#a lot of it was about station eleven tho

[essektheylyss]

okay but actually I'm remembering all of the things that slap about the Circle of Magic series and... perhaps instead of starting my rewatch of c2 I will just finally do a full proper reread of the whole series now that I own every Emelan book and finally read Battle Magic

also tbt when I reread Briar's book in April 2020. never question my resolve my sheer force of will is stronger than you can imagine

[foggieststars]

hi u asked for book recs and I could not stop the gremlin in me from jumping at the chance so here are a list of books I lovedddd they're all standalones and I absolutely adored all of them

life/people/relationships 

-the kite runner by khaled hosseini: such a moving story about amir and his childhood friend hassan who live in afghanistan and their lives as children and then into adulthood its such an amazing story but it is also very heavy and deals with tough things so just keep that in mind 

-tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin: 2 people who are super smart making a game together and their lives from children to adults 

-sea of tranquility by emily mandel: multiple people over a few hundred yrs experience the same thing at a specifc spot and this guy is sent through time to investigate it 

-station eleven by emily mandel: set in a dystopian future after the world is ravaged by a flu, it follows the experience of a travelling theater group and they way they live their lives 

-lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus: set in the 1960s, it follows elizabeth zott a chemist who works in a very sexist environment, who a few years later ends up the star of a cooking show

romance 

-book lovers by emily henry: romance story about an editor who goes to a picturesque little town for a getaway with her sister and keeps running into a an editor she def does not like,,,, unless?

-the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid - what the title says, its a rlly good book i love it

fantasy

-master of one by jaida jones - this one is technically not a standalone, as it is supposed to be part of a series, but its been a while now and theres no second book or even any plans for one so u can treat it as a standalone, its about a thief who gets caught and is hired by the crown to steal a precious artefact which turns out to be a whole fae prince

-babel - sososo good i absolutely love it, its a fantasy book set in a world where translations are basically magic and make things happen, and it follows robin, a young boy who is "saved" by a white professor and raised to enter oxford and his experience and his life 

anyways ik this is a lot 😭😭 but if you ever end up reading any of them I'd love to hear ur thoughts

the way you named like four of my favourite books in this rec list............ station eleven is my favourite book of All Time!!! and sea of tranquility is also a belter!!! i also loved the kite runner a lot khaled hosseini doesn't know how to miss. he is physically incapable of such an act

thank you so much tho i'll be sure to check the rest out :')

also fun fact about babel. i went to the same university at the same time as the author and she said in the author's note of babel that she was inspired to add the scene with a tower of oysters after attending a college ball and seeing one there........ i was at the ball she's talking about. isnt that crazy. she was taking notes to transform the situation into a commentary on elite institutions and i was there getting drunk

[comicgoblinwrites]

Author Ask Tag Game

Tagged by @tisiphonewolfe

Answering these for The Sound of the End, cause I’ve spent a little more time with it than THe Fire Between Stars.

(1) What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

I’m not sure if I’ve solidified on what the main lesson of my story is—I’m not sure that I want the story to have just one “lesson”. Honestly, people will get what they need to out of the story, and Some of the meanings that people find will probably be a surprise to me. That being said, some of the important things that I’ve gotten from the story include:

Growing through grief, and learning how to move through it and not let it consume you.

Accepting help when it’s needed, and learning how to be part of a community.

Self acceptance, even when not all your parts are pretty.

That nothing is all good, or all bad, and many things aren’t what we perceive them to be on the surface.

(2) What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

The story takes place in a post apocalyptic pacific north west, so I used a lot of geography of the area as inspiration. It was originally inspired by the road trips we’d take from Eugene to Paso Robles.

It was also very influenced by The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, and Station Eleven, and also Stanger Things, plus various comics.

(3) What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

Darcy (the MC) has various goals, mostly trying to not die… But more specifically she’s trying to achieve:

Safety for herself and her friends/family.

A better understanding of herself and the way that the apocalypse (supernaturally) changed her.

A better understanding of the creatures that invaded the world.

Kind of like with the “lesson of the story” the reader will get what they need to from Darcy. But from my experience with her, I think one of the main things is self acceptance.

(4) How many chapters is your story going to have?

I think the first book has about 28, the second book has probably a few more (35ish) and the 3rd and 4th books about the same.

(5) Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

TSOTE is original fiction. I might post some snippets, but I’m planning on querying with it.

(6) When and why did you start writing?

I started writing (overall) when I was nine. That was about when I realized I could write stories like the ones I loved reading so much (well, not at nine, but we’ve all got to start somewhere).

(7) Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

I’m always happy to chat about whatever, whenever. I respond fastest to messages, and slightly slower to tags and asks.

If you’re feeling low about writing, hit me up and I’m happy to listen/talk/whatever.

Would recommend reading and rereading media that inspires you when you’re feeling uncreative!

I follow a fair few… this is just a couple. Most of the people I follow are writeblrs. Idk if you can see my following list but go check it out if you can:

@floweryprosegarden @winterandwords @stesierra @mjjune

@gummybugg @arijensineink

Tagging (if you want):

The folks above, only if you want tho 👉👉

[siodium]

asdklasjdlsks maximum late trip update post bc i completely forgot about it in my drafts. 💀 i was too occupied with grinding mapes events for cosmetic items aha.

better late than never i guess??

anyway, here's my long-awaited post about my short 5D4N trip in taiwan with luwi and shoron!! i decided to condense all five days into one post this time bc i didn't take a lot of good pics. :/

DAY 1: TAIPEI

nanjichang night market (南機場夜市) - highly recommended!!!

sumikko gurashi themed 7-ELEVEN (角落小夥伴主題商店)

first thing we did when we landed was to run to a 7-ELEVEN to grab a small bite. i got a strawberry cream sandwich with a mixed fruit/vegetable juice and the sandwich was so tasty... nothing special but so homely. we also picked up an easycard so that we could ride the mrt and omg the designs were all so cute?? why can't we have cute transport passes in sg too!!

after checking into our hostel, we went to nanjichang night market for dinner. i was told that this was the night market that locals would go to, and to avoid shilin night market bc it was more of a tourist attraction/trap?? no regrets tho. the food was great and so affordable. i got deep fried squid (coated with some kind of peppery and salty seasoning powder and spoilers: pretty sure all the fried stuff i ate in taiwan had the same seasoning LOL), shrimp dumplings, and a fermented vegetable baked pepper bun. waaa,, even though i ordered a shrimp dumpling, there was meat in it!! and i cannot handle the taste of meat in taiwan. it's too strong...

i also got an osmanthus tea from one of the bbt stalls there and it was the best bbt i had in taiwan?? unfortunately i didn't catch the name of the stall but there was a catto sitting on the counter!!

ended our day with a trip to the sumikko gurashi 7-ELEVEN. the decor was so cute!! i was hoping there'd be some exclusive merch being sold but there weren't any. idk why but i was determined to find some merch and i kept going into every 7-ELEVEN that was in my sights LMAO spoilers i didn't find any exclusive merch in the end. disappoint :-(

thoughts about the accommodation:

we stayed at the beimen wow poshtel for most of the days. it was reasonably close to the taipei main station and super affordable (~$20 per night) but idk it was giving me major School Camp flashbacks. we got the top bunks so every time we forgot something on the bed, we had to climb up the ladder to get it. it was inconvenient and i found out that i'm terrible at going down ladders bc i just jump off from the highest rung of the ladder and i gave myself quite a few bruises from that.

the rooms were also very tiny. we couldn't all have our luggages open at the same time so we'd go down to the communal area in the basement every day just to move things around. i wouldn't say that this was a massive con bc we got used to this arrangement rly fast. the real bAD THING is that we can't leave our things lying around in the room without locking them up in the lockers (also very smol). i have to clean and dry all my toiletries every day before i go to bed and before i leave. one time i accidentally left my clean clothes bag out and i woke up to find a single dirty sock inside. >:/

but other than that it felt pretty safe?? and i did enjoy our nightly hangouts at the communal area for supper or to plan our next-day activities.

would like to try out a capsule hotel next time tho. like one of those space pod thingies.

