#THE WAY ART KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT PATRICK WILL SAY WITHOUT EVEN NEEDING TO LOOK AY HIM

[coldblooded-angel]

I have way too many thoughts and I can’t put them into writing yet cuz I am too busy thinking about just how IN SYNC art and patrick are. The way they can predict each other so well without words. Their body language. Their energy together. I’m actually not mentally stable enough for this

[carriagelamp]

I read more books this month than I anticipated. I should probably wait before doing a February book round up, but I already feel like I’m struggling to decide which ones to cut from my list so I’m doing it this weekend instead of next. If I read much next week I’ll bump ‘em up into March’s round up

Asterix and the Missing Scroll / Chieftain’s Daughter

I got the last two “new” Asterix books out of the library so I could officially say I had read them all. Over all my opinion is… they’re fine! None of these would ever become one of my favourites, but they’re all fine stories. The art is good, it is completely in-line with the original, and the stories are… fine. I liked The Missing Scroll quite a bit more than The Chieftain’s Daughter but I never find a ~hurr hurr teenagers~ plotline that interesting, whereas I do enjoy seeing Romans get chased down by unicorns so that’s probably not surprising. There’s some spark I can’t put my finger on that the new Asterix books just seem to be missing though… a bit of humour or cleverness or something. Still, they’re fine reads if you’ve been hungry for more Asterix and I’m glad I read them. (Though the library gave me the American translation of The Chieftain’s Daughter, something I didn’t realize until I started reading and realized that this is wrong??? I’ve been reading these books since I could read and I know this is wrong??? What the hell is happening??? The I realized the publisher was different and I simmered in fury the whole time I read it — WHY ARE YOU CHANGING NAMES AND WORD CHOICES IN A WELL ESTABLISHED SERIES THAT ALREADY HAS AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION YOU ANIMALS WHY ARE YOU DUMBING DOWN THE LANGUAGE AAAUGH

The Bride Was A Boy

This one was cute! The Bride Was A Boy is an autobiographical manga written by a transwoman recounting her experience with transitioning, meeting her boyfriend, and eventually getting married. It’s mostly done in a 4-panel style and is interspersed with lots of information about the LGBT community, particularly in Japan. A lot of it was stuff I was already familiar with, but I still found it adorable and a very worthwhile read. it would be a fantastic book for young queer people who are looking for more of an introduction into international queer space

Cul de Sac: Children At Play

Cul de Sac is just a weird, fun newspaper comic series about the children who live in a small neighbourhood. It fully taps into the children-as-semi-feral-chaos-agents, and there’s something hilariously nostalgic about the whole thing. Lots of times when stories try to portray children there’s always something… wrong about it, something that doesn’t mesh with true childhood, but in this comic I can see glimpses of my grimy, dirty-covered self as a preschooler running around the pages. I would definitely recommend trying them!

The Cremation of Sam McGee

I reread The Cremation of Sam McGee and The Shooting of Dan McGrew and man, they don’t stop being buckwild. These are two really famous Canadian poems that were then illustrated by equally famous Canadian artist Ted Harrison. Harrison’s style is gorgeous and distinct and given what strangely grisly stories these poems are they fit the mood perfectly. Everything feels just a little tilted and wrong and unsettling. If you enjoy an occasional poem (especially ones that are super fun to read out loud) and haven’t read these before, I would recommend them! Or do what my teachers did, and read Sam Gee to a young child in your life and watch them be baffled and concerned and horrified.

There are strange things done / in the midnight sun / by the men who moil for gold...

The Gryphon’s Lair

The second book of the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series written by Kelley Armstrong; I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book! It’s a very cool fantasy series because it really leans into environmental stewardship and the importance of studying animals and conservation so you can find ways to live alongside a healthy ecosystem. In this book Rowan is officially accepted as the Royal Monster Hunter, which means a whole new set of trials and burdens. She has to contend with a baby gryphon that is becoming increasingly large and dangerous, plotting family members, doubt about her abilities, a potential curse, and a daunting quest deep into the mountains in order to set things right. If you’re looking for some very gentle high fantasy, this series delivers.

Hogan’s Heroes comics

What to say here. Anyone following this blog has suffered the knowledge that I’ve been rewatching Hogan’s Heroes lately. When I found out that there was a short-lived, shitty comic series in the 60s? Of course I had to hunt them down. And so I’ve read them! And they sure were a shitty comic series from the 60s! They were, shall we say, of wildly varying quality. Some were actually really funny (like #5, it easily had the best art and best jokes imho), others were a slog, and most were fine and amusing enough to read the whole way through but not much more.

