#look my favourite genre is historical fiction okay

[lenievi]

I wonder if I forgot or never realized that John Malkovich played Athos in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) (it's the one with DiCaprio)

I think him playing Athos is very ??? to my brain because I've only ever saw him in very uhm... not good guys roles lol and Athos was always my favourite musketeer

also gotta love French miniseries that only casted the same people over and over again (I actually mean this positively. films made in my country i love also consist of the same cast over and over again, especially those made from 1960s to 1980s)

not-Valjean and not-Javert in Napoleon (2002)

Napoleon in this series is played by the guy who played Thénardier^^ (will watch it sometimes soon, probably. I remember liking it when I saw it in the past)

considering how much French books and media I was consuming in my teenage years, it's interesting that I hated French in high school and never bothered studying for it (and almost failed it because of that ofc) - I realized this today. I was like wait, how come :D (I hated the teacher 😔)

[drakesroyalromance]

hi, i’ve been gone from the choices fandom but now i want to get back into it. can you tell me which books that have come out over the past couple of years i should read and rec some people to follow who’re still active in the fandom? i’m asking you because i trust your opinions haha

Okay, I take your trust very seriously, so this is about to get very detailed lol

I’m going to divide the books I recommend into two tiers:

Tier I - Books that are must reads: 1. Blades of Light and Shadow, book 2: Depending on how long you’ve been gone, you’ve probably already played the first book. The second one is emotional and frustrating and amazing, and ultimately a good continuation of the story. I can’t wait for book 3!

2. Crimes of Passion: It’s a murder mystery with compelling characters that are extremely lovable, and the dynamic between the two main characters is exactly the kind of dynamic I love in every iteration. The mystery itself is better in the second book than it is in the first (of course, these are all just my opinions) and I have high hopes for both what the characters’ arc is going to be in book 3 and what the mystery is going to be.

3. Immortal Desires: I don’t know if you like stories about vampires (like Twilight), but even if you don’t, you’ll probably still love this book. It has a mystery in both books too and has two of my favourite love interests. Book 2 is currently releasing on Fridays and I look forward to it every week!

Tier II - Books with parts that could’ve been better/were unsatisfactory, but that are still 100% worth reading: 1. Murder at Homecoming: This is a personal favourite of mine! I think mystery is a genre that Choices does really well, and this book is one of their most diverse and inclusive. All of the LIs are bi (like, they actually say it and have conversations about it). This book would be a must read for me if it weren’t for the fact that one of the biggest mysteries is left unsolved.

2. Kindred: This book is so fun! I love the bond between the sisters, they’re all complex characters and Kaine is one of my favourite love interests as well.

3. Guinevere: I don’t usually like historical fiction and fantasy, but this book is an exception to that. If you love Liam and Drake from TRR, this book has characters who are similar to them and have similar dynamics with the MC!

I answered an ask a while ago about which people I’d recommend following, which you can find here. That list has a lot of people that aren’t really active anymore, but I’d recommend following them anyway because they have amazing fanfiction/art that you should check out, or are just really good people. The only people on that list that are still at least somewhat active are @saivilo (whom I adore), @noahmrshall (who makes stunning edits) and @brightpinkpeppercorn (who is so nice!) I’d also recommend following these people who aren’t on that list: @lover-also-fighter-also (they’re active, post about different Choices books, and seem really cool), @moominofthevalley (they’re active, and post mainly about Crimes of Passion, so of course I follow them lol. They’re also very friendly), @aria-ashryver (they’re active, post mainly about Immortal Desires, and seem very sweet!), @mvalentine (they’re pretty active, post about different Choices books and seem super fun), @raleighcarrera (they’re kind of active, and write the most beautiful fic), and @argylemnwrites (they’re kind of active, and write Drake x MC fic that’s so in-character it’ll be forever ingrained in my brain).

I’m sure I’m forgetting some people, but those are the ones I can think of right now!

[someone-who-loves-kpop-saranghae]

Hanteez

Pairing : Han Jisung x Reader x Ateez

Lee: Reader

Ler: Han, Honjoong, Seonghwa, Wooyoung, San

Genre: Fluff, BF Han, Idol Han, Stay Reader, relationship, tickle, Han tickle, Lee!reader, Ler!Han, Skz fluff, Skz relationship, Skz tickle, Ateez ticke, Ler! Wooyoung, Ler!San, Ler!Honjoong, Ler!Seonghwa, Ateez Fluff, Ateez friends, Atiny reader, Atiny x Ateez

A/n: Okay so I think this is my longest fiction for now, it's not only a t-word related ff, so I hope you enjoy it ... I don't know if I do well since it's my first normal ff and I do absolutely not know if I am talented but I'll try my best... Hwaiting...!

***************************************************

Intro:

• Y/n, 18 years old, loves music, has a job in a restaurant, lives in seoul, parents and family in Germany, lives with her best friend, loves reading, big Kpop fan, loves Skz, Svt, BTS, Ateez, Boynextdoor, P1Harmony, Oneus, Enhypen, TXT, Itzy, BP, Dreamcatcher and many more, studies in Korea, since 3 months in Korea, speaks Korean fluently since she studied it for 5 years, loves being at night at the Han river, always listens to music, single, friendly, nice, not very tall, cute, european, loves Kdramas, loves love storys and historical dramas, likes special things, loves to learn new things, good dancer, loves black, purple, orange, red and blue (not based on me, actually based on nobody but my creativity)

• Han Jisung, 22 years old, loves music, Idol, member of Skz, rapper, member of 3Racha, lives in Seoul, Korean, ... (A/n: I guess everybody who reads this knows Han so I'll stop here since you all know what he is like)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was 10pm and you were sitting on a bench at the Han river, listening to music. You had your black headphones on and your phone played music on them. You were vibing to "Voices" of Stray Kids, who you really loved, while looking at the Han river, watching couples dating here. It was a wonderful scene and everytime you came here, you calmed down. It was not that normal to calm down at this place since it was so crowded every day. So every bench on the river was used by at least one couple. You stared at the water while your headphones played the "there are so many voices" and you sang quietly along.

There was another person this evening who wanted to calm down at Han River. Han Jisung was walking along the river and watched the people, taking care of not getting recognized. He searched for a free bench, but every single one was taken. Then he saw a girl, you, maybe a few years younger than him, sitting on a bench and wearing headphones. He saw that nobody else was sitting on this bench, so he decided to risk it and ask if he may sit there. He walked to you and you did not see him, so you ignored him. The song on your headphones changed to "Erase me" by Oneus. You absolutely loved this song.

He tapped on your shoulder to get your attention and you flinched and stopped the song as you took your headphones off and looked at him. Your eyes widenend immediately because of course you'd recognize your Bias from your second Favourite Group. But you also saw that Han, THE Han Jisung, looked very exhausted and you did not want to exhaust him more and ask for a photo and a sign. So you just waited that he said something since he stared at you for a minute now. Then he said in a friendly tone "Hello! Can I sit here, please?" And you just nodded, because you weren't sure of your voice was gonna work since HAN JISUNG stood on front of you and was about to sit down next to you.

So he sat down and you realized that you still stared at him so you looked at the Han river and not the Han next to you. You really wanted to ask him for a photo but he was sitting peacefully next to you and you did not want to annoy him. You tried to calm down and as you just went more calm you realized that HE was staring at YOU. You carefully looked at him and he smiled softly. Your heart just melted and you smiled back. Then you closed your eyes to concentrate on thw music again but the song changed to "Jump" by P1Harmony. You loved this song too and lightly moved to the sound.

He was still watching you and you were kinda nervous but the Butterflies in your stomach exploded as he asked "What song do you listen to?" . "Ohh...ehm...Jump by P1Harmony. Do you know it?" He shook his head (A/n: I have no plan if he knows this song) and you had an idea. It was maybe a bit too much but you had nothing to loose. So you asked "Do You want to hear it?" and offered him an Airpod. He looked so surprised that you had to hold back your laugher but then he just said "Sure why not. Thank you!" And you listened to the song together. You and HAN JISUNG listened to one of your favourite songs together! Your Airpod was in his ear!!!

And he actually liked it! You felt kinda proud because he moved to the song and smiled. The next song on your playlist was "PS5" by TXT and someone else and you also liked this song. You were brave and sang along and he first looked at you and seemed a bit surprised but then he sang along too! Your smile grew bigger and you two vibed to "Reason" by Dreamcatcher, "Like crazy" by Jimin, "Back in Vogue" by AleXa, "Bouncy" by Ateez and "Bite me" by Enhypen. You did not notice that over an half hour passed and you did not mind at all, you both needed that. After a few minutes you did not see him as the Idol anymore but as normal person who you could have fun with. You really enjoyed your time and he also did since he was able to forget the stress for a few minutes and just being happy with the cute girl he just met and who did not scream as she saw him.

You listened to "Take two" by BTS, to "The happiest girl" by Blackpink, "Love dive" by IVE, "Hype Boy" by NewJeans, "Antifragile" by Le Sserrafim (A/n: sorry for wrong spelling😭) , "Night Dancer" by Imase and many other songs and did not notice that it suddenly was midnight. You looked at the clock on your phone and your eyes widened. It was already 1am and you were still sitting at the Han River, listening with Han Jisung to some KPop songs you adore. "Oh my, It's already 1am I really have to go home now. I'm so sorry!" "Oh really?! Wow..." He answered and looked kinda sad as your time you had together was over.

He gave you back your Airpod and you took it, smiling thankfully. "Thank you! I'm Y/n by the way." You said and he responded with " Nice to meet you, Y/n! I'm Han Jaesung." You knew he were lying about his name but then suddenly he gave you his phone so you could add your number to his contact list. You could have taken it, running away with all those numbers and sell it. But of course you didn't. You were like a statue, not touching his phone, standing there in trace and trying to order your thoughts. He looked at you like you were a bit cringe, but then, after like one minute of him holding his phone for you to take, you were finally taking it and saved your number in it. "I liked this night so much! Thank you for it Y/nah! Let's do this again anytime." You thought your heart was stopping but you managed to nod and agree with him. "Yeah it was very cool! I actually needed that, having someone to just be with. Thank you! See you then, Han Jaesung" You waved and he waved back. As you turned around to go home, it was very hard for you to not explode. O.M.F.G. OH MY F****** GOD! You just gave HAN JISUNG your phone number! You were the luckiest person in the world this week. The whole week you were so damn happy about just the fact that he talked to you.

You did not mind as he did not contact you because you knew he was busy with Stray Kids' new Album and all the shows. But one day, 10 days after you met him, an unknown number contacted you. It actually called you! You were trembling a bit but you tapped on the green button on your screen and tried to keep your voice normal as you said : "Hello? Y/n here." He was silent but then he said "Ah Hello! I was thinking about if you maybe would like to meet me again...?" he sounded so insecure and you just tapped on the 'dumb' button and screamed. Then you turned 'dumb' off and just said " Oh Yeah! Yes of course, I'd love to! You seemed nice last time." and tried to not sound as excited as you were. "Hey cool! When are you free?" he asked and you just tried to not cry because he were so damn gentle and cute and asked you about your freetime while he was definetly more busy than you."Uhm it doesn't matter it's different." you answered and he said " Oh okay well... Then what's about tomorrow evening, 9pm at the Han river, bench 49?" (A/n: do the benchs have numbers? I guess not but let's pretend they'd have numbers...). You were so fucking excited. "Yes, that would be perfect! The time is fitting my schedule, so see you tomorrow!" You said fastly and he just answered "Yes nice! See you then!" and finished the call after you said "See you! Take care...". You felt like in trance and stared at your phone for minutes. Maybe for hours. Han. Jisung. Of. Stray. Kids. Called. You. And. Asked. For. A. well, what was it? Was it a date? A formal meeting? A simple hangover with new friends? You did not know. But you didn't mind. You were too busy screaming and laughing like a maniac. You still could not believe it.

*next day*

It was 8pm and you were standing in front of the mirror, having a big struggle. What should you wear? Should you wear Make-up? What shoes do match to your outfit? What outfits do match? Should you wear a hoodie or a crop top? And what about your hair? "AHHHH~" Someone help you please.

