#put the voyager tag here WHY NOT

[baylardo]

because im burdened with nacene lore lololol:::::::

as it currently stands the nacene are kinda the keepers and maintainers of likeee quantum realities or likeee idk matter,,,, what keeps the universe and dimensions running,,,,,,,,, they refer to the things they manage as “the strings”, they dont typically have names either :)

their lives get portrayed in different ways to lesser beings to help them understand, similarly to the Q. janeway sees the nacene envisioned as like a person with many hands endlessly working on an elaborate quilt that goes on forever,,,,, and the nacene handling the strings as academy cadets taking exams. the doctor sees the strings as an bodiless orchestra playing rather flatly but consistently for eternity

the nacene we see in the series aka the Caretaker and Suspiria are a faction of the nacene that chose to break away from order and the strings to explore the universe,,,,

should also say that their “realm” is called Exosia,,, suspiria mentions it in Cold Fire but she claims to go there in her off hours and that idea got retconned a little bit in favor of the idea that theres a gatekept single access point to Exosia that is currently locked (until janeway opens it as the chosen “key holder”) suspiria is subsequently labeled as a liar lmao. (good for her)

theres a civil war going on between the maintainers of the strings called “the others” and those that chose to leave Exosia called “the exiled” the others have prevented the exiled from reentering exosia and thereby prevents them from sustaining their immortality (thus why we see the caretaker “die”)

ummmm other nacene include the Light hes supposedly the leader of the exiled, he might be dead he keeps getting mentioned. WELL SEE.

then theres phoebe whos an exiled impersonating janeways sister, got thwarted in the last book, shes a girl with an agenda.

suspiria is EFFECTIVELY dead. winks mysteriously. i like to think shes just living out what little life she has left before dying like her mate hohoho. i doubt itll be addressed conclusively in this book

and Vivia whos part of the others, hates phoebe, also looks like phoebe though. ummm phoebe named her :) shes just trying her best good for her. set to KILL currently lmao

[feitanii-ll]

巛—𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗪 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞—⫸

[[ knight !reader x royal !link scenarios ]]

you've been assigned to him for as long as you could remember. people have observed your bond, and it's quite obvious that you're the only reasonable match— the only one he's willing to let take care of him. you wouldn't want to change that fact either, but taking care of link comes with an unfathomable amount of responsibility. such as...

★ "put down that damn frog!"

you're the closest you've ever been to a heart attack at this point. taking the prince out on a voyage where there were monsters lurking about was the last thing you had wanted to do, but unable to resist his insistent, silent pouting, you couldn't exactly denyhim what he wanted.

he's cute when he's curious, which is everyday. you let him roam around with his large observational book, studying and taking notice of whatever shroom or flower was blooming by whatever random tree.

speaking of a tree, you figured to set up a small campsite under a large tree not too far away from the castle. there was a fire going in a pot, and the boy had been throwing random food stuff inside and hoping for the best dish to come from it. you watch with a soft smile— that is, until it deflates as you spot a few bokoblins a little too close and sigh, standing up.

"Stay here." you mumble softly, to which the boy smiles and nods, eyes glued to the way you reach up to grip the handle of your sword, pulling it up and out of its sheathe.

yoi don't take long— really you don't. the bokoblin type was blue, more than easy to take down. you don't even break a sweat until you begin walking back to the tree, only to feel your breath hitch and your heart stop. that damn monster of curiosity (or, link) was holding a poor frog over the pot, probably more than ready to drop it in for Hylia knows what.

your shouting startles the boy, making him go wide-eyed and sheepish as you storm up to him. you take a second to glare before snatching the creature from his hands and setting it back into the small body of water that he was most likely snatched from.

"seriously? I was gone for five minutes." you protest.

his face goes expressive,

'it's for science!' he signs

"I know, link... you always say that." you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose, opening your eyes to see him flipping frantically through his research book before holding it open, shoving the open page in your face.

a silly healing elixir that he had been mentioning non-stop. it was probably the reason he was so adamant about tagging along.

"yes, my liege, I know about the elixir. but if you want it so bad, why don't you just simply buy one?" you suggest, exhaustion in your voice.

his face scrunches in disgust at the idea, throwing the book down before signing again,

'too far. want to experience creating it on my own'

you look from his hands to his face, being met with his saddened eyes. if he were anyone else...

"fine..." you mumble, to which he silently celebrates, "just, not in front of me, please?"

'thank you.' he steps closer, and you smile.

'no problem'. you sign back.

* * *

★ "please be careful, my liege." you voice to the blonde prince.

he'd gladly tell you that he was fine if his hands weren't currently full. if anyone else saw how you and link interacted outside of the castle, you're sure you'd be killed for your crimes.

maybe it wasn't a good idea to let the prince of hyrule use your sword and swing it around however he pleased, but in your professional opinion— he's a natural.

"you're doing great!" you smile, shaking your head as he was caught up in his own little world. and he really was. so great that he couldn't heat a word you said. holding a weapon just felt so natural to him, and he absolutely loved it when you offered it up for him to use during leisure time.

his swings are heavy and lethal, but it's obvious to you that he isn't pacing himself. the movements are so natural that he doesn't even comprehend the strain it's putting on his body— not until his swing is stopped.

link looks down at his tightened grasp on the handle, but looseness it as he realizes that you had caught his wrist. his disgruntled expression softens significantly as he looks up at you in awe and embarrassment as you hold his wrists with one hand, and remove the handle the handle from his grip with the other.

"that's enough," tour voice rings through his head as you chuck the sword to the side, face growing serious as you keep holding his wrists, "you alright?"

he can't respond with occupied hands, and so he nods, heart pounding at your serious expression. he wonders what he's done wrong, or what should be wrong, until he begins to feel an ache in his back and shoulders, making him wince. you notice.

"I know that feeling... it's why I stopped you." you explain whilst removing your hands from him. "you're good, but you're straining yourself. you're not fit for that type of intensity."

he mouths a small 'oh', and you sigh, frowning as he rubs his aching shoulder.

"it's alright... I've got something to heal you right up."

the male smiles softly, nodding in appreciation. you were always taking care of him like this. but your encouragement for him to get a little rough and rowdy is why he liked you so much. though you wanted him safe, you weren't constantly sheltering him. he hated that.

he taps your shoulder, to which you turn to him,

'sorry.'

you smile and shake your head, "don't apologize. you did really good my liege. wonder what you'd be like as a knight, actually." you chuckle.

he smiles back, letting the butterflies float around in his tummy.

* * *

★ "what do you think you're doing?"

you felt like you've done this... a lot. for the umpteenth time, you've caught the prince walking around the castle grounds, barefoot, and draped in a softened blanket as he attempts to protect himself from the nighttime breeze.

the look he gives you is one of disappointment as he thinks you're going to take him back inside, but he's pleasantly surprised when you shake your head and simply rest a hand on his shoulder, guiding him forward.

"Don't worry...I'll sit with you."

he smiles, clutching the blanket tighter. beyond the wall, he can spot the swaying of the grass, the wispyness of the clouds in the deep blue sky, and the stillness of the ancient guardians that settled into the ground. he truly loves his kingdom, and you can see it true. he walks until he reaches a spot that makes it easy to see the vast land and takes a seat on the edge of the castle walls.

"this is nice..." you sigh as you sit beside him

he nods, and your eyes glance over to him incase he's ready to talk back. and he does:

'I think I enjoy nighttime the best.' he signs, glancing between you and the beautiful view amongst him, 'sometimes, i think about running. I want to explore.'

you heart aches

"I know, my liege... I'm sorry you feel trapped." you whisper

to your surprise, he laughs softly, shaking his head, 'not trapped... just hidden potential'

you smile. such a purse and positive response. his head turns to face you, eyes so blue that you can't help but observe them thoroughly. he scoots closer beside you, careful, as to not fall, and rest his head on your shoulder.

"I think..." you wrap his blanket around him tighter, "I think we were definitely meant to be this way, my liege." you whisper, and watch as his eyes flutter shut

but not before he nods in agreement, and your heart tate spikes at what he says next.

his hands don't communicate, no. nit this time. instead, you're blessed with a sound ao angelic, so soft that you'd dread if you accidentally missed it.

"I think so too..." he whispers.

* * *

[loki-is-my-kink-awakening]

WIP Wednesday

Brad x Pres Loki. More Loki tormenting Brad. Suggestive, features daggers.

The hand moved up, fingers delicately dancing across his collarbone, up the side of his neck, tracing around his ear for a moment before sinking into his hair and yanking his head back. Brad was sure he made some whiny noise, but he couldn’t hear it, his mind focused on nothing but the blade pressed against his throat.

Loki chuckled in a low voice, his lips ghosting on his cheek. “Why did you drop in on me, hmm? Did you get bored of your little games in the TVA? Was there no one left to put you in your place?”

Brad glared at him. He didn’t remember this variant coming through the TVA, but maybe it had been another squad who had picked him up from whatever chaos he was causing on the timeline.

The knife scraped against his skin, coming up to his jawline. “I always wondered if, what was her designation again, B-12? No, B-15. How is she? Does she miss me?”

“Mmmmm,” Brad moaned, then rolled his eyes at the stupid game being played.

Loki smirked, removing the dagger and letting his hands drift down his body, reaching for his belt. It clinked, and Brad let out a contented little sigh, leaning his head back against the wall. In short order, his pants fell to the floor and a palm brushed up against him through his underwear, forcing him to buck up into it.

“So eager. So responsive,” Loki breathed, leaning into him again, eyes tracing the saliva Brad could feel slowly dripping down his chin. “Do you taste as delicious as you look?”

Tags below the cut

Tagged by @elodiah @lokimobius @thosegayoldmen 💕💕💕

Passing onto @cha-melodius @starport-seven-five @dewdropreader @lgwilt @dreamycloud

@insert-witty-user-name-here @mirilyawrites @kcscribbler @mystic-voyager

@impulsemuppet @in-my-loki-feels @kusakichan15 @boredintjqueen @silentxsymphony

@devilbearingtrouble @andthekitchensinkao3 @loki-tree-of-life @sparrow-the-tired-lesbian @starrose17

@blackbirdofasgard @illiasha @voulezvulcan @lettingtimepass @typewriterwolf

@fibvlaa @lumintsu @wolfpup026 @asoeiki @natendo-art

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there! Thanks so much for all the work you do in fandom, first and foremost! This is what I'm looking for: A lot of fics use the "angels feel love" thing but wave it off as Aziraphale not realizing or not feeling it coming from Crowley specifically. I'm wondering if you know of any fics where he DOES feel that Crowley loves him and understands immediately, but has to bend his brain around acknowledging or not acknowledging the clear evidence? Thanks so much!

Hello! You may be interested in our #aziraphale can sense love tag, and this post in which Aziraphale does some brain bending regarding his feelings for Crowley. Here are some fics where Aziraphale can sense love but chooses not to acknowledge or act on it...

In The Beginning, The Serpent Was Unloved (Or Was He?) by AnonymousDandelion (G)

… Oh, Aziraphale realized with a sickening start, and he only just managed to keep from staring, stricken and aghast, at the demon at his side. Oh, no. The thing that’s missing. It’s love. Nobody loves him. ~ ~ ~ A serpent strikes up a conversation with the angel of the Eastern Gate. The angel has thoughts and feelings (but he is also spectacularly self-oblivious).

Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark by Mekachu04 (M)

Angels can feel love. Crowley never appreciated that tidbit until now.

Rules and Regulations by Toothpaste_Fresh (T)

Heaven has a lot to say on how an angel should be. Aziraphale's relationship with heaven, and how it pertains to a certain demon named Crowley. Mind the tags!

