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dashreads · 2 years

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2023 Reading List

January:

What Lies Beyond the Veil- Harper L Woods & Adailade Forrest **

What Hunts inside the Shadows- Harper L Woods & Adailade Forrest **

Rhuger's Pearl- Carlotta Hughes ****

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February: X

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March:

4. Silent Lucidity- Tiffany Roberts **

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April:

5. Yearning for Her- Tiffany Roberts ****

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May: X

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June:

6. That Time I got Drunk and Saved a Human- Kimberly Lemming ***

7. How To Marry A Marble Marquis- C.M. Nascosta ****

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July:

8. To Tame a Dragon- Tiffany Roberts *

9. To Love a Dragon- Tiffany Roberts *

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August:

10. Taken by the Aline Next Door- Tiffany Roberts ***

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September:

11. Blood Moon- Jillian Graves **

12. The Sea Witch- Rebecca F. Kenney ****

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October:

13. Rhuger's Cridhe- Carlotta Hughes ****

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November:

14. A Duel with the Vampire Lord- Elise Kova ****

15. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic- J. Penner ****

16. His Darkest Desire- Tiffany Roberts ****

17. Scream for Us- Molly Doyle **

18. Bloodshed- Molly Doyle ***

19. Melt for Us- Molly Doyle **

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December:

20. All I wanted was sushi but I got abducted by aliens instead- Petra Palerno ***

21. All I wanted was to become a Scientist but now I've got an Alien Boyfriend- Petra Palerno ***

22. All I wanted was a glass of Vine but an Alien Duke kidnapped me instead- Petra Palerno ***

23. A Court of Sugar & Spice- Rebecca F. Kenney ****

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Reading Goals:

Read 45 books (I'm ok if I read at least 20 due to life changes)

Read 10 comics/webcomics/manga

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Rook- Jillian Graves (Delayed)

Welcome to Azathé- CM Nascosta (Delayed)

Welcome to Fae Café- Jennifer Kropf

Enchantment- Orson Scott Card *2

My Side of the Mountain- Jean Craighead George *2

The Goddess of Yesterday- Caroline B. Cooney *2

A Little Princess- Frances Hodgson Burnett *3

Journey to the Center of the Earth- Jules Verne *3

Ascendant- Michael R Miller *1

Throne of Glass- Sarah J Maas

Crown of Midnight- Sarah J Maas

Heir of Fire- Sarah J Maas

Queen of Shadows- Sarah J Maas

Empire of Storms- Sarah J Maas

Tower of Dawn- Sarah J Maas

Kingdom of Ash- Sarah J Maas

Dragon Keeper- Carole Wilkinson *1

A Natural History of Dragons- Marie Brennan *1

Dragon's Flight- Anne McCaffery *1

Dragon Keeper- Robin Hobb *1

Phoenix Unbound- Grace Draven

Dragon Unleashed- Grace Draven

Raven Unveiled- Grace Draven

Undying King- Grace Draven

Entreat Me- Grace Draven

House of Earth & Blood- Sarah J Maas

House of Sky & Breath- Sarah J Maas

Jurassic Park- Michael Crichton

A Rake of His Own- AJ Lancaster (Reading)

Parties- C.M. Nascosta

Contact- Carl Sagan

Spinning Silver- Naomi Novik

Iron Widow- Xiran Jay Zhao

Uprooted- Naomi Novik

The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss

What Sleeps Within the Cove- Harper L Woods & Adailade Forrest (10/17/2023)

Get off the Unicorn- Anne McCaffrey

Cursed Cocktails: A Cozy Fantasy- S.L. Rowland

Run, Run Rabbit- CM Nascosta

Stolen Midsummer Bride- Tara Grayce

Uncommon Verdant- Daria Vernon

Bow before the Elf Queen- JM Kearl

The Crystal Shard- R. A. Salvatore

Streams of Silver- R. A. Salvatore

The Halfling's Gem- R. A. Salvatore

The Legacy- R. A. Salvatore

Starless Night- R. A. Salvatore

What Lurks Between the Fates- Harper L Woods & Adailade Forrest

Shadow Wizard- Jeffe Kennedy

Rogue Familiar- Jeffe Kennedy

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Witch Hat Atelier

My Father is a Unicorn

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu

Restaurant to Another World

The Savior's Book Café Story in Another

Campfire cooking in another world with my absurd skill

The Way of the Househusband

Delicious in Dungeon

Housekeeping Mage from Another World

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits

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Reading Challenges:

Read 5 Dragon related books (listed)

Read 3 books I read in school (listed)

Read 2 classics (listed)

Read at least 5-7of the Legend of Drizzt books (listed)

Read 5 books recommended to me

Read at least 5 books by Grace Draven (listed)

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Total Reading Goal: 50

Just to be kind to my future self when she looks at this at the end of the year: remember that we were pregnant, had a baby, had to look for a new job, and had to move. We just didn't have time. Maybe we will next year.

Also I will admit I've been binge reading some of Tiffany Roberts' work here and there.

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Ok this year's reading challenge was completely and utterly slashed. I got overly enthusiastic and just went all over the place. I enjoyed reading when I could, especially after having a baby. February through May was difficult for me as I was in a lot of pain and just wanted to sleep on the last few months of pregnancy. I cried a lot. After I gave birth, reading helped me slowly heal my new found scattered and tired mom brain. I started off slow and after August when I started working again, I came back with a vengeance.

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Favorites:

* it was good

** loved it

*** would read again and again

**** Can't stop thinking about it, won't stop thinking about it

Not a fan: X

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Top Reads of 2023:

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2023 Guilty Pleasure Books:

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2023 Favorite Authors:

Tiffany Roberts

Rebecca F. Kenney

Petra Palerno

Kimberly Lemming

Carlotta Hughes

J. Penner

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Favorite Series:

Bubble Babes

Orc Matched

Order of the Unseen

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Re-reads:

The Martian

Project Hail Mary

Ice Planet Barbarian

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2022 Reading List and Reviews- 36

#tbr list #2023 reading list

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yearningpng · 1 year

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Mobile Muse Roster .

this is the mobile muse roster !! this is where my more closely updated list & description of muses will be !!

AMBROSE : 〔 AMBROSE 〕 arkwright . crowned prince of another kingdom who does not want to be the crowned prince . face claim : daniel sharman .

ABELLA : 〔 ABELLA 〕 arkwright . sister to ambrose . desires the crown , attempting to ruin their kingly father’s reputation & politically adjust their policies . face claim : eleanor tomlinson .

SELAH : 〔 SELAH 〕 boyd . very old witch . co - owns a magic shop , often used by those in that community . face claim : candice accola .

HENRIA : henrietta 〔 HENRIA 〕 frances . very old witch . co - owns a magic shop , often used by those in that community . face claim : danielle campbell .

