#nana writes cod

[nanabrainrot]

fuck u simon drabble go to hell

no beta no proofreading stfu

ghost & his bird, a nonspecified narrator’s perspective

a consideration: mrs. riley, his mythical wife, is as close to elusive as catching your receipt on a windy day. it felt like looking for a glimpse of the last animal in a crowded forest, its skin camouflaging and steps silent.

he never said it but his phone had a picture of a the silhouette of lady in a tight tee, nipples pressed through the fabric, with the words enscribed on her breasts: “I love my husband.” tight navy dolphin shorts with a british flag embroidered near where the thigh meets the fat of the pubis - it’s a blurry photo and probably caught on accident: she’s opening a fridge door, leaning like she’s looking down at the camera near the ground with lips in a giddy laugh, face above the lips out of shot but with a body like that her face was of no concern. leaning with her right hand on the door and her left hand on her knee as he leans toward the camera like she’s laughing: a huge ring on her ring finger. by her tits, silver dog tags.

price sees it so quickly as simon switches his lock screen to a background of a silhouette barely visible in the light of a tv under a blanket. it looks like some aesthetic stock photo but frames on the wall tell another story: a couple together and mementos line the shelves by the tv. he doesn’t mention it, his mind may be playing tricks on him, he’s half out his mind from returning finally from that shit mission and everyone is gathering their belongings at base to go to their barely lived in flats.

1. voice

he hears her voice once as she’s hanging up, the sound of comical cooing and crooning as if simon was a baby on the other end. giggly and girlish like chatting with her crush about homework; she says bye and simon hangs up and walks past him to pack his shit from the office, walking with more intention than he did earlier that day.

2. tattoos

simon has some tattoos on him, numbers, dates, a lipstick kiss mark, a bite mark, and a pair of eyes. tattoos are tattoos, sometimes people get one randomly and others really brew on it. there’s a tattoo with a woman’s name made out of tiny words you can’t see; only seen it passing as simon’s flesh breathed air a fleeting moment and vanished back under the shirt while he took off some gear. he’d never seen him without gloves but a fat band of black ink stains most of his ring finger. nothing is said or asked either.

3. scent

why he smelled like freshly baked cake and had some glitter in his hair was none of his business; it’s like the phantom of a smell. girlish and childlike, like a birthday party as a kid. simon puffs on a cigarette, eyes lost on nothing ahead but the pair of dark eyes aren’t mad or sad: they’re tender and swimming in a fantasy elsewhere. he smells like cigarettes and dirt and a bakery. you had to stand real close to smell it or see the dust of glitter in his hair.

4. glimpse

in a bar, the parking lot, simon is driving out while he’s driving in: her silhouette is animated, bobbing and hands gesturing wildly, before leaning into simon’s shoulder. her face is obscured, unclear, but his shoulders aren’t tense. he sits there worry free with his only concern making a right onto the route home.

walking into the bar, sipping on some 90 proof, he doesn’t mention it. the man’s soul looked peaceful even for a fleeting moment

5. a whisper

a phone call in an empty hallway, giggling from the other line while simon chuckles heartily into his phone, you coo on the other line as if you’re fussing over a puppy’s face while your brutish baby on the other line is in his gear.

“I love you too baby.”

he hangs up, phone vanishing into his pocket, pausing like he’s soaking up the moment and turning the memory in his hands like inspecting the hope diamond. when he calls out to ghost, he turns around and walks as if nothing happened.

[yesyourstalker]

Makeup artist:.......... Are you nervous?

Baja: a little bit.... This isn't like in front of a studio audience right

Makeup artist: No sweetie, it's just a one-on-one interview.

Baja: that's good. Who are we interviewing?

Makeup artist: You're going to have to ask the show-runner, Mickey.

Mickey: let's go. Let's go. Let's go what takes so long putting powder on a face. He has perfect skin anyway. We had to get him to the dressing room. We start filming in a couple minutes

Makeup artist: I'm finished. Just need to map down some scales and he's...... All done. You're free to go sweetie

Baja: thank you

Mickey: So you must be then host of the show. Sorry I wasn't able to meet you sooner. I was on vacation. Oshi told me you're a really good candidate for this show. You seem to be competent you know your way around music....*sip* ..... Coffee?

Baja: I don't really drink that much coffee. I like tea though

Mickey: Green tea! *Snap*. .*snap*

Assistant: your green tea

Baja: thank you

Mickey: Well I know one thing for sure. She was right about the pretty face. Now as you get dressed head to the studio so we start filming promotional material Ramon should be there with you. After your interview which will count as the pilot

Tammy: Mickey listen I really think you should reconsider about not casting me for the show

Mickey: No....*sip*

Tammy: but I really think you should I mean I can at least be co-host. I'm great to be around! Tell him, baba

Baja: it's Baja

Mickey: No, we need to bring up the sea slug viewership

Tammy: I can be the second co-host

Mickey:....*sigh*...... Tammy listen to me. You didn't get the job all right. You just don't fit the criteria we need for this show and this channel. But hey you have other opportunities for other networks alright. You're pretty, you're bubbly and you have a nice rack. You can get a job anywhere with those qualities around here.... You're just not going to find it at this station

Tammy: but-

Mickey: goooooood byyyyyyyyyyyyyeeee Tammy!!

Security guard: Right this way ma'am

Tammy: Mickey!!! I'll have your fucking job!!

Mickey: we'll see you next week Tammy we're filming the season finale

Baja: she seemed pretty upset

Mickey: eh she'll get over it ... She's been in a couple of shows here and there on the network. She plays Kate the baby sitter on 'dock and dingy' ......*sip* ..... She'll be fine. Here Is your dressing room your clothes should be folded

Baja: alright... and I just head to set after

Mickey: yep your's and Ramon's chairs will be the brown arm chairs. The musician or celebrity will be sitting on the loveseat and will perform on the stage behind you

Baja: they're going to perform?

Mickey: yeah.. yeah they're starting their Solo career

_______________________________________________

Ramon: hey... You look good. They spruced up your wardrobe too

Baja: yeah. I wonder if we're able to take this home with us

Ramon: probably. I think it'd be easier just to keep in our dressing rooms for now. Keep our work clothes separate from our regular clothes. Feels like bad energy to mix them together.

Baja: how so?

Ramon: I mean this nice brand name stuff fancy designs, colors and a hefty price on it. It's nice but it isn't really me. It's what the studio and the producers want me to be and I rather keep that at work when. I go home I wear my regular off-brand jeans, my 8-year-old sweater and a pair of kicks with a hole in it. That's me. That's who I am. A regular person, I'm not above anyone and I don't want to feel like I am. Get what I'm saying

Baja: yeah... I get it. You don't want the job to change you

Ramon: exactly

Mickey: All right! Hitch you got the shot?

Hitch: Yeah I got it. We can use this for commercials

Baja: you were filming?

Mickey: Yeah yeah no worries. We just wanted to film you guys interacting. We didn't tell you cuz we wanted to look natural.

Hitch: we didn't have any mics on so we couldn't hear what you were saying so don't worry about it. I'm the director by the way names Hitch. Nice to meet you..

Baja: hello

Ramon: hey

Mickey: alright so we're going to start filming the show in 30 minutes. Kikura is their dressing room.

Ramon: Kikura from C-side?

Mickey: yeah

Kikura: sorry I'm late.. I tend to procrastinate when I'm getting ready for these types of things...... Not a good excuse but... yeah

Mick: Well that's perfectly fine. We'll be filming in a couple minutes this is Ramon and this is Baja. They're going to be the ones interviewing you

Kikura: hey

Hitch: while we wait for that, let's do some more advertisements

______________________________________________

Assistant: alright..... Advertisement 2 take one...[clap]

Baja: Hi my name is baja and I'm the new host of the inklab's new show 'music at midnight'.... Me and my new co-host Ramon

Ramon: sup

Baja: we're going to be interviewing musicians from all walks of life

Ramon: and different genres.

Baja: We're going to have nice conversations getting to know them, telling us some really cool stories.

Ramon: a show airs Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. can't wait to see you there!

Hitch: CUT!.... Great! We're going to do some more editing and maybe some reshoots on that but here is your intro You're going to do this during every episode you introduce yourself. You tell them what show they're watching and then you tell the current news what's going on in the music world..... You're also going to have to do that when you start writing articles for the blog, but we'll get to that later. ... Here's the monologue script. If you want to go off script feel free... Go over it, memorize We'll film in 15...... Oshi! Good to see you..*mwah mwah* how are you baby

Oshi: Hitch! Hope everything is going well I just wanted to check in on everyone

Hitch: yes... You're going to start filming soon so have a seat....(Pat...Pat)

Oshi: alright..... I'm getting a call.....*ugh*..............[inhale].....[exhale]...... Hi Shimi! How are you doing dear?... Are you having fun on the farm? I saw some pictures warabie posted on squidder. You look cute riding the tracker hehhe....... Well you only have one week left honey..... yes I've enjoyed my break..... The church? If that works for you honey I guess it gives you a purpose.........*sigh*...(Eye roll)....acting is also your purpose I know...how's warabie is he having fun?......well tell him to try to enjoy himself..............yes ...... alright good bye hun.............

_______________________________________________

Shimi: hm.....

Merv: Shimi it's your turn to take the manatees out to graze, take your son with you. Noiji start up the tractor I need you to harvest the octoberries, ikkan pack up squidmelons and head into town. Koi would you help me harvest some of the squid lemons

Koi-koi: I'd love to

Merv: Cirrina sweetheart you said you're going into the city for a school project?

