#AVIS LEE CHILD

[cryptidwithaninternetconnection]

So I’m thinking about a world where instead of humans evolving from Monkies, it’s Avians who evolved from birds, with monkies (and a large portion of mammals) being extinct following the meteor, leaving bird to evolve into avians…

@cats-and-confusion @tabsters @sagehyperfixates @the-cheese-slut y’all are my world building besties… you’ll like this I hope :>>

Person/people coming from old French Personé meaning human being becomes caelibro/caelibren (pronounced kuh-Lee-bro/kuh-lee-bren) coming from Latin “caelum liberos” meaning children of the sky

Human coming from Middle French meaning “of belonging to man” becomes Avian, coming from Latin “Avis” plus Ian

Avians evolved largely from birds of prey such as eagles, falcons, kestrels, and others. Smaller birds were unable to evolve alongside avians and thus stay the same, similar to how humans exist but monkies still do. On average Avians are much smaller than humans, the tallest avian ever recorded being about 5’6, the average for female Avians being 3’5, and males being 4” flat. Avians share similar minds to humans

Avians can be many other feather colors, feather dye is common in the semi-modern Avian society, working vie vibrant plants being crushed and molded into a paste and applied to feathers and let to set, a similar process to dying hair. Wings in avians are difficult to clean as the size of them prevents cleaning being easy, avians in family units often helping to pick out debris, it being more socially accepted due to the shared difficulty in solitary cleaning. When showers are industrialized it becomes more uncommon for friends or family to help in wing cleaning, the now easier cleaning making it to where it’s easier for solitary avians to clean alone.

Avians to a neurological level are more social than humans, although there is variety and even avians who prefer being alone, Avians on average are quite a bit more connected than humans due to bird instincts from billions of years ago, bird-like instincts still being residual in recent times, such as being more clingy during tense situations, more prone to adoption if an avian child (also known as a fledgling) is left unaccounted for, and an adult finding it. Avian instincts also force a rush of seratonin during wing cleaning to prevent pain receptors from going off due to wings being highly sensitive, having more nerves and sensitivity than the rest of the body, which is usually quite small to hopefully allow flight.

Although disappointing, Avian wings have grown to be smaller over the years and now flight is impossible, although gliding is still a highly prevalent social activity due to how fast avians can go, genetic mutations can also allow larger wings to allow flight, it being a common beauty standard to have large wings and even a small ability to fly

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Harry Potter OC Masterlist ( L-Z )

[ INVICTUS SERIES ] [ A-K ]

Name: Laurel Prewett

Story: Wilted Rose

Series: Garden Song

House: Ravenclaw

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Kennedy McMann

Name: Lianne Slughorn

Story: Still Waters

House: Slytherin

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Ashley Liao & Natasha Liu Bordizzo

Love Interest: Ernie Macmillan

Name: Lucinda Bones

Story: Bones’ Gambit

House: Slytherin

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Leah Jeffries & Savannah Lee Smith

Name: Lyarra Vance

Story: Evergreen

House: Hufflepuff

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: McKenna Grace & Anya Taylor-Joy

Love Interest: Rolf Scamander

It wasn’t unusual that no one knew who Lyarra Vance’s father was. She was born during a war; when communication was closely guarded and only necessary information was shared, when those who weren’t committed sought comfort with whomever may have been sharing their safe house for the night.  A one night stand was hardly worth alerting the Order about, even when Emmeline found herself pregnant.  She simply, quietly, withdrew from field duty and took to managing communications and information, giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, and never even told Peter that the child was his. And really, Lyarra never needed to know the gruesome truth about what happened to him.  She knew that her father died in the war, that she had his nose, that he hadn’t known her mom was pregnant, and that Emmeline had no regrets.  But when she starts Hogwarts, she finds herself falling deeper and deeper into a web of mysteries, and the truth about her father is only the tip of an iceberg that threatens to send the Wizarding World back to war.

Name: Lysithea Selwyn

Story: Edge Of Dawn

Series: What Died Didn’t Stay Dead

House: Ravenclaw

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Emily Carey & Lily Collins

Love Interest: Fred Weasley

Lysithea Selwyn could remember a time before the visions.  They hadn’t started until the summer after her first year of Hogwarts, nightmares of girls with her face all meeting violent deaths.  Waking up screaming every night, feeling the echoes of their deaths in her bones, she knew that they couldn’t be mere nightmares.  But it isn’t until her third year, until her first class with Professor Lupin, that she gets her first hint at the bigger picture: she isn’t the first girl to wear this face.

Name: Maia Lupin

Story: Blood Moon

House: Ravenclaw

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Meg Donnelly

Name: Malea Selwyn

Story: War Of Hearts

Series: Family Jewels

House: Slytherin

Era: Marauder's Era

Face Claim: Josephine Langford & Margot Robbie

Love Interest: Regulus Black

Name: Maretta Longbottom

Story: Hours Before Morning

House: TBD

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Odeya Rush

Name: Maristela Carrillo

Story: Faithless Love

House: Slytherin

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Rachel Zegler

Love Interest: Blaise Zabini & Theodore Nott

Maristella had her entire life figured out. The perfect Slytherin princess, ambitious and calculating and willing to do anything to get what she wanted, and she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted everything. Top grades, a ministry career, the perfect, successful life, and she was going to get it all. And if that meant dating both Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini until one of them finally admitted that their fourth year joke had gotten out of hand, then she would not be the one to break first. No matter where it took her.

Name: Mavis Bardot

Story: Sparks Fly

House: Ravenclaw

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Hannah Dodd

Love Interest: Lavender Brown

Name: Meissa Black

Story: Alchemical

Series: Family Jewels

House: TBD

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Avi Lake & Thomasin McKenzie

Name: Miranda Granger

Story: Tragedy Tonight

House: Gryffindor?

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim:  Malina Weissman & Emilia Jones

Love Interest: Harry Potter

 All Miranda Granger had ever wanted was to be special.  Sure she was a genius, but Hermione still beat her at every test, at every… well, at everything.  Until one day, while trying to reach the top shelf in the library, she found herself floating.  And for an entire glorious, secret, month, she was special.  Until Hermione showed the same abilities and it was back to second place for Miranda.  And when they both got invited to Hogwarts, she resigned herself to another seven years in her sister’s shadow.  Until, on the Hogwarts Express, they find a compartment with two boys and a rat and, for the first time in eleven years, Miranda sees the opportunity to be something more than Hermione Granger’s lesser half

Name: Nineve Weasley

Story: Reckoning

House: Slytherin

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Sadie Sink & Kat McNamara

Love Interest: Draco Malfoy; Harry Potter

Weasleys were Gryffindors through and through.  Gryffindor parents who married Gryffindor spouses and had Gryffindor children, generation after generation, on and on forever.  So when Ron and Nineve board the Hogwarts Express in their first year, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that another two Gryffindors are on the way, especially after they befriend none other than The Boy Who Lived himself.   But Nineve has never quite fit in with the rest of her family, has always felt like something was wrong with her.  When the hat shouts “Slytherin!” barely a moment after touching her head, she finally understands why.  Weasleys are Gryffindors, and Nineve is a Slytherin, and nobody quite knows what that means.

Name: Pandora Black

Story: Danse Macabre

House: Slytherin

Era: Marauder's Era

Face Claim: Olivia Cooke

Love Interest: Remus Lupin

Pandora Black has always known what was expected of her.  She would go to Hogwarts with her brothers, carry on the Slytherin legacy that the Black Family was so proud of, meet a suitably pureblood man to marry, and take the Dark Mark as soon as she was old enough. Much like her older brother, Pandora has never been good at doing what she’s told, and the war gives her teenage rebellion a life of its own as she finds herself forced to choose between family loyalty and what she believes in.

Name: Phoenix Dumbledore

Story: Dwell On Dreams

House: Beauxbatons; Hufflepuff

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Anna Cathcart & Kaylee Bryant

Love Interest: Fred Weasley

Phoenix Dumbledore knew why she hadn’t been sent to Hogwarts; knew that her Great Uncle Albus wanted nothing to do with her; with Aberforth’s orphaned granddaughter.  But when the Triwizard Tournament roles around and Madame Maxime insists on bringing the prodigal witch as part of her delegation, Phoenix knows that she can’t hide from her legacy any longer.

Name: Rosalind Greengrass

Story: Songbird

Series: Lament

House: Slytherin

Era: Marauder’s Era

Face Claim: Florence Pugh

Love Interest: Regulus Black

Name: Sadie Bishop

Story: The Ending Is The Same

Era: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Face Claim:  Blake Lively

After the tragic and unexpected death of her husband and child, Sadie Bishop withdrew from both the magical and no-mag societies. She went back to her maiden name and slowly started to reenter the world, but promised herself that she wouldn’t get involved again; that she would keep her distance. The only exception was her best friend of twenty years, Percival Graves. And she could have kept it that way, she really could have, until a British wizard showed up in New York and she heard Percival introduce her with her married name, the name he knew she hadn’t used since the day she buried her husband.

Name: Sunny Cavanagh

Story: Linger

House: Hufflepuff

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Haley Lu Richardson

Love Interest: Ron Weasley

Name: Tabitha Scamander

Story: Chasing Twisters

Series: Chasing Storms

House: Gryffindor

Era: Marauder's Era

Face Claim: Giorgia Whigham & Teresa Palmer

Name: Talia Lovegood

Story: Fortune Favours

House: Gryffindor

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Kathryn Newton

Love Interest: Oliver Wood

Before she died, Pandora Lovegood had promised her daughters that Hogwarts would be the best time of their lives.  It’s that very promise that gets Talia on the train, despite her fears about leaving her little sister behind, that gets her through her first few lonely nights in Gryffindor Tower, and that eventually guides her to the best friends she’s ever had.  For a few years, her mother’s promise stays true, as Talia's days are filled with laughter, pranks, quidditch, and friendship. But when, in Luna’s first year, students start getting petrified and messages are painted onto walls in blood, she worries that the best may be behind her, as she sees war looming just beyond the horizon.

Name: Venus Malfoy

Story: Writing On The Walls

House: Slytherin

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Kiernan Shipka & Jenny Boyd

Love Interest: Cedric Diggory; Harry Potter

Venus Malfoy’s life had always been planned out for her.  She was a Malfoy; the Malfoy Princess; and she had to do what she was told.  She would go to Hogwarts, carry on the Slytherin Legacy of both of her parents’ families, and then marry a suitably well-bred man of her father’s choosing.  But when whispers start to rise about the Voldemort’s return, Venus has to make a choice: to do what’s right, or what’s expected of her.

Name: Verona Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

Series: Invictus

House: Gryffindor

Era: Marauders Era

Face Claim: Millie Bobby Brown & Zoey Deutch & Natalie Portman

Love Interest: Sirius Black; Regulus Black; Feliks Volkov

Verona Rosier had her entire life planned out from the day she was born.  Just like her brothers, she would carry on the family legacy and be sorted into Slytherin, she would maintain perfect grades, and, when the time came, she would marry Sirius Black, just as her father decreed.  She would produce perfect pureblood heirs and be the perfect pureblood wife.  Every moment was meticulously planned out, and Verona had accepted that — but when the Sorting Ceremony comes, and the Hat, barely even touching her head, shouts “Gryffindor!” her perfectly planned life shatters in an instant.

Name: Violetta Greengrass

Story: Angel On Fire

House: Slytherin

Era: Golden Era

Face Claim: Emma Myers & Natalie Alyn Lind

Love Interest: Draco Malfoy

Name: Zaria Selwyn

Story: War Of Hearts

Series: Family Jewels

House: Slytherin

Era: Marauder's Era

Face Claim: Sydney Sweeney & Samara Weaving

Love Interest: Rabastian Lestrange

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 5: Be Prepared (originally posted on September 25, 2023)

AN: We only have one chapter to go before the big halfway point, and I got quite a few things planned for it. We'll be getting the long-awaited rematch between Steven and Black Rutile, the beginning of the end of the Rutile Rebels, the true nature of Prince Nosiop's plans for the universe, and many more. Tensions will run high as the story reaches the second half, and the endgame will be the most epic that Alternate Future has seen yet. Now without further ado, let's get things started.

Synopsis: Black Rutile and her subordinates find themselves caught in a scheme by the insidious heir to Serpentes's throne to conquer the universe, and Black Rutile is all too eager to get in on the plan for the sake of revenge.

Cast:

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Jason Marsden as Prince Nosiop Jormagundr

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball, Doc, Navy, Army, Leggy

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Gina Torres as Andesine

Avi Roque as Cinnabar

Awkwafina as Kyanite

Allison Janney as Pyrite

Kimberly Brooks as Dalmatian Jasper

Zehra Fazal as Zoisite

Lena Hall as Bloodstone

Jodie Whittaker as Xenotime

Barbara Dunkelman as Amber

Kristen Schaal as Howlite

Idina Menzel as Amazonite

Halsey as Tanzanite

Mia Barron as Apatite

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Keith David as Pyth

Cissy Jones as Princess Naja Jormagundr

Aurelio Voltaire as King Cobralan Jormagundrr

Shirley Millner as Queen Constricta Jormagundr

Zach Callison as Steven

Zach Steel as Ronaldo

Atticus Shaffer as Peedee

Matthew Moy as Lars

Julissa Aguirre as Lady Imagineer

John Mulaney as Flipso

--

Prince Nosiop Jormagundr wasn't always the way he was today. When he was a young snake, Nosiop was a prince with big dreams for the future of his race. However, not everyone was willing to listen to him because he was so young, but he didn't let that deter him. One year, during the 419,982nd annual Contest of Champions, Nosiop tried once again to plead his case to his father.

"Conquering the Ood? Surely you jest, my boy!" King Cobralan objected to what his son had just said as the two slithered through the castle halls. "You know we'd be no match for their psychic abilities! It would be utterly stupid!"

"But please, Father, our lives could be so much easier with a hivemind serving us!" Nosiop stated, but his father still wouldn't listen. "In fact, tons of races and planets would be of great use to our people, like the Shamoians, the Mooninites, and the Watchdogs. Maybe we could even abduct ourselves a few Gems!"

"Enough, my son." Cobralan urged his future successor. "I can see you have big ideas, but unfortunately, they don't align with our culture. Now, I'm going to speak with the Universal Lords for a bit. You go off and have fun at the Contest with your mother and your baby sister." He then began to slither away. "I'll see you again soon."

Although Cobralan left the conversation with a smile, Nosiop wasn't as happy as his father. "He just doesn't get it!" Nosiop grumbled angrily. "We could be perfect conquerors, just the two of us ruling the universe as father and son!"

"It truly is a shame that your father wouldn't give you the time of day," Pyth said as he appeared behind Nosiop. "My father was like that too when I was your age. Unlike yours, however, he didn't live long enough to see things my way."

"Are you suggesting I kill my father?" Nosiop asked curiously, causing Pyth to laugh at the idea.

"No, my boy, I'm way past killing parents!" Pyth chuckled loudly. "What do you think I am, Uncle Claudius?!" After another round of laughter, Pyth decided to get serious as he put a hand on the young prince's shoulder. "Come with me, child. There are many things I wish to teach you."

Nosiop obediently followed the royal family's grand vizier down the hallways and into a hidden room within the castle walls. As loyal as he was to his father, the prince of the Slytherophidians often believed that Pyth was more of a dad to him because of how much they agreed with each other on certain topics, chief among them being what should the future holds for their race.

--

"Let's hear it for the Andesine Armada, the new and improved rebellion against the Crystal Gems!" Andesine cried as her new subordinates chanted her name to celebrate her and Cinnabar's victory against Rigby Starglow and Captain Gearfeet. "Today is a most momentous occasion in our time together. With Black Rutile no longer fit to lead our cabal of insurgents against the tyranny of the Crystal Gems, I have proven myself more than worthy of replacing her and instating myself as a gentle guiding hand in our grand mission." The Armada all cheered in excitement. "Under my leadership, not only shall we finally put the Crystal Gems out of their misery, but Black Rutile will soon be next!" Her new subordinates cheered again. "And furthermore, with the Diamonds temporarily out of commission, this shall be an ample opportunity for us to race back to Homeworld when no one's looking and seize power for ourselves!"

"But what if Black Rutile hears us?" Holly Blue asked nervously while looking left and right.

"Stuff and nonsense, we're behind closed doors here." Aquamarine snidely declared. "There's no way she can find us." Just then, the doors to the Andesine Armada's quarters opened behind Aquamarine, and in came Black Rutile with Nosiop and Pyth, much to the other Gems' shock as they tried silently begging her to shut up. "Of course, that is if she hasn't been brainwashed by Steven right about now."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything?" Black Rutile abruptly interrupted Aquamarine's bravado, sending chills down her spine as she turned to face her former master. "So, this is what you've all been doing, huh?"

