#whose also the freaking devil maybe

[blue-rhapsody]

SO. I finished the first book of Thousand Autumns and these two are NOT what I thought they’d be.

[missanthropicprinciple]

I am....fascinated...by this exchange in This Side of Paradise...

Kirk, armed with a large metal bar, watches Spock materialize in the transporter room. Jim lashes out to release Spock from mind-altering spores.

Kirk: "Alright, you mutinous, disloyal, computerized, half-breed, we'll see about you deserting my ship."

Kirk knows Spock is probably the most loyal officer on the ship, knows Spock has emotions he just doesn’t express them in the same way everyone else does, and using the term half-breed is something a bigoted jerk might think or say.

Spock: "The term half-breed is somewhat applicable, but computerized is inaccurate. A machine can be computerized, not a man."

Kirk: "What makes you think you're a man? You're an overgrown jackrabbit, an elf with a hyperactive thyroid."

Kirk is clearly resorting to childish jibes because he can’t think of anything to really criticize him for.

Spock, chuckling: "Jim, I don't understand."

Spock is laughing at this point because he knows this is not how Kirk normally acts, so he figures it's a joke or a game.

Kirk: "Of course you don't understand. You don't have the brains to understand. All you have is printed circuits."

Spock is arguably the smartest person Jim knows and is not simply like a computer.

Spock: "Captain, if you'll excuse me."

Kirk: "What can you expect from a simpering, devil-eared freak whose father was a computer and his mother an encyclopedia?"

Kirk is almost talking nonsense, saying whatever pops into his head. The choice of the word simpering is interesting because Spock ingratiates himself to Kirk somewhat but not in a coy way, and Jim knows he’s not a suck-up. Jim doesn’t act like Spock is a freak at all and defends him. He also doesn’t even say things about his ears much or in the same way Bones does.

Spock: "My mother was a teacher. My father an ambassador."

Spock is still calm as he would be generally when insulted but the hint of humor in his voice is fading.

Kirk: "Your father was a computer, like his son. An ambassador from a planet of traitors. A Vulcan never lived who had an ounce of integrity."

Jim is using the word integrity because Spock has great integrity both personally and because of his Vulcan upbringing. This is starting to touch a nerve.

Spock: "Captain, please don't."

Spock is now asking Jim on an emotional level not to hurt him. He is only offended where there is feeling and of course he has deep feelings for Kirk, even if you interpret it as friendship.

Kirk: "You're a traitor from a race of traitors. Disloyal to the core, rotten like the rest of your subhuman race, and you've got the gall to make love to that girl."

It's really interesting that Jim is using the term "make love". From what I remember he doesn't use that phrase to refer to romance or sexual activity, usually referencing sex more obliquely. I could psychoanalyze this that maybe Jim wants to be the one either making love to the woman, being made love to in general, or wants Spock to make love to him. And again, Spock is extremely loyal and not just to Jim. Also, Jim doesn’t consider Vulcans to be sub human, shows them respect, and knows who T’Pau is.

Spock: "That's enough."

Kirk: "Does she know what she's getting, Spock? A carcass full of memory banks who should be squatting in a mushroom, instead of passing himself off as a man? You belong in a circus, Spock, not a starship. Right next to the dog-faced boy."

"Passing himself off as a man" is a particularly painful remark, but again Kirk often defends him against bigotry, talks about how important Spock's human side is, and repeatedly makes testimonials about how much he values Spock. And of course Jim must know Spock is objectively handsome. "Does she know what she's getting?" is interesting too. It could imply that Jim is asking "Does she know what an incredible man she's getting? Will she value you like I do?" but then he turns it into an insult.

Spock bends the metal bar with one blow and bashes Kirk around the transporter room for a bit before Spock suddenly realizes the spores are gone, broken like a fever.

Kirk: "Had enough? I didn't realize what it took to get under that thick hide of yours. Anyhow, I don't know what you're so mad about. It isn't every first officer who gets to belt his Captain several times."

It seems like Jim is saying it took a lot of effort for him not just to figure out what would push Spock over the edge but what to even say to insult him in the first place.

Spock: "You did that to me deliberately."

Spock, to the best of my knowledge, never says someone does something to him. He is also saying that he understands it was a calculated attack and not one stemming from impulsive emotional anger, therefore revealing Jim's true feelings.

Kirk: "Believe me, Mister Spock, it was painful in more ways than one."

Obviously this is played as a joke because Kirk is a pretty battered, but I would like to think it's because Jim truly regrets saying those words. It's written as dual meaning for comic effect but I like to read emotions into it when I can.

Spock: "The spores. They're gone. I don't belong anymore."

This is so sad. Even though the spores are gone he still reveals an emotional response. Luckily Spock does belong on the Enterprise.

Kirk: "You said they were benevolent and peaceful. Violent emotions overwhelm them, destroy them. I had to make you angry enough to shake off their influence. That's the answer, Mister Spock."

Spock: "That may be correct, Captain, but trying to initiate a brawl with over five hundred crewmen and colonists is hardly logical."

Kirk: "I had something else in mind. Can you put together a subsonic transmitter? Something we can hook into the communications station and broadcast over the communicator?"

Jim is not directly addressing the fact that he did this to save Spock. He didn't want to lose him. Yes, he needed Spock to help him save everyone else but Spock is important to Jim personally and belongs with him on the Enterprise.

Spock: "It can be done."

Kirk: "Good. Let's get to work."

Spock: "Captain. Striking a fellow officer is a court martial offense."

Kirk: "Well, if we're both in the Brig, who's going to build the subsonic transmitter?"

Spock: "That is quite logical, Captain."

Jim is going back to his usual way of communicating with Spock: kind, almost jovial, focusing on logic, and giving Spock a purpose because he really needs him as a colleague. He's happy to have Spock back to normal. While Spock regrets losing the spores and his sense of perceived belonging, Jim values Spock in the way he's always known him: Vulcan and human, taciturn and logical.

[nunalastor]

Radioapple Death Note AU

Alastor had always been bored both in life and in death. The boredom ate him alive in ways not even tragedy or the murders he committed would alleviate. Even the murders became boring at some point, because there was no one to stop him from committing them, no edge to it, even if he was taking out people better off not existing.

Then he found the Death Note. He hadn’t thought anything of it at first, just another tacky piece like all the others in Hell, with some rules inside not unlike the chain-mail he had seen and been bored by. But this one was different, he figured that out early on. 

“The soul whose true name is written in the note shall die. Permanently.” Alastor had figured out the power to permanently kill sinners long ago, but this said he could kill anything so long as they had a soul. That meant he could kill Goetia nobles and theoretically the devil himself if he wanted to, maybe even the genocidal angels in heaven. That intrigued him enough that he spent the next five days reading the rules, when he was approached by the Root of all Evil, or Roo, in his home. Immediately, Alastor’s suspicions were confirmed. This wasn’t a power he was supposed to have. With the notebook, he could commit murders much faster than he had been able to in person, and against those he would never be able to kill on his own. All he needed was their true names, and he could do anything. Curiosity to see what would happen if he did so prompted him to start using it, only once Roo promised using it wasn’t going to cost his soul (but she made no secret that she had some deals for extra power that could cost his soul in the absence of a lifespan). The result was more than he could ask for.

Lucifer Morningstar, the depressed and equally bored King of Hell. Making rubber ducks to pass the time could only do so much to distract from the emptiness inside, and there was nothing to keep his mind sharp. Until the sudden influx of permanent murders that had gotten the attention of not just the pride ring but all of Hell. The Goetia brought it to his attention when multiple of their own suddenly dropped dead, which wasn’t supposed to be possible. And maybe Lucifer was an ass for getting as excited as he was by the new challenge, but in his defense, those Goetia nobles had been very corrupt and he only hadn’t done anything about it because he didn’t want to deal with the complaining. 

But this meant he had to do something. Hell wouldn’t be satisfied until they had someone to make an example of with the exorcist blade, and so Lucifer had to investigate and figure out how this was happening and who was responsible. To do that, he had to disguise himself as a sinner under the alias of L, based on his human disguise of Lucius Magne, then find a way to face this new killer (given the alias of Kira after the deadly sins got drunk at the meeting and started saying “killer” wrong) without losing his own life. He didn’t fear death, but he would be twice-damned if he let anyone best the big boss of hell himself. 

What better way to blend in with sinners than to help his estranged daughter build that redemption hotel she wanted? His explanation for pretending to be a sinner himself could be that he didn’t want to freak anyone out with the devil there. He didn’t believe the hotel would work, not by a long shot, but it would make Charlie happy, he could reconnect with her, and if this killer was partially going after royalty, he would inevitably appear. Sure enough, Alastor was curious about this hotel, and he did offer his services as a manager of the establishment. He also brought along Husk and Niffty.  

There was one problem though, and it was a problem they shared. The moment Alastor and Lucifer encountered one another, they had an instant connection. They would tease each other, leave clues for the other to find, and even when they both knew in their hearts this was the person they were looking for, Lucifer didn’t have the necessary proof and Alastor didn’t have a true name. They were at a stalemate, and despite knowing they would have to see the other dead, neither had any genuine interest in harming the one person who could truly understand them. 

👀

[sherlokiness]

JD foreshadowings are sexual, not romantic and I think they will have a sexual relationship but I just cannot see Jon being into her

Hi, anon! Thanks for the ask.

I do agree with you that's why I subscribe to PoliticalJon. I'm also thinking about one eye Jon clues and how it might relate to jonsa and aegony cause the only Jon who could possibly fall in love with Dany is a blind Jon. If I thought Dany was a hero then yes, I think Jon would sincerely fall for her bc what's not to love, right?

The catch is that Jon will voluntarily "blind" himself for love of Sansa so he could look at Dany with love which is what PolJon is. A blind Jon whose thoughts and actions seem consistent but irrational to those who are around him. An example of this is when Dany gave a dragon to the slave masters and Jorah and Co. couldn't believe how she could do that. It's simply not worth it! The audience was also tricked into believing it until the veil was revealed. Dany used tricks and deception to get herself an army then killed the masters. Nobody cared they died bc they were monsters and Dany was even hailed as a hero. What a freaking nice coincidence that Dany went there to buy slaves she couldn't afford and gained a slave army for free. She got to have the moral high ground and the army she sought to buy. She got to have her cake and eat it too.

I'm expecting Jon's true thoughts on Dany will be concealed by the author once he decides to be blind. Jon goes to Dany for her armies and dragons and in the process falls for her. There's Dany who was just spurned by Aegon for love of Arianne and hated by the people of KL all the while thinking her last treason is over. What a freaking nice coincidence that JD falling for each other gets what they need from each other. Dany gets the love she's denied while Jon gets the armies he initially sought.

Not to be a conspiracy theorist but this is what I'm imagining GRRM gave the hints to D&D. Like JD will have sex because of love but he didn't say for love of who? This is also why the show had JD break up and not marry bc of "incest" which is a forced and nonsensical reason bc no way in Planetos will Jon see having a relationship with his aunt as incest. It's not taboo in their world, rare but not forbidden. So in the books after RLJ, what will stop Jon from marrying his lover/auntie if he's not icked by supposed incest? Because he loves another.

To play Devil's advocate and in defense of Dark Dany, how could Jon still fall for her?

1) Jon seeing through Sansa's eyes mean he will be as blind as AGoT Sansa who fell in love with Joffrey even though he had red flags.He fell in love with a beautiful Queen who saved him and ignored her occasional lapses. Sansa paid that trust with Ned's head and Jon will pay with the people of King's Landing. Sansa was only 11 but what's Jon's excuse?🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

2) Jon truly falling for a villain Dany would make him dumb as fuck but Dany is not without her merits. If sweet and perfect baby Brienne can fall for someone like Jaime, why can't Jon fall for a monster like Dany? Maybe the bad things he heard about her are all just rumors and she had good reason to do them. He would know how rumors could get twisted.

3) Maybe the aegonys are right that the foreshadowings are romantic. They're negative which can be interpreted as them ending doomed but the romance is there. The wolf howling scene could also be interpreted in a way that Jon is begging her to stop but Dany's greed for the Iron Throne doesn't lessen which eventually leads to her death.

4) GRRM isn't that unconventional with tropes. There's the bastard/secret king trope, exiled princess,puppet boy king, and the pimp getting killed by a prostitute, etc. I think jonsas shouldn't be dismissive of tropes because our ship, in essence, is the tropiest of them all. It's a princess in a tower who marries the hero(her hero)who slayed the dragon and they lived "happily" ever after. Aegony ship is basic but there's the incest twist ig?

5) Jon comes back darker and doesn't care that much about the realm so he hooks up with a pyro Dany. Yolo basically. Why should he care about the opinions of others after being backstabbed by his brothers and sacrificing his honor for the realm?

