#feral nina is something that can be so personal <3

[the-s1lly-corner]

More creepypasta AU/general headcannons...ramble.. thing

WHAOO

Slenderman and eyeless jack live within the same woods, with slenderman having his oldass mansion (fight me, im adding the mansion to the au, but its not going to be nearly as extravagant and cozy as the fanon) and eyeless jack with his little cabin

Slenderman is the only real permanent resident of the manor; anyone who comes to live inside it are usually temporary. Be that because its them choosing to leave, or they are forced to leave and are no longer welcome. Though I think Slenderman would have a fair amount of leniency, given the fact that's he's seen it all. So save for a few people or behaviors, his door is open

Even Hoodie and Masky don't live with him, since they still have their own... autonomy..? To an extent they're still Brian and Tim, living fairly normal lives until the big man needs them to do his dirty work

The closest that lives with him is Kate; who's in proxy mode all of the time. Downside, she's not fully loyal to Slenderman. Actually she's not fully loyal to anyone, and she rarely ever enters the mansion. Rather, she's running off doing her own thing in the woods. Just a feral person, really. That's not to say she isn't dangerous or unintelligent, though. She may be aggressive and reclusive but she knows how to lure in people and set up traps

That's about it on Kate; I'm still building up what I want her character and role in the au to be, and honestly? I forgot who she was for a hot minute <\3

Ben doesn't have a physical body, most of the time. I'll elaborate more on that in a second.

Basically, he's more or less completely bound to electronics, and can only really interact with people through it. Good news is he can hop from device to device, though I'm still working out the limitations of that... usually hangs out in Jeff's old ass flip phone.

Yes it's specifically a flip phone, doesn't matter the brand. Reason is is because I think it'd be funny if Ben and Jeff got into an argument and Jeff just. Shuts it when Ben is mid sentence

Moving on, Ben and Jeffs whole thing is meant to work as an anti/opposite to the jane and laughing jill plot; two characters partnering up against one another for their own goals

Also I think Ben and Jeff have a cool friendship

Speaking of, friendships and shipping

Well relationships in general

Admittedly I don't have any romantic ships, so those are likely going to be few and far between in the au; but I do want to explore different dynamics and such if I ever make this into a proper story

So

Yeah!

I wanna put emphasis on Jeff/Ben and Jane/Jills friendships especially since so far they're the ones with the most plot relevance

I wanna explore Tim and Brian's relationship, and how it changes when Masky and Hoodie are in charge

I also wanna see what would happen if Kate joined the mix

Also I wanna explore Nina as a character, since my own take on her is also gonna be in this au, and how she interacts with others

Oh oh time line stuff!!

Takes place a few years in the future, so all the character's that aren't ghosts/undead/or are otherwise not a normal mortal, are older

So that includes characters like jeff, jane, nina, tim/masky, brian/hoodie, kate, ect ect ect

And to an extent, eyeless jack, though due to his curse he ages a little slower

So, they're all adults!

Jane, jeff, and nina are 23, 24, and 22 (respectively)

Tim and Brian are both in their early 30s, and Kate is roughly 27

Eyeless Jack physically is about 25, but mentally he's not much older

Main reason for the time skip is because I SUCK at writing kid/teen characters 😭😭 so unless someones a ghost kid or something, assume they're an adult

Uuuuuuh

I think thsts all i have for now !! So!!

Yeah!! Wahoo!!

#creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta #crp #au #creepypasta au

[leondaltons]

Hello, Flor! 🥰

Here I am, following you on tumblr as well (hope you don’t mind sjskaksj — just popping in to say hi).

While creeping around your blog, I saw the latest art you commissioned (yep, the one about your kotsam MCs — *heart eyes* stunning, btw) and wanted to ask if you’d like to share some facts about them? 👀 I know you probably have done it already, so feel free to ignore the second part of the ask, lol.

Have a lovely day/night! ♥️ ~ Gia

Gia hiiiiiiiiiiii <3, of course i don’t mind!!!! Thank you so much 🥺

Thank you, i love my babies so much 💗 

And of course i wouldn’t mind sharing some facts, thanks for asking!!!!

Aubrey is my softest mc! She is very sweet and kind but she can also be pretty shy and gets anxious easily. She is majoring in healing!!! Really enjoys her classes a lot!!

mmm Aubrey also likes baking and taking pictures. She owns different cameras and her room (both back home and at college) are full of pictures of her friends, family and small things she loves or that remind her of something. Oh and she also loves flowers!! her favorites are baby breath and orchids. Oh and she has a very good relationship with both of her parents and owns a cat!!!

Irina is the mum friend!!! She is extremely responsible (tries at least) and cares very deeply about those around her; always making sure her friends have eaten or are safe and whenever they get hurt because of her she feels responsible u.u She is also a nerd!!! loves readling, loves learning, studies a lot and wants to do well in classes!!! Irina is majoring in Ritual Magic and Potions and considering becoming a teacher or a scholar if she survives college lmao. Loves loves loves plants to the point she has a small greenhouse back home!!

Irina is super close with her mum but has some daddy issues she is trying to work through asjhaska. She can manipulate lightning, her wings are pure white and owns a pet dragon!!

Jenna is my spoiled brat!!!! very daddy’s girl!!!! Jenna is extremely smart (without the need of studying) and very cunning; loves annoying people and playing dumb to then make people look stupid. She can be cut-throat with people who hurt those she loves and lord, you don’t want her as an enemy! mmm she is majoring in Magical Technology!!!! We love a smart, educated, fashion knowledgeable and political queen!!!

Josie!!! my feral soul sucking baby!!! Just imagine the most terrible person ever and then multiply by 100 and you have Josie. I love them but they don’t have a single consideration for anyone other than like……two or three people. They are quite resentful towards the entire magical thing (mainly because they were taken out of their comfort zone and…constantly attacked). They don’t get on well with their parents but there is a special place of hate dedicated to their biological father kasjaka <3 Oh and they are majoring in Magic Theory (still super pissed they cant major in battle magic because “they are human” lmaoo)

And last but not least Nina!! My queen!!! I always struggle about what i should say about Nina because she has layers akasjaksj She seems very laid back and that nothing really bothers her; and in a way it does because she buries her feelings so deep until she becomes a time bomb lol and has very self-destructive tendencies. Would burn the world down if it means protecting those she loves!!! So she really struggles a lot with her public persona and “her real self”; she is pretty good at lying too and had commitment issues until leon (she still has some tho aksjaksja)

Before the events of the book she was considering majoring in art!! she is very talented and truly enjoys drawing and painting (and learning about art!!) but given that it wasn’t offered she went for Political science; a little because she didn’t know what to study and it was broad enough to cover multiple things but also because she is interested in the journalism side of it!!!

Nina loves her father, they are very close and have a very healthy relationship but absolutely hates Roxana and is scared of becoming like her. Oh and her cat is named Cordelia!!!

Thank you so so much for asking ♥

#sussoro #ask #thank you so much again 🥺💗 #kotsam: nina #kotsam: aubrey #kotsam: irina #kotsam: jenna #kotsam: Josephine

[lover-of-trash-and-people]

shadow and bone rewatch s1e6 while drinking mid-range scotch

I wish I have a face that is as unlined and pretty as Ben Barnes' when I'm 39

Arken you dirty dirty liar

the face Alek is making at his lies that he knows are lies firstly because he knows the art of lying so well and also because he can read people very well

okay Ivan is kind of a bad bitch with his smirk at Arken's lies

alek's eyes narrowing and his little smile when Arken says 'im an entertainer' bitch I love this show

*grabs hand, pulls up sleeve, and discovers Arken's hand is full of marks indicating successful passages through the fold* 'well, that is certainly entertaining' I love this man with all my heart

him screaming is so fucking hot, is that weird for me to say

Nina being the Darkling's spy is quite interesting

Ben giving the Darkling crazy eyes when Arken owns up to his guilt is so cool

also wtf is Arken a fool trying to negotiate with possibly the strongest man in the world

kind of loved the darkness literally eating him

also love Alina learning to use her powers better when she is alone than when she is with anyone else, wish we got to see the cut in this season as per the books, ah can't have everything I guess

the camera pan to Jesper's gun at his side, amazing

god Jessie is literally so beautiful I need to see her bring Alina to the peak of her power so bad

netflix you better renew this series to let the plot run to its completion

HOW THE FUCK DID THEY CAST THE CROWS SO PERFECTLY

INEJ FUCKING TREMBLING JUST THE TINIEST BIT AS SHE BOWS SLIGHTLY TO ALINA SGSHSBSJJSJSSJ MY TWO QUEENS

'And where is my Summoner?' my little Darklina heart ouchie I really wish you hadn't used and manipulated her like this Alek it was incredibly fucked up especially considering you actually caught feelings

'Ivan and I won't fail you' oh Fedyor my baby, my angel, you don't deserve what is coming

Helnik literally recreating Titanic lmao stop this is a joke

I too would jump off the raft if I came to consciousness to see a gorgeous woman with magical powers with her hand on my back

omg but why is ryevost so pretty though

'I know exactly how she felt. The King's soldiers treated me the same way... I'm not myself today.' why must you do this to me, why must you fuel my darklina soulmates agenda idiocy

I don't quite think I have a problem with the Zoya Darkling relationship as much as I have a problem with the line they chose to reveal it to use with.

my drink's over and I don't know if I should have another, considering that it's 7 am

the tenderness with which he looks at Zoya and takes her hand and then when he says 'I shall relax when I have Alina' makes me believe more that the man that is reduced to tears time and again in front of Alina could in fact be the master manipulator I know him to be

god I can't wait for Zoya's character arc

'I speak six languages, it's part of my job' why is Nina literally the fucking coolest

Alina blinding the oprichniki was so hot, I can't wait to see more of her power and her ruthlessness

I know I've said it before but good god is Jessie Mei Li gorgeous

HER LITTLE SMILE AMONGST ALL THE PANIC AS SOON AS SHE SEES MAL, THE AUDACITY OF THIS SHOW TO MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY

THE SCORE COMING IN AT THE RIGHT MOMENT, THEIR HANDS MEETING, HER SMILE AGAIN DHDHSBSNSNSNSNAN IM IN PAIN

REALLY?! YOU'RE GONNA GO DIRECTLY FROM MALINA TO HELNIK WITH NO CONCERN FOR MY HEART?

