#the tale teller

[smbilodeau]

The Tale Teller

Finished reading (aloud, to my spouse,) “The Tale Teller” by Anne Hillerman. Fifth in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series.

A potentially priceless artifact, an anonymous donation to the Navajo Nation Museum has, possibly, gone missing. Joe Leaphorn, the former legendary Lieutenant, now working as a private investigator, has been asked to look into the problem. Was it donated? Has it gone missing?

Officer Bernie Manuelito really would like a day off, but when a dead body shows up in the middle of her running, it’s not going to be today. When she hears about someone selling stolen goods at a local flea market, it’s not going to be tomorrow, either.

Her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, has been asked to help investigate a string of burglaries in Chinle, burglaries that seem almost supernaturally targeted.

Do these cases tie together? If so, how so?

This was an excellent read, for characterizations, for history, for the prose painting the beauty of the land in the desert Southwest. Also, to my own personal tastes, seeing the delights Bernie and Jim take in being happily married to each other.

I generally don’t recommend extensions to other writers’ series (the estate approved additions to the Nero Wolfe corpus, for instance, while okay mysteries were absolutely NOT Nero Wolfe stories,) but Ms. Hillerman’s continuation of her father’s work is just stellar. She’s made the series its own, while underscoring and highlighting what it was about her father’s writing that appealed to me.

Highly recommended.

[ryebecca]

a dagger tale as old as time: "Believe me, Grim, when I find her, I'll know. Without a doubt it'll just, bam, hit me, like lightning." 🧜🏻‍♀️ 🔱 ✨ - The Little Mermaid

[vertigoartgore]

2024's Immortal Thor Vol.1 #6 (LGY : #767) variant cover by artist Julian Totino Tedesco.

[othellho]

― Daniel Nayeri, Everything Sad Is Untrue

[youdidnotseeme]

he’s baby. Murder baby.

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Dorothy Tomlinson (editor) - Walk in Dread: Twelve Classic Eerie Tales - Taplinger - 1972

[hella1975]

complicated relationship with taob be damned i have never peaked higher than i did when i was studying tragedies for my english class and wrote the fever dream chapter

[timidxtempted]

There is a scene in Return of the Jedi when Threepio is telling the rebel's tale to the Ewoks... In that scene, you see adults and children equally transfixed; people who lived the tale just as enthralled by the telling as the ones hearing it for the first time.

And in the end, a coming together. A moment where everyone went down a single path with the heroes and heroine; shared the pain of the trials, and the joy of the successes.

Words shared.

Connections created.

That is the power story-tellers.

The power of stories.

Of words.

That is all.

No, wait.

One more thing...

To all the writers, the arrangers of words, and to the tellers of tales... I am deeply, eternally grateful.

[sotc]

ZEVANA MOMENT SPOTTED!!!!

IT'S HER. IT'S THEM. Sorry but I am so stuck on that last bit where it mentions she and Zevran have their own battles to fight. I was talking a bit ago about how Milana ends up finding her sense of self and purpose that she's struggled through most of the game and y'know... Milana has found herself bound and doomed to the duty and fate of a Grey Warden while Zevran, a man who has found his freedom through her, chose to remain by her side. The circumstances of that is ironic in and of itself (and I love how much irony plays in their story, esp with Zev) but I think as they continue their relationship after everything it only cements her new perspective in life. She didn't even realize it's been in front of her the whole time. What is Zev doing taking on the Crows not only an act to fight and preserve his personal freedom, but an act of love if it meant he can choose to stay beside his Warden? ("For the chance to be by your side I would storm the Dark City itself. Never doubt it." anyone?? 😭!) What is choosing to be beside her during her travels no matter if this chase to find the cure leads to a dead end if not an act of love?

I think she may have been a bit slower to the realization than Zev was about what she wanted out of her life after all that's happened. Yet here he was; he's been choosing her this whole time. And now with Milana searching for the Calling's cure... she would not resign herself to that terrible fate and what is that if not a defiant act of love? Fighting to persevere against all doomed odds if it meant being able to remain beside Zevran just as he does her? They saved each other. They are choosing each other. Every day, with every battle they face, together or apart.

You know the whole tropes of "I would die for you"? Nah, for to these two it's "I want to live for you." "I don't want to be doomed, I want to live." IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE BABY!!!

