EmmyKtz 🐙 The Pink Hydra
LightNews LightNews
banner
thepinkhydra.com
EmmyKtz 🐙 The Pink Hydra
@thepinkhydra.com
750 followers 520 following 1.9K posts
Emmylou Kotzé 🇿🇦 (she/her), demi-bi writer of SF, F, ⛓️🖤romance, and poetry. Editor of The Pink Hydra, Africa's newest and weirdest webzine. Work in Solarpunk, Dirty Magick, and Twenty-two Twenty-eight. Links at linktr.ee/emmyktz. Check out my Feeds! ⚔️✨
Posts Replies Media Videos
thepinkhydra.com
#WIPSnips Dec 21 - "Silver"

This metal gets mentioned a LOT in Forest of the Morning, b/c it's such an important part of the lore. Silver is the only known substance to nullify the effects of magic. Therefore, armour and weapons are often plated or edged with it.
Snippet: Nico took a pause, buckling his sword to his belt, then grabbed his boots and started to pull them on as Korak continued to speak. He had slept in full armour, and felt stiff and scratchy, yet he was glad to have had the respite before it came to real fighting. His chainmail felt heavy underneath solid plates of iron. Nico adjusted silver-edged vambrace and pauldrons, shifting his shoulders to make sure everything felt right. Apprehension welled unbidden inside him. This armour wouldn’t protect from cannonballs nor the smaller balls of handheld muskets at anything approaching close range, but it was excellent against stray arrows, necrome teeth and claws, spears, axes, swords—and magic.
December 21, 2025 at 10:38 AM
thepinkhydra.com
#Smutcember

Nico & Fish have had way too many "almosts" at this point and Fish is... *almost* ... ready to take matters into his own hands 😬
Nico reached for his hand again. “Don’t say that.” His voice went hoarse, and when Fish met his eyes, a wave of unvoiced emotions seemed to loom behind them. “Nico, I—” Fish faltered. Lust and longing and loneliness writhed in the pit of his stomach like snakes, together with something else which he dared not name. They were so close. They were sharing blankets. Nico had had him in his arms just a moment ago. He didn’t know whether anything of himself was even going to survive the next few days. He reached out and carefully, deliberately touched Nico’s cheek. A thrill sang through him as rough beard bristles met his fingertips. Nico scowled and went violently pink in the cheeks, and Fish made to draw his hand back, but before he could do so, Nico wrapped his own hand around Fish’s wrist, holding it where it was. Fish didn’t quite know whether his partner was holding him close or holding him off, and he had no idea what to do next. Nico seemed content just to lie where he was, staring at Fish with that familiar look in his eyes that Fish couldn’t even begin to decipher. His thumb brushed absently across Fish’s inner wrist. Fish took note of every callus on his partner’s hand, every bristle against his fingers as gently he sank them into Nico’s beard. The bruises his knuckles had made on Nico’s jaw didn’t look so bad now. Fish brushed over them with the pad of his thumb. Maybe they wouldn’t leave a mark. Nico seemed immobilized, like he was trapped in the moment. They were lying close, eyes locked onto each other, but not close enough… Cautiously, like he was trying not to startle a wild thing, Fish put an elbow under himself and inched closer. Alt text continued: “Fish? Nico?” The tentflap was roughly thrown open, and Albryan stepped inside, bringing the daylight with him. Fish snatched his hand back, face burning even as his half-bleary eyes adjusted to the unwelcome light. The moment was shattered. Nico was already half up, turned well away from Fish as he reached for a shirt. Fish could only focus on Albryan as he began, indignantly: “Why are you late? It’s time.”
December 20, 2025 at 10:17 AM
thepinkhydra.com
#QueerWritersChat The first two books in the trilogy are 50% off in the Smashwords end-of-year sale at the moment:

www.smashwords.com/books/byseri...

