#his foster father is a legendary friend to dragons

[spectrum-color]

I can’t stop thinking about how almost no one probably knows that Tom Badgerlock and Prince FitzChivalry Farseer are the same person, given that the public story to explain why he was MIA for so long and looked about 30 years too young was that he had spent the missing decades among the Elderlings.

So when he showed up at an actual Elderling city with the scaled and golden eyed Lady Amber, and they were looking for their kidnapped child in the fabled land of the Whites, it probably started a whole legend. Prince FitzChivalry the Witted Bastard took a golden Elderling bride and they lived in a magical realm to the south until one day, he reappeared at Buckkeep for help because their beloved daughter was stolen by the evil kingdom of Clerres. They recruited their fellow Elderlings, the Bingtown Traders and their liveships, and the dragons themselves to defeat their enemies and rescue their daughter, valiantly perishing in the process but returning Princess Bee Farseer to her ancestral home. The princess in question eventually learns how to stop getting annoyed by the inaccuracies whenever the ballad is played at a feast.

[monkeydluffy19920]

More random thoughts about Luffy’s hat

So, this post made me think of the continuity/the end of One Piece in general. This whole series practically started from that iconic moment when Luffy received the straw hat from his idol Shanks and ever since that, he has kept it as his most valued treasure. 

Then they made a promise that Luffy would return the hat once he has become the great pirate but the question is, will he be king of the pirates when they meet again or will Luffy first have to battle against Shanks since he happens to be one of the Yonkos?

Many series’ have this “passing the legacy to the next generation”- kind of scene/episode where the main characters’ future is revealed or alternatively the series end at that very scene when the main characters are with their offspring and they tell them to go for new adventures. Well, this kind of happened already with Luffy and Shanks when their paths separated but it leaves to the questions, will this happen again one day? 

One of the main themes of One Piece, that family doesn’t necessarily always mean and need a bloodline connection. Come to think about it, most of the Straw Hats didn’t have a blood-related family. Luffy has grandpa Garp and Dragon but they weren’t much around so he grew with Ace and Sabo who were not his biological brothers. Then Nami has Nojiko as an adoptive sister plus Bell-Mere, Chopper was kicked out of his reindeer herd because of his red nose but Dr. Hiruluk took him as an apprentice and Franky’s parent’s dumped him and he was as well raised by a foster father.

Also, Usopp grew as an orphan basically because his mother Banchina passed away while his father Yasopp was sailing with Shanks’ crew and same goes with Robin whose mother Nico olvia was deceased as well. Sanji still has his biological family unless they didn’t survive Big Mom’s final musical but Sanji made it very clear that he doesn’t consider Judge Vinsmoke as his real father because Zeff who raised him was more father for him than the Germa leader who imprisoned his son because he was a failure in his eyes. So, one of the things One Piece tries to tell us is that family can be also formed by a bunch of friends who are sharing a deep bond and interested in similar things.  

Like said, since we don’t know yet what kind of meeting Luffy and Shanks will have in the future or will Luffy achieve his dreams at all (of course he will, that’s what One Piece is about!) so the destiny of the hat is also quite open and leans currently on the headcanons of the fans. However, thinking about the previous family- theme and the possibilities around the legendary Luffy-Shanks-reunion, would it be possible that the hat is already passed the next when they meet (perhaps after Wano)? or will Luffy still consider himself not being strong enough and will he keep the hat until he finds One Piece, literally?

On the other hand,  what if Luffy could not give Shanks the hat and fulfill their promise at all (because if something happened to him or the captain of Red Hair Pirates)? What would then happen to the hat or where would it end and who would carry it?  

There are countless theories regarding Luffy’s future, some say that he will achieve his dreams, some say he won’t. Some ponder whether Luffy wants a family or not and if he’d become a father himself, would he decide to pass his legacy to his child, which in this case would probably mean passing the hat to this viable offspring but then again, could he even give the hat to his own child if Shanks was still alive or would Shanks want the hat back so badly even if this all happened. 

The reason why this whole thing randomly popped into mind suddenly after that one fanart mentioned in the beginning was that there have been various theories about the baby Makino is holding in chapter 614′s cover page. Obviously, the baby could be anyone’s but many fans keep guessing in different forums whether it’s Shanks’ since they seemed to have nice chemistry based on Luffy’s flashbacks.

So, one the questions that  we might possibly meet later in this series is, that if Oda-sensei confirmed that the father of Makino’s baby really was Shanks and Luffy found out about it, would the Straw Hat captain still keep the treasure until the very end and later in the final chapters pass it forward to this baby? 

[theultimatereapermailbox]

✨Whimsical: Favorite fairytale?

My favorite is The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Have you heard of that story, nonnie? 

An old, childless bamboo cutter found a shining stalk of bamboo. When he cut it, inside was an infant girl the size of his thumb. He was so happy to have found her that he had brought the baby girl home, where he and his wife named her Kaguya-hime and raised her as their own. Since then, when the bamboo cutter cut down bamboo stalks, he found nuggets of gold inside and soon became rich–all while raising Kaguya-hime, who grew up to be of ordinary size and extraordinary beauty. He had tried to keep her hidden from outsiders, but news of Kaguya’s beauty spread and suitors tried to woo her and have her hand in marriage.

Kaguya-hime, of course, was reluctant when the suitors had come and persuaded her father to have her choose among them. So, she devised a test in asking for these specific items for these suitors: the stone begging bowl of the Buddha Shakyamuni from India; the second a jeweled branch from the mythical island of Hōrai; the third the legendary robe of the fire-rat of China; the fourth a colored jewel from a dragon’s neck; and the final item a cowry shell born of swallows. Each suitor was specified to bring one of these items to her. 

The suitors who realized these were impossible tasks had tried to deceive Kaguya-hime with fakes, but she had seen through their deception; one suitor lost his life trying to obtain his specified item. After this, the Emperor of Japan had encountered Kaguya-hime, fell in love with her, and proposed marriage. She rebuffed him, saying she was not of his country and could not go to the palace with him. While she kept contact with the Emperor, she still refused his advances. 

That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime saw the full moon, her eyes filled with tears. Though her adoptive parents worried greatly and questioned her, she was unable to tell them what was wrong. Her behaviour became increasingly erratic until she revealed that she was not of this world and must return to her people on the Moon–some versions of this tale varying between she was sent to the Earth, where she would inevitably form material attachment, as a temporary punishment for some crime; while others, she was sent to Earth for her own safety during a celestial war. The gold that Taketori no Okina had been finding had in fact been a stipend from the people of the Moon, sent down to pay for Kaguya-hime’s upbringing.

As the day of her return approached, the Emperor sent many guards around her house to protect her from the Moon people, but when an embassy of “Heavenly Beings” arrived at the door of Taketori no Okina’s house, the guards were blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announced that, though she loved her many friends on Earth, she must return with the Moon people to her true home. She wrote sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gave her parents her own robe as a memento. She then took a little of the elixir of life, attached it to her letter to the Emperor, and gave it to a guard officer. As she handed it to him, her feather robe was placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth were apparently forgotten. The heavenly entourage took Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki no Miyako, leaving her earthly foster parents in tears.

The parents became very sad and were soon put to bed sick. The officer returned to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime had given him as her last mortal act, and reported what had happened. The Emperor read her letter and was overcome with sadness. He asked his servants, “Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?”, to which one replied the Great Mountain of Suruga Province. The Emperor ordered his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess. The men were also commanded to burn the elixir of immortality since the Emperor did not wish to live forever without being able to see her.

[ganymedesclock]

Hey so remember that time that I was like “so I’m gonna come up with pokemon for some major Voltron characters, but I’m gonna limit it to two each because what kinda maniac would do full teams for 12+ characters”?

Me. I am that kinda maniac. 

Team Voltron in this post- Sincline plus Haggar and Zarkon later.

Lance Milotic [s] * Primarina * Gyarados * Swampert * Octillery * Lapras

Lance ended up with the single most evenly-typed team out of everybody I put here. The shiny Milotic is his signature pokemon but overall I can see Lance spending a lot of time with his team, both talking to them and grooming them. (if there’s anybody on the team I can see doing really well in contests, it’d be Lance)

Milotic and Gyarados are natural choices given the implication, as I��ve discussed before, that Lance is only a few steps behind Keith while not being a prodigy, and thus, a hard worker- so him getting pokemon that are regarded as pathetic, looked-down-upon initial evolutions, and refusing to give up on them no matter what, and reaping the rewards with a show-stopping team. 

Primarina arguably fits in for the same reasons (I remember when Sun/Moon started coming out, everybody dunked on Popplio) but with its final evolution being a ~beautiful mermaid~ there’s also no way Lance wouldn’t roll for that.

Octillery is a nod to Lance’s own brilliant marskmanship as well as being stated to be a calm pokemon that enjoys being fussed over, and Lapras are stated to sing to find each other, good for the empathetic connector that Lance is as a person. The swampert is both an effective canceler of electrical attacks (as Lance is pretty dang adaptable all things considered) and a nod to his connection with Hunk, the Earth paladin.

Keith Charizard (Y mega evolution) * Absol * Talonflame * Aegislash * Minior * Arcanine

I feel like Keith’s team, outside of the obvious fire motif, would be more ranger-like than focused on battling; the feeling from his house in s1e1 and the way he so clearly enjoys both the hoverbike and the outdoors strikes me as someone who would take very well to having a team that can let him tear across an open expanse or soar through the air. Either way, gotta have room to roam- his team has some rather large members.

I imagine Keith’s not a very earnest trainer. Most of his team came to him rather than him seeking them out, and they have funny personal stories behind almost all of them. The only exception is Charizard, who he got as a starter Charmander and who stuck with him the entire time he was shuffling around the foster system.

Aegislash are stated to be servants of those it believes possess a ‘kingly spirit’ and that one in particular doesn’t always listen to Keith, though it does sure seem interested in his welfare- it just sometimes disagrees with him on what that looks like. He’s never known it as a Honedge or Doublade- and it’s been around as long as he can remember. Perhaps someone asked it to look after him? It certainly nannies him an awful lot.

The arcanine he found as a growlithe hiding under a car, but it didn’t evolve until Garrison. Conversely the talonflame evolved really quickly; it was another adopted one (he found it after it hit a window and was able to nurse it back to health) I can see him using the talonflame more for exploration than for fighting.

Absol was a present from Shiro who thought they were similar-minded and could get along. (C’mon it’s a moody, well-intentioned prophet pokemon with flippy hair. I couldn’t not give one to Keith) It’s a little troubled but so’s he, so, they work.

Keith has no idea what’s up with the Minior. It latched onto him during his year in the desert and refused to leave him. He kinda thinks of it as a kindred spirit since they’re said to come from space and he feels pretty lost himself. (Kiddo you have no idea.)

Shiro Lucario * Skarmory * Mightyena * Umbreon * Scizor * Dusknoir

Veteran trainer who runs a tight ship, though not to his team’s detriment. A mix of dark and steel types, mostly, suitable for the tough-as-nails Black Paladin whose fighting style definitely has some shades of “brutally efficient”. As much as Shiro is an honorable and empathetic type, when it comes to life-or-death situations he goes for the throat big time. 

Thanks to his leadership, coordination and focus, they all made it through the missing year a bit beat up, a bit scarred, and pretty stressed- in particular his eevee didn’t exactly... plan to end up in that evolution but it had to evolve in the sunless sterile environment of the arena. 

Lucario is really nearly Shiro as a pokemon and I can see him sharing a very strong bond with it- the natural sense of justice, keen personal focus and that, for all of its strong instincts and wills, it’s a pack hunter that focuses on the idea of the group.

