#evies wonderful amazing gift art

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

Images I take because I'm 32 going on 14.

So the Dreadful Crimes segment does NOT end how I anticipated. Not only is Raymond the mastermind behind all the other crimes (at least that seems to be what's been implied here) but he's also kidnapped Artie (who is Arthur Conan Doyle as a kid aksdnksasa) but he's also supposedly the criminal Adam Worth, the same Adam Ned was..dedicating some art..too?

Sorry, how did Ned put it? "Opening an art gallery?" "A gift for my friend Adam."

Right, thanks-that was it. A present for your friend. Gotcha.

THE WAY THE CAMERA CUTS BEFORE WE SEE JACOB PICK HIM UP TO COMFORT HIM. Aww. Poor kid. Jacob we are NOT just stripping this man IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET-oh, oh yes, yes we are I stand correct never mind.

"It's still warm.." "My gift to you." "I'll meet you on the roof of Buckingham Palace" "You're such a romantic."

WHAT IS THIS EXCHANGE SNRK.

The formal get ups are SO PRETTY.

Yeah I'll say she's restricted by this thing MAN.

Evie please he's already dead (the eternal sibling dynamic never fails)

THAT DANCING SEGMENT WAS SO!! Honestly Starrick made for a really neat villain. Compelling and interesting. They gave him a lot of amazing dialogue with lots of sharp edges and it was really fun to watch.

"I don't like balls." EVIE ASKJSSNDSKAJSD. 10/10

Evie would set this dress on FIRE if she could.

The set design for the palace is so pretttty.

JACOB DON'T YOU CLEAN UP NICE-and he's out of the outfit before he enjoys it. Course so is Evie but Evie's movements were so restricted that no WONDER.

Of course they make up in the end. "Maybe father wasn't right about everything." "Maybe I could've been more discrete" And then with HENRY. "I think we make better field agents, together."

CUTE.

ALSO CUTE.

INCREDIBLY CUTE.

The ending is just super adorable okay.

We get KNIGHTED!?! SWEET

[telli1206]

A Christmas To Remember (Ch.1)

I was SO happy to get the chance to gift one of my favorites, @vndooms with a fic for @descendantsgiftexchange​! Your Jaylos fluff warms my heart, I have much love and respect for your fics. And your Descendants character artwork is undeniably adorable. Your Jaylos art lives rent free in my mind always 💖

Anyhow, I was inspired into a multi-chapter fic of all the Jaylos fluff, which I think you’ll notice was somewhat inspired by your stories. And I truly hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1 - Truly Christmas

Jay curses himself for not dressing warm enough when his body starts to shiver uncontrollably. A thicker coat would have definitely been a better idea. The light one he threw on absentmindedly is doing absolutely nothing to combat the icy breeze, which is getting colder by the minute as the sun fades over the horizon. 

He sighs as he cups his hands and blows. There’s no way he’s letting the cold stop him from enjoying the breathtaking holiday views. Fingers be damned, this is the most Christmassy thing he’s seen since he got back to Auradon.

From his vantage point on the front yard, he can see the fresh blanket of snow completely covering every surface, casting delicate blooms of crystal white that sparkle in the twilight. It’s like something out of a painting, it’s almost too perfect. 

Evie and Doug are standing just outside the front door of the castle, talking to the decorators perched on the rooftop, all busy at work draping gleaming white Christmas lights all over the castle overhangs. Multiple strands are dripping over the sides, glittering like the most beautiful icicles, reflecting all sorts of colors over the snowy ground beneath them.

He’s in complete awe, eyes wide and glossy as they try to absorb every gorgeous wintry detail. He’s not even aware Evie’s approaching until her quiet huffs distract him. 

His gorgeous friend is stumbling slowly through the soft mounds of snow, and he chuckles as his arms shoot out to steady her when she gets closer. Only Evie would be able to wear faux fur-tipped hiking boots with heels and not even look silly trying to use them as if they’re proper winter gear.

“Jay!” She pants quietly, gripping gratefully to his forearms as she catches her breath. “I’m so glad you came outside! Doug has been at this all day, I swear,” she shakes her head, still smiling slightly. “But I think it came out great, don’t you?”

She looks over her shoulder at the castle, beaming happily when Jay starts nodding. 

“For sure, Eves. It looks great. Really gets you in the Christmas spirit.”

He smiles as Evie leans in to hug him tightly. “Thanks Jay. I’m so glad you came! This is going to be so fun.”

Jay nods. “Thank you, Eves. I can’t think of a better way to spend my holiday break, honestly. It’s going to be so great having us all together for Christmas.”

Evie smiles and gives Jay another squeeze. “So, do you know if they’re close? I figured that’s why you came outside, right?” She cranes her neck to peer down the darkened driveway, looking out for any signs of movement.

“Yeah, Lon should almost be here. But I guess her new… ‘friend?’ is coming on her own.” He perks a brow, following Evie’s gaze down the empty path. 

Jay was shocked, to say the least, when Lonnie had confessed to him that she had recently started up a relationship, especially after revealing that it was long-distance. But the new girl lived in Auradon, so Lonnie jumped at the invite to stay with Evie and Doug, especially since they were more than welcoming to her bringing a date with her for the week.

“So, she still hasn’t told you her name even? That’s odd…” Evie comments when Jay shakes his head. “I wonder why?”

“Dunno,” he shrugs, checking his phone again. “Maybe it’s a surprise. Or I know her.” 

Jay chuckles at that last thought. He already knew there was a good chance he might know the girl if she’s been a local Auradonian for a while. But Lonnie had joked with him all through high school about the slim pickings for her in Auradon, so it just didn’t seem likely. 

He could be wrong, though. It’s not like things haven’t changed a lot for him since then, too. Anything is possible.

Jay’s phone lights up then, and he checks it quickly, trying to hide his reaction from Evie as he reads the message he’s been anxiously waiting for. But Evie already can tell who it is just from the look on his face. Only one person makes Jay smile that brightly.

“And...Carlos will be here soon?”

The sudden red blush warming Jay’s cheeks is answer enough for Evie, and she grins triumphantly. Jay ducks his head to avoid her knowing look, opting to turn and face the driveway to wait for the cars to arrive. An icy tingle in his fingers reminds him of just how cold he is, even if the heat in his face is helping with that...just a little bit.

The familiar crackling of ice on tires alerts Evie and Jay to a bright blue sedan coming through the dark shadow of the trees that line the road. Jay immediately recognizes Lonnie’s car and walks around to the driver’s side when it pulls up, with Evie leaning in to wave excitedly at Lonnie through the car window.

“Jayyy!” 

In an instant the dark-haired girl is launching out of the car towards him, wrapping her arms around him in a suffocating hug, pushing air out of his laughter until he’s barely wheezing. Jay hugs back, but he doesn’t even attempt the same strength that Lonnie puts into it. Just in case he can’t...and then she won’t let him live it down all week.

“Lons.”

He holds her tight, letting his chin rest on her shoulder. The familiar tickle of her hair on his cheek makes him smile. “You have NO idea how much I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, it better be tons.” She quips. She stands back and shoves him lightly in the chest, furrowing her brow to feign anger at him. But there’s no hiding the curl of her lips as they start their usual banter. It’s almost like it hasn’t been months since they’ve seen each other.

Jay chuckles and pushes back at her, going for her shoulder instead. “Yeah, yeah…I did. It’s so good to see you, Lon.” 

She gives him a final smirk and a wink before she turns away, facing Evie with a wide smile.

Evie immediately grabs Lonnie by the shoulders and pulls her in close, squealing happily. “Lonnie, so glad you could make it! Welcome!”

Lonnie’s face scrunches when Evie squeezes her in tight, but she manages to wiggle a little space between them. “Thanks for having me! And, my...date?”

She looks back to Jay, who’s raising a surprised eyebrow. 

“What, you’re not sure now?” He teases. “You’re spending the week here just so you can hang with this chick! Don’t-“  

He puts his hand up to silence Lonnie, and she snaps her mouth shut.

“-Don’t...bullshit your best friend, ok? We’ve never spent Christmas together as long as we’ve known each other.”

Surprisingly, Lonnie doesn’t try to argue. Instead, she just smiles softly, ducking her head a little to avoid Jay’s glare.

“Fuck, I better like this girl, Lons, if she’s already so damn special to you!”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure you will.”

Lonnie’s slight smile at her comment is a little unnerving, and Jay finds himself studying her face, as if he could figure out what she’s thinking. But when another car pulls into the driveway, he loses all focus. Of everything.

He’s here.

He doesn’t even remember getting to the driver side door, but he already has it open, and is smiling down into the deep brown eyes he’s been waiting to see. He reaches out to take Carlos’ hand, helping him out of the car to stand in front of him. 

“Hey ‘Los. Long time no see.”

He smiles, and Carlos smiles back. It’s Jay’s favorite smile, bright and wide and golden, and meant just for him. His heart is wild and thrumming to life at the sight of it. He stands there for a moment, trying to etch the smile into his memory, and Carlos lets him, just holding his hand and feeling the warmth in their palms pressed together.

“Um. Hi. Jay?”

A petite voice shocks Jay back to life. One that is very familiar, but very unexpected. He dares a peek over Carlos’ shoulder to the girl that’s standing there, with shocking blue eyes and curly brown hair.

“Jane??” 

Her cheeks are pinking when she smiles at him, and he watches as Lonnie steps over to her, putting a tentative arm on her shoulder. But Jane doesn’t shy away. With a breathless giggle, she slowly leans herself into Lonnie’s touch.

“Lons…” Jay tries, processing slowly. He looks between both girls as he thinks. “Jane is...your date?”

His best friend looks nervous to respond, scratching her head and looking away from Jay. But Jane tilts her head up to Lonnie, giving her a toothy grin, and Lonnie catches it and smiles, too.

“Yeah,” she says, with Jane nodding her agreement.

“Ohhhh!” Evie coos, clapping again. “This is amazing! I can’t wait to hear all about how you two got together!”

