#please help my friend wynn out

[onlybeeewrites]

Meadow's Lullaby

Requests: Yes!

Pairing: Sejanus Plinth x fem!reader, onesided Coriolanus x reader, platonic Lucy Gray x reader

Warnings: none, this is a fluffy one....for now :)

Word count: 1.3K

The Valley Song Series: Part 1 <- -> Part 3

Author's Note: You guys are literally so amazing??? Thank you so much for showing your love for The Valley Song. I came up with this idea and direction so hopefully you all enjoy it. Thank you, lovies! Also once again, because I love Maiah Wynne, the music below is what the reader plays :)) Also this was just so much fun to write

You were a lot shyer than Lucy Gray. That was one of the first things that came to Coriolanus' mind as he watched Lucy Gray pull you over as the performance ended for the night. Maude Ivory had taken your old wooden guitar from you as the rest of the Covey put their instruments away and gathered all the donations from around the Hob.

Your shy and bashful nature had intrigued Coriolanus greatly, but it had with Sejanus as well. He could tell so as his...friend's face got more pink in his cheeks as you neared. A curiosity in his eyes as you neared.

"Y/N, It is finally time for you to meet my boy, Coriolanus Snow. And this is his fine friend, Sejanus," Lucy Gray had introduced them. Her boy, he thought to himself with great distaste. Coriolanus did not belong to anyone, and his little songbird counted. He was not one to be owned. He owned others.

"Y/N here is my older cousin. Just by a year though so it ain't nothing fancy." Lucy Gray said with a laugh, causing you to shyly roll your eyes at your cousin's words. It was clear this wasn't the first time this was brought up in any sort of conversation.

"A pleasure to meet you, Y/N" Coriolanus said with a charming smile and a nod as Lucy Gray let go of her cousin's hand and moved to step beside Coryo, her arm going around his waist.

You gave him a bit of a shy smile as you gave him a nod, "The pleasure is all mine, Coriolanus. I cannot thank you enough for bringing my cousin back to us. I owe you," you chuckled. And even your chuckle was like soft wind chimes; soft.

Sejanus could not help but look to you in some sort of admiration. Even by the look in your eyes, you were gentle kind, and compassionate. Even after all you had been through with losing your family, singing for your dinners, almost losing your cousin...you were still kind. Almost like him.

Your eyes moved to look at him and you could feel your face heating up. He was beautiful. Almost too beautiful, especially to be somewhere like here in District Twelve. You couldn't help but wonder what he had done to be sent there.

"Pleasure to meet you Sejanus.." You say after a moment of almost staring at each other, realizing the silence may have gone on for a little bit too long. In the corner of your eye, you see your cousin smirking at you, glancing up at Coryo as if she had planned this sort of meeting all along.

"Trust me....the pleasure is all mine. You were uh...you were amazing up there by the way," Sejanus said nervously, though the smile stayed on his face.

The bashful smile returned to your lips at his almost too-kind words. "Why thank you. I don't sing on my own very often so I'm pleased you enjoyed it,"

Lucy Gray grinned before remembering. "Oh! I almost forgot. The Covey, we're all making a trip out tomorrow. You both should join us!" she offered.

Coriolanus and Sejanus both shared a look. They both had nothing else to do. So after a moment of sharing a look, Coriolanus smiled slightly and nodded, "We'd love to,"

Lucy Gray almost squealed with excitement, "Oh perfect. You boys are going to love it. Coryo, come by our house by mornin', alright? We'll see you both tomorrow," she said with a grin, taking your hand and rushing back towards the rest of the covey.

You turned and gave them both one last wave and smile before being pulled backstage, leaving the two boys in almost awe: Sejanus being more obvious.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Sejanus sighed.

When tomorrow finally came, the two boys made it to the small Covey home on the edge of the Seam. And by an hour after sunrise, you all started the hike up to the lake. You lingered behind talking with Barb Azure, listening to Maude Ivory singing and Lucy speaking with Coryo. Halfway through you lingered back, falling back in step with Sejanus.

After hours of hiking, you all made it to the lake and set your things down. The heat was seemingly unbearable, and many of the covey found their way to the lake, aching to cool off their skin with the cold water.

You decided to join them later. Moving to settle under one of the nearby trees, you fixed your old dress before pulling your guitar onto your lap. Your delicate fingers started to string along to the song that Lucy Gray would sing whenever anyone had any nightmares.

As you played you failed to see Sejanus, who was about to join the others in the water before spotting you on your own. He didn't think twice before he made his way over to you, taking a seat a little next to you.

You looked up in surprise, pausing the strumming of the delicate cords. "Sejanus. Sorry, I didn't hear you coming," you add with a smile, flattered and almost happy that out of everything, he wanted to come and sit with you.

"Well I saw you were on your own, figured you could use some company," he used as an excuse, feeling his face warm; though with the heat of the day, it was hard to tell the difference. "What were you playing? I sounded pretty," he then asked.

"Oh, it was just some music I wrote for one of Lucy Gray's songs. She calls it Deep in the Meadow. She usually sings it when Maude Ivory has a nightmare or trouble sleeping. I figured I could add some music to help," you explain, looking at him, flushing as you realize that he never once had taken his eyes off you.

And how beautiful his eyes were. You could see the kindness and admiration, they were captivating and warm. And it all caused a fluttering within your stomach.

"You wrote that all yourself?" He asked in amazement, and as you nodded he gave a small whistle, "That is incredible....could you play something else you wrote?" he asked hopefully before he quickly added in what seemed to be panic, "Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just...your playing is beautiful.."

His words made you grow flustered, but you gave out a small laugh. Something about him allowed you to feel comfortable where you had never felt comfortable before. There were very few people outside the covey that you would do this with, Sejanus may have just been the quickest that you allowed.

"No...no, I don't mind," you quickly reassured him before playing another song you had written, leaving the capital boy silent as he admired the music you had created.

As you both were having your moment, playing him your music, neither of you was aware of the pale eyes that were watching from the water. Coriolanus felt his jaw clench at the sight of them, how Sejanus was able to chat you up about whatever it was.

What were you both talking about? He hated that he didn't know, that he wasn't in the loop, that he couldn't control whatever it was that came from Sejanus' mouth.

Lucy Gray gently climbing onto his back, wrapping her arms around him to keep afloat snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I think they'd make a mighty fine couple, wouldn't you say?" she asked, rather pleased with her match-making skills. Coriolanus on the other hand, wasn't as pleased. But regardless he nodded.

"Hm. She seems a fine match for Sejanus." A fine match was the nicest thing he could come up with as he stared at the few figures underneath the tree.

A fine match with Sejanus would be enough for you now, but he wondered how fine it would be when trouble would eventually find its way back around.

[edens-passing-if]

Eden's Passing is a 16+ game made in Twine by me, Doc, and is my first attempt at making an interactive fiction game!

Genre: Primarily Fantasy and Comedy focused with a smidge of Mystery and Horror elements. Do tell me if a separate catagory fits, please!

Warnings: Trauma, Bodily Injury without feeling it, Body Horror in general (more will be added as time goes on, these are what I'm currently certain off)

Demo: In the works!

Alone in a land you can't recall and stuck at the bottom of a seemingly endless ravine, the start of your journey isn't a pleasant one. Body slowly crumbling away, memory missing, and seemingly stuck with a stranger intent on calling you a name you can't remember, your attempts to leave seem fruitless until they finally offer a helping hand. Hopefully with no strings attached.

Set in the world of Nyr, you're just a lost soul trying to figure out who you are and what happened to you.

Features, added or intended:

☆ Fully customizable MC (name, hair, skin color, personality, etc.)

☆ Romantic or Platonic routes, Poly included.

☆ Long Crocodile. You'll see. ♡

☆ Learn more about the world and maybe save it, maybe launch a salamander at someone.

☆ Diverse cast of characters, ethnicities, religions, etc! (Please do tell me if anything's not accurate enough, it's fantasy, yes, but I am using some real-life ethnicities and such as basis!)

☆ A lot of lore. A lot. I made a map. I will do more than just a map. It's inevitable.

Eden's Passing isn't romance focused but, those inclined towards it, does have multiple routes with it.

Zacharie, M, 36(RO)

A 4'11" man with spiky green hair and red tinted glasses. Adventurers clothing, torn at the edges and taped to his body on his limbs, cover most of his skin. What you can see of his skin, primarily his face, has stitches spanning the length and width. No one is allowed to touch them. Beyond that, he seems nice, even when he mutters insults at passing plants or argues with books. But his skittishness towards others is concerning, especially the glint of pure terror he sometimes shows. It's typical to see him hovering around Cassian, primarily either hiding behind him or riding his shoulders.

Solo OR Poly route with Cassian or Florian.

Cassian, M, 29 (RO)

At 6'6, he's the tallest of the group. Long black hair drapes down well past his hips, sometimes being used to hide his eyes from others. Old yet well cared for armor is his ordinary choice of clothing, no matter the situation. Quiet and melancholic, it's hard to catch him smiling at much of anything. Despite that, he's the first to jump into a fight to protect his friends. One of the few people to understand Zacharie, he keeps a firm eye on anyone that might pose a threat to the smaller man. A bit of an enabler, he will turn a blind eye to the more playful deeds his companions wish to take.

Solo OR Poly route with Zacharie.

Florian, Gender Selectable (M/F/NB), 25 (RO)

At 5'3", they're the second shortest of the group. Blond curly and short hair, styled like an odd pixie cut, clashes against the bright red coat they drap over themself. Two antennae stick out from their scalp, twitching at any stimulus. A butterfly bow, which sometimes flaps on its own when Florians distressed, keeps it from falling off. When they're not being pestered by Zacharie or Wynn, they're actually the most sensible of the group. A bit of a motherhen, they do their best to prevent the others from getting into trouble. It's a thankless job, and they aren't even getting paid for it.

Solo OR Poly routes with Wynn or Zacharie.

Wynn, Gender Selectable (M/F/NB), 23 (RO)

A 5'9" elf that's joined the group alongside Florian. Long, pointed, and pierced ears flick every so often, parting their short, light purple hair. Clad in a cape that trails in the air and an outfit that shows off a concerning amount of chest, they aren't the shyest with showing skin. Long pants that hide even their boots cover their legs, yet never get dirty as they drag across the ground. A bit of a flirt, they aren't the type to take much seriously. It's common to see them, Zacharie, and Twig up to no good, typically with Wynn at the lead. A natural born leader, one might be confused why they follow MC's lead, even they seem at odds with that fact.

Solo OR Poly route with Florian.

Twig, NB, 26 (RO)

Looming over at 6'4", they tend to forget just how tall they are. Long purple hair ends as their tail begins, the fluff at the end matching their hair. Thick and curly when short, it covers up their eyes from the view of others. 5 horns sprout up from their scalp, imitating a crown of sorts, and range in size from a few inches to just two. Clad in purple and blue robes that are breathable yet skin-tight, they've had Zacharie modify it to properly accommodate their tail. Out of the group, they remain the friendliest even in the face of adversity. It's... hard for others to tell whether they're simply naive or just too forgiving, but regardless of that, they remain the first to lend their hand when others need it. A bit of a goofball as well, it's easy to catch them trying to pick the funnest option first. Quick to trust and quicker to befriend, one might wish to spare them from the cruelty of the world.

Solo route

???, NB, ??? (RO?)

A figure that stands at 5'10, they're your savior from the pit you woke up in. Long hair, starting black and quickly fading to a bright red, flows from their scalp like tendrils. It flows as if hit by a breeze constantly, regardless of airflow. Clad in only a white robe tied shut at the waist by a sash, it's easy to notice the gaps in their skin. They never answer when it's brought up, leaving you wondering just what has saved you from the ravine. Quick to anger, you'd almost think they're unpredictable if not for the consistent causes and phrases. Regardless of who you are, they insist your name is Eden. Regardless of their affection towards you, they refuse to tell you who they are. They insist you'll figure it out.

Solo route.

[absentia-if]

I don't think this has been asked, and if it has feel free to ignore this 😅. how would the ros react to mc disappearing for an entire day leaving a note for the ros that says they would be gone for the day but without a reason, and then comes back the next day with a special gift that the ros may have mentioned in a previous conversation?

Kade/Kara: They barely pay attention to the gift, thoughts already swirling back to the note you had left them. It wasn't enough, it'd never be enough, not when they didn't know why you had gone so suddenly-- not when you had been gone for as long as you had been, without contact or any indication of where you could be. "Don't disappear like that again," they say, hazel eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I appreciate that you were doing something for me, and I trust that you're able to take care of yourself, but I couldn't handle it if something happened to you and I didn't know. Again."

Michael/Margot: The sight of you causes various emotions to swirl within their chest: rage, tinted with relief, happiness, poisoned with bitterness, and joy that's wrapped in a bundle of fear. Azure blue eyes darken to a stormy cobalt, reminiscent of the ocean after a hurricane, and an expression you couldn't quite name contorts their elegant face. "Did--" M cuts themself off, a bone-deep sigh leaving them before their arms quickly wrap around your body and pull you tightly against them. "Did you think I wouldn't worry?" they whisper, voice thick with pain. "Did you think that a note would suffice? We always say goodbye, MC. That's our rule. I-I wasn't able to say it the last time you were taken from me. Please don't make go through that again."

