#circ with the excellent additions as always

[contemplativepancakes]

yarn rants with dandelion

3.5k of Geralt poorly hiding the fact that he knits from his family and, in general, being an idiot, read here on AO3

Geralt slams his laptop shut as his apartment door swings open, causing Eskel to quirk an eyebrow. “Whatcha doin’?” he asks. 

“Nothing,” Geralt says in a rush. 

“Uh huh.” Eskel raises his hands. “Can’t be any weirder than the porn Lambert watches.”

Geralt grunts, scrubbing a hand down his face. “You’re not supposed to be here yet.”

Eskel glances at his watch. “I figured you might want help before the game.”

“I’m ordering pizza,” Geralt says. “Actually, do you want to do it? I have cleaning I still need to do before everyone else gets here.”

Eskel’s eyebrows climb higher on his forehead, and Geralt starts to sweat as he sees Eskel's skepticism. Geralt always makes a spread on game day, telling everyone he’s not going to wait two hours for delivery while they’ll be so busy. 

“Um. Okay.” Eskel stares at him for a beat before finally pulling out his phone. “What am I ordering?” 

Geralt shrugs. “Whatever you want.”

He goes to his room, shutting the door behind him and hearing Eskel’s voice as he talks to the pizza place. Geralt looks to his bed, where a half finished baby blanket is laid out, before hastily gathering it and its attached ball of yarn up and stuffing them in a basket, piled high with various colors and weights. He throws some dirty clothes from his floor on top for good measure before reemerging from his bedroom, Eskel looking at him suspiciously from his spot on the couch. 

“Sure you don’t need help with anything?” Eskel asks. 

“No, I’m, uh, I’m good.” Geralt goes to the fridge and pulls out two beers, passing one to Eskel and keeping one for himself. 

Thankfully, Eskel doesn’t say anything about his odd behavior, just watches the pregame show with him without comment until Letho arrives, followed shortly after by Lambert and Aiden. Geralt’s relieved, because then Eskel’s attention goes to their ridiculous dancing around each other instead of scrutinizing Geralt. 

After everyone has left for the night, Geralt pulls his laptop back out, settling it on the coffee table in front of him and goes to get his blanket. He spreads it across his lap as he clicks play, the sound of a cheerful voice filling his living room. 

“Hey, guys! It’s Dandelion, back with my latest yarn haul! I’ve got some awesome ones, and ones you should avoid at all costs, so watch and see which is which!”

Geralt lets himself stare for a second before he jerks himself out of the trance and looks back down while his needles click together as he starts to knit. 

Geralt lets the feeling of the yarn between his fingers soothe him. That’s why he watches these yarn reviews, after all. He hates going to the store for yarn, but he hates wasting his money on yarn that’s scratchy and uncomfortable against his skin even more. 

Needless to say, he’s grateful to Dandelion for doing all the prep work for him, and he may or may not have developed a crush on the man.  Who watches these videos and hasn’t? Geralt reasons.

Dandelion has an infectious enthusiasm, and Geralt can’t help the soft smile from spreading across his face as he listens.

Geralt keeps knitting until his skein is almost out. When he has less of a ball and more of a tangle left, he casts his eyes around for the next one before looking despairingly back at his blanket when he doesn’t find it. 

Fuck. 

He knew he should have ordered extra; he always does this to himself, but somehow he never learns. He groans as he pulls his computer onto his lap and opens up the website he orders his yarn from. He goes into his history and clicks on the link to his blanket yarn. It’s teal, velvety, and Geralt can’t stop running his fingers over it. When the page finally loads,  out of stock  blinks back at him. 

Double fuck. 

He’s never made a blanket before, and he’s drastically underestimated how much it would take. He’s going to need at least three more skeins. Yen’s baby shower is in a month and a half, and there’s no telling when the yarn is going to come back in stock. What if they discontinued it? 

There’s nothing for it; he’s going to have to go into the store. He looks at the clock. First thing tomorrow, he decides, before it gets busy. He’ll go right when they open, before the store gets noisy and filled with women who always try to draw him into conversation for some reason. 

Geralt huffs at the thought. 

- 

Geralt tugs his scarf a little tighter against his neck before he gets out of the car and heads into the store. There’s only four cars in the parking lot, so Geralt hopes he’ll be able to get in and out quickly. 

Once he’s inside, he makes a beeline for the yarn aisle, trying to hold in his noise of dismay when he sees someone already standing there. Geralt avoids eye contact and feigns interest in the brightly colored acrylic yarns at the end of the aisle. The person is right in front of the baby yarn section, and Geralt tries not to tap his foot. 

Just when Geralt is getting ready to pretend to browse other aisles while he waits, there’s movement behind him. “Lovely scarf,” a man’s voice says. “Looks very soft.”

Geralt turns around, only for his eyes to widen as he comes face to face with Dandelion. 

He’s sure something very intelligent sounding comes out of his mouth, but he doesn’t register it. 

Whatever it was makes Dandelion laugh, sounding familiar and alarmingly close when they’re not separated by a screen. Geralt glances down at Dandelion’s basket to see it piled high with yarn. 

“Nice colors you have there,” Geralt finally manages. 

Dandelion beams. “Thank you!” 

Geralt takes a closer look and realizes they’re rainbow colors. He heaves a tiny sigh. He’s a disaster. Does Dandelion think he’s flirting with him? Not that Geralt doesn’t want to be, per se, but—it’s complicated. 

“Did you make your scarf yourself? Or did a boyfriend make it for you?” Dandelion asks. 

“I made it myself,” Geralt mumbles. He’s not sure whether he’s relieved by this line of questioning or not.

“Oh?”

“No boyfriend.”

Dandelion turns another smile on him, and Geralt tries not to melt. “What are you shopping for?” 

“Oh. Um. A blanket.”

Dandelion turns back towards the shelves with a critical eye before he plucks out a chunky bright yellow and holds it out to Geralt for his inspection. Geralt runs his fingers over it absently. “Feels nice.”

“Right? I love this brand. How big of a blanket are you making?”

“It’s for a baby.”

Dandelion’s eyebrow arches in question. 

“My friend is adopting soon; I thought this would be nice,” Geralt says, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

Dandelion shifts his basket from one hand to the other. “Oh, my. That is very nice.”

Geralt grumbles as he piles more yarn than can surely be reasonable into his own basket while Dandelion eyes the shelf thoughtfully. 

Geralt finishes putting the yarn into his basket and goes to leave the aisle, but Dandelion stops him before he takes more than three steps. 

“Better get more than you think. I get what I expect to use, and then add 25 percent more.”

That makes Geralt crack a smile. “That makes an expensive hobby even worse.”

Dandelion shrugs. “The curse of being a creative.”

Geralt picks two more bundles from the shelf. “I suppose you’re right.”

Dandelion clears his throat. “Hey, what’s your name?”

Geralt answers, and Dandelion looks him up and down. “Would you like to join our yarn circle?”

“What?” Geralt asks, throat dry.

Dandelion shakes his head glumly. “Nevermind. It’s just there are so few men…”

“I’ll join,” Geralt says, before he fully thinks out his words. 

Dandelion brightens instantly. “Excellent!”

Dandelion follows him to the register, chattering the whole way, and by the time Geralt leaves the store, Dandelion has his number saved in his phone. Geralt can’t help but notice how the women are leaving him alone today, just shooting him the occasional baleful look. It’s a nice change of pace. Maybe he should run into Dandelion more often. 

“I’ll text you, okay?” Dandelion says after he’s walked with Geralt to his car. 

“Um, yeah, okay,” Geralt replies. 

He slides into his car and watches Dandelion walk to a bright yellow slug bug. He quirks a grin. It fits him. Geralt’s just turned the key in his ignition when he realizes he didn’t even get the yarn that he came for. He sighs and shuts the engine off. 

If he reemerges from the store with the yarn for the rest of his blanket in addition to two skeins of blue that remind him of Dandelion’s eyes, well, that’d be creepy, and it’s nobody’s business but his, anyway. 

-

Geralt looks down at his phone.  yarn circle at that coffee place on Main tomorrow at ten! you in?

He saves the contact in his phone, debating with himself before typing  Dandelion 🌼.

He puffs a breath through his lips. He shouldn’t be this worked up about a text. 

See you then  , he types, and goes back to make the  s  lowercase. 

“Who are you texting?” Eskel asks from his spot on the couch, setting down his own phone.

“Who are  you  texting?” Geralt retorts weakly. 

Eskel looks at him, unimpressed. “My girlfriend, dude. Did you finally get yourself one? You know, it’s kind of weird Yen’s replacing you with a baby…”

Geralt grits his teeth. “She’s not replacing me. We just had conflicting goals for the future.”

“And what, pray tell, are these goals?”

Geralt shrugs. “Not kids. I’d be a terrible dad.”

Eskel rolls his eyes. It’s a conversation they’ve hashed out many times before. “Hmm,” Eskel says pointedly, and Geralt gives him an eye roll right back. 

“Are we watching this movie or not?”

Eskel mumbles something too low for Geralt to hear. 

-

The next morning dawns bright and early. Too early for Geralt to reasonably head out to the coffee shop by the time he’s ready, so he takes the time to work on the blanket. He’s inching closer to being done, and he’s looking forward to starting something with the yellow yarn, but he’s not quite sure what he wants to make yet. 

He wonders if he’s supposed to take his blanket to this yarn circle. Do they knit? Or just talk about it? What if they gossip the whole time? Geralt doesn’t have anything juicy to contribute; he doubts they want to hear about Eskel’s latest problems with his goat yoga business. Giving customers ringworm probably isn’t the best breakfast conversation. He takes in a deep breath, trying to stop the panic spiral. 

It’s fine. It’s going to be fine. 

-

It’s not fine.

When he walks in, Dandelion is already sitting at a table, wearing a floral button down that has entirely too many buttons undone to be decent. Geralt tries not to imagine what Dandelion’s chest hair would feel like under his finger tips, if it would be coarse and wiry or smooth and silky. 

Geralt shakes his head and grunts a greeting when Dandelion waves him over. 

“Hello, hello! Find the place okay?”

“No issues,” Geralt says, pulling out a chair and settling his bag with his knitting awkwardly on the ground. 

Dandelion glances down at his phone, and whatever he sees makes his face tighten. 

“Hmm, looks like the rest of the circle isn’t going to be able to make it. Flat tire.”

Geralt arches an eyebrow at him. “Do they...need help? I could go change it.”

Dandelion mutters something to himself before looking back up at Geralt. “I think they already have that covered.”

Geralt laughs and rubs a hand on his neck. “You know, I’m going to start thinking you were just trying to get me alone.”

Dandelion returns the nervous laugh and warms his hands on his mug. “Are you going to get some coffee?” he asks. 

“Uh, yeah.” Geralt stands up before turning back to Dandelion. “What do you recommend? I don’t come places like this very often.”

“Yeah, I bet. You seem like a coffee, black kind of person.”

“I don’t drink coffee,” Geralt admits. 

Dandelion’s eyes practically bug out of his head. “What do you mean you don’t drink coffee?”

“Makes me jumpy. My hands shake.”

Dandelion lets out a sharp exhale. “Wow.”

Geralt scowls. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not! Well, maybe a little. You just better get hot chocolate, then.”

“Fine. I will.”

Dandelion’s laughter when Geralt returns to the table with a mug piled high with whipped cream is infectious.

He’s not sure what comes over him, but Geralt sticks out his tongue. 

It’s not until he gets home that he realizes he never even pulled out his knitting. 