Skarmory is a pokemon said to refine its edge through experiencing hardship, battering its steel wings until it eventually regrows them and sharpens their cutting edge. Scizor fits in under that umbrella as well, since it’s another steel type and one that has to use its wings to thermoregulate, creating the image of an entity under pressure that has to regulate itself carefully. I sort of imagine during the missing year they spent a lot of time tanking for Shiro himself and for the rest of the team, and came out the most battered as a result. 

Mightyena is another socially-motivated pack hunter, which, given it’s a dark type and thus allegedly ‘evil’ would implicitly strike a balance between honorable and pragmatic, which is very significant to Shiro. 

Dusknoir’s a good sport, helpful and obliging, but Shiro sorta gets the creeps around it since he went into the missing year with only five pokemon (having given Keith his absol) and has absolutely no memory of when or where this one showed up and given its whole guide of the dead thing he sometimes wonders if it’s actually here for him in the not necessarily supportive sense of the term.

Hunk Donphan * Aggron * Bastiodon * Claydol * Golurk * Chansey

The donphan is his signature pokemon and primary companion- which matches his mentality basically perfectly as a relative slow mover that becomes virtually unstoppable once set on a single goal.

Hunk’s team pretty much embodies the dual nature of a compassionate protector of others with someone who will through-and-through mess you up if you tick him off or hurt his friends. You’d better believe that chansey is ready to throw down at any time of day. 

Aggron nicely embodies both with its propensity to restore and maintain its territory but also being a metal dinosaur that will protect that territory viciously.

Claydol and Golurk are more testaments to his curiosity and interest in technology. Hunk was the only one I gave a fossil pokemon, with the idea being he’s the sort of person who’d take the time to carefully nurse a revived prehistoric creature back to health. In general, I think Hunk’s team would be in good shape, like, he’s the type who just really enjoys taking care of them. He never officially signed up for the league (hence his lack of a starter) but just sorta accumulated pokemon that he made friends with.

In his defense most of these guys were a lot smaller when he started out and sometimes his donphan forgets that it’s not the size of a lapdog anymore. 

Pidge Rotom * Phantump * Porygon * Minun * Beldum * Cleffa

With only a single grass type, Pidge has the weakest connection to her element, but that much really makes sense- of the team she’s probably the most distant from understanding herself. Her team is all first evolutions as well- she’s got a lot of growing to do.

The rotom is both her signature and virtually never battles, usually hiding out in her laptop. They’re her best friend and avid confidant and she doesn’t like to have them occupy something they can’t talk to her through. (You bet your ass she has a Rotomdex. she built it herself)

Minun and Cleffa were gifts from her brother and her father respectively- Matt has a corresponding Plusle, and Cleffa because someone like Sam Holt who dedicated his life work to finding extraterrestrial life would be charmed by pokemon like the clefairy line that is rumored to have come from outer space. Pidge didn’t have much interest in the ‘conventional’ pokemon league and I imagine she only caught a few of her pokemon personally- most were from her family. Her mom got her Porygon partially in honor of her love of old-school graphics.

Beldum she caught all on her own! It was difficult- she killed an entire holiday- but she’s gonna have a metagross. As. soon as she can figure out how to encourage it to evolve. So far it’s not buying anything. Sometimes her Rotom has to chase it away from her laptop so it doesn’t try to dismantle her equipment. She has successfully trained it to fetch wrenches though.

Phantump is a new addition after her dad and brother went missing- they’re the spirits of lost children and while Pidge didn’t get lost as much as Sam and Matt did, I think that sense of being forlorn and isolated would lead her to quickly connect with a creature that felt the same way. By the time half of these babies grow up she’s gonna be pretty terrifying.

Allura Diancie * Audino * Florges * Altaria * Mawile * Espeon

Diancie’s basically a given. Of course Allura has a legendary, of course it’s the pink princess coming into her own, of course Allura’s team is mostly fairy types. Have you seen Mega Diancie? Tell me that’s not an Allura look.

Audino is a healer, Florges is a pokemon that explicitly makes gardens for royalty, and Altaria being a dragon bird basically is the embodiment of “beauty and grace and about to destroy your face.”

Mawile is also a nice testament to Allura’s toughness and strength of spirit, while Espeon is more a nice allusion to her strength of mind- also putting her as a counterpart to Shiro as the two leaders of the paladins. A very beautiful team, and a very competent one. 

Given Allura’s sentimental nature, I can see most of her pokemon being old childhood playmates, even Diancie- her apparent love of the outdoors and Altea’s climate would both imply that it wouldn’t be hard to run into powerful pokemon. So her team has a very strong emotional bond and are able to trust each other implicitly.

Originally I was going to give Allura Xerneas and Haggar Yveltal, but I thought that Diancie was a better fit for Allura, and while she’s OP, she’s not that OP, at least- not that consistently so the idea is they’re more entities that the two can call upon in times of need.

Coran Stoutland * Drampa * Probopass * Alakazam * Walrein * Carbink

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, and yes, yes I did.

That said Coran’s team is anything but a joke- he can and will cheerfully destroy you if you’re unprepared. His whole team is docile as sheep outside of combat, though- Allura has a lot of fond memories hanging out with that Drampa. 

Others (the Alakazam, Walrein, and Probopass) are a little lazier but still certainly friendly.

The carbink pretty much had to be there as soon as I looked at the relationship the carbink advisers are said to have with Diancie in the movie-verse since it’s basically the relationship between Coran and Allura just with pokemon. I sort of like the idea that in-universe working with Diancie and the carbinks is just a very standard affair for the Altean royal family- as diplomats they formed alliances with the pokemon in their environment before moving into space.

His signature pokemon is the Stoutland, through and through- a long-lived wise pokemon cited as a protector of others and a creature that will go through great toil to protect others. Also it’s such a stodgy, respectable-feeling thing, you can just imagine it patiently trotting along beside Coran on his way around the castle.

[asmund-scion-of-ice]

Character Name: Asmund Frostwing

Age: 569

Appearance: 

Art by @pepperapb

1. What do you know about this character now that s/he doesn’t know? Asmund is a big softie. He likes to think he’s a strong, tough guy, when in fact he’s a strong, tough guy who has very deep emotions. 

2. What is this character’s greatest flaw?

His greatest flaws are greed and rage equally. Though not quick to fly off the handle, Asmund will take his rage to an unprecedented level.Willing to level nations over small slights, this dragon’s outrage is legendary. As for his greed, Asmund very much can be swayed by gifts of mead, friendship, or gold. He has some core principles, but his greed can get him into trouble.

3. What do you know about this character that s/he would never admit?

He’s a control freak; he needs to be in charge whenever anything happens. He understands that that’s not necessarily his place, but Asmund has to fight the very strong urge to fight anyone else who wants to take command of a situation.

4. What is this character’s greatest asset?

His steely resolve.

5. If this character could choose a different identity, who would s/he be?

Asmund loves himself far too much.

6. What music does this character sing to when no one else is around?

Asmund loves marching music, songs with deep bass and solid drums.

7. In what or whom does this character have the greatest faith?

This dragon puts his faith in the Jarguund god Strengr, the god of knowledge, insight, and prophecy. He also puts great faith in his eldest child, Runa.

8. What is this character’s favorite movie? If there were movies, he would probably enjoy Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

9. Does this character have a favorite article of clothing? Favorite shoes? Asmund’s favorite piece of clothing is his bed-pillow. If that counts.

10. Does this character have a vice? Name it. MEAD

11. Name this character’s favorite person (living or dead.) His angel/cop daughters.

12. What is this character’s secret wish? To aid the younger planeswalkers in learning about the multiverse, and also get his Pre-Mending power back.

13. What is this character’s proudest achievement? Setting up his barony, Rovriddare, and fighting his mate into submission.

14. Describe this character’s most embarrassing moment.

Asmund is rarely embarrassed; he tends to be blunt. However, in retrospect, it would be detailing the destruction of a village and the lands around it to his friend Ivaria.

15. What is this character’s deepest regret? Not being there when his youngest daughter, Fyri, was murdered by a group of mislead adventurers.

16. What is this character’s greatest fear? Losing another of his children, be they adopted or biological.

17. Describe this character’s most devastating moment. Tied between hearing of Fyri’s death and when his mate, Varsephyss, declared herself his enemy.

18. What is this character’s greatest achievement? Creating Rovriddare, where not only could the people be free, but also he could collect large amounts of coin for himself and his people.

19. What is this character’s greatest hope? Achieving his Pre-Mending power and having his mead be recognized by everyone in the multiverse.

20. Does this character have an obsession? Name it. Asmund favors mead about all other alcoholic beverages. He is obsessed with brewing more variations.

21. What is this character’s greatest disappointment? Realizing that his mate only wanted to have children because of his power.

22. What is this character’s worst nightmare? Asmund’s worst nightmare would be his home plane being brought to ruin, along with the people of his nation.

23. Whom does this character most wish to please? Why? For a long time, it was his mate, Varsephyss. Now, it is his children.

24. Describe this character’s mother.

Asmund knew not his mother’s name.She was a great white dragon, sparkling with ice. Her violet eyes shone brightly. Asmund was a very small hatchling when his parent’s lair was attacked, and his family slaughtered. Asmund lost his tail and his spark ignited.

25. Describe this character’s father.

Asmund’s father was a white dragon, as best he knew. When his eyes opened he only saw his mother. He heard his father’s cries of pain outside their lair, however, when the dwarves made their two pronged assault, looking for riches.

26. If s/he had to choose, with whom would this character prefer to live? Preferably, he would lair by himself until he gets a new mate.

27. Where does this character fall in birth order? What effect does this have? Asmund was the middle of 5; the clutch was surprisingly large. 

28. Describe this character’s siblings or other close relatives. Asmund has three living children: Runa, Varterien, and Fiske.

Runa is extremely intelligent, and a red dragon, like her mother. She is an enchanter, specializing in runic magic. Runa is larger than her father by about 1/4. She doesn’t like social events, and prefers her books and laboratory to others. 

Varterien, like his sister, is also intelligent. He is a white dragon, like his father. He takes care of the court while Asmund is away, and is very well versed in politics. 

Fiske is a white dragon, and a conservationist. Fiske lives alone in the mountains and forests, moving often. He loves fishing, and keeps a satchel at his side filled with fish to eat. Fiske has a lair in the south of Rovriddare, where he studies how to foster environmental growth and sustainability of industry. 

29. Describe this character’s bedroom. Include three cherished items.

Asmund has a massive circular lair inside his castle on The White Mountain. The center is piled high with gold, jewels, platinum, weapons, armor, and enchanted artifacts. The walls, over 200 feet high, are lined with barrels, casks, bottles, and containers of mead, beer, wine, whiskey, and all sorts of drink. The ceiling can open and close for quick escapes. His first most cherished item is his bed-pillow, a massive piece of blue cloth, wool, and feather that he sleeps on. Asmund’s second is a small barrel of mead that his daughter Fyri made for him. Finally, the third cherished item is a set of broken dwarven heavy plate; the remnants of the dwarf that led the expedition to destroy his family.

30. What is this character’s birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his/her astrological sign? Asmund was born on the equivalent of January first, at the beginning of the New Year. He was blessed by Strengr upon his birth, which helped him become more intelligent that typical white dragons.

31. If this character had to live in seclusion for six months, what items would s/he bring? Most likely a few kegs of mead and his drinking horn. He has no need for survival gear.

