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technoskittles · 5 years

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Catradora fic rec list

I mentioned making one of these awhile ago and I’m finally sitting down and compiling some of my all-time favorite fics. I’ve read a lot (like, a LOT), but I feel like a few of those really deserve an extra shout out.

I’ll separate them between multi-chap and one shots, but other than that they won’t be in any particular order. I’ll also try my best to tag the authors here on tumblr if I can find them, but if not, just lemme know if you see your fic and I can edit this later.

I’ll also be including ratings/word count/trigger warnings/etc

(I’ll mostly be including common tw’s so please make sure you also read the tags for anything that may affect you personally! Also, if I miss any, please keep in mind that it’s been awhile since I’ve read some of these so I may not remember all of them!)

Key:

[E] - Explicit

[M] - Mature

[T] - Teen & Up Audiences

[G] - General Audiences

And for the multi-chap fics:

(O) - Ongoing

(F) - Finished

(?) - Not finished and they haven’t updated in awhile so the author probably died

So let’s get started! (Get ready for a long post obviously)

Multi-chap fics:

1. upper west side by ceruleanstorm (F) [T] ~190,000 words

TW: past child abuse, alcohol abuse

@princessofgayskull

I feel like this is definitely one of the top must-reads for all Catradora fanfics. I know I’ve seen this on a couple different lists but I’m including it on mine as well because it really is just that good.

The chapters are lengthy (but in a good way!) and the story really takes its time to flesh itself out. The character development of the characters as individuals is beautifully done and wonderfully realistic. The pacing of the development of Catra and Adora’s relationship is also sweetly slow, a steady slowburn that invokes that deep-rooted yearning feeling mirrored by the characters themselves.

It’s a really clever premise that takes place in the modern world but implements the canon universe in the form of the book that Adora’s writing that ties back to her and Catra’s shared childhood. The way that aspects of the show were revamped into this fic are so creative and I just....ugh. LOVE.

This fic also has a oneshot compilation that takes place after the events of the final chapter which is currently ongoing and I HIGHLY suggest checking that out as well once you’ve finished this.

The sister fic for those interested: she’s god (and I found her) (O) [T] ~40,000 words

2. The Devil Is In (The Details) by SeasInkarnadine (O) [M] ~58,000 words

TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, child abuse, emotional abuse, use of recreational drugs, Major Character Death

@seasinkarnadine

This is a really great fic where Adora is an undercover cop who sidles her way into one of the largest gang syndicates to bust whoever killed Hordak, a big gang leader and drug trafficker, whose death was originally ruled as an accidental overdose. Her and Catra (one of the gang members) both know foul play was involved and work together to figure out the truth.

The dynamics between these two is so casual and hilarious but still has those gut-wrenching moments that really ground you and realize that their relationship is dysfunctional on a few levels. The exploration of Adora’s conflicting feelings towards Catra hurt in such a good way as she realizes that she does genuinely care for Catra, but also is aware that what she’s doing will eventually screw her over and land her in jail. It’s the best kind of underlying angst and I highly recommend it.

Another really great selling point that I particularly love is that Adora is deaf in this AU and the author really shows this in such a realistic and natural way that shows she really knows what she’s talking about. It makes the dynamic between the two even more interesting considering that Catra also knows sign language which give the two a lot of moments of mutual understanding that doesn’t extend to the other characters. It’s something that the two of them have that’s sort of just for them to be on that level of understanding and it’s so great.

Also, Morgan is just a great writer in general and I highly suggest checking out more of her stuff (her art too!). She’s one of the writers I’ve looked up to since my beginning days in the fandom and it’s still amazing seeing all the great stuff she puts out.

3. Skinny Love by Maychup (O) [M] ~100,000 words

TW: past child abuse

@maychup

Another staple of big fics in the catradora fandom but for good reason. This fic is a wonderful exploration of events taking place after S1 illustrating Catra & Adora’s relationship in a different path that the rest of the show takes. It focuses heavily on their past experiences with each other and how that affects their current situation being on opposite sides of the war.

This fic is older, published just after S1, so canon divergence is an important aspect of its build. But the way the story is written is so beautiful and grounded that it’s still interesting even now knowing what really happens in the show.

Their dynamic is kind of back-and-forth, with Catra figuring out what Adora means to her and vice versa and where the two of them want to go from that point. It has so many sweet moments and steamy ones as well (btw, there’s a lot of smut) and the exploration into each of the character’s pysches is so compelling and intriguing.

4. Faded With Feelings by yesimgay (F) [T] ~24,000 words

TW: recreational drug use

This was such a cute, short multi-chap fic. It’s a bit older but I think it’s still one of my top faves.

A modern au, Catra & Adora are roommates post-college and trying to make their way in the adulting world. Catra has ADHD and smokes weed to help with that. One day Adora accidentally eats a couple of her edibles and cute shenanigans ensue. And that’s just the first two chapters.

The rest of the fic goes on to the girls figuring out their feelings for each other, especially Adora who, in this case, isn’t really sure of her sexuality. All-in-all, a really cute fic that’s a nice break from all the angst that typically saturates the fandom.

5. Chasing the Spotlight by holymountain (?) [T] ~20,000 words

This is an AU where Adora is hired to be Catra’s, a pop singer, bodyguard. There’s so many cute moments in this, though admittedly it’s been about 6 months since it’s last updated so be sure to keep that in mind.

6. we’ve been making shades of purple out of red and blue by darklady21 (?) [t] ~24,000 words

An “and they were ROOMMATES” au. In this one though, Catra and Adora don’t actually know each other and really only get to know each other over time. It’s cute and has a lot of interesting interactions between the two, but it hasn’t updated in about 7 months.

7. Tuning Out by FaiaHae (?) [T] ~2500 words

I actually really loved the whole concept of this fic but it hasn’t updated in like, an entire year so...only read if you’re okay with the fact that it probably won’t ever be finished haha

8. burnt sugar by jeserai (O) [G] ~11,000 words

@jeserai

Oh god YES this fic. The classic “fake dating” au except Catra is a rich kid inheriting a business who essentially hires Adora, a broke college student, to go on a date with her to this big business function. There’s not a lot to say about it other than that without giving too much away, but the fic is about halfway done at this point so it’s a pretty short read as of now.

Just be warned, it’s currently on a MASSIVE cliffhanger so if you wanna wait until it updates I totally understand lol

9. still waters by summerson (O) [M] ~28,000 words

TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, self harm

A “The Last of Us” AU. Personally, I’m not super familiar with TLOU because I could never get into the game myself, but this fic is so well done and the writing style is so interesting and well-executed that I still love this fic to bits. But obviously, for those of you who are aware of TLOU, you already know that this fic is going to contain quite the fair share of angst so be ready.

10. Whispering Dreams by dragonesdepapel (F) [T] ~7500 words

It’s been awhile since I’ve read this one so I don’t remember everything, but I do remember really enjoying the writing style and the construction of this fic. It’s a short read, but it’s totally worth it

11. please could you be tender by erce3 (F) [G] ~40,000 words

@figbian

please please PLEASE go read this fic. I’m actually begging y’all to go read this one I loved it so much it’s still one of my top 10 faves out there.

This fic is set in a modern setting where Adora & Catra were childhood friends and are in college and god it’s just SO. GOOD. The writing style and composition of the flashbacks with the present events is so beautifully done and organized and I really cannot hype this fic up enough GO READ IT

12. buried a hatchet (it’s coming up lavendar) by erce3 (O) [G] ~12,000 words

on the note of that last rec, I highly rec their other work which is currently in progress. It takes place after S3 but it’s an exploration on if Catra and Adora got trapped in the portal instead of Angella and FUCK this person is genuinely amazing go read their stuff

13. Senior Year by SimplyAbsolute (O) [E] ~98,000 words

@simplyabsolute

This is a really cute fic about Adora and Catra in their final year of college and I guess for me personally it really just hits hard because I’m also in my final year of college lol. But really, it’s a great fic and I suggest checking it out. It’s actually only got one more chapter left too so it’s almost done!

14. Assassinating Adora by Wicked42 (F) [T] ~13,000 words

@wicked-42

TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Jeez this fic was a real rollercoaster of emotions. I loved every bit of it.

Basically, some people try to assassinate Adora and Catra stops one of them, but both girls are still inflicted by the poison and....it just gets crazier from there. Don’t wanna spoil it too much but this is a must-read for sure.

And this one may seem like cheating but I’m gonna plug one of my own multi-chap fics here

15. Pure Feeling (O) [T] ~30,000 words

TW: brief mention of sexual assault in Ch 5

This is a modern AU set after all the kids have been out of college for a few years.

Adora and Catra were childhood friends but ended up drifting apart and falling out during their college years. Fast forward about 6 years and they run into each other again, except now Adora has a daughter and is struggling to balance her life as a single mother. Overtime the two girls work on rebuilding their friendship and somewhere along the way might even realize that they’re feelings for each other never really went away. But of course, like all things in life, this isn’t an easy process and they run into more than a few complications - internal and external.

One Shots:

(there’s so many of these I’ve loved so I’m really going to try and narrow it down to about 10. If yours didn’t make it, no offense! I just have WAY too many to include and this post is already so long haha)

1. The Interlude That Never Ends by FMLClexa [M] ~2500 words

TW: Major Character Death, brief mention of sexual assault

Okay I’m gonna be honest: If you ignore all the other fics on this list, READ THIS ONE. This is absolutely my #1 favorite without a doubt. It’s a soulmate/reincarnation au and it’s so wonderfully executed that I honestly cannot even begin to tell y’all how much I love this one. It’s old and one of the first fics I ever read, but it’s so timeless and excellent and I promise you won’t regret reading it. I know I’ve read this about a million times over.

It’s been a whole year and this has held my #1 fave position the entire time. READ. IT.

2. after party by summerson [M] ~2000 words

TW: recreational drug use

God this fic was so great I read it last night and I’m still in awe in how well it was written and the emotions it managed to invoke in me. My favorite scene is the part where Catra tells Adora “I love you” because it’s so raw and desperate and I vibed with it so hard. It’s really difficult trying to tell someone how much you love them with just a few simple words because they really just don’t convey how much you love them and it’s so frustrating and GAH this fic was fucking great please read it.

3. jigsaw by jeserai [G] ~2500 words

@jeserai

This fic is so great and I felt so warm inside reading it. Definitely read if you want sweet, slow friends to lovers burn.

4. Vicious by SeasInkarnadine [M] ~3500 words

TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Rape/Non-Con

I really highly recommend this one if you can get past the trigger warnings. It was so well written and very suspenseful with the juxtaposition of the timeline between current events and snippets of what had happened just hours before. But the ending is really sweet and the way that Catra cares for Adora after the whole thing squeezed my heart to pieces.

This is one I’ve read a few times over because of how much I love it. Def in my top 3.

5. Basement by spookyscaryskeletons [G] ~2800 words

This was such a great rendition of “Adora and Catra are forced to talk” and the emotions were raw and bleeding and I love the character portrayals.

6. Coming Apart by Whorls [E] ~13,000 words (or ~6,000 words each chap)

@crazy-pages

Okay this fic technically has two chapters but I’m including it here in the oneshots because the chapters are identical in the sense of story but the only difference is that in chapter one Catra is a cis woman and in chapter two she’s a trans woman pre-op. Other than that the chapters are identical so it’s mostly based off which experience you would rather have while reading.

This fic was. So. Fucking. Good. Sen did such a fantastic job with both aspects of this story and I love it to bits and pieces. The smut in the beginning is delicious as can be, but then towards the latter half it absolutely sucker punches you with feelings but in a good way. I really, really fucking love this fic and I think it needs more attention than it initially got so I’m imploring you all to please go read this fic. It’s fantastic.

