T7T: Books and movies to see on Christmas

Hi everyone!

How’s your week going? Today I want to go over my 7 favorite books and movies to watch and read at Christmas time. Maybe one will be yours too?

Allons-y!

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1. Nightmare before christmas

“Is Jack Skellington’s story more on the Halloween side or the Christmas side?” Well, it’s both, we have santa mixed with the spookiest monsters, and I love this movie in both seasons!
Skellington’s search for something that fills his empty spot is something I can relate to, although stealing Santa and giving spooky presents did take that search to a whole another level.

1. Caressed by Ice (Psy-Changeling)

Caressed by Ice is one of the many Psy-Changeling books, from Nalini Singh, that I always seem to pick when Christmas comes.
The snowy forest vibes, the heated romance mixed with evil-fighting, a lot of different races of shapeshifters (kinda, does the word still counts here?), and the Psy, humans with diverse categories psy-based powers always drives me in when this season comes.
Why, yes, yes I do love my snow mixed with warriors (and also healers, this series ain’t picky).

1. Home Alone

Home Alone for me is a staple for Christmas. I spent my childhood watching Kevin’s fighting the robbers on Christmas, and it’s been so so long that, now, I kinda expect it to just appear on the tv when Christmas eve comes, like magically.
Can we keep this tradition forever?

1. Shadow and Bone (Grishaverse)

Shadow and Bone, from Leigh Bardugo, plus the two other books of the first trilogy, is one of the few books I reread every year since first picking it up- I’m not a reread kinda bookworm- and it doesn’t seem like I’m stopping this motion anytime.

The Darkling. Winter places with snowy forests and people wearing big warm kaftas. Russian inspired moments. Powers going from beauty to absolute darkness. A war between doing what’s right and what’s wrong. I mean… Do I need to continue? I could have stopped at the Darkling.

1. Chronicles of Narnia

Although Chronicles of Narnia was a book series first, I never got to read them before watching The lion, the witch and the wardrobe, I think it was a Christmas day premiere in tv, and it was so… magical! It’s a recurring joke in my family about entering a wardrobe and ending up in Narnia every time one of us either goes to a weird place, gets stuck, or just decides to see if she fits inside the wardrobes in IKEA. Yes, I’m talking about me.

Fun thing, last year on Christmas eve, me and my cousin stayed in the living room watching the first movie again, and ended up sleeping there in weird positions after because we were so comfortable in the sofa (I was on the floor). I even tried to finish a harry potter LEGO figurine and couldn’t see straight at 6 am.

1. Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles)

Like Nalini Singh’s series, Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles is another of my favorite series to reread, which normally happens at Christmas season to January. Maybe because of my exam’s stress and I don’t want to read anything new or because I want a bit of comfort with the Christmas chaos, I don’t really know.
What I know is that I’m team Death, Evie can have Jack all for herself, no tea, no shade. I love how Kresley mixed tarot cards turned teenagers with an arcana Ragnarok created by bored gods that decided our boring little world wasn’t enough, they wanted humans in the playing field, one for each tarot card and its powers, and that they needed to kill everyone until only one card was left in the killing field, and that card turned immortal until the next season came to play again. Cruel, magical, with a love triangle from Hell (Devil can go suck a… cactus), it’s another book I love to reread.
P.S:  Arcana is doing a photo/edit Instagram challenge based on this series, where you become a card and get to play against the others, or form alliances, until only one card is left. In the first season, it was Strenght who won, and she’s been trying to do season 2 for a bit, so if it’s something you’d love to join, visit her page! There are still some cards left!

1. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

And my last book AND movie staples for Christmas is Harry Potter. I mean, were you really surprised? I think this one doesn’t need any presentation or motivation x)
It’s Hogwarts, after all!

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There! Finito incatatem!

Are any of these also your fav for this time of the year? What movie or book you tend to go to when Christmas comes? Let me know!

If you wanna, find me at ♡  ❤ and on 💙

Bye!

My 10years challenge: 10 things I’m happy to have done

Hi everyone!

