#its just an EXTREMELY tough book to read

[stevethehairington]

man ive been doing great with my "read 100 pages a day" goal for like. every book ive read this year so far... EXCEPT this one 😩 i just cannot make it past 50 in one day and that is SUCH a bummer to me

[senselessalchemist]

apparently I preordered an audiobook when I had a free one from audible (yes I know but if they want to give me a poor person an audiobook I am too weak to resist, also it's how I get my stormlight archive fix every few years) and I don't know what it is and I am also afraid to check because I am a very weird coward with issues about notifications

[youraverageaemondsimp]

Metanoia ;

Aemond Targaryen x Transmigrated!Strong!Reader

>> Chapter II : The deal.

Summary: Viserys proposes a deal to undo the drift between the families.

WARNINGS: CANON TYPICAL INCEST, SPOILERS FOR S1 AND S2, nothing serious, mildly suggestive (extremely mild to the points it's unnoticeable) + not proof read.

A/N: divider credits to @cafekitsune

<- prev || masterlist || next ->

The ride to King's Landing was tough, you were not used to riding a dragon after all. You were surprised when you found out that the dragon you bonded with was Vermithor, he was a free dragon in the original show.

There have already been changes in the plot by your existence, the petition hearing was delayed because of you, will it change anything? It likely will.

Your mind was preoccupied with all these unnecessary details to the point you were unaware that you had already reached the keep, rhaenyra, your mother, had to call you out from your daze to get you off the carriage.

Weren't you just on your dragon a moment ago?

Time passed weirdly for you.

You lifted your skirt slightly before stepping on the carriage steps, reaching out your hand to hold the awaiting guard's hand to step down. The sand and rocks beneath you looked unfamiliar, you were more used to seeing asphalt and concrete.

You fix your skirts, letting go of the guard's hand, before you look up, and the sight shocked you. It was the red keep, in its glory, right in front of you, standing tall and erect. A castle that you merely saw in a show was now real and it was standing right in front of you.

Soft dizziness overcomes your body when you realise this, a sense of feeling trapped begins to bloom in your heart when your mind spirals to compare the world you knew with the world you are in.

Your breathing grows heavy as you try not to break down due the overwhelming feelings, when will you get used to this? Can you truly ever get used to this? You wish to return to your world.

“..sis…..si... sister!” The voice of Lucerys wakes you up from falling into the abyss of your mind, “Yes?” You face him, “Are you okay?” He asks, with a frown on his face and a genuine look of concern. You give him a tight lipped smile, “Yes, I am fine.” You reassure him.

“Let's go inside then, mother and father have already left.” Jacaerys grabs your hand and drags you inside. You stumble behind him, trying to catch up with the fast paced walking.

He lets go of your hand once all of you are inside, and your body suddenly moves according to its own will, taking you forward. You were unfamiliar with the inside of the red keep, yet it seems that your body knew the way, and soon you found yourself in a strange hallway, where at the end, laid two big doors.

Your body continued forward, the hallway seemed strangely deserted because everyone was focused on preparing for the petition, and the guards that were likely guarding this room might've gone to watch over important areas.

Wait, how do you know this?

You could only watch as your hands pushed the door open, revealing shelves upon shelves of books, every literature piece in the westeros could be found here, perhaps this was the keep's library.

You look behind to see if anyone has followed you, yet nobody did, why did your body bring you here? You finally seem like you are in control of your body again, so you move around the library, looking through the shelves.

“Niece.”

The voice sends chills down your spine, and you immediately turn around to the direction where it came from.

There he was.

Aemond Targaryen.

He was sitting, looming over the books on the table, but he was now facing you with an expression of intrigue, he eyed you curiously.

“Have you come to read?” He asks and you suddenly get an odd sense of deja vu.

Character encounter has changed.

Your mouth went dry trying to come up with a response, it seemed as if there was a big lump in your throat which you couldn't swallow. There was an odd sense of anxiety that did not belong to your consciousness on your body, his presence intimated you.

“Hmm?” He tilts his head in a questioning manner, waiting for your answer.

“I- uh.” You stumble your words, hands curling up into fists as you try to stop them from shaking so much.

Aemond gets up from his seat, his feet taking a few steps forward to you. He stood in front of you, his eye roaming your form, taking in every bit of your details. “It has been a while since we saw each other.” He speaks once again, and you close your eyes wondering why your body is behaving this way around him.

You take heavy breaths before forcefully putting on a small smile on your face, you look at him once again, “Yes it has been, uncle.” You spit out the words in a hurry.

He raises his eyebrow slightly before returning a small yet condescending smile back. You lick your lips, wetting them. Aemond eyes the action intently, his lips parting slightly before he too mimics the action of licking his lips.

You clear your throat.

“I have to go, bye.” You give him a small bow, and before he could respond you turn around and bolt in the other direction, leaving the library immediately.

Your hurried footsteps echoed among the hall, and once again your body took charge from there and took you up the stairs, making you halt in front of a room. The guard gave you a bow before he opened the door and you wasted no time entering.

You gasped at the interior design.

And as expected, you weren't familiar with this place at all yet you didn't feel out of place or foreign, this room provided you comfort more than anything. It had a bed, and oddly, all the furniture and everything were in the shades of your favourite colours, excluding the wooden furniture.

It must've been this body's room in the keep.

But isn't the body yours?

Yet at the same time, it didn't feel like yours.

Even earlier, you knew where to go, though you've never been in this place before.

What is going on?

You felt internally conflicted, your head began to spin rapidly, your heartbeat pounded in your ears, your skin felt all prickly and you felt your knees buckle and soon your body was thrown off balance.

You fell to the floor with a loud thud, you attempted to grab the table nearby to prevent you from hitting the floor; only for the table to fall along with you, hitting the floor with a shattering pierce, spilling all of the contents onto the floor next to you.

“Princess! Are you alri—” The last thing you heard was the guard's voice before you drifted into unconsciousness.

Muffled voices of concern could be heard, they sounded so distant yet so nearby, you furrowed your brows, annoyed at the fact that you were being woken up from your slumber, you didn't want to wake up, you wanted to sleep a bit more.

But the noises got louder and you got frustrated and opened your eyes, sitting up straight.

You deep down hoped that you would wake up on your sofa again— only for it all to come crashing down when you heard Rhaenyra's troubled call.

“Y/N! Oh seven hells! You scared us.” She rushed to your side and you looked at her confused, you looked at your surroundings, noticing a maester and your siblings spread across the room.

Oh right, you fainted.

“It seems that it was nothing serious, your grace, she must've fainted. Her body showed signs of insomnia, she must not have been able to fall asleep these few days.” The maester speaks up, and Rhaenyra just nods at him. She grabs you and hugs you tightly, “Oh my sweet daughter.” She kissed your hair, her hands were shaking, she must've been really anxious.

Your head was on her chest, you could hear her heart beating loudly and frantically, and for an odd reason you felt a sense of comfort in that, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, wanting to feel comforted.

She must've been really scared.

“I- I am alright.” You speak, voice hoarse and scratchy as you just woke up, and she caresses your hair, “I'm glad you are.” She replies and you bite your lip, trying to hold back tears.

Your feelings brew up a storm everytime, you do not know whether you can truly accept this life now because you don't belong here, but that doesn't mean you can distance yourself from the characters as well, because as you just witnessed, your existence is very real to them.

You are Rhaenyra's daughter.

Didn't you wish she had one to fix the plot?

You might be the key to prevent a lot of loss if you play your part right.

“Princess, The petition is about to begin soon.” A guard announces, “Already? But my daughter is sick.” She asks, letting go of you, you stare at her. “The hearing was already delayed further, they do not want to waste anymore time.” He replies and Rhaenyra sighs loudly. “Very well, we shall head over in a bit.” She informs him and he doesn't leave, “Is there anything else?” She asks and he bites his lip, “The queen has also commanded that princess Y/N also be present in the throne room for the hearing.” He answers shakily.

“What?! My sister is sick—”

“Jace.”

Jace tries butting in but Rhaenyra stops him, “Oh don't worry, tell her I'll be there.” You reply with a smile, not being able to read the room as you were excited over the idea of witnessing the iconic Vaemond scene live.

“What do you mean—? You're not well—” Your mother tries arguing with you but you stand up immediately, “I'm fine, I just didn't get any sleep.” You rub your eyes and fix your hair, ready to leave.

Rhaenyra lets out a heavy sigh.

The sound of a mother's disappointed sigh.

The hearing was pretty boring, realising you're in a moment of unnecessary dialogue and argument, the fun part of Vaemond bluntly calling your siblings bastards hasn't arrived yet.

So you zone out.

Aemond couldn't stop looking at you, in fact, he stared at you throughout the entire session, not looking away once, Alicent noticed this and immediately became uncomfortable and fidgety.

He tried not to show it, but he was feeling excited deep down, his gut churned with giddiness, you looked so frail and out of place, he noticed your lack of attention to the hearing which made him smile slightly.

He heard you had fainted right before the trial, and expected you to take rest but you were standing in front of everyone as if nothing happened.

You were still stubborn.

‘So how do people poop here?’

‘Are they all naturally hairless on their bodies?’

You look at your arms, concluding they are.

Those stupid questions circle your mind, your thoughts keeping you entertained.

You jumped when you heard the doors open as the entry of the king was announced, your heart pounded in your chest as you witnessed the king enter.

You were a bit bummed that there was no background music.

You witnessed the original script of the scene take place with Viserys reaffirming Jace's claim to the driftwood was settled.

Wait what.

Jace's claim? Wasn't this Luke's plot?

What the fuck is going on?

This could only mean one thing.

You were the next heir to the throne.

After Rhaenyra, your mother, being the eldest daughter and the oldest child of hers. ‘What the genuine fuck.’ You think, realising how much of a big deal your existence is.

You couldn't really focus much on the next conflict since you already knew what would happen, so you excitedly waited for the iconic scene to occur and it did.

It left you traumatised.

You forgot that this was your reality, it was only reconfirmed when you felt Vaemond's blood spurt out onto the floor.

Viserys falls down on his chair tiredly.

“One… more thing.” He wheezes, Alicent rushes over to grab him but he protests. “My second son Aemond… and my granddaughter shall be wed by the next moon.” He announces randomly and your eyes widen.

What.

You can tell it was unexpected and unplanned by the way both of the families reacted, Alicent and Rhaenyra immediately wanting to protest.

“Father—”

“Husband—”

“It is not a request, it is a command, a King's command, protest against it and you will pay the consequences.” He breathes heavily before he stumbles forward, the guards immediately rush over to him and take him out of the room.

Everyone is left silent.

You turned to look at Aemond, and his face held no expression, not even surprise, so you immediately looked away.

“It is a "King's command," he said! How foolish.” Daemon mutters, frustrated under his breath, “Your father is willing to sacrifice your daughter for the sake of undoing the rift amongst the families.” He grits his teeth.

“We cannot disobey the word, for it would be disobeying the law.” Rhaenyra sighs, trying to calm daemon down.

“I don't mind.” You chime in and they all turn to look at you.

You were currently back in your chambers, with your family members pacing back and forth, Daemon sitting down on the table frustrated at his brother's decision whilst you stood nearby the door.

“It would be beneficial.” You shrug, hoping to convince them that it will be alright, perhaps this is a major sign that's confirming that you'd be the one fixing the plot.

They ignore you and whisper amongst themselves, making your jaw drop in offence. You realise that your attempt of assurance only made it worse so you turn around and leave the room, nobody questions you or bothers to stop you as you leave the room as they were occupied with the matter at hand.

So you decide to trudge through the corridors, making your way to the gardens, wanting some fresh air.

Of course, to your luck, you ran straight into Aemond at a turning corner. He grabbed your arm so you don't fall, balancing both of you. He immediately lets go, clearing his throat.

“I was looking for you, niece.” He breaks the silence, to your surprise, your body isn't behaving weirdly around him anymore, which means you get to be in full control, so you smile at him before you grab his hand. “Let's go for a walk, Aemond.” You tug at him.

He feels nostalgic when he sees your form dragging him, it reminds him of the time when you both were young, you always used to drag him around with you, asking him to spend time with you.

He grabs your forearm and pulls you into a secluded hallway, taking control before he pushes you up against the wall. You let out a surprised squeal when you feel the cold wall hit your back.

He trapped you in his arms.

He hand travelled up towards your face caressing your cheek, your eyes widened.

No way.

Are you two about to kiss?

Did you both have a thing in the past?

Your mind spiralled with these questions.

Aemond presses his thumb against your cheek bone, increasing the pressure slowly.

Is this a type of foreplay he enjoys or what?

He distances himself from you and immediately leaves, stranding you confused.

You rub the spot he pressed harshly against and felt a cut that was leaking blood. What the fuck did he does this for?

You wanted to curse him, what if his nails were dirty and you got an infection? There isn't even proper treatment for infections in this era, you'd die.

You shrugged it off and left the hallway as well.

Aemond hurried back to his chamber, his heart drumming against his rib cage violently as hot lava courses through his veins, his fists were curled up as he was reminded of something very bitter.

How could he ever forget?

Was he so happy that you'd woken up to the point he had forgotten everything?

He hates you.

He despises you.

Of course anyone would.

After all, you were the one that took his eye on that eventful night.

TAGLIST <3

@intheheartoftheking @dracaryxzs @ladyoffandoms @spear-bearing-bi-witch @myheartfollower @jom3leo @zoleea-exultant @saturnssrings @uniquecutie-puffs @aleemendoza2425-blog @marvelita85 @feelingfaye @anaya-rhys @visenyareads @sylvievil @cypherpt5fttaehyung @ttysmfwna @void21

[seiya-starsniper]

Six Degrees of Separation

Rating: Teen || Chapters: 1/4 || Word Count 1.4k

Summary:

The Dead Boy Detectives run into a familiar pub while out on a case, and Crystal has to contend with an unfortunate event from her past.

Hob Gadling wasn't planning on adopting three teenagers and a full grown woman, but stranger things have happened in his long centuries of life.

Read here on Tumblr, or over on AO3

dedicated to @softest-punk for making me emotional about Hob adopting the kids in DBD 💖

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

“In here!” Edwin shouts, gesturing frantically at the entrance to a pub that looks vaguely familiar to Crystal. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have much time to wonder before the banshee chasing them lets out a blood curdling scream. Crystal rushes in with Charles right behind her, pushing the door and slamming it shut behind her. Thankfully the pub seems to be completely empty except for one man. 

A man who looked extremely pissed off to see them.

“Oh bloody hell, fuck no, not you, out!” the older man shouts, moving out from behind the bar and looking ready to chase them out by force if necessary. Crystal braces herself, glancing around frantically for some sort of back door that she can bolt to if necessary. She’s pretty sure she can outrun him.

Charles and Edwin however, are a different story.

“Hob, it’s us!” Charles exclaims, throwing up his hands in an attempt to show no harm.

“We’re sorry for bringing a ghost to your door, Mr Gadling,” Edwin adds. “If you’ll just let me borrow one of your books to get rid of this banshee, we’ll be out of your hair.” 

“Not you two, her,” the man, Hob (what the hell kind of name was that?) growls, pointing at Crystal accusingly. Edwin and Charles turn to her in shock, and Crystal is about to protest that she has no idea what this man is on about, but then the memory of how she knows Hob Gadling comes flooding back to her.

The pub they’d run into was The New Inn and Crystal had almost burned it down last year because some girl she hated at school had come here for her 18th birthday. With all of Crystal’s friends, sans Crystal. Ex-friends now, since Crystal had tried to burn the place down with the whole party still inside. Hob had, unsurprisingly, pressed charges, and it took a lot of money from her parents to make everything go away.

“I’m sorry!” Crystal yells, just as the banshee screeches and slams its body against the door behind them. It lights up an iridescent blue, a warding against ghosts. Of course Crystal had to go and fuck up the one supernatural relationship she had because she was an idiot asshole last year. 

“I know this isn’t a great time, but I’m kind of a different person now?” Crystal says, having no idea how to even begin to explain the weird circumstances of the last month. “I swear what my past self did isn't who I am now,” she adds, also raising her hands to show she means no harm. 

“She’s part of the Dead Boy Detectives Agency, mate,” Charles interjects, while Edwin nods furiously in agreement. “Please don’t throw her out!”

The banshee lets out another screech and slams itself against the door, rattling the frame so hard that Crystal’s afraid it might fly off the hinges at any moment. Whatever ward Hob had placed, it wasn’t going to hold out for that much longer.

“What the hell is going on?!” a familiar voice cries out, and then Jenny Green of all people is coming out of what Crystal assumes is the kitchen. She’s also brandishing a butcher knife, because why would any of that change now that she lives across the pond?

“Jenny?!” Charles and Edwin yell.

“Oh fuck,” the older woman curses, glancing back and forth between the three of them and Hob. Crystal really hopes they haven’t just gotten Jenny fired. Finding a job had been tough enough for her when they'd relocated, and she had refused any help financially from Crystal.

“You know them?!” Hob asks, shock clear in his voice.

“It’s a long story,” Jenny grumbles, then screams when the banshee throws itself against the door again. “What the fuck, why did you lead a ghost here? ”

The door rattles and creaks, and the ward around the pub shimmers and vibrates angrily, which seems to finally prompt Hob to action. He straightens his back, rubs a hand over his face, and then takes one, two, three deep breaths before he looks them all over appraisingly. 

“Jenny, get the salt from the back,” Hob orders, gesturing her back to the kitchen. “The iron knives should be on the shelf next to them. Edwin, you know where the tomes are,” he adds pointing upwards, likely towards a room on the second floor of the pub. Jenny and Edwin nod quietly before disappearing to their designated posts, leaving Crystal and Charles alone with Hob.

“Right, so since when have the Dead Boys gotten themselves involved with trust fund brats?” Hob asks, still eyeing Crystal warily as if he expects her to pull out a lighter at any moment. 

“Since this trust fund brat got possessed by a demon and got her memories stolen,” Crystal answers, wincing when she realizes how harsh that sounds. “Sorry. I just recently got them back and it's been a weird time. I really am sorry though. For like, nearly burning this place to the ground cause I was mad.”

“You did what? ” Charles cries out, his mouth agape. “Please tell me that was all David’s doing.”

Crystal scrunches up her face and then shakes her head. “I wish it was, but no. Just plain old shitty Crystal,” she answers truthfully.

Hob looks between the two of them, then sighs, his expression softening. 

“Look, clearly you’ve done some soul searching and I am the last person who should be allowed to hold a grudge against someone who’s done some bad things,” he says, then gestures to Charles. “If the boys vouch for you, then I’m willing to bury the hatchet. All right, Ms Von-Hovercraft?”

“Please just call me Crystal,” Crystal pleads. She really hated being referred to by her surname. It still felt weird and foreign to her, after everything she had gone through. Hob huffs, and this time when he looks at her, there isn’t a shred of contempt in his expression.

“Yeah okay. Crystal,” he says warmly. “You can call me Hob.”

Crystal wants to ask where the hell the name Hob comes from, because she’s pretty sure she remembers his name being Richard , but before she can say anything, Edwin and Jenny come back and Hob turns his full attention to taking care of the banshee that’s trying to get past the wards he has around the entire pub. 

“You’re lucky Tuesday’s a slow night,” Hob says, before he starts flipping through the tome. “Jenny, Crystal, make a salt circle by the tables over there,” he adds, pointing to his left. “You’re going to need to lead her there so we can trap her.”

Crystal and Jenny make as large of a circle as they can, pouring generous amounts of salt into the floor. When they’re done, Hob instructs them to the front of the pub, where the door is still rattling and glowing angrily. Edwin and Charles are standing next to Hob, Charles with his cricket bat out, and Edwin and Hob ready to chant the spell within the tome. 

“When I count to three, open the door and run like hell into the salt circle,” Hob tells them. “One, two, THREE!”

Crystal throws open the door and both she and Jenny cover their ears as they run towards the salt circle. The banshee’s cries are even louder now that she’s inside the pub, but their plan works. She follows them straight into the circle, then screeches again in anger once she realizes she cannot follow them out. Her long hands try to grab for Jenny’s apron, but Charles materializes right at the circle’s edge to bat her hand away. 

Hob and Edwin start chanting some spell in what Crystal assumes is Latin, and the banshee screeches at an even louder volume than before. The salt circle alights a bright gold, and Crystal and Jenny are practically thrown backwards by the force of the magic taking effect.

The banshee lets out one more high pitched scream, and then her dark grey dress suddenly becomes stark white, dark and wet black hair paling slowly to a soft light brown. When the banshee lifts her face, her eyes are no longer sunken and black, but wide and bright green. 

She’s beautiful, now that she’s no longer in pain.

The Night Nurse shows up shortly afterwards, collecting the woman and gently reassuring her that she’s going to a better place. She looks at Hob like she’s offended by his very existence, which the man takes in stride and cheerfully waves her off, telling her to say hello to her boss for him. 

“Right then,” Hob says after the banshee and the Night Nurse have left. “Now that that’s taken care of, care to explain to me what the bloody hell is the connection with you lot?”

[sinimake]

Opposites-Attract headcanons of Johnshi

I love putting opposing traits to my ships more than anything so enjoy!

Kenshi is pretty low maintenance. All he needs is clothes on his back and Sento, that's it. Probably can survive zombie apocalypse on his own while Johnny must have his grooming essentials with 10-step skin routine, a cup of coffee with the exact milk-sugar ratio at 9am sharp in the morning or he will DIE

Johnny is glued to his phone, always taking pics and documenting things while Kenshi doesn't even know where the fuck is his phone half the time

Also Johnny is texter and Kenshi is caller/voice message sender

When Kenshi is angry, he blazes like fire. One look at him and you know he's fucking pissed. While Johnny is silent rager. He will appear fine and brush off things convincingly good with his acting skills till he snaps. Like ocean pulling back its tides just to slam whole ass tsunami upon its victims.

They're both ambiverts but different flavors of ambiverts. Johnny makes friends with everyone, always chats and charms. He somehow knows the lifestories of people he met even briefly. However Johnny gets overwhelmed a lot that he needs his down time or he will start becoming murderous. Kenshi, on the other hand, rather die than make a small talk but he is a natural leader who can read people very well.

Johnny is chronically online and Kenshi is deliberately internet illiterate

People think Johnny is the rulebreaker while Kenshi's the voice of reason but they get it so wrong. Johnny is all about being pompous and mischievous but when the shit starts becoming serious and so much real, he panics. Kenshi though? He will charge head first into a trouble swinging and crackling. He didn't want to break the rules, but if it must, Kenshi will twist that notch to extreme.

Johnny is a picky eater and Kenshi will eat anything. That's why Johnny cooks almost all the time bc their criterias for "food" are vastly different.

Johnny exists in the public eye. He thrives in people's love and attention while Kenshi is shunned and feared for his past in the crime organization.

Kenshi is paranoid while Johnny is bit too confident sometimes

Johnny thrives on routine and schedule since he's a busy celebrity, he plans ahead and sticks to it. On the other hand, Kenshi just goes along with wherever the wind takes him.

However, when it comes to training, Kenshi is all about going by the book. Breathing exercises, meditation, stances, katas, footwork, practices, and everything, he follows them through to build up discipline. But Johnny? He just wings it bc it's all natural talent, baby! If you ask him how he does some moves, he will just shrug and say "it feels right that way"

Their fighting styles differ, too. Johnny is light on feet, flexible, fast, and slips through guards like a shadow. Kenshi is grounded, steady, tough, and even his blade swings are focused on elbow movements than in wrists.

Adding on the previous point, Johnny's name is a reverse pun of Kage, which means "shadow" in Japanese. On the other hand, Sento's powers are represented through glowing lights, hence creating the opposite elements of Light and Shadow in Johnshi

[cherries-in-wine]

I love ur posts on lolita the book- what are ur thoughts on the movies?

aw tysm anon mwah <3

(Made a few edits because my perspective changed a little)

I don't really like the movies- in fact comparing them to the masterpiece that Vladimir Nabokov wrote feels like an insult. Sometimes art can only exist in a certain medium and when you take it out of that medium it loses its integrity. Lolita is art that can only exist as literature. This is what I used to believe but to be honest even as literature it's being misunderstood a lot so it feels as if no matter what medium lolita exists in, it'll always be interpreted wrong.

It took Vladimir Nabokov 5 years to write lolita because writing from the perspective of a pedophile is tough- it's using the abuser to tell the victim's story but in this case the abuser is our unreliable narrator, he had to make Humbert Humbert charming or at least intriguing in a fucked up way enough that the reader would be compelled to read further (lolita will disturb you but you won't able to put it down) but any competent reader would will be able to figure out that Humbert Humbert is just spewing his delusional bullshit.

It feels as if Vladimir Nabokov predicted the romanticization of Lolita as soon as we started putting girls on the book covers- he intended on lolita being faceless

So much of what makes the book incredible lies in reading in between the lines to figure out what's actual going on. Think of it as Humbert Humbert is forcing his heart shaped rose coloured glasses onto you like "see it's a beautiful tragic love story" and it's your responsibility to take them off to see things as they are, a 12 year old child being abused constantly.

Unreliable narrators in general are hard to portray on screen (it's not impossible ofcourse, gone girl, 500 days of summer and black swan do it really well) but extra difficult in this case because lolita and Dolores are 2 different people entirely. Lolita is the persona, Dolores is the person. Lolita is the nymphet, the seductress that only exists in Humbert's twisted mind, Dolores is the 12 year old child. Humbert sees lolita, he wants you to see lolita, but you need to focus on Dolores.

Lolita 1962 was laughably inaccurate, they made Dolores look like an elegant woman when even Humbert Humbert describes her as a messy tomboy. Lolita 1997 is better I guess, it follows the book a little more accurately. The movie is definitely pretty to look at and I don't have a problem with Dolores being an icon or people taking fashion inspiration from her. In my opinion she is an icon, it isn't fair to reduce a victim's identity to their trauma and abuser. Also she's so funny and is constantly insulting Humbert so mwah love her so much plus I relate to her a lot as I went through similar things. I think some scenes of Humbert Humbert being an unreliable narrator were translated really well, for example this argument-

Humbert gave a short description while the movie is more of lo's point of view, it's all screaming and shouting and absolutely devastating, Dominique Swain did an amazing job.

Both of the actresses were 14 during filming and that's just so unsettling to me. Sure you're using a body double for explicit scenes but isn't that just content for actual pedophiles, the closest thing to CP that's legal?. There are many older actresses that look younger but honestly that scares me more, because now there are no restrictions to the scenes they can film, which usually ends up underage characters in extremely exploitative scenes (think euphoria).

My feelings are sort of all over the place on this, I simply can't reach a satisfying conclusion- I don't think it's impossible to adapt lolita into a good film, black swan is one of my favourite movies ever and nina sayers is as unrealiable as a narrator gets, so it's not impossible to portray Humbert Humbert on screen but it will be difficult. On the other hand I just know that people will find some way to romanticize the movie- no matter how well it's written like in the novel it's so obvious Humbert is a pedophile that he might as well get it tattoed on his head but people still think of it as "aw tragic beautiful love story". But part of me thinks that if they write it kind of like gone girl, you believe nick is the murderer in the first half then amy's scheming is revealed in the second, just like that if lolita is shown in the first half but after dolores runs away her perspective is shown to audience, how she's so miserable and gives an accurate depiction of Humbert Humbert's abuse, maybe showing that horrifying reality of the story will end it's romanticization once and for all.

[pinknightsinmymind]

【 abby anderson as a gf hc's 】

a/n: this is just super fluffy and cute <333 i wrote a lot so it's below the cut

first and foremost, lots of ppl make assumptions about abby and what she's like because of her appearance. she has somewhat of a rbf, and she's insanely buff, so many ppl are intimidated by her automatically.

that being said, abby looks to be understood and known at a deeper level, and wants to be treated like anyone else no matter what she looks like

i think she's the typical "intimidating but a huge softie" type like HEAR ME OUT

anyone can look at her and know that she's insanely strong and that she could easily take them out, and while true, underneath all that abby is extremely kind and caring

she may look scary, but she loves reading, she loves animals, she loves nature, she has a soft spot for lev, she's grown to understand the world outside of herself and that there is more than what meets the eye, she's learned from her mistakes, and she's deeply loyal

so while, yes, she is tough and strong, she is much more than that and wants to be seen for all parts of herself rather than the surface; she wants to be understood and she wants her partner to be someone who isn't intimidated by her and is willing to look beyond her exterior

so while everyone else avoids her and you willingly approach her despite what ppl say? and you treat her like a person—like she were anyone else? that immedately gets you on her good side and gains you her respect

you two begin to seek each other out more and more bc she enjoys your company and begins to open up to you

she lets you see every side of her, even the ones she typically wouldn't let others see

other ppl may be confused as to how you joke around with her so easily when they'd fear for their lives if they did, but that's simply bc you're close enough to her that you know how much of a huge softie she is

okay okay enough of my intimidating softie abby agenda and now time for more interesting stuff

im FULLY convinced that in a modern!au and college!au she'd be in pre-med studying to be a doctor or a surgeon; she'd do it bc she wants to help ppl but also bc she loves and admires her dad for his work

bc of this i also see her bragging to you all the time that she'll be your doctor wife who makes big money so she can spoil you

(and she lives up to that promise)

when she comes home late from work she's quick to make it up to you

ABBY IN SCRUBS

knowing her love of novels, i feel like she struggled to pick between pre-med and english as her major, but at the end of the day being a doctor called to her passions much more so she chose english as her minor

HOWEVER, i feel like her brain is so sexy especially when talking about novels she's read

like imagine her going on tangents about the book she's read and what she thinks the meaning is, then bringing up the story's historical context, and then interdisciplinary studies and just being like "omg she's so sexy i'm going to take my clothes off rn" bc of how smart she is

her book collection is HUGE and she lets you borrow whatever you want from her shelves, and you can see all the things she's scribbled in the margins, her silly annotations, small drawings in the corners, her cussing in her notes about the characters saying stuff like "what the fuck is wrong with you?" so seriously

she'll find poems she really likes and tell you about them especially the ones that remind her of you

i feel like she'd love emily dickinson and the bronte sisters idk i can see it

she's SO excited to introduce you to her dad

she's a huge family person and wants you to feel like a part of her family too

in a modern!au lev is probably a kid who lives next door to her that she babysits and tutors sometimes but she absolutely adores him and sees him as her brother

can you imagine how much of a hopeless romantic she is

she's probably so cheesy and loves romance and being cute with you where if it were anyone else it'd be cringy but its HER and she's just so sweet and so endearing how could you hate any of it?

asks you to be her valentine every year even if you're her gf bc she still feels the need to romance you

will make a spectacle of every holiday in order to treat you somehow

okay maybe gift giving would be a love language of hers too i can see it

but i feel like her top love languages are physical touch and acts of service tho

she's definitely the type to cherish any moment with you, and values being able to sit with you in silence in general but also while you do your own activities together (so parallel play basically)

.... i think she'd love to play video games to destress but not necessarily violent ones i think she'd play more calm games like animal crossing to relax or maybe minecraft where yall can build a world together and have a little farm bc she thinks its cute

teases you when you get lost or when you die in the games tho bc she's a bully (jokingly) like that

definitely the type to be like "only I can bully you"

very protective in general she wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on you and she'd take such good care of you

worries about your well-being (physical, emotional, mental) all the time and will do whatever it takes to make sure you're okay

if you need her at 3 am, she doesn't care she goes to your place right away

if you're sick she won't hesitate to buy you medicine, clean up your place, make you soup, whatever you want

when taking care of you while sick she calls you her number one patient and her favorite patient bc she's corny like that

there's nothing she wouldn't do for you bc when she's committed, she's committed

she's such a devoted and loyal person in general that when she cares about you, she cares about you, and there's no bluffing involved

just a very sincere and honest person who is willing to grow and learn, especially with her partner

i bet she's VERY open to communication and to talk things out with you she's the type to listen to you wholeheartedly and give you all the reassurance you need

she's the type of partner who's SO open to communication and good at it that you're like omg??? how are you so calm??? i'm screaming and crying and shitting my pants rn???

she's a huge softie and such a loving person who looks to be understood the way she understands others; she craves unconditional love and wants to give to others

she's just gf (and wife) material like come ON

[w1f1n1ghtm4r3]

so...... april fools shuffle unit vs anyone?

welcome to the usual keep reading lore yapping section. will try to keep this fairly concise but i make no promises it did not stay concise. im sorry in advance

aoharu - park sekai vs theme: high school students in a band, but unlike leoni vs, their afterschool practices are outside of the school

miku - the "cool senpai", except shes not actually older than aoharu... in fact, shes younger than all of aoharu (if only barely younger than ichika)! shes a 1st year high schooler like ichisaki! but she is the mentor figure to them in her experience with music. - shes also not actually that "cool" once you get to know her, although shes pretty chill shes also got some rather silly interests. including collecting stickers to stick on her guitar case. - the main vocalist of the band, but shes got a bit of experience with most of the instruments that the others play. shes no expert but she knows how to play any of them. currently trying to improve her guitar skills! she brings it around with her a lot of the time for the impression it gives to others

len - alongside rin, they main guitar and keyboard. most of the time its len on guitar and rin on keyboard, but theyre both capable of filling both roles and swap occasionally. hes the one usually helping miku improve her guitar skills! unlike miku though, he doesnt carry his guitar around everywhere he goes. - playful but laidback. hell mess with his friends but hes not going around getting into trouble besides that, really - also a 1st year! in fact, the kagamines and miku are childhood friends :) theyve managed to stick together for a long time

yyj - backstage sekai vs theme: idols who have been kind of... abandoned by their management and have to take up those roles themselves

miku - cheerful, bubbly, what you'd typically expect from an idol... except shes also stressed out of her mind because yeah, the sekai isnt exactly... hospitable, to say the least. it doesnt always show and she can cool down from it, but when you live in a world of sprawling hallways and rooms that should have people in them but dont, it definitely has some Effects. - when shes not worrying about that shes quite dedicated to her practice, after all, an idol never stops! - her energy transfers into a bit of everything she does, really. fast talker, fast walker, she can be hard to keep up with if you arent ready for it.

luka - a more mature, gentle idol. she can put on plenty of energy when performing, but she takes things at an easier pace outside of practice. she enjoys her quiet free time. - a lot less tense than miku is about the whole sekai situation, not to say she doesnt feel the effects of it either. shes just better at hiding her feelings about it.

fts - alleyway sekai vs theme: street musicians, but in a darker, rougher direction than vbs

miku - is this a miku or a mikuo? no one really knows and theyre not telling. theyll answer to miku regardless. - very much a troublemaker, gets into fights a lot. can be tough to get along with because theyre pretty abrasive, but they also know their purpose as a sekai miku. getting help from them can just be frustrating sometimes - kaito has been trying to get them to cool down a bit, to mixed success

kaito - livehouse owner (i havent named his livehouse yet...), kind of a stern dad guy. cool, tough, serious, you get the idea. not a bad guy, but he will be hard on fts and the other vs when they need to be straightened out. - despite that, his livehouse is open to performers of all experience levels. just prove youre willing to give it your best shot and hell let you perform. this is a problem for fts, when theyre struggling to get things together as a unit.

hapisen - headquarters sekai vs theme: comic book/cartoon superheroes! they even live in a superhero tower!

miku - shes kinda your straightforward superhero prodigy type, extremely talented as a hero despite her young age. loud, energetic, but very kind and happy to help anyone in need. - by extension shes also got your very typical superhero powers. flight, super strength, etc. she doesnt use them that often around the base though, in fact, most of the vs dont use their powers in the base that often. better off saving them for when theyre out doing hero things!

rin - one half of a superhero pair, obviously. her powers do function on their own and shes capable of doing things without help, but shes a bit weak on her own. but when together with len, their powers amplify to something stronger than either of them separately. i think they probably have electricity powers. - shes a bit reckless in the field, but shes very enthusiastic about being a superhero! super high energy girl, always bouncing around the base getting ready for whenever shes needed next

kyushumi - woodland sekai vs theme: fae royalty, specifically with a butterfly style focus

miku - very quiet and reserved, shes a bit awkward during interactions with most people, but shes well meaning. no ones sure where she came from, even the other vs, and that might have something to do with how she acts - she will stare at you from the bushes and youll just have to get used to it. shes just curious about things, and she wants to observe kyushumi to figure out the best ways she can try to help them.

meiko - technically the fae queen? but she doesnt often act like it, she tries to be more approachable. shes still got a bit of an imposing aura, but shell act more warm and kind to those around her. she is secretive though, and despite her kindness, theres a bit of detachment from everyone. - mikus guardian, since no one really knows how miku got here, so someone has to keep an eye on her. she also considers herself kyushmis guardian, but since theyre not always within reach due to the disconnect between sekais and the real world, theres only so much she can do. she tries her best with what she can

[gallafics]

𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚌'𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

Title: Quatervois Author: @dodgerbear84 (Ao3)

Rating: Explicit Series: N/A

Chapters: 8/8 Word Count: 51.5k

Archive Warnings: No Warnings Used

Favorite Character: Two lovely side characters; a bartender named Cam & Mickey’s friend Kenny. And of course our boys.

Least Favorite Character: I didn’t have any characters in particular that I disliked, but Gracie’s mom?? iykyk

Ao3 Summary: “Quatervois (Qua-ter-vwa): A crossroads; a critical decision or turning point in one’s life.

Closeted soldier Mickey meets farmer Ian in a bar when on leave from his base in the Deep South and discovers that making the leap toward happiness isn't as tough when you have someone on your side.”

Review: This fic actually blew me away. The writing style is extremely cinematic and had me convinced I actually just watched a movie instead of reading a book. I could vividly picture Ian’s farm, their facial expressions, the bar, the creek—everything. I felt like I was there watching it in person.

Mickey and Ian’s build up in this fic is beautiful. Their flirtation is both cute and sexy while also having hints of pining and being slight idiots. Mickey falling for Ian in this fic is a favorite of mine because it’s so obvious how much they want one another but have things that are keeping them apart.

This fic really has it all. There’s spice, there’s banter, theres fluff, there’s lust and longing and perfect comedic timing! It’s all around a beautiful fic that has made its way to my personal downloads because I will be re-reading it!

Spoilers Below↓

Favorite Moment: So, I’m a sucker for the moments in a story that just rip your heart out and absolutely stomp on it in front of you, so, I would say my favorite part is when Mickey is leaving the state, getting ready to deploy and he and Ian are saying good-bye…

“Don’t think about what you’re leaving behind. Think about the bright future ahead of you. Promise me you won’t dwell on us saying goodbye.” Mickey’s heart clenched tightly in his chest. “I promise.”

Equally favorite moment is their first meeting, it’s so tense and Ian’s so nice and Mickey is gay panicking and ends up being an asshole

“I wasn’t asking to be your friend. I was just being friendly. Big difference. Sorry to have offended” Mickey watched as Ian headed back to his corner and felt irrational anger bubble up inside him. “What? You’re not gonna thank me for my service?” Ian laughed loudly and hollowly, turning to face Mickey and lifting the hem of his black shirt up to his chin. Mickey gaped at the display of rock hard abs and firm pectoral muscles. It lasted a moment before he spotted the livid red skin of severe but well healed burns covering the left side of Ian’s body from waist to armpit. “You gonna thank me for mine? Didn’t think so. Drink your beer, soldier, I won’t bother you again.”

Honorable mentions, their first kiss, Mickey visiting the creek, the conversation about Ian’s bed (iykyk), still obsessing over their reunion, the waterfall scene (!!) and so so many other good moments in this one!!

Favorite quote(s):

“Anything happens to Ian and you’ll have this whole bar looking for you.”

“You totally fed it.” “The fuck you on about?” “The stray cat. You fed it. You make out like you’re this tough badass but you have a caring side”

“I just… I ain’t ever… this is all… wow fuck. Kiss one guy and you use your grip on life.”

“There’s a sight I could never get tired of seeing.” Ian leered. “Me sweating my tits off while I try to stay fit enough to be a soldier even though I drink beer like water and smoke more than a funeral home chimney?”

“Nobody has ever touched me there.” Ian mumbled against Mickey’s mouth. “You’re beautiful.” Mickey had never said those words to anyone before.

“Then you came along. You, with your fucking attitude problem and killer smile.”

There were honestly so many moments in this fic that made me insanely happy and have stuck in my brain. It’s such a beautiful story. If you haven’t read it 10000/10 recommend, if you have read it? Go read it again!!!

Final thoughts: The plot was plotting. The spice was spicy. The romance was romancing. The chemistry was off the charts. I cried. I laughed. And everyone in the gym probably thought the lady on the treadmill was crazy cause I couldn’t stop grinning at my phone! Amazingly, beautiful, cinematic masterpiece!!

Thank you so much, DodgerBear, for blessing us with this fic!!

— Harley, Gallafics Reviews

[m-jelly]

Hellloooo ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁) I hope u doing good. Sorry I don't know if requests are open or if I should ask here, but if request are open, If it's not weird, can you make a shy levi x shy reader? like their relationship is new and Levi acts like he is a tough guy (ง ͠° ͟ʖ #)ง but actually he is extremely shy, and one night, the reader wants to attract Levi because she wants something new in their relationship (like a sexy night outfit or suggestive words ✧(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧. But because the reader is shy, she fails and falters lol) our dear Levi doesn't understand it at first, but when he understand it, he becomes a completely shy mess ◝(⑅•ᴗ•⑅)◜..°♡ I love your soft levi writings soooo much, that's why I asked this request you If that's okay, could there be smut at the end? but its okay if you don't want to and it is okay if there are no headcanons, because I don't like :>. Thank you very much and keep your works they are SO GOOD I LOVE THEM <333 。･:*:･(✿◕3◕)❤

@ladycheesington <3

Learning new moves

Levi x fem!reader

Canon AU, fluff, shy reader, shy/clueless Levi, suggestive themes, flustered couple, new couple.

You dress up in sexy underwear for Levi for the bedroom. You try and put moves on your lover, but it seems to go over his head. A little flustered and embarrassed you tell Levi what you were doing when he asks. Levi is instantly flustered and the two of you talk a bit.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @notgoodforlife @demonsimp6 @nbinairyn

With a gentle wiggle and a little tug, your breasts were now under control in your corset. The mirror in your bathroom reflected a pretty woman who looked like she was a nervous wreck. Captain Levi was so incredible and handsome, he was the strongest. However, he was shy and clueless with love.

The two of you had fallen in love and it was very clumsy how you became a couple and flirted. You worked in a soap shop and Levi loved it. When he first met you, you were both smitten. Your flirting involved stumbling over words and shaking a little.

In your attempt to court him, you made a one-of-a-kind soap just for him with little petals in it. A friend told Levi the meaning of the soap when he took it to the base. So, he came racing back to you and asked you on a date with the strongest blush.

Everything had been perfect and sweet. The first kiss you shared was clumsy at first but then it got romantic. Eventually, it all became natural to you both. You were both so deeply in love with each other. You were close too, so close that Levi was always staying over.

You released a long sigh and tugged on a robe. With a racing heart, you walked into your bedroom to see Levi sitting in bed with a book. You thought he was so cute with his reading glasses on and a slight frown as he took everything in.

You fiddled with your robe. "Evening, Levi."

He turned the page in his book. "You sound stiff."

You moved closer to him. "S-Sorry."

He closed his book, took his glasses off and smiled at you. "Everything okay?"

You nodded. "I'm good." Your cheeks burned. "D-Do you see something you like?"

He got off the bed and walked up to you. "Yes." He wrapped his arms around you. "You. All of you." He hummed as he hugged you. "So pretty." He pulled back a bit and looked at you. "I love you."

"I love you too." You gripped his shirt tightly. You leaned up to kiss him but bumped your nose against Levi's. "A-Ah, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He kissed you and smiled. "That what you wanted?"

You hummed. "Y-Yes." You nibbled your lip and tugged at his shirt as you tried to rip it open, but nothing happened. "D-Damn it."

Levi looked down at his shirt. "Do you not like my shirt?"

"I like it." You lowered your head and felt silly. "A-Ah! Umm." You stepped back from him. "I have something to show you."

He smiled. "Okay."

You started to pull on your ties. "You're gonna be in awe." You yanked a little but nothing happened. "Shit." You welled up. "Come on." You whined a little. "I am sexy..."

Levi watched as you sat on the bed in defeat. "Love?" He took you in and replayed what you had been doing. His heart skipped a beat when he finally realised. "Oh...you were..." He blushed hard. "I'm an idiot." He cleared his throat. "L-let me help you undress."

"But I sucked at flirting and seducing you."

He held your hands and pulled you to your feet. "You have seduced me." He started undoing the knot. "Lucky for you, I'm good with my hands." He blushed hard. "A-Ah I umm." He cleared his throat. "That came out dirty, but I stand by my flirtation."

You giggled. "Good."

He pushed your robe off and choked a little as he inhaled deeply. He coughed a bit. "Fuck me."

You hugged yourself. "Th-that was m-my intention."

Levi blushed harder. "U-Uh...mm...I w-would like that."

You gulped. "Are you sure? I don't want to pressure you. I don't want you to do things in our relationship that you're not ready for. I'm the one who is horny."

Levi reached over and caressed your cheek. "Love, you have no idea how horny I have been for you. I have thought about it often." He gulped hard. "I also didn't know how you would feel." He released a long sigh. "I guess we start with kissing, huh?"

You nodded. "You can touch my boobs if you want." You gasped when Levi grabbed them. "Oh my."

Levi blushed. "I am sorry. I was intending to be delicate and I got excited."

"That's good."

He led you to the bed and lay you down, his lips pressed passionately against yours and tongues moving together. He pulled back as he panted and took your beauty in. "So, earlier when you tugged on my shirt."

You whined. "I was trying to rip it open."

He knelt up above you and ripped his smart shirt open making buttons fly. "Like this?"

You moaned then quickly covered your face with your hands. "Mm, that was really hot."

He took your hands from your face. "I'm glad you like me." He placed your hands on his abs. "You can touch me."

You ran your fingers all over him. "Levi."

He leaned on his forearms on either side of your head. He called your name. "I'll make you feel good, I promise. If anything hurts then let me know."

"And if anything is good?" You smirked. "I should really let you know."

He chuckled. "Yes."

[hms-no-fun]

Do your political views influence your writing? and if they do, how so?

this is sort of a tough question. i mean obviously my political views affect my writing, i believe that's true of every writer. the "how" is throwing me for a bit of a loop though. maybe partly because pretty much my only public-facing writing at this point is godfeels, which really isn't indicative of the kind of stuff i spent my entire pre-transition life writing. which actually makes it harder for me to introspect on the subject because transition brought with it political radicalization. i'm not just a woman now, i'm a communist, and i've spent a lot more time thinking about propaganda and hierarchies and economic power dynamics. so i'm definitely more intentional about this stuff now... what the hell, let's give it the ol college try

i'm typically drawn to characters in working/middle-class positions, because those are the people i've spent most of my life around. everything i write is at least partially autobiographical, as seen in the vast majority of my pre-transition protagonists being sad adolescent/twenty-something boys crumbling under the weight of social expectations they have no interest in meeting but can't imagine an alternative to. it is frankly extremely funny how much of my early fiction was about characters who desperately wanted to transition but utterly lacked the language & framework for doing so... because i also lacked that knowledge. i have multiple hundred+ page books that i never finished because i guess i couldn't even let myself imagine what the logical conclusion would be.

in my subjects, i've always had opinionated characters who got mad about social ills. a loooooot of my old short stories started with characters arguing about politics. i was raised secular and grew up in the bible belt during the bush years. i've always had a strong moral compass and a tendency to Say Shit, and that absolutely comes through in everything i write. it's an impulse i have to tamp down on a lot, because as tempting as it is to get all your hits in whenever you can, a lot of times they come across as infantile and pointless. you know, dude standing up and giving a Big Important Speech about whatever social ill you happened to read about on tumblr that day. sometimes you can get good stuff from that you've really gotta earn it.

my current work is definitely a lot more coherently political than my old stuff. obviously the witchkind legion is my attempt to imagine a post-scarcity communist utopia that is still deeply flawed in its own unique ways. come home, wolf was a gesture in a similar direction albeit on a smaller scale, imagining a communist nation funding a rewilding initiative in collaboration with a historically oppressed werewolf population. i guess i'm thinking a lot more about The Material Conditions these days. pure character drama just doesn't do it for me anymore, it feels disconnected from the real. i want to know where my characters live and how expensive the food is. and i want my stories to be saying interesting things as much as possible, instead of repeating tired tropes out of a lack of introspection.

when i went through a Social Justice arc in my mid-twenties, i really became aware of the fact that all my stories were about straight white dudes in suburban environments. i started noticing accidental racism & sexism & homophobia & etc etc all over the place, laundered in through various unquestioned assumptions and a fairly sheltered upbringing. in hindsight this is a big reason i stopped writing fiction altogether from 2013 to 2019, that i felt totally trapped by my inherited biases. funny how much changed when i came out as transgender! these days the trick is finding ways to utilize that experience constructively. for instance, as someone who once used the r-slur with gleeful thoughtless disregard, how might i go about incorporating that experience into my writing thoughtfully? there's an understandable tendency in young writers to course correct hard around The Problematic, that i think can very often result in sterile text that's too timid to grapple with real issues. there's a learning experience attached to realizing that the r-slur (for instance) isn't just a word but a historical object, a linguistic bludgeon with valances far beyond anything within my limited sphere of experience. just because i don't use that word anymore doesn't mean other people don't, and those other people are not necessarily any more Bad than *i* was as a teenager. combined & uneven development and all that.

so now with the Upsilon Kids i'm trying to deliberately explore Problematic & Troubled Teens from a place of empathy and personal experience. i'm not setting out to Make A Point mind you, but a point will be made regardless so i might as well put some thought into it. this is another place where it's REALLY IMPORTANT to have a check on your political impulses. it's extremely easy for the desire to Make A Point completely override character voice and dramatic consistency. this is why we practice and try new things and challenge ourselves as writers, so we never feel like we've got it all Figured Out for too long.

well i hope that was a useful and not totally embarrassing answer because i'm going cross-eyed now and i absolutely don't have the attention span to proofread all that lmao

[isfjmel-phleg]

I won't be writing Book 3 for a long, long time, but I've been thinking about it anyway.

Its plot has never been extremely well-defined, but basically it's going to be about dealing with the aftermath of what has to happen after Book 2. Delclis makes a tough political decision, and he's not the only one who has to live with the consequences. The focus of the narrative is on Elystan, Josiah, and Tamett, and it's a school story, my homage to early Wodehouse books, but also deals with political intrigue, from the perspective of the young characters.

But it's also a story about family relationships. Elystan's grief over his father, hostility toward his mother and Delclis, and how some plot twists recontextualize all that. Josiah's fall from grace with his father, his desperation to be restored, and the distant, cold family situation he's grown up in. Tamett's highly contrasting positive relationship with his family, especially with his sisters (although it's not without its difficulties).

Earliest versions of Book 3 were in Elystan's first-person POV, but that was too ambitious for my skills at that point. When I reworked the series with a new setting several years ago, I decided to change Book 3's POV to third-person limited, staying with Tamett. I had some sort of idea that it would be effective to see Elystan and Josiah from the eyes of someone else. He could be a sort of Costis. Or Mike Jackson. That sort of thing.

But writing the three different versions of "A Christmas Chapter" has made me rethink that. Tamett's POV might be too limited to fully explore the story I'd like to tell. And on top of that, it might just be too boring. Tamett is the blandest of my protagonists--something that I've been meaning to work on--whereas Elystan and Josiah have very distinctive personalities that make them (for me, at least) more compelling. The audience might be more engaged if we were in either of their heads.

But how to manage that? How could I get, say, "A Christmas Chapter" as it currently stands to work in a long-form story? A reader might lose patience with having to read essentially the same story three times in succession, even with the differing POVs. Whose would I chose? I have no idea. Omitting any of them would mean losing a lot. Perhaps a composite of the most important bits of each would be the most effective. But I'm strongly considering the possibility of using multiple POVs in Book 3, alternating them chapter to chapter.

The current first chapter is about Tamett being informed of the plans to send Josiah and him to boarding school and being commissioned to write heavily detailed letters about his experiences in Corege to an uncle he's never heard of. If I ever do get to this book, I don't think I want to start it there anymore. That's the problem with this particular story; I don't know just where to begin it. Instead, I think I might rework that current Tamett scene into a flashback later in the narrative. It might work for the book to put the boys directly in the school situation and then gradually bring in background through flashbacks. Which is a structure that I don't really have experience using and therefore will be a challenge. Not a bad thing, just a challenge.

Anyway, what do you think? Is this something that might work, or do you have a suggestion of your own? What would you like to see out of such a book? Do you have a POV preference?

[youremyheaven]

Hi I hope this isn’t rude I just want to understand your approach to kibbe is all but what determines a type for you ultimately comes down to their energy then? Like the sort of image they present? Or temperament ig

that does play a role for sure but its important to consider their face and body together, not separate from each other. the word "image" you used is correct but let me explain.

let's compare Angelina Jolie & Alicia Vikander who both played Lara Croft

Angie has something to her that makes her very convincing in action roles. Like you genuinely believe she could kick your ass. She's slim but still very tough looking.

Alicia is more delicate, dainty, soft and petite looking. She looks like someone you need to protect.

Any body who looks convincing in an action role is easily a Natural type (Jolie is a verified FN)

I suspect Alicia to be a Soft Classic

these 3 women are all verified Flamboyant Naturals

(L to R, Angelina Jolie, Cindy Crawford & Shirley McClaine)

Its hard to say they all project the same "image". Imo Naturals are the most common type as well as the most diverse, if you look at the list of verified FNs & SNs you see people who look very different from each other. This is not so much the case for Rs, TRs & SDs.

AJ has Romantic, Dramatic & Ethereal Essence

Cindy has Romantic, Natural & Classic Essence

Shirley has Romantic, Gamine & Classic Essence

Nobody would ever cast them for the same role. They do not project the same image.

Naturals are the most common because MOST people don't look good in heavy makeup & styling, or have waspish waist definition. MOST people have wider torsos and a Natural like build. The reason why lesser common IDs dominated the entertainment industry in the 20th century is because you had to be truly unique and distinct from others in order to be a "star". From the 90s onwards with the rise of supermodels, who are almost always FNs btw, Naturals became far more represented in the media but since this type can facially look very different from each other, its not always understood in terms of "image identity". Diet & exercise culture promoted the Natural ideal because they are the ones who can have a lean yet athletic built and suit the kind of clothes that fast fashion companies sell. There is a reason why jeans and tshirts are the most common articles of clothing in this world. They are most flattering on Natural types.

Most VS Angels are FNs

Fashion houses hire models who have a "rectangular build" (their words not mine) because of the way they carry the clothes; the focus remains on the clothes not on their body or silhouette. They don't need clothes tailored to fit them because they're frame dominant.

with someone like Liz Taylor (verified R) or Salma Hayek (verified TR) the focus will always be on their body and not the clothes themselves. This makes curve dominant women unsuitable for high fashion where they have to sell clothes not themselves.

Anyways, coming back to my point. Certain people are extreme caricaturish examples of their ID. Some are less so. Individual essences can also make typing more complicated. At the end of the day, every individual is unique and its important to consider their individuality (vibes, body, face, mannerisms) before settling on an ID.

If you read Metamorphosis by David Kibbe, he speaks of yin-yang & IDs in an almost spiritual, metaphysical way. Its very interesting. Maybe I'll post some excerpts from his book one of these days. But I highly recommend reading it!! The whole concept of Kibbe is about using styling to accurately project who you are as a person and like Claire Nakti makes connections regarding how different nakshatras manifest physically in a person, there is a correlation between one's appearance and one's inward nature.

I hope this clarified some things.

[once-upon-an-animation]

If I could redo Percabeth in PJO/HoO…

The more I shed my childhood nostalgia and think about Percy and Annabeth’s love story more critically, the more I find myself feeling unsatisfied with the way their relationship and its development was executed. If I could change certain aspects of their relationship, here’s what I would change:

- To start off, I wouldn’t change anything in TLT or SoM. I feel like the way they were progressing was great in these two books. It was in TTC and onwards that things started getting weird for me in terms of Percabeth (and just Annabeth’s character overall tbh. I’ve seen some people say that Luke’s redemption arc kind of had some negative consequences for her characterisation and I sort of have to agree).

- I would remove all the instances of Annabeth hitting Percy or seeming like she wants to hit Percy. While I wouldn’t go as far as to call Percabeth abuse, the hitting does make me uncomfortable. I don’t buy the whole “this is just how demigods act!” excuse, because we never see Percy hit Annabeth back. In fact, we never see any of the boys in this franchise hit their female friends or girlfriends as far as I recall. And that’s obviously because it would be extremely alarming to read something like that, so it shouldn’t be okay in the reverse.

The hitting doesn’t really add anything of value to the story and there are other ways to show that Annabeth is a tough, strong, no-nonsense girl without her ever laying a hand on Percy. I want her to reserve her aggressiveness for her enemies, and show some gentleness towards her boyfriend.

- Along that same vein, I would take away the element of Percabeth’s relationship where Percy feels fear towards Annabeth or feels like he can’t state his opinion on something in fear of making her mad or upset. This is most prominent in the Crown of Ptolemy short story where Percy literally states that he has a “healthy fear” of Annabeth because she’s kicked his butt plenty of times. That line makes me EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I have never met anyone in a genuinely healthy relationship who has a “healthy fear” of their partner. I’ve met people who respect their partner and cherish their feelings, but not feeling genuine fear. I want Percy to feel confident in this relationship and feel comfortable being himself. I don’t like reading lines about Annabeth “kicking his butt” at all. I feel like Rick adds this stuff because he’s either using that typical “my wife is tough and is the boss of our relationship” humour that boomers use or because he thinks we think it’s cute. But I don’t think it’s cute. Like I said, it’s a little uncomfortable.

- I would allow them to communicate more between the summers. It’s never really made clear how often Percy and Annabeth are communicating with each other between the books but it doesn’t seem like that much. I find it odd that Percy and Annabeth are developing a friendship/falling in love but are seemingly not talking to each other much during the year. It doesn’t have to be everyday, but just make it clear that they’re making regular contact and maintaining their friendship outside of camp.

- I would give them more stuff to have in common aside from their quests/trauma. I find this really important because while the opposites-attract trope is kind of cute, I’ve always wondered what Percy and Annabeth’s dynamic is like outside of quests. What do to they talk about? What are their more mundane conversations like? What do they like to do together? Why do they like spending time together? How do they decide what they’re going to do for dates?

The way Percabeth is currently written, it’s hard to tell if they have any interests or hobbies in common, and what their interactions are like when they’re not discussing demigod stuff. It kind of seems like they just tolerate each other’s interests but don’t have many shared interests that they use to connect with each other. I want them to bond over other things aside from their quests and traumas to show that there are other reasons why they gravitate towards each other. This is important to me because I want Percy and Annabeth to have more things that they like specifically about each other that they couldn’t generally find in other people.

- This one is more of a personal preference, but I would love to have seen Percy and Annabeth acknowledge each other’s birthdays a little more prior to TLO. I think Annabeth’s birthday being in July was something added in retrospect in HoH, but it would have been nice to see Annabeth acknowledge Percy’s birthdays even just as friends before they started getting romantic, just to solidify how important this friendship was becoming. Maybe she arranged for a birthday card to be sent to him or something.

- I want Annabeth to better acknowledge the ways in which Luke tried to harm Percy. I remember in BoTL, there’s a specific line where Annabeth says to Percy: “You want him to be evil, is that it?” This line has always kind of bothered me because Percy isn’t regarding Luke as evil out of nowhere. Luke has actively tried to harm many people up until this point, including Percy. As the girl who cares about him, it should mean something to Annabeth that Luke has tried to kill her best friend/her crush on more than one occasion. But correct me if I’m wrong, I feel like she doesn’t really acknowledge that when discussing Luke? I don’t know; I just feel like when you like someone, it should deeply upset you when another person tries to harm them. I wanted to see Annabeth with a more balanced and comprehensive view of Luke as opposed to sort of glossing over his wrongdoings from TTC onwards. (This moreso ties into my mixed feelings on whether Luke was truly a hero, but that’s a different story).

- I would change the way that the Annabeth/Rachel/Percy love triangle is resolved. Now I generally don’t like love triangles because they’re usually cringey, cliche, or just poorly done. I don’t mind this particular triangle however because I do enjoy the angst to some degree, but I’m not very impressed with its resolution on behalf of everyone involved.

First of all, the lack of an apology from Annabeth to Rachel is an absolute travesty. Annabeth is definitely old enough to recognize that she was being rude/mean when she didn’t have to be, and she really should have said sorry. I would have also loved it if there was a scene of Annabeth recognizing that she’s not entitled to a relationship with Percy. I do want Percy and Annabeth to end up together, but I would have just loved to see more respect for Percy’s autonomy from Annabeth? Idk, I like it when best friends are able to respect each other’s freedoms and show that they just want their friend to be happy, even when that means a romantic relationship with someone else; it shows that they really have a genuine love for each other as people. Lastly, I remember in House of Hades where Annabeth says that she likes to bring Rachel up from time to time to make Percy uncomfortable and keep him on his toes. I don’t like this at all and found it extremely unnecessary. What value does this add to the story aside from making Annabeth seem kind of mean? This love triangle died in TLO, let it stay dead.

Second of all, I don’t like how passive Percy is in the resolution of this love triangle. While I don’t really agree with their arguments, I can understand why some anti-Percabeth folks feel like Annabeth was a rebound for Percy or how Percy just kind of settled for her because his other option conveniently removed herself from the equation. What would Percy have done if Rachel had never become the oracle, or was still allowed to date as an oracle? Would he just have continued sort of flip-flopping the two girls? I don’t think so, based on everything that happens during the Battle of Manhattan, but I wish the narrative would have emphasized that more. The easiest way to fix this would have been to have Percy make an explicit choice prior to Rachel becoming the oracle OR to have him make some kind of statement on what he would have chosen after Rachel became the oracle. Overall, I want to see Percy reflect on the love triangle and reflect on why he chose Annabeth. Just a little something that would make his choice for Annabeth more clear and more firm.

Overall, I just wanted the characters to think about the impact of the love triangle a little more. I wanted to see them acknowledge what went wrong and what they could have done differently, and I wanted to see them gain some wisdom from it.

- As far as HoO goes, in addition to the writing quality generally not being as great, most of what I don’t like about Percabeth in HoO are continuations of what I didn’t like in PJO. So I won’t repeat myself.

- The lack of a post-Tartarus reflection scene between Percy and Annabeth is easily the most devastating writing decision ever made for this couple. How are y’all literally gonna walk through hell together with all these dark experiences, but there’s no sort of private follow up between the two of you as a couple? Rick had time to write “Nachos After The War” but he couldn’t write a scene of Percy and Annabeth reflecting on their time in Tartarus together? This was such a golden opportunity for them to have a really meaningful and loving conversation with each other and make one final statement on the meaning of their relationship but noooooooo.

And that’s it! Long post, I know. I want to make it clear that I am not anti-Percabeth. I love this pairing and I see a lot of potential in their relationship. But I do view them a lot more critically now that I’m older, and there are lots of little things that I wish had been different in retrospect.

[beezonia]

Some of my favourite pokèmon ships and some headcannons!

Pt1

———

Molayne x Kahili - Steelwedgeshipping

These two are very much a secretive couple but not like their doing bad stuff they just keep to themselves

Kahili is a bit emotionally constipated so molayne helps her a lot with expressing her emotions

They both have bracelets that they wear that were made by Olivia for their engagement

Molayne’s represents his dugtrio with two little diamonds for the eyes and a citron gem for the nose

Kahili’s is based on her Toucannon and has two onyx gems for the eyes and a spinel for the red part of its beak

They met due to the elite four and Kukui introducing them cause he thought they would get along well

And they did but Kahili was definitely a bit skeptic due to her golfing career and not wanting to shove Molayne into the spotlight

But she does end up kissing him on camera at her last match before retiring

Overall they are very soft and sweet

Shauntal x Grimsley - Rolandshipping

These two are very romantic but also very very freaky at the same time

Goth couple

Very much library dates and candlelight dinners but also just lounging on the couch with each other

They are both extremely into the paranormal (Shauntal especially she is ghost type for a reason)

She has a podcast that grimsley frequents and they talk about hauntings and all the spooky stuff

Shauntal can be a bit shy at times so grimsley is her biggest hypeman

And Shauntal makes sure that he gets enough rest and doesn’t gamble to much

They are big softies who do look intimidating but really aren’t

Kris x Silver - Redemptionshipping

Kris becomes a triathlete when she’s older she still loves the thrill of battle but she’s not really focused on that anymore

Silver goes on his own journey to Kalos and they end up being really good at the long distance relationship things

Silver makes sure that Kris takes breaks and spend time away from her sport

Kris makes sure to stay in touch frequently so silver doesn’t feel alone all the time

When they do meet they aren’t really the type too show to much affection in public but they do hold hands alot

They are the silent but very sweet couple

Silver gets taught dessert recipes by Kris cause she’s amazing at baking

Whilst he himself is more a cook and does big meals a lot of the time

They love to take hikes together it’s an unspoken thing between the two of them but they just know when either wants to meet up and go for a huge hike

Their bond is extremely strong which makes them an awesome team to battle against

It shows through their pokèmon who have an equally strong bond

Viola x Grant - Fleurdegranadeshipping

bi4bi couple I don’t make the rules

These two were the enemies to lovers in kalos

Most of the league had bets on when they’d get together or break up

But they are very sweet

Cafe dates or battling dates they pick and choose depending on their moods

Grant helps viola with her photography sometimes when he’s not busy with the gym

Viola joins grant climbing sometimes and they get into some very heated competitions

Grant had to get Alexa’s approval before he could officially ask viola out

It took a few months of convincing (alexa is a tough cookie to crack)

Bit together they are extremely strong and cute

Viola helps grant with balancing the gym and his work

Grant helps viola relax with his cooking as making sure she rests enough due to her own photography projects

Having said that grant sometimes just takes some shots of viola when there put and about on dates sometimes

He has a photo book full of photos from the start up till now of their relationship

Selene (Moon) x Lily - Moonlilyshipping

They are both very quiet, their relationship is not one many know about (apart from elio/hau/gladion)

So they spend hours and hours just snuggling and chilling in each other’s rooms with their pokèmon

Lily likes to read to selene when she’s not doing her champion work and stuff

Selene loves to make lily little trinkets and give her gemstones as a symbol of her love and it’s her way of showing Lily she cares

They tend to take long walks on the beaches just talking about their days or something that had happened

They have double dates with hau and gladion which consists hau talking his ass of with selene trying to match his energy

Lily and gladion both end up smiling like idiots and wonder how they got wonderful partners like that

Lily becomes a pokèmon professor in the future staying in alola to help kuki and burnett with their growing family

She eventually becomes alola’s official professor, travelling all over to spread her research along with the other professors

Selene eventually retires/gets beaten and leaves the position of champion at some point (early 30s/ late 20s?)

You can find her in the battle tower though she likes it there

Hau x Gladion - Cutebonesshipping

Another sort of enemies/rivals/to lovers thing

They tended to avoid each other at first, hau did make the first moves and was like “I think ur cool would you like to be my friend?”

Gladion challenged him to several battles

It took hau a bit to realise that gladion was trying to find his weaknesses whilst battling and while he knows he has a few, hau knows he and his team are strong

And when hau continues to beat gladion’s ass oh he falls hard does gladion

He tells Lily and Lily is the same about selene, they are very bad at love btw

Hau and Gladion are getting to know each other a lot better

They have battle dates as well as malasada dates

Hau ends up asking him out when they finish a battle one time cause he knew that gladion might not do it

Gladion blushes his ass of and makes sure to always reaffirm his love for hau because the bean is a tad bit self conscious

Hau travels to jhoto and kanto to try all the food, his blog becomes quite popular in the world

Gladion stays with Lily sometimes but travels to kalos to meet with Korrina who he’s close friends with

Hau loves to bring back little keychains and accessories that will suit gladion

In turn gladden brings hau food from kalos back

They are very soft btw

——-

That’s it! Lmk if you want a pt2!

[three--rings]

Whale Weekly: Ch 2-3

Now we’re really getting into the story itself, I’m forcibly reminded how fucking WEIRD this novel is.  Like, I remember Moby Dick being weird but I read it VERY FAST for a class, like I think it was the whole book over three weeks or so.  And that was in the depths of my lit major speed-reading, when I had 500-1000 pages to read a night.  So my memory is extremely fuzzy, except for the parts my semi-deranged genius professor enacted dancing around the lecture hall (”Squeeze the sperm, Squeeze the sperm!”)

Anyway, god Ishmael is weird.  And it’s tough to say...is it Ishmael or Melville who is so weird...but anyway.

Obviously it is a book of its time, with its own objectionable prejudices.  But for all the racial, uh, TONE of these chapters, it’s interesting how diverse this book is already.

Like, it’s not hard to find a 19th century novel that never mentions the existence of non-white people.  Or that may mention POC only as a distant allegory, some other species of being who exists Over There.

But here our narrator accidentally wanders into a Black Church in the middle of service.  Oops.  But while there are Overtones to his reaction to this, it’s just a Thing that happens in a town, yanno.  He also talks about Native Americans quite often, in a way that implies he sees them fairly regularly?  IDK it’s something I noted. 

And then there’s Queequeg, who could not possibly be more othered by the POV, but, also, is going to be a very important character to the narrative. (Though is doubtless a very dubious kind of representation of Maori.) 

But that’s one thing I do appreciate about Moby Dick, is that it reflects a racially diverse reality of life in 19th century America, and in particular on the sea.  Too often “the past” is presented as something whitewashed and leads ignorant people to think of previous centuries as racially homogeneous ones.  But Melville wrote reflecting his own experiences in a working class setting, including all the people other writers might have left out.

So yeah, this book is always INTERESTING...