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abookishdreamer · 2 years

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Character Intro: Aidos (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Mouse by Iapetus

Goody Two Shoes by Prophasis

Age- 10 (immortal)

Location- Mykonos, Olympius

Personality- She's generally quiet, introverted, & soft spoken- always keeping her emotions bottled in.

She's the goddess of shame, modesty, respect, and humility. At the tender age of 10, her powers/abilities include limited vitakinesis (healing), sensing the feelings of embarrassment & shame in others, and being able to make some beings submit to her will (this ability doesn't work on deities more powerful than her or her younger cousin).

Aidos is the only child of Prometheus (Titan god of forethought) and Pronoia (an oceanic nymph). She has an older half brother named Deucalion (Deuce). She was born & raised in the state of Achaea. Her brother would stay with them on the weekends and holidays. Aidos is currently dealing with some serious stuff. Her dad was recently punished by the King, sentenced to serve his term in the Underworld. Crumbling under the backlash and overwhelming attention, her mother ended up having a nervous breakdown. Pronoia is now temporarily committed in a mental hospital. Aidos' temporary custodial parents are her paternal grandparents Iapetus (Titan god of mortality, pain, & death) and Clymene (Titaness of fame & renown).

She lives with her paternal grandparents at their estate in Mykonos. The place is a lot more grand & opulent than her family's cozy brick house. Aidos has gotten really close with her grandfather Iapetus. He sometimes stays in the Underworld to help and support her father. She's been too scared to ask him how her father is really doing.

Aidos and her grandfather go to the Silver Owl Bookstore together and they also stop by Hollyhock's Bakery to enjoy a few cream puffs! Iapetus also accompanies her when she visits her mom at the mental hospital.

She doesn't really have much of an opinion on her grandmother Clymene because she's barely met her! She's only caught glimpses of her due to her busy schedule, but she does admire her beauty, especially her long red gold hair. One instance where her grandmother had some free time, she took her to the Mall of Olympius. Aidos nearly fainted when Clymene bought her a 500 drachma silk cotton crop top like it was nothing.

Fond memories of her life that Aidos likes to revisit are the times when her & her parents would pop popcorn and roast marshmallows at their fireplace. She'd join her father at his kiln in the basement and she'd go to jewelry making classes & sailing with her mother. Aidos left her best friend behind- a mortal girl named Sofia, though they still keep in touch through texting & video chatting.

She usually wears her long curly dark brown hair in a ponytail or a low tight bun. She likes using the Glory's Crown sweet almond curling glaze.

Aidos is currently looking forward to the annual Achaean Beignet Festival, where her grandfather is planning a trip for them, Deucalion, and Prophasis.

Her go-to drink is a large hot chocolate from The Roasted Bean. She also likes lemonade, ginger ale, iced tea, berry mix juice, and lemon-lime soda.

She loves listening to The Gypsy Bells, M9, & Pale Blu. She also enjoys classical music and was even appreciative of Clymene when she signed her up for piano lessons- being taught by Mousika (goddess of studying & music).

Aidos & Deuce have been leaning on each other a lot since their father's punishment. She also likes the fact that his mom Celaeno (one of The Pleiades) has been offering her support as well.

As far as her extended family, she has only spent significant time with her uncle Epimetheus (Titan god of afterthought), his wife Pandora (her aunt), & their two kids (her cousins)- Prophasis (goddess of excuses) & baby Pyrrha. Aidos thinks that Prophasis is a spoiled brat and a bit of a troublemaker. She adores Pyrrha and her pink cheeks, even knitting her a onesie. Aidos briefly met her other uncle Menoetius (Titan god of rage, violence, & rash actions). She thought that he was a scary mass of muscles & tattoos! She did end up enjoying the steaks he made on the grill. Aidos is aware of her other uncle, Atlas (Titan god of strength & endurance) and her cousins The Hyades and Calypso, but so far, she hasn't met them.

Aidos' favorite frozen treat is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream!

She's currently on break from from school. Aidos attends an esteemed elementary school in New Olympus. Aidos has made a few new friends like Ersa (goddess of morning dew), Calleis (goddess of allurement), and Eulabeia (goddess of caution), but she has gotten especially close to Melete (goddess of thought & meditation). Aidos is also friendly with the fourth grader Xenia (goddess of hospitality). She's aware of the younger deities- the third graders Caerus (god of opportunity & luck), Paidia (goddess of play & amusement), Aceso (goddess of healing), her cousin Prophasis, Mneme (goddess of remembrance), Hebe (goddess of youth), Myrízei (god of smell & gases), and Physis (goddess of nature).

At school her favorite classes are literature and history. Aidos hates how sweaty she is after gym class.

A guilty pleasure for her is a slice of mushromm and olive pizza.

In the pantheon Aidos admires Sophrosyne (goddess of moderation, temperance, & restraint), Leto (Titaness of demurity & motherhood), Hestia (goddess of the hearth), Aletheia (goddess of truth), Eikono (goddess of iconography & literature), Hera (goddess of women & marriage), Athena (goddess of wisdom), Dike (goddess of justice), and Aeschyne (goddess of modesty & honor).

Her favorite meals used to be her dad's sausage penne and her mom's steamed mussels. Now, she's gotten to like her grandfather's garlic bread grilled cheese sandwich (made with mozzarella cheese and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top). She also likes the lobster mac n' cheese with beluga caviar that her grandmother had brought for dinner one time.

She was surprised a day after she moved in with her grandparents when Clymene gave her the latest smartphone from iCHOR Tech. Later that night, she heard her grandparents' notably loud argument about it.

In her free time, Aidos loves reading (books of many genres) and issues of Regalia and O Dianooumenos. She also enjoys knitting, sewing, doing lanyard, pottery, & has even become quite the painter. She once did a gorgeous painting of her mother and when she presented it to Pronoia, she burst into tears.

"Why is there a choice between being pretty or being smart?"

#my oc #my oc character #my character #oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek goddess #greek goddesses #greek mythology #greek pantheon

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sw124 · 3 years

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BonelyHearts Reader Insert6

{Female!ReaderXSkeleton household}

Camping! Pt.6

Well yesterday was quite the day, so much for your enjoying your ‘leisure’ day out. You ended up soaked to your very bones all because of some jerk/jerks in a speed boat. It wasn’t so much getting soaked that bothered you, it was the fact that boat came so close to hitting you and Ash; that is what made you mad…but that was yesterday. An its not like the day ended badly, when you got dry clothes on and the skeletons practically waiting on you hand and foot to be sure you were ok.

You’d be lying if you didn’t enjoy it but you reminded them that you were fine and all warm again. That an you woke up again with the same skeletons in your tent, cuddled up next to you like little darlings. Well this was your last day of camping, that meant it was ‘your’ day. The past two days were dedicated to the skeletons but now it was your turn an you had only one special thing in mind.

“Human, what exactly do you have planned. We’ve done all the trails you wanted minus the …what was it..Grandfathers duff?” Asked Nox.

“Thats ‘Grandads Bluff’ and trust me when I tell you this activity will be great for everyone. But remember we need to pack up before we head off for our last activity, when we’ve finished it we’ll be going home; everyone got that?”

They all responded with a nod, you felt giddy as you helped them pack up. You had a wonderful surprise waiting for them! Packing didn’t take long at all, you handled most of the kitchen items while Papyrus and Boss dismantled the tents. Poplar helped Russ pack up the van while the others walked around picking up any litter left behind. It didn’t take long to get cleaned up really, in less then thirty minutes dishes were clean, tents dismantled and put away, campsite cleaned up and finally the van packed. Now that was done you could take the boys on the last activity of the day!

“Ok boys its gonna ten to fifteen minute walk to our destination so no whining.” You gave a playful wink and motioned the boys to follow you.

It was kinda funny to see some of their deadpan expressions but you digressed. You lead the way towards a road, sticking close to the shoulder of course. Though there weren’t any cars on this road there were ATV’er’s driving about; but they all were polite an stuck to their own side, time to time waving at you and the skeletons. Most if not all of them were simple ‘drive through rugged terrain’ people or parents taking their kids for rides.

Like you said it didn’t take long before you reached your destination…

“…..A ski lift?” Russ tilted his head.

“Well its not used for skiing now but during the autumn its used as a ‘special tour’ option. You take the lift up the mountain to enjoy the view of the local foliage, there at the top is the local ski resort. We’re taking the long ride up so it’ll take about an hour. By the time we get there it’ll be time for lunch so we’ll stop at their cafe to eat. Then comes the best part!”

You wriggle in your boots, ready to explode with excitement.

“The best part is the tram ride down the mountain, on the way down your served the best local drinks in the area. Non-alcoholic of course, the ride down will take just about the same amount of time as getting up give or take a minute. By the time we get back down the mountain it’ll be time to start heading home, you boys ready?”

They all looked at each other before nodding, when you got to where the chairs picked up the skiers you paused…thats right you had to see who was going with who. You looked and already Nox was arguing about going first…call you impatient but you hopped into a chair an let the boys figure it out for themselves.

You turned your back…and felt the chair sweep you up then it dropped its safety bar down. You squeaked like a little mouse as it lifted you up, you turned back to see the boys were still arguing…you waited at least a minute before shouting.

“HEY! I’M ALREADY ON THE LIFT! GET THE LEAD OUT BOYS!”

You laughed as you watched some of them scramble to get on the lift, Poplar and Ash were already getting on by the time the others heard you calling for them. Now that the boys were on the lift all you had to do….was relax and enjoy the ocean of autumn colors at your feet. This truly was a great idea, you slowly watched the wind blow waves of leaves over the trees. It really did look like water, a sea of cold fire…

A sudden thought hit you….there was a few spots on the mountain where special cameras were set up. They were to take pictures of people on the ski lifts, kinda like the camera’s on amusement park rides! They did this for the skiers as something commemorative or something. Oh this was gonna be fun, you hoped you’d see it so you could take a nice photo, if not something funny to laugh at.

