#and ofc not all books have been turned into audiobooks

[baileythebean]

Reasons why you should read… Wings of Fire!!

Random LONG-ASS post but idc because this has been my favorite book series since 3rd grade and I still HEAVILY fixate on it - for anyone interested (after I explain ofc) These books are by Tui T. Sutherland and are available in audiobook, paperback, hardcover, and Kindle I think.

Reasons you might enjoy WoF and features of the books!

-creative character designs

-full plot with little to no holes and if there are any, they’re probably explained in one of the MANY side books available.

-well-written characters that can be powerful without being a “Mary Sue” and having their own personalities

-each book follows a different protagonist, sometimes with the protagonist switching up mid-book

-a prologue and epilogue in each book

-15 main books released so far with more coming!!

-STUNNING cover art

-the main characters are dragons!!

-Written like those fanfics where you read them and you forget you’re reading a fanfic but it’s still not quite written like an ‘official’ book, y’know?

-descriptive writing so you don’t have to imagine stuff in weird vague ways

-LOTS OF LGBTQIA+ rep! Including but not limited to: mlm rep, wlw rep, non-binary/non-conforming rep - and the best part about it? It’s casually brought up! It’s normalized! Not even the villains or shitty parents show an OUNCE of homophobia or transphobia!

-There are humans in these books! And POC rep!

-women in leading/strong roles :3

-different continents!

-different tribes of dragons each sharing similar traits depending on their habitat!! NOT JUST RANDOMIZED DRAGONS EVERYWHERE ALL MIXED TOGETHER WHERE YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHO CAN DO WHAT!!

-Each book features a map of the continent it’s set on, a description of the dragons of each tribe living on that continent (including looks, powers, diet, affiliation in war depending on the book, and current Queen) and a page for the prophecy the book fixates around (different for each arc)

-Three arcs, each solving a different conflict but STILL IN THE SAME PLOT!!

-creepy mind-control stuff!

-well-written villains

-lines that have made me CACKLE out loud multiple times

-TONS OF SIDE BOOKS WITH EXTRA LORE/INFO IN THEM!!

-and so much more! Read them for yourself to find out!!

ALL THE BOOKS IN ORDER PLUS THE NAME, SPECIES AND A PICTURE OF THE PROTAGONIST IN PARENTHESES:

THE DRAGONETS OF DESTINY ARC: 1) The Dragonet Prophecy (Clay of the Mudwings)

2) The Lost Heir (Tsunami of the Seawings)

3) The Hidden Kingdom (Glory of the Rainwings)

4) The Dark Secret (Starflight of the Nightwings)

5) The Brightest Night (Sunny of the Sandwings/Nightwings)

THE JADE MOUNTAIN ARC: 6) Moon Rising (Moonwatcher of the Nightwings)

7) Winter Turning (Winter of the Icewings)

8) Escaping Peril (Peril ((the one in front)) of the Skywings)

9) Talons of Power (Turtle ((the green one)) of the Seawings)

10) Darkness of Dragons (Qibli of the Sandwings) (MY FAV CHARACTER YIPPEE)

THE PANTALA ARC: 11) The Lost Continent (Blue of the Silkwings)

12) The Hive Queen (Cricket of the Hivewings)

13) The Poison Jungle (Sundew of the Leafwings) (MY FAV BOOK YIPPEE)

THE RETURN ARC (not sure if that’s actually what it’s called but oh well): 14) The Dangerous Gift (Snowfall ((the one on the right)) of the Icewings)

15) The Flames of Hope (Luna ((the obvious-looking one)) of the Silkwings)

THERE ARE ALSO GRAPHIC NOVELS UP TO BOOK 7 SO FAR AND SIDE BOOKS LISTED HERE: Legends: Darkstalker

Legends: Dragon Slayer

A Guide to the Dragon World

The Winglets Quartet

There might be more but there are also a coloring book plus an activity/storymaking book and as far as I know the fandom is pretty non-toxic and full of artists and cosplayers!! So have funnnn :33

ALSO SEND ME ASKS IF THERES ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA KNOW ABT IT, I’D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM (sorry if Tumblr fucks up the image quality)

-IRL Bailey

@toniothegammafish @thesilliestofallqueers @rebootgrimm @ask-sora-aguilar @schnozzlebozzle

