Adventures in Librarian-ing

My brain when my students call me their "library teacher"

Funnily enough, 🍀 right back at you. I'm always really fascinated by the process of creating characters for DnD, mostly because it's collaborative, and idk, at least in my experience, you might start off with a concept, but you're not necessarily going to end with it thanks to DM intervention, haha. Tl;dr, 🍀 for as many characters that are yours and that you're willing to talk about? :D

I am so, so sorry it took this long to answer this Jax. December was.... a month. I am fully back now though and will finally get around to answering this. Question is from this ask game.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

Alright, so I will answer only for those OCs I was the creator of and not for those whose lore I expanded upon from the original DM of the campaign. There aren't quite as many as you'd think in all honesty.

Selene: I won't lie. Selene was totally inspired by the character of Evelyn from The Mummy (1999). When I was asked if I wanted to join my then new boyfriend's D&D group, I knew instantly what kind of character I wanted to play since I loved the concept of a character that started out as a librarian going out on an adventure and getting in way over her head since seeing Rachel Weiss play Evelyn in that movie. Of course since Selene was my first ever roleplay character, her personality is still very much a reflection of my own, though it has since been fleshed out quite a bit since she was retired.

Chrackle: What is a wizard without a familiar? I knew I wanted a corvid as a familiar as the typical image is of a wizard with a raven. However, I wanted something a little different and already knew that unlike ravens, magpies could identify themselves in mirrors (animal behaviour classes at uni for the win here). I loved the idea of having a familiar that was a little smarter than average, could speak in a limited manner and could potentially get his wizard into trouble by stealing valuable stuff any time he could get away with it. Chrackle's personality was mostly developed through gameplay and he was much more set in stone by the time that first campaign (for me) ended.

Meredith: Merri was actually kind of inspired by one of my fellow roleplayers. He is a devout Christian, and his mannerisms playing his own clerics during the previous campaign gave me a little bit of insight into how I wanted to play mine. The rest is mostly based on myself at the time and quite a lot more on the person I aspired to be. it helps a little that, while lapsed, my father was brought up Catholic, so I also incorporated some of the stuff he told me about his time as a choir boy and being involved in that community as the DM was quite clear about his inspirations for the Temple of Moradin.

Yoruk: Yoruk was created quite a lot later than Meredith was. At the time, I was writing Meredith's backstory and wasn't sure if I wanted her to already be betrothed to someone before leaving on her adventure (mostly because I was umm-ing and ah-ing about shipping Merri with Elowyn at the time. Talk about the slowest of slow burn potential relationships). Then Yoruk went ahead and introduced himself and his relationship with his mother (who was an npc mentioned by the DM at one point) and I went 'Yes!' (which then, sadly, put paid to the idea of Merri getting with Elowyn at all). I will not lie; Yoruk's relationship with his mother is one that is partially inspired by my own fractious relationship with my mum. Thankfully my upbringing was not nearly that bad, but I did project onto him a teeny bit.

Skarld Firetome: Firetome was heavily inspired by Frollo in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (and a little bit by all the huge controversies regarding the leaders of the catholic church that was big news for a while at the time). I needed someone semi-competent in the upper echelons of the Church of Moradin in Fangthane for the plot I was weaving once I took over the reigns of the campaign and those inspirations helped a lot. Hubs then helped me out by pointing me towards the Wordbearers Legion from Warhammer 40k lore, which helped fill out the rest and gave me the idea of Firetome secretly being part of a demonic cult working to undermine the church he purportedly worked for (fuck you, Erebus :P). I am working to fill out what he was up to in the leadup to Fangthane's Folly and adding in hints of him working with Darkhide and the Cabal (which, I acknowledge, we still need to come up with a new name for at some point) to tie the overall story together a bit better.

Vera: The last OC I'll talk about here (or we'll be here forever otherwise) and the most recent OC I've created. I'm not too sure what inspired Vera if I'm quite honest. Or at least what specifically inspired her. It seems like she was inspired by all the 'Strong Woman' main characters in popular teenage fantasy fiction that I grew up reading and watching and that still persists to this day. Of course, since she's technically a background character, I doubt we'll see too many of the stereotypes associated with this kind of character, but you might see a few and I'll try to keep them to a minimum as I work out more of what she's actually about. Needless to say, I wanted a mirror to Meredith that stayed around Fangthane while everything was going down in the background of the campaign events. As a result she's suspicious, but didn't quite know the extent of what was going on until Merri showed back up in Fangthane and got herself caught.

What can you tell us about Pandoras siblings?

Theo and Arthur argue a lot, like, throwing and yelling kind of arguing.

Eleanor and Theo are like two peas in a pod, partners in crime, all that jazz. Although they still like to do their own stuff :)

Harriet is usually very busy with teacher and librarian work, but when she is around she likes to spend time with her family mostly. She’s a tea lover at heart too (Pandora thinks it’s gross. But it’s ok because Harriet thinks Pandora’s coffee is gross too)

Vesper is just a sweetheart whose trying to keep up with her siblings in terms of mother hen-ing them. She’s one of Morgana’s attack coordinators and their lead Diplomat!

Arthur himself is actually one of the 9 military generals that Morgana has, he presides over Morgana itself. He’s a good military general :)

Theodore is part of a local adventurers guild in Morgana! Pandora used to hang out with him and his guild before she left, they’re all very proud of her for adventuring but also sad that’s she’s growing up.

Henry studies all sorts of medicine, psychology, philosophy, etc. he’s a big ol nerd with a big ol heart.

Bonus! Let’s talk about the cousins!

Clyde is a journalist who posts for Morgana’s newspaper, he takes pride in what he does and he’s even written a few good selling books!

Scarlett studies astronomy (and also dabbles in astrology just for fun), she’s figured out a little bit on how space works :D

Cecilia is a civil rights activist and representative for the people of Morgana and its branches, she makes sure the people are getting what they need

Ellis is an engineer like Noah is, the two of them get along well and in the future work together to create the first motorized vehicle :)

Thomas is a professor, he teaches advanced mathematics and science :)

Could- could we mix silver Steve with frat bro Chris Evans a little? 🥺 👉👈

Like maybe its superbowl Sunday or whatever (I'm not into football lol) and Steve breaks out a jersey or maybe his high-school letterman jacket at Bucky is f l o o r e d by it? Or maybe he has some college friends over and they're throwing around a football in the backyard and watching Steve let loose and bro out a little is entrancing

(I am now shamelessly thinking about how Steve's big hands could dwarf a football 🙃)

🥴 Nonnie...frat Evans is my weakness, and you have the audacity to combine this with my current obsession with Silver Steve? How very dare you.

Can you even imagine...if it makes us feel like this to picture Silver Steve bro-ing out, I’m not sure Bucky would survive it.

It would be the contrast, right? The calm, sensitive, just fucking wholesome love of Bucky’s life, getting around a bunch of guys that he lived his youth with and having a bit of a throwback, getting a little ramped up by all those memories of being young and dumb.

I know you said Superbowl Sunday but maybe it’s almost a reunion kinda setting? Like not on a big class-wide scale, but just their core group of friends meeting up for a barbecue in a park or something, where there’s room for them to start tossing a football around, outletting some of that cumulative testosterone. 

Steve is very much still Steve, but there’s that other level of familiarity, of comfort and shared history with these guys, and his humor probably gets a little sharper, a little more wicked. These guys would be busting each other’s balls and talking over each other, and of course they’re gonna be getting a little shovey and playfully rough; definitely reminiscing the most scandalous stories they could think of about each other.

I think that’s what’s getting me most here, Nonnie, because these guys would have stories about Steve... 

(Fuck, are we doing this again? We’re doing this again, aren’t we...shit, more Silver Steve Thots ahead)

Steve has had a lot of years to grow and mature into the person that Bucky fell for, and he lived a whole lot of life before they ever met. Bucky is very aware of this, and Steve’s always been open about the fact that it took a lot of conscious work on himself to become the person he is.

