#pride and prejudice and persuasion inspired

[cloud3francois]

Pride and Prejudice: Who Betrayed Elizabeth?

[reluctantbylerblog]

hii, do you have an ao3 or anything?

(I saw your post about the persuasion au and 1. I agree with it and see the vision 2. wanted to see if you've already wrote something else but I haven't found anything by digging in your blog )

hope you're doing fine and the writing is going good!

this is so sweet! I do have an ao3 but I haven't posted anything (yet!) although I do have some wips I plan on posting eventually. some sooner rather than later.

the persuasion au is what I've been devoting most of my attention to lately but I admit it's probably going to be the work that takes the longest. I don't like posting incomplete works so when it comes it'll be pretty quick to post tho.

thanks so much for asking and skulking around my blog lol here's a sneak preview because I'm feeling flattered by the interest. I never post anything before I've edited it to death so don't look too closely if there's any typos

(also could not help myself with the pride and prejudice (2005) hand flex even though this is persuasion because it's a classic)

[sorceresssundries]

Downpour

Pairing: Gale x Fem Reader

Summary: After so long trapped in the shadow-cursed lands, Tav basks in the delight of feeling the rain on her skin. One-shot.

Warnings: Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Smut.

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: Ok, so I wanted to have a go a a romantic, Austen-esque, fluffy, soggy, sexy love-scene. I am a Pride and Prejudice girlie, and this was definitely inspired by the artwork i've seen floating around of Gale as Mr.Darcy. I STILL BLUSH WHEN I POST SMUT.

In the forest, away from camp, the rain fell heavy, warm, and welcome. After enduring the stagnant shadows of the curse for so long, Tav reveled in the sensation of the heavy droplets drenching her. She longed to feel the rain soak all the way to her bones, washing away the blood and shadow clinging to her skin. She craved cleanliness, yearning to return to the warm embrace of nature before being pulled back onto the road to Baldur’s Gate, where fresh burdens would undoubtedly litter the streets of her city. 

Baldur’s Gate... The Upper City... Her home. Where her expectant fiancé no-doubt awaited her return, eager for her to forsake her studies of magic and join him as agreed in their betrothal. It was a future that demanded sacrifice—her independence, her magic, her heart—all in exchange for providing for her family. This was the destiny that loomed if they completed their quest, and time was slipping away like sand through an hourglass.

So, she lingered in the rain a while longer, relishing the freedom of being a fearless adventurer, a woman unbound, her soul still wild and untamed. She would postpone the inevitable, if only for a few rain-soaked hours.

Her thoughts drifted, as they often did, to Gale. His anger still lingered like a storm cloud after their battle against Ketheric. She had urged him to resist the call of his Goddess, to spare himself from becoming the sacrificial weapon to slay the absolute. In doing so, he had shed his mantle of martyrdom, stepping away from the edge of his perceived heroism. And in the aftermath, when the adrenaline faded and victory cries hushed, she sensed his resentment.

At the height of his struggle, she had hoped he wouldn't need convincing. She had hoped his own worth would shine brightly enough to dispel the dark intent of Mystra's decree, and that he would have enough faith in their companions, in her, to find another path. She had believed their bond ran deep enough for him to steadfastly choose to remain by her side, but she had been mistaken. He required persuasion, and it had nearly shattered her.

She understood he owed her nothing, that no formal declarations had been made. There were moments heavy with unspoken desire, where the air crackled with anticipation. She had savoured each lingering glance and flirtatious exchange. Yet now, she wondered if it had all been a fanciful illusion. How could he desire her when his heart yearned for a Goddess? When the sigil of his devotion was literally branded over his heart? She resigned herself to accepting that he would stay by her side a while longer, and would bask in his warmth for as long as she could.

“Tav!” A distant voice called through the trees, barely audible over the rain storm's fury.

She turned to see him striding purposefully towards her, embers of anger flickering in his deep eyes. Both of them were drenched, the rain pouring down so relentlessly that it only took moments to become completely soaked. His white camp shirt clung to his chest and abdomen, accentuating the contours of his muscles. The emblem of the orb was unmistakable through the fabric, as was the dark hair which spattered his chest, trailing down into the snug, rain-soaked leather trousers tucked into his boots. Heavy droplets cascaded down his nose and fell from his long lashes like tears, and he had pushed his hair back away from his face, so now only a couple of tendrils stuck to his forehead and his cheek. The shimmer of the water cast him in ethereal beauty, and his silver earring gleamed like a lone star in the night sky. He might as well have been naked, and Tav felt a rush of heat at the sight of him. He was divine, and he was furious.

“What are you doing?” His voice was coloured with fresh anger. “You will catch your death!”

“Death has tried to catch me once today, wizard,” she said in defiance, turning her face upwards to the burst sky and running her hands through her hair. “I would like to see him try again.”

“You are stubborn and infuriating to your core! You would not allow me to sacrifice myself, and yet here you stand in the middle of a storm, taunting death as though he is a pawn in your game of heroics.”

She had never seen him this inflamed; the cool bindings of his tightly-wrapped feelings had come loose to reveal a man smouldering with desperate intent. The fact he still saw himself as a sacrifice shot fury through Tav’s veins equal to that of the Wizard before her.

“Do not blame me for what happened today! Your derision is wasted on me. I regret nothing. You were not weak; you were courageous. Vilify me if you will; resent me and cast me aside. It is a price I will pay to know your light still shines in the world. But I take no credit for your act of bravery. That was all you.”

She felt tears spill their way out of her eyes, and she belligerently let them fall alongside the welcome rain, now angry that she was letting herself fall apart in front of him. She could see him subside; he had calmed from raging ocean to a still pond. He said nothing, just waited.

“Baldur’s Gate lies ahead, and so does the end of our journey. Soon I will be home. I will marry a man I do not love, to support a family who does not care for my happiness, and I will take my courage from you, from what you did today. Please grant me the blessing of knowing it was because you wanted to stay here, with me. Just let me have that, even for a moment, even if it isn't real.”

He stepped towards her, and she stepped back, as though it was the first move in a practiced dance. She knew he meant to comfort her; she was unsure how, but it did not matter. She could not bear it.

“No, please,” she pleaded, needing to be alone. Completely soaked by the rain, despite the warmth in the air, her skin was speckled with gooseflesh, her clothing clinging to her in soaked desperation. She felt ashamed and exposed in front of him. He was everything she wanted but could never have. Jealousy, anger, and longing burned within her. If he touched her, she feared she would flame to ash in his arms. “Please, leave.”

He gazed at her face, her damp skin flushed, her dark eyes deeper than he had ever seen them, the usual mischievous sparkle replaced with swirling fear and helplessness. He longed to comfort her, to hold her.

“You should not marry him,” he said, his voice nearly drowned out by the rain. The silence that followed was heavy with tension. She held his gaze, her tears halting along with her breath.

“I am acutely aware of the shackles that will bind you upon your return. The thought of it has seared my soul. I have seen people marry for all the wrong reasons—wealth, security, anything but love. Some found it suited them, others were torn apart. That fate is for the faint-hearted, and you are not one of them.”

This time when he stepped forward, she did not move.

“They are early spring, and you are blazing summer. They are dappled moonlight, and you are blinding sun. They are house cats and cart horses, and you are a wild thing. You should not marry him,” he continued, his sadness palpable in his eyes and voice. “You will wither.” The space between them felt heavy and charged, the air warm and heady in the humid rain shower. “You talked me down from my precipice; let me help you down from yours.”

She could bear it no longer. Meeting his eyes, she began to move with purpose. That was all he needed. Rushing forward, he pushed her back against the nearest tree. She mewled in surprise before his lips captured hers, soft yet determined.

“Gale..” His name fell like dropped silk from her parted lips. As soon as he heard it exhaled in breathlessness, all soft intent was washed away with the rain. His hands were everywhere, grasping at her soaked clothing, tangling themselves in her dripping hair, pulling her hips against him. The kiss was wet - rain heavy and so so desperate. His tongue danced with hers, in ways he had fantasised about alone in his tent. He had brought himself to ecstasy thinking about the touch of her tongue against his, about all the lust induced pleasure she could summon with it. He was desperately hard, unashamedly and wantonly pressed against her. He wanted her to feel the effect she had on him, how much he desired her in all her vexing, complicated, exquisite glory. 

He had been angry, yes. He had been ashamed and guilt-ridden - but for reasons he did not expect. He did not feel as though he had let down Mystra, but that he had let down Tav. He had the opportunity to rid her of her burden, to strike down the threat which loomed over her head. She would be safe from the absolute, he could have given that to her, and she had talked him out of it. He felt like a coward, a meek ember undeserving of the vivid bonfire of a woman who had blazed her way into his heart. 

He realised now, entangled with her in the wild rain, that he loved her. The simplicity of it was overwhelming. She was exceptional, and he loved her. 

She had thought his feelings for her were wistful imaginings, but the truth was - he burned for her, he always had. Over the course of their journey, he had caught each glance with gentle hope and clutched them to him in times of darkness. He had saved every kind word and pressed them together into the pages of a book, to be taken out and skimmed through when he needed comfort. Her name was carved into his heart, and each beat belonged to her. 

They broke apart, both panting and breathless from the force of their embrace and she laughed. The most beautiful, clear chime of a laugh which stirred his blood and flooded his veins with joy. He smiled at the sight of her, and with a wave of his hand created an invisible shelter above them to shield them from the rain. 

“You couldn’t have done that before?” her pupils were so lust-blown the rich brown of her eyes were thin bands around black pools of desire, and her voice sparkled and danced through him. 

He peppered light kisses along her jaw and down her neck, “And spoil your fun? I wouldn’t dare.” Her hands tangled in his hair in response, and she moaned as he licked away the rainwater which had gathered in the hollow of her throat. 

“Lay down for me.” The grass beneath them was dry from his magic, and a soft purple blanket had been conjured out of nowhere. 

She did as he was told, and the ease of her submission did something to him. She was wild, unpredictable and stubborn, and the way in which she melted and bowed at his touch, at his command, stirred him in a way he had not felt before. He was a man undone.

He spent time slowly undressing her, lifting the hem of her soaking wet shirt and kissing the plane of her stomach, working his mouth along the sensitive ridges of her ribcage, pushing her arms upwards so he could pull the sopping wet clothing over her head. As he lifted her arms he licked the curve of her breast, her collarbone, even her armpit. He wanted all of her, and she arched her back so beautifully under his touch that he could not bear to remove his mouth for even an instant.

“Gale, please.” He had never heard her voice so low before, so wanton and dripping with unfiltered lust. 

“It is unlike you to be so well-mannered.” He teased between tonguing her damp skin “Where is the wild creature who has enraptured me so?” 

Her response came in a moan so primal it could have been mistaken for a growl. She was an altar he couldn’t decide whether to worship at, or desecrate. He decided there would be time for both. 

He peeled the rest of her clothes from her like the rind from a sweet fruit. Putting his mouth to every inch of flesh he uncovered. The rain mixed with the salt-sweet taste of her skin was fresh and heady, and he thought that no ambrosia could taste sweeter. 

He proved himself wrong when he eventually pressed his tongue where she wanted it most, where her desire gathered like a fresh-filled rockpool. She was heavenly. Every moan he pulled from her was a claimed bounty, a treasure he would hoard till the end of his days. He dipped his tongue inside her, savouring her, coating his tongue with her and then swiping upwards to run over the small bundle of nerves which could undo her completely. Her hips bucked in response. 

“Exquisite.” He said in between heated kisses. 

“I want all of you inside me, please.” Her cry was more breath than words. Her fingers raked through his hair and the shocks of her touch ran all the way down his spine. “You shall have me, my love. Body and soul, heart and mind. All of me, eternally.”

“Enough poetry.” She whined “Gale..” 

“I want you to come against my tongue first, sweet girl. I want to taste your undoing.” He re-focused his attention back between her legs, completely devoted in his worship, intent on receiving the holy blessing of her exalted cries as she lost herself beneath him. It did not take long. His tongue was firm, his dexterous fingers stroked into her and curled to find the hidden place of her rapture. His face was lust-soaked, head spun with desire, he was drunk on her pleasure and he ground himself into the earth beneath him as she unravelled with a reckless cry. He did not stop, he coaxed her through it, tongue softening and fingers slowing their pace as her wave broke and the relentless tide retreated. Even when she was spent, he continued to kiss her intimately, revelling in the soft pulse of her muscles. 

She drew him close, kissing him slowly and wantonly, savouring the taste of her own salt on his tongue. Pulling back, she gazed into his eyes, tracing the rough shadow of his beard with the pads of her fingers, fulfilling every longing touch she had yearned for. Returning the favour, she undressed him, their laughter mingling as they wrestled with his soaked leather trousers, finally leaving him as bare as she. With him above her, their bodies pressed together, anticipation sweetening the air between them.

“You are a marvel.” She whispered, tracing the vein-like mark that swirled under his eye, “I will spend each second proving to you that you made the right choice today. That the world is a brighter place for having you in it.”

“I am completely in love with you.” was his simple response, and the smile it earned him rivalled the night sky with its radiance. 

“The feeling is entirely mutual.” was her teasing reply.  He offered her a single soft, chaste kiss, before running his hands once again up her arms. This time to pin her hands above her head. She gasped at the sudden change in pace, and his eyes gleamed wickedly. He kept her small hands grasped in one of his, and slowly stroked the other down her body. Tracing a path to where she was still wet from desire and the focus of his tongue. Her eyelashes fluttered beautifully as his finger lightly brushed over her, and her sharp intake of breath told him she was still desperately needy. “I’m going to need to hear you say it properly, Tav.” Briefly, his strokes became firmer, purposeful, stacking a pleasurable build back from the ruins of her last orgasm. And then, he withdrew his touch from her completely, leaving her bucking and helpless. 

He kissed her throat and moaned against her skin, as he shifted his position to meet her heat. The tip of him pressed against her, and he had to dredge up every drop of restraint to stop himself pushing into her in one, hard stroke. 

“Be a good girl, and say it.” Between the two of them, it was unclear who was more desperate, who was winning their little game. It didn’t matter in the end, the result was always going to be the same. 

“I love you.” She met his eyes and poured every ounce of love-drenched sincerity she could into her words. She meant it. She would always mean it. And with her confession, Gale finally pushed himself into her, not breaking contact with the sparkle of her eyes as he moved himself inside her. 

"Let me touch you, let me show you, please," she begged, her voice aching with desire. At her plea, he released her hands, and immediately her fingers roamed his body. Her pleasure soared as she finally explored him in ways she had only dreamed of, tracing faded scars and kissing each sun-browned freckle.

His pace remained deliberate, slow at first, savouring every moment as he pulled almost completely out of her before burying himself deep inside, revelling in her tight warmth. The pouring rain and distant rumble of thunder drowned out most of their passion's noise, but Tav seemed to take it as a challenge.

She matched his intensity, moving with abandon, grinding her hips against each dedicated thrust, enticing him to unravel, daring him to let go. And he did. His kisses turned into soft bites, caresses into bruising grips on her waist, her hips, the soft flesh of her backside.