I Farce In Your General Direction by DemonaHW (T)

In 1842, Crowley was pushed into the Thames from Blackfriars Bridge. Aziraphale was terribly apologetic, but he had seen another angel approaching. It was then, still dripping with foetid river water, that Crowley vowed he was going to find out what specific issue was making the angel more aggravating than usual.   Aziraphale doesn’t want any other angels around Crowley, and Crowley is determined to find out why. It’s going to require a transatlantic voyage and some wiles.   Or: It was supposed to be a celestial farce aboard the SS Great Britain, but characters had Feelings.

Between the Lines by cyankelpie (G)

Crowley took a gulp of ale and gestured with the mug. “Love’s a big word. How can you be sure? Humans mistake these things a lot.” “Angels don’t. If they knew I could feel it, maybe they’d try to tone it down a little.” Crowley stopped moving. Aziraphale was still talking, but he couldn’t hear over the pounding of his pulse in his head. “You can feel that?” he said, when he regained enough of his composure to put together a sentence. “Yes, I—” Aziraphale broke off just for a moment, and his eyes flicked down to the table. “Yes, I can feel it, Crowley.”   (It's hard being two supernatural entities on opposite sides who are in love with each other. It's even harder knowing that those feelings are returned, and that acknowledging it openly would be disastrous.)

- Mod D

[detective-and-dreamer]

meet (some of) the crew of the Aegis!

on several occasions, Nora and Emory have hired friends or people they met in the course of their careers. here's information on a few of them:

The Taciturn Explorer (William Delaney, he/him) - temporary member

When Emory's parents first saw (read: boarded) his ship, his Uncle Will naturally tagged along. He became interested in what they and Nora were up to - most of their voyages were focused on gathering various kinds of knowledge. Why not take a bit of a break from piracy, he decided, and hang out with the kid while he was at it? Eventually he'll want to head back, but for now he acts as helmsman. When he's not busy, he likes to sit and listen to the others talk about their projects and travels; on the rare occasions where they can get him to open up, he's got decades worth of stories to tell. Also, he and Emory could compile possibly one of the most extensive libraries of maps in the Neath between them.

The Meticulous Doctor (she/her) and the Prim Engineer (she/they)

These two are cousins, and they've been friends with Nora since she first started attending University lectures. Honestly, they're a bit of a clique; they like going to conferences and parties and then gossiping about everyone afterwards. Both of them consider their careers to be lacking if they don't have at least one petty academic rival or frenemy at any given time. There was a brief rift between them after a certain trip where the Prim Engineer freaked out and deserted them for the first ship back to London, but they've since worked things out. Now that Emory has started researching Monstrous Anatomy, the doctor is also helping them learn (and keeping track of any changes to their own body along the way).

The Resilient Chef (he/him)

A fairly recent addition. He once worked at a restaurant on the very edge of the Bazaar's side-streets, one you'd pass by on your way to the docks. One evening, a high-profile guest was poisoned, and he was framed for the murder. Nora cleared his name (with an assist from Emory on identifying and tracing the venom), but the bad publicity still cost him his job. They invited him to come and work for them, and he quickly took control of the galley. He has figured out dozens of ways to prepare giant angler crab, since his captain evidently cannot resist hunting them whenever they attack the ship.

The Overdressed Gunner (she/her) and the Spirited Balladeer (they/them)

Two former urchins of the Regiment. The Overdressed Gunner used to run errands at the docks for Nora and expressed a desire to be "proper ladylike, like you" when she grew up. Nora intended to take her in as part of her house staff and help put her through finishing school once the gang cast her out, but this plan didn't last long. What she actually wanted, she realized, was to get dressed up without having to act the part. Now she does what she loves in impractically fine clothing. Not long ago, she was reunited with an old friend...once Emory became a monster-hunter, the urchins often pestered him for stories, and one who was nearly due to age out begged him for a job as well. The Spirited Balladeer is technically also a gunner, but their true passion is songwriting. Everyone is doing their best to help improve their vocabulary, so they can create more than a handful of rhymes.

[stomach-rental]

this is a very silly question, but what is endosoma? i've seen it tossed around here and there but i haven't seen an explanation

also, why do some character names have slashes (the /) in them?

Hi! It's okay, it gets a little confusing around here sometimes.

Endosoma is a concept similar to vore, but not quite as specific. It's about being inside of another person's body, but includes all Kinds of parts of the body, not just the digestive system-- heart, lungs, nerves, muscles, you name it! All vore is endosoma, but not all endosoma is vore, sort of like the rectangle/square type deal. It's very popular in "vore-type" media, especially from the late 1990s and 2000s, to use endosoma instead of vore since endosoma can be more exploratory, alien, and strange. It's also definitely less close to sexual-- after all, usually people are much smaller in endosoma and are inside of ships or similar things, so it's not as easy to push into the whole person on person dynamic. Think Innerspace, Magic School Bus, Fantastic Voyage, etc.! But there are types of endosoma where it Is just someone in the body instead of utilizing some ship, more popular with non-human anthropomorphized settings where parts of the body are actually little people running things, and those parts can be really cool too.

Endosoma is hard to come by due to the mass popularization of using endosoma as a catch-all term for safe vore, despite safe vore having its own terms already. This means that actually finding real endosoma content that isn't Just Vore is super hard to come by, and that's part of why I've been advocating so hard for people to separate the tags and only tag endosoma if it's beyond just the stomach/mouth situation (even though vore Does count as endo). It just makes it so hopefully we'll not be trying to find a needle in a hay stack anytime anyone wants to talk about endosoma specifically, AND ensures that people that might be triggered by this more body-horror-accommodating concept don't accidentally come across it while trying to go through their usual interests.

Some people use slashes or other things to break up names of characters directly from outside media that is not vore related, because Tumblr will automatically group those in with the *normal tags for that show/game/etc.*, leading to people finding the vore who were NOT wanting to see it. By putting the dashes and other separations in the way, Tumblr doesn't screw up the search system, and it's safer! Of course, I don't typically do that with my stuff because Getting In Deep is a vore centered story, and anyone looking for it is obviously going to be comfortable with vore to some extent that they will Expect it to show up. Same with OCs-- not that my OCs are usually vore centric, but. You know. Nobody's gonna be searching for them so they won't get surprised by it, which means there's no need to break up the names.

I hope that answers your questions!!

[starsuncounted]

Saturday Snippet

@tortoisesshells tagged me a while ago to share a bit of a fic—thank you! Here's some more of the Timeless Titanic WIP:

"Well, on the bright side," Rufus said with forced optimism, "it should be easy enough to find the sleeper agent on a ship. It's not like they can go very far." Lucy shook her head. "There's over two thousand people on this ship, and we only have two days to find and stop the sleeper. Not to mention that navigating the ship is like navigating a maze." "The sleeper would most likely be part of the crew," Flynn put in. "That should narrow it." "Maybe," Lucy said, "but it's a matter of who on the crew would have the power or influence to change the trajectory of the events. But that's the thing—the Titanic receives six ice warnings the day before, and Captain Smith still doesn't reduce speed through the ice field. If he won't listen to ice warnings from other captains, he's not likely to listen to the warning of a crew member—and his word is final." "Well, what if he's not the captain now?" Rufus asked. "What if the sleeper is the captain?" "Unlikely," Lucy said. "Captain Smith was chosen to captain the Titanic because of his experience and his rapport with the first class passengers. At the time, passengers often chose ships based on who would be captaining them. White Star Line had Captain Smith take most of their ships on their maiden voyages because he was so trusted by passengers. The sleeper would have to have been planted decades ago to have gained the kind of respect and trust that Captain Smith had. And even if Rittenhouse had wanted to do that, it'd be too risky to have a sleeper work through the ranks; sinkings were too common. That's why the Titanic was special. She was supposed to be the dawn of a new era of unsinkable ships." "Look how well that turned out," Rufus muttered. "What if the sleeper's one of the telegraph operators?" Flynn said. He had been leaning against the deck railing listening to the conversation but now stepped closer. "The sleeper could get word to the Californian before their telegraph operator goes off duty for the night, and then they might actually show up to help." Lucy glanced at him, quirking her eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't know you knew so much about the Titanic." Flynn shrugged. "Let's just say I took a special interest in this mission."

Tagging @hobbitwrangler @dreamingthroughthenoise @aloveforjaneausten @afaramir if you'd like to do this!

[cowardlypenis]

Re my tags on my last reblog . i saw another post and my opinion changed Again (readmore for . a big ol rant)

I think mouthwashing in general has managed to craft a Very specific situation and a highly nuanced narrative with many angles to consider/ways to analyse it. but I see a lot of range in the reactions to curly and i guess i just wanted to feel out my thoughts.

Ultimately (and i think the game does this on purpose) we just see very little of everyone pre-crash. This both encourages us to judge the characters based on their worst moments (jimmy for . the crash . and curly for letting jimmy off in that crucial conversation just prior) and gives us a lot of room for speculation which muddies the waters. I do also think most curly interpretations hold water (both sympathetic and not), these are just my personal feelings on him.

I wrote my tags about 10mins ago but i changed my mind . i think curly Is a Capital E Enabler, just not a traditional one. He's certainly not your standard dudebro standing by his rapist buddy without caring about the people he hurt at all - the reason i hesitated to call him an enabler is because i think jimmy's verbal abuse when he feels out of control does make the situation more complicated. You don't call an abuse victim an enabler for allowing the abuse to continue, right? But at the same time, curly also wasn't jimmy's constant victim and he Did have power over him on the ship. I think Curly's kind of an emotional centrist -- he really feels that he cares about everyone, but his instinct is to look after everyone equally even in clear cases of asymmetric harm like with anya. Which is interesting!!

I saw another post talking about how discussing what curly could've realistically done isn't the point, and the game's making a point about toxic masculinity in the workplace/society in general - I don't think this is entirely accurate. While the theme of Evil Corporate Overlords does take a backseat to the story of abuse on the ship and capitalism itself isn't a core theme, Pony Express itself has been crafted to allow for the most abusive working environment and the most potential for one bad actor to ruin everyone else's lives, and I don't think this should be overlooked in favour of deciding which Moral Point the game is making. Jimmy had abusive tendencies towards everyone on the ship including curly, and curly just happened to be the kind of captain willing to tolerate it in order to not rock the boat (or dock everyone's pay. or trigger a violent jimmy rampage which he seemed to have been aware that jimmy was capable of).

I genuinely think curly's biggest mistake and Worst Moment isn't necessarily his inaction itself (two days is a very short time to figure out an action plan given the circumstances and company policies) but still being friendly with jimmy and reaching out for genuine connection with him, Especially the last conversation prior to the crash. While he may have felt that need to keep jimmy relatively happy and calm to avoid a violent outburst, both treating him as a friend and equal and agreeing with the sentiment that it would be better to be remembered as a tragedy than be punished at the end of the voyage fully enabled jimmy to crash the ship. To me it feels like not only does curly see jimmy as an old friend, but to crack down on him at all when curly's put in so much work to build him up (get him this new job and out of his implied bad situation on earth) would almost feel like a betrayal. This is why curly puts up with jimmy's abusive tendencies, at least to me.

I do also agree that there's an element of sexism here - no other crew members truly appreciate anya's vulnerable position as the only woman, and while curly finds himself able to put up with jimmy, there does seem to be a lack of recognition by any other character that jimmy's abuse of anya even has the potential to be worse. It's like no one else even considers the risk of added sexual abuse anya could face - they can all put up with him berating them, so anya should be fine too, right?

