#morley's little secret

[stan-morley]

and; the really neurospicy part is, that this post is probably going to be how sombeody learns the news for the first time 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

[lucythornwalter]

Meet Felicity is very much a children’s book.

That’s kind of a weird way to talk about a book that’s less than 100 pages long and contains only five chapters, aimed at the same target demographic of little girls who buy and play with dolls – obviously it’s a children’s book, what are you talking about? – but it feels like the best one-sentence summation of what happens in maybe two or three thousand words at most.

In Meet Felicity, we are introduced to Felicity, and her central conflict involves rescuing a horse from an abusive situation and making her peace with the fact that she can’t single-handedly change the world. She’s allowed leisure time, her family is financially stable and in good social standing, and she has the innate sense of secure determination and confidence that comes from having a loving and supportive home life. Considering how many of her peers in this franchise have to deal with things like escaping slavery, watching beloved friends die of communicable diseases, protesting against child labor, and police brutality, her adventures are “pure anaesthesia” (with apologies to Christopher Morley, but there is a similar quiet peaceful quality in her books and in Doyle’s Holmes short stories).

To give a more detailed summary, because really a lot happens in these books despite their extreme brevity –

Our first sentence is “Felicity Merriman pushed open the door to her father’s store and took a deep breath.” I’ll be keeping track of how these girls are introduced, or how they introduced themselves. Felicity’s entrance into the reader’s imagination is especially interesting, because we know immediately that her father runs his own business, and that she presumably likes it there. Once she’s inside and talking to her father, though, she’s told that she can’t stay and help due to the presence of an older boy named Ben who’s apprenticing with her father and doing all the jobs she’s used to doing. She lingers long enough to find out that Ben’s tasked with making a delivery to the town tanner, Jiggy Nye, and after a return home where she sits and itches in uncomfortable women’s clothing (specifically 18th century stays, laced up her back like a vest and keeping her from scratching between her shoulder blades) she manages to get her mother’s permission to go back and accompany Ben on the delivery.

This proves fortuitous, for she sees Nye’s new horse, a thoroughbred she nicknames Penny. Penny is the kind of horse that horse people call “delightful” and “spirited” and non-horse-people call “murderous”, but Felicity falls in love with her instantly (if only she’d gotten to ride Arabians, she’d never go back). Nye is abusive in the extreme, exacerbating the murder problem, and both Felicity and Ben wish they could free Penny from her current circumstances. Felicity sneaks back the next day with her siblings in tow and witnesses Nye shout that anybody who can ride Penny can have her. Being a literal-minded nine-year-old, she decides to ride this horse and claim her, and she starts sneaking out of the house before dawn to hang out with her new forbidden best friend.

Unfortunately, hanging out with horses is smelly and dirty, and she can’t do it secretly when her skirts and stockings pick up grass and mud. She solves this problem by stealing a pair of Ben’s breeches and wearing them with her nightgown tucked in like a shirt, and soon she’s able to ride Penny over the fence and off to freedom. Ben catches her, as it’s his clothes she’s absconded with, but he keeps her secret out of a desire to help her help Penny. He does caution her, though, that she can’t hide forever, and one day she decides to bring Penny home to her family. This doesn’t go well, because stealing a horse is stealing a horse and Nye tracks them down and demands Penny’s return, but her parents don’t punish her. Instead they let her mourn for her failures. Nye tells Felicity that if he sees her around Penny, he’ll kill the horse rather than let her have access; she takes him very seriously. Ben reminds her that the punishment for stealing a horse is hanging, and if she takes Penny off Nye’s property she won’t get away from consequences so easily.

That next morning, Felicity sneaks out to see Penny one last time. They go for a final ride, and she purposefully falls off Penny’s back just as the horse leaps over the fence, so Penny is free but she didn’t have a hand in it. She returns home and returns Ben’s breeches, and he keeps her crossdressing secret while she dreams of someday being reunited with her dear beloved horse.

I had the complete Felicity story collection as a girl, but my original edition of all six books was stolen from my family’s storage unit in the late 2010s. I’ve since repurchased it but it didn’t actually come with the “Looking Back” chapters which were collected and preserved in totality in the original editions, so I have to thank the dedicated archivists and preservationists of the American Girl fandom for making sure digital scans of these early books were fully preserved. Since I’ve had to do Felicity’s nonfiction context piece by piece, we’ll be getting it with every book instead of all at once.

The Looking Back: A Peek Into the Past chapter of Meet Felicity focuses almost exclusively on what could be called basic worldbuilding. As I mentioned before, we get confirmation both that Marcus is enslaved and that Pleasant Company is aware of the existence of indigenous people, but neither of those facts are given much time in the book. What is given time is the basic facts surrounding the establishment of Williamsburg, with an extra blurb for Colonial Williamsburg in the final paragraph. The writer suggests that readers could visit and pretend to be Felicity. I wonder how many little girls did exactly that, and how many of them came looking for Merriman’s store or Felicity’s home in the early 90s. Usually the nonfiction chapter gives some context to something from the plot – schooling and education, holidays, summer activities, etc. – but this time animals are barely touched on, despite animals being more or less the whole point of this book.

So, now that I’ve summed up everything that happens in this story, let’s get into the critical responses, shall we?

Reading Felicity’s first book introduces us to themes that will continue to grow and develop across the full series of stories. Not every American Girl matures at the same rate, and not all of them learn or grow up in a linear fashion, but Felicity very much does, and so it’s useful to see where she begins.

Our first theme is class, introduced almost immediately with the contrast between the Merrimans and their hired help. Felicity’s father Edward owns his store and can afford to feed and support at least one enslaved man, Marcus, and also to house and train a white apprentice, Ben. Felicity herself also has enough leisure time to linger in her store and distract him from his work, and to consider her position in the world and the fairness or unfairness of gender roles and gendered expectations. Her family is also financially stable enough for her to consider asking for a horse without any thought to the cost, and while her parents are aware of Marcus’s workload as a stablehand she never really seems to think of it. Class also comes up later, both in Ben’s awkwardness around her (he’s from a wealthy family, but he’s also not free to do as he pleases – he’s bound by his contract and if he leaves without permission he can be hunted down and dragged back) and in Felicity’s escape from serious consequences when she steals Penny. Had she been poorer, and her family been less respected, she almost certainly would have been more severely punished for the theft. Jiggy Nye does a necessary but disgusting job in running a tannery, and his disheveled appearance and alcoholism and cruelty to animals are also tied into his lower class status. This does get some subtlety injected into the mix later on, but for now he’s an uncomplicatedly villainous figure, and one who’s defined by marks of hardship and poverty.

Next I want to touch on gender, possibly the most or second-most important theme across all of Felicity’s books. This girl is constantly aware of her identity as a soon-to-be-woman, and she wrestles with it nearly every moment she’s on the page. She’s a horse girl, because horses mean freedom, horses mean riding and physical activity, and she’s good at those things. Her mother tells her that her stays and stockings won’t itch if she moves slowly and delicately instead of running around and fidgeting. Ben is a figure of envy and disgust at once, because he’s simultaneously an older role model doing things she wants to do (like wear pants) and because his presence in her family means she’s barred from the gender-nonconforming activities like working in the store that she genuinely enjoyed and was permitted to do when extra hands were needed. While she crossdresses at first out of necessity, she associates the free movements of her legs in breeches with the freedom to do as she pleases, and prefers riding astride to riding sidesaddle.