Or grab a standalone romantic fantasy, The Broken Knight, for free just before the holidays!

www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...
Cover of Forest of the Morning by Emmylou Kotzé featuring artwork of two ghostly faces against green foliage Cover of the Broken Knight by Emmylou Kotzé featuring artwork of a battered shield against a red background
December 20, 2025 at 2:02 AM
thepinkhydra.com
#pretendpanel

This mf'er has to be DONE by June next year (or I shall lose my mind). Written, edited, pubbed, FINISHED.
Cover of Goddess of the Dark by Emmylou Kotzé featuring cover art of hands over dark forest foliage
December 19, 2025 at 6:52 PM
thepinkhydra.com
I had way too much fun writing these 🤣
Snippets from "Forest of the Morning: Aftermath" Nico put a hand against Fish’s face, cupping his jawline, an intimate gesture which lasted only half a heartbeat before he drew it away again. “Are you alright?” he murmured. Fish nodded his head, not taking his eyes from Nico’s face. Nico was gnawing absently on his bottom lip; his eyes dropped, and Fish saw him frown as they lingered in the hollow of his neck, where he’d deliberately left his shirt loose to show off the mark Nico had left on him. Nico reached out and fiddled with Fish’s shirt collar, doing up a few more buttons. “We should put a plaster on that,” he whispered. “No.” Fish slid his own hands over Nico’s, drawing them away. Their gazes locked, and Fish sought to communicate something wordless. I’m yours, remember? I’m yours… right? “No need to waste a plaster on something this trivial,” he whispered, and saw Nico’s gaze cloud as though he recognized the goad as such. The air was stuffy in here, the corner table cramped, but that was not the reason why Fish surreptitiously undid half the buttons on his outer tunic, pulling the collar down as though stifled with the heat in the room. He made sure that the mark was well exposed, then settled back, caught Nico staring, and locked their gazes. He saw the blush appear on Nico’s cheeks as he looked away, and struggled not to grin in smug satisfaction.
December 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM
thepinkhydra.com
I loved writing this one! Fish channelling his inner Disney princess ✨

#WIPSnips Dec 17 - "Clay"
Snippet from Forest of the Morning book 3: The magic swept through him, vibrating the particles of dried-out clay under his boots, stealing his breath with the sheer exhilaration of it. It built and built in the ether, shining around him like a halo a hundred feet high, glaring with the brilliance of a thousand suns. Fish opened his eyes to it, not caring that the radiance on the ethereal plane was blinding. It was his, and for the first time ever, he was allowed to simply let it flow, to let it be, to see just how far he could go. There was no worrying about control today; no thoughts about what he was going to use it all for, no fear of hurting anyone. There was no focus, no direction. relevant image of elsa singing let it go from frozen (2013)
December 17, 2025 at 12:42 PM
thepinkhydra.com
#WIPSnips Dec 15 - "blanket"

We've had such a journey to get here. ❤️ a moment of respite for Fish
From Forest of the Morning, book 3: Fish had never truly known what it was to be a child, but as he stripped off boots and socks and trousers, peeled away belt and shirt and crusty undergarments, launched himself into the cold clear water that opened before him, he would still have said that he felt half a boy again. He took a deep breath and dived. The lake water was clear enough to see through when he opened his eyes. Emerald weeds swirled around him, and the sun dazzled through the water, throwing a glittering golden rope towards him. He swam for as long as he could hold his breath, and then he surfaced, paddling, laughing as he felt the sun on his face and the cool water enfolding him like a comforting blanket. He felt reborn. The gentle tide surged away the grime and scabs that had been stagnating on his skin, and left him clean, feeling stronger than he had for many weeks.
December 15, 2025 at 9:50 AM
thepinkhydra.com
#Smutcember

So this is long, sorry 😅

"Forbidden" - this scene is about softening boundaries, how hurt/comfort can lead to a new intimacy that feels taboo 🖤