Blaine/Blaire: Happy Birthday is plastered all across the wrapping paper, it crinkles slightly in their hands as they turn it over, but B, despite everything, couldn't help the frown that furrows their brow; nor could they forget the worry that had made a home within their chest for the past day. "You didn't have to do this, MC.” They gently place the wrapped gift on the coffee table before they take your hand. "You being safe, you keeping me company, you being here, is more than I could ever ask for. I don't need anything else for my birthday except for you to be right by my side as I celebrate it. Just like you always have been."

Wren/Wynn: "Do you not understand how foolish it was to do this?" They hiss, a snarl etched across their face, while dark brown eyes look almost black due to their rage. "Did you not think that I wouldn't worry? That I wouldn't think something happened to you? For a day, for twenty-four hours, I didn't know if you were okay, I didn't know where you were, and I didn't know why you left. I've worked cases exactly like this before, MC. I've seen what it can do to people. I couldn't bear it if it happened again to you or your family. Not after everything that's already happened." A soft sigh leaves their mouth then, tension leeching from their shoulders as they slump forward. "I appreciate the sentiment of the gift, I truly do, but I appreciate knowing that you're safe even more."

Nicholas/Natalie: "I-I thought something happened," they sob, hands desperately clawing at your back, tightening their hold on your hoodie. Logically they know you're safe, they know you haven't disappeared, but that doesn't make the pain, the grief, work its way out of their system any faster. They had seen what your disappearance did to their best friend, to your parents, even if it was only in passing, and they couldn't imagine how they had been able to live with it; they had thought you were gone for only a day and the pain had almost been overwhelming. Dealing with death, dealing with the grief that came with it, was commonplace in their life, but they never wished for it to be when it came to you. "Please don't go somewhere that I can't follow."

[karimwillia]

Untitled

*AU Comic Earth. Riri is actually out of school by 20 so 21 is a major birthday for her. She is head of Stark Industries having moved the headquarters to Chicago. Shuri holds the mantle of Black Panther and serves as co sovereign. Queen Romanda is alive but in a coma even with their country’s technology has yet to be broken. M’Baku and Shuri were installed as co rulers of Wakanda soon after. He handles most of the domestic conflict, while Shuri handles all international conflict.

Warnings: Suggestive

“Panther the itinerary for your excursion to Las Vegas Nevada is as follows. One Encore Two Bedroom Apartment and Three Encore Panoramic View hotel rooms at Wynn Las Vegas confirmed, Three Delta Airlines First Class flight tickets confirmed, Luxury Private Jet air travel via Fly XO confirmed, all restaurant reservations and entertainment tickets are available to you with 4 hours notice. Is there anything more Panther?” “Please call Princess Robin on speaker.”

Shuri and Riri have grown so close in the past few years since meeting. The spunky 19 year old bad ass went home and completed her degree at MIT in less than 18 months after the Telokan conflict. She says it was because she was bored. Shuri is convinced she did it so she could be Ironma… IronHeart full time. Riri blames Shuri because she is the one who made her an associate researcher at the Wakandan Outreach Center in Cambridge so she had the means to do more. There she secretly built a new suit and did a whole host of other research that was way more exciting then college. Shuri even consulted on the creation of a synthetic metal with similar properties to Vibranium to make the suit from. As a matter of fact Shuri consulted so heavily on the project at one point she was in Cambridge every weekend. This was despite her becoming Queen. Shuri had all that free time because she is co ruler with M’Baku.

Once completed Riri moved home to Chicago and started helping to combat local crime in her suit. She is also called out to help the Black Panther frequently in Wakanda. Pepper Pots of Stark Industries noticed and hired Riri on the spot to run the Engineering and Design departments at Stark Tech. Shuri’s gift to Riri on the accomplishment was an apartment building which holds a beautiful condo. Top of line laboratory and workshop plus area for her work as Ironheart. Her generosity is unmatched sometimes. To thank her Riri is always so affectionate. When they are together they hold hands, cuddle, and hug A LOT. They have pet names and flirt constantly but maintain they are ONLY friends.

“Hey Kitten what are you doing Baby?” Riri’s voice is rich and vibrant on the phone. “Nkosazana! What did I tell you about that name?” “I may have heard you say you don’t like it. But I do and you let me do anything I want.” Shuri shakes her head. The playful, almost whiny tone is so sexy to her. “Mamela kum Entle. Just because I allow you to do what you want. I just ask one thing, don’t call me Kitten.” Riri huffs into the phone. “Fine, no more Kitten. Only because you spoke to me in Xhosa and you know how I get when you do that Daddy.” Shuri huffs in return with a small chuckle.

“One can only imagine. But I did not call to have phone sex today. I want to confirm you have cleared your schedule. You will not take any meetings or calls from work during your Birthday.” Riri bites her lip as she thumbs through some paperwork. “Yes I have two full weeks clear. Finally turning 21. I hope that means we can stop these games.”

“I am not playing any games, Nkosazana. You are my wife, you know that.” Riri and Shuri agreed long ago that their interest in each other is mutual. They just find it complicated to solidify a status so they don’t. Despite Riri wanting to.

“Panther Midnight Angel Okoye is approaching.” Shuri pays no attention to Griot’s announcement. So the former Dora stands back realizing she is not noticed. “I am your wife now huh? As much as I want that. I need you to do other things for me first before I marry you.” “When the time is right I will do anything you want me to do.”

Okoye can’t stand anymore of the sexual tension and clears her throat. “Panther. What might those things be?” Riri hears the comment and changes her tone. “Oooh Baby I have to finalize this design before it goes off to prototype. Call me later. Love You. Bye Okoye.”

Riri hangs up so quickly Shuri cannot comment. “I-'' Okoye holds up her hand and shakes her head. “No Usisi omncinci you and her need to…figure…that…out. You have her waiting on you for what reason?” Shuri places her face in her hands. “No reason other than fear.” “Fear of what Shuri? Didn’t she tell you that when you are ready she is yours?” Shuri speaks from her hands. “Yes, that is what I was told. I just don’t know if I can handle the stress.” Okoye is frustrated but is tender. “That is an excuse, Shuri. You are keeping her at arm's length like you have been doing everyone.”

After losing T’Challa and Baba, Shuri is very closed off, has mood swings and suffers nightmares from time to time. This makes her stress every interaction she has keeping people at a distance. Queen Mother being in this catatonic state since Namor’s attack adds to her anxiety. Everyone has begged her to seek some help to unpack the grief and trauma. She says she is fine but obviously not. Riri is being patient with her which she is grateful for but…how long is Riri supposed to wait?

“Shuri?” Okoye’s tone softens more because she wants to get the message through. Everyone sees how happy she is with Riri but the keeping this last wall up is a direct result of her grief process. Shuri raises her head to look into Okoye’s eyes. “Do you love her?” Tears well in Shuri’s eyes. “I am in love with her.” Okoye wipes her tears, rubbing her back. “We know she feels the same. Why make her suffer watching you muddle in this process. When you know you can get help and let her in.”

“Can I sight stubbornness?” Okoye shakes her head no and smiles. “No you cannot. Do your best to work and heal to be with her or leave her alone, Shuri.”

The ultimatum was deafening and was what the Panther needed to hear.

————————————————————————————

“Miss Williams, your 10am is here.” Riri’s assistant Asia announces over the intercom. Riri looks confused and she presses the button. “Please allow me 15 minutes to prepare, Asia.” Riri was not expecting a 10am so she was scrambling plus talking with Shuri is always something she needs to recuperate from. The huge hanging issue of the undefined relationship thing is a stab to the gut every time. The dynamic is not even friends with benefits. Because that would require something more physical than cuddling, and hand holding. The flirting is always spicy but it’s getting so hard to ignore the tension.

Riri is being very very patient with Shuri because she’s IN LOVE with this woman. Like everything about Shuri she loves. Even the fact that she’s struggling because it shows she’s human. Riri is down bad bad. Once she has a moment she cuts off her Kimoyo beads, Riri intercoms for whoever is waiting for her to come in. She will fake it til she makes it. Asia says ok and moments later two beautiful women storm Riri’s office. It’s Imani and Nia, her college sorority sisters.

“Bitch! Why you have us waiting?” Imani is the outspoken and politically incorrect friend. “Oooh see no not in my office.” Riri quips back grinning from ear to ear. “Imani, now you heard Asia say she was on a call.” Nia walks in with a calmer tone. She is the level headed friend in the group. “Nia hush she wasn’t on the phone with no body but that fine ass African she fucking.”

Riri’s face drops. Asia is another one of their sorority sisters so she is the root of them knowing this information. Nia laughs and looks at Ri’s face. “Ooop she is fine though. I didn’t know the relationship had gotten that far Ri. Good Job.” Imani twists her lips. “How do you think we going to Vegas? Queen Bae got the tab, ALL expenses paid.” Riri is fed up and hits the intercom. “Asia, come in here please.” Asia rushes into the office. “Yes.” “Why did you just tell them all my business?” Asia is caught off guard. “Because Sister you and the Queen are cute and it’s tea everyday with y’all. Like how y’all not actually fucking. But she spoils you out of this world.”

All the girls stare at Ri. She is so damn happy she sound proofed this room because the yelling that is about to come from the girls is going to be outrageous. “BITCH! How did you pull that off!” “I need a Sugar Daddy like that.” “You are rich and have a Queen taking care of you. Oooh Bitch” all the yelling runs together.

“Y’all stop! It’s not like that ok I actually love her and this shit is actually getting to me.” All of her friends pause and look to see Ri on the verge of tears. “Rihanna Girl, calm down and come here.” Nia opens her arms and hugs Ri. “Talk to us. Baby what’s going on.” Riri fills them in on everything and it is juicy all the girls understand the problem. “So hold up the only reason y’all not together together is because of her?” Imani sips her wine that they have now poured. Riri is the last to turn 21 but being CEO of a company as big as Stark Tech people overlook that she's not 21.

“Yes and I stress every time I talk to her because y’all she’s called me her wife today. It’s like the signals are so all over the place.” Riri is curled up on her couch as Nia holds her Asia has held all calls and put Riri out of the office for the day. “Girl, you need answers or you have to let her go.” Imani is blunt but it’s true. “Mani!” Asia chimes in. “I think they can work it out, you don’t see our girl like I do with Shuri. That woman is perfect for her. Like her soft girl era is on 1000.” Imani frowns. “Ok that’s cool and all but it’s bullshit if the girl can’t commit. What is Ri supposed to do? Be in an odd ass friend zone for 10 years. No Ma’am. Give her an ultimatum.”

Riri rubs her face. Imani is right but so is Asia. Nia is rubbing her back and speaks. “What do you want Riri? We can talk all day but if you can’t articulate what it is you want then this is for nothing.” Riri is sure of what she wants so with no hesitation. “I want her and I mean all of her.”

————————————————————————————

It’s about 9 and Riri receives a call on her Kimoyo beads. It's a video call this time so she projects it on her screen at home. All the girls are there in their PJs. “My Love, I need to know something…” “Shuri, you're on speaker.” Riri cuts the Panther short before she can say anything over the top. Shuri was not facing the screen as she was working on a project. Heeding the warning, Shuri greets all of Riri’s friends by name and changes her tone. Shuri is looking good as hell to Riri right now. In a fitted black sleeveless and jogger set.

“Hello Imani, Nia, and Asia, how are you all?” “Hello Panther.” They say in unison. All the girls are kind of side-eyeing her. “We good Queen Panther. What you need to know.” Imani says a touch harshly. “I hope it’s a ring size for our girl.” The hint is not very subtle. Shuri takes it because she deserves all heat plus some.

After the talk with Okoye, Shuri went to her Mother’s suite. As she sat with her Mother she took time to think and it was the revelation she needed. Suppose T’Challa had not committed to Nakia or moreover had Baba kept Mother at a distance. She would not even exist. So it’s time to suck it up and stop being scared to let Riri in. She reached out to a world class mental health professional Dr. Amira Diallo and she will be in therapy to start her journey to heal. Rihanna is what she wants so no more stalling.

“Actually I wanted to know what she is wearing tomorrow. Because I already know her ring size is 16.5mm she’s a slightly wide 6.” Imani was hushed. Shuri may deserve everything but that does not mean she will pass up being just a bit sassy. Riri’s friends respect her for it. “You better know your Wife.” She deserves that too. Nia pinches Imani. “Oouch! Bitch.” Shuri shuts up and lets Riri answer. “Baby I’m wearing my Chanel jogging suit. Why?” “Wanted to see if we are thinking alike.” Shuri is a horrible liar so Riri can tell something else is on her mind. “Tony.” “Wassup Kid?” Riri’s AI is Tony Stark with Griots mainframe it’s dope. “Transfer this call to my bedroom.” “Yooou got it.” With that Riri takes the call to her room so they can be alone.