In a very quintessentially 90s approach, her family basically lets her do whatever she wants when it comes to gender conformity, only correcting her when it becomes necessary. While she’s lectured occasionally regarding her failure to be a proper lady, it’s never with vitriol or punishment, and while her younger sister Nan is effortlessly feminine and loves all the gendered housework and hobbies she’s encouraged to take up there’s no rivalry or resentment between the two of them. I get the sense that in-universe, the Merrimans’ attitude is that she’ll grow up into a young lady and become gender-conforming of her own free will – that’s more or less the position held by one of the visitors to the store. Out of universe, though, it’s important to note that these books were being published in the early 90s and entering into a social environment that allowed for an extremely high degree of variance and nonconformity in gender identities and presentations, to the degree that masc-of-center aesthetics were primarily read as valid ways to be a cishet woman. I want to highlight that because I think it’s important that while Felicity definitely reads as struggling with her womanhood and her assigned gender now, in 2024, she came across very differently in 1991.

We’re going to leave gender behind temporarily to talk about our next theme, justice. Felicity’s actions in this book fall under the umbrella of “morals are more important than laws”, especially when she steals Penny. She’s also got a keenly active sense of unfairness, drawing equivocacies between her own situation with skirts and stays and Penny’s entrapment at Jiggy Nye’s. She speaks up if she sees something wrong, and she firmly believes that there’s such a thing as doing the right thing even if the law doesn’t agree. She’s still forced to work within the law, however, which is why she falls from Penny’s back before leaving Nye’s property. This will become more relevant later in the series, obviously, but I think it’s worth pointing out here and now.

Our last theme is one that’s a bit more subtle and hard to categorize, and that’s confidence. Felicity is not only secure in her moral code, she’s brave enough and confident enough to assert that she’s right and to argue with people. You’re wondering now why I’ve brought this up. You haven’t met Josefina yet, it’s fine. We see her showing off her confidence when she argues with Jiggy Nye and demands her parents defend Penny, and we also see it when she makes the wild decision that an angry declaration of “Anyone who can ride you can have you!” = local nine year old can get free horse with one surprise trick.

When I was a little girl in elementary school with undiagnosed autism, I was deeply offended that Jiggy Nye would declare such a thing in public and then walk it back, because the idea of saying something harshly that I didn’t mean was totally foreign to me. Now, of course, it’s obvious what was going on, but as an adult I do like that Felicity’s siblings support her in her assertion that he absolutely totally ten thousand percent said what he said, and I also like that her parents don’t dismiss her attachment to Penny or her desire to stop animal abuse.

And that really brings me to my own personal thoughts about this book, which are honestly the entire reason you’re here. I stuck them at the bottom so you’d have to get through the analysis first. I’m clever that way.

I did not read the first Felicity book first. She’s the only American Girl for whom that’s the case – I got the book box sets before I got the dolls, and buying them all at once meant I could read them in order. The reason that’s relevant is because Penny comes back in book 5, Felicity Saves the Day, so while I was delighted to see a horse girl origin story I knew from the start how it would end. The things that stuck in my head about this book all originate from the first pages of chapter 2, when Felicity is stuck inside with her mother trying to itch between her shoulders and wishing she could be outside running around or back at the store. The mental images of uncomfortable stays and being forced to sit still lodged in my brain so firmly that even now I contrast them to more historically inaccurate anti-corset/stay commentary like Elizabeth’s complaints in Pirates of the Caribbean or Alice’s refusal to dress properly in the 2011 Alice in Wonderland, and Felicity still comes across as more grounded in reality.

Now, as an adult, my biggest takeaway is just how trapped this girl feels. When I was younger, her desire for breeches and crossdressing felt like one thread in a tapestry of emotion, but now I can see that it’s all about desiring and yearning for masculinity. In later books, she settles into femininity on her own terms, but here and now she seems bitterly frustrated with her inability to be herself, meaning to be masc and dress like a butch and do man’s work. There’s a kind of yearning for manhood, or at least for boyhood, that especially comes out in her conversations with Ben. Because of later developments I’m more confident calling her a masc woman or a masc-of-center woman than transmasc by modern standards (and especially by contemporary standards – trans men did exist, obviously, and those we have historical record of were very keen on binary transition and not being clocked and fought hard to be solely perceived as men) but there are some fascinating things happening here with the question of womanhood vs. girlhood. The latter has much more space for freedom and exploration and fluidity, letting her inhabit multiple spheres at once. The older she gets, the less she’ll be able to slip the bonds of earth and fly – or ride.

In fact, her age is about to catch up with her big time. In the next installment, Felicity Learns a Lesson, we see exactly what it means to be the daughter of a genteel tradesman, and the door into the future and into housewifery starts out looking more like a steel-jawed trap.

[silurisanguine]

For the Get To Know The OC ask: 8. What was your OC's most embarrassing moment? Does it still bother them or are they able to shrug it off?

15. What places hold significant meaning or memories for your OC? Do they have a positive or negative association with those places?

20. Has your OC ever done something terrible and lied about it? Did they run away or blame someone else for it? How long did they maintain the lie and did the truth ever come out?

Thankyou for these asks!!!! As always ill answer for all 4 - Zofie, Kiara, Seren and Aeryn

8 Zofie: Most embarrassing moment? if she told you that, she'd have to kill you. But it might have something to do with her first leap of faith attempt..... Kiara: Grabbing Garrett's arm when she was woken by him, after she'd passed out outside the Burrick the first night she'd reached the Eternal City. She knew he didn't like to be touched from everything she'd heard and was mortified that that was her first interaction with him. He didn't seem to mind, so since he's let it go, so has she. Seren: The first time she admitted she liked Sam...like really liked him. The words tumbled out of her mouth and she wanted the Blackest Sea to just engulf her. But she shouldn't have been worried as Sam had felt exactly the same. Aeryn: Lots of little hiding her lack of training at being a Pathfinder behind cocky words and praying it pays off. She hides her embarrassment well...least she thinks so. 15 Zofie: The Coterie headquarters was her home and school and training place since she was 10. It wasn't just home it was...home. Its smells, light and ambience were like a warm embrace. There is also a stretch of the M25 which she hates passing as that was where the attack happened that changed so much for her. Kiara: The shrine she found when she was 10 in Caulkenny, Morley holds such wonderful memories for her. She loved sitting by it and reading books, decorating it with pretty shells or shiny things she'd 'acquired' from the rich people in the town. She's found many shrines since then, but that one held a special place to her. Seren: Ternion3. There was a place she found that she wanted to build a home. It was near the coast, with a little stream and the most stunning view. A place where Sam, Cora and her could be a family. She wonders if some universe, some day, she'll finally be able to build it. Aeryn: The Citadel holds both good and bad memories. The good being those she had as a kid, playing with the other kids in the pools and being chased off by the groundskeepers. The bad being the day her family were forced to leave her home thanks to her father's blacklisting. 20 Zofie: Terrible things? Technically they are her job. She's an Assassin. She does terrible things for good reasons and she lies about it all the time to most people to...keep them and her organisation safe. She keeps her role and much of what she's done secret from most because that is the creed she took an oath to follow, though it has adapted to modern times and she has told a little of what she does to Adam to gain his trust. Kiara: She kept secret she'd killed an Overseer who'd tried to take her, when the secret of her shrine got out, the only person knowing being her father who helped treat the wound on her face caused by the Overseer. After that, she lied about the scar on her face saying some low life gang member had tried to attack her. Being Dunwall, people accepted it. Since then she kept the truth secret until Garrett asked her about it. She told him to gain his trust. Seren: She might have said once that not saving Sam in time was the terrible action. She blamed herself for it and fled that universe because she felt she'd lost everything that meant everything, though she never lied to others, just to herself. Since then she'd realised it wasn't her fault. Aeryn: She willingly let a Roekaar kill an innocent woman, so she could prevent the Roekaar escaping. That woman was carrying a deadly (no cure) illness that she could have spread to the entire Heleus cluster and she wasn't going to let the Roekaar turn it into a weapon. She didn't lie about what she'd done and everyone who read her report understood it was a terrible situation to be in.