-

Dandelion starts texting him more and more, and Geralt feels vaguely guilty when he watches Dandelion’s latest video. 

He should probably tell Dandelion he watches them, but he doesn’t want it to turn into a  thing , and he certainly doesn’t read too much into it when Dandelion mentions running into a handsome stranger on his latest yarn expedition. 

He could be talking about anyone. 

Geralt finishes his blanket for Yen, and he starts to think about what his next project should be. The yellow yarn is bright and warm; silky smooth between his fingers. He starts another blanket, because why not? He’s been wanting to practice cabling, anyway. 

He brings it to the next yarn circle Dandelion invites him to, but it doesn’t get worked on, and Dandelion doesn’t say anything about where the rest of the circle is. Geralt doesn’t ask. 

Finally, four yarn circles in where no knitting is accomplished, Dandelion gives up the ghost and asks Geralt out on a date. “That’s not what we’ve been doing?” Geralt asks with a small smile. 

Dandelion shoves him in the chest, a teasing glint in his eye before his hand lingers on Geralt’s pec for a little too long. He jerks his hand back and clears his throat. “Great. I can’t wait," Geralt says.

“I’ll choose to believe that’s not sarcastic.”

Geralt pokes at him. “It’s not.”

“Hmm.”

Geralt rolls his eyes and  hmm s right back. 

-

A few weeks later finds Geralt sifting through Netflix for a movie to watch. “Hey, Dandelion!” Geralt calls from the couch, tugging a blanket up to his chin. 

Dandelion freezes from his spot just outside the living room with a bowl of popcorn in hand. 

“I have some white cheddar for that,” Geralt says.

“What did you just say?”

“I have some white cheddar for that,” Geralt repeats, more slowly this time. 

“No, no, before that.”

Geralt thinks. “Your...name?”

Dandelion blinks at him. “My name is Jaskier.”

Now Geralt is the one who’s confused. “No, it’s not?”

“Geralt, I think I know my own name.” Dandelion’s face pinches. “Wait. You watch my videos?”

Geralt steels himself for the conversation. He had been wondering if he'd just be able to take the fact that he watches them to his grave. “Yes?”

“And you didn’t think to mention this?”

“It seemed...weird," Geralt says haltingly.

Geralt’s still reeling from the revelation. He’s the world’s worst boyfriend; Dandelion has to be playing a cruel prank on him. 

“And it didn’t seem weird to you that you were watching me literally sing your praises last week?”

“I thought it was kind of sweet.”

Dand—Jaskier drags a hand down his face. “I can’t believe this.”

“How was I supposed to know that wasn’t your actual name?”

“Geralt, we have been together for a month. How do you not know my  name ?”

“It’s never come up!” Geralt says defensively. “You’re the one who never even introduced yourself. Talk about bad manners.”

Jaskier splutters, and Geralt can’t help but quirk a grin at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

Jaskier finally rallies. “We’re going to have a talk about online boundaries, but—”

“But what?”

“You’re so god damned stupid,” Jaskier says, before dragging Geralt into a kiss. 

Geralt goes without complaint. 

-

While Geralt ponders the new nature of their relationship, he finally finds a use for the blue yarn he’s been hoarding. The whole time he’s knitting the hat, he thinks of Jaskier. It’s exactly the right shade of his eyes, but Geralt doesn’t let himself contemplate it too hard. 

When he’s finished, he finds an index card and scrawls a message. He wraps up the whole thing and gives it to Jaskier the next time he sees him. 

Jaskier tears the package open and rubs the yarn between his fingers in delight. “You made this for me? No one’s ever knitted something for me before.”

“I’m glad I could remedy that,” Geralt says gruffly, shifting uncomfortably at the adoring look Jaskier is giving him. 

Jaskier notices the card and reads it before bursting into laughter. 

Sorry I didn’t know your name <3

“You’re forgiven.”

On to the next order of business, then. Geralt clears his throat. “Yen’s baby shower is next week.”

Jaskier makes a noise of polite interest, not looking up from where he’s examining the stitches in the hat. Geralt really hopes he doesn’t notice where he dropped one. 

Geralt waits for a few more seconds and sighs. Jaskier is really going to make him ask. “I was wondering if you would want to go with me.”

Jaskier tilts his head up and gives Geralt a bright smile. “Of course I would!” He pauses to think for a moment. “Are you...out to them?”

“Yes,” Geralt grumbles. “It turns out my hiding spot for my play girls when I was 16 wasn’t as clever as I thought.”

Jaskier snorts. “It never is, is it?”

-

In the days leading up to the shower, Jaskier’s anxiety starts to show, but Geralt politely doesn’t comment. They walk up to the party arm in arm, Geralt carrying both of their gift bags. Geralt had told him he didn’t need to get anything, but he had anyway, insisting that he had just happened to stumble across  the cutest onesie, Geralt! What a coincidence!

Geralt can’t help but smile as he looks over at Jaskier. Jaskier’s thumb is compulsively stroking over a spot on Geralt’s hand, and he’s even wearing the hat Geralt knitted him. Geralt’s chest feels tighter than normal. 

“Oh, so this is why you haven’t been such a grump lately?” Triss asks once they walk through the door, taking their gift bags to set on a side table. 

“I’m never grumpy,” Geralt says, and Jaskier has the audacity to laugh, so Geralt elbows him in the side. 

Triss laughs at that, too, before she goes off to find Yennefer and drags her back to them. “Geralt!” she exclaims, rubbing a hand up his arm. “I’m glad you could drag yourself away from your very important activities that you refuse to tell anyone about.”

Geralt rolls his eyes and looks over to see Jaskier staring at him curiously. 

“Ah, and this must be Dandelion!” Yen says, turning to Jaskier. 

“Eskel wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about that!” Geralt hisses, but Yen just gives him a delighted smile. 

Geralt sighs as she moves on to terrorize her next guest. 

“Your friends are pretty brutal, Geralt,” Jaskier says lightly. 

“You have no idea.” 

Geralt leads Jaskier over to where Eskel and Lambert are sitting by the food table and attempts to make small talk. 

Almost immediately, Lambert asks, “What’d you get her?” 

Eskel and Geralt share an exasperated look. “Why so competitive, Lamb? Over compensating?”

Lambert scowls. “I was just curious. You’re not going to be able to top what I got her, anyway. Best uncle ever.”

“You’re not going to be an uncle,” Eskel says. 

Lambert is unconcerned. “Best uncle ever.”

Geralt crosses his arms and leans into Jaskier, trying to block out Eskel and Lambert’s bickering. 

“I hate things like this,” Geralt mutters. 

“Oh, don’t worry, Geralt. You being an unbearable softie is our little secret. I won’t breathe a word.”

Geralt grumbles. “That’s not why.” He pauses, then, “Why do I put up with you?”

“I can think of a few reasons,” Jaskier says, turning his head to press a kiss against Geralt’s temple. 

Geralt flushes at the touch and looks around, but no one is staring at them like anything out of the ordinary happened. Geralt relaxes back against him. 

He’s almost dozing off by the time Yen gets to his gift, and he only realizes it by Jaskier digging a bony elbow into his stomach. He pinches Jaskier in retribution. 

Yen opens the gift carefully, making the appropriate polite noises as she does so. 

“Isn’t it soft?” Jaskier asks as she strokes her fingers over the blanket. “Geralt chose some great yarn.”

Geralt whips his neck around to look at Jaskier so quickly he thinks he heard something pop.

“What?” 

“The yarn! It’s so nice and such a lovely color, don’t you think? Geralt did a wonderful job.”

“Geralt, you made this?” Yennefer asks incredulously, and great, her voice cracks. 

Geralt sighs and tries to accept his fate of all the merciless jokes that are going to be made in his defense. “Yes?”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this?”

“When the fuck did you learn how to do that?” Lambert asks. 

Geralt shrugs defensively. “I’ve been knitting for years.”

Everyone’s eyes are drawn to the blue cap perched on top of Jaskier’s head, and teasing grins spread over their faces. 

Geralt groans. He’s never going to hear the end of this.

As Jaskier takes his hand in his and squeezes, he thinks maybe that’s okay. 

[imnotusedtobeingloved]

7. & 18.

If you want to ask more questions, go find them here!

7. name a character you wouldn’t mind naming someone after.

Okay since you didn't name a specific fandom i had to think long and hard about this one, haha. I tried to list one, or more, from the fandoms i have on my profile in no specific order.

Azula from ATLA.

I know, i know, she is the villain. But apart from that she is a pretty awesome character and definetely one of my favorites. I like the sound of it and it's meaning is "blue".

Aslaug from Vikings.

Her name stuck with me since i first heard of the series. Aslaug is, by far, my favorite female character on Vikings, so there is no doubt that her name would be the one i'd pick. The prefix áss-, means "god", and suffix -laug, possibly means "betrothed woman".

Ivar from Vikings.

I really like the sound of his name. And in about the character: Even though the show butchered his arc in the end, i really liked him back in season 4. He's definetely my favorite male character in Vikings and his name means "yew or bow army".

Cersei from GOT.

Again, i went for the sound of her name. Cersei might not be everyones favorite, but she sure is one of mine. She is an awesome character and the names meaning is "bird". It's also a variant of "Circe".

Yennefer from The Witcher.

Her name means "fair one". In addition to that she is a beautifully written character and an incredible sorceress. Yennefer is one of the most prominent characters in the fandom and i like it's tone. If i had to pick a name from this fandom, i definetely wouldn't mind naming someone after her.

Jacob from Assassins Creed.

For this one i choose the leader of the Rooks. "Jacob" is the name i would most likely choose from this fandom and i like his character in the game. It's meaning is “supplanter” which is often interpreted as someone who seizes, circumvents, or usurps.

Cullen from Dragon Age.

He is a favorite of mine out of this fandom and his name means "good-looking lad" or "handsome". I think Cullens journey in the Dragon Age series is incredible and the progress he went through is incredible.

Cassandra from Dragon age.

I love her name and it means "to excel, to shine" which is something Cassandra positively does in Dragon Age Inquisiton. I like the sound of the name and the character even more.

18. characters you want to wrap in a blanket and tell them they’re going to be okay?

Probably almost all of the above at some point.

First of all, Azula deserves a blanket from me. The mixed signals she got from her parents left lasting marks on her soul. She didn't have someone to guide her back onto the right path like Zuko did (Uncle Iroh) and the only person in her life to really grant her approval was her father. But unfortunately, in all the wrong ways.

Second of all, Aslaug too, deserves a blanket. I think she deserves far more credit than she has been given. She gave birth to all (but one) of our favorite vikings and raised them mostly by herself, despite the neglect she faced herself. She has a big heart and the wonderful gift of forseeing things, an important asset to Ragnars story, and yet she rarely got to shine.

Then, of course, there is Ivar. He would get a blanket from me because he could have been a lot more than he was. I don't even want to speak of S5 or S6, because at this point i am denying that those ever happened. But in regards to everything else, i think Ivar gets the blanket because nobody in Kattegat really seems to get him. He is aware of how different he is and wants to make up for it. His actions aren't really more brutal than the stuff his father, or other vikings, have done and yet he always has the words "crazy" and "monster" hanging over his head.

Cersei gets a blanket because she is hurting. She has continued to life and to go for more, even when she lost all of her children, one after another. Yet she stood strong and even managed to get the trone all by herself, only to get it ripped away one more.

Yennefer gets one too, because she has faced a lot in that life of hers. She is one strong woman and despite set-backs she never gave up. Despite being a powerful sorceress she has very relatable problems too.