But even with that prior knowledge, Bucky still finds himself a little surprised (and a lot turned on) hearing from people who witnessed first hand, that young Steve was...kinda wild

Bucky tries not to let it show just how Extremely Interested he is in these stories about his boyfriend, but he’s pretty sure it’s written all over his face, especially when the guys start going on about Steve’s former athletic prowess, because that is a mental image and a half 👀

Bucky hears about young Steve’s penchant for challenging dudes way bigger than himself to arm wrestling matches; how he was constantly pranking their football coach by hiding unwashed gym socks in his office, and shamelessly flirting his way out of library fines with the 60yr old librarian who was mean to literally everyone but Steve

Steve gets bashful as all hell, pink in the cheeks and waving it off, ‘yeah yeah, come on, that was a million years ago,’ as his friends good-naturedly tease him. 

And Bucky is eating it up, cause it’s only helping him sharpen that mental picture of Steve in a letterman jacket, strutting around with some of that trademark college boy air of untouchable...it’s hot as fuck

Because Bucky can picture it all, every story the guys recount. He’s seen photos of Steve as a much younger man, and he was handsome as hell back then too, athletically built and bright eyed, and yeah - kinda looked like exactly the sort of trouble Bucky would want to get into

And watching Steve’s friends light up talking about the person he was at that time in their lives, how vibrant and loyal and adventurous Steve was...Bucky’s already in love with Steve, but this makes him feel a little like he’s got a crush all over again too.

Bucky finds himself fixating on it the whole rest of the night, dreamily watching Steve go about his mundane bedtime routine, with the excessively thorough flossing and the flinching away from putting his own eye drops in and the “don’t get old Buck,” as he stretches out his back from all the football tossing.

When they’re settled in bed together with the lights low, when Bucky’s body is half draped over Steve’s and Steve’s hand is trailing soothingly up and down his back, Bucky can’t help but ask...

“Do you think you would have liked me in college?”

Steve doesn’t miss a beat. “I wouldn’t have deserved you in college,” he says, entirely sincere, “not even close.”

Bucky will be moved by the sentiment later, but right now an even more pressing question has just sprung to the front of his mind

“...Do you still have your letterman jacket?”

Steve really looks at him then, his eyes narrowing and a knowing smirk making its way to the corners of his lips

“I don’t think I do,” he sighs apologetically, rolling them so he’s on top of Bucky, grinning down at him. “But you know, if you wanna play college...you could always be the student, and I could be the professor?”

...Yeah, Bucky thinks, that’d work just fine too

🥴

(I know I entirely neglected the second half of this ask but I am not ready to get back in my Daddy Silver Steve feels yet, Nonnie. I gave myself an actual crisis last time. I’m very sorry. I hope the Horny™️ in this response makes up for it!)

7, 28, 40, for the Star Wars asks

Hello hello, thank you for this! 

7 - If you could choose any profession to have in the GFFA, what would you be?

Oooh, I'm going to go with my first instinct on this one and say Jedi Archivist. I'm not going to pretend I don't want the superpowers possible in the universe. And if that comes with a Space Library? So much the better! Jocasta Nu is my hero, lets hear it for the badass librarians :D 

 28 -  If you could stop one character from doing one thing, who would it be and why?

Ohhhh, geez. Many things. All of the things. I suppose stopping Palpatine from existing is a little too obvious of a choice, hm? Putting aside that very appealing option, I think I'm going to go with stopping Qui-Gon from leaving Shmi on Tatooine. Lets keep her and her kid together! I dunno if it would actually keep Anakin from falling, but the idea of Shmi getting to hang out in the heart of power and try to keep her kid safe and happy is very appealing to me. And there's all sorts of interesting ways that AU could go.

40 - If you could make your own Star Wars trilogy/series, what would it be about?

Ooooooh, the POWER. So, to limit myself, I'm going to say I can't re-write the existing canon, otherwise I'd be just fix-it-ing all over the place. If I was actually going to tell an original story…. 

Hmmm, I'm thinking…yeah. Droid revolution! 

Lets play with this. Our protagonist is a plucky young former-First Order cleaning droid. They're freed from their life of First Order drudgery by the end of Rise of Skywalker, and wind up with their restraining bolt sliced off to wander the wider galaxy. 

(this got, um, long, with a fully-plotted trilogy, so we're just gonna put what's next below the cut)

Movie 1: 

Coming of Age story, but with the droid. Finding self, discovering purpose, going on journeys of self-discovery trying to find a place in the world. It's Harrowing. It's clear the world doesn't much like free droids. They try to find honest employment, succeed for a little bit. 

But then! They're captured by pirates or something and almost fitted with a restraining bolt but they fight their way free (probably through clever trickery or mechanical know-how)! BB-8 is inexplicably there and helping in some way. (Cameo for the merch and to put in the trailer!) They wind up finding a place in an all-droid ship crew and sail off for a life of wonder! 

Movie 2: 

The ship crew is now home, we spend a little time getting to know the whacky cast of characters. There's the protag. There's a massive battledroid that loves a fiberart of some kind. There's a Gonk-droid that's the crew's philosopher. There's one of those tiny tatooine podracer droids (DUM? Something like that? I'm not pulling up wookiepedia right now) that LOVES explosives. There's a wise mentor-figure astromech. The captain is literally the ship itself - some prototypical thing from the Clone Wars that wasn't decommissioned as well as anyone thought. They like each other, they're family. 

ANYWAY, after the lovely montage introducing everyone, they show them doing a job. The job goes smoothly, but after that, there's Tension. They have to pretend there's an organic around to get payment. And then, their worst nightmare - some Evil Person has learned there's a crew full of droids just ripe for claiming. And the law is on the Evil Person's side! How terrible. 

"We're not people," the wise mentor says. "We're salvage." 

They're on the Run. Then, they hear a tale. A Paradise, a place where droids are free. It's secret, and protected, and there's a Fancy Space Magic Map or something. The movie leans into being an action-adventure flick after that, a wild race towards the promised land, with the Evil Person that wants to enslave them hot on their heels. There is daring do! There are dramatic ship fights! 

And then - just as the Evil Person is on the verge of claiming them, they find the promised land! The promised land droids defeat the Evil Person. Finally, here is a whole city where droids can be free. Glory! We keep focused on the team for a bit, watching them settle in and realize they can survive without being soldiers. They get to be people, just people in a wonderful mechanical city. And THEN, just as they're HAPPY (with an indistinct amount of time passing so the fanfic writers can have a good time) in the last three minutes of the movie, you find out there is a LARGE FLEET bearing down on them. Oh no. They have been Found. SUSPENSE! 

Movie 3: 

Our plucky crew now have to Fight. We quickly meet the leadership of the Promised Land - a quiet Competent One, a Jaded old Soldier, and a Passionate Revolutionary (they are, of course, all droids).  There is a rising sense of despair. There is no place for droids in this world that is truly free. In the first third of the movie, they work out a mad plan to free the droids on the attacking fleet. It requires infiltrating the ship. Our crew do it. There is much Heroism. There are some sad thoughts about going back into battle when they thought that life was behind them. There are cool explosions. It works! The droids turn on their masters and now the Promised Land has a Fleet! 

Which, of course, is going to make its own problems. There is probably politics. A polite request from the New Republic to please give the fleet back, and they will guarantee the safety of the promised land. Oh, but of course, you will have to return all the droids you just freed from the ships. They belonged to the Corporate Sector, who funds most of our government, so we really need you to give them back. They weren't, after all, your property. 

There is a lot of agonized back and forth, but our Protagonist remains firm - no! The answer is no! We don't trade other's lives for our freedom. We have to fight! We might lose but we have to fight! And what better time than now, when we have a fleet! It is Very Inspirational. The Passionate Revolutionary on the council is on the Protagonist's side.

We're going to need to keep the fleet in fuel, says the Jaded Old Soldier. 

Well, it turns out, the Quiet Competent One says, most fuel stations are automated these days. By droids. As are most shipyards. There's more Heroic Action, slipping into a fueling station and freeing the droids, holding that and branching out to the shipyards, their fleet becoming stronger and stronger, the Corporate Sector responding in more and more force, until it comes down to an epic battle and they are strong but the Corporate Sector is stronger except...at the critical moment the ORGANIC CREW turns on the Corporate Sector. The droids realize suddenly that they are not fighting for their own survival, they are, apparently, liberators. 

The question remains: how do you build a good civilization for organic and mechanic alike? 

