#I just saw this blog in the recommendation of my other account and wow that as al I wanted when I was still active here lol

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

---------------------

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[max-uhhhh-talks]

I have no reason for being on anon.

Anyways, you claim you're not hunting down information but in the same breath say you got it from "likes and follows" which, is hunting. You have continuously done this campaign about copiiia people since August, despite it being a general 18+ topic and you're 16. I hate copiiia just as much, and incest disgusts me. But you're still not only actively engaging but you're discussing it which leads to MORE people in your inbox, and more content revolving around it.

You clearly failed to do any type of research before making your list and have caused people to start deactivating. This seems to be a trope for you as not too long ago you and Sp1llwayz made another little "call-out" post to a fanfic writer which ended up with them being sent animal gore. This was made to Sp1llwayz attention as my friend sent an anon to them informing that post was directly linked to someone who proudly admitted to sending gore. Yet, the post is still up.

You claim for all of it to disappear, yet it won't as much as I'd like for it to, as well. Instead, it'll be untagged, unwarned, and then everyone will be exposed to that content instead of using the filtering system. I think the main problem here is you're too eager to have a perfectly vanilla fandom, a perfectly vanilla Tumblr when that will never be a thing — plus the issue of you being around 18+ blogs in the first place. I really recommend stepping away and, you know, being 16.

Sorry you're getting adults screaming at you, but I'm urging you to honestly stop interacting with those blogs, posting about them, and just step away. Enjoy talking about FNAF, enjoy talking about literally anything else. Focus on a positive instead of being so wrapped up in needing to be the moral police.

Yeah, seeing an artist liking a posts about copiiia is not hunting down if I came across the post and saw them in the likes. Which is what happened. I don't seek anyone out.

I don't recall making any callout post to anyone in particular/specific before last night. Except for one person who had reblogged my post, and it was more of just "look at that, wow." I was not aware of anyone being sent animal gore. No one should be sending shit like that to anyone, nor should anyone have access to shit like that. That's disgusting.

I just want incest shit out of the main fandom tags, that's the least I'll ever ask of these people. I don't want a "vanilla fandom" like you say I do, I could care less about any other 18+ accounts out there. I don't interact with them, I don't go out of my way to, I let them do what they want. Literally the only thing I'll ever just ignore and not say anything about is the topic of literal incest ships. Again, I talk about it because too many people ignore it and that leads to too many people thinking it's okay when it's not.

And I do talk about things that aren't this discourse on the daily. I exist outside of this.

[softpine]

aw thank you!! i just gave them one outfit with cc, since it’s the outfit they wear the most often and i don’t want to overload my gameplay save with cc. i have a whole separate mods folder and everything to keep myself in check lol

whenever i get the chance to retcon things and call this time period the 2000s, i take the opportunity 😌 even if it’s just gameplay

we have the same eye color for sure and i can see the nose too! i wish i had his teeth tho 😭 the only picture i have of myself from this angle is when i was drunk off my ass FJSJDKSJ enjoy this cursed image

@maturation​ hmmm not really :( i wrote some tips here for making teenagers look like teenagers, but it’s even harder to make them look like preteens 😭 i think the only time i pulled it off was with casper, and that was really just because he has a baby face without trying. i didn’t even try with asa because he’s so big, i just did a time skip to avoid the whole thing. i’m sorry i can’t help more!! it’s such a huge limitation of the sims :/

hey! i thought i had removed everything by pandasama, but there was actually a file called “animation_injector_changingtable” in my mods folder that was causing problems. delete it, then delete localthumbcache, then reload the game to see if it worked :) otherwise my other problem was an outdated TOOL mod, i thought i updated it but i actually downloaded an old version! (btw, pandasama’s other stuff works fine now, i put it all back after i finished testing. just make sure to update the childbirth mod if you have that)

@moresimming​ omg thank you so much 🥺 not to sound morbid, but making people cry because of my story is the biggest compliment fjksjds media that makes me cry is genuinely my favorite thing, so hearing that i can do the same thing for someone else is awesome. i’m so happy you’re enjoying it!! thank you ;-; 💖💖

yes it’s a main blog!! i would 1000000% recommend creating a new account for your simblr! it’s huuuge for visibility. it would be really hard for people to follow you back if your main blog is the one whose url is showing up; most people won’t go to the effort of clicking on your blog to find out if you have a simblr somewhere else. i created a separate email so that i could keep my personal blog as my main blog, but still have a new account for simblr :) also if you use firefox (which everyone should tbh), you can use the containers extension so that you don’t have to log in and out of your accounts all the time, you can just open them in two tabs!

↓ GHOST STUFF BELOW, trigger warnings apply ↓

right??? that’s the first question i wanted to ask, but honestly i don’t know if i want the answer fjksjds i’ll just choose to believe that ghosts know the concept of privacy 😌

okay it's kinda funny you said this because... well i don't want to give too much detail but i used to live between a historic cemetery, an honest to god abandoned psychiatric facility, and a building that's known to be one of the most haunted places in the state. but i still never felt or saw ANY ghosts. that's why i didn't believe for so long, because how can i be in the freaking bermuda triangle of ghost activity and never see one?? i'm still mad about it lmao, whether i believe in them or not, i've always wanted to see a ghost so bad. especially if they're just lonely! come to me and we can chill lol

oh wow yeah it’s always freaky when people who don’t seem like the type to believe in this kind of stuff tell you stories like this; it adds a new layer of credibility if you can eliminate all other options. like when people are grieving their loved ones, it’s normal to see/hear/smell them everywhere, and when you’re living in that fog of grief, you can mistake a lot of things for ghost activity that are actually just a result of you looking for patterns to make sense of it all. and i still think this is the case most of the time. i remember when my grandma died, my mom was understandably a complete mess, and she was always misplacing things in that time. but to this day, she still claims it was my grandma who was moving her water bottle, turning the stove on, etc. i’m still (and always will be) a very science minded person, so i’m always going to look at the other explanations first. sorry that was a tangent lmao but my point is, it’s always weird when someone down to earth says stuff like this. that would be so sad, but at least he was able to comfort them a little bit :( what an awful way to go :(

[spylarman]

Funny story I just remembered. When I first made a tumblr a billion years ago I was going through and following a bunch of the random recommended blogs. At one point I saw a Metalocalypse blog and was like OMG THEY HAVE CELEBS ON HERE LIKE ON TWITTER? Followed em and all the others I saw. I was like oh fuck I gotta tell all my friends that are on here. Went to Skype was like guys... look at this shit this is so cool omg wow!! And that's when they laughed and had to gently tell me that no... people make Fandom and RP accounts on this site those are not the real band members. IT FELT HUMILIATING

[fa-by]

Help a friend out

Hey my babies, how are you?

Can I ask you a favor? Could you go report (as ‘spam’ will do) this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWmmdNNMT0G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link?

This person, whoever they are, has been very disrespectful to me and to what I asked to all of you in my AMAs post. These kinds of people are exactly the reason why I regret every single time doing posts like that. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to all of you who are kind and respect other people's decisions.

I know they didn't copy what I wrote (thankfully, at least one thing), but they still stole some of my pics, and worst thing, they tagged Carlene and Chelsea in two of them. The point is, they could very well have gone to the original accounts that some of those pics came from (Mila's and Justine's ones) and taken screenshots from them, but no. They had to steal those from me, plus some that I created myself as collages. I did research and wasted hours and days putting everything together for that post. I mean, you guys know this. You know how long it took me to create that post. I know this isn't that bad compared to anything else because they're just pics, but it doesn't make it right anyway. It doesn't make it right for me, and for all those who like me, work their asses off to then get ‘robbed’ just like that.

And yeah, I'm also talking about a lot of you here on Tumblr. I saw two YouTube channels, one called Chonops Production and the other one called Kellyzzlee CS, who like to steal posts from here and post them as if they were their own work. I know about Chonops Production because they stole one of my love’s posts about Thinkin' 'Bout One for which she had to ask them to delete it. And the first time, they pretended to do it by hiding it to then posting it again, and the second time, just a few days ago, I myself started reporting them because the video was back there again. As for Kellyzzlee CS, on the other hand, I know about them because they stole every single analysis of @karlaswine​ passing it off as their own (I told Karla's Wine when I found out), and then, since she's on an indefinite hiatus, Kellyzzlee CS started to steal someone else's analysis from here on Tumblr. I don't remember from who, guys, and I'm really sorry, but if you wrote analysis, then I recommend you to go check their channels because your work might have been stolen by them without you even noticing it.

People like una_camren_shipper_mas / Fernanda Lieberher, Chonops Production, and Kellyzzlee CS, are people who like to steal from others and take their credit. Credit of a work they didn't do. Credit they don't deserve.

And I'm referring to you three now. I don't know if Chonops Production and Kellyzzlee CS are following me or if they'll read this through some re-blogs, but I'm referring especially to you una_camren_shipper_mas / Fernanda Lieberher that you stole from me. Instead of taking what's not yours from others without asking their permission and passing it off as your work, why don’t you learn to be less lazy and use your brain to create something instead of stealing it from others? Oh, oh, wait. I do know the answer. Because it's easy in your way, right? It's simply easier to steal, post, and get praised for that because anyway the other ones who follow you don't know it's stolen, right? Wow. Congratulations. My most sincerely fake congratulations 👏🏼.

When I noticed this, my girlfriend commented in their post with her finsta:

Translation: “Those pictures are not yours, they belong to a CS fan that explicitly asked that her theories and pictures were not uploaded in other social media outside Tumblr. Please * hide the post * and contact the owner of the post where you copied the pictures from so that she can tell you if she wants and in which way you can post her theories or edits.”

She was nice to them. And what did una_camren_shipper_mas / Fernanda Lieberher do? Not only did they completely ignore her, but they deleted her comment and blocked her. Then I commented with my finsta, and after seeing that the pics were still there, I commented a second time by giving them the last chance to make up for it. But guess what? They deleted my comments and blocked me too. This happened today. And now I'm tired of their attitude. So, babies, I'm asking you too the favor to go report that post please 🙏🏼. The more reports are accumulated (I don't know how many exactly are needed) the more the social network concerned, in my case IG, is required to take action by shutting the post down.