LIDIA : 〔 LIDIA 〕 dimitrova . very old witch . co - owns a magic shop , often used by those in that community . face claim : nina dobrev .

BORIS : 〔 BORIS 〕 valore . very old witch . face claim : austin butler .

AUSTEN : 〔 AUSTEN 〕 callow . paranoid prophet . psychic medium . training to pair with a demonologist ( exorcist ) . face claim : thomas brodie - sangster .

ZELDA : griselda 〔 ZELDA 〕 han . both faceless & successful author with a penchant for solitude . face claim : caroline hu .

RUMI : jo 〔 RUMI 〕 . sickly owner of a quiet bookstore , heir to a large fortune owned by her estranged parents . has a fixation to ancient languages & texts . face claim : tiffany hwang .

SUSA : susanna 〔 SUSA 〕 choi . successful animator at STARDROP ANIMATION STUDIO for anime productions . webcomic creator . face claim : kim seolhyun .

JOLIE : jolene 〔 JOLIE 〕 choi . renowned psychiatrist . face claim : kim seolhyun .

KOMIE : lee 〔 KOMIE 〕 . member of the girl group GAL X SHE under 1st Love Media . face claim : lee jinsook .

TOMIE : lee 〔 TOMIE 〕 . member of the girl group GAL X SHE under 1st Love Media . face claim : lee luda .

HACHI : tsuji 〔 HACHIE 〕 hatsuko . member of the girl group GAL X SHE under 1st Love Media . face claim : jeon heejin .

MIKI : milena 〔 MIKIE 〕 shin . member of the girl group GAL X SHE under 1st Love Media . face claim : kim hyunjin .

CHANMI : chu 〔 MIEMIE 〕 chanmi . member of the girl group GAL X SHE under 1st Love Media . face claim : kim chaewon .

ROMIE : rosemary 〔 ROMIE 〕 michaels . member of the girl group GAL X SHE under 1st Love Media . face claim : huh yunjin .

SERPENT : rebekah 〔 SERPENT 〕 angeles . trained backrooms jumper . face claim : dina denoire .

PARASITE : clio 〔 PARASITE 〕 angeles . trained backrooms jumper . face claim : sab zada .

SUNDAY : maia 〔 SUNDAY 〕 angeles . trained backrooms jumper . face claim : leah halton .

EDEN : leon 〔 EDEN 〕 angeles . trained backrooms jumper . face claim : jung wooyoung .

GENESIS : isaiah 〔 GENESIS 〕 angeles . trained backrooms jumper . face claim : choi beomgyu .

LAZARUS : roman 〔 LAZARUS 〕 angeles . trained backrooms jumper . face claim : choi beomgyu .

#blog information.#quick links.#mobile muse roster.#more coming soon !!

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cinaed · 2 years

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September/October 2022 Monthly Media

* = Rewatch/reread

Anime/Cartoons

Bob's Burgers 13.01-13.05

Dead End: Paranormal Park 2.01-2.10

Star Trek: Lower Decks 1.01-2.10

Books

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander*

Kestrel by Lloyd Aleander*

The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander*

Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie*

Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby

Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica

Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire

Melusine by Sarah Monette

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap

Manga/Comics

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

I Think Our Son Is Gay Volume 1-3 by Okura

Deadendia: The Watcher's Crown by Hamish Steele

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun 9-10 by Izumi Tsubaki

The Four of Them (ongoing webcomic)

Oglaf (ongoing webcomic)

Order of the Stick (ongoing webcomic)

Wilde Life (ongoing webcomic)

Movies

Catherine Called Birdy (2022)

The Lost City (2022)

Podcasts

Dungeons and Daddies

Meddling Adults

Not Another D&D Podcast

TV Shows/Web Series

Andor 1.01-1.07

A League of Their Own 1.01-1.08

Critical Role 3.32-3.38

Dimension 20: A Court of Fey and Flowers 1.06-10.10

Ghosts CBS 2.01-2.05

Masterchef 12.18-12.20

Survivor 43.01-43.06

Video Games

80 Days

Arcade Spirits

Heirs & Graces

#monthly media

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visenyaism · 3 years

Note

Kill Six Billion Demons is a webcomic where a sorority girl gets crowned heir of the universe and is sent to another dimension. She needs to learn to master that power and overthrow the corrupt god-kings that created the decaying universal empire. Important quotes include "Reach heaven through violence," "YISUN forgive me for the violence I am about to inflict," and "If you meet God on the road, kill him." It's very LGBTQ also.

oh that sounds very fun actually

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iwant-bread · 3 years

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My To Read List

Category 1: YA

1. Loveless (2020) by Alice Osoman (England)

description: an aroace main character. A strange and eventful first year at university, some interesting new friends, and exploring what it means to be both aromantic and asexual opens mc’s eyes to the less conventional forms of love in her life as she learns that happiness doesn’t rely on you finding your soulmate

2. To Kill a Kingdom (2018) by Alexandra Christo (England)

description: slowburn enemies to lovers sirens princes etc

3. The Wrath and The Dawn (2015) by Renée Ahdieh (United States)

description: retelling of the 1001 nights- currently reading the webcomic and holy shit its good

4. Southern Reach Trilogy (2014) by Jeff Vandermeer (United States)

description: “Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide; the third expedition in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer.”

5. Cemetery Boys (2020) by Aiden Thomas (United States)

description: Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him

6. When the Moon Was Ours (2016) by Anne-Marie McLemore (United States)

description: “Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love.”

7. Children of Blood and Bone (2018) by Tomi Adeyemi (Nigeria/United States)

description: “Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.”

8. Cinderella is Dead (2020) by Kalynn Bayron (United States)

description: living in the same universe as Cinderella, but 200 years after her death. When coming of age, it is tradition for girls to attend balls to be chosen as wives of men they never met. But, OH NO, main character is queer

9. A Botija do Fantasma “The Ghost's Bottle” (2021) by Pablo Praxedes (Brazil)

description: only two things scare the city of Mossoró at the end of the 1920s: the return of the Lampião gang and the witches of Carnaubal. Luiz wants to abandon everything and start his life over with Chico, his best friend and love interest. The problem? Chico does not agree with this plan. Salete, a young witch, lives isolated in a carnauba forest while learning about her powers, but she will soon discover that being a witch in a small town is not an easy task. What none of them expected was that a ghost's gift would come to change their lives

10. The Sleeper and The Spindle (2014) by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell (United States)

description: “On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems”

11. The Unseelie Prince (2021) by Kathryn Ann Kingsley (United States)

description: As the son of the Morrigan and heir to the vacant Unseelie throne, Valroy itches to shed the mantle of prince and take his place as King. To his great regret one ancient tradition stands in his way, demanding he first take a bride. With all the members of the Unseelie court proving to be insufferable, what is a prince to do? Steal a human, of course.