This is an absolute mess of a post . but basically what I wanted to say was that I think curly's at an interesting intersection of having power over jimmy to rectify the situation while also being vulnerable to his abuse and manipulation. Ultimately curly fails to take responsibility for jimmy (considering he's His friend. and got him the job) when he had the power to do so. While it's very true that the circumstances make it very difficult to decide what to do and this is a key aspect of the situation and story's point as a whole, the fact that no responsibility was taken in any way is curly's biggest mistake.

[all-the-pacs]

#0 - We intend to play every single Pac-Man game in chronological order

Well, you read the title, you know exactly what you're getting into here. Allow us to re-iterate our thesis in a bit more detail, however:

What we intend to do with this blog is a sort of "expedition" of sorts as we play every single Pac-Man game, in chronological order. Why are we doing this? Well, a few reasons:

As you can imagine, we've been life-time fans of Pac-Man, ever since learning of the games from rinkydink old Plug & Plays from the early 2000s. Despite this, and despite Pac-Man being our eternal Smash Bros. main, we've never actually sat down and played a vast majority of his library.

We love weird and obscure games, and the Pac-Man series is home to an absolute wealth of those.

We're morbidly curious just how deep this Pac-Man rabbit hole goes, especially since he has such a vast coverage of genres and styles that all seem to be at odds with one another. (Seriously, ask any two people what they like about Pac-Man and there's a good chance their answers will vastly differ!)

Last, but not least, we're bored. And also, it's fun. We love committing to silly bits!

(Psst! Under the read-more is a tiny bit more preamble!)

First of all, hello! I'm putting the juicy deets under read-mores to prevent just flooding the tags with these things.

...So, originally, we intended to make this a video project--we'd do this as sort of a recorded Let's Play, and we'd talk about the games as we go along. Except... It turns out we kinda suck at doing that. We prefer to share our thoughts after the fact, and most of the time we simply focus on playing the game first and foremost, and talking with present friends about total nonsense rather than talking about the game. There's nothing wrong with that, mind you, but it definitely is at-odds with our analytical styles we're trying to aim for!

So... Instead of that, we've come up with a different plan. We intend to play every single game, and for every play session we undertake, we will give a textual recap of our experience and report back with our findings. It's like reading a Captain's Log of our voyage, but on the weB!

Anyways, we think that's enough. We don't have a set schedule for these at the moment, we're just going to be posting these as we go along. Join us next time, when we start by. Uh. Not actually playing a Pac-Man game as our first one--yeah, strap in folks, we're about to get very silly, very fast.

[purlturtle]

2 and 3 for questions for fic writers

Ooooh thank you for these two! (from this list)

2: Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

Alternate Universe (19)

Established Relationship (12)

Post-Canon (11)

POV Alternating (5)

Kid Fic (5)

Now that is a VERY interesting list. Some of these I expected, others I did not! First, a bit of methodology: I left out the Crossover tag (originally at 3rd position) since all the fics I tagged with it are set within the Star Trek universe; it's just a crossover between VOY and TNG. I also left out the AU - Modern Setting tag (4th position) since AO3 subsumes it under the parent tag "AU" as well. 5th position was "Post-Endgame" (for Voyager), which I put together with "Post-Canon", which was right behind it. Which then freed two slots for "POV Alternating" and... Kid Fic!?

I have never considered myself a "kid fic writer" - sure, some of my stories do feature kids, and then when I filtered for that tag I realized I didn't even tag all of those with "kid fic"! 😅 But even then, the number would still be in the single digits, out of 90 fics I've written, and so I think it's okay to go on not considering myself a (specifically) kid fic writer. Like, I write a bit of everything, and kid fic is included in that. That's okay.

On the other end of the list, AU is absolutely NO surprise whatsoever - if anything, I would have thought the number should be higher! (Again, my tagging isn't very consistent though. Can be that.) Like, I don't think we tagged the Advent Calender fics as AU?

Established Relationship is also not a surprise; I do love to explore what comes after the Will They Won't They is resolved into a They Will. It's always itched me, to know what comes next. How do these characters navigate their relationship? How does their dynamic change? Do they make each other better? Worse? How do they change, themselves and each other? This also segues into my writing post canon works; what happens after The End? I love to extrapolate that.

And then we have a... I don't know, "housekeeping" tag? Like, this isn't about the fic's content but its form, giving the reader an idea for what to expect in terms of narration. I've only recently started to use it, that's why the number is so low (should be MUCH higher). I do like to switch POV - even though I have written entire stories from one POV before, switching it up is more compelling for me in terms of writing. Although single-POV stories are a lovely challenge in and of themselves!

Anyway, that was a fun opportunity to reflect on my stories and writing!

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

As mentioned above, I want to point here, too, to Alternate Universes - I love the "what if" aspect of it. And to exploring the dynamics between two people in a romantic setting (be it an established relationship or the way there). I've gotten quite a lot of comments on my writing of emotions and character interactions, and it is definitely one of the most compelling things to write, for me. All The Feels! 😅😅

I also want to mention that almost all of my fics have a happy, or at least a hopeful-open ending. I want my characters to end up happy! Or at least to have the perspective of happiness within their grasp! That is definitely characteristic of my writing too. I might put them through it first, but there *is* a happy ending at the end (and if not, then maybe there's a second fic in the series!)

Those were two amazing questions, thank you! <3

[hastalavistabyebye]

Writing Patterns (Tag Game)

Rules : list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there is a pattern !

Alright @stardustloki @here-be-bec since you both asked for it, here it is xD

Some of those works are original works (because I don't have enough fanfics) and are also in french (but I'm going to put the translation too because I'm nice like that 😋)

1. "Fox ?" (A fox somewhere is hiding)

2. "Fox didn't understand" (Just this once)

And for the french ones :

3. "Je suis un casque." I am a helmet. (Le Casque.)

The next ones are all from a collection I did as a Advent Calendar two Christmases ago (Les Histoires de l'Avent). They're the seven last stories and take place in the same world, that's why the character of the Bard come back all the time (she's the one telling the stories.)

4. "- Ou démonstration de l'incapabilité des fées à gérer le genre humain, s'amusa la barde." -Or an exemple of the faes incapacity to handle the human race, the bard joked.

5. "La barde avait le regard perdu, scrutant des vérités accessibles à elle seule." The bard was staring into space, observing truths only she could know.

6. "La barde souria doucement, en observant les flocons de neige voler contre les fenêtres." The bard smiled softly, watching the snowflakes falling on the windows.

7. "La barde entama un air de voyage et de liberté, portant l'aura de ces choses qui ont survécu au passage du temps et qui n'avaient rien fait pour éviter les dangers." The bard started a song of travel and freedom, with the aura of those things which survived the passage of time and never tried to run away from danger.

8. "C'était au début du monde, sûrement." It was at the very beginning of the world, most likely.

9. "La barde faisait face à une taverne quasi vide." The bard was facing a practically empty tavern.

10. "La barde avait vu juste : la taverne était bondée" The bard had been right : the tavern was crowed.

So, I have a tendency to expose things at the beginning (a bit fairy tale style 🤔 which is good since that was what I was aiming for in the collection). Or I'm going right into things, but it's rarer. It's good to know !

I'm not tagging anyone but if you want to play feel free to say I tagged you ! Would love to see your answers ☺️

[tinknevertalks]

So I got tagged by @galactic-pirates (thank you lovely!) to answer a bunch of things, so here we go!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

*Checks* 236. 🙈

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

284,859, which looks kinda low, but I tend to write a lot of drabbles/double drabbles rather than full length epics.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Sanctuary, sometimes Stargate SG-1, and then random things that take my fancy.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Ghost of the Machine (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack, E, episode tag to Entity) - 157

Brothers (Lucifer, Ella & Lucifer, G) - 156

Beer Basted Omelettes (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack, G, post series) - 82

A Missed Birthday (But We’ll Always Have Cake) (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack, G, episode tag to Beneath The Surface) - 82

Acceptance (Stargate SG-1, Sam/Jack, G, episode tag to Divide and Conquer and Threads (kinda)) - 80

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, even the ones that try to force me to their idea of canon. Listen, unless it is written down in black and white on the screen (or spoken aloud on screen) you can theorise all you want about dates and shit, it don't mean jack.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhm… Maybe All He Ever Wanted? I tend not to have angst all the way through. Oh! There’s Do What You Can, or Fed Is Best, or Two Weeks Later. Like, I always try to finish my angsty fics with a ray of light (even if that light is a train at the end of the tunnel).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Words Don't Come Easily (Sanctuary, Teslen, M). It's just a big cuddle of indulgence, and super fluffy (and Helen and Nikola are both happy at the end).

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Only from people who don't like me having a different vibe to them regarding a character. ✌️

9. Do you write smut?

I have been known to, yes.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have been known to, yes. 😂 Well, some are crossovers, some are just straight up fusions, and they're just as fun. XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

As far as I'm aware, nope. :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone asked in the past, but I don't know if they ever did.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Die Hard Isn't a Christmas Film with samsg1. She came to visit sorta this time last year, and whilst her kid played with mine, we semi planned a fic. She writes at a tremendous rate (and it sorta brought back some of my feels of being a teen when we’d do school work together and she’d fly, but I'd be floundering), but it was super collaborative. We even sorta swapped hats - I came out with angsty bits and she did some of the fluffier family feels. Very fun. (I wish I could write long fic like she does!)

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

It's a toss up between Teslen and Sam/Jack. :)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

The Stargate SG-1/Sanctuary crossover where Sam and Helen swap places (natch). I made it so they swapped time periods too (S3/4 Sam with S3 Helen) and that was a complication too far. 😂🙈

16. What are your writing strengths?

A solid last line.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Characters being too open about their reasons of doing things.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

So long as it's Welsh, we’re good. I'll put it in, so people can see it, but only if it makes sense (I had two characters in Ocean’s Edge speak Welsh to each other because they're from an area where they would).

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Trek: Voyager? Yeah, probs Voyager. But I played make believe games using anything I watched as a basis. I was a time travelling police officer more than once (Crime Traveller - not the best TV show ever but it had Chloe Annette and I *loved* her). Saying that, samsg1 and I used to re-enact Oscar’s Orchestra on the playground the next day as like seven year olds, so there you go. 😂

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This is like asking me to choose between my kids. Either Waves, Of Sequins and Scalpels, or Sleepwalking. Oh! Or Washing the Dishes. Oh oh! Or The Keys of Bhalasaam.

I'm tagging... Who am I tagging? Uh... @ladyelysandra, @electricrogue (think they've both been tagged already but roll with it), @zebsfloppyears, @basiltheratatouille, @rinari7 and anyone else who wants to join in! :D

[quichelewoof]

Awoo! Spring is coming! Murkwood is thriving with the energy of spring and the swamps bloom to life. The chorus of frogs fill the air as flowers blossom out across the bogs, marshes and pits. Water voles run along the riversides, bird song returns as they migrate back to the warmer weather and bats shake off their hibernation to fill the evening skies. From catkins budding on the willows to the crimson buds of wych elms, the wetlands burst with colour.

And with spring comes tying up loose ends and organising our spaces. There’s so much to do before launch comes round! Finishing den lore we’ve put off. Saving wolf profiles for launch. Crafting customs for our starters. Deciding our future breeding projects. Drawing page breaks and shop fronts or scenes from our lore. That’s why with the help of Kate and MaggotJuiceBox, we’re hosting Lorch! A month long creative challenge revolving around Lorwolf with a spring twist. Every day during March, anyone who wants to participate in this challenge creates either a drawing, writing or any other creative task involving their wolves or Lorwolf in general and post it online. We’ve put together 31 days of prompts to get the creative juices going. (See above.) Not liking some of the prompts? Here's a word bank you can replace any of the days with:

Transition - Rejuvenation - Sprout - Flora - Growth - Dew - Forest - Fountain - Home - Tidy - Breathe - Expand - Hope - Freedom - Voyage - Wonder - Energy - Alchemy - Delight - Acceptance

Rules:

You can post your submissions on Tumblr, in the Lorwolf’s Discord Lorch Channel under contest/challenges, or Lorch forum.