“Baby you suck at lying. Like don’t you ever try and cheat on me. I will know in an instant.” Shuri snorts and looks at Ri. “I would never cheat. I am a loyal shitty Girlfriend/Fiancée.” Riri sits on her bed watching Shuri. “I like the sound of that. What else are you? Shuri Azari, daughter of Queen Mother Romanda, Queen of Wakanda.” Shuri stares at Riri over the camera. Why is she so beautiful? “I am loyal and ready.” Riri rolls her eyes knowing how this goes. “Ready for what?” Shuri punches some keys on her tablet and a calendar comes up. A date labeled first consultation with Dr. Diallo shows on the screen. “Shuri, are you seeing a therapist?” With softened faces the girls lock eyes. “Yes I need to get better, and I am ready for us to be more than friends.” Riri could not believe her ears. “You mean we are getting married tomorrow?” Riri pokes fun at Shuri who is blushing. “Maybe not tomorrow but on this trip we can. All jokes aside, I want us to be together Rihanna.” “I would love that.” They talk a little while longer before Riri almost dozed off. ————————————————————————————

“Baby get back to your friends. My transport leaves in about 2 hours. I will reach you by morning. I love you.” Riri pouts she is laying down now. “Mmmm don’t go Baby please. They are going to talk shit and I don’t want to hear it.” Shuri laughs. “Well let them. I kind of deserve the shit talk.” Ri chews her lip and shakes her head. “Could you stop right now. You have been hurting so I understand why you kept me at a distance. I love you so I will not allow you to be disrespected.” Shuri smiles hearing Riri defend her.

“Thank you Baby you have no idea how badly I want you right now. To kiss you, hold you, touch you, please you.” A devilish smirk spreads on Shuri’s face. “Ooh shit yea. I am going. I can’t do this right now.” A blush turns Ri a deep red color before she hangs up.

Leaving the room everyone is waiting for Riri. The woman of the hour. “Look at this one here. Mmm” Imani was the first to speak. “Don’t tell me you fell for some sweet talk.” She is sitting between Asia and Nia with a stoic look on her face. Imani is drunk so she is not holding back. “I hope you didn’t fall for anything unless she promised to fuck you.” Imani slurs her words.

“Relax Imani ok she showed me her therapist evaluation. Plus asked me to be her girlfriend!” Asia and Nia cheer out glad for Riri. “Omg yes! I knew the Queen had it in her.” Imani shakes her head and looks at them. They all proceed to stay up all night.

“Kid your Bae is leaving Wakanda.” Tony alerts Riri while they are watching Waiting to Exhale. “Thanks Tony. Text. Can’t wait to touch you.” Imani has sobered up and overhears the text. “Girl you're so damn gay it’s sick. How long until she’s here?”

“7 hours she’s on her Royal Talon. Leave me alone ok. I have been waiting for this.” Imani sits up from the big cuddle pile. “Yes and I am very happy for you. I know it may not seem like it, I just want you to be careful. You both need to take it slow.” Riri looks at her friend realizing that is the best bit of advice she has gotten so far. Imani is correct that no matter how long she’s waited Riri has got to take this relationship slow. That is the only way she will make Shuri comfortable to open up, and will be the only thing that reassures Riri things are going well. Considering that they know each other but there are still things she would be surprised about when it comes to Shuri. This makes sense.

Hours pass and it’s now about 11am and the Sisters are all passed out except Ri. She’s anticipating Shuri’s arrival any minute now. She got a text back about 20 mins ago “Can’t wait to be touched.” The drive to her condo from the private hanger is about 30 mins. She is freshening up in the mirror and she is thinking of the things she still does not know about Shuri. Like she knows the color she wears all the time is Black. But what is her actual favorite? Shuri is better at observation than she is. So Riri is aware that Shuri knows more of the little things about her then vice versa. Like what is her favorite candy or treat? All things she will be finding out.

@somethingcleaverandwhitty @mal-urameshi @shurixriri @shuriris-stuff @neptoons1998

[random-content-from-4by22]

Recovery pt1

Synopsis: after a grueling battle and the last foe was down, everyone caught their breath. They didn't anticipate that the warden would fall, their weapon clattering to the ground with little to no energy to put it away, like sand falling through their fingers. The last request the warden made before losing consciousness were; "I just want to be held while i recover."

warnings and mentions: based off of my gameplay of DAO currently. Mage warden. They/them warden. Not exactly read over for errors so sorry if their is some Grammer errors. Mentions of deaths of thousands. Not sure what other warnings apply.

Alistair - hope and prayer.

Alistair had dealt with so much. Being sent to the chantry by the arlessa, templar training, being recruited into the Grey Wardens and dealing with the effects that came with it, losing those wardens who started to feel like kin in the battle Loghain had stepped back from, including Duncan. But Maker has he never felt this much anxiety and fear gripping at his very flesh and being as he cradles his unconscious friend's face.

'They look so fragile like this.' he thought to himself with a spike of fear piercing his heart. His hands were shaking. He didn't want to be shaking. Not when he feared the person he cared so much about would lose their pulse if he did not remain composed.

'Please not them. Please. Anything but them. I'd do anything, just please live.'

He tried taking deep breaths, counting from 4 with each inhale through his mouth and exhale out his nose. Something the warden had told him about doing whenever they were stressed back at Redcliffe and while he was seperated from Sten, Leliana and Wynne in the fade.

'They will be fine.' He told himself, willing the slight tremble in his hands to cease with every breath he took.

'Wynne said they would be fine. They have to be fine.'

It was the second time he realised just how much value the warden held to him. Just how much he cared, like when he worried about them not surviving their wounds when the two were rescued and taken to Flemeth's hut. Only this time, he wasn't dealing with the abundance of grief Loghain's actions had caused, the pain having become smaller for the time being. And this time, he knew the warden more now, like the kin he had found and lost. They weren't just the new recruit anymore, they were his leader, his friend, his close companion. The thought and the breathing exercise helped to calm his mind, but there was still an inkling of doubt and worry in his mind as he thought back, to so many moments the warden managed to create, even if its only been, what, 3-4 weeks? Or maybe it was months. They never really took track of time.

He lowered his forehead to theirs, hands now stilled, devoid of gloves and feeling the texture of the warden's skin. His movements were careful, some part of himself treating this as if the warden was merely sleeping instead of having been unconscious for 3 days already. He closed his eyes, and began to pray. Whispering prayers to the Maker and Andrastate for a swift recovery, his thumb every now and again caressing the warden's cheek as he prayed.

"You're going to be okay. I promise."

[redbreastedbird]

hi robin!!

i randomly searched up mmu on tumblr (am i procrastinating? mayhaps. anyway...) and found you on here and i just wanted to say thank you. my mum first found your books around 2017 and i followed along with the releases from there. i loved having a murder mystery set in the Olden Times with characters who weren't all white, i thought that was more realistic. i didn't understand why the books were getting gayer, but so was my friend group and i was there for the ride for both. i realised after the original series ended that i'm bisexual, and i am so thankful to you for providing that representation i didn't really have outside of real life. especially with queer characters engaging with religion literally at all. i still don't get to see that much.

i've recently been thinking about how lucky i've been coming to terms with the queer part of my identity despite the struggles, and your books were a major part of what i consider to be this good fortune. did i probably use the "pash" thing as an excuse for the girls i was inexplicably drawn to when i was 12 because i lacked comprehension skills? yes, but now i get to look back and laugh at myself and have those epiphanies, so it's a win overall.

also, this feels like a strange side note, but can i please make hazel and alexander bi4bi in my head? as a treat?

thank you so, so much. it's my understanding that, as a writer, you can never truly know how many people you impacted or how you helped them. here's my way of saying that you helped me much more deeply than i knew at the time, and for that i will forever be grateful. thank you.

-LJ

This is such a beautiful ask, thank you so much. It’s so humbling to hear stories like this - it is hard to really focus on what my books mean to readers because when I think about it too much I get so overwhelmed I feel like lying down on the ground for the rest of the day, but I do absolutely know how much my own favourite authors meant and mean to me.

I genuinely am the person I am because of the books I read growing up, at both a macro and micro level - I still don’t fold over the pages of books while I read them because a character in Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones says not to, for example! That’s a small one, but I know that my character has literally been shaped by my favourite books and authors, and so knowing that I am helping to shape other people’s lives in the same way is completely bewildering.

I met two fans the other day who go to university in a particular place because of my books, I know fans who have become friends because of my series, and of course there are so many fans like you who have felt able to come out and be proud of who they are because of Daisy and Amina. It’s just incredible, and I feel so lucky to be part of all of your stories in such a meaningful way, whether or not we ever actually meet.

So thank you! I wish you a wonderful, fulfilled and happy life - and of course you can headcanon Hazel and Alexander as bi4bi! I think that entirely makes sense.

[skylermadness]

Glitched-In Gator - Brok the InvestiGator TF/MC

(Original Date of Upload: December 20, 2023)

Original Description:

Secret Santa gift for my close friend! So this was a story I had planned for a few months, almost abandoned because I didn't feel it, then I went back to it because I had the perfect chance to do something for it! I originally wasn't feeling the whole VR shtick, but I kind of realized while doing rewrites that it was because I had no idea what I was really doing for it. Having an established OC like my friend's Parker character actually helped me do something more interesting besides 'generic non-descript person gets transformed randomly'. So I'm actually quite happy at the end result of this! Besides that though, I want to write out more Brok TFs some day. RJ's been on my mind for a long while too as well, but I'm unsure when or if I'll get to him.

   There was a certain level of eeriness that penetrated the room that Parker was currently in. It was large and empty with the insides of its hemispherical appearance only being illuminated by small lights that were embedded periodically within the geometrical platings of its walls. It didn't even feel like enough to light up the entire room. All of this made the young adult feel small when compared to the sheer size of the room, which was far from a pleasant feeling.

   The eerie silence of the room was then broken by the sound of some mechanical whirring coming from the middle of it. Turning around, Parker found a small rectangular pillar rising from the ground. Atop that pillar was a VR headset alongside its associated hand controllers.

   "Please remember that all of this is purely for testing purposes, Parker," a feminine voice rings out from an earpiece that had been in their right ear the whole time.

   "Yeah, I remember…" Parker responded as they stepped towards the small pillar. They were personally reached out to a few weeks back by the CEO of a company named ScyBr Essence Technologies, said CEO named Mrs. Wynn. That company has requested them to arrive at their facilities to further test their new VR systems. It was an odd request considering they didn't have any prior experience in game testing. And despite their profession as a video game streamer, nothing about the request or contract were laced with mentions of promotions or sponsorships to be done by them. It was just strange to say the least.

   They picked up the headset and placed it onto his head, then took hold of the hand controllers. "So uh, Mrs. Wynn, what exactly are the activation controls of this thing?"

   "I can have the testing program activated remotely from here,” she responds, "Just give me a second…"

   In one second following that statement, Parker's ocular senses were instantly assaulted as all of a sudden the supposed program was activated. They stepped back a bit as they found themself a little disoriented, especially because they had to get used to the… virtual brightness that was now being created by the endless expanse of pure nothing that headset was subjecting him to now.

   "I-is it meant to just be a white void!?"

   "Apologies, wrong program."

   The brightness suddenly died down as a different program was loaded. In a millisecond the white expanse was replaced with a room. In comparison to the room they were in in reality, this one was a lot smaller. More akin to that of an apartment space actually. The furniture around the place was rather standard: a door with a fridge to its left and a very messy sink to its right, another door on the wall adjacent to that sink. As Parker turned they found a rather lengthy bench behind him, and beside it was a bed. Lastly was what seemed to be a punching bag to the bed's left. Something about this room actually seemed rather familiar somehow. Before Parker could come to a conclusion however, they realized that a table had generated around their body.

   "Please step out from the table so we can activate the collision from our end. We don't want you getting bisected!"

   "Eheh, sure…" Parker responded with a nervous laugh. Something about the woman's comment was a bit too serious, but they complied with the request and stepped away from the table's insides and towards the dirty sink.

   A few seconds passed before the voice spoke again. "...okay, collision should be on now. For the time being this program is mostly meant to test the boundaries of a virtual world for a planned VR port of a game called Brok the InvestiGator. It's more proof of concept than anything else, but we want to at least get the world up and running before we move on to anything more complicated."

   That was when everything finally clicked for Parker. That's why this room was familiar, it was Brok’s apartment! Admittedly they didn't instantly jump to that conclusion, especially since they only did one or two streams of the game before life problems got in the way and they just never got back to it. For a second their brain drifted to adding it as an option for a ‘game to stream’ poll on their Patreon, but they wrangled their wandering thoughts before they could have a chance to think about it more intensely. Although they did have one question they wanted to ask before getting into this testing session…

   “Was there any reason in particular you guys had in picking me to test it?”

   Parker was given a rather lengthy pause before the CEO responded. “We at ScyBr Essence Technologies like to take in consideration our buyers, and one way to do this is to contract people who would be perfect fits to test our products. Seeing you are both a popular streamer and someone who has played these kinds of games before, it was only an accurate choice to pick you.”

   Parker hummed, deciding not to dignify that with a response. Something about the statement was definitely a manufactured corporate dialogue. It also made a part of them want a pay raise for this session. Sighing, they disregarded that thought and began to look around. They were rather impressed by how the models of the furniture looked life-like, so much so that the messiness of the dishes in the sink they were near was a bit too real to look at. Disgusting…

   Parker proceeded to spend the next few minutes exploring the room and trying to interact with whatever they knew they could. Pulling open the fridge and grabbing and moving around the fruit in it. Playfully giving the punching bag a few good jabs and watching it swing around as a result. They did try to interact with both doors, but the doors didn't really seem to react to them. Locked maybe, probably so the creators of this VR system didn't have to render areas outside the apartment yet.