12. The Dark Tide (2020) by Alicia Jasinska (Australia)

description: “A gripping, dark enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.” i mean... must i truly write the summary?

13. Discworld (1983–2015) by Terry Pratchett (England)

description: a series of 41 comic fantasy books, set in the Discworld, a flat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants that sit on the back of a giant tortoise

14. Written in the Stars (2020) by Alexandria Bellefleur (United States?)

description: fake dating trope and sapphic

15. Once Upon a Broken Heart (2020) by Stephanie Garber (United States)

description: after the protagonist finds out that the love of her life is going to marry another, she does what anyone in their sane mind would do: strikes a deal with an immortal being, the Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for 3 kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing

16. The Witch's Heart (2021) by Genevieve Gornichec (United States)

description: “Angrboda's story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love. Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin's all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.”

Category 2: *actual* historical fiction

1. Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928) by D. H. Lawrence (England)

description: old folks smut

2. A Rainha do Ignoto “The Queen of the Unknown” (1889) by Emília Freitas (Brazil)

description: secret society of women, hierarchically organized on an island, called Ilha do Fogeiro, ruled by a Queen who recruited women based on the suffering they experienced in their daily lives - terfs do not touch please :)

3. The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (United States)

description: written as a diary from a woman confined by her husband. She is slowly succumbing to madness

4. Senhora (1874) by José de Alencar (Brazil)

description: it is a novel that criticizes the behavioral futility and the fragility of bourgeois values resulting from Brazilian capitalism. Lovers to enemies to lovers again. A girl trying to get revenge on her opportunistic ex fiance

5. Persuasion (1816) by Jane Austen (England)

description: a story about Anne Elliot, who called off her engagement after being persuaded by her friend. When her ex returns from the sea as a successful and wealthy captain, Anne's family is on the brink of financial collapse

6. Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) by Thomas Hardy

description: a novel centered around the victorian rural lower class and in its open treatment of sexuality and religion

7. How the Steel Was Tempered (1936) by Nikolay Ostrovsky (Soviet Union)

description: a socialist realist novel about the birth of the New Man, the man of the socialist epoch who dares all and achieves all in the struggle for the happiness of humanity.

8. Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1749) by John Cleland (England)

description: considered to be one of the first published erotic novels

9. Úrsula (1859) by Maria Firmina dos Reis (Brazil)

description: one of the first brazilian novel written by a woman, not only that, but a black woman. And one of the first abolitionist novels too

10. The King in Yellow (1895) by Robert W. Chambers (United States)

description: a collection of 10 short Victorian Gothic fiction stories

11. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1594-1596?) by William Shakespeare (England)

description: I really don't know for sure, I heard that a lot of people die and marriage is involved. What made me want to read it was a tiktok about how a woman was sleeping, she woke up with a flower in her eye, and fell in love with a talking donkey. I don't know but it reminded me of shrek so I want to read

12. Moll Flanders (1722) by Daniel Defoe (England)

description: a novel partially based on the life of Moll King, a London criminal whom Defoe met while visiting Newgate Prison

13. The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World (1666) by Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle (England)

description: “fanciful depiction of a satirical, utopian kingdom in another world (with different stars in the sky) that can be reached via the North Pole. [...] A young woman enters this other world, becomes the empress of a society composed of various species of talking animals, and organises an invasion back into her world complete with submarines towed by the "fish men" and the dropping of "fire stones" by the "bird men" to confound the enemies of her homeland, the Kingdom of Esfi”

14. Genji Monogatari (early 1000′s) by Lady Murasaki Shikibu (Japan)

description: considered the world's first literary novel- The work chronicles the life of Hikaru Genji, a son of a Japanese emperor with a low-ranking concubine. For political reasons, Genji is relegated to citizen status and begins a career as an imperial officer. The tale focuses on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of aristocratic society at the time

15. Satyricon liber (60 a.c.) by Gaius Petronius (Roman Empire)

description: describes the adventures and misadventures of the narrator, Encolpius, his lover Ascyltos, and his slave, Giton, who intrudes between the two lovers, provoking jealousy and quarrel

Category 3: historical fiction

1. Catch-22 (1961) by Joseph Heller (United States)

description: it takes place from 1942 to 1944, exploring the absurdity of war through military life, with the characters trying to stay sane so they can return home. Narrated in 3rd omnicient person

2. Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) by Kurt Vonnegut (United States)

description: an anti-war science fiction novel. Unreliable and non-linear narrator

3. A Thousand Ships (2019) by Natalie Haynes (United Kingdom)

description: a retelling of the Trojan War by the point of view of women

4. The Marvels (2015) by Brian Selznick (United States)

description: “It weaves together two seemingly unrelated stories - one in words, the other in pictures. The illustrated story begins in 1766, while the prose story opens in 1990.”

Category 4: studies / Essay / biographies?

1. Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative and History (1991) by Cathy Caruth (United States)

description: “Through the notion of trauma, she contends, we come to a new understanding that permits history to arise where immediate understanding may not.”

2. Eros the Bittersweet (1986) by Anne Carson (Canada)

description: “A book about love as seen by the ancients, Eros is Anne Carson's exploration of the concept of "eros" in both classical philosophy and literature.”

3. Vita Sanctae Hildegardis (+ or - 1180) by Godefridus (Germany)

description: hagiography

4. Discourse on Colonialism (1950) by Aimé Césaire (France)

description: Césaire’s Discourse on Colonialism argues that colonialism was not and had never been a benevolent movement (myth of the “good colonizer) whose goal was to improve the lives of the colonized (civilizing them); instead, colonists' motives were entirely self-centered, economic exploitation

5. Malleus Malleficarum (1486) by Kramer and Sprenger (Germany)

description: inquisitorial manual about witches. The reason many people died

6. The Barefoot Woman (2008) by Scholastique Mukasonga (Rwanda)

description: the story of the author's mother, during pre-genocide Rwanda

7. Selling Beauty: Cosmetics, Commerce, and French Society, 1750–1830 (2009) by Morag Martin (United States)

description: Morag Martin’s history of the cosmetic industry in France examines the evolution of popular tastes and standards of beauty during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. As the French citizenry rebelled against the excesses of the aristocracy, there was a parallel shift in consumer beauty practices

8. The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence (1997) by Gavin de de Becker (United States)

description: title self explanatory, the author talks about how to spot danger basically

9. Cinderella ate my daughter (2011) by Peggy Orenstein (United States)

description: the book explores the phenomenon of princess culture and in particular how the concept is marketed to young girls

10. Handbook of Medieval Sexuality (2013) by Vern L. Bullough (United States)

description: title self explanatory

11. The Coming Insurrection (2007) by The Invisible Committee (France)

description: French political pamphlet describing the hypothesis of an "imminent collapse of capitalist culture".

