DID ANYONE ELSE READ THIS OR WAS IT JUST ME

THESE BOOKS GOT ME INTO READING

WHAT PART OF THIS HAUNTED HOUSE ARE YOU?

the nursery

Dear god, there is so much more for you. Time moves differently here; like it starts and stops and replays and rewinds. The days the days the days. They’re cyclical. They’re endless. The house doesn’t think you know, or rather, it won’t let you know. It is afraid knowledge will break you, so it sits you right in the middle of it all, four walls on every side. But you are not naive. You have been broken before. You are breakable and mendable and you have broken and mended. You wish to know more and, in turn, the house will grow around you like a shield of vines and ivy. It festers inside of you, this wanting, this need to be in control of your own narrative. It’s cyclical. It’s endless.

TAGGED BY: @beyondthescully TAGGING: @k4ndall , @timerevolt , @reining-disaster , @never-surrender , @hebled & anyone else who wants to!

Cougar is the nickname of a Ares Corporation General named Dahon Pampalasa. A native Dekronian with a cougar aspect (also known as a puma or a mountain lion). He's from the Island Nation that threw into the Corporation to help his family financially back home.

His on the shorter side, but compact and powerful of stature. Skin is a dark medium tone and his hair naturally blonde, but he dies it a neon color when it suits him. Last Roka saw him, bright green.

Roka has had a long line of abusers while in the trapped in slavery trafficking, however Cougar was her first while she was a 'freeperson'.

Cougar is a Native with the all too common sentiment that 'mutts' who result from native and non-native relationships are always less deserving of rights than those who aren't. Even going so far as to quietly disdain non-natives no matter the circumstance, feeling that they are invaders taking resources from the original occupants of their world.

Ares Corp does hire without discrimination practices, however, it's not often mixed status people do a lot more than earn a paycheck--sensing a glass wall beyond a certain rank level and not wanting to attract the attention of people like Cougar.

Roka was more...ambitious and eager to test her mettle and fight a system that wanted to crush her. This did not set well with Cougar.

This made Roka became a prime target almost immediately for him to fuck around with. At first it was a kind of power-play bullying. Exerting his influence to harass her in an attempt to scare her off or push her back down into the place he thought she aught to me. That didn't work. Too much endurance and stubborness.

So he turned it physical and finally sexual and physical. Roka did not really understand what her options were to protect herself. Too much earlier trauma made her fall into the idea that she did deserve the treatment for being what she was, that she couldn't go to anyone for help or disciplinary action (as this was obviously not much of an option as a slave-person), and for the fight she put up at first--he was, at that time, able to overpower her physically. And fighting was delegated to 'futile'.

Much to her current shame on that matter, she endured it as a matter of course on her way to continuing to further her career. Convinced if she didn't or said anything to anyone; then Cougar's word against hers--she'd lose everything.

It's wasn't until she met and befriended another higher up in her progression into espionage (and away from ground level battle field engagement) that she found someone to talk to. Maximus eventually sensed something was amiss and did NOT hold the sentiments Cougar did. He eventually, while befriending Roka, got her to open up about what was happening and her fears if she fought back.

It was Max that pointed out to her, slowly and carefully over time, that she did not in fact deserve what Cougar was doing and that she could in fact seek help from the appropriate disciplinary channels in the Corp. That what Cougar was doing was not acceptable. At some point she started to properly digest that and working herself up to do something. Max offered to back her decision if she came forward about the abuse.

Roka intended to go through with it and had regained a spark of herself she wanted to fight for. Something clicking back into place that she wasn't helpless, she wasn't weak, and she was free. She didn't have to keep letting him do what he wanted.

She ran into Cougar first and she ended up confronting him as he attempted to do what he always did, push her around with intention to corner and hurt her in someway. She went off, as she does now, like a loose cannon which started a fight.

Not an uncommon thing and so they exchanged blows on one of the higher floors of the headquarters building in Helios without any interference. No one really knowing what was at the center of the fight. Probably a money debt or some other mundane thing.

She started winning and she started realizing she wasn't actually weaker than him, not anymore. The problem ended up being the location they were duking out in. And the large wall-windows they were near.

Cougar absolutely sensing he wasn't succeeding in his usual method of beating the tar and obedience out of her kicked her out the window.

It's a very long drop and the glass followed. It was Dekronian durability and incredible luck she didn't die on impact or impalement.

