#cajun boy wanted to be in france

[1nt3rnalpu7ref4ct10n]

s4e8

[misery-has-no-company-now]

Hello :3

May I ask thee for angsty Loui hc's? :3

*not forcing ofc!!*

Mhmm Loui angst hmmmm

*tackles him with the angst magic*

Loui can see spirits, and knows a good amount of witchcraft, so he quite often sees the spirits of all the people he has witnessed die. Some of them tell him it wasn't his fault and give him solace in their company, the others haunt him with blaming him for whatever happened; even if it usually didn't. And eventually, he too began to start believing their deaths were his fault ):

Sometimes, when he gets sick - like, really really sick [such as on the rare occasions that HE has gotten hungover] - he often starts to hallucinate the presence of the spirits; which we only know he does because I headcannon that all three of the Witchcraft Brothers (as I think I called them earlier, idk - I probably need to make a new name I suppose) can see spirits so imagine how Maine and Mass felt when a delirious Loui started sobbing and saying that he was sorry for causing someone's death to what was actually the wall but he thought was a spirit ):

For around a month or so after such incidents, Loui is terrified whenever he sees a spirit - no matter whether it's one that likes him or hates him - because he doesn't know if it is real or not and is scared that he is once again hallucinating.

Cajun/Creole French is a dialect of the French language; but many seem to believe that it isn't - which sometimes hurts Loui because he feels that it is one of the last attachments he has to France; since no matter how much he despises the country, Loui still wants his love.

All that moving of Louisiana's territory between France and Spain as well as the large number of protests that took place during the Louisiana Purchase means that he now has self-esteem issues and feels like no one will want him. Every time Maine and Mass show him even the slightest bit of affection [given the NE bastards that they are /lh], he cries a bit because he's so surprised that they still love him and want him around despite him not being able to give them anything of what he considers of "actual value" - never mind the fact that he's pretty much the only reason Mass has lowered his caffeine consumption to a less deadly level and that Maine actually gets fed on the days he forgets to eat [he silly boy like Alaska].

Anyway, that's all I'll give for now - can't be spoiling you too much (:

If you want more, say the word. I hope these were fine for now!

[mads-weasley]

C'est Toi

Eugene Roe x Medic!Reader (Soulmate AU)

Masterlist

A/N: Hiiii @issiie / @cetaitlaverite !! Sorry again for the delay! This is the last gift from me, and I hope you've enjoyed them so far. I'm excited to release this fic! It is my first attempt at a soulmate au, so bear with me! I do not own any of these characters except for (y/n). Enjoy!

Summary: People never know when they'll meet their soulmate, but (y/n) would have never thought she'd meet hers in a hot, humid town in Georgia.

Warnings: mentions of wounds, blood, death, etc...

For as long as she could remember, (y/n) (y/l/n) wondered if she had already met her soulmate. The small mark above her hip was a constant reminder of what, more like who, who was yet to come into her life. As she grew up, she always looked out for the matching mark on every boy she went out with, but soon grew tired of the chase, deciding that it would happen at the right time.

Before the "right time" could come, the world descended into war, and (y/n) enlisted, wanting to serve her country like the rest of the men in the military. After a rough time of convincing generals and higher-ups in the army, she was granted permission to be a combat medic in the 101st Airborne, Easy Company.

Basic was hard, but she made it through Sobel, even though he had it out for her especially. One thing that got her through the long runs up Currahee and the long lectures was her fellow medic, Eugene Roe. The Cajun was shy at first, but (y/n) soon brought him out of his shell when she started talking about the family she left behind. From then on, they were inseparable. You would rarely find one without the other, and if you did, you knew that they would make their appearance soon.

Before they knew it, it was the night of June 5th, hours before the "Day of Days" they trained for would begin.

June 6th, 1944

After getting all geared up for the jump, (y/n) made her way over to where Eugene was making sure everyone in his platoon had enough bandages in their personal aid kits. Her stomach was buzzing with uncertainty and a twinge of fear as she waited for him to finish.

"Salut, ma chérie," he called to her, a smile painting his face. She could tell it didn't quite meet his eyes, though.

"Hey, Gene." She took a deep breath as she approached him. "Are you ready for this? Cause I don't know if I a-"

He gently placed his hands on her arms, squeezing softly to stop her rambling. "You've got this, (y/n/n). Don' worry, okay? We're gonna be fine."

At his touch, a warmth spread through her body, and she could feel a blush creep up her face. He was her best friend, so why was she freaking out at a simple touch from him?

Pushing through the feeling, a defeated sigh escaped her lips as she muttered toward the ground. "Promise me you'll be careful. Please."

He moved his hands to cup her cheeks, his soft browns peering into her (y/e/c) ones. "I promise, ma chérie. You too."

Feeling the heat from his breath on her skin, she glanced down at his lips before catching herself after a split second.

"Alright, Doc," she whispered, reluctantly stepping back. "I'll see you in France."

With a solemn expression, he nodded, scanning her face as if it was the last time he would see her, heart racing. Just before she turned away, he caught her wrist gently, pulling her into a tight embrace, burying his head into the crook of her neck.

When he finally pulled away, Eugene turned and walked towards his plane, knowing that if he turned back, he wouldn't be able to leave her. Doing the same, (y/n) took a deep breath, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. They would see each other again. They had to.

The unsettled feeling in (y/n)'s stomach didn't settle. Not even when she found Floyd Talbert on the way to the rally point. Not even when she linked up with most of the company at the designated point.

Only did the feeling subside when she laid eyes on a very exhausted-looking Eugene Roe. Along with this feeling, an invisible weight lifted off her shoulders as she saw him patching up a soldier in the distance.

"Gene," she whispered under her breath before running toward him.

The man he was helping started to limp slowly over to the aid station, and Gene stood up, taking a deep breath.

When she called his name again, his head shot up, and a smile instantly formed on his grimy face when he saw her. He met her halfway, throwing his arms around her middle, and pressed his cheek against her hair with a sigh.

"Je remercie le Seigneur," he murmured, "Thank you."

At that moment, Gene was more content than he had ever been before. She was living and breathing. That's all he'd asked for.

The time they were separated, though only hours, he felt like his heart was unable to beat properly until he saw her again. Throughout his journey through the forest of Normandy, the image of her smiling face kept him going, along with the hope he was going to see it again soon.

Pulling away, Gene cupped her face gently, searching her face for injuries. "Are you alrigh'? Are ya' hurt?"

"I'm okay, Gene," she mumbled, placing her hands over his. "I'm okay.

Tension thickened the air, and his heart began to beat out of his chest as she looked up at him with the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. In a split-second decision, he chose to finally tell her how he felt.

"Listen, I need to-"

"Medic!" he was interrupted.

(Y/n) nodded in the call's direction. "Go."

Scanning her face one more time, he ran toward the cry for help, already missing (y/n)'s warmth.

As she watched him go, she tried to calm her racing heart. He was alive. Gene was alive.

The next few days after D-Day, they were ordered to take the town of Carentan. Supposedly, there was a company of German paratroopers holding the city, but no one knew for certain what they were walking into.

Gene and (y/n) were at the back of the formation of Easy as they waited over a hill on the road to Carentan. They watched Lieutenant Winters speak to Harry Welsh before giving the signal to go.

Nodding to each other, they began to run toward the town. Within seconds of the company moving in, a cry in German could be heard, followed by the dreaded sound of machine-gun fire. (Y/n) watched in horror as some of the men beside her were gunned down easily.

"In the ditch!" Winters yelled over the chaos.

Not hearing the order, (y/n) kept on running with the surviving men of 1st platoon into Carentan.

Gene's heart dropped seeing her sprint into the onslaught of bullets.

"(Y/n)!" He yelled, but she didn't hear him.

Dust sprung from the ground before her as she barely made it to cover with Harry and George Luz. Slamming into the concrete building beside them, Welsh looked behind them, realizing the rest of the company was nowhere to be found.

"Where is everybody?" He shouted as Luz shoot a few times around the side of their cover.

Taking cover, George hid behind the wall momentarily. "I have no idea!"

During this interaction, (y/n) was scanning their surroundings, trying to find any indication of where everyone was, especially Gene. At this point, her eyes were trained to find the bright white and red armband they wore, but she saw no trace of it.

'He'll be okay,' she told herself. 'He'll be okay.'

In less than a minute, the rest of Easy began swarming into the town, and that's when the first cry for a medic could be heard.

"Medic up!"

Saying a silent prayer, (y/n) took a deep breath and ran out into the chaos. Bullets whizzed by her as she found the injured man in an alleyway.

"Help me, Doc! It's my arm!" the soldier yelled when she slid down beside him.

"I've got ya, sweetheart. You're gonna be okay."

She pulled out her bag and sprinkled sulfa on the wound, bandaging it up the best she could. Once she was done, she asked the man if he could stand.

"I think so, ma'am."

"Good," she responded. "Go back toward our infill point and take cover there."

Just as the words left her mouth, another yell for a medic could be heard. Within two seconds, she was on her feet, making her way toward the next injured man.

"This is going to be a long and hard day."

A good bit into the battle, Gene had treated many men but was yet to see his (y/h/c) counterpart darting through the streets of Carentan. This could have been attributed to the fact that the town was like a maze, different streets and alleyways made it hard to navigate it, even though it wasn't that large.

Taking cover in an old bakery, Gene glanced to his right to see Shifty Powers aiming his rifle at what he suspected to be a sniper. After he was done shooting for a moment, Roe called out to him.

"Powers. You seen (y/l/n)?"

He had to think for a second but nodded a few seconds later. "Yeah. I saw her helping someone with a shoulder wound not too long ago."

"Alright. Thanks," Gene responded, brows furrowing in concern.

'Where is she, now?' He thought, watching as men flew by the entrance of the bakery.

"Medic!"

Like always, (y/n) went flying toward the sound, disregarding the danger she was putting herself in. Halfway there, she heard the desperate voice of Lip echo through the street.

"Move, move, move!" He yelled, motioning for them to take cover.

With a curse, (y/n) continued toward the injured man 10 feet in front of her. Before she could make it there, she heard the distinct whistle of an incoming shell, and the next thing she knew, she was thrown backward from its impact.

The breath was knocked from her lungs by the force of the explosion. Frozen, she tried to speak, but nothing came out but strangled gasps.

She vaguely heard someone call her name, but all she could focus on was the violent buzzing in her ears and a burning sensation spreading through her stomach. Trying to lean up on her elbows, she yelped at a sharp pain in her abdomen and fell back on the hard ground, hand flying to the area. When she pulled it away, it was coated in crimson.

"I'm h-hit," she whispered to no one in particular. "I ca-can't b-bre-breathe"

Suddenly, a body slid next to hers, their hands hovering over her.

"(Y/n)! Oh mon Dieu."

Gene. It was Eugene. Even though he was sick to his stomach, he pushed it aside and went into medic mode. She wasn't just another wounded soldier, but right then, he had to treat her as one.

"Ge-Gene?"

"Yeah, it's me, chérie. I've got ya. Hold on."

He hooked his hands under her armpits, pulling her toward a nearby building.

"Come on, sweetheart. I got ya."

Whimpers escaped her mouth as he jostled the wound when they moved. Just when they got around cover, Harry Welsh came sprinting around the corner, hand holding his helmet to his head. At the sight before him, his heart dropped. Everyone knew how close the two of them were.

"Doc, do you need help?"

"No," he responded, lifting her shirt to get a look at the wound. "Tell Spina what happened."

With a reluctant nod, Harry raised his rifle and went to find Ralph. Gene glanced at (y/n)'s face, which was covered in scratches and scrunched up in pain, and quickly gave her a morphine shot to the shoulder. Seeing her visibly relax, he felt a slight relief as well.

"You're alright, chérie. You're alright," he whispered, cupping her cheek gently.

"Thans', Ge," she slurred, eyes fluttering shut from the morphine.

He quickly got out a bandage and started to clean the wound, which he discovered was from a two-inch piece of shrapnel that was embedded in her abdomen. Sprinkling sulfa on the area, Gene froze when he saw a discolored area just above her hip.

Shaking the feeling away, he finished bandaging her up before wiping the area in question clean of any blood.

The shape of the mark was instantly recognizable. It was a mirror image of the one on his hip.

If they had matching marks, it could only mean one thing. His eyes widened at the realization.

They were soulmates.