[missacidburn928]

Moonlight & Fang Masterlist

Fantasy/Little Red Riding Hood/ABO AU 

Our Alphas: Jax Teller, Dean Winchester, Captain Syverson, Ari Levinson, Bucky Barnes

Our Little Red Omega "Selene/Red": Omega Fae with powerful sex magic who's scent lures the strongest Alpha's from all around to test their might and virility. Light hazel eyes in shades of green and amber. Full pouty lips. Thicc and curvy. Built to be every wolf’s desire. Made to be bred. Has an unquenchable lust for the taste of Alpha blood on her tongue and her mark on their flesh. 

Summary:

Their sweet words fall like bittersweet honey. Lacing pain and menace under a sugary facade. Coating everything. Sticky, sweet and unthreatening. All earth and warmth. The best disguise for unsuspecting beings, with open hearts and damaged souls.

A succulent entree for her sharp teeth to feast upon. For she is made of moonlight and fang. All charm and soulful eyes. While hiding an all encompassing darkness inside. 

Sinful lips with a deadly tongue. Patiently waiting for her prey to become safe and lucid. Drunk off of her words and lingering touch.

When their red hoods fall, exposing the softness of their throats. Her eyes become bigger, as her hunger and lust for flesh grows. Just one bite and she'll change your life.

My, oh my.

What big fangs you have my dear.

🐺

Chapters:

Little Red

The Orphan

The Hunter

The Blacksmith

The Rogue

The Forgotten Prince

Balance

[ihavenohotcocoa]

Today on DnD:

I summoned my pact weapon as bolt cutters. i dont think the guards were expecting that <3

[insteading]

When Pete is telling stories about working for Blackbeard in S1 E2, "A Damned Man," Stede Bonnet is the only one who believes him. Stede asks, if Blackbeard's head is made of smoke, do his eyes float?

Pete replies, No, they're just normal eyes.

And that's how you know Pete never worked for Blackbeard: no one who has spent time around Edward "Invented Eyes" Teach could describe these expressive and soulful eyes as normal.

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Robert Potter - Tales Of Mystery And The Unknown - Globe Book Company - 1976 (illustrations by Charles Molina)

[atla-milf-month]

ATLA MILF Month will happen in March 2025! This month will celebrate all the ATLA-verse moms and older women who... well, you know!

Click here to submit prompts! Click here to check the event guidelines! Do you have any questions? Do you want to be a mod? Please send us an ask.

Thank you for participating. We hope you enjoy the event!

[drawnecromancy]

It's a start.

[cha-melodius]

Since this is the place to go when one has whacky AU ideas, let me share mine: TMFU fantasy AU where Illya is a galant, brave knight working for evil king Oleg. Oleg sends him on a quest to capture and bring back a mythical creature (I'm imagining a phoenix, but a dragon could work too), beacuse he wants to keep the creature in a cage and show it off to other kings and nobles. Plot twist, this mythical creature is Napoleon (let's say that he can change into human form too because he's magical and powerful). Gaby is a peasant and a part-time inventor from a remote village who joins Illya on his quest.

Oh, I like this one a lot (and I don't think it's that wacky, honestly)! I love magical creature!Napoleon who can change from human to creature form and back again. A phoenix, I see him preening all the time, being pretty vain about his feathers (and hating it whenever he goes up in flames and he has to grown it all out again lollll). Obviously dragon!Napoleon fits super well since he's a great lover of shiny things. You know he has the most fabulous hoard.

Gaby obviously hears about the quest and invites herself along, much to Illya's chagrin. He doesn't have time to be looking after civilians. Gaby of course scoffs at this, because she doesn't need protection. Her story is that she wants in some of the glory, but really she's worried about the quest. Maybe her father (who disappeared when she was young) told her about this magical creature, and how the creature was special, so she's actually tagging along partly so she can see/meet him, but also so that she can try to disrupt Illya's quest. Illya is conflicted because he wants to be very chivalrous to this lady (Gaby laughs a long time at that), but also he has to put up with this troublesome peasant who's making his life difficult.

There's a little town not far from the creature's lair, and Illya and Gaby stop there to stay in an inn. There, they meet a gorgeous, enthralling man with a sharp jaw and a sharper smile: Napoleon. (More under the cut, because this turned into a whole fairy tale.)