[userautumn]

whatcha reading? any recs?

i'm reading one day by david nicholls :) it's a romance/coming of age story about two college graduates named emma morley and dexter mayhew. the story takes place over the course of one day, the same day — july 15 — every year that they know each other. one day has been adapted into both a show and a movie. i've never seen the film, but the show (on netflix) is very good and so far the book is enjoyable as well :)

as for recs, it's october, so my go-to rec for spooky season is ninth house by leigh bardugo, the first book in a developing series that explores a magical secret society which operates at yale university. the main character, a sharp-edged woman named galaxy "alex" stern can see ghosts — a trait that makes her... uniquely qualified... to join the secret society at the ivy league school, despite being an academic dropout. when the body of a young woman shows up on campus and alex's friend and mentor, daniel arlington (known as darlington) goes missing, she finds herself in the middle of an occultic shitshow that's only just beginning.

ninth house/the alex stern series is honestly one of my favorite pieces of literature in the world. every day i go a little bit more insane waiting for the third book. leigh bardugo is a great author, one of my favorites, so if you're not familiar with her work, you should check it out!

[foxys-fantasy-tales]

hi hi! what can you share with someone who's new to your blog?

This is a VERY wide net, but I'll do my best to be thorough yet succinct as possible. -Deep Breath- I am in my 30's and self published my debut book just over two years ago. Arigale: Spite in the Spirit, and the rest of the upcoming series I'm working on, is very dear to me as these characters have followed me since college for the most part. I also have another four projects brewing with some closer to completion than others. The second of the Arigale series and the first Made to Taste book should be out this year after having to have been delayed throughout last year due to my chronic health issues. As for what I post, it's mostly about my WIPs listed above and re-blogs for other writers in the community, though I do also post about some of my interests like anime, DnD, cosplay, and gaming less frequently. I just like my page feeling personable and relaxed if I can help it. Links section! I have my own website and (usually forgotten) newsletter you can get to at ArigaleFantasy.com. Here you can find a lot of info about the Arigale series in particular, though when other WIPs get closer to release I will be putting a section for each of those up as well. You can get character art and bios, book summaries and links to purchase, and some free short stories. I also had the first five chapters of Arigale right here on Tumblr, but since the recent link debacle with this site they aren't showing. Sad. If you want any sent later just let me know and that goes to anybody who sees this really.

There is also a trailer!

Made to Taste will be getting a trailer at some point too, though it probably won't have so much nice art since my artist is having trouble with her health and a deep backlog of art. I'll likely find a way to manage something still on Canva I hope. WIP Summaries Section! Arigale: Spite in the Spirit Judith and Chit are called to the lonely tower outside their city with little explanation. The one who summoned them is an old, elven wizard named Maleth, who will send them on a quest to lower their floating city of Arigale to where it once resided. Maleth is intrigued by Judith’s strange form of necromantic magic, yet he is also certain of the anxious young man in training to be a spearman and scholar.

Judith, a bubbly yet mysterious young woman, is eager to accept. Chit remains withdrawn and cautious, a remnant of being raised by the Order that presides over their land. Soon, both discover their meeting with the wizard carried dire consequences. Can they accomplish what has been asked of them and save Arigale by exploring the land below, no matter the lengths they must go to? Arigale: Bond in the Blood (2024) Judith and Chit's journey across the seas to Galavarn was not as smooth as they had hoped for. The standard of living here is much different than what they encountered on the mainland, and the newfound bond between them will be tested. Enigmas run rampant here, along with a woman from Maleth’s past who claims to hold the key to defeating them for good. Unfortunately, this woman has an unruly and strangely apathetic nature to her, along with a profound hatred toward their distant companion on Arigale. 

Meanwhile, back on the mainland, those left behind must bear their own struggles as a stranger appears and insists on taking one of their number with him. This man with red, sunken eyes bears a sharp grudge against Stemoss and worse obligations to a certain deity. 

Secrets of the past will come to light on this desolate isle, and the friends left behind will struggle to not become a cog in a plan devised long before they were even born. Made to Taste (2024) When Lyra Morley accepted a rough and tumble new hire from her bar, she didn't think he would end up her new roommate in a week. Noel Akatash brings his own debts, and the people holding the accounts aren't to be trifled with. Magical home invasions aside, Lyra is more worried about her business serving the city nightlife any food she can handle all made to order.

Cooking with a halfbreed's sense of smell comes with its perks, and one of them is that she can hide her skills in the kitchen so no one is any wiser about her true nature. The night-only diner called Made to Taste is meant to be a haven for those the city would rather keep buried. Lyra, the pacifist and abstinent dhampir, would fight to keep it safe. Good thing Noel knows a thing or two about being scrappy. Dream Escape (2025?) Emma Reed, 26, has a Master of the Arts and no place to put it but in her desk drawer. Once proud of her accomplishment, the lights quickly dimmed when she ended up living back in her old childhood bedroom at her parents place and flat broke. Helping Adrien with graphics for their streaming or Sarah with banners for her pet business is all well and good, but it's not at all how she imagined scrapping by. When her newest piece is rejected from the gallery she had finally convinced to give her a chance, Emma hits a downward spiral.

When she awakens, she finds herself in a strange new world with a strange man hovering around her. He calls himself Jasper, a dream painter, and quickly proves his prowess at sculpting others' dreams. Emma was in his care, but though he's petitioned her to wake up, she can't. Neither knows how she ended up in this place, but surrounded by the dreams of others quite literally brought to life around her, Emma makes the decision to stay.

Jasper won't let her. For one, if she stays there is no telling how badly that could go for her, or for his hopes of a promotion. Emma goes along with his plan to cart her across this new place, more as a sightseeing tour than the arduous task he finds it to be. Along the way, a bit of the light comes back into her eyes, and he can't help but remember how bright they both used to shine. Dulled and muddied palettes that they both became, can they start over? Bloodlines (2025?) Blood was her first memory. Not many can recall birth, but Gwyar is a special case. Though she looks like any old elf and had once been instructed to act as such, in her heart she knows that isn't true. Elves aren't born fully formed. Elves don't have memories spanning hundreds of lifetimes or more. Elves surely don't have her terrible taste in company. Until one does. A half-elf, half- orc bard shows up in town going by a name she would choke trying to pronounce. After he follows her and she threatens him and forces a blood oath of silence about her little vigilante hobby, or perhaps because of it, he sticks to her like glue. A vicious songstress with an even more intimidating old tree in her backyard meets a half-blood who loves sweets and suppresses his own inner rage. Together perhaps they can take on the mysteries in her heritage, whether Gwyar wants to or not.

Otherly (Future Trilogy only in planning stages) Daphne Bennet has been waiting her whole twenty-two years for someone to notice the strange events that follow her must be more than just her imagination. She’s never caught a cold, can follow the wind to find lost friends, and the one time she was in a photograph only her area of the picture bore smudges in the background. Believing she may be haunted afterwards, her parents take her to the witch at the edge of their town, only to discover their daughter is not their own. 

No, Daphne is actually a fae. Shocking revelations of child exchanges aside, now Daphne is enlisted at once to upend her life and attend a prestigious magic school to learn to control her burgeoning powers before they control her. Upon initiation day, Daphne is given a bitter drought with all the new students, which will prevent any of them from wandering off school grounds. Everyone is also given a diary to record their thoughts and experiences as a daily exercise, which will magically respond to provide advice and companionship. However, Daphne’s diary seems to be more on the condescending side. As she reluctantly writes, the diary begins to sound as scared as she feels. Every teacher looks less than enthused to be there. Strict rules for curfew, magic containment, and other safety precautions often hinder learning. When her snooping leads to a thinly veiled threat from staff, Daphne resolves to uncover the school’s mysteries within the pages of her diary. Only to watch the words “I’ll help” appear.