7. Seconds That I Cannot Replace by Mogatrat [M] ~7800 words

TW: child abuse, underage(?)

This is a really heartbreaking fic set before canon. It’s about all the times that Catra and Adora started a romantic relationship only for Shadow Weaver to come in and ruin everything by constantly erasing and resetting Adora’s memory. I still think about this fic from time to time. Give it a go.

8. Come morning light by dragonesdepapel [T] ~1800 words

TW: Major Character Death

Another one that’s technically two chapters but it’s the same events, just covers the perspective of each girl. Adora’s dying and asks Catra to stay with her.

Basically this fic ripped my heart out and I still think about it sometimes.

9. someone you like by caela [T] ~5100 words

oh fuck me yes this fic. A modern au where Catra sorta stalks Adora on instagram and accidentally likes an old picture. Fluffiness galore.

10. When You Came Calling by ActuallyMe [E] ~5200 words

TW: Major Character Death

A 1940′s Mob AU where Catra is a private eye and Adora married high-ranking mob boss Hordak...who’s just been murdered.

Really great one shot. Personally I would’ve loved to see more come of this but it’s great on its own.

And once again, this is cheating but here’s a couple oneshots of my own that I wanna plug real quick

11. hang tight (all you) [T] ~9200 words

Modern AU fic set when Catra and Adora are in high school. Adora struggles to come to terms with her sexuality in an discouraging environment as well as the fact that she’s had a crush on her best friend since middle school. Personally I think this was one of my best works and a lot of other people seem to have liked it too so yeah!

12. as my World d[ivides] [E] ~2500 words

TW: Rape/Non-Con, Underage

One of my darker fics, but still one I’m pretty proud of. Without giving too much away, Adora suffers from a trauma and engages in unhealthy coping mechanisms and Catra enables her because no one’s taught them any different.

#she ra #spop #catra #adora #catradora #she ra and the princesses of power #fic recs #long post #thanks for hanging in with me guys #but yes I highly suggest all these fics

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just-like-playing-tag · 4 years

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Hi! Do you have any TPN artists/writer/blogger you'd recommend to check out?

Oh boy?? The fandom is really small, it was once bigger but there aren't many people left lol. Here's some tpn only / mostly tpn blogs I enjoy a lot following (I'm excluding blogs that focus on shipping)

In no particular order:

@neverlandstrio : Love them. Like the only solely tpn blog that has kept their consistency. They're an icon and such a sweet, supportive person. Love them!!!!

@map-of-neverland : Their edits and graphics are mesmerising!!! I'm always left in awe by their editing skills!!!!!!!

@incorrect-tpn : Their quotes make my day, I love them tons!!! I find their posts both funny and very in character, and I'm so glad for their contribution to the fandom.

@tempodreams / @temporoom : They create amazing art, and I really love their takes on the serie!! They come up with very witty observations and I love reading about their opinions. (I think some of their writing is mature though so take that into account if you want to check that)

@holy-mantequilla : Not much to say except their art is amazing and I would die for her any day. She's a blessing to this fandom and to this earth. Also I absolutely adore her takes on the characters!!!!

@notelectrictigerart : Does wonderful illustrations for basically every chapter??? And they're all so beautiful??? I'm always so impressed with the concepts they come up with!!!!! Their consistency and perseveration amaze me.

@emmasantenna : Love their art pieces so much... They come up with incredibly gorgeus pieces. Also, Emma stan power!!!!!!

@yiulee : Their art is stunning... They come up with some really mesmerising concepts, I love their arts from the bottom of my heart. Also an incredibly sweet person!!

I'm leaving my followers page open for a week or so in case you'd want to check that out as well. (Just know that about 16/39 blogs haven't posted anything in at least a month)

But also I think it's important to mention that I don't take who I follow very much into account because??? There's a lot a /lot/ of people that create amazing content for the fandom, but who I don't follow because nnngh I'm not really interested in the other fandoms they're in. But I love their works all the same, and really appreciate the content they create!!! I basically follow them with my heart. On the top of my mind, @fightxer and @chidoroki , but there's definitely more.

Another thing I do is just check compulsively frequently the "tpn" and "the promised neverland" tags on Tumblr (on the recent section) to make sure I don't miss anything, so maybe if you don't do it already you could also try with that.

Also maybe try to check some of my blog's tags such as "beautiful art" and "tpn analysis" and "tpn graphic" and check out the source of the art pieces you like the most!

Now, I'm afraid I don't have any writer to recommend because I don't know which ship you're interested in and honestly I can't think of any gen fanfiction that stuck up with me. Also I suspect my takes on the characters being very very different from the rest of the fandom so it's kinda hard for me to find a fanfiction that I sincerely enjoy reading.

Hope this was helpful!!

#I'm definitely forgetting someone 😔😔#This was a really hard question actually......#tpn #tpn manga spoilers #people asks me stuff

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devilstree · 4 years

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Answer the questions and tag 11 people you want to know better!

@devildomz tagged us in an ask game. ok hell yeah this is a 2 in 1 blog

1. What do you prefer to be called namewise?

adri: adri !

nat: nat ........ lol our names are right there

2. When is your birthday?

adri: june 29 ... cancer season 😌 ✌️

nat: december 11 sagittarius gang only

3. Where do you live? (You can just give the country’s or state name if you’re not comfortable with sharing the city name)

adri: both of us are from the sf bay area

nat: what she said

4. Three things you are doing right now?

adri: i made fresh strawberry milk + boba and i am sipping on that. i am also listening to weeb music. i am also drawing somn 👀

nat: i am dyeing fabric in a pot with acrylic paint bc im in the throes of finals week and also im blasting fall out boy just one yesterday cause its 2015 again. yeah

5. Four fandoms that have your peak interest right now?

adri: at the forefront it is literally obey me the demon dating sim and haikyuu the volleyball anime is my ultimate comfort media. thats all folks i dont have four

nat: obey me is my emotional support quarantine hyperfixation but also animal crossing

6. How has this pandemic been treating you?

adri: not kidding! godawful! i hate it here ive never been more depressed in my life

nat: my life is gonna turn around as soon as im done with class next week but for now i am literally going through it.

7. A song you can’t stop listening to right now?

adri: tattoos together -- lauv

nat: mouth of the devil - mother mother

8. Recommend a movie

adri: marie antoinette dir. sofia coppola. is something that can be so personal

nat: phantom thread 2017 dir. paul thomas anderson. absolutely insane

9. How old are you?

adri: i am 19

nat: me also

10. School, university, occupation or other

adri: university but summer break just started 4 me. double majoring in english/environmental studies

nat: university also i go to art school. studying textiles & trying to double major in illustration. still working on the last one tho........

11. Do you prefer heat or cold?

adri: for outside weather sunny and warm, for indoor temp cold

nat: 70 degrees is the ideal living temperature i dont take feedback. also it is better to be cold than hot

12. Name one fact about you that others might find unusual

adri: bruv i am a normie i cannot think of an unusual thing. i am a vegan thats my weirdest unusual shit

nat: idk uhhhhhhhh. actually ok i thought my birthday was the wrong day for 10 years

13. Are you shy?

adri: i do not think that im shy i literally am just woefully picky with people i have in my life so i snip out people i dont immediately click with. not shy just unfortunately frigid akhddkg

nat: no only on the internet

14. Do you have preferred pronouns?

adri: she/her

nat: anythings cool honestly but i prefer he/they slightly.

15. Biggest pet peeves?

adri: gross but. aggressive burping without apology when i dont know u like that

nat: hate it when ppl try to be rude funny like what is ur damage lol.. only do that if i know u -_-

16. What is your favourite “-dere” type?

adri: i had to look this shit up bc i didnt know any dere type other than tsundere but i still say tsundere because its so fun

nat: not a weeb so i had to check anyway its deredere i love happy bitches. good for them

17. Rate your life 1-10. 1 being crappy, 10 being amazing.

adri: last week it was a -8 but today it’s a 5??? im unfortunately going thru some shit rn but im on the up again

nat: 3-4 right now but i am finally getting off my ass for my finals. as soon as next week passes i guarantee i WILL be at 10

18. What is your main blog?

adri: @adrisama where i blog about haikyuu and rb whatever else i want

nat: @goo-mies its just everything there.

19. List your side blogs and what they are used for.

adri: oh christ. they are all lowkey dead for now bc i literally caught obey me disease but @twilitinhere for twilight blogging. @puffsleeves for blogging about anne with an e. @agrestes for miraculous ladybug. u are looking at the newest sideblog here at devilstree dot tumblr dot com

nat: i have an art blog @dovebranch and an aes blog @solohsis which r the only ones im really using rn. i used to have a tf2 sideblog but i havent touched it in 2 years and the art is old so i am NOT sharing

20. One thing you think people should know about you before they become your friends?

adri: this is just for people who follow this blog and play obey me.... i stan satan and mammon. yes they r on critical opposing ends of the sapiosexual/morosexual spectrum. i have two hands!!!!! 🤧🤧🤧

nat: im just gonna piggyback off of what adri answered. anyway i stan levi and asmo who are also on opposite extremes except its the two ends of the cringe-sexy scale. (pinches fingers together) its about the duality

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pikapeppa · 6 years

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Writer’s Interview

Tagged by @galadrieljones! Her interview was fascinating and really informative; I would recommend you all check it out.

Tagging forward to @iarollane @charlatron @wardsarefunctioning @aban-asaara @thevikingwoman @athenril-of-kirkwall @fourletterepithet @oops-gingermoment @thunderheadfred @loquaciousquark @obvidalous@barddoc1992 and anyone else who wants to respond!

Q: What is your coffee order?

I don’t drink coffee. Tea for me, please!

Q: What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?

The first thing that comes to mind is going to Iceland in 2016. Driving all around the island and seeing the fucking glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón was just.... breathtaking. I’ve never seen a place like that in my life.

Maybe another cool thing I did was finally find the balls to do a cosplay (a casual, lazy one, but a cosplay nonetheless) last year when I went to DragonCon in Atlanta.

Q: Who has been your biggest mentor?

Uhh, I don’t have any? But in terms of people who encourage me and help me keep my chin up in those moments of self-doubt (YA’LL KNOW THOSE MOMENTS), I would have to give thanks to @schoute, @viktuuri-fluff-saved-my-life @emileoutofit and @lylypuceonarchive, either for listening to my whining, leaving the most lovely comments and encouraging words, or both!

Q: What has been your most memorable writing project?

Stormbirds and Stalkers, my Aloy/Nil Horizon Zero Dawn fic, was probably the most memorable. I was OBSESSED with writing that thing to the point of putting out a chapter almost every day for the month it took to write. When I hear songs from the playlist I was listening to at the time of writing that fic, it takes me straight back to the feeling of loving that ship so much and being so into the writing that I was ignoring almost everything else (INCLUDING MY EXTREMELY PATIENT FIANCE). To this day, it’s my most popular fic.

In more recent memory, Damned Spot (the Fenris/Rynne Hawke bartender modern AU) is memorable because it has been incredible and inspiring to build the world with @schoute and to collaborate together with the fic and art. I’ve never worked together with someone on a project this way and it’s been so much fun.

Note, also, that I have a Master’s thesis and two published scientific articles under my belt, and those don’t even get an honourable mention in terms of memorable-ness. Fanfic writing defines who I am as a writer.

Q: What does your writing path look like, from the earliest days until now?