Balancing on her heels again, Evie takes a wobbly step forward, waving everyone inside as she flails a bit across the snow.

“Come on, let’s get inside and get you settled. We’ll have a lot to talk about in the morning once we all get a little sleep in us.”

Jay grins and squeezes Carlos’ hand, using his grip to pull him in closer. Carlos snickers as he brushes against Jay’s side. They swing their hands together playfully, following carefully behind Evie, Lonnie and Jane.

“I missed you,” Carlos barely whispers, and Jay smiles at him, releasing their hands so he can grab him by the hips.

“Missed you too,” he whispers back, sneaking a kiss to Carlos’ temple. “But tell me, did you know about Jane and Lonnie? I mean, you had to if you drove her here, right?”

Carlos shushes him but offers a tiny nod. “Not everything, but Jane did need someone to talk to about it. This is totally new to her, you know?” 

Jay smiles in agreement and squeezes Carlos’ hip. “I’m sure she thought you’d be able to relate  best.” Carlos hums quietly but doesn’t look up. “Ok, I’ll let it slide that you didn’t tell me. Just this once. But you better tell me any of the juicy details she told you.” Carlos chuckles as they walk inside, stopping the conversation once they close in on Jane and Lonnie. 

Evie immediately ushers everyone up to their rooms for the night, insisting that rest is needed before their break truly starts. But Jay’s not complaining. He’s been waiting for this for much too long, and time alone with Carlos will be the perfect start to what he has planned for this week.

Once in their room, they make quick work of getting ready for bed, stripping off all the cold winter gear and frosted clothing in favor of their dry t-shirts and boxers. The bed is warm when they crawl in, but Jay still takes the opportunity to hug Carlos to him, making him laugh as he stumbles into Jay’s too-fast embrace.

They snuggle into each other, tangling their legs together and settling their heads onto the pillows. When they’re laying sideways and their faces are close, Jay starts to stroke his fingers lightly through Carlos’ hair, letting the soft curls thread around his fingers. Carlos tips his chin up, eyes bright and intently focused on Jay. Jay leans in, and presses a kiss to Carlos’ soft lips. 

“Best way to start Christmas break,” Jay mumbles against Carlos’s lips. He snorts out a laugh when their teeth clack harshly from Carlos’ wide smile.

They stay like that for a while, sliding their lips gently against each other’s, kissing lovingly but lightly. When he starts to feel the heaviness of sleep taking over his body, Jay gives a final sweet peck to Carlos’ lips and grins lazily.

“We’d better sleep ‘Los. We’ve got a lot going on this week.”

Carlos raises an eyebrow curiously. “Oh really? Sounds interesting.”

Jay chuckles as he hugs Carlos in to lay on his chest, letting his fingers dance across his arm soothingly.

“I hope so.”

[fuck-you-i-am-spiderman]

🌹 ❤️❤️

I was really hoping you'd send me an ask, purely for an excuse as if I need one to gush about you. How does one describe you? An angel, a goddess, a genius. I have so many good things to say about you and I'm going to try not to write an essay 😅

You are one of the kindest people I know. From the moment we started chatting you not only put me at ease, you made me feel so happy and validated. You have such a welcoming and friendly vibe, you're so positive and passionate in every interaction with anyone and I really appreciate that. I can get anxious with social interactions and having someone so naturally warm and giving is a gift.

You're so insanely talented. Your art is filled with so much softness and a wonderful eye for detail. The siren Evie is one of the most glorious images I've ever been blessed with. Your writing, just wow. It's so beautifully descriptive with such soft and tender moments, it has me feeling so many emotions and I reread your works all the time. The Marlos fic melts my heart, your writing is do descriptive and gives such wonderful imagery. You have such a strong passion and it really shows through the art and fics you create. Have I mentioned you're a fricking genius? Your descendants sims edit is truly iconic and the power your brain had to come up with such a thing is outstanding.

Our Spideysparrow rewatch parties fill me with such joy. You mentioned it, but the way we clicked was so instant and it felt like we'd been chatting for years. We vibe so much and I love talking with you. We have such fascinating and hilarious conversations. We're both saltmates and our shared roasting is one of the reasons our rewatch was so fantastic. You have a way of putting people at ease and you have the most encouraging energy. It's so validating and I love that we started talking because you're a light in this fandom, you're a fricking star and you've always got something lovely to say.

The time you take to write out such well thought out and wonderfully descriptive comments and tags means so much to me. Your words are so uplifting and you're so inspiring because you're just amazing. I can't even fully express how much of a lovely person you are. Our conversations whether it be fandom or otherwise related always fill me with joy, they make me smile so much. I love sending one another photos of our dogs and how they tried to join in during our rewatches. We have such meaningful conversations, as well as being able to just drool over our ships.

You are an amazing writer and a fantastic beta. I'm really glad we're friends, I couldn't imagine being in this fandom without being your friend. You are a gift and a wonderfully compassionate and passionate person. Never change because you are truly fantastic and I just want to send you so many hugs because the world does not deserve you, you are an angel and I feel so privelleged to have you in my life, to have you as a friend. I love ya Sparrow 💜

send me a “🌹” and i’ll give you a compliment!

[beatrice-otter]

