#i just want to write 300 words without a plot to explain it

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

sugar sugar rune x twst au word salad

“The heart is yours to take, but you must not allow yours to be taken.”

The concept of this AU borrows a lot of ideas from the animanga Sugar Sugar Rune! ^^ It’s an older shojo series that I always think of when Halloween season arrives. Sugar Sugar Rune is about two years witches who are best friends, Chocolat and Vanilla, who compete to capture the most hearts in the human world. Whoever is victorious will become queen of the Magical World—but with love comes danger. If their own hearts get stolen, then they can lose their lives.

I should add, I currently don’t intend to write a fic based on this, I just wanted to braindump my ideas out and speculate on how this AU would work.

And now, without further ado…!

I think a good place to start is to explain the key points about the world and other relevant lore! Then we will get into the characters. (No story spoilers though, this AU won’t follow the original plot of Sugar Sugar Rune to a T!)

So the Magical World of Sugar Sugar Rune is where all magical creatures, including witches and wizards, reside. In the Magical World, ecure (or hearts), crystallized emotions, serve as an energy source and currency. Mages must frequently venture into the Human World in order to "harvest "pick up"/harvest ecure since humans have the unique ability to regenerate their hearts even when already stolen. Contrasting humans, mages only have one heart. That means if a mage's heart is taken, they will surely die. When mages fall in love with one another, they exchange their hearts during their wedding vows. They have to be careful who they fall in love with, as they can literally "die of a broken heart" if their partner betrays them. It's ill-advised for a mage to fall in love with a human, as while humans lack the ability to "pick up" hearts, a mage has to voluntarily hand their heart over if they reach a certain point (the color red)

Speaking of red!! Ecure/hearts can come in various colors depending on the emotion associated with it. Each color (and thus emotion) is associated with a different value, which roughly aligns with the value of the Japanese yen. The values are, as follows:

Yellow or Jaune - surprise, fear (5 ecure)

Orange - love at first sight, crush, infatuation (300 ecure)

Green or Vert - friendship (350 ecure)

Rainbow - happiness, delight, amusement (500 ecure)

Pink or Rose - the beginning stages of love, sweet love (1000 ecure)

Purple or Violet - lust, forbidden love (2500 ecure)

Blue or Bleu - respect (3000 ecure)

Red or Rouge - passionate love (5000 ecure)

Black or Noir - hatred, jealousy (no known value, hurts mages) I think this works really well with the concept of Blot in Twst—

White or Blanc - innocence (no known value, purified black heart; has restorative or healing properties)

Besides serving as energy and currency, ecure are also a way of counting points for Queen Candidacy. In the Magical World, the ruler is determined not by birth by through a competition in which candidates compete to see who can collect the most ecure (I believe over the span of a year). In the original Sugar Sugar Rune, the two candidates are Vanilla and Chocolat. The former is shy, sweet, and sort of a crybaby, with her mother being the current queen. Chocolat is the daughter of the queen's former competitor and comes off as more of a brash tomboy.

So what I'm proposing for the Sugar Sugar Rune x Twst AU is :DD basically keep all the lore but replace the two protags with MALLEUS (as Vanilla) AND LEONA (as Chocolat). They won’t be besties like the original MCs were, but more like traditional rivals because it would be funny lmao

Malleus is the more regal and composed of the two (he is literally a crown prince), so he has that obvious parallel with Vanilla. Not only that, but he's more withdrawn and has deep insecurities about being alone (also similar to Vanilla). I think his reputation could play well into the AU as well; in the Magical World, everyone fears him so he’s used to being alone—but in the Human World, he’s beloved for being awkward and mysterious (reflecting the international Twst fandom’s adoration for the guy). Malleus would feel obligated to win to carry on his family’s legacy but also because he feels like if he doesn’t, he has nothing left. No friends, no people to keep at his side—but if he has the status of King, then he’ll have a whole nation looking to him. Since his mom is uh… “with the stars”, the current Magical World queen could be his grandmother, and Malleus may feel like he has that legacy to live up to.

Leona, like Chocolat, is the underdog. What he lacks in status (as crown prince) he makes up for in intelligence and charisma, which nets him many followers in the Magical World. He comes off as tough and hard to approach to humans who aren’t used to his demanding attitude though, so it puts him at a disadvantage in the competition. He’s very much the “bad boy” similar to how Chocolat wasn’t a traditionally girly girl, but it’s ultimately the heart of gold buried underneath his hard edges that will eventually put him toe-to-toe with Malleus. I think Leona’s reasoning for wanting to be King would be similar to what he expresses in his original source material—to prove himself worthy, regardless of the family or order he was born in. Maybe he was almost not considered to be a candidate at all and his brother Falena was supposed to compete? Or alternatively, Falena is Malleus’s real competitor but Leona snuck into the Human World as an upstart/self-imposed third entry ����

Chocolat and Vanilla have a mentor mage in the Human World named Robin (who is a famous rock star fjsvwisnksks). He’s the one who explains things to them and serves as their guardian figure while they room together and study at a human school for the Queen Candidacy.

What I’m thinking is that Leona and Malleus will venture into the Human World under the guidance of… Crowley 🤡 LISTEN, IT WOULD BE FUNNY Crowley does a lot of the exposition in Twst, so he could reprise that role here. He is also vain and thinks highly of himself (but ultimately cherishes his students) like Robin. Picture Crowley having to mediate between Leona and Malleus fighting every second of the day while living together—

That’s honestly all we need to replace to get the AU rolling. If we want to, we could expand the Queen (King now I guess) Candidacy to have more candidates. Then maybe the other Twst characters could also participate but the story could still center on Malleus and Leona as the two to “keep an eye on”/audience favorites.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this 🤔 but I do think this could be a fun AU for like. Yume/self insert scenarios so you can angst about whether your feelings are real or fabricated so [insert mage of choice here] can harvest ya like a plant… Or angst about not being able to be with [insert mage of choice here] because they might literally perish… Many possibilities!

[saulocept]

cardinal ache

pairing: totk! link/reader

rating: t

summary: You’re mad at him, angry, for reasons you can’t explain, not even to yourself. Naturally, he could tell, and apologizes to you in the only way he knows how – or perhaps, this too, is a confession some sort. You never know.

notes: this is more vibes than plot, sorry. wanted to get back to writing bit by bit so i'm sort of practicing again. hope i got this right. on another note, i'm opening requests as a belated celebration for reaching 300+ followers on this blog. guidelines can be found here. thanks for sticking around!

It’s cold enough in the cabin, colder still with the kind of silence surrounding you. Even with the furnace on, with the logs burning all around you – it’s still not enough to keep warm. Neither are the layers of clothes you’re wearing, thick and endless in your desire for survival. Outside, the snowstorm is relentless, unnatural in its persistence. You rub your hands together form warmth, pressing them against your cheek afterward, hoping the friction would be enough to transfer the heat to all remaining parts of yourself. It isn’t. It never is.

You shiver, grit your teeth, pretend you don’t notice the way your companion glances at you, the concern obvious in his eyes, pretend you couldn’t see the worry written plainly on his face, bared to no one else but you. You’re mad at him, after all; you had been for a while now, too caught up in your own jealousy to let him explain, or to explain to him yourself what’s happening. All you’re able to give him in turn is a silent treatment that’s lasted as long as this snowstorm.

It’s irrational, you know, senseless, even. Perhaps unnecessary too, if you’re only able to get hold of some responsible part of your brain. Link’s only doing his job, his duty as a knight (as well as the Hero of Hyrule) as best as he possibly can, and here you are, getting mad at something trivial, feeling something you’re not even supposed to feel. But you can’t help it, not really: feeling this way, acting on it, acting out – it’s as though some evil has taken root of your heart, giving control to all these emotions you know you shouldn’t even allow to get to you. It doesn’t help that you’re not entirely sure where you stand with him; you’ve known each other for a while now, accompanied each other in countless adventures, bonded long enough that you could almost think of him as a friend. But the two of you have done things that no mere friends should: shared a room, a bed, a kiss; spent a night in each other’s arms, enough times that you’ve lost count; lingered a little too long in the mornings each time it’s time to leave, as though you could somehow freeze the tenderness of the moment and stay in it forever.

You’ve never once talked about it. He’s never brought the topic up, and you’ve never been brave enough to call him out on it, content on whatever intimacy lies in the space between you, casual or otherwise; or perhaps, you’re simply too terrified to confront it, fearful to put a name on something that might disappear if you prod it too much.

But the nights only grow longer, colder. You’re not entirely sure how long the snowstorm has gone on, not sure how long you’ve been cooped up in this cabin, silent and not at all speaking; without ever seeing the sun, it’s hard to tell the hours, the days, whether a day has passed, or a whole week has gone by without your knowing. Still, you remain where you are. Too prideful for apologies, and too cowardly for confrontations, you sit there shivering from the cold, as far away from him as you can, while still remaining as close to the fireplace as possible.

“Cold?” he asks after a second, the first one to break the silence. There’s a hint of concern in his voice, genuine enough that it makes your heart flutter just a little, your anger melting for a fraction. For a moment, you’ve half the heart to ignore him, pretend you didn’t hear his words. A moment of silence passes, followed by another. You’re still thinking how to respond when his voice cuts through the silence once more, loud and firm: “Come over here.”

It’s not a request this time, but something stern, certain. A command, or something close to it. Still, he doesn’t let you dwell on it too much. He scoots over to you, huddling close enough that you feel the warmth of his body pressing against you, pleasant despite all your internal protests. For the briefest of moments, there’s a part of you that wants to be stubborn, to move away and bask in your anger until it consumes the rest of you, but something in him keeps you from doing so. Maybe it’s the warmth of his body against yours, or the way this sudden proximity lights up each one of nerve-endings on fire, just enough to kill off every protest you might’ve ever had.

A beat passes, and then another. You still don’t say anything, don’t do anything. You remain where you are, close enough that you could feel his warmth, hear him breathe. He’s the first one to speak. This time, his voice is soft, quiet, barely audible even in the growing silence between you. “You’re mad at me.” A statement, not a question, simple and straightforward, as though he’s been certain of it for a long time.

You frown, scoff, unable to keep the bitterness out of your voice, even now. “You’ve only just noticed?”

He ignores your comment. From the corners of your eyes, you see him scoot closer to you, turning his head so he can look at you fully. “I’ll make it up to you,” he declares, his voice steady, almost firm in its determination. You turn to him, frowning still, as though you’re not quite sure what you’ve heard, but he only repeats it once more, his voice loud, his words unmistakable. “Let me make it up to you.”

And then, before you can even say anything else, he’s making his move.

_

You should push him away, tell him no. A part of you knows he would’ve let you go immediately if you’d said the word out loud, if you’d even once dared to stop him: a hand on his chest, a shake of your head, some quick dismissal of a sort. But you haven’t, and he hasn’t yet stopped. He pins you down on the floor, kisses you again and again, enough to make you forget all thoughts. His mouth is warm against yours, his lips soft as they press against yours. There’s familiarity in his movements, certainty in his actions. It isn’t the first time the two of you have done this, but it’s the first time it’s ever felt this tense, this charged with atmosphere.

You’ve had him close him before, though in those moments, the lights are always off, too dark to make anything out of him: his face, the kind of expression he makes when he comes apart beneath your touch. But now, it’s different. Now, there’s the light of the fireplace behind you, and the flicker of the flames casts a soft glow upon him, makes him even more beautiful. Even the photographs you have of him in your locket wouldn’t do him any justice, nor would the poems that talk of him: the depths that hide behind his gaze, the brightness in a way that captures your reflection and makes it its own.

You wonder if this is his way of apologizing, trying to quell whatever anger sits in the pit of your stomach long enough to make you give him the silent treatment for long. Or maybe it’s something else. A confession, perhaps, or a show of vulnerability. You don’t want to ask him about it, afraid it’ll further ruin the moment, but you can’t rely on simple guesswork, or even your instincts. As if he could read your mind, however, he shakes his head, pulls back long enough to look at you. He places a finger against your lips, as if to shut you up. “Not now.” His voice is soft, a little raspy. “Don’t talk.”

You nod quietly, too startled to give him a proper response. Your heart races against your chest, and your mind swims with thoughts, none of which you can say out loud. Link smiles at you then, miniscule enough that it’ll be imperceptible had you not been this close. But you are, and it makes your heart flutter, your chest ache with a longing that your mind protests against.

Satisfied with what he perceives to be your obedience, he leans down, kisses you once more, long enough to leave you breathless. Even when it’s over, he lingers still, his face hovering inches away from yours as he stares at you, takes you in. You see your reflection in his eyes, and the look of longing in your eyes mirrors the one that sits inside your chest. It’s strange, almost embarrassing in the ache it carries, an echo so very similar to your own, and for a second, there’s a part of you that wants to look away, forget its existence, but something compels you to keep looking, keep staring.

There’s a tingle in your lips when he finally pulls away, a kind of warmth that makes you ache for more. When he starts to move away, your instincts begin to take root, take hold. Propelled by the weight of your desire, your hand moves, reaches out for the sleeve of his tunic, pulling him close, closer again. A moment of silence passes, one after the other. For the briefest of moments, you’re both frozen, not moving, not saying anything. You catch sight of his expression: the way his eyes widen just a fraction, imperceptible if you haven’t been paying any attention; there’s a flicker of surprise somewhere in there, perhaps at your sudden boldness.

It’s true; you’ve never been this brave before, at least not when you’re sober, and even now, you’re still not sure why you’re moving, why you keep trying to pull him closer: one hand on the back of his neck, the other still clutching at the hem of his tunic as you tug him back toward you without ever being certain as to why.

Everything that happens that is a blur, a little hazy. All you know is that he’s kissing you again, and it’s the different from all the kisses you’d shared before. There’s no gentleness to him now, none of the tenderness you’ve come to recognize from him. This time, it’s hungry, thick with something you can’t dare to say out loud. Desire, maybe, the same one that beats inside you like a second heart? Or perhaps, something else, something more – the kind you’re too terrified to name because it skirts too close to the truth you don’t want to acknowledge?

Either way, he doesn’t let you think much about it. He kisses you still, knocks the breath right out of your lungs, and it’s hot enough to make you forget the snowstorm outside. Sweat drips down your skin, and all of a sudden, your clothes seem far too thick, too much for the occasion. By the time it’s all over, you’re breathless and panting, your lips numb and swollen.

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. You stare at him. He stares at you. The expression on his face is unreadable, and you’re certain that yours look like an open book, the ache in there bared to display like a raw wound. You swallow the lump in your throat, try to find the words to speak, but nothing comes except the sound of his name, soft and raspy in your own voice. “Link.”