   During the process of their exploration Parker came back to the table to inspect what was on it better. Mostly random objects like a fruit basket and a magnifying glass. The only object of interest that was on it was a small picture frame showcasing a picture of Brok, Graff, and Brok’s… wife was it? Parker couldn't remember due to how long it's been since that incomplete stream attempt…

   Their random interactions were cut short however as the silence of the room was yet again broken. However instead of it being the voice of their contractor, it was the sound of static crackling nearby. Putting down the picture frame Parker looks up to find where the crackling was coming from. The source was from a newly manifested object that was in the space between the punching bag and the fridge: a coat rack stand (and a hat that was hanging on one of its hooks) that was just glitching in and out of existence.

   "Uhhh,” Parker starts to speak into the earpiece, “There seems to be an object here that just appeared and started glitching…”

   It takes a few seconds for the woman on the other side to respond. "Hm. That might be some leftover code from an object that we had to remove. If the sound annoys you just touch it and it'll disappear. I'll make sure to have my technicians deal with it after this test…"

   Parker rolled their eyes. Just touch it and it'll disappear? Something about the flippant lack of protocol didn't sit well with them. They stepped over towards the glitchy coat rack and tried to wave a hand through it to dispel it. However the moment their arm touched the pole they, just for a second, felt the hardness of the pole meet their arm before they were given a sudden and rather violent shock.

   "AGH-" Parker yelled out, the young adult quite literally stunned by the interaction as they felt electricity(?) flow through their body.

   Their earpiece activates again with their contractor plainly saying, "I suggest immediate removal of the headset and vacating the-" before her voice got cut off, as if the connection got severed.

   Before Parker got much of a chance to try and do the few instructions they could hear, the object blipped out of existence and they were promptly sent flying onto the ground. And in just the few seconds they spent in the air the physicality of the space was made tangible as the feeling of the headset and hand controllers faded away. The initially virtual world around him was realized in a literal way, and their physical body seemingly manifested into it from the shock. They then fell onto their back, Parker groaning out in pain. It also seemed that the purple fedora that was perched on the coat rack remained in reality, descending onto Parker’s chest as they laid flat on their back.

   Slowly, Parker got up as they scratched the back of their head. "What happened there…" they asked to themself, the overall bizarreness of the previous chain of events making it take a while before everything clicked in their brain. "Wait a moment-"

   They stopped scratching their head and brought their arms forward, and then they slowly lowered their gaze to their body.

   "...did- did that thing digitize me or something!?"

   Ignoring the fedora that was perched on their chest they quickly stood up, slight panic starting to course through them. This shouldn't have been possible… right? They were well aware that strangely advanced technologies existed, especially since their whole channel was built on one, but something like this did feel a bit… much.

   “Aw jeez, how am I going to get out of this…?” they posited. While the idea of being in a video game sounded kind of fun, they weren't really sure if they wanted to be stuck in one. Much less without their permission!

   Parker’s eyes were brought to the front door of the room. Curious, they walked over towards it and gave the knob a shake. They could hear a series of clicks signifying it could open.

   "This isn't bound by the confines of code anymore…" they observed. Was he digitized or was this place made real around him? Were they placed in the game or did they somehow get transported in the reality the game had been based on? Lifting a hand up, they scratched their head in thought. “Jeez, this is getting confusing now.”

   Parker's mind begins to drift, thoughts of concern filling their head as they try to fully process what is going on and how they're even meant to interact with this world now. Was this the actual reality of Brok now? Or was this some strange empty space in a harddrive? It couldn't be that second thing, but even then what would this even be considered if they weren't digitized in the first place!? Their thinking left them distracted and unaware, something that allowed the true effects of the shock steadily become more tangible without Parker noticing yet. 

   A bright shade of green begins to creep in from the tips of their fingers, slowly but surely spreading across them with ease. This change in skin tone was caused by their skin itself altering, the softness of it getting tougher as it was steadily getting transformed into what seemed to be scales. This wave of scales continued to move its way down the fingers of both hands, a secondary change being added to them as they began to thicken as well. Each finger swelled up with size getting thicker and longer, and it didn't take long for them to get fat to the point of being almost sausagey. It would also seem two fingers on each hand got squished into each other, Parker now being left with only four-fingered hands. 

   Their hands themselves weren't left unscathed either as they too got affected by the scales overtaking them. The backs got consumed by the rough greens, meanwhile the palms maintained a level of softness as they got taken over by a brighter shade of green. Their size underwent the same types of changes as well, their once flatter appearance filling up and bloating to become of equal density with his fatter fingers. They were also stretching out in all directions and enlarging to a much wider width. It didn't take very long for both hands to garner a significant, almost cartoony plumpness that looked humorous when compared to their thinner arms and body.

   That disparity didn't last though. The cuffs of the sleeves of their jacket began to tighten as the changes in their skin started to cascade upwards onto and beyond their wrists, steadily increasing the diameter of each wrist in the process. The main site of importance was Parker's forearms however. Bulk began to pile onto them as an odd feeling of strength was coursing through them and their muscle mass was shifting as a result. Their forearms were thickening in size due to their muscle mass getting more developed. This all caused the lower ends of their jacket sleeves to get filled as a result.

   Their upper arms weren't left out either as they too began to quickly swell in size. Greens moved beyond his elbows and layered onto his flesh, and beneath it all their biceps bloated with their triceps increasing alongside them. The fabric of his jacket got indented with the ridges of their muscles, and it would seem that the short sleeves of their undershirt were quick to fill. This progressed further as their deltoids bloated up and got rounder, their shoulders now broadening as a result. The once lanky form of Parker’s limbs had already gained a substantial difference in size, now almost reaching a point that they were double their previous size thanks to this instantaneous workout. While the sturdy denim of their jacket just barely managed to hold their muscled arms, the much softer material of their undershirt wasn't faring as well and had already begun to split across their bigger biceps and shoulders.

    The sound of tearing piercing the air snapped Parker out of their spiral of confuzzlement. “Did my shirt just- whaaat the hell-”

   The sight of their arms was a strange one. What had once been unimpressive, average-sized limbs that allowed their jacket to hang off them had now been replaced with firm, muscular, stronger arms that practically stretched the denim of their jacket with ease. For Parker such a sight wasn't necessarily off-putting, mainly considering their usages of Change4Change on their livestreams, but the fact it's happening is a reason for concern.

   Parker eyes one of their arms, giving it a flex and watching as the muscles of it further press into the material of their jacket. “Maybe digitization isn't the only thing that's happening,” they then unflexed and held the arm out, inspecting their hand next. Green and scaley with such fat fingers. It was a sight that made deducing what was happening a rather simple task. They were transforming to fit this new reality they were shunted into it seemed, and the person they were becoming was the titular protagonist of the game the original simulation was based off of…

   “...fuck that sounds cool actually-”

   The air of confusion and concern had begun to fade in that instant as Parker came to some kind of internal ultimatum. Especially since the idea of becoming the InvestiGator himself was not an unappealing one by any means…

   Meanwhile, the changes had not halted during Parker’s form inspection. Especially since it didn't take very long for the scales to jump from their arms to their chest, their frame now widening beneath the shifting skin and formulating a broader appearance. And as the scales crept onto the front of their body, the appearance changed as the color shifted from a standard green to a more yellowish-green tone. This was more than a change in tone as well, the original hardness of the scales now instead becoming a median between the softness of human skin and the toughness of gator scales. Parker was effectively getting a reptilian underbelly, something that was also causing their chest to fill out substantially. 

   At first it began with a growth in muscle mass, Parker’s pectoral muscles steadily growing in size and muscularity with ease. Swelling out thicker and stronger, the core of their body heating up as the shelf of their chest extended forward with each passing second. It wouldn't take long for their undershirt to already get indented with Parker’s newly deepening cleavage. However it was evident that this wasn't the only change happening to the upper portion of their body. While the firmness of their chest existed, it didn't take very long for it to start getting shrouded beneath another layer of something.

   Formulating around Parker’s chest was a layer of fat, one that was quick to accumulate around their new muscles. This resulted in a significant softness forming in their chest, the previous raw meatiness getting melted into something more squishy and flabby. The upper body strength still existed of course, but it was accentuated with pudge that made their pecs absolutely squeezable in contrast to the scaliness of it. All the while their chest still grew in size a bit more, growing in tandem with Parker’s wider frame. Although for the most part it was causing their chest to press against their undershirt even more. It was a wonder that the torso section wasn't splitting as well…

   Concurrent with the changes of Parker’s upper torso, the lower half of it was undergoing a similar if not more drastic change. As the yellowish-green scales of their new underbelly grew more prominent, their abdominal muscles began to harden and solidify while strength coarsed through them with ease. However it was quick to garner a layer of fat, and in this region of their body it was quickly evident it wasn't just going to settle as just a layer. A bloating sensation was quick to fill their belly as it began to swell outwards. With each passing second, the hem of their shirt steadily rode up their stomach as it grew bigger, rounder, fatter. And it would only progress that way for a while. More and more fat just filling up the area, the sheer roundness of their belly getting increasingly more prominent to the point that it was easily becoming more of a gut than anything else. Ample size, soft yet firm, and hiding some level of muscle beneath it all. By the time this portion of the changes slowed their newly developed gut had pushed their undershirt completely above it, exposing it to the air and showing the scaley and segmented appearance of what was now their underbelly.

   Parker found themselves leaning against the door, feeling the weight steadily piling onto them thanks to both their muscle and fat. “O-ough. This-” they paused, a light tingle entering their throat and forcing them to clear it to try and dispel it. “This feels kinda good…”

   Blinking a few times, they register the throat tingle a second time. They also noticed a chance to their voice seeming to begin kicking in. It was beginning to sound a little bit… deeper? And the tone of it was a bit off. “It's getting to my voice too, huh?”

   Parker couldn't help but smile though. “Brok did have a pretty cute voice from what I recall…”

   With that they go from leaning to their side to leaning on their front, their forehead on the door as their gaze was fixated on their belly. They give it a nice rub with one of their hands, feeling up the softer feeling scales. By this point a level of grogginess was beginning to set into their brain. A light fog slowly rolled into their mental space, that lightness very slowly intensifying as seconds passed. It was steadily getting harder to focus on the transformation process, especially with this growing feeling of… something in their mind. Familiarity? Normalcy? It was hard to discern. 

   At the very least that mental haze made Parker unable to notice that their height had been altering all this time. Their back had already grown rather broad at this point to fit with Parker’s now wider form, and their trapezius muscles were already pushed up against their undershirt and indenting their jacket. And it wasn't very long until this already garnered wideness forced the back of their undershirt to split open, light blue cotton tearing to reveal dark green scales. Their spine had decompressed a bit with the discs of each vertebrae growing a little larger to fit their new proportions. All the while a pair of blunt spikes lined the region of scales above their spine, steadily forming down until they found their way to the base of it. Once it did reach the base however, something strange began to occur.

   At first it only felt like a tug. A small amount of pressure in their tailbone that only gave mild discomfort. But with the progression of time that small feeling got bigger. Pressure was constantly building up, a growing lump forming above their rear, and that lump growing larger and larger as the pressure continued to grow linearly. Parker could only grit their teeth as they felt this happening, the once minor discomfort now becoming a major one. They could feel the lump start to push against the back of their pants, pull against their belt, and in general just exert immense amounts of force on their legwear that it was not accustomed to. This tug of war would only continue for a few seconds more though, as once enough pressure finally built up…

   SHRRRP!!!

   THUD!

   “GRRAGHH!!!”

   Shards of denim fly from behind them as a massive, spiky tail unfurled its way out from the base of Parker’s spine. It lands on the floor with a mighty thud and its length still increases for a few seconds more. Although it would seem its impressive girth was shrinking, already tapering to a rounded tip. Nonetheless, Parker now sported the lengthy tail of a gator. One that they were checking out, the transforming adult seeming to already get a hang of moving it.

   “Heheh, quite the trouble you caused there, huh?” Parker said with a smile, their voice continuing to deepen more with each word. The tone had now been given a more masculine edge as well. They didn't seem to care though, instead choosing to give the base of their tail a nice rub. This distracted them from the fact they were now losing height. 