I simply cannot get over Calahan's accent lmao it's really funny

'im not afraid of you' he says to the insanely gorgeous girl with magic

HIM HANGING HIS HEAD IN DEFEAT TO INDICATE NINA HAS MADE VALID POINTS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I CAN'T BREATHE

'You're just a man. Like all the others.' she says and then forgets her train of thought looking at him as he strips. god I love this

not sleeping all night and then scotch is not a good idea, I think

'I promise not to ravish you' 'I hate the way you talk' her hand on his chest, his hand gripping hers, my fucking heart feels like it's about to explode

good god these shooting locations and sets are so beautiful

Alina throwing the flask at Mal and Mal going 'OI!' I fucking can't, I guess I am a

simp for childhood friends to lovers, give me more of that banter and childhood friend energy, I am thriving

wow it literally seems like they took book! Mal sl*tshaming book! Alina and made show! Alina sl*tshame show! Mal, hmm, interesting

'They would have split us up!' MAL'S LITTLE SMILE AT THIS, and the 'You wrote me letters?' Mal's nod, the Malina yearning stare, the Malina hug, 'thank you for finding me' 'always. I'll always find you.' NO MALINA YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE MADE ME ABSOLUTELY FUCKING FERAL

I understand they had to split time between my ravkan babies and the crows and that is why there were several aspects that were sort of not reflected on enough but Alina's training at the Little Palace, Alina's cut, Mal's personality, a teensy bit of backstory for the crows, maybe one lockpicking scene from my boy Kaz

random note: we have far too many idols and paintings and pictures and whatnot of Hindu deities in our house apart from the specially designed temple (we are Hindus, so maybe it's not that weird but it's a little weird)

Kaz's cane is a literal star, it's so beautiful my heart wants to explode

'Why would Heleen get the Crow Club?' *literally fucking gets up and walks aways instead of answering the fucking question* I LITERALLY CAN'T BREATHE I'M LOSING MY MIND

'I know that voice' WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO MAKE ME FIGHT FOR PLATONIC SHIPS IN FANDOMS

'We won't starve' omg get you someone who packs food for you when you go on the run together hiding from your ex who wants to capture you and use your powers as a weapon against your consent

Mal looking surprised at her summoning sunlight, Alina looking cautiously at him waiting for him to disapprove or run for the hills in fear or smth like that, 'I'm sorry it took me this long to see you... But I see you now' my dumb little shipper trash heart ouch

they really said we're gonna feed you this part asian couple as the protagonists in this show in 2021 and guess what I'm eating it's really tasty I'm very satisfied as a south asian

NINA'S LITTLE SMILE WHEN MATTHIAS WAKES UP WITH HIS ARM AROUND HER

'I can feel how much you hate sleeping next to me' 👀👀👀 BITCH SAID IMMA SPILL THE TEA AND THEN SHE DID

it's 8 am and guess what I'm getting another drink my parents have c*vid and are in govt qu*r*ntine centres there is nobody to supervise or stop me

I too say 'Why do you have to say things like that?' to my pretty crush when she flirts with me

Nina smiling at Matthias bragging about his conservative ways is my aesthetic

'No, it's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall and yet, oh, there you stand.' MY FUCKING QUEEN

Matthias laughing uncontrollably at Nina saying something which isn't even that funny is a whole ass vibe

Kaz Brekker saying 'The Black General' ooh fuck yeah

YESSSS STEP OUT OF THAT CARRIAGE ALL SEXY BLACK GENERAL

isn't alcohol supposed to like kill germs? well, the amount in my system definitely will

I love my crows so much (always but this time particularly for setting that alarm in the stolen carriage)

ooh Polina recognising Inej by the knife yesss let's go writers

this Ivan Jesper showdown is all I needed from life and yet did not know about

Ivan taking off his cloak was, um, sexier than I wanted it to be

I just realised how thirsty I am going to sound in this post

'Has no one told you that keftas are Fabrikator-made and resistant to bullets, hmm?' 'Oh, I do love a challenge' LITERALLY EVERYTHING

im sorry to be pointing out flaws in a perfect show and adaptation but the line delivery on 'You robbed me of my brother, now I'll rob you of your life' from Polina was kind of weak

'You're a-' *gets knocked out with the back of a gun* LMAO we love the hints

got excited at the prospect of kaz v. zoya until I realised they will not be letting the opportunity of kaz v. darkling pass up

my goodness is Amita Suman a splendid actress

I AM NOT KIDDING WHEN I TELL YOU I SQUEALED WHEN I SAW DARKLES EMERGE OUT OF THE SHADOWS IN FRONT OF MY BABY BOY KAZ

THERE BEING ACTUAL FEAR OR ATLEAST DOUBT ON KAZ'S FACE, THE LITTLE BACK STEPS AS

THE DARKLING WALKS TOWARDS HIM, AAAAH I CAN'T

THE DARKLING STOPPING AT KAZ SAYING 'SHE FLED ON HER OWN' AND THE HINT OF TEARS THAT WE SEE IN HIS EYES

'IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR SHE WASN'T INTERESTED IN BEING A CAPTIVE ANYMORE' YOU TELL HIM, KING

*ACTUAL FUCKING TEARS IN THE DARKLING'S EYES AS THE SHADOWS APPROACH*

NOT ME YOWLING LIKE A HYENA THAT THIS CHILD OUTSMARTED THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN EXISTENCE WITH A FAKE MAGIC TRICK

'Are you sure you added enough cloves?' literally warranting a wide ass smile from my queen Alina making my entire fucking day

for some reason, no matter how much I push it from my mind, Ben Barnes dressed up as the Darkling, dancing to 'push it' keeps coming to mind, it's absolutely ridiculous

I got somehow distracted with interviews but good things came out of that as it gave my body the time for the booze to kick in

and I would just like to say that I love Leigh for all she has given me

Alina is so fucking compassionate, I have no much love for her. I can feel her guilt and her sorrow as Mal talks of Mikhail and Dubrov

don't particularly like how the stag plotline is woven in, could have been executed better

'You're afraid you might start to like me?' *flaps furs like a bird's wings in frustration*

'I DO like you' my fucking heart you idiots

the sexual tension is so palpable and the moment is so intimate I simply cannot

OMG SHE FUCKING FELL

that moment where you think he might let her fall despite having read the books and he doesn't and he tells her his name I- <3

YOU DARE TRANSITION FROM A HELNIK SCENE TO A KANEJ SCENE YOU REALLY HAVE NO MERCY FOR MY HEART HUH

people have talked about this endlessly but Freddie's little jaw tic after he says Inej because Inej is wounded and he can't physically bring himself to help her I fucking cannot

THE MUSIC PICKING UP AS KAZ LOOKS TO THE DARKLING'S CARRIAGE I CAN'T WITH THIS SHOW ANYMORE

and now for one of my favorite scenes in television and cinematic history, David Kostyk throwing a book at Jesper Fahey without even knowing who he is merely because he opens the door of his carriage and says hello to him before getting knocked out by Kaz Brekker while trying to run away

Immediately followed by another, the scene with David Kostyk raising his finger to put forward his point in front of the Darkling and the Darkling trying to let him know he doesn't have to before obliging is one of my favourite scenes in the world

also sir please stop being devastatingly attractive in your glorious appearance with your face and your black kefta and cloak because all that comes to mind is Ayesha Erotica's Emo Boy and I'm afraid that is terribly inappropriate.

'No, you look great.' *literally looks down from embarrassment or blushing* MALINA RIGHTS?

THE LOOK ON THE DARKLING'S FACE BEFORE HE SAYS 'NO ORDINARY TRACKER, NO ORDINARY GIRL' BITCH IM OUT OF BREATH

'ORPHANS OF KERAMZIN, REUNITED.' 'ADORABLE.' HE FUCKING SNEERED IRL I FUCKING CANNOT

GOD IT'S SO GOOD

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #netflix shadow and bone #six of crows #sab #soc #grishaverse spoilers #shadow and bone spoilers #netflix shadow and bone spoilers #six of crows spoilers #sab spoilers #soc spoilers #alina starkov #jessie mei li #malyen oretsev #archie renaux #malina #ivan #simon sears #arken visser #nina zenik #danielle galligan #jesper fahey #jesper llewellyn fahey #kit young #crows #netflix #inej ghafa #amita suman #the darkling

[luminisvii]

Are you planning on doing a ranking for the main gundam pilots? 👀

well, since now there is a demand, i will! let's do a little ranking of some main characters, as best we can!

unfortunately limiting this to shows i have watched bc its kinda hard to form an opinion on these characters based on appearance unlike the char clones. so many good boys so little time </3

Amuro

we always stand up for the classic. personally, i fucking love the guy. he's one of those characters who may seem really boring at first but i ended up being thoroughly charmed. i especially love him in zeta. and he's quite relatable! i too want to take a nap for 50 years and hope none of this shit is a problem when i wake up. my boy is pretty moody and depressed and i stan a king. i could go off really hard but im stopping here for time so 15/10 for milf lover amuro

Kamille

im a huge fan of the feral teenager energy here. kamille will kick anyone's ass, including his own. of course i think he has every right to kick jerid's ass, that bitch was standing next to a guy named kacrikon mccooler or whatever and had the balls to be like "oh Kamille is a weird name" shut the fuck up. kamille is the personification of the creature within me that wants to bite people and the general rage that comes with being a teenager. can't get better than that! 10/10 bc i loved the multiple times he punches char

Judau

my foray into ZZ is rather short at the moment. consider me charmed, though! judau seems like a funney guy who would be cool to chill with and also probably the most emotionally well adjusted main pilot of the entire lot. i've actually seen him more in SRW and he's basically a little therapy dog. i rank 10/10 for being just a good boy

Kou

i feel like i would dislike him more if he were a consistent character or something. can't say i like kou, but can't say i dislike him either. i lack the energy to muster up any real hatred for him. nina is way out of his league, too. 4/10 perfectly meh

Domon

I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF THIS GUY!!!! domon had my spot as #1 protag for a very long time (we'll get to who dethroned him later) bc this dude is an absolute fucking madlad. you knew that though this is G we're talking about!!! i'm a filthy G stan and a domon simp!!! dude punches all of his problems and it WORKS! every time! 20/10 GO OFF KING I LOVE U SO MUCH NEVER STOP

Heero

this kid is hilarious. in the melodrama that is WING, heero is gunning for that #1 spot of "dramatic bitch" and that's a spot with competition. i think it's great that he didn't know how to talk to a girl so he tried to blow himself up. 8/10 being a terrible friend to duo deducts points like why would u do that to my boy duo

Shiro

i have no respect for this guy. my hatred of him is largely theatrical, but i simply cannot give that much credit to a guy who betrayed his ideals almost instantly over the hint of pussy. okay, aina is pretty good and i like her, but come ON, shiro! get it together! im aware that hes supposed to be a genius and a good pilot or whatever but honestly all i remember his him being all like ohh zeons are people too after meeting a hot one. 3/10 get outta here!!!

