#the book is out of print and difficult to find at libraries

[sunderwight]

Okay, concept:

Luo Binghe grew up very poor prior to arriving to QJP. And when he first got to QJP, he was ostracized and neglected. So there are probably a lot of phrases, terms, and ideas that he didn't know were things until SY arrived and started actually teaching him. Right? So the bulk of what he did learn, he learned directly from Shen Yuan's own slightly messy attempts to fake ancient scholarly credentials.

Plus, QJP is supposed to be the peak of scholars and well-read, fancy intellectuals, and YQY probably also doesn't know shit about most of that stuff (having also been a former illiterate street child) and of course is incredibly predisposed to take Shen Qingqiu's side on virtually anything. Especially something frivolous or linked to their shared past, such as someone, say Qi Qingqi, accusing Shen Qingqiu of making up a literary reference or "gibberish" word. If something Shen Qingqiu says is something no one else seems to know, that just proves he's more worldly and well-read than the rest of his peers. Also, Shang Qinghua will probably know it, and despite his many (many) character flaws, Shang Qinghua reads a lot too. There's really very little to convince a former street child turned Demon Emperor whose former education began and ended with Shen Qingqiu specifically and Meng Mo (wildly out-of-touch with human culture anyway) to suspect that some of the difficult-to-source references his master makes really have no worldly source (in this world).

So Luo Binghe, in his quest to become as knowledgeable of all things about his shizun and keep up with him as well as possible, and maybe also put down some arguments he's overheard once and for all, eventually gets annoyed because CLEARLY there is a wealth of cultural knowledge contemporary to Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua that didn't survive to his own generation. His efforts at hunting down all the sources being referenced and origins of certain philosophical ideas or terminology keep coming up empty in certain departments. He's been over the entire QJP library with a fine-tooth comb, but QJP focuses on things pertaining to cultivation, history, and knowledge. Obviously, there are gaps. The archives are unlikely to keep pop cultural references and lowbrow literature, and Luo Binghe begins to suspect (from what tastes his master seems to share with his shishu) that that is that actual source he's missing.

The trashy yellow books and romance literature of their generation! Bawdy poems and lewd artworks so on! Heck, that's probably even where the shared "code" (bad English) comes into play -- disciples are always trying to sneak forbidden material past their teachers and smuggle naughty books into the dormitories. Knowing Shizun and Shang Qinghua, Luo Binghe honestly wouldn't be surprised if the two of them were racketeering that shit in their own disciple days. Shang Qinghua acquiring materials, Shen Qingqiu acquiring buyers, both of them making their extra spending money off of secretly supplying Cang Qiong's population with contraband fiction and art.

Also, that would explain why both Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua get flustered and refuse to elaborate if someone asks them what this or that strange turn of phrase refers to. Shen Qingqiu has a very thin face for actually discussing erotica, and Shang Qinghua doesn't like being caught doing illegal shit.

Luo Binghe desperately needs access to trash lit that's older than he is. However, most of that stuff is not printed to last, and turning it up is like trying to find old Spirk zines without the internet.

Shang Qinghua, the obvious go-to source, also seems to not really have anything that old anymore (intimidating him is laughably easy, if he had anything he would have coughed it up by the second or third time Luo Binghe asked and frowned at the same time), and if Shen Qingqiu did have anything he wouldn't want to be questioned about it. Asking too much might even get it destroyed in an act of excessive embarrassment.

Which means there is just one other person Luo Binghe knows who might be able to lead him to some sources. One other person he is absolutely, 100% certain was extensively reading trashy literature around the same time that Shizun was a young man. Someone who would know where to go to even begin looking for it.

Luo Binghe is going to have to ask Tianlang Jun for help with something.

[sunnimals]

3 Job Ideas for Age Regressors

I know that many regressors, like myself, need jobs. As a permaregressor (Albeit one who stays at a pre-teen age most of the time) who is physically and intellectually disabled and needs an 'easier' job, I also know it can be insanely difficult and overwhelming to work at most places. So here's a list of jobs (and their pay rates) that may not be as overwhelming, taken from interviews with people in my area and surrounding areas, when asked about people with disabilities!! This list is organized by Job Description, Potential Downsides, and Perks. These don't need an education past a High-School Diploma, though the last one requires a food-handlers' license!

Library Assistant -~$12/hour I may be biased, but my job as a Librarian is what inspired this post in the first place! My job includes simple cleaning (mopping the front/lobby area, emptying trash cans, stocking toilets with sanitary supplies), alphabetizing and organizing books and movies, and helping people check out things. Most of the time, honestly, I just sit around scrolling Tumblr. It's a very simple and easy job. I will say though that walking around a lot to do the organizing does hurt my legs and ankles if I don't sit down frequently. Other than that, it's perfect for age regressors! You can spend lots of time in the kids' area too! And job perks can include free coloring sheet printing, and my library even has an employees-only (and anyone else if they ask nicely tbh) snack and beverage bar, stocked with crackers and hot chocolate/coffee >:3 My library is very very lax!

Toy Store Worker - Up to $22/hour My local area has a toy store, and this is the description listed on their page: Cleaning and organizing the store. Helping customers find just the right gift for their loved ones. Developing and maintaining customer relationships. Ensuring that all customers leave happy. A toy store seems like the PERFECT job for a regressor, and I can imagine that it would be easy on your body too, as the most physical activity you'll do (according to a family friend who owns the Toy Store) is cleaning and helping families look for juuuust the right toy. The only downside I can really think of is that it may be loud/overwhelming to have kids come in and play with the toys all day, but if you're alright with that, it's perfect! Lots of toy stores and retail stores offer secret benefits too, like discounts or even free first picks!

Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream Store Worker - ~$12/Hour, Food Handlers' Needed We have a super neat Fro-Yo store around my area called Sweet Frog, one of those weigh-to-pay places that you can pile toppings onto! The Job description according to Google and supported by the head manager at our local Fro-Yo place is: Frozen Yogurt Makers are responsible for preparing and serving frozen yogurt to customers, ensuring quality and consistency in the product. They maintain cleanliness, operate yogurt machines, and provide excellent customer service. According to Mrs. Head Manager, their perks include an Employee Discount on Fro-Yo, Flexible weekly hours, and an accessible and encouraging environment for many disabled workers, including one of the sweetest people I've ever met who has Down Syndrome and High-Needs Autism. They also give out free employee T-Shirts that have their super cute mascot on them!! Some downsides she mentioned might include having to stand for long periods of time, working with rowdy children, and having to clean and stock finicky machines. Also please be aware if you look into Sweet Frog that they're a heavily Christian brand, though the people I've spoken to are very accepting and sweet!

[fantastic-nonsense]

hi i love your blog!! especially your wonder woman rec list has been *amazing* and your batman comics guide with the little character spotlights is the best one ive found so far. thanks to your filtering of good/bad comics for all these characters i continued reading comics (after reading battle for the cowl as my first ever dc comic, which was. interresting. to say the least lol). but I have a little question - i couldnt find if you've answered it before already, sorry - which is: how do you read your comics mainly? bc as a college student, i dont have heaps of spare money around, and as an european, i dont have access to that dc online comics thing so if i read digital i have to pirate them. but i understand that comics kind of live-or-die by monthly sales and interrest in a run. and things like the current cass solo and absolute wonder woman seem really interresting and i want those to continue, so i try not to pirate them and wait for the trade releases, but its all very expensive when you start to read a lot of comics. and you have read a tonne of comics, which made me curious - do you buy physical copies, or just use the dc digital thing, or piracy, for your main reading? how do you keep this hobby, like, econnomiccally responsible? because i understand you can just pirate everything, but its not like im *too* broke to buy anything, ever. just wanted to hear your thoughts on how you personally do this, if you wish to share.

(ignore the word vomit, being precise in english is not a talent of mine :D)

Aww, thank you so much! I'm so happy to have helped you and I'm glad you're still here (especially after starting off with BftC)!

I'm going to be real with you for a minute before I actually answer your question: because you are a college student who does not live in the US, the realistic answer for you is to download Ublock Origin (something you should download anyway), open readcomiconline.li, enjoy reading comics, and if you find a comic you like and think is worth shelling out money for, find a way to purchase it legally.

I have an entire spiel on comic book piracy that I will not expound upon at length here but generally boils down to "piracy is rampant in the comics industry because it's the obvious and inevitable result of making legally reading comics expensive, difficult, platform-dependent, and inherently exclusionary while de-prioritizing collected editions, digital sales, and international readers. If any comic company decided to be a competent publisher for even one year, piracy rates would plummet."

If you're still concerned about the ethics of pirating comics after that, allow me to let you in on the worst-kept secret in history: professional comic creatives do it too:

Now, to actually seriously answer your question about how I read comics and keep my hobby financially sustainable: I've been reading and collecting comics for nearly 17 years. The ways in which I have read and collected comics have shifted several times over the years. I purchase some comics (mostly physically), I read some comics through my local library system, and I pirate others. I am fortunate enough to live near a good local comic shop, though this was not always the case, so I get a lot of my new comics there right now.

I have a lot more disposable income now than I did when I was in high school and college, but I'm also a fairly frugal person by nature. When I do buy comics, I almost never buy them new or at full price. I bought around 90-95% of the comics I own either used or on sale. I've used many avenues and methods to buy comics: Amazon and Ebay, the back issue bins and clearance sections at comic shops, the huge used media store near my parents' home that has a fantastic comics section, and sites like instocktrades that sell trades at a discount to name a few.

The exceptions are trades I know have fairly limited printings (and so will end up being more expensive in the long run if I don't buy them new and now) and single issues for runs I specifically subscribed to in order to finanically support. I usually limit myself to putting 3-4 runs maximum on my pull list at any given time; I simply don't have the funds, space, or desire to buy single issues at a higher rate than that. I'm a trades girlie at heart and that's where I will stay. I have zero guilt over not shelling out additional money to companies who clearly do not actually want it (otherwise they would make buying their products easier and would properly support their creatives).

I do own quite a few digital comics, which I mostly bought when Comixology was an independent site and used to run regular sales. Unfortunately Comixology has since been fully folded into the normal Amazon storefront and the Kindle Reader functionality for comics is incredibly subpar compared to the old Comixology app, so I basically no longer buy digital comics. However, I amassed quite a solid digital collection prior to the merger in 2022 (I have pretty much every Black Panther comic ever published up until 2020 because Comixology did a weeklong "get every BP comic for free" sale in the wake of Chadwick Boseman's death, for example).

This is what 16 years of physically collecting comics looks like for me:

As you can see, most of the comics I own are trades/hardbacks. I find that purchasing trades is cheaper, easier, a much more pleasant reading experience, saves space, and as a bonus is much prettier from a display perspective. The two white shortboxes on top of the shelf are where I store all of my single issues. After buying a new single issue, I "bag and board" it for preservation purposes and then put it in the box, arranged alphabetically by title, like so:

the tl;dr on my reading habits is that while I mostly pirate, especially for newer issues, I also use services like DC Infinite or my local library (both physically and digitally via services like Hoopla) to legally read older comics otherwise and then primarily buy in trade (usually used/on sale, rarely new) as I find them.

The floppies I own are mostly a) books from my pull list, b) very specific story arcs or runs that I love enough to work on collecting individually, c) comics I like that have never been collected, so the only way to own them legally is through hunting down and purchasing individual issues, d) issues with pretty covers that caught my eye, and e) a few random other issues here and there.

I also use RCO to reference comics that I've read when discussing comics online and writing metas, regardless of whether I legally own the comic or not. I'm not going to pull out my legally bought, physical copies of Cass's Batgirl run, scan them, and then upload the pictures every time I want to write meta. I'm going to go to RCO and grab a screenshot from the relevant issues.

While I wish it didn't work this way, reading superhero comics is a niche hobby that currently assumes you have lots of free time and lots of disposable income. Ultimately it is impractical and realistically financially impossible to legally purchase every comic you want to read and discuss with other people. Reading comics via other means (whether legally or through piracy) is actually foundationally necessary to ensure the industry continues, not just because of the traditional lack of access but also the sheer impossibility of buying individual comics at the scale necessary to understand and discuss the stories these companies publish. Not to mention the difficulty of discussing comics online if you are a physical reader/buyer.

Yes, the industry is severely outdated and still prioritizes monthly sales of physical single issues despite that not actually being a good indicator of a book's eventual financial success. Yes, ideally everyone would be able to legally purchase comics. But in reality, no one does so. I can probably count on my hands the number of comic readers I know who have never pirated anything. I don't begrudge anyone, especially people who live outside of the US and usually only have access to a very limited selection of stories, deciding to pirate comics. Please do so. You don't owe the Big Two shit. I only ever ask that if you ARE in a financial position to support the comics and creators you love by legally purchasing comics that you try to do so. Go and be free.

[dduane]

Hi! Possibly a bit of a weird question for you, but I'm trying to collect all of YW in hardbacks before my old omnibus finally gives out, and I was wondering - do you know if books 1-4 ever got published in hardback with the Harcourt black base/white text cover art? So many websites use blank placeholders that I can't tell if what I'm searching for even exists!

It’s not weird at all. I get occasional inquiries (especially from librarians) about how to get their hands on complete hardcover sets of the Young Wizards books.

Let's make this simpler from the start by establishing that in the forty-plus year history of the series, there has never been a unified hardcover edition of all the YW books, from any of their publishers... mostly because there've been too many publishers over that stretch of time.

Let's take the books in order, as far as possible, and you'll see what happened.

The books' first home was at Delacorte Press, an imprint of Dell Publishing. So You Want To Be A Wizard was published in hardcover in 1983, the Deep Wizardry hc in 1985, and the High Wizardry hc in 1990, with these covers. (The art, respectively, by David Wiesner, Darrell Sweet, and Neal McPheeters.)

All of these editions are now difficult to find in good condition, especially SYWTBAW—which as a first book in a series by a new/untried author, perhaps understandably had a very small print run and was mostly sold to libraries. (The run might have been as small as 1500 copies. It's hard to tell now, as this wasn't data that was shared with authors in those days.) As a result, most copies of the Delacorte SYWTBAW hc are either very beat up, or (if signed and/or in good condition) relatively expensive. The Delacorte DW and HW hardcovers are a little easier to find, but not that much.

In the early 1990s there was a change in publishing direction at Dell shortly after HW came out. The publisher's interest had pivoted toward wanting more bestselling authors; so they jettisoned many then-new or midlist authors so as to be able to pay the best-selling authors more. (In this particular micro-bonfire of the vanities, Dell's stupidity in throwing Jane Yolen overboard, FFS, astounds me to this day.) So though the books continued to be published as paperbacks at other Dell imprints (Laurel-Leaf, Yearling) through the mid-1990s, that was the end of the Dell hardcovers.

The next hardcover publication was therefore in 1990, from GuildAmerica / SF Book Club. Support Your Local Wizard contains SYWTBAW, DW and HW, and was a Book Club bestseller: it sold a quarter million copies and set a record as their most popular new-member-requested book that lasted until they went out of business. As a result, there are a lot of these books around.

Also in plentiful supply is The Young Wizards, which SFBC Fantasy published in 2001. (NB that a lot of sources list this as being a 1984 book, which is incorrect. As it also contains, besides the first three, A Wizard Abroad and The Wizard's Dilemma, this makes it impossible to have been published any sooner than 2001.)

Anyway, after that, things get a bit simpler. In the mid 1990s the series was picked up by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Harcourt Trade Publishers' new YA imprint Magic Carpet Books, which began republishing earlier works. Possibly the oddest of these was a small-format (mmpb-sized) hc of SYWTBAW, which turns up here and there used. (I really need to ask Jane some time what the heck the thinking was on this book...)

...Anyway. A Wizard Abroad had until then been published only in the UK (in a mass-market mmpb from Transworld/Corgi); its first hardcover came out from the SF Book Club/GuildAmerica in 1993, Dell having passed on acquiring it. (The cover on this one was done by the fabulous David Cherry, artist and brother of my old colleague C. J. Cherryh.) Harcourt did another of the unusual small-format hardcovers, this time of AWAb, in 1997—testing the waters, I think. Then, when that sold strongly, they went straight to full-size hardcovers with The Wizard's Dilemma (with art from then until now being done by Cliff Nielsen) and have stayed with that format since.

Harcourt also did a lovely 25th anniversary hardcover edition of So You Want To Be A Wizard in 2003, which is easy to find inexpensively. I strongly suspect this republication trend would have continued with Deep Wizardry and High Wizardry when their respective anniversaries came around. But unfortunately the Magic Carpet program wound down soon afterwards, and the most recent hc volumes have been published simply as HMH, with no apparent interest at the publisher in going back to fill the holes in the hardcover backlist.

...So you can see, you've got kind of a mixed bag to deal with in terms of what you want. Availability has also been something of an issue, as the books are considered pretty deep backlist by Harcourt's current owner (HarperCollins), and warehouse supplies of some books in the series have been iffy.