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DAY 2: SHIFEN AND JIUFEN

shifen old streets

shifen waterfall

jiufen old streets

zhang ji traditional fishballs

a gan yi taro ball - it's nice but nothing special?? if the queue is too long then don't bother with it

jioufen teahouse - the queue for the famous a-mei teahouse was insane so we decided to try another teahouse

we spent the second day at shifen and jiufen!! took a train to shifen in the morning. walked along the streets and got some street food for lunch. i got brown sugar mochi paw-shaped pancake pops from a stall and i personally wouldn't recommend that flavour bc it was so dry. we also ate some taiwanese-style takoyaki. i watched luwi and shoron make their sky lantern (i couldn't do it bc it's ghost month and my mum said no :/) and release it into the sky. luwi added some good wishes for chi. stay 白 uwu

after walking around for a bit, we ran out of things to do and still had plenty of time to spare so we decided to rent electric scooters to see the shifen waterfall. i was shooketh that they didn't require any license?? and the shop didn't provide any helmets or safety gear?? so sus... i didn't dare to ride one of my own so i pillion'ed behind luwi.

the waterfall was a distance away from the parking lot and so the rest of our journey had to be on foot. i was sweating so much and thought i was gonna hallucinate from the heat and strong sun rays. somehow we made it to the viewing deck. i was expecting to be a lot closer to the waterfall but eh the view was pretty nonetheless. got chi and cha out so they could take in the sights too!!

we went through another round of suffering to get back to the parking lot and i, after seeing shoron ride the scooter so breezily on the way there from the old streets, decided to try riding one for the funsies. despite having barely any bicycle experience. as you would expect, that was Not A Good Idea bc i didn't even move 3 metres when i lost control, panicked, revved the accelerator thinking it was the brake (both were on the handles so idk i'm not a driver), went up the curb and fell over. ok but i fell off on purpose bc i thought the scooter was moving on its own (and not bc i mixed up the brake and accelerator) and my only way of survival was to just get off the bike before i crash into something or something crashed into me. surprisingly the only injuries i sustained were some bruises on my upper thigh that i landed on, and pinpoint scratches on my hand that i got from breaking my fall. i was very lucky that nothing was broken or bleeding. well, that was An Experience...... that i wouldn't want to go through again. anyway i'm banned from driving after this~~~

↓ btw this photo was taken moments before the disaster. apparently a lot of foreigners who rented scooters there also crashed their bikes. now that i look at it, our scooter had a chunk of it broken off at the front. ummm,,, what is safety

our next stop was jiufen!! jiufen was sooo scenic and beautiful with all the lanterns and slopes but climbing up and down all those narrow and steep stairs just to get to the main street was just deaTH. 💀 i have no idea how the elderly can do it.

had an early dinner at the zhang ji traditional fishballs. got a mixed fishballs noodle soup and it was so tasty!! i actually like the handmade fishballs with meat inside. they were sweet.

when it got dark, we visited one of the teahouses there to have a tea experience. the staff taught us how to brew the tea and we did the rest ourselves after that. it was fun!! we also ordered an oolong tea cheesecake to share and it was definitely more cheesecake than oolong but i'm not complaining.

we stayed at the jiufen kite museum for a night and i was so glad to finally have a room to ourselves. it was a good thing we didn't bring our luggages with us bc there were no elevators there!! it was all just stairs.

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DAY 3: JIUFEN AND BACK TO TAIPEI

jioufen breakfast restaurant

D+AF女鞋 南西旗艦店 - super nice and trendy shoes!!

kura sushi

ximending

the nighttime view in jiufen was amazing with all the lanterns lit up but bc it was so crowded and you absolutely could not get a shot without someone blocking the view, we decided to come back the next day at 6 am just to take pics. and also to eat a traditional taiwanese breakfast!! i love the soy milk and youtiao combination. 💕

when we were back at the taipei main station, i chanced upon this bakery (semeur 聖娜) that was holding a kanahei's small animals collab?? if you spend a certain amount, you can buy merch at a cheaper price. so ofc i picked out four breads just so i could get a cute cooler bag with usagi and piske on it~ kinda regretted not getting the handheld fan too. it would've been so useful bc it was sO HOT. btw i ended up bringing one bread back to singapore (take note of this info for later) bc i couldn't finish all of them LMAO. the breads were all tasty but i particularly liked the melon bun.

day 3 was our Buy The Things We Have To Buy day. luwi went to check out a motorcycle gear shop by herself while shoron and i explored the zhongshan area. i got the $370 wall clock that my colleague rly wanted from a department store there. we also went to this shoe shop that shoron wanted to check out and like,, i wasn't planning on buying any shoes but man,,, they were all so nice. you can call them clown shoes for all you like but i just rly like the wide, squarish toe box designs. i only bought a pair in the end but aaa i would've liked to get more if i didn't have space/weight concerns.

bought osmanthus oolong tea from yi pin tea (一品茶苑) and it was mid. very strong tea flavour tho.

we had kura sushi for lunch and it was amazing. the gacha system was fun and the food was great and i got to eat my beloved taiyaki for dessert. it was cheaper than any sushi place in sg too.

my stomach was acting up when we went to ximending in the evening so i didn't get anything to eat or drink there but i did try a bit of the vermicelli noodles from ay-chung flour-rice noodle and it was pretty good. peppery and kinda tastes like shark fin soup. aside from food, we didn't rly check out any of the shops there. i did go to a stationary store on my own and it was a feast for the eyes!!

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DAY 4:

wei chuan pushin ranch - there were capybaras and alpacas!! first time seeing them in person

mazesoba restaurant (東京油組總本店 台北華山組)

1789 café pâtisserie

zhongxiao dunhua shopping district (Air Space, Le Gusta, The Ladywore)

kanahei's small animals themed 7-ELEVEN (卡娜赫拉主��商店)

li yuan dumpling restaurant

braved the scorching heat for the alpacas and sheep and capybaras!! i touched an alpaca and a capybara for the first time and i can confirm that the former was floofy like a cloud while the latter felt like bristles of a broom.

the pig race and sheep race were being held when we were there so we got to watch. the ones that i bet on didn't win.

bc the ranch was located in a more rural part of taipei and buses were infrequent, we only had two?? hours to look around. so we rented some kind of a buggy. shoron was the designated driver for this bUT i felt like i could drive it too cuz it was kinda slow yknow.

for lunch we had mazesoba!! super good but could do with less salt.

afterwards we went on a hunt for a cafe to chill at bc it was raining so hard. had to give matcha one a miss bc we didn't have a reservation and there were no tables for us (except the VIP rooms which were $$$). eventually we found this cafe called 1789 café pâtisserie that was relatively empty and hid there until the rain subsided. we shared two eclairs (salted caramel and mango passionfruit) and a raspberry rose st. honore (crispy mille feuille pastry topped with whipped cream and raspberry jam??). they gave us two macarons on the house, and one of them was wasabi-flavoured. the taste was... interesting.

when the rain stopped, we went to shop for clothes around the zhongxiao dunhua shopping district. there were a lot of blogshop-like clothing stores in that area. i got clothes from le gusta and the ladywore~

our last dinner was at a xiaolongbao restaurant. i was glad that they had prawn xiaolongbaos!! that didn't have surprise meat in them. they were not bad. also got a custard panda bun for dessert~

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DAY 5:

luwi and shoron went out to dabao breakfast at yong he soy milk (永和豆漿) in ximending while i continued to laze around in bed~~~ they brought soy milk and youtiao back for me!! i miss the combination. the youtiao from yong he was so light and airy on the inside and so crisp on the outside aaaa the doughy and oily ones in sg can't compare.

after breakfast we packed up and left for the airport. i wanted to try the oden at 7-ELEVEN before i leave but we couldn't find one at the departure hall. maximum sadge. in the end, we settled for a fast-food chicken place after we checked in and i got a yoghurt green tea (which tasted like yakult btw) and sweet potato fries.

i wanted to be productive on the flight back home (and i wasn't rly that sleepy anyway) so i played 999 on my 3ds and watched a 2-hour movie. finally watched maquia and it made me cry lmao. tearjerkers are the best kinds of movies for a flight imo!!

oh oh i sat next to an elderly couple on the plane and they were so nice and friendly. the lady kept checking to see if i needed to use the toilet bc i got the window seat. 🥺 we also chatted a bit while waiting to get off the plane.

we were planning to have dinner at mos burg after we landed in sg but there was a luggage delay and by the time we all got our luggages, it was almost time for mos burg to close. aha but fortunately i still had one bread left. so that was my dinner, along with the milo and oreos that the staffs were handing out to apologise for the delay.

[estcsy]

Do you have any funny interview/concert moments from your 4* Town DR that you can share?

