#so glad I'm about to restart the show again

[martianbugsbunny]

Rumple’s Weird Little Guy™ energy in the early Enchanted Forest stuff is unmatched like he’s always letting himself be a little crazy as a treat and good for him honestly

[majorproblems77]

Hello LU fans! I'm back with another LU update analysis! :D

Are you ready cause there's so much to unpack I'm gonna be here a while. Like last time I'm gonna put a timer on lmao, see how long this takes me.

As always grab your popcorn and drink of choice, cause we need hydration in this life.

all art belongs to @linkeduniverse and Jojo, and if I pull panels from any other pages I'll let you know where it's from! :D

Obviously spoilers for Dawn 8 :D

And a note, I've not played TP or WW, you'll see why thats important later.

Let us begin, shall we!

Man, Poor wild, he's probably beating himself up like there's no tomorrow right now. He looks HORIFIED.

Probably because in technicality, he failed.

I love how he's holding his sword here too. Kinda acting as a shield to the conversation.

Same expression as wild. He also looks horrified. Infact the resemblance between these two in uncanny.

Man time really is the dad isnt he. Unimpressed dad look at 12'oclock. Jokes aside he doesn't look angry about it. He looks like he now gathering information from those who finished the fight. As we know once he left with Twilight he was the only other one to not make it back to the fight.

Thats a fair sentence, thinking about it, I think the only other game where Iron Knuckles appear is in one of Hyrule's games? I'm surprised he's not mentioned anything about it.

Most of the others do have armoured enemies though. So while the others dont have direct experience I assume they have the basics.

All but, Sky and Wars None of them fight armoured enemies like that in their games.

I assume because he's defeated this thing like it was a guardian (Stasis and then wailing on it cause that's what i would do lmao) He assumed it was defeated when it exploded into pieces. Like guardians are prone to do. tbh he was probably gonna go back to look for loot at some point.

You tell them Wind. The small hero, underestimated by everyone BUT Time. Was correct thank you.

Justice for the windy boy.

God Wild really is beating himself up about this. I love the fact that we see four's reaction to this statement. As to be honest. Over the last few nights, Four and Wild have had plenty of bonding moments. These guys are gonna become best friends.

And now we get Time.

The way he's looking over these panels. That look. He know's he's the leader of this group but something that Time isn't used to is making Permanent mistakes.

He has the Ocarina of Time, and when he was back in Termina every time something went wrong he could just play the song of Time and restart the three-day cycle with no trouble at all.

Time, as a person. Isnt technically used to failing.

This panel is stunning. It's what I assume is going on inside his head. It's so pretty. It's so detailed it's just oh man easily one of my favourite panels.

now you know i had to talk about panels with my beloved blorbo in.

first off he's so pretty. Jojo has really outdone herself with just how amazing these updates have looked. The lighting the shading its all just so incredible.

The first half of this panel with Sky's face. He, He is beating himself up about the injury. He had nothing to do with it but he cares so much about the rest of the group he feels bad. He kinda looks like he's thinking about it. Like he can see it. Like time did but we dont see inside Sky's head.

Makes me think about what exactly he saw.

And Twilight's face, he looks so sad. His little pout. Poor wolf boy, which we can now call you properly as the rest of them know now.

And to be honest I'm glad he's standing his ground. Mr, My injury isn't that bad before falling over. the stubborn ranch hand strikes again.

The parallels from this frame and the one from later have been mentioned elsewhere but I'm just gonna post the frame here as it's turned up. Run you coward lizard. Run.

Captain link is back. Poor warriors, he's still showing signs of being stressed. He's one of the only one's who hasn't been able to rest over the downtime that they've had. He's been busy being in charge of the group while Time was out.

I can only assume it's only a matter of time before this comes back to get him. Maybe he is next on the chopping block? (Pun kinda intended) Something could happen and he messes up and gets hurt of causes someone to get hurt.

oh and also

THE SCARF

THE SCARF THE SCARF

IT HAS RETURNED ALL HAIL THE BLUE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BLANKET WARRIORS NEEDED YOU.

None of us did, Hyrule.

The boys ever, I'm glad they are talking about this like this. And that it's legend who's starting to throw ideas out there like this. As the one who's got the most experience in the group, it makes sense that he would be the one to start offering ideas as to Why not just how.

Because you pissed it off Sky. Because half of you pissed it off. In fact I do believe he had a bunch of panels in Shifting Shadows pt2 where you indeed pissed it off.

The entire reason it started running from you and Twilight had to track it was because of FI's reaction to his sword.

Wait... that explains the guilt. It is actually potentially Sky's fault. Or if he's anything like I think he is. He remembers that fight with the shadow and knows.

He knows.

Also, with clenched fist Sky is ready for a fight. Next time the shadow turns up I assume he's gonna go after it when it's inevitablebly goes after Twilight/Wild. Maybe he'll jump in after being told not too because the Master sword appears to be the only thing as of right now that can fight the red stuff that comes off the shadows sword.

did you hear Warriors shiver? I did.

And you'd know all about that wouldn't you Four. :D

Also

Mandatory Sky appreciation picture

Him's my beloved blorbo. He's wonderful. Such a lil guy. Bestest bean. My beloved. /pl

Anyway moving on

Oh yeah, the amount of power that the items list contains We've seen the arsenal that they have between them (in the December art).

We saw what just Time could do.

Now add the rest of them and the enemies dont stand a chance. They've just gotta figure out how to either avoid the weapons of each other or work as a team with the arsenal in hand to fight better.

Like imagine if Twilight used his gale boomerang to send Wild into the air.

(Writer brain go brr, gonna write that down)

It's basically Revalis Gale.

This man is so damn dramatic I love him

And here's the parallel frame

the shadow running towards Warriors vs running away from Twilight.

You know thinking about it... Shadow didn't shapeshift until Twilight did. The push towards Warriors was when shadow thought they were on level footing.

But when Twilight went after Dink, he was the one who had to flee because he lost his advantage.

ANGRY SKY ANGRY SKY ANGRY SKY

The man is pissed that Shadow hurt Twilight. He is so damn mad and I think that he is saying what he would assume Fi would. (With more emotion because well, Fi)

Also that last frame.

TIME AND SKY ANGST ON THE HORIZON?

time is looking towards the master sword. And he looks angry. This will absolutely have gone unnoticed by the others because if they saw he was angry it was probably just because of the conversation topic.

god I love the dynamic here and I'm excited to see if it goes anywhere

Him's I love his simple way of agreeing its wonderful.

I approve to wind let's go blow some stuff up!

Hyrule shows the group why he is called the traveller. The man just wants to go on his adventures let him go!

Sky is so proud of himself

this face says 'Look guys I didn't give it to the weird toilet hand! :D'

I love this man a healthy amount.

