#Sadie the starfish

[goldenstrwbrry]

Now some kinitopet OC stuff!! With OCs belonging to @pacifyai, @divineruins00 and @maxzemillian !!! (And well my OC too hehe)

[charthurlover]

What perfume/cologne would the Van Der Linde gang wear

hi!! this is my first tumblr post, and i don’t exactly know how to do this or work the app, so forgive me if this is horribly worded or confusing.

anyways, this is my opinion on what colognes or perfumes the gang would wear. horses and cain included, since they are technically a member of the gang!!

Abigail -

something woodsy, maybe like the forest or a campfire, cedar wood, trees, plants.

examples:

- G-Water

- Tam Dao

- Snoqualine

Arthur -

tobacco, scent of alcohol, mud, outdoors.

examples:

- Jasmin et Cigarette

- Rien

- Earthworm

Baylock -

ashes, grease.

examples:

- Tobacco Blaze

- Garage

- La Yuquam Homme

Bill -

any popular male fragrances, or like gunpowder and fire.

examples:

- 9mm Ballistic Therapy

- High Noon

- Campfire Nights

Boaz -

dynamite, money.

examples:

- Wall Street

- Don Xerjoff

- 1805 Tonnerre BeauFort London

Branwen -

oatcakes, apples, water.

examples:

- Lostmarch Lann-Ael

- Be Delicious

- Cavalli Acqua

Bob -

blood, gunpowder, sweat.

examples:

- Vena Cava

- Richard Dark Side

- Secretions Magnefique

Brown Jack

pomade, alcohol, blood.

examples:

- Classic Fragrance

- Heeley Agarwood

- Molotov Cocktail

Cain -

dog, mud, grass.

examples:

- La Panthere Edition Soir

- Grass

- Zoologist Bat

Charles -

light florals, nature, clean fur.

examples:

- Coach Floral

- Super Cedar

- Coyote

Dutch -

blood, metal, tears.

examples:

- Vassago

- Spacewalk

- Rainy Season of Dresden

Davey -

snow, wood, fire.

examples:

- Waltz of the Snowflakes

- Tobacco Vanille

- Inquisitor

Enis -

whiskey, beer, grass.

examples:

- Tom Oud

- Stout ‘n Smoke

- Dune Road

Grimshaw -

sulfur, metal, cinnamon.

examples:

- Bloody Smoke

- Vanille Absolu

- Jupiter

Gwydion -

birds, leather, salt.

examples:

- Seemannn

- Black Saffron

- Millésime Impérial

Hosea -

moonshine, stew, metal.

examples:

- Moscow Mule

- Starfish & Coffee

- Santal 33

Jack -

water, horse, corn oil.

examples:

- Petrichor

- Cuir de Russie

- Seems Legit

Javier -

mahogany, cotton, musk.

examples:

- Redwood Leaves

- Lazy Sunday Morning

- Urban Musk

Jenny -

snow, wool, wood.

examples:

- Redwood Mist

- Battaniye

- Grey Vetiver

John -

sweat, musk, grease

examples:

- Flores Negras

- Silver Musk

- Cristina La Veneno Ni Puta Ni Santa

Kieran -

blood, grass, oats.

examples:

- Hora de la Verdad Sombra

- Figuier Eden

- Harran

Karen -

beer, guns, whiskey.

examples:

- Beguile

- Wicked John

- Kutay

Lenny -

blood, books, bullets.

examples:

- Seems Legit

- Diamonitirion - elixir atonit

- Moon Child

Mac -

metal, bullets, kerosene.

examples:

- Craft

- Iron Duke

- Nuvolari Rubini

Maggie -

dirt, stone, bog.

examples:

- Le Sillage Blanc

- During the Rain

- Swamp elixir

Mary-Beth -

books, ink, gold.

examples:

- Bibliophilia: Love of Books

- Supreme Vanilla

- Royal Blood

Micah -

rot, corn, mold.

examples:

- Saint Louis Cemetery #1

- Funerie

- French Kiss

Molly -

roses, grass, trees.

examples:

- Roses Musk

- Leila Lou

- Colors de Benetton

Nell II -

sweat, cows, pig.

examples:

- Amyi 3.17

- Cuir de Russie

- Hyrax

Old Belle -

carrots, beer, hay.

examples:

- Carotte

- Sónar

- Basilico & Fellini

Old Boy -

musk, tears, cow.

examples:

- Another 13

- Ozone

- Osmanthus

Pearson -

meat, vegetables, crawfish.

examples:

- Gino: Steak Scented Eau de Parfum

- Eau de Cuisine

- Wild Carrot Oud

Reverend -

whiskey, incense, coffee.

examples:

- 7 Loewe

- Bourbon e Fava Tonka

- Black Opium

Sadie -

blood, tears, gunpowder.

examples:

- Bull’s Blood 2nd Edition

- Cool Glacier

- Rendez-Vous!

Sean -

whiskey, sweat, bullets.

examples:

- Malt Akro

- Monochrome

- Amour Nocturne

Silver Dollar -

fire, wool, metal.

examples:

- Encens Pyro

- The Sheepfold, Moonlight

- Rosenrot

Taima -

deer, blood, meat.

examples:

- Ma Bete

- Trinity Blood

- Good Girl Gone Bad

The Count -

sugarcubes, peaches, pears.

examples:

- Pixie Dust

- Allure Eau de Parfum

- First Base

Trelawny -

doves, rabbits, silk.

examples:

- Ruğa Sablo

- Wet Garden

- Baklava Musk

Tilly -

bullets, baby powder, swamps.

examples:

- 266ts Pontiff’s Harley

- Cashmere Mist Eau de Toilette

- Haxan

Uncle -

manure, horse, cow.

examples:

- D’zing

- L’heure Fougueuse

- Zoologist Cow

again, this is my first post so i’m very sorry about it being bad or isn’t looking right for tumblr. so sorry.

[curedeity]

It’s fanfic day-

Okay so if you haven’t noticed today I went around and dropped an ask in like… most of my beyblade mutuals (and some nonmutuals I think?) inboxes and asked them for their favorite fics. If you didn’t receive an ask but wanna do this, like, go ahead? I probably was just like “oh hmmmmm idk if this person wants me in their inbox”

But! I’m also gonna take this chance and gush about some of my favorite beyblade fanfics, because I recently buckled down and actually got through a lot of the ones I wanted to. 

Gotta start with “The Previous Wielder (Is Just a Guy)” by @artisadie (or squirt1254 on ao3). The fact Sadie has not published any more fics is criminal. Like, Sadie, it’s an actual crime that you gave me this fic and then nothing more. The dynamic written between Gingka and Ryo here is so compelling, managing to merge a serious reflection with their combined goofiness. It’s just really well-written, and also pretty short for anyone who wants a quick read.

My government mandated @lady-lazagna fic is “Christmas with Kenta” (on ao3) which I think is the first one I read of hers. A lot of her fics are very good, including Wounded Pride and especially the second chapter of Metal Mayhem, but I think this is the first work of hers I read, and one that really stuck with me. I like the way it manages to handle this sort of bittersweet feeling, choosing a slightly darker route of Ryuga’s future post-canon if he stayed alive, but also bringing it this very mundane feel. I think it’s an amazing work of both characterization of a wide cast, and also masterfully balances its tone.

As for another Kenta and Ryuga bonding Christmas themed fic, we’ve got “so this is christmas (the war is over)” by @little-christmas-song (ssongpyeon on ao3). Once again, Song, this is active violence against me for this to be your only published fic. Your writing style is addictive. This fic does focus a lot more on the dynamic between Ryuga and Kenta, and is a much more mellow piece taking place further post-canon. Song has a really good understanding of language, and their writing style is honestly incredible. I really love the way it sneaks it characterization for some of its supporting cast as well, and I think it’s just a really chill read overall.

And now for another absolute legend of the ao3, we have @starfishes-and-watercolors or CallmeCloudyorVal on ao3. There’s a lot of fics of theirs I like, from their Tithi fics to Adoption AU, but after thinking for about a minute I found that I could confidently say “The Working Dead” is my favorite fic of theirs. The fic focuses on Madoka and Yuki just having conversations with each other while being absolutely stressed from work at the WBBA, and I can confidently say this fic definitely influenced a fair few headcanons I have for them. It really helped me realize just how good of a dynamic these two could have, and is a pretty fun read for me just for that. The fic is just also very funny at many parts, especially when Yuki and Madoka get the closest to murder.

Lightning round! “Temple Tetris” by DinoSohn (on ao3) is a short humorous piece about Dynamis. It gave me a good laugh, and will probably do the same for you.

“Spicy sweet potato chips” by @ladyryukyo (mademoiselle1 on ao3) is also just a quick work about Ryo that I enjoy, and it focuses on Kyoya and Ryo’s dynamic. It’s got a pretty humorous concept, and executes that humor really well. I like the mundane insanity it has.

It was hard to choose for @heybeyby (candiedshekelsss on ao3) because I really enjoyed “A Leaf-Colored Contemplation” (btw, banger title) but I gotta go with “Fallen Down Where The Dead Boys Go” (seriously wtf is up with all your titles slapping???). How could I not, I got so much lore for this fic given to me and so much fear placed into me. This is a Shogun Steel fic, and a more plot heavy one at that, but if you’ve watched Shogun Steel I can’t recommend this fic enough. It has really good narration for each character so far, and a lot of good character building as well. I am so excited for where this fic will go, and especially excited for the characterizations of Maru and Ren we’ve gotten so far, and where those will go too.