@bioexorcismss @piigeonss @weirdassartist @clown-prince-of-gay @lilacquintet 

@wakatoshi-main @metal-mage @vv4loe 

[howtomakeagoodthingbad]

The Book Saga Continues

I'm not even gonna proof read this cause OMG

So like I was reading a vampire book series that won't be named cause I'd be embarrassed lmao but basically I thought there were four books and then two spinoffs and I was chatting with my friend @chapterhappygirl (Kayla) about it (she's read the book series in middle school). She confirms that the number of books are correct and she liked those two spinoffs better. (side note I actually don't remember if I thought it was a trilogy with two spinoffs- I was so confused)

WELLLLLLLL

I was "reading" it through that audible subscription I was talking about in an earlier post I made. I hit the fourth book and got real confused I realize that WASN'T THE END OF THE MAIN SERIES. I go back to Kayla so confused with how many main books and spinoffs there are. I've read the descriptions of other books ahead of mine randomly and assumed that it was about another character but still had to do with the MC. Anyways Kayla was like oh yeah there are five books and two spinoffs but that it's been a while since she read so maybe that's why she couldn't remember and wasn't even sure how many books she actually read from the series LOL

Ok!

So I'm reading the fifth book thinking this is the end of the main story and I'm scrambling to wonder how this author is gonna wrap this mess up. I forgot to tell you guys that I forgot how many audiobooks from this series I have- turns out I already had the fifth one.

I knew this was it cause when people go to sell their used book collection of this series it is pretty much like the five books- or seven- I just thought there are five books and yet again two (main) spinoffs. Keep in mind I knew there were other spinoffs but I considered those prequel side stories so I didn't count those. ANYWAYS to my surprise, the book ended UNFINISHED. Okay it wasn't unfinished but there were a lot of open ends yet to be addressed.

I take a look at what I thought would be a spinoff, TURNS OUT TO BE ANOTHER MAIN BOOK. I then look at the next book- It's also a main book! I tell Kayla these aren't spinoffs! Ofc she does not know either cause it's been such a long time- so she just agrees that it wasn't a spinoff.

SO

I think the NEXT couple of books are a spinoff so I then click on the next two and these are also MAIN BOOKS- I keep going on like WTF how many main books are there?!

TWELVE

There are twelve main books. THERE ARE TWELVE MAIN BOOKS ALL FROM MC'S POV. I actually might be wrong there might be thirteen honestly my brain is so fried. Keep in mind this last conversation with Kayla happened within minutes (I think- again, I can't remember clearly cause I was SHOCKED). I tell her calmly THERE ARE TWELVE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES SHE'S LIKE WHAT AND IM LIKE TWELVE GIRL WHY DID YOU ORIGINALLY TELL ME FOUR WITH TWO SPINOFFS- I'm already in too deep I have to finish this story. TWELVE BOOKS-

[rottiens]

hello hello:D i’ve had such a busy day again today, but i’m here now:)

aww, of course! thank you thank you too :3 i meant everything i said:)

ooh, it rained a little here earlier too! i was out, but it wasn’t that strong so thankfully i didn’t get too wet.

i adore rainy days, cold wether is my absolute fave! i do like summer, but i don’t like the heat unfortunately, as it makes me feel really claustrophobic for some reason 😭 i love the sound of rain tho, it’s so soothing and cozy!

and i bet! i’m glad it got cooler for you:)

omg omg i’m so so excited for your fic! no pressure though, take your time and i very much look forward to it 🤍

and ooh a new book? i hope you enjoy reading it! i haven’t read in quite a while because i need to get my eyes tested, but i’m hoping i can get back into it soon as it’s so calming!

and ofc! my start to this week has been pretty good so far! it was my sisters birthday today.(i’m genuinely so sorry for my late reply btw 🙏😭)

i took her over to a park for a bit, that’s when it started raining unfortunately 😭 but i didn’t mind as i promised her and i love the rain anyway >ᴗ<

i was hoping to have another go at baking today, but i was too tired and it got late, but hopefully i can tomorrow!

