#when i started the count of monte cristo (need to finish that) the guy who recognized me reading it was like

[vamptastic]

i think when i read the picture of dorian grey i got way too into trying to understand and form a defensible argument for the philosophy in it because i was very much in my debate team reads the stanford encyclopedia of psychology for fun phase. i mean obviously hedonism is an interesting ideology and the book does talk about it a lot, but i think the prime appeal of the book and why it's a classic is not the philosophy whatsoever it's definitely the drama and the art discussion, and i was so caught up on keeping notes on hedonism that i kind of neglected to pay attention to the characters in the literal and not subtextual sense until the tail end of the novel.

[terramythos]

TAYLOR READS 2023: A STUDY IN SCARLET BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

Title: A Study in Scarlet (1887)

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Genre/Tags: Fiction, Mystery, Murder Mystery, Western, First-Person, Third-Person

Rating: 6/10

Date Began: 01/28/2023

Date Finished: 03/04/2023

Returning from war in the Middle East, Dr. Watson finds himself in search of a roommate in London. He makes the acquaintance of a man named Sherlock Holmes, an eccentric private detective with a bold new approach to investigating crime. The duo soon find themselves at the center of a bizarre murder; a corpse with no visible wounds in an abandoned house, and the word “RACHE” written on the wall in someone else’s blood. Through his keen deductive reasoning, Holmes begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder— but not before a second body is found, and the culprit’s complicated past takes center stage.

There is no satisfaction in vengeance unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes him, and why retribution has come upon him.

For live reading notes, check the reblogs (warning for spoilers of... a book published in 1887).

Content warnings and review (spoiler-free and spoiler versions) under the cut.

Content Warnings: Depicted — Self-harm, drug use, death, murder, animal death, stalking/harassment, terrorism, misogyny, racism, forced marriage, terminal illness. Mentioned — Warfare, traumatic injury, colonialism, sexual harassment, sexual slavery/kidnapping, suicide.

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

Some disclaimers before I jump into the review. This is the first Sherlock Holmes story I’ve read, and my exposure to it in pop culture boils down to (1) about a season of Elementary and (2) the Guy Ritchie movies, of all things. Thankfully I avoided the terrible BBC show during its peak hype, so it didn’t sour me on the whole concept. While I know some of the unavoidable tropes, the stories themselves are mostly unknown to me. Second, A Study in Scarlet is actually the first Sherlock Holmes story ever published. This was a coincidence; I have a couple books I picked up at a second-hand store and grabbed this one at random. Part of me wishes I’d started with a later book, but oh well.

The first half of A Study in Scarlet, which is the bulk of the murder mystery, is an entertaining read. I genuinely enjoyed thinking over the evidence and trying to piece together the mystery, a central appeal to Sherlock Holmes. There’s a revenge narrative toward the end, and while it’s no Count of Monte Cristo, I did enjoy the themes and observations about human nature this introduced to the story. Doyle’s prose is serviceable, and there’s several lines and descriptions that really stuck out to me. A Study in Scarlet is an early work, so I’m interested to see how he develops as a writer in the later stories.

Characterization is hit or miss. Holmes is solid. Much of A Study in Scarlet is told from Watson’s perspective, and he meets Holmes for the first time in this story. As a result, both characters feel multidimensional; we get Watson’s honest impressions of Holmes (good and bad), and as a result learn about Watson’s own personality and opinions. The culprit, when revealed, is well-developed for Spoiler Reasons. Beyond that, I found the rest of the cast forgettable. Not every character needs to be deep and nuanced, but some really needed more development, or even a noteworthy trait. I didn’t get that from most.

There are some small details that made me laugh, like Holmes saying he wants his name to be famous. Mission accomplished, buddy. He creates what’s basically luminol in his introductory scene, in a book published decades before it was invented. As someone who mostly reads speculative fiction, I see this kind of thing in scifi, but to see it in a murder mystery is a fun surprise.

Obviously being written in 1887, there’s some aspects of the story that didn’t age well.  Mostly this shows in racism, colonialism, and related terminology. This isn’t a huge surprise coming from a British author in the late 19th century. For what it’s worth, there’s one footnote in this entire story, which Doyle uses to make a snarky comment about sexism. So I guess he gets a brownie point there?

Overall, the book is okay, but not amazing. I have some major criticisms of the story, but they mostly fall into the spoiler section of the review.

**SPOILER REVIEW**

So, the mystery. I was under the impression, before reading this, that Sherlock Holmes stories are fair mysteries, aka it’s possible for the reader to figure everything out on their own based on the clues provided in the story. Unfortunately A Study in Scarlet is only partially fair; you can glean the means of the crime, but not the perpetrator or their motive. During the grand reveal at the end of the story, we learn Holmes had access to information that the reader did not, and that’s how he figured out who committed the two murders. This honestly soured the whole thing for me. It might seem like a small thing, but the problem-solving aspect is what I was looking forward to most with these stories, so knowing I never had a chance makes it feel a little pointless.

My second major issue with A Study in Scarlet is its structure. The story is split into two parts. The first half is pretty much what one would expect— Holmes and Watson meet in London for the first time, we learn a little about their characters, a mysterious murder happens, and we follow the cast around as more clues present themselves. This was by far the strongest part of the story for me. So it was a little jarring when Holmes apprehends the murderer at the end of Part One, with an entire half of the novel to go.

The story then jumps back in time by around thirty years, in the United States, following a new set of characters. From here the story switches from a murder mystery to what I can only describe as a thriller Western. I guess Doyle really wanted to write a Western? Or maybe dunk on Mormonism for a while (fair enough)? To be clear, I love narrative shifts, genre muddling, and time jumps, the more experimental the better, but they have to be done well. This one is not; it feels out of place with Part One, and what it accomplishes narratively could have been done better in other ways.

It’s pretty clear from the start that Part Two exists to establish back-story for Jefferson Hope (the culprit) and why he killed Drebber and Stangerson. But Doyle spends way too long on two characters— Hope’s love interest Lucy and her adoptive father Ferrier— who only exist to get killed off. Despite them being the “focus” for several chapters, their development and personality are lacking, mostly told to the reader instead of demonstrated. “Show, don’t tell” is obviously not a hard rule, but it was much needed in this case. It takes a long time for Hope to enter this part of the story, which is a problem if he’s the protagonist. I admit it’s pretty wild to have actual real Mormons be the antagonists of a freaking Sherlock Holmes story, but other than the novelty and historical context, I didn’t find them to be compelling villains.

Maybe this leap into the past would work better if integrated into the main mystery story, or if it was pared down substantially, or even if the whole thing was told from Hope’s perspective. When Hope describes how he committed the murders toward the end, we do get his perspective… and it’s great! It made me wish all of Part Two had been told in this matter; it’s way more fascinating than what we got.

In all, A Study in Scarlet wasn’t bad, just mediocre. Had it not been attached to the most iconic character in Western canon, I doubt it would still be published and read today. But I’m sure future entries refine and improve upon the formula; I can cut a lot of slack considering this was Doyle’s first attempt at a Holmes story, and they’ve withstood the test of time for a reason. I plan to read a few later stories in the series to see how they compare to this first entry.

[ramp-it-up]

Here’s a teaser for my Nick Fowler fic, Origin.

Title: Origin

Chapters-

Teaser

The Center of Intelligence

Where Others Cannot Go

Nowhere to Hide

Reap What Ye Have Sown

The Truth Shall Make You Free

Pairing: Nick Fowler x CIA officer! Reader (nickname: Hope)

Summary: Why is Nick the way he is?

Word count: 487

Warnings: 18+ Only, Minors DNI. SMUT! Read at your own risk. ANGST, bitterness, revenge, reading, imprisonment, taking of virginity, implied oral (female receiving).

A/N: Thanks to @maroonsunrise83 for helping me flesh out the idea, and to @tuiccim for the quick beta read last night. 😁 This idea won’t let me go. Let me know what you think!

Please follow @rampitupandread and turn on notifications to learn when I post! 😘

I Do NOT Consent to my work being reposted, translated or presented on any other blog or site other than by myself.

Divider by @firefly-graphics

“Woman is sacred; the woman one loves is holy.”

Nick read the words of Alexdandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo over and over again. He had nothing better to do than to sit and ponder the story. He wanted there to be more to it; he wanted to know how Edmund survived after he got his revenge, after his reason for living was done.

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words— Wait and Hope.”

Nick waited 12 years for his revenge. He knew about wait. And you had been his Hope.

Nick slept for 8 hours a night dreaming of you, his cock rocked by the memories of your tight channel, carved out just for him. He dreamed fitfully of when he took your virginity: the pounding of his heart and his leaking member as you seduced him with the surprise of your innocence. You, who he thought could probably kill him with a flick of the wrist, ruined him for the whole world, your pitiful, lust-filled whimpers drove him to the brink as he sank into your yielding flesh for the first time, a pioneer.

If he didn’t know he loved you before, the way you stole his heart as you cried and smiled, gripping him as he finally started to move, pushed him to the realization.

“Nick…”

His name on your lips made him have to still; the way your voice broke for him was better than any idolized hymen. He started to cum, cursing at his body’s haste. You smiled again and told him it was okay, but he had to hear the way you said his name again as he made up for his faux pas with his lips and tongue and soul.

He woke up with your taste in his mouth every morning. Dreams of you were the sweetest.

Nick was allowed an hour to take care of physical needs, he worked out for four, and spent 10 hours reading the same words over and over. The 24th hour allowed him a walk in the air of the enclosed compound, each step bringing him closer to avenging you.

He supposed he was the villain now, but the agency made him that way. He’d been an agent for 17 years. And for 15, he knew the true nature of the organization. They weren’t the good guys. And he didn’t feel a villain for opposing it.

“For all evils there are two remedies— time and silence.”

Dumas was right about that.

Mason Browne was evil, and he didn’t feel bad for what he had done and had yet to finish. Mace took away his Hope.

And for that, she had to pay.

Nick was the villain now, and how you were taken away was his origin story.

[writer-and-artist27]

Lack of Smoke

Inspired by my finishing the Prison Tower event that Dantes debuted in for real (purchased through Rare Prisms, though...). Robin Hood was in my front-lines team the entire time I went through the event, and this is my take on some of the emotions from it.

@panyum, I was thinking of you when I wrote this. Take it as you will? Also, @partialdignity's energy was hard to resist even when working off fatigue from the past week of returning 6-month-old patient cancellation cases.

--------------------------

"...Why do you let her call you that?"

Robin didn't move from his seat at one of the break room tables, merely chewing on a new mint leaf while opening one eye in the speaker's direction. "Call me what?"

"'Big Robin', Archer," Avenger said with a scowl, yellow eyes flashing with discontent and... and envy? Could he even call the look on the Count of Monte Cristo's face that? Then again, with the wisps of darkness exuding off of Avenger's figure, it could mean anything. "You are only one of many Robin Hoods. That name shouldn't mean much to you."

Back in the Moon Cell, maybe.

Robin took the stalk of mint out of his mouth, wagging it at the Count with his own face. "Point," he said quietly, shaking his head, "but it's different when she says it." A wry smile formed on his lips as he turned back towards the table he was originally facing, drumming a few fingers against the wood. "Kinda hard to refuse a bright smile like hers."

Avenger let out a "Kuhah!" noise at that, crossing his arms and taking a pack of cigarettes out from under his cloak. "You've become soft."

"And you," Robin said with a frown and another pointed stalk of mint, "need to make sure you don't smoke that around the little sparrow. Lung cancer's nothing to laugh at."

Avenger still took one of the darn sticks out of the box to put into his mouth, raising an eyebrow at Robin's pointed mint stalk the entire time he did so. "This coming from the man who once smoked himself?"

"Hard to resist," Robin shrugged, absently speaking around the mint still in his mouth, "but there's a little sparrow around now. Have to make sure she doesn't fall from the sky, especially after she saw worth in a dusty charlatan like me."

Avenger closed his eyes, taking out his lighter to flick a flame up into existence. His leaning against the nearby wall seemed to solidify his opinion on things. "Fools think alike, it seems."

"So says the guy who knows how to make Vietnamese coffee now, Dantes?"

Avenger gave Robin a pointed look with one visible red eye, and Robin smirked back.

"Look, Count, you're not fooling anybody. Whether it's my little sparrow or your little flower, we can't deny the Master at Chaldea is something else. Just get with the program and start looking past the prison tower of hell, will ya? I'm sure your little flower will find some way to bring hope back. She gave me my name. Who says she can't do the same for you?"

[vmheadquarters]

We wish you a Happy Birthday, We wish you a Happy Birthday, We wish you a Happy Birthday filled with fanfic and cheer!

Happy Birthday @catefrankie!

And to kick-off our wish of fanfic for you, here’s the start of a Christmas tale written by our own @susanmichelin. Hope you enjoy! 

Mars and the Real Meaning of Christmas

Thursday, December 20, 2007

“I need your help, Logan.” Already this felt wrong. It was supposed to be the other way around. It was ALWAYS the other way- HIM coming to HER for help. Find my mother, I was falsely accused of murder, locate my sister’s scumbag boyfriend, false murder rap (again), missing trust fund money. Logan was the one who needed HER.

“What is it, Veronica? I’m kinda busy.”

He leaned against the doorjamb, looking better than an ex-boyfriend had a right to look. Wasn’t it a law that all exes needed to get Santa-Claus-fat? Maybe even bald? They were NOT supposed to get buff. And they certainly were NOT supposed to come to the door wearing nothing but a pair of a shorts with water droplets sliding over their chest and down rock-hard abs.  