Uhh... Well, I guess I wanted to be a storyteller in some sense since I was a kid. I really used to love drawing, and the first thing I ever wanted to be was a comic strip artist. I used to make comic strips for myself from as early as I can remember until I was in high school. They largely revolved around stuff I wanted to happen in my real life (vacations I was looking forward to, boys I had crushes on in high school, etc.). REAL SCINTILLATING STUFF.

In terms of writing specifically, I’ve always been comfortable with writing. It was always just something I could do pretty easily without thinking much about it, but it was never really a creative thing or a thing I saw as a special talent. Friends in high school would ask me to edit their work, and I wrote an essay in grade 11 that a teacher said was “university level”. (I wish I still had that essay, actually. The thesis was that Sigmund Freud was a feminist. He really wasn’t, but I quite successfully argued that he was HAHAHAH.)

In university (undergrad and Master’s degrees), academic writing was just part of the work, so I just did it - again, without thinking much about it. Then I started working full-time and didn’t write anything really except for clinical notes and healthcare stuff for a couple years.

It wasn’t until I started writing fanfic in 2017 that writing became an actual creative process for me and something I recognized as a talent. It became a way that I could actually use my imagination - something I don’t feel like I had done since I was a kid. Fanfic has been the best and only way to express myself creatively; I never considered myself a creative person until I started doing this. So, I mean, I guess I’ve written things to some degree or another throughout my life, but I didn’t see myself as a writer until I started writing fanfic, and now it’s one of the skills I cherish most.

Q: What is your favourite part about writing?

Getting that perfect turn of phrase or dialogue between characters that encapsulates what I’m feeling or imagining for the scene. And when people comment and pick out those things that I was so proud of writing, that is just the cherry on the sundae.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you?

Wake up at 6:50am, eat breakfast, go to work and spend the day wishing I was at home writing. Go home, do a quick yoga session in my living room, WRITE WRITE WRITE until dinnertime which is anywhere between 8-10pm because my fiance and I are both Creative™ and thus Not Adherent To Regular Mealtimes™. Cook (or order in), eat dinner and watch a movie/show with the fiance, WRITE some more depending on the time, shower and bed around 1:30am. Rinse and repeat.

On weekends: wake up around 9-9:30am, yoga, breakfast, WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE, with occasional irregular food breaks and poking around with the fiance to see what he’s up to (he’s a digital artist and filmmaker). Sometime around 8-10pm, cook (or order in), eat dinner and watch a movie/show with the fiance, WRITE some more depending on the time, shower and bed around 2-3am.

If we go out and do something during the day, or if I’m actively playing a video game, then obviously the writing time gets eaten into lol. Oh, I guess we clean sometimes too. Sometimes.

Q: What does your writing process look like?

I like to outline before I start a longfic; I like to know all the main points of the story and how it’s going to end before I get started. For individual chapters or oneshots, I also tend to outline the main points or main pieces of dialogue before getting into the meat of writing the chapter.

I listen to music CONSTANTLY. I actually can’t think unless there is music playing. I have playlists for all my ships. I often will pick one song that illustrates the feel of the chapter and listen to it on loop until the chapter is done.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?

I’ve never really gotten any advice, so I’m going to paraphrase @galadrieljones‘ advice, since I naturally follow it and find it to be totally true: “Stay in the room. Once you’ve made the decision to write, don’t leave the room. If you leave the room, you’ll lose your momentum.” This is also the idea behind writing sprints - to force yourself to do nothing else but write for a set period of time, just to get those words out and stay in the moment of the writing. Yes, this might sometime mean I have spent 6 straight hours writing with only bathroom breaks, but those are often the days when I stop and feel like I’M THE MOST AMAZING HUMAN BEING IN THE WORLD because I got the damned chapter done.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

Similar to @galadrieljones‘ response, I would say that the most important thing for me has been to keep the writing for the pleasure of it and not to monetize it. I have been asked before if I would consider writing fiction professionally, and my answer is a resounding ‘no’. If I wrote professionally, I couldn’t write exactly what I want to write on my own timeline, and I wouldn’t be able to share it immediately and garner the kinds of interactions and socializing with my readers that I really enjoy. Fanfic is the perfect medium that lets me write exactly what I want and to hang out with fun like-minded people while doing so.

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to start writing?

DO IT! DO IT DO IT DO IT!! I have so many friends who have said they want to write and don’t have the time or think they would be shitty at it - and I always say to JUST DO IT!! This also calls back also to some of the questions from earlier: if you really want to write, you may have to carve out time for it. MAKE time for it if it’s something you really want to do. Force yourself to find an hour or two and to fill it with writing instead of some other activity. If you really want to do it, you can and will find time for it.

#tag meme #tumblr game #fanfic writer's life #thank you for the tag!#this was a fun one to fill out!#pikapeppa reflects #ask me anything

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walkingnorth · 6 years

Note

so I thought I saw a drawing of kreyul (snailord's character) drawn you somewhere??? but now I can't find it anywhere, so do you know where I can find it or if it even exists in the first place? I feel like I'm imagining things lol

Ooops! An even bigger apology for how incredibly late these replies are, I am a very clever person who clicked “save to draft” instead of “post” and just now noticed ^^;

I drew Kreyul (and Emai’s shoulder!) as a cameo in Always Human:https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/always-human/season-2-60-going-home/viewer?title_no=557&episode_no=66I am 99.99% certain that’s the only time I’ve drawn him :)

Anonymous said:Duuuude I read the first few chapters of always human when you started it but never got into the grove of checking every update !!! Now I downloaded webtoon and I can read all of it in one go :’)

I hope you enjoy it :D :D :D

Anonymous said:Hey, I know you probably get this a lot but I just wanted to say thank you. Your comic Always Human really helped me on a very personal level with my extreme self conscious issues and most of all it helped me with coming to terms with my sexuality. Seeing characters like me was so instrumental in me being able to be open up about who I am, not only my friends and family but also to myself. Continued ~It is so hard to find content with completely open wlw and your comic really helped show that I could live a normal and happy life with another girl. But it’s also a very good story. Not only does your story have good representation but it has an incredibly strong plot with even stronger characters. Not to mention how breath taking your art is. It takes me away every time I see it. Continued~I have recommended your comic more times than I can count. And your new comic Ariel Magic is proving to be just as good, I excitedly await every new chapter. So I kinda just wanted to say that what you do and all of the hard work you put into it is inspiring. It seems kinda silly but your comic really did change my life and it will always have a special place in my heart. So, thank you. End~

asdfkslkdfj oh my goodness thank you so much!This is such an open, honest message and WOW thank you. I’m really, really glad I was able to help you in some way, thank you for taking the time to read Always Human and connect with the characters, and for enjoying a story that I put so much of my soul into. I’m so humbled to know that it means so much to you!I wish you all the very best, and I hope the stories you read are filled with wonderful queer characters. We all deserve to see ourselves reflected in fiction :)

@katherinelemagne said:Hi! I’m sorry if you’ve been asked this before, but I’m wondering if you could name a few of your favorite webcomics? I know that you sometimes feature characters in your own comics, but it would be awesome if we could get a consolidated list. I discovered Love Not Found thanks to you and am looking for more solid recommendations! Thank you! PS, really enjoying Aerial Magic! :)

Replying to this publicly because I think other people might be interested in my response :)

There are so many amazing webcomics and I’m sure I’ve forgotten half of my favourites, but here’s a incomplete list of webcomics that I love dearly

Wilde Life

Namesake

Love not Found

Sleepless Domain

Spectraspell

Gunnerkrigg Court

Everblue

Ava’s Demon

Alice and the Nightmare

Gourmet Hound

Lore Olympus

April Flowers

Space Boy

Heir’s Game (just started, by the creator of Shootaround which is also VERY GOOD.)

UnOrdinary

Mage & Demon Queen

Lavender Jack

Rise from Ashes

Strawberry Seafoam

Conspiracy Research Club (I’m not quite sure if this is considered a comic, but it’s an illustrated story told via twitter, and I am enjoying it immensely!)

I also have a webcomic recs tag (and a second webcomic recs tag on the no longer updated Always Human tumblr.)

And thank you for the kind words

#asks #anon #webcomic rec #katherinelemagne

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pengychan · 6 years

Text

[Coco] Mind the Gap, Pt. 7

Title: Mind the Gap Summary: Modern Day AU. Tired of Ernesto’s snide remarks, Imelda decides to put him in his place and her husband is more than happy to help. It was supposed to be a one-night deal. Things quickly get out of hand. [OT3, mostly porn and humor. Plenty of instances of Ernesto being Dramatic, Imelda getting Sick Of His Shit, and Héctor trying to be the peacekeeper. Don’t expect anything serious.] Pairings: Ernesto/Héctor/Imelda Rating: Explicit.

To see the version with art by Dara, check it out on Ao3.

Tag for all parts up so far.

A/N: I mean did anyone here really expect Ernesto and Imelda keep up the truce for long. (Also Tumblr is a baby so go check out the illustrated version on Ao3!)

***

The shower in Ernesto’s small apartment is nowhere as large as his and Imelda’s own, so Héctor is rather glad they’re doing this at their place.

Not that he’s that picky, nor is the shower that small; it works perfectly for one person. Two people could fit in without too much trouble… but with three people, one of them being so ridiculously broad, it would be a very tight fit. Maybe someday they will give it a go, but for now, Héctor is pretty happy they’re using the big one.

He’s got to admit that maybe Ernesto has a point in life: there is a lot to be said for being the center of attention. Especially when - and maybe it’s just some wishful thinking, but maybe not - he’s got those two actually working together to get him over the edge, focusing on him rather than trying to best each other.

Or maybe just focusing more on him than they are on competing against each other. Either way, Héctor will take this as a victory… and it is a very, very sweet one.

Héctor draws in a sharp breath when a soapy hand grasps his cock firmly, giving it a squeeze, and some of the water running over him - it is hot enough to redden skin and yet now it barely feels lukewarm compared to skin against his own, the hand on his cock and the kisses Imelda is trailing across his chest - gets into his mouth. It causes his next moan to come out as almost a gargle; Imelda pulls back for a moment, and there is a chuckle against his ear.

"New song?" Ernesto asks, stroking him idly. Héctor doesn't have enough breath to reply, and he just tightens his own grip on Ernesto's drenched hair. He doesn't even seem to feel it; Héctor can feel him smirking again against his skin. There is water and steam everywhere, the touches on him are turning him into a quivering mess, it is hard to breathe and oh, he’d trade this for nothing else.

"You know he can sing better than this," Imelda speaks, her voice so dangerously, dangerously sweet. Héctor opens his eyes, squinting against the water, to see a smile curling her lips. She looks past him, right at Ernesto. "Better than you, for sure."

"Oh?" Ernesto asks, and there is challenge in his tone, but the amusement is not gone. He presses a finger against the slit of Héctor's cock, getting another moan out of him, a buckle of his hips. "Does he now?"

"Get your hand off my husband's dick," Imelda says, and her smile turns lopsided. "And I'll show you how to make him sing."

Oh, God.

Héctor gasps, shutting his eyes. There are a few moments of silence aside from the rush of water, and he breathes in the steam just as Ernesto speaks again.

"Very well." One more squeeze and he is letting go of him, his other hand still firmly grasping Héctor's hair. "Show me."

Héctor opens his mouth to say something - not that he has any idea what to say, or the capability to string together anything that makes sense anymore - but of course all that leaves him is an low moan. The sight alone of Imelda kneeling in front of him, hair and skin wet, is enough to make his head spin, no matter how familiar; her mouth on his cock a moment makes him cry out and shudder violently.