All creative tasks are counted, however irl activities like baking, knitting, woodwork, and clay-making do require an irl photo.

For written pieces: The minimum word count is 200 words. (The exception is poetry, but you must spend at least 20 minutes on your poem.)

All creative tasks must be created by you specifically for this event.

Prizes:

Prizes will be given as a code to use at launch!

Creative Task Ideas:

Aside from drawing and writing, there’s plenty of other ways to join in on Lorch. Creative Tasks can include cross-stitching, paper-folding, creating a tune, paper mosaics, crochet, scrap-booking, ceramics, cake decorating, making tea blends and jewellery. As long as it can be tied in to the prompts and Lorwolf, your den, lore or wolves, it’s a great task to do.

Don't forget to tag your submissions with #Lor-ch or tag @quichelewoof​ if posting on Tumblr, so others can find your wonderful creations and they can be tallied towards your prizes.

[hawthornsword]

8 TV shows to get to know me

Thank you for the tag @lizardberries

Uhhh this was weirdly hard. How do I choose? There are so many! Also I'm suddenly realizing I almost never finish watching anything? Probably why I prefer movies. I won't put any Star Wars bc y'all already know I watch those, lol. Here is a random smattering.

Sailor Moon

Digimon

Star Trek (Enterprise and Voyager)

Alias

Firefly

Big Bang Theory

Doctor Who

The Witcher

Tagging @aces-to-apples @trudemaethien @frostbitebakery if you want.

[pmwritesandpoems]

A Timeless Hogwarts Legacy: Sparks Fly (4/16)

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy Main Title: A Timeless Hogwarts Legacy Pairing: Ominis Gaunt/Original Female Character Tags: Romance; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Fluff; Friendship; Mutual Pining

Chapter: 4/16 Title: Sparks Fly Word count: 9,973

Last Chapters: AO3 (All Chapters): AO3 Tumblr: Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3

Last Chapter Preview: “It's too late for me.” Evelyn whispered, her vision blurred with tears.

“It’s never too late.” Ominis rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand. “Who you are is not what you did, Evelyn Rose. At least not to me.” 

Evelyn felt like she was struck by lightning as she heard Ominis. The tears cannot be contained anymore. She let go of his hands and swiftly wrapped her arms around him, overtaken with emotion. Which was quickly returned by the blind Slytherin.

“You’re still an Innocent.” He whispered to her as she cried her heart out on his shoulder.

Reminder:

I won't mention the main character house, you could choose her house yourself

You could change my original character name with yours, I’ll try my best to not mention her skin, hair, and eye colour so you could match it with your own. 

I  am no expert of the Victorian era, the use of the calendar system, etiquette, and many other things from the said era are changed as I see fit to support the story. Several insertions of modern era culture will be present as well to support the story.

You could also read this on AO3.

Enjoy!

p.s. please don't hesitate to comment if you'd like!

4. Sparks Fly

Late Winter, Early 1891

Evelyn found herself climbing the stairs of the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower in the middle of the night once more. The last time she did this was a few days ago, when she ran into Ominis out of the blue, and ended up confessing her greatest sin in tears. 

Her cheeks flushed as the memory of her weeping in his arms flashed through her head. She couldn’t stop herself from blushing every time she saw him after that. It was so humiliating that she felt obligated to avoid ominis for a few days. And how difficult it was to do.

He was everywhere. In the classroom, the corridors, the courtyard, and even at the most remote corner in the library. Every time Evelyn came to a room, he was there. It was almost as though fate was punishing her more. She also had to be terrified of humiliating herself to death in front of him, as if the terrors from her nightmares weren't enough. The terrors that have led her here, wandering in the halls in her nightgown again. The only difference was she wore it with a robe this time.

She only wanted to get some sleep beneath the open skies in her coastal vivarium. Merlin help her if she gets any surprise meetings tonight.

Hoping desperately in her heart, Evelyn continued her journey and tried her best to be as silent as possible when she passed another patrolling prefect. She didn't know why, but they had seemed to increase in number tonight, making it rather difficult for her to move unnoticed. Afraid of getting caught and put into detention, she cast the disillusionment charm on herself and continued her covert voyage. 

Her steps halted as she entered a hallway with a tapestry on one side. She looked around carefully. After, and only after she was sure there was not a single soul around except herself, she dispelled the charm. 

“Having a nightmare again?”

“AH!” Evelyn screamed in surprise. She looked to her right, where a boy with a pulsating red wand appeared out of nowhere. How could she not notice him? Did he cast a disillusionment charm on himself?

“How—”

“Is anyone there?” A sound from the hallway behind her interrupted Evelyn. She didn’t even get a chance to respond as she felt the boy grab her hand after hearing the same voice and pull her along with him, running away from the sound with his wand in front as a guide through the darkness.

Evelyn felt her legs ache as she struggled to match the boy’s pace. It was certainly not fair for her since his step was twice as far as hers. He suddenly turned right, and Evelyn almost stumbled when she took her third step following him, bringing them both to a standstill.

“What is that?!” Evelyn whispered, annoyed, as she tried to see clearly in the darkness. When did it get so dark, she didn’t know. The red light from her partner's wand currently wasn’t enough for her eyes to clearly see what made her almost fall to the floor.

“Stairs,” the boy said quickly as he tightened his grip on her hand, “be careful.”

“Thanks for the warning,” she replied sarcastically and continued to complain in a whisper, “is it so hard to cast Lumos?!”

“Like that could’ve helped me.” The boy answered. The sarcasm and roll of the eyes from the blind boy were not missed by Evelyn. She was going to take her own wand from her pocket when—

“Hello?” Another voice could be heard approaching from the hall they just left, followed by nearing footsteps, stopping her movement.

“Lumos,” the boy whispered to his wand. The crimson light from the tip of it shined brighter under his command, illuminating the surroundings and allowing Evelyn to see the stairs in front of her under its warm glow. Without wasting any more time, the boy tugged on their intertwined hands and began to climb the stairs expertly with his wand in front of him. In panic of being caught, she swiftly followed the boy up with the crimson light helping her to see.

They climbed up for a while until the boy finally stopped and extinguished the light from his wand, causing it to glow like usual. Evelyn felt anxiety as she saw the light dim. She turned, just to see the once-lit stairwell turn dark again, making it nearly impossible for her to see more than five steps below. She couldn’t see if the previous person who followed them had already caught them up or not. Merlin help her if they did, detention was not on her list to do tonight, tomorrow, or ever.

With his hand still holding hers, Evelyn felt the boy turn around. She turned back to find him tilting his head towards the stairs, concentrating with his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. In curiosity, she turned towards the stairs again and did the same. He must have heard something Evelyn definitely couldn’t since his posture became relaxed after a few seconds.

“We’re good,” he let go of Evelyn's hand, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Evelyn answered shyly. A brisk wind passed through her. Confused by it, she turned and finally saw the place he had taken her to. The spinning orbs made from steel were surely a dead giveaway of where she was. She exclaimed in disbelief as she realised she was back to the place of her last embarrassment with the one who she was embarrassed with.

“Here!? Again!?”

“I would lower my voice if I were you.” The boy spoke calmly as he walked to the table near the chalkboard. 

Evelyn huffed, “You’ve said that we’re good.”

“We’re good, but your voice could still echo down,” The boy hovered his wand over the table in front of him, “lower it down, at least until you get further from the stairs.”

Evelyn sighed and approached the boy before asking in a normal voice. “Why did you bring me here, Ominis?” 

“You can go back to the hall and be caught in detention if you like,” Ominis answered curtly with his back on Evelyn. 

“I—”

“Or you can stay here until they’re gone.” His interruption came still in a curt manner as he turned. Evelyn could see his left hand holding a stick that was tied to a jar with a rope. The jar emitted a blue glow. Pale blue, similar to his eyes.

“Bluebell flames.” Evelyn said as she saw the familiar makeshift lantern they had left behind.

Ominis extended his lantern-wielding hand towards her indignantly. “To keep you warm. If you decide to stay.”

“Thank you,” she took the Bluebell Flames lantern from him with trembling hands, “I-I’ll stay.”

“Well then, I shall leave you alone.” He said quickly, pointed his wand towards the stairs and began to walk towards them.

“Wait!” Evelyn called, stopping him from taking any more steps. She approached him and said timidly, “You could…wait here with me. If you’d like.”

Sarcasm could be heard in Ominis's voice. “Would you?” he tilted his head towards her, “like it when I’m near?”

“Of course I—”

“I don’t think so,” interrupted Ominis. His voice came to a whisper as he continued, “Because you certainly don't for the past few days.”

“I—”

Ominis abruptly moved his body towards her. "Why are you avoiding me?" He asked sharply.

“What—” 

“Why?” He cut her off again, his voice full of distress. “Is it something I've done?” He quickly added. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Ominis,” she answered with regret. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

"Then why?" he said, his voice filled with desperate anger. Evelyn panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to her.

“I’m ashamed. I cried my heart out to you, and burdened you with my troubling mind when you already had enough problems,” she hung her head, “I am sorry.”

“Am I not your friend?” Ominis asked with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly annoyed. 

Evelyn looked up, surprised to hear the question. The crimson glow from his wand made him appear scary, prompting her to gaze down once again.

“You are.” She answered timidly.

“Then why are you ashamed of telling me your problems? Why are you ashamed to cry in front of me?” Ominis demanded angrily. “Isn’t that what friends are meant to do?” he lowered his hands and took a step closer, “come to each other’s aid?”

Evelyn lowered her head further. “It is.”

“Then why?” he asked, both of his hands fell on either side, hanging dejectedly.

In all honesty, Evelyn didn’t know either. She really thought it was the embarrassment of realising someone knew your deepest, darkest secret. She couldn’t stop herself from blushing every time she saw him after doing exactly that. But when he put it like that, the answer became void in her head too. They are friends. It’s what friends are meant to do, isn’t it? Share each other's secrets? Comfort and aid one another when they are in need? 

She listened and soothed Sebastian when he wallowed in his guilt over his uncle’s death. She listened and comforted Poppy when she cried about missing her parents. She listened and accompanied Natty when she’s upset because she remembered her late father. Why was it any different when she’s the one being listened to and consoled? Why was it different when Ominis did it to her?

“I don’t know either, Ominis.” She answered dejectedly. “But I always feel embarrassed everytime I’m near you since the last time we met…” Evelyn said, her voice trailing off as she looked at the particular edge where she and Ominis embraced each other tightly the other night, her cheeks getting hotter by the second, “here.”

“Then stop avoiding me and let me help.” He commanded angrily. When he didn’t hear any reaction from her, he sighed tiredly and pleaded, “I almost lost a friend. Don't put me through the agony of believing I'm about to lose another one.”

Guilt struck Evelyn like a Graphorn. Hearing Ominis’s plea made her realise how selfish she was. She hadn't considered how her avoidance of him might hurt him. She solely considered what was best for her and ignored his feelings. He must have been lonely since Sebastian and he still weren't on good terms. And with her avoiding him…he was alone.

Evelyn raised her head and looked straight at him. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologised with all her heart. “I’m so sorry, Ominis.”

