#IM MISSING OUT ON THE ALEXANDRIA LIBRARY

[rosafloera]

deactivated zutara tumblr accs please come back we miss you

[dipperscavern]

pondering anon returns… you mentioned losing one of my asks in the burning of the library of alexandria so im gonna bring it up again Sorry If You Just Didn’t Fw This but TEMPERATURE PLAY WITH JON SNOW 😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞 i never request jon so you know its serious Guys lets just close our eyes and take a deep breath… as a matter of fact call the council

OH SHITTTRTRRR SHES BACKKKCKKCKCKKCKC

first off, hi baby i missed u!!!! i did in fact lose your ask (so sorry btw) AND OMG YOUR BRAIN. i’m so fond of you this feels like a high school reunion like hello my og where have you been

second off. ASSEMBLE THE COUNCIL.

can i just say, i think jon would accidentally introduce you to temperature play. like, purely on accident. he’s eating you out, and his tongue is warm in its place between your thighs, but his hands (that are all over you) are freezing. safe to say you discover something new about yourself. i’ve heard adding a blindfold can be beneficial, cause if one sense is taken away it heightens the others (are blindfolds even a thing in fuckin 200 B.C?) (can we please discuss this further im so intrigued) (cause his hands are cold all the time) (ouhhh but his tongue is so warm) :3

[grovermungus]

i take it this is the neurodivergent side of the internet, and so i feel it a safe place to put my rant about the library of Alexandria or rather more specifically the miss-information surrounding it. (please don’t take everything i say to be 100% accurate i am but a humble person with adhd and bad memory so ill try my best but please look into it yourself more if you want a more trusted source)

to put it plain and simple it DID NOT BURN DOWN. i cannot stress that enough. and no i do not also believe in aliens and that the world is flat, im not a conspiracy theorist im right, it doesn’t take much looking into the history to find this, many books and credible sources state as much.

there were two library’s for starters, one that was used as a place for all kinds of smart people things like philosophy, maths, and mechanics. the main library, the one everyone knows of and refers to when they bring it up, was the public library.

the library itself was built to be, and listen carefully here, the biggest collection of first edition writings in the world. the key term there being first edition. so what that means is that even if the library had burnt down (which it didn’t) it wouldn’t have mattered in the grand scheme of things anyway. the way they went about gathering books, scrolls, and tablets for the library was by sending out messages asking people to bring their first editions to alexandria, where they would copy these editions and give the copy’s back to the owners, along with some money as a thank you, or something of the sort.

but again going back to the burning, usually when people talk of this they’re referencing when ceaser supposedly “burnt down part of the library during a civil war”. to give more context going into this part you should know that some sources place the library as being part of the pharos palace, and therefor being very far from the docks. what happened with ceaser is that during the war he set fire to the boats (for what reason i truly cannot remember off the top of my head but trust that he did have one) the fire then spread across the docks and reached into the neighbouring buildings and houses. but as i have said the library was far from the docks and was therefor untouched during the blaze, as it was put out long before it would have reached the palace. the confusion is believed to have come from records of books that were stored in the dock houses being destroyed in this fire, either or books that were burnt in the near by houses.

all that being said, after the date at which this burning takes place there are still records of people going and visiting the library, which had it been burnt down would not have been possible.

there are many other instances and things that happened surrounding the library, all very interesting i assure you, the rivalry it had with the library of pergamon which lead to the banning of papyrus exports to pergamon, and therefor causing the creation of parchment, being one of them. if you want some places to find more then both kaz rowes video on the library, and a short book called very fittingly, the library of alexandria and the library of pergamon by charles river editors ((?)that is the author name given i swear) are both things i thoroughly enjoyed, and feel give great insight to the topic.

if i am in fact wrong about anything please do correct me :)

[sukunasun]

omg i can't believe you lost all your works? that's devastating! i'm so so sorry that happened. how many months or years' worth of work was it, or do you have a ballpark figure of what's missing? i mourn the drafts we won't get to see because you're an insanely talented writer, but im utterly grateful you still choose to continue. you're such an inspiration.

i basically reenacted the burning of the library of alexandria. there were about 190+ pieces of writing (inclusive of hcs, fics, and asks,etc...) all gone so quickly i barely had time to process it.

before i went finding links and copies from reblogs, i was contemplating whether it'd be worth it since there was a lot to find and it'll take up so much time just searching for them but thankfully most of it is on my masterlist now! there were a few that i just couldn't find reblogs of / cached copies so i suppose they're orphaned work now :( hopefully i'll stumble upon them some day and will be able to link them again.

but i've come to accept it so there are no hard feelings, the grief isn't going to linger and i think the situation helped to bring some focus back to my writing and how it has changed overtime. i get to see the ways which ive improved or lacked. plus, it brought me back to the purpose behind wanting to share my writing in the first place? pre-deletion i got really nervous and felt pressured when it came to posting stuff because i didn't know what reactions i would get, there was this 'underrated writer' stigma looming around me and i was concerned about 'getting my stuff out there'—which isn't how i want to feel when it comes to doing this, i like the interaction and i like when i see my work inspiring people and garnering such positivity but at the same time posting these works was always just about wanting to share thoughts and to write the kind of stuff i want to read about.

and i think im less hard on myself, it sucks being a tortured artist...there are works i keep to myself that i'm not ready to share because im so infuriated with my own inabilities and lacklustre ways, i read them and i think to myself what the hell am i doing? do i really think to call myself a writer? thus the works posted here will render some 'detachment' from me because i know they aren't mine anymore. they become someone else's piece of favourite writing or they're most hated, once i know its out there...it'll be seen and known, it'll exist as something tangible. which is why i feel less upset about 'losing' them after they got deleted, in a way, i was already prepared to let them go. this isn't to say that i don't cherish them but that i've learned that i'll write more stuff anyway and i'll write til i can do it no longer.

when i think about my favourite writers, i'm glad i've gotten to see some of their unfinished works and drafts, their letters and their poems too, all the stuff they probably never wanted the world to see but without them i wouldn't have seen a person who struggles the same way i do.

thank you for mourning them, they were pieces that have brought me a lot of joy and i hope my future work continues to mean something to you 💛

[frosted-night]

Realized I never publicly dropped the lore about the depiction of Sergy Lermantoff that i made in collaboration with @sp00kfr0st so im gonna try to fix that!

Here are big details about him that y'all might be interested in.~

He has no interest in the guardian vs Pitch conflict these days. He didnt at first but was swayed in by Pitch's honeyed words. Sergy doesn't care about children and their belief. He just wants to stay tucked away in his Valley Of Lost Dreams and experiment with the dreamsand.

Sergy is an expert on dreamglass. It was his study of it that drew Pitch there in the first place, besides the rumors of the Valley itself. He likes to melt it down and put irrelevant dreams next to each other in mosiacs. The experiments he does isn't really ethical but he doesn't care. It isn't like hes harming actual people.

Sergy doesn't have many allies outside his valley but he has a handful! (See below)

Ombric was a good friend and they studied magic together. Sergy stole a number of books from The Library Of Alexandria with Ombric's assistance. Ombric foresaw the library burning down and Sergy impulsively acted(to the surprise of no one who knew him) He looks upon those books fondly and misses his old friend.

Sandy was suspicious of Sergy at first but had a silent truce with him prior to Sergy's serpent transformation. When he heard Sergy was saved and was back in the valley... it made him curious. They began to slowly develop a tight friendship as Sandy vowed to help keep him out of the war between Pitch and The Guardians. Sandy helped clarify things about dreams and reignited Sergy's fixation on his former studies. Presently, Sandy is one of his closest friends and playfully teases him whenever he visits.

Mother Nature is his closest ally alongside Sandy. It was her who saved him from death by the guardian's hands after hearing him actually say how he didnt want to die. (Which should've been impossible for him to speak in his serpent form.) She kept him in her realm to help try to reverse his curse and her merciful act confused Sergy greatly. Her patience, mercy and protectiveness allowed him to be more vulnerable around her. He knew she had a connection with Pitch but never tried to pry. He knew she was hurt by him in some form and felt a kinship with her. They feel no romantic love for each other, but the platonic love between them is strong. He adores her visits and watching her navigate under the valley's dizzying effects. She saw past his monsterous exterior and he saw past her intimidating stature and hardened walls. They saw themselves as two monsters finding someone who could finally understand them.

He has a signature weapon! Its called a Ranseur. It has some stones imbedded in it that renders certain entities/spirit's powers null. It mostly effects dream spirits.

Sergy has happened upon unfortunate humans that were claimed by the valley multiple times. If outsiders aren't careful, they will fall into an endless sleep as their dreams flow through the valley until they die. He has no power over the fate of one in such a condition. All a victim can hope for is that Sergy finds them before they fall into the cursed slumber. He's indifferent to seeing such sites ironically enough. The most he does is leave an offering out of respect and then let the valley have whatever is left of them.

He's kind of an asshole who doesn't care much for human life. Considering he is barely considered a human at this point, he doesnt see it as hypocritical. If a human dies in the valley then he does not focus on it. Its those who die while suffering that make him care.

If you asked me what -core aesthetic fit him the most, it'd be Dreamcore/Weirdcore. The valley he lives in makes outsiders hallucinate wildly in similar manners to dreams or just batshit visuals. He loves to document what people experience and watch them trip out in his presence. Sergy has a high resistance to the valley's affects but he can allow it to overtake him for a short amount of time.

His relationship with Pitch is dubious present day. They have yet to interact after Sergy was presumed dead. Pitch has no idea Sergy is alive and Sergy tries to keep it that way. Pitch tries to bury their past yet he cant bring himself to throw out the dream mosiac Sergy made for him. Sergy has very conflicting feelings over Pitch and tries to avoid talking about him. They were initially drawn to each other by pure fascination, since Sergy showed no fear over Pitch and did morally questionable things with Dreams. While Pitch's powers over nightmares appealed to the darker side of Sergy's interest of dreams.

His home is what you would imagine a magical dream wizard researcher would have, but you'd be surprised at the odd pieces of furniture he has tucked away. Sometimes outsider's hallucinations inspired him to conjure odd furniture just because it sounded hilarious to him. His favorite piece so far is an inflatable chair shaped like a bear. The concept sounded so bizarre to him that he couldn't resist.