So. The simplest I can make things for you is to help you avoid dealing with large corporate warehouses (because when some of these hc editions were preparing to go out of print, whenever possible I bought up the remaining stock to spare it from being pulped). Signed Books Direct—by which I mean the Ikea shelves out back in our boot room—has ample mint-condition supplies of many of the Harcourt hardcovers (though not Games Wizards Play, unfortunately: we've run out of those). Ignore the site’s front page inventory, which needs to be updated. Instead, just drop an email to the SBD email address and query me about what you're looking for.

HTH!

[golden-reverie]

Dewey Decimated

Chapter Three

Author’s note: Chapter three is here! I lied in my last post, this is the final "setting the scene" chapter. Four will be when the🔥comes into play.

Summary: Mabel, a part-time librarian, finds solace in her carefully constructed routine—that is until Harry, an atypical library patron, unsettles the order she’s worked hard to maintain.

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: Harry is low-key kind of cocky but in a self-aware way? Dom!Harry, Sub!Reader, Fem!Reader, hints at past (and future) dom/sub relationship(s). All mentions of relationship dynamics are consensual.

“I’ve never had to pay this before,” an older man snapped, jabbing a finger toward the screen Mabel sat in front of. “This is ridiculous.” His voice was shaking with anger, eyes boring into Mabel as if she were personally responsible for the library’s sudden decision to charge for printing services. She took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay calm. She had dealt with plenty of difficult customers before, and she was not going to let this one ruffle her feathers.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience, sir,” she returned politely. “But as I said, the library has recently implemented a new policy to cover the costs of paper and ink."

The man scoffed. “That’s absurd!” His voice rose, sharp enough to draw the attention of a few nearby patrons. “It’s extortion.”

Mabel’s cheeks burned, but she kept her tone professional. “Please don’t raise your voice in here, sir.”

"What do you even know? I want to speak to someone in charge."

Before she could respond, a smooth, assured voice cut in.

“I believe she’s handling it just fine.”

The shift in energy was immediate. The man hesitated, his posture stiffening as he turned toward the source.

Harry.

He stood behind the man, watching the exchange with a composed, unwavering expression. He wasn’t aggressive—he didn’t need to be. He simply existed with an authority that made people think twice before pressing their luck.

The old man turned his attention to Harry. "And who are you?" he snapped, though his tone had lost some of its bite.

Harry’s face remained unreadable. "Just a concerned citizen wondering why you're making a scene over a few cents, mate." His voice was calm, clipped—cutting in a way that left no room for rebuttal.

The man’s mouth opened, then closed, face mottled with frustration. He let out a huff, clearly realizing he’d lost whatever imaginary battle he thought he was fighting. With one final grumble, he retrieved his receipt from the counter.

“Fine,” he muttered under his breath, shoving the paper into his pocket before stalking off.

“Have a great day!” Mabel called after him, lacing her voice with just enough false cheer. He dismissed her with a wave.

Mabel exhaled, shaking her head as she turned back to Harry. "Thank you," she said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He leaned casually against the counter. "I couldn't let you have all the fun," he replied, scanning her face for signs of disquiet.

Mabel rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, because diffusing entitled outrage is my idea of fun."

Harry chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that reverberated in her chest. "Well, you certainly have a knack for it," he commented. "Besides, you might have to remain professional and all. Doesn’t mean I do."

She offered him a small smile. "Well, thank you," she said again. "I appreciate it."

Harry gave a dismissive tilt of his head. "Just doing my civic duty.”

Mabel cleared her throat, shifting her focus to the book in his hand. “Already back for more?"

"Someone told me I should expand my literary horizons," he replied.

Her eyes flicked to the copy of The Alchemist he placed on the counter between them.

She raised a brow, smiling. "Well, that someone must be smart. Good choice."

She scanned the barcode of the book, the machine beeping softly.

He smirked. "What did they call it again?” he asked, feigning contemplation. “A ‘mystical masterpiece’?"

Mabel met his gaze. “Whoever they are, they sound like a genius... Think you can handle such a masterpiece?”

His lips twitched, clearly amused. “I’ll let you know when the enlightenment kicks in.”

Her lips twitched as she slid the book back to him. “There you go,” her inflection lifting just slightly on the last word. “Will that be all?”

Harry looked at her, silence stretching between them like a thread pulled taut.

"Not quite," he said, his voice low, measured. "I was hoping I could take you to dinner Friday night."

Mabel blinked. "Oh… I—"

The words tangled in her throat, catching her off guard in a way she wasn’t prepared for. Her earlier confidence scattered, leaving her fumbling.

She forced a small, polite smile. "That’s nice of you to ask, but I—"

Harry arched a brow, waiting.

"But… I don’t really date."

His expression remained steady, like he expected that response. "Who said anything about dating?"

Mabel’s lips parted slightly, embarrassment and surprise intertwining at how effortlessly he had sidestepped her excuse.

"Just dinner with a friend. That’s all," he continued, holding her gaze as if daring her to challenge such an innocent request.

Friend. The word settled oddly in her chest, a quiet, unexpected sting pressing beneath her ribs. If anything, it was a generous description for what they were. They had shared one conversation over coffee. The rest had been a handful of fleeting glances and pleasantries. And yet, the word landed awkwardly, like a note played slightly off-key.

In what seemed like a last ditch effort to quell her stubbornness, Harry leaned in slightly. "I need someone to talk to about my newfound literary pursuits. Turns out the guys at my office are pretty shit conversationalists in that regard."

Mable huffed out a quiet laugh. "So I'm your designated book club, is that it?"

"Something like that," he said smoothly. "But as club president, I’m enforcing the mandatory addition of dinner to our meetings.”

Doing her best to feign nonchalance, she shrugged. "Well, if you can make it through the mystical masterpiece by then, I suppose I can offer offer my services."

He grinned, slow and self-assured. "Great. I’ll text you the details?"

"That works," she replied, willing her voice to sound even.

Harry reached for the book, then hesitated, glancing back at her. "Oh, and try not to let any more unruly patrons shake you down today, yeah?"

Mabel smiled, "I'll do my best, but you never know when someone's going to take personal offense to the price of printer ink."

Harry flashed her a parting smile, before tapping a hand once on the desk. "I'll see you, Mabel."

She watched as he exited, effortlessly shrugging into his coat.

The rest of her shift slipped by in a haze. As she moved through the motions, each task felt slightly out of sync—like she was trying to retrace steps in a path that no longer existed.

***

Harry leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he surveyed the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. The Seattle skyline stretched before him, all sharp angles and steel, the city humming beneath him like a machine he had long since learned how to operate. Everything in his world was ordered, controlled—exactly how he liked it.

Or at least, it had been.

He exhaled slowly, drumming his fingers against his lap. His mind should have been focused on the quarterly reports in front of him, the business deals waiting for his approval, the dozens of emails demanding his attention. Instead, he kept circling the same thought. The same person.

Mabel.

She had been an unexpected variable—one he wasn’t entirely sure how to categorize. Their coffee “date” had been a personal test of sorts—a way to satisfy his curiosity, to identify exactly what it was about her that had lodged itself under his skin. He had walked into that café expecting resolution, a finality that would allow him to move on.

Instead, he had walked out with more questions than answers and more restlessness than resolve.

Harry sighed, rolling his shoulders as he forced himself to refocus on the screen in front of him. A sharp knock on the glass door of his office pulled his attention. Nathan, his head of strategy, stepped in, iPad in hand.

"Numbers from the Valeris deal," Nathan said, setting the tablet on Harry’s desk. "Everything’s in line with projections. We’re set to close by next week."

Harry nodded, barely glancing at the figures flashing across the screen. "Good. Keep the legal team on standby in case we need to push anything last minute."

"Got it." Nathan hesitated. "You good?"

Harry arched a brow. "Should I not be?"

Nathan smirked, stepping back toward the door. "You just seem... distracted. Doesn’t happen often."

Harry gave him a pointed look, "If you’re angling for my chair, you’re going to have to come up with a better strategy than amateur psychoanalysis."

Nathan chuckled, arms raised in mock surrender. "Right, right. Ok. Just checking," he said before making his exit.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.

It wasn’t like Harry to fixate. He had rules, boundaries—ones he spent years perfecting. Keep things simple. Flings, no relationships. He never let things get emotional, never let them linger longer than they should.

And yet, here he was, staring out his office window like a man who had let something linger.

The funny part was, he had let it linger longer than any of his previous entanglements, and he hadn’t even touched her.

With most women, the chase wasn’t necessary. If he wanted them, they were his. His reputation preceded him. His looks and confidence did the rest. Whether it was a glance across a bar, a well-placed remark, or a passing encounter on a business trip, the outcome was predictable. If he initiated it, they responded. And if they initiated, he indulged. And the second he sensed the faintest tinge of feelings start to surface on their part? That was when he walked away.

It was the dynamic that worked for him. Mutually beneficial while it lasted. No mess after it was over.

But Mabel? Mabel was different.

She held so many contradictions—soft, but not weak. Guarded, but not impenetrable. There was a push and pull to her, an awareness that made him wonder just how deep his instinct ran.

He had seen it in the way she responded to him—the slight hitch in her breath when he pushed just enough, the fleeting relief in her eyes when he took control of a moment, the way she unconsciously melted at the firmness in his voice, her body betraying what her mind refused to. There was something soft beneath her sharp edges, a subtle willingness to let go, to surrender—if only to the right hands.

Then there was the coffee “date.” That was where he first saw the cracks in her carefully constructed walls. When she spoke about her family, her childhood, the sheer exhaustion of shouldering a world that refused to lighten its grip. He saw the way her struggles carved out fiber beneath her simple grace—a challenge she had faced alone for far too long.

Sitting across from Mable in that café, he felt something rare stir within him. It was more than dominance, more than attraction—it was the same pull he’d felt watching that old man berate her in the library. He knew she could handle herself; she always did. But that didn’t stop the instinct, the quiet urge to step in anyway. To take some of the weight off her shoulders. To help her exhale, even if just for a moment.

Harry had always been an attentive dominant—he knew how to read women, how to recognize their needs before they voiced them. But with Mabel, it wasn’t just about fulfilling a role or meeting an expectation.

It was about wanting—no, needing—to be the one who gave her what she’d never been given before.

That thought had settled into his mind like a hook he couldn’t shake loose.

He had a feeling she hadn’t always been granted the space to explore what she needed. She had it in her—he was sure of it. The desire to relinquish control, to find relief in someone else’s hands. Maybe she had even tried before, but with the wrong people. So she had buried it beneath layers of protective resolve, told herself it wasn’t worth the risk.

But it was still there.

And if she let him, he could show her that submission wasn’t weakness. That giving in wasn’t about breaking—it was about trust, safety, release.

And Harry had every intention of proving that to her.

But only if she wanted it.

If she recoiled, told him no, he would understand completely. There would be no coercion, no convincing. Only choice.

Still, he never wanted to be more right about anything.

Fuck.

What was happening to him?

His phone vibrated, pulling him from his thoughts. A message from his assistant.

Board meeting in ten minutes.

Harry exhaled, pushing himself up from his chair and adjusting his cufflinks. Business first. He had plenty of time to get his mind right before Friday.

But as he left his office, the weight of an undeniable truth followed him out the door.

Time had nothing to do with it.

***

Woohoo! Chapter four is in the works 👩‍💻

Chapters one and two :)

[garaksapprentice]

Sewing Zero Waste Culottes from The Craft of Clothes

Zero Waste Culottes From The Craft of Clothes

Behold! Fancy pants!

The pattern for these pants was one of my Christmas gifts. It comes from Liz at The Craft of Clothes, a zero-waste designer. I've really gravitated towards self-drafting and zero-waste sewing in the last couple of years, and this pattern has been on my list for a good six months, so I was excited to get into it.

Drafting

The first step (after reading the pattern through twice) is drafting the pattern pieces.

My biggest starting hurdle was deciphering "the culottes are designed to sit on your waist" when choosing the correct pattern size. Most designers consider "the waist" to be the teapot - that is, the true waist. (It's easiest to find if you bend to the side and stick your hand in the crease - like you're singing "I'm a little teapot".) But some consider belly button height to be "the waist". I generally wear my pants at the latter height, and there's a good 2" circumference difference between those two for me.

I eventually decided to call my belly button my waist, on the grounds that that's where I prefer to wear my pants. It's also easier to take seams in than out, if I guessed wrong.

Decisions over, it was smooth sailing from there. Pattern drafting is not a technically difficult process, as long as you have good instructions, and Liz's patterns definitely fit that bill. But there's a lot of attention to detail required to make sure the end result is good. That sort of thing always makes me nervous. Fortunately there was only two pattern pieces to draft, and they're 98% straight lines and based off rectangles.

Interestingly, this is the first zero-waste pattern I've tried that has you draft pattern pieces to use. The others I've seen (most by the creator of this pattern - our library had a copy of her book, Zero Waste Sewing) have had you draw directly on your piece of fabric to create the layout. (In fairness, I didn't have to draft my own pieces. The pattern came with the option of self-drafting, printing on A4, or printing on A0.)

I much prefer the direct-draw method to faffing about with pattern pieces. But given that this pattern is designed to have the pieces tesselate, having a set of physical pattern pieces does make more sense. It's also got me wondering if I could successfully make a pair out of old jeans legs, using one leg per pattern piece. But then, I'm always looking for ways to use up my denim pile...

Sewing

I prefer structure rather than flow in my butt coverings, so I was somewhat limited in my fabric choices for this first pair. (I know the fabric I really want to use, but I am being a sensible apprentice and trying things out on a nice-but-less-hideously-expensive fabric first.) Most of my stash acquisition has focused on stuff for shirts, since I wear those out faster than pants. I eventually settled on this nice brick red, 100% cotton, table cloth.

The picture is suffering from sun exposure. It's nowhere near this bright in person.

I laid out the pieces and huzzah! The fabric was just big enough! ... But only if I unpicked the hems (they're monsters, a full 3 cm/1.2" each side) and ironed them flat first. Thus, it was time for a marathon unpicking and ironing session.

After that was done, I checked the pattern fit again. Huzzah! I had enough space for all the pattern pieces, and not very much scrap left over once I'd cut them all out. (Of course, it was late and I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been, so I didn't add an extra inch when I was forced to cut the waistband in two pieces. There was enough extra fabric that this was only an annoyance and not a complete disaster.)

The fabric at the top is scrap. All but a few inches of the stuff on the right became waist bands and plackets.

Sewing was a fairly straightforward exercise, though it required enough brainpower that I completely forgot to take any progress shots as I went. Almost every step of the pattern comes with a diagram to show you what to do, which helped me immensely. So did having the seam allowances specified at each point, as there's three different ones used in different places.

That's not to say I didn't screw up, of course. While sewing the crotch seam, I somehow managed to close up the front of the pants entirely and leave a gap for the placket open at the back. (That will teach me not to double check the direction the pockets are facing before I pin and sew that seam. Maybe.) 

I also made a highly decorative and completely awful to sew with choice for topstitching thread, which I quickly became too stubborn to stop using. So the topstitching is, uh, not great. But it is purple and sparkly, and if I'd had any sense at all I would have left it til last (or even done some sort of hand embroidery with it).

I was tricked by the first line of stitching being so easy. LIES. It was all lies.

Why should I have left it til last? Because it turns out that the culottes are, in fact, designed to sit on one's true waist. Which meant I had a two inch difference between what I needed to fit me, and what the waist measurement was. If I hadn't top stitched the panels, I could have simply ran another line of stitching down the seams that didn't have pockets in the way, and taken the waist in without much fuss or bother. Unfortunately, I didn't do that, so I was left with two choices.

Take out the topstitching and take in all the panels, bitching and moaning about the effort I went to and the number of times the topstitch thread broke while I was sewing the stupid sparkly goodness onto things.

Work out how to take the waist in by the necessary two inches, using only the crotch seam and maybe some darts or pleats or something.

Choice #1 would have been the logical, rational decision, so of course I went with option #2.

An hour and change of basting, pinning and unpinning the waistband, and completely forgetting how seam allowances work later, I managed to get a fit I was happy enough with. I ended up grading in a dart-like object at the centre back. (If I decide later that I'm not happy with the fit after all, I'll try out the modification for adding elastic to the back waistband that the pattern also includes. Probably while questioning my life choices and lamenting the amount of time I spend with a seam ripper in hand.)

The original stitching line is in blue, the new one is in black.

After all that fitting woe, I wasn't in the mood to try buttonholes (my good machine, the one with the automatic buttonholer, is currently out of action). Instead I dove into my snap stash to close the placket.

I love using bright, vivid colours for inner details. It's the sewing equivalent of wearing leopard print underwear.

A nice bonus of using the snaps is that I could put them through just the placket, leaving the fly front clean. This did make the placket pull slightly when I'm wearing the pants, exposing a trace of bright red. I fixed that by invisibly whip-stitching through the placket and outer fabric to hold everything in place. Next time I'll also double check the understitching, and topstitch the edge if needed, before installing the snaps.

