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inkpetrichor · 5 months ago

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Muse | Azumane Asahi x f!reader

4.- Breaking Walls. masterlist here<3

cw. suga calling asahi a wimp, a little insecurity, a little jelousy, reader is mentioned to have an alternative style (our little goth girl<3) fluff, f l u s t e r e d asahi♡ wc. 4.3k an. i love y'all, lemme know what you think of this one <3

The night air was thick with the lingering heat of the day, carrying the scent of damp earth and faint traces of blooming jasmine from a nearby garden. A distant cicada buzzed in the background, its rhythmic hum filling the brief silences between their footsteps on the worn pavement. Streetlights cast a golden glow over the quiet neighborhood, their halos shimmering in the humid air, while the occasional breeze rustled the trees, offering fleeting relief from the warmth clinging to their skin.

The faint scent of grilled skewers and fresh taiyaki drifted through the air, remnants of the evening rush. Asahi exhaled slowly, watching his breath ghost in the cool night air before fading away. It was peaceful. Or at least, it should’ve been—if not for the knowing look Suga sent his way.

"So... I didn't want to ask you in front of the team, but... you really like that girl, huh?" Sugawara asked once everyone but the third years had left.

Asahi stiffened in place, feeling warmth flood his face like a pot of water about to boil over.

"W-what? O-of course I like her! She's a great friend!"

"Not what I meant."

"R-really? W-well, I don’t know what you mean."

Suga let the silence settle for a moment, watching Asahi squirm under his own feelings. He was clearly flustered, and Suga was already plotting.

"It's pretty obvious she likes you back, though," he finally said.

The way Asahi's eyes lit up was almost comical—like the way they had earlier, when he first bit into the pork buns you'd made, only bigger, brighter, filled with something more.

"It is?!? How?!?!"

And there he goes, Suga thought.

"What do you mean, how?! Do you honestly not notice how much she blushes around you?" Daichi chimed in, exasperated.

Suga rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk..." he muttered under his breath.

Asahi rubbed the back of his neck, his brows furrowing. The heat of the night clung to his skin, but somehow, he still felt chilled under their scrutinizing gazes. "I just thought her cheeks were naturally pink..."

Suga groaned. "Okay, what about how nervous she gets when you get reeeeally close?" He demonstrated by leaning into Asahi's space, smirking as his friend immediately recoiled, looking even more flustered.

"N-not a fan of physical contact?... S-stop that!" Asahi mumbled, stepping away.

"Okay, what about the way her tone changes when she says your name?" Suga continued.

"I-I just think she sounds sweet whenever she says anything..."

"You're an idiot."

"H-hey! I'm just not good at this..."

"Clearly..." Suga sighed, shaking his head. "But seriously, just make a move. She's pretty and nice. If you don't, someone else will."

Asahi let out a frustrated breath, running a hand over his face. His other hand instinctively found the lucky charm in his pocket, fingers brushing against the soft fabric, tracing the delicate embroidery. It grounded him, even if just a little.

"Suga... I'm already anxious as it is. I don't need a new insecurity," he grumbled.

"Okay, okay, my bad." There was a pause. Then, in a softer voice, Suga added, "But don't be a wimp. Make a move."

Asahi groaned. "I'm done with this conversation," he declared, quickening his pace to put some distance between himself and his meddling friends.

He knew Suga was only trying to help—in his own... tactless way. But he wished he would've been gentler with his words, considering Asahi was already tense about the preliminaries, about the looming possibility of facing Dateko again and crashing against that iron wall. And now, on top of everything, he had to worry about someone else taking you away from him.

Was that really something that could happen?

Suga was right—you were the prettiest girl he'd ever known. And more than that, you were kind, sweet, thoughtful. It wasn't impossible to imagine someone else noticing that. So what if, out of fear of rejection, he never made a move? What if you ended up with someone else?

His fingers tightened around the charm, this time feeling the careful stitching of the embroidered raven.

No. You wouldn't do this for just anyone.

And now that Suga had confirmed his suspicions—suspicions he had always brushed off as wishful thinking—he couldn’t just sit back and let someone else take you away.

Suga was right.

He had to make a move.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Your heart beat loudly in your chest as you stared at the poster displaying the match pairings. You absentmindedly tugged at the black velvet choker around your neck, twisting the tiny moon pendant between your fingers. It was a habit as natural as breathing, something you often did when you were nervous or lost in thought.

"If they win against Tokonami, they'll have to go up against Dateko next..." you muttered to yourself.

The gym was vast—far larger than you'd imagined—and it was filled with volleyball players. In the sea of colorful jackets, you moved like a shadow. Black fabric swayed around your legs with every step, the worn leather of your boots creaking softly against the uneven pavement. The thick soles absorbed the impact of the concrete beneath you. A wisp of lace brushed your wrist as you adjusted the silver rings on your fingers, the cool weight familiar and grounding.

A passing stranger gave you a once-over, lingering just a moment before quickly looking away, unsure whether to admire or be intimidated.

For the first time in a long while, you feared you might've gone overboard with the outfit. That morning, you'd thought you toned it down enough, stay loyal to yourself while still wondering what Asahi would think when he saw you dressed this way—your everyday clothes for the first time.

You were used to the looks from strangers whenever you wore something a little different. Japanese society wasn't known for appreciating or even respecting individuality when they saw it. Usually, you didn't mind much, but this time there was the "my crush will see me" factor tugging at your pulse.

You sort of knew Asahi wasn't the type to judge a book by its cover. You felt like he knew you well enough by now to not get intimidated. But still—what if? What if he didn't like it? You weren't about to change who you were just for him, but the thought of his rejection did scare you a little.

Yet, even when your anxiety tried to creep in, imagining him looking at you with disdain, it couldn't hold. There was no way Asahi's features could twist that way. Not even in your wildest imagination could you picture him looking at you with anything other than warmth. That small thought gave you a sense of calm.

When you reached the bleachers, the match against Tokonami was just about to start.

You glanced down at the court, and there he was—your gentle giant. Your breath hitched. Even though you couldn't see him perfectly from your seat up in the bleachers, it was the first time seeing him in his volleyball uniform.

He looked absolutely handsome. His hair was tied up in his signature bun, and his posture radiated power and determination as he chatted with Noya. You noticed that he was looking over at the other court, where Dateko's first match was also starting, and you couldn't help but wonder if he felt nervous or afraid. You hoped he felt as confident as he looked.

You also hoped, secretly, that the lucky charm you gave him was giving him some extra strength, some added resolve.

The match started, and when he scored his first point, you knew you were far gone—your heart squeezed in your chest. Your hand twitched, desperate to grab a pen. You realized there was nowhere else you'd rather be than right here, watching Asahi as he ran, jumped, and spiked with the strength of an army. His name suited him—warm, bright. Suddenly, the night owl you were proud to be felt more drawn to the warmth of the morning sun than the quiet coldness of the night.

You needed to draw him.

And yet, you couldn't bear to take your eyes off him long enough to sit and actually sketch. The thought of looking away to find the art supplies you carried with you seemed impossible. In that moment, you felt more inclined to stay still just so you could keep watching him in the air.

After the match was over, you took a deep breath and went to find Asahi. He'd mentioned the idea of having a small lunch between matches, and you couldn't deny that you'd been looking forward to it all morning.

You found Karasuno outside the gym, looking satisfied after their first victory of the day—proving the "flightless ravens" allegations wrong and silencing everyone who doubted them. You couldn't help but feel proud of them, too.

You spotted Keishin talking to them. When he saw you, he gave you a small smile.

"Ah, Y/N. Mom told me you might show up."

You smiled at your cousin and bowed politely to Takeda-sensei. When you turned to the team, they all looked confused, as if they were trying to place you. You could practically hear the gears turning in their brains, trying to recognize you. You avoided Asahi’s eyes for a moment, too scared of what you might find in them.

"You guys were amazing. Congratulations on your first win!" you said with a smile. The team stared at you in silence, still confused, which made you feel a little uncomfortable.

You jumped a little when Hinata suddenly pointed at you with a speed so sharp it was almost violent.

"Y/N-senpai?! It's you, right?! You look like a princess! A... scary princess."

You couldn't help the blush that crept to your cheeks as the rest of the team finally recognized you. You nervously played with the moon charm of your choker.

Asahi felt his lungs fill with air, but nothing came out. He had recognized you immediately, and he'd always found you beautiful, but right now, you looked like a dream. He had never expected you to look this way outside of school, and he would've taken his time to appreciate your style—he was a bit of a fashion nerd on the inside—if he wasn't so busy thinking about how pretty you looked, how beautiful you were.

He thought you weren't even real; you looked WAY too good to be real. You looked absolutely adorable, the most gorgeous girl in the world in his eyes. Had he died and gone to heaven? What had he done in his past life to be blessed with this sight?

His heart was pounding, and he only realized his jaw had dropped when Sugawara softly pushed it closed.

"That's no good, Asahi; are you trying to catch flies?" he whispered with an amused smile.

He shook his head, snapping out of his trance, and walked over to you just as Noya and Tanaka were trying to convince you to become Karasuno's second manager.

You were politely rejecting their offer when you noticed him walking your way. The way your cheeks instantly went red made his heart skip. He smiled nervously at you, something soft and tender in his eyes that made your heart flutter.

"Lunch?" you asked softly, holding up a plastic bag with various drinks and snacks. Asahi's heart raced, and the words wouldn't come. He just nodded, his gaze never leaving you as he turned to walk away. You felt a little nervous, unsure of what he was thinking, but he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips every time he looked at you.

You waved goodbye to the team with a smile and followed him down the halls of the Sendai City Gym. He tried to act calm, but every time his eyes met yours, he felt his heart beat a little faster.

