#My Project Bazaar

[dudukbazaar]

Stellar herigault Value ●●●○○ ; Size ●●○○○ The fabric is soft, embroidered with purple and blue shiny stones. Userul for apprentice sorcerers, it offers protection against evil spells.

[vashti-lives]

Behold. A hat.

[skywlkrhoney]

A Goodnight Kiss

Jake Hill Conley x Lisbon!reader

Fluff!

Warnings:none

Literature class was always quiet.

Jake always sat two rows behind her. Always. He’d watch her narrow shoulders, the way her fingers nervously flipped through pages, the pen between her lips when she was deep in thought. She barely spoke to anyone, always heading off to be with her sisters during breaks. She didn’t really have any friends.

Whenever Jake saw her, she had a book in her hands—reading like she was starving for it, like the real world didn’t matter.

That Tuesday, the teacher handed out a sheet of paper with a bold title across the top: Assignment – Psychological and Social Analysis of “Carrie.”

“Pairs. Find your partner and turn it in by next Tuesday. That’s it, you’re dismissed,” he said, and the room exploded like someone had lit a match in gasoline—whispers, chairs scraping, people rushing out the door.

Jake watched her get up from her desk calmly, her expression as quiet and distant as always.

She didn’t have friends. No one really dared to talk to a Lisbon—people were always whispering about them, saying Cecilia’s name like it was some kind of cursed spell. But Jake didn’t believe in curses.

So, he left the classroom and searched through the crowd for her locker. When he found her, she was standing in front of it, sliding a couple of books inside. She took a deep breath, like the weight of the day was pressing down on her back.

He walked up slowly and tapped her shoulder lightly with the tip of his finger.

“Y/n, right?” he asked, and she turned to look at him, slowly, like she wasn’t even sure who she was.

She nodded.

“Wanna partner up? I mean—for the Lit project,” he said, stumbling over his words, his voice catching awkwardly in his throat.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face. For a second, Jake wanted to say: “I’m not like the other guys—I don’t care what your room looks like”, but he stayed quiet.

“Sure,” she said softly, a small smile tugging at her lips—and it warmed something inside his chest he hadn’t realized was cold.

“Well… you could come over to my place to work on it. I can talk to my mom,” she said in a shy, quiet voice, and Jake had to lean in to hear her over the noise of the hallway.

“Oh���yeah! Yeah, that’d be great. Is tomorrow afternoon okay? Or whenever you’re free,” he said quickly, trying not to sound too eager. She gave a soft laugh, and he smiled too, noticing how her cheeks scrunched a little when she laughed.

“Tomorrow afternoon works. Jake, right?”

He nodded, still smiling.

She nodded back, her gentle eyes meeting his for a moment.

Then the school bell rang—sharp, loud—snapping them both out of the calm bubble they’d somehow slipped into.

“See you tomorrow, then,” she said, closing her locker with a soft click before disappearing into the hallway crowd.

Jake stood there for a few seconds, staring down the hall like he’d just woken up from a really good dream.

The Lisbon house was quiet.

The other sisters had gone out to help Mrs. Lisbon with a church bazaar. Mr. Lisbon stayed in the living room, watching a football game with the volume turned low. And, by some divine miracle, Jake was alone with Y/n Lisbon.

They were in the bedroom the sisters shared. The atmosphere in the room was both melancholic and delicately feminine.

If the boys at school knew he was there, they would definitely crowd around him the next day, asking stupid questions about what he’d seen inside—what the Lisbon girls’ room was like, what kind of dust mites lived in their pillows.

But Jake wouldn’t be able to answer any of that.

Because the only thing he could see was her.

Y/n Lisbon, sitting cross-legged on a faded floral bedspread, her hair loose in a graceful mess of strands, flipping through the pages of Carrie like she was searching for something very specific.

“Well… we can start the social analysis now,” she said softly, eyes on the marked page and the notebooks spread out before her.

Jake blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.

“Right, yeah,” he replied too quickly, shifting awkwardly and trying to look more focused than he actually was.

She glanced at him for a moment. A tiny smile—barely there, without showing her teeth—touched her lips and faded just as naturally as it had come. Then she turned her attention back to the book, flipping a few more pages with delicate fingers.

“Have you ever read Sylvia Plath?” she asked, gently, still not looking up from the paper.

Jake took half a second to respond, more absorbed in how the light from the window traced her profile like a charcoal sketch.

“Just The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. It was required reading at another school… but I liked it,” he admitted, a little embarrassed.

Y/n nodded slightly, like she approved.

“That’s a start.”

Jake found himself smiling for no reason. Everything about her seemed so absurdly calm and, at the same time, so full of something he couldn’t quite name. Maybe it was sadness. Maybe strength. Maybe both.

He watched her silently, eyes tracing the line of her nose, the curve of her lashes, the way her brow furrowed just a little when she was concentrating.

She was like some ancient sculpture—one you ache to touch but know you can’t. She had the beauty of something sacred, though not unreachable.

He felt like he could really love her, if she let him.

“What is it?” she asked suddenly, still not looking directly at him.

Jake blinked, caught in the act.

“Nothing… it’s just… you seem to really like books.”

She gave another half-smile and murmured,

“I do… I like the feeling of being a little outside of reality,” she said, straightening her posture and letting out a small sigh.

Jake nodded, and they returned to the assignment.

Even though, for Jake, it was impossible to focus on writing—

—not with her soft voice reading lines from the book like a lullaby.

Jake walked down the stairs of the house.

Outside, the crickets had begun to sing, and the sky had turned a deepening shade of blue as the first stars timidly began to shimmer. The Lisbon house was glowing from within, its lamps casting a warm, golden light that softened every corner.

The sisters had returned from the church bazaar with Mrs. Lisbon and were now helping prepare dinner — light footsteps, hushed voices, and the scent of something baking in the oven filled the air.

She was walking ahead of him, guiding him to the front door. With each step, Jake watched how the lamplight spilled across her hair, making each strand glint like gold.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” she asked softly, eyes on her own feet, her arms gently crossed behind her back, as if trying to hide the nervous energy in them.

“Don’t worry… I promised my mom I’d be back in time for dinner,” Jake replied, now standing too close, feeling the air between them grow thick and quiet.

He opened the front door slowly, letting the cool night breeze brush across his face.

Before stepping out, he turned to her one last time. He smiled without showing teeth and ran his hands down the front of his jeans, trying to calm himself.

“Well… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said, trying to sound casual, even though his heart was pounding from the way her eyes looked at him.

She gave a soft laugh, and the sound stayed lodged in his chest.

Y/n glanced over her shoulder, checking that no one was around. Then she turned back to him — slowly — and stepped a little closer.

Their breaths met in the chilly air of the open door. Without saying anything, she leaned in and placed a feather-light kiss — just off to the corner of his mouth.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night,” she whispered, pulling back slowly, her eyes shining beneath the warm light of the house.

Jake stood frozen, eyes slightly wide, lips parted. But then he collected himself, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“G…good night. See you tomorrow,” he said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.

She smiled back — a smile that showed the most beautiful teeth he had ever seen — and gently closed the door, leaving behind only her light scent and a racing heart beating on the other side.

[violant-apologia]

the FL MtG cards are here!

this is like my fourth batch, but i haven't posted any of the previous ones, so let me show off some of the cards from all the batches!

briar and his three mr stoneses! these are the face commanders of the deck. there are alternate commanders that you'll see later, but this is the pair that i like using the most often.

more masters! (and bazaar-aligned entities). all the masters in the deck are vampires, and they also all have the seal of the bazaar as a watermark. just a neat bit of visual clarity, i think!

ocs! incuding mine. not all of them will be able to make it into the deck proper (for deck size and colour identity reasons) but i'm still so happy to have them all.

basic lands: seven of each. these gave me so much hassle back when i made them, but i think they turned out well!!! apart from the edge mountains which are like 70% black.

more lands! a triplet of creatureland which i feel work very well. the rest of them are neat too. whenever i say i have an underground sea proxy in the deck, people give me a Look, but how could i not! it's a perfect fit.

dfcs! the frames of these all had to be done by hand, which always took a while. i still think they turned out incredibly well, all things considered.

more creatures!! some legendary, some not. i made the decision pretty early that if i represent a named character with a nonlegendary card, i'd just cut the "the" from the name (see sallow spirifer and voracious diplomat). i think it works!

and noncreatures!! there's a vague treasure theme in the deck (as can be seen in the fall of london, revel in riches and spirifage (as well as a lot of the creatures)) but honestly most of the cards are flavour picks. still, artificial evolution has gotten me out of some jams. fun card!

aaaand tokens! which is everything. i reckon when i play this deck properly, i'll report back any fun scrapes that anyone's characters get into. like getting turned into a bug, or killing the god of death.

again, thank everyone who contributed OCs or art to this project. i'm very happy to have so many flumblr characters appear in the deck. all of the cards have art credits on them, but some probably aren't visible in the photos. so for proper credits (and as a ping list) i've included a list below the cut:

@alexis-royce: The Ex-Disgraced Academic; Mr Pages; Mr Stones (x2); New Blood. @anomalouscorvid: Darcy, the Appalling Artist; Furnace Ancona; Mr Transport; May, the Merry Gentleman; The Seventh Coil. @capn-twitchery: Captain Twitchery Lazaret. @ciriparipa: Mr Sacks. @dualclock: Oswald, the Decadent Parvenu. elena-illustration: M. Melchor. @esteemed-excellency: Haunted One; Hiram Hargrave. @feivelynart: Black Ribbon Duellist; The Carnelian Exile; The Grand Geode; London Ascends to the Stars; Thopter Token; Voracious Diplomat. u/Galvatyr: Poor Edward. @hells-dear-heart: Isidore Carter. @letters-of-fire: Boots the Cat; Giorgione, Crooked-Cross. @madame-butterfly-knife: Inessa Fonseca, Lyon. @milleart: Snuffer. @mledoesart: Mr Eaten. @oneirotecture: Warden, Scarred Silverer. @pinchbees: Merry Darthfellow. Sarah Warrington: Orsino Elderwood. @shazzbaa: Griz, the Efficient Commissioner; Mr Fires; Stargaze; Tragic Slip; Virginia, Lord Mayor of London. @sorrow2art: Cardiac Echoes, Spymaster. StagyTryout: The Avid Horizon @sunlessveils: Parabolan Kitten. @tears-n-tarot: Charlie and Artemis Burnet-Lin. @the-insouciant-scientist: Briar Hathaway, the Apologist; Mr Stones; Noman. @the-masterless-press: Betty Horvat, Pugilist. @the-noted-collector: Endemannus Korabl'nikov. @thedeafprophet: Harper Faraday. @thegreatyin: The Bandaged Scoundrel. @thunder-threnodies: Captain Francis Morgan Dargor. @torturingpeople: Edison, the Sybaritic Laureate; The Tender Pathologist. @velvetlinedbox: Doe, Waterlogged Detective. @viric-dreams: The Boil of Calamities; Drown in Dreams; Horiatio Digby; The Six Finger'd Scrimshander. @waterlogged-detective: Brett Heroux, Dandy Detective; Marian, Prickly Bluejacket; Namkuzu, Avaricious Meddler. @yuuuyang: Sigil-Ridden Navigator; Storm, God of the Roof; The Woods in Winter. @zeebreezin: August Shaw, the Black Rook.

and @failbettergames: Arcane Signet; Artificial Evolution; Beseech the Queen; Betty Horvat, Pugilist (bg); Black Market; Blood Token; The Cave of the Nadir; Censor; The Chapel of Lights; Clothes-Colony; Clue Token; Copy Token; Darkness; The Dawn Machine; Dreamscape Artist; The Echo Bazaar; The Fall of London; Flood of Tears; Food Token; Hecuba, Doomed Obliterator; Hideaway; Hillchanger Tower; The Horticultural Show; The House of Chimes; The Implacable Detective; Inessa Fonseca, Lyon (bg); The Irrepressible Heiress; Island (x7); Jack-of-Smiles; Khan's Heart; Laughable Reconstruction; Miniature Hellworm; Mountain (x7); The Mountain of Light; Mr Chimes; Perigee of Silver; The Prismatic Dowager; Probably a Coincidence; Revel in Riches; Rise and Shine; Road // Ruin; Sallow Spirifer; Salt, God of the East; The Scuttering Company; Shapeshifter Token; Spider-Council; Spirifage; Stone, God of the South; Swamp (x7); Treasure Token (x2); Underground Sea; Venderbight.