6) Dany being lovers with Jon imo is the only way for the author to expose Dany's hypocrisy and greed for power. Dany will not give up the throne for love nor duty to Jon-her lover and righful King. I suspect Daario will be like Jorah, a scumbag who will sincerely fall for Dany, but she will leave him and the readers would justify it. Who cares? Well, once she usurps Jon, all her previous claims about giving up the crown for love will be shit. Words are wind.

[geraldofallon]

Each of the oc’s favourite neathbow colours, cause it was simply too long to put in the tags of @thedeafprophet’s post:

Lady A: Lady A’s an artist, so she has appreciation for them all when used in an attractive manner. That being said, she is personally fond of viric, along with gant and certain shades of violant when used in small amounts. Interestingly, her second-least-favourite of the neathbow colours would probably be opposite shades of violant. So it’s one of her favourites and one of her least favourites at the same time. Her actual main least favourite is cosmogone - the feeling of nostalgia just makes her upset.

Teddy the Devil: So, hmm, he has some complicated feelings about a lot of neath colours. But if he had to pick, it’s irrigo and apocyan. Least favourite would be viric.

Dotty the Deviless: Oh she LOVES peligin. Black in general is her favourite colour, so an even darker black?? She eats that shit up, regardless of any meanings or effects it has. Least favourite is tricky. I don’t think she actually has strong enough opinions on the others to have a least favourite.

Emil Enderby: He likes cosmogone, dislikes gant. Irrigo is his favourite in terms of colour shade, but it’s his least favourite in terms of its effects.

Princess Zaya: Irrigo - she hasn’t seen much of it (if she had she might change her mind), so she’s able to have an aesthetic appreciation of it. Also violant and peligin to a lesser extent. She doesn’t actively dislike gant, but if asked to pick a least favourite that’s what she’d go with (or maybe cosmogone, she’s not a big fan of warm tone colours in general).

Captain Agnes: Peligin all the way. They’re actively madly pining over one of the literal embodiments of death at zee, obviously peligin’s her favourite. Probably the same answer as Zaya for a least favourite.

The Shadow Rook: No favourite or least favourite - it’s not a big colour person in general, it tends to only consider the neathbow colours in terms of usefulness to them in any individual moment.

Detective Navyan: He likes cosmogone, but his actual favourite is gant (he’d never tell anyone though, because he wouldn’t want to be that one person whose favourite colour is beige). His least favourite is violant, mostly because he’s concerned about the implications of unbreakable contracts.

Professor Annabel: What colour flames does the Correspondence burn? Cosmogone, violant, a normal fire colour? Whatever it is, that’s her favourite. She likely doesn’t feel strongly enough to have a least favourite.

The Missing Ajaw: Oof. It likely used to be peligin, which recently has become her least favourite (along with irrigo). Her current favourite is violant, with an appreciation for apocyan.

Lange Johan Seolfar: Can’t believe I’m being forced (forced I say) to flesh out a character I literally only created to be comedic relief. Doesn’t care enough to have a favourite, but his least favourites are gant (freaks him out) and peligin (not strongly, he’s just so used to life at zee that it’s nice to get a break from peligin sometimes).

Cephalopodic Orphan: Apocyan, goes without saying. They’re just a baby and that’s the colour of home! Gant probably freaks them out a little.

Cathy Linton: Similarly to Lady A, she appreciates all of them, and her favourite or least favourite is really going to change wildly day to day depending on her mood.

Fausta Gryphon: Cosmogone babes! Xe fucking loves that shit. On the flip side, absolutely hates irrigo. Oh and xe (wrongly imo) thinks gant’s boring.

Tiye, the Rosy Dream-Walker: I feel like the Arbor shade of red should be a neathbow colour, but understandably we’re limited to seven, so cosmogone. A least favourite? Might be viric or irrigo, mostly because of the effects.

Jezebel of Mahogany Hall: Viric’s definitely her fave. Personally, along with the Correspondence and Arbor, I think the silver colour of fingerking possession should be another neathbow colour, but alas. Doesn’t really have a least favourite, but if asked she’ll always say peligin as her go-to answer.

Zimu: I actually think that they go hard for irrigo. I think they especially love a combo of irrigo and peligin. I think it makes them sad that they can’t wear whole outfits of irrigo without fucking up people’s memory, cause it’s just so pretty! They’ve been alive long enough to find appreciation in all the colours though, no least favourite.

Peter, the Diamond-in-the-Rough: I actually headcanon clay men as being colour-blind. No idea at all how that would impact being able to see neathbow colours (which obviously operate on a different science to normal colours) or feel their effects (would a blind person lose any memory if exposed to minor irrigo, even if they can’t see it? Many questions, not to be answered today). Doesn’t mean he can’t have a favourite though, which is cosmogone (not that he’s ever seen the sun, but he has visited Parabola through a mirror before).

Fabian Silver: I really actually cannot land on a favourite for him. His least favourite is definitely viric, but I’m having a hard time deciding his favourite. He definitely has a favourite, just none of them feel right to me.

Doctor Baudel: Likes violant, hates cosmogone. For reasons. Everyone who meets him assumes he likes gant.

As for moi personally? Apocyan is my favourite, and I’m unfortunately biased against peligin and violant because of how difficult their moodboards were to make.

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

Live Blog/My thoughts scene for scene ish for OFMD S2 Episodes 1-3

FULL SPOILERS FOR S2 EPS 1-3. Including a post credit scene for Episode 3 that includes a teaser for the episodes 4-5 and discussing scenes we haven't seen from the trailer.

My long form stuff usually gets seen by people outside of my circle so before this long post I want to preface with this-

Hi! Izzy is my favorite character. As of right now I have written just under 240k words about this guy and spent most of my time in this fandom in Izzy spaces. If that is a problem for you, this might not be the read.

But I got fed a 5 star meal and already see this season is a love letter to the fans and I am here to appreciate it. 

Please be warned. I personally think this season should have a warning on it for how it handles suicide, suicidal ideation, substance use and relationship abuse. I will be going in depth on this but handle it with respect as someone whose lived shit like this.

My first watch was without subtitles and on a big old tv screen. I I decided to miss a few things my first watch, choosing to turn off subtitles, and get surprised by dialogue and delivery(as I tend to read ahead). This watch is to confirm lines, appreciate delivery, and more. 

I have not read any meta, and this is blind before I see how all my mutuals freak out!!!!

Lines that fucked me up will be bolded. Just know I want to write an essay about them, and would given the chance. (sorry for spelling errors I watched this twice + stayed up for an extra 10 hours😅)

EPISODE 1:

I liked the recap, but I don’t think it’s enough for casual viewers who watched it maybe once ALSO. That Edit of Izzy’s ‘namby-pamby crying for his boyfriend’ IMMEDIATELY into the Toe Scene got a laugh out of me, because OWW. How had we not thought of that? 

I LOVE THE DREAM SCENE. Izzy beating him fair and square, but still losing. The stab in the killing side? THE MELODRAMA. The way this confirms Stede sees Izzy as a ‘big bad’ he needs to defeat to ‘win’ Ed. Him having the most 1 dimensional view of both him, Ed, and Izzy. A view how Stede is still an idiot unable to see nuance in people. Izzy smiling? The way he mutters his last words> God I love Con O’Neill. Let’s watch him maybe die 8 separate times and call it a season. 

It also got a good laugh out of me. Did I predict that that it was a dream when the teaser came out? Yeah. Still funny as shit.

‘Can’t be worse than you moaning Ed, Oh Ed’ FUNNY AS SHIT. 

I liked the ‘customer service’ montage. Swede, you deserve all the love you get. You are in good hands.  I think Stede’s part of this episode was just to lighten the rest of it. Hello to an antagonist of this season, and narrative foil to Stede, Prince Ricky.

I know it doesn’t matter who did Ed’s back tattoo, but the irony of Ed trusting someone enough to get it done is just funny. 

(Wedding Scene) I SQUEALED WHEN WE GOT THE RETURN OF ED’S EVIL THEME. Also, calling his crew the devils ‘kids’ is so fucking funny. HELLO CLASSIC ROCK IVE NEVER HEARD OF??? Welcome to the OFMD playlist. I love the montage of ‘Ed is working everyone to death’. Izzy got to threaten an English sailor. I know he’s happy with that. 

Yes. The wedding thing was absolutely over the line. RIP Ivan, you will be missed. I can’t wait for Frenchie to break down, and congrats to all the people who wrote Frenchie as emotionally distant, you’ve won! 

THE WAY IZZY SOUNDS SO TIRED ‘Yeah. They got cake.’ ALSO. Did I miss the knife throwing scene?? Was that just for the trailer? I think it was in a past edit and they removed it.

‘Can’t do the job? Someone else will’ (Ed to Izzy)- Izzy felt that he mattered to Ed. This one line reframes their entire relationship. This fucks Izzy up. I theorize as the main reason Izzy never did anything was because Ed was his captain. But they were still friends. Close. Trusted partners.  But Izzy is still expendable. Even after all this time. He is nothing. Maybe he knows Ed is doing this so he rebels, and kills him, but maybe he doesn't. Izzy cares about loyalty... we'll see.

Yes. The Izzy scene hurts. But after watching Ep 2, this is nothing. 

‘It is your job to-to follow my fucking orders’ (Izzy to crew) THIS IS NOT HOW I THOUGHT THIS LINE WOULD BE USED. Because he knows. He knows he’s fucked, and he’s struggling to accept the fact that he’s looking down the loaded barrel. He knows that he can’t make these people listen to him, not any more. He’s alone, and now the one thing he can do(be Ed’s first mate) is about to be stripped from him. Hell, it already is.

Spanish Jackie. I love you. I love you so much. Extort those fuckers. Semi clean water and education is a big deal! Also, this season overall is a HUGE win for my fellow Pete fans. Funny bastard. 

I have thoughts about Prince boy, but they can wait until he does something.

Stede’s flaw has always been his naivety, habit of judging once and never really questioning it, and his ego. Prince is able to take advantage of it. I don’t trust him. I think he’s a spy. I also like thinking Spanish Jackie is collecting husbands to certain tasks like it’s Pokémon. Need a bartender? Customer service husband. The books? Math husband. New Swedish husband? Masseuse.

HI IZZY ED SCENE ----

‘Because it’s fuckin’ treasure.’ Izzy. Izzy I fucking love you. God. The way he stiffens up. Knowing them not following orders means he will lose a toe. Fucking god. 

This to me confirms that Ed really wants to get Izzy to kill him in in ep 1. He will tear down every good memory they have just to get Izzy to give in. He doesn’t care about their past, he just wants to die. Izzy is a convenient violent punching bag because he can’t leave. He knows fully well that this crew doesn’t listen, and blames Izzy for a fact he can’t change. It’s fucked that he's shoving Izzy into this corner but he doesn't think there will be consequences. 

Honestly. I think Izzy knows his partner is at this edge, but he can’t do anything. This is why he gets the guts to talk back. Both here and later in front of the crew(more in a second).

The ‘you know me better than anyone has ever known me’ (Izzy to Ed) line kills me. Because it’s honest. For the rest of these episodes Izzy is so fucking honest It hurts. He can’t lie. Not to himself, not anymore. Not to Edward or the crews. He can't take advantage of any situation, or turn the tables. All he has is his words. He knows this, and yet here he is. Facing this abuse, and trying, because he wants to fix it. But he knows he’s not enough to snap Ed out. 

‘I have love for you’ (Izzy to Ed in cabin)Present tense…fucking hell. Izzy tries to pull Ed out by showing his soft center, and we can tell from Ed’s dismissive reaction that he already knows all this. But Ed isn’t talking. Izzy can’t read minds, he wants to help. I know he felt adrenaline spring through him after the confession, and with loose lips, he says just the wrong thing. HI MICROEXPRESSIONS ON CON. FUCKING AHH

‘Hang on Ed- Captain.’ (Izzy to Ed as Ed is marching out to the crew)OW. OUCH. OOF??? IZZY PANICING???? Trying to stop this???

The look on Izzy’s face when Ed holds the gun to himself is not shocked. Hurt, and he immediately closes himself off, like he genuinely thinks Ed would do it.  That’s what hurts. Also, I don’t know if hes doing a high pitch voice to imitate Izzy, but that’s my view of it. 

‘PACK IT IN' (Screamed by Izzy to Ed) THATS MY MAN!!! Stand up to Ed being shitty! GOD. Frenchie’s little head shake. Trying to warn Izzy, to tell him no :((((. But Izzy doesn’t care. He knows he’s not got too long left, so he might as well chew Ed out, to say the things everyone is thinking but are too scared to say. God, the way Ed teases the answer in front of everyone. -Say his name and I will shoot- sitting right there in his eyes, and Izzy GRINS and he says ‘Stede fuckin’ Bonnet’ and that is finally enough of an excuse for Ed to shoot. 

