#sylvia langley

[bustermachine19]

Sylvia Langley, Marianne's estranged mother, and heir apparent to Elyisum Corporation. A serious and diligent woman whose intentions are hard to read. Her cold demeanor leads to clashes with her daughter when they do meet.

more Seeker characters for u, furries in outfits babey

[sstarfissure]

Hear me out.

Same person. Same attitude. They are them. They kin each other.

@ionobjectshow It's been in my mind for a while!

[ninelivesart]

2023 Draw My Reads

Here is a full list of all the books I read in 2023 and links to the art I’ve made for them.

Just a few quick notes. I didn’t make art for everything I read. I also fell off the wagon a bit toward the end and went through an art block. Not sure if I’ll continue this project into 2024 but I might do some variation. We’ll see.

Also, I read some absolutely filthy (and ridiculous) stuff sometimes. So be warned.

*Sequels will have an asterisk. First book in series will be in parenthesis.

January

1. Alpha Wolf* by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Caged Wolf)

2. Feral Wolf* by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Caged Wolf)

3. Constantine: Distorted Illusions by Kami Garcia and Isaac Goodhart

4. The Ballad of Never After* by Stephanie Garber (Once Upon a Broken Heart)

5. Wicked Beauty* by Katee Robert (Neon Gods)

6. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

7. Hell Bent* by Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House)

Total (so far): 7

February

1. How Y’all Doing by Leslie Jordan

2. Vengeful* by V.E. Schwab (Vicious)

3. A Court of Mist and Fury* by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Total (so far): 11

March

1. Kingdom of Flesh and Fire* by Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Blood and Ash)

2. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4. Scarlet* by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

5. Cress* by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

Total (so far): 16

April

1. Winter* by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

2. A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

3. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

4. Lauren’s Barbarian* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians, spinoff series)

Total (so far): 20

May

1. Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith

2. The Song of the Marked by S.M. Gaither

3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

4. Fable by Adrienne Young

5. Bea Wolf by Weinersmith

6. Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Total (so far): 26

June

1. A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene

2. Veronica’s Dragon* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians, spinoff series)

3. Willa’s Beast* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians, spinoff series)

4. Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo

5. Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

6. A Court of Silver Flames* by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

7. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Total (so far): 33

July

1. Zodiac Academy: Beyond the Veil* by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Zodiac Academy: The Awakening)

2. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

3. The Traitor Queen* by Danielle L. Jensen (The Bridge Kingdom)

4. The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young

5. Sheets by Brenna Thummler

6. Cackle by Rachel Harrison

7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

8. The Borderlands Princess by Ophelia Wells Langley

9. Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes

10. Vow of the Shadow King* by Sylvia Mercedes (Bride of the Shadow King)

11. Angie’s Gladiator* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

12. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

13. Gail’s Family* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

14. Hanna’s Hero* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

15. Devi’s Distraction* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

16. Destination Alien Bride by Dee J. Holmes

Total (so far): 49

August

1. Destination Alien Mate* by Dee J. Holmes (Destination Alien Bride)

2. Gilded by Marissa Meyer

3. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

4. Cursed* by Marissa Meyer (Gilded)

5. Nadine’s Champion* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

6. Callie’s Catastrophe* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

7. Ice Planet Honeymoon* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians)

8. Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell

9. I’m in Love with Mothman by Paige Lavoie

Total (so far): 58

September

1. Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen

2. Radiant Sin* by Katee Robert (Neon Gods)

3. Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh and Liz* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians)

4. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

5. Throne in the Dark by A.K. Caggiano

6. Ice Planet Honeymoon: Aehako and Kira* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians)

7.  A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne* (A Soul to Keep)

8. Ice Planet Honeymoon: Rukh and Harlow by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians)

9. The Barbarian Before Christmas by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians)

10. Penny’s Protector by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

11. Mari’s Mistake by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

12. Raven’s Return by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

Total (so far): 70

October

1. Bridget’s Bane by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

2. Steph’s Outcast by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

3. Sam’s Secret by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

4. Daisy’s Decision by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

5. Flor’s Fiasco by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

6. R’jaal’s Resonance by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

7. Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfheart

8. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

9.  A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber* (Once Upon a Broken Heart)

Total (so far): 79

November

1. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

2. Namesake by Adrienne Young* (Fable)

3. Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham

4. Surviving Skarr by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians Spinoff series)

5. Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle

6. Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson* (Sorcery of Thorns)

7. Destination Alien Treasure by Dee J Holmes* (Destination Alien Bride)

8. Zodiac Academy: Origins of an Academy Bully by Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham* (Zodiac Academy: The Awakening)

9. When She’s Ready by Ruby Dixon

10. When She’s Married by Ruby Dixon* (When She’s Ready)

11. When She Purrs by Ruby Dixon* (When She’s Ready)

12. When She Belongs by Ruby Dixon* (When She’s Ready)

Total (so far): 91

December

1. The Dreaming Forest by LB Black

2. Gold by Raven Kennedy* (Gild)

3. Chained to Krampus by KL Wyatt

4. Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell* (Series of standalones)

Total Reads For 2023: 95

My goal was to read 90 books and I beat that by 5. I think I’m going to set my reading goal to just 80 this year. Just to give myself a little more freedom. I did read a lot of really short books just to get my number up and I’d rather just focus on reading whatever I want.

Shortest book read: Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh and Liz by Ruby Dixon

Longest book read: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Current read started in 2023 but will finish in 2024: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

[bbgthoma]

— MY TOP 10 FAVORITES CHARACTERS

asassination classroom: 1. gakushuu asano 2. tadaomi karasuma 3. ryunosuke chiba 4. itona horibe 5. karma akabane 6. yuma isogai 7. nagisa shiota 8. ryoma terasaka 9. ren sakakibara 10. rio nakamura

attack on titan: 1. armin arlert 2. ymir 3. jean kirstein 4. connie springer 5. levi ackerman 6. historia reiss 7. marco bott 8. sasha braus 9. niccolo 10. falco grice

black butler 1. vincent phantomhive 2. edward midford 3. snake 4. prince soma asman kadar 5. snake 6. sebastian michaelis 7. grell sutcliff 8. agni 9. lau 10. undertaker

bungo stray dogs: 1. chuuya nakahara 2. kenji miyazawa 3. sakunosuke oda 4. ryunosuke akutgawa 5. fyodor dostoevsky 6. ranpo edoagawa 7. gin akutagawa 8. edgar allan poe 9. sigma 10. ango sakaguchi

death note: 1. l lawliet 2. misa amane 3. mello 4. near 5. rem 6. ryuk 7. naomi misora 8. light yagami 9. touta matsuda 10. light’s sister

free: 1. natsuya kirishima 2. rin matsuoka 3. go matsuoka 4. kisumi shigino 5. isuzu mikoshiba 6. momotaro mikoshiba 7. ikuya kirishima 8. haruka nanase 9. ryuji azuma 10. seijuro mikoshiba

genshin impact: 1. thoma/tartaglia 2. kaveh 3. kazuha 4. chongyun 5. xiao 6. cyno 7. kaeya alberich/diluc ragnvindr 8. dainsleif 9. albedo 10. tomo

haikyuu: 1. yu nishinoya 2. tetsuro kuroo 3. kenma kozume 4. hajime iwaizumi 5. toru oikawa 6. hitoka yachi 7. keiji akaashi 8. kei tsukishima 9. lev haiba 10. ryunosuke tanaka

hunter x hunter: 1. kite 2. chrollo lucilfer 3. leorio paradinight 4. kurapika 5. alluka zoldyck 6. shalnark 7. killua zoldyck 8. pakunoda 9. shizuku murasaki 10. gon freecss

jujutsu kaisen: 1. toge inumaki 2. megumi fushiguro 3. mai zenin 4. yuta okkotsu 5. yuji itadori 6. choso 7. ryomen sukuna 8. utahime iori 9. kento nanami 10. suguru geto

kuroko’s basketball: 1. ryota kise 2. kazunari takao 3. tatsuya himuro 4. atsushi murasakibara 5. seijuro akashi 6. daiki aomine 7. tetsuya kuroko 8. taiga kagami 9. yukio kasamtsu 10. riko aida

moriarty the patriot: 1. james bonde 2. sebastian moran 3. william james moriarty 4. fred porlock 5. sherlock holmes 6. louis james moriarty 7. albert james moriarty 8. john h watson 9. lucien atwood 10. frida macaulay