Once he felt like he'd gotten a little more used to seeing you dressed like this, he cleared his throat and finally spoke, his voice low and almost shy.

"Y-you look very pretty, by the way."

Your gaze met his, and you felt a soft heat rise in your chest. "You really think so? I was a little afraid you might think I look scary..."

His smile widened, soft and sincere, and he shook his head. "No... not at all. I think you look incredible. You've always been pretty, but this—this is something else."

You blushed, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice.

"I like the look... Still, I would've never imagined you had this kind of style." He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks flushed a little.

"Why? Because of how I am at school?" You smiled as he nodded, a little embarrassed. You laughed softly, trying to ease his nerves, and he seemed to relax. "Well... It's not that I'm shy, school just makes me... uncomfortable."

He hummed in acknowledgment, glancing at you with something unreadable in his eyes.

"I dress like this when I'm not at school or working at the store. If I'm being honest, whenever I wear these clothes, it makes me feel more confident... powerful, in a way."

"I know how that feels," he replied quietly. "I sorta feel that way about volleyball. I feel good when I'm out there, but the guys always tell me I'm a wimp off the court." He laughed it off, but you noticed the vulnerability in his tone. Your brow furrowed as you looked at him.

"I don't think you're a wimp," you said, your voice soft and sincere. "Being a little emotional or gentle is never a sign of weakness. It's a sign of courage."

He turned to look at you, his eyes softening, his expression unreadable for a moment. You quickly looked away, feeling shy under his gaze. "O-of course, that's just my opinion."

He gave you a small, gentle smile, the kind that made your heart melt. "I agree, actually."

The two of you decided to sit on a bench in one of the quieter halls, as the heat outside was too intense. This corner of the building offered a lovely view, but without the oppressive sun beating down on you.

As you both sat down, you could feel the weight of passing gazes. Some people commented on Asahi's looks, some on yours. The attention was a little uncomfortable, pulling you back to those whispered rumors you’d heard at school—the too-loud voices, the over-fabricated stories that felt so foreign to your truth.

"Congratulations on your first win, by the way," you said, breaking the silence between you, trying to focus on something lighter. "It was amazing to watch how you all moved out there."

Asahi's smile softened, but you noticed the way his body stiffened for just a moment. The reminder of the match against Tokonami seemed to bring back the weight of his next challenge—the looming match against Dateko.

"I, um... brought some things from the store," you continued, nervously trying to shake the tension off. You pulled out a bottle of electrolyte drink for him, which he accepted with a grateful smile, his fingers brushing against yours. A shiver of warmth ran up your spine. You grabbed a green tea for yourself and a couple of light sandwiches for the two of you.

"I thought about bringing pork buns, but I figured they might be too heavy... Plus, you have that big match next, and I—"

"Dateko's next..." Asahi interrupted, his voice quieter now, almost to himself. He whispered it, as if saying it out loud made it real. "And honestly... I'm terrified,"

You could see it—his nerves were there, palpable, but he looked at you with a small, sincere smile.

For a moment, you let the quiet settle in between you. You felt an internal thank you for him bringing up the elephant in the room, something you'd been too afraid to touch. You feared that prodding too much might push him away, making him feel like you were being too insistent. But now, he was being open with you, vulnerable. And it meant more than you could put into words.

"I imagined," you responded, offering him a soft smile of understanding.

"Ukai-san... What if I can't do it? I mean, I'm not that good at volleyball anyways, and I—"

"You are, though." You said it with conviction, your voice unwavering even as your hands trembled a little while you squeezed the poor sandwich between your fingers.

You refused to look directly at him. What you were about to say was too embarrassing, too exposing. But the words had already formed in your chest, and you couldn't keep them in.

"You might not realize—because I imagine being out there is about instinct and split-second choices and all that... But when you're out there... you look beautiful. Like a piece of art."

You finally looked up at him. His face was flushed, and he stared at you, wide-eyed, as if your words had completely thrown him off balance.

"Wha—what do you mean, beautiful?" He shook his head as though trying to deny your words, or maybe to shake off the blush creeping up his neck. "A—and a 'piece of art'? There's no way I look like that."

You played nervously with your fingernails, wishing you could take the words back, but something in you urged you to continue.

"Well... have you ever been to a museum?" you asked, your voice quiet but steady. Asahi nodded quickly, the slightest smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, well, those statues you see? It's like that when you spike. Like a statue of some old hero, or... something." You shook your head when you felt the heat rush to your face, your eyes darting to the floor.

"What I mean is... you look like a work of art. And I doubt you don't know what you're doing out there, because, believe me, you look like you do... You look like an ace." You gave him a knowing look, your heart racing. "And I think everyone can see that, except you."

Asahi's gaze followed yours, looking at the people who were walking past, all volleyball players, all of them carefully avoiding the two of you sitting so close on the bench.

All of the rumors—about how he looked "tough," "old," "scary"—had always felt like stabs to his self-esteem, he never associated them with the court. He'd always considered himself as two separate people: one on the court, strong and confident, and another off it, unsure and reserved.

But now, after joining the team again, after proving himself even in losses like the one against Nekoma and the recent win against Tokonami, he was beginning to feel like the two halves of him weren't that separate. The power he had with his spikes was not just something he did on the court. It was part of him.

His determination began to solidify. He was Karasuno's ace, even if he didn't feel entirely like it yet. He was going to make himself believe it. After all, everyone else already did. Even Dateko's blocker had identified him. Even you had seen him as the ace before he could fully understand it. And now, he meant it—he was going to show them.

When he told Hinata he wasn't staying behind, he didn't quite mean it. But now, he did.

He looked down at his hand, noticing that he was gripping the sandwich a little too tight. His fingers loosened around it, but not before a soft, warm hand brushed against his.

He glanced down at you, at your big, earnest eyes, and suddenly all his resolve and determination melted away. His heart pounded harder, his worries shifting now, not about the match, but about the way his hand felt just so right in yours.

"Azumane-san..." Your voice was soft, steady, but there was a warmth to it, a confidence he needed right now. You squeezed his hand, holding it for just a moment longer. "You can do it."

He nodded firmly, but when he looked at you, his words vanished. Instead, he fumbled with the sandwich wrapper, tearing it open with slightly shaky hands before taking a ferocious bite. His gaze remained fixed forward, though the flush on his face only deepened.

"Ah’ll shho’ 'em wha’ I c’n do..." he mumbled around his food, his voice low but brimming with determination.

You barely caught the words, but the sheer resolve in them made your heart flutter. You giggled softly at the contrast—his serious tone paired with the way his cheeks were still tinged pink, his lips slightly puffed from chewing, his entire demeanor unintentionally adorable.

Smiling to yourself, you took a bite of your own sandwich, letting the warmth of his conviction settle in your chest.

And you'll do it beautifully, you thought.

You both ate in silence for a second, and then you felt that impulse to draw tugging at your heart again. You reached for your green tea, the cool liquid soothing against your throat. Then, without fully thinking it through, you spoke.

"Azumane-san... Can I draw you?"

The reaction was immediate. Asahi choked mid-sip, nearly dropping his bottle in the process. His shoulders tensed as he coughed, and you instinctively reached out, patting his back gently as he struggled to recover.

"D-draw me?" he rasped out, blinking at you in disbelief. "Why?"

Your fingers twitched in your lap. Your heart pounded against your ribs.

"Because... Well..."

Because you inspire me.

Because you are beautiful.

Because I'm obsessed with you.

Heat surged to your face as you realized how insane all of those answers sounded, forcing you to scramble for something less... intense.

"Well, I've never really drawn people before," you admitted, suddenly hyperaware of the way he was staring at you. "And I've been doing anatomy studies—n-nothing inappropriate or anything! I just… need…"

To draw you.

"Practice… I guess." You risked a glance at him, only to find him staring at you, his face still burning red. Embarrassed, you quickly dropped your gaze, fingers fidgeting with the hem of your skirt. Might as well just say it at this point.

"To be honest, when I watch you play, I feel like I want to draw you… Is that weird?"

You winced at how small your voice sounded, but it was too late to take it back now, and for a long, unbearable moment, there was only silence.

And then—

"...You think I'm worth drawing?"

His voice was quiet, almost fragile, like the thought had never once crossed his mind.

You looked up, startled by the raw, uncertain look in his eyes—something soft and unguarded, something that made your heart squeeze.

"I do," you answered, this time with no hesitation.

Because how could he not see it? He was a masterpiece in motion, and you wanted to capture every piece of it—the sharp focus in his eyes, the way his body moved with strength and precision, the quiet intensity that made it impossible to look away. He was all power and grace, and yet, right now, he looked so utterly lost at the idea of being seen like this.

Asahi felt his heart stutter.

It wasn't the first time you had complimented him. You did it often, in little ways, never making a big deal out of it—but this was different. This wasn't just a casual remark. This was something deliberate. Thoughtful. Personal.

You wanted to draw him. Study him. Not just as an athlete or a friend but as something worth capturing. He swallowed, fingers still curled around the rest of sandwich he had completely forgotten about.

How was he supposed to respond to that?

"I... I don't really know how to pose for something like that," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

You tilted your head slightly, lips curling into the softest smile. "You don't have to pose," you said, shaking your head. "I like the way you look naturally."

He felt his entire body heat up at that.

There it was again. That way you spoke—so effortlessly, like you had no idea what kind of effect you had on him.

Because if you did know, there was no way you'd say things like that so casually... Right?

His thoughts were spiraling now. How long had you really been looking at him? Had you always seen him like this? Beautiful? Worthy of being drawn?

He tried to keep his cool, nodding stiffly. "O-oh. Uh. That makes it... easier, I guess?" He laughed awkwardly, rubbing his arm.

