#i am so in love with this please look at mary's gorgeous art

[polaroid-petals]

Summer breeze 🎀 🏀 🌻

Art I commissioned, drawn for me by La_maryd13 and posted here with permission 💖

#omori #omori fanart #omori summer breeze #omori aubrey #omori basil #omori kel #omori kelbrey #omori cactiflower #omori photobomb #i am so in love with this please look at mary's gorgeous art #aubrey #kel #basil #summer breeze

[engie-ivy]

(Not so micro, but written for @wolfstarmicrofic! Extremely Pining Sirius and Extremely Oblivious Remus Lupin)

6th: Bond

Sirius doesn't tick any of Remus’ boxes. No matter how strong their bond is, no matter how Sirius is the only one who gives Remus that sense of belonging, they're just not compatible... Right?

The Thing We Don't Talk About

“He made the wrong decision,” Remus says pointedly. “And he has to live with it. Why would I have to suffer the consequences for his mistakes?”

“For god’s sake, Remus,” Lily says exasperatedly. “He just took a bite from your dessert!”

“It was chocolate cake!” Remus glares at Lily. “And it’s not that hard! If you want dessert, order dessert, if you don’t want dessert, don’t order dessert, but leave me out of it!”

“So,” Marlene says, sipping her tea. “I take it there’s not going to be a second date?”

“Certainly not,” Remus says. “He clearly doesn’t have the same values as I have.”

Mary rolls her eyes. “ ‘Wanting to share dessert’, we can add that to the list. What did the previous one do again? Put sugar in his tea, was it?”

“It was the perfect blend, and he ruined it!”

“Remus,” Lily says carefully. “Have you ever wondered if maybe you are too critical?”

“When I was picking out curtains you made me go to five different stores and try out four different samples before making a decision!” Remus replies. “How am I allowed to be critical about a piece of fabric, but not about the person I might spend the rest of my life with?”

“Because it’s getting you nowhere!” Mary exclaims. “You’ll end up being single your whole life.”

“I want someone who’s the same kind of person as I am, who’s on the same page as me, who shares my interests and preferences, and otherwise, I’d rather be alone,” Remus shrugs.

“But surely someone doesn’t have to share all your interests!” Lily tries.

“Am I really asking for so much?” Remus asks. “Someone whose favourite moments also consist of drinking a perfect cup of tea with their favourite pastry, shares my interest in art history and loves to go to museums, and also listens to classical music. I don’t even care about his job or his looks!” Remus sighs. “Maybe the guy I’m looking for just cannot be found in the city. Maybe I should broaden my search to out of town.”

“Or maybe you should narrow your search to within your apartment,” Marlene mumbles, looking out of the window.

“Marlene!” Lily says warningly.

“Oh, come on, Lily!” Marlene suddenly snaps. “I’m sick of it! I’m sick of having to deal with these pretentious idiots Remus keeps going out with, when he has this perfect, drop-dead gorgeous man, who literally worships the very ground he walks on, living in right in his own bloody apartment!”

“I know, Marlene,” Lily says. “But Remus can’t help it if he just doesn’t feel that way-”

“Sirius isn’t in love with me,” Remus interrupts.

Lily stops mid-sentence and both she and Marlene whip their heads around to stare at Remus, while Mary spits out her tea and starts to cough.

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” Lily says eventually, as she finds her voice.

Remus blinks. “You actually think Sirius is in love with me?”

“No,” Mary says slowly. “We know Sirius is in love with you. He has been since our second year of college.”

“Why did no one ever thought to tell me?” Remus exclaims.

“It’s so obvious!” Marlene exclaims. “We assumed you knew! Hell, everybody and their nan knows! Literally. I saw Dorcas’ nan the other day, and the first thing she asked me was ‘is that Sirius boy still pining after that Remus boy?’”

Remus looks from one girl to the other. “If I had known, don’t you think I would’ve somehow acknowledged it, at least once?”

“We assumed you just didn’t feel the same,” Mary says, eying Remus. “And that not mentioning it was your way of dealing with it, so you wouldn’t have to hurt Sirius.”

“Wait,” Lily says. “When you and Sirius moved in together after college, James had this talk with Sirius where he asked him whether it was really a good idea, and you were right there! James told Sirius it wasn’t good for his mental health, and that he was just torturing himself by doing it! What the hell did you think that was about?”

Remus stares at the table, his cheeks heating up. He remembers that conversation. He remembers feeling slightly insulted by James’ words and he remembers Sirius assuring James that it was fine, that he could handle it. “I thought he meant because I always leave my dirty dishes in the sink,” he mumbles.

Lily looks at him, then shakes her head. “Unbelievable. Unbe-fucking-lievable.”

“It... It doesn’t matter anyway,” Remus says, trying to sound convincing while his head is spinning. “Sirius and I are so different. We’re not compatible, not at all.”

Remus had first met Sirius at a party when they just started college. Sirius was the light of the party, everyone was drawn to him. Remus learned that Sirius Black was loud and impulsive, drank black coffee and cheap beer, listened to rock music and was into motorcycles.

He didn’t even come close to ticking Remus’ boxes.

Remus had written Sirius off as boyfriend material back then and never reconsidered. He had written Sirius off, and never thought to revise that decision. Even when Sirius and he unexpectedly became close friends and formed a strong bond, even when he learned how smart, loyal and caring Sirius is, even when he could talk to Sirius about anything, even when he didn’t feel as comfortable just being himself with anyone else as he did with Sirius, even when Sirius somehow became ‘home’, Remus did not come back on his decision and didn’t revise it.

“H-he doesn’t even drink tea!” Remus exclaims.

“What does that matter if he knows exactly how to make your favourite tea to bring it to you whenever you feel sick?” Marlene says.

“And... And he doesn’t like sweet foods.”

“What does that matter if he goes out of his way to go to that bakery on the other side of town to get you those cinnamon rolls you love so much whenever you feel down?” Mary says.

“He doesn’t know the first thing about art history!”

“What does that matter if he can listen to you go on about if for hours?” Marlene says.

“We don’t even like the same music...”

“Remus,” Lily says gently. “You once told me that your favourite part of the day is doing the dishes together with Sirius, as you put awful music on and both sing along as loud as you can and dance around the living room together. What does it matter, what does any of it matter, when you’ve got someone who makes you feel like that?”

For a long moment, Remus just stares at her. Then he suddenly gets up from his chair. “I have to go.”

Sirius is standing in the kitchen, his hair tied in a bun, humming to himself while mixing ingredients together in a bowl.

As Remus looks at him, he wonders how he did not see sooner what was right in front of him?

Sirius turns his head and gives Remus a bright smile when he sees him. “You’re home early!” He says, turning back to the bowl. “I’m making your mother’s chocolate cake, and it was supposed to be a surprise.” He gives Remus a brief grin. “To help you cope with the Dessert Sharing Trauma.”

Remus just says it. “You’re in love with me.”

“Yes?” Sirius asks while measuring flour.

Remus shakes his head. He still can’t quite wrap his head around it. “You’re in love with me.”

Sirius frowns. “Right. Are we suddenly talking about this now? I thought we agreed it’s the Thing We Don’t Talk About.”

Remus sighs, cursing himself for letting this go on for so long. “Maybe it shouldn’t be.”

Sirius turns away from the kitchen counter to look at Remus. “Really? You’re worried about this now? Look, Remus,” He runs a hand over his face, leaving a streak of flower. “It’s okay. I’ve got it under control. Besides, I know I’m not what you’re looking for, so don’t worry about me getting any false hope or anything.” He rolls his eyes. “I don’t tick any of your boxes after all.”

“You don’t,” Remus replies. “You’re uncultured, prefer starters over desserts, and can’t tell the difference between Earl Grey and English Breakfast.”

Sirius smiles sadly. “Yeah, I know.”

He moves to turn back to the kitchen counter, but Remus draws his attention back to him.

“You’re all that,” he says, walking towards Sirius. “You’re all that,” he says, lowering his voice as he stops in front of Sirius, placing a hand on his cheek, brushing away some of the flour, and looking at him in wonder. “And yet, I love you.”

He moves forward, but Sirius stops him with a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t change,” he says with a pained expression, but also a glimmer of hope, in his eyes. “I am who I am. Even if I feel like I would do just about anything to have a chance, I know I can’t – I shouldn’t – change who I am. Not even for you.”

“Good.” Remus smiles. “Because you’re perfect.”

#wolfstar microfic #my tumblr writing #wolfstar #wolfstar fanfiction #wolfstar fic #marauders #marauders fanfiction #marauders fic #sirius black #remus lupin #remus x sirius #pining sirius black #oblivious remus lupin

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

DO TO ME WHAT YOUR PROFILE SAYS AT ONCE!!! Please ramble to me about Vincent Price..... 👉👈

Let's see here. He is 6'4 inches tall (I've also heard 6'5" - so let's just say 6'4.5" and be done with it) one of his nicknames is "Big Daddy".... And...um, yes.

He was and is the epitome of anything and everything awesome and wonderful. He was married three times and had two beautiful children (a boy and a girl), and was bisexual.

He's had multiple sexual encounters with men throughout his life (yes, this makes me all giddy). Scotty Bowers once said that he and Vinny (he called him that) slept together quite a few times and that especially in the 70s and 80s, he was sleeping with VP, although they met in 1950 and had a few sexual encounters in the 50s and 60s. He said that sex with him was "Pleasant, unhurried, and gentle." And also, "it was tantalizing, erotic, and fulfilling. High class stuff all the way. He was into it all, giving and receiving." And that their encounters were "buddy-buddy."

Lucky lucky man.

He was into art. He and his second wife, Mary collected art and he was also a wonderful chef. Mary and Vincent created a huge cookbook that, if you haven't seen it, you MUST! Its delightful! He was a man of all trades, and was extremely talented both on and off screen.

He was against racism in the 1940s and 50s when racism was (unfortunately) at it's peak. He stood up for what he believed in, even if it risked him his job (he was grey-listed) He later mentioned that he was happy that he was grey-listed because it set the tone for his horror future and for him becoming the master of horror.

He was the voice/laugh at the end of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Vincent did the Thriller rap, and he did it perfectly. I can't imagine anyone else doing it, to be honest..

I do love him dearly. And It's not just because he's a wonderful human being, a kind soul, an animal lover, a wonderful actor, a gorgeous and sexy man (although it sweetens the pot), or a campy, adorable bisexual. It's because he is who he is, and doesn't care to change for anyone. I admire him and his strength.

That's why I made this blog. To keep his spirit alive each and every day with random posts and everything Vincent. And for those of you who choose to chill here every day and look at my content, I am grateful for you. 🖤

#vincent price #vp #tw: sex #tw: sex mention #bicon #bisexual #ask #rambling #ilovemesomevincentprice #thanks for giving me the opportunity to ramble about my fave dude

[onlylostphysics]

@ofmdjanuaury day 12: Skating + Artist

Modern AU, featuring the end of Stede & Mary's marriage (and Ed, oblivious, in the distance) 🤷‍♀️

---

They're sitting in the park sketching what they see; it's supposed to be about gestures, or capturing the essence, or something, but all Stede has managed are a few short, straight lines that look more like a forest after some kind of disaster than anything recognisably human.

It's all part of their marriage counselling. Dr Spriggs thinks they need to take interest in each other's hobbies to try to build some bridges over their complete failure to connect (Mary's words, not Dr Spriggs), and so they're both trying. Mary came out on the water for a day and hated every second of it. Now Stede's here, at Mary's art class, failing at that as well. 

"Great start, Stede!" says Doug, behind him, and Stede's shoulders tense up -- which is ridiculous, because Doug is lovely, but something about him makes Stede want to grow spikes and curl up into an unfriendly ball. 

"They're just lines," Stede says, clipped.

"Expressive lines!" Doug says approvingly, and moves onto the next student. 

Stede stares across the park, trying to find something easy to draw, but it's just a lot of grass, and some distant trees, and the skate park over to the right, with people drifting like clouds through it all. There's nothing Stede even wants to draw. The sunlight's quite nice, and there's been some gorgeous summer fashions paraded amongst the usual morning walk dullness, but all the interesting things move too quickly for him to even draw a single line. 

This is why everyone has camera phones these days! Just take a picture!

Mary, when Stede glances over, is frowning down at her drawing pad and sketching with considered strokes, occasionally glancing up at the view before she ducks her head again. There's a whole bench between them, because Stede sat here and Mary sat over there and Stede doesn't know which one of them is supposed to move. 

Dr Spriggs would say he should ask for her help, allow himself to be vulnerable, but Stede would rather eat this pencil. She would probably get angry at him for interrupting. She would probably just tell him he's not trying hard enough.

"Hi, Stede," Doug says, crouching down beside him. "Do you want to try a different exercise?"

I want to be far away from here, doing anything but this, Stede wants to say. "Mm hmm," he says, instead.

Doug smiles, bright and pleased. "Great! I'd like you to take your pencil for a walk across the page. Now, I know it sounds silly --"

"Mm," says Stede, because this is Mary's thing, and if he messes it up a lot of people will be angry with him.

