Christmas Decorations

Hey all, it’s been a while. 😊 You know how much I love Alyx’s Xmas Exchange and how great an occasion I think it is for us to share special moments, feelings and handmade gifts. This was a very… “strange” year, one that touched all of us deeply in one way or another, and I refused to let it make me break one more tradition, so here is my Xmas story.

This story is a little different. It is set in an Alternative Universe you probably won’t recognize (the Overwatch one), a fantasy universe where I’ve been seeking refuge in the past few months. There Ellie lives in a village with all the Overwatch ladies, in a loving home with three tops (Ana, Mercy and Moira, her mentor) and three other brats (one of which I’m sure you’ll recognize, the others being Hana and Sombra). I hope that, even though you don’t know much about the context, you’ll still be able to enjoy the tale.

Wishing you all some peaceful holidays and crossing my fingers that everyone is okay and safe ～

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“Is it ready yet?” Ellie set the big box down by the couch with a small pant and straightened, brushing at her clothes to get rid of the dust. She eyed Mercy; the doctor was behind the kitchen counter, intent on mixing up something in a pot, but she raised her eyebrows at Ellie at the question, though the girl could swear her lips had twitched in amusement.

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A Witch’s True Glow (also known as “The Witchlings” story) – Part 3

Did anyone want an update for “The Witchlings” story? We heard you! Mishi and I (Mishi especially) worked on this chapter for soooooo long…and sooooooo hard…you might as well be happy with it until…let’s make it fair…next year? 😜

Okay, okay, depending on how encouraging the feedback is, we might write the next chapter a little faster than we did this one. Also, since I am one of the writers, I have some interesting news for you: I’ve heard that if you stop and hang out in the comments section, you might casually meet a certain Top whose name starts with A and…oh, I guess it ends with A too. She has another signature element that starts with A…whenever she’s around, you can apparently spot at least A-swat!

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Macy felt wide awake. She supposed it was good that she wasn’t in danger of falling asleep before midnight, but it made it difficult to wait until it was time to sneak out. She heard the others tossing and turning and whispering to each other.

Waiting was hard, but it wasn’t that Macy had no patience. It was the thought of what they were going to do – but not just the sneaking out after curfew. She’d done that before. But she’d never done it with everyone. She’d never snuck off to a secret meeting.

Uh-oh – story of a skipped deadline (and of how to dig a hole deeper)

Ellie nudged the screen down to shut her laptop and pushed it away towards the end of the bed with the tip of her foot; then she lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling for just a moment, before twisting to reach her phone on the bedside table. She checked the screen without unlocking it, shrugging when she saw no new notifications. She put it back down and grasped the ipad instead, pushing herself higher on the bed and resting her back against a couple pillows. She flipped the cover open, unlocked the screen and then briefly considered what she could do.

Draw, perhaps? She didn’t really feel like it. Her eyes briefly flickered over the “Docs” app, but she quickly moved them away onto the next icon. She could read some more of that fanfiction she’d been captured by recently? Ellie thought about it for a few seconds, then decided that she’d spent most of the previous night and some of the morning devouring it, chapter after chapter. Her reading thirst was momentarily satisfied and, besides, if she kept up that crazy rhythm, she risked she risked finishing the story and finding herself without anything to read.

A little huff escaped her lips, and her eyes wandered around the room, lingering on the curtains-covered window. The light was bright outside. Perhaps she should consider a brief walk in the small garden later.

Spring was warming up the world and everyone was growing a bit tired of spending all their time in the house. She was already restless as it was, even when she didn’t feel trapped inside, and the nice weather was starting to make it even harder. It was one thing to keep busy working or studying or messing around when it was rainy, but now Ellie had read and seen enough news about wild animals poking out of their safe-zones and wandering in the streets. And the roads were kind of neat when they were empty. 

The whole idea of going exploring had a nice ring to it; it felt tempting. She could be careful and stay safe and out of anyone’s way and keep the others safe while still strolling and looking for squirrels and foxes. She was positive Mishi would be happy to join her too. Mishi loved foxes. Maybe they would get to pet one.