Field Test and Adjustments

Trying stuff on as you go is all well and good, but nothing tells you what you really need to fix like being out in the field. I quickly discovered several things:

The waistband needs serious help to stay where it's supposed to be. Which, y'know, I did make a size larger than I should have. This was not surprising.

The crotch needs to either drop a wee bit or (preferably) rise a couple of inches. The latter will likely spoil the skirt-effect somewhat, but it will be far more comfortable for my legs.

I need a loop on the waistband to hold my keys.

For the waist woes, I had a few choices - 1) belt loops, 2) suspenders, or 3) add elastic to the back waistband. Belt loops are fiddly to make and sew on, but would solve the key-hanging issue. Suspenders technically wouldn't need any sewing changes, but the clip-on style are notorious for pulling off when you're doing things. And while the pattern includes instructions for adding elastic to the waistband, I wasn't confident it would do the job I wanted (I stick a fair amount of junk in my pockets and elastic can't always cope with the weight).

After some dithering, I went with the suspender option for this pair. I like the look of them, and the "floating" effect they give when they pull the waistband a bit above where gravity wants it to sit is extremely comfortable. But I didn't want to deal with clips always popping off. So I indulged in a quick side-quest of improving my suspenders, then sewed buttons into the waistband of the culottes.

This used to hold the clips, but the wire was easy to bend flat with needle-nose pliers.

Gee, I wonder which buttonhole I did first?

Fashion Show

Overall, I'm quite happy with how it all came together. I'll definitely be making at least two more pairs - the "men's" version (less flare in the hems), likely out of recycled denim, and a pair in heavyweight stash linen.

The back panel adjustment is basically unnoticeable.

They have great range of movement - maybe I need to make a workout pair?

And I even have somewhere to hang my keys.

This post was originally published on my blog, Garak's Apprentice . I currently syndicate my content at Micro.blog, Tumblr, and Ko-Fi.

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[zahri-melitor]

If you want to read comics and you want to test the waters:-

Yes, RCO and clones exist, everyone uses them, I do it weekly too for titles I cannot access any other way (The Warlord) but let me tell you, it’s not the only option, particularly if you want to read reasonably modern comics back issues rather than deliberately suppressed obscure stuff. Plus, don’t you want to look at comics without worrying about getting viruses?

Your Local Library: your library probably has comics as trade paperbacks, and inter library loan will have more. It’s not the most consistent way to find things, but you should definitely look them up, there’s probably something there you’d be interested in reading. Good for having multiple presses, and most take suggestions for their collections, which is a slow but free way to read titles with highly detailed art like Wonder Woman Historia in person.

Digital libraries: my local libraries have ComicsPlus subscriptions, which I can use for free. Now you won’t get DC or Marvel on them, but BOOM!, Dark Horse, Image, Oni Press, Papercutz? All options. A really helpful way to easily sample other presses.

Internet Archive Library: the IA is again going to have an eclectic collection and be difficult to search, but it’s there and it has a lot of stuff and you’re not going to be worrying about computer viruses.

DCUI: if you’re in US, UK, Canada, AU or NZ, you can get a DCUI account. There’s a free trial available of course, and if what you’re interested in trying was published more than 6 months ago, you don’t even need to shell out for Ultra. It costs me less than a Netflix subscription per month, even for Ultra. There’s also a small handful of comics you’ll be able to access for free without ANY subscription - essentially advertising for new runs etc.

MU: just like DCUI, only Marvel, and available more places. Also runs on a subscription model. MU also has the quirk that you can manage digital ownership of individual issues also through their app (if you buy Marvel floppies there is a mechanism to obtain a legal digital copy within ~6 months of the publication date)

Local Comics Shops: you can also…buy floppies and trade paperbacks for yourself. If you really love a story and it’s out in trade, I highly recommend buying it for yourself to have forever. It just sidesteps so many future problems. An LCS is also more likely to have a back catalogue of titles available - if you’re looking for a trade published 8 years ago, they might have it while an ordinary bookshop won’t. If you’re less certain, events like Free Comic Book Day and Batman Day are largely a marketing exercise more than new original material these days, but they’re also a good way to get to handle and own actual comic books if you’ve never done that before.

Other bookshops: if you don’t have a local bookshop with a specialist comics and manga collection (I do) it’s going to be a bit like trying to find comics at your local library: you’ll see lots of stuff with Batman and Joker in the title, and a random selection of anything else. Sometimes you can get surprisingly good deals from them as collectors are less likely to use them to get titles.

Overstock/Remainder Sellers: always worth a look, particularly if you’re trying to pick up titles printed several years ago. My local one has found some absolute gems for me, at a significant discount (I have picked up parts of Dixon’s Nightwing run, Bennett’s Batwoman run, Rowell’s Runaways, some Wonder Woman trades from Rucka and Perez, Gotham Central, I just managed to get the second n52 Blue Beetle trade…)

EBay/second hand shops/Abebooks/Biblio: a decent way to measure what the actual value of a comic title is on the second hand market. Sometimes you can find that the market value is far lower than you expected (Cassie’s Wonder Girl series is remarkably affordable). In other occasions you realise DC is leaving a LOT of money on the table by not reprinting (look up Red Robin trade prices and weep).

Friends: do you know anyone else who likes comics? They may already own stuff they can loan to you! (Once I lent out my Birds of Prey collection to a friend and he returned it with the first two n52 titles added. Still unsure if that was meant to be a kindness or just letting me store them)

[ficoandleo]

"This is so stupid. . . ." Leo grumbled, carefully scanning the index pages of a particularly large book. "Like, could they not have just uploaded this for easier reading? Is there really not an anomaly that does that?"

They have an anomaly for damn near everything else--including that goat that prints papers--but apparently scanning books and files wasn't on that list. He groaned and stretched and slammed the book shut, concluding that there wasn't anything relating to his search in it and shoved it to the side. The librarian cat yowled at him from somewhere beyond the shelves in protest.

"Oh my god." Leo rolled his eyes and waved it off, although it couldn't see him. "I'm sorry, okay? I'll go back to being a good, quiet little bookworm." And, with a mutter, "not like there's anyone else in the library anyway."

The cat sounds quieted down, and Leo looked over the books he'd already read and photographed the pages of and taken notes on, then grabbed his phone to look them over. Tired eyes noticed the time--almost 6 in the morning, maybe someone else would be in the library by now--and he sighed in frustration.

All of these books and there was hardly any information on the 'Kyklos' Edward Hart had mentioned.

He had delved into adjacent concepts in case they were related. Cyclopses, cycles, various parasitic plant anomalies, anomalies that reproduced by way of spread of a curse. He wanted to read the case file for the missions that had already been conducted relating to Kyklos--including the one that the honor student had been cursed on--but somebody else had taken them out.

"And of course they don't have a digital copy of most of them. . . ." He grumbled, double checking. He had no problem accessing the classified and restricted sections of library information with a little hacking--that stuff often had digital copies because they were relevant enough to be sent to the Institute proper--but his search had wound up rather fruitless on the Kyklos front.

'Am I seriously gonna have to go into that gross forest and ask that guy questions. . . .' Leo thought to himself, shoving the books into various book carts in case someone wanted to find them later--a minor inconvenience, but more difficult to find research material meant a marginally better chance that Vagastrom would be the ones to resolve this whole curse situation, right?

Leo huffed a little laugh to himself.

As though those meatheads would be able to figure it out. It was pretty much up to him and Sho. Would Sho go to Obscuary with him? Of course he would. Sho would do damn near anything Leo asked. It's not like he had anything better to do.

"Uuuugh I'm tiiiireeeed!" Obscuary would have to wait though. Although if Ed was a vampire, surely he would be going to sleep around now himself? Sho had probably stayed up all night watching basketball--again--and Leo had been doing more research than most people would give him credit for, so. . .evening would work out better for everyone, right?

The trip back to Vagastrom was an uneventful one, and the quick shower and bath he took got him ready for bed. Trying to sleep, however, was disrupted by Alan calling a(n unplanned! And probably unnecessary!) meeting just before he could drift off.

It was always something around here. . . .

[cottagecore-raccoon]

Reasons to Make a Library Card

(A list written by someone who has worked at a public library in the states for a year now)

Books/Traditional Materials: As you've likely heard many times before, libraries are a great place to get free books (normal and large print), DVDs, CDs, magazines, and audiobooks

E-Library: With your library card, you will also be to access Ebooks on websites like Hoopla and Libby. Library streaming services like Kanopy will also allow you to watch movies and tv shows for free! On top of these websites, libraries pay for subscriptions to databases like Creativebug that have tutorials for learning new crafts

Programming: Making new friends can be difficult, and finding fun things to do is expensive! Libraries offer fun programs for people to do activities (like crafts, yoga, dancing, and book clubs) and meet new friends! Most programs are free, and many libraries don't require you to have a library card to participate. Have a program you'd like to do but don't see on the website calendar? Many libraries are happy to take suggestions!

Free Wifi: In addition to free wifi and computers offered in the building, the library where I work also offers mobile hotspots patrons can check out for free wifi on the go. These devices are quite popular, so you may need to wait on a list, but they are a great resource for people who otherwise may not have access to the internet

Other Resources: Passes to local museums, video games (my library has a switch game collection), educational materials for all ages, and more!

You making a library card and using these resources helps libraries stay open and get the funding they need! Please use libraries, they're there for you!

[the-devils-library]

At Satan's Altar: A Collection of Prayers, Chants, Affirmations, Hymns, and Rituals by Marie RavenSoul

EDIT: Since the time of writing this post, the author of this book has taken down her website, her Youtube channel, and the listings for both of her books. This is due to her conversion to Christianity, verifiable by her new social media accounts, which I will not be linking here, but are not particularly difficult to find. Since her books are now out of print and were never sold as ebooks, the only way to obtain them at the current time is to find and purchase a used copy.

Title: At Satan's Altar: A Collection of Prayers, Chants, Affirmations, Hymns, and Rituals

Author: Marie RavenSoul

Publisher: ‎ In Satan's Honour Press

Publishing Date: February 28, 2018

ISBN-10‏: ‎ 1775262405

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1775262404

Last post was a popular atheist text, so I suppose it's appropriate that now we move on to a popular theist text.

Marie RavenSoul is a modern Satanic author and youtuber, her channel can be found here. Her website, In Satan's Honour, can be found here. To my knowledge she is not affiliated with any group but her dedication in this book gives thanks to a "Brother Nero," who I believe may be the same Brother Nero who authored Satanism: A Beginner's Guide to the Religious Worship of Satan and Demons.

At Satan's Altar's subtitle is an apt summary of its content. RavenSoul is not here to provide moral counsel or wax poetic about philosophy, but to provide the tools of a theistic Satanic practice, including hymns, prayers, and rituals. The cover and interior also feature several illustrations, by artists Amanda MacNeil and Letitia Pfinder.

The book is divided into two sections, the first half being dedicated to devotional writings such as chants and prayers, and the second half being more instructional, revolving around rituals and practices the theistic Satanist might partake in. The instructional portion may prove useful to newcomers who have basic questions, such as how to pray, or how to structure a ritual. The Nine Days of Solitude Devotional may be difficult for anyone who is young or in a controlling environment, but could prove beneficial for more experienced Satanists who wish to do something more intensive than daily prayer or a one-off rite.

It is worth noting that RavenSoul calls Satan by other names, such as Lucifer and Baphomet, which some theistic Satanists may consider to be separate demons, rather than other names for Satan himself. She also refers to Satan as "father," a dynamic which may or may not ring true for other Satanists. At Satan's Altar is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. [DISCLAIMER: The Devil's Library is not affiliated with any of the previously mentioned groups or authors. It is an independent project by a single Satanist. Do not mistake my mentioning of an author or group as endorsement for their beliefs and practices.]

Click below for my personal thoughts on the book.

RavenSoul is a talented writer and her dedication to Satan is admirable. While her rather fatherly interpretation of Satan isn't for me personally, I'm sure those Satanists who do see our lord as a father figure would take great comfort in certain pieces of her writing.

However there is an aspect of the book which rubs me the wrong way personally, and that is the matter of cultural misappropriation. RavenSoul conflates Satan with religious figures from a couple of other faiths, namely Iblis and Tawûsî Melek (spelled Melek Ta'us in the book). While I can see why someone would compare these figures to Satan at first glance, my research tells me it is inaccurate and perhaps unwise to do so. Iblis comes from Islam, and while he is a fallen angel and the leader of devils, equating him with the Christian Satan is ignorant and potentially appropriation. More seriously, equating Tawûsî Melek, the peacock angel of the Yazidi religion, to Satan is directly racist and harmful. Yazidis have a history of persecution, and being wrongfully accused of being devil-worshipers is part of that history. Furthermore, Yazidism is very much closed to outsiders (one cannot even marry into the religion, but must be born into it), so making use of their religious figure for Satanic writings is rude and inconsiderate, at the very least. RavenSoul doesn't just make use of Tawûsî Melek's name and image, but references the Al Jilwah, a book which claims to hold authentic Yazidi scripture, but is of dubious origins.

In addition to these comparisons, RavenSoul also conflates Satan with gods like Pan and Set, and while those gods come from open religions, some may not enjoy such comparisons.

I know RavenSoul's work is popular amongst my fellow theists, and I never aim to tell my readers what to do in these review sections. These are my thoughts and only my thoughts, not instructions on where you should draw the line on which books you will or won't make use of.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi! I'm an apprentice librarian at a university of education, and I'd like to suggest our library get some TTRPGs, ones that are available in print and suitable for school (since our userbase is mainly aspiring teachers), ideally with a German translation (I know that part may be difficult).

Do you have some suggestions?

Theme: Available in German!

Hello friend, so my strategy for this was to find some German websites for roleplaying games and then try to see if they sold physical copies of certain games. This is going to be a bit different from my regular recommendations, mostly because I can’t read German! So I figured I’d send you to these different publishers, and point out specific games that look like potential candidates.

(Also German-speaking followers please sound off in the tags and comments!)

Plotbunny Games @plotbunnygames

From what I can tell, this is a small publisher with a number of indie ttrpgs, and most of these games look to have physical copies. The games that really stand out to me here are Follow, and Miss Bernberg’s Finishing School for Young Ladies. Follow is a game by Ben Robbins, the creator of Microscope, and is a GM-less collaborative storytelling game about going on a quest. I think it would be a great game for collaboration and quick brainstorming sessions. Miss Bernberg’s Finishing School for Young Ladies is made in-house, and is a Firebrands game, which means that it uses a number of small mini-games to tell a bigger story. Great for focusing on narrative over complex characters. There’s also a German translation of ImproVeto, which is a great tool for introducing safety tools, good for any roleplaying group.

Obscurati

Obscurati has two games that I recognize: Tiny Dungeons and Into the Dark. Tiny Dungeons is made by Gallant Knight Games. It is very streamlined, and has a lot of supplements for you to customize your setting. Obscurati appears to have a large number of physical Tiny Dungeon components, including a hardcover book. If you want traditional fantasy, this is probably worth checking out. Into the Dark is a Forged-in-Dark game by Off Guard Games, and is a dark-fantasy dungeon delving game that gives you character playbooks, tables for adventure generation, and a streamlined game system. I’m generally a fan of Forged in the Dark games because they give you some easy-to-understand mechanics that can carry a story really far. (This game is also in hardcover!)

Ulisses Spiele

Ulisses Spiele looks to be a pretty major publisher, with D&D, Warhammer, and Pathfinder all in one house. I'm assuming you're probably familiar with them. If you want a big-name roleplaying game, this is the place to be. Many of the games from this publishing house are pretty crunchy, so they’re more suited for folks who want to go through the traditional process of complex character creation, and specific rules for things like range, inventory, specific types of damage, etc.

If you’re looking for games that hearken to popular media, Dune and Tales from the Loop both come from Modiphius, a games company with a pretty good reputation for mechanically sound games, although they generally require a lot of bookkeeping. World of Darkness is the game system I’m most familiar with in this list, using dice pools of d10s, although much of the subject matter in these games is rather dark - especially since the bulk of their WoD catalogs appears to be Vampire: the Masquerade. I’m actually really intrigued by Die Schwarze Katze, of which I’m not entirely sure there is an English equivalent, and appears to be a fantasy game with cat characters!

Truant Spiele

Truant has a number of games that I am unfamiliar with, although I may have heard of their names before. Kult is labelled as an adult roleplaying game, so if you want something child-friendly, I’d stay away, and The One Ring has not received many friendly reviews - but Warbirds is a fantastical-historical game about fighter pilots and aerial combat, which looks pretty lighthearted, although this looks like a game that can have winners and losers. There’s also The Witcher RPG, a class-based system all about fighting monsters in a well-loved world based on that of the video game. The Witcher looks to be a bit on the crunchier side of things, so I’d see it as a better candidate for long-term campaigns rather than quick pick-up sessions. Finally, they carry Cyberpunk Red, which I’ve heard rave reviews for, with pre-generated enemies, a giant swathe of lore, and plenty of player support.