"-- but what we're doing is freeing up your creativity. Don't look at the page --

"What? How I am supposed to know what I'm drawing?!"

"That's the freedom of it!" Doug says, with what appears to be genuine excitement. Stede will never understand the appeal of lines on a page unless it's something you already love. "Just draw without worrying about what you're drawing. How about you pick a person to focus on, and just let your pencil move across the page as you study them. Imagine who they are. Try to really capture not just what you see, but what you feel."

Out of place. Uncomfortable. Stupidly hot. He should maybe take off the jacket, but this waistcoat doesn't really work without it and the thought of sitting here being less than perfectly dressed is, somehow, utterly terrifying. 

"Keep it up!" Doug says, bright and nonsensical, and pats Stede on the shoulder before he moves away.

This is stupid, but Mary will be cross with him if he gives up after fifteen minutes, and obviously he wants their marriage to work, and he needs to try harder, so -- Stede sighs, looking up, and tries to find someone interesting to stare at. Someone far away, perhaps, so they don't notice him staring. 

The tip of his pencil is digging into the paper. He can't find a single person to rest his gaze on, because they all look so boring and indistinguishable and beige -- and then he glances over at the skatepark, and stops. 

It's the shorts, perhaps, that first grab his attention, the black leather above the long, muscled legs, the tattoos and the jet black roller skates -- but it's also the purple crop top, the bare arms, the beard, the hair; the way he's leaning his whole body into every turn, and gliding as easy as a yacht on the waves, his undeniable presence as he cuts through the streams of other people. 

Oh, wow, Stede thinks, and doesn't look away. He watches the way the sunlight glitters across the silver in the skater's hair, and the way his thighs are glistening with sweat from the heat of the morning, and the impeccable cut of those shorts, clinging so tight without restricting his movement at all. 

He looks so comfortable in his skin. Stede wants, without really knowing what it is that he's suddenly desperate for -- to be that free, perhaps. To move with such ease. To glide through a crowd and not want to apologise for your existence.

He is, Stede eventually remembers, supposed to be drawing, so he keeps staring and lets the pencil go for its ridiculous walk across the stupid page. He traces the lines of the man's legs with his eyes and (kind of) with his hand. He lets the pencil jump when he jumps. The skater almost collides with someone, an unsteady teenager on a skateboard, and he just spins off easily and the sound of his laugh carries all the way over here.

Goodness, it's hot today, but that's easy to ignore when his attention is so thoroughly occupied. Stede pauses to pick up his water bottle, switching hands so his pencil doesn't have to move, and takes a long drink without looking away because, honestly, what if the man disappears when Stede isn't looking? It would ruin the whole exercise.

He does run off the page at one point when the skater does some kind of trick, his legs going wide as he bends over and touches his toes. Stede's arm slips and he jerks forward, his heart hammering as he catches himself and sits upright again, and his face feels very warm. He hopes no one saw that. He was just trying to capture the inverted vee of the man's legs, after all.

Time passes. Stede lets his hand wander, thinking about how maybe he should take up skating -- it would be good to get out of the house more, and it's clearly done wonders for that man's build, so broad-shouldered and strong -- and where the skater got his clothes -- Stede's never been very into leather, but it's a practical material, it must be good for protecting him if he ever falls -- and if he comes here every Sunday -- maybe Stede could, too. To draw him. He's never felt so inspired. 

The skater weaves his way to the side of the skatepark, spinning a half turn as he sits down and then grabs a water bottle, his throat long as he takes a drink.

It seems like as good a time as any to finish, although it's oddly hard to drag his eyes away. There was something Doug said, wasn't there, about this being freeing? Which sounded like the usual arty nonsense but Stede gets it, now -- he does feel free. Unleashed and creative, his skin flush and alive with possibility. 

Perhaps there is something to this 'expressing yourself through art' idea. Perhaps he's unlocked a secret talent for it. Perhaps, he thinks, and looks down. 

Stede's drawing, when he looks at it, is fucking terrible. Louis could draw a more human-looking person and -- Stede loves him more than life itself, would throw himself in front of a train for him -- Louis is four years old and did not inherit his mother's aptitude for art. It's a mess of aimless lines, barely contained by the page. 

It's probably a good metaphor for something, but right now Stede just wants to slam the book shut and make sure no one ever sees it.

"Are you finished?" Mary asks, suddenly sitting down beside him. 

"Oh!" Stede says, and then, "Er."

"It's that man. The skater," Mary says, looking at Stede's sketchbook.

"Oh, can you tell?" Stede says, feeling suddenly quite warm and pleased. Maybe it's not that bad, if it's obvious who --

"No, I saw you staring at him," Mary says, and Stede deflates like he's been pricked. 

"He looked interesting," Stede says, defensively.

"Hm," Mary says. They're sitting close but Stede can't feel the warmth of her at all, and she doesn't reach over to take his hand, or say anything comforting, or inspire anything in Stede's heart but the want to go be alone with his books.

Mary sighs. "I want a divorce," she says. 

Be honest about what you want, Dr Spriggs keeps telling them.

Stede swallows. "Me too," he says. 

Mary reaches over, and squeezes his hand. 

---

the rest of my JanuAUry fics can be found on tumblr or AO3!

#ed: skating around in teeny tiny leather shorts #stede: gulping water like he's just crossed a desert #ofmd fic #ofmdjanuaury #our flag means death

[your-resident-boat-person]

You're literally one of my favourite people on this website. I love the boat liner gimick.

Anyways. heres your boat liner.

Have you ever heard about the ocean liner "SS Normandie"? It was quite famous back in the early 20th century.

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad someone is enjoying my boat shenanigans.

I am familiar with the Normandie. Sorry if this is a disappointment, but I'm not a huge fan. (Keep in mind, these are just my opinions and in no way objective). I think on the outside it's kind of ugly. The funnels are way too thick. They would have looked better if they were either shorter to compensate for the width, or thinner to compensate for the height. The MV Britannic, MV Georgic, and the (planned but unbuilt) RMMV Oceanic had short but fat funnels, and they were gorgeous.

Normandies hull is extremely hydrodynamic, but the shape isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing. It makes Normandie look more like a modern cruise ship or yacht than an ocean liner. The Queen Mary's hull wasn't nearly as hydrodynamic, but looked prettier. The funnels and hull combine to make the Normandie look kinda short and fat.

On the inside, it was gorgeous, almost to a fault. The art deco interior made it look almost like a museum or a palace. Undoubtedly gorgeous, but not somewhere I'd want to live for a few days while at sea. In contrast, the Queen Mary's more traditional art deco felt very comfortable and homely.

Also, its service life was incredibly short; it was finished in 1935, and kept in America for safety at the start of World War 2 in 1939. It remained there until the Americans decided to convert it into a troop ship. Its large sweeping rooms were gorgeous, but also promoted the spread of fire well, and this flaw in its construction came back to bite it when during the conversation process, it caught fire and was quickly consumed, becoming a total loss.

I think the story of its construction and rivalry with the Queen Mary is an incredible story, so here's a fantastic video about it:

https://youtu.be/j_-W9XGkWV4

Personally, I tend to prefer French lines' other ships, like the SS Île de France, the S.S. Liberté, the S.S. France (1910), the S.S. France (1960), and the S.S. Paris.

Also, most ships are referred to with female pronouns. I do not do that with the Normandie because the French line was very persistent that Normandie wasn't addressed as "Le Normandie" or "La Normandie" Just "Normandie". So I refer to it as an it, rather than a she. I'm not sure if that's correct, but that's what I tend to go with.

Also also, I use this blog for pretty much everything. I put all the boat stuff from this blog on a separate blog too to make it easier to find.

https://www.tumblr.com/the-boat-people?source=share

#ss normandie #ocean liners #ocean liner #rms queen mary #french line #cunard #world war two

[tibbinswrites]

Hiiiii! For the fic writers questions:

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

Hiii! Thanks so much for asking!

This got a little away from me so answers under the cut.

37. Be warned on this one it's an MCD fic, so please mind the tags. It's called Hallowed Ground and it was based on some gorgeous art (which is linked in the A/N of the fic). It's a Supernatural, Destiel fic set post-season 13 where Michael was possessing Dean and Cas goes after him to try and save him. And it doesn't go well. Hallowed Ground - Chapter 1 - Tibbins - Supernatural [Archive of Our Own]

It's been a long time since I wrote it but I think it's the most 'deep cut' fic I have (Aside from the Harry Potter fic where it's just about me wandering around Hogwarts). I remember being so proud of capturing what I felt at the time to be a very powerful and painful moment. I even made myself emotional while writing it. And a friend of mine quoted a particular line from it about grief that she said was very impactful. Which means a lot as she herself is a brilliant writer. 45. I'm sure over the years I've improved in countless ways. When I was 9 I won a writing competition at a local bookstore with a quaint story called 'The Beach'. It was a ridiculous and silly story with terrible spelling and grammar and I partially believe the judges only picked me over the 16-year-old competitors because they thought it would be cute and good press to give the winning prize to the youngest finalist. I've come a long way since then (and I'm in a contemplative mood so I apologise for the rambling). My first fanfic, looking back, was horrific mary-sue cringe where the main villain wasn't even present in the fic until the final chapter. Every fanfic since has been slightly better. In the basics of spelling, grammar and formatting, yes, but also learning how to craft a story. Most of my early works were relatively short. I found myself most comfortable writing dialogue and small character moments missing from or only implied by canon. Limited characters, plot only in the sense of where it fits in the canon story.

This might be the thing I've most worked on. A lot of my Supernatural fics are like this. That is my writing comfort zone. Getting into the D&D show Critical Role (and the game itself) however, made me want to try expanding to an ensemble cast and test myself with more long-form story, and gave me a fresh perspective on how to go about doing it. So I gave it a go with Supernatural in 'The Final Season: Home is Where One Starts From' and with Critical Role in 'Tangled Threads' and they are both the fics I've worked the hardest at, and the ones I am most proud of for the work I put in.

This is something I want to practise more, when I have the time and the ideas to spare. These feel closest to the kinds of things I love to read. And intriguing plot but focused on character and often the 'found-family' dynamic. It is this style I will likely adopt if I ever think of an idea for an original, non-fan fiction book.

But the more I improve and experiment with, the more I realise how valuable 'The Beach' was. And I miss the aspect of my childhood brain that wasn't restrained by what 'makes sense' or 'is realistic'. The ideas I so quickly and so automatically dismiss that they have been mostly filtered out.

Perhaps I should work on that next.

#TibbinsAnswers #questions #fanfiction #supernatural #critical role #TibbinsContemplates #TibbinsRambles #sorry for the ramble #I just rewatched Calamity and I'm still a tad emotional

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

RESISTERE TENTATIONEM: CAPITULUM II

TĒCTUS: Covered, concealed, hidden, having been covered, hidden or concealed

Pairings: Damian Priest x Reader

Warnings: +18, mature content

Editor: @thenightmareismyreality

Tag: @ziasaph , @theworldofotps , @alyhull , @bellalutionn , @aerynscrichton , @serpantscorpio8497 , @ava-valerie , @omegasshyghuleh6661ghosts , @squirreledelman , @cazxcx , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @bayley-no-friends , @waywardwrestlewritingwaif , @sassymox

Notes: I would like to thank @letsgivethisonemoreshot , for not only being my partner in crime with this trilogy but also being one of the best friends someone could ever have 😘 This is fully written in Damian’s POV. If you’d like to check out my previous works, you can find them on my Masterlist

Want to hear a joke that’s really in poor taste? The Mother Superior of the famous Mary Magdalene Convent (isn’t that ironic) is being accused of hosting ‘parties’ to the oh so loving convent donors. And you know who isn’t invited to those parties? Jesus Christ. Because the Devil sure loves to be a part of them! Drugs, orgies, alcohol, prostitution, even black masses... you name it! Everything that is unholy happens in the so-called house of holiness, and if that isn’t a bad taste joke, I don’t know what is.

So here I am now, driving towards the Devil’s den: the Mary Magdalene convent for three torturous days of interviews. Out of all of the reporters from The New York Times, of course I was the one who drew the short straw and got assigned this article. Some people see this as a career changing opportunity... a blessing, but me? I see it as a fucking curse! I don’t like religion, I don’t like churches, I don’t like priests and I sure as hell don’t like nuns! Anything that has the word “holy” in it, I prefer to be as far away as I possibly can from. But today was not my lucky day….no, today was the day that I was going to be tested. The only thing I’m hoping for is to not fail.

I knocked on the convent’s door and a young lady answered me.

“Hi, good morning. I’m Damian Priest, reporter from The New York Times and I’m here for an interview with” I looked down at my notepad “Mrs. Y/N L/N? Whom I believe is the Mother Superior”

The young girl only nodded once and motioned for me to follow her, without saying a word.

I followed her in, mesmerized by the size of the convent, the whole place was fancy as fuck on the inside. Art pieces from famous painters were displayed on the walls, modern furniture, dim lights that made the place look cozy and inviting. *What a scam* I thought to myself. The young lady in front of me suddenly stopped walking and pointed towards the door in front of her before turning around and leaving.