Kinda busy. The words poked at her. Kinda busy doing... what? Or who? She gritted her teeth. Who Logan was doing was none of her business. “I need your help.”

“You said that already.”

Should she come right out and ask? Remind him of his promise, if you ever need anything. She bit her bottom lip. That was before Madison. Before Piz. Before they splintered each other’s hearts into tiny shards of sharp edges. Why did she think this was a good idea?

“Me” —he pointed to his chest— “Losing interest, fast.”

Bored, jackass-Logan. Veronica blinked. “Forget it; I shouldn’t have come here.” Turning on her heel, she stalked down the short driveway.

“Veronica, wait!”

Ignoring him, she made the left on the narrow street running behind his house and continued in the direction of her car. He caught up to her at the corner; his hand landing on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

She spun around to glare at him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she lifted her chin. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”

“My mistake.” He backed up a step. “You came to see me after months of not speaking to what… ask for help moving? No wait, you need a ride to the airport. Or did—”

“My father’s missing.”

“He’s an adult; I’m sure he’ll come home after he’s slept it off.” His gaze moved past her to a spot beyond her shoulder. “Ah, my company’s arrived.” A smirk spread across his face as he glanced at Veronica. “Weren’t you just leaving?”

One of those sharp pieces of her heart shifted, slicing her lungs and making it difficult to breathe. Without saying anything, she dropped her arms, and continued for her car. It was her fault for thinking… She shook her head.

There was no point in analyzing her FEELINGS. She was the one who’d told him it was going to take time and obviously he’d decided waiting around for her to forgive him wasn’t worth it - leaving Hearst while she was in Virginia and moving away from the Grand.

“Hey,” he called after her, but she refused to turn around. She didn’t want to see his face again and she DEFINITELY didn’t want to see his ‘company.’ Rooting through her purse, her fingers closed over her keys. Only a few more steps and she could drive out of his life forever. Logan stepped in front of her, blocking her path and foiling her plan. “Why do you think Keith is missing?”

Right. Her father. Missing. “Don’t worry about it; I’ll figure something out.”

She didn’t have a lot of rich friends. Okay, so she had exactly NO rich friends. Acquaintances? Eh, maybe. There was Dick —he was still floating around campus, presumably going to class— but the idea of letting him touch her was… nauseating.

Logan ducked his head to see her face; concern furrowing his brow. “Let’s start over. You can come inside and tell me about Keith and I’ll promise to dispense with the sarcasm.”

It was her turn to smirk. Logan without sarcasm was… her brain tried and failed to come up with an adequate analogy. What was that impossible? Unassisted human flight? Finding a unicorn in her dorm room? “I don’t want to interrupt your afternoon TRYST.”

“You always go there first. God, Veronica do you think about anything other than sex?” He arched his eyebrows and widened his eyes, faux-shocked. “I do have other interests.”

“Name one.”

He glanced over her shoulder again and held up a wait-one-minute index finger. And again, Veronica resisted the urge to look. An expansive grin spread across Logan’s face as he recognized the effort needed to thwart her curiosity. “Well...proper nutrition is important to me.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. INFURIATING. That was the word to describe him. Irritating, smug, and—

A shouted, “Hey!” from behind them interrupted her silent tirade. “Do you still want this, or what? I don’t have all day.”

She turned. A delivery guy in white t-shirt and red ball cap was holding an insulated warming bag, and glaring at Logan. I know how you feel, buddy. “Pizza? THAT’S your idea of nutritious?”

“Says the woman who eats ice cream for dinner.” Logan jogged toward the house. “Plus it’s from Bronx Pizza”—he called, over his shoulder—“extra cheese, pepperoni.”

Two of her weaknesses. Three, if you counted Logan himself, which she definitely DID NOT.

Veronica trailed behind the delivery guy, watched Logan pay him and carry the pizza inside, leaving the door open. It was invitation enough; she walked into the living room.

After seeing Logan live in the overly-decorated, tacky surroundings of his parent’s house, and then in the sterile, impersonal suite at the Grand, she wasn’t sure what to expect from a space designed by him, for him. The beach was a given, and it didn’t disappoint. The view was stunning. Large, folding glass doors were pushed open, accordion-style, creating a seamless flow from living space to deck.

“I’m going to take a quick shower before we eat and then you can tell me about Keith.” A wry grin. “Don’t make yourself at home.”

To hide her annoyance, she averted her face, and focused on the painting above the couch - a print of Hopper’s Rooms by the Sea. It was a metaphor for silence and solitude. But the other name for the painting—The Jumping Off Place—made her frown. It could be taken either way, as something dark, or hopeful. A final ending, or the point from which something is begun.

Veronica glanced back at the wood-and-glass spiral staircase, but Logan was already gone. Seconds later, the sound of running water said he’d started his shower. She relaxed, wandered across the sisal area rug to explore.

A blue-gray sofa with welted cushions and funky striped throw pillows stood under the Hopper. Club chairs in the same striped pattern were positioned for optimal viewing of the large flat-panel television, and instead of a coffee table, he had a cocktail ottoman printed with coastal beach signs - sand, sea, surf.

The kitchen was separated from the space by a large island and stools—no dining table—and Veronica opened and closed cabinets as she moved down the line. Bright, multi-colored Fiestaware, drinking glasses, pots, and pans - a fully stocked and functional kitchen. She peeked inside the filled-with-healthy-food refrigerator.

She shouldn’t be surprised. Logan had been taking care of himself, in one way or another, since childhood. It was just strange to see him ADULTING. It was hard to imagine him cooking and cleaning and paying bills. The only thing missing was any indication that Christmas was five days away.

Crossing the floor, she looked up the stairs as she passed—no sign of Logan—and moved to the wall behind them. Three custom bookshelves made of walnut and steel were crammed with a mix of hardcovers and paperbacks. Veronica perused the titles. The Count of Monte Cristo, Catcher in the Rye, The Call of the Wild.

She fingered the leaves of a nearby potted palm, wondered why he didn’t have a Christmas tree.

“It’s real,” Logan said, springing down the stairs. “So did I give you enough time to search all the drawers and cabinets, or should I go change again?”

Her cheeks warmed. “Haha.” For something to do, she pulled out one of the saddle-seat bar stools, and flipped open the pizza box. “What made you leave the Grand?”

Shrugging, he handed her a plate, took down two glasses, and poured them both soda. Instead of answering, he said, “Keith. Missing.”

He was right; this wasn’t a social call, but the reminder that they weren’t friends, still stung. Swallowing her sigh with a bite of pizza, Veronica watched him through lowered lashes. Leaning on the opposite counter, half-turned away from her, he was eating his pizza over the box top, and he looked just as good fully-clothed as he did when wet and in swim trunks.

Shaking off the thought, she asked, “Do you remember Deborah Daily?”

Logan’s grimace said he did. “Sure, who could forget the socialite of Debbie does Daddy Dearest fame?” He dropped his unfinished slice back in the box. “Is she still floating around Neptune? Pun intended.”

Deborah had lost her status as trophy wife when she was discovered in flagrante with the pool boy. “No, she’s living in Aspen now, working as an event planner...of sorts. Really she only works for one place - this very exclusive, luxury ski resort called The Glen?”

He nodded. “I’ve been there.”

Of course he had. “Anyway, they’re hosting this five-day Christmas event billed as a ‘traditional’ holiday getaway for couples only.” She finished her pizza and, without having to ask, Logan slid a fresh slice onto her plate. Veronica smiled her thanks, and he rolled his wrist for her to continue. Smile fading, she peeled the pepperoni away from the cheese. “Part of the festivities is a lavish Christmas Eve party, complete with a full orchestra, dancing, and a charity auction.”

“Oh the rich, whatever will they think of next!” Logan clapped his hands together. “Christmas shopping that’s also a tax write-off!”

She ignored his mocking. “Debbie’s been arranging the auction for months, collecting big-ticket items—Harry Winston jewelry, a classic Ferrari, private plane—you get the idea. And then, about two weeks ago, she started to get worried.”

“That her guests weren’t rich enough to afford such baubles?”

“Not quite. She began to suspect the charity was a fake. On paper it looks legit- an outreach program for troubled teens, but when she finally met the CEO...she had doubts.”

“And she hired Mars Investigations?”

“You don’t need to sound so surprised; my dad is very good at what he does.”

“Oh, I wasn’t disparaging the...efficacy that is Keith Mars; I’m asking, why not a firm in Colorado?”

“She didn’t want her boss to find out. If the charity’s a scam, not only will she lose her job, but she’ll be blacklisted. She remembered my dad from his investigation into...”

“Aaron’s stalker,” Logan finished her sentence. “And why should I care about Deb’s future job prospects?”

“I’m not asking you to help HER; I’m asking you to help ME.” Logan gave her a non-committal, hmm, and tapped his wrist like her time was running out. Veronica pushed away her plate, started to stand, changed her mind. She HATED needing him, but she did. “Dad went undercover as a member of the staff; he’s playing Santa Claus at the party, and—”

Logan smirked. “So in essence you’re investigating the case of the missing Santa?”

“I’m GLAD you’re finding this so amusing.”

Something in her tone, wiped the smirk from his face. “I’m sorry, Veronica; finish your story.”

“He checked in with me on Tuesday night, but I haven’t heard from him since.”

“That’s only two days”—Logan looked at the clock above the bookshelves—“Not even. Maybe he’s busy chasing down a lead or--”

“No, we had an arranged check in time; he would call me every night at six while the staff was eating dinner, and he missed last night’s call.”

“Maybe he couldn’t get a signal or his phone died?”

Veronica shook her head. “He has a SAT phone WITH a tracking feature AND global positioning. Even if he couldn’t call me, I’d be able to track his location, and I can’t. Someone disabled it, Logan.”

“Have you called the police?” She just stared at him, and he held out his hands. “What? That ‘waiting-period to file a missing person’s report’ thing is only a Hollywood myth.”

“I know, but I don’t have any proof of foul play, or even that he’s in trouble - other than my instincts, and they’re telling me something’s wrong.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to help you with this?”

“Did you miss the part about it being a COUPLES retreat? I need you to come with me, pretend to be my boy—”

“Husband,” Logan interrupted. “Your better half, the old ball and chain.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever; we leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, dear.” Picking up his pizza, he folded it, and took a healthy bite. “See, we’re already playing our roles to perfection. You, the demanding, nagging wife, and me, the henpecked, lazy husband.” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Just out of curiosity- what was your backup plan? You must’ve had one when you stormed off all indignant-like.”

“To find another bored rich 09er to go with me.” He raised an eyebrow, waited for her to elaborate. “I was going to ask Dick.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think even YOUR acting skills are that great.”

“Well, we’ll never know.” She slid off the stool. “Our flight leaves at six a.m. so I’ll pick you up at four.”

“Pretty sure of yourself there, Mars, making flight reservations in ADVANCE.” He tossed his pizza crust in the trash. “Going to ask Dick,” he scoffed under his breath.

“Just be ready when I get here.” She shouldered her purse. “We have a layover in Phoenix, but we’ll get to the resort in time for the welcome lunch at noon.”

“Layover? God, I hope it’s not COACH.”

[storytime-reviews]

I Should Have Read That

Rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post

• Link to the creator’s blog (booksnest.co.uk) in your post

• Answer the questions below

• Tag 10 others to take part

• ENJOY THE TAG!

Thanks for tagging me @thelivebookproject whose answers are here :)

1. A book that a certain friend is always telling you to read:

A friend recommended Scythe to me ages ago, and I did reserve it in October at my local library, but whoever had it out kept it out months overdue. I literally just checked the library records now, and they have no record of it, so I guess the library never got it back lol.

2. A book that’s been on your TBR forever and yet you still haven’t picked it up:

God so many tbh. According to my Goodreads TBR, Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare, but in terms of books I’ve had for ages and not read, probably a collection of Plato’s works that I got as a bday present sometime in 2013-15 but didn’t read because I already felt oversaturated with ancient history content from uni. 

3. A book in a series you’ve started, but haven’t finished yet:

Just like @thelivebookproject, The Dark Artifices. I’ve read the first, but not the rest!

4. A classic you’ve always liked the sound of, but never actually read:

The Count of Monte Cristo...possibly also because part of me really wants to read it in French, but my language skills definitely aren’t there yet!

5. A popular book that it seems everyone but you has read:

So many tbh. I fell very far behind ‘popular’ books when I was at uni, and so I have a very big TBR to make up for it. Again, just like @thelivebookproject I haven’t read Throne of Glass yet, though in my case I am planning to. Also the Grisha trilogy, though I’ve read the Six of Crows duology. 

6. A book that inspired a film/TV adaptation that you really love, but you just haven’t read it yet:

I was going to say The 100 (but we don’t talk about that show anymore...) Definitely The Family Law, which is a memoir about growing up Asian in Australia, by comedian Benjamin Law. I love the show and I know I really need to read his book. 

7. A book you see all over Instagram Tumblr (I don’t use Instagram. <-same) but haven’t picked up yet:

Yeah I don’t have Instagram, so I’ll say The Cruel Prince and King of Scars which I’ve seen everywhere on tumblr, but haven’t read yet, although I do have the books...just haven’t read them yet!

Open tag like the others, but also tagging some people I think might enjoy this (but no pressure guys): 

@beautifulpaxielreads @literaery-me @myownlittlebookcorner @doughtah @sonyarebecchi

[monsterleadmehome]

Reylo Fic Rec Masterpost

Since I’ve been asked a couple times for fic recommendations, I decided to create a master list, which I’ll (hopefully) come back to and update. This is by no means comprehensive, but they are works I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and wanted to share. You can also always check out my bookmarks page on AO3.