Lovemaking turned to fucking, to pure desperation and relief. He rutted into her, primal and hot - the ability to speak a distant memory as all he could do was moan into her mouth as he approached his crescendo. He flipped her over, and placed one of his arms under her leg to move it upwards, and he fucked her into the ground. They were still soaked, and they didn’t know if it was from the rain, their sweat or their pleasure, neither of them cared. 

He had angled her hips so he could move more deeply into her, and still wrap his arm around her to stroke her where she needed. It was exquisite. It did not last long. Tav threw her head back against his shoulder, and gasped out a choked cry as she clenched around him - wild and lost. The sensation of her was too perfect, and Gale followed her breathlessly and completely. All rhythm lost in the chaos of her unravelling orgasm. 

As they descended from their high together, he gently turned her to face him, and kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, her nose, the pads of each fingertip. 

“I love you” her voice was soft hope, he gaze a bright future. They would keep each other safe, and face each challenge with hearts and hands entwined.

“The feeling is entirely mutual.” He replied breathlessly, and her laugh mingled with the sound of rain and thunder to create the most beautiful music he had ever heard. 

[esther-dot]

Pride & Prejudice AUs

You Look Like A Movie, You Sound Like A Song 2k @jonsastan

She had met Jon Targaryen there. It was a complete accident and at first, Sansa thought, a complete misfortune. He was drenched from an impromptu swim in his pond, and she was flustered, not wanting him to think she was vying for his attention. But as she had attempted to make her hurried escape, he had found her and invited her parents to stroll with him around the gardens. He had offered her kindness, and thoughtfulness, he had talked with her parents, discussed the present state of politics with her father and chatted knowledgeably about gardens with her mother.

A Certain Step Toward Falling in Love 2k by @comma-splice

Jon Snow returns North after departing abruptly one year ago.

The Bennet Sisters - a P&P AU comic by @melinaillustrations

P&P Gifset by @sardoniyx, P&P Gifset by @dcbicki, P&P Gifset by deactivated

Persuasion AUs

Who Loves Longest, Who loves Best 1k by @ladysaruka

After refusing him years ago, Sansa sees her cousin once again.

Persuasion edits one, two , three by @glueck

Mansfield Park AUs

Half Agony, Half Hope 10k, incomplete by @noqueenbutthequeeninthenorth

After the death of his disgraced mother, Jon Snow is taken in by his uncle's family, the Starks of Winterfell. He grows up alongside his cousins, including the beautiful and kind-hearted Sansa, but knowing he can never truly be their equal, he fears he has little choice but to leave the place he's come to call home. corresponding moodboard

Catch Me If You Can 34k (P&P and Emma inspired too) by @ben-barnes-is-my-husband

Set in the countryside of Regency England, Jon Snow has been in love with Sansa Stark for as long as he can remember. He wants her as his wife, but Sansa is not sure she wants to be a wife at all, and she knows she doesn’t want to marry the pragmatic and boring Jon. She’d rather help Theon Greyjoy come out of his shell and play matchmaker. But then Jaime Lannister comes to town and Jon finds he has some serious competition for Sansa…

Moments Like This (So Few and Far Between) 3k by @lydiamartenism

Mama and Papa left the house to go pick up Jon, the son of her father’s oldest friend. Three weeks ago, the phone rang and their parent’s announced that Jon would be coming to live with them since his mother passed away and had no one else to take care of him.

Northanger Abbey AUs

The Lady in White 7k by @kissed-by-circe

Dragonstone Manor had looked like it had woken only a few days earlier, after a slumber of several years, if not decades, and Sansa had felt like the heroine of a gothic novel, a mysterious, naive girl with a dark past or a dark secret, arriving at the opening scene of the most dramatic story of all times. Or Sansa as Katherine Morland in a Jane Eyre Setting.

Sense & Sensibility AUs

In Such Jocund Company 2k @maybetwice

It would be no matter at all for Captain Snow to return to the north after seven months’ absence, had Sansa’s heart not changed entirely in that time. A remix of Colonel Brandon and Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility.

Emma & Clueless AUs

if i loved you less 2k by @ladystarks

Her father has, often and fondly, told Sansa that she and Mr. Snow bite at each other like wolves, but he hardly understood that their verbal sparring was as exhilarating as a sport well done, or a match coming together under Sansa’s skilled hands. corresponding artwork

Sansa: A NOVEL in Five Parts 15k by @imagineagreatadventure

Sansa Stark, handsome, clever, rich, hopes to establish herself as her town's foremost matchmaker. After seeing her governess Miss Shae married to the rich and clever Mr. Tyrion Lannister, she feels as though she deserves that title. Her dear friend and cousin, Jon Targaryen, heartily disagrees and is quite proven right when Sansa sets her sights on marrying off her newest and dearest friend Jeyne Poole to the vicar Mr. Baelish.

A Baldwin and a Betty 2k

Jon drives to the Valley to give Sansa a ride home.

Emma AU art by @dcvahkiin and Clueless art by wolvesofspring

Emma Gifset by @dcbicki

General Regency AUs

No Notion of Loving by Halves 2k @darkmagyk

The Stark cousin, Jon, goes home to discuss matters concerning the entail on Winterfell. In which Jon is a really good guy, and I flagrantly disregard how entails actually work.

Manners and Misunderstandings 114k, WIP by @x-winging-it

The Stark sisters have travelled all the way to London to begin their first season, leaving behind the familiar world of Winterfell Hall and a disappointed Jon Stark- with whom the eldest Miss Stark has been convinced to break off a connection. In London they join family friends the Baratheons and the fashionable young Tyrells in a world of romance and balls. Meanwhile Gendry Waters has been plucked out of the life he knew to become his ailing father's heir, Robb, Theon and later Rickon embark on military careers in the Napoleonic wars, and their aunt Lysa makes a foolish marriage. When tragedy hits the family, they must come together, learning how manners may hide monsters and the best people are often those misunderstood by society.

You Could Draw Me to the Gallows 2k by @azulaahai

After having eloped from home with and subsequently been abandoned by wealthy heir Joffrey Baratheon, Sansa Stark refuses to come home. Having caused a scandal that is sure to prevent her from ever marrying, she is adamant not to bring further shame to the family name by returning to Winterfell. Until, that is, a visitor comes to her - Jon Snow, an old family friend, determined to bring Sansa with him back north. He has a solution to offer her - a proposal with the potential to change both of their lives.

A Perilous Dance Indeed & fiercely, tenderly and eternally 27k by @amymel86

He should either look away or interrupt this improper little meeting, he knows. For some unfathomable reason, he does neither. The two look far too intimate for Jon’s liking, although he feels he should have come to expect it to be so. A romantic like Sansa – however proper she is – would simply adore overt flirtations and a secret tête-à-tête. Even from where he stands, Jon can see the way in which she has stars set in her eyes like precious cut stones. He only hopes the man for whom they shine is deserving of it. *** Cousin Jon is to inherit Winterfell Manor and its estate after the untimely death of his uncle leaves a widow and two daughters. Sansa is expectant of an imminent proposal from her dear beau, Harrold Hardyng and everything will be absolutely, stunningly, utterly fine.

Waiting for Your Slippered Feet 49k by @wintry-ritu

Lady Sansa Stark has always looked forward to her come-out season in London, the balls, the rides in Hyde Park, evenings at Vauxhall, the romance and wonder of it all. Never had she imagined that it would happen like this, with her parents gone and her younger siblings underfoot. Now, all Sansa wants is for it all to be over quickly so she can get back to Winterfell. She needs a kind, amiable man who will be brave enough to take on his wife's siblings. That should not be so hard to find in London, should it? And while she is most grateful for Jon Targaryen's help, why must her cousin be so distracting?

To Make You Love Me 16k incomplete and orphaned

When Ned Stark dies, he leaves behind his wife, two daughters, and his family’s estate at Winterfell. What follows is a series of unwanted marriage proposals, houseguests who far outstay their welcome, and Arya parading around in a comically large hat and an oil-paint mustache as she declares herself the new ‘Lord of Winterfell,’ in an attempt to dissuade her sister’s suitors. However, when Mr. Jon Snow — their distant cousin and Ned’s appointed heir to the estate — comes to call, an oil-paint mustache is hardly enough to deter him from courting Miss Sansa Stark. And she thinks, perhaps, that a man could marry her for love more than her claim, after all.

Mine for a Season 101k by @vivilove-jonsa

Colonel Jon Targaryen is a single man in possession of a good fortune who claims no interest in finding himself a wife. With his war wounds, he thinks no young lady would want him anyway for anything beyond the allure of his pocketbook. Fortunately and unbeknownst to him, Fate has chosen to find a wife for him and will even deliver her right to his doorstep. Taking on the responsibility of shepherding a young lady about for a Season in London is not at all what Jon had wished to do but he had accepted out of a sense of familial duty. However, once he meets Sansa again after only having met her years ago as a child, he may not consider it a duty so much as a torment.

a lady of winterfell 185k, WIP by @wandering-scavenger

She bit her lip and exhaled shakily, “If you are so sickened by the prospect of marrying me, we should be able to obtain an annulment easily enough with your father’s connections.” “I will do no such thing.” he snapped, refusing to look at her. Sansa had never felt more rejected than she did at that moment. Her past experiences of being humiliated at the hand of Joffrey did not feel as painful as this. Even so, she could not allow him to see the weakness in her, not now. “I will not be left out, Jon.” she said, tilting her chin up to look down at him. He grimaced. They were silent for longer than she cared to count, but each second that he did not speak chipped away at her resolve and her ability to withhold her tears. Jon did not want her, and she could not blame him. Who could ever want her? It should not have distressed her as much as it did. She was never his favourite sister, she who treated him as a stranger since she was old enough to understand what a bastard was. A tear slipped down to her face until she tasted the salt of it on her lips. “If we marry, we will remain so.” corresponding gifset

moth's wings 47k by @cellsshapedlikestars

Sansa was determined to convince her aunt to let Arya debut, which is how she finds herself in her current predicament. “Who is this secret gentleman who has asked for your hand?” Aunt Lysa asks, and Sansa knows from her tone that she does not believe. (She has every right not to believe, for it is not true.) And then Sansa does something very, very foolish. She says a name. “The Duke of Dragonstone!” Or, Sansa fakes an engagement so that Arya can debut and marry the man she loves. The only problem? Her fake fiance just so happens to be in the city when he was not supposed to be.

An Understanding 2k, WIP by @thewolvescalledmehome

At the start of Sansa Stark's third London Season, she decides it will be her last. She will secure a husband by the end of the final ball. Jon Snow is new to the London Season and high society. He never expected to inherit money or property from an unknown uncle. When they meet at a ball, Sansa gets an idea.

you're in my blood like holy wine 72k

Sansa finds it difficult to look at Jon’s face, with its weathered lines and cragginess. It is the face of the North and a face that northerners trust; the face of Sansa’s brothers and her father, who had been loved and respected by their tenants as their forefathers had been when they were kings. How can Sansa feel anything but resentment, looking into that face and knowing that all of her years of hard work will never earn her the respect that that profile engenders within seconds? But she does. It is a small, burning coal of something that must be smothered.

PRE CANON - WESTERN - FAIRYTALES - LITTLE WOMEN - HOLIDAY - SEASON 6 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE GIRL IN GREY - FREE CITIES - FAIRYTALE PART II - POLITICAL MARRIAGE - SALTY TEENS - POST CANON

[dbacklot99]

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About The Crow Road, But Couldn't Get Through it To Find Out

Co-written by dbacklot and cheeseplants

WARNING: SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!!

Overall Premise: Books are clearly important to Good Omens and Neil & team have left us Clues. In S2E2, the xray trivia highlights a list of books they would like the audience to read. But even more specifically, there are names of certain books on the back of the chairs in the theater in the opening credits. Those books are: The Tale of Two Cities, Pride & Prejudice, and The Crow Road - twice!

What might this mean? One theory is that the chairs represent the seasons. The body swap in S1 is similar to how Carton, in Tale of Two Cities, takes his doppleganger's place in jail, sacrificing his life so Darnay could go free and be with his family. Pride & Prejudice is clearly referenced in S2, with Crowley's proposal as a sort of mirror to Darcy's first proposal. (There's probably a whole lot more to unpack there - and if you like Austen, here are some thoughts about Aziraphale's favorite book, Persuasion, and how it may relate to the characters.)

BACK to The Crow Road. The title is shown on two chairs in the opening sequence, suggesting that it is related to both S2 and S3. Furthermore, we see the book multiple times in the show and it's the book Muriel reads at the end. As an aside, Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks were very good friends. Iain Banks died over a decade ago, so it is also likely a bit of a tribute to his friend.

So let's dig in and see why perhaps Neil keeps holding this book up and shouting Clue!

Side note: The book is long and most of the action happens in the final third, which can make it a hard read for folks. There's also a lot of characters and it can be tricky to remember how they are all related. There is a family tree BUT it has spoilers.

The Name: The Crow Road is a phrase used by the grandmother to indicate someone has died, ie - he's gone the crow road.

The Plot: This is the story of Prentice growing up with his immediate and extended family in Scotland. His Uncle Rory disappears in his early childhood. Some family members choose to believe Rory is still alive. After a hook-up with his Uncle Rory's former girlfriend as a young adult, Prentice starts gathering journals and writings from his missing Uncle Rory, who was (for a few years) a successful writer and traveler. Prentice eventually learns that 1) another Uncle, Fergus, had murdered his own wife and covered it up as a car accident and 2) Rory had figured this out and confronted him. Fergus then murdered Rory, hid all the evidence, and hired an acquaintance (who also traveled) to send matchboxes from bars across the world to Prentice's father, Kenneth. Kenneth, believed - as Fergus intended - that these were messages from Rory, indicating he was still alive. 

Stylistically, Prentice's childhood memories and fragments from Rory's journals are interspersed throughout the book, much like the minisodes are in S2. It can take the reader a while to figure out who is telling the story or where this information is coming from. It is also unclear how reliable Rory is as narrator - perhaps this also plays into S2.

What it Might Mean: 

Fergus could represent the Metatron. He is very powerful, rich, and conservative; he lives in a castle (Heaven?) and wants authority. Fergus also murders two relatives and hides those murders; the murder of his wife may have been inspired by jealousy over her sleeping with another man, an event which may or may not have happened.

Fergus also sets up fake messages!! The matchbooks are red herrings to make it look like Rory is still alive. As the Metatron relays messages from God, I can't get over the possibilities here. We have seen God speaking directly as recently as Job, but are the other messages real?

I can't help but wonder if the matchbooks and their use as messages inspired Neil to use the matchbook in S2. The matchbook in S2, incidentally, connects to all three minisodes - the quote from Job, 41:19 (reversed 1941), and the matchbox is from the Resurrectionists pub. So the matchbook contains not only Gabriel’s memories but refers to Azi’s as well?

Much of the book is about this missing uncle. Is a character (or their memory) missing in S3? I have theories, but its too soon to tell.

There's also an interesting theme of Prentice collecting his Uncle Rory's writings and records, including sending some corrupted computer discs to an expert in America to try to restore them. Given the emphasis on records ("It contains information in a tuneful way") and journals in S2, not to mention this trivia nugget ​​ - my brain is itching that there's a connection there.

Faith & Beliefs: The book talks about Faith a lot. Prentice believes in God and his father Kenneth doesn’t. And Kenneth doesn’t just reject religion, he wants his children to reject religion too. Prentice on the other hand desperately wants something to believe in - especially after a friend's death in an accident. This leads to a huge fall out - they end up not talking over it.

"'I mean, what's the big argument? Can't you just agree to disagree?' 'No; we disagree about that,' I shook my head. 'Seriously; it doesnt' work that way; neither of us can leave it alone. There's almost nothing either of us can say that can't be taken the wrong way, with a bit of imagination. It's like being married.'" (Ch 7)

Kennth seemingly taunts God - he climbs a church during a lightning storm and is struck dead. His uncle Hamish (one of Kenneth’s brothers) also represents the extreme version of Faith and ends up running a sort of cult, at least until Kenneth’s death.

What it Might Mean: The thread they pull through a lot is about meaning, and whether you can have meaning in life without God. Prentice gains Faith because his friend died senselessly; he wonders how can you have a world be so cruel. There must be a reason for it (this is sort of Az coded), and he turns to God to create the meaning for him. 

BUT Kenneth’s argument is that you don’t need Faith for the world to have meaning (or at least that is my reading). It is wonderful because it is inherently meaningless (this is very existentialist, but I do think that’s the point). That Faith doesn’t do that, and just means you are looking outwards without looking at what is right in front of you. Which again, could be a Crowley way of looking at it, or at least where he is headed. Life is good as life, and doesn’t need God to make it so. 

Hamish represents someone putting so much meaning into Faith that they lose all sense of Joy, he becomes distant.  (One of my favorite scenes is Hamish doing a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces upside down - and cutting the pieces with scissors if they don’t fit right!)

The Romantic Relationships: Prentice is infatuated with a cousin (second cousin?), Verity. She is described as beautiful, in white/light colors, pure, lives with Uncle Fergus in the castle. There are legends around her birth -  she was conceived under a tree during a storm. She is unattainable and eventually ends up with Prentice's older brother.

Ash, on the other hand, is almost literally the girl next door and Prentice’s long-term best friend. Her family is poorer and maybe has some domestic violence issues. She's always there for Prentice - literally a shoulder to cry on, sharing a bottle of whiskey, helping him sober up after said whiskey. There's obvious romantic tension from Ash’s side but she never pushes him and instead guides him along. And the book ends with a romantic resolution that feels very much like the final fifteen - except with a happier ending.

“- and I still didn’t feel I could tell her how I felt about her because she was going away now, and how could I suddenly say I love you when I’d never said it to anybody in my life before? How could I say it now especially, the night before she was due to leave? It would look like I was trying to make her stay, or just get her into bed. It would probably wreck this one precious evening that we did have, and upset her, confuse her, even hurt her, and I didn’t want to do any of that.” (Ch 13)

They finally kiss and spend the night together, both confessing their love. Ash has to leave the next morning to pursue a career opportunity in New York; Prentice is sad that she goes but re-dedicating himself to his studies and working towards a relationship together. 

What it Might Mean: To me, Verity is very Heaven-coded and Ash is very Hell-coded. A big part of Prentice's arc (Prentice may represent Azi here) is getting over his blind infatuation with Verity and realizing the value and love he has with Ash. However, they also need to be apart and grow a bit before they can be together.

Other thoughts? Connections? Would love to hear your theories!!

@cheeseplants

[arverst-aegnar]

I've seen a lot of Pride and Prejudice Zutara takes, and read this excellent inspired-by-Emma Zutara story, so now i'm thinking about a Zutara Persuasion AU.

[aniron48]

Love Letters - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of Love Letters, a 00q Choose Your Own Adventure! If you missed the first day and would like to catch up, you can read Day 1 here. As a reminder, there will be a post around this time (9pmish EST) every night through 2/14.

From this point on, the consequences of how you choose will be more pronounced--some options may pop up again down the road, but some will be foreclosed for the rest of the story! Choose wisely, and thank you so much for joining in! 😁 Day 2 begins below.

After a moment, he typed, “The one with Mr. Darcy and the governess and the wife in the attic?”

The truth was that while he’d never seen the film, he’d read the book, after finding an abandoned copy in the seat pocket on a flight to Tokyo. It might not have been his usual choice of reading material, but once he’d read the summary on the back and seen that the hero was a navy man, he gave it a go, and ended up finishing it in one sitting.

Not that Q needed to know that, of course.

Q responded with a series of keyboard smashes, an incomprehensible set of gifs, and, finally, “I’m sorry, but I cannot have a boyfriend that confuses Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre.”

This was, admittedly, an even better reaction than Bond had hoped to provoke. They had yet to define their relationship, and Bond had assumed it was better to let it slip quietly into monogamous very-nearly-cohabitation without comment, rather than raise it and risk scaring Q away. But now that Q had opened the door….

“Boyfriend, eh?”

“It was autocorrect. Obviously I was trying to type ‘bastard,’ but my fingers slipped.”

“Naturally. Still, would my boyfriend like to propose a time to watch the film?”

“You’re insufferable,” Q sent back. Followed by, “And we’re watching it on Saturday.”

*💕*💕*💕**💕*💕*💕*

Q sighed, turning down the volume as the end credits for Persuasion played on the screen. “Nothing will ever hold a candle to Wentworth’s letter, for me. It’s the pinnacle of romance. ‘You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.’ Imagine getting a letter like that. It would do me in.”

“You must have gotten a slew of them over the years, surely,” Bond said, resting his head on Q’s stomach.

“A slew of what?” Q asked, carding his fingers through Bond’s hair.

“Love letters.”

Q’s hands stilled. “You’re joking.”

“Why would I be joking?”

Q sat up, peering down at James. “Have you met me?”

James rolled over, bemused. “I have. Which is in no small part why I assume you’ve received a lot of love letters.”

“Flatterer,” Q looked away, flustered, and tried to cover it up by hitting Bond with a pillow. “Look, it’s just—it’s not a self-esteem issue, or anything. I’m exceedingly good at any number of things. But I also know that I’m—a bit cerebral, I suppose, and I work too many hours, and I’m very particular about some things—“

“You don’t say.”

“—and I don’t think I really tend to inspire that sort of passion in people.”

Bond opened his mouth to protest, but Q clamped a hand over it. “Let’s not, please. I’m just woolgathering. I’d much rather talk about how it’s a national tragedy that men don’t wear silk stockings like that anymore.”

“You’d have to have the calves for it,” Bond mused.

“Ciarán Hinds does, certainly.”

“Noticed that, did you?”

“Well, let’s put it this way, I’d let him—“

“You’d let him what? Put the wind in your sails? Climb your rigging?” Bond rolled on top of Q, tickling his ribs. “What does he have that I haven’t got?”

“I think the question is, what do you have that he doesn’t?” Q said breathlessly. “Maybe you should remind me.”

“With pleasure,” Bond said. But as he leaned down for a kiss, an idea began to take shape. He’d let Q change the subject, before. He’d learned that it paid to let their harder conversations breathe a bit, to give Q space to sort things out in his wickedly clever, eminently generous mind. But Q deserved the world, and Bond would give him whatever pieces of it were within his power. And he could give him this, at least. He could give him a love letter.

Although it was possible he might need a bit of help.

You chose chaos the last time, mis amores! But your votes unlocked the 'boyfriend' text exchange that opens this part, so it appears I've rewarded your behavior. 😂

What will you do this time? I can't wait to see!

[evie-a]

I want a great Persuasion adaptation.

There are Persuasion adaptations that are fairly good, with wonderful performances, but I am craving for something amazing. Something iconic. I want what Pride and Prejudice 1995 and 2005 have, what Sense and Sensibility 1995 have, what Emma 2020 and 2009 (and maybe more?) had. I want something that inspires teenagers to read Jane Austen for the first time. I want it so badly.

[amyreads]

Babel is on my reading list too! I work at a library, so I have so many books I want to read on my list, but that one leapt towards the top super quick. I will fully admit, I was already considering reading Daisy Jones & the Six after seeing the show previews, but Infamous also made me want to read it even more. I do tend to read a lot of YA/NA (New Adult) because those are the demographics I work with most at the library, but thus far my all-time favorite series is the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. I'm currently on my third-read through of it and her writing just knocks me flat--sorry, this got away from me. Anyway, if you ever want to talk books, I'd LOVE to hear what else you like! (I've now also become the kind of person who rereads Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion unprompted, so take from that what you will 😅)

Oh, same! I have such a lonnng list. And please read Daisy Jones, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Daisy Jones was one of the things that inspired Infamous and G and Vic's dynamic came a bit from Billy and Camila.

THE SHOW even though it did stray away from the book and they sort of butchered Cam's character a bit, I'm really happy with it! (I still hate you billy). I wish we had more band/music scentered TV shows sigh.

THE RAVEN CYCLE. okAY! for years it circled around my radar and i never got to reading it but I DEFINITELY WILL. Everyone has always said good things about it omg

I also love Casey Mcquiston! One Last Stop was one of my favorite reads! ( i gotta admit im a huge romcom fan cshshsajsxsaj)

im always open to talking books <3

[triviareads]

i just finished a novel you recommended (bed me duke! excellent!) and moved on to my usual annual re-read of northanger abbey and do you have any recommendations for romance novels for each austen couple? i think that would be pretty cool!

I love that! the Bed Me series has never failed me so far, and I'm very excited for book 4, Bed Me, Baronet (the hero's a blond and possibly a virgin based on ALL his friends speculating about him in each of their books lol). As for romance novels based on Austen couples, I'm gonna be a little selective here because I haven't actually read Sense and Sensibility (but I vaguely remember watching the movie) or Mansfield Park:

Pride and Prejudice

There are lots of romance novel adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, and there are even more claiming to be inspired by the "enemies to lovers" aspect of P&P EVEN IF IT'S NOT AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE. So my best recommendation would be Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne; it's a modern adaptation set in Washington D.C.; Liza is a local radio DJ and activist who meets Dorsey (a Filipino adoptee) and realizes they're on opposite sides of the gentrification situation occurring in DC. I loved how the book dealt with the class difference along with the added layer of race. It also modernized the "proposal" aspect really well imo because randomly asking a gal to marry you without even dating wouldn't necessarily work in the modern era BUT the proposal Dorsey put out there still felt inherently degrading to Liza even if she'd hooked up with him already (another change from the original, and an appreciated one).

Persuasion

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas: I'll forever recommend this; McKenna and Aline were childhood sweethearts before they were separated by her father the earl, because McKenna was a stableboy. Now he's uber-wealthy and resentful about what happened all those years ago BACK for REVENGE and by revenge I mean he's going to seduce Aline and... that's about it lol. Never has a man come back with more loathing/self-loathing with a plan that's so half-baked even his drunk friend is like "but are you sure buddy".

Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez: Another second-chance romance; Gillian asked Nicky to take her virginity when they were teenagers and teach her about sex stuff before leaving for college. Now she's back and divorced, and they're skirting around each other and having multiple clandestine encounters even though they think it's all temporary. While there's not much of a class difference, you get the sense Nicky thought of himself as her bit o'rough and she was an unattainable princess-type to him.

The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long: Second chance romance with love at first sight; There were a couple aspects that really reminded me of Persuasion; there's very similar language to Anne where Olivia is described as having "withered away" since Lyon left, and she refuses all other suitors. And! Lyon is a sailor like Wentworth except, well, not on the legal side of things lol. It's also just super romantic when they do reunite years later.

Emma

Bed Me, Baron by Felicity Niven: George and Phoebe are long-time friends who've known each other since she was a baby. She asks him for sex lessons so she can help her please her future husband who she's engaged to (not George lol). While there's not much of an age gap in this one (4 years), George Danforth is daddy so that should square you away there.

Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway: Here's an Emma/Knightley-ish age gap, plus, Ben and Livy were family friends/friends since she was a kid. Later on, she sees him having sex with another woman in the stables and it's basically her sexual and romantic awakening, so she spends a lot of the book chasing after him while he's running for his life.... until he isn't. Sex-wise the vibes are daddy dom/mildly bratty.

Sense and Sensibility

The closest I could think of in terms of Marianne/Col. Brandon was Rosalind and Torrington from A Recipe for a Rogue by Kathleen Ayers. Like Marianne, Rosalind is initially horrified that an *older man* like Torrington might want to marry her (the number of old man-girdle and secretly balding hair jokes.... hilarious) and Rosalind avoids every attempt her mother makes to match them. Torrington is attracted to her from the get-go and slowly woos her by way of exchanging recipes, baked goods, and licking food off her thighs.

tbh I have no idea who'd fit Elinor/Edward's vibe.

Northanger Abbey

It's actually very hard to find heroes who have Henry Tilney's playful irreverence paired with Catherine's sweet naivete so I'm holding off on this one for now!

[poppletonink]

Lily Evans Inspired Book Recommendations

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Emma by Jane Austen

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach

[bethanydelleman]

have you watched the film Becoming Jane starring Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy? If you have, what did you think of it?

I haven't. I probably will eventually but I have issues with the concept. I feel like some of people get so fixated on the Lefroy romance and want to make it the inspiration for everything that Austen wrote. Like Pride & Prejudice is based on her romance with Lefroy, Persuasion is her imagining a second chance at love etc.

I'm not sure if this is a romance thing? Like I don't remember people thinking The Hunger Games was based on Suzanne Collins's life, so maybe it's genre specific. And yes, sometimes authors do write semi-autobiographical works (see Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë) but without direct written evidence that Austen based her characters on certain people I tend to think she just made everything up.

It's also just not what I'm interested in personally. I know the basic autobiographical points of Jane Austen's life, but I've never been that interested in who authors/actors/screenwriters/artists are, I'm more excited about what they produced. Which is not to judge anyone for having opposite preferences, just what I enjoy.

I will make a post when I watch Becoming Jane.

[earhartsplane]

With Jane Austen being a possible inspiration for Good Omens season 2, there has been some speculations about what parallels could be drawn between main couple in Jane Austen’s books and our heroes. Pride and Prejudice has been floated around, which is not surprising since it’s the most famous of her works. Others speculate that Emma might be a good fit for Aziraphale, since he is apparently a landlord and meddles in the love life of humans. Persuasion is also a likely candidate, full of pining as it is. All of them possibilities, all of them good choices. However, I would like to put Northanger Abbey forward, for two reasons: 1. It’s funny as hell. 2. It contains the following quote:

“[T]hough Henry was now sincerely attached to her, though he felt and delighted in all the excellencies of her character and truly loved her society, I must confess that his affection originated in nothing better than gratitude, or, in other words, that a persuasion of her partiality for him had been the only cause of giving her a serious thought. It is a new circumstance in romance, I acknowledge, and dreadfully derogatory of an heroine's dignity; but if it be as new in common life, the credit of a wild imagination will at least be all my own.”

And I’m sorry to say, but I do think it applies here.

[mommy-mystic]

✨️2023 Bookish Questions! 📚🌟

📚 27 BOOK TAG QUESTIONS! 📖

❤️‍🔥All-Time Favorites & 2023 Mid-Year Tag!❤️‍🔥

I’m so excited to have found these lovely bookish questions. This year I've been reading more than I've ever read before and I'm really enjoying how wide the world is seeming to open up with every book I crack open!