At this point I have started to forget who I’ve mentioned by now and who I haven’t. Gonna come clean and say I am writing this post ahead of time, on google docs, and I’m still getting lost.

Time for some longer multichapters!

First off, I’d like to mention “From Different Eyes” by @masterofdemise (on ao3). This fic is about Dynamis and Pluto post-canon swapping bodies, and has a lot good character building for underutilized canon characters (Elysse counts). But most of all, this fic absolutely embraces the humor of the situation, and the humor of the characters. It is constantly leaning into the absurd, and the humor is written with the characters well in mind. I could go on for a while about how humor is used in this fic, but it absolutely makes it worth the read even if you aren’t interested in Dynamis or Pluto.

“And then there were 4” by @voidix (on ao3) is likely one of the most plot-heavy beyblade fics I’ve read. It takes a lot to commit to making a plot-heavy multichapter, and the set-up and revelations so far in this fic are quite fun. It has a lot of that beyblade absurdity, and I’m glad I read it.

@andro-dino has many good fics, though I don’t think my favorite choice will surprise anyone, as I wrote a fic inspired by it! “This Body of Mine?” (on ao3) Is a short, Toby-centric fic, and I think it’s just a really sweet character study. I don’t really know what to say about it other than it’s a good read, and definitely one anyone interested in Toby’s fanon character growth should read (we are seriously giving this dude so much).

@qloof has got a lot of fics published, but the one I’m gonna choose is “King and Tithi’s Pranking Adventure” (on ao3)  I just found it genuinely funny and sweet. I hope another chapter gets written, but if not, it’s still a solid read for anyone who’s interested, and has really fun characterizations for the legendary blader cast.

“Hagane” by @mellythedork (on ao3) is also a very neat fic, I love the magic it embraces for the mfb universe, and a lot of the writing is very cool. I’d definitely encourage you to read it if you’re a Ryo fan like I am, or just want to see Doji get his shit wrecked.

For my last fic, I wanna quickly shoutout “Gesso” by Arcylic (on ao3) which without a doubt really made me interested in what Team Starbreaker dynamics could be like. It focuses on Zeo and Jack’s dynamic, and has a lot of really fun dialogue between the two. I can bet this fic started a wave of people absolutely ready to try their own hand at the starbreaker dynamic.

Now, I can’t very well let the opportunity to talk about myself just pass me by. I have 53 published beyblade fics, so you can imagine it might be a bit hard for me to choose.

I will say if you’ve watched Shogun Steel, even just a bit, and haven’t read “Stolen Pride” yet, I’d absolutely encourage you to. Since I started in this fandom, I’ve really tried to make narratives about feminism that deal with the issues of the show in an in-universe manner. “Stolen Pride” is my newest work to explicitly focus on that, and I’d love people to read it and tell me what they enjoyed and didn’t. It’s a discussion I really want to have.

“Darkness in Triplicate” is one of my longest Hikaru-centric works, and a bit of a dark read, but I think absolutely worthwhile. I have always wanted to pull off adding Hikaru into the Masters plot, and I think with this fic I finally managed to do so.

Finally, I have to mention “By the Dead of Morning/I’ll be Better for It/And then Fortified I’ll Rise” which is the Faust joins Starbreaker early AU. I put likely way too much effort into this fic, and I really hope I’m not banned from other secret santas because of it (not that I’ll promise to not do it again…). It isn’t entirely my headcanons, but I really like the writing I did for this, along with the concept itself. It’s one of my longest works yet, and the fact I pulled it off makes me so proud of myself.

If you read this far, congratulations! You’re insane! But I’m really glad you read all this, I really appreciate a lot of beyblade fic writers, and actually committing and reading all the fics I’ve wanted to was a really good time. I hope if any of the fics on this list interest you, you go and check them out! And maybe leave a comment for the author. We’ve got an honestly impressive ficwriting community for how tiny this show is, and I can’t wait to see if even more people join! Yknow… so long as they’re not the type of people I gotta use that new mute function on… BUT WE’RE BEING POSITIVE AND HEY

We got a lot of cool fics :)))

[mixedkid-matchup]

Updated Book Bracket

the cat won...........

anyway?? i'll upload this first full round TMR from like 8-10 AM MST

Luo Binghe (The Scum Villain’s Self Saving System) VS. Mistyfoot (Warrior Cats)

Carter & Sadie Kane (Kane Chronicles) VS. Minotaur (Greek Mythology)

Seraphina Dombegh (Seraphina) VS. Kiko Himura (Starfish)

Gratuity Tucci (The True Meaning of Smekday) VS. Todd/Squee (Johnny the Homocidal Maniac)

Butler (Artemis Fowl) VS. Jesper Fahey (Grishaverse)

Sunny (Wings of Fire) VS. Hollyleaf (Warrior Cats)

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles) VS. Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Winter (Lunar Chronicles) VS. Naomi & Owen León (Becoming Naomi León)

[masterofdemise]

Top 5 mfb aus! Can be either yours or those of others!

Shoot this is very hard because I suck at ranking them. Instead, I'll list the AUs that I really like the ideas for, not really in any order just ones I love coming across. I'll also include one of my AUs (this one should be obvious) but for the most part, I would like to feature the AUs that other people have made.

@artisadie 's Ryo Survives the Volcano Instead of Gingka AU: This AU just has so much angst and it's so well thought out. I may not pay much attention to Ryo or Gingka most of the time but Sadie is always so good at keeping me intrigued. Absolutely love seeing the art associated with this particular AU.

2. @curedeity Faust Joins Team Star Breaker Early AU: This AU that you made as a secret santa gift is just so good I love the way you characterize Faust in this fic. It's so angsty but I love how you tie it all up in the end in such a nice manner. Faust actually gets to become his own character? That's pretty crazy.

Fanfic I am talking about is here:

3. @starfishes-and-watercolors's AUs with Yuki and Motti, in particular their most recent one where Yuki is kidnapped early in Fury: This AU is SO funny I love the interactions between Yuki and Motti and how much the villains get clowned on. It's so funny to just think about how much Motti can embarrass Johannes and Pluto when they do finally confront each other during the actual events of Fury. There are also some really cool concepts relating to how the star fragments work in this AU and the history behind the legendary bladers. I would definitely recommend reading the fic for this AU, it is hilarious. Val and I have discussed many AUs with eachother and they're all so funny but this is the one that comes up to my mind first at the moment.

4. SilverSwirl's "Never Too Late" Fanfic where Nemesis succeeds in defeating the Legendary Bladers and the gang is on the run: This fanfiction I found around last year while searching for Pluto content and I actually really enjoy the concept behind this one fic and its AU. To no one's surprise, I became very attached to the Pluto and Johannes backstory they gave and I think it's so interesting to see how their strained friendship is developed throughout the story. I'm so sad the fic stopped updating in 2017 because despite how strained Pluto and Johannes' friendship is, it's clear they still had concerns for one another and I'll never know if they ended up being separated due to Pluto's own choice to sacrifice himself, or if he finally decided to put his friendship first in the priority list. I will admit, I have not read the whole thing because I may or may not have skimmed just to read the Pluto stuff, but those bits where Pluto and Johannes are in it are so good (Chapter 23 and 27 have me dead, but in a good way).

It's a pretty old fic, and unfinished at that but god I always think about the Pluto/Johannes lore here.

5. My Solar Swap AU: I was originally not going to put my own AUs here, but considering how many ideas I bounced off of with Val and qloof, I just had to feature it here as well. The Solar Swap AU is by far my most developed alternate universe, actually going out of my way to create new designs and thinking about how different the world is just by switching up the roles of the Solar System/Nemesis Bladers. I have so much fun changing things up, while also trying to fix Fury in my own weird little way by making adjustments to the sections that I didn't like, or adding more story points to make the AU flow better. It's funny to me how much more I like Solar Swap Dynamis and Rago then I do in the original (although to be fair, they're not really much in the original to begin with). This AU is my definitely my favourite to develop out of all the MFB AUs I have (I don't count From Different Eyes since that follows very closely to the main headcanon universe that I have)

There are plenty more wonderful AUs that are probably out there, but these were the ones that just popped out from the top of my head :) Its amazing to see all the wonderful different alternate universes people come up with. Cool stuff!

[bates--boy]

With winter overstaying its welcome so close to spring, of course, the citizens of Karlstad will take advantage of the rare good days with clear skies and mildly warm winds, families and friends bustling about. Lines winding out of cafés and down the block, shoppers skipping in and out of stores, arms heavy with bags, kids piling into arcades and university students taking refuge in fast food joints. The animal conservatory was no exception.

Peter missed working in the aquarium terribly. It wasn't just being in the spotlight while performing graceful stunts and choreography in the air and water with his aquatic partners, drinking in the raucous applause from thr crowd. It was the contagious and delightful laughter of the children, the awe they held when Peter showed them the underside of the manta ray, or taught them the gestation period of bottlenose dolphins while pointing out the very pregnant bellies, or practically doing public relations for the great white sharks; it still amused him to remember how big their eyes got when they learn that cows, even vending machines, killed more people than sharks.

And though he'd never purport himself to be the likes of the great Steve Irwin, it was wonderful that he has someone to pass down his love of marine life to. Some would say that maybe it's too soon to do so when his someone has yet to learn how to use the toilet or hasn't even fully formed knees yet, but it's good to start early.

And today was a perfect day to start early, with Peter kneeling next to the touch pool. "Sadie, honey, look!" He said to the infant he held in his arm in a precarious angle so she could look into the pool. It did not matter that the child was half-asleep, or that she was currently thinking about the soft warmth of her mother's breasts and the delicious milk they held (despite having already eaten), Peter pointed and oohed and aahed.