A lot of touching but nothing *too* explicit.
Despite the scars, Nico had to bite back his arousal; slipping off his partner’s clothes in this way was a new experience, yet not something he thought he would ever tire of. But now was not the time. He shrugged off his own shirt, not wanting to stain it, and began to rub the soothing ointment into the worst marks, the ones across Fish’s shoulders. As Nico had predicted, the ointment helped a lot more than scratching had. Tension bled out of Fish’s pose as Nico applied the stuff and gently worked it in with his fingers. He sighed softly in relief, arching sinuously beneath Nico’s hands. Nico bit back arousal again, thought of how Fish would bear these scars for the rest of his life. It was a sobering notion, and yet as Nico ran his fingertips along the proud ridges, listened to his partner’s breathing catch when he deepened the pressure of his hands for just a moment, he had to fight desire yet again. It didn’t help that the dimples in Fish’s butt were deepened in this posture, and that the marks on his upper thighs reminded Nico of panther stripes. Fish was totally relaxed now, his head pillowed on his arms, breathing softly as though he were asleep. But as Nico moved away, wiping his hands on a stray handkerchief, he stirred. “Thanks, partner,” he murmured, and Nico smiled. “Better?” Fish mumbled something incoherent and took his partner’s hand, moving it slowly around towards his front, and Nico realized with some surprise that he had not been the only one holding back arousal. Keeping his hand just where it had been put, he nuzzled into his partner’s shoulder, eliciting a soft gasp as the bristles of his beard rasped against Fish’s neck. Fish was trembling beneath him, very slightly, and Nico dared to reach out and caress his back and shoulders, tracing once again the newly-oiled ridges of his scars. Fish shuddered, drew in a deep rasping breath like a man saved from drowning, and desire clenched tiny fiery fists all along Nico’s guts and in his lower body. “I want you,” he whispered into Fish’s hair, breathing in the dizzying closeness of him, sharply aware of how forbidden this felt. They had not set out to create an erotic scene, yet the tension and relief had unravelled them both. “I’m yours,” Fish whispered back. “Take me.”
December 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
thepinkhydra.com
I fucking challenge anyone to tell me that these incredibly raw lines I wrote today could have been done by AI.

Fucking FIGHT ME
Text reads: Something stirred in his surroundings, like a cool breeze laving sweat, like the soft breath of a lover. There was a sense of presence. Someone close by. *Danger*. No. Something scratched in his ears, and he realized that it was no mindless noise—this was his name. *Name*.
December 12, 2025 at 5:50 PM
thepinkhydra.com
#WIPSnips Dec. 12 - I quite like "smash" so had multiple scenes to choose from. Here's one I like a lot. The morning after. 😬😉

(Somewhat adult but nothing explicit.)
His mind cast back to what they’d done in the forest, and his mouth went dry with something like shame. He had wanted that, wanted her more than he could remember ever wanting any other woman, and now he truly didn’t know whether he regretted it or not. It ate at him, how quickly it had happened, how completely unplanned it had been. Albryan had always approached the matter of sex rather cautiously, chosen his lovers with care. It didn’t feel like he had even chosen Velda at all. There had been no slow seduction from either side, just some power that smashed them together and made them act like madmen and then left them—or him, at least—confused and longing for more.
December 12, 2025 at 9:41 AM
thepinkhydra.com
It's Smashwords sale time again! The holidays can be rough, so if you've wanted to read ANY of my books, they are now all free to download until January 1.

www.smashwords.com/profile/view...

#EOYSale25
Cover of The Broken Knight by Emmylou Kotzé, featuring art of a battered shield against a scarlet background Cover of my poetry collection, "Caged: Poems of a shattered reality." Featuring a pattern of spilled indigo and gold paint. Cover of Forest of the Morning by Emmylou Kotzé, featuring artwork of two ghostly faces against purple flowers and green foliage Cover of What Happens in Camp by Emmylou Kotzé, featuring a photo manip of a young man with a bloody knife to his throat
December 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
thepinkhydra.com
Today's #WIPSnips has made me realize just how many *fours* there are in Forest of the Morning.