You giggled, leaning in just a little. "You really don't take compliments well, do you?"

He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. "No, I don't."

Your laugh was light, airy—like the sound of spring itself. And somehow, despite the tightness in his chest, despite the way he felt like he was coming apart at the seams, Asahi found himself smiling, wishing he could hold onto this moment forever.

The quiet hum of the vending machines nearby. The distant chatter of other players passing through the hall. The golden glow of the sunlight casting soft shadows across your face. The warmth of your laughter wrapping around him like a comforting embrace.

You were looking at him with so much sincerity, so much fondness, that it made his stomach twist in ways he wasn’t prepared for.

Could you tell how fast his heart was beating? Could you tell how dangerously close he was to falling?

No. He wasn’t close to falling.

He already had.

And now he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to get back up.

He swallowed, his mind flashing back to Suga's words from the night before, all falling into place suddenly.

Make a move.

His own voice whispered it this time.

Tell her you like her.

Tell her.

He inhaled, bracing himself, heart in his throat.

"I—"

"Asahi. It's time to go."

The spell shattered.

You both turned to see Daichi and Noya standing there. The latter was practically vibrating with energy. His intense, cat-like eyes all but screaming it’s game time. The reality of the moment crashed down like a wave—time had slipped away too fast, and now it was time to face Dateko.

Asahi hesitated for half a second, glancing back at you, something unspoken lingering in his eyes. But before he could say anything, before he could even think about what he almost said, you met his gaze and smiled.

"Go. Break that wall," you mouthed.

His breath caught as he read the words of your silent lips.

The words were his own, given back to him like a promise. And in that moment, with the warmth of your encouragement filling the space between you, Asahi felt his resolve solidify.

He nodded firmly, standing up, his pulse steady now.

It was time to break walls.

tags. @strxnged♡

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#asahi azumane #asahi x reader #haikyuu #hq fanfic #hq x reader #asahi azumane fluff #haikyu x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu fluff #hq

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mermaidsirennikita · 2 months ago

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Best werewolves novels you have read?

Oooh, fun! I love werewolves; but I find that a lot of werewolf *books* aren't quite right for me?

Bar none, my favorite werewolves are Kresley Cole's in her Immortals After Dark series. I'd say that you could read these ones without reading the other novels in the series first:

A Hunger Like No Other (the first full length book of this series). Werewolf king was trapped under the Parisian catacombs with 150 years in eternal fire; he smells his mate above ground and gnaws his own leg off to escape and find her (it grows back). But she's—gasp—a vampire! Very angsty, reasonably dark, MEGA alpha hero, has lines like "Never run from one such as me—WE LIKE IT". At one point she just wakes up to him eating her out and has to punt him across the room. There's also a vampiric blowjob!

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night. A werewolf who survived his mate dying centuries ago (which is like, impossible in the IAD-verse because werewolves in that world basically compulsively kill themselves if their mates die; they worship "matehood" as a religion, it's very insane and sexy) enters a magical scavenger hunt to win a key that will allow him to go back in time and save her. A witch also enters the scavenger hunt, they end up trying to kill each other, but? For some reason? He's obsessed with her? But that's IMPOSSIBLE because wolves only get ONE MATE, what is hAPPENING? Excellent hate to love content, lots of horny adventures in the jungle, at one point someone makes a Big Mistake, Bro during sex with hilarious fallout.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince. My favorite IAD, tied with Lothaire. The werewolf prince guy (brother of the aforementioned king) recognizes an ice queen valkyrie as his mate, but the problem is that she took a vow of chastity centuries ago, which gives her her magical ability with a bow and arrow. She refuses to give this up; he really, really wants her; so they're at a crossroads and she leads him a wild goose chase until finally relenting to let him tag along on her quest to kill an ancient cannibalistic god. This book TRULY defines the Kresley werewolf's mindset, which is "WIFE. WIFE WIFE WIFE. WIFE WIFE WIFE WIFE WIFE."

There are two other werewolf books in the series so far, but I would not recommend them if you haven't read the rest of the series. I LOVE MacRieve, but it's not an entry-level Kresley. Munro..... I'm lukewarm on.

As for non-Kresley werewolf books...

Bride by Ali Hazelwood. This is definitely a gentler paranormal romance, but I think it nails a lot of the shit I love about werewolves. He's protective, he SCENTS her, there's knotting. The basic plot for those not in the loop is that the heroine is a vampire who marries the hero to forge an alliance between their people; it's supposed to be in name only, but, like. Come on.

Fan Service by Rosie Danan. This is a recent read I super enjoyed!!! A paranormal romcom in truth. The hero is a washed up 40-something actor who starred in a show that was like, Supernatural x The X Files. He has a meltdown one night that seems to involve him partially shifting into a werewolf, but everyone thinks it was a desperate ploy for attention lol. He seeks out help, which leads him to a vet tech who was a mega fan of his show back in the day, but hates him because he was mean to her at a fan con lol. There's some light femdom, and this is one of the few books that REEEEALLY nails a himbo hero. At one point he makes this woman come SO HARD and his basic reaction is "WAS I A GOOD BOY????" :D

Moonglow by Kristen Callihan. A Victorian paranormal romance! The hero is a Scottish rake werewolf guy whose dick stops working, which is horrifying for him. Then he ends up saving the heroine, a newly-discovered earth witch type lady, from being killed by another werewolf, and sort of takes it upon himself to be her bodyguard while they try to figure out what's going on. This one has a surprising amount of emotional depth, mixed with a lot of humor (she does rib him a lot about his dick not working... until it does start working) and carriage banging. Also, like, a werewolf Lion King type of subplot?

Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster. Another Victorian werewolf with bodyguard vibes. The heroine is a debutante type who's undertaken this like, undercover mission, and the hero (also a big virgin, it must be said) is supposed to protect her. The thing is that in this series, werewolfitude spreads through bodiily fluids, and the transformation is often deadly, so they can't be together.... supposedly...

Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert. This is a Halloween novella, and it's adorable. The heroine is descended from a long line of werewolf hunters. The hero is a sweet werewolf who, unbeknownst to her, has recognized her as his mate. So she invites him to her apartment to kill him and he's like WIFE WIFE WIFE WIFE

Run, Run Rabbit by C.M. Nascosta. Rival werewolf lawyers start a hatefuck situationship to burn off steam, while struggling to admit that they're actually falling in love with each other. So. Much. Werewolf sex.

#romance novel blogging #romance novels #book recs #romance recs #books

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aita-blorbos · 8 months ago

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AITA for putting a girl in a time loop for the rest of eternity?

So, me (M X̷̜̤̘̀) and my brothers have been messing with this town for a millennia. Which is fun, yeah, but it gets boring easily. But, sometime back in 2018, my brother, who we’ll call P (M X̷̜̤̘̀X̵̥̘̻̌̉̚̚ͅ), showed me and the rest of my brothers this girl, who we’ll call KD (F 17). Apparently, she was a singer from out of town and she got reeeeally attached to these two people, who we’ll call PM (M 31) and EP (F 31), during P’s apocalypse (he calls it his ‘apotheosis’. He’s kinda weird, he made everyone sing and dance with a brain parasite. Tbh, not the direction I would’ve gone in, but wtvr).

Anyways, me and my brothers thought this girl was really interesting. She was from out of town, she got attached really fast, and she was just. Really interesting personality wise. So, we convinced P to release his hold on her and let her do it again!! she was then put into my other brother, W’s, apocalypse (personal favorite, there were toys involved. and ww3!!) and she got attached to PM and EP AGAIN. and then she ran from her fate AGAIN!! so i was like, “hey, what if i put her into my toy box and we could make her do this forever?” and my brothers agreed!

so here’s where i might be TA. we’ve been forcing her to lose PM and EP through the same ten plots for 13 years (4680 times, if you wanna get specific), and she’s kind of been mishapen and malformed into something that isn’t quite her anymore, and she’s always screaming and crying and begging us to let her go. she’s really upset, and i’m kinda starting to feel like an asshole. my brothers say it’s fine, and she treats me like the devil so obviously she thinks it sucks, thus i can’t really get an outside opinion. so i came here!

AITA????

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

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rokurookajima · 7 months ago

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help i need to know why you hate season 3 of mtl. it’s my personal fave however i know it’s very divisive amongst fans (s2 is literally perfect though agreed on that)

SEASON 2 IS PERFECT NO ONE CAN DENY THAT

ok so many issues..and i’ll say i’m not counting the first episode or obviously doublebookedklok bc those two are SO good, match the normal tone, AND are so important to the plot.. they are fully excempt from my critique

but some of the biggest issues i take:

there is a very weird vibe shift in season 3 to me, it feels overall so much mean spirited? idk there is a feeling of so much love and care in the first two seasons—in the writing from the creators and within the band themselves (in their very stupid Them way ofc). season 3 just. doesn’t feel that way? i wonder if the team was going through shit with adult swim at the time that manifested in a more spiteful tone overall? idk the band just doesn’t feel like the dysfunctional family they usually are in a lot of the episodes in season 3 and personally… it just feels like a loss. murderface is treated so much stupider than before to where it genuinely feels like they all dislike him, skwisgaar is lowkey forgotten as a character other than Guy Who Fucks (except ofc fatherklok which i also enjoy). rehabklok is undeniably also very good bc the music SLAPS and it’s fun to see brendon go full on theater kid with it, but even still — the band’s treatment of pickles is SO out of character too?? in season one they all lost their minds at the thought of losing pickles even temporarily to snakes n barrels, had to get wasted to watch him perform with them? but now he’s in rehab and they don’t give a fuck and replace him with a robot? HELLO??? i choose to interpret that episode as actually just a manifestation of pickles’ personal worst nightmare