“It’s all right. Just…” Ominis said, trailing off as he took a deep breath. “Don’t do it again. Tell me right away if you have any problems, even if it's because of me.”

“I will,” Evelyn nodded, “I promise.”

“All right then,” Ominis nodded and walked to the same edge where they embraced just a couple days ago, “we best get comfortable, those prefects would be patrolling here for a while before they head to the other side of the castle after the commotion you made.” 

Evelyn’s face began to warm up again as her mind decided to relieve the memory of being embraced by him. How she felt his warmth through layers of clothing, how she felt his hands gently caressed her back, and how she felt his breath so close to her as he whispered soothing reassurance to her weeping self.

“Are you avoiding me again?” 

Ominis, already seated on the edge, legs dangling like he had done a few days before, woke her up from her reverie.

“No.” She answered indignantly and added in a much lower voice, whispering, “I’m just too flushed to be near you right now.”

“Pardon?” Ominis asked with his head tilted towards her. Panic rushed in Evelyn’s veins as she realised he might have heard what she said. 

“N-Nothing.” She quickly replied and tried her best to forget her previous thoughts and change the topic as she approached him. 

“Anyway,” she put the bluebell flame lantern on the space on his left and began to sit down beside him, the lantern separating them, “what were you doing?” 

“I was actually on a secret mission of my own before you barged in with your noisy steps,” Ominis said. He said it so seriously that Evelyn instantly believed it.

“Secret mission?” She asked in pure curiosity.

“It’s a secret, so I can’t tell you,” he said quietly and continued with regret, “sorry.”

“Is that why you were hiding when I came to the hallway?” Evelyn whispered. She didn’t know why, but she felt like she was supposed to.

“Yes, don’t tell anyone about it. Otherwise, you'll be cursed before you've even said a single word.” 

Evelyn believed him. With the ominous threat, she truly did. Until she saw the corner of his lips began to tremble as he tried to contain his laugh. 

“Oh, you’re mean!” Evelyn hit his left shoulder playfully as she realised she had been tricked.

“Hey!” Ominis exclaimed between his chuckles, as he rubbed his left shoulder that she hit, “it was a secret mission!”

“Ah…A secret illegal mission,” Evelyn teased as she played along with Ominis’s scheme. “A gaunt heir wandering the halls of Hogwarts at night,” she stroked her chin thoughtfully, “what could he possibly be doing?”

“Not illegal in ‘going to a secret chamber and letting out a monster to kill everyone’ way,” he said while still rubbing his shoulder. “It was more of an illegal ‘I need to get out and get some air when I am forbidden to’ way.”

That came out of nowhere. Of course, Evelyn’s mind focused on the one thing she found so strange to be told as a comparison. 

“Hogwarts has a secret chamber that holds a monster?!”

“Uh…no?” Ominis replied nervously. Which made Evelyn more inclined to believe that it was a fact rather than a lie. Hogwarts had to have a secret chamber, containing a monster that could kill everyone in the school.

“Liar.” Evelyn said while squinting in disbelief at Ominis.

“Tell me about the cave where you defeated Ranrok, and I’ll tell you about the chamber,” Ominis offered. 

That made Evelyn's eyes go wide. She clearly didn’t expect him to ask her about it. Everyone in the school knew about the battle, but they never asked her. They probably didn’t know why Ranrok came and invaded Hogwarts, or why she was there. Let alone suggest that she’s the one who defeated him. The professors probably told some stories to cover it up, and she certainly didn’t know a thing about it. How could he possibly know about it?

Screw it. She preferred to not know about the chamber at all rather than tell him about the magic repository and the whole story following it. It was certainly not on her agenda today to talk about it and cause a ruckus with the professors, who tried their best to keep it secret.

“Next topic!” she said in panic. “How come I didn’t see you earlier?”

Ominis chuckled at her panic before continuing, “I thought you were a prefect, so I hid myself in the shadows,” he answered casually.  “Being blind and accustomed to the darkness has its perks,” he added. “And also, perhaps you couldn’t because I commanded my wand to stop pulsing its waves.”

“You could do it?!”

“Of course,” Ominis shrugged. “It might have its own ‘mind’, but it still listens and obeys me. I told it to stop and became completely ‘blind’ for a few seconds before I realised it was you.”

“I see….” Evelyn said. Her voice trailing off as she tried to think what else she could ask him.

“You haven’t told me your answer yet.” Ominis said out of the blue.

“My answer to what?”

“Are you having a nightmare again?” He asked softly.

“Yeah,” Evelyn answered tiredly. She sighed, “but I got used to it by now.”

“It won’t go away soon.”

The way Ominis said it made Evelyn feel sad. He said it like he knew how it felt. As if he had experienced it himself. She wondered whether the secret mission he had before had something to do with his own battle against nightmare dread. But decided not to ask about it. It’s not exactly her place to ask about it when she also kept it a secret from him and avoided him after she finally told him about it. He would tell her if he wanted too.

“You sound so sure about it.”

“I know it,” Ominis sighed and smiled softly, “But I’m here to help.” He tilted his head towards her, emphasising the genuineness in his voice even more, “if you need it.”

Evelyn smiled, “Thank you, Ominis.”

“And I also wanted to help you figure out your…discomfort around me,” he continued, resolute in his voice. “What do you usually do to calm yourself? Perhaps I could help you in doing so, or simply remind you to do so whenever you feel nervous around me.”

Evelyn was moved by his sincere desire to help her. She felt a peculiar flutter in her chest as she smiled at the genuine friend beside her.  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself by focusing on the breeze that blew softly. Being in the same exact position when she cried her heart out to him before surely brought a lot of feelings inside her. 

Here she was, making him do something for her again for the sake of friendship when she hadn’t even given him anything except being a poor one for him. The one who gave her comfort, when all she gave him was hurt.

“I used to count to eighteen,” Evelyn said.

“Why?”

Still closing her eyes, she answered, “Well, my birthday is on the eighteenth of November, my house number is eighteen, and the legal age is eighteen. I guess I just like eighteen.”

Silence came until Ominis spoke timidly, “My birthday is on the eighteenth too. The eighteenth of January.”

Opening her eyes in shock, Evelyn turned her head to the right all of a sudden, accidentally whipping the poor boy’s face with her hair, “Hey, it is today!” 

She then grimaced when she saw him rubbing his cheeks, “Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry!” Her right hand cupped his left cheek, trying to soothe the pain she caused. With her focus only on the handsome face in front of her, Evelyn didn’t even realise she kept her hands on his cheek longer than she should. A soft smile bloomed in her face as she gazed at his face—a smile that, sadly, he would never see. 

“Happy birthday, Ominis.” She continued to rub his left cheek. “I’m sorry I didn’t congratulate you sooner.” 

She felt him smile and heard his shy voice in response, “Thank you. And It’s okay. There aren’t many who know anyway.”

Then, realisation came to Evelyn like a graphorn. She quickly dropped her hand from his cheek and put it above her lap, her head down with shame at her own behaviour—which she actually didn’t regret a bit. 

“I really am sorry.” She apologised again for being late to congratulate him and also, for her last behaviour. Thank Merlin he couldn’t see her right now. Her cheek was probably as red as a tomato. “You’ve been my friend for more than half a year, and I never asked. Sebastian has most likely prepared your present from a month ago and ready to hand it to you at breakfast later.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t have known, since I am currently distancing myself from him right now. As you know, I’m still trying to process all the feelings from…”

Evelyn could feel the sadness herself and didn’t need any more explanation. “Yeah, me too.” She sighed and took a deep breath. “From now on, I will be the first person who congratulates you every year.” She promised. 

“I would like that. If it doesn’t bother you.” Ominis answered timidly. Evelyn couldn’t help but smile as she saw his hopeful face.

“It doesn’t. I’d be happy too,” She said. Silence came again between them until Evelyn groaned, “Ugh, but I still don’t have any presents for you right now!”

“It really is okay, Eve,” Ominis said gently without any hint of disappointment.

“But I wanted to give you one!” She protested. Frustration could be heard as she continued, “And just my luck, I already promised Poppy I would help her after class this afternoon! I can’t go to Hogsmeade without breaking the curfew.” She sighed and began to sway her dangling feet back and forth, thinking hard, until suddenly... she jumped! 

Her mind lit up, she stood straight from her previous place at the edge of the astronomy observation deck. “But I still can go and come back in time if I use the floo powder and run as fast as I can after it!” She exclaimed and then started to rapidly question the startled boy beside her, “Ominis, what do you want? A cake? A book? THE new book of the Nightingale collection? Oh! You probably want something sweet. How about your favourite Honeydukes fudge? I could go to the—”

Evelyn stopped as she felt a hand holding her right arm. The hand then moved down carefully as if trying to find something. It stopped when it found Evelyn’s right hand and clasped it tenderly.  Evelyn was dazed, her mind still comprehending what had just happened. THAT was out of the blue. She had reason to cup his cheek and quickly withdrew her hand. But THIS? 

She heard Ominis chuckle and say, “I am grateful that you’re willing to break the curfew for me. But…” He trailed off as he pulled her back down. She followed the tug, her gaze focused only on their intertwined hands, and sat in her previous place beside him. “I have a better idea,” he continued.

“Wh-what?” Evelyn stuttered as she still felt his hand holding hers even after she sat. His rather rough but warm hands enveloped hers. Her face couldn’t be more red.

“Let me use your technique to calm down.”

After hearing his request, Evelyn's gaze moved to his face, just to see a bright smile adorn it. That caused her mind to become blank. “Huh?” 

Ominis chuckled. “Would you mind if I used your count to eighteen technique whenever I needed to calm myself down? As my birthday gift?”

“W-Why?” Evelyn asked in confusion. She really didn’t have a single idea why he preferred such a gift.

“I just like eighteen.” He shrugged and then rubbed his thumb on her hand, “Like you.”

Evelyn's brain refused to work as she felt his soothing touch, “Uh...huh?” 

“O…kay?” 

Seeing Ominis’s eyebrow raised with concern after he heard her dumb response woke her dead brain. Clearing her throat, and trying as best as she could to not think about their still entwined hands, Evelyn answered with more certainty, “Okay. I wouldn’t mind.”

“Good.” He smiled. “If I may suggest, you probably should start to count now. I could feel and hear your heartbeat accelerating at an alarming pace.” He chuckled. “I can’t have you become brain-dead every time I do this.” Ominis raised their clasped hands.

Evelyn laughed out loud, and he quickly joined. Swaying her dangling feet back and forth, she felt her heart full as the wind breezed through her hair softly, her hand still holding his.

“I’ll try not to.” Evelyn said with a smile. The strange flutter in her chest came back in full force as she remembered what they were doing. “W-Will you do it often?” She asked nervously, gesturing to their intertwined hands.

"I won’t if you don't want me to." He spoke gently.

“I…” 

Evelyn's voice trailed off as she battled to put her emotions into words. She wanted to tell him that when he did it, she felt something within. She wanted to tell him that seeing his hand move towards hers made her stomach flip, that she felt flutters in her chest as she felt his warm skin against hers, that she felt dizzy from all the blood that flowed to her cheeks every time their hands finally entwined. And yet, it also brought her peace of mind, it brought her warmth, and most importantly, it brought her happiness. 

She wanted to tell him that she didn't understand the sensation she felt, but it was just what she desired. She wanted to tell him, she needed it.

Thus, as Evelyn felt his hand begin to slip away, her grasp tightened in response, refusing to let go.

“I want to,” she said sheepishly, holding his hand tightly, “i-it calms me down.”

“Then I’d be glad to do it,” Ominis said with a smile as gentle as his voice. He caressed her hand tenderly and closed his eyes as the air drifted past them.