Look at the way Ed nods his head as Izzy says it, not even letting Izzy finish before saying it. He's done. All the other performative versions of violence, of being Blackbeard he does, I see a reason to say 'he's doing this as self hurt' but Idk. It feels like he wanted to, and now he can. So he does. The way everyone reacts hurts me. The way Ed steps over him, the way Ed pushes Frenchie into Izzy’s job. 

I know many fans, and myself before the show aired, thought the leg shooting would be too much. In all honesty. This is how I’d want it written. This entire episode has showcased Edward’s grown resentment to his friend mixed with self destructive impulses. Some might view this as being too much, but given episode 2, this is such a big fucking moment I can’t even comprehend it right now. 

Do I think Izzy’s love confession pushed Ed to this panic- ESPECIALLY after his last confession ended in Stede running away? Maybe. But I think Ed was mentally in a place where he couldn’t react with anything BUT dread. Thus making the Stede call back even worse. But I don’t know. 

That’s one end of the spectrum of how this scene can be interpreted (Ed shooting Izzy’s leg felt unjustified/uncalled for at this point in the story) now lets turn it around (The ‘Izzy deserved it’ fuck heads)

Lets be 100% clear here. 

I view Izzy turning the crew to the English was a catylist, BUT not a cause for them getting captured. Stede was wanted for murder, and would have gotten caught eventually. Hell, the fact Blackbeard was on the ship in S1 was a lucky guess that Chauncy was happy to take advantage of, that IZZY HAD TO SIGN THE ACT OF GRACE to get Ed out of.  

Can Ed hold Izzy responsible instead of taking accountability for his own actions? Yes. This episode shows that’s basically how he sees it. But we as fans are basically shown 5 different ways to view Izzy as sympathetic here. 

Now: Moving back into the episode (after 500 words of that…damn)--------------

Ricky is so dumb…. I don’t know if I love it or not.

I love ‘Susan’ (Zheng Yi Sao) but have some thoughts. I enjoy her, the way she holds herself like Ed did in episode 3, drawing that parallel. That and her Izzy narrative mirror of a first mate. Also, I hope the Swede and Spanish Jackie have a lovely season. I love them so much. 

(Yes! I got to inform the family of the history of the Queen of Pirates. I love what I do. )

One of my favorite crew scenes: Jim and Fang failing to correctly remember the story. I LOVE IT. I agree Archie, Jim trying to help Fang feel better is so fucking GOOD. Mixing the legend of the Monkey’s paw and Pinochio while cleaning up Izzy’s blood is so fucking…much. 

Hi another song I have never heard of??? (The whistle one, you will be going to the Ed Izzy divorce playlist)

Ed is pulling a Stede. Running away from every problem forgetting they dont exist. The second something tries to change he snaps. It hurts looking at Frenchie clearly trying to balance his family and Edward’s lack of empathy. I fucking love this episode, and think it’s up there for my favorites. This is a trend that will continue. 

EPISODE TWO:

Maybe my favorite piece of writing in ages. Can I just say they are Fucking WILD to call the Izzy/Ed episode ‘Red Flags’????? BECAUSE DEAR GOD

I watched the recap. It’s like, 3 scenes of stede, with Izzy geting shot and the final scene of Zheng Yi Sao. 

Classical song in opening: Etude No. 1, Op, 25. Going into the writing playlist. 

Buttons sleeping with his feet up, maybe to be close to the sea?

Now. I am going to use this moment to discuss a large criticism I have. The cutaways to scenes from S1. Now, do they feel fast, and awkward, yes. Should the writers trust their audience to tie the call back together? Yes. But for a casual audience I think these scenes are VERY necessary if you haven’t watched the show. I think they should be taken out, but I get why they’re there. 

‘Run From Me’ by Timber timbre THIS IS A FUCKING ED/IZZY SONG IN THE SHOW?!?!??!. WE DID IT. WE GOT 1! I don’t see any way how you could tie this is Ed/Stede. A song about the fear of hurting others and needing to always push people away. After last episode??? I fucking… I teared up on rewatch, because FUCK. It’s a scene with Ed playing with the dolls, but Izzy’s presence is right THERE. 

OMG OMG OMG- A PIRATE SHIP IS USING THE BELLS SYSTEM TO KEEP TRACK OF SHIFTS????? (Kind of? Not really? She just rang a bell. But just give me this).

Wee john & Buttons, I love you. ‘YES QUEEN!’ I CACKLED! I love the mispronouncing ‘China’ gag. 

‘I decided to take a chance on you…because’ Because they’re allies. Stede taking ‘soft’ as a compliment gives me life. 

LUCIUS!!!!! I FUCKING LOVE THEM!!! THE ‘OH MY GOD’ CALLBACK!!! THE HAPPY CREW SONG RETURNING?? 

I love that Stede is immediately like-*the vibes are off. What happened to my boy.* as soon as he sees him

Can I also say, I love that when we transition over to the Revenge, we see it from the front, sailing into frame. It’s such a good shot. 

I love that Ed is obviously in a manic period, FUCK. WHAT IF HE WAS CRYING OVER KILLING IZZY??? He wouldn't…but other than that, I can’t see specifically what he was crying about. 

‘No more booze, no more drugs, and more importantly, no more Izzy’ WHEN I TELL YOU I GASPED WHEN IT WAS REVEALED IZZY WAS KILLED THE FIRST TIME. God. Not by Ed, because Ed would never, but by FRENCHIE. No wonder they had to edit ‘Stede’ over that in the trailer… 

‘The new first mate always kills the old first mate’ - Okay, this bugs me. It’s not that the first mate is killed because ‘it’s law’. First mates were usually picked by their captain, but the Captain was democratically chosen. The first mate is loyal to the captain, as that is their job. The reason the first mate was killed when replaced was because the new Captain feared the old first mate could start a mutiny, and use the friendships built against a new person in power-

OH SHIT. DOES THIS MEANS ED KNEW IZZY WOULD MUTINY???? SO HE ORDERED FRENCHIE TO KILL HIM??

HOLY FUCK! :0

EDWARD YOU CONNIVING LITTLE BASTARD!!!!!

Hi secret passage :) To all the authors who also wrote them as tiny little hallways in the walls, rip. How did no one notice an extra room.

IZZY!!!! MY BOI

God, Izzy just knowing he’s fucked, and wanting to die now before Ed finds out is so fucking GOOD. ‘We just had him asleep’ JIM he’s a 50 year old man fading in and out of sleep due to an infection, not a toddler. I love that Izzy is just…so done. He didn’t expect the crew to help him out 🙁

HELLO OTHER SCENE IN THIS EPISODE I DIDN’T EXPECT TO LOVE-

God. I think my problem with Lucius in fanon was that he was always treated like he was above it all. The therapist. The loving partner. The jokester. But he has actual depth and Nathan is a brillian actor.

Hi Buttons being a sea god. I love that I wrote him as being creature adjacent ages ago. Bro can read Chinese AND got a fun magical ability. I can’t wait for that to pay off. 

THE OTHER SCENE I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT. Pissed off Ed being so fucking cheery when confronting Frenchy is so unnerving. Ed isn’t dumb. He knows. He knows the moment he caught Frenchie with that box that he was helping keep Izzy alive but he needed it confirmed. Which Frenchie did. 

(This is the point where my bro woke up so I rewatched everything with him)

Dear god. CAN WE CLEAN IZZY? Bandage that leg? ANYTHING?

‘But he’s out dick’ (Jim to Archie about Izzy and why they want to keep him alive) FUCK YEAHHHH!!! I love it, but can we not do this in front of a passed out Izzy?

Oh, the way my gut dropped the first time I saw Ed on the stairway of the secret room. Keep that man away from him.

GOD THE WAY I FUCKING GROANED WHEN OLU MOVED THE SHIPS ON THAT MAP. I am so happy the show is portraying how a flagship of a fleet works!!!

Lucius smocking to relieve stress and sooth his anxiety. All that to not think about what's happened. THAT and Pete being the ‘softer’ partner, gives me life. 

Izzy/Ed scene in the hidden room.

HI IZZY! ‘Up in leg heaven’(Ed to Izzy) Does this line read like bad fic? Yes. Good think I write fic and think it's fucking hilarious.

I fucking CHERISH this scene- 

‘I dreamt you killed me.’ ‘good for you’ (Ed to Izzy, Izzy to Ed)I FUCKING LOVE YOU IZZY- you are so tired of Ed's shit. I would put the entirety of this scene and every micro expression from Izzy if I could. ALSO ‘Eddie????’’ WHY- FUCKING- THAT WAS A FANFIC LINE AND IT'S MAKING ME SAD :0.

We are so getting a flashback next episode, aren't we? Even if we don't I'm so satisfied seeing the past closeness hinted at in these 3 episodes.

‘Clean up your own mess I’ve been doing it my whole life.’ I fucking LOVE HIM!! Even when he's suffering through an infection he won't let Ed walk all over him. Then Ed gives him his gun. LITERALLY TELLING IZZY TO STILL CLEAN UP THE MESS. 

‘I loved you…best I could.’ OH FUCK> OH FUCK!!!!! How did I MISS THAT ON MY FIRST RUN? IZZY/ED CONFIRMED???? THE FUCK???? ED ADMITS THAT HE FUCKING LOVED HIM!!! FUCKING KILL ME. ALSO PAST TENSE! That better be because he thinks Izzy is dead and not that he doesn't love him anymore :((( 

I loved Stede mentoring Lucius in talking btw. 

‘Save the rest for Pete’ (Stede to Lucius) Aw. Stede can’t be the therapist. I also love that Pete got freaked out. It makes me happy. 

I love this whole pre-storm scene. The way we can see Ed adjusting the canon into the mast to blow it down. The general storm vibes. The tension. The way it reads like the fuckery scene in ep 4 with the storm. Ed being steps ahead. But instead of Ed doing something clever he's doing something self destructive.

‘Run From Me’ start playing in the background up again when Lucius' line about being broken and learning to cope. LEADING RIGHT INTO THE STORM SCENE- AHHHH.

The way JIM STOPS ARCHIE FROM FIGHTING. Literally replicating their arc from S1.

THE WAY IZZY SHOOTS ED TO PROTECT THE CREW FROM ED LITGHTING THE CANON WICK. THE FUCKING PAN UP REVEALING IZZY IS ALIVE AND *EMPTY*

‘YOU INDESTRUCTIBLE LITTLE FUCKER’ (Ed to Izzy) THESE TWO I SWEAR TO CHRIST!

GET ‘EM FANG! PROTECT IZZY

God I fucking love this episode. So fucking much. The fact Ed/Izzy divorce has multiple suicide attempts built in makes me feel things. I wouldn’t expect anything else. 

==============================================

EPISODE 3

‘I know, it’s been a day!’ (Zheng Yi Sao to Shadow guy)

I love the scene of her bargaining with the guy and think Zheng Yi Sao is going to build a pirate army to take over the Republic. She’s already taken over China. This is just for pride.

GOD I love the scene of Stede going through the ship. Mainly because it lets us see the hallway, and tells me more of the Ship's anatomy but that's not the point. 

I don't know how the Crew survived the storm, but DAMN. I'm so proud of all of them working together. We were all right to write fic like that.

Izzy just casually being devalued by Stede and how he just IMMEDIATELY looks to Frenchie. OW. FUCKING OW. Also the way Izzy said 'Bonnet' at the start of this scene makes me so happy. 

I ZONED OUT A BIT- FORGOT TO WRITE

Now we’re at the scene of Stede cleaning up the knives. Leading into Izzy and Stede bitching. I love this scene mirroring the one where Izzy tells Stede to ‘plumb the depths’. Because it’s a moment where Izzy tries to be honest to Stede, but it doesn’t work. I FUCKING LOVE THIS SCENE SO MUCH. Izzy holding his tongue just a bit trying to warn Stede. A person he is actively jealous of. Hell, he even takes accountability for his actions. He even tells Izzy a half truth that they didn’t kill Ed. 

IZZY IS FUCKING TRYING. BUT STEDE IS TOO STUBORN!!!! Why does Izzy always need to be the voice of reason, it’s bad for him :( He needs someone to treat him seriously. 

I love that Hornigold has all of Ed’s mannerisms from the start. That and all of Hornigolds memories are what Ed remembers about the things he hated about the man (the crab thing)

Is it sad that Ed is excited to live a normal life, but his gut(Hornigold) tells him not to be so naïve? Yeah. But I’m mad at him, so give me a day. 

I love Izzy in the jail scene. ALSO WHY IS FRENCHY LEANING THAT CLOSE TO IZZY-HELLO?? Izzy crying, closing his eyes. Not able to keep Ed safe because he still tried SO HARD to keep his body semi stable. They think he’s probably dead, and Izzy still keeps his corpse safe. EVEN AFTER ANYTHING. HE STILL LOVES HIM! :D D:

This is where the Pirate Queen isn’t fun anymore for me. I liked her, but then she threatened Olu if he said no?? I don’t like it! Especially as it seems Olu didn't get the hint.