Today I decided to participate in the 10-year challenge, talking about 10 things that are stuck in my memory from these past years, and what I happy to have done in each one of them!
Ready? Allons-y!

2009: I visited Paris for the first time.

2009 marked my year of being 16. I changed high schools to one I could actually like and where I had friends I could be with, instead of ones I was in the same school but only saw one a week (hands in the air in I still don’t understand it).
One moment I cherish from 2009 is visiting Paris with my parents. My dad was working in Belgium (still is), so we took a one day trip, and man… I don’t like Paris. There, I said it.
Don’t take me wrong, Paris as a lot of nice things, if you also like a multitude of people everywhere and tourists with no sense of space or sense. It was our first ‘big trip’, we spent the day just exploring Paris on foot, and I had anxiety going up on the Eiffel tower, but the view was truly truly amazing (just look at the photo)! Still, the only reason I may visit Paris in the future is 1. going to Disneyland, 2. visiting the Louvre. Places with lots of crowds, good one, Lia!

2010: My first year living by my own

In 2010 my mother also went to Belgium, so after long talks and considerations (also, me not wanting to change countries so soon), I started living on my own while starting 12° (senior year).
I mean, my grandma and family lived in the same street as me, as a way for me to be closer to them, but you get the point. It was a lot of work getting used to be alone, and do all the chores while I had to study, but it helped me grow a lot, and I do like having my own space (introvert AD problems yall).

2011: Discovered my love for Taekwondo

The year of chaos, where I stayed behind because of maths. One good thing that resulted in this was wanting to practice sports more regularly, so me and my at-the-time-bff joined Taekwondo.
If I knew I liked martial arts before, Taekwondo took me to a whole new level. It made me leave the practices, walking all funny because of leg pains, but it was also the sport that most challenged me. I ran all over the city with the crew, I jumped stairs up and down, I did combats and learned choreographies (known as poomseas), I laughed my ass off and met cool people. Personal feelings about some things happening in the team made me leave 2 years later, but I do miss the sports itself.

2012: Finally finished high school, and got my drivers license

Yep, summarizes it perfectly. A new danger in the portuguese streets. Kidding, my driving instructor actually said I needed to speed up a bit more when driving. If he only knew how I drive now…

2013: My year lost in Classical Studies, learning Latin and Ancient Greek

When applying to college, I tried two different faculties/courses: Psychology as my first option, Classical Studies as the second. I didn’t want to go to college for anything else and, well, I entered my second option in my alma mater since childhood: Universidade de Coimbra.
So, it meant I spent a year learning Latin, which was a dream out of itself, and Ancient Greek, which was a nightmare out of itself. Both are puzzles, like true puzzles to read and to write, but leaning both altogether? Man, when I excelled at one, I couldn’t stand the other. My class was awesome, we were a small class of 15, we all got along, and it was a great year to enter college for the first time, and be a caloira.

2014: Into the rabbit hole of Psychology

2013 wasn’t my year, but 2014 was, and I was accepted to change courses into Master Integrated in Psychology, meaning I would spend the next 5years studying what always interested me: how to better understand the others and try to make a change in the world the way I can. And into the rabbit hole I went…

2015: Weeeeee, it's da ambulance!

I accomplished a long dream of mine in 2015: I became a Red Cross volunteer and did a course on becoming an ambulance tripulant, meaning from then on, I was volunteering in the ambulance, helping others. I couldn’t be more proud of doing this, it’s been 4 years and it’s been an amazing journey with my team, doing all kinds of activities, and I just love being in an ambulance- this was also my first time actually entering an ambulance xD

2016: My first 3-day trip alone, exploring Berlin

I always wanted to travel to other countries, and with my parents working in Belgium, it opened my horizon for new adventures. So I took a risk and did a 3-day trip, alone, to Berlin. Alas, I don’t know german nor have I ever did something this big alone, so I was scared of something going wrong, but also I picked a random place from a list of cheap flight plus hostels cities I could travel to, before visiting my parents for the rest of easter holidays. It was the perfect amount of time, and I loved the city, didn’t have trouble with talking english and not german, and got lost so so much- which resulted in finding awesome places around the city. Yes, I had a map. and yes, I even got lost using my phone GPS. Story of my life.