Normally he’d reach out to steady himself against the walls of the shower, because he’s never had such a great sense of balance, the floor is wet and collapsing on Imelda would be just about the worst way to interrupt a very pleasant start of the morning. But this time, there is no need: Ernesto is there, solid and steady as a wall, holding him tightly, chest to his back as Héctor buckles his hips, shuddering.

He leans his head on Héctor’s shoulder - something he started doing after a particularly powerful fit of pleasure caused Héctor to throw back his head with reckless abandon, which almost resulted in a broken nose - to gaze down at Imelda’s head, and chuckles.

“She got you good,” he murmurs against Héctor’s ear, getting a wordless groan as a response. Imelda is pulling back slowly, trailing a vein with her tongue, and lets her teeth scrape just slightly against the top in a way that never fails to turn Héctor into mush. He gasps, getting more water in his mouth just as Ernesto speaks again in his ear.

“... But I think two of us would get this over with quicker.”

Wait, what?

In the haze of pleasure, under the relentless cascade of water, Héctor can only blink when Ernesto’s steadying, reassuring grip faces. He glances back to see he’s kneeling down, feels his hands on his ass, prying the cheeks apart, and then something warm and wet--

“Ah!”

The startled cry leaves his mouth with no words, not one single coherent thought to it. Héctor finds himself reaching down, grasping Ernesto’s hair with one hand and Imelda’s with the other, holding on like a castaway to a piece of driftwood.

But that’s what you do, isn’t it, it’s what you’ve always been doing, clinging onto them to avoid drowning because you know you can’t make it on your own.

The thought is sudden as it is jarring, and Héctor is quick to chase it away because oh, Ernesto and Imelda are making it so easy now, to abandon all thought and just enjoy the feeling - their hands on him, and the heat of her mouth and the strokes of his tongue, the wet hair his fingers are tangled in and the hot water falling over them all, the steam he breathes in with each helpless gasp.

He lasts no more than two minutes, and he cannot even bring himself to feel sheepish: he’d dare anybody to last one moment longer than he did, he truly would. His legs give in - does he eve have bones anymore? - but Ernesto is there to hold him up, Imelda is turning off the water and reaching for a dry towel, and Héctor isn’t worried at all, safe in the certainty that neither of them is going to let him fall.

***

“Your parents sounded in a good mood.”

“Hmm.”

“Shame we didn’t catch your brothers home, but I bet they’ll call back. Hey, did you see the latest video on their channel?”

“For the sake of my sanity, I try not to look.”

“Heh. Good point.”

Silence.

“... Tell me it did not involve rockets.”

“Nope.”

“Oh, good.”

“There was a circular saw, though.”

“What??”

“But everything went fine! I mean, the experiment failed, but no limbs were lost and they walked out with ten fingers and toes. I’d count it as a success.”

“Ten fingers and toes each, or between the two of them?”

“Each.”

“Thank God for small miracles.”

“To be fair, this one wasn’t that small.”

“Aaaand this is why I make a point to never look at their channel. What kind of experiment was it, anyway?”

“Beats me. They didn’t make it very clear.” Héctor laughs, and leans his head on her shoulder, a hand reaching down to massage her lower belly to help her through the usual cramps that come with her period. They’re both in bed, and she’s reading a book Ceci recommended to her when she popped in to get some fabrics – which means she very nearly threw it at her head bellowing for her to read it.

It isn’t half bad, but it hasn’t really captured her yet. Then again, she’s only some thirty pages in... and she is getting distracted by thoughts of their trip to Santa Cecilia in about two weeks, to visit the grave of Héctor’s parents and attend to a special Mass in their memory.

It is mostly sorted, with the parish and with her parents, who are going to let them stay in the guest room as they always do, once Óscar and Felipe are done taking all of their clutter out of it. They have booked their train tickets, because both dislike long car rides, and she is well ahead with the orders, so that she can afford staying away three or four days.

Yes, everything’s in place, as per every year... but this year, for the first time, Imelda finds she’s bothered by the one absence she never gave any thought to before.

“Isn’t Ernesto coming?” she asks, closing the book. She glances at Héctor to see him pause, taken aback, before he shakes his head.

“No. He’s... busy.”

“Busy, every year?”

That causes Héctor to look away. “I can’t ask him that.”

“You can’t ask your best friend to be with you on the anniversary of your parents’ death?” Imelda asks, more harshly than she meant to. She shuts her mouth, already feeling guilty, when Héctor’s gaze grows distant... but only for a moment. Then he just shrugs, like it’s nothing.

“I can’t ask him to come to Santa Cecilia.”

“It’s his hometown.”

“He doesn’t like it.”

“We grew up there,” Imelda says, and has to make a conscious effort not to let anger show in her voice. “His family is there. Does he think he’s too good for it? For them?”

Héctor shakes his head. “It’s not that,” he says, a defensive note to his voice. Sometimes it frustrates her, it really does, how defensive he is of his best friend because that’s just how Ernesto is. Like it’s supposed to make everything he does right, or at least more bearable.

“Then what--”

“I promised not to tell,” he cuts her off, and he looks genuinely sorry. “I really can’t. Just believe me, it’s all right. He cared about my parents, you know that. He doesn’t need to come to Santa Cecilia to show it.”

Can’t tell her.

Somehow, the thought hurts. There are supposed to be no secrets between the two of them; that is something they established early on. She certainly keeps nothing secret from him, and this is the first time she realizes it’s not quite the same for him. It is fair, she cannot fault him for that – it’s nothing she has any business knowing, after all – but the sting is there anyway, impossible to ignore.

A cutting remark - “did he get some girl in trouble?” - almost makes it to her lips, but she manages to hold it back, and swallows it along with her annoyance. “I understand,” she says instead. It isn’t the entire truth, because she can’t really understand what she’s not told, but it is the only right answer to give and the one Héctor needs right now, so she says it anyway,

And when he smiles at her, relief plain on his face, the smile she gives back is far more sincere than her words were.

***

Great as their teamwork can get in bed - and in the shower, and occasionally in the living room or the kitchen - Ernesto and Imelda’s first attempt at singing in a duet goes about as disastrously as Héctor expected it to.

He’s always been an optimist but, to be entirely honest, it would have taken a miracle for it to go down well... and miracles are hard to come by these days.

“If you could be bothered not to sing over me--”

“Well, I had to do something to fix the mess you were making!”

“Excuse me?”

“You were trying to breathe in and sing at the same time, don’t think I didn’t notice! Or are you always just this bad?”

“Says the one who keeps coming in at the wrong time! And why are you even wearing a charro now? We’re in my living room! Are you trying to impress the cat?” Imelda snaps. From the chair she’s curled on, Pepita chooses that moment to hiss in Ernesto’s general direction as though to point out that, if that was the intention, he’s entirely failed.

Ernesto scoffs, brushing his jacket in a somewhat defensive way. “Well, at least one of us needs to put in some effort! Either you’re not trying, or you couldn’t carry a note if it were stapled to your ba--”

All right, maybe it is time to say something. Héctor sighs, putting the guitar down on his knees. “Uh, guys--” he begins, but he has no time to say anything more. The next moment Ernesto scoffs dramatically, throws up his hands dramatically, and marches through the living room to the door. Dramatically.

“Fine! I’ll go find some company with those who appreciate my skills!”

“Hey now, you know we appreciate--”

“Your dogs?” Imelda asks, raising an eyebrow. The only reply she gets is a slammed door, and then a few moments of silence.

“... Well,” Héctor finally says. “That went well.”

“It did not.”

“There was no blood.”

“And that’s enough to say it went well?”

“For a first attempt, yes. Like your brothers not losing any limbs is enough to call whatever they’re up to a success,” Héctor quips, and that gets a smile out of her before she frowns.

“The first attempt, and the last. He is insufferable, even without a public. I can’t begin to imagine how you can share a stage with that self-centered drama queen and his inflated ego.”

He grins. “He doesn’t mind sharing with me,” he says, and is somewhat taken aback when Imelda gives him a look that is almost angry, and unexpectedly bitter.

“Oh, he would. But you’re his best friend, and I’m just your wife,” she huffs, and walks out towards her workroom, leaving a very confused Héctor behind. He blinks, not knowing what to say – not knowing what to think of her last words – as Pepita jumps off her chair to go after Imelda, silent as a ghost.

***

Ernesto doesn’t like Los Chachalacos.

All right, fine, so that is a lie: he likes them, if begrudgingly. Their music isn’t half bad, if nowhere near his-- their -- own, and they are good fun. In the several occasions they found themselves playing at the same venues, they’ve always been good company for a drink or two.

Still, they are competition, as Ernesto has to nearly constantly remind Héctor. They’ll join them if they have to, laugh and swap jokes and some gossip about yet another producer who had to pay up to silence some scandal, but that doesn’t mean they have to like them. They shouldn’t.

If only they weren’t so insufferably likeable.

“Oye, look who’s there!”

“De la Cruz!”

“Ernesto!”

“Come over here!”

“Where’s Rivera?”

“Have a drink!”

Their voices were the first thing he heard as soon as he stepped in the cantina, and sure enough there they were, crowded around a table and with a glass each. He could tell Marta is already in the process of drinking the rest of the band under the table. He joined them gladly enough, anything to get the argument out of his mind - not even much of an argument, but she was the one who was trying to sing over him - and explained that Héctor couldn’t come out.

“The tragedy of married life,” he mutters now, a glass in his own hand, and there is laughter, which makes him feel better. That is the reaction his jokes should get, not the exasperated sighs and biting remarks Imelda keeps giving him. She got… better, for a while, but now there’s something wrong and he cannot tell what it is - but like hell he’s going to ask. It's her problem, not his.

More drinks are ordered and soon enough everyone is singing, if somewhat drunkenly, and Ernesto joins in. They sing Los Chachalacos’ songs, Héctor’s own, popular ones, some unholy mixture of all of them - and no one complains about his voice being too loud, no one calls him an attention hog or complains about him at all, and that is precisely how Ernesto likes it. They see him, and like what they see. Listen to him, and love what they hear.

Before long, Ernesto is laughing hard enough to tear up and thinking that yes, Héctor is missing out, stuck home with that bore of a wife. He pulls out his phone, calls everyone to move closer for a group picture, and sends it over to Héctor with a brief message.

You’re missing out on life. Remember, divorce is an option! ;)

***

“Divorce is an option.”

“I-I’m sure he was just joking! You know, that’s what Ernesto is li--”

“Do not. Finish. That sentence.”

Héctor shuts his mouth so abruptly his teeth click together. He’s regretting dearly the moment he asked Imelda to check the phone in his place, since he was elbow-deep in water trying to unblock the sink. He expected her to read aloud whatever message he just got, and instead there had been silence… and he turned to see her absolutely livid.

You’re in trouble, amigo. If she doesn’t strangle you, I will.

There is a long sigh, then Imelda looks up and give the least reassuring smile she ever gave. Her frame relaxes, all tenseness gone, a glint in her eyes.

“Héctor, mi amor,” she says, her voice rotting honey. “Let’s get in the bedroom.”

***

Ernesto is in the middle of a really funny joke involving a bellringer, a train and a nun when his phone bleeps. He grabs it, still talking and glass still in his other hand. Maybe it’s Sofía - he wrote her earlier to ask if she’s free tonight, because she’s good fun with no strings attached and no desire for any on either side - but it isn’t her. It is Imelda.

And she’s sent him pictures.

For a moment or two Ernesto stares down at the screen as though not comprehending, glass still at his mouth. He can see Héctor; he can see lingerie; his brain, however, is momentarily refusing to put the two things together into a single image for him to elaborate.

Then it does, and the beer he was about to swallow comes out of his nose in a sudden, foamy stream.