Four MCs, Elithan has four daughters, most journeys from A to B take four days, guards move in groups of 4 😅

Spoilery info below...
Excerpt from Forest of the Morning, book 2: “I am the only child remaining to my mother,” she said after a little while, looking straight ahead and dangling the cup from her hand. “I have responsibilities. Obligations. One of those is the continuation of the family line.” Fish nodded to show he understood. “There are other ways, though. Instead of taking one of these oh-so-charming young males as consort, I could marry a woman.” “Marry a—” Fish lost his voice. “You can do that?” “It’s unorthodox, but not out of the question. Someone of the right temperament, from a high house—a younger daughter, unlikely to ever inherit. She’d bear children, and instead of having any myself, I’d simply adopt hers into my family.” Fish cleared his throat. “Sounds a little like you already have someone in mind.” She smiled mysteriously. “I do. She’s beautiful, well-spoken, smart, loves children, and is the fourth daughter in her household. She’s perfect. She’s recently had a child of her own, which is why she wasn’t here tonight. It would mean I already have a potential heir the moment the marriage takes place.” “So what’s the problem?” Fish asked, nonplussed. Mialiné’s smile vanished. “Mother.”
December 8, 2025 at 3:12 PM
thepinkhydra.com
#Smutcember So I'm a bit salty because Nico & Fish's first kiss is amazing but also huge spoilers for the whole series.

So here's the first kiss for the m/f pairing, Velda & Albryan, cut off before it gets spicy. 😬
Albryan motioned her to sit on a fallen tree trunk, then sank to his knees, shrugging off his shirt. A pang went through her as she saw that the wound on his chest was still bleeding. She would have come forward to offer her help, but he bundled up the shirt and pressed down hard on the cut, and after a few moments she saw with relief that it had been stanched. The forest was silent around them, save for the soft chirpings of the earliest birds somewhere in branches far away. It had been a long night, and yet Velda was not tired anymore. She still felt the thrill of Albryan’s rescue, the relief that had swept over her. Relief—and something else. Whatever it was, he seemed to feel it too, for he leaned towards her until they were almost touching, and met her gaze with eyes that were shadowed green as the ferns surrounding them. “Velda.” He put out a hand and slid it into her hair, apparently unaware of his half nakedness and close proximity, the thrill that ran through her at his touch, at the sound of her name on his lips. His features were twisted with a strange emotion, and he cupped her face hard, the caress of his thumb rough against her cheek. “Velda—I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” His eyes were filled with relief and longing; the hand he held to her face was warm, his stubborn lips slightly parted. And after all, she had decided what she would do ages ago. In the next instant, Velda bridged the distance between their faces, pressing her lips to his. He started for a moment, pulled away—and his eyes sought hers in the dim light, a myriad of questions behind them. But whatever he saw in her face seemed to answer, for all at once he drew her closer to him, kissed her back so hard their faces seemed to meld together. His beard was prickly and there was a strange metallic taste in his mouth, like flint or copper pennies, but she hardly cared. All that mattered was the closeness and the feel of him, an end to the hunger that had woken inside her. She ran her hand across his lean torso, feeling the heat of him, the hardness of the knots in his shoulders, the coarse hairs that tangled between her fingers.
December 7, 2025 at 11:02 PM
thepinkhydra.com
#Smutcember Hello!

I'm finishing up my fantasy trilogy Forest of the Morning and I'll be talking about the two love stories in it.

I'm not a very skilled visual artist but here's a pencil sketch I made recently of the main pairing, Nico & Fish (m/m). They're going from friends to lovers... 1/
Cover of Forest of the Morning by Emmylou Kotzé featuring artwork of ghostly faces against green foliage Pencil sketch of two men embracing. The taller man (Nico) is carrying the shorter one (Fish), whose shoes are already off & his shirt half off one shoulder.
December 7, 2025 at 10:49 PM
thepinkhydra.com
Our December short story is the wonderfully queer and colourful "I Found A Dying Goddess in the Hospital Supply Closet" by Nigerian-American writer S.I. Fapohunda.