I have updated these with ratings, but be warned they are mostly M or E. Smut not your thing? Check my smut-free recs here! Remember to mind the tags! 

*Indicates WIP

Let’s start with some little known fics. These are all under 100 kudos as of June 19, 2018. Make sure to leave a comment and/or give kudos if you read!

Ties That Bind* by @phoenixsolo -- Rated M. This fic is wonderfully written and jumps between multiple POVs. Also some great Poe and Wedge Antilles interaction which is fun. 

Holonet Mail by MelodeeKS99 (not sure of tumblr) -- Rated T. This is the cutest You’ve Got Mail AU one-shot but still takes place in universe. Ben and Rey are both smugglers. Guys, it’s adorable.

A Veil of Smoke* by @binarysvnrise -- Rated M. ASOIAF AU that is just masterfully thought out and so well-written. NO LONGER ON HIATUS. 

come and knock on my door* by jadeddiva -- Rated T. This is a really cute modern AU where Ben is a programmer at a startup and Rey is his college student neighbor. They meet because both their roommates have kicked them out to have sex.

every inch between us becomes light years by @spookykingdomstarlight -- Rated M. A beautiful one-shot that is both super sexy and sad. It hurts, but in a good way.

Cloudbusting by @bratanimus -- Rated T. Beautifully written and short. Just read it.

In-Universe Fics:

Sword of the Jedi series by @kylorenvevo -- Part 1 Rated T, Part 2 Rated M. Are you even a real Reylo if you haven’t read this? J/K, but seriously this was one of the earliest fics I read when I fell into the Reylo trash bin, and it is a masterpiece. AU where Rey and Ben grew up together at the Jedi Academy. It reads like canon novels. Not kidding.

Crossroads series by @gizkasparadise -- Part 1 T, Part 2 E, Part 3 T. This is an emotional rollercoaster in 3 parts. It’s got angst, it’s got the pre-TLJ Force Bond, it’s got memory loss, and some really kickass supporting characters. I just love it so much.

You’ll Be the One to Turn by @postedbygaslight -- Rated M. This is THE post-TLJ fic you need to be reading. It’s still a WIP at this point, but it’s sure to be completed soon, and like I told Posted before, if EP IX winds up totally letting me down, this will be the only version of events I accept. It is insanely well-written, gripping, and emotional. Just read it. 

Infectious by @dvrkrey -- Rated E. Also known as the sick!fic. It’s a poignant hurt/comfort post-TLJ imagining with a beautiful first time love scene. This one has a special place in my heart.

In The Early Dawn of Happiness by @corseque -- Rated E. GAH! This is beautiful and touching and even though it’s a reylohardkinks fill, it’s so much more than that. It is profoundly sweet, and if we’re lucky, there will be another chapter. 

landscape with a blur of conquerors* by @kylorenvevo -- Rated E. I’m assuming if you haven’t heard of this fic, you’ve been trapped on Ahch-To with Luke for too long. The arranged marriage AU with plenty of Hapan couture fashion to keep poor Kylo occupied.

Across the Stars* by @nite0wl29 -- Rated E. A Beauty and the Beast AU set in-universe (on Chandrila!). Rey falls for Kylo without him ever taking the mask off, and I think that’s beautiful. It’s got all the best elements of TFA, TLJ, and BatB. This one also should be wrapping up soon.

Songs of Innocence, Songs of Wisdom* by @cosmo-gonika -- Rated E. Another post-TLJ fic that has been blowing my mind. It has some mystical Force elements and some steamy scenes with Rey and Kylo. It does a really great job of showing where our star-crossed lovers are still not on the same page (but hopefully they’ll be there by the end!). 

The Descent of Ishtar by @assortedfruitsnacks212 -- Rated M. This is a trippy post-TLJ fic that is super mystical and really intriguing. It’s so well-written, and I might have to light a fire under the author to get her to update this because I NEED MORE.

Id by @dreamsdescent -- Rated E. A smutty one-shot where Rey fulfills Ben’s darkest fantasy. It’s hot. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Mood Lighting by @raven-maiden -- Rated E. This is based on the closeup of the MF captain’s quarters in Solo. It is a beautiful one shot with humor, soul, and (yes!) smut. Can’t believe it’s her first fic! 

World In My Eyes by @mygrandmathinksimsassy -- Rated M. Apparently I had been sleeping on this post-TLJ gem? It’s 96k words and recently completed, so you can settle down with this on a rainy day. Beautifully written, really sexy, and has a happy ending! I loved it.

AU Fics:

Blades Crossed by @the-reylo-void -- Rated M. A really amazing figure skating modern AU a la The Cutting Edge.

Stranger Than Fiction by @daxwashere -- Rated E. Seriously? Probably my favorite modern AU ever. Ben Solo is an author who needs to give his main character a love interest; enter Rey, his muse. It deals with some pretty real shit while also being incredibly full of heart (and some hot smut!).

Left Handed Kisses by @ever-so-reylo -- Rated E. The fuck buddies to lovers AU I never knew I needed. Rey is an Assistant District Attorney and Ben is a criminal defense lawyer. It’s hot, it’s sweet, it’s got lots of emotional constipation - you won’t be disappointed.

In the Name of Magic series by @waterlilyrose -- Part 1 E, Part 2 E, Part 3 T. The Hogwarts AU of my dreams! Kylo is a Snape-ish professor in Slytherin and Rey is a Gryffindor professor (of course). It’s great because it incorporates everything you love about Hogwarts, but focuses on the teachers instead of the students. Luke is Headmaster and Leia is Minister for Magic and there’s a very special painting of a snarky muggle that steals quite a few scenes. I absolutely adore this fic.

Dark Horse by @womp-rat-fever -- Rated T. This was a gift to me that I won in a tumblr giveaway. It is the Outlaw!Ben / Sheriff!Rey AU you never knew you always wanted! It’s a one-shot but it’s packed with action and pretty hot, too. I also made a playlist for it here.

The Promise by @nerdherderette -- Rated E. Wow. This is the most enthralled I think I’ve been with a one-shot. It’s 13k words, but reads like a 500 page historical fiction novel. If you like The Count of Monte Cristo, this is the fic for you.

Bedroom Hymns* by @drnucleus -- Rated E. Modern AU where Rey is a psychologist and Ben is an architect. Healthy BDSM where Rey is the Dom and Ben is the sub (although they haven’t quite gotten that far in the relationship yet). This is just really smart and eloquent. I’m a fan.

Fire Away* by @reylolujah -- Not rated. Disclaimer: I’ve only read the first chapter of this, but it’s SO GOOD. Laser tag AU with a really funny and great set up. Excited to see where it’s going! (I have it on good authority that we’re getting a half-naked Ben in a forthcoming chapter.)

A/B/O Dynamics:

Yes, I finally needed to add a section just for a/b/o. Sorry not sorry because I love it now. These are all E, for obvious reasons.

Your Pretty Little Heart by @ever-so-reylo -- modern AU where Ben and Rey are both doctors. And both terrible at admitting their feelings. It’s hot and super-well written. A good starter a/b/o fic!

Hunger* by @benperor-ren -- a canonverse a/b/o that picks up after Crait but with Rey in heat and Kylo coming to her aid, *wink wink nod nod*

Algorithms* by @grey-orchids -- the only first person POV fic I’ve ever enjoyed. This one is done so well it almost subverts the trope? Rey is a feminist and an IT person at a tech company run by Kylo. She goes into heat and things get interesting. *waggles eyebrows*

Summer Heat* by @isharan -- slow burn a/b/o you say? Yeah, and it hella works. Rey goes to spend the summer at her granfather’s cabin in Canada and is drawn to the outcast alpha Ben. It’s soooo good.

the thick of it* by @dvrkrey -- so steamy. It’s got hunter!Rey and lead alpha of the pack Kylo and Dothraki vibes for sure. Just check it out, you’ll like it. ;)

No One But You* by @faequeentitania -- a canonverse a/b/o started for Reylo week that started as mostly smut and now has plot! It’s really engaging and I’m excited for the last few chapters!

Hawthorne House by @strawberrycupcakehuckleberrypie -- I recently binged this and it is sweet/hot/amazing. Rey works at a B&B in Savannah, Ben Solo is a guest during a hurricane.

Oh and since people have also mentioned it, I will link to my works here at the bottom:

Dawn of the Rebellion series -- Rated T parts 1 & 2. This started as a one-shot I couldn’t get out of my head, then got a multi-chapter second part added on by popular demand. It’s my EP IX imaginings and it’s full of soft Reylo. There is a smutty epilogue in the works.

Truth Be Told* -- Rated M. The Alias AU I started for the RFFA exchange and am now taking too long to finish. If you like espionage and UST, I’ve got you covered!

smutty one-shots (all E): Chariot (modern AU) | Training Day (canon-verse) | Code 288 (Brooklyn 99 inspired) | Careless Whisper (80′s AU)

That’s about it for now, but I’ve got about 5 pages of “marked for later” fics I need to dig into, so keep an eye out for this list to be updated!

[glowingjesusgirl]

Chocolate Coins

By Jana K. Rego-Heins

 I stood nervously in front of the class in a royal blue bedazzled, sleeveless ball gown, white evening gloves with a tiara perched regally on my head. The one minute PowerPoint clip from a scene in the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, was coming to an end. The clip is the scene where “Zatara” aka “Edmond” (Jim Caviezel) and “Jacopo” (Luis Guzmán) find themselves in an underwater cave on an island knee deep in hidden treasure: gold coins, gold crowns, and all sorts of precious jewels. Suddenly, with the same enthusiasm and delight that Jacabo displayed in frolicking in the immense treasure, I grabbed a handful of chocolate “gold” coins and flung them out into the classroom full of students. To my surprise and dismay, the students were not trying to catch them in greedy, hungry delight as I had envisioned in my preparation for the past several weeks, but instead, they were ducking from the “coins” for fear of injury as though my intent were to pelt them with solid gold shrapnel. What had gone wrong?!

Clearly this was not the reaction I had been anticipating.  

What brought me to this absurd moment?

In the spring of 2012 in an ongoing effort to complete my bachelor’s degree, I enrolled in a freshman level communications class. Although I was a senior, taught several classes of medical terminology, various massage classes and was the interim massage therapist program coordinator at Illinois Central College, I had missed this very basic general education requirement.

Truth be told, I was excited about the class. I had chosen a section of

Communications 110 taught by Professor Joseph Chianakas. Professor Chianakas was not only an outgoing, dynamic, all around funny guy, but he had also been the high school communications instructor for four of my seven children before he had accepted a position at Illinois Central College. I had become acquainted with him through parent teacher conferences for my children. Oddly, I felt pressure to perform well because my children had all done well in his classes. I did not want to be the one in our family to get less than an excellent evaluation from him.

The first day of class Mr. Chianakas went over the syllabus and described the three public speaking assignments that had to be completed successfully to fulfill the class requirements. Many groans, concerns, and complaints ensued. Mr. Chianakas words of comfort were that there would be several weeks of lecture and discussion before any public speaking began. True to his word, during the first few weeks the class examined the definition of and various forms of communication. We discussed the differences that cultures and subcultures had on communication styles, body language, and personal space. We also discussed the sympathetic “fight or flight” response that affects almost all public speakers to one degree or another, and coping tools for the adrenaline rush.  

Finally, after two and a half weeks, we received our first speaking assignment.

We were to give a five minute persuasive speech about a movie, music video, or video game. We had to use a one minute clip from the movie, music video, or video game in a PowerPoint presentation as well as at least fifteen still shots using different transitions, animations and formatting styles in the PowerPoint for visual aids.  Additionally, Mr. Chianakas said he wanted us to have an attention getter in our introduction. He stressed this several times. He wanted us to do whatever it took to capture the audience’s mind right from the start. The first presentations would start in three weeks. I was one of two non-traditional students in the class, and almost everyone else was already trembling, so I volunteered to present first. I really wanted to impress Mr. Chianakas, clearly an issue of family and personal pride was at stake.  

The movie choice was easy, The Count of Monte Cristo. To make sure I really liked it I watched it again with my husband, Kris, who had never seen it. I took notes of possibilities for the one minute clip and ideas for the still shots. As I pondered the assignment, a vision began to form for my introduction. I would present in costume as a Countess wearing a fancy ball gown, evening gloves, a tiara, and I would toss out to my audience gold coins made of chocolate!  

I knew that making the PowerPoint was going to be the most time consuming aspect of preparation since I was unfamiliar with some of the tools we were required to use. I learned how to take a clip from a YouTube video and insert it into the presentation. I also learned to use the animations for entry and exit of slides and different frames and shadows for the pictures. It was exciting to discover features of PowerPoint that I had never used before. Once I was satisfied that I had met all of the requirements for the presentation I began pulling together the elements of my attention grabber.  

My daughter Angela had been in the prom court or prom queen all four years in high school, so I had quite a collection of tiaras and dresses from which to choose. Any of the dresses would look ridiculous on me because I was a 50+ year old woman playing dress up in a ball gown, but I finally selected a strapless, royal blue, silver bedazzled full length dress that laced up in the back. I remember making the comment when I bought this particular dress for Angela that it was so expensive and beautiful I was going to find some occasion to wear it myself, I joked that maybe I would use if for a wedding dress if I ever got married again. With the costume chosen I felt that so far my plan for a “big opening” was going well. The finishing touch would be the chocolate gold coins to toss to my classmates. I was getting so excited about this introduction that I could not sleep at night. My desire to impress my children’s speech teacher/college professor was now bordering on obsession.

