#when did my goats switch places

[valyrfia]

i do like max and i do ultimately want him to win this championship over the papaya menace but it's also a little funny to watch him go through the five stages of grief while having what has historically been a Charles Leclerc Standard Weekend

[starchants]

hi! i don’t know if you write for spike (btvs) but could you maybe write dating spike hcs? sfw & nsfw?

william ‘spike’ pratt x neutral!reader ; dating headcanons.

word count — 884.

themes + warnings ; some lovely fluff, some hints of angst thrown in because of our beloved troublesome tortured poet and some nsfw content as well!

author’s note — hi my lil starling <3! i do most certainly write for our favorite lil bad boy spike, i hope you enjoy <3! depressingly, i believe, this is shorter than my one with angel but that doesn’t mean that i don’t love him any less! i just literally ran out of headcanons at the moment cause my brain stopped working whoops! i could always expand upon him on a later date like i can with angel.

support mention ; if you feel like supporting, a nice ‘like’ will suffice on my blog, i know some writers love to ask nicely if you could reblog or comment etc. yet on my blog (no hate towards them as everyone likes appreciation in different ways), but if you’d like to reblog or comment feel free after all this is a safe space for any fan-individual to have fun :’)

masterlist

alright let’s state the obvious about our favorite troublesome poet : he will write tons of poems about you. his favorite topic to write about would be about love, at least i headcanon from his former human life, and so when he finds himself enthralled with you, you become his center focus in his beloved artship.

even if you do not like poetry, still please be supportive of him especially when you learn why he doesn't write his poetry as often as he used to when he was human. you see, in my personal headcanon, william (his human self of course) had been seen as too soft for a man as he liked the more feminine oddities such as : poetry, flowers, jewelry, fashion, and baking. mind you, this is all my personal headcanons as to why he was seen as soft.

so this vamp would adore you so so much more if you were to let him be himself and perhaps show interest in the oddities that he likes. obviously he would be the most supportive of you but if he was super supportive of you and didn't receive any back, i feel like he’d be put off of you despite how he feels towards you.

if you are an artistic soul like he is, spike would proudly marvel over your art — no matter how melancholy it might appear to be. he would goat about how his partner is the best at (insert your craft(s) here) and it would get to the point that the whole scooby gang would in-synchronicity claim "we know!" which would turn him into a blushing stuttering mess as he tries to play it off that he doesn't talk about your craft(s) that much. he contradicts himself sometimes as we all know.

he is the definition of a badass with a good soft heart. y'all get stuck out in the rain? he`s sacrificing his good leather and placing it over your head as he moves the pair of you underneath something where you would be dry and then y'all can watch the rain fall down upon sunnydale in a pretty lil art form. anyone happens to look at you in a wrong or potentially harmful way? spike is throwing hands with his vamp face out to scare them halfway to death before he even touches them. he`s a little protective over you, that`s all.

he’s obsessed with your touch. he’s severely touch deprived even if he doesn’t show it — please show him that he is capable of love, one that doesn’t surround around the madness of the woman who he believed to have been his soulmate before you came into his life. the man would be so touchy with you in private, especially if you did any hobbies of his that he loves — meaning baking of course! he would wrap his arms around your middle and use his hands to help you with anything you need for baking. definitely the type of man to put you on his feet and the pair of you penguin waddle together to put the trays in the oven for whatever you’re baking.

speaking of him being obsessed with your touch … time for a lil bit of nsfw 😈

spike is definitely a switch with a bratty sub lean, i mean literally just look at this vampire. he tries to act like a badass who is known for causing trouble over the years and yet if you play your cards just right you can turn him from a brat into your precious boy, but that takes a while. i tend to headcanon that even though drusilla loved him in the way she did, she never got to have him this way, and spike only trusts you to show this side of him. despite the trust, he will indeed make you work for it like i said previously. but you know how to handle your troublesome boy and how to practically turn him into a puddle with your mere touch overtime.

he’s definitely a mean service dom though when he is in a the dominant state of mind. man loves to torture you and deny your orgasms left and right only for a few turns though and then sends you over the edge quite a few times after that. he turns you into a total mess for his own pleasure but the aftercare is spectacular fr!

his version of aftercare is ; cleaning you up with a towel while smothering you with kisses all over as soon as he wipes down each and every spot upon your body, then he goes and gives you a drink (whether water or your favorite soda or alcoholic drink or maybe a blood bag if you’re a vampire like him — y’alls choice!) before he goes off to fill up a bath with the rainbow colored child bubbles that he found at the store the other day, and then he carries you in there once the bath is all filled. then he goes on to wash your body and hair for you while making sure that you’re genuinely alright with whatever occurred during your time together, then he asks you for whatever you want or need — his beloved flower’s wish is his command that he wishes never ends.

[stubz]

"Maverick is here."

"Hi Maverick! Want some coffee?" the human groaned.

"Only if it's Irish..."

"Heh, if only."

The two humans tried but couldn't help the shift of tone when talking about the youngling. Couldn't help the sighs or forced enthusiasm when it came to Maverick.

Maverick, age 6, species Ewelsjay, and the unknowing arch nemesis of Kim and Max.

.

"Maverick get down from there!" the man shouted up to the child dangling from the fire sprinklers.

"But it's fun!" giggled the child.

"They're not for climbing! Get down now!"

"No I'm no-!" the sprinkler snapped.

"I told him," he growled running towards the crying youngling. "a million times I told him don't climb the sprinklers! They're not for climbing! But did he listen? Nooooo."

..

"Maverick! What happened!?"

"Mr. Aurum, Maverick climbed the fire sprinklers and fell when they broke. Luckily it wasn't that high and he landed on the mats, he only has a bruise and scrapped knee."

"And you let him??"

"..No. I did not. We have told Maverick multiple times not to climb them because of this very reason."

"Oh Mavy. You need to listen your teachers. I'll have a talk with him."

"See you tomorrow then."

...

"And he looked at me as if I let his kid climb the sprinklers!!" he took a swig of his Irish coffee.

"Tell me about it...the guy acts as if it's always our fault. One time he told me it was my job that his kid puts his bag in his locker. His 6 year old kid...he's 6 years old! I tell him and sometimes he does it but most of the time he looks me in the eyes and says you do it."

"Exactly! We're not servants!"

"Gah please let them move or switch schools!"

....

"All right kids, foods ready so line up."

"But before you grab a plate let us tell you what's just for the humans today. The kitchen made an accident today and put in too much of a spice that can be dangerous for other species, it's the blue pot. Okay? Only humans can eat that."

"Human kids, only have a little to start with because its spicy. If you like it then you can have more later."

The kids nodded and started to serve themselves, only the humans taking food from the blue pot.

When they ate the adults chuckled and smiled watching their fellow humans eat the spicy curry. Some kids loved it for the spice or flavor while others chugged their milk. They're non-human friends laughed or gasped.

"Human Kim, can I try some?"

"Sorry Maverick but not today. It's not safe for some of you kids. We'll have this again on Friday though and we'll make sure it's safe for the rest of you kids."

"Aw. Okay." the human cracked a small smile and ruffled his golden hair.

"How about you try some of this? It from the same place on earth."

"It's green!"

.....

"Excuse me, Max and Kim? Maverick told me something very concerning yesterday."

"Oh, what was it?"

He told me that yesterday there was a dish just for the humans. That no one but humans were allowed to eat it." the Ewelsjay glared at them.

'Here we go' they both thought.

"Mr. Aurum the kitchen made a mistake when making one of the dishes yesterday and put in too much of a spice that is dangerous to most species. So to not waste the food and keep the others safe we only allowed the human children to eat it.

This was a simple mistake and Kim has talked to the kitchen already and made arrangements to make the dish again on Friday."

"Really? 'Too much spice' is what stopped my child from eating? Unbelievable."

"...listen-"

"Sir, this type of spice is one that can be rather harmful to younglings, even adults, and since we couldn't quite call everyone's parents asking for permission we decided to play it safe." the human placed a hand on her co-workers back. Trying her best to calm her friend. Even though she too wanted to rip Aurum a new one.

"I'll be the judge of that. Tell me, what's the name of the dish and how exactly the kitchen made it."

"Mr. Aurum I don't think-"

"Goat curry and it has many different variations but this recipe had 1 seeded scotch bonnet pepper."

And with that the Ewelsjay left with his son.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"No but I don't care. Besides as much as an a-hole he is there's no way he'll let Maverick eat it before he tries it first."

"Ooo the perfect crime."

*the next day*

"Teachers teachers teachers!"

"Yes Maverick?"

"My Dad tried the goat carry and his face turned bright orange! He took one bite and then screamed for water but it didn't help."

"Yeah water doesn't do much. Rookie mistake."

"Yeah but then I remembered what teacher Kim said about milk and gave him that and it helped!"

"So how's your Dad now?"

"He's stuck in the bathroom still drinking milk." he said so matter of factly making the humans snort.

"A-and now do you see why we didn't want you eating it?" asked Max trying his best not to laugh.

"Yeah...I guess I should be listening to you two. You are my teachers."

"Glad to hear that. Now go to put your stuff away and play."

"Okay!" once he was out of earshot the two finally allowed themselves to laugh till they cried.

Maverick was a handful most times but moments like these reminded the two that he was a kid. And kids learn from those around them. Hopeful Mr. Aurum would learn what his son did today, listen to the teachers.

[marveliciousfanace]

I've said for the better part of two years, well before it was even announced, that a Misfits and Magic season 2 might kill me, and in fact it tried (in only the best ways)! And not only did it give me the gift of a new all-time favorite D20 episode (sorry, Neverafter's "Once Upon A Time," there's a new dealing-with-PC-death-in-the-most-perfect way episode, and it's "A Place of Knowing"), it also gave me something I've been waiting years for: little lineart symbols that perfectly match my usual tattoo aesthetic, so I can finally get the D20 tattoo I've been dreaming of, for my favorite campaign, no less.

Just one problem: I'm not much for social media, and having consumed all the MisMag season 2 content I can find, I still can't find anything that confirms what all six of the little creature symbols should be. So I figured I'd farm the question out to the internet, and see if anyone saw/heard something I missed. So: the index cards.

The warm half of our color wheel, as depicted by the Gowcentric Orrery, is straightforward. The symbols appear on Tabby in direct coordination with their names when the Pilot Program visits Galamanis, the Qohlye, and Weugan in episodes 2, 3, and 6. They also all look reasonably recognizable as their animals (I'd say the Qohlye the least, and Weugan the most, but there's still a winged goat, a lizard, and a dog in the shapes). So that was easy. The problem is, unless I missed something, we're not shown the other three island/creatures in as straightforward a way.

Across different episodes, we do see symbols that clearly represent Tabby, the knotted symbol for magic's rules, and, of course, Tabby's enemies to lovers best friends relationship with Jammer, but because they're recognizable, I discounted them from my research. But, in episode 4 (on Seegenpelater) we do see three other symbols, which are never formally explained on the show, appearing when the Pilot Program are conversing with text-Tabby. Without finding anything to confirm or deny it, I've assumed that these three other symbols are in fact the cool side of our color wheel, breaking Tabby's pictogram language into the six basic magic principals he was made to coordinate. Which leaves the problem of working out which symbol is which of our favorite little magic guys.