This is what people like that deserve. And if you want, even report anyone else who has stolen (without asking permission and without giving credit) something that doesn't belong to them on other social media because it's really not fair to the owners. I know that this kind of thing like ‘reporting’ someone/something may seem silly to you, but it's not, because it's a way to teach that kind of people a lesson.

As small as this thing may look, it can at least make one difference. And who knows, if everyone started doing it, it might make a big difference because those people would stop doing it (stealing other people's work).

Thanks for your time, and thanks in advance to all those who are gonna actually do it for real and that won't just read this 🙏🏼❤.

[nicedracula]

I never really looked into... Braiganort? Xehabraig? Until I saw your account. Really I saw a kh artist and went "oh that's a neat art style" And followed. And tbh I LOVE your comics and ideas about this shipping.

It was a surprise but an happy one. You really made me interested in them, their dynamics and all that could be. I'm patiently waiting for the next comic of yours.

The ones you already posted are really good and I'm seriously studying your pages in the hope of furthering my overall understanding of pacing in comics. You've inspired me to do more of my own. To work on that skill and own it better.

I'm losing myself a bit here but anyways in love your blog and can't wait to see what you will put out whatever it is. I'm sure it will help me create more too ahahah

Mission accomplished! >:D But honestly, truly, it started off as something of a joke...and then I started thinking like, "Hey, Xemnas and Xigbar have known each other for more than ten years, going all the way back to bbs, and have always been scheming together..."

And then add in the layer of them being the only ones in the know of the rest of the organization forming hearts, but still being pretty adamant about having no feelings (especially Xemnas lol), the fact that they're both possessing people, and then the added added layer of "hey isn't it weird that I stabbed you out of nowhere and you seem way too chill about it now", and the transition between xehabraig to xigxem, and the general weirdness of the kinda relationship that comes out of...all that. Buuuut a lot of this is putting together information from bits and pieces scattered through the games, hence the impulse to try and pull it all together in the form of self-indulgent comics.

But oh wow, thank you!! I'm really flattered :') If it's any help, I started reading a little bit of Witch Hat Atelier recently, and I feel like that's helped my understanding of comic pacing a lot, especially with using panels (not that I'm anywhere near her level, or even attempting some of the cool tricks she does with panels, but it's nice inspiration). But other than that I highly recommend just diving in and having fun

[btsarmyline]

Someone recommended your blog to me. Hope you don't get uncomfortable✌️ She said to me that she always saw you answer some asks about Jungkook, and so here I am, knocking in your inbox haha. Thanks for loving Jungkook! It makes me happy to know that there are still accounts here that answer asks about him, the accounts that I followed here are just posting pictures and gif, eh? or just some shipper accounts that everytime I ask about Jungkook, I haven't received any answer but then gives their thoughts when it's about the other member that get shipped with Jungkook <<<<< so frustrating and disappointing.

Sorry for ranting, haha. So this is my ask, there are many times that Jungkook stated he wants to find his true self. Do you think these past few days or months, Jungkook have found his true self already? And why do you think so?

I asked this because ever since last year, I noticed that he really glows and shines. He really looks so happy and at ease. He always laugh, jokes around, more playful and more comfortable too to share what are his thoughts, am I the only one who notice this? He just really looks different, looks so happy and content but still looks so greedy and want something to prove to himself. The concerts and performances that BTS has done last year and these past few months and days, he really looks like a more confident, powerful performer but at the same time timid and goofy when its his time to talk?

What do you think is the cause of these changes? I mean, what is the turning point of this Jungkook's maturity as a performer and as a person?

Hi anon ☺️

Don't worry about sending me asks. And thank you for the kind words 💜💜!!

Wow... Ehm, your answer is a really big one... like, I feel like I should write a whole master thesis to answer this 😂!

Do you think Jungkook has found his true self already? And why do you think so? Well.... Do we ever find our true selves 😅? Don't we search for it and change through our whole life ☺️? I think this answer is impossible for me to answer.

What I however can say a bit about, is that I agree with some of what you point out. Jungkook has indeed become much much more confident and comfortable in his own skin, comfortable in being who he is, and comfortable about showing it to the world.

I think Jungkook has changed a lot through all the years... his personality and kinda personal "mood/vibe", the way he present himself to the world, has changed a lot. I feel like he is a whole new person each year. From 2018-2019 he changed a LOT, suddenly taking more control in his own life and especially his own image, with the tattoos, long hair, lots of piercings. But he was still a very silent and shy type, introvert. But he has taken big steps, suddenly showing very new sides of himself through all the year. My Time was really a big shock to me. But for me, the time the change in him was most obvious to me was in 2021.... it's like he became a whole new person here. His confident has skyrocket, he is much much more open when in front of the camera, making fun, taking control of the conversation or the mood. And his happiness... his happiness especially was new. He was shining. And he still is, still continues to. He is not shy anymore - he has said this himself. Another big step has happened this year. He way he flirts, the way he shows his body much more. Yes Jungkook has changed a lot. However, being able to see ARMY again, doing what he loved again - perform - surely has a BIG impact on him and the way he shows himself to the world.

What do you think is the cause of these changes? I'm not sure there has to be a cause. I don't think there is any. Like all of us, Jungkook just develops himself and his personality through life. And he is a real grown up man now. And the very obvious happiness which has taken over him, surely has a VERY big influence on how WE experience him as an idol - same goes for the sudden confidence, which probably follows happiness. What causes the happiness I couldn't say. But I also see how he changed after getting Bam - I don't know if Bam did the change or if he got Bam because of the change, if that makes sense?

So... I don't know if this answers anything of what you said. I tried to keep it short. And it kinda hurts, because for me to really give a decent answer, I should have written a whole 10 pages essay to you 😅

I talked about something similar to this in another ask, if you are interested in reading it ^^

- Love from Line 💜💜💜

[merevide]

okay hopping onto the “goodbye killing eve” letter/note trend because i have. feelings. wow shocker. also i saw other people do it and thought lol how bad can this be. all of it is under the cut because it is so fucking long.

i discovered killing eve when i genuinely was not doing so hot in terms of my emotional/mental state. i am not gonna go too into it because A. no one cares and B. ain’t what this letter is about. but yeah to sum it up i was in a very dark place. i began watching ongoing shows to distract myself and to just have something to look forward too, but none really stuck. i’ve never really been a big television person, just read the summary off of wikipedia and move on with my life. until i found killing eve, read the synopsis, watched a trailer and said “i have nothing to lose watching this besides my time so why not.”

eight episodes of the first season later and i was hooked. it did not form into full brain rot until the second season aired but safe to say i loved it, i love eve, i loved villanelle, i loved it more than any television show i had watched before. i tried recommended it to friends and family, i brought the books, i stalked internet discussions because i had no one to talk about it with but was also nervous about actually yelling about my thoughts at the time so i would watch from afar.

the cycle continued, watched season 2. loved it, wanted more, brainrot fully developed and spent nearly every waking moment thinking about this show. began to slowly crawl out of the dark pits of my depression, looked forward to this show and by extension, other things that came with it.

watched season 3. didn’t love it as much but it’s what pushed me to make a tumblr account and to try talking to people about it since again, no one in my life really watched it/enjoyed it as much as i did. granted i didn’t really post about it until january of 2021 ( and didn’t have a resurgence until june of 2021 lol ) but anyway, still had that grip on my psyche to the point where i could not shut up about it. bless all the people who know me in real life because bring up anything to do with it and i’d be shaking like a leaf. it made me happy. made me find some sort of joy. fully. and looking back that makes me happy because i found something that actually brought a smile to my face and my brain wasn’t just filled with constant fog and gloom.

and now we’re at season 4. the beginning of the end. if you’ve looked at my blog at all through the past couple of weeks the season has been on air i’ve had some very choice words to say about it. aka i did not like it. this was the point where it fully seemed to consume me and i’ve accepted it will take actual time to move on from. and by time i mean possibly two years MAYBE even three haha. anyway, the final season. literal years of my life gone to this show, the characters, villaneve as a concept, following sandra and jodie and all their projects. and i am not the happiest with the final season.

but looking back writing this, i am not really angry. and i am saying this from the point of myself who has not watched 4x08 yet and is actually scared for how it’s going to end but i am not angry. am i disappointed? of course. but am i seething with rage? nope. i kinda wish i was, it would be easier to fully hate this show and turn it off then to just be disappointed and writing about it constantly on tumblr dot com. if i was angry i would’ve quit i would’ve moved on with my life somehow. but i cannot really bring myself to be angry at this show, no matter how much i put the people who wrote/produced it on blast i still love it and would watch it all again for the first time in a heartbeat.

i think it’s the good times that keep me going, the thought that it made me happy when nothing else could is a feat in itself to me. it has ruined me in the best way possible and i cannot be angry with that. i can be angry with how they treated the characters ( ESPECIALLY EVE BUT i am not going to talk about that since this is already long enough and this is supposed to be my appreciation ), villaneve as a whole, etc. etc. but not the show. i have met some very talented people because of it, had heated discussions because of it, made mutuals who i adore because of it. and to that i owe it a lot. i am not saying killing eve has fully cured my depression because let’s be a honest, a bitch is still a mess lol, but it has gotten me far, it has helped me heal.

so, in retrospect if the finale is the biggest dumpster fire ever that makes me want to tear every single individual eyelash of mine out, i think looking back in the future i will be okay with that. the positive effect it has had on me means way more to future me than a possible shitty, rushed ending that i am probably just going to ‘tsk.’ at in the future. after all i can still fully invest in fanfic lol. i am disappointed because i care so heavily about this show. i care so heavily about eve. i care so heavily about villanelle. from a logical standpoint i write paragraphs upon paragraphs about it because i wished i could see it get better but also because it has a special place in my heart.

i do not think i will fully ever really get over it, or maybe that is the brain rot talking again. anyway, this is sappy and long and i just wanted to say goodbye and thanks to this show in a way that was easy to articulate, which was through words so, goodbye and thank you killing eve. thank you to the crew for making this show. the actors for breathing life into it. the fan base for being as unequally unhinged about it as i am. just thank you, this years long journey has meant a lot and as much pain as it has brought me and got me through i have also enjoyed every second of it. i will not be watching the carolyn spin-off though the bbc can eternally fuck off with that.