Cirrina: Yeah just for 2 hours. When I get back I'll feed the krill and clean out their coop

Merv: All right, be safe

Shimi: warabie help me load up the manatees

Warabie: yeah..... What were you calling Mom about?

Shimi: It's none of your concern she didn't let me talk anyway............

Warabie:... All right, the manatees are in (bump...bump).....

Shimi: alright...................

Warabie:............so what's mom up to at home?

Shimi: she's working on project O.E.T network

Warabie: that's nice she's been working on that for years

Shimi: *humpf*.... We've been working on for years.... Typical of her to go behind my back and do things without my permission or opinion

Warabie:...... Oooookkkaaay...........hm.................hey mahi

_______________________________________________

Mahi: hey dude

Warabie: what's going on at home?

Mahi: nothing much. Baja got a new job...... stop!........ Yeah, he's going to be on TV now. That's pretty neat

Warabie: tv?!

Mahi: some talk show.... Midnight music...... Music at midnight something.....neta stop spawn camping!

Neta: I'm not spawn camping

Warabie: he got the job!? How did he get the job?!

Mahi: I don't know, I really haven't had time to talk to him. He's been in and out of the apartment for like days now..... cod damn it!.... Let me leave the base at least...... fuck!

Neta:hehehehehehehe... I'm sorry .hehehe

Mahi: sorry... Neta's being an asshole...uhhhhh...Baja honestly hasn't been here and when he is here he's just there to get dressed and then leave.

Warabie:*sigh*....... good for him... Guess he's going to be the new breadwinner

Mahi: hey so when are you coming home?

Warabie: end of the week I should be home

Mahi: great apartments too quiet and-Neta!

Neta: what?! What am I doing wrong? I'm just playing the game. It's not my fault you always end up in my range of sight. Get good at the game

Mahi:*huff*... Can you come home faster? I miss you

Warabie: aww I miss you too mahi.. I honestly want to go home too. This place sucks ......I'm tired of scooping Manatee shit and hauling crates of squidmatoes

Neta: ask him the question

Mahi: *ugh*........are you able to bring home fresh produce and milk

Warabie: I....... I'm going to have to ask ikkan's dad that

Shimi: we're here unload the manatees

Warabie: I got to go.... text you later..........

Mahi: bye..... I'm not playing with you anymore! I'm done with this game....

Neta: One more round. I want to get a gold badge on this weapon I'm two games away. You can be on my team this time

_______________________________________________

Cirrina: .......this must be the address..........(Knock knock)

Bayou: Cirrina! You showed up!

Cirrina: yeah....hehehe sorry if I'm a little early ...

Bayou: no worries. Come in, come in you can use your shoes on the shelf right here. So what do you want to know about krillarney?

Cirrina: I'm just you know the origins and the history of krillarney...... You lived on the surface for most of your life, right? Is that true for most octolings here?

Bayou: yeah... Most of us here spent their whole lives on the surface though there are some who moved here who previously lived underground

Cirrina: Interesting......so... And did your family move here?

Bayou:...... I think you might get more information from my nan.... Nana!!....... You remember my Nana. from church?

Nana: yes!? Bayou? What is it love?.....oh... Dear the little girl from church. Nice to see you again sweetie

Cirrina: hello..

Bayou: Nan do you mind if she asks you a few questions?

Nana: I have no problems sweetie

Cirrina: It's just a couple questions .. . I'm doing a five-page essay on octarian history in other countries

Nana: wasn't that nice? Well what do you want to know dear?

Cirrina: uhhhh .... When did you move here

Nana: oh I have no idea sweetie It's been years...... The war started when I was around......10 of 11 years old. I lived with my two sisters in a small village My mother was a School teacher and my father passed away years ago.

Cirrina: *writing*

Nana at the time my village was not affected by the high tides but it was targeted with conflict over land and resources. Next thing you know, I was being drafted for the war along with my two sisters. They just turned 13. They never held a weapon before. My mother couldn't even imagine them going to war, it was only after the first bomb we decided to leave. We had to leave quickly so we weren't able to bring a lot. All we had to pack was whatever we could fit in our backpacks. I packed two dresses, pair of pants, three shirts and one skirt. I also packed my Adva doll she's the only toy I played with for years.

Cirrina: *writing*

Nana: My mother was good friends with a man who moved to our village before the war happened. He was a nice inkling man Mr. Doal he offered to help us leave. His son got drafted and passed away early in the midst of combat. He told us about a developing sovereign country called krillarney that was currently taking in anyone and everyone across the world who wanted to get away from the war

Cirrina: *write*..... So how did you get to krillarney

Nana: we were informed that there were fairies and ships offering to help people leave. We set our trip in the middle of the night and met up with Mr. Dole and other people who wanted to leave as well. The walk was 3 hours straight. No brakes, no rest until we made it to the coast and we got onto a ship. It was a squid beak ship if I remember, The S. S. Escargot. We sailed for a week to krillarney making several stops picking others in similar situations.

Cirrina: was it just inkfish who were escaping?

Nana: oh no there were so many people from so many walks of life on the ship. Urchins, fish, cephalopods, Crustaceans. So many were affected by this war. I remember seeing some still wearing their military uniforms. It was their only chance to leave and they took it

Cirrina: when you got to krillarney what was it like? Was different from how it is today.

Nana: Well I can tell you one thing we didn't have these malls, outlets or a nice studio apartment like I have now hehehe. .... When I first got here My mother could only afford a nice small house with two bedrooms. Our neighbor was young octoling and his wife was a bass. They were enlisted in the military for years. When the war started they were completely against it. They were planning on having kids at the time they couldn't do that if they were at war. Unfortunately they weren't able to have kids but they watched me and my sister so many times that they kind of saw us as their kids hehehe

Cirrina: *writing*...... Do you ever think about your old village? What happened to it?

Nana:............. Well....um..... Like I said at the time the high tides didn't affect my home but.............. Soon enough it was............. Everything was wiped out and everyone......... From what I know now....... The water levels have subsided and it is inhabitable but............ I just never went back. Everything I know about that place is gone. My home my toys.....some of my old friends

Cirrina:.... I'm sorry.......

Nana: it's alright love

Cirrina: ....... I think I asked enough questions

Nana: are you sure? I could tell you more

Cirrina: oh that's ok really.... I have enough to write my paper. I have to get home to do my chores

Bayou: alright..... Do you want me to walk you to the fairy dock?

Cirrina: (blush).... well........ok...

Bayou: great..... I'll be right back Nana

Nana: Come back safe

Cirrina:..........................

Bayou:...........................

Cirrina:..................

Bayou:..............you know we have tons of historical sites here if you ever want to check them out..... Add some photos for extra credit

Cirrina: that would be nice but I really need to get home

Bayou: we don't have to do it today.

Cirrina: I leave at the end of the week

Bayou: Well you can plan something for this week maybe Tomorrow maybe?....

Cirrina: I can see.... Yeah I think tomorrow would be good yeah..

Bayou: All right so why don't we meet up here again at 2:00 and I can take you to the lighthouse, The bridge of new beginnings and I can even take you to the museum

Cirrina: Great! It's a date! I mean....uh... No! It's not a date..... it's a day out....an outing yeah it's it's it's an outing we're going out......for the day! We're going out for the day

Bayou:..heheheheheh... Here's my number....... I'll text you tomorrow. See ya Cirrina!

Cirrina: bye..hehehehehe........*sigh*..........

_______________________________________________

Assistant director: 'music at midnight'.... Introduction take three!.....(CLAP)

Hitch:go!

Baja: welcome, welcome! Welcome my name is Baja! And this is my co-host Ramon

Ramon: hey!

Baja: I'm very excited to say that this is the first episode of our very new show called 'music at midnight'. What is music at midnight? Well as the names in the title says we're going to be talking about music and it's going to be airing during midnight.

Roman: yep so while we sit here and talk and do interviews. You're going to be sitting on your couch or in your bed and your nice warm jammies.....

Baja: I wish we could wear pajamas

Ramon: Right? We should ask the exacts for a pajama day

Baja: hahahaha...(CLAP)..... All right, let's get started.... Today's music news....... But before we do that, who's who's with us today

Ramon: today we have Kikura sitting in our guest seat

Kikura: hey everyone

Baja: so we Kikura here today and there the guitarist for the band c-side and she's a part of another group riot act.....now Kikura is it true that riot act actually came before the band C-side?

Kikura: uh....oh my cod.......uh wow..... Yeah actually that is true. It did come before C-side... Technically yes but at the time it was not called riot act.... It was actually called 'no boys allowed' uhhehe.... We were in high school that was our original band.... We were in an all-girls school. We were just a couple of weird kids just screwing around... We were all in theater together and we used to hang out under the bleachers and I don't remember who mentioned it but one of us said "wouldn't be funny if we started a band and we had no idea how to play the instruments"....and heh That's how it really started

Baja: it started out as a bit?

Kikura: Yeah it started out as a bit. We started to borrow instruments from The music room and we started to play, used to write music together like we had our own group chat and everything ... It started to get serious during second year of school. It started out as a joke and then just kind of started to really get into it and we really just stopped seeing it as a joke and started seeing it as more of a hobby and soon after we started to book gigs, shows and sets in people's basements. It just kind of took off after that.

Ramon: so what made you join C-side?

Kikura: so C-side started after I met Beika it was a small underground club. He recognized me from my band and he was really excited to see me! He told me that he was a bass player and his old roommate was a drummer and they needed a guitar player. He had a couple songs that he's written and he wanted my opinion on it. He wanted to see if I was able to do a demo track for him.