And lastly i wanna put Cullen in here, because lyrium and Meridith.

[kmalexander]

My Reading List for 2020

It’s no secret 2020 has been a challenging year. While upon reflection, I found it to be surprisingly full, like many of us, I still spent the majority of my time at home. One benefit of our new socially-distant stay-at-home culture was the amount of reading I managed to accomplish. Just like previous years, I’ve compiled a list of the books I’ve read over the last three hundred and sixty-six days, and as always, I want to share them with everyone.

This year was hit-or-miss for me reading-wise. There were books I loved and many books I ended up loathing. I found books I know I will re-read and proselytize, but they were often mirrored by other books I hate-read. I also found myself reading a few histories for pleasure, not something I normally do, and I dipped into science fiction much more than in previous years. Audiobooks (

) used to be the mainstay of my daily commute, and this year they became the soundtrack to housework. Not a bad tradeoff. Oh, and as always, I beta-read a couple of great books, and I’m excited to see where those go in the future.

This list correlates with my Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge, but it always includes a few extra since Goodreads doesn’t let me count beta reading, and I don’t list comics or short stories or poetry (new this year!) over there. Remember, this is all strictly reading for pleasure—I typically forgo listing any research/history books I’ve read for a project as I read those differently than I do fiction. This list is always enormous, so l skip reviews except for my favorites in each category. However, I’d invite you to follow me on Goodreads, where I occasionally leave other reviews.

New for this year: with a few exceptions, most links now go to IndieBound instead of Amazon—2020 has been rough on small businesses, and now more than ever, be sure to support your local bookstore. When possible, I am now linking to each author’s personal website—if you’re on the list and I didn’t find your website, please let me know about it. (I won’t link to social media, sorry.)

Novels & Novellas

Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker

The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage Trilogy #2)

by Brian McClellan

Jade War (Green Bone Saga #2) by Fonda Lee

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

by Patrick Radden Keefe

The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War

by Joanne B. Freeman

They Mostly Come Out at Night (Yarnsworld, #1) (Link goes to Amazon) by Benedict Patrick

Frank on a Gun-Boat by Harry Castlemon

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington, #1) by David Weber

The Reign of the Kingfisher

by T.J. Martinson

RADIO by J. Rushing

Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1) by William Gibson

The Fireman

by Joe Hill

The Cipher by Kathe Koja

The Mist by Stephen King

Control Point (Shadow Ops #1) by Myke Cole

Blood Standard (Isaiah Coleridge #1) by Laird Barron

City of Miracles (The Divine Cities #3) by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Iron Ship (The Gates of the World #1) by K.M. McKinley

Vita Nostra (Metamorphosis Cycle #1)

by Sergey & Marina Dyachenko

Thieftaker (The Thieftaker Chronicles #1) by D. B. Jackson

BETA READING (Literature) by REDACTED

Circe by Madeline Miller

Terrier (The Legend of Beka Cooper #1) by Tamora Pierce

Red Storm Rising 

…. again. by Tom Clancy

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard

The Half Killed by Quenby Olson

The Toll by Cherie Priest

Jurassic Park …again. by Michael Crichton

Seveneves  

by Neil Stephenson

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

Foundation (Foundation #1) by Issac Asimov

Consider Phlebas (Culture #1)

by Iain M. Banks

BETA READING (Historical Horror) by REDACTED

The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper

Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen

Metro 2033

by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Favorite Novel of 2020

In the Valley of the Sun

by Andy Davidson

This sun-baked vampire horror set in Texas unexpectedly became a new favorite. A surprisingly tense, character-focused narrative. Brutal. Anguished. Tormented. Bloody. Lyrical in ways that remind me of Cormac McCarthy without the weight. It’s not shy of confronting the cracked ugliness of humanity and finding the beauty between the fissures. Davidson is an incredible writer, and I immediately purchased his more recent novel after finishing In the Valley of the Sun. We need more horror like this.

Favorite Novel Runners-up of 2020

RADIO

by J. Rushing

A jazz-infused, opium-soaked, historical fantasy that explodes from the opening chapter and never relents until its final pages. A thoroughly fresh debut that’s unlike anything I’ve read before. Rushing brings his unique, well-researched world of 1920s Paris to life with a captivating voice. Don’t expect a saccharine overly-romantic version of Paris; this is a stained, broken, and bloody place—a welcome addition to modern fantasy literature. Jim’s a friend of mine, so be sure to read my interview with him.

City of Miracles

by Robert Jackson Bennett

In recent years, the Divine Cities have become one of my favorite urban fantasy series, mostly for its fresh approach to the genre, atypical characters, and serious exploration of themes oft-ignored within mainstream fantasy. With City of Miracles, Bennett wrapped up the trilogy with a heartbreaking yet thoroughly satisfying ending. This story is a bit tighter and more focused than the previous two while wrapping up various loose ends rather nicely. It’s rare to find a final book in a series that resonates with me as much as City of Miracles did—it’s easily my favorite book in the trilogy.

 Honorable Mentions of 2020

I started doing Honorable Mentions in 2018 so I could highlight some of the other standout novels from my year of reading. Below you’ll find many more excellent books, I’ve listed them in order of reading.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse A unique southwestern approach to post-apocalyptic urban fantasy.

Prosper’s Demon by K. J. Parker A subversive fantasy with a fresh voice and plenty of twists. Nice quick read.

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan An excellent sequel, one of the best examples of massive and complex military operations in fantasy.

The Field of Blood by Joanne B. Freeman Phenomenal nonfiction detailing the history of violence in Congress leading up to the U.S. Civil War.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja Deeply unsettling transgressive horror that felt far too familiar. Visceral and enthralling.

Blood Standard by Laird Barron A dark crime/P.I. novel with a heart and a sense of humor. I will be reading more in this series.

The Iron Ship by K.M. McKinley Thoroughly fresh fantasy—huge world, great characters, interesting plot, unique setting. Nearly made my runner up list.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Disturbing modern horror built around the experiences of first-nation people and the rural poor.

Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard The history of stuff told from an all-too-relatable personal experience. Ended up buying a few copies for my family.

Seveneves by Neil Stephenson The moon is destroyed, and humanity only has a short amount of time to survive.

The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper Unique cosmic horror that explores gender identity, relationships, and poverty with a fresh perspective.

Short Stories

An Inhabitant of Carcosa …again. by Ambrose Bierce

And Now His Lordship is Laughing by Shiv Ramdas

How the Trick is Done by A.C. Wise

The Yellow Sign …again. by Robert W. Chambers

Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island by Nibedita Sen

Give the Family My Love by A. T. Greenblatt

The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power by Karen Osborne

The Masque of the Red Death …again. by Edgar Allen Poe

The Repairer of Reputations …again. by Robert W. Chambers

Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar

Tideline by Elizabeth Bear

Favorite Short Stories of 2020

The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power

by Karen Osborne

Generation ship! Class struggle! Religious ritual! Rebellion! Murder! Control! The complexity told within this genre-mashup was astounding. Such a rich world crafted in a way that feels effortless while maintaining a rich narrative was impressive. It’s no secret I’m drawn to stories that are hard to pigeon-hole into a specific genre, and that is fully represented here. Well worth a read.

 Favorite Short Story Runners-up

Paper Menagerie

by Ken Liu

This heartbreaking story about magical origami, cultural identity, and family was the first piece of fiction to win a Hugo, a Nebula, and a World Fantasy Award. And after reading it, it was easy to see why. Touching and reflective. A masterwork of speculative short fiction.

 Graphic Novels

Preacher: Book One by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist)

Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Artist)

Preacher: Book Two by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist)

Once & Future, Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillen (Author), Tamra Bonvillain (Artist), & Dan Mora (Artist)

American Vampire, Vol. 2 by Scott Snyder (Author) & Rafael Albuquerque (Artist)

Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist)

Preacher: Book Three by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist)

Die, Vol. 2 by Kieron Gillen (Author) & Stephanie Hans (Artist)

 Favorite Graphic Novel of 2020:

Preacher: Book One

by Garth Ennis (Author) & Steve Dillon (Artist)

I didn’t expect to like Preacher. I bounced off the series hard when I was younger, writing off Ennis as a “blasphemous shock jock” and nothing more. But revisiting it as a middle-aged adult revealed a different sort of comic. The offensive transgressive material is still there, but beneath it is something much more—a book with more heart and humanity than one would be able to judge by its surface and laced with merciless satire that still rings relevant twenty-five years later.

 Favorite Graphic Novel Runner-up of 2020:

Paper Girls, Volume 2

by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist)

Volume 1 nearly made my runner-up list last year. On the surface, it’s a time-jumping story about a group of friends caught in the middle of a future war. But beneath those sci-fi trappings, there is so much more here. It’s a book about being a kid and the expectations therein, complications with friendship, and the complexities of growing up. The characters are fantastic, and the story moves along at a clip, making it impossible to put the trade down. I’m ready for volume 3.

 Poems

So this year, I’m including some of the poems I read in 2020. I hinted at doing this last year. But this is really a trial run. In reality, I read more poems than listed below, but I didn’t do an outstanding job keeping track of them. Because this is the first time for poetry on this list, I’m going to skip picking a favorite. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track next year.

Small Kindnesses by Danusha Laméris

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendel Berry

Beneath the Sweater and the Skin by Jeannette Encinias

The Woods by Melanie Batista

I Confess by Alison Luterman

The Waste Land …again. by T. S. Eliot

Near a Raven by Mike Keith

Insha’Allah by Danusha Laméris

We Lived Happily During the War …again. by Ilya Kaminsky

Christmas Greetings to Felis …again by H. P. Lovecraft …again.

Passing Solstice by Ken Hada

Winter Solstice by Hilda Morley

Childhood Memory from the Old Victorian House on Warner by Beth Cato

Raw With Love by Charles Bukowski

So that’s my reading list for 2020. It’s been an interesting year in reading for me. As promised, we now have a poetry section, and I hope to expand that in the future. There are some great poems there, so be sure to explore them further. Despite my ups and downs, I’m overall quite happy with the books, stories, graphic novels, and poetry I read over the last twelve months. They were excellent distractions from the chaos of the year, and it was refreshing to lose myself in other worlds. 2020 will be behind us soon, and I am looking forward to the worlds I’ll discover in 2021.

How about you? What were the standout books, graphic novels, short stories, or poems you read this year? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment and let me know!

Are you looking for a good book? Want to see my reading lists from previous years? Check any of the links below and see what I was reading in the bygone days of old.

• 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 •

Next year, why not join me? Goodreads does a reading challenge every year, and I am an active participant. First, follow me on Goodreads (leave me a review while you’re there), and once the New Year arrives, participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2020.

Want to stay in touch with me? Sign up for Dead Drop, my rare and elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. I work hard to make sure it’s not spammy and full of interesting and relevant information.  SIGN UP TODAY →

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[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 90: Prelude to the Storm

"Mmm...wow, you have to try that," Neal said, as he took another bite of his meal. Emma speared a shrimp and ate it, finding it to be as delicious as he said.

"Wow...that's really good," she agreed.

"And how is everything?" Tiana asked, as she and Naveen visited the table.

"Really good," Neal complimented.

"Culinary genius," Emma added, making the couple almost giddy at the praise.

"I'm totally making my parents come here on their next date night," she praised.

"Thank you...we're glad you enjoyed it and we will not turn down the buzz that semi-famous customers like you two and your parents will create," Naveen replied.

"I think famous is a little strong, but hey if us coming here gets you more business, then that's a good thing," she agreed.