“Hey, Ernesto!”

“What is it?”

“Are you all right?”

“I-- ack! I--” Ernesto stands suddenly, dropping the glass, phone still held tightly in his hand. He coughs and wheezes, which doesn’t give the words he manages to choke out - I’m fine - the barest semblance of credibility. His head is reeling, he cannot breathe, he’s sticky with beer… and the images are still before his eyes, as though imprinted in his retinas.

“Whoa, easy there!” there is a relieved laugh, a hand on his shoulder. “Need a towel and some wat--”

“Toilet,” Ernesto croaks. He must be growing redder by the second now, his face unberably hot… and not just his face. He’s got a problem there, one he needs to take care of before it becomes too obvious - which will likely happen any moment now, since he had the brilliant idea to put on such tight trousers. “L-lo siento, I need-- restroom-- just a minute.”

Thank God no one argues, and he’s able to stumble his way to the toilet. By the time he gets there he’s painfully hard, Christ, he can’t remember getting this hard so quickly since he was eighteen, but no one noticed the bulge at and so all is fine, he can take care of it and walk back out laughing with an excuse - maybe something about his last meal being just a bit more than a human being can handle.

Then he will march out of here, and he’ll strangle Imelda or die trying. For now he settles for gripping something else entirely, though not tight enough to cause harm, thank you so very much. With a grimace, Ernesto begins to stroke himself… and just then the phone bleeps again.

He shouldn’t look; it goes against his best judgment. But then again, what harm can it do him now? He’s already in a toilet stall, taking care of the problem - may as well see what else that bruja has sent him. So he grits his teeth, squeezes the head of his cock, and lifts the phone to his eyes.

From the screen, a scowling Imelda is staring straight at him, her middle finger raised. In the background, he can see Héctor sitting on the bed, taking off what looks like a pair of stockings, caught in mid-laugh. Below the pictures, there are only a few words.

Who’s missing out now, pendejo?

There is a rush of something that Ernesto mistakes for anger, and his grip on the phone tightens - as does that of his other hand on his cock. It was Héctor’s pictures to reduce him in this state but now, as he finishes, he’s scowling back at Imelda.

And telling himself that, somehow, he’ll make her pay.

***

“Let me get this straight. You called me to ask if I’m going to pose for pictures? And here I thought you were up for a fuck.”

“Well, that too.”

“What’s with the sudden interest in taking photos of women in lingerie?”

“You could say it’s an artistic pursuit.”

“Ernesto?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

All right, so maybe Sofía knows him too well by now. Ernesto sighs. “Well… uh…”

“... Wait a minute. Are you trying to make somebody jealous?”

“Wha-- no!”

“You are!”

“I am not!”

“And who is it? Was it the same one you wanted to impress with your absolutely non-existent culinary skills?”

“I wasn’t trying to impress anyone!”

“Oh, please. There is always someone you’re trying to impress. Fans, friends, flings, the old lady next door, the mirror…”

Ernesto snorts. “Fine, fine. Let’s say there is someone I’m trying to get back to--”

“Good luck.”

“I need your help.”

“You’re not seriously expecting me to-- I don’t even have much lingerie. I don’t see why anyone should bother. If someone gets to see my underwear at all, chances are it won’t stay on for another minute.”

All right, that is a logic Ernesto can’t really argue with. “Naked, then? You look great naked.”

“I’ve heard you bullshitting better compliments than this one, but nice try. I’m not posing naked for pictures you’re going to share with your crush. Are you drunk?”

“My wha-- I don’t have a-- all right, a little drunk, but that is entirely beside the point. Will you let me--”

Click.

“... I’ll take that as a no.”

***

“No.”

Of course, that is just about the answer Héctor was expecting - and the same he already got from Imelda, too. Neither of them has any interest in trying to sing in a duet again, and maaaybe that attempt has been just a bit too rash from Héctor’s part. He should have given it more time.

“Are you sure? I think you could sound great together, if you just work a little on--”

“I don’t need to work on anything. She’s the one who’s nowhere near my level!”

“-- on your teamwork.”

That causes Ernesto to scoff, glaring down at his phone. Throughout the whole lunch, he’s hardly looked up from it and hasn’t looked at him in the eye once. When Héctor glanced over, he seemed to be scrolling through some amazingly useless dog toys and gadgets; he’s not sure he wants to know how much money his best friend has been spending on the four pups who, after a few attempts at nipping the waiter’s ankles, are currently snoozing under the table.

“We are a team,” Ernesto is gritting out. “Me and you. A great team. She has no part in it.”

Héctor rolls his eyes, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand. “Still mad about those photos?”

Ernesto stiffens before shrugging. “What photos?” he asks, and he even sounds convincing.

Except that Héctor knows him too well. He grins. “I bet you didn’t delete them.”

“Shut up.”

“To be fair, you started it. Just admit we outdid you. If you’d like to be in the next photoshoot--”

“Shut. Up,” Ernesto snarls. Héctor grins.

“Oh, come on. I didn’t pout like that when you went wild with that vibrator.”

“I didn’t go wild,” Ernesto protests, but his scowl is fading into amusement. “My finger slipped on the remote a few more times than it was supposed to.”

“A few more times.”

“All right, a lot.”

“Slipped.”

Ernesto rolls his eyes. “Stop it. I showed your wife how it’s done. And you creamed your pants.”

“And so did you when you got those pics, I bet.”

“No.”

“Oh?”

“... I made it to a toilet,” Ernesto grumbles, then scowls again. “And anyway, that time you got your revenge the following week.”

“And you enjoyed it.”

He doesn’t argue that point. “I still think the handcuffs and costume were entirely unnecessary.”

“Are you kidding? Those were an integral part of the scene. And I'd been looking for an excuse to borrow it from Imelda.”

“Unnecessary. And so was your wife taking pictures!”

“Which you asked to be sent later,” Héctor reminds him. Ernesto has the good grace to blush.

“That is beside the-- the--” he sputters. “What point are you trying to make?”

Héctor shrugs, glancing around to make sure no one is close enough to listen, and reaches to play with an ice cub that was left in his glass. “Well, Imelda had an idea for something...”

He tells him what she has in mind, in good detail. Ernesto turns crimson, sputters indignantly, snaps that they must be out of their mind and that he’ll never submit to such indignity. Héctor smiles, shrugs, and says it’s all right, he’ll never bring it up again. And he doesn’t; he acts as normal, and waits.

Within a week, he gets exactly the text he’d been expecting.

***

“I’m not saying yes.”

“Of course.”

“We got it the first seven times.”

“Good, just so we’re clear. I’m-- enquiring.”

“Clearly,” Imelda says, sounding perfectly serious, and takes the coffee to her mouth. From his seat, Héctor can see her lips curling in a smirk behind the cup for just a moment. “So, enquire away. Which part of the whole scenario confuses you?”

“Well…” Ernesto starts, then pauses, clearly at a loss, before clearing his throat and letting his expression fall into indifference. He looks perfectly in control: his shirt is spotless, his hair carefully styled… but there are dark shadows under his eyes that bespoke of at least a couple of sleepless nights. Héctor wonders if he’s dreamed the scenario. They have tied him up on a couple of occasions, yes, but this would go quite a bit further.

“For one… er…” Ernesto is saying slowly. “The binds are going-- would be safe, right? Not that I can’t take it, of course, but I sort of needs these hands to play…” he says, glancing at Héctor.

He shrugs and holds up his hands, flexing his fingers. “Perfectly safe. No damage to these hands, is there?” he says, and smiles. “Safe, sane and consensual, no?”

Ernesto stares at his hands for a couple of moments, maybe trying to imagine them bound, before looking away. “Right,” he mutters, and takes another sip of coffee, seemingly very interested in a specific spot on their kitchen table. “The ginger thing - what is it about?”

Imelda smiles a little. “Oh, that. It causes burning.”

“What?”

“With no damage. It’s perfectly safe. You’ll only feel the burn.”

“You mean I would feel the burn,” Ernesto corrects her quickly. “I’m not saying yes.”

“... Right. Anything else?”

“That with-- the rod, and--” he pauses, and swallows. His attempt of seeming at ease is less and less believable. “I’d be able to stop it any moment. Of course.” Another pause. “... Right?”

Imelda nods. “Of course. We’ll agree on a safeword. You say it, and everything stops,” she says, and tilts her head on one side. “You’ve never done anything like this, have you?”

There is no trace of mockery in her voice - this is too serious not to be perfectly straightforward about; if this is to go on, they all need to be on the same page - but Ernesto seems to take it as such, and he suddenly seems flustered at the suggestion he has absolutely no experience while they do.

“Of course I have!” he protests. “I was just… making sure.”

Imelda raises an eyebrow. “So, you know how all of this works.”

A scoff. “Of course I do. I know everything,” he snaps.

It is a lie, one Ernesto will regret telling. Neither Héctor nor Imelda question it.

They will regret that, too.

***

[Back to Part 6]

[On to Part 8]

#pixar coco #hector rivera #imelda rivera #ernesto de la cruz #coco #mind the gap

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sliceofhorror · 6 years

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got tagged by @thelegendofjunkokonno and i am avoiding doing an essay so why not

Relationship Status single lol

Favorite Color lime green actually u would never guess looking at my art slkgjslkgd

Top Three Ships id say uhhh jolmes tenmiko and yoharuby (i dont even ship that many things so.)

Last Song spotify says something by ayano kaneko but idk what bc it just says “album” i tend to just put on songs for background music that sound nice slkjglksg

Last Movie i watched Kedi last night i highly recommend if u like cats

Nicknames

sweets !

Zodiac

aries idk the others i think im a tiger in the chinese one tho

Height 5′5″

Hogwarts House ravenclaw

Sexuality technically bi but at this point im just say like. gay.

Last Thing Googled the definition of the word “tentative” (u know when u def know the definition but like. u gotta make sure. cuz what if ur an idiot)

Favorite Musician um rn it’s a tie between wednesday campanella and charan-po-rantan i’d say

Followers like 800 something idk

Following around 400 i dont wanna check

Get Asks? occasionally

Amount of Sleep varies but i try to get at least 8hrs a night (does not always happen)

Lucky Number 12 !

What I’m Wearing shirt that has a cat on it w a bowl of ramen and it says ramen in jp + grey leggings

Dream Job it was animator for a while but at this point im not really sure ? i think illustrator/print maker is more what i wanna be rn

Dream Trip

japan babeyyyyyy

Favorite Food uhhh pasta ?

Instruments oh i used to sing and play the harp in high school but then i got too busy for that rip

Languages english and i can read decently in spanish but i haven’t really practiced since hs so dont ask me to try

Favorite Song melos by wednesday campanella

Random Fact

i like cats

Aesthetic menhera and gurokawa and also like mori fashion i wanna be a forest witch with like 10 cats

i am supposed to tag someone but i sleeby and do not want to

#about me #sweets.txt

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bibliophilecats · 6 years

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11 Questions Tag

Thank you @cleo-queen-of-pirates for tagging me.

Rules:

Answer the 11 questions you’ve been asked

Nominate 11 other bloggers

Ask your nominees 11 questions

Let them know you’ve nominated them

1. What are your reading goals for 2019?

The last couple of years, my main goal was to get the number of unread books on my shelves down to 10%, then 5% of my overall library. I managed that (yay) and now my goal for this year is to reread all those books I read once, added them to my library and only remember “that book was good, it is a romance/fantasy/contemporary”. To check if I still like it.

2. Which books/series have you read this year that would recommend?

I read The Last Namsara and started The Caged Queen by Kirsten Ciccarelli and, going into the first book with low expectations, the series really surprised me and I like it a lot so far. Also Tess of The Road by Rachel Hartman.