Presuming that it was the Mother Superior’s office, I knocked on the door twice before someone told me to come in. You see, when they told me I was going to be interviewing the Mother Superior of a convent, the last thing I expected was for her to not only be beautiful, but young (considering I was under the impression that women in that position were around sixty years old). She was breathtaking to say the least! Soft features, her skin had an angelic glow to it and there was something in her eyes that trapped you in them...something you could not turn your gaze away from no matter how bad you wanted to.

“Mr. Priest, please sit down” She smiled

I nodded and sat on the chair in front of her desk

“Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to speak with me, Mother Y/L/N-“

“Please, call me Y/N” Her sultry voice spoke

“Y/N” I tested the word on my lips and it sounded oddly pleasant

She smiled softly and...fuck she’s gorgeous! Her beauty was a painful and constant reminder of what you couldn’t have, couldn’t touch, couldn’t-“

“Mr. Priest?” She said softly

“Damian”

“Damian, would you like something to drink? Coffee, water, juice, tea perhaps?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you” I answered, while grabbing my notepad and a pen out of my backpack. Clearing my throat, I said “Can we get started with the pre-interview?”

“Of course” She smiled widely and reached for a cigarette pack on top of the table, which made me raise an eyebrow

“We all have our dirty little secrets, don’t we, Damian?” She asked, licking the cigarette filter before sucking it

*Am I going crazy?* I thought to myself

“Damian? Your first question is?” She giggled

“Ummm” I cleared my throat once again “Y/N, recently the convent was involved in a huge scandal involving drugs, prostitution, orgies and black masses. Would you like to clarify why an institution that’s deeply connected to the church is in the middle of something so profane?”

She grinned “God is in the most profane things, Damian. After all, the sinners are the ones who need Him the most, aren’t they?”

“I’m not sure if I follow-”

“You see” She took a long drag on her cigarette and walked towards me “God is our Lord and savior. He forgives us from our sins, grants us forgiveness to our most foul actions” She sat down on the chair beside me “If you steal from someone and repent; He’ll forgive you, kill someone and repent; He’ll save you, cheat on your wife with the hot, young next door neighbor and repent; He’ll brush it underneath the carpet and pretend it never happened” She shrugged “God doesn’t judge, Damian. He only forgives” She leaned forward on the arm of the chair, until she was uncomfortably close to me “So if the big boss himself doesn't judge anyone, then why should I?”

“And what does judgment have to do with drugs, orgies and sin?”

She smiled “How can God forgive you if you don’t sin, Damian?”

“And how can God forgive his so-called followers who incite others to sin, Y/N?”

“Incite others to sin?” She chuckled “Are you talking about the allegations, the donors or yourself?” She smirked

………………………………………………….......................

Since we’re so far from town I was informed that I would have to spend the night at the convent. They showed me my bedroom and it looked pretty fancy. King size bed, Egyptian sheets, expensive furniture. Everything was oddly normal, except for the weird dream I recalled having. I was at the convent, lost, calling for help because I somehow ended up locked in here. I was inside what looked like a large basement, the room was only lit by red lights, a faint smell of leather took over my nostrils as I heard someone moaning softly in my ear…a woman. And the weirdest thing was that I could’ve sworn I felt her breath against my ear. Needless to say I woke up with my dick as hard as a rock and had to spend a solid thirty minutes trying to get rid of a very painful boner, which did not leave me no matter how many times I came. Half hard and inside a convent...yeah, I’m definitely going to Hell!

“How did you sleep, Damian?” Was the first thing I was asked when I walked into the Mother Superior’s office in the morning. Something in her voice told me she knew exactly what I had done underneath the shower.

“Good”

“I bet you woke up feeling much better after a good night of rest, right?” She smiled devilishly and I just nodded

“Would you mind if we took a tour through the convent at some point?” I asked, quickly changing subjects

“Of course not! Let me know when you want one”

I nodded and began to ask my questions

“So, why do so many men keep coming and going from this convent? Seems like the place men shouldn’t be”

“The only men who come to the convent, Damian, are maintenance, the donors for the ‘thank you parties’ we host and now you” She smiled

“How do you get so many people to keep donating?”

“We don’t oblige anyone to do anything. People are still kind enough to see the work we do for those in need and they get touched by it. So God is the one who inspires them to donate, Damian. Not me”

“I’ve noticed a lot of fancy things here. Shouldn’t the money be going to something else?”

“The ‘fancy’ things you see are gifts from the donors. Things they felt in their hearts they should give us freely. We don’t buy things for the convent, apart from food. That’s one of the rules”

“Speaking of rules” I looked at her “Why are you smoking? Isn't that not allowed?”

“We don’t have rules against smoking here, Damian. The choice to do it or not is personal, but there are no rules for it. It’s not forbidden or a sin. Now, if you think nuns shouldn’t smoke, I suggest you pay a visit to the convents in Rome and give them a piece of your mind about their choices regarding health”

I chuckled at her comeback

“Why so cynical about our good intentions?” She licked her lips

“Because you don’t have any” I spat

“We live for helping those in need, Damian” She pointed towards my visible bulge

“Helping those in need, huh? And what do you get out of it?”

She walked towards me “Satisfaction in its purest form” She lifted one hand up and caressed my lower belly over my shirt “It’s incredible how much providing relief to others can trigger the biggest pleasure in our bodies...to see their eyes semi-closed in...relief is so rewarding to me”

I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably. “And just how needy do these people have to be?” I was speaking in financial terms of course

“Very needy” Her hand toyed with my jeans button “Some even have trouble sleeping due to their neediness, so you can see how a helping hand goes so well in this case...even the right mouth, you know to profess the Lord’s word”

“And just how many of these ‘charitable acts’ have you been involved with?” I felt my cock grow harder and harder

“Directly? Only when things get too hard, Damian” Her hand brushed against my hard bulge “That’s when I offer my help, so things can stop getting so hard and painful”

I gulped as I tried to shift away from her touch “So what, you just have all these other poor girls do your dirty work for you?” I try to keep my serious composure

“I’m not afraid of getting dirty, Damian. The girls do what they can, what they’re instructed to...but sometimes things get so hard that I have no other option but intervene” She pulled the fly of my jeans down “Then, once the seed of evil is finally spilled, things can go back to being soft again” She leaned in closer “Would you like a demonstration, Damian? I’m sure you have some kind of evil inside you that needs to be released” She asked with a sinister smile reaching her hand into the waistband of my boxer briefs

“I’m just here for work, Y/N, I have nothing to donate”

“Don’t worry about it. My girls will not be involved in this...it will be our little secret”

“I would like the tour now, please”

She smirked “Of course” and stepped away from me “This way” She went out the door as if nothing had happened

“Psycho bitch” I whispered to myself, as I pulled the fly of my jeans up and tied my hoodie around my waist to cover up the boner.

“This way we have the nuns bedrooms” She pointed towards a hallway “Kitchen, restrooms, archives, laundry room, storage for cleaning supplies, pantry” She explained each room, until we were outside “The patio, garden; where we cultivate flowers, fruits and vegetables, garage and the chapel is this way”

She walked towards a medium sized chapel in the middle of the garden, it looked like a regular chapel on the inside. It had an altar with a bible on it, a pulpit, a big cross, devotional statues of catholic saints, wooden benches and a confessional. Candles were lit up all over the place and everything looked normal. Scarily normal, until I noticed a few nuns who were sat on one of the benches staring at me with a weird look on their eyes

“Why are they looking at me like that?” I asked Y/N

“Like what?”

“Like, with...” I trailed off

“With desire?” She whispered in a mocking tone

I looked down at her speechless

“One could say that you’re a little too obsessed with the lust theme, Damian” She smiled “It’s all you can think about ever since you got here, dear. You should be careful” She licked her lips and pulled me by my hand towards her office again.

………………………........................................................

Later that night while I was trying to get some sleep, I began to hear some mumbling. Muffled voices kept saying something unintelligible and filling up the bedroom with mainly female voices. But one of the voices sounded too familiar to me...

I stood up from the bed and began to search in the room where those voices could be coming from, and as I almost gave up, I found it. A small hole of the size of a coin, in the concrete wall in front of my bed. Scooting closer to the wall, I knelt down and peeked through the hole, but weirdly enough, the room was pitch black. The mumbling started again and they soon became moans. Above all the moaning voices, one stood out to me. It was Y/N’s voice, she moaned softly while she said something I couldn’t quite understand. Her voice was filled with lust, her moans were pornographic and I could swear she was moaning my name. It both frightened and turned me on, so I did what any wise man would do. I returned to the bed, laid down and jerked off before falling into a deep slumber.

..................................................................................

“Wake up” Someone softly whispered in my ear

I quickly opened my eyes and my heart was beating at a frantic pace due to the fright.

A young girl was sitting down on my bed “Please, follow me” was all she said before standing up and leaving my room

I was so confused that I didn’t even bother to grab a t-shirt, so I just followed her down the hall barefoot and only with a pair of sweatpants on. Looking outside the hallway windows, I could see that the sky was still dark, which could only mean it was the late hours of morning.

She took me inside the laundry room and pressed a button underneath the folding clothes table. A door opened and a red light lit up the dark wooden stairs. I continued to follow her down the stairs, and we began to walk down a long hallway that looked more like a basement. The whole place had only red lights as the lighting source, so it took my eyes a while to get used to it.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, but only received silence as a response

We walked for what felt like ten minutes until we reached a black wooden door with an iron door knocker. She knocked on the door four times and left.

“Is this a prank?” I asked myself, after five minutes of standing there alone. Suddenly the door opened, but I couldn’t see anything other than darkness ahead

“Hello?” I called from the doorway, but no one answered back

The thing that made me such a great reporter was my utter curiosity, and even with all my senses screaming ‘don’t go in there!’ I decided to listen to my curious side instead, and went into the room. As soon as I stepped a foot inside, the door behind me closed shut.

The room was pitch black and I stumbled across a few items. I placed my hand on top of what felt like a table so I could try to guide myself through the room, at least back to the door again so I could leave. When suddenly I felt several pairs of soft hands on my torso pulling me back.

“What the fuck?” I gasped in shock

But before I could make a move, my wrists and ankles were tied to a wooden surface and a red light turned on in the room

Five nuns were in front of me, staring silently at my body

“Leave” Someone said from behind me, and the nuns obeyed and left

“I would be lying if I said you weren’t a beautiful sight” Y/N said, and and walked in front of me

“You psycho bitch” I growled and pulled at the restraints “Let me go!”

She smiled “Oh Damian...You don’t want that!” Her nails softly scratched my lower belly “And neither do I”

“You’re sick! Let me go, you fucking-“

“Na ah” She slapped me across the face “I’m done playing these pretending games” She lit up a cigarette “Pretend you didn’t jerk off to my moans, pretending you don’t want to fuck me...that gets tiring” She dipped her hand inside my sweatpants and found my semi hard bulge “You’ve wanted to fuck me ever since you laid eyes on me” She giggled and I licked my dry lips

“Those sinful, filthy, thoughts you’ve had, Damian” She closed her fist around my erection “You wanted to know what we do here, right? We purge that demon out of you” And scooted closer until her lips brushed against my own with every word she spoke

“We send him away, so he can’t bother you anymore” She freed my cock from my pants and began to pump her hand up and down “We release you from the seed of evil”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I panted

Y/N knelt down in front of me and darted her tongue out, licking my slit “Give me the seed of evil, Damian” and gave an open mouth kiss on my tip “Feed me with it” Licked the underside of my shaft “Release yourself from what’s been bothering you ever since you got here” Darting her tongue out “Use me to purify your soul” And opened her mouth wider.

At such a sight I had no other option but to buck my hips forward…

And chase for my cleansing

If you’re comfortable with it, please let me know your thoughts on this? Feedbacks are always appreciated 🥰😘

#damian priest smut #damian priest one shot #damian priest fanfiction #damian priest x reader #damian priest imagine #damian priest #masochist writes #resistere tentationem trilogy #wwe x reader #wwe superstars #wwe smut #wwe imagine #wwe fanfiction

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 155

Super extra special chapter today, so I’m keeping this short. Thanks to @charlylimph-blog and @baelpenrose for beta reading, and most importantly:

Thank you @quantumizedinsanity, without whom this chapter would be impossible.  I hope you like it!

“You have been cordially demanded to be in attendance to an incredibly important party. Regrets will not be accepted unless paid for in vitally important sacrifice.  Hannah said I am not allowed to request the blood of virgins, so virgin Bloody Mary’s are an acceptable replacement.  Please come as your utmost self, and bring snacks.  Glitter is appreciated, but no loud noise-makers please.

Location: The Undine, invitation only. No +1s unless previously authorized

Time:  Beta Shift Commencement

Please submit your karaoke song no less than one Von-Day in advance, bringing your own props.  Group numbers require prior authorization and choreography.

P.S: Sophia, bring the crepes if you know what’s good for you.”

I smirked as I read the invitation from what could only be Charly - I couldn’t think of anyone with spot-access to pastel rainbow stationery and puff-gel ink.