YEAH :D

okay so in an interview we were asked “something you’d trade each other for” (yes I know it’s slightly weird but the whole point of the interview is that the questions are very unique) but they had us in pairs so I was sitting in a room with t and me and him are in silence thinking about our answer and he goes “probably like… some carne asada fries from rancheritos”

we were asked what our gas station snacks are and robaire said “I really like the steak and cheese taquito from seven - eleven, then tho my stomach turns after I eat it”

we were discussing how I drink a lot of milk with my meals (I know so weird of me) but we got I’m really into detail with my milk preferences because I don’t know we’ll all talk a lot but jesse said “I noticed you don’t drink chocolate milk with your pancakes or waffles” and then I said “yeah because chocolate milk is more something I eat with eggs and pizza and things like that” and then all of them got quite and z went “weirdo..”

we were asked about what goes on in our group what + the name of it but our group chat name is “biggest group in the world activities” which could be controversial 💀 so we had to think fast and lie HAAH and taeyoung ended up saying it’s “three ballerinas and three gold fish” and the people believe it

we haven’t had a concert since our debut but one thing that did happen was t out his pants on backwards as we know and he’s said that was the scariest moment of his life

[janiedean]

Hi Lavi! I’ve just arrived in Rome for a 3 month stay! First time here so I was hoping for some local advice on things to do/see/eat :) any tips will be appreciated! P.S the ask function on the web version seems to be broken :/

hello anon! first of all sorry for replying so late yesterday I got home at like eleven something and I conked out X_X and thanks for the heads up wrt the ask, it's weird because on my web it works but I'll do a double check

that said WELCOME TO ROME I HOPE YOU DON'T END UP LOATHING YOUR STAY THANKS TO HORRID PUBLIC TRANSPORT, that said let me check because I think I had a tag exactly for stuff to do/see in rome let me see if I can give you a round up

eating advice

basic italian + advice on where to go

anyway I realized half of the posts in that tag are in italian so I'll just go at it again at random (and if you ever need advice or anything feel free to ask :D)

if you're here for three months you can take it easy and see all the stuff I mentioned in the second post with all the time in the world, also the vatican museums are free on the last sunday of the month so if you want to wake up early and brave the crowd you can save a bunch of money ;)

that said in between than the usuals - the center with coliseum/roman forum/trevi fountain/piazza del popolo/piazza venezia/campo dei fiori/piazza navona route - there's the free caravaggio paintings in the churches that I always recommend seeing asap - two are in santa maria del popolo (in piazza del popolo), three are in san luigi dei francesi (behind piazza navona), one is in sant'agostino (also near piazza navona)

also going by sculptors not counting of course sant'agnese in piazza navona (borromini) with the bernini fountain in front of it, there's san carlo alle quattro fontane (borromini) which has weird opening times but it's 100% worth visiting - that one is nearer termini station at the quattro fontane street crossing, and on the way there's also santa maria della vittoria near termini where not many ppl know there's bernini's ecstasy of st. theresa (idk every time I bring people there without telling them what it is they all go !!! omg !! XD)

always talking churches, ofc you're gonna visit st. peter's at some point (count that after covid they made it kind of harder to go in so get ready to queue), concerning basilicas I'm more partial to st. paul (there's a convenient metro station thankfully), santa maria maggiore (behind termini station) and san giovanni (there's a metro station), and in the san giovanni area (which is like in the middle of termini/coliseum) there's also san clemente which has protochristian catacombs and tunnels and is very cool to visit

talking about protochristian basilicas, sant'agnese and santa costanza are a bit out of the way but they're the earliest we have and very much worth visiting

musei capitolini are a must for archeological stuff and the roman museum next to termini is a must for ancient rome (there's also the terme di diocleziano in front of termini which are also cool)

for less commonly visited museums, centrale montemartini is v. cool because it's a former factory that houses roman artifacts

always close to termini there's rione monti which has santa prassede (lovely church with ancient mosaics) and a lot of second-hand shops/nice places to eat/have brunch

if you're interested in anthropology there's the museums in the EUR neighborhood which have a lot of cool stuff tho idk if they're still open because they were doing a renovation a while ago honestly I have no idea

when it comes to eating/going out etc go to san lorenzo for cheap drinks and nice food, it also has a lot of local flavor™ and it has my favorite surviving record shop in this city lmao

trastevere is also a must-go tho it's very gentrified these days but also very good food/drinks/brunch options, the church in the main square is a great visit and I think it's one of the few medieval-ish ones we have before baroque took hold and it's still v. good to eat, I think I mentioned a few places in the first post

idt I mentioned mr 100 tiramisù near piazza navona until now so I'll do it now because it has the best tiramisù and you can have it in 100 different variants ;)

campo dei fiori is also top notch for drinks and food also it's my favorite place in this city and camping under giordano bruno's statue is <3, also there's an independent bookshop nearby named fahrenheit 451 where you can look at a copy of said book bradbury gifted the owner and has a nice selection of stuff, they also have an english section that's not that extra but they're nice to visit

there used to be the angloamerican bookshop too for english stuff which used to be larger now they moved in a smaller place but it's still a thing, their prices are what they are but what can you do, otherwise there's some nice used english bookshops in trastevere I think in via della lungaretta but anyway if you walk through the place you'll find them fairly soon

at the piramide metro stop you'll find other than the eponymous pyramid the not-catholic cemetery which is imvho a lovely place to visit there's keats and shelley being buried there and a bunch of other famous people (italians mostly) but yeah I like going there X°D

in that spirit, right under the spanish steps there's the keats/shelley house museum dedicated to the aforementioned poets as it's the house where keats died and I haven't been in ages but it was a v good visit

in that spirit, remember to visit villa borghese AND to go to the galleria borghese museum aka one of the most important we have with prompt reminder that you need to book in advance and you only have two hours to visit so you need to time it right

in that spirit also check out the barberini musem (more caravaggio and other painters)

that said your museum priority should be the vaticans but again you have three months to see them so ;)

also go to san pietro in vincoli for michelangelo sculptures ;)

also I think I said it in one of prev. posts but for coffee go to sant'eustachio near piazza argentina it's the best

also I don't remember if I said it in the eating advice post but be kind to yourself go to the jewish quarter (always near campo dei fiori/piazza argentina) in via portico di ottavia, pick a restaurant (my favorite is the full-kosher ba ghetto it's at the beginning of the street) and try roman jewish food because it's heavenly and for the love of yourself even if you don't usually like artichokes do get jewish artichokes you'll thank me for that but again all of them are good I just think BG is superior

also in the same street if you go before 2pm there's a homerun pastry shop at the left corner of the street (it doesn't have a name but there's queues outside) where they make jewish sweets until they run out and they have excellent dark cherry pie which is to die for (in alternative there's another bakery just round the corner which has a more modern look/feel which is also great)

if you're here three months you're probably here for hannukkah and you should probably visit it then too they make special food and they have like events and such

do not ever eat in places where they give you the standard menu ie pizza/pasta + coffee + drink especially in the center that stuff is tourist trap and the food sucks you won't spend much more if you go to a normal restaurant unless it's extra fancy and you get like one dish and not two and it'll be way better

do not go up on the st. peter's dome it's a longass line and you pay and the view is meh, go to the gianicolo hill or the pincio terrace in villa borghese and your view will be better and 100% free

the public transport sucks ass like it does so expect the buses to pass whenever they like and the metros to work just if it's the A line, anyway I'd advise you to get a monthly ticket thrice so you can take buses/trains/metro/tram within the city and to download citymapper which is the most reliable app for all of the public transport here in my experience (there's probus roma as well but citymapper is more accurate as far as I've seen), also if you download one named mycicero you can buy tickets through it and have them on your phone all the time if you'd rather not get the piece of paper or go through the hassle of getting the plastic card

only take taxis if you're ready to pay a lot for it

also now that I think about it

if you wanna take a detour one day go to tivoli to see villa adriana it's amazing

you can go to castel gandolfo for the pope's summer residence which I think is now open to the public but I could be wrong

if you take the infamous train to ostia from piramide station you can go to ostia antica which is an archeological park with great roman ruins, that is if you survive the trip /s sorry that train just generally sucks but if you take it that one time it's okay XD

near the vatican there's a great japanese pastry shop named hiromi cake which if you're into that kinda sweet you might want to visit

if you shop at supermarkets todis is the most convenient, carrefour is the most pricey, coop is like most economical-but-good in between non-discounts and conad is midway, naturasi is for like natural stuff/bio things and it's pricey af (IK YOU DIDN'T ASK THAT BUT I FIND SUPERMARKET ADVICE GENERALLY USEFUL SO XD)

if you need a doctor it's free, idk how it works for foreigners staying long but in case you might need one and you aren't sorted out on that yet ask for the nearest guardia medica and they'll sort you out if you're outside, if you're at home get someone to call them and they'll arrive at your house (if you go to the hospital you might have to pay a fee but it's usually 20 euros for everything)

... okay I think I exhausted myself but if you want more info or need help or whatnot feel free to either send another ask or dm me using a throwaway if you don't want to deanon, enjoy your stay!!! <3

[eeveedel]

What’s a book you’ve read that’s really stuck with you? Not your favorite per se, just one that you think about a lot?

oooh this is a good question!

The Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake, because it had incredible world building and then the ending SUCKED and for months I thought about ways it could have been better. still love the world of this series, tho.

The Power by Naomi Alderman. incredible book and incredible examination of how gender roles are built.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I've said this is my favorite book for years and after the pandemic, it has a whole new layer on it.

The Gone series by Michael Grant. to this day one of the most incredible YA series I have read.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. I really fantastically written history account.

Outlaw Marriages by Rodger Streitmatter. another great non fiction history account. would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about queer history.

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf. this is an incredible book that made me deeply look at my relationship with my body.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for Friends to Lovers with Rodrick Heffley

Rodrick Heffley x reader

warnings: mentions of a bad home life

a/n: YALL I FUVKING DID IT AND IM TERRIFIED OF THE REPERCUSSIONS

prompt: y/n and rodrick have been friends for a long time, so long boundaries seem to be blurred

you’ve actually known rodrick since elementary school

it all started when he asked you to join his band

“i can play drums, you can play the tambourine because that’s the only other instrument i have! it’ll be wicked!”

your band lasted a week and only had one gig, it was for rodrick’s parents

who LOVED you by the way

they somehow permitted you to sleepover almost every other day, you practically lived at their house

FOR YEARS you did this

terrorizing lil greg

“what’s he gonna do, pee his diaper?”

“rodrick!!!”

always trick or treating together, exchanging candy when you got back go his house (or occasionally yours)

you guys didnt like hanging at your house, your parents were kind of....a lot to handle

starting middle school together, wreaking havoc on all the teachers

rodrick did it to impress you, according to mr. and mrs. heffley

but he’d give you a stupid little smirk from across the classroom after he got scolded so you believed them

whenever anyone gave you shit at school, rodrick wouldn’t hesitate to step in and show them who’s boss

“rodrick, you’re gonna get detention again!”

“yeah, well, i’m not gonna let them be mean to you”

you went to his house after school most days, sometimes you’d get there first while he was in detention

mrs. heffley had after school snacks

“y/n, why don’t you play some video games with greg while you wait for rodrick to get home?”

playing wii sports with greg, who cried when you won

you also had time to do homework while you waited, rodrick usually copied afterwards

when rodrick came home, he’d drag you to the garage to show you his drum skills

he hit himself in the head with his drumstick

“ooh, that’s gonna leave a mark”

next step was high school, which was a weird step up

but you guys had each other

you still spent most nights at the heffley residence, but you had to sleep on the couch instead of on the floor in the attic (aka rodricks lair)

“you two are growing up, so we think it’s best that you don’t sleep in the same room together, right?”

rodrick emptied one of his drawers for you to put your clothes in

but you still end up stealing his clothes half the time

“i wish i could be mad, but you wear all of my clothes better than me”

subconsciously doing couple-y things without realizing it

like rodrick would pull you closer to him when you two were together, put his arm around you, give you his jacket, etc

“are you guys serious? you’ve got to be dating!” -everyone

“rodrick, when are you and y/n going to get together?” -mr. and mrs. heffley

the answer was always the same: “we’re just friendssssss”

watching his band practice and cheering him on no matter what

you’re his guest vocals ☺️

when he got the van, it was a whole new world for you guys

you could go out wherever whenever

(with parent approval usually)

“wanna go ride around for a little while? hit a gas station and get a bunch of candy?”

“do you even have to ask?”

watching scary movies in his room

“platonic” cuddling in his bed

stuffing your face in the crook of his neck during scary scenes

“come on, y/n! it’s not that bad!”

him having to hold onto you for comfort so you’d keep watching with him

sometimes falling asleep together and his mom or dad coming to check on you later

“alright, time for bed! y/n, you get your usual couch...”

laughing your ass off at rodrick when he messes with greg

manny loves you, sometimes rodrick is jealous of the attention you give to his baby brother instead of him

rodrick scooping you up in his arms when you least expect it, never fails to make you scream

“hey there, hot stuff”

“you’re impossible!”

roller skating together, he held your hand the whole time bc he was worried you’d fall

his friends ENDLESSLY taunt him over your relationship

when he makes plans with others, he always says “let me ask y/n first” which just SENDS his friends oh my god

“dude, that’s your s/o!”

“no, they’re not! shut up!”

hating being apart a lot its so stressful

sometimes you’d have a pretty hard time at home and show up to his house at odd hours, but you were always welcome

you have your own key

“hey, what’s wrong?”

“my parents...they’re just the worst”

rodrick knows its bad when you start crying

he took you up to his room and played some music (quietly as not to wake the house)

you laid on top of him while he rubbed your back and told you that he was there for you

dozing off on him, as per usual

dude, the amount of pictures you have? astronomical

you playing his drums, the two of you going 🤘, an actual nice picture of you guys, him carrying you on his back, kiddos on your first day of school by year, you kissing his cheek “platonically”

comforting him when he was having his own hard times, whether it be an argument with his parents/greg, difficulties with musical inspiration, or anything else

“come here, you need a hug”

“i need several”

“you’ll get ‘em”

talent show! talent show! talent show!

you completely cussed out the rest of his band before they went on bc they had the audacity to replace him

but greg managed to save the day

“greg, my dude, give me a high five, that was awesome”

he wasn’t actually half bad but like, his mom kinda stole the show

more joyrides in the van

absolutely BLASTING the music in there while you and rodrick sat on the floor in the back and ate the taco bell you’d just picked up

“dude, you gotta try my potato griller, it’s a godsend”

“okay, but try this slushie, its so good. i mean, not as good as a 7-eleven slushie, but it’s up there”

finishing your food and laying in the van for another hour bc you just loved each other’s company

but after sitting together alone for so long, you felt like there was something left to do, what was it?

you and rodrick were moving around a bunch and ended up next to each other sitting against the wall of the van

you looked over at each other and hesitated before leaning in to kiss

and you guys kissed for a while

okay, so, you made out on the floor of his van with led zeppelin playing in the background

✨magical✨

it wasn’t awkward or anything, just long overdue

okay it was a little awkward actually

“well, that was” *clears throat* “that was cool or whatever”

“yeah...wanna do it again?”

“oh, for sure”

not like it was a surprise to anyone when you announced you were FINALLY dating

“wait, you guys just started dating? i thought you’d been together for like, at least 5 years” -mr. heffley

“this is great! obviously, we’ll need to set up some boundaries so that everyone is comfortable and safe, but yay for young love!” -mrs. heffley

“gross” -greg

mrs. heffley wrote a column in the newspaper about you titled “my teenage son’s fantastic significant other”

not much changed after you and rodrick got together, just kissing, “i love you’s” and more teasing from friends and school faculty

“we were all rooting for you two, actually!” -the teachers

summer vacation with him

it was always SWEET

going to the pool together, he’d usually lay out on the chairs with you but you were able to drag him into the pool a few times

“come onnnn, it’ll be funnnn”

“you’re lucky you’re cute”

hugs from behind!!! kisses on the top of ur head!!!!

PROM AH HAH HAH

seeing rodrick in a tux was too funny for you, you almost couldn’t stop laughing (especially at the eyeliner he insisted on wearing)

but he just couldn’t stop staring at you

“rodrick!”

“what?! you’re stunning!”

honestly, prom wasn’t all it was cracked up to be

you danced like maniacs for a few songs and ended up ditching early on

but you did end up renting a bunch of movies and getting tonssss of snacks and changing into pajamas as soon as you got to his house

im talking popcorn, candy bars, ice cream, cans of pop, chips, chicken nuggets and so on

and also passing out on each other

“i think i love you a little more, i didn’t know that was possible”

“i have that effect on people”

he makes u breakfast before his mom gets the chance though

“pancakes? for me?”

“i put chocolate chips in them too, you’re gonna love them”

(they were a lil bit burned, still good tho)

you guys really did just spot on get each other

okay but i know you also roast each other sometimes so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

relationship goals, honestly

fresh outta ideas 🤠 goodnight

[runningrabbits]

[ fairweather friend, rabbits on the run ; 2011 ]

just to make things clear, i like both the first and second version. the first actually has prettier lyrics, to me, but i don’t think Carlton’s final choice of lyrics was a bad idea. this is the song i listened to on loop ( along with Dear California ) for three days straight.

Fairweather Friend, as stated by Carlton, is about betrayal. i link this, for some reason, to the book Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

( to digress a little, it’s a very beautiful book. i read it thrice. i am forever indebted to the acquaintance / friend who recommended it to me; i never did get the chance to thank her. it’s dystopian fiction, by the way. )

it particularly reminds me of the relationship between Arthur and Victoria ( i’m referring to the characters without context, so you can skip this part ). i cried when i read the chapter which was supposed to contain a few excerpts from Dear V. i don’t really know why; i haven’t been through anything like that ( that would be virtually impossible ), but i guess i am enough of a loner to know what it feels like. for the record, i just like talking to different people, but unfortunately that’s not how it works.

i cried when i read that chapter, i really did. i just sat there and cried. it’s one of those inexplicable things that you do. i have never cried as much over a book, i swear. it’s one of the main why i love Station Eleven so much — Mandel has given each and every one of her characters a story, a history. Arthur and Victoria’s story is especially painful; childhood friends eventually drifted apart. it happens, this drifting. we try to stop it, try to talk, but it never works. 

magical thinking gets us by. Carlton talks a little about believing — is it true that if you refuse to believe something, it won’t be true in ‘your’ reality? if we pretend that everything is magically okay, does that make everything okay? it’s one of the lines i love most from this album. it raises so many questions about the way we see things; do we all see them in a positive light, do we all keep on hoping, just for the sake of not breaking down? we gotta get by, somehow.

the character in Fairweather Friend is in denial, i think. he / she / they tries / try to look at things from a different angle — what if the ‘you’ in the song didn’t actually mean it? what if he / she / they himself / herself / themself didn’t mean it? both of them probably feel equally as bad about whatever happened, but one of them has chosen to ignore what’s happened while the other… the other refuses to let go. 

the piano and violin ( is it a violin? i never did learn how to recognise instruments well ) is a perfect mix. i’m happy listening to the instrumental by itself. it gives off the bittersweet feel Fairweather Friend has.

my favourite from Rabbits would be a very difficult tie between this and Dear California. both are beautiful in some unexplainable way, Fairweather Friend devastatingly so. we gotta have something to get us by. sometimes it’s the very act of waking up every day and hoping for whatever you hope for to happen that keeps you going, days blurring into weeks, weeks stretching into months, months dragging into years. there are certain qualities of light that blur the years.

( twenty points to your House if you know / can guess where that last line is from. )

i actually desperately want to write some sort of backstory for Fairweather Friend, but i’m stuck. i’m so stuck, and i don’t know why. 

this entire song makes me think about a lot of i don’t knows.

but i love it anyway.

[morrigan-sims]

Hi! What book(s) are you currently reading, or what book did you last read that you enjoyed? I'm always looking for recs (:

oh, hello nonny!! Thanks for the ask!!

I just finished Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson, which was... alright. I'm about to start A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, which I'm excited about.

Not really recent reads, but I'll list some faves under the cut.

Idk what genres you're into, nonny, so I'm going to give you a sampling, jakdjsa.

The Martian by Andy Weir (adult, sci-fi, very funny, lots of language, tho.)

Vicious + Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (adult, morally grey superhero stuff, with an actually good reason for how people get powers and what their powers are. SO MUCH VIOLENCE, so read with caution!!!)

The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (light-hearted light fantasy, mlm romance, will heal your soul)

The Illuminae Files by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (YA, sci-fi, some found family, told via documents, takes place in space mostly, gore warning for book two, tho.)

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (adult, speculative fiction, maybe??, post-plague novel about humanity. A work of art as a book.)

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (YA, fantasy romance, kind of cheesy, but the mythology aspects are really interesting!! (revolves around Indian / Hindu mythology))

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (YA mystery, shakespeare stuff all over, kinda fucked up, open ending. TW for death and murder and shit)

The Locked Tomb Trilogy by Tamsyn Muir (YA, sci-fi/fantasy, necromancy, lesbians, and enemies-to-lovers. Mind fuckery. Lots of gore, bc, yk, necromancy.)

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (fantasy graphic novel, found family, lots of fun, and very cute.)

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (YA sci-fi, series only gets better as it goes on. Slugs are vitally plot-important. No I will not explain.)

[that-little-bisexual-mess]

HPHM MC Fanfiction: ‘Ada’s Adventures Series’. Part 1 : September 1st, 1984. Chapter 1 : The departure.

[So, guys, this is it. I’m finally jumping into the other side of the Fanfiction World. Always a reader, now a new writer. I’m beginning this hopefully amazing journey with a first little story about Ada’s first day at Hogwarts (For the people who don’t know Ada, here is the link to her profile template : here. And here is a link to her mother’s profile template, who is important in this chapter : here).This first part of ‘Ada’s Adventures Series’ is going to retrace this very important day in Ada’s life. And the first chapter of this first part is focusing on the moment between she wakes up and the moment she goes on the Hogwarts Express. Over the last few weeks I started to developp a lot about Ada’s full story and her family history and all that. So, writing fanfictions about her felt like the next natural step. I’m also planning to write about other members of her family. I can’t wait for you to read it, if you like that kind of stuff. Little notes tho : I’m a baby writer, so it might not be very good. If you have any advice, can you please tell me what is good and what is not so I can improve myself? Also, English is not my native language, so, if you see any mistakes, sorry about that (I’m french, and btw there are tiny little french stuff in this fic, I wanted to add some French heritage, in the language mostly, since Ada’s has French blood on her mother’s side and her mother, her brother, Jacob, and herself are fluent in french. So I hope it’s a good little addition). ANYWAY, without further ado, here is my very first written piece. I hope you’ll enjoy it!]

[Keep reading under the cut]

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

Ada Shelby, eleven years old, opened her eyes on September 1st, 1984. It took her a few minutes to remember what day it was and how important that day was. The evening before, she had had trouble finding some sleep because of how excited she was. After these few minutes during which her brain struggled to fight the lack of good sleep, she finally remembered that today, she was supposed to get on a very special train that will take her to the start of her new life. Her excitement grew again, and she jumped on her feet. She put her glasses on and looked at the clock on the wall facing her bed. 8:15 am. In less than three hours, she would be on the Hogwarts Express. Something she’s been waiting for years. She heard a knock on her door and her mother came in. Miranda Shelby was a very beautiful woman. Her blue eyes were filled with kindness and love. Her brown hair, which normally reached her shoulders, was tied in a ponytail, freeing her beautiful face from flyaways. Her warm smile, that always put joy in people’s hearts, was one of the warmest Ada ever saw. She was radiant. When she saw her daughter awake, she said:

“Good morning honey!”

“Good morning”

“Sooo? Are you excited about today?”

“Of course, I am! I already packed everything, look!” said Ada, pointing at her giant suitcase containing all of her robes and school furniture.

On top of it, an empty cage was waiting to welcome Ada’s new owl: a beautiful barn owl that she had named Merlot. She had decided to name it after the owl her maternal grandmother had once, when she was still alive. It was the owl the late French lady always used whenever she was writing to her daughter, Jacob, or Ada. The new Merlot was currently perched on the dresser next to Ada’s bed, her eyes closed.  

“I finished to pack everything last night, before going to bed” continued Ada.

“Good! You’re much more prepared that I was when I first went to Hogwarts”

“Were you nervous?” asked Ada.

“A little. Mostly because I didn’t really know what to expect since Mamie went to Beauxbâtons. She talked to me a lot about it, she loved her time there. But you’ll see, Hogwarts is just as great!”

Ada nodded but didn’t say anything. She was excited to go to Hogwarts, but she was also very nervous, for multiple reasons. The first and obvious one was the unknown of a new start. The second was the reputation her brother must have left to the Shelby name. Ada didn’t understand everything that had happened, but she knew the boy had been involved in some dark stuff and had been expelled from Hogwarts with his wand being officially broken by the Ministry of Magic. And now, he was missing. Ada knew her brother and she knew he would never be involved with Dark Magic by conviction. If he did, she was sure it was because he didn’t have a choice. But the other kids didn’t know Jacob like she did, and she was afraid she would get insulted by other students or hear students insulting her brother or even her mother. She didn’t know how she would handle that. Finally, he third reason of her nervousness was that she would leave her mother all alone. Her father was killed 3 years earlier and with Jacob now missing, Miranda will have to live alone for most of the school year.

“You’re sure you’re ok, Mon Ange?” asked Miranda, replacing a wild hair behind her daughter’s ear, suddenly worried to see her daughter lost in her thoughts.

“Yeah! Yeah, just a little nervous that’s all.”

Ada felt a little guilty to lie to her mother like that, but she didn’t want her to worry even more than now.

“Everything is going to be ok. You’ll see, you’ll have a great year. Actually, you’ll have seven great years!”

Ada smiled and nodded.

“Alright, we finish to get ready and we go downstairs to eat something before we go?”

“Yes!” said Ada, her excitement going up again.

Miranda smiled again before kissing her daughter’s forehead and left the room. Ada started took a shower and dressed herself. Half an hour later, she was ready. Before going out, she looked in the mirror and saw her reflection. Just like her mother’s, her brown hair reached her shoulders. Her maternal grandmother, Margot, always said that she was a spitting image of Miranda when she was young. After seeing a few pictures, Ada happily admitted that it was indeed the case. Her green eyes however, she had them from her paternal grandfather Anthony, something she was quite proud of too. She smiled a little and after checking that everything was in order, Ada started to go out of the room.

Miranda had decided that it would be better to sleep at the Leaky Cauldron in London to be closer to the King’s Cross station. Once they were both ready, they went downstairs and began to eat breakfast. For a few minutes, Ada looked at the other wizard present in the room while eating a buttered toast. Then Miranda asked:

“Do you know in which house you want to be?”

“I don’t really know. Every house has good qualities, and I personally know at least one amazing person that went to each house. You were a Ravenclaw, Ted was a Hufflepuff, Andy was a Slytherin, and Dad and Jacob were…” Ada stopped, suddenly worried to have upset her mother.

But Miranda smiled at her and completed:

“Dad and Jacob were in Gryffindor.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright without me, Mom?” Asked Ada before she could stop herself.

“Of course, I will be!” she said, stroking Ada’s cheek. “Now, let’s finish breakfast”

Ada knew her mother was not completely honest, but she decided to let it go.

They finished breakfast and went to their rooms to get their stuffs. Tom, the pub manager, helped Ada with her suitcase in the stairs. After thanking him, the mother and the daughter took the bus to go the train station. It was 10:30 am when they arrived. They still had thirty minutes to go on the 9 ¾ platform, which was plenty of time to exchange plenty of goodbyes before separating. Once they were on the platform, Ada’s excitement was at its peak. It was not her first time here, since she always came to say goodbye to her brother for his departures. But this time it was for her. She was the one to go to Hogwarts. A little bit of sadness started to reach her though, as she always thought Jacob would be here for her first departure to Hogwarts. She was also sad that her father wasn’t here like he was for Jacob. The tears were starting to fill her eyes when she suddenly felt a huge shock on her right side that almost made her fell on the floor. In her left hand, he could feel Merlot’s cage moving from the owl’s protestation to this shock. For a split second, she thought a student had hit her by accident, but then she heard a familiar laugh in her hear that made her realize it wasn’t an accident at all. Nymphadora Tonks was hugging her.

“ADA! We’re finally going, it’s today, we’re going to Hogwarts” said the young witch.

Ada laughed at her best friend’s excitement. They had known each other since they were babies and were best friends. The two were basically inseparable. Their families didn’t live too far from each other and it wasn’t rare at all to see the Tonks at the Shelby’s house or the Shelby at the Tonks’ house. Indeed, Nymphadora’s mother, Andromeda, was Miranda’s best friend since Hogwarts. When Ada was born, Miranda and her husband, Luke, designated Andromeda to be their daughter’s Godmother. A few months later Andromeda and Ted Tonks designated Miranda to be Nymphadora’s Godmother.

After a few second, Ada and Nymphadora finally broke their hug. Nymphadora’s excitement was all over her face. She had one of the biggest smile Ada’s ever seen on her. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness and her hair, that she had decided to turn purple for the day, was moving from the little jumps of excitement the girl was doing. A sight at her face made Ada’s sadness disappear. This kind of joy was communicative. Soon, Ada was wearing the exact same smile.

“Tonight, we will finally be at Hogwarts, can you imagine that?” Continued Nymphadora.

“This is amazing! So, you have everything on you? You didn’t forget anything?” Asked Ada.

“Oh come on Ada, I thought you knew Dora by now! She almost forgot her wand this morning, we almost left without it…” Said a male voice.

Ada turned her head and saw Ted and Andromeda Tonks walking between excited students towards them.

“Seriously?” Laughed Ada.

“Argh, details” Shrugged Nymphadora.

Ada laughed one more time and turned to properly face the Tonks. Ted, tall with kind hazel eyes, smiled and high-fived her. Andromeda, tall too, with the elegance and grey eyes she inherited from her birth family and the warm smile and gaze she inherited from herself, opened her arms to welcome her Goddaughter in them in a quick hug while saying:

“Hello Ada. Ready for school too?”

“Hi Ted, Andy. Yeah, I can’t wait to be there!”

“I can only imagine.” said Ted “Dora too, obviously. I don’t think she even slept last night.”

“Not very much, to be honest.” Responded Dora, who was hugging Miranda.

“Yeah me neither.” Said Ada.

“OH, you have an owl too!” said Dora, spotting the barn owl, now wisely placed in her cage again, though staring at Dora with mistrust.

“Yeah, her name is Merlot, just like my Grandmother’s old owl. Mom bought it for me yesterday.”

“She’s beautiful! I named mine Horton.”

Ada smiled and looked at the little black owl somehow sleeping in her cage, that Ted holding. How could the owl sleep with all the noises present on the platform?

They heard a whistle and the students present on the platform began to say goodbye to their parents and to enter into the train. With the help of their parents, the two girls dragged their suitcases on the train. Ada placed Merlot’s cage on hers and went back on the platform.

While Dora was hugging her parents, Ada turned to her mother with a smile.

“So, this is it Mon Ange” said Miranda, softly stroking Ada’s hair, with a smile that was a little bit sad. Ada started to get a bit worried about her mother again. “Just send me Merlot tomorrow morning to tell me everything about tonight, alright?”

“Will do” Smiled Ada.

She hugged her mother. She wanted to ask her one more time if she was going to be ok, if her leaving was going to cause too much harm. But she didn’t ask. She knew her mother was strong. She had to believe in that. It would be better for both of them.

They finally broke the hug and Miranda kissed her daughter on the forehead.

“Don’t let Dora drag you into too much trouble. She likes pranks a little bit much.” She said.

“HEY!” Protested Dora from behind Ada.

“You know I’m joking! Come and say goodbye, you little troublemaker.”

Ada faced Ted and Andromeda to hug them too.

“Don’t drag our Dora in your pranks, please. We know it’s actually YOU the real troublemaker here!” said Ted.

“Ted! That was supposed to be a secret!” Laughed Ada.

He laughed in return while Ada was hugging Andromeda. The latter whispered to her:

“I know you’re worried about your mother. I’m going to keep an eye on her, don’t worry.”

Andromeda always knew how to read her mind, somehow. She always knew what Ada was feeling or thinking. It was one of the things Ada loved the most about her Godmother. In addition of that, the woman always knew how to talk to her or what to do whenever Ada wasn’t feeling fine. This had led to a lot of heart-to-heart conversations and a strong connection had grown more and more over the years between the two of them. By talking about it to Dora, she knew her best friend and her own Godmother, Miranda, shared the same kind of connection.

After a few seconds, Ada stepped back a little.

“Goodbye Andy!” she said, trying to put in her smile all of the gratitude she was feeling towards her at the moment.

“Have a great year, Love”

With Dora, she went on the train and they both stood at a window to wave at their parents, while the train started to move. Once the train turned at the first turn, and the platform was out of sight, Ada turned to Dora:

“We’re going to Hogwarts!” she said with excitement.

“We’re going to Hogwarts.” repeated the young purple-haired witch.

The two had spent days and days talking about their future school. Most of the time, they were having the same conversation over and over, but they didn’t care. It was something they would share together, and it was the only thing that mattered.

“Come on, let’s find a compartment!” said Dora.

“Yes!”

Ada followed her best friend, most of nervousness starting to leave her. She trusted Andromeda Tonks completely and she knew that if someone could keep an eye on Miranda, it would be her. The relationship between the two mothers wasn’t too much different from the relationship Ada had with Dora. Knowing that her mother was in good hands and knowing that Miranda was a really strong woman, she started to debate with Dora on which house would more suit them while they were searching for a place to sit.

(To be continued...)

[hopesanpedro]

Day 2: The Tworists

Jb arrived in Bangkok around midnight and we had to get out of the hotel early in the morning since we were planning to visit the temples. Yup, our first day together was spent to get the touristy stuff out of the way.

Thankfully, both Jb and I don’t like crowded places so he understood when I said I want to experience peaceful temples, should I ever need to go. And so that we did.

We had 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 for breakfast which was sold along the street going to the bus station. They look like mini tacos with sweet or salty fillings on what seemed to be melted marshmallows in each of the “pancakes”.

Turns out, I am the patient one between the two of us. Since the bus took a little too long, he decided we should take the cab. We got to our first destination which is the 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙩 at Dusit district. Annnddd going early was definitely worth it! I loved this destination so much cos it was how I imagine temples would be – quiet, serene, peaceful. You can hear the birds and the trees; you can actually find peace and rest inside.

We stayed for an hour seated in one of their benches and just walking around. We left for the 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞-𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢 next which was only a few blocks away from the temple. Unfortunately, it was still closed when we got there so we weren’t able to go around.

𝙂𝙐𝙔𝙎!!! On our way to the next stop we saw 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙧 shooting in an unmarked street. I use to dream about meeting celebrities randomly when I get to visit their home country but I never really thought I can ever see one. Definitely made the Thailand trip more memorable. 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯

It was expected that our next stop was a more popular temple where tourists flock even at the peak harmful heat of noon. We had lunch at a simple restaurant near the destination and had our first actual Thai food together (It was superb!!! I will never ever forget how good Thai food is!!).

𝙒𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙧𝙪𝙣 was packed with a lot of people but we were still starstruck. It was so beautifully detailed and it was just so gorgeous. I understood, at first sight a few blocks away, why it was so popular among tourists. You just cannot ignore it if you are in Bangkok.

After about half an hour of going around under the 35 degrees heat, we decided to rest at their café near the pier going to Wat Pho. We had iced drinks and discovered that their plastic cups were 100% compostable since they’re made from plants! We were so amazed you guys! 𝘗𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢!!!

The extreme weather and fatigue started taking a toll on Jb by this time so his migraine started again. And his migraine attacks are 𝘉 𝘈 𝘋. I made him wear my hat cos he forgot his back home. I asked if he wanted to go back to the hotel but he said he wanted to finish our itinerary and so we continued.

The boat ride going across the 𝙋𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙖 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 to get to 𝙒𝙖𝙩 𝙋𝙝𝙤 was 4THB which is basically how much one jeepney ride cost in Manila. There was a market on the dock going to Wat Pho and there were several nice but a bit expensive cafés around. When we got to the supposedly 3rd temple, we became aware that their entrance fee doubled. So we decided to pass it up. We stayed for a few minutes resting in one of their benches instead.

When Jb felt a little ready, we decided to take the ferry going back to the hotel since his migraine was getting worse and I had to work. Lol. He was asleep almost the whole ride but I was able to enjoy it, people watching and sight-seeing.

The moment we got back to the hotel, Jb fell asleep. We weren’t able to explore our accoms area since he really can’t. So I decided to leave my room and explore by myself.

I had my quiet time at the 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞 café which was right in front of our stay. After an hour or so of reflection and journaling, I explored the malls around us and bought dinner from 7-eleven and street stalls for both of us. I delivered him his dinner and decided to call it a night… at around 9pm

.

My 2nd day and our 1st day together wasn’t perfect and we weren’t able to go to all the places we planned to visit but it still worked. We had a great day despite his headache, he had an early night to rest fully, and I had my alone time.

For a first day of our first actual trip together, it was not bad at all. Tip: find someone who gets you. It would be a hell lot easier to travel with that person.

𝙄𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙍𝘼𝙍𝙔:

- Marble Temple / Wat Benchamabophit - Anti-Corruption Museum - Lunch: Kinnam Kinnom, now a Halal restau (food still good tho!) - Wat Arun - Wat Pho (would cost you close to 1k in pesos to get inside) - Phraya River ferry - Chibi Chibi Café - 7-Eleven dinner

[wearethecyclones]

I would love to hear more about books you love/recommend, I always like when you post about what you're reading. Are there reliable tags I can check out to find more literary thoughts? My world is dark and in need of fiction.

I’m delighted!!!!!!! I use “book rec” or “book recs” really inconsistently, but here’s a good list I did some time ago that I still stand by: LINK

This ask was a good reason for me to stare lovingly at my bookcase while thinking of some categories, so here are my book thoughts as of right now: 

To Be Read:

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

The Queen’s Thief Series - Megan Whaler Turner (continuing, I’ve read the first one)

Lair of Dreams - Libba Bray (Second book from The Diviners series)

This Savage Song - Victoria Schwab

Spare and Found Parts - Sarah Maria Griffn

On a Sunbeam  - Tillie Walden (Graphic Novel)

Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng

The Haunting of HIll House - Shirley Jackson

Severence - Ling Ma

Inkmistress - Audrey Coulthurst

The Odyssey or Iliad needs me to reread one or both of them this year, pray for me.

Killers of the Moon Flower - David Grann (audiobook tho cuz that’s the way for true crime)

Currently On My RADAR!!:

Truly Devious Series - Maureen Johnson (I’ve read the first two, eagerly awaiting book 3, absolutely love it)

The Diviners Series - Libba Bray (Fuck!)

King of Scars Duology - Leigh Bardugo (god do I love Leigh Bardugo)

The Winternight Trilogy - Katherine Arden (If you listen to me one time, let it be about this series. It’s one of the most incredible reads.)

The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag (graphic novel series, I read the first one and immediately ordered the second)

Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan (next book out this fall, kill me Rick!!)

When the Sky Fell on Splendor - Emily Henry (out this month! I would follow Emily Henry to the ends of the earth after A Million Junes)

Call Down the Hawk - Maggie Steifvater (pre-ordered it the second I was able lmfao)

2019 (so far) Reads:

Always and Forever, Lara Jean - Jenny Han (3/5 stars. big meh)

The Diviners - Libba Bray (5/5 stars, BIG YELL)

Winter of the Witch - Katherine Arden (150,000/5 stars, long sustained scream. This was the final book in the Winternight Trilogy)

The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2) - Maureen Johnson (4/5 stars, good as heck)

King of Scars - Leigh Bardugo (5/5, Nikolai my husband…)

The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang (5/5, graphic novel. so good, so sweet)

The Proposal - Jasmine Guillory (1/5, hated it)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (4/5, enjoyed it a lot)

The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag (4/5, graphic novel, loved it)

The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson (STILL READING, enjoying it a lot)

Please Read These Books:

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

The Astonishing Color of After - Emily X. R. Pan

Devil and the Bluebird - Jennifer Mason-Black

All the Crooked Saints - Maggie Stiefvater

The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

THE WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY!!! - Katherine Arden

A Million Junes - Emily Henry

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance - Ruth Emmie Lang

Ramona Blue - Julie Murphy

[survivingacademia]

Weekend summary

August 10th

We had the opportunity to sleep until 8 this morning, but Marti and I were so used to getting up early that we both were up by 7. We have a planned trip to Ribe today, and everyone is very excited.

Breakfast was high-spirited. The kitchen staff had prepared a table with sandwich ingredients (buns, knekkebrød, salami, butter, salad, and so on), so we could all take a sandwich for lunch. Marti and I sat next to an American woman, Jodi, who is a writer, and this breakfast turned into one of my most pleasant memories so far.

The bus ride to Ribe was exciting as well, with Henning taking the mic every 5 minutes or so to tell us something about a church or a small village. The town itself was very beautiful. It’s Denmark’s oldest city, and its paved roads reminded me of home. We took a walk along the quay, through the small roads in the centre, past the Grammar school and to Ribe Cathedral, the oldest in Scandinavia. It was extremely beautiful. I have a thing about Catholic and Protestant Churches, somehow they make me feel more at home than Orthodox ones.

After that we split into small groups, and Marti and I rushed into the nearest bookstore. Marti bought a book, and we stopped at a few other shops on our way to the Art Museum. Unfortunately, the entrance fee was a bit too high, so we decided to take a longer stroll instead. We saw the old City Hall (there was a wedding), one of the mills, the Viking Museum, the Railway station and Ribe’s very own Flying Tiger.