   The green scales were quick to find their way to Parker’s legs, now rapidly overtaking the skin of them. Beneath it all came another slew of physical changes not unlike the ones that happened in their arms. Leg muscles began to grow, quadriceps and hamstrings bulking up and easily making indents within the denim of Parker’s jeans. All while their muscles were maturing, they pressed up against the bones of Parker's legs and changed them. Where they gained some wideness they also lost some length. An event that had caused Parker’s initial height loss, something that gave them a more top-heavy appearance as a result. The same structural changes to their leg bones would also happen to their lower legs as they too were consumed by scales. This also caused the feeling of the crus of their legs starting to swell, calves ballooning outwards and their jeans continuing to strain over their legs in a futile attempt to contain their thickening form. It wouldn't take very long for a few tears to form to the sides of their legwear. Now the only area of their lower body that was not washed over by the sea of scales were their feet. This wouldn't last long however…

   Spreading across their soles was a pale green, meanwhile a standard shade of green was forming down from the sides and over the upper portion of their feet. Concurrently they were also growing in size, getting thicker, larger, longer, and wider. Unfortunately however, their feet were confined to their shoes. As their size increased it caused the material to bulge and strain in an attempt to continue to contain them. As their toes pressed into the toecap the amount of bulges in the cloth shifted from five to four, and then to three large bumps that were now just aching to get out. The sides of their footwear were expanding and steadily starting to split and crack, and they could feel their fatter heels dig into the back of them as well. The strings that held them together creaked and snapped with ease as the newly forming wideness of their feet was becoming too much. Then rips started to form at the front as their toenails sharpened, their composition shifting and hardening into something more boney, now poking out and becoming a triad of claws. Soon enough the bulges that were caused by his toes were too much as well, the fronts of their shoes splitting open and finally giving them some air. This then caused a chain reaction in the rest of his footwear with it steadily breaking apart and shattering in one large burst that sent pieces of blue cloth flying in the air.

   The sound of Parker’s shoes exploding took their attention away from their tail. Looking down at their feet they were greeted with the two being fully transformed and covered in shreds of cloth and string. Although all they really did was shake the destroyed remnants of their shoes off each foot. “Havin’ trouble recalling why I was even wearing those…”

   They cleared their throat again. The strange sensation from earlier was fading, and it was evident their voice was settling to that new tone. Deep and masculine with a certain quality to it. Caring, but able to switch to something more aggressive at the flip of a dime if need be.

   Perhaps the weird part however was the fact they were just… unable to view their voice as anything different now. There was a part of them that could just barely breach the topic to themselves that this was Brok’s voice and not theirs, but at the same time their brain just had trouble discerning their original identity. Like it was getting muddled beneath all the fog in their mind. And even then when they could think of something it was something different and more natural…?

   “Come to think of it, I'm having trouble recalling a lot of things right now…” they- he raised his hand and started to scratch his head in confusion. He could've sworn he was just thinking about… leaving a… something or other…

   As his mind drifts to another bout of confusion, the scales slowly move beyond his neck and onto his head. The yellowish-green scales were perhaps the first to make the transition by going from beneath his jaw to layering his chin, and then easily surrounding his mouth. As the scales in this shade gained more surface area around his lower face it prompted a dramatic shift in his skull structure. Slowly his lower face pushed out, lower jaw jutting forward as the region beneath his eyes followed suit. This was causing a gator-like muzzle to form out from his face, his jawline restructuring to fit this new animalistic appearance while it also gained a certain broadness that managed to grant him a more masculine visage from the jawline alone. Meanwhile as the upper portion of his muzzle grew forward, his nose steadily merged into the tip of it until there were nothing more than two holes at the front of it. The bridge of the muzzle’s upper half got consumed by darker green scales as it bubbled, getting rougher and bumpier in the process of the changes. Meanwhile within his mouth all of his started to shift, changing and sharpening while repositioning and misaligning. A few teeth even poked out from between his now longer mouth.

   While the lighter colored scales stayed at the lower half of his face, the darker colored ones made the remainder of his head their territory. The sides of his face extending a bit and rounding out, the anthropomorphic qualities of his appearances yet against being accentuated thanks to the fat accumulation around his cheeks. Despite that, the structure of his skull still shifted as the humanity of it was lost to the more reptilian appearance it was taking. As the scales reached the direct sides of his head they also consumed his ears, the process shrinking them rapidly until he was just left with small holes for auditory intake.

   Meanwhile he continued to scratch his head, the initial act now changing to him dealing with a major itch on his scalp. Something he was unaware was being caused by the roots of his hair getting pushed out by his scales. It wasn't even a slow experience as, thanks to his massive hands, large chunks of his long hair sloughed off with ease. Brown strands and follicles slipping away due to his touch, the side bangs dropping away while the portion of his hair that was above his forehead slid off his head in an instant. His bun wasn't even given time to unfurl as in one fell swoop it disconnected from the back of his head and dropped to the ground. It wouldn't take long for all of his hair to drift and fall off his scalp and onto the floor, now leaving him with the scaley dome of a gator.

   As his eyebrows succumbed to a similar fate, the ridges of his brows pushed forward and above his eyes while also getting thicker and more rectangular. Meanwhile his eyes themselves changed, sclera going from white to yellow as the blueness of his irises faded to black. Although it would seem the changes to his eyes represented something more significant.

   “Urgh, I- I had a job I was supposed to do, right…?”

   His thoughts and memories only continued to change beneath the haze in his mind. He could just barely recall the idea of a VR test supposedly happening, but the details were practically non-existent now. Something was pressing into that part of his brain, saying it was too early for something like that and that he had to do something else. He had other jobs he was meant to be doing that day. 

   Wasn't he called in for an investigation…? He could've sworn he was just hired for something.

   The gator let out a growl. “These memory lapses can't be getting… that bad, can they…?” 

   Right, he could recall he had the occasional loss in memory. But that usually came up with stuff from his past, not something that should've happened just a few minutes ago! Something about this just wasn't adding up. Maybe he should just check his phone again, try and shuffle through his messages or call history.

   He tries to shove a hand in one of his pants pockets, but quickly finds that he can't even jam in all his fingers. That's when the gator looks down at his body and notices his clothing. “W-wait, I didn’t- a-argh-”

   A piercing headache suddenly wracked his brain, the anthropomorphic gator shutting his eyes while squeezing the side of his head with a hand. The haze in his brain intensified and the rest of an entirely new identity was getting shoved into him.

   With his mental changes intensifying there was one last visible change occurring, this time to his extremely ill-fitting clothing. A single dot of dark coloring formed in the middle of his undershirt, and soon that splotch spread across the material at a rapid pace. Said shirt was growing as well, sleeves and back repairing and restitching while the hem unfurled and stretched over his stomach more easily. The dark coloring proved itself to be a simple shade of black that overtook the shirt’s original light blue and white coloration. In the end it was a relatively simple change though, his undershirt eventually settling into a black t-shirt that still was a bit small on him judging by the bottom of it revealing a sliver of his stomach and the top of it still having an indent of his chest.

   His jacket was mirroring the size changes as well, growing larger to fit his new proportions (and in this case seeming to actually fit them properly). Shades of reddish-brown etched their way across the once blue denim, and everywhere the brown touches changes material to a harder leather instead. While his jacket collar extends a bit, another part of his jacket split folds beneath it and forms a lapel. The pockets of his jacket seal shut to the point they've never existed, and a pair of leather epaulets bulge from the jacket shoulders. Lastly the sleeves of his now brown leather jacket roll upwards and cuff above his elbows. Additionally, the multi-colored bandana that was on his right arm unfurled itself and started to whisk itself to his neck. The soft material shifted and thinned dramatically, practically dethreading in mid-air until it was just a black string that tied itself around his neck. Then came a bright yellow glow above his chest, an almost silvery pendant materializing onto that string.

   The very last piece of clothing that changed was his pants. While they remained jeans, they also lengthened to fit his bulkier legs while fixing themselves of the damage they got during his initial transformation. As the legs of his jeans lengthened, they also rolled up and cuffed at the bottom of his own legs. As the back of his pants rethreaded to allow a tail-hole to exist in the seat of his jeans, the belt loop stretched above the very base of his tail that allowed for a brown leather belt to snake its way around his waist. A soft clink was then heard as its silver buckle fastened. The very final change came to his pockets where the four of them merged and bulged into thick and bulky gusset pockets, one of which now holding his new phone.

   A metal plate slapped itself onto the gator's snoot as the last of the mental changes were hauled in. A new identity and memories whirling around the reptile’s brain, filling in blanks and replacing what was originally there with ease. Thoughts of his original humanity were getting buried under a new perception of humanity. One that was more animalistic and diverse in forms. Meanwhile his own knowledge was getting overhauled, technological experience being dulled drastically. If anything he garnered a certain level of disdain for more complex works of technological advancement that he could never get working right. Although that may also be because he gained a little over ten years of age both physically and mentally.

   This all caused his previous job as a streamer to get flushed down the mental drainpipe. Instead all he could recall was his typical work as a handyman, the knowledge required for such a profession replacing the mental spot that his technological expertise had once resided. However, the most important aspect of his personhood soon followed. That being the justice-seeking desires of his detective work, and the slightly aggressive tendencies of his brawler persona. Such aspects of himself that mixed and meshed on a frequent basis, so much so that they were ingrained in his personality. Traits that made him Brok. Of course there were still multiple other personality traits that got overloaded into him though. Self-doubt and worry, a crippling fear of being alone, a slight hair-trigger temper that he has been attempting to suppress more and more. But despite all of that, he had an intense level of care and love that existed within his mind.

   Brok continued to hold his head in his hands as his brain was absolutely overladen with details and info, something that almost completely scrubbed whatever prior thought patterns he had had before this. It also left his attention almost completely dulled.

   “Ough, head… spinning…”

   “...rok?” a voice echoed from near the gator.

   “Whuh… who-”

   Suddenly the gator’s mental haze was shattered as a finger tapped his shoulder a few times.

   “What the-” Brok yelled out, the spirals in his eyes being blinked out as he was startled by the sudden touch. “O-oh, Graff!”

   Having been standing behind him for the past… who knows how long was his feline step-son Graff. Said feline had a slight look of concern on his face. “Woah- you looked a little zonked there.”

   “I- wuh…” Brok scratched the back of his head in confusion. “Admittedly I… don't remember what I was doing just about now,” the gator gave a nervous smile.

   Graff raised a brow in suspicion. “Oookay then. I just heard some yelling and…” The anthropomorphic cat began to trail off as he looked down to the floor and noticed what seemed to be brown fur(?) and shreds of hard blue cloth cluttering the area around Brok’s feet. “The heck went on there?”

   Brok looked down as well. “...I'm not quite sure about that either.”

   “...right,” at this point it just seemed like Graff was giving up on questioning whatever went on in the past few minutes. “Guess we'll just need to have the cleaning bot fix it?”

   Brok’s eyes widened at the mention of the cleaning bot. Nervously rubbing that back of his head he said, “O-oh, about that…”

   “You didn't get it fixed yet, did you?”

   “...no. I was going to have Shay do it but got distracted with… work stuff.”

   Graff just rolled his eyes, the sight making Brok cringe. An extremely strange stray thought at the back of his mind made him wonder how many relationship points he just lost. Weird…

   Brok still mustered a smile. “I'll make sure to try and get it repaired while out today! Consider that a promise!” 

   Graff didn't look convinced, but judging by his ears perking up a bit it would seem he was hopeful in his step-dad’s making it a promise. “Alright, alright… just uh,” he smirked, “Don't forget the hat.”

   Brok raised a hand to the apex of his head and gave his scalp a few pats. “O-oh! Where did…” his gaze wandered to the area of the room with the punching bag and found the fedora on the ground. Walking over towards it he commented, “How the heck did that thing get off me without me noticing!”

   He then placed the fedora onto his head and smiled. “Okay, now I'm gone!”

   Graff just gives the gator a nod as the reptile starts to make his way to the door and leave the apartment. Although he does smile at the sight of Brok pausing as he kicked some ridiculously large looking furball. Brok just sighed as he watched the furball roll into a corner. 

   “Seriously, how did this mess get made…”

[blysse-and-blunder]

In lieu of a travel journal

2am my-time, monday, july 24, 2023

Awake and giddy and trying to calm down after completing what I think may accidentally actually be a decent conference paper, a few short hours before I need to present it—some thoughts on the things that have kept me entertained and sane while on necessary breaks from writing! writing this on my phone so there’s no read-more, apologies.

reading

having a very good time alternating between after Sappho, selby wynn schwartz, and an angela carter short story collection called the bloody chamber. both very ~feminist~ but in ways that are subtly distinct—you can tell which came out in 2021 and which did not—but both so interesting. I think I may DNF this other unnamed spy-urban fantasy, unfortunately, which sucks because the premise was good, the execution is just very grating. assorted other libby holds include italo calvino’s the baron in the trees, ty @morrak and carmen maria machado’s in the dream house.

listening

yws gwynedd and the resulting welsh pop / rock mix on 24-hour lockdown repeat. it’s been extremely good to me, high energy, low engagement, except I’m also getting better at listening comprehension slowly but surely, there’s no downside. Stuck in my head currently, perpetually:

watching

the first episode of d20’s starstruck odyssey, which despite all the potential for getting bogged down in new mechanics and bad stats and dysfunctional team dynamics was really lovely? It is filling the sweet spot right between being in the mood for fantasy high and being in the mood for Neverafter, and plus I like! just getting to hear them play! I also watched the first few minutes of disn*y’s strange world on this airbnb’s d+ account, and will hopefully be able to go back—I was looking for something I could have on in the background and ended up getting interested, so, task failed successfully! I also watched, and slept through, amsterdam (2022) on a plane recently.

playing

fallow week. shoutout to the game I tried with friends a few weeks ago and forgot to mention, genesis noir, which was so gloriously atmospheric and moody and interesting, right up until it was slightly too buggy and/or unintuitive to get past the first fifteen minutes or so. though that could have been the fault of the internet connection, which had been slow that whole night and did crash immediately thereafter. we laughed ourselves to absolute fucking tears over gangbeasts again, afterwards. but I’m still thinking about the celestial noir vibes and hope to get back to this one soon.

making

fallow week! making plans and achieving them, making memories and taking pictures, making virtual friendships into realities. making more homecooked meals, hopefully, now that I have real kitchen access! making some professional connections??

working on

the last week has been all about either working on said paper, or getting a mental refresh by getting as far from it as possible. it’s been hard to get back into work mode after some of these full days off, but also, I did budget my time and I *did* put enough in, early and often, that by the time the eleventh hour came around it was possible to actually finish. i don’t think i could have gotten to this version, which i’m pleased with, with any less effort—but spending all day thurs at the library, working in the morning or an hour before bed, or between lunch and dinner tonight—and a lot of time the week prior—it all added up. it all contributed something. this is my memo to myself: the long boring slog leading up to the exhilarating last minute is just as necessary. it helped that I have other (dissertation-based) uses for every idea and sentence and quote I had to cut tonight, and I still think this paper is stronger without them.