If you don’t know what Hogan’s Heroes is about: it was a 1960s sitcom that took place in a WWII POW camp, in which the Allied prisoners trapped there had a massive, complex sabotage/spy ring right underneath the camp. The whole show is about constantly outwitting the bumbling Germans while keeping up the pretense that they’re all just normal prisoners. The show is hilariously funny and I would recommend that, even if I can’t say the same for the comics unless you’re like me and are just really thirsty for more content...

Magic Misfits: The Fourth Suit (Ripley)

The final book of Neil Patrick Harris’ middle grade series, The Magic Misfits. In this fourth book, the group is fragmented and forced to meet in secret to avoid notice from the mysterious and powerful Kalagan whose cruel machinations have already turned the quiet little town on its ears, putting people’s lives in peril and destroy Leila’s fathers’ magic shop. The Misfits are going to need all their skills to finally unmask this sinister magician and break the mesmerism he seems to have placed over the entire town before it’s too late to save no only the town, but their friendship and trust.

Super charming series, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

Marsupilami

HOUBA! I watched a very bad TV adaptation of this as a kid that still managed to find a place in my heart, and so I decided to finally try reading some of the original comic! On one hand: it was exactly what I had hoped! The art is cute, the marsupilami is so dynamic and fun to see on the page (and has a way better characterization than he does in the show), and it’s really funny! Unfortunately! It is also pretty racist! Yikes! That seems to be a reoccuring downfall for some of these older Belgian comics... I also tried reading the first book of Les Tuniques Bleues and aye ye ye… I couldn’t actually get through that one. That being said, these were older volumes and frankly, North American media was also real fucking racist at that point so I’m not gonna write them off either. I really liked most of this book, and will probably try to get my hands on one of the more recent volumes of both Marsupilami and Les Tuniques Bleues to see if they get better with time. (If you’ve read either of those series and have volume recommendations hmu)

The Pagemaster

I’m a sucker for novelizations, I have no excuse beyond that. I recently rewatched The Pagemaster and decided to read the chapter book. And it was a solid little adaptation! It’s about Richard Tyler, a young boy with a head for statistics which unfortunately means he lives in constant fear of (in his opinion, statistically likely) injury or death. However that fear is put to the test when he gets caught in a horrible thunderstorm and has to shelter in a nearby library with halls and shelves that stretch beyond the imagination and with untold perils hidden among the pages of the books. Richard, with only his library card and three novels that hope to be checked out, has to venture through the different genres and horrors housed int he library if he ever wants to find the exit and get home to safety.

Pumpkinheads

A very charming little graphic novel. Cute art, and really loveable characters. Josiah and Deja work every year at a local pumpkin patch, and are best friends during those weeks. However this is their last year working there before going off to university and as the last day at the patch comes to a close they realize that they both still have regrets. Deja sets off on a mission to avoid work, eat all the interesting snacks around the patch, and get Josiah to find the girl he’s been crushing on every year and has never worked up the nerve to talk to.

After being deprived of human contact for almost a year, this book really hits you right in the heart.

The Screwfly Solution

A deeply upsetting scifi/horror short story! I read it on the recommendation of a friend and, yes, can confirm that this fucked me up a bit. I honestly don’t even know what to say about this that wouldn’t spoil it, but frankly with everything being as it is, this hit a little bit too close to reality. (That being said, it was very well written, like this is a very good story on a literary level and it does exactly what it sets out to accomplish.) If you feel like reading twenty pages and being really disturbed, give it a go! Otherwise go and read any number of the much happier books on this list!

The Whipping Boy

This was a book I remember reading as a lit circle book back in elementary school and really loving. After telling myself I’d reread it for years, I finally sat down with it again. If you somehow got through school without reading this one, it’s about a brat of a prince and his whipping boy — since it would be unspeakable to strike a prince, when the prince misbehaves it is Jemmy who gets whipped. Unsurprisingly, there is no love lost between the two of them, because the prince is always intentionally causing problems that Jemmy has to suffer for. Things begin to change though when the prince decides to run away and drags Jemmy along with him. On the run, being chased by highwaymen, and desperately trying to hide their identities, these boys go on a fast-paced adventure beyond the castle walls. It wasn’t as special as I remembered it being as a kid, but it’s a fine little chapter book.

[tetrakys]

Trois Allumettes - Chapter 7

“What the hell is he doing here?” a menacing voice said from behind my back.