Silence came between them as Evelyn focused on the boy beside her. How bold he was to sit on the edge without a single hesitation. How kind a friend he was, willing to do anything she needed him to do. How peaceful he looked with his hair flowing slowly as the wind blew gently across it. And how beautiful he was with his long lashes brushing his cheeks as he closed his eyes. The cheek that had its own alluring constellation she would love to—

"I believe they've left." Ominis interrupted Evelyn's thoughts, causing her mind to become blank.

“Who?” 

“The…prefects?” He answered with worry.

Evelyn blinked a few times, and her mind finally started to work again. He was talking about the patrolling prefects. The very reason they were hiding and waiting here in the first place. 

“Oh, yes. Yes, the patrolling prefects,” she responded nervously as she looked down, and dusted off her lap of imaginary dust. Embarrassed.

“We should go back,” Ominis said as he began to prepare himself to stand up, his hand reaching for his wand in his pocket. “I could escort you back to your dorm if you want,” he added.

“Oh, yes…” Evelyn’s voice trailed off once again as she pondered. Did she want this to be over? Did she want to leave? Was it enough? 

The answer came to her mind almost instantly.

“Can we stay?” she asked, causing Ominis to pause his movement to stand up. "Just a few minutes longer?"

He smiled and sat back down, “Of course, Eve.”

The way he pronounced her nickname made Evelyn’s chest feel warm. The way he still held her hand firmly yet with the utmost care made her feel comfortable. The way he smiled sincerely at her made her feel cherished. The way he was there and only there for her, made her feel—

“But we still have to go back to try to get some sleep.”

The boy's remark interrupted Evelyn's thoughts again. She answered with a feigned displeasure, smiling and rolling her eyes at him.

“Yes, mooomm.”

And Evelyn saw sparks fly as she saw him laugh under the stars.

Late Spring, 1891

“Ominis!” Evelyn called at the blond boy a few paces ahead of her. He stopped and turned, his wand could be seen pulsing with red waves. Concern could be heard in his voice as he inquired.

“Evelyn? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she stopped as she finally reached him, “do I always have a problem when I call for you?”

Ominis said nonchalantly, “You usually do.”

“Well, I don’t,” Evelyn responded indignantly, “not right now.”

“Eve…” Ominis expressed his displeasure, causing her to regret her tease. She threw her hands up in defeat.

“Joking! I was joking!” She said. When she didn't hear back from him, she groaned and continued, “Well, I was wondering if you had any spare time this evening?”

“Evening?” He paused and shrugged, “I guess I have, since Sebastian will have detention instead of studying with me in the common room.”

It’s nice to hear him say Sebastian's name with ease again. And It’s also heartwarming to hear that he began to spend time with Sebastian again. They began to reconcile on Sebastian’s birthday. When Ominis sat out of the blue beside him in the great hall at breakfast.

Evelyn knew how much that gesture meant to the brunette. Ominis had always avoided Sebastian in the shadow of the relic catastrophe. So, Evelyn could understand why Sebastian burst into tears when he found his lost best friend sitting and eating beside him again after being apart for a few months. She remembered seeing Ominis reluctantly pat the weeping boy’s shoulder. A move that Sebastian misinterpreted as an invitation to hug him, which he did, stunning the already shocked blond guy and everyone else at the table. She remembered how she couldn't help but grin at her newly reunited best friends and joined the hug. Never minding the lost and confused stares from the other students.

Evelyn smiled at the memory and continued her talk with Ominis.

“How could you know?”

"I know he would," Ominis sighed, shaking his head, "I saw him being chastised by Madam Scribner earlier."

“Poor him,” Evelyn said in pity for the brunette. 

“He got what he deserved.” Ominis said sternly. 

Evelyn knew Ominis meant no harm. He was actually concerned about his brunette best friend. So she playfully shoved his shoulder with hers.

“Don’t be so mean.”

“I’m tired of watching him always get into trouble.” Ominis murmured with a dejected sigh. “Anyway, why did you ask?”

Evelyn smiled at his question. She put her hands behind her and moved her gaze away from him sheepishly.

“Well,” her feet rocking back and forth, “I’m inviting you to spend the evening together.”

“Just us?” Ominis asked in surprise.

“Just us.”

“I’d be delighted to.”

Ominis’s answer halted her rocking movement. Evelyn swiftly returned her sight to him and flushed as she noticed him smiling.

“G-Great! Maybe after our history of magic class?” 

She could hear him chuckle before he responded, “Okay. Where will we go?”

“You’ll see.”

“I hope I don't regret this.”

Ominis playful remark didn’t go unnoticed by Evelyn who quickly shoved his shoulder to him, earning a good laugh from the young blonde wizard.

After what Ominis said as an insightful history of magic class—Evelyn couldn’t know if it was or not since she slept through it, they found their way to the surrounding castle grounds.

“It’s pretty far from the castle,” Ominis commented as his wand guided him to follow the girl before him.

“Not too far,” Evelyn turned her head back to him, still walking as she continued, “we’re still at the castle grounds.”

They are indeed still at the castle grounds. It’s just a bit far from the main building, nearing the black lake. They walked a few more until Ominis asked out of the blue.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Evelyn came to a halt as she heard the question and quickly turned to the Slytherin behind her.

“W-What?!”

Ominis shrugged at Evelyn’s shock. “You’re taking me far from the castle, bringing me close to the black lake. You could simply murder me and dispose of my body in the lake, never to be found and recovered,” he deadpanned.

Evelyn was gobsmacked when she heard the deadpanned explanation. He was referring to her own joke about him wanting to kill her at the astronomy tower before.

“We have to stop making jokes about killing each other.“

“Oh, but dear, you walked right into it,” Ominis smirked with his hand gesturing to the surrounding environment, “the situation begged me for it.”

His endearment calling went past her as Evelyn groaned in annoyance when he laughed. She walked again, ignoring the laughing boy. They hiked for a while before finally arriving at a clearing she had already designated as her goal when she arranged everything. It was a clear area with a cliff on one side from which the castle could be seen in all its glory.

“We’re here,” Evelyn said as she took a deep breath, relieving the fresh air surrounding her.

“Where is ‘here’?” Ominis asked suspiciously and began to aim his wand at his surroundings while Evelyn resumed her trek.

“Stand right there.” 

“Why?” Ominis asked, but still followed her command, remained standing at his place, not moving even an inch.

Evelyn didn't respond, instead continuing to walk until she was a few feet ahead of the confused boy. She then searched through her enchanted pocket and took out her nab-sack. She then tried to open it, grumbling in the process as she couldn’t find it the first time.

“Eve?!”

“Just trust me!” Evelyn shouted to calm the worried boy. But it didn’t. Ominis was about to take a step forward when the nab-sack finally opened and a white hippogriff leaped out of it. 

The hippogriff almost hit Ominis as it landed right in front of him. Thankfully, Ominis halted his steps as soon as he heard something else was between him and Evelyn. He instantly raised his wand in front of him to defend himself. The Hippogriff flapped its wings in caution and screeched as it saw his glowing wand. 

“Wait!” Evelyn shouted as she ran to the space between Ominis and the hippogriff. 

Ominis lowered his wand in surprise as soon as he heard her, and the hippogriff calmed instantly as soon as it saw him do so. It chirped and tilted its head curiously towards him and his glowing wand.

“Is that—”

“Yes,” Evelyn giggled as she saw the hippogriff’s interest towards Ominis and caressed its neck when she finally stood near it, “this is Highwing. She's the first beast I have ever rescued.”

“The first beast you’ve rescued?!” Ominis asked in shock. 

Evelyn decided not to tell him about her story with Highwing as it could take her hours to finish. Time was essential for what she planned to do. Besides, she was not in the mood to be reprimanded, which Ominis would undoubtedly do if he knew the whole story.

“It’s a long story,” she said quickly. "Ominis, meet Highwing," she continued, motioning with her hand towards him and then to the massive hippogriff.

Evelyn remained still, waiting for Ominis to greet the hippogriff. But he just stood there, holding his wand. Its red pulses drew the hippogriff closer with interest.

“I…don’t know what to do,” Ominis awkwardly confessed.

“You could bow to greet her.” Evelyn suggested, and bow he did not.

Instead, he took a deep breath, placed his wand-wielding hand against his chest, and kneeled. He kneeled in the most graceful way Evelyn had ever seen, full of respect and admiration for the beast beside her. If she had been a hippogriff, she would have bent and kneeled as well in response.

And bent and kneeled the hippogriff did. With one of her front talons bent, Highwing replied to Ominis's greeting with what Evelyn thought was the most courteous bow a hippogriff could offer. Evelyn clearly did not expect it. She was worried that Highwing would reject Ominis since he couldn't see, let alone keep eye contact with it. 

As a result, this change of events stunned and astounded her. It seemed as though Highwing understood his shortcoming and respected him more because of it. Evelyn could only stare in amazement as she gestured her hand towards Highwing and then to the kneeling boy.

“Highwing, meet Ominis, the one I—” Evelyn quickly stopped and cleared her throat, “The one I told you about before, my best friend.”

Evelyn could see the Slytherin boy smiling as addressed him as her best friend. Upon her introduction, the hippogriff rose from its kneeling position and the smiling Slytherin descendant slowly followed.

“She bowed back,” Evelyn added, deciding not to tell him of how the hippogriff gave him the most respectful bow she had ever seen, “that means she gave you the approval.”

“The approval to what?” Ominis asked with frowned brows.

“To come near of course,” Evelyn said, motioning for him to go closer. He approached cautiously, holding his wand in front of him. “Here,” she guided his free hand to touch Highwing’s neck when he was close enough, “there you go.”

“Merlin…” He expressed his surprise and bewilderment while petting the hippogriff. “I can’t believe I’m petting a hippogriff!” 

“And now you’re flying one.”

Evelyn could see Ominis’s panic as he heard what she just said. 

“Wh-what?!”

She giggled at his panic and mounted the hippogriff. Evelyn petted its silky feathers as she gestured it to lower its body. As if it knew what she’s trying to do, the hippogriff kneeled beside Ominis, giving him easier access to mount.

“Come!” She gave her hand to the perplexed boy, who thankfully still had enough understanding to take her hand and mount the beast. He sat behind Evelyn with his wand gripped tightly on his hand, probably trying to make sense of what was happening.

“Hold on tight.” Evelyn instructed the boy and shouted without waiting for his respond, “let’s go Highwing!”

The hippogriff ran towards the cliff as soon as it heard her shout.

“I’m not read—aaaaaaahhh!” Ominis screamed as Highwing let herself and them fall to the cliff

The exhilaration from falling made her forget all the anxiety she should’ve felt as his arms circled around her waist, holding her tightly as they went lower and lower to the ground. Suddenly, Highwing swiftly expanded its wings! Causing the wind to rush through Evelyn’s hair and robe as it continued to fly over the trees. She shouted joyfully, leaving all her worries behind.

“Woohoooo!”

“Aaaaaahhh!!!”

Another shout, well, more of a scream, came to her ears as they coursed through the air, causing her to laugh.

“I thought you said flying was easy!” She teased the screaming boy behind her. 

“Flying with a broom! Not a full grown hippogriff!” Ominis complained as he tightened his embrace of her. 

Evelyn's laughter faded as she realised how frightening it must be for him, struggling to make sense of his surroundings with his wand and his probably overwhelmed senses. She caressed his clenched hand on her waist gently and then gestured for Highwing to slow down. Highwing screeched in response while flapping its wings. It slowed down as it turned towards the black lake and began to descend. Its wings opened on either side, balancing as it coursed right above the black lake. 