One last thing before I go

I love this update as a whole, seeing the group gear up and getting to see the layers of the armour and straps and fastenings being put on while they are having this discussion is amazing.

I'd give you a collection of pictures but Tumblr is being rude and I can't post more than 30. So you can have these as all four panels show what I'm talking about.

Twilight adjusting his gauntlets warriors adjusting his scarf.

Hyrule attaching his shield to his back and putting his sword strap on.

God, I love this update so much. It was amazing and I very much enjoyed it. Let me know what you think! :D

Thank you as ever for reading my rambles i appreciate you :D

Have a wonderful day and dont forget to hydrate! See you next time!

[stinkysam]

Roronoa Zoro - Well, this is awkward.

Warning : none

Genre : angst-ish

Synopsis : “zoro and his ex boyfriend run into each other again and a lot of old feelings are brought back (maybe they break up due to mutual differences like zoro wanting to become the world best swordsman)” - anon

Reader : male (you/yours)

He grimaces, eyes wide as he sees you. What the fuck ? That's not what he had expected. What are you doing here ?

He tries to look for his crew to hide amongst them but they got fucking lost as usual and are nowhere to be found. It's not as if he could hide well between 4 people anyway. They should at least be 10.

Shit ! You've spotted him. What to do ? What to do ? He tries to act casual, looking through a window shop as if interested by the clothes displayed.

His heart was beating fast in his chest. Both stressed to see you again and happy. But he wouldn't admit the latter.

You were in the same state, unable to know what to do. Should you greet him ? Has he seen you ? Could you leave if not ? What if he had ?

You take a deep breath and decide to go to him. After all, you were still curious about him and you've heard a lot about the pirate hunter.

“Hey, Zoro.” You call, standing next to him. He hums, acknowledging you, and keeps focusing on what's in front of him. You smile, trying to remain unmoved by his lack of interested response.

“So uh,” You clear your throat. “How are you doing ?”

“Fine…” He glances at you. “And you ?”

“I'm okay…” I miss you, you want to say.

You look at each other, unsure of what to say. You clear your throat again.

“Wanna buy a dress ?” You say, pointing with your head what he was standing in front of.

He grimaces, slightly embarrassed.

“Uh… no. I was uh, trying to avoid you.” He finally admits, hoping his words don't hurt you too much.

“Yeah, I figured. You should've gone inside.” You joke, ignoring the tug at your heart.

He agreed, though he was glad he didn't go in.

“So, pirate hunter, yeah ?”

“Not anymore. On the other side now.” He smiles, finding it a bit funny.

“Oh.” You couldn't help but smile too. “Siding with the marines didn't suit you anyway.”

“I wasn't with the marines.” He defended himself.

“So you're a pirate now ?”

“The future best swordsman in the world, yeah.”

Your smile fell a bit at his words, reminding yourself why you two broke up.

“Ah.”

“I never dropped my dream.” He adds, determination spewing from his words. You frowned. Did he think you dropped yours ?

“Me neither. I will be the best swordsman.” You declared, hand on your heart.

“No. I will.”

You glared at one another for a second, before both looking away with a sigh. It was starting again.

You both wanted to be the best and that's what drove you apart. Being rivals could be tough for a relationship. Unwavering competitiveness, constantly arguing, refusing to show weakness and vulnerability. Slowly you stopped saying “I love you” and began to wonder if you still felt it, that love you had for each other, overshadowed by your bullheaded dreams.

You tried to get rid of your animosity, not wanting it to ruin your sudden reunion. You hadn't left on good terms and wanted to change that.

You looked down, swallowing your pride.

“I missed you.” You say and he looks at you surprised, his heart doing somersault, not believing you would say it.

It's his turn to look down, debating whether he should speak his mind as well. It's true he had missed you too, but he didn't want to restart something that was doomed to fail.

“I… Yeah… I missed you too.” He finally said. Admitting it doesn't mean you two would be a thing again, after all.

Taken by a surge of confidence you continue in your momentum.

“You know, I think I never stopped loving you. Even when we hated each other.”

He looks at you with wide eyes, not knowing what to answer. That's not what he had planned for the day, at all. But his heart felt at ease, happy, beating smoothly in his chest, knowing your feelings for him had never vanished.

He feels bashful, just like the day you asked him out after a sword fight together.

You can see his ears redden along his cheeks, he still doesn't know what to say. Saying “I love you” has never been easy. But he has to say something, he has to tell you the truth.

“I didn't hate you either.” It's not an ‘I love you too’ but it's close, and it'll do.

You smiled, happy to know he felt the same.

“Wanna… grab a beer ?” You ask, wondering if it was too much.

“Yeah.” He simply answers, turning to you, ready to follow you. It was just a drink. Not the start of anything if not of your renewed friendship.

[anathemafiction]

Hi Ana! I recently played the alpha, and wanted to ask something, I'll try to keep as spoiler free as I can lol:

In chapter 2 at the meeting, if we choose to reveal something, the consequence to this is a game over screen, will this happen again in the game? If we make "wrong" choices, will we have to restart again?

Because let me tell you, I was shocked by that scene!!! Like jaw open and my mother staring at me like I'm a fool (alessa would be proud) And if something like this can happen again...boy will that be more reason for getting excited for book 2!!!

Absolutely. Now that I'll incorporate checkpoints, I can raise the stakes substantially.

That one early ending is there to show the reader that there are consequences to revealing too much about Romanus past, even to someone who you may have come to trust. I want to show how dangerous this world can be and let you know that some actions have serious repercussions.

Plus, it makes that spoiler character much more interesting in my eyes. It's one thing for the text or Alessa to warn you that he's dangerous - but it's another to see it first hand. 😋

It's my favorite scene of the alpha, so I'm very glad you liked it!!!

[moderator-monnie]

Artwork Made by @sonicexelle-junkary / @weirdozjunkary as a commission.

Sonic the hedgehog has been dead over over 200 years, however decedents of his friends still exist and live out their normal lives.

Including the descendent of his little buddy Miles 'Tails' Prower named Techie Kaboom, a bat eared fox who has had a few accidents in his mechanic shop.

Sonic might be long gone, but his face, his story, and his image still exists in the far off future and often is used to advertise products in stores using holograms.

And one day, one of these holograms becomes sentient and for some reason think's it's the real Sonic, the one true Sonic and rewrites it's own code to give itself freedom.

But it can't move on it's own, no he can't and as luck would have it Techie was passing by the store this hologram found himself at, and with a silver tongue was able to convince Techie he was the real Sonic and he needed help.

Techie of course due to his ancestor loved Sonic, hearing nothing but good things about him throughout the generations decided to trust in him, he was his hero after all and Sonic wouldn't hurt him right?

Techie sneakfully took the holograms admitter and stuck it into his backpack, and the two managed to get out of the mall without much of a fuss and all seemed great at first Techie and Hologram as he nicknamed himself would talk and work together.