"Uh, my Rutile, this isn't what it looks like!" Cinnabar awkwardly apologized to her old mentor. "Andesine and I were just playing a little game of follow the leader!"

"A likely story." Black Rutile replied while pulling out her bowie knife. "Tell me more about this Andesine Armada you've all been bragging about."

"Should you tell her, or should I?" Tanzanite asked Amazonite.

"No, I value my life too much to even talk to her right now," Amazonite replied fearfully, casting an illusion to hide herself from Black Rutile.

"Now, everyone, let's just calm down here and talk things out." Amber tried to ease the tension, but Black Rutile quickly shoved her out of the way to confront Cinnabar and Andesine.

"I'm going to assume this was all your idea, Andesine." Black Rutile said to her old friend. "After all, your name is literally in the team name!"

"No, it wasn't, it was Kyanite's idea!" Andesine tried to shift the blame onto someone else.

"Hey, I've only been here a few minutes!" Kyanite cried. "What's going on?!"

"Please forgive us, Black Rutile, but we simply believe you can no longer lead us into battle." Cinnabar firmly stated. "Your exile to Earth has turned you soft and pathetic, and you are perfectly aware of it yet never once bothered to fix it!"

"I did!" Black Rutile exclaimed. "I tried allying with a Steven from another universe where I'm the good guy, I struck a bargain with an extra-dimensional jester, and I even used the Internet to turn humanity against the Crystal Gems!"

"But that's the thing, dearie," Pyrite stated while filing her nails. "You failed at every single one of those." She added while poking Black Rutile in the chest with her nail filer. "For all your planning and thinking you're one step ahead of everybody, you fail to realize that you're just as flawed as the rest of us."

"Is that so?" Black Rutile said before turning the knife into her massive sword. "How's this for flawed?!" With a mighty swing, Cinnabar and Andesine were sliced in two and poofed, to the horror of the other Gems around them.

"Boss, no!" Bloodstone yelled in horror as she raced to scoop up Cinnabar's inactive gem while Howlite did the same to her superior's.

"Now then, anyone else care to join them?" Black Rutile smirked while menacingly pointing her sword at the surviving resistance members. Although they were more willing to speak up to their fallen superior, this ragtag band of Gems had every right to keep their mouths shut until one of them spoke up.

"All hail Black Rutile!" Eyeball chanted vigorously. "All hail Black Rutile! Come on, guys!"

"All hail Black Rutile! All hail Black Rutile!" the other members of the newly rechristened Rutile Rebels joined Eyeball in cheering for their new leader.

"Now that's more like it!" Black Rutile laughed evilly while sneering at Cinnabar and Andesine's followers mourning the loss of their leaders. "Now that I've reinstated myself as your fearless leader, allow me to introduce a new acquaintance I've made in my time here." She motioned for Nosiop to step forward. "This is Prince Nosiop of the Jormagundr royal family, and much like me, he also desires a new era for his people."

"Yes indeed, I now present to you a grand idea for the Slytherophidian race," Nosiop stated. "With all of you at my side, we can overthrow my good-for-nothing father and instill myself as not just the new ruler of his empire but as the most powerful Universal Lord there is."

"Are you crazy?!" Holly Blue yelled. "You'd be a fool to challenge a Universal Lord, especially if it's your father, Nosiop!"

"My father is yesterday's message, a clapped-out and distracted regime." Nosiop began singing to the Gem rebels. "Whose failings undoubtedly presage the need for a different dream. Yes, serpentine times are a-changing, meaning you must do so too. My vision is clear and wide-ranging and even encompasses you."

"So, prepare for the coup of the century. Prepare for the murkiest scam." Black Rutile also began singing, and far more intensely than Nosiop, as if she was using the song to air out her insecurities. "Meticulous planning and tenacity spanning centuries of denial is simply why I'll be empress! Undisputed, respected, saluted, and seen for the visionary I am! Yes, my gem and ambitions are bared. Be prepared!"

"Yeah, be prepared, we'll be prepared!" Zoisite exclaimed. "Uh, for what?"

"For the death of my father and the beginning of a new era for Serpentes!" Nosiop loudly announced.

"What do we do, make him sick?" Dalmatian Jasper asked before Pyth coiled his tail around her neck.

"No, you fool, we're going to kill him." Pyth proclaimed.

"And Steven, too." Black Rutile added sinisterly before DJ was dropped to the ground.

"Splendid idea!" Xenotime cheered. "Who needs either of them?!"

"Idiots, there will still be someone to rule!" Nosiop yelled. "Together, Black Rutile and I shall conquer the universe together using the power of the Lapidarist, who has the power to reset all Gems to their basic functions!"

"Wait, really?" Emerald asked nervously, not having a clue as to what Nosiop was talking about.

"Yes, you would all be rejuvenated on a massive scale, so to speak." Nosiop grinned with a hiss. "With her powers, I shall have myself an unstoppable army to overthrow my family and conquer all that I see! Now, who's with me?!"

Despite the dire circumstances this would place not just them but all Gemkind in by wiping everything that made them the Gems they are today, the Rutile Rebels had no choice but to agree out of fear for their lives. However, some were still nervous about how Black Rutile would play a part in this, especially after how she heartlessly poofed two of her most loyal subordinates. "All hail Black Rutile and King Nosiop! All hail Black Rutile and King Nosiop!"

"So, prepare for a glorious future!" Black Rutile announced as the Rutile Rebels chanted, 'Be prepared!'. "Be prepared for a universal golden age!"

"And like any other who'd murder their father!" Eyeball laughed before Aquamarine pulled her fusion partner aside.

"If we don't spread rumors, she'll feed us and groom us!" Aquamarine stated.

"When we've got friends in high places, we hold all the aces!" the Rutile Rebels and a few snake guards chanted harmoniously.

"So don't try and rattle my scales." Nosiop snidely added.

"Oh, imagine if anyone dared!" the chorus cried out. "BE PREPARED!"

"So prepare for the coup of the century!" Nosiop and Black Rutile sang together. "Be prepared for the murkiest scam!"

"Meticulous planning, tenacity planning!" Nosiop proclaimed.

"Centuries of denial is simply why we'll!" Black Rutile added.

"Rule supreme undisputed, respected, saluted, and seen for the visionaries we are!" the villainous duo declared. "Yes, our gems, fangs, and ambitions are bared; be prepared!"

"Yes, our gems, fangs, and ambitions are bared!" Aquamarine, Eyeball, Holly Blue, and Cat's Eye, who have all loyally followed their leader despite everything that's happened, sang together.

"Be prepared!" the newly-formed union of the Rutile Rebels and Nosiop's followers announced, sealing their alliance with a shared evil laugh.

"Pleasure to be working alongside you, partner." Black Rutile said as she and Nosiop shook hands.

"The pleasure's all mine, partner." Nosiop hissed while covertly crossing two scaly fingers behind his back, which implied he desires to stab Black Rutile in the back when she least expected it.

--

"And that's the whole story of how we got here," Ronaldo said to Peedee elsewhere in the Ouraborium. "Though I'm pretty sure I didn't need to tell you all that since you did hitch a ride with us."

"You are definitely right on that one," Peedee answered.

"So why did you do it?" Steven asked. "What would Mr. Fryman say?"

"He said I should keep an eye on him no matter what," Peedee replied firmly. "And if that means hitching a ride with you guys on a spaceship heading for an alien planet in another galaxy, then I'll do it, no problemo. Plus, it would be nice to participate in one of your big adventures, Steven."

"It's nice to have you join in, too, Peedee," Steven said to his old friend with a hand on his shoulder. "But be warned, this planet is insanely deadly. You might be forced to fight for your life in a gladiatorial death match where you might die if you aren't careful!"

"Luckily, you got your big brother to protect you!" Ronaldo exclaimed excitedly while raising his sword.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Peedee dryly remarked, recalling Ronaldo's cowardice in his fight against the Decimator.

"Yeah, ditto." The three boys heard the voice of none other than Lars say as he walked up behind them. "Hey Steven, long time no see. Sorry we had to meet again like this."

"Lars, did they capture you too?!" Steven exclaimed at the undead human before him. "Oh no, where are the Off-Colors? Are they in trouble?!"

"Don't worry, they're fine," Lars assured Steven. "They're just stuck in a cell somewhere since none of them can fight per se. They only want me since I can't really die." Before Lars can continue, he suddenly noticed Ronaldo and Peedee standing behind Steven. "Wait, Ronaldo?! How and when did you and Peedee get here?!"

"We followed Steven here!" Ronaldo answered, smiling. "I was vindicated upon learning that the snake people, I mean, Slytherophidians, were real all along, like many of my theories, and I came along to gather as much info as I could about their people so I could spread them to the humans!"

"And I came along to keep Ronaldo from accidentally killing himself," Peedee added. "So, how's your space adventures been going?"

"That's actually a funny story. The Off-Colors and I were journeying to Wasprus when we got abducted." Lars revealed to the two humans. "Once their guards noticed that I'm basically invincible after experimenting on me, they said they wanted to keep me here forever so I'll keep fighting for as long as the universe lives."

An intercom crackled to life as if the Slytherophidians heard Lars' explanation. "For our next fight, we shall be pitting the one and only Lars of the Stars against the flying dreamer Lady Imagineer!" the voice of Queen Constricta announced. "Now, Lars, be sure you're as ready as you'll ever be because Ms. Imagineer is a very tough opponent."

"Well, speak of the devil." Lars muttered in surprise as the guards moved him to the arena. "Wish me luck, guys! I'm going to need it!"

"Good luck, Lars!" Steven hollered as Lars got further away from him and the Fryman brothers.

--

"Nosiop, are you there?" Naja called for her older brother while slinking through the castle halls. "Where are you? Father is getting worried and wants to see you." Unfortunately, her big brother did not answer. "Come on, Nosey, where are you?"

"Looking for someone, my dear?" Aquamarine asked as she fluttered down and landed on the floor next to Naja. "I once felt lost, too, but then I realized I had someone right by my side this whole time."

"You're one of those Rutile Rebels, aren't you?" Naja asked Aquamarine. "What do you want with me?"

"Oh, how very astute, your grace," Aquamarine replied with a mocking curtsy. "Now then, you were looking for someone, right?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Nosiop," Naja stated. "Have you seen him?"

"I am right here, dearest Naja." Nosiop hissed as he, Pyth, and Black Rutile emerged from the shadows. "Oh, I am so sorry that my sweet baby sister was so scared her big brother wasn't there to keep her safe. Then again, you were always pretty scared but always tried hiding it by acting like the showman you want to be."

"He does raise a good point there, princess." Black Rutile snidely added before cupping Naja's face in her hand. "You ever feel like your old man and the queen have been holding you back from reaching your full potential, Naja?"

"Nosiop, what are you doing fraternizing with Black Rutile?!" Naja asked hurriedly. "You know she's an intergalactic criminal imprisoned for multiple counts of attempted genocide! Stay away from her!"

"Oh please, you threaten to destroy one planet multiple times, and everyone treats you like the bad guy." Black Rutile rolled her eyes in disgust. "Anyways, your brother isn't fraternizing with me. I'M fraternizing with HIM. As it turns out, the two of us have something in common, and we became close quite instantly."

"Perhaps you'd like to join us on our little crusade." Nosiop offered while taking his sister's hand. "Together, the two of us can rule the universe side by side as brother and sister with an unstoppable Gem army at our command, and no one will have to judge you for what you really are!"

"What are you saying?" Naja asked, growing more concerned for her big brother's mental status by the second.

"I'm saying that Mother and Father are holding us back!" Nosiop yelled in his sister's face, momentarily flicking his forked tongue at her. "I have legitimately good ideas for our people, but no one ever takes me seriously! But Black Rutile, on the other hand, truly understands my suffering, for she has encountered the same problems as I!"

"Indeed, I was made an outcast because I disagreed with the current status quo of my race." Black Rutile added, trying to look as innocent as possible with a pout and big, pleading eyes toward Naja. "I was even betrayed by my friends who started thinking little of me, but I changed that quickly."

"I know where this is going, and I refuse to take part in it!" Naja exclaimed as she tried to escape the oncoming swarm of Rutile Rebels. "Father will hear about this!"

"Well, excuse me, Princess, but I think not." Black Rutile hissed angrily. "Rubies, seize her!"

"Yes, my Rutile!" the Rubies obediently chorused as they jumped up and tackled Naja to the ground. "Princess has been secured!"

"Excellent, little Rubies." Pyth purred eagerly. "Now, please show the dear princess to her room until further notice." He gave orders with a sadistic smile. "Wouldn't want her getting in the way by telling everybody."

"You won't get away with this!" Naja yelled angrily as the Rubies dragged her away. "Steven will find out!" As Nosiop watched the Rubies carry off his sister, he turned away in shame at having to betray his sister like this. But alas, their worldviews had no choice but to clash as he still had far grander designs in mind, and she didn't play a role in them. With a heavy sigh, the visionary prince looked to his new Gem ally and his royal vizier, who looked back at him with sinister smiles.

--

Meanwhile, in the Ouraborium, Lars had been pitted against the flying dreamer Lady Imagineer in combat, but despite his moderate skill in combat, the donut boy turned undead space hero was outmatched in every way possible.

"Stay still, for Pete's sake!" Lars groaned as he tried catching up with Lady Imagineer's airborne acrobatics. "Just because I'm human doesn't mean I can't beat you!"

"But that's what makes your race so fun, Lars!" Imagineer laughed sweetly. "You have so much potential; you just need to learn not to waste it!"

"Yeah, that's my sister up there!" the reality-warping trickster Flipso cheered for Lady Imagineer while conjuring up a smartphone to record the fight with. "You're doing amazing, sweetie!" Suddenly, Solaris Noctua turned his gaze to find Flipso in the audience below where he and the other Universal Lords were seated. Flipso immediately hid himself by disguising himself as a Slytherophidian. "Gotta keep up appearances."

"Quit flying around so much!" Lars yelled as he tried using his portal powers to scream his way to Lady Imagineer, but she was far too quick on her feet for him to keep up.

"Gonna have to catch me first!" Imagineer giggled before conjuring up an illusion of Sadie that made Lars blush, distracting him long enough for the space pirate to realize he was now falling to the ground. "I can also conjure up illusions based on what I find in your mind."

"YOU SUUUUUUUUCK!" Lars screamed before he landed on the ground with a loud thud, prompting the audience to chant.

"FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM!" the Slytherophidians cheered as Lady Imagineer floated down to where Lars landed and helped him up.

"Ugh, my back." Lars groaned in pain as he shuffled away. "This is probably the second most humiliating moment in my life, right after Steven possessing my body."

"Oh, come on, Lars, at least you had fun, right?" Lady Imagineer asked with a cute smile.

"Yeah, maybe it was a little fun." Lars laughed dryly before continuing his walk of shame.

--

"Oh, my back." Lars groaned in pain as he struggled back to the quarters the Jormagundr royal family gifted him upon his arrival on Serpentes and slumped on the closest velveteen couch to sleep his troubles away. "Oh, sweet Velveteen Rabbit. Take me away on your Edwardian adventures."

"Anything the matter, Lars?" Emerald asked while walking in and stroking Lars's aching back.

"Just lost to Lady Imagineer," Lars said while turning his head to face Emerald. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to comfort an 'old friend' of mine in these trying times," Emerald replied. "Seeing you so humiliated like that, while it was cathartic to see you feel how you always made me feel back in the day, it just pained me to see a worthy opponent go down like that."

"What are you saying?" Lars asked, not expecting a good answer at all.

"I'm saying is that Steven has ruined your life for long enough!" Emerald exclaimed. "First, he repeatedly robs you of your dignity, then he takes you away from your home planet where you were forced to die for him, and now you're fighting for your life on another alien planet! And you're expected to become his friend after all that?!"

"You're wrong!" Lars yelled as he bolted up, briefly yelping in pain. "Yeah, Steven and I got off on the wrong foot, but he still willingly gave up everything for the wellbeing of others, even me, and I returned the favor! Now, I'm living the dream as a badass space hero like in the old TV shows with a bizarro found family of Off-Colors!"

"That's what I hated about you, Lars, outside of the fact you stole my favorite ship and got away with it," Emerald stated while pulling out her spiked club from her gem, now pulsating with electricity as she pointed it at Lars. "You're way too human!" She swung her club at Lars, who deflected it with a kick.