Fiasco

There’s a physical German version of Fiasco on the Pro-Indie website, along with a number of supplements. Fiasco is a game about a making a terrible movie using card stock and dice, and is great for lighthearted games and ridiculous stories.

Now, for some digital runners-up.

Pegasus Digital looks to be a German version of DriveThru Rpg, with a smaller catalogue but a lot of resources for Cthulhu 7, Shadowrun, and Avatar Legends. If you get folks who want to see what else is out there, this might be a handy website to direct them to.

Hero Kids is a game that only has a physical version in English, but it has a digital German equivalent! This is a great game for young role-players and folks who want a kid-friendly style of role-play.

DURF is a minimalist fantasy game with a number of different translations, including a German one. It isn’t available in print, but the game itself is small enough that printing copies of the game for yourself and fellow players shouldn’t be very expensive. DURF is based in OSR style play, so expect very small character sheets and an emphasis on your inventory.

Brindlewood Bay is only available in English and Polish, as far as I can tell- but there is a collection of play materials available in German! This game has such a big following because it has a reputation for being easy to teach, and it has a really wonderful mystery system, so I think it might be worth checking out.

[morgana-larkin]

After a month of writing it I finally finished the next part of Regina And You. Had to break part 7 in two parts as Tumblr said it was too long Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

Summary: Cruella, Ursula, Maleficent and Rumple plan something together.

Part 1 Part 2* Part 3* Part 4 Part 5* Part 6* Part 7.2

Regina And You - Part 7.1

Warnings: Smut, Swearing

Words: 12.8K

5 weeks pass and you and Regina are in the library, along with Hook and Belle. You’re all trying to find a way to get the fairies out of the hat while Hook looks at the board that you’ve all been adding to it. All of a sudden Snow walks in and goes right to Regina.

“Hey Snow, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be busy being the mayor?” You ask her and she looks at Regina.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to Regina about. Regina, I wanted to let you know that I don’t want to be the mayor anymore, I want to step down and become a teacher again.” Snow says and Regina looks confused. “You should be the mayor again, you were good at it.” Snow adds and Regina looks surprised.

“What? I-”

“Regina, you should definitely do it, I mean you loved doing it.” You tell her and she looks at you.

“But don’t you need my help here, with the fairies?” She asks you.

“We can do this without you here the whole time, but if we do need you then we know how to reach you.” You tell her and she smiles before looking back at Snow.

“I’d love to be the mayor again.” She says and Snow smiles.

One week passes and you’re both awake and cuddling after just having sex.

“Hmm, what a way to start the morning.” You tell her and she chuckles.

“Best way, but I’m going to head to Granny’s to see Henry off before I start being the mayor again.” She tells you as she goes to sit up but you pull her back down and she giggles. “Y/n!”

30 minutes later you’re both at Granny’s, preparing to send Henry off to school. You watch as Regina sends Henry onto the school bus and then she walks up to you.

“I’ll walk you to the library.” She tells you and you nod before she holds your hand and you start walking.

“Excited for your first day as mayor?” You ask her and she nods.

“I really am, and I’m definitely going to burn that bird painting that Snow put there.” She says and you snort. “Have a good day.” She says before giving you a kiss and then watches as you unlock the library.

“Have a good day as well, and I love you.” You tell her and she smiles before you give her a kiss again.

“I love you too.” She says and then Belle, Hook and Emma come up to you both. “I’ll see you later.” She tells you before giving you another kiss and then she leaves. You, Hook and Belle then enter the library and get back to work.

“I see you still have your temper.” Belle says after Hook knocks down the board.

“Six weeks and nothing.” He says and you sigh as you look at him with some books in your hand. “They’re still trapped inside that bloody hat.” He says angrily and you go back to putting books away.

“Look, we just have to keep at it, okay?” Belle tells him.

“Ya, I mean we might have found something but neither of us know what language it’s in.” You tell him and point to the book that Belle is trying to translate.

“It’s making translation difficult, but Y/n and I reached out to some of the finest minds in the world and one of them will get back to us.” She says and then you go back to putting books back on shelves while they have a chat. While they’re still talking, you go back to get some more books to put back and you hear a notification from the computer and you look at it.

“One of them got back to us.” You tell them and they look at you before they come to the computer and look at the email.

“We need to print this.” Belle says as she does the steps to print it.

“We need Regina.” You say as Belle waits for the paper to finish printing.

“Ok, I got it, let’s go.” Belle says and you all go to the mayor’s office.

“Regina.” You say as you all walk in the office and she looks at you. “We may have found a way to get the fairies out.” You add and both her and Emma look at you.

“Yeah, Y/n and I found an incantation.” Belle says.

“It’s part of a spell in an ancient tongue that we’ve never seen before which made translation a challenge.” You tell her.

“But we did it, we found a professor of linguistics from Oxford, and he just emailed me the translation.” Belle explains. “It’s an ancient ceremony, but one that will bring them back.”

“We just need you to enact it.” You tell her as Belle hands her the paper. Regina reads it and then looks at your face that has a smile and eyes full of hope.

“Well how can I say no to my beautiful girlfriend?” She says and you smile even brighter. “We need to perform this in the woods.” She says as she looks at the instructions. “And we need fire.” She adds.

30 minutes later you’re all standing in the woods and Regina puts the box down on the rock before she gets the dagger from Belle. You all stand back and then you watch as Regina does the spell and ceremony. At first nothing happens and then after a second a gold light shoots from the box and you duck and look away. A few seconds later the gold light disappears and you look to see all the fairies crutched down on the ground. You watch as Emma, Hook, Snow and Belle run to help the fairies and you run to Regina.

“You did it!” You tell her with a smile and she looks at you and you hug her.

“Thank you.” You hear Blue say.

“Actually you should thank the mayor.” Emma says and they both look at Regina.

“Welcome back.” Regina tells her and Blue nods her head.

“Thank you.” She says to Regina and then leaves and you see Regina looking at the dagger.

“What’s wrong?” You ask her.

“It feels… wrong holding this.” She tells you and then she goes and hands it back to Belle. “You should keep this.” Regina tells Belle.

“Thank you.” Belle tells her.

“So shall we go celebrate at Granny’s?” Emma asks you all and you nod.

“Come on, let’s go celebrate.” You tell her and she smiles before you all go to Granny’s. 

Regina orders you a cup of coffee and like always, you grab a straw and start sipping it that way while Regina is looking at you amused.

“What?” You ask her.

“You’re just adorable, that’s all.” She says and you smile before you continue sipping. 

“Mom.” Henry says and Regina turns around to face him. “Here’s one of the books, you should go ask Blue about the sorcerer.” Henry tells her and hands her one of the blank story books.

“What’s wrong?” You ask her.

“What if she doesn’t know anything? We’ve hit so many walls trying to look for this person.” She tells you both.

“If she doesn’t know then she doesn’t know and we’ll find another way. For now, how about you ask cause she might know something, even if it’s just a clue.” You tell her and she nods her head before walking over.

“Excuse me.” Regina says to Blue politely. “May I ask you something?” Regina asks her.

“What can I do for you?” Blue asks her and Henry takes a seat beside her and you see Emma come over.

“Do you know what this is?” Regina asks as she places the empty storybook on the table.

“Where did you get this?” Blue asks, slightly worried.

“The Sorcerer's mansion.” You tell her.

“Henry found dozens of these blank books there.” Emma adds.

“The Sorcerer is here?” Blue asks.

“Well his house is, but we haven’t found him yet.” Henry tells her.

“You’re looking for him?” Blue asks, shocked.

“Well I was hoping he could write me something to change people’s view on me, a happy ending.” Regina says, with hope on her face. “But that book seems to have great power.”

“Oh, it does.” Blue tells you all as she looks at the book.

“So I thought if he rewrote it…” Regina says, a little scared. “I know, it sounds crazy.”

“It’s not crazy at all.” Blue tells her and Regina looks at her in disbelief. “But you’re looking for the wrong person. Although the sorcerer is a very powerful wizard, you should be looking for the Author.” She says.

“Aren’t they the same person?” You ask her. “I mean why would the sorcerer have the Author’s books?” You ask her.

“That is a quite perplexing question, and I’m afraid I do not know. But I do know that they are two very different people.” Blue tells you all and Regina sits across from her in the booth.

“So you know who the Author is?” Regina asks her.

“No, but I do know he exists, if he is a he.” She says and you let out a small sigh. “I’ve never actually seen him. In fact, no one has, not for many years.” She tells you all and you place your hand on Regina’s shoulder for comfort.

“So this is where hope has gotten me?” She asks Emma.

“We’ll find him Regina, it’s not like he just vanished.” She tells Regina softly. “Blue, do you have any idea why he might have disappeared?”

“Sadly, no. But there are whispers that he left hidden clues in some of his works.” Blue tells you all.

“Like Henry’s book?” You ask her and before she answers there’s a loud roar that shakes the diner.

“What the hell was that?” Emma asks and you look at Regina.

“I suppose we should go out and see what’s killing property values this time.” Regina says before she gets up and you all go outside. 

You all walk to the middle of the street and you see a giant black creature with wings on the clock tower. It then lets out a loud roar and starts flying towards all of you. Not knowing what to do, you all duck and run towards a car. Regina instinctively grabs your hand and keeps you close to her. She then sees the creature is looking the other way and you all run behind a shop wall, out of sight of the creature.

“Did that thing come out of the hat?” Regina asks, very confused and nervous. “I thought the spell was only supposed to release the fairies.” She accuses Belle.

“Maybe it is some kind of fairy.” Snow says.

“Why not put it back in the hat and figure out the rest later?” Emma asks you all.

“Because we can’t.” Belle says. 

“Once something is freed, it can never be re-trapped.” You explain to everyone.

“Great, so our best defence against magical beasts follows the same rule as chicken pox.” Emma tells Regina.

“Surely the Saviour and the Evil Queen can defeat a simple hell-beast.” Hook points out.

“Can we drop the E word already?” Regina says and you squeeze her hand. She then lets go of your hand and nods at Emma. “Stay here.” She tells you before she walks out with Emma to the middle of the street and you all watch. The creature comes flying at them and they start blasting it with their magic. The creature flies off after a few seconds and you all run to Emma and Regina.

“Well that was easy.” Emma says.

“Don’t get excited, we only stunned it. And a blast like that should have destroyed it.” Regina says before she sees you beside her and she wraps her arms around your shoulders.

“I was just getting used to things being relaxing around here.” Emma says before she turns around. “Belle and Y/n…”

“We’ll go see if we can find anything about this thing in the library.” Belle tells Emma and you nod.

“Thanks. And Mary Margaret…” Emma turns to her mom.

“I’ll get everyone to safety, I’m on it.” Snow says.

“Wow, you guys really have this down.” Emma says.

“Well this town seems to get attacked every week.” You tell her before you give Regina a kiss and head to the library with Belle and Hook.

You’re busy reading a book when your phone starts ringing and you see Regina is calling you. 

“Hey Regina, what’s up?” You ask her as you continue flipping through the book. “It’s called a Chernobog? What do you mean it’s gonna go after you? It goes after ones with the greatest potential for evil? And how exactly do you know this?” You ask her as you look at Belle and Hook who are already looking at you. “What? How are they here?” You ask her and Belle furrows her eyebrows. “Ok, well be careful. I love you too, bye.” You say and then hang up the phone.

“So what’s going on?” Belle asks you.

“They’re going to try and get the Chernobog over the town line, and hopefully it’ll destroy it.” You tell her. “But apparently Ursula and Cruella are here. I don’t know if you ever encountered them before.” You say.

“I have actually, them and Maleficent threatened to kill me unless Rumple gave them an object of his.” She tells you and you hum.

“Regina once told me she’s encountered all 3 of them before.” You tell them. “They’re not pleasant to interact with.”

“They aren’t.” Belle says.

“Regina also told me to stay here.” You say as you grab your coat.

“And I take it you’re not going to listen to her?” Hook asks you.

“Of course not.” You say and then leave. You see David and Snow going down the road and you quickly run out in the street and wave to them. They see you and David rolls down his window and you go up to him. “Do you happen to be going to the town line?” You ask them and he nods. “Can I catch a ride?” You ask them.

“Hop in.” He says and you go in the backseat. He then drives you all to the town line and you see Emma and Regina standing at the town line, looking at Ursula and Cruella.

“Emma!” Snow shouts as you all run up to them and both Emma and Regina turn around.

“Are you alright?” David asks her.

“Yeah.” She says as she gives her mom a hug.

“Y/n what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the library.” Regina tells you.

“When do I ever listen to you?” You ask her and you go and hug her. “I’m glad you’re ok.” You say and she hugs you back.

“So Cruella and Ursula were telling the truth?” Snow asks.

“It would appear so.” Regina tells them and Emma goes to hand the scroll to Regina.

“No, wait, Emma… I think this is a bad idea.” Snow tells Emma and you all look at her confused. “Look, they may have told the truth this time, that doesn’t mean they can be trusted.”

“Mom, this doesn’t sound like you, you believe the best in people.”

“I’m also a realist.” Snow says.

“Emma, she’s right.” David agrees. “Things were just starting to get back to normal in Storybrooke.”

“You too?” Emma asks, confused.

“Look, we don’t know anything about these two. They could be looking for redemption, but they also could be as evil as Mr. Gold, or Zelena, or worse.” Snow tells her as Regina rubs your arm and you lean into her.

“That could be, but they just helped us, and we made a deal.” Emma says to them, conflicted.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s a bad idea, they’re villains.” Snow says.

“You’re right, they are, they’re horrible.” Regina says and you look at her. “But not as horrible as I once was. And if I deserve a second chance, so do they.” She says and Snow is looking at her in surprise. “How can I sit here with my happy ending and deny two others a chance at theirs?” She adds and you wrap your arms around her waist.

“I’m with Regina, we let them in.” Emma says and Snow looks at you.

“What do you think, Y/n? You’re the tie breaker.” Snow asks and everyone looks at you.

“You all have good points but Regina is right, if she’s able to change then other people can as well.” You say and Regina places a kiss on your forehead and then Emma hands the scroll to Regina. Regina looks at you before she lets you go and you remove your hands from her. She turns around and takes a deep breath before she throws the scroll across the town line. She holds your hand as you all watch Cruella picking up the scroll and they both get in her car to read it. They look at it before they look and see you all standing there and they drive forward.

“Welcome to Storybrooke.” Regina tells them.

“Thank you, Regina, you won’t regret it.” Cruella tells her.

“I better not.” Regina tells her and you don’t miss how Cruella looks at you holding hands with her. They then drive off and Regina holds you close. “Do you mind driving Y/n and I home?” Regina asks Emma and Emma nods.

“Ya, come on.” Emma says and you all walk to her car.

“What the hell happened to your car?” You ask her as you see the broken windshield.

“The beast destroyed it trying to get Regina.” Emma tells you.

“But I’m fine, not a scratch.” Regina says when she sees the worried look on your face. “I’ll even let you check every inch of me.” She adds on with a wink before getting in the passenger seat and you get in the back. Emma drives you both back home and you thank her before getting out and going inside with Regina.

“So I’m guessing the 6 weeks of calm may have just ended.” You tell her.

“I hope those 2 don’t go causing trouble.” She says and then goes to the kitchen. “Come keep me company and I’ll make your favourite.” She says and you excitedly follow her to the kitchen.

A few hours later you’re laying your head on her chest and she’s stroking your head while laying in bed.

“What are we doing tomorrow?” You ask her.

“Well I promised Henry to get some donuts while we search through the book at my office.” She tells you. “Want to join us?” She asks and you nod.

“Sure, sounds nice.” You say tiredly and she hums.

“Get some sleep, sweetheart.” She tells you and you close your eyes and immediately fall asleep. You wake up with Regina spooning you and you let out a content hum. “Good morning, beautiful.” Regina says softly. “I was just about to wake you up.” She adds and you grab her wrist and pull it around you tighter and she laughs. “We’re going to meet Henry at Granny’s in a couple hours.” 

“But it’s Saturday and I feel I’ve barely seen you all week as you were preparing to be mayor again.” You say and she wraps her other arm around and pulls you right up against her body.

“I’ve missed you too.” She says softly. “But we should get ready so we can meet Henry.” She says before giving you a kiss on the cheek and then getting up. “If there’s no impending danger tomorrow then we can sleep in tomorrow morning, alright?” She offers and you look at her before nodding your head.

“I guess that’s a reasonable offer.” You say and then she holds her hand for you, you take it and she helps you up. “Can I at least get a kiss to start the day?” You ask her and she smiles before she cups your cheeks and gives you a kiss. 

“I still love to see the love in your eyes.” She says as she looks at your eyes and you tilt your head in confusion. “I still remember the hatred I saw in your eyes when you looked at me when we were under the spell.” She explains.