the first time i tried baking it the other day it was so yummy! but then i tried again another day and it wasn’t as nice, it was a bit more dry. and it’s strange because the first time i just eyeballed it 😭 so maybe i need to try making it that way again 🤔

oh and i tried making caramel too the other day but.. it was an absolute disaster 😭 it stunk so bad as well because i burnt it. but i can always try again:)

i hope you’ve had a great start to the week and a lovely day too! thank you for asking about mine, you are seriously so so sweet and kind! i really appreciate it 🤍

about feeling claustrophobic because of the heat you are so right :( sometimes i feel like i drown in my own clothes no matter how light they are so i can relate, actually where i live it's always hot and it's much worse in summer so i don't like that season at all.

and it's nice when it's raining and you're at home but it's uncomfortable when you have to go out like this (it rained again today! hehe) so I hope you don't get wet and don't forget to carry your umbrella <3

oh no :c it's very uncomfortable to read when you need glasses, i wear too so i understand it can be especially annoying for your eyes so don't push yourself to do it. plus you can always get audiobooks which has been my choice lately so it doesn't tire my eyes so much. on the other hand, i'm so glad you got to spend time with your sister and enjoy her birthday 🤍 and i'm also so glad the rain didn't ruin your day in the park

And about cooking and baking and caramel 😭 omg experience with caramel reminded me of the first time i tried to make it and it turned out horrible, since then i haven't tried it again but i think part of everything in life and especially in cooking is from failure and learning. i think to get to the perfect recipe or the perfect taste you have to damage many meals and burn some foods lol, so don't give up <3 at first it took me a lot to learn to cook but now i'm getting better at every dish i make and i know with you the same will happen

Sending you a tight hug and really glad to hear you had a great start to a great week ! I had problems with my internet so I was basically offline all day lol and I'm trying to catch up now, I have work piling up and tasks to do but nothing that a positive attitude won't fix ^^

[superbatson]

tagged by @wirypsychiatrist (technically; he opened it up for anyone to fill out and i love an excuse to talk about myself lol)

what book are you currently reading?

i have a tendency to read a few books in different formats so in print it's the matzah ball by jean meltzer (yay hanukkah romance!), in digital it's shazam & the seven magic lands (a reread bc i remember so little of it since the run ended in 2020), and in audiobook it's autism in heels by jennifer o'toole.

what’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year?

elvis, obviously. it's so good i saw it twice in theaters!

what do you usually wear?

lately i've been really dressing down bc i have literally nothing to do so it's just like a t-shirt and sweatpants. maybe i'll throw a sweatshirt on over the t-shirt if i get cold (which usually happens at night).

how tall are you?

5’4”

what’s your star sign?

gemini 💕

do you go by your name or a nickname?

my name lol. i mean, family/close friends/teachers have called me "rach" but usually i just go by my name. i don't have any real unique nicknames.

did you grow up to be what you wanted to be when you were a child?

lmao no, absolutely not. as a kid i think i had dreams of being a singer so that didn't happen. (neither did the author dream but that really developed in my teens.)

are you in a relationship? if not, who is your crush if you have one?

lmao i can't even make friends let alone date, ofc i'm single. i have too many celeb crushes to list here but irl i still kinda have a crush on this guy from high school (i've liked him since i was in 9th grade oop)

dogs or cats?

cats, obviously

if you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this year?

my favorite gifset i've posted this year is definitely my "elvis + capt. marvel jr references" set not bc it's, like, my best set or anything, but simply bc it's like My Brand boiled down to a single gifset. i know i have a lot of interests but elvis (the man & the movie) and shazam are some of my biggest special interests so that set feels like a perfect representation of my faves. and i did really love getting to point out all the capt marvel references they made in elvis, it was a lot of fun. (now if only i could do a follow-up with fotg making elvis references. the movies are from the same studio, it's gotta happen!)

with fics, i felt like i was kinda lacking this year in terms of quality/quantity but i did enjoy some of the little caswen (hsmtmts) stuff i posted. the sneaky bunk sex one is my favorite.

what’s something you would like to create content for?

i really wish i could join my fellow elvis stans in writing imagines (for elvis, austin, or both) but i'm so uncomfortable writing in that format that i hardly ever do it. it's like i write them with myself in mind but i don't want to isolate my audience bc of that. yet the few imagines i've written in the past (for various fandoms) have gotten good responses, so idk. maybe i just gotta ignore my insecurities and write some freakin' imagines. there are a few ideas i've wanted to write for a little while now...

what’s something you’re currently obsessed with? 