Loran

LOVE HE!!! 100% GOOD DUDE!!! i haven't gotten far into turn A but i love this poor little accident prone boy. loran is the kind of person who struggles with basic tasks but so do i so i forgive him. we love a GNC king! 10/10 gives him kiss on forehead and some of keith's bread

Kira

i watched three eps of SEED i apparently already ranked this guy in a mecha power point im never gonna finish

Setsun(y)a

if i'm gonna be real here, i think setsuna was really let down like most characters were in 00. however, i also think he's funny and has cat vibes, at least that's how i cope with it in my own head! he's clearly supposed to be a heero archetype except he just. lacks the pure insanity that heero had. 6/10 i wish they did better for u bby

Banagher

also gonna be real, i hated unicorn, and in no small part because of banagher! i feel like he's what a lot of weird people think amuro is when they complain about amuro being a whiny baby. the entire plot revolved around telling me that banagher was the most special boy but like. was he? wishy washy bitch. i would knock him for betraying his ideals for pussy if he had any ideals to betray. basically the best scene with banagher was the one where he was all "oh i cant kill the zeon mass murderer to stop her from murdering more bc she has feelings too :(" and riddhe was like "well i can!" and does it. that's the most worth i got out of banagher as a character! 1/10 come on stop making shiro look better

Mikazuki

LETS GIVE IT UP FOR MY SWEET LITTLE GUN DEMON!!!!! i love this kid bc he gives zero shits its so funny. most of these other pilots have a little thing called "strategy" when they attack and mika basically goes UNGA BUNGA like a caveman and smashes enemies with his giant stick. everyone else thinks they're traumatized and messed up and mika is like well i don't know what a 'trauma' is but hold my juice box. i struggle to be coherent about mikazuki bc hes just, so much, in a tiny little package. 21/10 BABY BOY YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE WEIRD SPACE PRUNES YOU WANT

Honorable Mentions Time!

Bernie (BEST BOY)

he doesn't really qualify as a main pilot but i love him dearly. my man bernie will rise to the occasion and 0080 is maybe my favorite UC entry in gundam? all around good. 12/10 burger joke here

Sei & Reiji

i have a lot of love for build fighters and these two are so good. it's hard to rank them separately bc they're a package deal. since pilot is kind of a different thing in BF, i decided to put them here, and it's to say i love them so much they're an excellent team 10/10

Fumina

she's the closest thing we get to "female character" and "main pilot" when it comes to gundam so she goes here (G WITCH PLEASE BE GOOD) and she was a severely underutilized character. for being the real out of the box thinker of the try team, it's absolutely wild that yuuma and sekai get all the credit of being like. good builder and weird tactician when fumina is RIGHT HERE!!!! the show is obsessed with humiliating her. 8/10 bby girl you deserved more

Hathaway

i mean i guess he's basically a regular main pilot, but idk. vibes are different and this is a very vibe-y based ranking. hes a little bit bland as main characters go but there are worse crimes for him to commit. like being a fuckign terrorist. i do like the part where he doesn't seem to think things through much. 7/10 here's hoping the other movies come out sometime this century!

and that is all for now, all in all, they need therapy

#luminiscore #this was much harder than the char clones bc theres less variability

[secret-engima]

Daywan has spent her whole life knowing she was going to be a Second. It was rare, but they happened sometimes, a Second soulmate after the first died, or if something fundamental changed about a person. (The Glaive had a lot of Second Words.) What else could her Words indicate? "Thank you for taking care of my son, but why didn't you say he was here?" She'd fought against those Words for years, they'd been the center of her teen angst. Daywan had avoided children and childcare like the plague.1

Anonymous said: 2 And then came the Nifs came. They'd been in a little town, straddling the border of Lucis and Tenebrae, neutral for centuries, but the Empire hadn't cared. She'd snatched a baby out of a dying woman's arms and never looked back. As she'd begun the terrifying march that would ultimately take her to Insomnia, she'd collected children and dragged them with her. She'd bitterly regretted her adamant ignorance of childcare, but she could no more leave them to die than she could stop walking.

Anonymous said: 3 "Thank you" was waiting for her. Somehow, arguing with the guards at the gates of Insomnia with her gaggle of children clinging to her legs, climbing her back to tug on her hair, (trying to put braids in with stubborn tenacity) it didn't seem so bad now, to be Second. Not after what she'd seen. She had someone who was waiting for her, maybe he'd be the father of one of her kids. It just made sense when she found a job as a childcare worker, a little less when it turned out to be in the Citadel

Anonymous said: 4 And then there was the sweetest little boy in the daycare, probably a smuggled in relative. She got more then most, given her willingness to look the other way. And then the King came into her room, as the last straggler of the day, the new boy helping her wipe the table down as she talked about some fun foods she'd eaten (trekking cross country with demons and Nifs hunting you cut down on your food prejudices) and then, "Thank you for looking after my son, but what is he doing here?”

Anonymous said: 5 Daywan isn't even sure what she stutters in response. The warmth in her Words let her know exactly who the King was to her. Hopefully something suitably innocuous, she needed to get home and have a breakdown as she dealt with this revelation.

Anonymous said: Actually, let me change my suggested name for the daycare worker to Daywren. It flows better I think, Daywren Silverblade.

Me: This is SO stupidly adorable I love it. Gonna expand on this backstory but I really like this idea (especially of her being non-Galahdian but totally adopted because of all the kiddos she kept rescuing). Ummmm, don’t think that name will work? FFXV has it’s Naming Theme and all. Think I’m gonna call her .... Lucina. The kiddos just call her Nina because it’s easier to say.

And just-

Lucina has always been an odd child, avoiding childcare and kids like the plague after learning what the swooping scrawl on her forearm MEANT, always more willing to learn to fight and hunt and fish than most little girls her age. Always more stealthy than she should be, always more precise in action than she needed to be. The other townsfolk nod sagely to themselves and say that she’ll be sent off to the city academy once she’s old enough, become a career woman for sure. Possibly even a military woman. Lucina doesn’t mind the thought of it. Can’t get much farther from childcare than being a soldier.

But then Niflheim comes. Niflheim comes and there is a child screaming in the arms of the woman who just got shot at least a dozen times and there is no saving the woman, but she holds out her child with crazed eyes as Lucina runs by and she takes without thinking. And then she is alone in the wilderness. With a baby.

Oh no.

She picks up more of them as she goes on, other children of various ages, some small, some less small, all of them lost and scared and in need of someone to care. She steals or trades for milk to feed the littlest ones, thanks the one bit of forethought she had in taking her bow and arrows with her when she ran as she hunts down food for the ones that are too old for milk.

She isn’t quite sure HOW she makes it to Lucis without losing any of the five children she picked up, just that she did.

And then she learns of Galahd’s sudden, dramatic fall. Finds out when she stumbles on a tight-knit trio of children with ratty braids in their hair and wild eyes and she can’t help but take them too.

She picks up a Galahdian pre-teen somewhere in between the toddlers and adolescents she keeps stumbling on and she could cry from relief in having help minding, caring, and feeding.

By the time she makes it to the gates of Insomnia at age 25, exhausted and underweight and triumphant, she has fifty whole kids and three pre-teens straggling along behind her. She is NOT in the mood for the gate guard’s pomp and circumstance, and the gate guard is not prepared for Lucina’s near feral protective instincts of the kids clinging to her legs and crawling on her back adding braids to her hair (she has so many Clan braids without knowing what they are it isn’t even funny). She gets let in and Little Galahd hears about her somehow so by the time she’s finally in the gates, there’s a hoard of excited, tearful Galahdians ready to reclaim their kiddos and then claim the new kiddos AND their keeper because this woman just returned like- 40+ of their missing kids. There are literal brawls (later and in private) to determine who gets to formally adopt her into their Clan.

Lucina is too tired for the first two weeks to care. Barely bats an eye when a man approaches and introduces himself as Sonitus and asks if he can take out all but one of the braids in her hair. She tells him that if he’s willing to face the screaming hoard of kiddos that will descend upon his soul, then by all means.

It’s only later someone thinks to sit her down and explain Galahdian adoption, but she has no family now so ... being the adopted sister of a Bellum is alright she guesses. Better than being alone and homeless.

Lucina ends up getting a job in childcare. Despite never having wanted to do things with children before and not having any professional schooling in the caring of kids, apparently everyone has heard of her fifty kid entourage and assumed she was some kind of childcare person who lost her papers. Since nothing is as terrifying as keeping fifty kids (several of whom are infants) alive in the wilderness, when she is offered a daycare job by one of the Galahdians who Knows Somebody With An Opening, she takes it.

She did not expect the Knows Somebody would actually be “the guy who hires Citadel people owes me a major favor” and the Opening to be the CITADEL DAYCARE.

Okay fine whatever. Better than being jobless and at least the kids in there are healthy, well fed little scamps and food is just a microwave or oven away rather than a mile into the wilderness and ready to run if it catches her scent.

For all Lucina claims to not have a way with kids, she is Good With Kids. She had no idea why kids seem magnetically attracted to her but they are and the other workers quickly learn to yeet the problem children her way.

Which is why when she finds a newcomer smuggled in on the day she is alone in her shift (the other worker meant to work the shift with her called in sick) she doesn’t bat an eyelash and is just grateful he’s such a sweetheart. He calls her Nina without hesitation (the nickname the other daycare kiddos gave her, apparently Lucina is hard to pronounce for tiny tongues) and trundles after her in all his five year old glory, trying dutifully to help her with things so she doesn’t force him to go interact with the other kids (she does not force him, what’s the point of forcing a shy child into a situation where they don’t feel safe? It will only end in tears, let him get used to watching the others before encouraging interaction).

She doesn’t notice the Citadel’s slow descent into madness or the way two of the five Crownsguard that lurk on the outskirts of the daycare are repurposed for some other task. Well. She does notice. It’s just that she doesn’t care. As long as nothing tries to enter the daycare unauthorized it’s not her problem (and if something DOES, well, she’s got about five freshly sharpened knives hidden on her person where kiddos can’t reach and adults can’t see and the long looped cord holding back her ponytail has a steel center just GREAT for strangling someone who tries something. These kids are in her care, she’s not going to just leave it up to Crownsguard to protect them if someone so much as lays a finger on them with ill intent).