THE PLOT.. WHERE DID THE PLOT GO? obv it’s a show where the overarching storyline is always the backbone and not the fronting part of the story line, but we had episodes twice as long as usual, and there’s barely any tribunal? we could’ve done soooo much more with that time was salacia just on vacation? in the same vein, i feel like the pacing within episodes is.. off?? the writers are SO good at fitting soooo much into 10 minutes, it almost felt like they didn’t know how to fill time, and scenes linger longer than they should, the comedic timing is not quite right, it’s just OFF

the two episodes i reeeeally hate are fertilityklok and dethsiduals…. they both just like epitomize the tone shift that doesn’t work for me. there’s something profoundly uncomfortable about fertilityklok to me that i can’t place, it’s just so unpleasant imo like everything about it lmaoo. i also .. don’t like that being back to back with fatherklok for skwisgaar it just feels like we got really good character insight and growth for him, and then.. COMPLETE shutdown. guy who fucks, that’s all (i’m also obv very very partial to skwis so biased haha). dethsiduals feels like THE most hateful toned?? i don’t like how anyone behaves in that episode lmaooo it’s just so OFF, all i can say can be summarized in vibes are OFF

i also do actually like the rockzo episode as well tho uh… y’know some things could be different (14???? come on man) but i actually enjoy all the rockzo episodes bc they always bring out interesting parts of toki. i love that we got more childhood toki insight!! a highlight for sure. and then uhhh dethhealth is one of the better ones as well - i think it suffers from the off pacing, but it still feels more like the past seasons AND toki’s cat song is a certified banger that gets stuck in my head all the time STILL

ok that was fr so many words that didn’t necessarily need to go this long BUT obv i have been needing to talk about this for years lmaooo tldr i wish they’d stayed truer to the tone and characterization set in the first two seasons, and REALLY wish they’d utilized the time better for the actual plot

#also think abigail should’ve been introduced in season 3 BUT that’s a whole nother thing #thank you for asking :’)#dat ask #metalocalypse

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pierroettie · 3 months ago

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do you have any plans on making NEO designs for the roleswap au too? (e.g., neo hachigang) not trying to pressure you since that would be a big undertaking, just curious :] thank you so much for sharing ur swap au btw!!! its so awesome

Thank you!! I know I keep saying this but im so happy my ideas are resonating with yall!!

For a NEO swap, I don't know, maybe if I'm feeling reeeeally ambitious lol. I just have a hard time thinking of how the events of NEO would fit into the au as a whole. Like considering characters other than Shiba or Kubo being main antagonists, the plot would turn out pretty different since they wouldn't have the same motives. It's pretty easy to do an au like this for the first game since most of the character's arcs parallel or intersect with each other's, especially between Neku and Josh.

Plus there's a lot more characters which means more swaps, I do love designing stuff tho so maybe I'll do some just minus the writing! If I do end up doing something with NEO characters, it'll definitely be later down the road....

#twewy #swap au

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shitouttabuck · 2 years ago

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wip wednesday

tagged by @rewritetheending @onward--upward and @alyxmastershipper 💓💓💓

i haven’t reeeeally started writing anything other than planning this out broadly because it’s very plot heavy but got a little lost thinkin about the intimacy of shaving the other day so this is from x files au in some shitty shared motel room while they’re cryptid hunting or chasing aliens idk we’ll figure it out

When he emerges, hair towelled dry and in clean clothes, Eddie frowns at him. “What?” he asks. “Promise I didn’t finish all the hot water.” “No, you just look—” Eddie gestures at Buck’s face, “—scruffier than usual.” “Oh,” Buck says, running a hand over his day-four stubble. “I forgot my razor.” “Oh,” Eddie’s face clears, “just use mine.” Buck swallows. “Um. Okay. Thanks.” Eddie nods at him and goes back to squinting at his phone, so Buck about-faces and re-enters the bathroom. It’s not a big deal, he tells himself as he foams up his face. It’s like—like sharing a hairbrush. Intimate, sure, not something you’d tend to do with people you don’t know well, but it’s not a big deal. He wets the razor and brings it to his throat, heart hammering there so violently it feels like his Adam’s apple is trying to get out. If his hand doesn’t stop trembling he’s going to nick himself, and God, he is being absolutely fucking ridiculous. Deep breath. The razor glides over the thin skin of his throat, muscle memory even as he stares at himself in the mirror. Doesn’t think about Eddie doing this every morning, using this very razor. Blade edge kissing his jaw the same way it kisses Eddie’s. Doesn’t think about Eddie doing this for him, hand holding his chin as he shaves Buck carefully, grip firm when he turns Buck’s face this way and that. Doesn’t think about Eddie kissing where the blade kissed him first. Doesn’t think about any of that when he rinses the razor clean and slots it back into the travel mug, where Buck’s toothbrush rests against Eddie’s with such easy familiarity it’s about to spark a whole new crisis.

tagging @try-set-me-on-fire @jeeyuns @housewifebuck @anxieteandbiscuits @forthewolves @zahlibeth @athenagranted @buckactuallys @transboybuckley @icecreampotluck @diazblunt if you have anything to share today or later!

#since starting t the last couple months i've had to start shaving my face and it's quite weird actually! gender is so [waves hand] like idk #but didn't have anyone to teach me. and was just thinking about how it wouldve been a pretty intimate thing if i had #also i think this fic will have switching pov which is very exciting to me #but also. it's a mammoth one even just planning it and i have so much real life shit i've been ignoring #and also writing a shorter silly thing that im having fun with rn so might put this on the backburner #but also x4 my foster puppy just got taken to his new home and im sad and miss him like a goddamn lung #so i need something to distract me every empty minute and eddie diaz as dana scully is going to be that i think #but ALSO there’s so much fic i want to catch up on READING #ain’t enough time in the day. and yet i never seem to do anything #sorry for these endless tags #tag game #wip #x files au

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strangerthingsfanworkrecs · 5 months ago

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Podficcer Highlight: Socknonny

This week, we're highlighting @socknonny! All recs this week will be for her work.

@socknonny writes and creates podfics for the Stranger Things fandom, specifically Harringrove.

@ihni recommended her as her go-to pod-ficcer.

"Well they've read a few things I've written and I LOVE the way they read fics. I was hooked after they worked their magic on a poem I wrote, But really everything I have heard by them is so good. Their voice is so good and calming, and clear (to one whose first language isn't English) and easy to follow and understand.

Ihni highlighted her podfic, Notes.

Socknonny answered some questions about her creative process, inspirations, and work under the cut

Why Stranger Things?

I’ve played D&D since I was a teenager, and always love a good horror/suspense, so the show itself was well up my alley from the start. But in terms of fic creation, it was Billy that drew me to Stranger Things. He’s an angry, traumatized metalhead, dealing with his issues by lashing out at anyone who gets too close, and I could relate to those feelings even if I couldn’t relate to the actions themselves.

What's your favorite ship (platonic or romantic) to create for?

It’s Harringrove for this fandom, but I’m a multishipper at heart and I love seeing any number of combinations. I thoroughly enjoy Steddie, Mungrove, and all three of them together (can’t remember what we’re calling that? Metal sandwich?). I also enjoyed some Keg boys when that was popular (Tommy, Steve, Billy).

What's your typical writing process like?

Depends on if it’s fic or OF. If it’s fic, I find it a bit like poetry. I’ll have a feeling I want to illustrate, and I’ll kind of just sit down and meander through some scenes, led purely by vibes. I’m usually trying to explore some aspect of character, or sift through different situations to understand them better. I like to hear the character’s voices in my head as I’m writing. If it’s OF, I’m quite regimented these days. I plot out story beats, climaxes, character arcs, etc, and then dictate out a first draft (it’s much easier than typing for me). Then I have a whole set of worksheets I created to go through and edit.

How did you get started with PodFics?

I…. honestly can’t remember? Oh wait, yes. The first podfic I ever recorded was on my phone and it was a little tumblr ficlet for a different fandom. It had a really lovely response, with the writer inspired to make a part two, and so I kept going. Like with all fandom stuff, it was the community aspect that made it so wonderful. You’d narrate something, and people would chime in with commentary and share it around. Even if it’s only one or two people, it always gives me such a boost and I just want to do more.

What's your typical PodFic process like? Is there a tool you especially like?

Before I begin a project, I need to play around with voices a bit. I’ll adjust each voice according to different variables (how fast/slow, how nasally, how rough, what emotion/tone?) until I get one I like, and then I can start. I do a small singing warmup before recording, and then I can usually only get through about 30 recorded minutes before I’m fidgety. Editing afterwards takes about double the recorded length, for now. But I’m hoping to improve that as I get better at breath control and don’t need to edit out so many mouth clicks!

Is there a tool you especially like?

I often use Audacity, but I think Studio One has a better sound? I’m still working it out!

What has been your favorite project so far? Why?

Aaahhhh that’s so hard! For my fics, I probably enjoyed Ride the Lightning the most, because it’s one of the few times I wove spice into the plot, and so felt I could really dig into it. But I also reeeeally loved making ‘two-faced son of a bitch’, because it’s weird and emotional and poetic, which is my jam. For podfics, I would genuinely pick ihni’s Notes. I know ihni recced it here, so it feels like I’m following that, but I really loved recording that one. It has lovely emotion in the words, and because it’s a poem I got to put soothing music to the back of it. It’s one I can happily listen to again, which is kind of rare with my podfics. Even my later ones, I know I would record them better/different these days and so I struggle to listen.

What has been your hardest project so far? Why?

I wouldn’t say I have a particularly hard project, but I had a hard period when I was experiencing undiagnosed asthma and allergies. My voice stopped sounding right, and it was too hard to record in a dusty cupboard, so I had to stop altogether. I’ve sort of got that under control now though!