“When did Lisa Frank go into the printing business?” Arthur mused as he flipped the anachronistic card over. “There’s a kitten on the back of mine…”

“Ooo,” Maverick gushed, leaning over. “The bubble kitten or angel one?”

Arthur snatched the invitation away. “I refuse to answer on the grounds of how the hell did you know?”

That got an eyeroll that rated a solid eight out of ten. “Because you said Lisa Frank, duh. It’s either the angel kitten, the bubble kittens, or the sunflower kittens.”

My friend rolled his neck to glare at me, to which I held up my hands. “Nope, not my doing. Those were very iconic images, even when I was a kid.” I turned to Maverick to put him out of his misery. “I have the Christmas Husky.”

“Sea Lion pup, booyah!” he crowed.

Derek snapped his fingers and dropped his card so he could stim with both hands. “Turtle. Read it and weep.”

“I dunno, Derek,” Tyche ventured playfully. “Ballet bunnies are pretty close.” As she showed her own invitation art, she tilted her head to the side. “I wonder what the invitation is for?”

Conor tapped his chin with his own piece of card stock - a tiger cub. “Well, it’s Charly, clearly. And it’s at the Undine, but it includes Mav and Tyche, so it can’t be anything kink-related…” Both in question shuddered at the thought. “Given the rainbows, references to glitter, and karaoke, my money is on a coming out or a drag show.” When everyone looked at him skeptically, he threw his hands up in disbelief. “Aye, it’s that or a child’s birthday, an’ there annae child on the Ark!”

Tyche looked impressed. “Very quick thinking. And either way…” She flicked her invitation. “It specifies utmost self, and we’ve got half a shift to knock that out along with a crepe spread and other assorted snacks.”

Laughing, I nodded in agreement. “Let’s get to it, then!”

 Hours later, we were all waiting patiently at the Undine, which had a glowing sign reading “Private Party - Invitation Only” with slowly falling fireworks in the background.  Whatever this was, Charly had gone all out. Food had been sent ahead, so we were whispering to each other excitedly while we were joined by others.

Parvati and Xiomara arrived, arm in arm; Parvati in a gorgeous turquoise and gold saree with heavy gold jewelry at wrists, ears, neck, and hair, while Xiomara was dressed to literally kill in head to toe leather boots, pants, vest, and wrist cuffs.

Not far behind them were Ivan and Jokul, Ivan in his customary kilt with boots and a clean shirt, while Jokul had donned his most gorgeous and softest-looking leathers and furs.  “Good evening, lovely people!” Jokul intoned warmly. “Does anyone know what this is about?”

“No idea,” Sam replied with a smile. “But it sounds fun, without the noise makers.”

“I am strictly here for the karaoke,” Ivan joked. “Although I heard rumor of crepes….”

Before I could answer, the doors to the Undine were whisked open. “Hellooooo everyone, and thank you for coming!  Please, right this way, right this way.  The guest of honor will be here with you shortly.”  With that, she pivoted on a heel and vanished, leaving us to find our way to a stage and tables, where we also found Coffey grinning in a crisp white suit, pink shirt and pocket square, and a white fedora with matching pink band.

All in all, everyone seemed to have met the brief on being “your utmost self”.

“Any chance you know what’s going on here?” Conor asked as we took our seats.

Coffey just tapped the side of his nose and shook his head. “Spoilers.”

Glancing around, I noticed that the usual suspects were all present, although my count seemed to be off by a couple of brunettes. “I know Charly is hostessing with the mostessing, but where are Hannah and Zach? Surely she would have - “

BWAAAANH!  I nearly fell to the floor from how hard I jumped at the buzzer that rang out, vibrating my skull. “What the hell!?”

Tyche, Conor, and Maverick looked at me, confused. “What the hell what?” Tyche asked slowly.

“Didn’t you hear that!?” I practically shouted. “I was asking about Hannah and Za - “

BWAAAANH! “Jesus leaping Joseph bullfrogs!” I slammed my hands over my ears and curled into a ball. When I straightened, everyone was still looking at me like I had grown a third head - and it was speaking gibberish. “You really can’t hear that?”

Slowly, heads shook, so I explained. “There’s a buzzer that rings when I say -” I paused. “A certain person’s name.”

Just as everyone was getting gravely concerned for my mental health, spotlights lit up the stage and music started. “Goooooood EVENING, everybody! Sophia is not hallucinating, and I apologize for the aggressive volume!” Charly’s voice flooded the room cheerfully. “All will be clear in a moment, I assure you.”

Straightening carefully, I stretched the flinch-cramps out of my neck and accepted the drink handed to me by a sheepish Sebastian. Sorry, he mouthed.

I winked my forgiveness and took a sip, glad it was just iced tea.

“Moving on, thank you everyone for coming and sending ahead your snacks!  I expect everyone to work up an appetite tonight once you realize why you were all invited,” Charly continued. The music went from light and airy to heavy violins. “I have gathered you all here today to introduce a very important person. Some with whom I expect you all to love dearly and hold affectionately in your hearts, because if you don’t it would be a downright shame since they are pretty freaking awesome.  Also, I will one hundred percent judge you, and possibly prank you. Pranks may not maim you but I cannot guaran - “

We all sat stiff in shock when Hannah’s voice interrupted. “Charly, that’s unnecessary and you aren’t. Help. Ing?” There was a very strong tone of obvious hint, piquing my interest even further.

A throat was cleared. “Sorry, I got carried away. Anyway, point is - I have been given the absolute delight and pleasure of introducing you to someone. So that I don’t steal her thunder, I will let her take it from here!”

The music swelled to an acceptable but not overwhelming crescendo as the spotlights pointed to one side of the stage. With breathless anticipation, we watched as a figure in a beautiful [COLOR] gown made her way to the center of the stage. Dark hair flowed to her waist, with something woven through to cause the light to dance and twinkle like stars. Large and hesitant - but oddly familiar - eyes peered out from beneath a glittering tiara as a terrified voice whispered. “Hi everyone. My name is Alice.”

As soon as we heard that, stunned silence deafened the room.  We all recognized that voice. My brain finally caught up - this was why that alarm….

Without any hesitation, Derek walked out on the stage and held out one hand. Alice tapped it with a smile, knowing not to try holding it. Derek’s hands took a moment to still enough that he could make out the words he wanted to say.

“You look amazing. So happy.”

That was all it took to break the spell. We all surged to our feet, screaming with joy and thunderous applause.  Alice looked like she was about to cry, and Hannah rushed out to sweep her partner into a crushing hug.  I could barely make out Hannah’s voice saying “I told you they would be happy for you.”

Everyone surged to congratulate her… In that first year on the Ark, so many people had undergone genetic surgery.  But Alice had six years to build a family, a life as someone else, and it must have weighed so heavily to make that decision now, rather than to do it at the beginning with a group of relative strangers. I couldn’t imagine the fear she had gone through, or was possibly still going through, or the relief it might be now…

All of my thoughts swirled into a tempest, and the only thing that managed to make it to my mouth was a very articulate “You look like a princess.”

I swear, I could punch myself sometimes.

To my relief, Alice just laughed. “It was Charly’s idea.  She said that every little girl got dressed up as a princess at some point - whether they wanted to or not - so she gave me the option to be a princess for a night, and said if I don’t like it, I never have to do it again.”

“What do you think?” I asked.

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think it’s my cup of tea, but I do feel really fancy!”

“You should feel fancy, sweetheart,” Hannah said softly. “But we also have a very fancy women’s tuxedo in the back if you want to feel fancy that way.”

“I’ll think about it,” came the adoring response.  I was overjoyed to see that nothing had changed there, clearly. “What kind of tuxedo are we talking? Celine? Angelina?”

“It’s 100% a Brie/Janelle hybrid, with a Billy hat.”

A pause. “Let me try one karaoke song in this getup, and we’re switching to that.”

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#the miys #found family #humans are weird #science fiction #aliens #apocalypse #humans are space orcs #humans are space fae #earth is space australia #post apocalypse #post post apocalypse #original science fiction #original sci fi #original writing

[flowerbutton]

… I may or may not have made other designs for Fae Karl's wings…

Welp, here they are!

At least I had fun! Maybe I will also redo Karl's design!

every time you show me something new, i am gobsmacked. these are - oh my word, oh my goodness, gracious, these???? are???? they're stunning, they're so fricking gorgeous?

i love love love how flower-like the first ones are, they really tie in so amazingly with nature and karl's connection to it, and i love the colours, oh my goodness, on all of them, they're so incredible????? THE RAINBOW ON THE SECOND SET, like butterfly but rainbow, ahhhhh, i love them, ahhhh

AND THE BOTTOM SET ookay no okay so little known fact about me, i love stained glass windows, they're stunning and beautiful and i go to churches just to look at them, and oh my god? this screams fairytale stained glass window. this design screams the inbetween-stained-glass-window-mary's-falling-over-herself, i love love love love love love them, oh my god

firstly, thank you so, so so much, and secondly, if you do redo ipasoy karl's design, i'd love to see it!!! also, if you ever make a post with these, or the previous ipasoy karl design on, please let me know if you would be okay with me including it in the notes of the fic, because i am just in awe of your art and i am so unbelievably touched that my little fic has inspired you to create so many absolutely gorgeous things, oh my goodness, oh my god

#fae karl jacobs #karl jacobs #zofi persson #putting these tags here so zofi-persson gets the gosh darn credit they deserve!!!!!! #ipasoy #ipasoy art #mary answers #GOODNESS GRACIOUS I'M IN AWE I'M SCREAMING I'M NEVER SHUTTING UP ABOUT THESE DESIGNS I AM SOBBING MY HEART OUT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #fae karl wings my beloved #fae karl my beloved!!!! #zofi-persson thank you so so so much for sharing these with me ahhhh

[wellhalesbells]

✨✨ TOP FIVES FOR 2020 ✨✨

2020 was, i think we can all agree, a massively chaotic year but i have never consumed as much media before in my life, so i thought others might benefit from my slothery uh, connoisseur.... ship?  yes, that.  below are the books, comics, shows, and movies that got me through!

B O O K S .

the starless sea, by erin morgenstern - i loooove this book because it loves me back.  it says: ‘oh, you’re a reader, well i have just the thing for you.’  it luxuriates in language and story and riddles and fairy tales and it feels like an entire library in a single tome.

they never learn, by layne fargo - oh fuuuuuck, this was satisfying.  i thought it might feel a little exploitative as it is very aware of the zeitgeist and likely would not exist without the #metoo movement but it never ever did.  this was a fucking ROMP, period.  reading about a woman getting away with murdering skeezy guy after rapey guy after shitty human just made me happier and happier.

moonflower murders, by anthony horowitz - this is the second in the susan ryeland series (and the first was hardcore good fun too) and really feels very classic mystery with the artful twist of catering to the literary community.  mainly because: susan isn’t a detective, she’s an editor and she gets drafted in this time because the clue to what happened to a missing woman is in a book she edited, if she can find it.  both of the books in this series have such an excellent coming together moment that is rare af to find.

the invisible life of addie larue, by v.e. schwab - the writing in this is just so good.  it has that feel to me where i just want to drop the book and open up my own page and let my fingers fly.  it’s that inspiring kind of writing that reminds you of all the things language can do.

crown of feathers/heart of flames, by nicki pau preto - aaahhh, this series is SO FREAKING GOOD!  why is there not more of a fandom for it, why???? it is so many of my favorite tropes all resting perfectly together to the point where you almost forget they’re tropes because they just so naturally evolved there.  ugh, it’s just.... it��s so heart-bursty good.