3. If you were to read a new/different genre, what would it be?

I genre I hardly ever read is ... historical romance probably. Even though certain genres are more prominent than others, there is hardly I genre I never pick up. Oh, horror I also do not read except every once in a blue moon.

4. What are some things you would find essential to have in a reading nook?

A purring cat. Cushins,

5. Did you reach your reading goals this year if you had any?

Yes :-)

6. New books or pre-loved books? Or both?

Both. The only thing I dislike about pre-loved books is, since you hardly get English language books here otherwise, that I have to order them online and I like to know in advance what state they are in (that also factors in with the price I am willing to pay). Too often my idea of “very good” or “good” differs vastly from other people’s idea of “very good” and “good”.

7. The last book that made you cry?

Cannot remember at the moment.

8. Are there any books you collect the same of, just with different covers/editions?

I am not a fan of owning several editions of the same book and I do not really understand that need. The only exception are if the editions really differ significantly from one another (i.e. more than just in the cover art or hardback vs paperback). Therefore, the only books I have several editions of are Le Petite Prince (once in German, once in French, once as a pop-up book) and Harry Potter 1-3 (regular and illustrated edition).

9. Book/series which you will always want to reread?

I (used to) reread a lot and I only keep books I want to reread so bascially, all 546 books on my shelves.

10. What is your favourite place to read?

At home.

11. Who do you talk to most about books?

@clockwork118

I always find it really difficult coming up with new questions and on top of that, I got tagged in two 11 Questions Tags recently so I cannot think of any questions right now.

#11 questions tag #tag #11 questions

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alkanet · 6 years

Text

Tagged

Tagged by @sandalwood01 and @tsukuyomiland

R U L E S

- Always repost the rules.

- Answer the random 11 questions posted for you.

- Create 11 new ones and tag 11 people.

- Let the person who tagged you know that you answered.

@sandalwood01‘s questions:

1. Favourite film? Animated: The Heroic Legend of Arslan Live action: The Lord of the Rings

2. Do you read fanfiction? Sometimes. Not too often, because I’m VERY picky about fanfics, there is a long list of things I don’t like finding in them. But if I find a fanfic about my OTP, or someone recommends one, I’ll read it. I prefer short fics, though.

3. Do you write fanfiction? I used to write, sometimes, but again, not very often. You can still find some of my old, old works at Fanfiction.net xD (I deleted some of the oldest ones because they were too embarrassing).

4. What’s your dream job? Wow, I don’t know. I wish I knew. If I had a clear dream job, I’d be working towards my dream and not stumbling in life as I am v__v But I’d like an artistinc or creative job. Illustrator, fashion designer, writer, singer, actress... if there was such a thing as a professional cosplayer, of course I’d like that too.

5. What do you like to do in your free time? Lately, I spend most of my free time on the internet... Also reading, roleplaying, sewing, listening to music and singing along.

6. If you’re an artist: do you prefer working with traditional or digital media? If you’re not an artist: what media do you find more appealing, visually speaking? I prefer traditional art, that’s what I do. But I find digital art very appealing visually. In the past, I thought it looked too artificial, but with modern techniques, digital artists create amazing pictures, so full of life! I want to learn digital art too.

7. How many languages do you speak? Spanish, English, and some Japanese.

8. What’s your favourite music genre? I don’t really have a favourite genre, but my favourite band does folk rock, so I’ll choose that (I don’t listen to other folk rock bands, though).

9. What internet browser do you use? Firefox is my main browser. I also use Chrome for my RP accounts, so I don’t have to be logging in and out (I keep both browsers open when I’m roleplaying and checking my personal accounts at the same time). Sometimes I also open Internet Explorer for a 2nd RP account.

10. Are you wearing socks right now? If so, what colour? Yes! I’m wearing my blue Ravenclaw socks (I’m a Gryffindor but I bought a 4 pairs set with all Hogwarts houses :D)

11. Recommend me either a song, book, or fanfic I might like :) Oh wow... I always go blank when I have to recommend something ^^U I’m halfway through the Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb and it’s quite addictive.

@tsukuyomiland‘s questions

1. Your favorite fairytale? Cinderella. I used to collect different versions when I was younger. 2. Favorite dog breed? Siberian Husky. 3. A car or a motorcycle? A car, I guess. I’m not very interested in vehicles, but a car would be useful (to go to conventions, especially) 4. Favorite fruit? Apples are what I eat the most. 5. Do you believe in aliens? Yes, but I’m also scared of them. 6. Your favorite X-Men? Storm! 7. Beach or swimming pool? Beach. 8. Traditional or digital? Traditional. 9. Romance or adventure? Adventure, always!! 10. Least favorite candy? Liquorice. 11. Best sword? WHAAAAT you can’t make me choose! xD Andúril.

@tsukuyomiland‘s questions again because she tagged me twice (it’s what happens when you take ages to reply to memes ^^U)

1) What’s your favorite dinosaur? I don’t have a favorite one xD 2) Pluto is still a planet for you? Yes! 3) Water levels in videogames: yay or nay? It depends? But they are usually stressful... 4) Which movie will have a sequel if you could make one? I don’t like sequels too much... 5) And from which novel/comic/videogame would you make a movie? I’d love a movie of the Belgariad book series! Actually, more than one, because it’s 5 books... at least a trilogy or a TV show... 6) Do you have a piggybank? I have a slimebank (a piggybank shaped like a Dragon Quest slime, but it’s really small and I can’t save a lot xD) and a savings box I share with my brother for our big cosplay projects (we save a fixed amount every month). 7) What’s inside your purse/backpack/bag/pockets? Keys, wallet, chapstick and phone (but I usually take my phone in my hand to play Pokemon Go) 8) Which color is your umbrella? Beige and brown, with polka dots and a ruffle. 9) Favorite phase of the moon? Crescent moon. 10) Do you like karaoke? YES!! I love singing!! 11) Your best way to relax? Listening to music and singing along. I usually do that while I’m working on a cosplay or coloring a picture.

MY QUESTIONS

1. Your favourite dessert or candy

2. Describe your current fashion style

3. If you could live anywhere (real or fictional, or just a generic place like “at the seaside” or “a castle”), where would it be?

4. What is your favourite nostalgic cartoon/show from your childhood?

5. What is/was your best subject at school?

6. Your favourite flavour and scent

7. Can you drive a car?

8. What do you do first when you wake up?

9. Do you like shipping a lot of pairings, or do you have just one OTP?

10. Do you use journals or schedule books to organize your life, or just improvise?

11. You get kidnapped by the villain of the last show/movie you watched, who is it and how bad would that be?

Tagging @ukinea, @equinebay, @la-sub-rosa, @laxusjojosmokerbiggestfan, @billgatesmousepad, @littlesmokecloud-yan, @envythedestroyer, @vovat, @kawanokatsuhito, @amidiggory, @colleyuriko

#tagged #meme #long post

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winchester-reload · 7 years

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GODDAMN I love your art and your writing and you're a beautiful person, never stop being so awesome 😍 I wanted to ask you if you'd have some recommendations for fellow destiel-artists in tumblr, I'm always looking forward to be dazzled by amazing art (naughty bits are encouraged too) :D

DUDE THIS COMMENT IS SO SWEET how’m I supposed to get through the rest of the day now that I’m crying?????

DO I HAVE ARTIST RECS HELL YES I DO

If you want some spot on, funny as hell comic art @consulting-cannibal, @sketchydean, and @vinnie-cha are worth a follow.Some of the other more popular destiel artists I follow (and will follow forever) are @bamf-castiel (I absolutely ADORE her art style and she gets bonus points for also doing some nsfw stuff, @purgatory-jar (who also does nsfw destiel art), @armellin (beautiful portraiture), @hellosaidthemoonisafangirl (stunning illustrations), @feredir, oh god there’s more... my brain just flat lined... come back to me on this one.

I’ll also throw @eliciadonze in there as an artist you should be following if you like art. She’s a staggeringly talented artist who does multi-fandom work. And as if you needed a bonus reason, you can find hundreds of her destiel and supernatural pieces all over the internet and tumblr under her previous url euclase. (I’ve reblogged a number of her pieces over the years using the tag #euclase art, do you can start there, if you want. I don’t know if she’s reposted them under @eliciadonze, but you’re welcome to check.)

And of course I need a moment to pimp some of the badass, but lesser known artists of the fandom who either ship destiel or are multishippers. @trisscar368, @braezenkitty, @jdragon122, @dmsilvisart, @dragonpressgraphics, @weallneedcastiel @deanandhiscas are just a few people who are so awesome in their own right, you won’t be sorry giving them a follow.

You can also browse my nsfw tag anytime you’re feelin’ it. All the nsfw art I’ve come across/reblogged will be under that tag (you’ll just have to pick through/ignore my art cuz it shows up under there too).

GAWWWWD now I have that horrible nagging feeling I’m leaving a ton of people off, but I can’t think of anyone else at the moment. Start with these wonderful people and maybe I’ll make a more coherent post later.

NOW GO! BRIGHTEN YOUR DASH!

#Anonymous #art #spn fan art #artist recs #supernatural #destiel

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ancient-trees · 7 years

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Reading Meme

(Sorry for taking forever on these, guys...! I got tagged for a lot of memes at once, and this one is long. I apparently have a lot of things to say about books... who knew?)

Tagged by @theticklishpear. Thank you again!

(Tag-ees, btw, don’t feel obligated to read my long rambly answers if you just want to copy/paste the questions.)

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?

I have a picture book of St George and the Dragon whose illustrations are BEAUTIFUL (it’s this one). Technically hasn’t been on MY shelves longest - a while ago I found it in our shelves of books from when my brother and I were kids and repossessed it because I love the art so much.

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?

Currently in the middle of Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire. Also in the pile are The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson (whom I love) and Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill (which is ...okay, but more of a slightly-more-opinionated refresher on what I learned in college than anything new). I’m also most of the way through a reread of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (one of my favorite books).

Last thing I finished was Shadowheart, the last book in Tad Williams’s Shadowmarch series. (It’s not without its problems, but overall I really enjoyed that series. It’s got the ensemble-cast-and-unlikely-heroes thing going on.)

I’m not sure what’s next. Fiction might be American Gods by Neil Gaiman or Aftermath by Chuck Wendig... or I might need to keep going with the series and track down the second October Daye book. We’ll see when I get there. Nonfiction - been meaning to start The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson or Writings from Ancient Egypt (translations from original sources, by the same). But I also have a book about pirates off the coast of Virginia my mom got on a recent trip to Jamestown... and a book about the Silk Road I happened upon in Barnes and Noble the other week, which MIGHT have edged its way to the top of the list... (this is why I’m all for brick-and-mortar bookstores. Search algorithms are great, but they don’t accomplish quite the same thing as wandering the shelves.)

3. Which book does everyone like and you hated?

Ehh, I’m not sure what “everyone” likes, but a lot of the series my high school friends loved I could never get into. I remember really liking the first Wheel of Time book, but got bored of the series pretty quickly after the first one. Same with Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth. I tried to like Dragonriders of Pern, but didn’t get far with that one either. And I hear the series gets better after the overenthusiastic-Tolkien-fanboying of the first book, but I really didn’t enjoy The Sword of Shannara.

Oh.. and I never read any Discworld JUST because in high school I knew a guy who EXTOLLED ITS VIRTUES TO THE HEAVENS. Constantly. Now that I’ve learned more about the series and the author I will definitely have to read some someday, though.

(I’m not a big fan of most “~Literature~” either, Pear.)

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?