Evelyn could feel Ominis’s arms begin to loosen as the gurgling sound of the water could be heard as it touched the hippogriff's feet. Evelyn turned her head towards her back and saw the boy beginning to smile. 

“Open your arms!” She gave him an example by opening her arms on both sides, imitating the currently hovering hippogriff’s wings.

Ominis put his wand in his pocket and followed her example. Amazement came to his face as soon as he felt the wind rushing over his arms. His robes fluttered behind him as he laughed and shouted in excitement.

“This is Amazing!!!”

Evelyn couldn’t help but grin. With the boy’s anxiety dealt with, she turned back and focused on the setting sun in front of her. She had done this a couple times herself. But it had never ceased to amaze her every single time. The sight of the sun setting over the water's horizon, the feeling of wind blowing through her hair, and the happiness coursing through her veins as she felt the warmth of the sun for the day never failed to bring tears to her eyes. 

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Evelyn said as she turned her head back. Only to see him smiling at her.

“It is…”

Ominis’s voice seemed to be coming from another world as everything else faded in Evelyn's eyes. Her attention was only on his face, encircled by the golden halo of the final light of the day and adorned with a beautiful smile. A smile that she hoped, was only for her.

“Ah!” Evelyn shrieked as she lost her balance all of a sudden. An arm quickly held her tight as Highwing screeched anxiously, trying to maintain balance by flapping its wings. 

“Careful,” Ominis said gently as he set her back gently to safety. She laughed at the almost disaster and held tightly again to the Hippogriff’s feather. 

“Hold on tight!” She commanded the boy behind her. Only and only after she felt his arms around her, Evelyn shouted to the Hippogriff, “let’s go Highwing!”

The hippogriff happily complied and ascended quickly, two shouts of excitement and laughter could be heard on its trail.

They landed safely in the clearing from where they took off. Evelyn laughed as she unmounted the massive hippogriff, exhilaration still coursing through her veins. She immediately turned to help Ominis climb down, only to be surprised when he did so on his own in the most graceful way possible. Evelyn grinned to herself as she shook her head. Of course, the first time he did it on his own, he succeeded and passed with flying colours. This is Ominis Gaunt. The gracious, warm hearted Ominis Gaunt that captivated Hippogriff’s heart on his first try.

“How was it?” Evelyn asked the blond boy, who did not respond. His pale face was visible, causing Evelyn concern, "Ominis, are—"

"Never, ever, ever do that again." He abruptly cut in. Evelyn felt dread run through her veins and was ready to apologise when she heard him continue.

“Without giving me a warning first.”

She exhaled a sigh of relief and nervously asked him, “You liked it?”

“Liked it? I loved it!” Ominis exclaimed with a beaming smile, bringing a smile to Evelyn’s face. “It was amazing!”

“Well, I thought a flying trip with Highwing might be a nice birthday gift, as I haven’t given you one properly. I’m glad that you loved it,” she said as she walked closer to him, sheepishly tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ears, "happy belated birthday, Ominis."

“I don’t need another gift from you, Eve.” Ominis said while shaking his head.

Evelyn was at a loss for words and stammered, "I—I thought—Well I—"

“But. That was one of the most joyful events of my life. I may not be ‘seeing’ the trees, the waters, or the sunset, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. The sorrow of not seeing it pales in comparison to the freedom I felt when the wind cruised through my arms, the surge of excitement I felt when the enormous wings flapped under me, and the happiness I felt as I laughed with you under the final light of the day.”

Ominis paused as he stepped closer to her.

“It was an experience I will cherish all my life,” he held her hand tightly, “Thank you, Eve.”

And Evelyn saw sparks fly when she saw him smile under the golden sun.

Late Spring, A Few Days Before O.W.L, 1891

It was a nice, sunny day. A perfect day to sit outside and just bask in the sunshine. And that was what most of the students decided to do. The grounds near the castle were filled with students, sitting down in groups, trying to forget about the stress of schoolwork and upcoming tests. Including three female fifth-year students that could be seen sitting under the sun near the quidditch pitch.

“Ah, I love the sun.” The Gryffindor one said as she lay herself down, her dark skin glistened under the sun. 

“Me too!” A chirp came from beside her. It was the Hufflepuff girl who quickly followed the Gryffindor and laid down on the grass as well.

Evelyn smiled at her friends and decided to join. She quickly laid herself down on the soft green grass beneath her. 

“Me three!” 

The three of them laughed and the grass beneath them rustled with their laughter, as if laughing in happiness too. 

After the laughter ceased, Evelyn turned her gaze to the clear blue sky above. The clouds above moved slowly, as if to lull her to sleep. The soft sunlight and the gentle breeze made her eyes heavy. She felt peaceful and serene, almost lost in dreamland. Until a voice came and brought her back to reality.

“You guys realise that you’ll get your robes dirty?” 

The smallest of the lying girls—the Hufflepuff to be exact—quickly opened her eyes and squinted to see the one who had disturbed the peace and annoyingly preventing the sun from shining on her. The individual was wearing a green quidditch gown and carrying a gleaming broomstick that was definitely taller than herself, clearly looked like she had just done quidditch practise. The Hufflepuff huffed as she finally recognised her. Who else has the right mind to train for the sport that has been cancelled for the rest of the year? Imelda Reyes is the only answer.

“Dirty of what?” The Hufflepuff asked the standing Slytherin in annoyance, “Grass? Move a bit would you?”

“Yes. Especially you, Onai.” She answered sternly, not moving from her place, and pointed her finger at the Gryffindor, who was still lying with her eyes closed. “Let me remind you that we’ll be having potion class after this, in which I’m currently your partner. You know how serious Professor Sharp is about keeping your cauldron clean and free of foreign objects. I'm not going to let my grades suffer because he sees a stray strand of grass that could blow our cauldron.”

Natsai ‘Natty’ Onai, The Gryffindor, only giggled in response to her ‘worried’ Slytherin friend. 

“Relax, Imelda. I’ll conjure a wind to blow all the grass from my robe later. Let me enjoy the sun for a bit more.” 

Imelda shrugged at her. “Suit yourself. But if Professor Sharp finds—“

“Oh, shut it.” The Hufflepuff suddenly sat up and grabbed the Slytherin girl's robe, causing her to tumble to the grass.

“Poppy!” Imelda exclaimed as she landed on the grass, her rear throbbing from the unexpected collision with the ground.

The other girls giggled at the scene before them. Imelda was fuming, massaging her aching back while Poppy grinned innocently beside her.

“Oh, hush. You’ve fallen from a higher place before.”

“It still hurts!” Imelda grumbled in displeasure.

Poppy might have felt guilty since her giggle faded after that. She scooted closer and hugged the annoyed Slytherin, “Sorry, Imelda.” 

Imelda merely grunted in response and quickly dropped herself towards her back with Poppy still hugging her. The Hufflepuff could only shriek as she felt herself drop to the back all of a sudden. Their bodies landed on the ground with a puff of dust.

Laughter broke instantly. Poppy was the first to laugh, followed by Imelda, Natty, and lastly, Evelyn. Who wasn't exactly sure what made them laugh, but with the stress of the forthcoming test, chose to enjoy the bliss no matter why. For a little while, hers and the others' laughter could be heard for a while before the soothing silence returned. Followed by the chirps of birds and gentle spring breeze.

Evelyn’s eyes gazed at the clouds above, trying to make shapes of those cotton candy look-a-like in the sky. She was beginning to see a familiar shape when Poppy broke the silence.

“I like this, laying around under the sun with you guys makes me feel warm inside,” Poppy sighed blissfully, “do you guys ever feel warm inside?”

“I do.” A spontaneous answer came from Natty. “I feel it right now.”

Evelyn smiled at the sudden confession of emotion from her friends and decided to join, “I do too.”

“Don’t you feel warm too Imelda?” Poppy asked to silent Slytherin beside her, who finally answered after a few seconds of more silence.

“Yes, I feel warm.”

Evelyn snickered when she heard Imelda’s tone. Embarrassed, yet happy tone. Her mind then decided to bring up a certain memory when she also heard a quite familiar tone of voice from Imelda.

“Warmer than when Garreth helped you in Herbology yesterday?”

“Evelyn!” Imelda chided Evelyn with her face turning bright crimson with each passing second.

“Ooooh, someone has a cruuushh,” Poppy joined the teasing with a sing-song voice. It seemed to successfully make Imelda even more nervous as she quickly denied the suggestion.

“I don’t!” 

“I never said it was you.” Poppy responded quickly in wit. 

Evelyn laughed out loud hearing that. Poppy couldn’t hold her laughter any longer and quickly joined. They both were laughing at Imelda’s flushing face when a confession came out of the blue from the silent girl between Evelyn and Poppy.

“I had a crush.”

Evelyn whirled her head towards the Gryffindor girl beside her, “Natty?!”

“What?!” Imelda shot up from her lying position almost at the same time as Evelyn whirled her head. 

“Ooh, how exciting!” Poppy exclaimed as she turned her body so she was lying on her stomach, facing the Zimbabwean witch with her head on both of her hands that were propped up with her elbow.

Natty giggled at her friends' reactions. Every one of their features revealed a look of astonishment as they focused their attention on her. Still lying on her back, she looked up at the sky and continued her confession.

“As I said before, I had a crush. It was a senior. A brave seventh year Gryffindor who helped me adjust to Hogwarts when I first moved here.”

“That was one year ago, right?” Evelyn asked.

“Yes. I had a hard time, especially in using wand to channel my magic. As I said before, we don’t use wands in Uagadou. The senior found it fascinating and we became friends in an instant. They helped me adjust to my wand as I taught them a bit about wandless magic.”

Imelda scoffed as soon as Natty finished her tale. “One house love,” she rolled her eyes, “lame.”

“Then please, do tell us about your cross house love.” Poppy retorted quickly, turning her head towards the Slytherin. Who was silent all the sudden after hearing it. 

Giggle could be heard from Evelyn and Natty as they found their Slytherin friend’s face turning red once again. Satisfied with the reaction she got, Poppy turned her head back to the Zimbabwean Witch. Inquired excitedly.

“Was it love at the first sight?”

Natty went silent for a while, her eyes could be seen like they were searching for the answer. With a frown, she finally answered.

“I don’t like, like them at first. It just…happened. One morning we were practising together and all of a sudden I got this…tingling in my chest when I saw them doing magic without his wand. I thought it was pride. Like a teacher to be proud of her students? But, my stomach flipped when I saw them smiling excitedly, happy that they had successfully done magic without a wand. And I knew it was not it.”

Evelyn's mind came to a stop as she heard what Natty had just said. Tingling in the chest. Stomach flipping. She felt it too. She felt it before. And still felt it every time she saw the smile of a certain Slytherin friend of hers.

“You knew that you liked them right there and then?” Evelyn asked in a quiet voice, afraid of the answer.

Natty shook her head and said, “No.”

Evelyn sighed in relief. No, of course not. What she felt was probably just a fluke. Maybe she ate something bad in the morning and caused it every time she saw him for the whole day. Her stomach was probably still adjusting to the magical cuisine. She was right to decide that she should go see Madam—

“It’s silly, but I actually met with Madan Blainey for it. I knew that was not how the pride of a teacher would feel, as I remembered what my mother told me how she felt when she had a successful class session.” 

THAT made Evelyn’s train of thought suddenly stop. 

“You went to see Madam Blainey,” Imelda giggled in disbelief, “because your stomach flipped when you saw his smile?!”

“I never felt it before,” Natty answered calmly and shrugged, “and my mother told me to go to the hospital wing if I feel anything strange when she’s not around.”

“This is good. By all means, Onai, please continue.” Imelda said with a smirk.