32. Why is this character angry? Someone stole from him or hurt someone he liked.

33. What calms this character? Mead! Being with friends calms him, as well. 

34. Describe a recurring dream or nightmare this character might have. None

35. List the choices (not circumstances) that led this character to his/her current predicament.

His choice to become the most powerful dragon of all, and his choice to bargain with another dragon planeswalker.

36. List the circumstances over which this character has no control. Way too many. The multiverse is a big place.

37. What wakes this character in the middle of the night? Anyone setting off any of his enchantments, or any of his children or friends calling out to him.

38. How would a stranger describe this character? A cold, scary dragon who likes to drink.

39. What does this character resolve to do differently every morning? Fly a different route to and from places.

40. Who depends on this character? Why? An entire nation worth of people. Approximately 15 million or so.

41. If this character knew s/he had exactly one month to live, what would s/he do? Drink and be with friends and family. Perhaps fly on a crusade for the last half.

42. How would a dear friend or relative describe this character? A busy dragon, smart, and an alcoholic, probably. Caring too, hopefully.

43. What is this character’s most noticeable physical attribute? A tail stub; he’s missing a good chunk off his tail.

44. What is this character hiding from him/herself?

His wish to be considered an equal to another dragon planeswalker that’s cavorting about the multiverse.

45. Write one additional thing about your character.

Asmund will sell anyone mead, as long as they have the coin and don’t cause trouble. 

[chanlyeya]

have any other aus? maybe a fantasy au?

Why yes, I do in fact have other AUs, two of which are fantasy AUs. I’ll go into detail about those, but I guess I may as well list what I’ve got first:

As you all seem to know, judging by the number of asks I have regarding it, I have the parabella AU.

@furornocturna​ and I have the Spirited Away AU that we already started

@mad-reader​ and I have The Life and Death of Isabella Santos AU

….I’ll admit handholding anon, I put enough thought into that one little thing, including how Ash got the hands I may as well write it as a longer oneshot

I have my The Last Self AU that @zaheela​ beautifully illustrated

It’s not so much an AU as a Post-Ending story, but I have my Bellastalker twoshot that follows To Have and to Hold

I have my Collection of Heartbreak, which is seven separate AUs in which Bella hooks up with the main characters and Chris minus Ash told through his POV I swear Ashbella is the OTP

It’s still kinda a baby, but I have a Reaper!Bella AU

My Kingdoms of Amalur AU (which is one of the fantasy AUs)

and lastly, a nondescript fantasy AU I planned to answer this completely forgetting KoA is fantasy already (｡ ˃艸˂)

Nondescript one first, since its not as fleshed out. This one would be more focused on Zach if I get around to it, because he needs some love. The world is very magical, and everyone and their grandmas can do magic in some form or another. Basically, all the characters are magical in a certain way; Isabella’s a healer who just wants to find a cure to her father’s ailment, though she fights like a rogue rather than a war cleric to the surprise of everyone; Becca’s a powerful wizard searching for the truth behind The Fall of Luxbourne, the capital city that was suddenly swallowed by the earth out of nowhere a few centuries ago; Ash is a skinwalker who is trying to avenge the death of the his foster mother and find his parents (he was taken in by the Clarks despite being a skinwalker after he was separated from his parents running away from a hunter). Hannah’s a very Zelda-esque princess who communes with the Gods and blesses the normally barren earth for bountiful harvests and just wants to bring peace to her land; Marianne’s a rogue who can see the dead and has a spirit companion in the form the deceased Lorraine, who she can fuse with to manipulate shadows, who wants to find a way to let her friend move on.

Zach and Luke are special; Zach, in that he doesn’t have a lick of magic in him and is thus seen as inferior, and Luke was perceived as such at first, making his early life miserable. When it was discovered that Luke actually did have magic and it was being able to nullify other’s magic, he suddenly became very dangerous and rose up quickly, first in the underworld, then in high society. It is not common knowledge that he can nullify magic, and, after marrying Hannah, he becomes a somewhat tyrannical ruler who lashes back at those who hurt him. Hannah is too focused on trying to make the earth arable again to pay much attention to what he’s doing, since he’s unknowingly suppressing her magic. Anyways, because magic is as easy as breathing for these people, being unable to use it is like suddenly losing a limb, so magic users are kinda at a disadvantage against Luke. I’m guessing you can see where I’m going with this and Zach’s lack of magic though :P

The other one, the Kingdoms of Amalur one, is more just taking the concept rather than be a retelling of the story. In fact, it has very little to do with the actual story of the game, but, I figured calling it that would explain the world best.

You don’t need to know much about KoA other than this; everyone has their fates decided for them from the beginning of time and it is all woven together on some mystical tapestry that is guaranteed to play out that way, and gets to final destination freak accidents to fix any disturbance. There are certain people who can read this tapestry and they’re known as Fateweavers; they can see the lives of everyone they so wish, right down to their death. Bella, is one such Fateweaver.

Now, humanity is destined to be killed off within the next few decades, and there’s nothing that can be done about it except, Bella notices a missing strand. Someone’s fate wasn’t included in the tapestry, and that’s Ashton Frey, the Fateless.

Since Ash doesn’t have his fate written out for him, he can do whatever, and his actions can effect the fates of others. Becca for example, who supposed to die as a child, but he saved her, and the two have been friends and eventual travelling companions since. Zach is a travelling merchant who travelled with Belle, and thanks to know what their future holds, Belle and Zach are just waiting for Ash and Becca to arrive and help them on their journey.

Belle is against altering the tapestry too much, because, knowing what will happen is a huge boon. Of course, that includes her own death she never tells anyone about and is fully intending to just walk right into it, since she knows her death is needed for Ash to acquire some legendary item needed to save the world ;)

…Of course, any advances you make Ash will be rebuked not because she doesn’t love you back but because she knows she’s going to die within the year (◡‿◡✿)

Belle is the only one who can’t fight, but, her status as a Fateweaver still makes her invaluable, and they take her word as law generally because its literally been in stone…weaved in a tapestry. So, when she tells them to go on ahead, she’ll be fine even if the odds seem insurmountable, they would be inclined to believe her ;)

Lastly, my fantasy aus aren’t as well planned out as @zaheela‘s; so if you want some really good fantasy content, go and ask her ;) especially about dragon!ash, the possessive little thing

[fr-blackiebelle]

The Sunrot Resurrections: Part III - The Chieftain and the Lord

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@incalyscent, @tangelojack, @yuushanoah-fr, @serthis-archivist, @pinkangel725

Aramis thought that his granddaughter was strong for taking such a long time in dying.

Juarve had been in the Wyrmwound longer then Matisse who was baptized in it, and even longer then Damaris, who had walked through it to save a child. The time was reflected on her skin, red and raw as it was.

Great swaths of flesh corrupted black and purple and green stretched over her ribs, her hips. The pustules grew dreadfully large, and when they burst they leaked a yellow and red pus that drew flies. They all smelled infected to him.

But, to her credit, Juarve was silent. She did not moan or cry out, though tears flowed freely down her ruined face. Her nose was gone, leaving only a pair of mishapened black pits, as was her ears and eyes. Her antlers had melted down into stubs, like a spent candle. They both fell off at his touch.

Her skin, where the cysts hadn’t formed, was scorched and cracking. Great ravines of red streaked up and down it, tearing wider whenever she moved. Her hands had been eaten away, and Aramis could see the white of her bones and tendons in the little that remained. Her feet and wings were the same.

He had taken hold of her in the Wyrmwound, when she was thrown in as sacrifice, and pulled her out alongside himself.

He had died. He had died with smoke in his lungs and fire and traitors all around him.

But he was resurrected. His fur was the same as before, perhaps even healthier and not dull with malnutrition. He felt jittery. There was a light inside him, in his chest and belly, and Aramis could see the jagged shadows of his ribs when he looked down.

When he had crawled from the Eleven Hells, throwing his granddaughter down beside him, two ghosts from the past stood before him, both as dead as he. They had sunk to their knees and bowed their heads.

There was Mars, who had abandoned him when the fire broke loose. The fae looked the same as he did, though the light in his pale green eyes was jubilant and his back was a little more stooped.

Then there was Toril, who had been dead for decades. The pale guardian stood as strong as the day they met, proud and powerful. One of her eyes was red, and the other was light. Both her and his advisor wore armor, of a fine make, likely from the Ruins.

After they were through with bowing and pledging obedience, they rose and set to work on dressing Aramis in a armor of his own. The cuirass was fine ebony, inscribed with runes and filigree, with teeth of steelscale to give shape to the tops of his shoulders. The pauldrons were of a darkened steel, and fastened with leather straps that stretched across his breastplate and back. His gauntlets were heavy ebony, fully enclosing his fingers and stretching to his elbow. The tips were pointed like claws.

Besides those, he was given a plated tail guard, a kilt, a sash, a wing banner, and his headdress. It was not the same one he wore before, Mars confessed, but he had it made to memory. Aramis found that he had missed the weight of it.

As Mars helped him don his armor, his hands smoked and burned whenever he touched the metal, while Toril was not burned. Aramis questioned this, and was told that both their armors had a massive amount of Light enchantments on them.

It was difficult for Mars to handle them, as a Wind dragon, and Plague or Shadow dragons would be badly affected by it as well. Too much exposure would likely lead to a overexposure of Light magic. The Lady of Light had aided in their rebirth, which was why Toril’s eye shone gold and Aramis’s chest shone like a lantern.

Once he was suited up, it was time for the journey through the Boneyard. North was where Ives had taken the clan, and by the sounds of it, he had been busy.

Mars explained as they traveled. “Ives has taken it upon himself to forge alliances. Many of them have fallen through, with hostages returned or runaway, but some of them have worked out well.”

Hellreek was not a figure of folk lore, they were quite real and they had one of his bastard daughters. Rusvai, the youngest. She apparently insisted on dressing all in white to differentiate herself from him. In exchange, they had one of Akeelah’s sons. He was gentle, though his mouth was death.

When Aramis asked of the relation between the clans, Mars nearly laughed.

“Virulent,” Mars said, with a practiced tone of mirth, “Is in bed with Hellreek. Quite literally these days.”

Half of Virulent was courting and bedding one Hellreek or another, he learned. One of Naomi’s sons had a mirror back at the lair, on a clutch of his eggs, while one of his sisters was at Hellreek’s lair, with a son of the legendary Death From Above.

Just the other week, Ives had sent a strong mirror pup to Hellreek, in exchange for pick of the nest of any clutch laid to their warriors. If there was any friendship at all in the Wasteland, there was friendship between Hellreek and Virulent.

They called it the Hellrot Alliance.

The conversation changed to Ives, of the self-styled Lord Chieftain of Virulent. He had taken the Vogelzang skydancer, Cosette, as bride. The same one that he had given to that drunken oaf so many years ago. He had fathered a army off of her, and gave most of the children away as hostages, so he could foster a child from another clan’s leader.

The conversation changed to his grandchildren, of the black and grey beasts that wanted the Lord Chieftain’s favor so badly. Six of them remained in the clan, as well as a great-granddaughter, a great great granddaughter, and two bastards Aramis had gotten off of Amiria.

If they were to quarrel for the crown, grey-blue Tergailia would have the most supporters, though the blue-grey guardian, Iliutas, would win in a fight if they fought honorably.

Ilgeslys would win if they fought dirty. Kivka would kill the victor.

The conversation changed to Vogelzang, of the overthrow of Humboldt and the fleeing of Valjean and Mariele. They stole one of Sieghilde’s children when they fled, and all of them were infected with shadow magic. Cosette’s mother had to be sealed in a suit of armor and bound in prayer ribbons to keep her together.