12. Fairies: A Dangerous History (2018) by Richard Sugg (England probably)

description: title self explanatory

13. How to Catch a Man, How to Keep a Man, How to Get Rid of a Man (1970) by Zsa Zsa Gabor (Hungary)

description: written by the actress, socialite, and author, married at least 8 times, Zsa Zsa- title self explanatory

14. A Handbook of Disappointed Fate (2018) by Anne Boyer (United States)

description: highlights a decade of Anne Boyer's interrogative writing on poetry, death, love, lambs, etc

15. Chromophobia (2000) by David Batchelor (England)

description: Chromophobia - a fear of corruption or contamination through colour. David Batchelor analyzes the history of, and motivations behind, chromophobia, from its beginnings through examples of nineteenth-century literature, twentieth-century architecture and film, to Pop art, minimalism and the art and architecture of the present day

16. A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (1995) by Nicholas A. Basbanes (United States)

description: “A Gentle Madness is vividly anecdotal and thoroughly researched. Nicholas A. Basbanes brings an investigative reporter’s heart and instincts to the task of chronicling collectors past and present in pursuit of bibliomania.”

17. Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life (2020) by Lulu Miller (United States)

description: a non-fiction that smashes together: memoir, science, biography and History

Category 5: poetry

1. Eloa, or the Sister of the Angels (1824) by Alfred de Vigny (France)

description: an angel falls in love with a stranger, he starts to love her too, but is unable to return the affections, because of his twisted notions of love. He drags her to hell.

2. How to Cure a Ghost (2019) by Fariha Róisín (Australia)

description: “An exploration of all the ghosts that haunt me”- works about ancestral trauma, violence, being queer, islamophobia and life, but still having hope for the future

3. The Faerie Queene (1590) by Edmund Spenser (England)

description: one of the longest poems in the English language

4. Autobiography of Red (1999) by Anne Carson (Canada)

description: a novel written in form of poem, retelling about Geryon (one of the monsters Hercules has to kill) “Sometimes a journey makes itself necessary.”

5. I see you as I saw a flower (2015) by Na Tae-joo (South Korea)

description: great book for beginners in korean, contains poems about flowers, love, the changing months and seasons, etc

6. Morte e Vida Severina (1954) by João Cabral de Melo Neto (Brazil)

description: portrays the trajectory of Severino, who leaves the northeastern hinterland towards the coast in search of better living conditions, and finds many others like him. He watches many deaths and, from so much wandering, ends up discovering that it is precisely death, the wild's biggest employer. It is to her that they owe their jobs

7. Les Fleurs du Mal (1857) by Charles Baudelaire (France)

description: contains poems about decadence, eroticism, suffering and its relationship to the original sin, disgust toward evil and oneself, obsession with death, and aspiration toward an ideal world

Category 6: tales? novels? short stories? not quite YA fiction?

1. Um Espinho de Marfim e outras Histórias (1999) by Marina Colasanti (Italy/Brazil)

description: anthology with women as the center of a cosmogony

2. Uprooted (2015) by Naomi Novik (United States)

description: written by one of the founders of AO3. “ Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

3. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (2015) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Japan)

description: In a back alley in Tokyo lies a café called Funiculi Funicula. In the café, customers have the opportunity to travel back to a time of their choosing, as long as they follow a long list of rules. There is only one seat in the café that allows time travel; the seat is only available when the ghost that usually occupies it goes for a toilet break; once back in time, customers can't leave the seat; the only people in the past who can be met are people who have visited the café; whatever happens in the past, the present won't change; and, most importantly, the customer has to return to the present before their cup of coffee goes cold. The novel follows the stories of the café staff, notably barista Kazu, and four different customers.

4. The Ghost’s Child (2008) by Sonya Hartnett (Australia)

description: "They talked to one another, but never about important things - never about a lost winged dream, not about unseeable mysteries that lay beyond the setting sun. They both knew that you can talk and talk, but when the talk is done and there's nothing else to say, the thing that you long for is still not there."

5. Austrian Fairy Tales (Collected from Old Sources) (2017) by Harald Salfellner (Austria)

description: dont know- i think the title is pretty self explanatory

6. The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden (2006) by Catherynne Valente (United States)

description: “Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history”

7. The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies (Wales)

description: collection of prose manuscripts written in medieval Welsh. They are partly based on historical events from the early Middle Ages, but which can be traced back to Iron Age traditions

8. I Have the Right to Destroy Myself (2007) by Young-Ha Kim (South Korea)

description: “I don't encourage murder. I have no interest in one person killing another. I only want to draw out morbid desires, imprisoned deep in the unconscious. This lust, once freed, starts growing. Their imaginations run free, and they soon discover their potential... They are waiting for someone like me.” A short story that follows a person who helps others to commit suicide

9. The Canterbury Tales (13th) by Geoffrey Chaucer (England)

description: collection of stories (two of them in prose, and another twenty-two in verse) written from 1387 onwards. In the work, each tale is narrated by a pilgrim from a group who travels from Southwark (London) to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the tomb of St. Thomas Becket.

10. Ariadne (2021) by Jennifer Saint (United States)

description: the story of Ariadne

11. The Dwarf (1978) by Cho Se-hui (South Korea)

description: revolves around a literal “little guy,” and his family and friends, and their changing economic and social relationships which are destroyed by Korean modernization

#to read list #books recommendations #dark academia #light academia

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rebelcourtesan · 3 years

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I’ve been reading . . .

I love webcomics, manga, and manwha, While romance is a very popular genre with these platforms, I keep seeing the female leads all cut from the same cloth. Overemotional, self-doubtful, sweet as sugar, heart of gold, etc. And my biggest pet peeve, overreacting when it comes to love or sex. Hence, the reason why I steer clear of high school romance stories unless the story is interesting enough.

Then I found this gem, The Remarried Empress on Webtoons and fell in love with Navier, the protagonist.

In a fantasy world, Navier was betrothed to her husband since childhood and had been raised and groomed to become the empress of her country. Everything was all well for Navier as she was the perfect wife and ruler, she was a respected, her people happy, a devoted wife and everything was all and well within the kingdom . . .until her husband, Emperor Sovieshu brings home a mistress. A shocking turn of events leads to the Emperor requesting a divorce to marry his mistress, however, Navier is not one to be undone.

She accepts the divorce . . .and with out batting an eye, remarries instantly to an Emperor of another country no less!

That’s how the story starts in the prologue chapter, but we’re taken back to the beginning of the story to see how it all happened.

OMG . . .I love this character so much! Some spoilers below.