"Well, thank you. How are they doing anyway? We heard about what those people did," Tiana said gently. Emma smiled at their concern.

"They're okay...I worry about them, but love always seems like it's enough to get them through anything," she replied. The other couple smiled.

"Your parent's true love is an inspiration and I hope these outsiders find their way out of town for good," Tiana mentioned.

"You and me both," Emma agreed, as they settled the check and then started walking through town.

"So...not bad for a first date that's not a first date," he joked, as he nudged her playfully. She smiled at him.

"Yeah...it beats the old days when we were knocking off convenience stores and holing up in other people's motel rooms," she agreed. He chuckled.

"Yeah...I miss the kid though," he said. She smiled.

"Me too...guess that's the sign we've made it, huh?" she asked. He nodded.

"So...does that mean I can ask you out again?" he inquired.

"You know...I thought tonight was going to be awkward and weird, but it wasn't. It was new, but it was also familiar and comfortable...I'm not sure I expected that," she mentioned.

"So...is that good?" he asked. She smiled and answered him by pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Does that spell it out for you?" she asked coyly.

"I don't know...maybe you could spell it out some more?" he asked. She chuckled and shoved him playfully, before they kissed again, this time with a lot more heat.

"Yeah...that spelled it pretty good," he agreed, as they shared another smile, just as they saw his father's car pull up, with Belle in the passenger seat and Eli in the backseat. Which was weird. But even stranger was the truck and trailer following them. In the cab was her parents and Persephone.

"Hey guys...what's going on?" Emma asked, as they all got out.

"We found it...the magic," David said, as he hugged her.

"Uh...that's great. Where though? I thought they would have left Storybrooke with it," Emma replied.

"They did," Belle confirmed and her eyes widened.

"You two left Storybrooke without me?" she questioned in concerned.

"Yes...and that's not all that happened. But first, we need to hide the cube for now," Persephone interjected.

"Okay...let's do that first and you two can talk while we do," Emma said.

"You're not going to like any of it," Snow warned.

"Clearly," Emma responded.

"Wait...you and Belle went to?" Neal asked his father, who looked guilty.

"Bae…" he started to say, but Neal put his hand up.

"Save it...let's just hide the magic for now. I actually like the fact that Cronus and everyone else have no magic right now and I think we should keep it that way," he

agreed, as he and Emma got in the car and they proceeded to the library.

~*~

Circe angrily slammed the car door, as she arrived at the cabin. She had been called by one of her top operatives, the former soldier, and saw him wince as she stormed up to him. He was an imposing figure and his background in the marines had led her to choose him to lead her followers. But in reality, he was just the head sheep, leading her other sheep. He had once been Captain Dylan Channing in the United States Marines. He had served two tours in Afghanistan, but his experiences there had only amplified character flaws he had suffered with all his life. His anger had led him to outbursts and the determination by his superiors that he was a danger to the innocent locals that they were there to try and protect.

After several infractions, Channing was dishonorably discharged and became homeless when he returned to the states. He had undiagnosed post traumatic stress syndrome, was chronically paranoid, and had been ripe for Circe's picking. His experience as a marine made him an excellent enforcer in her operation and his weak mind allowed Circe to control him completely.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded to know.

"I got a text earlier from Kevin, requesting that I come here to help bury bodies. I'm not sure who he planned to have me help bury, but the bodies we have found are Kevin and Jessica instead," he reported, as he swallowed thickly.

"And the cube?" she asked in a measured tone.

"It's gone," he answered.

"Dammit...I ordered them to take this to the base in New York!" she screamed.

"We can use this with the other followers though. If it was Snow White and her husband that killed Jessica and Kevin, it can further our narrative that they are evil. We can get our people to riot against them," he projected.

"They have the magic! It will not matter what we do without that magic!" she ranted, as she examined the bodies that he and the others had gathered.

Kevin had clearly been stabbed through the heart, probably by the Prince if she had to guess and that would make sense if he was threatening Charming's precious Snow White. But Jessica was horribly and badly burned, almost beyond recognition. And that was a curious thing to her. Obviously there hadn't been a fire of any sort. There was no evidence or damage to indicate that. And there was only one other way she knew of that would cause burning like this. Lightning. And as far as she was aware, there had been no thunderstorms in the area, though the wet soil was indicative that there had been a weather event here. An unnatural one. One that had been created by a God...or Goddess. Whether or not it was deliberate or inadvertent, she didn't know. But it was definitely cause for concern. Even with all her advanced tech that she had created to combat magic, going against a God head on was very risky.

"Take care of the bodies and then join me back in Storybrooke. We have a ball to attend tomorrow night," she announced, as she went back to her car. If the heroes wanted to play that way, then she'd continue to be a thorn in their side.

~*~

"What?!" Emma exclaimed, as Snow and David winced in response.

"Princess…" David started to say.

"Oh no...don't Princess me, Dad. I can't believe you guys were so reckless!" she cried.

"We're really sorry honey. We had no idea it was going to escalate like that," Snow pleaded.

"She's right. You know that if I had an inkling that it would that I would have never let your mother near it, especially in her condition," David added. Emma sighed.

"I know you two don't mean to get into trouble like this, but you always do. I can't lose you guys!" she exclaimed.

"I just got you," she added and with that, they melted and hugged her between them, with David cradling her head.

"We're sorry...scaring you was the last thing we wanted to do," Snow said.

"Just promise me that you won't leave Storybrooke again without me, even if it's only a few miles away," she pleaded.

"We promise," David agreed. Neal sighed and looked at his father.

"Bae…" he started to say.

"You know I should yell at you for being so reckless, right?" he asked.

"And you would have every right," Rumple started to say, but was surprised when Neal simply hugged him fiercely, making Belle smile.

"You do something idiotic like that again and I'm going to go off on you like a bomb," he warned. Rumple eventually got over his shock and hugged him back.

"Fair enough," he choked out. With that, they opened the trailer, while Neal and David did the heavy lifting, carrying the containment cube into the library. They waited for the elevator and Emma operated it, as they took the cube down below to hide it. Once they did, she brought them back up and Snow was ready to help her mother search for Hades.

"Let's go…" Snow suggested, but Persephone did not move.

"It's too dark and we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We can search in the morning, but we should all be well rested for the ball," she suggested instead.

"I can have the dwarves do a night patrol," David offered.

"If you think it might help," Persephone replied.

"Can't hurt," David said, as he made the call.

"Are you sure, mother?" Snow asked. She nodded.

"Daylight is going to yield more results. All of you...go on home," she urged.

"Aren't you coming?" Snow asked.

"No...I need to tell Mother what happened out there today," Persephone replied.

"You mean with the lightning?" Snow asked. She nodded.

"I'll be fine, snowdrop and with the assistance of the other Gods, we'll find Hades in the morning," she assured, as David returned and put his arm around Snow.

"Leroy and Happy are going to run patrol and look tonight," he said. She smiled at her son-in-law.

"Thank you David," she said, as they all left the library for the night. In addition to locking the library doors, they had padlocked the elevator. James was also going to be getting there soon to guard the elevator on the night shift, while Robert would be taking the day shift. And for now, they had to hope it would be enough to hide the magic until they figured out if returning it to the town would be for the best.

When they arrived home, they bid their daughter goodnight and it was less than two seconds after Emma's door shut that they were peeling clothing away with desperate need. But they also both needed a shower after all the mud and rain, so that's where they ended up.

~*~

Steam billowed around them and hot water beaded on their naked bodies, as they quite literally fucked each other. Slow, languid lovemaking would likely come later in bed, but what they were doing now could only be described as fucking, as he pounded his hard cock into her trembling body, which he had pinned against the shower wall. And to accompany that were Snow's wanton screams and his husky growls.

"Charming…" she cried desperately, as her legs remained folded around him and she grazed her teeth along his neck, until she felt herself being pushed closer and closer.

"Baby…" she whimpered, as her back arched in an erotic bow and her head lolled back. She shuddered and writhed around him, before crying out loudly as she orgasmed like a storm. Her coming was as powerful as ever and he plunged deeply inside her, searching for his own until he could hold back no longer and found completion. They managed to finish their sensual shower, as they enjoyed washing each other, and took great pleasure in making out the rest of the time, until the water went cold.

They toweled off and made their way to the bed behind the curtain. Then it came as no surprise, as their towels were discarded and an entirely new bout of sexual euphoria began. She backed herself onto the bed, allowing him a full view of her naked body and her a view of his. Her eyes locked on the considerable length between his legs that was quickly getting hard again, as he stared at her with a mix of love and lust in his eyes. He climbed onto the bed with her, hovering above her and love and lust was mirrored in her eyes. She climbed into his lap and locked her arms around his neck, as he slid her onto his hard cock. She mewled pleasurably at him finally being inside her again and they began to rock together. He gripped her hips and helped her to ride him in an undulating rhythm. Their lips met in short pecks in between impassioned gasps, as they made love again, desperately needing each other. Climaxes raged between them again, as they fell to the bed after, boneless and sated, entwined thoroughly in each other's arms, limbs tangled beneath the sheets, and eternally in love.

~*~

Circe arrived back at camp with Captain Channing, who with the assistance of his operatives, were bringing Kevin and Jessica's bodies back.

"Followers!" she called their attention.

"A great blow has been dealt to us today!" she announced, as they revealed Jessica and Kevin's bodies to them. There were gasps of horror and shouts of outrage.

"Snow White and her Prince have killed them!" she told them. There were more cries of outrage.

"As if we needed more evidence that the Princess of the Underworld is an abomination and her husband is as evil as she is. They killed our people, while they seek to bring another demon child into this world!" Captain Channing added, further riling them up.

"Tonight we mourn our fallen and cremate them in a ceremony of honor," she announced.

"Then tomorrow, we rally and show them our wrath!" she added, as they rallied around with cries of righteous indignation.

~*~

Yesterday had started out normal, devolved into another harrowing experience for them, and ended thankfully with their incredible love winning out again. So it came as no surprise to Snow that her morning sickness was plaguing her with a vengeance that morning. She finished and flushed the contents away, as she started brushing her teeth.

"Will you please let me have your mother call Artemis?" David asked from the door.

"Charming...I'm fine," she mumbled through the toothpaste in her mouth, before spitting and rinsing.

"It's just morning sickness...completely normal," she insisted, as she padded back to their makeshift bedroom. He sighed.

"Yes, but we went through hell yesterday and stress that was really bad for you and the baby," he reminded. She sighed.

"Please…" he pleaded and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine...we can go see Artemis, but only because it's on the way to the warehouse where we need to pick out our attire for tonight," she agreed. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Good...let me make you breakfast," he suggested.

"Baby, I just puked my guts out," she reminded.

"So pancakes?" he asked, as she felt her stomach growl. Damn pregnancy. And his innate ability to know everything she needed or wanted, even before she did.

"With strawberries, chocolate whipped cream, and bacon," she agreed, causing him to laugh all the way to the kitchen. If there was ever a definition of domestic bliss, it was definitely them.

~*~

"What do you think?" Zelena asked, as she modeled the black gown with green embroidery in the mirror.

"The green accents suit you. Since there's always green bleeding just beneath your skin," Hades quipped, as he stared at the ceiling in the cage. She smirked.

"Good to know that captivity hasn't stolen your wit," she responded.

"Envy will be your undoing, my dear," he warned and she scoffed.

"And you going soft has already been yours," she retorted, as Hermes descended into the cellar.

"Oh look...your scum sucking worm has returned," Hades deadpanned.