The escape overall is very fucking sweet. Especially Izzy shushing people. I makes me happy :)- Also Buttons being a good first mate and giving orders as soon as they touch deck.  

I’M SORRY- IZZY THNAKING STEDE I saw it the first time, and freaked out, but the second?? DEAR GOD! I fucking love him. Give this man a hug. 

Also! I think the Mermaid scene is my 'Ohh Daddy' from S1. It’s a bit.. .much, I like the metaphor a lot. Eh. I don't know. I think they should have blured out Stede's face a bit with water. Reveal it's REALLY Stede when he gets closer. Hide the budget a but more or do a far away shot vs up close. Pretty but just a bit off.

ALSO: IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE Ep 3 POST CREDIT SCENE DO-AS I’M SPOILING IT. As a person who is writing a ‘cured object’ thing for this fandom… watch this undo like, 40k of my own words. Please let Izzy be a bit of a skeptic but he generally follows the vibes cause ‘legends’ ALSO murder lesbians!! ALSO IZZY/STEDE woops, sorry, IZZY & STEDE FRIENDSHIP ARC!!!

SO FINAL THOUGHTS: 

Things I didn’t like:

Dislike how we glosses over the discussion of a poly/open relationship for Oluwande and Jim. They both thought eachother were dead, so it doesn’t give me the ick as I bet some will. But the way Jim joked about it still felt wrong.

Glossing over Lucius’ trauma a bit with the puppet joke. I found it a bit in poor taste. 

The fact Izzy is on the episode ‘cover’ for episode 3 on Max, revealing he didn’t kill himself in ep2. I forgot about it midway in, but remembered it on rewatch. Like? IDK

The lack of content warnings, I get it, but damn the suicidal ideation stuff +mania episode+ abuse hit hard. 

It went by a bit quick, but they wrote themselves in a corner. The slow building dread of Ed being a dick, vs Stede just working at Jackie's to get money. So they started when everything was falling apart. AND they need to get The Queen and the Prince established. Judging by the next few episodes, hopefully it will slow down. I prefer this to skipping those things, obviously. But I was much more interested in Ed’s side of the story than Stede's.

Things I do like/Standouts:

Hi Con O’Neill. Can you start paying rent the way you live in my head? Seriously, every scene Izzy is in he steals it. I assume people are a bit peeved that Izzy is getting more attention than Olu&Frenchie&Jim & whatever other character a person likes. But I really think they sewed it in well. Seriously, it’s heartbreaking, and everything I could have asked for. I Love Every Delivery. I see these episodes as enough to turn people slightly sympathetic if they were haters of Izzy before.

ALSO: IZZY SAVING THE CREW. Putting himself in danger FIRST so he doesn't hurt anyone? Jim immediately seeing this and trusting him in the future. I can’t wait to see friendship bloom between him and the crew. That and Izzy's own self destructive habits get broken down as he learns to respect himself outside of hierarchy and Ed. Yes, even like this I want to fuck that man.

Stede- I enjoy that he seems more comfortable with the crew. Especially Pete and Buttons. I don’t have much to say, but I hope this new Izzy training episode means he’ll learn to trust Izzy. Not too much to say, but that's a good thing! Here soon instead of Ed being the focus of the 'deal with this' stick it will go to Stede 'I'm the captain :(' Bonnet

BUTTONS OH MY GOD- My favorite head canon became canon babes!!! I love it. I’m here for it. He's having a lovely time.

ALSO FRENCHIE!!! Hi babes! I missed you being a clever badass! I'm happy Ed didn't stab you.

Them taking Ed’s issues seriously. We got hints of addiction/abusive behavior last season, but they took that and ran with it. Add that to self destrictive behavior that scales up with every scene. Plus the one line from Lucius about how some people can’t be fixed…good stuff, I like how we're handling mental health. I’m not happy with him, but we have time. Taika clearly had fun. I also see myself in his mania and self-sabotaging behavior (non violent, but still wish washy moods for my part)

That and Izzy/Ed being what it is… I believe that Ed genuinely loves Izzy the only way he can, but it’s not enough. He can’t love Izzy the way he needs. Ed needs to apologize, obviously. I won’t be able to forgive him ‘till then. I don’t think Izzy should until he’s able to pull away from him a bit. 

Let's just say I can't wait till next week when we get lesbians and one of my favorite tropes.

(@ing mutuals I know have seen it that I would love to yell with @gydima @born-on-a-beach-teach @treesofgreen BUT do feel free to shout down below!!!)

[lyranova]

If you're still doing the salty ask game, can you do 4, 9, 12, and 19

Hiya Luce! Yep i’m still accepting requests for the salty ask game, and I apologize this took me a bit, I kind of went on a rant for number 19! Also I answered two of these for Black Clover and two for FFVII! I hope you enjoy!

4 Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?*

I’ve answered this a couple of times for BC already and I don’t feel like repeating myself again so I’m going with FFVII this time 😆; and my biggest NoTP is Cloud x Aerith, and yes they are a very popular OTP 😅. I just really like them as friends, family, or platonic soulmates whose love is different then that of romantic partners love! Also right behind that is Zack x Tifa and thats because it feels like people are just “pairing the spares” 😔.

(As I always say; if you ship these ships then good for you, and I fully support you in loving these ships!)

9 Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Hmm…in Black Clover? I guess aside from the usual suspects (Sekke, Auggie, Alecdora, etc) it would have to be; Jester, Sally, and Damnatio.

Jester…I like him in fanon, but dislike him in canon. In canon he’s annoying to me and not in a fun and ���gremlin” way like in fanon (or at least, in mine and my mutuals fanon 😆). I really just didn’t vibe with him in the movie and couldn’t wait for him to disappear 😔.

Sally is also more of a “i don’t vibe with them”. She’s just very…extra? But not in a good way. And imo she takes things too far and comes off as annoying like Jester. I’ve tried to like her, i really have, but she just doesn’t vibe with me at all.

Damnatio is amazing in fanon! But in canon? He comes across as a bit…boring when compared to other characters in the series, at least to me. Maybe it’s intentional on Tabs part, or maybe its because we don’t see him very much, but to me he is very blah and uninteresting as a character (even tho his magic is kind of cool)!

12 Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Hmm…I guess the Devil Believer arc in BC? Thats really the only unpopular arc i can think of 😅. To me the concepts and ideas it introduces are interesting (such as showing us what happened on the ground during the elf invasion, showing us directly how those with very low mana are treated in the country, etc;) even tho they weren’t executed very well. I feel like that arc had/has a lot of potential in it, so I do enjoy it despite its many…many, many faults!

19 What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Since there isn’t anything in the BC fandom that I hate, I’ll go with another fandom that I lurk in which is FFVII! The thing I hate most about it is the toxicity, ship wars, and character hate!

My poor mutuals have had to hear me complain about it many times recently, but its just…so freaking bad rn! I’m trying to find cute art, fics, and headcanons but instead all I see are people arguing about song lyrics, words and meanings and context in scenes, and even going as far as to threaten and argue with the writers and developers of the game (hell and even some going as far as to argue and threaten streamers and gamers over their freaking fan theories)😭! Like I get it, this happens in every big fandom, but maybe its because I’ve been in a small one for so long…but this is just a bit much and kind of took a lot of the joy I had for the game away (There is a lot of good and fun in the fandom too, its just a little harder to find these days)!

And the ship wars are just, really, really terrible (it doesn’t help that they’ve been going on for nearly 30 years!)! Again, I understand this is in every big fandom with a bunch of popular ships, but really is it that hard to scroll past or block and ignore 😭?? I just don’t see the point in arguing about them; you like what you like, i like what I like, and let’s just agree to disagree! This is another one of those “I’ve been in a small fandom too long” because most of the mutuals and people I follow either scroll past when they see a ship they don’t like, or they go “I may not like it, but I see how much you do, and I support you in that!”.

The character hate…*sigh* again, I get it and I know not everyone is going to like the same characters…but there comes a point where its too much! When you have to mischaracterize them completely, or point to scenes that the writers have gone back and changed/retconned/removed in order to “prove how much of a terrible character they are”, or you have to focus on this one “terrible thing” that particular character did while ignoring the terrible things that other characters did…just shows me that you’re willing to make up whatever you want in order to excuse your useless hate for that character! (You can literally just go; “eh I don’t vibe with them/they’re not my cup of tea” and leave it at that 😭!!)!

[adelphenium]

do you have a fave player to draw from each team? or if you haven’t drawn a player from each team (/maybe even if you have and he wasn’t your fave) who do you think they would be?

ahh this is gonna be a long one! i'm taking you at your word and listing one from every team..... under the cut :D

also i've divided it up based on the teams each player was on when i drew them!

favourite players i have drawn, by team:

East

sens: definitely chabby! however i will also note that i have not yet drawn timmy in a finished piece and i am very much aware of how criminal that is. i will try to rectify this soon.

canadiens: i haven't drawn many but probably pk!

leafs: auston bc he's got really nice distinctive features! conversely i don't like drawing mitchy bc he's too conventionally attractive :( another forbidden answer is bertuzzi . he was so rancid i HAD to draw him and it was admittedly fun.. but it was only a one-time thing.....

panthers: matty tkachuk!

bruins: sway! he's got the sweetest face BUT so too does ully.. hm..

red wings: dylan larkin, gorgeous nose

pens: s. crosby, legendary nose

flyers: nolpat! love his blush and lashes and terrifyingly blue eyes

canes: brady skjei in all his grey glory <3

devils: nico!!! amazing brows

West

avs: natemac, no question. PHENOMENAL nose, dare i say the best. though cale is a close second!

wild: kirill!!! squishy and doughy

jets: i've only drawn heller and his HUGE ears but it was still fun

stars: robo my beloved!! though seggy kinda reminds me of mtkachuk (?just me??) so he's been fun too

chicago: so far only seth jones

oilers: i Cannot Believe i'm saying this but...... connor. he seriously grew on me like a zebra mussel. i had such a hard time getting his features right at first (why is his mouth so small. why are his eyebrows Like That. what's up with his facial hair) but he's. he uh. listen davo propaganda is real and i have submitted completely to it. i love drawing him now

sharks: i've only drawn ekarlsson but he was so fun with the flow and twirly mustache

ducks: definitely jamie drysdale! i am a sucker for freckles..... praying for his contract 🙏

canucks: only quinn as of yet but he is fun and pretty

kraken: only matty beniers but he is extremely fun!!

knights: only mark stone so far

teams whose players i have not drawn but want to:

East

lightning: i tried drawing vasy once and it went Very Badly. i think it'll be the same for stamkos. so maybe bogo!

sabres: definitely need to draw jeff skinner!! maybe i'll draw him with ej and josty just to make myself sad

islanders: mat barzal bc he reminds me of a handsome version of br*ndon urie

rangers: zibanejad!! i'm quite fond of him bc he looks like a male bearded version of one of my friends 😭

caps: nicke or sonny!

blue jackets: i don't really know these guys but maybe gaudreau.. he always looks a little freaked out, so. interesting

West

yotes: matt dumba! he reminds me of another one of my friends

preds: erm.... i gotta say ryan o'reilly. he's very pretty to me and i don't really know anyone else on the preds......

blues: brandon saad, super cute smile!

flames: i've drawn matty tkachuk while he was on the flames but he's otherwise represented on the list so i don't think he counts..!! so maybe naz or hanny?

kings: either kopitar or pld!

i really like to draw players with distinctive faces, but i am extremely partial to those i've emotionally imprinted on.. as well as those i've already drawn multiple times...... you can see i've got a bit of an eastern atlantic bias haha

[mystery-moose]

12, 13, 14, 29 for Sevistur!

12.) What opinion does your Tav have about the Gods?

Ohhh, that's a meaty one! I think... there's a certain element of practicality? Like, the gods are measurably, perceivably real, and they are clearly extremely powerful beings that have a huge impact on the world, so why not worship a good one? But also... he's got that rebellious streak in him. That disdain for authority, especially authority that demands respect for no other reason than it feel deserved. So I think as a paladin he worships Bahamut, in so much as he worships any god whose tenets he believes in, but it's more a matter of... paid respects, I guess. He's always gotten most of his power from his oath. Self-actualization and dedication to his cause are where he gets his strength from, and he tries to be beholden to the gods as little as possible.

(I love how they reworked paladins in D&D to make them more agnostic, can you tell, I find that whole thing so fascinating)

13.) How does your Tav feel about the wilderness?

Answered this one! I will add, however, that when traveling with company, he finds roughing it to be far more pleasant. (Especially once Karlach gets her engine fixed.)

14.) How does your Tav feel about the city?