With limited understanding, the only clues I really could think to go off of were the general shape of the symbol, and the word they appear before on Tabby's tablet when he's doing his magic-eight-ball routine. I'm almost 100% certain the above symbol is Seegenpelater's. I'd say this looks about as close to a two-headed camel as the warm side of the wheel looks to their animals. It also was accompanied by the word "doubtful" on Tabby's screen, which I do think corresponds reasonably to Seegenpelater being the basis of illusory/enchantment magic (ie, magic that casts reality in doubt). That would make it the blue wedge, opposite Galamanis, and leaves us with purple (Miskoro) and green (Tadershecourt).

This is where I hit the snag. I don't think either of these especially resembles our boy Tad. I could honestly see an argument for either depicting an antlered creature. My best guess is that the one on the left is Miskoro and the one on the right is Tad: I'd say the left looks to me like a winged guy with a tail, and the right does have a vague skull shape to it. We also see both of these symbols used twice. The left symbol accompanies the phrase "likely," while the right is joined with "ask later." I don't find that particularly helpful, since both phrases to me could be associated with Miskoro's transformation magic, but given that Tad's is a magic of curtailing/lessening, I'd be more inclined to give him the latter (also, I think it looks like a power button, and it's fun to think about Tad's symbol literally being a kind of off switch).

Assuming I'm correct, and that these symbols do all correspond to the orrery (as opposed to us just not seeing some symbols because it didn't come up during gameplay), that would make our full, official Gowcentric Orrery look something like this (apologies for the quick, shitty sketch):

Does anyone know a confirmation one way or the other if this is right? If @quiddie or the Dimension 20 art team has released an official version? I've literally been thinking about this for the past two months, so if anyone else has an answer, or even just a theory, I'd really love to hear it!

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

So let's say a magic spell has gone REALLY awry, and now all the M6 have bodyswapped with each other. What combinations do you think would be the funniest, and how do you think it would go down?

The Arcana Mini-HCs: M6 bodyswap

~ this was so much fun, thank you anon! I went for the funniest overall combinations in my mind, so I'd love to hear more thoughts on all the combos I didn't cover! - brainrot ~

Julian ends up with Portia's body - and boy is he mad every time he thinks he catches someone looking at his precious sister's face the wrong way. This totally has nothing to do with the fact that he's well over a foot shorter than he usually is. Or that his permanent tragic-hero expression looks so out of place on his sunshine sister's face

Asra ends up with Lucio's body - and takes full advantage of the opportunities. Doing the chicken dance in the town square. Getting "no ragrats" permanently inked across their chest in giant lettering. Telling everyone he meets that he's attracted to goats. Eating seven bowls of beans and then taking a laxative right before switching back

Nadia ends up with Asra's body - which doesn't sound too crazy at first, until you remember that this is a body that normally stays in the shadows. It can be a lot harder to give an authoritative command and wrangle a stubborn noble into paying their workers fairly when it's coming from someone who's all chill vibes and airy suggestions

Muriel ends up with Nadia's body - and oh, is it a strange sight to watch Nadia's smooth face twist into a flustered scowl every time someone approaches him calling for the Countess! He's almost too afraid to move for fear of messing up the fine clothes she has on, but it's nice to be able to walk through a door without smacking his head

Portia ends up with Muriel's body - depending on who you ask, it was either a total success or complete disaster. She almost brought back rumors of the Scourge with all the fun she had exacting justice on every creep in the South End. On the plus side, she realized how hard it was to dress such a large body and made him a new wardrobe

Lucio ends up with Julian's body - and spent most of the day cursing at the poor doctor for being so frustratingly, enjoyably tall. How is he supposed to replicate this feeling with mere heeled boots?? He did at one point see Asra in his own body, which resulted in the visual of a furious plague doctor chasing a giggling ex-count through the streets

[tidalfoam]

hey look, legitimate reference sheets for my Fates AU. Look at me, doing things i said i would. my art is always shaky and im bad at consistency so hopefully this helps me.

more Fates shit beloooow (spoilers for the fanfic) (warning for MASSIVE wall of text).

how dare you read spoilers instead of waiting for me to actually finish the next chapter (i am sobbing im stuuuuuck). anyways.

i forgot lambert's jewelry in the ref sheet fuuuuuUUUUCK.

Uhhh so Fates is a 2-part story. Currently writing/posting Fates Worse Than, which is Narinder's POV. Love Can't Save You From is part 2 (working title lmao) thats Lambert's POV.

Basically switch em. Nari is vessel Lamb is god of death. After Narinder inevitably defeats lambert, lambert dips for 200 yrs and is a hermit while the world changes and Nari founds the New Faith.

Pt 1 follows standard gameplay and is a lot shorter than pt 2 (though my word document begs to differ), its a lot more about what's going on in Narinder's mind and unpacking backstory.

After burning midas's bitch ass place down, the other areas on the map (save for midas's bitch ass place and ratau's shack) become towns of their own. The old cult grounds break down and a Temple of TOWW is built. Nari rescues the old Bishops from purgatory, they become his disciples, and three of them run the temples in towns as Disciples/New Bishops (sans powers, just gold skull necklaces) and Shamura keeps the Main Temple of death by themselves. NONE OF THIS i actually write its just explained during the story. Hah.

pt 2 basically is Lambert & Narinder regaining trust (narinder feels shitty for what he did to lambert and cares for them greatly.) And then theres a lot of trauma unpacking, sibling reconnection, and the two of them growing closer.

BIG SPOILERS NEXT

Ya so basically Nari doesn't fully have control of his godhood powers and folks start ressurecting randomly, but 9/10 of them are Cursed and this is Not Great. After consulting with Shamura and doing their own investigating basically aaaah Narinder either has to monitor the gateway or give Lamb the crown back.

They fight over this, obviously, like right after they finally hit the "lovers" part too. fun!

and so in the end they both agree that Narinder will sit in the Gateway, at least for probs a few centuries to maybe a millenia until he has full control over everything. He asks Lambert to lead the New Faith and keep tabs on everyone, thus coming full circle. Narinder is TOWW in the gateway, Lambert is his servant (but no crown, Nari keeps the crown). End of Spoilers.

Also just fun shit. They can't reproduce, gods of death can't create life. I will 10000% make non-canon shittens content tho because ITS FUN.

Lamb is They/Them

Shamura is actually one of the Old Gods, and slaughtered other gods to steal their crowns to give to their "siblings". They literally stole Kallamar as a child, didn't like how he turned out. Stole lamb as baby, loved them and was closest to them, so stole heket too and were meh about her. They were in the middle of slaughtering other gods and destroying crowns when Lambert and Heket found a baby worm in the woods. They begged shamura to keep their new baby brother. Shamura and Kallamar weren't happy but caved to their beloved baby siblings. That worm baby was Leshy. Then shamura drove chemench insane, the group finished slaughtering all other gods & crowns, and that was that.

Goat isn't canon but i did draw him once because it felt like fun and maybe one day jokingly i'll do an au to the au whoops

everyone calls ratau old but he's not that old Narinder & Lambert are just dicks lmao. I promise i do like Ratau i'm just writing in the POV of two assholes.

if you got this far... why? i'm extremely honored but holy hell WHY. I love you now. I love you dearly.

Please feel free to ask me anything i'm foaming at the mouth constantly for this, its my new Sole Purpose. I am absolutely not avoiding my actual fucking novel i'm supposed to be finishing l o l.

[angel-of-the-moons]

A Rose Under The Moon

Moon Knight System (Marc/Steven/Jake) x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: None really

A/N: Gods you guys I am so sorry it's taken so long, life just keeps getting on track and derailing into some crazy bs for me lately (and of course the wonderful problems of depression and problematic mental health are an issue) but I'm hoping I churn out a bit more writing because I miss it and Lord it drives me bonkers when I wanna write, but can't think of where to start. So this is one of the shorter chapters, filler mostly. But have some Hippo Mama-focused stuff for a bit!

Taglist: @bad4amficideas @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @shirukitsune @lokisremainingsanity @mundivagantsoul @furblrwurblr @zoleea-exultant @latenightcravingz @daygirl26 @thelastemzy @leahnicole1219 @crazyunsexycool

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Chapter 7:

Cats and Cradles

You were certainly a peculiar creature. Odd dietary habits, an awkward sleeping schedule...

But all this could be tied to your soulmate, surely. Or well... Soulmates, as it were. It had to have been.

"It must be so difficult for you, poor little thing." Taweret sighed as she watched you eat your breakfast for the day. Some simple grain-based cereal with granola and dehydrated fruit mixed in, with some sweetened oat-milk poured in, a nice piping cup of tea steaming next to you.

You idly ate spoonful after spoonful while you read an old journal of some sorts. Mass produced of course, but the pages were yellowed and torn at the edges, the spine well-creased.

Taweret leaned over to see what was in the book. Inside were detailed sketches of relics from various Egyptian tombs.

The goddess chuckled as she looked down at you, and looked at your wrist. The bottom right Moon was full today. Given your choice of breakfast and reading material for the morning...

Taweret had to guess Steven was in control of the body. Already, you and the boys were so in tune with one another you didn't even notice when your habits would change depending on who was in control.

Like the day you put whiskey in Jake's coffee. You were intending to do the same for yourself. In fact, you did.

You were sipping at your tea when a slight scratching could be heard at the door that led to the stairs that descended into the alley behind your shop.

Taweret's little ears flicked about as she watched you curiously as you stand, and go over to the door. Once it opens, there, patiently sitting with big, beautiful green eyes, was a silky-soft black cat.

The cat raised its paw at you a few times, meowing.

You chuckle and step aside, "C'mon, Puck. Yes, I got your treats for you." You say to the little creature as she--yes, Taweret was positive the cat was female--sauntered into your flat as though she owned the place.

The cat, apparently named by you as "Puck" sat at two empty little dishes on the floor, pink with little fish pictures printed on.

"How quaint!" Taweret giggled. Of course, she knew you couldn't see or hear her, but she was curious about you. And if that blasted old pigeon was nosing about you, Taweret wanted to know more about you as well. And gosh, did she find you positively endearing! Especially with how you were baby-talking to your little furry friend!

"C'mon, Puck." You giggle, pulling out a small container of goat milk. Taweret watches, absolutely besotted with the scene in front of her as you pour some of the milk into one of the pink bowls, and a handful of kibble in the other.

You scritch the cat's ear as she happily laps up her milk, before she switches and munches on her food.

"I wish I knew what you got up to when you're not around. I haven't seen you for two weeks!" You sigh, sitting on your haunches with your cheeks in your palms as you watched the creature eat.

Taweret carefully maneuvers herself out of the way as you get up to grab your cereal, finishing it off as you talk in between bites to your furry companion, ranting about some controversial fact or another you've read about, or perhaps it was a particularly rude woman in the local super market, you never ran out of things to rant about to the cat.

The hippo woman giggles again as she clasps her hands in front of her and the one-sided conversation you were having. When she looked back down, she noticed Puck was staring right up at her.

Oh, right. Animals can see her.

Ah well... It's not like Puck could talk, so she couldn't exactly tell you there was a 9 foot hippo woman standing in the middle of your flat.

"You're such a good girl, Puck." You coo, scooping up the fluffy critter. The cat allows you to hold her in a way reminiscent of a mother holding her baby, and she purred as you rubbed her belly, licking her chops clean of the food and milk she still had on her.