Yuletide Recs 2019

Happy Yuletide, everyone! First, I got a delightful little fic written for me: promenade.  My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle and Mrs. Higgins.  Wonderful story.  Mrs. Higgins was superb, and Eliza's reactions to the English upper class abroad are perfect. Here are some other fics I have enjoyed: 4'33"--John Cage The Sound Of A Yuletide Fic Not Being Written. There sure are a lot of cars going by.  Great meta look at writing, and 4'33" The Addams Family (movies) An Addams Family Contract (Written in Secret, Signed in Blood).  “I’m an Addams,” Debbie protests indignantly. Immediately after making this statement, Debbie realized that it was true.  (Or, Wednesday wants to exorcise Debbie. Debbie wants to kill Wednesday. A negotiation begins.)  This is AMAZING and hysterically funny, and the thought of Debbie and Wednesday working together is TERRIFYING. Don't I Deserve Love (and Jewelry).  The plan to win Wednesday’s friendship did not start well. She shared her admiration for the girl’s blowtorch, then hinted about her own childhood affinity for matchsticks and fire accelerants, but Wednesday was unimpressed.  Do better,” she said before lowering her hockey mask and stalking after Pubert. Honeymoon in Transylvania.  Ahahahaha, this is wonderful.  Gomez and Morticia vs. the TSA! Alien Series A Room with a Crappy View. 17k of Ripley and Hicks awesomeness post-Aliens. This is an absolutely AMAZEBALLS fic, and I LOVE it. I love that they deal with their trauma. I love how they wrote the Colonel, doing the best she could on the evidence she had and how frustrating that was and yet, when you look at it from her POV, what better way could she have handled it? The action is great, the relationships between Ripley and Hicks and Bishop were awesome, this is an absolute treat. All About Eve Getting Back to Being a Woman.  Karen knew enough not to go to New Haven.  Never let it be said that Margo Channing doesn't know how to take care of her friends.  I love this. I could just hear Bette Davis and the others saying their lines, and the ending is perfect--I think Karen and Lloyd will be able to have a much better relationship after this, if he's willing to accept and live into the changed relationship. Till I have the possession of everything she touches.  Addison DeWitt/Eve Harrington and their daughter.  VERY well done Addison perspective. Aubrey-Maturin series. Vent de Boulet.  Jack & Aubrey, Teen.  The aftermath of Stephen's escape from the French interrogators at Port Mahon.  Wonderful portrayal of the relationship between them and natural consequences of their trauma-filled lives. Babette's Feast Body and Soul.  After the French dinner, a new normal established itself among the faithful. Ballet Shoes A Long Way from the Cromwell Road.  Petrova visits Pauline in Hollywood after the war ends. Bletchley Circle Logical Recovery.  After the showdown with Marta Magro at the warehouses, Jean, Millie, and Lucy embark for Glasgow to find Eliška. Archival research, an extended stay with Jean's cousin, undercover rescue missions, and much emotional processing of past events ensue. Cabaret Infinite Variety.  London, 1950. Clifford has coming looking for Sally. Instead he finds a girl who may or may not be her – or their – daughter, the reclusive former Master of Ceremonies, and an annoying parrot. He becomes part of their strange household, full of love and bickering; sorrow, pain and music. No-one will tell him where Sally is, or even whether she’s alive. No-one will tell him anything. Except the parrot, who tells him that life is a Cabaret.  Oh, wow, this is painful but SO GOOD and the ending is perfect. DC Teen Titans From Cold to Fire.  "Do you want to go out with me?" "What?" Young Justice Getting Stupid in your area.  Hang-time includes considerations of evil clones and taking down a newly raised lich lord.  Love the banter. Die Hard Your Answers Please.  “Come on, kid,” McClane said gruffly. “This place is fucking depressing. You’re coming to stay with me.” Enchanted Forrest Chronicles Best Served Cold.  In which Antorell causes trouble in the Enchanted Forest, and Cimorene and Alianora make an amphibious new friend.  Hilarious, I love Ribbita! Ghostbusters Better Than Roses. Janine dates. It's...something. The Goblin Emperor Imperial (non) Immunity.  Csevet doesn't get sick. Maia's not so confident. Light a Mourner's Candle.  The Archprelate finds a chaplain for Maia. Against a Sure Winter.  When the opportunity arose to become one of the four ceremonial bodyguards for the new Emperor, Cala Athmaza volunteered. He didn't fully realize what he was letting himself in for, but he knew in his heart he had made the right choice. Sugar Lumps.  Maia spends some time with his horse. Greek Mythology beauty, her artificers.  Shortly after their wedding, Aphrodite sustains a small wound.  Really great Aphrodite/Hephaestus dynamic. a thing of beauty, golden.  Olympus’ one-century wonder appears in Hephaestus’ workshop between one strike on his anvil and the next..  Another really great Aphrodite/Hephaestus fic. Hancock yeah I know the shortcut, rather take the long way. Ray daydreams a New York that looks a lot like something out of an old Daredevil comic - towers looming over the city like cragged, jaded sentries, impartial to the neon kaleidoscope of chaos churning along below them. Hancock roosts on the tallest, craggiest one of course, brooding as he watches the slow pulsing heartbeat of the city below him. Ready to dive off his perch and into action with the first cry of distress, and there’s probably lots of those in a city like New York. Lots of zooming around, saving people, saving the world. Hopefully with slightly less metaphorical middle fingers to the world. And less alcohol. Ray’s not an idiot though, and one sparkly life-changing month doesn’t just fix people. History RPF 15th Century. these late eclipses.  Anne Neville, like others of her line, is born with a gift.  I LOVE the way magic is brought into this, it melds so well with the history. 19th Century/German folklore The Bargain.  Bettina finds a secret door at her grandmother's house, one that leads to something very unexpected. The things she learns as a result change her life in small but important ways. Imperial Radch Still Left in Want of Mercy.  The Republic of Two Systems is about a month old. Seivarden is having yet another crisis - can Mercy of Kalr get her through it? Maybe, with the crew's and Fleet Captain's help.  Interesting Ship perspective. high above the trees.  An unexpected embassy. Really excellent, probably the best way I've ever seen "Awn Lives" done. The Incredibles Life of a Superhero, Junior Grade.  Fortunately, this was Tuesday night training, not a real villain-chasing experience. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell The Magicians of Starecross Hall.  Being a series of interludes in the life of John Segundus, newly practical magician, in the year following the disappearances of Messrs. Strange and Norrell. Including: a new school for young magicians, explorations of the King’s Roads, Lady Pole’s alarming needle-work, unanticipated trips to Faerie, and John Childermass.  I love this story!  How the school got started, and 'Miss Wintertowne' (although I do think she would style herself 'Mrs' Wintertowne, because she is married and up through the 18th Century 'Mistress/Mrs' vs. 'Miss' had as much to do with age and experience and such as it did with marital status) and how she uses embroidery as a kind of art therapy.  I love the slow burn, and I love the stuff about exploring the King's Roads and Faerie.  It is excellent and awesome. Lilo & Stitch The Dance.  Lilo peeked out from behind the curtains and looked over the stage. A Little Princess Discipulae.  "I just realized," Sara said. "Becky, I could have a tutor now. I could hire someone to teach me anything I wanted. All the things that are hard to learn alone from books — Greek and Latin, Sanskrit, algebra, anything I wanted. What would you learn, Becky, if you could?"  Really great look at what their lives could be like post-canon. Marvel Captain Marvel Take my hand (and we'll march to the front lines). There's a dream Vers has sometimes. this youthful heart can love you. Carol waited a week before she left with the Skrulls. Space Cases.  Monica tried many other times to win her mother over to a pet. A rabbit, a pony, a parakeet. This is not any of those stories. This is the story of Monica Rambeau and a Flerken named Goose.  Or: Why Nick Fury is never allowed to babysit ever again. The Tesseract's Wife.  A straight line is not the shortest distance between two points: non-linear snapshots of a love story. Fly Me To The Moon.  "It's a vacation. Like spring break," Carol says. Monica's eyes widen. "Really? So we can hang out? What are we going to do?" "Well," Carol says, leaning back in her chair and flashing that old, familiar smirk. "I thought we could go to the moon." Into the Spiderverse i got you.  Miles thinks he's hiding the truth about Spider-Man, but one unfortunate night, it comes to light. one last leap.  Telling his parents he's Spider-Man is a leap of faith Miles can't bring himself to take. My Life to Liv.  Liv survived her encounters with her interdimensional Spider-nemeses, of course. So what's next for her? Interdimensional Phone Pals.  Gwen Stacy is many things, but open to friendships isn’t really one of them.  Or,  Five rules Gwen makes for herself, and how Peter B. makes her question them. Into the Spiderverse/Murder, She Wrote Spider, She Wrote.  Miles and May visit her old friend Jessica in Cabot Cove. Mulan (1998) the proper order of things. Great outsider perspective. The Mummy After the Mummy.  London was becoming Rick's least favourite place, and not just because of all the rain. Loving Evy was one thing: figuring out whether she loved him back after the Egyptian heat faded away was something else. Where's a good rising of the undead when you need one? Don't worry, Jonathan found one.  Lovely fun adventure. Course Correction.  Jonathan really is serious about staying away from tombs and mummies this time (except trouble always seems to find him). Good thing Ardeth is there to help him stay on-track. Travelers by Night.  Very quickly, Jonathan weighed the odds. On one hand, potential death, whether by armed bandits, a mummy’s curse, or people who looked like bandits and who were very angry about someone unleashing a mummy’s curse. On the other hand, potential riches, home ground, and topics of conversation other than what happened at school fifteen years ago and who got it in the neck where. Murderbot How I Spent My Vacation Between Survey Missions. What happens when ART reunites with Murderbot during another break between research survey missions? Media gets viewed, of course, but there might also be some bad news for more shady corporations. Situation Normal.  Hi, I said, along with amusement sigil 159 = wave. It seemed a little inadequate, but what do you say to the ship that radically altered your appearance, helped you figure out your past, and also threatened you with terrifying weapons? Amusement sigils seemed like my best bet. My Fair Lady Here We Are Together.  Eliza and Freddy are working together. Henry isn't happy, and makes sure everyone knows it. One Day at a Time what they say about the young. Without the kids around, it feels like everything has changed, except for all the other things about Penelope's life that could change, too. a return to normal.  Penelope and Schneider's Friday night plans fall through, so they have a movie night instead.  Very sweet. Persuasion. The Pen in Their Hands. Five letters that were written, but were never sent, aboard H.M.S. Laconia. (And one that was.) Smooth Water. “If I wanted easy comfort, I should not have become a captain’s wife.” Wonderful Austen voice. A Step Not Taken.  What if that day at Lyme had gone just a little differently? Peter Wimsey The Duke's Parlormaid.  A story in correspondence, with detective interruptions.  Really captured the feel of the books and all the character voices. Poirot The Mice Will Play.  When Poirot returns unexpectedly from a case, he finds out something new about Miss Lemon. RED The One Bathtub.  “I did have dinner plans,” Han said, grudgingly, and so Victoria kicked the door in and graciously allowed Han to be the first into the bathroom. She understood the pain of missed reservations. Rivers of London Through All the Years, This Is My Home.  At night, when the rest of the staff and most, if not all, of the masters were asleep, Molly would wander the moonlit halls and remember what fresh air felt like on her skin. Of Molly, of Thomas, and of the years they've spent together - and of the Folly, strong and everlasting.  Lovely Molly perspective. Peelian Principles.  "You're very calm about this," Seawoll said on the fifth day.  Nightingale's perspective on Peter's time as a hostage, and REALLY AWESOME. UXB.  When one the deadliest weapons of the Blitz threatens London once again, Peter finds himself on the front line.  Wonderful casefic, just perfect. Saved! Conversation Starters. Cassandra and Roland have five important conversations. Sense and Sensibility Realization and Renewal.  As Marianne recovers, Elinor and Colonel Brandon find themselves drawn to one another. Sense8 Blue and Gold.  Wolfgang comes home with Kala and Rajan after Paris. Finding a place with them. Star Trek: Rihannsu Day Comes Up New.  "I have done something spectacularly stupid," Arrhae said.  This is a wonderful extension and meditation on what might happen past canon.  Ever since I first read The Romulan Way as a teen, I've wondered what happened to Arrhae in the end, and the subsequent books were great but didn't answer the ultimate question.  This doesn't either, but it suggests something further, which I appreciate. Terminator Movies A Fistful of Sarahs.  The sky cracks open, and Sarah watches herself tumble out of a rift in the space time continuum. She’s older than she is now, and she’s got a lot more scars, and she’s carrying the biggest and weirdest looking gun Sarah’s ever seen. with all the hope in my heart (and doubt in my mind). Sarah Connor has done this before. Dani has not. Post-Terminator: Dark Fate. Fate, the Future, and Other Sons of Bitches.  Sarah and Dani hit the road. Winnie the Pooh In Which Pooh Hunts for the Meaning of Christmas.  Pooh finds a mysterious envelope pinned to the door of his house. In Which Eeyore Loses His Tail Again, Or At Least Plans To.  It's a bright, sunny day, and Eeyore has a plan to make it tolerable. Now if only his friends will cooperate.

[sqsupernova]

Art Spotlight: I know you (I walked with you once upon a dream)  by @possibilityofmagic​!

Evieeeeee I can't even put into words all of the emotions this art piece makes me feel :') It's so beautiful!...  Okay, this is absolutely stunning. I liked how you set everything on this old paper that looks like parchment- almost as if its a part of Henry's storybook… Oof I love the simple, light colours and the watercolour flowers in the background with some of it bleeding to the front on the photos… We see princess Emma, and then there's the real Emma in black and white, a background character that makes you question whether she's even real at all. Then there's Regina and princess Emma who look like they're gazing at each other, and wow, your choice of screencaps is amazing… Good choices to have Princess Emma look so uncertain while her real self in black and white below looks like she's trying to contain her delight while radiating all that natural beauty… The flowers, greenery and swatches of color around those photos is a wonderful contrast as if those photos were placed atop a greeting card or watercolor painting, in a similar way that Regina and Emma were added to the wish realm rather than being part of its original conception… I love the flowers and the colors between them that look like a combination of swirls of magic. Perfectly captures the struggle in the wish realm… THE FLOWERS i love them. they’re so beautiful and the way they work with the shadowy boxes around each picture and match the background and the text, and then the way they’re affected in each of the pictures walkesdjfwaj it’s BRILLIANT… And then the textures within each frame makes the "playing card" image look almost like those old glass pictures and now I'm wondering if they're not both?? Why can't they be both?... your art is SO SQ and SO evie like for real. that’s a thing. and my cat keeps staring at it as i type out this review…  I cannot explain how much this image gives me life. It is so pretty, so stunning that I would buy this book if this was the cover. Snatch my wig, I don't need it anymore.