The servants and the spouses of the Crownsguard, who are apparently all working overtime today for some reason, come to pick up their kids and Lucina herds everyone into neat lines for retrieval while keeping an eye out for imposter adults or strangers (it’s happened before, she ruined her favorite top putting a stop to it before a Crownsguard managed to take care of the issue). One of the maids who works on the royal levels spots Lucina’s tiny shadow (he calls himself Noct, it’s clearly short for something but Lucina thinks it’s cute) and her eyes grow to the size of plates, “That’s-!”

Lucina blinks and idly pets the boy’s hair when he hides behind her leg, “Oh, you know him? He says his dad works upstairs. I know something is going on today but can you call his dad down here? The daycare is closing in an hour.”

The woman nods dumbly, looking shocked for reasons Lucina doesn’t get and wanders off with her own child, who is the last one other than Noct to be picked up. Lucina and Noct hang out for the next ten minutes or so as the father steadily does not come by, and Lucina is hiding her worry well over what to do with Noct as the boy busily helps her clean off the table and put away the last of the toys when the doors to the daycare slam open.

Lucina puts herself in front of Noct on instinct, hands dropping to the knife sheathed in the small of her back and ready to fight before she registers.

The Shield of the King is standing in the daycare.

The King of Lucis is standing in the daycare.

“Dad!” Chirps Noct as he buzzes past her and flings himself into the arms of the monarchy who has that distinctly crazed, frazzled look that only comes from being worried sick over one’s child.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Noct’s dad “works upstairs”.

Noct. Noctis

Oh dear.

Lucina tries to discreetly lower her hands away from the (still sheathed thank goodness) knife but is pretty sure the Shield knows exactly what she was doing. The king is still busy fussing over his son, half-lecturing until Noct starts going on about “Nina” and how much fun he had with her down here.

The King looks up, “Thank you,” he rumbles, “for looking after my son. But why did you not tell anyone he was here?”

The words on her forearm, hidden under a soulmate sleeve, burn like liquid fire and her heart stops.

She thinks- she thinks she says something in return, but her mind is screaming because-

This is her soulmate.

28 years old and she has finally met her soulmate.

And it’s REGIS LUCIS CAELUM. KING OF LUCIS.

From the shocked expression on the king’s face and the way one hand suddenly clamps on his right ribcage, she’s pretty sure he just realized it too.

#SE asks #anon asks #Secret Engima Rambles #Didn't Know He Was the Prince verse #soulmate au

[bybdolan]

top 5 beatles tracks, top five nirvana tracks, top 5 covers of bob dylan’s songs

Top 5 Beatles Tracks

1. Hey Jude/Here Comes The Sun (I can't seperate the two because they mean so much to me personally. Definitely part of the Playlist Of My Life)

2. In My Life (I believe in Rubber Soul superiority. Something something the enduring nature of love.)

3. She's Leaving Home (best song on Sgt. Pepper, best Beatles song songwriting wise, etc.)

4. Strawberry Fields Forever (the demonic bit at the end is not it but alas.)

5. When I'm Sixty Four (my favorite song to siiiing)

(I feel bad for not including something from their boyband days here... So honorable mention for All My Loving. Also the Across The Universe version of Let It Be, but technically that isn't the bug men.)

Top 5 Nirvana Tracks

1. Where Did You Sleep Last Night (I can't even say something about this that doesn't sound borderline insane... Kurt Cobain covering Leadbelly is IT for me and I would argue that this is Cobain's best performance in terms of emotional impact. When he yells that last "shiveeerrr" and opens his eyes and you can SEE the emotion... I want to eat mud.)

2. Polly (Apparently Bobby D. heard this and said "The kid's got heart". He was right! It is an eerie, dark, haunting song, and the instrumentalization matches the lyrics so well.)

3. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Slaps! I hear the opening riff I go feral!)

4. Ain't It A Shame (Another Leadbelly cover... Mr. Cobain's lower range I have feelings for you.)

5. Territorial Pissings (NEVER MET A WISE MAN IF SO IT'S A WOMAN!!!)

Top 5 Covers Of Bob Dylan's Songs (I only know 8 so this list is... Flawed, to say the least.)

1. This cover of Queen Jane in a field during sundown... It feels like the ending of a Coming-Of-Age movie

2. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Nina Simone (Queen!)

3. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (I don't think I have to say anything about this one)

4. It Ain't Me - Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash (I love themmm)

5. Lily, Rosemary... - Joan Baez (Joan's voice is HEAVENLY and I love the storytelling in the song)

Ask me my top 5 anything!

#izzy i'd lay down my life for you #ask #backstreets #long post

[bapydemonprincess]

Facing the Aftermath

Hello folks!! I have an interesting drabble to share! This is another Sebagrellerin piece I thought up the other day while thinking about things like what my new favorite ship would deal with in certain manga-canon situations! This one in particular being about the end of the manga itself. Now, I know I KNOW we do not even KNOW what EXACTLY that’ll be like for sure, but I really felt like exploring at least what I thought was one of the most obvious and likely endings.

HOWEVER, if you personally do not like the idea of Sebastian actually going through with eating his master’s soul at the end of the story, please feel free to just ignore this, as that is indeed the scenario that is implied here, hence the obvious oncoming angst you’re about to witness..

For anyone who does wish to read, I hope you enjoy it! I really tried my best with this, okay?? :3

Mey-rin didn't bat an eye at the teleporting, as it hadn't been the first time by now that Grelle had done it. She did however find herself having a harder time adjusting to the dramatic change in scenery. They'd gone from the tiny apartment flat Mey-rin had been in to this sudden quiet sunlit area, bright green grass abound and trees rustling softly in the wind around them. 

Where... where the hell were they?? The former maid spun around, taking in everything, and discovered a distance away behind them a familiar landmark peeking up behind more forest. Was that... The Phantomhive Manor??? "This way, love." Grelle brought her attention back, and Mey-rin turned around to see the reaper already heading further into.. the forest for some reason, and AWAY from the manor!

Mey-rin quickly rushed to stay beside her, heartbeat quickening. Was this really going to happen?? Was Grelle REALLY leading her to Sebastian? Er,... if he WAS still Sebastian?? Or.. even a "HE".  Oh, the poor girl couldn't think on it. She shut her eyes a moment briefly to try clearing her head of all the stress and confusion. And still they walked on, neither she nor Grelle saying a word, which only added to the poor human's fear and concern. It was very rare for Grelle Sutcliff to be so stone serious. It worried the girl so much. Oh she hoped this all worked out! In.. some form or another!!!

Finally, Grelle stopped, one hand on her hip, and her sharp bright eyes staring straight ahead at something like a Pointer spotting the prey directly in its sights. Mey-rin came to a stumbling halt beside her and immediately looked up at Grelle in question, but still did not vocalize it. Grelle responded by stretching out an arm and pointing directly ahead. Mey-rin followed her signal... and only saw a HUGE tree in front of them. Nothing much else to it. Why was she-- Wait.. there was.. a meowing coming from the direction of the tree. What the hell?? Mey-rin knew her ears could certainly not being going as bad as her eyes, SURELY NOT, RIGHT?? But--! There it was again! Multiple soft mews... It came from.. the other SIDE of the tree. Very, very carefully, Mey-rin went forward, trying to be as stealthy and sneaky as she'd been in her hay-day. If only for one more time.

After walking the full parameter around the side of the big tree, and with Grelle being surprisingly quiet too in her approach behind Mey-rin, the girl's eyes widened at the sight that came into view on the other side of this tree. 

About a dozen cats had come to this one spot, and for only one reason. The attention of one very cat friendly demon, who was sitting right there on the forest floor, trying to give every single feline a bit of attention.

That surprisingly wasn't the only fascinating thing about this scene, Mey-rin soon learned as she looked longer. The demon did indeed look like an actual demon, now. Skin pure ebony from head to toe, though his face looked very similar still to the human guise, the rest was very fascinating. Some kind of long black cape draped around from his back and he was clearly sitting on it like one would a blanket for a picnic. Strange long footwear covered his feet, longer than anything Mey-rin had ever seen, even coming from designers like Nina! She wasn't sure exactly where the boots ended and the pants began.. It was too dark to tell! And the same material covered up most of his top, almost looking like he had a very skin-tight turtleneck sweater of some sort. But the sleeves were interesting as well. Almost looking like they covered his entire hands like gloves, but no, Mey-rin saw a triangle indent at his wrist where it met his hand. And on the long ends of his fingers were sharp, sharp claws. But.. somehow they did nothing to the sweet little animals in his grasp. As if he'd perfected being gentle with them down to an art. Finally, surrounding him AND the large group of kittens, were a pair of feathered wings.. like GIANT VERSIONS of a crow's. It was all so absolutely mad and Mey-rin just stood there taking it in now..

"Hello, Sebastian." Grelle Sutcliff spoke up, quietly stepping up behind her frozen companion. She smiled over at the demon, absolutely unsurprised at the scene herself, and put one hand firmly on Mey-rin's shoulder while she still pressed her other into her own side. Standing her ground as it were, and making sure the demon knew that she was. It was very important, she felt instinctively, to stay by Mey-rin's side and yet still address the demon. "Look who I brought with me." She tried to sound smug and playful despite everything.

At this point, after feeling the contact of Grelle's hand on her shoulder and hearing her voice suddenly so close, Mey-rin looked about ready to jump out of her skin. And... across the way.. the demon, too, looked suddenly a little less calm. He'd frozen in his scritching of one kitty, head shooting up and pupils shrinking as he stared at the two now before him. He looked.. shaken. And as if the cat in his grasp was about to fall if he didn't come back to his senses soon.

"You..." Was the only word that managed to come out, sounding.. exactly like Sebastian Michaelis. 

But Mey-rin was already finding herself blurting out "H-Hello, Sebastian. Um. I mean... wh-whatever... wh-whoever you are. Um. I mean, I-I know she just called you Sebastian but I don't want to assume, so I'm only trying to- to-" 

"Mey-rin." Sebastian was up, and right in front of her. He was... he was TOWERING over her in those heels, and the wings and just.. just the overall FEEL of him.. Mey-rin had immediately stumbled back, eyes HUGE behind her glasses.