She made a mental note to share her newborn plan with the other brat, but for now she merely tapped the icon of one of her games to start it.

A few seconds passed before Ellie caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Taken aback, she found herself staring at a lovely-as-ever-looking Amelia, with her brows raised and her eyes locked on Ellie.

“Oh, hi, Amean-I mean, Mellie.” She greeted her cheerfully after a moment, sporting a smug innocent face. It might sound like a contradiction, but she kind of had a talent with puppy dog eyes and had been mastering other versions of the main “I’m so sorry” distraught face; one of them just happened to be the smug-innocent face, with her eyes looking so angelic and her little grin challenging anyone to prove otherwise.

Of Spring and Hope

As most of you hopefully know, these are tough, trying times.

I have been even more absent than usual because of all the implications this pandemic is having, both in terms of being busy (I still work, only from home as I’m quarantined) and of emotional downs and distress.

The country I live in (Italy) is one of the most hit and we’re going through a lot. Too many people dying (the numbers make my head spin every night and they say we’re not even at the “peak” yet) and so many more being isolated, separated from their families and friends, scared and feeling powerless, if not for what little we can do:

• Stay home (as much as we can, avoid contact as much as possible, go out only to grocery/medications-shop if we can’t book a home-delivery)
• Stay safe (avoid doing anything unnecessary and risky, take precautions, use masks and gloves, wash our hands, use glasses instead of contact lenses, don’t keep the shoes on after we went out)
• Help out as much as we can (be it a donation, some good deed for our old neighbors or taking care of family members who are more at risk – but, most important of all, again – stay home)
• Be patient, be brave and have hope.

Even though most are proving they can be smart and selfless, Italy has way too many people that still go out and about for reasons that are not a life or death necessity (people going out for a walk or a run or going to the grocery stores twice a day just to get out of the house and/or meet friends). I cannot express how dumb this is. Giving up some freedom today will save someone’s life, but they don’t care. They put their needs and feelings first and this is why, honestly, our numbers have been getting worse and might keep doing so for a while. This is also why not only people who get COVID-19 will be at risk but also everyone else who will need urgent care and won’t find a bed available, or will have to wait for the doctors and nurses to be available because hospitals and health workers are blowing up/being depleted.

I’m not writing this to discourage and scare any of you. Most of you live in countries where things are just starting to look bad or have not changed yet. I am sharing this because I hope none of you will underestimate the effects and side-effects as well as the total lockdown this virus is causing. And also so you know that, should you need any advice, I will be here to tell you everything I know and that I’ve learned from this experience so far.

But also, today is the first day of Spring and I want to look at the situation with a little hope. May spring bring better news and may we all stay safe, as well as our loved ones. May you get my virtual tight hug wherever you are, as I’m encouraging you and empathizing with you for how badly being alone and frightened sucks.

I’ll be here. As much as I can.

I also want to communicate to you that the SSC will go on if anyone will want to submit anything. You won’t risk any punishment for NOT submitting an entry, but writing might be a way for you (I hope it’ll be for me) to keep away nasty thoughts and keep busy to avoid feeling restless and “going insane”.

Best wishes to you all. Stay safe and let me know how you all are doing. Please.

Ellie

Ps. I know I haven’t answered to some comments and emails yet. I’ll get back to you asap. Thank you for your patience. 🙂

A Witch’s True Glow – Part 2

Hello readers!

First off, an apology to all of you because, well, erm, I just realized I missed the Autumn deadline of the SSC. In fact, I did post a story for the winter season and Alyx’s Christmas Gift Exchange, Santa’s Cookies, but that arrived way too late to count for the Autumn season (whose deadline was December 22nd).

I won’t try to feed you an excuse as to why I missed the deadline, because the truth is…even though I was in over my head with real-life issues, I simply literally didn’t realize I hadn’t posted anything for Autumn until…just a couple minutes ago!