"No, I'm just human enough!" Lars smirked before punching Emerald's face and knocking her down. "What's with the change in attitude? Last time I saw you, you were willing to face punishment for your crimes."

"Things have changed. Though I wanted to atone, eventually, I grew tired of Black Rutile's wailing and believed my failures were because of her." Emerald revealed. "Ditto for Demantoid, Pyrope, and Morganite as well."

"Guess old habits die hard, I suppose," Lars muttered before Emerald tried taking him by surprise with another swing of her club, but Lars dodged in the nick of time and sent her flying towards the wall with a combo of fists and feet. As Emerald lay injured against the wall, Demantoid, Pyrope, and Morganite raced to see what was happening.

"Emerald, what happened here?!" Morganite asked while helping the renowned pilot to her feet.

"Seems like I got a little shortsighted again." Emerald laughed weakly. "At least I tried to get one over on him."

"This won't be the last you'll see of us, Lars of the Stars," Demantoid said to Lars. "When next we meet, you will face the full might of the Rutile Rebels."

"And I'll be onto you like a Langdon Cobb movie." Lars replied firmly.

"Do any of you have a clue as to what he said?" Pyrope asked while the three Gems carried Emerald away, to which Demantoid and Morganite responded with hushed confusion.

--

In the Crystal Gems' room in the arena, Steven was sitting worriedly on the couch with Peedee as Ronaldo paced around the sofa, thinking about Lars's loss and how it would affect them. "Well, there goes Lars." Ronaldo declared bluntly. "Either of you got any bright ideas?"

"I'm not sure what to do now," Peedee replied. "I mean, what chance do we have now that the Diamonds have been poofed and Lars is out of commission? In fact, where are the Crystal Gems?"

"Off being forced to fight more innocent aliens," Steven added. "Speaking of which, I wonder how Black Rutile is doing."

"Attention all combatants, our next fight is a very special one!" Constricta's voice announced through the arena's PA system. "For quite possibly the biggest show yet in the Contest of Champions, we give you Steven Universe versus Black Rutile!"

"What?!" the three boys yelled while Black Rutile stormed into the room with an evil laugh.

"I see you just heard my big surprise for you, Steven!" Black Rutile announced joyfully. "As arranged by my dear friend Prince Nosiop, we shall have our long-awaited rematch, and I'll finally get the chance to destroy you once and for all!"

"No one destroys a boy like you, my Rutile," Aquamarine said while perched on Black Rutile's shoulder. "See you soon, Steven." The two Gems laughed as Black Rutile turned around and left, leaving Steven horrified at what he had just heard.

"This is not good; this is not good at all," Steven muttered nervously. "Everyone here already hates me because I don't want to kill people, so they'll no doubt be rooting for Black Rutile to destroy me! What do I do?!"

"Hey, don't fret, Steven, just believe in yourself," Ronaldo suggested. "Believe in the Ronaldo who believes in you."

"He's right," Peedee added. "Some people can't believe in themselves until someone believes in them first. Remember that no matter what, everyone back at Beach City has your back."

"Thanks, guys," Steven said with his eyes closed. "But I guess I have no other choice." He opened his eyes, revealing that one of them now had a diamond-shaped pupil.

--

And so, we finally reach the halfway point of Snake Eyes with the long-awaited rematch between Steven and Black Rutile, allowing them to finally settle the score after their numerous fights in Alternate Future. And this time, Black Rutile won't just decide to give up on Steven and let him wallow in shame, she's going in for the kill and has a lot of issues left over she'll use their upcoming fight for. How will things turn out? Find out next week.

[linus-wickworth]

Books I Read in May

5 stars:

Never Rest by Marshall Thornton

December Park by Ronald Malfi

Heartstopper 1-4 by Alice Oseman (Reread)

All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown (Reread)

What I Was by Meg Rosoff

The Girl in the Box by Ouida Sebestyen

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

4.5 stars:

House of Stairs by William Sleator

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Lose You to Find Me by Erik J. Brown

Spud: Exit, Pursued By A Bear by John van de Ruit

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

In the Forest by Edna O'Brien

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (Reread)

4 stars:

The Spuddy by Lillian Beckwith

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Tales of King Arthur by James Riordan

Ethan by Ryan Loveless

Hit and Run by R. L. Stine

Street Child by Berlie Doherty

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker by Lauren James

The Dogs by Allan Stratton

On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

This Might Hurt a Bit by Doogie Horner

3.5 stars:

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Hostage by Karen Tayleur

Game As Ned by Tim Pegler

3 stars:

Prove Yourself a Hero by K.M. Peyton

Me, The Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine

Five Have a Wonderful Time by Enid Blyton

Five Go Down to the Sea by Enid Blyton

2.5 stars:

The Unspoken by Thomas Fahy

The Boy with the Snowgrass Hair by Elsie Locke

Stranded on Terror Island by Lee Roddy

Compulsion by Tania Kelly Roxborogh

The Siege of Trapp's Mill by Annabel Farjeon

Saving Grace by Darlene Ryan

2 stars:

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever? by M. E. Kerr

Stony Heart Country by David Metzenthen

1.5 stars:

Avi Cantor Has Six Months to Live by Sacha Lamb

[beepingmemesauce2727]

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Rewrite

Directed by Marc Webb

Screenplay by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves, Me :3

Story by James Vanderbilt, Me :3

Based on The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Produced by Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach

Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Cambell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, Sally Field

Cinematography by John Schwartzman

Edited by Alan Edward Bell, Pietro Scalia

Music by James Horner

Production Companies: Colombia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Laura Ziskin Productions, Arad Productions Inc., Matt Tolmach Productions

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Dates: June 13, 2012 (United States) July 3, 2012 (Tokyo)

Running Time: 136 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Budget: $200-230 million

Box Office: $758 million

Act One:

We open on a cold and stormy night. It is 11:45 p.m. on May 3rd, 2002. We turn our attention to a small suburban house in Forest Hills, Queens, New York.

We cut to a boy, age 7, sitting on a staircase with his hands cupped over his eyes.

"3...2...1. Ready or not, here I come." The child says out loud. He lifts himself up off the staircase and walks into the living room.

He then notices a pair of shoes underneath the window sill curtain. He pulls back the curtain...and a broom with a fedora on top falls over next to the boy. The boy, with a dejected look on his face, searches the rest of the house for his father. He checks the closet of his room, nothing there, he checks in the garage, nothing there, until after standing in place in the middle of the house wondering where his father could be, the boy has a eureka moment, and decides to check his Dad's office.

Once he opens the door, he looks inside and notices papers strew out all over the floor. Documents...of some sort of....cure? Cure for what? And why are they researching.....

Spiders?

Suddenly, his Dad bursts in.

Richard Parker, age 51, looks down at Peter with an alarmed look on his face.

Richard: "Peter, what are you doing in my office?"

Peter: "I thought I would find you in here."

Richard: "Peter, I told you you aren't supposed to be in here. This is private work stuff."

Peter: "But I thought we were playing Hide 'n' Seek?"

Richard: "Not right now..."

Richard starts erasing equations written on a chalkboard and packing the scattered documents into a large suitcase.

Peter: "Where are you going?"

Richard: "Peter, your mother and I have to go away for a few weeks. We're gonna drop you off at your Uncle Ben and Aunt May's place for the time being."

Peter: "Dad, why can't I go with you?

Richard: "I told you, it's top secret, Peter. It could put you in danger."

Mary Parker, age 49, walks into the room.

Mary: "Richard, we have to leave. The plane leaves in half an hour."

Richard: "Okay, I'm almost ready, get the car started. We'll take Peter to Ben's place."

Mary takes Peter by the hand, and takes him to the car. Richard stuffs the suitcases in the trunk of the car and steps inside of the driver's seat, and started the engine. After a few miles of driving, they finally make it to the residence of Ben and May Parker.

When they get there, they hand Peter over to his Uncle and Aunt.

Ben: "Richard? What are you doing here this late at night?"

Richard: "There's no time to explain. Take good care of him, Ben, please."

Ben: "Of course."

Richard: "Thank God for you, Ben."

Mary: "Peter, I know this must be scary for you right now, but I promise you, everything will be alright."

Peter: "Okay, Mom."

Mary: "I love you more than anything else in this world, Peter. Please be good."

Peter: "I will, Mom."

Richard: "Honey, we have to leave."

Mary gives Peter one last kiss on the forehead, and gets in the car.

Richard says his final goodbyes to his son.

Richard: "I love you, Peter."

Peter, with tears in his eyes, says his final goodbyes to his father.

Richard: "We'll be back, Peter."

Richard shuts the door, gets in the car, and drives off with Mary.

Peter watches the car exit the driveway and disappear into the night. He is comforted by Ben and May. They remind him his parents will be back in a few weeks.

Little did Peter know, that would be the last time he would ever see his parents again.

[somethinginrocknroll]

He's not my favorite in a normal sense. His crazy fucking lifestyle and death are. He knew Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and many others too. Here's a mini bio on him:

Ingram Cecil Connor III better known professionally as Gram Parsons. He was a musician and frontman. Parsons worked with The Byrds in 1968, before quitting and joining his own band, The Flying Burrito Brothers from 1969 through 1970. 

Gram was born in Winter Haven, Florida on November 5th, 1945 to Ingram Cecil Connor Parsons II and Avis Snively Connor. Avis returned to her hometown to give birth to her son. She was the daughter of citrus fruit magnate John A. Snively, who held extensive properties in Winter Haven and in Waycross. Gram's father, Ingram Connor II was a famous World War II flying ace, decorated with the Air Medal, who was present at the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1956 when he was only nine-years-old, Gram saw Elvis Presley in concert and fell in love with music. That’s where his love of music came in. Two years later his father who went by “Coon Dog” took his own life two days before Christmas, Gram was only 11/12. Both him and his sister Avis (Jr) were both shattered after their father’s death.

Avis Sr remarried to Robert Parsons and the children took his name and were adopted by him once he married their mother.

Gram Parsons did briefly attend the prestigious Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. That was before transferring to the public Winter Haven High School. Which he did after failing his junior year. Gram returned to Bolles which had converted from a military to a liberal arts curriculum amid the incipient Vietnam War. 

For a time, the family found a stability of sorts. They were torn apart in early 1965, when Robert had an extramarital affair and Avis' heavy drinking led to her death from cirrhosis on June 5, 1965, the day of Gram's graduation from Bolles.

Barely in his teens, he played in rock and roll cover bands such as the Pacers and the Legends, headlining in clubs owned by his stepfather in the Winter Haven/Polk County area. By the age of 16, he graduated to folk music, and in 1963 he teamed up with his first professional outfit, the Shilohs, in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Gram was heavily influenced by The Kingston Trio and The Journeymen. The band played hootenannies, coffee houses and high school auditoriums. Parsons was still enrolled in prep school, he only performed with the group in select engagements. Forays into New York City (where Parsons briefly lived with a female folk singer in a loft on Houston Street)included a performance at Florida's exhibition in the 1964 New York World's Fair and regular appearances at the Café Rafio on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1964.

 Although John Phillips who is an acquaintance of Shiloh George Wrigley arranged an exploratory meeting with Albert Grossman, the impresario balked at booking the group for a Christmas engagement at The Bitter End when he discovered that the Shilohs were still high school students. Following a recording session at the radio station of Bob Jones University, the group reached a creative impasse amid the emergence of folk rock and dissolved in the spring of 1965 around the time of Gram’s mother’s passing.

Shockingly despite being poor in school and having bad test grades, Gram went to Harvard University in 1966 with the help of a strong essay he wrote. He only did one semester and that’s where he became more serious about country music. He heard Merle Haggard for the first time.

In 1966, he and other musicians from the Boston folk scene formed a group called the “International Submarine Band”. After briefly residing in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, they relocated to Los Angeles the following year. Following several lineup changes, the band signed to Lee Hazlewood's LHI Records, where they spent late 1967 recording Safe at Home. The album contains one of Parsons' best-known songs, "Luxury Liner", and an early version of "Do You Know How It Feels", which he revised later in his career. Safe at Home would remain unreleased until mid-1968, by which time the International Submarine Band had broken up.

In that same year Gram got the attention of The Byrds’ guitarist Chris Hillman thanks to business manager Larry Spector as a possible replacement member since David Crosby and Micheal Clarke left in late 1967. Parsons had already met Hillman at a bank in 1967. Gram had his only child, Polly, with Nancy Ross the girlfriend of David Crosby.

Gram passed the audition in February 1968. He was at first a jazz pianist but was switched to rhyme guitar and vocals. Gram left the band when asked why Gram responded with,

"Being with The Byrds confused me a little. I couldn't find my place. I didn't have enough say-so. I really wasn't one of The Byrds. I was originally hired because they wanted a keyboard player. But I had experience being a frontman and that came out immediately. And [Roger McGuinn] being a very perceptive fellow saw that it would help the act, and he started sticking me out front."

He was also friends with The Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. And they stayed close to each other until a fall out in the 70s. Before Parsons' departure from The Byrds, he had accompanied the two Rolling Stones to Stonehenge along with McGuinn and Hillman in the English county of Wiltshire.

 Immediately after leaving the band, Parsons stayed at Richards' house and the pair developed a close friendship over the next few years, with Parsons reintroducing the guitarist to country music. According to Stones' confidant and close friend of Parsons, Phil Kaufman, the two would sit around for hours playing obscure country records and trading off on various songs with their guitars.

Returning to Los Angeles in 1969, Parsons sought out Hillman, and the two formed The Flying Burrito Brothers with bassist Chris Ethridge and pedal steel player “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow. They did every genre of music possible from hard rock all the way to country and jazz gospel.  Around this time of The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram started dabbling more and more into drugs.

Then Gram started a solo career in 1970 and toured with Emmylou Harris for a bit ; he may have been romantically involved with her as well. He then accompanied the Rolling Stones on their 1971 U.K. tour in the hope of being signed to the newly formed Rolling Stones Records.

Parsons and Keith Richards had mulled the possibility of recording a duo album. Moving into Villa Nellcôte with the guitarist during the sessions for Exile on Main Street that commenced thereafter, Parsons remained in a consistently incapacitated state and frequently quarreled with his girlfriend, aspiring actress Gretchen Burrell who later become his wife. 

Eventually, Parsons was asked to leave by Anita Pallenberg, Richards' longtime domestic partner. Decades later, Richards suggested in his memoir that Jagger may have been the impetus for Parsons' departure because Richards was spending so much time playing music with Parsons. Rumors have persisted that he appears somewhere on the legendary album, and while Richards concedes that it is very likely he is among the chorus of singers on "Sweet Virginia", this has never been substantiated. Parsons attempted to rekindle his relationship with the band on their 1972 American tour to no avail.

After leaving the Stones' camp, Parsons married Burrell in 1971 at his stepfather's New Orleans estate. Allegedly, the relationship was far from stable, with Burrell cutting a needy and jealous figure while Parsons quashed her burgeoning film career. Many of the singer's closest associates and friends claim that Parsons was preparing to commence divorce proceedings at the time of his death; the couple had already separated by this point.

In the summer of 1973, Parsons' Topanga Canyon home burned to the ground, the result of a stray cigarette. Nearly all of his possessions were destroyed with the exception of a guitar and a prized Jaguar automobile. The fire proved to be the last straw in the relationship between Burrell and Parsons, who moved into a spare room in Kaufman's house. While not recording, he frequently hung out and jammed with members of New Jersey–based country rockers Quacky Duck and His Barnyard Friends and the proto-punk Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, who were represented by former Byrds manager Eddie Tickner.

Before formally breaking up with Burrell, Parsons already had a woman waiting in the wings. While recording, he saw a photo of a beautiful woman at a friend's home and was instantly smitten. The woman turned out to be Margaret Fisher, a high school sweetheart of the singer from his Waycross, Georgia, days. Like Parsons, Fisher had drifted west and became established in the Bay Area rock scene. A meeting was arranged and the two instantly rekindled their relationship, with Fisher dividing her weeks between Los Angeles and San Francisco at Parsons' expense.

Gram loved to visit Joshua Tree National Park. He would visit it often. Gram would frequently do psychedelic drugs and try to spot UFOs there. He told Phil Kauffman that he wanted his ashes spread there in Joshua National Tree Park since he loved that place and practically lived there when not in LA. 

So he, Dale, Micheal, Phil, Gram's girlfriend Margaret, and Dale's unnamed girlfriend all went to stay at JNTP Inn. Where Gram got morphine from an unknown woman.