"Such a messy girl, too." You grin, leaning down to boop your nose to Puck's.

'This cat is the calmest I've ever seen.' Taweret thought amusingly. 'So well-behaved and sweet. A perfect little friend for this darling girl.'

Already Taweret was feeling things for you, she was already starting to dote on you (even though you didn't know it) in a similar way she did with Layla.

The past few weeks, when she wasn't conversing with Layla or the boys, she was with you, milling about in your shop, watching you bake. (Watching someone bake muffins without eggs and other animal products was fascinating! Steven usually made meals, not sweets!)

Sometimes she would sit on the floor, curiously watching whatever it was you had on the TV in the background. (Heavens, there was some dreadful stuff there. She learned to tune out your serial killer documentaries...) However, Taweret was certainly partial to the sci-fi movies you watched.

Particularly the old ones, like that one... Oh, what was it? That strong young woman with the orange cat? Ah! Alien. She very much liked that franchise, it was nice seeing such a strong young woman. "Ripley" reminded her so much of Layla. She even had curly hair! And her darling cat, Jonesy; she had a soft spot for ginger tabbies; they tended to be so silly!

As you went about your morning routine, Taweret noticed that Puck would watch her everywhere she went. It wasn't uncommon, again, for animals to react to her presence. Dogs and birds would make a fuss, but cats were always content to just watch. Sometimes she would lean down and give the little animals a good stroke to their fur.

Taweret continued to watch, the invisible spectator to your routine as you did your dishes and began baking your morning muffins and cakes for your shop.

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The day was rather droll, the grimy chilly weather outside meant you would have few customers. So, you'd taken it up on yourself to start organizing and dusting shelves of the books that hardly got touched, Puck staying your loyal little shadow.

She was a big hit with those that did come in, especially older folks. They would lean down, stroke or scratch her and go "oh, such a sweet cat" and "such a good girl!" And of course, Puck seemed to eat it all up, purring loudly and sitting snugly in a folded up sweater you set on the checkout counter.

However, you noticed that Puck, somewhere around mid-afternoon, began walking about the shelves, sitting at the end, and staring.

It was unlike her, when she would spend time with you. She almost always snuggled in your old wool sweater and waited for pets from customers.

But right now, Puck was sitting in the section that held your stock of fantasy and sci-fi novels. Her eyes large, and unblinking as she looked at what appeared to simply be dead air. You noticed she did this in your flat this morning... but paid no mind to it. After all, who could possibly claim to know the inner workings of a feline mind? Perhaps a speck of dust wafting about caught her eye and she was fixated upon it? Who knows?

You left Puck to do her silly kitty routine and continued cleaning and organizing.

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Taweret got a little anxious when the cat persistently followed her about. For some reason, this cat was wholly invested in Taweret's appearance after she awoke from her nap on the counter.

Perhaps it was because Taweret was an alien presence that the cat had never seen before? Perhaps she could sense Taweret's divinity? Cats were often capable of sensing supernatural things, or even venturing into a kind of spirit world, and capable of bringing good luck and good fortune to those that housed and loved them.

And you seemed to care and love Puck whenever she would come back to see you from her "adventures" as you put them.

But right now, Pick was still just... staring.

"Oh, dear... Shoo, little one! I'd hate for your friend to catch on!" Taweret said, her fingers wiggling anxiously, ears flicking about.

The cat merely stared, giving Taweret a long, slow blink in response.

"Ohhh..."

"Whatcha gawking at, Puck?" You say, clicking your tongue as you kneel next to the cat, rubbing her head with your fingers.

Puck's tail merely flicked about behind her a few times, and she gave another slow blink, but not at you.

Your eyes track where Puck was staring, and for a moment, Taweret was worried you could see her...

But instead you chuckle and scritch the cat again.

"Is my bookshop haunted, Puck? If so, tell your ghost buddies not to knock stuff off my shelves, okay? I do not have poltergeist insurance."

Taweret sighed, her body sagging in relief as you walked off, paying no further mind to Puck and her odd behavior.

"Goodness me, you certainly are an odd one!" Taweret told the cat, reaching down to stroke her sweetly.

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A young woman with bright green hair and possibly the most piercings you'd ever seen in a person had walked into your store, striking up a conversation with you.

She was from Turkey, originally, and was looking into books about any local history, and oddly enough, nursery rhymes.

The young woman told you her name was Anya, and that her parents met when her mother was on some job that required her to travel. She only recently moved to England (her mother's birthplace) after her father passed away.

That's when Anya told you she wanted to go into childcare, hence the books on nursery rhymes.

"Yeah, there's a local daycare that says they need more books cause the kids love em to pieces." She snorted, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Literally."

"Oh, no I can imagine." You chuckle, placing the colorful books in one of your reusable bags.

Anya reached out and patted Puck's haunches, and Puck stretched, making a "mrrp?" noise as she did. Stretching over Anya's torso (that was visible beneath her over-sized shirt that hung off one of her shoulders) was a mark that looked almost like flames. You were absolutely transfixed by it.

"'S not ink, if that's what you're wondering." She winked at you.

Your face flushed, and you rubbed the back of your neck, embarrassed that you were caught staring. "Oh, I just... It's just so..."

"Eye-catchin'? Yeah, I know." She grinned. "I've had it since I was like, six."

"Oh! It's your mark?" You gasped.

"Yep! I like it, honestly. Rather cool and adds to my whole aesthetic." Anya laughed. "You can imagine my mum's reaction when she woke me up for school one day and I have a freakin' big arse mark that looks like some sorta phoenix. You should've seen the look on my teacher! Oh, man. She about died!"

Anya petted Puck again. "You've got a really sweet cat, here. She's really calm."

"Oh, Puck? She's actually not my pet, if you can believe that!" You chuckle, watching as Puck soaked up the attention like a little fluffy sponge.

"She's not?" Anya blinked on reply. "Then whose is she?"

"I'm not sure," You answer truthfully. "She just comes around, disappears for a while, and comes back. I love her company, though. She's a real sweetie."

"Man, I've always wanted a cat. I wonder if I can talk my mum into getting a cat?" She mused.

"Oh, I recommend it. My dad always had cats growing up." You chuckle. "He'd feed the strays on our property, would get them vaccinated, build little hutches for the winter... We also had one or two in the house as our pets. Always had a black one, like Puck here."

You sigh wistfully, playfully poking Puck's belly as she rolled over and showed the pudge to Anya, who cooed at her cute behavior.

"So I guess I have a soft spot for little voids, they remind me of my dad."

"Oh, man, void cats are the best. I love watching videos of them online! They just look like giant polka dots with eyes!" The young woman giggled with glee, happily rubbing Puck's belly.

You'd finished ringing her up and she gladly paid, saying as she left, "I'll have to come back and get more of these for the kids. Thanks!"

"Anytime, sweets!" You say to her as she happily walked out into the dreary weather.

You looked at Puck, your chin in your palm as you snorted at her. She turned her head and stretched, moseying over to you and headbutting your chin, before pulling back and giving you a slow blink.

"Maybe I should get you some of those talking buttons, eh, Puck? I'd sure love to hear what you're thinking!" You sigh at her. Puck merely purred in response.

You were still blissfully unaware of the goddess still inhabiting the space of your shop, watching you with a fond smile.

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

Chapter 8: Link

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #23

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 2, The Clue, blameless goats

...

Hairstyle Notes

The hair is longer and more fluffy than the previous scene. It is also longer than the scene that started off the whole episode and minisode.

From the front when closer to Aziraphale, it looks more red.

The curls themselves change, dependent on camera angle too. If one wishes to lean into the character POV approach, the more red hair seen from the front is possibly Aziraphale's POV.

I still prefer to NOT lean into such a thing and think of it as generally shared myself because I put so much stock into how important the hiss is for this scene. It's important for Crowley since it's such an integral part of his own Threshold Trick for himself (The Sunglasses Trick). It's important for Aziraphale to remember that it happened because it's part of the message he is receiving.

Crowley's hair is generally dynamic throughout season 2, and the present day of season 2 even shows it can change based on his emotions.

Regardless, we are now shown a new type of space for this era.

This space is a human-built structure with no roof. It has not experienced the damage the barn did. It will be damaged later through the storm. This space also has a fountain, so water is nearby. There are no humans on entry, and there will be no humans by the time this scene ends.

As such, this hairstyle is the closest match to a "supernatural" reading when comparing to the season 2 present day.

The space recognizes Crowley is a demon, or at least a supernatural being. The crows already within it are the goats he transformed into crows earlier in the minisode.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

Most of the scene looks to be outright avoiding earthly object touches, largely to help focus on the events of the scene itself with the revelation that the crows were the goats. As such, Crowley was, in a way, "holding" an earthly object during the scene through a miracle touch. Aziraphale himself touched the crows through changing them back to their original forms as goats. Aziraphale used Crowley's name for the time period, "Crawley".

During this scene is the next touch of The Sunglasses Trick.

Here is a GIF:

This time, we're at the second Single of a group of three Singles that will become a Triple.

Crowley makes a pocket between his right arm and beard, using his right hand to touch the right end piece. This pocket exists for both cuts that show the touch. The arm casts a shadow over where the season 2 present day Tied Hands would be. His headband is like his substitute Belt Head. He received overhead lights before this set of minisode scenes started. He also didn't show his actual hands in the preceding scene.

The sunglasses are different than the last Single, he hissed, and he was miracle-holding crows-that-are-secretly-goats. As a reminder, the sunglasses being different are what demonstrate this group of three is the one for three Singles to become a Triple. The hissing is what they have in common for their eventual switch to a Triple.

This touch really stands out in the Threshold Tricks overall because it is the only touch that takes place in a minisode. All of the others are in the season 2 present day.

Why?

Well, I'm always theorizing though I believe in some of my theories more strongly than others, but nonetheless, here's a reminder that's what I'm doing before I give my answer.

As stated before, these minisodes are stories with hidden messages between Crowley and Aziraphale. Gabriel arrived with a cardboard box at least twice. With the possibility of making themselves forget things from the first time, the characters left themselves clues to solve their own puzzle.

This scene is giving Aziraphale a huge clue that amounts to "goats". I mean, it could do more and mean more, but that's the relevant part for a certain step he's going to take in the present day.

Among the various clues listed on the record is "Goat Gate," so Aziraphale will consider the clues from the minisode, including the goats that are part of this scene, and decide to get himself to Goat Gate.

The next touch for The Sunglasses Trick will not be until episode 5.

Time to pay attention to the pockets.

After Crowley crosses the threshold on entry, he is shown pocketed between two plant stands before Aziraphale arrives.

When Aziraphale is first shown, he's also revealed to have passed a pocket of two plant stands.

I don't think these plant stand pockets mean much more than a general clue about how important the plants are for the season 2 overall connection and ending with The Door Trick, The Door Catch, and the maintained Green of Rainbow Connection.

Probably one of the most important pockets in the scene, communicating the same thing as above, is when Aziraphale and Crowley themselves are pocketing a plant as Aziraphale challenges Crowley to look him in the eye before the hiss. This pocket disappears after Crowley says his full line about "blameless goats", then briefly reappears as Aziraphale starts to walk away.