There's no easy answer, but it is a lot easier with the massive mines and resources of the corporate sector at their disposal.  The trilogy ends with our Protagonist attending a summit at the New Republic to graciously offer terms of political cooperation between the New Republic and the Free Droid Economic Collaboration. R2D2 is there. He says he's proud of the Protag. Protag is a little starstruck. Nothing is quite settled, but it is very hopeful, and isn't that what Star Wars is all about?

Happy Holidays! I'm dropping into some of my fave creator's ask boxes and encouraging them to Spread the Cheer by Sharing What You Created This Year! Before a new year starts, take some time to reflect on the things you wrote or created to bless the fandom this past year. Remind us all of the awesomeness you put out there in 2019, and feel free to tease us with things to come in 2020! Then pass this along to your faves, so they can share in the fun!

Aaah! Thank you anon(s)! ❤️❤️❤️

2019 is my first full year of fic-ing, and according to AO3 I have written nearly three hundred and sixty-six thousand words, which considering that I was always the kid who submitted nine and one third pages for a ten page essay is kind of astounding. 

I had three fics begun in 2018 that carried on to this year, the first is Finding the Altar, my first attempt at the secret dating trope, mostly written last November but I wrote the epilogue for the 2019 January Joy. The second carry-over is Another Brick in the Wall, begun exactly a year ago and finished a few months into the year. It is the high school AU that I never meant to write but that ended up taking over my life, still one of my favourite fics because of how much I enjoyed writing it. Finally there’s also Both Are Infinite, which was started last September and is still unfinished. I am SO sorry for that, but I promise it will be finished. It is not abandoned!!

For things started in 2019 we have: 

The Key, an angsty, smutty one-shot written for January Joy

Their Way By Moonlight, the love of my life and my number one priority for 2020. It’s a 3B canon divergence in which Emma and Killian are soulmates who can share dreams, which leads to him coming for her and restoring her memories in New York in a very different way than in canon. There’s also a different curse on Storybrooke and a very different development for Emma and Killian’s relationship, along with loads of Captain Cobra and cursed Snowing, and an arc for Regina (including a partnership between her and Killian) that I really love.  

Honeysuckle, the purest thing I’ve ever written. Precious cinnamon roll Librarian Killian, and single-mother Emma who gets caught in a precarious situation until he comes to her rescue. Inspired by @shireness-says

Three Non-Blondes, secret-dating attempt number two. Very silly, but fun, with maybe my favourite version of Mary Margaret. 

The Depths of Love, another 3B divergence with no second curse. Emma trying to work out her feelings and Killian trying to protect himself from heartbreak. Also my very first collaboration with @thisonesatellite and honestly I’m not sure this story would exist without her. 

The smutty trio of Schadenfreude parts One and Two, and Steak and Something on the Side.   Voyeur Neal and Asshole Walsh. 

Osaka-shi Serenade, the most personal thing I’ve written. Based on how my husband and I met when we were teaching English in Japan. Still unfinished, but again, *will* be!

Two Sunday Mornings, a pair of angsty ficlets from each of their POVs, plus Brothers Jones. 

One More Kiss, a Lieutenant Duckling short fic that I didn’t love when I wrote it but has really grown on me, to the point where I might (*might*) expand it at some point. Quite angsty, but happy at the end. 

The Great Grammar Caper, a very very VERY silly future fic in which Deputy Jones is the hero we need but his efforts are foiled by a devious Granny. 

Rainbound, a take on the snowed-in trope, only with rain.  

The Parquet Man, absolutely and without question the most fun I’ve ever had writing. The storied romance that is Captain Floor, told from the POV of Killian (by me) and Floor (by @thisonesatellite, who writes unorthodox POVs like NO ONE ELSE). 

The Very Witching Time and its follow-up The Sleep of the Sun, written for @cssns and @cspupstravaganza respectively. My very favourite verse, in which Emma is a witch and Killian cursed in the form of a dog. There is magic and an extraordinary house with a sentient garden, and creepy forest, and more magic, and Cora with an evil plot, and even more magic, and some adorable and surprising children at the end. PLUS some absolutely stunning art by @mariakov81 to accompany it ❤️❤️❤️

How Not To Flirt, based on a prompt. Emma tries to flirt with Killian but he fails entirely to see it. 

Words Unspoken, a friends-to-roommates-to-lovers story full of mutual pining and very, very poor communication. 

The Ballad of Emma and Killian, in which they are not famous when they meet, but when their careers take off they stand by each other through it all. Rockstar!Emma and actor!Killian.  

On What They Fall, my magnificent octopus. Angry, damaged Killian who can’t see how much Emma loves him. Mutual pining, angst, Captain Book brOTP, and people working through their emotions, prioritising their mental health, and coming out of hard times strong and brave enough to allow themselves to be happy. Another personal favourite. 

abandon, a birthday gift for @kmomof4. Neverland sex-pollen smut, pure and simple. Well, simple anyway. 

come sit at our feast, a Halloween fic written for @csrolereversal Halloweek. Without question the most out-there thing I’ve written, with all the OUAT characters reimagined as supernatural beings who come together every Halloween to throw themselves a hell of a party. 

Drink The Wild Air, a birthday gift for @thisonesatellite which will be finished SOON. The Captain Duckling high-seas swashbuckling adventure tale I’ve wanted to write for some time. Featuring Brothers Jones 2.0 and CASTLE STORMING. 

Drabbles, a series of short fics of all kinds, written when I need to clear my mind. 

Across The Snowy Places, a Thanksgiving tropestravaganza. Featuring secret dating, snowed-in, only one bed, heater not working, favourite author, found families, matchmaking, and drunken affection/confession. ALL THE TROPES. 

To Keep It All The Year, my Christmas gift for @katie-dub. Final chapter coming soon! This story has just flowed out of me. It features angry, broken Killian, single-mother Emma, adorable wee bab Henry, and some extraordinary Christmas magic. 

WHEW!! I think that’s all of them! I’m a bit 😮😲😳🤯 looking at this list. It’s been a less-than-great year on the whole, to be honest, but at least productive on the fanfic front!! 

Thanks for the ask, anon, and I hope you have a great Christmas and a brilliant New Year!! 

- 

The librarian’s vampire assistant book 4 - Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Mimi Jean Pamfiloff’s website)

SHE’S MINE. BUT HAS SHE FORGOTTEN?

A crazy vampire has stolen my librarian. And if that’s not bad enough, it is my fault. Because I, too, am an ancient, deadly vampire, and it was my job to protect her. I failed.

Now, just as I have reason to hope I will get her back, the situation turns into the biggest mystery of my existence.

Apparently, this evil vampire has brainwashed her into thinking she belongs with him. I do not know how. I do not know why. But I will get to the bottom of this and win her back.

Because I am the motherf*!$%ing librarian’s vampire assistant, and she belongs to me. Or, at least she used to?

Blurb

““Michael, please come home,” Lula whimpers through the other end of my cell phone. “I’m begging you. It’s been over a year. This. Has. To. End.”

Why the hell is she telling me this? I know. I goddamned well know! I am the one who is dirty, tired, underfed, and at the end of my rope.

“I’m sorry, Lula,” I say, gazing out across the turquoise blue waters of the Marmara Sea from my suite in Istanbul, “but nothing has changed. I will never stop looking for Miriam.” I’ve traveled to the caves of Borneo, searched every oasis along the Sahara Desert, and combed through every major city, remote island, and five-star resort. I have flipped over thousands of rocks and followed hundreds of leads from vampires who’ve interacted with the legendary, ruthless, and one-lightbulb-shy-of-a-functioning-table-lamp vampire, Mr. Nice.

Wherever he’s taken my librarian, it’s somewhere off the grid. My heart sinks into my dirty leather boots. I miss Miriam more than words can say. I cannot breathe without her.

Lula sighs remorsefully. “You’re my brother, Michael— but in a non-creepy way since we aren’t actually related and did sleep together once. What I mean to say is that you mean more to me than just a best friend or sharing the same maker, which is why you give me no choice. I have to put my foot down and tell you the truth: You’re never going to find Miriam, and it’s time you face it. She’s gone.”

I turn away from the sherbet orange sunset melting into the deep blue ocean, the sound of crashing waves to my back and the cool December wind whipping through my dark unkempt hair. It is a surprise this hotel gave me a room because I look like I rolled out of a dumpster. Or clawed my way from a vegetable garden. I think they did not want to upset me. I carry an ominous vibe these days.