[feminist-space]

"Artists have finally had enough with Meta’s predatory AI policies, but Meta’s loss is Cara’s gain. An artist-run, anti-AI social platform, Cara has grown from 40,000 to 650,000 users within the last week, catapulting it to the top of the App Store charts.

Instagram is a necessity for many artists, who use the platform to promote their work and solicit paying clients. But Meta is using public posts to train its generative AI systems, and only European users can opt out, since they’re protected by GDPR laws. Generative AI has become so front-and-center on Meta’s apps that artists reached their breaking point.

“When you put [AI] so much in their face, and then give them the option to opt out, but then increase the friction to opt out… I think that increases their anger level — like, okay now I’ve really had enough,” Jingna Zhang, a renowned photographer and founder of Cara, told TechCrunch.

Cara, which has both a web and mobile app, is like a combination of Instagram and X, but built specifically for artists. On your profile, you can host a portfolio of work, but you can also post updates to your feed like any other microblogging site.

Zhang is perfectly positioned to helm an artist-centric social network, where they can post without the risk of becoming part of a training dataset for AI. Zhang has fought on behalf of artists, recently winning an appeal in a Luxembourg court over a painter who copied one of her photographs, which she shot for Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam.

“Using a different medium was irrelevant. My work being ‘available online’ was irrelevant. Consent was necessary,” Zhang wrote on X.

Zhang and three other artists are also suing Google for allegedly using their copyrighted work to train Imagen, an AI image generator. She’s also a plaintiff in a similar lawsuit against Stability AI, Midjourney, DeviantArt and Runway AI.

“Words can’t describe how dehumanizing it is to see my name used 20,000+ times in MidJourney,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “My life’s work and who I am—reduced to meaningless fodder for a commercial image slot machine.”

Artists are so resistant to AI because the training data behind many of these image generators includes their work without their consent. These models amass such a large swath of artwork by scraping the internet for images, without regard for whether or not those images are copyrighted. It’s a slap in the face for artists – not only are their jobs endangered by AI, but that same AI is often powered by their work.

“When it comes to art, unfortunately, we just come from a fundamentally different perspective and point of view, because on the tech side, you have this strong history of open source, and people are just thinking like, well, you put it out there, so it’s for people to use,” Zhang said. “For artists, it’s a part of our selves and our identity. I would not want my best friend to make a manipulation of my work without asking me. There’s a nuance to how we see things, but I don’t think people understand that the art we do is not a product.”

This commitment to protecting artists from copyright infringement extends to Cara, which partners with the University of Chicago’s Glaze project. By using Glaze, artists who manually apply Glaze to their work on Cara have an added layer of protection against being scraped for AI.

Other projects have also stepped up to defend artists. Spawning AI, an artist-led company, has created an API that allows artists to remove their work from popular datasets. But that opt-out only works if the companies that use those datasets honor artists’ requests. So far, HuggingFace and Stability have agreed to respect Spawning’s Do Not Train registry, but artists’ work cannot be retroactively removed from models that have already been trained.

“I think there is this clash between backgrounds and expectations on what we put on the internet,” Zhang said. “For artists, we want to share our work with the world. We put it online, and we don’t charge people to view this piece of work, but it doesn’t mean that we give up our copyright, or any ownership of our work.”"

Read the rest of the article here:

https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/06/a-social-app-for-creatives-cara-grew-from-40k-to-650k-users-in-a-week-because-artists-are-fed-up-with-metas-ai-policies/

[aliceintheworld]

PURE ATTRACTION | JJK | TATTOO ARTIST

Pairing: TattooArtistJungkook X NaiveReader

Summary: "I shouldn't be watching a man undressing, especially not from the house next door."

Warning: Intolerance, toxic religion, parental relationship, Jungkook taking off his clothes 😮‍💨🤲 very dumb reader.

A/N: This is my first fanfic on Tumblr and my first BTS one. I know, it's embarrassing. The story isn't that great, and it probably shouldn't be the first one I post here, but the characters took on a life of their own without my consent, and I've been writing this since 2022 (fuck), so here we are. Please keep in mind that English is not my first language and that the reader is extremely annoying. See you on the next chapter! Thank You.

Next Chapter

Chapter 1

I organize the things from the bazaar as I go through the accessories spread out on the table. It's a calm easy task and I've done it more than a thousand times, so even with my eyes closed the job is done masterfully. My mother is next to me, quietly, listening to music on an old radio that she refuses to throw away. It seems that, since it's a radio she got as a teenager, the object has a deep meaning for her and she doesn't even like the thought of exchanging it for something more modern. I hum along too, trying to tune my voice in some parts where the music gets harder and the notes get higher.

Usually on the weekends, every Sunday, my mother and I go to church and the bazaar after the service, to raise money and help the pastor's project. Pastor Leen is a good man and always helps everyone in need, so this semester, during these last months of the year, he has been focusing on the animals that live on the streets. Everyone in the community who goes to church participates and helps in whatever way they can, whether through donations or fundraising, like my mother and I do. That’s why we gathered some clothes and items for the church bazaar, and with the sales, we can do our part. It's exhausting, but rewarding in the end.

During the week, I study at the university in my town and work at the library, so there's not much time for rest, but I like having a busy life. Although I know that, for some people, my idea of a busy life might not seem busy at all. At twenty-one, I’m supposedly supposed to be somewhere else in the world, enjoying my youth and partying with my friends, but strangely, I never wanted that. Whether it’s because of my mother, who always instructed me not to follow that path, or because I’m just introverted, I’ve never gone to parties or had adventures that I could look back on later. The most out-of-the-ordinary thing I've ever done was drink beer when I was eighteen and regret it the next day, feeling guilty for being influenced by a friend.

I’ve never left this town. I’ve never dated. I’ve never been to a party. I haven’t done many memorable things in life. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll regret not having these experiences someday, but I’m so tied to the way I live my life that it’s hard to change, even just a little. Habits are hard to break, whether for better or worse. I’m pulled from my thoughts when the store door opens and Mrs. Jeon walks in with a smile on her face and two heavy bags in her hands. I quickly get up intending to help her, but my mother is faster.

“Good morning, Eunji,” Mrs. Jeon greets my mother, letting out a relieved sigh as the weight of one of the bags is lifted from her hands. “Good morning, Y/N, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Jeon. How has your week been?” I ask, taking the other bag from her. I peek inside and notice that it’s full of men’s clothes, judging by the size and the predominantly dark colors.

“Radiant, actually. My son arrived in town last night,” she says, her smile widening. I’m surprised because I didn’t know she had a son. Mrs. Jeon moved to town six years ago, and I don’t recall any son visiting her or her mentioning him. This is the first time she’s spoken about it, at least in front of me.

“Your son, Jungkook?” my mother asks, curious, and our neighbor nods, still beaming. “Doesn’t he live in Seoul?”

“Yes, he does. But he’s been expanding his business, and I invited him to visit, and coincidentally, he decided to open a branch here,” she explains, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. My mother instantly flashes a smile. An interested smile that I know all too well.

Of course, because I’ve never dated, my mother is always trying to set me up with someone. Not that I want her to. I never asked her to make all this effort, much less to convince the church ladies to introduce their sons just because I’m single. It’s embarrassing, as if I’m not capable of finding someone on my own without my mother’s help, but she doesn’t listen, even when I had an honest conversation with her asking her to stop trying to play Cupid.

"What kind of business?" my mother asks, and I try not to roll my eyes. For a woman of God, she worries way too much about money and status. It's a controversial topic that has led to arguments between us in the past.

"He's a tattoo artist. He owns a tattoo studio in Seoul," Mrs. Jeon explains with a proud smile, and my mother's face immediately turns serious. The charm of a potential son-in-law is lost. Of course, no one is ever perfect enough for her—or for me, in her eyes.

I love my mother. She’s strong, and many times I look up to her when making important decisions, but she judges people too harshly. Ever since she joined the church when I was younger, she’s changed. She changed her clothes, the way she speaks, and even her thoughts. I can’t even remember what she was like before, and even though all these changes were a support for her after my father passed away, some aspects of the situation still bothers me. The fact that she believes people are going to hell just for having different opinions and ideas is one of them. Of course, I don’t argue with her about it and rarely express my point of view. If she knew how I really thought, I’d be a princess locked in her room, with no peace and even less freedom than I already have at home.

"He's a tattoo artist?" my neighbor nods, not noticing the bitter tone in my mother's voice. I decide to step in, anticipating some sharp comment from the woman beside me.

"Mrs. Jeon, thank you so much for the clothes and for your help. Just today we had three customers, and the clothes you donated sold very quickly," I interject, changing the subject. The tension in my shoulders eases as my neighbor shifts her focus to the bag in my hands.

"Oh, no need to thank me. I want to do as much as I can to help the animals. I adopted a puppy last week and I’m in love!" she says, placing her hands on her cheeks with joy, and I can’t help but smile. Mrs. Jeon is one of the few older people from the church that I enjoy talking to.

"What’s his name?"

"Gureum. He’s an angel," she says, forming the small size of the puppy with her hands.

"Gureum? Don’t tell me he’s all white," I guess, laughing at the name.

"He is!" she laughs with me, jingling the keys in her hand. "Anyway, I hope we get plenty of donations this month. I can't wait to see the results of our work."

"That’s true, Misuk. This month the winter will be harsher, so we have to act more quickly this year," my mother continues, and the conversation shifts to the church project. I feel more relieved as the minutes pass and Mrs. Jeon leaves. Not because of her, of course, but because of the situation itself. My mother is very straightforward and usually says what she thinks, no matter who it hurts. I don’t want my relationship with our neighbor to be ruined just because my mother doesn’t know how to hold her tongue.

"Did you hear what she said?" Eunji asks, her eyes wide, one hand on her chest as if she’s deeply shocked. "Her son is a tattoo artist! Do you think he has those awful marks all over his body?"

"Probably, Mom," I sigh, trying to focus on the clothes Mrs. Jeon just brought. "And Mom, don’t talk like that. She’s our neighbor."

"Even so! Y/N, that only happens when parents don’t know how to properly guide their children. How can a mother, who goes to church, let her son go down such a horrible path in life?"