2017: went to Italy on ERASMUS for 6 months

If visiting Berlin was a journey, 2017 brought the biggest journey I ever had until then: traveling to Italy for a 6 month period on Erasmus, and being so far away from my family.
Let me say something, italians are chaotic with timetables and organizational things, but man, their pizza is amazing. And piadina, AND GELATTO, AND CAPUCCINO… Oh, it was paradise. I got to visit Cinque Terre, Pisa (and ate pizza in Pisa), Capri, Napoli, Venezza, Sorrento, and went to Vesuviu and Pompeii (also dreams). Also, Italy has a country inside it! And San Marino is really close to travel to if you study in Universita di Bologna.

2018: Bye bachelor, hi Master in Psychogerontology

If 2018 marked the ending of my Psychology’s bachelor, the first 3 years of my course, it also marked my entering on a Master, which ended up being Clinical Psychogerontology- something I didn’t know I could love so much.
A lot of traditions were done, we blessed our faculty strips (those orange strings, the color of psychology faculty here), I participated in Cortejo da Rainha Santa, a christian traditional procession we do in Coimbra every two years, as my last year as a university student, and I did Cortejo das Latas (CL), a traditional college festivity, in my Hogwarts garb. To explain, when we’re on our last college year, we participate in the festivity in costume- we do our first CL in costume, we do our last CL in costume. And since the wizarding clothes were inspired by ours… Let’s go to Hogwarts!

2019: hi!

2019 deserves its own post, which I will do on the 30th of December, so get ready for that 😉 it was a big year for me, with lots of anxiety ridden moments and cool activies, so.. Hi, December 30!

Have you done the 10-year challenge? What things are you proud of have done these past 10 years? I’d love to know!

 

If you wanna, find me at ♡  ❤ and on 💙

Bye!

BTM: Naughty or Nice Book tag

Hey!

Another Monday, another book tag 🙂 Since it’s Christmas season, how about we do one with a jolly booknerd spirit? I was hopping around my bookshelves looking for a book that I could insert in the Naughty or Nice prompt in my bookstagram challenge, when LIGHTS, BULBS FLASHING AND FAIRYLIGHTS! What if I found a naughty or nice character for the series I find in my bookshelves? And what if I made it a book tag challenge with this? So, are you in (insert naughty wink)?

Naughty or Nice Book Tag rules:

1. Name 12 (for the 12 days of Christmas) series you can find in your bookshelf!
2. For each one, pick a character that is nice and one that is naughty.
3. Tag a bookworm you think needs a challenge this Christmas season!
4. If you want a bigger challenge, avoid your most loved authors, books, AND the protagonists of those series!

Ready? Still in?

Allons-y!

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✨DOCTOR WHO✨

I have Stephen Nicholas and Mike Tucker Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds: A 50-Year Treasury of Art and Design. I’m a fan of Doctor Who, so of course I’d insert it here! I pick:
Naughty: River Song. Why did I put her here? One quote: “Let’s kill Hitler!” River is an amazing anti-hero with her adventures and stories, and a soooo much better love interest than Rose. There, I said it.
Nice: Nardole. He’s sassy and not afraid to call our Doctor out.

✨DEVILSLINE✨

Devisline, by Rio Hanada, is one manga that caught me off guard this October with how much I loved the story, about marginalized vampires in ‘our’ society and government corruption, and love troubles between humans and vampires. Also, the mangas are white inside the cover, with a short manga add-on- like the ones we normally get when the chapter ends? Well, here we have on the cover and it’s so different and awesome! With this, I pick for:
Naughty: Kirio Kikuhara. We love a psychopath in our story.
Nice:Megumi Ishimaru. He’s one of us booknerd, and also a badass double-spy that can kick a vampire’s ass!