I don’t know. My TBR list is pretty ridiculous, and anything’s possible, so I hate to relegate anything to “probably won’t read” status. Finishing A Song of Ice and Fire might be close. I received the whole series as a birthday gift from a friend (long before the TV show existed), read the first two back-to-back at a time when I really wasn’t in a great place, and got burned out on the grimdark rocksfalleveryonedies of it all. I did enjoy the books, and I’ll probably dive back into it someday, but it’s not really high on my Fun Things to Read list right now.

I also come home with an armload of unexpected finds every time the local college has a charity used book fair... most of which end up sitting on my shelves for a long time, still unread...

5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”

Nothing really, but I’ve got a big stack of novels from Japan that I’ve been saving for “once I’ve brushed up on my kanji” - since reading is excruciatingly slow when I have to look up every other word. I’m being optimistic and not putting them under the “probably won’t read” heading, though.

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?

noo, wait till the end! I will confess that sometimes I’ll flip ahead if I’m at a really slow point, or I know I don’t have time for another chapter but can’t quite bring myself to put the book down yet... but I’m trying to get better about it. I always regret it when I accidentally spoil the book for myself.

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?

There should ABSOLUTELY be acknowledgements. The ones that involve stories or interesting background info are cool, but even the ones that are just lists of names 110% should be there - they’re for those people, not the reader, and after all the sweat and tears that go into putting a book together they deserve that place of honor.

8. Which book character would you switch places with?

When I was a kid this question would always trip me up - it would be so cool to be a character in the books I read and have awesome adventures... but at the same time, being in a book-world would mean giving up all the other book-worlds... unless you had access to an interdimensional library and spare time for reading while you weren’t busy saving the world...

If I’m being honest, though, I’d probably end up being Ged from A Wizard of Earthsea. I can relate pretty intensely to a lot of his journey.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?

Quite a few books remind me of a certain school librarian who was always ready with a recommendation and frequently asked the student library aides what books the library should add to their shelves. She was really cool.

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.

My copy of the first Harry Potter book was given to me (right after it was first published in the US) by a good friend whose last name happened to be Potter.. along with a message that said “Wow, Harry Potter has such a cool name! I wish I had a cool name like that! OH WAIT...!”

I also seem to inherit a lot of manga from friends who want to free up shelf space.

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?

I give books as presents a lot, so nothing specific really stands out. For some reason I keep losing copies of The Silmarillion to people I lend it to who never return it...

Come to think of it, I gave a copy of Howl’s Moving Castle to one of my students in Japan before I left - since she’d been doing extra English language work just for fun, and she was a fan of the Ghibli movie.

12. Which book has been with you to the most places?

I don’t know, offhand. This might be more a Question #9 story, but I remember reading Shadowmarch during downtime between classes in the teachers’ room of my schools in Japan. The other teachers kept exclaiming over how HUGE the book was (~800 pages in mass-market paperback). In Japan novels are pocket-sized - words in Japanese take up less space to print than English, they use thinner paper, and they separate books into Part 1/Part 2 etc if they’re too long.

13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?

The Hobbit, actually. I’d read it probably in middle school/jr high or so and thought it was kind of silly and childish. Then when it was assigned representing the fantasy genre in high school lit class, I was annoyed enough that I didn’t bother rereading it - just skimmed it well enough to answer test questions. Once I’d read The Lord of the Rings and gotten into the Tolkien mythos I could appreciate The Hobbit a lot more.

14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?

In used books and library books I’ve found bookmarks, old receipts, the usual stuff... I think I found a pressed flower once or twice. A friend of mine used to hide money in her books (to be found as a surprise for herself later, after she’d forgotten about it), so once in a while I’d borrow one and find a random $10 bill or so in it. (I left them there, of course!)

15. Used or brand new?

Either one. New is good for supporting authors, but my town has a really good used book store that I’ll check for older series.

And Book Off (huge Japanese used book chain) is a thing of beauty. So much manga is published so quickly over there that people don’t tend to hang onto their tankobon copies once they’ve finished reading them (they don’t have the space to keep them all), so you can get a ton of books for really cheap. I spent way more shipping them home than I did buying the actual books.

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?

I haven’t read much Stephen King, apart from The Gunslinger (which I wasn’t really a fan of at the time) and his On Writing. I admire his work ethic, at any rate.

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?

I think there have been a few, but I can’t think of them now. I grew up with the Neverending Story movie, so I was a little thrown off when the second half of the book continued in such a different direction, but I liked them both. The book doesn’t have quite the same place in my heart that the movie does, though. And I enjoyed the Shannara Chronicles TV show a lot more than the first book in the series (see #3 above), but I haven’t read the specific books the show was based on, so I can’t really say there. (Though “Elessedil” still makes me cringe every time I hear it...)

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?

oh god. The Scifi Channel Earthsea miniseries had me laughing-slash-crying within the first five minutes, it was such a garbage fire and breathtaking masterpiece of missing the point. I remember having a similar reaction to Disney’s version of The Black Cauldron, though that was a much longer time ago, and that was less bewildered rage and more a disappointed “what did you do to my Prydain?? And what is this talking schnauzer?”

19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question?

Not that I can recall. For some reason reading about Tom Bombadil’s always makes me want bread and honey, though.

20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

Hah, I don’t know. The friend who gave me the Harry Potter book was a huge influence on what I read as a kid, but I lost touch with her a long time ago, so I don’t know what she’s reading these days.

Tagging: @possiblyelven, @taskitron, @whitherling, @arionwind, @december-soulstice, @byjillianmaria, @eggletine if you guys want to do it!

#meme #books #reading

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sabraeal · 8 years

Note

Stripper!Shirayuki AU? (Or stripper Obi, or both. Either work.)

When Shirayuki sees the price tag on a single year of medical school, she nearly passes out. Nothing should have that many zeroes and not start with a one.

Her head burrows into her arms. She’s already stretched thin as it is; between grandpa’s funeral, debts and medical costs, she’s dug as deep into her pockets as they go. What’s coming up now is the fiscal version of lint, and even that is running out.

She promised, she promised, but -- she might have to sell the bar.

“How are we supposed to pay for this?” she whispers into the wood.

Yuzuri stares at the number, and for once there’s not a hint of a smile on her face, no forthcoming quip slipping off her tongue.

“Stripping.”

Shirayuki laughs dryly. It’s a joke, it has to be.

Yuzuri doesn’t joining in.

Three years later, Shirayuki is shoveling shrimp-flavored ramen into her mouth when a set of arms wraps around her shoulders.

“I bet you miss protein.” Yuzuri purrs in a tempting sing-song, “How would you like to add some egg to your noodles?”

Shirayuki groans. The hospital lost her first paycheck – something about how her internship didn’t get entered into the right department or something – and her checking account is drawn to its limit. The issue is fixed, but she still won’t see a cent of it until the next pay period is over and –

Eggs are a luxury, at this point.

“You know neither of us care, right?” Yuzuri slides into the seat next to her. “You’re welcome to eat any food in the apartment. We know you’re good for it.”

She nods. “I know, it just doesn’t feel right.”

“Right, right, principles, I get it.” Yuzuri’s mouth curls into a grin. “But what if I told you that I had a gig for you? Just your thing.”

For a moment, her voice just sounds like nonsense, like white noise – a gig? Just her thing?

“A what?” The noises finally seep through her weary brain to make words. “A – Yuzuri, you know I don’t –”

“Yes, but you also said that you would try if I ever had a request that I thought you’d like.”

Shirayuki grimaces. She had said that, but she’d been three sheets to the wind and broke at the time, too. Everything had seemed like a good idea then. But in the light of day, it’s clear: there’s no way she can actually do what Yuzuri does.

“Come on, you’re hard up, admit it.” Her roommate grins, waggling her eyebrows. She’s enjoying this. “And you’d be doing me a real favor. Seriously. No one but you can do this.”

Shirayuki doubts that, but – she’s a sucker for being needed. Damn Yuzuri for knowing it. “Okay, no promises, but I’m listening.”

A wholesome stripper, the request says, a real girl-next-door type. Very light stripping.

Yuzuri won’t fit the bill: hair dyed a vibrant blue and tattoos spanning her shoulders, she isn’t going to cut it as a girl-next-door. Shirayuki, however –

“Think of it as dancing,” Yuzuri suggests, “you’re just taking your clothes off at the same time.”

Great. Real helpful.

“It’s not stripping, it’s burlesque,” she continues. “It’s art. You’re an artist.”

She grimaces. “Yuzuri, the most artistic thing I’ve done in four years is make a flow chart.”

“It was a beautiful flow chart,” Yuzuri says encouragingly. “So just do that…but with less clothes. And uh, lap dances.”

“Lap dances?”

Things can, of course, never be easy.

She’s drenched when she arrives, her carefully pinned hair laying limp, and the white heels she borrowed from Yuzuri are spattered with mud. Trust Seattle to rain when she least needs it.

The address is clearly for an apartment, but the building she arrives at is ridiculously upscale, enough so that there is both a doorman and an elevator attendant. Both of them are eager to help her locate the number on hastily scrawled on the post-it note, and before long she is standing at the door to the penthouse suite. She feels ridiculous in her costume: an altered lab coat and peep-toes, covered in a bright yellow rain slicker, complete with cutesy ducks.

It had seemed like a good purchase, back when it was in the discount bin at target.

She knocks before she loses her nerve. In the few minutes it takes for the door to open, she considers bolting probably four dozen times. The only thing that keeps her rooted is the flashing dollar signs behind her eyelids and the promise of egg in her ramen. Maybe even some green onion.

Ugh, she can almost taste it.

The door swings open, and for a whole minute her mind goes blank.

“I think you have the wrong floor, miss,” the man at the door says. He’s so tall she has to crane her neck back to meet his eyes, and so handsome it’s intimidating. He looks like he walked straight off Michelangelo’s pedestal and into a Land’s End catalogue.

“Are you, uh,” she licks her lips, searching her memory, “Mitsuhide Lowen?”

He blinks. “Uh, yes.”

She takes a deep breath and drops her coat. “I heard you needed a check-up.”

His eyes pulse wide, staring down at her. “Dear God in heaven.”

The next moment he is scrambling, hauling her into the apartment and throwing her coat over her shoulders. He stares down into her eyes, and says very earnestly, “She is going to kill us.”

Mitsuhide Lowen is about to marry the love of his life on a romantic ranch two hours drive from the city, where they will exchange vows in a barn surrounded by a staggering amount of sunflowers as well as their nearest and dearest and her father’s two hundred closest business associates. Their last argument was whether to have their rustic signage say ‘gettin’ hitched’ (her idea) or ‘just married’ (his). Whenever someone tells him her idea is better, he smiles goofily and says, “She’s so clever.”

Shirayuki knows this, because she’s known Mitsuhide five minutes. She also knows that Kiki Seiran – yes, those Serians – is the most beautiful woman on earth, since she is glowing in every single one of the two hundred photos Mitushide has of her on his phone.

“Are you cold?” he asks for what has to be the eighth time. “You look like you might be cold. Would you like pants?”

She shakes her head, eating another canape off the tray in the kitchen. It’s the swankiest bachelor party she has every seen – not that she’s had the chance to see many, but, well, she watches movies, she has expectations. It’s fully catered, with only the finest hors d’oeuvres Seattle has to offer, and the penthouse is packed wall to wall with grazing cashmere sweaters and chinos.

Mitsuhide admits he only knows one out of five people here, “Though,” he continues with a glare over his shoulder, “I’m beginning to wish I knew less.”

Mitsuhide Lowen also has two groomsmen, both of whom are in the doghouse.