idek i'm like between obsessions at the moment. i've kinda gotten involved in the santa clause fandom lately bc of the disney+ show (i've posted about it on my main) but idk if i'd call that an "obsession". maybe i'm just still holding onto elvis and shazam, at least for as long as i can until they probably become irrelevant (aka post-award season and post-dc reboot).

what’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year? 

my children's literature class. i thought i was gonna have a blast getting to read kids' books but i wound up getting stressed out over having to read multiple books a week (which was fine when it was picture books but not when it was novels). i did get to read some good books for the class but somehow i wound up liking the other class i took that semester, american government, more.

what’s a hidden talent of yours?

i think i'm a pretty good singer? idk if that's considered a "hidden" talent but i don't exactly like to sing in front of people (i only do it when home alone or in the shower) so i guess it is kinda hidden.

are you religious? 

nah. i like judaism from a cultural perspective but i don't really agree with a lot of their religious beliefs. (i mean, like, with god and the kosher stuff and specific holiday practices, etc.)

what’s something you wish to have at this moment? 

a job that i enjoy

i tag: also whoever wants to do this. feel free to say i tagged you 🙂❤

[thoughtfulfangirling]

I keep seeing these posts going around about queer books, but my problem is that nowadays, I struggle to sit down with books and primarily consume them via audibooks. A lot of the recs are ones I haven’t found in audiobook format using my usual routes. For this reason, let me start a post that I hope y’all will add onto that has LGBTQ+ folks in them that I know exist in audiobook format. For reference, I’ve used for my audiobook consumption Audible, Libro, Overdrive, and Scribd, so each of these will have been found by myself in one of those places.

Nemesis Series by April Daniels trans wlw MC | Superhero | coming of age | YA The First book is Dreadnought followed by Sovereign and follows Danny, a trans girl whose body is transformed to the one that matches her vision of herself after a superhero falls and passes his powers on to her. All at once, she has to face the coming out this forces on her and new powers all at once. The books are intense and doesn’t pull its punches on the things Danny goes through, but her journey is beautiful and I love her so much.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray  Various MCs | Drama | Humor | YA This is an ensemble cast and includes a wlw couple and a trans girl, all of whom are pretty damn cool. On their flight to their next competition, the plane these beauty queens are on crashes, and those who survive get stranded on a totally-supposedly-deserted island. This is a fun novel that had, to me, a very Hitchhiker’s Guide sort of humor to it. It was a really fun read, and the author narrates herself and is really fun.

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden wlw mc | contemporary | coming of age | YA The good kid becomes good friends with a girl she met outside of school, but she begins to realize she has more than just friendly feelings for the girl. Being in the 90s, she finds it’s not so easy to be the good kid and pursue this interest.

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins bi MC | Contemporary | Romance | Class Romance | YA MC leaves Texas, USA to finish her last year of high school in a prestigious Scottish school where she ends up being roommates with an actual princess with whom she doesn’t start the year out on good terms with.  

Ash by Malinda Lo wlw MC | Fantasy | Coming of Age | YA Cinderella retelling where the fairies aren’t guaranteed to help and the prince just might not be who Cinderella wants after all. A very internal journey, quite enchanting. I really need to go back and revisit this soon.

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera Lesbian MC | Coming of Age | YA Juliet leaves home for the summer to spend in Oregon with a writer who inspired Juliet’s journey into feminism and helped her embrace her lesbianism. She learns along the way though that adults are not infallible, and that this writer has a large blind spot when it comes to Juliet’s culture and the intersection of race and feminism. All this after having come out to her family and dealing with the fallout of that far from home.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell mlm MC | Fantasy | Romance | YA This story feels like a sort of ‘What if the Harry Potter books were more inclusive and also had some parody in its magical world’ story. But it jumps right to the last book and the good stuff. This felt like fanfiction in the best way (and is appropriate given that it was written after the book Fangirl wherein the MC is writing fanfiction of this universe kinda. It’s complicated but good!)

Kushiel Phedre Series by Jacqueline Carey bi MC | Fantasy | Epic Fantasy | Kink | Political Intrique A woman born with a flaw that set her on the path of being indentured as a child to a man who sees love and sex as another means to gather political intel. Down this road lies intrigue, betrayal, and love.  

Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff bi MC | Fantasy | Revenge  Worth mentioning is that the author does not ID as any kind of LGBTQIA+ and in my opinion, that especially shows in the last installment of the series. I would suggest trigger warnings for the entire series if you have any as there is sex and violence. In a world with three suns and almost never night, a girl with a kinship for shadows seeks out the skills to kill those who destroyed her family.

Her Body and Other Parties by Maria Carmen Machado Various | Short Stories | Surreal | Contemporary   Don’t know how to summarize well given they are a series of short stories, but they are haunting and telling and beautiful, and even though I rarely do short stories, I absolutely fell in love with these.

The Night’s Watch by Sarah Waters Various | Ensemble Cast | Period Drama English WWII  Unfortunately, I read this in 2017 and it follows the stories of four different characters, two of whom are lesbians. I don’t remember their archs well enough to provide a proper summary. This story tends to be a more internal character study of each of the characters and what it might have been like living at the time they did. It was really good though if you like that sort of thing! 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters Lesbian MC | Period Drama | Romance | Coming of Age Taking place in the Victorian era, Nan leaves her coastal, oyster fishing home after becoming infatuated with Kitty, performer who sings dressed as a man. She discovers herself in the big city as she works as Kitty’s attendant, but nothing ever stays the same, and when she finds her and Kitty’s desires on how to handle their feelings differ errevocably, Nan is suddenly left adrift.

The above are all focused in one way or another on the LGBTQ+ character in a prominent way where the character’s queerness is made explicit in the text. Below is going to be the audiobooks I’ve read/listened to where I have felt there is strong evidence that a character is portrayed as LGBT+. Some will have been made canon by the author after the fact, others have been widely regarded as portrayed that way, and a couple are just how I interpreted them.

Trouble with Kings by Sherwood Smith Fantasy | Romance | Slow Burn | YA A princess of fortune who has been courted for her wealth all her life, Flian is quite done with dalliance. But that doesn’t mean others are done with her. Caught in the middle of a political intrigue between two... maybe three... possibly four??? rivaling kingdoms, she finds her wealth pursued in less than ethical manners and ends up a player herself on the field of political import. Is it even possible in the chaos of all this to find love along the way? Flian herself repeatedly shows no interest in romance and while able to remark upon attraction, never seems to have any herself until she realizes she has fallen for someone, someone she realizes a bit late she’s had a coming together of the minds for. For this reason, my personal interpretation of this character is demi-sexual. 

The Protector of the Small Series by Tamora Pierce Fantasy | Coming of Age | YA  Keladry of Mindelan wants to become the second lady knight in history. The trainer at the castle doesn’t believe girls are cut out for it, and the boys don’t seem the most ready for a lady knight in training either. But Kel is determined to make her place in the world. Throughout the course of the series, while she engages in some light dalliances, she finds herself disinterested in relationships and has been confirmed by the author since the series was published to be asexual. 

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon Fantasy | D&D-esque | Epic Fantasy | Coming of Age  Paksennarrion, a sheep farmer’s daughter, rebels against her father upon hearing of the engagement he made for her and runs away to a local contract militia company to start her career as a warrior. Strength and strategy aren’t the only things she’ll need on this life’s path, but also a faith she didn’t know she was capable of. I don’t know that the author has ever said anything on the matter, but in most circles you will find that Paks is generally regarded as aro/ace and is pretty explicitly stated several times throughout the series that she simply has never had the compulsion. 

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang Period Drama/Mystery (early 1900s) | Coming of Age | Mystery Three people on the cusp of adulthood, with a complicated history of friendship from different stations in life, come together to try to unravel the mystery of strange deaths happening around them while trying to navigate what shapes the rest of their lives will take. Of the two man lady characters, one repeatedly struck me as bisexual, and the other as asexual. This is one where I’m brining my own lens to the story, and I don’t know that the author did this with intent.

There’s a fair chance that I am forgetting some audiobooks and haven’t included all I’ve read. I would also say that anything not marked with a YA may have want of some trigger warnings. If someone wants to know, just let me know which warnings you have need of and I’ll try to do my best to remember if that content is included in the book. I of course cannot remember everything and don’t know everyone’s limits, but I can try. But for certain the non young adult stories have content that can be heavy or dark or twisted. 

[jurijurijurious]

How about 22, 25, 26 for the meme? Your choice of fandom(s)! <3

Cool, thanks!

22.Ship that you immediately fall in love with after one scene despite not considering it before.