my hero academia: 1. hitoshi shinso 2. hawks 3. oboro shirakumo 5. eijiro kirishima 4. dabi 5. mirko 6. shota aizawa 7. denki kaminari 8. rody soul 9. mirko 10. hanta sero

neon genesis evangelion: 1. rei ayanami 2. kaworu nagisa 3. toji sukuhara 4. shinji ikari 5. ryoji kaji 6. ritsuko akagi 7. asuka langley sohryu 8. kensuke aida 9. hikari horaki 10. pen pen

seraph of the end: 1. guren ichinose 2. shinya hiragi 3. mikaela hiyakuya 4. yuichiro hiyakuya 5. shiho kimizuki 6. lacus welt 7. yoichi saotome 8. makoto narumi 9. shinao hiragi 10. mitsuba sangu

sk8 the infinity: 1. reki kyan 2. miya chenin 3. cherry blossom 4. joe 5. langa hasegawa 6. nanako hasegawa 7. koyomi kyan 8. shokichi oka 9. shadow 10. reki’s childhood best friend

spy x family: 1. yor forger 2. anya forger 3. loid forger 4. becky blackbell 5. damian desmond 6. franky franklin 7. bond forger 8. sylvia sherwood 9. yuri briar (ik he’s obsessed with yor but still…) 10. henry henderson

the case study of vanitas: 1. astolfo granatum 2. dominique de sade 3. noé archiviste 4. louis de sade 5. vanitas 5. chloé d’apchier 6. jean-jacques chastel 7. olivier 8. roland fortis 9. murr 10. loki oriflamme

tokyo revengers: 1. takashi mitsuya/seishu inui 2. hajime kokonoi 3. kazutora hanemiya 4. keisuke baji 5. hakkai shiba 6. chifuyu matsuno 7. shuji hanma 8. atsushi sendo 9. naoto tachibana 10. kakucho

[middlemistgrey]

i guess i have a call

by mistspinner

There are no Evangelions, Angels, or Impacts. The children aren't much better.

CW for canon-compliant mental health issues, but with the hope of eventual healing.

This fic did it for me, guys... It's just so good. The combination of my favourite poet with my favourite series of all time was just so nice to read and feel. This story is written very beautifully and I could see every image it presented to me in my mind. It's everything that Evangelion is and more. I want all of you to check it out.

[therefugeofbooks]

July felt like an eternity! I made good use of the time, though, and finished a book with 600 pages! I haven't been reading big books so I'm glad I didn't dfn it. Overall, July was a mix of lightheaded reads and some dark ones.

Talking about all the books I read in July under the cut!

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

Spooky! I liked the concept of the story, and the execution was pretty good. I can't get tired of kids saving the day and fighting the monsters and their fears. I was pleasantly surprised by all the turns the story takes and the end as well.

Read if you want: middle-grade horror, kids saving the day, a harmless play turned dark.

The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist by Ceinwen Langley (x)

I didn't like the first part of the book because of the pacing and lack of the magic and romance I was hoping for, but the second part is great! See my complete review of this book here.

Lady Killer Vol. 2 by Joëlle Jones and Laura Allred (x)

It's super fun! I loved the thriller and dangers that came with Josie's new situation and was shocked at the end! I'm even more curious to see where the story will head now.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

I loved the gothic atmosphere of the story, the seclusion, the cult things, the mysterious deaths. The dark academia vibes are on point! Nevertheless, I didn't feel hooked up in the mystery, and I didn't particularly care for the main character.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

Oh, this was lovely! I loved the romance, the characters, and their backgrounds, and all the action of it. I liked the plot twists and the ending was really sweet.

Read if you want: adult mlm romance, historical fiction, planned thefts.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

It's been a long time since I read The Great Gatsby, so I vaguely recall what happened to compare with this book. Anyway, I liked that the protagonist is a Vietnamese girl and all her inner conflicts. The magic and its repercussions on the world were interesting, but I was not that interested in the story. Apart from Jordan, I thought the characters were annoying and didn't care for their conflicts. Also, the magic is sl fascinating but in was not a major focus.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice (x) (x)

So, I think I disliked it less than Prince Lestat because many things happen in this book. But I'm baffled by the new additions to the vampire lore. The consequences to the vampire as individuals are interesting, at least. I'm glad Lestat and Louis had a moment, in the beginning, to talk things through and are on good terms again.

Sasaki and Miyano Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 by Shou Harusono

The romance is super fluffy and lighthearted, and I needed something between some heavy reading. Super excited to read the next volume!

Read if you want: fluffy bl manga, school romance.

Crota by Owl Goingback

Scary! I haven't read a lot of horror about monsters but this one was super cool. It deals with indigenous legends and the cave hunting part was suffocating and scary! Just not a big fan of a disabled child getting cured at the end of the book, the kid is not the main character but it kind of put me off in the end.

Read if you want: horror with monsters, police procedure, indigenous legends.

As I Descended by Robin Talley (x)

This was pretty dark! The arc of corruption and madness was pretty well-done, and the characters made me want to read more and more. I read it for Disability Pride Month as the main character is disabled. I was glad that her arc isn't only about her disability while also mentioning her difficulties and people's prejudice.

Read if you want: spooky YA, queer retellings, Shakespeare retellings.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino, tr. Alexander O. Smith

I'm not a big fan of police procedure, but this story is full of twists and turns that made me so curious about what would happen next! It's more of a mind game between the police and the killer than a thriller full of action, but it was an enjoyable read.

Read if you want: psychological thriller, police procedure.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows By Balli Kaur Jaswal

Super fun and thought-provoking! It deals with stories bringing a community together, women finding a space to share stories, and also a mystery in the middle of everything. One of my favorites of the month!

Read if you want: fun stories, book club books, contemporary fiction.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (x) (x)

I took my time to read this book as it's a literary work, and it's very experimental. I liked the narration and the flow of the story. There're so many fascinating things about the story, the magic, the culture, India's history, and many others things. However, it's a long book. I was a bit tired at the end, but still, a great read.

Read if you want: literary and experimental fiction, magical realism.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The pacing of this thriller was slow, but I was interested in the diversity drama in Nella's work, so I was not bothered at first. But most of the main events happen right at the end, and the known villain does a "villain explaining their plan" that was a bit cartoonish. Also, the villain was only a part in the big scheme, and we don't get answers about this big thing happening. Still, there're some thought-provoking topics in this book, and the more "fantasy" aspect of it was super spooky.

Read if you want: slow-paced thrillers, psychological thrillers.

Ariel by Sylvia Plath (x)

I want to read more poetry, so I chose this one from the library. I enjoyed some poems and the images the writer created, but most of them fell flat for me.

Rereads:

Reborn! Vol 1 by Akira Amano, Frances E. Wall (translator)

Livros disponíveis em Português:

Links para os meus reviews no skook!

Baú de Sonhos Impossíveis de Filipe Bedendo (x)

De Repente Adolescente de vários autores (x) (x)

A Botija do Fantasma de Pablo Praxedes (x)

And feel free to talk to me about the books of this list :)

Read in: Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June |

☆Book Photography ☆ Storygraph ☆ Scribd ☆

[rhinocerosproject]

Sewing Circle Participants

Sewing Circle Participants

Thank you to everyone who participated in sewing the rhinoceros! We could never have finished it without you. You are forever in our hearts.

Deanna Cruise                   back

Juliana Pennington            shoulder

Yue Yang Caigla Zou          back

Yuen (Jessica) Chen           back

Kelly White                         shoulder

Athena Johns                     leg

Antoinette Barton               head

Erica Lipshultz                   rump

Marc Fletcher                    back left foot

Siobhan Cassidy               front right leg

Elisa Li                               head

Harry Yu                             head

Beth Thomas                     snout

Erica Barajas                     forehead

Vivian Romney                  shoulder

Zoe Walker                       head

Amy Khalmann                 rear flank

Alina Hayes                      feet

Janice Wood                    rear flank

Barb Bakun                      head

Andi Wong                       rear flank

Sarah Stein                      back, thigh

Chloe Marrinstein            head, foot, outline, da booty

Sadie Marrinstein            thigh

Amanda H. Johnson       head, foot, outline 

Kaila Wood                     head, foot, outline

Leah Johnson                 head, foot, outline

Ani Mukerji                      back leg

Inka Mukerji                    back leg

Winnie Ding                    rear flank

Jennifer White                back feet

August White                 back feet

Neve Schmitt                 head

Michelle Schmitt            head

Sigrid                             foot

Leah Anderson              foot

Mary Kenny                   rump

Isle Oritt                         rump

Olga                              back leg

Dustin                           rhinobum!

