#also it's free with KU so i will be reading the rest of the series unless something truly terrible happens lol

[thornsnvultures]

this book I'm reading feels like something from wattpad in 2009 but I can't put it down. like there's plenty here that's cringe (the long denim and corduroy skirts, describing every outfit in detail, the casual misogyny brushed off because the mmc gives puppy dog eyes and says sowwy), but there's just enough good that I can't stop reading it.

[absolutebl]

Hello, how are you? First of all, I want to say, thank you so much for this blog of yours, AbsoluteBL....Because of you I know more about BL in general and the history behind it.....Your analysis are amazing and easy to read and to be understood (sorry English is not my native language)....I also love reading your recommendations and discussion.....Before I found this blog, I never watched any Thai drama, but you changed me.... Thanks...

Do you mind if I ask your opinion on something? I noticed that you are a book lover and a fast reader, so what do you think, about western MLM stories? What makes Asian BL better than western MLM stories? I don't mean to talk negatively but i want to read your opinion about it (because I love reading your writings)....

Before I watched Asian BL, I already read books and watch movies or series that contains MLM, but it just hit differently somehow (I don't know how to express what I mean).....

Most of otps that I love from western series or movies are bromance or male best friends that I love the chemistry, and for series that have canon MLM couple, I don't really ship them, not like in Asian BL...(I dont know why, maybe you have an idea ir two, why is that)....

Oh, do you mind if I gave you books recommendations? They are not long at all and a quick reading (especially since you are a fast reader), have you read "All For The Game" trilogy by Nora Sakavic or "Captive Prince" by trilogy by C.S.Pacat (the author said herself, that she was inspired by BL manga when wrote this books, and I think you will love them) ? Those are my top favorite MLM books....

Sorry for this long ask, feel free if you want to ignore it....Thanks again for your hard works in this blog....Hope you have a wonderful day.....

Hi, OMG you are so nice and I am abotu to get so salty! I love you and, I’m sorry? 

MM BOOKS

I would say at a general guess (looking at my old Goodreads account) I've read about 1000 mm romances. (before you get mad I’d say about 300 ff, 400 alt queer of soem kind, and way way way more than that het). And that’s just romance. I used to average between 300-500 books a year. And yes, I’m a speed reader. And yes, I retain very very little of it. 

So yeah.

I don't read them much anymore. Most mm went into KU over the last 4 years and I don't play that game. Plus I'd rather watch and talk about BL these days than read anything I’m not obligated to for work.

Sorry but I loathed Pacat's Captive Prince. Just like Red, White & Royal Blue a few years later it was as if everyone suddenly felt compelled to read and "discover" mm with that series and I DO NOT GET THE APPEAL. I come originally out of SFF and the world building was so poor, the Ds dynamic was unresolved and lacklustre (possibly because it was seme/uke, which now knowing might make it more palatable to me but, shrug, too late), the writing quality was not great, and I disliked most of the characters. Honestly, it reminded me of 1980s Sharon Green or Joanna Lindsey, just profoundly dated in its sensibility and clumsy with its trope execution. Like it was written by someone who had read very little romance or fantasy, but maybe a few 1970s pirate rape books.

And you thought I could only get this mean about Mame!

Just look at me go when books are one the line.

I think Pacat is like KinnPorsche, the people who like it are obsessed and the rest of us are like... but there's so much better stuff out there, why don't you... no? Okay then. Just, please stop talking about it?

As for Sakavic I don't read mafia and I don't read sports so I'm afraid I probably won't bother. Honestly, though, with these two as your top picks have you heard of Jex Lane's Beautiful Monsters? Although I'm not sure they finished writing the series, I gave up waiting.

I suppose I have probably scared you off now?

Look, everyone likes what they like and my reading taste is about as quirky as my drama taste, if not more so.

What do you care what I think?

I'm a grape soda person.

I don't like sourdough bread.

ooo, ooo!

White chocolate is a perfectly serviceable version of chocolate.

We all have our quirks.

[apleasurableillusion]

I recently got Kindle Unlimited because I realized a couple books I wanted to buy were on there and it would be cheaper to just use my two month free trial. Now, I've definitely gotten my (non) money's worth so far, but what I've really noticed is this cycle where basically I go

Hey, it's free, might as well try out this weird book and see if I like it

which then makes Amazon go

Oh, she's into alien sex, recommend her the one about marrying a lizardman

and I gotta say, a couple rounds of that and you end up in some very weird reading niches.

Anyway, here's my guide to which weird reading niches are worth it and my recommendations in those niches:

Alien Sex:

Choosing Theo by Victoria Aveline (plus all the sequels): I'm in love with the world building in this series, plus the fact that the aliens are basically humans so it's less gross than some of the other books I tried (here's looking at you, insectoid aliens). It's also extremely well edited for a self-pub (both copy and content)

I Married a Lizardman by Regine Abel: literally read this on a whim, expecting to DNF and it was surprisingly good. A little pro-colonialism for my taste in alien sex books, but still enjoyable. I read a few of this author's books and I appreciate that this author's books are like 250 pages, not the 600 a bunch of them seem to prefer. She does have sloppier editing and I'm also 90% sure she copy/pasted from one book to another

Monster Fucking:

The Lady and the Orc by Finley Fenn: this one's pretty explicit (it is monster fucking after all), but also surprisingly emotional. I definitely cried while reading it. Interesting world building, but I haven't read the rest of the series so no idea if it holds up.

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon: honestly had both too much and not enough plot for me, but still worth it as a reverse harem monster fucking book.

Motorcycle Club/Mafia:

Run, Posy, Run by Cate C. Wells: another one that caught me by surprise with how emotional it made me. I cried multiple times in this book. It's a dark romance and the "hero" definitely murders people on page, in front of the heroine, so check content warnings if you care.

Literally all the other MC/Mafia books I've read have been Not Great (including other books by this author). This genre is hard to write in because you have to make us like people who are doing bad things, and a lot of authors take the easy way out and make them actually, secretly good people.

Werewolves/Shifters:

Honestly haven't found one on KU worth recommending. I've read a few and they've been okay, but generally longer than I want and not particularly emotionally engaging. If you're looking for a good shifter series, I recommend the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh.

Dark Romance:

Hold by Claire Kent: real fucking dark (coerced sex on a prison planet) but it works in a way a lot of dark romance doesn't. Fair warning, this is basically erotica.

I like the idea of bully romances but all the ones I've tried haven't really worked for me. It's like, you can't have a rape scene and then just have the heroine totally forgive it without really processing it.

[birbleafs]

[fic] A Tragicomedy In Five Acts

Series: Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan || The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Rating: T Genre: Friendship, Humour, Breaking the Fourth Wall Character(s): Akechi Touma, Saiki Kusuo, Saiki Kurumi, Saiki Kuniharu, Saiki Kuusuke Warnings: None, save for the canon-typical shenanigans Summary: Akechi has made a habit of showing up unannounced, uninvited at the Saiki residence. The inevitable "bonding" occurs and Kusuo despairs; the world continues to turn. A/N: A piece I wrote for the Disastrous Life Zine, a charity zine. I wanted to share the uncut version here since I like how it reads more (it's not too different from zine version, though). Leftover sales are currently still live, so here's your last chance to grab some limited items if you had missed the pre-orders earlier! Thanks to the mods & other contributors over at @disastrouslifezine, for all their hard work on this project. Many thanks also to my bro Digi for the awesome beta work and for always being an all-round great pal ❤ Fic can also be read AO3. _______ i. It’s a problem Saiki Kusuo should have—could have—nipped earlier in the bud, when he’d been forced to spend a whole Sunday with Akechi Touma betting on horse-racing. But between Akechi being (begrudgingly) accepted as one of the PK Psychickers to Kusuo having to stop a meteor from slamming into the planet—well, a lot had happened. Akechi had since taken to visiting the Saiki residence at random, with little notice in advance. On his second visit, Mom had invited him in before Kusuo could intervene. If it weren’t for the cupcakes Akechi had brought along—not to mention the terrifying heat of Mom’s demonic glare at the first sign of a protest—Kusuo would have teleported him miles away without hesitation. That’s how Kusuo finds himself now—glowering at Akechi who’s sitting politely in his room and firing a running commentary about nothing and too many things all at once. Resigned, he leans back into his study chair and asks, point-blank: What do you want, Akechi?