"Your betrayal of me won't go unpunished when I sit upon Zeus' Throne," Hermes shot back.

"Funny you throw the word betrayal around," Hades quipped.

"I prefer to see myself as an opportunist," Hermes replied.

"Opportunist….diseased maggot...it's hard to tell from here," Hades retorted. Hermes snapped and reached for Hades through the bars, grabbing him by the collar. But the former God of the Underworld was un-bothered by Hermes' attempt at a show of intimidation.

"This is who you are choosing to help you succeed?" Hades questioned her.

"When I sit upon the Throne, I shall make you regret tossing me away like trash when I force Persephone to marry me," he threatened.

"You're not fit to shine her shoes, let alone be in her presence. She'll never marry you," he hissed. But Hermes smirked.

"If I dangle the life of her precious little Snow in front of her...she'll do anything," he taunted. Hades clenched his teeth.

"When we go back in time...there is no way for any of us to control what may happen once time is reset. But I assure you...I will remember you and I will squish you like the worm you are," he promised.

"Enough!" Zelena growled. Hermes released him and shoved him back.

"Well...why are you here? I assume you have news or else you'd be stupid to come," she demanded.

"Persephone and her precious Charmings have the containment cube. They hid it beneath the library. The elevator is padlocked and they have a round the clock patrol on that elevator," he reported.

"Tricky...but not impossible to get around," Zelena replied.

"Though it is quite curious that they did not release the magic inside the containment cube and return magic to the town," she added.

"Cronus' ball is tonight. I believe they fear his intentions and have decided that taking magic out of the equation is in everyone's best interest until they know more about his motives," Hermes reported.

"Yes...they fear Cronus. But it is me they shall soon fear," she said, as she opened up a jewelry box and took out her green pendant that had once been gifted to her by the other witches of Oz. It was all she needed to absorb all the magic in that cube.

"It's time to enact my spell...and Cronus' ball is the perfect stage for my rise to power and the fall of the heroes…" she said.

"Zelena...don't do this…" he pleaded, but she ignored him and hung up an outfit beside his cage. It was male formal wear, a black tunic, black leather pants, and boots. The black was accented with sky blue accents and embroidery.

"Time to get you dressed for the ball as well, my dear Hades. You'll be part of my...captive audience," she hissed, as he glowered at her with daggers in his eyes.

~*~

"Everything looks good," Artemis reported, as she finished Snow's exam.

"Told you," Snow said to her husband. He smiled and kissed her hair.

"Be that as it may, my darling...you know I'll never stop worrying about your safety and well-being," he replied. She smiled and kissed him.

"I know," she said affectionately.

"It's a little early, but I got a lot of the equipment working. We could do an ultrasound if you want," Artemis said. Snow and David looked at her and then at Persephone. The Goddess smiled.

"I think we'd all love that," Snow agreed. Artemis nodded and prepared everything for the test. Snow lay back, while David and Persephone each held one of her hands, as Artemis rubbed the solution on her belly.

The machine whirred to life, as Artemis operated it and an image appeared on the screen.

"It's a bit too early to tell sex...but there he or she is," she said, as she pointed out the fetus on the screen. Snow and David were stunned to speechlessness, as they stared at the screen.

"Oh Snow…" he uttered, as they stared at their tiny baby. Snow looked at him, as tears streamed down her cheeks and he pressed a kiss to her lips. As their lips parted, their faces were full of pure joy.

"I love you so much…" he said, as a few tears slipped down his cheeks.

"I love you…" she replied, as they kissed again. Artemis and Persephone smiled, as the former operated the equipment and printed copies of the sonogram.

"By the next one in a few weeks, we'll be able to tell the sex of the baby. But for now, these are for you," she said, handing them the photos. Persephone hugged them both.

"We'll give you a few minutes alone and to get dressed," she said, as the two women stepped out.

"Oh David…" Snow gushed, as she was unable to tear her eyes away from the photo in her hand. His face was a contagious grin and he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Is this real?" she asked wistfully.

"Yes...this is real, my darling. This is our baby…" he replied, as they kissed again.

"What if it happens again, Charming?" she feared.

"It won't...we won't let it. There is no way that me or your mother are going to let anyone rip this baby away from us this time," he promised.

"The Swans are dead...and Circe's followers won't succeed. I don't want to, but if I have to do to them what I did to Kevin Swan...I will," he confessed. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly.

"Now...let's get you dressed and get ready for this ball tonight, so I can make it clear to everyone in this town that they will not hurt this family," he said. She smiled and got dressed, as they left the makeshift hospital with Persephone in tow. There was still no sign of Hades and Persephone was now deeply worried. She would have resumed searching, but at this point she thought it was going to the ball might yield more clues to Hades' whereabouts. She didn't know if Cronus was involved, but she wasn't going to be surprised if he was.

In the past, she might have found his sudden disappearance suspicious and might even think he was doing something deceitful. But that definitely was not what this was. He had changed too much and as skeptical of those changes as she had been at first, she now knew the changes were sincere. She felt the changes in him in his presence and his aura. She had, for the very first time in their very long marriage, felt love in his kiss. Add to that, he had now saved Snow and David's lives numerous times and she was no longer convinced that he might have ulterior motives behind that. He was a changed man and she somehow wondered if that now had something to do with his disappearance. Despite having changed, the list of enemies her husband had was very long and some were right here in Storybrooke. She was, against all odds and past history, in love with him. She knew that now and was able to admit that now that he was missing, which made her even more anxious about everything. She felt that there was something big on the cusp, but for the life of her, she couldn't discern what exactly it was. All she could do for now was go to this ball tonight, in order to safeguard her family, and hopefully uncover clues as to what had happened to Hades.

~*~

Cronus stood on his balcony of his palace, overlooking the quaint, mystical town of Storybrooke. He had mostly kept to himself since his arrival and was more than a little perturbed when magic was stolen by Circe's interference. He fully expected her to show up tonight with her sheep and fully expected her to come to him to make some kind of deal with him. But he wanted no deals that involved her band of sheep that followed her. If he found that she could be of use to him, then he would use her.

But the real prize was keeping one little family in his sights and convincing them that he was not the enemy. In his past, he had feared magic and power. He had devoured his own children out of fear of their power. But he would not make that mistake this time.

With Zeus gone, he believed he could once again become the supreme God and ruler. But he needed the favor of the people to get that and that was the reason for all this, especially now with no magic was present.

Persephone had favor with the other Gods and the Charmings had favor with the people. Courting them was important to his ultimate plan and for once, he was playing the long game. His path to ultimate power would be a long one and when he finally did achieve what he wanted, they would have long ago labeled him a non-threat.

Without magic though the last few days, he had been at a serious disadvantage to all that had been going on and that is why he sent Phobos out to gather Intel.

"What do you have to report?" he asked, as his new loyal right hand returned.

"Much," Phobos stated.

"Snow White and her husband were nearly killed by Circe's idiotic followers, but thankfully, they survived, while two of the perpetrators did not," he reported.

"How were they killed?" he asked curiously.

"It appears the man was killed by being stabbed, most likely by a sword. I'd venture a guess that the Prince killed him in protecting his beloved. But the woman...is what concerns me," Phobos responded.

"How so?" Cronus asked.

"She died after being struck by lightning. There was a storm up on that mountain...and I do not believe it was natural," Phobos answered.

"What are you saying?" Cronus requested.

"I fear that Zeus' ultimate power has already chosen a new host," Phobos stated.

"That's...unfortunate. Do you believe you know who?" he asked.

"I believe it's Persephone," Phobos replied.

"Then that makes things far more complicated," Cronus said, obviously troubled by this.

"I think we can still use this to our advantage," Phobos responded.

"How so?" he asked.

"Let me endear myself the Persephone and the Charmings. I am the brother that was sacrificed to bring Deimos back. Whatever relationship Persephone has now with Hades cannot escape that fact, even if she has forgiven him and he has changed," Phobos replied.

"You think they will not be threatened by you?" he asked. Phobos smirked.

"I am the God of fear...which is different that terror. My brother is the embodiment of terror, but fear works very differently. I am almost positive that my idiotic, brute of a brother will approach Snow White this evening. He won't be able to help himself. Let me step in and defend the Charmings against him," he said.

"Are you going to actually goad your brother into attacking you?" Cronus asked. Phobos smirked.

"I am not thrilled about that prospect, but it would provide me an in with them and on your behalf," he offered.

"That is very loyal of you, Phobos, but I am no fool. Tell me what you get from this?" he questioned.

"Your rule means my prosperity, my Lord. And if that leads to me being my brother's ultimate demise, after I torment him for my own amusement, then that will be icing on the cake," Phobos responded.

"All right...I will allow this. But Persephone having the power that is rightfully mine is still a glaring problem," Cronus reminded.

"And when the time is right, we will force her to relinquish the power to you. There are ways. Trust in me, My Lord, and you will eventually be the supreme God," Phobos promised.

"Then we will both have our revenge," Cronus agreed, as they witnessed the people of Storybrooke begin to flock to his palace, dressed for that evening's Grand Ball...

[my100hiraeth]

{As per http://www.unfading.net/}

Wand Wood: Beech, along with Rowan and Hazel, is the tree commonly associated with knowledge. In this case, it is the kind of knowledge, which can be revealed mainly via ‘material’ sources, for example, in old objects, places and writings. This wood has a clear connection with ancient tradition and history and is thought to provide guidance from the past. Beech tree is overall optimistic and lucky, though conservatism and straightforwardness are not stranger to it. The nature of Beech is steady and stable; it symbolize a solid base upon one’s value system is built. Despite the implied solidity, this wood is not stagnant or inert; quite the contrary, it provides excellent flow of energy (though doesn’t hold energy well). Beech’s strong connection to material aspect of life reveals itself when it comes to works involving ‘creation’: all things created ‘in a Beech spirit’ are strict, solid and defined, and they are lacking in fantasy sometimes, being too traditional and predictable. In spiritual and magical workings, Beech is often used for spells dealing with material objects; but it can bring stability and balance to almost any spell or charm. Due to its ability to conduct energy, Beech does well as mediator and in that quality can be used in various rituals. In addition to it, this wood’s spirit is favorable to gaining wealth and bringing luck.

Keywords: Ancient knowledge preserved in material sources, tradition, past experience, flow of energy, solid foundation, distinctness, stability, lack of innovation, wealth, luck, straight nature, positive spirit.

Wand description: Steady, strict and strong, especially good for Transfiguration, less suitable for Charms, may point to owner’s obsession with books and her concentration to working with written sources and to gaining and preserving information in general. Suits reasonably well for active magic defense and magic combat. Is acceptable for Dark Arts for it can successfully deal with Ancient Curses.

{As per Harry Potter Wiki}

Wand Wood: The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. Such wizards and witches, having obtained a beech wand without having been suitably matched (yet coveting this most desirable, richly hued and highly prized wand wood), have often presented themselves at the homes of learned wandmakers such as myself, demanding to know the reason for their handsome wand’s lack of power. When properly matched, the beech wand is capable of a subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation.

Wand Core: “As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.”