Linnea Furlog                head

Pam Deluco                  rear leg, haunch, elbow, letters

Jeff Thomas                  back

Bryan Barkley               rear

Mary Wheeler               back top flank

Teri Gardiner                tail hair, rump, belly, ridge of back

Robin Hill                     rump

Darcy Padilla                stomach

Emily Clark-Krasner     rear

Yuen Chen                   leg

Jodi Connelly                back

Noah Greene                belly

Ryan Meyer                  belly and back

Arielle Rebek                belly

Muzi LaRowe                eyes

T. Blackmon                  bottom

Bettina Pauley               tail

Allyson Feeney              rump

Mark Baugh-Sasaki      back foot

Dox Lorax                     haunch

Kelli Rae                        rump

Cesar Rubio                  unknown

Ho Yan Nip                   unknown

Frank Merritt                all over, circles, edges, hindquarters, shoulder, rump, dark purple bottom edge of shoulder armor, behind the ear

Kim Miskowicz            rump, right foot, rear/rump

Julia Langer                buttocks

Jonathan Coignard     buttocks

Suzanne Gore             haunch

Kelly Wang                  from hip to buttock

Steve Rasmussen       rear leg

Bob Rocco                  rump

Odysseus Wolken       upper rump

Juliette Langley           lower rump

Fehim Haelzic              crown/forehead

Leyla Haelzic               crown/forehead

Tanja Gels                   head

Lisa Ekstrom               from right leg, forehead

Eva Walker                  front leg

Sara Wright                 eye

Karrie Hovey               shoulder

M. Dym                       a wrinkle on the head

Amy M. Ho                  front foot, forehead

Dave Lyons                 just below eye

Mel Day                       forehead

Heather Peters            ear

Helen Hiebert              butt

Alyssa Casey              neck, horn

Vanessa Gingold         rump

Mary V. Marsh             front right toe, ear

Antonio Guerra            letra C

Jenny Phillips               hands

Ingrid Rojas Contreras hoof

Maia Wachtel                 lines on the back

Roli Douglas                  the top line

Noga Wizansky              rump

Suzanne Forester          border line

Cindy Steiler                 face

Alexa Boromo               behind

Amber Hoy                   back

Melody Dalton              back

Cheyenne Dalton          rear feet

Elizabeth Boyne            ear

Teddy Midler                front foot

Drew Cameron            face

Cathy DeForest            front left hoof

Leah Korican                face

Mayumi Hamanaka       r - text   

Dana Zed                      shoulder

Erin Sheanin                  knee

Alisha Funkhouser        front foot

Debbie Walker              unknown

Nancy Marriner            tail

Summer Om                face

Eraden Wordal Chesh  face

Isle Oritt                       knee

Mary Grace Tate          toe

Sophia Auen                face

April Marriner               tail

Charlotte Semmes       snout

Andre Chevonier          foot

Jane Cassidy               foot

Kellen Rhoda               foot

Meiasha Gray              border

Samantha Bankston    back foot

Winship Varnes            hindquarters

Miranda McFarland      belly

Susan Paigen               nose

Kevin Holmes               ear

Jackie Wallowheng       plants

Beta Heist Morello        edge

Elaine Todd                   nose and edge near nose

Lori Chambers              back foot

Mickie McCormic          foot scales

Jeremy Logan                ear hair

Brook Craddock            mythical horn!

Morning Hullinger          toe jam back foot, shoulder flank, final inner

C.C. Chaya                    scales

Lolli Jacobsen                back

Sarah Crews                  rump

Connie Burket                ears

Debbie Divine                rear leg

Martha Rhea                  hindquarters

Donna Sandberg            along the top of the back shoulder and letter H

Pam Morgan                  back

Ruth Cathcard Rake      front leg and letter R

Gretchen Boyum           front leg, front foot

Rachel Butler                 front leg

Lucy Butler                    front leg

Bill North                       butt, ground, back right foot

Caroline Stoll                 head

April Engstrom              back right leg/hip

Connie Wilson              close to face

Gloria Gonzalez            hind foot

Judy Nease                  chin

Alleigh Weems             horn

Lyndsi Weems             back foot

Karla Prickett               rump

Jennifer Baker             back

Kent Manske               spots

Susan Tuoley              back foot and butt

Susan Paigen             nose

Christina Steinbrecher       pfrandt (lower leg)

Yeqi Song                    legs

Yuan Luo                     legs

Jenny Chin (Kuan-Jen)    legs

Jingying Liang             back leg

Jianguyin Reng           back leg

Beth Abdallah             back flank

Rebecca Redman       back leg

Michael Seidel            kidney lining

Rita Hsing                   head

Sandy Lee                  back

Chelsea Herman        back

Marie Kidd                 right front foot

David Kidd                 right front foot

Amy Whitcomb          rump

Bob Carpenter           nose

Barbara Carpenter     nose

Cynthia Beecher        ear

Leteb Beecher           ear

Susan Sweet             ear

CK Itamura                hamhock

Dionne Thornton       front left foot, butt edge

Robert Wuilfe            da booty

Gina Ching                front foot

Jordan Juel               front foot

Anne Ingraham         front foot

Michelle Waters        butt

Elizabeth Addison     foot

Lydia Nakashima Dagarod        shoulder

Linda Joy Kettwinkel                 snout

Peggy George          butt

Maryly Snow            scales

Zelisa                       back end

Scott Partch            back end

Chin Cox                 head

Hada Marshall Booth            head

Eduardo Arenas       leg

Luna Gomez            head

Sauita Patel             gog (back)

Brian Lease             back leg

Islonia Hasbrim       frente

Guadalupe Portillo             espalda

Queen Krubally       back

Bridget McCraken             back

Margaret Coston     back

Kathleen Murphy     belly

Julie Grigoryan        ear

Joyce Subel            border

Yatit Maidorh          head

Omer                      head

Alon                        head

Rooek                     head

Eli                           head

Posja Mahushwai            neckline

Talia                        nose

Ella                          ear

Jonathan                nose

Nancy Brunn          back

Sabina Brunn         ears

Judith Fast            back

Lindsey Stoll          hoof

Emily Marks           head

Victor Vargas          chin

Britt-Marie Alon      horn

Al Bloch                  horn

Alyssa Flores          horn

John Hoffmeyer     border

Madison Cockrum             head

Anthony Murillo      border

Sheri Simons          front legs

Emily Matherson     face

Hana Jones             hoof (back foot)

Angela Kirchebel     bottom left corner border,

                                 small area of right foot, scales

Adele Etcheverry Sheets        upper border rear and rear of Rhino

Leslie Jurado            back leg, hoof scales

Jaime Muñoz            shoulder

Aiden Ginn                back leg

Sheecid Lopez          border and back leg

Sophy Hock              shoulder

Nancy Scott Patton            rump

Hana Beaty                  shoulder, back leg

Eric D’Alessandro        lower jaw

Betsy Copeland          leg and hoof

Kylie McCloskey         horn

Dellanira Carrillo          butt

Jose Llamos                hoof (back foot)

Timothy Clancy           forehead

Kobley Benjamin Mona        shoulder

Alicia Ramirez              foot

Kim Green                    upper thigh/butt

Francesca Figone        left back

Josette Stokes             shoulder

Mercedes Yatta            foot

Luis Medina                 booty

Shane Geoge               face (under eye)