They had barely spoken to Vogelzang since Merchannwyl took charge, and rarely received shipments anymore. They had not received word of Lorelei’s death, as of yet.

On the horizon, the great cliff of Dragonhome appeared.

The Lord Chieftain had hidden the entire clan in a great series of caverns, charming the entrance with protective wards that he thought would protect them.

They camped within sight of it, not setting a fire. They would approach tomorrow.

Aramis expected a fight.

  As they approached Clan Virulent, as soon as they came over the rise, they were contested.

Two guardians stood at either side of the entrance, though they were too far away to make out faces. Before long, a swarm of four came from the cavern to meet them.

The first to reach them was a brown, stout Imperial. He had a grand rack of antlers, and wore worn leather clothes. A wolfskin cloak was tied at his throat with a small bronze medallion. He walked with his chin low to the ground, like a stalking dog, and moved to cover their left, besides the cart. (Mars had vanished, he noted. Likely hiding in the back.) Aramis did not know him.

The second was another Imperial, taller than the first but still short. His skin was a pinkish-tan, with redline markings. His mane was wavy and pink, and he wore a solidscale breastplate. The rest of his armor was leather, dyed reddish-brown, and polished steel. He walked with his head high, like a scared dragon pretending not to be. He covered their right, to stare down Toril. Aramis did not know him.

The third was a guardian, lean and graceful. Her scales were a lovely blue-grey, though her true horns and her broad wings were a dull black. A crown of heavy black antlers sat upon her head. She was obviously the leader of the bunch, and judging from her antlers, Aramis presumed they were kin.

She had put great care into her ensemble - a woven chest piece of black and red leather that went to her waist, with a red kilt and red breeches underneath it.  A bow, grand and deadly, was in her hands, and the quiver of arrows was bound around her waist with a belt. She wore a cloak that was half red, half purple, tied at her throat with a ash-lace collar.

Her arm guards were leather, dyed a similar grey-blue as her skin. Her left arm guard was scaled with polished steel on the top, leading up to a single ebony pauldron. The banner that hung from it was a midnight purple, decorated with the black antlers they all beared. Ives had removed the headdress from Virulent’s device. He would fix that, soon enough.

The guardian stood tall before him, eyes fixed on him.

Aramis’s voice was rough and deep. He cut off his granddaughter before she could start.

“You’re Iliutas, aren’t you? I believe we are related.”

This took her at a surprise, and it flashed on her face. Aramis was thinking that she had to have been of his great-granddaughters, since Cosette was a skydancer.

The slight shock vanished, and her voice boomed elegant and strong.

“That I am, though I can’t say if I we’ve met before. Do you have business with Virulent or the Lord Chieftain?”

“I do. I would like to see Ives, as soon as I can.”

“And who are you? So that I may tell him.”

“An old friend.”

  It took Ives long enough to emerge from the cavern.

The two imperials had waited with them while Iliutas headed back, and it was close to a half hour before she returned to the surface, a red ridgeback and a black tundra (comically small besides all these giants) alongside her.

The Lord Chieftain walked with his guards on either side of him. He walked with purpose, with his head and antlers high. His blue-black mane was braided, he wore fine armor, and he did not wear a headdress.

The red ridgeback at his side did not have a nosehorn. He was missing a eye, and the other eye was a bright pink. His backspines and wings were chipped and torn. Aramis recognized his tarnished armor, he recognized the dragon he had raised from a hatchling.

Ivarr stopped when he recognized his Chieftain.

Ives stopped when he recognized his father.

They both screamed.

Ivarr’s scream was a wordless wail, like a parent who was told their child died. His legs went out under him, and the ridgeback went down to lie among the dust and bones, his hat fallen over his eyes.

Ives’s scream was a pained bellow, like a bull with a struck side. He was backing up, shaking his antlers and braids, his red eyes wide.

“YOU ARE DEAD, I WATCHED YOU DIE. I WATCHED YOU DIE.”

Iliutas had stopped, looking back at her Lord Chieftain. She stood tense, all the guards stood tense, but they did not attack.

Then, at the entrance to the caverns, a horn blew. A low, mournful note that echoed throughout the Wasteland, echoed from the Pillar to the Icefield. Three heartbeats later, the warriors of Virulent came tearing out.

The pink-maned Imperial leapt at Toril, and she took him with her teeth. She slammed into him, knocking him onto his wings, and moving atop of him. She pressed her golden gauntlets onto his throat, and golden smoke billowed forth at her touch.

The worn-leather Imperial lunged for Aramis, and the Chieftain prepared to meet him . . . only for Ivarr to attack from beneath. His hat had flown off, and he came down upon his fellow guard with particular savagery, threatening to open the Imperial’s belly with his claws, while the Imperial wrapped his jaws around his neck.

And Ives, the Lord Chieftain of Virulent, took a step towards Aramis, towards his father.

Both of them bared their fangs.

They rushed at each other with the ferocity of bulls, and met each other with their heads down. There was a great crack as their antlers hit, and a tine went spinning off into the dust. Both of them reared, claws against each other’s chests, roaring as they did.

Ives tried to bite at his throat, and Aramis did the same. Ives was wearing a gorget, he was not.

He was taller than his son, but Ives weighed more, and was more heavily muscled. He was half Snapper, and had the jaws of one. Ives shouldered him, and knocked him backwards. Ives was on top of him, gold and red smoke curling upwards from his black hide wherever the armor touched him.

No, Aramis thought, seeing colors unimaginable, I will not die again so soon.

Gathering his strength in his hind legs, he kicked out and tried to dislodge his son.

Nevertheless, he did not let go.

He cursed himself for having laid with that Snapper in the first place, cursed himself for not keeping the runt instead. In desperation, he reached up and grabbed at his sons face, trying to find some leverage, trying to make him falter, trying to -

Aramis’s gauntlets had sharped claws.

The thumb had caught Ives in the eye.

His howls were hellish.

His son released him and reeled backwards, ripping off and throwing down his own gauntlets to touch his ruined eye. He stumbled, and came down to his knees, clutching his face with his naked hands.

“Do you yield?”

Ives lifted a hand away, the other still cradling his jaw. The eye had been put out, and ran red down his face and neck, running down his gorget and down his breastplate in a great swath.

And where Aramis had touched his son, the fur had burned. It had scorched black, with gold cracking in the raw flesh underneath.

The remaining eye burned with hate and fear, surrounded by red and gold and black.

Ives spat a mouthful of blood, and it struck the ground at the Chieftain’s feet.

[asoiaf-history]

House Baratheon of Storm's End is one of the Great Houses of Westeros, and is the principal house in the stormlands, which they rule as Lords Paramount of the Stormlands. Their seat, Storm's End, is an ancient castle raised by the Storm Kings from the now-extinct House Durrandon. The Baratheon sigil is a crowned black stag on a field of gold. Members of the family tend to be tall and powerfully built, with black hair and blue eyes, as well as strong, square jawlines. They are known for their mercurial tempers, and their words are "Ours is the Fury". House Baratheon is the youngest of the great houses, tracing its descent from Orys Baratheon, one of Aegon I Targaryen's fiercest generals, and rumored to be his bastard brother. Through the female line, the Baratheons are descended from the Storm Kings, as Orys slew Argilac the Arrogant, last of the Storm Kings, and married his daughter Argella Durrandon. Orys adopted the sigil and words of his wife's ancestral line. The line of the Storm Kings dates back to the Age of Heroes when their kingdom was founded by King Durran I "Godsgrief", a legendary hero. Ser Raymont Baratheon, a younger son of an unknown Lord Baratheon, was a member of the Kingsguard of King Aenys I Targaryen, and saved the life of his king during the Faith Militant uprising, when the Poor Fellowsattempted to murder the king in his bed. During the Dance of the Dragons, Lord Borros Baratheon sided the House with Aegon II Targaryen and the greens, despite his late father, Lord Boremund's support of the blacksand relation to Rhaenys Targaryen (through his sister, Jocelyn Baratheon). Prince Aemond Targaryen was sent to Storm's End, to get Lord Borros to side with Aegon II, by offering a betrothal between himself and one of Lord Borros' four daughters. It is unknown whether this marriage occured prior to Aemond's death the next year. Lord Borros was reluctant to face the dragons during the war, but marched with his army towards the end of the war, seizing King's Landing for Aegon II during the Moon of the Three Kings, restoring the city to order. He was promised that his eldest daughter would marry King Aegon II, who had lost both his Queen, Helaena Targaryen, as well as both of his sons, during the war. Borros then marched against the approaching riverlander army, and fought in the Battle of the Kingsroad, where he was killed by young Lord Kermit Tully. Having been injured in Dorne, King Baelor I Targaryen stayed at Storm's End for more than half a year to regain his strength, before travelling on to King's Landing. In 200 AC, Lord Baratheon held a tourney to celebrate the birth of his grandson. In 209 AC, the heir to Storm's End, Ser Lyonel Baratheon, called the Laughing Storm, participated in the Ashford tourney and fought on the side of Ser Duncan the Tall during a trial of seven. A daughter of Lord Lyonel was betrothed to crown prince Duncan Targaryen in 237 AC. Duncan broke the betrothal when he married Jenny of Oldstones in 239 AC. This angered Lord Lyonel, causing him to declare independence, naming himself the new Storm King. His short, bloody rebellion ended when he was defeated by Ser Duncan the Tall in single combat, Duncan renounced his claim to the throne, and King Aegon promised that Princess Rhaelle Targaryen, his youngest daughter, would marry Lyonel's heir, Ormund Baratheon. Rhaelle was sent to Storm's End to serve as cupbearer to Lord Lyonel, and as lady companion to Lord Lyonel's wife. The wedding took place in 245 AC, and a son, Steffon, was born the next year. Steffon served in his youth at the court of King's Landing, and became a close friend to his cousin, Prince Aerys Targaryen. He fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings in 260 AC, where his father, Lord Ormund, died in his arms, slain by Maelys I Blackfyre. Lord Steffon's eldest son, Robert, was fostered by Lord Jon Arryn at the Eyrie, together with Eddard Stark from Winterfell. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen defeated Lord Steffon Baratheon in a tourney at Storm's End that was eventually won by Ser Barristan Selmy. After the Defiance of Duskendale, King Aerys II Targaryen summoned Lord Steffon to King's Landing and named him to the small council. In 278 AC, Steffon was sent to Volantis, to find a bride for Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. He was accompanied by his wife, Lady Cassana Estermont. They failed their mission, and died upon their return, when their ship sank in Shipbreaker Bay. Steffon's eldest son, Robert, inherited Storm's End upon Steffon's death, and in the years that followed, was betrothed to Lyanna Starkof Winterfell.  In 282 AC, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert's cousin, disappeared with Lyanna Stark, causing Lyanna's eldest brother Brandon to ride to King's Landing in anger. He was arrested, and killed together with his father, Lord Rickard Stark, on the command of King Aerys II. The King then demanded the heads of both Lord Robert, as well as Eddard Stark, from Lord Jon Arryn, as both men were in the Vale. Arryn refused, and raised his banners, marking the start of the war that would become known as Robert's Rebellion. Robert became a figure-head, and personally killed Prince Rhaegar Targaryen during the Battle of the Trident in 283 AC. In the early parts of the war, the Battle of Summerhall and Siege of Storm's End were fixtures of the stormlands theater. Lord Robert was crowned King Robert I Baratheon. House Baratheon was split into three branches: House Baratheon of King's Landing, under King Robert I, House Baratheon of Dragonstone, headed by Lord Stannis Baratheon, and House Baratheon of Storm's End, headed by Lord Renly Baratheon, Robert's youngest brother. During the Greyjoy Rebellion in 289 AC, the combined Baratheon fleet defeated the Iron Fleet in the Battle of Fair Isle, commanded by Master of Ships Stannis. Stannis later subdued Great Wyk in his brother's name. Some time after he achieved manhood, Renly Baratheon was appointed to Robert's small council as master of laws.