[A beautifully peaceful ride later]

You gingerly slide off the lift chair and walked over to a small waiting area, there were some benches and a small kiosk to get your photo. The photo you got didn’t turn out like you hoped but it was still nice, the pictures was of you looking off to the side. You recalled that moment too, you caught sight of a hawk in the distance.

You decided to wait for the boys, you saw the photo’s drop in the kiosk. Not sure if it was ok or what you decided to look. The first photo of course was of Poplar and Ash, they looked like the spitting image of a happy elderly couple. The next was Stretch and Blue, where on earth did Stretch get the Groucho glasses…heh poor Blue didn’t notice he was given the ‘bunny ear’ treatment. Next was Boss and Red who were mostly enjoying the scenery, then it was a picture of Papyrus yelling at a sleepy Sans. Finally was Nox and Russ who much like Red and Boss were just enjoying the scenery…hehe Russ looked so cute.

You slipped the photos into your pocket and went to greet them, by the time you left the little kiosk Poplar and Ash were just getting off the lift. They greeted you and sat down to wait for the others, one by one the pairs of brothers came off the lift. Once you all regrouped you headed for the resort’s cafe.

“Here it is…” you sighed happily, it didn’t have a name other then ‘cafe’ but it just oozed with charm.

Inside the floors were a deep black mahogany with plush bright red carpets, the tables, chairs and table cloths all matched. What made it so charming was each table had a small fire pit in the center where you could roast marshmallows. But since you did that already you had booked a special treat for the boys…

“Fon…due?” Asked Nox.

“Yes, Fondue is a pot of melted cheese where you dip food items into such as bread, vegetables, meat an other things. Don’t worry I’ll be ordering the vegetarian special, it comes with the local favorites! Come on lets sit, I’m starting to get a little hungry now.”

“Yes lets have lunch!” Agreed Poplar, he seemed just as excited about the fondue.

Everyone gathered at one big round table, the waitress took down orders for drinks. Mostly of coffee’s and coco’s but you chose some tea for yourself. Before long your pot of fondue was delivered and everyone proceeded to dip pieces of bread and vegetables into the melted white substance. It had a slight sharp smell but the herbs were mostly the source of it, the taste…was pure velvet. You could taste the cream and hints of butter, instantly you thought of popcorn from a movie theater the moment you took bite of asparagus dipped in the white concoction.

All the vegetables you got were roasted, including some sweet potato chips and some eggplant. This really was a great place, once you an the boys had enough and paid the bill came the tram.

You walked over to check the schedule.

“The next ride will be leaving at 11:45am guys so we got about forty minutes to enjoy the sights around here. Please pay attention to the time ok guys?”

“Got it!” They said in unison.

You smile and walk away, everyone wandered around the outside admiring the scenery. You gravitate away from the boys and wander a bit towards the railing.

Everything was so quiet…so beautiful…but was interrupted by the sound of loud voices. You look to see four men stumbling towards you, hanging off one another, even from a distance you could smell the booze. You were about to move away but they caught sight of you.

“Hey baby, you alone wanna hang (hic!) out?”

You glared. “No, I’m here with my friends now leave me alone-“ just when you turned to head for the nearby staircase to get away from these jerks one of them grabs your arm.

“Hey aren’t you that bitch thats hanging out with them skeletons? Come on hang out with some real men, we got the goods to please a woman!” Well one of them was half sober enough to recognize you for some reason.

You rip your arm away from him.

“Get away from me you filthy piece of crap!” You stepped back…

“See told you she was a bitch, an I know what we do with bitches!” Before you could do anything one of the drunks raised his foot and kicked you…you stumbled back…and took a hard tumble down the stairs behind you.

It wasn’t many stairs but enough that when you landed…you landed hard. For a moment you laid still, you were still conscious so that was good….slowly you started rising to your knee’s, you put weight on your right foot; no problems there……but the moment you tried to step on your left foot….thats when you went down again.

Your ankle felt as if someone drove a spike into the joint and was twisting it around, you let out a pained scream when you put any weight on it. You winced and looked at your hands…oh your poor hands got bruised up good that was for sure…

“Human? Human where are you?!” You looked up, you saw Nox but thankfully no sign of the drunks.

“D-Down here!” You cried…tears were streaming down your face, the pain was almost too much.

You looked up, Nox was racing down full speed. You got scared thinking he’d fall too…give him some credit he had good balance. He reached you and noticed your disheveled self.

“What happened?!” His hands hovered over you.

You sobbed. “S-some drunk guy kicked me down the st-stairs…my ankle hurts real bad Nox…”

Normally you could tolerate a little pain but this…this wasn’t little, already Nox was checking the rest of you. Your arms, head (noting the slight bruised lip you had), neck, he already saw your hands but was now focusing on your legs. When he was satisfied he checked your ankle, slowly he removed your shoe and examined your ankle. His fingertips ghosted over your ankle, flinching when he touched parts near the joint.

“….Its just bruised thankfully, hang on.” He took out his phone and after a few taps made he put the phone to his cheek….and spoke.

“Russ get Boss to my location, a pack of drunks pushed the human down a flight of stairs, she has a bruised ankle an I need someone strong enough to carry her to the Tram.”

He had just put his phone in his pocket when you heard footsteps, already you saw Boss descending the stairs. He had such a graceful step to him despite practically running down those stairs, Russ wasn’t far behind him.

“Oh god, human…” Russ looked ready to cry, you tried to put on a brave smile but it hurt to smile…

Boss waisted no time gathering you into a princess carry, with almost no effort on his part escorted back up the stairs…where a group of worried skeletons were waiting for you.

[three hours later]

This wasn’t how you wanted your camping to end….sure you got the tram ride back but it wasn’t that special ‘lets have a warm drink while watching the woods slowly go by’ kind of ride. Now you were bundled up in a blanket sitting in your room, you just finished crying when Boss walked in with a mug of ‘golden flower’ tea.

“Thanks Boss…” you whimpered as you took the cup from him.

“Now human don’t be so melodramatic, sure the trip didn’t go completely as planned but we still had fun and we got you healed up.” Said Boss crossing his arms.

“Yeah…..thats true….” The tea was the perfect temperature, you hadn’t realized you had gulped it all down…well you were thirsty. “….You know maybe I should go sit in the living room with….everyone…maybe that’ll make me feel…..better…”

You forgot..’golden flower’ tea practically knocked your butt out, you drank it when you couldn’t get to sleep at night. You swayed a bit still bundled in that thick blanket, was you imagination or did you feel Boss wrapping his arms around you?

Oh he just picked you up….you all bundled in your blanket…you felt like a newborn baby swaddled after birth. Warm, safe and loved….you snuggled against the brooding skeletons chest as he walked you out of your room.

You could hear the others having a conversation but….you didn’t care….you could hear cooing but you didn’t care….instead…your mind drifted back to the camping…

Sleeping in a tent curled up with the skeleton family, sharing s’mores and hot coco…

Your mind drifted into a dream…where all you could think about…was you…

And the loving skeletons who were always…and always would be at your side…

End.

[The ending was inspired by a drawing done by @mmhinman and again this is a reader insert dedicated to the @bonelyheartsclub ]

#undertale #fanfic #bonely hearts club

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shilohsylvanian · 4 years

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Marshmallow Mouse Family

Released around 2018 in JP,UK, & US.The official description says that they have a flower petal pattern in their ears, but I always thought it was a heart.This style of newborn babies started to become popular around this time. They are SO tiny, roughly a half inch smaller than the standard baby size. Other families like the Kangaroos, Splashy Otters, and Grey/White Persians have these new styled newborns as well. In the official mini series on Netflix/Youtube, the mom runs the Village Grocery and the Dad runs the Village Pizzeria. The UK description references the mom doing so, and the box for the village pizzeria shows the dad running it.

Descriptions (US):

Bernard loves making delicious food, especially cheese. He’s very proud of his homemade cheese collection and loves to cook yummy meals for his family and friends.

Bianca is very quick-witted. She keeps everything running smoothly at home, and often has to help Bernard out! She’s also good at taking care of her energetic children, and is someone they can rely on. She loves to make food with Bernard, and her original recipes are very popular among the other mothers.

Christopher has a great memory, although he’s not so good at math. He’s very precise and a hard worker! His one bad habit is that once he starts talking, he can’t stop! Sometimes his sister gets annoyed about that, but they always work things out in the end.

Katherine is very good at math but she’s a bit forgetful. She’s always saying “Oh, I forgot about that!” But she’s not too worried - her brother remembers everything, so she can always ask him! She’s a hard worker too, and likes keeping the triplets happy.

Albert (orange baby) is clever for his age, and very curious too. He’s very fond of the new triplets, and the role of ‘big brother’ comes naturally to him. He can’t wait until his little siblings are a little bit bigger and can come out to play in the garden.

Stephanie Older Sister, a furniture designer.

Triplets Maryis a ball of energy. She’s always on the go, and can often be seen laughing with Elizabeth. Edward is a sleepyhead. While Mary and Elizabeth are often heard laughing, Edward just nods off! Elizabeth is always in a good mood. Whenever she sees Mary doing something fun, she can’t help tag along!

Sets:

2018 Family of 4 : Mom, Dad, brother, sister.

2018 Standing baby (UK): standing baby in orange with cot and bottle

2018 Triplets -newborn size triplets

2019 Baby Shopping Series: standing baby in orange with pizza

2019 Baby Outdoor Series: standing baby in orange with marshmallow on a stick.

2018 Gingerbread Playhouse: standing baby dressed as Santa with a sleigh and gingerbread house.

2019 Town Girl Series: Fancy Green dress with with gold belt and a pink bag.

2020 Fashion Playset: Older sister with a variety of accessories and 2 dresses.

#Calico Critters #sylvanian families #marshmallow mice #marshmallow mouse #mice #mouse #info dump

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twisted-nox-sidus · 4 years

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I was in the mood for fluff.