Ellen Baird                    foot

Daria Booth                  shoulder

Adria Davis                   backside

Johnny Bruno               back foot

Brianna Warren             leg

Adrienne Glatz              forehead

Mallory Frucha              bum

Kelly Weber                  front and back legs

Carissa Duggan            booty

Jasmin Gonzalez          foot

Francis Newsom           rear end

Shari Maxson Hopper        shoulder

Veronica Brenck            butt

Marie Fox                     rump, front foot, back foot

Chloe Taylor                 root

Marissa Winslow         rump/tail

Shai Porath                 head

Linda Bea Miller          tummy

Tom Seoul                  rump

Kathleen Ritchie         unknown

Sue Bottom                front leg

Lisa Chu                     forehead

Anne Ingraham           hind foot

Chris Voisard              rump

Jane McLaughlin        front foot

Malinda Thompson    rear leg

Mallory Nomura Saul        tusk and back

Judy Shintani             tummy and rump

Kevin Austin               top of nose, bottom of horn

Claudia Molley           top of head, behind ear

Kate Oltmann             butt

Amanda Bosma         wrinkle on face

Xittaly Vasquez           back leg

Emily Murray               torso wrinkle

Julia Albo                    border

Miriam Hassman         neck/face

Ryan Patton                back left leg

Alexa Weber                chin and left front leg

Jiovanny Soto             forehead

Jenny Harp                 lower back

Steven Garen              nose/head

Tallulah Terryl              leg

Johanna Arnold          back

Sean Olson                 muzzle

Emma Spertus            back

Chris Challans            loin, belly

Susan Kanowith-Klein        rump

Christina Aumann       eyelashes and forehead

Ruth Souza                 misc dorsal area

Phuong Pham             booty

Laurie Crogan             shoulder-scales

Lorna Turner               armpit

Eva Hausam               chin wavy lines

David Reiman             shoulder

Lanqin Wang              forehead

Camryn Travis            belly

Jennifer Munnings     eye/cheek

Brooke Sommers       belly

Katie Gallagher          ribs

Sariah Gonzalez        forehead

Anthony Isenhour      shoulder

Berenika Boberska    the bottom!

Taylor Hoogsteden    hip

Carmina Ellison         sideburns

Nicole McHale           shoulder blade

Preeva Tramiel           back leg

Jessica Bernhardt     front leg

Milldrid Thompson    ear

Sharon Robinson       front leg

Timiza Wagner           back leg

Bobbie Jeffery            rear of body

Joanne Landers          ear

Sylvia Stanger            front leg

Paula Landers            back leg

Charlotte Jacobs        front leg

Mavis Brown               front shoulder

Cheryl Batrato            haunch

Kathy Goldmaker        shoulder

Liz Matthews              back leg above the foot

Sailee Pawar               back leg

Andrea Fleiner            belly

Marina Taniform         leg

Andres Taniform         leg

Rose Nguyen             ribs

Marco Chavez           ribs

Lily May Larson         cheek

Rachel Williamson    back leg

Cheryl Zuur               above the eye

Kathy Willis               hindquarters

Martha White            hindquarter

Artemis Koren          head

Anika Sykora            tummy

Irene Floyd                hindquarter

Ming Zhou                head

Max Koren                front leg

Dinah Irino                 ear

Maya                          leg

Morgan Carter            head

Ava Kasim                   the hinney

Isabella Anderson       back

Ian Kussi-Gillu            shoulder

Viyada Satyapan         upper front back

Mahvash Salehpour    back hip

Christina Bayley          back foot

Pam Schwartz             left leg

Lynn Koolish                back leg

Sandra Duncan            front hoof

Emily Rosenberg           right leg

Gina Dixon                    back leg

Tamara Sommerfield     neck

Diana R. Reton              rear leg

Candace Kling               shoulder

Cindy Jacomette            head

Nicki Hitz Edison            front leg

Toru Sueto                     front left leg

Jeanne Sueto                under eye, along lower jaw

Linda Goss                    rear hip

Kim Meuli Brown           back ribs

Michael Chin                 chin

Kasla Melton                 right back leg (pierna derecha)

Vanessa Herrera            right back thing

Wendy Brown                back leg

Jack Fleig                      front leg

Amanda Fleig                front leg

Shobitha                       belly

Sasha                           back

Marilyn                         rear haunch

Caden Jo Hartdegen            head/neck

Yolanda Araujo            unknown

Meredith Payn            unknown

Tiffany Hartdeger        unknown

Richard                       cheek

Hanna Peacock          shoulder

Juan Manuel Gutierrez        rear hip

Paola Valencia             head

Jesus Castillo              head

Diego Barregan            shoulder

Hernandez Irvin            belly

Cindy Simmons            cheek

Ginna Sierra                  upper leg 

Carole Walters-Cook     face

Angela Etsey                 back leg and thigh

Victor Navarro IV           V neck

Elizabeth Finkler           ear

Jennifer Lu                   lower tummy

Kylee Dougherty          neck

Jada Wong                  stomach

Kerwin Azores             back knee

Hugo Jimenez             head

Becca Wong                neck

Breanna Estrada          unknown

Candaces Perrault       shoulder

Kevin Liu                      belly and front of leg plates

Michael Huang Mil      back leg

Natalie Diazza             chin hairs

Eliza Villa                     dorsal neck

Steve Dellicalpini        in that neck tho!

Michelle van Eyken     right flank

Leslie McLaughlin       shoulder circles

Angela Acosta            front leg

Allison Acosta            front shoulder circle

Rebecca Bui              upper back leg

Barbara Post              back foot

Irene Caravajal           back leg

Gabrielle Koizumi       neck

Clayton Bavor            front leg

Ava Eui                      front leg

Judy Diamond           upper shoulder

Mhanna Kutras           front leg

Liam                           neck

Leona                         neck

Leana Olliffe                stomach

Patti Samuelson          right leg

A. Manley                     neck plates

Donna King                  right shoulder

Becky Leech                right hindquarters

Raymond Mueller         front left leg

Timmy                           shoulder

Asher Fleig                    front leg

Julia                               back leg

Nicole B                        chest

L. Hum                          hind leg

Alice Schwegman        shoulder

Gail Blackmarr             unknown

Christina Truong          neck

June Dao                     scale

Ellie Reese                   a rear leg

Susan L. Goranson     left rear leg

Marci Ariagno             breast shield

Maya                           unknown

Diane Mestu               head

Claudia Havah            back leg

Mickey Guffin              right upper hind leg

Annalise Sailen            unknown

Jennifer Schaeffer       front right leg

Mia                              rear leg

Joe Ranish                  right shoulder

Ann Ranish                 rear leg

Anthony                      left leg

Leslie Nobler               neck

Anne Trickey                back leg

Maris Kaplan               neck fold and front shoulder

Paula Bohan                neck fold

James Brooks              neck

Amanda Briggs            back right foot

Andrew Briggs             back right foot

Miriam Briggs              back right foot

Willow Yamaden          cheek

Sarah Bartman            neck

Bridget McMahon       flank

Amy Brown                jowl

Vanessa Dion Fletcher        jowl

Denera Gains             unknown

Justin Gains               unknown

Kurt Salinas                stomach/inner thigh

Randall Harrison         upper mid bicep

Ivy Moya                      back foot

Pam Lonero                 breast plate

Molly Olsen Roush      shoulder/neck area

Brook Olsen Roush     shoulder/neck area

Susie Miller Roush      shoulder/neck area

Reyhon Ertekin            unknown

Torres Leck                  shoulder

Anna Banancks           shoulder

Emily van Engel           front leg

Silvia Eckert                cheek

Davis Watson              breastplate

Debachree Ghosh       breastplate

Jessica Jane Jennings       cheek

Kimberly Ann Piper      shoulder

Alisa Murray                cheek

Jennifer Hill                 breastplate

Susan Ady                   cheek

Chris Washburn          neck

Janet Ady                    flank

Louise Horkey             border

Nupur Kamat              front shoulder

Tamela Holmes            ear

Tameyah Holmes         cheek

Ruth Tabancay            upper leg

Teddy Midler                shoulder

Jerry Majors Patterson        cheek area

Susan Afell                  eye area

Elaine Todd                 neck

Senator Jordan           cheek

Meadow                     unknown

Lori Chambers            neck

Josephine Tumova      neck

Fynn Tuma                   chest

Diana Dominguez        chest

Jason Godeke             neck

Cristina Mathews        belly and front right leg

Jody Alexander           neck, chest

Elaine Todd                 belly circles

Raquel Marquez          belly

Josslyn Robles            chest

Rhea Rynearson          shoulder

Valerie Frey                  shoulder

Aidan Parker                shoulder, right shoulder

A. Parker                      right shoulder

Seraphine Ries            belly

Lid. C.                          belly

Jamelie                        whiskers

Carolyn Schneider       upper shoulder

Josh Morsell                lower front shoulder

Lia V. Wilson                middle breast

[maxeuterpe]

L’aspirante

I Blue Aeroplanes sono una band inglese guidata da Gerard Langley, un poeta-cantante di grande impatto. Hanno messo in musica The Applicant di Sylvia Plath. I versi di questa poesia sono in assoluta sintonia con le chitarre elettriche. La poesia di Sylvia Plath dà voce alle sue ansie riguardo al matrimonio: sposarsi potrebbe soffocare la sua poesia in un ciclone di pressioni sociali e coniugali, responsabilità che la intrappolerebbero in un ruolo dal quale è difficile uscire.