Sergy Lermantoff is gay! 🏳️‍🌈

Thank u for reading abt our scaley grumpy boy. If you'd like to read abt his encounter with Pitch, check out my fic below! (More are coming including his backstory with Mother Nature)

And if you want to see art of him, check out @sp00kfr0st 's blog. <3

[chaoticwhoknows]

im going to preface this statement with this: if anyone ever comes out with a book or movie with the plot line about what im about to say i will be suing. /j

every so often a little though appears in my head. “what is that thought?” you may ask? what if the library of alexandria was burned down by a time traveler in an attempt to prevent the apocalypse by setting human technology back by hundreds of years through the missing knowledge? i know it’s not true. i understand that, HOWEVER-

[ceaselessblade]

⚔️️ hello what about sword teacher king pal?

Lucina-sensei!

It’s Lucina. The biggest surprise he’s found at Garreg Mach so far, and probably the largest mystery? He’s tested her, and so as she him.  It’s without saying that for some reason, she clearly has a wealth of combat experience, the kind that comes from being in large-scale fights for decades. Did Lucina serve as a general, like Zelgius? He’s still unsure as to if she is Branded, but it would explain all of her skill rather neatly. Whatever it is, she has enough wealth in the way of the sword to match the Library of Alexandria, and Ike is determined to try and learn a thing or two. Meeting a match in swordplay has awakened the zealous irrepressible youth in him, and one that’s new and has so many things to teach makes him ecstatic.   There’s no doubt that Lucina is the pinnacle of singular swordsmanship? He’s not quite sure what to call it. In many ways, it’s similar to Marth, but the style itself is far heavier. Her blade dances, but it’s a swansong of fluttering steel and severing guillotine. There’s a an unpredictable grace to them, but it’s been honed with mechanical precision, like the Goddess’ Chosen... But alive and breathing. It fascinates him. It’s like Falchion has taken up a life of its own in her hands, telling him of a legacy and how each strike is meant to carve out a new path of her will.  Hence, in a straight fight, Ike actually has a disadvantage at start and may lose straight away-- because Lucina simply has more experience. Any sort of attack he makes is something she’s seen a variant of, and in turn, he has to learn from what she’s doing. Her defense is absolute, and proofed against the heavier bladestyle that Ike prefers, to a certain point. Ike has no illusions that Lucina, herself, holds the same strangely penetrating power that Marth has. Perhaps it’s just a trick of the eye, but he can swear her brand flashes like a newborn star as she executes them-- perhaps that’s the power she’s gained from her blood. Most of the time, he’s quite happy to watch and spar like this, because every match he comes away has him feel the improvement. Look-- Ranulf, that’s a prodigy! Lucina is one! If anything, he’s just picking up notes... Er, anyway, if he actually wanted to win, Lucina has a few notable... weaknesses? He wouldn’t really call them that, just things she hasn’t practiced much in. She’s supremely skilled at defense and adapting to changing battlefield conditions, so he suspects that she’s fought monsters usually larger than her, and something he’s started to suspect-- things with worse footwork than she has. It’s-- how does he describe this... Her footwork is perfect, but it’s a perfect defense. When she starts going on the offense, occasionally there’s a point where he feels like her adaptive footwork is meant to take advantage of things that are slower in adapting to her.  It tells that she’s not as used to fighting someone of her own strength in a pure duel, one-on-one. He’s also noticed that she actually seems to have a somewhat average pool of swordbreaking techniques. It might be that she doesn’t favor them, but Exalted Falchion’s design looks exactly like it was meant to catch swords and break them! She instead has focused on her pure striking power and speed, as well as associated technique. It’s true that she does use breaking techniques-- but it’s just a little strange that she didn’t build a style around the base of her weapon’s strength... All that comes down to what Ike needs to approach Lucina with-- a balance of averages, with just a little extra added in. Lucina is great at defense and pivoting and striking at weakpoints, so he needs to maintain an average of all three as a defense. He can’t be lacking in anything, and most of all, he has to remain patient. What he needs to do next is leverage his two advantages-- greater reach, strength-- and he suspects, natural stamina. Lucina’s endurance is nearly unbreakable, but her pool of strength for offense will lose power if he keeps forcing her to parry or deflect his strikes. She could dodge, which is what she likely did against the monsters she fought, but if he maintains enough precision, she’ll be forced to meet his sword. For each exchange, he’ll put in the general strength he uses and add a bit more, likely in the middle of the parry, so she’s forced to have to expend her own to match it.  In other words, unlike a feral creature, he’ll prefer ‘chasing’ Lucina’s sword over striking at vital points or using his strength to overwhelm her in a burst. He will attempt to stall her and derive a pattern from her strikes or techniques, and other tells if he has the time. As the time slips by, he’ll adapt and increase the pressure on her, focusing on detecting and analyzing her pace and technique changes.  He’ll throw in Luna and Sol at times, just to replenish energy and push Lucina’s repository of stamina. He might use other blade techniques as well-- so long as he sees it drain the heavy fencer’s stamina, and doesn’t overcommit. Things like Wrath are right out for that reason, and he has a suspicion that Lucina has some resistance to esoteric skills, so he likely won’t use any of Ragnell’s flames. He won’t really use Aether-- he suspects Lucina will not give him the chance to. Unless she does the same, of course-- he’ll simply match that and clash with that in turn, then reset.  Things that aren’t swordplay? Oh, he’ll throw those in, too-- so long as their precision work and require focus to dispel. Kicks, likely, targeted at vital joints if he’s given the chance. He will leave his gauntlet hand free for combat options.  Ike has no illusions that Lucina won’t adapt at least several times. He recognizes that, and he is ready and willing to match. 

He has to be relentless and on her for every moment that exists between. This-- he’s used to. It’s what he’s trained for-- every spark run off the sessions with his father. Every screech as swordsmen and soldier locked blades. Every punishing staccato Mia put him through in the morning-- every morning. The mechanical, immaculate precision of the Goddess’ Chosen. And Zelgius, eyes of abyssal calm staring back at his own, the glow of the tower sliding down the edge of Alondite like a single tear of the moon. 

He knows his focus can last longer than hers. Every duel he’s been in with a matching sword, of conviction and skill, he’s had to stare death and friend and life in the eye on the blade’s edge, and win. All falls away until that remains, and in that moment, he never feels more alive. 

...Right, he’s getting carried away. It’s been a long time since anyone’s pushed him to his limits! He has a right to be excited about this. Maybe this is something he’d missed in his father’s swordsmanship. It turns out there was still more to go, after all. He’d suspected it. After all, Gawain had never lost in his prime. Perhaps this is why.  He’ll just have to work hard, and expand his horizons.  (asdlaksg im aware im incoherent, so unclear portion clarifications: -Ike loses to Lucina on average at start. However, given time, he outramps her. --Ike’s tactical instinct and dueling adaptation are used to things that are stronger than him in most areas, where his only way of winning is to out-adapt all of those. Lucina fulfills those conditions. -By putting pressure on her, he’s trying to chase her with Nihil to restrict her skill options. He does not expect this to last long. -Skill use by him is optional, and he’s relying mostly on his greater stamina and laser focus to try and tide him through Lucina’s stamina. He has a suspicion that like Marth, she has an indomitable artificial pool, but lesser actual reserves-- so he’ll match her artificial pool with focus, and then chase through with his natural pool.  -‘Ike is a not a sword prodigy’ Poor self awareness. he’s a monster. Being able to match Zelgius of like 20 years of hardened swordsmanship in 6 years of combat is not natural in the slightest, especially since his inheritance is incomplete. Ranulf calls him out on it, and he has a nose for intrigue. He likely adapts within mere seconds of seeing a sword vector.)

[purge-that-urge-rhackathon]

Heya purge! I saw in one of your tags that you’d been consuming fic for around 20 years! That’s like my whole life. Mind telling us how things have changed? I’m sure places like ao3 have changed things a lot. I’m just really curious in fandom and fanfic culture! :3 x

Ao3 is a fucking godsend let me tell you. I won’t make a lot of the same points and stuff that fannish history folks have already documented (how it literally changed, and all the fic we’ve lost that isn’t backed up on floppy disk somewhere… I’d say we’ve lost an equivalent to the digital burning of alexandria honestly) but i can tell you my experience :3

I’ll stick it under a cut cuz i kind of rambled… but i had fun doing so ahahha xD sorry you unleashed the tiger from the cage xD

We all make jokes about ‘being there’ when stuff in fandom history happened, but i’ve been around since all the major purges (LOL my name is so fitting in retrospect ahahha). ff.net’s various purges (and the whole anne rice suing fanfic writers and shit… i never DID agree to their new terms of service haha), geocities sites going down, obviously the more recent shit too, but like I’ve been around even for the creations of certain, older fanfic sites too (one of the oldest slash forums for lord of the rings fics for example… I was there, Gandalf LOLOL!!… and now that i check the date on that i feel old as balls thanks anon xDDD and wow my one fic is still up there PFFFFT) but like, I come from an era where you took your floppy disk and copy/pasted shit from online (once it even loaded) for later reading, and also so you could find it again, because also before ff.net it was hard to find stuff. I’m pre-google ya’ll xD You dont UNDERSTAND the horrors of trying to find anything pre-google. Ya’ll have it so fucking good D:

There was never an abundance of content like there is today, and so you can bet your shit we were grateful as fuck for what was out there, let alone for someone with a decent command of writing and storytelling. Everyone commented on everything (once that was something even implemented… it was email lists before that, and comments sent in that way… i still have my e-mailed comments from fic readers haha), and it was (and still is, in my honest opinion because people entitled as FUCK now) one of the GREATEST faux paus you could do to be reading a fic (esp. multi-chaptered) and not comment. The indignity of not giving back a little (and it still is a little, which is why i get so damn fired up on this subject) for aaaaaaaall the words and story and everything you just read was a serious sin against fanfic writers. I still think its seriously fucked up not to comment (and again, i’ve mentioned that if you dont got the spoons, thats obviously different) but like, the entitlement that runs rampant today did not even exist back then. Yeah, you still had the assholes whose comment would literally consist only of “where’s the rest?” with ZERO actual thanks or input while expecting/thinking they deserve more (and THEN you could remove chapters or stories, cuz god giveth and damn does she taketh away xD), but it wasn’t nearly as prolific as it is today.