I found this one quite hard but I'm gonna plump for John of Gaunt/Katherine Swynford in Anya Seton's famous historical novel, "Katherine". Now I know the whole premise of the book is Katherine's relationship with John - plus their relationship is historically true - so it should not be a surprising ship. But I'm sure everyone understands it when I say I don't expect to ship the obvious relationships until I see how they're handled - sometimes I read a novel, histfic or not, and the romance is bleh, rubbish, no chemistry or bad premise or poorly handled, etc...

I have listened to Seton's book more than I've actually read it and even though it is a bit dated, and the narrator of my audiobook isn't the best, I think I knew from the first scene where they share dialogue that yes, I will ship these two, there is fire and desire there, and there are lots of elements of the forbidden which, guh, give it to me, it's my thing!!

(I have no idea why this book has never been turned into a film or tv series, it's so well known, but seeing how a lot of history is handled in tv and film adaptations , maybe it's for the best? And who the devil would play John?? They'd need a perfect John.)

25. Favourite foe yay ship

This is my territory, literally most of my past ships are "bad guy" led and generally close to crack, really. So bloody unethical. I'll go for Megabyte/Dot from the 1990s CG animated TV show "ReBoot" which I'm revisiting at the moment. They are literally two sides of the same coin: entrepreneurs, businessmen, heads of intelligence networks, organised, quick-witted, well-spoken (particularly him, my God, Tony Jay's voieover is perfect!). They're also each at times de facto "leaders" of Mainframe (or "Megaframe" when it's the egotistical villain in charge, ofc). If their differences weren't so large, they would make an insane partnership. And yet the show even gives you an excuse to 'ship them when Megabyte returns disguised as Dot's true love Bob in what is one of the most controversial and even a bit silly storylines ever in the final series of the show. Poor ol' Dot very nearly marries him under the impression he is someone else. How... problematic. I ofc used to love it. And he is a villain after all.

There's a visual parallel between a scene in the first episode (where he does consequently drop her, which is hilarious) and then a scene in the final season (where there is possibly actual desire there from him? Who knows?). Foreboding indeed:

But anyway, problematic nature of the final season plot aside, I think with some rather intricate and slightly implausible leaps of the imagination, you could get them together. And what a formidable couple they would be.

26. Characters that you like in every dynamic (lovers,friends,enemies)

I will go for Captain Barbossa and Elizabeth Swann from "Pirates of the Caribbean" for this one to look at a different pairing. Them being "enemies" and then "friends" is already canon - you start with them as enemies in the "Curse of the Black Pearl", and its a spicy, fun, combative relationship, and then they build to a wonderfully endearing mentor-apprentice kinda relationship by "At World's End" where she literally absorbs all his guile, his wisdom, his wits, even his very words. It wouldn't take a great leap to envision them as lovers in an alternate reality somewhere; they have a great camaraderie and chemistry. Another formidable team!

Thanks for the asks!

[shirosquared-old]

how about something like shunk + meeting in the library late at night?

I hope you enjoy it! I started writing it and it just ended up being platonic, though if you squinted you could read it as romantic.

Happy birthday, Hunk!

[Read it on AO3]

Hunk was exhausted.

All day, the team had been planetside for diplomatic relations, and in the end the planet didn’t even decide to join the coalition. Neutrality gave them benefits, and all that.

But he just had to grit his teeth and deal with it, because they would’ve been a valuable ally. Yet, their king had said from the beginning that it was better for his people to stay neutral. So why did they spend their day trying to convince someone who wouldn’t listen?

Hunk didn’t understand it at all. Why couldn’t the king have just said he wasn’t interested, and send them on their way? Because it wasn’t “appropriate,” Allura had said.

It didn’t make any sense. He sighed to himself and put his hand on a panel, opening the door beside it. Inside wasn’t the kitchen, but a room filled with books—the library, maybe? Maybe he’d taken a wrong turn on his way to the kitchen. But now that he was here, he might as well take advantage of it.

Plenty of books adorned the shelves, though all of them were labeled in Altean. A few pads rested on the tables scattered around the room, presumably for reading at. One of them looked like it’d been thrown down in a hurry, which was a bit unsettling, but otherwise it was just a dusty old library.

Maybe they had some decent audiobooks on the tablets. He sat at one of the tables, grabbing the pad there and—it was all in Altean. Luckily, the interface was easy enough to navigate, and soon he was listening to some romance audiobook through the pad’s speakers.