“That was our darkest selves, we’re not them. Besides, even your darkest self didn’t want to kill me.” You say and she chuckles before giving you another kiss. “Come, let’s go get ready, I’m hungry and wouldn’t mind donuts later.” You say and go to get changed.

After breakfast she drives you both to Granny’s where Henry is waiting outside for you both.

“Hey mom.” He says and Regina goes and hugs him. “Hey Y/n.” He says and he hugs you.

“Hey Henry.” You say and then you all go inside.

“Regina.” You hear and turn to see Ursula and Cruella there. “We could use a heart rip over here. Granny needs a little encouragement in taking our order.” Ursula says.

“Yes, a very effective tactic.” Cruella says and Regina wraps her arm around your shoulder and holds Henry’s hand. “Didn’t you once rip out the heart of every villager in the North Woods?”

“Or was it the South?” Ursula says and Regina looks at you quickly and sees that you remember what they’re talking about and she takes a breath before she turns to Henry.

“Why don’t you head to my office, get started on the book?” She asks Henry.

“Sure, make sure to get chocolate-frosted donuts, not chocolate donuts, ok?” He asks her and she nods. He then leaves and she turns to Ursula and Cruella.

“Let me be clear, ladies. If you bring up my former sins around my son again, you’ll find yourselves across that town line faster than you can say costume jewelry.” She threatens and mocks them with.

“These are blood diamonds, I’ll have you know.” Cruella tells her. “What about your little girlfriend, are we allowed to tell her about your past?” Cruella asks her and points at you.

“Wait a minute, wasn’t she your maid?” Ursula asks. 

“I guess you took a page out of Rumple’s book and got with the maid.” Cruella says and you pull Regina away from them. “She must know all about your past then.”

“My name is Y/n and let me be clear as well, harm anyone here and the only place you’ll be is 6 feet under.” You tell them and they seem amused by you.

“My, my, you got a feisty one Regina.” Cruella says.

“Come on, let’s take our business elsewhere.” Ursula says as she gets up and both Ursula and Cruella leave.

“So, what’s the plan here?” David asks you both and you furrow your eyebrows.

“To deal with our latest crisis.” Snow says and Regina shakes her head.

“Those two might be tactless morons, but they couldn’t magic their way out of a paper bag. I wouldn’t worry and they’re here to seek redemption.” Regina tells them.

“You don’t actually believe that?” Snow asks her.

“If I didn’t think it was a distinct possibility, I wouldn’t have let them in town in the first place.” Regina tells them. “You both know I care the most about my son’s and Y/n’s safety and would never jeopardise that.” She adds.

“Yeah, but now that they’re here, we have to be certain. Which means keeping eyes on them 24/7.” David tells you both.

“Which sounds like a job for the sheriff’s department.” Regina says and you go and order the donuts. “I have bigger things to worry about.” She adds before she goes to stand beside you at the counter. Granny hands you two boxes of chocolate frosted donuts and you smile as you take them. Regina pays and smiles at seeing you so happy. “Come on, let’s go to my office and see if we can help Henry.” She says and you nod before you walk out to her car and she drives you to her office. You both walk in and she takes one of the boxes and puts it down on her desk and Henry looks up at her. “Chocolate-frosted donuts.” She says and he smiles. “How are we doing? You find anything?” She asks him as you sit on one of the chairs and eat one of the donuts.

“Not yet. But if the Author left clues in the book, like Mother Superior said, we’ll find them.” He tells her with a smile. “How about you, Mom? How are you doing?” He asks her and she looks at him.

“I’m fine, Henry.” She says.

“Liar.” You say and she casts you a glare while you eat another donut.

“You didn’t seem fine when we ran into Ursula and Cruella.” He tells her and Regina looks at you before turning back to Henry.

“Well I suppose that’s because they remind me of a time in my life I’d rather forget. A time when I was a true villain. Makes me doubt if my happy ending is possible.” She says and you put the donut box down and walk over to her.

“You can‘t think like that.” Henry says to her and you put your hand on her shoulder and she looks up at you before she puts her hand over yours. 

“I know. But sometimes I wonder if my happiness will get taken away from me. If you and Y/n will get taken away from me.” She says. 

“It won’t, mom. We’re gonna find the Author, and when he writes you as a hero, everything will be the way you want it.” Henry says as he takes a donut and Regina lays her head on your stomach as she’s sitting in the chair and you’re standing. Henry then smiles before he takes a big bite of the donut.

“Careful, Henry.” She says as she gets up and walks to the other side of the desk. “You’re getting crumbs all over the book.” She says and then wipes the crumbs off.

“Sorry.” He says and you see Regina looking at it strangely.

“What’s wrong?” You ask her.

“That’s strange. This paper, it’s different than the rest.” She says and you look at the book.

“That’s because it’s the Pinocchio story.” Henry explains.

“Why would that story be any different from the others?” She asks.

“Because August added it to the book.” Henry explains. “He wanted Emma to know he was Pinocchio as a boy, he wanted her to believe.” 

“If August took the book apart, he might know something about it that we don’t.” Regina says.

“Too bad he isn’t around to ask.” You say and Regina looks at you. 

“August might not be, but Pinocchio is.” She says and then Henry goes to get Pinocchio. You sit on the chair that Regina was recently sitting in and she goes over to you with a smile. “Finally got another lead.” She says and moves your hair out of the way before placing her arms around you, giving you a hug from behind. You lean into her and just enjoy being in her arms.

Pinocchio, Henry and Marco enter the office about an hour later and you bring the book to the other side of the desk and get up from the seat. You watch as Pinocchio looks at the book and see Regina getting a little antsy.

“Is anything coming back to you, Pinocchio?” She asks him softly and Pinocchio shakes his head. “Maybe if you look at the pages again.” She tells him and you hear footsteps and see Emma walk in and Regina goes up to her. “Where the hell have you been?” Regina asks her.

“I’m on witch watch.” Emma tells her. “I was on my way to the station when I got your call. How’s it going here?” Emma asks.

“It’s not, he can’t remember anything. But since you and August spent so much time together, I thought seeing you would jog his memory.” Regina tells her and you have your attention on Pinocchio.

“That’s you in the book.” You tell him. “Do you remember that?” You ask him and he shakes his head as Emma comes up to him and you move out of the way.

“Hey.” Emma tells him. “Come here.” She tells him and they go to sit on the couch. “You remember me, right?” 

“You’re Emma, the sheriff.” He tells her.

“But you know that back when you were old-older, we were friends. You were a really smart grown up. So smart, you knew how to take that entire thing apart and add a story to it. And then, you put it all back together.” She tells him. “Do you remember doing that? Or anything else about the book?” She asks him and he looks at everyone.

“I know everybody wants me to remember, but I just don’t.” He says and you sigh.

“You went to Phuket, you rode a motorcycle, you wore leather and didn’t shave!” She says, getting louder with each word.

“Regina.” You tell her and she looks at you. 

“No, he’s not trying hard enough. All you need to do is concentrate and think! Or is that head of yours still made out of wood?” She says to him.

“Woah, stop.” Marco tells her.

“Mom.” Henry says. 

“I won’t have you speak that way to my boy.” Marco says to her.

“Maybe what your boy needs is some motivation.” She says and you walk up to her.

“Regina.” You say and put your hand on her shoulder. Emma then looks between you both and decides to give you both the room. 

“Let’s go down to the vending machine and get a snack. Henry, come on.” Emma says and you see Regina take a breath as they walk out.

“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe this quest of yours is ill-fated?” Marco asks her. “After ruining everyone else’s happy ending, what makes you think you deserve one of your own?” He tells her and Regina removes your hand from her and goes up to him.

“I can ask you the same question, toy maker. Considering you lied about the wardrobe, so you can send Pinocchio to this world.” She tells him.

“I wouldn’t have needed to if it weren’t for your curse, I had to save him. You stay away from my boy.” He tells her sternly and looks at you. “You don’t even deserve to have Y/n in your life.” He throws at her before he walks out. Regina looks at you after he leaves and you go up to her but she shakes her head. 

“Can you give me some time alone?” She asks you. 

“Alright, if that’s what you want. But just know, you deserve happiness in your life.” You tell her and then leave. You go downstairs and everyone looks at you.

“How’s my mom?” Henry asks you.

“Upset, she needed some time alone.” You tell him.

“Just keep her away from my boy.” Marco says.

“Ya, you already told her that.” You counter at him and he realises you’re a bit pissed about what you told Regina and he leaves with Pinocchio. 

“How about we all go to Granny’s while Regina takes some time to cool off?” Emma suggests and you and Henry both nod before you all walk to Emma’s car. 

Regina watches you all walk to Emma’s car and then drive away and a tear falls down her cheek. She sees the book on her desk and a surge of anger takes over and she pushes it off and it falls to the ground. She got angry, she crossed a line and she knew it. She knows she has to apologise to Marco and makes sure that she doesn’t lose what’s already important in her life. 

She goes to apologise to Marco and he hands her August’s bags that might be able to help her. She brings it back to her office and then goes to Granny’s to see if any of you are there. As luck has it, she sees you, Emma and Henry sitting in a booth. 

“Mom.” Henry says and goes up to give her a hug and she hugs him back. You and Emma look back and see Regina there. “Are you feeling better?” Henry asks her and she nods.

“Ya, I am.” She tells him before he smiles at her. “Y/n, can I talk to you for a second?” She asks you and you nod before you get up and you both go to the back of the diner.

“What’s going on?” You ask her.

“I realised I crossed a line and I want to make sure that you don’t view me any differently.” She tells you and you grab her hand. 

“Regina, of course I don’t. You realising you made a mistake just further proves how far you’ve come.” You tell her and she smiles. 

“I also apologised to Marco for snapping at Pinocchio.” She tells you and you smile.

“See? You’ve changed.” You say and cup her cheek. She then grabs the back of your head and pulls you into a kiss. 

“I was worried that you or Henry would lose faith in me changing.” She says softly.

“Regina, I was there when you were at your worst. Whatever you do now won’t make me see you any differently.” You tell her. “I highly doubt that anything you do would come close to what you did as the Evil Queen.” You add and she wraps her arms around you in a hug. “Why don’t you come join us?” You ask her and she nods before you sit back down next to Emma and Regina sits next to Henry. You all finish your meals and then you all get up. 

“Um, Marco gave me some of August’s things, and I was wondering if you would like to come and go through them with me?” She asks you all.

“I’m hanging out with Hook, but if you want Henry then you can.” Emma says. 

“Ya, definitely.” He says to Regina and she smiles. 

“I’ll come along too.” You say and she nods before you all go to her car and she drives to her office. You all get there and her phone starts ringing. 

“It’s Snow. Hang on.” She says as you and Henry get out of the car. She gets out a couple minutes later and walks up to you both. “Hey, Snow wants to talk to me but I’ll meet you both later.” She says as she gives you the keys to her office. She gives you a kiss and Henry a hug before she leaves. 

“So shall we see if there’s anything?” You ask him and he nods before you go to her office and see the bag on the couch. Henry picks up the bag and goes to her desk. He opens it and flips it upside down and everything falls out. You both look at everything and you see a paper there and you pick it up. “Oh my god, Henry look.” You say and turn the page around that shows a door and a note that says ‘Author?’

“We have to show this to my mom.” He says and you nod. 

“When she gets back then we will.” You tell him and he nods. 

When she gets back about an hour later you show her the page and she smiles. 

“So if we find where this door is then we find the Author.” She says and you nod. 

“You’ll get everything you want.” You tell her and she smiles at you.

She drops Henry off before she takes you home with her and you get ready for bed.

“What did Snow want?” You ask her as you brush your hair. 

“Something she asked me to keep secret.” She says and you look at her. “I would tell you if you were better at keeping secrets.” 

“Heyyy, I’ve gotten better.” You complain and she wraps her arms around your waist from behind.

“I love you but you haven’t.” She says with a smile and then kisses your cheek. You turn around in her arms and wrap your arms around her neck. She looks at you with a smile before she leans forward and kisses you. She immediately deepens the kiss and gently bites your bottom lip. You pull back and you see her eyes darken before she lifts you up and places you on the sink counter. 

“Are you trying to distract me Madam Mayor?” You ask her with a lower voice and she groans softly before she goes straight to your neck and you moan. “Oh god.” You moan out and she lifts you up and brings you to the bed. She gently places you on it before she steps back and takes her pj shirt off and then straddles your lap. “You seem impatient.” You say and she hums.

“I’ve been wanting you all day.” She says and you place your hands on her boobs and she kisses you again. “Do you know how hard it is to be with you all day and can’t have you right then and there?” 

“No, why don’t you tell me.” You say to her and she’s too busy kissing and sucking your neck to answer. She leaves 3 hickeys on your neck before she pulls back. She then starts lifting up your shirt before she answers you.

“So fucking hard to control myself around you most of the time.” She tells you and you smile.

“Well you don’t have to control yourself right now, do what you want.” You tell her and she smirks before she pushes you on your back.

“Anything I want?” She asks and you nod. She then waves her hand and your pj pants are gone. “What I want is to have my fingers deep inside of you until you come.” She says and you rub your thighs together. “Already squirming under me? I’ve barely touched you.” She says before she leans down and kisses your chest before she takes a nipple in her mouth. You grab her hair and gasp out at the sensations she’s giving you. She then lowers her hand and feels how wet you already are. “You’re soaking sweetie.” She tells you and you whine.

She then slips a finger in your entrance and you gasp. She then slips another one in easily before she starts pumping. She goes faster and faster until she’s pounding into you and you’re moaning like crazy. She straddles one of your legs and brings her other hand to your clit and starts rubbing it. 

“I love you.” You say to her and she smiles at you.

“I love you too.” She tells you before your legs start shaking. “Are you close already?” She asks and you nod. “Come my beautiful girl.” She says and you let go and your orgasm washes through you.

The next day you spent most of the day at the library as Regina told you she has to go somewhere after work.

“What are you reading?” Belle asks you as you’re reading a book at a table.

“Reading about teenagers. Regina and the Charmings have mentioned that Henry is starting to act like one.” You tell her.

“That’s nice that you’re reading about that. I bet Regina appreciates it.” She says.

“She doesn’t know that I’m reading this, I just saw it a couple hours ago and thought it would be a good idea.”

“Well it’s still nice that you’re doing that. Speaking of Regina, shouldn’t you be home with her right now?” She asks you.

“She told me she has to do something after work, probably mayor stuff.” You tell her and she nods. 

Just then David, Snow and Emma rush into the library and walk over to you. 

“Oh good, you’re here.” David says and you furrow your eyebrows. “Belle, we need to talk to Y/n in private.” He tells her and Belle nods before leaving.

“What’s going on?” You ask them and they all take a deep breath before telling you what’s going on with Regina. “SHE’S WHAT???” You ask them.

“She told us that she’ll go undercover to figure out if they’re planning something.” Snow tells you and you sigh.

“So that’s what she was doing after work but kept refusing to tell me what it was?” You ask and they nod.

“She was supposed to check in over an hour ago and we were wondering if she’s reached out to you.” Emma asks and you shake your head.

“Haven’t heard from her since she left work.” You tell them.

“Ok how about we all get some sleep and then go look for her first thing in the morning?” David suggests and you sigh. “You can stay over at our place tonight so you can come look with us first thing tomorrow morning.” He offers and you nod.

“Thank you.” You tell them and they bring you back to their place.

“Y/n, what are you doing here?” Henry comes downstairs asking.

“I’m here because your mother is being an idiot.” You tell him and he looks at Emma. “Your other mother.” You add.

“What happened to my mom?” He asks you.

“That’s what we’re going to find out tomorrow.” You tell him and then Snow comes in the room with a blanket and pillow and you bring it over to the couch. “Thanks.” You tell her and set it up.

The next morning you hitch a ride with Snow and David as you check out the woods. You hear them talking about Regina before Snow spots something.

“Look!” She exclaims as David stops the truck and you all get out to see a burnt sheriff car.

“That’s one of my sheriff’s cars. What the hell happened?” He asks.

“Maleficent happened.” You hear and turn to see Regina there, not looking too well. “And that is her idea of a good time.” She adds as she points to the burnt car.

“Regina.” You say and walk up to her and she wraps her arms around you.

“Are you ok? What happened last night?” Snow asks her and Regina moves some hair out of your face.

“I had to prove myself. Which meant some drinking, some burning, and lots of destruction. I’m sorry about the car.” She explains. “And you really shouldn’t be here, especially you.” She says as she looks at you.

“They came to me last night and told me what was going on, do you really think I wouldn’t be worried about you?” You ask her and she sighs.

“Next time, we have to meet covertly.” She tells all of you.

“Next time? You didn’t find out what they’re planning?” David asks her.

“It was one night.” She says defensively. “But I did find out they’re hiding something, something incredibly powerful.”

“What?” You ask her and she looks at you and sighs.

