Bl00dflower

[bl00dflower924]

Chapter 23 is almost ready! 🔆

A small Mark of the Sun update: Chapter 23 is officially finished. 💛

This is the actual descent toward Zero Dawn, which means the story is finally entering its first truly operational phase. 💪

The chapter itself is done, but it’s currently in beta review, so it will still need a little more time before I can publish it.

Thank you, as always, for your patience and for following this story with me. 🔆

[overrunbyscotss]

I could talk about him for hours ugh

[bl00dflower924]

A small writing update ✍️

Hi everyone! Just a tiny update to say that I’ve finished writing my story for the World of Darkness contest.

Which means that, as of today, I have officially gone back to working on the next chapter of Mark of the Sun.

Nothing too dramatic to announce yet, and I don’t have a posting date for now, but the chapter is finally starting to see the light. 🔆

Thank you, as always, for your patience. 💛

[bl00dflower924]

A new story is here: Of Hellebore and Venom 🐍

Hi everyone! I’m very happy to say that the first chapter of my new story, Of Hellebore and Venom, is now up.

It’s a Harry Potter Canon-Divergent AU, centred on Severus Snape and Elowen Vale, a Hufflepuff OC and former student who returns to Hogwarts years later as his assistant.

You can find it here!

This is a slow-burn romance, set in an alternate timeline separate from the main saga. The story is already fully written, with 24 chapters in total, and I’m currently revising it little by little before posting. So yes, for once I am bringing you a fic that already exists in full and does not require me to wrestle every single chapter into existence from scratch 😅

At the moment, I’m working on this revision in between finishing my short story for the World of Darkness writing contest. Once that story is done and submitted, I’ll go back to Mark of the Sun and start working properly on Chapter 23.

That chapter is already outlined, and I know where it needs to go, but I haven’t started writing it yet because I want to finish the contest piece first. It has a deadline, generous or not, and I would very much like not to make Future Me suffer more than strictly necessary.

So, in short: Of Hellebore and Venom has begun. Mark of the Sun is still continuing. The World of Darkness story is currently demanding my attention like a very elegant vampire with no respect for my schedule.

Thank you, as always, for reading, waiting, and being here. 💛

[bl00dflower924]

Chapter 5: Between Pain and Survival

Fandom: Horizon Zero Dawn Pairing: Aloy/Helis Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death Words: ~400 Status: In progress

[◁ Previous chapter] | Read on AO3 ▷ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Time passed—impossible to measure.

Each time Aloy opened her eyes, she felt a little more in control of herself. But it never lasted. The pain always came back, swallowing her whole. And he was always there. Always present. Reacting the moment she faltered.

Why is Helis helping me?

There were no answers. She didn't have the strength to ask the right questions, let alone process any replies. All she knew was the pain. And this unfamiliar, unbearable need for help.

I can't do this on my own... I need... someone...

And right now, that someone was Helis. The realization twisted in her gut. There had to be someone else—anyone else. But there wasn’t. And that made her hate him more. Or maybe... It made her hate herself.

Why him, of all people?

During one of her rare moments of clarity, she realized that most of her body was finally—weakly—starting to obey her again. Except for her right leg.

It won't move. Why won't it move?

With great effort, she looked down. Her leg was still there, thank the gods, but it was tightly wrapped in bandages and held stiff in a splint.

She shifted her gaze, scanning what little she could of the room—walls, light, shadows. Even in weakness, the urge to fight back was there—tucked beneath the pain, waiting.

Dull aches radiated from everywhere: her arms, her ribs, her side—each one covered in bruises and dressings. "Your leg is broken," Helis said, as if reading from a manual.

Broken...?

"It'll heal. The rest will, too." His tone was flat. Unchanging. Like he was reciting a line carved in stone. He reached for the familiar cup. This time, Aloy turned her head away. Helis paused—but didn't withdraw. "What... is it?" "An herbal mixture. Lowers fever. Induces sleep." "You're drugging me?" "No. I'm keeping you alive. Now drink." "... No." He didn't react. "I'm not drinking your poison." "This is what's keeping you breathing. Don't be difficult."

Without another word, he pressed the cup to her lips and poured the liquid in. She had no strength left to resist. "Helis..." "We'll speak when you're lucid. Not now." His tone didn't shift. It wasn't a comfort. It was a command. Aloy couldn't answer. Unconsciousness pulled her under again.

The last thing she saw was his gaze—cold, detached, unreadable.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[bl00dflower924]

A little update on my writing schedule ✍️

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give you a small update on what I’m currently working on.

Right now, I’m writing a short story for the World of Darkness "Secrets Never Die" Community Writing Contest. Since this project has a deadline, I’d like to finish it first and give myself enough time to think it through properly, instead of leaving everything to the last minute.

Because of that, the next chapter of Mark of the Sun is not written yet, but the main events are already outlined. I know where it needs to go; I just want to give it the time and attention it deserves once the contest story is finished.

In the meantime, while working on stories that require a lot of energy, I’m also revising a fic that is already fully written: 23 chapters, complete, and hopefully ready to start posting soon.