Illya is immediately taken with him, but he can't allow himself to be distracted from his quest. Napoleon isn't easily put off, though. He finds out what Illya's aim is and tells him he can help, offers to go with him. The last thing Illya wants is another tag-along, but he also finds it quite difficult to say no to Napoleon, which is how they all end up traveling together. Napoleon tells them stories about the creature (about how wonderful it is, naturally), and as they get closer Illya's misgivings about his quest grow. He never liked it from the beginning, the idea of caging some wild creature, but he likes it even less after hearing everything from Gaby and Napoleon.

Meanwhile, in the days it takes them to reach the creature's layer, Illya falls steadily more and more in love with Napoleon. How can he resist? Napoleon is vibrant and smart and funny and fucking stunning, and Illya doesn't stand a chance. So when, the night before they're due to reach the creature's lair, Napoleon just disappears, Illya loses it. He's distraught, thinking something happened to Napoleon, and he spends the next day searching for him to no avail. He thinks maybe Napoleon went after the creature himself for some reason, maybe he got into trouble, so Gaby and Illya finally go to the creatures lair. Of course, they find the ring that Napoleon was wearing there, along with the creature, and Illya goes off in a blind rage, thinking Napoleon is dead. He captures the creature, and it's only through Gaby's intercession that he doesn't kill it. Instead, he binds it using the magical rope he'd brought along that will prevent it from escaping or wielding any magic of its own.

The trip back is somber. Gaby tries several times to convince him not to turn the creature over to Oleg, but he won't hear it. For all he knows, this creature killed Napoleon. When they get back, Oleg is naturally delighted. The creature is put in its magic cage, Illya is lauded as a hero, and Gaby goes back to her inventions. There's a problem, though. The creature is fading. Becoming dull and lifeless, a mere shadow of its former glory. Illya finds himself visiting the creature, though he doesn't really know why. To try to find out what's wrong with it, he says, though that's not it. He mostly talks to the creature, because the creature can't speak and just listens. It's safe to talk about all the things he can't normally tell anyone. He tells the creature about growing up, how his father was imprisoned and how he owes Oleg for picking him out of the gutter. That's why he couldn't say no. He also ends up talking about Napoleon (he doesn't notice the creature perk up at this), and even confesses that he thinks he was in love with him.

Despite the fact that he still thinks the creature is responsible for Napoleon's death, he worries about it. He goes to Gaby, because she seemed to know a lot about it before. She convinces him to sneak her into the palace to see it, and the creature perks up again at her presence. Clearly it's this cage, she tells Illya, a creature like this isn't meant to be confined. That's what's killing it. Illya doesn't know what to do. He can't betray the man who gave him everything (even if that man also always treated him like dirt), and anyway the creature killed his love. Why should he help it? But he knows in his heart what he must do. He's the galant knight, after all. So he opens the cage, but by this point the creature is too weak to move. Illya carefully gathers the creature into his arms to carry it out. Once free of the spells that dampened its magic, the creature transforms back into Napoleon, right in Illya's arms (naked, of course, lol—creatures don't wear clothes!).

Illya is stunned, and thinks its some kind of trick at first, but Napoleon convinces him. He's still super weak from the confinement and not being able to use his magic, and so Illya takes him to his house at first. As Illya is nursing him back to health, Napoleon asks if what he said when he was talking to the creature was true. Illya tries to pretend he doesn't know what Napoleon is talking about, because he assumes that there's no way Napoleon can love him back, but of course that turns out not to be true! Napoleon fell in love with him immediately, which was the only reason he allowed himself to be captured in the first place: he couldn't hurt Illya, even to save himself.

Napoleon improves, but before too long Oleg finds them. He's enraged by the fact his creature is gone and he's convinced that the newcomer (Napoleon) is behind its escape (well, he's not wrong). Illya of course refuses to kill him, which makes Oleg even angrier, and he threatens to arrest Illya just like his father. Our intrepid trio have to flee for their lives. Fortunately, between Illya's strength, Gaby's cleverness, and Napoleon's magic, they don't have much trouble. They go back to Napoleon's lair to pick up as much of his hoard as they can, though they can't stay there because Oleg's people will be looking for them. Instead they decide to set out on their own to see more of the world, traveling from town to town and picking up odd jobs. Eventually they find someplace far from Oleg's kingdom to settle down and spend the rest of their lives (this kingdom is ruled by a sarcastic but kind king named Waverly).

And they all lived happily ever after.