✨SOUL EATER✨

Soul Eater, by Atsushi Ohkubo, is also a manga and one of my childhood favs to watch and read. A school for reapers and for kids that change into weapons, could you imagine going to one, and would be something that you’d want? You know my answer 😉
Naughty: Medusa Gorgon. Ish, she’s a scary one!
Nice: Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, I mean, she had to deal with Star’s hyperactivity everyday as his weapon

✨DARK ELITE✨

Dark Elite by Chloe Neill is one of the series I read in my teenage YA dark fantasy phase, where every book I read was 99% in this theme. Unlike my 80% right now xD Anyway, I pick:
Naughty: Sebastian, because in no way he can be described as a nicey not dangerous guy.
Nice: Scout, she was an amazing BFF on the series!

✨ONE PIECE✨

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda is my last manga for this tag, and the biggest series I have in my room, with its (currently) 60 volumes occupying my shelves! It’s a whole lot of books, that’s for sure!
Naughty:Ace, Luffy’s brother. Again, he’s a badass and a commander on Whitebeard’s pirate crew.  I’m still sad he died 😦
Nice: Princess Vivi, because she really cares about her people and was willing to die for them.

✨THE WINNER'S CRIME✨

The Winners Curse is a Marie Rutkoski trilogy that kinda impressed me with its story about conquerers and conquered countries, kinda not because it involved another love triangle “I fell in love with the slave I can’t have“. Here, I pick…
Naughty: Kestrel’s Dad, he’s one of the military major player for the conquerers side, and not a fan of “we’re all equal here, mister”
Nice: Roshar. Come on, he has a tiger as his companion!

✨ASSASSINS CREED✨

My love for AC, by Oliver Bowden, is almost a guilty pleasure of mine that started in the PSP game and ended up in the books. It brings us a LOT of historical eras and major character with a war between the Templars and the Assassins, the maybe-evils that want to uniformize humanity’s personality, and the considered-by-society-as-evils that want to maintain free will accessible for everyone. Out of all its history, I pick:
Naughty: Haytham Kenway, one of our series antagonists!
Nice: Joanne D’Arc. I read about her in childhood, and I was so so so excited to have my favorite historical figure, and saint, in Assassins Creed!

✨NINTH HOUSE✨

Hmm, of course Leigh Bardugo’s new series would become one of my favorites!
Naughty: the Grey character, I can’t remember its name, he was one hell of a powerhouse!
Nice: Galaxy’s roommates, they’re awesome, supportive of Galaxy and I hope they appear more in the next books!

✨THE KANIN CHRONICLES✨

This trilogy by Amanda Hocking is one of my favorite YA fantasy with winter vibes, and belongs in my faery books phase- yes, I also had one of those, in 12° grade. I have no idea why I read most of the books I read at the age I read them, but… yeah, let’s pick people!
Naughty:The Queen, manipulative beach that she is.
Nice: Ridley, I thought he was a supportive boyfriend and boss on the series

✨THE RAVEN CYCLE✨

Maggie Stiefvater won me when she named a book Blue Lily, Lily Blue, turning it my first book with my name on it, and the one with the cover always visible on my bookshelf. Also, latin is freaking amazing and I love how she incorporated it in the series.
Naughty: Ronan Lynch, and if you ever picked The Raven Cycle, you know exactly what kind of badass bastard he is x)
Nice:  The Sargent’s, I’d love to have breakfast with them and learn some tarot!

✨RED QUEEN✨

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a really bloody YA! I wasn’t expecting all of those bloodthirsts and twists on the story, and I bloody (ah!) loved it. Especially the ending between Mare and Maven is, in my opinion, a better romance turned sour than the Darkling and Alina one, at least with more to it than what I found in Grisha.
Naughty :Evangeline, that girl isn’t afraid of kicking ass and doesn’t give a fffffff!
Nice: Is there truly anyone nice here? I’m picking Mare’s sister, Gisa, I was so sad- and MAD- when she was punished in a horrifying way!