{As per Britt}

As seems to be the norm, I was a little skeptical at first. Good for Transfiguration, strict, strong, steady. And then the Dragon Heartstring, don’t even get me started on how ill-advised I thought that was for my babygirl. But then I read more into it, and I started to see the logic. Conservatism, solid base of value systems, and my favorite, subtly and artistry. Those are definitely apropos for Circe, and being a conductor of energy and mediator-mess, because she is definitely good at adjusting herself to what people need and letting herself take cues from other people’s energies. And then everything about a love for books and tradition is spot on. And despite my doubtfulness, I cannot deny that I like that Dragon Heartstring bonds strongly with it’s owner, it’s a demonstration of Circe’s bonding to her Dark Arts and her beliefs, and even her longing to have something to bond that strongly to. But it’s fickle too, willing to bond to a newly won owner, and I feel Circe could be the same way, attaching herself to any new leader of the side she’s chosen. Overall, I like it.

[true-halloween-tales]

2017: #2-WITCHES

Round about the cauldron go; In the poison’d entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter’d venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

- Macbeth.

It is now time to get to the bottom of the topic of witches - but we are staying away from witches’ bottoms!  Once the topic of witches is raised, the cauldron of creepiness starts bubbling out witches all over the place.  The Wicked Witch of the West is the archetypical witch, with the long pointy nose, green skin, black clothing, and conical witch hat.  There were other Oz witches such as Glinda the Good Witch.  Long before Oz, Greek mythology provided Medea and Circe.  In Jason and the Argonauts, Medea mainly made potions and then ran off with Jason.  Homer’s Odyssey had Circe trapped on an island turning sailors into pigs.  The Middle Ages bubbled up Morgan Le Fay in the King Arthur legend.  Shakespeare wrote famous plays with witches, such as in Macbeth.  Witches were also featured in quite a few fairy tales.  The Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Grettel is perhaps the most famous witchy fairy tale.  Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and the Margarita includes witches and the Devil galavanting with glee in Russia.  Lloyd Alexander’s The Black Cauldron features the three witches of Orwen, Orgoch, and Ordxu who are actually helpful.  Fritz Leiber wrote of witches in his novels, Conjure Wife and Our Lady of Darkness.  Anne Rice wrote a three-book series, the Lives of the Mayfair Witches.  But beyond literature, witches are also bubbling up in film.

I Married a Witch was a 1942 comedy, but 1960’s Black Sunday is horror.  1962’s Burn, Witch, Burn was  based on Leiber’s Conjure Wife.  Vincent Price hunted witches in The Conqueror Worm, but he was the villain persecuting the innocent.  Christopher Lee was voodoo-dolled by his witch daughter in The House That Dripped Blood (see 2018: #1-GREAT HORROR FILM ACTORS).  Rosemary’s Baby delivered us a delightfully witchy Ruth Gorden.  The Witches of Eastwick had three witches summoning the Devil, Jack Nicholson.  The Blair Witch has almost appeared in three films and probably has the greatest name recognition for a witch in popular culture.  Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell was about a witch’s curse.  Even Marvel superhero films have included the Scarlet Witch (see 2017: #10-SUPERHEROES).  Witches bubble up in the cauldron of creepiness beyond film and into television programs.

The Addams Family includes the witches of Grandmama as well as that of Morticia.  Lara Parker portrayed the regular witch character, Angelique, in the original Dark Shadows tv series (see 2016: #7-GUIDE TO DARK SHADOWS).  A few years later she played a witch in Dark Shadows’ creator, Dan Curtis’ other cult horror tv series, The Night Stalker, in the episode, The Trevi Collection (see 2015: #5-GUIDE TO THE NIGHT STALKER).  There was a comedy tv series with witches, Bewitched, including the witches Samantha and Aunt Haggadah.  Witches have made appearances in Doctor Who in the episodes, The Daemons and The Shakespeare Code which offers witches Mother Bloodtide and Mother Doomfinger (see 2018: #2-GUIDE TO DOCTOR WHO).  The three-season series, Penny Dreadful, centered around the witch Vanessa Ives who was well-played by Eva Green.  American Horror Story had an entire season, Coven, about witches and introduced us to such noteworthy witches as Cordelia Foxx and Misty Day; the Roanoke season featured Lady Gaga as the primal witch Scathach.  Most recently, Game of Thrones has included the child-sacrificing witch Melisandre, the red priestess, who resurrected Jon Snow.  Men can also be witches as seen with Lafayette in the True Blood series.  There are even cartoon witches such as Winnie the Witch, Popeye’s watery Sea Hag, and there is Broomhilda from the Chicago Tribune comic strip.  They are also in video games such as in the Dark Souls series with Karla the Witch and the fiery half-spider, half-woman, Chaos Witch Quelagg.  The cauldron of creepiness overfloweth with a bevy of witches!

What sort of classifications can witches be put into to better understand them?  Dungeons & Dragons is a good resource for monster listings and the game includes: Sea Hags, Night Hags, and Annis.  There are evil black witches and white good witches, even neutral gray witches.  Most witches are alchemists and make potions.  Some witches have additional specialization of their magical ability, such as with Circe polymorphing people into pigs.  There are solitary witches in comparison to covens of witches.  But there are not too many classifications of witches.  Desert dwelling witches are certainly not sandwitches, hold the mayo!  The term, death hag, is not a classification of witch, but is a type of person who morbidly goes to cemeteries, reads obituaries, and indulges in other death-related past-times.  What best distinguishes witches is what they do.

What do witches do?  Witches tend to have the same goals and activities in mind.  They primarily stand over their large cauldrons cooking up hideous magical stews and potions; in a way, they are pharmacists.  The common crazy concoction they cook up consists of children and babies; few witches are vegetarians.  Witches are often known to lure children, catch them, cook them, and eat them.  Otherwise, they have to go to “witches supermarkets,” cemeteries, and dig up dead children.  Witches cannibalistic proclivities primarily exist so they can make themselves younger.  Witches are often very old.  To make themselves either appear younger or actually physically become younger are their goals.  This is seen with the famous illusion of the Young Lady or Old Hag.  Witches deeply need to appear young and innocent, and they particularly enjoy the deceit of helping witch finders.  In The Blair Witch Project, no physical form of the Witch is ever seen.  However, early in the film, an eccentric town local, Mary Brown, is interviewed who very much looks like a witch as well as having interests and educational degrees beyond her age.  I have always thought Mary Brown to be the normal human appearance of The Blair Witch.  Witches also fly on brooms, often coating the broomstick or themselves wth a greasy oil they make from the fat of cooked children.  Witches enjoy staying out late at night, generally doing evil things, and they hang out with the Devil and his minions.  Midnight is known as the Witching Hour.  Witches often summon up horrible things from beyond as well as have familiars reporting to them, usually in the form of black cats.  They cast spells and excel in black magic.  Witches often seem to feed off of fear itself, as seen in the Blair Witch films with wooden x-shapes that are left about decorating the forest to terrify the victims (see 2017: #1-THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HORROR).  

Which are the most well known, supposedly real, witches?  Folk tales do provide us with three well known witches.  Baba Yaga comes from Russia, first written about in 1755.  She was the typical old grandmotherly witch who created a hut that walked around on large chicken feet.  She could be harmful or helpful, but was rumored to have a nasty nose.  Black Annis is a witch rumored to live in a cave near Leichestershire, England since the Middle Ages (see 2011: #8-MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE 3).  Black Annis is certainly less friendly than Baba Yaga since she is known to use her iron talons to grab children and devour them, later wearing their skins around her waist since she doesn’t shop at Versace.  The Witch of Endor is not some witch from a Star Wars film ruling over the moon of the Ewok teddy bear people.  The Witch of Endor is from the Book of Samuel from The Bible.  She sees spirits rising from the ground and is a helpful and friendly witch…from The Bible?

Which is the most powerful fictional witch?  Circe was either the daughter of Helios, the sun god or Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.  That would make her at least half divine, yet she was outwitted by Odysseus.  The Graeae are a trio of divine witches from Greek mythology and are related to Medusa (see 2013: #2-MEDUSAS).  However, the Graeae are old and share one eye, so they are handicapped.  The Graeae is what inspires trios of old witches appearing in fiction such as in Macbeth.  The Blair Witch certainly makes the top three since it is said to have killed more than ten people, often in rather groody and gory ways.  2015’s The Blair Witch showed the form of the Blair Witch if you freeze-framed the movie.  It was very tall, thin, mostly naked, with stringy black hair and impossibly long arms and legs.  Probably the monster form of Mary Brown.  The Blair Witch clearly has little helpers or familiars, and it may have illusionary, hallucinatory, and mind altering abilities.  It demonstrates an ability of manipulating time unlike any other witch.  The Blair Witch may be the most powerful witch we have almost seen.  But flying monkeys sure are cool.

In history were there really witches?  No.  Not at all.  Old women who were sick were persecuted, tortured, and killed.  It was an issue of people with bad brains contaminated with superstition and steeped in stupidity blaming others for their mishaps.  Then those who were insanely religious moved into to glorify themselves while they tortured, oppressed, and killed others.  Witch hunting clearly involved oppression of women, the mentally ill, and included the persecution of sexual deviancy.  They fueled their witch hunting by believing that witches were going to unleash the Devil and bring about the Apocalypse.  Books were written providing instructions on witch hunting, with the most well known book being the Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) from 1486.  “Early modern artistic representations of witches articulated and perpetuated beliefs about witch’s bodies, emphasizing their diabolical power and moral weakness. The typical witch was depicted as old, and often naked (to display her sagging breasts, a sign of depleted and supposedly repellent femininity), with flying hair (a code for errant and uncontrolled sexuality).  The cauldron—itself a perversion of female domesticity— also connoted a powerful, almost volcanic vagina (The Encyclopedia of Witches, p 132).”

What are the best witch films to watch for Halloween?  The most recent critically successful film release was 2015’s realistic, The Witch.  Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem is quite good.  The Masters of Horror tv series episode, The Dream in the Witchhouse, is a particularly good and chilling adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft story.  But the original The Blair Witch project is one of the best.  There are three magical foreign witch films I recommend.  Suspiria is Italian director, Dario Argento’s best film.  It was released in 1977 and includes the peculiar Udo Kier and Joan Bennett from Dark Shadows (see 2016: #7-GUIDE TO DARK SHADOWS).  Haxan is a 1922 Swedish documentary that was banned in the US; watch the version narrated by William S. Burroughs.  It is a creepy cornucopia of dark witchy images.  Viy is a 1967 Russian film worth seeking out about a young priest who must spend the night in a haunted church; the special effects are unique.  

I first became aware of witches when I was very young because a witch appears on Gypsy Witch Fortune Playing Cards which my grandmother owned.  Have I ever actually known a witch?  Yes, I worked with her at a strange retail store many moons ago (see 2009: #11-THE DIABLERO, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBES).  But lots of people call themselves witches these days, for lots of reasons.  Witches have permeated our culture from literature, film, tv, even music.  Mort Garson’s delightfully danceable, 1968 album, The Wozard of Iz, has all sorts of witchyness.  The topic of witches is very much like the two sides of the moon.  One side is dark, nonfiction, and is full of innocent people being tortured and killed thru witch hunts.  But the other side is illuminated, really interesting and creative, made of fiction and with possibilities of Halloween costumes and spooky movies.  Life is a witch, then you fly.

[lenoirlivre]

Moon Phases

Also called Lunar Phases, are basically the shapes of the illuminated (sunlit) portions of the Moon as seen by an observer on earth. The Lunar Phases change cyclically as the moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth. The Moon’s rotation is tidally locked by the Earth’s gravity, therefore the same lunar surface always faces Earth. There are about 8 phases of the Moon, even though theoretically each phase lasts 0 seconds.