All in all, I have a lot going on and need to be more frequent posting on here and getting the word out. I like ask and tag games, but sometimes it can take me a bit to get to them. I hope all this helps and let me know if I fudged it or if you have any other questions! <3

[kiwiwinjindouche]

hiiii show your dh ocs!! (if you want to ofc)

YES YES YES!!!!! (thank youuuuu)

They're on ToyHouse too (just Octave is hidden and Nelly you have to be logged or idk cuz I have some things to change)

i'm about to kill myself I was almost done with the post and then lost everything

Aldina's story contains spoilers from the last book, The Veiled Terror!

(also this is set in the AU where Jindosh lives because the denial is real, and they almost all met him at some point too omg my love for this man is showing a lot)

I have a lot to say about some of them, so left to right =>

Sybill Howlet (SH)

I'm obsessed with Sherlock Holmes too and this was a way for me to combined two things I like, even her name is a ref to Sherlock!

She's from Dunwall, she was living in the streets with her sister but they lost each other a long time ago. The Bottle Street Gang was her family (Slackjaw went to father figure to friend over time). Then, one day, Archibald (Vinz's dad (see later)) found her and got impressed by her thinking and mind, and decided to take her out of the streets and help her use her full potential. Soon enough, the Outsider took great interest into her, and started to visit her dreams and help her find little secrets about everyone. He never gave her his mark.

When the Coup occurred, she left Dunwall a few weeks, only to come back and finish her current cases then leave once again but for Karnaca this time. That's when she heard about Billie's actions and omg what a queen. The Bank Job? such a masterpiece, outstanding, amazing. She loved following her trail around the city, trying to understand what she was looking for. She met Jindosh because of this, cuz she wanted to talk to him about the break-in. She enjoys quite a lot to annoys him (and just to roast people).

Aldina/Al

Her parents were nobles/friends with Luca, but she always despised him a lot actually. She prefers women company, and that's how she found out she was lesbian. The only man she never really hated was Jindosh, because she likes the Clockwork Soldiers. Her biggest inspiration was the witches, tho. She loved going to the Conservatory and spend time with Breanna, she wanted SO MUCH to meet Delilah, to be part of the Coven, to join them!!!! it was her biggest dream. But then, what?? Corvo comes and the witches are now gone.

Old men are so BORING.

Later, when the Outsider was no more, her parents died because of the nightmares. Then, she wondered alone on the streets, and kind of managed to fix a Clockwork Sentinel because the main program and such were still in good condition. That is how and when Jindosh met her for the first time. He took her to his mansion, thinking she could be of some use, and taught her some things too. Al' likes to creep behind the walls and scares the staff by singing lullabies and sea shanties.

Everything was fine, until Corvo came back. She wanted SO BADLY to kill him, to rip off his skin, to boil him alive, for what he's done to her, to the witches, to Delilah, to her first found family, to her broken dreams. She wanted so badly to do it, then found out Jindosh cared about him. She's making a very lot of efforts to accept the fact that the man who destroyed her hopes and dreams is now part of her new family, and eventually she'll come to terms with it... many years later.

Thanks to the Void stones in her arm, she can use a little magic, but it's very complicated. Jindosh likes to call her "little mouse", and she's friend with rats. Also she steals Jindosh's stuff a lot and likes to spend time with Alex'.

Vincent/Vinz MacIntosh

Archibald MacIntosh is a private detective from Morley, after a failed attempt at the Academy. He married a tailor, who died cuz of the plague, and likes to paint too. He worked with the City Watch for some time.

As for Vinz, he got inspired by his father, but decided to become a journalist instead (not like it was less dangerous, moreover he's working with one if not the most dangerous gang in Karnaca, needless to say it worries his father a lot). Anyway, Vinz came to Karnaca a few years before the Coup, and he's more than happy to be part of this major history event. Because of his father's past and everything he was taught, he recognized Corvo quite easily, and tried his best to convince him NOT TO KILL JINDOSH. Because, yeah, Vinz is a HUGE fan of Jindosh's works.

The silvergraph? omg THIS IS SO COOL to illustrate the news or just have portraits of people! The audiograph? perfect to record things and testimonies! The Clockwork Soldiers? They're not really worse than the Tallboys back then, and they could be useful too!! for, like, THE FUCKING BLOODFLIES??? people of Karnaca have more chances to get killed by the bloodflies than the Clockwork Soldiers. It's not like Jindosh was kidnapping children to torture them and eat their organs??? He's killing INTRUDERS in his very OWN HOUSE. How are thieves treated at Dunwall Tower, I wonder?????

Anyway, Vinz likes to draw and to listen to Jindosh ranting about his inventions, trying his best to understand.

(Archibald doesn't have a clean ref but he's not really important anyway)

And then, I don't have much about them.

Nelly

She's a maid at the Clockwork Mansion, and quickly became friend with Aldina. The two of them like to prank the others and going out. I think, at some point, Nelly will leave the place and do something else. It's not like she has a bad treatment - Jindosh barely knows about her, mostly thanks to Aldina (also she's the maid I make appear when I need someone in the mansion) - it's just she wants to do something else. Going on a trip maybe. I have to think about it. Btw, she's from Serkonos, and knows many things about Corvo because he's such a legend there, everyone knows about him. She probably likes to cook.

Caleb

He's a grumpy old man from Tyvia, but he lived most of his younger years in Baleton. He went to prison, but soon entered the navy when the choice's been given to him. They weren't expecting him to last this long. Now, he's pretty strong, and would like to have a fight with the Royal Protector to test his limits. Caleb likes poetry and the sea.

Octave Hearly

He's also from Morley. Octave is into cartoon and cinema, mostly. When he heard about Jindosh's work on the silvergraph and the "moving images", his heart skipped a beat and he decided to join him and work with him on all this.

[all-eyes-lead-to-the-truth]

All Eyes Lead to the Truth | Little Green Men (2x01)

The classical acoustics of Brandenburg Concerto soar melodiously through his office. It’s loud, each note vibrating his mahogany desk. Much too loud for daylight hours on Capitol Hill. One could hardly think, or hear, a thing.

Richard Matheson rises from his leather chair, twirling his wedding band around his finger. Under the dim light of the room, its gold still gleams like the sun, somehow unsullied after years of systematically soiling his hands as senator. 

Richard’s black wingtips tap impatiently along the plush carpeting. He scowls at the stale scent of Morleys lingering within its fibers. He eyes the statue of Lady Justice’s scales set on the table in front of his window as he paces. The heft of their silent judgment weighs on him more now than it ever has. 

The phone call from his source came an hour ago - an urgent message whispered through secured lines: “The WOW, it’s happening. The retrieval team will be notified. Who do you trust, senator?” 

He must carefully reignite the dwindling fire within a broken believer to bring balance and fairness to the public in a way that isn’t incriminating his own deceit. There’s a dark faction of this government, a secret cabal of men that seek to stifle those who rebel against their crooked plans in the most sinister of ways.

Read the rest on Ao3 | @monikafilefan

[sandythereadingcafe]

ebook boxset ONLY 99¢

GWEN'S GHOSTS by H.P. Mallory & JR Rain

US: https://amzn.to/4bgw5LH

UK: https://bit.ly/45EU59V

DANCE WITH THE DEAD (Book #1)

From the age of eight, I've seen ghosts, with Petra Shearwater being my constant companion for thirty-four years. As a mystery novelist in need of a fresh start after a lackluster fifteen-year relationship, I return to Morley-on-Avon, the English town that fascinated me.