This character is everything I ever wanted to see in a mature female lead. She’s smart, cool and collected under bad circumstances, doesn’t overreact or let her emotions control her, and she’s up front and honest about her emotions and desires. She isn’t swayed by others and stays in control of any given situation. While she does come off as an ice queen by others, she’s really a compassionate person and is hurt when her husband chooses a common girl, Rashta, as his mistress.

God, the things this woman puts up with for the sake of her kingdom. Not only does the Emperor dotes on his mistress, he blames Navier whenever something upsets his mistress. However, Naiver doesn’t keep the peace by bowing to her husband’s pressure to get along with his mistress, instead she makes it clear she has no intention of being friendly with Rastha whatsoever. It doesn’t mean that Navier goes after the girl or or attacks her, but doesn’t to go against her own feelings about the situation.

When it’s custom for the Empress to give the Mistress a gift, Navier refuses to do so on the grounds that Empresses only give gifts to Mistresses they are friends with or of noble birth which Rashta is neither. When it is revealed Rashta is pregnant, the Emperor asks Navier to accept the child since she has yet to produce an heir, then chances were they may have to adopt Rashta’s child as the crown prince or princess.

Navier outright refuses, declaring she will not accept the child as her own nor will she have any tender feelings towards it. It may seem harsh to dislike an unborn child, but Navier is human and acts like it!

She’s hurt when the Emperor allows Rashta to attend public events even when that casts Navier in a bad light, he always defends Rastha whenever she breeches etiquette, and goes to great lengths to make her happy while showering her with attention while giving his wife the cold shoulder.

Being that this is a romance story, Navier does have a long interest in the form of the Emperor she will marry after the divorce. He’s head over heels in love with her, at first perceiving her to be an ice queen like most believe, but sees her compassion for himself.

Navier sees him as a friend and ally during tumultuous time, however being that this is fantasy romance, she’ll likely start to return his feelings.

Even The Remarried Empress is a romance, it doesn’t seem like one. It doesn’t seem like one. There’s political and courtly intrigue with nobles using Rastha’s ignorance and connection with the Emperor for their own ends while Navier has to keep the peace among the courters due to Rastha’s presence which causes an uproar among the nobility.

I definitely enjoyed reading it! It’s a free web novel which became a webtoon, and will soon become a tv drama!

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the-officially-kat · 5 years

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The official announcement of: “DESCENDANTS: The Plance Webcomic” by the-officially-kat on Tumblr~!!!

SURPRISE!!

So roughly a couple of weeks ago I finally watched Disney’s Descendants and I absolutely fell in love with it and it’s sequel and I’m super excited for the third one and of course I started to think of a Plance AU for it and originally I was going to just try to write it but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to draw it and now BOOM here we are~!

My plan is to work on it throughout spring, finish it in the beginning of summer, and upload a new page (or several new pages if it’s a song bit) every day

I’m incredibly excited to do this mainly because this will give me practice with drawing comics (which is what I want to do) and also because it’s Plance

Some story info under the cut~

The evil witch Honerva, after getting banished to the Isle of Daibazaal, adopted Pidge (as a baby), Keith (when he was 8), Acxa (when she was 5) and Ezor (when she was 8) and raised them alongside her son Lotor

Honerva taught both Pidge and Lotor how to do magic and Pidge turned out to be a bit of a prodigy (the fact of which made Lotor jealous and angry towards her)

Years later, when Pidge is 16, Prince Lance (soon to be crowned King) has requested that two-to-four children from the Isle come attend Altea Academy and Honerva takes this opportunity to enact an evil plot

She sends over Pidge to steal the most powerful magic wand in all the Kingdom’s and free the villains from the Isle, and she sends Keith to, and I quote, “get out of her/my hair”

(Keith has never once considered Honerva his mother and he’s made that very clear to everyone)

(He’ll help Pidge (because he considers her his sister) if she absolutely needs his help but other than that he’s coming along to Altea Academy for the change of scenery)

Princess Allura, who is the only living heir to the Altea throne and will eventually reclaim her crown when she’s ready, certainly does not trust Pidge and Keith

Unlike Lance who trusts them completely

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand to know more you’ll have to wait till it comes out~

#plance #pidgance #flirtyrobot #pance #plance au #plance aus #kat's plance descendants au #fanart #kat's fanart

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athy-n-lucas · 5 years

Link

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: 어느날 공주가 되어버렸다 | Who Made Me A Princess (Webcomic), Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia & Jeannette Yudit, Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia & Claude de Alger Obelia, Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia & Ezekiel Alpheus, Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia & Lillian Yoruk, Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia & Felix Robaine, Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia/Lucas (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day), Lucas (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day) & Claude de Alger Obelia, Lucas (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day) & Ezekiel Alpheus, Ezekiel Alpheus & Jeannette Yudit, Felix Robaine/Lillian Yoruk, Diana (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day)/Claude de Alger Obelia, Anastasius de Alger Obelia/Penelope Yudit, Lucas (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day) & Jeannette Yudit Characters: Athy|Athanasia de Alger Obelia, Lucas (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day), Ezekiel Alpheus, Jeannette Yudit, claude de alger obelia, Lillian Yoruk, Felix Robaine, Anastasius de Alger Obelia, Penelope Yudit, Diana (Who made me a Princess/Suddenly Became a Princess One Day) Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Lucas is originally water tribe, sorry i make the rules, actually beta read, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Bending (Avatar), Claude is Fire Lord, Lillian and Felix are married, this has no spoilers, literally has no plot connection to avatar or SBAPOD/WMMAP, Lucas has silvery/white eyes for this au, bc me and my discord can, i dont know how tags actually work, Action/Adventure, Slow Burn, Long, this is going to be a long ride, im actually gonna force people to keep me motivated, longgggg ficcccc Summary:

LOST AVATAR FOUND AS ADOPTED PRINCESS OF THE EARTH KINGDOM? Meet Princess Jeannette Alpheus and her adoptive brother, Crown Prince Ezekiel Alpheus. Both powerful heirs to the Earth Kingdom, as the King himself tells the city that Princess Jeannette is of Earth Kingdom(from his late brother) and extremely distant Water Tribe descent. He has also stated that she has bent Earth. Is she the Avatar? Since the previous Avatar, Diana of the Air Nomads, disappeared sixteen years ago, it would make sense that if a girl that is also sixteen years old shows great water bending skills and could bend earth is actually the new Avatar? Read more to find out on page 16!

Pale, void pupils skimmed over the newspaper. “Huh,” he mumbled, grinning, “what a lying king. I wonder what’ll happen to the Earth Kingdom when their people find out that their own King has lied to them?”