[inloveandwords]

This post was inspired by Ally’s series (which was inspired by Lia at Lost in a Story).

It works like this

Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.

Order on ascending date added.

Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books

Read the synopsis of the books

Decide: keep it or should it go?

    The Complete Poetry and Prose by William Blake, David V. Erdman (editor)

Since its first publication in 1965, this edition has been widely hailed as the best available text of Blake’s poetry and prose. Now revised, it includes up-to-date work on variants, chronology of the poems, and critical commentary by Harold Bloom. An “Approved Edition” of the Center for Scholarly Editions of the Modern Language Association.

Date added to TBR: September 2, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: I went through a William Blake obsession in high school after I read Red Dragon and while, if I saw this book on sale I’d probably buy it, I wouldn’t go out of my way to read it therefore it doesn’t belong on my TBR.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Craig Raine

Humbert Humbert – scholar, aesthete and romantic – has fallen completely and utterly in love with Lolita Haze, his landlady’s gum-snapping, silky skinned twelve-year-old daughter. Reluctantly agreeing to marry Mrs Haze just to be close to Lolita, Humbert suffers greatly in the pursuit of romance; but when Lo herself starts looking for attention elsewhere, he will carry her off on a desperate cross-country misadventure, all in the name of Love. Hilarious, flamboyant, heart-breaking and full of ingenious word play, Lolita is an immaculate, unforgettable masterpiece of obsession, delusion and lust.

Date added to TBR: September 2, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Honestly? I just don’t think I could stomach actually reading this.

Books That Changed the World by Robert B. Downs

From the Bible, the Iliad, and the Republic to Civil Disobedience, Das Kapital, and Silent Spring, this revised and greatly expanded edition is a monument to the power of the printed word-an informative discussion of many of the most important works ever created.

Date added to TBR: September 2, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: While this sounds interesting… I don’t think I’d want to read an entire book. Especially one that is likely dated. I think I’d rather skim a blog post with this list LOL!

Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

Still Life with Woodpecker is a sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. It also deals with the problem of redheads.

Date added to TBR: September 2, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: I have no idea why I added this to my TBR in the first place…

Immanuel’s Veins (Books of History Chronicles) by Ted Dekker

This story is for everyone–but not everyone is for this story.

It is a dangerous tale of times past. A love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.

Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.

With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.

Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.

Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.

But remember, not everyone is for this story.

Date added to TBR: September 15, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: Dear Bree from 2010… WTF?

  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

Date added to TBR: June 27, 2011 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: I actually DNF’ed this book many years ago, but not because I didn’t appreciate it. I actually loved how it was written and remember tagging almost every other page, but I kept choosing other books instead of finishing it until eventually I put it down for good.

Insight Meditation: A Step-by-step Course on How to Meditate by Sharon Salzberg

Insight Meditation box set includes: • 240-page Insight Meditation workbook (wire-o binding)—This workbook is designed as a complete self-guided curriculum. Organized into nine lessons, the workbook features more than 75 step-by-step mindfulness exercises, question-and-answer sections, glossaries, and photographs illustrating correct meditation postures.

• 2 CDs (70 minutes each)—Six meditations teach the cornerstone practices in the Insight tradition.

• Insight study cards (12 cards)—Daily reminders of the fundamentals of meditation in a convenient, portable form.

Workbook Contents Lesson One: The Power of Mindfulness Lesson Two: Bare Attention Lesson Three: Desire and Aversion Lesson Four: Sleepiness, Restlessness, and Doubt Lesson Five: Concepts and Reality Lesson Six: Suffering Lesson Seven: Karma Lesson Eight: Equanimity Lesson Nine: Lovingkindness Last Words Appendix A: Meditation Supplies Appendix B: The Five Hindrances Appendix C: The Three Great Myths Appendix D: The Three Kinds of Suffering Appendix E: The Four Brahma-Viharas Appendix F: The Six Realms of Existence Appendix G: The Eight Vicissitudes

CD Contents Each CD features three guided meditations that will help you explore the direct experience of meditation. The meditations are set up to simulate as closely as possible the ambience of an actual practice session at a retreat center like the Insight Meditation Society. Meditations include: 1. Breath Meditation 2. Walking Meditation 3. Meditation on Body Sensations 4. Meditation on Hindrances 5. Meditation on Emotions 6. Metta Meditation

Excerpt Welcome to Insight Meditation. The compact discs and workbook will take you step by step through a comprehensive training course in basic meditation. The cards included in the box list various helpful teachings that are explored throughout this workbook. This course is rooted in the Buddhist style of vipassana, or insight meditation, but these fundamental techniques for sharpening your awareness and releasing painful mental habits are useful no matter what your religious or spiritual orientation. It’s not necessary to affiliate with any belief system in order to benefit from Insight Meditation. These mindfulness practices can support your existing spiritual path, whether it’s a structured practice like Christianity or Judaism, or simply a personal sense of your relationship with the great questions of human existence. What to Expect: Insight Meditation comprises two compact discs, a workbook, and a set of informational cards. The workbook contains: –Information on meditation resources –Suggestions for setting up a meditation space and a daily practice –Buddhist teachings about meditation and life –Q & A sessions that clarify practical new issues new meditators tend to encounter –Exercises to help you deepen your understanding and experience of meditation (and space to respond to them) –Tips for taking your meditataive awareness into the world and for troubleshooting problem areas in your practice — Glossaries of Pali, Sanskrit, and other terms — A list of books and tapes you can use to further your study of meditation.

Date added to TBR: June 27, 2011 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: My friend and I started a meditation group back in 2011 and this was what we kind of based our meetings on… we followed the meditations in this book, so I got through some of this book, but when our group fizzled out, I never really went back to it and I don’t see myself doing so. That is not to say this isn’t a wonderful book for beginners, because it truly is. I highly recommend this box set to anyone who is interested in meditation, but it just doesn’t belong on my TBR.

Helen of Troy by Margaret George

A lush, seductive novel of the legendary beauty whose face launched a thousand ships

Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity’s bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now, Margaret George, the highly acclaimed bestselling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.

Margaret George breathes new life into the great Homeric tale by having Helen narrate her own story. Through her eyes and in her voice, we experience the young Helen’s discovery of her divine origin and her terrifying beauty. While hardly more than a girl, Helen married the remote Spartan king Menelaus and bore him a daughter. By the age of twenty, the world’s most beautiful woman was resigned to a passionless marriage until she encountered the handsome Trojan prince Paris. And once the lovers flee to Troy, war, murder, and tragedy become inevitable. In Helen of Troy, Margaret George has captured a timeless legend in a mesmerizing tale of a woman whose life was destined to create strife and destroy civilizations.

Date added to TBR: June 27, 2011 Keep or Ditch? Keep Comments: This beauty of a book is currently sitting on my bookshelf and has been since 2011 and there it shall remain. I do really want to read this book because I effing hate Helen of Troy and Paris with a fiery passion. I think they’re both despicably selfish and stupid and I’d love to read this book and see their side of the story.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.

Date added to TBR: June 27, 2011 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: TBH I read most of this book and saw most of the movie, but I don’t see myself picking it up again.

Vampires: The Greatest Stories by Martin H. Greenberg

Contents • 1 • Introduction (Vampires: The Greatest Stories) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg • 3 • The Bat Is My Brother • (1944) • shortstory by Robert Bloch • 23 • In Darkness, Angels • (1983) • novelette by Eric Van Lustbader • 53 • Dayblood • (1985) • shortstory by Roger Zelazny • 59 • The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady • (1988) • novelette by Brian Stableford • 81 • The Cookie Lady • (1953) • shortstory by Philip K. Dick • 91 • The Miracle Mile • (1991) • novelette by Robert R. McCammon • 111 • Something Had to Be Done • (1975) • shortstory by David Drake • 117 • Valentine from a Vampire • (1988) • novelette by Ed Gorman [as by Daniel Ransom ] • 151 • Mama Gone • (1991) • shortstory by Jane Yolen • 157 • Beyond Any Measure • (1982) • novella by Karl Edward Wagner • 207 • Red as Blood • (1979) • shortstory by Tanith Lee • 219 • No Such Thing as a Vampire • (1959) • shortstory by Richard Matheson • 229 • The Vampire of Mallworld • [Mallworld] • (1981) • novelette by S. P. Somtow [as by Somtow Sucharitkul ] • 253 • Child of an Ancient City • (1988) • novelette by Tad Williams

Date added to TBR: June 27, 2011 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Comments: #vampirephase #thanksTwilight

      Here are the stats

You guys… I’ve added so many books to my TBR the past few months because I’ve been watching more BookTube channels and I made a few Book Outlet and library bookstore purchases, so my count has grown exponentially!

Starting Total TBR Count: 1760 Previous Total TBR Count: 1762 Total Marked TBR ASAP: 138 Updated Total TBR Count: 1849 Total Ditched Today: 9 Total Kept Today: 1

Bye-Bye Books: Decluttering my TBR January 2019 This post was inspired by Ally’s series (which was inspired by Lia at Lost in a Story…

[kinggodfrost-blog]

Naga Gojira

So, Naga was a very good boy, he did as he was told and had a good life with his mom and dad, and they lived peacefully, but then People took his mom and dad’s life when he was just 3 year’s old and they tested on him giving him a Lacrima, but then a giant being raised up from the sea, it’s name, was Godzilla the Infinity Atomic Dragon, he fount Naga crying and alone, this reminded of him when he was young so he took him in and raised him as his son, and with help from the Goddess Mothra the Goddess of Life and she never saw to challenge the god dragon because he was way to strong for her, plus they where friends when the where babies,so she help raised him and then when he was old enough Godzilla trained Naga Infinity Atomic Dragon Slaying Magic with one goal in mind, to maintain order and balance in nature, and kill any who stepped off the path, but Godzilla knew he might turn into one of him so he when inside Naga to make an anti-body, so he wouldn’t turn into a being like him and when Naga woke up he realized he was alone, and Mothra was gone too and he was alone again, but this time an old man found him and his name was Makarov and the old man took him in the guild named Fairy Tail and then his Journey to find Godzilla and protect his family began, but unknowingly Godzilla didn’t know Naga had a Lacrima in him, mutating the two magic’s together and making a very powerful,dangerous, and fast Magic

Powers

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s God Fist-  The user engulfs their fist in atomic energy and can hit as hard as a god

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Claw-  The user ignites their feet with atomic energy  and proceeds to assault the opponent with a powerful atomic- enhanced kick, with the atomic energy greatly augmenting the power of said kick

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Crushing Fang-  The user ignites one of their hands and then swings it in an arc, striking the target with their fingertips

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Brilliant Destruction-  The user generates atomic energy in both of their hands and then joins them, creating a large ball, and when it hits it creates a very massive and destructive explosion

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Roar- it’s a blue beam of atomic energy and it’s more destructive and a lot more powerful than Acnologia’s Dragon Roar

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Supernova- This move is one of Naga’s most destructive moves and is a giant blue ball of Atomic energy that he tosses at people and can destroy the world or more if he so chooses