✨THE INFERNAL DEVICES✨

Do I even need to present Cassandra Clare’s series? Yeah… I’ll just jump into the picking 😉
Naughty: Lilith, all hail my namesake!
Nice: Sophie, she was a sweetheart in the trilogy and so underrated in Shadowhunters society.

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There! Finito incatatem!

Are you up for choosing nice and naughty characters from your shelves? If you join this challenge, let me know in the comments with your link so I can send some love and see your choices!

I challenge Musings of a Bookgirl since she seems like a book tag lover too 🙂

If you wanna, find me at ♡  ❤ and on 💙

Bye!

Who am I?

🌗

Who am I?

I’m a Gryffindor turned Etheralki, now working as a healer while I train to become a psychologist shadowhunter for Hades.
I am late nights and burning sunset skies, fireworks exploding somewhere close in a midnight walk. I am sunny days exploring forests or beaches with the tide slapping my feet, pillow fights and stomach-aching laughs with friends on a movie night, ice cream meetings and pounding music in outdoor concerts, late outings and long walks, taking anxiety-giving risks and making the leap, car trips to new adventures, sparklers in hand and ambulance sounds as background while I volunteer.
I am rosy cheeks in winter nights, ice skating and snowball fights, fairylights and autumn leaves. I am a quote seeker, never finished to-do lists and lazy days, fandoms and marvel figurines in my room, stained hands with the smell of paint in the air. I am between the dauntless and the dreamers in big sweaters and converses, large lattes on hand while waiting for their language classes, dead languages still working like puzzles in my head mixed with death gods while in a psychology class.
I am an italian food, lattes, vanilla coke and black tea lover, a book and a hot chocolate in my lap after a study night, my cat curled on me, procrastinating to no end after a weird photoshoot that always comes with being a bookworm, mythology and dark fantasy books propped on a sofa. I am an awkward smile and weird hellos, hand tattoo’s made with pens, tongue out in every moment, quiet in large groups but crazy with my friends, distracted look in my face, recording moments with photographs.
I believe in the power of words and actions, languages, symbols and passions, in the courage to stand up for another and fight for my beliefs, one daemon at a time, and always a Tardis away from Hogwarts.
I’m a queen, a volunteer, a scholar, a warrior, always perfectly imperfect.
I believe in a world where mythology, the supernatural and science can coexist. I am divergent, I ignite, I am a high-functioning sociopath and a traveling madman at the same time.

I am a geek with rosy cheeks, but who will ever know who I can truly be?

🌗

UNKNOWN: epigraph

 

I live a picture in my head
Colors soaring as I float

Above my body in my bed, yeah
And I wonder if I’m dead

Saw the white light flicker

So I wake up in a sweat
Code red, sirens going off

’bout something that I dreamt,
Thinking ’bout the shit

I never told you that I meant
I can’t shake it off,

chloroform, peace and rest
But you know all I ever

Really wanted was a friend 

 

Tell me all your sweet, sweet little lies
All about the dark places you hide
Tell me all your problems, make them mine
Tell me all your sweet, sweet little lies

 

I wonder if the sun will shine again
If I’ll ever see your face again
You know I’d rather die than say goodbye
So tell me all your sweet, sweet little lies

(Sweet little lies by Bülow)

T7T: Local Christmas traditions

Hi again!
I love Christmas, let me start here. I especially like to walk around my city in December, in the midst of the holiday spirit.
Why? Let me explain 7 things I love and that I consider local traditions in Coimbra, my portuguese hometown, when Christmas comes. It’s a small city majorly known for its University, one of the first one built in Portugal, and our college traditions, and the religious tradition known as Cortejo da Rainha Santa, also our city patron and the Saint we talk about in our local miracles, that happens every two year, but nevermind that, because today is all about what we are known to do when Christmas comes.
Mind that although I do consider them local, not every conimbricense do them, and they may be done in other cities, or done differently in other places- these are just the ones I’m used to. Putting this warning aside, are you ready?
Allons-y!

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* *. ✨* . *✨ . *.  CHRISTMAS LIGHTS EVERYWHERE * *. ✨* . *✨ . *.