I think he loves the city! He likes the feeling of being surrounded by people, of the teeming lifeblood of civilization and all that. I also think he dislikes the smell, and the crime, and the corruption, and the prejudice, and all the various and sundry things that happen when a million people are crammed into tight quarters. He prefers the finer things you find in the upper city, but he also loves the lower city because it feels freer, less restrictive. It's complicated, I guess!

19.) What is your Tav’s greatest desire?

Woof. I don't know. I guess... initially, it's to find where he fits. Because he doesn't fit where his parents wanted him to fit, and he finds some vague purpose in seminary school, but he's still looking for a place to settle.

I think once he meets Karlach? That's it. He's going wherever she's going, and his greatest desire at that point is to find a way to fix her engine and make her happy.

Now, there's a lot of conversations you can have with her late in the romance where you can constantly bring up how you have to solve her problem and why isn't she looking harder and why aren't we freaking out more about her impending death... but he only does that once, I think. He knows it's not helpful, knows what she wants and needs is to seize what she has while she has it, so he keeps his concerns to himself. But the time comes, and he won't see her die, so he goes down to Avernus with her. Because of course he does. Because there was never any other option, any other path for him but this. I think he finally feels a touch of providence and the divine in his life, maybe for the first time -- the revelation that all his skills, all his training, all the power he gained to heal the wounded and smite the wicked was meant for precisely this journey, down into the inferno, to spend the rest of his life killing devils with the love of his life.

...and when the DLC arrives, he is going to bridal carry her right out of hell, hashtag justice for Karlach YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO SVEN

[nehswritesstuffs]

banish every gaslight; let clarity shine - Part 9

Oops I watched OPLA all in one go and I, like much of the fandom, is sobbing at how good we got it. Now I'm actively considering importing some of my fics circa 2006 onto AO3, so I'm curious...

Part 1 [FFN/AO3] - Part 2 [FFN/AO3] - Part 3 [FFN/AO3] - Part 4 [FFN/AO3] - Part 5 [FFN/AO3] - Part 6 [FFN/AO3] - Part 7 [FFN/AO3] - Part 8 [FFN/AO3]

Luffy upholds his end of the bargain, while a toy can't help but lend an ear. [2257 words; AU where there is a Third Corazón, whose existence makes Law’s life hell]

Law and Antonia did their best to not freak out as they flew through the air thanks to Luffy’s insanely springy legs. He landed on a few rooftops and used them as further springboards, taking him further and further away from the palace.

“What the fuck is going on here?!” Antonia gasped. “Put me down, you psychopath!”

“Can’t! Gotta get you away from Mingo!” Luffy kept bouncing, unperturbed by his cargo squirming.

“Strawhat-ya doesn’t seem like the sort of guy you can reason with,” Law stated sourly. It was frankly demeaning being hauled around all over the place as he was, but what choice did he really have? “Mind telling us where we’re going?”

“Not far,” Luffy said. Sure enough, he landed hard in one of the plazas, his feet crumbling the cobblestone underneath them to dust. He put the pair down and grinned at them, only for Antonia to smack his head. “Ow! What’d you do that for?!”

“Warn me next time!” she hissed. Antonia was about to scold him further when someone tackled her in a hug—Baby 5…?! “Whoa! Where’d you come from?”

“Nia, I was so worried!” Baby 5 sniffled. “I was afraid that Doflamingo got you!”

“Wait… don’t you always refer to Uncle Doffy as Young Master…?” Movement caught Antonia’s eye and she saw Viola unlocking Law’s cuffs. Seconds passed and he began to vomit as his Devil Fruit abilities came back. “Violet…? What are you…?”

“He needs time to recover,” the older woman said. She held Law’s shoulders as he retched to keep him steady. “We’ll never get to do anything with him in this state.”

“Torao sure as hell took a beating,” Luffy noted. “Whoever did that must’ve been someone he really didn’t want to fight.”

“That… that was me…” Antonia said, her voice quiet. She watched as Baby 5 crouched down on the other side of Law; he was only able to look at her for one fleeting moment of realization before passing out into Viola’s arms.

“Law-nii?! Law-nii, stay with me!” Baby 5 took her brother and felt the wound on the back of his head, grimacing—it wasn’t looking good. “Fuck… what did you do, Nia?!”

“I was only doing what Uncle Doffy wanted!” Antonia retorted. “…and since when do you call a complete stranger nii? Don’t tell me you’re in on his lies too?!”

“What lies?” Luffy wondered, tilting his head. “Gun Lady said that Torao is important to you both, but also that you’re like her sister. If he’s important to you, then it makes sense to call him nii, right? Why don’t you call Torao that?”

“I don’t know him!” Antonia snapped.

“Then maybe it’s about time to show you the truth,” Viola said grimly. She activated her Devil Fruit and held Antonia’s face gently as she went to press their foreheads together. Instead, Antonia backed out of her reach. “Nena, what is the matter?”

“This is wrong,” Antonia frowned. “You two are acting weird, this man knows about things in my head, and this kid,” she pointed at Luffy, “just punched my uncle through a cinderblock wall! What is going on here?!”

“I’m trying to show you,” Viola said, “now if you will just let me…” She took a step towards Antonia, only for her to take another step back.

“No!” She looked at Viola, at the expressionless Luffy, at Baby 5 cradling Law in her arms next to a puddle of sick, and couldn’t understand a damn bit of it. Another step backwards and she turned on her heel to run, simply wanting to get away from there.

“What are you waiting for?!” Baby 5 scowled. “Go get her!”

“She doesn’t want to be here,” Luffy said with a shrug. “I can’t stop her from that.”

“You got her over here!”

“Yeah, and she was the one who left.” Luffy looked back over towards the palace and grinned manically. “I held up my end of the bargain; now it’s time to kick Mingo’s ass.” He began to run off, only for Viola to shout after him, attempting to chase him down so that she could guide him through the city streets. That left Baby 5 with the unconscious Law, the former doing her best not to cry.

“I did my best, Law-nii,” she whispered. “I tried to keep Lami-chan safe as I could, but Doflamingo made it so hard…” A hiccup escaped her; fuck, it felt embarrassingly childish. “Please… Law-nii… help me save her…” His face crinkled in pain—he was still alive!

“That’s now the plan,” he groaned. Law opened his eyes slightly, the bright sun above almost blinding to his dizzy, ear-ringing, concussed self. “It’s really her, isn’t it?”

Baby 5 nodded, motion shallow and full of tears. “Yeah… it really is. She doesn’t know it, though.”

“…and you didn’t figure out a way to tell me earlier, why…?”

“It was too dangerous. I thought that was obvious.”

“Seas, I forgot the pain of having little sisters,” Law scoffed. “I don’t know if it’s the concussion talking or something else, but I’m ready to kick our uncle’s ass for doing this to us. You in?”

Despite the tears in her eyes and the way she was biting her lip to stay calm, Baby 5 could not remember a time she wanted to laugh in joy harder. She nodded and held up her hand, which Law clapped with his, resealing the bond they both feared had shattered beyond repair long ago.

“Okay, Bee. Let’s go get our kid sister back.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Antonia ran fast as she could through the Dressrosan streets, trying to put as much distance between her and the others as possible. She bumped into all sorts of civilians as she did so; everyone was confused, as seeing their princeseta in such a state wasn’t exactly normal.

‘Shit! I have to figure out a place to be alone!’ She continued to run as she tried to make her way through the streets. When that proved too congested for her, she climbed up to the rooftops and began to jump to and fro, using them as bases on which to easily move about. She eventually found herself at the base of Flower Hill, where she was able to stop for a rest.

Fuck… there was so much swirling in her head and she needed to make it stop. It was bouncing around, screaming, wanting her attention more than anything else. She held her head and shut her eyes, trying to concentrate on getting it to stop. Instead, all she could see was Trafalgar’s face as he stared at her in horror. She leaned against the base of Flower Hill as she tried to steady herself and her nerves.

“Are you alright, Princeseta?”

Antonia pulled a pistol out of her holster and pointed it at the source of the voice, her hands shaky. It was the Thunder Soldier, who was staring at her. He didn’t seem to be ready to move, let alone strike, though she kept her guard up.

“What the fuck do you want?!” she hissed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Leave me alone!”

“You don’t look like you want to be alone,” he replied. “What brings you out this way?”

“We’ve been chasing after one another for ten years! Don’t pretend that we’re friends!” She allowed herself to sink down to the ground, her body and weapon suddenly too heavy to keep up. “None of it makes any sense…”

“What doesn’t?”

“Lately? Everything.” She watched as he placed his pop-rifle down and sat next to her. “Uncle Doffy wanted me to wring some information out of a man before killing him… yet… there was something about him that I couldn’t place.”

“Curiós…” the toy hummed. “Who is this man?”

“A shitty little Warlord who keeps spouting lies,” she scoffed. Seas… she was really baring her soul to this toy who normally kept avoiding capture, wasn’t she? Well, it was the least he could do for all the trouble he’d been causing the Family… “I don’t know what a hobby like you would know about it.”

“A surprising amount, nena,” he said, chuckling softly. “This Warlord… he claims you as his sister, no?”

She stared at him and blinked. “How did you…?”

“You were a very different child when we first met,” Thunder Soldier explained. He placed his hand on Antonia’s arm, the act disturbingly Human. “I miss that child—she held so much in her heart that she did not yet know how to handle, and yet did not let that keep her down.”

The young woman stared at the toy, her head tilting in confusion. There were so many times when she attempted to capture him, even kill him, and yet… and yet… something calming was settling over her and she could tell it was from him.

“Nena, I do not know what he has told you, or what others have said in his stead, but know that I am not your enemy, and that I want for you what I want for my own daughter.”

“You… have a daughter…?”

“Indeed, and all I want for both of you is to be able to live as yourselves, with people who love you for who you are, not people who enjoy what they can make you do.” He stood and stared at her, his face unblinking. “Did he call you ‘Lami’ by any chance?”

“…yes…?”

“Él és vivo…” Thunder Solider marveled quietly. “It really is him… you and your sister thought he must have been dead…”

“I’ve never met the man before today…”

“The man, yes, but you knew him as a boy, and he is here to right wrongs from long before you arrived here.” He brushed some of the stray hair from her face and Antonia almost felt better. “Did you know there is a way for you to know which of his words are lies and which are the truth?”

She stared at him silently.

“You must unlock your heart,” he continued. “You must reach deep into yourself, Corazón, and you will be able to bring back your memories of him… of what he means to you… then you can decide for yourself.”

“…but… why should I listen to you? All I’ve ever done is try to catch you for disassembly.”

“Of all the Elite Officers, the Corazón is the one that is supposed to love the most, correcte?” He picked up his pop-rifle and turned around, readying to go. “Some people can use Haki to look into their own hearts—I believe you are capable of it.”

“If you think I’m capable of that,” she mused, “then what does yours say?”

“I do not hold that kind of power,” the toy replied sadly. “If I did, then we would be having a very different conversation.” He sighed, which nearly seemed the oddest thing of all about their interaction. “I wish you luck in figuring out who you are, nena. This is day is only going to get worse.”

At that, he used his pop-rifle to push off and skated away, joined by small creatures when he was almost out of sight. Antonia looked at her hands—one empty and the other still gripping her pistol—and scowled.

Use Haki…? To look into her heart…? It was unlike any technique that her uncle had ever taught her… different from anything the other Officers—Elite or otherwise—ever did on a daily basis. Even if she did want to do it, how would she go about figuring how to apply Haki like that? She was left with more questions than answers; everything from the technique itself to Thunder Soldier’s possible motivations. Part of her wanted to call the toy back and question him some more, while another part felt the need to simply run and not stop until she was far, far, far away from Dressrosa.

Then again, whatever she did she needed to decide on quickly—if her uncle had been punched through a wall by some stringy kid, then he was bound to be angry. The last thing that anyone needed was for him to be angry, least of all the idiot who started it all: Trafalgar. Now that she’d had some space away from him to think, then maybe it was time to go back to him with a clear head…

…except it wasn’t going to be just him, was it? Baby 5 and possibly Violet as well… she didn’t like the idea of it. Maybe, possibly, allowing Violet to show her memories could help…? At least now she’d be prepared… and even if Violet’s memories were altered by time, it wouldn’t be as though she could rewrite them…

Antonia stood, brushed off her cloak, holstered her pistol, and began to run.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Doflamingo groaned as he extracted himself from the rubble of the wall he had been unceremoniously punched through. He growled wordlessly as he glared out over the nation—his grip on things was slipping, and he was not going to stand for it. Pulling a transponder snail out of his pocket, he held down the button on the top of the shell and hissed in anger.

“My prodigal nephew and that rubber freak have the Corazón. If I don’t have her back by my side within thirty minutes, then you know what’s going to happen, and you better be prepared for it.”

He threw the Den Den away before anyone could answer.

The King of Dressrosa was done playing games.