Headcanon AU prompt: Child!Strix suddenly warps to TW! As the dorm leaders argue who would be the first to take her in for the time being, she selects the dorm leader on a whim and grows attached. Saddled as babysitters by Crowley, how do the dorms take care of her?

Note: I had made a post of Child!Strix before. Keep in mind that she’s mute at this age and relies on actions than words to communicate.

Heartslabyul

Baby Strix fled to the safety of Riddle’s long cape and curled up inside despite his protests. She was in a cocoon by then.

The card boys almost dread the worst when Riddle came back cradling a sleepy little girl wrapped snugly in his cape like a blanket. The sight was so tender, they were nearly convinced it was someone pranking them.

Riddle was confident to show Strix a wonderful time at Heartslabyul. On the same day he had Trey bake his delicious cakes and treat her to his favorite strawberry tarts soon after.

The boys take turns carrying her. They almost die of diabetes whenever Strix gives nuzzles on their cheeks and hugs around their necks. So precious! She’s an angel! Deuce actually cried (manly tears mind you) once. Ace was never gonna let it up.

The Heartslabyul gang are just one big family. Trey and Cater are the parents, the first-year trio are their chaotic kids, and Riddle is the exasperated eldest son who tries to keep the whole family in line.

Strix plays dress-up with Cater and he does her hairstyles. It’s clear he totally dotes on her the most as he has an older sister. Having a little sister like Strix is delightful!

“Can we adopt her? Please?” “Cater, the headmaster already signed the custody papers.” “Really?!”

Ace and Deuce alternate carrying Strix as she paints roses red. They also make up quicker when Strix is around so they don’t make her sad.

The hedgehogs and flamingos are quite attached to Strix. They were practically surrounding her. Cater had abused the camera roll by then. He can’t bring himself to delete a single pic! But his memory storage is near reduced to tears...

Bonus: Che’nya randomly popped in during their tea party sweeping Strix off her chair and adoring this cutie patootie. Strix’s shock subsides when she noticed the pierced pointy cat ears and pets them while Che’nya carried her on his shoulders. He even only made his head visible so he’d give the others a spook when he came back while Strix is too focused on his kitty ears to realize it. It was so surreal, let me tell you.

Savanaclaw

Strix approached Leona and looked up with sparkling blue eyes. Fluffy kitty ears are nice! Not scary!

Leona groaned. He himself doesn’t want to take in a kid -especially a girl- back to Savanaclaw. She makes easy prey the moment she steps in. He has a weak spot for children, too.

To Leona’s bewilderment, the girl climbs on him like a tree until she sat on his shoulders and touched his cat ears. She nuzzled her face in his mess of hair and smiled, pleased.

And so, Leona returned to the dorm with a baby owl perched on his head. When she was asleep he dumped the job onto Ruggie. He should get paid for this, damn it. He didn’t sign up for babysitting!

Strix’s attention would wander to Leona’s flicking tail. She would try to catch it and run around Leona’s legs to try to get a feel, or pounce on the bed if he’s sleeping, however it would slip out of her tiny reach. She seems to have fun, though. She behaves like a cub sometimes, it’s really adorable.

Strix would do her best to help Ruggie clean Leona’s room. If only the dorm leader would follow her example...

Baby Strix growling stomach is like a mouse squeaking. Ruggie didn’t think a child’s stomach could make such cute noise.

Jack is saddled with a kid while Ruggie and Leona take care of their own duties. Where is the instruction manual for this?

Strix would fall asleep on Jack’s tail that substitutes for a pillow. Or his fluffy head, one way or the other. It’s easy to watch over a kid when they’re asleep almost 24/7. When she is awake, she would climb on him like he’s a jungle gym.

One time when he gave her an awkward pat on the head, she firmly held his hand in place and she. Freaking. Nuzzled into his palm. Nuzzled her nose to it with a cute smile and blush.

Jack only had Strix for five minutes, but if anyone harms her he will kill everyone in the area and then himself. It’s that meme :D

Every time they go out, the boys would firmly place their hands over her ears to block any foul language Savanaclaw has to offer. They also make it clear to other fellow students to keep their paws off her. Her innocence must be protected.

Octavinelle

Similar to Riddle, Strix went to hide under Azul’s draped coat. Azul then eagerly agreed to take her in. There’s profit to having an adorable guppie at Mostro Lounge, is what everyone called him out on. Azul doesn’t deny it.

Floyd definitely carries Strix by the shoulders. At first it was all fun and games, with how tall being on him was... Until he sporadically pretended to almost drop Strix that she clung to Jade’s secure arms while trembling like a leaf. For once, Jade had a justified reason to smack his brother on the arm without rousing sibling hostility. Floyd got depressed by the flick of a switch.

Strix’s eyes always wanders to the view of the underwater scenery. Her face was glued to the window in Mostro Lounge for how beautiful and breathtaking the sights were. Once, she lied on the floor in the glass corridor admiring the fishies that swim by. She never got tired of it for hours.

Floyd took the opportunity to join her on the floor in hopes of making up to her. Child Strix is a gentle soul to have forgiven him, and the two spent time just relaxing together until Jade and Azul came to pick them up (of course it was weird for two people to be on the floor). Strix was asleep by then.

Strix got curious about the grand piano. Azul played a few tunes before inviting her to join him. She pressed a few random keys that were out of tune, of course, but Strix was excited regardless. The glint of intent interest to explore the practice made him chuckle.

He teaches her the basics. He also encouraged her that her hands are perfect for the piano, which is no lie, and that she would become a wonderful pianist if she continued practicing, much to her delight.

Baby Strix would doze to sleep as Azul played relaxing music, all curled up while her head was atop his lap. What a pure soul this one is.

Scarabia

“Kalim put Strix down!!”

Jamil has another -literal- child to babysit. At least Strix is well-behaved unlike Kalim. Why can’t he take a page from her book?

Kalim has plenty of siblings. His brotherly love rubbed off Strix and made her open up to him more quickly than others.

Kalim bought every kind of ribbon that looks good on Strix. Too bad practically everything is adorable on her.

Jamil really doesn’t mind feeding another mouth. He’s whipped up feasts that feed hundreds of guests for Kalim’s banquets and parties, especially at the last minute. What’s two people to sweat about?* Magic carpet rides are exhilarating for Strix. They were like the baby roller coasters she rode on, but this must be the grownup’s version.

Pomefiore

Strix admires Vil’s dorm outfit between her fingers. The interior red design has fancy apple designs.* Vil boasts how even a toddler recognizes his beauty to compare to other students who fail to see it through their thick skulls.

Like Cater, Vil dresses her in outfits deemed complimentary to Strix and her stunning blue eyes. Strix didn’t mind since Vil was having fun.

Strix is amazed by Epel’s apple craftsmanship. It’d be a shame to eat them, she feels. After being reassured he’ll make more again, she never leaves a crafted apple to rot.

Strix finds Rook’s mannerisms and French confusing, but that’s okay. She’s a child that doesn’t know better. Though she has a feeling she’d still find him elusive even as a grownup.

Ignihyde

Like a kitten, Strix is all-too curious about Idia’s long blue flaming hair and paws at the tips. He had to bunch his hair into a ponytail during her stay.

Idia has his little brother Ortho. Surely he can handle Strix. “Those are two separate things!” He’d exclaim. Too bad that doesn’t prevent him from being a babysitter right off the bat.

Ortho is excited. Now he’s in the shoes of a big brother. He hopes Strix will be an incentive for Idia to come out of his room.

Strix liked how warm and comfy Idia’s jacket (his “school uniform”) looks. She slipped inside while Idia was taking a shut-eye from the monitor and zipped up the zipper before snuggling closer to his warm body heat. It’s like hugging a heater.

Idia woke up to a fright. What if he crushed her under his weight?! That’d be dangerous!

He looks down to see the content smile on her lips. With a sheepish huff he plopped his head back on the pillow. Another five minutes wouldn’t hurt.

Diasomnia

To every dorm leader’s surprise and fear, including Diasomnia’s himself, baby Strix fled to Malleus’ side. His intimidating aura should have warded her away, yet when Strix looks up from the folds of his cape with pure and honest blue eyes, there was no fear. Even as a toddler she knows no fear of one of the most powerful magicians in the world.

Strix dislikes thunder, and thus is scared of Sebek and his lightning bolt for hair. She would flee behind Silver’s leg and stay away from Sebek as much as possible.

Sebek had to befriend her through an owl marshmallow pillow (after listening to Lilia’s advice). Watching her squeeze the pillow made many shed tears from the sweetness. You could practically see flowers and soft light surround the two.

Sometimes they would walk in the lounge to see Strix dozing in the sleeping Silver’s protective arms wrapped around her securely. Like two peas in a pod.

Lilia is amused whenever he looks behind to see Strix lifting his oversized Diasomnia uniform as much as possible from the floor. She follows him like a duckling because of that.

Once, Malleus got depressed for not being invited to an event. Strix tugged on his pant leg and he picks her up. Then she pats his head before giving him a hug in consolation. How sweet, though he realized how the roles have switched; he’s the child, and Strix is much mature for her age.

The day after that Strix would pull him over to where everyone sat before a pretend tea party set. If Malleus had the shame to cry he would have done so. Ugly sobbing, amirite?

Malleus may not admit it out loud, but he’s happy. At least someone knows to remember to invite him. The fact it’s a human child says a lot.