"We don’t know how her son lives, and it’s none of our business, Mom!" I try to keep calm as I fold a large black T-shirt, but then I remember that before organizing the items, we have to wash them, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Usually, the clothes are washed at our house, and my mother still has to stay at the bazaar for a while longer. Honestly, I don’t want to be around her listening to how good of a mother she was just because I go to church and don’t have a tattoo on my arm. It irritates me, and it’s hard not to let her notice, but for the sake of peace, I try my best, nodding and agreeing with all the nonsense she says.

"Mom, I’m going to take all these things home and get everything ready for the bazaar, okay?" I try to force a smile, but my face feels stiff. My head is throbbing, and I can’t wait to get home. I’ve been out of my room all day, and there’s nothing more exhausting than that, at least for me. She murmurs in agreement, probably annoyed that she can't keep talking badly about Mrs. Jeon’s son, but I don’t care and just leave.

I regret it a little halfway home because the bags are heavy, and even though the distance isn’t long, it’s hard to carry all the clothes by myself. I arrive home out of breath. The sky is overcast, with dark gray clouds covering it, but I’m sweating as if I just ran a marathon. I laugh a bit at my lack of fitness, promising myself that I’ll start the morning walks I keep putting off, and I head to the laundry room to start organizing the clothes.

When I open the bag, I’m surprised by the items. Not only are they of good quality, but I’m also certain they don’t belong to Mr. Jeon. He dresses well, but not in this style. I can hardly imagine him wearing black jeans or a heavy jacket. I’m intrigued by who the owner might be, but I don’t waste time pondering it, too tired to unravel mysteries that aren’t even important. I leave the laundry room once everything is organized and head to my room, throwing myself onto the bed.

My room isn’t particularly special or different, but what I love the most about it is the bookshelf filled with books covering almost the entire wall. It was my dream from a young age to get a job and buy every book I was interested in, and luckily, that’s been possible since I started working at the library. It’s the perfect job for me, even if it’s temporary. I’m studying literature to become a teacher, and I can’t wait to start working in my dream job.

I sigh and pull my phone out of my dress pocket, too lazy to take off my clothes and go shower. I groan, placing my hands over my face, knowing there’s no escaping it after being out of the house all day. There’s no way I’m going to bed like this. Reluctantly, I get up and untie my hair, which falls in waves, heavy against my neck.

I bend down to grab the hem of my dress and start pulling it up, feeling even more tired. Today was such a long day. I can’t wait to go to bed and sleep until tomorrow. I take off my socks, lifting one foot behind the other, and as I head to the towel inside the wardrobe next to the bed, I unhook the bra that’s been bothering me all day. The relief is so immense that I let out a sigh, touching my breasts with my fingers and playing with my nipple, hardened by the cold air.

On my way to the bathroom, I stop and look at the window when I notice that the neighbor’s window—the one that had never been opened until now—is, in fact, wide open. I need a few seconds to realize that there’s someone on Mrs. Jeon’s balcony, and worse, it’s not her on the other side. It’s a man. The most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life.

I hide behind the bookshelf in my room, afraid that he might think I’m spying on him, but for some reason, I keep watching him with curiosity, hypnotized by the way he moves around the room and among the furniture. His dark, wavy hair falls over his face when, out of nowhere, he starts pulling his shirt over his back, taking it off lazily while focusing on the phone in his hands. He gives a small smile, almost as if he subconsciously knows the effect he’s having on me. My heart beats hard against my chest, and my breathing quickens; my mind fills with fantasy images of his pink lips and large, seemingly soft hands.

He is... gorgeous. Different. With tattoos all over his body. One of his arms is completely covered in designs, and his chest is adorned with images that I can’t quite make out. My mouth waters as my eyes roam over his strong back and shoulders. His pale skin glows under the dim light of the yellow lamp, and it’s hard to catch my breath. It’s like observing a work of art. A forbidden work of art, I know. It’s wrong. But I can’t convince my mind that I should stop. The man, still a stranger, smiles at his phone as the screen lights up his face. Unlike his body, which exudes sensuality and is intimidating, his smile is sweet and gentle, and the most charming I’ve ever seen. He tosses the phone onto the bed, unbuckling the leather belt around his waist and deftly undoing the buttons of his jeans. That’s when the trance that literally had me delirious breaks. I slam the window shut, desperate at my own madness.

What was I doing? How could I have seen a stranger stripping like a complete pervert? I feel so bad, guilty for having crossed the line and done something as wrong as this. I gulp, covering my face with my hands. I let out a tortured sigh and feel my heart racing uncontrollably. I am sweating, as if I had done a heavy workout, when in fact, I had been standing still the entire time. I peek through the gaps in my window to see the room in Mr. Jeon's house, but I can't see anything anymore and I don't have the courage to open the curtains and try to look at the man again.

It's the first time in many years that I have felt something like this. Could it be desire? I can't remember the last time I felt anything like this. I recall having a small and first crush on a boy at school, something innocent, when I didn't even know what it meant to like someone romantically or as a friend. This was, throughout my life, the only consistent experience in recent years. It scares me that suddenly I feel something different for someone, even if it's minimal. I let out a sigh and cover my face, embarrassed by my own behavior. To make things worse, I'm not even wearing clothes. I rush to the bathroom and close the door, staring at myself in the mirror. I am so dazed that even my cheeks are dark red. I close my eyes tightly and head to the shower, trying to let the water wash away my thoughts. It doesn't work. I spend the whole night gazing at my bedroom window, full of images that I can't forget or erase.

I have a normal day after the almost exhausting night. I study in the morning about different approaches with children on the autism spectrum, which I find completely interesting and complex, and then I work in the afternoon at the college library on campus. This is actually great because I can study even during my work hours with free access to all available books, which has saved my life in recent months. The first semester of classes was tough, but this second one has been terrible, with piled-up assignments and deadlines that are almost impossible to meet, at best. My life has revolved around this routine, and the ordeal of exams hasn't even started. On my way home, I stop at a convenience store to buy something to eat and bike towards my house, which, honestly, isn’t very far but is extremely tiring.

I get home exhausted, collapsing on the sofa almost immediately. My mother appears from the kitchen with a serious face and a tense expression, as if something very grave had happened.

"You won't believe who invited us to dinner." she comments, placing one hand on her hip.

"Who?" I ask, just out of courtesy. Besides not being hungry, I'm not interested in the subject, too stressed with college stuff to pay attention to my mother.

"Misuk."

"And what's the problem, Mom?" I roll my eyes. Until yesterday, my mother had no problem with our neighbor, and now she acts like the woman is forbidden or not good enough to be her friend.

"Did you forget, YN?" she asks, crossing her arms. "Her son, the one from Seoul, will be at the dinner."

I turn pale, my mouth dry. How could I have forgotten this? College has consumed all my thoughts during the day, but I would never forget that man. The man I saw through the window is Mrs. Jeon's son, I suppose. I concluded this after spending the whole night mulling over my thoughts and reliving that body and face, which I can’t even recall without blushing. I’ve already eaten at college and feel satisfied, but the first thing I do when my mother mentions the dinner is smile.

"I’ll go with you." I affirm, unsure. If my heart raced so much from a distance of Mr. Jeon's son, I can't imagine what will happen if I see him up close. But I'm so curious that I can't avoid it. I want to see him. I want to prove that everything I felt last night wasn’t just a product of my imagination tainted by romance novels.

"The truth is, I wanted to cancel the dinner."

"You didn't cancel, did you?" I ask, trying not to sound too desperate. My mother shakes her head, which makes me sigh with relief.

"No, but I'm curious about the guy. I want to see what he's like and make a better judgment about him. I just ask that you don’t get involved with that kind of person. He’s a tattoo artist and lives alone, so young. Who knows what he does alone in a city like Seoul." she says, and I agree with a noise in my throat.

I’m also curious about him, Mom, but not for the same reason as you. I stay silent as I go upstairs to my room. I look for some slightly nicer clothes without much expectation but I don’t have anything different from conservative or old. I feel sad for no reason and convince myself that it doesn’t matter what I choose to wear; a man like the one I saw last night will never be interested in me, no matter what I put on. I quickly shower, then, after my mom calls me from downstairs, I look at myself in the mirror, staring at the dark blue dress that goes down to just below my knees. I roll my eyes and simply go, with little enthusiasm.

My mom has a bowl with a freshly baked cake, and after saying it's for the neighbors, we head out. It’s the house next door, but the short walk feels like an eternity to me. My heart races as we approach, and I let my mom lead the way, walking ahead. She knocks on the door with three taps, and we don’t wait long before Mr. Jeon appears. He’s a man in his fifties, but very handsome and friendly, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and comfortable house slippers. He smiles at both of us, still holding the doorknob and giving us space to enter.

"Good evening, Eunji, good evening, Y/N." he greets us. I nod, a little embarrassed. Unlike Mrs. Jeon, I don’t see him often, as he is very busy with work and doesn’t attend church regularly.

"Good evening, Yejun."

"Good evening, Mr. Jeon. Thank you for having us." I smile, genuinely grateful. I truly like the couple, as every time I see them, they always treat me very well.

"What a polite girl, isn’t she?" he says to my mother in a joking tone, then looks at me kindly. "You don’t need to thank us. We love having you two here. Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."

"I brought a cake for after dinner." my mom says with a smile. "Where is Misuk? I want to give it to her."

"She’s in the kitchen, finishing organizing things. Shall we go there?"

I follow them in silence, having little to do. My mom is more accustomed to the environment, as she comes here a few times for church meetings. I take a few steps toward the kitchen when a noise on the stairs catches my attention. Then he appears, and like magic, everything I felt before resurges, ten thousand times worse. I catch my breath as I see him slowly descending the stairs. He is much taller than me and different from what I imagined, now up close.

His eyes are dark, bright and large, which strangely complements his sharp jawline. His lips are a beautiful pink that makes me run my tongue over my mouth, enchanted by their apparent softness. Pink is now my favorite color. He exudes a powerful aura with his heavy clothes and his body built like a big mountain towering over me, but when he smiles, I am captivated. His smile is sweet, friendly, and inviting, making me want to get closer. However, the thing that catches my attention the most is the eyebrow piercing. My God. What a man.

"Hello, how are you?" he says with a boyish smile, and I blush instantly. I try to maintain a mantra in my mind, repeating several times: calm down, calm down, calm down! "My name is Jungkook, are you my mother’s neighbor?"

"Y-yes." I stammer and almost instinctively close my eyes, frustrated with myself. He smiles even more, squinting his dark eyes as if he finds me amusing.

"Nice to meet you. What’s your name?" he asks with a soft voice, and I feel embarrassed for not having said my name earlier.

"My name is Y/N. Nice to meet you." This time I don’t stammer, but I speak so quietly that I fear he might not have heard me.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. My mom talks a lot about you." he says, confirming that yes, he did hear me.

I open my mouth to try to say something, but suddenly my mother appears. I don’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. I wanted more chances to talk and discover new things about him, but all I was managing to do was look like an idiot who hasn’t left the house in years, completely antisocial. My shoulders slump, and I follow my mother to the dining room in silence, feeling embarrassed. I can almost feel Jungkook’s presence behind me, but I don’t have the courage to turn around and glimpse his expression. I almost automatically remember him taking off his clothes, showing the tattoos that are now hidden, and I flush even more, almost choking on my own saliva.

"Good evening, Y/N!" Mrs. Jeon smiles at me, already seated at the table. I feel guilty for almost drooling over her son earlier but I smile, greeting her in the same way.