#suddenly became a princess one day #who made me a princess #avatar au #athy (suddenly became a princess one day)#lucas (suddenly became a princess one day)#jennette (suddenly became a princess one day)#ezekiel (suddenly became a princess one day)

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bazypitchandsimonsnow · 5 years

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The Black Swan

Chapter 1

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff/Angst

Word count: 3731

Chapter: 1/17 (All chapters)

Summary: Prince Simon of Watford hates being a prince. He would rather be with his friends than try to learn tax policy. While adventuring in the scary woods with Penelope, Simon finds a strange boy who somehow transforms from a swan into a human when he sits on a lake. Simon immediately becomes fascinated with the boy and his mysterious existence. And as he learns more, Simon's feelings start to deepen. But when the stakes get higher, can those feelings triumph over their struggles?

Read on AO3

AN: Hello everyone, and welcome to my big bang! It's super long, I spent hours trying to fix stuff that I'm still not 100% on, and I'm very happy I actually did it. And I really do like it, I'm just way too critical of myself. I wrote this because A) I love fantasy AUs, B) I love the Swan Lake ballet, and C) I love the webcomic based on Swan Lake “The Prince and The Swan” by April Pierce which I recommend you all read it's awesome. So this an AU based off both the ballet and the comic. I'm posting the first two chapters today cause I feel like them together is a good start to the story. I'll be posting every monday and every other Thursday.

Shoutout to my artist @bookerella who made amazing art for this fic. I’ll be linking her piece for this chapter at the end. And another shoutout as always to @carryonmylovelies because she has been my rock for the past five months through writing this fic and along with a lot of other struggles. She's the best and I love her with all my heart. And after all that, please enjoy the first two chapters of The Black Swan. Hope y'all like it :)

———————————————

Burning, everything was burning

The whole world was engulfed in flames and reeked of smoke. Simon didn’t know where he was. Only that this body wasn’t his. The arms were small, pudgy, that of a young boy. But he felt the muscles move and the skin heat up with the flames. They licked at him but didn’t touch, bending away before contact.

“Darling, where are you?!” a woman’s voice yelled, followed by an ear piercing scream.

Simon started running immediately. He didn’t know why, just that he had to go. He ran past the creaking wood, the scorched stone, looking for where the voice was coming from. Consciously, he didn’t know who it was, but he knew he had to get to her. A burning beam nearly crushed his head, but he kept going. He needed to get to her.

“Mum!” His voice shouted. It wasn’t his though, yet it came from his mouth. Rather, it was a child’s voice, desperate and afraid. Simon could feel tears streaming down the boy’s face, created from smoke and fear.

“Where is she?” Simon asked himself from the boy’s mouth.

Another scream rang out. Simon started running again. He couldn’t see. There was too much debris and smoke and fire to find anything. But he reached her room eventually, using all his short might to force the doors open. The boy’s mum was standing right in the centre of a ring of fire. Her grey gown was in charred shreds, hair obscuring most of her soot covered face. A thick arm was wound around her neck. She was struggling to breath, from smoke and the person choking her.

“Mum!” he shouted with voice that wasn’t his again. “Stop hurting her!”

“Run,” she rasped out. The person with the thick arm looked at him. His eyes were piercing blue, filled with a killer’s rage. The boy backed up slowly. “Run!”

And so he ran. He was running as far as his little legs could carry him, ducking and weaving through the burning debris. She told him to run. So he would, he would do whatever she said. Run, run, run-

“Not so fast, brat.” The man grabbed his small fancy collar so hard he choked. His voice was smooth, confident, completely sure of his own power. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ve got other plans for you.

He tried to scream, but the man’s grip was too tight for speech. The burning world slowly turned black.

———————————————

“Simon. Simon. Simon!”

Simon jolted awake so hard his head smacked against his wooden chair. He whined as he rubbed the sore spot. King David stood over him from the other side of the desk. He had his hands on his hips, glaring at his adopted son with extreme disapprovement.

“Yes?” Simon grumbled.

“Were you sleeping when you were supposed to be studying battle techniques?” David asked in a way that meant he knew the answer.

“N-No,” the prince lied with a shaky voice. David kept glaring, and Simon sighed. “I’m just tired from studying, Father, sorry.”

David shook his head, crown shifting on his brown curls. “I’m disappointed, Simon. You’ve been the crown prince full time for a year now, you should know how to cope. I brought you here to be my heir. The least you can do is try.”

Simon picked at his nails, a nervous habit he still hadn’t broken over the years. Another thing David was disappointed in. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Words are meaningless, Simon. Do better. Now come along, we have a council meeting.”

Simon had to suppress a groan. He hated council meetings. They were always so boring. They made him really want to find the executioner so he could be put out of his misery.

He did up his embroidered tunic properly and put the gold circlet back on his head anyway. He wanted all these damn things off so bad. The circlet always got too hot and made his forehead sweat. And the formal attire was so damn itchy. Simon was never comfortable when he dressed like a prince. Even years later, he still wondered if David made a mistake, picking him to be his heir.

David pushed open the council room doors with flourish, green cloak flapping behind him. He always did it so much with flourish, always making a grand scene when he greeted the council. Penny would roll her eyes.

“All rise,” Sir Premal announced, “for his majesty, King David Owens of Watford. And for his royal highness, Crown Prince Simon Owens of Watford.”

The lords stood, hands clasped in front of them respectfully. They all look bored, as usual. Nobility weren’t allowed to enjoy themselves. Simon was pretty sure it was written in the Constitution of Watford Kingdom. Though some of their eyes flicked to Simon and narrowed. He could feel the contempt and snobbery radiating off them. He knew what some of them thought of him deep down; just a lowly orphan painted up to impersonate a prince. Simon couldn’t disagree. A lot of the time, he felt like that too.

David stood at the head with Simon right beside him on a smaller chair. Everyone’s chairs had to be smaller than David’s.

“Be seated,” the king said. All the hardwood scraped on the stone simultaneously. Simon desperately wanted to slump further, but he knew David would yell at him later. It wasn’t worth the ear ache.

The King opened his large leather bound ledger. He kept meticulous finance records. Many would say he was obsessive. And many would be correct. “Now, the tax increases have been fully implemented. Have you all of you have been collecting well?”

His tone made it incredibly clear that this was a question with specific answers. David’s questions always came with specific answers. The lords shifted minutely, the closest they’d ever come to protest, and replied with a monotone “yes” as they handed their bags of collected gold pieces. Not Lord Grimm though. He merely pushed down his burlap sack while staring straight ahead. He rarely spoke during these meetings. Simon assumed it was because David took his late wife’s throne, the same throne that was originally meant to be passed down to his late son but was now going to Simon. Simon couldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t like being constantly reminded of his family’s demise either. Maybe not talking made it easier.

“Good,” David said as he checked off every province. “Any disturbances from the people?”

“No,” the speaking lords replied.

