The morning is crisp and cold as I make my way downtown towards Süßsauer Candy Store. My heart is beating fast as I’m excited to see Rudolf. He’s promised to show me all the special candy he’s created with my diabetes in mind.
I round the corner to the stairs in the back, and at the top platform, I see Rudolf waiting. He’s turned to the side, looking down the opposite street. He’s wearing a dark green sweater and, from the ...
2018-10-19 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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A few months ago, someone new moved into the village. He claimed to be a doctor, and set up shop. Although, because of his strange behaviour and ways, no one was really busting down his doors. He constantly dressed all in black. He wore black robes and gloves, and a wide brimmed hat. If that wasn’t strange enough, he wore a mask. Not just any mask either. It had a long, bird-like beak pointing out of it. And where the eyes were, were two dark glass orbs.
Needless to say, kids were scar...
2018-10-18 21:00:59 +0000 UTC
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People never believed me when I told them about my hometown of Hearthway Hollow. They didn’t believe me when I told them that I would want to go back and grow old there. In college, everyone just wanted to get away from home. They didn’t think that a town as serene and lovely as Hearthway Hollow could exist.
So when I eventually had to move back, it wasn’t a sore spot for me. I was happy to be home and surrounded by the people an...
2018-10-18 19:00:01 +0000 UTC
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The morning is crisp and cold as I make my way downtown towards Süßsauer Candy Store. My heart is beating fast as I’m excited to see Rudolf. He’s promised to show me all the special candy he’s created with my diabetes in mind.
I round the corner to the stairs in the back, and at the top platform, I see Rudolf waiting. He’s turned to the side, looking down the opposite street. He’s wearing a dark green sweater and, from the looks of it, he’s been outside waiting for a while.
2018-10-17 21:00:59 +0000 UTC
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You glare at him. His eyes are frosty blue to match his dark black hair and bear. You then sigh and shake your head. You’re standing there, dripping into a puddle. You’ve got no choice. If he was welcoming enough to bring you into his home, the least you could do was accept the kind offer or go back out into the storm.
“I’ll adjust it,” you grumble. “I’m just-” you huff and shake your head again.
“No need to talk about it,” he hands out a cloth to you so you can mop y...
2018-10-17 21:00:59 +0000 UTC
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I’m resting with Addor just outside Bastat, for some reason, these past few weeks I have felt completely and utterly exhausted. There are some mornings it is a struggle to get up, and other days my usual vigor is sapped from my body. Sometimes, resting with Addor, who is cool and provides shade, is all I can do some days.
Addor lifts his head and sighs. “Lady Chiyo,” he replies. “There is something different about you.”
2018-10-17 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Rudolf then shrugs and sighs. “Still, how do I know I can trust you? After all these years? For all I know, right after I left, you were taken in by a den of conglomerate candy makers and trained up to steal all my ideas and recipes for them.”
I look at him, cocking my head to the side while he grins. “If I paid you to say that again, could you?”
“No,” Rudolf shakes his head. “But even still, you can’t see this book.” He picks it up and clutches it to his chest. “Most...
2018-10-16 21:00:59 +0000 UTC
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The last few months have been so fraught with strife that sometimes I fear our lives will never be normal again. I fear that my children will grow up in a world where war and chaos are the norm. I fear that my people will never find rest. I fear that Amit will never come home.
After the incident with the tiefling called Blink, I have not slept well. In fact, I barely do anymore. I’ve moved the children into mine and Amit’s bedroom ...
2018-10-16 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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“We make special chocolate for the werewolves of the world,” she told me, one day while Rudolf and I packaged orders. “I know you aren’t a were yourself, but when we shift, it can be painful at times. Sometimes, there are feelings like motion sickness or body aches. My family has been working on these chocolates for generations. Originally, they were trying to cure lycanthropy, but now, it’s a comfort.”
Rudolf and his moms had left Hearthway Hollow to return to Germany, where both ...
2018-10-15 21:00:59 +0000 UTC
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Demir has left Culuweth to attend to the birth of his first child. His wife is my niece, and as much as I want to be with her and see the child, I have my responsibilities here. Ever since the death of Empress Bethsabe and the fall of her empire, I have been helping Emperor Nadeem as well as acting as Demir’s right hand in all matters.