Crowley's robe makes a pocket with itself and the ground that is generally shadowy and black. It further opens slightly over the ground while the first crow bleats like a goat. That serves as a clue that yes, Crowley somehow lowered his guard enough to let it be known the crows were goats.

The last cut shows Crowley and Aziraphale pocketing the goats, before that cut is pushed away to the camera's left.

...

For my tangential reading progress, I finished re-reading Good Omens. I discussed some of that in this post here: Finished Re-Reading Good Omens. I have a lot more highlights and thoughts, but I don't have the energy to go over them in a post like this one, for now.

I started reading Eric by Terry Pratchett this morning.

...

Story Commentary

Here we are again in the minisode with Crowley first, then Aziraphale. This time we are connected from a scene where we entered by looking at a book. Both of them were on screen, and Crowley received the focus to imply he was the one remembering that previous scene.

Eventually, we're going to pull out of this book and be left with Aziraphale, leaving us to assume that Crowley left sometime during the recollection of the minisode.

This scene is more serious than their last encounter because Aziraphale regards Crowley as a serious threat who destroyed Job's goats and on his way to destroy Job's children.

Crowley himself doesn't seem to take things seriously until Aziraphale draws closer and challenges him by saying he, Aziraphale, doesn't think he, Crawley, wants to destroy Job's children.

The two continue into a more dramatic confrontation that includes the touch on the sunglasses with the hiss.

Before that hiss, Aziraphale brings up the angel Crawley was, and Crawley says quite pointedly, "The angel you knew is not me."

This same angel was shown to not give his name in Before the Beginning.

Season 1 gave us more than one scene showing Crowley doesn't like being a demon. He remarked that he just hung around the wrong people, that he only ever asked questions, that he never asked to be a demon, and so on. Season 2 shows us here—and will show again—that doesn't mean he wants or wanted to go back to being an angel.

Season 2 also doesn't show us Crowley having the same level of regret at his demonic status that season 1 did. The Earthly Objects game even goes so far as to demonstrate Crowley play rather strategically, taking advantage of his status as a snake-eyed demon. The sunglasses are his door, yes, but they are also his accessory. They can switch and give the preferred points he wants within the game, dependent on his own play. He receives multiple Overhead Lights to his left, including and especially the sun in The Door Trick.

He said "former demon" in front of Shax earlier, but he'll drop the "former" when talking to Muriel later.

Moving on, Aziraphale still challenges Crowley further to look him in the eye and tell him he, Crawley, wants to do the destroying of Job's children.

Not only do we see the hiss, we are shown a specific choice in wording by Crowley in what he says, which is, "I want to. I long to destroy the blameless children of blameless Job, just as I destroyed his blameless goats."

It sounds menacing and works effectively. It's actually a lot like the mixed tutorial sequence we received in episode 1, in that there is a hidden truth within a lie. There is a big lie here of Crowley destroying the goats. He didn't do that. There is a truth within that lie. He longs to "destroy" the children just as he did the goats—which would be, not destroying them. Also, Rule of Three. The word "blameless" was used 3 times.

Crowley's lie and hiss are so effective that the lighting shifts to indicate Aziraphale's angel light dimmed, and Crowley's demon darkness darkened by making his robe look significantly more black.

Season 1 showed us Aziraphale can lie to Crowley in its present day and get away with it. Season 2 shows us, at least in 2500 BC, Crowley could lie to Aziraphale and get away with it.

With Aziraphale feeling defeated, Crowley lets Aziraphale learn the truth. That's then Crowley taking a chance on trusting Aziraphale this far back in their history together.

Aziraphale figures out the crows are goats and looks rather pleased with himself for doing so.

With the last cut shifting the way it does to the camera's left, it's reasonable to think that could be Crowley leaving the room.

However, Crowley's next present day scene is going to be the first touch of The Pocket Trick. We just had another touch in The Sunglasses Trick. The Tied Hands were retied before we entered the book to watch this part of the minisode.

If possible, something in this minisode should retie them, besides just being a minisode. I suspect that something is going to be the part with a sign saying, "THE NEXT DAY". I don't know if that means Crowley leaves the room when that part is happening on screen or not, but it's the type of thing I look for when playing the games of the story. I'll mention another oddity he does with his hands later when Job's children are restored, in the scene before we actually get back to the season 2 present day.

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[radioactive-earthshine]

Random but, any hcs about Kon and his life in Smallville with the Kents?

I'm just going to make a list and babble :) Here's some HCs including bits with Bart bc they did live only 4 hours away.

1.) Not closeting, not in the way people use the term anyway - it was a necessary time that Kon so desperately needed. He needed a place to be someone OTHER than Superboy because he could no longer function without that off-switch.

2.) Kon always had shown interest in his comics of living a life without the Superboy question and being "normal" but it was very rocky for him so I feel like his early transition with the Kents were likely no different. Ma and Pa likely had to endure his dramatics, mood swings and outbursts of anger as he adjusted to being Conner Kent and living in a space that had consistent RULES. This is not to say he was just suddenly dropped off with strangers, because he wasn't, he knew Ma and Pa beforehand having spent a little time on the farm.

3.) If you guys thought Bart was bad at first, Kon was probably worse as Kon had years of baggage to unpack.

4.) We didn't get to see anything substantial of those early days with him with Ma and Pa but we saw small glimpses of him just not appreciating Smallville and thought it was "boring" and outright claimed to have hated it. It's a big adjustment.

5.) Suddenly coming to the realization that he was SAFE where he was and could just BE without suddenly having a fist in his face was one hell of a day...

6.) Yes we all should mock the cishet jeans and t-shirt look but he really was trying to figure out who he was without Superboy as a factor. I don't think Kon ever really does solidly figure it out as Superboy will always BE a part of him and part of his core identity and it's a balance he needed to try to find out - even if it meant going to one extreme side of the spectrum.

7.) To tie into #6 Kon found out he really does have an All or Nothing personality when living with the Kents.

8.) He's allergic to goat products - boy of steel he may be but even he is not immune to goat intolerance. There is no evidence of this, this is a true HC. He found out because Ma had goat milk and he decided to try it with... bad results.

9.) I am obsessed with Kon in his 2011 solo taking the time to WALK to school instead of flying or running or taking the bus - Smallville really brought him down to Earth even though he already was a child of Earth. It grounded him and put a lot of thinks for him into perspective.

10.) Going back to those early days - he reached out to Bart a lot to vent and ask for advice of how Bart coped with Max. They BOTH went from never having to worry about hiding their secret ID and doing WHATEVER they wanted to suddenly having to worry about preserving their identity and operating in an environment with rules that were the antithesis of what they were used to.

11.) Kon's entire first few months with the Kents were literal immersive therapy and I am furious we did not get to see this - this would have made an incredible comic.

12.) Adhering to comic canon I feel like it was during this deconstruction of who he is he realized he was queer. To the surprise of no one.

13.) His first gift to Ma and Pa was a quilt he made himself - you can take artistic-Kon from my cold dead hands. He made it at school in secret.

14.) Clark was a cryptid in Smallville when he was a teenager and Kon really was no different as his deeds throughout town resurface those old rural myths that began 30-ish years prior.

15.) I ignore any and all parallels that Simon was set up to be Kon's Lex Luthor and instead he becomes his BEST civilian friend. We do however find out that Simon's parents were scientists that helped make Kon - Kon has mixed feeling about this at first but he knows he can't blame Simon.

16.) Even Kon cannot help going back to old shenanigans with Bart and they make crop-circles - well they DID before Clark told them to stop - the killjoy.

17.) Cows make him nervous - look - he knew they existed but he wasn't aware of how BIG they were and he knows he is strong enough to pulverize them into instant bouillon but that still did not prepare him for the fact that they are megafauna that you have no control over.

18.) Kon will always take out a tornado - no he doesn't care if it's a small one - he's not going to sit back and watch someone's house be subjected to damage the tenants may or may not be able to afford. If there are TWO tornadoes at the same time he gets into a contest with Bart over who can neutralize them first.

19.) Going back to his acclimation - there was a lot Kon had to sort of unlearn when he started living with the Kents. Stuff he learned from being with Rex Leech, and during his time at Cadmus under Jim. He finally learned what it was like to be a normal person instead of a parody of what a normal person was.

20.) During October, Kon got really.... really.... into making the BEST corn maze. No, seriously, stupidly competitive. Like, not only did he want it to be complicated but he also for an added flavor made Bart chase people around with a de-bladed chainsaw. People think Kon hired like 7 dudes to do this but it's literally just Bart. He also made sure to decorate it with fake blood, webbing, and busted out fog machines just for an added flavor of spookiness.

[friendly-books]

Dresden files Skin Game live blog

Dresden files Skin Game

“Hadn’t shown up or spoken to me for more than a year.” pg. 9 It’s been more than a year!?

“Parkour” pg. 10 Ha

“This guy just sounded…British” pg. 13 Interesting

“Did you hear me, Warden? Piss. Off.” pg. 13 Ha

“Someone who needs to be here. Go away boy.” pg. 13 Even more interesting Is this the original Merlin? No this guy is speaking modern British English. Do we know for certain that current Merlin isn’t body snatched?

“I HAVE SUPPRESSED THE PARASITE FOR NOW.” pg. 14 Bonnie! Can Mab and Deamonreach stop calling Bonnie a parasite

“ALFRED,” the  spirit said soberly. “IS THIS TO  BE MY NEW NAME.” pg. 15 Aw Deamonreach has a new name :) Like Alfred Pennyworth?

“Look it’s a mortal thing. Just do the left one, okay?” pg. 24 Why the left ear?

“That voice had once been smooth and flowing, but now there was a hint of rasp to it, a roughness that wasn’t there before, like silk gliding over old gravel. pg. 30 Bi Harry moment 35

“Brother Jordan, approach.” pg. 32 Oh the monk has a name. He’ll be important

What a way to reintroduce the nickle heads. Scary and creepy

“It is done father”

Nicodemus kissed her on the mouth. And, my God, him doing it with tongue now was even more unsettling than it had been the first time I’d seen it.” pg. 34 Yuck and the way I jerked back in disgust

“Anduriel once loaned me the services of his…associate. I now repay that debt by loaning you the services of mine.” pg. 35 What

Oh this is a heist book! They’re going to rob Hades this is going to fun

“Have you been playing attention, past couple last years? Do you have any doubt that I would rather die than be part of something like that?” pg. 41 Yep

“Mab slapped me.” pg. 43 Ouch

Ah Mab is expecting Harry to double cross Nicky

Mister!

“I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the little fireball until he’d come running up and thrown his shoulders against my shins.” pg. 49 Aw :)

“The Blue Beetle was not a clown car,” I said severely “It was a machine of justice.” pg. 49 Ha and I miss the Blue Beetle

“You’re a creature of habit, Harry. And they took away all the familiar places and things in your life. They hurt you.” pg. 49 Yep

Yes take Murphy with you to burgle Hades

Surly Nicky wants some holy relic? Holy grail? Turn this book into an Indiana Jones movie :)

“A warlock” pg. 60 Oh interesting

“Hot,” Karrin said, her tone neutral, observation” pg. 62 Is…is Murphy bi as well? I’ll put that down as a maybe Bi Murphy 1

“Ernest Armand Timwhistle” I said

“Name that goofy, don’t blame him for wanting to use an alias.” pg. 61 Ha

“Goats. Huh. pg. 71 What

“Hi, Jorden” pg. 72 So Jorden is going to be redeemed or pull a heel face turn (switch sides) cause the monks don’t usually get names and this much screen time

“And since when had I become the guy that things happened to ten years ago?” pg. 80 Death Mask happened ten years ago?