Going back to the bus we stumbled upon Ellie, a student from the UK, and we had a cup of coffee and some Danish pastries with her. She is really into the Middle Ages, and she’s currently researching childbirth and witchcraft.

Henning decided it would be a good idea to take us to Kammerslusen, right next to the North sea, and we were able to stand just next to the water. Those Jylland winds would totally blow us away tho!

The afternoon included a lecture on Danish vocabulary with Robert.

Also, Marti and I figured out how laundry works and even got a box of laundry detergent on sale.

 August 11th

Sunday. Free day. Breakfast starts at 9, but I am hungry already at 7.

Everybody seems to be sleeping today, there are barely 10 people at the dining hall. Marti and I made a sandwich for later and chatted with Jodie again. She was lovely, as usual.

We decided to go to Odense today, and we actually bought tickets from the DSB app yesterday. We have to leave at about 9:50, walk about 3 km to Vejen, and then take a train. And can I just say, Danish trains, oh my God. So much leg room! They’re quiet, you know where you are because they constantly tell you, there are quiet cars if you want to sleep. Also, wi-fi.

We crossed Lillebælt on our way, and I couldn’t help but feel as if I am in San Francisco and I am crossing Golden Gate Bridge. For 2 shorts minutes, you are only surrounded by water. The sun was shining, and the view was so magical, I could cry of happiness.

However, our first hour in Odense was quite rainy. We couldn’t really take a walk in the King’s Garden because of the heavy rain, so we headed straight towards Andersen’s museum. Fortunately, the city was not that big, so we managed to navigate quite easily. The museum was lovely, very interactive. They had a lot of first editions, different passports Andersen owned, copies of books he made for his friends. There was also a wall dedicated to copies of his stories in 140 different languages, even in Bulgarian!

Quick lunch, then Andersen’s childhood house and his later home. A lovely cappuccino and a spandauer at Wendorff bakery. Lots of going around, my Health app is on 12 km today. Finally, a quick walk around King’s Garden.

I grabbed a very overpriced orange juice from a 7-Eleven just before we boarded the train. The way home seemed endless, maybe because we were both so tired. Dinner was surprisingly good – we sat with Kosta, the Serbian boy, and a German girl, and we discussed our days and Danish food. Henning showed up and encouraged us to try some rødgrød med fløde, basically jam and milk.

It was film night tonight! We watched Brødre, and Robert and Christian had took care of the popcorn and salt sticks. We might need therapy after this film tho.

[highlcnds-blog]

❝ Kid, get off the ground. Spit your blood, and bare your teeth; go down a savage, go down fighting. ❞ 

Gordon McPhearson, Dylan Minnette, Sixteen, Incoming Sixth Year, Slytherin, Cis-male, Muggleborn, He/Him [ El, Twenty-two, EST, She/her ] * ( ABUSE TW, PHYSICAL ABUSE TW, DEATH TW )

character parallels: james cook (skins), nathan young (misfits), mickey milkovich (shameless), dj pauly d (jersey shore), ethan craft (lizzie mcguire), richie tozier (IT), dylan maxwell (american vandal),

zodiac: capricorn ( december 29th )

aesthetic: this fucking video of the exact moment 11 year old gordon met harry potter at king’s cross station

“roxanne thinks he’s a dumbass and she’s right!” - sarah

muggleborn. middle child, the only one who displayed magical abilities after he began turning water into chocolate milk as a toddler and his parents thought he was the second coming of christ. but, as muggles and adults do best, they simply regarded these instances as either they or gordon himself replacing the water with chocolate milk and went on with their oblivious existences, ignoring the signs that persisted throughout his childhood such as:

creating ( warm! ) slippers out of baltic sand when playing by the sea

burped bubbles

created a slave population of the village cats

it wasn’t until his eleventh birthday that an oddly dressed person arrived on his doorstep after his party to explain that gordon was a wizard and, come september, would be attending hogwarts that everything made sense

he was always vivacious and full of life to the point of being a lil terror; charismatic, loyal, and ambitious to fault, and always found himself getting detention at school for one reason or another ( mostly being the fact that the kid literally cannot shut his fucking mouth nor can he be anything but brutally honest. he doesn’t even consider himself brutally honest because that’s just how his entire family speaks to each other and if he offends you... well.... “ have u tried not being a bitch :/? ” )

gordon’s older sister is five years older than him. his brother is seven years younger. since his sister, fiona, is sixteen, she’s out of the house more often than not and it’s up to gordon to take care of his brother, cameron ( arguably his favorite person in the entire universe )

( DEATH TW ) it happens january fifth. gordon’s meant to be looking after cam as he plays outside in the snow. it snowed a lot, rained a lot, the roads were more of a slip and slide than anything else, and the village was under a state of emergency ( aka, stay off the roads for a bit, enjoy some days off school and work xx ). they live on a winding road. gordon wasn’t looking, preoccupied with building a snowman. didn’t turn to look until he heard tires screeching and witnessed a salt truck hit his brother, who had at some point wandered into the road right at the blind curve. 

there wasn’t anything gordon could’ve done to stop it. he was eleven. but as far as he and his parents were concerned, there was. he’s magical, isn’t he? he can do things, he’s going off to study at a magic school. they’ve all seen him move things around before. why didn’t he just magic cameron out of the way? he could’ve done something. he didn’t do anything. his fault. his fault. his fault. my fault. my fault. myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault─ ( END DEATH TW )

the mcphearson family changed forever following that. living in that house was like living in a minefield. ( ABUSE AND PHYSICAL ABUSE TW ) anything could set thomas and margaret mcphearson off. thomas chose a hands on method. breathing in the wrong direction could earn gordon physical abuse, but that was nothing compared to a) the anniversary of the accident b) cameron’s birthday c) just having a bad day/too much drink and taking his anger out on gordon. his mother, however, utilized venomous words, gaslighting, manipulation─ her weapons against her remaining son. she effectively crumbled his fucking psyche.  ( END ABUSE & PHYSICAL ABUSE TW )

at first, his sister, a boarding school student as is, avoided the family all together, but in the years following the accident grew more protective of gordon and would try and defend him, but she was rarely home and soon went to university all the way in london. he had no one. 

gordon found his own way to kings cross. picture it tho a chubby 11 year old with an attitude problem traveling from douglas, scotland to london, england ready to snark at anyone who questions it

( including harry potter... who gordon had no idea of since he’s. u know. muggleborn )

so what about now? he’s a:

chaos demon

big fan of the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth 

such a fucking hoe! i love i t

is a dork, mclovin :/

will literally cause chaos JUST BECAUSE 

thinks being a gryffindor is the same thing as having a terminal illness

comes off very hostile and gets defensive very easily; definition of someone who can dish it out but can’t take it

hasn’t spoken of his family Once to a single person

( PHYSICAL ABUSE & ABUSE TW ) not uncommon for him to come back from winter holiday/summer break looking a little rough and moody

that is. all i can think of atm . this late as hell sry. alkshgkalg but yeah open 2 plots !! hello !

[themoskabot]

List of things I miss in japan cuz I’m feelin second-homesick rn

Walking to school every morning? Weirdly? I had to walk about a mile or so to get there (maybe a bit more) and I didn’t enjoy walking on campus but I weirdly liked the walk there

The vending machines everywhere (omg and the lemon drink from them omg so good)

The seven elevens (truly it’s heaven over there)

The shower rooms where you can just spray water everywhere and have fun

The food like there were a couple restaurants near the apartment that were absolutely Phenomenal

The heated toilet seats

The seven elevens

The people

The public transpo

Going to the train station and sitting in Starbucks for hours

The arcade (even tho I had to sweat them off after a certain point cuz I spent way too much money there)

The seven elevens

The heated toilet seats

The campus especially the lounge area where you could see other students doing the weirdest and also most adorable and pure stuff they’re so fun to just be around

McDonald’s (it’s got a different vibe and a great place to hang out in, I saw a lot of interesting people there too)

gonna mention Starbucks again cuz that was my main hangout spot tbh and the baristas started to recognize me so that was nice

Seven eleven

The heated toilet seats

My friends in japan 😭😭😭

I miss it so much

I wanna go back so bad

I miss everyone there so much I might cry a little

Oh yeah karaoke should’ve been on here I didn’t think I would like it that much but I did oh man

Seven eleven

The heated toilet seats