[illusivesoul]

Hello, hello! I have a prompt for you! Since I know you like rarepairs, how about Leliana/Wynne and "quiet hallways"?

Hi, friend. Took me a bit but I finally finished it. Thank you for the lovely prompt. Always happy to write about one of my fav rarepairs :)

I went a bit overboard so the whole thing goes pass the word limit tumblr has for asks, so the complete story is here on AO3.

.

It was a busy day at the Grand Cathedral. Truth be told, the days when there weren't crowds coming in and out of the building made by Emperor Drakon upon the founding of the orlesian empire were rare and far between. Some came for bureaucratic manners, some came to pray, some came to curry favours with the Chantry, and others came to find peace. The large building still served its purpose as a center of the faith when it wasn't being a pillar of the orlesian Game. It also meant that Leliana could not let her guard down. She stepped around the room, memorizing the list of those who were scheduled to meet the Divine today. Everyone had been vetted, her agents were being her eyes, ears and hands throughout the building as usual, a couple of nobles with questionable loyalties had already been marked to get a close security escort once they arrived, to dissuade them of any possible bright ideas they might get. “A pleasant visit” Leliana said to herself as her eyes drifted to a particular name on the list, the last ones appointed to see Justinia that day, and by her calculations, they would be arriving shortly. 3 short knocks on the wooden door moments after proved her right. "The mages from Ferelden's Circle are here, sister Leliana" the messenger said, his words still marked by the rush in which he had arrived. "Thank you, Kelaros" Leliana answered "Please inform the Knight Commander that I'll greet him shortly" The elven messenger nodded and quickly stepped back out of the room. Leliana stood from her chair and looked in the mirror, straightening out the folds in her white and red robe, and putting on a small amount of perfume that she applied on the back of her neck, smiling into the mirrour as she did.

"Leliana" "Cassandra" the redhead replied, a hint of a smile set on her face as she saw the Seeker towering over several nobles as she escorted them from the chamber where the Divine was, the nobles hurrying their steps to put as much distance as possible between them and the warriour. Shortly after, a familiar sight from her time in Ferelden greeted Leliana. "Knight Commander Greagoir. It is good to see you once more" "You too, Sister Leliana. I had heard that you had started working directly for the Divine" the man replied. His hair had gotten even grayer, and the dark bags under his eyes made it evident that the lyrium was taking its remorseless toll on him "Glad to see both our fortunes have improved since those dark days at the Circle during the Blight" "Indeed. I hope your travel here was uneventful" "It was, and I certainly hope it's the last time I come here. I'm no longer at an age to spend so much time on the road. And the damn road from Jader seems to get worse every year" "Let's not take more of your time than it's needed then. Please" Leliana answered as she motioned towards the large open door that led to the large chamber where the Sunburst Throne and Divine Justininia awaited. Gregoir nodded and moved forward. "Sister Leliana, it is good to see you" "You too, First Enchanter Irving" Leliana said as they both respectfully made a half bow to each other. As the enchanter passed her by, only years of bard training at finessing and hiding her emotions helped her contain the warmth that bubbled within her as she saw who arrived next. "Enchanter Wynne. A pleasure to see you" Leliana said as she grabbed the mage's hand, placing a soft kiss on top of it. "You too, my dear. It's been some time. I have missed you… your stories, I mean. You were always such a great storyteller" Wynne answered, giving a few quick nervous glances around them. Leliana knew it wasn't out of shame, but out of fear of what insidious eyes or ears in these halls could do if they learned too much. The Game was played in the Grand Cathedral just as much as it was in any noble party. "I have greatly missed you too. I hope your travel here was a pleasant one" "Yes, crossing the Frostbacks and moving on horseback from Jader all the way to Val Royeaux it's always such a pleasant experience. My back is already thanking me for providing it with such a good time" The sarcasm in Wynne's voice drew a giggle from Leliana that made the older mage smiled warmly in return "We'll have to make sure that your time here compensates the difficulties of your travel" "I know, Greagoir. I am coming" the mage said, making the templar's words die in his mouth just as he was about to utter them, making him turn around and walk back into the chamber with a frustrated sigh. Leliana gave Wynne a quick blink that held promises of more as she motioned Wynne to walk ahead, the sister following closely behind. "You smell nice" Wynne said, smiling. "Thank you. A mage acquaintance of mine really likes this parfume" They both smiled as the doors to the chamber closed.

"Thank you for your time, Most Holy" Irving said, his coarse voice struggling to make itself heard "I am sure the Knight Commander will take your recommendations to heart" The mage turned and smiled as he looked at Gregoir, who returned the smile and spoke with all the finesse of someone who has never been trained or had any need to hide precisely what he was feeling "Yes, First Enchanter. The Divine's recommendations are very appreciated" the templar said, his metal gauntlets creaking as he tightened his fists. "I am glad we were able to address your concerns. The delegations from the Circles of Nevarra and Rivain will arrive tomorrow and we can continue addressing the topic in more depth. Leliana, can you please show our Fereldan guests to their accommodations?" "Of course, Most Holy" "Thank you for your time, Most Holy" the templar and the 2 mages said after a respectful bow and began stepping out of the room.  As Leliana was about to follow, Justinia quietly called out to her, making the woman step beside her as Justinia whispered into her ear. "I've closed the third hall of the First Tower for renovations. You told me your friend Wynne may enjoy the view from there, yes?" Justinia gave Leliana a knowing smile, and Leliana returned it "Thank you, Justinia"

[aliciaphen]

☆ ALICIA’S MONTHLY MEDIA MENTIONS: JANUARY `23

Hi. School projects have eaten up all my time and I haven't posted on this account. Also, the beautiful women who have recently followed me have been blowing up my notifications and it's been quite annoying. On the bright side, I have a lot of art to post! Here is all the media I consumed in January!

Visual:

Frances Ha (2012) dir. Noah Baumbach. It tells a beautiful narrative of coming of age in your twenties.

Billie and Jean. Another chill, kinda dumb podcast but it's something fun to play in the background. Gives some good laughs.

Titanic (1997) dir. James Cameron. Needed something after watching Avatar TWoW.

Mileage (2022) created by Jennifer Wu (PM) Kym Santiana (PM) Ruyee Lu (PM) Christopher Hsueh Joy Zhou Miranda Li Nicole Taylor-Topacio Ruby Saysanasy Saul Benavides. My friend made a really awesome short film for her 3rd year! Please check it out. The music suits it so well and the story is very exciting!

Cruella (2021) dir. Craig Gillespie. I wasn't going to watch this but Josiah mentioned the same person directed I, Tonya (2017) which I thought was great. I watched with a dog that I was dogsitting.

Goodfellas (1990) dir. Martin Scorsese. A pretty good story. I think the acting in it was great as well. The slurs threw me SO off guard.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) dir. Joel Crawford. I'm so excited for Shrek 5. This was great. Love how Spiderverse is bringing about a new age of animation.

The White Lotus, Season 1 (2021). I'm only watching this for Jennifer Coolidge.

Emergency Intercom - Enya Umanzor, Drew Phillips, Ky Newman. It's an every-month thing.

TXT Live at Lollapalooza 2022 (Full Performance) - Tomorrow x Together. Just very upset that they announced tour dates and Toronto wasn't on there.

Fall (2022) dir. Scott Mann. Why would they do that?

The Menu (2022) dir. Mark Mylod. Nice.

Audio: January 2023 Spotify Playlist

Space 1.8 - Nana Sinephro. Love this album SO MUCH.

Animation Happy Hour - Garrett Lewis, Katie Low, Ben Girmann. I'm excited to have found this podcast! I feel like it'll be a good resource in helping me with my future endeavours.

The Whole of the Moon (Fiona Apple cover) - Fiona Apple. Mother. Inspiration.

ATTENTION: MILEY LIVE - I'm so happy for Miley's success and I'm very sorry I was part of the crowd that shunned her post-Disney era. She's an amazing artist and I could listen to her sing rock songs all day.

Time is Way Weirder Than You Think - The Ezra Klein Show. A podcast episode we listened to for class. Confusing and it raised more questions.

Ditto - New Jeans. The girls have done it again.

Don’t Forget My Love - Acoustic - Diplo, Miguel. Fuck the original. This is it.

VIBE (feat. Jimin of BTS) - TAEYANG. Taeyang is so funny. Whenever I think of him I think of that video where he sings thank you and I love you for 2 mins.

Reading:

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones. After watching the Ghibli film, I wanted MORE.

Sketching for Animation - Peter Parr. A book I have downloaded and have seen the first few pages of. I have yet to really get into it but it also seems like a great resource to improve my art.

Gesture Drawing for Animation - Walt Stanchfield 

What They Don't Teach You at Film School: 161 Strategies For Making Your Own Movies No Matter What - Camille Landau, Tiara White

[heniareth]

Find the Word game

Thank you @yukichouji for the tag! I really enjoyed these games. They make me revisit sections I've written a long time ago (I keep them all in one document and it's probably 300-odd pages long) XD XD XD XD

Echoing

"Ogre's getting closer, golem," Oghren shouted.

"It has less dead weight to carry, dwarf," Shale answered, but strained against the wagon to speed up.

An arrow hit against Wynne's blue shield, then another, and another. Behind the ogre were genlock archers. Dread sank into Astala's bones as hurlocks started breaking through the genlock ranks and running after the ogre, their sinister laughter echoing through the stone halls. Her hands uselessly tightened around the wooden planks of the wagon.

Claws (clawed. Close enough.)

"Warden," Zevran said, cutting her off, "Are we friends?"

Astala nodded.

"Then please, let me help. Like you allow Leliana to help."

Another sob clawed its way out of her throat, and this one wouldn't stay down. Astala allowed Zevran to pull her in and pressed her face against his shoulder, willing the world away. Zevran was warm. He didn't back away when the tears started to fall and stain his shirt. He didn't say anything, only rubbed small circles into her back and let her cry. At some point Astala wrapped her arms around him too. He smelled nice. None of this would help her terrible terrible crush and once this was all a memory, she’d probably look back at it with shame. Maker, she’d promised herself not to string him along, but she couldn’t- wouldn’t let go.

Space

Warmth surrounded him, but when Zevran pressed his arms against his chest they were still cold. He wrapped the blankets tighter around himself and stared at the sleeping figure of the Warden. How could she endure temperatures like these? How could anyone in Ferelden for that matter? And with only one blanket! Truth be told, hers was a blanket made for a lord or lady of high standing; size and quality reflected it. As Zevran's eyelids started to grow heavy again, his mind wandered off to memories of his childhood; to kids crammed into one shared sleeping space, never an empty spot to his right or to his left; to little bodies huddled closely together around a hearth when the brief winters descended upon Antiva; to the whispered story of a princess who lent her bed to a pauper to save him from the cold. He'd have his own tale to tell now: how an assassin came to offer his bed to a Grey Warden, and she accepted only to share her blanket with him. And an assassin who had tried to kill her, no less! What a riveting story--although, truth be told, every Antivan he told it to would bemoan the tameness of it. He meanwhile wondered how it would end.

Shock (cw: drunkenness)

The dwarf was slumped over the table, staring up at them with bleary eyes too unfocused to properly see them.

"You're not bringin' me ale."

"Well spotted," Astala said and sat down in front of him. "Though I'll happily get you some if you make this worth my while."

The dwarf let out a dirty laugh. The shock of red hair on his head, thinning out by onsetting balding, wobbled about as drunkenly as he did. "Make it worth your while, eh? You wanna-"

"I want to know about the Deep Roads," Astala said and leaned forward, right into the alcohol-laden breath of the dwarf. "And I want to know everything you can tell me about paragon Branka."

Hey, I got them all! And 2 out of 4 snippets with Zevran! I don't think I'll get a special prize for it, but it's satisfying XD XD XD XD

Thank you again for tagging me! I'm gonna tag @wild-houseplant @icy-warden @bumblewarden @oxygenforthewicked @themarkedkyusei and anybody else who sees this and thinks it's fun to find the words home, laugh, bind and sky (for when and if you want to do this ^^). I hope you have a splendid day and an even more splendid day tomorrow!!

