I Love Frostbite Studios So Much. STUNNING Artwork.

I've ended up falling down a Dramione rabbit hole. I read some really amazing ones (Wait and Hope and Draco Malfoy and The Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love are probably my favorites, although Measure of a Man was also PHENOMENAL).

However, I've just finished Manacled. It was so well written and absolutely brilliant, but holy shit on a stick if it didn't break my heart.

The alternate ending to the Battle of Hogwarts was worse than even my panicked teenaged brain could have come up with back when Deathly Hallows actually came out. I wept for characters I've always loved in ways I didn't think I could.

I finished the flashback scenes last night and thought about them all morning, until I forced myself to get back into it and read the rest of the story. Which was still devastating. But honestly.

I am currently drowning my sorrows in Meg Cabot's cheerful writing and then I'll have to reread something funny and familiar. All the people telling me they've reread Manacled, like, HOW?! I need a few years away from it before I could think of rereading.

- Emory Hall, "I Have Been a Thousand Different Women"

oh september, how you have my heart.

I notice his hands.

After so many years together, I thought they would have changed. I thought they would be stronger, show the years of hard work we've put in to this life we've created.

But they're soft, calloused only from the bar at the gym.

They don't show the effort.

They don't show the strain.

Is that because mine are the only ones putting in the work?

Is that because mine are the only ones gripping the tools, breaking apart the wood, ripping down the walls?

Did I make a mistake when I chose this man?

Did I not look closely enough at the details?

I have forgiven hurts so deeply carved, transgressions no other woman would allow, and now...

Now, I notice his hands.

I look at mine, scarred and marked from the backbreaking work of building our home, our life.

I look at his - as perfect as the day we met - not a blemish to be found.

And I wonder.

I notice his hands.

They're friendship was EVERYTHING. The way he loved Xaden but let it be very clear that his loyalty was to Violet, just...Ah. Love it. They're a great example of a pure, platonic relationship.

🤍 Violet and Liam 🤍

It’s fitting that they should be the first pair I draw from this book series. For as much as I love Violet and Xaden’s love, Violet and Liam’s friendship was the one that unexpectedly DESTROYED me.

But I’m 100% doing Xaden and Violet next 🤪

The fact that people can make such beautiful things ASTOUNDS me. Like, how?! How do you just wander around while also having such immense talent?!

Whimsical guitars

Learn to write by reading lots

Apart from writing as much and as often as you can, the best way to improve your writing is to read.

Read often. Read widely. Read critically.

Learning from other writers is the best way to improve and grow.

Writing Reference: Medicinal Herbs

10 plants for your character's medicinal herb garden

PLANT — When to Plant — Conditions & Care — Medicinal Uses

ALOE VERA — spring/autumn — sunny site indoors; pot up as needed; do not overwater — fresh plant gel for minor burns and wounds

CALENDULA — spring/autumn — well-drained soil; full sun; remove dead flower heads — cream for cuts, scrapes, inflamed skin; infusion for fungal infections

COMFREY — spring/autumn — warm sunny site; moist soil — ointment or poultice for sprains and bruises (use the leaf only)

FEVERFEW — autumn/spring — well-drained or dry, stony soil in sun — fresh leaf or tincture for headaches and migraines

LEMON BALM — spring/autumn — moist soil in sun; cut back after flowering — infusion for anxiety, poor sleep, and nervous indigestion; lotion for cold sores

PEPPERMINT — spring/autumn — sunny but moist site; do not allow to dry out — infusion for indigestion and headaches; lotion for itchy skin

ROSEMARY — spring/autumn — sunny sheltered site; protect with burlap in winter — infusion as a stimulating nerve tonic and to aid weak digestion

SAGE — autumn/spring — well-drained or dry, sunny, sheltered site — infusion for sore throats, mouth ulcers, and diarrhea

ST. JOHN'S WORT — spring/autumn — well-drained to dry soil with sun or partial shade — tincture for depression and menopause; infused oil is antiseptic and heals wounds

THYME — spring/summer — well-drained soil, may need a layer of gravel; sunny site — infusion for coughs, colds, and chest infections; lotion for fungal infections

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References

Hector Elizondo & John Rhys-Davies Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) dir. Garry Marshall