"Good evening, Mrs. Jeon. The smell of the food is delicious, as always." I say, seeing the vegetables on the table and the meat next to it that looks divine. If I hadn’t eaten earlier, I’d be attacking the food, with respect, of course.

"Always so sweet, Y/N." she smiles. "Please, have a seat. Jungkook, sit next to her." she requests. I try to not choke again, just nodding, watching the man I am incredibly attracted to sit to my right side.

His parents and my mom engage in a lively conversation, and I try to pay attention in case they ask me something, but the truth is, I can’t follow along at all. Jungkook eats in silence and occasionally answers my mother’s questions, which I’m sure are meant to gather more material for judgment when we get home, but I can’t follow any of the reasoning. Besides being handsome, polite and kind, he also smells good.

With the clothes he wears and the tattoos decorating his body, I would swear his perfume would be woody and strong, but it’s quite the opposite. His scent reminds me of spring, or nature like a field full of flowers. It’s a scent I could absorb all day. Lost in thought while I play with the fork on my plate and the cabbage kimchi I served myself, I don’t notice him coming closer to me and my ear. My whole body shivers with his breath. I try to not make it too obvious, but I think it’s in vain since I hear his soft laugh even closer to my neck.

"Do you want to go to the kitchen, Y/N?" Jungkook asks in a whisper so close that I look around just to make sure no one is watching, especially my mother, who seems to have already formed a prejudiced opinion about him.

"Why?" I ask in a whisper, confused.

"I want to ask you something." he smiles crookedly, which makes me even more disturbed. I nod, still unsure about what I’m agreeing to. He quickly stands up, and I almost instantly follow him. When we get to the kitchen, he turns around quickly, watching me attentively, crossing his arms over his chest.

"W-what do you want to ask me?" I swallow nervously.

"I was thinking whether I should talk to you about this, but after meeting you tonight, I think it’s for the best, anyway." he says with a serious face. His previously relaxed attitude changes completely, as if all the fun from earlier had drained away.

I become worried, my mind filled with questions, until something occurs to me. What if last night, somehow, he realized I was watching him? My body turns to jelly at the thought, and my heart beats faster as I look at his face. I would die, seriously. I would fall to the ground and never wake up again. My hands tremble as I wait for his question.

"Are you and my mother very close?" he asks in a whisper, this time with a weak voice, looking at his own intertwined hands. I nod in agreement, even more confused. Since Mrs. Jeon moved to my city, we’ve become something like friends, despite the significant age difference. I consider her, even if mistakenly, like a mother.

"Yes. I think we have a close relationship. Why the question?" he shifts uncomfortably. He tries to smile but can’t. I am worried but silent, waiting for his answer.

"My mother is sick, Y/N." he says quietly, with a weak voice. My eyes widen at the news. I never imagined this is what he wanted to talk to me about. From his seriousness, it seems to be something very grave. "That’s why I came to the city. She had depression years ago and last month she tried to take her own life for some reason."

"She didn’t tell anyone, I’m sure." I say as much as I can, still shaken and shocked. Mrs. Jeon seems so happy lately that I could never imagine something like this. My eyes fill with tears, but I try to contain the flood of emotions inside me, embarrassed to act this way with a previously unknown person.

"I know. I was shocked when I found out." he explains, running his fingers through his dark hair as if he were tired. "She wants to spare people from the situation, but I wish everyone could know and support her. She shouldn’t be thinking about anyone’s well-being right now, except her own. That’s why I came to Busan, to take care of her."

"I understand." I whisper with a lump in my throat. I want to take his trembling hands and assure him that everything will be okay, but I don’t have that much courage. I wish I were casual and authentic and had the ease to simply say what I’m thinking. It’s the first time that not being this way makes me upset and sad. I wish I could be someone else right now. I wish I could help more.

"I apologize for bringing this up so suddenly. I hope I haven’t ruined your evening. I’m sorry." he smiles awkwardly, puffing his cheeks, and a previously hidden dimple appears. His face turns red and I can’t help but like him even more.

"Don’t worry. Really. Thank you for telling me the truth. I want to help in any way I can. I'll try to keep her company more often."

"Thank you so much, Y/N." he smiles, with his eyes shining. "I knew it was a good idea to tell you the truth. I knew I could count on you."

Ask for a TAGLIST in the comments.

[hellisntreal]

With Happles, I'm about halfway on my paper Masters of the Bazaar project!! Here they are so far :D

[strwbrrymlkjh]

alhaitham x gn!reader

entering a romantic relationship with alhaitham the scribe was one thing but expecting, hoping, to maintain that kind of relationship with alhaitham the acting grand sage was another. or alhaitham asks for another chance.

!!!: texts in italics are flashbacks. POV changes. angst, neglected reader, lack of communication, mention of alcohol consumption, inaccurate lore, i have no idea what alhaitham does as the acting grand sage, maybe ooc, open-ended, not proofread

wc: 2.2k

AO3

An unmistakable mop of silver hair greets you as you make your way through the hallway of your tenement. Sensing your presence, the figure turned his head to your direction and locked eyes with you. The intensity behind those familiar green eyes instantly rooted you to your spot. One look at his face was enough to bring back the painful memories you tried so hard to bury for the past month.

°

Entering a romantic relationship with Alhaitham the Scribe was one thing but expecting, hoping, to maintain that kind of relationship with Alhaitham the Acting Grand Sage was another.

Ever since his reluctant acceptance of the position of Acting Grand Sage, you rarely saw your boyfriend at home. In fact, you barely see him at all. You understand that he was preoccupied with rebuilding Sumeru and the Akademiya, yet you cannot help but miss his presence; the slow mornings where he would enjoy the cup of coffee you prepared for him, the peaceful afternoons that you would spend together reading in your living room, the dinners filled with pleasant conversations as you recounted your day. You miss him.

The sound of your front door closing jolted you awake from your nap. Sitting up from your spot on the couch, you greeted your boyfriend who just arrived home.

“Alhaitham. Welcome home.”

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

“I was reading, actually. I just closed my eyes for a second, and then dozed off, I guess.” You responded, chuckling weakly.

“I recall telling you not to wait for me.”

“I know, but -” I miss you. You cannot bring yourself to tell him. He was already burdened enough as is, and the last thing you would want to do is to add to his worries.

He sighed and offered his hand for you to take. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

°

“Haitham, are you free tomorrow? It’s been a while since we visited the Grand Bazaar."

“I apologize Y/N, but I cannot come with you. I still have to review these research projects in need of funding.” He gestured to the thick bundle of papers that littered his desk.

You offered him a smile. “Alright. We can always do it next weekend.”

°

“I think I can make it in time for dinner tonight.” Is what he said.

You have no idea how long you sat in your dining room waiting for him. The food you prepared was now sitting cold at the table. Glancing at the clock, you felt a sad smile tug at your lips. Another missed dinner. You let out a heavy sigh as you started clearing away the plates you carefully arranged hours ago.

Alhaitham is a very busy man, and with everything that’s going on in the Akademiya, you knew better than to ask him to do things you used to do together.

At this point, the growing list of broken promises were too many to count.

Soon enough, all the pleasant dinners turned into late night meals eaten alone and the once warm bed became your only witness of the cold nights and the silent mornings you endured on your own.

°

After what felt like an eternity of staring at each other, he took a cautious step towards you.

“Y/N.”

Pretending you didn’t hear him, you bit the inside of your cheek and fished for your apartment keys inside your bag.

Once again, you hear Alhaitham call out your name.

You are certain that if you bite any harder, you would draw blood, but it was the only way to keep your barely composed façade from cracking.

A warm hand held your wrist as you were about to unlock the door. Startled, you pulled away as if burned. You rubbed the area, a nervous habit.

Even at a distance, you wouldn’t miss how the light left Alhaitham's eyes after seeing your reaction to his touch. The apology was at the tip of your tongue - you did not mean to pull away, you were just surprised, you wanted to tell him.

Your gaze traveled from his crestfallen face to his disheveled hair, sunken cheeks and the out-of-place cape. Looking at him now, you are certain that nobody would be able to tell that the man before you is the intimidating Acting Grand Sage of the Akademiya.

Despite yourself, you wanted to reach out and touch his face, card your fingers through his hair, wipe the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. You clenched your fist at your side to stop yourself.

A month ago, you left your shared apartment with a promise not to get pulled by his gravity again. You feel your resolve falter now that you’re in his orbit.

Green eyes met yours once more and you felt your cheeks heat up. You averted your gaze and headed for your apartment door.

“Wait, Y/N. Please. Can I talk to you? Ten minutes. No. Five. Five minutes is enough. Please, I just need to tell you something.”

You stopped in your tracks. The desperation that laced his voice reminded you of the moments when you had to fight for even a minute of his time.

°

“It was one date Y/N.” Alhaitham reasons out. “Do not make it a huge deal.”

You turned to him, a look of indignation on your face. “One date? It’s our anniversary Alhaitham. Is it really too much to ask for one dinner with you?” You exclaimed. “I looked like a fool. No, I felt like a fool waiting for you to show up. You did not even think about telling me that you couldn’t make it.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose before turning to you. “I apologize, but you are well aware that I have more pressing matters to attend to at the Akademiya.”

You did not think that your heart could break any further. You have known it for a while now; his duty always comes first.

°

Alhaitham knew that he did not have the right to be here and his presence was likely to hurt you. It was nothing new, he thought grimly. It seems that that was all he has ever done these past few months - cause you pain.

He unintentionally drove you away and now he was here, consumed by regrets yet filled with determination to do better. That is, if you give him a chance to do so.

It seems the odds are against him as he watches you rub the wrist he touched. It was one of your nervous habits. It could also be that you were trying to erase the lingering feeling of his skin making contact with yours, a voice whispered in his head.

You stood unmoving after he practically pleaded you to hear him out and it was enough to give him a sliver of hope.

He cleared his throat. “Have you been well?”

“You came here to ask me that?” You responded, the disbelief evident in your tone.

“No. I mean -” He closed his eyes tightly, willing his headache to go away. The lack of sleep was getting to him. This was not how he wanted this to go.

Gathering the will to speak again, he continued, “You weren’t answering my letters and I simply wish to know how you have been faring.”

No, these were half-truth, excuses. If he really wanted to earn another chance, he should start with being honest with you, with himself. So, he said, “I am sorry. I wanted to see you. I missed you, Y/N.”

The silence that followed his statement was deafening. He watched you study his face before he heard you ask, “Are you drunk?”

“I did have a couple of glasses at the tavern, yes. But I assure you, I am completely aware of what I am doing at this moment.” He answered honestly. “I am the worst, aren't I? I do not even have the courage to face you sober.” He bowed his head, a weak smile tugged at his lips. “Sorry, I’m just - I really am sorry.”

“Is that the reason why you’re here? To share your newfound drinking habits?” You responded coldly.

“No, I do have my reason.” He raised his head to look at you behind his blurry eyes and the sight took his breath away. “But … were you … were you always this beautiful?” He blurted out before he could stop himself. Though, it was not the alcohol speaking. It was the truth. The sun was setting behind you and it bathed you in its glow, casting a halo around your head.

He felt himself struggle for a silent breath as he took his time taking you in. “You are so beautiful, my love." The term of endearment hangs between the both of you.

You shook your head. “You’re drunk, Alhaitham.”