With this release, all four minizine issues can be had for $10 on Ko-fi or itch:

ko-fi.com/s/95e643e9f2

itch.io/s/158108/min...
Cover of Something Old, Something New featuring the painting "The Little Girl in Blue" by Indian-Hungarian artist Amrita Sher-Gil. A little Indian girl sits contemplatively in the foreground, with an older woman in pink in the back near the frame of the painting. Text on the cover reads: Vol. 1, No. 4, December 2025. Poetry by Countee Cullen. Artwork by Amrita Sher-Gil. New: Flamboyantly queer fantasy fiction by S.I. Fapohuna. Reviewed: Three ace-spec writers take on romance.
December 6, 2025 at 1:52 PM
thepinkhydra.com
I'm incredibly excited to be part of this ENORMOUS book bundle on itch! 🤩

itch.io/b/3409/end-o...

Get Forest of the Morning along with 63 other diverse fantasy books! Fill up your TBR for next year. Check out some new and underrated authors!
Indie fantasy mega bundle: 64 books, $45. December 1st-15th. Background is a graphic of a dragon and companion on a cliff. The cover of Forest of the Morning by Emmylou Kotzé and some tropes/points of interest featured in the book. The cover is art of green leaves with purple flowers and the faces of a man & a woman in white amid the greenery. Text reads: Epic fantasy with (anatomically accurate heart emoji) Multiple POVs Assassins, mercenaries & other ne'er-do-wells Clash of cultures Boys being boys (in the matriarchy) Family of bloodmages Spring/summer (in the southern hemisphere) Friends-to-lovers m/m romance PLUS bittersweet, sensual m/f romance Demi + bisexual MCs (demi pride flag, bi pride flag) books2read.com/forestofthemorning
December 1, 2025 at 4:04 PM
thepinkhydra.com
I'm incredibly excited to be part of this ENORMOUS book bundle on itch! 🤩

itch.io/b/3409/end-o...

Get Forest of the Morning along with 63 other diverse fantasy books! Fill up your TBR for next year. Check out some new and underrated authors!
December 1, 2025 at 3:52 PM
thepinkhydra.com
Describe your cat’s personality with one photo.

Gonna cheat because even though this kitten is now 15 the wide-eyed stare has not changed. ❤️ (My mom's cat.)
Kitten with grey points and blue eyes looking wide-eyed at the camera The same cat, now elderly, but with the same blue eyes and wide-eyed stare
November 30, 2025 at 12:37 AM
thepinkhydra.com
Forest of the Morning is based (loosely) on our 17th century, so it's horses & sailing boats all the way.

EXCEPT they have magical pterodactyls living in this world (Quetzalcoatlus sp.) so of course Fish gets to bond with one & can go much longer distances 🤩
Illustration of a group of Quetzalcoatlus from Wikipedia, hunting small dinosaurs
November 29, 2025 at 11:09 PM
thepinkhydra.com
#WIPSnips Nov 27 - "Disorganize"

"Becoming organized." 😬 At the beginning of Goddess of the Dark, our heroes prepare for battle.
He stepped out of the ground-level room with Korak into the yard, emerging into chaos that was only half becoming organized. Dusk had fallen whilst he’d slept, and the uncertain light made him feel he was half in a dream. Everyone seemed to be running, and anxiety gnawed at Nico as they made their way between riders atop exceedingly nervous mounts, girl-sorcerers hurrying to get where they were supposed to be, and guardsmen looking to sharpen their blades and collect last-minute armaments before it was too late. He had to force himself not to glance up at the clouded sky. He would have advance warning of the quetzal’s approach, if Brightfeather’s repertoire of shrieks and screams during flight were anything to go by.
November 28, 2025 at 1:27 AM
thepinkhydra.com
You've just died.
The 6th picture in your phone gallery is what killed you.