At forty-two, I seek a new beginning, a new book, and possibly new love, particularly with the local blacksmith, Leo. However, the cottage I move into, Bluebells, holds a haunting secret—Victoria Willis, a ghost who hints at a suspicious death, challenging the locals' belief that it was an accident.

DEAD AND GONE (Book #2)

Waking up with a potential killer sends me into panic mode. Bastian, the suspect, complicates things. Despite clues pointing to him, I can't dismiss his innocence. Determined to unveil Victoria's killer, I navigate breaking and entering, police evasion, and an unexpected encounter with Leo's wife.

DEAD OF NIGHT (Book #3)

Breaking into Chambon Hall leads to unexpected chaos when Bastian returns early. Now hiding in his house, the police come knocking, accusing Bastian of murder. Convinced of his innocence, I embark on a personal mission to uncover the truth. Little do I know, solving the mystery might make me the next victim.

LEFT FOR DEAD (Book #4)

Solving one murder doesn't grant me peace in Morley-on-Avon. Two men vie for my attention—Leo, the kindhearted blacksmith, and Bastian, the lothario playboy. Balancing between them becomes impossible. A new ghostly mystery unfolds with a young man missing, and a Regency-dressed ghost appears, hinting at a larger conspiracy.

DEAD RECKONING (Book #5)

As two men compete for my attention, a missing person case arises. Hugo, an antique shop employee, disappears, and Fiona suspects foul play. Investigating with my ghostly friend, Petra, uncovers a potential culprit close to home. Inspector Lean, less than thrilled, complicates matters, putting me in the midst of yet another Morley mystery.

WAKE THE DEAD (Book #6)

The circus arrives, bringing a new mystery. The ringmaster dies mysteriously during a cannon stunt. Now, with Petra and circus ghosts, I must unravel the truth. Inspector Lean questions my every move, and Bastian's presence complicates my budding relationship with Leo. Amidst circus murders and two determined men, solving mysteries never felt more challenging.

[bakerstreetbabble]

Reminiscences of my youngest Sherlockian days

When I think back to my preteen years, when I first discovered Sherlock Holmes, the story that immediately jumps out in my memory is "The Adventure of the Dancing Men." The idea of Holmes solving a secret picture code appealed to my young imagination.  Right around the same age, I had read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, and had learned as much as I could about the runes on the map to the Misty Mountain.  I used to try to write my name in runes, based on the little I could glean from Tolkien's novel and an encyclopedia article I found on runes.  I don't know if I ever tried writing any messages in the Dancing Men code, but I bet there are all kinds of Sherlockians, young and old, who have done so.

I also remember poring over the Adventures, Memoirs, and Return of Sherlock Holmes, as well as The Hound of the Baskervilles, as they appeared in The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes (it had a different cover design from the one pictured here, but it was essentially the same one, with all of the Paget illustrations). My parents had bought me the collection when I began to show interest in the Holmes stories.  As I recall, it took me a little while to realize that there were more Holmes adventures beyond the ones in that collection.  In the days before Wikipedia, I compared the Illustrated Holmes with my grandpa's Complete Sherlock Holmes (the one by Doubleday, with the preface by Christopher Morley).  In a sense, my search for the "complete" stories and novels was my own youthful "detective investigation."  

And then I remember clearly the excitement of first reading A Study in Scarlet: here at last I was discovering the genesis of the characters I had come to know and love.  I marked in pencil some of the passages that stood out to me: Holmes's theory of the mind as an "attic," Watson's list of Holmes's limitations, and Holmes's dismissal of the importance of astronomy.  I'm sure lots of Sherlockians can recite it from memory:

“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently: “you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”

I have to admit, these recent weeks of "rediscovering" my interest in Sherlock Holmes, and working on this very blog, have allowed me to recapture some of the wonder and excitement I had thirty-odd years ago, discovering it all for the very first time.  I suppose that's part of why Sherlockians end up gathering in their various societies and groups: they love to share that excitement, and hopefully to pass it on to the next generation.  It's part of why I've been so thrilled with the recent resurgence in Holmes adaptations. The idea of a new generation discovering Holmes through the movies and TV shows is something that I find very fulfilling to contemplate.  As it has been for over a hundered years, the game is afoot! And always will be...

[cimmeriana]

CONFESSED

send CONFESSED for a scene from my muse's past in which they revealed a secret about themselves to someone

cw: gore, torture, violence, death dismemberment

A shattered memory, flashes that Melinoe can only remember in her nightmares --

❝ Do you know why I’ve summoned you, Earl Morley? ❞ her voice was even and unassuming as it echoed in the dark chamber, but it held an air of superiority that left the half-elf nobleman quaking where he stood.

He looked like a mouse in such a state, wide and frightful eyes and a slouched stance as his hands balled into fists beside him. It was pitiful and pathetic, really, and Melinoe couldn’t help but to roll her eyes in agitation at the sight. She perched comfortably from atop the stone banister, spinning the Blade of First Blood languidly in her hands as if she were bored.

“N-No, m’lady. But I am truly honored to have been personally called upon by the High Priestess of Bhaal herself. To what do I owe this exquisite grace?”

Earl Morley's stutter and lack of common enough sense to perceive the danger in his ignorance only further serve to annoy the Bhaalspawn, evident in the way her lip downturned into a displeased scowl and sheathed her blade indignantly at her hip. Her tone came out curt, a soft snarl its undertone, ❝ You offend me with your daft nature, little earl. I suggest you think harder lest you truly begin to anger me. ❞ It was a trap, of course, the earl was doomed to not exit this abandoned ruin alive.

But it seemed that he now had that very realization, his posture shrinking like that of a child, "Please, m'lady, it was never my intention to betray you. The Lady Orin, she would have taken my wife had I not obeyed. I beg of you, I did nothing but try to serve your best interest. I am but a lowly servant of Bhaal and his Chosen!"

Serve her best interest. How very much the earl sounded like her vexing butler Scleritas Fel. A thought occurred to her then: if Orin was snooping, then who might have pointed her nose towards Melinoe's more private affairs?

The sisters never took much care in accessing how the other released their surplus energy, much less with whom. Yes, Melinoe often criticized the way Orin's murders were too vain. A little vanity was acceptable, but the art of murder laid in its spontaneity. Sister was simply trying too hard.

But how would Orin know to look more closely at the alliance between the Chosen of Bhaal and the Chosen of Bane? She was careful and calculated to not show any favor in the presence of others. To not so much as allow herself the indulgence of lustful looks when he flicked blood from his metal claw so languidly or when his voice sent a shiver down her spine when he laid his commands to the underlings.

She was careful to only seek his bed in the darkest of nights, she satiate the desire and lust within her core in coded words, and then disappear before the sunlight of morning.

Only Sceleritas Fel sworn not to speak of her doings to others but ever present, could have known. But he was sneaky and it seemed she overestimated her butler's loyalty. Speak of her doings he could not, but there were ways to betray that did not require a voice.

Melinoe leapt from her perch and landed with an agile thud before the whimpering half-elf, her tail immediately slithering over him to invade his personal space as she circled like a vulture.

—— ❝ Darling Earl, who do you think told your secret if not the wife you hold so dear? She proves a more devoted follower. ❞ she was mocking him now, letting the exposure of her little spy that he laid beside at night sting him like salt into a festering wound, ❝ She tastes ever so sweet, does she not? And her moans are even sweeter. Perhaps I'll invite her to my bed again once my underlings wash your blood from my stones. ❞

A pause, her slow steps around him ceasing as she positioned herself at his side and lifted a hand to caress the line of his jaw. He tensed under her touch and she could smell the salty perspiration and miasma of fear on his skin as she leaned forward to whisper into his ear, ❝ Perhaps I'll share her this night with my lord lover that you so dare to speak about. ❞

Earl Morely let out such a pitiful cry as her claws submerged themselves into his abdomen. Nowhere critical, of course, but somewhere he had to potential to bleed out slowly. He fell to the floor quickly, and the tiefling couldn't help but to bubble out an airy laugh of amusement from the way he tumbled over himself. But her laughter died out quickly when a sinister grin overtook her featured, a foot assertively kicking out to position him upon his back so that she could straddle onto his chest.

❝ You may scream, sweet-blood, but no one will hear you within these walls, ❞ she growled, raising her blood-stained hand to her lips and staring down into his frightful eyes as her tongue lapped away at his blood. It was almost amusing to her the way that he continued to beg and plead for mercy, almost as if he had forgotten that he was speaking to the Chosen of Bhaal.

Melinoe hummed, bending down until their noses almost touched and roughly grabbed his face in her hands. ❝ You speak too much and that is your falling, little earl. Let us remove your offending appendage, shall we? ❞ She didn't wait for him to answer, the hand holding his face squeezing as her free hand slipped her fingers into his mouth and her fingers easily ripped the muscle of his tongue from him.

He flailed beneath her, but she simply sat upon his chest and rose his tongue to the candlelight of the chandelier as if to observe it.

—— ❝ Sceleritas, come. ❞ she demanded suddenly, and the butler immerged from the shadows with his head bowed and the palms of his hands extended at the ready. Melinoe simply tossed the tongue into his palms as if it were as common as a piece of jewelry before retrieving her blade from her side. She took far more time removing the earl's head than she did his tongue.

When she rose, she was soaked in the half-elf's blood and there was a look about her as if she were deliriously drunk. ❝ I want you to personally oversee that these gifts be sent to Lord Enver. Tell him that the Earl Morely's estate is now his own to do with as he pleases. Have the lowerlings send the earl to the butcher for the goblins, but save the sweetmeats for my supper. ❞

She would not wait for confirmation, the Chosen of Bhaal was never denied. She had indulged herself in a kill, and now she wished to lounge in a bath.

[listening-to-free-audiobooks]

Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #16)

Amelia Peabody and her husband Emerson, along with their son Ramses and foster daughter Nefret, are summoned back to the Lost Oasis, a hidden stronghold in the western desert whose existence they discovered many years ago (in The Last Camel Died At Noon) and have kept secret from the entire world, including their fellow Egyptologists. According to Merasen, the brother of the ruling monarch, their old friend Prince Tarek is in grave danger and needs their help, however it's not until they retrace their steps back to the Oasis, with its strange mixture of Meroitic and Egyptian cultures, that they learn the real reason for their journey. There's no better company on an archaeological expedition than the Father of Curses and the Lady Doctor, their beautiful Anglo-Egyptian ward, and Ramses, the Demon Brother who loves her, as Peters once again demonstrates in the latest historical mystery in this immensely popular series. If you haven't met the indomitable Amelia yet, this intriguing tale is a great place to start!

The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #17)

A priceless relic has been delivered to the Emerson home overlooking the Nile. But more than history surrounds this golden likeness of a forgotten king, for it is said early death will befall anyone who possesses it..

The woman who implores the renowned family of archaeologists and adventurers to accept the cursed statue insists the ill-gotten treasure has already killed her husband. Further, she warns, unless it is returned to the tomb from which it was stolen, more will surely die. With the world finally at peace—and with Egypt's ancient mysteries opened to them once more—Amelia Peabody and her loved ones are plunged into a storm of secrets, treachery, and murder by a widow's strange story and even stranger request. Each step toward the truth reveals a new peril, suggesting this curse is no mere superstition. And the next victim of the small golden king could be any member of the close-knit clan—perhaps even Amelia herself.

Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #18)

Convinced that the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon lies somewhere in the Valley of the Kings, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and his intrepid wife, Amelia Peabody, seem to have hit a wall. Having been banned forever from the East Valley, Emerson, against Amelia's advice, has tried desperately to persuade Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter to relinquish their digging rights. But Emerson's trickery has backfired, and his insistent interest in the site has made his rivals all the more determined to keep the Emerson clan away.

Powerless to intervene but determined to stay close to the unattainable tomb, the family returns to Luxor and prepares to continue their dig in the less promising West Valley—and to watch from the sidelines as Carter and Carnarvon "discover" the greatest Egyptian treasure of all time: King Tut's tomb. But before their own excavation can get underway, Emerson and his son, Ramses, find themselves lured into a trap by a strange group of villains ominously demanding "Where is he?" Driven by distress—and, of course, Amelia's insatiable curiosity—the Emersons embark on a quest to uncover who "he" is and why "he" must be found, only to discover that the answer is uncomfortably close to home. Now Amelia must find a way to protect her family—and perhaps even her would-be nemesis—from the sinister forces that will stop at nothing to succeed in the nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region.

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #19)

August 1910. Banned from the Valley of the Kings, Amelia Peabody and husband Emerson are persuaded to follow would-be archaeologist Major George Morley on an expedition to Palestine. Somewhere in this province of the corrupt, crumbling Ottoman Empire—the Holy Land of three religions—Morley is determined to unearth the legendary Ark of the Covenant.

At the request of British Intelligence, Emerson will be keeping an eye on the seemingly inept Morley, believed to be an agent of the Kaiser sent to stir up trouble in this politically volatile land. Amelia hopes to prevent a catastrophically unprofessional excavation from destroying priceless historical finds and sparking an armed protest by infuriated Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Meanwhile, Amelia's headstrong son, Ramses, working on a dig at Samaria, encounters an unusual party of travelers and makes a startling discovery—information that he must pass along to his parents in Jerusalem...if he can get there alive.

The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #20)

Egypt, 1912—Amelia Peabody and her dashing archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless, stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti and Amelia finds herself the target of assassins in this long-awaited, eagerly anticipated final installment of Elizabeth Peters’ bestselling, beloved mystery series.

Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling excavation season, Amelia is relaxing in a well-earned bubble bath in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo, when a man with knife protruding from his back staggers into the bath chamber and utters a single word—"Murder"—before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Among the few possessions he carried was a sheet of paper with Amelia’s name and room number, and a curious piece of pasteboard the size of a calling card bearing one word: "Judas." Most peculiarly, the stranger was wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye. It quickly becomes apparent that someone saved Amelia from a would-be assassin—someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid Englishwoman. Discovering a terse note clearly meant for Emerson—Where were you?"—pushed under their door, there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos.

But neither assassins nor the Genius of Crime will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Amarna, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic Nefertiti bust. In 1345 B.C. the sculptor Thutmose crafted the piece in tribute to the great beauty of this queen who was also the chief consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten and stepmother to King Tutankhamun. For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge... and perhaps be unmasked at last.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Who are some of your favourite Historical Romance heroes? (This doesn't have to be a recommendation post, although that's always appreciated, just wanted to give you a chance to talk about your favs)

Aww, thank you! I do have a good number of favorites.

Derek Craven, Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas--Always and forever, such an archetypal hero. I was just re-reading his complete meltdown after he believes Sara is dead and it's just... perfect. I love that he's this self made man who's trained himself to be super smooth and domineering and competent, but he completely loses his marbles around her. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when her ex shows up at her parents' house when they're meeting Derek for the first time, and he accuses Sara of being filled with "insatiable lust" and Derek like, physically throws him out of the house and is like "WHAT THE FUCK DID HE MEAN 'INSATIABLE LUST'" and she's all "he meant my insatiable lust for you, dearest". While her dad just watches.