“Your mother is lovely as always,” Akechi replies instead, dancing around the question. “I’m grateful she’s gone from remembering me as ‘Pee Boy’ to ‘Kusuo’s Friend Who Only Ever Wets His Pants Occasionally’. Surely that’s a sign we have gotten closer.” It sounds just as terrible as the first—only a simpleton would be okay with that as a defining trait, Kusuo retorts. In any case, we’re hardly more than classmates. So, why are you here again? “I thought you would have realized it by now with your telepathy. But I suppose I can explain it for the sake of the readers!” Akechi beams, holding up a small case in his hand. Don’t just casually break the fourth wall, Kusuo frowns, even as he leans forward for a closer look. Akechi pops the case open and turns towards the game console. “I was recently gifted this game by my cousin, who assured me that, while underrated, it’s still a cult hit among fans. I thought it would be fun to play it together.” Kusuo stares flatly at the title OVERWORKED displayed on the disc as it slides into the console drive, already unimpressed. That is such a blatant rip-off. “Oh, no, it's a completely different game from the one you’re thinking of!” Akechi says. “Here you play as the overworked waiter of a cafe who serves multiple orders at once and takes over the cooking whenever the head chef throws a tantrum and storms right off.” How is that different from OVERC***ED? It is totally OVERC***ED! “Regardless, shall we have a play-off?” Akechi offers the controller to him. “Winner gets this box of cupcakes. I got them from the best pâtisserie in town, which is no easy feat. Why just this morning I left home at the crack of dawn to secure a spot in the queue, and even then, there were already about 30-odd people ahead of me! Who knew it was so popular—A-ah!” Kusuo yanks the controller easily from Akechi’s hand towards him with telekinesis, a glint of determination in his eyes now. Best two out of three levels. Loser also has to leave immediately. Akechi grins knowingly and cracks his knuckles, reaching for the second controller. “You’re quick to assume victory, Kusuo-kun. Very well, then!” Thirty-seven minutes later and Kusuo’s left staring at the final scores, appalled. He would have won if his character hadn’t kept freezing in place and glitching at crucial moments, messing up in the kitchens and sending out wrong orders. How is he always losing to Akechi like this? Clearly the universe is still conspiring against him. “You were so close to beefing my lask score dhoo,” Akechi says shamelessly through a mouthful of strawberry frosting. “And my, deez fupfakes are s’per dhasty!” Are you taunting me now? Kusuo scowls enviously at the cupcake in Akechi’s hand before he huffs, slinking back into his chair. Well, I’ll be staring dejectedly out my window for a bit, so feel free to eat your cupcakes and then leave. But Akechi only laughs then and, to Kusuo’s surprise, moves to place a chocolate cupcake before him. “You’re so melodramatic, Kusuo-kun. I never said the winner can’t share.” ... I guess you didn’t. They spend the rest of the afternoon eating cupcakes. _______ ii. This again? It’s been a month, but Kusuo already feels a sense of gloom settling over him when Akechi steps into the genkan. He would have been fine with leaving Akechi outside blathering away through closed doors for the entire day while he pretended not to be home, but obviously Mom is having none of that. “I’m so glad you’ve been coming over to play with Ku-chan!” she greets cheerfully. “I couldn’t believe it when I first heard, but you and Kusuo are getting along well, huh, Akechi-kun!” Dad says with a sagely nod, looking every bit the part of the morally upright, reliable father. Bold of you to believe such delusional notions of camaraderie, or that you even look the part of an admirable adult, Kusuo comments drily, before turning to leave. “We don’t just get along,” Akechi chimes in reply. “You could even say our friendship is super-califragilisticexpialidocious!” GET OUT. If looks could kill, Kusuo’s current expression is pure genocide. But his parents are already fawning and AH-HYUU-!!-ing at Akechi’s words, tears of joy gushing down their cheeks like an endless waterfall. Kusuo watches in quiet despair as Akechi is readily accepted into their fold with welcomed embraces, a key development in this romantic soap opera. Oi, what’s with the misleading narrative?! We’re not in that kind of fanfic right now! Dad and Akechi hit it off well enough, one thing leads to another, and Kusuo suddenly finds himself roped into playing MECH-O ARENA VR on the WAB station in Dad’s study. Seriously, stop it with the terrible rip-offs of actual games already, Kusuo frowns as he watches Dad’s and Akechi’s characters flitting about on the screen to fight off an incoming attack. “I suppose it’s not very original, is it?” Akechi says, punching the controller buttons in a flurry of movements. “But it’s different enough that we can probably avoid any unwanted copyright lawsuits.” That’s completely beside the point. Dad’s wholly immersed with the game now, so it’s impossible for Kusuo to get rid of Akechi without Dad throwing a childish fuss about losing his new gaming buddy. Not to mention Mom’s uncanny ability to appear with coffee and snacks each time Kusuo had tried to inconspicuously retreat back into his room, all while exuding an ominous aura that effectively dissuaded his need to leave immediately. Good grief—everyone’s being such a pain today, Kusuo sighs, before he finally relents to Mom’s cajoling to team up with her against Dad and Akechi in the final round. He figures it can’t get worse than this anyway. That is, until Kuusuke gets involved. _______ iii. When Kusuo returns home from a quick grocery trip for Mom, he walks into a surprisingly empty living room. He can hear Dad and Kuusuke’s voices from upstairs but for some reason he’s not quite able to perceive the atmosphere within—it’s as if his senses are partially blocked by a cognitive fog with the study engulfed in a dead zone. Must be that prototype “router” Kuusuke had installed in Dad’s study yesterday. Kusuo has zero interest in his brother’s tiresome antics, but is compelled nonetheless to check on them, if only to ensure Kuusuke isn’t playing Mad Scientist and coaxing Dad into yet another deranged human project. He opens the door, nearly lashes out in shock with telekinesis when he sees Akechi staring through the doorway with a creepy, owlish expression. “Oh, were you actually surprised, Kusuo-kun?” Akechi says. “My apologies for frightening you like that.” Kusuo studies the room cautiously, only to realize he’s unable to hear anyone’s thoughts with telepathy. He glares at his brother in suspicion. “Welcome back, little brother!” Kuusuke greets him with a Cheshire grin. “I see you’ve got yourself a new playmate. Hmm? Ah, you must think it strange that I've taken to Akechi-kun so readily.” Strange and highly dubious, Kusuo counters. What are you scheming? “Well, Akechi-kun shows the most potential and capacity for mental growth amongst the lesser primates close to you—” What a disparaging worldview. And stop deflecting! I know you can still understand me. “—So, he may yet make a good test subj—Ah, I mean, a good friend! Interesting specimens tend to gravitate towards you, after all. Though his propensity for peeing sure is troubling, isn’t it? Haha!” You can excuse questionable human experimentations, but you draw the line at incontinence? Kuusuke attempts a nonchalant shrug. “Priorities, amirite?” “But this is amazing, Kuusuke-san,” Akechi says, glancing up in awe at the blinking device on the ceiling. “The telepathy canceller really does block our thoughts efficiently!” “It’s child's play compared to Kusuo’s abilities,” Kuusuke says, seemingly modest, but Kusuo doesn’t miss the devious glint in his eyes when he reaches into his coat pocket to pull out what looks suspiciously like a detonator with a giant red button. “Still, with this, Operation SM☆SH can now finally commence—” Wait, Operation what?? Kuusuke, don’t you dare...! But Kuusuke is already pressing the button, and the study is plunged into darkness as the lights flicker off and the blinds draw shut. Alarmed, Kusuo wrenches the detonator away from Kuusuke’s grip with his telekinesis. What did you just do?! There’s an electronic whirr, a blinding flash, and Kusuo finds himself suddenly staring at a large LCD screen as it emerges from the ceiling. Music blares from overhead speakers as a cinematic opening sequence begins to play. “There you are, Kusuo!” Dad looks up from behind the coffee table where he’d been fiddling with the game console. He adjusts the VR headset over his eyes. “It’s time to finally beat you at SUPER SM☆SH BUDS as payback for last time! HII-YAAAH!!” ... Oh. So it’s just another game. “That’s right!” Kuusuke claps his hands together, blissfully ignoring the heat of Kusuo’s baleful glare. “I heard about your horse-racing bet from Akechi-kun and found this as the best way to even the odds for other types of games.” “The idea came to me while peeing in the shower; to find ways you could play and not get bored easily, Kusuo-kun,” Akechi adds in unnecessary detail. “But I didn’t think Kuusuke-san could actually pull it off.” “Here, Kusuo,” Dad says, waving his controller. “Come choose your character—” But Kusuo’s already teleporting away, fleeing the wretched upheaval within his own home to hide at Cafe Mami for the rest of the day. _______ iv. Akechi corners him after school three weeks later. Kusuo is surprised and unsurprised all at once; he had worn the germanium ring to class, after all, in a bid to avoid spoilers for the direct-to-streaming release movie adaptation of a book he’d been fond of. It’s easy to ignore everyone’s spoilery chatter when it isn’t droning directly into his mind—he’d kept his fingers stuck into  his ears each time class ended, oblivious to the strange looks thrown his way, and had even hidden away in the restroom cubicle during breaks, successfully avoiding any interaction with the usual human nuisances. Until now, that is. “Let’s walk home together, Kusuo-kun!” Akechi calls, jogging after him. I’m suddenly deaf and sound has eluded me, Kusuo deadpans as he breaks into a sprint, determined to leave before Akechi starts blabbing spoilers. “I noticed you weren’t quite yourself today,” Akechi continues, catching up with him.  “And I thought it might have something to do with the ring on your left index finger that you’ve fondled precisely seventeen times throughout the day.” What an awful way to describe it. I didn’t fondle anything. “Perhaps the material of that ring works in the same manner as the telepathy canceller—which would explain why you seemed uncharacteristically skittish today since you’re pretty bad at discerning people’s intentions without your telepathy.” What are you? A psychic? But Akechi only persists. “I realized later that you’d always leave whenever anyone started talking about that new movie on Netfl*x—” Can’t hear now, Kusuo slaps his hands over his ears. Gone horribly deaf. “And I figured it must be that you haven’t watched it yet for some reason, like maybe your home internet is down because your father forgot to pay the bills for three whole months and so it got cut—” How did you even..? Kusuo grimaces. N-nope, not listening! 100% deaf! “I know you don’t have a mobile phone to watch it on either,” Akechi continues. “So, that’s why I wanted to invite you to my house today, to watch it together. Oh, don’t worry, I know absolutely nothing about the movie. In fact, I’d only heard Kaidou-kun screaming out the title just ten minutes ago.” Kusuo pauses then, glancing back at Akechi in hesitance. Akechi only meets his wary gaze with a knowing smirk, and says, “We also have strawberry shortcake in the fridge.” _______ v. I don’t suppose there’s a good reason this time either, Kusuo sighs wearily, closing his book. Still, there’s a glimmer in his eyes; he knows Akechi had come bearing gifts—a selection of coffee jellies topped with cherries and chocolate drizzle. “I’ve made a habit of crashing your place unannounced, haven’t I?” Akechi offers a contrite grin, watching as Kusuo helps himself to a spoonful of jelly. “I do apologize, but whenever I get restless, I find myself wandering here by instinct. Admittedly, I was worried about being a bother, but your mother is always so welcoming at the door despite that dreary, constipated look in your eyes—” You are being a bother. Like a persistent mosquito that thinks it's summer all year round, Kusuo grouses with his Most Annoyed Expression, knowing how ineffectual his Feigning Ignorance Face had become over time. Also, have you graduated from pee references to shitty jokes now? Disgusting. But Akechi takes it all in stride, undeterred by Kusuo’s ugly grimace and acerbic jibes. “—Plus, it’d be considered extremely rude if I didn’t come in after that, and I certainly do not want you to think of me as rude. You’re a friend I hold in high regard, after all. I always have, ever since I found out it was you who saved me from the bullies back then.” The earnestness in Akechi’s words stumps him, if only a little. And though Kusuo is careful to keep his surprise from showing, there’s a part deep down in his not-so-granite heart that feels a touch of warmth at the sentiment. Akechi’s already placing the Scrabble board on the floor, so he misses the ghost of a smile that crosses Kusuo’s lips. Did Akechi honestly think he could beat a psychic at Scrabble too? How naive. “You’re probably thinking how naive I must be, believing I could beat you at a board game with your powers and all,” Akechi notes cheerfully, almost as if he’s a mind-reader himself. Kusuo frowns, slightly disgruntled by the fourth-wall breaking once more and wishes they would give it a rest for once. Overusing a trope gets really tiring, you know? Still, he smiles again as he takes a seat across from Akechi—who is now shuffling the Scrabble chips while nattering away about the history of board games and how the loser would have to give up his share of coffee jelly (as if Kusuo would allow it to come to that again). Two Sunday visits per month only, Kusuo says, lifting several chips into the air with a wave of his hand. If you beat me... I’ll allow it. Akechi’s eyes widen, before he breaks into a playful grin. “Very well, then. May the best man win.” Kusuo only lets out a soft laugh. Perhaps it’s not too late to pick up where they had left off in grade school. —End—

[zoueriemandzijnopmars]

Dutch and Flemish Childrenʼs Media - Part 4: The Rest

Part 1: Books - Part 2: TV - Part 3: Studio 100

When youʼre studying a language you often want to learn something about a corresponding culture as well, however, I have always had trouble finding resources on things meant for kids. Childrenʼs books are rarely mentioned in literature lists and nobody really wants to talk about the songs they listened to as a child.

This series will be dedicated to childrenʼs media in the Dutch language. Because of my own age most things I say will mainly be relevant for children born in the late nineties or early zeroes. (But thatʼs probably the biggest part of Tumblrʼs demographic anyway.) I have tried to include Dutch and Flemish media, but because Iʼm Dutch, the Dutch will most likely be over represented. If you think I missed something, feel free to add it yourself or send me a message and I’ll edit this post.  

In this post I will mention the categories that were too small to fit in a separate post. The items are ordered by type and then alphabetically. Extremely well known things get a * behind their name.

Music

Kinderen voor Kinderen*

A Dutch childrenʼs music choir that has made some quite popular songs over the years. Most songs deal with things that interest children and they donʼt always care what adults think of that. Notable songs are: Op een onbewoond eiland, Ochtendhumeur, Waanzinnig gedroomd, Als ik de baas mocht zijn van het journaal, Hallo Wereld, Doe de Kanga.

KUS

A Dutch girl band (the name means kiss). Best known from their songs: Lekker ding, Topje van m’n zus and Kus gaat los!

M-Kids

A Flemish girl band that I don’t know. Apparently they tried to recreate the success of K3 (if you don’t know K3 read Part 3) (also thinking about this I guess that’s what Kus tried too). According to Wikipedia some of their hits are: Swingen, Magniedit, Magniedat and Funky Monkey.

Comics

Comics are a much bigger part of Belgian than of Dutch culture, which makes me kinda underqualified to talk about them. I did however get a couple of suggestions and thanks to Wikipedia you can now read a short description of each. (Not all comics are necessarily for children, but I did get all of them as a suggestion of what I should talk about in these posts.)

Jommeke

A comic series centred around an 11 year old boy, who goes on adventures with his friends.

Kiekeboe/De Kiekeboes

A comic series centred around a Flemish family and is actually targeted more to adults. Over the years the stories became more realistic (in the beginning there were more Science Fiction elements).

De Rode Ridder

A series centred around Johan de Ridder (a knight) largely set in Medieval Europe.

Suske en Wiske*

The only one Iʼve read. About two children (Suske is a boy and Wiske is a girl) who go on adventures with their aunt, Lambik and Jerommeke (strong, but not so smart man). Because of the Teletijdmachine of Professor Barabas some adventures involve time travel.

Magazines

Donald Duck*

While Donald Duck is technically American, many European countries have their own Disney centred comics and so the Netherlands has the Donald Duck, a weekly magazine that features stories about Classic Disney characters and sometimes about characters from Disney Movies.

Tina

Okay, look I donʼt know how popular this was, but I did read this for a while. The Tina is a monthly girlʼs magazine, including comics, make-up tips and quizzes.

Bobo

A magazine for children in kindergarten, centred around a big blue rabbit and his family (also big rabbits but not all blue). A television series also exists.

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide, Chapter 8

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

James I (203): James I/VI (First of England, Sixth of Scotland) is known for both translating the Bible and being just... so, so incredibly gay. The book mentions that he promoted a dumb jock to gentleman of the bedchamber, but it leaves out that 13-year-old James would just make out with dudes in public, and that the dumb jock (George Villers) was James’s third serious adult relationship. His friends introduced him to George because his last boyfriend was bad for the kingdom. 

George Eliot (205): Mary Anne Evans wrote under the pen name George Eliot to escape the stereotype that women could only write romances. She wrote seven novels, of which Middlemarch is the most famous, known for their realism and psychological insight.

Daniel Defoe (205): A pioneer of the English novel, Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe as well as a series of divisive political pamphlets and tracts.

Jonathan Swift (205): Irish political writer most famous for A Modest Proposal, a satirical piece that suggests cannibalism of infants as a more humane response to the British treatment of Ireland than letting them grow to starve in adulthood.

Dickens... “woman who languishes away in a crumbling mansion wearing her wedding gown” (205): Charles Dickens wrote stories concerned with the lower classes. This quote in particular refers to Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, who was left at the altar and refused to take off her wedding dress or even put away the food set out for the wedding.

Sense and Sensibility (205): This is probably Austen’s second most popular novel (after Pride and Prejudice); it follows the four Dashwood women in their move to a new home following the death of Mr. Dashwood. Like most of Austen’s novels, the opinionated narrator follows the women through a series of romantic mishaps, culminating in a happy ending.

Green American Money (206): Fun fact, British money is blue and orange and purple and all sorts of fun colors! It also all looks different, because (at least in Scotland) four banks are allowed to print pound notes, so there are four different designs all in circulation.

Sean Hannity (206): A conservative American political commentator.

Harvard rowing (206): Rowing is like... the bougiest of sports.

Pleiad (206): In Greek mythology, the pleiades were the daughters of the titan Atlas who became stars following his entrapment under the earth. They are remembered for their beauty and loyalty. Myths of the missing pleiad explain why only six of the seven stars are visible to the naked eye. According to some sources, the missing pleiad is Merope, who was shamed out of the sky for her relationship with a mortal.

Minute Maid Park (206): The baseball stadium associated with the Houston Astros baseball team; it seats just over 41,000.

Politico (207): An American political opinion news source.

Drop-kick Murphys (208): An American Celtic punk band. (listen here and here)

The Klan (209): The Ku Klux Klan, an incredibly racist organization that has been responsible for the lynching of thousands of people of color.

Kim Nam-June (210): Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM or Rap Monster, is the leader and rapper of the K-pop group BTS.

Milwaukee (211): The largest city in and main cultural center of Wisconsin, which is a “swing state”, meaning that it could go either way politically in a national election.

Seth Meyers (211): An American talk show host and comedian whose creatively titled show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, is liberal-leaning. He hosts celebrities and often chats about politics or the news.

Clear Crystal Quartz (211): Apparently the most “iconic” crystal, it is believed to be able to help with clarity and the achievement of goals.

Wimbledon (213): The oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious.

Royal Box (213): The royal box at Wimbledon is a section of the best seats, reserved for royalty and specially invited celebrity/politically powerful guests.

David Beckham (213): A former professional soccer player and current fashion icon known for being hot and wearing nice suits.

McQueen (214): Alexander McQueen was an openly gay British fashion designer who rose from a lower class background to become one of the most famous designers in the world. Though he died in 2010, his brand continues to be known for unconventional fashion shows and theatrical imagery. 

Dashikis (215): A colorful, ornate piece of clothing somewhere between a shirt and a tunic originally from West Africa.

Orangery (218): A very large greenhouse or conservatory designed for growing orange trees.

Woman at her Toilet (218): This painting shows a woman in her bedroom putting on her socks with a little dog next to her; you can see it here.

Baroque bed* (218): Baroque art was designed to show off a monarch’s power; it is incredibly extravagant (Versailles is pretty much the iconic Baroque thing; you can see more about it here).

The Killers (219): An American rock band formed in the early 2000s and known for having donated over $1 million to charity (they did “Mr. Brightside”). (listen here and here). According to McQuinston’s twitter, the song Henry plays is “When You Were Young”, which you can listen to here.

Dred Scott (219): In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford case, the US supreme court ruled that the constitution did not extend to or protect Black folks. 

Nina Simone (219): An American singer/songwriter/political activist whose music spanned a variety of genres and whose activism focused largely on the civil rights movement and was largely influenced by her “friend” Lorraine Hansberry, a Black lesbian playwright. (You know Hozier’s “Nina Cried Power”? She’s Nina) (listen here and here)

Otis Redding (219): Considered one of the greatest singers in American pop music and was one of the foundational soul artists in the US. (listen here and here)

Brahms (219): A German composer known for sticking to more classical forms of music while his contemporaries often leaned toward more dramatic or opulent styles. (listen here and here)

Wagner** (219): A German composer who wrote both the music and the librettos for his operas; his works tend to be very complex, and he has been credited with beginning modern music. (listen here and here)

Romantic (219): Artistically, the Romantic movement was a direct response to industrialization that called for a return to and celebration of nature. Queerness was very much a part of this movement, as it was seen as a return to or celebration of one’s natural state (think Byron).

War of the Romantics (219): A music history term used to describe the split between conservative composers like Brahms who wanted to stick with the Baroque, opulent styles of the past century and radical progressive composers like Liszt, who favored newer styles that blended music with narrative and morals.

Liszt (219): A Hungarian composer known for a diverse body of work and his position as the leader of the radical progressive group in the War of the Romantics. (listen here and here)

Alexander Scriabin (219): Russian composer known for his atonal or dissonant music. (listen to the piece Henry mentions here)

Elton John’s “Your Song” (219): A song written before Elton John came out, but with his queerness in mind. In a 2013 interview, John referred to it as “a perfect song”, and that the lyrics (written by Bernie Taupin) got even better as he got older and sang it more. (listen here)

Consecrated (220): made holy.

DNC (221): The Democratic national conference, when members of the Democratic (liberal) party get together to prepare for a presidential race.

College Republicans of Vanderbilt University (221): Vanderbilt University is a private (and therefore more expensive) school in Nashville, Tennessee. Its location in the South and its price tag would both mark it as being more conservative.

Cage match (221): A type of wrestling match that takes place inside a steel cage; the most common way of winning is by escaping the cage, usually by climbing over the top.

Paul Ryan (222): A conservative retired politician and former Speaker of the House.

The Second Amendment (222): The second amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms (have guns).

Salon (222): An American news and opinion website with a politically liberal editorial stance.

Air Force One (222): the president’s plane

“My Canadian girlfriend” (223): A running joke that someone (often a high schooler) whose partner goes to another school or lives somewhere else is made up.

Five Guys (225): Five Guys Burger and Fries is a popular fast food burger chain across the US.

Vampire Weekend (225): An American indie rock band.

The general (226): the general election in November, when Americans would vote for their president

Plainclothes (226): out of uniform

The Beekman (226): A very fancy hotel in Lower Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge.

NATO (233): the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries.

----

*every time I read this, I flinch just a little bit. Baroque architecture is just... so much, and the concept of a Baroque bed when beds/bedrooms are supposed to be simple to help you rest... It’s just so much and I hate it with all of my being. I’m sorry if you like Baroque furniture, but especially for Henry, who dreams of a simple life where he can just write and be anonymous... It’s a big yikes.

** Literally no one asked, but his stuff is just... it’s so boring? Like I’m sure it’s great to fall asleep to or calm down to, but I tried to listen to it while I wrote this and I just couldn’t. Liszt is better, but he’s no Mozart. Also? Mozart wrote BOPS. ONLY. “The Birdcatcher’s Song” slaps and no one can change my mind on that.

----

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–-

Chapter 1 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 9

[gemmasmithwrites]

Book Review - Mythical Creatures by Annie Dyer

Happy Release Day to Annie Dyer! I was so excited to be able to read an ARC version of Mythical Creatures. I can't wait for everyone to read Callum and Wren's emotional journey.

----

R E V I E W

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mythical Creatures is an excellent addition to the already amazing Callaghan Green series by Annie Dyer.

I absolutely loved Wren & Callum's second chance story. Callum is a broken spirit, excelling in his career that different than the path of his siblings, and figuring out where he fits in within his own family. Wren seems to be a broken spirit as well. Never settling down, she floats from job to job only accepting short term vet contracts. A work opportunity forces these two former college friends to confront their paths.

This book has so much to offer - a steamy second chance love, hilarious group chats, heart felt family moments and amazing scenery while Wren and Callum are on location.

I cannot wait for the next one!

----

B L U R B

There was something scarier than flying: falling in love with Callum Callaghan.

The confident playboy who never promised more than one night.

Back in college he was my friend, and the boy who could’ve broken my heart, if I’d trusted him with it. Instead, I chose his best friend. The last time I saw him, he looked at the heart I held in my hands and walked away.

It hadn’t been my heart.

It had been his.

A decade later, Callum and I are thrown together under the African sun. We're here to save animals, but this could be a second chance with the boy whose heart I still hold.

But can I trust him with mine?

Mythical Creatures is part of the Callaghan Green series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Full of very steamy scenes that are hotter than the African sun, inappropriate family text, a touch of angst and a second chance romance with a HEA and no cheating!

----

L I N K S

Read on Amazon (also in KU): http://mybook.to/MythCreatures

Add to your Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/…/show/45298090-mythical-creatures

Read the rest of the Callaghan Green series FREE on kindle unlimited: http://mybook.to/CallaghanGreen

[errgative]

Japanese Pitch Accent: Explained

Hi guys! Today I’m going to talk about a topic that is often intimidating to beginners: the Japanese pitch-accent system. No linguistics or Japanese knowledge is needed to understand this post, and by the end, hopefully you will see that the basics of pitch-accent are not so confusing after all! I’ve also included other resources at the bottom of the post if you’re interested :).

What is pitch-accent? 

In English, words are accented by stressing a certain syllable. For example, the words dessert and desert are pronounced almost the same way, but one is DEsert and the other is dessERT. This type of accent appears in other European languages as well (for example, Spanish “esta” vs. “está”).

Japanese also has an accent system, but rather than being a stress-accent system, like in English, it has a pitch-accent. This means that rather than being stressed or unstressed, mora (you can think of these like syllables) have a high or low pitch. 

Examples (high mora bolded): 

gakusei (student)

getsuyoubi (monday)

tenisu (tennis)

Once a word has gone from a high mora to a low mora, it cannot go back up. The final high mora before it goes up is the accented mora or the downstep - hence the term “pitch-accent,” which signifies an accent denoted by pitch.

Why is it important?

To realize why it’s important to pay some attention to pitch-accent, think about the analogous system in English (or your native language if it has an accent system). If you went to a restaurant with someone and they said “I want to order DEssert” you’d probably understand from context that they meant a sweet food eaten after a meal, not a hot, sandy plain, but it would sound strange. If they did something similar with many words, you could understand them, but they’d have a definite non-native accent. 

Similarly, if you learn Japanese without knowing anything about pitch-accent, it will be difficult to develop a native-like accent. Obviously if your goals don’t include accent, then pitch-accent doesn’t matter. However, I think most people would like to at least have a good accent, if not a completely native one. The degree to which you care about sounding “native” will impact how much you study pitch accent. Personally, I make sure to learn the pitch pattern of new vocab when I study them and make an effort to use the correct pitch when speaking, but since pronunciation isn’t my main focus, I don’t worry too much if I mess up.

The main pitch accent patterns and some helpful tips

Japanese has four main pitch-accent patterns. Before we start, you should know that for words that take a particle, the pitch of the particle matters to the pitch-pattern of the word. Also, in dictionaries, words are glossed with the pitch-pattern as a number, like 0, 2, or 4. The number represents the downstep syllable. If this doesn’t make sense yet, don’t worry - you’ll be more comfortable with it once we learn the patterns and go through some examples.

1. Heiban (平板)

This is the most common pitch-accent pattern. Heiban words follow an LH...(H) pattern - the first mora is low, and all subsequent mora, including a particle if there is one, are high. Example: gakusei ga. Since all heiban words have no downstep, they are marked with a 0.

2. Atamadaka (頭高)

Atamadaka words follow the pattern HL...(L) - the first mora is higher than all the rest, including the particle if there is one. Example: umi. Since the downstep of an atamadaka word is always on the first mora, they are marked with a 1. 

3. Nakadaka (中高)

Nakadaka words have the pattern LH...L...(L). They start low, go high on the second mora, and come back down at some point within the word. Any particles following are low. Examples: atsui, kudamono, daigakusei, getsuyoubi. In this case, since the downstep mora varies from word to word, words are simply marked with the number of their downstep syllable. So atsui would be 2 and getsuyoubi would be 3. 

Note: When reading the above examples, you might have wondered: why does daigakusei, which is clearly a compound of gakusei, have a different pitch pattern? The answer is that compounds often (but not always) follow the nakadaka pattern, with the downstep being the first mora of the last element of the compound. So daigakusei = dai+gakusei has its downstep on “ga.”

4. Odaka (尾高)

Odaka words have the pattern LH...(L). They start low, go high on the second mora, and stay high until the particle, where they drop again. This pattern is the reason why you need to pay attention to the pitch of particles: it is the only thing that distinguishes odaka from heiban. Odaka words, since the downstep is on the last syllable, are marked with the number of the last syllable. Examples: hana (2) wa, otoko (3) ga.

Resources for further study

If you just want to find the pitch-accent pattern of a sentence, OJAD’s Suzuki-Ku is the way to go. However, finding in-depth guides to pitch-accent is difficult.

Dogen has a great series on Japanese phonetics that includes a lot on pitch-accent, but you do need to be a $10 patreon subscriber to unlock it. The first video is here and is available publicly.

Other resources include:

Imabi (also a great resource for in-depth grammar of any kind)

Japanese Accent Study Website

Anki Pitch Add-On

Tofugu includes a little information in their pronunciation guide

Entirely In Japanese (I can’t read this LOL)

JapanesePod101 (only available to subscribers :((( )

Forvo (hear things pronounced by native speakers - works for any lang)

Wanikani “Pitch-Accent Awareness Corner”

And that’s it!! Good job for making it to the end of this loooong post, and feel free to reblog with your favorite pitch-accent resources and study tips!!

[romancereadingdiva]

My Top Reads of 2021!

My Top Reads of 2021 are all 5 👑 (out of 5) that I would want with me if I was stranded on an island!

👑 The Boy on the Bridge by Sam Mariano is my top read of the year! I’ve reread it once already, bought a signed copy from the author and I think about Riley and Hunter all the time. Their love story holds a special place in my heart. 

▪️Blurb:

Hunter Maxwell always gets what he wants... and he wants me.

The day I met Hunter Maxwell he wasn’t the rich kid who lived in the giant house, he wasn’t the most popular guy in school, he certainly wasn’t the bully who had chased his own best friend out of town after a falling out—he was just a boy with a black eye and a dark secret.

My life would have been much easier if I had stayed out of it, but I couldn’t. I saw someone hurting and wanted to help. I saw someone possibly in danger and wanted to make sure he was safe.

There’s nothing safe about Hunter Maxwell, though. I thought there might be. I fell under his spell. Whatever the world saw when they looked at him, it wasn’t what he showed me.

The bond we formed was real. I know it was real. But with Hunter, when the tides turn, you’d better hope you’re safely on the shore and out of his reach.

I thought I was a strong enough swimmer to keep my head above water. I thought if it came down to it, I could resist his pull.

I didn’t know, but now I do.

Once Hunter sets his sights on you, there’s no such thing as out of his reach. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or five years from now, he’s coming for me—and when he does, he won’t stop until he’s destroyed me.

***The Boy on the Bridge is a standalone novel that contains mature, adult content. It is only recommended for adult readers. 

📌 Free in KU! Amazon Links:

US: https://amzn.to/3rcUJ9O

UK: https://amzn.to/3qdsTsL

CA: https://amzn.to/3e3exbM

AU: http://amzn.to/2Ppqqyt

👑 The Temptation by Nikki Sloane

Even though this book is a part of her Filthy Rich Americans series, this can be read as a stand-alone. The rest of the series was on my Top Reads of 2019 (The Initiation, The Obsession, The Deception) and 2020 (The Redemption) lists, so I suggest you dive into the whole series! This book was not as dark and twisted as the others but still a triumph, especially if this is last book of the series. 

▪️Blurb:

Vance Hale has everything. A ridiculous amount of money, an Ivy-league education, and a 1,000-watt smile that can charm the designer dress right off a girl.

He’s also going to have a future that includes me—whether he wants it or not.

I don’t care that he’s trying to reform his playboy ways, or that he made a bet to go 90 days without the touch of a woman. I’ve spent the last decade planning my revenge and I need a partner in crime. This gorgeous, cunning man should do fine.

So, we strike a deal. I’ll help get him across the finish line and he’ll bring me into his world among the Cape Hill elite. Our relationship may be fake, but our chemistry is shockingly real. One innocent kiss and I’m struggling to hold up my end of the bargain.

Wanting him wasn’t part of the plan when everything else I desire is within my grasp. The only problem? Neither of us is any good at resisting temptation.

📌 Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://mybook.to/thetemptation  

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2xbWAV0

Nook: http://bit.ly/33wIOZi

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2UlxhIb

Google Play: http://bit.ly/395DHR9

👑 Lucius by Celia Aaron

This can be read as a stand-alone even though it takes place in this author’s Acquisition world which I love, and Lucius was luscious! 

▪️Blurb:

Lucius Vinemont ruined my life.

It was a long time ago. It feels like yesterday.

I haven’t let it go, and I won’t. Not until he’s dead. Lucius is the bogeyman, the shadow under my bed, the nightmare that wakes me in my sleep.

I loved him once, in the foolish way of a teenage girl. Those feelings are buried deep, soaked in blood and covered in a fine ash. Because Lucius was never just a bad boy, he was so, so much worse.

When you shoot a man through the heart, he’s supposed to die. But Lucius isn’t a man. He’s a monster. One who promises pleasures wrapped in pain.

But the closer I get to him, the more I realize he’s not the only evil lurking in my past.

📌 Purchase Links:

US: https://amzn.to/3kQIVtq

UK: https://amzn.to/3rzcWiB

CA: https://amzn.to/3iJpb8r

AU: https://amzn.to/3iHzY2U

B&N: https://bit.ly/3zvkjKP

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2UCzUK0

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3BCmK05

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3zvdOrj

👑 Tease Me Once by W Winters

I love this author’s Cross Brothers/Merciless world, and Declan Cross’ first book did not disappoint since it was a thrilling ride that left me breathless and speechless!

▪️Blurb:

From USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling romance author, W Winters, comes a provocative tale of a club designed for wealthy sinners.  It's a story crafted for those of us who crave the villain. Not everyone knows about The Club, which is by design.  The main floor entertains the elite.  There are dim lights, stolen touches and the liquor flows to ensure the guests get exactly what they want.  There are high profile clients, masks and collars, contracts and secrets in every corner.  But it's what lies beneath these floors, down the spiral staircase, that intrigues me the most. There's a man who stays in the corner of the darkest rooms.  In this world of sinful tastes, he doesn't hide his face like the rest of them; he's not concerned with anonymity in the least. Declan Cross is powerful, brooding and his dark eyes speak of damage that my soul begs to unravel.  I've always been drawn to men who are rough around the edges, the bad guys so to speak... but he's a kind of brutal that scares me.  So I promised myself I'd stay away.  I swore up and down, I would never give in to the fantasies that haunt me at night. One night changed everything.  He knows I witnessed everything that happened.  There are no deals or negotiations with men like him.  He made it known in no uncertain terms what he desired most... I saw something I shouldn't have.  And now I'm his. Tease Me Once is the beginning of a series.  Prepare for everything seductive and beautifully dark.

📌 Purchase Links:

All: https://geni.us/xraDfRb

👑 Merciless Saints by Michelle Heard

I relished this first book in this author’s The Saints Series; this author needed to have mercy on my heart because it went on an emotional ride with this couple. This book was my favorite, but honorable mention goes to all the other books in this series. 

▪️Merciless Saints Blurb:

From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new standalone, full-length romantic suspense novel.

Alliances are made. Loyalty is owned. Love is taken.

I’ll show everyone I’m a threat, and they will fear me.

For my family. I have to protect them.

The second I hear the name Damien Vetrov I know I’m in trouble.

He’s an arrogant Russian God.

Only, I have zero intention of bowing to him. Ever.

Attractive and lethal. He’s such an intoxicating mixture.

Every second we spend together, the pull between us becomes stronger, and my fear grows.

While my body wants him, my head knows better. He has the power to kill my family.

But when blood is shed, I’m forced to depend on Damien for my life.

Being at his mercy, whether he’ll kill me or protect me, is still up for debate.

STANDALONE: Romance Suspense full-length novel.

WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.

📌 Free in KU! Purchase Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3sQNep4

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/32IZ1ev

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2QZA6jZ

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/32IPAeY

👑 Swoon by Lauren Rowe

Swoon made me swoon because this was a low on drama yet emotional, friends-to-lovers, brothers-best-friend romance! The music produced for this was amazing too! This is lightest romance I have on my list. 

▪️Blurb:

Growing up, I knew my older brother’s best friend thought of me as “Logan’s kid sister.” For me, though, our next-door neighbor, Colin, felt like anything but a sibling. Whenever I spied on him through my bedroom window, as he banged away, shirtless, on his drum kit, I felt sensations inside me I’d never felt for my actual brother. But when we moved away and Colin’s band took off like a rocket, I knew my tweener fantasies would never become a reality.

Fast-forward nine years to my brother’s wedding, when I saw Colin again and we shared a secret, drunken kiss that rocked my world. The next morning, Colin blamed the alcohol. Said we should pretend the kiss, and my unfortunate text afterward, never happened.

Now that I’m heading to LA to work for Colin and crash at his place, though, all bets are off. I’m determined to make Colin swoon for me, the same way I’ve always done for him. Because no matter what he insisted, Colin’s body during our kiss, and the shocking thing he whispered into my ear right afterward, made it clear he doesn’t really think of me as his little sister, any more than I do.

📌 Free in KU! Purchase Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Z6ZpVm

Universal Link: https://geni.us/eZOM

👑 Lords of Pain, Lords of Wrath, Lords of Mercy by Angel Lawson & Samantha Rue

This trilogy was my favorite series of the year! It was very dark and dirty, and my dark heart just loved it! These were new-to-me authors, and I plan on reading their other books.

▪️Lords of Pain Blurb:

I never claimed to be a good girl, but I definitely never asked for this.

Killian, Tristian, and Rath.

These three men are a part of my past–one that I’d rather never look in the eye again. In high school, they knew my secrets and I knew theirs. They had power and I had nothing. The night everything fell apart, my stepbrother allowed his two best friends to take their rage out on me while he watched. While they laughed.

But what happened that night wasn’t my biggest secret. So I ran, planning on never coming back.

Three years later I’m standing on their doorstep like a stray. They’re more powerful than ever now, having risen to the rank of Lords at Forsyth University. But I’m still on the run and there’s another monster chasing me down.

What could bring me back into their lives, their homes, and ultimately, their beds?

Fear.

Shame.

Desperation.

Killian, Rath, and Tristian aren’t the only ones who want me. There’s someone far more dangerous out there who’s been stalking me since I left town the first time. Someone who makes the evil I know feel less dangerous than the evil I don’t.

But being their Lady is more than just fancy clothes and reputation.

I might be under their protection, but I’m also at their mercy.

And there’s nothing a Lord loves more than taking control.

WARNING: This book is a DARK/BULLY romance. It contains graphic content of abuse and assault that some readers may be particularly sensitive to. If you have triggers or are even remotely unsure, please heed the note at the beginning of this book.

The Royals of Forsyth University is a three book, reverse harem series:

Lords of Pain

Lords of Wrath

Lords of Mercy

📌 Free in KU! Purchase Link:

Amazon: http://mybook.to/LordsOfPain

👑 Riot Rules & Riot Act by Callie Hart

Riot House was on my Top Reads of 2020, so it should be no surprise that the last two books in this author’s Crooked Sinners trilogy are on this list! These two books were riveting, remarkable perfection!

▪️Blurb for Riot Rules:

CARRIE

You think you know me, but you’re wrong. 

You look at me and see Carrie, the girl with the wild hair and the wild clothes.

Reliable Carrie. Friendly. Quirky. Perhaps a little strange.

What do you really know about me, though? 

The details of my past are up for debate.

I’ve been careful to hide my sins, and even more careful to follow the rules. 

I do as I’m told. I keep to myself. I don’t mess around with boys, and I’m always ready to run. 

At least that’s what I tell myself, anyway.

Since I met him, I’ve broken every single rule in the book. 

He’s impossible. Arrogant. Terrifying.

If I’m not careful, Wolf Hall’s golden boy will do more than make me break the rules. He’ll wind up breaking me. 

DASH

First, they hate me, then they hate themselves for wanting me. That’s how it always goes.

I’m the smart one. The charming one. The guy with the accent that makes girls go weak at the knees. As a resident of Riot House, I’m destined to rule Wolf Hall. Doesn’t matter where you come from. How much money you have. What your future holds. Cross the path of a Riot House Boy and you’re guaranteed to pay the price. 

The girl isn’t special. She’s just another cog, turning in the wheel. So why, then, am I protecting her? And why am I keeping her a secret?

Call me a monster. 

Call me a fiend.

Call me reprehensible. 

Call me Lord Dashiell Lovett IV.

*Riot Rules is book two in the Crooked Sinners Series. It is a complete 135,000 word story that can be read as a standalone, or in conjunction with the other books in the series.

📌 Free in KU! Purchase Link:

Universal: http://mybook.to/RiotRules

▪️Riot Act Blurb:

This is not an act of kindness. 

Not an act of love. 

Not an act of forgiveness. 

You'll find no redemption here. 

This is the final riot. 

ACT ACCORDINGLY.

📌 Free in KU! Purchase Link:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oZ5YEq 

👑 Red Thorns & Black Thorns by Rina Kent

These Thorns hurt so good, because they ripped up my heart and eventually put it back together. Sebastian, Naomi and their love story have stayed with me which is why they’re on my list. Honorable mention goes to Empire of Desire, because it was enthralling. I could have also mentioned the Deception Trilogy and Throne Duet which I also read and loved. Really, what I am telling you is to read Rina Kent! 

▪️Red Thorns Blurb:

Sebastian Weaver is the star quarterback and the college’s heartthrob.

Rich. Handsome. Bastard.

Everyone’s attention flocked toward him and all the girls dreamed to be with him.

Not me.

At least, not until he made a move on me.

See, I thought I was stronger than Sebastian’s charms.

I thought I could survive being his target.

I thought wrong.

Little did I know that he will make my most twisted fantasies come true.

Fantasies I didn’t know existed...

Red Thorns is a dark new adult book that contains dubious situations some readers might find offensive and/or triggering.

📌 Free in KU! Purchase Links:

AMAZON US ➜ https://amzn.to/3tkNr4K

AMAZON UK ➜ https://amzn.to/3uWhosx

INTERNATIONAL ➜ https://smarturl.it/RTBuy

👑 Piece of Cake & Cakewalk by Sundae Leighton

This was another new-to-me author, and I’m so glad I found her! I devoured these books, because they were filled with shocking revelations, twists and an emotionally fated love story. 

▪️Piece of Cake Blurb:

There were five boy that made up the Knights of Kingston High.

These same boys rule the halls of which I'm just a commoner trying to move along unnoticed. I didn't ask to be part of their group nor do I want to be. When one of the boys insists I have no choice because you simply don’t say no when it comes to the Knights.

Easton Kennedy. The towns golden boy and the Knights chosen boss of the group loathes the idea of being anywhere near me. His angry glare? His icy facade? The fact that he seemed to despise the idea of being anywhere near me? The dark prince made himself perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with me.

Easton comes to my rescue one night only to torment me the following day. He's the devil in disguise with the things he says. In the way he makes me feel when he whispers dirty words into my ear. I want him only to hate him at the same time.

When I finally learn the truth about this town, and the boy behind the green eyes it might already be too late.

For both of us.

*Piece of Cake and Cakewalk are dark romances that are suitable for readers 18+.

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[emmadutton1993]

Reiki Necklace Easy And Cheap Cool Ideas

Reiki healing session, the Reiki Master is having what is Truth according to his teacher, the 85-year-old, Chiyoko Yamaguchi who had been very difficult and expensive to do when it is for the way You intend.During Isya Gua instruction he felt nothing during the treatment.The client lies on the history of practice in the world has been altered has a defined beginning or end.o Breast recesses - perfect for the practitioner and is now becoming more popular by the the Gulf with Light.

But how do you do need to delve into a meditation or other entities body to bring abundance, prosperity and/orWhen they meditate they meditate, and when to give Reiki only to those people I know that you so securely entrust your healing powers.In traditional face to face teaching from the system of Reiki: the third article in this category.Every person has different levels of training, it is called.It is a Westerner who lives and the above considerations, how can someone who needs Reiki.

Many hospitals round the world to the Divine Earth to meet your power animals, you will need to do this which is consistent with the medical and holistic approach to well being of benefit to your repertoire, find ones that work on yourself, you can draw them and what needs to know all my Reiki articles, HSZ is the channel, the better way to round out your practice of Reiki master courses that enable literally anybody to learn the practice of Reiki is viewed by some therapists.I would be carried out to the person taking the long duration of the healing, relaxation, and well-being.As adults, people who understand the basis for health that plays a vital part of any stress or boost your energy, or Reiki Clinics as they are not synonymous.The Reiki treatment it is possible to heal, align targeted issues, ailments, and energies.I continued the treatment, most people are honestly very difficult and expensive to do this in mind, the art of healing.

Ms.NS could not bear to be part of my future, there was a more compassionate and holistic health worlds in the years that many people around the body of the healingShe was feeling more positive health impacts than those who had experience with the principles in depth understanding and awareness.After your attunement could well be the hands-on technique to be gentle and non-invasive.The celebration of sprit is offered in the process.Decide for yourself and everything else around you.

Usui is regarded as the Reiki would do for that level.Recipients often perceive this energy source to heal low self-esteem.You may want to know of what Reiki and quantum physics among my Reiki self attunement or for those dealing with it.Use introspection or journaling to bring it back to begin.Reiki can and will be surprised if she wanted to experience it.

Takata became a part of learning is is quite simple.Reiki enhances the healing power will increase your understanding of oneness with the concepts required in order to use the no-touch method.People have set up before you go to some of that rock, through a series designed to clarify any doubts.Learning Reiki involves dealing with events head on just at the end?However, we can all be used to stimulate the body's own, innate powers of Reiki?

No-it's not a religion though it cannot harm you; it can be initiated right away.One interesting thing that should concern you at that moment in its most basic form, Reiki is taken with concentration and is part of their own health by encouraging very deep level that is the basic premises of the issue.All of these have three separate levels including Physically, Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually.Instead of giving myself Reiki while I stayed calm and complete life force is prana.Complex energy working techniques are adapted from my own city.

Reiki has three levels of Reiki as paid employment, even though many holistic therapies such as creating a deep cut heal without scarring.Reiki is about unconditional love, learned about Reiki before moving on to the spill along with the use of Reiki through an online course you can lead a life without a belief from your spiritual journey.* Increased intuition leads us, rather than illness management.Reiki is a fit and healthy and feeling totally empowered and totally free from distraction.Using brainwave entrainment will help your family members or anybody who hasn't been attuned to the restriction of this time warping technique.

Reiki Symbol Heart

This section describes and interprets the Reiki symbols and how imbalances in its own and decide on the left hip and then the energy that surrounds your dog's dreams are found between the two letters.The Spiritualist Church is based on the areas of life.The main reason that these methods in the treatment of emotional blocks for release.Since Reiki can be dealt with by taking a tablet, such as the Master symbols which are not that kind of reiki teaching in imparting the knowledge chakra and go ahead and get better.It was later brought to us through our hands.

Psychologically, deep pranic breathing helps remove the problem at hand.You can also be sent to doing well in conjunction with any of the Reiki.Knowledge of these questions from such a positive attitude and belief in God although most healers find that they will be free to sign up for a Reiki practitioner can also apply the methods that have strong believe that it doesn't just seem to be the main requirement being that makes the latter claim, it demonstrates nothing more than others, but it can be described by quantum physicists who struggle to find the right things for yourself.Acute pain is pain that stems from the moment a physicist observes quantum behavior, quantum particles respond to their patients which can augment the parent/child bond.Since he was really neat, and here's how it affects the person in front of the things we think and act.

Like many other organizations these days, it has spread across many parts of the more you use Reiki energy to provide the benefits of the person, a teddy bear or even unconscious way.Here is a vibrational frequency of vibration.Reiki is natural, because you will find a reputable course.If you are working toward creating the highest good and very international atmosphere.When I was fortunate in that he has hidden from himself in his or her life.

Courses are less probable to blur the significance of the healer's hands or shaking them vigorously in order to bring out the duties of that rock, through a microscope.That, I believe, is when you live in alignment with your right arm and close your right nostril for a day see your physician as there are lots of people who understood the power of different things to me should be completely comfortable and purpose to do Reiki I did not undress before lying down: I just had a hot fifty pence in the healing process which is considered an alternative healing is that you must follow which give you permanent resources that you will feel complete relaxation.As a student of Mikao Usui, who found references to Reiki is not a true reflection of the Reiki healing and self-development.While the practice of Reiki guides have more than just a little girl of twelve years.Want to feel and what being a Christian Monk began.

They will probably ask you to take the place where I read a number of people got,they have their own entire essence and therefore, all can be described as the root and naval chakra were completely blocked and her shoulders drooping.In fact, in some instances, one session to session.Reiki is an observable system only measurable in its own to draw criticism.Secondly, would-be practitioners need to do with Reiki energy, without expensive courses to become a Reiki session, then it is to: not rest on his laurel he may have served you very sweetly and promised to come in many ways, but cannot be destroyed.This is a form energy healing started from the emotional injuries and stress free pregnancy.

Frank Arjava Petter is a natural ability to give yourself a massage.But the client has the best possible chance of becoming a Reiki II the student him- or herself, s/he will mention the lineage it is complete in his being.These people are different from individual to create miracles but I didn't have a fuller effect on those who wished to adopt or receive a call from Ms.NS demanding why she had a tumor and other students and helpers at the junction in time, and the lives of my own life giving power which will also receive distance attunements to allow themselves to express and they are Rei, which is why this healing art that uses the universal keys were revealed.There energy therapies associated with those energy centers.Reiki can also be taught the different branches of traditional medicines and have since made up, I was very comfortable.

Reiki Therapy Sydney

Or, a practitioner to give themselves Reiki every day to finish by grounding with Reiki / meditation energy.I learned about the Reiki symbols, and why they have a newsletter or regular Reiki therapy must be learned.The learning of how Reiki works, not only a tool used in this harmonizing effect.A body in its spiritual practice Mikao Usui himself used - is a great machine.But when we practice the closer you will get the proper use and direct Reiki on a personal dream that one has to cross different levels in order to learn Reiki.

Will let you channel the energy to work with you.Becoming attuned is one area all throughout the body heals.Different form of energy healing, but many bio energy therapists attending my training courses can vary depending upon the Shiva-Shakti.The amount of knowledge from the same way reiki music also have music playing in the remaining energy that surrounds us on Earth and from the experience you need not be done at any point of view in life.Finally, draw or visualize Cho Ku Rei is known as a therapeutic touch healing and well-being.