Evelyn, on the other hand, had absolutely no desire to smirk. Natty actually did what she had pondered but hadn't done yet. Anxiety made her unable to do anything except hold her breath while waiting for Natty’s answer. She felt like a panicked train driver, pulling the breaks as hard as she could, trying to stop the train from falling off the cliff. The breaks screeched wildly on the rail as Evelyn heard Natty continue.

“Madam Blainey just smiled at me after I told her what I was feeling. She held my hand—and if I still remember it correctly—said, ‘Natty dear, when you’re at your age, sometimes you feel something out of the ordinary for the first time. And it’s absolutely normal. The tingling you feel in your chest, the flipping you feel in your stomach, and the sparks you see when you see that special someone are the symptoms of what I called, falling in love.’”  

The train in Evelyn’s mind plunged off the cliff and exploded with such force that it made all her other thoughts evaporate.

Falling in love.

The realisation came bearing down on her. Every caught breath, every flush on her cheeks, and every quickening heartbeat, were her own body’s way to tell her of her own feelings. Every flutter she experienced, every tingle she felt, and every spark she saw flying whenever she saw his smile was her own body screaming for her to realise that,

She was falling in love.

“That is sooo romantic!” Poppy exclaimed excitedly, her leg moving up and down on the grass, “how does it feel? Falling in love with someone?”

A soft voice came from Evelyn's lips.

“It’s like being a house of cards, hoping anxiously not to be blown away every time he moves. And yet, you couldn’t—wouldn’t run from him, knowing you wouldn’t get far. Your mind throws away all common sense and makes excuses, willing to fall for him. Willing to leave everything behind and just drown in his blue eyes every time you see them.

You want him to take away the pain of longing, and yet, afraid to move first every time he’s close enough to touch. It's as though you're still with him even when he's not around, haunting you. You're hoping he knows and doesn't know at the same time, because you're embarrassed by your thoughts of him. Because…you see sparks fly, whenever he smiles.”

Evelyn was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't realise she'd stated them aloud for everybody to hear. Her friends, including Natty and Poppy, were sitting up and looking in astonishment at her. Her face reddened from all the attention.

“Wow…Evelyn…” Poppy said in awe, causing Evelyn to be more embarrassed than before. 

“Never knew you'd be such a romantic, Rose,” Imelda smirked, “who’s the lucky blue-eyed person?”

Evelyn quickly sat up, her eyes widened. Did she really say it? Blue eyes? 

“Hmm…did she really say blue eyes?” Natty considered for a moment.

“It couldn’t be Sebastian, could it?” Poppy guessed out of the blue, “he has brown eyes.”

Imelda jumped out of the blue, coming closer to the blushing fifth year. “No. Absolutely not. Nu’uh. I don’t and won’t give my blessing,” she stated firmly. “There are better boys in this school than him. You’d best tell me right now that it’s not him, Rose.”

“I—”

“Hi, Eve.”

Evelyn thanked Merlin for the voice that came out of the blue behind her, saving her from any more damage from the embarrassment and the crushing realisation of her own feelings. Her head turned towards the voice. As it turned out, she was grateful too soon, seeing the blue-eyed boy in her confession was now standing behind her.

Her face went white with dread. He might have heard her. 

“Hey, Ominis!” Poppy greeted the Slytherin boy happily.

“Gaunt,” Imelda nodded her head at him.

“Hello,” Natty greeted him curtly.

“Hello, ladies,” Ominis greeted the ladies present with a polite nod, “sorry to bother your conversation, but I believe Evelyn has an appointment to go.”

Evelyn, who was still drowning in dread, only gaped as she answered nervously, “I-I have?”

“You promised to assist Sebastian and I in studying potions?” Ominis's puzzled question sounded tinged with concern.

Evelyn chose not to be concerned about him having heard her confession. If he did, she would undoubtedly have to face the consequences. But it didn’t have to be right there and then. She quickly forced herself to forget, reset her mind, and focus on the boy’s question instead.

“Oh, yeah. Yes, I did.” She answered with a smile.

“Ready to go?” Ominis said while offering his hand to Evelyn, which she accepted nonchalantly and rose up with his assistance. Her hand remained on his even after she had properly stood up.

That, made Poppy’s and Natty’s eyes widen. 

“Well, I’m sorry our time must be cut short. Let's regroup after the last class, okay?” Evelyn said to the girls, whose surprise she didn't even notice. After seeing the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor nod, she linked her arm to Ominis’s left elbow like she used to and walked away.

Seeing how the pair of friends left, Natty’s and Poppy’s mouths gaped and said the same thing at the same time.

“Oh…”

“What? Why?” Imelda—clearly unaware of what had occurred—questioned the two gaping girls, who instantly grinned after they woke up from their surprise, both acknowledging what just happened. They looked at each other and laughed. 

In frustration, the Slytherin who had been left out, focused on the already distant strolling pair, sensing her friends' laughter had something to do with them. Seeing the intertwined arms, a light bulb suddenly lit up her thoughts. 

“Gaunt?!”

Evelyn and Ominis walked arm in arm towards the Undercroft, where they and Sebastian had promised to meet. His wand guided them both through the mostly empty corridors. With the sun shining brightly, it was expected that most of the students would be outside, as she and the other girls had been. They were halfway through the journey when Evelyn felt Ominis discreetly press his left elbow, which was where her hand held on, to his side.

Evelyn felt her cheek warming up, finally noticed what they were doing and what the gesture meant. They say a gentleman who has reason to suspect that he may be in special favour with the lady with whom he is walking may discreetly press his elbow to his side after she has taken his arm in the formal manner. If he is correct, the lady tightens her grip on his arm; if he is incorrect, she removes her hand from his arm and tells him an excuse to stop the walk. 

She had never considered it before. She only thought of his action of linking her hand on his elbow as a polite way to escort a lady—which was expected from a heir of a family such as his, and only thought of his pressing on her hand as a reassurance, as if he was simply checking if she’s still with him on the journey. But after her previous realisation…it became more serious for her. More…intimate.

With her breath caught, her flushing cheek, and her quickening heartbeat, Evelyn knew this was not a coincidence, as she previously believed. She didn't have to visit Madam Blainey to figure it out. Merlin, she even practically confessed it earlier. The feeling she had was real.

She’s falling for him.

So she tightened her grip on his arm. 

And welcomed the sparks that flew every time she saw him ever since.

[raffaelamusiker]

Formal request to also ask all of them for the fic ask

(You can't prove it's been a whole month)

Origonal post

What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

‘Not yet’ whispers through the trees and B’Elanna shudders. And I couldn't even tell you why but it's my most favourite <3 From Existing In Your Orbit

What is one canon thing that you wish you could change?

Oooh boy. Honestly Rios staying in 2024.

Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

I recently recieved amazing long comments on my Jemily series and I think they might be my most favourite. Also Jaz's comment on Mercy and the ones where people ask me for more smut because they're so funny.

What is your wildest headcanon?

I wrote a crack fic the other day where Seven drank a Big Gulp without taking a breath so I guess that one.

What’s your ideal writing setup?

Somewhere cosy and no noise.

Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

Depends. For multi-chapter I usually try and have an outline or basis. usually just go with the flow and what kind of fic it is.

Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

“What, and I’m not important enough for you to want to stay?” Raffi shoots back, picking at her nails. 

The hand that’s gripping the page of the book in her lap moves quick enough that it rips it before she snaps the book shut loudly. A pang of regret fills her chest at the fact that this is one of Raffi’s books but her frustration takes over everything else. 

“Stop putting words in my mouth, Raffi.” Seven stands to walk away. “When have I ever said you aren’t important? If I didn’t want to be here I wouldn’t come.” 

“You’ve never said I am important!” 

Gasp angst who'd have thought.

Is there a tag you like to search for when looking for fanfics to read?

Only if I'm trying to read a specific fic i've read before. I usually just scroll through all the fics til I find one I want to read again.

Do you like to post fics on a schedule or at random?

Random. Gotta keep you all on your toes you know.

What helps you focus when you write?

Really wish I knew haha.

What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

This is a hard toss up but it's got to be either Before the Sunrise, Raffaela or Nostalgia

Do you write for yourself, for others, or both?

Both. Writing is cathartic and helps me get out my messy thoughts but also I love sharing things with others.

Why did you start writing fanfic?

To get all these ideas out of my head and to help me mentally.

Which character is your favorite to write?

Hmm...I wonder...

Raffi, of course though Emily will always be my baby too.

Which character is the toughest to write?

Sometimes I find Seven tough from a 3rd person pov, but honestly men are just hard to write lmao

Do you write for multiple fandoms? If yes, what is your favorite fic of yours for each fandom?

Well I've listed my CM and Picard faves already but my Voyager fave is probably A Collective of Four

How often do you read your own fics?

So often lmao.

Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

Well me and bestie want to write our AU's into books. Princess and Knight AU and Pirate AU. All wlw of course.

If a movie or show were based on your fic, which fic would you choose and who would you fancast?

All the Saffi fics should be real. Just saying. (Well not all of them...)

What inspires you and your writing?

Stupid dumb characters in my head /affectionate, and talking to others.

Do you research for your fics?

Usually if its needed. And it's usually for small little things.

What fics do you prefer on a scale of canon compliant to wildly original?

Probably in the middle. But I'll read near enough anything tbh.

Do you often write about a relationship or focus on an individual?

I usually focus on one character within a relationship with the relationship surrounding it.

Have you included any sexy scenes in your fics? If yes, do you find them easy or difficult to write?

It depends on the vibe tbh. Sometimes it flows a lot easier than others. I do have to write from a giving position usually though otherwise its hard af lmao.

Is it easier to write angst or fluff?

Angst. I never feel like I get fluff right honestly.

What sort of endings do you prefer to write: ambiguous, bad, happily ever after, etc.?

Happy endings even if everythings gone to shit before. Except Before the Sunrise but that's an outlier. Sometimes I'll do ambiguous or bad but I tend to need the happy endings to make me feel better haha.

How many WIPs do you currently have?

Oh no...I don't even want to count. Ones that are written that don't include multichapters? Maybe 5? MC's and just ideas included thats probably in the teens honestly.

Does anyone beta read or edit your fics?

Bestie Blaine is always the best beta and makes my stuff make sense <3

Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?

If I had to choose one fic, it would have to be Foundations. Authors, alreadyaccepted, smol_yellowbumblebee, ericine, daxs10thhost, bimichaelburnham, sleeplessrivers, dolcewrites, fenrisranger, thequeerengineer, sgtmac, falltonadir...okay just everyone in the Saffi/Picard tag okay <3

What led to your interest in the fandom?

My partner got me watching the first season of Picard and there were gays so, the rest is history I guess.

Are non-fandom friends aware that you write fanfic?

I am quite open about it haha.

What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?

Reading other people's fics and interacting with them is the best way to enchance your own writing.

Do you like writing short fics or long fics?

I love writing long fics but lately that's been an impossible struggle and I've felt kinda like a failure. Last year I wrote something like 70 fics because I did a lot of drabbles. This year I want to focus on longer fics and I have quite a few ideas stored up.

Do you have a writing milestone you’re working towards?

It depends. Sometimes i can look at a chapter and I'll guess how long it is (and then it'll be longer) but I usually go with the flow.

Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

As someone who just got out of burnout, its to try something new. I started With Love, A which is a totally different format from what I've done before and it's really brought me out of the slump. Also talking through things with other people is always great.

Would you ever want to write something canon if you got the opportunity?

I would like to make my own canon someday haha.

Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

Hurt/comfort is my beloved.

If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Polycule cuddle pile. Which one? I have too many to choose from.