I won’t say what it is just yet, but I’m very excited to share it with you when the time comes.

So, in short: Mark of the Sun is still continuing, the next chapter is planned, and there are more updates on the way. I’m just trying to arrange everything in a way that lets me do each story justice.

Thank you, as always, for your patience and for being here. 💛

[bl00dflower924]

Blooming in the Shadows is complete 🌙

The final chapter of Blooming in the Shadows is now up, both in Italian and English.

This little story has officially come to an end, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who read it, waited for it, commented on it, or followed along quietly. It means a lot.

It was a short fic, but a strange and very dear one to me, and I’m really happy I finally get to share the ending with you.

Thank you again for staying with Mira until the end. 🖤

[bl00dflower924]

Chapter 4: Ice and Fire

Fandom: Horizon Zero Dawn Pairing: Aloy/Helis Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death Words: ~4000 Status: In progress

[◁ Previous chapter] | Read on AO3 ▷ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

She felt hands shaking her—gently, but insistently—pulling her back into consciousness.

"Aloy, can you hear me? Aloy?" That voice... Those hands. "Aloy?" Even as pain flared up with her awareness, Aloy forced her eyes open. "Your fever needs to break." "Helis...?"

Why is he doing this? What does he want from me?

She wanted to scream at him, to beg him to leave her alone, to stop touching her. But aside from a feeble attempt to pull away, her body refused to obey. "Shhh... Listen to me carefully. You're going to feel cold. It won't be pleasant, but it's necessary. Do you understand?" "Helis..." She felt herself lifted into strong, muscular arms. And only then—when their skin touched—did she realize there was nothing between them.

Wait... are we naked?

"My clothes..." "You don't need them right now." The confusion that thought brought was wiped away by the sudden bite of icy cold at her toes. "... No... no!" Aloy whimpered, trying to squirm out of Helis's iron grip. Unsurprisingly, it was useless.

She felt her body lowered into freezing water—awful, and somehow, strangely soothing. Instinctively, she curled toward the heat of Helis's body, submerged there with her.

Was it the icy water that had shocked her senses awake? Maybe. Either way, within minutes, she began to feel a little better. The pain was still there—sharp, relentless—but numbed by the cold gripping every inch of her skin.

She managed to open her eyes fully. The room looked the same as before—the one she'd seen every time she drifted back to awareness. But now the sun had set, and soft candlelight glowed through the space.

That was when she realized her face was just inches from Helis's. She could feel his breath on her cheek. He was watching her, expression unreadable. Candlelight flickered in his eyes, reflecting in the ice-blue like fire dancing on a frozen lake. "Helis..."

He held her tightly against his chest with one arm. With the other, he stirred the water, letting it flow over her shoulders, her arms. He brushed her hair back—from her forehead, from her ears, out of her eyes.

Aloy became aware that she was still wearing her undergarments. The thought—trivial as it was—comforted her just enough to find her voice. "What's happening?" she managed, barely above a whisper.

His body was warm—steady, maddeningly so—while Aloy trembled from the cold shuddering through her limbs. "Don't speak," he murmured, voice low, firm.

Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. She tried to answer, to say something—anything—but her mouth wouldn't obey. Instead, she clung to him. And he held her tighter, almost crushingly, as if he feared she'd vanish if he let go.

In that moment, he was the only solid thing in a world that made no sense. The only weight keeping her from floating apart. So she held on with everything she had. Even though she hated him. Even though she wanted him dead. Because right now, there was nothing else to hold onto. Only him.

He killed Rost.

He smelled clean, but something beneath it felt sharp—like fire, or sweat soaked into hot sand. Aloy buried her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder.

He killed Rost.

The thought echoed in her mind, and the more she repeated it, the more she hated herself for needing him. The more she hated herself, the tighter she held him.

She wasn't used to being this close to anyone—least of all a man. But right now, she couldn't think about embarrassment or boundaries. The pain left room for nothing else. "Don't... leave me," she whispered, hating the raw need in her voice—the dependence she felt for the man who had taken her father's life. "I'm here," Helis answered.

His voice was warm. Gentle. And that made her furious.

She wanted to scream, to shove him away, to tell him never to touch her again. But in the same breath, she begged him, silently, to keep holding her—just a little longer.

Unconsciousness crept in again, a fog closing over her. She fought to stay awake. Her eyelids fluttered. Her lips brushed his cheek as she lifted her head weakly. "Help me..." The last thing she saw were his eyes on hers—the reflection of fire burning deep within them.

Then everything went dark.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[bl00dflower924]

Blooming in the Shadows: final chapter update 🌙

Good news! ❤️

The final chapter of Blooming in the Shadows is finally ready, both in Italian and English, and is now in the capable hands of my beta readers.

Yes, it took me forever. Yes, the chapter was technically almost done for months. No, I will not be taking questions from the part of my brain responsible for time management.

Jokes aside, thank you so much to everyone who has read, commented, waited, followed along, or simply shown interest in this strange little story. I know it was only four chapters, but it became something very dear to me, and I’m really grateful for the patience and support.

I’ll post the final chapter as soon as it’s been checked!