Now, I hope I can satisfy you all bloodthirsty readers with this new chapter of “A Witch’s True Glow”, which – I don’t know if that will come as good news to you – Mishi and I are kind of transforming into an actual saga set into an actual magical world (we always have such interesting, deep conversations about all the characters involved in the story, even those you haven’t met yet!). That means you’ll most likely have more spin-offs and stories set into this “frame”.

Worry not, I am still going to do something about my missing the Autumn deadline. I’ll just try to figure out what. Do you all have a preference? If so, indicate it in your comments. And please, be merciful. 🥺

Ps. You’ll probably find this chapter to be shorter than the first but, believe me, it’s for the best. The next chapter is going to be a bit more…eventful 😉

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Showing Indigo her secret hideout felt wrong, like introducing a known enemy into the heart of your secret headquarters, but it was one of the few places they’d be able to brew the potion without being walked in on. Macy consoled herself with the fact that she still had a couple other hiding places. They were just smaller ones.

“Here it is,” Macy said, waving an arm to indicate the shadowy nook hidden under the stairs that led to an attic. The attic was off-limits, but the floor and stairs below it weren’t.

There was no door, but pressing the stone in just the right way revealed a hole large enough for the two witches to slide through. Inside the small circular room, a lamp rested beside a few pillows and blankets that Macy had snuck in one by one.

“Woah.” Indigo’s eyes were bright as she looked around the room. “This is yours? How did you find this?”

Santa’s Cookies

It feels like I’ve said this before, but…here’s another very late Christmas Gift for Alyx’s yearly Christmas Exchange. Hope it makes you smile.

Also, special thanks and kudos to Mishi for, as always, beta-reading my work and making sure I don’t slaughter your language (too much).

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“That’s enough cookies, you two. They’re Santa’s cookies. And besides, with all that sugar, you’ll never be able to sleep.”

Ryan and Syd looked at each other and burst into laughter. Both were halfway through their fifth or sixth Christmas cookie, a bowl with the rest of them sitting on the couch between the two. Brigitte Watcher stared down at them from the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest and with a raised brow.

“Honestly, love, I hope you have had a fair share of cookies yourself, because I’m not planning to let you sleep anytime soon. Not before I’ve had some fun with you,” Sydney shot back at her girlfriend, wriggling her brows with such a naughty twinkle in her light blue eyes that her friend Ryan grimaced and hit her with a pillow.

“EW! Get a room!”

“This is our house, just for your info!”

“Enough, Syd, you’re making Ryan uncomfortable.” Brigitte scolded, stepping closer to get the bowl of cookies and pull it out of the reach of the two brats.

Sydney rolled her eyes but smiled at Ryan when Brigitte disappeared back into the kitchen door.

“Don’t worry, the guest-room is far enough from the master bedroom that you won’t risk hearing anything you don’t want to.”

“Gee, thanks. That’s quite a relief. Now I just need to get this whole conversation out of my head.”

Goodbye 2019, welcome 2020!

I thought 2019 had sucked. When the last of the year came around, I was more than ready to say “go to hell, 2019!”.

I didn’t have great hopes for 2020, but, for me, the idea of leaving this past year behind was enough. 2019 was the year a person very dear to me, that I really care about, was diagnosed with a terminal disease. It was the year some family issues got worse and almost broke my family apart; the year most of my team at work was fired or left and I had to say goodbye. It was also the year my company almost “sold” me to a sister company for a higher, crazier and stressful role, while I was handling an important and incredibly complex client. It was the year that most pushed me close to wanting to scream at people and quit my job and realize that I am not and never will be “good enough”.

When December 31st rolled about, I was thinking of all this stuff and being eager to leave it behind. I felt like 2019 had left me nothing but pain, trouble and a lack of energies for all I love and care about.

While I was in the arms of the person above, I realized I was wrong.

A Witch’s True Glow – Part 1

by Mishi Dreamer and Ellie Rogue

Mishi and I decided to try our hands at something different this time. Everything started from a dream and, before we knew, we were deep in conversation about what might happen if we had some magical, mischievous alter-egos in a parallel universe where everything is possible, spells can clean up rooms and you can stir potions the way you stir up trouble. I wonder if you all will guess who wrote what! 😉

Enjoy the – barely in time – Summer Entry for the SSC!