“I don’t know.” She says.

“So the only thing you accomplished was property destruction?” Snow asks.

“I accomplished trust.” She says, defending herself.

“Getting trust from a villain is really hard to do.” You say and she nods.

“Exactly.” She says before she looks at Snow and David. “Last time I had to go to Maleficent, this time she’ll come to me.” She tells you all and lets you go.

“What happens now?” You ask her. 

“What do you mean?” She asks.

“Do you have to stay away from us?” You ask and she sighs.

“It’s for the best, but I’ll make it up to you after it’s all over. I promise.” She tells you before she gives you a kiss. 

*Gold’s cabin*

“Regina does present an intriguing possibility.” Rumple says.

“Do you really think she’ll help us?” Maleficent asks.

“Heartbreak turned her into a monster once, and now it seems she has a new love. Imagine the possibilities if Y/n was held hostage. What do you think Regina would do? Or if Y/n were to die?” Rumple says. “She would be in great pain.”

“And as you and I both know, pain always makes you stronger.” Maleficent says.

“Indeed it does.” Rumple tells her.

*Regina’s mansion*

You close the book you were reading as you can’t seem to focus, not with the possibility that Regina might be in danger. You’ve been trying to keep your mind off things by doing some chores, reading, watching movies. Nothing’s working. You then get a text and look to see that Emma texted you.

Emma: Library, meeting Regina in 10 minutes

You immediately go grab your coat and drive there with Regina’s car. You see the Charmings pulling up and then you all head in. You all walk in between the bookshelves.

“Hey, we’re here.” David says and then Regina comes out of hiding and doesn’t look impressed that 5 of you are there.

“I said we needed to meet covertly. Now I see you brought Y/n, the entire Charming softball team and their pirate mascot?” She asks.

“I’m worried about you and Emma told me that you were meeting them here.” You tell her.

“I don’t want you involved in any of this, I want you as far away from this as possible.” She tells you.

“I got involved the moment you were.” You counter and she sighs.

“We were all worried about you.” Snow tells her.

“Well worry quickly, I can’t be seen with all of you.” She says.

“Regina, listen to me, this is a bad idea. This woman, this dragon, she’s dangerous.” Emma tells her. “And you don’t know the first thing about going undercover.” She adds.

“I’m a quick study.” She quickly says and you can’t disagree with that. “And Maleficent already told me why they’re here.” She says and then looks at you and Emma. “Apparently they’re after the Author too.” She says and you and Emma look at each other before looking at Regina. “I simply want him to change how people view me.”

“And what do they want?” You ask her.

“They want to shift the entire balance so that villains win and heroes lose. They feel the only way to get their happy ending is to destroy yours.” She explains.

“Do you think they can find the Author?” Emma asks her.

“They have a lead we don’t.” She admits. “And tonight, they want me to help them steal it. Whatever it is.” She says.

“I’m telling you, these things never end well.” Emma tells her.

“I understand your concern, but I’m in.” She tells Emma.

“Ok, well, then I’m in, too.” Emma tells her and you look at her confused.

“What?” Regina asks, just as confused.

“I’m gonna stick by you, I’m gonna get your back while you do this.” Emma clarifies.

“No, it’s too dangerous.” Regina tells her calmly.

“I said I was a part of Operation Mongoose. I’m a part of it. You wanted my help? Well now you’re gonna get it. No matter what it means for both of us. Whatever she has planned tonight, I’ll be there.” Emma says.

“Well if she’s gonna be there then I want to as well.” You say and Regina whips her head at you.

“No, you’re already more involved in this than I want you to be. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you involved in the first place.” Regina says.

“Regina, I love you, which means that I want to make sure that you stay safe, as safe as you can be.” You tell her firmly.

“No!” She exclaims.

“You can say no all you want but we both know that I usually win these arguments.” You say to her and she groans before putting her hand on her forehead.

“If she wants to tag along then I’ll protect her.” Emma says to Regina.

“Plus I know how to sword fight now and I have that knife you gave me.” You tell her confidently.

“I’ve only taught you the basics in sword fighting.” She says, clearly annoyed that you could be put in danger. “But fine, you are right that you all always win these arguments.” She says and you smile. “Protect her with your life or I will end yours.” She says to Emma and Emma nods. Regina then gives you a quick hug and a kiss. “Stay safe, I love you.” She tells you.

“I love you too.” You say to her before you go with Emma to her car after turning the tracking on, on Regina’s phone and connecting it to yours.

At 9pm, Regina is waiting outside the library while you and Emma wait in David’s truck. Regina casts a glance at you both and you nod at her. Just then you all hear a car coming and see Cruella’s car. You look at it after the doors open and see no one in there. You then look at Regina and see that she’s talking to someone. You then see her go to the car with Maleficent right behind her. Emma follows the car until they turn into a neighbourhood and then you look at the tracker.

“Isn’t that Marco’s house?” You ask Emma and she looks at the tracker before she goes around the other way, and parks at the back of the house before you both get out and go near the garage and Emma peeks in.

“She just casted the sleeping spell, let’s go.” Emma tells you and you both go in. “Regina.” She whispers.

“Emma, Y/n, what are you doing here?” She asks.

“We saw you cast the sleeping spell and my gut said something was wrong.” Emma whispers.

“Well it will be if you two don’t get out of here.” She says.

“Not until you tell us what Maleficent has you in here doing.” Emma whispers sternly and Regina looks at you before she sighs.

“They’re after Pinocchio.” She admits.

“I told you these things never end well. We’ll have to do this quickly. Let’s sneak him out the back and then find a safe place.” Emma says and you can tell Regina is not going to do that.

“One little snafu and you’re ready to pack up?” Regina asks her. “What happens when Mal realises and lets loose her inner dragon?” Regina asks Emma.

“This is a child we’re talking about, Regina. It’s too big a risk.” Emma says to her.

“Not if I’m there to keep him safe.” Regina says and you sigh. “If they try to harm him, I’ll stop them and fight my way out.”

“Regina, there’s 3 of them. You’re powerful but not powerful enough to fight all of them.” You tell her.

“I know you two think I’m in over my head, but I got this. You don’t know them like I do.” She tells you both.

“You know that I know them. Not as much as you but enough to know that I don’t think you got this as much as you think.” You tell her and she sighs.

“How about you two enlighten me, because ever since they got to town my superpower has been going haywire. Like everyone, including my parents, is keeping something from me.” She says and you see Regina’s face and see that she knows something that you and Emma don’t.

“Emma, the only ones keeping secrets are Maleficent and her friends. They’ve taken a page out of the heroes’ playbook, they’re working together. Which means we have to take a page out of theirs and break some rules.” Regina tells you both.

“I see anything I don’t like and I will come in blazing.” Emma says and Regina nods.

“Just keep Y/n safe.” She says before she grabs pinocchio and in a blanket and leaves. You and Emma watch the tracker on Regina’s phone so that you two can leave when the coast is clear. 

Regina puts Pinocchio in the car gently before looking at Maleficent with a smile.

“It’s good to have you back.” Maleficent says to her before she gets in the car. Regina looks at her phone and realises she doesn’t want to put you in danger. She quickly types a message and leaves her phone on the ground.

You both are waiting for about 5 minutes and see that it still isn’t moving. You tape on your phone to see if maybe it froze but it’s not. You then suddenly realise what happened and run out to see that the car is gone and nowhere in sight. Emma sees the phone and picks it up and shows you the message. ‘I got this’

“She is so dead when I see her next.” You tell Emma.

“Let’s hope she’s alive the next time we see her.” She tells you.

You end up going back to the Charmings house and sleep over before going to search for Regina early in the morning.

You’re walking through the forest and barely registering what Emma is saying as she’s blaming herself for what’s happening with Regina and Pinocchio. 

“Yeah the tracks end here. Looks like the rain washed them away.” David says.

“Oh, well now would be the appropriate time for a locator spell.” Hook says and looks at you.

“I don’t have one and I’d have to look at Regina’s spellbooks to find out how to make one.” You tell him.

“We may not need one, look.” Snow says and you all look up to see purple smoke.

“Regina.” You mutter out and the smoke comes closer and closer and circles around Snow and you look at it confused.

“What the hell was that?” You ask while looking at Snow.

“I have to make this quick, I don’t have much time.” You see Snow say but it’s in Regina’s voice.

“Regina?” David says, confused and then Snow turns to Emma.

“Pinocchio’s fine, he’s back to his old self, well older self.” She says.

“August.” Emma says in disbelief and then Snow looks at David.

“But there’s something else you need to know, Gold is here.” She says and you gasp in disbelief. “We’re holed up in his cabin, and he’s in town for more than just the Author, but he won’t tell me why. Which means whatever he’s planning, it’s bad.” She says and then Snow turns to you and you’re taken back. “I love you.” Regina says before the spell is broken and it leaves Snow’s body. You then all realise how bad this is as Rumple is back and is working with 3 other villains and Regina is in the middle of it.

“We have to get Regina out of there. If Rumple is back then she is extremely fucked.” You tell them all and then they all look at you.

“There’s only one person who can help us drive him back out.” Emma says and then you all go to Gold’s shop to speak to Belle. You all explain the situation to Belle and she can’t believe it.

“He’s here?” She stammers and you nod. “But that’s impossible.”

“Well, did you really think he’d stay away?” Snow tells her.

“The dagger.” Emma says as she walks up to Belle. “You need to hand it over so we can stop this fight before it starts.” Emma says and you all realise that Belle handed it over to Rumple without knowing.

“How much trouble is Regina in?” You ask everyone and they all look at you but don’t respond. You then walk out of the store, ignoring Snow calling out your name. You take a deep breath before you hear someone walk out and look to see Snow there. “I don’t need a hope speech.” You say to her.

“Well a hope speech probably wouldn’t help you anyway as you’re smart enough to understand the situation.” She says and you sigh. “There��s something else you’re worried about.” She then says.

“I just hope that spending time with villains doesn’t get her to revert back to her old ways.” You tell her.

“When Regina possessed me, she made sure that you knew that she loves you even though she didn’t have much time. I don’t think it’s possible for her to revert back to her old ways.” Snow says. “I’ve known Regina for a long time, when she has something that she wants then she protects it fiercely. And right now she’s protecting you and Henry fiercely.” 

“She ended up working with Cora just to protect me when she wanted nothing to do with her mother. What if she turns evil just to protect me or Henry?” You ask her.

“I guess we just have to have hope.” She tells you and you scoff.

“I thought you said I’m too smart for a hope speech?” You ask her.

“Well I’m good at giving them, what can I say?” She says to you and you shake your head.

“I’m gonna go back to your place and keep Henry company, maybe him and I can connect more.” You tell her and she nods.

“Ok, we’ll text you if there’s anything.” She tells you and you nod before you walk back to their place.

You get to their place and you see Henry on the couch searching the book.

“Hey.” You tell him and he looks up.

“Hey Y/n, is my mom ok?” 

“Which one?” You ask.

“Either one, but mostly Regina.” 

“They’re both ok, for now.” You tell him and he tilts his head. “Regina sent us a message, she said that Rumple is back and he has his dagger.” You tell him and his eyes widen. “I’m worried about her, Regina.” You say.

“I am too, but she’ll be ok.” He says.

“You sound like your grandmother.” You say and he smiles.

“My mom, both of them, are heroes, and heroes always win.” He tells you.

“I think you’re forgetting the part where your mother, Regina, used to be a villain.” You remind him.

“Villains don’t get happy endings, you’re her happy ending.” He tells you and you look at him.

“I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with a teenager but, what makes you sure that I’m her happy ending?” You ask him and he turns the pages in his book to page 23.

“She walked away from you before, her chance at happiness. But then she found you but couldn’t fully give herself to you and she still wasn’t happy. Now she’s giving everything to be with you and I’ve never seen her happier. We’re her happy ending.” He explains and you hum.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re very clever for a 12 year old?” You ask him and he smiles.

“When we find the Author then he’ll make her a hero and she’ll always win after that.” He tells you.

“But if she’s still a villain and by the rules of the book, that villains always lose, then could she be in danger of losing her happy ending?” You ask him and he thinks about it.

“It’s hard to tell because you and I aren't villains and we never were.”

“So it could go either way?” You ask him.

“Huh. I never thought about that.” He says. “But I’m sure it’ll all work out.” He tells you and you sit back on the couch. 

About an hour later everyone comes back and August is with them. They lay him on the couch and he immediately passes out. About half an hour later Regina comes in and you look up. 

“We’re lucky he’s ok.” Regina says and you let out a breath of relief.

“It wasn’t luck, you got us that message, thank you.” Emma tells her and you stand up and go to her.

“Are you ok?” You ask her and she hugs you before she cups your cheek and smiles.

“Of course I’m ok.” She says and you smile.

“I’m worried everytime you go back to them.” You tell her and she kisses you.

“It won’t be for much longer.” She tells you as she rests her forehead against yours. “Soon they’ll be defeated and then we won’t have to worry about them and we can go back to living our lives together.” She says and you nod. 

“Mom!” You hear and you all look at him and see August is waking up. You all walk up to him and he looks at Regina.

“What is she doing here?” He asks Emma.

“Oh, it’s ok, I promise.” Emma tells him.

“August, we need to talk about how I’m going to keep up my cover with Gold. The only reason I was able to come here is because they think I’m stealing this page.” She explains to him. “We didn’t find the door at The Sorcerer’s mansion.”

“That’s because it’s not there.” He tells you all.

“What?” Henry asks.

“Do you know where it is?” You ask him and Regina looks at you quickly before looking back at August.

“You said you didn’t know where it was, and your nose didn’t grow.” She tells him. 

“My nose didn’t grow because I wasn’t lying. When Gold asked me, I didn’t know where the door was, because I didn’t know where Henry was keeping this page.” He tells you all and your brain runs 100 miles an hour.

“Wait, are you saying the drawing is the door?” You ask him and he nods.

“The author is trapped inside the book.” He tells you all and Regina grabs the page and stands up while looking at it and Emma follows her.

“How the hell is the Author trapped inside the book?” Regina asks and you stand up to go stand beside her. 

“Don’t ask me, you’re the magic expert.” Emma says.

“Mom.” Henry says but you guys don’t really hear him.

“This is insane. What are we supposed to do, draw a key?” Regina asks.

“We just need to figure it out before Gold does.” You tell them and Emma nods.

“Mom!” Henry yells and you all turn to look at him.

“What is it?” Regina asks.

“There’s something wrong with August.” He says and you all walk over to him.

“We have to get him help.” Emma says and Regina transports all of you to the fairies. You stand next to Regina and she wraps an arm around your waist as the blue fairy talks to Emma. Regina then feels something in her pocket and lets you go to get her phone out.

“We have a bigger problem.” Regina says to all of you and you all walk into a hall. “Gold and these other witches are expecting me. They sent me on a mission to get that page from the book. And if I return empty-handed, whatever suspicions they have of me will be confirmed.” She says to you all as she holds your hand. Emma then suddenly stops and has a smile on her face.

“Then give them this.” She says and holds out her hand and then conjures an exact copy.

“Wow, you’re getting good.” Henry tells her.

“I’ve been practicing.” Emma tells him.

“A forgery?” Regina asks as she takes the copy. “This is Gold we’re talking about.” She says and you lay your head on her shoulder.

“Then pull out and we will protect you.” Emma tells her.

“We still don’t know what they’re up to. It’s a bigger risk not to know.” Regina says before she puts the fake door in the storybook and gets her phone out as she gets a text. “That’s them. Probably wondering where I am.” She says as she looks at her phone and then wraps an arm around your waist.

“Mom, the forgery’s good.” Henry tells her.

“Not good enough.” Regina says.

“What if you brought a different kind of copy?” You ask and she looks at you. “What if you took a picture of the door?” You ask and Regina looks at you impressed as well as Emma.

“That’s actually a good idea.” Regina says and then takes a picture of the drawing. 

“Because Gold and those witches don’t know that the page contains the actual door. All they care about is what the door looks like.” Emma says and you nod.

“Hopefully it keeps them on their wild goose chase around town.” You say and Regina looks at Henry.

“I’ve got to go.” She tells him before hugging him. “Bye Henry.” She says and doesn’t pull away from the hug.

“Ok, mom.” Henry says with a smile and Regina pulls away.

“Sorry, just not sure if… when I’ll be back to see you.” Regina tells him and you furrow your eyebrows.

“You’ll be ok though, right?” You ask her and she looks at you.

“Yes, I’ll be fine, both of you don’t worry.” She says to you and Henry before she gives you a kiss. You’re the one that pulls away first after a few seconds and she rests her forehead against yours. “I’ll be alright.” She tells you softly before she gives you a kiss on the forehead and then leaves.

You return to the Charmings apartment with Emma and Henry as Regina wants you to stay with them for protection. Hook admits that Rumple wants to use the Author to turn Emma dark and Snow leaves for some reason and David follows her. You sit on one of the couches as you pick up bits and pieces about Hook and Emma’s conversation about August.