La poesia. The Applicant, Sylvia Plath, 1962

L'aspirante

Prima di tutto ce li hai i requisiti? Ce l’hai un occhio di vetro, denti finti o una gruccia, un tirante o un uncino, Seni di gomma, inguine di gomma, Rattoppi o qualcosa che manca? Ah No? E allora che mai possiamo darti? Smetti di piangere Apri la mano. Vuota? Vuota. Ma ecco una mano Che la riempie, disposta A porgere tazze di tè e sgominare emicranie, E a fare ogni cosa che gli dirai, La vorresti sposare? E’ garantita, Ti tapperà gli occhi alla fine della vita E del dolore, Con quel sale ci rinnoviamo le scorte. Vedo che sei nuda come un verme. Che te ne pare di questo vestito – Un po’ rigido e nero, ma niente male, Lo vorresti sposare? E’ impensabile, infrantumabile, abile Contro il fuoco e imbombardabile Credi a me, ti ci farai sotterrare. E adesso, scusa, hai vuota la testa Ho la cosa che fa per te. Su, su, carina, esci fuori dal guscio. Ecco, ti piace questa? Nuda per cominciare come una pagina bianca. Ma in venticinque anni d’argento, D’oro in cinquanta, potrà diventare, Una bambola viva, sotto ogni aspetto. Sa cucire, sa cucinare, Sa parlare, parlare, parlare. E funziona, non ha una magagna, Qua c’è un buco, che è una manna. Qua un occhio, una vera visione. Ragazzo mio, è l’ultima occasione. La vorresti sposare, sposare, sposare?

The Applicant

First, are you our sort of a person? Do you wear A glass eye, false teeth or a crutch, A brace or a hook, Rubber breasts or a rubber crotch, Stitches to show something’s missing? No, no? Then How can we give you a thing? Stop crying. Open your hand. Empty? Empty. Here is a hand To fill it and willing To bring teacups and roll away headaches And do whatever you tell it. Will you marry it? It is guaranteed To thumb shut your eyes at the end And dissolve of sorrow. We make new stock from the salt. I notice you are stark naked. How about this suit—- Black and stiff, but not a bad fit. Will you marry it? It is waterproof, shatterproof, proof Against fire and bombs through the roof. Believe me, they’ll bury you in it. Now your head, excuse me, is empty. I have the ticket for that. Come here, sweetie, out of the closet. Well, what do you think of that ? Naked as paper to start But in twenty-five years she’ll be silver, In fifty, gold. A living doll, everywhere you look. It can sew, it can cook, It can talk, talk , talk. It works, there is nothing wrong with it. You have a hole, it’s a poultice. You have an eye, it’s an image. My boy, it’s your last resort. Will you marry it, marry it, marry it.

La canzone. The Applicant, The Blue Aeroplanes, 1990

[lom-journal]

Easter Monday April 13/2020-day 3 Sylvia Hotel

Peter and the girls up around 6:00 a.m. me up at 7:20 a.m. Peter andthe gurls went for their first walk of the day ! We check out of the Sylvia Hotel to day and go to Langley to pick up our FIXED Bus 🚌 I hope! The hope is that they start it f8rst thing this morning!the other thing is can they fix the Coolant problem so we can go back to Burnaby today! Peter and the dogs are back from their walk at 7:50 a.m. The day looks like it’s going to be another Sunny 😎 Day! I’m not sure what we’ll do while waiting for the 🚌! We are sitting around early this a.m. we’ll shower and change and later this a.m. pete4 will call “Jeff “ to see how the work on the s is going and wether we can get thebus today! ***Jeff from Traveland said they would probably need the bus 🚌 till Wednesday night or Thursday a.m. *** So, Peter went to Reseption and they said it was okay to stay until Thursday or maybe Friday*** I’m so glad we have the room we have it’s great 👍!we had to go to Dam Ford in Langley and plug in our bus 🚌 for the freezer ***! I was saying prior to going to Langley that we take a drive! So, guess what happened! We took a drive?ha! Ha! Peter is out walking the dogs at 3:10 p.m. Call Alena to tell her of our predicament! Peter and the gurls are back to the b8g room with T.V. Couch, Chairs and 2 great Queen Beds!

[tb5-heavenward]

part 14 - rescue and reprise

Creighton-Ward Manor, 2060

Wherein we come to the end of the story.

An Elegant Escapade Masterpost

They let him go

Or, more accurately, after a slap on the back from Terry and a scruffy kiss on the cheek from Bill, they leave him be. They take off. He stays put. When their rattletrap old Bentley roars to life outside and departs with a whiff of petroleum exhaust, John's still tied up and sat on a musty old hayrick, bales of moldy hay stacked high in the back of some anonymous barn in the English countryside. He listens to the sound of the car growing distant, with a wicked headache and a vague impression that this was an experience that was maybe meant to be traumatizing, but has instead come across as stupefying and mildly surreal, with only hints of pain and terror.

So, that's lucky.

Miraculously, still not the worst party Penelope's ever dragged him to. Top five, for sure. Top three, even. But still probably not as bad as that one time in Amsterdam and nowhere near as horrific as New Year's Eve, 2058.

Still not great, though.

John closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, and then reclines against the scratchy, grey-smelling wall of hay at his back. He means it only to be a few moments, just long enough to collect himself and then start to work on getting his wrists and/or ankles unbound—but when he blinks again, it's because Penelope's appeared from someplace, calling his name and shaking his shoulders and sounding just the tiniest bit frantic.

"Oh! Oh, John—dearest, I thought for just a moment that...that you were...that they might've really hurt you. But you're all right. Aren't you? Yes. Thank goodness.Oh. John Tracy, you scared me!"

"I scared you?" It comes out a little more bewildered than indignant, strictly speaking, but he's still getting his bearings.

"Yes." Penelope is a full foot shorter than he is, probably at least fifty pounds lighter, but still nearly knocks him over when she flings her arms around his neck and latches on. It's all a little bit ridiculous. She's in a dress of delicate floral chiffon and she still hasn't got any shoes, but then, neither does he. John's not exactly in a hurry to tell her that these have been stolen by Bill the Kidnapper. He's not entirely sure he wants to know why Bill the Kidnapper would've been more interested in Penny's cream leather Louboutins over his own similarly abandoned brown oxfords, given that the latter would obviously be the more practical choice. But it's neither here nor there, at the moment. For as tight as she's hugging him now, it's entirely possible that Penelope was actually rather scared.

And then, muffled from against his shoulder— "I told you you were going to get lost in that bloody hedge maze."

This is the sort of thing your best friend says to you, after you've been kidnapped.

It’s also the sort of thing John can’t help but laugh at.

A couple of hours later finds them in Aunt Sylvia's drawing room. It's an impressive space and lavishly appointed. Tasteful landscapes in gilded frames, portraits of severe looking people from assorted other centuries. Ornate antique furniture. Surprisingly comfortable couches. Penelope comes from a childhood of never having been permitted to sit on these particular couches, and so she considers the fact that she is currently curled up at the end of a glossy leather Chesterfield with John's head pillowed on her lap to be an immense personal victory.

She's not certain if he's sleeping, sprawled out as he is along the length of her great aunt's Chesterfield, in the drawing room to which they've both retreated after the unfortunate incident of the kidnapping at the garden party. His shoes are still MIA, as are hers, and he's shrugged out of his jacket and undone his waistcoat, the one that matches the pretty floral fabric of her dress. He's been furnished with a cold washcloth and has this pressed over his eyes, against his forehead, such that Penelope can't tell if he's asleep or not. He very well might be. His breathing is deep and deliberate and even, and the hand not holding the washcloth in place hangs limply at the end of the arm he's got hanging off the couch. He hasn't moved for at least five minutes. Poor lamb.