"This is a starfish!" Peter cooed to Sadaf. "And that right there is an eel! And over there is a manta ray! Don't scare it, though, don't want you to get Irwined!" Tasteless and half-factual quip aside, this was an almost perfect outing, just the two of them, Peter pretending that Sadaf understood what he was sharing with her, Sadaf being her adorable self. Almost perfect, because he wished he could give her the full experience. Families surrounded them, kids reaching in the pool to rub and pat the oceanic creatures, to brush their fingers along the aquatic plants and squeal at the touch. There was too much of a dropping risk to hold Sadaf close to the pool's surface and maneuver her hand to touch any of the creatures.

"Hm..." Peter hummed, a thought coming to him. He readjusted Sadaf in his arm, lulling her into a false sense of naptime as he dipped his unoccupied fingers into the pool. He held in a gasp at the brisk coolness of the liquid, how enlivening it was. He touched his fingers to Sadaf's hand, coating her tiny fist in thr cold water.

Her drooping eyelids popped open, her head jerking straight. Peter smiled down at the child, his heart swelling at the awe and spark in her eyes.

Until her sparse brows knitted together, a deep line furrowing in her forehead; her eyes squeezed shut, and her toothless mouth opening and letting loose a peal of despairing, anguishing, and horrified cries.

"Awww, Sadaf, no!" Peter chuckled. He reached inside her bag to pull out a baby wipe, setting to work on wiping her hand clean and warming it. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry!"

[fxirytxlcfxtc]

descended-from-fairytales​:

Violet glares at him, but it’s half-hearted at best. He’s right, anyways. She needs to calm down and just… Enjoy the experience. Looking up at Bee, her gaze softens into a smile. It’ll be good. She takes that deep breath, and relaxes her iron grip on the stroller. “Okay, okay. Enjoying the moment. I promise.”

Waylon grins, and holds onto her legs, making sure she’s not going to fall. “We’re going to the aquarium. There are fish and sea creatures from all over the place to look at and I believe this one even has a place for you to touch some of them.”

“It does!” Violet calls out, shaking her head. “Ozwell has made me touch one too many starfish.”

Sadie just snorts out a laugh and shakes her head too.

Daniel smiles, leaning over and kissing Violet's cheek and looking at their daughter, melting slightly at the look of awe and excitement on her face. Their baby. His baby.

Bee's eyes are lit up, looking to the building ahead of them in awe. "Yay!!"

[itsshellybitch]

Here's a pre-canon one shot in honor of Shelly's official and apparently canon birthday!

EDIT: I wanted to queue this for the 24th, but I accidentally submitted it too early.

**********

Shelly had woken up in a good mood for once.

Her tenth birthday yesterday was probably the best one that she had ever had. Thanksgiving had fallen on the 22nd this year, so for once, the holiday didn't overshadow her big day. Her mother had taken her and some friends to see the new Sadie Dakota movie, followed by cake and presents. Shelly thought that she had gotten a pretty good haul this year.

So far, being in double digits was pretty great.

Shelly joined her family at the kitchen table and poured herself a bowl of the Mermaid Madness cereal that she had begged her dad to pick up at the grocery store.

Sharon shot a disapproving look at her daughter's breakfast. "Really, Shelly. That cereal is pure sugar! How about some oatmeal instead?"

"No, Mom! This cereal is going to be great!" Shelly spooned some of the pastel puffs into her mouth.

She nearly gagged.

Something was wrong.

The commercial had made the cereal look like manna from heaven. And the pink and aqua shell and starfish-shaped puffs were so pretty.

The cereal sure didn't taste pretty. In fact, it tasted like literal shit. Or at least what Shelly imagined shit to taste like.

Shelly did a double take. Her cereal was no longer pink and aqua, but an ugly shade of brown. The cute mermaid-themed shapes looked almost like... turds?

"Is something the matter, Shelly?" Sharon asked, noticing the disgusted look on her daughter's face.

"I think that the cereal went bad," Shelly managed to choke out.

"That's not possible. It doesn't expire for another six months." Sharon inspected the garish cereal box.

"Maybe it's the milk!"

"The milk is perfectly fine, Shelly. Maybe the cereal just isn't as good as you thought it would be."

Shelly wasn't about to prove her mother right. "I'm telling you, something's wrong with it! Here, turd! Taste this!" Shelly thrust her bowl towards Stan.

The six-year old cautiously took a bite. "I like it. Can I have a bowl, Mom?"

Shelly rolled her eyes. What did her kindergarten baby of a brother know anyways?

**********

Shelly slid the Sadie Dakota movie soundtrack album into her CD player. Yesterday's movie had been one of the best she had ever seen and she wanted to forget about her nauseating breakfast by losing herself in the music.

Something was wrong.

The noise that blared from the speakers wasn't the fun, bouncy bop that she remembered. It sounded suspiciously like her dad after a Taco Bell binge.

Maybe it was some kind of joke. Shelly skipped to the next track. And the next. No, it was all the same.

Did they put the wrong CD in the case? Shelly wondered. She took the disk out of the player and inspected it.

No, it was definitely Sadie Dakota. Shelly sighed and put the CD back in its case.

For the second time today, Shelly did a double take.

The blonde, bubbly pop star no longer adorned the album cover. She was replaced by what looked like a giant turd.

A confused Shelly flopped onto her bed. That cereal must have gotten to her.

**********

She didn't know what was happening to her.

It seemed like everything she had once loved was now shitty. Her food, her music, her favorite TV shows. Even her prized Zombie Junior High doll collection looked more like it belonged in the toilet instead of proudly displayed on her shelf.

Shelly was miserable and confused. And when Shelly was miserable and confused, she got angry.

Her latest bout of rage had landed her in the principal's office for the fifth time in a single week.

"Your daughter's behavior has been out of control lately, Mr. and Mrs. Marsh! I'm used to seeing her in my office for fighting, but not every single day of the week!"

"I don't know what to do, Principal Victoria!" Sharon despaired. "Shelly has always had a temper, but I've never seen anything like this!"

"Is everything alright at home?" Mr. Mackey chimed in. "Sometimes these things manifest at home, mmkay?"

"Everything's fine," Randy replied. "Except that Sharon's dinners have been a bit... lacking these days."

"Go to hell, Randy! Maybe if you picked up a bit of the slack once in awhile, I wouldn't be so overworked!"

Shelly tuned her parents out as they continued to argue.

**********

Shelly sat glumly on the couch. Everything was even shittier than usual. She doubted that she would ever be happy again.

Tears sprang to Shelly's eyes. She blinked them away. She was ten now. Crying was for babies. She would just have to find another way to cope.

Shelly stared out the window. Her brother and his green hat turd friend were running around the front yard playing some stupid game. Their laughter was like a needle piercing her eardrum.

She couldn't stomach the scene any longer. She had to do something. Shelly clenched her fists and headed for the front door.

If I can't be happy, then he doesn't deserve to be happy either!

[artemismoon12writes]

Title: A Hot Day

Daltonfic Big Bang: Week 5, Day 7: NSFW Wildcard 5 Dwiladie Vegas AU Continuity; Laura and Sadie have some time with just each other for one of the hottest days of the summer. 

“Laura, honey, it’s too hot for sex.” Sadie complained, turning the air conditioner down another two degrees, wondering if maybe it was broken. They were in the middle of the desert, but even this was ridiculous for Vegas.

“You’re too hot.” Laura grinned, hugging her fiancée around the shoulders. “Come on, it’s been like, a week since you’ve have a day off from the shop. I wanna be with you.”

“That was a shitty pickup line.” Sadie still couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her as Laura brushed her hair aside, tickling her neck before kissing it.

“Yeah well, I’m all out of the good ones. I had to steal from Dwight’s repertoire.” Laura insisted, pressing another kiss under Sadie’s ear.

“If he was here he’d tell you it was shitty even for his standards.”

“Yeah well he’s not. He’s in Kansas, which is not a desert- and goddamn why did we move to the desert?” Laura sighed, not letting go of Sadie.

“Because we don’t know anyone here and we wanted to avoid them for a while; so we could just be us.” Sadie repeated the same old mantra.

Laura smiled into Sadie’s neck, “So… why can’t we just be us for a while? Just you and me?”

Sadie sighed; but the air conditioning did seem to be kicking in, and she had missed Laura this week…

“Can we get the tower fan at least?”

“Um, duh.” Laura said, spinning Sadie around and leaning down to kiss her. “I wouldn’t want you to be sweating for any other reason than-”

Sadie laughed, rolling her eyes. “Laura! Come on! You need better lines!”

Laura pressed a quick kiss to Sadie’s lips before escaping into the bedroom. “Let a girl try!”

“I resent you referring yourself to anything other than a woman since you decided to get taller than me!” Sadie called, following Laura who was already turning on the tower fan in the bedroom.

“I got taller than you at like? 16 though? It’s been way too many years for you to keep complaining about that.”

The fan did a world of good in cooling down the bedroom; but even with the blinds drawn Sadie still knew the steaming pavement and melting tires were waiting for them outside the townhouse; itching for them to step outside and roast in the Nevada heat. Maybe they should get a basement dug, if only to have a place to retreat in the summers.

Laura rolled out onto their bed, sprawling like a starfish. “Come on, don’t make me do all the work.”

“This was your idea, I thought you were treating me.” Sadie teased, one hand on her hip. “I expect to be dazzled.”

Laura rolled off the bed, stepping up to Sadie, “Oh I can dazzle. But like, are you ready for what I throw at you?”