"C'est Toi," he muttered under his breath. "It's you."

The young man's heart began to race at the thought, and all the feelings for her he'd suppressed since Toccoa came bubbling back to the surface.

He was pulled from his stupor by the voice of Spina.

"She alright?"

Gene cleared his throat, "Yea', she took shrapnel to the stomach, but it's out now. She'll have to come off the line."

"Shame. I know we really need her out here with us."

Glancing back down at her, he smiled. "You have no idea how much."

Before long, they carefully loaded (y/n) onto a stretcher, and she was sent to the aid station. When she woke up, a familiar head of dark hair was resting on the side of the bed, his hand intertwined with hers.

Deciding to let him sleep, she watched him silently. Nowadays, a solemn look occupied his handsome face most of the time, so she loved seeing the carefree version of him.

"Glad to see you're awake," whispered Lip, who was laying on the cot beside her.

"Me too. What happened to you?"

"Mortar," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Car."

He smiled softly, "Thank you. You too, (y/n). I know he'll miss you."

"I'll miss him just as much," she replied, running her free hand through Eugene's hair.

Shooting up at the action, he grinned at her sleepily, asking. "Hey, chérie. How are you feelin'?"

"Sore, but I'll be okay...What happened after I fell asleep?"(Y/n) paused. "I don't remember much."

Not expecting the question, Gene about choked on nothing just thinking about his life-altering discovery. "I just patched ya' up and brought you here."

Although he was the one who brought her to the aid station, seeing her all bruised and bandaged suddenly made the situation real. He could have lost her. Tears glistened in his eyes, and he dropped his chin.

"I'm so glad you're alright. I don't know what I'd do without you, (y/n). I mean it. When I saw you laying there...I had to-"

"Stop," she interrupted. "You're not gonna lose me...and I don't know what I'd do without you, either."

"Who else would patch you up?" He joked, rubbing her hand softly with his thumb.

(Y/n) chuckled lightly at the joke, followed by a wince. "Please don't make me laugh."

"Sorry, darlin', my jokes normally don't make anyone laugh."

Even though she tried to hold it in, a laugh escaped her lips, causing her to groan lowly. "Gene!"

"Sorry!"

They sat in silence for a few minutes until her eyes began to droop and she yawned. Eugene ran his hands through her hair gently, lulling her to sleep.

"Go to sleep, (y/n)," he whispered. "I'll be here when you wake up."

October 1945: Zel am See, Austria

Over the 8 months since Gene found out about (y/n)'s soulmate mark, he was tempted to tell her many times but decided against it.

Even though he wanted her to know how he felt, he was going to wait until the war was over. The last thing he wanted was for them to finally get confess, only for one of them to get killed.

When the Japanese surrendered in September, everyone was celebrating, but once everything settled down, they began thinking about home, more importantly, who they'd be coming home to. Gene had been thinking about telling (y/n) more and more each day, and it reached a boiling point in mid-October.

The Austrian landscapes around them were some of the most beautiful any of the men had ever seen, specifically, a lake with a perfect view of the Alps. This was where he was going to tell her how he felt; a place that was untouched by war.

That day, the company was finally having a rematch baseball game from V-J Day after George and Frank, who were on the losing team, pitched a fit about it not being a fair game. While the rest of the company was getting ready for the game, Gene approached (y/n)'s billet door.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

Heavy footsteps came thumping down the hallway, followed by (y/n)'s aggravated voice.

"No, Frank. I'm not playing in the stupid ga-"

Opening the door, she froze mid-sentence when she saw the shy-looking Cajun.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, and a blush crept up her neck. "Gene! I thought you'd be playing in the game?"

He simply chuckled. "I'm not very good at baseball."

"Me neither," she started. "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Since neither of us is playing, would you maybe want to go-"

"Yes," (y/n) interrupted. "Yes."

A smile broke out on his face. "Don't you want to know what I was gonna say?"

"Nope. Surprise me?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Close your eyes for me." Said Gene as they came up to the special place he'd found for them.

She listened and held her hands in front of her with a laugh. "Okay. Just don't let me run into anything, Eugene!"

"Don't worry. I've got ya, chérie," he said sweetly, taking her hands gently.

Arriving, he turned her toward the lake, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "Open."

(Y/n)'s eyes sprung open and widened at the view. "Gene, it's beautiful!"

"Do you like it?" He asked sheepishly.

(Y/n) turned to him with a surprised expression. "Of course I do. Thank you."

This was the moment.

Gene gently took her hands in his once again. "(Y/n)," he whispered. "I love you. And I kno-"

He was cut off by (y/n) pulling his face down to hers, crashing their lips together. As they pulled away, she chuckled breathily. "Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?"

The young man was beaming with happiness. "Just how long?" he questioned.

"Since I found out we were soulmates," she said, shrugging her shoulders with a grin.

Gene's eyes went wide. "Wait! You knew?"

"Since Toccoa."

"How?"

"I think you forget that you slept shirtless in Georgia."

Running a hand down his face, he sighed. "Of course. I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not," (y/n) paused. "And I love you, too."

[milokissa707]

Weak 1 wttt/wttsh headcanon post, this one’s about Louisiana by a local.

Louisiana and Maine got in a small scrap when they first met because of lobsters. At first Louisiana said it was a large Crawfish(if he actually thought it was one or he was just messing around is up to you) and then it devolved into the time old argument of how to say Crawfish. I’m telling you, somebody who is born and raised in the state of Louisiana, that Carw-Fish, not Crayfish, but crawdad is accepted. Anyways, there are other things that they have gotten into arguments about due to the difference of the French.

Louisiana points to a raccoon: Oooo, un chaoui! (a raccoon, Louisiana French)

Maine, absolutely confused, so he switches to English: What did you just say? Why are you pointing to that raccoon?

For those who do not know Louisiana French has basically compiled West African Spanish, and indigenous American languages, and just kind of threw them together very violently.

-

He’s Louisiana Creole (this also includes Cajuns if you didn’t know, there used to not be a real big distinction between the two, it’s a complicated thing).

A small historical thing for you

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Creole_people

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creoles_of_color

The term Créole was originally used by the Louisiana French to distinguish people born in Louisiana from those born elsewhere, thus drawing a distinction between Old-World Europeans and Africans from their Creole descendants born in the New World. The word is not a racial label and does not imply mixed racial origins—people of any race can and have identified as Louisiana Creoles.

This is one of the older definitions of the creole identity. It has been shunned and forcibly erased because of racism specifically from White Creoles and the americanization of Louisiana from Anglo-American ideals. Racism is a very big problem and I wish that I could shake people and maybe even kill a few. We must acknowledge the discrimination and segregation of people of colour(of all backgrounds) in Louisiana and throughout its history. Also let’s not forget the colonization of indigenous groups done by the US, France, Spain,and Creoles. We must not forget the disgusting and horrible actions we have done and must take actions to mend these deplorable and horrific things we have done! “ But blah blah nonsense that is just racism” shut the fuck up I will kill you, I can kill the alligator I can kill you. Anyways, this is also my small reminder that we should not focussed on just the Cajun identity and just stops teaching fucking Parisian French in our schools and that we should focus on our own stuff not whatever the fuck Paris is doing.

-

He is definitely a Creole of colour, he’s specifically a Gens de couleur libres (free persons of color) if you want to learn more about this look at the Creole of colour Wikipedia page,you can try to fight me on this I WILL WIN🙂! He was also a grands habitants (a Creole aristocrat, aka this boy got MONEY). I actually think he still has a lot of the money but chose to live more down to earth and rarely, if at all, uses it. Because to be honest, a good amount of us in Louisiana are poor. Anyways, thank God for Mississippi.

-

We know from canon that he uses CajVE(Cajun Vernacular English), no that’s not just a “Louisiana accent”. I mean he does have a Louisiana accent, but what most people think is a “Louisiana accent” is just CajVE. If you can see I am a bit annoyed by this whole thing (not at Ben he is giving us amazing representation). Most of the time you see this done badly(CRIMINAL MINDS😡) by having a character from NoLa using CajVE when NoLa has its own Vernacular English(sometimes called the Yat accent, to me it is closer to a NYC accent). Like are there people in NoLa that use CajVE, yes of course, but if you’re character’s hole family has lived in NoLa since the beginning of colonization why in hell are they using a different vernacular dialect of English. Sorry about that tangent but anyway we have multiple Vernacular English, mostly because of the Americanization of Louisiana. He also can probably speak all of the little variations of Louisiana French.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Creole

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_English

-

I think he has long hair, but not really long, probably around his shoulders. If you have been anywhere in the deep south it is hot and humid and even when I lived there I was impressed about people who have long and thick hair, bro like are you ok? Look, just give him Lafayette’s hair from Hamilton and yeah you should get it.

-

I am torn between if he is just a Catholic who practices Voodoo, or if he just practices Hoodoo.But honestly, that doesn’t really matter when it comes up to this next part. He still definitely has a name that follows Catholic tradition. For those who don’t know you are supposed to have at least one part of your name that is also a Saint’s name. I think he would be named after Hubert of Liege (said like A-Bert though, because French and like the patron st of hunting… and rabies), but there are like so many st so yeah. That would probably be his middle name. For his first I really like any name like Lou, Loui, Louis because well it fits and I actually know like 7 people named something along those lines. For his last name probably Landry, Fontenot, Guidry, Boudreaux. I kind of want to throw magnolia in there, maybe it’s Latin clasificacion. I know it says that he practises voodoo, this is a headcannon so yeet!

-

He’s either psychic, or he can talk to ghosts, maybe even both. I’m not religious by any means, but the whole state of Louisiana is haunted.  I lived in the suburbs and I lived relatively close(less than a mile) away from some families personal graveyard. Even in my little small town, you could find places that almost everybody could agree upon that “Yeah, somethings a little bit off there”. I’m not saying this in a bad way, not completely at least, it’s just what it is. Like I said, I’m not religious (not anymore) nor am I particularly a spiritual person(even though, yeah, I’m a pagan). When I tell you, I have seen shit that I cannot explain by science that I’ve heard shit from people that I cannot explain by science. I tell you the entire state of Louisiana, maybe not the north but at least the south is haunted as hell I’m not joking. It’s important to our culture to. A lot of people here(the majority of the state population) is Catholic and our saints and ghost stories are very important to us. You don’t have to believe in the supernatural. I don’t even know if I fully do, but I can admit to you when I have seen things that I cannot explain.  If you’re interesting about what I saw in with my experience have been super ask. 

-

I think he probably use and practises with tarot cards. It might shock you that even still a lot of people in Louisiana both people who are solely Catholic and people who practice voodoo use tarot. I associate tarot with my home. I was taught by my grandmother when I was younger, remember her teaching me all the cards in their meaning . Some of my dearest memories of New Orleans is walking around the French quarter in front of  The St. Louis Cathedral (even more reasons I wish to call this man Louis) and gazing into the crystal balls, tarot cards, and crystals booths lined up in front of the cathedral. Maybe it’s because of my very strong connection to it but I cannot imagine Louisiana not doing it at least once in his life. It always shocked a lot of people especially ones who are not Catholic when I tell them that Louisiana has a strong history with Tarot. 

-

Turn on my ideas for Cryptid Louisiana, it’s more specifically local stuff comparative to giant bird alligator monster.

Rougarou- I grew up on stories of this, I remember my Ma (my great grandmother, who was born in I think 1920 and spotted French and had scars from when her teacher would hit her for speaking French instead of English) tell me stories of naughty little Catholics getting eaten alive. Rougarou it’s like a weird dog, werewolf, I’ve heard alligator thrown in there sometime creature that comes and get you if you’re bad. It’s never really specified how one becomes a Rougarou or how they transform(or even if they do at all) but unlike werewolves, they are not limited to being transformed under the full moon. Hell they’re not even limited to it being night.  it’s probably one of the most well-known folklores out of Louisiana, stinking rolling and even supernatural have mentioned, and had episodes about it. Sold 6/10, probably only that high because of nostalgia.