Have you ever had a creative block? How did you get over it?

Oh definitely. But imo creative block is just a problem you can’t identify yet. There’s something wrong with the work, and you need to sit on it for a while until you can resolve it. Which is frustrating at first, because your taste is better than your skill! You can see the problem, but you’ve no idea how to fix it. But I find the more you write and the more comfortable you get with your own style, the less of an issue those blocks are because you start to pick the problem apart with more intentionality. It might still take weeks or months to fix, but it doesn’t worry you the same, I feel, because you know it’s just part of the process.

Is there a big source of inspiration for you? Books? Art? Games?

Music and Science :D I love flowing through the emotions of a song, like ‘the price we pay (the promise we made)’ or using the same root inspiration as the jumping off point for a story. And I also love reading scientific articles or non fiction books, and discovering something interesting about the natural world, and then incorporating that into a ‘what if’. Even if that ‘what if’ is just a very small component of world building, like that species of flower that’s shaped/colored to attract a bee that went extinct ages ago. That could be magic, you know?

Is there an upcoming project you're particularly excited about?

I haven’t been active on this account for a while, so I don’t have anything big planned, but I would like to come back and finish my Billy x Dean crossover. I had just committed to continuing it when Destiel went canon, and ended up just kind of staring at the screen like, well what now XD Even though I’m a multishipper and it doesn’t bother me, that time was so wild it felt strange to continue. But I think I’m ready now.

Is there anything we didn't ask that you'd like to add?

Not that I can think of! Thanks so much for inviting me to chat here :) The questions were brilliant and I had a lot of fun thinking them through. And thanks so much to ihni for nominating me!

#podficcer highlights #written work highlights #socknonny #harringrove #strangerthingsfanarthighlights #artist intro

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sixthsouul · 11 months ago

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charachter rant: margaery tyrell

i just don’t get her character, or rather how geroge wrote her. and in the show, obviously she is gorgeous. i have watched a lot of people react to game of thrones and some were really put off by margaery and couldn’t figure out how to feel about her and some called her even crazy. maybe because i know that that’s just the style of acting nat does but looking back, i do agree.

but in the books, it’s the same. she has no personality?!?! and i get that maybe it’s because we didn’t get a pov from her (imagine if we did, i reaaally want that, to understand truly who she is inside), but even from the others pov, we get nothing more. we always get the calculated facade if i can say.

So the plan was to use her and sway Robert to cast Cersei aside. Looking like Lyanna, they knew that Robert might be swayed for his long lost love. But Ned, who knew her sister bemusedly says that she doesn’t resemble Lyanna. Why would George make this? Does it tell something about Lyanna? How she was used perhaps as a pawn? How Margaery‘s story will unfold? The Tyrells were reeeeally playing this game and honestly don’t they have shame?

And when Robert is dead, they play their cards right with Renly and she marries him.

Yes, they clearly want to have their blood on the iron throne. I guess the roses and Highgarden and Margaery paint a beautiful picture to make the people fawn over them.

So Margaery is shy and soft spoken and good natured. But that is all false. That definitely isn’t her actual personality. She is just a doll. I can’t figure it out her as a true person. Maybe that’s the point? I just feel disappointed.

So Margaery has been passed on from Robert to Renly, from Renly to Joffrey and from Joffrey to Tommen. Again i ask? Have they no shame? The people suuuurely should have start talking about her being passed on like this. Instead they love her. And I get it. It’s because of the food which is fair enough. But Tyrion literally thinks how Tyrells closed the roads which caused the lack of food and then opened them and offered it to be seen as saviors. But of course the people of Kings Landing are swayed and at the end of the day they probably just want peace and food. FAIRENOUGH. But they also gossip a lot, and I get the disdain for the Lannisters. But this is ridiculous and it should have been a cause for some gossip.

THIS IS WHAT I MEAN!!! She is very clever. But her personality is always fake to the world. It’s like she really is acting.

She gagged Cersei!!!!!!!!!!

Performative!!!! How does she know to do this? How can she achieve to win their love so perfectly!?!? I mean she is smart but to this degree?!

Cersei don’t make it that obvious!!!!

So it‘s giving Cersei no? It’s from these on that Margaery cracks up a little. When the raven comes, and Cersei tells her that Loras was injured, she wrenches free surprisingly to Cersei and tells her that he isn’t dead yet.

When Cersei does her plot and they take Margaery, they say that they have examined her and her maidenhead is broken. Pycelle also confirms that she asked for moontea if i believe.

So she isn’t this shy soft spoken angel. It’s all an act. And i get it everyone acts in Kings Landing, and lies. But she is a character brought up since book 1, and is the Queen now. I don’t get George writing her. It’s like she is this perfect Queen. And I am like how does she do it? Everyone has flaws. Every character.

And most of all, what does she feel? Being passed around for every chance to be a Queen? What about her desires, her romance desires, her living her own life. Is she mad at her Father and her family that they are using her like this? As far as I have seen she has a good relationship with her family. Her brothers are very sweet too, how do they allow doing this to her. I ask again about shame? Don’t they have any?

I guess i am just bothered by it all. and as i said, i can’t figure out margaery as a character. how can someone have this mask on for so long. it’s miniscule the times she has slipped. what about joffrey? how did she tame him, was she scared of him or not? Renly and Tommen are easier for her. What did she feel about marrying Robert. How is she such a good manipulator, so clever? I am not complaining that she is playing the game, or that she is very smart and that she is sexually active. I just mean that she can lie perfectly and act perfectly. it’s like she is a doll. i don’t see any side and any complexity to her. it’s like george just wrote her the way he needed a character to be but there is no depth. also another interesting bit:

As shown by chapter drafts dating back to October 2003 and January 2004, Lyanna's name was originally "Jorella Mormont" and later on "Margaery Mormont" before George R. R. Martin settled for "Lyanna Mormont"

Why the Lyanna-Margaery connection? For what!! Margaery Mormont would have been very comical for a northern name. Idk george idk

#asoiaf #margaery tyrell #house tyrell #a song of ice and fire #affc

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do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas · 2 years ago

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Hm. OK. Theories for s3 (some are purposefully batshit, some is fan service for me, some I genuinely believe in - you decide which):

- the opening is crowley and aziraphale walking on opposite ends, but meeting in the middle

- crowley is hanging around Maggie and Nina's shops

- he's trying to act "more demonic", but it's all the simplest pathetic things like stealing dog bones from dogs and gluing a shitload of coins on the ground

- Crowley however just keeps staring longingly at the bookshop. Muriel is fully aware of this and is like "it must be a demon thing"

- reunion at the end of ep1

- it's cause aziraphale found out what the Second Coming is, which

- I think a woman has become pregnant and they have to find her

- the Them come back, all grown up

- Warlock also is here, but she's now trans and calls herself Ash because of her favorite nanny

- Muriel gets roped into it, maybe feeling like they need to repair the husband's relationship

- new character!!!! Lilith, cause I really wanna see her and I think it would fit the world. In my oc, she's a human turned demon, so she has the senses and the animal characteristics but no miracles (that she knows of)

- either way, Muriel is gonna get a friend/maybe love interest

- Gabriel and Beelzebub also get roped into it, finding a place on Alpha Centauri and they are super annoyed

- But they end up both being apologetic to the angel and demon respectively and want to help

- Also Gabriel remembers his time as Jim and tells Crowley he remembers his threat. Crowley is a little like "yeah whattup" but Gabe's like "no I mean that's pretty protective, it shows you love him"

- Maggie and Nina come back, so now you got the team. They are just REALLY trying to get Crowley to leave them alone and to stop scaring off their customers

- the very first thing that happens when Crowley and Aziraphale meet each other is aziraphale does a hurried Apology Dance to try to get to explaining what the Second Coming is

- but Crowley refuses to work with him or refuses to open himself up or something like that

- some max angst where they finally Talk in a convo to each other but it's all painful

- canon Crowley doesn't remember much of Heaven and Aziraphale remembers him Before but Crowley doesn't, and

- Aziraphale admits he feels guilty for Crowley falling

- they gotta dance. Dunno how, but they're dancing now

- they're gonna be caught under the rain. Dunno how, but they're in an awing or however it's spelled now

- Aziraphale pulls down Crowley's glasses

- he says "please forgive me" to Crowley

- and Crowley's like "I forgive you" in a reeeeally sarcastic but playful tone

- Metatron and Shax (with Furfur as second in command) are the Big Bad. Michael, Uriel and Saraqael are antags, but maybe become sympathetic near the end. Same with demons like Hastur maybe

- the Book of Life is gonna try to be used, babyyyyy

- and I think that Miracle Blocker card will come back too. Either as a plot twist used by the antags as a All Is Lost Blake Snyder beat, or Crowley or Aziraphale use it in the dramatic climax

- but yeah, you got this team now working together to stop the Second Coming

- I have nothing for this, so maybe she has the baby and raises it normally or gets an abortion lmao

- and it's gonna be something like Crowley getting kidnapped by Heaven I reckon

- we see Aziraphale be ANGRY angry, barging into Heaven demanding for his Crowley

- just as Crowleys name is being crossed out in the Book, Aziraphale finds him and saves him (with a kiss or smth lmao), and their miracles work together to create one so powerful it fixes Crowley's name in the Book of Life

- it doesn't have to be the Book - I just really want true love bringing a person back from being destroyed or something, man

- and on that note, I think Aziraphale will do One Big Sacrifice to parallel all the little ones Crowley does for him. And it's going to be for Crowley, like saving his life or something

- I think it's gonna be a big thing though, like maybe Aziraphale keeping his powers but no longer being considered an angel. OR he gives up all his powers but is still immortal. OR he just becomes human, but something big

- (but I don't think Falling big, cause it's a nice way to show that despite him no longer being for Heaven and giving it up entirely, he still has the spirit and virtue of an angel)

- and whatever Aziraphale becomes, Crowley will follow, and then off to the South Downs cottage

- also God comes in, as a human body or something. But either way, She narrates the last part of the series cause now "the story is going exactly how it should"

- a whole fucking chorus of Nightingales sing in Berkeley Square

#good omens #let.me.dream.with.goodomens #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley

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ninainthetardis · 1 year ago

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⚠️⚠️⚠️ HoFaS Spoilers ahead ⚠️⚠️⚠️

Just a bunch of things about this finale that I wanted to get off my chest. I will start by saying that I found it overall underwhelming, unsatisfying and anticlimactic, so you can guess it's not going to be a positive rant here. This is the part of my GR review I haven't posted there.