[funnyincorrectmcu]

Saw you were doing an ask spree so I have a question! What are your ultimate favourite Marvel fanfics? (Ao3 answers preferable!)

OOOH!!! 

I ALWAYS LOVE THIS QUESTION!! But it’s also always SOO hard, because I have SO many fics that I ADORE! <3 <3 <3 

Okay okay. Since you’re asking for ultimate favorites, but since you’re also in a sense kind of asking for recommendations, I’ll do you a solid and give you a list of fifteen (which is really doing myself a solid because it means there are fewer that I have to narrow down). 

That said, if you really want my full list, go to my AO3 account and check out my bookmarks (and some of my works, if you’re interested!). Because there truly are a LOT of AMAZING writers out there. <3 <3 

Alright. Here goes nothing. 

Also, I am SO sorry this took me so long, but it took me forever to narrow down to fifteen, and even with THAT, I cheated. XD

Also also, fair warning, 95% of these are Tony and Peter centric. <3 

Also also also (lots of also’s, oops XD), I’m gonna give a little bit of info on each one for anyone interested, but PLEASE, read all tags and warnings before you actually start reading, because some of these are a little rougher than others. (Btw, when I say “major warnings”, I’m referring to AO3′s “major archive warnings” list.)

1. More Ancient Than Magic by @ironfamjam 

This is a mini Hogwarts AU that I absolutely ADORE and think about at least once a week. The way the author melds the two universes is incredible and so well done, and I quote it all the time.  One-shot, IronFam centric, featuring Ned and MJ, with special guest appearances from the other Avengers and Peter’s classmates. No major warnings. 

2. Everybody Loves Skip by @baloobird

Okay, Kris is my favorite MCU fanfic author of all time, so you’ll see her on here a couple of times. This is by far my favorite story of hers, and it’s what made me fall in love with Interwebs. <3 <3  Multichapter, Peter centric, featuring Ace!Peter and Interwebs, with special guest appearances from Tony, May, and Tracy Leeds. Minor sexual harassment/non-con, but it doesn’t get too graphic. 

3. Ohana by @jen27ny

I read this story as a part of last year’s Irondad Big Bang, and let me tell you, I was SOOO invested. I got to the point where I had to send in play by play reactions because I was so emotionally invested. The story is so well told. <3 Multichapter, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Pepperony, Spideychelle, and minor Stucky, with special guest appearances from the rest of the Avengers, HYDRA, and my fast beating heart. No major warnings. 

4. Come, My Darling, Homeward Bound by @i-am-irondad

ANOTHER Irondad Big Bang 2020 story that I became OVERLY invested in to the point that I had to send play by plays in to the author. It’s a Room AU, and she NAILS each and every one of the character dynamics. I never even saw Room, and I loved it. <3  Multichapter, Tony, Peter, and Morgan centric, featuring the rest of IronFam, Spideychelle, and adorable sibling moments, with special guest appearances from Quentin Beck and my tears. Minor implied sexual harassment/non-con. (She also has a prequel and a sequel, just so you know.) 

5. The Lightning Strike by @booksxtvxsupernatural

Yet ANOTHER Irondad Big Bang 2020 story that hit me right in the feels. This is a canon-divergent post-Infinity War fic, and the way the author shows how events could’ve transpired is so realistic and beautiful. <3  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Harley Keener and Nebula, with special guest appearances from IronFam, May Parker, and several other Avengers. 

6. Family Doesn’t End with Blood by @baloobird

This is a series of one-shots by my girl Kris based off of the Irondad Bingo prompts, so there are a lot of different prompts and themes, but they ALL rock.  Multichapter, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Ace!Peter, IronFam, and Interwebs, with special guest appearances from several other MCU characters. Warnings vary, so pay attention to the tags and read the notes. 

7. I love you more than anything (bio dad AU) by @iron--spider

Okay, so maybe this is cheating, because it’s technically a series, but every fic in it is so good that I couldn’t possibly pick just one. I just love the whole series, because I love how the author builds their relationship. It’s so cute. <3  Series of one shots, Tony and Peter centric, featuring the rest of the Stark and Parker family and baby Peter, with special guest appearances from Obadiah Stane, James Rhodes, and Happy Hogan. No major warnings.

8. sometimes, people just die (and sometimes, they don’t) by @snarky-drabbles

This one was for the 2019 Irondad Secret Santa (huh. No wonder so many of them are Tony and Peter centric. XD), and it’s an amazing time loop story that takes place during Endgame and has an ending you might not expect, but it ROCKS.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric from Peter’s POV, featuring Pepper Potts and Stephen Strange, with special guest appearances from a whole lot of fighting. XD 

9. A Rite of Passage by @baloobird

Another ADORABLE Interwebs from my favorite person, because she made me obsessed with this ship and now I can’t stop. XD  One-shot, Interwebs centric (wait, did I actually find one that isn’t Tony and Peter??), featuring Ace!Peter and Bi!Ned, with special guest appearances from Brad Davis, Flash Thompson, and Betty Brant. Minor sexual harassment/non-con, but nothing graphic at all. 

10. Where Dreams are Nightmares in Disguise by @baloobird

This one was actually written for me, by Kris, so obviously, it made this list. I seriously cannot thank her enough for writing this amazing fic for me based on my prompt, and for writing it so well! I LOVED IT! <3  One-shot, Tony, Peter, and Morgan centric, featuring Pepper Potts and lots of LEGOS, with a special guest appearance from a really bad dude. No major warnings. 

11. harm and foul by @iron--spider

You know, there’s a lot of Tony protecting Peter out there, but sometimes, I just really wanna see Peter protecting Tony, and this is a GREAT example of that.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring IronFam, Ned Leeds, and bada** mofo Peter Parker, with special guest appearances from Justin Hammer and a few Avengers. No major warnings.

12. Sugar, Butter, Flour by @doctornineandthreequarters

Another one written for me, this time by the incredible Jaime for the 2019 Irondad Secret Santa, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. She took my prompts to heart and created some BEAUTIFUL sibling bonding and I LOVE it!! <3 <3  One-shot, Peter, Harley, and Morgan centric (whoa. Another one without Tony. See? I have variety! ...kind of. XD), featuring Pepperony and adorable sibling love, with a special guest appearance from a Karen. No major warnings. 

13. Bite the Bullet by @baloobird

In case you haven’t figured it out, yet, I love you, Kris. XD <3 Another amazing ace story that gets me feeling all kinds of validated and loved. <3  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Spideychelle, Ace!Peter, and Ace!Tony, with a special guest appearance from BFF Ned and lots of lovely ace acceptance. No major warnings. 

14. what is stronger than the human heart which shatters over and over and still lives by @lyssismagical

So, I started reading her works solely through Tumblr, and when I finally realized that she had an AO3, I went on there and bookmarked a TON of her stories immediately. This is one of her more recent ones, but it’s one of my faves, even with all the whump (being Whumptober and all). It has a positive ending, I promise.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring amazing BFF Michelle Jones, protective Peter Parker, and adorable little sister Morgan Stark, with special guest appearances from Pepper Potts, May Parker, and a lot of family love and support. Rape/non-con, but it isn’t super graphic. 

15. Peaches by @peterparkrr

This was yet another Irondad Secret Santa 2019 fic, and while this one wasn’t written specifically for me, I freaking loved it. There’s so much tension and mystery in this, and I seriously thought I was gonna pass out reading it from all of my worry. But, luckily, it has a happy ending.  One-shot, Tony and Peter centric, featuring canon divergence and lots of references to other Avengers, with a special guest appearance from a terrible government. No major warnings.

And there’s my top 15! But, because I said I was cheating, here are two bonus fics that cannot be found on AO3. I know you prefer AO3, but trust me when I say you cannot pass these up. 

1. This fic by @loubuttons

This was posted directly to Tumblr, but I have it saved in screenshots on my phone and I re-blog it all the time because I absolutely ADORE it. I will always be down for Peter and Morgan fics, especially when Tony is involved, and this one touches my heart like no other.  One-shot, Tony, Peter, and Morgan centric, featuring protective big bro Peter Parker and Tony being an amazing parent, with special guest appearances from equally awesome Pepper Potts and May Parker. No major warnings. 

2. He’s My Intern? by losingmymindtonight (if they have a Tumblr, I don’t know it, so if anyone knows it, please find them and tell them they’re awesome)

This one was posted on FF.net, and it was actually one of the first Tony and Peter stories I ever read, and it BLEW me away. This one is another series of one-shots, but each one is filled with soft Tony and Peter moments and I love it.  Multichapter, Tony and Peter centric, featuring Happy Hogan, Bruce Banner, F.R.I.D.A.Y., and all the hurt/comfort you could possibly want, with special guest appearances from Pepper Potts, May Parker, Ned Leeds, and several other Avengers. No major warnings.  

Okaaaaay. I think that’s it?? 

Wow. That took me FOREVER. 

And I’m not even sorry, because all of these authors deserve ALL of the credit I gave them. 

Thank you so much for asking this! I hope I didn’t bore you or babble too much. XD 

All of you should definitely check out these amazing fics! They 100% deserve the praise! <3 <3 

Thanks again for asking! <3 

[cheoliehae]

121U! - jeon wonwoo // seventeen au

❖ soulmate: you are able to communicate with your soulmate via a special chat room but you are both unaware of who you are due to the username

❖ a/n: hi everyone, so if you been here since the beginning of my blog you know that i used to write bts text au and that I also have skz au writing account. well since im in my 3rd year of uni i started to write to relieve stress and it’s really fun. so enjoy this idea i had that was og for my skz blog. if you haven’t figured it out yet I took inspiration from Day6 song 121U (aka a bop) as well as A Cinderella Story (you know the one with Hillary Duff, a CLASSIC). It is unsure how much i will write on this blog since again i only write when i am relieving stress so until next time enjoy :)

❖ word count: 1.6k (legit one word away from 1.7k)

❖ paring: jeon wonwoo  x gn reader

❖: high school au, soulmate au

Ah, high school, a time where smarts and social status do not mix well together. You are either lucky enough to be a part of the popular crowd, being invited to all of the hottest parties, and dating the hottest people. Or get a normal student focusing on their studies and not giving a crap about any social status that one may obtain. Walking down the hallway with your earbuds in your ear you didn’t care about the people around you. You were just at school to study and graduate knowing that you were destined for greatness after high school.