“I’m not.” He insisted. “I’m not. It’s just … I can’t believe I hurt someone this beautiful so deeply.” And in a quieter voice, as if talking to himself, he whispered, “I’m such a fool.”

He knows he cannot win you back like this; not with flowery words and praises of your beauty. Still, he wanted to tell you that and many other things he was not able to.

Panic welled up inside him as you shook your head and unlocked your door. Chasing after you, he had half the mind to hug you from behind to stop you from leaving. But he knew he shouldn't push his luck right now, if your reaction earlier is anything to go by.

"Y/N, please."

You turned to him. "Then, enough with the nonsense Alhaitham. Just say what you have to say and leave." Your tone was calm but he heard the slight tremble in your voice. Even now, he was hurting you without meaning to.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he said, "What I wanted to say is that I am sorry. I know I have countless things to apologize for and I … I cannot express how sorry I am. The word 'sorry' is not good enough." He looked down, ashamed of himself, a Haravatat scholar not having the right words to convey his intentions.

He wanted so badly to tell you how much he regrets taking you for granted and to let you know that since you left, all he could think about is you. Even when he somehow manages to stop doing so, everything he looks at seems to hold a piece of you and you invade his thoughts once more, as if you never left in the first place.

Your favorite mug sitting untouched in the kitchen cupboard reminds him of the coffees you used to make for him. The books gathering dust at his study bring back memories from when you would sit beside him, warm body pressed against his as you read your own books. The bed which was too big for one person makes him think about how lonely you must have been, spending those cold nights and silent mornings alone.

He lays awake at night in that same bed, haunted by the defeated look in your eyes the day you decided to end your relationship, or what's left of it. You were tired of fighting for a place in his life, you said.

The logical part of him argued that you were both better off this way. As long as he was the Acting Grand Sage, he knows that he cannot be the man you need, the man you deserve.

But here he was, hoping that you would still have him, because there's no one else for him but you.

"I - I am so sorry." He has no idea how many times he has uttered that word now. "For taking you for granted, for not fighting for you, for letting you go so easily. Y/N, I love you so much. I don't think it's possible for me to love anybody else." He confessed.

His hands itched to wipe the tears that streamed down your face. Gauging your reaction, he took a tentative step forward. "I know that I have no right to ask this from you, but Y/N … can you let me stay by your side again?"

°

Your heart was racing, everything around you was spinning. Contradicting thoughts were swimming inside your head - you wanted to say yes because you still love him, but at the same time, you wanted to push him away because you're afraid of getting hurt again.

You did not notice the tears freely cascading down your face until a hand wiped them away. Looking up at him, you said, “I don’t know Alhaitham. With the way things are between us …” You trailed off.

He reached for your trembling hand and brought it to his lips. “I never stopped loving you, even if my actions made you think otherwise. Let me prove it to you.”

Seconds pass without any response from you, Alhaitham speaks again, "You do not have to give me an answer now. Take all the time you need. I can wait." His grip on your hand tightened before letting go. “You should go inside now. It’s getting late.”

You nodded absentmindedly. He took a step back and you instantly missed the warmth that his body has to offer. You stepped inside your apartment, but for some reason, you cannot close the door while he is still there.

“Thank you for hearing me out. I meant every word I said, Y/N. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”

thank you so much for reading! comments, reblogs and likes are appreciated ♡♡♡

[wolfsbanesparks]

Wolfsbanesparks Bookbinding Stall

Welcome to my Fandom Trumps Hate 2025 Crafts Bazaar stall!

I am once again participating in Fandom Trumps Hate, and this year I am offering my services as a bookbinder! Learn more about FTH from their FAQ!

What I'm Offering

A custom made, handbound book, fully typeset with a hard cover. Full color title page optional. Inclusion of full color fanart if permission is granted by the artist.

Depending on the length of the fic, the book can be bound as either a foilio, quarto, or octavo.

For ease of binding, the fic should be < 200k words OR a collection of shorter works whose total word count is in the same range. (If the story is slightly over this word count, there is some leeway here so feel free to DM me with details)

If you have specific design requests such as color scheme, cover design, decorative paper, etc. I am more than happy to work with your ideas! Final decisions will be made based on the materials I have access to.

Worldwide shipping! I am located in the US so if you will require international shipping let me know up front so I can plan for shipping costs and possible delays.

What I'll Bind

Your own work (fanfiction or original work)

Another author's work only if the author gives permission or has a public blanket permission statement for transformative works. Such a permission statement must be on their AO3 page or the site where they posted the fic. The bidder is responsible for obtaining permission for the story of their choice.

I will bind any fandom, ship, or rating with the caveat that you must be 18+ to receive an E rated work.

How It Works

The auction will run from Feb 21 to Mar 7 at 10 pm PST.

To enter the auction please fill out this google form.

You can check the current highest bid on this spreadsheet.

I will contact the winner by email within 24 hours of the end of the auction.

Upon winning the auction you must donate the amount specified on your bid directly to one of Fandom Trumps Hate's listed nonprofits.

You will have until March 12th to send me proof of your donation.

Once I have received proof of donation, I will contact you to hash out the details of your project!

The final product will be shipped within 6 months. I will provide you with tracking info once it is available.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about this fanbinding offer.

Good luck! I look forward to working with you!

Edit: you can find my other FTH offerings here!

[chubsonthemoon]

Fandom Trumps Hate 2025 - Moonham Press Fanbinding

Hi, everyone! I'm participating in the Crafts Bazaar for @fandomtrumpshate 2025. I'm offering one hardcover and one paperback fanbind of a fic of your choice, with author permission. More details under the cut and/or on my Craft Stall on Dreamwidth, here!

What I'm offering:

One (1) custom-made, fully typeset, hardcover fanbinding of a fic of your choice. (MUST be your own work or have author permission; please see below for more details).

One (1) custom made, fully typeset, paperback fanbinding of a fic of your choice. (MUST be your own work or have author permission; please see below for more details).

Details - General

You MUST have either written the fic yourself, or have provided a screenshot of the author giving explicit permission to bind their fic for this event. A blanket permission statement would work fine! The only exception to this rule is if a fic has been posted anonymously (NOT orphaned).

Due to the nature of how I typeset, the fic must be posted to AO3.

I'm very open to suggestions or design ideas! That said, I reserve the right to make any final decisions re: design and construction based on the materials I have on hand.

I can include art pieces; however, you must have permission from the artist to include their work.

I will not be binding anthologies or series; if you would like a shorter fic bound, please feel free to check out the paperback auction!

Fic can be any rating, but if it is rated Explicit, you must sign the age statement in the bidding form signifying you are over 18.

Bidders may participate in both auctions if they wish.

Details - Hardcover

Please choose a fic with a word count in the 25k to 150k word range (some leeway of a few thousand or so words here is fine).

My hardcover binds are usually letter folio sized (~5.5" x ~8.5"), but if your fic is closer to the 25k word mark, I also offer the letter quarto size (~4.375" x ~5.5") (dimensions given are estimates; actual dimensions may differ slightly).

Minimum bid: $45 USD

Details - Paperback

Please choose a fic that in the 5k to 20k word range (some leeway of a thousand or so words here is fine).

Dimensions for the paperback are more flexible! I have a few examples above and on my blog of both letter-sized folios, which are more like traditional zines (~5.375" x ~8.25") (see "On Elba" in the photo grid), as well as letter-sized quartos (~5.375" x ~4.125") (see "there are violets in your eyes" for a size comparison between the letter quarto and folio). I can also do a legal-sized quarto (~4.125" x ~6.75") (see "King of Infinite Space") (dimensions given are estimates; actual dimensions may differ slightly).

Minimum bid: $10 USD

Details - Shipping and Timeline

I will pay for tracked shipping within the United States. If you are outside the US, I am happy to craft for you, but please note you will be responsible for the shipping costs, which can be significant as books are heavy. Please look into how much it costs to ship a book sized object from the US to you before bidding.

I'm aiming to have all books completed and shipped out by the beginner of September; however, this deadline is tentative and subject to change (either earlier or later) depending on the complexity of the project. Regardless, all books will be shipped no later than the FTH deadline of December 31st.

Examples of my work

You can also find more examples of my work via my tumblr fanbinding tag, here!

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[givemeanaccountalready]

Who's Whose Counterpart?:

Anya Forger and Yuri Briar against Damian and Demetrius Desmond

I love Spy x Family. It's adorable and heart-wrenching and fluffy and angst filled and I love it all very much. I am eagerly following the manga, and my guys, we have been eating good the past 109 chapters. And while 109 may seem like a "jump the shark" moment for the series, I agree with the fans who say that Melinda's confession at the end of chapter 109 is most likely her rationalization of Donovan's behavior and not a fact. But I will eat my metaphorical hat and giggle while doing so if she's ever vindicated.

On Christmas Day, I was enjoying my cosmos and a minute to myself when I was struck by a realization that Demetrius Desmond may be Anya's foil instead of Damian. I continued to mull over this, and I have come to the conclusion that yes, Endo meant for Demetrius to foil Yuri Briar. But, I can't help but note the number of similarities between Demetrius and Anya, and that Damian shares some similarities to Yuri as well. Foil characters are meant to contrast and highlight certain qualities of the main character.

This post will contain spoilers under the cut. For anime-only fans, this goes well beyond the end of season 2 (~chapter 59) and goes up to the most recent chapter released, which is 109.

Damian is to Anya as Demetrius is to Yuri:

Damian Desmond debuts in chapter 8 of the series, and his behavior is a stark contrast from what we are used to seeing from Anya. Fundamentally, they both have the same goal of making their respective fathers proud of them, but the way they go about it differ, making them a good example of foil characters.

Socioeconomic background: the Desmond family is a member of Ostania's elite class, most likely with a noble lineage if their coat of arms is anything to go by, while the Forgers are an upper-middle class family

Blood relation: Damian is the biological son of his parents while Anya is adopted. His maternal grandparents were mentioned by Melinda back in chapter 91 (the veterans' bazaar) and one would assume that Donovan's parents existed at one point in order for the young Donovan to attend Eden (chapter 99, someone had to take him to the interview and pay tuition). Meanwhile, the Forgers are all orphans. Twilight's mother was killed during the bombings of Kielburg and that his father was presumably killed at the border when Luwen (Twilight's hometown) was first bombed. Yor and Yuri's parents passed during the war when the siblings were young, forcing Yor to take on the adult role of caretaker and breadwinner for Yuri. Their father has yet to be mentioned, but we did see their mother's back during Yor's cooking lesson (chapter 24). Likewise, Anya's biological father has yet to be mentioned, but if her response to Master Swan's awful interview question back in chapter 5 is anything to go off of, she may remember her biological mother. Anya was also fostered out to four different families before she came into Twilight's care. But despite not sharing any blood, we have watched the Forgers come to each other's aid and grow to care for each other (even though Twilight is currently backsliding into his "for the mission" mindset following the Mole arc, you cannot convince me that he does not care. He does. He's just being a blockhead about it). Now compare that to the Desmond family, who despite being family by blood, have the most tense, once in a blue moon family dinner in chapter 106. Chapter 106 does not play around when establishing the distance between individual family members.