Castiel interrupted the pretty serious conversation I was having with Nathaniel. Damn… maybe this time he would have finally started to open up and tell what was wrong with him. Or probably not. Horrible timing, both of them. I didn’t have time for this now, we were in the middle of the Art department party that I had organised (with the help of Hyun and Nina). Not only the university’s funding was at stake here… my studies and my future career too!

“Are you ok, Candy?”

“Yeah, there’s nothing…”

“Why are you hanging out with my sister? Don’t you have enough groupies to get in the sack with every night? Beat it, and stay away from her.” Now Nath too was raising his voice, what a terrible situation. We were in the café’s kitchen, which wasn’t exactly sound proof. I had to stop this before it escalated any further.

“It’s more like you are the one with that kind of reputation. No, it doesn’t seem like Candy is ok, and I know you, there’s no way I’m leaving her alone with you, you’re going…”

“ENOUGH! Shut up! I’m old enough to know what I’m doing. And I’m tired of your constant, unfounded arguing! I thought we were done with all that once we got out of high school!” I was really mad now.

“High school was over an eternity ago” Castiel replied unimpressed, ”aren’t you tired of bringing it up over and over again?! We didn’t wait around for you to get a life!”

“I know, I get it, the two of you made that clear enough to me since I’ve been back! Now I’m trying to get things back on track. Enough Castiel with that way of talking to me, I’m not a 15-year old girl at one of your concerts.” It was really time to make things clear once and for all. “And you, Nathaniel, come back to see me when you really have things to tell me. I’m fed up with both of you. Tonight this party is important for me and for my studies and there’s no way you’re spoiling it. So shut up or carry on your little conversation somewhere other than here.”

I turned around to leave and found someone else in the room. Lysander was leaning against the wall right next to the exit, arms crossed and a dark expression on his face. He looked coldly at Nath and Castiel and, without saying a word, he took my hand and led me out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind us. Several heads turned but he didn’t stop and led me outside, in the alley close by.  

Once there, we leaned against the wall and spent a few moments in silence. I tried to wrap my head around what just happened.

“Wow… I don’t think I’ve ever been so honest with those two. I’m practically sure they’re not about to talk to me again… But I’m fed up with playing these stupid games. We are adults, geez!”

I took a big breath, closed my ayes and counted to five. My hand was still in his and I slowly felt myself relax. “Thank you.”

“You have no reason to thank me, I did nothing. You were quite capable to defend yourself, I’m sorry I interfered in the end.”

“Well, thank you for taking me here. I needed a moment to cool down.”

“This is an important night for you, nothing and no one should upset you.”

I could tell he was angry himself and I wasn’t totally sure why. The way those two had acted was really inappropriate and I had all the reasons to tell them off, but the way he had looked at Castiel and Nathaniel… and it wasn’t the first time he had acted coldly towards them, also that time on the beach… could it be that… maybe… he was a little jealous? He had asked me if Castiel and I had ever been together. I felt myself blush a little. No… It couldn’t be… he didn’t like me. Did he? Did I want him to like me? Well… I didn’t hate the idea, that was certain. Did I… like him?

“Thank you for inviting me Candy, you did an amazing job.” His thumb caressed the hand he was still holding. “The party is a success and I am sure the department will get several new donors thanks to you.” He gently let my hand go and moved a step away. “I am going to go now. Good night.”

I watched him leave towards the university campus. It wasn’t the right moment to think about all this, the night wasn’t over yet. I turned around and went back to the party.

 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 It was almost 2am when I left the party. The night wasn’t particularly cold, and I felt like taking a short walk to unwind before going to bed. Instead of walking towards the university I turned in the opposite direction and found myself in front of my old high school. Dear old Sweet Amoris… it had been a while, four whole years. Even though this evening someone had accused me of having never really put it behind me. Was there some truth in those words? Maybe I should find out.

I looked at the empty street, no one was around. Approached the school gates, I started walking around the perimeter. Thanks to having been locked in the building once, I knew very well there was a particular spot were the walls were slightly shorter. I quickly found it exactly where I remembered and weighted my options. I could walk back, go to bed and forget about it, or… I could take a walk down memory lane.

What the hell… I pushed myself and with a calculated jump I landed on the other side of the wall. Wow… those excruciating gym sessions with Kim were finally paying off.

Looking around the area I recognised the gardening club. It was a little different from what I remembered, there were new plants here and there and a tree in the spot where once I had found a box addressed at one of my school-mates. It wasn’t a pretty story, she was being bullied and the box was full of pictures of her semi-naked. School hadn’t been all fun and games.