I began my quest for chocolate gold coins about a week before the presentation. My initial efforts to find the prize were at Dollar General, Walmart, Walgreens, Target and the like. If it had been Christmas time I probably could have found them at any of these stores, but it was now couple of weeks before Easter and there were none to be found. I refined my search to specialty stores like Party Barn and Party City. Much to my chagrin I could not find chocolate coins anywhere! Time was running out, I was only a day away from my presentation! On the edge of panic, I contemplated changing the introduction, but every other idea I came up with paled in comparison to the chocolate coins. Additionally, I had already made my PowerPoint presentation with the one minute clipped scene to jibe with the chocolate coins intro. What was I to do? I did what I have found is the best thing to do, I asked Jesus to help me. This was not a fancy formal prayer, more like a sigh, "Jesus help me!" I was a little embarrassed praying for such an insignificant thing, but impressions came that if it was important to me then it was important to Him. Somehow, I expressed to Him my growing concern that I had not been able to find the chocolate gold coins. All I understood in response was that He was listening and He was the provider, yet I had no clear direction except to keep looking.

I went back to Target because it was the department store closest to where I worked. (This was the equivalent of looking under the streetlight for a coin that you lost in the dark end of the street.) I ventured over to the seasonal section with a bit of renewed hope, after all, it was Easter time and even though gold coins did not fit the Easter story, I thought perhaps I might find thirty chocolate silver coins, I could make that work, but no. I then searched the candy aisle, again nothing but Easter egg M&M’s and traditional candy. I was beginning to feel like all was lost. I did not have time now to come up with and prepare for an alternative for my “big opening”. I was wondering why I had been so stubborn and had not changed my plan a week ago when there would still have been opportunity...

I was in a pouting daze wandering around the store when I came to myself standing in the baking aisle facing rows and columns of flour. There was self-rising flour, all-purpose flour, unbleached flour, bread machine flour, cake flour, etc. Rousing myself to full alertness I wondered what had brought me to that aisle. I am allergic to gluten and have not been in the flour aisle for years. I stood staring at the rows and columns of different types and brands of flour in different sized bags and then chastised myself for wasting time. I needed to be doing something, pouting was not going to solve this problem, and neither was staring at bags of flour, but what was I to do now! I took one more look at the rows and columns of flour began to turn away. As I turned I noticed that all of the columns were adjacent to each other, bag touching bag in each row, except for a hand width space about the middle of the second row. Something drew me to that unexplained space. It was not big enough to be a missing column of flour bags, too narrow. Why was there a space there? I looked closer and nothing was there as far as I could see. I was strangely intrigued by this. I am not sure why I was so intrigued, or why I even noticed it, but I soon found myself sticking my hand into the nothingness, reaching far back to find out what, if anything, was there. At full arm extension, my shoulder pressed against the surrounding bags of flour, I reached with my fingers and touched something. It felt like fine plastic netting, like the kind of fine plastic netting which contained the chocolate coins of my childhood Christmas stockings. Puzzled, I closed my hand around the netting covered objects and drew them out of the darkness of the flour filled shelves into the light. Opening my hand I squealed with delight! I put my arm back into the crevasse and touched more netting. I pulled that out too. Over and over I repeated this process squealing with more delight each time, because there hidden in the abyss in back of all the bags of flour were at least ten bags of chocolate gold coins! I was blown away! Barely able to contain myself, I quickly took my treasure to the cashier. When she tried to ring the coins up, she said that her register did not recognize the item, the coins were not in the system. I laughed and said of course they were not in the system because Jesus had just made them for me. She did not quite know what to think of that response. Smiling and ready with good customer service, she charged me a dollar a bag and rang them up manually. I broke out in praise songs as I left the store. Even in this, a matter of pride, Jesus proved exceedingly faithful to me!

Now, in front of the class, I was seeing that the chocolate coins may have been too much of a success, the students’ first impression was that they were being bombarded with heavy coins that could injure them. I broke character and paused my “big opening” for just an instant to calm the audience and exclaimed, “It’s okay, these won’t hurt you, they are only chocolate!” As soon as the students perceived that they were not in physical danger they began to smile and collect the chocolate coins. From that point on the presentation was a great success. During the Q&A following, one of the students asked me if I was “Mercedes”, the Countess, from the movie. I was flattered and amused. Mr. Chianaka’s comment at the end of the Q&A to the students was, “The bar has been set high for the rest of you” and to me, “Wow, now I know where your kids get it from!”

Thank you, Jesus, you are the God Who Provides in every need, even the little ones!

[unpleinair]

Autumn Is Coming

It's been such an eventful summer, but I'm glad it's over. Was it a hot girl summer? I think it fits a lot of the categories of one.

From travels, to boys, to new beginnings there is a lot to process.

For one, after spending copious amounts of time with him, I have decided that Luke is a chaotic person who is spiraling down a path out of control-- a common thing with Enneagram 7's this summer. It seems when En. 7's don't get what they want they start plunging into pools of gluttony. After the excitement of going to Dallas and Utah this June, he seems to have unraveled. Since I started staying in more to start saving money for a new car (which I got), and to pay off the credit cards that paid for these trips-- he became bored and festered.

Heather, also, has been distant with him, and I think this slight feeling of rejection and a moment of silence gave him an restlessness that brought him back to dating Zach again.

This erratic behavior is not what I am looking for right now, as I am currently trying to simplify life and return to my minimalist roots. I have decided to distance myself with him, and give him plenty of space so he can wrap himself up into Zach. This will work in my favor, since he will ultimately stop bothering me as much with his inconsistencies and behavior. We have several concerts and trips to go on this Fall, so I will be seeing him plenty, but as far as being close friends, I think we need some space-- especially after the day he asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him.

Much like Kendal was the Boy of Spring, Grant was the Boy of Summer. Grant, though, a little emotional and unhinged, was a good guy and I overall had a very positive experience with him. He is extremely attractive, and I still hope we can connect and be friends in the future as he grows and matures.

Ultimately, it was a "it's me not you" situation, with him moving back to New York. I get it, and have had a few days where I'v been sad because I genuinely do like him. I think he is confused and lost in life right now (a common theme this year) and needs to get back to his family to figure out what he will do next. I plan on seeing him in the coming months before he leaves, I just hope he wants to see me too.

Working out at the gym has been my only real salvation this summer. I can't believe how much I've grown in mass since May. I'm currently cutting, and it is very hard, but necessary. As Summer's closing comes, it is likely to end with a bang. I will be poolside a lot, and will likely be taking thirst traps again to show off my body towards the end of it, finally ending with Imagine Fest where I will be shirtless for the better part of 3 days. Once Imagine is over, Fall starts officially and I will be back to heavy bulking.

I finally got a new car after the Caddy kept having issues. I turned her in for a trade in total of $4000 and got a 2022 Subaru Outback. I really can't believe how far I've come. This time last year, I was unemployed, broke, and working on the farm making $50 a day-- now I have the car of my dreams. He's a dreamy blue, and everyone says that I fit this car so much more than I did the Caddy, which is true. I'm so blessed to have the funds to be able to afford it-- and it looks like from here on out I will only be making more. Is a house and dog next? I think it's the next logical step...

Visiting Dallas and Utah were such fun experiences. The food was excellent, the company was the best, and overall my eyes opened to how much things everywhere are similar-- but also very different-- in the US. I got some gorgeous shots on my camera, and I don't think I will EVER forget the Angel's Landing hike. Yikes.

I've been reading Count of Monte Cristo for a few months now, and it's such a great book. I wish I had some time to really dig into it and finish it, but things seem to really be opening up since Luke is being elusive and Heather is prepping for the move. Lol

Animal Crossing has surprisingly been a hit for me during the Dog Days of Summer. It's too hot to really do anything outside, so I've bee working on finally finishing my island. Hopefully it will officially be done by October and by November I can say I "Completed" the game. It will be a huge achievement for me.

Looking forwards to the rest of the year, now that it's 3/4 over, I'm very excited. I will be pretty busy with work, trying to be the best salesman on the team. I also will start researching and studying for the real estate exam. I will have to sign up for classes and actually kind of go back to school-- which I'm nervous about but excited for. I think real estate will be a good field for me in my younger years, then I can transition more to corporate and investment properties.

I have big plans to cook lots of treats for my friends, go on road trips, spend lots of quality time, and grow this Autumn. Will there be a Boy of Autumn? Who knows. I seem to be attracting a lot of guys lately--

*Queue, "Rainin Fellas" by todrick hall*

But I'm excited for a relatively peaceful and "normal" Fall, compared to last year. There is the background of the Delta variant of Covid coming up, but hopefully it won't change too many plans. But, hey, if it does I still at least have Animal Crossing, books, and a job, so I'll be fine.

I always am.

August 10, 2021. Sober.

[virglows]

Zourry/Zouis

♦︎ Put It On Display ♦︎ 3k by fuckedlarry

All Zayn wanted was some hair gel. He didn’t think his search for the hair product would end up with him secretly watching and wanking to his roommate, Louis, getting fucked.

♠︎ You Are The Blood ♠︎ 175k by sarcasticfluentry

A seventh-year Hogwarts AU in which Niall gets all the girls, Liam goes on a journey of self-discovery, Zayn falls in love, Harry wants something more, and Louis tries to figure out once and for all why he, a Muggleborn, was sorted into Slytherin.

♣︎ No Sweeter Innocence Than Our Gentle Sin ♣︎ 14k by Teumessian

Harry’s hand grips Zayn’s wrist, and Louis grabs the other. It’s weird, frantic, just like a real club hookup. Which makes Zayn remember that he had questions. "Hey, you guys know you could have just… asked me? You didn’t need to like… seduce me in a club," Zayn says as they trip up the stairs—Louis places a steadying hand on Harry’s lower back when it looks like he might tumble back off a step. "We know," Louis says. "But it wouldn’t have been as fun that way," Harry finishes.

[Harry and Louis want to have a threesome—specifically a threesome with Zayn.]

♥︎ Glass Table Boys ♥︎ 6k by theteapirate

Louis is a go-go dancer at a gay bar. Zayn is a DJ, and Louis's roommate. Harry is a hot stranger. Naturally, a threesome ensues. Guest starring Nick Grimshaw as a sassy bartender.

♦︎ tell me you love this, tell me you’re not miserable. ♦︎ 10k by Artthrob

“You feel like everything I’ve been waiting for.” Louis said.

Zayn almost forgot how beautiful Louis could be when he spoke like that.

[or the one where Zayn knows he's like the sea and Harry is like home, but he will never know which one Louis finds more comforting]

♠︎ Snow ♠︎ 28k by protagonist_m

Louis and his boyfriend Zayn's post-university move to London is meant to be the start of their story. It doesn't account for things like boys across the hall with stupid giant eyes or kind souls with too much time on their hands. It certainly doesn't account for horrible jobs and worse methods of coping.

AU in which Louis and Zayn are meant to be, except for how they aren't, and Louis is trapped in some weird cross between Requiem For a Dream and Love, Actually. All just in time for Christmas.

Happy holidays, everyone.

♣︎ Tainted Spirits for Three ♣︎ 80k by sweetlullabies

Louis was walking alongside the bleachers when an orange flying object nearly took his head off. Well, it missed, but it was still pretty close, and it hit the bleachers and bounced around before rolling to a stop. Louis turned in the direction the ball came from, in order to see who this was that had decided to kill him.

“Sorry,” Harry said, scratching at his curls. “I just, uh…lost control.”

or the au where Harry loves Louis, and Zayn does too, which results in confusion that tests Louis' relationships with both.

♥︎ All I Wish Not To Remember ♥︎ 71k by thealmightyavocado

What happens when all you had, all you loved, all you held dear is viciously ripped away from you? When your inner core, once filled with love and hope and light, blackens to raw, dark hatred?

What happens when your soul is hopelessly consumed and no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you attempt to shake yourself out, to rid your tormented mind of the opaque feelings that plague you, all you can see, all you can feel, all you can want is...

Revenge.

A modern adaption of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas A tragic tale of timeless undying love, merciless revenge, and selfless sacrifice.

♦︎ Into the Deep Below ♦︎ 18k by writeivywrite

Louis can’t help but stare, his heart in his throat, because he’s never kissed anyone like that. It’s the sort of passion people ruin their marriages for, that they get tattoos to remember, and it hurts to look at because he wants to taste it, to get between them and feel the burn of it on his lips.

Surfer AU written for the prompt 'Les Misérables: the guide, the chief and the centre'

♣︎ Sounds Like Something That I Used to Feel ♣︎ 6k by yeahloads

The tension between them would take an axe to cut through. Zayn actually isn't that upset anymore, mostly over the initial sting of Louis leaving over a year ago, but he can feel annoyance rolling off Harry in waves, years of being on shaky terms and ignoring it coming to a head during this little confrontation.

And of course, because Louis doesn't know how to take a hint, or if he does, he completely disregards it, he keeps going.

"So I was thinking that we should catch up," he gestures to Harry and Zayn's joined hands, "Looks like we have a lot to talk about."

A Zourry Threesome

♠︎ boy when you're with me, i'll give you a taste ♠︎ 5k by hazmesentir

"Can we just get this clear because – are you saying you want to watch me and Harry get off?"

"Well." No. "Yeah, maybe."

A Zourry threesome (kind of) where Zayn watches Harry and Louis and helps out a bit too.

♥︎ If I Fall For You, Would You Fall Too? ♥︎ 29k by slashter

“Fuck, Louis, most of us can’t even find one person to date, and you go and land yourself two!” Louis flips Niall off and closes his eyes, trying his hardest to ignore the blond’s peals of laughter. It’s true what Niall says, he can’t have them both. And this is him imagining that either of them would even want to get with him, which he knows is pretty much ridiculous considering the fact that they’re obviously seeing each other and why the hell would you pick Louis Tomlinson over Harry Styles or Zayn Malik?