The commenting culture today and the backlash against writers wanting comments on their work in return for providing said free content makes me mad enough to wanna curb stomp some people. I’m a bartender, I don’t put up with shit HAHA xD But the entitlement especially now and people who act like writers are being uppity for wanting a small return on their craft are disgusting. Same type of entitlement as art thieves (we all know the type). We didn’t put up with that shit back then. People acting like little bitches wanting free stuff for literally nothing? We’d pull the whole fic. And the community would handle it and it usually turned into a teaching moment about how damn important it is to comment and just how much freaking control writers DO have over their media. We’d pull it from public view unless amends were made (whether that be a private note from someone entitled finally paying their fucking due with proper humility, or reaching a comment count when you had hundreds of people reading but not commenting). Damn i miss taking away fic xD We played hardball back then xD

That was the fucking worst and people were rightfully denied access to fic if hits didn’t coincide with comments. You could publish a chapter and then decide to remove it from view (either for editing, or hostage taking for comments…. which i miss dearly AHAHAH it forced people to learn to be proper commenters and interact with those whose media they were consuming). It’s a big part of what I miss because just like a proper community, people kept each other in check and made sure everyone played nice. You enjoyed a fic? You sure as hell let that writer know. Now though…. the entitlement drives me up the fucking absolute walls and makes me wanna put stuff behind a paywall sometimes…. everyone is lucky im lazy as shit tho AHAHAH and im usually fine after venting xD

But yeah, fanfic culture in general has shifted in a major way to constantly consume and NEVER give back, either in comments, or creating new content yourself to also add to the community (for example as i’m sure we’re all aware, like ALL the people who bitch about certain ships or ‘why ship this when you can ship THIS?’…. Like, instead of bitching that ‘WAH WAH this author doesnt WRITE the ship I LIKE why can’t they write THAT??’ people came up with the radical idea of CREATING the content they wanted to see :| And if weren’t that good of a writer/artist to do so? Well then you SUPPORTED the writers/artists you enjoyed by leaving comments on their shit OR getting a commission… Goddamn i remember when even ‘commissioning’ people was a wild concept… Ya’ll dont know ahahah xD

I do believe that this is a huge source of where Anti-shipper behavior has stemmed from; entitlement gone berserk. And public schools and shit are still largely full of my parents’ generation who were not computer-literate either in function or courtesy, so even as internet social skills are not being taught correctly (or safety; they scared the SHIT out of us back in the day and now everyone has all their shit and pictures online haha) so there’s also a huge disconnect socially which i think has impacted online fandom spaces and what is considered acceptable or not. People also turn into fucking swine when they think they’re anonymous online (and boy do they change their tune fucking quickly when you out them) and i think the whole anonymity thing is also a factor of this whole entitlement issue in fandom spaces; making demands without giving ANYTHING back. Like I’ve mentioned in the past, I don’t put up with that shit, and it’s not a coincidence I was going to work for the CIA after I just left Japan about 3yrs back (thank fuck I didn’t cuz FUUUUCK this administration) cuz people are dumb as shit and basic tracking skills to call someone out on their bullshit has been my bread and butter since i was like 12 haha. You act dishonest and entitled, and it’s gonna come back to you in some shape or form. You’re going to reap what you sow. That was the motto back then and I still believe in it today.

Hell, it has shocked the FUCK out of me the few times i’ve had people tell me ‘omg me and my friend were talking about your latest update!’ and i’m just like O_O????? because also back in the day, ‘fanfiction’ was kind of a taboo word. You never said you were into fanfic in mixed company. You more or less NEVER discussed it publicly (I’m not even talking dirty stuff, just normal, sfw fanfiction) because it primarily existed only online (for me; i’m post-fan magazines but pre-internet fanfic sites LOLOL). Hell, I got my college english professor into fanfiction. She didn’t even know what it was, let alone that something like that existed, and I had to explain it to her my first year of college kind of with a red face xD She was a writing-professor too so like, let that date the culture a bit. Like, if that was literally her major field of expertise and she didn’t know about it, that should tell you how not-mainstream fanfic was.

I’m kind of out of touch with that myself. Do kids (ya’ll are kids to me okay? xD) mention fanfiction as a reading/entertainment medium in normal conversation? Like, you could mention, without getting weird looks, ‘oh i enjoy reading fanfiction’ or (and i’m like internally gasping at the idea here) being able to say ‘yeah i enjoy writing fanfiction’? Is that a thing? I sure as hell don’t tell my peers that I write fanfic, let alone that i’m approaching 1million words for borderlands stuff alone AHAHAH It’s STILL taboo and seen as a lesser writing medium to folks my age. If you weren’t in a ‘geek’ circle (and i mean, i had friends who played D&D at lunch, and one friend who we mentioned fanfic together with) then culturally, as an art form, it wasn’t acceptable to discuss. Like, i’m STILL in that mindset that fanfic is not something to be discussed off the internet with people and it makes me very very uncomfortable to do so unless i know 100% I can speak discretely with someone. That’s what the offline culture was. I know its way different in some respects, like me and my youngest sister are 10yrs apart and her experiences with fandom are wildly different, but the idea of people actually talking about someone’s fic together with friends absolutely blows my fucking mind.

So, it’s changed in good ways too xD I just fucking HATE people who think they’re entitled to never comment or give back to the community sooooo i tend to get stuck on that issue, ESPECIALLY, again, as a writer approaching 1million words. *salute* doing my duty to the fandom community LOLOL or polluting the fandom community if you’re an anti AHAHAH antis can suck my entire ass and i’ll go on to put another million words of what they HATE into the world and they cant stop me ;3 spite is a fabulous motivator xD

The tools back then were a lot more crude, abilities and functionality was limited (but also better in some ways; moving fic to the ‘backroom’ so to speak), and even finding stuff was hard and relied on the hushed whispers of friends, but damn the community was better. So much better. So much more positive and accountability made people decent. So like, I do LOVE a lot of what we have now, but we have lost SO much. Both in terms of content and sense of community. I wish people would put more positivity into the content they’re consuming and lift up others. It’s why i try my damnedest to leave commenting tags on EVERY SINGLE THING i ever reblog here, because i *know* firsthand how much it means. To scream your art into the silence and only get the equivalent of stares back is maddening.

So yeah. Stuff has changed. Capitalism and censorship are running especially rampant hand-in-hand right now, and lord forbid we come full circle where there are no more places for us. I mean, if we have to go back to email lists, hell I’m already ready and an old veteran to that system anyhow. I’d miss all the content we all have access to…. but then there’s also that 90% commenting rate you get with that kind of system so HEEEEEY let it all fall down! bahahah xD

[thegreatlibraryfangirl]

On Languages in the Library

One of the many things that I love about these books is the different languages. 

So I decided to make  a list of all the languages that the main characters speak/use/reference with understanding, etc. Because as a fic writer and a language lover, these things matter to me.

Now, there’s a caveat here. Rereading the first book, unless I missed something it’s clear that Rachel Caine hadn’t ironed out that Greek was the common language. Everyone just .... magically speaks the same language, and there’s a reference to Thomas speaking to Jess in English before knowing that he is actually English. Ugh.

So I’ve cheated a little and added English to Thomas’ list as well as Greek, since it’s explicitly mentioned, but not to the others.

Secondarily, I’m giving them all Ancient Greek as an additional reading language - since that’s canon. I’m assuming that Ancient Greek is different to whatever variety of Greek they’re speaking in the books, if nothing else because of the huge timespans involved. I can’t think of any books they read with titles which aren’t Ancient Greek, tbh. Please let me know, I can’t reread right now.

Personally I reckon their Greek is a modernised version of Koine Greek. Probably fairly similar to modern Greek, but the alternate history would doubtless have affected LOTS of elements so I’m comfortable going back to Koine for a starting point. 

Other languages I’d have them reading-fluent in would be Latin and Demiotic/Coptic Egyptian, just to name a few relevant to the worldbuilding. BUT ANYWAY

There are a feeeeeeew more points where I’m interpreting rather than just plain reading, but I’ll make that clear. 

Organised by least to most “me interpreting shit”

Wolfe:

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language AND native tongue. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek)

Russian: Spoken in Stormcrow.

Chinese: Can read Chinese, mentions in the Black Archives. (assuming they mean Mandarin)

Santi:

Italian: Native tongue. Fluent. (Always fun to wonder what dialect he’s fluent in - the main Italian dialect that turned into what is these days thought of as Italian as late as the 19560s. Maybe if I do that fic about Wolfe and him visiting home I’ll shove a dialect in there)

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek, adding for him because he was a postulant after all)

Thomas:

German: Native tongue. Fluent.

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek)

English: As mentioned above, he speaks to Jess in English on train to Alexandria. Edit: Further potential evidence; when he and Jess are making the printing press in Philadelphia he asks Jess whether they should print the words in English or Greek first. Implies that if they’d printed solely in English, he could have done it. Yes, this is stupidly weak evidence, ssh. 

Morgan:

English: Native tongue. Fluent.

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek)

Spanish: Very basic?? Is this entirely based on the few words she uses to start/finish the muffling script in Smoke and Iron? Yes, it is.

Glain:

Welsh: Native tongue.

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language AND native tongue. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek) 

English. ???? I debated long and hard about this because actually, apart from the weirdness of book 1 where it’s kind of assumed they’re ALL speaking English, we don’t see her do it. And if Welsh is a separate country, she might well not. So ... I initially assumed that she did, but there’s no proof and she might not.

(Point, it annoys me that, having made, in later books, a thing about common Greek, Rachel Caine doesn’t make more of Morgan and Jess speaking English to each other)

Khalila:

Arabic: Native tongue. Fluent.

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek)

Portuguese: In Smoke and Iron, she writes to the dead sailors’ families, and writing in Portuguese is mentioned. Assuming she’s pretty fluent to feel confident in writing such an important letter.

Now, it is highly likely that someone who can read and write Portuguese can also read and write Spanish and in my fics this might become a thing because Dario needs to tease her about her accent when speaking it, but it’s not mentioned anywhere.

     4. Welsh: LOL. Well, if I’m giving Morgan Spanish based on silencio and presta atención, then I can give Khalila Welsh based on calling Glain chwaer in apparently an atrocious accent. Calling myself out on my own bullshit here.

(I have several cute fic ideas where she learns more Welsh because her and Glain are cute)

Jess: 

English: Native tongue. Fluent.

Greek: Library-sphere-wide common language. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek)

Spanish sign language: taught a bit by Dario. Basic? 

His level of fluency in Smoke and Iron actually makes me rage because it seems so incredibly unrealistic for a language that Dario taught him over a very short timespan in Philadelphia. But anyway. Able to hold a halting conversation. Appears to mainly be fingerspelling, which is the only saving grace.

    4. Spanish: picked up from Dario. Basic? 

This is literally just based on one line somewhere in one of the later books where he thinks that Dario is speaking Spanish too quickly for him to pick up on - so there’s the implication that he can pick up on things Dario says in Spanish at other times. I like to imagine it’s mainly profanity and endearments for Khalila. 

Saving the most fun ‘til last:

Dario: 

Spanish. Native tongue. Fluent.

Spanish sign language. Learnt to speak with baby sister. I guess fluent?? We never actually see him use it (see Greek sign for more on that)

Greek. Library-sphere-wide common language. Fluent. (+Ancient Greek)

Greek sign language. Fluent. Now, this is another reach by me, but I don’t think I’m breaking my back to do it. Jess explicitly says that Dario teaches him Spanish sign language, and I think it’s even implied to be a regional dialect of some kind.  However, Dario is set as an interpreter for Scholar Prakesh, who is clearly supposed to be Indian (wears sari, writes in an alphabet Jess doesn’t recognise) and so should use a completely different sign language, and yet they understand each other. Do I think that this is just lazy writing? Yes. Can I twist it to being “there’s a common tongue Library sign language too”, you betcha. 

Italian. Basic? This just makes me giggle a bit. Bear with me.

In bocca al lupo is just the Italian version of “Break a leg” in English, i.e. what performers say to each other instead of “good luck” because that’s bad luck.

Now, Dario translates this literally, rather than using it as an idiom. So, best case scenario, what little Italian he has, he's not conversationally fluent in. 

Also highly possible, he doesn’t really have any Italian and was able to translate that from Spanish, since in Spanish that literal phrase is en la boca de un lobo, which is very, very close. 

(Crepi il lupo is the typical response. So Santi and Wolfe are actually just superstitiously wishing each other good luck before Translation and I personally headcanon that it’s Dario’s comment, which makes it seem big and important, that leads to the postulants turning it into their thing. I just love that.)

As a writer, I like the idea of him having a bit of Italian purely to pick up on things Santi might mutter under his breath, but that’s me. 

EDIT: He calls Khalila madonna, which is Italian, not Spanish, so I’m leaning towards ‘speaks a little bit of Italian’ now.

[oh-law-d-he-comin]

DECK Prompts, Day 6

((CW: Blood, non-explicit gore))

  “...Stabbing, strangulation, bludgeoning, crushing…”

  How should he explain it? Law’s been chasing freedom his whole life, the kind that verges into chaos, madness, a breakdown of all that's logical and structured. And in a way, despair… is freeing. Calamity! Anarchy! Every man for himself! Death reigns in the streets, and a stable mind has no place, and even the emotions that used to define him can't cage him, and to the former SHSL Coroner it is a sight as beautiful as an ocean at sunrise, or the springtime cherry blossoms in full bloom.

  “...hacking, ignition, drowning, cleaving…”

  Suddenly in a fantastic mood for no reason, Law starts laughing, a carefree sound that echoes back and forth through the empty main street. At his feet rolls the severed head of some poor sap, which he kicks across the sidewalk as one might an empty soda can. Did you know? Soccer was originally played with the decapitated heads of criminals!

  “He shoots, the ball flies, he doesn't score! Alas, thus is the folly of a non-sportsman, better luck next time.” He's never been good at soccer, and his shot misses the garage it was aimed at by a mile, setting off the laughter again like a broken child’s toy. There's still plenty of corpses lying about, though, and he goes back to dancing around them, humming along to the guesses he makes as to how they croaked. Each puddle of red, every splash of color against a wall, every snail trail of darkened blood, like pieces to a neverending series of puzzles, and he does like puzzles, even if if they're a little too easy.

  “...suffocation, electrocution, explosion, implosion…”

  Up ahead, a silhouette. Two silhouettes? One's on the ground, typical of the human shapes he sees around here, but the other, the other one's upright. A person! Now social interaction, that's something he's been wanting for in this desolate city.

  As Law draws near, the shadows coalesce into a dead body, nothing new—oh, but the red strewn across it is still bright, still beautiful, his favorite color—and a young man staring down at it with disgust and fear painted on his face. What an expression! How fun! Law’s got to slap his cheeks to keep his smile from twisting into something monstrous and mocking, as he sneaks up behind the man and taps him on the shoulder.

  “...falling, impaling, poison, mangling…”

  “Hello! Hi! Nice to meet you!” he chirps brightly, laughing with an equally innocent tone when the man leaps back, hands held out in a defensive stance.

  “Wh- where did you come from?! Who are you?!” He's patting himself down as if in search of a weapon, but Law ignores the alarm in favor of examining the body.

  “My name's Law, Law K. Kiyuu, nice to meet you again and isn't it lonely around here? God, you're the first person I've met in a week, except for the stiffs, and they don't have much in the way of conversation! Speaking of which, hello Mr. Mortis, aren't you something…” He leans down and prods its arm with a questioning hum, letting go with a start when the entire hand falls off. “Oh, oh my, knife wounds ‘round the whole torso, stabs through the wrists, is that words carved into the forehead? I'm sorry to break it to you, still-alive guy, someone's really done a number on your buddy—it's really doubtful he'll recover from being dead!”

  “I, I just found it just now, I didn't do anything to it, I swear…” The man warily lowers his absence of weapon, shuffling a little back towards Law before he freezes. “Wait, how do you know- did you-?”

  Laughter meets uncertainty yet again, as Law crouches down and lifts the dead man’s head into his lap, brushing hair matted with blood away from the face. “No sir, I'm innocent, I swear- it's just back when civilization was a thing, I worked as a coroner. You know, the guy who shows up with the cops and tells you how the deceased, well, deceasified? Not anymore, of course, nobody's gonna pay a kid to identify the dead when they're outnumbering the living, but that's how!” He pauses, looking down at the head with something that could easily be mistaken for pity, or sorrow, or sympathy.

  “Look at that,” he whispers. “Gunshot right through the brain stem, that's what did ‘im in. Oh no, oh my, oh gosh, and here I thought it was the cuts, that's why they don't hire me anymore, oh jeez.”

  The man leans down, worry for that suddenly downtrodden look outweighing discomfort towards the boy naturally cradling a corpse’s face. “You're right, that's horrible… he might have lived if they hadn't done that…”

  “...blunt force, blood loss, gunshot, shock…”

  “I know, right? Why ruin a perfectly good ritual sacrifice?”

  All too late, the young man looks properly into Law’s eyes. Swirling in their depths is something no person in their right mind could have, the jet black whirlpool of despair reserved only for those who have fallen from the top of the world to the lowest rungs of humanity. All too late, he recognizes the boy’s expression for what it was: disappointment.

  “Vertical cuts! Strange markings written into flesh! Symbolic stabs!” Law yanks the head up, showing off innumerable gashes as the body falls apart around them. “More literary symbolism than an English teacher convention in the library of Alexandria,” he exclaims, jabbing a finger at each of the wounds. “A simply fantastic display, absolutely gorgeous, even if they were a little sloppy looking for the brachial, and what do they do? Chicken out at the last minute and put this poor sack of shit out of its misery, with a gun no less!” Wrath flickers across his face before losing out to a maniacal Cheshire Cat grin, freezing the young man in place with pure shock.

  “...infection, parasitism, asphyxiation, hypothermia…”

  “I- you- please-”

  “Don't worry.” The former coroner’s smile turns soft for a moment, reassuring, kind. The same unassuming look he introduced himself with. “Their crimes won't go unanswered for, just cuz there's no cops doesn't mean there's no retribution, no sir: I'll show them an example of a proper ritual sacrifice! You'll help me, right, mister? Really, don't worry, I can tell you don't smoke, exercise right, maybe it's a high stress environment but it's recent, you’re perfectly healthy and so is your heart!”

  Law laughs one more time, an unsettlingly pure sound, and jabs the man in the chest with his cane. “You'll make a lovely cadaver!”

  “...organ failure, overdose, homicide, suicide…”

  His handiwork is perfect, mounted on a stake overlooking the rest of the city. Of course it is: they didn't call him an Ultimate for nothing. Not to be a narcissist, obviously…

  ...but it's beautiful.

  “...despair.”

[thecruciblegavemeyou]

swim au

im on a fucking rolllllllllll 

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

ao3

Simon

I shuffled back and forth as Agatha twisted the lid off the soup while Penny argued she could do it herself.

“Si, stop fidgeting and just sit!” Pen hissed, glancing at me from her bed.

I slunk over to Trixie’s desk on the other side of the room. “Sorry. How do you feel?” I asked, spinning in slow circles on Trixie’s desk chair.

“Oh, just peachy. I love being on lockdown with my insufferable roommate for thirty six hours straight.” She moaned.

Pen’s roommate Trixie was… interesting. Penny got frustrated with her because she’d walked in on Trixie and her girlfriend Keris fooling around 100 times too many.

“I don’t have a problem with their relationship , I have a problem with them fooling around on my bed .” Penny explained, frustrated enough for wild arm movements.

My roommate might be out to kill me, but at least he didn’t bring girls back to the room. Sometimes we could hear the boys below us messing around. I don’t think the ceilings are as thick as the boys think they are (I wish that they didn’t enjoy narrating it so much).

I was always surprised that Baz never brought girls back. Maybe he does, but only when I’m not there. But I would’ve caught him at least once, I think. Every girl in our class is in love with him, it’s not like he’d have any trouble with it. Maybe I’ll ask him later. Or maybe not. We might still be fighting from this morning. I wonder what would happen if I asked him about girls. He might finally take me out.

“What’d she do this time?” I indulged her. She liked complaining about Trixie as much as I used to enjoy complaining about Baz.

“She just… she tried to read me a book, and her and Trixie took turns acting it out,” She shuddered,  “acting is not a talent either of them possess.” I could see them now. They were a colorful pair.

Agatha laughed softly. It wasn’t quite giggling, but more light and airy. Like a butterfly. But it didn’t make me blush the way it used to. I dug my fingers into my palms and watched Penny and Agatha as she tried to force feed Pen the soup, only managing to pour it down her shirt. Penny shrieked and Agatha rushed for the tissues.

“Penny, have you finished that assignment for drawing and painting yet?”

“No, and I still can’t believe you convinced me to take that bloody art class with you.”

Agatha smirked. “It’s fun.”

“It’s a waste of time.” Anything that didn’t involve books was a waste of time to Penny. She read more than any person I’d ever met. I promised her when we were little that if I ever became rich I’d buy her the biggest library in the world, “ My personal Library of Alexandria. ” She’d said. I still don’t know what she meant by that (must be a big library).

“It’s good for you. Art is relaxing.” Agatha argued. She was a decent artist. She really liked doodling other people. When I first met her, I thought the portraits of our classmates in the margins of her notes were creepy (they were still a little odd) but they were so good that you couldn’t help being impressed.

“Art is annoying, it never looks the way you want it to.” (Penny was not an artist).

I listened to them babble for awhile before I tuned them out.

Agatha peeked at the clock. It was only seven. We’d been here an hour already, and I’d barely said a word. I wasn’t talkative usually, but I could see Penny eyeing me. She knew something was up (she always figured me out).

“Merlin, I’ve got to go start my homework. I’ve got a paper due.” Agatha sighed, getting up and making her way to me.

My stomach flipped as she leaned over to give me a kiss (just on the cheek). I could smell her perfume, she was so close. Her lips pressed into my cheek, leaving a cold impression of whatever chapstick she was wearing. I could feel my face heat up as she walked out the door and Penny had a knowing smirk on her face. I wiped off the chapstick smudge.

“Are you two really back together again? I thought you weren’t going to ask her out again.” Pen scolded (she loved us both, but she thought we kinda sucked as a couple).

“But she asked me out this time. I was too shocked to say no.” I mumbled.

She rewarded me with a look of pure shock for that. “Would you have said no?”

I didn’t look up to meet her eyes. I don’t know what I would have said. I don’t know if Agatha and I are endgame. I don’t know anything anymore.

“Si?” She asked, coughing up a lung in the process. I was half-tempted to open the window, wondering if the fresh air would do her any good.

“I dunno, Pen. Everything’s so- and then the phone- also under the bed… Baz and Agatha… the team- what do I do?”

The room was silent for a minute, “You might have to elaborate on phones, beds, and Baz and Agatha before I can help. I don’t really see the connection.” She said, reaching for the tissues. I got up and locked the door, and then tossed her the box of tissues before she fell out of bed trying to get them. Stubborn.

So I explained everything; David, the money, Agatha, Baz being pissy, having to quit the team… I still hadn’t told her about Baz and I becoming kinda friends. I don’t think I want to. Hanging out with Baz in the mornings still felt like a dirty little secret (has he told Dev and Niall?).

“Firstly, you don’t owe your dad a cent. Just ignore him. He can’t do anything about it.”

I gulped. She had no idea what David Snow would do to me if he didn’t get what he wanted. I never told Penny what home was like. She’d worry too much over her summer vacation, and she already worried enough about me during the school term.

“Secondly, Baz is always pissy. What do you care this time?” I felt my face heat up.

“Yeah, I’m just… sick of arguing all the time, I guess.” She gave me a half-hearted sympathy-smile.

“Third, you definitely shouldn’t quit the team. I know Baz drives you crazy and you probably don’t want to mess up with Agatha this time, but you love swimming. You should see your face when you talk about it. And I want to see you compete this weekend.”

“But-”

“And lastly, Agatha. You’ve wanted this forever. What’s the problem now? Come on, Simon. Maybe she’s really over her bad boy phase.” Penny sniffled, blowing her nose for the tenth time in five minutes.

My heart skipped a beat. “Huh?”

“When she dumped you for Baz?” Penny shrugged.

“She dumped me for Baz.” I whispered.

Penny’s eyes went wide and moony. “Oh, Si… I thought you knew.”

“I’ve got to go-”

“Si!” she yelled after me, but I was already gone.

It took me ten minutes to find Agatha’s room in the maze that is Watford’s girl dormitory, but I found it. I FOund it, and I found her humming along with her music.

“Agatha.” I huffed, slightly out of breath (you’d really think I was in better shape by now).

“Oh, hey Simon.” She smiled, pulling out a headphone. I looked into her eyes. They were soft and brown and she looked like she had no idea what was coming.

“Why’d you ask me out again? I thought you said you were done. You owe me an explanation.” I demanded.

“I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship before. But I missed you; talking to you, our inside jokes, I missed you. A lot.”

“But why now? Did Baz reject you?” I snapped. I knew I was being cruel. I knew I was ruining this. It was unnecessary, but a life with Agatha is all I’d wanted since first year. That, and a new roommate. And she’d dumped me to chase after my roommate, the boy who’d been out to get me for years. And when that didn’t work out-

“Excuse me?” Agatha looked horrified. And a little pissed. But I wasn’t backing down now. This argument was years in the making. Even before our breakup made things tense, we never confronted each other about things. We never talked.

“You dumped me for Baz.” I swear the room dropped a few degrees. A draft floated in through the open window and I shivered (still wishing I’d thought enough to bring a jumper).

I could see the muscles in her jaw tighten, “ Penelope .”

So she really did. She dumped me for Baz, and she had the nerve to tell Penny.

“Seriously, Agatha?” I asked. My voice cracked. I thought I’d finished with that by sixth year, but apparently not.

She wouldn’t look me in the eye. “Simon… we weren’t working out, and I know you hate him but Baz and I always got along-”

“You dumped me because you would rather be with him.” I said. My voice had never sounded so cold.

“But we’re together now-” She whispered.

“That’s where you’re wrong. No, we’re not.” I finished. I ignored the prickling heat behind my eyes. Losing Agatha was too much for me. Especially after the past two days I’d had. This was the cherry on top of the sundae.

It surprised me that the thing I wanted to do most was go to the pool with Baz, to our little world inside of the Watford natatorium where nothing else mattered.

[woodsbane]

so ive been tagged in a lot of things but havent been able to do them over mobile so im going to knock them all out rn (and im not tagging anyone specifically but if you want to do any of these feel free to say i did)

tagged by @chairmanmeow-and-church

describe youre writing in one sentence: 

“She tries to write the worlds of magic formed in her head, but only they are only at face value on paper.”

I was tagged by @lesdemonium

how old are you? I’m 18 current job/dream job? My current job is being a cashier at a fast food place but my dream job is to be in a band and to make people happy with music what are you talented at? uh idk. Being nice to rude people? lifting weights?  what is a big goal you are working towards (or have already achieved)?finishing at least one story of mine and to find a job that I love what is your aesthetic? windows down on a sunny day listening to some 70′s song do you collect anything? Business cards and physical memories what is a topic you’re always up to talk about? anything really.  what’s a pet peeve of yours? people dragging their feet and being rude to customers, also not using blinkers/turn signals good advice to give? Learn the beauty of nature and the world bc if you get to cynical over human problems then there is nothing to live for.  recommend three songs? ptx- sing, sun kil moon- alesund, muse- panic station

I was tagged by @mbanewood 

 Last movie you watched: In Theaters: gotg 2 but other than that sky high

Last song you listened to: cell block tango miscast

Last book you read: technically frankenstein but im going to say brave new world


Last thing you ate: pizza


If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be: FRANCE


When would you time travel to:  Well firs off I would go to the library of alexandria and try to get as much knowledge as possible, then go to the 60s/70s/80s for the concerts


First thing you would do with lottery money: Buy a house for my mom and trave


Fictional character you would want to hang with: oh god merlin and then maybe reid and AND SIMON


What was the last fandom you joined: Shadowhunters

Time right now: 10:52 pm

I was tagged by @warlocksrune @softshadowmoon @magnusimon @magnusbanewoods

Rules: bold what’s true

i’m in high school i am in college/university i’ve graduated college/university i like my job i’ve worked a job i’ve hated i’ve never had a job i am shorter than 5’5″ i wear glasses (or contacts) i have a tattoo i have more than one tattoo i don’t have tattoos but i want some i’m vegetarian i have allergies i’m self-conscious about my body (sometimes!) i’m sarcastic when annoyed i’m shy i’ve been called over-emotional i have a strange sense of humour i’m an atheist i have red hair i have blonde hair i dye my hair regularly i wear a piece of jewelry at all times i am an only child i have more than three siblings i have a niece i have a nephew i’ve failed a class i couldn’t choose a favorite song i can speak two or more languages i’ve hugged someone in the last 24 hours i’ve kissed someone in the last 24 hours i have a best friend i’ve known my best friend for more than 10 years i have met a friend from the internet i’ve kissed someone of the same sex i’m in/have been in a long distance relationship i’ve had a one night stand i’ve been dumped more than i’ve dumped someone i’ve cheated on someone i’ve met someone famous i’ve been out of my home country i’ve broken a bone i’ve spent more than six hours straight online i’ve done volunteer work i’ve won a prize at school i have friends who are married i have friends who have children of their own i have been in a wedding party i’ve ridden in a limousine i am a morning person i am a night owl i like anime i like disney movies i like comedies more than action films i like action films more than comedies i always order dessert i hate fast food i can’t cook i enjoy puns i enjoy being alone i read for pleasure i don’t play video games i believe in ghosts i believe in aliens i enjoy conspiracy theories i’ve been somewhere considered ‘haunted’ i’ve stayed up all night for no reason i’ve had a skype call with more than four people i can’t keep secrets i’m good with children i’ve cheated on a test i’ve watched an entire season of something in one day i am wearing something green right now i am wearing something yellow right now i am wearing something purple right now i’ve never tried alcohol i’ve had alcohol while underage i’ve played a drinking game i’m scared of snakes i’m scared of heights i’m scared of clowns i’m scared of spiders i collect stamps i collect comic books i keep old bus/train tickets i have more than three keyrings on my keys i don’t know the words to my national anthem i’ve been to a professional sports game i’ve had my hair cut in the past month i’ve cosplayed i can’t swallow pills i miss someone right now

I was tagged by @mbanewood

name/nicknames: none

gender: female

height: 5″3′

hogwarts house: Ravenclaw

favorite color: burgundy or wine 

time: 11:26 pm

last things i googled: the eagles movie with channing tatum

fictional character you’d like as a sibling: honestly have no idea

number of blankets i sleep with: 1

favorite band/artists: one cannot sacrifice for the manny

dream vacation: ITTAAALLLLLYYY and france and europe in general

when did i make this blog: Well I had a blog since 2012 but i accidentally deleted it this one is new

how many blogs do i follow: 280 something

what do i post about: whatever i want tbh

do you get asks on a regular basis: ummmmm

aesthetics: watercolors, nature, sunlight, stars, all music, and that feeling of ‘home’

I was tagged by @jacelghtwood

Rules: write your url in song titles (pick each song/band once!) and tag ten others.

What do I know? ed sheeran

On my way home- ptx

Ode to sleep- 21p

Dancing queen- ABBA

Slow ride- foghat

Bliss- Muse

Alesund- sun kil moon

Naughty girl- beyonce

Escape (the pina colada song)

I was tagged by @my-nameless-bliss

Rules: List 5 OTPs from 5 different fandoms and tag people to pass it on.

1. Magnus/Alec

2. Merlin/Arthur

3.Stiles/Derek

4.Allison/Lydia

5.Dizzie/Thor

I was tagged by @chairmanmeow-and-church and others

COUNTRIES I’VE LIVED IN → America FAVORITE FANDOM → Shadowhunters and STEREK and many many others LANGUAGES YOU SPEAK → English, very little french FAVORITE FILM OF 2015/ OF 2016 →oh good god I watch too many

LAST ARTICLY FANFIC YOU READ → Dream of Mistletoe by katherynefromphilly SHUFFLE YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY AND PUT YOUR FIRST THREE SONGS HERE → all day and all of the night- the kinks

the devil went down to georgia- charlie daniels band

marionettes- the zolas

LAST THING YOU BOUGHT ONLINE → a tailight for my car ANY PHOBIAS OR FEARS? → being alone/ not doing something that I love (career) HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU? → chill HOW WOULD YOUR ENEMIES DESCRIBE YOU? → what enemies WHO WOULD YOU TAKE A BULLET FOR? → If I ever have kids… IF YOU HAD MONEY TO SPARE WHAT WOULD YOU BUY FIRST? → food tbh, or a tattoo

I think that about wraps it up!! there were some others but those are the ones I have already done in the past

[ace-louis]

I was tagged by @demizouie. Thank you for tagging me!

1. if you were able to travel the world, where would you go first? I’d really like to go to Russia actually. And to go to Naples again!

2. do you prefer driving or being the passenger? I hate driving, so I’m going to say passenger. You can sleep, listen to music or read even. And you’re not at risk of killing people.

3. what is your dream job? why? I would like tob e a teacher for children aged 8 to 12 but sadly the school system makes me choose between older and younger children…

4. do you have a favorite or go-to outfit? I bought new trackies that actually have pockets, so now I wear them all the time. Does that count?

5. what would amortentia smell like to you? It sounds like it would sound like wood? It would actually be easier for me to give it a colour. It would be dark red, so something that smells like dark red.

6. what web browser do you prefer? Mozilla Firefox

7. tell me about your dream house. Uhm, I just want a big garden, a balcony and maybe a walk in closet or my own en suite. That’s all I dream of.

8. do you have any pets? what are their names? I have a cat called Kuddel. I love him and I miss him.

9. describe your ideal date (platonic or romantic). Eeeh… I love costa? Basically I love meeting my friends at costa and just kind of talking and sitting at the Thames for hours.

10. what is your favorite quality in a person? least favorite? I’d say caring? Because it can mean many things. Caring about friends and family, caring about what happens in the future when it comes to politics or climate change. I like it, when people don’t stop thinking when it stops concerning them in exactly that second.

11. do you have any hobbies? what are they? My hobbies right now are reading, meeting friends and preparing for university. Also sleeping, Netflix and taking walks.

12. Fave book series? I am reading Robert Harris‘ series about Cicero right now and it is on ist ay to becoming my favourite!

13. Fave name? If that’s a thing.. Not really? I am always thinking of good babynames for my children later but I can’t ever decide.

14. Most recently watched movie and your opinion on it? High School Musical. It was fun. I hated how american it was and how Gabriella and Troy barely spent any time with each other on screen. But then again, I didn’t watch it for quality.

15. Most recently added song to your playlist? Sweet Creature

16. Fave/best meme? STOP TELLING PEOPLE IM DEAD. I love that meme!

17. Weird fact/story you read or heard of? My friend reminded me of a story when we found out a teachers first name and we thought it was so funny and repeatedly said it so loudly that she came out and asked if someone had called her. It was so embarassing.

18. A memory that makes you feel good? Playing in the snow with my brothers two and a half years ago. This is like my go-to happy memory. It was one of those moments where you find yourself smiling so much. Also all sorts of fun things I did with the children I look after. I love them so much!

19. A quote. Any quote. „You don’t have to go to jail if you eat the person who runs the jail.“ One of my girls said this and it wasn’t even a game or something. I have no idea why she wanted to eat someone.

20. Preferred subject or topic in school/uni? History! I love history.

21. Preferred hair color? If any. I never dyed my hair but I think dark green sounds cool?

22. Something you are looking forward to in the near future? Maybe seeing David Tennant again in London? We went to Don Juan twice already and want to go again.

23. beach or mountains? Beach. I’m not a big fan oft he beach but I love the sea.

24. space or ocean? Who wrote these questions? I can’t decide! It’s both cool in different ways.

25. what’s your worst nervous habit? Picking at my fingernails and getting impatient iwth the people around me.

26. what’s in your ideal sandwich? Olives, gherkins, tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.

27. pick one song you like for the lyrics and one you like for the music. Okay, so I thought I told you by The Academic for music and Perfect by Ed Sheeran for lyrics.

28. name a few people/places/things that inspire you. My mum inspires me to get better at childcare, the Harry Potter books inspire me to do study more, my father inspires me to care more about politics and stay informed about what happens in the world, and Jesus inspires me to be kinder or something like that.

29. think of a person you haven’t talked to in a long time. write something you wish you could say to them. It really hurt me how easy it was for you to cast us all aside and I hate that I still resent you for that. I feel bad about it but it always makes me feel good when it seems like you aren’t completely happy about the way things are going for you right now.

30. what’s something that always makes you laugh? The mental image I get when I hear the word „Kohl-Tour“

31. everyone has that one food place from their hometown that is nowhere else and it is to die for. what’s yours? I wasn’t really into take out etc when I was still living at home. But one thing I miss about Germany ist he bread. And my father’s veggie lasagna.

32. what’s the video game you’ve probably logged the most hours on? Does sims count? Im not a video game person at all.

This took me a long time, so you all better read this! I tag @s-ndy @but-the-library-of-alexandria @asexualfitz and @dracoyoulittlepoofer

[mythicallore]

Bunny Man Legend

The Bunny Man is an urban legend that originated from two incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1970, but has been spread throughout the Washington, D.C., area. The legend has many variations; most involve a man wearing a rabbit costume who attacks people with an axe or hatchet.

Most of the stories occur around Colchester Overpass, a Southern Railway overpass spanning Colchester Road near Clifton, Virginia, sometimes referred to as "Bunny Man Bridge".

Versions of the legend vary in the Bunny Man's name, motives, weapons, victims, description of the bunny costume or lack thereof, and sometimes even his possible death. In some accounts, victims' bodies are mutilated, and in some variations, the Bunny Man's ghost or aging spectre is said to come out of his place of death each year on Halloween to commemorate his passing.

Origin

Fairfax County Public Library Historian-Archivist Brian A. Conley extensively researched the Bunny Man legend. He has located two incidents of a man in a rabbit costume threatening people with an axe. The vandalism reports occurred a week apart in 1970 in Burke, Virginia.

The first incident was reported the evening of October 19, 1970, by U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Robert Bennett and his fiancee who were visiting relatives on Guinea Road in Burke. Around midnight, while returning from a football game, they reportedly parked their car in a field on Guinea Road to "visit an Uncle who lived across the street from where the car was parked". As they sat in the front seat with the motor running, they noticed something moving outside the rear window. Moments later, the front passenger window was smashed, and there was a white-clad figure standing near the broken window. Bennett turned the car around while the man screamed at them about trespassing, including: "You're on private property, and I have your tag number." As they drove down the road, the couple discovered a hatchet on the car floor.

When the police requested a description of the man, Bennett insisted he was wearing a white suit with long bunny ears. However, Bennett fiancee contested their assailant did not have bunny ears on his head, but was wearing a white capirote of some sort. They both remembered seeing his face clearly, but in the darkness, they could not determine his race. The police returned the hatchet to Bennett after examination. Bennett was required to report the incident upon his return to the Air Force Academy.

The second reported sighting occurred on the evening of October 29, 1970, when construction security guard Paul Phillips approached a man standing on the porch of an unfinished home, in Kings Park West on Guinea Road. Phillips said the man was wearing a gray, black, and white bunny costume, and was about 20 years old, 5ft 8in tall, and weighed about 175 pounds. The man began chopping at a porch post with a long handled axe, saying: "You are trespassing. If you come any closer, I'll chop off your head."

The Fairfax County Police opened investigations into both incidents, but both were eventually closed for lack of evidence. In the weeks following the incidents, more than 50 people contacted the police claiming to have seen the "Bunny Man". Several newspapers, including The Washington Post, reported that the "Bunny Man" had eaten a man's runaway cat. The Post articles that mentioned this incident were"

"Man in Bunny costume Sought in Fairfax" (October 22, 1970)

"The Rabbit' Reappears" (October 31, 1970)

"Bunny Man Seen" (November 31, 1970)

"Bunny Reports Are Multiplying" (November 6, 1970)

In 1973, Patricia Johnson, a student at the University of Maryland College Park, submitted a research paper that chronicled precisely 54 variations on the two incidents.

The Legend

The legend has circulated for years in several forms. A version naming a suspect and specific location was posted to a website in the late 1990s by a "Timothy C. Forbes". This version states that in 1904, an asylum prison in Clifton, Virginia, was shit down due to a petition by the growing population of residents of Fairfax County. During the transfer of inmates to a new facility, one of the fifteen transports crashed; most, including the driver, were killed, but ten inmates escaped. A search party found all but one of them.

During this time, locals allegedly began to find hundreds of cleanly skinned, half-eaten carcasses of rabbits hanging from the trees in the surrounding areas. Another search of the area was ordered, and the police located the remains of Marcus Wallster, left in a similar fashion to the rabbit carcasses, hanging in a nearby tree, or under a bridge overpass - also known as the "bunny Man Bridge" - along the railroad tracks at Colchester Road. Officials named the last missing inmate, Douglas J. Grifon, as their suspect, and called him "the bunny man".

In this version, officials finally managed to locate Grifon, but during their attempt to apprehend him at the overpass, he nearly escaped, before being hit by an oncoming train where the original transport crashed. Supposedly, after the train passed, the police heard laughter. It was eventually revealed that Grifon had been institutionalized for killing his family on Easter Sunday.

For years after the "Bunny Man's" death, in the time approaching Halloween, carcasses are said to have been found hanging from the overpass and from trees in the surrounding area. A figure was reportedly seen by pedestrians making their way through the one lan bridge tunnel.

According to Conley, this version is demonstrably false. Among other inconsistencies, Conley notes "there has never been an asylum for the insane in Fairfax County", and that "Lorton Prison didn't come into existence until 1910, and even then it was an arm of the District of Columbia Corrections system, not Virginia's." Moreover, court records show neither a Grifon nor a Wallster.

Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, on his blog Cryptomundo and in his bool Weird Virginia, in a section on the Bunny Man, wrote about a direct association between the legend and that if the Goatman of nearby Maryland.

Colchester Overpass

Colcherster Overpass was built in about 1906 near the site of Sangster's Station, a Civil War era railroad station on what was once the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Because of its association with the legend, the overpass os a popular destination for paranormal enthusiasts and curiosity seekers. Interest increases around Halloween, and starting in 2003, local authorities began controlling access to the area during that time. During Halloween 2011, over 200 people, some from as far away as the Pennsylvania- Maryland state line, were turned away during a 13-hour traffic checkpoint into the area. Visitors from outside the area may be unaware that Colchester Overpass is an active intersection of trains and traffic. The railroad tracks overhead are used by trains of Morfolk Southern Railway, Virginia Railway Express (Manassas Line), and Amtrak. Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak together account for 90 trains using the overpass each week. Im the vicinity of Colchester Overpass, Colchester Road is narrow and winding, with limited visibility. In Fairfax County, Virginia, it is illegal to trespass on posted railroad tracks and to loiter in a public roadway.

In Popular Culture

"Bunnyman", the final song on Music To Piss You Off, a 2010 compilation album by rhythmic noise/industrial artist C/A/T (Chaos and Terror), centers around the Bunny Man legend. The 2011 slasher film Bunnyman is an exploitation-style version of the story. In 2017, Badwolf Brewing Company, of Manassas, Virginia, released their hoppy, red lager known as The Bunny Man in a can that depicted the tunnel, a figure in a bunny suit, and a child holding a red balloon.

The 2017 Amazon original series Lore, based on the podcast of the same name, uses the Bunny Man legend to introduce the second episode of Season 1.

In The Chris Gethard Show episode "Let's Get Scared", host Chris Gethard dresses as the Bunny Man for the full episode.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_Man

[thebookrat]

I heard you guys: I don't highlight contemporary books enough. I tried to give you PLENTY of them this go 'round (and of course, some v. excellent fantasy), but there were so many book deals available, I might have to do a part 2 update mid-week! Check out all of the many, many excellent books to load up your ereaders with, all for super cheap, I don't think anything went over 2 bucks this time! -- and many are FREE FREE FREE!) So when you're done drinking your Cinco de Mayo margarita's and ready to do some drunken online self-indulgence, why not save a few $$ and load up on some deals instead? ;)

ALL BOOK COVERS ARE CLICKABLE AND TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THE DEAL!

I mean, COME ON.

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people. Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two. With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Sixteen-year-old Beckan and her friends are the only fairies brave enough to stay in Ferrum when war breaks out. Now there is tension between the immortal fairies, the subterranean gnomes, and the mysterious tightropers who arrived to liberate the fairies. But when Beckan's clan is forced to venture into the gnome underworld to survive, they find themselves tentatively forming unlikely friendships and making sacrifices they couldn't have imagined. As danger mounts, Beckan finds herself caught between her loyalty to her friends, her desire for peace, and a love she never expected. This stunning, lyrical fantasy is a powerful exploration of what makes a family, what justifies a war, and what it means to truly love.

An epic fantasy filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance from Incarnate series author Jodi Meadows. This duology is perfect for fans of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. When Princess Wilhelmina was a child, the Indigo Kingdom invaded her homeland. Ten years later, Wil and the other noble children who escaped are ready to fight back and reclaim Wil’s throne. To do so, Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate the Indigo Kingdom palace with hopes of gathering information that will help them succeed. But Wil has a secret—one that could change everything. Although magic has been illegal for a century, she knows her ability could help her save her kingdom. But magic creates wraith, and the deadly stuff is moving closer and destroying the land. And if the vigilante Black Knife catches her using magic, she may disappear like all the others. . . .

In Ink and Bone, bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history... Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London. But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon Jess must choose between his friends, his family, and the Library, which is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control...

Get it. Get this whole damn series. Trust me.

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape . . . and even less of being together. Desperate to save her life, Lia's erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komisar that she has a magical gift, and the Komisar's interest in Lia is greater than either Kaden or Lia foresaw. Meanwhile, the foundations of Lia's deeply-held beliefs are crumbling beneath her. Nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to her, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom she always believed to be barbarians but whom she now realizes are people who have been terribly brutalized by the kingdoms of Dalbreck and Morrighan. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her very sense of self, Lia will have to make powerful choices that affect her country, her people . . . and her own destiny.

Lia has survived Venda—but so has a great evil bent on the destruction of Morrighan. And only Lia can stop it. With war on the horizon, Lia has no choice but to assume her role as First Daughter, as soldier—as leader. While she struggles to reach Morrighan and warn them, she finds herself at cross-purposes with Rafe and suspicious of Kaden, who has hunted her down. In this heart-stopping conclusion to the Remnant Chronicles trilogy that started with The Kiss of Deception and The Heart of Betrayal, traitors must be rooted out, sacrifices must be made, and impossible odds must be overcome as the future of every kingdom hangs in the balance. New York Times-bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance, and action makes this a riveting YA page-turner for teens.

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again. Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there's no one more qualified to investigate. Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don't unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they'll become the next victims.

For the free, my darlings. For the FREE.

WINNER of the NATIONAL READERS CHOICE AWARD for best YA of 2015 Alexis Wyndham is the other type of Queen B—the Queen B*tch. After years of being the subject of ridicule, she revels in her ability to make the in-crowd cower via the exposés on her blog, The Eastline Spy. Now that she's carved out her place in the high school hierarchy, she uses her position to help the unpopular kids walking the hallways. Saving a freshman from bullies? Check. Swapping insults with the head cheerleader? Check. Falling for the star quarterback? So not a part of her plan. But when Brett offers to help her solve the mystery of who’s posting X-rated videos from the girls’ locker room, she’ll have to swallow her pride and learn to see past the high school stereotypes she’s never questioned—until now.

Rachel can't believe she has to give up her Saturdays to scrubbing other people's toilets. So. Gross. But she kinda, sorta stole $287.22 from her college fund that she's got to pay back ASAP or her mom will ground her for life. Which is even worse than working for her mother's new cleaning business. Maybe. After all, becoming a maid is definitely not going to help her already loserish reputation. But Rachel picks up more than smelly socks on the job. As maid to some of the most popular kids in school, Rachel suddenly has all the dirt on the 8th grade in-crowd. Her formerly boring diary is now filled with juicy secrets. And when her crush offers to pay her to spy on his girlfriend, Rachel has to decide if she's willing to get her hands dirty...

Did you snag the deal for book 2 a couple weeks back? Now you can grab book 1 for FREE!

In A THRONE FOR SISTERS (Book one), Sophia, 17, and her younger sister Kate, 15, are desperate to leave their horrific orphanage. Orphans, unwanted and unloved, they nonetheless dream of coming of age elsewhere, of finding a better life, even if that means living on the streets of the brutal city of Ashton. Sophia and Kate, also best friends, have each other’s backs—and yet they want different things from life. Sophia, a romantic, more elegant, dreams of entering court and finding a noble to fall in love with. Kate, a fighter, dreams of mastering the sword, of battling dragons, and becoming a warrior. They are both united, though, by their secret, paranormal power to read other’s minds, their only saving grace in a world that seems bent to destroy them. As they each embark on a quest and adventure their own ways, they struggle to survive. Faced with choices neither can imagine, their choices may propel them to the highest power—or plunge them to the lowest depths. A THRONE FOR SISTERS is the first book in a dazzling new fantasy series rife with love, heartbreak, tragedy, action, magic, sorcery, fate and heart-pounding suspense. A page turner, it is filled with characters that will make you fall in love, and a world you will never forget.

Also gloriously FREE!

Zachary Degaud was twenty three when he died. The problem was, he didn't stay that way. Present day, he's just another vampire with another unremarkable story. That is, until he manages to provoke a two thousand year old witch named Katrin, who wants to make him pay in the most horrible way imagined. Along with his brother Sam, newly made vampire Liz and their only witch ally, Gabby, his only chance for survival is to summon the ancient and unpredictable vampire known as the Witch Hunter. Zac is just looking for a way out of his psychopathic witch problems, but instead will find himself falling head first into a blood feud that has stretched thousands of years. Aya has been asleep for the past 150 years, until she was awoken by a haunting call. The witch she has been hunting for thousands of years, Katrin, has resurfaced and marked a young, annoyingly arrogant vampire by the name of Zachary Degaud. Unless she does something, he will die a slow and painful death. He has given her an opportunity to end the witch, but does she want to help him or leave him to his fate? Zac will get under her skin like no one else has and she just might find herself making the ultimate sacrifice before he is gone forever. They will both have to choose sides and look deep within themselves before the end. But, what Zac learns about himself, will surprise him most of all.

This synopsis needs to be cut down, my god, but again: IT. FREE.

I was born to die... But to defy fate is to control your own destiny. Little did I know that I was entering a world of ritual and magic and that my blood needed to be spilled so the witches’ legacy could be complete. Vampires. Witches. Werewolves. Supernatural Creatures. Dramatic Revelations. A Ritual Sacrifice. Ancient Artifacts. A Cold-hearted Serial Killer. Spilled Blood. Secrets. A Hidden Heritage. A Love So Deep. Supernatural Bloodlust. A Dangerous Curse. An Uneasy Alliance With A Dangerous Vampire. Legends of vampires and shape-shifters have been around for centuries, so Taylor Sparks isn’t too worried when the rumors start to fly. When Taylor learns secrets that are beyond terrifying, they threaten to destroy her entire world. She is born to die... But to defy fate is to control your own destiny. She warns her crush to leave. But how do you forget someone who is aligned with your soul? They fight against the witches, the vampires, and the werewolves. They know the consequences. They know the risk. But they don't care. Nothing will get in the way of these two star-crossed lovers. Taylor finds out she’s a KEY player in a dangerous game created 1,000 years ago that will give the witches and werewolves the upper hand against the vampires. Blood will be spilled and secrets will be revealed in this action-packed thrill ride and paranormal romance. Will Taylor dive into a paranormal world she knows nothing about to be with the one her heart can’t live without? Or will her life spiral out of control when she learns her blood is needed, just the serum necessary to lift an ancient curse from a group of supernatural beings and give the witches back their magic? Werewolves will serve as her guardians and protect her until the first full moon of the new year, the night of her sacrifice… Will she accept her destiny? Or will she refuse to let evil swallow her up?

For fans of Hex Hall, The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars! Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad no one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter. Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she’s not supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl. The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as “accidents” turn into full-out attacks on Anise’s life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it’s hard to fight back when she has no idea who’s the enemy. Or why she became their target. If Anise can’t find and stop whoever wants her dead, she’ll be more toasted than a crème brûlée. Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death?

This one's kicking around on my shelves! I did a First Impressions of it awhile back and really liked it, and have been meaning to go back ever since.

Thoughtfully imaginative and action-packed, Steeplejack is New York Times bestselling A. J. Hartley's YA debut set in a 19th-century South African fantasy world “A richly realized world, an intensely likable character, and a mystery to die for." — Cory Doctorow, New York Times-bestselling author Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga lives and works as a steeplejack in Bar-Selehm, a sprawling city known for its great towers, spires, and smokestacks – and even greater social disparities across race and class. Ang’s world is turned upside-down when her new apprentice Berrit is murdered the same night that the city’s landmark jewel is stolen. Her search for answers behind his death exposes unrest in the streets and powerful enemies. But she also finds help from unexpected friends: a kindhearted savannah herder, a politician’s haughty sister, and a savvy newspaper girl. As troubles mount in Bar-Selehm, Ang must discover the truth behind both murder and theft soon – or else watch the city descend into chaos. YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book Booklist Top Ten YA in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Also kicking around on my shelves somewhere!

Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives. One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys’ marriage. The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain—and lose—when we deny our appetites.

Fairy tales are life.

From wicked queens, beautiful princesses, elves, monsters, and goblins to giants, glass slippers, poisoned apples, magic keys, and mirrors, the characters and images of fairy tales have cast a spell over readers and audiences, both adults and children, for centuries. These fantastic stories have travelled across cultural borders, and been passed on from generation to generation, ever-changing, renewed with each re-telling. Few forms of literature have greater power to enchant us and rekindle our imagination than a fairy tale. But what is a fairy tale? Where do they come from and what do they mean? What do they try and communicate to us about morality, sexuality, and society? The range of fairy tales stretches across great distances and time; their history is entangled with folklore and myth, and their inspiration draws on ideas about nature and the supernatural, imagination and fantasy, psychoanalysis, and feminism. Marina Warner has loved fairy tales over a long writing life, and she explores here a multitude of tales through the ages, their different manifestations on the page, the stage, and the screen. From the phenomenal rise of Victorian and Edwardian literature to contemporary children's stories, Warner unfolds a glittering array of examples, from classics such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty, the Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, and Hans Andersen's The Little Mermaid, to modern-day realizations including Walt Disney's Snow White and gothic interpretations such as Pan's Labyrinth. In ten succinct chapters, Marina Warner digs into a rich hoard of fairy tales in their brilliant and fantastical variations, in order to define a genre and evaluate a literary form that keeps shifting through time and history. Her book makes a persuasive case for fairy tale as a crucial repository of human understanding and culture.

A classic.

This Newbery Honor-winning, hilarious Floridian adventure involves new kids, bullies, alligators, eco-warriors, pancakes, pint-sized owls, and more. A New York Times bestseller! Everybody loves Mother Paula’s pancakes. Everybody, that is, except the colony of cute but endangered owls that live on the building site of the new restaurant. Can the awkward new kid and his feral friend prank the pancake people out of town? Or is the owls’ fate cemented in pancake batter?

Three months after returning Magician Emery Thane’s heart to his body, Ceony Twill is well on her way to becoming a Folder. Unfortunately, not all of Ceony’s thoughts have been focused on paper magic. Though she was promised romance by a fortuity box, Ceony still hasn’t broken the teacher-student barrier with Emery, despite their growing closeness. When a magician with a penchant for revenge believes that Ceony possesses a secret, he vows to discover it…even if it tears apart the very fabric of their magical world. After a series of attacks target Ceony and catch those she holds most dear in the crossfire, Ceony knows she must find the true limits of her powers…and keep her knowledge from falling into wayward hands. The delightful sequel to Charlie N. Holmberg’s The Paper Magician, The Glass Magician will charm readers young and old alike.

In the explosive third volume of The Hundredth Queen Series, the queen of fire faces off against a demon of ice. Despite the odds, Kalinda has survived it all: Marriage to a tyrant. Tournaments to the death. The forbidden power to rule fire. The icy touch of a demon. That same demon now disguises itself as Rajah Tarek, Kalinda’s late husband and a man who has never stopped haunting her. Upon taking control of the palace and the army, the demon brands Kalinda and her companions as traitors to the empire. They flee across the sea, seeking haven in the Southern Isles. In Lestari, Kalinda’s powers are not condemned, as they are in her land. Now free to use them to protect those she loves, Kalinda soon realizes that the demon has tainted her with a cold poison, rendering her fire uncontrollable. But the lack of control may be just what she needs to send the demon back to the darkest depths of the Void. To take back the empire, Kalinda will ally with those she distrusts—and risk losing those most loyal to her—to defeat the demon and bring peace to a divided nation.

From the bestselling author of Catching Jordan comes a new teen romance sure to appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen. SOME RULES WERE MEANT TO BE BROKEN. Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different... This summer she's a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He's the first guy she ever kissed, and he's gone from geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt...with her. Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn't that easy...

For twelve-year-old Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it's the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles). Upon her arrival, however, Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold himself, and might contain the only copy of his mysterious new game. Racing against time, Emily and James rush from clue to clue, desperate to figure out the secret at the heart of Griswold's new game—before those who attacked Griswold come after them too.

Sang Sorenson’s father abandoned her and her sister, leaving them to fend for themselves for months. He’s returned, and finds Sang is missing. He demands she return. Right now. Will he call the police if she doesn’t? Her Academy team doesn’t want to risk losing her ghost status and she doesn’t want to put them in danger, so she reluctantly returns home, but is comforted that she will still be monitored by them. But the second she opens the door, she discovers her father has made changes that will affect her entire future. His decisions will make them a normal family. Normal is no longer what Sang wants. It would kill her Academy career before it ever started. Not to mention it would end the special, new, and still-fragile relationships with the guys. Sang struggles with her family, her identity, and where she truly belongs. Now that the entire team knows about their romantic relationships with her, tensions are mounting, tearing the team apart from the inside. Only, Dr. Green isn't going to lie down and roll over by playing by the rules. Not anymore. Not while Sang is at risk. His heart can’t take leaving her in that house one more minute. He needs her. They all do.

Twins Crystal and Amber have the same goal: to be the first in their family to graduate high school and make something of their lives. When one gets pregnant during their junior year, they promise to raise the baby together. It’s not easy, but between their after-school jobs, they’re scraping by. Crystal’s grades catch the attention of the new guidance counselor, who tells her about a college that offers a degree in automotive restoration, perfect for the car buff she is. When she secretly applies—and gets in—new opportunities threaten their once-certain plans, and Crystal must make a choice: follow her dreams or stay behind and honor the promise she made to her sister.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia comes a fast-paced teen series where one girl learns that in a world of intrigue, betrayal, and deeply buried secrets, it is vital to trust your instincts. It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself. This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him. But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. As Wylie and Jasper head farther and farther north into the dense woods of Maine, Wylie struggles to control her growing sense that something is really wrong. What isn’t Cassie telling them? And could finding her be only the beginning? In this breakneck tale, New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight brilliantly chronicles a fateful journey that begins with a single decision—and ends up changing everything.

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