five-year term of apology.

And Edwina? She was forced to accept a commendation, the Leonid Shield of Bravery, on behalf of the Judiciary and was told that the Arcane Order would be informed of her great service to the Queendom. She's sure it wasn't meant to be a threat, but she felt menaced none-the-less.

***

The celebration held a week later in the Assembly Hall was more to Edwina's taste. In fact, it catered especially to Edwina's favorites in everything: food, drink, music, and dancing. Gardi's aggressive treatment of her lungs, a special singing bowl session with Auretta, and twice daily crystal magic with Beatrice had finally beaten back the infection, and Edwina felt fine physically. Though as Gardi had put it, “You’re only well now by the skin of my teeth, so don’t go fucking yourself up at this party.” Magically Edwina was frustrated to admit she was still depleted. Arcane energy was returning to her being, and everyone believed fervently she'd make a full recovery before the end of summer, but she better not push for anything more exciting than a dance or two.

Viola Brosser cornered her during the party to discuss the end of her time with Murkwell.

"Edwina, please let's sit and chat," Viola requested. Edwina pulled up a chair at one of the folding tables setup along the side of the hall, leaving the center for long line dances.

"What can I do for you Councilwoman?"

"Stop that shit, that’s for sure. Viola. As I've said."

"Viola, yes," Edwina gave a small deprecating smile.

"We can't really thank you properly you know?" Viola stated wistfully. "You can't understand what you really did for us. You saved the livelihoods of many simple families. We're not famous craftspeople like the porcelain artists in Eastborne this clay is being mined for, no one knows we're here, even when they're eating our fish. But you. You're now beloved by all these regular folk who still have homes and jobs because you risked yourself saving this nothing town."

Edwina swallowed thickly, eyes burning. "I just did what any Witch would."

"Bullshit," Viola scoffed. "Those other three are the typical Witch in every way people dislike. Pampered, coiffed, swaddled, and barely willing to lift a finger. You worked yourself to the bone to protect all our homes, in two damned weeks. They've been popping in and out of here for five years Edwina! This could have been tended to at any time, if they'd thought to offer."

"We can't know that my protections really helped…"

"More shit! They did. That storm should have ripped up thatched roofs, lightning strikes should have started fires, and the straight-line winds normally drop whole trees through the boardwalks. All the damage with a killer storm like that we're used to seeing was averted, because you were here. We're so, so lucky you were. And I'm really sad girl, really very sad, that we can't keep you."

"What do you mean? I still have time to decide if this is where I'll stay," said Edwina.

"The Arcane Order isn't going to let us keep a Leonid Shield of Bravery recipient while we have a whole Trinity indebted to us for the next five years," stressed Viola.

"Well, shit," whispered Edwina.

"There you see, it is a bit shit right? But thank you. It won't ever be enough, but rest here through the end of summer, and then find your Village, okay? We'll take good care of you through the rest of the season, then we'll have another big party to send you off, wherever you're headed next."

"Thanks, Viola. Murkwell has just been the biggest set of surprises, and I'm glad you've been one."

~~~Notes~~~

The Leonid Shield of Bravery

Artist Credit: MasterOak on Etsy

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