Sebastian St. Vincent, Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas--Another archetypal hero because Kleypas just... nails a hero. Whereas Derek Craven is the archetypal brutish self made man who's soft for his heroine (but not his dick... that's very much hard) St. Vincent is the archetypal slutty slut slutty scoundrel, Theeee Rake. A standout moment for HIM is the "I'M SEBASTIAN ST. VINCENT I CAN'T BE CELIBATE". I think what's great about Sebastian is that he's truly such a piece of shit in Lillian's book (while also being super hot) but he grows in a very natural manner in his own.

Kev Merripen, Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas--A truly self-loathing man who hates himself and his lust and basically everything about himself. I really enjoy a hero who hates himself, and honestly, I don't know if there's a Kleypas hero who hates himself more than Kev. I think his story is really bold in that he does something kinda shitty and reprehensible, but it makes total emotional sense and he has to come back from that and become deserving of Win.

Dorian Blackwell, The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne--He's..... so hot. And so wounded. And so hot. And he hates himself so much. I just love him. I love the way he wears an eyepatch sometimes; I love the way he wears leather gloves always; I love that he has a voyeurism kink; I love that he likes to tie Farah up so she can't touch him during sex; I love that he hates himself for fucking her roughly but then gets super into it when he realizes she's super into it; I love that he's just like "yeah I killed those people" super casually because it doesn't register to him that This Is Bad. I remember literally having to put this book down at points because I was overwhelmed by how much I loved it, and while I adore Farah, Dorian is the piece de resistance of the book.

Carlton "Cutter" Morley, Seducing A Stranger by Kerrigan Byrne--I think Byrne does such an amazing job with this hero. Because he really shouldn't work in his own book. Cutter (who's just Inspector Carlton Morley at that point because you've gotta unlock his secret past) is the uptight good guy to Dorian's sexy bad boy, and he should just STAY that way. And he keeps popping up in the series to be like "CAN Y'ALL STOP DOING CRIME" and it should be annoying. But he like.... Clearly is just waiting to cut loose. And when he finally does it is wild and supremely hot, and I just do love a starchy hero who loses his shit when he finally meets the woman who undoes him. He shoots, he scores.

Ransom Seymour ("Ainsley"), Waking Up with The Duke by Lorraine Heath--My fucking cinnamon apple....... Ransom is always the voice of reason in the first two books of the series he's in, and when it's revealed that he's actually been a pining mess over his best friend's wife (who hates him) the entire time... It's too much. He's like this total gentleman of a hero, while also fucking like a champ. And he buys flowers from little street urchins, overpaying of course. Be still my heart.

Henry Stanford, When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath--Dude. He's a sad widower who was once a virtuous man? He was a virgin when he married his late wife? But now he is like... Shit. This guy was really fucking hot. All the self loathing hot. And of course, the immortal "I want to taste rum on lips" moment (he replaced his carpet after... it's fine). His total deluded justification of debauching the virginal innocent 19 year old family friend? His refusal to believe he can ever love again? GOD.

Jack Dodger, Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath--The dude who is probably the reason why the above dude is such a fucking DOG, because he was raised by Jack Dodger and it's fine. Jack is such a good self made scoundrel hero, and I'm not too proud to say he made me shed a tear. He has such a sad past, and he's like this deeply good guy wrapped up in a very hot bad boy package. Also: the heroine sees his dick and passes out. So. Like.

Griffith Stanwick, Scoundrel of My Heart by Lorraine Heath--Another hero who's like "I'm so bad, I have such a chip on my shoulder" when he's actually a fucking puppy. Griffith defies my distrust of a second son hero and literally embraces it, while at the same time being this deeply wounded guy who doesn't feel like he can offer the heroine what she deserves. It's catnip.

Colin Sandhurst, A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare--Such a good fun hero, Like, he's got his damage, but he's a good time and clearly a great lay, and I think he was a great conduit for Tessa Dare's sense of humor. He has some of the best lines about his heroine being a sword swallower... that were ever written.

Griffin York, Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare--A HOT SAD BOY. I love a hot sad boy. And this hot sad boy ruins his own life because of like, a legitimately awful tragedy in his past. Some heroes don't have good tragic backstories, but like... Jesus this is... a tragic backstory. I really felt for him, he just tugs at the heartstrings. I would compare him a lot to Ransom Seymour, in that they're both much deeper than they initially seem, and are also extremely hot dukes who will fuck the heroine's shit UP.

Preston Clarke, The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe--This guy... This motherfucker... First of all, has a delightfully pitiful grovel that I loved so much. But also, he's just such a good example of that titan of industry that you want from a Shupe hero? He's a bit brutal and blunt and likes to be called "my king", which... I wasn't mad at. And he was completely bowled over by his heroine.

Clay Madden, The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe--A dangerous hero who wants revenge but plays himself. What's not to like? Clay is super sexy, and at the same time super sad. He's a classic alpha hero who gets in the way of his own happiness. And he legitimately comes off as someone who could fuck people up in a bar fight, while also like, whispering soliloquies about nymphs in his heroine's ear while fingering her. Great job.

Julian Haywood, The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham--What can I say? I love a dom hero. And Julian is very explicitly a dom (like, professionally) but is also uptight and intense and wants to be admired and seen as an upstanding gentleman. He has these insecurities that make him hold back, but he's been longing for the heroine for soooo long. It's a deadly combination.

Michael Lawler, A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean--God, an asshole. Bourne is just a douchebag. He tricks the heroine into marriage for personal gain... But also because he's secretly in love with her, probably. He has to be completely broken down before he can be worthy of her, which is what I truly love in a hero. I adore a broken man.

Henry, Duke of Clayborn, Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean--Bro I can't.... get into why exactly I love him... Because this book isn't out yet. But suffice to say there's a scene where he does something and she responds to it and he's like "we'll revisit that at a later time" and it has been stuck in my head ever since I read it.

Galen Vachon, Indigo by Beverly Jenkins--THIS FUCKING GUY. He's so hot, and he's so gone for her early in the book? Like, he's a classic rake but he knows that he wants Hester and he's not fucking around. And he's so seductive? But he does offer one of the most magnificent grand gestures I've ever read in my entire life.

Anyway, these are not all of them but they are some of my top faves!

[eddysocs]

Peaky Blinders OC Masterlist

Name: Angelica Morley

Face Claim: Vanessa Kirby

Love Interest: Alfie Solomons

Fic Title: Angel's Gambit

Plot Summary: Alfie doesn’t expect a young woman at his meeting with a potential ally. Nor does he expect that she was in fact the person he was supposed to be taking the meeting with. A gang leader in her own right, Angelica is looking for a partner, a face for her business and Alfie seems like the perfect man for the job.

Name: Benedetta Moretti

Face Claim: Erin Richards

Love Interest: Luca Changretta

Fic Title: Can’t Keep A Good Girl Down

Plot Summary: Benedetta Moretti is supposed to be dead. But when she walks back into Luca Changretta’s life and business, it’s clear she’s anything but. What her reappearance means for Luca’s dealings with the Peaky Blinders has yet to be seen, as Benedetta always has an agenda of her own.

Name: Elena Barnum

Face Claim: Lea Seydoux

Love Interest: Polly Gray

Fic Title: Along Came Polly

Plot Summary: Elena meets Tommy at The Garrison, and he takes an interest in her. She knows who he is, and finds him charming, so she begins a relationship with him. One day, he takes her to a family meeting on last minute notice and everything changes for her. She becomes one of the family essentially, but drifts away from Tommy and toward Polly.

