#a pleasant memory

[slavhew]

this wasnt on my 2024 bingo

[linianni]

Irene

[book--brackets]

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine (2001)

Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys. 

But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys - along with a shy declaration of his love. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams (1988-1992)

A war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king. Knowing the consequences of this bargain, the king’s younger brother joins with a small, scattered group of scholars, the League of the Scroll, to confront the true danger threatening Osten Ard.

Simon, a kitchen boy from the royal castle unknowingly apprenticed to a member of this League, will be sent on a quest that offers the only hope of salvation, a deadly riddle concerning long-lost swords of power. Compelled by fate and perilous magics, he must leave the only home he’s ever known and face enemies more terrifying than Osten Ard has ever seen, even as the land itself begins to die.

Starbound by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (2013-2015)

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder-would they be better off staying here forever? 

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (2004-2024)

Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). Oh yeah. And dead.

Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's… well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out…

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source – the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard.

When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture… Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (2006)

Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted to be pretty . . .

Aza's singing is the fairest in all the land, and the most unusual. She can throw her voice so it seems to come from anywhere. But singing is only one of the two qualities prized in the Kingdom of Ayortha. Aza doesn't possess the other: beauty. Not even close. She's hidden in the shadows in her parents' inn, but when she becomes lady-in-waiting to the new queen, she has to step into the light--especially when the queen demands a dangerous favor. A magic mirror, a charming prince, a jealous queen, palace intrigue, and an injured king twine into a maze that Aza must penetrate to save herself and her beloved kingdom.

Trickster's Duology by Tamora Pierce (2003-2004)

Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a difference in a world filled with political intrigue, murderous conspiracy, and warring gods. This is the first of two books featuring Alianne.

Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu (2015-present)

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud (2013-2017)

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce (1999-2002)

Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl who dares to take advantage of a new rule in Tortall—one that allows females to train for knighthood. After years in the Yamani Islands, she knows that women can be warriors, and now that she’s returned home, Kel is determined to achieve her goal. She believes she is ready for the traditional hazing and grueling schedule of a page. But standing in Kel’s way is Lord Wyldon. The training master is dead set against girls becoming knights. He says she must pass a one-year trial that no male page has ever had to endure. It’s just one more way to separate Kel from her fellow trainees. But she is not to be underestimated. She will fight to succeed, even when the test is unfair.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (2012-2018)

Princess Cleo of Mytica confronts violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse. Once a privileged royal, Cleo must now summon the strength to survive in this new world and fight for her rightful place as Queen. 

 The King of Limeros's son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father's trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything. 

 Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished--and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making. 

 Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

[pisoprano]

Me: Ships Kaladin/Happiness

First line of Chapter 1 of Wind and Truth: “Kaladin felt good.”

Me: Brandon you evil fiend how dare you.

[kariachi]

Here's the thing, I know Pern has citrus. I know that fuckers on the seas or out traveling long distances over mountains and shit are probably carrying whatever fucked up bastard children the sluttiest of Earth fruits managed to create out there.

But damnit the idea of the Pernese growing fucking high vitamin c berries and shit purely to prevent scurvy is just too damn fun. Like yes I could run the concept in other things but I want to run it here too.

Give me the Pernese consuming so many fucking rosehips I need it in my life.

And don't tell me it's not practical, this series doesn't make sense anyway!

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

American Girl Doll Catalogue

1995-1999

Found on Ebay, user boxelder0051

[ask-the-colony-tree-siblings]

inv, why was there a need to study your mind control if she could make it?

Inv: She was interested in how it worked. Like how I was able to control two bodies at once completely separate from each other. It’s just like… multitasking, except splitting your consciousness in two. There were other tests too, like if she hurt the person I was possessing, how much of that could I feel in my own body. Or how much could the person remember from their time being possessed, what did it feel like for them… she had a lot of questions. 

[leothebrat]

"Why did I even listen to Satin? This was the dumbest idea ever."