It has not been an easy journey. The Gnolls are a conflicted people who are used to the old regime ...
2018-10-15 19:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Othet’s face goes through a range of emotions. He looks confused then startled, shocked, then elated. He lays his paw on my stomach.
“Oh no!” I sit up, shoving his paw away. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Calm down!” Othet grabs me.
I struggle against him. “No! You’re all crazy! There’s nothing there!”
“Chiyo!” Othet grabs me and holds me still. “Chiyo, the baby,” he whispers.
I whimper and the tears start to come. “No,” I c...
2018-10-13 21:00:01 +0000 UTC
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You have a secret, and it is quite a big one. You work in the palace of the royal Calliwell family. You’ve been employed there for a while, having started during college. The Calliwell’s are royal bats, this means their hours are mainly at night. Working there allowed you to go to school during the day and work for the palace at night.
This is where your secret starts. Going to school plus working would be hard enough for any...
2018-10-13 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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I look up at him. “This man tried to take everything away from me. Not just my life, but my children and my loved ones. He tried to ruin you.” I stare up at him with my heart resolute. “I want to look into his eyes so that he knows his life is in my hands.” I touch his cheek and Amit nuzzles into my palm.
“I understand, my love,” Amit growls low. “But all those things are all mine as well, even more so. It was me he was after to hurt.”
“Exactly.” I murmur. “If you m...
2018-10-12 21:00:01 +0000 UTC
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You’ve saved for years and have finally bought your first house. It’s small and had been abandoned for longer than you care to imagine. But it’s the perfect place for you to work your renovation chops. It’s the ideal place to make your dream home.
Heavy duty cleaning takes a little over a week, and then you’re able to move in bit by bit. For the time being, everything you own is in the living room, which will be the las...
2018-10-12 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Ismay smirks at me. “I know you have a meeting with Nadeem,” she says, “but afterwards, I’d like you to meet me in my private office.” She places her hand on my arm, gently squeezing and rubbing. “I have some matters that I would like to discuss with you alone.”
My heart is hammering and my throat goes tight. Looking at her, slightly afraid and a touch aroused, I feel myself slipping into her control. “Of course, my lady,” I answer breathlessly.
Ismay smirks, walking ou...
2018-10-11 21:00:01 +0000 UTC
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I’ve been dating Wyck for a while now, I honestly never thought I would be dating someone after the last guy to storm through my life. We had met by chance at the food truck that is often outside my building. I was running late, scrambling to get cash from my piggy bank in order to afford one of my favorite meals. I rushed out money in my fist and slammed right into him. Every coin and bill I was clutching spilled out onto the street. He helped me pick it all up, and to...
2018-10-11 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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“Ok?” He chuckles. He kisses you again before grabbing an orange wedge. “Ok then,” he pops the wedge into his mouth then takes off his coat. He stretches his arms out, his wings unfolding a bit, having been tucked while his coat was on.
“What’re we doing tonight?” Nerubi asks.
“Same as always,” you answer, bringing the dishes into the living room where he sits down on the sofa. “Watch a movie, make out, cuddle.”
As you sit down Nerubi wraps his wing arou...
2018-10-10 21:00:02 +0000 UTC
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For as long as you can remember, there has been a strange box that your mother keeps. She has it displayed above the fireplace on a mantel that no one can reach without getting a chair or stepladder. You never paid much attention to it. It was just a box really. It was black with gold filigree all over it. Nothing special, so you just kind of ignored it for years.
Well, then your mother passed away. You were left with the old house and...
2018-10-10 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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When you wake up the next morning the curtains are open and letting in sunlight. You sigh, sitting up and stretching. You walk over to the window, gazing out at the beautiful morning. You then frown as you realize, you hadn’t put up curtains yet.
You wrench away from the windows, gazing up at the beautiful material. It’s a heather gray with shimmering roses. You turn, glancing at Pearl sitting in her chair. She’s different too. Her clothes look clean and her bonnet is off and layin...