#twisted wonderland #my post #twst oc #strix noctowl #child!strix #twisted wonderland oc #savanaclaw #diasomnia #heartslabyul #disney twisted wonderland #headcanon #octavinelle #ignihyde #scarabia #pomefiore #fluff #oc headcanon

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gracewithducks · 4 years

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Strange Traditions (A Christmas Eve Sermon)

There is a man in Ohio who creates artwork out of chewing gum; he shapes gum in tiny little sculptures… using nothing but his mouth.[1] There’s a couple in Tokyo who recently went viral for posting pictures of their cats, which isn’t too unusual, except that the cats are wearing hats – bunny ears and crowns, Viking helmets and wigs – all kinds of hats made from the hair those cats shed around the house.[2]

And I’ve realized we all have weird things we do, things that make no sense, that others find strange or even a waste of time… but it brings us joy, so we do it, even if they don’t understand.

Some of us dress up like Star Trek characters. Some of us study the Elvish language of the Lord of the Rings. Some of us love to bake cookies and cakes, even when everyone we know is on a diet. Some of us read the same books over and over again. Some people make works of art out of beach sand and sidewalk chalk, even knowing it’s all going to wash away. Some people train for marathons, or jump out of airplanes, or collect stamps or build ships in bottles.

As for me, I knit stockings.

On its surface, not that strange. It all started innocently enough: my grandmother always knit stockings for our whole family: generations of stockings, each one unique, each one knit with love. And we love those stockings. As a kid, opening our stockings on Christmas Day was almost more exciting than opening the presents under the tree. Under the tree you’d get the usual pajamas and socks and, if you’re really lucky, that one thing we’d hoped and wished for all year. But the stockings were a free-for-all of surprises: candies and hairbows, puzzles we didn’t know existed, books we didn’t know we wanted to read, games and puzzles and funny little toys that sometimes were more fun than the big ones under the tree.

Stockings are an important part of our Christmas traditions. But when I was starting my own family, my grandma let me know that, because of the tremors in her hands, she couldn’t knit anymore. It was heartbreaking for her, but it was also nerve-wracking for me – because as the only other knitter in the family, the job of making stockings was handed down to me.

And when I say that I knew how to knit, I mean that my grandma – the same grandma – had taught me how to knit a potholder when I was about twelve years old. I don’t think I even ever learned to purl, just to knit – straight knit – the end.

But my grandma handed down her knitting needles and yarn, and I resolved to do the best I could.

I started working on my daughter’s stocking, the first stocking I’d ever made. And because I wasn’t so smart, I didn’t start working on the stocking until after she was born – which was about two months before her first Christmas. I still remember frantically knitting whenever anyone came to visit and offered to hold the baby; I remember wearing my daughter strapped in a Baby Bjorn and dancing around the living room, trying to keep her happy, while I knitted behind her back.

Somehow, I finished that stocking. And the even bigger wonder is that it actually looks like it belongs. It’s not perfect, but none of them are; they’re all made with love anyway.

When my husband and I found out we were expecting again, I knew I needed to plan another stocking. But because I’d only made one stocking before, I wanted to practice, to try following my notes and see if I could do it again. So I decided that, as a joke, I’d surprise my husband by making a stocking – not for a family member, but for Doctor Who. And if you don’t know who Doctor Who is, that’s okay; he’s a character in a British sci-fi show, and Doctor Who always has a Christmas special – a Christmas special which actually airs on the BBC on Christmas Day.

Since the Doctor always shows up for Christmas, then, I decided to make him his own stocking, with a picture of his time machine on it. And from that one stocking, a new tradition was born.

Yes, I made stockings for all of my children. But I’ve made many more than that. Every Christmas, I surprise my husband with another silly stocking for his collection, a stocking based on something he loves. We have Iron Man and Captain America; we have Harry Potter and Thing 1 from Doctor Seuss; we have a stocking for Despicable Me’s Gru, and for the Staypuft Marshmallow Man, and even Mickey Mouse.

Along the stairway to our house is a wall of stockings. My husband isn’t surprised to get a new stocking each year; he looks forward to them – and that year’s design is always a secret – and I so much love the planning, creating, and surprising him.

It’s a strange tradition, I know. Whenever I explain it, I always get some funny looks. People always want to know if I make my whole family new stockings every year (I don’t) or whether my husband gets presents in all those stockings – (he doesn’t).

Even my own extended family is confused. Earlier this year, my brother was over to visit, and he gazed up at our stocking collection, looked at me, and said, “You know, there are – other – things you can make, right?”

Of course I do. I make other things. I love making things. But I really, truly find joy and delight in making those novelty Christmas stockings – even if no one else gets it. I love our strange little tradition. It doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t have to follow the rules.

Sometimes I imagine – and to be clear, this isn’t in the bible; it’s my own imagination – but sometimes I imagine that, when God was creating humans, when God had the idea to create these free but flawed beings who would live in God’s creation – I imagine an angel walking up, looking at what God was making, and saying, “Are you sure that’s what you want to make? It looks messy, and loud, and it’s probably just going to break all your stuff.”

And when God nods, and the angel wrinkles his nose and says, “You know – there are other things you can make, right?”

And God’s like, “I know. I’ve made other things. I enjoy making other things. But these are different; each one is different, unique, and I delight in planning and creating each one – and maybe they’re messy, and maybe it doesn’t make sense… but love doesn’t have to make sense.”

And when God was planning to come down at Christmas, to get down and play with those unlikely and perplexing creations, to shrink to our size and play by our rules, so that we might see God’s love even more – when God said, “This is my idea: I’ll go down there as a baby” – I imagine that same angel wanders by and says, “Really? That’s your plan? Haven’t you learned anything?”

And God says, “It doesn’t have to make sense. Love doesn’t make sense. But it brings me joy. And that’s enough.

This is the lesson of Christmas: that God’s love for us doesn’t make sense – but God loves us anyway. God loves us too much to stay away, but God loves us enough to come down to our level, to squeeze infinity into an infant, to subject God’s self to cold, to poverty, to grief and hunger and pain – so that when we go through suffering, we know we are not alone.

God loves us enough to do the unusual, the bizarre, the impossible: to come and be with us.

And it doesn’t make sense. But some of the most important things we do in life don’t make any kind of sense: like telling your family to split the last pieces of pie when there isn’t enough to go around, and you tell them you didn’t feel like pie tonight anyway; or a grown adult getting down on the floor to play Legos or Barbies, or folding yourself down to fit on a playground slide; it’s driving for hours just so you can have dinner with your family, or giving a few dollars to the stranger at the side of the road, or inviting a stray animal to share your home and be your family; it’s sitting with someone who’s sick, even if they don’t know you’re there; telling your mother-in-law the biscuits really don’t taste burned at all, or going to your friend’s favorite restaurant even if you don’t like it. It’s buying coffee for a stranger; it's practicing for hours to bring music to worship, even knowing the beauty is fleeting – just a few moments and it’s over and gone; it’s gathering to worship a God we can’t see, celebrating a baby king sleeping on the hay, lighting candles and singing about heavenly peace on an earth that’s far from any kind of peace at all.

There are things we do that make no sense, and we wonder how much they matter – but they’re done from love, so maybe those things that don’t make sense are the ones that matter the most of all.

Love that doesn’t make sense – and love is what Christmas is all about.

This so familiar story of Christmas, this story which makes us comfortable and nostalgic on nights like this – this story is in fact a strange tradition: a tradition of looking for God in the cold, the hungry, and the helpless, in the most unlikely corners of a dangerous and perplexing world.

May the God who delights in you, may the God who loves you enough to be born in Bethlehem – may that God bless you, and may you know that you are loved. And may you too love even when it doesn’t make sense, seeing beauty where others see nonsense, bringing peace into the most unlikely places of all. May we all hold onto this strange tradition of generous, extravagant, beautiful, unlikely love.

God of strange traditions, God of risk-taking and self-sacrificing love: we are so thankful for the tradition, the story, the truth that brings us here tonight. We are grateful that you loved us into creation, even when it didn’t make sense; we are thankful that, when we were lost and cold and alone, you came to meet us right where we are. Meet us here tonight. In Jesus’ name we pray; amen.

[1] https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/annual-2012-gum/

[2] https://mymodernmet.com/hair-cat-hats-ryo-yamazaki/

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staytinyzen01 · 5 years

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Sunhee’s relationship with the guys

Seonghwa:

Sunhee was afraid to speak to Seonghwa at first, not because he was mean or scary, but his visuals were and still are intimidating to her. She thinks he is absolutely perfect and loves him like a big brother. She is his personal hypewoman and gives him the recognition he deserves. She loves the fact that he is so caring so she tends to go to him if she has any issues. He tends to call her princess and she calls him a prince in response, a royalty duo.

Hongjoong:

Hongjoong is more of a dad figure to her. She cringes and clenches her fist whilst internally dying at his aegyo but then hugs him as an apology just so he doesn’t revoke her internet privileges (girls gotta scroll through tumblr). She had mixed feelings about his mullet but in the end, it is what he wanted so it didn’t matter. She is mostly seen in the studio with him and EDEN composing songs for the group, she even chips in with lyrics if either he or Mingi are struggling. He treats her to milkshakes, marshmallows or a trip to the Moomin Cafe as a reward for her helpfulness. He tends to wake her up so he sees her puffy cheeks and from that, along with her constant craving for the sweet treat, the nickname marshmallow was born. Sunhee tends to call him ‘appa joong’.

Yunho:

She has a very playful relationship with Yunho and she definitely thinks he reminds her of a puppy. Yunho is another dad-like figure to her. She goes to him for all the cuddles as he is a giant teddy bear and out of all the boys, he gives THE BEST hugs. Whenever they are together it is just loud due to laughter. They make up random choreography but it tends to be put in a song. He calls her kitten as that is what she reminds him of and he is puppy.

Yeosang:

Yeosang scared Sunhee too, he actually looked intimidating to her because he seemed angry. She wouldn’t go near him as she didn’t want to anger him. He had to go to her and speak to her. Yeosang is very playful with her, when they play games, he lets her win and he throws a fit if anyone beats her in a game. He calls her bub and he will hug her if she is sad. She calls him bub or ‘sangie’.