Enjoyed this art? Be sure to give back and feed the artist! A happy, appreciated artist is one who’s going to be more motivated to gift us all with more of their beautiful work.

[inexpensiveprogress]

Why I don’t like Ben Nicholson

It was at an exhibition at Kettles Yard (before the new extension and when they had wonderful exhibitions about the items in Jim Ede’s historic collection) that I thought Ben Nicholson was an insecure fraud, what amazes me is how many people adore him. Though someone I spoke to told me that his white abstracts and etchings are popular because they fit in any room, they become perfect for collectors.

The chameleon of art Ben Nicholson moves from friend to friend like an artistic vampire, sucking up their style and way of painting until his paintings look just like theirs. In my view he did have talent but, no direction for it, and that is where the insecurity is. I just find it confusing why all the artists he was around are now seen to be in his shadow, while he a poor shadow of their work. 

Nicholson was born in Denham, Buckinghamshire, and was the son of the artists Sir William Nicholson and Mabel Pryde. He studied at the Slade School of Art, 1910-11. He spent 1912 to 1914 in France and Italy, and was in the United States in 1917-18. He married the artist Winifred Roberts in 1920. Over the next three years they spent winters in Lugano, Switzerland, then divided their time between London and Cumberland. In 1931, Nicholson's relationship with the sculptor Barbara Hepworth resulted in the breakdown of his marriage to Winifred. He and Hepworth married in 1938 and divorced in 1951.

 Christopher Wood - Cumberland Landscape, 1928

 Ben Nicholson - Cumberland Landscape, 1930 

Naturally there are good and bad points about Nicholson, in some ways he was a bully in other ways he was a well connected person who could put artists in contact with dealers. One of those was when Nicholson and Christopher Wood discovered Alfred Wallis, a fisherman who turned shop keeper until his wife died. Wallis had taken up painting as a hobby like many Victorians. Then he would have been called an ‘amateur painter’, today he would be called an ‘outsider artist’. I think both Nicholson and Wood could see a primitive painter who had no desire to paint copies of art he liked (like most Victorian amateur painters) - but painted the life he knew and could see. His paintings sold for two shillings each and Jim Ede was motivating galleries in London to sell his work too.

Wallis was not a rich man, he painted on whatever he could find: Old board, paper and the inside of tins or driftwood. Though highlighting Wallis to the world it could be argued that Nicholson was making himself look more important, I think this is flippant - but what I find more interesting is that Wallis is as natural and shocking to the artwork at that time as one of Duchamp’s ready-made objects.

 Ben Nicholson - Untitled - Cornish Port, 1930s 

The moment I knew I was angry at Nicholson was when I saw his works inspired from being around Alfred Wallis. It isn’t the painting, it was the way Nicholson had snapped the corners off to make it look authentically impoverished - that was the moment I knew the man was a shit. He wasn’t an artist who was inspired by his contemporaries, he was a vampire to them.

 Alfred Wallis - Two Boats', Alfred Wallis, c.1928 

In order to level my argument out - I will say how good it was that Wallis did live to see his work in major galleries. The Metropolitan Museum of New York bought one of his paintings in his lifetime, but he still found it hard to make a living. Nicholson and Wood included him in the Seven & Five Societyʼs exhibition in 1929 as a guest member, but over the next decade his work was only collected by a small circle of other artists and collectors of modern art. He did end up in the workhouse after suffering from delusions and paranoia of his new found fame.

Wallis believed that his neighbours resented his fame, believing him to be secretly rich. In one of his last letters, to Ede, he wrote:

i am thinkin of givin up The paints all to gether i have nothin But Persecution and gelecy [jealousy] and if you can com [come] down for an hour or 2 you can take them with you and give what they are worf [worth] afterwards. These drawers and shopes are all jealous of me. ‡

When Wallis was in the workhouse he appealed to Nicholson for money to buy his freedom but he sent him a box of paints to work his way out.

Nicholson, since 1928, had groomed Wallis with gifts, and that patronage and his collection of Wallis paintings brought out his competitive side. (Sven) Berlin succinctly tells us that there were discussions of how they could help Wallis but his suggestion that a collection should be made among artists and writers came to nothing. †

It was Adrian Stokes who organised the grave for Alfred Wallace to be in St Ives Cemetery with a sea-view rather than the Salvation Army and pauper’s grave he was given by the workhouse. Bernard Leach made the ceramic tiles that decorate his grave

 The Grave of Alfred Wallis with lighthouse tile design by Bernard Leach

The confusing state of the 7&5 Society 

The Seven and Five Society was an art group consisting mainly of ex-servicemen who had been art students before the war. Their goal was to exhibit  work rather than have a bold manifesto or be tied to an art style. It was easier to exhibit work in large numbers as the cost would be reduced on mass. The society was set up in 1920 but in 1924 Ben Nicholson was made a member. He more or less became a cuckoo in the nest for the group and elected his friends as members. In 1929 the group added the new members of Christopher Wood, Cedric Morris, Sidney Hunt, William Staite Murray, Frances Hodgkins, Jessica Dismorr, Evie Hone, Edward Wolfe and David Jones, as well as Alfred Wallis as a guest exhibitor. Nicholson voted to change the name to the ‘7 & 5 Society’ to look more modernist but failed to get the group changed to ‘7 & 5 Abstract Group’. The old members were confused and angry that their group was being steamrolled into following his way and with his elected friends Nicholson could vote in new rules. One new rule was that exhibitions were to be non-representational and the hanging committee were only empowered to select and hang abstract. This move finally segregated the original members. The reaction was the departure of a number of artists in 1934: Edward Bawden, John Aldridge, Frances Hodgkins, Cedric Morris, Len Lye and Percy Jowett. Replacement members and exhibitors included John Piper, Arthur Jackson and John Cecil Stephenson, all of whom worked in a non-representational manner. After this point the group renamed itself as the ‘Seven and Five Abstract Group’ in 1935 but only had one show after that point and the group was disbanded.

This post all comes to a division of the man and the art - like the music of Michael Jackson, the architecture of Albert Speer and some of the work of Nicholson, the men in this list are not as worthy as the work.

† David Wilkinson - The Alfred Wallis Factor: Conflict in Post-War St Ives Art, 2017 ‡ Wikipedia - Alfred Wallis 

[kai-seaward]