With both hands free, Grelle lifted them both up in front of her and in the gap between the two. She did that first, and then looked over at Sebastian first. "Steady.. steady now.." She uttered out, her voice even surprising herself in how firm and serious it was. She looked back at her sweet little Mey Mey.. and moved her right hand to beckon for the girl to come closer again. "It's alright, come here, dear." And Mey-rin, still stuck staring at the demon, slowly obeyed and came back closer.

Seeing Mey-rin's cautious approach back had the demon becoming a little more self aware.. Their wings folded in as much as they could, and they straightened up, like a soldier standing guard, while trying to thin out their mouth so their fangs did not show, and calm their demeanor. Hiding as much as the outward feral-ness of their look. 

"... Forgive me." Sebastian finally said. "I was not expecting any.. company any time soon." He slightly turned himself to look back at the group of cats back at his former spot. "Well, any non-feline company that is."

"Are you saying they all just.. came to you, Bassy? That you didn't kidnap them or something??" Grelle couldn't help asking, almost out of reflex. Who else would be capable of questioning the habits of a demon but a grim reaper such as she, who'd known the ins and outs, the inner workings, of this particular demon from the very start. And somehow.. Sebastian didn’t seem put-upon by her accusation. He huffed a laugh and looked down a little. "Well, I figured they'd still be roaming around the mansion, waiting for...." His voice seemed to catch for a brief moment, and then he cleared his throat. "Something."

"Well, you'll be happy to know your feline friends aren't the only ones capable of sniffing out a demon! Especially not THIS one!" Grelle went on, tapping her own nose mischievously and winking at the demon. This display made an interesting darkness spread over the demon's ebony complexion. Like a darker shade of black ink slowly seeping out over high cheekbones. 

"So I see.." He murmured, and shifted a little in place. "And.. you brought company with you.." He finally got out, and dared to look across the way at the small human, who froze up all over again when his gaze was honed in on her once more."Hello, Mey-rin." His voice dropped to even softer tones. Like cooing to a frightened animal. "It is... good to see you." He found himself putting a hand to his chest, and bowing, without another thought.

"H-Hello... Sebastian.." Mey-rin squeaked out, unable to take the stare any longer. Unable to look up at the ... demon before her. She looked down at the ground. At her hands wringing together in front of her. At her dress. At EVERYTHING and ANYTHING else that wasn't him. She recalled having already addressed him before her brief scare, but suddenly.. everything was all too real. He was here. She was here. THEY WERE HERE. And suddenly she didn't know what to do or say. Even if she and Grelle had even discussed this all before hand.

"How have you been faring, dear..?" Sebastian tried after a long, uncertain pause. He noticed Grelle open her mouth, as if to answer in Mey-rin's place, but Mey-rin actually responded.

"I.. I think I've been doin' okay. Um, I think. I.. I can sleep a little bit better, even if I miss my old bed at.. at.. th-the manor. There's not much noises at night, so it's alright. Even when I can't sleep! So.. so it's okay.."

Sebastian listened on patiently, just.. finding himself happy to hear her voice, at least. Though, hearing that she had only recently been able to sleep gave his chest a little twist. He opened his mouth to speak up too, but Mey-rin continued on.

"And-And Grelle started comin' over just a week ago, so I was happy 'bout that. She told me what she thought of- of the whole affair and-and I- I.."

Her chest had started to rise and fall further, and her vision grew blurry as suddenly tears she'd thought she'd ran out of started coming.

"I-I'm.. still not sure- I still.. I miss... e-everythin'." Her hands went up and started rapidly rubbing at her eyes, nearly smacking her glasses off in the process. "I-I don't know... I don't know wha-what to... to think... to do..." She was full out sobbing while she spoke. Her blurry eyes were now staring ahead at the blurry demon shape in front of her. "I M-M- MISS YOU, BU-BUT I MISS THE YOUNG MASTER TOO, SEBASTIAN!!" She bawled.

Mey-rin's body was ready to collapse to the ground, and instantly both reaper and demon were shooting forward to catch her.

Grelle first, hushing her all the way. And as she was making certain her poor human wasn't going to collapse, she felt an arm going around her own back.

Grelle looked up, seeing Sebastian staring dead on at Mey-rin with a pained and worried gaze, while his left arm wrapped around her too.

And then, his big dark wings were coming around, covering and shading. Hiding them all from everything else.

"I know.. I know, Mey-rin. I know this. So well. Shhh. It's alright. It'll be alright. Shhhh.. Shhh..." Sebastian was mumbling, voice rumbling out like a tender prayer. He first started rubbing her back, almost satisfied with that, before his hand fumbled to take in the side of her face, holding it firmly. Almost desperate to make sure it stayed where it was. That SHE stayed where she was.

"He's gone.. he's gone.. he's gone fore-e-ever... Sebastian!" She lifted her trembling hands, curled them into fists, and pushed them into his chest. "W-WHY SEBASTIAN?! WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY?! WHY?!"

Sebastian's eyes were shutting. He was not resisting this. He simply endured it as he lowered his head to press it to the crown of hers.

Grelle went back to trying to hush her, as that was all she could think to do. Her head too instinctively lowering. This closeness, despite the circumstances, felt so soothing, even for her. She'd missed these two so much. And she prayed to whoever would listen to help them get through this, here and now.

Mey-rin had stopped shouting, only able to hiccup and whimper and let her nose run a little as she trembled in place, feeling her two companions enveloping her.. REALLY actually feeling it now.

It had been so long since they had been this close together, all three of them.

Her eyes shut and another sob came out, but she didn't feel she had anymore energy to do much more.

When there was no more shouting, no more sobbing and rambling, Sebastian took a breath in, and then out.

"For some time now.. I have felt the same, Mey-rin. I have asked myself and the universe the same. I have.. come to the only conclusion that.. there had been no escape. It had been too late at that point. Our agreed upon contract had reached it's rightful end, and.. the.. the young master had accepted his fate. He had not struggled. He.. had welcomed it."

It grew obviously harder and harder for the demon to recount this. He hadn't thought back to the exact moment in a while, for he knew if he would, the images would come back, of the young man standing before him.. and what had soon followed after.

Mey-rin took one hand back to put it over her own mouth while she shook her head.

"It's still not right, it's still not right.. !" She choked out.

"I know, I know." Was all the demon could say.

There was nothing more to it. It was an argument, and a discussion that would only spiral down into madness, and they all knew it.

And none of them wanted that.

And yet.. there was one more thing, one more important thing that Sebastian felt the need to say, no matter what it led to. He would face more shouting and sobbing if he had to, but he needed to say this.

"Mey-rin."

He tried to firmly get her focus on him, trying to help her clear away the tears soaking her face, while he spilled out everything he could in the best way possible.

"I am so sorry. I am sorry for doing this to you. I am sorry it has affected you so deeply. I- I am sorry it has changed all you think of me. Please know that that is what burdens me the most. For even in this powerful familiar form.. I feel.. so empty.. I.. I have missed you so."

"Re-really?" Mey-rin squeaked out over her shaking hand still over her mouth.

"Yes," Sebastian immediately responded, almost surprised at her for asking that. "You have not left my mind for a moment. Even a second. All I could think of, even out here with all these beautiful felines keeping me company, was how I wished to be with you two. To... to somehow, someway, make up for everything."

"Oh, Bassy." Grelle nearly choked out, almost in disbelief at how far this demon had come. She just had to lean in and kiss his black demonic skin, look into that face once more, and show him that she felt the same in this moment.

This action made the demon's skin flush once again, his wings noticeably fluffing up a bit. He leaned into the gesture, smiling a little for her.

It was a grateful smile.

"But... what were you gonna do? Shouldn't you be.. le-leavin' or something for... um.. h-hell?" Mey-rin asked, completely unsure why she was asking. Perhaps she simply was still a little in denial that things could just.. go back to the happy times of before.

"Well, technically yes, I should have gone back.. but demons have been known to stray from their homes from time to time. Especially.." The demon seemed to grow even more flustered, looking down now to avoid Mey-rin's open, searching gaze. "...When they do not feel as if that place IS their home anymore, but.. a place actually keeping them from their TRUE home."

Mey-rin stared as she processed this. It was not an answer she was expecting. Well, she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting.. But, that answer, from him.. from.. from this demon she was certain now was still Sebastian Michaelis.. was not one she thought she'd hear.

"You.. you want to stay here?" Her head lowered too as she squeaked this out.

"Of course,"

"As.. as Sebastian..?" She squeaked out softer, fear rising for some reason.

"Mey-rin." He leaned in closer, until there was barely any space at all between them. When her vision looked up, the demon stared at her head-on with that searing gaze and answered her firmly.

"I am Sebastian."

Mey-rin only needed to take in that answer for a moment, before more tears escaped her, and she finally dove forward to kiss the demon, spastically flinging her arms around him.

And Sebastian very briefly froze up himself, as if SHOCKED that the human would respond this way. Would.. respond so POSITIVELY! It made his demonic heart race, his demonic stomach flip, and yet seconds later he found himself melting, as a rumbling deep purr came out, and he gratefully kissed his human back.

When the two parted, they pressed foreheads together, eyes unable to draw away, and yet even without seeing it from the side, they felt their reaper sobbing with relief and both drew the woman in, knowing they owed this reunion all to her.

And the trio stayed in that little corner for a while longer, remembering each other; comforting and soothing each other, and trying their damnedest to make up for the harshest times of their lives they’d had without each other.

#My Writing #sebastian michaelis #grelle sutcliff #mey rin #sebamey #sebagrelle #grellerin #sebagrellerin

[whenthemarshmallowmettheslayer]

Favorite fics you ever written?

Warning this a long post because I've written a lot of fics.

For Harry Potter:

1.) The Definition of Good. Summary:  After Chamber of Secrets Harry gives Dobby a place to stay. Everything changes.

2.)  Keep it simple, keep it safe. That's all you can do when it's too late. Summary: Harry smiled; it didn't reach his mom's eyes. "There's no need to call me sir professor," Harry quipped once again. This Harry knew. This Harry could take and dare he say it? Liked. Or rather, he liked it compared to the alternative despite his hatred towards the greasy haired wizard before him.

(Harry can't help but remember the chocolate cake slices and hours of looking at photos of Mrs.Figg's cats, the warm - to the point he feels as though they may burn him - embraces from Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore's soft spoken promises and words that might as well be empty, of Sirius' offer of Harry living with him just gone in a blink of eye because he fell into a veil Harry's godfather could not come out of.)

For Percy Jackson:

1.) I scream too loud when I speak my mind. Summary: Percy Jackson does not accidentally vaporize his pre-algebra teacher and everything else that happens afterward. (I've actually loved writing all the parts of the series but I'm only including this one.)

For Death Note:

1.) To be a Queen. Summary: It's that the queens (Misa, only Misa, because Misa the idiot sees what no one else sees. L says he doesn't swing that way but L wants Light, Kira, but Light is Kira therefore the other king. So duh he can't be L's queen no matter what that pevert wants.) in chess are the most powerful pieces despite the kings (Ryuzaki and Light) being the most important. Because without the king (Kira and L) there's no game, if you defeat the other king you win; Kira wins and he will.

2.) Game over. Summary: Instead of replying to baby Kira Matt takes the cigarette out of his mouth and with a smile (it's weird to smile because Matt never really smiles and it's probably a real ugly ass sight to see) throws his last cigarette onto the Death Note.

Game Over, he thinks and just walks off without so much a word. He wonders briefly what's next. With Light it's easy (boring even). He'd follow his dear dad's footsteps and become a police officer. Probably the best and maybe he'll meet L. Those two assholes deserved each other, Matt decided, but what about him?

(Or the universe gives Matt a restart after dying and he sadly uses his last cigarette on the Death Note.)

For Tokyo Ghoul:

1.) There's a ghost in my lungs. Summary: A series of non-linear conversations where Haise learns about his past, how he became who he was, and people that Kaneki loved. (Haise time travels to the beginning of Tokyo Ghoul. I've only posted one chapter so far.)

For Jessica Jones/Alias:

1.) Rest in pieces our youth (so we might glue it back together again). Crossover with Spiderman Homecoming. Summary: Jessica Campbell and Peter Parker are least likely of friends ever since Jessica came back to school.

For Fullmetal Alchemist:

1.) I've got questions. Summary: Edward smiled thinly, something viscous but not ugly (never ugly, not when it came to her) was the look in his feral eyes.

"Rose," gently, Ed thought, like she was Al or Winry when they were doing stupid shit, "that was a list that represented the complete chemical makeup of a human body for the average adult. It had been calculated to the last microgram, but still there has never been one reported case of successfully creating a human life."

Some people put their faith in gods to be able to live their life; some, like him, lived their life to achieve a goal. There had once been a time when Ed use to pray with mom. He had even prayed after mom had died but had stopped a long time ago.

It wasn't the constant frustration of loose ends (till now, Edward thought, Cornello's ring on his mind). No, he had stop praying even before that. It wasn't even the bastard's sharp jabs that were constant; always there as though Edward would ever let himself forget. What an idiot; how'd that man ever become a Colonel? Besides obviously burning children and women to death that corpses he climbed on to get to the top of the military.

2.) (What is) insanity but the ability to draw the perfect circle? Summary: There's a creak in a board behind him and he whirls around, hands ready to clap. It's Scar. Again there is a difference. Well differences technically. That makes his hand hover, pausing him from clapping. Scar, wearing glasses while inside on a rainy day, stares at the sight before him.

He should take a picture. It'll last longer.

"Are you Edward Elric the Fullmetal State Alchemist?"

Maybe it's because someone has actually him if he's Edward that he answers honestly. "No."

Or Edward is okay with suggesting to partner up with Scar to kill his Fuhrer (who might not be a homunculus in this universe) but isn't okay with Nina going in the rain and getting a cold.

For Star Wars:

1.) Love of a daughter. Summary: "and yet, so far at least we have yet to figure out what you gain from this." It's a question as well as statement. A chance to explain, to come clean on why she - a unknown Sith- had assassinated they're precious, beloved Chancellor (what fools). But how could you come clean when there is so much blood on her hands? Never-mind the sins and blood on Vader and Luke's when her family had been alive.

When she answers it's not because she's announcing her transgressions in hope that her heavy, dirty soul might be saved. One couldn't repent when they didn't feel guilt in their sin.

"For the love of a daughter." Leia pauses and looks back at Anakin and thinks: I did this to avenge you. After thinking that Leia says one more thing - the last thing actually because she nothing else to say after this.

"And you should have been more careful electing your Chancellor. You never know who is Sith." This has double meaning but she's the only person who knows it.

And she's fine with that (no, she isn't).

Leia wonders if her younger self and Luke will ever become the monsters like her Luke had been and the monster she is.

2.) When dreams come true (which they often do when Anakin Skywalker dreams them). Summary:It happens in the day, in the light. A dark masked man with heavy breath that was killing the slave owners and freeing the slaves. No one - not even the Hutts, who were now dead- could stop the droid looking man.

That doesn’t surprise Anakin though. Anakin had seen the stranger’s blade that coated the sands with different colors of blood. A red lightsaber. The man was a Jedi and he had come to free them.

(Or young Anakin's dream comes true just not in the way he dreamt it.)

3.) Nobody does it like Artoo. Summary: Because the droid had just killed Chancellor Palpatine. The man who was the closest thing Anakin had to father.

“Artoo please tell why you just killed Chancellor Palpatine?” He asks, in soft calm voice. He needs to keep a level head. Needs to be the Jedi many claim he cannot be. Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out. He could be calm when all he wanted to do was try to find the person who responsible for rewiring Artoo and show him/or her why it was a bad idea to touch his droid and make his droid kill a person he loved.

Artoo beeps his answer and Ana-

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN PAlPATINE IS DARTH SIDIOUS AND THAT YOU’RE FROM THE FUTURE!?”

4.) Of time travel and relationship blocking. Summary: But he knows the universe is better off by Artoo's travel in time. Palpatine is dead. Artoo had killed the Sith Master that had destroyed too much of his humans’ lives. There was no Empire and Darth Vader did not exist. The twins were raised by their creators. All was good except Leia was coming to age of no longer a child yet not an adult.

Which meant other human boys were becoming attracted to future Senator. Human boys who were not Han Solo. It was becoming rather frustrating - to the point Artoo felt like rolling into a wall- but at least Anakin agreed that these human boys did not belong with his creation. (Sequel to the fic above. Never did write more chapters for this fic but I do adore it.)

For Star Trek:

1.) I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Kodos will not be in this production. Summary: This was not how Jim imagined telling Bones about Tarsus IV. Actually that was a lie. Jim had planned to never tell Bones about Tarsus IV. But so is the life of Jim Kirk (also known as James T. Kirk, JT, Captain, and t'hy'la to Spock and Ambassador Spock who both had yet to tell him what that word meant. A childish part of Jim thinks that Hoshi would tell him if she was still alive before his mood darkens. The memories - the guilt - of that day flashes before his eyes and God does Jim hate drugs.).

2.)  Logically speaking. Summary: "Say mother had been," there had been a pause as Spock tried to find the right words to convey his question, "say mother went through unnecessary strife during her adolescent years and somehow you ended up in the past. Do you allow for her to face this to persevere an already faulted timeline or do you save her?"

By then, Amanda had made her way to her husband side so she could look into Spock's eyes. The question was odd and admittedly out there but her son's eyes said otherwise. Spock's eyes could be compared to an open book and that book told Amanda that this somehow was serious and her son was torn.

(Or the backstory on how Spock sort-of got permission from his father to steal a ship from the Vulcan Science Academy through Amanda Grayson's eyes.)

3.) I prefer to have my nightmares with open eyes. Crossover with Black Butler. Summary: Jimmy, JT, James Tiberius Kirk (whoever the hell he truly is) knows what it's like to adapt just to stay alive, to be whoever he needed to be just to survive. Just to eat.

It makes him laugh and JT doesn't know this but he reminds the demon (Sebastian he once was called and will take the name, the mask, of once again) of another young boy who the world had destroyed. Who had laugh a bitter laugh because that was all he could do. Crying, after all, did nothing. (Maybe one day I will write that Shinigami!Jim fic. If I ever do I will gift it to ShortyKatezey.)

4.) I need you, I need you, I need you right now. Don't leave me alone. Summary: It doesn’t matter in the end that this universe’s blue eyed James T. Kirk isn’t Spock Prime’s Jim. He still feels Jim-so familiar to his Captain, his Admiral, his Jim, his thyla yet so differnet, so angry, so broken - death.

It should have been me (it had been him in his universe) is Spock’s first thought after he momentarily gets over the wave, the crash of emotions he feels. His next thought is: I am not fine. (This is Spock Prime reacting to Jim's death in Into Darkness.)

5.) Of bored school boys and a death god. Crossover with Death Note. Summary: Ryuk drops the Death Note and a bored but brilliant beyond his years teenage boy picks it up. Sound familiar? Except it's not. JT is many things but a God complex isn't one of them.

For The Vampire Diaries:

1.) When did you dance with death? Summary: When did they all die? When did this become their lives? Was Damon to blame? Stefan to be blamed? Was Katherine to blame? Or Klaus to blame? Were Klaus' parents to blame for trying to keep their kids alive and eventually making them into monsters? Whose to blame for the fact they're all murders instead of simply, normal teenager?

And you know what? They're going to be dead for sure instead of just their morality and innocence having kicked the bucket. There's no vampire blood in their system that could cure them from what Klaus will inflict; Katherine ran from Klaus for hundreads of years and her family was slaughtered just because she wanted to live. They had killed Kol - Klaus' own brother - and trapped him with the burnt corpse.

2.) Revenge is best served with condoms. Summary: "I know who you are. You're the tasty little thing my older brother has come to truly fancy." Tasty little thing. Caroline froze; those words replaying in her head except in British accent (the only accent she truly had thing for).

For Yuri on Ice:

1.) The downside of love. Summary: Soulmates that share the bruises on their other's skin can have a downside if you haven't met them yet. Katsuki Yuuri learns this the hard way.

#Asks #anon #ao3

[ethelbertpaul444-blog]

The Best Books To Read During The Last Week Of May

Unsplash / Les Anderson IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO READ ON THE BEACH…Amazon The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews “When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm. Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.” Amazon The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen “Shelley Stone, wife, mother, and CEO of the tech company Conch, is committed to living her most efficient life. She takes her ‘me time’ at 3:30 a.m. on the treadmill, power naps while waiting in line, schedules sex with her husband for when they are already changing clothes, and takes a men’s multivitamin because she refuses to participate in her own oppression. But when she meets a young woman also named Shelley Stone who has the same exact scar on her shoulder, Shelley has to wonder: Is she finally buckling under all the pressure?” IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT WILL TURN YOU ON… AmazonThe Pisces by Melissa Broder  “Lucy has been writing her dissertation on Sappho for nine years when she and her boyfriend break up in a dramatic flameout. After she bottoms out in Phoenix, her sister in Los Angeles insists Lucy dog-sit for the summer. Annika’s home is a gorgeous glass cube on Venice Beach, but Lucy can find little relief from her anxiety — not in the Greek chorus of women in her love addiction therapy group, not in her frequent Tinder excursions, not even in Dominic the foxhound’s easy affection. Everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer while sitting alone on the beach rocks one night. But when Lucy learns the truth about his identity, their relationship, and Lucy’s understanding of what love should look like, take a very unexpected turn. A masterful blend of vivid realism and giddy fantasy, pairing hilarious frankness with pulse-racing eroticism, THE PISCES is a story about falling in obsessive love with a merman: a figure of Sirenic fantasy whose very existence pushes Lucy to question everything she thought she knew about love, lust, and meaning in the one life we have.” Amazon Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering “Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating. Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart. Lucy knows there’s something about Stephen that isn’t to be trusted. Stephen knows Lucy can’t tear herself away. And their addicting entanglement will have consequences they never could have imagined.” IF YOU WANT TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT…  AmazonMr. Flood’s Last Resort by Jess Kidd  “Maud Drennan is a dedicated caregiver whose sunny disposition masks a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her haunted, in the company of a cast of prattling saints who pop in and out of her life like tourists. Other than visiting her agoraphobic neighbor, Maud keeps to herself, finding solace in her work and in her humble existence–until she meets Mr. Flood. Cathal Flood is a menace by all accounts. The lone occupant of a Gothic mansion crawling with feral cats, he has been waging war against his son’s attempts to put him into an old-age home and sent his last caretaker running for the madhouse. But Maud is this impossible man’s last chance: if she can help him get the house in order, he just might be able to stay. So the unlikely pair begins to cooperate, bonding over their shared love of Irish folktales and mutual dislike of Mr. Flood’s overbearing son. Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When the forgotten case of a missing schoolgirl comes to light, she starts poking around, and a full-steam search for answers begins.” Amazon Princess by James Patterson and Rees Jones “When the head of the world’s foremost investigation agency receives at invitation to meet Princess Caroline, third in line to the British throne, he boards his Gulfstream jet and flies straight to London. The Princess needs Morgan’s skills, and his discretion. Sophie Edwards, a close friend of the Princess, has gone missing. She needs to be found before the media become aware of it. Morgan knows there is more to this case than he is being told.” IF YOU USUALLY PREFER MOVIES TO BOOKS… AmazonThe Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll “When five hyper-successful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder… Brett’s the fan favorite. Tattooed and only twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent engagement to her girlfriend—has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates. Kelly, Brett’s older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now—a role which requires her to protect their shocking secret. Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful bestselling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, non-working actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends—and resentment soon breeds contempt.” AmazonThe Cast by Danielle Steel “Kait Whittier has built her magazine column into a hugely respected read followed by fans across the country. She loves her work and adores her grown children, treasuring the time they spend together. But after two marriages, she prefers to avoid the complications and uncertainties of a new love. Then, after a chance meeting with Zack Winter, a television producer visiting Manhattan from Los Angeles, everything changes. Inspired by the true story of her own indomitable grandmother, Kait creates the storyline for a TV series. And when she shares her work with Zack, he is impressed and decides to make this his next big-budget project. Within weeks, Kait is plunged into a colorful world of actors and industry pros who will bring her vision to life. A cool, competent director. An eccentric young screenwriter. A world-famous actress coping with private tragedy. A reclusive grande dame from Hollywood’s Golden Age. A sizzling starlet whose ego outstrips her abilities. L.A.’s latest ‘bad boy’ actor, whose affairs are setting the city on fire. An unknown ingénue with outsized talent. And a rugged, legendary leading man. As secrets are shared, the cast becomes a second family for Kait. But in the midst of this charmed year, she is suddenly forced to confront the greatest challenge a mother could ever know. The strength of women—across generations and among friends, colleagues, and family—takes center stage in this irresistible novel, as all-too-real people find the courage to persevere in life’s drama of heartbreak and joy.” IF YOU WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW…Amazon How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan “When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.” AmazonThe Trials of Nina McCall by Scott W. Stern “In 1918, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Nina McCall was told to report to the local health officer to be examined for sexually transmitted infections. Confused and humiliated, Nina did as she was told, and the health officer performed a hasty (and invasive) examination and quickly diagnosed her with gonorrhea. Though Nina insisted she could not possibly have an STI, she was coerced into committing herself to the Bay City Detention Hospital, a facility where she would spend almost three miserable months subjected to hard labor, exploitation, and painful injections of mercury. Nina McCall was one of many women unfairly imprisoned by the United States government throughout the twentieth century. Tens, probably hundreds, of thousands of women and girls were locked up–usually without due process–simply because officials suspected these women were prostitutes, carrying STIs, or just ‘promiscuous.’ This discriminatory program, dubbed the “American Plan,” lasted from the 1910s into the 1950s, implicating a number of luminaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Earl Warren, and even Eliot Ness, while laying the foundation for the modern system of women’s prisons. In some places, vestiges of the Plan lingered into the 1960s and 1970s, and the laws that undergirded it remain on the books to this day.” IF SCIENCE FICTION IS MORE YOUR STYLE… AmazonMEM by Bethany C. Morrow “Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images of their source — zombie-like creatures destined to experience that singular memory over and over, until they expire in the cavernous Vault where they are kept. And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault. What happens next is a gorgeously rendered, heart-breaking novel in the vein of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.” Amazon84K by Claire North  “The penalty for Dani Cumali’s murder: £84,000. Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full. These days, there’s no need to go to prison – provided that you can afford to pay the penalty for the crime you’ve committed. If you’re rich enough, you can get away with murder. But Dani’s murder is different. When Theo finds her lifeless body, and a hired killer standing over her and calmly calling the police to confess, he can’t let her death become just an entry on a balance sheet. Someone is responsible. And Theo is going to find them and make them pay.”  Read more: thoughtcatalog.com http://dailybuzznetwork.com/index.php/2018/06/11/the-best-books-to-read-during-the-last-week-of-may/

[foursprout-blog]

The Best Books To Read During The Last Week Of May

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/the-best-books-to-read-during-the-last-week-of-may/

The Best Books To Read During The Last Week Of May

Unsplash / Les Anderson

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO READ ON THE BEACH…

Amazon

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

“When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.”

Amazon

The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen

“Shelley Stone, wife, mother, and CEO of the tech company Conch, is committed to living her most efficient life. She takes her ‘me time’ at 3:30 a.m. on the treadmill, power naps while waiting in line, schedules sex with her husband for when they are already changing clothes, and takes a men’s multivitamin because she refuses to participate in her own oppression.

But when she meets a young woman also named Shelley Stone who has the same exact scar on her shoulder, Shelley has to wonder: Is she finally buckling under all the pressure?”

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT WILL TURN YOU ON…

Amazon

The Pisces by Melissa Broder 

“Lucy has been writing her dissertation on Sappho for nine years when she and her boyfriend break up in a dramatic flameout. After she bottoms out in Phoenix, her sister in Los Angeles insists Lucy dog-sit for the summer. Annika’s home is a gorgeous glass cube on Venice Beach, but Lucy can find little relief from her anxiety — not in the Greek chorus of women in her love addiction therapy group, not in her frequent Tinder excursions, not even in Dominic the foxhound’s easy affection.

Everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer while sitting alone on the beach rocks one night. But when Lucy learns the truth about his identity, their relationship, and Lucy’s understanding of what love should look like, take a very unexpected turn. A masterful blend of vivid realism and giddy fantasy, pairing hilarious frankness with pulse-racing eroticism, THE PISCES is a story about falling in obsessive love with a merman: a figure of Sirenic fantasy whose very existence pushes Lucy to question everything she thought she knew about love, lust, and meaning in the one life we have.”

Amazon

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

“Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.

Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.

Lucy knows there’s something about Stephen that isn’t to be trusted. Stephen knows Lucy can’t tear herself away. And their addicting entanglement will have consequences they never could have imagined.”

IF YOU WANT TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT… 

Amazon

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort by Jess Kidd 

“Maud Drennan is a dedicated caregiver whose sunny disposition masks a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her haunted, in the company of a cast of prattling saints who pop in and out of her life like tourists. Other than visiting her agoraphobic neighbor, Maud keeps to herself, finding solace in her work and in her humble existence–until she meets Mr. Flood.

Cathal Flood is a menace by all accounts. The lone occupant of a Gothic mansion crawling with feral cats, he has been waging war against his son’s attempts to put him into an old-age home and sent his last caretaker running for the madhouse. But Maud is this impossible man’s last chance: if she can help him get the house in order, he just might be able to stay. So the unlikely pair begins to cooperate, bonding over their shared love of Irish folktales and mutual dislike of Mr. Flood’s overbearing son.

Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When the forgotten case of a missing schoolgirl comes to light, she starts poking around, and a full-steam search for answers begins.”

Amazon

Princess by James Patterson and Rees Jones

“When the head of the world’s foremost investigation agency receives at invitation to meet Princess Caroline, third in line to the British throne, he boards his Gulfstream jet and flies straight to London.

The Princess needs Morgan’s skills, and his discretion. Sophie Edwards, a close friend of the Princess, has gone missing. She needs to be found before the media become aware of it.

Morgan knows there is more to this case than he is being told.”

IF YOU USUALLY PREFER MOVIES TO BOOKS…

Amazon

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

“When five hyper-successful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder…

Brett’s the fan favorite. Tattooed and only twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent engagement to her girlfriend—has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates.

Kelly, Brett’s older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now—a role which requires her to protect their shocking secret.

Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful bestselling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, non-working actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends—and resentment soon breeds contempt.”

Amazon

The Cast by Danielle Steel

“Kait Whittier has built her magazine column into a hugely respected read followed by fans across the country. She loves her work and adores her grown children, treasuring the time they spend together. But after two marriages, she prefers to avoid the complications and uncertainties of a new love.

Then, after a chance meeting with Zack Winter, a television producer visiting Manhattan from Los Angeles, everything changes. Inspired by the true story of her own indomitable grandmother, Kait creates the storyline for a TV series. And when she shares her work with Zack, he is impressed and decides to make this his next big-budget project.