“Lula, she is not gone. Miriam is hidden. By a very powerful, delusional vampire. I could no more cease looking for her than I would for you if you were taken.”

“You say that, but at some point you have to accept reality and throw in the towel.”

“Never.” I am over four hundred years old, and Miriam is the only woman who’s ever managed to pierce my cold heart with love’s arrow. She made me see what life could be like if I faced my demons and let down my guard. Now that I have had a taste, I cannot go back to the hollow, emotionless vampire I once was. I need her in my life. Her, and her first-edition books. So. Many…”

(review under the cut)

Review

I doubt I’ll be able to do justice to the book in my review. I felt so strongly while reading it, and I can’t get out of it, I can’t write an objective review.

So let’s just say that, if you got attached to the characters in the previous books, especially Michael, you’re in for an adventure, and it’ll be both joyful and painful. So many things happen to them, they go from high to the very low.

Even with all that, you’ll still find the meta humor that you surely loved before. But although it isn’t the darkest book in the series, it’s still intense.

I really don’t know what more to say without giving away some plot. So... I’ll be waiting for the next book.

Quickie

Series: The librarian’s vampire assistant #4 (it’s a serial)

Hashtags: #paranormal romance #romantic suspense #vampire #surprise pregnancy

Trigger: vampire violence, drug use

Main couple: Miriam Murphy & Michael Vanderhorst

Hotness: 2/5

Romance: 5/5

+ so many strong emotions

- Michael’s journey seemed a bit too much (although necessary)

  Stalker mode

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Okay, but why are all superheroes/vigilantes either businessmen that happen to be heads of companies founded by their families, military/law enforcement/agents/lawyers, news staff, scientists, celebrities/royalty, or aliens/myths who for some reason don’t need jobs to support themselves? Like, I get that people like the fantasy of high profile jobs, but come on, get creative. Where are my teachers and professors(no, not like the X-Men, people who work at actual schools/colleges/universities where they do actual learning and isn’t just a vague front for housing abandoned/rejected children and superhero activism) who have to decide between hero-ing at night or grading homework, who do a ton of ass-kicking in the summer and a rumor goes around that sunlight or warm weather boosts their powers? Where are my chefs and bakers who try to carry food on them or have it stashed somewhere for the homeless and victims of crime, who hire other vigilantes at their restaurant/bakery/coffee shop so they can have flexible hours for fighting crime or recovering from injuries? Where are my social workers and childcare professionals and music/art/academic tutors who learned from their jobs how to deal with kids well and are often used as the sidekick wrangler? Where are my athletes and sports coaches and personal trainers and self-defense instructors and therapists and life coaches and dancers and dance instructors who not only want to save people but help people save themselves? Where are my paramedics and dentists and veterinarians and school nurses and basically any other medical professional that isn’t a hospital or army doctor/surgeon, because they never stop saving people? Where are my psychics and mediums (or fake psychic detectives lol) who use their powers and run their own business? Where are my office workers who can disappear easily because they’re an average joe in an office building and no one notices they’re gone? Where are my auto shop mechanics who were able to build their own tricked out cars and motorcycles for their superhero identity? Where are my seamstresses and clothing retail store owners and fashion designers who also know how to make great looking costumes that are also protective and make a little extra money from creating or repairing another vigilante’s costume? Where are my comic book/webcomic authors/artists who laugh at the irony yet use their own experiences as writing material until they go on some crazy adventure where they end up in an alternate universe where they’re a comic book hero themselves? Where are my librarians who are great at researching bad guys and perfected the art of sneaking up silently on people in order to scare them into being quiet at the library? But no, I guess we gotta be businessmen that happen to be heads of companies founded by their families, military/law enforcement/agents/lawyers, news staff, scientists, celebrities/royalty, or aliens/myths who for some reason don’t need jobs to support themselves. Honestly, look at this:

businessmen that happen to be heads of companies founded by their families: Iron Man, Batman, Green Arrow, Iron Fist

military/law enforcement/agents/lawyers/mercenaries: Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Nightwing, Flash(both Barry Allen and Wally West), She-Hulk, Daredevil, War Machine, Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, Quake, The Rest of SHIELD, The Thing, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman(Jessica Drew), Deadpool, Green Lantern(any and all), Punisher, Elektra, Moon Knight, Blade, 

news staff: Superman, Spider-Man, 

scientists: Hulk, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Ant-Man(Hank Pym), Doctor Strange, Atom, 

celebrities/royalty: Human Torch, Wasp(Janet Van Dyne), Black Panther, Aquaman, Namor, Zatanna, 

aliens/myths who for some reason don’t need jobs to support themselves: Thor, Starfire, Martian Manhunter, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Wonder Woman, Valkyrie, Ghost Rider, 

There’s probably more characters I’ve left off, but honestly, you get the picture.

some pictures from my adventures in my legit, single player, minecraft world. So far I’ve ran into 5 Illager scouting parties, ran from one and promised to slay the rest. These four banners are my trophies for protecting the village from harm. Also the picture of what looks like a love triangel but its actually the librarian and the farmer kissing and stuff. So cute! Also i managed to find my first two diamonds and die once by a f***ing vindicator which has the strength of a f***ing pig man with a diamond sword! But i used me trusty cross bow to kill them from afar and pick off the crossbow bastards. Also quick tip, if you want to avoid and early raid on a village, always ALWAYS carry a bucket of milk. It cures the exile effect.

Anyways have fun minecraft people!

Adventures in Librarian-ing

All day today:

"Where are the comics on XYZ?"

Me: Over in the comic section. Do y--"

"Oh! I know where that is. thanks!"

There's a big sign that says "comics". All the kids who asked this know how to read. This is not a new section in the library.

I'm one part baffled, one part amused, and wholly entertained.

Power

The power went out last night, an hour after I’d stocked the fridge and a half hour before we were going to start making dinner. The last time the power went out, Ladybug was in school and I was just across the parking lot, at the rec center. Somehow the cardio machines were still functional, so I carried on with my workout – and it never occurred to me that my daughter might be fifty yards away, in the dark, and scared. Only when I picked her up did she coming running up to say, “Mommy, the power went out and I was as brave as I could be!” It turns out she was in the bathroom with two other preschoolers when the lights went out; the three of them held hands and walked back toward their classroom. They were picked up on the way by the school librarian who had come to find them, and they were very proud of themselves for being so clearheaded in the face of an emergency.

Last night, once the lights went out but before it got fully dark, we pulled out candles, headlamps, and flashlights and geared ourselves up for the possibility of a long evening with no power. After the lights had been out for ten minutes, I started calling restaurants around town to see who was open. On our way to Fat Stan’s, we tried to figure out where the grid started and ended; the power was on at the post office but off at A&P across the street. I later found out that our Coast Guard friends who live ten miles north of town lost power too. (They had cereal for dinner, which didn’t actually cross my mind. When your preschooler inexplicably hates eating in restaurants, you jump at any chance to say, “Sorry, we haveto go out.”)

I was slightly disappointed that the power was back on when we got home, but I can’t say I was surprised. As many outages as there have been since we’ve lived here – I think it’s up to four – they’ve never been long. It was Flo and Ladybug who reported back from their respective schools the most common reason: bald eagles get tangled up in the wires and blow the transformer. (Or as Ladybug put it, “They break the wire and the power goes out.”) I grew up with power outages, though rarely in Brooklyn. We spent our summers at a little house in Maine (the Canadians across the lake call them cottages, and New Yorkers would call them cabins, but the locals on East Grand Lake all call them camps.) Life at the camp was simple. We kids had a dishwashing schedule which rotated meals by day – really easy with three children in the family. If you had the breakfast dishes you were in luck; a handful of oatmeal bowls and then you could run out and go swimming. Lunch got more complicated, and dinner was the absolute worst, so one of us came up with a compromise: you could choose to cook the meal, and then Mom and Dad had to do the dishes. This is how and why I learned to cook – not because I had some deep love of fine cuisine (although I was always a fan of beautiful illustrated cookbooks) but because I wanted to avoid the odious doing-of-dishes. There was also no television at the camp, and the only person with a computer was our dad – a big hunk of plastic we all called “the IBM PC” – so all fun had to be analog. It’s funny to think that losing power would be such a big deal in that context – we were already living a pretty low-tech life. But it wasa big deal. Some of the most fun summer evenings I remember involve playing Scotland Yard by candlelight. (If you’ve never played Scotland Yard: do yourself a favor.)