Even now, you wonder what that means. There’s desperation behind it, some sort of plea, though you’re not entirely sure why – or what for. A flicker of emotion passes in his eyes, brief enough that you catch wind of it before it goes away for good, and you wonder whether or not he understands it, what you’re saying, what you mean without you explaining yourself.

He moves closer, leans in. The warmth of his breath tickles your cheek. He looks at you, takes you in, and you feel your heart race against your chest, an echo of desire, a product of your longing, one you’re not sure you want to acknowledge. He remains quiet, doesn’t say anything, though there’s something in the way he looks at you now that makes you feel exposed, like he could read your mind, whatever thought you’ve kept hidden from him.

He leans in, lets his lips hover inches just above yours, close enough to kiss though not quite. His breath is warm against your lips as he remains still, waits, like he wants you to make the first move. A question, one that’s directed you. If you were less chained by your desire, you would’ve been more rational, more stubborn. You would’ve sat in your anger, demanded for a more cohesive answer, stoked the conflict until the truth is plain for you to see, to understand. But it’s too late for all that anymore. Now all that’s left of you is this longing, an ache palpable enough that you feel in your chest, everywhere in your body, hot and burning.

There’s no need to think, no time to come up with the proper words, the most human of answers. There’s only instinct now, driven by emotions, an echo of a need that feels too familiar, too intimate to be that of a stranger’s. Here comes the answer now, long-awaited in your own impatience. You pull him down toward you, and he doesn’t seem surprised by your actions to yelp and protest. He yields easily, without hesitation, and when you lean up to kiss him, he’s quick to kiss you back, eager and impatient, as though he’s waited a long time for this too.

[subway-boss-jericho]

Every time I make a tumblr post I get an intense itch to continue making tumblr posts and liveblog into the void. Dangerous. Addicting. Kind of funny. I try not to post too many rambles in a row but man. if it'll help me post more maybe that doesn't matter actually

Current random thoughts and experiences writing steady tracks chapter 2:

Today I went back and reread everything I've written in the last two years. I am pleased to report that almost nothing needed changed or fixed except for more recent things that hadn't been edited.

Apparently the thing that motivates me to write the most is creating a random, arbitrary side character with something wrong with their gender (affectionate) and giving them a sentence or two's worth of dialogue to transition the plot between parts I'm struggling with. So anyways keep an eye out for the new freak (affectionate) in chapter two to go along with frizzle from chapter one in the "i gave them a name and a gender and a single personality trait and now I'm emotionally attached" club. (2.5) ^ said new character doesn't use pronouns and only goes by name and jesus thats hard to write, but I feel like I've done a pretty solid job at making it not confusing

Speaking of pronouns. I can't go a day without a headcanon, apparently. So the next chapter is going to start off with a note explaining which nicknames I've given Ingo's and Emmet's pokemon plus which pronouns they use because damn man i guess weird genders and neo pronouns are just fun to write. These creatures are not confined by humans' societal gender expectations even slightly and i'm tired of pretending they should be. Biggest worry is that it will distract from the experience, but I'm doing my best to write it in a way that is as minimally intrusive as I can make it while still doing what i wanna do.

The formatting in this chapter has been like the funnest thing on the whole planet. I really hope someone enjoys this as much as I do, I'm having a blast. I had to figure out what ingo and emmet's last name is because I wanted emmet to write a follow up email to juniper. it's 1 word in a 300 word, single exchange email chain, but i sure did spend 45 minutes trying to find a name i liked.

jesus christ there are so many side characters in this chapter!! shit dude! the hardest thing for me to write is more than three characters in one place at one time. Not only am I characterizing Emmet's entire team, I've also got a whole goddamn battalion of named depot agents with distinct personalities and pokemon teams.

jirachi's fuckin tanzaku i am 9k words in and ingo hasn't even shown up yet! i feel like this chapter is going to need to be a minimum of 15k words. surely. and by need to be I mean it needs to be that long in order for it to stop where I want it to, narratively.

Could this have been multiple posts? yeah! but as I just said and as anyone who's ever read steady tracks should know from experience I just need the thought to keep going until it gets to a place I'm satisfied, and today that's one Real Long Post about how steady tracks is goin

anyway man if anyone ever wondered if i was still writing steady tracks and how that's been, yeah, I sure have. It hasn't been fast and it hasn't been easy but jirachi alive tehy live in my brain. You can really tell how starting college affected my energy and burnout levels by examining my progress on chapter 2. the relationship is Linear

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Hi! It’s you, surprise!

Anyway, I’m so mentally ill over “the stars claim them” a d I love it I love it I love it. Ever now and then I’ll think to myself “hey, what’s a good fic to read?” And every time it’s yours.

It’s just like [image of cat eating a box] and just so good. It honestly might get printed out and bound into an irl book just so that I can actually bite it.

(I am working so hard not to get off topic)

I don’t think I’ve ever found it harder to explain my love for something with actual words. Your writing alone is incredible. I think I’ve already said this in a comment but I am constantly on the edge of my seat waiting to see what you do next, and you write all of the character so well.

Never before have I wanted this much to reach into a fan-fictional world and scoop out an oc with my hands and just hold them like a tiny little kitten. (Technically accidentally did that with a character anyway but ah well)

Plot aside, because I’m already talking characters, I love the cast you’ve chosen so so so so so so much, I love the diversity and headcanons. And I especially love the dynamics and interactions with each other. And the parallels, oh my goo the parallels in character pairings that pop up occasionally. (Lyf and Micheal, Tim and Grifter’s Bone guy (his name evades me), even just the whole vampire Gerry thing)

Which reminds me, you’ve managed to have at least one reference to wtnv in every book so far, is this deliberate or just art?

Okay, I could talk characters all day so let’s move onto plot now and I’ll ramble about individuals later. 300+ (or something) chapter slow burn my beloved. And then everything just tumbling around around it is just wonderful.

Lyf was just out here trying to live their best life and then things just kept happening to them over and over and over and over again, first the prisoners, then the train, then the prisoners again, then the void, then space, then Nastya, then death, then earth, then the spooks, then the mechs, then the spooks, then the mechs, then the circus, then the mechs, then probably some more spooks, then [see last three lines].

Poor inspector is in the washing machine of happenings.

And of course, gotta adopt a family along the way because, as Batman has shown us, the best way to recover from your whole family dying is to just adopt more.

And the whole chaos avatar screwing with all the other fear’s shticks is an incredible concept and I adore it. I also find it beautifully hilarious. Do you think Lyf could just rainbow people like they did Gerry to help them escape their entity? Instead of like, eye stabbing?

And the fact Lyf sees the fears in colours and one of the first people they meet in Gerry, who originally referred to them as colours in the show, is just fabulous. And then Lyf being all the colours is also marvellous.

(I feel like I’ve been going too long, am I going too long?)

There’s just so many little plot points that I adore that I can’t remember them all at once let alone put them in words so maybe I’ll just doom spam ask you a live rereading so that I get all the bits.

This story is my soul, my life, I am empty without it. Anyway, off to go read it again probably.

Thank you for writing, I love it so much.

!!!!!!!

Thank you so much! I've really loved writing this story, and seeing other people enjoying it to similar levels is beautiful. And no worries about getting off topic or going too long-- I've written this story for over a year. If anyone's going too long here . . .

But anyway. Let's chat!

If you (or anyone else!) ever get this story printed out and bound, I would love to see it <3

I'm so glad you enjoy the writing and characters, too! I personally love my characters and try to let them guide the story as much as possible, so hearing that I write them well is fantastic. So. Thanks!

(And I get the feeling. I've literally made tiny knit dolls for some of my OCs along with my TMA and Mechs ones. Brenn and Juniper my darlings, for instance. And my Lyf, of course. That doll has now crossed so many state lines because I keep bringing them on road trips and the like with me. . .)

Character parallels too. . . yeah, there's a lot that can be said about the way characters parallel and interact and misunderstand each other, and I love writing them doing that. It's fun to consider, and I love it :)

The washing machine of happenings. . . yeah, that sounds about right :D

Heh, adopting a new family to cope with losing one is certainly a way to put it! Not sure how well that works, for Lyf or for Batman, particularly when said New Family also gets into danger, but. . . yep!

Could Lyf just rainbow people to help them escape from an entity? Likely! It would hurt a LOT, though, and it'd probably end up having consequences, you know? Whether it's that the person in question becomes a chaos magnet, or whether they'd be able to break reality too. . . yeah, that's an interesting one to ponder.

I love that, yep!

I'd love to see your thoughts if you do that, whether it's on here or on Ao3! Like I said, I've been writing this for more than a year now, and I really do love talking to people about it.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts like this, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story! We've got some fun times ahead. . .

[sassypotatoe1]

Oh by the way I once attended a writing seminar in early high school and the journalist/author presenting it insisted that you have to keep a notebook on you at all times and write down EVERYTHING that even remotely grabs your interest. Like yeah you'll end up with a notebook full of "this guy at the coffee shop tried to carry 4 drinks without a cup holder and absolutely ate shit and then asked for a mop so sadly you could almost physically see the rain cloud above his head" but you also now have a great way to describe a similar scene in your book.

My postgrad writing class had a vignette assignment, and the task was to make the most boring setting sound as interesting as possible in 300 words. I won, because I wrote about the security guard at the cafeteria checking till slips and how tired everyone looked because it was exam season, like much better than that though, and people were actually shocked silent for a good 3 minutes after I read mine aloud.

Anything can be a good idea, it just depends on the value you attach to it and the effort you're willing to put into it. I made a vignette about a security guard checking receipts sound like Shakespeare (in the words of one of my classmates) because I didn't say "the security guard diligently checks every receipt as students leave to continue exam prep" I got his name and said "as tired as the students are of repetition and reviewing this time of the semester, they don't hold a candle to Steve, who faces the repetitive reviewing of students' receipts every day for the whole year and never fails" and like, is it my best work? Nah I was exhausted and it was exam season, but I managed to use the humanity of the experience to give life to my writing. I wanted to do Steve justice, so I gave him life in my writing.

Any silly little idea you've ever had has value, it all just comes down to whether or not you choose to pursue it. I like older fiction writing because a huge chunk of it is exposition, and it's floral, and I know that's not everyone's thing but I absolutely love reading about Elvira's drive up to her cousin Jeffrey in her old blue Ford fiesta, with her mongrel coward dog in the back seat.

A lot of modern writing forgoes exposition because the current trendy assumption is that people don't want to be explained at when they read fiction, and that people's attention spans are too short for exploring the mechanics of a world and they just want to get to the plot, but I think there's value in talking about the guy eating shit with four drinks in hand and asking for a mop, even if it has no bearing on the plot. It gives your story life, and it does the people you base it on justice.

The Shape of Ideas

[aelaer]

Sigghhhh.

Brain has been uncooperative.

I've been trying to get the prompts I have in my ask inbox done so I can have something small, but completed. Almost all of them spiraled into mini stories instead of NICE and SHORT little SNIPPETS. Little whumpy nonsense prompts just went BUT HOW ABOUT A PLOT TO EXPLAIN WHY IT HAPPENED.

And on the three plotty multi-chapter fics I do want to get going, brain is silent.

I'll try to get just... a couple hundred words out a day or something. Eventually something will finish itself. Eventually.

[jamieedlund]

What's ur favorite hc for Aaravos?

This is a surprisingly hard question to unpack for a lot of reasons- but I'll do my best to articulate myself (ง •_•)ง

I think this spoke for itself but just in case, here is a short elaboration: if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be this.

He is someone who - despite all of the odds, despite how the world treated to him, despite being ridiculed, subjected to the worst torture known to man(yes solitary confinement is considered one of the most inhumane methods of torture) for over 300 years and had his name dragged through the mud for literal centuries-

-could still smile so brightly and sincerely like that, affirming that he does, with all of his heart, still very much love this world. However twisted that love might be, however difficult it was for him to learn how to use and express that love in a healthy way, it still speaks volume about who he is as a person.

Now if you have the time, allow me to explain bellow. If not, stop here, the question is basically answered 🙏💗 Thank you for reading!

Hello, if you're reading this that means you are willing to listen/read more about my thoughts and therefore I expect you to have a leveled head and a polite attitude to what I'm about to say.

If not then why are you here there was LITERALLY A STOP BUTTON. Please click off this post, what are you doing with your life wasting it hate watching me? 

With that being said, hello! fellow polite person who is reading this - - - Spoiler there is no illust down here because I'm running low on time on my thesis I'm so sorry ;;A;; Here is the elaboration to why this is my default favorite headcanon!

While I am aware of the amount of WILDLY different headcanons that exist out there for him, which are very popular within the fandom and even taken as gospel, I strongly feel that mine isn't really aligned with some, if not most of the hc out there at all.

Personally, I don't even agree with the canon version of in him ss4.

I'm assuming that you are asking me about my- personal favorite headcanon for him so for now, my answer will be: Ignoring the terrible characterization of him in season 4, my absolute favorite thing about him has to be: Despite everything, despite what everyone says about him, despite how the world perceives him

He is

without a doubt

Someone who loves this world very much.

Again this all ties in with what I'm going to present in my thesis, so I can't elaborate on it too much without giving any spoilers to the case I'm going to present for him. But for now, and especially right now at the time of writing this, they just released another vaguely worded and filled to the brim with plot holes short story regarding his past ... I-- hm I sincerely have no intention to keep up with the series... Therefore my hc will definitely contradict vastly with the horrendous plot holes ridden pre-established canon

-which then made the act of answering to this question exceedingly difficult due to the way I personally perceive him.

To wrap it up, all I want to say is, we could have had it all, a character who would make us cry, laugh and want to root for, had they written him with love and care, rather than trying to stuff him into the shoes a villain, which just felt forced and unnatural. Villains who are terrible only to be stopped have been overdone, and for tdp to be another generic show is a huge waste of potential

Wouldn't most of us have killed for, finally, an antagonist who isn't actually the antagonist but rather the very system that these people are experiencing is the actual villain ? ? ?

Best of all, they could have contrasted this with Callum, our protagonist. In Callum's case, despite being portrayed as one of "the good guys" or "heroes", he has all the reason to hate the world. This in turn create a complex narrative about the nature of people - Or in this case, the hero acting morally righteous despite hating the world vs the guy who was deemed evil and terrible by the world and yet still loves it with all of his heart. It could have been a heart-warming story about how two individuals find their way in this messed up world-- but nope~ non of this is canon :DDD

When in the history of television has any shows have a twist with the "hero" and "villain" ditching their role immediately to become a neutral party to reflect all the flaws in the world they live in? ? ? TDP had the perfect setup, but then proceeded to drop all of the balls spectacularly in ss4...

I always try my best to not touch ss4 but it feels almost impossible to talk about Aaravos w/out addressing the disservice that it did to his character. And that is all, I have to say for now~

Sincerely, thank you for reading.

[psychewritesbs]

Chapters 191-194: Sakurajima Colony: Buck-buck! Some arcs are really just not that eggciting and that’s ok

Sort of happy JJK-Sunday? 

I must admit that while I loved Kin-chan vs. Kashi-chan because their dynamic was just absolutely fantastic, this little Naoya the Cursed Yarn Ball vs. Girl Boss Maki why is she wearing a little cape tho?! mini-arc has felt like a total drag.

I so have not been eggcited about this mini-arc one bit.

Pu-kyu, my new assistant, agrees 300%. 

But there’s a few things that have been on my mind that I wanted to write down because, let’s face it, I love to word vomit about irrelevant plot tangents.

Without further ado, here are 10 observations I’ve made over the last few chapters! There's absolutely no sign of intelligence beneath the cut...

1. FFS, why is Maki wearing a little cape?

I hate Maki’s little cape there I said it on main. It makes the Fashion Diva in me want to style her or something like that.

Gege, please. Can we please get rid of the little cape? Cardcaptor Sakura’s Tomoyo or Tokyo Babylon’s Hokuto need to make a cameo and style her up.

Hokuto would gladly put Maki into some Dolce since JJK has that collab with Dolce & Gabbana and all.

This Girl Boss androgynous look is hot and I love Maki playing into it. Even if it’s just a facade for a girl who had to act confident to thrive in a man’s world.

The little cape? NOT HOT.

Not me gatekeeping Maki bahaha

2. “Even cursed spirits feel pain”

In all seriousness tho. This has probably been the one thing that has really got my interest. I’ve already written about how I became a Cursed Spirit apologist thanks to the cockroach that Gege graced us with.

But I have to say that I’ve loved how Gege brought back the idea of a Cursed Spirits’ consciousness in these last few chapters.

I immediately noticed and loved that the Yarn Ball was totally Naoya-like in its interactions and speech.

Which I thought it was fascinating because if the body = the soul = the mind (ego personality)... then, not only is his form very fitting (a worm and... a Yarn Ball?), but there’s something about how a vessel (the body) can change to better reflect the mind/soul--Mahito’s specialty. 

I don’t know how to explain better just yet. I just love that an ego personality can have a different vessel and have continuity of existence even when the vessel looks different or the original vessel “died”.

It tells me a will (ego/mind/personality) has to be really, really strong to create a new vessel for itself in order to carry out its desires. In Naoya’s case, his will created a new vessel for the sake of avenging his pride after he was defeated by Maki the first time.

This all feels very Soul Eater in a sense...

But it’s not just this idea of a will creating a new vessel for itself, it’s the idea of a Cursed Spirit having a consciousness of it being alive to begin with.

Once you start messing with the idea of sentience, you are on another level.

Again, I brain rotted about this idea in the liveblog for chapter 175.

I just love this theme and idea because it set the stage for a rebellion against humans, the very creators and source of energy for Cursed Spirits.

In showing that even a Cursed Spirit feels pain, I also get this feeling that Gege is inviting his audience to sympathize with Cursed Spirits.

I also loved that around the time this particular chapter came out, Chainsaw Man 2 dropped its first chapter featuring a very similar motif.

I can’t quite put my finger on it just yet but I love that Fujimoto is playing with the same concept that Gege has introduced into JJK--as a living being with a consciousness of its own (created by collective human thought no less), a Cursed Spirit or Devil has every right to exist and thrive.

It’s a hell of a morally gray dilemma because Cursed Spirits and Devils alike cause havoc for humanity. But in the end, at least in JJK, the problem comes back to the fact that we created them through our own unconsciousness.

Unless you are a Jujutsu Sorcerer, then you channel your cursed energy into a Cursed Technique instead of unconsciously creating curses.

Which kind of reminded me that the crazy master plan in this whole thing is to bring back the Golden Age of Cursed Techniques...

3. Heian, the Golden Age of Cursed Techniques

So, let’s remember that the Culling Game is one massive shit show to bring about the evolution of human kind honestly I don't even know at this point, I thought it was more about Hakari’s abs at one point.

I’m stumped because as bored as I am with this battle, I feel like Gege is still dropping important details.

Cursed Spirits are basically a non-factor in a world where humans gain a deeper understanding of their Cursed Energy and use it more productively.

After all, the whole purpose of these concurrent battles taking place is to help sorcerers and non-sorcerers deepen their understanding of cursed energy.

We already suspect that Kenny is going to do something about the colonies that have reached a point where only the strongest sorcerers remain. The question is what?

This is an interesting can of worms because Cursed Technique seems to be intimately tied to the user’s personality (mind) in a symbolic or literal way.

Also, let’s not forget everybody’s favorite Daddy Sukuna, chaos himself, is a prodigy when it comes to Cursed Energy manipulation through Cursed Technique. 

So what is going to happen?!

Idk I’m rambling at this point.

Honestly, this is why this mini-arc is driving me nuts’o. 

There’s so many amazing, unanswered questions about the plot and instead we get a Maki vs. Naoya the Yarn Ball battle do over.

A cat vs. Naoya the Yarn Ball would have been far more entertaining.

4. Not all arcs are created equal

Bahaha, I feel really bitchy saying that and yet I want to honor how I feel about JJK right now. 

Right now, as much as I love JJK, this particular mini-arc/battle is not easy to get through.

But I’ve been watching anime for a very loooooong time and I’ve been reading a lot of manga recently and something has become very clear to me because of it...

Yeah this mini-arc isn’t my favorite in JJK but it’s just an arc. Every manga I have read lately has arcs that are a drag to get through. It’s just how it is.

Some arcs are eggciting af, others aren’t.

No manga is perfect.

5. Mangaka and the pressure to create in order to feed a capitalist system

Manga is truly a treasure to mankind--they are beautifully told stories about the reality of being human.

Mangaka take on that privilege of sharing those stories with an audience. 

Telling these stories requires courage. In telling these stories, mangaka are putting themselves out there, they are baring the inner-universe within their heart and soul for all to see.

The characters they create are reflections of inner-selves exploring the world of their imagination.

I am a huge believer in having a consistent habit of creation. If you are a writer, you write; if you are a painter, you paint.

But sometimes, creativity doesn’t quite work like that. Sometimes creativity needs to marinate an idea to bring it to fruition. After all, despite capitalism’s focus on hustle culture, creativity is not linear. 

All that to say that I have all the more respect for mangaka because they work under strict and constricting schedules that are not necessarily conducive to shipping the best creative work.

I’ve read many a manga that probably could have used more time to develop and expand on its themes. Shingeki no Kiojin is the latest example as I did not like the ending very much and felt like Isayama could have done a much better job given how much of a detailed writer he proved to be.

But that’s just my personal opinion and I know it is not shared by everyone.

In other words... 

I am looking forward to JJK getting exciting again and hope that Gege is able to ship his best creative work despite his schedule.

Beware of Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan), x/1999, Akatsuki no Yona and Tokyo Babylon panel spoilers below.

6. Recycling panels or panel parallels?

One of my favorite things in the world is catching panel parallels in manga by different authors... like Shingeki no Kyojin and x/1999 below:

Akatsuki no Yona and Tokyo Babylon:

Sometimes there are manga parallels used by the same authors but in different manga titles of theirs like in CLAMP’s xxxHolic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

Or, in this case, even within a single manga by a single author:

These 2 panels of Megumi and Maki aren’t exactly the same, but I couldn’t help but notice them and I wondered whether Gege was just recycling panels or whether he is making a bigger statement paralleling Megumi and Maki’s growth as they learn to value themselves.

In particular Megumi learned there was a vast difference between risking his life to win and throwing away his life to win.

For Maki, I love that she’s so certain that in the next five minutes she will be as good as new. That’s the nature of her newfound powers. 

But above all, I found it interesting that Kamo tells Maki they “can’t afford to lose her at this stage”.

Right now Kamo has a majorly huge death flag.

7. When Gege makes you care about characters you didn’t know you cared about, does that mean he’s about to kill them? 

I swear JJK characters have super heroic deaths and that’s why they hurt like hell.

The whole sequence with Maki and Kamo actually reminds me of Nanami’s death because of the setup leading to it and the Megumi/Maki panel parallels I shared above. In other words, Nanami realized how valuable Megumi was to the battle and stepped in to protect him the way Kamo is doing the same.

Perhaps that’s what the panel parallels are trying to say here.

Another heroic death example I cannot not mention is...

Kokichi ;-; ...

Gege is so good at creating this feeling of--”man this character is so cool and I admire their mindset and can relate to them on an emotional level and I love that aaaaaaaand... now they’re dead.” 

Gege is just not afraid to kill or hide any of his characters.

And now... we have Kamo trying to get self-sacrificial and heroic. 

It’s sad to me that he spent so much time and effort in being the perfect heir and doing things as the perfect heir should do them so that he could live up to the title and make a place for his mother in the clan.

But now his mother has moved on with her life (as is implied in the latest chapter) and he’s no longer the head of the clan.

The things he had identified his sense of self with have vanished.

And so now, he sees no value in himself other than in sacrificing himself for his comrades.

But... I have to be honest that Kamo’s line regarding his decision to sacrifice himself felt predictable to me.

So perhaps this could be a red herring? We did get two new players thrown into the mix who are going to complicate things further.

Whatever the case, Gege has made me care about Kamo because he’s made him incredibly relatable in a couple of pages max.

Gege truly does have a talent for characterization.

8. Chapters 135 and 136

Um, hello? I need a re-read of the last few chapters of the Shibuya Incident. So much is paying off in the current arc but in a way that feels like Gege has been world-building. 

In particular, chapter 64 marked the end of Gege world-building the first stage of JJK. He then proceeded to undo everything he had done by tearing it down throughout the Shibuya Incident.

He then gave us a ton of exposition during the last chapters in the Shibuya Incident, and it feels to me like he’s using the Culling Game to show and expand upon some of the plot points that he introduced during those chapters.

9. Incest in JJK

Did Gege just imply that Mai and Naoya...???

Right, so we start the chapter with a nice little philosophical spill by the Yarn Ball.

Something about learning an ability and it becoming second nature. Yadda-yadda-yadda.

But then...

To which Naoya responds...

Uh.

...

Ways to interpret this interaction:

Naoya just wants to say something hurtful to Maki (this was my initial interpretation)

Naoya just wants to say something really REALLY hurtful to Maki and so he chose to reveal the thing that would hurt the most--Naoya did “adult things” with Mai (this was my interpretation after wondering what being an adult had to do with Mai... and then it hit me lol)

Is this innuendo surprising considering Megumi was Mai’s first crush?

Not to mention everybody’s favorite JJK siblings with questionable morals, Mei Mei and Ui Ui.

Anyways. Not sure whether Gege meant to use innuendo in that interaction, but he sure loves his incest trope lol.

10. BONUS

Ok there really is no #10. I just wanted to end on an even number.

Again, if you’ve made it this far in this ramble, thank you. I always notice the same people liking what I write and I am very grateful that you read my rambles.

Please do stop and say hi if you are up for it. I love talking to others in fandom!

Until next time!

Happy JJK-Sunday!

[ifeelsounsure0]

Year End Thank You

TW: Very Sentimental. I am still at the age where I am perhaps overly prone to being sentimental about things so if that triggers you. Please go wait till my next post in the new year.

 Foreword: Well according to my first post. I’ve been a part of this community for 48 days now. Such a short amount of time compared to the eons that the writers who I said inspired me have been on here. Nonetheless, I want to take the time to thank everyone who I’ve gotten to know in this community in those 7 or so weeks that I’ve been here. Words could not adequately convey my gratitude to you all but they’ll have to suffice.

 @midnightdancingsol: My beloved Celestial. Milord. What can I say to you that would convey how much I love you? I still vividly remember the day I sent you my first draft for Part 2 of Finding Love at 10 pm and just went to sleep right after. When I woke up in the morning, I had almost 300 notifications from all the edits you put onto the piece. Granted they were nothing horrible but I will be the first to admit that I have learned so much about writing and grammar simply from your corrections, even if they sometimes made me feel bad because I read them in a disappointed dad voice. Nonetheless, I love you so much mate and I hope you have a lovely 2022.

 @v1ntrix: The other half of the Celestial pair even though I like to call you the god of the Underworld. To say that we are similar would be an understatement. Never in my life would I have ever thought that I would meet someone in Discord who is so annoyingly similar to me and yet just different enough to avoid driving me insane. Our conversations sometimes make me forget that we met in this community and not on some strange philosophy or gaming server. Still, they’ve been some of the most fun that I’ve had in a long time. I don't really know what else to say to you. Thank you for dealing with my low self esteem and low opinion of myself, I don't think many people would be able to. Take care of yourself this coming 2022 and I can’t wait to talk to you again.

 @ggidolsmuts: Ddeun, ddeun. To say that my plots and plot line wouldn’t be the same without you would be underplaying your role. I am so grateful that even before I published my first fic, you took your time to talk with me about elements of my plot and the characters that I wanted to build. Truthfully, I don’t think the characters of So Hee and Sana in Finding Love would be who they are without your advice. For that, I am forever grateful. I wish I had more time to read all of your fics, there are so many and I know they’re amazing so I promise. One day I will get to them. For now, I just wanted to wish you an amazing 2022.

 @worldsover: The newest addition to my growing pool of people that I torture with my writing. Well… to say you’re an amazing writer, I think it would be a tad bit too obvious, so I’ll avoid mentioning it entirely. Thank you for taking your time to edit my latest fic, I know dealing with my stupidity can’t be easy but I am really thankful that you took your time to explain to me how to improve my writing. Hopefully, people can recognize that improvement, but nonetheless, I feel as though it has made my writing better, and I am my own greatest critic. I just wanted to wish you a happy new year and a happy birthday to one of my favorite writers.

 @writerpeach: I love your work, Peach. There’s really not much else to say. You’re an amazing writer, and I hope you continue to grace this small community with your works. Even though at times, I do feel a little pang in the heart when you tell me off for momming people, I still think you’re a lovely person. Thus, I wish you all the best in the coming year and hope that you’re able to at least be a little happier than you were this previous year.

 @lockefanfic: I know you’re on vacation, but perhaps you’ll read this when you come back. You’re probably the single greatest inspiration for me in writing than everyone else. BT was a fic that I fell in love with as soon as I started to read it, and I can only hope to capture a fragment of the world-building that you were able to accomplish within my own works. I hope you continue to enjoy your vacation and return to us soon. Much love.

 @justkajin: What to say. What to say. What to say. You were the first writer I ever read on this platform and the first person I ever messaged. You’re a beautiful person Kajin and an absolute pleasure to chat with. I don’t think there’s anyone who’s advocated for positive mental health as much as you have, and I think that’s an amazing thing. It hurts to see you write your final goodbye on planetport, and I hope that you change your mind later on, but know that no matter what, I still love and adore you. Even if you no longer write, I hope you stay on and keep giving us those fun comments that brought me so much joy when I first started. Hopefully, 2022 will be better for you, and I wish you all the best.

 @kaedewrites: One of our resident cuties and our resident cheater, although that title seems up for contention by some Suzy Stan, so we’ll have to see. Although we sometimes love to make fun of your slow writing speed and tendency to change favorites on the fly, I still love and adore you so much. I remember the day of my Math final when you texted me to ask if I was okay because I hadn’t been talking all day, and honestly, that meant so much to me. You’re such a cutie, and I hope you have a fantastic 2022 and some news about your beloved Chaewon.

 @kpopflorxl: It seems only fair to put your name after Kaede’s since you two were my first ship when I entered this strange community and will always be my favorite. I'm sorry about the drama that happened so early on in my career, and I'm really thankful that we were able to put it past us. You're a wonderful person, and I adore you a lot. It pains me to see you no longer writing in this Tumblr world, but I hope that you're enjoying whatever endeavors you're working in right now. I wish you all the best in 2022, Flor, and all the happiness in the world.

 @sinswithpleasure: BL5? No, I’m kidding, or am I? I don’t know what to say, mate. Gamble made me discover parts of me that I didn’t even know existed, and for that, I will be forever thankful. You’re such a fantastic person who always has valuable insights about relationships and life in general, so I cannot really express how much I truly cherish you. Hopefully, this coming year will go amazingly for you, and I cannot wish you anything but the best.

 @mintwithchoco: It takes a particular person to stay with Sins and contain the destructive force that is his mind, but you somehow accomplish it. To me, you are the resident Yeji Stan no matter what nonsense Kaede tries to pull, but I think, more importantly, you have my favorite Lippie piece on Tumblr right now, and for that, I adore you. I hope that you have an incredible 2022 and that you can continue to put out amazing works for all of us to enjoy.

 @asmodeussoularium: The cutest, and I mean the absolute cutest F1 fan within our little community. There’s no one else I would rather rely on for F1 recaps after the race when I had a final on the day of Abu Dhabi, so I couldn’t watch Verstappen win. I digress tho. An amazing writer who contributes more to Sins Corp more than Sins himself and definitely the one with the cutest pfp on Discord, and it’s not even close. A quick confession. The pfp made me rethink berets. Anyways, I wish you all the best in 2022 Asmo, and I can’t wait to read your next work.

 @co-reborn: Skips over after realizing he doesn’t follow me back. Fucking jackass. Well, I don’t know what to say, mate. I love your work. Obedience is by far one of my favorite interpretations of Mina within our community and there’s not much about your work that I can really hate. I do hope that sometimes you would stop fucking bitching about your follower and note count when I still have significantly less than you, but I digress. You’re still a wonderful person, and I hope that you have an amazing 2022. Perhaps maybe even see the light of Loona. One can only hope.

 @panchatea: The newest arrival into the Sins Corp Universe and another absolutely adorable writer who I may have seen dox himself once or twice and I gotta admit is an absolute cutie IRL as well. I love your attention to detail in your fics and your absolute obsession with presenting idols as accurately as possible, even though the conclusions of your fics may make me sad. Nonetheless, I hope that this coming 2022 is absolutely amazing for you, mate, and I can’t wait to see what you write this year.

 @nsfwmaemi: Another cutie and our resident Eunbi Stan second only to Peach himself. I’ve had so much fun talking to you about so many things, and it’s always a pleasure to talk to you. However, I have not yet had the chance to hear you sing, and I wish to hear this one day. Hopefully, you will grant me that wish this upcoming year. Still, I wish you a fantastic 2022 Maemi and all the happiness in the world.

 @usedpidemo: My favorite symbol, even though I will always think of you as a slice of pie whenever I say your name in my head. Delete this is an amazing series, and I won’t let some crazy anon tell you otherwise. You’re an amazing writer, and I hope that you grow more confident in your skills this year and continue to put out amazing works for us all to read. In the end. I hope that 2022 is a happier year for you than 2021 was. Take care of yourself, mate.

 @fillinforlater: Well… what the hell am I supposed to say about you. You’re a glory-seeking fool for being a Bayern fan, and I hate your guts. No, that doesn’t quite sound right. You’re an incredible person Smite. The person that I have gotten to know through discord is someone who is beautiful and amazing and someone that I would wish all the happiness in the world to. You’re amazing, love, and I hope you have the greatest year of your life in 2022.

 @banananutsmuthie: BNS. The writer with the cutest logo and the absolute best blog page out of any of us. I wish I would’ve gotten to talk to you more this year, and I hope to talk to you more this upcoming year. You’re an amazing writer, and I’m really excited to see where you take your writing from here. I wish you all the best, and I hope that 2022 will be an incredible year for you.

 @turtleturbulence: One of our newer writers and my absolute favorite reptile. Well, what is there to say. He is the, and I mean the IU Stan, and nothing's gonna change that. We have far too many interests in common, and when I say that sometimes your proposals make my heart flutter, I wouldn’t be lying. You’re such a cutie, and I’ll forgive you for not having part 2 out yet. Nonetheless, I wish you all the best in the future and can’t wait to talk to you again.

 @moonrazeeclipse: I’ll add a short bit for K since I really haven’t gotten to talk to him a lot. Thank you for noticing that I was on Pi’s discord; even though I know that may seem like a minuscule thing, it does make me realize that I am not as invisible as I sometimes hope I am. I hope you have an amazing 2022, mate, and can put out more amazing fics with Pi or by yourself.

 @nsfwflint: How could I describe you, Flint? Oh, I know. You’re like my opinionated old Uncle, who’s still in touch but just has very and I mean very strong opinions. Although most of them are generally right, we do tend to disagree on some things at times. I think you’re a great person Flint and funny even though you may hate my guts because I play blue in Magic 😂. I hope you have an unforgettable 2022 and continue to put out works at your absolutely rapid-fire pace.

 @cataboliac: The newest addition to our very special thread within the lounge. I’m glad you joined, and I absolutely love your writing, so I can’t wait to see more of it in the coming year. I wish you were online more so we could talk a bit more, but still, I hope you have an amazing 2022 and all your wishes come true.

 @existslikepristin: Or as I like to call him, boss. The founder of the great place where we all meet and the man I can accredit this fantastic opportunity to meet all these people listed above. Thank you for helping to build this community and making me feel like a welcome part of it. I know that my addition to the latest assignments post was definitely a late admission. However, I’m still ever so thankful that you chose to add me along with so many great writers that I look up to. I wish you a great 2022, boss, and hope everything goes exactly as you imagine.

And last but not least. To my beloved followers and readers. This wouldn’t be possible with all 500+ of you and I love you all so much. Hopefully, I will continue to impress you in the future. Anyways, I wish you all a Happy New Year. Love ya’ll.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Millie’s Massive Fic Rec Post

To celebrate 700 followers I’m showing all the love, people. What you’ll find here are fics that were sent to me who I agree deserve a bit more love as well as fics I’ve read and adored. They’re split into characters so all you need to do is scroll to find your fave and bask in its glory. There is some swearing but it’s only because it’s the only way I know how to express my feelings. This is also my thank you to each of the authors involved for taking the time out of their day to write these fics for free. There are also some authors I know I’ve forgotten and I am so so sorry if I have, I promise you it wasn't intentional, I love you all very much.

As always, I love and appreciate you all. Let’s get started on this ridiculously long post!!

Harry Potter:

Don’t Walk Away - @kalimagik - THE ANGST. I was on the edge of my seat through it all; I knew what was coming but did I look away? No. I was completely sucked it and that ending... oh my god, I was broken. If you’re looking for an incredibly written piece of angst that has you in tears, then this is the fic.

Dandelions - @lupins-sweater - The first post of A Very Harry Potter Summer and it was kicked off so brilliantly!! This fic had me wishing for my very own Harry to take morning walks with. It’s so wonderful; it has you wanting a summery morning and dandelions to make wishes on.

Always You - @bl597 - inspired by Louis Tomlinson’s song Always You, so I was already sold on that front. It’s an angst piece - Harry pining from afar, regretting his decisions but with a happy ending. I love that it's written from his perspective, that he realises what he’s done. I really do love this fic, and I aim to work my way through her masterlist!

The Truth Behind The Kiss - @justauthoring​ - the anticipation from the first sentence, I was on the edge of my seat. I loved every single word of this fic, it’s written so well. I just, I need you all to read this fic bc it is SO GOOD. Harry, Triwizard tournament, feelings, fluff - it has it all. 

For how long? - @siriusly-addicted-to-writing​ - It seems for Harry fics I am drawn to angst even though I write nothing but fluff for him. This fic is no different. Dani, this fic is wonderful, I love it. You capture the angst brilliantly! Go read this everyone!

Ron Weasley:

“can we pretend I never said that?” - @hello-everyfandom - I love this so much! Ron calling himself ‘the snog master’ had me snorting out loud - it’s great. And then the dialogue continues to be brilliant. I really enjoyed this fic! Ron needs more attention people!!  

Crossing Lines - @kalimagik - ADORABLE. CUTE. WONDERFUL. Oh, Ron. Everything about this fic is marvellous. The relationship between Ron and the reader, the realisation, the meddling. It was perfect, so so perfect.

birthday - @lupinsdarling - FLUFFY AND CHAOTIC AND I LOVE IT. Why oh why doesn't Ron get more love? Why doesn't this fic have more attention? It’s so fluffy and Ron is so bloody cute that my heart physically hurt while reading this. It hurt because it was so PURE.

Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley:

Girls in one room - @eleven-times-lively - Hermione x Reader - oh my god I snorted at Ron, I love it. And the fluff? There’s so much fluff, I can't deal with the fluff. If you’re going to read a Hermione fic, read this one!

just as lovely - @vanillann - this is so pure! it’s so wonderful, and the relationship between Hermione and the reader is so cute! 

Hug ur friends drabble - @firewhisky-kisses - Ginny x Reader - it’s the cutest thing I’ve read, oh my god, is it cute! I love everything about this, Steph is so talented! But I go into that further down.

Neville Longbottom:

Never the Bride - @obsessedwithrandomthings - Dee’s fic reads as a rom com, it’s so brilliantly done. By the time you're at the end, you feel as if you’ve just watched a two hour rom com and need to squeal into your pillow because of the feels. I love this fic.

Moonlight Swim - @kalimagik - Neville. Oh, Neville. This fic stole my heart and it won't give me it back. The idea of a moonlight swim with Neville? Here for it. And the confession? *chefs kiss* incredible. 

Healing - @firewhisky-kisses - I cannot put into words how much I loved this fic,. Steph is just so incredibly talented and writes Neville so wonderfully. Healing is the first fic of two and that second part had me in happy tears because Neville deserves the world. I go back and reread this a lot when I need to boost my emotions, so thank you for this Steph.

Good News - @peachesandpinks - Let me explain something here, Ron repeatedly and without fail hypes up fic writers to the point where she makes me cry happy tears at her comments. Her writing (and I'm going to swear now) is fucking brilliant. I love it, I adore it. Ren has a way with words that I only hope to master. This fic? Marvellous, magnificent, wonderful - pick a synonym and go wild. It’s so sweet and wholesome - what more could you possibly want other than to be on her taglist?

Tally Marks - @obsessedwithrandomthings NEVILLE WITH TATTOOS PEOPLE! NEVILLE! WITH! TATTOOS! Do I need to say anymore? Yes? Okay. Dee is a fantastic writer but she writes Neville perfectly. We have had many conversations about her love for Neville and her love for him shines through in this fic. She writes with such care and I love reading everything.

Draco Malfoy: 

The Purist - @mxl-foy - This series is so good. Like, so good, that if it was a physical book, it would be sat on my shelves. I would religiously check her account every time I came onto Tumblr to see if a new chapter was posted, and if there was, you best believe there was a happy dance. It’s so incredibly thought out and plotted. And there’s going to be a part two! It’s so great!

Notes - @malfoys-demigod - This is so sweet! I live for fluffy Draco as you all know if you read my Draco fics, but I adore reading fluffy Draco as well. This fic is so adorable, I love it! 

Always so Cold - @teheharrypotter - Five times Draco gave you his sweater and the one time you accepted. I love these sort of fics, they’re my indulgence fics. Jealous!Draco is one of my favourite things to read as well. and he’s so dramatic. I couldn't ask for more in a fic, definitely one of my favourites. 

the distance between us - @sdicapriox - This is a genius idea. I love this idea, and I love how it was executed. Almost 10k words of brilliance. I love the reader and her first letter to Draco and her entire personality - fish funeral? genius. I really like how you portray Draco and the effort you put into his internal monologue, it really is something excellent. The ending as well, I won't spoil, I just urge people to read this. 

Heartbreak - @slytherinprincess03 - you have to have a little bit of angst in a Draco fic rec right? This fic has it but the ending is perfect and fluffy, gah! I love it!. Not to mention, Draco is such a gentlemen in it. I can't wait to see what else you write, lovely!!

Hardly A Date - @fanficflaneuse - I love this fic. I love it so much. I tend not to read sibling!reader but I adored this. The relationship between Harry and the reader, and then Draco and the reader. It’s amazing. I could rant for hours and hours about how much I love her work - her series are out of this world and she captures Draco’s character perfectly. 

George Weasley:

Red with Rage - @kalimagik - AGH ANOTHER OF MAGGIE’S FICS. The prank? Genius, and that end line - incredible. Her characterisation of the twins is so good, I love reading her fics. She deserves more than 300 followers! So if you don’t already follow her, go now!

When Everything Changes - @strawberriesonsummer - Based on the song Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. This is so pure, it’s so fluffy. George is adorable in this! I can't wait to read what else you write for George!

Come back to you - @dreamer821 - JJ, JJ, JJ. Ugh, this fic is a work of art and George is so bloody caring. I mention this a lot but the relationship between George and the reader is so important to get right and JJ does it flawlessly. My heart hurts for this fic and that last line, LOVE IT. I live for how JJ writes George, I could read her work all day. GO READ HER STUFF, YOU WON’T REGRET IT.

Fred Weasley:

The Right Bird - @dreamer821 - I’m not only just involving this because it was used in my writing challenge but oh my days, it is so wonderful. The relationship between Fred and the reader is just *chefs kiss* perfect. JJ has such a way with words and I just love how she depicts Fred.

Lost, are we? - @prongsies - I think I’m going to make my way through your masterlist because I loved this so much. The teasing was so cute, and Fred helping her at the beginning? Ahhhhh brilliant. 

Watermelon Sugar - @prongsies - COMPLETING THE FINEST SERVICE TO THE HP FANDOM AND WRITING FICS INSPIRED BY FINE LINE - I SALUTE YOU. This is so good, so so good. The references to the song are used so well and that little bit of fluff at the end? Amazing. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to put the song on repeat now...

Percy Weasley: 

Nothing We Can’t Forgive -  @firewhisky-kisses - This series really does showcase Steph’s talent. She’s an incredible writer and this fic deserves all the attention it can possibly get. It’s the first Percy fic I’ve ever read and I’m already planning a reread. Steph captures Percy’s character flawlessly whilst also depicting his healing in a manner that is so relatable. I’ve linked the masterlist because once you start reading, you won't want to stop. 

Sight is Relative - @hufflefluff-writer - This fic has a blind reader which I think makes it all the more beautiful. Amelia’s characterisation of Percy really is wonder, she captures him brilliantly. The fic after they eat is quite literally breathtaking. The description of colours, the dialogue - it’s fantastic.

Hufflepuff!Reader Headcanons - @soft-nerdy-wolf - I loved this from the beginning where the reader was already helping Percy out of his comfort zone by disregarding curfew. Then the further, I read, I loved more and more because of how fluffy it is! And the confession? So so sweet! This needs more attention!

Bill Weasley: 

Estrellita - @fanficflaneuse and @hufflefluff-writer - It is a fic inspired by the Sound of Music, what more could you possibly want? It’s so delicate and incredibly written by two extremely talented writers. The relationship between Bill and the reader = adorable. The whole series is so fantastic, I’ve linked part one and you’ll find the rest on Amelia’s masterlist, which you’ll need because you’ll be reading the entire thing in one sitting, I swear.

Charlie Weasley:

As Family the First Time - @kalimagik - you’ll have noticed that Maggie features a lot here but that’s because she is so damned talented that I adore most of her fics. The first Charlie Weasley fic I read and I fell in love. It’s just so fluffy and humorous with features from the whole Weasley family. Basically, by the end of it I was ready to raise dragons in Romania with a certain Weasley.

Meeting the Weasleys - @soft-nerdy-wolf - This made smile all sorts of stupid. From the beginning, I wanted to own Hepaestus (the perfect name for a dragon in my opinion - Zeus’ own forger, amazing.) And the fluff with Charlie straight after? I love, love, love it as well as the fun relationship they have. And the pranks with Fred and George? Ah! I just love.

Dragons blurb - @hufflefluff-writer - I know it’s only a blurb but oh my god, I loved it, I love it. Jealous!Charlie and a buttload of fluff - the best to boost your mood.

Cedric Diggory:

A Ghost Story - @wondernimbus - So beautifully haunting. Ysa has a way with words that make you feel as if you're physically there, living the fic alongside the characters. There aren't really any words to describe how talented Ysa is - all I can do is urge to read her masterlist and discover for yourself. 

My Boys - @potterverseimagine - Cedric and dogs - I am in love. This fic is so sweet and pure and playful. Playful Cedric is so great omg and this fic is full to the brim with it. I just... ah I love this so much. AND HE’S ALIVE. I LOVE FICS WHERE HE’S ALIVE. Thank you for this!!

It’s a Date - @angelinathebook​ - Lena, this is so good. You need to write more Cedric! Ah, I hate those boys so much but I love Cedric!! This is so good! Cedric needs more love 100% - if you haven't read this already, you need to read it now!!

Sirius Black: 

Lost Time - @obsessedwithrandomthings - Reader standing up for who she loves against Bellatrix? Yes, we love that. Slow burn romance with Sirius? I love that even more. Dee never fails to astound me when she writes Sirius, and I know she won’t fail to astound you too. Seriously (lol), go through Dee’s masterlist, read her works, you won't regret it. She’s the loveliest.

Our Godson - @nebulablakemurphy - Christina is so talented. The letters!!! Are so good!!! AND WHEN THEY FINALLY MEET? My heart! Christina, it's as if you broke it and then rebuilt it again all in the span of 2.8k words especially with that ending. I love this fic, and you will love this fic. 

Curiosity - @siriusly-the-best-gryffindor​ - I don’t know what else to say that I haven't already said in my reblog but I love this fic. I am heavily pierced and heavily tattooed and I love seeing a reader as the same. I love all of this fic, it 100% needs more love!

The Jimmy Jab Games - @im-a-writer-right​ - A Sirius fic inspired by Brooklyn-99. I loved every single chapter, it made me so happy. And that final chapter, I was smiling like a fool throughout. Sirius is a dream through this, and that bet? I love! I’ve linked the masterlist because you won’t want to move as you read.  

Secrets and fears - @firewhisky-kisses​ - Steph does it again with the masterpieces. Honestly, I squeal a little whenever I see her in my notifications with a new fic because everything she writes is stellar, and this is no exception. If you’re going to read anything tonight, let it be her masterlist. If you haven't read her latest Sirius piece as well, you are sorely missing out. 

Remus Lupin:

Protect - @obsessedwithrandomthings - Oh man, this one hurt. There are so many feels to this fic, so many layers. The enemies to lovers? Amazing. That ending as well - so fucking good. Like everything Dee writes, so fucking good.

Sleeping Beauty - @poppin-potter - This is adorable. There’s no other words for it. The relationship between the reader and Remus is so cute, I was smiling all the way through it. Not to mention the relationship between the reader and the Marauders, so bloody good. And that ending? It was so peaceful, like I was reading and I was like yeah, I would’t mind a piece of that.

Pain of reality - @heloisedaphnebrightmore - I had to involve some Remus angst, and oh my word. You smashed my heart into pieces in the beginning and had put it back together by the end. Heloise is an incredible writer, so so talented. This is a Remus fic you cannot miss out on!

Bruise and Scars - @peachesandpinks - Soulmate AU and Marauders Era Remus. What more could you possibly want? It’s poetic. If you look to my Neville section, you’ll see why I love Ren’s writing so much but let me tell you, I am a SUCKER for Remus. Always have been, always will be. You will not regret reading this fic or any of Ren’s fics.

Nights like These - @teheharrypotter - another fic in A Very Harry Potter Summer and the description in this fic is so good! The way the summer night described has you feeling every moment of it. And the conversation between Remus and the reader is so beautiful, where they touch upon their grief. It’s a wonderfully written piece of work.

James Potter:

Numb Love - @heloisedaphnebrightmore - Unrequited love is like my guilty pleasure because I love the angst of it, and this fic. Oh this fic, it destroyed me and I loved every single minute of it. How this fic doesn't have more notes, I have no clue. It’s a masterpiece of emotions. 

Reading between the lines - @approved-by-dentists - ohhh this fic is great, I love the flirtation between the reader and James in the beginning all the way to end. It was one of the first James fics I read (I’m late to the party, I’m well aware) and omg I love it. Just go read the fic!

Book-thief - @wondernimbus - I’m going to repeat my words from earlier, there are no words to describe Ysa’s talent. James Potter and a bookshop and I was sold. She captures his character so brilliantly. Just... go binge her work.

Summer revelations - @pregnant-piggy - I keep saying this about all the fics I put on here but I love this fic! I love it! First, I love James. Second, I need those muffins - seriously, where can I get these muffins? And their realisations and confessions! It’s such a pure fic, I’m absolutely in love with your portrayal of James.

Newt Scamander:

Cheeky Niffler - @eleven-times-lively - reader is an archaeologist - from that moment, I was sold. I loved reading this, I loved the idea and I love Niffler as it is! I always need more Newt in my life and this is perfect.

Online Love - @strawberriesonsummer​ - Modern AU! I really loved this idea, I love the idea of Newt with a phone and ringing the wrong number. It’s such a wonderful fic, I haven't read Newt in so long so this was such a lovely one to read! I can’t wait to read what other Newt fics are posted!

desire - @blisfvll​ - I am a huge fan of their works; their Draco fics are incredible and their Newt fics are just the same. This had me feeling all sorts of emotions, and I loved every second of it.  

You stared Newt right in the eyes. - @fantasticnewtimagines​ - I didn't know what the title to this was so I just type out the first sentence, I hope you don't mind! This is a delicious piece of angst with a lovely, happy ending. I adore this piece so much because it conveys so much. I love it!!

MARVEL:

I want to take a moment to appeal to the followers of mine who also enjoy reading marvel. @shaynawrites23​ has started to write some marvel fics and even entered my writing challenge and her fics definitely deserve some attention! She’s a wonderful writer and her fics are so cute! If you’re a fan of Bucky, you’ll love these fics!

Catty

Soulmate

Rosy Proposal

[slashingdisneypasta]

Inkubus x Vampire!Fem!Reader || Oneshot

Title: Always There

Notes:

I think outta all Englund's characters on this blog, I like writing for Inkubus the most. Which is criminal seeing as I write for him the least. I need to change that haha.

Plot: You meet up with a very old friend of yours and you spend some time catching up. And he's so clearly in love with you, its unbelievable and torturous to him that no matter what he does, you don't notice.

Warnings: A very unreliable narrator (In terms of particular other peoples clear feelings for her), BLOOD, DRINKING BLOOD, DRAINING SOMEONE OF BLOOD (But in a sort of polite way? Hah), MENTIONS OF AN ABUSIVE EX PARTNER, vampires and incubus'.

The smell of iron and petrichor fills your nostrils, disgusting and refreshing and also, just... relieving... in equal measure filling you up as you kneel by the victim - the man you'd chosen, - for tonight; A needle and tube attached to a blood bag between your fingers and digging into the poor mans neck.

You hate doing this, knowing this guy will be weak and sick feeling for the next day - maybe two depending on how much you take from him, - without understanding why. But, its for sure better then the alternative- which is just digging in right here and now with your teeth. That's messy, and the marks you leave behind aren't easy to explain away as 'animal attacks' anymore.

You need the blood, but you aren't a savage, jeez. You always catch any new vampire movies or shows together with your daughter and watch those actors with blood all over their chins, and think... How old are these vamps supposed to be?? 300 hundred years old!?

And they don't know how to eat without getting it all over their face?

Pfft! Rolling your eyes, you gently shake your head at the memories of bloody Edward Cullen and Lestat and Damon Salvetore swimming around in your head as watch the man's breathing. To be fair, you love them all - Twilight, Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Diaries, Nosferatu, Vampires Vs the Bronx, etc, - but that's just because its more fiction then truth- and that's coming from an honest to goodness bloodsucker.

Finally deciding you've taken enough without truly hurting the man, you put pressure on his neck and pull out the needle, carefully wipe away any mess with a cotton ball from your bag and put a band aid on him.

"Now," You talk firmly, softly, as you look into his eyes - which are dull, almost sleeping. A nice touch to the docile state you put your victims, in so they can at least not feel any pain or fear while you're collecting your feed, - , hands on his shoulders. "You're not going to remember this, or me. You're going to get a taxi home," You tuck some money in his shirt pocket, a thank you for his service; Its the least you could do. "Then get into bed and have a wonderful sleep with lots of lovely dreams. Thank you so much."

After you watch the man get up, still in a bit of daze but shaking it off - and not even noticing your presence, crouched down by where he's standing, - and leave the alleyway, you carefully pack away the blood bag and the tube and needle (In a separate plastic bag, for you to clean and sanitise when you get home) in your satchel and finally get back up, wrapping the strap over your head and resting it on your shoulder.

Brushing a hand through your hair, you turn to leave the alleyway and go home- when a familiar voice speaks up from the very back of the alley- and immediately your hopes rise.

"You look even more beautiful every time I see you."

You smile, peering into the darkness. "Oh, that's very sweet... but you and I both know I look like trash. I haven't eaten for a week!" When he just chuckles back, you tilt your head and waive him over. "Come out here so I can see you!; When did you get into town?"

Gracefully - more so then even you can manage, being a goddamn vampire, - Inkubus slips out of the darkness and you're happy to see he looks well. Its been forever since you say him last - 40 years? 70? - and you always have it in the back of your head for some reason that next time you see your friend, it'll be the last time. So its always lovely when he turns up and looks just as healthy as he always does.

"Oh I just got here; Thought I would come see you immediately. Otherwise you might nag at me." This time you chuckle, rolling your eyes. His eyes flicker to your satchel. "Collecting our dinner our we?"

"Yep! Smells like A Negative, my favourite. When was the last time you ate?"

"Ohh, a couple weeks ago. I'm due for my next fill soon, though... any suggestions?"

"No," Scrunch up your nose, you put a lot of emphasis on your response; See, you don't subscribe to the notion that monsters like the two of you have to act all blasé and cocky about the terrible things they must do. Apart from these night time trips to find breathers to bleed, you live a... mostly... normal life! So no- you definitely don't know anyone he can make his next victim.

And Inkubus knows this, which is why he laughs and you roll your eyes again at him, fixing the satchel on your shoulder. "So- " Again his eyes flicker to your bag, this time with meaning. A cheeky grin flits across his lips. "Want to get a drink?"

Smiling, you turn on your heel, you loop your arm through his and lead the way. "So have you been?"

___TIME SKIP___

4 hours later and the two of you are still stewing at a 24-Hour-Diner you frequent - seeing as you don't really sleep that much, - and are onto your 9th drinks at this point. You two may not see each other too often since the 1400's and went your separate ways in the world, but you never go longer then a hundred years - preferably 80 maximum, - without seeing each other and when you do- you have a lot to say. Filling each other in on what you've missed in each others lives is always a... disorientating experience, at times, but you must do it. You couldn't survive in a world where you didn't know what was happening in your best friends life. That would just be too lonely.

See, Inkubus is the only one you know - still, to this day, - who knew you when you were human, aside from the man referred to very nearly exclusively as 'Dick for brains' - being your daughters father, - and while having human friends who can make you feel normal again, is wonderful... so is feeling normal, in what you actually are currently. And that's not human. That's thousands and thousands of years old and a mystery to scientists. And, seeing as he's a literal demon... that's a very easy service for him to provide.

A waitress walks by to pick up you empty glasses and looks oddly at your personal tumbler. You clearly weren't meant to notice, but you do of course, and unassumingly shrug. "Bloody Mary... don't tell." You give her a conspiratorial wink, and she chuckles, walking off.

When you look back to Inkubus, he looks ready to make a joke so you give him a timid shrug. "Well, there is vodka and Tobasco sauce in it!... " He smirks, but lets it go- seeing as your words were funny enough.

"And how is Bethany? Has she seen her father lately...?" Your eyebrows arch, hearing Inkubus ask about him; Dick for Brains, Beth's father and the bane of your long, long existence. Obviously, seeing as the bastard impregnated you with his literal spawn of hell causing you to die during childbirth at age 26 so he could then turn you into a vampire, made you raise your daughter alone- and then returned 20 years later just to turn Beth into a vampire as well and claim that you can all be a 'proper family now'... you aren't a huge fan of the guy. And talking about him you don't do often, as it causes a horrible clenching feeling in your stomach and heart. Luckily, Inkubus is one of the few people who is allowed to make you feel that way. Him, and Beth.

You sigh, taking a slow sip of your drink through the matching metal straw and metal tumbler set Beth got your last mothers day (So as to hide the fact that its blood inside), you wonder what to say... "Beth's great, as always... she's fallen in love with a human, though. That can only end brilliantly." Shaking your head, you look to Inkubus to see his reaction and catch him rolling his eyes, smirking. Yep. "Um, and... yes. There has been contact with Dick for Brains... He recently, like... 20 years ago? turned up at her place in Egypt, and wouldn't leave till I had to fly down there and shoo him away." You grit your teeth. There is so much wrong with that man- you do honestly with you had never met him sometimes. That's horrible, you know, as if you hadn't met him you wouldn't have had Beth and she's the light of your life, but... at times like that instance? When he troubles her?

Its hard to not wish his existence away.

"Do you want me to speak with him?... Again... ?" Your gaze returns to Inkubus again, feeling at ease the moment your minds back in the diner with him and not in your head with Dick for Brains; Eyes softening. The idea is tempting, unbelievably tempting... And it would keep your friend around awhile longer. "That always seems to win you a couple hundred years of reprieve."

Taking a deep, needless breath - an anxious habit, - you set down your tumbler and shake your head. "No, that's okay... thank you for the offer, though. He seems to be giving up, slowly, finally. But damn, its taken him long enough to get the hint, huh?"

"Far too long." Inkubus' voice is bitter and dark, talking about your ex- and his eyes are reading much different. You know if you let him, he would kill Derek... but you cant do that. If anyone's going to kill him, it would be you or Beth, and neither of you are there yet. Inkubus takes a deep breath, relaxing again like a chameleon changing its colours. "Anyway, love; Onto prettier business. How did that thing go, that you had with that Djinn half a century ago. You seemed quite optimistic about that one."

A fluttering of laughter immediately comes out of you and Inkubus' truly cheers up at the sight of it, and you just look at him and shake your head; An awkward toothless smile on your lips. Ha! No.

His brows arch, laughter in his eyes. "Didn't end well?"

"That ended up being the shortest affair I've ever had and that's saying something." Brushing hair back from your face, you chew on your bottom lip. "You'd think after nearly 10 centuries, I'd learn... Oh- wait- make that 10 and nearly a half, centuries... Boy, am I clueless."

"Clueless about what, love?" You're just breathing in to respond, when a cheeky look crosses Inkubus' familiar face. "I mean, you are quiet clueless- about plenty of things. But specifically, this time."

You scrunch up your nose at him in response, grinning, before once again chewing on your bottom lip. "... I'm just not the woman that gets proposed to." You shrug, as if its no big deal; Even though your heart bleeds saying it out loud for the first time, to someone that matters and not just your ex-therapist, Julie. Setting your drink on the table in front of you, you idlily twist it. "Obsessed over and stalked, yes." You grin, a tinge of sadness to it. "Fucked, yes. Dated even, yes. But married?... Ha, no... "

His eyebrows climb up his forehead even more, before he softly smiles and pats your hand. "I asked you to marry me, all those years ago, sweetheart. Remember?" He reminds you gently, and you cant help giving a soft smile back at your well-meaning friend.

"Oh, yes of course I do. That was very sweet, but... I mean for love, you know? Not because I'm pregnant and alone."

Inkubus sighs, slightly frustrated, and leans back in his seat. "Mhmmm... " Rubbing a finger under his nose, he quickly clears his throat. Then he reaches his hand further up your arm to lay it on your forearm, running his thumb comfortingly across your skin. "Love, I'm sure that you'll find someone. Perhaps multiple someone's. Or, maybe, you don't need to find anyone new."

A little smile twitches at your lips as you pick up his hands and hold it on the table in both of yours. "... Maybe." For a split millisecond, your friend smiles. Sighing wistfully, you shrug. "Maybe I can learn to be happy alone. I mean, I like my life. I like my daughter, I like my job, I like my patterns... Maybe I don't need a man." Immediately his smile disappears and he rolls his eyes.

"You definitely don't need a man." He sighs, frowning. "But one can be good for a few things, no?"

"Hey." You set him with a stern look. "I thought we were making me feel better, about not having one?"

"Oh, you're right. I rescind my comment."

"You better." A cheeky grin crosses your face.

He looks back at it, the cheeky grin of yours, and the smile returns to his face.

~

The sun is warming up when you're on your way home, Inkubus beside you with his arms folded carefully behind his his back and your hands stuffed in your leather jacket pockets; One arm linked affectionately through his. You're an odd sight, you're sure, to any early morning commuters. You, and your barely-out-of-college looking self walking so close - and so domestically. A fact that is lost on you but not on the smug demon walking beside you, - to a man that currently looks to be in his 60's-70's age-wise.

Not that either of you care.

"Well, this is my place! Whatdaya think?" You ask, letting him go in order to unlock the door or the townhouse apartment and push open the door. He walks on in past you, looking around and you watch a soft smile grace his handsome features. "You like it?"

"Much better then the hole in the wall you thought was a good idea to show me in Transylvania- took everything in me not to sweep you away somewhere safer... with fewer mould spores... " He turns to look at you over his shoulder, a mischievous smirk on his mouth as you scrunch up your nose at him, before smiling.

"Well then, Mr Judgmental... I guess you don't want to know, that I chose this wallpaper cuz of you."

That definitely catches his attention, more then anything else you've said. He turns around in a full 360, assessing the wallpaper before looking curiously at you. "You... you chose this wallpaper because of... me? How so?"

You shrug, still leaning back against the open front door- sunlight filtering through the doorway. "The colour is very you. Its got 'Inkubus' vibes. You know," Raising your brows at him, you smirk. "Eccentric, full of itself." At that cheeky remark, he says 'Ha ha', sarcastically. "And, I guess, I missed you. Sooo... yeah... wallpaper."

"Hm... " Looking really far too pleased about this, looking a lot more engrossed by the home then before- but mostly the wallpaper. "This place is looking better, suddenly... "

"Like I said- Full of itself." You roll your eyes, laughing. Then you push off the door, push it closed with your foot and then go to pass by Inkubus to hit the livingroom. "Oh! The book! The one we were talking about at the diner- I'll find it for you! Come on- "

"Y/N." A hand curls gently around your arm, at the perfect moment so that you don't get yanked back with the force of your travelling and instead you just coat to a careful halt at Inkubus' side.

Blinking up at him curiously, wondering what he needed you for so suddenly, you tilt your head to the side. "Yes?"

For a good moment, he just looks at you whilst you become worried. What is happening? Every second that passes by, more and more ridiculous ideas cross your mind.

Finally, the man tilts his head slightly in sincerity.

"Sweetheart, are you ever going to see how ridiculously in love with you I am?"

And... for all of the disastrous and ridiculous possibilities that came to mind when he was saying nothing, you had a response. To this, you just stand their dumbly, your shoulders dropping and just looking at him in total shock. "... wel- uh- um... a few more hundred years?" You feel like a ton of bricks has just been dropped on top of you. "Maybe?" You squeak. You actually squeak.

And of course, you squeaked. You'd be surprised if you had managed to keep your composure after a confession like that. Here's this beautiful man, who against all foreseeable odds understands you, and cares about your kid, and whom you love... and somehow he's telling you that he loves you? That, for some reason, he wants you?

Is there something wrong with him?

There must be. Something terribly, horrible, irreversibly offensive that you aren't already aware of.

But you rack your brain and theirs nothing. Nothing, at all, that you can figure that would make you turn away from him right now.

He smiles a little bit at your awkward reaction, and lets go of your wrist in favour of tucking some hair back behind your ear. "Do you quite mind if I kiss you now?"

Your breath hitches, it actually hitches, like a tiny shy anime girl who's giant crush just got down on his knees in front of her for whatever reason, and you have to fight to pull yourself together; Rolling your shoulders back, hands on your hips. Totally, and translucently fake confident. "Um- you know? I don't?"

God, you are a centuries old vampire; Your vernacular should be yards better then this.

And then kisses you.

Oh god- And then he kisses you.

Because you're suddenly struck hard in the face with a million words and phrases, from current to boomer-speak to old fashioned to forgotten, to describe it but mostly you're just wondering why in the world you hadn't been doing this the whole damn time. Your hands find the sides of his coat in order to steady yourself, and pull him closer as you carefully tilt your head into the kiss. It comes so naturally, the kissing does. Between you and him. Its like, despite the bounds of your relationship never having reached this level before, you know exactly how to kiss each other. There's no awkwardness or searching. You just fit.

When finally, you slowly end the kiss, you fail to open your eyes for a good moment, before cracking them open slightly, half lidded and flickering up to his eyes.

And you take a deep, unnecessary breath and step away, torturously out of Inkubus' personal space. "... holy shit." You have so many questions... None of which touch on how exactly you're feeling because you get that much, at least.

But you cant help but wonder why- and for how long this has been brewing and how long exactly that you missed it- and how the hell this is going to work-

He follows you, thank god, a roguish yet soft look on his face. "Maybe we should take this to the livingroom, love. I promise, I can explain everything to you."

[dreamescapeswriting]

Jungkook X Reader ~ Pink Or Blue [Request]

A/n: I mention that Jungkook is 27 in this because it’s for the sake of the plot. Love you. Hope this okay to the lovely anon that requested it, it felt nice to write something that wasn’t just ansgt all the time, lmao.

>>> Word Count: 2,164

>>> Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

>>> Genre: ALL FLUFF!! Like I can’t believe I wrote something without angst guys!

ANYONE GOT ANY TIPS ON COMING UP WITH TITLES. I SUCK!!!

Namjoon was the one who came up with the idea and you went along with it, figuring it would be a cute way to reveal the gender to you and everyone else.

"Hear me out, we don't tell Jungkook the plan..." Taehyung said as you all sat around a big board meeting table, you smirked at Taehyung and then glanced at Namjoon for his thoughts and he nodded.

"Sounds good. I'll make sure we clear it all with the producers." Namjoon said looking at you with a smile, you couldn't but giggle and rub the small bump. You'd fallen pregnant after being married to Jungkook for four months and you were three months pregnant now.

"It'll be a good run episode and I'm sure the fans will love it." You said to Hoseok who was coming over to run his hand over your bump. They were all looking forward to you having the baby just as much as you and Jungkook, Namjoon smiled at you and left the room to go find the producers.

"You sure it'll work?" Yoongi questioned from across the table, you shrugged your shoulders taking the envelope off the table, away from Jimin's prying hands and put it into your handbag. Jimin was excited to learn about the gender and was determined to find out before everyone else but you made sure that you kept an extra close eye on him.

"You're mean." You poked your tongue out at him and got up from the chair, you were late to meet Jungkook upstairs and he was going to start wondering where everyone was and you didn't want to spoil the surprise.

(X) 

The day had come to film the episode and you were excited. You'd been left at home and Namjoon was planning most of it, with you calling every three seconds to make sure he remembered everything, no one blamed you though that boy would forget his head if it wasn't screwed on tight enough. But Hoseok reassured you that he would make sure everything was perfect for you, they didn't want you to stress out. That morning Hoseok had called you to reassure you everything was in place, and you had nothing to worry about except if Jungkook caught on, that was the only thing left to stress about but he was clueless so far.

"It's so fun that you get to come along today, like my own cheerleader." Jungkook chuckled as you sat in the car together on the way to the stadium that BigHit had rented out. They were filming a sports day like episode and that's how you were going to get away with the plan.

"I'll cheer you on all day baby." You giggled turning to look at him with a smile on your face. You'd never been great at lying to him so you were glad that the day had finally come and you would get to reveal what you'd been up to for the last two weeks with Namjoon.

"Only me though, none of the other boys." He said through a pout causing you to laugh, you'd always loved how childish he was when it came to competitions.

"Only you baby." You promised, kissing his nose and staring out of the window again, Jungkook going onto his phone to text the boys that you were almost there.

(X)

"Dul Set, Bangtan! Annyeonghaseyo Bangtan Sonyeondan Imnida." They all said at the cameras and you smiled from behind one of the cameramen, one of the producers coming over to you and handing you a bottle of water in silence. Over the years of dating Jungkook, you'd gotten to know everyone really well, and you got along with them as well so when they found out you a pregnant it was like a family member had told them they were expecting. Everyone was thrilled and couldn't wait, especially now you were surprising Jungkook.

"Today we're doing a sports day event, we have three games set up for us," Namjoon said into the camera, turning to Yoongi who was speaking next,

"First up with have a nerf war against one another." He turned to Hoseok who spoke next,

"Then we have a game of football." Taehyung was next and he smiled at the cameras,

"Lunchbreak."

"Then we move onto the last game, which will be a game of paintball," Jimin said to the camera, all of them turning to the main camera and explaining the rules of the first game. Laughing as each of them walked off to get their nerf guns and ammo and going to hiding spots around the arena, Namjoon passed you and patted you on the shoulder.

"Not long, I promise." He knew how on edge you were to find out the gender and Jimin had even dyed his hair pink for the occasion, convince you were going to have a baby girl. Taehyung had even text you that he was wearing blue underwear in support of having a nephew on the way, but Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi told you they didn't pick yet.

(X)

"You having fun?" You giggled as Jungkook jumped over to you, he nodded and helped you down from the chair. You were all on lunch break and Jungkook told you he was going to sit with you while you all ate,

"Tons, I feel so young again." You stared at him with a blank expression,

"Jungkook...You're 27! You are young." You grunted to him as you sat down on the floor in front of the table, Namjoon sliding you a drink of water and Yoongi handing you a plate of food. You stared between the boys and then at Jungkook who was blushing, all of them had been so caring towards you since you told them about the pregnancy. Treating you as though you were a family member, which they did before but it felt more real now.

"I'm pregnant, not stupid." You said reaching across the table for some spicey noodles and adding them onto your plate, each of them watching you as you scooped them into your mouth.

"Won't that hurt the baby?" Hoseok asked in a concerned tone turning to look at Jungkook who'd been reading from baby books as if there was a test coming up.

"Spicey foods are fine," You said with a mouthful of noodles making them laugh, but you were hungry. You'd skipped breakfast because you were nervous about the day, but now it was going on you didn't mind.

"Just drink this," Jungkook said sliding you a glass of milk and smiling at you, you sent him a smile back and everyone continued eating.

(X)

It was time for the last game which meant it was time for the gender reveal and by now everyone was on edge waiting to see what would happen. Yoongi had fixed the game to make sure Jungkook would go last, playing the game where they had to guess what was in the box, each member knowing what it was except for Jungkook of course.

"This game is simple, each member has to pop balloons above the other players," Jungkook explained into the camera and looking around at the other boys.

"But each member has three balloons and each has a colour hidden inside," Namjoon explained turning to look at you with a knowing smirk, all of the balloons were black, each filled with a small amount of paint,

"Purple is 100 points, Blue is 50 points and pink is 10," Yoongi said to the camera, looking over at the balloons that they were going to have to carry around with them.

"Since Jungkook lost he has to go last, but first up is Hoseok," Jimin said turning to the cameras and smirking. Hoseok came to stand next to you and took the gun you were holding for him. Each of the guns were loaded with nerf bullets that would hit the balloons and pop them on contact, spilling paint onto each member. You watched as the rest of the boys started running around the arena trying to hide away from Hoseok who was chasing after them like a madman, sending you into a fit of giggles just thinking back to the Christmas episode where Hoseok betrayed them all.

(x) 

Not that the points mattered by Yoongi was winning by 300 points and he was pretty excited about it, jumping around and laughing whenever the boys missed a shot. Jungkook came to stand next to you and smiled,

"I'll win for us Jagi." He promised, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek and to get ready to shot the balloons above the boys. Everything was in place and you smiled at Namjoon who was giving you a thumbs up when Jungkook wasn't looking.

"Jungkook I thought you were good at everything." Taehyung teased as the maknae missed him for the sixth time in a row, he was doing really poorly for someone who played a lot of war games with Taehyung all the time. You giggled as he missed another shot.

"Right, line up against the wall boys," Yoongi said pulling everyone over to the back wall and waiting for Jungkook to get a clear shot.

"If you miss us there's something wrong," Hobi said to Jungkook who was standing right in front of them and still missing.

"Oh my god." You cried out looking at him, he sighed and then tried again. Popping one above Namjoon spilling out pink all over him and Yoongi who was standing too close to him.

Pink again all over Yoongi, then on Jimin. Jungkook looked like he was starting to get annoyed with just getting pink and shot the balloon over Tae which spilt out blue paint over him causing you to stand up and knock the chair over.

"Twins?!" You screamed out each of them looked at Tae with wide eyes, wondering what you were talking about but as soon as they saw they started cheering leaving Jungkook clueless. You walked over to him and took the gun from his hands, shooting the rest of the balloons over each member, each balloon spilling out pink and blue paint.

"Twins." You repeated in shock starting to feel a little light-headed, Jungkook must not have been catching on to what was happening. A Staff member came over and helped you onto a chair, while the boys said their goodbyes to the camera. A still starstruck Jungkook was standing there.

"Jungkook...It was the gender reveal." Jimin said with a laugh, Jungkook's eyes snapped up around the room to find you and you smiled at him.

"Twins kookie...Twins!" You yelled at him, at first you were terrified but you were starting to get brighter with every passing second as it sunk in that you were going to have a boy and a girl to raise.

"I win the bet!" Tae and Jimin yelled in unison at each other, Namjoon shaking his head and coming over to you and Jungkook.

"If you ever need a baby sitter, you know where I am." You thanked him and Jungkook stared at your bump, placing his hand on top of it and running his thumb over it.

"Jungkook it's not an alien." You laughed as he looked terrified to be near you or touch you, but he was just worried that you were going to break if you moved too quickly.

"I need to get some more books, none of them mentioned twins." He groaned coming behind you and rubbing your shoulders, you giggled at him and he shook his head. His eyes still wide and you could only imagine the amount of JungShook memes that were going to be around once the episode would air for everyone to see.

"You should go and shower." You mentioned but he was shaking his head,

"I'll take you home, shower and then go book shopping." You giggled as he helped you down from the chair, making sure no one was in your way as you walked towards the exit of the building.

"You're an idiot Kookie, I'm not a huge boulder."  He laughed along with you, knowing better than to make a fat joke because last time he had to sleep on the sofa and he wasn't about to do that again.

"You're okay though, right Kookie?" You questioned worriedly since he hadn't really said anything, but he was nodding. A giant smile on his face as he helped you into the back of the SUV, getting in next to you.

"I'm more than okay, we're going to have twins." You giggled at his expression and he smiled brightly, wanting to tweet it out for the world to know but you told him the producers said not to say anything until the episode aired. It was going to be hard keeping Jungkook and Jimin's mouths shut but it was going to be fun watching them teasing Army with small tiny hints, hoping one of them noticed and put theories together.

(X) 

Tagline: 

@yoongisdumplingcheeks @yourguessisasgoodasminemate​ @snowy-meowl​ @ficdump101​ @babymochichimmy​ @lynnthevirgo​ @btsiguess-kpop​ @lyoongx​

[bellaslilpapercut]

Eclipse reread part 3 bewr bewr bewrrr! Covering the entire rest of the book in ONE post so buckle on in baybee: 

1. Absolutely everything about chapter 15 (wager) is disgusting. To a certain extent I appreciate how successfully meyer captures how frustrating assault is as a woman, how futile it feels to fight against it. But at the same time the way she handles the aftermath is unbelievably disappointing and infuriating. Charlie doesn't get up to help his own daughter, Jake trails after Bella into the house and sticks around, there's just no relief or reflection that feels satisfying. Bella can ask where the justice is when she finds out Jake isn't aging but just ignores Charlie defending her assailant? And to some extent I get it, I've shut down after assault before to the point where it took years to recognize that some of the things that happened even were assault. But when there's a pattern within the series of men being narratively rewarded for assault and abuse and women being punished for reacting to abuse it feels like the narrative is reinforcing the status quo of women<men. I'm not stupid, I understand when a book is trying to make me uncomfortable and I don't need villains to be punished to know that they're villainous. This doesn't come across that way at all. Meyers handling of misogynistic abuse and violence lack the nuance to make me believe that she sees this violence as something to be critical of rather than something that just happens to women. And again, because it's a pattern in her writing, women getting no reprieve from gendered harm, I don't believe she's making a statement. There's just no self awareness and that's the key difference between a story like Brave New World or Lolita and Twilight.

2. Also this quote that precedes the assault is just so so frustrating:

Bella is not mean for setting boundaries! She isn't stringing you along! I would love to hit meyer in the head with a rolled up newspaper. Anyway.

3. Bella keeps saying things like "this would be annoying if it weren't so scary" in regards to having her clothes stolen by vampires that want her dead and having to lie to people around her, again because dozens of vampires want her dead. And y'know after the third time she said she would be annoyed if she weren't scared I'm just left to believe she isn't scared at all. I don't feel rising tension, the newborn army feels like a minor nuisance and even after they connect it to victoria (who still hasn't shown up at all) I'm just like...okay well get on with it then! Meyer makes bella "shudder" (I'm still tempted to make a comp of every time she shudders in this fucking book lol) instead of showing us her actual fear. I don't believe she's scared, I don't care about the "threat," and I don't believe anything bad will happen to Bella. There are Literally No Stakes here. I'm not invested in this story at all.

4. Alice is a bad friend lmfao

Girl, you're psychic you know she wanted to wear red why are you just dressing her up for your brother.

5. Okay returning to point 3 because I read chapter 17 and had an epiphany: Bella says she isn't scared for herself and I get that I do. But smeyer also hasn't shown us that she's selfless- just that she doesn't care if she dies. If bella actually cared for her human friends, in any way, I would believe that the newborn army was a scary threat because the people she loves might get hurt. But I don't believe that she cares about that I only believe that she- like Edward- has a weird martyr complex.

6. The Mirror chapter also reinforces this. I can’t stop thinking about how much more impactful it would have been narratively if it had been Angela in Bree’s position (because she’s the only human friend Bella seems fond of but if Bella showed interest in any of the other humans, honestly any of them would do). Imagine the moment where the newborn vampire first lifts her head to look into Bella’s eyes and it’s someone she knows. Someone she cares for. There should have been consequences for Bella beyond “Jake got some bones broken and now I feel bad :(” which was also a shitty punishment because smeyer is inflicting physical trauma on an indigenous character just to make Bella feel bad. Okay. Anyway, it would have built the tension I was missing for- quite literally- over 300 pages of this book if Bella’s friends and classmates and Fork’s residents had been going missing the whole time. Suddenly, at the end of the battle, there’s Angela. Or Jess. Or Katie fucking Marshall. Someone Bella knew should have been there and maybe I would have cared about this book at all.

7. Going back in time to this quote which comes before the battle:

UGH!!! SHUT UP SMEYER! She literally poisoned Jake’s character from the moment she made him a main character and she has zero self reflection to see the damage that she’s causing here. I’ve said before that I don’t think Jake’s actions were a romantic deal breaker and that stands out now more than ever after reading Eclipse. THIS is the moment that Bella realizes she’s in love with Jake too. Smeyer not only sees abuse and aggression as romantic, she also lacks the braincells and reflection to see that she’s playing directly into racist stereotypes. Edward got to grow up- marginally- but Jake had to remain aggressive. I still don’t think she ever once meant to villify Jake- I think that there was no way in a hell a racist woman could ever successfully portray an indigenous character. His tenderness is tainted by the aggression she forces on his character and in the end he never had a chance because- again- he was being written by a racist woman with fucked up views of indigenous people.

8. Okay, I get it. They’re like Cathy and Heathcliff. Fine. I buy it.  

This isn’t even the last time she compares them to Cathy and Heathcliff. Kate Bush isn’t gonna write a song about you, meyer! Give it a rest! (Also lol at “like wuthering heights”)

9.  Jumping right to the end here because to be completely honest the only actual event in the entire book was the newborn battle. Jane was a bitch, fine. Edward talked at Victoria and bored her to death (presumably) and the action never felt very action heavy. I knew if from the “best friend (and werewolf)” line that this book was presumably written for idiots given how little is left to the imagination at any given time. I can’t stand when books treat the audience like dummies and I especially can’t handle YA books that do this. Teenagers aren’t stupid!! Young adults can pick up on subtlety in literature!! AND young adults can handle suspense and action. smeyer doesn’t do either well and the editors never once said “hey you know teens aren’t stupid right? like your audience will pick up on hints that you scatter you don’t have to forcefully explain everything?”  

10. Smeyer can’t stop interrupting herself even in the very last sentence of the book proper:

What, pray tell, is wrong with “Where it would stay for the rest of eternity.” Why did you have to sow doubt in the sentiment right after Bella made her For Real Final Decision???? And why the em-dash!? Again: the editors of the twilight saga are my nemeses but also my favorite conmen. What were they paid for?

11. Back to the editors real quick: if i was given a draft of eclipse I would instantly say: this story is almost 400 pages of nothing, you need to play with the structure of the story. You need to build suspense and if that means playing with POV like you randomly start doing in the epilogue, then do that. Or you can play with the plot. Nothing happens for 300 pages. It takes 300 pages to get to the newborn battle and nothing that happens before the newborn battle makes me feel worried about it. Again, kill off some humans, raise the stakes, do SOMETHING. This was so painfully slow to read because meyer tried to center this book on a love triangle that I didn’t even believe in myself. And even then, it took 14 chapters for the love triangle to get real action (as in an Event, not necessarily physical action). 

12. The epilogue. Oh man. Was the r-slur really so acceptable in 2007 that not one single editor questioned its use? I won’t type the quote in full but Jake refers to his fake arm sling as r-word. Like??? What? And THEN smeyer has him call Leah a “bitter harpy.” Shut up. 

In conclusion, nothing felt like a bigger waste of time than Eclipse. Genuinely, to be completely honest. Two (2) important things happened, at least in Bella’s narrative (I agree with Vinelle that the Volturi debacle was important from Carlisle’s perspective, it adds nothing to Bellas and Bella learns nothing important from it.): 1. Bella made a decision, she chose Edward. Who could have seen that coming? Whaaaat? 2. Rosalie told Bella her backstory. Not that Bella even used that to reflect on her decision to become a vampire but hey, at least it felt like an important moment. Jasper’s backstory only mattered for the newborn battle which didn’t matter at all (and it never informed his character and no one ever brings up that the confederacy was a terrible dark stain on US history (along with the rest of US history but that’s a full dissertation or two on its own)). I can’t imagine a way to improve this book as a standalone book. You could split up the plot (using that term loosely) so that New Moon and BD are both a little longer and BD a little more organized. But without completely changing the plot beats in Eclipse, its just pointless.

[river-bottom-nightmare]

If you’d like to, I’d love a fic rec. I like all the fandoms in your bio so I’d be interested in whatever you want to talk about. Thanks!!

Someone actually sent me the ask I’ve been waiting for oh my god. Anon. You are an incredible person and I love you. Okay so. If we were doing spn recs, this list would be over 300 fics long. If we did Marvel, I’d have to explain my stance on the current comics, and say why I like some parts of the MCU and why I dislike others. For Shadowhunters, and I say this sheepishly, I just posted a fic on my ao3. If you’re interested, please check it out! And I have been on a DC binge lately...so let’s do DC!

Now keep in mind I have so so many fics, so these are just my top favourites. They’re also pretty general and all over the place, so if you want a rec list for a specific ship or gen relationship or fandom, just let me know! I’d be more than happy to write one.

1. Yesterday’s Voices by @lemonadegarden

While trying to take down a drug cartel that deals with memory altering drugs, things go awry, and Batman wakes up with no recollection of the last five years. As a result, his family must now race against time to find the antidote, while also having to deal with a Bruce who still thinks Jason is Robin. A Bruce who doesn't recognise most of them. A Bruce far less jaded and cynical than the one they're used to. A Bruce who still cares.

Gen. 49,000 words. This fic was incredibly sweet with just the right touch of angst. Featuring a lot of Bruce being a dad, Jason and the rest of the batfam making amends. The author has impeccable dialogue and conveys the emotions of the characters beautifully. The pacing is a bit off, though, and the beginning seems rushed while the heavy emotional parts seem long and drawn out. Overall, a pretty satisfying read with a happy ending.

2. The Mystery of the Superboy Shirts by Aviatricks

The thing is, Tim is a detective, first and foremost. And like most detectives, sometimes he just can’t let things go. (Or, how Tim acquires several hundred Superboy t-shirts)

Tim/Kon. 4,000 words. I’m sure this fic has been recced a thousand times in a thousand different lists, but there is no way I can leave it out. Good old fashioned fluff and humor. It’s light and happy and leaves you with a laugh at the end. If you’re in the mood for a oneshot full of smiles and core four fluff (and really, who isnt?) then this fic is a go-to!

3. Every Fiber of My Being by @lanestreets (I am so sorry if this is the wrong url. The one on ao3 didn’t work so I had to do some digging.)

As much as Dick and his siblings have argued, Bruce has never budged on his "Keeping Secrets Policy". There's not a person alive outside of the family that knows the secret identity of any of the Bats. Not even Dick's boyfriend. Dick understands the need for some secrets, knows that keeping their identities safe keeps them and their loved ones safe, but when he takes up the cowl, team dynamics aren't the only things that begin to change.

Birdflash. 21,000 words. This has got to be my most favourite birdflash fic of all time. Partly because it’s based off Dick and Wally from the comics (their personalities are particularly Titans-esque, but I’m not 100% sure) rather than from Young Justice. It’s mainly Dick-centered, showcasing his relationships with Wally but also with the rest of his family. If you’re not sure of what exactly happened with Bruce being lost in time and Dick becoming Batman, I would brush up on that first, because this fic won’t make much sense without it. It takes you on a whirlwind of feels, and the frantic, gradually quickening pace of the prose matches the plot of the fic, and I just - ah! I would definitely give this fic a read!

4. Declensions by @dustorange

“My father,” Dick says, “worked the rope. It cut him. His hands were never clean.”

Gen. 13,500 words. Dick-centric. This fic is absolutely gorgeous and it needs more love. The reason I think it’s so incredible is because it takes a deep dive into Dick’s Romani heritage which is something that I adore DC did but hate the way the executed it. But still, representation is representation, and when you have fics like these to show what Dick being Romani would actually reflect, it’s hard to complain. Beautifully written, and the overt racism and difficulty fitting in really hits home, even for someone who’s experienced it firsthand. A little bit of the prose is jumbled and hard to follow, but that may be an artistic choice reflecting Dick’s state of mind during the fic. Read this if you want to realize some things you’ve never thought of before.

5. Those Who Wait by @last01standing

The best way to socialize an angry assassin boy: Set up a playdate with someone functionally invulnerable. [Jon and Damian through the years. Reverse!Robins universe. Stands alone.]

Damijon. 11,000 words. I’m not usually a fan of reverse robins, but I liked this one because it focused on the way Damian and Jon’s relationship grew through the years. It also doesn’t just switch Damian and Dick’s names while keeping their personalities the same, or have Damian become a harsh, uncaring person who can barely be classified as an older brother, both of which I’ve seen in these types of fics and I hate. Damian’s character development is extremely well done and actually realistic, so kudos for that. Jon is written as an actual character with feelings and motivation, rather than a “smol little bean” whose entire personality is “uwu.” While it can be funny in incorrect quotes and humor, it doesn’t do well for depth, and I like how this fic explored Jon’s human side. All in all, an interesting read, almost to the point of a character study. Also the shipping stuff with the eventual happy ending is cute too.

6. In The Game by WithTheKeyIsKing

Everyone knows that if you want Don Bruce Wayne to hear you out, there are a few people you have to talk to first. (And frankly, his sons can be just as terrifying.)

Gen. 4,000 words. Part 1 of a series. Once again, I love this for the way the characters are explored. Each member of the family’s individual personalities are examined, then taken and twisted just slightly to the left, leaving you breathless reading a fic that actually seems 100% plausible. The second person in the first fic is a bit off-putting at first, until you reach the end and realize what the author was setting up for. While not a fic I like to read as an alternate way of imagining canon, this is a cool idea worth a visit.

7. Safe and Sound by @kingburu

Post-Endgame, Nightwing finds Kid Flash at Mount Justice.

Birdflash. 12,000 words. I have literally created a moodboard for this fic, that’s how much I loved it. Now, I’ll be the first person to say I’m not a fan of Young Justice. While it set up a good premise, the characters are introduced and gone too fast for us to actually care, and the show is just different enough from canon comics to seriously bother me. But, if there’s one thing I truly loved, it was Dick and Wally’s easy friendship in Season 1. It was like the ultimate best friends to lovers. However, apparently DC can’t ever let me or Wally be happy because Endgame happens and I die a little inside. This fic is a self indulgent little oneshot of Wally accidentally time travelling to the future, after he died, and coming to terms with the fact that he loves his best friend and he left him all alone. Heartbreakingly sad, this takes you on a journey through Wally’s emotional mindset. It does not have a happy ending, and leaves you feeling bittersweet in all the right ways.

All right, those are seven of the best DC fics there are, at least in my book. Once again, these are just general. If you want a specific pairing or fandom, just let me know. Ask and ye shall receive. Also, if you want to scream one of the fics from the list you read, or any other fic or headcanon, just message me. I’m literally always down to talk.

Hope you like the list, anon. Happy reading!

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I just finished Stephen King's 11/22/63 and while I liked the premise and REALLY like the character dynamics, the entire final third felt super rushed. It left a lot to be desired.

Jake/George lies to Sadie for WAY too long. He keeps her out of the loop for months and years longer than he should have, and when they do finally broach the subject it just comes and goes, "are you from the future?" "Yes." "Okay, that's what I thought."

At one point he correctly predicts the resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and nobody gives a shit! Sadie just takes him at his word and doesn't probe any further, doesn't demand he tell her the truth! I would have liked to see him predict more events; he lives from 1958 to 1963, but King completely brushed past the Space Race. No mention of Yuri Gagarin in 1961, and only a passing reference to Laika the space dog. The 1960 election isn't even brought up; one moment Eisenhower is president, the next moment it's Kennedy, when it should be a major event. People didn't expect Kennedy to win back them, he was going up against Richard Nixon, Eisenhower's VP, and barely eked by with a popular vote plurality, so I think it would have been interesting to see him call it early. Like, everyone at the school he works at is predicting a Nixon presidency, but Jake/George is 100% confident in a Kennedy upset.

Also, I didn't care for the mob subplot and coma/amnesia excuse. That felt like needless filler put in place to skip from summer to fall 1963.

I was expecting a deeper exploration of the alternate history universe Jake/George created by saving Kennedy, but King just brushes it aside in a single chapter by having a character from early in the book give a couple pages of dry exposition to explain what happened. The supernatural elements are never really explained; who are the Card Men? Where do they come from? How did the rabbit hole open and why are they stuck in it? I kinda want to read a book about their timeline guardian agency, whatever it is.

I read 11/22/63 to make sure that the alternate history story I'm writing wouldn't come off as derivative. Having finished the absolute door stopper of a novel, I know now that I have nothing to worry about because King took it in an unpredictable balls-to-the-walls post-apocalyptic direction.

Overall I enjoyed the promise, but not the execution. King likes to repeat himself, he enjoys saying the same thing multiple times, he latches onto specific phrases and reuses them over and over again, he likes to repeat himself. The first third of he book felt more like a direct sequel to It, and could have been its own separate novel; it takes almost 300 pages for the main story to get going, and another 400 before he gets to the actual events of November 22, 1963. King needs a better editor. You could shave off 200 or 300 pages without sacrificing an ounce of plot.

[welcometothebookreport]

Weekly Wrap up: 12/20/2020 - 12/27/2020

It’s the end of the first week here at this blog, though technically it’s only the second day that we’ve been live. On Sundays, I’ll be posting weekly wrap-ups with what I’ve been reading all week, my thoughts, and hopefully a graphic that I’ve spent too much time on. At least that’s the idea. School may not allow for blogging much, but I’ll wing it when I get there. 

In case the graphic doesn’t load, everything is mentioned down here again so there’s nothing to miss! Keep in mind, there will be spoilers for titles mentioned below the line, and also please do not spoil me if I’ve mentioned that I’ve not finished it yet. :) 

This week I read... 

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (in progress)

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Rating: 5/5

Warnings: no hard warnings. This is a very light read. 

Thoughts about this book

I picked this book as part of my December box for Book of the Month Club and I almost didn’t read it this month at all. After finishing Serpent & Dove though, I decided that I really wanted some holiday cheer since I didn’t have any. It’s a good thing I did because this ended up being my favorite read of the year, and right at the final buzzer too. 

Our protagonist, Mae, ends up in a time loop when she makes a stray wish to the universe: Show me what will make me happy. I had my doubts about whether I would like the plot since it seems a little silly, and I wanted something with some substance. Pleased to admit that I was wrong about all of my thoughts at the beginning. Thing is, this book is silly. In fact, it’s downright hilarious and I laughed out loud so many times I lost track. It’s also serious in the right spots, but really it’s a tender story about getting your one true love. However, it’s not only a love story. 

It takes a while for Mae to throw caution to the wind. Approximately two return trips to the plane (with a courtesy whack to her brother’s face, actually) in, Maelyn Jones decides that none of this matters because she’s just going to start over anyway. In a fantastic outburst, she barks at her dad not to eat the cookie (he’s going to break his tooth on it), and a slew of other orders because she’s so fed up with it all. Then we see this woman start living when she hasn’t been, and to be completely honest, you don’t even realize it’s happening at first. 

She doesn’t realize it either. 

Andrew Hollis is the older brother of Theo (and Theo’s been carrying a torch for Mae, it seems) and also the brother Mae has spent years of her life pining after. They’re wicked close, wondrously hilarious together, and by the end of the book - No. By the time I was a quarter of the way through, I was pretty sure I was going to be in love with him too. Half-way in, I knew I was. 

I could go on and on about this book, but I’m going to spare you because a) I need to learn to be more concise with reviews and b) I really want you to read it and see if you love it as much as I did. 

The Funniest Moment for Me: 

I simply cannot pick one moment, but if I have to, I plucked the one out of my head that I thought of first. 

When they were kids, Mae painted their initials on the bottom of a mug. The full thing of MJ + AH and it’s adorable. Later, Mae admits it to Andrew, and he holds it up to the light in an equally adorable way and realizes that he can still see it, even though it’s been painted over. 

Favorite Scenes

I’d like to say the entire book, just for the record, but I can’t. Or can I? I kind of make the rules for my own posts, don’t I? 

Every single moment spent in the boathouse, even the ones that made my eyes water. They’re so perfect together, and I just love this couple, and this story so much I can hardly begin to explain it. 

What I learned from this story: 

Mae is stuck in a rut. In a job she doesn’t love, living with her parents, and without the love life that she wants. The shift in her is a dramatic one, and you have to root for her. I know I did because I saw too much of my own traits in her. A job I don’t love anymore, a position in life I don’t want anymore, the list goes on. 

Mae didn’t need the great love of her life to change everything, but she starts knocking down walls, and starts taking everything she wants. She tells the truth (that she has feelings for this man, that she hates her job,) and she tells Andrew. She quits her job in the twenty seconds of bravery that she’s always had, but has just unlocked. 

So, if there is something to take away from this, it’s that you’ve just gotta go for it. 

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

Rating: 3/5

Warnings: Therapist Sessions, Mention of Miscarriage, A Garbage Parent, Depression, and Anxiety. Please mind that these warnings are for mentions inside the novel as well, and not necessarily something that happens to either of the leads.

Thoughts: 

This one was part of my November box for Book of the Month Club! I decided to read this since NYE is right around the corner, and bam, this one happens to open on NYE. 

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun romance, but it was more than that too. Minnie Cooper believes in a New Years jinx that started the night she was born, when her mother helps another woman through labor and delivery, and this woman wins a prize for the first baby born. Not only that, this woman takes what was meant to be Minnie’s name: Quinn. 

Listen, the joke Minnie Cooper was funny for about twenty pages before I really began to hate it. The book is over 300 pages. It’s one of those things I could deal with, but never really got past because it annoyed me so much. Moving on! 

A chance encounter leads to the meeting of Quinn and Minnie at a birthday party on NYE. As you can guess, it’s a party for Quinn. There are several encounters between these two through the book, and each one of them left me wanting to get to the next one. 

The main storyline is told in a linear fashion, but there are flashbacks from both characters too. At first, you may not realize that these two have met before. Or maybe you do realize it and I’m just so oblivious it hurts. Probably that one. 

I liked the romance, but what really caught my eye was the issues raised within the book. One character regularly attends therapist sessions in an effort to help themselves, in an effort to get better. The terrible issue of miscarriage is brought up (but this does not happen to either of our leads, but is still important!) and then we are living through a year in the life of these characters as they try to find what makes them happy. 

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. It ranked as a ⅗ for me for a few reasons. I wanted more development. The romance felt a little lacking in some spaces, and I’m not sure if that’s because I had just finished In A Holidaze the day before, but it felt lukewarm to me. 

I appreciated the issues raised, and mostly enjoyed the way they were handled, but I wish some of them had been expanded on. I wasn’t a fan of brief time skips (where they could be a few months at a time) because it felt like a hole in the plot. 

Minnie Cooper. It’s hard to get into a story where I dislike the name so much. 

I just did not enjoy a part of the book that involved Minnie, her best friend Leila, and the proposal for Leila from her boyfriend that Minnie helped plan. It was meant to be funny, but it was more cheesy and it fell flat for me.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Rating: 5/5

Warnings: Misogyny, violence in parts, religious zealots (in case that’s something that makes you uncomfortable like it did me), derogatory slurs toward women.    

This one has been on my TBR for a long time, and I finally dug into it. From the first day of reading, I was not sure I was going to finish it. Religion plays a central focal point to the plot of the first book, and one of my friends told me to press on, because it’s not as prevalent in book two. I don’t know about that yet, because I haven’t read it. 

I have so many pages marked in this book for how much I loved it. Truly. Lou is witty, quick to snap, and Reid’s character development is something I’ve marveled at. Going in, I knew there would be a forced marriage, but I wasn’t at all sure how it would come into play. I have to admit, it was a pretty creative way to go about it. 

Watching these two characters orbit each other, with each of their harsher exteriors beginning to come down has to be my favorite part, and the main reason I pressed through the parts that creeped me out. 

Reading Reid say the word fuck was a highlight for me. I have so much to say about this one, but I’m planning to write a proper review, and to show my annotations, so I’ll save that for another day!

Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Warnings: None that I’ve seen yet. 

Rating: too soon to tell 

This is a book club read for my friends and I. It’s taken a bit for me to get into, but these are some of my notes up to where I was last night at page 93. 

It’s quite interesting, and books set in a dystopian world have never held my attention well. So, I’ve been struggling to really sink into it versus how well I fell into Caraval. 

The main character is beginning to grow on me more, and I’m curious to learn more about Cal and Maven. I’m certain that Cal is going to break my heart (don’t tell me if he’s going to) and also what will happen with Kilorn now that Mare will no longer be living in Stilts. 

I’ll finish it in the next couple of days, so hopefully I’ll have really grown to like it by next week’s post. 

What about you? What have you been reading this week? Sorry this is so long too. Eventually I’ll learn how to be more the point because nearly two thousand words is kind of embarrassing.