“Wonderful.” David snapped his ledger closed. “Now, there’s the matter of the old Hampshire property. It’s fallen into complete disrepair over the past few years, what with Lady Fiona moving and no one else living there. I suggest we demolish it for building materials. The new castle extension needs stone. Any protests?”

No one spoke up, because David’s cold expression told them not to. Not even Lord Grimm said anything, which Simon found surprising. Hampshire was the oldest Pitch family property. They owned it before becoming the royal family. But he said nothing. Just stared ahead with a bored expression. Simon still instinctively shied away though. Lord Malcolm Grimm always looked like a white haired pit viper, calm most of the time but definitely could kill you in an instant. But today was a good day, because Malcolm simply looked at King David, and nodded.

David nodded back. “Good. Lord Grimm, please alert Lady Pitch of this. Are there any other matters we need to discuss?” All the lords stayed silent in response. ”Very well. You’re all dimissised. Farewell, your lordships.”

“Farewell, your majesty,” the speaking lords said.

What was the point of this? Simon thought. Less than five minutes so the King could take money from the rich people and announce he was destroying a historic building. Penelope said most of these meetings were just so David could flex his power. Simon liked to believe there was something more, but he had to admit she had a point. She was usually right.

As he and Simon were exiting, Malcolm put a hand on David’s shoulder. Simon stiffened. It wasn’t appropriate to touch a king. He remembered the day David first brought him to the castle. His new father had slapped him away when he tugged on his royal sleeve. “You ask permission to touch a king, Simon. Remember that,” he’d said. Simon had always kept to that rule, along with everyone else. Yet David didn’t look upset at Lord Grimm’s discretion. His eyes justs slid over to the side.

“Excuse my boldness,” Lord Grimm said smoothly, “but I have something to discuss with you, your majesty.” His cold brown eyes shifted to Simon. Simon tried not to gulp. “In private.”

Simon looked to his father. David nodded. “Go, Simon. I give you leave for the day.”

The prince grinned ear to ear. “Really?”

“Did I not just say so? Return by supper.”

“Yes, yes, Father, I will.” Simon was already going towards the exit as he spoke.

“Close the door on your way out.” David didn’t say please, because, “kings are above politeness, Simon.”

Simon nodded. “Yes, Father.”

As he was closing the door, Simon heard snippets of their extremely hushed conversation. Malcolm looked serious, David looked unamused.

“Insult...too long...,” Malcolm muttered.

“Very well...remember...know your place,” David replied.

Simon was too excited to leave to care for stupid royal dealings. He shut the door and immediately raced down the carpeted hallway. Past the dirty high ceilings and confining stone walls. Even though this castle was only a little over a decade years old, it had the fashions of somewhere old. David wanted it to look ancient, to make it look like his royal line was just as old as the Pitches were. Penny told Simon it was about ego or power or something. Simon didn’t care. He just wanted to leave it right now.

The second he reached his room, Simon stripped off his tunic, making his circlet hit the stone with a tink. He hopped around trying to get his pants off and nearly fell face first on the floor. That would be rich, Simon thought, a crown prince with a broken nose caused by his own inability to get out of his trousers. What a great future king I am, huh David?

Simon put on his loose white shirt and filthy riding pants. He wrapped an old scarf around his head, attempting to hide his distinctive bronze curls under the grey fabric. It wouldn’t stop everyone from noticing him of course, but it would stop enough. Enough that he could get to one particular place.

As the reluctant crown prince and graduated student of The Mage School, which sat just to the north of the castle, Simon had enough practice getting from royal property to the town quickly. He used the hidden passageways, weaving through the corridors with ease, greeting every servant by name as he passed by. He ended up in the kitchen, where Cook Pritchard was already preparing for supper.

“Hello, Mrs. Pritchard,” he said, hanging over her counter. “How’s the kitchen?”

“Oh, same old, same old,” she replied. “How’s castle business?”

“Boring, of course. Say, is that a spare scone?”

The cook gave Simon an amused look. “I believe so.”

Simon grinned brightly. Ebb told him he had a smile that could persuade armies to surrender. She was always so nice. “May I please have it?”

Mrs. Pritchard sighed overdramatically as she handed the pastry over. “Only because you asked so nicely, your highness.”

“I told you, call me Simon, please. Your highness is too long.”

“I would, but his majesty insists on formal titles. He’s quite...demanding.”

“Don’t I know it,” Simon grumbled, taking an aggressive bite of the scone. “Thank you, Mrs. Pritchard. Need anything from town?”

“No, no, I’m fine. Those carrots you found last week were lovely, thank you.”

“No problem! Thanks for the scone!”

Cook Pritchard waved as Simon dashed off. “You’re welcome, your highness, have fun!”

He absolutely would. He always had fun on days like this. Simon ran out the wooden doors, over the rawbridge, and across the great lawn. Ebb was standing there with her goat herd, magically trying to rein them in. She waved with her entire arm.

“Good morrow, Simon!” she yelled. Ebb didn’t care for formalities at all.

Simon waved back. “Good morrow, Ebb! Need anything from town?”

“Oh no, I’m alright. Just say hello to Penelope for me!”

“Will do!”

Simon ran over the grass and down the dirt road. The thick brush of the Wavering Wood separated the castle from Watford Town. Most used magic to reveal a path. But Simon didn’t trust his magic, so he knew the forest like the back of his hand instead. He made it through with ease, jumping over fallen branches and across the mossy ground, emerging into the sunlight on the other side. He immediately took a deep breath, exhaling with a long sigh. Outside the stone walls and merwolf moat, he could finally breathe.

Watford Town was the biggest collection of people in the Watford Kingdom. (Both were called Watford, which made geography lessons far too confusing in Simon’s opinion.) Large, tall houses lined busy dirt streets. Stalls were filled with people shouting out prices of their wares. Everyone was bustling and talking and laughing. Soldiers stood on street corners, watching everyone move. Simon strolled past all of them with hands in his pockets. A few of them went wide eyed seeing him, but most people didn’t even notice he was there. He sighed. This town was his real home. And he missed it all the time.

Simon walked through the downtown to the slight outskirts. He knocked on a familiar red door. A few footstep sounds later, it swung open, and Simon was looking Penelope Bunce right in the eye.

“Hey Pen,” he chirped. “Ebb says hi.”

Penny smirked. “Did you have to sword fight Davy to get him let you out during the day?”

Simon grinned even more. “Nope. He just let me go.”

“Wow. Is our good ol’ King going soft in his old age?”

“I’m not sure that’s possible,” he scoffed. “Can I come in? Or has your Mum finally officially banned me?”

Penny barked a laugh and steps to the side. “Like she could stop me. Get in here, you royal bastard.”