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It was just another day at the Academy of Magic and Witchcraft of Springwood. First period had started and most of the witchlings were sitting in their classrooms, ready to deal with their fair share of notions, explanations, tests and labs. At the end of the day the magical academy was but another school, fervent with spirited minds, untrained saplings, young ladies that would’ve easily chosen a walk or broom-ride outside over the slow, monotonous, indoor routine they were supposed to endure. Breakfast at 7, classes from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm, lunch and then homework or practice sessions. Some witches met their mentors for extra lessons, others tended to the duties of their magical clubs: freezing ball, magical gardening, fast-flying (reserved to the pupils with a few years of experience), and enchanted art among them. Dinner was at 7.30 pm, lights out at 10.30 sharp. Another of the tedious rules most students hated and some tried to ignore.

But, the teachers seemed to believe that was what they needed. Dedication, discipline and focus were particularly important for a little witch. Essential, even. Magic was a powerful energy that, if not properly constrained, could “turn a witch and her whole world upside down” – or that was what Amelia often repeated, most of the time in relation to some sort of spell her girls were not ready to learn but begging her to teach.

Smells like September

Hello, fellow spankos. It’s been a while.

You see, in July some brats had the guts to “accuse” me of not having reminded them of the Spring deadline for the Seasonal Challenge. So here I am, dropping a quick memento mori for those that still have to submit their Summer Story: 23 days until Autumn, 23 days to write and post your stories before you find yourselves in a heap of trouble.

Speaking of which, I’d like to thank everyone that answered my poll and to announce that, not surprisingly, this was the consequence a large majority chose:

they want the writers who skip a deadline to be “Writing their spanking as they imagine it would be. Only limit: the character getting it must have their name”.

The option was followed only by the “grounding” idea, which would surely be less fun for our readers but no doubt as effective (and less time consuming) for our misbehaving writers.

So, any of you out there who are participating in the challenge or wanting to join, watch out for these blood-thirsty readers that know exactly how to keep us motivated! 😀

Now to a less ominous topic: how were your holidays?

January might be when the new year officially begins, but we all know September represents a “fresh start” in itself. Besides, it’s much easier to feel positive and proactive with the skin still warmed up by the sun and the glint of freedom in our eyes and…ok, who am I kidding!? I wanna go back to the carefree afternoons on the beach, the rocks-climbing, the sunburns, the ice-creams with friends and all that wonderful, soul-cleansing stuff September is taking away.

But alas, we wouldn’t appreciate that freedom as much if we didn’t have it for a limited time.

It’s what Tops do, right? They take away privileges so that we realize how much we miss them, how much they meant for us, and are willing to stop in our tracks and become good little angels in order to gain them back. Isn’t that evil?

Yes, and yet sometimes we need it.

And like a Top who restores access to a privilege for good behavior, I hope September will give us back the energy to start something new and seek what can make us feel alive, feel us – not suspended in time, like during the holidays, when we procrastinate anything we aren’t forced to take care of right away, but present in our own daily life.

I for one hope to be able to make some changes in mine. What about you?

Welcome back, fellow brats and Tops. May the year be as nice as the hand that rubs your stinging backside after a good awakening SWAT.

Saying Goodnight

As promised, here’s my (late) Spring story for the SSC. The first part of this story is inspired by some real-life events that occurred a few months ago. Sydney and Brigitte took it from there and made it their own. Enjoy and, if you do, drop me a comment. It sure helps me get writing.

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“Crushed you again, Jack Russel!”

“For the love of God, Sydney, I’m not a dog! My name’s Jacob! Ja-cob! And you didn’t crush me. That was so fucking close…”

“Oooohhhh it burns, doesn’t it? You don’t like being beaten by a girl, admit it!” Sydney giggled as she re-adjusted her mic, a replay of her “Action-of-the-game” running on screen.

“I will admit that you’re the most obnoxious gay-mer I ever met.” Came Jacob’s voice through the gaming headphones.

“You love me.”

“That doesn’t make you any less of a pain.”