“Excuse me,” you heard a voice coming from behind you. Pulling out your airpods you were faced with Mina and her group of followers. “Can I help you?” you questioned her as you had no idea what she wanted from you. You have never even said two words to her before this moment so you were highly confused about what was happening. “You are walking slowly and my locker is right there so can you please use your two legs and move faster please,” Mina motioned for her hands to move. Rolling your eyes you did just that and proceed to walk into class.

“Hey y/n you look, not good,” your best friend Joshua as he saw you sit down at your desk. Setting your head down a small sigh left your month “I hate Myoui Mina with a passion, I get it she is popular but does that give her a reason to freakin pick on everyone like come freakin on”. Joshua extended his arm and gently pat you on the back “there their y/n, rant to your best friend,”. Raising your head up you saw Mina walking into class with her boyfriend Wonwoo as his arm was around her. “Great this is going to be a long day,” you set your head back down and moped.

As time passed by you started to get bored in class as you finished all of your assignments. You opened a new tab on your laptop and entered into a chatroom. A smile grew on your face as you got excited seeing your friend mrbookworm was online. A bit of backstory mrbookworm is actually your soulmate but you felt really awkward calling him your soulmate since you had no idea who he was.

ouasunshine: hey i see that you are alive

mrbookworm: yeah i finished my classwork a bit early so i wanted to see if you were on or not

mrbookworm: and just like i expected here you are :)

ouasunshine: i am highly convinced that you are just on this chat room 24/7 waiting for me to come online

mrbookworm: you would be disappointed if that was false ;)

ouasunshine: dont get cheesy with me.

A chuckle left your mouth knowing how much mrbookworm made you feel. But it sucked that you did not know him in person cause you really did believe that if you did your whole world would be different. He seems like the type of person who really did not care about social status or what others think of him. 

mrbookworm: how are your classes today?

ouasunshine: the normally but I did have a lovely run-in with one of the ‘popular’ at my school

ouasunshine: let’s just say it was not really the highlight of my day

mrbookworm: :( im sorry you had a rough day I wish there to make you feel better

ouasunshine: i have to go, the bell just rang

Packing up your backpack and quickly walked out of the classroom trying your best to avoid any more interactions with that clique. Which for once was in your favor as you didn’t run into any of that crowd for the rest of the school day. Your absolute favorite time of the day was when the last bell rang and you were able to go to the library. It was quiet and wasn’t too crowded unless it was midterm or final season. The librarians were also very appreciative that you came during your free time and helped out. “Y/n, I just wanted to let you know that we are going to close up a bit early so don’t be alarmed okay,”. “I won’t Mrs. Park,” you said with a smile on your face and then returned to your book. 

As time passed you were getting lost in your book. “Excuse me,” looking up from your book you say Wonwoo standing in front of you “Um can I check out a laptop?”. “Sure but the library is closing early so you have at least 30 minutes before I have to ask for it back. ID please,” you held out your hand. He handed it to you and once you scanned everything you handed it back to him. You watched as he walked away and returned to your book. Looking over at the desk that was in front of you you saw your phone buzzing. You moved forwards to see if anyone was in your line of sight and if anyone could see you, let’s just say you were in the clear.

mrbookworm: if you were picking out a book for me, what book would you recommend?

ouasunshine: what makes you say that I am a reader?

mrbookworm: well for one thing your soulmate is a bookworm aka i am a bookworm 

mrbookworm: i kinda hope that my soulmate is one too

ouasunshine: Are We There Yet? by David Levithan. It is about two brothers who go to Italy and they end up falling for the same girl but neither of them knows. It is pretty good. I give it a solid ⅘ but it definitely breaks the love standards that we are used to.

mrbookworm: wow i can’t imagine a system without soulmates

ouasunshine: i feel like the system of soulmates will still exist but people won’t know see the signs unless they are truly in love

mrbookworm: do you think there will be a possibility that we would be soulmates without this whole soulmate system.

ouasunshine: that is really hard to say

The clock hit 15:30 and you had to leave. So you logged out and looked around for Wonwoo to get everything back. “Um hey so,” you said walking up to where he was sitting out. “Oh is it time already?,” he said looking at his watch and then back at you. “Yeah, sorry for kicking you out I guess? I mean I know we are open later than this but you know closing hours aren’t my rules to make,” you said looking at him. “No no I understand, do you think I can check out a book or will it be easier to get it tomorrow morning?”. “Probably come tomorrow morning then you have more time to actually look for your book if you have no idea where it is located,”. “Yeah I think that will be my best bet. Thanks for the help y/n,”.

You were taken aback by him saying your name was this was one of the first time that you have ever had a conversation with him. “No problem, Wonwoo,: smiling back at him as you walked him out before locking up.

As the night was drawing to an end you were laying in bed finishing up an homework assignment. It was a simple reading so it was nothing heavy but you did wish that time would pass faster. A ding from your computer and you saw the lovely notification from your soulmate.

mrbookworm: two truths and one lie?

ouasunshine: hello to you too,

ouasunshine: what are you doing lol

mrbookworm: i’m bored and I don't feel like bothering my friends

ouasunshine: so you wanted to bother me?

mrbookworm: you’re my soulmate ;)

mrbookworm: you are kinda stuck with me forever 

ouasunshine: i mean i guess i can spare a minute or two

ouasunshine: ummm

ouasunshine: my favorite cake is red velvet, i played soccer as a kid and i’m 75% certain i was a butterfly in my kindergarten school play.

mrbookworm: oh that is an easy one

mrbookworm: it's the butterfly one

ouasunshine: i wish you can hear me laugh

ouasunshine: it is actually the cake one

mrbookworm: you’re lying

ouasunshine: no i believe that i have a picture somewhere.

ouasunshine: i was either a butterfly or a flower but i have a picture somewhere

mrbookworm: well when i meet you in person you will have to show me

mrbookworm: but what is the lie?

ouasunshine: i really don't like red velvet cake

For the rest of the night, you were talking to your soulmate. And just like you wished for at the beginning of the night the hours did fly by when you were talking to him.

Arriving at school early you walked straight to the library. You unlocked the door and headed to the main deck and pulled out the book that you were reading last night. And to your surprise the first person who entered was Wonwoo.

“Good Morning,” he said, walking up to the desk with a smile on his face. The soft curls from his hair lightly hit the top of his glasses. And the grey sweatshirt that he wasn’t helping his case and we really did look nice. “Hey morning, are you here to look for that book from yesterday?”. “Yeah I am looking for Are We There Yet? by David Levithan,”. Your head lifted from the computer and stopped typing mid-sentence. “No there is no way,” you thought to yourself. “Is there something wrong? Is it checked out?”. “No it’s not that, it’s just I recommended that book to someone yesterday, it is one of my favorites,” you said looking away. “Oh same, well not me recommended but it was recommended to me,” Wonwoo said looking down at the ground.

“This is a very out of the blue question but are you mrbookworm? Again totally random questions and if you aren’t that this is highly embarrassing,”. Wonwoo just looked at you and smiled. “Hi ouasunshine, I’m expecting to see that picture of you as a butterfly one day, maybe over coffee?”. “I would really like that,”.

[bakudeku-positivity]

Okay so I literally stumbled upon bakudeku, i was going thru some posts of anime on insta and then saw a few edits of bakudeku and idk they kinda clicked , I haven’t watched bnha because I honestly dont know what to expect and then i saw that there’s a manga about the whole bnha thing as well (i have no idea so forgive me for the confusion) . So it’ll be really helpful if you can tell me a bit about bnha the order to read/watch it and about the whole bakudeku ship if it’s not a lot (i also noticed how there weren’t a lot of bakudeku accounts, is there a specific reason for that?) im really sorry if this is a lot

Wow, this is a lot. So, bnha/mha or boku no hero academia/my hero academia is an anime where 80% of people have superpowers called quirks. The story follows Deku one of the few without a quirk on his quest to become a superhero.

If I were you, I would start by either just reading the manga start to finish or just watch the anime start to finish. Once you do that you can go back and view the other if you so desire. They're the exact same thing just in different formats and the manga is way farther than the anime. There's also two movies but they are only semi canon and I recommend watching them after watching the anime all the way through.

Now the fun part. BakuDeku. I personally love it because it's a combination of friends to lovers and enemies to lovers. It's your classic rivals ship in a lot ways. I also just love both Bakugou and Deku as individuals and the show really is about their relationship at it's core.

So, I find it interesting that you said there's not a lot of Bakudeku blogs and I suppose there isn't a lot of Bakudeku exclusive blogs but I still feel like there's a good amount. But the reason why it might be lacking is because there are a group of people who really hate the ship do to there relationship starting really poorly and how popular the ship is.

But do watch the show! Trust me the show is really great outside of shipping in general but if you already like BakuDeku your hearts not gonna take it (in a good way)

If anyone has anything to add please do!

[geshertzarmeod]

Favorite Books of 2020

I wanted to put together a list! I read 74 new books this year, and I keep track of that on Goodreads - feel free to add or follow me if you want to see everything! I’m going to focus on the highlights, and the books that stuck with me personally in one way or another, in approximate order. Also, all but two of them (#5 and #7 on the honorable mention list) are queer/trans in some way. Links are to Goodreads, but if you’re looking to get the books, I suggest your library, the Libby app using your library, your local bookstore, or Bookshop.