Name: Gloria Astor

Face Claim: Hayley Atwell

Love Interest: Tommy Shelby

Fic Title: Without A Stitch

Plot Summary: Gloria did her time in the war as a nurse until her older brother George went MIA. She then cut all her long hair off and went to the front, effectively taking his place. She came back to Small Heath a changed woman and took over George’s tailoring business. When the Peaky Blinders come in looking for handouts, Gloria doesn’t take kindly to them. After all, she’s got to make a living, she can’t just go around giving out suits for free now can she? And it certainly doesn’t matter how charming their leader is.

Name: Rosalind Alcott

Face Claim: Michelle Dockery

Love Interest: Arthur Shelby

Fic Title: Fight Or Flight

Plot Summary: There’s no reason Rosalind Alcott should be in Birmingham. It’s only on the whim of her brother and his fiancée that Roz is at a fight at all. When she sees the way Arthur Shelby fights, Rosalind falls a little bit in love with him. So she goes back to Birmingham on her own and begins a secret romance with him.

[puddtoast]

" The sick will be treated in the flooded District, as per the Lord regents request it is forbidden to enter the area by any citizens "

A group of figures perched on the remains of a dilapidated buildings over looking the proof of the regents neglect. the smell of rot and buzzing of flies alive below their feet as the communicative grunts and shouts of guard's men filled the empty space between still breaths.

The men on the flooded districts deluged streets where crumbling plaster decorated it as carefully as fallen leaves in more lucky areas of Dunwall. Dragging clothed shapes to their final resting place with the all the grace of a sauntering bull through young seedlings. There is no funeral, no pyre, no remembrance , no love These men cared not for what lay beneath their feet and to join their cloth brethren in the all accepting all consuming arms of rot and maggots. When would they themselves be claimed?

Soft on cats feet a figure appeared and disappeared in a trans-versing of void matter on a near by rooftop, kneeling slowly testing the boards as they leaned into the shadows, small dripping lines of cloth dangling from their mask helplessly as they crouched angling to see what the guard's had pocketed from the poor's dying hands. One hand acting as a support as they looked the other dropped over their left leg lavished. Truly the only creature here to tribe was flies and other creatures which lived on dead flesh. The Whaler didn't move as they watched, eyes trained on the men ;they all knew , their own dirty little secret, no one came here to live, they came here to die , cold alone and to be thrown into the embrace of the dead when the time came, fragile young hope that yes you could make it out alive and you would be ok doesn't make it far in areas a  deluged by despair and death.

Hackles raised the Whaler felt a sence of In justice as they watched the guards throw carelessly a partial small  bundle of cloth. Silent and steady , unreadable as the braced an gloved hand on the roof, slimy and rotten with the holes of wood eating insect. Throwing them from the cart, "1, 2 and a 3!" and a sickening splash as the murky red liquid that collected in the hollow of the flooded area , sickeningly sweat as coughs of the dammed and plea after plea for help wouldn't be answered and those driven plague-mad like rabid animals huddling around a barrel of fire.

The whalers breath came out in a steady sigh as another presence was felt suddenly at their side, the void prickling at their skin with a signalling click the older whaler requested a bit of presence of mind from them, they were supposed to be patrolling not lamenting something they can not fix. Morley's melancholy is something that you can't really get out of you even when you leave for dunwall apparently, the sadness in seeing a problem you cant fix but the pity you feel as if seeing a wet kitten in the rain you desperately want to dry and hide in your coat but dunwall has developed the life of making you hardened to the sadness, the idea you save all isn't realistic is it? A hope maybe.

A shaking of the shoulder and then a hiss of the void later, they moved back to the group as silent jumps from roof to roof towards the other districts, heading towards bottle street, focus once again achieved, they just hoped now that they could get through this patrol with the least possible events, and getting back to carving that bone charm.

[walkermakepeacejones]

Roslyn Cemetery, Greenvale NY Several prominent people are buried here, including William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878; monument seen below): journalist, novelist and poet Christopher Morley (1890-1957); and author Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), who wrote Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess and the Secret Garden.

[imaginetonprincecharmant]

I posted 12 467 times in 2021

23 posts created (0%)

12444 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 541.0 posts.

I added 9 955 tags in 2021

#supernatural - 2258 posts

#marvel - 2227 posts

#dean winchester - 1099 posts

#movie - 850 posts

#castiel - 763 posts

#fanart - 746 posts

#the 100 - 595 posts

#cast - 553 posts

#deancas - 483 posts

#bbc merlin - 381 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#i mean instead of making hope the hero why not make rafael be useful for once and not just be background character

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

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10 notes • Posted 2021-03-11 11:20:27 GMT

#4

10 of my favourite fictional women for women's history month

Thank you to @together-is-my-favourite-place for tagging me 🥰🥰

1. Clarke Griffin [The 100]

2. Bonnie Bennett [The Vampire Diaries]

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14 notes • Posted 2021-03-10 14:21:13 GMT

#3

i miss destiel and the days when i was so sure they would be canon

19 notes • Posted 2021-07-23 22:05:27 GMT

#2

2020 Year in Review

Rules: answer some questions about 2020 and tag some people!

Tagged by @together-is-my-favourite-place thank youu so much and again happy new year to you ♥♥ ! 

Top Five Four Films you watched in 2020:

1. The Croods 2. Inception  3. Tenet 4. Clueless  5. Secret Society of Second-Born Royals

Top Five TV Shows in 2020:

1. Julie and the Phantoms 2. Avatar : The Last Air Blender 3. Merlin 4.How to get away with murder (the final omg 😭)  5. Supernatural (beacuase i choose to ignore the last 2 epsiodes ugh) 

+ mention special to the 100 one of my fav show but s7 make it so atrocious 😭

Top Five Songs/Albums of 2020:

1. Before you go by Lewis Calpadi 2. A lot of Miley Cyrus’s songs (like angle like you, never be me, hate me) 3. Julie and the Phantoms album 4. A lot of Taylor Swift’s song (like nobody no crime, exile, cowboy like me)  5. Lonely by Justin Bieber 

Top Five Books of  i read in 2020:

1. Destiny by Cecelia Ahern  2. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan 3.  Cursed by Thomas Wheeler And that’s it 😭😭

Top Five Ten Fanfictions of 2020:

I especially read a lot of AU on twitter about spn and the 100 but here some fanfiction i’ve read on ao3 or wattpad :  1. French version : De la poésie pour les Poissons by Saturne (spn) English version : Poetry for fish by Saturne (spn) 2. Ensemble pour briller by StellaMuscia (soy luna) 3. Cap ou pas Cap ? Qui gagnera la partie by MickarolLumonFics (soy luna)

And i think that it! 

Five good/positive things that happened to you in 2020:

1. I completed my second year of law school :) !!   2. I celebrated my birthday with my friends on july that was fun 3. I helped one of my best friend to organize her birthday on september  4. I met one of my best internet friends and we live ont he same city ! 5. My little cousin was born in january ♥ he’s so cute ! 

Tagging and wishing Happy New Year 2021 with a lot of hapiness, healt, sucess and prosperity to :  @omniavincitamor @saveyoua-seat @reggietheghost @geekyogicheese @edwardalric @darkmisstressofunknown @cursedbycastiel @samwwinchester @kittens-and-skeleton-hats @i-heart-tyrus @ccstiel @bloodysteel @beth-cassidy @madisonreyes @multifandomfinex @robertsbarbie-archive @somewherewebelongg @octaviaskairipas @taylor-morley @you-are-important-nina @captain--steve--rogers @kingjackless @star-light-child @proudtobeadepphead @jory826 @superchocovian @isabellaskyliner @themoonandstarsinhereyes @aureganemerryl And i hope i don’t forget someone omg, thank you all for this year on tumblr ♥ !

21 notes • Posted 2021-01-02 13:55:02 GMT

#1

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41 notes • Posted 2021-01-30 11:40:57 GMT

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