An half hour later were you ready. You had your hair tied to a simple plaid and wore only a little bit of Makeup. You were wearing a simple black-white half-length skirt and a black t-shirt that ended over your bellybutton. And you also wore white sneakers, black earrings and of course your precious little black-pink handbag. There you had your phone, a lipbalm, cheewinggums and, of course, your airpods in. You looked at the clock on your phone and took your key from the chest of drawers (A/n: I absolutely don't know if I said this right, it sounds suspicious but Google translater said this 🥲). "I'M GOING NOW! WHISH ME LUCK SEONGHWA!" you shouted and Seonghwa answered with a "GOOD LUCK Y/NAH! SEE U THEN!". You smiled and left the appartment. You walked downstairs and left the house. Then you crossed the street and walked to the Han river, what only took you 15 minutes. So you were 10 minutes early as you found the bench number 49. But someone was already sitting there. You looked at the person and scanned him with your eyes but then you realized that it was Han!

You went to him and sat next to him. He looked up surprised and smiled as soon as he saw you. You smiled back and said "Hi Han Jaesung. How'r u?". "Hey Y/nah! I'm a bit stressed these days but I'm happy you were able to come! I was looking forward the whole week to this..." he said a bit shyly. Your smile grew bigger. "So what do you want to do?" you asked. "What about eating ice cream or heottok and listening to music while just talking?" He answered and you nodded and smiled excited. "Sounds great!" You two stood up and went to a street with many street food shops. You decided to eat chocolate Ice Cream and bought a big cup of it. Then you bought two bottles of Coca Cola and went back to the bench. You sat down and put your Airpods out of your bag and gave him one. He put it in his ear and you started the playlist you created extra for this evening. The first song was "Make it Right" by BTS. You both knew the lyrics and sang along while you feed each other with ice cream. Yes. You read right. You feed each other with Ice cream. Han. Jisung. Was. Feeding. You. With. Chocolate. Ice. Cream. O.M.G.OMFGOMFGOMFG. But you did not see him as the idol but as someone you easily could fall in love with and you imagined yourself living with. You saw him as someone special as a person not only as an Idol. And you both enjoyed the time. "You were there for me through every times I cried, I was there for you but then I lost my mind..." You sang along the english version and this song always made you cry. As this time too.

A tear rolled down your cheek as you thought about your best friend and Boyfriend who passed away a year ago. You were always, since he died, thinking that his death was your fault since you were not there to protect him from dying, from doing suicide. You always had the feeling that you were not able to make him happy enough. You loved him so much. But nothing worth it. You loved each other. You were a couple for two years. He was dead now for one whole year. One year of depressions, bad feelings, crying yourself to sleep, missing, a giant dark hole in your heart and bad memories for you. Seonghwa helped you when you had those randomly depressions and Kpop Idols really helped you too but you were depressed for so long now. And the last time you were together with Han you realized that it was the only time in during the last year when you did NOT think about Moonbin. (A/n: I am not making a joke about Moonbins death, I cried my eyes out as I heard that he died🕊️🥀😭. I was not that a big fan of Astro but however its still so damn sad... But I did not want to name anyone who is still alive so please understand...😭) Han saw that tear and wiped it away, feeding you with another portion of healing chocolate ice cream.

You were only crying more and he hugged you tight. You cried your eyes out on his shoulder and he rubbed your back to calm you down and as there were no more tears to let out, you slowly calmed down. And you really felt refreshed and better. All the other times you just felt bad and uncomfy after crying that helpless and alone in your room but this time you felt better. You felt that Han liftet a little bit of the tons of weights on your shoulders. Through all this time, he said nothing and was just there for you, even when you just know each other for about a week now. When you completely calmed down, you sat back again and did not look at him, being embarassed. "Hey" he said. "It's okay" and you looked at him carefully. "I'm sorry I did not had control over my feelings" you said and he just nodded and offered you another spoon of ice cream. You took it and you were quiet again, and when you were ready he asked "Do you want to talk about it? It sometimes helps...". You looked at him surprised but then you nodded. Why not...?

You told him your story. Begining with your growing, your dead parents and your unfriendly family. Your old friends in Germany who cheated at you and became fake friends. Your travel to Korea. Your new-start in Korea. Your Job, your friends in Korea. How you get to know Seonghwa. How you get to know Moonbin. How happy you were. Your passion for KPop and the country. Moonbins death. Your hard time after that. But you let out the fact that he helped you. That his band helped you so damn much to find yourself again and to crawl out of your hole. That he was helping you with just being there, that Felix' Voice healed your wounds, that one look at Hyunjin made you happy, that Chan's Lives made you have someone to rely on, that Changbin's Aegyo always make you laugh, that Seungmin always made you happy with just being there. That Minho's existence was your strength and I.N's singing your savior. (A/n: sorry this is so deep...)

He listened to you and you felt like being understood. After you finished, he asked you some questions and you answered them and when you ate all the ice cream up, he asked "Hey, do you want to got to a Karaoke-room?" "Yeah, good idea why not!" You answered and smiled in excitement. You two stood up, threw away the cup and went to a Karaoke-room nearby. You booked it for 4 hours and went in. The room was cute. It was really cute and it was romantic. The walls were black with cute rainbow hearts and the sofa was rainbow colored too. The little table in front of the sofa had the colour of rainbow too. You loved it. You threw your bag on the couch and turned on the screen and the mic. Then you two sang the first song. 'Super' by Seventeen. You got 89%. Not bad! You continued and between the songs you talked about this and that and both of you enjoyed the time so much. So you were very surprised as it was already 3am when you left the room. He drove you home and said good night to you, and that he would call you next time. You smiled at him and went into the house with a "Bye Oppa! See u next time! I had so much fun..." He laughed as you called him 'oppa' and waved at you. "Me too!" You went in your appartment, took your shoes of, changed your clothes into something comfy, got ready in the bathroom and fell into the bed, already asleep, at 3:30am.

"Bye Sarah! Have a good afternoon! See u tomorrow gurl!" you said and smiled friendly. Sarah looked at you, seeming a bit confused. "You're very happy the last weeks. Not like before... you were like a agressive panther. What happened?" she asked and you blushed lightly. "No-Nothing special... I maybe just met someone~" you said and her eyes grew wider. " WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me? I want to know everything!" she shouted and you looked around. " Don't be that loud! We're in a Café!" but then you laughed. " I'm sorry bestie but I don't think I can tell you yet... I don't even know if there is or will be more but he ... he just...." You did not know how to continue and she laughed. " Oh okay I understand ~ See u tomorrow babe!" she said and waved at you, still smiling. "Bye Sarah!" you said and waved back.

~ 1 Week later ~

You had the night work time and you had to stay in the café until 11pm. It was exhausting but you were earning more money because nobody wanted to do this job. So you took it and you actually liked it because there were not so many people at this time and you were a night owl. There were exactly five customers in the café and it was 7pm. Four hours left. You took in an airpod and played the 'work playlist' while delivering coffee, tea, cookies and pieces of cakes. You gave bills and received money for your good work. At 10pm there were only two customers left. One hour~

Then suddenly a new customer came in and you looked up. He had a mask on his face and you just realized that his gait seemed a bit like you knew it but there could be hundrets of people who had the same gait. So you smiled friendly and asked "Annyeonghaseyo! How can I help you?". He looked at you and under his cap you saw his eyes. And yours grew wider. "Han! What are you doing here?" you whispered and he looked at you confused. You remembered that you pretended to not know him as Idol and fastly changed the tone of your voice. "I mean why are you here? How did you know that I would be here?" you said and he chuckled. "I did not know. I just wanted a coffee.". "At 10pm?" you asked and lifted one eyebrow. "Yes. It's gonna be a long night..." he sighed. "But now since I know that you work here I'll come more often. I promise!" he placed his hand on his heart and you laughed. "It's allrigt. So which coffee do you want?" you asked. "An Americano please." "Was that everything?" you looked at him confused. "Yes that was all". Well okay...

He sat down at the bar and you prepared his coffee. As you were done you saw that he was busy with his phone and decided to give him some specials. You took a little cupcake and placed it on the plate. Then you placed two mini-cookies on top of it and drew a heart in the coffee. NOW it was done. You smiled and turned around to give him his 'coffee'. He looked up when you were placing the cupcake and the coffee in front of him. "Oh! I just ordered a coffee, don't you remember?" he looked at it. "Yeah I do, it's on me. You look like you need a little cupcake like that." You answered and he laughed. "Okay well, thank you Y/nah!" You smiled proudly and sat down on the other site of the bar while watching him.

He was eating the cupcake like there was no tomorrow and you chuckled. "What? Is something wrong with me?" he looked at you confused, once again today. "Oh no, it's all right ^^" you smiled angelic and he grinned. "Okay, if you say so..." He ate the rest of the cupcake but only drank a bit of the coffee. "By the way... Do you want to date again? I really enjoyed the last time and I think I really Like you." Your eyes nerly fell out of your hollows. " Wow~ Of-of course! I-I-I like you too... " He smiled at you in awe and you blushed hardly. "Sooo~ what about Sunday At Lotte Park? Let's meet at 8pm!" he offered you. "Yeah! Sure! I wanted to go to Lotte park the whole last month but I did not find time..." you said and smiled excited. "Nice! Im really looking forward to it!" he said ans sounded just as excited as you were. Then he took his cup and put on the mask. "I have to go now... But we'll see each other sunday, right? See u then, Y/nah!" He waved at you and you waved back. "See u sunday, Han Jaesung!" He went out of the door and you fell back into the chair.

Well... Han called your meetings 'dates' himself. So that means you're.... you're dating Han Jisung. F*** WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LIFE?! Calm down~ Breathe in.... Breathe out.... Breathe in... Breathe out.... Oh f*** this shit YESSS!!! And luckily it was 10:55pm and there were only five minutes left until you were able to close the café. "I'm sorry? We're closing in five minutes, please be ready to leave mister" you told the customer who was left. He looked at you and you saw that it was an old man. "You're happy right? Enjoy your youth as much as possible~" he said and left the café. "What the hell was that?" you whispered but you didn't mind anymore. It was 10:59pm and you went to the kitchen, took the key and locked the door. You changed your clothes and took your stuff. Then you checked if everything was turned off and left the door. You locked the door and went home.

"I'm baaaaack!" you shouted, knewing Seonghwa was still awake. He came to you. "Did anything happen or why are you so hyped?" "Yeah actually something happened but I won't tell you since you won't believe me..." you said and his eyes widened. "You know I'll always believe you! Tell me!" "Noo I promise you won't believe me!" you whined. "Ohh and I promise if you don't tell me I'll make you~" he said teasingly. You slowly went back but he came with you. "Tell meeeee~" He suddenly squeezed your sides mercylessly and dug his thumb on the other hand in your hip. "NHAHAHAHA SEONGHWAAAAHAHAHAH STAHAHAHAHP I'LL TELL YOU STAHAHAHAHAP" You screamed. It was unbelievable that your best friend had the same name as Seonghwa from Ateez. The Ateez member was so angelic and cute and your best friend was so evil... He was cute though but he tickled you so often! You were sure the Ateez member would never do that! (Well people can have a wrong opinion, right) Seonghwa stopped finally while you were trying to catch your breathe again.

"So You'll finally tell me now, am I right?" he smirked. "Ye-yes but please promise to not laugh at me." you blushed. "Okay fine I will." he said and his face turned curious again. "Well... You know I had these hangouts with Han Jisung of SKZ right?" you started. "Yes... Yeah right I remember" he said and nodded. "Ehm... today he came to the café I work in..." you continued and he looked at you. "How did he know you were working in there?" he asked. "I don't know! But he said he did not, he just wanted a coffee. Ehm yes... He asked if I want to date him." you said and closed your eyes. Seonghwa gasped. "WHAT!!! Ohmygod that's great! Wasn't he your bias from Skz?""Yeah right... And I think I already have feelings for him... But I don't know yet." you said and turned around to not let him see your face. "Aww how cute! Then it's even more great! I really want you to be happy again!" he said and you heard the sweet smile in his voice. You also smiled. "Hey Y/nah let's watch a few KDrama episodes since it's saturday. Do you wanna do this?" Seonghwa asked and you nodded excited. "Sure! I'm only gonna change my clothes..." you said and went into your room.

Ten minutes later you went into the living room again. You were wearing a big hoodie and wide trousers. You also washed your makeup off. Seonghwa, who was sitting at the sofa, waved at you and opened his arms. You jumped into his hug and you two cuddled. "Do you wanna continue watching 'I'm not a robot'?" he asked and you mumbled a "yes why not, I like it" into his chest. He smiled and turned on the Kdrama. "What episode did we watch last?" "12 I think..." you said and sat up, still having his arms around you. You leaned your head on his shoulder and he leaned his head against yours. You missed him so much. The last days he was very busy with work, he worked at HYBE ENTERTAINMENT and was busy with BOYNEXTDOOR's debut stuff. You have always been jealous because of his job but he loved it and you were never thinking bad about him or his job. You loved him just the way he was and the way he was your best friend of all time and for all times.

~ Next morning, 9:45am ~

You woke up because you smelled something. Something delicious. You immediately knew it was Seonghwa because there was nothing else that could create a great smell like him and he was a great cook. He was really great! You opened your eyes and saw him standing in the kitchen and making breakfast. You looked at the watch on the wall and your eyes grew wider. It was already 9:47am! Today was your date with Han! You slept 8 hours! Wow... new record for the last year. You never slept longer that 6 hours... But now you didn't mind anymore because you had to go to the toilet. You REALLY had to go. Aishhh shit~

As you were ready, you had changed your clothes, washed your face and brushed your teeth and your hair. Seonghwa was done with making breakfast and you two ate together. The rest of the day you two finished watching the kdrama, watched YouTube together and played some games. Then it was 6pm. And from one second to the other you were stressed. Extremely stressed... You had to be ready in 2 hours! You ran into your room and needed 30 minutes to choose an outfit, accesoires and makeup. After another 45 minutes you were done with your look. You wore a cute long, wide, bright blue jeans with big holes on the knees and a black hoodie with an ATEEZ sign on it. It was maybe a bit overdressed or not suitable but you knew Skz and Ateez were close so it maybe was a good idea... or not... well let's hope it was a good. You had your hair done to a cute messy bun and wore a bit of makeup. Not much. Just to make your face glow. Now it was 7:15pm. You choose a grey bag this time and again the white sneakers you loved. You checked your look once and twice until Seonghwa came in and told you that you look great. You were a bit calmed but not that much. But however you could not do much now, so you decided to go now. Seonghwa hugged you tight and smiled at you. "Have fun Y/nah. Enjoy your date! Please enjoy... I'll cheer for you!". You smiled and he smiled back. "I will, I promise. Thank you Seonghwa. Really. You're the best friend I ever had. I'll ever have. No, you're the best friend on earth!" He laughed and then you opened the door. "Bye Seonghwaaaaaa!" "Bye Y/naaaaaa" you both laughed and you went down and left the house. Then you took the subway and drove to Lotte Park.

You arrived at the park at 7:48pm. Han texted you the location where he was waiting and you went there. From afar you saw him standing there and you waved. He waved back and went to you. "Hey Y/nah! I'm happy you're here. Let's go!" he said and you smiled. You two went to the entrance and stood in line. He wore a black mask so he would not get recognized and you decided to wear one too. So you two wore couple looks! Cute~ As you were the ones to pay he gave the woman on the other side the money and you wanted to give the money for one card too but he held you back and said "No It's allright, I'll pay since it's a date, right cutie?". You blushed and put the money back in your wallet. The woman smiled in awe and as you got the tickets, you entered the park. (A/n: I have never been at Lotte park so I don't know if every information is right but let's ignore this...) You went to the walls with lockers and took one key. You both put your bag in, you only took your phones. And he took some money since he did not let you pay a single Won tonight.

Your next station was a ghost-rollercoaster (idk how to say it in english but yk those scary slow rollercoasters in dark rooms with ghosts, ect...). You went in and got two seats. You were extremely easy to startle so you sat nearer to him and he put an arm on your shoulder to protect you. The first minutes you were kinda too busy with managing with your melted heart. But then you often screamed or flinched and he pulled you nearer to him. It was such an adorable scene~

After that scary adventure you went to a Bungee-Jumping station. You fist were completely 102% NOT for it but he asked longer that you could stand him. Now you were both standing on top of the constellation and had three guys packing you in safety-stuff. You decided to jump together in each others arms and the staff of the bungee-jumping attraction took good care of you. As soon as the people behind you were done with you, Han pulled you in bis arms and you pulled your arms around him. You closed you eyes and stuck your face in his chest. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygodwhydidisayyesahhh" you said the 'Oh my god' as mantra and Han chuckled. "C'mon it's gonna be fun!" "Nah I dunno but if we die I'll kill you!"

He laughed and his laugh turned into a scream as you were jumping down. You screamed too. And HOW you screamed... You were scared Han's ears were broken after that but you were too busy to continue screaming and being scared because you fell. Deeper and deeper... Then, suddenly, you stopped and the elastic safety-thing pulled you up. But you just jumped up and fell down again, hanging there over the floor, like 10 meters over the floor and 50 meters under the crane... Everytime you two jumped up you screamed. Han was not screaming anymore but laughed. He laughed so much that you could not help but laugh too after a few minutes of screaming. As you were pulled up, you two were laughing like crazy that your stomaches hurt. The personal looked at you in a suspicious way but you didn't mind and took the elevator to get out of this high crane. As you were on the floor again you started laughing again and ran out of the crane, just running all over the place to a ferris wheel. Then you stood in line and were actually in a extremely good mood.

You paid your tickets and were the next soon. You went into a tiny room and sat down next to each other. You took your phones, ready to make photos of the night view of the skyline of Seoul. (A/n: I want to go to Korea right now😭) The big thing (A/n: sorry😭) moved on and after a few minutes you were at the highest point. Then suddenly it stopped because the next ones were getting in. You took photos and then Han wanted to take a selfie with you (!). "Hey Y/nahh smileeeee~" You looked at the camera and smiled in a cute way. He made his cute Quokka-face and you smiled just more. Then you took your phone and made a selfie with him too. You saw him saving the photo as wallpaper and you saved yours as wallpaper too. He watched you and as you looked up he smiled softly. The ferris wheel did not move yet and you were still sitting in 60meters height.

He pulled you closer to him and hugged you from the side. You hugged him back and enjoyed the skyline of Seoul. It was a wonderful scene... You sat like this the rest of the time you sat in this tiny room and were close to each other. You both enjoyed the rest of the night. You two had so much fun and did every attraction and as the park closed you walked through Seoul and explored some high places where you had a wonderful sight. You came home late the next morning. You were back at 5am after he drove you home. Seonghwa was asleep and you just prepared yourself for bed and slept until 4pm.

*3 months later*

"OMG I can't believe it! Seonghwa, am I dreaming?!" Seonghwa laughed and shook his head. "No You're not. You're just so excited to go with Han on a Ateez concert. Haha" he told you. "Right... OMGGGGGGGG I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!" Han confessed a week before that he was Han Jisung from Stray Kids. You only said 'I know' and he actually said 'You know, We know, Lee Know'. You laughed. "I actually love Stray Kids" you told him and he smiled cutely. And then, finally you were brave enough to say "And I love you". He confessed too and you were a couple for one week now. After you confessed he offered you a Concert ticket of Ateez Tour in Seoul for today's evening. You had not had the chance to get a ticket so you were sad as you did not get one but then HE came...! You immediately said Yes and hugged him. He had tickets for the first row and because he knew them in person and was close with then he got a backstage invitation too. You were now part of it. You'll meet your f****** favourite Group...

Now it was 11am on a Saturday morning and you were ready to go. You waited for Han to come and drive to the concert location. You wore a black Ateez-World-Tour t-shirt, a black Jacket with Wooyoungs Face on the back and a simple black jeans with big black boots. You had your hair in your natural blonde colour but you had died some pieces of your hair orange and black. You wore it open and did not wear heavy makeup, just a small Ateez Logo on your cheek and a bit Lipgloss and Mascara. Your earrings were black and orange too. You had an Ateez-bag too with all the important stuff like your phone, the headbangs you were going to wear, a bottle of Water, Snacks, An other jacket, sunglasses and some other merchandises. On the other hand you had your Lightiny in the Lightiny-Case. You were more than ready. Just the butterflies in your stomach were not ready. Them the doorbell rang and you jumped in excitement. "Omggg So excited!!! See you Seonghwa! I'm gonna spam you🫶🏻" you said and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled softly and waved at you. "Bye Y/nahh🫶🏻" he said and opened the door for you. "Have fun! And enjoy it!!!" "Of course I will, how can I not?!" you laughed and waved at him, then you ran downstairs.

Han laughed as he saw you. "Hello Y/nah! Haha, you're a real Atiny I guess~" You blushed "Euh yess... Am I too overdressed?" you asked. "Nah, I'm sure they'll love it!" je said confident and you smiled happily. He took your bag and put it in the car. Then he wanted to take your Lightiny in the car too but you shook your head and pressed it on your chest. He laughed and you two sat into the car. Then he drove the long way to the concert location while you two listened to Ateez Songs the whole hour with the Bluetooth speaker in the car.

An hour and 24 minutes later you were at the location. You saw a huuuuge Ateez Poster over the olympic stadium and everywhere were those Ateez flags of the MVs. You saw so many little shops and many, many people. Soooo many people. And all were Atinys. You felt like you finally came home...And of course you heard Ateez music all over the place. It was so damn great! As you found a place where you could park, you opened the door and Han did so too. You took your bag out of the car and put the Lightiny in it. Then you looked at Han. "Let's go?" you said and he saw your excitement and laughed. "Of course! I see you can't wait any longer~" "Wohoo" you shouted and some people looked at you. But they did not find you weird, they smiled! They smiled!?! But don't mind, you smiled back and you and Han moved forwards to the other Atinys. The first one came to you. "Hello Atiny!!! Nice too see u! Where giving the others the cards for the concert! You know, the cards with the message from Atiny for Ateez! Where are your seats?" A girl with black hair and a "Ateez" headbang came to you and directly spoke to you. "Hey Atiny! Thank you so much! Were directly in the front..." "OMG soo jealous haha, Can I give you my number and you send me the Videos? That would be soooo great..." she laughed and smiled at you. "Yeah sure! Of course, I mean, we're family! Btw I'm Y/n!" "YASSS!!! Oh I love you sis! Thank you soo much! I'm Lee Jangha! Nice to meet you!" she said excited. You laughed and then you gave her your phone. She saved her number in it and then she took a selfie with you and saved it as profile picture. "ThAnK YoU!" she said. "Oh and for which song are we showing the card?" you asked. "When they are singing Halazia! I'm sure we and they'll do great! But I have to go now... See u! And enjoy the concert!!!" she hugged you and then she went to another Atiny.

After 3 hours you had your bag full of photocards, merchandise, posters, albums and more. And your phone storage full of Selfies and pictures with other Atinys, with Han or with the figures of Ateez. You also took so many photos of the place. It was so great~ Now it was 04:30 pm and you had some time left until the concert started. You two went to a food shop and ate tteokbokki (A/n: sry if i wrote this in the wrong way i guess you know what I mean). You drank coca cola and bought two more of those customized bottles of coke. They were so pretty! One had Seonghwas face on it and the other Yeosangs. You sat down at a more quiet place since it was only 1 and a half hour before the concert starts. You took your Lightiny out of the bag and opened the app. Then you paired your Lightiny with the app and scanned your ticket. As it was paired, you stood up and went to the stadiums entrance because it opened in a few minutes. The butterflies in your stomach had gone crazy and you were so. Fucking. Excited. (A/n: I am actually excited but I'm just writing it ...) Then the doors opened and there were like 30.000 people who all wanted to go in now. But since Atiny was a great fandom, nobody was hurt and they even did a huuuuuuuuuge line. You packed the card in your bag and put out the tickets, Han holding your arm to not loose you. You knew that he was excited too. You had offered him a few merchandises too but he only said that you were the bigger fan.

Then you were the next in line and showed the security your tickets, who scanned it and then showed you the direction your places were. You went in screaming and shouting because you did not want to hold it back anymore. You were the happiest now and everybody should see/hear it. ^^ You found your places and sat down, placing the card somewhere they could not see it but you could take it easily. Then you took your bag under the chair and drank something. You had to wait 45 minutes until the concert started. You sat down and talked about this and that with Han and he told you about some experiences he had with the Ateez Members. He made you laugh a multiple times and then the Atinys who had tickets for the places next to you came. You talked with them too and since you came along good with then you exchanged your numbers. Rhen you talked about things Atinys normaly talk about *like Ateez* and waited for the concert to start. Then suddenly all the lightsticks in the hall turned on and the whole stadium screamed. You turned on your camera and held it turned to the stage. Then the lights were going out and the sound turned on. The whole stadium screamed like crazy snd you screamed too. So. F******. Loud.

It was the best concert you ever experienced. You were singing and screaming the whole time, shaking your Lightiny and dancing. The girls next to you, Lia and Xiona, two Japanese girls, did the same. It was soo good. They sang all your favourite songs and everyone looked at you multiple times. Wooyoung send you a flying kiss and you nearly colabsed. Honjoong stole your card to have one and San winked at you. Seonghwa send you a finger heart and Mingi too. Yeosang smiled at you and showed you a thumb up, his finger showing on your look. Yunho took your phone and brought in on the stage, filming the view they had of thousands of Atinys and he was filming all the members, who all looked at the camera and then he filmed you and him on the same screen. Jongho saw Han and waved at you two. Your heart literally melted. And your poor little Fangirl-heart was going to die because you would meet them in person backstage with Han.

It was a half hour after the concert and you were still hyped. It was SOO COOL!!! Your second biggest Atiny-Dream came true and your biggest Atiny-Dream will come true in a half hour! You and Han were sitting in front of the huge Building and you sent the Videos and photos to your new Atiny friends, you even had a chatroom! Called 'AtinySeoul'. (Creative, ik.) Han was busy with his phone too, and you were chatting with the girls from AtinySeoul.

*One new message - AtinySeoul*

Lia: Oh My GoD! AaAaAaAh! SaAaAN! I mean I saw it live but OMG HE LOOKED AT YOUR CAMERA DIRECTLY! I'LL GO DIE NOW BYE

You: NoOoO You can't die San needs you! I have a Sanie-Surprise for you later on~

Lia: WHAT IS IT

You: YOU'LL GET TO KNOW LATER

Xiona: Guys! You: WHAT

Lia: WHAT

Xiona: Do u have a Yunho surprise for me too ^^

You: 🤣

Lia: 😭🤣

You: Of course Mrs Yunhooooooooooooooos wifeu

Xiona: YAaAaAAaS!

Lia: JEONEUN SANIES WIFEU

Xiona: Yeah ofc NOT! NOBODY OF US WILL MARRY EM

You: true I'll marry sbd else but I'LL always LOVE ATEEZ AHHHHHHHHHH

Xiona: SAMEUUUUUU

Lia: Who are you going to marry?!

Jangha: ...

You: Ooh hi Janghaaaa

Lia: Annyeong

Xiona: Hellouu

Jangha: What about Jongho...?

You: Haha sureeeeeeeeee

You: Have to go now gurls see u then~

Lia: Byeeee

Jangha: Bb

Xiona: See u

You: *went offline*

"Sooooo~ Are you ready to meet your favourite group of all time?!" Han shouted. "NOOOOO" you shouted back and you both laughed. But the Butterflies in your stomach went crazy. You were so. Damn. Excited. Ahhhhhhhh. (A/n: Am excited too again 😅 hope you like it until this point...) He went to the stadium again and the security guy recognized Han and let him in. You went on and another security guy brought you to the stage. You climbed up and you were allowed to stand ont he position they were standing. You took so many pictures and selfies from that Position (😅). Then you went backstage and you were shivering so hard this time. You walked slowly besides Han and the security guy. They walked through the backstage rooms and rhen the security guy stopped in front of a door. On the door, there was a big writing, saying '에이티즈' . And then Han knocked and you heard the voices inside stopp talking. Then someone opened the door and you looked directly in Honjoongs smiling face.

You covered your mouth with your hands as he smiled at you and then took your and Hans hands and took you inside the room. "Helloooooooo" the eight members said. Han waved and hugged each one of them. You just stood there, covering your face with your hands and not believing it. Then you screamed as you heard a loud "Boooooh!" from behind you. Nine people laughed about your cute reaction and someone put an arm around your shoulders. You was still covering your face what was not all red. Poor you. But then they tried to make you let them see your face but you were way too stubborn and shy. Extremely shy...

Han was just sitting between them and laughing. San was still standing next to you, you heard his voice, as someone stood on your other sode and put an arm around your shoulders too. "C'mooon we won't bite!" You heard Wooyoung saying. "I have an idea~" and you heard that he was way too near your ear. Then you flinched as someone poke your side. Wooyoung laughed and San did too, the whole room laughed. And you were just standing there being extremely shy and partying inside because F*CK WOOYOUNG JUST POKE YOU AHHHH!!!!! Well, he did it again since you did not let them see your face. He did it again... And again... You flinched harder everytime because he was getting nearer to one of your weak spots. San on the other side joined and they pole your sides from left and right....

You let out a few giggles and Wooyoung made an "Awww" sound while San said that it was the cutest sound he ever heard. Then Wooyoung squeezed your side and you squeaked and sqealed. You finally put down your hands, trying to cover your sides. San squeezed your other side too and poor you were not able to stop them. Your knees get weak and you were trying to sit down, escaping them while you were laughing and squealing. You tried to let sour laugher go silent because you were very insecure about your reactions but they seemed like they were enjoying it. Then they finally let you go and Wooyoung hugged you, San joining. Wooyoung lifted you up and sat on the sofa, placing you between him and Hongjoong.

"So you're Hans Girlfriend?" Honjoong asked. "Ehm yes, Yes I am..." you answered while blushing. "How old are you?" Yunho asked. "I'm 19." you said. "Wow you're pretty young!" "Ehm yes I guess I am..." "What's your name?" Yeosang asked. "I'm Y/n" "Aww pretty name" "thank you..." "Where are you from?" Jongho asked. "I'm from Germany...." "Are you Atiny?" San asked. "No! I mean why should I? not that I'm dying right now bcz I talk to you guys" "HEY!!!" Honjoong and Wooyoung shouted and started poking your sides again.

"Nohohoho I dihihidn't mehahahn thahahat I mehahahan lohoohok ahahat mehehe" Hongjoong stopped. "Okay that's right. But it could be all fake ..." he continued again, smiling adorably. They tortued you a few more minutes but then you finally came free. "Next question" Han said. "Who's your bias?" Seonghwa asked. "Wait do u really want to know this?" you asked. "Yess!!!" everybody said. "It's Wooyoung..." you said and blushed . You covered your face again and Wooyoung hugged you. "Awwe thank you!" Hongjoong poke your sides AGAIN. "Why not meeeee~" "Hehehehey I love you all! AHHHH!!!!" he poke a worse spot and you fastly covered your mouth. "Uh-ohhhh" San teased. "Oh c'mon nooooo I want to get to know you first!" you whined. "Okay well, Give us your number, we're gonna see each other often since you are the Gf of Han now." Yunho said. Han nodded.

You took videos of all of them talking to your new Atiny-Friends through camera. That was the surprise. Maybe they're gonna know then someday but not yet. You sent the videos in the group chat and your phone exploded, so you just turned it off. The rest of the evening, you had fun with Ateez and Han, but then around 11pm you had to go. The members promised to meet you again and you were so happy and grateful that you were able to meet them in person. At 1am you were home and fell instantly into your bed.

~ Next morning, 8am ~

"Y/nahhhh! Yahhhh! Wake UP! Or i'm gonna tickle you!" you heard someone say. But you were so freaking tired. And you didn't mind who it was, you just wanted to sleep. "C'moooon wake uuuuuuuup!". "Go awayyy" you mumbled and turned around. "Well if you're not gonna wake up now~" "AHHH OKAY OKAY I'M AWAKE I'M STOOOOHOHOP" Seonghwa had started to tickle your feet under the blanket. He stopped. "Ahh what's the matter" you asked. "Oh are you kidding me? Your phone is ringing partout since 6am and the telephone too! I can't make it stop! Please turn it oooooff!" he whined. "I can't sleep like this!". "Why didn't I hear anything" you said. "Because you were sleeping like a Stone! Now c'moooon get up." "Okay okay I'll turn everything off" you said and sat up. You brushed through your messy hair with your fingers and stood up. Then you went to the living room, where the telephone rang. So Seonghwa didn't lie. You turned the button "mailbox" on so everyone who called you was able to leave a message in the mailbox for you. Then you went to your phone and turned it of. There were way too many missed calls and new messages.

*284 new messages*

*447 missed calls*

"What the heeeeeell" you went back to your room and wanted to go back in your bed, but there was already someone in. Seonghwa layed there peacefully and seemed to sleep. Poor guy, he must have had very less sleep. You layed down next to him and hugged him from the side. He hugged you back and you soon fell back asleep.

*6 months later*

"Left Hand Seonghwa!" Yeosang shouted. You lifted your left hand from the Ateez-Twister game and put it on Seonghwas picture face. There were only you, Honjoong and Jongho left. "Y/nah! Y/nah! Y/nah!" your boyfriend Han cheered for you. The rest of the Ateez members, Yeosang, Wooyoung, Yunho, Mingi, Seonghwa and San sat on the floor and watched you in amusement. Then Jongho was the next to move "Right foot Mingi!", said Wooyoung. Jongho moved his right foot from Yeosang to Mingi and while doing this, you pushed Honjoong. Honjoong lost his balance and fell over. "HONJOONG OUT!" San shouted. "Ohhhhhhh you're so gonny pay for this" Honjoong shouted and looked at you with an angry but amused face. But you were too busy to hold your balance as that you were able to mind about what he said. You better did. "Y/n left foot Wooyoung" Seonghwa told you. You did and now it was much more difficult to hold your balance and Jongho was there too. You had your head directly next to his shoulder but he was kind enough to not push you. You couldn't either.

"AHHHHHHH NOHOHO AHAHAHA STAHAAHP OKAHAHAHY OHAHAHAY" you suddenly screamed. Poor Jongho. But Wooyoung had started tickling you to make you fall since he knew how effective it was on you. He squeezed your sides and scratched over your ribs and you went weak soon. "Stahahap I cahahahn't tahahake ihihit" you begged and then you fell down. Jongho won... Again... "JONGHO, JONGHO, JONGHO!!!!" the Ateez members shouted and you sat up and cheered for him too. Mingi went to him to dance with him and Wooyoung and San jumped through the whole room. Han had a call and went out to take it and Yunho, Seonghwa and Yeosang were standing there and watching the scene in amusement.

But where was Hongjoong? You were not able to see him. Then suddenly something came from behind you and pulled you back. It was Honjoong. He tackled you down on the floor and made you sit on your wrists and sat on your tighs himself. You knew what was coming. "Oh nonononononono please Honjoong don't I'm begging you please don't do this we can talk about this please please please pleaseeeee ahahahahah" you tried to beg but then he just smirked, shook his head and spidered all over your tummy. It was unbearable. You giggled and your giggles became louder as he started to scribble over your ribs and hips too. The other members watched you in amusement. "Pleahahase helhehehlp mehehe" you begged but the other seven guys just looked at you, their eyes saying sorry. "We'd be next if we would" Yeosang said and shivered. The others nodded and you tried to help yourself. "I said You're gonna pay for this Y/nahhh~" Honjoong said ans smirked. Then he squeezed your soft skin all over your midsection, twording you like hell.

Then he dug his thumbs into your hips. You were so dead. "AHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA" you screamed and laughed like a maniac sonce it was one of your worst spot. You heard Yunho saying "I love our soundproof walls here". You blushed and finally escaped your hands. But you knew fighting back would not be very helpful so you covered your face once again. By the way you were tworded to death by KIM HONGJOONG. AHHHH. OMFG. (A/n: Did you ever feel jealous of any Y/n? I am btw) Since he was still one of your favourite Oppas of all time. He tortured you like 10 minutes, digging bis thumbs into your worst spot, right above your hipbone, but then your laugher went silent and you went out of breath. He stopped and sat on the floor, pulling you in a comforting hug. You loved his hugs. He ist so freaking sweet. And angelic~ When he is not twording people to death...

*later this day*

"What did Honjoong do to you that you were that red?" Han asked. You were sitting at the sofa in his dorm, the other skz members all had plans this evening so you had all for you. "You-you didn't hear anything?" you asked with a suspicious look at him. "No... Was there something to hear?" he asked. "Euhm... well... Yes I guess?" you tried to say. "What was it?" he asked. "Ehm... Honjoong just t... t... ti.... tick..... t..... ahhhh I can't say it" you whined. "What?" he asked. You took your phone and write the word down. "Ohhhh~ I understand~" he said and smirked. You put your phone back on the table. "Fine..." you said and covered your blushed face. "So he did it like this?" Han asked and poke your sides and ribs fastly. "Hey! Hehehehy! Stohohop! Hahahan!" you tried to escape but he already grabbed your waist and put his legs around you. "Oh noo! I wanna try it too~" he said teasingly. He sneaked a hand under your pullover and scribbled over your ribs and tummy. "Ahahhahha nohohooh pleahahahs I hahad enouhohohogh" you begged but no chance. He squeezed your sides then. "NahahahAAHH nohohohOOH dohohohHOON'T!" your voice went sometimes a few octaves higher as he hit a special place. He clearly had fun. You either. But he wanted to try everything since you did not even fight back. He dug his fingers in your hips and drew tiny circles there to make you go crazy. "NAHAHAHAAAAAAA HAHAAAAAAAN!!!" " yes Jagi~" he said teasingly.

He tortued you on this spot like for ten minutes but then he turned you around and took your feet in a headlock. "Oh nononoono Han plaese noooot" you begged but he didn't mind at all... He started scribbling, spidering, clawing and poking all over your hypersensitive soles until your laugher went silent. Then he pulled you in a sweet, warm Quokka-hug. You two fell asleep in SKZ' dorm soon...

~ END ~

A/n: OMG I FINALLY finished this it took me SO LONG AHH! I really hope you like it... It's not only a t-word related ff, I wanted to try if I am good at this.... Please let me know if you didn't lile it... Or request something when you feel so! Am open to any requests, but I don't know any group, but am open to get to know then if you adk for a fic about them. I love Ateez, BTS, SKZ, Enhypen, TXT, Day6, BP, Itzy, Eric Nam, Oneus, Svt, P1Harmony any some others but now thank you for reading until here, I really hope it did not bore you... I can do a series about this maybe... I could publish sometimes some episodes based on this...

[semper-legens]

10. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

Owned: No, library Page count: 863 My summary: Claire Randall was not expecting much adventure from her honeymoon to Scotland. It's 1946, and the country is still healing from the trauma of the Second World War - Claire and her husband were looking forward to a quiet time away in the country. But when Claire stumbles into a set of standing stones, she finds herself in far over her head. She's fallen back in time, back to 1743, and her husband's great-great-great grandfather has his eyes on her. But Claire has bigger problems. Will she ever get back to her home time? And, given her growing attachment to the young Jacobite she met in the 18th century, will she want to? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Well. This is. Not something I expected to find myself reading, I'm not going to lie. I'm gonna straight-up admit that this is due to prejudice on my part - this series is the kind of thing that I associate with middle-aged women, and I don't generally read middle-aged women fiction. But I gave this a shot. It's a romance, which isn't usually my genre, but it's also historical and political and wider than singly the romance story, which is why I wanted to give it a shot. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with romance inherently, I'm just not into it as a genre, so I'm not necessarily gonna enjoy romance if there's nothing else that's in it for me there. Anyway. All of this to say, I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to, and I'm a little salty about it.

(Warning for talk of rape and sexual assault under the cut.)

As you can tell from the page count, this book's huge, so I'm not gonna talk about every aspect - just a few that jumped out at me. So let's talk about our main characters! Claire and Jamie, a 1940s nurse and a 1740s Jacobite. They're so endearing. Claire is full of personality - she's hotheaded, she's stubborn, she's got a lot of contradictions and flaws, and she's intensely competent. Despite coming from nearly 200 years in the future, she's never really patronising or demeaning towards the people she finds in the past, which is nice - particularly as the narrative also treats them as full people with intelligence as well. Jamie, on the other hand...damn, this is my sorta character. A big strong long-haired history boy with a tragic backstory? Like, I know that Jamie's characterisation is largely there to be appealing to the presumed-straight-woman reader (he's buff, respects Claire, has a tragic backstory and constantly needs healing, etc) but it also falls into my camp of My Favourite Little Woobie. Helps that he's also funny, sweet, and sensitive when need be. He's got depths beyond his character outline, and I like that.

In a historical novel, I'm always looking for how the narrative relates to historicity, and this holds up pretty well. I don't know much about the Jacobite uprisings, but the events presented here are at least plausible to me. Similarly, I don't know much about the intricacies of Scottish politics and Lairds, but as presented here it seemed fine. There's a witch hunt about 20 years too late, but Gabaldon straight-up admits that in the author's note at the back, so like, I can look past that if it's an active Choice. One thing that impressed me was that the characters had historically-plausible attitudes, like misogyny or thinking that smacking kids is okay, and that's dealt with as a part of the narrative. Claire doesn't agree, and after Jamie hits her for disobeying him, she gives him an ultimatum - don't hit her again, or she walks. And he swears to never hit her again. We also see him explain his history with the concept and his point of view, and while I don't agree with him, I can totally see where he's coming from, particularly in the historical setting where he lives.

And it's subtly pointed out that people in the past weren't idiots. While Claire is bringing 20th century nursing techniques to the table, most of the 18th century characters are shown to have reasonably sensible attitudes to medicine. Sure, Jamie carries around a dried mole's paw in his sporran to ward against rheumatism, but also the healers Claire encounters are using herbs to heal in the same way she is, and know how to dress and treat wounds. There's a lot of violence, but there's a lot of complex politics underlying that violence. Things are complicated, and I very much appreciated that.

The final thing I want to talk about is how this book relates to sexuality. First of all, I genuinely enjoyed how horny Claire was! As someone who's sex repulsed, the sex scenes in this book weren't gonna appeal to me in the way that the author intended, which is fine. But it was pretty cool to see Claire actively enjoying sex, both with Frank and with Jamie, and having an active sexuality. And also, there's a lot of emotions underpinning the sex and sexuality - Claire doesn't choose Jamie because he's hot, she's emotionally attached to him too, which is nice. Similarly, I liked that Jamie is a lot less sexually experienced than Claire, particularly as Claire is a more modern woman. He's not exactly a blushing virgin, but he's inexperienced, and that's interesting to see from such a masculine male character. After all, pop culture will tell us that manly men fuck constantly and often, so it's nice that Jamie is a manly man who hasn't really fucked before.

The secondary element to this, however, is how the book uses rape and sexual assault. Claire is under threat of rape a lot, and some of it felt gratuitous - it seems that men are threatened with death and women are threatened with rape, which is gendered in a way I didn't like so much? On the other hand, there's Jamie. At the end of the book, Jamie is jailed by Randall, and Randall rapes him. Like with his earlier virginity, Jamie isn't treated by the narrative as though he's emasculated by this, his trauma is related to just being a rape (and torture) survivor. On the other hand, it's uncomfortable how the explicitly gay or mlm men in this story are characterised as being rapists and assaulters, particularly of younger men. It would have been a lot harder to be a gay man in this time period, but that doesn't mean that every gay man sexually assaults younger men. I don't think the rape in this book is by necessity inherently badly portrayed, but I didn't particularly like the overabundance of it here.

Next up - we're back to the Andes, for yet another trip into the world of survival cannibalism.

[edenfenixblogs]

Hello Eden (is it okay to call you that?)

Do you have any current favourite songs? What kind of music do you generally listen to?

And do you have any favourite books? What kind of books do you like to read?

If you are okay with sharing, no pressure.

Sending you love and strength ❤️

Ah!!! Thanks for this ask @sunnenfinster! What a lovely change of pace.

Eden is fine!!!!!

Ok, so I love music and books!

Of all broad genres of entertainment media, music is probably what I follow least closely. It’s not that I don’t like it; I just am always behind the curve in my tastes. I love listening to most confessional singer/songwriters. I love folk, rock, pop, and rap. I also get a lot of music I like from the background of media like TV, Movies, and podcasts. In general, I love confessional singer-songwriters from any genre.

Fave singers (and the albums I’d recommend from them: songs I’d recommend from that album [notes]):

Jem (Finally Woken: Come on Closer, Falling for You, Just a Ride). All songs on this album rock, to me.

Sheryl Crow (Sheryl Crow: A Change Would Do You Good, [about choosing love over anger and stopping gun violence], Redemption Day [about the Bosnian war], Maybe Angels [could be about aliens or being in a cult idk but it’s a good song about misplaced belief] I love every song on this album tbh. Wall-to-wall bangers.

Missy Elliot (Under Construction: Gossip Folks, Work it)

Suzanne Vega (99.9 F: 99.9 F, Blood Makes Noise, Rock in the Pocket, When Heroes Go Down)

Artists and songs I like in general: Aimee Mann (her voice is like butter and I could listen to her sing forever); Eliza Rickman: Pretty Little Head; Sims: Icarus; Dessa: Call Off Your Ghost; Sifu Hotman: Matches (I know no other songs by this artist but I LOVE this one so much. I’m gonna go listen to it right now); Lorde: Yellow Flicker Beat; Björk: Human Behavior; G Flip: Hyperfine, Gay 4 Me, Killing My Time; Aimee Mann: That’s Just What You Are [I love Aimee’s voice and could listen to her sing the phone book. All songs off her Magnolia Album are amazing too]

And gosh. So many more…

As for books!!!! OMG! I love books so much. I love so many different kinds of books. Some fave genres include: Classic Lit, Magical Realism, Sci-fi/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction; Engaging YA Series, Historical Fiction; Culinary History and Analysis; and Mythological Retellings

Classic Lit Faves:

“To The Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf [This contains my fave quote in all of literature. This could also never be adequately adapted into a movie. It’s a fascinating look into how people think and how we all process internal thoughts. Must be comfortable with long sentences, semicolons, and allowing sentence clauses to wash over you like ocean waves in order to enjoy this book]

“Cider with Rosie” by Laurie Lee

“All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque

“The Portable Dorothy Parker” by Dorothy Parker

“The Odyssey” by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

“The Iliad” by Homer — both Emily Wilson’s Translation and Stanley Lombardo’s Translation

Magical Realism

“The House of the Spirits” by Isabelle Allende

“Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter” by Mario Vargas Llosa

“Bless Me Última” by Rudolfo Anaya

“Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel

SFF Faves:

“An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” and “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor” by Hank Green

“The Martian” by Andy Weir

The Tiffany Aching line of the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett (“The Wee Free Men,” “I Shall Wear Midnight,” “A Hat Full of Sky,” and “Wintersmith”)

“The Locked Tomb” Series by Tamsyn Muir (“Gideon the Ninth,” “Harrow the Ninth,” “Nona the Ninth” so far)

Engaging YA

“The Hunger Games” Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

“Grishaverse” Series by Leigh Bardugo

“Shadow and Bone Triogy” (related to the Grishaverse) by Leigh Bardugo [note: I didn’t know until making this list that Leigh Bardugo is an Israeli Jew! Very cool]

Historical Fiction:

“Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe” by Fannie Flagg [the associated cookbook is very good. Also, you’ll never eat ribs the same again]

“Tracks” by Louise Erdrich [one of the most interestingly written books I’ve ever read. Has two dueling narrators. This is part of a series of books but can be read as a standalone]

Culinary Analysis History

Bree Wilson’s books (“First Bite: How We Learn to Eat,” “Consider the Fork,” and “The Way We Eat Now,” specifically) are some of the best out there. [I didn’t realize until a couple weeks ago that Bee Wilson and the classicist translator Emily Wilson are sisters! They are both extremely smart, engaging writers.]

“Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

“An Edible History of Humanity” by Tom Standage

“Food: A Cultural Culinary History” by Ken Albala (this one is a Great Courses course, so not technically a book. But it’s available most places you can get audiobooks. And it’s what got me fascinated with this subject)

Mythological Retellings

“Circe” and “The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“The Silence of the Girls” and “The Women of Troy” by Pat Barker [TW Rape]

“Norse Mythology” by Neil Gaiman

Genre Defy-ers

(These are some of my All Time Faves that can’t really be confined to any genre)

The “Outlander” Series by Diana Gabaldon [and the related “Lord John” Series by the same author] (TW: for Rape)

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green

Just Finished Reading

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Truman Capote (Wow it was so good. I haven’t seen the movie in a while but I seriously doubt they adapted it faithfully. It was so surprising!!!)

Currently Reading

“Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie

Selections From My To Be Read List

“The City of Brass” by S.A. Chakraborty

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus

“The Source” by James Michener

“The Secret of Cooking” by Bee Wilson

“Equal Rites” by Terry Pratchett

“A Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England” by Ian Mortimer

“What You Are Looking For Is In The Library” by Michiko Aoyama

“The Doomsday Book” by Connie Willis

I also love to read cookbooks from various cultures to gain insight into those cultures in a very tactile way.

Sending you love and gratitude! 💜💜💜💜

I’m always down to discuss books!

[steelycunt]

same book anon i'm just looking for anything interesting.. i got the handmaids tale, normal people, and little women already but i dont really mind about genres just annyything you've got!

ah okay!! well firstly i hope you enjoy those three!! i really loved little women and the handmaids tale : ^ )) as for recommendations!! sorry they are a bit all over the place...i was not sure how to organise them so sort of gave up trying

at the risk of sounding like a broken record some of my absolute favourite books which i will just always recommend are. giovanni's room by james baldwin, young mungo by douglas stuart and my brilliant friend elena ferrante!!

classics i would recommend in particular are another country / james baldwin, wuthering heights / emily bronte and emma / jane austen (+ 300 pages) and then a single man / christopher isherwood, franny and zooey / jd salinger, bonjour tristesse / francoise sagan, and the prime of miss jean brodie / muriel spark (< 300 pages).

for speculative fiction i recommend the archive of alternate endings by lindsey drager (particularly if you enjoy the handmaid's tale) which i read in one sitting and cried over!! for thrillers i'd recommend these violent delights by micah nemerever and the secret history by donna tartt if you havent read it already (i'd also recommend her other book, the goldfinch--whichever one interests you more!!)

for historical fiction (or at least what my storygraph chart lists as historical fiction) id recommend the marriage portrait by maggie o'farrell (or her other book, hamnet, if it sounds more your thing!), nobber by oisin fagan, and the passion by jeanette winterson (not for everyone but i really enjoyed it--historical fiction with a bit of magical realism). i'd also recommend swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski (particularly if you happen to read + enjoy giovanni's room!), and douglas stuart's other book, shuggie bain, which is also wonderful--i expect if you read one of his books and enjoy it you will also love the other!!

for other literary fiction + contemporary fiction + just anything i havent mentioned yet! for 300 + pages i would recommend duck feet by ely percy, mr loverman by bernadine evaristo, and trainspotting by irvine welsh.

and then for < 300 pages, i'd recommend the end of loneliness / benedict wells, anything by claire keegan but particularly her book foster, juno loves legs / karl geary, the virgin suicides / jeffrey eugenides, mayflies / andrew o'hagan, and panenka by ronan hession.

i hope you find something here you fancy!! let me know if you do!! : ^ ))

[nedlittle]

hello - don’t feel like you have to answer this - i really admire how much you read and the variety of books you review. i am trying to read more in 2023, but i have a hard time finding things i like and an even harder time finishing books that don’t grab me by the 70ish page mark. do you mind sharing bit of insight on how you find what you like and, more to the point, how you get yourself to finish a book that you know is going to be a 2 star review maximum well before you’re done?

anon i am SO sorry for letting this rot in my inbox for over a month, i genuinely have not had the time to give you the answer you deserve. this is going to be long, so i'm going to divide it into two main parts

part i: how to find things you like.

the easiest advice i can give is just to think about books you like and what you enjoy about them. my favourite genre is historical fiction, but i like a very specific type of historical fiction that i have difficulty explaining bc it's vibes-based. largely queer historical fiction that interrogates its setting rather than using it as a backdrop for modern characters in period clothing; i'm not huge on historical family sagas, but i do love when the style is a little fucky. i like reading classics, mainly mid-late 19th century and mid-20th century ones as historical artifacts, i like comparing and contrasting similar texts like i'm writing a book report, and i like purple prose. i like some fantasy and sci-fi but not a lot because i'm a big dumb-dumb with complex worldbuilding and think that some genres, like urban fantasy are just a little silly, this is my subjective taste. think about what you don't like and why you don't like it with the same amount of thought. that's step 1.

so, you've figured out what you do and do not like. now, to find more of the same. if your author is alive and has a web presence, check out what they recommend on social media, check out books they've blurbed. you may not have the same taste as the authors you like and god knows i've read at least 3 books because alison epstein recommended them and i really liked her debut novel only to find that her taste and mine don't always align. do the same with your friends, even if they may not have the same taste. ask them what a five-star read is to them. ask the little tumblr people in your phone. it's okay to have caveats. whenever i ask for book recs on here, i clarify that i am not interested in reading a little life and i probably never will be.

if you look for book recs everywhere, like i do, you will find them. try something your favourite podcast host recommends! read lists of new releases in a genre of your choice!

anon i don't know what your local library sitch is. mine has a great website for finding similar books. the example i'm using here is my fave read of 2021, the flight portfolio by julie orringer

if you click on the covers it will tell you why these titles are recommended, mostly for shared subject matter and setting, occasionally for stylistic or thematic similarities. none of these books appeal to me, but if i scroll down a little more...

fucking bingo. so, because i am me, i am going to select "lgbtqia" and "historical fiction", maybe "stylistically complex" if i want to narrow it down

it gave me 12 books total that are available at my local library. of the first four, i have read three (adored one, points if you guess which one), and the remaining book is on my tbr.

the storygraph is also fantastic for recommendations, though like all recommendations, they're hit-or-miss. if you have an account, which i recommend, and i also recommend you add me if you do @/kitnotmarlowe because that way you can keep up with the saga of me unintentionally reading books where lesbians have threesomes and a ghost is involved somehow. but if you have an account, you get recommendations right on your homepage that you can filter by length, genre, mood etc

sorry this is 5 px i had to zoom out to get all the available options. you can also sort your reading preferences including fave genres (up to 5), the kind of books you like reading (open-ended and comma separated), characteristics you appreciate most (up to 3), genres you aren't currently interested in (as many as you want, i currently have 26), things that turn you off books the most (up to 3), and books that you're never in the mood for (as many as you want, the only one i have marked is 'relaxing'). you can ask for specific recommendations without changing your preferences if you want something specific NOW and you have the option of browsing similar books for any of the books in their database

now that that's out of the way, onto...

part ii: how do you finish books that aren't good

here's the secret: you don't have to. life is too short to commit to finishing something you aren't interested in or upset by or simply not vibing with. as a kid i used to be really bad with this and finished every single book i read even if it scared the absolute shit out of me (wuthering high by cara lockwood) or accidentally exposed me to baby's first sex scene (have been trying to remember what book this is for YEARS). if something isn't gripping you by the 70 page mark, put it down. unless you're reading it for school or being paid to review it. sometimes you just don't vibe with a book! maybe you'll pick it up later, maybe you won't and that's fine. i tried reading a historical romance last year but got so distressed by the politics and stupid understanding of suffrage that i quit before i was halfway.

"how you get yourself to finish a book that you know is going to be a 2 star review maximum well before you’re done"

if you look at my worst books of 2022, you'll see that over half of them are dogshit historical mysteries that i finished solely to try and solve the mystery, even if they were written with all the poise and skill of a fast food receipt or utterly nonsensical or colonial in a way i didn't expect to find in the 21st century. i am a hater at heart. i have an entire tag devoted to books i've finished out of spite. sometimes you finish a book you think is dogshit so that you can Tell The World (or at least your friends) that it is dogshit and get all your feelings out and once you have achieved catharsis you can read something new. sometimes you think a book is dogshit and nobody else really agrees and you feel like you're in the twilight zone so you write out your thoughts and release them unto the internet.

i'm of the opinion that a bad book can be as instructive as a great one. you can take apart a bad book and figure out what works (for you personally and for the book from a craft standpoint). this is a pro-litcrit blog even if it's just you writing a 2000 word review of a book approximately 5 people have read JUST so you can send it to a friend and have them empathize with your suffering. taking literature apart is fun! sometimes you have to power through an awful book before you can read a great one

sorry that this is so long but i hope it was a bit helpful. my inbox is always open to requests for recommendations no matter how niche. go forth and read widely!

[sailoryooons]

you say I'm being nice, i say I'm being honest (I also say yes to your marriage proposal, no takebacksies)

as an engagement gift to us I thought I'd give you some book recs:

She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker Chan

This book had me floored at certain parts where it navigates gender, sexuality, identity and purpose. I would be sat there feeling so captivated by the exploration of the MC's discovery of self that I knew it would stay high in favourites no matter what I would end up feeling about the plot lol. The good news is I like the plot too ahaha. I think it could be considered a slow burn for excitement levels, I know I recommended it to a friend who didn't read further than the first 1/4 bc it just didn't captivate them. It's the first physical book I bought and read after a long reading lapse, initially pulled in by the beautiful cover, fully intrigued by the author's explainer about where the book came from & very satisfied by my overall experience with it.

Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao

I basically read this book in two sittings and finished it immediately wanting to read the second (gotta wait a couple months yet). This book is interesting. The pose isn't particularly poetic or elaborate, and some things definitely feel over explained to the reader, however I think that tone adds to the attitude/charm of the book. The voice of the protagonist is incredibly refreshing and invigorating to become one with. I don't think many of the reveals/twists will sneak up on you, but I found that I didn't mind that I could see where most things were leading & just wanted to see MC follow their path. However there was one outcome that I was pleasantly surprised by that I've since seen the author openly talk about on their social media, so I wouldn't follow them until you've give it a read if you're interested. I'm excited to read the second book to see the MC find more of their power within themselves and take more power from the world around them.

Although both books very much have Chinese historical fiction as a genre in common, She Who Became the Sun is more historical fantasy whereas Iron Widow is more futuristic/historical sci-fi.

.. Those were all over the place reviews. yeehaw.

Also, I sent asks a couple weeks ago telling you that your words are that of a surprisingly good published author and I stand by it so hard. I find myself reading and thinking that your writing would be perfect on the printed page and honestly better than so much that's already out there and well acclaimed. I would eat dirt to see a fully fledged book of your fantasy worldbuilding.

I'm so excited for every fic you're gonna release this year. So excited.

Also also

on second thoughts it would probably more appropriate to say dark fae jimin will eat me (and I certainly won't be complaining)

OKAY SO I HAVE SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN ON MY BOOKSHELF! It's on my TBR list but I just started Wheel of Time so we will see how long that takes me. It is a solid 900 page per book so I will most likely read other things between each novel. I am so excited to read it, especially now. You have no idea.

I have read Iron Widow and I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL HEAVENLY TYRANT COMES OUT! I absolutely ADORE Xiran and that story made me look more into Chinese history and theology. I love that it is technically a retelling, in a way. I thought the lore of the crysalises and the dynamics between riders and the use of xi is so!!!! She is such a fantastic writer and I also really enjoy her as a person and her straight-forward approach to publishing.

THAT WAS YOU!?!?!!? WELL I am glad that we are now engaged. You get first dibs if I ever figure out how to publish a book bestie. Honestly, I just try to like... absorb all the big fantasy writers and apply it to my writing. I think the first time I ever realized I wanted to do writing was when I read Eragon in middle school. It's just. Such a masterpiece.

Fae Jimin will 100% eat you he is going to be kind of unhinged I am not sorry!

[closedcoffins]

◈   TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER!

favourite colour(s): pinks and reds, but not too bright because my sensibilities and my eyes are delicate.

favourite flavour(s): i really like the flavor of salt and vinegar chips. i guess vinegar is my favorite flavor.

favourite genre(s): i like crime fiction! aside from that, i'm also into urban fantasy and historical fiction. i'm VERY picky with high fantasy and sci-fi, but high fantasy gets an immediate okay for me if it's a well-written isekai.

favourite music: well, i love musicals, for starters. i'm also a big rock and pop punk fan, and i have a really big fondness for jazz styles incorporated into modern music. AND VOCALOID!! i love vocaloid. i would say my favorite song right now is bug from pjsekai, but some runner-ups are skimbleshanks the railway cat ( cats ), oh death ( sugr ), goodbye sengen ( specifically the will stetson cover ), and odo ( ado ).

favourite movie: originally i probably would have said something like the film adaptation of the great gatsby but you know what? i honestly have to say puss in boots the last wish.

favourite series: baccano! obviously. does it count as a series if there's only one season? if we're talking multiple seasons, then log horizon is a BIG contender. the bungou stray dogs anime adaptation gets no spot in the top 3.

last song: i was just playing "don't fight the music" in project sekai, but in terms of listening for fun, that'd be "banica concerto" by mothy.

last series: i don't watch much, so probably baccano!.

last movie: puss in boots the last wish. for the 6th time last evening.

currently reading: baccano! i'm in the middle of volume 18 right now; rereading has been difficult because i've been having a hard time sleeping lately. i have a lot of fics i'm in the middle of too.

currently watching: nothing? i don't watch things usually. um, unless you count youtube video essays, in which case i'm currently making my way through that 10-hour video essay on everything wrong with harry potter.

currently working on: drafts ( sort of ), and my baccano! lyric video project! neither are looking well---i've had a hard time doing much of anything lately.

tagged by: yoink. tagging: take it.

[star-anise]

Ok, I'll bite. What *is* the difference between Bridgerton and Jane Austen in relationship to their skirts?

Oh! Not in their costuming, just in their general *waves hands* everything. It's a comment I see a lot about Bridgerton: "Well, it's not much like Austen, is it?"

That's because there are 200 years of literary history between the two, and they have not been empty!

This ended up being 1.5k words, but when I put stuff under a readmore, people don't actually read it and then just yell at me because of a misread of the 1/10th of the post they did read. Press j to skip or get ready to do a lot of scrolling (It takes four generous flicks to get past on my iPhone).

First I'll say my perspective on this is hugely shaped by Sherwood Smith, who has done a lot of research on silver fork novels and the way the Regency has been remembered in the romance genre.

The Regency and Napoleonic eras stretch from basically the 1790s to 1820, and after that, it was hard to ignore the amount of social change happening in Britain and Europe. The real watershed moment is the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where 60,000 working-class people protesting for political change were attacked by a militia. The issues of poverty, class, industrialization, and social change are inescapable, and we end up with things like the 1832 Reform Act and 1834 Poor Law.

This is why later novelists, like Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, are so concerned with the experiences of the urban poor. Gaskell's North and South has been accurately described as "Pride and Prejudice for socialists."

So almost as soon as it ended, people started to look back and mythologize the Regency as a halcyon era, back when rich people could just live their rich lives and fret about "only" having three hundred pounds a year to live on. Back when London society was the domain of hereditary landowners, when you weren't constantly meeting with jumped-up industrialists and colonials.

Jane Austen is kind of perfect for this because she comes at the very end of the long eighteenth century, and her novels show hints of the tremors that are about to completely reshape England, but still comfortably sit in the old world. ("The Musgroves, like their houses, were in a state of alteration, perhaps of improvement. The father and mother were in the old English style, and the young people in the new. Mr and Mrs Musgrove were a very good sort of people; friendly and hospitable, not much educated, and not at all elegant. Their children had more modern minds and manners.")

Sherwood Smith covers the writers who birthed the Silver Fork genre in detail, but there's one name that stands out in its history more than any other: Georgette Heyer.

Georgette Heyer basically single-handedly established the Regency Romance as we know it today. Between 1935 and 1972, she published 26 novels set in a meticulously researched version of London of the late 18th and early 19th century. She took Silver Fork settings and characters and turned them into a highly recognizable set of tropes, conventions, and types. (As Sherwood points out, her fictional Regency England isn't actually very similar to the period as it really happened; it's like Arthurian Camelot, a mythical confection with a dash of truth for zest.)

Regency Romance is an escapist genre in which a happy, prosperous married life is an attainable prize that will solve everything for you. Georgette Heyer's novels are bright, sparkling, delightful romps through a beautiful and exotic world. Her female characters have spirit and vivacity, and are allowed to have flaws and make mistakes without being puritanically punished for them. Her romances have real unique sparks to them. She's able to write a formula over and over without it becoming dull.

And.... well. The essay that introduced me to Heyer still, in my opinion, says it best:

Here's the thing about Georgette Heyer: she hates you. Or, okay, she doesn't hate you, exactly. It's just that unless you are white, English, and upper class (and hale, and hearty, and straight, and and and), she thinks you are a lesser being. [...W]ith Heyer, I knew where I stood: somewhere way below the bottom rung of humanity. Along with everyone else in the world except Prince William and four of his friends from Eton, which really took away the sting. But my point is: if you are not that white British upper-class person of good stock and hearty bluffness and a large country estate, the only question for you is which book will contain a grimly bigoted caricature of you featuring every single stereotyped trait ever associated with your particular group. (You have to decide for yourself if really wonderful female characters and great writing are worth the rest of it.)

So Heyer created the genre, but she exacerbated the flaw that was always at the heart of fiction about the Regency, was that its appeal was not having to deal with the inherent rot of the British aristocracy. I think part of why it's such a popular genre in North America specifically is that we often don't know much British history, so we can focus more on the perfume and less on the dank odor it's hiding.

And like, escapism is not a bad thing. Romance writers as a community have sat down and said: We are an escapist genre. The Romance Writers of America, one of the biggest author associations out there, back when they were good, have foundationally said: "Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." A strong part of the community argue that publishing in the genre is a "contract" between author and reader: If it's marketed as a romance book, there's a Happily Ever After. If there's no Happily Ever After, it's not romance.

It's important for people to be able to take a break from the stresses of their lives and do things that are enjoyable. But the big question the romance genre in particular has to deal with is, who should be allowed to escape? Is it really "escapist" if only white, straight, upper class, able-bodied thin cis people get to escape into it? In historical romance, this is especially an issue for POC and LGBTQ+ people. It's taken a lot of work, in a genre dominated by the Georgette Heyers of the world, to try to hew out the space for optimistic romances for people of colour or LGBTQ+ people. These are minority groups that deal with a literally damaging amount of stress in real lives; they are in especial need of sources of comfort, refuge, community, and encouragement. For brief introductions to the issue, I can give you Talia Hibbert on race, and KJ Charles on LGBTQ+ issues.

Up until the 1990s, the romance genre evolved slowly. It did evolve; Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan's Beyond Heaving Bosoms charts the demise of the "bodice-ripper" genre as it became more acceptable for women to have and enjoy sex. The historical romance genre became more accommodating to non-aristocratic heroines, or ones that weren't thin or conventionally pretty. The first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, was published in 2000, and has that kind of vibe: Its characters are all white but not all of them are aristocrats, its heroines are frequently not conventionally beautiful and occasionally plump, and its cultivation to modern sensibility is reflected in its titles, which reference popular media of today.

This is just my impression, but I think that while traditional mainstream publishing was beginning to diversify in the 1990s, the Internet was what really made diverse romance take off. Readers, reviewers, and authors could talk more freely on the internet, which allowed books to become unlikely successes even if their publishers didn't promote them very much. Then e-publishing meant that authors could market directly to their readers without the filter of a publishing house, and things exploded. Indie ebooks proved that there was a huge untapped market.

One of my favourite books, Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown, is an example of what historical romance is like today; it's a direct callback and reclamation of Georgette Heyer, with a dash of "Fuck you and all your prejudices" on top of it. It fearlessly weaves magic into a classic Heyer plot, maintaining the essential structure while putting power into the hands of people of colour and non-Western cultures, enjoying the delights of London society while pointing out and dodging around the rot. It doesn't erase the ugliness, but imagines a Britain that is made better because its poor, its immigrants, its people of colour, and the foreign countries it interacts with have more power to make their voices heard and to enforce their wills. Another book I've loved that does the same thing is Courtney Milan's The Duke Who Didn't.

So then... Bridgerton the TV show is trying to take a book series with a very middle-of-the-road approach to diversity, differing from Heyer but not really critiquing her, and giving it a facelift to bring it up to date.

So to be honest, although it's set in the same time period as Austen, it's not in the least her literary successor. It's infinitely more "about" the past 30 years of conversation and art in the romance genre than it is about books written 200 years ago.

[celebtattletale]

hi, tianaaa darling!! congratulations on having 1,1k followers. that's amazing! what an accomplishment that is! you sure do deserve it. may I join the celebration 😆 🌅 ↠ 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 with henry cavill please

okay so first of all I have a soft spot for children! ah yes the constant baby fever 😆 I love small humans <33 I love to learn new things, listening to music, and watching movies too! oh my favourite genre of films are action and sci-fi! I think historical fiction book is the best. I am more of a goal orientated and logical person. okay so a random fact about me is that, my father was actually so proud of superman's costume/t-shirts since it has the logo of s, and my father's name is also starting with s 😆 so he would say something like this, "s (his first name) and superman. I am superman 😌" for his happiness we can pretend to not knowing it stands for hope not s hahah. anywho, hmm what else, oh I am also an easily bored person. I love to learn new languages too, since I find it fascinating how us human communicate each other by understand each other languages. leaning new languages meaning knowing and understanding communicating others.

that was sooo fun! sorry if I wrote too much. once again congratulations on your accomplishments<3 really proud of you. your writing is *chef's kiss* keep up the good work, sweetie <33 can not wait to see you grow even more

oh my goodness you're so sweet ☺ilysm

i think you seem like the kind of person that really loves those hybrid stores that sells dvds and cds and vinyls and books (we have a load near where i live) and you manage to drag your dad there one day - in a superman t-shirt. and while you're off browsing, your dad sees actual superman and starts talking to him

henry is a bit wary at first because. you know. crazy fan in superman top. but then thay start talking and when you come back over to show your dad the book you found to buy you realise who he's stood with

henry thinks you're gorgeous and gives you his number while your dad isn't looking 👀

[t4tstarvingdog]

top five states you’ve visited! (and another bonus one: top 5 story genres!)

OMG YEAH THANK YOU FOR THIS ONE <333

MONTANA. can i just say. there's this one place that starts with an m and it's got this little stop with a dog park by it anyways. ANYWAYS. best Goddamn huckleberry shakes i've ever had in my LIFE. sometimes we travel through there and i always make a point to get one. really lovely state. once went foraging for morel mushrooms there, very tasty

colorado. we've got family out there who i love, it's a beautiful place AND. snow <3 mountains <3 this one highway i LOVE traveling on. a lot of mountain passes that are fun to go through and see the change in area once you're through

not a state but washington dc. THEY'VE GOT THE FUCKING LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. WHAT MORE CAN I SAY. also smithsonians and art museum holy fuck <33 amazing

south dakota. now don't get me wrong. i don't actually love this state that much BUT. the drive-through value of the black hills and the plains.... MWAH. love love LOVE long flat roads fr

west virgina. GREEN GREEN GREEN. HILLS. GREEN. LOTS OF TREES. staying there was hell 'cause it was summer. a lot of bugs. BUT. the trip was so so SO good. i LOVED the trees and the architecture etc. very nice actually

(special shout-out to any state that has bridges. LOVE me some bridges to drive over and see things from)

okay so this is a little harder but uhhhh sci-fi <3 i love sci-fi so much <33

mysteries and thrillers, together specifically. they are FABULOUS

fantasy. sometimes fantasy can't pull me in that well, but when it's done with skill? MWAH

historical fiction. (i am looking at YOU pride and prejudice, little women, jane eyre, murder for her majesty, etc.)

okay also. westerns. i haven't read a lot but my dad and i went on a trip and i read aloud a few of his favourite westerns and it was actually so so good. love cowboys fr <3

[sydneysageivashkov]

3, 11 and 18 if you're doing the books ask game :)

Curious about 18 considering your profession, and if that enhances the experience or makes it impossibly annoying

3. what is your favourite genre?

fantasy! and sci fi and speculative fiction in general. I love the escapism and the creativity of the genres

11. what non-fiction books do you like if any?

I haven't read a non-fiction book that didn't have to do with my dissertation since I started my dissertation 💀 my brain is still a little fried. I think tales from the haunted south by tiya miles is a great book for anyone interested in ghost tours. I'm also trying to build up a little professional library and first on my list is queering the museum

18. do you like historical books? which time period?

okay so I've got a lot of conflicting thoughts about historical fiction in general. some writers will do enormous amounts of research and create really beautiful narratives with it, some people just throw pop culture knowledge at the wall and claim it's accurate. then there's the book I had to read in undergrad about a village in england during the black death that was literally entirely historically accurate, nothing happened that couldn't be 100% confirmed on historical record, and that was a terrible book (but at least partially because the historian writing it wasn't good at writing prose!).

shows like bridgerton (sorry to use a show as an example in a book ask) doesn't bother me at all because no one expects accuracy out of bridgerton even though it's set in a real historical period. then you've got game of thrones/asoiaf, which is fantasy, but markets itself as being accurate to the medieval period when it's not lmao and people do take it as historical fact even though it's set in a fantasy world! or like, there's this really well-known novel in australia called the secret river. to add a little more context, there was some very high profile debates between historians in the 90s/00s about the nature of the colonisation of australia: the (accurate) view that it was an invasion and involved massacres and dispossession of land and genocide, and the view that it was all good actually. some of these debates happened on live television, like really high profile; I got taught about it in high school. the author of the secret river once talked about how as a fiction author she could "be above the fray" looking down on these "polarised positions" and end the history wars by seeing the truth of it as a novelist and like no??? a novel, regardless of intent, can't get the magnitude or scale of 150 years of conflict across. henry reynolds was not a polarised position he was right god dammit!! representing your historical fiction as "the truth" when you haven't done enough research to realise that windschuttle is a fucking hack is just flat out wrong. (if anyone curious would like to learn more about the australian frontier wars, frontier war stories is a good podcast! some of the interviewees were actually active participants in the history wars)

but you know, while some historical fiction can really bug me, I've also loved a lot of historical fiction novels too. I don't have a specific time period. one of my favourite books, she who became the sun, is historical fiction (historical fantasy? because of the ghosts?) and I've got books on my shelves from periods ranging from ancient greece to 1920s china. it's all a matter of how it's done I guess

[hamliet]

Analysis tag game

Tagged by @save-tenko-and-akito :) 

Answer as few or many of these as you like. Enjoy! 1. How do you begin writing your analysis: do you start writing about the first thing that strikes you; or do you step back and look at the narrative structure first; or something else?

I usually start from a question I have about the narrative; my metas usually start with me wanting to learn something rather than me having something I want to prove. I always have to be interested in the subject!  2. What do you like to keep in mind while writing your analysis/meta?

Er... nuance and empathy. ;) It’s hard to balance that in some ways because like... in literary criticism you literally cannot be too blunt. You do not say “seems.” You do not say “likely.” You say “is.” You declare. That... does not always get received well in fandom, though :P So there’s a balance between sticking to an argument and acknowledging that not every statement applies to every situation in the world, or even to every interpretation of the work. 

3. Do you try to keep your value judgments separate from your analysis?

Is value akin to like or to morality in this question?

For the former, I think that there is a line between “I don’t like this” and “this is objectively bad,” but either case is okay to make--as long as you have evidence to back it up. If you can explain why X twist doesn’t make sense with the previous parts of the work, it’s not just “I don’t like this.” Also, you can think things are objectively good and dislike them, or think they are objectively bad and love them anyways (2ha’s last arc for me). You can even be a hypocrite (I disliked the end of TG and of 2ha for the same exact reason--protagonist halo--yet still enjoyed 2ha and ended up with a much harsher opinion of TGre for no other reason beyond just personal taste + life circumstances + expectations etc.) There’s a lot of shades of gray (nuance!) in there as well. 

For the latter... I know based on spoilers, for example, that Qiang Jin Jiu’s ending might be objectively well done, but it doesn’t necessarily seem to jive with my particular values. We’ll see how it’s executed/framed. But that doesn’t inherently affect my view of the story’s quality. 

4. Do you prefer analyzing characters, or arcs, or both?

Both, but characters are the main substance of a story for me. I have been more nerdily interested in structure lately though. I’d like to think Professor B is proud of me for how often I think back to his class...  5. Do you think receiving feedbacks/responses on your analysis/meta help improve your critical skills?

Yes! When it’s constructive and when there’s discussion backed up with evidence (whether in support or disagreement). I’ve learned a lot from other meta writers, and made some great friends! Literary analysis is always a discussion (even historically speaking!) so it’s 100% a valuable part of the experience. 

The problem, of course, is that people can be rude and social media encourages less-than-stellar engagement and out-of-context understandings, which means it’s often just safer to be like “I’m not discussing this.” :/  6. Do you consciously decide which media you want to write analysis on or does it naturally come to you?

Kind of goes back to question 1 for me; if I like a work and have questions about it, I’ll often write about it.  7. Do you prefer writing long or short metas? Which ones do you prefer to read?

Long for both, I guess, but honestly it depends on the topic and what it requires! Some short blurbs are great, and concise. I am in general not concise.  8. Which are your favourite analysis/criticism/meta blogs?

@linkspooky @aspoonofsugar @redphlox @haleigh-sloth I know I’m forgetting many great people.  9. Which shows/movies/media do you think deserve to have more analysis done on them?

Hmmmm. 

Qiang Jin Jiu--it’s a novel fans are really sleeping on (at the same time, that ,means there is no Shen Zechuan discourse which is inevitable if it gets popular, so I get to love my stabby son in peace). It’s also quite rich in themes. 

RWBY. There actually is a fair amount of content for RWBY, but less analysis, which I’d love to see more of! I think the story is really well done so far (not perfect, but good) yet a lot of the hot takes about RWBY are... they kinda misrepresent the show, which is a shame. 

Scum Villain. It often gets overshadowed by MXTX’s other works and while it definitely does have more obvious flaws (it’s a first novel and that’s clear), it’s no less thematically rich than MDZS or TGCF, and also just as clever. I also think its being a different genre plays a role in it being overlooked; a lot of critiques I see are exactly the point (like Binghe’s over-the-top behavior being designed to make you question tropes, the cringe sex scene is cringe for a reason, etc).. 

10. According to you, what are some prerequisites for good quality analysis?

Simply put, you’ve gotta be deferential to evidence. Support your claims, and also answer the “so what” question (ie why does x point you’re making matter?) Also, be willing to change your mind based on evidence, and also stick to the work. Which doesn’t mean you can’t empathize or theorize about why x people like y or how culture/authors impact work/the perceptions of a work, but that you should do so with self-awareness and humility. Fiction and reality have a nuanced relationship.

Oh, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or to change your mind. I’m wrong all the damn time. You learn through doing, right or wrong! 

[readingoals]

Mid Year Book Tag Thing

I wasn't tagged by anythone but I thot this might be a bit of fun

Best book you’ve read so far in 2022

This is a very tough choice cause I've read some absolute bangers this year but at the moment I think my fave would be Why Didn't They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie. I just loved the characters so much and I think their relationship was one of the best I've read in any Christie novel. Plus the mystery itself was very well done.

Best sequel you've read so far in 2022

I've not read a lot of sequels (I don't read all that many series) so I think it has to be Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch. I adore the Rivers of London series and AOW was no exception. If I'm being honest the last couple books of this series I've found harder to follow/remember what happened in them (which is more to do with my headspace than the books I think) but AOW had me completely invested. The start was a little slow but once I was in I was in. Favourite re-read

Okay there are two because I literally cannot decide. The first is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It's one of my all time favourite books and I re-read it every couple of years. The other is Zigzag Street by Nick Earls which I hadn't read for quite some time. Very very different books but I just adore them both. Genre you've been loving/reading the most

It's really no surprise that mystery has been my most read genre this year. I'm following the 2022 Read Christie challenge which means I'm reading 1 Agatha Christie book per month so mystery is definitely right up there for me at the moment. My second most read is Historical Fiction I think. New release you haven't read yet, but want to

I'm gonna be honest, I don't really keep up with new releases. Like if I'm in a bookshop and one catches my eye I'll pick it up but I have no idea what are new releases and what aren't. Looking at my shelf I don't think I have anything that was released this year that I haven't already read. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Like I said anticipated releases aren't really my thing. But I do know that Taylor Jenkins Reid has a new book coming out sometime towards the end of the year which I'll definitely pick up because I've liked everything else I'd read from her. Biggest disappointment

Take Me To Your Nerdy Leader and Sincerely Confusingly Yours by Hailey Gonzales. I really wanted to love those two because the series has an aro main character and I'm aro and I just had very high hopes that the books did not live up to. Biggest surprise

Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie. This one is very different to what I expected and to other Christie's I've read. It's a short story collection for one. And also very romance focused. I mean it's still a mystery book and Pyne solves a number of cases, including murder. But a lot of them are relationship based mysteries - unhappy marriages and the like. Which was definitely not what I had in mind when I picked it up, although still very enjoyable. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

I don't think I have one. Most of the books I've read have been by authors I'm already familiar with. Of those that weren't - the two Hailey Gonzales books were disappointing, Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen was good in patches but mostly I hated it, and The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins was enjoyable but I'm not desperate to read anything else by him. I think the closest to a new fave author would be Emma Brodie since I really enjoyed Songs In Ursa Major but again I'm not like scrambling for more of her writing. If I saw she had another book I might pick it up but she's not a guaranteed buy yet. Newest favourite character

I think it has to be Frankie from Why Didn't They Ask Evans. I just adored her. Bobby also should get a mention since they worked as a team to solve the case. Book that made you cry

I don't think anything I've read this year has made me cry. Songs In Ursa Major might have made me tear up a bit, same with The City of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon but I don't think either made me properly cry.

Book that made you happy

Zigzag Street obviously. It's so funny and because it's set very close to where I live it's just always a joy to read because I'm familiar with so much of what is mentioned. Special mention to Mostly Void Partially Stars by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor because the nostalgia of revisiting early Welcome To Night Vale episodes made me very happy also. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)

I think these three count as the prettiest books I've acquired this year. The first is a collector's edition of Frankenstein. It's got foiling on it so irl its all shiny and pretty. The second is The Complete Novels of Jane Austen. I'm a sucker for flowers and stuff and I really like the colours on this one. And then the third is A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende which I'm currently reading. I actually borrowed this one from the library I work in, partly because of the cover. It's hard to tell from the image but there's a lot of gold foiling going on highlighting the title and the lines of the sea and sky. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I don't have anything specific in mind. Obviously theres another 6 Agatha Christie books to read but I don't know what all of them are yet (the next one has to fit the prompt "takes place on holidays"). I'd like to finally get around to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and maybe re-read Cloud Atlas. Then theres the rest of the Welcome To Night Vale books. And in my yearly goals I said I'd like to read 3 non-fiction books and I haven't picked up a single one yet but I've got a few I'm keen to get to - The Regency Revolution by Robert Morrison in particular.

[qqueenofhades]

Okay, Book Folx of Tumblr. In need of your wisdom (and recommendations).

I am interested in reading more romance novels, because I want to escape this hellworld, investigate the genre, support progressive romance writers, and Feel Things. To that end, I come to you in search of your favourite recs.

My list of criteria:

Queer (it doesn’t HAVE to be a mlm/wlw main romance, though if it is I will instantly want to know, but give me ALL the queers, especially happy queers, even in supporting/secondary roles).

People of color!!! Give me ALL the non-white romantic leads!! If it’s queer AND non-white, I will probably die of happiness.

If it’s a M/F main couple, obviously he’s not a total dick (or if he is garbage, it’s my preferred brand of garbage and he is sustainably recycled by the end) and she’s not just a Feisty Impetuous Heroine Not Like Other Girls. Sass, banter, enemies-to-lovers, etc is eagerly welcomed. Complex characters are a prerequisite. Sensitive handling of dynamics -- you know the drill, a couple I can enthusiastically ship and not feel squicky about. Some tropes are fine, but have to be done right. In short, nothing too Heterosexual (TM).

Historical is awesome, as long as it’s not just Regency England. Also, I am a historian, so while I will happily ignore my carping inner critic if the story is good, I can’t deal with anything that will take me out of it while I yell COME ON REALLY?!

Science fiction and fantasy are also awesome. Historical fantasy GREAT. Steampunk fantasy god tier.

Has an excellent sense of humor and is willing to play with itself and poke fun at itself and not take anything too seriously. I am here to be entertained. I like to laugh my way through a book. It doesn’t have to be comedy all the time, but definitely no Serious Grimdark.

Well plotted and has a story arc beyond the sexytimes (don’t get me wrong, I am here for that, but give me a compelling plot and mystery and good narrative dynamics beyond just the smut).

Series are also fine, though I am in possession of limited funds and will have to be judicious about which ones I acquire. So like, give me the good standalone-ish titles that I don’t have to buy several books for. (I also need to investigate whether my public library is open from COVID jail, because last time I looked it wasn’t, and I don’t have a card yet).

Anyway. Go to town. I eagerly await.