.... number 5, part 2?  raybearer, by jordan ifueko - this was just so original and i was invested af.  like, what a brilliant idea though and an even better execution??  i loved every character and am so looking forward to the next in the series so i can get to know them even better!!

honorable mentions (sh*t i still liked a whole heckuva lot): you/hidden bodies, by caroline kepnes // writers & lovers, by lily king // i’ll be gone in the dark, by michelle mcnamara // the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home, by joseph fink & jeffrey cranor // girl, serpent, thorn, by melissa bashardoust // a little life, by hanya yanagihara // the guinevere deception, by kiersten white // obsidio (and the entire illuminae series), by amie kaufman & jay kristoff // the bone houses, by emily lloyd-jones // house of salt and sorrows, by erin a. craig // we hunt the flame, by hafsah faizal // savage legion, by matt wallace // blacktop wasteland, by s.a. cosby // crier’s war, by nina varela // the empress of salt and fortune/when the tiger came down the mountain, by nghi vo // upright women wanted, by sarah gailey // the monster of elendhaven, by jennifer giesbrecht // a deadly education, by naomi novik // you let me in, by camilla bruce // when you ask me where i’m going, by jasmin kaur // the lights go out in lychford/last stand in lychford (and the entire lychford series), by paul cornell // the devil and the dark water, by stuart turton // serpent & dove, by shelby mahurin // one by one, by ruth ware // ruthless gods (this was SUCH an upshot from the first book - it’s worth sticking with if you’re on the fence), by emily a. duncan // cemetery boys, by aiden thomas // the inheritance games, by jennifer lynn barnes // the fortunate ones (2021 release), by ed tarkington

C O M I C S .

cosmoknights, by hannah templer - the art was gorgeous, the gayness was glorious, and just.... hot HOOOOOOOOT lady knights in space?!  a princess winning her own hand?  find something not to love in there, i dare you.

don’t go without me, by rosemary valero-o’connell - wow. wow wow wow wow wow.  the writing was stunning, so lyrical and atmospheric and deep, and rosemary has to be one of my favorite artists but even that managed to come as a beautiful surprise because it was just so freaking bold.

through the woods, by emily carroll - i loooove emily carroll, the convergence of spine-tingling horror and art that feeds into it, that is both visually and aesthetically pleasing, is hard to beat!  p.s. i also read beneath the dead oak tree from her this year and it was also a BANGER.

the impending blindness of billie scott, by zoe thorogood - zoe is someone that i just want to follow.  she’s just starting and i want to be there for every single step.  i love her art style and her ability to tell a story with it.

above the clouds, by melissa pagluica - this was so unique, and such a baller concept, as nearly half the entire book is conveyed only through the art and yet you’re never once lost, never once confused as to what any character is thinking or feeling.  it’s a story within a story and only one of those gets words though they both are chock full of emotion!

um.... number 5, part 2? crowded, by christopher sebela - everything about this series is fun af.  crowd-funded assassination and a hirable bodyguard who’s rated like an uber driver???  and the chemistry between the two mains is so great and gay!!

honorable mentions: monster and the beast, by renji // long exposure, by kam ‘mars’ heyward // fence, by c.s. pacat // invisible kingdom, by g. willow wilson // ms. marvel, by g. willow wilson // heathen, by natasha alterici // not drunk enough, by tess stone // giant days, by john allison // die, by kieron gillen // be prepared, by vera brosgol // ascender (sequel to descender, which is also great), by jeff lemire // the unbeatable squirrel girl, by ryan north // bang! bang! boom!, by melanie schoen // gideon falls, by jeff lemire // life of melody, by mari costa // cry wolf girl, by ariel slamet ries // the tea dragon society, by katie o’neill // ptsd, by guillaume singelin // heartstopper, by alice oseman // solutions and other problems, by allie brosh // finding home, by hari conner // the magic fish, by trung le nguyen // something is killing the children, by james tynion iv // the weight of them, by noelle stevenson // spill zone, by scott westerfeld // skyward, by joe henderson // miles morales, by saladin ahmed

F I L M S.

parasite, dir. bong joon ho - oh it was satisfying, oh it was suspenseful, oh i had to watch some of it through my fingers but i loooooooved it.  such a good story and so well made.

knives out, dir. rian johnson - okay, everything about this movie was amazing.  every single character was fun as hell and i could’ve watched an entire movie about each of them.  what a great fucking mystery!

blindspotting, dir. carlos lopez estrada -  this made my heart hurt so damn much.  what glorious writing, acting, and story!

portrait of a lady on fire, dir. celine sciamma - gooooorgeous cinematography, amazing chemistry, and such a soft, atmospheric film.

the farewell, dir. lulu wang - i cried and my heart felt so full and i love it so so much.

um.... number 5, part 2? someone great, dir. jennifer kaytin robinson - no part of me expected to love a netflix movie this much but it’s a love story that doesn’t get told that often??  the end of a relationship and the true love of friendship and i love these girls and i love jenny and nate’s broken relationship.

honorable mentions: eighth grade, dir. bo burnham // booksmart, dir. olivia wilde // midsommar, dir. ari aster // the curse of la llorona, dir. michael chaves // the secret life of pets 2, dirs. chris renaud & jonathan del val // jojo rabbit, dir. taika waititi // the invisible man, dir. leigh whannell // the favourite, dir. yorgos lanthimos // can you ever forgive me?, dir. marielle heller // troop zero, dirs. bert & bertie // ready or not, dirs. matt bettinelli-olpin & tyler gillett // brave, dirs. mark andrews & brenda chapman & steve purcell // the half of it, dir. alice wu // palm springs, dir. max barbakow // doctor sleep, dir. mike flanaghan // uncut gems, dirs. benny sadfie & josh sadfie // birds of prey, dir. cathy van // bloodshot, dir. dave wilson // the old guard, dir. gina prince-bythewood // enola holmes, dir. harry bradbeer // hocus pocus, dir. kenny ortega // always be my maybe, dir. nahnatchka khan // finding dory, dirs. andrew stanton & angus maclane // die hard, dir. john mctiernan

S H O W S .

black sails (2014) - this show, this shooooooooow.  i cannot, it just makes me want to cry with how good it is.  the characters, the EMOTIONS, the story, the plaaaaaan.  like, the creators clearly had a plan for every single step of this show and it was a gOOD, GOOD PLAN.

the untamed (2019) - truly, cheesy good fun with one of the best gay romances ever.  i love these characters and their relationships to each other and the way it glories in its own ridiculousness.

the righteous gemstones (2019) - one of the things that bothered me about my next choice (the ratio of female to male nudity) was so much more realistic in this one (i mean, we’ve all gotten five thousand dick pics and i know like three people?  so the fact that there is so rarely male nudity in shows when there are tits everywhere..... no, how does that even make a tiny bit of sense?).  this show was such great, wonderful, awful fun.  they’re not great people and the show is under no delusion about that and it’s GLORIOUS!

the witcher (2019) - this was just hella fun, i loved the characters and the fantasy elements.  i’m excited for the next season, it’s just entertaining swashbuckling through and through!

fargo (2014) - all of this was really very enjoyable with the through line being somebody fucks shit up and gets involved in something they really shouldn’t be involved in that’s going to swallow them whole.  season one and season three were my stand-out favorites but they were all so violent, clever, and vicious!

um.... number 5, part 2? central park (2020) - um..... so many of the hamilton actors in a muscial cartoon drawn and written by the bob’s burgers team? WHAT ABOUT THAT DOESN’T SOUND AMAZING?!  it was such a joy to hear daveed diggs and leslie odom jr.’s voices again!!

honorable mentions: schitt’s creek // the mandalorian // mr. robot // broadchurch // mindhunter // jack ryan // the good place // the end of the f***ing world // big little lies // elite // kidding // servant // letterkenny // curb your enthusiasm // i am not okay with this // ozark // buzzfeed unsolved: true crime/supernatural // you // runaways // dear white people // dickinson // brooklyn nine-nine // will & grace // 9-1-1 // dead to me // solar opposites // never have i ever // killing eve // what we do in the shadows // grace and frankie // avenue 5 // roswell, new mexico // the bold type // evil // tuca & bertie // impulse // the umbrella academy // watchmen // infinity train // corporate // search party // on becoming a god in central florida // a.p. bio // criminal: uk // the morning show // mythic quest // last week tonight // prodigal son // the great

#the starless sea #the invisible life of addie larue #the untamed #knives out #2020 favorites list!! #i tried to stick to shows i both started and finished in 2020 otherwise like schitt's creek and the good place would be in top five #same for comics #uh oh i've found the keyboard again

[skippyv20]

🕯🙏🏻✝️ST GEORGE’S CHAPEL ANON AND PG✝️🙏🏻🕯

St. George ‘s Anon and PG

ST. GEORGE’S CHAPEL ANON AND PG. ⛪️⛪️🏰🏰……… THE EVENING BEFORE THE FUNERAL WE FIND SYDNEY IN THE CHAPEL ONCE MORE …… “I’ve come to pay my respects before the gathering tomorrow dear friend , today I walked the long walk and read the tributes on many of the flowers, you were much loved dearly sir. I shall leave a respectful tribute tomorrow in the chapel dear friend. Until tomorrow then , I’ve polished your favourite brogues. 🕯🕯

Thank you🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

4/16/21

💜🙏🏻😔✝️💟THANK YOU DEAR ST. GEORGE’S CHAPEL ANON💟✝️��🙏🏻💜

APRIL 16/2021

INDUBITABLY INNUMERABLE ARE THESE WORDS AND

MY PRAYERS. I ACHE FOR HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND THE PAIN SHE IS EXPERIENCING, SHE HAS BEEN AND WILL VERY MUCH REMAIN IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻. THE ENTIRE FAMILY AS WELL.💜🙏🏻😔✝️💟💟✝️😔🙏🏻💜

SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE AND PRAYERS FOR ALL THE SYDNEYS AND MARY(S) AND THOSE WHO HAVE SO FAITHFULLY WERE AND ARE IN THE SERVICE OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD(S). 💜🙏🏻😔✝️💟PG💟✝️😔🙏🏻💜

ONCE AGAIN, AS THE OTHER DAY, I WILL NOT BE USING EMOJIS IN THE BODY OF THE TEXT AS A SIGN OF RESPECT. 

SO THE EVENING OF THE LAST DAY BEFORE SERVICES HAS ARRIVED. IN WAYS IT CAME FAR TOO FAST AND IN OTHER WAYS SO MUCH WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND MANY DECISIONS MADE IN THE SPAN OF A FEW DAYS TIME. OUR SYDNEY, REALLY IS TRULY AT A LOSS. HE IS GRIEVING HIS MAN, AS VALETS USED TO CALL THOSE THEY SERVED. I HAVE A HUNCH SYDNEY STILL DID, IN THE CASE OF HIMSELF. SYDNEY IS MISSING THE ROUTINE, AS IF THERE WAS ROUTINE WITH HIMSELF. SYDNEY SOFTLY SMILES GENTLY AT THAT THOUGHT BECAUSE IT BRINGS MANY FLASHBACKS OF ADVENTURES THEY SHARED TOGETHER. BALMORAL FISHING, CROMER FISHING, KARAOKE SINGING TO GREASE AND WITH THE CAMBRIDGE TRIO. SYDNEY FORCED INTO WALKING THE PLANK IN THE PIRATE PLAY. THESE WERE JUST A FEW OF THEIR FICTIONAL ADVENTURES WE WERE PRIVY TO. SIR, HE SPEAKS AGAIN, THE TRIO OF LOVE HAVE BEEN DRAWING AND MAKING CARDS FOR HER MAJESTY, GAN GAN. THEY HAVE BEEN ALSO WORKING ON TRIBUTES TO YOU SIR, THEIR MOST BELOVED GAN POP. THEY ARE LEARNING ABOUT LOSS ESPECIALLY AS THEY LOST DEAR LUPO. GOD HAS PLANS SIR, HE IS THERE PREPARING AND HELPING THEM WITH THE LOSS OF THEIR MOST BELOVED GAN POP. FOR MANY YEARS SYDNEY HAS BEEN HIMSELF’S ‘SOUNDING BOARD’ , WHERE HE COULD BOUNCE IDEAS WITH. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, HIMSELF RECEIVED A REASSURING , INDUBITABLY SIR, INDUBITABLY. SYDNEY WAS ALWAYS, JUST  ALWAYS THERE LEST HIMSELF NEED ANYTHING, ANYTHING AT ALL. SO AS IT IS THE EVENING BEFORE THE FUNERAL WE FIND SYDNEY IN THE CHAPEL ONCE MORE AND CLOSE IN ON HIM IN OUR MIND’S EYE.  HE IS SITTING QUIETLY, REVERENTLY AND BEGINS TO PRAY. OUR FATHER, WHOM ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME. THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. FORGIVE US THIS DAY OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US. LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM. THE POWER AND THE GLORY. AMEN. SOFT GENTLE TEARS ARE FLOWING. SYDNEY CONTINUES HIS PRAYER, FATHER GOD, I DID MY BEST TO WATCH OVER HIMSELF AND LOOK AFTER HIM, PLEASE FATHER GOD, I KNOW I MUST RELINQUISH HIS LOOKING AFTER TO YOU NOW FATHER GOD. I PRAY, PLEASE TAKE CARE, VERY GOOD CARE OF HIMSELF FOR HE IS A MOUNTAIN OF A HUMAN BEING, JUST ONE IN A BILLION GOD. AMEN. SYDNEY, CATCHES HIS BREATH A FEW TIMES. THE REALIZATION OF A FINAL LETTING GO IS TRULY HAPPENING NOW. HUMANS PROCESS GRIEF IN STAGE SYDNEY RECALLS READING AWHILE BACK.  NOW ONCE HE HAS COMPOSED HIS BREATHING, SYDNEY BEGINS SPEAKING SOFTLY TO HIMSELF. SIR, I AM BACK AGAIN. I WANTED A FEW WORDS WITH YOU. THIS TIME I CAME TO PAY MY PRIVATE RESPECTS BEFORE THE GATHERING TOMORROW MY DEAR FRIEND. SIR, TODAY I WALKED THE LONG WALK. YOU WOULD BE AMAZED SIR, SO MANY PEOPLE AND YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE BROUGHT FLOWERS AND TRIBUTES TO YOU. I SAW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPRAY FROM CANADA, THE PM SENT IT ON BEHALF OF ALL CANADIANS. THERE ARE SO MANY TRIBUTES SIR, FROM THE WORLD OVER. FLOWERS, ENDLESS GORGEOUS FLOWERS EACH WITH LOVELY WORDS FOR YOU. THERE WAS EVEN A TOY DEFENDER GUN BUS THAT SOMEONE HAD LEFT WITH A TRIBUTE TO YOU WRITTEN ON THE TOP. THAT I KNOW YOU WOULD HAVE SAID TOP HO! SYDNEY OLD CHUM, IF YOU HAD SEEN THAT.  SIR, YOU WERE LOVED, MORE THAN YOU EVER KNEW AND RESPECTED MORE THAN YOU EVER KNEW. SIR, TV CHANNELS AROUND THE WORLD ARE GOING TO BROADCAST TOMORROW’S SERVICE AS A SIGN OF RESPECT FOR YOU. SIR, YOU WERE DEARLY LOVED BY MILLIONS NAY BILLIONS, MYSELF INCLUDED SIR, DEFINITELY MYSELF INCLUDED. I SHALL LEAVE A RESPECTFUL TRIBUTE TOMORROW IN THE CHAPEL DEAR FRIEND. HIS THROAT CATCHING AGAIN AS MORE TEARS FLOW. UNTIL TOMORROW SIGH. HE BOWS. THEN SUDDENLY REMEMBERS AND TURNS ROUND TO SAY, OH AND SIR, I’VE POLISHED YOUR FAVOURITE BROGUES. 🕯🕯

THIS WAS DONE WITH MY GREATEST LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN.SHE IS VERY MUCH IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.