[lunarharp]

when an obsessed orufrey person plays ace attorney for the first time in a while

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Understandably So no one mentions charles when talking about the Logan movie and again Understandably So This Aint Bout Him however i do confess that as someone who had never seen Logan until like. a month ago when i was binging all the movies and without knowing a single thing about it aside from laura i cant lie i was in fact jumpscared by him being there. especially for at least like 3/4s of the movie

[blorboazula]

I've been sorta exchanging ideas with @the-genius-az and that whole thing is fully to blame for the upcoming A/B/O fics :)

the context for this is: Maizula are "true mates", Mai still betrays Azula in the boiling rock and it basically breaks Azula. despite all the healing, Azula still can't form actual bonds with people and the closest she gets to do it (and to form a pack) is with her own pup and the Gaang's pups. cue to Mai watching Azula with babies in the garden (this is also the version they're a little bit aged up in canon). it's alpha!Azula x omega!Mai.

During the short years when Mai tried to give Zuko a chance, she thought she could love him when she watched him being soft. Soft and gentle with the turtleducks, sat on the grass and allowing the tiny creatures to climb on him.

She could fall in love with him, if he was the only option she had. She could fall in love with him, for showing genuine affection towards a pup that's isn't his.

Nowadays she still likes watching him, she thinks he looks great playing with the turtleducks and spending time with Izumi, still spending time with Ilah. Years later, she still loves it.

Nowadays, she has a better sight to enjoy.

It's not surprising at all, not really, to see Azula in the garden. All the rough, sharp edges have always hidden the softness inherent to the alpha. Searing heat to harm, soft warmth to make you feel safe and loved. Azula is soft when she's allowed to.

Her father never wanted her to, he wanted a weapon (and Azula needed a parent).

It's a heartwarming sight, it truly is. Azula, who grew to be a strong, handsome alpha. She healed enough to let her inherent protectiveness shine through. Mai can see it often, and can see how Azula now has good days more often than bad days. Can see it in the way Azula isn't that afraid of allowing herself to be an affectionate mother to their daughter.

(It's so, so beautiful, Azula playing with Ilah, showing how beautiful her firebending is.)

Sometimes Azula sits with the baby turtleducks, they climb her lap, seeking a human's soft warmth. She pets them, picks them up to give them soft kisses on their little head, allows them to nip her fingers and her toes. Gives them bread and fruit cut in tiny, neat cubes.

Destiny or not, Mai never had a chance of not loving Azula.

When their friends come around, the kids flock Azula the same way the baby turtleducks do. Ilah is always a little jealous, but Azula makes sure that her pup isn't left out in favor of the other kids. Nowadays she's too big to fit on Azula's lap when she has Bumi and Kya and Lin, but she glues herself to Azula's back. (Mai is infinitely happy that the early years separated didn't mean that Ilah's bond to Azula was permanently damaged). Izumi too, more often than not, it's adorable how the cub is close to her aunt.

Today Toph brought Suyin too, so Azula is really under a pile of cubs.

And she's glowing.

Really, Azula's giving off happy pheromones like there's no tomorrow. And the cubs respond to it by doing the same, so the whole garden is smelling like happy alpha and her cubs.

Mai loves it.

Mai loves that Azula gets to be happy, even if it's with pups that aren't hers. Azula gets to be happy, and it's all that she needs. All that she deserves.

Mai doesn't dare intruding, not when Azula is softly telling them a story. Probably a play, even if the alpha still won't admit that she loves those plays. That she likes theater as much as Zuko. That it comes from her grandmother, probably the one person of her family that never gave her so much trauma she can barely look at them.

The world feels right like this. Not perfect, but much better than Mai would have dreamed.

Better yet when Azula seems to find a moment to look back at her, and offers a small smile. Amber eyes shining with happiness that Mai feared would never be there.

Really, not loving Azula was never an option.

[vickyvicarious]

Poor girl, she has so much to forget that it is no wonder that sleep, if it brings oblivion to her, does her good.

Oblivion being brought to her sounds deeply ominous right now, especially given the context of Mina being so tired and subdued lately. But on the other hand, noon is the other time when Dracula can change shape or be more active, and if she is not in a state of oblivion I have to wonder what kind of experience her mental link is giving her. It may of course only seem a dream...

[dotted-clouds]

Following the Light ✨

[estcaligo]

I just had the most amazing and detailed dream about Briar Valley event omg. With map and locations and everything. And the SSR was Silver aaa

[moeblob]

Deacon loves two things: Ymber and digging himself a grave.

Fulj hates one thing: Deacon.

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

American Girl Christmas Catalogue featuring Felicity Merriman

Holiday 1999

Found on Ebay, user Mor844567