rotten to the core

rose, evie, chase, and kai @ the core house january 8th

🐙 Kai is at the house he shares with Rose, Evie, and Chase. Despite them all living together, he had been feeling like they all rarely saw each other or if they did, it was never the four of them at once. Earlier in the day, he sent out a group text telling them that it was unacceptable for them to not being hanging out and that they needed to have dinner together. He also mentioned he would be making tacos so be there or be square. He gets out all the ingredients he just bought, and keeps looking down the hall that leads to the front door, waiting for someone to come home. 💙 Evie had had the biggest smile as she read Kai’s text earlier in the day. It definitely had been awhile since the four of them had done something like this despite living together so she couldn’t wait. After running some errands throughout the day she comes through the front door and giggles as she exclaims, “Honey I’m hoooome!” She grins across the hall as she sees Kai poking his head out of the kitchen and heads towards him, “Hey, you! This was a great idea!” 😈🐶 Chase had been practicing on the tourney field when he got the text from Kai about dinner. He immediately decided to call it quits for the day since he might as well contribute. After showering, he went straight to the store, grabbing beer and some liquor for his friends. Soon enough he arrived back home and walked in. He heard voices in the kitchen and went straight to them, “I come bearing gifts!” He put the bags with the drinks on the counter and grinned at them both. 🐙 A grin spreads across Kai's face as he sees Evie walk in. "You're here!" He meets her halfway down the hall and picks her up, spinning her around before setting her back down on her feet and pressing a kiss to her blue hair. "That makes me so happy, I was worried no one would show up and I'd end up making a ton of tacos for just myself." He leads her back into the kitchen and starts things up to get cooking and he grins as Chase appears, "Alright! This is what I'm talking about. That just means we're waiting on Rose." 💙 Evie laughs as Kai spins her around and squeezes him tight before shaking her head, “I mean, you could do worse than having a bunch of tacos to eat!” She jokes with him and then pretends to bow to Chase once he shows up, “Yes! The best gift, you!” She laughs as she gives Chase a big hug before looking through the liquor he brought, “Anything bubbly?” 😈🐶 Chase hugs Evie back tightly before nodding his head, “I’ve got beer for Kai and me, champagne for you, vodka for Rose and some tequila in case we decide to get a little crazy.” He grins and nudges Evie’s arm playfully. “Do you need any help, Kai?” 🐙 Kai chuckles softly as he hears them and he starts to chop up some onions to go in with the taco meat, "If you don't mind! We gotta chop up some tomato and lettuce still." 💙 Evie smiles as she listens to the guys and busies herself with pouring a glass of champagne for herself before offering to help, “Yes perfect! Put us to work, Kai! I’ll make sure Chase doesn’t accidentally slice into his finger like last time.” She teases and puts her blue apron on before tying her hair up and washing her hands, “I’ll give myself tomato chopping if that’s alright with you two!” 😈🐶 He wrinkles his nose at the two of them, “Those were sharp knives!” Chase grabs Kai and himself a beer before handing it to him. “I guess I’ll get to the lettuce.” He goes to wash his hands, “Did Rose reply? Is she coming?” 🐙 Kai laughs softly, "Hey, we're not making fun! Just protecting you." He thanks Chase for the beer and takes a sip, "Nope, no answer. Either of you talk to her recently?" He asks and mixes the onion with the ground beef. 💙 She starts to work on chopping up the tomatoes before frowning slightly and shaking her head, “No, not really. I mean I’ve talked to her a little bit but not about anything real. She seems to be in her own little world lately, have you guys felt that too?” 😈🐶 Chase chuckles as he sips his beer, “Isn’t she always?” He starts to chop the lettuce and shrugs one shoulder, “Haven’t seen much of her though. Hope she’s not getting into too much trouble.” 🐙 He puts oil in a pan and turns the stove on, "I've definitely been feeling it too. I feel like I never even see her anymore, I just hope she's okay. Maybe she will show up tonight." 💙 Evie bites her lip and nods in agreement, “I think she will. I’m hopeful.” 😈🐶 Chase nods in agreement as he continues chopping, “Hopefully. I’ll drink the vodka if she doesn’t.” He laughs as he hears the front door open and he looks up at the other two with his eyebrows raised. Rose was over at Ben’s earlier when she got the text from Kai. They had decided it was time to tell their friends so she figured this was the perfect time. Once she finally pulled away from her boyfriend, she headed home and walked in the front door. Rose wanders into the kitchen, “Hey nerds.” She smirks at them before leaning against the bar. 🐙 Kai raises his brows just the same as Chase and watches Rose come in. "Hey stranger!" He laughs and abandons the food to greet her with a hug, "I'm glad to see you're alive!" 💙 Evie squeals as she sees Rose and runs over to give her a huge hug after Kai, “Hello beautiful!!!” She exclaims before kissing her cheek twice and laughing, “We weren’t sure if you could make it!” 😈🐶 Chase follows the lead of the other two to go over to Rose, “Speak of the devil.” He grins and gives her hug. “I got us some booze if you’re interested.” Rose hugs all them back and rolls her eyes, ”You guys are so dramatic. The text never said what time.” She gives them a nod before going to the fridge and pulling out the vodka, “So what did I miss?” 🐙 Kai laughs and goes over to continue to cook the taco meat, "It did too! It said dinner, that's a time." He looks at her over his shoulder, "Not much, just greetings and us wondering if we were going to actually get to spend some time with you." 💙 Evie holds onto Rose’s arm for a moment and smiles before returning to prepping the food as Rose grabs a drink, “Yeah, what Kai said. You haven’t missed much! What about you? What’s new in Roseland?” 😈🐶 Chase goes back to chopping lettuce and nods in agreement, “Yeah, we haven’t seen you around in a while. What’s up?” Rose shrugs as she makes herself a drink before sitting at the barstool, stirring her drink slowly, “Nothing. Been busy with an art project, trying to avoid my brother, seeing Ben again.” She sips her drink and watches them over her glass. 🐙 Kai drops the spatula he was using and slowly turns around to look at her, "Whoa, whoa, whoa... Rewind!" 💙 Evie accidentally nicks the tip of her finger with the knife and widens her eyes at Rose, “Ouch.. Wait, what was that?!” 😈🐶 Chase widens his eyes  and makes sure to carefully put down the knife before turning when he hears Evie, “E! Your finger!” He grabs paper towel to help her with her cut, “Rose, what the fuck? You can’t just drop shit like that!” Rose laughs at their reactions and shrugs one shoulder, “I said what I said.” She flicks her finger and makes a bandaid appear on the counter. 🐙 Kai looks at her, completely shocked, "You're seeing Ben again and you're going to be completely nonchalant about it?" 💙 Evie thanks Chase and presses the paper towel against her finger before wrapping the bandaid Rose conjures around it and shakes her head, “For how long!” 😈🐶 Chase makes sure Evie is all bandaged up before turning to look at Rose with his eyebrows raised. Rose sips her drink again and tilts her head to the side, “Uh..a couple months.” She shrugs again and laughs, “Not sure why any of you are shocked.” 🐙 He blinks a few times, "You two were destroyed the last time you broke up. Are you sure this is a good idea?" 💙 Evie frowns and looks down for a moment, “That’s a long time to not tell us..” 😈🐶 Chase sips his beer as he thinks for a moment, “Is that why you haven’t been around lately?” Rose rolls her eyes and sighs, “So many questions.” She puts her glass down, “We’ve been together for a while and I decided we weren’t going to tell anyone because of Briar. I didn’t want to risk him finding out and trying to hurt him. I know you guys wouldn’t say anything blah blah but it was too risky. It still is. But we aren’t going to break up again.” Rose runs her index finger along the rim of her glass, “We are going to be together for as long as he wants to be.” 🐙 Kai frowns a little, "What do you mean by how long he wants to be?" 💙 Evie continues to frown a little as she listens but slowly looks up over at Rose, “And this is what you want? You’re.. you’re happy? Because you know that’s all we want for you, Rose.” 😈🐶 Rose runs her fingers through her hair as she shrugs, “He says forever. I mean..I want that with him. But do we think Malificent’s daughter should be queen of Auradon? No. But I’m happy, yes. We both are.” She smiles a little before shrugging again and sipping her drink. 🐙 He laughs a little, "Do I think one of the best people I know should be queen, despite who her mother is? Absolutely. You would be an amazing ruler, and if this is what you and Ben want... You have my full support. Just promise us you'll be careful?" 💙 Evie nods in agreement and smiles a little, “What Kai said. And you have to listen to him, he’s the smartest of us all.” 😈🐶 Chase chuckles and nods in agreement, “Ben is a good guy, you know we all think he’s great. As long you’re happy so are we.” Rose rolls her eyes at them and hums softly, “You guys are so positive, it’s annoying. But thank you. I’ll be careful.” She narrows her eyes at Evie and smirks, “Also I’m the smartest.” 🐙 Kai scoffs and goes back to making dinner, “If you were the smartest then you would’ve been on time.” 💙 Evie shakes her head fondly as she continues to dice the tomatoes, “Agreed. And dinner so is a specific time, I’m with him on that one.”

[nightblink]

Blink Reads Oathbringer - Chapters 33-38

Part Two – New Beginnings Sing

That title alone has me really hyped for this Part, you guys.

Also, Bridge Four as a POV? The entirety of Bridge Four? Sanderson you have given us a gift.

Chapter Thirty-Three – A Lecture

“Dearest Cephandrius” OH OH WE'RE GETTING LETTERS BACK FROM THE DRAGON NOW

That is a great sketch of Urithiru too. We need a person or chull or something down at the bottom for scale, though.

Jasnaaaaaaaaaahhhh

“All she'd done was grope an eldritch spren.” Yeah, and opened yourself in order to beat it back – no matter that the others did the physical fighting, that fact that you didn't pass out on the spot after that is, frankly, amazing.

Shallan, you already know that stormlight can make a Radiant extremely resistant to dying, and you're still this surprised that Jasnah sauntered back into your life?

Like the branch clan, Jasnah is Kholin Extra™

That crystal pillar sounds like a work of art, and symbolic of all ten orders of the Radiants that once lived there. Please please please let us see it infused at some point!

Shallan, your crush is showing again.

A lecture, hah! You are still technically her ward, and its entirely like Jasnah to just slide right back into that pre-established relationship as if nothing had happened.

[hums] The difference from what I can tell is that fabrials aren't powered by sentient spren, but ones that are the nature-forces, with no mind of their own.

Ooo, you're used to being the one giving the orders rather than ordered around now, and the change grates on you. Someone comes back who's always had authority over you and you realize how much you liked the power.

So. About those Ghostbloods, Jasnah…

You've been trying to impersonate an Elsecaller while not even knowing about Transportation, Shallan? That's a glaring oversight.

Ooo, speaking of which, apparently Transport – or at least Transport when the body passes into the Cognitive Realm entirely – isn't so simple as a Teleport spell.

Jasnah has a lot of catching up to do. (And not only with the current state of events, but also the fact that pretty much all of her family save her mother are mentally fraying apart.)

Chapter Thirty-Four – Resistance

YES YES YES TIME FOR DALINAR TO KICK DOWN SOME MENTAL DOORS

Mmm, good choice of vision. It'll let her see monsters and Radiants both, and throw an emotional weight behind the vision that some of the others don't have.

That's. Huh. I wasn't expecting that sort of philosophy from the Stormfather either. That's an entirely new side to him than we've ever seen before.

Heights – or sudden flying – aren't your thing, I see. Then again, after being tossed into the sky to fall and die by Szeth… understandable.

Tell us more about Plate, I need more information on Plate-

Oooo, yes, Navani and Jasnah are used to analysis, picking things apart piece by piece and extracting all the relevant detail. They'd both be the best picks for this – although Shallan with her eye for art would be a good counterpoint in observation.

“You will know or you will not.” That's so very helpful, Stormfather.

Yeah, it's not going the same as before – her involvement will change it differently than yours did.

The Midnight Essence isn't a true creature, but a monster, and you now know that the Midnight Mother is behind these things and the mirror-murders both.

Fling-and-stick! Like an al dente ramen noodle

There's the Queen! Where Dalinar fought his way through this vision, she organized a resistance – and in so little time! Wow, if I didn't already like her before, this would seal the deal.

Yes, best not to mention your little God-is-dead heresy. People haven't been taking kindly to that so far, no reason to assume that Queen Fen will either.

Okay, good, we're getting to the meat of the matter. Fen has very good reason not to trust you, Dalinar, and while these visions are convincing, you need to convince her now. Time is not on your side.

“Am I? Oh, let me storming reconsider, then.” Finally, the honesty straight to his face. And that's the breaking point.

This is another point I'd like so see animated. Passion indeed – Dalinar here is all snapping fire.

Oh my god Dalinar, you are the center of all the hot gossip on the networks. Never mind that it's all blown out of proportion, you did say and do some pretty radical things. Hearing about it from an outside perspective, it really does sound like you went off the deep end – with an enthusiastic leap, at that.

At least Fen might listen now. It's a much better chance than you had before.

Chapter Thirty-Five – First Into the Sky

Bridge Fooooouuuurrrrrr

Sigzil! We're getting Sigzil POV!

The mental image of B4 scrambling up for breakfast from Rock is absurdly heartwarming and just the sort of thing we need to lift the tone around all the other coming-of-the-apocalypse chapters.

Shhhh, you'd look good with an afro, Sigzil.

I keep snickering every time they refer to breathing stormlight as 'eating' the sphere. But oh, that'sa nice detail – the B4 tattos remain, but underneath them the slave brands are healed. Bridge Four is a part of him, but he doesn't consider the slave brands as part of himself, or he's somehow overcome them.

LOPEN PLZ

Lopen is forever a gift to this world.