“You’re being silly.” She said, looking up at Laura’s goofy grin. “Just kiss me before you start really sounding stupid.”

“I’m trying to woo you.” Laura said, tilting Sadie’s chin up, her smile crinkling the corners of her dark blue eyes. “Let me woo.”

“Woo away honey.” Sadie said, softly as Laura kissed her. Gently at first, before nibbling at her lower lip and deepening it with a tilt of her head. Sadie gasped, Laura’s hand in her long hair and pulling her closer.

As hot as it was, they didn’t waste time shedding their layers, making a game of it to throw each item in a different corner of the room. It was laundry day tomorrow anyways; picking up shorts from the lamp in the corner was easier than bending down to the floor.  

At least that’s what Laura said when Sadie pointed it out; any further observations were rendered moot by Laura sliding her hands up Sadie’s sides, smoothing rolling flesh under hand and tracing a line to her breasts. Sadie bit back a giggle, sitting back on the bed and letting Laura touch her. It was purposeful and sure; they didn’t have to explore each other, because they’d already seen and discovered each other over and over, though there were always surprises, nothing was unfamiliar.

Sadie caught Laura’s neck, pulling her in for another kiss, Laura’s thumbs against her nipples, peaking to the touch. The tip of her tongue against Laura’s always made her catch her breath- even for just a moment. Each roll of Laura’s thumbs was consistent and soft, the way Sadie liked. It didn’t have to be hard; if it was too much all at once, she just ended up with a restless sheet of energy settling under her skin, weighing her down and not letting her get off, just plateauing uselessly. They had to build it slower.

“That’s good, just like that.” Sadie tightened her fingers for a moment, settling her hands on Laura’s shoulders.

Laura switched pressure but kept consistent, drawing a pleased noise from Sadie. “Glad to know I’m not rusty.”

“It’s been a week, not a year.” Sadie huffed, rolling her neck around working out a crick. “Besides, you’re always good to me. Huh, hey move up.”

Laura had her knee resting between Sadie’s legs on the bed, but they scooted up and over so Sadie could lay on her back. She shoved the pillows up behind her head, rolling another under her bottom so Laura wouldn’t strain herself.

“God we’re old. I need assistance to go down on my girlfriend.” Laura said, complaining into Sadie’s neck, pressing a quick kiss there before nipping her collarbone.

“Fiancée dear. Don’t tell me you forgot?” Sadie teased, nudging Laura’s side with her knee. Laura rubbed her thigh, settling between them.

“I didn’t, I just think girlfriend sounds cuter until I get to call you my wife.” Laura yelped at Sadie shoving her playfully.

“Gods, you’re so weird!” Sadie said, but her flush betrayed her real opinion. Laura took that as an invitation to jump back up, kissing her between giggles. Her hands rubbed circles on Sadie’s hips; the length of their bodies too hot to stay like this in the Vegas heat, but for the moment? It was worth it.

Laura bit her lip, teeth flashing in a bright grin. “You love me Sade.”

Sadie softened. “Of course I do.”

“Love you too.” Laura pressed another quick kiss to her mouth before nipping her ear and the side of her breast, back on track to her original plan; hands on Sadie’s thighs, stroking long lines against dark skin.

“You’re not too hot? I can turn the fan higher.”

“I’m good.” Sadie tucked her hair out of her face, tracing her sternum methodically for something to do with her hands. “You’re comfy down there?”

“It’s my favourite place.” Laura grinned wickedly, kissing Sadie’s inner thigh. Her hands got closer to the trimmed thatch of curls with every pass. Green eyes closed, concentrating on breathing slowly and hitching her hips up in the smallest of rocking motions. Laura licked a thumb and moved closer again; Sadie chuckled, shifting up.

Laura looked up, fingers pausing. “Do you want to use lube Sade?”

Sadie thought about it, opening her eyes to the ceiling. The cool breeze from the fan was welcome, but distracting. She shifted, “I’m good, unless you want to use the strap on?”  

“No; it’s too hot for that unless you want to go on your front- oh, oh yeah.” She said belatedly, her thumb’s circling reaching Sadie’s lips and slipping in easily.

Sadie breathed in, rubbing her cheek against her shoulder, letting out the breath with satisfaction. “Oh that’s nice. Are you going to be like this every time I’m not completely wet down my thighs?”  

“I hate the taste of the lube, but you’re worth it.”

“This is why you, ah, take your time.” Sadie leant back onto the pillow, squirming up as Laura ducked down to press her tongue against Sadie’s clit, switching to her pointer finger curling into Sadie. “Oh, in and out- not curling.”

Laura complied, circling Sadie’s clit with her tongue keeping pressure even; her other hand pulling the curls away to let her mouth work away against Sadie’s rocking hips. Sadie whined, her legs pulling back towards her. She ran her nails lightly against her stomach, wanting to touch, to feel. The energy under her skin was vibrating, thrumming with the slow build Laura did to her so well. Laura’s arm against her lower belly kept her from bucking too unexpectedly. It didn’t stop her from scratching Laura’s arm as her hands went by.

“I like that, you’re doing great.” Sadie tried to stay consistent, but Laura was throwing in a random flick with her tongue, or sucking quickly, before going back to the steady circles. Sadie’s breathing was getting shallower, swallowing whines as the feeling of pleasure mounted.

“Two fingers?”

“Three.” Sadie twitched upwards, grasping at Laura’s finger sliding in and out of her in slick, solid motions. She could hear how wet she was getting, how she sounded against Laura’s tongue.

“Greedy.” Laura murmured between Sadie’s legs, only adding one more finger anyways. She knelt lower, her own thighs rubbing together; sticky from sweat and how much she couldn’t wait for Sadie to return the favour.

A whine. Laura smiled, picking up the pace minutely; switching directions to lap against Sadie’s clit- pausing between licks and enjoying Sadie’s needy sounds.

“Please?” Sadie asked, rocking up in jerky motions, gripping the fabric beneath them. She could hear her heart getting louder in her ears, a throbbing want in her thighs to press against Laura and have her hands sink deep in her. “Ah!”

Laura kept going; steady hands and a hungry tongue, tasting Sadie go from thick and bitter to salty slick. She caught a look, Sadie’s chin tucked against her chest and whining. She made such cute noises, high pitched and shaky. She’d only made her cry once, a marathon after they’d gotten engaged; it left Laura with hand cramps and two sets of lips swollen and throbbing for what felt like forever. But it was always nice to hear those shaky sounds; Sadie squeaking, her ankle springing up and onto Laura’s back, urging her forward.

She couldn’t talk huh? She was getting close. Laura kept at it for another minute before pressing her whole mouth down, jerking her fingers up and curled in fast, quick motions. Her tongue flicked side to side with hard swipes; pulling gasps and moans from her fiancée’s mouth. Sadie squeaked, swearing and thrusting up against Laura’s ministrations.

Come on babe, Laura thought, keeping the blitz going; smelling the dark scent of Sadie’s sweat between soft thighs which couldn’t keep still with how much she was moving.

A choked swear- ah there it was. Laura curled her fingers in deeper, rubbing the rougher patch she knew would do Sadie in. She was rewarded with Sadie raking her neck with her nails, her chest rising in a silent moan as she came against Laura’s tongue. The rocking was erratic, more thrusting hips without direction; it was fun to try to make the peak last, to see how long the flush would stay on Sadie’s skin, how unfocused she got as she lost herself in the feeling Laura gave her.

“Little more, come on babe.” Laura said, leaning up and rubbing Sadie’s slick clit with her free hand, curling in with her other. She leaned back to draw the last ragged breaths from Sadie with a satisfied smile.

Sadie gasped, eyes opening to Laura’s slowing motions. She couldn’t just stop; Sadie was still shaky, clutching at her skin with trembling hands.

“You always look so good when I make you come.” Laura said, biting her lip.

Sadie pushed her hair back again; it’d gotten messy as she moved. “Flatterer.”

“I do what I can.” Laura teased, finally letting Sadie rest; wiping her fingers on the discarded tank top.

She crawled up, lying beside Sadie on her side. Sadie let her legs fall open, resisting the urge to play with her soaked curls. She felt well sated, a glow she couldn’t stop smiling from.

“You’re so good at this.” Sadie said, looking at her fiancée with a smile.

“I practice.” Laura admitted with amusement in her eyes. Sadie met and matched that look.

“Well, give me a minute; I want to get my fingers in you, but I have to catch my breath.”

“Take all the time in the world.” Laura said.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[grailbot143]

Welcome Back Everyone!

If you would like to submit art work for this week’s episode please do so before Friday when I will post the recap and update the Master List. Just click here to submit! If you would like to ask me anything or comment on my commentary. . . all asks are screened for spoilers. Just click here to send an ask

Yeah. . . I'm not even gonna briefcap that

What did we learn?

I'm not interested in watching Uncle Grandpa

Steven can summon his shield when he wants to protect his family

Amethyst looks uber cool in them sunglasses

** And So On To The List Of Lists **

Consolidated lingering Questions

The Gems:

Where do they come from? I now know they are not from Earth, they are from somewhere in spaceHomeworld, further away than our ocean can get in a 30 foot (10ish meters) diameter cylinder from the ocean floor.

How is power derived from them?

What about the gemmed enemies? the monsters used to be humanoid, how does that work, why??

What are Amethyst's unique Powers? Ball-rolling. Fire attack? Uses shapeshifting more.