So our power was back on last night, but I tried not to let the power of the adventure fade. We all stayed in the living room together, doing our own separate things part of the night, but then reading some new library books together, playing limbo with a jump rope. I’ve sometimes felt sad for our little one that she doesn’t have any allies in the house; if the grownups don’t want to limbo with her, she’s on her own. It has bred a creative spark in her, which is cool. I often see her instructing an entire schoolroom filled with stuffed animals, or turning empty sketch pads into letter-learning workbooks, a doll by her side. But I do think she’s lonely at times: there is no dishes chart, because there’s simply no one to share the task with. One would think an evening in the dark might exacerbate that, but I’ve always found power outages to be thrilling and to bring people together, and Ladybug seemed to agree. Right when the lights clicked off, she and Flo raced down to pick up a package at the post office – a task she might otherwise not have wanted to do, but she was too curious to see the post office bathed in darkness. Even the drive to dinner became an adventure, as we looked for lights in all the businesses we passed and discussed which friends might also be in the dark.

We had something of a haphazard earthquake kit in California; Flo was convinced that the most important element was ramen, but half the case of ramen ended up in my trunk and I couldn’t tell you where the other half was. (Also. I’d have to be very, very hungry to eat cup-a-noodles at this point in my life.) We did have several big jugs of water at the ready, and a first aid kit. But the tricky part about an earthquake kit is where to keep it: what will be destroyed in an earthquake? Where will you be? If you’re somehow trapped in your kitchen, you’ll be fine for awhile; no one keeps an earthquake kit in the bathroom, but of course that would be the worst place to be stuck – no food or drink if the water turns off, and a window too small to escape from. I lived in LA long enough to feel several earthquakes. I was two blocks from the epicenter of a pretty big one and even though it only lasted ten seconds or so, I’ll never forget the feeling of my feet losing their grip, my body tossed around like I’d come unglued from a snow globe. Flo lived through the Northridge earthquake, which shut down the city. He still talks about the eerie devastation of it, 25 years later.

These are eventualities we don’t have to consider anymore, but it’s a good time to put together a power outage kit. We’re going to consolidate our flashlights and headlamps, buy some more candles, throw in a deck of cards. Maybe we’ll put some sort of treat in the box – something we only have when the power goes out. I’m at the stage where I wonder how many more outages there will be before the baby comes. Could there be one while I’m in labor, the entire maternity ward going dark, Ladybug at home with her aunt or her nana, proud of herself for being as brave as she could be? The funny part about a baby is how little he will require: there’s no need to add anything to our kit for him. All this baby will need, for a very long time, is us. Someday we will have a dishes chart, maybe inspiring one of our children to learn how to cook. Someday we’ll play Scotland Yard (we’ve already tried, but it’s hilarious with a four-year-old.) Someday I’ll look up and see Ladybug building her schoolroom, forcing a little boy to sit quietly and listen to her, the way I did to my very accommodating younger sister. It’s been a tough couple of years, getting us to the family that we want – a blog post for another day, perhaps. But in the day to day, caught up in the mundane details of child-rearing, the grief melts away and it’s all very simple: a board game, some library books, limbo-ing with a jump rope. It’s the stuff of life, and there’s power in that.

BBC and Bad Wolf today announce a stellar cast and crew line up to join Academy Award winning director Tom Hooper in Jack Thorne’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s acclaimed series of novels. Principal photography has begun in Cardiff.

Dafne Keen takes on the lead role of Lyra, the young protagonist of the story who lives in Jordan College, Oxford. Placed there at the request of her Uncle, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) she lives a sheltered life amongst the scholars and college staff while under the watchful protection of The Master (Clarke Peters) and Librarian Scholar Charles (Ian Gelder).

When the glamorous and mesmeric Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson) enters Lyra’s life she embarks upon a dangerous journey of discovery from Oxford to London. Here she meets Father MacPhail (Will Keen), Lord Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) and journalist Adele Starminster (Georgina Campbell) at a glittering society party where she first hears about the sinister General Oblation Board.

Lyra is subsequently thrown into the nomadic world of the boat dwelling Gyptians - Ma Costa (Anne-Marie Duff), Farder Coram (James Cosmo), John Faa (Lucien Msamati), Raymond Van Geritt (Mat Fraser), Jack Verhoeven (Geoff Bell) and Benjamin de Ruyter (Simon Manyonda) who take her North in her quest.

Once in the North she meets charismatic aeronaut and adventurer Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda) who joins them on their epic journey and who becomes one of Lyra’s closest allies.

Talented young actors joining the cast include Lewin Lloyd as Roger Parslow, Daniel Frogson as Tony Costa, Tyler Howitt as Billy Costa and Archie Barnes as Pantalaimon.

Philip Pullman says: “I’m delighted that the production is under way, and I’m looking forward immensely to seeing how it looks. Bad Wolf has assembled a wonderful cast and I’m sure every HDM reader is as keen as I am to see it all coming together.”

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “The vast, complex and deeply imaginative landscape of Philip’s novels requires a world class but quintessentially British band of creatives to bring them to life. The BBC is proud and privileged to be the host to such visionaries. Thank you to Jane, Jack, Dan, Joel and Tom and of course to Philip for entrusting us with their work and sharing the journey of seeing His Dark Materials come to life”.

Bad Wolf founder and Executive Producer, Jane Tranter says: “The calibre of our cast and directors is a testament to the brilliance of Jack Thorne’s scripts and also the sheer bravura, depth and imagination of Philip Pullman’s original novels. Our determination is to sound every note of the books in a series that will fully explore the many worlds and concepts in Philip’s work. Bad Wolf has assembled a world class production team at Wolf Studios Wales in Cardiff who will bring Philip’s incredible works to life for a whole new audience.”

Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, This is England ’88) is a Bafta, Tony and Olivier Award winning screenwriter and playwright.

Thorne says: “His Dark Materials are the most beautiful set of books, taking us into a world of constant imagination. Reading them I was a massive fan, in adapting them I've increasingly felt in awe of them. It's the constant invention, the way the story never sits still, and that the characters constantly surprise you. It's been a joy being part of a creative team for this; from Tom's incredible analytic mind and amazing eye, to Joel's beautiful world building, to everyone else involved. And then there's the cast, which has proved to be the cast of dreams, we are so lucky to have been able to entice them in.”

Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Miserables) will lead as director and helm the first two episodes with Dawn Shadforth (Danny Boyle’s Trust, Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head) directing episode three and Otto Bathurst (Robin Hood [2018], Peaky Blinders) directing four and five, with other directors to be announced.

Production Designer Joel Collins (Black Mirror) says: "I wanted to be part of a show that would challenge every bone in my body. I was looking for something that would be a true test of my mettle. The hardest thing in fantasy is trying to show a mass group of people what they’ve only previously seen in their minds.”

Dan McCulloch (Victoria, Endeavour) is Executive Producer and Laurie Borg (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror) is Producer.

In its first foray into British television, New Line Cinema is producing the series with Bad Wolf for BBC One.

The design team is led by Joel Collins (Black Mirror, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) with costumes designed by Caroline McCall (Downton Abbey, Hyde Park on Hudson) and hair and make-up design being led by Pamela Haddock (The Terror, Sherlock). Director of Photography for block one is Justin Brown (The End of the F***ing World, Sixteen) and casting director is Kathleen Crawford (I, Daniel Blake, Filth).

Framestore takes the role of VFX creative partner on the show: managing and executing VFX throughout, and working closely with the production team to ensure the awe-inspiring work can be achieved on budget, and on time.

Michelle Martin, Head of Television, Framestore says: "We could not be more excited to partner on His Dark Materials, a televisual event of truly epic proportion. It’s a hugely ambitious project, but one we at Framestore take on confidently, knowing our award-winning teams will successfully see it through."

His Dark Materials is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema for BBC One in association with BBC Studios Distribution and Anton Capital Entertainment, S.C.A. The series will be filmed in Cardiff at Wolf Studios Wales.

His Dark Materials is one of the supreme works of imaginative fiction for both children and adults published in the 20th century. After series one, which covers the first instalment of Northern Lights, the story continues in The Subtle Knife where Lyra is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.