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, illus. by Ned Asta (originally published 1977). I had a hard beginning of the year and was in a work environment where my queerness was just not welcomed or wanted. I read this in the middle of all of that, and it helped me so much. I took this book with me everywhere. I read it on planes. I read it on the bus, and on trains, and at shul. I showed it to friends... sometimes at shul, or professional development conferences. It healed my soul. Now I can’t find it and might get a new copy. When I reviewed it, in February, I wrote: “I think we all need this book right now, but I really needed this book right now. Wow. This book is magic, and brings back a sense of magic and beauty to my relationship with the world.” Also I bought my copy last July, in a gay bookstore on Castro St. in SF, and that in itself is just beautiful to me. (Here’s a post I made with some excerpts)

Once & Future duology, especially the sequel, Sword in the Stars, by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy. Cis pansexual female King Arthur Ari Helix (she's the 42nd reincarnation and the first female one) in futuristic space with Arab ancestry (but like, from a planet where people from that area of earth migrated to because, futuristic space) works to end Future Evil Amazon.com Space Empire with her found family with a token straight cis man and token white person. Merlin is backwards-aging so he's a gay teenager with a crush and thousands of years of baggage. The book’s entire basis is found family, and it's got King Arthur in space. And the sequel hijacks the original myth and says “fuck you pop culture, it was whitewashed and straightwashed, there were queer and trans people of color and strong women there the whole time.” Which is like, my favorite thing to find in media, and a big part of why I love Xena so much. It’s like revisionist history to make it better except it’s actually probably true in ways. Anyway please read these books but also be prepared for an absolutely absurd and wild ride. Full disclosure though, I didn’t love the first book so much, it’s worth it for the sequel!

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum. This book hurt. It still hurts. But it was so good. It took me on a whole journey, and brought me to my destination just like it intended the whole time. The author’s note at the end made me cry! The sheer NEED from this book, the way the main relationship develops and shifts, and how you PERCEIVE the main relationship develops and shifts. I’m in awe of Ancrum’s writing. If you like your ships feral and needy and desperate and wanting and D/S vibes and lowkey super unhealthy but with the potential, with work, to become healthy and beautiful and right, read this book. This might be another one to check trigger warnings for though.

The Entirety of The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. I hadn’t heard of this series until this year, when a good friend recommended it to me. It filled the black hole in me left by Harry Potter. The political and mystical/fantasy world building is just *chef’s kiss* - the complexity! The morally grey, everyone’s-done-awful-things-but-some-people-are-still-trying-to-do-good tapestry! The ROMANCE oh my GOD the romance. If I’m absolutely fully invested in a heterosexual romance you know a book is good, but also this book had background (and then later less background) queer characters! And the DRAMA!!! The third book went in a direction that felt a little out of nowhere but honestly I loved the ride. I stayed up until 6am multiple times reading this series and I’d do it again.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon. I loved this book so much that it’s the only book I reviewed on my basically abandoned attempt at a book blog. This book is haunting, horrifying, disturbing, dark, but so, so good. The character's voices were so specific and clear, the relationships so clearly affected by circumstance and yet loving in the ways they could be. This is my favorite portrayal of gender maybe ever, it’s just... I don’t even have the words but I saw a post @audible-smiles​ made about it that’s been rattling in my head since. And, “you gender-malcontent. You otherling,” as tender pillow talk??? Be still my heart. Be ready, though, this book has all the triggers.. it’s a .

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. This book called me out on my perspective on love. Also, it made me cry a lot. And it has two different interesting well-written romance storylines. And a realistic coming-into-identity narrative about a Black trans demiboy. And a nuanced discussion of college plans and what one might do after college. And some big beautiful romcom moments. I wish I had it in high school. I’m so glad I have it now! (trigger warning for transphobia & outing, but the people responsible are held accountable by the end, always treated as not okay by the narrative, and the MC’s friends, and like... this is ownvoices and it’s GOOD.)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. My Goodreads review says, “I have no idea what happened, and I loved it.” That’s not wrong, but to delve deeper, this book has an ethereal feeling that you get wrapped up in while reading. Nothing makes sense but that’s just as it should be. You’re hooked. It is so atmospheric, so meta, so fascinating. I’ve seen so many people say they interpreted this character or that part or the ending in all different ways and it all makes sense. And it’s all of this with a gay main character and romance and the central theme, the central pillar being a love of and devotion to stories. Of course I was going to love it.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom. “Because maybe what really matters isn’t whether something is true, or false. Maybe what matters is the story itself; what kinds of doors it opens, what kinds of dreams it brings.” This book was so good and paradigm shifting. It reminded me of #1 on this list in the way it turns real life experience and hard, tragic ones at that (in this case, of being a trans girl of color who leaves home and tries to make a life for herself in the city, with its violence), into a beautiful, haunting fable. Once upon a time.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. I need to reread this book, as I read it during my most tranceful time of 2020 and didn’t write a review, so I forgot a lot. What I do remember is beautiful and important nonbinary representation, a really cute romance, an interesting parental and familial/sibling dynamic that was both heartbreaking and hopeful, and an on-page therapy storyline. Also Mason Deaver just left twitter but was an absolutely hilarious troll on it before leaving and I appreciate that (and they just published a Christmas novella that I have but haven’t read yet!)

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos. It took a long time to trust this book but I’m so glad I did. It’s raw and real and full of grief and trauma (trigger warnings, that I remember, for grief, death (before beginning of book), and gun violence). The protagonist is flawed and gets to grow over the course of the book, and find her own place, and learn from the people around her, while they also learn to understand her and where she’s coming from. It’s got a gritty, harsh, and important portrayal of found family, messy queerness, and some breathtaking quotes. When I was 82% through this book I posted this update: “This book has addressed almost all of my initial hesitations, and managed to complicate itself beautifully.”

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro.  I wasn’t actually in the best mental health place to read this book when I did (didn’t quite understand what it was) but it definitely reminded me of what there is to fight against and to fight for, and broke my heart, and nudged me a bit closer to hope. The naturally diverse cast of characters was one of the best parts of this book. The romance is so sweet and tender and then so painful. This book is important and well-written but read it with caution and trigger warnings - it’s about grief and trauma and racism and police brutality, but also about love and community.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden.  This is a sci-fi/fantasy/specfic mashup that takes place in near-future South Africa and has world-building myths with gods and demigoddesses and a trip to the world of the dead but also a genetically altered hallucinogenic drug that turns people into giant animals and a robot uprising and a political campaign and a transgender pop star and a m/m couple and all of them are connected. It’s bonkers. Like, so, so absolutely mind-breaking weird. And I loved it.

Crier’s War and Iron Heart by Nina Varela.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVED the amount of folktales they told each other with queer romances as integral to those stories, especially in Iron Heart. A conversation between the two leads where Crier says she wants to read Ayla like a book, and Ayla says she’s not a book, and Crier explains all the different ways she wants to know Ayla, like a person, and wants to deserve to know her like a person, made me weak. It lives in my head rent-free.

Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston @ekjohnston . I listened to this book on Libby and then immediately listened to it at least one more time, maybe twice, before my borrow time ran out. I love Padmé, and just always wish that female Star Wars characters got more focus and attention and this book gave me that!! And queer handmaidens! And the implication that Sabé is in love with Padmé and that’s just something that will always be true and she will always be devoted and also will make her own life anyway. And the Star Wars audiobooks being recorded the way they are with background sounds and music means it feels like watching a really long detailed beautiful Star Wars movie just about Padmé and her handmaidens.

Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia. I needed to read this. The way Tobia talks about their experience of gender within the contexts of college, college leadership, and career, hit home. I kept trying to highlight several pages in a row on my kindle so I could go back and read them after it got returned to the library (sadly it didn’t work - it cuts off highlights after a certain number of characters). The way they talk about TOKENISM they way they talk about the responsibilities of the interviewer when an interviewee holds marginalized identities especially when no one else in the room does!!! Ahhhh!!!

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie. Disclaimer for this one that the author was rightfully criticized for writing a Black main character as a white author (and how the story ended up playing into some fucked up stuff that I can’t really unpack without spoiling). But also, the author has been working to move forward knowing she can’t change the past, has donated her proceeds, and this book is really good? It has all the fanfic tropes, so much delicious tension, a totally unexpected plot twist that had me immediately rereading the book. This book was super fun and also kind of just really really good Star Wars fanfiction.

How To Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune. This book was so sweet, and cute, and hopeful, and both ridiculous and so real. I had some trouble getting used to Gus’ voice and internal monologue, but I got into it and then loved every bit after. The ace rep is something I’ve never seen like this before (and have barely read any ace books but still this was so fleshed out and well rounded and not just like, ‘they’re obsessed with swords not sex’ - looking at you, Once & Future - and leaving it there.) This all felt like a slice of life and I feel like I learned about people while reading it. Some of the moments are so, so funny, some are vaguely devastating. I have been personally victimized by TJ Klune for how he ends this book (a joke, you will know once you read it) but it also reminds me of the end of the “You Are There” episode of Xena and we all know what the answer to that question was.... and I choose to believe the answer here was similar.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. I wish I had this book when I was in high school. I honestly have complicated feelings about prom and haven’t really been seeking out contemporary YA so I was hesitant to read this but it was so good and so well-written, and had a lot of depth to it. The movie (and Broadway show) “The Prom” wants what this book has.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. I never read horror books, so this was a new thing for me. I loved the feeling of this book, the way I felt fully immersed. I loved how entirely queer it was. I was interested in the characters and the relationships, even though we didn’t have a full chance to go super deep into any one person but rather saw the connections between everyone and the way the stories matched up with each other. I just wanted a bit of a more satisfying ending.

Honorable Mention: reread in 2020 but read for the first time pre-2020

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I couldn’t make this post without mentioning this book. It got me through this year. I love this book so much; I think of this book all the time. This book made me want to find love for myself. You’ve all heard about it enough but if you haven’t read this book what are you DOING.

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan @sarahreesbrennan​ . I reread this one over and over too, both as text and as an audiobook. I went for walks when I had lost my earbuds and had Elliott screaming about an elf brothel loudly playing and got weird looks from someone walking their dog. I love this book so much. It’s just so fun, and so healing to read a book reminiscent of all the fantasies I read as a kid, but with a bi main character and a deconstruction of patriarchy and making fun of the genre a bit. Also, idiots to lovers is a great trope and it’s definitely in this book.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book is forever so important to me. I am always drawn in by how tenderly Sáenz portrays his characters. These boys. These boys and their parents. I love them. I love them so much. This is another one where I don’t even know what to say. I have more than 30 pages in my tag for this book. I have “arda” set as a keyboard shortcut on my phone and laptop to turn into the full title. This book saved my life.