THIS WAS DONE WITH THE GREATEST LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE PHILIP THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. I BELIEVE SIR, THIS IS THE LAST THING I CAN DO FORYOU. THE VERY LAST  TIME I WILL WRITE THOSE WORDS FOR YOU. I FIND MYSELF, LIKE SYDNEY, TEARS OF GRIEF FLOWING. REST DEAR SIR, YOU HAVE EARNED YOUR REST. 💜🙏🏻😔✝️💟PG💟✝️😔🙏🏻💜

FROM MYSELF TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND THE ENTIRE FAMILY AND ALL THE ‘SYDNEYS’…….

Psalm 23

King James Version

 1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

💜🙏🏻😔✝️💟PG💟✝️😔🙏🏻💜

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

CONDOLENCES PURPOSES 

Thank you🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

4/16/21

Thank you PG🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

#Ask Skippy #submission

[thetypedwriter]

Firekeeper’s Daughter Book Review

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that all of my in-depth reviews contain spoilers. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter Book Review by Angeline Boulley 

Well, this book review came quicker than I thought it would (which after weeks since my last published review for an actual novel that may sound absurd, but I promise it isn’t). 

There’s a lot of great things about this book and a lot of really important representation, but I also found it to be an incredible slog to trudge through. 

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley is the story of a girl by the name of Daunis Fontaine who finds herself stuck between two worlds: her Fontaine side, also known as her zhaaganaash or white side, and her Native side, or known as her Anishinaabe side, or even more specifically, Ojibwe side. 

The debut novel from Boulley mainly describes Daunis’ struggle between these two worlds, the important people in them, and the war within herself to follow her heart, her gut, and her mind. 

In the background of this identity struggle, or perhaps largely influenced by it, Daunis finds herself inexplicably tangled up in a secret federal investigation into a specific type of meth being produced in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that affects people not only in her community, but other Native communities as well. 

Suddenly finding herself becoming a spy, Daunis starts to learn and keep secrets, those in regards to the investigation as well as those regarding her feelings for fellow investigator-Jamie Johnson-an undercover narcotics cop posing as the cute new highschooler in town. 

As Daunis deals with her own internal struggles, her community, her relationships, and her burgeoning romance, her past, future, and present all collide and come to a head in this new novel. 

Now. Reading this summary, you might be thinking: this book sounds awesome! Love? Undercover cops? Drugs? Mystery? It has everything. 

And you’d be right. 

When I first read the jacket cover for this novel I knew it was a book I was inevitably going to read. Everything from the gorgeous cover art, to the intriguing summary, to the representation of Native Americans, I was completely drawn in. 

Too bad I didn’t like it very much. 

I will start off by saying that I think this book is incredible in its realistic depiction of the Ojibwe experience and I know how important it is to increase representation of all kinds of people and backgrounds in literature, especially YA literature. 

Boulley did an absolutely stunning job of relaying the nitty-gritty of the Ojibwe community-the elders, the geography, the food, the stigma, the finances, the politics, the reputation, the racism, the prejudice, the community, the love, the healing, and so much more. 

I always am in awe when authors utilize the golden rule of write what you know. Per the back jacket of the novel, Boulley herself states that she is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and an active storyteller of the Ojibwe community. 

This is beyond incredible. Having an accurate and active portrayal of people writing and drawing from their own experiences are powerful and significant. I could taste, feel, and see how clear and how real Boulley made the novel. 

I questioned a lot of things during this read, but the Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was not one of them. From vocabulary to the extreme details depicting Sugar Island to the care and craft when talking about specific ceremonies like funerals, Boulley did an outstanding job of bringing in what she knows from her own experience and that of her community in order to breathe life into these pages. 

This was by far the best part of the novel for me. 

On the back jacket, Boulley also states that she was a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. While I did not know this until a few minutes ago when I sat down to write this review, I am in no way surprised. 

The book was extremely intelligent. I could viscerally tell that Boulley knows her stuff and does her research. Everything from biology and chemistry processes and vocabulary, to mushroom identification, to legal matters like having an underage informant, politics regarding becoming a member of the Ojibwe Tribe, and due process of the law regarding FBI cases was very clear cut, very detailed, and obviously very accurate. 

I appreciated how much time and effort was put into this, even if I did find a lot of it bone dry and dull, I still could appreciate the time, effort, and knowledge to make sure that everything in the novel was precise and correct. 

That being said, it also made the book come across almost like an informational pamphlet at times, or like I was reading non-fiction. I understand being accurate, and I applaud her for that, but I don’t need or want five pages of in-book description of how one of these processes work. Just give me the bare-bones outline and I will go from there and look it up more if I so desire. 

This brings me to my first critique of this book and a large reason it was so tedious to get through: it was mind-numbingly long. 

Now. I just read a 2,000 page fanfiction not that long ago. That is long, you could argue, and you would be right. But, none of All of the Young Dudes was a bore to get through (sad, sure, but not boring), whereas whole sections of Firekeeper’s Daughter were too dragged out and too explicitly explained that I inevitably got bored and nodded off. 

The pace was too slow and too bogged down with unimportant details, like Daunis’ daily visits to the elders or her overthinking every single thing, or her making lists of all the things she doesn’t know (these are long lists). 

She often spends whole pages grieving about her Uncle David as well as her best friend Lily, and while understandable and realistic in real life, it was not fun nor productive to read about over and over and over again. 

Take for example, the very beginning of the book. It takes over 100 pages for Daunis to realize the new-boy-next-door isn’t who he says he is and that he’s actually an undercover cop here to investigate a new strain of meth and asks for her help. 

Over 100 pages of set up. 

It was so goddamn boring. 

It got better once she became involved with the investigation, but then so did the whining, the overthinking, and the reflecting. The first 100 pages could have been condensed to 20. No joke, I would have gotten the same exposition out of that I did. 

In addition, despite things taking so long or not serving a purpose, I was often confused about what was happening, which is an overall unpleasant experience. Boulley simultaneously describes everything and yet nothing at the same time.

 The reason for this discrepancy is because she often used native language to describe feelings, events, people, etc and while some of the words I learned over time, often the words left me confused or bewildered. 

I appreciate the use of native language, but it also left me with big gaps while reading or made me struggle to put pieces together as they were happening. 

The pace of the novel overall was incredibly bad. Things either took 12 years or two minutes. The actual plot to show up? 12 Years. Daunis and Jamie to fall in love classic YA style? Two minutes. Daunis to find Uncle David’s notebook? 12 years. The final confrontation of the bad guys? Two minutes. 

With any event, it either felt sluggish or way too quick and mashing these two together in one novel was disorienting and frustrating, not to mention it made me not want to read. 

Additionally, while I generally thought the plot was very interesting, who doesn’t like undercover cop stories? I thought all of the characters were very forgettable or downright shells. 

Daunis was...a textbook female character in my eyes. The way she spouted off knowledge like the periodic table to fall asleep or reciting the scientific method wasn’t cool or new, it was irritating.

To me she wasn’t real. 

She was someone’s idea of a female character who seemed cool, but wasn’t. Nothing about Daunis made me think of her as a great character. If anything, she just seemed like an empty vessel I was reading the book through, like the book was happening to me instead (cough cough Mary Sue). 

Some of you may be upset with this statement, and that’s fine, but other than her love of science, her knowledge of geography, and her ties to the community, nothing about Daunis was a real person. 

She hardly had friends, I don’t recall learning anything she liked or disliked (other than Jamie, hockey, and running) , and she was entirely surmised of the people who had left her and the identity struggle she had been born with. I don’t mean to undermine people who struggle with their identity, I know that’s important, but there is more to people than just that. 

None of the other characters are frankly worth mentioning. 

You might ask, what about Jamie? The shadowy, scarred love interest?

*Shrugs*

He’s fine. Genuinely that’s all I can say about him. We don’t even learn his real name as Jamie Johnson is a fake. All I know is that he’s got curly hair, a scar, and doesn’t know who he is. It’s hard to like a character when the character themselves have no idea of who they are. 

The other characters either die or are in the background to progress the plot along. 

To be fair, it’s a good plot. It’s intriguing, it’s mysterious, and I learned more than I ever thought I would about meth and mushrooms, but it doesn’t make up for the dead-end characters or the pacing issues. 

I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t like it. I guess I can say that I feel indifferent about this book, although the representation of Native Americans bumps it up slightly for me from being dead average. 

The storytelling isn’t spectacular, even if the idea is promising, but if you have been searching for representation like this in YA I can see how this book would be much more impactful and important and I’m happy to have it as a part of the YA collective. 

Recommendation: At the end of the day, this novel is a true smorgasbord. I love the representation, the draws from Boulley’s real life, and the intelligence, but I didn’t see any of the characters as real people, the pacing issues made it hard to gain and keep interest going, and the dialogue often came across to me as someone's warped version of what teenager’s sound like. 

Score: 6/10

#firekeepersdaughter #angeline boulley #ya fiction #YA Books #YA literature #book blog #book review #Book Recommendations #YA Book Review #ya book rec #nativewomen #nativebooks #representation in fiction #book rec #book reccs #6/10

[irishseeeker]

chapter 2 of rules don’t apply!

-----------------------------------

Kate needed a drink.

Actually, she needed two drinks. A minimum of two. She had needed a drink earlier that day at one in the afternoon when Anthony Bridgerton’s email popped into her inbox and ruined her entire day, she had needed another drink when she had to sit opposite from his smug, smirking face for an entire hour during a staff meeting.

She needed a takeaway, lying in her favourite ratty t-shirt and sweatpants on her couch cuddling with her beloved corgi Newton.

Instead, she was with her sister, standing at the top of a marble staircase that led to the buzzing hall where the gala was being held. Kate stood beside Edwina, who was a vision in a blue lace gown with her dark hair in curls. Kate had gone for a violet satin dress, already prepared to be invisible tonight. She usually was when she was with her sister.

She was Edwina Sheffield, and Kate was just...Kate.

It was in an art gallery in the centre of London. As much as she despised these events, Kate couldn’t find a fault in the venue. It was quite beautiful, actually. Kate had always loved art, it was a hobby she had adored in school and she turned to when she was stressed or felt like doing something other than lay on her coach with Newton watching New Girl for the tenth time.

At least the art on the walls could distract Kate from where she actually was, which was her idea of pure and utter hell.

“Would it kill you to smile?”

“I am smiling,” Kate responded through gritted teeth, turning to look at her sister.

“You look constipated.”

Kate snorted. “Charming.”

“I love you for coming with me tonight. I know these events aren’t really your thing,” Edwina put lightly, but it was no use. They were both well aware this was Kate’s idea of purgatory. “A lot of people would die to be here! The tickets are really hard to get.”

“I wonder why,” Kate mused, knowing exactly why. “How much was a ticket tonight? Two hundred pounds? I’m sure most of that is going towards the charity and not the cost per plate of lobster covered in caviar and twelve pounds per salad leaf.”

“Kate,” Edwina said sternly, giving her a sister a hard look that quickly faded as she smiled and waved at someone in the distance. “Behave.”

“I always behave,” Kate tutted, smiling sweetly at her sister as they walked down the stairs towards the large room full of people and portraits hanging on the walls.

“Please try not to insult anyone tonight, I know people here. I work for people here,” Edwina nudged her slightly, giving her another look that reminded Kate so much of their mother Mary whenever she scolded Kate.

“I promise I’ll be on my best behavior,” Kate gave in, putting on a smile as she noticed a few heads turn to look at Edwina. This was Edwina’s job, she wasn’t her for the hell of it. She squeezed her sister’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be mean. Today was just a bad day.”