“What?” You hear Emma say and look up to see Hook looking out the window.

“Emma, look.” Hook says and you stand up to go look out the window.

“What the hell is that?” Emma says before you all fall asleep. They end up falling asleep on the couch and you fall onto the floor.

About half an hour later, the villains and Regina come into the Charmings apartment. Regina immediately goes over to you and teleports you to the couch.

“Hope you haven’t come too soft with love.” Maleficent tells her and Regina looks at her with a glare.

“I want a happy ending just as much as the rest of you. So if any of you lay one finger on her then it’ll be the last time you have hands.” Regina threatens them and Maleficent just smiles. Regina then goes to start looking for the drawing, keeping an eye on everyone in case she needs to protect you. After looking, they realise that Henry took off with the page as he’s already been under a sleeping curse and is immune.

Some time later you wake up in a room you don’t recognise. You go to rub your eyes but then realise you’re chained and you look to see that you’re on a bed. You try to pull on the chain and try to see how to escape but you can’t.

“Hello dear.” You hear and turn to see Marian walking in and you furrow your eyebrows.

“Marian, what are you doing here? Can you untie me?” You ask her and she smiles.

“Why would I untie you when I’m the one who locked you up here?” She says and you look at her confused before you see her turn into Zelena and you immediately sit up and try to back away.

“Zelena?” You say with fear and she laughs.

“That’s right dear.”

“But you died.” You tell her.

“Oh, everyone thought I did but I didn’t.” She tells you. “And now, you’re going to stay here while my sis and your true love does exactly as we tell her to do.” She tells you and you widen your eyes. “And she already knows I’m with you as Gold got her to call you and I answered for you.” She adds and you immediately wonder what they’re doing to Regina. “I wouldn’t worry about her dear, I would be worried about what might happen to you if she disobeys us.” She tells you and then sits on the bed. “Now, how about you and I get to know one another. After all, you’re my sister’s true love, we might be sister in laws one day.” She says and you let out a breath.

Regina walks into the Charmings apartment in a worried state.

“Regina, where have you been?” Emma asks her.

“In the middle of a very bad day.” She tells them. “I’ll tell you the whole story later, after I rescue Y/n.” Regina says to them.

“Y/n? What the hell are you talking about?” Emma asks her.

“Gold got me to call Y/n and Marian answered the phone.” She starts explaining. “And I discovered she’s not really Marian at all.” Regina tells everyone.

“So who is she?” David asks her and Regina takes a deep breath.

“Zelena.” Regina admits.

“The Wicked Witch?” David asks in disbelief.

“I don’t know how it’s possible but my sister has been masquerading as her this entire time, and she’s in league with Gold.” Regina complains. “They kidnapped Y/n and now I have to go find where they’re keeping her and rescue her.”

“And what about Gold?” Hook asks her. “If they’re working together, he’s not gonna let you waltz off and spoil his plans.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about Gold, I know exactly how to handle him. He took Y/n so I’m gonna use Belle against him.” She explains.

Regina gets Belle to help her and then convinces Gold to let her rescue Y/n without telling Zelena anything. Regina and Emma are talking about where you might be when they each get a video message from Henry. It turns out to be Cruella asking them to kill the Author or she’ll kill Henry. They put your rescue plan on hold until they can rescue Henry and set out to rescue him immediately. It turns into an all day rescue mission and Emma ends up killing Cruella. 

The next day they all end up talking at Granny’s about where you might be and how to rescue you from Zelena when Maleficent walks in. She wants Emma to help her find her daughter Lilith and Emma finds out she knows her from when she was a teenager. Regina ends up talking to Emma.

“Maybe we could help each other out.” Regina tells her and Emma looks at her.

“You help me rescue Y/n and then I can come with you to find Lily. Y/n might want to come as well after we rescue her.” Regina says.

“You want to come with me outside of Storybrooke?” Emma asks and Regina nods. “Why do you really want to come?” 

“If I’m honest, Y/n has been reading about the rest of the world recently and talking about wanting to see it.” Regina admits.

“You’re willing to brave the world because Y/n wants a glimpse of it?” Emma asks.

“Is that crazy?” Regina asks and Emma smiles.

“No, I think it’s sweet that you want to make her happy.” Emma tells her. “Come on, we got a girl to save from your evil sister.” Emma says and they start with Robin’s camp.

“Regina, Emma, what brings you both here?” Robin asks them.

“Where’s Marian?” Regina asks him.

“Haven’t seen her for a few hours, why?” Robin asks.

“We have something to tell you and it’s not going to be easy to hear.” Emma tells him before they tell him what’s been going on.

“So Marian was never here, it was Zelena the whole time?” He asks and Regina nods.

“Right now she’s keeping Y/n hostage and I need to know if you have any idea of where she might be?” Regina asks him.

“No, but I want to help you look for her.” Robin says and Emma nods. The search ends up taking them to the house where Zelena first stayed at in Storybrooke.

“Of course she could be keeping her here.” Regina says and they go in quietly through the back door.

“Hello dear husband.” They hear and look to see Marian there.

“Give it up, Zelena.” Regina says.

“Oh, alright.” Marian says and then turns into Zelena.

“So it’s true?” Robin says. “I can’t believe it.”

“I’m sorry Robin.” Regina tells him. “But we can lock her up or cast her out into the real world to rot.” Regina says.

“We can’t cast her out.” Robin says with sadness and Regina and Emma look at him.

“Why not?” 

“Because she’s pregnant.” Robin says and Regina looks at Zelena who’s smiling.

“You’re gonna be an auntie sis. And I must say that Y/n is lovely, I got to know her a lot better.” Zelena tells Regina and Regina summons a fireball.

“Where is she?” Regina asks sternly.

“She’s upstairs, unharmed. As Gold didn’t tell me you were coming.” She tells Regina and Regina immediately runs upstairs and sees you sleeping on the bed.

“Y/n!” Regina says as she runs up to you and shakes you awake.

“Regina?” You ask her and she nods with a smile before she releases the chains off of you. Once the chains are off of you she brings you into a tight hug.

“When I found out my sister had you I was so worried.” She says before she pulls back and kisses you.

“They were holding me hostage so that you’d do as they asked.” You tell her once she pulls back.

“I know, I’m not going to do as they asked and I’m sure as hell not letting them harm you.” She says as she strokes your cheek. “Come on, we gotta go.” She tells you and you nod before you go downstairs.

“I was able to put the cuff on her, she’s defenseless.” Emma tells Regina once you both get downstairs. “We’ll lock her up in the asylum while we’re gone.” Emma adds and Regina nods.

“How will I break it to Roland that he lost his mother again?” Robin says in disbelief.

“I can make him a potion to forget everything from when Marian came back.” Regina offers and Robin looks at her and nods. 

“Thank you.” He says.

“By the way, where are you going?” You ask Regina and Emma.

“We’re going to go find someone outside of Storybrooke and you can come if you want, get a glimpse of the world like you wanted.” Regina offers and you smile.

“I’d love that, when are we leaving?” You ask.

“First thing tomorrow morning.” Emma says and then Regina takes you home after locking Zelena off in the asylum.

“I never should have gone undercover with those villains, of course it would put you in danger.” She says as she starts making supper.

“You couldn’t have known that they would kidnap me while everyone was asleep.” You tell her.

“But once they found out that I was a double agent then they kidnapped you. I should have thought about what they would do once they found out.” She says and you walk up behind her and wrap your arms around her waist and she leans into your body.

“Calm down, you rescued me and I’m safe now. And you don’t have to play double agent anymore, which means you can keep me safe again.” You tell her and she hums.

“How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?” She asks you.

“Cause I know you. I’ve known you for about 7 years.” You say and she turns around in your arms.

“I missed being in your arms and having you in my arms.” She says and you smile. “And I also missed having you underneath me as I have my fingers inside you.” She adds and your mouth goes dry at hearing her words. She then gets you to walk backwards and pick you up to place you on the counter. “It’s been over a week since I’ve been able to touch you properly.” She tells you before she takes your pants and underwear off. Regina then bends down until her mouth is levelled with your clit before she goes forward and starts licking your entrance and you gasp out.

10 minutes later she’s back to continue making dinner with a smile on her face. You both have a relaxing dinner and after she’s having a glass of wine on the couch as she tells you everything that happened when she was undercover. 

[twistedminutia]

A Million and One Minutia: Board Games

Professor Trein and Ortho talk about board games with Gray.

Find the rest of the chapters here and the story is crossposted on AO3 here.

Professor Trein’s office smells of wood and old books and tea and, if you’re standing in the back in a specific spot, a little bit like cat pee. The chairs, despite being old, are squishy and soft, and there’s a sort of reading nook in the corner with orange-yellow lamps that give off a gentle, soothing light. The entire place feels a little like a nice corner of a library somewhere, like the platonic ideal of a soothing study space.

I don’t end up here that often- Trein keeps relatively strict office hours and I don’t like to bother him on the few breaks he gets between classes. But he’s more or less allowed me to camp here when I have breaks between classes or clubs or what have you. “As long as it helps you with schoolwork,” he says.

In all honesty, I have no idea what the faculty members have been told about me. I more or less assume it’s the same as what the other students know- I live in Ramshackle, I’m a ‘special circumstances’ student with Grim, I can’t do magic, all of that. From what the other students have told me, most people assume I’m Grim’s owner or otherwise previously connected to him, despite not knowing him prior to the orientation ceremony, and that my being here without magic is contingent on his enrollment as well. Which isn’t wrong, I guess, but also leaves out the bit where I’m effectively trapped here, and waiting on Crowley to figure out a way to get me home. And that I have no functional idea how the world works.

Honestly, I think they might believe he rescued me from a cult or something, considering how little knowledge I have about everything, but they never come out and say anything of the sort. Given how weird everyone at Night Raven is generally, and how weird Crowley is in particular, maybe this is just to be expected.

Regardless, Trein is nice, even if the only reason for that is I seem to be the only student who genuinely pays attention in his class. Admittedly, most people in NRC seem more focused on spellwork or practical magic than the lecture-based History of Magic course. But I’m just happy to have a class I can do properly, and I have a lot to catch up on. Anyway, I was always pretty good at history at home. I think Trein appreciates my effort.

We’re both in his office now. Trein’s pen scratches away, grading papers at his desk. You can type up your papers for Trein’s class, but you can’t hand them in unless they’re printed. I don’t think he even owns a computer. He owns a phone, but it’s a landline- I’ve heard him, in passing, complain that his daughters are trying to get him a cell phone and how he doesn’t need one, thank you very much. Sometimes there’s the jingle or crinkle of one of Lucius’ toys, or the soft, raspy slurping of him licking himself, but today, he’s settled on the chair opposite me, tail tucked around his nose. Sassy’s occupying the area beneath that chair. Trein encourages me to bring her along when I stop by, even though she’s technically not supposed to be in the school building. He says it’s to make sure I’m ‘caring for her properly’ but I think he also just likes cats and wants to see her.

I’m curled up in one of the chairs, skimming through a thick history book. It’s a little more difficult to get through than I’d like to admit. I probably need one of those ‘history for babies’ books. But I can connect the dots well enough on my own, and when I ask Trien for help with something, he’s at least willing to just look a little incredulous instead of outright teasing me.

It’s a quiet moment, one of the things that’s kind of rare at Ramshackle. The ghosts and Grim are nice, but they can be a bit loud. Especially Grim. But now he’s off with Ace and Deuce and I can take a moment to relax and read-

“Professor! I’m here for our match!” The door doesn’t bang open or anything (in fact, it opens quite politely) and the voice isn’t particularly loud, but it’s unexpected and I was preoccupied, so I practically knock the chair over when I jump. Lucius skitters away and Sassy hops up on my lap, her fur fluffing up like an urchin.

Professor Trein sweeps over, gathering up Lucius before pausing at my seat. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah! Yeah. Just, uh. Wasn’t expecting that.” I glance over at the new entrant, the one who startled me and see- uh, okay, I’m actually not sure.

My first impression is that it’s a person. It’s person shaped, with hands and a face and all that. But it’s also clearly mechanical- there’s a faceplate covering its mouth, its body is made up of interlocking metal sections, and it’s not standing on the ground- it’s floating on twin jets of blue flame coming from the thrusters at the end of its legs. It has some kind of simulacrum of hair- blue fire waves idly from the top of its head, and there’s a spout of it coming from its chest as well, right over its heart. Or where its heart would be. When I look into its face, it blinks yellow eyes at me and I can see shifting mechanisms in its irises, spinning and contracting like a focusing camera lens.

“I’m sorry for startling you,” it says, and its voice only has the barest hint of a mechanical edge to it. The way its face moves is impressively perfect- exactly like a human expression. I think it’s supposed to be a young boy, since the voice and body structure remind me of one.

“It’s fine,” I say. Are floating mechanical boys normal here? Trein doesn’t seem freaked out at all. But then again, presumably he knows this mechanical floating boy, which is such a weird sentence to think. I guess I should just act normal. “I don’t think we’ve met?”

“No, we haven’t!” He smiles- I think he smiles, anyway. I can’t see his mouth, but his eyes do the crinkly-squinty thing that happens when people smile. “I’m Ortho. And you’re Gray, the prefect of Ramshackle! Also a first year, and a student under special circumstances with the direbeast Grim.”

“Oh, uh. You know about me?” A lot of people are aware that I’m the Ramshackle prefect and also the only girl on campus, but a lot of them also don’t bother to learn my name.

“Of course! I keep files on all the students in the school.” Ortho looks immensely proud of himself for that. It’s… a little creepy. “Also, my brother keeps track of all the cats on campus. I think he’s jealous you have one.”

As if on cue, Sassy leans forward, fur lowering. Ortho lifts one of his hands and she sniffs it a few times before deciding he’s not a threat. “May I pet her?” Ortho asks, taking his gaze off her to check with me.

“If she’s fine with it, you can do whatever you want,” I say. Ortho runs his hand over Sassy and she leans acceptingly into his touch. “Are you a cat person?”

“Well, my brother is. He loves cats,” Ortho says. “I like all animals, though.” That’s the second time he’s mentioned his brother. Can robots have brothers? Maybe they were created together or something? Is there more than one robot at this school? Have I missed it?

“Ortho and I have board game matches weekly,” Professor Trein says. “I must have misremembered the day.”

Ortho droops a little. “Oh. Were you in the middle of something? We can reschedule, if you need.”

“No, no, I don’t want to interrupt anything,” I say. “Let me gather up my stuff and I’ll head to the library or Ramshackle or something.”

“Nonsense,” Professor Trein says with a wave of his hand. “Both of you are free to stay. Let me get the board set up, Ortho, and then we can begin.”

I settle back in the chair, book in my lap. Ortho extends a hand and a beam of light shoots from his finger to the floor. Sassy follows it with her eyes for a moment before lowering her body and wriggling her butt. Lucius catches on and moves closer as Sassy launches herself at the light, skittering across the floor. Ortho giggles as she swats at the light. “Do you mind if I take a video for my brother?”

“Sure. I don’t mind.” Ortho doesn’t take out a camera or anything. He just looks hard at Sassy, carefully focusing on her as she scrambles after the light he’s producing.

“There,” Ortho says after a minute. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” I say. “I didn’t do anything. It was all Sassy.”

“That’s her name?” Ortho says. I nod. “I should thank her too.” He leans over and starts actually meowing at her. Not even like the meowing noises people make when they’re trying to imitate cats. Real meowing, like he’s playing a recorded sound. Sassy blinks at him, like she wasn’t expecting that either, then she meows back. She reaches out and bops him gently on the nose with a paw. Then she turns away and hops back up on my lap.

“Huh,” Ortho tilts his head to one side, his gaze still fixed on Sassy. “I’ve been trying to update my animal conversation software, but maybe I need to keep fixing it. I can’t understand what she’s saying.”

I stare at him. “You can talk to animals?” People can do that here? Or is it just a robot thing?

“Yes! Sort of, anyway. It’s not the same as the animal linguistics courses they teach here.” Okay. Make a mental note of the fact that people can talk to animals here. That must be useful. Actually, come to think of it, Riddle sometimes talked about speaking with the hedgehogs to learn their personalities. I assumed he’d just meant it more metaphorically, but I guess this means he was actually talking to them. And they were talking back. Weird. “I downloaded some basic animal communication software based on animal behaviors and communication strategies, but I need to build out the actual information the software draws upon more.” Ortho hovers in place, expression distant. “Most of my cat information is based off Lucius, though, so there might be a bit of a disconnect there. Maybe her reactions don’t match up with the data I already have on Lucius.”

He seems to be talking to himself more than me. I can even hear a faint whirring, if I strain my ears, like his motors are kicking into high gear. It’s interrupted when Professor Trein calls, “Ortho. The game is set up.”