She's also not certain if John cares about the usually forbidden status of this particular couch in this particular drawing room in her great aunt's sprawling manor house, but it's John she has as an excuse to be here at all, and excused from the tedium of the rest of the party. She pats his chest fondly.

He stirs slightly at that, shifts his shoulders with a groan. His right hand doesn't move from where it keeps the cold compress in place, but he twitches the long fingers of his left a little vaguely in acknowledgment, knocks his knuckles against the hardwood floor. "Nnnmm. Mm. What?"

"Oh, nothing particularly, my darling. I wasn't sure if you were asleep. Were you?"

Another groan, with a whimper on the tail end which she suspects to be rather theatrical. "Can’t sleep, dehydrated. Headache. Vertigo. Actively dying. Otherwise fine. How're you?"

This last is sarcastic, but she knows John better than to be offended. Instead she reaches over and gently moves his hand to adjust the compress over his eyes, pats his fingers affectionately. "Can I have Werthers fetch you anything, dearest? Some water, a fresh washcloth, aspirin? Glass of Scotch, perhaps? Steady your nerves."

This gets him to peel away the existing washcloth, and Penelope is favored with an accusing glare from one bright green eye. "My nerves are fine. I have a concussion. And I don't know why the hell you still think I drink Scotch."

Penelope smiles, a rueful little quirk of her rosebud lips. "Well, because we drank rather a lot of it that one New Year's Eve party we had. You remember. At my London flat? Two years ago now?"

"I do not, which is precisely why I no longer drink Scotch."

"Oh, is that why?" She can't help but laugh a little at that. "What a shame, darling. It's impossible to get you to sing if you're not drunk, and you're such a charming tenor. I'm told we performed rather a endearing rendition of 'People Will Say We're in Love'. I do wish someone had thought to record it."

He makes a disgruntled little noise about that. "Rodgers and Hammerstein are the architects of every embarrassing thing you've ever made me do."

"Mm!" Penelope disagrees. "Not true. We do that bit from Les Mis and that's by someone else entirely."

"I'm substantially less embarrassed as Javert than I am as Curley."

"From what I remember of New Year's Eve, I was Curley. Anyway, it's not my fault you've a terrible weakness for musical theater."

"It's entirely your fault that I've even seen any musical theater in the first place. You dragged me to the seventieth anniversary run of Les Miserables every day for a week. It was brainwashing."

"Mmm. Seventy-fifth, this year. I've already bought our tickets. And I bet you still cry when Fantine dies."

He huffs defensively, but doesn't deny it. "I'm asleep now. I'm sleeping."

Penelope flicks the tip of his nose with a manicured finger and gets swatted at clumsily in return, except John can't aim with his eyes closed and misses by a wide margin. Penelope catches his wrist and plants a kiss on the palm of his hand, leaves the blush imprint of her lipstick against his skin. "You're all right really, though," she insists, as he grudgingly allows her to keep hold of his fingers.

"We'll see. At the moment, I'm trying very hard not to get a migraine, and you're being distinctly unhelpful."

"But other than that, you're fine."

John apparently takes issue with this assessment, and corrects her, "I'm intact. No part of me was severed and mailed to my family in exchange for a billion dollars. I suppose that's technically a positive. We'll leave it there."

Penelope tuts sympathetically. "Well, Aunt Sylvia's already said we can stay as long as we like, until you're feeling better. She's really very sorry for what what happened, you know."

John's overall opinion of Great Aunt Sylvia has gone from general wariness to certainty that her aunt is actually insane. He hasn't said as much, nor would he, but Penelope knows him a little too well. It's an opinion conveyed in the long, reproachful pause before he says, "She said she wanted to catch up to 'William' and 'Terrence' and ask just how they managed to fit me in the trunk of an antique Bentley."

"Well! Professional curiosity, my love, you're well over six feet tall. The raw geometry of that achievement is simply a matter of interest. And they stole that Bentley, you know, the absolute fiends. She'll fetch it back, though, don't worry. It's over a hundred years old, in near perfect condition, and worth nearly a million pounds. Do you know, I'm beginning to think they didn't actually realize?"

"Bill and Terry? No." The sarcasm is unsubtle.

"Aunt Sylvia will sort it out."

"Sure she will."

"And she'll get them to wire your ransom back."

"They can keep it. It's Gordon's money anyway."

"No, they certainly can not. She'll make them apologize, too."

John actually winces at that. "No, no thanks. She can keep it if it means I don't have to deal with them again."

"Dearest, they kidnapped you."

"And the worst part of the whole ordeal was actually interacting with them. So, no, no apology necessary. She can lock them both in her wine cellar and rack them to death, or boil them in oil, or put screws in their thumbs or whatever the hell the aristocracy does with the criminal classes."

"Well, we employ them, generally, in my family's case. You're well aware of Parker's sordid history. Werthers took Great-Uncle Langley for over two million pounds with a confidence trick, and they hired him on the spot. They did manage to snag you out of a party full view of some of the sharpest members of the European intelligene community. If we attend again next year, it's entirely possible they'll be on staff groundskeepers." She shrugs. "Who's to say what she'll do when she catches them? But mark my words: she is going to catch them."

John actually shudders at this. "I don't know why it surprises me that your family keeps tame criminals on hand as staff, but so far it sounds like one of the saner things your aunt has done." He pauses and then, "Don't tell her I said that."

In spite of everything, Penelope feels a distinctive glow of pride for her Great Aunt. "She got kidnapped once. In Belarus. Uncle Langley didn't even know she was missing until the kidnappers sent him five hundred thousand rubles and a note of apology."

"Mmhm." One would have to have known John for as long as Penelope has to catch the note of drowsiness starting to creep into his voice. She remembers the same from late nights of study, or from long walks home from social engagements that neither of them had particularly wanted to attend, but which were made bearable by attending together. "Sounds like a story."

Definitely tired. And rightly so. Penelope smiles fondly. "My bedtime story, frequently."

"Umm." He sighs again and shifts slightly on the couch, curls up, just a little. He's quiet for a while, and she begins to wonder if he's actually gone to sleep and what she'll do if so, when he asks, "What time * is* it?"

Penelope glances habitually at his wrist, but he's not wearing his watch at the moment. It's still tucked in the toe of his similarly absent shoes, sat at the edge of the fountain in the center of the hedgemaze. She glances around the room for a clock, but the face on the grandfather clock at the far end of the room is too ornate to be read at distance. "Oh, I don't know. Six or so. The sun's going down. It's fine, John. Shh."

"I need to be in Houston in thirty-six hours."

"And I said you had nothing to worry about on that score, darling, I promise. You'll be there with bells on."

This time John discards the compress, probably no longer cold anyway. It lands with a wet thump on the floor, and he stares up at the ceiling with a perfectly morose expression, classically tragic. It occurs to Penelope that he should be rendered in oils, framed, and hung on the far wall of her aunt's drawing room. He repeats himself, "I need to be in Houston in thirty-six hours so I can categorically fail my SOL exam and wind up stranded on Earth for another month."

Penelope rolls her eyes. "John Glenn Tracy, you've never failed an exam in your life."

There's definitely some melodrama happening now, his sigh is appropriately theatrical. "I can't even remember how many planets there are."

"That's down to an excess of champagne and a mild concussion, my love, and both will wear off."

"I was not promised champagne and a concussion, I was promised caviar and croquet."

"And charming company," Penelope reminds him, always sharp when it comes to the terms of established contracts.

"Has someone been charming in my company? Must've missed it."

Penelope tweaks his ear in retaliation, but he smiles and opens his eyes to give her a look, the sort they've been sharing for years now.

And in the fading golden light of sunset, alone together in the drawing room of her Great Aunt's grand old manor house—there's a moment. Just the briefest, barest moment, that brings her six, nearly seven years back, now, and reminds her of a time when they were both much, much younger. Her first time meeting him, she'd met someone young and solitary and quiet and distant, far from home and in pain, alone and vulnerable. Her heart had gone out to him then, and it seems she'd just never gotten it back. If she'd been told that one day she'd love him more than anyone she's ever actually been in love with, and be perfectly content with that; she would've laughed at the impossibility.