Simon whipped off his scarf off and stepped into the Bunce house. It was big, but not as big as the castle, and it felt much smaller with two adults and four children all together. Simon didn’t mind. He preferred the cozy family feeling here to his large, empty supposed palace.

“How’s the castle been?” Penny asked. Simon groaned and flopped on one of the chairs. “That good, huh?”

Simon grunted. “Bloody nightmare. I thought David was demanding while we were in school, but now he’s got me reading even more books. I think I’m going to slice my throat on a policy manual page one of these days.”

“Oh the horror of reading. Want tea?”

“Yes please. And I’m fine with reading interesting books. But these ones have too many complicated words and not enough pictures.”

Penny sighed heavily as she boiled the kettle with her wand. “I sometimes wonder why we’re friends.”

Simon twisted his head around towards the kitchen with his sunshine smile. “Because I’m nice and charming and you love me.”

“True, untrue, and yes, I do, despite my better judgement.” Penny turned to him. She was smiling a bit, but her eyes were sad. “It’s sort of weird, y’know, not seeing you everyday at school. It’s been almost a year, and it’s still weird.”

Simon sighed. He got up from the chair and strolled over to her. He draped himself over Penny like an affectionate ragdoll, chin on her head and arms around her neck. “I miss you too, Pen.”

Penelope sighed and sunk into his arms for a second. But then struggled out of his grip as the kettle whistled. “Yeah, yeah, I miss you, you big softy. Now get off me and let me make the tea.”

“Of course, will do.” He planted a big wet kiss on her cheek before flopping back to the chair. Penny soon brought over two cups with steaming tea. She took the seat opposite him, and sighed after a long drink. Her whole body relaxed. And it looked like she needed it.

“So,” Simon said, “how’s the new job?”

Penny groaned. “Horrible. You’d think there’d be better work here for a mage, but there seems to be little good use for us outside court or in the North where Micah is. Which means I’m stuck trying to sell cooking ware to people on the street.”

“I wish I could help, Pen,” Simon sighed. “If I become king, I’ll make you and Micah court mages. And you’ll be my head advisor and court mage, promise.”

She gave Simon a strange look over her cup. “You mean ‘when you’re king’, Simon, right?”

Simon sunk into his chair. He shrugged his shoulders high and slumped down. Penny slowly put her tea down and leaned forward. “Simon, you’re the crown prince. You were specifically chosen by King David to be his heir.”

“I know,” he grumbled.

“You can’t pretend you’re not anymore.”

“I know.”

“You have to accept the responsibility of-”

“I know!”

The whole house shook slightly. The side table fell over and a crack appeared in the nearby wall. Simon was horrified, his gut twisting with guilt. He put down his cup and rubbed his face up and down. Stupid magic,he thought, never listens.

“Sorry,” he groaned. “Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have lost my temper and this is your house and I’m damaging it. Sorry-”

“Hey, Simon,” Penny stepped out of her chair and stood in front of her friend. She put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. I shouldn’t have pushed you. I just, I hoped you would have accepted this by now.”

Simon sighed, slumping forward. “Yeah, me too. Guess not.” He ran a nervous hand through his tangled hair. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed to be a king. I barely passed my civics classes, I hate policy, I’m terrible at speaking, I can barely use this supposedly amazing magic I have. I’m never going to be like David.”

“Dear Lord, I hope not.” Simon gave Penny a weird look. “Simon, King Davy has made some good changes, but he does it with an iron fist. He just barrels through no matter what the lords or the people say. That’s not a good ruler, that’s a tyrant.”

“Don’t call him that. He’s not all bad. He took me in.”

Penelope sighed, patting him kindly. “I know. Just, don’t try to be like David, Si. Be like you.”

Simon reached up and squeezed her hand. “Okay. And you’ll be my top advisor. Or bodyguard, like Premal.”

She groaned, immediately pulling away from her friend. “Please never compare me to my brother ever again. The boy has a stick jammed so far up his arse you could mistake him for a statue.”

“Too true. He’s so still and slomen that I sometimes I run into him.”

“Please keep doing that. It might make him loosen up.”

Simon sunk further into his chair. “Hm, I’ll try.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. It still felt weird from his crown. It always did. “I don’t want to go back to the castle tonight. David’s going to make me read the geography book again.”

“Well,” Penny said playfully, “I’m not working tonight. We could go exploring the Wavering Wood, like our school days.”

“But we’ve explored all The Wavering Wood,” Simon whined. But quickly, like a lightning flash, an idea came into his wild head. He grinned mischievously. Penny instinctively leaned back.

“I don’t like that look, Simon.” She raised a cautious hand raised.

He stood up, hands on his hips in triumph. “We can explore the Forbidden Lands!”

Penny groaned. She shook her hanging head and walked towards the kitchen. As well as away from her insane friend. “I knew you would say that and I still can’t believe it,” she muttered.

“C’mon, Pen, it could be fun! We’ve been through the Wood enough. We’re old pros. This would be a new adventure!” He followed after her, practically vibrating behind her as she put away the tea blocks.

“Si, the Wavering Wood may be dense, but the Forbidden Lands are different. They’re actually treacherous. Lots of steep slopes and dangerous animals. We could get seriously hurt.”

Simon waved dismissively. “You’ve got good magic, I’ve got a sword, we’ll be fine.”

Penny gave him an unamused look over her glasses. But when Simon put on his pathetic pout, her resolve buckled. He hugged her from the behind. “Please Pen? We don’t even have to go that far in. I just want to go explore somewhere new, have some fun. Like the old days.”

She still looked unamused, but Simon pouted more, rubbing up against her hair like the affectionate puppy he sometimes was. “Please?”

Penelope stayed stoic for only a few more seconds. But soon enough she sighed, posture falling along with her resolve. “Fine,” she groaned, “we’ll go exploring.”

That made Simon, crown prince of all of Watford and most powerful mage in the land, squeal like an excited school boy. He jumped up and down while saying, “thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I hope you know that if you die, it’ll be my head on a pike. So stay alive.”

“Of course! And I’ll pay you back. Get you some fancy herbs from the court mage’s cabinet.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Si.”

He hugged her tight again. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

Penny leaned against him. Simon put his cheek on her hair. He really did miss this. Mage’s School was tough, what with his lack of magical raising and previous poor schooling, but he met Penelope and Agatha. And for the first time in his life, he had real friends. He never thought he needed one until them. Now, he missed seeing them everyday so damn much.

Simon wanted an adventure. Like the great magical prince he thought he would be the day David took him in. Just one. That was all he needed.

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AN: If you're enjoying it so far, go to chapter 2 right here.

#carry on #snowbaz #cobb2018 #carry on big bang #simon snow #baz pitch #penelope bunce #fantasy au #the black swan #mysnowbazfanfic

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