1 New Site thing 

2 Wikipedia 

Vampire- I don’t remember who made the art of it I know someone has, yeah vampires. Shockingly we have them if you watch the origins, you probably know that. This also links back to a good story about one of our favourite vampires! 8/10

 Ghost- nothing one specific just a GHOST ! 4/10

Honey island swamp monster- I’m gonna be very blunt here. I don’t like this one and the next one I’m gonna talk about is in my opinion is better than this, but I digress. I don’t like Bigfoot but sometimes he’s also like part alligator. Eh 4/10 next one’s better

Letiche!- Boys I finally get to talk about it, this is the original OG honey island swamp monster. A combination of Cajun-Creole and Native American folklore this shit fit him this shit is my favourite creature that we have. Sometimes it’s described as the soul of an illegitimate unbaptized infant, or a human child raised by alligators. This monster haunts the swamps of Louisiana and capsizes boat(or just messing with them) or attacking people. 10/10

“There are two different origin stories for this monster. The first, more commonly accepted theory is that Letiche are the souls of unbaptized children who have passed away, cursed to linger in the unforgiving swamps and bring havoc to the area. The second story has roots in Native American mythology. The legend goes that a child was taken by swamp alligators and raised as one of their own. Over time, the Letiche developed the qualities of an alligator. So while he may still maintain some features of a man, such as walking upright and having human hands and feet, his life in the swamps among the alligators has caused him to develop many reptillian characteristics. This includes a green hued hide, not unlike that of an alligator, and of course, a set of sharp, lethal teeth”

the artis

If you wish to read more folktales from Louisiana, here you go, here’s some links, you can usually function from here

Jean Lafitte

Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs, Louisiana

Bonnie and Clyde Gas Station in Gibsland, Louisiana

Feu Follet

Jones–Liddell feud

Gris-gris (if you were wondering what he meant by that)

Marie Laveau, I don’t even truly need to link stuff for her or you can just look her up. You could buy books about her. 

Chicken Chase

I do hope you enjoyed my borderline deranged rambling about my state, feel free to use this for whatever! I very much encourage (I’m begging you) to make fanfiction and Fanart of this.

[school-in-london]

20231007 10TH ANNIV. TOUR [OSAKA]

（※誤って1度消してしまい再掲です、、、） ■ DJ: 遠藤孝行

Animal Collective / Broke Zodiac

Groove Armada / At the River

Doja Cat / Attention

Portishead / Mysterons

Caleb Landry Jones / Dig Your Dog

The Beatles / Happiness Is Warm Gun

Vampire Weekend / Ottoman

Patience / White of an Eye

Little Dragon / Disco Dangerous

Blur / Music Is My Radar

Laundromat / Combo

■ DJ: 村田タケル

Black Country, New Road / Athen's, France

Sorry / Twinkle

Porchlight / Spin Doctor

Squid / Swing (In A Dream)

Yves Tumor / Fear Evil Like Fire

King Krule / Humbergerphobia

Sextile / Crash

Moin / Melon

Yo La Tengo / Fallout

Horsegirl / Anti-Groly

The Hazmats / Skewed View

Working Men's Club / Suburban Heights

N0V3L / To Whom It May Concern

bar italia / Clark

■ DJ: タイラダイスケ

Chicks on Speed / Wordy Rappinghood

Dante Elephante / Jeni

Donny Benet / Mr Experience

Neil Frances / Music Sounds Better with You

easy life / skeleton

Overmono / Is U

Fred again.. / adore u (feat. Obongjayar)

salute / Joy

Romy / Strong (feat. Fred adainn..)

Lily Allen / Alfie

Liquid Liquid / Optimo

Viagra Boys / Ain’t No Thief

bed / Kare Wa

slowthai / Sooner

The Strypes / You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover

■ DJ: 遠藤孝行

Buzzcocks / Everybody’s Happy Nowadays

The Strokes / New York City Cops

Paramore / This Is Why

Communions / Two Worlds

Grandaddy / The Crystal Lake

R.E.M / Losing My Religion

Olivia Rodrigo / bad idea right?

Mystery Jets / Young Love (feat. Laura Marling)

The Smiths / Bigmouth Strikes Again

U2 / Atomic City

Oasis / Hello

Weird Nightmare / Lusitania

Fontaines D.C. / Jackie Down thr Line

Yard Act / The Trench Coat Museum

!!! / Me And Giuliani Down by the School Yard - A True Story

Fatboy Slim / Song For Shelter

Mura Masa / Drugs

■ DJ: 村田タケル

Deadletter / Line The Cows

Roye Otis / I Wanna Dance With You

cumgirl8 / llc

Water From Your Eyes / True Life

Crack Cloud / Image Craft (LIVE IN LONDON)

Model/Actriz / Amaranth

Yves Tumor / Lovely Sewer

Nia Archives / So Tell Me..

Arlo Parks / Weightless

Emily Yacina / Gleaming

Leel Neale / I Am The River

The Horrors / You Could Never Tell

Highschool / Only A Dream

Cajun Dance Party / Colourful Life

Horsegirl / Billy

My Bloody Valentine / Nothing Much To Lose

shame / The Fall of Paul

Double Virgo / No Sweet

Enumclaw / Jimmy Neutron

Beach Fossils / Don't Fade Away

Indigo De Souza / Smog

bar italia / Polly Armour

bar italia / Punkt

Tramhaus / Karen is a Punk

■ DJ: タイラダイスケ

The Undertones / Teenage Kicks

The La's / There She Goes

The Strokes / Is This It

d4vd / Here With Me

Massive Attack / One Love

Blur / Tender

Ari Lennox / Pressure

Koffee / Lonely

Primal Scream / Loaded

Miso / Emotions

Mura Masa / Whenever I Want

Nia Archives / Bad Gyalz

Watch the Ride & Nia Archives / Mush Up the Dance

Clipz / Again (Featuring Ms Banks, Ms Dynamite & JayKae)

Flume / The Difference feat. Toro y Moi

Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar / The Hillbillies

Netsky & Babl Lemmens / Everybody Loves The Sunshine

The Libertines / Up The Bracket

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant / Revolver Junkies

The Who / My Generation

The Lemon Twigs / The One

Anna Of The North / Thank Me Later

Stella Donnelly / Mean to Me

~Ending~ Fairground Attraction / A Smile In A Whisper

[gamer-logic]

Since my state, Georgia, is having the annual Peaches to Beaches event which is two days of statewide yard sales, I thought it would be interesting to show how America, the states, and any other countries wanting to participate both 1p and 2p would be during this event. So here you go!

Georgia is happily selling fresh produce like boiled peanuts and Vidalia onions and peach-based deserts. Her homemade peach cobbler and ice cream are to die for!

Antonio (Spain) also sells many fresh tomatoes, olives, and other vegetables. He doesn't understand why no one wants his Olive Juice though.

Hawaii and Alaska make a killing selling lemonade at their stand with a free complimentary handmade flower crown with every purchase. While using their sheer cuteness to attract everyone including one of those sweet biker gangs. It's really surreal to see a huge gang of buff, tattooed, tough-looking guys in leather wearing flower crowns and drinking lemonade. Allen's also there to supervise and ward of creep. Also, to provide people more 'incentive' to buy their lemonade.

Texas breaks out the Texas BBQ and is in a Barbecuing turf war with Jett (Australia). They draw huge crowds for the five-alarm chili as well and hold a competition who can eat the most without burning out their tongues and/or passing out.

Florida sells some of the weirdest stuff you'll ever see. "Want a full-scale model of a gator made entirely out of bottle caps? Only ten bucks! Want a portrait of Florida Man painted with orange juice? 15 bucks!"

Nevada also tries to sell weird and sketchy stuff to scam everyone. "This piece is the genuine article folks! One napkin gently used by Elvis Presley himself! Just 500 bucks! Also, gets into a haggling war with Lars (Netherlands). Somewhere Alfred's dad instincts go off and he reminds himself to ground Nevada.

California, Oregon, and Washington collaborate and California sells anything vegan or made with avocadoes and the autographs of Hollywood stars, Oregon sells his old tye-dyed shirts and records, they also made him sell his old groovy hippy bus from the sixties he'd never got rid of no one knew they had. Oregon can be a bit of a hoarder, so they had to tie him to a chair and gag him because he wouldn't surrender the bus without a fight. Washington also tries to sell and drink cups of coffee, but in the hot Southern heat, this doesn't end well.

Louisiana sells anything Cajun-style from frog legs to fresh gumbo, to beignets. Also has a full collection of Mardi Gras masks and shrunken voodoo heads on sale for two bucks a pop.

Gilbert (Prussia) gets tricked by Nevada and gets a ton of stupid things he doesn't need. Ludwig (Germany) tries unsuccessfully to keep him on a metaphorical leash.

Ludwig always checks the quality of things he sees and buys dog toys and supplies for Blackie, Berlitz, and Astor. Later, he actually buys a kiddie leash for Gilbert.

All the while Lutz (2p! Germany) is asleep in a lawn chair with his hat on his face after drinking like six cold beers from this really good booth. All the while, Klaus (2p! Prussia) finds an antique Teutonic Knights flag from a vendor whose family was from Germany.

Vash (Switzerland) buys antique guns from Alabama and Roderich (Austria) also checks out some of Tennessee's guitars. He's horrified upon seeing Alabama's banjo and washboard.

Mathew (Canada) and Emma (Belgium) combine their powers and tag team to sell the best pancakes and waffles on earth with genuine Canadian maple syrup.

New York sells tons of baseball memorabilia and collectibles. Allen, trying to save his bad-boy image, tries to be discreet when buying some while taking Hawaii and Alaska around to get something with their lemonade money. James also gets some hockey memorabilia with Michigan and Minnesota who also got snow cones.

Alaska and Hawaii see a giant deluxe dollhouse but are almost in tears when they don't have enough money. But they end up getting it for free because no one can resist their weaponized puppy dog eyes. Also, no one can resist a growling Allen. Using the leftover money, they buy cute little rainbow umbrella hats for everyone and have Allen wear one who begrudgingly accepts it.

James, walking by with an armful hockey gear and flannel shirts, bursts out laughing when he sees this. In revenge, Allen forces him to wear one too and help him carry the dollhouse, much to Hawaii and Alaska's delight! "I said go my way puck head!" "No, it's my way, you vegan loving hoser!" A passing Francis (France)' is in stylish horror when they also make him and a nonchalant Luis (2p! France), holding a case of vintage wines, wear them too. Hawaii and Alaska go around giving umbrella hats to everyone including a sleeping Lutz they pass by.

Loving (Romano) practically has to supervise Feliciano (Italy) and keep him from buying anything too stupid on impulse or get scammed. They still end up with stacks upon stacks of cookbooks, kitchen wear, and a Mona Lisa made entirely out of Macaroni. They also get umbrella hats.

Flavio (2p! Romano) browses through clothing racks to get ideas for his vintage line. Also checks out the handmade fabrics like quilts. "Such craftsmanship! This pattern is so unique and chic! I simply must have it! What's your price Bella?" The nice old woman selling the quilt just smiles, "Oh just about five dollars young man." "Perfect!" Flavio hands the quilts off to Andreas (2p! Spain) who's practically buried underneath the fabric. Luciano (2p! Italy) facepalms while holding a new knife set in its case. "Oooh! Look at those adorable hats I just have to have one." Cue three more umbrella hats and a humiliated Luciano. "Just kill me now..."

Katyusha (Ukraine), Elizaveta (Hungary), Lillie (Liechtenstein), Natalya, (Belarus), Katya( 2p! Ukraine) and Anastasia (2p! Belarus), and Michelle (Seychelles) explore with armfuls of clothes, new ribbons, and a gun case for Switzerland (Lillie), cast iron frying pans (Elizaveta, watch out Prussia!), farm tools (Katyusha), Jewelry and unmentionables (Katya), dresses (Anastasia), an assortment of switchblades (Natalya), and one of those singing fish on a plague (Michelle). It's definitely an interesting group.

Kiku (Japan) and Kuro (2p! Japan) find a nerd booth selling comics, manga, and Japanese weapons like katanas. Kuro test swings a blade and tries to slice the table so hard it breaks the blade, "Hmmm, not sharp enough for me, got anything else?" He throws it on the pile of broken blades he's already tested. Kiku stockpiles on limited-edition manga and he and the vendor end up getting into a huge, heated by Kiku standards, debate on who's waifu is best. Further down, Alfred reads every Marvel/DC comic while keeping an ear out on every state's location. He checks on Texas via his glasses and notices he's beating Australia in the chili contest. "That's my boy!"