Ortho hovers over and settles in the seat Professor Trein set out for him. There are two chairs, smaller but no less comfy than the other ones in the office, set up on either side of a relatively small table. There’s a deck of cards set up on the table, with cards distributed on either side of a small wooden board. I don’t recognize the game at all.

Professor Trein and Ortho seem to know it, though, since they’ve started playing with barely a moment of hesitation. Professor Trein deals out a few cards to each of them before setting the cards aside. I don’t recognize the cards, either. Ace has shown me a deck of cards before, and they’re pretty standard, with only the art of the face cards being different. These ones have animal motifs, things like snakes and panthers and apes. The wooden board is painted with a sort of jungle design, with little wooden meeples that move along long, winding paths. The art’s beautiful.

The gameplay, however, is a little inscrutable to me. I get the basics: Play card, move through jungle. But the board is a loop, so there’s no end goal, and I don’t know what any of the cards do. Both Ortho and Professor Trein play the game with no discussion of the rules, and there’s no way for me to tell who’s winning.

I try to pay attention to the book I’m supposed to be reading, but my gaze keeps wandering back over to the game. There’s a tense look on Professor Trein’s face. Ortho’s expression is perfectly blank as he examines his cards. There’s nothing in his face that might give away what he’s thinking. I lean over the back of my chair as Ortho plays a card, one with a black panther patterned on it.

Professor Trein hums, then pulls a card from his deck, a bear, and lays it over Ortho’s card. Ortho grimaces, then moves both cards to what I assume is the discard pile. Professor Trein then pulls one of the apes from his deck and places it down before scooting his meeple along to another place on the board and drawing up from the deck. Without looking up from his cards, he says, “I thought you were here to study, Gray?”

His tone’s more amused than stern, but I still shrink in embarrassment. “Well, yes, I suppose…”

“We’re not distracting you, are we?” Ortho asks, concerned.

“Maybe a little,” I say. “I’ve never seen the game you’re playing before.”

Ortho’s eyes go wide. “Really? It’s a popular game throughout the Shaftlands and the Land of Dawning, and even in parts of the Queendom of Roses.”

“It is more of a classic game,” Professor Trein says. “Children these days don’t have as much respect for the classics as they used to.”

This is a Twisted Wonderland classic, then. I know they have some games similar to our own here. Riddle’s mentioned chess and checkers, and Azul’s spoken about board games that mimic business deals, so they have something at least similar to monopoly. But this game doesn’t look anything like any board games I know.

“How do you play?” I ask, giving up the pretense of studying completely. Ortho perks up and a flickering hologram appears in front of him.

“It’s simple! The game is based on a story of a human who ended up being raised in a jungle alongside a bunch of other animals. All of the cards are based off animals in the story.” The hologram shows a series of cards, each depicting an animal. Wolves, apes, bears, panthers, snakes… “Each card performs different actions based on the animal! Your goal is to play cards to move your human along the board to get back to the human village, while avoiding obstacles on the board.” The hologram changes to an image of the game board, depicting a few little meeples moving along it.

“Who’s winning?” I ask.

“Mm, well, Professor Trein is ahead,” Ortho says, pointing to the meeples. There’s one in blue, which I assume is his, a little further back on the board, and a red one, presumably Professor Trein’s, a little further up. They’re not that far apart, though. “But there’s still more of the game to go.”

Professor Trein smiles and lays a card down on the board. A wolf. He scoots his meeple a little further down the game board. “Indeed. I look forward to seeing how you get out of this situation.”

Ortho stares at the cards in his hand for only a couple seconds before selecting a new one and laying it down. A snake. His meeple remains motionless, but he selects three cards from the card pile, instead of the one Professor Trein picked at the end of his turn.

I watch them for a while. Professor Trein is making steady pace down the board. Ortho’s pace is more measured- I think Professor Trein is aiming for getting to the end as quick as possible, while Ortho seems to be more focused on slowing Professor Trein down while gathering an arsenal of cards. At one point, Trein plays a card, one patterned with an elephant. Ortho moves all his cards to the discard pile and draws a few new ones, seemingly unaffected by this turn of events.

They play on. The game seems to have some kind of strategy that I’m not picking up on- some cards seem rarer than others and I think Ortho and Professor Trein are playing them at specific times to get their best effects, but I don’t know enough about the game to be sure. Sometimes, they’ll lay cards over each other to prevent movement. There also seem to be spaces on the board that do things- sometimes they’ll land on a space that seems to send them backward or lock them into place for a while or makes them draw extra cards. On occasion, they’ll even play a card on the other player’s turn, which seems to cancel the card’s effects.

After another twenty minutes of play or so, Professor Trein’s meeple is only a scant few paces away from the endline. He has more cards than Ortho, which I think is a good position to be in, though his mouth is still a thin line. He glances at Ortho as his turn ends.

Ortho glances at the board. Glances at his cards. And then smirks. It’s a surprisingly nasty expression for his cute little face to make. And then he flips a card onto the table.

It’s not a card I’ve seen before. This one’s patterned with a tiger, surrounded by fire. My palms prickle- the tiger looks like it’s screaming, or maybe roaring out of the flames.

Professor Trein sighs, but his lips quirk up. Without a word, he drags his meeple back to a point about midway across the board. “I was hoping you hadn’t pulled it yet. Or that I’d made you discard it.”

“Nope! I calculated that you would only make me discard when I’d drawn past a certain threshold of cards, so I made sure to try and pull a lot in the beginning, as well as assess your own card plays to see if you’d gotten it. If you balanced your cards between pulling for new cards and moving, there’s a strong likelihood I would be in a good position if I did draw it!” Ortho beamed. “Though this game still has a thrilling amount of chance! I wasn’t sure I would get the right draws to win at all.”

“What’s the tiger do?” I ask.

“It makes you move your marker back half the spaces you’ve traveled so far down the board,” Professor Trein says. “It’s quite a powerful card, especially so in the late game, which is why there’s only one in the deck. It’s a game of reading your opponent to possibly figure out when they might have gotten it along with trying to get them to discard cards at opportune times. In addition to managing your own cards and pace. There’s quite a lot of strategy involved.”

“Sounds too complicated for me,” I mutter. “I’m terrible at strategy games.”

“I can teach you, if you want,” Ortho offers. “I’m pretty good at strategy games.”

“I think I’m okay. But I appreciate the offer.” I want to focus on learning how to survive in this world before learning gaming strategies.

Ortho hovers next to me as Professor Trein gathers up the game pieces and puts them away. “If you don’t like strategy games, what games do you like?”

“There are a couple I like. My brother’s pretty into board games…” I trail off, chest panging. Ortho’s eyes get big.

“Oh! Like my brother! Well, he’s more into video games than board games, but he’s still in the board game club! Maybe he and my brother would get along! Does he live around here?”

My chest tightens further. “Um. No. He- doesn’t.”

“Oh.” Ortho sinks slightly in disappointment. “That’s okay.” He perks up again. “But if you know a lot of board games, you must have a favorite! I’d love to play a game you recommend.”

“Um, well…” I could just tell him something like chess, but I know so little about chess I’m bound to get my ass kicked. Maybe just tell him my actual favorite and hope there’s an analogue? “I like Betrayal at the House on the Hill?”

There’s a bit of a pause. Ortho closes his eyes and frowns. There’s a faint whirring noise that I realize, after a moment, are his fans kicking on. “Hm. I’ve never heard of that game before. And my search results aren’t returning anything for it.”

Professor Trein, having already put the game away, moves closer. “I’ve never heard of that game either. I’m surprised that neither Ortho nor I know of it.” He’s staring hard at me. Clearly whatever suspicions he’s had are crystallizing.

I fidget. “Uh. I might have remembered the name wrong. It’s a game where you’re exploring a mansion with the other players and there’s spooky stuff happening…”

Ortho closes his eyes again. “Hm. Refining search parameters…” He pauses for a moment, then his eyes open. “Is it Haunted Mansion?”

It most certainly is not, but I jump on the escape route. “Yes, that’s it! We must have just called it something different in my family. You know how that happens sometimes, like you all start calling things something and it just sticks and no one else calls it that?” Stop rambling, you sound frantic!

Professor Trein nods, smiling, though Ortho doesn’t seem to get it. He’s frowning. “No, my brother always insisted on calling all the games by their proper names. Sometimes abbreviations, but never something that different. It’s a bit strange to give something a nickname much longer than its actual name, isn’t it?” Ortho keeps looking at me as he speaks. Like he’s assessing me for something.

“Maybe,” I say. “I don’t remember why we did that.”

“Sometimes families pick up odd names,” Professor Trein says. “It’s not uncommon.” He looks at me again, something thoughtful in his gaze. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” I say automatically, without even bothering to check if I am. I’ve gotten very used to doing that since I’ve gotten here. Though I guess it’s not as if I didn’t do it back home.

“Your heart rate has increased,” Ortho says. His eyes narrow. “Physiological signs are consistent with someone who is ly-”

“Gray!” The door practically bangs inward. Grim scrambles in, huffing and puffing. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Professor Trein grimaces. “Grim. What have I told you about barging into my office?”

Grim’s ears lower. “Uhhhh…”

I hurry to put my stuff back on the shelf so I can take advantage of this convenient escape route. “Sorry, Professor, I’ll talk to him about it! Grim, you needed me for something?”

He folds his paws over his chest. “Yeah! It’s practically dinnertime and I’m starving! Where are those premium cans of tuna you promised me?”

I don’t remember making any sort of promise like that, but given the amount of times I’ve absently promised him something to get him to stop doing something, he’s probably right. “They’re up on the top-” An image of Grim scaling the kitchen cabinets to get his beloved tuna pops into my mind. Followed immediately by an image of him bringing half the kitchen down using magic to get them. “Uh. I’ll get them for you, okay? I was getting ready to head out.”

Sassy trots over to me, weaving between my legs. “Goodbye Professor Trein, Ortho. I’ll see you around.”

“My doors are always open,” Professor Trein says. “And I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Ortho chirps, waving as I exit. His eyes remain completely trained on me, like I’m a mystery he’s determined to solve. I force a smile back, and then the office door clicks shut behind me.

Find the next chapter here.

[ahedderick]

Sherlock

Back in the summer, K and I finished reading aloud a longish series we'd been working on for some time. Looking for the next thing, I decided that everybody should know at least a little bit about Sherlock Holmes. I have a very old copy of Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes*

The book starts out with "Adventure XIII, Silver Blaze", in which the central mystery involves a racehorse. K was all about that chapter, but less enthusiastic about the following stories, which only contained boring humans. After reading a few, and now she can say she's familiar with the material, we moved on to another book.

Hero and Leo don't have any mysteries afoot. But they looked rather handsome yesterday evening as the last light was just hitting the peak of the barn roof.

Like a black cat, Leo is a bit difficult to photograph. The . . the large Void above the white socks is Leo. Hero, meanwhile, has a face that stands out!

Wait, this one's a bit better:

'* I can't find a printing date in it, unfortunately. Based on the feel of it, and the condition and dates of the other books in my mother's library, I'm betting it's around 1920, though. Copyright 1893 and 94.

[soracities]

I'm sorry this may sound a bit weird but I've just begun reading and I cannot always access books. Even though I love to get them I can't always. Is there an app where I can find books and be able to read online? I just discovered your blog and I saw your recommendations, I'd love to read them all. do you have any idea? 🥺

not weird at all, anon!! i'm not sure if there is an app for it, but the best place on the internet i know of to read books for free is The Internet Archive -- it's an online library system of archived and digitized books (classics and modern) and all you need to do is make a free account! after that you can borrow and read any of their pdfs or audiobooks no matter where you are (some books are limited to borrow for one hour only but 90% of them you can borrow for 14 days). i use it mainly for poetry / plays (and they're especially good for works that are out of print / otherwise difficult to find) but they cover novels and other nonfiction, too. alternatively i would also recommend seeing if your local library / national library system has a digital lending system--apps like Libby, Overdrive, or Borrowbox that will give you access to some of their catalogue without needing to go in person💗

also you absolutely should not try what this anon suggests because it is an absolutely terrible idea to be able to access books without difficulty

[chibivesicle]

Chill reading update - juggling all my holds on queue at the library

Various things over the years have really decreased my ability to sit down and churn out in depth analyses. Partly due to my current job, and volunteering in three local organizations that I am passionate about. And really trying to keep my brain from burning out on the news.

The point of my meta aren't overtly political but if you read me over the years, you can likely glean some aspects of where I fall on the spectrum. I have deliberately pulled back a lot of spending outside of the necessities since November 2024. Another effect of this has been my increased use of my local library. I'm still supporting local bookstores by purchasing manga here and there, now I'm really taking advantage of how many books are available through the library and celebrating that books I'd only dreamed of in my youth are readily available.

With my increased library use I've been reading the following series:

Witch Hat Atelier - read through volume 12. I love this series and it got heavier faster than I'd anticipated. I'm a little nervous about the upcoming anime adaptation. The art really lends itself to the page! Not surprisingly, my two favorite characters are Olly and Agott. The entire cast is amazing but yeah I have a thing for anal retentive work-a-holics with dark hair. Looking forward to picking up volume 13 soon.

I was at my local anime con a week ago - I made sure to pick up some art from the artist's alley. Turns out everything I got was from the series! A wooden charm with all the girls and two acrylic ones of Agott and Olly. I also got a Coco riso print and a beautiful Qifrey as well.

I also got a picture of a Qifrey cosplayer with a brush buddy on their shoulders! So cute! I was expecting more people to be involved in the series or more cosplayers but only saw the one all three days.

We'll see how this series plays out in the greater fandom community when it gets an anime. Compared to the standard popular shounen, it really might be pushing people to really think about grey areas and how one finds a purpose in life. I got sucked in since I love me morally grey areas, personal growth and development and questions about using powers for good or not.

Honey Lemon Soda - read through volume 6. I've watched the anime which was good. They skipped a few manga chapters here and there. The series really speaks to my bullied middle school self, who struggled to find footing in high school. And I didn't get a fresh start since the same people were still there. It is that classic by the book plain Jane girl with the flashy bad boy but somehow keeps it fresh. I think being in Uka's head and the struggle to learn new habits while being true to your best self is difficult in your teen years. It likely is a relatable tale for a lot of readers young and old.

Yona of the Dawn - I'd read through about volume 20 several years ago. Life got busy, and I got sucked in the Golden Kamuy with no brain space for anything else with my busy work schedule. I'm now up to volume 29. It is a great series - the character development is solid and rewarding as they navigate difficult situations. The continued focus to always keep the revolving cast fresh as well as having a lot of women playing key roles through the stories just makes it such an enjoyable read.

Yona - amazing. Hak - amazing. Yun - amazing. Gija, Sinha, Jae-ha and Zeno - amazing. For secondary cast members I've grown to love Riri, Tae-jun and Tae-u and we cannot forget the Earth tribe general Guen-tae and his bubbly wife Yun-ho.

I'm chugging along, reading about 4-5 volumes per check out. For some odd reason the library has few copies of the volumes from around 25-mid 30s on the shelf.

Nina the Starry Bride - read up to volume 8. This is my guilty pleasure read. I watched the anime and have been reading the manga to get further into the story. I do enjoy it - don't get me wrong, but I don't get Nina and Az. Sure Azure is a total dreamy ideal hot guy - yet their initial romance didn't do it for me. They barely knew each other and somehow fell for each other. There is no sweet build up or payoff for them; they defaulted into wanting each other. My controversial take is that a Nina-Sett endgame would be a better payoff. That is a relationship that actually required investment!

However, Sett is also such a trope-filled dumpster fire of a person that really Nina should not do the emotional labor of a trained therapist. I'm interested to see where it goes but let's just say I very well may have further complaints about how it plays out. Yet, I'll keep up with it because it is such a good series for fluffy, candy, political drama shoujo romance. I also really like the style, it's a bit more on the minimal side and gives the panels space to breathe as opposed to the sheer shoujo-ness of something like Honey Lemon Soda.

Yuwu - not a manga, but the meatbun series that I enjoyed reading as a fan-translation. I have strong opinions on 2ha - some of them positive, some very negative. Yuwu was much more what I wished 2ha would have been. Yeah, there are still some very cringe plot points in the story and meatbun really know how to write terrible humans being horrible to other humans. However, when I first read about Murong Lian in the early chapters and noticed that meatbun put him the linernotes/footnotes, I knew he was going to become important even though he'd been introduced as a shit individual. That investment in waiting to see what his role would be paid off. This is directly due to the fact that I am a sucker for pretty boy characters who are bitches. Or really just men who are bitches. Plus, the fact that Murong Lian, "Greed" plays up being a bitch to his advantage. I also really liked Jiang Fuli as they made up 2 of the 3 "poor" traits of Chonghua, as "Wrath". I'm up to volume 4 on with a physical book which makes for a more comfortable read. I'm doing it all for Murong Lian. Mo Xi and Gu Mang are fine - I'm all here for a chain smoking bratty bitch. That's it for now. Doing my best to juggle various series as I put holds on them and wait for pick up.