[blouisparadise]

Here is another rec list of BL fics that feature everyone’s favorite trope, enemies to lovers! You can also check out part one here and part two here. Since there are so many fics to include on this list, we also plan to do more parts in the future! If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Say My Name And Everything Just Stops | Explicit | 5089 words

Harry and Louis are enemies and their friends leave them behind on a camping trip to sort out their differences. In a short amount of time, they do.

2) I Couldn’t Get Away From You | Mature | 5185 words

Suddenly in the heat of the moment, Harry’s eyes turned darker as he pushed Louis’ back more and more towards the wall. “Fine.” He plants his lips on Louis’ and begins to roughly kiss him, soon enough turning it into a make-out session.

“Fuck you, Styles,” Louis moans and grips onto Harry’s shoulders, hands trailing up to the taller’s hair and gripping that as well.

“We’ll see about that.”

3) Daddy to Coach to Daddy | Explicit | 5930 words

Harry is Louis' 'new' coach and things go down before turning better.

4) When the World Comes Down | Not Rated | 6248 words

"I wouldn't breathe the same air as him even if we were the only two people on earth"

Harry didn't mean that literally. Not until Harry and Louis are the only two people alive on this earth (to their knowledge).

5) It’s Hard To Fight Naked | Explicit | 11189 words

Prompt 6: Louis and Harry are roommates, but they cannot stand each other. When Harry heard Louis moan his name while Louis was riding a dildo in Harry’s room (Louis thought he was alone at home), Harry couldn’t stop himself and so he ended up fucking Louis against the mattress. Happy ending!

6) Let’s Make Christmas Merry, Baby | Explicit | 19871 words

Harry and Louis have to play Mr and Mrs Claus at a frat party and don’t get on, but keep getting stuck under mistletoe until they do.

7) Where I Should Be | Explicit | 20670 words

“That’s the difference between you and me,” Louis says. “I loved him. You liked him.”

Harry, far too interested in shattering Louis’ ardent loyalty to Wynn, says, “Such a waste.”

“Who are you to decide?” Louis breathes, craning his neck to glare.

“Who better to decide than me?” He leans imperceptibly closer. Wanting, waiting for him to close the inch of distance.

8) Sweet Revelation, Bitter Wine | Explicit | 20786 words

“Yeah, well. It’s not my fault I can’t stand the sight of you. This is kind of all your fault," Louis reminds him, his blue eyes flashing.

“Is that right?” Harry provokes him, clicking his teeth annoyingly. “That’s a shame, since you’re the most distractingly pretty demon slayer I’ve ever met.”

They're silent for a beat. He feels Harry’s fingers brushing over his cheekbone tenderly, before he's grasping his chin and tilting his face up properly to look at him.

Harry’s face is close to his now, his handsome features rendering him weak and leaving Louis to blink slowly at him, appreciating the view of a tall, morally ambiguous demon whose full attention is on him.

“Are you going to kiss me?” Louis asks him, voice honeyed and tempting as the fight leaves his body and he goes limp in Harry's grip.

9) Reach The Heavens Own Blue | Explicit | 21070 words

Louis is a Boston Red Sox and Harry is a New York Yankee.

10) Never Meant To Be So Bad To You | Mature | 27608 words

Louis hated Harry and his stupid confidence and his handsome face and his deep voice and his stupid jeans and his stupid smile and his stupid existence. He hated Harry, always had and always will. They’d never gotten along and Louis wasn’t sure how it started, but he knows that Harry was put onto this earth to bug the hell out of Louis. Being trapped inside of an arcade with him was hell and it hadn't been a full minute.

11) Sunflowers, Sunshine, And You | Explicit | 28778 words

Sunshine county is small but mighty and Harry takes pride in knowing nearly each and every person that lives inside of it. For nearly eleven years now he’s been sheriff, and not one of them he’s ever regretted settling down here.

He knows the road names like the back of his hand, knows the people and the animals and the way the world works here. In all of the time he’s been here, not a thing has changed.

So, all things considered, when he starts seeing a beat up pickup truck roaming through town with plates he’s never seen before, Harry, to be frank, jumps on that like a fly on fresh dog shit.

12) Voicemail Sings A Wreck | Explicit | 37016 words

Louis doesn’t have any proof, but he’s pretty damn sure that even when he’s dead and buried six feet deep, Harry Styles will still find a way to haunt him in his grave.

13) Happier Prettier | Explicit | 40348 words

It wasn't that Harry hated Louis Tomlinson. He was just a Broadway kid who got insanely famous thanks to some silly videos on an even sillier app, got a label contract, forgot about his roots and now he was pretending to be a pop star.  He didn't even mind that everyone was actually buying his act of being sweeter than honey. It was that Harry knew that game too well — he was inside it after all — he knew how fake people could get and how manipulative they actually were.

So no, it wasn’t that he didn’t like Louis, it was that he reminded him of everything he didn’t like in a person. Louis reminded him a bit too much of... her.

14) Soaked In The Blood Of Angels |Explicit | 40867 words

The boy looks drugged, caught between a man who’s almost twice his size and a girl who looks like she wouldn’t even break a sweat snapping him in half despite her small stature, eyes closed and mouth open as he pants, arching up between them almost as if he’s trying to escape.

Normally, Harry would ignore it and continue on his search for someone to drink from, someone who wouldn’t mind his sharp teeth and rough hands. He’s seen plenty of boys like this one, ones who picked the wrong playmates, and if he stopped to rescue every single one of them he would have died from thirst a long time ago.

This one, though. There’s something about this one, the sheen of his bright blue eyes as he blinks slowly, looks around as though he doesn’t know where he is, the weakness of his hands as he tries to push the girl off of him and make his escape.

15) When Our Worlds They Fall Apart | Explicit | 42228 words

Harry put his hand over his heart as if Louis had wounded him. “You’re so harsh, my liege! Perhaps you need to relieve some tension…” He let his voice trail off suggestively.

“The day I ask YOU to relieve tension is the day I lose all my wits and join the Imperials,” Louis said. “It will never happen.” 

16) Now I Think That I Could Love You Back | Explicit | 42255 words

“I do not care if she banishes me to my chambers for a month or the rest of the year, you two must see reason,” Louis protests, feeling a minor fit coming on. “He is nothing but an insufferable, cocky, cloddish, pitiful excuse for an Alpha, and he deserves to live the rest of his days in solitary, not me.”

“My, my, what an array of abuse. I surely would loath to be this inadequate excuse of an Alpha you speak of, but alas I cannot relate to possessing such deficiency,” a honey-glazed voice drips out from behind Louis, and the omega can feel the steam pouring over, ready to burst out of his already flushed ears.

17) Give My Love A Four Letter Name | Explicit | 46627 words

Louis hates Harry because he's a demon. Harry hates Louis because Louis hates him. Things change.

18) Oubaitori | Explicit | 48822 words

Louis and Harry meet again after years apart and have to learn to live together by detangling their shared past and uncovering old secrets.

19) Made For Lovin’ You | Explicit | 52637 words

The one where a quick, horny decision ruins Louis’ summer plans, but may also lead to unexpected discoveries. Featuring the road trip of dreams, misunderstandings, and a bit of fate.

20) Hold On To Your Heart | Explicit | 54183 words

The Proposal AU, where Louis is the no-nonsense editor in chief of one of the largest publishing houses in the country, and Harry is the unlucky assistant that gets roped into a fake engagement to prevent his boss from being deported. Things don't go as planned.

21) Let Your Damage, Damage Me | Explicit | 57077 words

A low and dangerous growl was ripped from the future King’s chest.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” the alpha snarled, eyes dark and nostrils flared.

Even as anger rushed through him at the alpha’s brutish display, Louis felt breathless at the intense gaze of the man that was going to be his future mate.

‘Tomorrow I’m going to be under all that. He will be inside me, all muscles and rage.’ Louis felt his cheeks heat again, but refused to be cowed. So he put his best smirk on display, the one alphas despised to see, the one that assured them all he had the upper hand.

“Thought you were expecting me, dear husband. I’m your future mate.”

22) Mead Of Poetry | Explicit | 65053 words

Under the pressure of continuing the Styles viscountcy line now that he is getting older, Harry sets himself three rules to finally settle down and marry: firstly, the omega needs to be reasonably attractive, secondly, they must be of great mind, thirdly, they cannot be anyone he would ever fall in love with.

Enters Charlotte Tomlinson, the diamond of the first water of the upcoming season and seemingly the perfect candidate to the viscount’s plan, but her omega brother, Louis, is in Harry’s way. Louis only seeks to protect his sister and he sure is not going to let a rake play with her heart.

23) We’ll Cast Some Light (You’ll Be Alright) | Not Rated | 74409 words

There’s a standard procedure for this. Scan, track, kill. But with a solar eclipse and a Greater Demon with unfinished business looming, the path to keeping England safe from harm becomes complicated and shadowed by mystery and secrets. For Harry and his team, times have never been harder, especially when a few old friends turned foes show up. Harry is left with just over forty days to overcome the hurdle of tension between them and reconcile their past, and figure out just what Louis is hiding from him before it’s too late.

24) Worsens, Nothing Grows | Mature | 102528 words | Sequel

Another roadtrip AU featuring Harry as the misunderstood hipster, Louis as the bitter psych major, Liam as the one with the secret boyfriend, and Niall as the one who just wants everyone to be happy.

25) Heart Jab | Explicit | 113129 words

Louis is a famous boxing champion living and working in London, Harry is an up-and-coming boxing star who jeopardizes Louisʼ position in the business. They meet when Louis is right about to further walk down a very thin line of desperation, loneliness, hopelessness and self-destruction, and this does not come without fights, screams, tears and talks. But eventually, when it all comes down, Louis has to decide which way he wants to go, despite all the hardships thrown at him. And Harry has to battle his own demons to be there when that happens.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[skyedestiny]

Quoth the Author: Our Next Book

Hello, everyone! I know I haven’t been here very much lately.  Well, in an effort to change that, I wanted to talk about a stream I’ve been running on Twitch lately, called Quoth The Author.  I run it on Sundays at 5 PM EST, and it’s sort of a book club.

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to get back to reading books, but it was always so hard to find the time and motivation.  In talking to some friends, I found out that we were in a very similar place in regards to that.  And if there are some of us like this there are actually bound to be a lot of us.

In Quoth the Author, I let the audience know about a book we’ll be starting in advance so that you can procure your own copy, if you’d like.  But it isn’t necessary as, during the stream, I will read a section of the story aloud.  From there, the goal is to discuss, together, about what we’ve read.

If this interests you, please stop in, using the link above! And if you’d like to catch up on the progress of our current book (The Midnight Library by Matt Haig), you can check out my youtube channel, where all previous episodes are posted.

But that’s not exactly what this post is about.  This post is about enlisting your help to pick the next book that we’ll cover! Below the cut, you’ll find the covers and blurbs of the five books we’re considering moving on to.  Please check them out and let me know in the replies (or the poll on facebook or twitter, depending on where you guys are coming from) which sounds the most intriguing to you.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King:

“Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though - something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark woods.”

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones:

“Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.”

Lightning by Dean Koontz:

“A storm struck on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere – the man who saved Laura from a fatal delivery. Years later – another bolt of lightning – and the stranger returned, again to save Laura from tragedy. Was he the guardian angel he seemed? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space?”

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson:

“Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.”

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman:

“Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and so much more.

But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.”

Please make your selections, friends! I’m excited to be heading off on another literary journey with you!

[pyrofury]

Oathkeeper

First Next

Summary:

A woman comes back to the underworld to keep an Oath of loyalty. The one whom she made this pact with isn’t aware there was an oath, to begin with. Desha x OC

TW: blood

Flashback

They were so close. They crossed most of the corpses of their comrades and enemies on the battlefield. They’d won so many battles in this war. Their goal was right there. To slay their father. The castle and throne room were moments away. 

It was just unfortunate that when Ouken couldn’t block an enemy because of his own injury, Desha had to make a split decision. His father or Ouken. He chose to save Ouken at the cost of his own while taking down the enemy. The enemy managed to get him in the gut. Damn.

“No no no Brother stay with me! Please! “ Desha would have loved to oblige his brother at that moment if he could take away the agony from Oukens sobbing face. The last of their healers were either dead or too far away. He couldn’t stop the bleeding. Too much of it was coming out. Coldness setting in.

“I’m sorry brother. Please tell Despa that-“

His eyes caught the color of a dark blue cloak speeding its way towards them. Fast. Whoever it was he couldn’t stop them now. 

“I’m not an enemy so don’t waste your last energy on me when you can’t even stand!”

The sound of a woman’s voice could be heard clearly under the hood. The urgency in her voice could be understood. His eyes were starting to go hazy.

“If I can save you can you promise me there won’t be a repeat of your father’s reign? “

“Yes, that goes without saying, witch.” He didn’t have the patience for this even while he was dying. 

“You better keep your word then.” She then moved towards his face and before he could stop it her mouth took his. 

He was weak from the blood loss to fight back. His body felt warm as he let himself be at her mercy. 