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book hurts to read - it’s a story about trauma, about working through that trauma, healing enough to be ready to hold the worst memories, healing enough to move through the pain and start to make a life. It’s about found family and love and pain and I love it. It’s cathartic. And it’s a little bit quietly queer in a beautiful way, but that’s not the focus. Look up trigger warnings (they kind of are spoilery so I won’t say them here but if you have the potential to be triggered please look them up or ask me before reading)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.  When asked what my all time favorite book is, it’s usually this one. Gail Carson Levine has been doing live readings at 11am since the beginning of the pandemic shut down in the US, and the first book she read was Ella Enchanted. I’ve been slowly reading it to @mssarahpearl and am just so glad still that it has the ability to draw me in and calm me down and feels like home after all this time. This book is about agency. I love it.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman @chronicintrovert . I’ve had this on my all-time-faves list since I read it a few years ago and ended up rereading it this year before sending a gift copy to a friend, so I could write little notes in it. It felt a little different reading it this time - as I get further away from being a teenager myself, the character voice this book is written in takes a little longer to get used to, but it’s so authentic and earnest and I love it. I absolutely adore this book about platonic love and found family and fandom and mental illness and abuse and ace identity and queerness and self-determination, especially around college and career choices. Ahhh. Thank you Alice Oseman!!!

Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray @claudiagray​ . I have this one on audible and reread it several times this year. I love the fleshing out of Leia’s story before the original trilogy, I love her having had a relationship before Han, and the way it would have affected her perspective. I also am intrigued by the way it analyses the choices the early rebellion had to make... I just, I love all the female focused new Star Wars content and the complexity being brought to the rebellion.

[jadegrey711]

Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood

Kylo Ren x Rey

A/N: I decided to make a very late or very early Halloween treat for everyone and make another vampire Kylo Ren post. It’s pretty short and I’m not sure if I’m going to add on to it later on and make it a bit more smutty but I just love leaving my writing off on one-liners lmao. 

It’s not a continuation of my other one but one I got inspired for because of this picture from vivisketches on Instagram. If you haven’t seen her stuff yet I would highly recommend checking out her art cuz she is amazing. Most definitely part of the pantheon of Reylo goddesses who bless us with content!

Here’s the link to her Insta and the drawing she posted! 

Summary:

Kylo Ren a vampire decides to have fun this Halloween and enjoy the first full halloween moon in a few years and seduces Rey at a college party who’s dressed as little red riding hood.

If you like my stories you can check out my sideblog @jadegreywriting​ to see all of them and my masterlist without filtering through my main blog.

I own all rights to this story and do not give permission for my stories to be published, translated or reposted anywhere else. The only places I have published my stories is here on Tumblr and on my AO3 account (LadyAuthor711) 

Soundtrack 

1999- Prince 

Lil’ Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham and the Pharohs

Magic Man - Heart 

This certainly wasn't his normal hunting grounds but it was halloween night and the moon was full and he was in the mood for some trouble. The vampire had chuckled when he’d chosen his costume and looked at himself in the mirror. He took in the sight of himself dressed in one of his old white shirts from another life, a pair of leather britches, black riding boots and to top it all off; a black cloak with a red silk lining. He chuckled to himself, truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This had to be the most dastardly plan he’d come up with, a true creature of the night walking amongst the humans who were playing pretend at being a monster only for a real monster to be walking amongst them tonight playing human. 

He was just walking and enjoying the night, enjoying the sounds of shrieks, screams and laughter of others enjoying the magic of the night. When he found himself at a college fraternity, they were having their own fun in the form of a halloween party, Kylo smiled to himself as he walked up the steps of the fraternity and immersed himself with the rest of the humans, officially on the hunt. 

***

Rey used to adore celebrating Halloween, obviously dressing up was her favorite part apart from gorging on candy that is. But recently with all her loads of classwork that she’s been doing and trying to finish up her bachelors’ she’s been too exhausted to even notice it was halloween. That is until her best friend and roommate Rose, ripped off her headphones and almost scared Rey half to death as she came face to face with a zombie bride. 

“Jesus!” Rey screeched as she clutched her hand to her chest.  “You scared me half to death Rose!” 

Rose just smiled and said. “Thank you! I worked really hard on this outfit and on Finn’s so I’m excited I actually got to scare someone with it!” She said excitedly. “But, where’s your costume? You’re not going as a zombie student are you?” 

“I’m not going as anything because I have to study.” 

“What! You have to go out tonight! It’s a full moon! On Halloween!” Rose said pointing outside Rey’s little window and saw the full moon blazing down at her and all the other girls and ghouls that were prowling the campus in search of candy and a good time. 

“Wow.” Rey said revertely as she stared up at that bright moon shining down on her. “How often does a full moon occur on Halloween?”

“Not very often so let’s go! Get up and out of that chair, turn off the laptop and let’s see if I have a costume for you.” 

Rey watched as Rose spirited to her closet and flung open the close doors to reveal her repertoire of costumes that she kept year round. I guess having a theater major as your roommate did come in handy sometimes. 

“Oh! What about this?” Rose asked as she pulled out a red riding hood costume, with corset and all. “It’s a classic costume, very sexy, and also helps keep out the cold later on in the night. Maybe when you have to do a walk of victory at the end of the night.” Rose chuckled. 

“It has a corset Rose!” 

“It’s not as bad as everyone always makes them out to be, they actually help with your posture and besides it’ll make your boobs look killer, take it from me.” Rose winked and just then Finn decided to come into the room in all his gory zombie groom state. 

“I know first hand that they do.” He chuckled as he fully came into the room and came up to Rose and gave her a chaste kiss so they wouldn't mess up each other’s makeup. 

Rose let out a satisfied little hum and threw the outfit at Rey. “No more fighting, we’re going to have so much fun tonight. And you need a break from studying, maybe you need to have some tall handsome stranger ring your bell to get you out of this study stupor you’ve been in all month. It’s like I’ve been living with an actual zombie!”

Rey just chuckled to herself and knew there was no fighting her bestfriend or the corset she’d just put in her lap. And instead she decided to get swept away in the magic of the night. 

**

Rey thought she wouldn’t have any fun at the halloween party that was happening at Finn’s fraternity, but all the fraternity guys seemed to be cool, played decent music and always kept her drink full. Rose had been right, this is exactly what Rey needed tonight. She needed to let loose for a night, dance and get drunk, although it looked like the handsome stranger bit wasn’t going to be happening tonight. Which she thought was a bit of a shame since she was definitely feeling herself in this corset; another thing Rose was right about and Rey would most definitely hear just how right Rose was in the morning. 

As Rey poured herself another drink, suddenly the song changed from the thumping beat of Prince’s 1999, to a slower song and definitely older song, Rey realised as she recognized the opening howl of Sam The Sham and the Pharoh’s Lil Red Riding Hood. And as she looked up from where she was pouring her next beer, her eyes locked onto a pair of dark alluring eyes from across the room. Rey felt transfixed to these dark eyes, that felt like they belonged to a predator and a part of her; a primal part confirmed her suspicions and demanded that she run as far and as fast she could. 

Rey tampered the voice in her mind and tried to calm her suddenly racing heart as she wretched her eyes away from the dark eyes that seemed to command her to him. Rey didn’t dare look back at the stranger lounging on the wall in the fear that she wouldn’t be able to look away next time. But, that awful sense of curiosity filled her, tempted her to look at the stranger again; but Rey knew what happened to that cat who let curiosity get the best of them. Rey decided after another swig of her beer that she’d take another look at him, that feeling of dread was just her imagination getting the better of her, the halloween night air filling her head with visions of dark strangers. 

However, when Rey looked back up to where the stranger was lounging on the back wall he was gone. Rey furrowed her eyebrows and looked around for the stranger but he was nowhere on the dance floor or anywhere near where he first was; maybe she had imagined him. 

Rey turned around to fill her beer again and bumped into a large chest and felt strong arms wrap around her, bracing her so she wouldn’t fall on her ass. When she looked up to thank her savior and apologize, she was struck with terror and awe as those dark eyes pierced her soul. 

“Hey there lil red riding hood.”

[jennibeultimate]

I don’t know a whole lot about the technical side of figure skating, usually I choose favorite skaters just on whose performances I enjoy the most, but I’m curious since a lot of people seem to really dislike her: what do you think of Evgenia Medvedeva? since you seem to know a lot and be very invested in the figure skating world, I’m interested to know your opinion

Oh wow. I am very honored to have someone want my opinion 👀

First of all I am by no means an expert on the technical sides of figure skating - still learning - but I give it a try and your observation is correct that I am very invested in this sport and I know how (shitty) the fandom can be. And to warn you you're in for a long read. 😅

I will give my opinion on both, the aspects of her skating and the person Evgenia Medvedeva. And on why I think ppl may dislike her/hate on her.

1. About Evgenia Medvedeva - the skater

I hope you understand at least the basic terms of the technical aspects in figure skating as I will refer to them a lot in this part.

Jumps - Zhenya is a better edge than toe jumper. Her 3Loop and her 3Salchow are one of the best in the field and imo extremely pretty. Her 2Axel is usually her biggest problem, she muscles the jump. Her toe jumps have issues too. Zhenya has a wrong edge on the Lutz, called a "Flutz", she is working on it but it's still the wrong edge. She mostly didn't get an edge call on it though by the judges. The other aspect ppl often talk about is the "prerotation" in her toe jumps, especially the Flip. She does prerotate more than some other skaters. She is often criticized for it. But to make it short imo the rules about prerotation are a bit blurry (at what point is prerotation normal and when is it excessive prerotation?) and in fact judges doesn't seem to penalize prerotation at all. Some fans like to nitpick on this matter a lot. For some it's almost some sort of crime. Let's just say it's not easy to fix it and I think Zhenya improved on this matter with time. I think Zhenya definitely has some issues on her toe jumps and Axel, but I don't think just because someone has a flawed technique the person is a bad skater. So there are things you can rightfully criticize but also things to love in her jumps like not only are Salchow and Loop beautiful, but also her leg extension on landing is good and she usually has good flow in her jumps. The Tanos (one arm over the head while jumping) aren't my cup of tea but they have a positive influence the GOEs.