“I don’t even have to ask about why you’ve had a bad day,” Edwina said, turning to give her sister a teasing smile. “It’s, as always, because of Anthony Bridgerton.”

Kate frowned, not liking being so predictable. It made her uneasy sometimes how quickly Edwina could read her, but that’s because she was her sister. Kate could do the same. Besides, surely she didn’t talk about him that much, did she? “Well, actually-yes, it was because of him. He pulled a stunt for this project he wants passed which I have opposed numerous times. He’s incredibly irritating. He would not stop smirking at me during the staff meeting earlier. He’s infuriating.”

Edwina didn’t say anything to her sister, she just smirked knowingly at her and wiggled her eyebrows.

“What?” Kate said, frowning further at her sister. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Oh Kate,” Edwina sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “When are you going to admit that you like him?”

Kate gasped, earning a look or two from people they passed by. Everyone was so dressed up and eloquent and Kate felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. It was why she always hated these events, she didn’t belong here. “Edwina! I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kate said, quite flustered, tilting her chin up in the air as she avoided eye contact, glancing around the room.

A woman standing a few meters away from them called out Edwina’s name and it was Kate’s perfect opportunity to escape this uneasy conversation. “I’ll be at the bar. Enjoy!” Kate said swiftly, walking away from her sister before Edwina could open her mouth to reply. She leaned against the bar, smiling at the bar tender who was standing behind it. "Hi, how are you? Could I get a glass of white wine, please? Your largest.”

She heard a snort behind her.

“Well, well, well.”

Kate’s heart momentarily stopped in her chest. She didn’t have to turn around to recognize that voice.

It was his voice.

What was he doing here? She had never come across him at once of these events before. However, he was a Bridgerton. They worked with many charities and his mother, Violet Bridgerton, had ran the Bridgerton charitable foundation for many years which her and her late husband had set up.

The Bridgertons got invited everywhere. They were one of the most famous families in London.

Deep breath, Kate. She could do this. She could remain calm and unaffected.

“Don’t you have someone else to talk to?” She replied coolly, taking a long gulp of her wine before turning around to face him. She was determined to remain composed and unaffected.

Wow. Okay. Deep breath, Kate. She could admit to herself, and only herself, he looked good.

He had changed into an evening suit, which was completely black with a crisp white shirt and a baby blue tie. It probably cost more than her monthly rent.

Anthony smirked at her, shaking the red wine glass in his hand slightly. “Why would I do that when it’s so much more fun to annoy you?”

“Ah, and there it is,” Kate raised her glass in a cheers to no one, shaking her head as she brought the glass to her lips and took another long sip. “It’s officially the worst day of my life.”

“Ouch Sheffield,” replied Anthony, putting a hand over his heart in his expensive, pretentious suit that he definitely did not look great in. “You’re almost making me think you don’t like me.”

“Almost?” Kate raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes at his playful smirk. God, she despised him. “Oh, I’ll make sure to try harder so you know how much I don’t like you.”

“That’s no way to talk to your boss,” Anthony replied, a challenging look in his eye as he took a sip of his brandy. “Most employees would treat their employers with respect.”

He was right, it wasn’t any way to talk to your boss. Kate had crossed some lines with Anthony she had never crossed with anyone, particularly someone who was their boss. She could think of a few instances during one of their many screaming matches where she probably should have been fired. He had crossed those lines just as much-but he was a Bridgerton. The boss. The power was his. Yet, in the two years they had worked closely together, Kate had gotten promoted and wasn’t replaced or disposed of.

He was a very good employer, despite his reputation personality-the Bridgerton company had a reputation for treating their employees exceptionally well. Anthony was no exception.

He had always been in the papers, mainly gossip columns fawning over his good looks, his charming personality and what girl he had on his arm for the week.

“Well, when an employer has earned said respect,” The words were flying out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Then, naturally, they would be treated as such.”

“So you don’t respect me Kate?” He asked, biting his bottom lip for a few seconds that caused Kate’s breath to still. His suit was dark,

“What does it matter?” Kate responded, raising an eyebrow

Anthony stared at her and it made Kate uncomfortable. His gaze bore into her, but he remained expressionless. Something in their conversation had shifted and it no longer felt like their usual back and forth banter. “It matters.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but words failed her as she stared back at him. She had not expected him to say that. She had expected an insult or an annoying comeback, but not that. She sort of felt bad.

However, she would be damned if Anthony Bridgerton left her speechless.

“Anthony! There you are,” A woman of her mother’s age appeared at . Kate recognized Violet Bridgerton quickly, from the pictures around the office and on Bridgerton newsletters. She was dressed in a pale pink suit with a long blazer. “I want to introduce you to Cressida, her mother and I used to work together-Oh, hello!”

Kate gulped as Violet turned to her, smiling warmly as she extended her hand. “Anthony, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Mum, this is Kate Sheffield,” Anthony introduced her, and Kate shook his mother’s hand. “We work together. Kate, this is my mother, Violet Bridgerton.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bridgerton.”

“Please call me Violet. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kate,” Violet said warmly, looking her up and down. “You look absolutely gorgeous tonight. How long have you been involved with the charity?”

“I’m actually here with my sister, Edwina Sheffield. She’s been involved for about a year but it’s my first event,” She replied, nodding as she listened to Violet talk about her work with the charity over the years.

“Kate works in the finance department,” Anthony said to his mother a while later, “We work together quite a lot.”

Violet grinned. “Oh, I do hope you are giving my son some trouble Kate.”

“Someone has to,” Kate smirked at Anthony, who gave her a pointed glare.

“Well then, in that area, you certainly have exceeded everyone’s expectations,” Anthony muttered, looking sort of put out as he

“I do try. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my sister. It was a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Bridgerton,” She smiled warmly at Violet before turning to nod at Anthony. “Anthony.”

“Kate,” He nodded back, taking a long sip of his wine as she walked away, and she swore she could feel his eyes on her as she walked away.

A while later, Kate gazed around the ballroom from her seat at her designated table. The food had been served and eaten, but Kate had barely touched hers. She had always been a picky eater and the most she ate was the vegetables. She spotted Anthon on the dance floor in the middle of the tables, dancing with his youngest sister, Hyacinth.

“He’s quite sweet.”

Kate’s head snapped back towards her sister, who was sitting beside her. “Who?”

Edwina smirked. “You know exactly who. The person who you have been staring at for the past ten minutes. Anthony Bridgerton.”

“Don’t be disgusting,” said Kate, shuddering as she shook her head. She had just been watching the dancefloor which he happened to be dancing on. “I was not staring.”

“I don’t blame you,” said Edwina, clearly enjoying torturing her sister. “He is quite good looking. Older. He’s quite charming.”

“How would you know he’s charming?” Kate asked, raising an eyebrow. She had kept her family and work life separate for a reason, and that reason mainly being any male within a radius of Edwina usually had fallen in love with her by the end of the day.

Anthony Bridgerton would not be one of those men.

“He introduced himself earlier, I was chatting to him and his brother, Benedict.”

“He introduced himself?” Kate gaped, turning to fully face her sister. “Why would he do that? Did he mention me?”

“He didn’t, actually,” Edwina replied, leaning back in her chair and fanning herself with the dinner menu. The gala room was quite stuffy and Edwina had only sat down five minutes ago after dancing with three different men. Kate had remained sitting and ate her dessert, the . “We just talked. He asked me about my job, I asked about his.”

“I’m sure he did,” Kate puffed, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning into her seat, looking slightly sulky. It's not as if she expected him to mention Kate. Why would he?

“So," Edwina began, pushing a dark curl behind her ear. "Do you plan on going there?”

“What?” Kate spluttered, nearly choking on air. “Of course not. He’s my boss! He’s-you know who he is. I would never-no. No. Not that he would ever want to-no. No! Why would you ask that?"

Edwina was grinning at her sister in a devious way for someone who was usually deemed so angelic and kind. “Okay. So you wouldn’t mind if I went there.”

“Of course I would mind! He’s incorrigible-“

“Putting your personal feelings aside,” Edwina interrupted, “It wouldn’t be because you wanted to go there, right?”

“Right,” Kate replied, her voice strained and high pitched. “Definitely right. You still shouldn't go there, he's far too old, he's far too him. ”

“I would never have any interest in someone you didn’t like Kate,” Edwina replied, reaching across the table to squeeze her sister’s hand, deciding she had teased her enough as she stood up. “I promised Nigel another dance. Are you okay here for a bit?"

Kate nodded, smiling at her sister as she walked over towards a tall, handsome man she presumed was Nigel.

“Kate, just the person I wanted to see,” Benedict Bridgerton grinned widely at her as he sat down in Edwina's seat.

“Hello, Benedict,” Kate said slowly, narrowing her eyes slightly at him. “Why would you want to see me?” They had only met today, and given her experience with Bridgertons so far, she remained cautious.

He continued to grin cheekily at her. She didn’t know him very well, but Benedict seemed a lot more laid back than his older brother. Anthony was so serious all the time. “There is no need to look so suspicious.”

Kate raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

“I can see why my brother likes you.”

“Your brother does not like me,” Kate grumbled, not wanting to speak about Anthony with anyone. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s about your assistant, Sophie.”

That was surprising. “Sophie?”

“Yes,” His face lit up, nodding eagerly. “What’s her situation?”

Kate stared cluelessly at him. “Her situation?”

Benedict sighed. “What’s she like? Is she seeing anybody?”

“Oh,” Kate drawled, the dots finally connecting in her head. She had never been quick when it came to romance. “Well, I am technically her boss so I’m not sure how appropriate it would be for me to comment.”

However, Sophie had asked about Anthony’s brothers earlier on after their meeting in his office. She had asked particularly if Kate knew the taller one, Benedict.

Sophie had never asked about any man before.

“I'm also her friend. Sophie is incredible,” Kate said, seeing his face light up. She didn’t understand what was going on, he had only met her briefly this morning but he was holding onto her every word. “She’s very smart, funny and extremely kind. She’s the best assistant I’ve ever had. She deserves everything.”

“So, if you ever need anything, you know where my office is. Sophie sits right outside of it,” Kate hinted, giving him a look. He didn’t seem like a bad guy and he had quite a good reputation around the office and in whatever she read about him. He was the charming Bridgerton.

Sophie deserved any possible happiness she could get, from what Kate knew, her life had been far from easy.

She didn’t know if she was crossing a line but what harm could it do?

“You, Kate Sheffield, are a vision,” Benedict took her hand and kissed it, which made Kate roll her eyes and blush simultaneously. “Do you want to dance?”

“I’m a terrible dancer,” Kate replied, shaking her head. “But thank you for asking.”

“I highly doubt that,” Benedict said but he didn’t push her to dance which Kate was grateful for. “Your sister is quite a good dancer, Anthony looks like he’s struggling to keep up.”

“Pardon?” Kate’s eyes followed Benedict’s nod towards the dance floor where Anthony and Edwina danced amongst the numerous couples, looking very chummy.

Kate clenched her jaw.

Kate couldn’t exactly break them up. It would be rude and she would never purposely embarrass Edwina.

“You don’t look happy,” Benedict said, smiling slightly as he followed Kate’s furious glare at the dancing couple.

“If you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. I'll see you sometime this week, Benedict,” Kate said, choosing not to tell him why she wasn’t happy that her angelic baby sister was dancing with his whore of a brother.

Kate had disappeared to the bathroom and then lingered until they finished dancing and parted ways and Kate clung onto Edwina for the rest of the evening. Edwina had brought Kate around to a few tables, introducing her to colleagues and the two sisters had even danced for a bit. It was a fun break from the repetitive small talk.

Kate eventually left Edwina to go home, as her sister was going clubbing with some friends at the gala which Kate had declined, she was dying to go home to see Newton.

Kate stood at the top of the large stone steps that led to the entrance of the museum. She really should have brought a coat, all she had with her was a wrap made of thin material.

She was alone until she noticed a man a few steps down from her, her stomach dropping and fury filled her body as she recognized him. Anthony noticed her before she did and opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

“No.”

He frowned. “Excuse me?”

“No!”

Anthony stared at her. “Are you broken?”

“Stay away from my sister,” She snapped, wagging her finger accusingly at him. “She has absolutely no interest in you.”

“I think Edwina is fully capable of making her own decisions, don’t you?” He replied smugly, somehow finding this conversation amusing. “She seemed more than happy to dance with me. Excited, even.”

Kate snorted. “I imagine it was out of pity. Edwina is a very nice, good person. Stay away.”

“You’re mental, you know that? You are the most infuriating person I have ever met,” Anthony replied, shaking his head as he glared at her.

“Right back at you,” Kate snapped, wrapping her shawl around her to try shield herself from the freezing cold breeze but it didn’t do much. She walked away from him, really just walking down a few of the museum's steps.

It would be a cold day in hell before Kate would ever allow Anthony Bridgerton to be her brother in law.

“You’re shaking,” Anthony appeared beside her, taking off his jacket and placing it around her shoulders.

She went to protest but she was freezing and her uber had said they’d be here five minutes ago. “Oh. Well, thank you.”