Baja: *nods*

Kikura: a couple weeks of talking I went to the studio and I met Uotora... He's such a sweetheart oh my cod.... We did rewrites and we wrote some more music. We did some test tracks and 5 hours later I was officially a part of the band...

Baja: what was your first concert like.... You played in sesame hall as the opener for wet floor

Kikura: I was surprisingly calm during the whole show. Really thought I was going to panic and freeze up because this is the first actual concert like a concert concert like it wasn't just a group of people hehehe in a backyard. I remember the crowd wasn't that enthusiastic when we came up but after playing 'click bate' people really just started to really get into it and we just formed a fan base after that.

Ramon: are you still a part of that band? After you released your new album with riot act

Kikura: oh yeah definitely. I'm still a part of the band I'm not going anywhere. This ain't that kind of band. Do we treat each other with respect...hehehe...hm... But no this is just a side project. We all just started talking again and it's just a passion project we're just doing really

Baja: and speaking of passion projects, let's get to the news....Nami one of the members of beloved yet controversial bands front roe has enough that branching off and starting a solo career. Today on Inkstagram she announced that she's working on a new album and writing her own songs she even took a selfie of herself in the studio showing in the recording booth.

Ramon: I think nami's very underrated in the band. It's good to see she's getting out there

Kikura: I'm so happy that she is. I only met her two times. It was during the black square music festival and the seashore awards she is so nice, she's so kind and so pretty. We were talking and I brought up keeping my music in a notebook and she did the same thing too. She has several notebooks of music that she really wants to make but it doesn't really fit the sound of 'squid squad'..... Well I guess it's front roe now but she's kept those book for years... I truly hope she's putting those to good use

Baja: You know this actually isn't her first solo work. She worked on a soundtrack for 'high-rise falling 4'. It was a video game for the gamer boy x system.

Kikura: really?

Raman: Yeah I know that she composed background music for the menu and she also made The third boss Battle song. Man If they ever make the movie of high-rise falling

Baja: they are never going to make that movie.... It's always in production hell for years now

Kikura: I've only played the second and third game in that series, but I heard the movie is going to be starting off with The fifth installment and going backwards which doesn't make any sense

Hitch: what is high-rise falling? I don't know what that is. What are they talking about?

Oshi: It's just a game that these kids play. The audience will know what they're talking about

Ramon: they should bring her back for the movie. It would be really cool if she remixed her original tracks. I love that for him. I'm happy that she's making music. I'm really excited..... What else we have for the news

Baja: SashiMori are no longer doing fall tours or winter tours like they used to

Raman: oh?

Baja: So one of the members, Paul. He's no longer able to travel because he has school so they're going to have to do summer tours

Ramon: that makes sense.... I remember their last tour was during fall during spook fest. Everyone dressed up in costumes and during their last set, people were giving out candy.... Folks was handed a bucket before they got into the arena. it was good candy too like people were getting full size candy bars..... What type of candy do you like? I like gum.... You could never go wrong with gum..... Good flavor, good texture... And you can blow bubbles with it. What about you?

Baja: I enjoy chocolate... I love a good piece of chocolate..... Especially if it has a filling in it like marshmallow or something.....Kikura?

Kikura: I would say I'm a hard candy type of person.... I enjoy jawbreakers

Baja: really

Kikura: Yes, it lasts longer than most candies and..... Besides lollipops It is the only candy that is socially acceptable to take out of your mouth

Hitch: do we have any chocolate sponsors?

Oshi: no but I can get with the marketing team and see what we can do

[one hour of banter later]

Baja: Well folks that's our show! Thank you for being here for our first ever episode. The riot act album will be released on the 22 so make sure you check your local stores for it....now enjoy one of their debut songs 'No planned survivors'

[riot act performing in the back ground]

Mickey: what are the viewerships right now?

Assistant: Right now the viewerships are sitting at 89.4 million...and online..... only 20k views... But that number might rise in the next week

Mickey: [inhale].....[exhale]...... What do you estimate the viewership for ink lab plus?

Assistant: Well..... Judging from the viewership on TV and the viewership on the app we might be able to gain..................... 100 million first episode maybe even more...

Executive: I don't understand it! they talked about video games and then candy, went on a tangent about handbags and backpacks. How is this popular?! This is supposed to be about music and celebrities.

Oshi: Kids today aren't really all that interested in celebrities showing off their fancy cars, expensive clothes and lifestyle. They're bored at that and so are the newer artists. They just want to know who they are as a person....if knowing about their favorite candy and opinions on games keeps them engaged and interested in their music and our show I see no problem with it

Mickey: hmmmm.....

Hitch: I think we might need a meeting for this. I have an idea

Oshi: what's the idea

Hitch: we haven't had that much traction on the app for a while. instead of making a recorded video the next time we film we do a live stream and have the audience involved with the conversation

Mickey: I like that. Keeps the audience engaged and keeps the viewerships high. it saves money on editing

Hitch:......... These kids are going to make us a lot of money

_______________________________________________

Neta had 12 kills in one match and 6 of them were mahi

lmao fish was fighting for their life @fish-at-fish-fish-resort

[imaginedreamwrite]

Listen, I know you said Fae!cod characters, but can I offer you the idea of fae!reader? Specifically with Soap. And specifically, selkie!reader. Maybe Soap is a fae related as well.

Like, imagine with me if you will (I seriously think I don't know how prompts work. I'm just writing at you at this point. Enjoy, I guess?? Feel free to use this, I guess? Anyways I'm off to bed after writing this)

Selkie!reader (who I'll be calling Sel for ease of typing and once again, because it's me, masc pronouns and terms), local selkie who has a habit of having a very tight grip on his coat which typically if it's not in his triple layered built into a solid block of concrete flooring safe, take the form of a parka (picture an Inuit sealskin parka, which they look very warm and fuzzy, especially an amauti, idk something something ftm!reader modelling it after his mum's parka not caring that an amauti is typically only female, something something he puts his baby in there when he has a baby and it's great)

John "Soap" MacTavish, local Scottish man with fae blood somewhere in his line to the point where he can tell when someone isn't human pretty quickly

Nana MacTavish, Soap's Nana obviously, she's very much Soap's go to for all things fae, she knows way more than Soap does

Soap, after meeting Sel, is very aware Sel is not human. He doesn't know exactly what Sel is, and he treads very carefully, making sure not to stir up the wrong kind of trouble with the wrong faerie. Then he starts to notice how tightly Sel grips this one specific parka (though to be fair, soap reasons it looks extremely well made and looks to be real fur, it probably costs a fortune) and how whenever they're near water, Sel had this distinct longing look in his eyes (he treads a little more carefully after this, making sure to not even brush against Sel, he's not about to be dragged up by a kelpie if that's what Sel is).

And then he sees it. They're at some boardwalk up north, and Sel is sitting on a doc looking out at the water sulking or brooding or whatever it is Sel does when he's being sad by the water. Looks pretty normal until he notices Sel sit up straighter and focus on something out in the water, a seal. And then another. And another. A little herd of them. These seals get very close to where Sel is sitting, barking and making noise at him, and while Soap can't hear Sel, his mouth moves as if he's responding to the seals. Sel looks much happier after.

Late that night, Soap awakes to Sel sneaking out of the place they're staying and making his way out to the water. Soap follows and watches as Sel's parka shifts and goes from a proper coat to a seal skin. Soap is stunned because selkie are rare, especially selkie who willingly spend time around humans while also still in possession of their coats. But he watches as Sel wades into the water, surrounded by seals (Soap assumes they're his friends or possibly his family. The brief thought of one of those seals possibly being Sel's mate makes his heart sting in a way he's not ready to talk about if ever). Soap leaves the seals to do their seal things. A selkie's business is private, and he respects that.

Soap is hyperaware of Sel's coat now, though. And he thinks Sel might have caught on how protective he is over the selkie's coat (Sel has definitely noticed, and it's starting to freak him out in all honesty). And then, after a long gruelling mission, Sel does the unthinkable. He forgets his coat in a public space. Soap panics when he notices someone reaching for Sel's coat and he hits the guy in the stomach.

"Don't touch that, [reader] doesn't like when people touch his stuff. [Reader]! You forgot your coat!" Soap doesn't imagine the dread on Sel's face when he whips around. Nor does he imagine the relief when Sel sees that Soap isn't touching or letting anyone else touch his coat.

Sel relaxes around Soap considerably. He starts hanging out with Soap a lot. Soap enjoys the company of his new friend. Until Sel leaves his seal skin on Soap's bed. Not in the form of the parka. In its real form. The one Soap saw wrapped around Sel that one night on the beach. It's definitely not an accident that Sel has left it here.

Soap calls his Nana, and she laughs for a solid five minutes at his worry before telling him: "Iain. Iain it's a marriage proposal. He's given you his coat. He's trusting you with a significant piece of himself. To accept in a good way, the way he's hoping you pick, you bring him back his sealskin because it means he can trust you to never trap him on land that you'll trust him to come back if you let him keep his sealskin. To accept in a negative way, you take the coat and hide it, breaking his trust but keeping him trapped with you, he'll likely steal his skin back, run away, and you'll never see him again. To reject him, have him come take his coat back without touching it yourself. Make the right choice, Iain. And if you steal and hide his coat, I swear to all things good on earth…"

The call with his Nan makes nervousness claw at this throat.

Hesitantly, he carefully picks up the sealskin, taking a moment to just hold it close to himself (it's warm and soft and beautiful and perfect). He then takes a deep breath and goes to find his selkie. He has a sealskin to return and a date to plan. They're skipping a few steps, but it's okay. It just means Soap has to make their first proper date extra special.