Her Salchow:

Her Loop:

Spins - I think she has beautiful spins, but they are not the fastest. And I think her spins were better in the early senior years. The back that is bothering her is making the Bielmann spin not doable for her anymore, which is a shame.

Programs and performance - I think Zhenya does portray characters exceptionally well. Yes some ppl don't like the excessive pantomime in her earlier programs and I also think less is more, but she always captures the audience with her charm and personality on ice and her programs always have a concept she can bring across (even sometimes with questionable theme). She has some very beautiful programs, I recommend her "Anna Karenina" 2017-2018 program and her "Memoirs of a Geisha" 2019-2020 program. What stands out of Zhenya and also has been a reason she has earned high PCS - especially in her first senior years - is that her programs are full of difficult transitions between the elements. I don't want to pick all of the PCS categories apart, just that I think she is selling her skating exceptionally well. (She doesn't have thousands of fans for no reason. 😉)

Scoring - I think this is actually the main point why some skating fans didn't like her in the first place. She emerged to a scene with extremely high scores for being a first year senior, scores that matched past heroes of skating like Yuna Kim and Mao Asada. Even though Zhenya never skated against Yuna and shared only few competitions with Mao, ppl always referred to the old scores of them. (which were former world records) Zhenya's consistency made her get world record after world record and flaws in jumps have often been overlooked like not calling the Flutz and her PCS seemed super high in comparison to other skaters of the same level. Even though the scoring is hardly her fault, she got the flack for it and tbh the way she was scored was also turning me off for a while but Zhenya captured me with her performance. Her high scores also have some justification. Zhenya had the most difficulty in her programs in 2015-2017. She was the skater to start the trend to backload the jumps to the 2nd half to get the bonus points (rules have been changed after 2018 because of this). Her PCS being high can also be justified to some extent, like she does have a lot of transitions and her skating is clear (turns and steps are recognizable and mostly of high quality) etc. I still do think especially after her coaching change to Brian Orser that her scores have been worth a discussion and I think that in comparison her scores were too high, but I don't think there is any doubt that she deserved the world titles she got. (Just look at those comps and tell me who was better?) Also her consistency between 2015 and 2017 is unmatched and is admirable. I think Zhenya has been overscored in her career a lot, but not to the extent that made her "unrightfully" claiming the titles and again that's hardly her fault.

I actually like Zhenya's skating a lot. I wasn’t a fan the first time I saw her but she grew on me a lot, especially in the last two years. She can create magic. 😊

If you want to know more about Zhenya and the technical aspects of her skating you can go through the Evgenia Medvedeva tag on @the-real-xmonster (the blog is not active anymore but has tons of technical explanations)

About the person Evgenia Medvedeva

I personally admire Zhenya for her guts to keep competing in a country where a lot of ppl think she is "too old" for the sport. I also admired her for the coaching change to Brian to go a different way (I hate how she had to return to Eteri because of the pandemic). I like that she is speaking up towards online bullying she and others received. She keeps on sharing on Instagram though she has been harassed there a lot. I think in her interviews she is thoughtful (she is speaking her mind, which I like), but she can also be goofy and funny and her love for anime and being an "Otaku" is making her relatable.

Her Sailor Moon exhibition is such a fun program I can recommend to everyone.

(GIF by @the-real-xmonster)

About the "hate" towards Zhenya:

Some of the criticism Zhenya is receiving is understandable in my opinion. For example lately traveling during a pandemic to another country is something worth talking about or her mother letting a fan into TCC or some of the statements towards media can be criticised. But some "critic" is not criticism but hate for example when she changed to Brian Orser, calling her a traitor, badmouthing her for being ungrateful or being an attention seeker or making assumptions about her relationships with other skaters to the extent she deleted all the pictures with Yuzuru Hanyu from her Instagram etc. (especially when Eteribots or some Fanyus are involved things can turn ugly in the fandom) I also don't think ppl should put all some media is reporting as truth and stalking her Instagram backgrounds to see if she violated her quarantine is crossing personal boundaries. I think these are things that are not ok at all. (and to hate someone for their scores is really stupid imo)

However I think part of the problem why ppl dislike/hate her is her popularity (She has 700k followers on Instagram) . If she would be a no name skater her actions or scores wouldn't be discussed across the fandom. But actually most of the time you can follow the hate back to a few accounts...

Just to be clear it's totally fine to not get into Zhenya's skating, to point out flaws in scoring and in her technique, to not like some of her actions or criticize them, but I don't think it's fair to hate on her or make fun of her injuries or bad performances, she is human and deserves respect. The tone is important. Be kind and respectful! We don't know any of those skaters personally, so what does it cost to be a bit kind? Figure skating is a small fandom and believe me skaters see what ppl write. And it can hurt an actual human being. So please be considerate.

I am not sure if this is the kind of answer you were looking for anon, but here are some of my opinions on Zhenya 😊 You're welcome to ask more if something is unclear or you want to know something about another skater.

Anyone who read 'til the end should have a cookie! Have a good day! Thanks for reading!

Let's end this long read with a happy Zhenya!

[thedevildomdaily]

Demonic Possessions Ch5: Diners Demons & Disasters

Note: Here's the Master List for the full story. I recommend reading my stuff on my actual Blog if you enjoy OM! official music! Thank you so much for the support. Please let me hear from you in the comment section. I wanna talk OM!

Warnings: Language...for now.

___________________________

When they arrived at Hell’s kitchen, folks cleared out of the Avatar of Gluttony’s way. Lena barely caught on to the many eyes drawn their way. She was famished and excited for her first dining-out experience in the Devildom.

“Your usual table is read-” Beel whizzed past the waiter, “-y.”

“Uhm, thank you…” Lena awkwardly nodded and quickly followed after the giant. She was afraid of not getting to eat anything on the account that he would clean them out of everything. That’s what Leviathan and Satan had warned them about earlier when they were shopping for room decor.

Speaking of the dev….you know, Satan and Mammon entered the place, causing the rest of the customers to flinch and stare with panic at their state. The blonde had caught a hold of his older brother’s jacket collar and was leading him, in his disheveled glory, to the waiter. There were many words exchanged. And soon, the owner of the establishment arrived with the check they were both after.

The rest of the group had managed to meet up with the more excited ones, filing in quietly, like normal customers. “There you are…” Simeon said, being the first to spot Lena and Beel. She was peeking over at his menu, asking questions about the ingredients.

“Was it really necessary to make a mad dash like that Lena? You’re making us look bad…” Zak looked embarrassed.

Lilly chuckled as she took her usual seat across from Lena. “If you’re worried about images that way, you picked the wrong crowd to hang with.”

“She’s right! These demon brothers are always causing scenes. Usually it’s over being selfish!” Luke added. The little pup took a liking to Zak after some demon started teasing him in the hallway, on the way to their next class. Simeon was busy talking with Solomon and Satan about their homework, so Zak was the only one around to aid him.

When everyone was seated, drinks were served. The group's banter filled the establishment and it felt like a cozy pub in an RPG, as Lena described to Leviathan sitting to her right. The group ordered so much, the owner had to start turning away other patrons.Then walked in the trio. You know, only the most intimidating demons in all of the Devildom.

“Wow! Fancy meeting all of you here!” Lord Diavolo boasted.

Lucifer gave a long sigh and glared at him with the response, “You knew they were all going to be here didn’t you? That’s why you were so insistent on it.”

Both Diavolo and Barbatos deflected Lucifer’s words and began to take a seat at the adjacent table from the large group. Grumpy joined them and the waiter rushed promptly to get their orders. The poor young demon looked so nervous, and who could blame him?

~

The saying “Time flies by when you’re having fun” was no joke. This band of misfits: demons, humans, angels, and nephilim were having a blast! There were many jokes at one another’s expense, slight bickering, questions about each others’ worlds. It was the exact thing that the exchange program was about. Then came the food.

One waiter brought an actual pyramid of burgers to Beelzebub; his personal platter. Another waiter was in charge of drink refills. It was quite a mess with everyone together; Save for Luke, Lilly, and Lena the rest were freaking giants. It was hard getting food passed around to the 14 people and 1 Beel.

The previously mentioned nervous waiter was now carrying a serving tray towards the Big Three’s table. Just as he made it in front of him, Mammon quickly scooted back without looking as he yelled at Satan about his check again.

The back of the chair smacked right into the poor, unfortunate waiter. It caused him to lose balance and the tray to teeter out of his hands. It was a scene shot in slow-mo like many movies: The plates left the tray, Lucifer’s eyes were so wide, and Diavolo was caught totally off guard.

Before the food could splatter all over the prince, Lena rushed to catch everything. Her secret ability was revealed in an instant: She was fast like a comic hero. But unlike them, she wasn’t the most agile. She did manage to get the tray and get the plates back on, but she stumbled backwards, slipping on Mammon’s dropped napkin.

Her eyes were squinted shut as she braced for impact. It felt...odd. She definitely landed, but there was no hard, cold floor. No broken glass sounds. In fact she knew she still had the tray of food in her head.

When she opened her eyes, Lena saw Diavolo towering over her at an odd angle. The whole place was silent enough to hear a pin needle drop. What the fu…

“Are you okay Lena?” The prince asked.

“I don’t know if I’m being honest with you…” she looked around to see her whole table just gawking at her dumbfoundedly.

Next she took in Lucifer’s bewildered expression, followed by Barbatos. Though, he of course remained the most neutral. What’s the deal?

Then it hit her. Diavolo’s angle. He was over her. No, he was embracing her! The giant of a man had caught her just as quickly as she had caught the food from falling on him. Their current position was probably the reason why everyone was quiet. Well that, and the fact everything happened in a nanosecond.

No, Lena and Diavolo looked like they had just danced one wild tango number and ended on a dramatic dip. It was hot. Or would have been without the fucking tray of burgers and fries. Sorry, DEMON burgers and fries. For someone as stark white as she was, Lena turned red like a lobster. Diavolo even had a tiny blush that only she could see from her proximity.