[Or the one where Louis is a uni dropout who's just managed to land a new job as a housemaid, and he ends up getting to clean the shared apartment of well-known socialites Harry and Zayn]

[kpopfanfictrash]

No Strings (II)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Jimin

Rating: 18+ (smut)

Word Count: 3,411

Summary: It started off as such a simple question. How to know if you’re bad in bed? Of course when you asked, you didn’t imagine Jimin would actually answer.

“I’m just saying!” Seokjin chews noisily through his complaint. “Why is it called a Monte Cristo? Who decided that? For that matter, who decided to take a perfectly good sandwich and drop it in the deep fryer?”

Jimin shrugs, taking a bite of his normal turkey sandwich. “I don’t know, man.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” Seokjin says, barreling on. “It’s just strange. It seems like the sandwich should never have happened in the first place, you know?

“Kind of like this conversation,” you say, pushing a fry around the edge of your plate.

“Damn, Y/N.” Seokjin snorts. “Savage today.”

“Today… every day.” Jimin takes another bite. “What’s the difference, really?”

You offer a smile, although it does not reach your eyes. Jimin sits across from you, Seokjin beside you; these are your normal spots for lunch but for some reason, it feels strange. It should not; you and Jimin are still just friends, the same as this morning.

Except, not really because now you have seen Jimin naked, have heard the moan he makes when he comes and things are very different than before. Every time he looks up, you think he is looking at you. He is not, of course he is not; Jimin remains remarkably calm seated across from you, whereas you are barely holding it together. It is hard not to wonder if Jimin thinks the same things that you do, if he replays the same actions, the same moments as you. Shaking your head, you stop yourself. Of course he is not – there is no way Jimin is thinking about your lips on his, his hands on your body, his thighs –

“Y/N.” Seokjin waves a hand, looking pointedly at the waiter. “Did you want a box for that?”

You glance at the half-eaten sandwich before you. “Uh, yeah, that’d be great.”

The waiter takes your food away, leaving the three of you to sit there in silence. Seokjin slurps happily on his soda – a combination of Fanta and Coke you have long since grown accustomed to. “So, what’re we doing tonight?” he asks, setting his cup down. “What movie were you guys watching earlier?”

“Kingsman.”

“The Notebook.”

You and Jimin stare at each other. 

“We watched both,” you correct, cheeks hot. “First Kingsman, then the Notebook.”

Jimin nods, gaze sliding to Seokjin. “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird,” he says.

Seokjin laughs. “Okay, so neither of those. What if we go out?”

“Maybe,” you shrug.  “I’m kind of tired and was thinking of staying in.”

Jimin cocks his head to one side. “Really?” he asks, expression unreadable. “I think a bar sounds like fun.”

“Then you go,” you say, making a face. “I’m not your mom or your girlfriend, Park.”

Jimin’s gaze narrows and Seokjin leans both elbows to the table. “Oooooooh,” he chuckles. “Y/N is savage today.”

Jimin arches a brow. “Fine. I’ll go.” He looks over at Seokjin. “Does Minsun want to come, too?”

Minsun is your roommate, Seokjin’s girlfriend. Seokjin shrugs, pulling out his phone. “Let me ask.”

Leaning back in your seat, you cross both arms over your chest. Staring at Jimin while Seokjin types, Jimin smiles back in an insolent manner. He bends, taking a long sip of his milkshake as he sucks on the straw.

Your eyes narrow in response to this torture. “So, did Minsun respond?” you ask, tearing yourself away from Park Jimin’s mouth.

“Yeah, she’s in.” Seokjin is still typing. “She doesn’t want to drive, though.”

Beneath the table, Jimin’s knee touches yours. Your breath hitches, doing your best to hide it.

“I can drive,” Jimin says, pressing his leg even closer. “I don’t mind being sober.”

“Okay,” Seokjin agrees, putting down his phone. “I’ll let her know. You sure you don’t want to come, Y/N?”

“I’m sure,” you say through gritted teeth. “I’m fine staying home.”

Because if Jimin is just going to be a dick, you do not want to around him. What you really want is to consider your feelings alone, since what happened earlier was a horrible idea. You should have known better than to think that Jimin would drop it.

Should have known better than to think you would not want to do it again.

Exhaling under your breath, you grab for your purse. “Seokjin, let me out. I have to use the restroom.”

Nodding, Seokjin slides free from the booth. While navigating your way to the back of the restaurant, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket, display lighting up to a familiar name.

Jimin: Hey, are you mad at me? [2:34 PM]

Y/N: No. [2:37 PM]

Jimin: Lol [2:38 PM]

Jimin: that was the most passive aggressive answer ever [2:39 PM]

He is correct. Stifling a grin, you type back.

Y/N: Maybe if you weren’t being such an ass, I wouldn’t have to act like one [2:40 PM]

Jimin: What?? How am I being an ass? [2:40 PM]

Instead of responding, you send a picture of yourself with one eyebrow raised and Jimin texts you back laughter.

Jimin: Okay, okay. So the knee under the table was a bit much [2:41 PM]

Y/N: You think? [2:42 PM]

Jimin: Rarely. [2:42 PM]

A snort escapes you, followed by a sigh.

Y/N: Look. [2:42 PM]

Glancing up, your thumbs drum against the keyboard. You have been gone for a while and soon, Seokjin will know something is up.

Y/N: I just want things to be normal, okay? Sorry about this afternoon… I didn’t mean to make things weird between us [2:43 PM]

There is silence from the other end, a long pause while you lean your head to the wall and stare at yourself in the mirror. Your hair is still kind of a mess, something you did not realize earlier but now are wondering if Seokjin did. Probably not – he would have said something to you if he had and before you can follow that train of thought, your phone vibrates in your hand.

Jimin: I didn’t mean to make things weird either. Sorry for being a jerk :( [2:44PM]

At his sad little frowny face, you laugh. Jimin’s expression is practically visible in your mind; you know he is not that upset, know he is already over this afternoon and moving on to the next thing. You should do the same.

Y/N: Lol fine. Anyways, I really do have to go to the bathroom. See you out there [2:44 PM]

Jimin: Good luck ^.^ [2:45 PM]

When you get back to the table, your sandwich is already wrapped and waiting. Seokjin hands you the box, already walking towards the door. 

“We got you this time,” Jimin says as he passes.

Chatter resumes in the car – it is easier, now that you and Jimin have talked. Once in the passenger seat, you unwrap your sandwich, suddenly famished. As you eat, you draw your feet onto the seat and earn a noise of protest from Seokjin. 

“Hey,” he complains. “Your feet are on my car.”

“Like you never put your feet up in my car,” you grumble but still, you lower them to the ground. “Double standards.”

Jimin pokes his head between the two of you. “It’s true. Last week you took off your shoes in my passenger seat, Seokjin. It was not a pretty sight.”

“Wrong,” Seokjin declares, steering expertly into the parking lot. “Everything about me is pretty, even my toes.”

“Well, that’s just not true.”

Parking in his usual spot, Seokjin turns off his car and unbuckles his seat belt. “Are you coming inside, Y/N?” he asks, searching the side door for his sunglasses case.

Glancing at Jimin, you see he is currently texting. “Nah, I don’t think so,” you say, tearing your gaze away to smile at Seokjin.  “I think I’ll just head home.” Sliding out of the car, your feet hit the pavement. “Bye, guys!”

Jimin’s head snaps up. “So soon?” he asks. “We didn’t even get to finish the Notebook.”

The imaginary Notebook, which you two never started.  “A tragedy,” you say, rolling your eyes. “You’ll live. I’ll see the two of you later.”

As you leave, you overhear Seokjin asking Jimin about someone named Victoria. Wincing, you hike your purse up on your shoulder. Of course, Jimin already has a backup. It is probably a good thing you are not going out with them tonight. You are still feeling weird about the whole matter and need time to figure things out without Jimin present. To hang out with Jimin and his new girl would be too much to consider.

You are so preoccupied with thoughts of this driving home, you almost run a red light – screeching to a stop, you blink while you wait for your scared breath to slow. Lowering your head to the steering wheel, you find it hard to think about anything else, because sex with Jimin was… good.

That is a lie.

Sex with Jimin was amazing, the best you have ever had. Which is confusing – typically, you do not even orgasm for guys you do not have feelings for. This, of course, begs the question of whether you have feelings for Jimin.

As soon as the light turns green and you begin to drive, this is all you can think about. The two of you do hang out a lot, you text all the time but to be perfectly honest, Jimin is not your type. He is a playboy, constantly going from one girl to the next; evidenced by tonight. You are more the flowers and candy kind of partner, the committment-loving girl next door. None of which you have seen a particular desire for in the past with Jimin.

No, Jimin is not your type. The two of you just have some sexual chemistry, that is all.

Once decided, you breathe a sigh of relief. Just because Jimin is good in bed does not mean you like him. It means you can continue being friends, can continue laughing about his most recent conquests and debating your own. You definitely should not be worried about falling for Park Jimin.

Pulling into your parking lot, you exhale because it was petrifying for a moment to think you might have feelings for him. Jimin is impenetrable. There is never anything serious with him, nothing beyond a casual fling. If you had a crush on Jimin, that would be suicide.

Entering your apartment, you find it empty - although that is to be expected, since Minsun texted you earlier saying she wanted to grab dinner with Seokjin. It is nice to have the place to yourself and you end up lounging the rest of the day, reading until the sun sinks below the horizon.

Once you realize it is dark outside, you light candles, order Chinese food and call it a romantic night in. You clean your apartment as well, turning on music and dusting around the rooms. You even do laundry, sinking into your bed once folded to pour a glass of wine and turn on the TV.

You are midway through an episode of Friends when your phone vibrates. A glance sideways shows it is Jimin, his icon filling your screen. It is the words of his text, though which make you sit up on in bed. Heart pounding, you grab for your phone.

Jimin: You never answered my question. [12:31 AM]

He cannot mean… slowly, you type back.

Y/N: What question? [12:33 AM]

There is a pause in conversation where you look at the clock and realize it is half past midnight. Jimin has been out for a while – he might be drunk. Except that Jimin is driving. He cannot be drunk.

Your phone buzzes again.

Jimin: I asked if you wanted more. [12:36 AM]

You stare down at his words, about to type back no. You are about to tell Jimin he needs to stop messing around, but… then you pause. It has been a really long time since a guy made you come like that. You already know you do not like Jimin in that way, already know there is no chance of falling in love with him. Really, there is no harm in this arrangement.

Even slower than before, you type out your response.

Y/N: What… would you teach me? [12:40 AM]

Enough time passes that you start to regret your question. Closing your eyes, you suddenly wish you had said nothing at all, or turned it into a laugh. He might have been kidding. Maybe you just responded seriously to his joke and Jimin is passing around his phone, laughing with friends over your clear desperation.

As soon as this enters your mind, you shake it aside. Jimin would not do that; Park Jimin may be many things, but he is not mean. Your phone vibrates.

Jimin: Whatever you want. [12:42 AM]

Your pulse races at those three words. Fuck. Jimin is good at this.

Y/N: Would you teach me how to do that? [12:43 AM]

Y/N: How to turn someone on … through text? [12:43 AM]

Jimin: Mmm. [12:44 AM]

Jimin does not say anything for a while, leaving you staring at a now-empty screen. Clicking your TV on and off, you wait for a response.

Jimin: Where are you? [12:47 AM]

Y/N: In my bed. [12:48 AM]

Jimin: What are you wearing? [12:48 AM]

Y/N: A t-shirt. [12:49 AM]

Jimin: And? [12:49 AM]

Y/N: Underwear. [12:50 AM]

Jimin: Fuck. [12:50 AM]

Beneath your comforter, your legs press tightly together.

Y/N: Where are you? [12:52 AM]

Instead of responding via text, Jimin sends you a picture. When it finally downloads, you almost drop your phone because it is Jimin. Lying across his bed – you recognize his sheets, blue and grey stripes. He is not wearing a shirt though and his bare torso is visible, sheets mussed around him. His boxers are dangerously low on his frame, displaying just the shadow of his v.

Drawing in a shaky breath, your fingers fly over the keyboard.

Y/N: What happened to the bar? [12:54 AM]

Jimin: Jin and Minsun wanted to come back. I was their driver. [12:55 AM]

Y/N: What, couldn’t find a girl? [12:56 AM]

Jimin: Not tonight. So, back to my original question. [12:57 AM]

You stare at the screen. Then, before you can change your mind, you type your response.

Y/N: Teach me. [12:59 AM]

Suddenly, your phone vibrates. Swiping hastily right, you press the call to your ear. “Hello?”

“Y/N?” Jimin responds, voice low.

You screw your eyes shut, pressing the back of your hand to your face. “Jimin. Are you serious about this?”

His laugh is quiet. “About what?” Jimin snorts. “Wanting to be fuck buddies? Dead serious.”

And there it is. “So…” you exhale, clearing your throat. “We’re friends with benefits, then.”

“That’s the PG-rated version, I guess.”

“Oh, shut up,” you groan. “You know I’m more innocent that you are.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jimin says, sounding as though he is trying hard not to laugh. “The way you looked with your mouth wrapped around my cock… you can cross innocent off the list.”

Shivering a little, you wriggle down in your sheets. “You liked that?”

“Do you think I’d be suggesting this if I didn’t?”

“Probably not.”

“Good answer,” Jimin says. He pauses. “So, you got the photo I sent you?”

“Yes,” you breathe, voice dropping as well. “Do… do you want one back?”