2018-10-09 21:00:02 +0000 UTC
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For the last few years, you’ve been a servant under King Kalmin. You work as one of his dancers, entertaining his guests, and putting on shows for them. Sometimes, you and the other dancers are called upon to dance solely for King Kalmin.
It is during these special performances that you have been able to look at him and gaze upon his beauty up close. He is one of the last remaining immortal nagas, and it is rumored he is the so...
2018-10-09 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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I pet my hand up his strong arm. “They have hot tubs at the cottages,” I continue. “Aren’t you excited about seeing me in a bathing suit?”
“Bathing suit?” His voice rasps.
“Or maybe, nothing at all-” Wyck suddenly hits the brakes and I’m snapped back to reality. I look up, glancing at the road to see deer crossing it. I slouch back into my seat with a huff. I feel embarrassed now.
Wyck clears his throat. “What were you saying?”
I glance up at him, seei...
2018-10-08 21:00:02 +0000 UTC
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It's time once again to vote for the monster love letter! Which monster do you want a love letter from this month? Eligos was last month.
2018-10-08 19:38:02 +0000 UTC
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The sickness is spreading, and it has become like a fog that reaches everyone. It seeps through cracks and open windows, it billows in without a sound, but once you see it, it is already too late.
I have worked my hardest on helping people, using everything I have ever known to try and find a cure. But at this point, all I am good for is numbing the pain, or helping them into a sleep they will never awake from.
2018-10-08 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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With my first Hearthway Hollow collection out and going well, I wanted to see what you all would want next!
2018-10-06 23:48:43 +0000 UTC
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The little woman who sits before me in my office looks like she is at wit's end. It is hard to believe she is Queen Merah Muda. I offer her tea, and she sighs, relaxing back as her cotton candy hair doesn’t move. The little clockwork birds that reside in it, twitter and tweet, pop out from precisely lain curls.
“Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Primrose,” Merah Muda sighs.
“It’s Miss, act...
2018-10-06 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Kalmin notices how you’re clutching your top. “Did this pitiful creature expose you?” He asks.
You nod again. “He kid, my king,” your voice cracks. “He tried to make me follow him.”
The man snarls. “She lies!”
Kalmin shoves him down, his arm cracking. “You need to learn when to shut up, sir. You’ve insulted me by assaulting what is mine. You should be grateful I have no ripped your arm off and fed to my guests.”
You shiver and tears fall down you...
2018-10-05 21:01:00 +0000 UTC
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You’ve been hired to investigate problems that have recently been plaguing one of the villages your cathedral looks after. Lately, there has been a string of disappearances. Both men and women have vanished, never to be seen again. It is believed that it is the work of a witch who lives in the caves nearby.
They say that even getting near her lair is certain death. Many have tried to hunt her down and kill her, but none of succeeded, and almost all of them ...
2018-10-05 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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I furrow my brow. He completely avoided me. “Will you ever take off your mask?” I ask him. “Even if I said I would kiss you?”
“I uh,” Todesengel stammers. He takes a deep breath and turns towards me. “It would not be safe, my Branwen,” he says.
“But I am better!” I gasp. “You healed me. If it isn’t safe here, then-” I stop and look down at my hands. “I want to see you.”
Todesengel touches my cheek. “My darling,” he whispers, “do not break m...
2018-10-04 21:00:59 +0000 UTC
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For the last few weeks, you’ve been helping your mom by taking over her route. Your parents had to travel out of town to help take care of your aunt. You could never say no to your mom, so you agreed to take her house cleaning route.
You can’t help but feel intimidated though. Your mom’s list of clients includes lots of big shots and rich folk. Almost all of them have extremely specific instructions for how to go about clea...
2018-10-04 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Merah Muda’s expression shifts and she shrugs as a sly smirk spreads across her far too pooched lips.
I go with Queen Merah Muda to the palace, knowing I will not be able to leave until I find a resolution for the two princes. I have never been to the palace before, I have only seen pictures. But seeing it sliced down the middle the way it is, I can sense the stress Queen Merah Muda is suffering.
The two halves stand as they always have, just several hundred feet apart. The open ...
2018-10-03 21:01:00 +0000 UTC
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