He injected himself and OD. Margaret shoved ice cubes up his ass and put him in a cold shower which worked. He was up and talking. Dale was left in charge to watch over Gram and then Gram stopped breathing. Dale tried CPR but failed. Margaret and Dale both watched Gram die. Finally they call a fucking ambulance and he's pronounced dead on arrival.

Now Gram’s stepfather is a POS okay. He wanted Gram buried in Louisiana so he could take Gram's little wealth and the family estate which didn't belong to the stepfather since he wasn't blood.

Phil and Micheal couldn't allow this. Gram wanted to be cremated and his ashes spread. So with a shit ton of booze to make an elephant drunk they take a loaned hearse, because you know everyone has a hearse on loan. They were dressed as cowboys. For as suits were “too itchy” to wear.  The duo take his body back from the airport where he's meant to fly back to Louisiana back to Joshua National Tree Park.

 So the duo crash in JNTP and they pour five gallons of gasoline on Gram and his coffin. Causing a fireball. But cremation and gasoline are different. So instead of having Gram's ashes they had a cooked charred Gram instead. Police were of course called. The duo was fined $750 each and made to do community service.Gram was sadly buried in Louisiana against his wishes but his stepfather didn't get anything.

Gram's wealth and estate were split between his wife, girlfriend, sister, and his daughter. And the family denied the whole illegal cremation happening and won't talk about it.

The end.

Omg that is a really good summary, very sad life tho and how he died but wow

[bubblestheraccoon]

Music Mixes

Lumberjanes “Arts and Crafts” Program Field

Treble Maker Badge

“Some Risks are worth the Reward”

Music fuels the mind and thus fuels creativity. A creative mind has the ability to make discoveries and create innovations. The greatest minds and thinkers like Hildegard von Bingen, Barbra Strozzi, and Florence Mary Taylor all had something in common in that they were constantly exploring their imagination and creativity. As a Lumberjane it will be vital that we not only enrich our minds, but enrich those around us. Music is just one of the many mediums that can create an empowering environment, it is one of the few mediums that can be enjoyed at any time.

Finch’s Notes:

This post is based on a section from the bonus content from Lumberjanes: To The Max Edition Volume One. I did not create these playlist, their titles, or the blurb at the top of the post. If any of the links are wrong or broken, or if I should add any more disclaimers for song content, please feel free to let me know!

*D-Slur Warning.

**Only version of the cover I could find on youtube, here’s a version of song without the extra audio but it’s on a Russian website that overwrote my adblocker a little bit so visit it at your own risk. Here’s the song it was covering if you want that instead.

***Could not find cover on youtube. Link instead goes to band camp.

****F-Slur Warning.

Fox Fight Jams! By April!

Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks

Bad Reputation by Joan Jett

Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce

Northshore be Tegan & Sara

Woo Hoo by The 5 6 7 8s

Wilderness by Sleater-Kinney

Wolf by Now, Now

Spin Around by Josie and the Pussycats

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme

Jet Pack by Dog Party

Pirates by Jenny Owen Youngs

Dance Apocalyptic by Janelle Monae

Bamboo Bones by Against Me!

Push It by Salt-n-Pepa

I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift

Up All Night by One Direction

Roar by Katy Perry

Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor

Say You'll Be There by the Spice Girls

Ribs by Lorde

Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks (”Best Song Ever”-April)

River Adventure Mix of dooooom by Mal

I Was An Island by Allison Weiss

Shark In The Water by V.V. Brown

Let's Submerge by X-Ray Spex

Eyes Open by The Gossip

Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill*

Giant Kitty by Shonen Knife

I Won't Follow by the Secret Someones

4Ever by The Veronicas

Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne

Take Me Away by Fefe Dobson

Borne On The FM Waves by Against Me! & Tegan Quinn

Ain't It Fun by Paramore

3 Small Words by Josie and the Pussycats

Anchor by Letters To Cleo

That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings

Independent Woman Part 1 by Destiny's Child

Crush by the Sleigh Bells

Oh! by Sleater-Kinney

Tropical by Plumtree

Rhiannon by Best Coast or Fleetwood Mac 

The Con by Tegan & Sara

The Competition by Kimya Dawson

Cave Tunes by Molly

I Have Confidence by Julie Andrews

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Tightrope by Janelle Monae feat Big Boi

Just A Dream by Taylor Swift

Heartbreak Dream by Betty Who

Corner of the Sky by the Jackson 5

Valerie by Amy Winehouse

I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

Call Your Girlfriend by Robyn

Let It Go by Idina Menzel

Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations

Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

Jolene by Dolly Parton

Rock ‘n Roll High School by Shonen Knife

Don’t Save Me by HAIM

The Cave by Dia Frampton**

She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert

This Is For by Ingrid Michaelson

Cut It Off by Mal Blum

Smash Into You by Beyonce

Jen’s Perfect Camp Mix by Ripley

Gravity Falls Theme Song

Summertime by Audra McDonald

Strong Enough by Kina Grannis

(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care by Cee Lo Green

Waterfalls - TLC

Just A Girl by No Doubt

Nobody Knows Me At All by The Weepies

I’m Beginning To See The Light by Ella Fitzgerald

Bad Girls by M.I.A.

Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls

Magic To Do by Patina Miller & Ensemble

***Flawless by Beyonce

Come On by Josie And The Pussycats

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles

Jo’s really rad! Mix by Jo

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Theme

Androgynous(Live) by Joan Jett and Against Me!

Tous Les Memes by Stromae

Sunshine by Rye Rye feat M.I.A.

L.E.S. Artistes by Santigold

What About Your Friends by TLC

Just One Of The Guys by Jenny Lewis

Melody by Kate Earl

Red Cape by Priscilla Ahn

No Wow by The Kills

I Found You by Tilly and the Wall

Do You Remember the Morning by Kid in the Attic***

Cheerleader by St. Vincent

Concrete Wall by Zee Avi

You Can Count On Me by Panda Bear

Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac (”<3″-Jo)

Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

Oblivion by Grimes

Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monae and Eryka Badu

Rapid Decompression by Against Me!

Roanokes Rule: The Mix[!][!][!] by April

Rattlesnake by Saint Vincent

Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!****

Amazon by M.I.A.

Another One Bites The Dust by Queen

Art-I-Ficial by X-Ray Spex

Separate Rooms by Now, Now

What’s Mine Is Yours by Sleater-Kinney

Sci-Fi Wasabi by Cibo Matto

Tennis Court by Lorde

Son Of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

Desire Lines by Deerhunter

Hot and Cold by Ex Hex

White Daisy Passing by Rocky Votolato

Misguided Ghosts by Paramore

For The Best by Gregory and the Hawk

The Hymn Of Acxiom by Vienna Teng

Capture The Flag by Broken Social Scene

From A Shell by Lisa Germano

Rosie’s Turn

Feeling Good by Nina Simone

Annabelle Lee by Sarah Jarosz

Terrible Things by April Smith & The Great Picture Show

You Can’t Be Told by Valerie June

Wild Geese Blues by Gladys Bentley

The Day Is Short by Jearlyn Steele

One Dime Blues by Etta Baker

Hard Way Home by Brandi Carlile

The Devil’s Paintbrush Road by The Wailin’ Jennys

To The Bone by Okou

Panic Cord by Gabrielle Aplin

Cups (You’re Gonna Miss Me) by Lulu and the Lampshades

Crayola Doesn’t Make A Color For Your Eyes by Kristin Andreassen

Complimentary Me by Elizabeth & The Catapult

Blue Spotted Tail by Kina Grannis

Sorry About The Doom by Slow Club

You Know I’m No Good by Amy Winehouse

From Texas: Big “D” by Julie Andrews & Carol Burnett

Finch’s Notes Cont:

Hi! I made this post to avoid work. But mostly I made this post because Lumberjanes is something really important to me, and these playlist are a part of my enjoyment of Lumberjanes I don’t see people talking about a lot! So I decided to make a post in order to share them with y’all. I remember hunching over my phone making a spotify playlist (here, though it’s missing a few songs that aren’t on spotify) while on a trip to California in the summer of 2018 when I first got into Lumberjanes. I probably listened to these songs while I made my first ever Lumberjanes fanart. These mixes helped me to discover artist I really love, like Janelle Monae and Mal Blum. I hope you enjoy them as well!

Other notes: Sk8r Boi is crossed out as that is the way it appears on Mal’s playlist. Also, I tend to shy away from music videos as a personal preference, so that’s why there are so few included on this playlist, though I’m sure many of these songs have beautiful music videos. I might reblog this post in the future with some youtube playlists of these mixes, but if you want to find them yourself there are a lot of playlists of these songs made on youtube already! Or you can make your own playlists using this post. 

And, just for fun, have one final Lumberjanes themed music recommendation:

Lumberjanes by Various

[1962dude420-blog]

Today we remember the passing of Eubie Blake who died February 12, 1983 in Brooklyn, New York

James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans. Blake's compositions included such hits as "Bandana Days", "Charleston Rag", "Love Will Find a Way", "Memories of You" and "I'm Just Wild About Harry". The 1978 Broadway musical Eubie! showcased his works.

Eubie Blake was born February 7, 1887, at 319 Forrest Street, in Baltimore, Maryland. Of the many children born to former slaves Emily "Emma" Johnstone and John Sumner Blake, he was the only one to survive childhood. John Sumner Blake was a stevedore on the Baltimore Docks.

Blake claimed in later life to have been born in 1883, but records published beginning in 2003—U.S. Census, military, and Social Security records and Blake's passport application and passport—uniformly give his birth year as 1887.

Blake's musical training began when he was four or five years old. While out shopping with his mother, he wandered into a music store, climbed on the bench of an organ, and started "foolin’ around". When his mother found him, the store manager said to her, "The child is a genius! It would be criminal to deprive him of the chance to make use of such a sublime, God-given talent." The Blakes purchased a pump organ for US$75.00, making payments of 25 cents a week. When Blake was seven, he received music lessons from a neighbor, Margaret Marshall, an organist for the Methodist church. At age 15, without his parents' knowledge, he began playing piano at Aggie Shelton's Baltimore bordello. Blake got his first big break in the music business in 1907, when the world champion boxer Joe Gans hired him to play the piano at Gans's Goldfield Hotel, the first "black and tan club" in Baltimore. Blake played at the Goldfield during the winters from 1907–1914, spending his summers playing clubs in Atlantic City. During this period, he also studied composition in Baltimore with Llewellyn Wilson.

According to Blake, he also worked the medicine show circuit and was employed by a Quaker doctor. He played a Melodeon strapped to the back of the medicine wagon. Blake stayed with the show only two weeks, however, because the doctor's religion didn't allow the serving of Sunday dinner.

Blake said he composed the melody of the "Charleston Rag" in 1899, when he would have been only 12 years old. It was not committed to paper, however, until 1915, when he learned to write musical notation.

In 1912, Blake began playing in vaudeville with James Reese Europe's Society Orchestra, which accompanied Vernon and Irene Castle's ballroom dance act. The band played ragtime music, which was still quite popular. Shortly after World War I, Blake joined forces with the performer Noble Sissle to form a vaudeville musical act, the Dixie Duo. After vaudeville, the pair began work on a musical revue, Shuffle Along, which incorporated songs they had written, and had a book written by F. E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles. When it premiered in June 1921, Shuffle Along became the first hit musical on Broadway written by and about African-Americans. The musical also introduced hit songs such as "I'm Just Wild About Harry" and "Love Will Find a Way." Rudolf Fisher insisted that Shuffle Along "had ruined his favorite places of African-American sociability in Harlem" due to the influx of white patrons. The reliance on "stereotypical black stage humor" and "the primitivist conventions of cabaret," in the words of Thomas Brothers, made the show a hit, running for 504 performances with 3 years of national tours.

Blake made his first recordings in 1917, for the Pathé record label and for Ampico piano rolls. In the 1920s he recorded for the Victor and Emerson labels among others.

In 1923, Blake made three films for Lee de Forest in de Forest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process: Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, featuring their song "Affectionate Dan"; Sissle and Blake Sing Snappy Songs, featuring "Sons of Old Black Joe" and "My Swanee Home"; and Eubie Blake Plays His Fantasy on Swanee River, featuring Blake performing his "Fantasy on Swanee River". These films are preserved in the Maurice Zouary film collection in the Library of Congress collection. He also appeared in Warner Brothers' 1932 short film Pie, Pie Blackbird with the Nicholas Brothers, Nina Mae McKinney, and Noble Sissle. That same year he and his orchestra provided as well most of the music for the film Harlem Is Heaven.

In July 1910, Blake married Avis Elizabeth Cecelia Lee, proposing to her in a chauffeur-driven car he hired. Blake and Lee met around 1895, when both attended Primary School No. 2, at 200 East Street in Baltimore. In 1910, Blake brought his newlywed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he had already found employment at the Boathouse nightclub.

In 1938, Avis was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She died later that year, at the age of 58. Of his loss, Blake said, "In my life I never knew what it was to be alone. At first when Avis got sick, I thought she just had a cold, but when time passed and she didn’t get better, I made her go to a doctor and we found out she had TB … I suppose I knew from when we found out she had the TB, I understood that it was just a matter of time."

While serving as bandleader with the USO during World War II, he met Marion Grant Tyler, the widow of the violinist Willy Tyler. Blake and Tyler married in 1945. She was a performer and a businesswoman and became his valued business manager until her death in 1982. In 1946, Blake retired from performing and enrolled in New York University, where he studied the Schillinger System of music composition, graduating in two and a half years. He spent the next two decades using the Schillinger System to transcribe songs that he had memorized but had never written down.

In the 1970s and 1980s, public interest in Blake's music rekindled following the release of his 1969 retrospective album, The 86 Years of Eubie Blake.

Blake was a frequent guest of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. He was featured by leading conductors, such as Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Fiedler. In 1977 he played Will Williams in the Jeremy Kagan biographical film Scott Joplin. By 1975, he had been awarded honorary doctorates from Rutgers, the New England Conservatory, the University of Maryland, Morgan State University, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn College, and Dartmouth. On October 9, 1981, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Ronald Reagan.

Eubie!, a revue featuring the music of Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, Johnny Brandon, F. E. Miller, and Jim Europe, opened on Broadway in 1978. The show was a hit at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 439 performances. The production received three nominations for Tony Awards, including one for Blake's score. The show was filmed in 1981 with the original cast members, including Lesley Dockery, Gregory Hines and Maurice Hines. Blake performed with Gregory Hines on the television program Saturday Night Live on March 10, 1979.

Blake continued to play and record until his death, on February 12, 1983, in Brooklyn, five days after events celebrating his purported 100th birthday(which was actually his 96th birthday).

He was interred in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. His headstone, engraved with the musical notation of "I'm Just Wild About Harry", was commissioned by the African Atlantic Genealogical Society. The bronze sculpture of Blake's bespectacled face was created by David Byer-Tyre, curator and director of the African American Museum and Center for Education and Applied Arts, in Hempstead, New York. The original inscription indicated his correct year of birth, but individuals close to him insisted that Blake be indulged and paid to have the inscription changed.

[betterbe-ravenclaw]

A HPHM character profile - Naomi Kinnley

Naomi has been being developed for a good while now, and I know that my version of events will clash with that of others (over love interest, profession, interests, family etc) so I really hope that won't be a problem. It's taken a long time for me to post this because I'm extremely nervous but hopefully Naomi and I can fit into the community!

(This wonderful profile template is by @hogwartsmysterystory and made introducing Naomi so much easier than it could have been, so thank you!)

Also the artwork is by me. Still practicing humans.

Identity:

Name: Naomi Justine kinnley

Gender: Female

Age: 15 (in game currently, I guess her age technically changes with each scenario as necessary)

Date of Birth: 27th April 1973

Species: Human

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Sexuality: straight (or heterosexual, they both mean the same thing right?)

Ethnicity: English, Welsh, French

Nationality: English

Residence: The Kinnley Household, #.17 Turley Avenue, Norwich, Norfolk, England

MBPT: ISFP - the adventurer

The Mage:

1st wand: cedar, dragon heartstring core, slightly springy, 11 ½ inches

“...‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them”

“As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.”

2nd wand: willow, phoenix feather core, reasonably supple, 12 ¼ inch

“Willow is an uncommon wand wood with healing power, and I have noted that the ideal owner for a willow wand often has some (usually unwarranted) insecurity, however well they may try and hide it. While many confident customers insist on trying a willow wand (attracted by their handsome appearance and well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic) my willow wands have consistently selected those of greatest potential, rather than those who feel they have little to learn...”

“This is the rarest core type. Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn or dragon cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike.”

Animagus: N/A

Misc magical abilities: Apparition and Disapparition

Boggart form: missing a chance to save somebody special to her (usually Rowan, her brother or Murphy) because she was preoccupied with something novel and insignificant. Knowing she should have and could have been there and would have been able to help - but wasn’t. (Shows up as herself with her back to the incident, not noticing when her loved one calls out for help)

Riddikulus form: in being preoccupied with said novel activity, she misses her loved one(s) not being murdered, but instead making silly faces 0r acting clownish behind her back, a bit like in a pantomime.

Amortentia (their smell): home baked bread, a wildflower field, crisp new parchment, baled hay, plums from her grandparents’ orchard and vanilla.

Amortentia (what they smell): mown grass, cinnamon, old books, home baked cookies, polished leather, lavender laundry detergent and the sea.

Patronus: leopardess

Strong

Graceful

Quiet

Independent

Protective

Patronus memory: sitting at the attic window with her brother early on christmas morning as a child, drinking hot chocolate with those tiny muggle marshmallows and munching on their mother’s cookies that they weren't supposed to have until the afternoon. Talking and playing wizards chess, exploding snap and their dad's old Muggle board games, watching the sunrise and being together.

Mirror of erised:

during hogwarts - reliving her patronus memory every christmas as tradition goes. Still having Jacob shake her awake at ridiculous o’clock and take her upstairs to the window where he’d set up their blanket instead of waking up of her own accord and sitting alone until the sunrise.

As an adult - hosting dinner at the house she shares with her husband and children for all her close friends and family. All of them. Those who are gone would be there too for a night of good food and good company where the children would run around playing and Naomi would get a warm feeling of belonging in her heart.

specialized/favourite spell:

Pretego - she never wants anyone she loves to come to harm, especially after rowans passing.

Expecto Patronum - beautiful, peaceful and protective. Useful and stunning all at the same time. A thing of comfort and joy.

Avis - she’s calmed around animals and birds. Just for fun.

Ferula & episkey - similar to protego, to help those who come to harm and keep them from pain as much as possible.

Lumos - simple and useful. It was one of the first things she learnt at Hogwarts and feels nostalgic.

Appearance:

Faceclaim: Willa Holland (just imagine she has freckles.)

Game appearance:

Height: 5’6” (170.7cm)

Weight: 151lbs (68.5kg)

Physique: Slim

Eye colour: hazel, quite green in places

Hair colour: dark brown, looks ginger in the sun, loosely curly

Skin tone: medium, somewhere in between olive and pale.

Body modifications: she has one piercing in each earlobe that she got aged 10. She mainly just wears studs.

Scarring: nothing major, she has a few little scars from mundane accidents like cutting her knee on a rock but that's about it.

Inventory: wand, quill, ink, chapstick, hair ties, a hairbrush, prefect badge, scrap parchment, glasses, glasses case, half finished bag of sherbet lemons, unopened packet of every flavour beans and a leather notebook with unlimited pages for notes on everything

Fashion: Naomi likes to pair denim bottoms (jeans or shorts or sometimes a skirt if she's in the mood) with a t-shirt - she likes the ones with different coloured sleeves and also ones with words on the front. She'll also wear denim jackets and leggings and knitted sweaters and sometimes summer dresses and skirts. She mostly likes comfortable stuff. If it feels good on her body and she's comfortable in it she'll wear it.

Allegiances:

Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw

Affiliations / organisations: the circle of Khanna, the order of the phoenix, the ministry of magic, the department of magical law enforcement - auror division

Professions:

Age 11-18 : Hogwarts student

Age 18-21 : Trainee Auror, part of the ministry of magic's department of magical law enforcement Auror training programme

Age 21-25 : Junior Auror, department of magical law enforcement - Auror devison

Age 25 - 28 : unemployed, having taken a break from work to focus on the family after the war

Age 28 - 40 : Senior Auror, department of Magical law enforcement - Auror devison

Age 40 - 46 : Head Auror, department of Magical law enforcement - Auror devison

Age 46 - 48 : Assistant manager at Cathy's Bakes (her mother in law's bakery)

Age 48 - Retirement : manager at Cathy's Bakes

Hogwarts info:

Class proficiencies:

Astronomy - E

Charms - O

Defence against the dark arts - O

Flying - O

Herbology - A

History of magic - E

Potions - O

Transfiguration - O

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures - O

Arithmancy - E

Divination - A

Quidditch: Chaser from 2nd year onwards

Extra curricular: Quidditch, Dueling Club, prefect

Favourite professors: Flitwick, McGonagall, Kettleburn

Least favourite professors: Binns, Trelawney, Rakepick

Relationships:

Brother: Jacob William Kinnley

born 5th October, 1964

Goes by J

Ravenclaw

About 8 years older than Naomi

Curly brown hair, green eyes, really tall, stubble

Kind-hearted, witty, humorous and strong, though short tempered and more reserved after his disappearance

Was always Naomi's favourite sibling Because he was similar to her and actually had time for her. They were very close growing up, pushing Naomi to try and find him. She wanted that back.

Misc siblings: Cynthia Eleanor Kinnley

Born 16th January 1968

Goes by Cindy

Gryffindor

About 5 years older than Naomi

Straight black hair, hazel eyes, tall, attractive

Outgoing, kind, reckless and charming. She and Naomi fought more and weren't as close as Naomi and Jacob.

Ran off to study magical creatures in Africa after Jacob's disappearance to escape her troubles.

Independent magizoologist, works with a small team on less explored species

Father: Anthony Kinnley

Born 7th March 1942

Muggleborn

Ravenclaw

Curly dark brown hair, green eyes, tall, stubble

Kind-hearted, protective, quiet, calm and stronger than he looks. Was able to keep himself together following Jacobs disappearance, if only for the sake of his wife and daughters.

Works for the ministry of magic, department of international magical cooperation

Mother: Eleanor Kinnley née Campbell

Born 18th May 1942

Pureblood

Hufflepuff

Straight black hair, hazel eyes, short, curvy, beautiful

Used to be jolly, humorous and charming, though is mentally unstable after Jacob disappeared. Depressed and not like she used to be, particularly around holidays.

Currently unemployed, hardly leaves the house. Previously a nurse at St. Mungo's hospital for magical maladies and injuries

Grandparents: Marigold Kinnley (née West), William Kinnley, Justine Campbell (née Bordeaux), Henry Campbelll (Deceased)

Misc family members: Simon Kinnley (Uncle), Timothy Kinnley (uncle), Flora Kinnley (née Brown, Aunt), Laura Peters (née Kinnley, Aunt), Robert Peters (Uncle), Geraldine Campbell (Great Aunt), Delia Peters (Cousin), Felicity Peters (Cousin), Liam Peters (cousin) , Marcus Kinnley (cousin), Cathleen McNully (Mother-in-law)

Love interest:

Barnaby Lee (Briefly - 4th year)

Attended the celestial ball together

Barnaby broke it off after a few weeks wanting to be just friends

Naomi had much the same feelings

Murphy McNully (Briefly -5th year)

Dated in secret for about a month and a half

Broke it off because they didn't see eye to eye in their relationship.

Ended with an argument

Charlie Weasley (Briefly - 5th year)

Flirted shameless for weeks

Went on about four dates before Naomi realised she didn't feel right with him and stopped the relationship before too much happened

Murphy McNully (5th year onwards - Spouse)

Got back together in undisclosed circumstances after Naomi and Charlie agreed to be just friends

Spent a year doing long distance after Murphy graduated (him being in the year above her)

Moved in together after Naomi graduated

Eventually Married before having five children.

Children:

Marigold Rowan McNully,

born 28th June, 1993

Goes by Goldie

Ravenclaw

Golden child

Lives up to her namesakes dream of becoming hogwarts' youngest ever professor (Transfiguration)

Cathleen Penelope McNully,

born 1st February, 1995

Likes to be called Kitty or Kit

Gryffindor

Bit of a troublemaker

Professional beater and quidditch star before taking over at the bakery for a 3rd generation

Anthony Jacob McNully,

born 2nd December 1998

Has the nickname Tony

Ravenclaw

Bisexual

Qualified healer working with underprivileged wizarding communities

Eleanor Nymphadora McNully,

born 13th August 2002

Everyone calls her Nelly

Hufflepuff

Daddy's girl through and through

Follows in her father's footsteps becoming a professional quidditch commentator

Henry Charles McNully,

born 30th April 2006

Ravenclaw

Bit of a mummy's boy

A surprise baby

An Auror like his mother

Best friends:

Rival: Merula Snyde, Erika Rath

(school) - Rowan Kahnna, Nymphadora Tonks, Tulip Karasu, Charlie Weasley, Skye Parkin, Penny Haywood, Murphy McNully.

Enemy: Patricia Rakepick

Dormmates: Rowan Kahnna, Tulip Karasu, Badeea Ali

Pets:

Toby

Chocolate brown cocker spaniel

Lives at her home with her parents

Miranda

Birman Cat

Accompanies Naomi to Hogwarts

Maurice

Black horse with a balze (white mark on face)

Lives at her grandparents farm

Closest canon friends: Rowan, Penny, Murphy, Skye, Charlie, Tonks, Tulip, Bill, Andre, Barnaby, Orion, Badeea

Closest MC friends:

Ravenna Glynn (@chronic-clinomania )

Calista Slater (@i-am-not-cursed )

Naomi's always willing to make new friends, even if it takes her a while to pluck up the courage to approach somebody. Maybe message me if you want your MC to be friends?

Background / history:

Pre-Hogwarts:

Naomi was born at 7:13am on the 27th of April 1973 (a week late) as the third and youngest child to Eleanor and Anthony Kinnley.

Her childhood is happy. She gets along with both parents and both siblings (though she and Cindy clash more than her and Jacob) and has a pretty normal home life - save for the magic part.

Jacob began attending Hogwarts when Naomi was only 3 years old, And Cynthia when she was 6, making for a good amount of quiet time which Naomi was very fond of.

As soon as Naomi was able to read and write fluently - about aged 6 - she would exchange letters with both her siblings. She and Jacob wrote to each other more often, as they were the closest of the siblings.

She attended a Muggle primary school like her siblings, though only ever made a couple of friends and wasn't too upset to lose contact with them when she left for hogwarts.

Though the first wizarding war was taking place throughout her childhood, Naomi's family had never been a large target or very involved in the war effort - her parents had decided to put safety above all else, therefore neglecting to join the order of the phoenix and keeping themselves to themselves as much as possible.

Naomi was 8, nearing 9, when Jacob went missing in 1981. Old enough to understand and make her own judgements of the situation. She was immediately distraught though found it hard to accept that her beloved big brother would just leave her and spent over a year writing to him to find out where he had gone, without a single reply. In the end, just before she left for Hogwarts, Naomi decided that she'd do whatever it took to find her brother, her stubbornness taking over.

In Hogwarts:

Of course, the events of Hogwarts mystery happen during this time, though other points include the following

After being sorted into Ravenclaw house, Naomi quickly becomes very close friends with Rowan Khanna. After their initial meeting in Diagon alley, Naomi feels comfortable enough to talk freely with the girl and by the time Christmas rolls around she can firmly say that Rowan is her best friend.

Naomi is obviously a competent and talented student in many areas. A lot of teachers take a shine to her as she's focused and a hard worker. Therefore, she's often asked to perform demonstrations and to assist other students.

In her second year, Naomi became the newest chaser on the Ravenclaw quidditch team. To this day, she is grateful to Penny for pushing her to try out because quidditch helped her become the person she is today and introduced her to some of her closest friends and, of course, her now-husband.

Naomi spends a lot of time at the quidditch pitch, In the quidditch stands, in the three broomsticks, by the black lake and, after accidentally stumbling upon it in her 6th year with Tonks, Tulip and Charlie, the room of requirement. After Christmas of 5th year, Naomi also spends a good amount of time in the kitchens, practicing her new hobby of baking.

She and her dorm-mates often stock up on sweets from honeydukes and chose a night to stay up talking and eating until the morning. At some point, they started inviting other girl friends into the dorm for the night (starting after tonks unsuccessfully tried to sneak in behind tulip.)

Post Hogwarts:

Having been unsure about what her career would be all throughout school, Naomi decided to join Tonks in the auror training programme. She deduces that this job would be a good fit for her, and ends up really enjoying it.

Murphy proposes to her 3 years after the initial start of their relationship

They're married not long after, with Penny as Maid of Honour and Orion as best man. Naomi had both her father and brother give her away.

She and Murphy end up living near his mother in a previously abandoned house just outside his home town. It's pretty secluded so they can practice magic without worrying.

By 1995, Naomi and Murphy had had their first two children - Marigold and Cathleen - just as the second wizarding war was beginning.

The second wizarding war:

Both Naomi and Murphy join the order of the phoenix, her auror training coming in handy and him being focused on strategies (what else?). She has many missions, including surveillance and combat.

In joining the order of the phoenix, Naomi gets a chance to meet the golden trio. Harry, Ron and Hermione immediately seem more than capable, and Naomi makes sure she takes the time to let them know she's willing to help them out however she can.

In early 1998, Naomi falls pregnant for a third time, though decides that she won't tell anyone until she has to, trying not to add stress to the already scary times.

During the battle of Hogwarts, Naomi had very close encounters with Bellatrix LeStrange and Augustus Rookwood - both of whom came rather close to finishing her off. Fortunately, her auror training, dueling club experience and protect-don't-harm nature came through, and she managed to stun both death eaters before they took her life.

Naomi was there to witness Tonks' death. That moment was haunting and still shows up in her nightmares from time to time. She was also in the vicinity when Fred Weasley was killed.

Throughout the entire war, Naomi did not use an unforgivable curse once - something she's proud of as she often wanted to murder those death eaters who took her friends.

Post second wizarding war:

Murphy and Naomi both Survive the war, and Naomi took a break from work after the war to recover from the trauma and focus on herself and her family.

When she finally goes back to work, she is able to get to know Harry Potter and Ron Weasley a lot better and they end up becoming good family friends (along with the rest of the weasley family.)

She remains an Auror until the age of 46 (become head auror during this time) before resigning and taking over from her mother in law at the bakery. It's a very much welcomed change of pace (although Naomi is always willing to lend a hand on the odd auror mission at the request of Harry.)

Naomi often invites a large gathering of friends and family over for celebrations - notable occasions include New year's, her children's birthdays and the anniversary of both Rowan's death and the battle of Hogwarts. There's always a lot of food (usually prepared with the help of Cathy and Molly Weasley) and good times.

Home life is wonderful, She and Murphy have a very happy marriage and spend their lives together with their children, and then later their grandchildren.

Personality:

Protective - Naomi is very keen on the defensive way of doing things. She doesn't like to cause harm to anybody unless she can't see any alternative way out of a situation. Along with this, although she is usually pretty quiet and reserved, Naomi will never stand by whilst somebody (especially a friend) is struggling or in trouble. It's one of the few circumstances where Naomi will actually put herself into the action voluntarily.

Creative - Naomi is good at thinking on the spot. She can come up with solutions to a problem when all other possible solutions fall through by thinking outside the box.

Loyal - Naomi hasn't always found it easy to make friends, she's shy and gets very nervous talking to new people, but once she's made friends with somebody Naomi is always going to be there. She's always willing to take on their problems and help in whatever way she can, and makes sure that her friends know how grateful she is to have them and that she's always there when they need her.

Empathetic - Naomi is very good at understanding the feelings of others and knowing exactly what to say to make people calm down and feel better. She can put herself in people's shoes and also acts as the peacekeeper in many arguments as she can .

Easily Stressed - Naomi is an overthinker, she starts to panic when things start to go wrong and gets very stressed. The smallest thing can make her frustrated or worried, and though she can usually hide these feelings in the day, they always come out at night or at any time if they're strong enough. She finds it very hard to let go and let bad things happen.

Stubborn - Naomi isn't likely to back down from many things without a fight. She doesn't like to be wrong, accept too much help or admit she's made a mistake, just as she hates to lose an argument. She always makes sure to be as calm and polite as possible if she has different feelings, but sometimes she can't help but raise her voice.

Naomi is also pretty patient, indecisive, quiet, a good listener, generous and naturally intelligent among other things.

Miscellaneous:

As a baby, Naomi has thick, long, curly hair and was rather chubby, though by the time she reached 7, her curls loosened and her baby fat was no longer a problem. She still had very long hair though.

She goes by Mia to her friends, and Nomi, love and Mia to Murphy. She's also the only person other than his mother who's allowed to call Murphy by his first name or Murph, and also calls him darling, McNully and button (the nickname button has a backstory that I may or may not disclose at some point. She only calls him that when she's teasing him though.)

She was very nearly a hatstall between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff - and she ended up dictating the final decision. Naomi knows she would have been fine in either house now, but at the time, Ravenclaw seemed like the only option because Rowan had just been sorted into it, and it had been the house of her brother.

Although Naomi has glasses, she can usually see just fine without them, and doesn't bother wearing them outside of class.

She's a fiddler a doodler and a nail biter. All happen when she's nervous and/or bored. She'll work her nails down as much as she can and will pick up and play around with just about anything. She's also very prone to drawing and writinh all over her wrists - lists, memos, ideas, harmless pictures of golden snitches and nifflers and Murphy.

Naomi can both ride and drive horses and enjoys it rather a lot. She learnt on her Muggle grandparents' farm where she spent most of her summer holidays as a child and Hogwarts student.

Naomi and Murphy's mother Cathleen, or Cathy, are very good friends. They get along incredibly well and Naomi now comes to Cathy more than her own mother for advice. They spend a lot of time discussing Murphy and other things - often baking in the meantime (Cathy introduced her to baking and Naomi even ends up taking over her bakery business.)

Naomi was one of the few people allowed to attend Tonks and Remus' Wedding, and likes to keep in touch with Teddy Lupin after his parents death (relatively easy as he's good friends with her son Anthony and her Daughter Eleanor.)

She can't decide if her favourite colour is Yellow or blue. They've been her top two since forever but she's never been quite sure which is better.

[august-anon]

Touch

Hey hey! Very nervous about this because, unlike Sanders Sides, I have not written for TAZ for over 2 years, and I also have not listened to Balance for over a year so I wasn’t sure I nailed their voices. The wonderful, talented, kind, amazing @cefsticklestoo​ looked this over for me, though, and she said it was good, so here I go lol.

Fandom: The Adventure Zone: Balance

Ship(s): Taakitz

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Taako/Ler!Kravitz

Word Count: 2335 words

Summary: Touch and Taako have always had an interesting relationship, but it was time he started figuring it out with this new world, since they seemed to be sticking around.

[ao3 link]

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

Touch was an interesting thing for Taako.

For so long, it had just been him and Lup. The Taaco twins against the world. And most days, it truly had felt like the world was against them. They didn’t have an easy childhood or adolescence, but Taako liked to think that’s why he’d survived so long through all the bullshit he’d been through.

Even with the Starblaster crew, the people who became their family, people as close to his heart as Lup (and that wasn’t easy to do), touch had not come easily.

They had held their aloof personas, darting out of hugs and away from fond touches with their usual bravado, making a joke of it as they went. Even as Lup and Taako had practically attached themselves to each other at the hip, molding into each other when the other was near, they did not let the rest of the crew touch.

It took quite a few cycles before anyone besides each other was able to lay a hand on them. Of course it was Magnus, the stupid man (more of a child back then, to the two of them with their lifespans and his startling youth) was practically a golden retriever in a human’s body. He was excitable and affectionate and he grew on you like a fungus, getting under your skin and making you fond of him without you even realizing.

Then it was Barry. Then Merle. Lucretia and Davenport were the last to be invited into the physical contact gang, though not for lack of love. They were simply more reserved people, which the twins (and everyone else on the Starblaster) had come to respect, and even endear.

But they were family. It made sense for them all to hang off each other like jungle gyms, touching whenever touch was allowed. It was just the way of the Taaco’s when someone became close to them, became family.

Which was why Taako was so torn with the new people in their lives.

Angus was a whole new can of worms that Taako wasn’t necessarily ready to open, though he really should work on that before it was too late, now that all the world saving was done. The rest of their new friends weren’t as pressing in that matter (except maybe Carey and Killian, possibly Avi, but they seemed fine to give him time to figure himself out for the time being), but he really needed to figure out what he was going to do with that kid, who they were to each other.

But Kravitz. That was his focus right now.

Kravitz, his beautiful Bone Daddy. Kravitz, his whirlwind romance. Kravitz, the one he kissed at the end of the world. Kravitz, the one he was certain he was beginning to fall in love with.

And wasn’t that a terrifying thought? Taako had never been in love before, it really wasn’t fair of Kravitz to spring all these feelings on him now.

But Kravitz. The man sitting on his couch at that exact moment, waiting for Taako to bring out the hot cocoa he’d made for them since neither of them had been sleeping well since the almost-end-of-the-world, and were both somewhat stressed with the rapidly approaching wedding of Carey and Killian. (Taako was not ready. Weddings were too mushy. Magnus was going to cry, and if Magnus cried, Taako would cry and have to pretend he wasn’t crying).

Taako took a deep breath and grabbed the mugs, walking out into the sitting area of their room in the BoB (which, it was a little uncomfortable staying there now, he had a lot of things to work out before it became okay again, if it ever would, but he didn’t really have many other places to live at the moment. At least Merle and Magnus were out, currently), setting them both on the coffee table.

Taako moved to sit down near Kravitz. Kravitz lifted his arm in invitation. Taako paused.

There was a standstill for a moment that Taako hoped Kravitz didn’t notice before he made a bold decision and sat down, pressed up against Kravitz from his thigh to his shoulder, and pulled his feet up onto the couch next to him. Kravitz seemed to relax at Taako’s decision and wrapped his arm around him so that his fingers rested against Taako’s side.

And it was nice. Taako didn’t feel like fleeing, he wasn’t scared or nervous (okay, he was a little nervous, but he would never in his life admit that to anyone). The touch didn’t feel wrong. In fact, it felt so incredibly right.

So Taako curled further into Kravitz, snatching the mugs off the coffee table to hand one to Kravitz so they could both drink. Thankfully, the hot chocolate had cooled off enough in Taako’s dawdling to drink, a comfortable warmth instead of a burning heat.

Taako thought he was in the clear, that he had managed to hide his hesitance well enough from Kravitz that he didn’t notice, but that proved to be false as they reached the mid-point of emptying their mugs. 

Kravitz interrupted the companionable silence. “Are you not big on cuddling? Or touching? It’s okay if you aren’t, I won’t mind.”

Curse his wonderful undead boyfriend for being so sweet and considerate and actually making Taako want to discuss the issue instead of brushing it all off with a joke as usual.

Taako sighed and set his mug down on the coffee table again, Kravitz leaning forward to follow suit. His hand shifted nervously against Taako’s side, as if he felt like he was overstepping, but he didn’t remove it yet. Taako stared forward at the doorway to Magnus’s room, not looking Kravitz in the eye.

“If you asked Lup,” Taako started, speaking startlingly quietly, “she’d say I was the most cuddly bastard in the world.”

Taako paused, searching for words in a way that felt very not-him. Kravitz remained silent, giving him time to work it out.

“Not sure if the rest of the crew would share that sentiment, but physical affection is definitely not uncommon. It’s just weird. Hard to decide when I trust someone enough to let it happen.”

Taako finally turned to look at Kravitz, something twisting and stirring in his heart at the painfully soft look he was sending him. Taako wanted to look away, put up his haughty facade again as he cuddled up to Kravitz and drank his cocoa and pretended he wasn’t soft on the inside, but something in Kravitz’s eyes kept his gaze there.

“So you trust this, trust me, enough to let it happen?” Kravitz asked softly.

Except his words were accompanied by a squeeze to Taako’s side. It was probably meant as comfort or encouragement or affection, but it hit certain pressure points far too well, leaving Taako to do his best to cover up a gasp and a jump so high that he practically ended up in Kravitz’s lap.

Wait. He could use that.

Taako quickly readjusted himself to sit in Kravitz’s lap completely, trying to make it look like it was part of the same movement as before. He gave Kravitz one of his flirtatious smiles and turned on the charm, wrapping his arms around Kravitz’s neck.

“I’m in your lap,” Taako teased, “what do you think?”

Kravitz let out a startled laugh, wrapping both hands around Taako’s waist to intertwine at the base of his spine. “I guess that proves it, doesn’t it?” He chuckled.

Taako let out a pleased hum and relaxed, preparing to reach for his mug again. Kravitz was warm (which was strange and new, but certainly not a bad thing) and so was the hot cocoa, and while Taako didn’t necessarily think he could sleep yet, some more time spent just like that and he might be able to.

“But,” Kravitz said cheekily, “I am very interested to know why you vaulted onto my lap so quickly.”

Taako froze, trying to bury down a look that was some mix between panicked and excited. Panicited. 

Kravitz’s hand inched along his back to grip his side once more. “Did it have something to do with this?” He asked, and squeezed once more, this time with purpose.

This time, Taako’s cover-up was not as graceful. He yanked his arms down from around Kravitz’s neck, sticking his elbows tightly to his sides. He used one hand to cover his mouth and the other to start pushing at the hand Kravitz had on his waist as he squirming in Death’s lap.

Kravitz laughed. “Oh, this will be fun, I think.”

And suddenly both hands were squeezing up and down Taako’s sides. Not-quite-contained squeaks were muffled by the hand over his mouth, but Taako was determined not to embarrass himself by giggling. Kravitz hummed thoughtfully, quickly pinching his hips and the edges of his stomach before returning to squeezing his sides.

And here’s the thing.

Taako didn’t necessarily mind tickling. In fact, at times he could quite enjoy it, both giving and receiving. Pan knows the Starblaster crew had plenty of such “bonding moments,” not to mention he and Lup themselves. But only Lup knew about Taako’s true feelings surrounding the silly, affectionate action. He had an image to keep, after all. If people knew how much he liked it, they’d think he’d gone soft (or, worse, realize he had secretly been soft the whole time).

And another thing: when was the last time Taako had laughed? A real, true laugh. Not a laugh concocted perfectly for the situation at hand, carefully faked to sound as natural as possible. Not a barely-there chuckle at Magnus and Merle’s goofs, even still disguised to hide the true sound of it. Not a laugh to mock or be cruel or tease. A real laugh.

Truthfully, it was probably back sometime in that century he just regained.

And Taako was nothing if not competitive. He had a record going now, after all. If he hadn’t truly laughed in that long, he should really see how much longer he could keep it up.

But then Kravitz’s hands weaseled under his elbows and started skittering up and down his rib cage and Taako lost it. He forgot how bad that spot was. Lup knew, get Taako’s ribs or thighs and he would agree to just about anything you wanted.

“K-Krav” Taako cried through his laughter, hand flying down from his mouth to try and push the offending hands away.

Kravitz’s hands faltered for a moment, giving Taako a brief moment of respite. He glanced up to see Kravitz staring at him in wonder. 

“What?” He snapped.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard any music ever so beautiful before,” Kravitz whispered in awe, still staring into Taako’s flushed face.

Taako huffed. “Well, don’t get used to it. It’s not going to happen ofte--!”

Taako’s laughter turned to shrieks and cut off his own sentence as Kravitz’s hands started spidering back up his ribs in the middle of his sentence. His fingers had traveled up and slightly back to that awful spot, just above the middle of his rib cage, slightly on his back.

Taako couldn’t remember the last time he laughed that hard. Once Kravitz found that little spot that made him cackle and almost scream, his fingers abused it in the terrible (wonderful) ways they possibly could. They dug in with fingertips, they fluttered with a barely-there touch, they skittered around playfully, they traced with fingernails. Every new technique made the sensations wash over him anew, leaving him in desperate stitches with barely any room to speak.

And Taako realized that he missed this. Sure, he’d always had an affinity for it, loved playing around with the people he called family, would occasionally get a craving, but he never thought it was a big part of his life. Evidently, his body (and mind, not that he was admitting that) missed the playful torture more than he thought. Despite the fact that he was desperately running out of air, he wanted Kravitz to continue forever.

But Kravitz did stop soon after that as Taako’s laughter went silent, rubbing comfortingly up and down his torso. Taako faceplanted into Kravitz’s chest as his own heaved for breath, letting out residual giggles with every exhale.

“Ne—Never do that again,” Taako breathed out the lie through his residual giggles, trying to save face.

Kravitz chuckled above him. “Sorry, love.” (And didn’t that just made Taako’s heart flutter in the most embarrassing of ways) “But I don’t necessarily think you mean that.”

Taako sat up with a scowl, “And just what makes you think that, huh?”

Kravitz smiles softly at him. “Well you see, Taako is a man who knows what he wants, and what he doesn’t. You wouldn’t have let that go on for as long as you did if you actually meant that.” Kravitz’s smile turned cheeky. “Plus, you hardly struggled and never once said ‘no’ or ‘stop.’”

Taako sputtered hopelessly, feeling himself blush to the tips of his ears.

“It’s cute,” Kravitz teased, pulling him closer again. “Relax, your little secret is safe with me.”

“It better be,” Taako grumbled, but fell into Kravitz’s embrace without any struggle.

Kravitz held him tightly and hummed, the sound rumbling through Taako where he laid on Kravitz’s chest. He glanced up at Kravitz just as he glanced down at Taako. They both smiled.

“Hey,” Kravitz said.

“Hey,” Taako replied.

“Can I kiss you?”

“I’d be offended if you didn’t.”

Kravitz laughed and leaned in. The kiss was short, but sweet. They hadn’t kissed since that terrible day, the world collapsing around them. At the time, Taako wasn’t sure if he would ever get to do it again.

He was so glad he got to do it again.

When they pulled away, Taako cuddled into Kravitz’s chest, curling up in his lap like a cat and just letting Kravitz hold him, running a hand through his hair and across his back. Within minutes, he was falling asleep.

It was the best sleep he’d had in years.

[watchfleabag]

Ok 5 and 14!

i literally loved reading as a child my family was constantly annoyed w me because i would get so sucked into the story i literally could not hear them jdhdhdh

ok i have so many super strong opinions on children’s lit because i was such a huge reader as a kid and i also work part time at a preschool and read to kids all the time. i love soooo many kids books but ill say for picture books my favorites are anything by william steig (i had a mural from pearl and the magic bone on my wall as a kid that my mom hand painted for me 😭🥰) or kevin henkes (lilly’s purple plastic purse........ fucking PROLIFIC!) and i also LOVE Six Dinner Sid by inga moore! as for chapter books, i love the mysterious benedict society by trenton lee stewart , the penderwicks by jeanne birdsall, and the tales from dimwood forest series (particularly Poppy) by avi

[angelitam]

Formation d'élite de Lee Child

Formation d’élite de Lee Child

Formation d’élite de Lee Child – Editions Calmann Lévy

Résumé Formation d’élite de Lee Child

Jack Reacher, suite à ses actes, doit recevoir une médaille. Plus tard, on lui apprend qu’il est convoqué.

Il doit rejoindre une formation. Très vite, il pense qu’il est mis au placard, surtout lorsqu’il rencontre les deux personnes avec lesquelles il doit suivre cette formation.

Avis Formation d’élite…

[koreasahq]

MWFC

JUNIOR

F: Yeoreum, Yeonjung e Dayoung (WJSN), Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Amybeth Mcnulty, Chuu, Yeojin e Olivia Hye (Loona), Nako Yabuki (IZ*ONE), Danielle Rose Russell, Chaeyoung, Dahyun e Tzuyu (TWICE), JooE, Gahyeon (Dreamcatcher), Yuqi e Shuhua (G-IDLE), Arin (OMG), Kang Mina (GUGUDAN), Elle Fanning, Bella e Sohee (Elris), Sabrina Carpenter, Paris Berelc, Rowan Blanchard, Mackenzie Foy, Kiernan Shipka, Ashley Liao, Auli'i Cravalho, Liza Soberano, Allegra Acosta, China Anne Mcclain, Brianne Tju, Malina Weissman, Avi Lake, Kim Sohyun, Zendaya, Kim Yoojung, Yoojung, Lucy e Doyeon (WKMK), Ester Expósito.

M: Lee Jeno, Mark Lee, Haechan, Jisung (NCT DREAM), Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Lai Guanlin, Park Jihoon, e Bae Jinyoung (W1), Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Yanan, Kino e Wooseok (PENTAGON), Juhaknyeon (The Boyz), Kijoong (UNB), Cory Gruter, Cameron Boyce, Hwiyoung (SF9), Changbin, Han Jisung e Kang Seungmin (Stray Kids), Dylan Kingwell, Jace Norman, Prophet Bolden, Peyton Meyer, Tanner Buchanan, Griffin Gluck, Rhenzy Feliz, Louis Hynes, Sanha e Rocky (ASTRO), Jibeom e Donghyun (GOLDEN CHILD), Chan (SVT).

TRAINING

F: Zendaya, Tiera Skovbye, Tati Gabrielle, Virginia Gardner, Danielle Rose Russell, Marina Moschen, Valentina Zenere, Johyun (Berry Good), Junghwa (EXID), Elkie, Seunghee e Yujin (CLC), Saebom (NATURE), SuA, Yoohyeon e Dami (DC), Hayoung (APINK), Minnie, Soojin e Miyeon (G-IDLE), Mimi, Jiho e Yooa (OMG), Madison Beer, Kaylee Bryant, Ludovica Martino, Ester Expósito, Abigail Cowen, Nicole Wallace, Camren Bicondova, Yves, Vivi, Jurina, Jihyo (TWICE), Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Exy, Eunseo, Xuan Yi, Cheng Xiao e Dawon (WJSN), Lana Condor, Lauren Tsai, Jeonghwa (EXID), Gyuri e Jisun (FROMIS_9), Soyee (GUGUDAN), Sakura, Eunbi e Hyewon (IZ*ONE), Solbin (LABOUM), Hwasa e Wheein (MAMAMOO), Sujeong (LOVELYZ), Saebom e Lu (NATURE), Nahyun e Euijin (Sonamoo), Suji (UNI.T), Elly (WKMK), Roa e Yuha (PRISTIN), Lisa Teige, Camila Mendes, Alice Pagani, Stefanie Scott, Claudia Lee, Olivia Holt.

M: Ross Lynch, Seungyoon (WINNER), Nick Robinson, Hoshi, Minghao, Mingyu e Wonwoo (SVT), Aria Shaghesmi, Brad Simpson, Fernando Lindez, Robbie Wadge, Baron (VAV), Luke Hemmings, Ahn Hyoseop, Kang Daniel (W1), YoungK (DAY6), Hanbin, Junhoe, Yunhyeong, Bobby e Donghyuk (iKON), Hui, Hongseok, Shinwon e Yanan (PENTAGON), Jun (UNB), Sejun e Byungchan (VICTON), John Boyega, Minhyun, Ren e Jonghyun (NU'EST), Alex Hogh Andersen, Marco Ilso, Thomas Doherty, Mitchell Hope, Jun (ACE), Seonghwa e Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Rocky (ASTRO), Jongup (BAP), Zelo (ex-BAP), U-Kwon (BLOCKB), Jeongmin, Youngmin e Kwangmin (BOYFRIEND), Sungjae e Ilhoon (BTOB), Jangjun, Joochan e Jibeom (GOLDEN CHILD), Donghan e Hyunbin (JBJ), Minhyuk e Hyungwon (MX), Johnny, Lucas, Hendery Yuta (NCT), Hwiyoung, Taeyang, Chani, Rowoon e Zuho (SF9), Chan e Minho (STRAY KIDS), Wooshin (UP10TION), Sejun e Byungchan (VICTON).

SENIOR

F: Yuko Araki, Oh Yeonseo, Laura Harrier, Kaya Scodelario, Ana de Armas, BoA, Solar (Mamamoo), Solji e Hyerin (EXID), Jessica Jung, Seohyun e Tiffany (ex-SNSD), Yuri e Taeyeon (SNSD), Irene (RV), Ariana Grande, Elodie Yung, Jade Tailor, Candice Patton, Dilraba Dilmurat, Rebecca Ferguson, Elizabeth Olsen, Emma Dumont, Karen Gillan, Victoria (FX), CL, Blake Lively, Vanessa Hudgens, IU, Jameela Jamil, Kat Graham, Lucy Liu, Emma Stone, Melissa Fumero, Rachel Weisz, Imogen Poots, Mila Kunis, Park Boyoung, Deborah Ann Woll, Lucy Punch, Jimin, Seolhyun e Hyejeong (AOA), Eunji e Bomi (APINK), JiU e SuA (DREAMCATCHER), Kim Hyuna, Son Jihyun, Jeon Jiyoon, Minzy, Moon Hyuna, Minah e Hyeri (GIRL’S DAY), Hana (GUGUDAN), Wang Feifei, Jiae (LOVELYZ), Dayeon (NEONPUNCH), Hyomin e Jiyeon (T-Ara), Park Shinhye, Paulina Singer, Brittany Snow, Adria Arjona, Victoria Pedretti.

M: Richard Madden, Mino e Jinwoo (WINNER), Chris Pine, Ki Hong Lee, Brenton Thwaites, Daniel Gillies, Josh Dallas, Roy Kim, Olly Alexander, Avan Jogia, Kihyun e Shownu (MX), Cody Fern, Kim Soohyun, Jinhwan (iKON), Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Chris Pratt, Blair Redford, Sean Tale, Ben Hardy, Henry Cavill, Lucas Till, Steven Yeun, Jannik Schumann, Taecyeon (2PM), Himchan (BAP), Jinyoung (ex-B1A4), Gongchan (B1A4), G-Dragon e Seungri (BIGBANG), Jaehyo e U-Kwon (BLOCKB), Minhyuk e Hyungsik (BTOB), Minhyuk, Jonghyun e Jungshin (CNBLUE), Suho e Xiumin (EXO), Jay Park, Euijin (UNB), Baron (VAV), Jisung (W1), Hakyeon e Ravi (VIXX), Yunho e Changmin (TVQX), Jannik Schümann.

STAFF

F: Moonbyul (Mamamoo), Heize, Wendy (RV), Seunghee (OMG), Haruka Fukuhara, Kim Seulgi, Adeline Rudolph, Im Soohyang, Carlson Young, Maddison Brown, Suus De Nies, Merve Boluğur, Jamie Park, Willa Fitzgerald, Lee Hi, Amber Liu, Lindsey Morgan, Conor Leslie, Emma Dumont, Mina (AOA), Elkie (CLC), Exy, Yeoreum, Dayoung e Luda (WJSN), Jooeun (DIA), Siyeon, Yoohyun e Handong (DREAMCATCHER), Saerom, Hayoung e Seoyeon (FROMIS9), Minnie (GIDLE), Sunny (SNSD), Jessica (ex-SNSD), Sejeong e Sally (GUGUDAN), ZN e Haein (LABOUM), Haseul e Vivi (LOONA),  Yaya Urassaya, D.ana (Sonamoo), Jeongyeon (TWICE), Alice Pagani.

M: Grant Gustin, Rami Malek, Jeonghan, Dokyeom, Minghao e Chan (SVT), Noah Centineo, Chance Perdomo, Johnny, Taeil, Ten e Doyoung (NCT), Charlie Heaton, Dylan Wang, Ilhoon (BTOB), Jae (DAY6), Kino, Hongseok, Changu e Shinwon (PENTAGON), Dean, Troye Sivan, Jun (ACE), B-Bomb e Jaehyo (BLOCKB), Jonghyun (CNBLUE), Luhan, Jaehyun (GOLDEN CHILD), Mark, Jackson e Jinyoung (GOT7), Jinhwan, Yunhyeong e Donghyuk (iKON), Sungyeol e Sungjong (INFINITE), Taehyun e Kenta (JBJ), Jooheon (MX), Inseong, Jaeyoon e Taeyang (SF9), Juyeon e Juhaknyeon (THE BOYZ), Seungwoo (VICTON), Hongbin (VIXX).

[stationhousesix]

WIP- In the black

Possibly a chapter for In the Black. Huh. Seems nearly fitting to post this today.  A lot of research went into it and I’m still not quite happy with it.

“We should put out the fires.” Augtin urged through the laughter of his squad mates; the sky grew darker. “The D’gaian’s are down hill.” “And? We took the mound. Relax, they aren’t going to attack after that massacre.” Avis smiled as she took a bottle of whiskey from her lapel pocket.  The label slick with blood. She unscrewed the top and took a drink before offering the bottle to Augtin. “We are so exposed!” Augtin pleaded as he took the bottle from Avis and took a deep drink before looking to the five faces that were lit up around the flames. Noe held a photograph in has hands, a picture of lithe human woman holding a new born. The child having the stub of antlers and a mess of golden hair to match his father. Too distracted to think on Augtin’s plea. Nikoil sat next to him sharping his dominion issued dagger with a worn wetstone. He only stopped for a moment to think on Augtin’s words.  Avi’s sat on the other side of the fire going through a tawny leather bag stained in blood, she pulled out a metal tin and became giddy upon opening it and pulled out a pair of H’atian cigars. She passed one to Sargent Benjin who didn’t seem to mind stealing from the dead. He lit the cigar and took a puff from it. Augtin’s gaze fell on Erin. Her expression soft as she listened intently to him. Once she realized his gaze was on her however she tried to look away; yet there was no where to look at.

“Come on Erin, Don’t you think this is a bad idea?” Erin had known he would drag her in for support sooner or later. Normally she would have agreed with Augtin, but after two weeks of pushing through no man’s land they had finally found a place to catch a breath. She was intent on taking that breath. “Pass the whiskey.” She said taking the bottle from Augtin rather than waiting. “You too!” His voice broke. Sargent Benjin let out a chuckle. He sat on the other side of the fire, laying on his side with his head on a D’gaian backpack. He was taking another puff of the cigar. “Relax Private Fisher. Copper and Lapointe are on first watch. They got the best eyes of the section.” He let out a long breath of smoke before continuing, “If you want you can go join them.” “It’s getting dark, and I don’t know about you but I can’t see well down the valley at night.”   “Normally I’d agree with you, but I think we earned some relaxation.” Noe piped in taking the whiskey from Erin, “Besides it’s not like the D’gaian’s can see any better than we can.” “Are you sure? Have you ever asked a hotagami? Bullets barely pierce their shell. What if the reason they build tunnels is because they can see in the dark?”  Augtin voice rose as he spoke. After his last breath He pulled his coat around him tighter and then looked to Benjin, “You sure we found all the tunnels? Those insects are crafty.” Benjin rolled over onto his back and let out a sigh, “Erin and Nikoil say they sealed them all. Then they are all sealed.” It was Devin's turn to laugh as he came walking across the rampart and then dropped into the trench besides Erin and Augtin causing Augtin to leap up from his seat, and swear under his breath. “Erin’s your big bad sister so of course you would believe anything she tells you.” Devin teased as he got comfy between them holding a pack of cigarettes. Their label an oak tree on a white box with the text ‘Oaken Cigarettes’ was nearly black with blood, and wrinkled with creases from being in a pocket for far too long. “Any reason you doubt her?” Benjin said softly. Devin fiddled with the box, his hands shaking from the cold. He whittled out a cigarette and lit it on the scotching fire pit  then took a drag. Perhaps it was the silence that got him to look up and realize all the faces were looking to him. “Naw. Erin’s got a good eye. Nikoil on the other hands a piece of shit.” “Hey!” Nikoil shouted,  tearing his eyes away from the knife he was sharpening.

Noe erupted into laughter. Erin took back the whiskey and nodded her head to Nikoil, “He’s got a point. I’ll take another look around in a minute.”

“Hey!” Nikoil’s brown eyes turned to Erin, his voice dropping in pitch.

“You know I mean well.” Devin answered in her stead.

“Where’s Cornelia?” Avis asked, breaking up the conversation.

“Asleep, She and I are taking second watch.” Devin replied resting his arm’s on the rim of the trench, “I should be sleeping, but you know.”  He let out a deep breath, “It’s a nice night.”

“And what you only sleep on bad nights?” Erin asked as she removed his arm from behind her and pulled her own coat tighter around herself.

The wind had died down from earlier that morning and now the only thing that stirred in the dark was the crackling of the fire pit and the meandering of thick fluffy clouds over the star lit sky, plunging the surround fields into darkness. In the distance small patches of orange light could be seen. Fire pits on both sides of the war. It was a calm night after days of artillery fire and  being on edge. Erin had watched bullets fly through trees and yelled enough through the explosions of artillery shells, this moment of silence was a blessing.  It was comforting to be warm and dry and surrounded by friendly faces.  She couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for the faces that weren't here. The ones who had fallen on the journey up the mound. She looked from one mud covered face to another, exhaustion collecting in the bags under their eyes and the content but distant expressions on their faces as they stared at the flames. She had always silently hopped to herself that they may have met under better circumstances perhaps then she would have been able to taste one of George’s apple pies before he too had stepped into the other side.

Devin handed her the box of cigarettes in exchange for the bottle of whiskey.  She took a cigarette and lit it on the campfire. The heat from the cigarette barely noticeable against her cold finger tips. She took a puff from it, holding the smoke in her lungs a moment longer before letting it rasp against her throat as she exhaled. She felt freer after that. Like a weight that had kept her heart in her throat all day had been let free. Devin seemed to sense the tension in the air and tried to make light of the situation. He held the whiskey up and smiled, “How about a toast to keep our spirits high?” Then nudged Augtin in the ribs with his elbow.

“To what?” Augtin shrugged it off and looked into the fire.

“To shooting hott's!” Devin laughed.

“To living free!” Noe added, before kissing the photograph he held and tucking it away in his vest pocket.

“To Finding our way home!” Nikoil staked his knife into the ground, and slid off his helmet revealing a wad of messy mud streaked blond hair.

Sargent Benjin rolled over and stood up holding his cigar over the fire and tapping it to shake off the ashes. He wasn’t a child any more. Long since the war had turned his soft baby face hard, and the twinkle of mischief in his eye to that of determination. Erin often wondered what her parent’s would think of him if they had known he had followed her into the war. “To Private Lee, George and all those who aren't here with us today. May they share our victories and may we see them in days that never come.” Benjin stood tall over the group, delivering his speech like a eulogy. Devin tossed the whiskey at him and Benjin caught it in one hand before he took a long deep drink. Avis, Noe and Nikoil began clapping, and Devin let out a chain of whooping sounds to add to the noise. The bottle of whiskey passed between them and each took a drink before adding to the noise. “To a free humanity.” Avis cheered as she took the whiskey before passing it to Augtin who cradled the bottle reluctantly. “Fine… To a… To a restful night.” Augtin spoke sheepishly, his blue eyes looking into the bottle as if it held all the secrets. Devin patted him on his shoulder urged him, “Say it and make it so!” Augtin took a long sip of the whiskey as if that would give him the courage to demand it. “To a restful night!” Augtin said louder and with more force. His will reverberating with the words. Avis cheered him on, and his face softened at that. He passed the bottle to Erin who had been quiet to this point with little idea on what to possibly toast to. The clapping had turned into stomping on the ground and slapping hands against their thighs. Their will giving the bonfire an energy that had been missing from the marches, a life that had been sapped from the karzian country side since the war started. It was refreshing, a glimmer of hope in the darkest of nights. Would this be how the world would feel once the fighting stopped? Erin hoped it would, and so she added her will to the bonfire, standing up next to her brother, “To a swift end to the war!” She shouted pouring all her will into those words, and downing a big gulp of whiskey. It burned her throat on the way down. Benjin patted his sister on the back and grinned, “I hate this name but you all agreed to it, so to the Shroud!”

Noe got up and pulled his helmet off, the stubs of his antlers poked through still covered in netting to look like branches, “To the Shroud! May we always walk in the shadow of our enemies!”

Avis stood up, “To the shroud, may our enemies always be blind to our advance!”

Nikoil threw a fist into the air, “To the Shroud! May our aim be true!”

“To the Shroud! If our end ever comes may it be swift!” Augtin frowned.

“To the Shroud! Let even the gods of earth and fire fear us!” Devin cheered.

Erin poured what was left of the whiskey into the fire, which erupted into beacon of light crackling with a ferocity she hadn’t been expecting. She pulled back away from the flame. Augtin yelped in fear, but Avis and Devin kept laughing. It took a moment for everyone to relax around the campfire again. Augtin turned his yelp into a laugh, at once feeling at ease. Erin felt like a child again, laughing and screaming in the school yard with out a care in the world. She was close to these people, closer than she had been with kids in school. She wanted the bonfire to last forever to feel this at ease with a group of people like she hadn’t for years. But she knew when they woke in the morning they would still be here on the battle field in the middle of a war that was bigger than all of them. So she would savor Augtin’s laugh, and Avi’s smile, and the serene look Noe had as he spoke of his family back home in Lae Lumas. Devin’s teasing, and her brother’s happiness. At least before the truth would come out that she had never told her parent’s that he had signed up for the war too.