Awww, poor Sig, annoyed at his height amongst all these 'what-is-under-six-feet' Alethi.

“the other thing”? What other thing. Sigzil. What's up with Teft.

Everyone's dream: to walk in on Kaladin doing morning push-ups, probably with his sleeves rolled up to the elbow

You just need more staff to help handle things, Sigzil, you're just getting pushed to the limits of what you can do with what you have.

Bridge Four getting families yesssss. These people deserve all the happiness they can find.

[snorts] Of course Sigzil's reaction to learning Drehy is gay is “b-but the paperwork!” And Sig, it's not that there aren't forms for that in Alethkar, it's that the Alethi just don't do things the same way as the Azish.

Sigzil trying to emulate Hoid and tell a story! That's actually a really great way to get through to Kaladin. That “Hush” though, hah. The drawback is that you're… not quite as good at this as Hoid is. Then again. Hoid.

What has Teft gotten into.

Oooo, shit, Kaladin, that was harsh.

That's a good point about recruitment, and if some of them actually start becoming full Windrunners like Kaladin as well. I can't imagine they'd want to split off, but remaining integrated with the rest of the bridge crew would be its own set of challenges.

Oh. Oh, Kal, that's not…. That's the same mistake Shallan made, I think.

LET HER(?) FIGHT

Thank you for that echo, Sigzil.

Sigzil does seem the type to want a “proper” hierarchy in place, with clearly set positions. It makes sense to him and gives him a sense of security. Kaladin being referred to as a lighteyes by one of his own bridgemen, though, ooof.

Everstorm Count: 3

Thank the Almighty we have you around to ask these questions, Sigzil. They don't know yet that Dalinar plans to split from Alethkar, but all of those questions still need to be considered, and on a larger scale than just Alethkar.

First into the air, oh, Sigzil

….the royal emerald reserve. The royal emerald reserve. Hooooooly shitto da. Kaladin, you're lucky that Elhokar's got a massive crush on you. Dalinar probably just had to say “for Bridge Four's practice” and Elhokar was already chucking the bags at him.

Chapter Thirty-Six – Hero

YESSSS, FLASHBACK CHAPTER

Wait, twenty-four years? Wasn't the last one something like twenty-eight or twenty-nine? Are… are we not getting Dalinar's early years with Evi? The courtship, even a tiny scene of the marriage? Nothing. Goddamn it, Sanderson, this is a crime. I'm disappointed in you.

Evi liked needlework! Ahh, that's good to know~

Once again she proves herself a snuggler, I love it. And instead of shying away from it like last time, Dalinar's fine with it-

She's pregnant with Adolin she's pregnant with Adolin-! And she calls Dalinar 'beloved'! Asdajfdhjgdhadhjd Sanderson why did you deprive us of their relationship developmeeeeent

So he's still continually itching for a fight, he's just not as bloodthirstily lusting for it anymore. Or he's repressing it. That's… hmmm. I don't think as much of the fight's gone out of him as we're seeing.

'He'd never had a high opinion of dueling.' Oh shit, so how did that colour your early opinion of your elder son's Calling…?

...okay so one, now we know where Adolin gets his perceptiveness from; two, that's a disturbing train of thought. Only alive when he's tasting death on the air. That also explains why he's so relatively subdued at the moment. The fact that she says “like a blackness from the old stories” actually makes me wonder if he is under the influence of something more at this point – perhaps even one of the Unmade.

!!! okay so Rirans have blond hair but still possibly canonically the metallic golden skin tint. I'm still clutching to the subtle!metallics but we'll see how far this takes us

He still doesn't feel any actual love for her at this point. Uuugh, Dalinar, you don't deserve Evi.

Ooo, I can see why Navani dismissed Evi so easily back in TWoK. That sort of attitude on curiosity and discovery is something she'd automatically recoil from.

And Gavilar paid no attention to Navani while she spoke of her passions. That's not a positive indication of the kind of husband he was.

They share enough tenets that the friction between the two religions can pop up almost out of nowhere – they think the other is following their train of thought, and then nope.

Now Gavilar comes in with news of the Rift – they did go there a second time. But why-

You didn't kill the kid. You didn't kill the kid.

Gavilar's not happy, but it's at least giving him a chance to solve things via politics. Which is not going to happen in the end, not if something so terrible happened at the rift that it caused one of Dalinar's own elites to turn to the ardentia.

But in this moment, Dalinar's heart flared for Evi.

Chapter Thirty-Seven – The Last Time We March

….that dragon does not seem at all concerned enough about Odium, and he's just brushing Devotion and Dominion's loss aside as if it were an inevitability, and not even a regrettable one. But how did they “violate [the] pact”, and what did that agreement entail?

MORE BRIDGE FOOOUUUURR

I'll admit that I spent a good few minutes staring at the page and sounding out Rock's name until I got it right.

They're back on the Shattered Plains for a night? I wonder why...

I like the softer feel of contemplation we're getting here. There's less momentum to the writing, but it needed this slow-down. Like the stew, it's a comfort.

Oh ho, this is where they've come to practice! YESSSS. The wind across the plains, whipping through the chasms, the open sky and the high drop of the sheer sides – this is where they practiced before, it's just a new kind now.

Five women! Yesssssss, thank you Kaladin for shoving aside Alethi cultural boundaries on fighting being restricted to men.

Lopen, you are a gem

Rock – Lunamor – should absolutely take credit for that. A good breakfast can set the tone for the entire morning.

“Peet, don't think I haven't seen you glowing.” PFFFFFFT

….Teft is still absent. That's not encouraging.

“their true shapes beyond the streamers” Wait, what? A larger body to the spren? Can Rock see a shadow or echo of the spren as they are in the Cognitive Realm?

[cackles] Introducing Rock to new flavor combinations will save your skin. Messing with his dishes otherwise? You've earned that death sentence.

Lopen oh my god you are the brightest ray of sunshine on the Plains, you crazy, amazing, reckless idiot

Ohhhh, Hobber

Kaladin is a bundle of emotion held together by love and promises and Syl and covered in a stone shell. A thin one.

R o c k you are also a gift unto this world. First you make Kaladin happy then you give us 'airsick lowlander, second class'.

Lopen. I. I don't even. How.

Kaladin, you're going to lose people. I know you refuse to accept it, to save them all, to grieve with acute pain at every loss, but… Rock's right. You being you, though, you'll never accept that. And that's as it should be.

Please take your giant dysfunctional, crazy-ass family to visit the Peaks, Rock. By the point when you actually get the time to do so, they and you will all probably be able to fly up there anyway.

Elhokar! And here I thought you'd have a golden circlet rather than a silver one in order to match your glyphpair.

A few weeks as a timeline before they send in their Strike Team to Kholinar. Mmmm. On one hand, I don't like them leaving the city and its Oathgate under riot and/or occupation for that long, but on the other, they have a much better chance of retaking it if they have a Radiant or few more, or at least a few more squires practiced in their power.

!!! Their old bridge! The actual bridge of Bridge Four! Tough wood indeed.

Of course they brought the cauldrons along. There's more to Bridge Four than just the fighting. There's more to their heart than just courage in battle. Bridge Four was forged around Rock's cooking fire, and that remains part of the core of them.

“a beat he could almost, barely, just faintly hear.” That's as good as confirmed that the Listener blood can run strong enough in some lines that they can sense the Rhythms. Rock, we still need clarification on what those “particular heritage and blessings” are.

Renarin! Speaking of more members of Bridge Four~ Your place isn't with your cousin right now, 'Rin; it's with your Bridge.

Oh my god. Please. We've already had Elhokar psuedo-adoped by a Herdazian matriarch, so can we please get a scene of Rock absconding with Dalinar to have him help make bread.

Why is Glys still hiding? And where? I assume he's in the fidget-box, but that's just an assumption.

Thank the Heralds for Rock knowing how to treat and talk with Renarin. He needs friends who aren't his brother. And Rock… Rock's honest and knows how to state things in a way that Renarin can absorb well.

Ohhh, 'Rin you're thinking that you're not… No. Fix that perception, Rock. He's Bridge Four, he'll always be Bridge Four.

Almost not bitter. But being bitter is an inescapable part of Renarin Kholin. Burning bitterness, biting his tongue, pride, and a wish to be himself but not knowing what that means.

[hums] You want to fight because your father wants it, true, but it's what you yourself want as well, isn't it. And the other things… you eschew them because you don't want to be an ardent, and others assumed, forced those assumptions on you and expected you to follow them, then were confused when you didn't – but did it pain you to abandon things you were naturally good at and maybe even liked?

(You are a light in your own right, Renarin, who you are and who you want to be. Some people already see it. Rock. Adolin. Other people can come to see it too.)

Can we get some Renarin+Rlain interaction now, BrandoSando. Please. What do I have to pay you for it.

Does anyone else think Rock would make a great fellow Truthwatcher? He already sees things that others do not, and has a tendency to see straight to the heart of a matter. Not that those are prerequisites or anything, but. Just saying.

Lunamor please do share that story about your great-great-great grandfather later though please, because some of us want very much to hear it.

Ahhhhh! Are there actual honorspren watching the squires? Perhaps debating making a bond? Yessssssss, come on, do the thing-! (Or at least consider!)

How much interaction do the Unkalaki have with spren, I wonder, with Rock's way of showing reverence so different from almost all the other cultures we've encountered on Roshar?

Not so much animated, but I'd like to see a picture of this scene, Rock heading out with his offerings and bowing deep before the gathered Honorspren, the greatest of them acknowleging him with an outstretched hand and receiving his offering. Lovely.

Oh, oh, is Hobber going to-

HE DID IT

aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh Bridge Four

...smoke on the Plains? Trouble?

This bridge run though – resplendent with stormlight, singing their marching beat – what once was a source of terror and despair is a vision of glory now.

Shit, it was an attack by fliers. Without the Alethi armies that once assaulted them, they'll take every chance to pick off what stragglers they can.

Alert, alert – someone on Roshar called a bird something other than a chicken

Yes! Yes! FINALLY WE MEET ROCK'S FAMILY

A wife and six lovely children – six! - but the youngest is too young to even truly remember him, oh my heart breaks for him… And even he thinks of the cracks in his soul that have changed him further from the man they knew than a simple year's passage could.

Oh no, something is wrong on the Peaks, but… isn't that where it's theorized that the Shardpool is located?

The last run of the bridge. It's sad… but a good kind of melancholy.

Chapter Thirty-Eight – Broken People

Time for the next vision-conversation! And this is a vision segment that we haven't seen before, excellent, though so fair it's just a straight-up battle.

“Dalinar smiled to hear a fragment of God cursing.” We all are, Dalinar. It's immensely satisfying to see you surprise this millenia-old Sliver.

Oh, shit, humans fighting for the Voidbringers as well? That's kind of important information, Dal!

Wait. There was no Everstorm in Desolations past? Wh a t

Okay, okay, so amber shardplate belongs to Stonewards (not Bondsmiths, that must be a more golden-ish colour) and that stone-ripple Surge was Tension. Huh. Huh. We need more information on how Tension works, because that was not at all what I was expecting.

“Welcome to my madness, ladies.” DALINAR PL E A S E

'Devices' that provide healing – way back when they somehow managed to create healing fabrials, and that's what the lady Stoneward of his 'midnight essence vision' used the first time he experienced it. That's definitely a piece of equipment that Navani needs to start working on as soon as possible.

Your uncle has a point, Jasnah. He out-stubborned the Stormfather.

Speaking of stubbornness, of course Navani managed to gently bully her way into getting a look at the fabrial

Interesting. I'd expected a conversation about religion considering how they started, but this… this is something that Dalinar would indeed have far more trouble dealing with. He knows his own faith, but all these external lies and accusations keep building up and no one is taking his own word. Of all people, Jasnah understands this the most.

Renarin just got much the same speech from Lunamor, in an entirely different manner.

They've been viewing the old fabrials wrong. Huh. But in what way?

Aharietiam.

Will they see the Heralds here? Or the circle of Honorblades struck into the stone? Could Dalinar have missed the true point of the vision in his first time through, so long ago?

Honor was yet unShattered when the Heralds broke their vow

But. The Stormfather was still a Bondsmith!spren back during the previous Desolations. He's noted as “one of three spren who can bond with humans to create a Bondsmith” in The Pocket Companion to The Stormlight Archive. So. He wasn't a true Splinter back during those days. He's become more powerful since that time.

Oh shit I was right. The circle of Honorblades. They now have enough information to recognise what it means. The Heralds lied.

Navani's world suddenly turned upside down. It's one thing to hear Dalinar claim that 'God is dead', but to see these blades and hear the Heralds lied confirmed by the Stormfather himself? It's earth-shattering.

That's what the Voidspren with Venli meant when it said that their ancestors led them – yet were not alive. They're stuck in a cycle of never-ending torturous rebirth. Fuck.

Each time, the Heralds could withstand less torture. The time between Desolations started to decrease exponentially. Hundreds of years, to tens, and finally less than a year between Desolations? No wonder society could never rebuild itself! No wonder they decided to break the Oathpact!

Looks like even the Stormfather can change, if even a little. As the Nahel bond alters the ones like honorspren and cryptics, even one as great as the Stormfather can feel its effect.

Taln never broke before. All those Desolations, and it was never him. It took him by himself, bearing the entire horror of Damnation for four and a half thousand years to break him.

Damn.

Damn.

And now because the Oathpact is so weak, Odium was able to create the Everstorm. And the spren of the dead do not return to Damnation.

“Were you to know it, you would abandon your oaths as the ancient Radiants did.” W h a t

What secret was even more terrible than this one. What secret was so damning that the Radiants would kill their spren and leave their own souls split open and unraveling.

[jessiewre]

Day 47

Thurs 20th Feb

Phil up super early (a bit hungry maybe?) and was keen for breakfast. We had our usual and Phil suggested we walk round to the bay one up from ours. As the official tour guide of ‘Phil & Jess do Africa 2020’, I couldn’t really argue. We found a path on the end of the beach and followed the coastline edge to see where it took us.

It was a cute little path and within 5 minutes we spotted something in the distance that was a bit of a surprise.

Four camels were stood at the top of a hill, grazing on the plants and seemingly free to roam. Alrighty then...

We walked through a little bay and up the hill to get closer and being the ace ventura pet detective that I am I could instantly identifying them as one hump camels 🐪🐪🐪🐪😎.

After enjoying watching these absolute weirdos eating with their sideways mouths and standing on their extremely long legs, we continued trying to find the path to this unknown destination.

I found a route that looked doable and we found ourselves on a derelict concrete site with a big abandoned swimming pool that now resembled a pond. It was right on the edge of this new bay and would have been an amazing spot for a hotel or holiday home. I wondered what had happened to get it to this sorry state.

We found some steps to lead us down to the beach and thats when we noticed more derelict buildings on the land overlooking the beach. They ran all the way along the coast. There were so many empty concrete huts and buildings, it looked like the kind of place you’d make into a paintballing site,. We spoke to some locals who said it was a popular resort in the 60s-80s but there was a ‘money problem‘. It was a crazy amount of wasted space on a beautiful beach with lots of tourists around. Seemed mad to think it had gone from hero to zero in such a popular destination.

Anyway, the water was crystal clear and we could see the tide was out and we could walk to the mini islands and beaches a short distance away. Despite having a bag to carry (good exercise that though Phil) we walked out to sea and is was soooo niiiiiiiiiicce.

The water was cooler than in our bay which made it so much nicer and we reached a little beach next to a big rock island. I did my sea cow impression again and then let Phil have a try (he was surprisingly good at it). We left our stuff on a sand bank and tucked it towards the rock so it was nicely in the shade. And bloody lucky we did too, as the tide came up SUPER fast without us realise it. We casually went back to get our stuff and as we got closer we realised we were about 3 minutes away from it all getting soaked. What a save.

We went to head back and I figured we’d have to walk round the coast again (plus I was missing the camels obvs) but Phil wanted to trying and walk through the town. Hmm I was not convinced this would be the fastest, but Phil was adamant he wanted to try it. The street was dusty and empty and I had a lot of sand stuck to my feet (it may surprise you to know that I really hate sand on my feet unless I’m literally on the beach) and it did not look like a quick way home. But I saw a guy on a bike nip down a little alleyway and thought Hmmm so had a little check on Phil’s phone to see - and by jove it appeared to be that Phil was absolutely right and this would soon get us to the village quick sharp. WHAT A JOYOUS OCCASION THIS WAS TURNING OUT TO BE.

It really was one of the best shortcuts of recent times and I just want to formally take this opportunity to thank and praise Phil for making it happen. Girl loves a shortcut.

As soon as we got back sweaty from the walk, we didn’t stop and walked straight into the pool to cool off. But obviously the water is always boiling in the pool so we quickly got out to hide in the shade.

Hunger appeared rapid though so we went back to the restaurant street to visit our new favourite Swahili place. Big sign saying CLOSED. Oh god DEVESTATED. In a panic, we went to the nice pizza place - Makuti - but they forgot to put cheese on my pizza which was ANNOYING. How could this happen!? So I had to wait for another one. Phil’s marinara with onion and garlic was good though so I ate a load of that.

I went for a walk to buy myself a dress (NOT REALLY that was just a cover story, god I’m so clever, I walked off to see my mate and collect Phil’s shirt).

It was ready on the table when I got there. Very nicely made it was too. But they’d added some hard material to the collar to make it stiff...and it was really quite an orange yellow colour...the pocket material that I’d chosen had also been added round the collar as a detail and it looked a bit like a 90s Paul Smith summer shirt reject...god I’m really not sure he’s going to like this one but we shall see on the 24th 😂

Seeing as these tailor folks were on a roll, I decided to order a few headbands for him too as he’d mentioned he needed one for running. Another present in the bag oh yeah. I found a few scraps of material in the shop and couldn’t decide which one was the least rank, so ordered 3 different ones for $5.

On the way back, I saw some nice trousers (for me) but they must have been children’s sizes as I couldn’t get them over my arse. I did find a square bandana material for $1.50 and it was exactly what Phil was looking for as a neck cover so grabbed that as a little pre-bday gift. I gave it to Phil as soon as I got back and he was really pleased with it. As soon as I saw it on him though, I got a flashback and realised it might be a little bit...gay. I’m not saying that in a derogatory sense, just in a factual sense - I had a vague memory that this type of scarf was a sort of gay symbol. So we sent a video to Nick and Louis quick sharp and awaited the results.

Before dinner, we went to the beach for a drink and I took my iPad to try and do some art. Of course within minutes, some kids came over to look and suddenly we had 10 children surrounding us. I didn't fancy letting them have a go to be honest but Phil reminded me about the face warp photo booth app and so I put it on and faced the camera to the kids. Honest to god, these kids lost their shit. They were HOWLING with laughter. A local bloke came over (tipsy for sure) and they got him to look at the camera and when he saw his warped face, he was so shocked that the kids went wild with laughter. 😂😂😂 It was very very funny.

we walked back to town and crossed our fingers the Swahili place would be open. It wasn’t, so we just went back to Makuti and decided to give a pasta a go. After some entertainment of a stroppy old Italian man refused to move tables and stormed out of the restaurant, we had a pizza (WITH CHEESE) and spaghetti arrabiata with our signature blob of mayonnaise to accompany each dish. We successfully managed to avoid eye contact with any Italians in close proximity while consuming said mayo with their beloved cuisine. Look, its better with mayonnaise I swear. While sat there, a troop of 3 men appeared in the street and did some mental circus tricks and acrobatics. It was incredible, at one point a man was upside down with his head balanced on another mans head and NO HANDS. Evie & Meg would have looooooved it.

Walked home past the little beauty salon at the end of our street and noticed on the sign they offered a service called a MANCURE. Wondered what this treatment entailed and how much they charged for it, as I knew quite a few people who might benefit.