“MAAAMMMOOOOOOOONNN!!!” Lucifer closed the silence with his deep, booming voice. Everyone either laughed, took pictures, or hid their faces in embarrassment as the eldest brothers made a wild game of “TAG! You’re Fucking Dead!!!”

It was a good thing too. Well, not for Mammon of course. In that moment, Barbatos assisted Lena, by taking the tray. Diavolo raised her carefully to stand back onto her feet.

“Thank you, for saving dinner and my uniform.” Diavolo chuckled.

Lena gave a sheepish smile, “And thank you for saving my uniform, and the bill for the table I would have broken.”

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. They laughed at the pictures they managed to capture. Lilly questioned Lena about what happened and she explained to everyone that nephilim are extremely fast. They also each had an ability unique to themselves. Though she and her brothers teased the rest of the group by not telling them what those abilities were.

“Well, it looks like both Lucifer and Mammon aren’t coming back,” Azri said, taking Lucifer’s seat. He was tired of having a sleeping Belphegor trying to use his shoulder as a pillow to drool on. “I’ll box his up for one of them to take back.”

“That’s generous of you.” Barbatos replied, giving a small hint of a smile.

Azri chuckled, “It is, especially after hearing that he put my darling sister in a filthy attic with no amenities…” That didn’t go past big brother Azri. “If I may, can I skip class tomorrow in order to fix things up for her?”

Barbatos and Diavolo exchanged looks before glancing over at Lena, who had moved seats to take funny pictures with and of the sleeping Belphegor.

“I know you’re wondering why I don’t just let her do it.” Azri continued, “Something happened with her not long before she finally agreed to come here. Obviously we’re a year late to the program. I don’t want to dish out her personal stuff, but I want to do something nice for her.” He finished packing Lucifer’s dinner and added, “I also can’t stand the thought of her sleeping in a room filled with cobwebs! And I know she will do a half-ass job at cleaning it herself!”

That made Diavolo chuckle and he compared the eldest nephilim to Barbatos.

“I am not that bad, Lord Diavolo. It’s my job to ensure you're catered to and well taken care of. A prince can’t live in dirty quarters…” Barbatos responded. Although he held a smile, Azriel could see the fury in his eyes. It made him chuckle.

*****

“Le, stop that! You’ll get in trouble….again!” Zak scolded, though unable to keep from laughing. Lena was holding her phone so it looked like she was petting Belphegor’s head like a puppy while he slept.

“He looks so cute though!!!” she stuck her tongue out at her brother.

Luke sighed, “It seems that you’re as bad as Asmo…”

“I wonder…” Asmo replied teasingly, before winking and giving Lena a kissy face from across the table. She chuckled and playfully returned the kiss.

“What does that even mean?” Luke asked innocently. It caught Zak off guard. He wasn’t used to being around innocent kiddos like him. Simeon intervened, however, much to the nephilim’s relief. He wasn’t sure why the kid followed him around so much.

*****

When the group was finished with their meal, Diavolo picked up the check. He and Barbatos headed out first because they had a busy schedule ahead of them the next day. “Good night everyone!” he chuckled and waved.Several of them returned the wave and thanked him. Lena couldn’t help but blush a little when their eyes met briefly.

“Mmmh-hmmm, I saw that.” Lilly whispered, giving a mischievous grin at the nephilim.

Lena shot the human a look, “What are you even talking about?”

“Oh I saw it too Lilly. I feel a little jealous now.” Asmodeus joined in. He puffed out his bottom lip, fake pouting at Lena.

“Oh fuck off. The both of you…” she grumbled, still blushing.

The group eventually had to split off into those who would go to Purgatory Hall and those that resided in The House of Lamentation. Before they did, Zak hugged Lena and told her good night. Azriel did the same, but revealed something that annoyed her.

~

“Lilly, let me crash on your sofa tonight please.” She gritted as they entered the house.

Asmo pouted, “But why Darling? I thought you liked snuggling with me…”

Lena sighed and nodded, “I actually do, Asmo. It’s just that I don’t want your pretty room to be engulfed in flames in the morning…”

The group stared at the nephilim with shock and worry. Well, Belphegor didn’t because he was passed-out and being carried off to bed by a sulking Beel, who wasn’t full.

“Azri got permission to skip school tomorrow in order to remodel my bedroom.” Lena sighed, “It is absolutely sweet of him, but anything design-related...well you saw him shopping today. He goes fucking nuts. I bet he will rush in before sunrise to start.”

Lilly scratched her head. “And what about the flames?”

“Well, we’ve not known each other long enough for him to feel it appropriate that I share a bed with someone in this house...even though it’s clearly none of his fucking business. I’m a grown ass woman.”

“Yeah you are!” Lilly chimed.

“If it’s none of his business, then why the concern?” It was Satan who asked this time.

“He’s already going to be in his weird-ass mood, so the shock and insinuation would cause him to snap. It’s happened more times than I can count.” Lena sulked and shook her head.

“OOOH! So then maybe Azriel’s unique ability is pyrokinetics then?” Leviathan asked with excitement, “Like El Lumino from the Revengers comic! He gets mad and accidentally burns things like Mrs. Magnificent hover jet in The New Revengers Vol 13, issue 42: El Lumino’s Ultra Bad Day!”

Lena hesitated, but eventually nodded. “Yeah. That’s like him alright. Now, don’t get me wrong. He is progressive. He’s a chill brother, who is the most responsible one of us. It’s just when “Crazy Azri” comes out, he is too unpredictable to take any chances. If ‘overprotective brother mode’ is activated, all bets are off.” It was really embarrassing.

“He did look pretty intense back at Majolish.” Lilly nodded, remembering his trance. “But then again, I recall someone else acting like a total zombie…” She and the brothers laughed at Lena.

“Ha ha. Very funny...oh wait! The clothes!!!!” Lena zoomed up the stairs. To the others, she simply blinked out of existence.

“She’s...gone?” Satan pondered.

“Don’t underestimate the power of fashion, Satan.” Asmo chuckled, “She’s probably swimming through all of those bags in her room…”

The brothers decided to all split up for the night, returning to their own rooms. Each one of them had a small bag from Majolish hanging on their door knobs; a gift from Lena for “putting up with her during the exchange program”. They each had a tie that matched their aesthetic. Of course Satan’s was a bow tie and Asmo had a pretty Lolita-style cravat.

Lilly took both Lucifer’s and Mammon’s dinners to their rooms. Neither one had made it back, which meant it might be a couple of days before they’d get to see Mammon again. Ouch!

When she went to her room, she found Lena sitting on her couch in her pajamas with a new pillow and Hell-o Kitty blanket she’d bought on that landmark shopping trip. She had a slightly revealing tank with a skull made out of flowers and booty shorts on. Lilly bit her lip and marched straight to her bed. Why?! She asked herself. Well, they were in hell and this had to be her personal torture lingering around her room in sexy nightwear. Well anything would look sexy on Lena.

((Heatha here with smexy news. Next week’s chapter will have our first bit-o-smut ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜)))

[calamitousdreams]

I'm new to the Anidala fandom and wanted to ask you, who do you think is the biggest (aka post popular) FanFiction writer for this couple? And also who do you think the the BEST writer for this couple? Made my account just to ask 💜

Okay wow. First off, thank you so much for making an account just to ask me my opinion! That’s so sweet! (I actually just saw this before going to bed but got so excited I had to answer, and now it’s 2 AM).

So to me, I’m translating “most popular /best” as the writers with the most numbers (i.e., favorites, follows, comments, and/or reblogs). Now, as I don’t have specific numbers, this is what I came up with. I broke them down into two categories: Fanfiction.net and Tumblr blogs (Archive of Our Own is a lot harder to navigate numbers-wise, so I’m ignoring it for now.

The Best:

FanFiction.net

Wertman25

Biggest story is technically a Padme/Vader fic, but we’re counting it because that thing has a whole lot of favorites. (They’re currently in a rewriting phase/hiatus).  

Disco Shop Girl

Lots and lots of good one-shots or shorter fics that range from pure fluff, pure smut, or pure heartbreak. (No Longer Active ???)

Shawn30

A whole lot of short stories (ranging from one-shots to 2-3ish chapters) that flow together to tell intricate, engaging, and complex stories. (No Longer Active)

Tumblr

I often see a lot of reblogs on their posts/ficlets here on Tumblr (that might be because I follow both of them, but that’s irrelevant)

@wonderlandleighleigh

Leigh has a way of writing simple yet fascinating stories. I wouldn’t say anidala was their top priority, but most blurbs they post make me giggle. (We also have the same first name…so I may be biased)

@dettiot

Detroit just has some happy!AUs that help make my saddened, overworked heart happy. Once again, anidala isn't the sole focus but is often mentioned/implied.

Personal Favorite:

For my personal favorite writers, you can clump in all the aforementioned names because they are popular for a reason, but these are other writers I actively look up when I feel like being pure anidala trash—in the best way possible)

@gemmaswriting (fanfiction.net:Gemmaaaaa | tumblr)

gemma happens to be my new best friend, so I may be showing my biases and nepotism once again. But I’ve been obsessed with her writing for quite some time. Her focus on emotions and character motivation is always attention-grabbing. One of her latest works, "Of Mutated Worlds," is also super popular right now (it’s lived rent-free in my head since I discovered it earlier this year).

irnan (fanfiction)

Has some super cute AUs. "Air and Angles" is one of my go-to happy fics.

CatiiaSofiia + MissChrisDaae (Archive of Our Own)

A newer find for me. I’ve slowly been working my way through their stories and have been fascinated with how they change and develop characters throughout all their different plots. (Some of their smut fics are BDSM related so consider that and definitely read the warnings/tags) .

@silvereddaye (Archive of Our Own | tumblr)

SilverDaye is another one of my favorite writers because of their ability to manipulate me into feeling precisely what the story's character is going through. So that means when they’re happy, you’re happy. When your heart gets ripped out of their chest, guess what happens to yours. (Also not fully anidala, but it’s worth reading through their works because of the pure talent).

Hopefully, this was helpful and was what you were looking for! Feel free to let me know if you’d like any specific fic recommendations!

-LA