Phases:

New Moon : The disk is completely in the Sun’s shadow in both hemispheres and it appears invisible because it’s too close to the Sun and it is only lit by the Earth’s light. Average Moonrise time : 6 am Average Moonset time : 6 pm

Waxing Crescent : The disk is visible 1-49% in both hemispheres, right on the northern hemisphere and left on the southern respectively. It’s visible from late-morning to post-dusk. Average Moonrise time : 9 am Average Moonset time : 9 pm

First Quarter : The disk is visible 50%, right side appearing on the northern hemisphere and left on the southern. It’s visible at afternoon and early evening. Average Moonrise time : Midday Average Moonset time : Midnight

Waxing Gibbous : The disk is visible 51-99%, with the right side appearing on the northern hemisphere and left side on the southern hemisphere. It is visible from late-afternoon and lasts most of the night. Average Moonrise time : 3 pm Average Moonset time : 3 am

Full Moon : Complete illuminated disk on both hemispheres. It is visible from sunset to sunrise (lasts all night). Average Moonrise time : 6 pm Average Moonset time : 6 am

Waning Gibbous : The disk is visible 99-51% with the left side appearing on the left hemisphere and right side on the south hemisphere. It is visible most of the night and early-morning. Average Moonrise time : 9 pm Average Moonset time : 9 am

Third (last) Quarter : The disk is visible 50% with left side on the northern hemisphere and right side on the southern. It is visible from late night to morning. Average Moonrise time : Midnight Average Moonset time : Midday

Waning Crescent : The disk is visible 49-1% with left side on the northern hemisphere and right side on the southern. It is visible from pre-dawn to early afternoon. Average Moonrise time : 3 am Average Moonset time : 3 pm

The average calendar month, which is  1⁄12 of a tropical year, is about 30.44 days, while the Moon’s phase (synodic) cycle repeats on average every 29.53 days. Therefore, the timing of the Moon’s phases shifts by an average of almost one day for each successive month. (Lunar year=354 days.) Therefore, there we have more than 8 Moon Phases.

Additional Moon Phases :

Blue Moon : The term has traditionally referred to an “extra” moon, where a year which normally has 12 full moons has 13 instead. The “blue moon” reference is applied to the third full moon in a season with four full moons, thus correcting the timing of the last month of a season that would have otherwise been expected too early. This happens every two to three years (seven times in the Metonic cycle of 19 years). Approximately about 2.716 years, or 2 years, 8 months and 18 days.

Lunar Eclipse : A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned (in “syzygy”) exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only the night of a full moon and it only lasts for a few hours. A total lunar eclipse has the direct sunlight completely blocked by the earth’s shadow. The only light seen is refracted through the earth’s shadow. This light looks red for the same reason that the sunset looks red, due to rayleigh scattering of the more blue light. Because of its reddish color, a total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a Blood Moon.

Black Moon : The term black moon refers to an additional new moon that appears in a month or in a season. It may also refer to the absence of a full moon or of a new moon in a month. One use of the term is for the occurrence of a second new moon in a calendar month. This is analogous to the by-month definition of a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. February is too short for a second new moon to occur. This event occurs about every 29 months. Keep in mind that there is no single definition of the term ‘black moon’.

The Moon is an Astral Body. Therefore it influences the Earth, especially it’s tides. The moon can have different effects on magic and thus we perform different types of magic depending on the Moon’s phase. The Moon also plays a major role in Astrology.

The Moon and the Zodiac

The Moon spends a day or two each month in each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The sign the moon is transiting through can be used to good advantage during spellwork.

Moon in Aries A good time to perform spells related to job ventures and all new projects related to money. Also a good time to develop strength and courage, and lust spells. This is not a good moon for performing divination.

Moon in Taurus This moon is excellent for spellwork relatd to love, creativity, and inner peace. Spells done at this time take the longest to manifest, but the results will be very long lasting and be stable.

Moon in Gemini The perfect time for spells dealing with communications, healing, and uncrossing spells. Be careful- the moon in Gemini can be unpredictable and unstable.

Moon in Cancer Excellent for any spell involving the home, fertility, children, or divination.

Moon in Leo Spells involving leadership, prosperity, fame and career are best done in Leo, but do not perform any spells involving love, or any other emotion, as Leo may actually counteract it.

Moon in Virgo This moon ensures a spell which involves meticulous detail, especially spells involving education, healing, and stability.

Moon in Libra Excellent for working a spell with a partner, and for magick involving marriage, couples, partnership, peace, and fairness.

Moon in Scorpio Use this energy for mysteries, the occult, divination, and sex magick.

Moon in Sagittarius This is an excellent time to experiment with new techniques or magick spells, but it is not a good time for psychic worrk or divination.

Moon in Capricorn Perfect for spells to manifest life’s basiic needs and for stability.

Moon in Aquarius The best time to work on behalf of others, but consciously stay focused on your heart to maintain a higher consciousness with others, and to avoid selfish motives.

Moon in Pisces Perfect for divination and psychic work, past life regressions, and communication with spirits.

As i said before, we perform different types of magic depending on the Moon’s Phase. These correspondences will help you with your practice.

Cold Moon (December) Also known as: Oak Moon, Wolf Moon, Moon of Long Nights, Long Night’s Moon, Aerra Geola (Month Before Yule), Wintermonat (Winter Month), Heilagmanoth (Holy Month), Big Winter Moon, Moon of Popping Trees. Nature Spirits: snow faeries, storm faeries, winter tree faeries Herbs: holly, English ivy, fir, mistletoe Colors: blood red, white and black Flowers: holly, poinsettia, Christmas cactus Scents: violet, patchouli, rose geranium, frankincense, myrrh, lilac Stones: serpentine, jacinth, peridot Trees: pine, fir, holly Animals: mouse, deer, horse, bear Birds: rook, robin, snowy owl Deities: Hathor, Hecate, Neith, Athene, Minerva, Ixchel, Osiris, Norns, Fates Power Flow: to endure, die, be reborn;Earth tides turning. Other:Darkness. Personal alchemy. Spiritual paths. Reach out to friends and family, the lonely and needy.

Snow Moon (November) Also known as: Dark Moon, Fog Moon, Beaver Moon, Mourning Moon, Blotmonath (Sacrifice Month), Herbistmanoth (Harvest Month), Mad Moon, Moon of Storms, Moon When Deer Shed Antlers. Nature Spirits: subterranean faeries Herbs: grains of paradise, verbena, betony, borage, cinquefoil, blessed thistle Colors: gray, sea-green Flowers: blooming cacti, chrysanthemum Scents: cedar, cherry blossoms, hyacinth, narcissus, peppermint, lemon Stones: topaz, hyacinth, lapis lazuli Trees: alder, cypress Animals: unicorn, scorpion, crocodile, jackal Birds: owl, goose, sparrow Deities: Kali, Black Isis, Nicnevin, Hecate, Bast, Osiris, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Skadi, Mawu Power Flow: take root, prepare, Transformation. Other:Strengthen communication with the god or goddess who seems closest to you.  

Blue Moon (October 27-November 1) Also known as: Moon of the Dead, Hunting Moon, Ancestor Moon, Hunter’s Moon Nature Spirits: banshees and other beings who carry messages between worlds Herbs: ginger, hops, wormwood, hyssop, patchouli, mugwort, nutmeg, star anise Colors: black, white, purple Flowers: white lily, dahlia, chrysanthemum Scents: rosemary, dragon’s blood, lilac, pine, wisteria Stones: obsidian, onyx, Apache tear Trees: pine, cypress, yew, elder Animals: bat, wolf, sow, dog, snake Birds: owls, raven, falcon Deities: Cybele, Circe, Hel, Nephthys, Cerridwen, Horned God, Caillech, Freyja, Holda Power Flow: release, remember; communion with the dead. Others:Prophecy. Releasing old negative memories and emotions.

Blood Moon (October) Also known as: Harvest Moon, Shedding Moon, Winterfelleth (Winter Coming), Windermanoth (Vintage Month), Falling Leaf Moon, Ten Colds Moon, Moon of the Changing Season. Nature Spirits: frost faeries, plant faeries Herbs: pennyroyal, thyme, catnip, uva ursi, angelica, burdock Colors: dark blue-green Flowers: calendula, marigold, cosmos Scents: strawberry, apple blossom, cherry Stones: opal, tourmaline, beryl, turquoise Trees: yew, cypress, acacia Animals: stag, jackal, elephant, ram, scorpion Birds: heron, crow, robin Deities: Ishtar,Astarte,Demeter, Kore, Lakshmi, Horned God, Belili, Hathor Power Flow: to let go; inner cleansing. Other:Karma and reincarnation. Justice and balance. Inner harmony.

Harvest Moon (September) Also known as: Wine Moon, Singing Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Haligmonath (Holy Month), Witumanoth (Wood Month), Moon When Deer Paw the Earth. Nature Spirits: trooping faeries Herbs: copal, fennel, rye, wheat, valerian, skullcap Colors: brown, yellow-green, yellow Flowers: narcissus, lily Scents: storax, mastic, gardenia, bergamont Stones: peridot, olivine, chrysolite, citrine Trees: hazel, larch, bay Animals: snake, jackal Birds: ibis, sparrow Deities: Demeter, Ceres, Isis, Nephthys, Freyja, Ch’ang-O, Thoth Power Flow: rest after labor; balance of Light and Dark. Other:Organize. Clean and straighten up physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual clutter.

Corn Moon (August) Also known as: Barley Moon, Dispute Moon, Weodmonath (Vegetation Month), Harvest Moon, Moon When Cherries Turn Black. Nature Spirits: dryads Herbs: chamomile, St. John’s wort, bay, angelica, fennel, rue, orange Colors: yellow, gold Flowers: sunflower, marigold Scents: frankincense, heliotrope Stones: cat’s eye, carnelian, jasper, fire agate Trees: hazel, alder, cedar Animals: lion, phoenix, sphinx, dragon Birds: crane, falcon, eagle Deities: Ganesha, Thoth, Hathor, Diana, Hecate, Nemesis Power Flow: energy into harvesting; gathering, appreciating. Other: Vitality, health. Friendships.

Hay Moon (July) Also known as: Wort Moon, Moon of Claiming, Moon of Blood (because of mosquitoes), BlessingMoon, Maedmonat (Meadow Month), Hewimanoth (Hay Month), Fallow Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon. Nature Spirits: hobgoblins (small, grotesque but friendly brownie-type creatures), faeries of harvested crops Herbs: honeysuckle, agrimony, lemon balm, hyssop Colors: silver, blue-gray Flowers: lotus, water lily, jasmine Scents: orris, frankincense Stones: pearl, moonstone, white agate Trees: oak, acacia, ash Animals: crab, turtle, dolphin, whale Birds: starling, ibis, swallow Deities: Khepera, Athene, Juno, Hel, Holda, Cerridwen, Nephthys, Venus Power Flow: relaxed energy; preparing; succeeding. Other:Dream-work, divination, and meditation on goals and plans, especially spiritual ones.

Mead Moon (June) Also known as: Moon of Horses, Lovers’ Moon, Strong Sun Moon, Honey Moon, Aerra Litha (Before Lithia), Brachmanoth (Break Month), Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, Moon of Making Fat. Nature Spirits: sylphs, zephyrs Herbs: skullcap, meadowsweet, vervain, tansy, dog grass, parsley, mosses Colors: orange, golden-greenFlowers: lavender, orchid, yarrow Scents: lily of the valley, lavender Stones: topaz, agate, alexandrite, fluorite Trees: oak Animals: monkey, butterfly, frog, toad Birds: wren, peacock Deities: Aine of Knockaine, Isis, Neith, Green Man, Cerridwen, Bendis, Ishtar Power Flow: full but restful energy; protect, strengthen, and prevent. Other:A time of Light; Earth tides are turning. Decision-making, taking responsibility for present happenings. Work on personal inconsistencies. Strengthen and reward yourself for your positive traits.