Wisconsin wearing a cheese head sells anything cheese-based. He's got cheddar, goat cheese, string cheese, cheese spray, gorgonzola, grilled cheese, cheese curds, Mac n' Cheese, cheese sculptures of all world monuments, you name it he's got it! He also starts a war with Iowa's corn dishes and Idaho's potato dishes. They eventually end up flinging cheese, potatoes, and corn after they start dissing each other's foods. "Take this cheese brain!" "Nice aim, I-da-ho!" "I told you not to call me that!" "I'm gonna go children of the corn on y'all's behinds!" Poor Nebraska is stuck in the middle.

Alfred (America) hears the commotion and using his parent radar, immediately knows who it is and reminds himself to ground Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho later along with Nevada who, though still grounded for sure, makes him feel a little proud of since he managed to out haggle Netherlands.

New Mexico and Arizona also sell Native American handicrafts along with things like dreamcatchers and giant inflatable aliens. While Delaware, being the boring stick in the mud that he is, walks by with a framed and complete U.S. quarter collection from a vendor.

Kansas sells out of every sunflower she had courtesy of Ivan (Russia). Ivan and her the team up to buy out every sunflower seed from here to kingdom come. Viktor (2p! Russia) buys all the vodka he can find and a new shovel while Xiao (2p! China) tries giving people tattoos for 10 bucks a pop.

He tries to convince Yao (China) to get a hello kitty one to match the giant plushie he's holding, with the encouragement of Leon (Hong Kong) and Yong Soo (South Korea) who all collectively agree he needs to quit being such a grandpa. They also like calling him an antique-like the items on sale. " Aiyah! I'm not that old, aru!" "Yeah, you are Sensei." "Don't deny it! Da Ze!" Respect your elders!" "Tattoos originated in Korea da ze!" He totally is that old.

Oliver (2p! England) holds a bake sale and has people lined up for blocks to get some. Arthur (England), after having his scones shut down after it poisoned some unlucky squirrels, fries selling authentic magical items like unicorn hair or pixie dust. Everyone thinks he's a little crazy but he did sell a good bit of old magic books he needed to get out of his house, after making sure no one could actually use them of course.

The Nordics also went perusing for antique and handmade furniture when Mathias (Denmark) spots two full sets of Viking costumes and tries to get Lukas (Norway) to try them on with him. Lukas wasn't amused.

Berwald (Sweden) and Tino (Finland) also find a great handmade table to get after inspecting the workmanship and a full Lego set for Peter (Sealand), now if only Mathias would stop squealing like a little kid at the full piece lego death star. Emil (Iceland) keeps thinking he's the mature one until he spots a mini top hat and cane for Mr. Puffin.

In the end, everyone ends up wearing umbrella hats courtesy of Hawaii and Alaska, loving all the strange things they bought or counting the profits they made. Alfred (America) is proud of his kids and visits everyone one of their stands. He ends up looking pretty funny with an umbrella hat (HW, AK), a washboard, (AL),a picture of Florida Man, (FL), a balloon alien (NM, AZ), a tye dye shirt (CA, WA, OR), hockey stick shaped glasses (MN, MI), a giant stack of comics with a replica Thor hammer and Captain America shield on his back, all in a shopping cart (NV), and a giant turkey leg in his hand (Tx). Unsurprisingly, it was a tie between Oliver, Texas, and Australia for who earned the most with their food. Georgia just smiled as this was another great year for her state and people!

[televisionboy]

The Type Of Look They Want

Authors note: what is angst lol I’ve experienced too much irl idek what it is anymore. This is dedicated and inspired by @pxpeyewynn ily my wife and ur amazing

Taglist: @adamantiumdragonfly @raven-has-no-gender2272 @thatsonefishyboi @punkgeekchic @inglourious-imagines @legendarics @prvtbullshit @liebegott @damngoodgirl @3milesup @noneofurbusinez @gutsandgloryhere @sunnyshifty @meteora-fc @band-of-bitches @alienoresimagines @murphyism @wexhappyxfew @we-always-hit-our-ass @deldontplay @lovingunderratedcharacters @contrabandhothead @tremendousjudgesuitcasestudent @georgeluzwarmhugs @sunflowerchuck @sodapop182 @hoosiers-blanket @speirs-crazy-ass @mrseasycompany @vat69nix @stressedinadress @tyenesnakes @ohmydazeee @hellitwasyoufirstsergeant @mavysnavy @rarmiitage

Blood, blood was covered on his hands, adorning his fingertips and some had been splattered on his neck. Eugene tossed the rag down rather harshly, running his fingers through his hair. Frustrated and upset at himself because he had let another family down, a family who would be expecting their son but would be empty handed. He stared out the window that was fogged. Cobblestone sidewalks were ruined after being bombed, you were on that sidewalk when it was. He remembered last night vividly, a memory that would never leave him, a memory he would have nightmares from.

“Get her on the table, Liebgott. Hurry up” the Cajun voice growing deeper and more snippy. Liebgott lowered you on the table, blood from your leg was rushing out fast and thick streams at once. Your head started feeling faint and while Eugene started grabbing bandages, Liebgott held on to your hand. Eugenes heart pounding in his chest distracted him. His heart truly only beated for you, but he didn’t want it so sad and loud like this. He didn’t want to feel his heart breaking for you.

“She’ll be fine, doc?” Dick’s voice called from the front entrance of the room. Roe looked at you, your glassy eyes staring at the ceiling, trying not to cry over the pain. He could feel his heart cracking “She’ll be fine, get her to a bed to rest” He said, not taking his eyes off of you. Gene had a tight lipped smile and politely nodded at Liebgott.

He wiped anything that was forming in his eyes away and ignored the feeling of his heart breaking.

Your cough broke the silence and Eugene turned around immediately to be faced with you and your cot. “Are you okay?”

You nodded and smiled at him, his face relaxed when he saw you relax more “Can you sit with me? Or are you busy with something” Eugene’s heart fluttered and he smiled and placed his bandages down

“Do you see me doing anything?” He walked over to sit next to your cot, fingers slowly brushing over yours. You took notice of his callousy fingers and a little bruised from working so much. “I just see you staring out into space”

“Guess I was thinking about how I felt. You gave me quite a scare last night” he continued to run his fingers over yours. You stopped his hand and looked at him, with a smile “I’m okay, Gene. It’s just a little pain today but I’ll be okay. Can’t get rid of me that easy”

He smiled “I want you to take me to France, remember? You said you had cousins there and you knew a great cafe. I’m still going to take you up on that offer, Eugene Roe”

Gene began to re-bandage your leg and he remembered that conversation you had with him. When you had said your dream was to go to France so he promised you he would take you. He had promised his mama he would find a girl after the war but what about during it?

“Am I the kind of girl to make you want to move to France?” You had asked one night, the coldness of Bastogne had made you be closer than ever to Easy’s medic

“No” he had muttered “You’re the kind of girl to make me want to move back to Louisiana with”

Eugene finished wrapping up your leg again and gulped, staring at you “I was scared last night, I love you. I don’t want to lose you, Y/N” the shy boy’s cheeks heating up, red and growing hot with embarrassment

Your lips curled into a smile not saying anything

because he was looking at you the way everyone wanted to be looked at

like the world could crumble, and he wouldn’t even blink

[rockislandadultreads]

2020 Fantasy Releases 

The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag

Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . . As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly. To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming. So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry

A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.

It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas.

But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos.

Highfire by Eoin Colfer

In the days of yore, he flew the skies and scorched angry mobs—now he hides from swamp tour boats and rises only with the greatest reluctance from his Laz-Z-Boy recliner. Laying low in the bayou, this once-magnificent fire breather has been reduced to lighting Marlboros with nose sparks, swilling Absolut in a Flashdance T-shirt, and binging Netflix in a fishing shack. For centuries, he struck fear in hearts far and wide as Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie—now he goes by Vern. However...he has survived, unlike the rest. He is the last of his kind, the last dragon. Still, no amount of vodka can drown the loneliness in his molten core. Vern’s glory days are long gone. Or are they? A canny Cajun swamp rat, young Everett “Squib” Moreau does what he can to survive, trying not to break the heart of his saintly single mother. He’s finally decided to work for a shady smuggler—but on his first night, he witnesses his boss murdered by a crooked constable. Regence Hooke is not just a dirty cop, he’s a despicable human being—who happens to want Squib’s momma in the worst way. When Hooke goes after his hidden witness with a grenade launcher, Squib finds himself airlifted from certain death by…a dragon? The swamp can make strange bedfellows, and rather than be fried alive so the dragon can keep his secret, Squib strikes a deal with the scaly apex predator. He can act as his go-between (aka familiar)—fetch his vodka, keep him company, etc.—in exchange for protection from Hooke. Soon the three of them are careening headlong toward a combustible confrontation. There’s about to be a fiery reckoning, in which either dragons finally go extinct—or Vern’s glory days are back.

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane

A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil - until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.

Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.

Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…

The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson

Ever since her father was killed when she was just a child, Miranda Crabtree has kept her head down and her eyes up, ferrying contraband for a mad preacher and his declining band of followers to make ends meet and to protect an old witch and a secret child from harm. But dark forces are at work in the bayou, And when the preacher makes an unthinkable demand, it sets Miranda on a desperate, dangerous path, forcing her to consider what she is willing to sacrifice to keep her loved ones safe.

The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet

A penetrating tale of magic, faith and pride... The Unwilling is the story of Judah, a foundling born with a special gift and raised inside Highfall castle along with Gavin, the son and heir to Lord Elban's vast empire. Judah and Gavin share an unnatural bond that is both the key to her survival... and possibly her undoing. As Gavin is groomed for his future role, Judah comes to realize that she has no real position within the kingdom, in fact, no hope at all of ever traveling beyond its castle walls. Elban - a lord as mighty as he is cruel - has his own plans for her, for all of them. She is a mere pawn to him, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. But outside the walls, in the starving, desperate city, a magus, a healer with his own secret power unlike anything Highfall has seen in years, is newly arrived from the provinces. He, too, has plans for the empire, and at the heart of those plans lies Judah... The girl who started life with no name and no history will soon uncover more to her story than she ever imagined. An epic tale of greed and ambition, cruelty and love, this deeply immersive novel is about bowing to traditions and burning them down.

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

How bout “Are we really gonna do this in public?” And “Someone’s gonna hear you.” For which ever character these spark your writing muses for. 😁😉

We both know who these prompts were made for 😉 I hope you enjoy! 

Warning: Smut below the cut 💓

* * * * *

“Gene—this place is amazing!” you gushed, wrapping up your childhood friend in a tight hug.

Gene laughed in your ear and the sound filled you with a warmth that rivaled the heat radiating from the huge fireplace in the center of the ski lodge.

“It’s good to hear you laugh,” you said as you grasped his upper arms and looked over his face, taking in the way his eyes sparkled.

“It’s amazin’ what a change of scenery can do for a fella.”  

“I’m glad you invited me.”

“Let me introduce you to the rest of the gang. This is Burgie and his gal Florence. Bill, Jim, and Charlie and his sister Candace. That’s Marilyn and her cousin Frances in the corner chattin’ up the ski instructors. And this is Snafu.”

You smiled and said polite hellos until your eyes reached the last of Gene’s friends and you suddenly found yourself without even the simplest of words. You knew your cheeks flushed at the way the man looked at you as if he were peeling back each layer of your identity so he could take a peek at the part of yourself kept the most hidden away. You’d never really met anyone who could look at person like that—or maybe it was just you because everyone else seemed unaffected by his presence.

Doing the only thing you could, you gave him a small wave and turned back to Gene to ask which room you would be staying in. He hopped around the counter and produced a key for a room on the third floor.

“It’s small, but it has the best view,” he grinned.

You thanked him and waved off his efforts to carry your luggage upstairs. As you walked by the mantel Snafu was leaning on, you could feel his eyes on you, taking in every step of your movement.

When you slipped the key in the lock, opened the door, and shut it behind you, you felt such an immense amount of relief that you sighed and dropped your bags right by the door.

And then, with a sharp intake of breath, you looked out of the spectacular window that framed the outermost wall of your room. Gene was right—it was small, but the view was breathtaking. You could see snow for miles and miles; the trees were coated with it and the mountains were a greyish blue in the background with snow-covered tops, just like in magazine pictures.

The cold was a welcome change from the dull warmth of the south in winter. You’d only ever really seen snow once when you were a child. An anomaly of a storm came through and snowed six inches, effectively reducing Mobile to a state of chaos for nearly a week.