His Dark Materials has been published in more than 40 languages and has sold worldwide close to 18 million copies.

Since first publication in 1995 of Northern Lights, the three books have been acclaimed worldwide and have won many awards. In 2001 The Amber Spyglass was the first and only children’s book to win the Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year Award, in 2007 Northern Lights won the Carnegie of Carnegies and in 2005 Pullman was awarded by the Swedish Arts Council, the children’s literature equivalent of the Nobel Prize, The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Nicholas Hytner’s stage production of His Dark Materials was produced in two parts at the National Theatre in 2003-4. In 2006 New Line released a film of The Golden Compass starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra.

Bad Wolf is a UK/US production company founded by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner and co-sited in South Wales and Los Angeles. The company is responsible for co-producing award-winning The Night Of for HBO and A Discovery Of Witches for Sky One. His Dark Materials is New Line Cinema’s first move into British television.

His Dark Materials will be Executive Produced by Dan McCulloch, Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner for Bad Wolf, Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Tom Hooper, and Deborah Forte, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema, and Ben Irving and Piers Wenger for BBC One.

BBC Studios is the international distributor for His Dark Materials.

Adventures in Librarian-ing

[as the Kindergarten class comes into the library]

Kindergartener: [to a substitute teacher] Oh! Oh! And- and there was another thing I wanted to tell you!

Sub: What’s that?

Kindergartener: My favourite dinosaurs are velociraptors!

Sub: Oooh, neat! You really like dinosaurs, huh?

Kindergartener: [very matter-of-fact] Oh yeah, I’m all about the dinosaurs.[wanders off]

Kira Verses

~ᵗᵃᵏᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ᵗʰᵉ ⁿᶦᵍʰᵗ; ᶠᵃˡˡ ᶦⁿᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵏ ˢᶦᵈᵉ~ |mha villain verse| —This Verse takes place in the My Hero Academia universe. Here, Kira never went to Hyrule and learned of her magic. Instead, she lived on her own for years, her hatred for humans growing and torturing her inside. And once she learns of her “quirk,” she decides it’s time to make humans suffer. More info here.

~ʷʰᵉʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵘⁿᵃʷᵃʸˢ ᵃʳᵉ ʳᵘⁿⁿᶦⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ⁿᶦᵍʰᵗ~ |phantom casino|—Starts the same as the villain verse, but here Kira joins the Phantom Casino, lead by Zachariah Rhys over at @seiirenes​. She works as a singer/performer.  

~ʷᵉ’ᵛᵉ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ˢᵖᵉⁿᵈᶦⁿᵍ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵒᵘʳ ˡᶦᵛᵉˢ ˡᶦᵛᶦⁿᵍ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵃⁿᵍˢᵗᵃ’ˢ ᵖᵃʳᵃᵈᶦˢᵉ~ |bsd verse|—In the attack that everyone believes killed Jezilia’s mother, Kira actually survived but was taken away from the scene without her baby. From then on she spent every waking moment looking for her lost daughter. That brought her to join the Order of the Clocktower, and she is an excellent member. Kira’s been searching for her daughter for roughly 20 years (now 40) by the time the anime has begun.  There is also a verse available for her where Kira is just a normal young woman in the Order. No Lia, no mom-ing everyone, just a quiet girl with a book, an imp, and two swords. More info can be found here.

~ᵃ ᵐᵒⁿˢᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵒʳⁿ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵈᵘˢᵏ ᵗᵒ ᵈᵃʷⁿ ᶜᵃⁿ’ᵗ ᵇᵉ ʸᵒᵘʳ ˢᵃᵛᶦᵒʳ~ |kny verse|—A verse that takes place in the Demon Slayer universe. Kira is a demon slayer, but...she is also secretly a demon. More information found here.

~ⁿᵒʷ ᵃʳᵉ ʷᵉ ᵍᵒⁿⁿᵃ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᶦⁿᵘᵉ ᵗʰᶦˢ ˡᶦᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ ᵒᶠ ʰᶦᵈᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵉᵉᵏˀ~ |idv verse|—In this verse, Kira is a Hunter in the game Identity V with the title of “The Sorceress”. She’s a ghost that lived in the very early 1600s and was born with magical powers. As such, she was killed for witchcraft as a young adult and has been a furious phantom ever since. More info can be found here.

~ⁿᵒʷ ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᵗᶦᵐᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ ᵍᵒᵒᵈᵇʸᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗʰᶦⁿᵍˢ ʷᵉ ˡᵒᵛᵉᵈ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶦⁿⁿᵒᶜᵉⁿᶜᵉ ᵒᶠ ʸᵒᵘᵗʰ~ |atla verse|—Kira lives on the Kyoshi Islands as a Kyoshi Warrior in this verse. However...she secretly possesses water bending, but was told from a young age to hide her powers, so she did. More info can be found here.

~ᶦᶠ ᶦᵗ'ˢ ᵒᵘʳ ᵇᵒⁿᵈˢ ʷᵉ ˡᶦᵛᵉ ᵇʸ; ᶦ ʷᶦˡˡ ᵖᵘᵗ ᵐʸ ᶠᵃᶦᵗʰ ᶦⁿ ʸᵒᵘ~ |genshin impact verse|—Part of the Knights of Favonius, Kira lives in Mondstadt and works for Lisa as an assistant librarian. She wants to go on adventures and be a true knight. More info can be found here.

~ˡᵉᵗ ᵐᵉ ᶠᵃᶜᵉ ᵐʸ ᶠᵉᵃʳˢ; ʷᵃᵗᶜʰ ᵐᵉ ᶜʳʸ ᵃˡˡ ᵐʸ ᵗᵉᵃʳˢ~ |kingdom hearts verse|—Kira is from Radiant Garden and escaped its fall to darkness. Now that Hollow Bastion is now safe for people to return to, she’s come back home and is aiding in the rebuilding process. She doesn’t have a keyblade, but she’s very gifted in magic--but struggles to control it nonetheless. More info can be found here.

~ʰᵒˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵗʰ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃʸˢ; ʷᵉ’ʳᵉ ᵍʳᵃᵈᵘᵃᵗᶦⁿᵍ ˢᵒᵒⁿ~ |high school au| —In this Verse, Kira is just a normal girl in high school with no magic. Very smart, taking college classes outside of high school, most likely to be valedictorian. More info can be found here.

~ᶦ’ᵐ ᵃ ᶜʳᵉᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ ʷʰᵒ’ˢ ᵘᵖ ᵗᵒ ⁿᵒ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ; ᶦ’ˡˡ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵛᵃᵐᵖᶦʳᵉ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ~ |vampire au| —This verse is very simple and the same for all of the muses that have it: the character is a vampire. This verse is very flexible, so if you have ideas please let me know so we can incorporate it into the thread!! But it’s nothing major, I just love vampires lol

~ᶦᶠ ᶦ ᵗᵒˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ʷʰᵃᵗ ᶦ ʷᵃˢ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗᵘʳⁿ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ᵒⁿ ᵐᵉˀ~ |monster verse|—An AU where the world is humans/monster hunters vs. monsters. Here, Kira is a siren—a hybrid between the two opposing races of siren, the Sea Siren and the Sky Siren. As a daughter of both, she’s hated by her own kind and was abandoned in the ocean. More info can be found here.

~ʷᵉ ʷᵉʳᵉ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵈᵉˢᵗᶦⁿᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ˢᵘʳᵛᶦᵛᵉ; ᶠᵒᵘᵍʰᵗ ᵒᵘʳ ʷᵃʸ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ᵈᵉᵃᵗʰ ᵗᵒ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ᵃˡᶦᵛᵉ~ |twewy verse|—A small verse for (primarily neo) The World Ends With You that includes Kira, Lia, Henry, Linkette, and Anne, as well as some of my bestie Mira’s ocs. More info can be found here!!

if you haven’t, you should (part xxvii)

27th installment of my Olicity-centric Arrow fanfiction recommendations, parts: I, II, III, IV, V, VI,VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI,  XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV & XXVI.