This guy? Noooooo. He's only MILDLY venomous 😂🐍
A small grey-striped snake in a bucket with woodchips
November 27, 2025 at 12:05 AM
thepinkhydra.com
#WIPSnips Nov 21 - "Direction"

Fresh from the virtual quill. Still struggling with this whole sequence but I do like the action in this bit. 🏹
Korak cringed back as the shadowy shape of the quetzal’s rider turned his head unmistakeably in their direction. Nico had no idea what was happening, whether they were immune from Baukin Sylvaissen’s magic, what the best strategy might be for this situation, and the quetzal was already winging straight towards where the two of them crouched on the walkway, high above the yard. Reacting by instinct alone, he drew his sword, lunging at the airborne target. The quetzal banked, so close to Nico that he felt the wind of its passing, avoided his blade, and winged high again, beyond the level of the shield. Nico smelled brimstone and burnt hair, and all the hairs on his body stood on end. Korak grabbed his wrist, and Nico was unnerved to see that he was laughing. “They told me you were crazy!” he guffawed at Nico, who could only blink at him. Nothing felt real.
November 21, 2025 at 9:08 PM
thepinkhydra.com
I did a thing for #poemsabout 😬 an unholy amalgam of #dogtags and last week's #desire

cw: seeeeeeeeeeeeexxx

"Disaster at the base"
he takes my hand and marches me towards the communal bathroom the only place we can have any real privacy we run the shower and fuck with our uniforms still on he knows exactly how I like it from behind officer’s cap going flying light grey tunic pulled all the way down my shoulder the fabric’s not meant to stretch that far I warn him not to tear it he only chuckles softly in my ear but still he’s never yet let me down he is young, like me still skinny as hell tags twine around his neck like a collar good dog disaster if we were to be discovered save that kind of thing for your leave keep it neatly partitioned work in one place sex in another don't shit where you feast behind the closed faces the regulation gestures the bland uniform you’re not supposed to find that uniform a turn-on you’re not meant to have aberrant thoughts *only a soldier can love another soldier* we’re in the business of war here, not love keep your head in the game.
November 21, 2025 at 8:57 PM
thepinkhydra.com
Fiancé got me a copy of "Little Nothing" - last week.

I will not comment on my progress, even though a book this length should not take me more than an afternoon to actually read 😬😭
Cover of "Little Nothing" by Dee Holloway, featuring art of two girls and a very strange horse
November 16, 2025 at 6:10 PM
thepinkhydra.com
*gleefully rubs my bloodthirsty little hands together*

CW: graphic violence, pain, abuse, torture. This is pretty fucked up even though I've redacted the character names.

From Goddess of the Dark, my WIP which will conclude the Forest of the Morning trilogy.
Snippet from Forest of the Morning, book 3, Goddess of the Dark: This is not that bad, it’s not so bad, this is what they do to thieves in Zarath. It doesn’t kill them. How many times had he watched as a shirtless criminal was dragged bleeding off the scaffold in the town square and left to convalesce in the gutter? Usually, they didn’t die. But as the whip came back again and striped his lower back, he had the thought that he had never seen anyone bear more than five lashes. The fifth stroke lashed across his thighs, just below his buttocks, and that was when he began to cry out. She struck again, and again. The lashes bled into each other; he could feel the warm wetness against the dank air, and when he happened to sight the whip in the corner of his eye, its length ran red. He had long since lost count, screaming himself hoarse, when at last she stopped. He could hear her panting. He was close to passing out from the pain, he knew; unable to support his own weight, he hung from his restraints. His breath came in shuddering gasps, and he was shivering violently. He barely had the strength to lift his head as she came up towards him. His blood had spattered her, he saw; there were strings of it in her long hair, over her white shirt, across her face. “And how do you like this?” she whispered softly, brought up her hand and pressed it into the raw welts across his shoulders, covering her fingers in his blood, jolting him with sudden agony that made him lose consciousness for a few moments. When he drifted back, she was standing over him, studying her bloody hand with a kind of detached disinterest. He would remember, later, that there had been no joy on her face, no gleeful sneer at his pain, no pleasure in the thing she had just done. She looked away from him, retrieved her armour and the whip, and walked from the dungeon to the sound of his stuttering, moaning breath and the rattle of his restraints from the uncontrollable shaking.
November 14, 2025 at 4:27 PM