But this, this kind of white brilliance as far as the eye could see was breathtaking. You wanted nothing more than to don your snowsuit and jump in it.

And as it turned out, over the next few days, you did get intimately acquainted with the snow as you fell down time and time again while learning to ski. You were starting to grow concerned for the state of your backside, as you were now certain that the bruise on it was never going to heal.

As it turned out, though, the mysterious Snafu picked up skiing like it was in his nature. When you fell for the third time in as many minutes, he extended his hand to help you back up.

“I feel like we haven’t been properly introduced,” he said, his voice a soothing bass, startlingly masculine for his small frame.

“I’m Merriell Shelton. Snafu to Sledge n’ the boys, of course.”

“Southern Louisiana?” you asked, recognizing the Cajun accent.

“Yes ma’am,” he said as he finally wrestled you into a standing position.

“Thank you. This is a lot harder than it looks. How long have you been skiing?”

“Bout as long as you,” he said with a dazzling grin.

“You’re lying.”

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“Swear on my momma’s grave.”

“Fuck,” you said, eliciting a deep laugh from the Cajun that you knew, instantly, you wanted to hear again.

“How ‘bout I stick with ya? Try to teach ya at least as much as I’ve learned so far?”

“Thank you, Merriell. I would appreciate your attention since the ski instructors have clearly already chosen their favorites,” you said glancing up the hill at Marilyn and Frances, skiing slowly, side by side with the instructors, laughing as they learned to turn their skis to a point and come to a stop, something they had neglected to teach you.

Merriell followed your gaze but said nothing, and instead, pulled you back to catch the rope that led up the bunny slope.

Merriell was an excellent teacher. He was patient, and just laughed on the two occasions you managed your get your skis tangled and ended up taking him down with you. By the end of the day, you had conquered the bunny slope and the least steep beginner’s trail.

“Success!” you cheered, sliding to a stop as Merriell waited for you at the bottom, that same wide grin on his face, his teeth flashing just as brilliantly as the snow, his skin a gorgeously dark contrast made even more pretty by the way the cold turned his cheeks and nose a little red.

“How ‘bout we celebrate with dinna and a drink?”

“Gene doesn’t have anything on the agenda for tonight?”

“He may—but I’m suggestin’ we make our own plans.”

You bit your lip and looked into those overpowering green eyes, so bright as they reflected the last light of the sun as it hit the snow.

“Alright. I need to change into something much less … wet.”

“Let’s get you outta dem skis,” he said, leaning over to pop your boot loose with his pole.

About an hour and three dress changes later, you met Merriell in the living room of Gene’s lodge. He was dressed in dark grey slacks and a green turtleneck sweater that made you want to drag him straight up to your room so you could beg him to fuck you against all that glass as you watched the last of the skiers’ runs down the mountain.

Your final outfit seemed to have the same effect on Merriell as you watched his eyes unabashedly look at you from head to toe.

“Stunnin’,” he whispered as you approached, pulling a shy smile from you.

“Not so bad yourself.”

“I know. I could tell I picked the right sweata by the way ya looked at me.”

Your mouth popped open, completely knocked off your game by the way he read your body language and by the way he was arrogant enough to tell you about it.

“Catchin’ flies now, are we?” he said as he reached out to push your chin up and close your mouth.

“Let’s go to dinner,” you said slowly after taking a breath, looking at Merriell Shelton as if he were the first genus of an entirely new species of man.

Dinner was nothing more than foreplay, both of you flirting, laughing, and using any excuse at all to touch each other until you finally said, “Merriell—I have to be honest. I’ve never been so interested in a man so suddenly before. You’re quite … special.”

For the first time that night, you managed to say something that really surprised him, and he turned shy.

“I’m nothin’ special, Y/N. I just like ya. Sometimes, it’s nice to let someone know instead of havin’ to play all the games.”

“I don’t want to play games,” you said, your hand reaching beneath the table to grasp his thigh. “In fact, I don’t want to wait a minute longer to show you that I do think you’re special.”

Merriell’s eyebrows shot up, clearly taken aback by what you assumed was a role reversal. You were certain it was always Merriell Shelton doing the initiating, but there was something, something about him that gave you the confidence to tell him you wanted him, needed him.

You leaned forward, your hand still grasping his thigh, and when your faces with only a breath apart you whispered, “Kiss me.”

And he did.

It was a soft, close-mouthed kiss, but you worked to memorize the way his lips felt beneath yours, around yours, but before either of you could deepen the kiss, your waiter cleared his throat.

“Your check, I presume?”

You had forgotten you were in the middle of a dimly lit, romantic, but extremely busy restaurant.

“Oh,” you said, leaning back into your chair as Merriell chuckled and pulled out his wallet.

“Yes, sir. We’d like the check.”

The waiter disappeared, and you dissolved into a fit of giggles, hiding your blushing face behind your hands.

“Merriell—I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. My mother, god love her, was probably just struck with an inexplicable desire to clutch her pearls.”

Merriell laughed and laid his arm across the back of your chair as you picked up the last of your drink and drained the glass, a smile still on your lips.

The waiter returned and Merriell paid for your dinner. You took an extra few dollars from your purse and left a large tip.

“Atonin’ for scandalizin’ the serva?”

“I think so, yes,” you said laughing again as Merriell chuckled and pushed in your chair.

“I think there’s somethin’ else I need to teach ya,” he said, a wicked gleam in his eye as he seemed to regain the upper hand, your assertiveness feeding his own.

Merriell took your hand and led you to the restroom at the far end of the restaurant. It was large and fancy and clearly marked as the ladies’ room.

He swiftly locked the door behind him, and you marveled at the fact that it was unoccupied.

Merriell read the expression on your face and smiled, “Must be fate.”

You shivered as you moved closer to him and dropped your coat on the little couch in the center of the outer powder room.  

“Are we really gonna do this in public?”

“Ya wanna wait?”

“No,” you said wrapping your arms around his neck, your fingers bunching in his sweater as you pulled him closer for a real kiss.

It was clear within minutes of kissing that Merriell Shelton was born to do just this—to defile ladies like yourself in restrooms, in train cars, in taxi cabs, anywhere he fucking liked. The man had you worked up into such a frenzy with just his lips and his tongue, that you moaned loudly at the thought of what he could do with his fingers or his cock.

He laughed softly as he pulled his lips off your neck and said, “Someone’s gonna hear you.”

“I can’t bring myself to care,” you said your eyes clouded with desire as you palmed him through the front of his trousers, your nails scratching along the bulge of his cock as a moan then escaped his throat.

He pushed you over to the sink and lifted you on top as your hands worked open his trousers. His fingers slid up your dress and swiftly pushed aside your panties, his grin wolfish as he felt how wet you were.

When he slid a long, thick finger into your center, you clenched around him and you both moaned at the sensation.

“You’re fuckin’ perfect,” Merriell breathed, his forehead resting against yours as you scooted to the edge of the sink, aching for him to fill you up.

“Show me—show me how perfect I am.”

Merriell pulled back and looked at you, his eyes roaming your face, his gaze stripping away any remaining inhibitions, leaving you feeling just as raw as you felt the first time he had ever looked you.

He pulled his finger out and swirled your wetness over the tip of his hard cock. He pulled you even closer to his hips and you wrapped your legs around him as he slowly slid into you, inch by inch until you could feel him bottom out.

Your leaned back and you sighed with content, squeezing around him and encouraging him to move.

“Show me,” you demanded again.

And Merriell Shelton moved, pulling almost all the way out before slamming back into you. He fucked you at a steady pace, both of you ignoring the delicate, intermittent knocks on the door. In the back of your mind, you knew that someone would tell someone on the staff eventually, but you prayed to god it wasn’t before your orgasm.

Merriell shifted his hips and pulled your panties further to the side, allowing him to work your swollen clit with his thumb. A few quick, hard circles of pressure was all you needed and you were coming on his cock, his hand pressed against your mouth to stifle your moans. He slowed down and let you come, but as soon as your breathing evened out, he pulled you against him and fucked you, bouncing you off the sink as he chased his orgasm.

You were so excited by the way he fucked you, another orgasm began to build with each brush of his cock against your inner wall, and when he bit down on your shoulder to stifle his own groan of pleasure as he came, you yelled his name when stars burst behind your eyes, completely giving away just what was going on inside of the ladies’ restroom.

As you heard the turn of a key in the lock, you and Merriell scrambled to put yourselves in order. His cum filled your panties as you hopped off the sink and yanked your dress into place while standing in front of him as he zipped up his trousers just as the door burst open with your poor, poor waiter being the one who had retrieved the key to unlock the door.

“I should’ve known,” he groaned, standing aside to let you and Merriell rush out the door, your laughter echoing as you dashed out of a restaurant you knew you could never show your faces in again.

“So,” you asked, turning to face him as you reached the snow-covered walkway outside of the restaurant, “your room or mine?”

Merriell scooped you up, the snow falling heavily and quickly, and spun you around until you giggled.

“I hear ya room has the best view.”

“It does,” you said with a wicked grin, thinking back to the idea of Merriell Shelton fucking you against that big, gorgeous window.

“And I think I know a way we can make it even better.”  

[foretolds]

TAI DEVEREUX-MONROE called into ORACLE FM. They were a little bit SARCASTIC & ARROGANT at first, but we kept them talking until they got a little OBSERVANT & METICULOUS.  They said they’ve been working as BUSINESS OWNER (MEREVIELLE GREENHOUSE), and thinking about aligning themselves with NA since they have been living in Nova Satus for TEN YEARS, and from what we can tell, they still give off huge LAUGHING AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES, EXTRAVAGANT OUTFITS THAT STILL CLAIM HE’S DRESSING DOWN, & THE LINGERING FLORAL SMELL ATTACHED TO SKIN vibes . [HALE APPLEMAN, HYBRID (WEREWOLF & WITCH), CIS MALE, UNKNOWN , HE/HIM]

Devereux might be a common last name as far as the french or cajun folks are concerned, but there was a time when it was their family was the only one that mattered. The magic within them was as old as it was precious, and they knew that. It had been safely traded for passage from France, promising a new start for them and the coven that followed in their footsteps.

The thing about them was that they were never pretentious about it, not in the harmful sense. Sure, a few members might have been a bit eccentric or different, but they were humble in a way that still, centuries later, stays with him. His memories of his mother are not tainted by the last one, but instead highlighted by her warmth and affection. Even Tais tendency for dramatics and dangerous cynicism can’t force him to remember only where that kindness got her, in the end.

They had moved and for the first few years, they were allowed to prosper. The eldest of several children, Tai was still doted on as the center of the family because he had went to great lengths to make himself so. He was everything, to everyone, and he wanted nothing more than to enjoy the fruits of that labor. His talent with magic seemed to be never ending, the perfect spell always hiding at the ends of his fingertips or on the tip of his tongue. The true shining star of it all though, was that he had followed what his mother had loved best: the flowers, the greenery.

There wasn’t a single story about the healing powers of a leaf, or the way that a certain blossom could amplify a certain ward, that he didn’t listen to. He spent hours with her in the gardens, willing and wanting to watch everything from behind the rose colored glasses she was more than willing to share with him. In turn, she had also gifted him her green thumb, a lesson that was also still present today. It wasn’t until the wolves came that he had learned the hardest one yet.

The rumblings, the concerned arguments had behind closed doors, were not stranger to him. Instead, he had fancied himself smart enough to listen, to handle it. Part of him was, because when the pack brought war to their door, he was ready to fight it along side the rest of them. The problem, was that the wolves had been to prepared, not smarter, but more determined than their coven and that night, he would watch his family picked apart for sport.

Younger brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, even just the coven members that had been with them for as long as he lived would bleed for this. They saved his parents for last, and forced him to watch in hopes of breaking whatever was left of his heart. Perhaps they did, but not in the way they’d expected. The final nail in the coffin was the bite, the one to break the skin and spirit, leaving him to never belong to anything again. Never pure enough witch to rejoin what was left of his people, pure enough wolf to truly learn about the packs of the ones that had taken it from him, not that he had wanted to.

Still a child back then, he spent some time in orphanages, bumping from place to place until he’d finally run away with a tragically human boy. Granted, this was after he had lost control of his magic, and risked exposure due to his own unpredictability. The boy never showed up to their meeting space, and that turned him into the type of man that most people would run from. Smooth enough to talk you into bed but never willing to be vulnerable enough to stay. Eventually, years later he would find the ghost of the man that left him, but their loved died screaming with him.