Grades: to be clear, I am not going to call Anya dumb. She is clearly trying her very best and the improvements she's made are something to applaud. I'm proud of the little gremlin and I believe that she is going to continue rising in academic rank throughout the story. But as we've seen throughout the first term, the manga goes out of its way to establish Anya's hatred for studying thanks to her time in Project Apple's lab, and that she studies better under Yuri and Dr. Authen's tutelage than when Twilight tries to tutor her. Dr. Authens probably said it best, back in chapter 92, "The very essence of learning is acquiring techniques for how to break through when one hits a wall. Those eureka moments are the greatest joys in learning!" Yuri even says something similar when he tried to tutor Anya in chapter 26, "What matters is that you understand the mistake and take care not to repeat it." Both Dr. Authens and Yuri stress the importance of understanding the material to learn, rather than rote memorization. Damian, on the other hand, has a much more positive association with studying thanks to Donovan's praise, and he studies to the point of his own detriment, as seen in chapter 39. I am actually worried for the first time he fails, because I've seen the impact of associating one's grade with one's worth not only with my friends growing up, but in myself

Second sidebar: And as a former tutor, current TA, and huge nerd, I cannot agree more with Yuri and Dr. Authens. According to Bloom's Taxonomy of Education, while the memorization of facts is the very foundation of learning and is necessary as a result, it's the most basic form of learning. You use memorization (the ability to recall facts) to build off onto other skills, like understanding (the ability to explain what you've learned), application (the ability to apply what you learned to a new situation), analyze (the ability to draw connections, question, and relate different ideas), and so on. Those cognitive skills are developed as a child grows older and subsequently gains the ability to abstractly reason. For example, that's why math drills were so important for early elementary school students. The issue so many parents and teachers today in the U.S. take with recent changes to math curriculum is that it emphasizes abstract thinking over concrete thinking with grade school kids.

Now onto Yuri and Demetrius. For better or worse, we know Yuri's character and motivation. As a child, he saw Yor's numerous sacrifices to give him a happy life, which includes but is not limited to, her showing up covered in someone else's blood. He wants to repay her for her kindness and strength by making sure her adult world is safe, hence his joining the SSS. Was he not a literal fascist lapdog, it would be considered sweet. He has a sister worship complex a mile wide, and it's thankfully toned down into Yuri acting like an overgrown Mama's boy who's upset that he has to share Yor with his 'stepdad and stepsister,' so to speak. We know a lot about him, and now compare that to Demetrius, who we know next to nothing about. Demetrius Desmond's image is teased back in chapter 27, when Twilight deals with Daybreak's shenanigans. We only see Demetrius's back, and we learn from Twilight that Demetrius, "barely got a single question wrong."

Side bar: I know the anime and the wiki placed the student ID numbers as "68133071" being Demetrius's ID number and Damian's as "61133229", but I'm extremely confident that these are meant to be flipped, with the ID starting with "61" being Demetrius's ID number and Damian's being "68". Spy x Family's year is ambiguous, but it is meant to be the late 1960s into the early 1970s. In my opinion, it's highly unlikely that the years count down rather than up. "68" and "61" are most likely the year at which a student starts at Eden, which is one of the two major reasons why I predicted that Demetrius was seven years older than Damian, and in the eighth grade, making him 13 years old. The other reason was that the Briar siblings have a seven year age gap, with Yuri being 20 and Yor being 27. End, nitpicky sidebar.

Back to the point at hand, Demetrius is first heard from back in chapter 37, when Damian calls him from the Cecile Hall dormitory phone. He's straightforward to the point of blunt with his younger brother and curt, but he still accepts Damian's request that he ask their father to meet him in the courtyard of Library 2 after the Imperial Scholars' mixer. Though, Demetrius does warn Damian not to get his hopes up before he ends the call. Demetrius makes his first physical appearance in chapter 93, where we learn that this Tim Burton-esque (and I mean that affectionately) middle schooler earned six Stella stars during his finals. But what makes him Yuri's established foil character?

Family: Demetrius comes from a storied, elite family and seems to be a city boy (assuming the Desmond estate is within Berlint city limits) while Yuri comes from a more rural background (Yor's flashback in chapter 53 makes where they lived in East Nielsberg look more like a small town than a bustling city like Berlint) with the relatively unknown Briar family.

Appearances: with both Yuri and Demetrius, they appear the least of their respective families. But Yuri has been shown much more frequently than Demetrius, even having his own central chapters showing his work as an SSS officer. Demetrius appears in 2 chapters (93 and 106) to Donovan's 4 (37, 38, 99, and 106), and while his debut in 93, establishes some bare bone facts about him, his role in 106 is relatively small, with him turning down Damian's request for homework help and then him just eating during the family dinner. Demetrius barely reacts to the tension at the table and instead focuses on clearing his plate so that he can be excused. Yuri's chapters focus on his work with the SSS and his relationship with Yor. He only interacts with Anya when Yor asks him to, and then with Loid, Yuri tries to outdo him. Yuri's connection to the Forger family is really just Yor. Similar to Yuri, Demetrius's connection to the Desmond family seems rather weak, with Damian being his link to the family. Demetrius has yet to speak with Melinda or mention her, and vice versa. But Melinda has yet to say Demetrius's name, not even in the most recent chapter, 109. The closest we have to Melinda acknowledging Demetrius's existence is her saying, "My sons," to Millie back in chapter 92. Presumably, Donovan and Demetrius have interacted during the Imperial Scholars' mixer because Donovan went to meet with Damian in the courtyard, but we aren't shown their interaction. The only words we have seen Demetrius speak to Donovan are, "Thank you, Father," in response to being excused from the dinner table. Demetrius does not even speak to any of the estate staff like Damian does. Which, damn... that's pretty upsetting that the only person Demetrius will talk to is his six year old brother and even then, he doesn't volunteer much information about himself. He's all alone, like Yuri.

Book smarts: Both Yuri and Demetrius are extremely smart. Yuri having skipped all of high school and presumably some of middle school to be a college student at the age of fourteen (chapter 89), and Demetrius earning the highest score in three subject finals and then the second-highest in another three subject finals to earn six Stella Stars in one final exam period. We don't know exactly how many Stellas Demetrius has earned in total, but it's presumably very high. I did the math, and if Demetrius started out by earning one Stella star per exam period like Damian currently has done, he would have collected eight Stella stars by the time second grade ended. It could have been even sooner than that if say, Demetrius earned two academic Stellas in one exam period or if he had earned a Stella for heroism like Damian and Anya have done, or a Stella for athletic or artistic pursuits like Twilight had mentioned. Demetrius could have been as young as seven or eight when he earned his Imperial Scholar cloak, which makes WISE's expectation for Anya to quickly become an Imperial Scholar actually realistic. If Anya earned one Stella an exam period, she still would become an Imperial Scholar by the time she finished second grade.

Awkward age relative to the cast: Assuming that grade 13 is universal in Ostania and not unique to Eden and that they were both college freshmen when they first met, Chloe would have been 19 to Yuri's 14, making her 25 at the youngest. She is closer in age to Yor than she is to Yuri. Yor's coworker Millie seems to be the proverbial baby of the bunch of the Berlint city hall girls, and seems to be in her early twenties. But besides Yuri and Millie, there is not another prominent young adult character in their early twenties. Demetrius is the only prominent teenaged character in Spy x Family, which makes him unusual. Every major character we have met so far have been adults or literal first-graders.

Admittedly, these are more similarities between Yuri and Demetrius than actual foil character characteristics that we have seen with Anya and Damian. We don't really know Demetrius's goal like we do with the other three, but as time goes on and more chapters are released, this may change. For now, this gets me right into my question:

What if Anya is to Demetrius as Yuri is to Damian?:

I'll do Yuri and Damian first, since their connection to each other can be explained relatively quicker than Anya and Demetrius's connections.

As I've pointed out earlier, Damian's goal is the same as Anya: to make his father proud of him. It what makes him a great foil to her and why I love their dynamic. But Damian's relationship to his family is remarkably similar to how Yuri views the Forger family. Both have a family member whose praise and affection they want to earn; both have a family member whose relationship with them is dismissive and indifferent at worst but can venture into positive; and finally, both have a rival family member that they need to outdo to earn their target of affection's love.

For Yuri, it's Yor's love that he's trying to earn and keep. Yuri's fear of losing his place as the most important person in Yor's life leads him to act extremely childish and it fuels his one-sided rivalry with Loid Forger/Twilight. Upon introduction to Anya, Yuri views her as Loi-Loi's daughter but he's more dismissive than outwardly cruel towards her. The first light novel has him take Anya out to Step Works Kids to figure out what kind of career she'll want when she grows up. He doesn't really want to babysit her, and only took her out because she threatened to tell Yor he was mean to her, but by the end of their short story together, the two are getting along and bickering like a pair of siblings, to the point where Yor found it cute. If the novels aren't canon to you, there's proof that Yuri does care about Anya's safety during the bus hijacking arc. I know some have taken his sour-grapes attitude (chapter 71) when the First Lieutenant shot down his request to help as a sign of psychopathy, but I read it more as Yuri acting like a kid who's going, "You don't like my idea? Fine. See if I care, because I totally don't. Not one bit. Nadda." Yuri's a big ham, and he's being one at the moment. All it took was a Scooby snack of Yor being upset for him to drop the act and nearly charge onto the scene. The SSS had to sic him onto the other bus where classes 5 and 6 were being held hostage so Yuri wouldn't interfere with the situation of his niece's bus and get recognized (chapter 72-73).

In Damian's case, the family member whose affection he wants the most is his father, Donovan. Even when Damian's being comforted by his mother in the wake of the hijacking, he still thinks about his father and asks his mother not to tell Donovan that Damian cried (chapter 75). This triggers a switch in Melinda's line of thinking from relief over her son being okay to that love and hate thinking that startles Anya. In chapter 76, we see that she does go through with her internal promise to cook a meal for Damian, but that she doesn't stick around to eat with him. Melinda's reluctance to be with Damian is further seen in chapter 108, and it's implied that the distance between mother and son isn't self-imposed like how Yuri tries to treat Anya, but something Donovan ordered. Maybe rivalry is too strong of a word for how Damian interacts with Demetrius, but Damian's desire to become an Imperial Scholar stems from his belief that Donovan favors Demetrius, and that if Damian can be as good as his older brother, he'll have earned Donovan's love. When Demetrius points out in chapter 93 that he isn't in regular contact with their father like Damian had believed, Damian thinks, "I thought that he [Donovan] just didn't like spending time with me. But maybe he really is just too busy nowadays." Even so, we see in chapter 104 that Damian is still determined to maintain his role as highest scorer in history exams. Presumably, he made the logical leap that WISE and Twilight had done: Donovan really only goes out to Imperial Scholar mixers, so the way to keep contact with him is to become an Imperial Scholar and meet Donovan at these mixers. It's still 'earn his love' flavored ambition, but it's tempered by the revelation that Donovan really is just busy.

Now, onto the juicy bits: is Demetrius Anya's foil?

In my opinion, yes, Demetrius is Anya's foil because like Anya, he is a vehicle used by the adults by in his life to accomplish their goals. But whereas Anya has retained her individuality and autonomy, Demetrius has not.