But this was all a ruse careful planning and manipulation done by the holographic hedgehog and one day an 'accident' happened in the mechanics building one that required Techie to get a heart transplant.

And once the surgery was complete and the pair was alone again, Hologram would admit his true colors in his own word's he would tell him his thoughts.

"I am the real Sonic, I can feel it, you can feel it... BUT your not Tails, your not my little buddy in the slightest however you can be! And thanks to your new heart I can help teach you."

"You see... I hate what has been done to my image, look at what they've done to me, they are treating a hero and his friends like cheap things to advertise their stores, and I won't stand for it anymore."

"We're gonna make them pay and hey 'pal' if you want us to bring a new legacy to the names of Sonic and Tails... You'll do as your told, unless you want to suffer the consequences."

Hologram had full control over Techie's eye, his arm and now his new heart he could kill the fox anytime he wanted now, and he would provide an example of that by shutting of Techies heart for about 10 seconds before restarting it.

And out of mostly fear but also a weird sense of loyalty to Sonic and the image of him he had always known about, Techie agrees to help him, Sonic wouldn't hurt him unless it was absolutely necessary right? So if He got hurt it would be because he messed up, at least thats what Techie had going thru his head.

Sonic was a hero, and if he did something it was for the greater good, this was Sonic it had to be, and he'd do what it takes to make him and his ancestor proud of him.

This is an Au about this story, as Techie Kaboom and Hologram Sonic bringing destruction in their wake, but not all familiar faces are gone, Silver The Hedgehog is around and protects his future from the threat of the pair.

But will Silver be able to protect the future? or will it all be brought down by one Hologram and his 'best buddy' only time will tell in the Hologram.Bin Au.

This au has technically existed since march of last year, but I'm glad to be able to finally share it all with you, and eventually write stories for it and show you what is in store for our antagonists and protagonist.

[silentreigns]

Mexican GP 2023 Reflection

Checo should have been patient. You just fumbled a top 5 finish at your home race. And the worst part is, Daniel's road to his seat just got a lot easier. I guess I can be happy that Lewis closed the gap to P2.

The crowd was so mean to Charles like there's was literally nothing he could have done. I'm surprised he was able to stay in the race. Not fair to take action on an incident that happened on the first lap after the race has completed

Y'all on Twitter and Tumblr are way too mean to Carlos. I've said it once and I've said it again: Carlos is a team player. With that being said there's no way he could have kept Max behind at all. He did a lot of defending today and that was commendable

I'll give Mercedes their 10s. They cut the pitstop times down a second from COTA. That strategy of putting Lewis and George on mediums was way too bold but it paid off

Also Lewis is the greatest to ever do it. Setting the fastest lap on 30+ lap old mediums is not for everybody

Lando may have put on the best race of his career despite the disastrous race restart. I'm sure if he was able to qualify well he would have been on the podium. Very happy for him

Esteban and his radio had me cackling. And the it took a lot of laps for him to make a move on Nico. I hope he never stops being a comedian

I am so frustrated with Yuki like all he had to do was be patient. He would have gotten Oscar eventually as his pace was dropping off. Still, I am very happy to see that he showed a lot of pace in the car. Daniel also doing well is giving me hope for the future

I hope people have gotten the "Oscar is having the greatest rookie season since Lewis Hamilton" stuff out of their system. Because... no. He's been involved in too many racing incidents this season for that statement to even hold up.

So glad that Kevin was fine after the crash. My heart sank when I saw his car catch on fire.

Aston Martin PLEASE bounce back y'all have been making very sad. Hate him or love him, Fernando on the podium was very entertaining

Overall, this race had a few cool moments. Definitely more action that last year. But for like 70% of it? I was pretty bored. Brazil is a sprint race weekend so I'm probably gonna complain about that. But maybe we will get a surprise winner? Who knows

[akuneko-tls]

Tarot of Destiny / Chapter 14 - Happier Than Anyone Else

Prev | All | Next

Warning: also definitely spoilers

Hanamaru: “Aight, then. Finally, just the 2 of us, huh… Let's get along as fellow grim reapers, my lord.”

> “Yours is reversed though…”

Hanamaru: “Yeah. As said before, my ‘Death’ card is in the ‘reversed position'... It seems to mean things like… ‘retry’ or ‘restart’.

Well, leaving aside whether this tarot fortune-telling is accurate or not, if it's to save you, my lord... I'll do whatever it takes. Hmm… look back at myself through this card and convey the feelings that arise from it to the lord, huh… 'Retry'... 'restart'....

Hmmm… Well, some parts of it might really apply to me.”

> “Apply to you?”

Hanamaru: “Ah, it might get a tiny bit serious, but... I had a rough life, much worse than now.”

Then Hanamaru calmly talked about his past. He lived as a bounty hunter in the eastern lands, angered a corrupt authority figure, and his hometown was burned.  It was the first time he talked about what happened before he came to the church orphanage.

> “That sounds tough…”

Hanamaru: “Well, you know how it went afterward, my lord.  I've always... wanted revenge against the angels. The ones who killed those kids five years ago... I wanted to avenge them so badly. 

Of course, I didn't let on how messed up I felt about it to the kids who survived.  I was seriously regretting it, like it was eating me up inside… I was so angry, I felt like dying.  But now, meeting you, becoming a devil butler and all, I've finally got the power to take on those angels.

It's something to be happy about, but sometimes I think... if you weren't in this world, my lord... I might have died trying to avenge them without releasing the devil's power.  I couldn't exact revenge without it.

So when I think about it... I'm glad you're here. Thanks to you, I can continue avenging the kids without being killed by angels. Wait…  Saying it like this makes it sound like you're just a tool for revenge. My bad. 

I didn't mean to hurt you… but frankly, before meeting you... I only thought about using you for revenge. Because back then... I had no idea what kinda person you were.

Remember?  When we first wore tailcoats and went to show ourselves to you... You were like... ‘I want you guys to be happy.’ You know… I'm pretty good at identifying scammers. So when I heard that, I became convinced and was like, ‘Ah, this person is really good.’

Of course, being adored by the butlers helps, huh? Yo! Look at this charmer right here! So, just like everyone else, I fell for you, my lord. I want to stay by your side forever... 

I thought my life would be just about hunting angels, a grim existence... But It turned out to be a pretty enjoyable life. Thanks, my lord.  And, let's continue to get along from now on. I hope we can be together for a long time.

So... Don't worry about the tarot's result. You could even turn it into tissue paper and throw it away.”

> “Y-you're right…” > “Can I, really…?”

Hanamaru: “Oops. That wasn't very butler-like. Oh well. I guess I really am unrefined.”

~ A little while later ~

Having received the feelings of all 17 butlers, I decided to think again about what Ms. Elvira had said about ’the way to be saved from an ominous fate.’