He had found peace though, in a friend that turned into a lover. A man, who he had danced around for years, throwing insults back and forth until both realized that they had traded in their lack of commitment the moment they had started looking at one another with the same stupid light in their eyes. Tai was the one who ended up asking, a faux smooth proposal, where he was the one who cried first, because his husband would always move him in ways he wasn’t sure was even possible. They wed in the spot that had been home for them both, carrying pieces of their lost families with them as they started to create their own.

Now, life is never dull. They lived through several alternate endings, a small supernatural arrest (on his part, because his husband’s only offense is probably eating tai’s left overs or refusing to fuck in the shop unless the closed sign is turned over at the shop) but life is settled. He spends the time he has missed in the greenhouse, but also learning to accept who and what he has become. Now, when he walks both roads his power has been given, he doesn’t feel out of place. He is whole, with the help of the people around him, the years to heal him, and the knowledge he has thirsted over. Whole, but no less fucking dramatic, don’t you worry.

[chodhound]

France Day 22

Breakfast in the garden, before a lazy stroll into St Martin, then around the Harbour looking at boats before a sit and sparkling water. Look at timetables for boats - decide that there aren't any good ones - I think because of the tide and because we didn't want to drive anywhere today. Talk about hiring bikes. Decided to carry on sitting. Sometimes a lazy day is exactly what you want. Was getting too hot in the sun in the restaurant so we went for a wander to try and find somewhere shady but as usual we have left it too late for some places. We are trapped in wandering restaurant hell - and then we escape and end up in Le Bistrot du Marin.

More oysters for me because they have some of the best ones in France here. Particularly liked the cheeky tuna pate with these ones - all of which went perfectly with a small glass of Hoegaarden.

Laura had a lovely fresh goat cheese and we shared 10cm of saucisson.

Afterwards we wandered to the biggest ice cream parlour on the harbour front

Back to the hotel for a read in the back garden. It's so peaceful and relaxing. Dip in the pool and then get dressed for dinner (back at the George again tonight).

Wander down to the harbour again loving the laidback chill of the Ile de Re - more dog spotting but no minor eurovision celebs this time.

Something different for dinner tonight - crispy cajun prawns (it's like we have travelled back to Old Orleans in the 90s - but they are really nice) and then a lovely bit of John Dory for my main course.

We enjoyed a rather tasty bottle of white burgundy with our dinners - https://www.domainebize.fr/en/savigny-les-beaune-blanc.html

A sea gull pooed near us - very close miss - only minor splatter so no actual damage - phew - we warned the people who came and sat in the sofa just in case they put there hand in it. I suppose this is one of the issues with being by the seaside.

Found a small boys sunglasses in the gent's loos - handed them in.

Two big groups of English tourists sitting on the next sofa to us - makes me remember that I like being on holiday and not understanding exactly what the groups of people are saying. One set is posh Yorkshire and the young daughter - Phoebe or something like that is holding court. The other set is Liverpudlian - father and son and wives and various others - the son is a cube of muscle with a really silly laugh - they have a protracted discussion about the ABV of Amaretto - which seems to consist of them agreeing it's not that strong - one of them is insisting that the only good Amaretto is Disaronno but the other is saying that Tesco's does a very good one.

We stay quiet and pretend to be French - I wish I could speak the language more fluently. As we travel further I think I am absorbing Frenchness - it's getting quite common for waiters assume that I am French and to talk in French to me first before switching into English when they see my vague expression of incomprehension. I don't think I can be Parisian but I think I could be some a minor market town.

[axekerose54]

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“This majestic, moving novel is an instant classic, a book that will be read, discussed and taught beyond the rest of our lives.”—Chicago Tribune Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, A Lesson Before Dying is a deep and compassionate novel about a young man who returns to 1940s Cajun country to visit a black youth on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Together they come to understand the heroism of resisting. From the critically acclaimed author of A Gathering of Old Men and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.

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Let's be real: 2020 has been a nightmare. Between the political unrest and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it's difficult to look back on the year and find something, anything, that was a potential bright spot in an otherwise turbulent trip around the sun. Luckily, there were a few bright spots: namely, some of the excellent works of military history and analysis, fiction and non-fiction, novels and graphic novels that we've absorbed over the last year. 

Here's a brief list of some of the best books we read here at Task & Purpose in the last year. Have a recommendation of your own? Send an email to jared@taskandpurpose.Com and we'll include it in a future story.

Missionaries by Phil Klay

I loved Phil Klay’s first book, Redeployment (which won the National Book Award), so Missionaries was high on my list of must-reads when it came out in October. It took Klay six years to research and write the book, which follows four characters in Colombia who come together in the shadow of our post-9/11 wars. As Klay’s prophetic novel shows, the machinery of technology, drones, and targeted killings that was built on the Middle East battlefield will continue to grow in far-flung lands that rarely garner headlines. [Buy]

 - Paul Szoldra, editor-in-chief

Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli by Max Uriarte

Written by 'Terminal Lance' creator Maximilian Uriarte, this full-length graphic novel follows a Marine infantry squad on a bloody odyssey through the mountain reaches of northern Afghanistan. The full-color comic is basically 'Conan the Barbarian' in MARPAT. [Buy]

 - James Clark, senior reporter

The Liberator by Alex Kershaw

Now a gritty and grim animated World War II miniseries from Netflix, The Liberator follows the 157th Infantry Battalion of the 45th Division from the beaches of Sicily to the mountains of Italy and the Battle of Anzio, then on to France and later still to Bavaria for some of the bloodiest urban battles of the conflict before culminating in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. It's a harrowing tale, but one worth reading before enjoying the acclaimed Netflix series. [Buy]

 - Jared Keller, deputy editor

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff

If you haven’t gotten this must-read account of the September 11th attacks, you need to put The Only Plane In the Sky at the top of your Christmas list. Graff expertly explains the timeline of that day through the re-telling of those who lived it, including the loved ones of those who were lost, the persistently brave first responders who were on the ground in New York, and the service members working in the Pentagon. My only suggestion is to not read it in public — if you’re anything like me, you’ll be consistently left in tears. [Buy]

- Haley Britzky, Army reporter

The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World by Elaine Scarry

Why do we even fight wars? Wouldn’t a massive tennis tournament be a nicer way for nations to settle their differences? This is one of the many questions Harvard professor Elaine Scarry attempts to answer, along with why nuclear war is akin to torture, why the language surrounding war is sterilized in public discourse, and why both war and torture unmake human worlds by destroying access to language. It’s a big lift of a read, but even if you just read chapter two (like I did), you’ll come away thinking about war in new and refreshing ways. [Buy]

 - David Roza, Air Force reporter

Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943 by Antony Beevor

Stalingrad takes readers all the way from the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union to the collapse of the 6th Army at Stalingrad in February 1943. It gives you the perspective of German and Soviet soldiers during the most apocalyptic battle of the 20th century. [Buy]

- Jeff Schogol, Pentagon correspondent 

America's War for the Greater Middle East by Andrew J. Bacevich

I picked up America's War for the Greater Middle East earlier this year and couldn’t put it down. Published in 2016 by Andrew Bacevich, a historian and retired Army officer who served in Vietnam, the book unravels the long and winding history of how America got so entangled in the Middle East and shows that we’ve been fighting one long war since the 1980s — with errors in judgment from political leaders on both sides of the aisle to blame. “From the end of World War II until 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in the Greater Middle East. Since 1990, virtually no American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere else. What caused this shift?” the book jacket asks. As Bacevich details in this definitive history, the mission creep of our Vietnam experience has been played out again and again over the past 30 years, with disastrous results. [Buy]

 - Paul Szoldra, editor-in-chief

Burn In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution by P.W. Singer and August Cole

In Burn In, Singer and Cole take readers on a journey at an unknown date in the future, in which an FBI agent searches for a high-tech terrorist in Washington, D.C. Set after what the authors called the "real robotic revolution," Agent Lara Keegan is teamed up with a robot that is less Terminator and far more of a useful, and highly intelligent, law enforcement tool. Perhaps the most interesting part: Just about everything that happens in the story can be traced back to technologies that are being researched today. You can read Task & Purpose's interview with the authors here. [Buy]

 - James Clark, senior reporter

SAS: Rogue Heroes by Ben MacIntyre

Like WWII? Like a band of eccentric daredevils wreaking havoc on fascists? Then you'll love SAS: Rogue Heroes, which re-tells some truly insane heists performed by one of the first modern special forces units. Best of all, Ben MacIntyre grounds his history in a compassionate, balanced tone that displays both the best and worst of the SAS men, who are, like anyone else, only human after all. [Buy]

 - David Roza, Air Force reporter

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Alice Network is a gripping novel which follows two courageous women through different time periods — one living in the aftermath of World War II, determined to find out what has happened to someone she loves, and the other working in a secret network of spies behind enemy lines during World War I. This gripping historical fiction is based on the true story of a network that infiltrated German lines in France during The Great War and weaves a tale so packed full of drama, suspense, and tragedy that you won’t be able to put it down. [Buy]

Katherine Rondina, Anchor Books

“Because I published a new book this year, I've been answering questions about my inspirations. This means I've been thinking about and so thankful for The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender. I can't credit it with making me want to be a writer — that desire was already there — but it inspired me to write stories where the fantastical complicates the ordinary, and the impossible becomes possible. A girl in a nice dress with no one to appreciate it. An unremarkable boy with a remarkable knack for finding things. The stories in this book taught me that the everydayness of my world could become magical and strange, and in that strangeness I could find a new kind of truth.”

Diane Cook is the author of the novel The New Wilderness, which was long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize, and the story collection Man V. Nature, which was a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award, the Believer Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the Los Angeles Times Award for First Fiction. Read an excerpt from The New Wilderness.

Bill Johnston, University of California Press

“I’ve revisited a lot of old favorites in this grim year of fear and isolation, and have been most thankful of all for The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara. Witty, reflexive, intimate, queer, disarmingly occasional and monumentally serious all at once, they’ve been a constant balm and inspiration. ‘The only thing to do is simply continue,’ he wrote, in 'Adieu to Norman, Bon Jour to Joan and Jean-Paul'; ‘is that simple/yes, it is simple because it is the only thing to do/can you do it/yes, you can because it is the only thing to do.’”

Helen Macdonald is a nature essayist with a semiregular column in the New York Times Magazine. Her latest novel, Vesper Flights, is a collection of her best-loved essays, and her debut book, H Is for Hawk, won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction and the Costa Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction.

Andrea Scher, Scholastic Press

“This year, I’m so grateful for You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Reading — like everything else — has been a struggle for me in 2020. It’s been tough to let go of all of my anxieties about the state of the world and our country and get swept away by a story. But You Should See Me in a Crown pulled me in right away; for the blissful time that I was reading it, it made me think about a world outside of 2020 and it made me smile from ear to ear. Joy has been hard to come by this year, and I’m so thankful for this book for the joy it brought me.”

Jasmine Guillory is the New York Times bestselling author of five romance novels, including this year’s Party of Two. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, and Time.

Nelson Fitch, Random House

“Last year, stuck in a prolonged reading rut that left me wondering if I even liked books anymore, I stumbled across Tenth of December by George Saunders, a collection of stories Saunders wrote between 1995 and 2012 that are at turns funny, moving, startling, weird, profound, and often all of those things at the same time. As a writer, what I crave most from books is to find one so excellent it makes me feel like I'd be better off quitting — and so wonderful that it reminds me what it is to be purely a reader again, encountering new worlds and revelations every time I turn a page. Tenth of December is that, and I'm so grateful that it fell off a high shelf and into my life.”

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series and the Carve the Mark duology. Her latest novel, Chosen Ones, is her first novel for adults. Read an excerpt from Chosen Ones.

Ian Byers-Gamber, Blazevox Books

“Waking up today to the prospect of some hours spent reading away part of another day of this disastrous, delirious pandemic year, I’m most grateful for the book in my hands, one itself full of gratitude for a life spent reading: Gloria Frym’s How Proust Ruined My Life. Frym’s essays — on Marcel Proust, yes, and Walt Whitman, and Lucia Berlin, but also peppermint-stick candy and Allen Ginsburg’s knees, among other Proustian memory-prompts — restore me to my sense of my eerie luck at a life spent rushing to the next book, the next page, the next word.”

Jonathan Lethem is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including The Fortress of Solitude and the National Book Critics Circle Award winner Motherless Brooklyn. His latest novel, The Arrest, is a postapocalyptic tale about two siblings, the man that came between them, and a nuclear-powered super car.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Riverhead

“I’m incredibly grateful for the magnificent The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer. This book — a mélange of history, memoir, and reportage — is the reconceptualization of Native life that’s been urgently needed since the last great indigenous history, Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. It’s at once a counternarrative and a replacement for Brown’s book, and it rejects the standard tale of Native victimization, conquest, and defeat. Even though I teach Native American studies to college students, I found new insights and revelations in almost every chapter. Not only a great read, the book is a tremendous contribution to Native American — and American — intellectual and cultural history.”

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is author of the novel Winter Counts, which is BuzzFeed Book Club’s November pick. He is also the author of the children’s book Spotted Tail, which won the 2020 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Read an excerpt from Winter Counts.

Valerie Mosley, Tordotcom

“In 2020, I've been lucky to finish a single book within 30 days, but I burned through this 507-page brick in the span of a weekend. Harrow the Ninth reminded me that even when absolutely everything is terrible, it's still possible to feel deep, gratifying, brain-buzzing admiration for brilliant art. Thank you, Harrow, for being one of the brightest spots in a dark year and for keeping the home fires burning.”

Casey McQuiston is the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue, and her next book, One Last Stop, comes out in 2021.

"I'm grateful for V.S. Naipaul's troubling masterpiece, A Bend in the River — which not only made me see the world anew, but made me see what literature could do. It's a book that's lucid enough to reveal the brutality of the forces shaping our world and its politics; yet soulful enough to penetrate the most recondite secrets of human interiority. A book of great beauty without a moment of mercy. A marriage of opposites that continues to shape my own deeper sense of just how much a writer can actually accomplish."

Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright, and his latest novel, Homeland Elegies, is about an American son and his immigrant father searching for belonging in a post-9/11 country. He is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Vanessa German, Feminist Press

“I'm most thankful for Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether. It's a YA book set in 1930s Harlem, and it was the first Black-girl-coming-of-age book I ever read, the first time I ever saw myself in a book. I appreciate how it expanded my world and my understanding that books can speak to you right where you are and take you on a journey, at the same time.”

Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. She is also the co-author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Philyaw’s writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, the Rumpus, and elsewhere. Read a story from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Philippa Gedge, W. W. Norton & Company

“As both a writer and a reader I am hugely grateful for Patricia Highsmith’s plotting and writing suspense fiction. As a writer I’m thankful for Highsmith’s generosity with her wisdom and experience: She talks us through how to tease out the narrative strands and develop character, how to know when things are going awry, even how to decide to give things up as a bad job. She’s unabashed about sharing her own ‘failures,’ and in my experience, there’s nothing more encouraging for a writer than learning that our literary gods are mortal! As a reader, it provides a fascinating insight into the genesis of one of my favorite novels of all time — The Talented Mr. Ripley, as well as the rest of her brilliant oeuvre. And because it’s Highsmith, it’s so much more than just a how-to guide: It’s hugely engaging and, while accessible, also provides a glimpse into the mind of a genius. I’ve read it twice — while working on each of my thrillers, The Hunting Party and The Guest List — and I know I’ll be returning to the well-thumbed copy on my shelf again soon!”

Lucy Foley is the New York Times bestselling author of the thrillers The Guest List and The Hunting Party. She has also written two historical fiction novels and previously worked in the publishing industry as a fiction editor.

“The books I'm most thankful for this year are a three-book series titled Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend. Walking a fine line between comedy and horror (which is much harder than people think), the books follow Jack, an employee at a gas station in a nameless town where all manner of horrifyingly fantastical things happen. And while the monsters are scary and more than a little ridiculous, it's Jack's bone-dry narration, along with his best friend/emotional support human, Jerry, that elevates the books into something that are as lovely as they are absurd.”

T.J. Klune is a Lambda Literary Award–winning author and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries.

Sylvernus Darku (Team Black Image Studio), Ayebia Clarke Publishing

"Nervous Conditions is a book that I have read several times over the years, including this year. The novel covers the themes of gender and race and has at its heart Tambu, a young girl in 1960s Rhodesia determined to get an education and to create a better life for herself. Dangarembga’s prose is evocative and witty, and the story is thought-provoking. I’ve been inspired anew by Tambu each time I’ve read this book."

Peace Adzo Medie is Senior Lecturer in Gender and International Politics at the University of Bristol. She is the author of Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2020). His Only Wife is her debut novel.

Jenna Maurice, HarperCollins

“The book I'm most thankful for? Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. My mother and father would read me poems from it before bed — I'm convinced it infused me not only with a sense of poetic cadence, but also a wry sense of humor.”

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her latest novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, is BuzzFeed Book Club’s December pick. Read an excerpt from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Meg Vázquez, Square Fish

“My childhood best friend gave me Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle for Hanukkah when I was 11 years old, and it's still my favorite book of all time. I love the way it defies genre (it's a political thriller/YA romance that includes a lot of scientific research and also poetry??), and the way it values smartness, gutsiness, vulnerability, kindness, and a sense of adventure. The book follows 16-year-old Vicky Austin's life-altering trip to Antarctica; her trip changed my life, too. In a year when safe travel is almost impossible, I'm so grateful to be able to return to her story again and again.”

Kate Stayman-London's debut novel, One to Watch, is about a plus-size blogger who’s been asked to star on a Bachelorette-like reality show. Stayman-London served as lead digital writer for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has written for notable figures, from former president Obama and Malala Yousafzai to Anna Wintour and Cher.

Katharine McGee is grateful for the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Chris Bailey Photography, Firebird

“I’m thankful for the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. I discovered the series in elementary school, and it sparked a love of big, epic stories that has never left me. (If you read my books, you know I can’t resist a broad cast of characters!) I used to read the books aloud to my younger sister, using funny voices for all the narrators. Now that I have a little boy of my own, I can’t wait to someday share Redwall with him.”

Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and its sequel, Majesty. She is also the author of the Thousandth Floor trilogy.

Beth Gwinn, Time-Life Books

"I am thankful most for books that carry me out of the world and back again, and while I find it painful to choose among them, here's one early and one late: Zen Cho's Black Water Sister, which comes out in 2021 but I devoured just two days ago, and the long out-of-print Wizards and Witches volume of the Time-Life Enchanted World series, which is where I first read about the legend of the Scholomance."

Naomi Novik is the New York Times bestselling author of the Nebula Award–winning novel Uprooted, Spinning Silver, and the nine-volume Temeraire series. Her latest novel, A Deadly Education, is the first of the Scholomance trilogy.

Christina Lauren are grateful for the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Christina Lauren, Little, Brown and Company

"We are thankful for the Twilight series for about a million reasons, not the least of which it's what brought the two of us together. Writing fanfic in a space where we could be silly and messy together taught us that we don't have to be perfect, but there's no harm in trying to get better with every attempt. It also cemented for us that the best relationships are the ones in which you can be your real, authentic self, even when you're struggling to do things you never thought you'd be brave enough to attempt. Twilight brought millions of readers back into the fold and inspired hundreds of romance authors. We really do thank Stephenie Meyer every day for the gift of Twilight and the fandom it created."

[annalovesbananas]

Doing it because I’m bored.

1. Anna Rose (insert last name here)

2. 15

3. 8-19-05

4. A mix of a bunch of different things, Acadian French, French, Spanish, Irish, probably some Native American in there, and 5 bazillion others (I recently found out that there is a good chance I am partially Italian, as of Jan. 2,2021)

5. Leo

6. All of them, mainly Percy Jackson, The Maze Runner, Haikyuu!!, and Supernatural

7. Single

8. Demisexual

9. USA

10. 5’2”

11. 97 lbs

12. Varied between brands, but usually a 6

13. Yes, 3 younger sisters

14. A HS student

15. English

16. Light brown with natural streaks

17. Kinda wavy, kinda not; it does what it wants

18. Hazel

19. My ears; I’ll most likely get them double pierced in the fall

20. Female

21. Yellow

22. Dead Poets Society, The Goonies, or any other 80s 90s movie

23. Spn or Julie and the Phantoms

24. Anything Rick Riordan, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, TMR, or anything else I can get my hands on

25. Yes, my guy best friend

26. Yes

27. Idk, I haven’t had mine yet

28. So far, no

29. Not too bad, but sometimes I just can’t with them

30. “Sure I’ll help you hide the body, but you better not touch my food”

31. Cowgirl boots

32. Baseball cap

33. Yes, my eyes suck

34. (I’m not supposed to tell a soul, but y’all are all soulless, so it doesn’t count) On of my Catholic friends wants to be a witch

35. Not telling my Mom I wanted to got to school ( I was homeschooled) resulting in Anxiety

36. Telling my Mom I had Anxiety, she told me I was just looking for attention

37. 4th of July this year, I went to one of my friends house for one of the other’s birthday, we cried and hugged after not seeing each other for almost 5 months, swam, ate pizza, watched a horror movie, then watched a Barbie movie cause we were scared, and popped fireworks till really late that night

38. Yes, but it was one sided

39. Yes, Catholic

40. Yes

41. My kids crying at night without me knowing

42. Life; it can really suck somtimes, but we’re all so lucky to live rn, with all the pretty things on this earth

43. One of the kids in my grade. He acts all nice, but I’ve seen he acts to one of the Non-binary kids in my grade, the way he treated my friend when he took her to homecoming, and no one but them believe me

44. Tell my Mom to send me to school

45. France, I wanna get fat on baguettes, cheese, and crepes

46. MCR

47. Welcome to the Black Parade, Forever After All by Luke Combs

48. @kidovna on here, the way she draws Reggie is just *chef’s kiss*

49. Rick Riordan

50. Absolutely love to, I’m always neck-deep in a book, audio book, and fanfics

51. Sweets and Gumbo, this Cajun soup like food that can have seafood, chicken, or anything meat

52. Spring

53. Absolutely love it

54. Love to. I have my succulent ones on right now

55. I have 2, they’re more my sisters than my actual sisters

56. Kinda I’ve been talking classes since I was 7 but I kinda look like a dog having a seizure

57. Noooooo

58. I guess

59. I think I can, but my sister doesn’t

60. Depends on who I’m around

61. Yes

62. No

63. When I was eating lunch outside and I was getting up with my book sack on and landed butt-first in the mud

64. When I got 3rd place on saying the FFA Creed. It wasn’t 1st, but no one at my school had placed for almost 5 years

65. One of my friends who told the guy I liked some lies, even though she introduced us and knew I liked him

66. Yes, unless you hurt me, than I won’t be giving you one

67. No

68. Homophobes

69. Being with the people I love

70. Assholes, excessive tattoos

71. Nice dudes, damp curly hair

72. Something sweet like dinner at his house, then watching a movie and hanging out with his family

73. Buy a horses, donate some, save the rest of it for important stuff

74. Yes

75. Depends on what it is

76. As of now, yes

77. I think so

78. I didn’t but now I do!

super nosy ask game

1. what’s your whole name?

2. how old are you?

3. when is your birthday?

4. what is your race?

5. what is your zodiac sign?

6. what is your fandom?

7. are you single or taken?

8. what is your sexuality?

9. what country are you from?

10. how tall are you?

11. how much do you weigh?

12. what is your shoe size?

13. do you have any siblings?

14. what is your job?

15. what was your favorite subject?

16. what is your hair color?

17. what is your hair texture?

18. what is your eye color?

19. do you have any pericings?

20. what is your gender?

21. what is your favorite color?

22. what is your favorite movie?

23. what is your favorite show?

24. what is your favorite book?

25. do you have a crush?

26. are you a virgin?

27. what was your first kiss like?

28. did you date in high school?

29. what is your relationship with your parents like?

30. what is your relationship with your siblings like?

31. boots or sneakers?

32. beanies or baseball caps?

33. do you wear glasses?

34. what is a secret?

35. what is something you regret?

36. what is your most traumatic experience?

37. what is your happiest moment?

38. have you ever been in love?

39. do you have a religion?

40. do you believe in an afterlife?

41. what is your biggest fear?

42. what is something you find beautiful that others don’t?

43. what is something you dislike that others don’t?

44. if you could go back in time and do anything what would you do?

45. if you could be anywhere in the world right now where would you go?

46. what is your favorite band?

47. what is your favorite song?

48. who is your favorite artist?

49. who is your favorite author?

50. do you like to read?

51. what is your favorite food?

52. what is your favorite season?

53. do you like the rain?

54. do you like to wear socks?

55. do you have a best friend?

56. can you dance?

57. can you draw?

58. can you paint?

59. can you sing?

60. are you an introvert or an extrovert?

61. have you ever spoken in front of a crowd?

62. do you have stage fright?

63. what is your most embarrassing moment?

64. what is your proudest moment?

65. who is someone you are having a hard time forgiving?

66. do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

67. do you believe in the death penalty?

68. what makes you angry?

69. what makes you happy?

70. what are your turn offs?

71. what are your turn ons?

72. what is your dream date like?

73. if you had one billion dollars what would you do?

74. do you like to write?

75. are you good at math?

76. are you happy?

77. are you okay?

78. did you know i love you?

[down-in-dixie]

GENERAL

▍Name : Simone LePage ▍Face Claim : Megan Ory ▍Age : 145 ▍Gender : CIS Female ▍Species : Shape-shifter { panther } ➜ Immortal. ➜ Was cursed to live for an eternity when she was thirty years old. ▍Sexual Orientation : Pansexual ▍Birthday :  May 10th ▍Zodiac Sign : Taurus ▍Birthplace : Versailles, France ➜ Lived there until she was thirty. Moved to America during the early 1900’s. ▍Current Residence : New Orleans, Louisiana ➜ Her house ▍Nationality : French / American ▍Relationship Status : Single / widow  ➜ Lost her husband, Gabriel, in a house fire back in 2010. ▍Occupation : Owns a nightclub called Mystique. ▍Speaks : English, French, some Italian

 APPEARANCE

▍Height : 5′9 ▍Hair : Light brown ▍Eyes : Bluish-green ▍Body Modifications : Has a tribal panther tattoo on the back of her right shoulder. She also has her ears pierced. ▍Scars / Birthmarks : No scars. Has a small birthmark on the back of her neck.

 FAMILY

▍Parents : Tomas and Charlotte LePage { both deceased }

▍Siblings : Three older brothers named Adrian, Devin and Desmond, and a younger sister named Alaina { all of them are still alive }

➜ Like Simone, the four of them were cursed to live for an eternity and don’t age.

➜ She also has two sister-in-laws named Celeste and Savannah and two brother-in-laws named Scott and Darian. Along with a few nieces and nephews.

▍Children : One daughter named Rosalyn LePage

➜ Also had a son named Matthieu but he died in a house fire when he was five months old back in 2010.

▍Pets : A white German Shepherd named Tasha

HOBBIES & LIKES

▍Hobbies / Likes : Riding her motor bike, reading, traveling and cooking. ▍Drink : Non alcoholic: Sweet tea / Alcoholic: Bourbon ▍Food : Cajun and French cuisine. ▍Day or Night : Night. ▍Snacks : Anything chocolate ▍Song : Bohémienne- Hélène Segara { Notre Dame de Paris } ▍Quote : “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” - Mae West ▍Book : East of Eden by John Steinbeck ▍Colour : Black and purple. ▍Flower : Lobelias

 HAVE  THEY

▍Passed A Levels : Yes. ▍Passed University : Yes. ▍Had Sex : Yes. ▍Gotten Pregnant : Twice. ▍Smoked : Sometimes smokes pot. ▍Had Alcohol : Yes. ▍Done Drugs : Yes. ▍Kissed A Boy : Yes. ▍Kissed A Girl : Yes. ▍Gotten Tattoos : Yes. ▍Gotten Piercings : Yes. ▍Had A Broken Heart : Yes. ▍Been in Love : Yes. ▍Stayed up for more than 24 Hours : Yes.

▍Harmed Themselves : Yes

▍Thought of Suicide : Yes.

▍Attempted Suicide : Yes, for experimental reasons. She’s cursed and supposedly isn’t able to die, so she wanted to test that theory.

▍Wanted to Kill Someone : Yes.

▍Drove A Car : Yes.

▍Have / Had A Job : Yes.

 ARE  THEY

▍A Virgin : No. ▍A Cuddler : Yes. ▍A Kisser : Yes. ▍Scared Easily : No. ▍Jealous Easily : No. ▍Trustworthy : Yes. ▍Dominant : Sometimes. ▍Submissive : Sometimes. ▍In Love : No. ▍Single : Yes.

 OTHER  INFORMATION

Interview  

[theasiancheftraveller]

Backpack goes to New Orleans

New Orleans is known for their music, Creole / Cajun Food, night life at Bourbon Street and of course, Mardi Gras. In the early 1900s, New Orleans is known as “The Big Easy” because of the easy-going, laid back attitude of jazz musicians of the local residents. But the name “The Big Easy” became famous in the early 1970s. 

I went to New Orleans for my aunt’s wedding last October 11, 2015. When they told me that they are getting married and they want me to be there, I was hesitant to go because I don’t know anybody other than my aunt, her sister, mom and dad. The last time that I saw them was between 2003 - 2005, I think.

But I am glad I decided to go and I had the best time in N’awlins because of them. 

I was supposed to leave Jacksonville on October 6, 2015 going to Orlando. I was at the bus stop as early as 5:30 in the morning. The bus should arrive around 6am but unfortunately, the bus arrived late and because of that I missed my early morning flight to New Orleans.

Then I arrived at Orlando International Airport around 9 am and I talked to the agent of American Airlines and I asked her if I can rebook my flight since I missed my flight. After a few minutes, she called me and said I can rebook my flight for free then she gave me two choices. 1st option was I can go to New Orleans as early as 2pm but the available flight will have 2 layovers (which is tiring for me because I have hand carry items). 2nd option was I will arrive in New Orleans at 7pm with just 1 layover at Miami Airport but I need to wait for almost 8 hours to get to that flight. So I decided to take that 1 layover and I was stuck at Miami Airport.

Finally, I arrived in New Orleans around 7pm and I saw my aunt and Jamie at the airport. We went to their house and I met Jamie’s sister, Wendy. She’s so amazing! Lol. I think she cooked red beans and rice for dinner. After that we went out to meet with the family. It was amazing because that was the first time that I met them but it felt like I knew them for a long time. We went to Café du Monde for dessert in French Quarter to get us some beignets. It’s a deep-fried choux pastry that best paired with their café au lait.

It tastes and looks like fried doughnut but there are some few differences. The crust is crunchy, the inside is soft and fluffy, the taste is like doughnut but it’s sweet and a little salty then topped with powdered sugar which makes it better. You can get an order of 3 for around $2 - $3. Expect a long line especially if you’re going to try it in the morning.

Second day, we went around French Quarter. Of course, we grabbed our breakfast at Café du Monde for beignets and café au lait. 

This building is in French Quarter and it has restaurants and local shops. It’s near Café du Monde and Jackson Square. We walked around French Quarter and we saw a lot of well-preserved old buildings from the early days. We saw some artists who display their arts in the street. 

There are some street performers around the area, too! 

If you like walking, I am sure you’ll enjoy French Quarter. A lot of good places and old buildings around. A lot of restaurants which is also a good start if you love local foods. A friend of mine told me to try Po’ Boy and so I tried this oyster Po’ Boy at a restaurant somewhere in French Quarter.

Po’ Boy is a traditional New Orleans sandwich that consists of vegetables, fried meat (it can be shrimp, oyster, soft shell crab, crawfish) that served in French baguette. 

If you are in New Orleans, don’t ever miss the chance to try their southern style fried chicken or their Cajun style fried chicken. There’s this place called Coop’s Place just around Decatur Street. They have the one of the best Cajun Fried Chicken in New Orleans. It might just take a while because you might need to wait at least 10 to 15 minutes to dine-in.

This is their Cajun Fried Chicken served with coleslaw and jambalaya. You can get this for only $10.25. Cajun cooking is a blend of seasoning and it’s usually smoky, garlicky, peppery but some Cajun seasonings are spicier.

Here are some of the places that we saw around French Quarter:

Just right around the corner, you’ll see The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France or also known as Saint Louis Cathedral. It is dedicated to King Louis IX of France. You can go inside of the cathedral for free and inside.

The Saint Louis Cathedral from Jackson Square

Just across the street, you can see the beauty of Jackson Square, a historic park in French Quarter. It was the military plaza but after the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, it was renamed after the 7th President of the United Sates, Andrew Jackson because of his victory over the British Major General Sir Edward Pakenham.

After French Quarter, we went to see the port of Steamboat Natchez.

Here, you can ride the Steamboat Natchez for only $50 and see the Mississippi River and Mississippi Bridge then have your dinner with your family and enjoy the live band playing jazz music.

To be continued..... ;)

[heavensprincesshellsbitch]

🌙🌹 Another Info Template

I saw @waxingmoonstone this and thought it looked fun. 

Rules: tag any followers you want to get to know better. 

Name: Sydney

Nicknames: Shi, Jade, or by some variation of my username. (I honestly would prefer using anyone using one of these for the most part. Not really a fan of my name. 

Zodiac Sign: Taurus. Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac.

Hogwarts House: As cliche as it is, Slytherin. Confirmed Slytherin by Pottermore, but I've gotten Gryffindor and Ravenclaw on other quizzes. 

Height: 5'6"- 5'8" (somewhere in there...not really sure anymore :P)

Sexual Orientation: honestly??? I don't know. Straight? Bi? Pan?? I'm not sure yet, but I usually say straight to avoid confusion. 

Ethnicity: White (Irish, supposedly Cajun, Dutch??? Idk I haven't looked up my family history that much)

Favorite Fruit: blackberries, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes (they ARE a fruit. Not your fruit salad type of fruit, but still fruit. )

Favorite Season: Spring, Summer, and Fall. (Not a fan of the cold. I'd rather sweat than freeze.) 

Favorite Book Series: I honestly usually read single books or novels but...hmm...The Peculiar Children Trilogy...when it comes to certain fictional books on diverse cultural deities I keep a critical standpoint. For example I don't like how the Kane Chronicles portrays certain deities (especially Set) and certain historical blunders, it's still an interesting read. The Tigers Curse series is another favorite. I read a lot of manga too. And comic series from Webtoon and Tapas.

Favorite Fictional Characters: oh gods, there's so many...so many crushes..umm at the moment, Gabriel Reyes (coughedgygrandpacough) (ikid.movingon.), Genji and Hanzo Shimada, Jesse McCree, from Overwatch. Judge me, I can't stop you from doing so. 😜 But if I listed everyone. We'd be here for a while.

Favorite Scents: Sandalwood, Cherry Blossoms, anything that smells like pastries, or baked goods, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, after rain smell, etc.. (A lot) 

Favorite Color: Blue.

Favorite Animal: Cats, Wild cats, snakes, foxes, sea animals 🐠, dogs too.

Favorite Band/Artists: Lana Del Rey, Marina and the Diamonds, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Shakira, Killswitch Engage, Coheed and Cambria, Maroon 5, Melanie Martinez, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Fall Out Boy, The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack, I'll honestly listen to almost anything, foreign music , dance, techno, rock, classic rock, alternative, some pop and rap, anything but country. 

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Tea and Hot chocolate. I only drink one kind and specific flavor of coffee. 

Average Hours of sleep: anywhere from 4 to 12 hours. 

Number of blankets: one or two. One if I'm too hot, with a fan. Sometimes if the cold is extreme in winter, it's three, or four. (Mun does not like the winter. Except for Christmas/Yule.)

Dream Trip: -cracks knuckles- +inhales+ Japan, South Korea, Philippines, China, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, France, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Brazil, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Belgium, Hawaii, Italy, Hungary, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore so far. 

Last thing I googled?: how to get a disk stuck out of a PS3 😂😂 don't ask. And yes. It got unstuck. 

How many blogs I follow?: 106.

Number of Followers : 45 (Thank you all so much for following me ❤❤ I'm incredibly grateful to all of you! )

What I usually post about: pagan/witchy stuff, aesthetic, art, fandom, research stuff in helping me along my spiritual path , and helping others. 

Do you get asks regularly: Not really. Im learning though and don't know much concerning pagan or witch things yet but you're welcome to ask about anything really. 😄

Tagging: Anyone who wants to! I don't really talk to many other blogs on here so whoever would like to.