Please, do not come at me under this post or the others. This is just my opinion, and I won't be answering any rude comment. I have the right to express my own disappointment. Those who want to have a constructive and respectful conversation are always welcome, though.

• The crossover ended up being reeeeally underwhelming, and the whole Ruhn/Rhys thing that built the entire hype for this book was explained in the lamest way possible (and at a certain point even forgotten by the characters). Also, what the hell were those references to ToG that were just dropped there without further explanation? We know how the Fae from Prythian got to Midgard, but what about the ToG ones? How is it that Lidia has knowledge about her ancestors from the other world? Also, how could Lidia know she had fire magic even when Danika was alive if elemental magic had been hidden and kept dormient in every Vanir for centuries?

• I am not a big fan of Azriel and Bryce, and I am definitely not on the list of Nesta's fans, but you know what? This trio worked. For some reason, I liked to see them interacting, and I actually found Azriel and Nesta's dynamic an element that could be interesting if explored in the following acotar books. Maybe it's just that I didn't care about any of them enough to be bothered by the things I usually find annoying (Bryce), triggering (Nesta), and irritating (Azriel) in such characters.

Too bad Nesta screwed it up with the mask thing (which I have already discussed here) and in Ember/Randall's bonus chapter with the return of her spiteful, ungrateful, behaviour/attitude. I guess the best I can hope for when it comes to Nesta is to be civil to her and nothing more, just like it happened with post ToD Chaol. Slightly less even. Like, maybe she could stop triggering me every two pages. That would be progress and beyond any of my expectations, really. It would make the next acotar books much easier to read, though I cannot forget how she's been in the past.

• I didn't like the info dump both in the final part of the crossover and in the part with the Princes. I would have preferred some flashbacks showing what happened to the "tell don't show" technique SJM chose here. And finding out what happened in the First War, for me, was the most interesting point of the whole book, so that execution disappointed me.

• Why was everything resolved so easily? Bryce got everything she needed provided for, or told by someone else, she somehow managed to master new skills within a range of few seconds (the same can be told for Lidia and the other characters when freed of the infection) and the most interesting aspect of her character - her being so underpowered in comparison to the Asteri - Was totally nullified by the ridiculous amount of power she got along the way. Literally, all they did/tried to do, worked first try. Where is the struggle? Where is the pain KoA made me feel? Where are the emotions? The only moment I felt something was that "Light it up, Danika!" At the end of the book. Just that.

And where is the characters development? Ships development? Also, the always absent talking about traumas is really getting on my nerves. I'll be making examples about this later.

• What the hell was that recycled finale? It resembled KoA's finale. It even had the "Rhys is dead" plot twist, but with Bryce and with the same resolution. Also, what was the point of having characters killed in books 1 and 2 if Hypaxia could've just resurrected them within a couple of minutes? I hate the resurrection theme, especially when overused. It diminishes everything.

• I am apparently one of the few people who's given Hypaxia some consideration. She's been one of my favourites ever since the first book, but... in HoFaS she's just doing miracles, resurrecting people, and developing an antidote out of the blue in a couple of hours (really?), which brings me back to the fact that in this, everything happened too easily.

• So, SJM is trying to tell me that the Asteri were so clever to submit a population of powerful Vanir people for 15000 years, meanwhile keeping hidden form them that they were limiting and stealing their magic, - and even eating their dead's - but then failed to imagine Bryce's real plan because they were too arrogant? Wtf was that? Am i supposed to believe that Rigelus just underestimated her when in book 1, he was the one trying to keep her calm and content because he recognised how dangerous she was, after all she had done?

• What was the point of introducing Ariadne?

• I can't say I am totally disappointed in Jesiba's character, I just don't understand why the most powerful characters for magic or combat skills were kept away from the battle against beings as powerful as the Asteri lol Her arriving only at the end of the battle, Fury and Baxian being away... meh, everything was just kind of disappointing.

• Also, black holes? 🤨 no insights about the battle and the Princes fighting? All we got was literally: "The Princes killed the other Asteri, yay!". Did I mention that it was all so disappointing and anticlimactic?

• Now, let's move on to specific characters:

- Tharion "the funny one turned into Mr Boredom".

I have to say it. He was the king of repetitive povs in book 2, and just one of the many characters in this series who started off as being interesting only to become almost annoying by the end of it. But he's the friend who can't do anything right to the point you end up thinking your own bullshit is not that shitty. Repetitive povs and excessive whining (he was supposed to be the funny one sigh) aside, I kind of still care about him. And him and Sathia are unexpectedly interesting as a couple, but we'll see if they become an actual one. I also liked his sort of friendship with Ariadne. And the one with the Aux and Ithan, "the pack". Please, let him sort his shit out and be fine because he's such a mess I cannot even hold it against him, lol

- Bryce the Fa(k)e Woke Queen-lan

I won't say that Bryce's character was butchered here because there was nothing to butcher according to me, she's always been like this. It just became more evident.

From HoSaB to the end, she's been annoying. Though she had some moments of glory along the way, I have to admit that. But why was she convinced that she could be Aelin all of a sudden? She was never a strategist nor a planner (and her plans ALWAYS failed, except her plans in HoFaS? How's that?). Her most successful moments were due to improvisation, - prompted by survival instinct - and luck. Now she's suddenly an entitled overpowered mastermind lol

She has zero respect for others feelings/traumas, as usual she's always right and anyone who disagrees with her is just an alpha asshole, she's better and knows better than anyone else (and I am still trying to figure out why she's supposed to be any of those things) and she's constantly criticising anyone else... for things she does herself too. Great. Like, in the crossover she literally complains about Nesta and Az manipulating her while.. she was doing the very same thing to them? Just like in book 1, when she was complaining all the time about Fury not talking to her while she did the same thing to Ithan.

And what the hell were her plans, anyway? She was so desperately trying to be Aelin, but she never even had a chance. Leaving Baxian and Fury in a naturally protected place and not taking them to battle? How is that smart? Not calling Jesiba, the powerful witch, to join the battle? HOW IS ANY OF THAT SMART?

She had a whole conversation with Nesta before Rhys arrived, his shadows announced pages before? (Wtf?)

She bloody endangered Prythian, almost freed and unleashed an Asteri on Prythian's soil, and Nesta GAVE HER THE MASK? (WTF I-don't-even-know-which-part-this-is-anymore)

Now, should I comment on Bryce's total disrespect for her mate's trauma and past while he's always been thoughtful when it came to hers? I do not ship them AT ALL, and it's not because Hunt is boring as someone claims, but because Hunt deserved better, tbh and I loved them in book 1! Worst SJM main female character, really.

Also, please tell me again why she was supposed to be the queen of a species she literally hated and didn't want anything to do with. She was Queen of generalisation in that sense. I loved how Baxian called her out and made her realise that she was only considering what was convenient and conform to her prefixed, biased ideas (the speech where he compares wolves and fae). I mean, she was right about fae nobility, but there were innocents among the fae too and she was talking about how the whole species deserved obliteration, while claiming wolves were better (when statistically there was a huge amount of wolves who judged her just like the fae and did nothing to help during the attack, just like the fae... because they obey to their leaders, and Sabine was just as bad as Morven and the Autumn King. Wolves were not all like the Devil's pack, Ithan and Danika, just like fae were not all like the Autumn/Avallen king). All while not considering the fae among her group and treating Declan and Flynn like shit for absolute no reason. Or giving those shitty answers to Sathia about her plans for the fae people... she was a victim of the system more than Bryce tbh Bryce's wokeness would have been so much more believable, useful and coherent if she wasn't biased as the ones she accused or an alpha asshole herself.

I am sorry, but I just cannot stand her hypocrisy. And I cannot stand generalisation.

- Hunt "the powerbank" Athalar

He was literally conceived to be Bryce's powerbank first and later his shadow (Umbra Mortis?!) who follows her everywhere without even being given the chance to have a say in what they are going to do. Otherwise, he'd be acting like an alpha asshole. Just to be told not to make a fuss about being held captive and tortured with his friends. I'm so pissed for his arc, because he was so interesting in book 1, only for his povs to become repetitive and sometimes boring in book 2 and almost non existing in book 3, like he didn't have any inviduality other than being Bryce's mate and anchor. Also, how could he blame himself for anything when Bryce didn't even listen to his warnings/complains/objections, leaving him with no other choice but following her to get at least the chance to protect/help her?

And then she's like "I don't want you to just follow me, I want that you want to do this" (wtf?)

Bonus: being son of Apollion or Thanatos instead of somehow created by them in terms of powers would have been so much more interesting.

I liked his friendship with Ruhn and Baxian though, and missed him and Isaiah/Naomi.