San:

San is someone who she considers a close friend. They tell each other everything except she won’t tell him who her crush is. He likes to tickle her. Sunhee has a Moomin plush and San has Shiber and they make sure that they have their stuffed toy with them. If either one of them forgets, they will share a bed instead. Calls her Sunshine all the way and if he is feeling extra mushy with her, then it is baby. He is called Sanshine.

Mingi:

Mingi is an older brother figure to her all the way. They constantly mock each other but they are also each other's rock. She was there when Mingi was having confidence issues due to his acne and Mingi was there when she was out of action due to an injury that could have ruined her career. They love each other platonically. He refers to her as baby and she calls him ‘gi’.

Wooyoung:

With Wooyoung she wasn’t sure, but she mustered the courage to introduce herself. He will tickle her until she squeals she needs the toilet. Sunhee tends to go to him whenever she is having issues. If something has upset her, she will go find him. He calls her baby mouse and she calls him ‘woo’.

Jongho:

Sunhee is more comfortable with Jongho than some of the members, not for a bad reason but because he can relate to her more as they are similar in age. She took one look at him and decided that she would walk up to him and say hi. Sunhee buys the fruits for him to break. He calls her peaches because of it and she calls him pebbles because he is ‘rock hard’ but still small too.

#ateez #ateez au #ateez addition #kpop au #kpop addition #ramenkocnet #ateez 9th member

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a-butterfly-on-his-tummy · 6 years

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Dinglehopper

“I will bring out those drinks. Please remember, the characters will come to your table; no need to follow them around. They will come by sometime during your meal.” Alicia, the waitress for our meal, smiles.

“Thank you!” Harry says while smiling widely. Alicia leaves the table and makes her way to the back to gather the drinks.

“Mum, do you think we will see Mary Poppins? I loved her last time.” Grace says across the table.

“Mary Poppins talks like us!” Ethan says with a smile.

“That’s right. She is from England! I’m not sure who we will see Grace. But that’s part of the fun, I think.” You reply.

“Like a big surprise.” Harry’s eyes widen as if he just said something exciting.

“I’m hungry. Can we eat?” Six year old Ethan states as his tummy begins to rumble under his floral button down; he gets his style from his father.

“Yes! Let’s go get some food.” Harry stands from his seat, pushing in his chair before helping Penny scoot out of hers. “I’ll help Squirt get some food; do yeh want to take Bug and Stud?” You nod your head and start to make your way behind Ethan and Grace as they make a mad dash towards the food.

“Want ‘icky awfuls.” Penelope wraps her hand around two of Harry’s fingers, leading the way towards the area filled with all different kinds of breakfast foods.

“Mickey waffles? Not pancakes?” His voice is higher pitched as he takes the piss out of his daughter who doesn’t think he is very funny.

“Icky awfuls, pwease.” Her sweet three year old voice melts Harry into a puddle, and he leads her towards the area filled with delicious smelling waffles. Penelope releases her father’s fingers, and he grabs one plate and a bowl, filling the plate with a waffle that is shaped like Mickey’s face.

“Should we get some fruit?” He asks his daughter.

“Staw-babies!!” Penny stands on her tippy toes and points to the beautiful red berries.

“Oh I love a good strawbaby!” Harry places a few of the plump berries on Penny’s plate, and begins to fill his bowl with yogurt, fruit and granola.

“Daddddddy.” Penny pulls on Harry’s striped trousers, and he feels her move behind his leg, almost as if she is hiding.

“Squirt? Wha’s the matter?” Harry looks down at his daughter, her eyes wider than sliced oranges.

“Wook…..” Her tiny yellow painted finger points towards a beautiful woman with red hair and a light blue dress that sparkles in the light. “Air-we-all.” She gasps, shocked at the princess that is having a conversation with a little boy at a table that is next to the buffet.

“Penny!!!” Grace runs towards her sister, the unexpected squeal making Penny jump slightly. “I see Ariel!! Daddy, I’ll go tell her to come talk to Penny.” Grace starts to walk towards the princess.

“Stop right there, Grace. Let her talk with the other kids first. When it’s our time, she will come.” Grace’s face and shoulders fall as if her father stole the excitement out of the sky and threw it in the trash.

“Okay.” She says quietly, making her way back to her plate to finish filling it up with pancakes and eggs.

“Air-we-all boo-ti-ful, daddy.” Penny creeps her body around his leg, her eyes glued on her favorite princess in the world. “I lob her.”

“I love her too, Squirt.” Harry chuckles softly at his daughter who is currently experiencing the same thing he did the first time he met Stevie Nicks. SHOCK. “Want anythin’ else, love?” Harry asks, attempting to distract her. Penelope just shakes her head slowly. “Okay, Squirt. Let’s go eat and then Ariel will come visit. Okay?”

“O-tay.” Loosening her grip on his leg, Harry and Penny make their way back to their table. Penny looks back multiple times, making sure the princess hasn’t disappeared.

“I want a Mickey Waffle!” Ethan says, looking at Penelope's plate, reaching over the table to get a better look, as Harry pours syrup on top of the cute breakfast pastry.

“No Eff, Penny icky awful!” The look she gives her brother makes him coil back to his seat and start to eat his cereal that is filled with Mickey Mouse marshmallows.

“Mumma! Did you see Ariel? Penny needs to meet her. Ariel is her favorite.” Grace says as she shoves a bite of pancake into her mouth.

“Yes. Ariel will come say hello. We have to be patient.” You say, cutting your pineapple piece in half before putting it in your mouth.

“Air-we-all, sooooo boo-ti-ful.” Penny says to you. Holding her fork with her whole hand, she stabs the strawberry and opens her mouth wide to take a big bite. “MMMM, wisious.” She says after she swallows.

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Ethan taps Harry’s arm multiple times to get his attention. “Donald! I see Donald!!” Ethan drops his spoon into his bowl, splashing milk on the table as he watches the easily flustered duck come towards their table.

“Hi Donald!” Grace waves at the duck. She jumps from her seat, giving him a big hug. Ethan runs towards the character, holding up his hand so the duck can give him a high five.

“You're the best!” Ethan says to Donald, and the duck rubs Ethan’s head with his wing.

“Donald, this is Penny. This is her first time at Disneyland. Ethan and I have been here before.” Grace tells the character, giving him more information than he probably needs, but she feels that he should be informed.

Donald pauses and walks closer to Penny’s seat, her eyes wide as she watches this bigger than life duck move towards her. She leans back into Harry, and he rubs her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

“It’s okay, Squirt. He is a nice duck.” Harry says quietly, hoping that his words will help her feel calm and not scared. Donald holds his hand out towards the three year old, and she looks at his wing with darting eyes, examining the surface before lifting her hand slowly, and placing it on his.

Donald wraps his fingers around her softly, bringing her hand up to his beak, giving her a kiss by smacking his lips; the popping sound imitates a kiss and it makes her smile.

“Did he kiss you?” Harry’s voice is full of surprise as Penny pulls her hand back and giggles.

“I kiss ducky?” Penny asks, shrugging her shoulders.

“You can kiss him. Wanna give him a hug?” You ask your daughter. Penny shakes her head yes as she scoots her bum off her chair, wrapping her arms around his round soft belly, squeezing him as tightly as she can.

“Kiss.” Penny says, tapping his beak, Donald leans down so it is at her level. Penelope moves towards the duck, puckering her lips and giving him a big wet smooch. Donald leans back, clutching his hands on his heart.

“Will you sign my book?” Ethan asks, holding out his encyclopedia of characters that is open to Donald’s page. Nodding his head, Donald takes the pen from Ethan and signs his book, along with Grace’s and Penny’s. Pictures are taken before Donald moves on to the next table with a wave goodbye.

“I like him!” Grace says, taking another bite of her pancake.

“Me too. He is my favorite of Mickey’s friends.” Ethan states before shoving another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. Penny seems content as she moves a piece of waffle into her mouth. Harry rubs her leg and she smiles, kicking her feet back and forth with happiness.

Grace looks across the room, noticing that Ariel has moved on to another table, but still isn’t over at heir table. Standing up, Grace takes her plate.

“I’m gonna get some, um, more… blueberries.” Her eyes dart back and forth and it makes Harry think that she is acting weird.

“Want me to come with?” Harry asks with a smile.

“No thank you. I’m eleven, dad, remember. I can do it.” Grace turns, making her way towards the buffet area, keeping her eyes on Ariel the whole time. It looks like Ariel is on her last table in that section and Grace has an idea.

Filling her plate with blueberries, she watches as the princess continues the conversation with a little girl. When the princess finishes the conversation with a picture, Grace decides it’s time to make her move. Rushing towards the princess, blueberries rolling all over her plate, Grace touches her arm softly.

“Um, Ariel.” Grace is nervous as she has never approached someone like this before, but it’s for her baby sister, so this will be worth it.

“Oh hello there.” Ariel turns around, giving Grace her full attention.

“My sister loves you. Like you are her favorite princess. Can you come to our table? We are just right there. This is her first time, and this will make her so happy. Please? Only for a minute. I promise it won’t take long.” Grace begins to ramble, much like her mother does when she gets nervous.

“Yes. Let’s go see your sister. Can you take me to her?” The princess is kind and even though people aren’t supposed to bring the characters to their table, she is willing to move to that table before continuing on her route around the restaurant. “What is her name?”

“Penelope! Or you can call her Penny. She is over here. She is wearing a yellow shirt and a crown! We went and had princess makeovers yesterday.” Grace grabs Ariel by the hand, leading her towards the table. When they reach the table, Grace moves towards her seat, setting her plate down on the table. Penny has her back turned and cannot see the princess.

“Princess Penelope?” Ariel asks softly. Penny turns her head around so fast her hair flips against her chair. You watch as her eyes grow bigger than Flounder as she takes in the person in front of her.

“Air-we-all!” She gasps, scooting off her chair, fork still in her hand. Penny wraps her arms around Ariel in a hug that mirrors that of her father. The hug lasts long as she tucks her head into the princess, holding onto the moment and refusing to let it pass.

“What do you have here?” The princess asks after Penelope pulls back from the hug. Ariel points towards the fork in her hand.

“Dwigle-hoppa!” The smile on Penny’s face lights up the room as she knew what Ariel calls the utensil.

“Oh I have one of these. Very useful.” Ariel wrinkles her nose as she replies to the three year old.

“I agree. Very useful!” Harry comments, throwing you a wink, making you roll your eyes in response.

Ariel signs each of the children’s books, writing a special note to Penny. Each child takes their turn having their picture taken and Penny refuses to pose in anything except a hug. It is time for Ariel to move on to the next table, and she begins her goodbyes.

“Goodbye friends. Have a wonderful day!” Ariel says waving her hand at the Styles family.

“I lob you!!” Penny says, blowing a kiss in her hand and whispering “go to Ariel”, giving the kiss it’s instructions on who it is meant for. With a kiss blown back, the Princess moves to the next table.

“Did you like that, Penny?” Grace asks her little sister who is sitting at the table, not sure of what to do as the shock of seeing her favorite princess in the world has still not worn off.

“Dat was AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!!!!” Penny squeals at the top of her lungs, making the family giggle at her response. Penny digs her fork into the food that is on her plate, taking another bite of strawberry, as they enjoy the rest of the morning meeting characters and making memories that will last forever.

A/N: I am so glad I have such as sweet creature in my life to push me and help me grow daily. thank you @whoopsharrystyles I love you Butterfly much and so much more.

Read NOW on Wattpad!!

#Please send me feedback #The adventures of Harry and Grace #dinglehopper #Harry and three children #harry styles #harry styles fan fic #harry styles fanficiton #harry styles fan fiction #dad harry #dad!harry #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #family #harry series #original writing

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britesparc · 3 years

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Weekend Top Ten #495

Top Ten Non-MCU Post-Credit Scenes

Oh look, two MCU-related posts in a row! Delightful. Well, kinda. Because this week is a fake-out; it’s not really about the MCU! In fact, it’s almost anti-MCU! How wicked! Because ever since its inception, one of the quirks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – something it’s become famous for, in fact – is its use of a post-credit scene. From the moment Nick Fury stepped out of the shadows to mention the “Avenger Initiative” after all the names had scrolled on by in Iron Man, the ongoing films were almost defined by their last-second teases and delights. You can tell, in the cinema, the fans and non-fans, as they get up and clear off, leaving the True Believers in their seats, wondering how these people could possibly vacate the theatre without really seeing the ending. In fact, as the franchise has gone on, the number of people staying put has – in my own rough reckoning – increased considerably, to now be about fifty percent of the audience. And why not? You’re really not getting the full picture! As these entangled narratives have unfurled before us, we like the connective tissue of the end-credit tease; the reveals of new characters or locations, the subtle hints at what’s to come. Loki has possessed Selvig! The Collector has the Aether! The ant’s playing the drums!

“To challenge them would be to court Death!”

Anyway, MCU films have post-credit scenes. But of course they’re not the only ones. Having a scene after the credits – or, sometimes, during the credits – is fairly common in the history of cinema. I think it’s become a lot more common this century, partly because of Marvel popularising it as a storytelling device or method of connecting disparate films in a franchise, but also (I believe) because CG animated films have often used it as a comedy trick. I’m not sure why or where this really began in earnest, but I think the old Pixar “out takes” was partly to blame, as was the whole “Shrek Dance Party” phenomenon. Anyway, as you will see, there are a few here that fit that bill.

Because that’s what this whole list is! It’s films that have great post-credit scenes, but aren’t Marvel! Or, at least, aren’t officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some of them are classics of the form, thirty or forty years old; some are newer and fall into the categories I’ve mentioned above. Some follow a similar pattern to most MCU end-scenes – comedy skit or tease an upcoming movie, but stuck at the end of the credits – whereas some interfere with the credits throughout. I’ve been wary of scenes which aren’t really post-credit, but if we all the “mid-credit” scene in the MCU – or the multiple scenes from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – then we can allow some of the ones below.

So there we are! Nowt more to it. Let’s roll the credits...

Airplane! (1980): early in the film, our hero Ted Striker (Robert Hays) leaves his cab just as a fare gets in the back. Telling said fare to wait, Striker dashes after his girlfriend Elaine (Julie Hagarty), ends up on her plane, and, well, the rest of the delightfully silly and surreal plot unfolds. The film ends, the credits roll, and then we cut back to the abandoned cab, where the poor unfortubate fare is still sat in the back seat. “I’ll give him five more minutes,” he says, looking at his watch, “And that’s it.” I mean, it’s just sublime.

Deadpool (2016)/Deadpool 2 (2018): where to start? Whether it’s the first film’s Ferris Bueller-aping dressing gown skit (delightfully informing us that Cable will be in the next film) or the sequel’s multiple time-hopping gags – including undoing the film’s unfortunate fridging of Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) and killing Ryan Reynolds (“you’re welcome, Canada”) – this series really knows how to keep you engaged until the very last second. Can’t wait to see what he does when he’s part of the MCU.

Young Sherlock Holmes (1985): it’s funny, but looking back, I can probably trace any interest I have in Sherlock Holmes to this film and Basil the Great Mouse Detective. Anyway, this is a seminal film by any yardstick, featuring as it does one of (if not the) first example of a CGI character interacting in a real environment. But the end credit sting! The film’s Big Bad (Anthony Higgins), having somehow survived, checks himself into a hotel under the name of – you guessed it – Moriarty. This was, arguably, the first example of an end-credit scene teasing a future film! Setting up the Young Sherlock Holmes Extended Universe! Sadly it was a bit of a flop and they didn’t make any more.

Masters of the Universe (1987): Young Sherlock may have been interesting, but I’ll be honest, other people had to tell me who Moriarty was for me to understand the significance. The ending of Masters, however… well, it’s not quite as nuanced or revelatory, but the seemingly-dead Skeletor (Frank Langella) popping his head back up to yell at the camera “I’ll be back!” was a fantastic and exciting shock. We were guaranteed more He-Man! There’d be another film! There was not another film. Still cool, though.

A Bug’s Life (1998): I alluded to this earlier, and we’re only tenuously in “end-credit” land here (these scenes play over the credits, technically), but it still merits a mention. For A Bug’s Life was the film that began the (actually very short) Pixar tradition of showing us “outtakes” from the movie. And some of these first ones are among the best, with characters corpsing or forgetting their lines; subsequent films would lean more towards practical jokes and outright gaggery, whereas I personally prefer those that further the “it’s a movie being filmed” illusion. Anyway, the legend began here, not a sentence you can often say in relation to A Bug’s Life.

Frozen II (2019): in recent years Disney have made end-credit gags a tradition, and they’re pretty good at it. Moana’s fourth wall-breaking catchup with Tamatoa nearly made the list, but I’m giving the spot to Olaf. After recapping the plot of the first film earlier in the runtime, he’s now telling the story of the film you’ve just watched. The kicker? He’s telling the story to Marshmallow and the creepy little snow-brothers! From the first Frozen! And Frozen Fever! They’re at the ice palace, remember? It’s not only a funny bit, it’s also a nice nod to those kids (and their parents) who’ve mainlined anything Frozen-related for the past couple of years.

Winnie the Pooh (2011): a very underrated little gem, this; just so charming. One of the plot threads is the apparent disappearance of Christopher Robin, who leaves a note saying he’ll be “back soon”, but which is misread by stuffy know-it-all bird Owl, and leads to an amusing song of fright and alarm Pooh, Piglet and the gang all believe old Chrissie Rob has been abducted by a monster called a “Backson” (“They use their horns to put holes in your socks!”). Obviously this is a misunderstanding, it’s all resolved, happy endings all round. But then, at the end of the credits, who should rock up, but an actual Backson (who turns out to be very nice). What’s great about this, other than it just being a neat gag, is that it’s playing with the expectations of a young audience; it’s introducing them to a kind of comedic rug-pull. I can attest to the fact that nippers find it very entertaining.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2019): I’m a bit concerned about being too superheroic (I nearly had the Flash/Superman race from Justice League in here, actually, which I like because it’s one of the few moments in either version of that film where the characters act like the characters I know). I’m also wary of leaning into the whole “sequel tease” thing. But hey, this one’s fun; it feels like a sequel tease, another alternate version of Spider-Man voiced by a famous actor. Then it warps into the classic sixties Spider-Man, and references the whole “pointing” meme to boot. It has its cake and eats it, and it’s great.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990): the Gremlins films are great at breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at themselves, and this is no exception. The great Daffy Duck – who introduced the film, and whose anarchic style is a great precursor to the Gremlins themselves – pops up several times to comment on how long and boring the credits are, before finally asking the audience, “Don’t you people have homes?”. There should be more Daffy in movies.

Shrek 2 (2004): there were a few things I could have included in this list: Crank’s 16-bit game homage is quite fun; the Ferris Bueller bathrobe bit is iconic, although personally I find Ferris so unappealing as a character that I wouldn’t want to include it. So we have Shrek 2, one of the first of a whole raft of CG animated films to have a funny scene at the end. And the reason I’ve included it is because, well, it’s quite weird. Basically you find out that Donkey and Dragon have had babies that are, er, half donkey and half dragon (“Look at our little mutant babies!” says Donkey). I mean. There are connotations here that I’d rather not mull over.

So there we are. Now I didn’t want to include this as it’s not really a scene, and if I’m just doing “funny things in the credits” then we’re going to get onto stuff like the Naked Gun movies and all sorts of other weirdness, but I do want to shout out to An American Werewolf in London’s “any resemblance to persons living, dead, or undead” legal disclaimer at the end of the credits.

#top ten #movies #films #end credit #post credit #mcu

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memorylang · 4 years

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Home for Christmas: Birth, Endings and Marriage | #18 | December 2019

I returned from Mongolia to the States for 12 days this winter! It’s the first of my three stories picking up from my adventures away.

With a confluence of reasons to see the States this year, plus some for China, this felt like the perfect Christmas journey. I open with Advent meeting my baby nephew, then Christmas among my family in Vegas before my travel to Reno (my college town) for a wedding and my return to Vegas. Then I left to China.

Settling In: Stateside Once More

Having set a new record for days outside the U.S., my late-December return marked nearly seven months overseas.

Upon returning to the state my family occupied, Nevada, I learned its population just passed 3 million. My state’s population nearly matched Mongolia’s! But with the Vegas Valley, its population hits nearly twice Mongolia’s capital.

But as for temperatures, comparisons stop there. By the time I reached Vegas, I’d shed my puffy winter coats and stuffed them in my backpack. Vegas sat at a toasty 15°C (59°F), compared to Mongolia’s -30°C (-22°F). And Vegas friends said their weather felt cold!

Reunited in Vegas

My first days back at the house, caught up with my four siblings who reassembled. And I ate copious amounts of food, of which I’ll write a couple blog stories from now.

I would bring music, photos, some of my journals, travel souvenirs, Bibles and letters as keepsakes for my continued service in Mongolia. Special thanks to my 23-year-old brother for helping me through my college boxes in the garage.

I love rainy days. They remind me of Mom, too, at times.

My older brother gave me plenty tech support, including helping me get downtown to replace my Surface that’s been faulty since Dad bought it three years ago. (Free upgrade!) I also backed up files to cloud storage I could access from Mongolia.

I also kicked up a K-Pop playlist with recommendations from friends and my 18-year-old youngest bro. The list used to just have songs I encountered at Kiwanis CKI events and a few from my 17-year-old Mongolian host sister. I felt needing K-Pop’s positive vibes and high-energy, as opposed to American pop’s tendency toward symping. Why dwell in darkness when I have the light?

But here’s the key reason I came back to Vegas early. I needed to sort through our late mother’s belongings. I’ll touch on this during the next blog story, about my return to China. Thank you to those who supported me through the sorting.

Baby Wally

I returned home for Christmas for a huge reason—to finally meet my nephew, Wally!

Squishy baby Wally came from Ohio with my 42-year-old half-brother and my sister-in-law one night, the fourth week of Advent.

Meeting them the next morning felt amazing.

I’m an early riser, and his family was still on Eastern Standard Time. After finishing hard drive backups upstairs, I walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Wally stared at me from his rolling chair a long time. He was eight months old.

I loved his marshmallow hands and how he babbled both incomprehensible murmurs I repeated back to him and vaguely word-seemingly things like, “dada.” I probably only held him a couple times, but we made up for that with how long others held him while he continued to gaze at me.

My brother said Wally really liked me.

I mentioned a little how the toddlers at the orphanage, too, seemed fascinated by me. Someone somewhere told me babies, kittens and puppies must sense goodness in people.

Christmas in America

Leading up to Christmas, my family attended Simbang Gabi, a Filipino Catholic celebration during Advent. Since Dad had my siblings and I come, we also got to see the Filipino family ours has evidently spent time with. It reminded me somewhat of the Feast of Santo Niño I attended three years ago in Reno.

I loved getting to experience at a beautiful church the whole Mass in English—my first back in the States. The Filipino pastor gave a very Vegas homily, in how our vibrant Catholic community sets an example for this city. The Mass also featured a presider I recalled would sometimes say Mass at our church we’d attended since moving to Nevada a decade before. Afterward, we enjoyed a reception featuring copious amounts of Filipino food and music, per usual.

Midnight Mass

As is Christmas tradition, my family attended Midnight Mass at church. But this year, my 20-year-old sister drove so we could attend carols early. Our music even included hymns from Afro-Caribbean traditions, in addition to choral classics. I recorded clips from caroling and shared with fellow Peace Corps Catholics and Mongolian friends. I wore my silver Mongolian дээл, since this could be the only year I’m back for Christmas while a Peace Corps Volunteer.

During Mass, I remembered baby Wally when our new pastor spoke of baby Jesus. (Our past priest announced his relocation during my final Mass in the States seven months ago.) Anyway, babies are outstandingly helpless. They require others to survive and thrive. And humans seem biologically programmed to love and care about infants.

Yet I considered Easter Vigil (my favorite Mass), too, since our Midnight Mass began with a hymn like, “The Exultant.” So I felt somber, considering what mankind one day does to who was once this poor infant.

After Mass, I greeted a high school friend who’s stayed involved in Kiwanis Circle K International at UNLV and still sings in our local church’s choir. Like many, he felt astonished I could come home from Peace Corps but gleeful nonetheless.

Full Families

On Christmas Day, my visiting siblings, my younger siblings and I continued the movie-going tradition, seeing, “Knives Out.” I found it delightful, with heartwarming heroes and a clever cat-and-mouse adventure with contemporary themes. I loved its art. Plus Craig and Evans were hilariously not playing James Bond and Captain America.

That evening, our family had a wonderful dinner, with the Filipina family over. Unfortunately, my youngest brother decided to schedule for work that night, which aggravated Father. But, we still had a nice time. I like how my siblings’ ages merge well with their ages. (From oldest to youngest goes: their oldest sister, my older brother, me, their second oldest sister, my younger sister, my youngest sister, their youngest sister, my youngest brother.)

Plus, my half-brother, his wife and their son also attended. He sincerely thanked the other family’s mother that our dad had someone new in his life. I smiled, agreeing. It reminded me the speech he gave years ago in getting to know my mom.

The guest family’s oldest and second oldest sisters brought their boyfriends, and my older bro brought his girlfriend, too. We’d such a large Christmas dinner that we used the kitchen island counter space for food, then the dining room and ping pong tables for eating.

Following our meal, we exchanged gifts I’ll cover when I describe what I brought back to Mongolia.

Returning to Reno

After Christmas and further friend adventures (I’ll cover in a couple blogs from now), I flew up to Reno, my undergraduate city of four years. We’d a wedding coming.

I felt amazed to boomerang from my high school city to college town and back before my return to Asia. Even in Vegas’ airport, I saw college friends I hadn’t seen in years! Rather, they saw me, while I video called my professional mentor. They joked that they would have thrown Chex Mix at me, but they weren’t sure we had that kind of relationship. I would have loved it, haha.

On the flight, my friends gifted me two palm-fulls of Chex Mix. I felt elated. After take-off, I felt pleasantly surprised to hear and understand small talk around me. People behind me chatted about EDM music careers. From the window on my right, I saw how Nevada’s snowy mountains looked steeper than Mongolia’s. I continued rehearsing my wedding reading I copied down, Romans 12:1-2, 9-18.

As the flight neared landing, I gazed out the window and saw the familiar Sparks hill where the house my college friends and I rented stands. After landing, I felt weird somewhat recognizing the faces of uni students around in the airport. With a Reno-Sparks population over 500 thousand, though, “The Biggest Little City” stands five times larger than the “big” city where I serve in Mongolia.

Here to Serve

Just as I disembarked my plane began a funeral service across town for the mother of someone close to us all. While I didn’t have to come, I wanted to. I remembered how touched I felt by those who came to Mom’s funeral, even if they only met her briefly.

When I arrived, somewhat dazed, in the lobby, the soon-to-be-weds spotted me from the pews and walked out to greet me. They brought me to sit with them, beside other parishioners from our church I hadn’t been with in seven months. As the eulogies concluded, and our priest blessed the casket with the family, we sang together.

I felt at ease among such close friends. The service felt a warm reintroduction to my college town community. For, my trip home wasn’t meant quite for me. I meant to support.

First Wedding Party

That night, I reunited with and met the many of our wedding party for rehearsals. Rehearsals went smoothly. Afterward, the wedding party enjoyed pizza and wings with the bride and groom. I felt gleeful to catch up with some of my favorite faithful folks from my final years at university.

Between wedding rehearsals and Sunday Mass, I reunited with the choir I knew and loved singing with four years, including my confirmation sponsor. Even our instrumentalist who’d since left for graduate school returned to play. Just like old times.

That weekend, I also attended my first bachelors’/bachelorettes’ party. I felt much more relaxed among these people I’d known a while. I enjoyed the added benefit of having no college coursework to distract me from being present to those there. I felt honored to partake in the wedding tradition among such fun people.

Christian Love

The Monday morning of the wedding, one of our choir members had a family emergency, and I received the appointment to cantor our psalm, “To You O God, I Lift Up My Soul.” So I started rehearsing from the morning-of.

I wore the most eclectic outfit, including a normal pair of black slacks I’d known since high school in Vegas (before 2015), the golden silk shirt I bought in Beijing the 2017 week I first met Chinese relatives and the black suit jacket I bought in my Mongolian city for Teachers’ Day 2019. What a coincidence they asked me to wear golden colors, a suit and something traditional if I liked. These came together with my Reno boutonnière to form, for me, among my most meaningful outfits.

As the hours neared showtime, our jazz cue began, and I transitioned from greeting guests at the door and choir rehearsal to assembling for the procession in. I walked in with a close friend, who I loved chatting with. I especially loved the ringbearers with the rings on their sabers. Most special, our wedding party had front-row seats to witnessing the bride’s beautiful entry and seeing the heartfelt betrothals. I felt like such a cheerleader.

I stepped up to the ambo for what the groom called his favorite psalm. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to let me be the vessel. I sang with a little soul, yay. Seeing the couple’s and my choir members’ cheer gave me strength all the way to my high-note finish.

Then I closed the songbook I borrowed from the Grand Knight, prepared the mic once more, probably gave a curt smile, and began the reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans.

In Mongolia’s capital for the Peace Corps conferences, one night at dinner, one of my Catholic friends asked me my favorite Bible verse. I said, "Oh, I love these readings from Saint Paul, since he was my confirmation Saint. And reading his readings feels like reading a cosmic ancestor of mine. Especially, 'Do not conform yourselves to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind'" (Romans 12:2). After that, I went to help my student and a teacher apply for summer fellowships to the U.S. that were due the next days. After finishing those a few hours, I finally opened the bride-to-be’s message to see exactly which Paul reading she sent me. As I got midway through reading it aloud to a friend, I realized this was Romans 12 and went, "OH MY GODDDD."

What a sacrament. I felt great hope that taking my time with relationships will lead to extraordinary joy. Choir members congratulated me on an amazing psalm. After Mass, our priest commended me as having delivered the best reading of Romans 12:1-2, 9-18 he’d ever heard. I felt stunned.

The wedding reception felt wonderful. I spent most of my time with the fencing group. I enjoyed their fellowship, and they enjoyed my energy. I’d spend my days up to New Year’s among the newlyweds and their family still.

Las Vegas and Nevada Grow on Me

Given the subtle ways Nevada reminds me of Mongolia, I felt myself starting to feel more at-home in the Sagebrush State than when I left. From Vegas to Reno and around.

I used to loathe telling people I’m from Vegas, actually. I usually note it as the city where my family lives. But, after seven months in Mongolia, I feel like even Vegas has its charm. Hearing Panic! At The Disco on a mall radio felt right at home.

Vegas lights appeal to many from many places—especially Asia, reports say. And that’s special. Mom liked this city.

Up next is my New Year’s 2020 experience, followed by my return to Mongolia through Beijing, China. You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

#Peace Corps #Mongolia #memoir #story #Catholic #wedding #memoryLang #USA #Christmas #newyear #holiday #love #blessed #funeral #service #baby #winter #Reno #lasvegas #nevada

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jenmedsbookreviews · 7 years

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Can’t take the credit for the picture this week – that’s from Pixabay – but I was where this was taken, Dundee, on Friday. Had the dubious pleasure of driving across that old Tay Bridge and back on a flying visit to the town. Downside of being so danged busy last week is I am fluffing knackered and have done not a lot of anything interesting. Upside – I managed to complete another audio book.

Well – I take that back. I say I’ve done not a lot of anything interesting but over the weekend I did find the energy to attend the blogger/author bash organised by Kim Nash in Birmingham where I caught up with a number of lovely bookish friends old and new. Always a pleasure and the venue is really nice too. I have no pictures as evidence as I hate selfies, but there are some knocking about the old tinterweb if you care to look about.

Book post wise, apart from a few more Mr Men Christmas books that I bought myself for November’s Christmas month I have had none. Zip. Nada. Nothing for over two weeks now. I am pondering my imminent retirement from blogging as clearly everyone hates me 😦 Just as soon as I’ve read the four hundred plus books I still have waiting for me to read, I’m straight on it.

Bookish buys wise, I’ve had a pretty poor week too. Seems like everything bookish is drying up… I only bought 7 books, 5 of them were Mr Men and 2 of those were even preorders. The 2 non Mr Men books were preorders too. It’s like a virtual bookish apocalypse for me. Unheard of. In case you care, I preordered the new Carol Wyer/Robyn Carter thriller, The Silent Children, due in November, and Kelly Rimmer’s new book Before I Let You Go which is due out next year. Mr Men wise I preordered Mr Happy and the Office Party and Little Miss Shy Goes Online Dating. Yes. That’s right. Mr Men for Adults. I can’t wait. Mr Men for kids wise I am now the proud owner of Mr Men Meet Father Christmas, Mr Noisy and the Silent Night and Mr Men, A Christmas Carol.

Netgalley wise, I picked up four books, three of which are for blog tours so therefore not really adding to my total. Sort of. Ish. These were Bad Sister by Sam Carrington, A Cosy Candlelit Christmas by Tilly Tennant, The Lost Child by Patricia Gibney and Murder Game by Caroline Mitchell. Really looking forward to reading them all.

Reading wise, I’ve been fairly productive considering I had an 18 hour working day on Friday mucking up my plans. Still on track with the three books a week target at the moment so fingers crossed.

Books I have read

The Mistake by K.L. Slater

You think you know the truth about the people you love.

But one discovery can change everything…

Eight-year-old Billy goes missing one day, out flying his kite with his sister Rose. Two days later, he is found dead.

Sixteen years on, Rose still blames herself for Billy’s death. How could she have failed to protect her little brother?

Rose has never fully recovered from the trauma, and one of the few people she trusts is her neighbour Ronnie, who she has known all her life. But one day Ronnie falls ill, and Rose goes next door to help him… and what she finds in his attic room turns her world upside down.

Rose thought she knew the truth about what happened to Billy. She thought she knew her neighbour. Now the only thing she knows is that she is in danger…

The Mistake is a completely gripping thriller that will keep you up all night, from the top ten bestselling author of Blink, Liar and Safe with Me. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

Loved this. I only meant to start reading a few chapters, maybe half the book, because I was so tired already on Monday evening. Five hours and a lot of nail biting later I had finished. What a story. So many twists and such an occasionally dark but always compelling story, I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it as part of the blog tour. In the mean time you can preorder a copy here.

…

Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances by Sue Watson

Escape to Devon for blustery walks along the beach, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and proof that miracles really do happen, especially at Christmas.

A year after she separated from her husband, Gianni, on Christmas Day, Chloe’s heart is still in pieces as she unpacks the decorations for her first ever festive holiday alone. That is, until the phone rings…

It seems Gianni’s new seaside restaurant is in trouble and Chloe must go to Appledore to save the business – and him. Equally famous for his experimental culinary extravaganzas and his explosive temper, Gianni has been really stirring up a sensation with the locals – and not in a good way!

As pans fly and the temperature in the kitchen rises, Chloe’s calming influence and magic touch might just get critics back on side in time to save the restaurant from sinking like a sad soufflé. But will it be enough to save their marriage?

Chloe came to Appledore in search of her Christmas sparkle, but when the snow clears, will she finally find the way back to her husband’s heart?

A laugh-out-loud festive treat that will give you the tingle of freshly-hung tinsel. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Abby Clements and Debbie Johnson.

You know that with a Sue Watson book you are guaranteed a feel good, heart warming and very funny book and this was no exception. Chloe and Gianni are polar opposites – even their star signs are against them – but there is an irrisistible charm about the pair. Full of laughter, ice cream and dishes which sound like they’d make even Heston Blumenthal baulk, this is a book which will make you smile, if only for Gianni’s unique way of describing the beach… My review will be up soon as part of the tour but you can pre-order the book here.

…

The Preplexing Theft of the Jewel In The Crown by Vaseem Khan

The second book in the heartwarming and charming Baby Ganesh series.

For centuries the Koh-i-Noor diamond has set man against man and king against king.

Now part of the British Crown Jewels, the priceless gem is a prize that many have killed to possess.

So when the Crown Jewels go on display in Mumbai, security is everyone’s principal concern. And yet, on the very day Inspector Chopra visits the exhibition, the diamond is stolen from under his nose.

The heist was daring and seemingly impossible. The hunt is on for the culprits. But it soon becomes clear that only one man – and his elephant – can possibly crack this case…

Book two in the Inspector Chopra series sees our interpid hero caught up in the case of the theft of the Queen Mother’s Crown, believed to be an attempt to reclaim the Koh-i-Noor diamond for it’s rightful owner – India. I am loving this series and the setting and pace of the book are brilliant. I’ve listened to rather than read both of the first two books, with book three lined up for a weeks time when I travel to Bracknell. Each book has been laced with a side mystery and more than a little excitement involving the wonderful baby Ganesh. You can order a copy of the book here.

…

Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite

There are some secrets you can never tell.

The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.

They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse.

But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant.

But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.

Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?

Oh my. What an opening. And what a tale. An family nursing secrets, one of which could prove to be deadly. I loved the suspense in this book and was hooked from the first page. I needed to know what happened and why. I absolutely needed to know the secret Ruby was keeping and the reason for her rage. I am sure that when you read it, you will too. You can preorder your own copy right here.

…

Four books. Not quite as impressive as last week but given the week I’ve had, I’ll take it. Blog wise it was another full on week recapped below.

Alison Brodie, author of #Zenka

Guest Post: Billy McLaughlin, author of The Daughter

Review: She Did It by Mel Sherratt

#Blogblitz: Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza

#BookLove: Patricia Furstenberg

#BlogTour: The Frozen Woman by #JonMichelet trans. Don Bartlett

#BlogTour: Reach For The Stars by Colleen Coleman

Guest Review: Forgotten by Neven Carr

This week is just as busy with #booklove from my guest reviewer and older sister, Mandie and blog tours for Maria In The Moon by Louise Beech, Kisses From Nimbus by P.J.Riley, The Surrogate by Louise Jensen, House of Spines by Michael J. Malone, Operation Clean Up Day by Jason Tucker, We’ll Always Have Christmas by Jenny Hale and Lies That Poison by Amanda Fleet.

And finally, I’ll jsut say that my Bloody Scotland giveaway is now closed and the winner will be announced in due course. Watch this space.

Have a fabulously bookish week all. I shall be knee deep in paperwork as I try and prepare next years budget. No small feat believe me.

Jen

Rewind, recap: weekly update w/e 24/09/17 Can't take the credit for the picture this week - that's from Pixabay - but I was where this was taken, Dundee, on Friday.

#Rewind Recap #Weekly Round UP

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