Anya's mind-reading capabilities are a literary MacGuffin that we, the audience, are aware of, but no one else is. Damian may have suspected Anya's abilities and she did tell Damian about them back in chapter 96, but he didn't believe her. Twilight and Yor have no idea that Anya knows why they agreed to make this family. Twilight needed a six year old child who was smart enough to pass Eden's entrance exam, and he needed a wife to complete their image as a model family so that Eden's administration would pass Anya and not suspect anything of him. Yor needed a husband to avoid being reported by the SSS, so that she could continue to be a Garden assassin. Anya read their minds and is the one who made the first move to get Twilight to adopt her and then Yor to ask Loid Forger to act as her boyfriend for one night. But in Twilight's eyes, he adopted a somewhat strange child and is using her and an 'innocent' if unusually strong city hall worker for the mission. In Yor's eyes, she is using a widower and his child for her own cover, though she is quick to form a strong bond with Anya and fall for Loid Forger's earnest praise. When the truth comes out, Twilight is definitely going to be shocked by Yor's connection to an organization that's supposed to be an urban legend, and Yor is going to be livid that she helped a possible enemy and that said enemy used a child to advance his own mission. Anya revealing her own hand is what will probably save Twilight from Yor's golden needles.

We know from chapter 1 that, "[Donovan Desmond's] only public appearances are at events held at the elite private school his son attends. These events serve as informal get-togethers for the upper-crust of industrial and political leaders." These Imperial Scholar mixers are the only time someone outside of Donovan's immediate circle can gain access to him, and this basis forms the entirety of Plan A for Operation Strix. We know from Damian's remarks that even if Plan B was a success, it doesn't mean that Donovan would be at the Desmond family estate the same time as a playdate with Anya. Plan A would be more successful since it's almost guaranteed that Donovan would be there. It's why Damian seized the chance to ask his brother to ask their father to meet him afterwards. As Loid Forger, Twilight needs to infiltrate these mixers and gain contact. This is repeated to the audience in chapter 37 when Twilight is scouting Eden's school grounds. Given Donovan's secretive nature and paranoia, it's almost surprising that this man would come out into the public eye at all. But given the extremely high security detail around these mixers, you can see why these parties are as public as Donovan will get. He may not be in control of the situation he is in, but the likelihood of someone trying to harm him there is extremely small. It makes me wonder if actually pushed Demetrius to become an Imperial Scholar, like Twilight currently is doing with Anya, so that Donovan could have a semi-public place to socialize and make contact with valuable sources of information. In chapters 8 and 108, Twilight's head was practically spinning when he realized how many potential intelligences sources Eden Academy attracts, from military sources like Major Wesley Watkins (Bill's dad) to political sources (the parliamentary secretaries) to industrial sources like Byron Blackbell (Becky's dad). Donovan probably knows this better than anyone, since not only he was a student at Eden Academy but he is also a prominent figure among Ostania's elites.

Demetrius is the child WISE wanted Twilight to pick. If Damian's words in chapter 93 are true, then Demetrius has been studying since he was very young. Damian imagines a quiet, thoughtful young Demetrius who is dutifully making notes as Donovan watches him study, implying that Demetrius has always been a dedicated student and that he doesn't show any signs of reluctance towards studying like Anya and some of their Eden classmates do. If I had to estimate an age for Demetrius in Damian's imagine spot, his older brother may have been no younger than five years old but no older than eight. That image of him studying makes me think of Yuri's flashbacks of his younger self studying and waiting up for Yor, where he looks to be in early elementary school-aged to Yor's mid-teens.

Now, this could be a pre-Eden studying session, as young Demetrius's shirt lacks the Eden emblem on his chest and has sharper points to his shirt collar than the Peter Pan rounded collars the Eden first graders wear, making Demetrius five to six years old (a kindergartner). But, this could be six-to-eight-year-old Demetrius, which would put him in first, second, or possibly even third grade, studying at home, making him a commuter student at first and then Demetrius later becoming a boarding student, instead of always being a boarding student like Damian is. Initially, I believed that some incident happened either shortly before or after Damian's birth that led to Donovan gaining those head scars and further splintering the Desmond family, but now I can't help but wonder if Donovan supervised Demetrius's study sessions until the boy became an Imperial Scholar, at which point, Donovan had him sent off to live in the dorms because his objective is now complete. He can attend the mixers thanks to Demetrius's status, ergo, he no longer has to supervise or interact with a person he doesn't really understand (to reference his chapter 38 quote). Damian never got the same attention because by the time he was old enough to start studying, Demetrius had already established himself as an Imperial Scholar.

This is just an idea based off an imagine spot, but it would be eerily similar to what Twilight initially planned to do with Anya (have her study and only focus on earning Stella Stars through academics, athletics, the arts, or volunteering until she became an Imperial Scholar). Yor played an important role in reminding Twilight that Anya is still a kid and her own wants may differ from his, softening his harsher methods (chapter 10): "Loid, stop! You can't just force this sort of thing on her... Do you think becoming an honor student is what she wants?" Hell, Yor even inadvertently assuaged Anya's fears of Nightfall taking her place and making her life a scholarly hell by beating Nightfall in tennis and making Anya feel loved and cared for, as Twilight would later assure her. Even if you don't believe that Donovan didn't plan to use Demetrius's Imperial Scholar title to socialize with other elites, it is an established problem at Eden Academy. As early as chapter 8, Damian first rejects Anya because her father isn't impressive and other students seem to laugh in agreement. Henderson mentioned during the first-grade dance that the Eden students are often pressured by their parents to do some sort of political maneuvering, and that the ban on guardians chaperoning stems from that.

Okay, so that's a strike towards uncanny valley with Donovan-Demetrius to Twilight-Anya. But what about Melinda? And Damian?

Like I pointed out earlier, Melinda has yet to speak to Demetrius or even say his name onscreen. The closest thing I can get to her talking about him is when she says, "[M]y sons," plural during her talk with Millie in chapter 92. Now, she may be hesitant to talk to Demetrius because he looks so much like Donovan and shares his stoic, hard to read nature, but that has yet to be stated outright in canon. It kind of reminds me of how hesitant Yor was to act with Anya in the very beginning. Except, instead of fearing Loid's reaction to her acting motherly towards Anya, Yor feared she would disrespect Anya's biological mother, Loid's first wife, by doing so. It took some serious encouragement from Twilight after the tennis arc for Yor to start to become more assured in her role as Anya's mother. Before the end of the tennis arc, Yor was hesitant to scold Anya or even correct Twilight. Soon after she asked Twilight about Anya's wants, Yor apologized for what she believed was "overstepping" her bounds. But where Yor spoke her opinion, however hesitantly or forward it may have been, Twilight took her seriously and listened, Melinda fears her husband and she and Donovan don't talk. Like Yor, Melinda wants to be an active mother to her sons, but it seems that Donovan is unlikely to listen to her, even if she did stand up to him. It's rather disheartening to watch.

I seriously need to know what is up with Donovan, and how exactly he and Melinda married. It had to have been an arranged marriage, but did she always fear his responses to her or was that something she learned overtime?

According to two Lady Patriots' members in chapter 66, "The Desmonds follow what you might call a hands-off philosophy. With both boys being so exceptional, they hardly need much attention." Ladies, if there wasn't a nanny or even a butler to look after them, social services would call that child neglect, but that's a story for another day. The important takeaway here is that these upper-crust ladies think of childrearing as a chore they want to avoid, which contrasts sharply with Yor's active role as a caretaker in first Yuri's and then later Anya's life. Melinda does not seem to agree with this parenting philosophy, as we've seen from her thoughts in chapter 108, that Melinda wishes she played an active role in Damian's life. But, Melinda's hands are tied, and the blame for that lies with Donovan's orders.

So if Demetrius's relationship with Donovan is what Twilight's relationship with Anya would have become if Twilight didn't grow attached and listen to Yor, and Demetrius's nonexistent relationship with Melinda is what Anya and Yor's relationship could have become if Yor didn't speak up and/or she didn't listen to Twilight's encouragement, how does his and Damian's relationship relate to Anya and Yuri's?

Well, Yuri doesn't really have a use for Anya. Interacting positively with her will net him some praise from Yor, but Anya just seems to confuse Yuri and he doesn't really know what to do with her. Anya finds reading his thoughts to be annoying. As seen in chapter 106, Damian craves any sort of familiar interaction, so he will try to talk to his older brother. But the last two times that the brothers have talked (chapters 37 and 93), it was because Damian wanted something in relation to Donovan. Damian is six, and he does not mean to, but Demetrius is a vehicle in which Damian could hear some praise from his father. Neither brother really understands the other, like Anya and Yuri do, and Damian mentioning Donovan is enough of a slight for Demetrius to grow curt and end the conversation. Demetrius is visibly annoyed as he stormed off.

Also, just to kick you while you're down. We haven't seen Demetrius interact with Max, meanwhile, Anya and Bond are nigh inseparable. How's dem apples?

Edit: HRAGH! I forgot the differences in personality between Anya and Demetrius.

We do not know much about Demetrius besides the fact that he is extremely smart, extremely quiet, and extremely stoic. Anya is no slouch (going from 213th to 168th out of 228 students is nothing to sneeze at), but we see her struggle and work hard to get those grades. With Demetrius, one can reasonably assume that all he does is study, but we have yet to actually see how hard he studies and if he has any hobbies or favorite things himself. It seems that he effortlessly gets those Stellas through exam grades to Anya, who thinks she can read his mind and get a shortcut to genius level achievements. Unlike Anya who speaks her mind rather freely and without inhibition, Demetrius only speaks when spoken to. We have yet to see him initiate conversation. He waits for Donovan to excuse him from the dinner table, and only then does he speak (chapter 106). Anya is also very expressive (I love her little faces) while Demetrius only narrowed his eyes when Damian brought up, but otherwise did not change his rather neutral expression (chapter 93).

Demetrius is also extremely alone. Compare that to Anya, who at least, always had Becky by her side since she entered Eden. I’d even argue that she, Becky, Damian, Ewen, and Emile form a little friendship group of their own, since they rarely interact with any other classmates besides each other. We see some of Demetrius’s peers clap for his awards but their expressions range from surprise to slight fear to jealous. When he leaves the middle school Stella ceremony, he is alone. When he storms away from Damian, he is still alone. At home, he holes himself up in his room, only coming out to eat dinner, but he hardly speaks. Not to his father, not to his mother, and not to his younger brother or even the family staff. In chapters 91-92, Anya decide to adopt an elderly couple to be her grandparents. And that is relatively recent. This little girl has no fear. Name a situation where she didn’t either talk to a bad guy or speak up and create a situation to give Twilight or Yor an opening. I’ll wait. She is always out with at least one adult who she considers family (usually Twilight or Yor, but also Franky, Yuri, and the Authens). Her always being with someone who cares makes Demetrius’s lack of that more painfully obvious. Sure, thirteen is the age where kids become teens and start pulling away from their parents, but you don’t throw them to the wolves at that age. They still need an adult for guidance or even comfort. Other kids have started to admire Anya after the bus hijacking, while Demetrius’s classmates are wary of him. Demetrius doesn’t have familial or peer support. He’s just alone with shiny pieces of metal to briefly announce to the school that he achieved something.

TL;DR: Demetrius status as an isolated Imperial Scholar is not only Damian's worst possible future, but it also could have been Anya's fate, had Twilight and Yor been more, "It's for the mission/cover." Now, isn't that just upsetting.

[jules-writes-stories]

Just Enough Light to Cast Shadows

Azriel x Eris

Chapter 32 on AO3

“Did Azriel stay the night?” Lucien asked, breathlessly between thrusts of his blade. The bright light of the Day Court sun was nearly blinding as it glinted against the blades.