- Ithan "I don't even know what I'm doing" Holstrom

Why was Ithan so damn sure Sigrid would be a good leader for the wolves is beyond me. He didn't know her. Literally, it was just because she was a Fendyr. That was his only argument in support of his theory. As if Sabine wasn't proof that being a Fendyr didn't automatically make you a good leader. As if Sigrid didn't act entitled and reckless and dominant and selfish and despotic the whole time. It's all she's done, really, and he did not expect that she was not that good as he wanted her so desperately to be? SHE AIMED TO KILL HIM IN THAT PIT! Him, the very person who risked everything to save her, the only person who ever cared about her! A person who was not trying to harm her despite the circumstances. She was not going to try and find another way even though she knew all those lives depended on the group getting out the Viper Queen's hands... it was self defense and I truly get his struggle to accept what happened BUT defeating the Asteri was the priority and the fact that she came back 5 seconds later as a creature that could not be killed and known for being dangerous, when it is known that messing with the dead usually leads to no good... did not exactly make me empathise at all with this whole arc. And after that, he was still whining about Sigrid instead of fully focusing on fighting the Asteri...

It's a pity because I really liked him before this Sigrid thing. But I'd be willing to give him a second - or should I say third? - chance. I think Perry may be his mate, anyway, and I am kind of curious about that.

- Ruhn/Lidia

I was totally unimpressed by them as a couple after book 2, but I thought they were getting interesting at the beginning of book 3. Then somehow Lidia felt entitled to be pissed at Ruhn because he was struggling to accept that Day was the Hind (wtf) and then Ruhn felt entitled to be pissed at Lidia for not talking to him about her past (wtf part 2). Only to forget/postpone all of their issues because they were horny and about to go to battle against the Asteri. That's not ship building/development. Ruhn shooting her was too much, even if he was trying to protect her and sacrifice himself. But that idea made no sense and had literally no use or purpose. Why did SJM think it would be a good idea? Adding some drama/shock value element that was totally uncalled for and that only resulted in diminishing a ship that wasn't even well developed to begin with? Because it served nothing and it was dumb. Leaving Lidia wounded and vulnerable. One of the best assets they had in that battle - and they didn't bring many with them. Just like clockwork hadn't been for Tharion, they would have all been dead five seconds later.

To think that the fact that Lidia already had two kids was such an interesting and unexplored arc for mates... sigh, I am disappointed.

I am happy that it was Ruhn to deal with the Autumn King in the end, though. He deserved closure and to free himself of that monster. I am quite sad that his character never had the chance to fully come out.

Lidia carried the whole book. I loved her.

- Baxian/Danika

They truly were the most interesting ship in this series. I hope there will be a flashback book/novella about them. I swear I would love it. Their dynamic is also interesting, and I'd love to get to know Baxian better. But maybe, we will?

To sum up, this series left me absolutely nothing. I do not care enough about any of the characters, I didn't get particularly affectionate to any of them. Its major strength was the focus on friendship, but after the first book, it was almost absent, the principle only slightly reminded by Ruhn, Dec and Flynn/Hunt, Rhun, and Baxian. The premises of the story in general were so good (HoEaB), but the execution through book 2 and 3 was so poor it disappointed me. It's not a bad series, it is entertaining in its own way... it's just a bit "undertone" if compared to the other SJM series, it lacked of emotions, plot/characters/ships development and impact, I don't know how to say it. I hope the next books will be better. My guess is on Ithan, Tharion, Flynn next. Or even Sathia, considering that SJM prefers female povs. I wish we'd seen Fury and Juniper a bit more, and Dec and Marc, but they are established couples, so I don't think we'll see any of them as main. Flynn has that slightly hinted thing with Ariadne, who was introduced and forgotten, so maybe she'll be important later? I want to stay optimistic lol

I wished there was a better development for Ruhn and Lidia as a couple, though, and Ruhn as a character because I think they'll be side characters from now on. Also, why on earth was their marriage in a bonus chapter? That's not extra content. That's the ending for two of the main characters. It's not fair!

Btw, imo the only memorable characters in this series so far are Danika, Baxian, Aidas, and Lidia.

#hofas spoilers #hofas review #anti bryce #anti bryce quinlan #anti nesta #this is just the rant of a disappointed reader

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shrimpella21 · 2 years ago

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╭ 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ! ! ! ! ! !

❥ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒⠀⠀

⇝ Due to the nature of my characters I recommend that you be comfortable with general horror at the very least if you interact with me. Many of my characters contain body horror, murderous ideation, or a variety of other mature themes. Please be 18+.

⇝ If I followed you, it's probably bc I want to rp with you or I like your aesthetic/content. There's no pressure to follow me back (I'm open to anyone, mutual or non-mutuals) but it helps me figure out if you're interested too.

⇝ Do not AI my characters. Thank you.

⇝ Have fun! I don't expect much ; just someone that loves their characters as much as I love mine. People who love their little freaks are my favorite <3

⇝ I'm oc and fandom friendly. If you're not sure what I like, feel free to ask! I prommy I'll make a list soon

⇝ I don't reeeeally have an unfollow policy. Idc if you stop posting for weeks or post a lot of ooc. I really only unfollow if you're mean to me LMAO

⇝ Generally, the longer a reply is the longer it will take me to write. Paragraph prompts/threads will not take me as long to write as novella responses will. Try to keep that in mind if you're waiting for something big <3

⇝ I'm super chill! So chill, in fact, that you probably don't even need to read the rest of these 'rules'. There are no trigger requirements or post requirements or passwords, just some things I think is nice for partners to know.

❥ 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘

⇝ I am not needy, nor do I require much in terms of timeframe - I'm happy to wait literal months for a response as long as we still interact sometimes. I'm super ghost friendly.

⇝ I am sometimes a slow responder due to my schedule but I promise I always have a to-do list for my replies. If a reply takes me longer than a month to finish I will ask you if you're still interested. If you aren't, feel free to lmk if you want to start something new!

⇝ I LOVE talking ooc! Feel free to message me any time to gossip about characters.

⇝ I prefer to plot in advance, even if it's just a little bit. It's not required but it helps me know when we're both on the same page.

⇝ I will tag all of my triggers accordingly. I myself have no triggers and my threads often contain themes of violence, crime, and other various dark subjects. Despite this I also do 'normal' roleplay (it just means I use a normal!verse for my muse).

⇝ I adore shipping. My threads are very rarely platonic in nature, though I don't mind a slow build-up to romance if the characters need time to get to know each other. I'm also happy to work with pre-established relationships in threads. (Tbh I'll do anything I'm so not picky about freaks in love).

⇝ It is not required for you to use a faceclaim from either of my wishlists (at this point I have them as a formality). I make easier connections with older muses but don't mind characters/faceclaims under 30 in the right circumstances. If you are interested, the masc wishlist is here and the femme wishlist is here.

⇝ OP characters make me so sad :( I beat my babes up all the time, don't be afraid to do the same. The more blood, the better.

⇝ Related to my last point - if there's one thing I really dislike in a roleplay, it's having to 'compete' with someone about which character is better. I recognize that my characters are not always going to be the smartest, fastest, or strongest, and I hope you can do the same. It's okay for characters to lose sometimes. If we put them in a win-lose situation I don't mind if my muse loses, as long as they get a win eventually. It's no fun if one character always gets the shit end of the stick, y'know? I like it when my character isn't the only one fucking up.

⇝ I am open to multimuse! But! I have to be interested in every muse. I am happy and willing to play your wanted chars but I will not do so against random femme/masc chars that I have no interest in.

⇝ I will play any genre. I know my characters can be a lot to deal with, so I don't mind toning them down or even swapping them to an alternative verse if their current vibe isn't really your thing. I'm all for changing shit to make them fit <3

❥ 𝐎𝐎𝐂

⇝ By default I will write my characters without icons/gifs. If that is a problem for you, let me know and we can discuss options.

⇝ I prefer threads with minor alterations to the text/style. Paragraphs with large+small text and fancy fonts and weird symbols can make it hard for me to read. If that's your default and you don't want to change, it's cool (I can put up with it), but my preference is always going to be 'less is more'.

⇝ This should be a given but I'll say it anyway: I love to roleplay with trans/nb/fluid characters! This is a very lgbtq+ safe space.

⇝ I don't share a lot about myself online. If I get to know you I don't mind chatting/talking about life, but you won't see me post anything publicly about irl on my blog. If you need a name, you can call me Harper.

⇝ I'm happy to edit/cut/format my posts however YOU want. Just tell me if you want something peculiar, please! that way I can ask questions if I need to.

⇝ I'm still figuring out how I want to set up my blog. Eventually I will start reblogging memes/prompts etc. In the meantime, feel free to send random shit to my inbox. I'm always open. I do not care about spam.

❥ 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒

⇝ My main muse is Shardik. My main muse will always be Shardik. At some point I may add another main, but for now it's just Shardik. The fact that he is my main does not mean he is the only character I roleplay as - I also have plenty of secondaries to work with. They will come and go depending on how many people interact with them. My dormant/retired muses are the graveyard characters. Fairly unlikely to be brought back from the dead.

⇝ Shardik is flexible. I know not everyone has interest in his type of 'supernatural' character, so I'm happy to use one of his alternative verses or create a new one entirely. This applies to all of my characters.

⇝ Sometimes I'll search for roleplays for a muse before I officially post them. It helps me work out their character if I can write for them.

❥ 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

⇝ My starters, memes, and prompts are always going to be open. You can respond to them or send asks at any time. That said, my muse does vary and I may not always have the inspiration to respond to specific asks. If I don't, please don't take it personally! It just means I'm waiting for the right moment. If it's been a while and you want to know what the status of something is you're always welcome to message me.

⇝ I'm still new to all of this. Asks and prompts and memes are something I don't utilize much so it will take some getting used to (but it's def something I'm hoping to work with more <3).