Jimin falls quiet on the other end of the line. “Fuck Y/N,” he groans, voice unsteady. “Why do you have to say it like that? So sweet and innocent, it makes me want to do horrible things to you.”

“Like what?” you ask, unsure why this turns you on so much.

“Send me a goddamn photo and I’ll tell you.”

Pulling back to look at yourself, you scan your body and see a loose, grey t-shirt and black underwear. Remembering the angle at which Jimin took his photo, you position your phone, changing your mind at the last second to roll your t-shirt higher and expose your midriff. Sliding a thumb beneath the band of your underwear, you quickly snap a pic.

Before you can change your mind, you press send and return the phone to your ear to wait.

Jimin groans out loud. “Oh, fuck.”

Stifling a grin, you do not roll down your t-shirt yet. “You like?”

“Y/N,” he whines. “Why lace? What are you trying to do to me?”

“Make you hard.”

“It worked.”

Shifting on the bed, you lie on your side. “Now what?”

“Now what?” Jimin sighs. “Now what? Are you trying to ruin my hard-on?”

Frowning, you draw both knees into your chest. “Fine,” you huff. Then, sweetly, you add, “You’re the boss, Jimin. Whatever you say, I’ll do.”

From the other end, Jimin’s breath hitches. “Anything?” He sounds more than a little turned on.

You nod, realizing he cannot see. “Anything.”

“Take off your shirt,” he breathes.

Slowly, your hands skim your sides and lift your shirt over your head. Once it has removed you fall back on your pillow, shivering at the touch of bare skin on cotton. “Done.”

“Show me.” Jimin’s voice is commanding.

You snap a picture of the shirt on the floor and send, waiting for his intake of breath. Like clockwork, Jimin swears and you hear the sound of rustling of sheets on his end of the phone.

“What are you doing?” you murmur, curious.

“My hand’s on my dick, what do you think I’m doing?” Jimin says. “Your body is so fucking hot, Y/N. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

You blink, unsure if this is part of the dirty talk or an actual confession but either way, you have not been able to stop thinking of him, either. “Same,” you sigh, scooting even lower. ”You weren’t lying… when you said you knew what you were doing.”

“Oh?” Jimin sounds smug. “What did you like, Y/N?”

You take a deep breath, steeling yourself. “I liked your lips.”

“Where?” 

“Between my legs.”

Jimin is quiet for a second. Then, “Touch yourself.”

“W-what?”

“Slide your hand down your body. Imagine it’s mine.”

Closing your eyes, you obey. It is easy to focus on the pressure and imagine it is Jimin’s hand, not yours. “Okay,” you sigh.

“Now remove your panties,” Jimin says lowly. “I want to see a picture of them once they’re gone.”

His words send a tinge of excitement through you. Removing your underwear, you take a photo while they hang from the tips of your fingertips.

“Oh, fuck.” Jimin groans, receiving the image.

“How hard are you?” you whisper, suddenly envisioning it. Jimin, with his lips parted and head tilted back, stroking over himself while thinking about your body.

“Hard enough that I want to hear you touch yourself.”

Gasping, you slide one finger between your legs. “I am.”

“Open your legs.”

You obey. “They are.” Slowly your hand moves, sliding a fingertip over your slippery sex. “I can’t stop thinking about your tongue,” you whisper, like a secret. “I’ve never been so close… with just…”

Jimin lets out a low laugh. “You want to come like that next time? With my head between your legs and your thighs wrapped around me?”

You cannot help it, you moan. Your finger moves faster, back arching on top of the bed. “Yes. But you know what else I want?”

Jimin’s voice is tight, on edge. “What?”

“You inside me,” you moan. “I want your cock to pound me into my sheets until I can’t think straight.”

“Fuck, Y/N.” Jimin sounds as if he is barely in control. “I want to be inside you so bad. I want to hear you screaming my name, make you come so hard you forget your own.”

Your breathing is heavy as you slide a finger inside. Mimicking the motion Jimin did to you, you find it not the same. “Jimin.” Biting down on your lip, you stifle the sound. “Next time, I want you to fuck me against the wall. Bend me over and make me come like that. ”

Your fingers rub circles, bringing you close to the edge. The memories of Jimin filling you, the thought of him inside you again, is driving you crazy. Your insides tighten with need.

“Y/N,” Jimin gasps. “Fuck – I can’t”

The sound of him naked and undone is the last straw. You arch upwards on your bed, orgasm crashing into you. “Jimin,” you gasp, slowly regaining your bearings.

He exhales into the phone. “Did you come?”

“Yes,” you murmur. Your heart still beats jaggedly, pulse pounding. “Did... did you?”

Jimin chuckles. “Yeah. It’s kind of a mess.”

Despite yourself, you smile. “Then what are you talking to me for? Go clean up.”

“Ugh, fine.” There are sounds from the other end while Jimin rolls off his bed. “Did you mean what you said earlier, Y/N?”

You struggle to think through your words. “Which part?”

“Ouch.” Jimin snorts. “Are you implying some of what you said wasn’t true? Seduction techniques to get me into bed? I’m wounded.”

“Technically, you started this,” you point out. “Also, you were already in bed.”

“Oh, right.” Jimin laughs, sounding further away. “I meant about there being a next time. You said you wanted me to ‘fuck you against a wall,’” he quotes, sounding ridiculously self-assured.

Pausing, you find yourself uncertain how to answer. “Well. Is this going to be a regular thing?”

“Do you want it to be?”

Yes, but you do not want him to know that. “Maybe.”

Jimin laughs. “It’s either a yes or a no, Y/N. I’m a yes.”

Slowly, you exhale. “Me, too.”

“Good.”

“Good.” You listen to the sounds of him moving and sit suddenly upright, wrapping the sheet around your body. “Okay. If we’re going to do this, there have to be ground rules.”

Jimin snorts. “Okay. What are the rules, Y/N?”

“No one can know.”

“Granted.”

Smiling, you consider how best to phrase your next request. You decide to be blunt. “You have to get tested for STD’s.”

“Y/N,” Jimin groans, almost offended.

“Both of us will,” you amend, pulling your knees into your chest. “It’s just that I’m already on the pill and it would be so nice, not to have to use condoms.”

Jimin falls silent before sighing. “Okay, fine. We both get tested. I assume this means we’re just sleeping with each other?”

Oh. You had not thought about that. Chewing on your lower lip, you exhale. “I mean... Or, we could use condoms?”

“Or....” Jimin considers. “How about this? If we sleep with anyone else, we use condoms. We let the other person know if that changes.”

“So, we’re not exclusive?”

“Not unless you want to be.”

“I... no,” you say, biting down on your lip. “Let’s not be exclusive. This is good for you, too, Park. Half the guys out there don’t even want to wear protection.”

“Half the guys out there are going to get pregnant, then.”

“Well, there’s some miracle of science,” you joke, the grin fading from your face. “And the third rule should be that if either one of us starts developing romantic feelings, we end this immediately.”

Jimin does not laugh, which surprises you. “Fine,” he exhales. “Try not to fall in love with me, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you say, snuggling into your sheets. “I’m the adorable girl-next-door, Park Jimin. You try not to fall in love with me. Now go to sleep,” you instruct. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Girl next door, my ass.” Jimin is still laughing when you shush him. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

Your eyes are shut almost before your head hits the pillow.

[Master List]

© kpopfanfictrash, 2017. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[silver-soliloquy]

CoMC week 4 part 1

XXXI

o   I love that the timeskip and pov changes are drastic enough that we now have absolutely no idea what Edmond’s planning anymore!  General vengeance, sure, and we know the names of the people he’s going to be targeting, but with Morrel the reader could pretty much guess what the Mysterious Stranger’s angle was even if Dumas was playing coy about names. From here on we’re pretty much flying blind, and it’s super fun.  How much of what goes down in this section is he actually orchestrating, and how much can we mark down to Romantic Coincidence?  Was Franz’s role in all this part of the plan, or did he just stumble into it and Edmond made it work?  How is any of this actually going to get back to Villefort/Ferdinand?  Who knows!  Not Franz or me, that’s for sure!  Isn’t this exciting?

o   Also, Edmond has apparently done so much stuff over the timeskip, and none of it is…what he said he was going to do.  He hasn’t even tried to go after his enemies yet, apparently, but he’s completely transfigured himself so much that he’s unrecognizable even though we’re in the know about his ridiculous aliases.  Why were his priorities Orientalism and spending money and smoking hash?  I mean I guess he’s been building up his aliases and putting in place a network of money and influence that lets him do pretty much whatever he wants, but man, this is quite a shift.  Even without the pov shift, it’s pretty easy to start viewing Edmond as something unknown and dangerous instead of Our Hero.

o   (I’m still going to keep calling him Edmond though, because the more sinister he gets the funnier it is to me.)

o   As a sidenote though, I am totally delighted by the “wow, I wonder who this Mystery Person could be! we’ll just have to use the obviously fake name they give us, because we definitely don’t know what their real name is! NO PROTAGONISTS HERE, MOVE ALONG” game that the narrator’s playing. I loved it in Les Mis, I love it here! Somehow it never gets any less entertaining!

o   The thing where Edmond always somehow embodies the mannerisms/physical characteristics of whatever nationality he’s pretending to be kind of reminds me a lot of Fantomina, have any of you guys read that?  It’s an 18th century British novel about a lady who sets out to get revenge on her cheating boyfriend but ends up just getting really wrapped up in the theatre of costume and the multiple identities and ends up just having a really good time messing with him while he never notices that all these different women are, in fact, Fantomina.  I’d have to reread it for details and Fantomina does more playing with class than with nationality, but I feel like Edmond could kind of relate.

o   I don’t really have much to say about the Romanticism Bingo chapter except, wow, that happened I guess.  It is kind of worth mentioning that, for all that Edmond’s forced himself to become a different person, he still uses Monte Cristo as his home base and his name—it seems like both a tribute to Faria and a sign that there’s a part of him that still doesn’t want to let go of his beginnings, no I’m not crying it’s fine

o   Albert is adorable, and his willingness to go along with Mystery Man’s Thousand and One Nights roleplaying is hilarious.  Maybe he and Edmond could be lit nerd buddies if Edmond wasn’t so busy being CREEPY and HAVING NO FRIENDS EVER.

o   I think somebody in the tag mentioned the possibility that Edmond bribed Franz’s captain to take him to Monte Cristo, and I think that’s definitely what happened—the whole way the sidetrip unfolds is so weird!  “hey let’s stop by Monte Cristo for some quick hunting, it’s uninhabited it’s fine” “oh yeah also there might be smugglers, it’s still fine” “oh look, lots of smugglers and also bandits! we are also smugglers so it’s okay, we can talk to them! we’ll have to stay the night though, forget that this was supposed to be a quick visit” “uh their leader wants to hang out with you and also has a huge opulent mystery palace that we definitely knew about even though we said the island was uninhabited, THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL HAVE SOME DRUGS” LIKE.  THIS IS THE MOST SUSPICIOUS THING I HAVE EVER HEARD, HOW DID FRANZ GO ALONG WITH THIS.  Except I still can’t figure out what Edmond’s angle there was?  How does impressing Franz with his mysterious wealth and orientalism help with anything???

XXXII

o   Albert!  For a spoiled rich kid he is INCREDIBLY ENDEARING, and he and Franz are super cute together and oh my god it’s just so nice to have some characters who actually like each other!           I AM STARVED FOR FRIENDSHIP OKAY, EDMOND WHY DO YOU INSIST ON NOT HAVING ANY FRIENDS.  Franz’s knowledge of Albert’s quirks and general air of fond exasperation for his ridiculousness is just really sweet and made these chapters really enjoyable.  And I still want cute road trip adventures fic of them.

o   Signor Pastrini is the real hero of this book for putting up with all the rich people nonsense happening in his hotel, tbh

XXXIII

o   YIKES YIKES YIKES CAN I SKIP THIS CHAPTER

o   Okay no I do have a few notes—Luigi Vampa, the first mysterious sketchy stranger who isn’t secretly Edmond!  I totally cracked up when ~the Count of Monte Cristo~ showed up in the story ANYWAYS, because apparently what Edmond’s been doing during the timeskip is integrating himself into every urban legend and scrap of local gossip there is.

o   The Cucumetto story was AWFUL, OH GOD WHY, not to mention BASICALLY POINTLESS, but I guess the Luigi/Teresa story was kind of entertaining?  Maybe the point of the Cucumetto bit was to give Luigi Vampa the Not As Bad As You Could’ve Been award?  The fact that his idea for getting his girlfriend a nice dress was “BURN DOWN A WHOLE VILLA” was hilarious, anyways.

o   Also I feel like the Florian reference is just straight up Dumas calling me out for not finishing the second half of Estelle et Nemorin, which I AM WORKING ON OKAY, WHAT IS IT WITH YOU ROMANTICS AND MAKING ME READ CRACKED OUT PASTORAL NOVELS LET ME REST

XXXIV

o   All the fuss about taking Albert to see the colosseum in the most impressive amazing way possible still seems pretty romantic to me as well as Romantic, Franz knows how to plan a date I’m just saying

o   Did Edmond also plan for Franz to overhear the whole rendezvous in the coliseum?  It seems like that one might have been just Coincidence??  BUT WHO KNOWS WITH EDMOND

o   Honestly I spent the whole opera  section screaming internally about how NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE STAGE, AUGH

o   Franz and the Countess took a moonlight walk in the coliseum and talked about THE DEAD!  How very Romantic of you two, I can see why Byron likes this lady

o   Byron/Lord Ruthwen references galore!  I need to come back to this after I read the Vampyre, so I have no comments except that the Countess is dating Byron but also so freaked out by Edmond that she has to leave the theatre immediately?  Seriously???

o   I love how oblivious Albert is to the encroaching creepiness of the Plot!  HE JUST WANTS TO FIND A CARRIAGE AND HAVE A DRAMATIC ADVENTURE WITH A HOT ITALIAN LADY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S STUCK IN A REVENGE NOVEL

XXXV

o   Everything about the executions is pretty much horrifying, and I don’t have that much to say about it except to note how all deliberate Edmond has been about desensitizing himself to violence and death and how much he wants not only vengeance but to be a person who can be that casually cruel—his first victim was definitely himself, and he has to keep seeking out scenes of torture and revenge to keep himself from reverting to the kid he was in prison who just wanted someone to love.

o   His whole speech about how a man’s mask comes off when he’s faced with death seems like it goes back to Morrel’s almost-suicide, too—if Edmond hadn’t liked what he saw when Morrel was on the point of killing himself, would he have gone through with his reward?  That…doesn’t make me feel any better about how much he waited till the very last possible moment there, but it does make more sense.  It’s also foreshadowing Albert’s kidnapping adventure with the bandits, where I think even Edmond has to respect how chill he is about being possibly executed in the morning.

more notes tomorrow probably! :D

[captainignatiuspigheart]

BIrthday, Booze and Bumbling

Sure, it’s Friday – or is it? Who the hell knows. I can’t tell the difference, and worst of all I’m writing this (at last) on day one of our four day bank holiday weekend. Thank goodness my workmates told me, otherwise I’d have been working all day. So, with five days separating me from last week, what can I actually recall… I’m in luck, because I’ve started to keep a list. Genius plan, which I undermine as I fail to write stuff down. That feels a lot like our present state of lockdown – it all constantly slips away… I’m still feeling the massive contrast between the hysteria of 24 hour news and this just feeling like normal life. I’m also utterly thrilled to be spending so much time with my beautiful cats.