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Sword Horn- The user engulfs their entire body in atomic flames and then propels themselves against the opponent at high speed, hitting them with a powerful headbutt. The user then proceeds to send the enemy flying up in the air with a pillar of atomic fire produced from their body

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Grip Strike-  The user rushes towards the target and grabs them with their hand. Whilst giving the attacking arm support with the other, the user releases a vast amount of explosive atomic energy at point-blank range, destroying the target

Shear Fire technique- Naga can create his own little time dimensions and he can hit you from anywhere and everywhere

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Knee Strike- The user ignites their knees in Atomic energy and they hit people with there knee

Dragon Slayer Secret Art’s

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Red Spiral: This is Naga’s most deadly move, if you are hit by this giant Red Spiral beam your good as dead, because this beam can destroy anyone to a subatomic level

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Holy Judgement- When activated, a bright blue light envelops the area and inflicts massive damage on whoever the caster perceives from their heart as an enemy, leaving friends and bystanders completely unharmed. The choice between friend or foe is decided by the user’s heart, and they cannot lie to this Magic. It is considered one of the most powerful Magics and is one of the rare legendary spells, and also one of the three Legandary Kaiju Magics

Modes

Atomic Drive-  The user cloaks their body in an aura of red light, amplifying the powers of their Infinity Atomic Dragon Slayer magic and in this he can fight Acnologia and Zeref at the same time

Infinity Atomic Dragon’s Dragonforce-This Dragon Force greatly increases the damage done by his Infinity Atomic Dragon Slayer spells, and grants the user access to more advanced, powerful attacks. It also drastically enhances the user’s physical prowess, speed, and boosts their Magic Power to God like levels, which becomes visible, taking the appearance of a Dragon. When exuded at its fullest, said Magic Power takes on a violent corporeality, likely as a result of the immense amount of Magic Power employed and he never has had too use it in a fight ever (if you want to know what it looks like talk to me and it’ll tell you)

Burning Drive- A power only Infinity Atomic Dragon Slayer’s can have, This is the finally transformation of the Dragon Slayer and in the form Naga is unchallenged by anyone in power, and he has never used it, EVER. Because this is his dragon form

Natural Abilities

Enhanced Durability-godlike

Flight

Enhanced Strength-godlike

Enhanced Smell

Immense Speed-godlike

Manipulation Immunity

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combat

Immense Magic Power - Infinite

Regeneration

Can eat all types of magic to get his magic power back and make him stronger

Poison Resistance

Weakness

His magic can overflow and harm people

he loves to fight

and he can get angry quickly, but that only makes him stronger

Looks

Appearance- he has very big muscles and very good looking abs, and he also has a tail and he’s covered in very thick scales

Height- 11ft 9in

Wieght- 300 pounds of muscle

Hair: he has short spiky like Natsu’s hair,but it’s black

Temperament- he is usually calm, but when provoked he is scarier than Acnologia and Zeref

Intelligence- he’s one of the smartest people you’ll meet

Eyes- He has beautiful ember eyes

Dragon Dad- Godzilla

Foster Mom- Mothra

What his Atomic Drive looks like-

Dragon Force-

(imagine it only smaller about 11ft 9in

Burning Drive-

Chant- I, who am about to awaken,Am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from All, I Pity the “infinite”, and I Laugh at the “dream” I shall become the Infinity Atomic Dragon of Domination And I shall sink you to the depths of the Abyss!

Scar’s- Naga a a big scar on his belly and three huge and deep ones on his back making claw marks

Personality- He’s Kind,Ruthless,Protective,Calm,Cares about other’s more than himself,And lastly Wrathful

Fighting Style- Naga has a wrestling/ninja fighting style, he also uses a boxing fighting style too, in honor of his late father…Godzilla

Likes-Fighting,Food,Crafting,Sleeping, and Cats

Dislikes-being told what to do,going all out,cheating, people being dicks (girls included), and hurting close friends

Weapon of Choice-

Blade- 13ft long

Handle-5 ft long

Weight-only Naga can pick it up

Name-Kingslayer

Voice-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSNj4tGnTRk

[reussiretudes]

Synthèse orale de bac d’anglais - Myths and Heroes

A myth is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation. A hero is a man who accomplished an extraordinary or generous act of courage, who can sacrifice himself to protect the others. We are going to see: why Star Wars saga is regarded as the epic tale of our time? This saga follows the pattern of an epic tale, with its hero launched in a cosmic & superhuman quest:

I) Becoming a hero

1) You were not born a hero Luke starts out as being nobody, an insecure character & what he needs is a call to adventure to get him started & face a situation which is enormously challenging (ex: Moses who hesitated about the God’s words) they don’t necessarily want to do what they are called to do but life decides to make them deal with something much bigger than them. The murder of his foster parents will lead Luke to cross the first threshold: it means living your familiar & safe world to encounter disturbingly strange & dangerous creatures.

2) You’ve got to be initiated by a mentor Part wizard, part priest, part surrogate parent, mentors give philosophical & spiritual guidance to the hero. They often possess magical powers that reflect a lifetime of study, discipline & acquired wisdom that they will transmit to their students. The figure of the mentor appears in Homer’s Odyssey: before going to war, Odysseus entrusts his son Telemachus to his old friend Mentor.  In Star Wars, the mentors are Jedi masters (Joda, Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan)

3) You’ve got to make the right choice The hero is always on the right side in a world where good is pitted against evil. For every hero, there stands a villain. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is the hero and the villain is Dark Vader, Luke’s own father. Darth Vader is the Empire’s ruthless & unstoppable enforcer. He’s clad in a black & metallic armour. His name suggests evil (Darth= dark + death; Vader= invader + father). But he wasn’t born evil, he changed names, before he was Anakin Skywalker who used to be a young and proud hero. As a child he is wrenched away from his mother who will later die. This leads to revenge. To get it, he will choose the evil side, which will eventually kill his wife Padme.

II) The quest

1) The object of the quest Luke’s quest is to redeem his father whose arrogance, fear and desire for power led him to the dark side. The struggle between father & son is very present in Greek mythology: for example Zeus came to power by struggling with his father before him struggled with his father. His weapon is a thunderbolt lightning which is an obvious reference to Luke and Dark Vader’s light beams.

2) The journey As suggested by his last name, Luke Skywalker, the central hero of the saga, can at once be identified as a wanderer, flying from planet to planet or from a galaxy to another galaxy. Luke’s journey is a cosmic journey to defend freedom & humanity. If the mythic hero is a figure of freedom, the villain he faces often stands as a symbol of tyranny. At the center of the story there is the scheming Dark Sidious, disguised as the kindly senator Palpatine. He uses the Republic’s fears of rebellion & war to gradually seize absolute power. In his battle against can see his desire for power, his desire for control. He’s evil incarnate. The fight between good and evil is also the fight between man and machine. Dark Vader and his storm troopers wear masks & uniforms that symbolize their loss of humanity. They act like machines, doing what they are told, but not necessarily what is right. The message is that you must not rely on technology but on yourself. The best in us is to resist evil.

3) Undertaking perilous tasks Just like Hercules had to undergo certain tasks to prove his worth, so Luke has to rescue Princess Leia, he helps attack the Death Star, he’s swept up in the battle of Hoth & he rescues his friends from Jabba the Huth. Throughout his journey, Luke develops a character through the tasks he undertakes. He understands he is not doomed to carry on the sins of his father, as told in the Bible. The battles he has to fight cause serious wounds & life adds up injuries as we go along. But that is the making of the character, that is what makes us human & wiser.

4) Obstacles But not all comic characters are as innocent. There is for example Jabba the Hutt, a grotesque space gangster. He is like a modern dragon. Like dragons of mythology, he catches the maid (Leia). Jabba is also immensely rich, which reminds us that myths & legends often deal with treasures kept by dragons. Another theme is the journey into the belly of the whale, referring to Jonah being swallowed by a big fish in the Bible. In Star Wars the heroes are also swallowed by large entities, which seems to suggest going to the deepest part of oneself. The evil monster is also in all of us: the journey of the heroes is very much about overcoming doubts about themselves; they have to overcome their own fears. That’s why monster combat is so prevalent in the narrative of a hero’s journey. We have to fight the monsters of outside circumstances but we also have to fight these demons that come from our own heart.

III) Restoring order

When Luke finds his father, he can choose between turning to the dark side or following the teaching of his Jedi masters & destroy the Emperor & Darth Vader. Unexpectedly, he decides to redeem his father, by bringing him to the good side. For that, he is ready to sacrifice himself. Luke becomes a Messianic figure. He helps his father to recover his humanity, which also entails becoming mortal. Just like Hector before his death in the Trojan War, Anakin must face his son & his son’s greatness. In episode 3, we see Anakin’s humanity literally & figuratively burned away when he turns to the dark side or Hell. In episode 6, we see Dark Vader, the machine man burned away on a pyre, which is the ultimate heroic burial (Priam takes the body of his son Hector back to build him a pyre). But fire also means purification. Luke has saved his father’s soul. 

CCL : the Star Wars saga takes place in a futuristic world and at the same time, it resonates with constant references to ancient myths and heroes. That’s why it’s regarded as the epic tale of our modern time.

[readbookywooks]

Eddard

It's the hand's tourney that's the cause of all the trouble, my lords," the commander of the city watch complained to the king's council. "The king's tourney," Ned corrected, wincing. "I assure you, the Hand wants no part of it." "Call it what you will, my lord. Knights have been arriving from all over the realm, and for every knight we get two freeriders, three craftsmen, six men-at-arms, a dozen merchants, two dozen whores, and more thieves than I dare guess. This cursed heat had half the city in a fever to start, and now with all these visitors . . . last night we had a drowning, a tavern riot, three knife fights, a rape, two fires, robberies beyond count, and a drunken horse race down the Street of the Sisters. The night before a woman's head was found in the Great Sept, floating in the rainbow pool. No one seems to know how it got there or who it belongs to." "How dreadful," Varys said with a shudder. Lord Renly Baratheon was less sympathetic. "If you cannot keep the king's peace, Janos, perhaps the City Watch should be commanded by someone who can." Stout, jowly Janos Slynt puffed himself up like an angry frog, his bald pate reddening. "Aegon the Dragon himself could not keep the peace, Lord Renly. I need more men." "How many?" Ned asked, leaning forward. As ever, Robert had not troubled himself to attend the council session, so it fell to his Hand to speak for him. "As many as can be gotten, Lord Hand." "Hire fifty new men," Ned told him. "Lord Baelish will see that you get the coin." "I will?" Littlefinger said. "You will. You found forty thousand golden dragons for a champion's purse, surely you can scrape together a few coppers to keep the king's peace." Ned turned back to Janos Slynt. "I will also give you twenty good swords from my own household guard, to serve with the Watch until the crowds have left." "All thanks, Lord Hand," Slynt said, bowing. "I promise you, they shall be put to good use." When the Commander had taken his leave, Eddard Stark turned to the rest of the council. "The sooner this folly is done with, the better I shall like it." As if the expense and trouble were not irksome enough, all and sundry insisted on salting Ned's wound by calling it "the Hand's tourney," as if he were the cause of it. And Robert honestly seemed to think he should feel honored! "The realm prospers from such events, my lord," Grand Maester Pycelle said. "They bring the great the chance of glory, and the lowly a respite from their woes." "And put coins in many a pocket," Littlefinger added. "Every inn in the city is full, and the whores are walking bowlegged and jingling with each step." Lord Renly laughed. "We're fortunate my brother Stannis is not with us. Remember the time he proposed to outlaw brothels? The king asked him if perhaps he'd like to outlaw eating, shitting, and breathing while he was at it. If truth be told, I ofttimes wonder how Stannis ever got that ugly daughter of his. He goes to his marriage bed like a man marching to a battlefield, with a grim look in his eyes and a determination to do his duty." Ned had not joined the laughter. "I wonder about your brother Stannis as well. I wonder when he intends to end his visit to Dragonstone and resume his seat on this council." "No doubt as soon as we've scourged all those whores into the sea," Littlefinger replied, provoking more laughter. "I have heard quite enough about whores for one day," Ned said, rising. "Until the morrow." Harwin had the door when Ned returned to the Tower of the Hand. "Summon Jory to my chambers and tell your father to saddle my horse," Ned told him, too brusquely. "As you say, my lord." The Red Keep and the "Hand's tourney" were chafing him raw, Ned reflected as he climbed. He yearned for the comfort of Catelyn's arms, for the sounds of Robb and Jon crossing swords in the practice yard, for the cool days and cold nights of the north. In his chambers he stripped off his council silks and sat for a moment with the book while he waited for Jory to arrive. The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, With Descliptions of Many High Lords and Noble Ladies and Their Children, by Grand Maester Malleon. Pycelle had spoken truly; it made for ponderous reading. Yet Jon Arryn had asked for it, and Ned felt certain he had reasons. There was something here, some truth buried in these brittle yellow pages, if only he could see it. But what? The tome was over a century old. Scarcely a man now alive had yet been born when Malleon had compiled his dusty lists of weddings, births, and deaths. He opened to the section on House Lannister once more, and turned the pages slowly, hoping against hope that something would leap out at him. The Lannisters were an old family, tracing their descent back to Lann the Clever, a trickster from the Age of Heroes who was no doubt as legendary as Bran the Builder, though far more beloved of singers and taletellers. In the songs, Lann was the fellow who winkled the Casterlys out of Casterly Rock with no weapon but his wits, and stole gold from the sun to brighten his curly hair. Ned wished he were here now, to winkle the truth out of this damnable book. A sharp rap on the door heralded Jory Cassel. Ned closed Malleon's tome and bid him enter. "I've promised the City Watch twenty of my guard until the tourney is done," he told him. "I rely on you to make the choice. Give Alyn the command, and make certain the men understand that they are needed to stop fights, not start them." Rising, Ned opened a cedar chest and removed a light linen undertunic. "Did you find the stableboy?" "The watchman, my lord," Jory said. "He vows he'll never touch another horse." "What did he have to say?" "He claims he knew Lord Arryn well. Fast friends, they were." Jory snorted. "The Hand always gave the lads a copper on their name days, he says. Had a way with horses. Never rode his mounts too hard, and brought them carrots and apples, so they were always pleased to see him." "Carrots and apples," Ned repeated. It sounded as if this boy would be even less use than the others. And he was the last of the four Littlefinger had turned up. Jory had spoken to each of them in turn. Ser Hugh had been brusque and uninformative, and arrogant as only a new-made knight can be. If the Hand wished to talk to him, he should be pleased to receive him, but he would not be questioned by a mere captain of guards . . . even if said captain was ten years older and a hundred times the swordsman. The serving girl had at least been pleasant. She said Lord Jon had been reading more than was good for him, that he was troubled and melancholy over his young son's frailty, and gruff with his lady wife. The potboy, now cordwainer, had never exchanged so much as a word with Lord Jon, but he was full of oddments of kitchen gossip: the lord had been quarreling with the king, the lord only picked at his food, the lord was sending his boy to be fostered on Dragonstone, the lord had taken a great interest in the breeding of hunting hounds, the lord had visited a master armorer to commission a new suit of plate, wrought all in pale silver with a blue jasper falcon and a mother-of-pearl moon on the breast. The king's own brother had gone with him to help choose the design, the potboy said. No, not Lord Renly, the other one, Lord Stannis. "Did our watchman recall anything else of note?" "The lad swears Lord Jon was as strong as a man half his age. Often went riding with Lord Stannis, he says." Stannis again, Ned thought. He found that curious. Jon Arryn and he had been cordial, but never friendly. And while Robert had been riding north to Winterfell, Stannis had removed himself to Dragonstone, the Targaryen island fastness he had conquered in his brother's name. He had given no word as to when he might return. "Where did they go on these rides?" Ned asked. "The boy says that they visited a brothel." "A brothel?" Ned said. "The Lord of the Eyrie and Hand of the King visited a brothel with Stannis Baratheon?" He shook his head, incredulous, wondering what Lord Renly would make of this tidbit. Robert's lusts were the subject of ribald drinking songs throughout the realm, but Stannis was a different sort of man; a bare year younger than the king, yet utterly unlike him, stern, humorless, unforgiving, grim in his sense of duty. "The boy insists it's true. The Hand took three guardsmen with him, and the boy says they were joking of it when he took their horses afterward." "Which brothel?" Ned asked. "The boy did not know. The guards would." "A pity Lysa carried them off to the Vale," Ned said dryly. "The gods are doing their best to vex us. Lady Lysa, Maester Colemon, Lord Stannis . . . everyone who might actually know the truth of what happened to Jon Arryn is a thousand leagues away." "Will you summon Lord Stannis back from Dragonstone?" "Not yet," Ned said. "Not until I have a better notion of what this is all about and where he stands." The matter nagged at him. Why did Stannis leave? Had he played some part in Jon Arryn's murder? Or was he afraid? Ned found it hard to imagine what could frighten Stannis Baratheon, who had once held Storm's End through a year of siege, surviving on rats and boot leather while the Lords Tyrell and Redwyne sat outside with their hosts, banqueting in sight of his walls. "Bring me my doublet, if you would. The grey, with the direwolf sigil. I want this armorer to know who I am. It might make him more forthcoming." Jory went to the wardrobe. "Lord Renly is brother to Lord Stannis as well as the king." "Yet it seems that he was not invited on these rides." Ned was not sure what to make of Renly, with all his friendly ways and easy smiles. A few days past, he had taken Ned aside to show him an exquisite rose gold locklet. Inside was a miniature painted in the vivid Myrish style, of a lovely young girl with doe's eyes and a cascade of soft brown hair. Renly had seemed anxious to know if the girl reminded him of anyone, and when Ned had no answer but a shrug, he had seemed disappointed. The maid was Loras Tyrell's sister Margaery, he'd confessed, but there were those who said she looked like Lyanna. "No," Ned had told him, bemused. Could it be that Lord Renly, who looked so like a young Robert, had conceived a passion for a girl he fancied to be a young Lyanna? That struck him as more than passing queer. Jory held out the doublet, and Ned slid his hands through the armholes. "Perhaps Lord Stannis will return for Robert's tourney," he said as Jory laced the garment up the back. "That would be a stroke of fortune, my lord," Jory said. Ned buckled on a longsword. "In other words, not bloody likely." His smile was grim. Jory draped Ned's cloak across his shoulders and clasped it at the throat with the Hand's badge of office. "The armorer lives above his shop, in a large house at the top of the Street of Steel. Alyn knows the way, my lord." Ned nodded. "The gods help this potboy if he's sent me off haring after shadows." It was a slim enough staff to lean on, but the Jon Arryn that Ned Stark had known was not one to wear jeweled and silvered plate. Steel was steel; it was meant for protection, not ornament. He might have changed his views, to be sure. He would scarcely have been the first man who came to look on things differently after a few years at court . . . but the change was marked enough to make Ned wonder. "Is there any other service I might perform?" "I suppose you'd best begin visiting whorehouses." "Hard duty, my lord." Jory grinned. "The men will be glad to help. Porther has made a fair start already." Ned's favorite horse was saddled and waiting in the yard. Varly and Jacks fell in beside him as he rode through the yard. Their steel caps and shirts of mail must have been sweltering, yet they said no word of complaint. As Lord Eddard passed beneath the King's Gate into the stink of the city, his grey and white cloak streaming from his shoulders, he saw eyes everywhere and kicked his mount into a trot. His guard followed. He looked behind him frequently as they made their way through the crowded city streets. Tomard and Desmond had left the castle early this morning to take up positions on the route they must take, and watch for anyone following them, but even so, Ned was uncertain. The shadow of the King's Spider and his little birds had him fretting like a maiden on her wedding night. The Street of Steel began at the market square beside the River Gate, as it was named on maps, or the Mud Gate, as it was commonly called. A mummer on stilts was striding through the throngs like some great insect, with a horde of barefoot children trailing behind him, hooting. Elsewhere, two ragged boys no older than Bran were dueling with sticks, to the loud encouragement of some and the furious curses of others. An old woman ended the contest by leaning out of her window and emptying a bucket of slops on the heads of the combatants. In the shadow of the wall, farmers stood beside their wagons, bellowing out, "Apples, the best apples, cheap at twice the price," and "Blood melons, sweet as honey," and "Turnips, onions, roots, here you go here, here you go, turnips, onions, roots, here you go here." The Mud Gate was open, and a squad of City Watchmen stood under the portcullis in their golden cloaks, leaning on spears. When a column of riders appeared from the west, the guardsmen sprang into action, shouting commands and moving the carts and foot traffic aside to let the knight enter with his escort. The first rider through the gate carried a long black banner. The silk rippled in the wind like a living thing; across the fabric was blazoned a night sky slashed with purple lightning. "Make way for Lord Beric!" the rider shouted. "Make way for Lord Beric!" And close behind came the young lord himself, a dashing figure on a black courser, with red-gold hair and a black satin cloak dusted with stars. "Here to fight in the Hand's tourney, my lord?" a guardsman called out to him. "Here to win the Hand's tourney," Lord Beric shouted back as the crowd cheered. Ned turned off the square where the Street of Steel began and followed its winding path up a long hill, past blacksmiths working at open forges, freeriders haggling over mail shirts, and grizzled ironmongers selling old blades and razors from their wagons. The farther they climbed, the larger the buildings grew. The man they wanted was all the way at the top of the hill, in a huge house of timber and plaster whose upper stories loomed over the narrow street. The double doors showed a hunting scene carved in ebony and weirwood. A pair of stone knights stood sentry at the entrance, armored in fanciful suits of polished red steel that transformed them into griffin and unicorn. Ned left his horse with Jacks and shouldered his way inside. The slim young serving girl took quick note of Ned's badge and the sigil on his doublet, and the master came hurrying out, all smiles and bows. "Wine for the King's Hand," he told the girl, gesturing Ned to a couch. "I am Tobho Mott, my lord, please, please, put yourself at ease." He wore a black velvet coat with hammers embroidered on the sleeves in silver thread, Around his neck was a heavy silver chain and a sapphire as large as a pigeon's egg. "If you are in need of new arms for the Hand's tourney, you have come to the right shop." Ned did not bother to correct him. "My work is costly, and I make no apologies for that, my lord," he said as he filled two matching silver goblets. "You will not find craftsmanship equal to mine anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms, I promise you. Visit every forge in King's Landing if you like, and compare for yourself. Any village smith can hammer out a shirt of mail; my work is art." Ned sipped his wine and let the man go on. The Knight of Flowers bought all his armor here, Tobho boasted, and many high lords, the ones who knew fine steel, and even Lord Renly, the king's own brother. Perhaps the Hand had seen Lord Renly's new armor, the green plate with the golden antlers? No other armorer in the city could get that deep a green; he knew the secret of putting color in the steel itself, paint and enamel were the crutches of a journeyman. Or mayhaps the Hand wanted a blade? Tobho had learned to work Valyrian steel at the forges of Qohor as a boy. Only a man who knew the spells could take old weapons and forge them anew. "The direwolf is the sigil of House Stark, is it not? I could fashion a direwolf helm so real that children will run from you in the street," he vowed. Ned smiled. "Did you make a falcon helm for Lord Arryn?" Tobho Mott paused a long moment and set aside his wine. "The Hand did call upon me, with Lord Stannis, the king's brother. I regret to say, they did not honor me with their patronage." Ned looked at the man evenly, saying nothing, waiting. He had found over the years that silence sometimes yielded more than questions. And so it was this time. "They asked to see the boy," the armorer said, "so I took them back to the forge." "The boy," Ned echoed. He had no notion who the boy might be. "I should like to see the boy as well." Tobho Mott gave him a cool, careful look. "As you wish, my lord," he said with no trace of his former friendliness. He led Ned out a rear door and across a narrow yard, back to the cavernous stone barn where the work was done. When the armorer opened the door, the blast of hot air that came through made Ned feel as though he were walking into a dragon's mouth. Inside, a forge blazed in each corner, and the air stank of smoke and sulfur. Journeymen armorers glanced up from their hammers and tongs just long enough to wipe the sweat from their brows, while bare-chested apprentice boys worked the bellows. The master called over a tall lad about Robb's age, his arms and chest corded with muscle. "This is Lord Stark, the new Hand of the King," he told him as the boy looked at Ned through sullen blue eyes and pushed back sweat-soaked hair with his fingers. Thick hair, shaggy and unkempt and black as ink. The shadow of a new beard darkened his jaw. "This is Gendry. Strong for his age, and he works hard. Show the Hand that helmet you made, lad." Almost shyly, the boy led them to his bench, and a steel helm shaped like a bull's head, with two great curving horns. Ned turned the helm over in his hands. It was raw steel, unpolished but expertly shaped. "This is fine work. I would be pleased if you would let me buy it." The boy snatched it out of his hands. "It's not for sale." Tobho Mott looked horror-struck. "Boy, this is the King's Hand. If his lordship wants this helm, make him a gift of it. He honors you by asking." "I made it for me," the boy said stubbornly. "A hundred pardons, my lord," his master said hurriedly to Ned. "The boy is crude as new steel, and like new steel would profit from some beating. That helm is journeyman's work at best. Forgive him and I promise I will craft you a helm like none you have ever seen." "He's done nothing that requires my forgiveness. Gendry, when Lord Arryn came to see you, what did you talk about?" "He asked me questions is all, m'lord." "What sort of questions?" The boy shrugged. "How was I, and was I well treated, and if I liked the work, and stuff about my mother. Who she was and what she looked like and all." "What did you tell him?" Ned asked. The boy shoved a fresh fall of black hair off his forehead. "She died when I was little. She had yellow hair, and sometimes she used to sing to me, I remember. She worked in an alehouse." "Did Lord Stannis question you as well?" "The bald one? No, not him. He never said no word, just glared at me, like I was some raper who done for his daughter." "Mind your filthy tongue," the master said. "This is the King's own Hand." The boy lowered his eyes. "A smart boy, but stubborn. That helm . . . the others call him bullheaded, so he threw it in their teeth." Ned touched the boy's head, fingering the thick black hair. "Look at me, Gendry." The apprentice lifted his face. Ned studied the shape of his jaw, the eyes like blue ice. Yes, he thought, I see it. "Go back to your work, lad. I'm sorry to have bothered you." He walked back to the house with the master. "Who paid the boy's apprentice fee?" he asked lightly. Mott looked fretful. "You saw the boy. Such a strong boy. Those hands of his, those hands were made for hammers. He had such promise, I took him on without a fee." "The truth now," Ned urged. "The streets are full of strong boys. The day you take on an apprentice without a fee will be the day the Wall comes down. Who paid for him?" "A lord," the master said reluctantly. "He gave no name, and wore no sigil on his coat. He paid in gold, twice the customary sum, and said he was paying once for the boy, and once for my silence." "Describe him." "He was stout, round of shoulder, not so tall as you. Brown beard, but there was a bit of red in it, I'll swear. He wore a rich cloak, that I do remember, heavy purple velvet worked with silver threads, but the hood shadowed his face and I never did see him clear." He hesitated a moment. "My lord, I want no trouble." "None of us wants trouble, but I fear these are troubled times, Master Mott," Ned said. "You know who the boy is." "I am only an armorer, my lord. I know what I'm told." "You know who the boy is," Ned repeated patiently. "That is not a question." "The boy is my apprentice," the master said. He looked Ned in the eye, stubborn as old iron. "Who he was before he came to me, that's none of my concern." Ned nodded. He decided that he liked Tobho Mott, master armorer. "If the day ever comes when Gendry would rather wield a sword than forge one, send him to me. He has the look of a warrior. Until then, you have my thanks, Master Mott, and my promise. Should I ever want a helm to frighten children, this will be the first place I visit." His guard was waiting outside with the horses. "Did you find anything, my lord?" Jacks asked as Ned mounted up. "I did," Ned told him, wondering. What had Jon Arryn wanted with a king's bastard, and why was it worth his life?