[ttawoabw]

My computer crashed and while I lost almost everything, I had backed up my blog files back in April.  While I’m not starting from scratch I have lost a whole months worth of work and as such I might have some disjointed posts and potential photo repeats.  Bear with me while I figure it all out.

FairyLoot: May ‘Save the Kingdom’ Box

I had quite the break from FairyLoot – my last box was June 2017, so almost a year.  And they’ve had some amazing boxes in that time, just no themes/books that caught my interest.  When they announced the May theme, and the book hint was enough for me to know it was a book I was anticipating, I knew I had to order.  I just did a single purchase as I’m not in a position to be making a full subscription but I’ll be keeping an eye on future themes (as always) since I love FairyLoot boxes and I know you guys love reading my reviews of them. There was a special prize in three of the May boxes, they called it the Fairy Queen’s Dowry – unfortunately I didn’t win but it made opening the box more exciting.

Anyway, lets get into the unboxing and review!

As always we start with the box itself, it’s strong and sturdy and arrived in one piece.  I’ve heard that a lot of people were receiving damaged boxes so I’m very thankful that mine arrived in one piece. They use purple packing worms inside to protect the items included.

The intro/spoiler card is really cool, when they announced the theme I instantly fell in love with this artwork and I’ll definitely be putting it up on my wall. The writing on the back is clear and easy to read.  But yeah, I love this art.

So the first item I pulled out was this Remnant lip scrub by Geeky Clean.  There were three variations that went out – one for each kingdom.  Morrighan, Venda and Dalbreck.  I received Dalbreck which is melon flavoured.  I actually haven’t read the Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson yet but I look forward to finding out what these kingdoms are and their importance.

Next we have this Norgard bath bomb by Little Heart Gifts inspired by the book of the month – it’s moonstone and berries scented and is absolutely beautiful.  I don’t even want to use it it’s so stunning.

We have two promotional items for upcoming books included in this box; the first being a bookmark for Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh the sequel to Flame in the Mist.

Up next we have some ‘WAKE UP, it’s time to save the kingdom!’ English Breakfast tea by The Tea Leaf Co.  I don’t like tea so I’ll be putting this in my giveaway box.

The second promotional item is this tarot card for Legendary, the sequel to Caraval by Stephanie Garber.  The first run of these books have 4 exclusive designs on the actual books –

You are your own best weapon.

Okay I’m excited for this one, even though I haven’t read The Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.  I’ve just been loving coasters lately and I think this quote and design is so pretty! Which makes sense because it was designed by Evie Bookish.  I know I’ll get a lot of use out of this coaster.

Up next we have these Wyrd Mark Page Flags by Fictontea Designs inspired by the wyrd marks in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.  These will be great for marking and reviewing books!  I can’t wait til the final book is out so I can try and binge read the series.

Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.

The last item in the box before the book pouch is this book sleeve designed by Reverie & Ink, with a quote from An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.  I’ve been using and loving my book sleeves lately and this one is just a bit smaller than the others I have so it’ll be perfect for my paperbacks and smaller hardcovers!  I love the quote and I think the design is really nice.  It is quote soft and not as stiff as my other ones so I guess time will tell if it protects my precious books.

Book pouch.

FairyScoop

Monthly Theme Bookmark

And now for the book…

Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett!  I am so excited for this book, I’ve already read half of it and I’m loving it so far!  Very excited to have this special edition of it! It’s a YA fantasy with, what I guess qualifies as, a second-chance romance and a lot of horse love and appreciation! Not only that but forbidden magic and a need to save the kingdom!

Sprayed Pages

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king years ago. Now Kate lives as an outcast, clinging to the fringes of society as a member of the Relay, the imperial courier service. Only those most skilled in riding and bow hunting ride for the Relay; and only the fastest survive, for when dark falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But it’s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by nightdrakes in broad daylight—the only survivor her childhood friend, her first love, the boy she swore to forget, the boy who broke her heart.

The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane, never asked to lead. Even as he waits for the uror—the once-in-a-generation ritual to decide which of the king’s children will succeed him—he knows it’s always been his brother who will assume the throne. And that’s fine by him. He’d rather spend his days away from the palace, away from the sight of his father, broken with sickness from the attempt on his life. But the peacekeeping tour Corwin is on has given him too much time to reflect upon the night he saved his father’s life—the night he condemned the would-be killer to death and lost the girl he loved. Which is why he takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of drakes who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.

This month (and possibly for awhile now, or in the future?) the author letter backs this wonderful piece of art featuring the two main characters from Onyx & Ivory.  I love the art, I just have two issues… The first being that I usually keep the author letters in the book, and in this case I really want to display the artwork, the second being that the letter doesn’t fit in the book, it’s too wide and high.  So that’s a bit annoying for me, but I’ll survive.

Dear Friends,

Fantasy is my first love.  When I was a kid, I devoured every story the genre had to offer.  Movies like The Dark Crystal or books like The Hero and the Crown.  By far my favourites involved magic and swords.  Best of all if there was a girl with magic and a sword.  I used to wish something magical would happen to me, that I would stumble through a portal into another world, I searched for them everywhere, in dark closets, under bridges, or between old trees in the woods by our house.  But I never found one. That was until I discovered the magic of telling my own stories, like the one you just received.  Stories have the power to transport us to another place and time, and I’m thrilled to welcome you to step into one of my own making.  You’re soon to meet Corwin, a prince out of place, and Kate, a girl with a sword – and magic.  I hope you enjoy your stay.

Musingly yours, Mindee

Of course as always we have a signed bookplate and we also have a sticker featuring one of the magic’s introduced in the novel.  I would have liked to receive one of the other magics but I’m just happy to have this one since I can already tell this is going to be a new favourite! You can do this test to find out which magic you have! I’m a Magist.

Final Thoughts:

I loved this box!  While I haven’t really read any of the books that the items in this box were designed around I still loved them and the quality and quantity of the items included are excellent!  I, of course, love the book the most, and the art print and sticker, but my other favourite item is the coaster.  I have a thing for coasters at the moment, which will come in handy when I have my own home, but until then my bedside table and desk are safe!  I also love the book sleeve, time will tell if it’s as durable and protective as my other ones but I’m choosing to think positively.  I’m very glad I ordered this box, I know that if I hadn’t I would see other unboxings and feel annoyed that I missed out.

You can order your FairyLoot box HERE for £26 pounds (not including shipping). If you want to check out past boxes you can click HERE and HERE.

  My Links:

Goodreads : Becca Winter

Instagram : bookie_becca

Twitter : @Becca_Bookworm

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Becca

xxx

If there are any missing links or errors, please contact me so I can fix them.  With this new computer editing is not only slow, but it sometimes skips letters or jumps place.  Basically I’ve had a temporary downgrade and this computer can’t handle blogging easily. 

Book Subscription Box Review: FairyLoot Save the Kingdom My computer crashed and while I lost almost everything, I had backed up my blog files back in April. 

[persistingmillennial]

Okay, so far my posts have been admittedly completely serious and somewhat depressing. You may very well get the idea that I am a very serious and broken person. This is completely not true. I can be fun! I can be the life of the party! And as they say, the proof is in the pudding or in this case the birthday cake!

My birthday was last month and because I have amazing friends and family I was showered with weeks of celebration for turning 29. Now you may say weeks how decadent and you are completely right it was. So in true Marie-Antionette style let me share just how much fun I had.

First, it started with a girls weekend in Saskatoon. My sister-by-choice Jacinda treated me to a night at the fabulous Senator Hotel. This charming 108-year-old hotel was amazing! It had all this old world charm and fantastic beds. It also had the most wonderful hole in the wall wine bar. And when I say hole in the wall I mean a hole in the wall. It only seats 24 people. This fantastic little spot is one in which the wine and tapas were chosen for you by the amazing bartenders and the conversation flowed.

From there we went to dinner at our favorite spot Le Bon Temps. An awesome cajun restaurant with wonderful New Orleans flair. Always packed, always delicious, always fun (and the best damn banana foster ever. Fight me on this). OH! and best yet Jacinda got me a tiny loom! It is my first!

The next day was us just running fun errands. Starting with Starbucks and cake pops because a girl needs a bit of a birthday cake. Then being mall rats for the morning and hitting some stores that we only visit twice a year for supplies. I also got to do some much-needed clothing shopping for Evie at Once Upon a Child (best second-hand kids store ever … I got a full snowsuit for 40 bucks).

A few weeks later the celebration continued with me attending my first concert ever (yes I know that I am a bit behind the times’ art supplies were always first purchasing choice). So November 1st I went with the amazing Erica to see Barenaked Ladies live in concert. And it rocked. It rolled. It was amazing and fun (and everyone check out their newest album Fake Nudes! Go Now! Do it!).

It was such a blast seeing this amazing and funny band perform songs that have meant so much to parts of my life. Not to mention I think it was one of the most Canadian experiences I have ever experienced (I mean come on it was sponsored by Canadian tire). Oh also I went to the concert and all I got was this silly hat (because Erica is an amazing friend who has awesome taste in gifts. Also it is practical because the next day was for real -28 C outside).

Finally, we get to my actual birthday. And not only am I blessed with cards and FB greetings but my family sends me the most amazing flowers and my friends surprised me with a birthday party complete with cake, pizza and of course gifts. But I have to say the best and most special moment of all this celebrating was that my dad was able to sing his special birthday song to me. Now this song has been sung to me every year by my dad without fail. All 29 years. And for a period of this past year, I was pretty certain that I would never hear it again. So to have him call me up and sing it to me made me bawl like a little baby. Made my heart soar and it was the best gift I could ever hope for.

So. All in all my 29th birthday was amazing. I was blessed and spoiled. I was reminded how much I am loved and how amazing the people around me are. I had a first experience, great surprises and most of all a great time. Here is to year 29. It came in with joy and hope to be filled with joy.

And now to leave you with a fun video. Or two.

And Now for something completely different. Okay, so far my posts have been admittedly completely serious and somewhat depressing. You may very well get the idea that I am a very serious and broken person.