[mageofseven]

The Boys Reacting to MC Calling Themself Luke's Mama

Ok so despite the feminine term, I see this for MCs of any gender being this sweet, loving mama bear to Lukey baby 🥰

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

Lucifer:

"MC, the Celestial realm won't actually let you adopt him."

Pursed his lips as both MC and their new son stares daggers at him.

sighs Nevermind...

Doesn't think the conversation is worth the mental energy anymore.

Though is still worried that his love will feel even more heartbroken when Luke is sent back to the Celestial realm.

Mammon:

Actually finds it adorable that MC sees the kid in this way

Not that he'd ever admit it though.

Actively pretends he doesn't care about it at all

But in truth, his heart gets all warm when he sees his Human interact with the small boy

And is actually kinda jealous of the tenderness from their parent-child relationship.

Leviathan:

Bro is so jealous.

Levi often complains about it and calls it "weird".

Made the mistake of calling it that in front of Luke one day

And the small boy actually kicked him for hurting his Mama's feelings!

This man almost summoned Lotan on this boy's ass

But luckily didn't because Lucifer was there

So instead Levi just went to his room and pouted about the attention his Henry was giving the angel.

Satan:

Finds it mildly strange, but really has no issue with it.

He knows his Kitten is a really loving person with a soft spot for kids

And ultimately is happy that the small boy brings them so much comfort.

Does worry about how they'll handle it when the young angel is sent back to the Celestial realm

But decides that it's better left for another time.

Right now, the boy makes his Kitten happy and that's what matters.

Asmodeus:

Find their relationship super cute!

And tries to get Luke to call him 'Papa'

Which doesn't work in the slightest and just makes the angel boy annoyed.

He's still happy for his Dolly though and likes that the child is so good to them.

Beelzebub:

Oh boy, does this man want kids

Like right now.

Their relationship really makes his baby fever worse

But he's still really happy for his Muffin and Luke.

Does wish Luke would also call him 'Papa', but does not want to make the child uncomfortable.

Enjoys spending time with the two and watching the human be all motherly to the angel

And often imagines them being that way to a child they make together.

MC, maybe you should make Lukey a sibling? Like, as soon as possible lol

Belphegor:

Is honestly very annoyed by it.

Like, no you freaking chihuahua, they are not gonna bake or play a game with you

We are napping.

Sadly gets into some arguments with MC over this

Because dude, you did not just speak to their son that way.

Luke may be the child in this scenario, but Belphie is definitely the brat.

This stubborn man has learned to apologize after these situations because MC is just as stubborn, if not more than him

And literally won't even look at him till he apologizes.

To make matters worse, it's not them he has to apologize to

It's Luke

And by the devil, this man hates apologizing to that little gremlin.

Diavolo:

Finds their relationship so adorable and tells them that every day!

Honestly, it makes Luke blush more than it makes his Queen.

The angelic child doesn't mind this though

And honestly wishes he could call Diavolo 'Papa' too

Something that Diavolo also wishes from the small angel

But boy would that have a lot of heavy political implications that would set people off, both in his realm and in the Celestial realm.

Sorry boys 😅

Still, MC's incredible love and care towards the child is beautiful to the prince, who starts showing Luke the same from himself.

Another man whose baby fever gets sparked up, but unlike Beel, is somewhat nervous to bring up the topic to MC.

After all, any children that come from him would be tethered to the Royal Family and the Devildom as a whole, which is a lot of pressure

Something he worries about putting on his love and their potential child.

So for now, he just enjoys spending with MC and Luke

And dreams of having a child of MC and his own.

Barbatos:

Barb has always been one to like kids, so to see his partner has such a strong love for this angelic child really warms his heart.

Barb already cares about Luke a lot at this point and is very grateful for his stay in the Devildom.

Luke is his little baking buddy and it would be a lie to say he hasn't grown found of him.

However, this butler is also realistic; he knows the child will eventually be whisked back up to the Celestial realm

And he and MC may not see him again.

Has this conversation with his love, but only once.

Doesn't want to hurt the human, but wants to make sure they know how this will eventually end.

Overall, loves their cute little parent-child relationship

And makes the butler think...what if--

But no. It would be much better if he and MC do not have children.

With his job, it wouldn't be fair for the child to not get the attention they deserve because he is constantly working.

That and his...'gift'; he would never want to risk his child inheriting it

And the pain that comes along with it.

Solomon:

Finds it really cute how attached his little minx has gotten to the angel.

Honestly, Soli already sees Luke as a little brother to him so he can see why the fellow human is so attached to the child.

Doesn't see himself as Luke's father because the sorcerer really has trouble imagining himself as parent

But has no issue in his little minx seeing themself as Luke's 'mama' instead of their sibling.

MC and Luke are happy and that's what matters to the man.

Unlike the others, Solomon isn't worried about Luke getting whisked away to the Celestial realm.

This sorcerer was one of the few non angels to have more or less full access to the angel homeland

One of the perks of being a former servant to their Father.

Soli was so sure that even if Luke had to go back up to his realm that he could get some strings pulled to get MC brought up to visit him.

So no worries from this man; he lets his little minx love their new 'son' as much as they want to.

These two will never be separated for long; not if he has a say in it.

Simeon:

Honestly, this man is conflicted about their relationship.

Simeon loves little Luke and loves being his guardian

So he loves seeing how well the child and his secret partner get along.

This man also feels guilty that he can never give MC the child from him that they really want since it was a general belief that angels cannot procreate.

The human so desperately wanted a child and Luke enjoyed getting to see what it was like to have a 'mama'.

The two were happy and he loved that for them.

However, at some point, Michael will ask him to send Luke home

And the boyfriend will have no choice but to take the sweet boy away from his new 'mama'

And the idea pained him severely.

He never wanted to hurt his Feather or young Luke

But someday...he just might be forced to

And the thought killed him inside.

[faequeentitania]

Okay obviously when Flight of Icarus was announced and confirmed as an Eddie tie-in novel, the fact that it's also the name of an Iron Maiden song (their first USA single, as a matter of fact) pleased me as a great reference to a band that has very swiftly become one of my all-time favorites in the last few months.

But Y'ALL. Then I read the synopsis for the book. Flight of Icarus is a reference reference.

Compare it:

Hawkins, Indiana — for most, it's simply another idyllic, manicured all-American town. But for Eddie Munson it's like living in a perpetual Tomb of Horrors. Luckily, he only has a few more months to survive at Hawkins High. And what is senior year, really, but just killing time between Dungeons & Dragons sessions with the Hellfire Club and gigs with his band?

It's at the worst dive bar in town that Eddie meets Paige, someone who has pulled off a freaking miracle. She escaped Hawkins and built a wickedly cool life for herself working for a record producer out in Los Angeles. Not only is she the definition of a badass — with a killer taste in music — she might be the only person that actually appreciates him as the bard he is instead of the devil incarnate. But the best thing? She's offering a chance for him to make something of himself, and all he needs is to get her a demo tape of Corroded Coffin's best songs.

Just one problem: Recording costs money. Money Eddie doesn't have. But he's willing to do whatever it takes: even if that means relying on his old man, Al Munson. His dad just stumbled back into his life, with another dubious scheme up his sleeve, and yet Eddie knows this is his only option to make enough dough in enough time. It's a risk, but if it pays off he will finally have a one-way ticket out of Hawkins.

Eddie can feel it: 1984 is going to be his year.

To what Bruce Dickinson said in his autobiography about writing Flight of Icarus:

For the lyric, I flipped the story of Icarus on its head and made the father the villain of the piece. Driven by ambition and ego he forces his son to fly, with terrible consequences as his son, in youthful exuberance, flies too high and his wings melt. Basically the pushy parent revisited.

AND look at these lyrics from the song:

His eyes seem so glazed/As he flies on the wings of a dream/Now he knows his father betrayed/Now his wings turn to ashes, to ashes his grave

A young man with youthful exuberance being pushed into doing something for his father, a father whose ego and plotting will burn his son and cause his downfall?? (Because let's face it, we know exactly where Eddie is after 1984, we know that this book will be an exercise in frustration as we watch him fight so hard to get Corroded Coffin to success, only for it to all be for naught. We also know that Al Munson is not in his life come 1986, and we can make a pretty good guess based on how Eddie speaks of him that things absolutely end sour between them.)

ALSO, Eddie already has ties to Flight of Icarus, via the fact that the album on which it features, Piece of Mind, is the one that he holds up as he declares, "THIS! IS! MUSIC!" in the very beginning of S4E8.

And maybe this is just me being a nerd and reading too much into it but??? Come on. Come ON.

[bruhlsbees]

kachow— (???)

okay, but, reader usually being extremely clingy and super lovey-dovey. and always calling Alex, or maybe Niki pet names, never by calling him by his name. and one day being distant and calling him by his name and he's just so confused??? and wonders wtf he did to upset her, but she's just playing w him and waiting for him to call her out on her attitude???

kachow || niki lauda x fem!reader

summary: after a week of being ignored you act out during a press conference to get niki's attention

pairing: niki lauda x fem!reader

word count: 2,519

warnings: smut smut smut, reader acts like a brat and niki likes it, orgasm denial, overstimulation, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), slight breeding kink, y'all this freak nasty what can i say, minors dni, 18+, nsfw

a/n: this is my first time writing for niki and i had a lot of fun!! makes me even more excited to write my niki fic!!

Niki Lauda was a serious man.

Things always had to be better than perfect for him, especially on the days where there was a race or press conference - those days, and the days leading up to it, it felt like a miracle if you could grab his attention for more than five seconds. He was so worried about making sure that he was in the right mindset for the race that he would forget about everything else, including you.

And this time was no different. The past week you woke up alone, went to bed alone, and most hours when he was free and home, the time he could’ve been spending with you, he was on the phone strategizing with Clay or someone else on the team about the track he would be racing on. So to say you were pent up was an understatement. Not only were you irritated over the busy week that left you alone, but you were also jealous - jealous of your husband’s career that let fans see him more than you - and to be truthful, you were horny as hell.

Were you thrilled when it finally hit that the love of your life was a formula one racer? That the tracks he raced on could be dangerous? No, absolutely not. You never thought that you would marry someone whose profession was racing, but it was Niki, and for some reason - the two of you clicked. But what kind of wife would you be if you took his passion away from him? Not a rather empathetic one.

But you had enough. A week was far too long and when it finally came to the day of the press conference, you decided that it was time for your husband to get the short end of the stick, to taste your anger.

Your attention had been fixed on the clock hanging up on the back wall for the past forty-eight minutes...drowning out the reporters, fans, and Niki, you sat in your thoughts to pass the time by, not bothering to keep up the doting wife facade.

It was noticed quickly, however, by those attending the press conference - although it wasn’t until Niki grabbed your thigh under the table causing you to jump that you realized they were talking to you.

Leaning forward, your mouth bumping against the microphone, the harsh ring from contact echoing the room. You shot back a little, adjusting the microphone before clearing your throat.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Laughter erupted through the room, causing you to smile weakly before listening to the reporter’s question.

“Mrs. Lauda, it’s been noticed that this week, and today especially, you have looked particularly down. Is there a reason for this? Is there a Baby Lauda on the way? Are there any issues in the bedroom or just in general between you and Niki?”

You, joined by Niki and the rest of his team that sat up in the front along the table all fell back in shock, surprised to hear such a bold question from a reporter.

It was a bad idea, you knew it, but you were so upset by the week, the reporter, everything that it just slipped out, without a second chance to stop yourself.

“I hate to be the one to say it, but it doesn’t look like Baby Lauda will be coming anytime soon,” When the murmurs began to pick up, you smiled glancing over at Niki who looked at you confused before continuing on, “As you all know my dear husband is incredibly busy with the season. He’s gone most of the day to make sure he wins and by the time he gets home I’m already in bed,” You paused again, smiling wickedly at the crowd before finally finishing. “There are no issues because there is nothing going on in the bedroom to begin with-“

“Alright, thank you Mrs. Lauda! I think that’s it for questions today. Thank you all for coming!” The mediator of the press conference rushed, standing now up at the main podium in the middle.

The awkward clapping picked up over the room while the rest of Niki’s team departed. You followed in suit, keeping in the back while the rest of the team went through the dressing room and out back towards the bus. Before you could take a step out of the dressing room, you felt a sudden tight grasp on your arm. Spinning, you looked and saw Niki in front of you, face red and seething.

“Are you ill? What the hell was that? Do you know how bad that just made me? I’m going to look like a horrible husband! Is there what you want?” He shook your arm violently, tugging you back towards him each time you tried to pull away.

“Answer me, dammit!”

You jumped back slightly from the sudden outburst that came from Niki. Of course you knew that it made him look back, but it wasn’t anything detrimental to his career…was it? He kept his gaze locked on you, waiting for you to respond. What Niki hadn’t been expecting though was the smirk that toyed on your face.

“I’m sorry, but I’m lacking the sight to see what is so funny?” His eyebrows were knitted right together, his nostrils flaring.

