#book 1 vibes

[marivanilla05]

In the middle of exams so here are just some higher quality versions of my last sketches!

(There will be no context for Menelaus dressed as a seal and Helen doing drugs. If you know, you know.)

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP fanfic idea: What's your Poison?

Jason Todd's life has always been hectic. Or is tragic the better word? It certainly felt like that was a better way to describe it. Life was bursts of happiness and love for as long as he could remember, but it was often too short and quickly overshadowed by everything he loved being twisted into his worst nightmares.

His mother's lullabies, which once soothed him to sleep, would turn into her humming as she came down from her high, staring with unseeing eyes.

Bruce's warm compliments for pulling off a tricky maneuver would scatter in the wind as he pulled the triggers on the scum of the city, and all he heard from his father figure were swears to bring him in.

His childhood adoration for swimming, the few things he liked when school was out, would drown him in his memories of the liquid green he hadn't stepped foot in a pool in years as an adult.

It was more of a surprise to find that reading still offered him comfort as if he were the same scared, poor little boy who would do anything to escape his reality. Maybe that's why he made it his mission to visit every bookstore in this godforsaken city.

Maybe the magic wasn't the same, and he didn't lose himself in the words, or his passion for it wasn't as all-consuming as it once was. But it was the one thing from his childhood life that hadn't managed to ruin.

This is why he chose to go to Ghost Zone, which opened near the heart of Gotham's nightlife —only three streets away from Ice Lounge—despite doubling as a bar.

It sold drinks alongside books, and the menu featured cocktails based on book characters. At the last meeting, one of the men in the Red Hood gang was talking about it—or rather, the pretty owner. The spitfire had been unwilling to strike a deal about protection money, but his boys knew better than to force the owner's hand.

Jason didn't like bars.

He went to them when his friends invited him out, but these places felt horrible. Either he found people who thought they were untouchable by the world and made terrible choices because of it, or he found people who were so broken by the world that the bottle was all they knew.

Just like his old man.

The idea of being anything like Willis Todd left such a bad taste in Jason's mouth that he had never touched alcohol in his life.

It wasn't the kind of preference people usually liked him having at a bar. He's had plenty of women grow offended that they couldn't tempt him into a drink, not to mention the men who were suddenly brave enough to mock him for it.

Drunks, in general, annoyed him. They were too loud. Too much. And most times, you had to babysit them like an overgrown toddler.

So going to a bar, even one doubling as a bookstore was going to be a pain. Still, Jason pushed through the door, letting it slam close behind him and sealing away the neon lights, thumping music, and the echoing laughter from nearby nightclubs.

Thankfully, the Ghost Zone didn't seem very busy. In fact, Jason could see that he was the only customer in the building.

The bar ran along the left side of the room, more like a traveler than anything modern. Tables and chairs were nearly lined up in front of it. A lone man was cleaning some glasses with a cloth, dressed in a pretty green vest over a long black sleeve and black slacks.

He glances at Jason with sky-blue eyes, shimming with gentle light. "Welcome,"

"Hello," He responds, walking to the bar and checking the menu. There wasn't anything listed for none-alcoholic, which made him grimace.

"Can I help you with anything?" the man asks, stepping in front of Jason and flashing a pearl-white smile. It, annoyingly, lacks any fake costumer service tilt to it, meaning this man was able to appear genuinely happy to serve people.

Those were the worst kinds of salesmen. They sucked someone dry of whatever coins they had before the client even knew what was happening.

Jason knew to be wary as he grunted, "I was told this was a bookstore."

The man didn't even blink as his smile grew. He placed a small menu on the bar counter between them while pointing his thumb to a nearby stairway. "Books are on the second floor. You're welcome to pick one up and read here so long as you buy a drink if you're not looking to buy an entire thing."

There it was. The catch.

Jason doesn't bother hiding a grimace as he waves a hand. "Nah, I'll just browse. If I see something I like, I'll buy it."

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything, " the man says softly, going back to his glasses without care. Jason notes that they resemble roses as the employee holds one to the light. It shimmers slightly, catching a ray that bounces back on the man's face, making him glow for a brief second.

Jason whips around, wondering why he is staring when he should be looking at books. He scurries up the stairway, not looking too deeply into it. On the second floor, he finds bookshelve after bookshelve lined and organized neatly.

Babs would adore how well-kept everything was. As he starts browsing, he hopes this trip wasn't a waste of time. There are titles and authors he's never heard of, not even a money grab of new releases. Even after pulling out his phone to check reviews, Jason discovers that not a single one of these books is sold anywhere else.

They are all exclusive publishers of Ghost Zone. This is odd because even if it's local authors, there are some reviews and proof of the author somewhere. Usually, the lack of anything would have alarmed him, but instead, it fills him with the desire to read every single copy.

Jason soon finds himself with a stack of books. After walking through the entire second floor twice to ensure he didn't miss anything else he may be interested in, Jason encounters a little sign written in neon green.

Please make a book purchase at the bar below.

As he stumbles his way down to the bar, he can't help but feel as if someone is watching him. He glances out of the corner of his eye and manages to catch what appears to be a shadow of a child running and disappearing into a wall.

Huh. The Ghost Zone is haunted.

Well, all of Gotham is haunted. Jason is from one of the most haunted places in Gotham, and the ghosts in Crime Alley are never nice, but they can never harm anyone if you don't acknowledge them. It was a rule to always pretend you didn't see anything, and like any good Crime Alley kid, Jason did just that.

"Have you found everything you were looking for?" the man asks with a smile once Jason places his stack on the bar. He quickly starts scanning them with a ray gun.

"I did," Jason mutters, looking everywhere but the man who seems to have started glowing under his flower lights. He was beautiful in an almost untouchable way.

His hair almost flashed white for a brief second as he reached for a bag for Jason's books. Man, it's been a while since his last date. He was starting to see things if he was that distracted by a pretty face.

"Hey, since you are my first customer to buy some books, I was wondering if you would like a free drink?" the man says, giving the books back to Jason. He leans on the counter a little, giving Jason an almost taunting grin. "Tell me, what's your poison?"

"I don't drink," Jason replies, bluntly stepping back but not because of the offer or the grin. That child made of shadows was watching them from the backroom. Jason did not like that it followed him.

The bartender smiles. "I promise it will taste better than anything you've ever had."

"No, thank you." Jason stays firm, eyes trained on the bartender, but words aimed at the shadow child.

"Pity." The man sighs, leaning back. The shadow child vanishes, allowing him to relax a little more. Whatever that was, it lost interest in him. "I could make you a mocktail?"

Jason thinks it over, then shrugs. "If it's free."

"Great. I'm Danny, by the way. Based on the novels you picked, I think I know just what to get you." Danny twirls a wine glass shaped like a rose in his hand, and Jason is suddenly hit with the urge to never leave as the man trains glowing green eyes on him. "Have a seat."

He drops his books at his feet, stumbling towards the bar stole in front of Danny.

It takes his family three days to realize he's gone missing and five for the Red Hood gang to notice, too. But Jason doesn't mind. After tasting the best thing that's ever touched his taste buds, he's having fun mixing drinks with Danny at Ghost Zone.

Danny, for his part, seems grateful to have Jason around. Apparently, Jason is keeping the ghosts away from Danny- that might have something to do with the Pits being anti-death liquified- and hired him on the spot after Jason drowned his drink and begged him for more.

[aulerean]

Robin Hobb Nation are we out here

[cto10121]

Book Fiyero: *immediately recognizes Elphaba and stations himself at the backdoor to prevent her from evading him, stalks her halfway across town to her aerie (even though at that point in time she was only a college friend he hadn’t seen in five years), insists on seeing her again, instinctively goes to comfort her when she first cries, gets sucked into increasingly deep and fraught conversations with her about collateral damage and freedom fighter terrorism, calls her the “most individual, the most separate, the most real” DURING AN ARGUMENT, says he adores Elphaba’s looks IN THAT SAME ARGUMENT, doesn’t understand Elphaba’s “being born with a talent or an inclination for goodness is the aberration” comment because (implied) he sincerely believes Elphaba isn’t evil, changes his mind about the plight of the Animals all by himself but doesn’t mention it to Elphaba because he is afraid she would distance himself from him, buys scarves for both his wife and Elphaba even though only Elphaba likes scarves, is so concerned for Elphaba and her dangerous Lurlinemas Eve mission that he stalks her instead of staying at his club or just leaving town altogether, and is so worried about her that he returns to the aerie just to see her*

Also Book Fiyero: Am I in love with Elphaba?

[ominouspuff]

handsss

[domo-arts]

Finished this thing I started in January and then abandoned until now lol

[seraphemmes]

it’s always good to be prepared

[mikuyuuss]

We all know that this panel was a major hint to the twin reveal (Kelvin saying how he can’t take his eyes off those three people yet Klaus was suspiciously greyed out, so there's a secret third person)

but I think it also puts into context why Kelvin became so obsessed with the Phantomhives. I remember reading this before the twin reveal and being like okay, he saw a handsome man and his adorable child.. So what? I used to think that him calling Vincent and Ciel special was a bit of a stretch. I mean yes, the Phantomhives are suppose to be beautiful, but there are pretty people everywhere. They don’t seem that special to me.

And then came the Ciel twin reveal, and Kelvin’s obsession makes more sense, at least storywise (Just a disclaimer, I don’t know much about twins. I’m not close to my own twin cousins, so I’m referring to the story context) But anyways, we later learn that the Phantomhive brothers are valued by the cultists specifically because they are twins. That's what makes them rare and unique. We also know the the twins were present when Kelvin met the Phantomhives.

So maybe that’s also what Kelvin saw. The sight of Vincent, a beautiful nobleman from a distinguished family and his identical twin sons that look just like him. It was probably a unique sight for him, which is why he couldn’t take his eyes off “those three” and why he thought of them as special people.

I really hope I'm not sounding like a Baron Kelvin apologist. DX I’m just trying to understand why his character became so twisted. Yana seems to feel strongly about him, and when I look at it more, I can see how much thought she put into his writing. It makes me appreciate at least, how much foreshadowing he contributed to the story.

[boarloved-art]

htsav book 1 doodles as my 'finally did uni work' reward !

[justanotherfanfolks]

Unfortunately for everyone, I love Book 1.

[yandere-daydreams]

haitham is NOT a stem student his ass doesn't have what it takes to survive the trenches (a four hour organic chem lab just to end up with an impure product). like he's literally a member of haravatat which according to the genshin wiki " is specialized in semiotics, the study of sign processes and meaning-making, and includes disciplines such as linguistics and ancient runes studies." he IS the english major

i see your point anon but i must defend my people. alhaitham is a PHILOSOPHY major with a minor in communications and i won't let him get any closer to a liberal arts degree than that.

[crab-milk]

for the ahiru piece, i might do it more of an homage/tribute to the episodes of princess tutu! what's your favorite little piece of the story for you

[derrypubliclibrary]

i either have 2 make a cowgirl oc or i have 2 put The Characters in that situation but i cannot keep going like this (plagued by Cowboy Thoughts for some reason)

[yaralulu]

cannot stop thinking about tamlin and lucien trying to figure out if feyre was single bc if she wasn’t that would’ve been less than ideal.

The looks they keep giving each other 😭i just know they were freaking the fuck out for a second there.and feyre being so confused as to why these ancient faeries are inquiring about her love life and looking so nervous while doing it makes this scene so much funnier .

another moment i cannot stop thinking about from book 1 is tamlin trying to compliment feyre and we see lucien 🗣️⁉️nodding to tamlin encouragingly to keep going 🗣️⁉️lucien being tamlins wingman and giving him flirting tips and date ideas is very real to me.

this friendship is all i can think about unfortunately.

[layaart]

alt colour (I tried out so many versions you don't even know) for my butterfly assassin art and also a book cover version!

I didn't draw this intending it to be a book cover illustration, just realised afterwards that I could try this out - if I were actually redesigning the book I'd probably make different conceptual choices. but it still looks cool

[plum-petals]

I accidentally read 90% of The Cruel Prince in one sitting last night and didn’t get to bed until 3AM…

It’s all Jude’s fault (except not bc she’s never done a thing wrong in her life)

She’s just my type! I love pretty girls who spy, with sharp things and poison!