Within weeks, Kait is plunged into a colorful world of actors and industry pros who will bring her vision to life. A cool, competent director. An eccentric young screenwriter. A world-famous actress coping with private tragedy. A reclusive grande dame from Hollywood’s Golden Age. A sizzling starlet whose ego outstrips her abilities. L.A.’s latest ‘bad boy’ actor, whose affairs are setting the city on fire. An unknown ingénue with outsized talent. And a rugged, legendary leading man. As secrets are shared, the cast becomes a second family for Kait. But in the midst of this charmed year, she is suddenly forced to confront the greatest challenge a mother could ever know.

The strength of women—across generations and among friends, colleagues, and family—takes center stage in this irresistible novel, as all-too-real people find the courage to persevere in life’s drama of heartbreak and joy.”

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW…

Amazon

How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

“When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.”

Amazon

The Trials of Nina McCall by Scott W. Stern

“In 1918, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Nina McCall was told to report to the local health officer to be examined for sexually transmitted infections. Confused and humiliated, Nina did as she was told, and the health officer performed a hasty (and invasive) examination and quickly diagnosed her with gonorrhea. Though Nina insisted she could not possibly have an STI, she was coerced into committing herself to the Bay City Detention Hospital, a facility where she would spend almost three miserable months subjected to hard labor, exploitation, and painful injections of mercury.

Nina McCall was one of many women unfairly imprisoned by the United States government throughout the twentieth century. Tens, probably hundreds, of thousands of women and girls were locked up–usually without due process–simply because officials suspected these women were prostitutes, carrying STIs, or just ‘promiscuous.’

This discriminatory program, dubbed the “American Plan,” lasted from the 1910s into the 1950s, implicating a number of luminaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Earl Warren, and even Eliot Ness, while laying the foundation for the modern system of women’s prisons. In some places, vestiges of the Plan lingered into the 1960s and 1970s, and the laws that undergirded it remain on the books to this day.”

IF SCIENCE FICTION IS MORE YOUR STYLE…

Amazon

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow

“Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images of their source — zombie-like creatures destined to experience that singular memory over and over, until they expire in the cavernous Vault where they are kept.

And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault. What happens next is a gorgeously rendered, heart-breaking novel in the vein of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.”

Amazon

84K by Claire North 

“The penalty for Dani Cumali’s murder: £84,000.

Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full.

These days, there’s no need to go to prison – provided that you can afford to pay the penalty for the crime you’ve committed. If you’re rich enough, you can get away with murder.

But Dani’s murder is different. When Theo finds her lifeless body, and a hired killer standing over her and calmly calling the police to confess, he can’t let her death become just an entry on a balance sheet.

Someone is responsible. And Theo is going to find them and make them pay.” 

#Happiness

[foursprouthappiness-blog]

The Best Books To Read During The Last Week Of May

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/the-best-books-to-read-during-the-last-week-of-may/

The Best Books To Read During The Last Week Of May

Unsplash / Les Anderson

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO READ ON THE BEACH…

Amazon

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

“When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.”

Amazon

The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen

“Shelley Stone, wife, mother, and CEO of the tech company Conch, is committed to living her most efficient life. She takes her ‘me time’ at 3:30 a.m. on the treadmill, power naps while waiting in line, schedules sex with her husband for when they are already changing clothes, and takes a men’s multivitamin because she refuses to participate in her own oppression.

But when she meets a young woman also named Shelley Stone who has the same exact scar on her shoulder, Shelley has to wonder: Is she finally buckling under all the pressure?”

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT WILL TURN YOU ON…

Amazon

The Pisces by Melissa Broder 

“Lucy has been writing her dissertation on Sappho for nine years when she and her boyfriend break up in a dramatic flameout. After she bottoms out in Phoenix, her sister in Los Angeles insists Lucy dog-sit for the summer. Annika’s home is a gorgeous glass cube on Venice Beach, but Lucy can find little relief from her anxiety — not in the Greek chorus of women in her love addiction therapy group, not in her frequent Tinder excursions, not even in Dominic the foxhound’s easy affection.

Everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer while sitting alone on the beach rocks one night. But when Lucy learns the truth about his identity, their relationship, and Lucy’s understanding of what love should look like, take a very unexpected turn. A masterful blend of vivid realism and giddy fantasy, pairing hilarious frankness with pulse-racing eroticism, THE PISCES is a story about falling in obsessive love with a merman: a figure of Sirenic fantasy whose very existence pushes Lucy to question everything she thought she knew about love, lust, and meaning in the one life we have.”

Amazon

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

“Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.

Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.

Lucy knows there’s something about Stephen that isn’t to be trusted. Stephen knows Lucy can’t tear herself away. And their addicting entanglement will have consequences they never could have imagined.”

IF YOU WANT TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT… 

Amazon

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort by Jess Kidd 

“Maud Drennan is a dedicated caregiver whose sunny disposition masks a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her haunted, in the company of a cast of prattling saints who pop in and out of her life like tourists. Other than visiting her agoraphobic neighbor, Maud keeps to herself, finding solace in her work and in her humble existence–until she meets Mr. Flood.

Cathal Flood is a menace by all accounts. The lone occupant of a Gothic mansion crawling with feral cats, he has been waging war against his son’s attempts to put him into an old-age home and sent his last caretaker running for the madhouse. But Maud is this impossible man’s last chance: if she can help him get the house in order, he just might be able to stay. So the unlikely pair begins to cooperate, bonding over their shared love of Irish folktales and mutual dislike of Mr. Flood’s overbearing son.

Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When the forgotten case of a missing schoolgirl comes to light, she starts poking around, and a full-steam search for answers begins.”

Amazon

Princess by James Patterson and Rees Jones

“When the head of the world’s foremost investigation agency receives at invitation to meet Princess Caroline, third in line to the British throne, he boards his Gulfstream jet and flies straight to London.

The Princess needs Morgan’s skills, and his discretion. Sophie Edwards, a close friend of the Princess, has gone missing. She needs to be found before the media become aware of it.

Morgan knows there is more to this case than he is being told.”

IF YOU USUALLY PREFER MOVIES TO BOOKS…

Amazon

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

“When five hyper-successful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder…

Brett’s the fan favorite. Tattooed and only twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent engagement to her girlfriend—has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates.

Kelly, Brett’s older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now—a role which requires her to protect their shocking secret.

Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful bestselling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, non-working actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends—and resentment soon breeds contempt.”

Amazon

The Cast by Danielle Steel

“Kait Whittier has built her magazine column into a hugely respected read followed by fans across the country. She loves her work and adores her grown children, treasuring the time they spend together. But after two marriages, she prefers to avoid the complications and uncertainties of a new love.

Then, after a chance meeting with Zack Winter, a television producer visiting Manhattan from Los Angeles, everything changes. Inspired by the true story of her own indomitable grandmother, Kait creates the storyline for a TV series. And when she shares her work with Zack, he is impressed and decides to make this his next big-budget project.

Within weeks, Kait is plunged into a colorful world of actors and industry pros who will bring her vision to life. A cool, competent director. An eccentric young screenwriter. A world-famous actress coping with private tragedy. A reclusive grande dame from Hollywood’s Golden Age. A sizzling starlet whose ego outstrips her abilities. L.A.’s latest ‘bad boy’ actor, whose affairs are setting the city on fire. An unknown ingénue with outsized talent. And a rugged, legendary leading man. As secrets are shared, the cast becomes a second family for Kait. But in the midst of this charmed year, she is suddenly forced to confront the greatest challenge a mother could ever know.

The strength of women—across generations and among friends, colleagues, and family—takes center stage in this irresistible novel, as all-too-real people find the courage to persevere in life’s drama of heartbreak and joy.”

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW…

Amazon

How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

“When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.”

Amazon

The Trials of Nina McCall by Scott W. Stern

“In 1918, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Nina McCall was told to report to the local health officer to be examined for sexually transmitted infections. Confused and humiliated, Nina did as she was told, and the health officer performed a hasty (and invasive) examination and quickly diagnosed her with gonorrhea. Though Nina insisted she could not possibly have an STI, she was coerced into committing herself to the Bay City Detention Hospital, a facility where she would spend almost three miserable months subjected to hard labor, exploitation, and painful injections of mercury.

Nina McCall was one of many women unfairly imprisoned by the United States government throughout the twentieth century. Tens, probably hundreds, of thousands of women and girls were locked up–usually without due process–simply because officials suspected these women were prostitutes, carrying STIs, or just ‘promiscuous.’

This discriminatory program, dubbed the “American Plan,” lasted from the 1910s into the 1950s, implicating a number of luminaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Earl Warren, and even Eliot Ness, while laying the foundation for the modern system of women’s prisons. In some places, vestiges of the Plan lingered into the 1960s and 1970s, and the laws that undergirded it remain on the books to this day.”

IF SCIENCE FICTION IS MORE YOUR STYLE…

Amazon

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow

“Set in the glittering art deco world of a century ago, MEM makes one slight alteration to history: a scientist in Montreal discovers a method allowing people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete. The Mems exist as mirror-images of their source — zombie-like creatures destined to experience that singular memory over and over, until they expire in the cavernous Vault where they are kept.

And then there is Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories. An ageless beauty shrouded in mystery, she is allowed to live on her own, and create her own existence, until one day she is summoned back to the Vault. What happens next is a gorgeously rendered, heart-breaking novel in the vein of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.”

Amazon

84K by Claire North 

“The penalty for Dani Cumali’s murder: £84,000.

Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full.

These days, there’s no need to go to prison – provided that you can afford to pay the penalty for the crime you’ve committed. If you’re rich enough, you can get away with murder.

But Dani’s murder is different. When Theo finds her lifeless body, and a hired killer standing over her and calmly calling the police to confess, he can’t let her death become just an entry on a balance sheet.

Someone is responsible. And Theo is going to find them and make them pay.” 

#Happiness

[leondaltons]

Flames form in your palms, rising dangerously high, but for once they don't harm you, just burn with your rage. The fire moves up your arms, across your chest, and even Gisela flinches back as you become wreathed in flames.

You are a Keeper of New Magi City, and they are going to regret leaving you alive.

My keeper Nina Rodgers from @keeperofthesunandmoon by @gwygle​ Thank you so much for illustrating my girl in one of my favorite moments💕

#'You are so so tired of being used' #kotsam #keeper of the sun and moon #keeper of the day and night #kotdan #LOOK AT HER #OH MY GOD LOOK AT HER #her expression is EXACTLY what i wanted #feral nina is something that can be so personal <3 #i cant stop looking at her face oh my god she is so tired #i have no words other than thank you <3 and nina ily kasjaksa #rip you in book 3 tho #kotsam: nina #for me 💕 #commission