“No argument? Consider me shocked. You’re welcome,” He replied, glancing down at his phone before looking towards the road. “Do you have a lift?”

She chose to be the bigger person and not kick him in the shin. “Yes. My uber is just running late.”

He shook his head. “Come with me. My driver can drop you home.”

She opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off.

“For once in your life could you not argue and just get in the bloody car?” Anthony snapped, letting out a frustrated sigh simultaneously through his nostrils and mouth. He even pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fine, no need to be so dramatic,” Kate shifted uncomfortably as she cancelled the uber on her phone, which had changed to fifteen minutes anyway, and followed him towards a black range rover that had pulled up on the road.

The car was fancy. Anthony opened the car door for her, closing it behind her as she got in and he walked to the other side. The interior was black leather and there was a little shelf full of snacks and drinks.

“Go ahead,” He nodded towards the snacks, smiling with that amused expression that infuriated her. He always seemed to be laughing at her. “You must be starving.”

Kate narrowed her eyes. “Why would I be starving?”

Anthony took a packet of crisps for himself and only then did Kate take a pack of m&ms, her favourite chocolate and quickly dive right into them. She opened up a bottle of water as well.

“Not everything I say is an accusation, Kate. I noticed that you barely ate all night,” He said, “Except for the dessert.”

“How do you know that?”

He looked flustered, breaking their eye contact and glancing out the tinted window. “Why didn’t you eat?”

She shrugged, “I don’t like fish.”

“Do you want to stop somewhere?”

“No, no. Thank you, but my feet are killing me. I just want to go home.”

He looked at her again, pushing a pack of crisps towards her as he took another for himself. “I would have thought you’d rather be dead than be somewhere like that.”

She took the crisps willingly, hoping her stomach didn’t start groaning for more food now that she was eating. “You’re not wrong, I would rather be dead.”

Anthony snorted. “That makes two of us.”

“But, Edwina needed me so I went. They’re not the worst. Do you have connections with the charity or?”

Anthony nodded. “My mother worked with them a long time ago and she wanted me there tonight, so I went.”

“The things we do for family,” Kate hummed, stretching her hands as she fiddled with them on her lap. Her palms were clammy and she was oddly nervous. She was in a car with Anthony Bridgerton, alone. It wasn’t the worst thing that had happened all evening.

“Your sister is quite successful, isn’t she?” He asked, and Kate was reminded of why he definitely was the worst.

“We’re not talking about my sister. As far as you’re concerned, she does not exist.”

He just smiled. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Kate.”

“How I sleep is absolutely none of your concern,” She snapped, full on glaring at him now. “Edwina is far too young and far too-far too good for you!”

“Oh, really?” He drawled, shrugging indifferently as he took a sip of his water, looking completely unbothered.

“Your reputation precedes you and my sister will have absolutely nothing to do with that,” She countered, the endless pictures and articles of his latest conquests or girls of the week were hard to ignore when they were everywhere.

The smile on his face disappeared and he looked angry. He looked pissed and his flat tone reflected that. “You know absolutely nothing about me.”

“I know enough.”

They both hadn’t noticed the car had come to a stop right outside her flat and it couldn’t have been more perfect timing.

“Thank you for the lift,” Kate said, taking off his jacket and handing it to him, scrambling to escape him and this unpleasant conversation. “Let’s never do it again.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” His tone was colder than usual, and just as she shut the door, the car sped off.

“Asshole,” Kate grumbled, reaching for her keys and letting herself into her flat. What a strange night.

The following morning, Kate woke up to her phone buzzing on the pillow beside her. Newton was lightly snoring on top of the duvet, and Kate groaned as she blindly felt for her phone before she picked it up. It was a Saturday morning, she was meant to be sleeping in.

“Hello?” Kate whispered into her phone, trying to fight fully waking up.

“Kate?”

She sat up slightly. “Edwina? What time is it? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Everything is-you haven’t read the times, have you? The Whistledown gossip column specifically? Check your Whatsapp. I just sent it to you.”

Kate frowned, cursing as the brightness of her phone stung her eyes as she put her sister on speaker and opened her whatsapp messages. “Wha? Edwina, did you wake me up on a Saturday morning to read?”

“You’re going to want to read this.”

Kate clicked on the link to what appeared to be an article. It quickly opened to Lady Whistledown’s popular gossip column in the London Times. Edwina had been mentioned in it numerous times before and the Bridgertons were often featured. Especially Anthony.

Anthony Bridgerton, 34, has been spotted looking quite close with a mysterious brunette. Is the infamous bachelor now taken? He was seen multiple times throughout the night talking to this woman and leaving in the same car at the end of the night. We have confirmed the mysterious brunette is Kate Sheffield, business woman and sister of model Edwina Sheffield. Not his usual type at all. Has the heir to the Bridgerton empire finally been tamed?

Attached below the article was a series of slightly blurred pictures of Anthony and Kate from last night, talking outside the gala and getting into his car. Another was of Edwina and Kate at one of her shows during London fashion week last year.

Beside Edwina, who was wearing a long silk gown that she had walked in earlier that day, Kate looked bland and terrible. They had chosen to put that picture in the London Times.

In the London Times. In London's most popular gossip column.

Of her and Anthony Bridgerton.

Supposedly dating.

Which anyone could see.

“Am I drunk?” She muttered to herself, slightly dazed as she rubbed her eyes and refreshed the page but the same words and pictures remained on her screen, haunting her. Her heart was hammering inside her chest and she could feel herself starting to sweat profusely. Was she having a heart attack?

“Kate? Are you okay? I'm coming over, I'll be there in ten minutes," She half heard her sister’s concerned voice through her phone, but Kate wasn’t really paying attention. She felt like she was in a daze. Her eyes kept scanning over the article again and again.

Kate never replied to her sister.

She just screamed into her pillow.

#bridgerton #my fics #this update took ages but finally have it done! #hope people enjoy :) #kate x anthony #fanfiction #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #kate sheffield #bridgerton fanfiction #ao3 #benedict bridgerton #modern AU

[anileahvictoria]

Adam Kendall from My Little House on the Prairie.

Cutie Mark: Adam has always had a fascination with law and thought about becoming a lawyer many times, but ultimately decides he could do more good as a teacher for the blind. His cutie mark was inspired by the saying that justice is blind, so the scales of justice represent balancing his love for the study of law with his responsibilities as a teacher, and husband, and the cloth is Lady Justice’s eye covering that makes her blind, just like Adam is.

I accidentally referred to Little House on the Prairie as My Little House on the Prairie, and this fan art was born. More on that later, It's time for a rant. Adam is my favorite character from the series until I got mad and left the fandom cause they did this beautiful man dirty, so It’s time to rant about it.

#1. The Romance. The romance between Mary and adam was totally out of the blue. When Merry goes blind, she's shipped off to blind school, and her teacher is this capable, intelligent and hard-working young man named Adam Kendal. His teaching still is very much tough love, and he doesn't take crap from his students. Mary starts as a reluctant, uncooperative, self-pitying, closed-minded student doing things like throwing her things across the room. Adam handles all this brilliantly, saying stuff like: if you're gonna make a mess, your gonna clean it up. Doesn't baby her or pitty her AT ALL. Exactly what she needs. After a few months, Mary's attitude changes drastically, and she's thriving thanks to Adam. But when Adam sits her down to teach her some piano, she has a moment of self-doubt: 

Merry: I could never learn...

Adam: I wish you would forget about that. Some of the greatest writers and composers in the worl were blind.Have you ever heard of John Milton? 

Merry: Well of course. He- he wrote Paradise Lost, one of my favorite books.

Adam: Well, he was also blind. Now, do you want to play the piano or not?

Merry: There wouldn't be enough time. You know my family's coming to take me home. They'll be here in a few days.

Adam: It's been a long time, hasn't it, since you've seen your folks?

Merry: It seems like a lifetime. Adam, I'm so scared. I mean... I know I'm ready to go home... But here it's- it's easy, and I've always got you to help me.

Adam: Merry, you can't depend on me forever. And I'll be leaving too. 

Merry: Where are you going?

Adam: To Winoka, to start a new blind school.

Merry: Why didn't you tell me?

Adam: I don't know. It just never came up. 

Merry: Then I'm glad I'm going home.

Adam: Merry, it's not that much different out there. Not really.

And now it gets all angsty:

Merry: Yes, it is. I wouldn't expect you to understand. How could you? 

Adam: Mary...

Mary: The world isn't like the Burton school for the blind. It... It's a huge, dark place filled with... hidden obstacles and... strange sounds and voices coming from faceless people. Even you. I've never even seen you. 

Adam: Well then look at me. 

... And then they start feeling each other's faces and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure blind people don't actually do that...

And then it gets randomly and weirdly romantic...

Mary: What color are your eyes?

Adam: Blue.

Mary: Your hair?

Adam: Brown.

Mary: Thank you Adam.

Adam: ...What do you look like, Mary? Ive never seen you either.

Aaaand more face touching.

So apparently, they're a thing now. I'd understand if Adam fell for her cause she looks like a literal angel (seriously, no girl has any business looking that gorgeous), but Adam's blind too. So he's going ultimately off of personality, I'm guessing. And when he first meets Mary, she is not a pleasant person. Yes, she does improve quite a lot, but what makes her any different than all the other students he's taught? It certainly isn't their age, cause Adam's 22 and Mary's 15 (back then, I guess it wasn't a big deal). Also, It creeps me way out that her teacher falls in love with her. The man who spends most hours of the day alone with a vulnerable teenage girl falls in love with said girl AND THEN asks said girl to work for him at his new school in a busy city away from her family where it would just be Adam, Mary, one old man who lives on the top floor, and a few students, not to mention Mary would also be spending the nights there... It's a good thing this isn't that kinda show cause there's a million different ways that could've gone... But because this is Little House on the Prairie, nothing happens, and Adam asks Mary to be his wife soon after she moves in.

#2. Regaining his Sight And Becoming a Lawyer.

This really makes me mad. When Adam gets his sight back and sees the faces of all his friends and, most importantly, his wife for the first time. It's beautiful and wonderful and heaven knows the man deserves a miracle like that, BUT his whole character changes. He goes from a responsible teacher and loving husband who knows who he is and where he's meant to be, to an ambitious young man who would rather chase his dreams of becoming a lawyer than take care of his responsibilities to the school he started, the children he teaches, and the wife he loves. I can understand wanting to go and see the world and do things you couldn't do before, but sighted or blind, he has responsibilities. Mary is kinda left in the dust when Adam makes all these new sighted friends and drags her along to all his fancy lawyer parties while he plays games, runs around laughing and talking, and leaves Mary sitting in a chair all by herself. Like, he doesn't even consider how she must be feeling! He doesn't try to include her in conversations or introduce her to his new friends; she's just a pretty thing that sits there to be cared for. And the thing is, this is exactly what Adam was afraid would happen to him when Mary thought her sight was returning a few episodes ago! Now Adam's new fancy friends get him an opportunity to take some fancy tests to become a lawyer and Adam, without a second thought for Mary, goes off to take the test, not evening considering who would run the school if he passed and became a lawyer. Then some bad stuff happens, and he can't make it to the test, and I'm all relieved cause we all know he belongs with his wife teaching at the school and now he'll see things clearly and get his head off the cloud and onto the here and now. But nooooo, this whole time Mary is hoping he'd fail (and so am I), but when she sees how heartbroken he is, she goes and has a talk with the professor and convinces him to let Adam take the test. He finally relents, and Adam passes and becomes a lawyer, giving the school away to a wonderful woman who teaches there. This whole thing is treated like he made the right choice when he obviously isn't! Not I blame this on the time period the show was made in. Back then, a man had to be ambitious and provide for the family and leave the teaching and such to the woman, so back then, it was a good thing he went off and became a lawyer, but still, I'm mad. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when Adam hands the school over to the lady, Mary no longer teaches there, which means that Adam has taken away Mary's dream of teaching on top of not spending nearly as much time as he used to with her and (though he doesn't realize it and I don't think anyone brings it to his attention cause men are supposed" to do all the work) doesn't let her do things for herself.

#3. He's Fictional.

This one makes me the madest. At first, I turned a blind eye to all these flaws cause I assumed Adam Kendall was based off an actual person, like most characters in the series, but noooo. They made him up just for the tv series. This means his romance with Mary WAS totally random, and Mary staying in the same building as he did BEFORE they were married WAS the writer's choice, and Adam regaining his sight and leaving his wife and school in the dust WAS ALSO THE WRITERS CHOICE! AND he was basically just made to me Mary's husband because Mary doesn't marry or have children in real life. So yeah, my favorite character's development went down the drain. But oh well, that's what we have fanfic and fanart for, am I right? Oh wait, this show is old. No one's made any good fanart/fanfic. K, I'm gonna go cry now. Bye

Also, if anyone has a different opinion or point of view, please tell me about it. I'd love to go back to loving this character, so please change my mind 🥺. 

#my little pony #fan art #my little pony fan art #little house on the prairie #little house on the prairie fan art #my little house on the prairie #blind #blind character #character design #adam kendall