Some of these questions are evergreen and some of them are geared more towards the books you've read so far this year! Feel free to answer them HOWEVER you see fit! (I'll leave the questions in a comment on this post!) Hopefully, they help you to learn a little bit about me as a reader and inspire you to pick up a new book this year!

1. Hardback or Paperback 📖

Paperback! 100%. Paperback books are the most comfortable to hold and read, the easiest to borrow or lend to a friend, the lightest to carry around/travel with AND the cheapest! Plus, you can bend and crack your own paperback copies to hell and back and who is going to stop you? However, I will say that the handful of paperbacks I've borrowed from the library this year have just made me SO NERVOUS. I just feel like they're so delicate and that I can crack them as wide as I would do to my own copies bc I'm just afraid they'll like look worn when I return them? Lol. In that circumstance, sometimes borrowing a hardcover is best!

2. Favorite Book You've Read This Year? 📚

Wow, it's got to be a tie between The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood, Cackle by Rachel Harrison, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia, AND of course, The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller.

3. Least Favorite Book You Read This Year? 😔

I reread the Twilight Saga this year - they help me cope, I guess? So I have got to say Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are so insanely whack. Why have I done this to myself so many times?

4. Love Triangles: Yes or No? 👎

No. I mean, why? I understand having some resentment or jealousy or self-consciousness between a character and their partner's ex but... as a plot device? No thanks!

5. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish? 😢

:( I couldn't finish Unnatural Magic by CM Waggoner. I'm a bit put off by the troll/human romance brewing right now and the character POV switching is not my cup of tea but I might still decide to pick it up at another time.

6. A book you’re currently reading? 📖

I'm currently reading The Weaver and The Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec! I just picked up this new release at a local bookstore in Edwards CO and it's already so exciting, magical, and just alluring! Set in 10th century Norway, I think - against the backdrop of these viking-raiders/communities and these 3 women trying to make lives for themselves/protect one another... I'm really intrigued.

7. The last book you recommended to someone? 👩‍🍼

I'm a mom so I like to recommend parenting books to my other mom friends! I've given away a copy of The Danish Way of Parenting and suggested Balanced and Barefoot to another friend! Someone recommended I read Bringing Up Bébé and I LOVED IT & it will now forever be among my new mom recommendations.

8. Oldest book you’ve read by publication date? ☠️

Surely, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Pride and Prejudice, then Persuasion by Jane Austen are some of the next oldest and then The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would be among the most RECENT of the oldest published books I've read - that I can remember!

9. What is the newest book you’ve read by publication date? 🌟

The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood (published Jan 2023, read in May 2023) A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter (published Feb 2023, read in July 2023) and currently The Weaver & the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec (published July 2023, reading now in August 2023)!

10. Favorite author? 🩷

The writing of Silvia Moreno-Garcia has absolutely captivated me this year... I think I may end up picking up a 3rd book by her soon!

11. Buying books or borrowing books? 📚

I CANNOT afford to be buying many books! Lol. I have loved visiting my local libraries, listening to free audiobooks on the Libby app, and borrowing books from my family members! It rocks having your own copies sometimes (especially of kids books for my daughter), but truly, I don't love the clutter, the price tag, or feeling guilty about spending money on a book I didn't end up loving!

12. A book that you dislike that everyone else seems to love? 🫣

Everyone bought I'm Glad My Mom Died (even my husband) and no shade to anyone for their fascination with wanting to read it and learn more about the dark topics explored in that book, but I knew it wasn't for me. I've read tons of celebrity/comedian memoirs in the past and I am very turned off to them now! I may be hypersensitive to intense subject matter that's so realistic... However, I tend to find very niche books in this category interesting. I loved On Her Knees by Brenda Marie Davies, for instance! Not nearly as popular, but much more relatable and resonates more with me personally. I was prepared mentally/emotionally for this book and I felt really connected to the author instead of just voyeuristically consuming her deeply personal stories... if that makes sense!

13. Bookmarks or dog ears? 👀

Tell me why I never have enough bookmarks! I need to make more on my cricut! But usually bookmarks. Although I will dog-ear my personal paperback copies about 25% of the time!

14. A book you can always re-read? ❤️‍🔥

Pride & Prejudice!

15. Can you read while hearing music? 🎶

NO! I love silence ... a little white noise maybe! Quiet is hard to come by as a WFH toddler parent but when there is silence, you just RELISH in it! I think that's one of the reasons I took up reading this year, because it's such a quiet, soothing activity!

16. One or multiple POVs? 🤼‍♂️

I prefer a single POV! But I'm okay with 2 MAXIMUM, as long as the characters know each other from the first several chapters and aren't completely separate with dual storylines!

17. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days? 🪑

Multiple days! Absolutely! Maybe even a week or two. At most a month! (although it can take me a year to complete some nonfiction books bc I tend to read them in little doses!)

18. A book you’ve read because of the cover? 🫧

I'd bought The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood because of the cover! It honestly rocked! Same with Cackle by Rachel Harrison. ANOTHER ONE THAT ROCKED! I was in a very witchy mood this spring! It paid off!

19. Biggest disappointment? 🤮

😞 Small Town, Big Magic. Listened to this on audiobook. It was sold as this Gilmore Girls-esque witchy fantasy but the conflict was so weird to me! I was disconnected from the main character bc as a 30-something y.o. she had seriously never pursued ANY romantic interest at all prior to the story. I would have loved if it revolved more around her bookstore she ran but I discovered that books where the entire town is MAGICAL/a community of witches is not as my speed as maybe 2-3 characters encountering magic on the DL. I also felt this way about From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper, though that was one was written exceptionally well.

20. Biggest surprise? ✨️

I just finished the Midnight Library after shying away from it for the last couple of years. After reading some mixed/less-than-stellar reviews, I had no idea if it would be for me... after the first couple pages I'd thought the book was going to be too sad/traumatic for me to be okay with BUT I ENDED UP REALLY LOVING IT! I loved the concept, the philosophy intertwined in it, and the ending!

I also loved the audiobook for The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn! I had no idea how wonderful it would be! Historical fiction about Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the female Soviet sniper who killed 309 nazis in WW2. It was so riveting and just... amazing. 👏

21. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)? ✍️

Sara A Mueller - her debut with The Bone Orchard was mind-bending and incredible.

Also just read my first Taylor Jenkins-Reid novel - After I Do, & I ended up really loving it! I was really rooting for the main characters and which I wasn't expecting!

22. What is your newest fictional crush? 🌶

I was a little bit in love with the Fae Lord in The Thorns Remain.... especially as he is gaining these flickers of humanity throughout the story... I almost believed that the main character was going to take him up on his offer to join his fae world in exchange for the safe return of her friends. However, the ending was MUCH better than that! I just appreciated how alluring and powerful this character was portrayed as. If this WERE a romance, it would have been incredibly toxic, but as my own little fantasy crush? WHY NOT?! I'd love to read about more characters with this vibe.

23. What is your newest favorite character? ❤️‍🔥

Charm from The Bone Orchard. She was so strong, so powerful, and the way she was able to DIVIDE her personalities and memories among these scientifically lab-grown ladies in order to cope with her reality was insane. She was like a queen. A steampunk queen. Always rocking the sexiest Victorian gowns and brightly candy-colored hair. I'm obsessed with her!

24. A book that made you cry? 😭

I was sobbing uncontrollably near the end of Beach Read by Emily Henry. (SPOILER: It was when she found the letters from her dad.) I didn't imagine a fun little summer romance would move me so much with that part of the plot. It hit me in the feels as a parent & a daughter myself, I think!

25. A book that made you happy? 🥰

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins-Reid ACTUALLY surprised me with its happy ending. It made me feel hopeful about marriage/long-term relationships and it's so hard to find stories that are honest about that! It is so easy to find books about failed marriages, and NEW love, right?! But what about those 10+ year-long relationships! I haven't been in one myself, but I aspire to it, and it was sweet to find a story that explored that!

26. What is the most beautiful book you've bought this year (or received)? 🌄

The most beautiful book this year, I actually borrowed from the library! It was Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel by James Markert! The cover was gorgeous, but it was also so vivid and beautiful with scenes depicting a past timeline in 1880s Italy and 1940s California coast. It was DREAMY.

27. What books do you need to read by the end of the year? 📚

By the end of this year, I would love to finish my current read The Weaver & The Witch Queen. (That will put me at 30 books for the year - meeting my Goodreads goal!) But ideally, I think I would also like to read Jane Eyre for the first time, reread Pride & Prejudice, purchase few books about motherhood/second babies (my new kid is due in November!), and I am finally emotionally ready to finished SELLOUT - the nonfiction about early 2000s rock bands my husband bought me in 2021.

THAT'S IT!

Thanks so much for bearing with my rambling little bookish blog. It has been such a wild/good year.

I'm really looking forward to doing one of these tags with my husband soon to kind of touch base about what we've both been reading/enjoying and YEAH! I hope to keep reading your book tags and bookish blogs as well!

These particular questions were inspired by DiniPandaReads and the classic #midyearbooktag! Thank you so much!

[oraclekleo]

@ylilsillage + Choi Beom Gyu (TXT) Writer's Wisdom Couple Tarot Reading

Disclaimer:

All readings have purely entertainment nature

I don’t know any of the celebrities personally

Don’t base life decisions purely on tarot readings

I can never guarantee any of what’s said in the reading

Before requesting, read the pinned post and appropriate linked post

Tarot readings are my hobby - I’m not obligated to accept any of the requests nor to complete them, it’s my choice, not duty

Waiting time is long, even several months

If you can’t wait, please, seek other tarot reader

Reading Info:

Rating: 18+

Reading Type: Single - Couple

Requested: Yes - No

Requester: @ylilsillage

Deck: The Spiritsong Tarot

Spread: Writer’s Wisdom

Questions:

Pride & Prejudice (The way you empower each other)

Sense & Sensibility (The way you balance each other)

Persuasion (The way you fight with each other)

Mansfield Park (The way you cherish each other)

Emma (The way you communicate)

Northanger Abbey (The way you fall in love with each other)

Celebrity Info:

Full Name: Choi Beom Gyu

Stage Name: Beomgyu

Group: TXT

DOB: 13.03.2001

Sun Sign: Pisces

Chinese Sign: Metal Snake

Life Path Number: 1

Masterpost: TXT

Ko-fi - Voluntary Tip for Readings

Choi Beom Gyu

@ylilsillage + Beomgyu (TXT)

Deck: The Spiritsong Tarot Spread: Writer’s Wisdom

Pride & Prejudice (The way you empower each other) [8] - Page of Crystals (Pentacles)

You motivate each other to stay disciplined and consistent with your endeavours which leads you both towards success eventually. You inspire each other to set goals and to stick to your plans and stay motivated and passionate about what you do. Beomgyu is likely to really need that as in the entertainment business, the motivation and inspiration are highly valued. Together, you make each other enthusiastic about things and never lose interest and focus. Nothing seems dull when you can do it together or discuss it in a playful way.

Sense & Sensibility (The way you balance each other) [27] - XVI The Tower

Life is a constant change and sometimes the shift is so sudden we try to resist it and the inevitable upheaval forces us to go with the flow. It can feel a bit traumatising when fate makes the move despite our grip on what used to be. With Beomgyu by your side, these shifts and changes come more smoothly and you are more willing to undergo the transition because you know he’s there to support you through anything that might come. Stepping into the unknown and transforming yourself or your ways of thinking feel less scary when you can hold Beomgyu’s hand.

Persuasion (The way you fight with each other) [37] - Ace of Shells (Cups)

You and Beomgyu prefer to avoid fighting as it truly hurts you both deeply on an emotional level and you always feel so disconnected and lonely when you fall apart. When you do fight, neither of you is reasonable about it and rivers of tears flow. On the brighter side, you are both so loving creatures that you don’t hold grudges and reconcile quickly.

Mansfield Park (The way you cherish each other) [6] - XII The Hanged Man

You give each other new perspectives. Things you always thought were impossible are suddenly your daily routine with Beomgyu. You start to cherish the quiet private moments with him when words aren’t needed for the two of you to express yourself. Beomgyu allows you to pause life for a few moments, in his company you feel like the rest of the world stopped existing and you are the only two souls in the entire universe.

Emma (The way you communicate) [7] - 5 of Shells (Cups)

You feel such a freedom of spirit with Beomgyu. You know you can talk about anything with him and any deeper conversation is not only enlightening but it’s healing at the same time. You feel your soul being repaired by his complete attention to what you need to say, by his kind words of encouragement and support and by the healing glow of his eyes fixed on you.

Northanger Abbey (The way you fall in love with each other) [3] - 3 of Acorns (Wands)

It’s a smooth transition from friendship to love between you and Beomgyu. You started as friends but one day you realise you have become so much more. Suddenly you can see that your calendar is full of dates with Beomgyu, he has become the central point and priority of your life. And to his surprise, Bemgyu feels the same. He’s counting on you, when he makes plans and schedules he takes you into consideration and includes you in his plans. Your future is entangled so tightly you can’t imagine living without each other.

Thank you for reading!

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[reidscanehand]

Coming Thursday at 12:00pm EST: Dearest Reader 

Yes, it is Bridgerton inspired and I really hope you’ll like it. I’m so sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written something like this, but I’ve really been trying to work longer on pieces I really care about. I don’t want to put out anyting that I don’t just love. I love the prompts that you all have been sending and I really appreciate them and I promise I’ll eventually get to them, but I’m determined to make them as good as I possibly can - even if that means taking longer to write them. On a less serious note, here’s the very beginning of Dearest Reader which I couldn’t be more excited about. Here’s a little preview! xx 

~~~

Dearest Reader, You do not know me, and, rest assured, you never will. But I know you. Very well. Be not alarmed, this is no veiled threat, but I am merely one of you and I know how to keep my identity hidden. Now, no more about me: onto the drama at hand. The time has come to place your bets for the bureau’s upcoming charity gala. While the pairings of floors 1-5 and 8-10 should be fairly apparent, it is, of course, the shockingly prolific BAU of the sixth floor that will, doubtless, be the source of most interest once again this year, especially after their poor showing last year. Odds are that Erin Strauss will require less persuasion than in year’s previous to be enticed to the dance floor. And if you doubt it, this author assures you that the famed SSA David Rossi will be the one leading her to the floor requiring little incentive besides a pleasant time. For those holding out for the stoically handsome Unit Chief SSA Aaron Hotchner, this author is happy (if not somewhat envious) to report that he won’t be nearly as curmudgeonly this year as he will, doubtless, have his stunning girlfriend on his arm. And will SSA Derek Morgan finally have the courage to ask Penelope Garcia to the occasion, or will he hide his true affections behind another random date? And what of the new addition to the team, SSA Y/N Y/L/N. Polite and shy as she may seem, this author hopes her shyness won’t overcome her ability to incite some drama...or, at least, bring a date of some interest to entertain the us all.  And finally, the opening line of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” And while it not may be not be a truth universally acknowledged, it is certainly acknowledged by many at the FBI that a certain genius profiler definitely needs a date for next week’s charity gala. Let’s hope he does not disappoint this year. 

I can only hope it will work out well. If anything, it will make for interesting writing for this author, won’t it? With bated breath, Agent Whistledown

~~~

I hope you’ll read the whole thing when it comes out on Thursday! xx 

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