I walked around the building to the main doors. I pushed without much hope but… they actually opened! What were the odds? I quickly slipped between the doors and closed them at my back, not wanting anyone to notice me from the street. Luckily the place was lighted buy the moonlight coming from the big windows, so it was easy to watch my steps.

Well… this felt strange and familiar at the same time. I walked along the corridor, stopping to look inside a few classrooms here and there. On one side it almost felt like I had never left, everything was exactly how I remembered. On the other… I knew that something was off. I went upstairs to look around the art classroom. Whether I liked it or not I owed a lot to this place. Patrick, the art teacher, had really inspired me.

The classroom was still coloured and messy, just like four years ago. I smiled to myself knowing I had taken the right decision. I was studying what I loved. After the past few stressful weeks, I now finally knew that everything was going to be alright. This school and the people I met here… had been important but were not the reason why now I was happy. Those days had indeed been happy ones yes, but I wasn’t living in the past. I was looking forward to my future. When I was in high school I always felt like I was missing something… I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that I didn’t feel like that anymore.

I was about to leave the room when I heard a voice at my back “I am going to the gym, do you want to come with me?”

What the… I turned around, my heart in my throat. Someone was sitting in the darker corner of the classroom. A boy. He got up and walked towards me.

“I am sorry, I didn’t know someone was here…”

The words died on my tongue when I finally recognised him, the moonlight illuminating his face and those eyes… eyes that by now I knew better than my own.

“Lys…” I said, my voice shaking.

“I have been waiting for you. What took you so long?” he said coming even closer.

Was it really him? Yes, it was Lysander, no doubt about that. But there was something different about him… he was a little shorter and his face slightly rounder and smoother. He looked younger, 17 or 18 years old… exactly what he would have looked like in high school.

“I’m happy you came. This place feels empty without you.” He smiled, a sad smile “I missed you.”

“M-Me to…”

“I would really like to kiss you…”

I was feeling dizzy and apparently didn’t remember how to move or talk, so I simply nodded. With one last step he reduced the distance between us and, taking my hands in his, with a final smouldering look, his lips were on mine. His kiss started slow and sweet and I knew I was finally home. Soon though it became something different, passion and intent mixed up in something I had never felt before. None of the kisses I had given in the past had affected me a fraction of what I was feeling right now.

“Where have you been all this time” I whispered finally coming up for air.

“Right here” said a voice at my back, his arms circling my waist. No surprise, I knew perfectly well who he was. I bent my neck to give him access, and Lysander, the older one, the one I had met on campus just a few months ago, started kissing along the curve of my neck towards my ear. Meanwhile his younger counterpart took again my lips with his.

It was an explosion of sensations. High school Lysander unbuttoned my shirt, while university-Lys pushed it from my shoulders to the ground. I turned around, put my arms around his neck and kissed him with ardour, our tongues caressing each other. Holding my thighs, he pulled me from the ground and I crossed my legs behind his back.

Behind me, younger Lys moved my hair from my back and, with small kisses along my spine, unlocked my bra which I let fall without a second thought. He put his hands on my arms, caressing lightly, sending shivers running through me and, pushing slightly to let my back rest on his shoulder, he took one nipple between his lips.

At the same time, older Lys seemed to have exactly same idea. His tongue made a path along my other breast and a low moan escaped my lips when he sucked it into his mouth.

“Oh my God…” I whispered arching my back, it was too much, my skin was burning and I just needed to…

  “W-what’s… Where am I?”

I got up with a start, in the pitch dark of my room. I looked for the light on my nightstand before finding the light switch.

Was it… a dream?! I was all sweaty. The sheets were damp and I realised that I was burning up, still dressed in my gala outfit, my shoes still on my feet. It was just a dream. My hands still shaking, and I couldn’t calm myself down. I got up immediately to go to the bathroom. It seemed so… real. I was even short of breath still. I ran my hands and face under ice-cold water.  I… Hahaha, was crazy!

I got undressed and ended up opting for a few minutes in an ice-cold shower to calm me down. What got into me… Lysander… two Lysanders? All those comments about me not moving on from high school had really got to me. But it seemed so real… and that young version of Lys felt so familiar. I almost felt like looking through my yearbook to check if he really hadn’t attended Sweet Amoris. But it was crazy, I knew it wasn’t the case, I would have definitely noticed him. Still… I almost felt a little sad at the thought.

I went back to my bed, still in shock from when I woke up. I finally fell back to sleep, after tossing and turning for a while. This time I slept deeply, in a dreamless sleep.

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