I am going to start off with a slew of @thatmasquedgirl recommendations. My wifey has been prolific and brilliant of late: first up, a little something I inspired, say pineapple to Masque and she thinks Psych (as should we all) and when thinking about Psych meets Olicity prompts this beautiful craziness ensues: Cat in the Cradle (Or in Felicity's Apartment). Then of course when she has a fake!psychic!Felicity AU happening and I put a little word in her ear about that version meeting fake!pyschic!Oliver this bit of delight followed: Close Company. But I’m not the only one giving her ideas, thanks to @thebookjumper's Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon we’ve also been gifted with this stellar Tarzan AU: Uncharted Territory. (Seriously if Masque doesn’t write more in this verse I will cry bitter tears of woe.) Last, but never least, the latest installment in Deathstroke!Felicity: Bite the Bullet. AND OMG MASQUE JUST POSTED SOMETHING IN THE Dark, Dirty, Dangerous series – this was like my fave, after TA, until recently. I HAVE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN: Hostile Territory.

In the Wake of Yesterday by foreverfelicityqueen (@stydiasredstring) & holysmoaksoliver (@holysmoaksoliver ). The long awaited follow-up to Before the World Wakes. Malcolm is using Felicity, Waller is using Tommy and Oliver has finally decided to return home – without a heads up – can our beloved trio get their acts together and save the day? If you’ve haven’t read this series consider me very mad at you. It is magnificent.

The Love Thieves: Ludus by TrueMyth. Another long awaited sequel (to The Love Thieves: Amour de Soi), Felicity and Oliver are assigned a Section mission where they must play married. @truemyth has out done herself with the UST, mission stakes, and creepy bad guy. I beg of you: read, comment, and kudos.

Beneath the Shadowed Hood (There is a Mark Upon My Countenance) by geniewithwifi (@geniewithwifi). Steampunk!Soulmate AU. It is nearly impossible to describe what is going on with this fic, but it so amazing. Just go, READ IT. You won’t regret it.

Felicity Smoak and the City of Gold by acheaptrickandacheesyoneline. Part Mummy, part National Treasure and whole lot of fun … librarian Felicity Smoak gets pulled into a treasure hunt with Oliver Queen, son of the famous adventurer and treasure hunter Robert Queen, whose out to make his own mark on the world.

My Home series by adiwriting (@adiwriting ). AU series of stories where Oliver and Felicity are childhood friends separated when her mother moves them to Las Vegas. Throughout the years they maintain their more than friendship before Oliver Queen is lost at sea … or is he?

Panthera Pardus by AlexiaBlackbriar13. Another of my talented wives has been busy spinning her AU web, this time werepanther!Oliver. @alexiablackbriar13 has also updated her Man's Best Friend verse with Betrayed Hatred. So much Quentin Lance in this one and I adore it!

Hide Away {We Could Be Beautiful} by beinmyheart . No Island/Arrow AU that takes a realistic look at life for Felicity wheelchair bound as she takes on a new job as the EA to a certain CEO.

The Mirror in the Attic by Sophie1973. AU with time traveling. Felicity Smoak inherits a crumbling house from the reclusive Oliver Queen. Having no connection to him, his gift is a mystery she finds herself compelled to answer, but the impossible happens when a mirror leads her to meet Oliver Queen in the 1940s.

At the Edge of the Ocean by Bindy417 (@bindy417). Mermaid!Felicity and no crazy mercenaries (or Sara) island AU.

Not The One From Delphi by ExcellentlyEllen. Dueling vigilantes kind of, sort of AU. The Green Arrow doesn’t like the new vigilante that has popped up in Starling City, little does he know, she’s a lot closer to him than he knows.

Left To Fate by MISSYriver (@missyriver). Sort of inspired Serendipity AU. Fate brought them together and circumstances pulled them apart, but will they be able to find each other again before it is too late?

ribs are a cage (of a wild heart) by sarcastic_fina (@sarcasticfina). A Teen Wolf inspired AU. Honestly I’ve never seen the show, I am not 100% sure what is happening, but I love it anyhow.

some fairytale bliss by callistawolf (@callistawolf). Post 5.23 fic, Oliver, Felicity & gang returning to Star City. Each chapter is inspired by TheBookJumper's Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompts.

Beyond The Spotlight by arrow_through_my_writers_block. Sort of Bodyguard-ish but so many twist. Pop star Felicity Smoak has a mysterious past that is rearing its ugly head. When threats get too close to home new bodyguard Oliver Queen is brought on to strengthen her security and keep her safe.

The Beast Within by felicityollies (@felicityollies). Soulmate AU with a twist. Oliver comes back from Lian Yu with more than just arrow-ing abilities, he’s also a werewolf.

Bonds That Can't Be Broken by Wherethereissmoak. Alpha/Beta/Omega AU where a drunken night in Vegas leads to a certain duo bonding without remembering who exactly with ... and how they find each other again. Also by @wherethereissmoak ... To supplement her income Felicity Smoak is a donor to the outed vampire population, ready to retire her last feeding job is Oliver Queen. Sparks fly and things happen:  Tastes like pure joy.

Of Sutures, Spilled Juice, and Sticky Notes by KayleeThePete. AU where paramedic Oliver Queen finds himself assisting one of the Starling City’s vigilantes (aka Felicity Smoak).

Anything But Ordinary by Hellbrat (Ringred19) . Heading into season 3 canon divergent tale where Felicity’s latent Slayer gene finally activates causing complications with Team Arrow, especially as vampires begin to pop up in Starling.

Now for some oldies (aka previous recommendations), but goodies that were recently updated:

AlexiaBlackbriar13’s Defend Not The Man, But The Mind (Bellator!Oliver. Really if I have to say more you should be ashamed of yourself.)

Abbie’s (@absentlyabbie) Way Down We Go (Part 4 of her brilliant Long Way Down series)

writewithurheart’s (@writewithurheart) There's a Machine Where My Heart Should Be (A glorious steampunk, each thought the other was dead AU)

greyhorizon’s What You Will (Modern Twelfth Night-inspired AU)

QueenKLee's The Wrong Girl. (I am legit in love with what she has done with Isabel in this fic. Not something I would ever in a million years ever think I’d say.)

SuperSillyAndDorky06’s (@supersillyanddorky06) The Predator (Rival mob AU)

dettiot (@dettiot) & Mel_Sanfo’s (@melsanfo) Two Men, Same Name (Two Olivers! What could wrong? Hint: A LOT.)

And now for a little self-promotion, my Gargoyles AU, Defenders of the Night.

Elsewhere University- Feathers

Like a whole bunch of other people, I saw @charminglyantiquated 's Elsewhere University Comic and got SUPER INSPIRED. And since she’s so generously encouraging other people to play in her sandbox, I present ‘Feathers’.  EDIT : PART 2 HERE

You go to Elsewhere University. You’ve been going to Elsewhere University for (years and years and years and years) for three years now. You know how things are. You’re not an RA, but… Mm, you could have been.

Might still be. Aren’t yet.

This is your junior year (you think). You know how things are. You carry salt in one pocket, iron in another, trinkets to bargain away in your book bag, offerings in your purse, pearls around your neck.

(Pearls have no great stories attached to them that you know of, but your great grandmother wore pearls. Both your grandmothers wear pearls. Your mother wears pearls. Your aunts, your cousins, your sister, your niece. All the women in your family wear pearls.)

(Sometimes, when you go home, you think the only reason your family recognizes you is because you wear pearls.)

(Belief has its own sort of power, here. If you ever find yourself bargaining your pearls, you know you might just be bargaining bits of yourself.)

In your purse, you carry seeds, and nuts, and sweets, bits of bacon, squares of butter, packets of honey, of pepper (not salt!! Those go in your back pocket), or cream cheese, single serve tubs of creamer (in at least three flavors, ever since your first summer solstice). Your dorm raids the dining commons for condiments every Tuesday. Tuesday’s are good for raids. Good for quests and adventures, too, but only if they’re small. It’s impossible for things to go too terribly wrong on tuesdays.

(Your first day enrolled at Elsewhere was a Tuesday. It was nearly five’o’clock, the sun was just going down, and you could hear things. You’d turned, wide-eyed, pale-faced, to your RA, Jenna, who had rolled her too-bright eyes and said ‘It’s Tuesday,’ and was so entirely unconcerned you had had to believe there was nothing to be concerned about.)