[inloveandwords]

This post was inspired by Ally’s series (which was inspired by Lia at Lost in a Story).

It works like this Go to your goodreads to-read shelf. Order on ascending date added. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books Read the synopsis of the books Decide: keep it or should it go?

When Darkness Comes (Guardians of Eternity #1) by Alexandra Ivy

It’s been a hell of a day for Abby Barlow. In just a few hours, she’s survived an explosion, watched her employer die, had a startling dream, and now she finds herself in a seedy Chicago hotel with the sexy, unearthly Dante, a vampire she both desires and fears.

For 341 years, Dante has stood as guardian to The Chalice, a mortal woman chosen to hold back the darkness. A terrible twist of fate has now made Abby that woman. Three hours ago. Dante would have used all his charms to seduce her. Now she is his to protect. And he will do so until his very death.

A terrifying plan has been set in motion, one that will plunge Dante and Abby into an epic battle between good and evil – and a desperate race to save their love…

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Keep

  Firelight (Firelight #1) by Sophie Jordan

A hidden truth. Mortal enemies. Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will’s dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away;if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She’ll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Keep

  My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

You’ve either done it or know someone who has: the one-night stand, the familiar outcome of a night spent at a bar, sometimes the sole payoff for your friend’s irritating wedding, or the only relief from a disastrous vacation. Often embarrassing and uncomfortable, occasionally outlandish, but most times just a necessary and irresistible evil, the one-night stand is a social rite as old as sex itself and as common as a bar stool. Enter Chelsea Handler. Gorgeous, sharp, and anything but shy, Chelsea loves men and lots of them. My Horizontal Life chronicles her romp through the different bedrooms of a variety of suitors, a no-holds-barred account of what can happen between a man and a sometimes very intoxicated, outgoing woman during one night of passion. From her short fling with a Vegas stripper to her even shorter dalliance with a well-endowed little person, from her uncomfortable tryst with a cruise ship performer to her misguided rebound with a man who likes to play leather dress-up, Chelsea recalls the highs and lows of her one-night stands with hilarious honesty. Encouraged by her motley collection of friends (aka: her partners in crime) but challenged by her family members (who at times find themselves a surprise part of the encounter), Chelsea hits bottom and bounces back, unafraid to share the gritty details. My Horizontal Life is one guilty pleasure you won’t be ashamed to talk about in the morning.

Date Added to TBR:  Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Keep

  Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them…

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Keep

  Shadow Hills (Shadow Hills #1) by Anastasia Hopcus

After her sister Athena’s tragic death, it’s obvious that grief-stricken Persephone “Phe” Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister’s sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills’ history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister’s untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch

      Kapitoil by Teddy Wayne

“Sometimes you do not truly observe something until you study it in reverse,” writes Karim Issar upon arrival to New York City from Qatar in 1999. Fluent in numbers, logic, and business jargon yet often baffled by human connection, the young financial wizard soon creates a computer program named Kapitoil that predicts oil futures and reaps record profits for his company.

At first an introspective loner adrift in New York’s social scenes, he anchors himself to his legendary boss Derek Schrub and Rebecca, a sensitive, disillusioned colleague who may understand him better than he does himself. Her influence, and his father’s disapproval of Karim’s Americanization, cause him to question the moral implications of Kapitoil, moving him toward a decision that will determine his future, his firm’s, and to whom—and where—his loyalties lie.

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch

  Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower

Viking marauders descend on a much-plundered island, hoping some mayhem will shake off the winter blahs. A man is booted out of his home after his wife discovers that the print of a bare foot on the inside of his car’s windshield doesn’t match her own. Teenage cousins, drugged by summer, meet with a reckoning in the woods. A boy runs off to the carnival after his stepfather bites him in a brawl. Wells Tower’s version of America is touched with the seamy splendor of the dropout, the misfit: failed inventors, boozy dreamers, hapless fathers, wayward sons. With electric prose and savage wit, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned is a profound new collection of stories.

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch

  Too Soon to Say Goodbye by Art Buchwald

When doctors told Art Buchwald that his kidneys were kaput, the renowned humorist declined dialysis and checked into a Washington, D.C., hospice to live out his final days. Months later, “The Man Who Wouldn’t Die” was still there, feeling good, holding court in a nonstop “salon” for his family and dozens of famous friends, and confronting things you usually don’t talk about before you die; he even jokes about them. Here Buchwald shares not only his remarkable experience–as dozens of old pals from Ethel Kennedy to John Glenn to the Queen of Swaziland join the party–but also his whole wonderful life: his first love, an early brush with death in a foxhole on Eniwetok Atoll, his fourteen champagne years in Paris, fame as a columnist syndicated in hundreds of newspapers, and his incarnation as hospice superstar. Buchwald also shares his sorrows: coping with an absent mother, childhood in a foster home, and separation from his wife, Ann. He plans his funeral (with a priest, a rabbi, and Billy Graham, to cover all the bases) and strategizes how to land a big obituary in The New York Times (“Make sure no head of state or Nobel Prize winner dies on the same day”). He describes how he and a few of his famous friends finagled cut-rate burial plots on Martha’s Vineyard and how he acquired a Picasso drawing without really trying.

What we have here is a national treasure, the complete Buchwald, uncertain of where the next days or weeks may take him but unfazed by the inevitable, living life to the fullest, with frankness, dignity, and humor.

“[Art Buchwald] has given his friends, their families, and his audiences so many laughs and so much joy through the years that that alone would be an enduring legacy. But Art has never been just about the quick laugh. His humor is a road map to essential truths and insights that might otherwise have eluded us.” –Tom Brokaw

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch

  Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation. Then Jordan dumps Courtney — for a girl he met on the Internet.

It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la — this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Keep

  Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried (Bloom’s Guides) by Harold Bloom

– Comprehensive reading and study guides for some of the world’s most important literary masterpieces – Concise critical excerpts provide a scholarly overview of each work – “The Story Behind the Story” details the conditions under which the work was written – Each book includes a biographical sketch of the author, a descriptive list of characters, an extensive summary and analysis, and an annotated bibliography

Date Added to TBR: Sep 02, 2010 Keep or Ditch? Ditch Pretty sure this was supposed to be the actual book by Tim O’Brien LOL!

    Here are the stats

Starting Total TBR Count: 1760 Previous Total TBR Count: 1762 Total Marked TBR ASAP: 133 Updated Total TBR Count: 1763

Bye-Bye Books: Decluttering my TBR #3 This post was inspired by Ally’s series (which was inspired by Lia at Lost in a Story…