In the meantime, you can find the story here!

[bl00dflower924]

🔆 Chapter 22 — The Path She Chose — is up! 🔆

The descent into the ruins is close. The Alpha Register is waiting below.

But before Aloy can take that final step, freedom is suddenly placed within reach.

All she has to do is choose.

Click here to read Mark of the Sun - Chapter 22 🔆

Thank you so much to everyone who has been waiting for this update. Life has been exhausting lately, but I’m still here, still writing, and still very much committed to this story ❤️

[bl00dflower924]

🔆 Chapter 22 is finally ready! 🔆

So. Guess who finally finished Chapter 22 of Mark of the Sun?

Yes. Me. Somehow. Miraculously. Despite work trying very hard to consume me whole.

You can find Mark of the Sun here!

It’s been… a while since Chapter 21, I know, and I’m really sorry for the long wait. These past months have been wildly busy, but I’m genuinely so happy to say that the chapter is finally done.

Right now, I’m just waiting for my beta’s final check, so it may still take a couple of days before I can post it properly. But we’re very, very close.

After that, I’ll also go back to finishing the final chapter of Blooming in the Shadows, my little 4-chapter mini fic that also got unfairly abandoned in the “work ate my entire life” pile.

You can find Blooming in the Shadows here!

The final chapter is basically already written; it just needs to be polished first in Italian, then adapted into English.

So yes. Updates are coming. Slowly, stubbornly, but coming.

Thank you so much for your patience. 💛

[bl00dflower924]

🔥 Just a small update 🔥

The very first Italian draft of Chapter 22 is finally done 🥳

Now I need to revise it properly and then work on the English adaptation before it’s ready to post. I’ve been slowed down quite a bit by a heavy workload that came up unexpectedly, but I’m doing my best and I’m still working on it.

Thank you so much for your patience. It really means a lot ❤️

Mark of the Sun

[bl00dflower924]

Chapter 3

Fandom: Horizon Zero Dawn Pairing: Aloy/Helis Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death Words: ~300 Status: In progress

[◁ Previous chapter] | Read on AO3 ▷ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Aloy opened her eyes.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she could actually see—if only dimly—what surrounded her.

She was in a bedroom. Wide windows draped in white cloth swayed gently in the breeze. Beyond them, a clear sky. Somewhere in the distance, the desert glowed orange.

I've been in this room before... but when? Where am I, exactly?

But pain struck her like a wave, scattering her thoughts, forcing a groan from her lips. With a shudder, Aloy tried to lift her arm. She tested her fingers first, then her wrist—small, cautious motions, as if measuring what her body would still obey. The skin was mottled with bruises, crisscrossed by shallow cuts and angry red scrapes. Bandages wrapped around her torso, her limbs. Everywhere she looked, her body told the story of what she had survived.

Someone seized her shoulders—the same grip, the same feeling, the same hands. But this time, Aloy saw him. Clearly. Perfectly.

Was it him? All this time... he's the one who's been taking care of me?

Those icy eyes—there was no mistaking them. The same eyes that had haunted her nightmares for weeks—maybe months. "H-Helis..."

No. This can't be real. I must be mistaken. There was another man... a stranger, maybe a healer. He must have been the one who helped me...

"Shhh..." the man hushed her, holding a cup to her lips. That taste—sweet, bitter. The same liquid they'd given her before. And now he was the one giving it to her.

Why is Helis helping me...?

She tried to speak, to ask something, but pain choked her words into broken gasps. "Aloy, rest. Don't speak," he said, his voice calm, steady.

He called me Aloy.

She fell into his arms like a broken object. And passed out.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[bl00dflower924]

Chapter 3 of Blooming in the Shadows is now up in English!

Hi everyone 💙

Just a little update: Chapter 3 of Blooming in the Shadows is now up in English.

The Italian version will be up very soon too, as soon as my beta finishes the revision. I’m not giving an exact timing yet because it could be tomorrow or a few days from now, but it’s coming.

After that, before I move on to the full revision of Chapter 4, I’ll be finishing the next chapter of Mark of the Sun, which is already underway.

Links: Blooming in the Shadows Mark of the Sun

Thank you so much for reading, for your patience, and for still being here with me ⭐

[bl00dflower924]

🔥 New chapter of The Eternal Bond is online 🔥

Which feels almost unreal, considering this thing had been half-waiting for me since September 2025.

But these past few days I felt the need to finally finish it before going back to Mark of the Sun.

So here we are again: my eternal Shadowrun fanfic, Duncan’s POV, and a return to the Barrens.

Some stories don’t die. They just sit there quietly until they decide to drag you back in.

[bl00dflower924]

🔆 Mark of the Sun: Chapter 21 is now live 🔆

We’re finally here: the day of the descent. Not exactly in the way I first imagined it, but in a way that felt right for the story.

I hope you enjoy it 💛

[bl00dflower924]

⭐ Chapter 2 of Blooming in the Shadows is up ⭐

Really happy to finally have this one out too.

Thank you so much to everyone who read chapter 1 already — I hope you'll enjoy this next step as well.

Keeping this spoiler-free, but the new chapter is here!