#also ego-meli

[velynn-art]

Anyone want Lord King himself but fashionable or something. I don't know, I just wanted to draw him being fancy.

[shinobirain24]

Sprinter

Real name: Meloni Thawne

Alias: Meloni Samson (false identity), Sprinter (alter-ego), Meli or Mel (Nickname by Don Allen and others), Traitorous Speedster (by Dawn Allen)

Species: Metahuman (speedster)

Family: Thaddeus Thawne (father), Eobard Thawne (ancestor), Don Allen (future husband), Bart Allen (future son)

Occupation: First daughter of the US (in 2061), Student at Keystone High School, Villainess (reluctantly), Member of the Future Rogues, Heroine

Affiliation: The Rogues, The Light, Thawne family (formerly), The Titans (currently)

Biography:

Not much is known for Meloni's past, but she is the daughter of President Thaddeus Thawne, and the descendant of Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne), who is the sworn enemy of the Flash.

Knowing that a descendant of the Allen Family will be a threat in the future for the Thawnes, Thaddeus sent his daughter after she received the power of superspeed and time travel in the Speed force.

Although she is reluctant to be part of this feud, Meloni loved her father, and did not want to disappoint him. As planned, President Thawne ordered her to eliminate the Tornado Twins.

She travelled back to the year 2035, where she created the false identity of Meloni Samson to avoid suspicion. As such, she searched for the Allen Twins to proceed with the mission.

While roaming around Star City as a start, Meloni was almost crushed by a car thrown by Vengeance. Until Tornado Boy (Don Allen) saved her the last minute. Tornado Boy flirts with her and left to deal with Vengeance. Meloni identified the young Speedster as Don Allen.

After the mission in Vlatava, Meloni enrolled into Keystone High and became part of the debate team. Don immediately became attracted to her for her spunk and competitive attitude. And flirts with her once more. Much to Meloni's annoyance that her only focus was to finish the mission.

And to make things complicated, Meloni became very competitive towards Dawn Allen as both are geniuses and members of the debate team despite being in the same school. And the rivalry goes on. The two also competed to become the student body president, but Dawn won.

4 months since after enrollment, Don was failing in math for Junior year of High School. Meloni, out of pity, helps tutor Don in Math. Don tried to get ose to Meloni by getting her to talk about herself. But the more he was out of focus, the more Meloni became very angry and shouted at Don for being very ignorant and annoying.

Don, realizing how much he got on Meloni's nerves, apologized to him. And offered to treat her for ice cream. While Meloni is silent, Don talks about the grief his father, Barry had to go through for the loss of his nephew, Wally. Including for the fact that how jealous he was of his sister for being better than him.

This reminded Meloni of the times her father neglected her, and never looked at her the way Barry looked at his son. And the loss of her mother through an illness while her father simply moved on made her realized that she was living the life she never choose to have.

Meloni opened up to Don about her mother's death and her estrangement from her father, but not the real intention. Since then, the two had gotten closer, but when Dawn sees this, she was not pleased.

And Dawn would grew suspicious of Meloni being the mole of targeting her family for death. Robin (Damian Wayne) would also grew suspicious of the female speedster after going through some test of her fingerprints from a pencil Dawn had picked up from the floor.

Meloni, however, still proceed with the mission, not just to eliminate the Allens, but also every superhero that existed. She meets with Lena Luthor, and offers to help frame Lex Luthor for repeated crimes to place her as CEO of LexCorp, in exchange that Meloni gets help in eliminating the Flash and his allies. Lena agreed to the deal.

After Lena and Meloni successfully placed blame on Lex for another Metahuman Trafficking scheme, Lena was now promoted as the official CEO of LexCorp. Thanking Meloni for this, Lena offers her a job as an assistant in her industry.

In gratitude, Lena created a spandex for Meloni with the amplification of the the chronos radiation that will make her immune to the changes in the timelines. Since then, Meloni became a member of the Light and became the villainess known as Sprinter.

And would became the enemy of the Tornado Twins to thwart the missions of the Titans.

During the Battle against the HIVE, Tornado Boy battles Sprinter once more. Going on a one on one speed match. Only for Meloni's mask to be torn off. And Tornado Boy was shocked to see it was Meloni. Humiliated, Sprinter runs away before Tornado Boy gets his questions answered.

After the battle was won by the Titans. Don secretly meets Meloni after the revelation. When Don asked why she was doing this, Meloni confesses about her mission to wipe the Allen's out of existence. But she cannot bring herself to do it. And revealed her ancestor to be Reversed Flash.

Don, shocked, sympathizes with her as he hugged her. And forgave her for everything. Letting her know that he's there if she needed him. But this is the beginning of secrets that will broke the Titans apart.

Personality:

Because of her family history, Meloni was dutiful and intelligent with the interest of physics and time. Her studies are a way to cope with her father's neglect.

She displayed hatred towards the Allen's due to being influenced being a Thawne. It was only out of her genuine care for her father (despite the fact of how much he neglected her) since her mother passed away, to be loyal to her own family.

After traveling back in time for an assignment to rid the Allen family to prevent future threats. Meloni developed a fierce rivalry with Dawn Allen, and compete through every tests and debate trials. And can be a tease at times toward her.

As for Don Allen, everywhere she goes, he was there to shower her with affections, but got very annoyed of him. But used this as a chance to gain the trust of the Allens.

But the more she had gotten to know Don, the more Meloni questions of what family is supposed to be about. And became very reluctant to kill Don and develop feelings for him.

[vinamari]

diego x reader love-hate relationship? maybe....👉👈

I truly apologize for not responding to this, I put a hold on my inbox for a little!

But I shall write for this now, HC style

Warning: I have not read the part 7 manga so I’ll try to portray him the best I can although I have seen some spoilers though

Summary: (I don’t know how to describe the summary for this) You both met at the race in which you not only find out that Diego Brando is both a Tsundere and a egotistical man

TW: fluff, crack? (Possibly)

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS! I AGAIN AM SORRY FOR KEEPING YOU ON HOLD LIKE THIS FOR SO LONG 😭

You my beloved reader have been in disguise ever since another race landed you a ticket to the Steel Ball Run

Having heard about the prize money you obviously were intrigued and wanted to enter which you did

This is when you met a jockey named Diego who had over the top ego

And a strong hate for humanity

You even heard him call people ‘nothing but a flock of pigeons’

“This morons are nothin’ but a flock of pigeons”

Raising a brow, looking over only to eye him up and down

This is when you started snickering a bit only then realizing that he was looking at you

Well more like glaring

Usually people say ‘if looks could kill’

Not for you instead you started laughing a bit more since his glare looked puny

Which only agitated him more

“OI! WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHIN’ AT”

“A man who s’ being to egotistical for his own good”

He only looked at you as if he was planning your murder

Which he did

He tried but backfired

Just so you know your hat is blocking your facial features meaning he doesn’t know what you look like

And cliche as it sound you ran into him only for that hat to fall on him

Meaning were practically on top of him enough for him to feel your body features

So as you both got up he got a look at your face in which it somewhat reminded him of his mother

But not enough for him to not yell at you

With a light red face

“Don’t you know how to ride horse?! Damn moron!”

Standing there dead panning and a bit amused with him

“But your the one who planned this out”

“HOW DARE OF YOU TO ACCUSE I, DIEGO, BRANDO OF SUCH THINGS”

“I overheard you talking about it”

So not only had he felt embarrassment overwhelming him he also felt a tiny crush grow on you in which he doesn’t speak of

So he hides it with his ego

He continued the race right with you

Questioning why

He’d hit you with a

“Well I have to make sure a idiot like you stays out of trouble and not fall on others”

You sensed some malice in ‘others’

Raising a brow you mutter a ‘sure’

The amount of time he felt embarrassed around you, he accidentally let his tail out without even realizing it

Only realized when you petted his tail, not only did he tell you off but you learned how this man was a tsundere

“You should show your tail more s’ cute”

“Shut up idiot”

You even have started showing him affection and petted or rubbed his head which you know he enjoys

Since he may have growled or purred at you for

Both of you have an interesting relationship which neither of you minded

[itsmeevie01]

A Moment in Time-Ch 7

MASTERPOST

Marinette was the first one to arrive at the bakery, much to her relief that evening.

After warning her parents that she had friends coming to join her, the teen hurried up the stairs to prepare for the evening. Mullo and Plagg flew off, and Marinette paused in the kitchen to pull together a snack tray, before following the Kwamii up the stairs to her room.

She made sure that while it was hidden, the box was now closer to her reach. Then, she pulled up a word document that had been idling in her computer for the past few months. The document labeled Ways Gabriel Agreste has Abused His Son.

Pulling up her email, Marinette opened her thread from the emails with Tim. Since she had the time, she may as well respond to his email.

 From: Mari_Beri2001@gmail.com

To: timdrakeeeee99@gmail.com

 Mr. Drake Wayne,

I can’t believe that I included Hawkmoth in that email! I must have been more tired than I thought. Hawkmoth has been terrorizing Paris since I was 12 years old. In the last four years, the man has possessed everyone from a toddler crying over a candy bar to a man grieving his wife’s death. My city has faced real-life myths and legends, as well as children who just wanted a nightlight. Hawkmoth will target anyone who has a negative emotion. Your ice cream dropped? You are an ice cream monster. You fail a test? Suddenly you are giving everyone passing grades. The worst part is, everyone who dies will be brought back, but the person who is possessed won’t remember anything. Many people have moved out of Paris, and most of the remaining citizens have taken up meditation and smaller forms of magic to protect themselves. Although the news won't admit it, our population had dropped quite a bit. Inside the city itself, there are about 1.9 million people now. Many have moved to areas nearby that have proved outside of Hawkmoth’s range. As far as we can tell he only strikes in the city proper. Before you ask, yes, someone is fighting him. Lady Tyche, Apate, and their new member Princess Meli will free the person of the possession and restore the city. They wield magical objects. It's theorized that Hawkmoth also wields a magical object and that’s why they’re the best suited to combat his creations.

It interests me, that you mention bringing this to Batman’s attention, but not the Justice League? Do you, by chance not trust them? I have heard that many people in Paris have called them for help, nothing has come of it, obviously. In my opinion, people don’t actually believe something is happening unless they experience it themselves. For the most part, people who come into Paris will hear rumors of Lady Tyche in passing, but since Princess Meli is new they haven’t heard of our other hero. To even most Parisians, Apate is a legend. To those who know her, she is a vigilante who will not hesitate to end a situation or clean up what the Lady and Princess won’t. Most of the time, however, she is known for following Lady Tyche’s lead. I’ve heard theories that it's because she is more violent and has a darker power than the other two. Once, I heard that she wants to protect the City of Lights, and won't use her powers unless necessary because of it. Some people think that when she uses her powers she spreads bad luck to the people nearby. On the other hand, many think that Lady Tyche leaves lingering good luck.

Sorry for the info dump, there is a lot going on in Paris right now.

Thank you for keeping an eye on Nona and Jason. Jason, as I am sure you know, can be impulsive. Nona isn’t much better. When he was here, Jason mentioned that you tend to be busy most of the time. He was surprised that you had responded so quickly as well, actually. I wanted to add that I am honored!

Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to pry too much, if Jason is willing to part with the information, I really would like to know about their tike together. Please do not force him though. I am sure there are other ways to know what is actually going on. I do have to ask, what do you mean by ‘good spar’? do you two spar together often? If so, I do hope Jason doesn’t hurt you too often. I know that he usually put his all into everything he does, and I know that he is quite the fighter when he wants to be.

The slander is the work of a jealous girl in my class. She is of no consequence in the long run. I was surprised to find out (through you!) that the Bruce W on my commission list was for your family. Actually, don’t tell the rest of your family, but it’s not just the suits. There are a few gowns in the mix as well. Your family butler, I believe his name is Alfred, is sending me a list of measurements in the next several days.

Jason and I have known each other for as long as I can remember. If you want, ask him how we met. He will have a more concise memory since he is five years older than me. The best I can say right now is that he was the person I relied on for many years before we got separated. Since then, I think we both have grown, but I can still see who he was when he was 12 underneath everything. As I said, Jason would be the one to ask for specifics. Maybe after you ask him about how he knows my Nona?

Have a good day,

Marinette Dupain Cheng

P.S. of course I put energy drinks in my coffee! Is there any other way? If you ever want one of my recipes, let me know! I have a whole collection at this point.

 After she had sent the email, Marinette glanced over her room again to make sure everything was ready for when her friends arrived.

As she was getting up to fidget with the pictures, Chloé burst through the trap door. Behind her, Aurore followed at a more sedated pace.

“Mari! Hi! What is this? And why is she here? I thought you two weren’t talking anymore, remember? This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” Aurore raised an eyebrow at the other blonde before smiling at Marinette.

“your parents sent us up with some pastries. I think they were a little thrown off by Chloé and I arriving at the same time.” Here, the girl set the plate she had been holding that couldn’t be seen behind the more aggressive girl. “they mentioned about making sure to remind you that the past is past?” here, the two giggled as Chloé looked between them in confusion.

“Whatever!” she huffed, before flouncing over to Marinette’s chaise and settling herself there with a sniff. After the other two had stopped giggling, Marinette raised an eyebrow at Aurore in question. With a nod, the Ladybug holder turned to smile at Chloé.

“So, Chloé. We know that you and I are not exactly close, but there is something that Marinette and I wanted to bring you in on.” Here, she looked back at Marinette with a smile. Before she could continue, however, the heiress started to interrupt.

“if you two are-” Aurore’s phone started to ring, making the three pause as the girl turned to answer the call

“Mireille? Hey!” she turned and waved to Marinette, motioning her to continue with the conversation while she finished with her friend.

“No, Chloé. It’s more complicated.” Marinette leveled her friend with a look. “plus, if this was the same thing as two years ago, I would have told you earlier. You know that.” as Marinette soothed her friend, a small part of her brain reminded her that there was something that she hadn't told the girl. something that her friend would kill her for.

“Then what on earth is going on, Mari? You know it makes me nervous being out of the loop.” Marinette snorted pointedly at her friend.

“We weren’t trying to keep you out of the loop, C. it’s just…Aurore and I just realized what was going on. We wanted to make sure that we were making the right choice before going further. You have proven that we have.” Marinette paused, watching her friend. When the blonde still looked confused, the younger teen just smiled. “would Pollen like a bowl of honey?” Chloé bilked before laughing.

“Mari, dear. Who on earth is Pollen? Have you made a new friend I didn’t know about?” an indignant voice that Chloé was unfamiliar with responded.

“My Kitten hasn’t, but you have Buzz.” As Aurore finally got off the phone and turned back to the conversation, Chloé let out an ear-piercing shriek.

“OH MY GOD MARINETTE DUPAIN CHENG NO FUCKING WAY!” then, Marinette was falling backward under the force of her best friend tackling her in a hug.

 After Chloé had calmed down, the three girls spent the next four hours talking. The first 15 minutes had been about how the original two had handled living a double life for four years. After that, the girls turned their attention to the document that Marinette had pulled up.

The rest of the time was spent overanalyzing the spending Habits of the top four people on Marinette’s suspect list.

 When asked why she had the list and not Aurore, the duo explained that many times while Lady Tyche was out patrolling and being a beacon of good luck, Apate would be behind the scenes. Many a night, office buildings would register a break-in before the figure would turn into literal shadows. The security guards who would be sent to investigate would be faced with a missing pane of glass that had suspiciously black edges on the frame. Most of the time, when Apate was ready to leave, if anyone was around, they would lose their senses for the time that it took for her to leave. After, they would think that had simply blinked before getting on with their life.

Using this method, the protectors of Paris were able to cross many off their lists. In the few times, they had entered private residences, the break-in would happen when the family was away.

 Of course, Marinette’s hacking skills had come into use, as she had taught Aurore the basics a few years back. Unknowingly, the two had set their alter egos up for success.

The duo had spent more nights than they could remember curled up on a rooftop, laptops booted up. They would spend hours at a time sitting there with paper strewn around them as they raced to hack in and access as many schedules and bank statements as they could. Although it was highly illegal, the two had spent almost as much time working on the internet crossroads to narrow their such as they had fighting Akumas.

 Chloé’s awe at the work the two had put in showed. When they asked her to help them continue to narrow down the list she agreed. When she saw the first document sitting open on Marinette’s computer, the shock on her face lasted all of ten seconds before the heiress was helping her teammates dig into the private life of one Gabriel Agreste.

 When Marinette had said goodbye to her friends, Aurore left to patrol and Chloé went home with the hope that she could access more sensitive information from her father's unlocked computer. When the other two had raised concerns about it, the teen had waved them off. Apparently, the mayor was much laxer on the security of his work computer than he should be.

 After climbing up to her room, Marinette closed down all of the programs that she didn’t need to leave running overnight. As she closed out most of her browser, the teen hesitated, before she clicked into her email. Sitting there, waiting for her was an email that had been received in the middle of her session with her friends.

 From: timdrakeeeee99@gmail.com

To: Mari_Beri2001@gmail.com

Miss Marinette,

I have to say, you know quite a bit about these heroes that have been fighting in Paris. I started looking up the topics that you mentioned but couldn’t find anything. After several attempts, I used a VPN to make it seem like I was in Paris. That made the entire thing open up like a wrapped present. I must say I am surprised that it hasn’t made its way out of Paris yet. Well, I was surprised, until I was reading through some tourist guides. It seems that the new phrase is what happens in Paris stays in Paris. That, and very thorough censorship on public media. How have you made it this long in that city, without losing it completely?

I was able to flag down Signal, who is known as the Daytime Bat, and passed along what you had sent me. I included my own research as well, so don’t be surprised if they go to investigate further in the near future. Well, I guess you wouldn’t hear of it, but if they show up, it is defiantly because they are concerned.

I wouldn’t say that the JL is not trustworthy, but I trust Batman’s Gotham team more. Maybe it is the familiarity that comes from being rescued frequently from hostage situations. I trust them, and they know that I won't give them information just for the hell of it.it doesn’t help that the JL tends to make a massive mess when they come through town. I would rather they stay far away from me, thank you very much.

So, it turns out that both you and Jason are very cryptic. I don’t know how much you know of the time between when Jason was 13 and his 16th birthday, but he said that he was with a friend of your mother’s? He said that you would know her as Aunt Talia and that your mother was always the more levelheaded of the two. This was…confusing for many reasons, one of which is that your Aunt is my little brother’s bio mom. Anyway, Jason said he was with your Aunt when he met Gina, in ‘this little place in Canada.’ He mentioned an island and a bay that sounded a lot like the Bay of Fundy. If you have any idea why your grandmother would be out there, then we can puzzle out how they met. As for how they got separated, I am afraid that this time it had something to do with a chef? Something about him chasing the two of them out of town with a cleaver? Apparently, this chef is another relation of yours. Marinette, I must be honest, you have quite a few deadly relatives. you aren’t going to come through the screen and slice my head off, will you?

This afternoon, I got a call from the police station, by the way. Apparently, Jason and Gina had been busting drug gangs in their free time and there was some incriminating evidence. I am not quite sure how they got into it, but they have been issued a warning by the local Bats. You may be seeing this chaotic duo again in Europe sooner than either of us would like if this keeps up.

As to the sparing question. Jason, as I believe you are aware by now, likes to keep fit in a variety of ways. Bruce made sure all the children under his roof could fight and protect themselves. This means that while Jason may be the biggest in the family, and I am considered the smallest, I can still beat him in an even spar if I put some work into it. For the most part, I prefer not to use the same tactics that Jason uses, and since he and I tend to train at the same time, we see each other but don’t usually go head to head. I have to say it was quite a rush to beat him earlier today.

Alfred mentioned something about housing a guest who would be making sure that the family was presentable for the Gala. That wouldn’t happen to be you, would it? If you do come to Gotham, may I show you around? I know that having an experienced guide in any city makes things much easier.

On that note, I am going to make the assumption the Bruce didn’t know who he was commissioned, so I will warn you that he may ask that you get a background check done. Up until this point, he has only communicated with you through lawyers about the press fiasco. he probably won’t make that connection for a while yet.

Have a good evening,

Tim DW

P.S., of course, I would like the recipes! Any that you send would be greatly appreciated! My family thinks that I rely too much on coffee and not on sleep. Do you have that problem much? It has gotten to the point that I have a few shops that I go to that the rest don’t know I like. It’s the only way to get the sweet nectar of coffee! What is the worst thing you have done to procure caffeine? I hope your family helps you more than mine does. They say that if they didn’t monitor my caffeine intake, they would be enablers.

 Marinette giggled at Tim’s frustration with her brother. It looked like the two of them were going to keep it a secret a while longer. Although, when she did go for the Gala, and the fittings the week before, it would only be a matter of time before the Waynes figured out the two were related. After all, the features of Willis Todd are hard to hide.

Still smiling, Marinette made a note to tell the others that Batman had been notified.

Glancing at the time, Marinette reached blindly for the cold cup sitting nearby. The grey cup that was covered in pink sparkles read ‘I can’t talk right now. Leave a message after the squeak!’ The cup was one that Marinette had made after she started to wield Mullo, the mouse Kwamii, more.

Mullo and Plagg had been instrumental to her while she had been investigating the many businesses of Paris. Since then, the teen had kept the mouse around as an alternate form of defending herself. While the public had not been introduced to Little Mouse, the quiet vigilante had done quite a bit of work for the City.

As Marinette sipped on her current super coffee, (cold brew, two shots of espresso, one pump of vanilla syrup, and a mocha monster. affectionately named Minnie Mouse) she made a list of her tasks for the night. If she could send off the sketches of what the Waynes wanted for their gala pieces, then she could do the basic list of things she would need to get at the fabric store the next day. After making her list, she could start on her design for her own dress. Glancing back up to her computer, Marinette froze. She had to email Tim back at some point as well.

As she was standing to retrieve her camera and sketchbook, Marinette’s personal email dinged. Glancing over, she realized it was an email from Tim. Again. With a frown, the teen opened the message. The email was in no way close to the formal communications the two had been trading.

 From: timdrakeeeee99@gmail.com

To: Mari_Beri2001@gmail.com

MARINETTE

I AM SO SORRY. WHEN THE WHOLE PRESS THING HAPPENED, WE ALL TALKED ABOUT IT AS A FAMILY. JASON WASN’T THERE AND I JUST FOUND OUT WHY. HE AND BRUCE WERE YELLING AND I WASN’T EAVESDROPPING BUT I HAD GONE TO TALK TO B AND HE HAD BEEN YELLI GAT JASON ABOUT SEEING A SISTER.

JASON WAS YELLING AND TOLD B TO SHOVE OFF BECAUSE AND I QUOTE-

“MARINETTE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY FAMILY EMERGENCY AND IF VISITING HER WOULD GET HIM IN TROUBLE THAN HE WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FAMILY.”

YOU

ARE

JASON’S

SISTER

HOLY SHIT

-tim

 Marinette’s brain came to a screeching halt as she read the email once, twice, three times before letting out a string of curses. Dammit, Jason.

She collected her thoughts and pulled up an open template to respond to the other teen

 From: Mari_Beri2001@gmail.com

To: timdrakeeeee99@gmail.com

Tim. Please tell me you have taken a deep breath and have had time to reflect since you send the last email.

Yes, Jason is my older brother. Well, half-brother. My mother died when I was young, and since she had been having an affair with Willis Todd (a horrible man, by the way.) she had put his name down on my birth certificate. Catherine definitely never liked me, but she put up with my presence. Multiple times, Jason and I would run away or end up on the streets because of the fighting that would happen in that house. One day, I ran when Jason wasn’t around and was caught by CPS. Up and away I was sent to France whit the couple who had found me when I ran away from CPS. Jason thought I was dead until that scandal broke almost two months ago. That’s why he vanished. He came here to visit me. This was the first time I have seen him in 10 years. Neither of us was exactly thinking clearly.

It doesn’t surprise me that your father knows that Jason and I are siblings. However, it also wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t make it very far down that path. Jason thought I was dead for years. I kept tabs on him, but that doesn’t mean he knew about that until he got over here.

I am going to respond to your last email as well.

Yes, the current plan is for me to arrive in Gotham. About a week before the Christmas Gala. That way, I’ll have time to do any last-minute fixes. I would love to have you show me around your city if that offer is still open. I haven’t been to Gotham since I was 6 years old, so I don’t remember much of the place.

-Marinette

Ps, I’ll send those recipes soon. I don’t think you want a super coffee tonight. 😊

 After hitting send, Marinette sighed. With luck, she could have her list done by dawn. What was one more super coffee, after all?

HIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!

ok ok ok ok

i have been really excited to post this one, and actually almost posted last night! Self control? don’t know her! 

this one i think is really important because Tim and Mari aren’t super formal in their talking anymore. also...who can guess what went down with Aurore and Mari???

Tag List

@moonlitceleste @redscarlet95 @ultimatetornshipper @mochegato @liquid-luck-00 @maskedpainter @trippingovermyfeet @nathleigh @m0chick0furan @susiej1118 @t1dwarrior-of-earth @sassakitty @remy-289

[attichoney4u]

This post contains product placement

To celebrate 2022 as the year of "Athens and Sparta Adventures", I drew a fanart of Attica, aka fem!Athens and added a modern spin to her.

Here, you can see her posing wearing a casual outfit and holding a tin with honey. Specifically, "Meli Attiki" (literally, "Attica's Honey"). I'm not sure if that honey is produced in Attica, but I imagine that Attica would love to show off a popular product that has her name upon it.

Attica is a character that I'm quite fond of, despite not having a great role in the original comic (she appeared only once and she didn't even speak), mainly because she's the personification of the region where my town is located.

According to @allbeendonebefore (the creator of the aforementioned comic, as well as of this character), Modern Attica lives on the countryside nowadays.

I imagine her being a light version of her male counterpart, in a sense she isn't as proud and loud as Athens, but she can boast quite about herself. After all, some of the major events in greek history took place there and the capital is located there, so yeah. She isn't as stylistic as him neither (then again, this trait is based on my personal observations: I've noticed that women in Athens dress rather in a messy style [no offense, it doesn't apply to all of them], while the men there take care about their appearance [in Thessaloniki, btw, it's the exact opposite: it's the women who put great effort on how they look, while the men don't really care, but this is also based on observations when I visited Thessaloniki last summer]), but she doesn't really care.

Athens visits her often, especially during Spring and Summer and she's the only one who genuinely likes him, as the rest of Greece can barely tolerate his arrogance and ego, due to him being the capital and the centre of the country.

I believe that Modern Attica is more outgoing than her ancient counterpart, considering she had few rights back then, Athens isn't strict to her and I think he regrets how misogynistic he behaved in ancient times, but doesn't want to admit it (after all, the rest of the world for the majority of human history wasn't any better either).

Attica loves to travel and seeing new places, given she's now free. She doesn't have a "specific" favourite destination, but she likes the Aegean as well as the Ionian islands.

That's all I have to offer. Have a good day (or night depending on what time exactly you're reading this post) 😘

[creepysweetpasta]

What would some creeps do with a small S/O? (Basically who ever you want to do, but they have a much smaller partner)

Okay! I chose EJ, Jeff, Jane, and Ben for this. I hope that's okay to you ^^

Creeps with a small S/O

Eyeless Jack

He thinks you're adorable!

He's around 6'1 so he's pretty much taller than everybody else besides Slenderman and Laughing Jack.

He feels the need to protect you.

Likes to cuddle you and give you forehead kisses.

If you wear his hoodie he will melt.

Would probably give you his t-shirts because you look adorable in it.

Jeff the Killer

Teases you about your height.

Likes to place his arm on your head to annoy you.

He thinks your smolness is cute though.

But he can be a huge ass about it sometimes.

"Anybody under 5’4 can’t talk about fighting someone. Like, what are you gonna do? Headbutt someone in the chest?"

"Say goodbye to your kneecaps, asshole."

Jane the Killer

Smol S/O?

Sign her up for that.

Spoils you, a lot.

Will constantly smother you with love and affection.

It could be overwhelming at times.

She can be a little overprotective at times.

"S/O Don't touch that knife! You'll get cut!"

...You were trying to cook dinner for you both.

She just adoressss her smol S/O.

Ben Drowned

Finally, someone shorter than him.

You being smol makes him feel superior.

Like Jeff, he also teases you about it.

Although he doesn't do it as often as Jeff.

He gets insecure about his height sometimes.

If he starts to feel insecure about himself, the best thing you can do is to hug him and tell him all the things you love about him.

It will boost his ego and he will melt.

Then he'll just tell you how much he loves you and all that cheesy stuff.

He loves his S/O, a lot.

– meli ☕

[yhraewon]

━  ❖ (MOON GAYOUNG, FEMALE, SHE/HER) hey thank you for coming to town hall to update your information AHN RAEWON! you’re a VISITOR, correct? good to know! are you enjoying yourself around yunhwa? you’ve been staying here for A MONTH right? i’m glad! remind me, are you born on 31/10/1996? we’re so lucky to have someone so METICULOUS around as a STAGE DESIGN SENIOR even if sometimes you can be ABRASIVE. hope to see you around YEYUN INN #12!

hi, honeybunch ! this is rae ( she , her ) in the town with her deceptive alter ego, ahn raewon. she is a bad and a little bit egotistical person and you can hate her,, keeping in mind that she is purely in character and have nothing to do with mun! under the cut, you can find some extra information &&. a brief summary of her life. feel free to message me or like, ( subscribe and hit the notification bell ) for me to bug you for plotting !!

basics !!

birth name: ahn raewon english name: meli ahn nickname: ahn syndrome date of birth: halloween, 1996 hometown: busan, sk languages: korean, english occupation: stage design senior residence: yeyun inn #12

persona !!

moral alignment: chaotic evil mbti: estj ( the supervisor ) ennegram: one ( reformer ) hogwarts house: ravenclaw colour palette: #9cb071 aesthetics: classic literature, the pursuit of self-discovery, and a general passion for knowledge and learning. riding caffeine highs for days until you crash. cobblestone alleyways, study nooks shrouded in shadows, spiralling thunderstorm clouds atop ancient libraries.

brief perspective !!

✕ she is the oldest daughter of busan medical center's director and a retired model. raewon was suggested to have been an accident, as her mother ended up impregnated at a young age by her father.

✕ she has a brother, who is a year younger than her. they don't have the best of relationship and argue about everything. however, they're good at pretending to have a decent relationship in front of others.

✕ her grandparents from the father side were yunhwa locals, who moved out of the town just a year ago. raewon and her brother used to visit the town once every year during summer breaks but she managed to postpone her visits past three years.

✕ she attended boarding school in seoul and london, and is currently a senior of stage design major.

✕ she came back to yunhwa a month ago to hide from her parents and relatives. fortunately, she earned and saved enough money to survive for a couple of months.

✕ she has a fashion blog and has been updating it ever since her arrival to yunhwa. she also uses her stage design knowledge to decorate some of the local's shop windows for a decent fee.

✕ never let her learn a rumour, especially when she is bored. raewon doesn't just design stages for plays or scenes, she does it to add some drama into others' lives too. just to save them from a monotone routine, nothing else, really.

✕ she doesn't care about bonds or friendship, therefore, aims to surround herself with benefit-sharing people.

wanted connections !!

✕ customers, who want her to design their shop window ✕ frenemies ✕ old acquaintances ✕ new acquaintances ✕ people, who will give her part time jobs ✕ old teachers from summer school ( which she attended only once for a month ) ✕ relatives ( cousin, aunt, uncle )

[horansqueen]

I Almost Care : Part 2

PART 1

NOTES:

- I’ve always wanted to start a Louis story so here it is - The synopsis and the chapters are posted on my masterlist. - Yea it’s still my name in this. I know it bothers some ppl but that’s how i write. - Parts will be about 2k. Not sure yet how many parts I’ll write tho, probably depends if people read it not. - I do not proofread and i do not have a beta, sorry! - i decided to start a tagging list so if you want to be tagged in chapters OR be informed privately when it’s updated, let me know in my inbox, in a reblog, in tags, or anything. - There will be smut. and fluff. - The title is a Hanson song. The lyrics are posted in Part 1. - if you care about this story and read it and comment it and reblog it and like it, i love you and youre my new bff :D

I ALMOST CARE : PART 2

AMELY

I was supposed to say no and spend a nice and relaxed weekend in a lodge my parents has ranted for the summer. That was the plan. Then how did I end up agreeing to a wild weekend in Las Vegas? I was not even sure anymore. I guess the fact that my parents had invited the very same weekend our neighbors was probably for a lot, especially when I found out they were bringing their annoying and cocky son with them. There was no way I was going to spend days with him following me around and flirting with me with his annoying smirk and his shirtless obsession. The size of his ego was unbelievable and if I spent an other hour rolling my eyes at his disgusting pick-up lines, I would certainly puke.

I guess when Julie invited me, I jumped on the occasion of being as far as I could from Bradley and his cringe worthy personality. I hated gambling. In fact, I was pretty sure I wouldn't spend a single buck in a machine, but I was not against some fun, and if I wanted to be honest, I was ready to try new things. It was going to be my very first time in the states but gladly, I had a passport that I kept to go see family members, sometimes, in other european countries.

As usual, I packed whatever I could find and all this in only half an hour. I knew the flight would be long so I brought a book, earphones and a pillow with me. I also decided to wear sweatpants and a hoodie. I mean, there was no reason for me to be uncomfortable for 10 hours, right?

It's only when I rushed inside the airport, after being fifteen minutes late, that I realized my mistake. He was there. Louis was there and i looked like crap. Louis Tomlinson was a part of this trip and I was hideous. My clothes were old, my hair was a mess, and I was not wearing any make up, showing dark circles around my puffy and tired eyes. It's not like Louis had never seen me like that but when you see your ex after so long, you at least want them to regret not being with you anymore, even if just slightly. Clearly, no one could regret me with the look that I had at this exact moment.

My heart stopped exactly at the same time than my feet. My newest Vans made an annoying squeaky noise on the slick floor and we stared at each other. It was pathetic.

"Come on guys, hurry up!" I heard Julie say, clapping her hands.

"Hey Mely, late as usual." Liam pointed out with a chuckle. "Glad to see things don't change."

Normally, I would nudge him and tell him to shut up but I couldn't take my eyes off of Louis and I couldn't calm the beating of my heart. Truth was, I never wanted us to be over, but somehow, I felt like he was not ready to be with someone. Or maybe it was just me he didn't want to be with. Either way, we didn't work, even if, believe me, I did everything I could to be exactly what he wanted. The problem was, he didn't even know what he wanted. That thought made me raise my nose in a grimace and I saw him frown, probably thinking my reaction was because he was there.

I pulled my pillow closer to me and followed my friends to the gates. It was a good thing that (and I counted) there were nine of us. Perhaps I wouldn't have to spend too much time around him. Maybe he would even pretend I didn't exist and ignore me the way he did it so well not only after we broke up but also during the last few days we were dating.

It was very unlikely since I spent a lot of time with Julie and Liam and I was perfectly aware that Louis and Liam were very close, but I wouldn't mind trying to get closer to the other people with us, if I had to.

I didn't know how I ended up with a plane ticket in my hand but I decided to just follow everyone. I smiled when I realized I got a window seat and literally let myself fall on the bench that I thought would be more comfortable.

"A bit stiff? I know."

My breath caught in my throat and I held it in. My heart started racing, my cheeks were getting warm and most likely red, and I I could feel my hands getting sweaty. I had a curse. It was the Louis curse. I would become an idiot whenever he was close. It was that way before I started dating him and now, the curse was back. I turned to him, my eyes a bit too round than they should have been, and he sent me a polite smile.

"Not you, I mean the seat."

My lips curled into a rude smile. "Funny."

Louis was, in fact, a funny guy. He could always make me laugh, even when I had the ugliest day. He could always turn my frown upside down. He could always make me at ease, make me feel pretty, important, smart... Qualities I could not really see in myself, or at least, sometimes they seemed hard to see.

"I know, I'm a funny guy." he replied, as if he had read my thoughts.

This time, he sent me an amused smile and I surprised myself wondering if it was just an act. I knew Louis was just as uncomfortable around me as I was around him. There was a reason why we made sure we wouldn't bump into each other and being seated right next to him in this plane confirmed it was a good idea to stay away from each other. How long did I read that this flight would be again? I said 10 hours, didn't I?

"You don't have to pretend, you know." I just pointed out, grabbing my bag and searching through it without looking at him.

I didn't want to admit that watching him actually hurt me, and way more than I thought it would. I had put so much effort, time and love into our relationship but I was not even sure he noticed it. I was not even sure he ever really loved me. I didn't know why I stayed for so long. Perhaps it was simply because I had hope.

"What do you mean?"

It took me a few seconds but I finally moved my gaze up. Our eyes met and I inhaled deeply before breathing out.

"You don't have to pretend to be happy that we'll be stuck together for hours." i explained, slipping my hand in my backpack to find my phone. "I'm not pleased by this either."

I turned my phone on and started checking a few messages I had received but I could feel his gaze on me, burning my skin. He was so close I could smell his odor, a mix of his cologne and his natural scent. He smelled amazing and exactly how I remembered but I couldn't let that get to me.

"I take it they didn't tell you I was coming."

His words surprised me and without thinking, I looked up again. I stared at him for a few seconds and licked my lips,shaking my head from left to right.

"Yea, they didn't tell me you'd be there either."

Now that I was thinking about it, it angered me slightly. Why weren't we aware that we would have to spend a few days together? After all, our friends knew exactly what had happened between us and also knew that we were avoiding each other. I nodded and finally leaned against my seat, closing my eyes and hoping the discussion was over.

"It's true."

I frowned, waiting for him to continue but apparently, he was waiting for something and my curiosity won the fight. I opened my eyes and turned my head his way as it was still leaning on the back of the seat.

"I'm not pleased, but it's not because I don't want to see you, or because I hate you or anything." he admitted, glancing down quickly before looking back in my eyes. "It's because I know you hate me, and it's awkward between us. But trust me, I don't want to ruin your weekend. If you want me to stay away from you, then I will."

I blinked a few times, once again surprised by his words but also by his compassion. It reminded me of who I started dating, Louis was charming and kind, cheeky but soft, funny and sensitive. He was the whole package : the man you want to present to your folks but also the man to make you cum hard between the sheets. Looking at him from so close again brought back so many memories that I had to hold my breath for a few seconds as I felt my whole body throb.

After a while, I got back to my senses and cleared my throat, playing with my earphones.

"Alright." I said with a shrug, putting my earphones on and starting the music. "But I don't mind you being around me. It's your trip too."

I could swear I read sadness in his eyes and perhaps, I had gone a little too far. I was good at pretending I didn't care, he should know that, and the problem was that I cared. I cared so much. I cared too much.

"Oh and Louis?"

Once again, his head raised up and his eyebrows too. I couldn't help but let my lips curl a bit at how cute he looked.

"I don't hate you."

He sent me a small smile and made a quick head movement as a thank you. I hated that it started hurting again. It's like a wound you thought was pretty much painless and almost completely healed that would re-open suddenly and bleed like a bitch. I spent a few more seconds just staring at him as I made a list in my head of everything I missed about him before taking my phone in my hand. I got into my note application and started typing with only one fingers, cursing as I made typos every other word.

- the way he laughed at my clumsiness - the way he played with my hair - the mischievous smirk he sent when he was horny - the grimace he made when I had a good comeback - the way he rolled his eyes at the memes i'd show him - his warm hands traveling on my skin - the way his eyes roamed on me like I was the only person worth looking at - the way his lips moved on mine, slowly but avidly - how tight he held me against him at night even if his bed was king sized - the way he whispered 'i love you' when he thought I was asleep

I suddenly stopped typing and swallowed at as I re-read the last one twice, three times... ten... I felt my eyes water and cleared my throat, turning the screen off and letting my phone fall on my laps. Why was this happening to me? I was good without him, I didn't need him, and I was happy. Then why was I feeling like that? I felt my twist in my chest and he had been sitting next to me for about 10 minutes, how was I going to survive a long weekend around him without falling in love with him again?

That thought made my heart jump so hard in my chest that my whole body started throbbing again. I couldn't go through that again, I couldn't have my heart broken an other time. It was much more than I could handle. I wasn't even sure how I survived last time.

I leaned again my seat again and shut my eyes tight, trying to stop the tears from falling, but when I felt his fingers brushing against the top of my hand, my eyes opened wide and I turned to him.

"Hey, Mely, are you okay?"

No. Clearly, I was far from okay. I was nostalgic of the only relationship that ever mattered to me. I was falling again for the only guy I really loved, the only guy who really broke my heart, and I couldn't help but think that I didn't deserve this pain. I deserved better. With that thought, I quickly took my hand back and nodded.

"Yea, i'm fine, thanks."

[300iqprower]

Super Bunyan just came out today so maybe I'm talking too quickly but it really feels like Super Bunyan is a more stable and well-rounded version of Kingprotea. Actually wait... Can Super Bunyan outdamage Okita Alter? If she can that's going to end badly since y'know Okita Alter is the 2nd favorite child of the gudaguda servants.

Well mechanically Bunyan is extremely similar to KP's gimmick but remember she's a Single Target so the one actually getting powercrept here is Mecha Eli, even beyond the fact Mecha Eli is an SR. The only thing saving her is that as a welfare most people will have her at NP5. If Super Bunyan ever gets an NP rank up though that'll override the difference.

The two actually have great synergy though, because Bunyan's skillset is OP as hell and a support hybrid. Her attack buff is a self stim but her buster buff is teamwide, as is her buster gather up. that's especially good for MEli whose biggest issue is lack of a star gather to capitalize on chaining Buster Crits to her NP.

She also pairs really well with Okitalter for a lot of the same reasons as well as SBunyan's Overcharge support increasing Oktalter's buster resist down effect. Side note: Based purely on their individual skillsets, if Okitalter were an ST it would actually be fairly even thanks to her recent rank ups.

Bunyan not like, absurd levels of powercreep overall, but it's still pretty bullshit that she gets on a silver platter results that other servants have to work their ass off to get. It's on the level of one the of the post LB6 welfares - not widening the gap further, but another clear example of how many more things servants get in their base kit these days. Servants used to be designed around one specific role and now you're expected to do everything except for one role. SBunyan in this case has everything except hard defense. She can support, she can DPS both long term and burst, she can stall, she can sustain. She can do all those things to varying degrees wheras the only other Single Target Buster Alter Ego, Mecha Eli, can ONLY function as a burst DPS.

[siderealxmelody]

Had she forgotten about her? It was one question she thought about often for all the years they had been separated, all these years she had bene torn from her family. A family who kept her going, a family who had kept her fighting. Each day as hard as the next, each day almost breaking her as all she wanted to do was give in. Give in the whispers had been within her head, give in and sleep. Let the darkness of your home lull you away, keep you safe from the pain.

How easy it would have been, how she could have just shut down completely. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t let herself give up as it would have only meant that Spring had won, that he had won. The man who had torn her from her home, the man who had killed their mother. How tightly she grasped onto her bond she shared with her sister; the only sense of home she had left as she had met each day with the next. As who she was had been stripped from her, as her rank and title meant nothing.

Freedom came at a cost, freedom was heavy. Freedom came with more pain than she had been through, the pain of truth of what had happened since she had gone. Not only had she lost her mother, but also her father and brother. Her family had splintered, her sister had gone from the Night Court. She had spent months with Adva healing her wounds, strengthening herself for what was to come. She had to steel all the trauma, she had to stay strong just for a little bit longer.

Marsaili paused just behind the door, her hand reached up as her palm rested against the cool wood. Her breath was caught within her throat as all she could do was thought of what she could say, what she could do. What would her sister be like now? Was she still the same? What life did she have? Her eyes stung as she tried to steel herself away, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. She probably looked so much different, she was still trying to regain the weight she had lost, her hair was short from where it had been chopped off – not by her own choice.

Her fingers curled upon the door as she moved them into a fist, swallowing hard she pushed the door open slowly before she stepped forward. Into the room, back into the life and world she had shared once before. It had been so cold and lonely with her, to know she just couldn’t reach out with something happening. Someone stopping her, someone restricting her powers. She hated what had become of her, she hated being torn away from all of them.

“Meli.” Her voice was hoarse, broken from all the emotions that rattled through her. The sight of her twin caused her face resolve to crumble, she couldn’t stop the tears that came. She barely said a word as she moved towards her, falling to her knees before the woman who had been her better half. Her hands gripping at the hem of her skirt, her head lowered to the floor. “I’m so sorry.”

[For Meli ]

Melinoe lived in a state of spite. She'd spite the Fates and live, she'd spite her brother and continue to thrive. Would either of them have approved of the company she kept now? No and she didn't much care.

Rhysand could choke on his ego or his mate's pretty little eyes. A child, he'd mated a fucking child to get what he wanted. Consolidating power, collecting powerful things as if he had any right to the throne he held.

It made her furious because if she let any other emotion in - she'd remember that day. When Rhysand alone made it back. When he wouldn't answer her where her mate was. But she had felt it an hour later, the transfer of power to her. She hadn't understood it then because she'd panicked and rejected it.

Thesan had broken down into tears, begging her to take it from him. His mother had simply had her dragged out and thrown out on the streets. She didn't mind, she deserved such a treatment for how cowardly she'd been.

It only dawned on her weeks and months after - after she'd gotten the last bit of communication Thesan sent of Zagreus's burning.

He'd been alive, Rhysand had left him to slowly die in Spring. How many others had endured such a slow fate? How many others had died in agony because her brother hadn't bothered to call for healers or reinforcements?

She thought of Lucille sometimes. In another life how they'd probably been friends. How in another life they'd probably had built stronger relations between their courts.

She had heard how she'd tried to get Ambrose back, how she'd nearly succeeded with the knowledge Day had on its own. Till Helion had ordered her execution, till she'd died by his sword in front of his court. A reminder, a reminder that knowledge was power - that it all came with a steeper and steeper price if they went down that road.

She thought about her life, the people she had left behind. She even thought of Unah sometimes, that keen she'd let out. How it had been most likely then that the last of her hope, the soft pieces of her existed. The Unah she saw before she left had none of that softness left. As if it had been burned away, she saw it in her eyes - a creature, a firedrake - she was a thing now. Perhaps thats why Melinoe had confessed of Zagreus's slow death, perhaps that's why she insinuated perhaps Oren's death wasn't as cut and dry.

Unah was kindling that she'd happily set ablaze. She'd happily watch her brother kneel for her. She wondered if Rhysand had struck himself blind if Unah asked him to. She wondered if Rhysand would have given her his kingdom and wings if she asked him to.

Anyone could see the differences. Unah saw him a means to an end. Rhysand, her sweet, sycophantic, stupid brother saw her as the reason. He was either already blind or willfully ignorant of the creature Unah was. Probably stupid and sycophantic. Rhysand had always been fooled by pretty faces hadn't he?

She hoped with the fact that Mars was back that this meant Unah tore it all down. She hoped it all fucking burned. She hoped Rhysand's wings were nailed to Dusk's doors where they belonged.

She realized blatantly as Mars continued to sob that she hadn't spoken. She didn't do that a lot now did she?

"I knew you were alive. I begged them to look for you. Maybe that's one of the reasons they went to Spring - maybe that's why my Zagreus died. I blamed you for that for a while you know."

She stepped away making tea for them both. She remembered how Unah used to make her tea. How she'd spoken of controlling that rage, that darkness in her. Build a wall, a mask to keep it at bay. Hone it, mold it till it was fine point. When the time is right let it go and watch it level nations.

Unah had said that's how she survived in Dusk, stay docile and soft till she was pushed - till she was cornered and provoked. Those encounters never did end well for her aggressor. They didn't remember what she said to them, what she did but they never touched her again. Melinoe had always found it pathetic how Rhysand, how all the other males had coveted and chased her. Even Oren for all his pride and dignity still watched her as if she was his heart and soul.

Maybe she had even found it sweet once, she didn't know. All of that had burned away, she barely felt what that should have been like. She turned back to her sister setting a cup of tea next to her.

She sat down on the floor across from her.

"I heard of what you're doing. I hope it works. I hope I hear the news that Rhysand's wings are nailed to a wall, that he little made thing is cut and broken like it should be."

She looked at the cup, she'd always been able to be herself with her. But what about now? Was she too barred, to viscous for her sister? For her other half? And if she was? Would that a lick of difference? No, no it wouldn't would it. Because she wasn't going to change for anyone - not anymore. She'd watched as Unah had been destroyed and made into something else. It had disgusted her how quickly people broke in their grief. Perhaps she hadn't ever been Oren's equal. Sometimes she'd like to think it was all an act, that she was lulling them all into a false sense of security. But the longer it took, the less she doubted that to be true.

"Zagreus took an hour to die did you know that? Rhydand left him there for an hour to die. If I had known - well I want to see I'd get him. But we both know Rhysand would have locked me away and given me some bullshit on the dangers. As if Spring is some horror filled court when we all know that Snow and Ice hide more than weeds and flowers. What else did you miss? Unah is a broken thing, pathetic really. I saw her after the burning Mars, she was glorious - vengeful and wrathful. I had hoped she'd have wrapped Rhysand around her finger and crush him. Apparently not everyone is as strong as you or I. What else? Oh. Lucille was executed for nearly getting Ambrose alive. Helion made a whole spectacle. I rejected my High Lady-ship and was thrown out of Dawn. I don't mind, I was weak. Not anymore, never again. Rhysand is very lucky his little collection is loyal for now. They won't be for long - ill make sure to rip every single thing he's ever loved from piece by piece."

She lifted her head smiling at her, it had no warmth. She didn't know how to fabricate that yet.

"Do I scare you sister? I hope not. I hope you're just angry as the way the males in our lives have broken us. Have you seen Mama Sarai? She's a ghost in a mansion. I asked Rhysand once, once when I could still stomach looking at his fucking face why he never spoke to her. He said there was nothing to say - that she probably didn't want to see him. Did you ever notice how he always makes himself the victim? Woe him and his little made thing. Woe them who were hurt by big, bad, Amarantha. What of Thesan who lost his mate's family and mother? What of Winter with their dead young? Who gives a shit of Rhysand being her little whore - I think it's a fitting punishment. Gods know how he treated Unah after. I bet half my inherentance he got her to sleep with him as soon as a week after. I have no love for him, for the made family he's fashioned or that spawn of his. They could all be as broken as you were and I still think it wouldn't have been enough. You should have lived Marsailii, you should have been the one who came back. You and Mama Inessa, he should have died, he —"

She lunged clinging to her as something finally cracked. As the anger banked just a bit for the pain to lance through her.

"I never gave up, I never gave up on you Marsaili. I knew you were alive. I knew you were staying away for a reason. So I let you - I let you hide. But next time? Next time you let me come with you or I will rend the world to find you okay? Don't leave me again. I knew it, I knew you were alive. I knew it."

[gavinhalm]

A Discussion of Tom Gunning's “Phantom Images and Modern Manifestations”

Phantom Images and Modern Manifestations: Spirit Photography, Magic Theatre, Trick Films, and Photography's Uncanny.

In one of his more famous essays on photography, Phantom Images and Modern Manifestations, Tom Gunning describes the medium as being fraught with a double existence as both an icon, or bearer of resemblance, as well as an index, which points to the photograph as a literal, empirical trace of past-time. Also essential to this view is the fact that photography is inherently a kind of scientific, chemical/mechanical machine free from the "unreliability of human discourse" (i.e., an image making medium far different than drawing or painting). But, the most striking aspect of photography's early development and mass consumption were the feelings of discomfort experienced by many when viewing this new technology, along with its association with the occult.

The Uncanny and the Double

To describe the startling, “uncanny” experience felt by 19th century viewers of photography, Gunning begins with a fascinating quote from Balzac's novel Cousin Pons, where the author states, in a narrative digression shot-through with notions gleaned from Spiritualist metaphysics, that the figure or thing represented in a photograph exists as a kind of specter or ghost that is constantly producing, shedding, or radiating images of itself outward towards the camera in order to be recorded. In essence, the sensitized photographic plate, via the camera's lens, captures moments of a kind of spiritual singularity emanating from the Real World, and Real Things, and freezes them all forever, in a kind of half-religious and proto-quantum mechanical matrix of psychology, observation, recording, and iconographic image making not far removed, for Gunning, from any number of Christian panel and canvas paintings executed over the previous millennium.

Next, Gunning steers the discussion towards another famous author of the 19th century, Sigmund Freud, who locates the feeling of the uncanny through a personal story in which he found himself walking in circles through a shady part of town filled with prostitutes, thus experiencing repetitively strange and uncomfortable feelings and perceptions while in orbit around this urban space.

Without getting into the peculiar erotic connotations (for Freud himself) implicit within this story, or the refined way Gunning links Freud’s own complex theory of the “Return of the Repressed” to his walkabout, it is enough to say that the uncanny, spooky, deja-vu feeling Freud describes was the impetus for his important concept of the “Double”: Doubling refers to the representation/projection of the ego outward that can assume various forms outside the physical self of the subject (twins, mirroring, reflections, self/portraiture, etc), and has no small connection to aspects of primitive animism as well as the mythological story of Narcissus, and, of course, to photography as a medium. 

What photography does, according to Gunning, is to provide a technology which could summon feelings of the uncanny through a visual-empirical doubling of reality, thus grounding Spiritualism in science/technology and helping to give it quasi-rational justification for proliferating its beliefs.

He also relates other pseudo-empirical methods of communication with the dead to his discussion, such as the example of the Fox sisters who became famous for their seances whereby they rapped out messages from the beyond (Morse Code-like, and in an empirical auditory way that could also be “directly” sensed)–Even famous public figures of the time, such as Thomas Watson of Alexander Graham Bell's laboratory, often fell into believing the efficacy of the sisters’ contacts with the otherworldly. Spiritualism now becomes, according to Gunning, intertwined with the development of early forms of mass communication and the scientific/technological in general.

Doubling of the Double Through the Photographic Mirror of American Spiritualism

A whole host of optical methods were used by spirit photographers to prove the existence of the Spirit Realm, the most successful of which was the sandwiching of different negatives in order to reveal the sought-for ghostly figures in a final photographic object–From President Lincoln's towering ghost standing behind his seated widow (complete with his hands upon her shoulders), to multiple exposures of dead children's faces next to their mothers, to strangely arranged circular galleries of ghostly heads, all were examples of the different arrangements spirit photographers executed in order to display the other-worldly beings and loved ones from the beyond. 

Often appearing within these photographs were, incredibly for their early viewers, images people had seen elsewhere–Recognizable public images lurking both out in the Real World, and within in the dark recesses of the secret archives each spirit photographer possessed, were somehow (re)appearing. In order to rationalize these doubly-doubled images’ inclusion, a spirit photographer would argue that, in order for people to recognize the spirits, they themselves must use common, understandable imagery for communicative reasons. So, in short, the spirits were also producing photographs, which is a profoundly revelatory thesis that had deep metaphysical implications for both the realms of the living and the dead.

Photography also engaged in a fascinating alliance with another aspect of Spiritualism in which entranced mediums would throw up, evacuate, or generally excrete "materializations" of some uncertain gelatinous substance (in this case, not of a silver halide nature) that often included yet more images of the dead. Also, Spiritualists claimed that by merely holding a piece of photographic material, without the aid of a camera, one could produce images of ghosts, or, even more incredibly, a ghost in its entirety could be materialized via (any) photographic methods and then be touched, and even smelled.

One of Gunning’s most impressive examples during this discussion uses the instance of the ghost of one Katie King, whose supposed conjuring famously fooled one of the finest British scientists of the era, William Cookes, and would end up giving more than a little credence to the beliefs of the Spiritualists through his association–Though it was later shown that the medium who conjured Ms. King looked identical to the ghost she was purportedly summoning, thus conjuring a spirit that was, in essence as well as literally, a living double of a dead double (perhaps the most truly astonishing instance where photographic material begat the very thing it represented).

All of these meta/physical mechanizations involving photographic technology take us in one direction or another from the material, to the immaterial, and back to the material again, providing the structure for an infinite empirical/spiritual feedback loop. What could be more uncanny, or more to the point, what could provide more exemplary evidence for the existence of the Spirit Realm, then a new technology being able to not only open the doors of perception, but to actively enable communication with the Other Side? 

Indeed, in Spirit Photography the mediating technology itself takes over the human medium's role, and the most profound connection between photography and Spiritualist manifestation lies in the concept of the sensitive medium (literally and figuratively, as both the sensitive medium that conjures up the ghosts, as well as the sensitive plate that captures them)–This double figuration of a sensitive, doubling medium is the ultimate medium-as-message.

--

What Gunning does throughout his essay is weave a very subtle, very detailed socio-historical analysis which provides an exceptional lens through which to observe one of the final sociocultural waves in the 19th century that shifted the larger focus from the religiously-subjective, to the near complete domination of the empirical/visual in our own present culture, and his analysis convincingly fuses together issues relating to period gender bias, economics, legal issues concerning fraud and quackery, the spectacles of magic shows, and showmanship itself. †

In the end, Gunning returns to the idea that Balzac found so compelling in which photography didn't simply capture the trace of something, but that this something was involved in a nearly endless series of self-referential image production. Therefore, what we end up having during this time in Western history is a situation in which the feeling of the uncanny, the idea of the Double, the fear of death, along with a new technology, engenders a metaphysics that would have the spirits on the other side creating infinitely reproducible photographs of themselves in order to communicate with the living. 

We have, in short, a model of the universe where things reproduce themselves through a never ending re-production of images, but have no real, “original” existence outside of these images. Sounds uncannily familiar, doesn't it?

Notes:

† Cf. the film The Spiritualist Photographer, by the great 19th/20th century contemporary filmmaker-magician Méliès, which exposed the entire farcical display of Spiritualist photography's practice in order to produce a film that disrobes the specious, tenuous ties Spiritualism had to the scientific, and unveiled it as being all novel spectacle and showman-like trickery rather than an awe inspiring event.

[thesassybooskter]

STUBBORN AS A MULE by Juliette Poe: Review & Excerpt

Stubborn as a Mule by Juliette Poe Series: Sex and Sweet Tea #2 Published by Big Dog Books LLC Publication Date: July 20th 2017 Genres: Contemporary Romance Pages: 129 Source: Publisher Format: eARC Goodreads Buy Online: Amazon ♥ Barnes & Noble ♥ Kobo ♥ iBooks

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Down in Whynot, NC, there are three things that hold true: 1) life moves just a little bit slower, 2) family means everything, and 3) you don’t mess with history.

When his family decides to sell a home that’s been part of their history for over a century, Lowe Mancinkus is madder than a hornet. To add insult to injury, the woman who purchased it is some fancy pants, city girl looking to fix it up and sell it off. Doesn’t matter that she’s sexy as hell or that just being near her gets his blood racing like never before. That home belongs to his family, or at least it did until she came to town.

Well that just won’t do, now will it?

From the moment that she laid eyes on the historical home in rural North Carolina, Melinda Rothschild knew Mainer House was something special. The perfect escape from life in New York City, Melinda signed the papers and set to work restoring the house to its natural beauty. That is until an angry Lowe showed up on her doorstep one day. With a scowl on his handsome, chiseled face. And a shotgun in his strong, muscular arms.

Is it getting hot in here?

Melinda’s about to get a lesson on life in the south, but Lowe is about to learn a lesson of his own – this city girl doesn’t back down from a fight.

    Review

STUBBORN AS A MULE has all the makings of a delightful and entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance and coupled with the Southern setting, sounds like the perfect way to enjoy a summer weekend. 

Lowe Mancinkus loves the history of his family and the ancestral home is a big part of that, so when his family decides to sell that home and to an outsider no less, he expresses his disappointment at that decision in troublesome ways, leading to a lengthy sentence in the form of his labor to the new owner. Lowe is determined to use this enforced labor to be a thorn in her side, but close proximity with her has made him aware of other, much friendlier feelings for her which he wants to explore.

Melinda Rothschild has her own sentimental reasons for being in Whynot, North Carolina, and purchasing and restoring the Mainer House is a labor of love. Lowe may have started out as nothing but a nuisance but working so closely with him has made her aware of him as a man, an awareness she knows he shares. Mely is not exactly sure what her plans are or if she intends to settle in Whynot, but Lowe is more than willing to convince her in ways that they both will enjoy.

When I think of the South, I think of sweet tea, fried foods and sweltering summer days and those images coupled with Lowes and Mely, and the assorted cast of secondary characters in the small town, as well as a very active gossip mill, had me primed to enjoy this offering from Sawyer Bennett’s alter ego.

However, it was not to be. Lowe bugged me in the beginning because he went out of his way to be a thorn in Mely’s side, a proverbial pulling of her pigtails, if you will and not in a good way. Their transition from enemies to friends and lovers felt forced and the only time I felt the chemistry between them was when they ganged up to play pranks on Mely’s BFF. In fact, said BFF stole the entire show in the book and every scene with him left me in stitches. I also enjoyed the other residents of the town and was quite upset that Lynette did not get hers to my satisfaction.

All in all, it was an okay read and I’m hoping that my next read in this series will be a better one.

    Excerpt

“Looking good, Lowe Mancinkus,” I hear a woman call out as I stretch upward to paint the top of the frame around the window. Turning my head to look over my shoulder, I see Lynette Carnes getting ready to walk into Sweet Cakes across the street. She’s our town’s very own Daisy Duke. By that, I mean she struts around in miniscule jean shorts, high heels, and a sleeveless blouse tied off just underneath her very ample chest.

She’s definitely nice to look at, although she doesn’t have much going on above the cleavage.

“Morning, Lynette,” I call back. “Lookin’ good yourself.”

She grins and blows a kiss at me before walking into Larkin’s shop.

The front door opens and Mely steps out onto the porch, carrying a cup of coffee. There’s no doubt in my mind she witnessed that exchange from the other side of the doorway. It’s obvious by the pinched expression she has on her face. Still, she brings the coffee over to me and sets it on the porch rail.

“Thanks, darlin’,” I tell her as I go back to brushing paint over the layer of primer I’d put on a few hours ago. I’d decided to work half a day here at Mainer House, not because I was anxious to get the work done, but because I wanted to be around Melinda Rothschild.

She may not be strutting around in little shorts and a low-cut blouse, but she is most definitely a prettier picture than I’ve ever seen around these parts. She’s wearing a white sundress with a halter top, and her shoulders are lightly tanned with tiny freckles. Her legs are long, bare, and perfectly adorned with nothing more than a pair of simple white sandals. Her silky blonde hair is pulled away from her face at the top of her head and she looks like a breath of fresh air.

Mely leans against the porch rail, crosses her arms low under her breasts, and watches me work for a minute. I wonder if she likes what she sees.

I think so.

There was going to be another kiss last night if Morri hadn’t managed to ruin that little moment. And while I’d never stoop to mention this to Mely, I’m pretty sure he’d been hovering at the top of the stairs, just waiting to ruin it.

“Much better than hot pink,” Mely says as I continue to apply paint to the casing. I have no clue what the hell I was thinking when I painted her house pink. It was an attention getter and since the two people whose attention it got were Mely and Judge Bowe, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out I might have been pulling on her metaphorical pigtails a bit.

“I should have this finished by tomorrow,” I tell her. “Then all will be right again.”

“Odd since it took you a single night to do the damage,” she quips. I don’t look back at her, but I hear the laughter in her voice.

“Well, neon pink isn’t all that easy to cover up,” I tell her with a laugh.

She snickers and I can’t believe she was trying to get me thrown in jail last week. My how the mighty have fallen.

“When in Rome and all that,” Mely says and I turn to look at her from my perch on the ladder. She jerks her chin over her shoulder in the direction of Sweet Cakes. “Is that the standard southern girl uniform?”

Chuckling, I cut my eyes over to Sweet Cakes where sexy Lynette just disappeared into. I’m not about to tell Mely that I have actual carnal knowledge about that southern girl, even if it was back in my younger years.

Looking back to Mely, I take in her stylishly sweet dress that doesn’t reveal much but is still sexy at the same time. Giving her a wink, I say, “There’s nothing standard about you, Melinda Rothschild, so I’m advising you to stay away from that look. I think you’re mighty fine just the way you are.”

    About Juliette Poe

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.

A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.

When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

STUBBORN AS A MULE by Juliette Poe: Review & Excerpt was originally published on The Sassy Bookster

[anitabyars]

🍑🍑 COMING MARCH 15 FROM JULIETTE POE 🍑🍑 Juliette Poe (Sawyer Bennett’s sweet and sassy alter ego) is taking us back down to Whynot, NC with the release of PRETTY AS A PEACH! Keep reading for a sneak peek into this charming and fun enemies-to-lovers story, releasing March 15! Read the except below, then stop by Juliette’s page and let her know what you think ----> https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJuliettePoe/ ✦✦✦✦✦ Every Sunday for as long as I can remember, my mama, Catherine Mancinkus, has cooked a large family meal that was served promptly at two PM. This gave her the opportunity to attend Sunday church services with plenty of time left to come home to make a feast fit for a king. There were always the usual staples of a southern Sunday dinner. Biscuits or cornbread, sweet tea, and a homemade dessert. We would also have ham, meatloaf, or country-fried steak. There were always classic sides like collards, macaroni and cheese, or butter beans. When I was around six, Pap came to live full time in North Carolina from Pittsburgh. Ever since his move here, our Sunday dinner got supplemented with some of his favorites he grew up with in his Polish/Lithuanian family. That meant there was usually halupki or sauerkraut served. Sometimes Mama would make pierogis. Us Mancinkus kids loved it. We considered these additions to Sunday dinner to be exotic, sort of how we viewed our eccentric grandfather from up North. Pap, on the other hand, became enamored of southern cooking and was completely fine with ham, collards, and cornbread for dinner. He was willing to give up his northern-rooted food. However, we were not since we had come to love it, so my mama had a very eclectic selection of food on Sunday. Today the Mancinkus dining room is filled to capacity. My dad, Jerry, sits on one end of the long table, and Pap sits on the other. My mother sits to the left of my dad, followed by Trixie, her fiancé Ry, and then Laken, who is looking morose over the fact Jake could not be here since he’s in California on business. On my side of the table, Lowe sits to my right with his wife Mely beside him and Larkin on the other side. There’s no conversation going on in this exact moment because we’re all too busy passing bowls around the table, counterclockwise as is our tradition. I take a large scoop of red beans and rice from a white ceramic bowl before passing it to Lowe. My hands are immediately filled with a platter of jalapeno cornbread. I take two slices. “When are you going to fill us in about the grant you got awarded?” Pap says from my right. I throw him a smirking glance, because he likes to stir stuff up. But the joke is on him. I had intended to lay out my plans for the vineyard tonight to the entire family. Handing the cornbread off to Lowe, I take a sip of my sweet tea before I answer. I take a moment to glance around the table and see that everyone’s attention is on me with keen interest, as evidenced by the fact they’re all ignoring the delicious food before them. I decide to do them a favor and make it short. “I’m going to plant grapes on the western side of the farm. Some muscadine but also some vinifera grapes. And then I’m going to make wine from them.” Once again, I look around the table. Dad, Laken, and Larkin have their mouths open in surprise. My mom stares at me with pride. I glance to my right and see Lowe is nodding—perhaps tacit approval without hearing more—and Mely has an expression on her face that seems to say she can’t determine whether this is a good idea. It’s Pap who asks the first question. “What’s your game plan?” Nice. Simple. Nonjudgmental. Pap’s got it going on tonight. “I had to write up a five-year business plan when I submitted for the expansion grants. Anyone of y’all can take a look at it if you want. The short story, though, is it’s going to take two to three years for the vines to produce. Another year after that to get the wine production settled. I’m hoping by the fifth year I’ll be able to break even, and we can start making a profit after that. Assuming our wine tastes good enough to sell.” “You’re going to give up some of the leased land?” my dad asks. There’s a tiny bit of doubt in his voice, but that’s understandable. He hasn’t been working morning, noon, and night on this project the way I have for the last few years, so he doesn’t know the ins and outs the way I do. He’s also been removed from the business of our current operations, preferring to do semi-retired tinkering around the farm as is his due. I nod. “The expansion grant will cover some of that lost revenue, but I have enough repeat buyers for our cattle I’ve been gradually expanding over the last few years that it will compensate.” And that’s all my dad needs to know. He and my mom put me in charge of Mainer Farms, and I’ve been running it solidly for the last few years. We’ve been struggling, but that’s mainly due to our inability to maintain our tobacco crops. Imported tobacco is just way too cheap for a smaller farm like us to compete with, so we’ve had to get creative and find other avenues to keep the farm going. While the easy fix was to lease out land, by doing the cattle and now the vineyard, I’m hoping we can become a fully self-sustaining farm once again. “I think it sounds like an amazing idea,” Mely says from the other side of Lowe, leaning forward to look past him to me. I shoot her a grateful smile in return before she says, “You realize you could actually use tourism as an income earner once you get up and running. You could open up a restaurant and have wine tastings.” Chuckling, I give her another nod. “It’s something I would like to research, but that might be about ten years down the road.” “What do you need from us, honey?” my mom asks. My answer to her is simple. “Just your support.” “You always have that,” she says, and then my cheeks turn hot when she continues, “We are so proud of what you’ve done with the farm. We believe you can accomplish anything.” “Amen to that,” Larkin says. And to my surprise, Laken holds up her glass of sweet tea. “To my brother, Colt Mancinkus. The finest farmer these parts has ever seen.” Everyone follows suit and picks up their glasses, raising them high. They all say things such as, “here, here” or “to Colt”. “We need to spike this sweet tea with some peach moonshine,” Pap says, and everyone laughs. But not for long as my mom gets up and goes into the kitchen, reaching into a back cabinet where she keeps some of Billy Crump’s mason jars filled with his specialty peach moonshine. This has turned into a good day. I generally expected my family to be supportive. Like I’ve always said, there’s not one of them sitting at this table who wouldn’t give their own skin for this farm. But my idea is risky. If this doesn’t work, the farm could go under. And yet every single one of them in here tonight looks upon me as if they don’t have a doubt in the world I can pull this off. I love my family. ✦✦✦✦✦ #preorder Pretty as a Peach (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #4): ✦ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2D4qU22 ✦ B&N: http://bit.ly/2rhtEmI ✦ iBooks: http://apple.co/2q2qzuu ✦ Google Play: http://bit.ly/2q2xZ0J ✦ Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qT6dRy ** All of the books in the Sex & Sweet Tea series can be read as standalones, but if you’d like to see where it all began, download Ain’t He Precious? (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #1) for #FREE: http://juliettepoe.com/bookstore/aint-he-precious/ ** Get updates from Juliette Poe, including new release alerts, sales, and more: http://juliettepoe.com/signup/ #prettyasapeach #sexandsweettea #enemiestolovers #comingsoon #juliettepoe

[lilypix-blog1]

Follow my blog with Bloglovin’

I have loved so many products in 2016 and I’ve really begun to discover what types of products work best for me and ones that I love using. I have really tried to narrow down these favourites into categories, as you’ll see, once I find something I love, I buy more and more in different shades! I really hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoy reading others!

Lancome Juicy Shakers

These incredible, innovative products have become a staple in my everyday routine. I own the shades: mangoes wild; meli melon; piece of cake; vanilla pop. I’m sure you’ve heard all about the concept (if not then there is tons of information all over the internet, I may write a post on them soon too) but they’re just so lovely to use and I can’t get enough of them!

MAC lipstick – Modesty

Finding my ‘perfect nude’ has proven difficult, however this shade is just that. Whether I’m unsure of what lip product to go with, or need a neutral colour to complement a colourful eye look, Mac Modesty fills that void. I cannot recommend this shade enough for fairer complexions.

Becca – Shimmering Skin Perfecters & Charlotte Tilbury Film Star Bronze & Glow

These two Becca highlighters (Opal and Moonstone) are the most gorgeous illuminating products I’ve ever used. They look so natural on the cheeks, they’re not in any way choppy or appear like you have a line of glitter on your face. Moonstone is better for me in the day and Opal for when I want a super glam look!

The sculpting shade in this Charlotte Tilbury palette, has changed my makeup game! It blends FLAWLESSLY on the skin and doesn’t look like you’ve contoured at all! It has quickly become a daily ritual to use this palette and the highlight is comparable to Becca’s Moonstone.

Diego Dalla Palma – Lash Booster Mascara & MAC Extended Play Lash

As far as mascaras go, throughout 2016, I couldn’t keep my hands off of these bad boys! I used the MAC one predominantly on my lower lashes but, when I wanted a more natural look, I’d also apply a coat or two to the top and bottom! It’s so natural looking, lengthening and just damn beautiful!

I also love the Diego Dalla Palma Lash Booster Mascara, it does as the name would suggest. It makes your lashes long, wispy and voluminous. This combination has made my eyes, no ego-boosting here, look beautiful! I receive so many compliments and questions when I wear them; that’s why I couldn’t keep them out of my 2016 favourites.

Bobbi Brown – face touch up stick (1 – warm ivory)

This concealer blends into the skin so wonderfully, and matches my skin tone perfectly, to the point where you couldn’t tell that I am wearing makeup. I use it for blemish coverage and it’s made me fall in love with cream concealers/ products. Highly rate this little stick right here!

Nars – Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Let’s keep it short and simple – your eyeshadow will not crease if you prime your lids with this.

Too Faced – Chocolate Bar Palette & Urban Decay – Naked 1 Palette

Although alike, I haven’t been able to keep my hands off of these two gorgeous palettes. I love the quality of shadows in both and I can create various looks from one palette without feeling like either is missing something. Well worth the money.

Giorgio Armani – Si

This scent is my, hands down, favourite scent I have ever encountered. It’s: floral – without making you smell like grass; sweet – without being over powering; musky – without being to masculine. It’s just perfect and it’s been my go-to for such a long time.

MAC – 242 & Real Techniques Bold Metals – 203

I have used these brushes, undoubtedly, every time I apply eyeshadow. The Mac one deposits lid colours with so much pigment and, combined with fix +, makes my lids look gorgeous! The 203 is incredibly soft and blends out any mistakes. I couldn’t do my eyeshadow without these again!

Barry M Nail Varnishes

This year, I found these polishes – and I’m never looking back! Not only are they super affordable, they don’t chip, they have a wide range of colours/types/finishes, they’re easy to apply and clean up mistakes. These are a few of my favourites: Green Berry (bright green); Eat My Dust (pale blue); Cotton (white); Lap of Honour (lilac); Road Rage (pastel green).

I apologise for the lengthy post, but I really hope I’ve helped you out or you’ve enjoyed this post! What were your favourite products in 2016?

Lilypix

Never miss a post and keep up to date with news: Instagram ~ Bloglovin’ ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr ~ Pinterest

  Beauty Favourites 2016 Lilypix, #beautyblogger #bblogger #beauty #makeup #2016faves #2016 #mac Follow my blog with Bloglovin' I have loved so many products in 2016 and I've really begun to discover what types of products work best for me and ones that I love using.

[anitabyars]

🍑🍑 COMING MARCH 15 FROM JULIETTE POE 🍑🍑 Juliette Poe (Sawyer Bennett’s sweet and sassy alter ego) is taking us back down to Whynot, NC with the release of PRETTY AS A PEACH! Keep reading for a sneak peek into this charming and fun enemies-to-lovers story, releasing March 15! Read the except below, then stop by Juliette’s page and let her know what you think ----> https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJuliettePoe/ ✦✦✦✦✦ Every Sunday for as long as I can remember, my mama, Catherine Mancinkus, has cooked a large family meal that was served promptly at two PM. This gave her the opportunity to attend Sunday church services with plenty of time left to come home to make a feast fit for a king. There were always the usual staples of a southern Sunday dinner. Biscuits or cornbread, sweet tea, and a homemade dessert. We would also have ham, meatloaf, or country-fried steak. There were always classic sides like collards, macaroni and cheese, or butter beans. When I was around six, Pap came to live full time in North Carolina from Pittsburgh. Ever since his move here, our Sunday dinner got supplemented with some of his favorites he grew up with in his Polish/Lithuanian family. That meant there was usually halupki or sauerkraut served. Sometimes Mama would make pierogis. Us Mancinkus kids loved it. We considered these additions to Sunday dinner to be exotic, sort of how we viewed our eccentric grandfather from up North. Pap, on the other hand, became enamored of southern cooking and was completely fine with ham, collards, and cornbread for dinner. He was willing to give up his northern-rooted food. However, we were not since we had come to love it, so my mama had a very eclectic selection of food on Sunday. Today the Mancinkus dining room is filled to capacity. My dad, Jerry, sits on one end of the long table, and Pap sits on the other. My mother sits to the left of my dad, followed by Trixie, her fiancé Ry, and then Laken, who is looking morose over the fact Jake could not be here since he’s in California on business. On my side of the table, Lowe sits to my right with his wife Mely beside him and Larkin on the other side. There’s no conversation going on in this exact moment because we’re all too busy passing bowls around the table, counterclockwise as is our tradition. I take a large scoop of red beans and rice from a white ceramic bowl before passing it to Lowe. My hands are immediately filled with a platter of jalapeno cornbread. I take two slices. “When are you going to fill us in about the grant you got awarded?” Pap says from my right. I throw him a smirking glance, because he likes to stir stuff up. But the joke is on him. I had intended to lay out my plans for the vineyard tonight to the entire family. Handing the cornbread off to Lowe, I take a sip of my sweet tea before I answer. I take a moment to glance around the table and see that everyone’s attention is on me with keen interest, as evidenced by the fact they’re all ignoring the delicious food before them. I decide to do them a favor and make it short. “I’m going to plant grapes on the western side of the farm. Some muscadine but also some vinifera grapes. And then I’m going to make wine from them.” Once again, I look around the table. Dad, Laken, and Larkin have their mouths open in surprise. My mom stares at me with pride. I glance to my right and see Lowe is nodding—perhaps tacit approval without hearing more—and Mely has an expression on her face that seems to say she can’t determine whether this is a good idea. It’s Pap who asks the first question. “What’s your game plan?” Nice. Simple. Nonjudgmental. Pap’s got it going on tonight. “I had to write up a five-year business plan when I submitted for the expansion grants. Anyone of y’all can take a look at it if you want. The short story, though, is it’s going to take two to three years for the vines to produce. Another year after that to get the wine production settled. I’m hoping by the fifth year I’ll be able to break even, and we can start making a profit after that. Assuming our wine tastes good enough to sell.” “You’re going to give up some of the leased land?” my dad asks. There’s a tiny bit of doubt in his voice, but that’s understandable. He hasn’t been working morning, noon, and night on this project the way I have for the last few years, so he doesn’t know the ins and outs the way I do. He’s also been removed from the business of our current operations, preferring to do semi-retired tinkering around the farm as is his due. I nod. “The expansion grant will cover some of that lost revenue, but I have enough repeat buyers for our cattle I’ve been gradually expanding over the last few years that it will compensate.” And that’s all my dad needs to know. He and my mom put me in charge of Mainer Farms, and I’ve been running it solidly for the last few years. We’ve been struggling, but that’s mainly due to our inability to maintain our tobacco crops. Imported tobacco is just way too cheap for a smaller farm like us to compete with, so we’ve had to get creative and find other avenues to keep the farm going. While the easy fix was to lease out land, by doing the cattle and now the vineyard, I’m hoping we can become a fully self-sustaining farm once again. “I think it sounds like an amazing idea,” Mely says from the other side of Lowe, leaning forward to look past him to me. I shoot her a grateful smile in return before she says, “You realize you could actually use tourism as an income earner once you get up and running. You could open up a restaurant and have wine tastings.” Chuckling, I give her another nod. “It’s something I would like to research, but that might be about ten years down the road.” “What do you need from us, honey?” my mom asks. My answer to her is simple. “Just your support.” “You always have that,” she says, and then my cheeks turn hot when she continues, “We are so proud of what you’ve done with the farm. We believe you can accomplish anything.” “Amen to that,” Larkin says. And to my surprise, Laken holds up her glass of sweet tea. “To my brother, Colt Mancinkus. The finest farmer these parts has ever seen.” Everyone follows suit and picks up their glasses, raising them high. They all say things such as, “here, here” or “to Colt”. “We need to spike this sweet tea with some peach moonshine,” Pap says, and everyone laughs. But not for long as my mom gets up and goes into the kitchen, reaching into a back cabinet where she keeps some of Billy Crump’s mason jars filled with his specialty peach moonshine. This has turned into a good day. I generally expected my family to be supportive. Like I’ve always said, there’s not one of them sitting at this table who wouldn’t give their own skin for this farm. But my idea is risky. If this doesn’t work, the farm could go under. And yet every single one of them in here tonight looks upon me as if they don’t have a doubt in the world I can pull this off. I love my family. ✦✦✦✦✦ #preorder Pretty as a Peach (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #4): ✦ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2D4qU22 ✦ B&N: http://bit.ly/2rhtEmI ✦ iBooks: http://apple.co/2q2qzuu ✦ Google Play: http://bit.ly/2q2xZ0J ✦ Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qT6dRy ** All of the books in the Sex & Sweet Tea series can be read as standalones, but if you’d like to see where it all began, download Ain’t He Precious? (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #1) for #FREE: http://juliettepoe.com/bookstore/aint-he-precious/ ** Get updates from Juliette Poe, including new release alerts, sales, and more: http://juliettepoe.com/signup/