For his part, if John had been told a decade ago that one day his best and dearest friend would be an apparently flighty young British heiress, who would insinuate herself past his strictly defined and well-maintained personal boundaries and force a reevaluation of the way he'd lived his rather solitary life, he probably would've found an excuse to go live alone on top of a mountain in attempt to avoid her. And both their lives would've been the lesser for it.

But instead they're both here, and she has her fingers threaded between his, his head in her lap. John trusts her with his life, and more than that, with the love he guards so closely, shares so rarely. She trusts him to keep her carefully in check, to answer all her clever lines with ones that are cleverer, and to see through all her obfuscation, to see her underneath.

And in a way that neither of them could've imagined, ten years ago, John squeezes her fingers and says, "You know I love you."

She smiles, and knows him well enough to bow her head and gently kiss his forehead. "Yes, darling. I love you, too. But I also know you well enough to hear the 'but...' that you're waiting to add to the end of that sentence."

He returns her kiss to the back of her fingers, affection as elegantly understated as always, even as he concludes, "But I fucking hate your parties."

This is the sort of thing your best friend says to you, after you've gotten him kidnapped.

This is the sort of honesty Penelope’s always loved the most.

Anybody who’s officially nobody attends Sylvia Creighton-Ward’s annual garden party, and Sylvia Creighton-Ward's annual garden party has come to its conclusion. Nobody's in attendance any longer, but then, on paper at least, nobody was to begin with.

Months of planning, all culminated in a long and lovely afternoon, with a brief diversion near the middle to account for a minor kidnapping. That had actually been a remarkably brisk little outing. Got the blood up. Sylvia does love a chase, and anyway it's all sorted out and taken care of, and the children have been bundled into the house to take their tea and have a nice rest. Now the grounds are being tidied up, the kitchens are starting to wind down, and all of the staff are going meticulously through the household, looking for any surveillance devices surreptitiously planted by the guests. Werthers is in the "wine cellar", conducting a job interview for Messrs Bill and Terry, evaluating their potential fitness for a position within the household. At present, her butler is not optimistic.

It's nearing midnight, and Sylvia’s niece is curled up, not, as expected, in the guest room where she's stayed since childhood, but on the chesterfield in the blue drawing room, snuggled cozily against her tall, redheaded, and previously unmentioned best friend. There are words that need to be had with Lord Hugh about his failure to inform Sylvia that Penelope has had someone so near to the inner sanctum of her most intimate social circle, for the past six years. It remains appallingly bad form for Penelope to be caught—snoring—fast asleep on top of someone whom her Aunt hasn’t personally vetted.

But, disappointingly, they're both fully-clothed and it's all perfectly innocent. And even if it weren't, he seems nice enough. For spending most of his time aboard one of the most powerful satellites operating in the world today, John Tracy seems remarkably down to Earth. He'd taken the minor kidnapping more or less in stride, and had even been gracious enough to accept her apology that it had happened on her watch. And, if she trusts Penelope's word on the subject, they're no more than very dear, very intimate friends. It's almost a shame. They do look rather charming together, even if he's entirely too tall, and offensively too redheaded.

She hopes that one of the others turns out to be a potential prospect, someday. His family's work is of unimpeachable merit, and their money is the sort of constantly dynamic American capital that lives and grows and breathes, the sort of wealth that makes her own family's old money seem almost rather stodgy. She's already got a small dossier building with regard to Number Four, golden boy blond and summer sunshine sweet, and with some sort of quality that makes her niece blush, when mentioned. Sylvia's own tastes and recommendations run a little closer to the approval of Number One, and she's developing this as a backup. He's still too tall, but at least he's a winter, and dark hair and greying temples have always met Sylvia's personal approval. It's a shame about the redhead.

Still. Old habits die hard. and as Aunt Sylvia crosses the room, as light on her feet as she is in her low heels, not making a sound. She's got the young man's shoes in one hand, and his watch in the other. The former she sets gingerly on the floor at the foot of the couch. The latter she fiddles with for a few moments, and then angles a careful shot with its camera, snaps a few pictures. The lights are low, but she's very experienced in the matter of surreptitiously taking photos of things she's not supposed to. For a moment she contemplates sending a copy to herself and then deleting it. Instead, she carefully unfolds John's fingers from where they're wrapped around her niece's shoulder, tucks his watch beneath them. He stirs with a soft little sigh and then resettles, pulling Penelope just a little closer. She coughs just slightly, takes a deep breath, and then the snoring stops.

Bless.

And then, appropriately grandiose, Lady Creighton-Ward gently drops a blanket over her niece and her uninvited guest.

the end

pssst: http://tb5-heavenward.tumblr.com/post/157331381867

[workingonmoviemaps]

Batwoman #115 “Off With Her Head”

Alice faces her greatest fear while Kate and Jacob interrogate August Cartwright to learn about her past.

Kate and Beth’s mother Gabi gives them both necklaces and show them her new matching earrings after their Bar Mitzvah held at ivy-covered Sylvia Hotel.

Kate saves a woman from an attacker in the alley beside Cathedral Square and then heads off to answer the Bat-Signal.

Kate calls Jacob to her bar at Century House and asks him not to kill the man she has inside.

Alice heads to Gabriola where she finds Mouse but he turns the Fear Toxin back on her.

Alice is forced to face the memories of Mabel Cartwright’s time at the Blieberger Farm where she is being held.

Mary calls Luke when she gets information on Beth’s killer in her clinic at the Crease Clinic.

They both head to Elcam Auto Recyclers where they find the car and identify who killed Beth.

[comicsxaminer]

Cool Cosplay: Batman, Raven, And More!

Batman by Sylvian Duverne

Hawkeye by Badger BLU Cosplay, Photography by Artworx By Gary

Mera by Irina Meier Cosplay

Queen Hippolyta by Sylvia Slays Cosplay

Raven by Smirka Cosplay

Asuka Langley From Evangelion by Shirogane-sama

Feel free to click on the models’ names to view more of their work.

[maki-no-maki]

About Me Tag

I was tagged by: @bluebloodedphantom (thank you! T_T)

Rules: Tag 20 people you want to get to know better (I dunno if I can tag that much like, I wanna know more about all of you but I don’t wanna be specific)

Gender: None. XD Female. 

Star Sign: Scorpio.

Height: I have no idea. O.O 

Sexual Orientation: Straight. 

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Favorite Color: All of them. 

Favorite Animal: Cat

Average Hours of Sleep: 9 because I’m lazy. And I think I’m gonna die early. 

Cat or Dog Person: Dog in the past, but cat is the love of my life rn. 

Favorite Fictional Characters:  Benvolio, Puck/Robin Goodfellow, Nick Carraway, Holly Golightly, Jack Dawson, Rose DeWitt Bukater, Amelie Poulain, Olive Penderghast, Emma & Adele (Blue Is The Warmest Color), Sebastian Wilder, Son Goku, Son Gohan, Ranma Saotome, Akane Tendo, Ryoga Hibiki, Asuka Langley, Spike Spiegel, Hanamichi Sakuragi, Hisashi Mitsui, Kaede Rukawa, Haruko Akagi, Kurama (Yuyu Hakusho), Hiei, Fuuko Kirisawa, Raiha, Yui Hongo, Nakago, Chichiri, Tasuki, Ash Ketchum, Misty, Pikachu, Celebi, Meowth, Inuyasha, Kagome Higurashi, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, Sousuke Sagara, Kaname Chidori, Chrono, Rosette Christopher, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Ulquiorra Cifer, Fruits Basket Characters Too Many to Mention, Kenshin Himura, Kaoru Kamiya, Sanosuke Sagara, Aoishi Shinomori, Misao Makimachi, Kazuki Hihara, Kira Yamato, Lacus Clyne, Aya Natsume, Souichiro Nagi, Masataka Takayanagi, Suzaku Kururugi, Euphemia li Britannia, Kallen Kouzuki, Lelouch Lamperouge, Tatsuma Hiyuu, Aoi Misato, Horaiji Kouichi, Suzumiya Haruhi, Kyon, Itsuki Koizumi, Tadashi Karino, Sunako Nakahara, Kyouhei Takano, Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, Lavi, Yuu Kanda, Komui Lee, Okazaki Tomoya, Furukawa Nagisa, Okazaki Ushio, Youhei Sunohara, Uruki, Takiko Okuda, Tomite, Chihaya Ayase, Mashima Taichi, Shinobu Wakamiya, Suou Hisashi, Chitoge Kirisaki, Ichijou Raku, Ruri Miyamato, Shuu Maiko, Gintoki Sakata, Kagura, Shinpachi Shimura, Sadaharu, Tae Shimura, Hijikata Toushiro, Okita Sougo, Takasugi Shinsuke, Kamui, Katsura Koutaro, Sakamoto Tatsuma, Ayame Sarutobi, Mutsu, Ayano Terada, Tatsugorou Terada, Doromizu Jirochou, Too Many to Mention (although my list lol). 

Number of blankets: One. 

Favorite Band/Singer: The Beatles, Bee Gees, New Order, Eraserheads, Mest, Alkaline Trio, Sayuri Ishikawa, CHiCO with HoneyWorks, Kana Nishino, SpyAir, DOES, ACID, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, fx, SHINee, TWICE, BlackPink, APink, SPF, Marisa Sukosol, Aida Nikolaychuk, Goo Goo Dolls, Bread, Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Mark Wills, Marie Digby,  Westlife, A1, Ronan Keating & Boyzone, Savage Garden, Parokya ni Edgar, Callalily, Apo Hiking Society, Rey Valera, Sue Ramirez, Regine Velasquez, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Michelle Wright, Sylvia La Torre, Francis Magalona, Gloc9, Matchbox 20, Anti-Flag, Ed Sheeran, Kaye Cal, Many to Mention again. 

Dream Trip: Japan and to the moon. 

Dream Job: I want to be a writer and a director .

I’m tagging these lovely people: @missgibilawliett-afo, @crazeeotakuyoh, @liri2012, @bossladytae I don’t know who else lolol. 

[shinynewbooks2]

These Ghostly Archives: The Unearthing of Sylvia Plath by Gail Crowther and Peter K. Steinberg

These Ghostly Archives: The Unearthing of Sylvia Plath by Gail Crowther and Peter K. Steinberg

Reviewed by Karen Langley You could be forgiven for thinking that the last thing the world needs is yet another book about the poet, writer and artist Sylvia Plath. She’s one of my favourite authors and I have shelves of books by and about her, yet there are probably more that I don’t have than I do. So you might ask what makes this new work from Fonthill Media so special; because special it…

[yesshinypizzastudentthings-blog]

Smith Optics 'Langley' 60mm Aviator Sunglasses Top Reviews

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B-Low the Belt 'Lena' Wrap Belt

MCM 'Milla' Leather Crossbody Bag

Dolce&Gabbana Carretto Greca Print Canvas Tote

Camilla Christine Crystal & Faux Pearl Sash

Nadri 'Salome' Bezel Set Cubic Zirconia Body Chain

Shrimps 'Moss' Faux Fur Scarf

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Konstantino 'Classics' Etched Bangle

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Estella Bartlett Bright Star Mini Stud Earrings

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Proenza Schouler 'Large PS1' Nylon Satchel

Suzanna Dai 'Cuzco' Drop Earrings

Tom Ford 55mm Retro Sunglasses

Tumi 'Just in Case' Nylon Travel Tote

MARC JACOBS Vic Bracelet Watch, 30mm

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Maria Tash 18 Gauge Opal & Diamond Five Row Pavé Ring

Lana Jewelry 'Mega' Hoop Earrings

Michael Kors 'Large Santorini' Raffia Tote

Alexander Wang 'Large Marti' Nylon Backpack

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Rosanna 'Trellis' Tote

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Nordstrom Collection Stripe Cashmere Cape

Steve Madden Chain Fringe Triangle Scarf

David Yurman 'Châtelaine' Earrings

Alexander McQueen King & Queen Wrap Bracelet

Roffe Accessories Skinny Scarf

Tumi 'Sinclair - Olivia' Convertible Backpack

BaubleBar 'Eithne' Bib Necklace

ZENZII Beaded Multistrand Collar Necklace

Givenchy 50mm Round Sunglasses

Konstantino 'Silver & Gold Classics' Link Bracelet

Larsson & Jennings 'Norse' Square Leather Strap Watch, 27mm x 34mm

Michael Kors 'Bradshaw - Mini' Chronograph Bracelet Watch, 36mm

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Konstantino 'Penelope' Cross Pendant

David Yurman 'Châtelaine' Earrings

Canvas Jewelry Spear Pendant Necklace

Ralph Lauren Sport 6-Pack Low-Cut Socks

kate spade new york 'holland' round leather strap watch, 34mm

Brides & Hairpins 'Daphne' Crystal Embellished Head Band

ALLSAINTS Junai Studded Leather Crossbody Bag

Linda Farrow 52mm Sunglasses

LAGOS Caviar 'Superfine' Two-Tone Station Hoop Earrings

Simone Rocha Genuine Calf Hair Satchel

LAGOS 'Black & White Caviar' Bracelet

Skagen 'Hald' Leather Strap Watch, 34mm

ZAC Zac Posen Earthette Leather Crossbody Bag

LAGOS 'Columbus Circle' Ball Stud Earrings

LAGOS 'Luna' Pearl & Diamond Pendant Necklace

Hot Sox Ballerina Pattern Crew Socks (3 for $15)

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David Yurman Petite Pavé Curb Chain Earrings with Diamonds

Fendi 'Petite 2Jours' Leather Shopper

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David Yurman 'Starburst' Earrings with Diamonds

Fendi 'Mini Peekaboo' Nappa Leather Bag

Treasure&Bond Choker Necklace

Loren Hope 'Sylvia' Crystal Collar Necklace

Nadri Cushion Cut Cubic Zirconia Ring

Phase 3 Straw Panama Hat

MARC JACOBS 'Gotham' Leather Saddle Bag

Jimmy Choo Lydia Metallic Leather Envelope Clutch

Nadri Pear Drop Earrings (Nordstrom Exclusive)

Prada 59mm Square Sunglasses

Kapten and Son 'Campina' 18mm Mesh Watch Strap

LAGOS 'Diamond Caviar' Diamond Heart Pendant

Larsson & Jennings 'Lugano' Leather Strap Watch, 40mm

ITEM m6 Shorty Shaping Shorts

Susan Hanover Drop Circle Pendant

David Yurman 'Starburst' Ring with Diamonds in Gold

Berkshire Light Control Top Pantyhose (Plus Size)

MVMT Leather Strap Watch, 40mm

Lafonn 'Lassaire' Three Stone Ring

Commando 'Everyday Crochet' Control Top Tights

Fabiana Filippi Plaid Scarf

Nadri 'Geo' Station Bracelet

Tom Ford 'Aaron' 53mm Sunglasses

kate spade new york 'ampersand exclamation point' knee socks (2 for $20)

Calvin Klein Shimmer Sheer Control Top Pantyhose

LAGOS Diamond Heart Pendant Necklace

BP. Adjustable Lariat Necklace

Anna Beck 'Gili' Skinny Cuff

TC 'Flex' High Waist Shaping Briefs

Saint Laurent 'Medium Monogram' Chevron Quilted Leather Shoulder Bag

Armenta Openwork Diamond Pendant

Karen Walker 'Harvest' 50mm Retro Sunglasses

Fitbit 'Alta' Leather Accessory Band

Vanessa Mooney Ava Pendant Necklace

Hard Tail High Waist Crop Leggings

David Yurman 'Belmont' Link Ring with 18K Gold

LAGOS 'Contessa' Semiprecious Double Drop Earrings

[workingonmoviemaps]

The Magicians #212 “Ramifications”

Penny finds a way into the Poison Room, Quentin finds a way to bring Alice back, Eliot searches for a way back to Fillory, and Julia & Kady find a way to draw out Reynard.

Penny and Sylvia find the entrance to the Poison Room in UBC’s Botanical Gardens and find a way in.

They end up in the Britannia Mine Museum and find the Poison Room is a bit more literal than expected.

Meanwhile, Quentin & Eliot travel to Vancouver as indicated by this sign which was placed at the end of the Burrard Dry Dock Pier.

They head to 668 Beachview Drive in North Vancouver where they learn that the new owner of the Chatwin’s clock is none other than the god Umber.

Over in France, filmed at the ever popular 6742 224 Street in Langley, Julia and Kady create a storm to draw out Reynard to kill him.

Back at Brakebills South filmed at Riverview’s Crease Clinic Quentin says a few words to Alice who isn’t handling her return to life well.