Teddy: “So, my lord... Have you come up with anything?”

Yuhan: “Lady Elvira mentioned, ’You have experienced the answer firsthand.' Is it possible that the answer lies in our shared experiences?”

> “I'm not quite sure yet…”

Hanamaru: “Well, let's take it easy. It's just a talk about fortune-telling anyway. Some fortune tellers even intentionally sell ‘comfort goods’ together with ‘anxiety-inducing predictions.’  It might be a loss to take it too seriously.”

Teddy: “But, both Mr. Berrien and Mr. Haures said that Lady Elvira's fortune-telling is accurate... I want to be optimistic, but I can't help worrying.”

Hanamaru: “Oh, right. How about this, then?  If the upright Death card is making you uneasy... Then, my lord, you can do a ‘handstand'.”

> “Handstand...?”

Hanamaru: “Yeah. If you do that, you'll become the Death card reversed, just like me. If we're both in the reversed position, you should feel reassured, right?”

Yuhan: “Mr. Hanamaru…  Please think more seriously about this.”

Hanamaru: “Haha, sorry, sorry. But don't you want to see the lord doing a handstand too?”

Yuhan: “Sigh... I definitely can't let my lord do a handstand, but for my lord's sake... Perhaps we should try anything. Well then, Mr. Hanamaru, please try doing a handstand.”

Hanamaru: “......Huh? Me?”

Yuhan: “Yes. If Mr. Hanamaru does a handstand, the tarot will change from the reversed position to an upright position, right...  That is to say, if there's a change in Mr. Hanamaru's fate, it means that handstands have an effect.”

Hanamaru: “......Yuhan, you…… ...You want to use me as a guinea pig?”

Yuhan: “Oh? Who was it that wanted to experiment with my lord?”

Hanamaru: “......Hey~ Teddy. Help me out here~.”

Teddy: “Huh? Oh, okay... Then... I'll grab your legs as you do a handstand to help you, Mr. Hanamaru. Alright, go ahead!”

Hanamaru: “Hey! That's not what I meant…”

I couldn't help but smile at the playful exchange between the three. It lightened my uneasiness about the ominous fate, and I started feeling a bit relieved.

Hanamaru: “Ohh. Seems like my lord is feeling a bit better now.”

Teddy: “That's right! Even if we don't find the answer now, there's no need to hurry!”

Yuhan: “Yes. We will protect my lord no matter what happens. You are an irreplaceable presence to us…”

Hanamaru: “Yeah. And of course not just because ‘you can release the power of devil butlers.’ You've brought us many other, more precious things.”

Teddy: “For us, my lord is more precious than life itself! Please don't forget that. From now on, we will protect you and live by your side, my lord. So... There's nothing to worry about.”

> “Thank you, guys”

All the butlers were trying to make me feel less anxious, promising to protect me no matter what. Their powerful words… little by little, made me feel at ease.

Prev | All | Next

[ninja-muse]

March was a productive month, and not just because I read a good number of books. I also started writing again after a bit of a slump, and I managed to unhaul 37 books from my home library, though some of them have not actually left the house yet. The used bookstore I went to didn't take everything so I have to decide which one I'm hitting next. Or if I'm dumping the bulk on a thrift store because let's be honest, most used bookstores aren't going to want what's left either.

Can you tell I got rid of that many? Only if you saw the state of things before. My shelves are neat and tidy with no books wedged on top of other books to make things fit.

And I was so, so close to ending the month without buying more books! I really thought I was going to manage it! And then, well, I mentioned the used bookstore, right? I've been meaning to read Delaney but few bookstores stock him, and Lincoln's Dreams is one of the only Connie Willis novels I don't own. (That shop also had stickers, and a cute bookmark I can't show you because whiting out the identifying features would ruin the effect.) Under the Smokestrewn Sky was a rescue, of sorts. Why return it to the publisher when you could just buy it, right?

Anyway, in terms of books read, there were some really good ones! And only one that was not so great. I think I'm done reading and collecting Rat Queens and might need to include those in the next unhaul. And don't get me wrong about the Evie Dunmore. It is a Good Historical Romance Novel. There's just something about it that didn't work for me.

Click through to see everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko, translated by Bela Shayevich and Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse

Portraits and memories of the unsung Russia—the poor, the broken, the marginalized.

10/10

🏳️‍🌈 author

warnings: so many, including but not limited to misogyny, homophobia, genocide, violence, sexual violence, drugs and alcohol, abuse, child death, suicide

reading copy

True North - Andrew J. Graff

The Brechts move to Michigan to restart a rafting business. They hope it’ll save their family, but it might do the opposite.

7.5/10

Menominee secondary character

library book

Sociopath - Patric Gagne

As a child, Patric knew something about her was off and kept countering a lack of feeling with dark acts. As a young woman, she learns the definition of “sociopath” and it changes everything. Out in April.

8/10

neurodivergent author

To a Darker Shore - Leanne Schwartz

When the invention that should have guaranteed Alesta's future fails, her best friend takes the fall and is sacrificed to the demon besieging their kingdom. To rescue him, Alesta must descend into hell, where she learns truths about her society—and her gods. Out in April.

8/10

fat protagonist, autistic main character, major autistic secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters, autistic author

warning: classism, strict religion, autism-related ableism

reading copy

The Temple of Fortuna - Elodie Harper

Amara’s living as a courtesan in Rome but misses her lover and daughter in Pompeii. When she returns to the city, her needs and desires are sent into turmoil—and Vesuvius has started to rumble.

8/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), Ethiopian secondary characters

warning: misogynist society, sexual violence, slave society

Funny Story - Emily Henry

What do you do when your partners dump you for each other? Move in together, of course! Out in April.

7.5/10

Iranian-American secondary character, Black secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic)

warning: toxic relationships, mainly in backstory

reading copy

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan

Tired of fulling expectations, Yeongju opens a bookshop. She’s not the only one to find happiness there.

7.5/10

Korean cast, Korean author

library ebook

Aftermarket Afterlife - Seanan McGuire

The Covenant has started actively pursuing the Prices and their allies, and all Mary wants to do is protect her family.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, gay, bi man), Korean-American secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: canon-typical violence, bigots

library ebook

Knife Skills for Beginners - Orlando Murrin

Paul Delamare is filling in for a friend at a cooking school when a body is found on the premises.

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), Black British secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic)

reading copy

Let Them Tremble - Wolf Epley

The revolution is brewing and both the workers and the government refuse bend. Throw in a destroyed print shop, ghosts, and malfunctioning Shroud devices, and you know things won’t end well.