“GAurh!-” Devin cried as he fell back into the trench clutching his shoulder. The laughter died and five faces turned slowly to Devin’s slumped and weeping form. “We’re under attack!” Benjin cried out leaping to grab his rifle from the wall. A ring of another bullet flying just over head. “Erin, Noe shield us!” He ordered. Noe’s voice came out in odd notes, that sounded like the wind and rain yet his will seeped into every sound commanding the patches of grass to grow together into a net and continue to grow slowly forming a barricade around the trench. A spriggan magic, Erin might never be able to fathom. Erin barely had a moment to tie her arcanatom gauntlet on, fumbling she hugged the wall of the trench as Benjin pulled up next to her and started firing blindly into the night. Behind them Avis and Nikoil picked up D’gaian rifles and took up position on the wall but their firing did nothing. The bullets whizzed through the darkness, and the enemy fired back. Augtin put out the fire with a bucket of water plunging them into darkness. The enemies fire becoming more chaotic. “Erin we could really use a wall!” Benjin stated as his rifle fired quick concussive shots into the darkness. “I’m trying!” The clasp was stuck and the gauntlet refused to pull tight enough for the silver in the gauntlet to  touch her skin. Her will barely reacting to the gauntlets presences. A patch of fire erupted nearly ten feet away from them, flushing in enough light for Erin to see where the clasp was stuck and pulled it free. Looking up briefly she could see feet rushing at them from the surrounding tree line on the other side of the mound. “Erin!” Benjin pleaded. She leaped up from the wall of the trench and forced all her will into the gauntlet, feeling her sense of the world expand around her as it did; Suddenly she was aware of the wills of her squad mates, Devin was still sparking  brightly against her’s; he would live. Down the mound she could feel the wills of D’gaian soldiers, at least forty of them rushing up the mound. Doing what she could she made her hand into a fist and focused on the ground in front of them. They needed a wall and so the universe would make it so. She lifted her hands, feeling the will of the soil and rock grind against her’s as it desired only one thing, to stay where it was. Her will was her communication with the rock and soil, it demanded the rock rise and it did. Lifting up from the ground as if the rock had been carved into a slab of stone five feet thick and maybe twenty feet high. Just as the wall came up she felt something pass over her, “Get down!-” She tried to cry out but it was too late for her to catch the thing. She turned to see  the object drop next to her brother, clatter and burst into a flaming bolt of light. Erin didn’t get a chance to fight it, she just felt the white hot searing pain wreck its way across her flesh and sent her flying back into the stone wall before her mind went black.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

What other fandoms are you familiar enough with to use as an AU prompt? Pokemon Trainer AU? Homestuck AU (they'd still probably die but at least there are lots of ways to come back to life)?

I’m not that familiar with Homestuck, definitely not enough to do an AU.  I read the novelizations of the Pokemon show as a kid but never saw the show or played any of the video games.  I did play the super-obscure Pokemon board game, but most of my trading cards were printed in Japanese (I had a strange childhood), so my experience there is, uh, probably not quite overlapping with everyone else’s.

Anyway, if you want list of all my fandoms… Boy howdy.  I don’t think I can come up with them all.  However, I can list everything that comes to mind between now and ~20 minutes from now when I have to end my procrastination break and go back to dissertating.  So here it is, below the cut:

Okay, there is no way in hell I’ll be able to make an exhaustive list.  But off the top of my head, the fandoms I’m most familiar/comfortable with are as follows:

Authors (as in, I’ve read all or most of their books)

Patricia Briggs

Megan Whalen Turner

Michael Crichton

Marge Piercy

Stephenie Meyer

Dean Koontz

Stephen King

Neil Gaiman

K.A. Applegate

Ernest Hemingway

Tamora Pierce

Roald Dahl

Short Stories/Anthologies

A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor

The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

I Am Legend, Richard Matheson

Dubliners, James Joyce

Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes

Who Goes There? John W. Campbell

The Man Who Bridged the Mist, Kij Johnson

Flatland, Edwin Abbott

I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream, Harlan Ellison

To Build a Fire, Jack London

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bier

At the Mountains of Madness/Cthulu mythos, H.P. Lovecraft

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle

The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving

The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury

Close Range: Wyoming Stories, E. Annie Proulx

The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

Bartleby the Scrivener (and a bunch of others), Herman Melville

Books (Classics)

Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

The Secret Annex, Anne Frank

Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut

The Stranger, Albert Camus

The Call of the Wild, Jack London

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Atonement, Ian McEwan

1984, George Orwell

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith

The Iliad/The Odyssey, Homer

Metamorphoses, Ovid

Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne

The Time-Machine, H.G. Wells

The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, Hamlet, MacBeth, Othello, and The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Thomas Stoppard

Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett

Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood

Books (YA SF)

Young Wizards series, Diane Duane

Redwall, Brian Jaques

The Dark is Rising sequence, Susan Cooper

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Diana Wynne Jones

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix

The Giver series, Lois Lowry

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld

Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt

A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin

Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle

Unwind, Neal Shusterman

The Maze Runner series, James Dashner

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia C. Wrede

Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Louis Sachar

Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

Coraline, Neil Gaiman

Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi

Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice

Poppy series, Avi

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

Tithe, Holly Black

Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer

Blood and Chocolate, Annette Curtis Klause

Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

Haunted, Gregory Maguire

Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block

Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White

East, Edith Pattou

Z for Zachariah, Robert C. O’Brien

The Looking-Glass Wars, Frank Beddor

The Egypt Game, Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Homecoming, Cynthia Voigt

Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll

The Landry News, Andrew Clements

Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson

Bloody Jack, L.A. Meyer

The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner

A Certain Slant of Light, Laura Whitcomb

Generation Dead, Daniel Waters

Pendragon series, D.J. MacHale

Silverwing, Kenneth Oppel

Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Define Normal, Julie Anne Peters

Hawksong, Ameila Atwater Rhodes

Heir Apparent, Vivian Vande Velde

Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Keys to the Kingdom series, Garth Nix

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanley

My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George

Daughters of the Moon series, Lynne Ewing

The Midwife’s Apprentice, Karen Cushman

Island of the Aunts, Eva Ibbotson

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, Nancy Farmer

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray

A School for Sorcery, E. Rose Sabin

The House with a Clock in Its Walls, John Bellairs

The Edge Chronicles, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Hope was Here, Joan Bauer

Bunnicula, James Howe

Wise Child, Monica Furlong

Silent to the Bone, E.L. Konigsburg

The Twenty-One Balloons, William Pene du Bois

Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, Gail Giles

The Supernaturalist, Eoin Colfer

Blue is for Nightmares, Laurie Faria Stolarz

Mystery of the Blue Gowned Ghost, Linda Wirkner

Wait Till Helen Comes, Mary Downing Hahn

I was a Teenage Fairy, Francesca Lia Block

City of the Beasts series, Isabelle Allende

Summerland, Michael Chabon

The Geography Club, Brent Hartinger

The Last Safe Place on Earth, Richard Peck

Liar, Justine Larbalestier

The Doll People, Ann M. Martin

The Lost Years of Merlin, T.A. Barron

Matilda Bone, Karen Cushman

Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger

The Tiger Rising, Kate DiCamillo

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

In the Forests of the Night, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My Teacher is an Alien, Bruce Coville

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Julie Andrews Edwards

Storytime, Edward Bloor

Magic Shop series, Bruce Coville

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket

Veritas Project series, Frank Peretti

The Once and Future King, T.H. White

Raven’s Strike, Patricia Briggs

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, Gregory Maguire

The Wind Singer, William Nicholson

Sweetblood, Pete Hautman

The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White

Half Magic, Edward Eager

A Ring of Endless Light, Madeline L'Engle

The Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riordan

Maximum Ride series, James Patterson

The Edge on the Sword, Rebecca Tingle

World War Z, Max Brooks

Adaline Falling Star, Mary Pope Osborne

Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi

Parable of the Sower series, Octavia Butler

I, Robot, Isaac Asimov

Neuomancer, William Gibson

Dune, Frank Herbert

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth

The Martian, Andy Weir

Skeleton Man, Joseph Bruchac

Comics/Manga

Marvel 616 (most of the major titles)

Marvel 1610/Ultimates

Persepolis

This One Summer

Nimona

Death Note

Ouran High School Host Club

Vampire Knight

Emily Carroll comics

Watchmen

Fun Home

From Hell

American Born Chinese

Smile

The Eternal Smile

The Sandman

Calvin and Hobbes

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For

TV Shows

Fullmetal Alchemist

Avatar the Last Airbender

Teen Titans (2003)

Luke Cage/Jessica Jones/Iron Fist/Defenders/Daredevil/The Punisher

Agents of SHIELD/Agent Carter

Supernatural

Sherlock

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Firefly

American Horror Story

Ouran High School Host Club

Orange is the New Black

Black Sails

Stranger Things

Westworld

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Movies

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Jurassic Park/Lost World/Jurassic World/Lost Park?

The Breakfast Club

Cloverfield/10 Cloverfield Lane/The Cloverfield Paradox

Attack the Block

The Prestige

Moon

Ferris Bueler’s Day Off

Django Unchained/Kill Bill/Inglourious Basterds/Hateful 8/Pulp Fiction/etcetera

Primer

THX 1138/Akira/How I Live Now/Lost World/[anything I’ve named a fic after]

Star Wars

The Meg

A Quiet Place

Baby Driver

Mother!

Alien/Aliens/Prometheus

X-Men (et al.)

10 Things I Hate About You

The Lost Boys

Teen Wolf

Juno

Pirates of the Caribbean (et al.)

Die Hard

Most Disney classics: Toy Story, Mulan, Treasure Planet, Emperor’s New Groove, etc.

Most Pixar classics: Up, Wall-E, The Incredibles

The Matrix

Dark Knight trilogy

Halloween

Friday the 13th

A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Descent

Ghostbusters

Ocean’s Eight/11/12/13

King Kong

The Conjuring

Fantastic Four

Minority Report/Blade Runner/Adjustment Bureau/Total Recall

Fight Club

Spirited Away

O

Disturbing Behavior

The Faculty

Poets

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Marge Piercy

Thomas Hardy

Sigfried Sassoon

W. B. Yeats

Edgar Allan Poe

Ogden Nash

Margaret Atwood

Maya Angelou

Emily Dickinson

Matthew Dickman

Karen Skolfield

Kwame Alexander

Ellen Hopkins

Shel Silverstein

Musicals/Stage Plays

Les Miserables

Repo: The Genetic Opera

The Lion King

The Phantom of the Opera

Rent

The Prince of Egypt

Pippin

Into the Woods

A Chorus Line

Hairspray

Evita

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Fiddler on the Roof

Annie

Fun Home

Spring Awakening

Chicago

Cabaret

The Miser

The Importance of Being Earnest

South Pacific

Godspell

Wicked

The Wiz

The Wizard of Oz

Man of La Mancha

The Sound of Music

West Side Story

Matilda

Sweeney Todd

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Nunsense

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown/Snoopy

1776

Something Rotten

A Very Potter Musical

Babes in Toyland

Carrie: The Musical

Amadeus

Annie Get Your Gun

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The Final Battle

Rock of Ages

Cinderella

Moulin Rouge

Honk

Labyrinth

The Secret Garden

Reefer Madness

Bang Bang You’re Dead

NSFW

War Horse

Peter Pan

Suessical

Sister Act

The Secret Annex

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Disclaimer 1: Like a lot of people who went to high school in the American South, my education in literature is pretty shamefully lacking in a lot of areas.  (As in, during our African American History unit in ninth grade we read To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn… and that was it.  As in, our twelfth-grade US History class, I shit you not, covered Gone With the Wind.)  There were a lot of good teachers in with the *ahem* Less Woke ones (how I read Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Bluest Eye) and college definitely set me on the path to trying to find books written/published outside the WASP-ier parts of the U.S., but the overall list is still embarrassingly hegemonic.

Disclaimer 2: There are a crapton of errors — typos, misspelled names, misattributions, questionable genre classifications, etc. — in here.  If you genuinely have no idea what a title is supposed to be, ask me.  Otherwise, please don’t bother letting me know about my mistakes.

Disclaimer 3: I am not looking for recommendations.  My Goodreads “To Read” list is already a good 700 items long, and people telling me “if you like X, then you’ll love Y!” genuinely stresses me the fuck out.

Disclaimer 4: There are no unproblematic faves on this list.  I love Supernatural, and I know that Supernatural is hella misogynistic.  On the flip side: I don’t love The Lord of the Rings at all, partially because LOTR is hella misogynistic, but I also don’t think that should stop anyone else from loving LOTR if they’re willing to love it and also acknowledge its flaws. 

[cookinguptales]

books I’m getting rid of (part 1)

So I’m moving!

One thing that means is just. Getting rid of a lot of shit because I don’t want to move it. I’m going to be doing a lot of destashing, but this post is specifically about books. These are just the books on my bookshelf; I’m sure I will find many more by the time I’m done, and that’ll be in part 2.

I’ll be donating at least 25% and using the rest for moving expenses. I’m thinking Immigration Equality, the Hispanic Federation, or Dysautonomia International for the donation? But I’m open to suggestions.

Anyway, I didn’t want to futz around with how much to charge for the books, so let’s just say $5 for the paperbacks, $10 for the hardbacks, plus shipping. (Let’s say like $3.50 a book for shipping, unless we’re dealing in a lot of hardbacks or something. I think that’s about right for media mail + mailer? If you’re getting a ton of books or you’re outside the US, we’ll talk.)

Feel free to haggle or ask questions about edition, condition, translation, whatever.

I loved some of these books, I hated some of these books. Some were for class, some for pleasure, some gifts from people who did not know me very well. All of them are taking up a lot of room.

PB — paperback HC — hardcover

Fiction:

Sister (Rosamund Lupton) (PB)

The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Bertolt Brecht) (PB)

Firebirds Soaring (fantasy anthology) (HC)

Killing Time (Caleb Carr) (PB)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs) (PB)

Hollow City (Ransom Riggs) (HC)

The Tale of Genji (Murasaki Shikibu) (PB)

Time cat (Lloyd Alexander) (PB)

Inkspell (Cornelia Funke) (note: this one is pretty beat up) (PB)

Peter and the Starcatchers (Barry/Pearson) (PB)

Jazz (Toni Morrison) (PB)

Faust I & II (Goethe) (PB)

Deep Secret (Diana Wynne Jones) (PB)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) (PB)

The Harder They Come (Michael Thelwell) (PB)

The Grey Fairy Book (Andrew Lang) (PB)

The Crimson Fairy Book (Andrew Lang) (PB)

The Green Fairy Book (Andrew Lang) (PB)

Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier) (PB)

The Master & Margarita (Mikhail Bulgakov) (PB)

Antigone (Sophocles) (PB)

Season of Migration to the North (Tayeb Salih) (PB)

Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie) (PB)

Ancillary Sword (Ann Leckie) (PB)

Ancillary Mercy (Ann Leckie) (HC)

Non-fiction:

From Impressionism to Anime: Japan as Fanta and Fan Cult in the Mind of the West (Susan J Napier) (PB)

Purity and Danger (Mary Douglas) (PB)

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto (Julia Child) (HC)

The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction (Jan Harold Brunvand) (HC)

Missions to the Calusa (John H. Hann) (HC)

Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends (Jan Harold Brunvand) (PB)

Everyone Eats (E. N. Anderson) (PB)

The Return of Martin Guerre (Natalie Zemon Davis) (PB)

Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft (Paul Boyer, Stephen Nissenbaum) (PB)

The Revolution of Peter the Great (James Cracraft) (PB)

The Souls of Black Folk (W. E. B. Du Bois) (PB)

Kitchen Secrets: The Meaning of Cooking in Everyday Life (Frances Short) (PB)

Russia: People & Empire, 1552-1917 (Geoffrey Hosting) (PB)

Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation (Mary Daly) (PB)

Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon (Kathryn Lofton) (PB)

Gleanings in Buddha-Fields (Lafcadio Hearn) (PB)

Food & Culture: A Reader, 2nd Edition (Carole Counihan) (PB)

Women & Religious Traditions (Leona M. Anderson) (PB)

Major Problems in the History of Imperial Russia (James Cracraft) (PB)

Comics/Manga:

(All TPB/tankoubon & in English unless otherwise noted.)

Vagabond 1-3 (Takehiko Inoue)

Marvel Adventures Avengers 1

The Little Book of Hindu Deities (Sanjay Patel)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Saga I (Brian K Vaughan)

Hatter M 1-3 (Frank Beddor)

Trick 'r Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief (John Griffin)

Muppet King Arthur (Paul Benjamin)

Foiled (Jane Yolen)

Unwritten I (Mike Carey)

Adventure Time 1 (Ryan North)

Violent Cases (Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean)

The Underburbs (haley-bore)

The Clockwork Girl  (Sean O’Reilly, Kevin Hanna)

Scott Pilgrim #3 (Bryan Lee O’Malley)

Haunted House (Mitsukazu Mihara)

Adventure Time Encyclopedia (Martin Olson) (HC)

Other: A study Bible, man, idk, I mostly just used it for class (PB)