“Nothing funny at all, Niki. I was just thinking, you know, if you’re so worried about what the stupid press thinks, why don’t you prove them wrong?” Your free hand ran up Niki’s chest, toying with the buttons of his shirt before your eyes flicked up towards him.

At this point he didn’t look angry anymore, but pent up, frustrated with what had happened but also because it took two to do the devil’s tango - and he was missing you, whether he would admit it or not.

Then it hit him, what you were doing. Messing with him to get his attention. Niki had to admit, it was a smart move, but he was smarter and if you were thinking that you would get away with it and what you wanted, you were wrong.

His own smirk toyed on his face before he looked around the dressing room. Nobody was around and they had a few minutes to spare - because after the stunt you pulled everyone knew not to interrupt with whatever argument between the Lauda’s would spew. It wasn’t the most private, but he would make it work.

“Prove them wrong? Is that the image you are painting for me now? Niki Lauda the bad husband?” He tugged you closer to him, your face only inches away from him, you could feel the air that came from his nose hit you in the face, “Is that what you want?”

“What makes you think you weren’t already a bad husband?”

The only thing you heard was the ringing in your ears. It was deafening, the silence between you two after your joke. Your face slacked though after a while, thinking maybe you went too far.

“Niki, I-“

Before you could get your apology out, Niki grabbed onto your face with one hand, squishing your cheeks together before pulling you with him towards the couch. He turned you around and pushed back onto the couch, watching as you fell back with a huff. Niki grinned down at you before sitting on his knees, pushing your legs open.

“I’m a bad husband, yes? Bad husbands don’t let their wives feel satisfied, do they?” His thick accent was muffled in your ears by the sound of your own whimpers, watching as he reached his hands under your dress and hooked his fingers around the band of your underwear.

Niki pulled your underwear down your legs, growing frustrated when they got tangled with your heels before muttering something under his breath and tearing them into two, tossing the ripped fabric off to the side. Your mouth hung open, glaring now at him.

“Why did you- oh!”

You fell back into the couch when you felt his mouth on your cunt, his hands gripping onto your thighs to keep them open as you tried to close them around his head. Your hands were gripping the sofa cushions, moaning out as you felt Niki’s tongue swipe up and down.

As he continued to eat you out, sucking at your clit until your legs were shaking around him, your eyes began to fill with tears, feeling overstimulated with everything that was going on. Your hands sank down from the couch and down where Niki was in between your legs, your fingers running through his recently washed and styled curls.

“Niki...baby…” Your eyes rolled back into your head, whining as your climax began to rise. If you weren’t so high from the mind blowing head that Niki was giving you, you might have been able to get a cohesive sentence out.

Smirking against your cunt, Niki pulled away to look up at you, your own wetness dripping down his chin, hitting the spot on his chest that was exposed from where he didn’t button his shirt up. While he stared up at you, he took the time to slowly run his fingers along you, his thumb pressing down at your clit to rub in circles while his index and middle finger sank into you.

Hiding his grin from you, Niki turned and pressed a kiss to your thigh, biting down on the soft flesh before moving up, pressing his forehead against yours to keep your gaze locked on him.

“What does my pretty disobedient wife want? Does she want to cum around my fingers? Make a mess all over this disgusting couch?” His own ragged breath was picked up, his warm breath against your cheek as he moved his face to press against your ear, his teeth nipping at the spot behind your ear, listening to you moan and wither under him.

Your hips began to buck forward into his hand, desperately begging for more. Your hands were gripping at the front of Niki’s shirt, face pressed against his as you tried to listen to him. You didn’t want to cum around his fingers, but around his dick - his wonderful dick that you had missed all week.

“No, Niki...I want your...your…” Before you could get your words out your body flinched, toes curling as you felt your orgasm rise even more. You were so close, yet felt so empty at the same time. This wasn’t what you were thinking would happen, you were hoping he’d fuck you good, not tease you.

Usually Niki would help you out, finish your sentences for you, but he wanted to tease you good, give you a taste of your own medicine. He waited and listened, continuing to fuck you with his fingers while you desperately grabbed onto him, whimpering and whining out so pathetically.

“Say it and maybe I’ll give it to you...but only if you ask nicely.” He teased, kissing down your neck, using his left hand to open up the front of your dress, pushing your bra up roughly before latching on to your right nipple, sucking down hard.

At this point you weren’t sure how to get it out. Your words were stuck in your throat and he was overstimulating you at this point, but when he latched onto your other nipple, gripping at your right breast with his left hand, you finally had enough.

“Niki, please, oh please just fuck me already!”

Your desperate plea slowed Niki’s motions to a stop, his fingers coming to a standstill and his mouth pulling away from your breast, looking down at you.

“Am I a bad husband?” He asked, staring into your own eyes. You shook your head, your hands coming up to his face.

“No, Niki, you’re a wonderful husband...the best husband.” You breathed, leaning forward to kiss him. He didn’t kiss you back, not wanting to think he was so easily won over, but smiled against your kiss, feeling you pull away before he adjusted his spot above you.

“Say it again,” He demanded, beginning to pull at his belt and tug his pants down enough to pull his now hard dick out. “Tell me that I’m a good husband.”

You felt his dick rub against your cunt, his tip teasingly sinking into you before pulling out just as quick. Wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him close to you until his forehead hit yours again, you held his left cheek with your left hand, your right hand in his hair.

“Niki, you’re a good husband.” The quiet confession seemed to finally be enough for Niki to give you what you wanted. Snapping his hips forward suddenly, with one solid thrust he was in you, pounding you into the couch as he grunted, his hands at your hips to keep you locked onto him.

The feeling of his dick in you now was enough to send you over the edge. Clinging onto him while he rutted inside of you, the sound of his hips connecting with yours and your own wetness slapping against both of your skin filled the room along with the sounds of your moans and pants. It was rougher than usual, hurting only slightly, but you enjoyed it.

“Look at you, my pretty wife so drunk off my cock.” You heard Niki say, leaving wet kisses along your cheek and jawline, his own thrusts slowing as his legs began to shake.

You whined at the comment, moving your face to bury it in the crook of his neck while you came. Before you could sink your mouth onto his shoulder, he grabbed your face in his hand and pulled you back.

“No, you’re going to look at me when you cum. I want to see your pretty face while you cum around my cock.”

The tears continued to fall down, although you were not sad - you were hitting your breaking point, the tension in your stomach practically suffocating you. But you obeyed, locking eyes with Niki’s that were darkened by his pupils, his honey irises outlining his eyes.

He must have been close too, given how sloppy he was becoming. Niki kept his eyes locked on you as his pace quickened again, going faster than before until he let out a final grunt, cumming deep in you. You reached your own orgasm only seconds later, moaning as you clung to him, hugging him tight as your legs wrapped around his hips, shaking still from the intensity of your orgasm.

As you both came down from your high, Niki kept his position on you, not moving while he caught his breath. You pulled back from him when you felt him finally move, pulling out of you slowly, grinning down at the sight of you.

“I think we will have some news for those reporters here soon,” He said suddenly, your head tilted to the side in confusion. He shook his head, leaning forward to kiss your forehead before finally getting up to get around.

“I think Baby Lauda will be coming sooner than we expected.”

[rockislandadultreads]

Found Family: Queer Book Recs

Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie

Twenty-six and broke, Skye didn't think twice before selling her eggs and happily pocketing the cash. Now approaching forty, Skye moves through life entirely--and unrepentantly--on her own terms, living out of a suitcase and avoiding all manner of serious relationships. Her personal life might be a mess, and no one would be surprised if she died alone in a hotel room, but at least she's free to do as she pleases. But then a twelve-year-old girl shows up during one of Skye's brief visits to her hometown of Philadelphia, and tells Skye that she's "her egg." Skye's life is thrown into sharp relief and she decides that it might be time to actually try to have a meaningful relationship with another human being. Spoiler alert: It's not easy. Things gets even more complicated when Skye realizes that the woman she tried and failed to pick up the other day is the girl's aunt and now it's awkward. All the while, her brother is trying to get in touch, her problematic mother is being bewilderingly kind, and the West Philly pool halls and hoagie shops of her youth have been replaced by hipster cafes. Told in a fresh, lively voice, this novel is a relentlessly clever, deeply moving portrait of a woman and the relationships she thought she could live without.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

And Then The Gray Heaven by R.E. Katz

RE Katz’s And Then the Gray Heaven centers on Jules, whose partner B has recently died in a freak accident. Confronting the red tape of the hospital, the dissociation and cruelty of B’s family, and the unimaginable void now at the center of their lives, Jules and new friend Theo embark on a road trip to bury two-thirds of B’s ashes in the places they most belong. Along the way, Katz delves into their relationship and their life stories—Jules’ rise from abandoned baby origins through the Florida foster care system, and B’s artistic transformation, surrounded by kindred spirits who helped them realize it was possible to be regarded as a human and not as a body. Delving into what it means to try to be alive to your own pain and the pain of others under late capitalism, And Then the Gray Heaven explores the themes of queer grief and affection, queer failure, burial as hero’s journey, and the grotesqueries of artistic determination within and beyond the institutions that define our lives.

The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

Five years after a suspicious fire killed his ornithologist mother, a closeted Syrian American trans boy sheds his birth name and searches for a new one. He has been unable to paint since his mother’s ghost has begun to visit him each evening. As his grandmother’s sole caretaker, he spends his days cooped up in their apartment, avoiding his neighborhood masjid, his estranged sister, and even his best friend (who also happens to be his longtime crush). The only time he feels truly free is when he slips out at night to paint murals on buildings in the once-thriving Manhattan neighborhood known as Little Syria. One night, he enters the abandoned community house and finds the tattered journal of a Syrian American artist named Laila Z, who dedicated her career to painting the birds of North America. She famously and mysteriously disappeared more than sixty years before, but her journal contains proof that both his mother and Laila Z encountered the same rare bird before their deaths. In fact, Laila Z’s past is intimately tied to his mother’s—and his grandmother’s—in ways he never could have expected. Even more surprising, Laila Z’s story reveals the histories of queer and transgender people within his own community that he never knew. Realizing that he isn’t and has never been alone, he has the courage to officially claim a new name: Nadir, an Arabic name meaning rare. As unprecedented numbers of birds are mysteriously drawn to the New York City skies, Nadir enlists the help of his family and friends to unravel what happened to Laila Z and the rare bird his mother died trying to save. Following his mother’s ghost, he uncovers the silences kept in the name of survival by his own community, his own family, and within himself, and discovers the family that was there all along.

[honeypirate]

Can I request a All Might x reader where class 1-A finds out hes dating someone whose quirk is a siren (Can control someone when they sing)? Maybe the students reaction especially Midoryia?

I don’t know if I did this one justice hahah but I did my best!

AllMight x reader (I went for gn but I might have slipped up in a few places just let me know)

Hero name: Sirenity

“Okay class today we are having a surprise special guest coming to talk to you guys” Aizawa sounds completely uninterested in this day and honestly he did feel like it was a drag, but he figures with your lecture and answering questions he could buy at least a 30-40 minute nap, at best you’d take up the whole hour. That is if nothing went wrong and with you being the number 5 hero he doesnt think too much trouble will happen. “They are a fairly new hero but that didn’t stop them from rising to the top ten quickly” you walk through the door and chuckle when it seems you interrupted him introducing you.

“Sirenity here will be talking to you about their experience with hero training and being a side kick” You were a few minutes early and Aizawa was mentally adding the few minutes more to his nap time. As Aizawa was zipping up his sleeping bag you stopped in front of the class with a smile “Good morning class!” you say to the students who were freaking out talking to each other about how cool you are, you see a green haired boy absolutely losing his damn mind in the back, muttering to himself while staring with wide eyes. “QUIET!” Aizawa yelled from his place on the floor and the class stopped talking, the green haired boy snapping out of whatever he was doing.

“Hey guys! I’m Sirenity and if you aren't familiar with me my quirk is like a siren, I can control people when I sing. I’m also an amazing swimmer but it isn’t related” you chuckle and watch the green haired boy laugh and then scribble intensely in a notebook, a few other students gave you pity laughs or smiles and you took it, any laughter is good in your book.

“When I graduated from UA, I was actually in general studies. It wasn’t until I went to America and went to a hero university that I realized what I could offer as a hero. I actually had a little help and training from a friend to really encourage me to realize my dream.” green haired boy’s hand flies in the air, his other hand coming over his head to hold his elbow, his eyes shine as he waits for you to call on him. “Yes in the back? What’s your name?” he stands and bows “Izuku Midoriya Ma’am/Sir but my hero name is Deku!” you hold in a chuckle as you smile at his enthusiasm, realizing this is the boy that All Might talks about all the time. a blonde in the middle of class snickers but you ignore it “it’s a pleasure to meet you Deku” he stands up straight and sends you such an intensely excited look “did you know All Might in America?!” he asks and then sits back down

“I did actually, he was the friend i was talking about. I stayed in America though when he came back here” you smile at the young boy as he scribbles away again, his question and the subject making you think about those days when you first met All Might. Strong and cocky, always smiling. You didn’t like him when you first met him, thought it was weird that a kid in your same high school also came to the same area in America. You kept finding yourselves around the same people during parties which was even more annoying when you were actively avoiding him. You blame his best friend at the time who was dating your best friend at the time. After a party that ended in drinking games with truth or dare and spin the bottle, you got to know him a little bit better and you became actual friends when you both ditched before they could rope you into seven minutes in heaven.