Johnny was used to the cold. The salty spray of the sea crashing upon his boat, upon his face, when he went out onto the water. Johnny was used to the abrasive jolt of the seawater that against his skin.

It was welcoming, to be close to the sea, and even as a child he found himself clambering over smoothened stones to reach the water. It was always a draw, always something he needed desperately. All his life the ocean, the seas, called him.

Even now, as Johnny searches the shoreline for the familiar face that he had seen time and time again. There’s thick fur in his hands, what appears to be a handcrafted coat to others, represents something far deeper to Soap. It’s words his grandmother spoke to him when he was a child, the promise of something supernatural that always seemed to linger in the foreground.

Fae-blood, apparently, ran in his veins. His grandmother had often spoken about ties and bonds, the mythical creatures that fae-blooded men like he could see. He spent his life on the sea, focused his time on being a fisherman.

Which is how he met you. Which is how his path had ultimately crossed with yours.

“Sel!” He raises his voice, speaking over the crashing waves upon the shore as a storm rolled in.

Thick and dense overhang clouds, dense with rain that was promised to belt the ground it met. The feeling of something on the horizon, a thunderstorm that would encroach upon the area was rolling in with the increasing wind.

“Sel!” Johnny calls again, his fingers holding the fine fur that was treated like a precious gift, worth its weight in gold. “I got your gift!”

Time and time before he had ran into you. When he stopped some asshole from touching the Selkie’s fur. The coat that was laid against the rocks while you were out enjoying the water. Johnny hadn’t hesitated, he didn’t waste a moment in defending you and your fur, in showing that these other men had no place touching what wasn’t theirs.

He waits, holding the fur across his forearm as he waits. As he watches the sea, his eyes scour the small cluster of trees along the beach, he sees movement. Johnny follows the movement from the corner of his eyes, the sound of muffled footsteps as the man he’d waited for made an appearance.

“I got your gift.” Johnny’s heels dig into the rocks as he walks, the cold spray of the sea hits him in an all too familiar way as he makes his way toward you. “My nan told me the whole story.”

You stand there watching him. While the wind whips and the threat of a storm increases upon the ground, Johnny knows taking shelter will be imperative. But he’s got something else to focus on first, he needs to return the gift.

“You took good care of it.” Your voice is soft, determined though it is, and you won’t back away from the Scottish fisherman. “You like it?”

“It’s beautiful, Sel.” Johnny runs his fingers along the fur, fingers curling against the softness that he finds himself enraptured by. “Suits the creature it belongs to, eh?”

There’s a faint cry of other seals, Selkie’s like you, and Johnny briefly turns his head. The sea is getting rougher, their voices almost sound like a warning to avoid the waves, something Johnny is not going to ignore. He might be a damn good fisherman but he also knows to trust the kind of creatures that linger in the water.

The friendship that formed between you has become something else. The friendship turned into something deeper, a proposal in the most appropriate way a Selkie can.

“This is yours, ya need it.” Johnny’s touch is soft and gentle as he wraps that beautiful fur around your shoulders. Once it rests in place, Johnny lowers his hands from your shoulders to your waist, and then hips. “We should find shelter, Sel.”

Silence falls between you briefly as the other Selkie’s you call family still bark from somewhere on the sea. Johnny watches you turn your head and reply, a simple message that hushes them. Once the message is accepted by the family waiting in the water, Johnny feels your hand slip into his. Lightning strikes in the distance, the sound of thunder echoes far too close to the shoreline.

Johnny steadies you among the rocks as you leave the shoreline, heading away from the beach. Johnny’s instincts to protect you are there are the forefront of his mind, always the focus whenever he’s near you. He slips an arm around your shoulders, steering you proactively toward his place.

Johnny knows he has to make up for missing the first few steps of this relationship, and he swears he’ll make up for it. But first he knows he’s gotta call his nan, tell her the good news.

[springdaydreams]

Hello and welcome to my humble blog!

My name is Walnuts and this is a new blog so please, please fill the inbox with whatever is on your mind

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ rules:

i wont write smut

i wont write about canonically minor characters

this is a safe space so be nice

i will block you if i feel uncomfortable

do not repost/translate my work

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ fandoms i write for:

Got/Hotd

Jjk

Jjba

Nana

Challengers

Stark men

The bear

Batman

Cod

Death note

House MD

Attack of Titan

hope you have a good time and remember to be kind!

[incognito-duo]

HOW TO HELP PALESTINE 🍉

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PALESTINE 🍉

Hello!

💐This is our introduction post! We're both Bangladeshi Muslim American girls - two sisters who are just co-running a multi-fandom blog!💐

Nana aka Big Sis ✨️🌺✨️

She/Her 19

Hello! I'm Nana, the older sister who co-runs the blog (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) !! Any reblogs, art, writing, etc. Will be tagged with: #bigsis #bigsischats #bigsisyaps #bigsisart #bigsistypes My other socials ˋ°•*⁀➷ Instagram: stuck1nnandos

Fandoms I'm In!!!

ITSV/ATSV (Sony's Spiderverse)

TMNT (All versions, but mostly Mutant Mayham and Rise)

Craig of the Creek

Dreamworks' Trolls

Netflix's Arcane

COD Modern Warfare Trilogy (The Reboot/2022 Reboot)

Sonic (movies, Sonic Boom, comics, games)

Haikyuu!!

Marvel/MCU

DC (mostly Batman stuff tho!!)

EPIC The Musical

The Pitt (2025 HBO)

Abbott Elementary

Pineapple aka Lil Sis 🍍🌸🍍

She/Her MINOR

GOOOOOD MORNING TUMBLR!!! This is the youthful sister's introduction, Pineapple 👧 ! My posts are tagged with: #lilsis #lilsisrb #lilsisart #lilsischats

Fandoms I'm In :D

These are all the ones I can remember, there's probably more I'm forgetting cus I'm silly

TMNT (All versions but mostly Mutant Mayham)

Craig of the Creek

Camp Camp

Total Drama Islands (All seasons + 2024 reboot)

6Teen

Metal Family

Sonic (movies)

Powerpuff Girls

The Breakfast Club

DNI/DON'T ALLOW

Racism, sexism, Islamophobia, ableism, etc. - ANY & ALL prejudice will NOT be tolerated

Zionists will NOT be tolerated

Heavy cursing or use of slurs

DNI if NSFW/18+ content; this includes asking and/or requesting about such content

DNI if pro-ship

When/If we have asks open, don't ask for anything stated above

[octomae]

Hachi and Nana w/ “Just sit down and let me help you. I’m here for you. You’re not alone anymore.” Preferably platonic ok thanks pookie :3

oh i love them i will absolutely take any excuse i can get to write these two they are the best friends of ALL TIME. i... did modify the sentence more than i usually do. i hope this is still alright <3

a slight explanation on how i headcanon kamabo worked: after the inkantation went off and octolings started abandoning the domes, it advertised itself to octolings as a "protected escape route", and promised "training" to help "prepare those who wanted to reach the surface". it boasted that its "training" had a 100% success rate, which nobody was around to refute because all octolings who took the tests were never seen again.

this one takes place in one of my ocverses, but nothing changes with these two <3 the ocverse stuff is just background info

-

Nana's hands were shaking when she woke up. The walls were white, the sheets were white, even her ink was white, and she could barely breathe. At least the bed was comfortable.

The only splash of color in the room was the red of Hachi's tentacles, and the black of his outfit contrasted against the white of the hospital room. He was seated at the foot of the bed, his head resting on his arms and his eyes closed. It was enough for her to anchor herself to. It was enough to calm her panic.

Though, as she became more and more aware, more and more questions bubbled to the surface of her thoughts. She hadn't seen Hachi in... a long time. The last thing she remembered was being face to face with the Telephone, miserably explaining that she had run out of CQ points and couldn't continue the tests. It had all gone dark after that. So how was she here?

Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't quite breathe right. Each question with no answer only brought with it more anxiety, piling up on itself more and more until she couldn't catch a single breath at all.

"Nana?" Hachi's voice and the familiar warble of octarian snapped her back to herself, and she stared across the sheets to meet his eyes. He pushed himself up off the bed to sit properly in the chair, staring at her like he couldn't believe she was there.

She wasn't sure she believed it herself.

"Oh my cod, Nana." Hachi's voice broke, and tears sprang to his eyes, and he stood up so abruptly that the chair he'd been sitting in almost fell backwards. She only had time to hear the skid of its wooden legs against the tile floor before he was hugging her.

He was warm. She could feel him breathing against her, the shuddering breaths born of tears trembling against her. She lifted her trembling hands and hugged him back.

"Hachi?" she asked. Her voice was raspy from disuse, but she cleared it out and continued to speak. "What's-? Is this still Kamabo? Did you start your tests yet?"

"No," Hachi sobbed, "no, Nana, this is- we're on the surface, Nana. We made it."

Nana felt herself go still. The surface? But... she'd failed the tests. The Telephone had been very clear that failure was the end, that failures didn't get to go to the promised land. She'd spent so long on that train all alone, trying and trying to no avail. She hadn't been good enough.

"But I didn't pass the tests," she said faintly, dazed with her head full of clouds. "The... The Telephone said I wouldn't get to go if I didn't pass the tests."

She could remember being on the train all alone, saying apologies to Hachi that he would never hear for taking so long with the tests. They had signed up at Kamabo together, but that last 'good luck' he'd given her before she entered the deep-sea metro had been months ago and she hadn't seen him since. She'd been 10,007. He was supposed to be 10,008.

"The Telephone was trying to kill you," Hachi said, pulling back from the hug to wipe at his eyes. "It was trying to kill us all. I knew something wasn't right when I didn't hear from you, so I never took the tests. I broke in instead, just to find you."