Still, we had my other half’s birthday, and I feel we made the most of it. Our usual birthday activities are something along the line’s of 1) get up very late, 2) take ages to eat breakfast and get dressed, 3) open presents while watching cartoons (this year we enjoyed Disney+’s Chip ’n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, which feels like it’s suffered the passage of time better than Duck Tales), 4) go to the cinema, 5) eat out somewhere, and 6) crash out on the sofa. On that scale we at least managed all but 4 and 5. So that’s not bad. The whole pandemic and not being able to choose to go out only really hit home when we wanted to complete our usual rituals. Nemmind. I snagged a piece of rather nice original Peter Firmin Bagpuss art, so part 3 of the day was pretty good. We celebrated with a few more folks in a large and very chaotic Zoom party. Weird, for sure, but nice to see peeps.

Obviously all independent businesses are struggling right now, and worse, some people are finding it hard to acquire enough booze to get through the melding days. No fear of that here in Beeston! I was over the moon to see our local independent brewer Totally Brewed (who have homes at the lovely micropub Totally Tapped in Beeston and The Overdraught at the top of Canning Circus) arranged for Friday home deliveries!

Easter LEGO!

He’s so handsome

Ultimate tuddle

Delivered to my door!

Doing: podcasting (live-ish) with We Are What We Overcome

On Sunday we the We Are What We Overcome podcast gang got together to attempt a Zoom to Facebook Live thingamajig. It worked so well in practice, but totally failed to work as expected. Not to worry. We recorded it anyway, and popped the video up on Monday afternoon. We decided to have a little check-in, like we usually do at the start of our episodes, but for longer as this is a strange time, and we all have different feelings about it. I think it’s quite a nice chat – you can watch/listen to it below. Rather nicely, it’s all four us, including Neil who’s usually behind the sound recording desk (or whatever it is that he does to magically trap our speech). At some point we’ll pop the audio out on the podcast feed, but there are a few in the bank already to be rolled out on schedule first. Even better news, we’re gonna try the Facebook Live thang again this Sunday, and every fortnight for the near future, or at least as long as we’re in lockdown. Future ones will show up on our Facebook page here, and I’ll stick a link on the WAWWO page of this website too.

Watching: Altered Carbon season two

I really enjoyed Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon and its sequels – splendid fast-paced noirpunk with loads of action and murder/spy stuff. The central premise that your identity is contained in a stack at the top of your spine and can be swapped between bodies (the so charming “sleeves”) is fantastic, and the results of your body no longer being a part of who you are is ingenious and spun out well in the books. It translated pretty well into season one of the Netflix show, albeit with a lot of gratuitous nudity as we found ourselves in a pretty traditional cyberpunk setting of rain and holograms of hookers everywhere. I enjoyed it, but until I saw the ‘last time on Altered Carbon‘ I could not have told you what happened.

I fucking love Anthony Mackie, he’s immensely charming, fun, and credible in action, drama and comedy (having re-watched Captain America: the Winter Soldier just this afternoon, he is confirmed in my mind as a splendid human). But there’s something wrong with season two – it’s just drifted into the quest for Takeshi Kovacs to find his long-lost love, and while that’s in the books, it doesn’t feel like the driving force of the story. The noir detective element is here, but it feels lost and forced. Added to that are the continued tribulations of his AI hotelier pal, Poe (yep, Edgar Allan), who is very appealing as he finds another AI who he clearly kind of fancies as his grasp on the world deteriorates, but it doesn’t matter. The AI subplot is completely irrelevant and its lack of importance kept punching me in the face. Alas, this season has lost me and I kept drifting away while watching. Maybe I’ll have a rewatch after this nonsense time is over, and perhaps I’ll focus better.

Reading: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I cannot help reading Adrian’s books – it’s a kind of addiction. This one had languished for a while on my Kindle TBR because I’d incorrectly associated the cover with fantasy, and I’ve been in a science fiction mood for a while. Reading definitely feels tougher than usual, and it takes something extra (or just really fast) to captivate my attention. Here we have far-future post-every-apocalypse with Shadrapur, the last human city on (presumably) Earth. Humanity stumbles on, pretending that the end is not very close, echoing the civilisations that have fallen along the way. I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic stuff (not so much the usual zombies). This has much more of JG Ballard’s The Crystal World and a bit of Brian Aldiss Hothouse vibe, with the natural world running riot, overwhelming our vain attempts at order and showing every chance of becoming something else. Cage of Souls takes us through the life of one of these last men, Stefan Advani, and how it is that he ended up in a ghastly prison cast out in the middle of nature. This is a big fat book, and for a while it was slow going, though that’s rarely an issue with Tchaikovsky’s glowing prose and this most alluring world of the end-times, but as the depth of the world and its strange inhabitants unfolded I was happily engaged. The Count of Monte Cristo feel is strong, with our unjustly imprisoned academic turned accidental rebel, dealing with an appallingly dangerous prison that the guys in Oz could only hope for, with monsters seizing inmates through the bars of the lowest levels and an absolute monster in charge of the prison. The novel really opens up when we explore the misadventures that preceded Stefani’s arrival, and (spoiler), what happens afterwards. It’s a delight of a book, full of surprises, possible callbacks to novels I adore, an unreliable narrator and a weird, weird world to engulf them.

Reading: The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne

After a big book I needed a short book, and this was waiting for me on my Kindle. A short, quick detective thriller with a slightly different setup (though with hefty shades of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt stories), of Sloan McPherson – 50% diver with a family dedicated to shady treasure hunting, and 50% auxiliary cop in the Florida quays. There’s nothing exceptional about the plotting – Sloan gets a body dumped into the canal while she’s diving, and quickly finds herself implicated in a conspiracy linked to her dodgy criminal uncle and the aforementioned shady family. It had everything I needed, from snappy dialogue and snarky characters to gunfights and underwater shenanigans. Very satisfying, and I may well dig up the next in the Underwater Investigations series.

Watching: Virtual Improv Comedy Workshops with MissImp

Time blurs, and I discover that the workshop I wrote about last week was actually from the week before! Who’d’a’ thunk it. But that’s cool, it means there are two workshops for you to catch up on. First up the splendid Ki Shah and Russ Payne on Physicality, Objects & Movement. This is a genuinely charming two-hander and I think you’ll be smiling all the way through. Second up is LA improviser Jay Sukow on Solo Improv. I confess I’ve not yet watched this one, which puts me at least two behind as well… Both vids are below – enjoy!

Next Week

Sabrina the Teenage Witch season 3, The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch, LEGO Ideas Dinosaurs and probably The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi (if I finish it this weekend). I should do an MCU quick review thing at some point too.

Last Week: Cage of Souls, Altered Carbon, The Girl Beneath the Sea, We Are What We Overcome podcast, MissImp Virtual Drop-Ins - TV, book reviews, things, improv, beer and birthdays. #TV #books @aptshadow @missimp_notts #podcast https://wp.me/pbprdx-8CB BIrthday, Booze and Bumbling Sure, it’s Friday – or is it? Who the hell knows. I can’t tell the difference, and worst of all I’m writing this (at last) on day one of our four day bank holiday weekend.

[willreadforbooze]

Hello boozie readers!

Reminder:Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam’s personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog! So go check us out kthxxxx. While that’s amazing, Sam has to start from scratch on a new account, let’s show her some love huh? Check out her new account TheBooktender_  She’ll love you forever and ever.

Minda’s Updates

What Minda is reading now:

Such a Perfect Wife by Kate White – Was feeling a quick mystery read and this is it! True crime journalist Bailey Weggins is investigating a missing persons case in a small town on Lake George. The pretty white lady who went missing is slightly mysterious and the details around her disappearance are slim. At 46%, things are heating up.

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang – Been not-so-patiently waiting for this one to appear in my library queue, but here it is! The follow up to The Poppy War, we pick up where the third war left off after the traumatic ending. The lead (antihero?) Rin is on the run and seeking revenge. How will the saga continue and can she make up for the atrocities she has committed?

What Minda put down:

Dark Age by Pierce Brown – Just didn’t get into it right away, so will pick it up again later.

Linz’s Updates

Linz can’t come to the phone right now, she’s hungover. Damn you, holiday season.\

What Linz read:

Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna: The first installment of a trilogy looks at fates and destinies and gods but in space. I’ve had this on the back burner for ages and picked just the right time to read it; my one complaint, weirdly, is I wish it’d been a little bit of a slower burn.

Dress Codes in Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens: A young girl comes of age and explores her sexual identity. Thoughtful, enjoyable, but are teens this self-aware? Do they really talk like this?

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh: Blah. “Dystopic feminist revenge fantasy about three sisters on an isolated island.” You literally can’t tell the sisters’ voices apart, it’s kinda predictable and relies way too heavily on the reader to fill in details.

What Linz DNF:

Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer: IF YOUR CHARACTER CAN’T TALK, THEN STARTS TALKING, THEN THEY CAN TALK CAN’T THEY

What Linz is currently reading:

Crier’s War by Nina Varela: Humans try to overthrow the robots that overthrew them (I think). This stack of hard copies I’ve got aren’t going to read themselves

Sam’s Updates

Who did the most holiday parties this weekend? I went to three. Including Linz’s amazing party. Girl knows how to throw a party. I spent all day baking cookies and I’m not done yet lol.

What Sam read this week:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore: Oh man. I see what everyone was talking about, this story was just amazing. The audio is great and I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

Queen of Nothing by Holly Black: YOU GUYS! This book was ah-mazing. For those of you living under the YA rock, this is the finale to Holly’s newest series that starts with The Cruel Prince. Our main character Jude, a human, lives in fae with her adoptive power-hungry father. I won’t spoil anything for any book, but let’s just say the romance in this is INCREDIBLY problematic, but….. i love it. I love it so much. Jude is one of the dumbest characters I think I’ve ever read but DAMN do I love it. The finale didn’t disappoint, drunk babbling about my heart-eyes are coming.

What Sam’s currently reading:

Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan: Only just started this but this was actually Robert Jordan’s first book, but this was it’s first publishing =). Starting on audio, but will probably pick up my hard copy once I finish the hard copy i’m currently reading.

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim: I am about half way through this. The main character spent the last 7 years working on a debtor’s ship and now she’s sworn revenge. I did not know how I didn’t know this, but apparently it’s a Count of Monte Cristo retelling. I am worried, because it’s not that long and I feel like it’s never going to end. I’m only half way through. I think if it doesn’t pick up soon, imma put it down.

Ginny’s Updates

We’re getting close to the holidays which means I’ve been to five holiday events in the last four days. That being said, they were all delightful so I really shouldn’t be complaining. There was plenty of good food, amazing hot chocolate, plenty of talking, and in general a good time. Unfortunately, not too much reading.

Finished:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I was worried at the beginning of this book that it was a bit of a tired trope. And yet this book did an amazing job of setting itself apart. Monique has a real voice, and Evelyn is brutal in her honesty with this interview. Once the story got started this book was nearly impossible to put down. 5/5

The Crown’s Game  by Evelyn Skye: This book has a lot in similar with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I love that book, Sam loved it (review here). So this book is basically a Russian Night Circus but slightly more frustrating. There are a few moments where things seem to happen not because it was in character but more because the plot required it. I did like the idea of magic but found the ending frustrating. It was a perfectly fine book but I feel no need to read the sequel 3/5

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb As someone who has been to therapy it was really interesting to read this book. The look into how a therapist works, looking at how they begin to work with new people, helping them figure out how to work with their issues, and what could be causing those issues. I enjoyed seeing the growth in the patients that Lori decided to detail in this book (obviously changing names etc to hide the pertinent information). All in all, it was an insightful read. 4/5

What Virginia’s currently reading:

I know, I’m in a bit of a rut here.

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff: Still working on this one. I want to read it, I just haven’t been in a reading mood when I’ve had the book on hand.

The Night County by Melissa Albert: This is the sequel to The Hazel Wood. I’m glad I get the chance to revisit this world. So far we’re back in New York while Alice tries to figure out life. A strong start, but unfortunately ran into some trouble with my library books and needed to prioritize those.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: I felt like having a light fun read. Lucy and Josh are Exec Admins to CEO’s of a merged company. They’re constantly having arguements etc and kind of detest each other. Which of course means that they’re both secretly in love. I can be in to this trope, but frankly, so much of this isn’t work appropriate. At least not between people who don’t get along. I find myself frustrated by some of the people and some of the situations. So, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Until next time, we main forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Ginny, Linz, and Minda

Weekly Wrap Up: Dec 9-15, 2019 Hello boozie readers! Reminder:Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam's personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog!

[professorjjong]

 me rambling about mdzs (the novel) bc it’s literally six am my body woke me up at 4 am for the sole purpose of finishing it and i finished it and then started reading the post script but it was like my heart was wylie coyote it wasn’t until a few minutes after i’d finished it that i realized i was destroyed

good book

sdkfjesiofhdcklwjfioe ok wei wuxian carries like the first fourth of the book. there’s so many fucking characters and names like wtf was going on. it wasn’t made clear what wei wuxian was doing or why--and tbh i don’t think it ever really is, his intentions. like, where was he planning to go after mo village? what was he planning on doing? when he leaves cloud recesses with lan wangji, why does he stay with him at all--why not just run the fuck off? he didn’t know, at this point, that lan wangji knew who he was so why would he risk it? the one thing that was made clear about wei wuxian’s intentions after he had been brought back to life were that he did not want to be recognized, so why would he stick around with lwj? 

for that first fourth, wei wuxian didn’t hesitate in where he was going or why or whatever he was just, going and doing things for no good reason and i didn’t know why and it was frustrating, following around a character who doesn’t seem to have any idea what he wants and also doesn’t even hesitate to think about it. but ugghhh he’s such an interesting character. his past, only teased, seemed super interesting and had created a man who interacted with his surroundings in a comedic and almost flippant way. it made the fantasy elements, buttload of information about cultivation and its sects and enemies as well as the sheer number of characters less intimidating--yes, because it probably wasn’t until almost halfway through that I was able to figure everything out, but i had wwx to hold onto. he’s a suuuuper strong character and was so, so fun to read about i miss him :( 

lwj truly didn’t do anything for me until near the very end when the events following the siege at the nightless city were revealed. i didn’t dislike him as a character, i thought he was fine--but i didn’t think he was as good of a foil to wwx as he could have been. i mean, they’re clearly meant to be foils--one is dressed in black and the other in white. u don’t even need to know anything else aside from that information to know that they’re foils. but i don’t think lwj was a strong enough presence to really “oppose” wwx for most of the novel. honestly, he didn’t even feel present for the first, what, 3/4? it wasn’t until wwx really started developing and even acting out on his feelings that lwj stepped into prominence. the emphasis of the novel, its focus, had shifted along with wwx’s toward lwj. compared to wwx, lwj is almost colorless as a character. yes hahahahahahha more color differences between them but i think, in order for characters to really function as foils, they need to be on equal footing, if only in the framing of the novel. but they weren’t. even during the flashbacks, there was an unevenness to it. at times, lwj felt almost like an afterthought. i remember myself thinking, ‘oh, lwj is there too.’ which yeah, he is quiet, but he’s there. his presence was not always made clear, and, since wwx is such a bright beacon and such an overwhelming chaotic presence, don’t you think lwj should have been a bigger presence to properly be his foil? it’s not until the very end, truly, that the two of them are able to bounce off of each other in a very fun and dynamic way--but, again, the veryyyyyy end. like, the last two chapters very end. 

aside from the plot hole i brought up in the first paragraph, there are some others, big and small. won’t bother to list them--but, and i mean maybe it’s in the additional chapters that i haven’t read yet, super upset we didn’t get to see the actual siege on burial mound. that moment would have been so fucking tense and cool and also would have just answered questions--like, was he killed as a backlash of his own power or was it jiang cheng or someone else who delivered the final blow? wtf was he thinking about as it was happening??? pls?? pls??? i want to know???

ok wait i do need to bring this up like WTF i cannot believe they did not explain wtf happend when wwx was on burial mound for three months and where the fuckkkkkkkkkkkk he learned about the dark magic. there was some throwaway line about a book and i’m just?? u expect me to believe there was jsut some crazy ass book like sitting on a tree stump among a bunch of dead-ass bodies, just waiting for someone to find it? Like seriously?? seriously?? even if there was such a fucking book who the fuck wrote it and why did they put it on the mountain and why did wwx decide that he needed to reclaim his power through it? why did he decide to use music, like the lan sect? why a flute? i have so many fucking questions!! AUTHOR!! AUTHOR!!!! PLEASE WHAT THE FUCK!!! 

also ok this isn’t a “plot hole” but a... theme... hole. a theme hole. i don’t fucking know but the book does a really good job throughout of bringing up mob mentality and other social behaviors when someone becomes the “enemy” of the group. they do this first with wwx and painstakingly set up how much of it is fabrications or exaggerations or bandwagoning, etc. and even why this happened--the people were still hurt by what had happened with the wen sect and, fearful of another force building up its power, it was easy for them to focus their animosity on wwx (the fact that it was him and the remaining wen clan didn’t help either, obvs). so, we’re sympathetic toward wwx because, not only have we been following him for the first half of this novel (by the time we go far enough into the past to learn about what happened when and after he became the yiling patriarch) and because we know his true intentions are pure. he’s a good guy at the end of the day. yeah he did some really, really bad shit during the war and was using a “twisted” ability, but he was trying to help people (also this book clearly has the message that revenge =  good which is,, interesting? i have certainly never read a book before that justifies revenge. usually, the morale is that revenge is never quite nice. see the count of monte cristo (the book, obviously). so, in the moral universe set up in this book, wasn’t wwx totally justified in his actions, however terrible, against the wen sect bc they destroyed the jiang sect? not saying i think that way, just that i think the story expects us to think that way). so, our set up to rumors and badmouthing by people is that it’s wrong, right? and that the other person doesn’t deserve it, no matter what they may have done? it just leads to more and more lies and should be stopped, right? we didn’t like it happening to wwx, who was also frustrated by it both in flashbacks and in the present, so, when it happens to the villain..... it’s okay? our protagonists dont’ have to rise up to defend him, even if he did do wrong? wwx just thinks ‘well, at leeas they weren’t this shitty to me’ and that’s fuckKING IT?? REALLY??

like this is the second ot last scene of the entire fucking story and that’s the fucking note it ends on? there’s nothing else?? no other perspective on responding to mob mentality that we’re going to get?? didn’t wwx die bc of mob mentality and, rather than trying to clean up his perception, he just maintained his behavior and quietly accepted being called evil???? doesn’t that mean it’s bad??? but they just?? let it happen??? again???  that’s the note?? author??? author??? is it all ok that people talk this way even when it leads to people getting killed??? author??? author?????????????? 

i think i got enough of my feelings out now to go read the additional chapters. peace

[newssplashy]

Movie Review: Passion of the Christ star plays Luke in “Paul, Apostle of Christ”

I learnt that changing one little, one tiny letter, that we can become great in the eyes of God. But He requires us to be little, if we wish to be great.

Passion of the Christ actor, Jim Caviezel spoke with a fiery voice as he delivered his passionate speech during 2018 SLS conference near Chicago early January.

You cannot but be blown away by his gumption and candor which at different points of the fervent delivery left the college students screaming and applauding him.

Soft start to a fervent speech

 “The name Saul means Great One. The name Paul means little One,” he began, calmly.

James Patrick Caviezel, one would think, would go ahead to speak effusively about his role in his next movie project “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” where he played Luke wending his way to Rome to see Paul, the imprisoned Apostle. Perhaps, that was his unspoken intention before it was overtaken by his yearn to investigate the whole idea of what Jesus Christ and his Apostles were tyrannized and eventually murdered for. What better way to promote the movie than such an excellent spirit-lifting delivery?

Making “Paul, the Apostle of Christ”

 “While making this film,” he continued, “I learnt that changing one little, one tiny letter, that we can become great in the eyes of God. But He requires us to be little, if we wish to be great. This is the way of the saints, this is the way of the holy and this is the way Saul became Saint Paul.

Callings come when we least expect them. I remember mine vividly. I had this experience. I was 19 years old sitting in a movie theatre in my home town of Mount Vernon, Washington. The movie had ended and out there in the darkness, befriended only by my basketball and the aged seat, I had a sensation in my heart that made me think that I’m supposed to be an actor, that this is what God crafted me for, that this is what He wanted of me.

Yes, my rational sense intervened. I knew nothing about acting or agents or managers. I can’t memorize to save my life. Yet I had a conviction. I had a call.”

Read Also: Peter Rabbit rakes in positive reviews at private screening

Caviezel’s Career

He went a bit into how he started his career. “Cut to the spring of 2000, I was off for the role of Edmond Dantes in “The Count of Monte Cristo.” It was a new adaptation of the Dumas classic. Very stressful Period. This is the first time I ever had to carry a film on my own and here I was, what I long wanted to achieve but I had no peace. Everything on that film was a battle. My character, Edmond Dantes is unjustly imprisoned while there both in the book and in the film he carves on the wall ‘God will give me justice.’ …”

Encountering Mel Gibson

Caviezel who has done almost forty movies elucidated his encounter with Mel Gibson. “God loves each one of us personally. He is there for us, even in our darkest moments of despair... I inexplicably got a call from Mel Gibson. My agent didn’t call, my manager didn’t call. I didn’t know Mel Gibson. I wasn’t politicking for the role because nobody knows what’s happening.

Mel Gibson wants me to play Jesus Christ. He wants the guy with the initials of J.C who just happens to be 33 years of age to play Jesus Christ. Is that a coincidence? I don’t think so. Is your life a coincidence or is it all just a chance? Some of you may be miserable right now. Confused, uncertain of your future, hurting? This is not the time to back off or to give in.

Be ready for your cross

Jim vividly recounted his ‘cross’ experience as Jesus and challenged the audience to be ready to carry their own cross. “When I was up there on the cross, I learnt that in the suffering was our redemption. Remember the servant is no greater than the master; each of us must carry our own cross. There is a price for our faith, for our freedoms. I have been literally scourged, hit by the whips, crucified, struck by lightning, yes open-heart surgery; it’s what happens after five and a half months of hyperthermia.

Read Also: 'Pacific Rim Uprising' wows the audience at the first official screening

One day, during the shoot, my arm was wedged under that heavy beam, when someone yanked it in the other direction, my muscles wrenched, my shoulder separated. I fell to the ground, dropped my head into the sand…. Without this being shot in the studio, you never would have seen that performance. The suffering made my performance just as it makes our lives.”  

Fake Christianity

The actor came frankly against the ‘new’ Christianity now peddled all over the world. “Some of us now, you know them, embrace a fake Christianity where it’s all happy talk. I call it happy Jesus and glory. Guys, it was a lot of pain and suffering before the resurrection. Your path would be no different. So embrace your cross and race towards your goal. I want you to go out into this pagan world, I want you to have the courage to step into this pagan world and shamelessly express your faith in public.

 The world needs proud warriors, animated by their faith, warriors like Saint Paul and Saint Luke who risked their names, their reputations to take their faith, their love for Jesus into the world. God is calling each one of us, each one of you to do great things but how often we fail to respond, dismissing it as some mental blurb.

It is time for our generation now to accept that call, the call of God urging all of us to give ourselves entirely to Him, to see that gentle Hand guiding your path. But you first must make the commitment to start praying, to fast, to meditate on the Holy Scriptures and to take the holy sacrament seriously…”

A reference to Saint Kolbe

He made a reference to Saint Kolbe’s 20th century assertion that indifference was the greatest sin of his century. While agreeing with Kolbe, Jim further stretched that the greatest sin ideology of the 21st century is still indifference. “The great saint of Aushwitz, Saint Maximilian Kolbe said that indifference is the greatest sin of the twentieth century. Oh, my brothers and sisters it is the greatest sin of the twenty-first century as well.”

Caviezel spurred the audience to work on their faith, stand out from the normal church-going crowd that practice “fake Christianity” and pull off the toga of indifference. He himself admitted only warriors of faith can do this.  “We must shake off this indifference, this destructive tolerance of evil. Only our faith and the wisdom of Christ can save us, but it requires warriors ready to risk their reputations, their names, even our very lives to stand for the truth. Set yourselves apart from this corrupt generation. Be saints, you weren’t born to fit in, you were born to stand out…”

Read Also: Your tush is not my tush.

We are a culture now in decline. For in our country now we are only too happy to go with the flow.”

A different definition of freedom

He bravely debunked the old concept of American freedom and gave a different definition that obviously would not sit well with many people. “We have a shrine to freedom now where all choices are equal no matter what the consequences are. Do you honestly think this is true freedom? Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom exists not to do what you like but having the right to do what you ought. You, you, you, we all must fight for that authentic freedom and live, my friends.”

Metaphorical ending

He finished the speech on a splendid note drawing up the images of Holy Spirit as a shield and Jesus Christ as a sword – perfect war weapons in the life of a keen Christian. When a Christian overcomes the world, he will certainly live with God and the Saints in the hereafter. “By God, we must live, and with the Holy Spirit as your shield and Christ as your sword, may you join St. Michael and all the angels in sending Lucifer and his henchmen straight right back to Hell where they belong!”

Written by Omidire Idowu.

source https://www.newssplashy.com/2018/04/movie-review-passion-of-christ-star.html