“Hey” you say with a slight chuckle as he walks into the kitchen where you were “hey” he says as you open the fridge “do you want a bottle of water?” “yes please” you chuck one to him on the other side of the kitchen. “You’re a…. support student?” he asks and you shake your head “general studies right now, thinking about going into law” you involuntarily scowl at the thought, it was what your parents wanted and you thought they were right. “Why do you look like you would rather die than do that?” he asks, pulling a deep sigh as you confess “it’s what my parents want for me” he moves close to you until he’s leaning against the counter across from you “what do you want for you?” you shrug “I dont know” he chuckles and takes a sip of water “why do I feel like you do know?” your cheeks flush and you dont feel like you could really sell a lie right now, you sigh again “i’ve always had a dream to be a hero, but I was in the general studies course in high school and now I’m undecided here. I feel like I wasted time and now I don't have a choice” you hop on the countertop behind you, kicking your legs gently “but you always have a choice. It is never too late to be a hero someone can count on. You never know if you are the one hero that someone needs! You can do anything! What is your quirk?” you get shy from his intensity and you look at your thighs “I can control people when I sing” you whisper and he closes all distance between you, tilting your chin up to meet his eyes “that is an AMAZING quirk! You are going to be an amazing hero! I can help you if you want” he says and you feel for the first time in your whole life that maybe, just maybe you could be a hero even though you’re late to the game.

“But any more questions will have to wait until the end!” you say when you see Deku’s eyes flash up to you again, a million questions floating around his eyes and he laughs with a nod. You continue with your story, recounting the extra training you had done with All Might to prepare for your hero exams, the exams you didn't have to take in high school. How an encouraging word from a friend was all you needed at times to get your ass in gear. You talk to them about your internship with America’s #4 mind hero, Brian, who’s one choice behind his name was that he thought it was funny because its just one misspelt letter from being Brain. His birth name wasn’t even Brian.

“After my internship I was offered a sidekick position with him, around this time was when All Might came back here, I had plans to come back as well but I couldn't refuse his offer. I worked with Brian for three years, during those times I grew exponentially as a hero and as an individual. you may want to rush the process of being a sidekick so you can become your own solo heroes, getting all the praise for yourselves. But this time in your career will mean so much and I really insist that you take the opportunity every day to learn everything you can from the heroes you work with. As someone who was late to the game, I have no doubt you will grow into even more amazing and brilliant heroes. More so than those we have right now, and yes I do mean All Might. You guys are the heroes of tomorrow! That is amazing! And I’m telling you right now you have a lifelong fan already” you point at yourself and mouth ‘ME’ with a smile “I am behind you all, ready to support your dreams just like my hero supported mine.” You pause for a moment “Any questions?”

Deku’s hand was up first followed by half of the class all raising their hands. You beam at the kids response “okay when i call on you please tell me your name or hero name, whichever you are comfortable with. Deku” you look over at him “I’m guessing you have about a billion questions?” he nods shyly, his cheeks flushing “that’s fine, i feel flattered honestly how about you ask the biggest one you have right now and then after you can stay behind and i’ll answer every single one. That goes for everyone who has more than we can get through in the next 15 minutes of class” they all nod and you begin taking questions.

You had all questions about being a sidekick or a pro, how hard it was rising the ranks, a blonde boy who introduced himself as Aoyama, who you thought was adorable, asked you how to not get scared, you smiled warmly at him “to quote one of my favorite american movies, “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than your fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”

You paused for a moment as you looked across the class, some really thinking about what you have said “I have fear, I feel it often, but I let the fear fuel my actions, let it make me brave because my biggest fear is about what would happen if I didn’t act.” you see Deku pause for a moment to truly think about your words before he scribbles away again.

You call on a pink haired student “hi i’m Mina Ashido! Hero name Pinky!” you love her energy “what’s your question Pinky?” she grins “I read in Hero Daily that you said you still find time for dating as a pro and that your boyfriend is also a pro. Do we know him?” she sits down and then adds “oh! What was that American movie?” you chuckle, your cheeks heating thinking about your boyfriend.

Before you could answer the door opens and All Might walks in “speak of the devil” you say with a grin and then turn back to Mina “the movie is the princess diaries. And you guys do know him i think quite well actually. Just another rebut of advice, if you guys want to date as pros, then you can find time for it if you really want that. It isn't for everyone and that’s okay too. But there is someone out there who will be an understanding partner and help encourage you. Don't give up any of your dreams, you can have all of them if you want them.” All might has stopped next to you as you talk, his hand resting on the small of your back as he leans up to whisper in your ear “I couldn't wait any longer. I missed you” your cheeks flush and the class starts to put 2 and 2 together, whispering to each other as you turn and kiss his cheek, Mina squealing in excitement, whispers flying around, blonde boy that hasn’t said anything this entire time was staring with mouth open, and you can feel the energy Deku is pouring out as his scribbles freeze as he stares at his idol and hero. His hero had a significant other and he didnt know.. He knew everything about All Might so how come he never knew he had a S/O and why didnt All Might Say anything?! Waves were rolling off the kid but you didn’t say anything about it yet, you just leaned closer to All Might “I missed you too” you whisper back to him but before you can say anything else the bell rings, signaling the end of class.

Deku stays frozen in his seat as the rest of the students get their things together and leave the classroom, some stopping to shake your hand and talk to you for another second before leaving. All Might’s hand never leaving your back. When the room is clear, somehow Aizawa slipping out unnoticed as well, your eyes flick to Deku, still seated frozen. “Young man what’s wrong?” All Might says and he finally snaps out of it.

“Do they know about …?” he asks and you chuckle “yes I do. He talks about you a lot by the way” you say and smile at the sweet way the boy’s face flushes and his eyes widen, smiling like you just gave him the best news. “How come you never told me you were in a relationship?” Deku asks and All Might laughs “you never asked me about my dating life” you walk down the rows of desks and sit in the one next to Deku’s “I’m happy to answer any more questions you may have” you say and the boy short circuits again when you sit next to him. He cannot believe how lucky his day was, getting a one on one interview with an amazing pro hero that is also dating his Idol and father figure, give him a minute, he’ll pull himself together.

You spend the next 30 minutes answering every question the young hero had for you and All Might answered some for you, ones that you couldn't really explain correctly. This was probably your most favorite interview, his questions were almost entirely about your hero work, they were thought out and original questions that weren’t superficial to make the public interested in you. This boy wanted to know every single thing about you as a hero, not you as a public celebrity. His eyes bright as he learns more, asking how you defeated your worst villain, asking your weakness was a fun one, you never got that before since it was fairly obvious.”hard of hearing individuals, ear plugs” you say and he laughs “i should have known that” All Might shakes his head, sometimes common sense eluded the boy, he was so intelligent and unafraid of asking questions that sometimes he lacked common sense for seemingly simple things.

“I’m sorry Midoriya but Sirenity here has to get back to work now” Deku frowns but understands, you give him your personal email in case he has any more questions and then you follow All Might out of the classroom. You chuckle once you reach All Might’s office, he locks the door behind you and then pulls you into his arms “if you wanted some one on one time with Deku’s new favorite hero you should have just asked” you joke as you wrap your arms around him. “I know you dont have work but i do soon and i needed a little time with my brilliant and amazing partner before then. Midoriya will understand plus you gave him a way to contact you.” you nod into his neck “how long until you have to go?” you ask and he looks at his watch “20 minutes” you smile and take his hand, pulling him over to the couch he has in his office and you sit down with him, laying back and pulling his head to your chest, pulling your gloves off with your teeth, carding your fingers through his hair. The entire time he had was spent laying together, as he moves to get up you realize something, they think you are only partners, only dating… “Hey Yagi? How do you think Midoriya will react when you tell him that we aren't just dating and are in fact engaged?”

[bloody-wonder]

end of the year reading survey

me? talking about books again?? it’s more likely than you think

How many books did you read? Did you meet your goal? My goal was 100 books, I’ve read 121 so far but the year isn’t over yet and I’m still in the middle of a couple :D

Most read genre? probably definitely fantasy

Longest and shortest books you read. According to Goodreads, the longest one was Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi (2175 pages), but it’s hard to tell with danmei bc it’s published online so tbh Heaven Official’s Blessings by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu felt much longer to me. The shortest one was Heracles’ Bow by Madeline Miller - only 10 pages.

Favorite book published in 2021? The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles.

Favorite debut book in 2021? I don’t think I’ve read a debut from 2021 but if it’s a general question than my answer would be The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. They are the kind of books that you would never think were debuts if you didn’t know and that make you certain you’ll never be good at anything you might ever attempt.

Favorite book not published this year? oh i don’t know there are so many to choose from THE LYMOND CHRONICLES

A book that lived up to the hype. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. These are objectively good and well written and entertaining compared to some other hyped books which I personally didn’t like😐

A book that did NOT live up to the hype. Dark Rise, regrettably :( Also Gideon the Ninth but this one I actually wanna re-read to see if it’s a me problem.

Book that felt like the biggest accomplishment. lol idk? reading capri in french maybe

Favorite character. My brilliant devil, my imitation king; my past, my future, my hope of heaven and my knowledge of hell... Francis Crawford of Lymond❤

Least favorite character. Probably Sabetha. It’s not her fault tho, she just suffers from the *written by a man* disease😬

Most shocking book/moment. That character death in The Disorderly Knights hit me like a truck😞 Also there’s a shocking moment at the end of My Dark Vanessa, it’s of a quieter sort but still makes you think wow,, she really went there didn’t she😕

Favorite couple/OTP. Technically I read The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation last December but I’m still gonna say Wangxian bc given all the MDZS adaptations that I consumed afterwards they’ve really dominated my year ship-wise.

The best written book you read this year. All the books that I’ve mentioned are the best. none as well written as aftg tho lol

Book that you pushed the most people to read in 2021. You might remember that when I finished The Lymond Chronicles I posted about it non-stop for a while and so I actually got a couple of people, both online and irl, to pick up The Game of Kings. The results were,, poor :( I can’t fathom why, it’s a very accessible, easy to follow adventure story with a manageable amount of likable characters whose motivation is as clear as day at all times.

Favorite book cover of the year. I really like the minimalist covers of both Susanna Clarke books.

Favorite book adaptation. I just watched Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell the mini-series and, barring some of the more glaring adaptational attractiveness issues, I would say it’s a pretty faithful adaptation of the book and a perfect way to experience this wonderful story for someone who isn’t prepared to commit to reading over 1000 pages.

What book made you cry the most? twas The Disorderly Knights & other lymond books but The Bear and the Nightingale, Killing Stalking, Convenience Store Woman and Arrête avec tes mensonges made me shed some tears as well. some of this could’ve been pms tho

What book made you laugh the most? I’ve already talked about some very amusing books in my mid-year book freak-out tag, but among the ones that I’ve read since then Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell stands out with its dry british humor. I’m currently reading The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks and it’s quite hilarious too, just like the previous books in the series.

A new favorite author you discovered this year. Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, Naomi Novik and Susanna Clarke. And Dorothy Dunnett, I suppose. (Normally I don’t consider someone my favorite author until I read and like two or more of their books which don’t belong to the same series BUT her mind birthed Lymond so there’s that).

Favorite book you re-read this year. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris and Confusion by Stefan Zweig - some of my all time favorites and very underrated books too and all of you should read them right now. or like,, tomorrow. or next week.

What is the best non-fiction book you read this year? Male Trouble by Abigail Solomon-Godeau. It’s a very insightful book about the representation of masculinity in the french academic painting at the turn of the 19th century. I read it bc I study art history and my master thesis is gonna be about how observing nude men for hours in order to paint their likeness over and over again is gay actually :)

i’m gonna tag @starlingshrike @moonsandstarsaregay @oliviermiraarmstrongs @fandomreferencepending @pemberlaey @jimscoffee @counterwiddershins @raelis1 @remicatscratch @figuringthengsout @fugitoidkry @bibliophilic-vacillator @thehalcyonharbinger @bellaroles if you guys wanna do this

if i didn’t tag you bc i don’t know you or that you’re a bookworm and you wanna do this survey DO IT AND TAG MOI. i’ve been harassing people like this all year long and now i actually have someone to talk to about books, it works i swear😁