Hare Moon (May) Also known as: Merry or Dyad Moon, Bright Moon, Flower Moon, Frogs Return Moon, Thrimilcmonath (Thrice-Milk Month), Sproutkale, Winnemanoth (Joy Month), Planting Moon, Moon When the Ponies Shed. Nature Spirits: faeries, elves Herbs: dittany of Crete, elder, mint, rose, mugwort, thyme, yarrow Colors: green, brown, pink Flowers: lily of the valley, foxglove, rose, broom Scents: rose, sandalwood Stones: emerald, malachite, amber, carnelian Trees: hawthornAnimals: cats, lynx, leopard Birds: swallow, dove, swan Deities: Bast, Venus, Aphrodite, Maia, Diana, Artemis, Pan, Horned God Power Flow: full creating energy; propagation.Intuition, contact with faeries and other supernatural beings. Other: Strengthen connection with supernatural protectors and beings around you. Power flowing from the Greenwood Gods and trees.

Growing Moon (April) Also known as: Hare Moon, Seed or Planting Moon, Planter’s Moon, Budding Trees Moon, Eastermonath (Eostre Month), Ostarmanoth, Pink Moon, Green Grass Moon. Nature Spirits: plant faeries Herbs: basil, chives, dragon’s blood, geranium, thistle Colors: crimson red, gold Flowers: daisy, sweetpea Scents: pine, bay, bergamot, patchouli Stones: ruby, garnet, sard Trees: pine, bay, hazel Animals: bear, wolfBirds: hawk, magpie Deities: Kali, Hathor, Anahita, Ceres, Ishtar, Venus, Bast Power Flow: energy into creating and producing; return balance to the nerves. Other: Change, self-confidence, self-reliance, take advantage of opportunities. Work on temper and emotional flare-ups and selfishness.

Storm Moon (March) Also known as: Seed Moon, Moon of Winds, Plow Moon, Worm Moon, Hrethmonath (Hertha’s Month), Lentzinmanoth (Renewal Month), Lenting Moon, Sap Moon, Crow Moon, Moon of the Snowblind. Nature Spirits: Mer-people, Air and Water beings who are connected with spring rains and storms. Herbs: broom, High John root, yellow dock, wood betony, Irish moss Colors: pale green, red-violet Flowers: jonquil, daffodil, violet Scents: honeysuckle, apple blossom Stones: aquamarine, bloodstone Trees: alder, dogwood Animals: cougar, hedgehog, boar Birds: sea crow, sea eagle Deities: Black Isis, the Morrigan, Hecate, Cybele, Astarte, Athene, Minerva, Artemis, Luna Power Flow: energy breaks into the open; growing, prospering, exploring. New beginnings; balance of Light and Dark. Other: Breaking illusions. Seeing the truth in your life however much it may hurt.

Ice Moon (February) Also known as: Storm Moon, Horning Moon, Hunger Moon, Wild Moon, Red & Cleansing Moon, Quickening Moon, Solmonath (Sun Month), Big Winter Moon. Nature Spirits: house faeries, both of the home itself and of house plants. Herbs: balm of Gilead, hyssop, myrrh, sage, spikenard Colors: light blue, violet Flowers: primrose Scents: wisteria, heliotrope Stones: amethyst, jasper, rock crystal Trees: rowan, laurel, cedar Animals: otter, unicorn Birds: eagle, chickadee Deities: Brigit, Juno, Kuan Yin, Diana, Demeter, Persephone, Aphrodite Power Flow: energy working toward the surface; purification, growth, healing. Loving the self. Other: Accepting responsibility for past errors, forgiving yourself, and making future plans.

  Wolf Moon (January) Also known as: Quiet Moon, Snow Moon, Cold Moon, Chaste Moon, Disting Moon, Moon of Little Winter. Nature Spirits: gnomes, brownies Herbs: marjoram, holy thistle, nuts, cones Colors: brilliant white, blue-violet, black Flowers: snowdrop, crocus Scents: musk, mimosa Stones: garnet, onyx, jet, chrysoprase Trees: birchAnimals: fox, coyote Birds: pheasant, blue jay Deities: Freyja, Inanna, Sarasvati, Hera, Ch’ang-O, Sinn Power Flow: sluggish, below the surface; beginning and conceiving. Other: Protection, reversing spells. Conserving energy by working on personal problems that involve no one else. Getting your various bodies to work smoothly together for the same goals.

Sources : Luna’s Grimoire Wikipedia

[bloojayoolie]

Anaconda, Beautiful, and Click: HE SHOWED ME HIS SCARS AND IN RETURN HE LET ME PRETEND THAT I HAD NONE. C2 DUTCH ID 40493, 7 YR &S & WA TING FO HATTAN A , TO BE KILLED – 9/10/2018 “He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.” ― Madeline Miller, Circe He’s 7 years old, and yet his face wears the scars of a not so happy life. Dutch has been through so much, and the sadness and longing show in his incredibly beautiful eyes. The volunteers adore him, they want so much for him to feel safe, loved, cared for…..after all his travails and travels, to finally sail his tattered ship into a safe harbor. Dutch has nothing but love in his heart, and he is anxious to put the past behind him. Will you give him a future unlike anything he’s ever known? Will you give him a life filled with love, a soft bed to lay his head on, a toy to call his own? Will you give him the TLC he so desperately needs? We guarantee Dutch will pay you back 100-fold. Step up now, save his life. PRIVATE MESSAGE our page or email us at MustLoveDogsNYC@gmail.com for assistance fostering or adopting Dutch. A volunteer writes: Double your pleasure, double your fun, and make double the room in your heart for Dutch. A 7 year-old sweetheart in a honey coat with a sugary smile, and with snuggle skills that are the best of the bunch. Dutch arrived at the shelter without a back story. We can make our assumptions. Trace scrapes and bruises, new and old, and weave a story together for our boy. But our mistake would be to dwell too long on Dutch's potential past. Because this little light is all about the future. Dutch may be firmly in adulthood at 7 years-old but at times he seems more like 7 months! Wiggling his way into your lap, jumping excitedly at the sight of a ball, creeping close for honey-covered kisses. Dutch is so full of happiness, life, and joy, you all but forget those various scrapes and bruises. Dutch is an energetic and playful boy who might do best with an experienced and active family who'll always focus on his bright future and ensure it's just as happy as he is. Dutch is waiting in adoptions at Manhattan ACC. DUTCH, ID # 40493, @ 7 Yrs. Old, 41.6 lbs. Manhattan ACC, Medium Mixed Breed, Tan / White, Male I came into the shelter as a stray on 03-Sep-2018. Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 9/3/2018 Spay/Neuter status:: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray Date of assessment:: 9/4/2018 Look:: 1. Dog holds gaze with soft eyes, soft body. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor's cupped hands. Dog holds gaze for three full seconds. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog stands still and accepts the touch, eyes are averted, and tail is in neutral position with a relaxed body posture. Dog's mouth is likely closed for at least a portion of the assessment item. Tag:: 1. Dog follows at the end of the leash, body soft. Paw squeeze 1:: 1. Dog gently pulls back his/her paw. Paw squeeze 2:: 1. Dog gently pulls back his/her paw. Flank squeeze 1:: Item not conducted Flank squeeze 2:: Item not conducted Toy:: 1. Dog settles close, keeps a firm grip and is loose and wiggly. Dog does not place his/her body between you and the toy. Summary:: Dutch approached the assessor with a soft body. He was social throughout the assessment, allowed all handling, and displayed no concerning behaviors. Summary:: Due to observed concerning behaviors when attempting to assess Dutch's behavior around dogs, it is believed that Dutch may succeed best as the only resident dog at this time. See below: Upon intake, Dutch was discovered to have multiple cuts and wounds. An off leash introduction was not conducted to another dog pending medical examination. When observed to greet another dog through the fence, Dutch displayed minimal interest. A realistic prop dog was walked over to assess Dutch's initial reaction. Dutch immediately rushed over to mount, then began to bite at the legs of the prop dog, remaining difficult to distract. A basket muzzle was applied to Dutch to conduct a greeting to the female helper dog. Dutch was mostly distracted by the presence of the muzzle, though at times was observed to continuously rush after the helper dog with slightly stiff body language. Due to continued distraction and pawing at the muzzle, no further conclusions were able to be drawn during the assessment. While it is strongly recommended that Dutch be the only resident dog, Dutch should be conditioned to a basket muzzle before if any attempts to further assess behavior around other dogs are conducted. The assistance of positive reinforcement based trainer or behaviorist should be consulted beforehand. Date of intake:: 9/3/2018 Summary:: Social, allowed handling Date of initial:: 9/4/2018 ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Dutch so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. However, he is a young, enthusiastic, social dog who will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: Dutch consistently displays highly social behavior with his human caretakers outside of his kennel. He maintains a loose wiggly body throughout interactions and solicits attention from handlers. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: EXPERIENCE (suitable for an adopter with some previous dog experience, especially with the behaviors outlined below) Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: Single-pet home,Recommend no dog parks Recommendations comments:: Single pet home/no dog parks: Due to observed concerning behaviors when attempting to assess Dutch's behavior around dogs, it is believed that Dutch may succeed best as the only resident dog at this time. See DOG-DOG INTERACTION ASSESSMENT. My medical notes are... Weight: 41.6 lbs Vet Notes Medical Assistant 4/09/2018 DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: ~7yrs based on PE. Microchip noted on Intake? scanned negative by LVT on intake. MC placed on intake. History: Stray found; reported to have possibly been hit by a car Subjective / Observed Behavior - BAR, very friendly and allowed all handling. Loose body and tail wagging throughout exam. Evidence of Cruelty seen - none Evidence of Trauma seen - multiple old scars and some new crusts along body, especially face. Objective BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears have moderate brown exudate, AU; no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: dc 2/5; pd 2/5 PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: No murmur ausculted; CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: intact male. testicles are smooth and symmetrical MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, 1inch dermal non haired mass along the left cranial shoulder. 1 inch dermal mass, slightly irregular / lobulated along the left caudolateral thorax. multiple crusted abrasions along the face, especially the right side of head CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: grossly normal. Assessment dental calculus skin masses multiple abrasions along the body otitis externa Prognosis: excellent Plan: ear cleaning claro otic cefpodoxime 100mg tablet -- give 1 tablet Po q24h x 7 days SURGERY: Okay for surgery 5/09/2018 Liquid diarrhea on 9/3 (date of intake) - R/O stress colitis 1088 8/09/2018 SO QAR in kennel. Laying in kennel bed grooming self. EN -- coughing and serous nasal discharge observed A CIRDC P enrofloxacin 136mg tablet -- give 1.5 tablet PO q24h x 14 days -- added due to high risk of pneumonia in shelter at this time doxycycline 100mg tablet -- give 2 tablets PO q24h x 14 days cerenia 60mg tablet -- give 0.5 tablet PO q24h x 4 days * TO FOSTER OR ADOPT * If you would like to adopt a dog on our “To Be Killed” list, and you CAN get to the shelter in person to complete the adoption process *within 48 hours of reserve*, you can reserve the dog online until noon on the day they are scheduled to die. We have provided the Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan information below. Adoption hours at these facilities is Noon – 8:00 p.m. (6:30 on weekends) HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) nycacc.org HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications.