#hothouse rose

[finitevariety]

Umberto Eco (1995) 'Ur-Fascism', New York Review of Books, 2/14

[lighthousepigeons]

Rose: Tomorrow's garbage day.

Lo: I can't believe they made a whole day dedicated to you.

[x23lillycalloway]

I LOVE LILY CALLOWAY

🧚🧚🧚🧚🧚

[creepyjoker]

Connor’s fingers slide assuredly from my cheek towards the back of my Head. He leans down and tilts my chin up. His lips nearly brush mine as he murmurs,

“I hear your heart.”

Tears slip from the creases of my eyes—and before I turn my head away From him, away from our children, he shields our faces with his cupped hand. I murmur just as softly,

“And what sound is my heart making?”

His words dive deep into me.

“It beats—it beats.”

He whispers against my lips,

“It beats in equal time with mine.”

He kisses me, raw and smooth Sentiments cutting and flowing through us.

HAPPY FKING BIRTHDAY TO RICHARD CONNOR COBALT

[banksreads]

this broke my damn heart

[edparkerreads]

I read the Addicted/Calloway sisters series over the last week, so I had to draw them all.

.

.

These characters have taken over my life, and I still have to figure out if I want to read the Like Us series or not after this.

[soulmuppet]

Gardens of Ynn, by way of SoulMuppet Publishing

Find a wall covered in ivy, vines, moss, or similar, and clear that vegetation away. Using chalk and charcoal draw a realistic door (with keyhole, hinges and doorknob) on the surface below. Write upon the door: “Ynn, by way of [the current location]”. Leave, so the drawing is no longer visible, and on return the drawing will be replaced by a real door.  When it is opened, the Gardens of Ynn will be on the other side: infinite, overgrown, extradimensional. This realm is full of magic and treasure, worthy of exploration and plunder by sellswords, occultists and adventures.  The doorway remains there for a full day, after which it fades away as if it never existed, leaving anybody still on the other side stranded.

After working with Emmy Allen (@cavegirlpoems) to remaster The Stygian Library in 2020, we’re teaming up with her again to remaster its sister book The Gardens of Ynn. This time working with the fantastic RiotBones on the interior art. We’ve got plans for a fancy clothbound cover for The Gardens of Ynn, as well as a matching reprint of The Stygian Library you’ll be able to pick up on the project.

The Book

The Gardens of Ynn is a point-crawl adventure set in an ever-shifting extradimensional garden. Each expedition generates its route as it explores, resulting in new vistas being unlocked with every visit.

The adventure is perfect as a zero prep session for any party of fantasy adventurers, no matter the system or the sub-genre.  We found most ‘zero-prep’ adventures to be bland and lacking in colour, so in Gardens of Ynn every room, encounter and monster is popping with vibes. It's a big garden full of whimsy and delight and surreal perils. 

Gardens of Ynn is statted generically for Old School Systems, but you would have absolutely no trouble using it in a game of 5E, if you were comfortable statting up some weird monsters. 

Included within: 

Systems for generating locations within the garden, including hothouses, memorial gardens, chess lawns, the Mask Gallery, hypnotic gardens, fleshy gardens and of course the Splicing Vats.

50 monsters tailored to the Gardens, including myconid composters, rose-maidens, rust-bumblebees, floral spiders, bonsai turtles and the enigatic Sidhe.

Details for The Idea Of Thorns and other dream-viruses.

Tables for generating treasure, Ynnian mutations, and various other useful details.

A unique class of Ynnian Changelings, human survivors adapted to the garden. 

[living400lbs]

“Mother, if you can hear me, I’ve been very good,” said the Luidaeg. “I haven’t killed anyone who didn’t deserve it, not even my sister, who should probably have been killed a hundred times over by now. I haven’t stolen any hearts or broken any vows, and I’m only calling on you now because I need you more than I’ve ever needed you before. Mother, I am your oldest living child. I am your eternity made flesh. Now please, hark to me, heed me here, and open the door before we die a horrible and lingering death in the darkness.” The smell of her magic surged again, this time underscored by roses like I had never smelled before—not the cold, snowy roses of Evening or the perfect hothouse roses of Luna; not even the bloody-thorned roses of my mother’s magic, which used to define my entire world. These were wild roses, untouched by any gardener’s shears and untamed by any horticulturist’s design. They grew where they wanted, thrived where they chose, and would never be anything but their own truest selves, unable to conform to anything else. They were the roses that had grown at the beginning of the world, and the roses that would grow at the end of it. There were a hundred other scents beneath the roses, loam and fresh-turned earth and the sweet decay that leads to new growth, but I knew that what I would remember was the roses. They would stay with me, because . . . because . . .

Because no one could smell Maeve’s magic and forget it.

From The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire

[stray-kaz]

Daddy and The Fox : a Nikolai Lantsov x f!reader drabble

Summary: Nikolai’s ten year old daughter Sasha adopts a Fjerdan snow fox. (Please pretend the divider fox is white).

Faint footsteps growing steadily louder, a delighted echo. Daddy, look what I found!

Inside the war room, Nikolai cocked his head to the door, listening and not to the matter before him. Reclining next to him, your head on his shoulder, you, too, heard it, and glanced at the door and then up at him. He winked at you, the heavy hand on your thigh squeezing gently.

“Don’t worry, my love” he murmured. “It’s probably another hothouse rose she’s discovered.”

You closed your eyes and snuggled closer to him, ignoring his soft chuckle as you grabbed his hand and moved it to rest on your head. He stroked your hair, returning his attention to the ledgers and maps scattered on the table in front of him.

Then the door crashed open and your eyes opened wide, your feet hit the floor and you sat up straight, swivelling on your chair to see your daughter barrel into the room and right up to her father, something white and wriggling caught in her arms.

“That’s not a hothouse rose, husband” you said quietly, arching an eyebrow at Nikolai.

He turned to meet Sasha’s blue eyes, wide and pleading. You bit your lip as you almost felt his heart sink. You put your hands on his back and peered over his shoulder at your only child, and the small white snow fox in her embrace.

“Oh, dear, Nikolai” you mumbled in his ear. “What to do, hmm?”

He side eyed you narrowly, his lips set in a firm line, before putting on a smile for Sasha.

“What’s this, pumpkin?” he asked, as he felt you shake with laughter against his back.

“Daddy, this is Snowy and I love him. He’s mine. Can I keep him? Please? Please, please, Daddy?” she pleaded, giving him the full force of his own eyes reflected back at him.

Nikolai swallowed hard, finding himself faced with the impossible: the Lantsov blues paired with an elfin face and your winsome determination. He was doomed right from the start. He had no chance.

“Maybe we should ask your mother...” he suggested, turning to you.

You snorted rather indelicately and held up your hands, shaking your head.

“Oh no, your majesty, this is all on you” you told him, grinning puckishly.

Nikolai scowled at you and swung back around to Sasha, spreading his hands wide in supplication to his ten year old.

“Foxes bite, pumpkin” he tried, eyebrows furrowed together. “I don’t know if it’s wise to keep one in the palace. What if he bites you? Or one of your ladies maids?”

Her face scrunched with determination and her blue eyes flared.

“He won’t, I promise!” she declared. “I’ll train him. He’ll be a good fox, Daddy, I promise.”

“Yeah, Daddy, he’ll be a good fox” you mumbled behind him. “The best in show.”

Nikolai elbowed you gently in the ribs and you rocked backwards, stifling howling giggles. He sighed and gave Sasha a stern look, the sternest he could manage in the face of such wide eyed innocence.

“You train him” he said firmly. “If he bites a single person, he has to go outside.”

Sasha nodded ecstatically and tiptoed up to kiss his cheek, the fox squirming against her chest.

“Oh, thank you, thank you! I love you, Daddy!”

She turned and flew out of the room again, beaming.

“Daddy needs to work on his disciplinary tactics” you murmured, teasing.

Nikolai whipped round so fast you had to blink, and he pointed a finger at you, his sky eyes narrowed.

“I have plenty of workable disciplinary tactics” he growled. “Try this one on for size, sweetheart. You just hung me out to dry, so no sex for a week.”

You tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t. You smiled at Nikolai and reached for his face, holding his cheek gently and running a thumb over his tightly closed lips; they parted slightly, as you had known they would, his eyes darkening.

“Let me know when you give up, my king” you said gently. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

And with that, you stood up and walked out, in search of your daughter and her new pet.

That night, after Nikolai had helped clean up muddy paw prints and ushered Sasha into bed, he climbed in behind you in the four poster he had commissioned specially. He wrapped his arms around you and nuzzled his nose against the back of your neck, breathing in the scent of your hair.

“I give in” he whispered, and brushed his lips across your bare shoulder.

You turned in his arms and pressed your lips to his in a hard, short kiss.

“I knew it.”

Tagging: @writingmysanity​

[azsazz]

🪷 - my response to you!

adding your ask here bcs spoilers for the addicted series below cut

Kiss the Sky honestly had me shook. I really loved the book. I love Rose and Connor, they’re such a power couple. He always tries to make her feel confident and safe. And the sex scenes were something I wasn’t expecting. The collar, the bondage, Connor being dominant. Also, his cat Sadie is cute. I hated Scott so much, and what he did to Rose and Connor had me feeling so bad for them. What are your thoughts on Connor and Rose as characters and as a couple?

Ugh. yes, scott was literally the worst. love connor and rose's bedroom times, he was so confident and i found that v attractive of him. she could finally relax and low-key i need my next relationship to carry some of those qualities haha

The next book after Kiss the Sky is Hothouse Flower, I believe, but I skipped that because of the characters/couple so I am completely clueless when it comes to that book. After Hothouse Flower is Thrive and that one focuses on Lily and Loren, and after Thrive is Addicted After All which again focuses on Lily & Lo.

okay, so happy that lo and lily will be back! i'm like 5% in of hothouse flower and all that's happened so far is that lo relapsed off page so i'm v sad about that :(

What were your thoughts on Daisy? I haven’t read the books that focus on her, but for me personally, I don’t like her character. The way she comes off is a little irritating, a little immature, and annoying, and I didn’t like her behavior when she found out about Lily’s addiction. And the sexual innuendos between Daisy and Ryke was not it. I hate how the industry (and to an extent her mother) over-sexualize Daisy, she doesn’t deserve that, but sadly it does happen. So while I don’t like her, I think she doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. And Ryke I don’t like either. I hate how he treats Lily; it feels rude and mean. At least be more sympathetic. Lily is trying and it’s not easy for her.

daisy is meh to me. she's young, so i guess i felt she acted her age. but the daredevil-ishness might get annoying, only tine will tell. so far ryke's pov is just saying fucking every other word so that's kind of annoying me so far. idrk how to feel about ryke, i liked him at fist but now he's just there. he's the third in my roster for who i like of the 3 haha.

I love the bromance between Connor and Loren! Them calling each other darling and love!

omg me too their banter is so fun and cute!!

I’m glad that you’re enjoying the series so far. Happy reading, Ki!💙 - 🪷

ps, do you plan on reading Hothouse Flower?

thank you for talking about it with me!! if you haven't gathered from above, i am going to read it because i need all the background info haha love yaaaa 💙💙💙

[lighthousepigeons]

Connor Cobalt: [to everyone] If at first you don't succeed, then maybe you should do it the way I told you too in the beginning.

[x23lillycalloway]

Rose Calloway vogue cover!! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[creepyjoker]

Lily: Do you like modelling?

Daisy: It's fine. I'm good at it.

ADDICTED TO YOU

[banksreads]

its always 'i love you' and never 👇

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

Hello wello,

Please DO SPLAT US IN THE FACE WITH MATHIAS cause he is such a cutie and gentle patotie my gosh I love him as Greencoat, good job Nemo &brain. And I have a question (again lol) do you think that Mathias and Dorothea would have a moon garden type of garden (does it make sense?) for when they would have an impromptu midnight picnic ? I think that this type of garden would highlight Dottie’s pale hair/features and thus further enhance her “morning star” nickname ? And do you think that Dottie would paint/create painted artwork with his scars one of these night where Mathias feels particularly low as a show of affection and appreciation of his being and existence as a whole ? If not/and/or do you think Mathias would do the same with Dottie since painting serves for him to lay down the rawest emotions and deepest part of his souls and he wants to convey that to his lady love ?

Hope you had a good day,

Hello anon

Good Morning, Good Morning Nonnie!! <3

Please, have never fear of bringing question to my inbox, they actually make my day <3 each and everytime! (seriously, nothing makes me happier than chitchat about my cutie patooties, in every possible scenario lol So please, never apologize for sending in ask <3)

Now, first thing first, since it's early morning over here (not even 7 am lol), lemme give you some coffee to enjoy (and it's approved by Agent Cooper, so we know that it's a damn good cup of coffee lolol)

NOW.

ONTO YOUR QUESTION.

(need to give context as to where this moon garden would happen, and by the Gods, the twins' native Andalusia sounds just like the place lolol)

SO.

First of all, the MOON GARDEN idea is SPECTACULAR.

SPECTACULAR.

Like, it makes total sense to me, and I wish I could actually draw backgrounds and landscape becasue dear gods, I would LOVE to illustrate this lovely abode for Mathias and Dorothea.

I can absolutely imagine Mathias knowing HOW MUCH Dorothea loved to spend her days reading in her mother's own hothouse and inner garden, when she was in London, so, because Mathias is just the most considerate man to ever grace this Earth, he would take it upon himself to design and then actually build this Moon Garden for Dorothea.

He would plant lilies and white roses, night blooming jasmines and moonflowers, honeysuckles shrubs and evening primroses, all surrounded by plumeria trees and pomegranate shrubs (Colette obviously suggesting the last one lol) that would just serve as a cover for privacy for them, with small pathways that would allow them to walk around freely when not sitting together to enjoy a midnight picnic, and once done, despite his ABSOLUTE TERROR of fire, he would fill it with lantern of every kind because he KNOWS how much Dorothea loves lanterns and their glittering light.

And Dorothea would love it so much, oh dear Gods, she would be have a hard time articulate or even speak, for a minute or two (like, seriously, my girl would go absolutely gaga for a gift like this).

Mathias would definitely joke about it being the only way to charm and catch the elusive Morning Star lolol (and yes, that is a reference to one of my fave songs from Blackmore's Night lolol)

As for drawing/creating painted artwork with Mathias' scars, I had to give a good thought about it tbh.

Because Dorothea, while artistically inclined in the musical sense, is *absolutely* disastrous when it comes to figurative art, and she would be *terrified* of making Mathias uncomfortable.

She knows how sensitive he is in regards to his scars, how sometimes, as a reflex, he still covers up whenever they are intimate, and her heart breaks each time it happens, because she knows that, while he is not ashamed by her looking at him anymore, his trauma still runs so deep that it's almost a reflex. (and this, I am sad to say, will last for the rest of his life, albeit he actually got better once his children are born. Dorothea tried to guide him through that, reminding him that what appears to be strange and unorthodox to them as adults, children see it and just accept it for what it is).

And Dorothea loves and respect Mathias too much to put him in any situation in which anything connected to his scars might cause him embarassment or emotional paint.

That being said, while this is not something that I see happening IN THE BEGINNING of their relationship (like, for example, at the point in time in which my last writing is set), I do see it happening after they have been together for a few years and especially after being married, because the relationship is deeper, the bond is stronger and the mutual respect and trust is established to the point that yes, Dorothea and Mathias would be comfortable enough with Dorothea trying something like that.

And yes, Mathias would MOST DEFINITELY do the same for her (with a greater degree of success, if I do say so myself lolol sorry Dottie, you are a great violinist and singer, but a poor painter)

And knowing him, he would probably paint a portrait of her as a representation of the Night Sky, with her freckles serving as the twinkling stars that grace those clear Spanish summer nights (which doubles as heartwarming to me, because it's both an homage to her as his Morning Star, and also his safe haven, much like the Night itself is for Mathias, his refuge from the cruel light of the Sun).

SO YEAH.

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THANK YOU, NONNIE, FOR BRINGING THIS TO ME AND ALLOW ME TO BLABBER ABOUT THEM FIRST THING IN THE MORNING (good gods, the day is going to be great now!! <3)

Now, allow me to go and grab my second cup of coffee for the morning, while I wish you a lovely day ahead of yourself (or a goodnight, depending on the time zone lolol)

THANK YOU AGAIN, NONNIE <3

--Nemo

[xxnashiraxx]

Furious that this song won't be in my fic till we hit 300k or something. Sharing my favorite verse for Ofelia and Astarion.

Your arms are lovely, yellow and rose Your back's a meadow covered in snow Your thighs are thistles and hothouse grapes You breathe your sweet breath and have me wait In the dark, you tell me of a flower That only blooms in the violet hour I turned the lights out, I cleaned the sheets You changed the station, turned up the heat And now you're sailing upon your chair You got me tangled up inside with your beautiful black hair