“I raised my hand” pg. 80 Ha

“Miss Murphy could serve as your driver. She has the shoes for it.”

I couldn’t actually hear Karrin grind her teeth, but I knew she had.” pg. 81 Ha and I love how Harry uses Murphy’s first name

“Goodman Gray.” pg. 81 Who?

“Anna Valmont” pg. 81 Anna!

“She gave me a slow and blatant once-over, that small smirk still on her mouth.

I’m pretty sure the temperature of the room didn’t literally go up, but I couldn’t have sworn  to it” pg. 83 Ha

“Like you’re expecting ninja’s to leap out of the trash can. This is a party.” pg. 91 Given that it’s Harry the party isn’t going to end well

“And for God’s sake, smile

I smiled

“Maybe without clenching your jaw” pg. 92 Ha

“In me, the hotel’s thugs recognized another of their kind-and one who was taller and had better scars than they did.” pg. 93 Cool

“Or you walk” pg. 100 Walk away Anna!

“I wanted to tear my hair out.” pg. 101 Same Harry same

“Hell’s bells” I swore “I told her so. Nothings ever simple.” pg. 102 Yep

“Octokongs,” I pronounced grimly “Why did it have to be Octokongs.” pg. 103 Ha

“Lucky for me.

I’m not really a subtle guy.” pg. 105 Ha

“So, basically: Harry Dresden one, peaceful gathering: zero” pg. 106 Ha and has Harry ever been to a party that hasn’t ended in disaster?

“I mean I’m good with fire.

But Hannah was good with fire.” pg. 115 Someone who’s better at fire magic than Harry?!

“I hear other things. Wild things. That you help people. That you’ll fight anyone.” pg. 122 Yes Harry helps people

What’s with all these questions from Hannah? Is she trying to learn more about Harry? Judging him? Wanting to know his character? Why?

Butters!

“Harry,” he said when I came in, offering me his hand. “We have got to stop meeting like this.” pg. 132 Ha

“Open your eyes, you fool. She’s right in front of…” pg. 135 Oh interesting is this Harry’s subconscious ID? Is he talking about Bonnie?

“I’m sure he’ll be very pleased” pg. 137 Yes Bob will be pleased

Oh no Butters doesn’t trust Harry :(

“I’ll take the couch,” I said

“You don’t fit on it, you bonehead.” pg. 144 Ha

“Is that a bazooka?”

“No,” she said “That is an AT4 rocket launcher. Way better than a bazooka.” pg. 145 Ha

Molly!

“It was a good kiss” pg. 154 Ahhh!!! :) Yes Harry/Murphy kiss

“He’ll hath no fury like a women scorned” she purred

And then she pulled the trigger.” pg. 159 What. Eh? What just happened?! Was all this just a dream? What. WHAT JUST HAPPENED Jim JIM why? WHY? Why would you do this?

“Oh come on,” I panted. “Not even in the dream. That’s ri-goddamned-diculous!” pg. 159 Same Harry same

“But they were doughnuts of darkness. Evil, damned doughnuts, tainted by the spawn of darkness…

…which could obviously be redeemed only by passing through the fiery, cleansing inferno of a wizardly digestive tract.” pg. 165 Ha

“His features were clean-cut, pleasant, without being handsome.” pg. 166 Bi Harry 36

I’m counting it

“She was also Nicodemus’s estranged wife, a sorceress, and all around piece of bad news.” pg. 182 What’s Tessa doing here? Why are her and Nicky still together? Just get a divorce. So this book is going to be a heist book and getting into Nicky’s family problems

I forgot how young Tessa looks like.

Oh no ghouls

Go Gary!

“Harvey Morrison’s corpse lay on the other side.” pg. 210 Oh no :(

“The dead don’t need justice. That’s for those of us who are left looking down at the remains.” pg. 213 Yep

Michael!

“I think I need help,” I heard myself whispered, voice little more than a rasp. “I think I’m lost.” pg. 218 Aw :(

“I don’t know if I’m one of the good guys anymore.” pg. 223 Poor Harry :(

“…so arrogant” Michael breathed.

I blinked” pg. 227 Ha

“Because I know you, Harry Dresden.” Michael said. “You are pathetically incapable of knowing when to quit. You don’t surrender. And I don’t believe for a second that you actually intend to help Nicodemus do whatever it is he’s doing.” pg. 230 Yep

“I’m not sure if you noticed this. But things did not go well for the last monster who raised his hand against your child. Or any of his friends. Or associates. Or anyone who worked for him. Or for most of the people he knew.” pg. 234 Yep

I miss Lash :(

“Chow down, buddy. They’re hot, so don’t let the cheese burn your ton- Oh, right. Sorry.” pg. 240 Ha

“Women,” Binder said scornfully.

Karrin and Ascher both eyed him.

He folded his arms. “I’m certainly older than any you sprats.” pg. 244 Ernest Armand Timwhistle! >:( Can Murphy punch him? Can I punch him? Look someone needs to punch him by the end of this book I swear

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” I said “Does this master plan have half coverage?”

“Dresden,” Nicodemus said

“Because that kind of thing is getting to be more and more important. I mean, I know the government probably means well and all, but those people honestly.”

Nicodemus eyed me

“Life insurance seems like something that would be worthwhile, too?” I looked up at Ascher and winked. “Maybe we should strike until we get a whole life policy.”

Ascher flashed me a quick grin and said, “I’ve always thought that insurance was more or less betting against myself,”

“Nah,” Binder said. “In my experience, you’re just playing the odds.”

“Children” Nicodemus said with a sigh, “shall we focus on the matter on hand?”

“But I haven’t even had the chance to dip Deirdre pigtails in my inkwell,” pg. 252 Ha

“Nicodemus’s left eye began to twitch.” pg. 254 Ha

“I dealt with the White Council my whole life, so I’m used to being treated like a mushroom-“Eh?” Ascher asked

“Kept in the dark and fed bullshit.” Binder reported calmly.

“Ah” pg. 257 Ha

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Karrin said quietly

Nicodemus made a face in her direction “Miss Murphy please” pg. 259 Ha

“The bloody Holy Grail? Is he bloody kidding?” pg. 259 I’ll say it again I was joking about it being the Holy Grail I wasn’t supposed to be right

“I’d rarely seen the kind of power that River Shoulders, the Forest Person I’d met several times before, had displayed, physically and otherwise,” pg. 264 Who’s River Shoulders? And don’t mess with Forest Person

Harry’s Id! It’s been awhile

“Then how come you haven’t banged Murphy yet?”

“Because,” I said, growing frustrated, “we aren’t…We haven’t gotten to…There’s been a lot of…Look, fuck off” pg. 272 Ha

“Get thee to a therapist” pg. 275 Finally someone says it to Harry

“You’re saying…I’m pregnant” pg. 276 Yes! Bonnie

I love that Bonnie looks like a combination of all the women in Harry’s life

“Protect the offspring”

Primal drives indeed” pg. 280 Yep

“Then she’d tortured me for a while, assuring me that it would give me strength” pg. 285 Lea did what now?

“Damn Mab. I could have been back here months and months ago.” pg. 290 Yep

“I can’t believe you met a Bigfoot and you never told me.” pg. 293 I still can’t believe Bigfoot is real

“She sat on the floor, rocking back and forth helplessly with laughter.” pg. 295 Ha

“She looked…disturbed” pg. 300 Well that’s not good

“He’s an awesome cat” pg. 305 Yes Mister is awesome

“Well not at bath time…” pg.  305 Ha

“And it belongs to Gentlemen John Marcone, Accorded Baron of Chicago” pg. 309 YES LET’S GO!!! Marcone mentioned :)

“Marcone is dangerous” pg. 310 Yep

“Gentleman” Johnnie Marcone” pg. 310 Again with that spelling

“I’m sure the White Council will be stunned and disappointed should you not confirm to their policy.” pg. 312 Ha

“He would have made a fine monarch only a few centuries ago.” pg. 312 Yep I think Marcone would make a good king

“I still remembered Marcone as a helpless prisoner. The image had kind of stuck in my memory.” pg. 313 Yep and I wonder why the memory stuck with Harry

“Marcone doesn’t suffer slight intrusions on his territory. Period.” pg. 312 Yep

“Look if he’s a man of business, why don’t we just make him a proposition and cut him in for a piece of the action?” pg. 313 Well Harry could say please and I’m sure Marcone would agree to open the vault :)

“Marcone is not a dummy” pg. 317 Yep

“It’s Butters. They’re going to kill him.” pg. 323 Oh no Butters

The stake board butters made is cool

“Damn. Bob was kind of awesome.” pg. 334 Yep Bob is amazing

“It had been a good long while since I’d had a freaking lion coming at me, and at the time it had been one of the genuine flesh and blood variety, from the zoo” pg. 336 What

“I hated this cards-close-to-the-chest thing” pg. 343 Yep

“Because it is obvious to me that you love him” pg. 350 Yep Murphy loves Harry

Fidelacchius!

“So,” he hissed “the burnout thinks she has found her new calling” pg. 353 Nick that’s rude

“I’m giving you ample chance to call off your dog before I put her down.” pg. 354 I’ll say it again Nick that’s rude

“Nicodemus smiled, still, his eyes and hands steady hands. He reached up and undid the Noose tied about his throat, and let it fall to the ground beside the Coin” pg. 357 No wait what’s Nick planning?

“The Sword of Faith was no more.” pg. 360 Oh no

Oh no Murphy

Micheal!

Uriel!

“A sudden, sunny smile lit Michael’s face. “My friend…”

Uriel blinked, rocked slightly, as if the words had struck him with physical force.

“…thank you,” Michael continued “But I’m not the Carpenter that set the standard.” pg. 367 Aw my heart :)

“Correct,” Uriel said “but I can help him do so” pg. 371 Yes

Micheal has Amoracchius! Let’s go!

“Some cosmic limitation that keeps you from picking up your corner of the coat?” pg. 375 Ha

“I have loaned you my Grace” pg. 381 Oh interesting

“I would Fall” pg. 383 Oh dear

“I would, however, appreciate it if you…did not push any buttons or pull any the levers in my great passenger jet” pg. 383 Ha

“Holy. Crap. He’s mortal?”

“And he can die” pg. 383 Oh no

“Can you tell me what is at stake, that I should risk this?

“Uriel frowned considering the question for a moment then he said “A soul”

Michael raised his eyebrows “Oh,” he said. “You should have said that from the beginning” pg. 385 Yep

“At the top of the stairs stood two figures-an enormous dog and a little girl.” pg. 391 Mouse and Maggie! Ahhh I’m not ready ahhh

“Are you mad at me?” pg. 393 ow my heart :(

“Do you want to be my dad?” pg. 393 my heart

“but you don’t know what Marcone is like.” pg. 402 Harry, Marcone wouldn’t hurt Michael. You should know better

“Because apparently they go out and use the Coins to get snacks out of the vending machine, the things go in circulation so fast” pg. 403 Ha

“Binder and Ascher both tilted their heads to one side, like dogs that have just heard a new noise.” pg. 408 Ha

“I am the king of load and distracting” pg. 423 Ha and yep

“Yeah, well. Sometimes, when I get bored, I stop and think.” pg. 423 Ha

“Because my brother’s girlfriend had seen Marcone defending one of his strongholds with her own eyes a few years before, against an angry Former sorcerer.” pg. 437 I’ve got to read Even hand

“The Black Hole?” Gary asked incredulously. “Nobody quotes The Black Hole” pg. 448 Ha

Harry’s destroying everything in this place. Marcone better have insurance.

“I have not invested fifteen centuries to see it thrown away.” pg. 456 What investment?

Too many bugs

“Michael still thought I was a good man.” pg. 460 Aw :)

“Nicodemus had probably an idle afternoon, every few decades, throwing a sword around for fun.” pg. 471 Nick needs a different hobby

“and certainly not to the degree I’d been prepared back in my old lab at my apartment.” pg. 474 I miss Harry’s lab

“My imagination needs therapy.” pg. 486 Harry you need therapy

“Harry,” Michael said “I’m almost certain one doesn’t shout ‘Parkour’ I believe one is supposed to simply do Parkour.”

“Do I criticize your Latin battle cries? No, never once”

“That’s true” pg. 490 Ha

“Because we have come to the Gate of Blood, children.”

“The time has come for one of you to die.” pg. 491 Blood for the blood God. Who’s Nick going to kill? And why is there still 100 pages left?

“Right. We’ll fight you. Not each other. In case that wasn’t clear.” pg. 493

“It was angled thrust, up beneath the sternum and directly into the heart” pg. 498 AAAHHH!!! WHAT? WHAT JUST HAPPENED? NICK JUST KILLED HIS OWN DAUGHTER!? WHY?

Hades!

Cerberus!

“People ask him questions” pg. 518 Ha poor Sacrates

“Her mother failed to cope. Empty-nest syndrome.” pg. 520 Ha

“Mab. This is Mab’s play, isn’t it?” pg. 521 Yep Mab’s scheming

“You’re a Genuine Greek god. You’re the Lord of the Underworld. And…you named your dog Spot?” pg. 523 Aw that’s adorable :)

“The people she hurt. And she gets stake justice?” pg. 525 I have mixed emotions about Deirdre.

“Hey, is that the Shroud?” pg. 529 What Was the other a fake? Is that why it didn’t work? Would the real one help Amanda? Does Marcone know that Hade’s has the real one?

“Pffffft” I said “What? No. That’s absurd. Maybe a little. Some people might think so. She’s got, uh, one of those faces” pg. 532 Ha and I thought Harry got better at lying

“It’s not an Indiana Jones movie, man.” pg. 534 Ha

“This I thought is just about your best plan ever Harry” pg. 536 Ha

“Hells bells I was hurting him” pg. 537 Good

“Do you remember?” I asked in a very quiet voice. “The first time you saw her? The first time she looked at you? Do you remember that change? That shift, when the whole universe suddenly tilted? Do you remember looking at her and knowing that you would never, ever be quite the same person? Do you think the cup will do that for you?” pg. 537

“I don’t know how you said it back in your day but I’ll bet you anything that her first word was dada” pg. 538 Yes Harry let Nicky have it. Make sure he knows what he did and the consequences of it. Make Nicky regret it. This is such a good speech.

“Lucifer must have looked exactly like that, right before things went to Hell.” pg. 547 Yep and this does make me worry about Marcone

“Lasciel” pg. 549 Oh no and I can’t believe Hannah is the partner of Lasciel. When I said I missed Lash this wasn’t what I had in mind

“Hello lover” pg. 549 Ha

“You and I definitely need to have a talk with the Church about the word ‘safekeeping’ means” pg. 549 Ha

“When you destroyed the Red Court, you killed most of the Fellowship with it. All the half vampires more than a few decades old just withered away in front of our eyes.” pg. 551 Ouch

“We wouldn’t have worked out, babe,” pg. 552 Ha

Lasciel better not get Bonnie

“Game over, man. Game over” Yoooo

“I scowled and futzed with it a little more, just to show her that I could” pg. 557 Ha

Vadderung!

“Mac’s beer is excellent argument that there was a God and that furthermore, He wants us to be happy” pg. 561 Ha

“Nicodemus knows nearly as much as I do” pg. 563 Scary

“Prove it” I said “Say ‘ho ho ho”

“Ho ho ho” he replied genially.” pg. 565 Ha

“I’d carved the same spell in my new wizard staff

Seventy-seven times.” pg. 570 Cool and why seventy-seven?

“Either you’ve done your homework or you haven’t, and despite the advantage of having Lasciel in her corner, Ascher wasn’t ready for something like this.” pg. 571 I wonder if this applies to Marcone surely he ‘did his homework’

“I had never seen Michael going all out.” pg. 572 Go Michael!

“Are you willing to accept such a loss?”

“Yep” pg. 574 Ha

“Only a flesh wound”

“Yeah” I said. “Tis but a scratch. Come on ya pansy.”

He blinked and looked at me “Pansy?”

“Oh” I said “You weren’t quoting the movie. Sorry.”

“Movie?”

“Holy Grail”

“Nicodemus still has it.”

I sighed “Never mind” pg. 576 Ha

“Ventas cyclis” pg. 580 Oh we haven’t seen this spell in awhile

“It was actually damned beautiful” pg. 580 I’m glad Harry can still see magic as beautiful even when being attacked

“And, that right there, she showed me the fundamental difference between us.

I loved magic for its own sake. She didn’t.

The Art can be a lot of work, and it can sometimes be tedious, and sometimes painful, but at the end of the day, I love it. I love the focus of it, the discipline, the balance. I love working with the energy and exploring what can be done with it. I love the gathering tension of a spell, and the almost painful clarity of focus required to concentrate that tension into an effect. I love the practice of it as well the theory, the research, experimenting with new spells, teaching others about magic. I love laying down spells on my various pieces of my magical gear, and most of all, I love it when I can use my talents to make a difference in the world, even when it’s only a small one.

Ascher…enjoyed blowing stuff up and burning things down. She’s good at it. But she didn’t love her talent for the miracle it was.

She merely loved what she could do with it.” pg. 583 I love this quote! I love the differences between Harry and Hannah.

“Elemental destruction in a large but ultimately enclosed area” pg. 584 Oh no

Poor Hannah :( I was hoping she could be redeemed

“Parkour” I panted “Bitch” pg. 600 Ha and I love that Harry used parkour to defeat Genoskwa and Ursiel

“From one father to another” he called “Well played” pg. 604 Oh no Nick knows that Harry’s a dad

“He’s going to your house” I breathed “He’s going after our families” pg. 606 Oh no

“I hadn’t ridden a horse since my days on Ebenezar’s farm down in the Ozarks, but I’d done it every day down there, and the muscle memory was still in place” pg. 620 Harry the horse girl. And it’s cool that Gary can turn into a horse

“In the doorway to the kitchen stood Uriel. He was wearing an apron. There was what appeared to be pancake flour staining his shirt.” pg. 626 Ha

“Nice try” Butters said “Mister where I come from there is no try” pg. 644 LET’S GO!!! The sword turned into a lightsaber!

“Of course, the first thing you want to know is if someone else is alright” pg. 649 Yep

“Oh,” said the little spirit “Hi. Good” pg. 650 I LOVE BONNIE!

“I know Marcone.” I said “He knows me. I’ll use it to keep him off of all us.” pg. 657 Yes Harry you know Marcone :)

“You didn’t choose to be the son of Margret LeFay. You didn’t choose the legacy she left you with her blood. And she was a piece of work, kid. I knew her.” pg. 660 Gray knew Harry’s mom?!

“Can you loan me a dollar” pg. 661 Ha

Redemption for Jordan!

“I took the extra diamonds and went to see Marcone.” pg. 663 Yes time to see Marcone! :)

“Wearing a charcoal-gray suit” pg. 665 Looking at Marcone’s suit :)

“There might have been slightly more silver at his temples than last time I’d seen him, but it only made him look more distinguished. Otherwise, he looked exactly as he did: calm, alert, impeccably groomed, and as merciful as a lawn mower’s blade.” pg. 665 Bi Harry 37

“A ghost of a smile haunted Marcone’s lips.” pg. 666 Oh why you looking at Marcone’s lips Harry?

“Marcone’s eyes, the exact green shade of old dollar bills, focused pleasantly on me.” pg. 666 Bi Harry moment 38 Focusing on Marcone’s pretty eyes and ‘pleasantly’ too :)

“Marcone’s expression rarely showed much-but his eyes widened, if only for an instant, as he saw the stones.

I stared at Marcone without blinking or looking away.

Marcone looked up from the diamonds and returned my stare for a long time.” pg. 669 I wonder what Marcone is thinking?

“A Jewish Knight of the Cross?” pg. 675 Ha

“I stood, leaned over the bed, and kissed her on the mouth.” pg. 675 Yay!

Final thoughts

This is now my favorite book out of the series! I loved the fights and the jokes. I liked that it was a heist book. I adore that Butters is now a knight of the cross. I liked Bob in this book. I liked Gray and his payment. I love Bonnie and Maggie. Marcone was in it that’s always good. I’m still shocked that Nicky killed his own daughter. Their family and relationship is definitely getting its own comment. We got three Bi Harry moments in this book bringing our total up to 38! And two thirds are of Marcone. Wish we got more banter between those two. Marcone was weirdly silent. I loved the dad Harry moments. I’m glad Jordan got redeemed and I’m sad Hannah died. I’ve got so many mixed feelings about Desire and Nicky. I liked the monologues and speeches in this book. I feel like I need to reread the book now that I know that Gray is a mole. 

Onto Brief Cases and Monster

[trulybetty]

birthdays, besties & bravos

Pairing: Poppy x Dieter, Ava x Dieter & Bryony x Dieter Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption Word Count: 1,591 Happy Birthday Heidi (@wildemaven)! We really hope you don't mind, but Lellen (@gnpwdrnwhiskey) and I took Poppy out for some birthday celebrations in honour of your special day, upon the insistence of Ava & Bryony! We hope you enjoy it! xx

A/N: you don't have to know how everyone is if you would like to read on, but you can learn about Poppy, Ava & Bryony in the following: - Sweet Creature by @wildemaven - Conversations with a Movie Star by @gnpwdrnwhiskey - Chiffon by @trulybetty

“Was that a baby goat you just herded out your back door?” Ava asked, her arms crossed on the back of the sofa where she was kneeling, having watched Bryony shoo the animal out of her back door.

Bryony huffed as she brushed her hands off on her jeans, “Don’t ask.”

“Dieter?” Ava asked still.

“Dieter.” Bryony muttered as she picked up a serving tray of margaritas and an array of cheese and crackers. “Is that my shirt?” She asked Ava as she rounded the kitchen island to the expansive living area cornered by plush sofas.

Ava plucked a glass from Bryony as she passed, turning around to plop herself back down onto the sofa, “Yep,” she replied with a responding pop, “I mean, you have a stylist as a best friend, only fair you share the spoils.”

Bryony rolled her eyes playfully, “I suppose, it does look good on you.”

Ava smiled, pleased at the compliment, “I was thinking just the same.”

Bryony continued across the living room, stopping only to place the tray down on the coffee table and scowl at the fact the damn hippo coffee table had been switched out on her again. However there were more pressing matters to attend to than her husband's interior decor tastes.

“Here you go love,” Bryony handed a margarita glass to Poppy who was sitting crossed legged on the armchair that matched the sofa Ava was now stretched across, margarita glass in hand as she reached for the charcuterie board.

Poppy looked up from her phone, “Thanks,” she responded despondently as she took the drink.

Bryony and Ava shared a look across the room, “Still haven’t heard from him?” Bryony asked.

Poppy sighed, tucking the phone at her side, “No, nothing.” 

“Fuck him,” Ava decreed and Bryony shot her a look that said tone it down. “What?” she asked, giving Bryony a confused look.

Taking a seat on the love seat, Bryony brought her drink to her lips, tucking her feet under her. “I’m sure he has a good reason why he hasn’t messaged you.”

“It’s her birthday.” Ava deadpanned, ignoring the second shooting glare Bryony was sending her.

Bryony glanced at her watch, “Look, Cricket came by earlier,” she said referring to one of her best friends and Hollywood stylist, “and she left me some bougie outfits for us to pick through. Though,” she shot a look at Ava, “she says all the pieces have to be returned this time.”

“Pft, I appreciate it more than any snobby rich bitch would have.”

Bryony rolled her eyes, “Anyway, we’ve got an hour until the car comes to pick us up,” she gave Poppy a soft smile, “why don’t we go and get ready for a night of celebrating our darling Poppy and using Dieter’s credit card to open a tab?” she ended with a wink at Poppy who couldn’t help but smile in response.

“Okay,” Poppy agreed before she downed her margarita.

“Woo! That’s the spirit!” Ava applauded, her drink in the air in a one sided toast to Poppy’s change in demeanour. “I saw a super sexy dress that you’ll look to die for in, come on!”

Bryony stood to follow the two women up the stairs to her bedroom, “How much did you go through up there Ava?”

It was over an hour later when they finally got into the waiting car. Situated in the back seats of the luxury Lincoln, Poppy sat in the middle tugged at the dress she was wearing.

“Do you think this is too short?” she asked.

Bryony, head down texting furiously, didn't stop to look up, “First of all, stop tugging it, that’s how the sequins fall off. Second, you look stunning,” the emphasis of the word had her accent coming out thicker than usual.

Ava snorted, “I’ll never get over that accent.” 

Bryony ignored her, “You’re going to be fighting off the attention this evening.”

“Yeah, Dieter doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Ava scoffed, “Oo, actually, selfie!”

Ava extended her arm, holding her phone high to capture all three of them in a frame, everyone leaning in for the shot. Poppy forced a smile as the phone’s camera snapped a series of photos.

“Perfect!” Ava declared as she reviewed the photo, “There we go, maybe now he’ll see what he’s missing out on,” Ava said, scrolling through the pictures and picking one to post on her Instagram story.

Poppy’s phone chimed, breaking the silence that had settled in the car, “Shit, shit, shit, shit!” she cursed as she scrolled through the message.

“What’s wrong?” Bryony asked.

“There’s been a burst pipe at the gallery.” Poppy’s eyes widened as the reality of the situation kicked in. “Oh my God. The artwork! Do we have enough insurance to cover any damages?” she said, speaking more to herself than the other two women.

“Don’t worry,” Bryony reassured, instructing the driver to make a detour. “We’ll stop by, check the situation. This is why insurance was created, you can assess the damage. Then we’ll carry on with our plans.”

“I can’t believe this is happening, today of all days,” Poppy groaned, pressing her palm against her forehead.

“Shouldn't there be someone you pay to deal with this? Your Dieter is loaded, isn't he?” Ava asked, “I thought it was only Bryony’s Dieter who spent money on random shit like farm animals.”

Bryony furrowed her brow and rolled her eyes, a common occurrence with Ava, “First they’re adopted not purchased and second… yeah I got nothing, we have two hippo tables now.”

Poppy’s phone buzzed again; it was a message from Dieter, finally. ‘Just saw the picture Ava posted. Poppy, you look incredible, love you.’ Poppy's heart sank.

“Well, would you look at that,” Ava said, peering over Poppy’s shoulder at the message. “He’s alive after all.”

It didn’t take long for the trio to arrive at the gallery, Bryony instructed the driver to go grab a coffee and she’d call them back when they were ready. Climbing out the three took in the front of the building, the lights were all out. 

“That’s strange,” Poppy remarked as she fumbled in her purse for her keys.

“What’s that?” Bryony asked as she tapped away at her phone.

“Diem was the one who sent the text, but it doesn’t look like anyone is here.” She said as she put the keys in the lock.

Ava, who had her hands cupped to the side of her face peering into glass windows of the gallery, confirmed Poppy’s observation, “Yeah, I’m not seeing anyone.”

Bryony grabbed Ava by the elbow and spoke through gritted teeth, “Maybe it’s out the back, did you think about that?”

Ava’s eyes widened, “Y-yeah, totally probably out the back.”

Poppy, too distracted now with the lock, swung the door open and stepped into the dark of the gallery’s main entrance.

“Hello, Diem?” she called out, cursing as she tugged on her dress and several sequins fell to the floor, “I know, I know Bry.” she said, expecting a scolding from the older woman but when she was met with silence she was confused, “Bryony?” she got no response, “Ava?” silence still. 

Groping in the dark she reached the wall for where she knew where the light switches for the main room were. It took several stabs in the dark until she found the switches, the lights stuttered before they lit up fully, “That’s bet–”

Poppy didn’t get a chance to finish.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

The room was full of friends and family, all beaming smiles as they raised glasses in toast to Poppy.

Dumbfounded, Poppy didn’t notice as Dieter stepped away from the crowd, a bouquet of soft blush poppies in his hand.

“Happy birthday Poppy.” he murmured into her ear, as she noticed the sea of poppies that filled the space that didn’t hold family and friends.

“Dieter, you planned this?”

“Hm hm,” he nipped at her ear as his free hand trailed down from her waist to the hem of her dress, “This is new.”

She caught her breath as his fingers toyed with the hem, his fingers brushing her bare thigh, “Bryony let me borrow it.”

His fingers moved higher, “I think I might be writing her a cheque, because this dress is not going back.”

“Dieter,” Poppy hissed as she pushed his hand back down from under her dress.

He laughed, “Later Pops.”

Placing the bouquet into her hands, Dieter took her face in his hands and leaned in closer, his deep brown eyes captivating hers. His lips were mere inches away from hers and with the same lightness that his fingers had touched her dress he brushed his lips against hers and kissed her. His hands moved slowly to the back of her neck, as if they were meant to be there forever, sending tingles down Poppy’s spine.

He was the one person who could make her forget everything else in the world. Dieter pulled away after a few moments leaving Poppy feeling breathless and wanting more.

“I thought you forgot.” she breathed out, her eyes still closed.

He brushed a thumb over her lips, “How could I forget Pops?” 

“You had me fooled.”

“It would have ruined the surprise, I’m sorry.” He leaned down to kiss her lips again.

She smiled, her eyes now open and looking at his, “It’s okay, you can make it up to me.”

“I can? How's that?” he asked, his head cocked to the side, a coy boyish smile on his face.

“Oh, I can think of a few things.”

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

Romanian siblings posting

So, I think the current Romania character in Hetalia is very Transilvania. He lives in Sibiu, he has beef with Hungary and we never see him (from my memory) interacting with Turkey or Russia pre-USSR. So, Transilvania he is.

So that leaves the other 2 big parts of Romania up for nerds like me to write for. Wallachia and Moldova/Moldavia (they're Țara Românească or Valahia and Moldova in Romanian so I might switch between those names.)

Wallachia, Moldavia and Transilvania are all siblings, the children between Dacia and the Roman Empire. They barely got to see their parents because they were all too young to remember them.

The three got seperated soon after, Transilvania getting kidnapped by Hungary, Wallachia constantly bickering with Turkey and Russia breathing down Moldavia's neck.

So, here are the character introductions for my little ocs of them. I actually have a lot more toughts on Wallachia than Moldavia so this is more of a Wallachia post

~Wallachia~

She's the youngest of the siblings (around 19 years old in human years).

She just wants to be left the fuck alone to plant her veggies and take care of her goats

She loves impaling things, crushing potatoes, steak, poking Turkey in the ass with her pitchfork

She has a pet goat called Esus because it's gramaticly correct

She adores cheese and anything with lactose. She refuses to believe lactose intolerance is a thing.

She can speak a shit lot of languages: Romanian, Turkish, French, English, German and Italian. In that order.

Her and Serbia have matching tatoos and they both dyed a bit of their hair blue just because

Wallachia keeps begging Serbia to join the EU because she wants to hang out in the back of the class and get drunk on medical alcohol like in the good ol' days

Serbia and Wallachia are childhood friends. Serbia actually thought Wallachia a few words in serbian and slavic (including the word for love)

Back when Turkey was the Ottoman Empire, he would constantly try to invade Wallachia

He did succeed but only a bit

They fought a lot and Wallachia was one of the brattier territories

She really did enjoy seeing the turks impaled at her border

All and all, Turkey was the closest thing Wallachia had to a father, so, inspite of their previous conflicts, Wallachia still talks with Turkey

At some point Turkey let Greece in charge of Wallachia

They got along quite well, especially since Greece would pay her to get naked

Wallachia and Greece still keep in contact and they send eachother cringe christmas and easter gifts... usually socks or cards

Once Wallachia and Moldavia joined forces together, banboozling the West by electing the same president, they played rock paper scissors and Wallachia won.

She once beat the shit out of Bulgaria, to the point that some western powers had to stop her from doing it

Never leave Wallachia in a room with Hungary. That bitch will be dead in an instant

Wallachia loves her siblings a lot but she's also a firm believer in consensual bullying

She did basicly every college under the sun at England's place before he threw her out. Now she's staying in Italy with Felicio

Her and Romania constantly try to see which one is better: Cluj Napoca or Bucharest

It's Iasi, guys, come on

~Moldavia~

She's the middle child at about 20 years old in human terms

She's the scapegoat of the family

Moldova is her kid and she's a very proud mom

She makes the best alcohol in the family

She was a lot closer to Wallachia than to Romania

She's the only one of the three that still constantly goes to church

She created the ice bucket challange and she's amused by how people were using it

She's the best storyteller of them all. She just has a very sweet and homey voice.

She's dating Ukraine and they're in a loving relationship together.

[wisteriaiswriting]

imagine having sombra as a close friend but she loves you and you dont see the hints. she encourages you to shoot your shoot at your crush but you get denied (obviously). then you go to sombra to seek comfort, not knowing that sombra knew you would get rejected, planning to have you all to yourself.

(also youre the goat)

𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕋𝕠𝕠 ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕟

Words: 436

Aww thanks! <3

Over the months everyone has slowly pulled away from you, completely unaware why they were doing that. It’s even gotten to the point of unfriending and blocking you on all social media, branching out to family members as well.

Soon enough the majority of your friends and family have cut themselves off from you, leaving not many people still around. Those included a few childhood friends who knew you better than that, your long time crush was skeptical about these rumors.