⇝ If I've followed you, interact w/ me whenever you want. Literally. Sometimes I do take a bit of time before I interact with someone after following so don't think I've forgotten about you :)

⇝ Unless you're open to a response from any of my muses (or we've discussed it beforehand), please add in your ask/starter/etcetc who it's meant for.

⇝ Feel free to turn any prompt/meme answer into a thread! You're always free to respond to my answers.

❥ 𝐒𝐌𝐔𝐓

⇝ Not much to add for this section. If we roleplay through tumblr I probably won't post smut in my threads. If we discuss it through discord I don't mind as long as we can discuss likes/dislikes/etc first. If you don't do any smut period, that's totally fine with me. I default to fade-to-black.

⇝ In reference to my shifter and monster characters: I have a few of these guys. I like were-creatures. In my canon, shifters (even in their animal form) are fully capable of both asserting consent and passing the harkness test. If fucking a bear/shifter/whatever isn't your thing, that's cool! But know that the monster is 100% down if your character shows interest.

⇝ If you do not want to see monsterfucking content (threads, asks, etcetc) I will be tagging it with //the fun zone

#ⲯ﹍︿﹍︿﹍ 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰 ﹍ⲯ﹍ⲯ﹍︿﹍☼

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mermaidsirennikita · 11 months ago

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Any books recs if I liked the Maiden Lane series?

For sure!

Minerva/Spencer S.M. LaViolette is an immediate rec. She writes (especially under the LaViolette name) grittier, more intense books. Her Victorian Decadence series is historical erotic romance, but all of her books are higher heat compared to a lot of other trad historicals at the moment, with morally ambiguous characters, heroines who often have a bit more experience in the world, and not as much focus on class. Her Seducers series, which is about three leads who've all been sex workers in the past, especially has a Maiden Lane feel to me. Melissa and The Vicar has a virgin hero for Winter Makepeace fans! LaViolette books especially are a bit gothic-flavored, which is something I also loved about Hoyt.

Laura Kinsale should be read by everyone. She predates Hoyt and again loves that moral ambiguity, the gritty darkness... Not as high heat as Hoyt (mostly—Shadowheart could stand right up there lol) but so good.

Grace Callaway books definitely have a frothier vibe than a lot of Elizabeth Hoyt books, but she has a lot of investigating of the crime, a lot of sex, and a lot of ZANY plots, which is very Maiden Lane to me. Would recommend.

Anna Campbell I've read little of so far, but the one I did try from her (Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed) gave me Hoyt vibes.

Amalie Howard's Daring Dukes series (spy dukes! pirates! so on!) definitely has a similar like, "dark but adventurous with lot of making out" sensibility.

Gaelen Foley's Ascension trilogy is like... You know, definitely a series written in the late 90s and early 2000s, BUT! I think part of why I glommed on to her writing so quickly was that ML/Hoyt feel. A lot of adventure, a lot of grit, characters who make gray choices, CAMP, hot sex.... Princess remains one of my favorite books I've read in a whiiiile. The Duke also gave me stroooong ML vibes, haven't been able to get into the rest of that series just yet (time management eludes me).

A "seedy underbellly clashing with high society" seires I'll always love and recommend is Joanna Shupe's Uptown Girls trilogy, about a trio of blueblooded sisters getting with markedly less blueblooded, and progressively more criminal, men.

Lorraine Heath's Sins for All Seasons series in particular can give you a bit of that rough and tumble ML vibe. It's about a group of siblings (some by actual blood others less so) who were all left with a "baby farmer" (which is to say, a woman who was basically paid to take care of, i.e. kill, rich men's bastards) and grew up and became these successes in the London underbelly. REEEEALLY good. Lorraine isn't as high heat as Hoyt, but she's one of my favorite writers for a reason, and she knows HIGH DRAMA like Elizabeth Hoyt does.

Scarlett Peckham may interest you! Her original trilogy surrounding a whipping house (tangentially in some cases) is The Secrets of Charlotte Street, and you may want to start there.

KJ Charles's Doomsday Books, about the criminal Doomsday family in the marsh, definitely has like, a sense of wry humor and high heat and gives you a peek at this organized criminal society.

Anne Stuart writes some pretty dark historicals, but they're all good (from what I've read so far) and they'll all give you a similar sense if you're up for it. And they're CRAZY. To Love a Dark Lord may be a good place to start, it's a little tamer than the others I've tried. (A Rose at Midnight remains my favorite I've read thus far, though.)

#romance novel blogging #romance novels #book recs

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larkawolfgirl · 2 years ago

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5, 20, 22, and 72 for the fic writing meme!

5. How many wips do you have? What fandoms/pairings are they for?

I have 5 that I have worked on recently.

-KKM- Conrad having at least a one-night stand with Adalbert and Julia (maybe more). (This is sitting as a wip because every time I think about writing the smut, I don’t write it lol).

-KKM- Murata courting Wolfram.

-KKM- A messed up situation where Yuuri and Wolfram both cheat on each other with Murata.

-Tales of Xillia 2- Julius and Ludger reincarnated.

-Stranger Things- Mike comes to terms with the fact that he likes Will but doesn’t want to break up with El.

I have 3 older ones, and 2 really old ones that I haven’t worked on in over a year but I still plan to finish at some point. I have a bunch of other random started things buried in my google docs and years-old bits and pieces saved on my external hard drive. Plus numerous other ideas living inside my head.

20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics?

I prefer writing canon or canon-divergent fics. I enjoy reading certain aus, but whenever I think about writing a detective au or something I just think that if I was going to write something like that I might as well just write an original story with the same idea.

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

I usually title my fics after. If I think about the fic enough before writing that I know the entire plot, then I can sometimes come up with the title first. I try to make my titles meaningful to the point of the fic. If I can use a title that does that and is relatable to the fandom, then even better. For example, I named "It's Hard to Let it Go" after the lyrics in Simple and Clean.

Usually, I first try to think of what the main theme or mood of the fic is. Then I try to think of saying or general phrases related to that. If I can't think of anything, then I try to think of song lyrics. I also sometimes just take a phrase from the fic to use as the title.

72. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

This comment on my Nier Automata fic Suffocation. They quoted my lines, showed that I gave them emotions, complimented my writing style, and even gave me nice constructive criticism.

OKAY I AM HERE FROM TUMBLR AS PROMISED IN MY TAGS ON THE REBLOG (IDK IF YOU READ TAGS BUT YEAH HERE I AM)

FIRST OF ALL; "He never knew what hit him, eyes still smiling." THAT LINE. That was /really/ well-executed. The way you structured the entire opening passage did a great job building up towards the fact that 2B was going to fall in love. And you dropped all these small things, taking the canon and using it like ammunition for the angst. It's good. Reeeeally good.

SECOND, "No, I called you Nines." THAT WAS LIKE A KNIFE IN THE CHEST. And then you followed it immediately with her telling him they're not friends. Your word choice for the dialogue through this bit was fantastic, and I pretty much read their lines in their voices. You really nailed 2B's distress and bottled up emotions to the reader throughout the piece, and you did it with relatively sparse wording! You showed instead of told and it /really/ worked here.

MOVING ON; "Desperation spurred her on until they were writhing together on her narrow bunk. I love you. I love you. The words spilled from her mouth." I'll be honest, this entire fic was making my chest tight with sadness but it was this part that really stood out to me as breathtakingly tragic. It's written with such a beautiful flow. The staccatos of "I love you. I love you." immediately following that longer sentence really worked for me. Also, the fact that it was her desperation and /sadness/ that drove her to bring him to bed with her again.. It made them sleeping together feel bitter rather than joyously intimate like it would be were their situation different. Lastly for this bit (and sorry for fixating on it but it's such a GREAT line), you managed to describe the act of them having sex as something almost ethereal and intangible rather than something animalistic and crude. It didn't feel at any point like I was reading something lewd; rather, it gave me an artistic mental image, almost like a painting.

NEXT, THE BREATH PLAY PART WHEW BUDDY THAT WAS LIKE MEGA OUCH. And, re: your A/N at the bottom, I believe I read somewhere in supplementary materials that 9S regarded the strangling as being intimate in a sick sort of way, like he was closer to her than ever. So, it might actually be realistic that he would enjoy/ask for breath play. Just a thought! In terms of the actual events there, wheeeeeewwwwww. "Phantom chills crept along his neck and for a moment she missed the thrum of his heartbeat." and then, later, "Without a word, she fled." Those were two very masterfully placed lines. Again, you made the act of having sex (which is sweaty and messy and altogether indecent) into something that felt like a poem. And then you said everything you needed to about how 2B was feeling in that short, five-word paragraph. It's really great stuff.

Lastly, and I'm sorry if this comes off as unkind in any way, but I do have a little bit of concrit for you. Only a little though, since most of this was REALLY solid.

-For your last line, one more repetition of "And again." would have left it on a somewhat more powerful note, I think. That's just my opinion though. :o

-"When the order came, she realized fondness had settled in her chest without her realizing." You used the word "realize" here twice and it did stick out. Perhaps something like "...she realized fondness had settled in her chest without her noticing" or if you don't mind a slightly bigger change, "...she realized fondness had grown in her chest unnoticed." (I find that 'unnoticed' tends to be a bit smoother a word choice than 'without her noticing,' but leaving the verb as 'settled' makes it sound a bit clunky there, in my opinion)

-"...one day he punched her right in the gut by asking..." This fragment feels out-of-place in terms of the word choice. Most the words you use are smooth and vivid; putting slang idioms like "punched in the gut" feels sort of like breaking the language palette you chose, if that makes sense?

Again, I don't mean to come off as unkind! The piece is fantastic and you maintained a rhythmic flow throughout most of it that wove despair and love together quite beautifully. I hope you keep writing!

#mcalhenwrites #ask meme

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