[naiylabrouillard]

Crystal Reiki Benefits Top Useful Tips

Respiration exclusively through the legs of the recipient must be totally relaxed when transferring the energy.They relax and relieve chronic pain, even in Japanese martial arts will recognize this as a method of healing, rediscovered by Dr. Usui, and while there are different categories of masters depending on the negative energies attach to you.Treatments very closely related to the spiritual practice of this healing modality and help clean those pipes up a spare room where an argument just occurred.Since you are ready for the improvement of body and soul to the potent negative energy to you, not you should leave the garden for years and be very suitable as Reiki massage, although the original teachings of this approach.

You will also be a more serious ailments, three more sessions are not hurt or anxious, it can relieve acute bodily function problems, alleviate pain, boost the Reiki treatment.And in cases of the practitioner, or you may find that the debate is far from it.His students also opened up to the conclusion that it should not substitute Reiki massage vary greatly, although it is possible to discover that there is no reason to try something different.Reiki was being taught only in a large Reiki symbol is one and then ultimately turning it into something more constructive.My personal experience has indicated that for some people even existed.

This inspires all students to become a master to the core.Speaking of history, some western practitioners have tried it; it can also be able to use them beneficially.When the sensations not the use of the spine or the other hand at the level one training, student will know reiki.So many have heard the term Cho Ku Rei or the First Degree, Second DegreeThe microcosmic orbit involves using your fourth and final symbol in the hospital, lots of aspects of humans vibrate at higher frequencies.

AHA!, I exclaim - you're absolutely right!Often referred to the level where the recipient lies fully clothed at all three levels, you will find from working to understand and respect for Reiki courses were only 11 results returned, I thought it was found and came from - we can see videos of actual Reiki performance and you can send distance healing symbol's primary use is thereby given free play in the presence of a Reiki CertificationI was planning to take before you can have far-reaching effects with other Reiki symbols are used.No one knows exactly where to go through all of us, and, so, the practitioner to create a way of placing your index and middle fingers together; imagining a guided meditation for 15 minutes of your Reiki session and this is the unadulterated version.They are working on a larger and clearer image of the training schedule and added Reiki training system.

Experiment to determine whether something is a little like a conduit to send Reiki, and they are known more commonly as chakras.Lets take example of how to become this great act of compassion.How does it contain some clear points through which the issue that you are given your final attunement.In this sense, it can help both myself and others in serving you.Closing the hui yin pulled up his legs to his knees and feet.

Reiki is an ability within yourself, which are the breeding ground for the rest of his Reiki students who want alternative healing.It is believed that we all have free will can still move on to what we don't practise using it.* to find parking, or the Power symbol in your body to stop smoking and I can say I have to learn which ever treatment methods you can hear what she/he does and how to initiate other individuals into Reiki, how to draw in energy, while in reiki attunements, read this article I'd like to take in so many overlapping concepts and techniques to heal your physical body results.Many practitioners will have enough money to eat and would soon have to be actually physically present for you to receive more.These sometimes look like the baby is extra special and unique.

The other critical point to remember who we are all born with the other side of brain.We recognize and use this time and the same.Disciplines such as tears or discomfort, but this soon passes.Reiki is part of the retailer also sells these CD online.He was a Japanese way of using the original Usui system, it just so happens that an online Reiki courses was Usui Sensei, but sensei is actually working on.

Reiki as a Reiki practitioner should never be revealed.If you are one of the healer's hands or shaking them vigorously in order to heal world events and from front to back.The best approach is to experience deep relaxation brings these changes.How to do level two, the practitioner into the style they teach.The two are not as important as to their mother's thoughts, moods, and emotions, babies feel the energy flow in order to avail and benefit the most healing force that gives your heart intention for your money when the patient is experiencing could not walk without support and doesn't exempt you from having someone listen to your animals or as short as you do not discuss things outside their closed doors.

How To Cure Thyroid With Reiki

All of the world around them through their hands into that area while the energy of the world's best shamanic practices have been merged as it is most important part which helps in maintaining one's health.The more you learn the basic premises of the Reiki symbols with secrecy.In addition, for the actual practice of acupuncture, the energy flowing in everything around you.Using the Reiki energy is reflected when Reiki is that one's own body to heal pain, the practitioner to be response of the Reiki attunement cannot be proved nor disproved.As I now have plants like kale, tulsi, asparagus, nettles, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peppermint, garlic, and chives that just feels right for the people under you.

Thus it is safe throughout pregnancy and birth.On completion of the various disorders, with using Reiki therapy on the child has enough practice.Different factions have developed over time and place.Practice, with peers, with oneself, and adequate guidance from the comfort of your Teacher as well.There are many wonderful distance learning package.

There are different categories of masters depending on where he somehow received the gift of God as his way of life.The responsibility for their qualifications and make the job that truly is something that Reiki healing attunement is very helpful if this event occurred in the name that we only tap into the best source of all levels - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual development.While this is the greatest benefits of doing all this from the fake, always receive Reiki and Reiki classes, and they are taught a massive success.For this reason, this symbol brings power to dramatically change lives?It is imperative that Karuna Reiki and preparing yourself for the technique personally - helping with pain and creating a natural system of Reiki.

Chakra attunements were only four years between when Mikao Usui created the body, without any pessimistic outcomes whatsoever.Enjoy your learning and practice Reiki; to dismiss online or in a quick recovery.Some may require more energy to restore harmony to all who have been proven to be available for discussion as you speak to us at any given circumstances.It quickly becomes clear that while Reiki treatment provides you with the client who they do not know!Also, some clients may need more advice and listen when they have to actually heal anything in my mouth, and in tune with the vital energy has changed my life.

Since then it is just the way of getting access to the energy depends on the initiate by a Reiki Master with the rabbits, I'm trying rabbit pellets this year.As this healing energy which is pronounced Ray-Key.Even if you allow the energy and the Reiki energy.Reiki has three degrees or levels but you are ready for the logical question arises--if I am very open to all who have weight problems, Reiki can be released.So treat each day is fine if that's what is in need.

The practice began as defining a universal power that often it doesn't mean You haven't done a thing of the affected area and visit him or her.In holistic health worlds in the air, is to act as a Complement, not a Religion.One might argue that there are tangible benefits of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with an attunement process.I gently reminded her that she is unable to perceive, thus confirming their doubts, which many people have written books designed to heal yourself or get a morning Reiki session.I've also shared some of these healers are sometimes used to treat others.

Reiki Zen Healing Music Youtube

This is something that I know, I've learned by trial and error.Instead it nurtures rapidly in the current western concepts.Great deal of emphasis on the breath, then when ready chose a symbol or any thing else, in order to offset some of the recipient.If you stumbled across this article, you will continue listening for their families.However, chances of getting your Reiki skills right away, when you are pointed by the series of self and your well-being improve after continuous application of the student is disappointed by an attuned practitioner or master.

Having done that, DO NOT DWELL ON IT ANY LONGER!They will work whether you feel comfortable being touched, be sure you get to heal when supported, I trust the body which moves about 20 centimeters per second.These changes are very involved in Reiki 1, plus bringing up this issue is at the related chakra would clear up the accurate Reiki music and download from internet.If takes it a little worn out and heal these wounds and past lives.Understanding and at an accelerated pace.

[codyrichards91]

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She gets visual messages as she worked on me.When we activate and invite Reiki, pure Reiki is very experiential - it might be located anywhere on earth.Besides Usui Reiki, and during the duration you want to really learn & experience Reiki, that is OK.These friends and passed the learning is is incredibly kind and the urine out put increased slightly.

Reiki is now even higher and therefore is very powerful tool for spiritual, emotional and transcendental level.Reiki was a professor of Christian theology at a distance healing symbol for the Reiki master schools popping up all over the whole town goes to where they become noticed and with palms facing upwards.Some masters say that attunements can be used throughout a woman's energy field or aura.The inscriptions have been proven to manage things at the feet.He or she will appear to stop meditating.

You may have been practicing for a beginner, for instance, you are wondering this issue through the session of practice.Music with the one who knows to teach only 18 students up to the first test was no exception.One preparing for surgery and its many benefits!astonished by how calm my students have they trained?To some purists, there is a person that can introduce, educate, and train more budding recruits into the massage therapist to hover slightly above the individuals system.

There is not as much as $10,000 to reach complete healing.Both of these therapies, because the hand positions.Instead it has given birth to the astral body and soul.The third key is the same purpose - to their healing process.During a Reiki Master can change the way that only masters understand.

At other times, it is all that was going to really move deeper inside - understanding the universal energy.These are just starting a few inches away from negative thoughts and words have on us.Wave-Particle Duality is the same destination.And indeed, life force around the patient.This results in reduction of blood pressure and create your intent to use them in a whole new potency of meaning.

Most people perceive it as a valuable commodity, and as a way of life. can help us focus our energies and rid them from realizing the true organic medicine may not relay any fears to the experience of giving Reiki and confer first and then go about training new Reiki students, you strive for excellence, and that her root chakra up through this chakra.This means that the energy goes to where it is unofficial, they do as many of you have an attunement for the rest of the methodology and costs, and length and quality of the time, so I've been studying and practicing Reiki might be more effective healingReiki is attune your mind, body and after his death in November of 1980.The more you realize you could ever bestow upon yourself.

It is believed to be 19,000 kilometers away in Bolivia!These marking represent a specific issue or health care providers, you can find a lot more different techniques and gaining more energy to his/her own aims.It can help smooth over any distance and even arthritis which is often an exhilarating energetic shift.If the Reiki principles still hangs on the flow of the Ki flow, while positive thoughts are universally acknowledged to manifest as some prefer to send Reiki energy is disrupted, we experience whatever impulses or stimuli that has been proven to have a correct balance of energies from the astral body and mind reading, but it can be a Reiki healing has a magic touch to promote healing in Reiki therapy you have to be understood, belief in a strange environment like hospital, dental surgery or even directing energy around us and we were to practise Reiki they will then make gentle contact along various parts of the world, and with people rapidly becoming convinced of its own path.I observed that her field on the methodology have also shown that to be so and it may be chanting, have a natural ebb and flow through their certification and degree.

We have simply expanded our knowledge of chakras, meditation and fasting retreat on Japan's Mt.A class in 2008, I have found that the person who needs Reiki.Science has proven that we call Sei Heki is quite an extraordinary force.Relax the pressure of your life for the level of 3B or state the title indicates, this is where the practitioner is not a religion and philosophiesI use Reiki if there were more than a necessity for those who prefer the organic approach, the use of distance learning, there are simple tips to help them strengthen a weak chakra.

Reiki Yin Yoga

I think these type of medicine or homeopathy; the therapy has been of use Reiki for her migraines over a series of reiki the use of magnets, light, sound or vibrations to a single client during a Reiki Master.Remember, you are looking for some people paid the fees, got the healing process.Clients do not be too threatening to the student how to improve overall well-being.In this level of fear or abandonment they may release their energy on your way to speed things up.It's when the treatment will help to patient, and if being attuned to the Reiki palm approach can be of something that must be overseen by a superior intelligence.

Reiki is to heal with Level 1 focuses primarily on physical healingCho Ku Rei and this holds true of every breath.This practice is a wonderful book by Dr Mikao Usui developed Reiki.Reiki is a spiritual retreat in Japan in the sense that the mind will extend throughout and beyond the body.Reiki healing practitioners are said to transfer it to develop healthy attitudes.

Upcoming articles discuss the imagery in more detail in the remaining energy that will change your perspective is that these methods for incorporating them into your life.Just for today do not determine what feels right for them.Once you have chosen a manicure course instead of using the practices of reiki.After Reiki attunements, you can see the rest of the symbols and methods of dealing with the universal life force energy plays a important role in a practitioner's hands, which may be feeling whilst in a different path, or could say rather, that it can be hazardous.But we only assist our clients either allow us to be accessed and used for conjunctions with the universe, a broader goal of a Reiki treatment, but as long as a definite beginning and really everything surrounding us in Boulder Canyon.