At least it was something to focus on other than his own thoughts. But he was exhausted, maybe he could just close his eyes for a few minutes…

When he opened them again, the library was silent and dark. Had he slept long enough for the book to finish? A quick glance around suggested otherwise. Shiro sat at another table, earbuds sticking out of his ears while he squinted at the screen. The light from it illuminated his face, bright enough to probably hurt. Maybe that was his goal.

Hunk’s headband had also been taken off, and was left neatly folded on the table in front of him. Had that been Shiro’s doing? Probably. He yawned lightly, making his way over to the door console and flicking the lights on.

Shiro looked up from his pad when the lights brightened, taking his earbuds out so he could carry a proper conversation. “Hey,” he greeted. “Did you sleep well?”

Hunk frowned. It had to be late at night by now, right? He’d probably slept for at least two hours, and it was already getting late when they got back. “You aren’t.”

Shiro sighed. “Couldn’t. So I came here, but it seems like you had the same idea.”

“You’re not going to get any sleep with the brightness turned up like that.”

“I don’t know how to turn it down.”

“Coran showed us all how to do it. Look, if you don’t want to talk, just say so. You don’t need to lie all the time.”

“I’m trying to learn Altean,” Shiro said without a pause. “The program Pidge used isn’t very… relaxing.”

Hunk couldn’t help the snort, remembering Pidge telling them about it. “Yeah, I can’t imagine it being that. Maybe it was built that way. Why are you trying to learn Altean?”

“It’s a good baseline to learn Galran script.” Shiro stood from his chair and stretched. “I paused your book for you, but you might not want to play that in public. I think Coran had a stash of those… novels that you accidentally found.”

“‘Those novels?’” Hunk got the idea, but it was fun to see Shiro stumble over something mundane. “And thanks for the heads up, I honestly just picked a random title. Just wanted something to listen to.”

“To calm down?” Shiro guessed. “To focus on something other than the thoughts in your head?”

Hunk nodded. “Yeah. It’s probably stupid.”

“Nothing you’re feeling is stupid, Hunk. Your feelings aren’t stupid.”

“Then why do you always ignore your own?” The words came out before Hunk could stop them, and it left behind a heavy regret. “I—that was uncalled for, I’m sorry.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Shiro picked up the pad and his headphones. “We should both get to bed. We’ve got another meeting in the morning. But if you want… I come here a lot at night. Maybe we can talk then?”

Hunk took the dismissal for what it was and nodded. “At least leave the pad here. It’ll still be there when you come back, and there’s a ton around the Castle as it is. The light is harsh on your eyes.”

Shiro chuckled. “Alright. Goodnight, Hunk.” He set the pad on the table, not looking quite as tense as he had been a moment ago.

“Are you not coming back to the rooms with me?” Hunk felt bad for asking, but he knew Shiro needed the sleep. “I know you get nightmares, but any sleep is better than no sleep. And just like you always tell us, my door is always open to you. If you want to talk, or hug, or cuddle—no strings attached, Lance and I have cuddled and we’re still just friends—or even just sit there, that’s totally fine.”

Shiro smiled. “Thank you, Hunk. I really appreciate the offer.”

“Anytime, Shiro.” Hunk smiled. “So, do you want to come back with me? It’s okay if you don’t want to, but don’t feel like you have to do one thing or another.”

“I should—”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Shiro blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

“I asked if you wanted to come back, not if you should. What do you have to do that can’t wait until the morning?”

“As soon as we can create a translator for Galra script, we’ll be able to see everything that’s going on when we interface with their systems, or even just directions. The sooner, the better.”

Hunk sighed. “That can wait a few hours while you sleep. If you keep going while you’re tired, you won’t remember any of it.”

Shiro couldn’t argue with the logic, so he nodded. “Alright. Let’s head back, then.”

The two left the library and headed back to their shared hallway, bidding each other good night before entering their own rooms. The meeting thankfully went smoothly, but they still met in the library the next night.

They didn’t talk about anything important, but it was nice to be able to get to know the Shiro that existed behind the walls of responsibility and pain. Hunk treasured those moments, the times when Shiro would laugh so hard he snorted—then laughed harder—or the time he did a perfect impression of Commander Iverson. Hunk would never forget them.

Eventually, maybe he would ask Shiro about deeper things. But for now, what they had was more than enough.