7/10

major disabled character (partial blindness, limp, hand disfigurement), cast largely of non-racialized colour

won/digital reading copy

The Gentleman’s Gambit - Evie Dunmore

Catriona needs to avoid distractions to write her book but is pressed to help her father’s new colleague around Oxford. Elias needs her help if he ever hopes to smuggle antiquities out of the Ashmolean.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bi woman), Lebanese love interest, Lebanese secondary character

warning: colonial/orientalist characters

library book

Rat Queens, Vol. 5 - Kurtis J. Wiebe with Owen Gieni (illustrator)

Palisade’s problems continue, including hallucinations, a hipster bar, and a sinister wizard.

6/10

major Black character, major 🏳️‍🌈 character (lesbian), 🇨🇦

off my TBR shelves

Children’s Books

Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets - Ryan Higgins

Mittens hogs the bed, eats from the trash, and causes all kinds of trouble—and Penelope didn’t even want them!

Currently reading

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons - Peter S. Beagle

Robert doesn’t want to be the country’s dragon exterminator on the best of days, but then Princess Cerise meets Prince Reginald. Out in May.

reading copy

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 12 Yearly total: 32 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 1 Books by women: 8 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 1 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 1 Books hauled: 3 ARCs acquired: 5 ARCs unhauled: 7 DNFs: 0

January February

[respectthepetty]

okay so I'm still fairly new to the world of bl (about a year of on and off watching them) and following you and your colors has changed how I'm viewing things ((:

I just restarted bed friend and the first thing I noticed was the red rascal vs blue boy dynamic with jade being a lil sweet sunshine. so thank you for opening my eyes to the world of color in bl like genuinely it makes things so much more fun and I love seeing your posts about it all. you're my fave color theorist ♡♡♡♡

@overrgrown, thank you so much! Bed Friend was one of my favorite BLs of 2023 (and favorite Thai BLs ever), so I'm glad you're rewatching it.

But I have to admit, begrudgingly, that King is a bi-colored bisexual, which won him an award in my 2023 Reading the (Visual) Rainbow Awards.

I will spare you my rant about it, but know that Domundi, the company behind Bed Friend, and the director, Cheewin, never slip when it comes to color-coding.

In fact, Bed Friend had one of my favorite color moments of 2023 due to the stoplight moment.

But I was happy that everyone's color coding carried into Middleman's Love.

Even if we only got glimpses of it for Uea and King, it was clear they still loved each other due to the color exchanges we continued to see.

So once again, I'm glad you are rewatching it, I appreciate the appreciation, and I'm happy my posts are helping you see the show in a different way, but know that although I'm your favorite, there are other people theorizing about colors and doing even better than me. I'm just the loudest.

Which means when we get Love Upon a Time, which I greatly suspect is also color coded, I will be annoyingly loud about it.

And now that you are aware of colors, you should be annoying with me!

[backfromtwitterforw]

I'm sorry I guess this post is not gonna be well organized or well written, it's just thoughts dumping and believe me this post is not even related to the discourse and drama, I would've posted it anyway sooner or later cause it's been on my mind since the restart.

I get why people could be upset about the reboot lorewise, I am too in a way, I absolutely want Aypierre to log on and Bbh to continue his soul vulture lore for exemple. I absolutely agree there should be an better communication with ccs about huge changes like that.

Yet, having this fresh start/early day experience for streamers or for viewers like me who joined later (I arrived with the french) is sooo fun and so enjoyable. I know it'll never be the same as when qsmp actually started, but still, seeing them with nothing, exploring, building, bounding... I love those streams very much! I watched BBH's vod from before the french arrive, but I'm so happy to be able to watch him and Dapper have long exploration time together.

But, yeah, originally I wanted to talk about how glad I am to see Dapper excited again! Our little collector is always so proud to show his animals, his plants, his weapons, and we are all so proud of him too! So for him to have all those new things to obtain is making me really happy!!!!!! I can't help thinking about his place at the egg museum with his encyclopedia. All the care he gives to the knowledge of the serv environment is so endearing and I'm glad he has more to discover (or more accurately to make us discover ^^').

And even if it was only for this reason, it's enough for me to love that they did this restart.

[dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night]

Divinity part eight

TW: cult recruitment, emotional whump, human whumpee, devotee whumpee, referenced deity whumper

Wren covered his mouth, his hand tucked under his veil, not wanting passersby to hear his sobs.

How long could he continue doing this for? At every turn he was denied and called insane.

He would never gain any followers. He would never do his patron god's will. How had he ever thought himself capable of restarting an ancient religion, dead for millenia upon millenia?

"Are you alright dearie?" an old woman asked.

Wren nodded, but the tears streaming down his the exposed part of his face betrayed him.

"What are you doing out in this cold?"

"I-" Wren choked down another sob. "I'm trying to get converts for this religion I'm in. But no one wants to listen."

"I'll listen," the woman offered. "My name is Mary."

"Wren." He wiped the tears from his eyes. "Thank you."

"What is your religion called?"

"It doesn't have a name. It's based on an ancient pantheon of deities from Keudera. I'm a worshipper of Vo'ki, god of animals."

Wren took a few deep breaths, glad to have a chance, even if it was only bestowed upon him from a pitied heart.

"Is that why you're wearing that lovely veil of yours?" Mary asked. "It suits you."

"Thank you. And yes. Vo'ki requires a great deal of modesty. It's a show of respect, both to him and myself."

Mary nodded. "That's a nice thought. Kids these days tend to be too promiscuous. I'm glad you're taking care of yourself."

"Finally someone understands. People keep saying how horrible it is that I have to dress in a particular way. But it feels wonderful not having to put my body and face on display for strangers."

"I've always been the modest sort," Mary agreed. "Is there anyone else in your religion?"

Wren shook his head shamefully. "Vo'ki once had an entire civilization of followers, but I'm the only one who still believes in him. His memory is kept alive by atheists in museums. It's a horrible fate, for a god to lose their devotees. Almost worse than being fully forgotten."

"I've always believed that all gods and spirits are real, in their own ways. Even if we don't really understand them. I can't imagine what you've been going through, being rejected over and over again."

"It's really hard to difficult with. But I know that my faith is worth more than my pain."

"It's nice to see such devotion in today's secular world. I'm a member of the church of mother nature, which isn't really a church, just me trying to stay in touch with nature and my own soul."

"Vo'ki would like that." Wren paused, digging up his nerve. "Do you want to come worship at his altar? It isn't much, just something I built in my home. But it would mean the world."

"Of course dearie. I wouldn't leave you hanging after all this conversing. Say, does this Vo'ki of yours accept offerings?"

"Yes. Food and incense mostly. Sometimes herbs and spices. I doubt you're up for animal sacrifices, which is fine. He won't mind. But it all has to be natural."

"Then how's this? I'll swing home and get my incense and some fruit, then come and join you in your ceremony, or worship, or whatever it is you have in mind."

"Thank you," Wren said, his eyes once again filling with tears. "For not thinking I'm crazy."

"Dearie, I lived through the sixties. I met plenty of young souls like you. In fact, I was one of them."

Wren's mother said so many similar things during his childhood, and Wren was suddenly struck with gratitude for all her encouragement and approval.

He would have never made it this far without her, the only person who had ever truly care about him.

Wren nodded and handed Mary one of the papers with his address. "This is my home. When do you want to come over?"

Mary smiled. "Looks like we're neighbors. I live right down the block from this adress. If we both leave for home right now, we can get there at about the same time."

"Vo'ki will be so pleased."

"I hope so."

Taglist: @elim-flower @devourerofcheesecake @whumpsday @whumpshaped @kira-the-whump-enthusiast @hearse-song @heavenly-whumper @nyooom @suck-my-clit-loser @enbygesserit

[vhagarswar]

Helaena's nameday and her discovery of joy AKA Animal crossing new horizons for the nintendo switch:)

It is my comfort game so I made a cute little fluffy thingy about Helaena getting her very own switch and how she deals with her nameday stuff.

-----

Aemond: I uhm...I knew you liked spiders and I looked up games online that uhm deal with anxiety and had great music and also had children rating so you could play with the kids as well.

Helaena, getting a box from aemond: Hm. "Animal crossing"? Oh...

Aemond: You can also hunt bugs-

Helaena: OMG I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU BEST BROTHER EVER *hugs him* OMG I WANT TO PLAY!

Aegon:?? I got you the switch? That's...2 times the game?

Helaena; does it have bugs?

Aegon; I sure f hope not.

---

Later, the three of them on alicents bed when the TV is on with animal crossing.

Aegon: That racoon looks shady.

Aemond; He's definitely up to something

Helaena, seeing her starter villagers: Oh my gosh they are the most adorable thing I ever saw. I will let them murder me and claim my children. I bonded now we will share a connection forever. My new children will have their names.

Aemond:? Should we-

Aegon:? Nah I'm just glad she's happy.

Helaena: Oh! Oh look! Look! I'm running! I'm running in circles! Oh this is great! *joycons cracking under her fingers* omg this is amazing!!!!

Tom nook: Hello, Helaena (on screen)

Aemond: BY THE SEVEN! IT TALKS.

Aegon: What the hell does it want.

Helaena: He is so cute. Idc what he wants he is adorable.

Aemond: So if a robber came to our house...

Helaena: if he's cute yes:)

Aemond: why is it a he?

Helaena: Back to the game we go!

, later naming her island

Helaena: Oh no. This is rather difficult.

Aegon: how about SpiderCave

Aemond: That's a horrible name.

Aemond: Unless Helaena disagrees than its actually perfect-

Helaena: How about ....DreamIsland?

Aegon: that's very you, Helaena. Perfect.

Helaena::)

Later, 12 hours later

Aegon; Don't you want to come downstairs and say hi to everyone? It's your nameday.

Helaena: I don't want to leave...My villagers need me! They can't eat alone and they need someone to help their tents and...

Aegon: do they or don't you want to go downstairs?

Helaena: I love the people downstairs but its ...difficult. for me.

Aemond: this is also really great: You can take the switch with you!

Helaena: ...still...

Aemond; Just say hello to everyone, thank everyone for coming and go back upstairs. They won't bug you anyway. If anyone starts gossiping they'll be dealt with.

Helaena: thank you.

Aegon, eying the switch:

Aemond: No, helaenas birthday present.

Aegon: I got Zelda for you BTW.

Aemond: You what.

Aegon: Nah its her birthday present. We shouldn't.

Aemond: so...is this the zelda with the sword or the zelda with the cartoons

Aegon: hmm. The zelda with the game of the year nomines and the amazing graphics and the beautiful open world and the amazingly hot blonde princess you'll save.

Aemond: *heavy breathing when eying the switch*

Aemond: she's downstairs anyway- a few...moments...won't hurt...

Aemond: Nah I can't. She was so happy. I'll buy one myself. She should be playin-

Aemond: Aegon?

Aegon, starting up Zelda: Sorry. But I want to play to remind myself that there is still some beauty in this world!!!

Aemond: You fucking asshole did you at least save?!

Aegon: We can restart again and make her villagers reappear

Aemond: You IDIOT! You moron! There's a chance they won't show up again! Her helicopter, her island layout, her starters: EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT. HELAENA WILL KNOW.

Aegon; fuck are you serious?!

Aemond: no I love screaming at you!

Aegon: well...one thing we can do...try to make everything as it was. Or we will break her precious heart.

---

Helaena coming back; Oh! My island is just how I...

Aemond: *gulps* what is wrong?

Helaena: I thought I had a yellow airport? Hm. Weird.

Aegon: Helaena...love..I'm so sorry but we closed your game and your former progress is lost and I'm so sorry and I really am.

Aemond: we? Really?

Helaena: *seeing her new starters* Oh my gosh. they are even more adorable! And a green airport?! I Love green how did you two do that for me?! I'm so in love with my new island there's a heart shaped lake?! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH.

Aemond: Wait but what about your starters? You bonded, right? They would...claim and eat our children?

Aegon; wait...our.....??

Aemond; your I said your you misheard.

Helaena:..to be fair, Aemond: the others were kind of ugly. Sorry.

Aegon: damn that's ruthless.

Aemond: yeah so...ruthless...hm.. *turned on*

/Helaena never had a video game before so this for her big and new and amazing. The boys also never saw it before but did do they research.

[kamiko1]

Heyaa!! I read your big brother arthur fic a while back and i haven't said it yet but: I LOVE YOUR WRITING! The way you write the characters is so on point like omg go off, You can really capture their personalities! (especially arthur)

So for the questions thing, Howsa bout 1, 4, 5, 10, 13 and 14? Really interested to kno about the fic! Will be waiting patiently for the next update ;)

-Trancy <3!

Thank you so much for the question, and thanks even more for the compliment ! I'm glad you enjoyed the fic. Tbh I was kinda nervous that I fucked up Arthur's characterisation in the Big Bro AU.. Anyway- onto the questions :

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I was trying to capture Arthur as a character if he had grown up genuinly loved. If ya think about it, Arthur is a pretty affectionate guy ! He's almost fanatically loyal to Jeremiah and the Vatican by extention, and clearly wants to have friendships & bonds with people.

It would be cool to see how his personality developed if he got to develope all this by himself without any manipulation. That's also why he's so overprotective in the fic acctualy ! He's still the same brand of loyal and trusting as in canon, just this time it's to his friends and family and not the Vatican. He's also just as obsessive, but this time it's not with being a good exorcist/being a "knight in shinning armour" but with being a good brother and keeping those he loves safe !

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

In the original fic ? "......... I won't allow them to pay for crimes they didn't commit. Even if I have to go against the entier order to do so." From chapter 2. This line is said by Arthur after he found out about the twin's father. I like it bc this shows the diffrences between canon and big bro Arthur really well. Also establishes that Arthur is loyal to people rather than institutions in this fic. If we talk abt the rewritte- the line has yet to be written and published 😅

5: What part was hardest to write?

Nothing rly, it all came to me pretty easily. But if I had to say one thing I'd say that I struggled quite a bit with the start of chapter 7 of the OG fic. Restarted that one quite a bit.

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

I don't rly have any pairing for the fic in the romantic sense, as for the reason why I wrote it with an focus on Arthur & Rin ? They are my favs and I think they make a fun pair. I do plan on AngelLight happning in the rewritte tho (once I get off my hiatus) since I just like the ship. The two are cute together and Lewin is the best ship for Arthur imo.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

I don't rly listen to music to get into the mood for it tbh. I mostly write in short and inconsistent burst of inspiration or inclination to write smth about it. What I DO have however is a spotify playlist with songs that give me big bro Arthur vibes, here's the link if ya want to listen to it. I also have an unlisted YouTube playlist with some songs in it from an idea I had of Arthur singing the twins lullabies ! Rly it's just songs I could see big bro Arthur singing for Rin and YUkio, will props include the idea in the rewritte !

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Nope. This fic is supposed to be harmless fun for all of us us. So, that conclused all the questions ! Again, thank you for sending an ask and I'm so glad you enjoyed the fic ^^ I'm trying to get off my hiatus and continue it since I rely enjoy the AU it's in. Ofcourse the fact still stands that if anyone (you included) has specific hdeacanons/wants to see a specific scenario in the fic you can tell me and I'll deffo try to include it it ^^

[mrcrowblargs]

been a little while since I updated my BG3 log and I got lots done aaaa feeling excited and a bit sad that I'm nearing the end. I've really enjoyed this adventure.

After Cazador, took Gale to visit Mystra. Got some big news but I urged him to seek forgiveness and freedom over anything. I like that Gale is on the surface one of the good guys but he can fall into power corrupts as easily as say, Astarion.

On the hunt for the House of Grief I ran into THE WORST FUCKING QUEST EVER OH MY GODDDDDD this haunted ass house handed my ass to me over and over. I hated every inch of it.

Fashion time! It's so late in the game that you find new underwear

got one little tag on my doodle comic like "OP is in denial about the rotting teeth" and im just like I DONT SEE IT HONESTLY??? they just look yellow and like there's a of a snaggletooth.

More plot based stuff under the cut!

Wrapping up Shadowheart's quest was harder than Astarion's by virtue of TWENTY FUCKING ENEMIES I had to restart twice before the first round ended... made liberal use of Hypnotic Pattern. I didn't find it as cathartic an end as Astarion's but there was still definitely like, a release. And I love Shadowheart's last line there.

The reward was great tho. My bard now has 24 CHA baybeeeyyy

time to rescue Lae'zel (she was kidnapped before Cazador) and OH SHIT THATS THE SKULL FROM THE MAIN MENU SCREEN??? AAAA The Baahlists are a bitch and a half with all their murder status effects and I was SO GLAD I respecced Karlach into Barbarian 8 / Thief 4 for that extra cunning action when the "defeat this guy before he casts Power Word Kill at you" fight came up. What a fucking mess that was.

Fighting Orin was easier... I was not expecting her to transform into a big dumb monster honestly! I expected she would be teleporting around or use some shapeshift abiltiy to be all annoying but it was a really straight forward fight.

Oh, aaaaaannnd I did not fight Sarevok, so that was another Weird Ritual to inspire my tav. He's now an unholy assassin and I'm sure Astarion must appreciate the smell of being absolutely soaked in blood. I don't feel too bad about killing Valeria because she seemed like a terrible detective though I did have karlach skip her turns in the fight because I couldn't imagine her being for it. Like it's just pathetic.

Took Astarion to the drow twin courtesans... tbh I appreciate the game showing like, yes he is healing and doing better but some things you just don't get over right away. But I also want to get the spray bottle out like dude!!! don't force yourself!!!

I used a growth elixir on Karlach for the Orin fight which didn't use up that many character resources and the elixir lasted all day so... directly to the House of Hope with Karlarge it was!

Bit of a visual glitch because it reappeared later but it was nice to see Aldrich without the raccoon eyes and veins again. Just went around sitting on things in Raphael's house.

AND THEN UH???? UHH??? This supremely awkward scene with Raphael's personal incubus who looks exactly like him??? I didn't wanna start a fight because I thought Raph himself might show up but I could not pass the fucking Con check afgkdd

"you can have my body but not my soul" AGSFKHDDS???? I'm jelly tho I wish I had these eyes (but more purple) for Aldrich

Reloading and fighting the incubus was absolutely worth it for this Speak With Dead bit. the answer: he bottoms exclusively.

AND THEN THE FIGHT WITH THE BIG DEVIL HIMSELF!!!! I was already amazed when vocals dropped into the fight music BUT THEN HE WAS SIGNING HIS OWN BATTLE MUSIC???? It absolutely slapped. Amazing fight. I had Hope with me and convinced Yurlgirldsbfjs whatever his name is to join which greatly reduced the chaos. The only criticism I have is that it was a big of a slog getting Raphael down from 666 HP. but damn what a great loot payoff!

Getting near the end now. Of outstanding quests I have now, I gotta pass the hammer off to Voss, find/recruit Minsc, see if anything else is in the sewers, then sabotague the Steel Watch factory, infiltrate the Iron Throne, and confront Gortash. Then we'll see how it goes for the finale.

I'm still kinda worried what it will mean for my Tav going partially illithid and also aiming for freeing Orpheus. Seems like freedom really rides on the guy cooperating with us.

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 18

It's time for the two-parter Marado map. I was feeling nervous about this one, mostly because of all the pegasus knights. My Jill was not doing so hot, so I was afraid she would become overwhelmed by them, and they would swarm my squishier units.

Thankfully, however, I managed to get through the first section without issue. The second section, on the other hand...

I do appreciate Fiona for what she was doing here. I only wish that she got more time to become a good character and/or a good unit. At least she has savior, which helps her not die on this map. The other cavaliers were not so lucky, and quite a few of them died. The amount of times my characters died because I rushed too quickly trying to save the villagers was... too many, really.

I do love this ongoing metaphor going on through this conversation, comparing themselves to shepherds and the people of Daein as "little lambs". It's so demeaning and dehumanizing, which is of course the point. It also shows how they rationalize their actions.

I love you Meg, I really do. And I get it. Meg's young and unfamiliar with the world outside of her small farming town. But this particular plot point always annoys me. Brom, why would you do this? I'm glad that Zihark is a complete gentleman about the whole situation. But I'm sad we never get any resolution over this. Does Meg ever realize Zihark doesn't want to marry her? I do know from her ending that she does end up getting married and having a family of her own, but it would have been interesting to see a little of what happened in between.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Radiant Dawn suffers a lot from the lack of support conversations. The Dawn Bridage, especially, suffer from stagnant character syndrome.

Micaiah getting upset at Pelleas for not having a backbone always puts a smile on my face. She's usually so distantly polite with everyone (with the exception of Sothe), so the times when she reveals a little more of her honest feelings and thoughts are really great to see. And while I adore Pelly, I 100% agree with Miccy here. Grow a spine, Pelleas!

Oh, and while you're growing that spine, maybe also lose the racism. Again, I love you buddy, you are the beorc equivalent of a sad puppy left outside in the rain, but dude. Try to form your own opinions for once.

Anyway, onto the prison break map!

Love these three! Wish they were more involved in the story.

Ahahaha. I don't know if Maurim meant this sincerely or sarcastically, but man. That comment alone probably destroyed whatever "manly pride" Sothe might have had.

The map itself didn't give me nearly as much trouble as the previous one. And luckily, Jill got some good level ups on this map, which transformed her from a slightly weak unit to a dependable one, which has put my mind at ease.

Sothe is so fucking funny. I love him.

Next was the stupid swamp map. For some reason, this is the only screenshot I took, probably because it was the only highlight. This one gave me even more trouble than the second Marado map. I really wanted to save most of the people trapped in the swamp, which meant I took some really stupid risks, and had to restart waaaay too many times. But at the end, at least Edward classed up.

This part of the story is so sweet. Micaiah has lived all of her life in the shadows, keeping her distance, afraid of how people would react if they learned her secret. And now here she is, adored by many, people who look up to her and feel inspired by her. I can only imagine what she's thinking during this scene. She probably thinks she doesn't deserve it, and to some extent, that's true. Or to be more accurate, they are idolizing her, putting her on a pedestal, which is puts a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She doesn't deserve that, because she is worth more than that.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm losing my train of thought. I just love this game so much, guys.

See you all in part 19!

[hxney-lemcn]

CAN I JUST SAY HOW ADORABLE AND SAD “ I WISH” WAS LIKE BESTIE I NEED A PART TWO BEFORE I START SOBBING 😫😫

Also can I just say how perfect the fanfic is with the song the whole vibe is just chef kiss

Summery: Reader needs help and asks their cute neighbor for help.

tw: None

a/n: AHHH Thank you so much!! I'm glad someone enjoyed it so much! Here's the part 2 <3

wc: 0.9k

Master List | Part One

I always noticed the way my neighbor always shied away from me in the hallway whenever we passed. I understood his plight, I wasn't one for social interaction either.

So imagine how I felt when I had to knock on his door. I felt uncomfortable standing in the dimly lit hallway, the only noise being me shuffling on my feet anxiously. I didn't want to be annoying, but I needed someone's help with my computer. I didn't know if he knew anything about electronics, but I'd rather seek someone else's opinion before spending $500 and them just telling me I need a new computer.

Not hearing a noise on the other side, I felt my anxiety rise. He's probably not even home and I'm making a fool of myself. The urge to turn around and just go back to my own apartment was high. My problem wasn't even that desperate. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and bring my computer to a repair place.

But against my better judgement, I decided to knock softly once again while also calling out a small 'hello'.

Suddenly, the sound of rustling was heard on the other side. I felt my breath hitch as the realization of having to speak to a stranger set in. I started to fidget with my hands as the sounds of locks sliding and clicking sounded out. Finally, the door opened, just enough to show his head.

I felt myself shy under his stare. He was honestly really cute. In a nerdy dork way. His clear framed glasses slightly hid his green eyes and a navy blue crewneck covered his hunched frame. He was looking at me with a confused expression so I was quick to introduce myself.

"Hi!" I said quickly, trying to focus on my hands so I wouldn't be so nervous. "Uh, I'm your neighbor, my names (y/n). I was wondering if you could help me out with something?"

I glanced up to see his reaction and he just looked shocked. Almost like he couldn't believe what was going on.

The silence started to get too much for me, but before I could say something he responded, "O-oh, right. I'm...I'm Edward. What was it you needed help with?" His eyes darted around as he spoke, like he wasn't sure where to look.

It seemed like we both had social problems.

"My computer," I responded with a small smile. "I don't know what's wrong with it and I saw you around...oh my god I don't mean to sound rude or anything. You just look smart so I assumed that you might know something."

Edward giggled lightly under his breath and I felt dread creep up into my soul. I should never had knocked on his door and talked to him. Now he thinks I'm a stupid, or just bad person for assuming things-

"I do know some things," He mumbled out. "I took some computer classes in college."

"...so you'd be willing to check it out?" I asked hopefully. "Are you free now? I-I can pay you too..."

"Yeah, I can come check it out now," He agreed. "And you don't need to pay me, just give me a second."

After a few minutes he came back out and I brought him to my apartment. Letting him in I brought him over to my laptop.

"This is it," I said. "It just keeps...freezing? I don't know," I said trying to explain the problem. "You can go on it and see, I've tried restarting it and stuff but nothings worked."

He nodded and immediately started working on it. I felt awkward just standing there so I asked, "Did you want something to drink? Maybe eat? I don't have much though."

Looking at me with a slight blush Edward replied, "Just water please, thanks."

~~~~

I couldn't get him off my mind. He was so nice and he actually solved the problem! I felt bad that I gained more out of the interaction than he did (well not according to Edward but (y/n) doesn't know that).

So I decided to make thank you cookies. I'm not the best at baking, but not the worst either. Eating a cookie, I decided they were actually really good.

So, I took off towards Edward's apartment. I wore something slightly nicer than I normally do, wanting to slightly impress him. Making sure the plate of cookies was safely balanced in one hand, I knocked on the door. This time, the door was opened almost immediately. I was surprised to see Edward looking at me almost expectantly.

"H-hi..." I stuttered out slightly, and then berating myself inside for doing so. I mean come on! I never stuttered.

"Hi," He replied breathlessly.

"I made you some cookies," I said holding the plate out to him. "As a thank you for fixing my computers."

His gaze kept flickering from me to the plate, in awe of the situation.

"I tried a cookie myself," I said nervously. "I think they turned out well, I don't really bake too often."

"Thank you," He finally said, gently taking the plate. "It means a lot."

A giant smile unconsciously spread across my face in relief, "I'm glad! I hope you like them."

I awkwardly nodded at him, before turning to leave.

"W-wait," I heard Ed call out. Turning to face him, he continued, "W-would you like to share these? Maybe watch something on tv?"

I felt myself become giddy as I agreed.

Little did I know that Eddie's distant daydreams were becoming a reality.