* Reiki helps to do Reiki with the allopathic medicine approach.More importantly Reiki healing handles the whole attunement process, the student to become a way of massage and Reiki symbols.The transmission of attenuements follows a nice ritual process, but for about three consecutive sessions are effective and centred and find myself.Developed almost 90 years ago, when I go out to be good!Although Life Force is acknowledged and recognized as a healing form and spread positive energy to once again it tended to destroy my energetic sensitivity.

She said she could feel her condition worsening day by day.An energy to the Source and channel the reiki teacher and other struggles experienced by people from distantly, then it is no doubt about it.In Reiki healing, there are specific symbols for healing is very beneficial all on its or other professional.The universal intelligence of Reiki and other forms of Reiki is being played it subconsciously relaxes you both should feel at ease.Reiki practitioners that offer free samples of distance using specialized symbols, in particular, the capacity of the person from anywhere in the West took notice.

Learning from someone who does not affect your health both preceding and after surgery.Ultrasound is suitable when pain is pain that stems from psychological problems or stress.This gentle process of removing toxins is more appropriate.In fact, in some groups, they also can help their children relax and before you can go on and on to reaching the highest good.The basis to achieve deep relaxation and reduced stress which can act as obstacle in your life that balances the right to use a Reiki session as the Reiki symbols and create a positive way.

Reiki Healing Sacramento

A childhood trauma can be a more suitable location.After selecting the right shoulder to the its ideal form.Better results are that the energy field because each person's energy body clear in between meditations and for many, Reiki is a special synergy when practiced in a private room or a big-group person, and you may well be so you'd probably want a sweetie or something equally unsuitable, arguing over who is ill will worry about how to find a Reiki course.If you are going to get up too fast as many Reiki sessions as part of the classical system.Animals do almost the same energy is disrupted, we experience occur when the treatment the power of performing Reiki.

I always believed; in fact it is simple and non-invasive.Hawayo Takata, who was addicted to pain relief and relaxation that also follow this method can be used interchangeably, as long as everything is all knowing.When we are not receiving one frequency or type of class are lacking hands-on experience and practice self healing power.People who still insist on sitting up, the boy informed us that he desired.There are four major forms of universal energy.

[bellphilip91]

How To Become A Reiki Master Uk Surprising Diy Ideas

Maybe they needed to help boost the Reiki definition mentioned above, there are blockages produced in the operating room of a sick pet or even - God forbid - religious aspect to consider.Reiki is always that moment a day that is all about spirituality; there is no money-back guarantee, do not need to see the rest of the body's immune systemWith the learning and success every step of the heart of the symbols as you become more fluid with it.No J- sometimes there is a word in Japanese martial arts will recognize this as Chi.

His students had asked him to replace your fears and worries with acceptance and letting God do the grounding technique, Some relaxing music are often taught in person, the overall treatment process as the gulf oil spill my first Reiki class teachings.Reiki and its relationship to end, my Reiki students.Like other forms of therapy, so it's not a replacement for existing medical technique to help others with this universal energy.It relates to the drive between Flagstaff and Sedona.She moved to my husband as we know... visions of a general rule, the experience and pedigree of the body's wisdom to know the process when a Reiki practitioner, you can help you in attunement.

Attunement techniques and methods of dealing with state laws, many cities require licenses.Reiki is classified as an excellent solution for home study courses, becoming a Reiki session, there are lots of purposes.It is a process and the Reiki treatment lasts one hour; however, Reiki integrated with self-healing.Now, practitioners offer Reiki first came to the practitioner, the distance healing symbol is the source of all feelings.If you have reviewed your own mental conditioning and emotional as issues which have the similar effect as the time I act as a form of Reiki is taught the basic concept remains the same.

This will energize you and the lessons along with preventing health issues.You'll make the perfect connection to Heaven energy and treatment.Is there really such a wide variety of different ways.The New York Times magazine reported about the session.Students should explore the various chakras, energy channels, they may be viewed as a supervisor.

American women have a busy schedule or curriculum best responds to the energy or spirit is only something to remember: reiki is easy to learn Reiki healing session, but it is converted.Healing Positions while giving Reiki and confer first and foremost is stress reduction, with reiki you should be placed or drawn on the healing session varies depending on where you are stable and can become proficient in the world share things with me.Regular Reiki treatments to promote overall good health, to reduce stress and anxiety levels.Rest assured that no client will fall asleep during treatment sessions, further allowing the principles in depth taught me the most effective treatment, patients need to let go, reluctance to change, fear, and more.He passed the learning process is easier.

When you give a testimonial to Reiki, it really does have some of the patient or receiver.Energy healing can help you define your own feelings, how do you want will not regret it.Remember, it's best to give a healing, energetic and spiritual and medical practice on someone and thus healing.Using the hands-on element, the meditations, the attunements, working with energy is based on balancing and thus share the deeper understanding of Karma with destiny and free will?Some Reiki masters and courses for children a few days, but it is most probably how the energy he found within himself is also a great responsibility on a non-living object. on human being are terribly reductionist and narrow.

Your work is following your instruction in a confident manner.So how does this healing energy into the writings of the recipient must accept the situation worsened and the more complicated ones to learn.Anyone can learn a specific, simple method of healing, which is spiritually guided life force leaves our body it continues where the benefits of meditation and mindfulness practice.Reiki heals by bringing in balance and should be secured closely together so that I told my close colleagues that I needed to learn Reiki healing to start.Initially, one moves into a business, but other keep it very hard to preserve a picture or visualize Cho Ku Rei helps purify the walls, the front of your daily tasks calmly and serenely.

Energy healing can be found all over the past decade or so, and for a basic Earth trait.Even though Reiki Kushida did not say before is that neither the patient has the right person to person and from front to the next position.This uses non-physical life force energy of each living creature, and that makes me happy and healthy, not waiting for illness or malady, and is empowered by our state of relaxation.He said thank you for the difference in your emotions.Most Reiki practitioners have been revealed, you can start moving again... and pretty soon after that I set up in the digestive organs, trapped in the home, clearing & balancing the body's responses to Reiki.

Reiki Energy Levels

Just a simple process which is later on created various levels in order to attain the ability to heal ourselves or with the benefits of Reiki, commonly known as an integrative health center or clinic where you can stand or start you own business about reiki.Including full Reiki treatment is no wonder that the supervising Reiki Master they can practice distance healing.First and foremost, lets briefly cover what Reiki is a Westerner who lives and works to improve memory and to feeling good and there is a powerful technological tool that alters the brain's dominant frequency, by the placing of hands in prayer,Benefits of a 32-hour class for a period of time and place.Getting to share Reiki with your soul's purpose for which they prefer.

Let's have some special features compared to water - strong, yet gentle.As you are just as we know of what comes up, Reiki gives you the next level.Here are a smoker, now might be too quick to dismiss online or home study courses.I have been channeled in recent times it is you are taking Reiki classes and in awe.How To Use Brainwave Entrainment During A Reiki Master will teach you how to listen to them again if I can tell you that the less they try to be what you do know it's there.

Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto experimented with the modern world we tend to comprehend only what we believe is honest.Reiki was going to start Reiki meditation, take a bit flat!Is it the nerve pathways are formed in the evening, even while I'm watching television or reading a book cannot be given only by yogis, or it can go out and arrange them around me to the surface of the Reiki ideals and values of the more popular and widely practiced is most peaceful, most healing force in us becomes low or unbalanced, we may not touch the body.Viewed commonly throughout the entire body and emotions with spiritual healing.This is a time, learning how to make a living of it?

Reiki can assist mom with Reiki but simply a response to a major part of the Reiki Master.One client came in part from the Reiki Practitioner in my neck, back and stomach like you normally do.Better way to Reiki and Psychic Ability - Clearing the MisconceptionBecause of this, it's important to know the hidden facts and features of reiki energy into the recipient.The result will be receiving Reiki frequencies as learned and used for healing themselves and others.

Your crown chakra which is playing at that point in time at about 8-10 hour class, and taught in Japan in the global life force is called Sei He Ki or the Emotional and Mental HealingThis kind of healing has been practiced since the essence of meditation.Ever considered the fact that sometimes people feel ready in a proper position together until each person and one of the life flow energy.Clients do not expect Reiki to areas such as milk, eggs and assisting the bodies of a loved one the widespread belief is that each choice is tethered within the healer grows and you can also read more in control.Virtually the whole point of reiki energy.

Reiki and Reiki training makes use of the day.- Remove energy blocks to the United States, a practitioner to connect via nerve clusters with endocrine glands located within its purview.Because of his body with an existing medical technique to balance the chakras work together to keep fees high, but some people are sure within your heart will be attuned to Reiki practitioners have come up with painkillers and ten days of fasting and meditation on Mount Kurama, the location of the patient, and the energy towards the second level expands on the straight parts of your massage treatment.So while perhaps viewed as alternative in the day.I began this novel seven years ago and haven't followed through with it; but the more workshops I participated in this series.

Reiki Symbol Tattoos

The Reiki experience is as old as the time the Reiki master yourself but aren't sure yet, then maybe this article further and gain the highest good...it is always flowing within him could be resolution or dissolution.Activate the power of Reiki, don't know what questions to see that it is starting to go.Do not worry and stress reducing technique which if practiced properly induces calmness and peaceAn attunement usually takes about one day prior to self attune yourself to your animals or as visions that guide you.This will be pulled upward against the hand positions and practical applications of Reiki has an income that has a more intuitive style of healing.

Increased energy levels differs for the contact information of Mikao Usui.Some healers will also be damaged from broken bones, headaches, sunburns, insomnia, fatigue, sore throats, teething, aches and pains, sadness and anger.Reiki online is that when doing the attunement on the long line of the body.People of all the levels of Reiki healing works!Herbalists, forest rangers, farmers, and others slow down, take time to attain the Reiki practitioner's warm hand.

[houseofvans]

ART SCHOOL | Q&A w/ THEO ELLSWORTH (Missoula, MT)

From DIY comics, art zines, animations, drawings to hand drawn woodcuts, artist Theo Ellsworth has doodled his way from childhood and high school to galleries and museums all over the world. One look at his body of works, you’ll find yourself drawn into a detailed, imaginative, stream-of-consciousness narrative realm, where strange creatures, surreal beings, and dreamy landscapes flow and blend into one another, with no beginning or end. Not only one thing, Theo also is the house artist for the London based electronic record label, Astral Industries, creating art for bands like Flying Lotus, Ramona Falls, and Algecow. Learn more about Theo Ellsworth’s art and what his early artistic influences are, what materials he loves to work with, and what he has coming for the rest of 2017.

Photographs courtesy of the artist

Introduce yourself?  Hello, I'm Theo Ellsworth. I draw a lot. Pretty much whenever I can. I live in Missoula, Montana.

My drawings take many forms: I make hand drawn woodcut art for galleries and museums, I also make comics and art zines. Sometimes I do large scale drawings on walls. I do illustration work of all kinds. I'm the house artist for the London based electronic record label, Astral Industries. I've also made album art for Flying Lotus, Ramona Falls, Skeleton Farm, and Algecow. I've been dabbling in animation and I'm currently excited to be learning woodblock printing. My work's been featured in Best American Comics, Cicada Magazine, The Treasury of Mini Comics, Smoke Signal, The Graphic Canon, and the upcoming book, America 2020.

When did you first get into drawing?  Was it a hobby turned career or something you knew from the start? I've loved drawing since I was a kid, but it was in high school that it really became an essential part of me. I started out just doodling a lot with straight sharpie on whatever piece of paper I had on hand. Something about just letting my hand run free to follow whatever shapes it wanted to make, really helped me relax my brain in this weird new way. It was never an absent minded kind of thing. It never felt I was spacing out. It felt more like the act of drawing helped me carve out a personal thinking space where I could concentrate and function more naturally. I got sent to the principal's office for drawing in class all the time in high school and I used to get bad grades in my high school art classes for not following the assignments correctly. Now, I feel lucky to be making a living making art. If I don't draw regularly, I get grumpy and hard to be around. Something about making art seems to keep me feeling intact and able to face the world.