It's after this event a ten year magi-medical healing coma, five years in cognitive/physical therapy, another six years reassigned to multi-dimensional agent life with the Corp, and one facial scar later that she comes along to Terran Earth and becomes who she is today.

Extremely polite snow leopard having a nibble

❄️ North Umberland Zoo on YT

CHALLENGE TWO : AESTHETICS

edmund percy, earl percy of north umberland.

Are you from the newcastle area? Saw the word "gan" in your tags lol n was like waaait i know that accent 🤔

Wrong -umberland I'm afraid! Ars fre cumbria marra. Thoo'll hafta decide if me accents worthy o being ranked thutyfifth sexiest or no'!

Ive had Ambrose Delaney-Lee Umberland for two days and if anything were to happen to him I'd kill everyone in my new pathfinder party and then myself

It was a snowy night in Umberland. They were celebrating a holiday. It was called Pumpkinscratch. It was almost like Christmas but with more pie. Mephisto held a meeting. It was really important. He had decided that since all the monsters were still turned into apples they should make toys. He had decided that since people were still roaming free they should turn into unicorns. He had decided that since there was no children who could stop him, they should die. The church bells were ringing. He had decided to unleash his newest creation on the human world.

That man in the far back wasn't really a man. He was a cornucopia. His was so big he fit in the room. A little pie was floating in the air. That sounded nice. No one really knew where the 'man' came from, but they sure didn't know why he was still hanging around. They assumed that the creator was somewhere in the room. They hoped to find him when they found that recipe. If they only knew what that recipe would be found in...

Another man had showed up just as the first one was going on about how his recipe was needed. They didn't take kindly to him. Then a man came in. He looked just like Mephisto, but he was a dog. He wasn't exactly a werewolf, but he had large teeth and little glowing eyes. He made a squeaking sound, as if to say hello. His fur was a dark green color with a little black line around his nose and mouth.

Mephisto told him to go away. The dog got up and howled. Then a man was there. He was half horse and half bat. His nose was black with black spots. His teeth were little needles. He had a terrible stench. His eyes were amber. He too made a howling noise. ''What do you want?'' they asked the man. ''I need a recipe for a monster.' 'No. And neither do you.' 'Hey! What the hell is going on here?' 'Nothing,' someone whispered. Mephisto nodded to a man and he started to write something. 'That man is telling the truth. And you don't have one either,' said Mephisto.

They looked at the strange-looking man. 'And how do you know that?' They asked. 'I can smell your fear, and the fear in your mind is terrible.' The monster's eye narrowed. 'Perhaps you should be afraid, human.' 'Why would I be afraid of something I don't know about?' asked the dog. 'Because you do,' said the bat. 'Hogwash,' said the pie. 'What are you going to do about it?' asked Mephisto. 'What would be the point in doing anything? If I try to stop you now, you will probably just ignore me. I'm only just taking shape.' 'We will all be dead in two weeks,' said a ghost. 'Yes,' said the unicorn. 'You will die.' said the cornucopia. 'It is the will of Mephisto.' 'We don't even know who he is.' 'Then we will observe how he deals with this mess.'

The sun was setting. It was night time. Everyone was asleep. The human was going to try and make a toy. It was a cute little monster made out of a rubber band. But the monster couldn't really move unless it was pulled. It couldn't even scream. Its eyes were open but there was no life in them. The human went to sleep. He never saw the monster move. He never heard it. When he woke up it was morning and the monster was gone. There were no tears. He never even noticed the monster.

The dog had made a best friend. And he didn't want to play with anyone else. It was noon. The 'man' had come in again. The goat had nothing to do with the door. ''Hey, everyone.'' The rest of them came out of their rooms to see what the goat wanted.

'I don't know what you're talking about, goat,' said Mephisto. 'I know everything, Mephisto,' said the goat. ''You know we have to go to war with your pies. Whether you want us to or not.' 'You want war? Go back to bed. We are in a state of war already. We are at war with your people.' 'Whatever. We will use guns and bombs against you. The world has been on its knees for too long. How about it, pie, you want war?' 'Not a chance, butt-face.' 'Don't call me that. You will remember the little monster who bit you.' 'Just leave us alone. Go kill yourself.' 'Kill yourself, what?' 'Kill yourself.' 'I'm not a p***y pie. I'll put a wall between us and you if I have to.'

Mephisto thought about this. A war would be a great idea, if there wasn't such a large chance of collateral damage. It would certainly make his day. It would make everyone's day. It might even make his life. But if he saw this going horribly wrong he might just change his mind. There might be innocent people. It wouldn't be fair to kill them. 'I can't kill now. I have to be in peace, pie.' 'So do I.' 'Go to sleep. It is only noon.'

The dog began to think about his relationship with his little toy. It hadn't made a noise since last night. He was worried that it was dead. But he couldn't do anything about it now. It was too late. He loved his toy. He hoped that he had taught it something. He hoped it would remember him. If it didn't, he didn't want to know. Mephisto was in the kitchen one room over. He was making a pie. He was throwing something that looked like ears into a pan. It had a human's eyes, nose, and mouth on it. It was red and brown and grey, which was strange, because everything that wasn't human was green or blue.

He was just about to add a mouth when Mephisto put his finger on the doorknob and it turned. He looked at Mephisto and thought about his friends. His little toy. His toys. The other humans. He didn't want to hurt them. But Mephisto was scary. He wasn't as nice as everyone thought. He didn't deserve to be eaten. But what was he to do? He ran to the door.

Mephisto did not expect this. He opened the door, and the dog charged at him. Mephisto backed away, reaching for a spoon. He stabbed the dog in the neck. It made a loud, ugly noise. Mephisto was concerned. He held the dog up to his face and smelled the thick, blood. It was the red stuff that came out of the pie. 'Good eating,' said Mephisto. 'But first we must eat your friends. Can I make a wall?' 'Go get them,' said the dog. ''Get your friends?' said Mephisto. 'Go get them? Go get them from where? Why?' 'I don't know,' replied the spoon.

The dog rushed to the room with the other humans. It couldn't see them, but it could hear them. The plates clanged. The spoons banged. And then the wall went up. Mephisto leaned against it. He couldn't believe it. This was the greatest idea he had ever had. This was a very bad idea. The wall was probably too thick to climb through, and even if he did, he would be stuck between him and his friends. But no, it  it had to be this way. He would eat them first, then destroy them.

It was good that it had gone up, because now he would eat the first one. It was a good dog. It didn't want to eat Mephisto. But Mephisto didn't really want it to eat him. There was a second wall that he was going to go through. He opened it up and saw his friend, covered in blood, holding a spoon. He was crying. He was afraid. But he did not run away. He was too hungry. He could smell pie. He ate him and ate him and ate him. The third wall went up.

He could hear the humans. He thought he heard crying. He ate them. He ate the woman's arm, then her eye, and then her knee. Then he bit the soldier's leg off. He heard him screaming in pain. He didn't like that. He knew he couldn't kill humans, but he still didn't like it. He drank the blood of the table, but there was no pie. The oven was closed. But Mephisto was hungry, so he ate some more humans, then a table. He didn't like the table.

Lenoire Umberland, my tiefling Shadow Sorcerer (in her classic and a more modern look bc her skirt kept hiding her tail), and her Hound of Ill Omen, Beatrice. The game I played her in ended years ago, so it’s nice to get to play with her again like this!

Still getting the hang of using poses. It’s a lot of fun, though! Definitely a new way for me to enjoy the game.

@monasims​ Thank you so much for finding the tail for me!

(Belated) Birthday book haul 🎂 📚

May Book Photo Challenge Day 28: Books in a Bag

Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay, The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead, Umberland by Wendy Spinale (and a beautiful leather bag from Morocco my boss gave me)

A Story by Any Other Name

There’s nothing like re-invented a classic story and twisting an original narrative. We have a soft spot for retellings of all kinds - so today we’re rounding up our favorites! 

#1: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

This dark retelling starts where Cinderella ends––when Cinderella leaves with the prince and the ugly, vindictive stepsisters are left behind. But this story is about what happens when “ugly stepsister” Isabelle has a chance to change her fate, and reinvents the classic story at every turn. Start reading Stepsister! 

#2: Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury

Anastasia...in space?! Say no more! Actually, we have a lot more to say about this one. After rebellion swept the galaxy and the entire Leonov royal family was murdered, a new order rules the Belt of Jewels. When it’s revealed that Stacia is in fact the last surviving member of the Leonov family, she must race across a galaxy turned against her to save those she loves.

#3: Storm-Wake by Lucy Christopher 

This list wouldn’t be complete without a Shakespeare retelling. This atmospheric and romantic retelling of The Tempest is sure to have you ready to re-read all of the Bard’s work. Moss has grown up on the strangest and most magical of islands. Her father has a plan to control the tempestuous weather that wracks the shores. But the island seems to have a plan of its own...fall into Storm-Wake now! 

#4: Dark Breaks the Dawn and Bright Burns the Night by Sara B. Larson

This dark retelling of Swan Lake is a duology packed with romance, betrayal, and deception! On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. In order to defeat dark forces plotting against her, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price. Intrigued? Start reading! 

#5: Everland, Umberland, and Ozland by Wendy Spinale

In the Everland series, you get THREE retellings for the price of one! Starting with a retelling of Peter Pan, then Alice in Wonderland, and closing out with The Wizard of Oz. Book one, Everland, starts in London, which has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only way to grow up is to survive. Start reading! 

#ThisAgain Challenge - July 30th - Cinder

Read-a-like: Everland trilogy by Wendy Spinale

Want another sci-fi series inspired by classic children’s stories? Wendy Spinale’s got you covered! This trilogy reimagines Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz in a world decimated by a disease that has all but wiped out the adult population leaving the kids to fend for themselves and work to find a cure before it’s too late. 

2 minutes in to stag-night and chill and he gives you this look

closed starter for pippa ! @philippaedwhen: september 14th, post thomas walingsham's visit. 

it is akin to the sensation of a ship being tossed amongst rogue waves, edmund is anchorless as the waves batter their family once more - no longer barely a man, there are a thousand expections that rest on his shoulders now. there is no mother to shield him from harm anymore, to whisk him back to north umberland till the skies have cleared. she'd barely looked at her eldest since elizabeth had been locked away, and every kowing look from his father made his stomach turn endlessly upon itself. he desperately longed to run to isobel's side, to spill the feelings within his heart till he was hoarse in voice - yet, it felt inapproriate for the first time ever to do so. isobel had dared to beg the king for clemency, a sense of bravery that edmund had not attempted to possess - how could he complain to her of his own failings? how could he admit to her that she had remained steadfast when his own voice had faltered? the water was rising rapidly, and his eyes catch on the parchment that poked from underneath his pillow. the secret that he'd slept atop of since it's arrival days ago, covered in familiar handwriting that requested his presence. her voice beckons him as a siren calls to a sailor, and edmund is powerless to resist the first sense of anchorage amidst it all. 

his feet carry him without much thought, a back hallway path that he'd traced nearly a dozen times before, avoiding prying eyes that may whisper where he was running to. already, edmund is attempting to rally a thousand excuses for his attendance within her family's chambers - prays that if it was questioned, his tongue may carry him steadily. a maid that he does not recognize greets him, allows him entry to the quarters and soon he is staring down those soft cerulean eyes that feel far more piercing than they have any right to be. not after she had cast him into the rain that night, had refused to return the piece of him that she'd stolen years prior. the room is silent as pippa requests them to be left alone, for another edmund may have worried the rumors that shall spread from such a clandestine meeting but he'd always possessed too much faith in her and the abilities that she contained to garner silence in a court that was not her own. when she broke his gaze, edmund turned his back to her, fists clenched as he rested against the petite table that lay against the wall. 

as the door falls shut, edmund is unable to contain himself anymore - every time he closed his eyes he still saw thomas walsingham's face as he informed edmund of his required attendance at his aunt's beheading, for a beat he could've sworn that thomas was looking for cracks within him at this new knowledge. " the king has declared her guility, they are to privately exectue her in three day's time," he spoke sharply, a venom laying within his words that was so uncommon for him to express. with a muffled noise of frustration, edmund swept the table onto the ground as he wheeled to face her. his eyes were wild, lost, as he stared down at her. a near echo to eight years ago, when edmund had confessed his fears to her and she had pressed a fleeting kiss to his lips. " i am meant to attend it - my father and uncle shall not face the death they have called for, they are cowards. all of them, pips." there's a pause as something in him shifts, fists unclenching as his shoulders sagged from the weight of it. " and i too, remain a coward, far more than any of them. she is my own kin, yet my thoughts have been plagued with nothing short of a grotesque resentment for her." 

Connie and Lion read the Everland Series "You have to! You have to be honest about how bad it feels so you can move on. That's how it was for me."-Connie Maheswaran