“None of your business.” Eris’s breath came out in gusts as he met his brother, blow for blow. His chest was heaving beneath the lightweight white tunic, now sticking to his chest with sweat.

“Being mated to Night is difficult. I know better than most.” Lucien struck his older brother’s blade with enough force to rattle the elder’s teeth, but Eris held fast.

“Well, it seems to have worked out for you in the end.” Eris’s blade was now locked against Lucien’s, the brothers at an impasse, bearing down against each other. They circled.

“Don’t be petty.” Lucien rolled his russet eye.

Eris smirked. “It works better when you have two eyes, fox.” 

Lucien growled and, with enough force, pushed his brother backward. Eris stumbled but caught himself. “Fuck you,” Lucien spat. They stepped away and began circling again.

“No thanks. Only Illyrians fuck their siblings.” Eris struck again. His blade hit Lucien’s, and this time, sparks flew. Lucien chuckled.

“And yet you fucked an Illyrian, quite habitually,” a broad smile breaking across the Day Court male’s beautiful face.

Eris growled, and his entire demeanor changed. Where he had been graceful and loose-limbed, playful even, he turned predatory. His blade caught fire. His back stiffened, motions turning lethal. Lucien met his brother’s ferocity with his own. He knew Eris would never truly hurt him, but he also knew the fireling was hurting and needed to release these flames, this burning pain.

They sparred for what could have been hours. Fire met fire. The sun, a burning disc, moved across the sky. The scent of citrus and oud, sun-drenched linens, and spices blew in from the bazaars of the city below. Flocks of white birds in formation flew above. Finally, soaked with sweat and heaving breaths, they halted.

Lucien playfully slapped his brother’s shoulder, but Eris flipped the dayling onto his back before he could blink. The younger male landed with a grunt, white dust from the ring floating upwards like mist. Lucien groaned, laughing good-naturedly. “Cauldron’s cock.” The male sprawled out dramatically, his sword clanging beside him.

Eris smirked. “That’s for running your mouth about my bedroom activities.” He reached down and pulled Lucien to his feet. “And the Cauldron is without sexual organs, you fool.” The Fae strode to the weapons rack, replacing their blades.

Lucien turned and stared at his brother in the bright Day Court sunlight. His golden eye whirred, and a small smile tugged at his lips. “So, all those times you goaded Cassian, called him bastard born, was it projection?”

Eris froze. “I have no idea what you mean.” He grasped the water canteen and drank deeply.

“Oh, please. I saw you glow as your magic returned. Helion saw it. No wonder you can cleave spells and weave wards like you do. How long have you known?” Lucien arched a perfect brow.

Please let me know if you ever want on our off the tag | @the-darkestminds @fieldofdaisiies @mistandmemories @c-starstuff-man0 @molcat07 @chunkypossum @going-through-shit @talibunny30 @yanny-77 @lilah-asteria @amalhe-kofee @theartofmischief @futurehunt @seihdacalling @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @unanswered-stars @that-girl-reading @christeareads

[carylmeanslove]

Do you think Nicola’s family will come support Luke when his projects come out?

I believe so, yes. Especially if it's after they reveal the true narrative. We don't know when WM, Viana or any other new project that will be released. So, it all depends on the timing of their releases & on Luke & Nicola's reveal.

Of course, I believe Luke & Nicola not yet revealing wouldn't stop them from going to support. We know there is a good chance they could go without being photographed. For we have evidence of Luke being at things Nicola did in 2024 without confirmation. He wasn't being seen (notice I didn't say heard. Lol We heard him at the event where she was presenting an award for Simon at the Glamour's Women of the Year in October or Paris Fashion Week in January)

I also am one who still says there's a chance it was Luke we saw at the Harper Bazaar's WOTY awards in November. The man with the same features, hair, movements & watch as Luke. From the angle & the way the "Debunking" pictured man's hair looked wasn't the same figure as the one we believed was Luke. Multiple men can buy the same watch. We also know they have seat fillers at some events.

I also did some research in lighting on the hair for one of my posts for the NYC trip in October. So, I debunked the debunking of the man sitting against Nicola's hunter green coat at the screening for Baby Girl. I believe they stayed at JVN & Mark's home for less chance Luke would be seen. I still wonder if he tried out for Broadway during that stay. I believe Luke was also at the TIME Gala. JD was likely staying someplace different as Luke & Nicola since he was already in NYC for a film festival. But JD did go to JVN/Mark's for what was probably a decoy meeting with Luke & Nicola, thus the two drinks photo.

So yeah, it can be done even if they'd have to go but not allow themselves to be photographed. To use what was highly likely Luke's words at Glamour's WOTY awards "No pictures" 😏 The man is a pro at more than just removing a corset, he is also a pro at being a ninja, not being seen when he doesn't want to be.

Although personally I believe, realistically by the time his next project(s) are released the truth will be out & her (their) family will all be very proudly & openly showing support of their brother-in-law & (if she's able to) son-in-law.

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

my contribution to Orsinio and Wines day :}

a belated holiday gift for my friend @house-of-mirrors of their character Orsinio! The scene is from their fic Charity at the Feast, which takes place during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose

[accio-victuuri]

April CPNs round-up! ❤️💛💚

• BJYX shows up in station sisters team building photos/videos. proving that the pairing is still very much relevant and loved 🫶🏼

• allegedly spending some time together 4/2 and 4/3 when yibo went to shanghai

• cql and xz gets mentioned in a livestream for WoF

• wyb with a beaded bracelet that seems to be a clue that he spent time with GG ; more on the initial thoughts about the bracelet and why give an obsidian one

•zsww fake rumor of their meet up

•their love for watching old cctv spring festival gala sketches

• 4/8, in the FPU douyin update, he continues on with the dog theme ☺️ he really is a puppy! gouzaizai!

• not really a cpn/candy but their name side by side for the alleged registration list for Magnolia Award. i’m just so proud and as a cpf, it feels good seeing them succeed. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

• 4/8 cpns : fan used for camping that xz uses, the number 38 and us clowning about concerts

• some are comparing this interaction between wyb and hjy in FPU bts with how he is with GG. saying when he is hurt, he goes all out and shows it to GG but with others he won’t say anything. i agree that this thing is true both for GG/WYB, meaning they only show “weakness” to each other 🥺🥺🥺

* throwback post : fake rumor story during cql shoot of someone that works closely with yibo

• this side by side photo, they look alike in this profile!

• 4/16/24 zsww rumor

• the rumor that wyb visited LOZ shoot and my thoughts on it ; i know i cannot stop people from “enjoying” this material and what it potentially implies but i personally cannot condone the type of behavior that disrespects them. especially xz who has been v frustrated with the leaks happening in his project. and just to dispel the rumors, this is who people are saying is supposedly yibo ⬇️⬇️⬇️

🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

no shade to this guy. he was just a victim of people’s overzealous tendencies. this is not the first time cpfs have done this, in OOL and OnO we’ve had questionable video evidences too which is most likely not who we think it is. please stop. it’s not just the leaks. we have to protect them. we know they visit each other, let’s just bridge the clues with what they give us. we cpn that they visit the ST or probably even follow certain cpf accounts, there is just no universe that they will see this kind of conversations related to leaked photos and videos and be happy about it.

• DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN AU 😭😭😭😭 idk man. military/police wyb and doctor xz pairing is really top notch!

• 4/19 xiao zhan weibo post for the 6th solar term - Guyu ( Grain Rain ) and all the clowning: one / two

• 4/20 zsww rumor ; hinting at them working on a project where one will direct and the other will act

• WYB’s GQ hat could be a custom made one from Tod’s????

• A new explanation about the mystery driver and comparing it to the mask WYB uses

• There has been some conversation because of WYB’s bazaar shoot with his FPU co star/team and that it’s no longer just XZ that he has done that with. Well i have to say that no matter what people say, the bazaar one with XZ is different. just the production value and theme of it — was more romantic and WYB was totally expressive. plus don’t forget that the shoot for that was where xz called him Venus. it will always be special, cause it’s just the 2 of them. there is no use comparing, i bet you, xz will have a joint cover or spread for LOCH with the female lead. it is part of marketing.

• yibo and his rainbow necklace 🌈

• I will add this here cause i don’t think it needs a separate post with how galaxy brain it is. it’s about certain photos uploaded by YBO being 2.3 MB in size. 23 love zhan. whether this is intentional or something special. who knows. it just came up again this month because the bear photo is with the same file size. 🤷🏻‍♀️

other instances are outlined by this account on weibo :

February 3, 2:30 pm (Picture 1) // May 11 (Picture 3) // June 1st, Children’s Day, “Children are in love” (Picture 5) // August 5th, birthday composition (Picture 7)// November 22 (Picture 9)

• 4/29 zsww fake rumor

• GUCCI wall 2.0 is close to Lacoste big screen ad! oh the possibilities!

• 4/29 candies to enjoy ( includes: their promos not overlapping, jiayou parallel, double standards and the bead bracelet discussion again )

See you all next month! ✌🏼💛

<<< previous month

[the-insouciant-scientist]

Coins of the Neath! This is only about half of the project I have planned, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to show off what I have so far.

Descriptions and explanations under the cut!

Top left is a First City Coin. Described in game as having a cedar on one side, and a circle of script around either a face in profile, a pair of eyes, or an image of the Bazaar on the other side. The script is a mix of proto-cuneiform, archaic Sumerian ideograms/pictograms, and symbols of my own design, and is intended to translate more-or-less to "The Masters approach/bind the King to divide the earth, to guard his prince's heart. The Bazaar's oath to see the sun is the foundation and the destiny". It's roughly the story of the First City's fall, and the Bazaar's quest. The face is based on some representations of Gilgamesh, as a reference to May.

Top right is Hinterland Scrip. In game it appears to be more the paper money kind of scrip, but I'm from a coal and steel industry city and go nuts for scrip coinage, so this was a little self indulgent. It's a 50¢ coin since one scrip is about equal to 50p in game. The naming of the fake company is mostly just me wanting to both include hinterland in the name, and not have to cram in "the great hellbound railway company" on such a small coin lmao. 1899 is a personal reference to when I unlocked the railway. The punch design is a reference to FB's logo.

Center is a rat shilling! Not uh, technically coins, but I wanted to draw a rat. They're described in game as a flat piece of metal, sometimes a button, with a rat face scratched into one side and a knot of tails scratched into the other. One side reads "valid until no longer valid", which I find absolutely hysterical. I tried to invoke a kind of rostygold color to this one, since that's what it reverts to when the rat market closes.

Middle right is a Justificande coin. They aren't described very much in game, just that they're seven sided and say "one day you will forgive" on the back. So I took a lot of artistic liberties with this one! The seven headed serpent and roses are both very common Iremi symbols, so it made sense to me that they'd be featured on their currency.

Bottom left is a Fourth City Echo. Described in game as having a familiar profile of a spire on one side, and hudum writing on the other. Talking to the Numismatrix gives you further info that the writing is a promise for repayment, and a warning against using any other currency. I had to translate this through two different translators in order to get traditional hudum script (they use Mongolian Cyrillic nowadays more commonly) so it may not be perfectly accurate, but from left to right it should read "One Echo. The Only Currency."

And then bottom right is an Amber Ha'Penny. They're described as being tiny, sticky, and stamped with the image of a chain. It's supposed to be the same image of a chain on both sides, one being broken and one being forged, but I decided to have the sides slightly vary to reflect that better.