(Of course, a year later you’d found out that the real Jenna had been Away for over four years, whatever was wearing her face wasn’t really her, and that Jenna wasn’t even supposed to be an RA, to say nothing of whatever had replaced her. By then, though, The Tuesday Thing was a firm part of your dorm’s understanding of How Things Work Around Here, and thus had become true-if only for the girls in your dorm- even if it hadn’t been before.)

(You still wear your bra inside-out on raids. It hurts to wear your bras like this, underwire and straps biting into your skin, but there is power in sacrifice, and for all you wander, on Tuesdays you’re hardly ever lost.)

…You also carry around the Complete Collection of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry, but that’s as much for you as it is for the crows.

The crows here like poetry, and even some music. Not metal, and not country, but folk, bluegrass, sure. Melancholy songs, or songs for battle. Lots of instruments with a single voice rising clear above. Your tastes mostly overlap, which is why you know this. They still like poetry best, but you’ve charmed at least three with an only slightly off-key rendition of ‘I’ll follow you into the dark’.

You’ve named one crow (it allowed you to name it, more like, and the both of you know it) Barnes on account of it shows up- every time and without fail- whenever you hum along to ‘Glitter and Gold’.

You’re walking to the library, now, and Barnes is on your shoulder, bopping along and clacking its beak as you croon the lyrics. Barnes keeps impeccable time, you’ve found.

(You’ve told Barnes this, and had to catch it when it fell from the branch, CRAWCAWCAW-ing its awful laugh at your pun.) (you woke up the next morning to feathers on your pillow. One good turn deserves another, and two years on you still wear them in you hair.)

‘Corvus!’ Not-Jenna calls out, and she means you. Corvus isn’t your real name, of course not, but then again, Not-Jenna isn’t Not-Jenna’s real name either. Real names, first names, True Names aren’t things you share around here. Here, most people call you Corvus. To some, you’re Crow Girl, to others, you’re Feathers. To those of the Court, you are called Girl Who Sings to Crows.

(You’d found yourself at a revel, last winter (these things happen) and had indeed been reveling (as was polite), when a hand (talon?) had caught your jaw. It tilted your chin up, and you looked up and up and up to black empty eyes set in skin the color you don’t have words for, framed by hair that looked like the sound of feathers rustling. It laughed at your terror- rough, cracked laughter from a too-pretty throat- and asked you Girl Who Sings to Crows, will you sing to me? No fool you, you asked what a song was worth. A gift is a debt, and you want no debt between a member of the Court and yourself. It answered. You sang.)

(the next morning, you woke, safe in your bed, no memory past the first note to leave your lips, pearls still hanging ‘round your neck, and a second strand of pearls- black and grey and blue and so, so glossy (like feathers)- clutched inside your clenched fist, and you know each pearl is a song, is a favor, should you ever be brave enough to call one in) (you wear them tied around your left wrist, and it is as much a declaration as you are capable of making)

You slow down and wait for Not-Jenna to catch up. Every now and then, you wonder what she really is. You could find out, you suppose. There’s a girl called Cat-Eyes from dorm three that sells special sunglasses. Cat-Eyes’ glasses are for seeing the truth of things, but you can’t ever unknown a truth. Maybe you’ll look past Not-Jenna’s glamours when you leave Elsewhere, but for now you still have to live with her. Bliss and ignorance and all that.

‘Good morning, Not-Jenna. How’d that test go?’

(Not-Jenna likes being called Not-Jenna. She told you that it helped remind her who she was, who she was pretending to be. You figure Not-Jenna’s ‘not’ is similar to your pearls. You didn’t tell her about your pearls, but from the way she looks at them sometimes you think she already knows.)

‘Oh, just horribly. It’s a good thing the professor offers extra credit, let me tell you!’

You’re pretty sure Not-Jenna isn’t actually enrolled in any classes, because she never give specifics. It’s always ‘a paper’, ‘the test next week’, ‘that one professor’. In fact, you’ve put money down that she just randomly shows up to take test and hand papers in to various classes and professors. Gambling aside, Not-Jenna is very good at pretending to be a person.

You hm, and offer, ‘Wanna study with me and Barnes?’

She and Barnes eye each other.

‘Psychology?’ Not-Jenna queries, and you hum.

Barnes croaks ‘Stanford Prison’ at her, and Not-Jenna’s eyes light up. (More than usual, you mean). Not-Jenna has always liked hearing about the atrocities humans perpetuate upon each other.

‘You’ve got that test in two weeks, Corvus, don’t you?’ She asks, considering.

‘And a quiz this Tuesday,’ you tell her. Not-Jenna nods, decided.

The librarian makes the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture at Barnes as the three of you head up to the third floor study rooms, and it fluffs its tail feathers at him.

—-

You go home for spring break. Your family waits for you past security, all warmth and smiles. Your mother sees you just fine (well, she looks at your neck before she looks you in the eye, but that’s normal, now, and it’s not like your friends at Elsewhere don’t do the same), but your sister’s eyes catch and hold on the feathers in your hair.

Her brow is furrowed, and she reaches out to push a stray lock of hair behind your ear.

‘Did you dye your hair?’ she asks, ‘it looks darker now.’

‘Too much time spent studying indoors, Sis, that’s all.’ You tell her, and she nods, still confused but willing to accept the lie.

Your father slings a heavy arm around your shoulders, his eyes bright and jovial (normal human bright, you mean. After Not-Jenna, even in your mind you find yourself clarifying ‘bright eyes’) as he laughs.

‘My little girl, growing up at college. Studying inside!’ He laughs. It’s a normal human laugh, nothing rough or croaking about it. ‘That place sure is changing you!’

You laugh along, smiling with him. You boarded the plane, went through the metal detectors, all of security just fine. You can still wear your metal earrings. You can still lie.

Walking out to the car, you trip, fall behind.

Your sister calls out, ‘C’mon, Feathers, keep up!’ and you heart stops. Your family, your blood kin, these, of all people, these people should know your Name. They shouldn’t know to call you otherwise.

‘What did you call me?’ You ask, intent. (this is against the rules. you don’t call attention to things like this, not at Elsewhere. but you’re not at Elsewhere, and still the pearls looped around your left wrist, when they clack-clack-clack together it sounds like caw-caw-caw. it sounds like laughter)

‘What are you talking about? I called you by your name.’

You can hear the lack of capitalization.

—

Spring Break passes slowly, so slowly, and every relative, every friend, calls you by the nicknames you’ve picked up at Elsewhere. If you were smart, you’d never go back, let the feyness you’ve picked up be rubbed away by steel, by silver, by iron, by the constant hum of electricity trapped in wires all through the city.

Instead, you drive an hour out of the city to the closest stable, shake hands with the farrier, and trade him your recipe for lavender lemonade for every single nail he pulls from the hooves of the horses he works on. He’d have given them to you, and even offers the horseshoes he can’t reuse, but you’ve been at Elsewhere long enough that accepting a gift makes you uncomfortable, and horseshoes can be tricky. (Horseshoes have luck in them, good and bad, and you have to be careful to pull out only the good luck when you bring them home. Maybe you’ll give it a try later.)

Instead, you go to the ocean, and bring home buckets and buckets and buckets of water. They yield a paltry palmful of salt, but it is sea salt you harvested yourself, and all the stronger for it. You carry it in a squat little bottle, draped from your neck by a leather thong.

Instead, you pluck careful handfuls of flowers from the garden you started with your mother your first weekend back from Elsewhere, and crush the petals against your skin, scrape dirt under your nails.

Instead, your mother takes you to visit a different relative each day, and each one presses a small pouch into her hands as you leave. You wonder, but you don’t ask. It’s not for you to know just yet.

Instead, you wait underneath a roosting tree for hours into the night, and when a crow feather falls you pluck it from the ground and tie it into your hair, leave a handful of grains where it fell.

Instead, as you say goodbye outside of the airport, your mother drapes a delicate silver chain around your waist. Solitary earrings, half a bracelet, the charm from a necklace, mutilated rings, none of them whole, all hang from it. All have pearls.

She tells you, ‘for bargaining, when They ask for pieces of you.’

She tells you, ‘be brave, be clever, be quick,’

She doesn’t tell you to be safe.

You don’t promise to come back.

(For all that you belong here, have the dirt and salt and scent and feathers to prove it, for all that, Elsewhere has a hold of you now. Time to see which hold is stronger.) —