The first week of December is pronounced by the setting up of christmas lights everywhere- in our homes, at the mall, in the stores and all over the streets. One thing that was always normal for me but I don’t see happening in Belgium and Luxembourg was: we had colorful lights. You could see blue, red, green or your plain white light decorations all over Coimbra, and it added that charm that was unmistakable.
For me, what marked the beginning of christmas time wasn’t mounting the christmas tree (o pinheiro in portuguese), but leaving my faculty after spending the whole day in classes, and seeing the avenue decorated by all the lights. I always stopped to take it in, the beauty of the decorations, the people, with puffs of air visible by the cold, coming and going on with their lives, and thought it’s finally christmas time.

* *. ✨* . *✨ . *.  O PRESÉPIO – THE NATIVITY SCENE * *. ✨* . *✨ . *.

Our Municipal presépio, the famous firefighters (Bombeiros Sapadores de Coimbra) presépio, the mitical Penela presépio, which is in the surroundings of Coimbra… No matter where you go in the district, you just know you’ll find a known presépio near you, with Virgin Mary (also, do you know virgin in Latin didn’t have the connotations we gave it?) and her family, the three magi and the animals.
Although I don’t do it at home, I can’t not recognize its beauty, and each place adds its own kind of magic to their presépio.  I mean, just look at the photos from the Penela one!

* *. ✨* . *✨ . *. BOLO-REI -KING’S CAKE * *. ✨* . *✨ . *. 

Bolo-rei, and I quote, “is a traditional Portuguese cake that is usually eaten around Christmas” (Wikipedia). It was inspired by the three magi/ Wise Men (Reis Magos), and it’s considered a staple holiday dessert to have and give.
Seriously, I HATE the damn cake but I always buy it for my family to have at Christmas dinner, and it lasts all the way to Epiphany (our dia dos Reis, 6 January). In the past, the cake had a little toy inside it, and whoever got the toy while after the cutting of the cake had to pay for next year’s Bolo-Rei, but because of the choking hazard, we don’t do it anymore in Portugal.
Also, nowadays we have Queen’s cake (Bolo Rainha), or a chocolate version for the people, like myself, that hate eating crystallized fruit, but Bolo-Rei, is, literally, still king at our table.

* *. ✨* . *✨ . *.  MISSA DO GALO – COCK MASS? * *. ✨* . *✨ . *.

How can I even begin to explain Cock Mass… Well, it’s not anything dirty, that’s for sure! Missa do Galo is what we call our traditional christian mass that happens at midnight on Christmas eve. The name came from one Rooster/Cock that sang when Jesus Christ was born, hence the name and its time.
I only participated once for curiosity, but for some families, it’s how their Christmas day begins.

* *. ✨* . *✨ . *.  THE MITICAL BACALHAU * *. ✨* . *✨ . *.

Another staple at our table in the holidays is Bacalhau (cod in english).
Like turkey for some people, I always ate bacalhau at Christmas dinners: caras de bacalhau, punheta de bacalhau, bacalhau à brás, bacalhau com natas, bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, bacalhau confitado (my favorite dish)…. We have a LOT of dishes with this fish, and you can be sure to find one type of it at our table in the festivities.

* *. ✨* . *✨ . *.   OPENING AT 12 AM * *. ✨* . *✨ . *.

I always see movies where the presents are open in the morning of Christmas – 25/12 – but I always lived with the notion that presents are to be opened at midnight.
We spend the 24th cleaning the house and doing some last-minute shopping- normally food in my family- in the morning, the afternoon is dedicated to cooking and organizing the Christmas table and preparing the pile of presents waiting to be given to relatives, that start arriving around 18h. Coffe is drank, chocolates are offered, conversation is made and presents are traded before those relatives depart to another home to do the same thing again.
After that, some families go to Missa do Galo (sorry but the english version is waaaayyyyy to weird… Cock Mass.), others have dinner and spend the rest of the night entertaining until midnight, where all chaos ensues between all the presents being traded, jokes being made (we always prepare some funny remembrances to give at this time). When we search a clock, it’s 2 A.M and we start to balance what is better for us in that moment: just go to bed, or clean all the paper and boxes spread over the living room xD

* *. ✨* . *✨ . *. DIA DOS REIS – DAY OF THE MAGI * *. ✨* . *✨ . *.

What does the day of the magi mean in your culture? For my parents, it was the eating of a Bolo-Rei and see who’ll be the one to get the toy inside it. For me, it’s just the day where Christmas holidays ends and we dismount the Christmas tree and pack up all the decorations
It’s also the day groups of people go singing Janeiras house-to-house, and are gifted either food or money donations, and the three magi pass our city- a tradition that evaporated for some years, but now is back to Coimbra. Janeiras are considered christian songs celebrating the birth of Jesus, but for me, it marks the ending of christmas and the beginning of a new year, ready to be filled with new adventures.

Click here to watch a group singing Janeiras

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There! Finito incatatem!

What do you think of our traditions? Do you also do any of them?
Have you eaten Bolo-Rei or bacalhau before?
What are the christmas traditions around your comunity that you participate in?
I’d love to know!

If you wanna, find me at ♡  ❤ and on 💙

Bye!

The witchlight hour

I hate the eve of the night
When my eyes start to hurt
Tears falling on their own accord
Like they’re tired of what I see

There’s no one at fault
Yet it doesn’t make it easier
My throat is clogged down
Words pushing and pushing
But still no sound

Killing me softly, in this silence
Time couldn’t erase the words you said
You used to be here, now no more
Only empty space near me

Only witchlight to keep me company
Forgotten memories keep me frozen
An eternal elephant you left behind

Oh, if you can hear me now
Hear this plight, hear my sorrow
Take me from this darkness
To the moonlight shine

Gimme the witchlight hour
And her midnight whispers
Gimme peace, gimme calm
To comfort my pain
Ro erase my sorrow

To wish you back.

BTM: Advent Book Tag

Hi again!
If your new, hello, I decided to create this Advent Book Tag while I was researching #hadesXmas Bingo for my bookstagram. I love buying advent calendars (chocolate ones), I love preparing for Christmas, so of course I wanted to finish this year with a new bookstagram challenge (called HadesXmas) and, like I did in Halloween, I converted the challenge to a book tag to bring that jolly spirit to my blog too!
If you saw the post yesterday, hi, welcome back, hope you’re prepared for a Christmasy tag, and that you all join me in the holiday spirit! Ready?

Allons-y!

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Peace and the will to continue to write my thesis. But if we’re talking books, I’d love to be given the Folk of Air hardbook set. I love Jude+Cardan ❤

I always seem to reread the Arcana Chronicles (by Kresley Cole) annually since I first read Poison Princess, and there are winter scenes there with knight smoldering Death, which makes it perfect to warm us up!

Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson’s books always make me smile with the characters’ dirty humor. Have you read about zombie goats before? They were killer in this series xD

The quote speaks for itself. I think Aaron’s love for Ella grew so wholesomely with the series, he always believed in her and met her as an equal, and when she had doubts, he challenged her, while Ella seemed to make him more … empathic? If we can call him that xD

Hogwarts! At this point, were you even expecting something different?

Dear Santa, for this christmas please give me enough motivation to finish my thesis, hard as it is, and some chai latte to accompany it. I would never mind new books or chocolate cookies, because studying can be hard and pauses need to be made, and also no family dramas this year but serenity instead. Or just a bit of luck instead.
Thank you, Santa!

I always need a hot drink near me (which always gets cold between the 1° and 2° sip xD) and a comfy blanket to protect me from the cold while I read. Cookies are also welcome to the party with the addition of my baby cat, who normally treats me like her personal bed, especially when I read on the sofa.

Oh yes, oooohhh yes I do. I couldn’t add more even if I wanted to xD

Zarek from Darkhunters, Sherrilyn Kenyon! He’s portrayed as being impossible with his attitude and I don’t five a ffffff***!

Moriarty by MIYOSHI Hikaru 🙂 I still don’t know how I feel about the story itself, it’s so damn bloody

(I’m transforming this question into a book tag challenge in some days, just to let you know!)
Going with Soul Eater, by Atsushi Ohkubo, a manga and one of my childhood favs to watch and read, I pick
Naughty: Medusa Gorgon. Ish, she’s a scary one!
Nice: Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, I mean, she had to deal with Star’s hyperactivity every day as his weapon.

Really excited to read Call the Hawk, by Maggie Stievfater! I know it’s under my Christmas tree, so can’t wait!

Going by the movie, I’d acess the situation and go hide in the balcony, pick my bat on the way there and start swinging if I thought I had a chance, or just jump to the terrace- I live in the first floor so jumping would be okay.

I’m a Chai Tea Latte addict. There, I admit it.

Hades. Really missing my husband after leaving Classical Studies for Psychology.

Snow and Ashes map by Sara Raasch seems really appropriate. Have you read it?

I have these two fairyloot ones, ans some potterish back at Portugal.

I love Nalini Singh’s short stories about the Psy-Changeling series, they show moments so cute ^^ like the baking competition at Christmas time. Hint: it didn’t end well for the food.

“Go away!”
“Does that ever work?”
“Not usually, but it always feels good to say”
“You need more in your life that feels good”
(in Finale)

Harry Potter 🙂 It’s been what, 18 years since I read it and it’s still one of my favs, although I feel more connected to Fantastic Beasts now than the original story.

Yes, I like books no matter the theme, and I can be found reading Christmas books in summer and summer books in winter. It’s messy xD

I have no clue why but I think of the Hawke, the Snow pack alpha (Psy-Changeling by Nalini Singh) when I think about a Santa character, with all the cubs surrounding him and being showered love and treats. I haven’t found the quote or passage that made me think this, but yeah. Badass turned santa softie.

Getting a Christmas trunk cake (see below). I looooove this cake so much, and it’s been a tradition to have it on our christmas table every year.

“Naasir’s been skulking around out there and managed to pick up some high-level chatter. Together with what we’re getting from Vivek’s technological spies, I’d say it’s low to negligible. My feeling is they’re waiting for the reinforcements to arrive. With that and Lijuan at full power, that’s it. Game over in a single strike.”

or

“Am I levitating? Just to clarify, I’m fine with levitating rather than being hunter-flavored mincemeat.”

(Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh)

My brain is confused xD but hey, if I’m levitating this christmas, let it be to good food!

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There! Finito incatatem!

Did you enjoy the tag? I would love to see your answers, so if you participate in the future, send me your links!

If you wanna, find me at ♡  ❤ and on 💙, and don’t forget to follow me here if you want to see what I am up to.

Bye!

It’s the Advent challenges

Hi again!
Can you believe we’re already in December? I feel like 2019 just begun last week, and it’s almost over! I’m in shock of how quickly this year went, and of how much I still have to do college wise before I’m ready for it to end x)

Let me explain what those three things are:

✨       *       ✨ BOOKSTAGRAM CHALLENGE ✨    *.   . ✨  *.

This year was the first time I did my own bookstagram challenge (see here), so I want to try something also new (at least to me) for December, in the format of a….

BOOK BINGO !

HadesXmas Bingo has 25 prompts around winter and Christmas themes for a jolly season!
They’re your generic themes so it’d be easy to prepare for, and also mix with other challenges you may want to do, and with 25 days out of 31, so you can have a break if you want to and just spread that cheery spirit in whatever form you have in mind 😉

Let me know if you’re joining us, and leave me your instagram handle so I can spread some love over there!

✨       *         * MY PERSONAL ADVENT CHALLENGE✨    *.   . ✨  *.

Lastly, since it’s the advent season, I’m making my own personal challenge to post 24 times here, as a way to end the year in a great vibe. These posts will be themed randomly, as per usual in this blog xD
Today is my first day, are you ready for the rest?

 

If you wanna, find me at ♡  ❤ and on 💙, and don’t forget to follow me here if you want to see what I am up to.
Bye!