The few moments of what felt like an eternity for her. She could feel her body get heavier as her pact was almost complete. Her life span was shortened to one of a human. No loss to her though. 

He could finally move and the first thing he did was push her away. “You!” 

“You’re certainly spry for a man who was gutted like a fish earlier. “

He looked down. no pain. His armor would need to be replaced however his stomach was good as new along with no wounds just the blood that had been there shown. 

“Can you help him too?” pointing towards Ouken who was staring gratefully at the stranger. 

“Sorry, but I can only do that once.”She looked up at him. Green eyes stared into his onyx ones.

“I’m not a healer and that ritual can only be done once in my lifetime. So please keep your word. “ anguish and pain reflected in her gaze. Eyes glassy trying to hold back tears.

‘Don’t let her death be in vain.’

He nodded his scowl showing irritation at the mere thought of him ruling like his father. 

He turned to Ouken. “Can you stand?” " yes, brother!” Ouken turned to the girl “thank you, miss!” Before attempting to walk again. The first few steps were him limping. Desha went to Ouken’s side and aided him now marching alongside him. They started this together and they would finish it together. 

She stared at the duo as they went to finish their mission. Her part was done for now. She still had a lot to do before she could mourn. She pulled herself up and went on her way. To where? she didn’t know yet. just away from here and away from him for now.

After slaying their father Desha was now officially the successor and rightful ruler. He tried to find the girl but it was like she disappeared. All he could remember was her green eyes. 

————————————

This wasn’t her war. These weren’t her people. This place wasn’t home. She had no stake in this. She didn’t have to be here. She was only here to support her best friend who decided to come back to her homeland to fight. She failed at that.

Wynn was conflicted. she had seen what he’d done to a child of gigantes. Her first instinct was to hate him and call him a monster. However…that meant she was one too.

Her friend had to explain to her that humans were complex and unfortunately his decision was made for the greater good. Wynn had yet to understand that but she had faith in her friend's character and her decision to place her trust in this man. So she would too for now.

[bex-pendragon]

Bex's Book Corner #17

Welcome back to my monthly roundup of recent reads!

April was a very successful reading month: I was able to read six books and get a lot of writing done. This month's reads were a mix of genres, including a couple of books I've been meaning to read for years. It's so satisfying to see that TBR decrease!

1. If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

This book was a charming contemporary romance retelling of Cinderella where Cindy is a plus-sized shoe designer who meets her Prince Charming on a reality dating show.

I liked that the author veered away from the usual evil stepmother and horrible stepsisters trope that every other Cinderella retelling has. It was unexpected and refreshing. Instead, the villainy was more subtle: it comes in the form of a stylist who doesn’t take Cindy’s size into account when the contestants are being dressed for a challenge and a designer who doesn’t make Cindy’s size. These are the everyday villains that Cindy has to deal with on her way to her happy ending.

Overall this was an enjoyable read!

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read.

Similar Books: Geekerella by Ashley Poston, Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade, I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee.

Content Warnings: fatphobia and bodyshaming (challenged)

2. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

I’ve been meaning to read Pratchett for a long time now. I’ve always heard good things about his Discworld series. After I read Good Omens, his collaboration with Neil Gaiman, I was curious to see what his other stuff was about.

As it turns out, his other stuff is delightful!

I went into Wyrd Sisters not knowing much. I’ve heard so much contradictory advice about which Discworld novel to start with, so in the end, I picked one that would help me tick another box on my reading challenge. And I’m so glad that I did. This book was a lot of fun. It had Shakespearean vibes, droll humour, and a memorable cast of characters. The witches were a hoot! The court fool was another character that I found fascinating. I remember seeing the phrase “The fool jingled miserably across the floor” on Tumblr, but I never knew where it was from. It’s always satisfying to finally get the context for something.

I enjoyed this book immensely! This was my first Discworld novel and it definitely won’t be my last. If anyone has a favourite from this series, please let me know! 

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book about witches

Similar Books: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

Content Warnings: mentions of torture (but no actual torture happens), stabbing

3. This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria

I’m biased about this one because I have a personal connection to the author :)

TGF has one of the more unique magic systems I’ve encountered in quite some time. The world is inspired by ancient Greece, but with a twist: 200 years ago, there were magical automatons that could be controlled by runes. But then something happened to make all the automatons go inert. In the present, a young orphan named Karis awakens one of the automatons and they go on a mission together to uncover what happened in the past - and to stop the evil magistrate who wants to harness the automatons for his own warmongering ends. There’s also a crew of awesome pirates!

The friendships in the story really shine: Karis’s mission before waking her automaton friend Alix is to reunite with her lost brother. The partnership she develops with Alix was lovely to read about. I’m very happy that I finally got to read Emily’s book! She has another one coming out in November called Silver in the Mist, so be sure to keep an eye out for that. It’s got spies and court intrigue, so it’s right up my alley.

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book with a character on the ace spectrum

Similar Books: Seafire by Natalie C. Parker, This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Content Warnings: fantasy violence and injuries

4. Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

This was one of my most anticipated 2022 releases and it did not disappoint! Daughter of the Moon Goddess is inspired by the legend of Chang’e - but with the addition of a daughter named Xingyin. This girl goes on the most amazing journey of character development. From her isolated childhood on the moon, being forced to flee, becoming a servant, and eventually earning the coveted position of study companion to the celestial crown prince. And it doesn’t stop there: Xingyin also becomes the best archer in the celestial army - all while hiding her true identity as the secret daughter of Chang’e. I was swept up in her story from the first page and I could not put it down! The worldbuilding is incredible in scope. It will appeal to fans of western fantasy and xianxia media (like The Untamed or Ashes of Love) alike.

Popsugar Reading Challenge: An #ownvoices SFF

Similar Books: Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan

Content Warnings: fantasy violence, injuries, kidnapping, loss of a parent.

5. Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacoppelli

This was another one of my most anticipated 2022 titles. It combines two of my very favourite things: Jane Austen retellings and figure skating. 

The thing I love most about Austen retellings is in how the author has to re-contextualize details from the original text - especially if it’s a modern day retelling. In Austen’s Persuasion, Anne Elliot was in love with Frederick Wentworth, but her family convinced her not to marry him because he was from a lower social class than she was. They meet again years later after he becomes a captain in the navy, but she thinks he’s moved on. Meanwhile she always regretted the way things ended. Finding Her Edge recontextualizes this backstory by having Adriana (the Anne Elliot stand-in) dissolve her skating partnership with Freddie (the Wentworth analog) on the advice of her father and her coach because she goes through a major growth spurt. They don’t know if he’ll grow too, or if she’ll be too tall for him to skate with. I thought this re-contextualization was brilliant. It updates the Persuasion story, but it’s also an accurate portrayal of why ice dance partnerships at the junior level break up. 

The novel also reimagines the rest of the Elliot family in context to the original book, right down to the frivolous sisters and the dad who mismanages the family’s money. There’s also a fake-dating subplot with Adriana and her current partner, as well as a scene that recalls the incident with Louisa Musgrove’s injury. Overall this book was a very successful Persuasion retelling. There were a few skating details that weren’t quite right, but I’m a stickler because I watch skating all the time. I was willing to overlook the inaccuracies because the rest of the story was excellent. 

And there was a mention of Papadakis and Cizeron!

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book that takes place in your favourite season (skating season, that is!)

Similar Books: Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson, The Code For Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor, On Top of Glass by Karina Manta.

Content Warnings: mild swearing, sports injuries

6. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf since it came out in 2018. I put off reading it because Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina is one of my favourite books of all time. I wanted to wait until I was in the right headspace to read this one for a couple of reasons. First, it’s always a challenge to manage expectations when a favourite author has a new book. The second reason had to do with the subject matter. This book deals with misogyny and rape culture in a medieval society, so I always knew it wouldn’t be as ‘easy’ a read as Seraphina.

In Tess of the Road, We follow Seraphina’s younger half sister Tess. She embarks on a road trip of self-discovery after punching one of the guests at her twin sister’s wedding. Tess has had a rough couple of years before the incident. She was taken advantage of and abandoned. The fallout changed her place in the family and the family’s place in society. When Tess sets off on the road, her journey is metaphorical as well as literal. She starts to see the world in new ways. She works through her anger and her trauma. She meets people and broadens her horizons. It’s hard to put the scope of her journey into words. It’s personal, but it’s also about the world she inhabits and the double standards that women face. Despite its 500+ page length, I ended up speeding through this book. I promise I won’t wait as long to read the follow up this time. 

I advise readers to be aware of the content warnings for this book. It’s a lot heavier than Seraphina, but it’s worth it.

Popsugar Reading Challenge: The first book in a duology (if I count it for this category, I’ll have to read the follow up!)

Similar Books: Seraphina and Shadowscale by Rachel Hartman, Eon by Alison Goodman

Content Warnings: rape, miscarriage, alcoholism, misogyny, religious intolerance, animal death, suicidal ideation, violence and injuries.

That wraps things up for the month of April. Next month I'll be sharing my thoughts on a popular new release and the latest Star Wars tie-in novel.

[aydensconstantstruggle]

Ayden hopes for better

Ayden sits beside her bed, legs tucked under her, unwrapped hands firmly on her knees. Head bowed, eyes shut as she attempts to meditate. It feels as though it's been years since she focused on her thoughts.

Parsing through the last few months, figuring out where to go from here.

Deep breath in, out.

She tries a method her mom taught her; remember, feel the emotion, and if you find it impedes your journey, let it go. Inhale and exhale. Let it go.

Deep breath in, out.

She thinks of her mother, the choices, the facts that lay before her. It won't do her any good in the Hells, Ayden knows her mistakes; Wynne, Phoebe, the Blade, The Call. Acknowledge the responsibility and-

Deep breath in, out.

Her respiration trembles slightly, flexes her digits, readjusts her posture, and focuses.

She thinks of the group, the Blade of Phandalin, heroes of the Dales. The people she's fought beside. Her friends.

Dragons, gods, fiends, lichs, aboleths. Victories, losses, deaths, and resurrections.

Throughout her time with them, there's been a silver lining, or a rematch where it's been in their favor.

They've never given up.

Hope and determination, -two flowers Ayden has been struggling to tend to- grow greener, healthier, slowly.

If they're calling on her to lead, or at least co-lead, she is going to get better. She has to, her friends' lives can't end, especially not there. She won't be able to handle-

Deep breath in, out.

She has to believe their time in the Hells, the sacrifices they've all made to get there, won't be in vain.

She pauses for a moment, she can feel her hair becoming brighter, lifting off her shoulder.

She thinks of Wren.

The shadowy man, who was made to think of himself only as a weapon, only as useful as the magic he wields, only as strong as the last person he kills. The man who is better than he views himself as. She thinks about the dreams, the safety he offers, the..- Ayden wills her hair down, shaking her head.

She can't seem to fall for people she can have, or keep, for that matter.

She chuckles softly. The empty room making it louder and echo off the walls surrounding her.

Deep breath in, out.

She opens her eyes to the closed door and the flickering candle next to the bed, the wax dripping and pulling towards the base.

She thinks about Zariel and shuts her eyes again.

Her thoughts turn to prayer, to her mother's god.

"Okay. Alright... You know, I've done this before but never at this level of need.

Lathander, please, if you can hear me, I desperately require your help. I did something thoughtless and my mother paid the price for it. My mom was- is a devoted follower of yours. She spoke to and of you often. Please help me save her and bring her back to your light and protection. Help me undo my mess. Please deliver her from this torment and back into your safety. In your name, Lathander."

Her body, throughout the beseechment, shakes, eyes squeezed tightly, tears passing through them.

Deep breath in, out.

The people she cares about will be safe once the archdevil is dealt with. Ayden hopes, in the way that reunites the disgraced angel with her companion.

As for Wren, she'll just have to, yet again, hope something will turn up, before he's lost, completely and utterly lost. Incapable of returning to his family. Unable to be-

Deep breath in, out.

Her meditation briefly turns into prayer again as she tries to reach Lathander, or any of the deities that don't want the Whispered One to claim another, to win.

"Please, Lathander, anyone. There's a human who, in desperation, accepted the power of an evil entity. He's being changed, drained of life, becoming a-a husk of himself until there's nothing left to save. Please. I want, no, I need to save him. He's got so much to live for, he recently found the family he was torn from at such a young age. He can get to know some of the people he grew up with, for real this time. Please help me find a way,"

She can feel her blunt nails dig into her skin, past the cloth protecting it. She's hyper-aware of the tears trailing down her cheeks now. She relaxes her hands.

"There must be a way that doesn't involve selling souls, or making pacts.... Thank you for listening to me, I suppose."

She gives a wet laugh, sniffling. She turns into both shoulders wiping the tracks from her face.

She tries to recenter, moving her legs to be crossed instead, smoothing out where she's creased the fabric.

Deep breath in, out.

Ayden inhales and exhales a couple more times.

Meditating for a few more hours before climbing in bed and under covers, she blows out the now sad looking candle, the wick hanging on for dear life, only a silver of wax remains.

Her thoughts drift as she surrenders to sleep....

"And Astro, he should be here! He would be able to do so much! That smiling selfish-"

Deep breath in, out.