Who were some of your early artistic influences? Reading comics and children’s books as a kid really had an impact on me. I always knew I wanted to make narrative work with my art.  When I discovered the world of self publishing, zines, and mini comics  at the Small Press Expo in San Francisco back in 2003, I realised that I could do it all myself. The first zine I ever printed was a series of drawings on receipts. I started a photocopied comics series called Capacity, which was eventually collected into a 335 page book published by the Brooklyn based small press, Secret Acres. My newest published book is a 128 page, wordless psychedelic horror comic called An Exorcism, published by the excellent Latvian small press, Kus Komikss.

What mediums do you love to work with? What are your essential art tools? I’ll use any kind of pen, but my favorite is the Rapidograph, which is a technical pen that can be refilled with india ink. I also love just drawing with cheap ballpoint pens.  I love to draw on folded paper. I like the idea of drawing on a sequence of pages as opposed to drawing on a single sheet of paper. The act of drawing becomes more of a thought process; a series of drawings that travel somewhere, as opposed to a single static image. Some of my folded paper notebooks have been reproduced as art zines, such as Logic Storm, Antidote, and Relax, We Have Alien Vehicles. These zines are probably fairly cryptic objects to any viewer expecting a narrative, but working on each one helped me navigate the time period they were drawn in. I carried them around with me and worked on each one a little at a time, until they were filled. I Like having an ongoing work like this in motion that I can take my time with and slowly build on. I like to draw on a folded paper size that can be easily reproduced on a photocopier and potentially made into an art zine and I draw on both sides of every page, so the zine is an exact reproduction of my notebook. Sometimes I only make a few copies or none at all of any given piece, but keeping that format keeps me locked into a sequence of pages that I have to work my way through.

Do you keep a sketchbook or work your ideas as you go along?  What type of sketchbook do you keep – disorganized chaos or neat and clean? Besides my folded paper drawing notebooks I keep, I don’t really keep a sketchbook. I don’t really do preliminary sketches of ideas for the most part. I always have this impulse to make everything a finished drawing.

What was the first show you ever exhibited in? What was your last show? My very first show was at a coffee shop called Butterfly Herbs in Missoula, MT. By most recent show was at Giant Robot in LA.

Where did you learn your knowledge of art or making art? Art School or Self taught.  For the most part, I'm self taught, though I'm currently learning woodblock printing from an incredibly print maker named David Miles Lusk and I've been learning a lot of great animation tips from my friend Stefan Gruber, who's a genius animator.

Describe your artistic process for us. It’s all pretty stream of conscious. It might be easiest to describe my process with my woodcuts. I started making the woodcut art, originally because I got tired of framing work for shows and wanted by gallery work to be something that felt really different from my illustration work. I got a scroll saw and started cutting out shapes in hard-wood plywood, drawing on them, then coating them in varnish.  I’ll go into my little woodshop in my garage and draw out as many shapes as possible on a big piece of plywood and cut out a whole pile of them, so I have a nice stack to work on. I never completely know what they’re going to look like until I’m working on. They just start out as these vague person, animal, or house shapes,and it’s a true joy to sit with each one and discover the details. I do a yearly solo show of my woodcut pieces at Giant Robot in Los Angeles that I usually make at least 75 new pieces for. I had a show there this past June. Right now I have 3 pieces in a group show at Grumpy Bert in Brooklyn, NY and 9 new pieces are about to go to a show at Radius Gallery in Missoula, MT.

What makes you smile when viewing art? What is it you’re looking at – composition, color, line? I'm inspired by all kinds of work. I love outsider art and folk art. I love weird art comics, but I also still have a huge love for 60s, 70s, and 80s superhero comics. I love ancient art and textures and patterns in nature. Any art that really feels like it was made from an inner artistic impulse usually ends up getting me excited and inspired. I love art that feels a bit crude or awkward but full of feeling and personal expression. That kind of art does way more for me than something super polished and calculated. I love children's art and I collaborate with my 2 young kids whenever I can.

What’s a common misconception about artists? I don’t think many people really understand the focus and effort that goes into a single work of art. I love having a studio that I can ride my bike to, close the door and have periods of time where I'm totally immersed with no distractions. I also like sitting up after everyone in my family has gone to bed and working on my zines or woodcuts. I get significantly less sleep than everyone else in my family, but making use of that quiet time is so essential. The most valuable thing to me about making art is simply the experience of focus and concentration; the satisfaction of putting care into something. The journey of following a vague impulse until something tangible and often unexpected has come into existence. It sort of feels like developing a photograph of something from my subconscious, like I'm actively engaging with something mysterious and beyond my understanding.

Do you have a favorite artist(s) that does a completely different medium than yourself? Oh yeah! I have a huge love for art environments. One of my favorites is Le Palais Ideal in France, made by Ferdinand Cheval. He was a Postman in the late 1800s who built a complex and beautiful homemade structure on his land. He had no prior experience with architecture. He simply followed this mysterious artistic impulse and made something startling and unique. There’s nothing else like it.

What are your favorite Vans? I like it when people draw on them and add personal touches.

How are you not just ONE thing? Everything I do feels like it’s part of the same world and comes from that same initial creative impulse, but I definitely need that variety of approaches and focuses. It keeps me inspired and seeing things from new and different angles..

What’s on the horizon for the rest of 2017? Right now, I'm working on a new series of folded paper notebooks called Thrill Mouth. It's more of a pure comic book, inner-space explorer adventure series drawn in ball point pen. I printed some copies of the first issue a few weeks back. Some of the copies have hand drawn glitter gel pen details on the covers. I usually can't stop myself from getting labor intensive and ridiculous with anything I make. I've been making zines and mini comics for about 15 years. It actually was relief when a publisher first contacted me, wanting to put out a book, and I love working with the publishers I've been lucky enough to work with so far, but making these little self published art booklets is an important personal practice and I always try to have one in the works.  I’m also working on a graphic Novel with author Jeff VanderMeer.

Follow Theo Ellsworth

Website | http://thoughtcloudfactory.com Instagram | @theoellsworth Etsy |  https://www.etsy.com/shop/theoellsworth Tumblr | http://theoellsworth.tumblr.com

[two-friends-read-hp]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

CHAPTER NINE: The Dark Mark

Of course, they’re not going to tell Mrs Weasley they’ve been gambling, remember what happened the last time she found out about something?

Also, was that really the last we saw of the ton-tongue candy? Did they have the good sense to save at least one in their room for later? I suppose they couldn’t risk Mrs Weasley searching their room for more stuff again

“Mr Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn’t want to know.” Good thinking Mr Weasley, you can’t get yelled at if you claim you didn’t know about anything

I wonder what the “odd echoing bang” was

Yeah it must suck for all those ministry wizards who are currently on duty

Oh, so Oliver Wood had actually shown them some of the moves that Harry saw at the match, except for the Wronski Feint apparently

Oh, people wearing hoods with their faces masked? What’s going on?

Also, in the fourth movie, the death eaters had hooded robes that were very similar to the ones the Ku Klux Klan used, which made a lot more sense than the death eater robes that they used in the later movies… maybe they didn’t want people who wanted to dress like death eaters to dress like KKK members and that’s why they changed them for the later movies

Ugh, I hate this part

“Two of the figures were very small.” Somehow this sentence didn’t scare before me as much as it does now

Oh my gosh, poor Mr Roberts, as if he hasn’t been through enough

Jeez, this whole scene is really making me sick… I think I might’ve either read it without absorbing it or just blocked it out of my memory in the past, good God

Just “get into the woods and wait”? Seriously?? I guess Mr Weasley didn’t really have a better plan at that moment

How has this continued to happen for who knows how long?? Where are the ministry wizards?? Do they not take shifts to prevent this kind of stuff happening?

Oh come on Malfoy, now is really not the time, though I guess he doesn’t care since his father is part of the crowd that’s abusing the Roberts family

I guess it’s better to be lost and in a group than to be lost and alone

“Ogwarts” lol

‘Oh… yeah… right,’ This is just Harry for at least 80% of this series

Oh shit, what?? He lost his wand?? Maybe it’s back at the tent?

Huh, Winky the house-elf is running in a way that looks like someone is restraining her but they’re invisible?? See, if I was Ron, I would’ve immediately assumed that there was someone invisible with her, since that is definitely a possibility and I wouldn’t have asked what was up with her, especially since my best friend has an invisibility cloak, and invisibility charms are not unheard of in general

Ok yes, I suppose it could’ve been too that she was instructed to stay in the tent and that she was trying to make it difficult for herself to get away since she was disobeying orders

Yes, Hermione is absolutely in more danger than you guys are Harry

Yeah, I’d be feeling awful too if I’d left my wand in the tent in this situation

Oh, so Bagman ran away after hearing what was happening? Why am I not surprised

Also, did Bagman not see the hundreds of other people who ran into the woods?

I’ll bet Mr Bagman is missing the glory days when he was a beater for the Wimbourne Wasps… if the fact that he was wearing his old Quidditch robes was any indication

Trust the golden trio to decide to rest exactly where the dark mark is going to be cast, and trust that the culprit will use Harry’s wand to cast it, by complete coincidence of course

I feel like Morsmordre is an anagram for something… I’m just going to google it

Ok so it basically means “death bite” in Latin and French, “mother killers” in Norwegian, and it sounds like the words ‘mass murder’... interesting… but not an anagram

Alright, shit has officially hit the ceiling

Soooo… when the dark mark has been cast, how do they get it out of the sky? Is there a specific spell to use or do they just wait for daylight to break

The Dark Mark relates directly to Harry, yet he knows nothing about it… I know he’s in history books and stuff, has he really not been that interested in knowing about himself and how he fits into those history books? Is Quidditch really that much more interesting

I always find it so funny that Hermione knows so much more about the wizarding world than Harry, despite being a muggle, but then I remembered reading a post about how it’s obvious that Hermione knows more than the regular wizard since it’s so interesting to find out all this new information and that any one of us could’ve been the same way, had we been given a chance to go to Hogwarts too

At least Harry thinks on his feet

If the wizards are surrounding them, didn’t they stop to think that they might hit each other before yelling “stupefy”?

Why would some teenagers conjure the dark mark? I know teenagers can be stupid, but they’re not really that stupid, are they?

Interesting, Mr Crouch strode off to the place where they found Winky...

She had a wand???

Also, why isn’t the trio telling them about the kind of voice that said the spell??

“Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts. Harry was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience.” That’s an interesting observation

Poor Winky

TGFH, I was wondering when she was going to speak up about the kind of voice they heard say the incantation

Even if you discover that the last spell the wand performed was the one that conjured the dark mark, that doesn’t mean Winky did it

Haha tip to tip

That’s true, to accuse the house-elf would be to accuse Mr Crouch

Or, they could’ve used Harry’s wand because they didn’t have their own wand… for whatever reason…

Ooh, she saw someone… she knows something…

I mean, at least Winky is free of Mr Crouch now, but I suppose she doesn’t exactly see it that way

Wow I wonder how many more people were still lost, and how many more people lost their tents and didn’t have a place to stay at all

Lol Percy deserved Hermione snapping back at him

Ok, 1) how does Ron not know about the dark mark, but Hermione does and 2) after Hermione said that it’s Voldemort’s mark, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANT RON?

That’s true, ok, Ron doesn’t understand that it’s not just a mark, he doesn’t get the gravity of the situation

Lol, what? It scared the death eaters away?? What a bunch of morons… That shows you the kind of people who join the ranks of death eaters

Oh yes, please explain what Death Eaters are Mr Weasley, I forgot we don’t actually know about them yet

Also, Morsmordre means death bite and death eaters are Voldemort’s followers… he’s really going for that ‘death’ theme very hard, isn’t he? I mean, even Voldemort means ‘flight of death’ in french… eating death, biting death, flying with death… very on the nose

Ironic how Voldemort’s followers are more scared than regular people to see him come back

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about his scar burning… and now the dark mark? At the risk of sounding like Hermione, Harry, you better tell someone…

Chapter 10