Finally Sombra, she knew the truth just like you did. Except in the sense of controlling it. Everything that has happened to you, was because of her. Now she just needed the few final steps to fall into place, luckily that was going to happen quicker than she thought.

“C’mon man, how could she not like someone as buen aspecto as you?”

“I guess you’re right, there's not much to lose. Just don’t watch.”

“Can’t promise I won’t but I'll try just for you.”

Of course she didn’t listen. Well, she did but chose to ignore you.

Pulled up on the various screens were multiple angles of the room you were in, watching as you managed to spill your feelings. For some sense of privacy she had turned off the volume, ready to rewatch the video with it later that night.

Your face is full of fear and worry. While your ‘crush’s’ face was calm before turning to worry as well, clearly upset that she has to let you down. She watched her movement before eagerly switching to you, your face dropped. It was clear about what happened.

Quickly you both separated, during that time one of your final outside connections was cut. Whether it was on their own or due to Sombra, who knows? Not you.

Your knocking at the door had her rushing to shut everything off. The camera screens recording your whole trip over and the confession were tucked away for later, making sure you weren’t aware of her actions.

“Olivia…”

Almost instantly the door swung open, causing you to step back.

“Ay, Mi amigo! How’d it go?”

Her arm wrapped around your shoulder, quickly pulling you into the house. Not letting you get any words in as you were dragged through the place, soon ending across it, sitting in her room.

“Tell me what happened! Wait, no. She said yes surely, if not I–”

When you didn’t respond she paused, knowing the story but having to not tell. She played along as the clueless friend. “Why don’t you stay here and I’ll grab some snacks, just us.”

***

Guapo -  handsome

buen aspecto - good looks/looking

Mi amigo - my friend

[rambosgirl]

🦉Positivity owl reporting for duty! This was sent by a friend who wants you to smile as much as your posts make them smile. Please list five things that make you unique, four things you are super passionate about and why, OR three of your favorite memories. Feel free to send the owl to those who you feel deserve to smile🦉

Awww I love this!

Five things that make me unique:

I'm very musical! I play the flute, piano, violin, ukulele, and sing.

I'm in college studying a combination of degrees, Animal Science and Psychology

I got married young (barely 20) and I'm loving every minute! (I also want a bunch of kids but pregnancy scares me so we're not gonna for a while) (Specifically I want a bunch of boys and a few girls cause I think it would be ADORABLE to have all the boys be so protective of their sister(s))

I'm such a girly girl. Ball gowns, makeup, frolicking through a meadow, all of it. I also have a tiara collection that takes up MUCH of my closet.

This is kinda weird but like... I get my period every 3 months instead of the usual 1. It's ver interesting in a 'idk what my body is doing - ever' kind of way

Four things I'm super passionate about:

Horse training!! It's what I want to do for my career, and I just feel so alive when I do it. I love building connections and friendships without saying a word, it just feels magical in a way

My family. I come from a family of 7, and we're super close. I have a special connection to all my siblings and parents (who did/are doing an amazing job), I just love them all so much. I know good families are something not everybody has, and that really makes my heart ache for anyone who doesn't have this (If this is you, know that family is something you can build with your friends and that you aren't alone, and I love you)

Going along with the horse training, my dream is to have a family farm where I can run my horse training business but ALSO raise my kids and be at least a little self-sufficient. (you never know when the zombie apocalypse is gonna happen XD) I want horses, cows, and chickens, and I've recently been thinking about goats too... Oh, and I want a big garden and orchard! I love fruits and berries, so lots of those. And flowers too

My religion! I feel like it allows me to be the best version of myself I can be, and the people are so nice :)

Three favorite memories:

My wedding day. It was rough, nothing went as planned bc of the rain we had to switch indoors (I dreamed of getting married at my aunt's ranch for my entire childhood and it didn't happen) we had close to no decorations bc they were at the ranch, just UGH! BUT! The people who came to my wedding were the best, they helped decorate, my dentist actually became the DJ, and I ended up having so much fun with my friends and family. Not to mention, I married my BFF, and now we have a sleepover every night (yay!)

I don't remember much of my childhood, BUT I love every memory I have of playing Barbies with my sisters. We always had the most unhinged plotlines to our games but there was always serious TEA. Looking back it was a fever dream but one I would love to go back to.

Any memory of my old project horses. I built special connections with them, and I love them so much. Especially with this one spicy Appaloosa mare, I would be working with her alone, she was SO wound up, mean, fearful, just everything. But I kept at it and got her to a place where she wasn't afraid anymore, and spending time with her became so peaceful I can't even put it into words. She still had her spicy personality, but to be honest I would not change that about her even if I could. She wouldn't be herself without it. It felt like we were in our own little world. And while I taught her a lot, I feel like she probably taught me so much more (I'm crying rn btw)

Dang, I needed this, thank you so much anon!! ;-;

[zorya-reads]

Chapter 20.

The Lost Princess

Context: Lottie made it her goal to mess up her sleep schedule even worse than in UP, deciding to go for nightly walks every day. One night, she stumbles upon Jamie, injured because he casually fell a few hundred meters because he had nothing better to do. What follows is a cute Jottie moment and my rising concern for professional medical help.

Lottie not being asleep and the void only calling the name of Jamie into her mind is ummmmmmm... am I reading a romance book? bc this is heavily dark-male-love-interest-pov-chapter-coded.

Is this a Jottie Chapter???? 0.o

Ok just kidding. Jamie still hasn’t arrived from his surprise bday party.

LOTTIE STOP BEING MAD AT OLLIE. YOU’RE LIVING YOUR GUYS’ DREAMS. OFC HE’S DESPERATE AND INSECURE AND FEELS NEGLECTED???? (Lottie’s not updating Ollie, and his texts are guilt-tripping her because he naturally feels insecure, jealous, and neglected, which understandably annoys Lottie. Both are valid and wrong but for the drama: Whose side are we on? >:D 🤜🏻🥊)

Nooooo, Ellie having a nightmare.

Not Lottie asking herself, “Is it true that everything revolves around Ellie?” like that’s not a toxic thought in the first place.

Group therapyyy.

Lottie being scared that Vampy is gonna scratch her for not giving Jamie enough attention HAHA. Plot twist: Jamie is either a Husky or a Cat of the school as well. Like a black, angry cat.

COLD Y’ALL STOP GOING OUTSIDE AT NIGHT FOR A MINUTE?? YOUR TEETH WOULD BE TREMBLING IF THIS WAS ROSEWOOD. ALSO, NO ONE KNOWS YOU’RE OUT. SHOULD THEY THINK YOU GOT KIDNAPPED OR WHAT? AND WHAT ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU ACTUALLY GETTING KIDNAPPED? IT’S NIGHTTIME, DAMN IT. DON’T CATCH A COLD.

Holy shit, this IS a Jottie chapter.

Holy shit, how did this man fall from a skyscraper, didn’t see a doctor, and casually walked probably multiple kilometres, all in just a few hours?

Oh my god, it’s raining dhdbshsjsj

Are they hugging?????? Shsbsbsb

Listen, I was happy to see some Lollie chapters, since Pip had more Jottie, and I desperately need this book to convince me to switch teams. AND THEN THEY JUST GONNA BRING A WHOLE “lol-I-fell-down-a-building-y’all-. omg-we’re-scared-for-you-for-hours-we-thought-we-lost-you-hugging-ITS-RAINING-CUTE-SCENE-IN-RAIN-UNDER-TEARS.” LIKE, COME ON, DUDE, WE WERE ON A GOOD LOLLIE PATH UNTIL NOW. SHHSHD.

CALL A FUCKING DOCTOR.

Finally had one Lottie POV Jamie description where she isn’t gushing over his muscles. Might have needed him to be very fucking injured, but ok. Baby steps.

Her trying not to cry seeing the wounds. Awww.

“I fell from the roof. and then it started to rain.” Awwww, I love it when Jamie puts two heavily different sentences in terms of importance and concern equal to each other casually in the same sentence. 🥺 /s

Sir, get therapy.

Awwww, him not wanting Lottie to go (……and get help. Bro really wants to die from bleeding.)

“The Goat-Man.” PFFFFHAHA I’M CRYING.

Ok, this chapter is all the chaos between “Aww, my heart,” “lols shenanigans,” and “Guys, you know that falling a few hundred meters and not getting medical help is mildly concerning?”

Awwww, he’s acknowledging that she’s a good runner.

/\ This actually makes me happy. Girly put so much effort and dedication into it. 💖

“The Goat-Man is Leviathan.” lol: Is Leviathan the G.O.A.T., is a Goat 🐐 Leviathan, or are they just trying to start their milk, meat, fibre, and skin business?

HAHA, NOT SAYURI COMING IN, SEEING JAMIE WHO FELL FROM A SKYSCRAPER, PASSING OUT, AND ONLY SAYING, “That’s a good partizan. Good investment.” (/ref SoC)

NOT THE ORANGE FAT CAT HAHA.

✧ Read All Chapter Reactions

Premise: I’m rereading the Rosewood Chronicles Series for the first time after years, so take my chaotic commentary with a grain of salt (or a whole salt shaker). Open to spoilers.

[creampuffqueen]

posting about my livestock animals bc i miss them <3

disclaimer: please note the use of the word livestock. these animals were not my pets, they were raised with the intention of one day becoming food. most of these animals are no longer alive, but i assure you they were treated with love, care, and respect while they were. if you have questions about livestock raising i’m always happy to answer!

under a readmore bc there’s. so many

my breeding rabbits! left to right we have Rabbit Earl Keen (Earl), June Carter Cash (June) and Dolly Parton (Dolly) literally my favorite animals ever i loved them so much

litters number 1 and 2. dolly had five, june had ten but one was stillborn so she really had nine. dolly’s were called the ‘angel babies’ bc they were always perfectly clean and amazingly well behaved. june’s were called ‘the zombies’ because. well. guess what they acted like. all of these babies sucked in the show ring but i loved them anyway

then i got a goat and named him Billie Nelson. most of my animals were given names from country singers lol. he was a terrible show goat bc he had ugly conformation but he was the sweetest thing ever. i think he thought he was a dog. would follow me around the barn like a little shadow 🥹

then june had triplets! we bred both moms but dolly had a false pregnancy :( but these guys were so so awesome. i made sale at the fair with them!

then we bred dolly again because she was so depressed after her false pregnancy. she had six! this litter includes the iconic Number Four that i’ve posted about in the past lol. they were too late to show so they all ended up in the freezer

i gave up on the country singer theme when i named Pongo. he was cute and stubborn as all get out and he showed beautifully 💗

this is actually two litters. i know for a fact dolly had seven and june had five, but at this point we had zero clue which baby belonged to which mama. there was a hole separating their two pens that was just big enough for baby rabbits to slip through, and they regularly switched between pens to go visit each other. thankfully the moms didn’t seem to mind taking care of each others’ babies so we just let them be

last but certainly not least, the terrific twins! these guys did end up getting names because there was only two of them and they were super easy to tell apart. the massive girl was named Franklin and the tiny boy was named Zoomer. Zoomer placed the highest i’ve ever had an animal place at the fair. these were both june’s babies. dolly didn’t conceive when we bred them again and we decided against trying more. luckily these two were just fine <3

and that’s a comprehensive list of my animals that i raised! two goats and forty rabbits omg