"This... This is really the surface?" Nana asked, feeling a prickly, wet pressure begin to build behind her eyes. "Then... this is a surface hospital?"

Hachi nodded, cupping her face and wiping her tears away now. The bed dipped where he sat, the sheets rustling as he got comfortable.

"You just have to stay here for a while and get better," he said. "And I promise I'll be here every single moment I can, because I don't want you to be alone anymore."

"Okay," she gasped out through tears, closing her eyes and letting Hachi wipe gently at her cheeks. Slowly, she could feel her default color seep into her tentacles, flushing out the white with her octarian peach pink.

"There," Hachi said, and she could feel him press a soft kiss to the top of her head. "We made it, Nana. Just rest now, and I'll tell you everything later."

With her best friend by her side and a relieved peace she hadn't felt in years, Nana let herself rest.

[6azia]

𝕽𝖚𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖗𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌

𝔬𝔭𝔢𝔫 | 𝔠𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔢𝔡

𝔉𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔪𝔰

✯ jjk

✯ nge

✯ cod

✯ hxh

✯ nana

✯ bnha

✯ korra

✯ avatar

✯ naruto

✯ arcane

✯ haikyuu

✯ kakegurui

✯ gibli movies

✯ akame ga kill

✯ cowboy bebop

✯ junji ito maniac

✯ genshin impact

✯ good night world

✯ dead poets society

✯ assassination classroom

✯ the hunch back of Notre Dame 

✯ spider-man into/beyond the spider-verse

𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭𝔰

✯ i write for m,f and gn with whatever other gender y’all want

𝔫𝔬’𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔨𝔰

✯ scat

✯ vore

✯ beastuality

✯ necrophilia

✯ foot fetish

✯ feederism

I will add more as time goes on (≧◡≦)

[ffeelann]

ABOUT ME E E E

🍓 I'm Ann, 18, eng/esp, she/her, love strawberries, currently taking free requests!!!, 2$commissions and ko-fi tips!!

🍓do's: stablished relationship, angst, fluff, pregnant reader. Write as quickly as I can (ily guys thanks for your support), nsfw, suggestive, loUD READERS I LOVE THOSE OH MY

🍓maybe??: violence(a bit), manipulation, mommy/daddy kink, fem/gn/male readers/characters. (I actually do some of these topics very often, like violence or suggestives. The thing is that I don't do that ALWAYS u know)

🍓 don't: non-con, extreme stuff, weird fetish content😭, NOTHING WITHOUT CONSENT THAT'S NOT COOL MAN, pedo, etc.

🍓F🍓A🍓N🍓D🍓O🍓M🍓S🍓

Hazbin Hotel, COD, Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, Slashers, DC, Marvel, Sherlock, Lupin III, Twisted Wonderland, Shaman King, tmnt(?) love those guys, Spy x family, one piece, kuroshitsuji, NANA, paradise kiss, snk, Harry Potter, Tokyo revengers, Inazuma eleven bc why not, haikyuu, paswg, moon knight, daredevil, teen titans, stranger things, good omens, the ennead (mojito set me free I don't wanna suffer anymore), kuroshitsuji, masters of sex bc no one knows it APPARENTLY, criminal minds yay, osomatsu san, Hunter x Hunter, detective conan, Magic kaito, tokyo mew mew, sakura card captor, saint tail, resident evil.

If you're in doubt, you can ask anyway!

and way, way more...

[lexiass]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍★

• heyy im Lex. Im totally obsessed with writing all sorts of things except NSFW so requests are always welcome❤︎︎

• Some fandoms im in: Jjk, class of 09’, COD, needy streamer overload, bungou stray dogs, genshin, hsr, NANA and more.

• I love playing video games ofc and reading books mainly classics. Currently learning french!

• Im into all type of fashion except preppy and clean girl aesthetic. Nothing wrong with them just not my thing. I love scene, goth, 90s fashion, mcbling and many more.

• My music taste: I actually listen to everything except taylor swift. I love all genres, vocaloid, metal just everything!

Thanks for reading <3

[liaximagines]

HELLOOOO!🌌🥏🌃🏙

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚Who th are you???

Hi, hey, hello! I'm Lia, I used to post some stuff on tumblr aaand I kinda forgot about it.. But I'm back!(I guess) Recently, I remembered tumblr existed soo I thought, why not try writing again? (and possibly not dissapear again, ehem) Soo what can I tell you about ms? I'm into gaming, space, maths(NERDD), skateboarding and fashion. That's all ig!

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚What fandoms do you write for?

ʚɞ COD

ʚɞ Resident Evil

ʚɞ Genshin

ʚɞ Honkai

ʚɞ YTTD

ʚɞ Devil May Cry

ʚɞ Silent Hill

ʚɞ Death Note

ʚɞ JJK

ʚɞ TLOU

ʚɞ RDR2

ʚɞ NANA

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚Your dos and don'ts?

I'LL DO

-smut

-multichars

-charXchar

-charXreader

-headcanons

WON'T DO

-kid!charXany1

-chars under 14

-kid smut (EW)

-fucked up things (ex. siblingxsibling, r!pe etc.)

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

thatsss all :3 lia out!!

[enimsiyobeht]

ohh so what other fandoms are you willing to expand your writing for? when you're ready ofc

hmm ....

most likely/will! nu: carnival, genshin, honkai, devilman crybaby, inuyasha, ohshc, aib, squid games, wh, fma, kny/ds, jjk, opm, any ghibli (of age), mp 100, sk8, tokyo ghoul, buddy daddies, horimiya, kimi ni todoke, nana, soul eater (of age), tdlosk, tbhk, tokyo revengers, tbnw, the 8th sense, takara’s treasure, my personal weatherman, candy color paradox, muhncbtk, takara & amagi, sxv, kinnporsche, love in the air.

neutral likely! death note, csm, any final fantasy, naruto/boruto, into the spider verse, avatar air bender, bleach, code geass, fruit basket, bsd, sword art online, hxh, beastars, banana fish, blue exorcist, noragami, sxf, vnc, yuri on ice, black clover, bna, persona 5, i cannot reach you, jun & jun, why r u, the untamed.

unlikely/not likely/won't! any cod, dan da dan, fairy tail, harry potter, one piece, any marvel, vocaloid, mha, aot, dragon ball, assassination classroom, kcc.

[fleshedmodel]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖. RR. 𝐑𝐄𝐍'𝓈 RULES.. ༝༚༝༚

code green = GOOD ,, code yelly - OK. ,, #code red: NOPE!

୨୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

#code green - SECTION ONE

#1' HIGHK most of my stories are from a WOMAN perspective, but I'd def be FINE with writing a BL story.

#2' I literally LOVEE taking REQ, so flood my REQ idrc !

#3' IF YOU CAME to read JUST NSFW, you may exit..! ✔️, I enjoy writing about romance more, unless its a REQ about NSFW most of my works will be about ROMANCE with VERY LITTLE NSFW OR HALF ROMANCE HALF NSFW

#4' If you also dont enjoy reading about stories that make you wanna cry BY EVERYTHING the characters do, then you may EXIT ! ✔️

#5' im fine with a FEW TYPES OF NSFW.

୨୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

#code yellow - SECTION TWO

#1' I'm fine with writing about characters I know LITTLE to NOTHING about, as long as I know their age (MUST BE ADULTS.) & something about their personality.

#2' writing about NSFW with MORE than ONE person, im fine with, I just dont do it often.

#3' ig im fine with writing about real life ppl.. idk how comfortable I am with NSFW with writing about irl ppl tho.. its a tad bit weird but wtv ppl like ! (I wont shame for it)

୨୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

#code red - SECTION THREE

#1 ' I def REFUSE to write about MINORS.

#2' goes with #1, but requesting me to write NSFW about a MINOR is a huge NO

#3' im NEVER writing about incest, step-cest, ANYTHING that involves NSFW with your SIBLINGS. ew.

#4' I'm never writing NSFW about SERIAL KILLERS, that goes for ANY serial killer, im not doing it. again, ew.

#5' age gaps that are ILLEGAL, IS A NO.

#6' DONT TROLL, thats annoying.

#7' I WILL NEVER write about AGE PLAY! ✔️ (or anything that involves pets, grape, etc), thats disgusting. ✔️

୨୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

OTHERS -

most of my posts are based off of music, like song lyrcis to inspire stories half of the time(this is only to show what my posts revolve around mainly.) thats y most of my posts arent STR8 NSFW, bc thats smth im into but slightly, only. most of my posts may consist of romance bc who doesnt love a little romance with the LEAST expected characters, or the MOST expected ?!

୨୧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈୨୧

ANIMES/GAMES/SHOWSxMOVIES I WRITE ABT.................. jjk, baki, jjba, death note, silent hill, chainsaw man, monster, nana, kengan ashura, COD, resident evil, aot, etc.

'.𖥔 ݁ ˖ CREDS to creators of the dividers !!'

[lethalchiralium]

ooh I wanna join!! my dad is Simon and my brother is johnny!! so I can't read COD fics either haha

OH GOD

dude you might just want to block me then LMAO

the other problem is that i have a cousin named kyle too,,,, it’s not that bad because i don’t really see him so i can write for gaz

the only kate i know is my nana’s dog named katy. so i think i have escaped

OH MY UNCLE’S NAME IS PHILLIP SO I CANT WRITE GRAVES

because he’s also in a grave 🤪

[treehugginglibrarian]

My Nana is Why I’m Like This

Writing about my Nana is hard, because our relationship was at times hard. I think anyone with an alcoholic or an addict in the family can relate to that. I learned a fair many lessons from her over the years, all of them useful even if not all of them were lessons that were learned in an enjoyable manner. That said, lessons are not what I want to think about just yet. Yes, she was flawed. When she was in a good place, though, and at her best, she was a truly wonderful human. For now, at least, for the few minutes it takes to write each of these pieces, I’m going to let myself pretend that this lovely person is all that ever existed of my Nana. To that, I offer some of her more poignant, thoughtful, or generally amusing moments.

Blankie

When I was a baby, basically everyone in my life lived in Massachusetts, as did I. My Nana lived in a nice house in Richmond with her husband at the time. Whenever we would visit, my mother would put a blanket down on the couch so as to ensure that if I puked, or drooled, or spit up, or just did baby-things in my sleep, my Nana’s couch would be safe. Apparently, after so many months of this, I eventually decided the blanket I was laying on was “mine.”

My mother found this out when she tucked it into a closet after we got home one evening, and I started to cry. She opened the closet and I stopped. Close: Cry. Open: Stop. When she walked me into the closet, I apparently pulled the blanket in question off the shelf, stuck my thumb in my mouth, and settled down. I had a blankie. While this was fine for sleeping and such, my mother was a little concerned. Not because blankets are inherently bad, as even back then there were psychological studies showing that children with comfort toys were actually better adjusted than those without. No, she was worried about more practical matters. Such as laundry day. Or if the damned thing should happen to go missing.

Enter my Nana, to save the day.

My Nana had not found the “original” blankie, but she was who found the “spare” that, excepting the overall color, was exactly identical to the one I used every night. So it was that on most days and nights I could be found dragging around a pink and white gingham and flower print blankie, as though it was a fifth limb. On occasion, however, this blanket would be replaced with one that was yellow. So that the pink one could get washed. Until, at the age of 13 or so, an age at which most normal humans would have long since stopped carting a blanket anywhere, I did something crazy: I retired the pink blankie. Torn to bits and more patchwork than blanket, it was time.

My yellow blanket took over, full time, moving into the task like the champ that it was. Sporting little more wear or tear than a grey foot print from a porch painting incident, this blanket has incidentally been a fair many places with me. It went away to college with me. It moved to Israel with me. It deployed to Iraq with me. It is the blanket I have cried into over failed relationships, fucked up friendships, and fights with my mom. And, yes, it was the blanket I sobbed into when I fully realized that I was never going to see my Nana again.

As for how this came to be… My mother watched a young boy have his comfort object taken away when it was done to one of her babysitting charges. She swore that, even if his parents didn’t realize it, he was never completely the same. Comfort objects are constants. Present when distance, disagreements, or death separate us from the people who matter most. She swore then and there, well before she’d ever read any research reinforcing her opinion, that she would never do that to her child. Which is how I was a 24-year-old Army Officer who ended up taking a blanket to Iraq with me. It’s also probably why I have a stuffed cow that’s been to more countries than most humans I know.

Shirley Temples

I have an absurd fondness for Shirley Temples. That’s not a typo in which I pluralized a child actress, nor is it a reference to a rather fun tap dance step. No, it’s a reference to a non-alcoholic mixed drink typically made with Sprite or 7-Up, grenadine, and cherries. Mind you, I don’t much care for Sprite, 7-Up, or maraschino cherries on their own. But mixed with grenadine and presented to me on a special occasion, my brain is convinced it is the best thing ever.

This is completely my Nana’s fault.

As a child, I was fascinated by the glasses that my Nana’s drinks came in. I was disinterested in the drinks themselves, as they smelled funny, but I liked the glasses. They were so fancy and grown up, and everything you said seemed more important if you were holding one. To that end, my Nana took to ordering me a Shirley Temple in a martini glass whenever we were out for a special occasion, that way I could feel important and profound just like the grown ups.

It didn’t take long for special occasions with my Nana to translate into special occasions of all sorts, and for the glass shape to stop mattering quite so much. As I got older, Shirley Temples became my go-to drink if I was out with friends, out for a celebration, or at a wedding, and I knew I should’t be drinking alcohol. Yes, yes, I have been introduced to the “Dirty Shirley” and, while I find the drink amusing, I prefer wine, whiskey, or bourbon if I want actual alcohol.

At a bar after a car accident a few years ago, I asked the bartender if he could make me a Shirley Temple (I was on concussion protocol, no alcohol for at least two weeks), and he found the request so endearing he refused to charge me for it. And, no, he actually wasn’t hitting on me. When I asked him how much it was, his response was, “No charge. That’s the cutest drink I’ve made in weeks. The chance to be a kid at work doesn’t have a price tag attached.”  

Courtesy of my Nana’s desire to include me when I was a small child, a simple drink now has dozens of happy memories attached to it and has become a tradition so ingrained that I genuinely cannot think of the word “celebration” without thinking of Shirley Temples. Someday, when my nieces or nephews get married, I’m gonna be that eccentric 50-some-year old woman sitting there with my rainbow hair and my excessive glitter, sipping a bright pink drink.

My Nana would approve.

Scotland

When I was nearly 7, my Nana whisked me away on a near empty flight to a beautiful land of greenery, castles, and grey skies, so we could celebrate my birthday. It was October, so the British Isles weren’t exactly a cheery place to be. It was of no matter to me, though. Every part of the trip, from the passport to the money to the fact that my Scottish great aunt and uncle did not understand the purpose of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, was fascinating to my tiny little brain.

From the moment we landed, I found the “strangeness” of Scotland to be intensely intriguing. I was amused by the fact that my great uncle’s car had the steering wheel on the “wrong” side. I was baffled by the idea that buildings as old as the castles we toured could possibly be standing still. I was mesmerized by the sheer amount of red hair, something I almost never saw back home unless I was looking in a mirror or looking at my mom.

My great aunt Nan was in the beginning stages of what would eventually become dementia, which meant I was eternally referred to as Tammy (my mom’s nickname) and often asked about memories of a childhood I hadn’t lived. I eventually stopped correcting her and, instead, goaded her into telling me about these memories. It’s a sneaky way to learn about your mother’s childhood that only a child can cheekily get away with!

On my birthday, she made me a giant fluffy cake that was covered in bright pink, strawberry icing, and put zero limitations on how much of it I could eat. There was always tea, always, which went a long way towards explaining how my mother had ended up passionately obsessed with the stuff. Presented to me with honey and cream in it, I came home with a new appreciation for my mother’s preferred beverage.

At a tea shop, having no idea what any of the desserts or cakes were, I asked the person taking our order to bring me their favorite. Thus, at the age of 7, I was introduced to scones. Which I described as “cookie biscuits,” because they were too fluffy to be one and too sweet to be the other. I still enjoy them immensely, but only with tea, and I still think they’re technically “cookie biscuits.”

My Nana taught me at a young age that it was not only okay to be curious about the things you didn’t understand, it was okay to go explore them. To ask questions. To try new things. Nearly 30 years after this first adventure overseas, I still travel in much the same way. With a curiosity that is intent on learning about the country and the culture I’m momentarily immersing myself in, a desire to find out what the locals like best, and a fondness for trying all of the hot beverages and desserts humanly possible while there.  

Glow-in-the-Dark

Me: Nana, do you remember that time Aunt Anita asked me about blowjobs? Nana: *snort of laughter* Yes, of course I do. You were 14 and you were mortified.

This recollection, gifted to a darkened bedroom in my step-great-grandmother’s house in Montauk, called to mind an event two year’s prior. While visiting relatives in Cape Cod, my great Aunt Anita had asked me if I put condoms on men before giving them blowjobs. Before anyone freaks out, she was on the older side, had never met me before, and probably had no idea that I was only 14 at the time.

My mother was somewhere between mortified, furious, and amused. My Nana laughed and explained that, as her granddaughter was only 14, it was actually pretty unlikely I had given all that many blowjobs in my life. My great aunt looked at me expectantly  and, when I nodded the affirmation that my Nana was correct, she sighed and patted my hip. “Child,” she said, “don’t make them wear them.” She raised a finger in the air to emphasize her next point, “it’s not about them, mind you. It’s just that the only thing that tastes worse than a dick, is lubricated latex.”

The more you know, I suppose.

(It is worth noting that I have no idea how this conversation started. I walked downstairs for a glass of water and simply found myself being asked about blowjobs. I like to imagine my great aunt would be entertained to know I’ve given up on dicks entirely.)

Anyway, lying in the dark in Montauk two years later, still having never given a blowjob, I offered my Nana this tidbit: I found out they make flavored condoms. That would solve Aunt Anita’s problem! Nana: *hilarious laughter* I’ll be sure to tell her that the next time I talk to her! Me: They also make glow-in-the-dark ones. Though I feel like that would be a little too much like turning a penis into a lightsaber. Nana: *contemplative silence* Sweetheart, if you need it to glow in the dark, you need more than just a condom I think.

I offer no wisdom or insight gleaned from this exchange. I know only that for years to come afterwards, if either of us noticed something truly absurd while out and about together, we’d point at it and just mutter “look, a glow-in-the-dark condom,” and the other would know exactly what we meant.

Charming the ROTC

“We’re going to Daytona Beach. You should come. We’re gonna stop in Fort Meyers so George can see her great aunt or something.”

So began my spring break trip my sophomore year of college. The only year that I went on what most would consider a “typical” spring break trip, as the two years after that I traveled via the geography department on my campus. Since my Nana lived quite close to Fort Meyers, we figured it only appropriate to stop in and say ‘hi’ to her while we were in the area. Which is how she ended up with 8 or 10 ROTC cadets showing up on her doorstep crazy early in the morning on an April day.

We had set out quite early the day prior intending to drive all the way through. The end state was that we ended up arriving at like 6am or something. Blessedly my Nana was still an early riser, so she welcomed us all in and got us settled with showers and naps. She stuck around much of the afternoon, keeping us company while we splashed in the pool, getting to know the boy I was dating at the time, and peppering my college friends with questions about pretty much anything she wanted.

They were wholly charmed, with at least one of them threatening to steal her away and make her an honest woman. Again.

Come evening, not wanting to witness the debauchery or “get in the way,” she headed a couple doors down to stay with a friend. She’d pointed us in the direction of the wine bottles and the glasses, asking only that we not ransack the expensive stuff, and making a remark about the cleaner being in the day after tomorrow.

I’m not certain what she’d expected to find when she came back the next day, early afternoon, but I don’t think a nearly spotless apartment was it. I had awoken to one of my friends vacuuming. Someone else was scrubbing a bathroom. A third person was unloading a dishwasher that I’d drunkenly loaded and run the night prior. I began stripping beds and doing laundry. By noon or so that day, when she came back over intending to say goodbye as we made our way a touch up the coast to George’s great aunt, the apartment was cleaner than when we’d gotten there.

Naturally, my Army buddies were welcome to come back to visit her any time they wanted. Though O’Dell did get warned that if he asked her to marry him again she was probably going to say yes and that would make things super awkward for me!

I think we’d all have been that polite and respectful of anyone we were visiting. I also think that my Nana made it easier, though, just by being herself. She was the type of person you wanted to be good to. Exuberant from the moment we walked in the door, ever the charmer, ever the entertainer, and wanting only for everyone around her to have fun. It was a simple task to want to repay that kind of energy, even if only in the form of a super clean apartment.

Swimming with Dolphins

Have you ever gotten sun poisoning?

No? You’re a sane and normal human for whom sunscreen is sufficient protection against the big orange ball in the sky? Fuck you and your melanin, I hate you both.

I have gotten sun poisoning.

In Key West.

When my Nana took me to swim with the dolphins.

Stop laughing, I’m not fucking joking!

The day started out fantastic. Obviously. There were dolphins! Does any day that starts with dolphins start out badly? No. Of course not. As I was with my over-protective Nana, I was slathered in SPF five million. Apparently that was no match for the Florida sun in open water, though. Around 3am the next morning I woke up to projectile vomit basically everything I’d consumed after my dolphin adventure. This continued. And continued. And continued. Until, around 7am, it was decided I needed a doctor.

There was basically no one in the waiting room at the hospital in Key West. Despite this fact, after waiting for over an hour, we left. Unsurprisingly, we actually had much better luck at a local family doctor who, despite having a waiting room full of people, was able to see me within 30 minutes or so. He prescribed a suppository which my Nana took me to pick up at a local pharmacy, and then I got to have happy fun times trying to shove drugs up my ass.

By late afternoon the puking had mostly subsided. My Nana had ordered Chinese food as she knew doing so would afford her the ability to order me way too much rice, which I ate tentatively but gratefully. We then got dressed in something resembling normal clothes and decided to salvage the afternoon with a trip down to the shore/board walk/shopping area. At some point I puked in a trash can. At another point my Nana convinced me a popsicle would probably be a good idea since I really needed electrolytes. At one point we walked past a jeweler that was selling gemstone globes and I lamented the fact that I was not feeling well enough to go in and look properly.

As the sun set, we found ourselves sitting on a bench watching buskers, my Nana eating some sort of street food and me eating soup of some sort, having managed to almost salvage 60% of our last day in Key West. I apologized for having ruined our weekend and my Nana kissed my cheek and told me any weekend with me would never be ruined.  

The next morning, I felt almost right as rain, though insanely hungry. So we went back down to the shops and such and got pancakes and french toast and all those other things that are delicious but terrible for upset tummies. She then detoured us passed the jewelry store, where we ducked inside and I bought my first gemstone globe. An expense I couldn’t afford, but that I’m insanely grateful I spent the money on. I love that sparkly orb so very much!

Half-way across the bridge back to the mainland, the flashing lights of an annoyed police officer showed up in the rearview mirror. When he walked up to the car and realized the young one was the passenger, I couldn’t tell if he was amused or miffed.

“I’m so sorry, Officer,” I said, leaning across my Nana and smiling as big as I could. “She brought me down here to swim with the dolphins, and wouldn’t you know I got sick and spent yesterday in the hospital. She’s just trying to get me home to a familiar bed and some soup. We’ll slow down.”

The Officer studied me for a minute before telling me to feel better, and letting us off with a warning.

“Out,” I said, pointing out of the car, as soon as he’d driven away. “You cannot be trusted with the keys, out!”

My Nana looked sheepish as we switched sides and I got us back to Naples, sans accidents or speeding tickets.

A month later, I called my Nana laughing hysterically. “They billed me,” I said, unable to control myself. “They billed me as though I saw a doctor. 1800 dollars! They billed me at the hospital.”

My Nana gasped, “They charged you that much to check your fucking blood pressure? You called and yelled at them, right?”

“Of course I did,” I said. “I told them they couldn’t have my money until they treated me, and they voided the bill. But still,” I sighed, still chuckling, “they fucking billed me.”

The family doctor that actually treated me? Still don’t know what I owe him. Either he figured out how to bill Tricare, or he decided an Army Officer puking her brains out was on the house. My guts thank him, either way.

Surprise!

In what had to be the strangest quirk about my Nana, she was probably the only grandmother I know of who didn’t like it when her grandchildren came to stay with her. Admittedly, she didn’t seem to like it all that much when anyone came to stay with her. Everything about our visits stressed her out. Having to plan for our arrival stressed her out. Feeling like she had to entertain us stressed her out. Having us interrupt her perfectly ordered living environment stressed her out. It wasn’t uncommon to feel like you were being shoved out the door by the time a visit was over because, in all honesty, you probably were.

This was helped immeasurably when my Uncle got his own place about 30 minutes from my Nana. Unlike her, he is not an overly ordered individual who likes his living arrangement “just so” and feels compelled to plan for someone’s visit. He really doesn’t care who’s there or not, he’s probably doing his thing no matter what. I started staying with him when I would visit my Nana, eliminating the major stressor of “human interrupting stable environment.”

I eliminated her compulsion to plan for my visit by simply showing up. Unannounced. Like a next door neighbor asking for sugar or milk.

The first time I did this I hadn’t seen my Nana in over a year or so. The visit prior had been… unpleasant… and I had needed some space to recover and recoup. My Nana, though one of my favorite humans, was an alcoholic. This meant visits, or parts of them, could occasionally be volatile. Initially, I had planned to go to Florida just to see my Uncle. He said he’d feel awful if he saw me and my Nana didn’t, though, and insisted I at least see her while I was down. I agreed, but only under the condition that he didn’t tell her I was coming. I didn’t want any of the nonsense and fuss that often led to her stressing herself sick (read: drunk) and, ultimately, wishing none of us were there.

So it was that on a warm February evening I arrived for a “condo  complex party” at my Nana’s, and tappity-tapped on her lanai door  while calling in a sing-song voice, “Nana, Nana, I’m coming in. I want a hug! And some wine!”

To say she was shocked to see me would be the understatement of the century. I was slightly worried I’d induced a heart attack at first. Shortly after the shock, however, came sheer and unadulterated delight. Possibly the first time I’d seen her be that delighted to see me since I was in high school. Five minutes later, when her friend Cornel arrived and I opened the door he went through the same series of emotions before saying, accusingly, “Ruth! You didn’t tell me Lyndsey was coming to town.”

“Well, I didn’t know!” she said, laughing. “She just showed up on my lanai, saying she wanted a hug and a glass of wine. Isn’t it the greatest surprise ever!”

I stayed with my Uncle the entire visit, and every visit thereafter, allowing her to keep her space as she liked it. We’d go to lunch, go to the zoo, go to the botanical garden, and sip coffee after my long bike rides. I had cracked the code. I had figured out how to visit my Nana, without stressing her out. Because she wasn’t stressed out, she didn’t get snippy or testy or nasty. On the occasion she drank too much alcohol, she mostly laughed a lot or talked about how much she loved us, rather than getting mean.

In the years that followed, I showed up at restaurants to surprise her, showed up at her boyfriend’s condo during a party, and walked into her place in the middle of the afternoon, wearing my swimsuit, to demand she come float on pool noodles with me. It wasn’t unusual for everyone in her social circle to know I was coming, except for her. After all, I had to plan to see them while I was down there, and I couldn’t do that if I didn’t tell them when I’d be in town! Everyone loved the joy she took out of my “just showing up” so much, though, that it was the general habit not to tell her.

The pandemic killed my ability to surprise her, because everything had to be so meticulously planned. Which is why, the last visit I made without my mother, I brought my wife as the surprise. My Uncle knew Lesia was coming with me, but my Nana did not. She was delighted, particularly since she’d picked up an obsession with puzzles and Lesia happens to be very good at them. We’d drive down in the evenings after work, have dinner with her, and Lesia and she would puzzle for a while as I scratched my head and glared at a singular piece with no intention of finding its home.

Of all of my visits, that very first surprise one will reign forever as my favorite one ever made. The look of delight on her face as I came into her living room demanding a hug, the sheer glee with which she told all of her neighbors, “This is my granddaughter. She came all the way from Ohio without telling me. She gave me herself as a surprise! Isn’t it wonderful!” was all the evidence one could ever need of just how much she loved me. 

(Even if she didn’t want me sleeping under the same roof as her!)