During Ocean Gem it is mentioned by Lapis Lazuli that the only thing the Crystal Gems care about is Earth, but Pearl showed her complete disdain for humans on multiple occasions particularly Keep Beach City Weird where she said humans were insignificant. . . . so what about Earth do they care about so much? Pearl, at the very least, doesn't care about humans or Earth. She's only here because she was following Rose. Amethyst was born here.

What’s the deal with Amethyst’s strange relationship with gravity? seriously, did this just go away?

Who all can fuse? Pearl and Amethyst = Opal and Amethyst and Garnet = Sugilite and Garnet and Amethyst and Pearl = Alexandrite and Steven and Connie = Stevonnie

How old are each of them? It’s suggested that they’re centuries millennia old. Amethyst acts a bit like a teenager. Is she that much younger than Pearl? Where does Garnet fall? Pearl and Garnet are more than 5000 years old, probably much older. Why is Steven the only boy? Amethyst is around 4 to 5000 years old. Due to his dad's age and the fact that his dad is human, Steven must be less than 20. Based on his relationship with Connie, I'm gonna put his age at around 12.

How many boy gems are there everywhere?

Why did the Gems destroy the Galaxy Warp? It seemed like Pearl wanted to go home during Space Race, but she obviously can't deal with any possible relations with the other Gems in Warp Tour.

What happened between the Gems from the homeworld and the Crystal Gems? There's gotta be a HUGE backstory here. . . .

Does all that Crystal Gem vs Home Gem battle have anything to do with Rose's decision to create Steven?

The World:

Everything seems to be happening in Beach City. Are there other Gems in other towns? Like every town has a team of Crystal Gems protecting it? Or is this town some center for universal negativity, so the Gems are focused here? It seems pretty obvious that the Crystal Gems are the only ones on Earth. . . They stated no one else on Earth can use the warp pads.

Why on Earth are the Crystal Gems on Earth?

Where did Lion take Steven and Connie for training? To Rose's Armory Is that place, or a similar one, available to all gems? There's been no evidence of other Gems having similar places. Do you need a familiar to take you there? Apparently not. Pearl can take you there. How does Lion know the way? It's pretty obvious that Lion was sent to Steven by his mom. . . but still not understanding his powers and knowledge

Warp Pads. . . . Galaxy Warp. How did the Galaxy warp get here? Why is it here? Why is it broken? The Galaxy Warp is the only warp pad on Earth that leads off Earth. So it's obvious why it is here. I'm thinking the Crystal Gems broke the Galaxy Warp to avoid dealings with the other Gems. . . BUT WHY?

The House on the Beach:

This is more a curiosity, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the fight that took off that statue’s hands. I bet it involved Sugilite.

What is up with the living temple inside the house? Beating hearts, waterfalls, a pool for getting rid of evil spirits, a holodeck run by the imagination, dimensional shenanigans. Need much more history and understanding here.

Townies:

What’s up with Onion and his dad? Are they from some other planet?

Why would you make a place called Fish Stew Pizza?

What would make one believe a potato can provide protection from a multi-dimensional being. .. . also, are the Gems multi-dimensional? I don't see that.

Rose Quartz:

Why does Rose have to die to give Steven his superpowers?

Is Rose even dead? _pretty sure this is answered_ (-doubts-)

What would make her choose that? a prophesy? desire to give Greg a kid? gonna die anyway?

Did she give up her gem to HAVE a kid or to IMBUE a kid with the gem? My current theory is that the gem is a being that creates a physical form, and that Rose stopped being Rose in order to be Steven (sorta) as I think Rose is still part of the gem (not dead). So essentially Rose's physical form is gone, replaced by Steven's physical form.

Would removing the gem from Steven give Rose back her form, leaving Steven as a common human 12-year-old?

Lion:

What all does Lion know? How did he get his powers? He's a creation of Rose's, so she gave him his powers. He might even still be connected to her somehow.

Characters

The Crystal Gems

Pearl

Garnet

Amethyst

(dead?) Rose Quartz

Steven

Other Gems

Lapis Lazuli

Peridot

Fusions

Opal

Sugilite

Alexandrite

Stevonnie

The Townsfolk & Other Humans

Sadie

Lars

FryMan

PeeDee Fryman

Ronaldo Fryman

Greg

Mailman

Barb (not seen)

Nanafua Pizza

Kofi Pizza

Jenny Pizza

Kiki Pizza

Sour Cream

Buck Dewey

Onion

Onion’s Dad

Mr. Smiley

Suitcase Sam?

Mayor Dewey

Connie

Connie's Mom (Dr)

Connie's Dad (Security Guard)

Kevin

The Mayor's 2 bodyguards

Monsters/Creatures

Centipeedles and their mother

Red Eye

(offscreen) A giant bird with a giant polka-dot egg

The Spirit from the painting that possessed Together Breakfast

The Crystal Shrimp

(deceased) Frybo

Steven with Cats

The Eel that liked shiny stuff

Lion

Starfish Drills and their MOM?

Giant Bird from Giant Woman

The Geode Beetles of Heaven and Earth

The carnivorous moss that turns into beautiful flowers

Holo-Pearl

Training Robot from the cavern

Blow/Pufferfish

Blood Polyp (offscreen)

Ice Monster

Gem Shard Animated Body Parts

Invisible Monster

Sneople

Watermelon Stevens

Dogcopter

Peridot's Robots

Bees (They're magic!)

The lighthouse

Prop Bats

Scarecrows

Peridot's bigger robots

The Wind Lizard

Places

Around Town

Big Donut

Beach City Walk Fries

Funland Arcade

the boardwalk

Fish Stew Pizza

Greg’s van

It’s A Wash

the storage facility

the Crystal Gem’s house on the beach

Suitcase Sam’s T-Shirt store

Funland

Dock

Warehouse (Wrestling Arena, Rave, and Mayor Dewey's Campaign HQ)

Movie Theatre (in town?)

Pearl’s favorite tree (deceased)

Under the Ocean

Lars’ House

The Lighthouse

Greg's Aunt and Uncle's Barn

Crab the Shack

Beanch City

Mystical

The Temple with a beating heart

the storage unit? Greg said it was magical

(destroyed) The Lunar Sea Spire

Warp pad in Steven’s living room

The Training Cavern

Upside down Pyramid in the Strawberry Fields

Sand Castles that the Dessert Glass built

The cave in Arcade Mania

The Sky Spire

The Lava place where Garnet retrieved the Geode Beetle of Earth

Deadman’s Mouth

The cloud/Pillar place in Steven The Sword Fighter

Rose’s Room

The Communications Hub

The underwater place the Glass of Time was in

The ice cavern the Shooting Star was in

Rose’s Fountain

The Geode

Galaxy Warp

Tropical Island of Geodes

Inside Lion's Mane

The Kindergarten

Warp Stream

Kindergarten Basement

Other

Space

The Pollen Field Flower Fields

The Train

Connie's House

Things

Gems

Rose Quartz

2 Garnets

Amethyst

Pearl

Centipeedles’ Mothers gem

(pants animating) Gem Shards

(maybe? pretty sure) The Lunar Goddess Statue

Eel’s Gem

Gem from Upside Down Pyramid

Dessert Glass

Starfish Mother Gem

The ROC in Giant Woman

Blowfish Gem

Ice Monster from Monster Buddies

Lapis Lazuli

(Animated Body Part) Gem Shards

Invisible Monster Gem

Unknown Gem from Garnet's Universe

Mr. Gusite (This is only thing I'll include from that episode)

Mystical Items

Summoned Weapons

Laser Light Cannon

Red Eye?

Lunar Goddess Statue

Cursed Painting

Replicator Wand (destroyed)

Button in the Cavern (and all that stuff)

Fire Salt

Glass of Time

Shooting Star

The Mirror

Warp Whistle

Warp Pads

The Protective Potato (according to Ronaldo)

Wailing Stone

Food (as it’s seemingly important to our little hero)

(discontinued) Cookie Cats

Lion Lickers

Fry Bits (Cat Fingers enjoy this too)

Hot Dogs (you wouldn't have them if all Pork Chops were perfect)

Together Breakfast

(offscreen) Pizza

(unmentioned) Cupcakes in jars

(not food) Cheeseburger backpack

Donuts

Fish Stew Pizza <-- Be sure to join the rewards program!

Giant Strawberries

Margarine to slick hair back

Sodas that he threw all over the place in Tiger Millionaire

Coconuts Sandwich Cereal (Arcade Mania)

Steven (for the bird in Giant Woman)

Cake

Aqua Mexico Burrito

Cream Pies (more a prop than food)

Bag of Chips

Burger for Onion’s Dad

Seagull’s banana peel and pizza

Cheeseburger Backpack full of snacks for the movie

Popcorn

Burgers (with a ridiculous amount of buns, lettuce, and silverware)

Creamed Corn

Cloud Donuts

Cloud Fry Bits

Fire Salt

“Special” Fries

Fire Donut

Kamikaze (directly in his mouth)

CHAAAPS

Mi Torta

Durian Juice

Sandwiches

Blow torch Grilled Cheese

Crying Breakfast Friends

Fish (caught by Sadie, Cooked by Lars)

Potatoes

Bread Sticks (Crab the Shack)

Shrimp (Crab the Shack)

Ringo's Onion Rings

Watermelon

Sadie's Lunch Bags

Sandwiches, cut into triangles (the only way a sandwich should be)

Star Shaped Cookie (you could say they're out of this world)

Chess piece for Dogcoptor in Steven's dream

Macaroni 'n nothing

Cheese packet

Moldy Sponges (Amethyst. . . 'nuff said)

Coffee ( how is this so far down on the list? Garnet drinks it for breakfast. . . )

Jar of Mayo sandwich. . . knives are good.

Packed in the bindle

Marshmallows (BONE MARROW)

Breakfast Only Breakfast Specials (hashbrowns)

Rebel Turkey Legs

Caprese Salad

Media

Let Me Drive My Van (Into Your Heart)

Lonely Blade

Dogcopter 3

Golf Quest

Crying Breakfast Friends

Training Video

Keep Beach City Weird

Under The Knife

For Steven

Citchen Calamity

Ninja Squad

New Ninja Squad

No Home Boys

Evil Bear 2: Bearly Alive (Come scream with me tonight.) (Uncut Version)

Li'l Butler

Passions of Xanxor

Unfamiliar Familiar series

Other

Guitar Dad T-Shirt

Vote 4 My Dad T-Shirt

T-Shirt Cannon

Likes and Dislikes So Far

Dislikes

Not a fan of the important role junk food plays in the show not as prevalent as it was before

I don’t relate to Steven much. He mostly annoys me. He's getting a bit more lovable. . . now it's Pearl that just really rubs me the wrong way (Probably because she thinks humans are insignificant).

Why is there not a main antagonist? Possibly Peridot or Homeworld Gems

Season 1: Episode 5 Frybo

Season 1: Episode 6 Cat Fingers

Season 1: Episode 18 Beach Party

Season 1: Episode 27 House Guest

Season 1: Episode 32 Fusion Cuisine

Season 1: Episode 48 Say Uncle

Likes

I like that all the answers to everything are not conveniently packaged in a single episode

I like Garnet…

and sometimes Amethyst…

Steven's constant struggle to figure out how to fit into his place in the Gems and complete lack of struggle to feel right at home with the humans. . .

I like Greg and his super awesome van

I like that it seemed like we landed in the middle of a life, rather than the beginning of a story… this continues to be true through every episode.

I like most of the townspeople and their relationships with Steven

I like Connie a lot. She is funny and smart and a perfect non-super for the story.

I like arcade games…

I like that there are so many details in the background like everywhere…

and it’s obvious the creators are nerds

I like Sour Cream

I like the representation of emotions related to motherhood that each of the Gems go through in their own ways.

I like that the makers of the show know what customer service is like. Either that or they have really disturbing imaginations.

I like that the show encourages people to think critically and discuss large questions.

I like that there is a whole dark seedy side that I’m only just peeking into.

Shh. . . Don't tell anyone. . . I also like Peridot       She seems like a misunderstood geek girl       just saying

I just want to remind everyone, I write these recaps after having only seen the episode once, a week ago, and often interrupted by my whole blogging thing. I mainly do it for myself to refresh my memory for the next episode, but since I post it, I thought I should ask your forgiveness if it isn’t exactly perfect (or even close). Don’t forget if you have a submission for artwork for today’s episode, submit before Friday using the link above, and I’ll pick one to use as the cover art.

[hilokaul]

BOOK REC

*= POC

YA Contemporary 

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas*

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan*

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman*

Summer Blue Bird by Akemi Dawn Bowman*

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Mirage by Somaiya David*

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate*

Final Draft by Riley Redgate*

YA Fantasy/Sci-fi

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna*

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna*

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi*

Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie*

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan*

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford 

Rebel by Marie Lu (If you haven’t read Legend hello?? go read it then come back to this and if you did read Legend but didn’t read Rebel go pick it up)

NA Contemporary 

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston*

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang*

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang*

Red Lipstick Coalition Series by Staci Hart*

Beginner's Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions by Six de los Reyes*

Cyclone Series by Courtney Milan*

NA Fantasy

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jenson

Selfish Myths Series by Natalia Jaster 

Foolish Kingdoms Series by Natalia Jaster 

Adult Contemporary 

Verity by Colleen Hoover

London Celebrities Series by Lucy Parker*

The Bromance BookClub by Lyssa Kay Adams

Adult Fantasy

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang*

Disclaimer: I don’t remember all the triggers for some bks so I didn’t want to list the wrong things/leave some out so pls check to see if there is any before reading

[mixedkid-matchup]

considering the book category will be the slowest, here’s the ones that got in if you want to see/background information/read/ etc etc

Carter & Sadie Kane (Kane Chronicles)

Minotaur (Mythology)

Sunny (Wings of Fire) 

Hollyleaf (Warrior Cats)

Luo Binghe (The Scum Villain’s Self Saving System) 

Seraphina Dombegh (Seraphina)

Todd/Squee (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) 

Butler (Artemis Fowl)

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles) 

Winter (Lunar Chronicles)

Elrond (Lord of The Rings) 

Mistyfoot (Warrior Cats)

Leigh Chen Sanders (The Astonishing Color of After) 

Kiko Himura (Starfish)

Gratuity Tucci (The True Meaning of Smekday) 

Callie LeRoux (American Fairy Series: Dust Girl)

Jesper Fahey (six of crows/grishaverse whatever) 

Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Emily Windsnap (series of her own name) 

Renarin and Adolin (The Stormlight Archive)

Naomi and Owen Soledad León Outlaw (Becoming Naomi León) 

June Iparis (The Legend Trilogy)

[magiccaughtoncamera]

It’s been a while since I posted on here, and that’s because of a lot of reasons, and I felt it wasn’t really nice to leave you all in the dark. As you might know from my twitter, I have just started my Master’s degree and it hasn’t been easy. This is the third week of lectures and I feel like I’m already way over my head with homework. And on top of that I want to keep working at my part-time job one day in the week, so I barely have free time. And if I have free time, I’m just too mentally exhausted to do anything else than watch Netflix. But as much as I’d like for it to be the only reason I haven’t been blogging, it’s not all.

When I returned from my vacation almost two months ago, I hadn’t posted in weeks (because I was away), and completely fell out of love with blogging. I worked a lot, because I wanted to make some extra hours before going back to uni, and I wanted to spend my free time drawing or reading, and didn’t at all feel like blogging. I just didn’t know what to blog about anymore. And then on top of that, I kind of fell out of love with YA (or at least a little) as I started reading more non-fiction, I found it hard to get excited about new books. Even books I’ve been anticipating for months, I feel ‘meh’ about.

I’ve been following bloggers who read almost exclusively YA, all my friends and mutuals read mostly YA, and I’m guessing there are some people with different tastes, but still overall, it’s mostly YA. You all probably read YA, because you started following me for a reason, I guess, and the thing is that I have been reading YA for the past two years almost exclusively and that’s what my blog has been about. So I know I shouldn’t let that influence what I post about, but what’s the point in posting about books you probably aren’t interested in? It just feels pointless? Or maybe that’s just all in my head.

I want to get back into reading YA and that’s why I wanted to write this post (also because I felt you deserved an explanation for my disappearance). I’m going to go through my goodreads shelves and find those books (mostly YA) that I was anticipating in the hopes it’ll somehow help me get more excited about them.

Picture Us in The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert is a beautiful book about an Asian gay boy who lives in the US and it’s about family and love and relationships and it seems to be very emotional but a bit slow (according to reviews) but it sounds so good?? And that cover?? *dies*

Sadie by Courtney Summers is about (you guessed it) Sadie. Her friend gets killed and the story gets picked up by a radio dj who gets obsessed with finding out what happened. I am just trash for the entire concept of murder/mystery podcasts in book form (it’s the only reason I still want to read Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski).

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab is the second book in her duology and honestly, it doesn’t matter what she writes, I’ll always be excited to read it! I read Vicious earlier this year and absolutely loved it.

Summer Bird Blue is by the amazing Akemi Dawn Bowman and Starfish was one of the best books I’ve read, so I know this will be so good as well! AND it has an aro/ace-spec questioning main character and that makes me want to cry happy tears. It’s also about a mixed-race (Japanese/Hawaiian/white) girl who loves music!

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor is the sequel to Strange the Dreamer and that was just so well-written! Laini Taylor has such an amazing writing-style, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with my favourite godspawn.

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson, because if you haven’t been paying attention, I LOVE SDH’s books. They’re emotional, original, quirky and weird and ALWAYS very queer and I’m so down for this new book.

A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven is the sequel to The Exact Opposite of Okay aka one of my favourite books of this year and that’s enough reason for me to get really excited! The first book was so powerful and feminist and I just adore Izzy and the unique voice she has, I need more of that!

One Giant Leap by Heather Kaczynski is the sequel to Dare Mighty Things which is about a competition for young adults to go into space with an aro/ace/questioning main character (Indian-American) and it honestly feels like this was written for me. Though it had some flaws, I can’t wait to see where the story will take us.

The Disasters by M. K. England just sounds so good! It’s about a bunch of queer outcasts who try to do a heist in space?? Like can it get any better?? So basically what I gather it’s Six of Crows but set in space.

And lastly, but without cover, Not Your Backup by C.B. Lee. This is the third book in the Sidekick Squad series and if I owned this book right now, I would have read it right this second because it’s exactly what could get me out of this slump. It’s about kids with superpowers and everyone is queer and there’s a lot of POC rep and Not Your Backup is about one of the characters that is aro/ace/questioning and I’M HYPED.

Have you seen all these covers?? They’re so gorgeous!! This has definitely helped me remember why I love YA and I just wish I could have all these books right now so they can help me fall back in love but since the majority isn’t even out yet, that’ll be a bit hard… For now, if you have recommendations for what I should try to read next, let me know. I’m looking for something that is quite short and not too slow or lengthy, that’ll drag me in!

I have no idea if I’ll have the time to write more blog posts in the soon future, so I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. If you want to keep in touch in another way, follow me on twitter (see sidebar) because I will be on twitter quite a bit (mostly to complain about homework).

Do you want to read any of these books? What book helped you out of a slump or made you fall (back) in love with a genre? Give me all your recommendations!

Why I disappeared + Books I’m excited about It's been a while since I posted on here, and that's because of a lot of reasons, and I felt it wasn't really nice to leave you all in the dark.

[marysmiller]

11 Beach Inspired Home Decorations

These DIY Beach decorations can be made from store-bought items or from your own collected beach treasures. These are a great way to make Beach holiday memories. Use shells, stones, driftwood and sand to complete some of these DIY nautical beach themed decorations.

Salty Air Beach Hair Plaque by Doodlecraft Blog Beach Sign by Crafts by Amanda Beach Blanket Tic Tac Toe by The Country Chic Cottage Mason Jar Beach Coasters  by Our Crafty Mom Summer in a Jar by Sadie Seasongoods Burlap Beach Wreath by Craftaholics Anonymous Beach in a Ornament  by My Pinterventures Starfish Wall Art by The Country Chic Cottage Sand Cast Starfish by Crafts by Amanda Beach Letters by Mod Podge Rocks Ocean in a Bottle Necklace by Make Life Lovely

from Online Shop For Ornaments https://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/11-beach-inspired-home-decorations/

[krissysbookshelf]

Enjoy An Exclusive Sneek Peek Of: Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens!

As the tomboy daughter of the town's preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting the mold of what everyone says she should be. She'd rather wear sweats, build furniture, and get into trouble with her solid group of friends: Woods, Mash, Davey, Fifty, and Janie Lee. But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she's in love with Woods, Billie's filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods...and maybe with Janie Lee, too. Always considered "one of the guys," Billie doesn't want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it's not that simple.  

LEARN MORE

  THE SHORT PART before PART ONE

  That’s the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along. — MADELEINE L’ENGLE , The Arm of the Starfish

  NINE YEARS EARLIER

Three-hundred-year-old oaks were good for two things: hiding from playground fights and kingdom-watching. Billie McCaffrey climbed skyward and settled into a sprawling fork to observe her classmates. Over by the four square concrete slab, Janie Lee Miller sat cross-legged with her nose in a library copy of A Wrinkle in Time. Across the field, Woods Carrington was campaigning for a kickball game. Just below, two third-grade boys, Mash and Fifty, fought over a fourth-grade girl in blue bows and light-pink sunglasses. Other boys swung from the monkey bars while a herd of girls huddled, giggling and happy, around the adults. Their teacher, the center of the girls’ commotion, was dressed in a plain denim jumper and wore a bouquet of smiles. She produced from an ugly black handbag her newly awarded Corn Dolly. “Ooooh,” said the little girls. “Ahhhh,” said other teachers, who asked if they could hold the doll. They treated that decorated corn husk like Billie’s daddy treated a Bible.

Billie oooohed and ahhhhed like everyone else, her voice barely above a whisper. No one even glanced up.

Before the end of that school year, Billie had learned from her daddy that if she wanted friends, she couldn’t stay in tree forks. So she stopped climbing up, up and away, and befriended every boy in her grade by either brute force or voodoo charm. Woods, Billie’s new best friend, claimed it was her kickball skills. By God, that girl could kick a ball farther into Mr. Vilmer’s cornfield than anyone in the class. Even the most competitive boys loved her for it. The girls were a different story. They didn’t quite know what to do with her. And Billie didn’t know what to do with them.

Late summer brought water-gun fights, fishing at the quarry, and biking to and from the dam to skip rocks along the mirrored surface of Kentucky Lake. All this good fortune sparked a happy question from Woods.

“Hey, B, will you come to mine and Janie Lee’s wedding tomorrow?”

Billie chomped on an apple they’d smuggled from Tawny Jacobs’s orchard. Juice ringed her lips. “Do I have to wear a dress? ”

“Nah,” Woods said. “You’re my best man.”

After passing the last bite to Woods and wiping her mouth with her shirtsleeve, she considered his request. Seemed fair. Seemed important. “Sounds good to me,” she said, even though it sounded worse than awful.

“Promise? ” He looked concerned that she might go back to her tree-climbing, avoiding-everyone ways.

“Promise.”

She made the mistake of spit shaking. That night she asked her dad, “Will I go to hell if I break a promise? ” He’d assured her that hell did not work that way. But she didn’t know which way hell worked yet, so she tore up all the notes she’d written asking Woods not to marry Janie Lee.

The next day, Woods Carrington stood behind one of those sprawling playground oaks and wed Janie Lee Miller with a grape Ring Pop and a peck on the lips.

Billie wore her cleanest jeans and stood by Woods’s side.

She looked up to her old perch and thought this friend thing was very hard.

  PART ONE HEXAGONS ARE TRIANGLES

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. — EPICTETUS

  1

  I’m waffling on my tombstone inscription today. Elizabeth McCaffrey, born 1999—d. ? R.I.P.: She found trouble. Or. Elizabeth McCaffrey, born 1999—d. ? IN LOVING MEMORY: Trouble found her.

“This is a bad idea,” Janie Lee tells me. Which is her way of saying we’re going to get caught.

“We will not be contained by a grubby youth room and pointless rules,” I reply.

Janie Lee peers down the hallway. There’s no sign of my dad, but her expression indicates she’s voting for retreat. The dingy carpet beneath her feet is patterned with repeating arrows that all point the way back to our assigned sleeping room.

I tickle-poke her in the ribs. She giggles and leans into the tickle instead of away. “I’ll protect you,” I tell her.

That’s enough prompting for her to skitter down the hall with me—two handsome thieves on a wayward mission.

We stand in front of a door labeled Youth Suite 201. It’s 3:12a.m. Janie Lee is wearing a sweet pink sweatshirt, flannel pants, and UGGs, which always make me ugh. I am wearing a camo T-shirt, jeans I stole from Mash last weekend, and combat boots that I found at a local army surplus. Clothes I can sleep in. And, well, clothes I can live in.

Elizabeth McCaffrey, born 1999—d. ? IN LOVING MEMORY: She died in her boots.

I perform the prearranged triple knock.

Davey props open the door, and behind him the rest of our boys offer various greetings. He’s the newest of the gang and we’re all still learning him. There’s an awkward pause while we work out whether we’re supposed to fist-bump or shoulder punch or hug. I up-nod, and that seems to be acceptable enough for him to duplicate.

I turn my attention to the rest of the room. I’ve just noticed that Einstein the Whiteboard is leaning against the mini fridge when something hits me. It’s Woods, tackling me to the decades-old carpet.

“Hello to you, too,” I say from beneath him.

He licks my face like a Saint Bernard and then pretends to do an elaborate wrestling move that I don’t evade. (Even though I could.) Without warning, a two-person dog pile becomes a six-person dog pile. Davey hesitates, then lands near the top. He must be learning us a little. Boys really are such affectionate assholes. I am crushed at the bottom and Janie Lee is half-balanced on top of Davey’s back.

“Love sandwich,” she mouths at me.

It is. It’s not. It’s more. Labeling and limiting something as big as us feels somewhat impossible, but usually we call ourselves the Hexagon. On the account that sixsome sounds kinky and stupid.

“Up! We’re crushing Billie,” Woods says, because he’s always directing traffic.

Fifty farts in Davey’s face in a momentous fashion, and just like that, the jokes begin and the dog pile ends, boys sprawling onto the two couches as if it never happened. I digest the scene as I slouch against the door. Boys. My boys. I’ve been collecting them like baseball cards since third grade.

Woods. He’s not pretty, but he’s stark and golden and green like a cornfield under noon sunlight. Tennis shoes; low-cut, grass-stained socks; ropey calf muscles; blond leg hair; khaki shorts; aqua polo; and an unmatching St. Louis Cardinals hat tamping down floofy blondish-brown curls: he is these things. He is so much more. I know exactly what he’ll look like in thirty years when he’s sitting on our porch drinking peppermint tea.

Davey, elfin and punkish in smeared eyeliner, sits next to his cousin Mash, who looks nothing much like him. Fifty always appears a bit smarmy, and tonight is no exception. His dark hair is oily and he hasn’t shaved in a week. Janie Lee sits slightly apart, cross-legged and petite in a papasan chair. She takes up about as much room as a ghost. Then me. Knees up. Chin up. Happy. Taking their mischief like the gift that it is.

Some lock-ins are for staying up all night and playing shit-tastic games. This one is for parental convenience. The youth group is cleaning up Vilmer’s Barn tomorrow—early prep for the upcoming Harvest Festival—and Dad didn’t want to run a shuttle at six a.m. Tyson Vilmer, barn owner, patriarch of Otters Holt, grandfather of Mash and Davey, will be there waiting with his enormous smile and incredible enthusiasm. Despite the fact that we were supposed to be in separate rooms and asleep by two a.m., I am pretty damn excited to help. Two a.m. bedtime was wishful thinking on my father’s part. We are not true hellcats, but the Hexagon is particularly bad at supposed to when we’re all under one roof.

The other four can’t decide who will open the meeting: Woods or me.

I copy Dad’s southern drawl and say, “Let’s start with glads, sads, and sorries and then say a prayer.” They all laugh, except for Davey, who hasn’t been to enough Wednesday night Bible studies to get the joke. I gesture to the writing on Einstein the Whiteboard. “Dudes and Dudette, I predict this lock-in ends poorly.”

Woods will hear nothing of my prophecy. Einstein is among Woods’s favorite things on the planet—a medium-sized board that technically belongs to the youth group but practically belongs to him. Woods developed leadership skills in utero, and he thinks in dry-erase bullet points. Currently, Einstein says: THINGS TO DO WITH A CHURCH MICROWAVE. Five bullets follow, and most of them look like a one-way trip to a stark-raving Brother Scott McCaffrey, my father.

In the bottom corner, someone has drawn a sketch of a Corn Dolly being lifted on high by a stick figure. They’ve labeled the stick figure Billie McCaffrey, which makes me label them all idiots. The joke is so old it has wrinkles.

A Corn Dolly is only a corn husk that has been folded and tucked and tied into the shape of a doll. In the town of Otters Holt, the mayor handpicks this husk on the morning of the Harvest Festival, which is an annual event the town treats like Christmas-meets-the-Resurrection. The dolly is then assembled and bestowed during the middle of the Sadie Hawkins dance to the most deserving woman of the year.

Hence, the joke.

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” I say, slow clapping.

Woods is positive THINGS TO DO WITH A CHURCH MICROWAVE is suitable 3:15 a.m. material. “You say ends badly. I say ends brilliantly,” he says.

Fifty has an opinion on the matter. “The only thing farfetched is Billie actually winning a Corn Dolly.” He laughs at himself. Too hard. We are often forced to forgive this failing since his facial hair allows him a fake ID, which allows us the beer that comes along with that privilege.

I’m eye-rolling. “You asshole.” Just because it’s true doesn’t mean he needs to say it.

Fifty stands up as if to challenge me while Janie Lee buries her face in the nearest pillow and reminds us that teenagers don’t, won’t ever win the Corn Dolly—Gloria Nix, twenty-three, was the youngest.

I wave Fifty forward with both hands, ready to wrestle him down.

“Back to Einstein,” Woods announces before Fifty and I go for a real row. This may have happened a time or two in the past.

“Back to Einstein,” everyone, including Fifty, choruses. The merriment rises to previous levels.

“This microwave thing.” I point to the first bullet point: Cook Pineapple Bob. “I do like it.”

Woods is beaming proudly. “He’s had a good life.”

I agree. Pineapple Bob is, well, a pineapple. Frozen these three years in the youth fridge. Named by yours truly.

“We’ll burn down the youth room,” Davey replies. He doesn’t say it in a distressed way. It’s more of an FYI. Like he’s maybe done something like this before. I’ll light fire to that backstory eventually and smoke out some truth, but right now, it’s all Bob, all the time.

The youth room microwave is from the eighties, black as coal, and built like a tank. No doubt donated by some senior church member who moved to assisted living. Its smell is a mix of baked beans, ramen noodles, and burnt popcorn (with the door closed). So if we properly execute bullet point number three (Melt 50 Starlight Mints), its condition will drastically improve.

Janie Lee laughs nervously, her UGGs bouncing against the wicker of the papasan. She’s sipping hard on some vodka–wine cooler concoction Fifty has made. I give her a little fist-bump love for showing initiative. On both the rebellious drinking and the microwave. She doesn’t offer me a drink. I don’t need alcohol; I get drunk on schemes.

We begin.

The first three steps are disappointing. Pineapple Bob pops pretty loudly, as does the handful of Monopoly houses and hotels we’ve stolen from the game closet. The Starlight Mints have to be scraped off the microwave walls. It’s more eventful when Mash pukes up wine cooler on a half-eaten bag of Twizzlers.

“Come on, man,” Fifty says. “I wasn’t done with those.”

“You okay?” Janie Lee comforts Mash, which is pointless. Every group has a hurler: he is our hurler. He is used to puking. She is used to babying him. They are a very good team.

“Shhhhh with the upchucking,” Woods orders.

Woods and I turn our attention to step four, which is seeing How Many Peeps Is Too Many Peeps? The answer: more than forty. It’s messy and delightful.

Woods and I clean, reload, and move on to bullet five. Fifty moves on to more vodka. Typical. Step five involves boiling a used sock—Woods’s, because he has the worst-smelling feet—in Dad’s newly purchased World’s Best Preacher mug. Two minutes in, we’ve got gym smell and no action. It’s a little anticlimactic to be bullet five.

As we watch the mug-and-sock do its nothing, Woods says, “In basically three hours we have to be in the barn.”

Fifty lifts his head from a plank position on the floor and says, “In three hours, we could be walking Vilmer’s Beam.” This makes Mash throw a blanket over his own head. Everyone is tired of hearing Fifty bellow about walking the loft beam in Vilmer’s Barn. It was a dumb dare in fifth grade. We’re seniors. We’re over it.

I say, “I hate mornin—” and the sock catches on fire.

“Heck, yeah!” Mash says, too loud, and then laughs.

Janie Lee says, “The other room!”  Because there is a group of our fellow youth snoozing in Youth Suite 202.

The fire is small—barely more than a magnifying-glass-on-grass sort of spark—and entirely worth the four steps that came before it.

“Hot cup of sock, good sir?” I ask in a British accent.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Woods says, reaching for the microwave door.

Davey sits bolt upright. “Do not—!”

The moment Woods opens the door, the small fire becomes a larger one. The mug rockets out of the microwave and explodes on the carpet. The fire—well, most of the fire— lands on a fuzzy blanket. The flames poof. Woods snatches the other sock—the one whose mate is now ablaze—and beats at the fire. He only fans the flames.

We are all screaming. There is more fire. More sparks. Both shoot out of the microwave; the antique appliance dismounts the counter and lands on the carpet with an explosive bang.

I imagine my father sitting up down the hall, scratching his head, lifting his nose toward the ceiling, sniffing. A yell gathers in his throat.

“Give me something to beat it out!” I shout, and Mash laughs so hard that he vomits again.

“Puke on the fire, man,” Fifty says.

Davey shucks his jacket; Janie runs into the bathroom and returns with a damp towel. The jacket is working but not fast enough. Janie Lee throws the towel over the whole mess in a big Ta-da-I-will-fix-this fashion.

The fire is suddenly enormous.

“Was that the towel off the floor?” demands Woods as Davey rolls his eyes and says, “I’m calling 911.”

Janie Lee shrinks from Woods’s tone, nodding furiously. There’s commotion in the hallway. The counter, where the microwave previously sat, is also on fire. The alarm begins a high-pitched wail and the sprinklers descend from the ceiling as if they are Jesus in the second coming. We are all getting soaked as Woods yells, “We used that towel to mop up vodka!”

It’s hard to tell what is fire and what is smoke and what is microwave, but incredibly, I see the toe of the sock that started it all. Dad is going to kill me.

“Time to peace out,” Davey says, gesturing toward the exit.

The fire alarm continues to pierce our eardrums. Woods throws open the door to the hallway. “Abandon ship!” he shouts gallantly. Always directing traffic. He’s glistening with sweat. We all are, but he’s glorying in it.

Mash throws last week’s bulletin onto the fire before heading to the hallway. Fifty gives the wall a pound and yells, “Wakey, wakey. Church’s on fire.” Davey issues me a long look. He’s got some I told you so in those eyes. I’ve got some I know, I know in mine.

I grab Janie Lee in her sweet pink sweatshirt and UGGs and drag her behind me into the hall. She’s as soaked as the rest of us and not wearing a bra, and that’s gonna be a problem when we hit cool autumn air.

I think: I didn’t mean for all this to happen. I also think: I effing love Einstein the Whiteboard adventures. I have a moment of true fear when Woods plunges back inside the youth room. Before I even have time to process this, he reappears, coughing, and says, “Help me, Billie.” He darts into the smoky room again.

In I go to rescue Woods, who wants to save his precious whiteboard. Einstein is too near the fire. The edge is already melted, and I assume too hot to touch. “I’ll get you another one,” I promise him.

Not what he wants to hear. I drag Woods away and shove him toward the back stairs.

Around us, kids are evacuating. They’re carrying phones and sleeping bags and pillow pets. Two sixth graders are getting on the elevators while Fifty screams at them, “Take the stairs! Didn’t you learn anything in kindergarten?” A very familiar form is swimming upstream against the evacuees: Brother Scott McCaffrey. My tired and scared and angry father frantically counts everyone he sees. He flings opens doors, yells, moves to the next room. Precise words are impossible to hear over the fire alarm. But as I watch him check Youth Suite 201, I see he’s putting two and two together.

Likely conclusion: where there’s smoke, there’s Billie.

Janie Lee and I quick-walk toward the exit. She pulls me against her and says right in my ear, so I hear it over the noise, “Billie, I think maybe I’m in love with Woods!”

“Jesus,” I say, and hope it counts as a multipurpose prayer.

  Original post: http://ift.tt/2wjnhnQ

from Blogger http://ift.tt/2xywZ4z

[descended-from-fairytales]

fxirytxlcfxtc​:

Daniel smiles softly at the two women and nods. “Violet, can we please try and just enjoy the moment and watch our child have fun?”

Bee holds onto not-dad’s head and giggles a bit, nodding. “All good!” She looks at the building ahead with wide eyes. “Where we going?”

Violet glares at him, but it's half-hearted at best. He's right, anyways. She needs to calm down and just... Enjoy the experience. Looking up at Bee, her gaze softens into a smile. It'll be good. She takes that deep breath, and relaxes her iron grip on the stroller. "Okay, okay. Enjoying the moment. I promise."

Waylon grins, and holds onto her legs, making sure she's not going to fall. "We're going to the aquarium. There are fish and sea creatures from all over the place to look at and I believe this one even has a place for you to touch some of them."

"It does!" Violet calls out, shaking her head. "Ozwell has made me touch one too many starfish."

Sadie just snorts out a laugh and shakes her head too.