“I can’t believe you hired a stripper, Obi,” Mitsuhide chides, handing her a bottle of water.

The kitchen is the one place not occupied by party guests, and therefore the best place to hide the red head in the pin-up nurse costume. Not that she thinks Mitsuhide would stop her from mingling if she wanted to, but – she’d rather as few people as possible see her, especially since one of his groomsmen is certain he saw the hospital’s director out there. This is one thing she’s pretty sure she can’t adequately explain away.

“I didn’t!” protests the one with nice eyes. “Zen was the one who –”

“You’re the one who gave me the business card!” the pretty one hisses, glancing over at the door.

“You said you wanted a stripper,” Obi reminds him, slouching casually against the wall. “A classy one, you said. And I gave you a recommendation.”

Zen flushes, his whole face turning red from hairline to collar. “It’s traditional.”

“I’m really very sorry,” Mitsuhide insists. She’s beginning to suspect he might be from Vancouver. “Please enjoy the party. You might as well, since you came all the way out.”

“It’s fine,” she assures him. She doesn’t know how to ask if she’s still getting paid. “It’s really no trouble at all.”

He looks unconvinced. “I have to go mingle, but you let me know if you need anything.”

She nods. “I will.”

There is an awkward moment after he leaves, where she is left with the two men responsible for her arrival.

“You must be hungry,” Zen says suddenly, looking anywhere but at her. “Let me go grab you some more crudites.”

Only one left now. She shuffles anxiously under his searching gaze.

“I like your ducks,” he says after a long moment. “And don’t worry, you’re still getting paid.”

She deflates with relief. “Oh thank goodness, I didn’t want to say anything, but –”

“I know,” he laughs, “it must be nice not to think about money, right?”

“Seriously!” She liked his tilted smile, but she likes his laugh even more. “I didn’t want to be rude.”

“I will personally make sure you have the biggest tip you have ever seen.” He scrubs a hand over his face. “I’m sorry you’re even a part of this disaster, Miss.”

She waves her hand to ward off any more apologies. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I don’t normally do this.”

His eyes light up. “Oh, really?”

“That’s your story?” Obi laughs as he plucks a stuffed mushroom from the plate Zen got for her. “You’re stripping to get through med school?”

“No.” She slapping his hand as he goes for another. “That’s what my roommate is doing. This is a one-time thing for me.”

“Mhm.” He winks. “I’m just saying, that’s the oldest story in the book.”

“Well, I believe her.” Zen pulls a bottle out of the wine rack, pouring them each a glass. “I think it’s a testament to the patriarchal nature of our culture that you were even driven to do this once.”

Obi glances at her over the rim of his glass, humor glinting in the gold of his eyes. She get the distinct impression that Zen tends to do this -- the pontificating -- often.

“Is that so?” she queries blandly. When she first saw him, she thought he was cute, safe, just her type, but now –

“That women even think of exposing their bodies to make ends meet is an illustration of how we’ve commodified them and their sexuality.” He takes a long sip of wine. “As man, I’d never even think about that.”

It’s not so much that she disagrees – her own opinion is complex, colored by Yuzuri’s experiences and the anecdotes of her fellow strip-o-gram girls, full of caveats about consent and last resorts – but –

Why’d he hire her, if he thought it was so exploitative?

“I’ve thought about it,” Obi offers.

Zen rolls his eyes. “You’d take any excuse to get your clothes off.”

“Maybe if you did more core workouts, you’d want to too.” Obi grins. “Besides, do you know how much Thunder Down Under makes?”

Zen flushes, pushing away from the counter. “I’m going to see if they have anymore spanakopita.”

After his soon-to-be father-in-law’s associates leave, Obi draws her out of the kitchen, and Mitsuhide’s actual friends proceed to try to outdrink the open bar. Shirayuki is still -- technically -- on the clock, so she only accepts a glass of red from the man who is quickly becoming her favorite groomsman as the night winds down, most of the men passed out on the floor in the living room.

He’d been keeping pace with them, she thought, but when he settles in beside her with a tilted grin, he smells less like booze and more like --

Man. Leather and a little musk and -- something else. Pine? She’s half tempted to lean close and find out.

“So,” Obi says, voice pitched low to keep from disturbing the casualties passed out on the floor in the next room. “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your first stripping experience?”

She pops a bacon-wrapped scallop into her mouth to give herself time to think. “Well,” she starts, washing it down with another sip of wine, “I got told to keep my clothes on, and then was given fancy canapes and drank your friend’s expensive wine.”

He grins. “So we’ve ruined you for future stripping opportunities?”

The couch is huge, but they’re pressed together, his arm brushing hers every time he takes a sip from his glass. “Well, I am sort of disappointed I didn’t get to try.”

He splutters into his glass, mouth breaking to a wide smile as he sets it aside. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah.” He’s so close to her, and he – he has really nice eyes. And a nice smile. And –

“I learned a whole dance for this,” she admits, leaning into him a little. She may let her coat hang open just the littlest bit.

His eyes flick down, and she doesn’t miss the way his cheeks flush. “Is that so?”

“I was sort of looking forward to doing it.” She wasn’t, not really, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Well, there’s no reason to waste a dance,” he decides. “Do you have music or –”

“Yeah, I – on my phone.” She digs into her coat pocket, pulling out her phone as well as a crumpled nurse’s cap. “Oh, I forgot about this.”

He laughs. “There’s a hat?”

She nods, giving him a wry smile. “There were victory rolls too, but the rain ruined that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” he says, voice so low, his gaze sweeping up her like he’s picturing it. “Classic pin-up is a great look.”

“Zen did ask for wholesome,” she reminds him, breathless. He’s so much closer than she remembers.

She’d like him to be closer still.

He shifts away. “Music?” He holds out a hand.

“Oh, right.” He takes her phone, crossing to the other side of the room to slip it into the stereo. “You should probably sit in, uh, chair? Without arms.”

He hesitates. “Just what kind of dance is this, miss?”

“Is it going to change your answer?” She hopes not.

He grins, hoisting up a chair from the dining area easily. “No.”

It takes him a minutes to settle it right on the carpet, but when he does, he sits, legs spread.

Shirayuki hesitates. “There’s rules. Like, company rules.”

“All right.”

“You can’t touch me.”

His eyebrow quirks. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Her mouth feels so dry. “If you touch me I have to stop.”

He calmly folds his arms behind the chair, fingers loosely gripping his elbows. Not once do his eyes leave hers. “But what if you ask me?”

She pretends she’s too absorbed in finding her song to hear him, but her skin prickles with nervous energy. She’s dying to ask, why don’t you try and find out?

The song starts, a bare beat with cymbal and bass, and he coughs out a laugh. “Fever? Really? That’s classic.”

She flushes, missing the first few counts of her dance. She sways her hips anyway. “It’s a cover.”

“Of course it is.”

She picks up the steps a measure later, laughing. With Obi this feels -- nice. Fun. “This is where the hat comes off. And I let my hair down.”

“I can tell you’re a medical student,” he says, “you’re already ahead of the curve.”

He lowers his voice as he speaks to her, still teasing but – more. She fights down a blush. “Are you planning on giving commentary the whole time?”

“Just being appreciative, miss,” he purrs.

Oh, she’ll give him something to appreciate all right.

She works open the top button of her costume, letting it fall so he can see the barest hint of cleavage, and she hears his mouth snick shut. The playful glint in his eyes is gone, replaced with something deeper, something hungry.

She sashays closer to him, near enough to touch if he stretched, and undoes the second button. The black lace of her bra stands out in stark contrast against the pale blush of her skin, and his gaze fixes there, intense.

This should scare her, she knows. She’s known him for a number of hours she can count on one hand, everyone else in this apartment is too drunk to be conscious, and now she’s giving him a private strip show, trusting that he’ll follow the rules.

But she does. Even if she maybe wishes he wouldn’t.

She lets her fingers trail down the third button, right between her breasts. His gaze is riveted on her fingers, and he groans when she slides past it, only to stop at the last, baring some of her thigh.

“Oh fuck.” She catches him staring at the top of her nylons. “Are those thigh highs?”

Her first impulse is to answer truthfully – yes, of course the strip-o-gram girl wore thigh highs, like Yuzuri was going to let her leave in anything else – but she stops herself. She doesn’t have to be the Shirayuki with a 4.0 tonight; the Shirayuki that color codes her notes, that finishes her work the day its assigned.

“Be patient and find out,” she says, sounding nothing like herself. His eyes pulse wider, and she sees his fingers press white divots into the flesh of his arm.

Oh. Oh. He liked that.

She sways closer, slipping one button higher. It falls away, and she sees the moment his question is answered because he leans his head back, swallowing hard.

Yuzuri only taught her only a floor routine – at the time, the idea of anything more personal than taking her clothes off seemed laughable to consider – but she’d showed her a few of the more basic moves for something more – intimate. Shirayuki had practiced them red-faced, never thinking she’d use them.

Now she swings her leg over his lap, gyrating her hips and slipping the third button – right above her breasts – open, wishing she had learned more.

His hands break apart, hovering just over her hips, and she leans close. “If you touch me, I have to stop.”

He lets out a grunt, his hands almost trembling beside her. “You’re touching me.”

“That’s allowed.” She trails a hand slowly down his chest, aching when she feels the hard planes of his muscles underneath. “I can touch you all I want.”

He whines. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

She’s burning from how close he is, and she bites her lip. “No, it’s really not.”

His eyes snap to hers, and whatever he finds there makes him grin, smug and satisfied like a cat with cream.

The song reaches the next chorus, and she turns, slowly swaying her hips in front of him as she drops –

Fingers band over her thighs, yanking her down, into his lap. His palms push her legs open, smoothing over the tops of her stockings before they stop.

Why is he stopping?

“Do you have to stop now?” he asks, breath tickling over her neck.

“Y-yes.” The company’s policy is clear on that part. She leans back into him, her hands pressing his higher. “But you don’t.”

“Oh thank god,” he breathes, fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs, and she’s turns to meet his mouth, so ready –

“Ugghh.” They burst apart as Mitsuhide stumbles through the room, barley sparing them a glance before he opens the door to the kitchen.

“Wait,” he says, confused. “This isn’t the bathroom.”

“You’re in Zen’s apartment, Big Guy,” Obi offers, color high on his cheeks. “The bathroom is by the bedrooms.”

“Oh, right.” He mods, trudging back the other way. “Have a good night.”

She’s buttoned up her costume by the time he’s left. Her trembling hands make her slow, but she’s got her coat on before Obi’s turned to her again.

His brow furrows. “Are you –”

“I should – I should go.” She pulls the sash on her coat far tighter than it needs to be. “I, um – I should have been back a while ago. My roommate is probably really worried –” Lies, she looked up Mitsuhide’s wedding website and told her to have a nice time – “So, um. Yeah.”

“Oh, uh,” he watches her trip over an umbrella stand, “all right?”

“Yep, um.” She yanks the front door open. “You can all, um, contact the company and uh – yeah.”

She waits for the elevator for a good minute, face buried in her hands. She strips once – once – and she nearly has sex with a guy whose last name she doesn’t even know, whose friend hired her to take her clothes off. If it was possible to die of mortification, she’d already be a tape outline.

Yuzuri was never going to let her live this down.

#anonymous #obiyuki #ans #stripper!shirayuki #obiyuki au #my fic #this fill was so fun #like as soon as i got it it anon i was so pumped #i showed the obiyuki chat #it took a stupid amount of time to write #and you can bet there is going to be a director's cut on ao3 once this whole promptathon is over #because the story does not end there #but i have to work on other fills #*deep sigh*#100 days of obiyuki (and more)

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