Wheel Chairs at Zoos

In 2018, my Nana made the last trip to my parents’ house that she would make in her lifetime. It was a trip that was made largely on accident. A year or so prior, we had all decided my Nana needed to get the hell out of dodge before Irene hit, since it looked like that bitch was going to make a bee-line for Naples. Though her condo was generally unscathed, Irene did hit Naples harder than most hurricanes, flooding entire regions of the city and uprooting hundreds of trees. My Nana rode it out with her boyfriend, at his summer place in Maine.

My mother had booked the ticket and had borne the brunt of the airlines’ desire to make big bucks by gouging the shit out of every purchaser trying to get out of the region before the storm hit. They then got harshly reprimanded by the federal government for that bullshit, and found themselves gifting basically anyone who had paid more than they should have with a free plane ticket. My Nana used it to visit my parents. Who tucked her into a car for the two hour drive to Cleveland so that she could see her granddaughter’s house.

My Nana had lived independently for basically forever. She was divorced before it was acceptable to be such and while she remarried a couple times, I don’t know that she ever took any of them all that seriously. Because of the era, there were certain things she’d simply been unable to do. Like buy her own car. Or buy a house. Or have a fucking credit card. So to her, the fact that I owned my own car AND my own house was a remarkable feat signifying how far we had come since she was my age.

Humorously, she ended up visiting us the weekend that our basement flooded, which meant she got to see what the worst parts of homeownership are like. It also meant that simply hanging out at our house wasn’t really an option, since the fans in the basement were so loud it made it difficult to think. As we’d had a hunch we’d want to do something, anyway, we settled on the zoo. It was an idea that made my Nana nervous, as she wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk the entire thing, but Lesia and I were unconcerned.

For $20 bucks, we rented a wheelchair, plopped my Nana in it, and promptly ran around the place like we were little kids pushing a shopping cart. We got running starts to go up hills, popped wheelies on stairs, and shrieked “weeeeeeee!” as we raced down ramps. My Nana was thoroughly delighted, my brother was both amused and embarrassed, and my mom was just happy her mom was smiling ear to ear the entire day. I think my father is now concerned this is how we’re going to treat him in his old age. He’s right to be concerned, we absolutely are.

Two years later, visiting her at her place during a global pandemic in which she had not left her condo in six months, I suggested that she, myself, and Lesia go to the local zoo. I had already looked it up, and we could rent a wheelchair for her so she wouldn’t have to worry about walking. There were a couple different animal shows we could see while we were there and everything. Wouldn’t it be nice to get out of the house for a bit?

“Are you going to say ‘weeeeee!’ when we go down the hills?” she asked, with a mischievous grin. 

Indeed, we did.

Pink Wine Glasses

“It’s pink!”

Such was my squeal of delight when, after an exceptionally long workday, my Nana proffered a glass of white wine in a piece of stemware that was, indeed, pink. Though I’m weirdly neutral on pink clothing, I’m a huge fan of random things that shouldn’t be pink, being pink. Pink wine glasses are basically the most perfect wine glasses ever.

To that end, I was delighted when she said, “Oh good, you like them? Take them with you when you go home!”

Which I did. On my very last trip to my Nana’s condo, she packed up those pink wine glasses and made sure they made it into the car with me. I gave her a hug, and told her I loved her, and thanked her for my pink stemware. Two days later, before meeting her and some friends for dinner, my mother and I began the arduous task of packing a months worth of stuff and those wine glasses got lovingly wrapped in t-shirts, underwear, socks, and pajamas. All four made the journey home in one piece.

There isn’t really much of a story to tell here, except that the very last gift that my Nana personally gave me were pink wine glasses. Glasses that I will cherish forever. Glasses that I will use as often as I can, because every time I use them I think of her. Glasses that make everything you drink look just a little pinker. Just a little brighter. Just a little happier.

It was a fitting final present, I think, as my Nana often strove to make my life a little brighter and a little happier. Now, each time I sip her favorite drink, I can capture some of that lightness, courtesy of a gleefully pink piece of stemware.

[agoddamn]

45:14--Richard is holding a cane or holding a plate depending on the camera angle.

He's got Probably Murderer points out of being such a huge cunt here, but he's also getting negative Murderer Points by being too obvious

WEEDMAN

...for the record, both Marta and Whoever are light-skinned women with dark hair and while I CAN identify Marta in this scene, the other woman is "fuck me I would have thought this other woman was Marta if they weren't in the scene together." I can establish by context where she's clearly in a higher sociological hierarchy that this isn't Marta, but goddamn I ain't sure who she is. I need everyone in these types of movies to have COD lobby hovering nametags.

Whatever the key is, Nana is definitely gonna have the clue because everyone is writing her off as too senile.

47:51 Two people at this point have said that Marta should have been at the funeral, right? Man doesn't have THAT many fucking kids. Someone is either bullshitting or waving their dick around.

43:31 I'm suspicious of all of Blanc's dialog before he moves into the light Because Symbolism.

SOMETHING DO BE AFOOT THO

Benoit Blanc... clearly Cajun but pronouncing voila wrong.

(or at least, not with the French pronunciation. I had an extremely pedantic native French teacher who wouldn't let us leave the room until we knew the correct French pronunciation of 'voila' [always v, never w]).

50 min-ish: "if you want my insight none of them are murderers" Marta doesn't throw up after this which means it's technically the truth which means EITHER a) it's her [none of THEM hurr durr] b) it's a third/fourth-tier relation that isn't considered 'family' in the sense Marta is thinking [ie something-in-law] or C) whatever happened TECHNICALLY cannot be considered murder because Marta had already initiated his accidental death and his throat being cut is secondary to that.

[That said it's fucking weird that Marta's Naloxone was missing, and I have a distant suspicion for 'comedy of errors bc someone needed the Naloxone.' Apropos of nothing, an EMT friend of mine once told me that he wished people would be more judicious in their distribution of Naloxone because generally in his experience people will survive longer at horrifically high heartbeat than horrifically low heartbeat [which is what Naloxone will cause]. I have not personally researched this, but that's the opinion of The Man On The Ground.)

>watches Knives Out

>choking at "makes no sense...compels me though"

[mysteryshelf]

BLOG TOUR - Elementary She Read

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Elementary She Read by Vicki Delany

Read the first chapter here.

Elementary, She Read: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (March 14, 2017) Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-1683310969 Kindle ASIN: B01MT6H7O1

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur’s Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop–located at 222 Baker Street–specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman’s suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it’s a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

  Interview with the Author:

What initially got you interested in writing?

  Reading! I read a lot and one day I thought, “I could do this…”

  What genres do you write in?

  I write crime novels. In the past I’ve written modern Gothic thrillers, psychological suspense, historical mysteries, and police procedurals. But now I’m concentrating on cozy mysteries as well as novellas for adult literacy.

  What drew you to writing these specific genres?

  I read mystery novels most of all, so that was naturally what I wanted to write. I love the variety of crime books today, and I like to play with different moods and styles.

  How did you break into the field?

  I took courses in creative writing at my local community college. It took me four years to finish my first book and a couple more to write the second. I sent out letters to agents and publishers, hundreds of them probably.  I just kept trying. The first book went nowhere, but I was lucky enough to have my second manuscript, a standalone suspense novel called Scare the Light Away, accepted by the highly-regarded Poisoned Pen Press. 

  What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

Now that I’m writing cozies all I want them to take from my books is a sense of fun.  Just have fun with something like Elementary, She Read, sit back, have a cup of tea (or a glass of wine) and (hopefully) a chuckle.  The adult literacy novellas (Blood and Belonging, coming in April) are a good deal more serious and have something to say about Western interference in developing countries. 

  What do you find most rewarding about writing?

The people I’ve met and the places I’ve been to. I meet readers all the time, and I travel quite a bit on book tours or to conferences.  Book people really are the best.

  What do you find most challenging about writing?

Just putting words on paper. The first draft is always an enormous slog.  I have to have a set time every day to write, otherwise, it wouldn’t get done.

  What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

  Read. And read a lot.

  What type of books do you enjoy reading?

  I love the British style police procedurals and modern Gothics.

  Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

  I live a very simple life in a small house in the country, but when I leave that house, I love to travel.

  What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

  Thank you for asking. I am at www.vickidelany.com, Facebook at facebook.com/evagatesauthor or Twitter at @vickidelany or @evagatesauthor.  (Eva Gates is the pen name I use for the Lighthouse Library series)

  Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers. She is the author of twenty-three published crime novels, including standalone Gothic thrillers, the Constable Molly Smith series, and the Year Round Christmas Mysteries. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she is the national bestselling author of the Lighthouse Library cozy series.

The first in Vicki’s Sherlock Holmes bookshop series, Elementary She Read, will be released in March 2017 from Crooked Lane Books.

Vicki lives and writes in Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is the past president of the Crime Writers of Canada.

www.vickidelany.com Facebook: Vicki Delany & Eva Gates and twitter: @vickidelany and @evagatesauthor

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 13 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – REVIEW

March 13 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

March 13 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – SPOTLIGHT

March 14 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

March 14 – Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf – REVIEW

March 15 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

March 15 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW

March 16 – Rainy Day Reviews – REVIEW

March 16 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST

March 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

March 17 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW

March 18 – Girl with Book Lungs – GUEST POST

March 19 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

March 20 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW

March 20 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

March 21 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

March 21 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

March 22 – Carole’s Book Corner – REVIEW

March 22 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW

March 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

March 23 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

March 23 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

March 24 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

March 24 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 25 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW

March 25 – Island Confidential – spotlight

March 26 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW

March 26 – Girl Lost In a Book – REVIEW

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

BLOG TOUR – Elementary She Read was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf