#anxious people book review
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Every time I read a book by Fredrik Backman, I'm left speechless.
!!!LONG RANT BELOW!!! + my reviews of the books I've read by him
It all started one year when the book "A Man Called Ove" was chosen to be read in my bookclub. The teacher was talking about how he has a different style of writing and I'm like oh alright bet let's try it out.
GOD. That book was a solid 10/10. It touched dark topics like death and suicide while also having a good humor. The chapter with the cat being almost frozen to death had me giggling a little too much 😂 I loved seeing it on screen when the movie came out.
So many good quotes were in this book. Especially between Sonja and Ove.
“You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away,”
“But if anyone had asked, he would have told them that he never lived before he met her. And not after either.”
“Of all the imaginable things he most misses about her, the thing he really wishes he could do again is hold her hand in his.”
This book was just so amazing. I have nothing bad to say against it and strongly recommend it to be the first book one should read by Fredrik. It shows the dark themes he touches while having humor, how good the flashbacks are shown. How they leave you with more questions until you're gut-punched.
Alright. Second book I've read was Beartown. I got it as a birthday gift along with Anxious People (I'll talk abt that later).
I knew Beartown revolved around the topic of rape. But god, it was still a hard read. Watching a small town get torn apart over the drama, how nobody really believed Maya and she was even bullied for lying. It broke my heart, leaving me in tears.
The worst part? How real this felt. How it's probably happened to countless girls and guys before. Being raped but not believed, then being bullied and harassed.
The quotes hit hard in this too.
"It's not always obvious, because the people around a bullied child assume that he or she must get used to it after awhile. Never. You never get used to it. It burns like fire the whole time. It's just that no one knows how long the fuse is, not even you."
“Everyone has a thousand wishes before a tragedy, but just one afterward.”
“What you create, others can destroy. Create anyway. Because in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and anyone else anyway.”
I don't have too much to say on this book as it was an extremely hard read and took me about a month to finish. But it was still a great story. I don't know if I'll finish the other two books anytime soon. I think what makes it hard is that there's no "happy ending." The rape can't be undone. The damage can't be undone. Maya will forever be scared of the dark. How Kevin has status, keeping him safe. Yes, he is scared of the dark now, but it's not enough. Nothing will fix what happened.
And what I just finished reading today, Anxious People
"It's a story about a bank robbery gone wrong? How can that make me cry?" -Me to my teacher.
God. What a book. This book made me laugh and almost brought me to tears. If I wasn't in school while reading this, I would be ugly crying.
This book perfectly embodies Fredrik's writing style. How EVERY little piece matters. Every character is important. You're reading and then hit with a plot twist. Knut being dead? Never expected. That one COMPLETELY threw me in for a loop. The way the chapter hopped back to the flashbacks and then to the interview, oh my god I loved this so much. Might be my favorite one yet.
Every character was so diverse with their own story and struggles, yet they all came together and helped each other when they needed it. I loved the fact that there wasn't a villain in this story- the bank robber wanted to harm nobody, just take care of her kids.
So many of these quotes hit home. The funny ones, the serious ones.
“Not knowing is a good place to start.” I always tell my therapist "I don't know." She said I'm the only person she allows to say that. The fact that a psychologist said that??? It just comforted me so much.
"...but inside she was standing in a forest screaming until her heart burst. The trees grew until one day the sunlight could no longer break through the foliage, and the darkness in there became impenetrable." This one also hit home for me. I'm a very angry person but try my best to control it. Multiple times a day, I imagine myself running into a forest, screaming and yelling my heart out, nobody hearing me. I felt so understood, so seen in this.
"Can you imagine what a bad parent you must have been for your children not to want to be parents?"
Woah. I had to close the book and think about this. I don't have the best relationship with my parents, but they are okay parents. They might not rob a bank for me though 😂. But this quote just... I don't know. It really puts a different view on things. It almost makes me feel a bit bad. All in all, this is a quote that lives in the back of my head rent free.
Ever since the first page of this book, I knew I was in for a ride. It felt so long ago, reading chapter 2, "don't think about cookies". This book is a solid 100/10, I will never get rid of it and will reread it many times to come.
Please. If you're looking for a good book to read, please just do ANYTHING by Fredrik Backman. His writing style is unique, fun, just so different and a breath of fresh air. His books will make you cry and laugh and you'll find quotes that you carry on with you for years to come. As I write, I find myself often writing in his sort of style. He is truly an amazing writer and comes up with amazing plots. Before reading his works, only one book ever made me cry. (A Mango Shaped Space). But no movie has ever made me cry. I sobbed in the theaters watching A Man Called Otto. Can't wait to watch Anxious People on Netflix now! I've heard bad stuff, but I'll still watch it.
I hope I managed to convince someone to read a book by Fredrik Backman. Or possibly even re-read a book. I know I want to keep reading books by him. Maybe My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry?
#fredrik backman#anxious people#a man called ove#beartown#book reviews#basically a ramble about how much I love him#please I'm begging you READ ONE OF HIS BOOKS IF YOU HAVEN'T YET#I'll never get over his writing omg#10/10 his books never miss
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Anxious People- Why this book is EVERYTHING
Hi! Anxious People is a book written by Fredrik Backman and translated by Neil Smith from Swedish to English. It’s a book that I have fallen in love with and will recommend to everyone I see. Something tells me this is going to be my new comfort read.
I’ve never wanted to learn a foreign language as much as right now. If the author’s books translated to English are so poignant and heartwarming, I just KNOW the original would be that much more. I would have loved to read this book in the language it was written in.
The Plot
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix up their own marriage. There’s a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.
Why you should read this book
Firstly, the absolute ingenuity??? The point of this book is that it ISN’T a bank robbery but oh my god, it has more mystery and ingenuity that a lot of actual mystery books. I was hooked to the who-done-it when there wasn’t even a mystery!!
Humorous, compassionate and wise, this is a story about friendship, hope, and forgiveness and one that made me both laugh and cry. I can’t really describe this book to you, but I can say that you will love it. 100%.
The characters are everything. They are fleshed out, real people that you will fall in love with and find yourself relating to. You’ll emphasize with them and they’ll make you both smile and tear up.
You just need to read this book. It’s beautiful and heartwarming and so much more. There’s symbolism and little dialogues that made you go ohhhh after you understand the backstory. There are wholesome moments and heartbreaking ones.
This is definitely a 5 star read. Let me know what your thoughts on this read were if you’ve read this book!!
In order to keep me up to my ears in books please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase this read. It would be at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thank you!
purchase this read: https://amzn.to/3E4SZaj
#anxious people#book blog#book recommendations#book review#book reviews#Fredrik Backman#must read#reading#bookblr#bibliophile
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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: 💔💘👮🏻♂️🤯🕵🏻♀️
SPOILERS
I love this book. It made me laugh, cry, and my head exploded, all of the emotions.
The way it is written is from different perspectives, and you really get to know the characters.
I love that every time you think you know what’s going to happen, something happens to blow your mind.
I really loved this story because it’s about how seemingly random things are all connected, and that you are never truly alone in your experiences.
The story is about a bank robbery that turns into a hostage situation, but it so much more than that. It was really easy to relate to the characters, and fully appreciate what they were going through.
10/10 would recommend!
#booklover#bookish#bookworm#books#bigheartedbibliophile#bibliophile#anxious people#fredrik backman#gosh I really loved this book#spoilers#tw: sui mention#tw: sui thoughts#tw: suidice#book reviews#book review
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Book Review: ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman
“We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we're more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
Official summary: Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
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I was gifted this lovely book by a friend for my birthday and she must KNOW ME WELL because this story absolutely knocked me flat with adoration. Equal parts humorous and heartfelt, this novel manages to include an extensive ensemble cast without sacrificing meaningful characterization and development.
Backman masterfully weaves a nonlinear tale that still maintains a tightly winding tension that unspools in delightful, surprising ways at story's end.
Highly recommend!
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Author's website
More of my reviews
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“Unfortunately I think most people would still get more sympathy from their colleagues and bosses at work if they show up looking rough one morning and say ‘I’m hungover’ than if they say ‘I’m suffering from anxiety.’”
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A terrific blend of humor and humanity. The writing was witty and clever which I hadn’t expected and admittedly took some getting used to personally, but ultimately, I was won over. Though I found myself relating to Zara the most, there were bits and pieces of a few of the characters’ lives I could empathize with. I was in tears at the end because I was so touched.
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#book
The truth? The truth is that the bank robber was an adult. There's nothing more revealing about a bank robber's personality than that. Because the terrible thing about becoming an adult is being forced to realize that absolutely nobody cares about us, we have to deal with everything ourselves now, find out how the whole world works. Work and pay bills, use dental floss and get to meetings on time, stand in line and fill out forms, come to grips with cables and put furniture together, change tires on the car and charge the phone and switch the coffee machine off and not forget to sign the kids up for swimming lessons. We open our eyes in the morning and life is just waiting to tip a fresh avalanche of "Don't Forget!"s and “Remember!"s over us. We don't have time to think or breathe, we just wake up and start digging through the heap, because there will be another one dumped on us tomorrow. We look around occasion-ally, at our place of work or at parents' meetings or out in the street, and realize with horror that everyone else seems to know exactly what they're doing. We're the only ones who have to pretend.
Everyone else can afford stuff and has a handle on other stuff and enough energy to deal with even more stuff. And everyone else's children can swim.
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"Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman book recommendation by Rachel Sylvan
#anxious people#fredrik backman#bank robbery#mental health#neurodivergent#funny books#book recommendations#books#book#book review#book rec
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Anxious People: Sneek Peek
5/5 🌟
Funny, beautiful, I could not put it down. A refreshing style of writing. To get an idea of what the book is about, see below from the last page.
“The truth? The truth about all this? The truth is that this was a story about many different things, but most of all about idiots. Because we’re doing the best we can, we really are. We’re trying to be grown-up and love each other and…
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Anxious People
By Fredrik Backman / 4.5 stars (Narrated by Marin Ireland)
I'm wavering back and forth between 4.5 stars and 5. While I love this book, and all Fredrik Backman books, it doesn't break me the way his others have. Which was a nice thing, when it first came out after Us Against You and I was still broken. The lighter side of this buoyed me, pulling me from that despair. Upon reading a 4th time, and after reading The Winners, it's lost a bit of its hold.
**Possible Spoilers!!**
I love the way this story unfolds, going between the police station with Jim and Jack, witness interviews, to 10 years ago at the bridge, to an apartment viewing and a hostage situation that was supposed to be a bank robbery.
As each part unfolds, leaving questions and you wanting to know more, there's also a focus on each character.
Zara, who I actually find myself really liking, despite her harsh edges. She's swallowed up by her anxiety, the constant pain of feelings she can't deal with. She handles this with sharp wit and cutting sarcasm.
Jack, the police officer who wants to save everyone, ever since a man jumped from the bridge. Since he saved a girl from jumping a week later.
The bank robber, who would do anything for the girls. To not be a chaotic parent.
Roger, a man who's been overlooked and retired against his will.
Ana-Lena, Roger's wife, who follows in his shadow as they work to remodel, buy and sell apartments. So that they can have a project in common.
Lennert, the unexpected addition.
Jim, Jack's father and fellow policeman. Who only wants his son to succeed, even as he wishes that he had found a new dream.
Jules, who just wants to get rid of her wife's birds and a new home before their child is born.
Ro, who's clueless about remodeling, and fears making decisions. She just wants everyone to get along, and often finds that someone's mad at her for something. She just can't pick up on what that something might be.
Estelle, the elderly woman who just seems to be there, but might have some secrets of her own.
The real estate agent, truly the worst real estate agent you could find.
These were in no particular order, but each character sticks with you. You may not like them, but it's hard to keep your first judgements of them as you see each other their anxieties laid bare.
And surely, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes all it takes is one really bad idea. But the results might be the furthest thing from what you expected.
I'm so excited I got to end my year with my favorite author. It was a long car ride, but listening to this made it better, even if there were a few stinging tears. The plan originally had been to end and start my year with Fredrik Backman - last book I finished, first book I started of each year. That plan worked to an extent, though instead of starting Beartown, I found myself pulling out A Man Called Ove to prepare myself for the upcoming movie release. Like many other things, Fredrik has managed to change my thinking on book adaptations, and instead of going in with strong expectations and crossed arms, I'm excited to see someone else's interpretation of this wonderful novel!
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☆☆YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram | Storygraph ☆☆
book review || Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
video review || God Bless My Sunglasses -- Author Taste Test: Fredrik Backman
My first thoughts were, what the heck is this writing style and why do I love it so much? It’s so quirky, alternating between POVs of morally gray, realistically strange people and an outside narrator who gets distracted by certain topics or brings back up random one-liners to reinforce a strange aspect of the story. The dialogue is so entertaining, even when it’s going in circles and you can feel the frustration of either the police or the bank robber. While it’s easy to empathize with all the characters, there are also occasional times where this story is in the second person and makes you a part of the discussion as well.
With the alternating between many characters, I was a little worried it would get confusing, but they all have such strong personalities, that it’s not really possible. Backman makes every one of them stand out and they all feel so incredibly human.
While the tone feels very light at times, matching the fun dialogue, there’s an underlying melancholy. Many of the characters are somehow connected to suicide, making that theme pretty prevalent, but in a way that doesn’t necessarily focus on death as the sad part.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and while it was a five star prediction, I don’t think I quite loved it that much, but I was still crying by the end. This story really just revolves around people and how we can be idiots, but we can also be so wonderful. There was so much that went into making all of these characters real and unique, each of the struggling with something and working to do the best they can.
Every person in this is at a different point in their life and is trying to figure out where to go next. They help one another, sometimes in ways, they don’t even realize.
The writing in this story was so simple and yet so complex, crafting together a strange group of characters and allowing them to grow in the space of a day. I’m really impressed and definitely will pick up more of Backman’s work.
I had a million tabs highlighting lines that were moving or memorable, and while some of them feel like they were written to be quotable, others are just so inherently perfect at describing what it means to be human.
The twists were a bit predictable, but this wasn’t really a mystery book, it was a book about people (idiots), and we’re definitely not as shocking as we’d like to think we are.
4 / 5 stars
#anxious people#anxious people by fredrik backman#fredrik backman#contemporary books#contemporary book recs#contemporary book recommendations#literary fiction#book recs#book recommendations#book reviews#studyblr#bookblr#booklr#book tumblr#booktube#booktuber#book youtube#book review
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Follow You Anywhere 1
No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.
Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsession, controlling behavoiour, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.
This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.
Summary: You're online existence threatens to leak into your real life.
Characters: Captain Syverson
Note: I couldn't help myself.
As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3
Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)
Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖
"So... this is what it looks like today?" You aim your camera at the sky outside your window, "sorry, the screen is kinda in the way."
You let out a nervous chuckle and flip the camera to yourself. You make a silly face. You were never overly fond of your image on the screen but the vlogs help. Like a little diary, mostly for yourself. You and your seven followers on Insta.
You bat your lashes and fix the clip in your hair, "oh, I got this free. Yeah, I bought a new hair oil and they threw this in the bag." You let your thoughts run wild from your tongue. You found a journal too daunting, the blank lines leaving you just as empty. This is easier. "Anyway, I shouldn't have spent the money to begin with."
You give another splintered laugh. The one you let out when you're anxious, or scared, or happy, or even mad. You bite your lip and catch yourself in your digitized reflection. You stop and turn your camera to your bedroom.
"Today, I'm gonna clean this mess. Me and you guys together."
You scour the room with the lens. Your laundry is piled on the floor and you have a stack of books you need to put on the shelf. It isn't the worst it's been but it's getting cluttered.
"But first, we'll have breakfast, can't start the stream on an empty stomach," you chirp and nearly drop the phone, "oops, uh..." You fix your grip and check the number in the corner. You have one viewer; on a good day, it's three, most days, it's just you talking to the void.
You go into the kitchen, just down the short hall from your bedroom, opening into your living room. You go to the counter and prop up the phone so the camera is on you again. You tap your fingers and hum.
"What should we have for breakfast?" You ask. You don't feel as crazy talking to yourself even if there's really no one watching. "Oo, French toast. Gotta use up the eggs."
You go to the fridge and pull out the eggs and the milk. You bring them back to the counter, shuffling around for a bowl, a whisk, and the cinnamon.
You mix up your ingredients and dip the bread, one piece at a time. You put on a skillet and fry up the slices, presenting a stack of three to the camera. You smile and dust some icing sugar over the top.
“Probably shouldn't have all this sugar for breakfast,” you shrug at the camera, “alright, quick break…”
You put the stream onto the ‘back soon’ page and take your plate to the small foldout table against the wall. You're not a fan of eating on camera. You finish and rinse up before snatching your phone up again.
You return to your bedroom and put the phone on a middle shelf and flip the stream back to live. Still that one viewer…
“Anyway, I'm back,” you wave at the lens.
You hesitate, looking around as you stand straight and spin. Cleaning, right. Before you can set to work, the phone dings.
A message?
You go back to your phone and squint at the chat bubble floating up.
‘Looked delicious too.’
“It was,” you agree with a grin, “thanks.”
‘Don't mean the toast.’
The next message has you blinking. Your nape burns. They can't mean… you clear your throat and giggle.
“Well, let's get started,” you back up and clap your hands, “you know, I've been so carried away with work. This place is a pigsty.”
You sit on the floor and sort through the clothes. You toss them into the basket as you sit in silence. You stop yourself and glance at the phone.
“How about some tunes?”
You walk on your knees to your bedside and turn on your bluetooth speaker. You go to your phone and find a playlist before pulling the stream back to full screen. As you do, you hear a noise you've never heard before.
‘BourbonBear has tipped.’ Huh? Really?
“Oh, thanks, er, BourbonBear,” you giggle around the name, “how nice. Maybe one day I can afford a proper camera for this, huh?”
You smile and go back to the dirty clothes. You quickly ball up a pair of panties and shove them in the basket. You carry on until they're all untangled.
You move on and tidy your desk, bending underneath to gather up a few loose pens. You make your way around the bedroom, putting away books, fixing the blankets on the bed, and straightening the little figurines on the shelf above the bed.
You grab the stick vacuum and suck up the dirt and proclaim your task done. It took a lot longer than you thought. It's after eleven. The one viewer is still there.
“Whew, okay, I'm gonna get myself washed up and go to the park. Maybe I'll post that later,” you give a thumbs up next to your head as you talk to the phone, “thank you.”
You end the stream and let out a sigh. Your videos aren't much and you doubt they're very interesting but it's like venting for you. Almost like having an invisible friend. You think you will take some pictures of the flowers to share.
🧸
You take your usual path through the park. The walks help you unwind your worries. You try to come after work at least a couple days during the week and both days on the weekend. You find the mindlessness of the routine to be calming.
The deeper you get into the wooded length of the path, you slow to admire the birds in the branches and the critters crawling in the brush. You take out your phone and snap a few photos of a blue jay before it wings away shyly. You smile and flip the cam, smiling as you take a goofy selfie. You can add that to your post.
The path winds ahead and you follow it in the din, listening to the river just down the incline to your left and the tweeting from the sky. You lift your face and inhale the woodsy scent. The sudden crack of a twig startles you and you spin to face the noise. There's no one there. Sometimes you forget other people are free to just walk on through.
You chuckle at yourself and continue on. The path leads out to a suburban street where you like to look at the houses. They're much more spacious and pretty than your grimy brick apartment building.
You come out from the shade of the trees and wander along the avenue. There's a mailbox painted to look like the house it stands before and a little nook for second hand children's books to be borrowed through the neighbourhood. Sometimes you picture yourself living in one of those houses though you don't think it could ever truly be.
As you crane your head, you sense a shadow in your peripheral. You're walking a bit slow. You sidle to the side to get out of the way of the other pedestrian. When no one passes, you look back. No one.
You must be imagining things. You shrug and plod along. You're already thinking of what kind of tea you'll have when you get in.
🧸
You sit down with your mug of ginger citrus tea and set to editing your post. You add a light filter to the photos as you shuffle through them on your laptop. The process is slow as the computer is nearly five years old now and chuffing on its 4GB drive. You get to the selfie you snapped, a stop.
You lean in to get a better glimpse of the background. It's fuzzy but there's a figure just over your shoulder. How could that be? You looked and there was no one there. That's so strange.
You stare as a chill courses through you. You're thankful you hadn't put your earphones in. You wouldn't have heard whoever it was and they may have even snuck up on you. Or maybe it's just a trick of the light.
You hit ‘post’ and try to shake off the foreboding. It's nothing. You're being silly. Besides, you're home and safe now. Next time, you'll be more alert.
A message pops up. You stare at the dot over the chat bubble. You tap with your thumb and bring up the DMs.
'Stream tonight?' BourbonBear asks.
You tilt your head. You already did some today. You're tired and want to lie down and enjoy your time off. You type back 'sorry, not tonight. tomorrow <3' and another notification vibrates. A comment on your latest post.
'Pretty sweater', also from BourbonBear. You heart their comment and leave a thanks below.
You flip back to the selfie. You can't really see your sweater in the picture, just the scalloped knitting of the collar. Well, you suppose it does look cute. You put your phone down and leave it on your desk. That's enough Insta for today.
🧸
You time your shopping trip for the least busy hour. It's early and the store is almost empty except for employees stacking bread on shelves or wandering listlessly around the deli. You have your phone in the basket of the cart, aimed at you as you roll it along slowly and check your list.
The stream is just as empty. It's only just started but you don't expect too many people to be up at this hour. You stop and grab a loaf of sourdough, checking the date before showing it to the lens and putting it in the cart. You smile and announce the next item.
"Strawberries... you know I was thinking I might get raspberries instead," you say, catching the eye of one of the yawning employees. You must seem like a weirdo. It's why you typically don't film in public.
As you roll around to the fruit, you notice the count change. One viewer. You choose a basket of raspberries and show those. You see a message float up; morning.
You smile and return the greeting softly and place the berries down carefully beside your phone. You need yogurt to go with the berries.
You work down the list, making some substitutes as you tick off each item. You linger in the ice cream section a bit too long and talk yourself out of a gallon of rocky road. You lean on the handle of the cart and smile down at the lens.
"Going to check out," you say, "see you all later."
All? There's still just the one. You end the stream and take your phone out of the basket.
You wheel around to checkout and line up at the only open till. You put your items up as you greet the cashier with a smile. She seems tired as she gives a dull response.
As you put the yogurt on the belt, you sense someone join the queue behind you. You glance over as a large man stands only feet away. He's tall and burly and staring at you. Maybe he heard you talking to your audience, or he would think, yourself. You continue to unload your groceries.
"Never tried those," he comments as you take out a box of strawberry Pocky.
You pause and hold them up, chuckling nervously, as you do.
"Pretty good," you answer, "I eat way too many."
You notice the man doesn't have a basket or a cart. That realisation needles under your skin. Maybe he's just getting lotto or smokes?
"You like sweet stuff."
"Too much," you squeak even though it doesn't sound like a question.
He just stares, not saying a word. You swallow tightly and pull the last few items out of the cart and get behind it to wheel it through the lane. As you do, he looms closely, adding to the sweat gathering on your lower back.
You roll along and wait for the cashier to ring through the rest of your things. She bags them up neatly in two large paper bags. You pay with your card and thank her as you lift the first into your cart. The man behind you moves forward and grabs the second, startling you.
"Got it," he says as he places it with the other, squeezing by you, crowding you.
"Oh, excuse me, sir," you stammer, "oh," you lean on the cart to roll it to the end of the lane as you make space between you and the stranger. "Thanks, er, uh... thanks."
You turn and grab the handle, jittering. He's really weirding you out. Especially as you realise he's walked right by the cashier. He's following you.
"I can help get ‘em in your car," he offers in a drawl.
"Oh, that's alright, I... bus," you cringe as you realise you've said too much.
"I could drive you. I have a truck."
"No thank you," you walk faster, the cart rattling with your pace.
"Why not?"
"I don't know you, erm, sorry--"
"You don't?" He catches up and shoves his phone in your face, your Insta profile glaring back at you, "I paid for the milk, maybe the berries..."
"What?" You stop, just by the door and turn to him. "I don't--"
"You haven't eaten, have you? I'll take you for French toast. That's your favourite."
"Um," you blink at him as your eyes tinge, "I don't..."
"You got me through a hard campaign, just wanna say thank you," he adjusts his cap and you notice the pin on it. He's a veteran. Oh, 'campaign'.
“Just got back home," he shifts on his feet, a meek gesture for such a large man, "and... your videos helped me remember it. Helped me hold onto it in the sh-- in the stuff."
"I... wow, okay, that's... I'm glad I could do that."
"I really don't mind giving you a ride. Lots of weirdos on the bus," he insists.
"That's nice but--"
"Please," he softens his tone, "been a while since I sat down and had breakfast without worrying about the sky falling."
You shudder and grip the cart tight. You don't know how to say no. You didn't think about who was watching. You always just assumed they were bots. Then you think of the chaching noise and the amount flashing on the screen.
"BourbonBear?" You ask.
"Yeah," he cracks a crooked smile and smooths his hand over his thick beard. "Everyone calls me Syv.”
#dark!captain syverson#fic#dark fic#dark!fic#series#follow you anywhere#sandcastle#captain syverson#dark captain syverson#captain syverson x reader
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okay yes it's often bad and hard and sometimes i am so anxious my whole body feels like it's vibrating but also at the same time the gps took me a different way on my drive and i got to see more of the river than i usually do and yesterday the sun was still above the horizon after 7pm and that was amazing and the whole sky turned an orange-gold like how they try to make ice cream taste; you know, one of those evenings that just tears you open no matter how jaded you get. it's warm for the first time here and people had lined up against the water just to stand outside and watch the sunset
and yeah it's tax season no i haven't done mine yet but when i mentioned it offhand in a single side-comment three days later my friend sent me a list of helpful tips and followed up to see if i'd need help on them
there's this parking lot for a walking trail near where i live and one of the two google reviews is my actual favorite: love it here. there were so many beautiful parking spots but sadly we could only take one. and no this person isn't going to go viral and probably the only people navigating to this spot are extremely local - but there's something so precious to me about someone taking the time to write something that will make strangers in their community laugh, even though there's no way for me to tell them good one! directly
yes i am not doing well sometimes i'm doing even very-badly but recently i have been given enough breathing room to say okay, this situation is bad, but then it will be over, and you will be moving onto the next thing and it's true that i need to get groceries and pay rent and argue with my health insurance but it is also true that in the absolute stress and anarchy of my life today someone recognized my dog before they recognized me and was so excited because "they tell everyone about the greyhound in the area and didn't get a picture before so can they take a picture now please"
in class we all stand in a circle and are all grown adults and for a moment while the teacher is figuring something out, we all hold hands, just to be silly and connected. for no reason at all at 8pm on a thursday my friends and i start breaking out the dance moves to high school musical. my coworker gchats me during a meeting about the book he recommended to me and i'm enjoying reading
i help a high school set up for a star-themed dance and while putting up streamers i find graffiti that says if you're reading this, i love you, and we're both going to get out of here right next to fuck everyone, live out of spite, don't let the fuckers make you die. on the bridge where i walk my dog someone has written i love you and on the sidewalk in chalk someone has written i love you and on the side of the water tower someone has written i love you
at the bottom of a text post an internet poet says - i love you, i love you, i love you. i've never met you, i love you because you exist and we exist together. and isnt that enough for now. just for this moment, i mean. like, if you just close your eyes and breathe - somewhere, across this world, i love you, because you're here with me.
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Say hello to the new heading #OnTheBookshelf where we gonna say a few word about your evening friend and give him a score! In the first episode we have a book by Fredrik Backman - #Folkmedangest (#AnxiousPeople)
#folk med angest#fredrik backman#on the bookshelf#bookshelf#read more#read books#anxious people#books#reading#book review#first episode
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scene 03: get in loser, we’re going shopping
original prompt: gotham academy's mentorship program
more at: table of contents
timeline: much later after scene 1 & 2
Danny and Damian sat at one of the corner tables in the library. Danny had finals coming up, and was busy reviewing the term’s worth of topics from all his classes. Damian, who had insisted on joining him, sat bored. having nothing left to study.
Danny looked at the younger boy when he sighed for the 3rd time in the past five minutes. Deciding that maybe he should take a break and indulge Damian, Danny finished the last problem, and let his book shut with a loud finality.
Damian looked up at him hopefully, “Are you done, now?” He asked. Danny could tell he was trying his best to not seem too eager, but Danny couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.
“Yup,” packing his things away first, he waited for Damian, when he noticed what the boy had taken up in his boredom. “Woah, Damian.” He whispered in awe, picking up the paper closest to him. “You did this?”
Damian seemed to need a moment to understand what Danny was referring to before becoming flustered and embarrassed, a soft pink spreading on his ears, “It was simply mindless work.” He sounded defensive, like someone had berated him for his artist interests before. Danny tried not to react to that, knowing Damian would probably find it insulting.
The sketch was on the back of a math worksheet Damian had long since completed, it was of a fighter who seemed to be using his sword to attack a nondiscript opponent. Danny knew from his many intensive training sessions with Pandora that the figure's form was slipping into leaving them open for an easy frontal attack from their opponent, while simultaneously leaving the fighter to not have the range of motion they might need to defend themselves. Most of the lines of the drawing were scratchy and short but overly repeated giving the fighter the illusion of fast movement, directly in contrast the hard outline of the fighter’s form made it seem like the fighter was stuck in their position.
Liminals and liminal-agencent people by definition did not have a strong awareness to manipulate ectoplasm consciously like other more ghostly beings could. Coincidentally, liminals tended to leak their own internally produced and stored ectoplasm when they acted on their deep emotions. Scientifically this usually showed itself as a person ‘harnessing their full potential’ in moments of crisis or in some more extreme and rarer cases accessing their metagene (meta’s were not to be confused with liminals or ghostly beings they hold few to no similarities outside of coincidence). Danny had known from the beginning that Damian was a liminal, likely from prolonged exposure to ectoplasm, and paradoxically had a difficult time understanding and accessing his own emotions. Emotional negligence was never healthy for an ectoplasmic being, and Danny knew it would be a long process for Damian to learn how to properly deal with his layered and complex emotions.
That being said, there was a steady level of ectoplasm spread over the paper, something that did not match what Danny would have expected from Damian’s current state with his emotional and subsequently his ectoplasmic abilities. The fighter was clearly a character Damian had either consciously or subconsciously created to represent himself.
Danny could work with this.
During the long moment of silence Damian seemed to have grown more and more anxious for Danny’s reaction. Danny let his emotions display easily on his face, wide eyed, “This is so good, Damian. I didn’t know you drew. Do you like art?”
“I do not draw. Art is a meaningless waste of time and only those without higher goals would indulge in such an activity.” Damian sounded conflicted, and the words he was saying were pretty obviously echoed from what someone else had said to him.
“That’s ridiculous,” Danny scoffed, “Art is a very important basis for almost everything. I mean it would feel pretty stale to live in a world where there was no uniqueness anywhere. Drawing, painting, writing, acting, sculpting, singing, or whatever else, are all unique forms of making something that no one else could truly ever recreate exactly. Even if it’s minute, there are always differences in the way that one person would commit to something than another person. It’s the basis of humanity and in the core of the human mind. If you try to block it so harshly from yourself, you’ll end up locking up an integral part of yourself that sets you apart from the other 7 million people on this planet.”
Damain stood there, considering what Danny said.
Not waiting another moment, Danny grabbed Damian’s bag heading out of the library. “What are you doing?” Damian asked suspiciously, quickly falling in step with Danny, grabbing his bag back.
Danny smirked at him, “We’re going shopping, Loser.”
Damian looked scandalied at the nickname, not understanding the reference. “I am not a loser.” he huffed.
Danny just laughed as they waited for the next bus. Once they got to their stop and entered the store, Danny beelined for where he knew the art supplies to be. Damian followed behind him, unfamiliar with the store.
Sure, if Damian wanted, he could easily buy the more top of the line supplies, after all he was a Wayne. But Danny was pointedly a broke scholarship kid right now, and it didn’t sit right to let Damian pay for things he was buying, no matter how much of a trust fund kid he may be. Not that Danny was exactly broke, but he imagined the cashiers at their local supermarket wouldn’t appreciate him trying to pay for a sketchbook, a couple sketch pens and pencils, and a 25 pack of Crayola markers with solid gold coins.
It was around 4:30 when they left the store with their stuff, Damian eyeing the bag curiously the whole time. They walked the rest of the way to a local cafe, and Danny sat Damian down.
“Okay, we’ll be here for the next hour,” He pulled out his own sketchpad, the concepts filling the pages were more accurately blueprints more than drawings, “Draw whatever you want.”
“I don’t know what to draw.” Damian huffed, awkwardly taking the supplies from Danny, and examining his surroundings carefully. Damian sat in the corner for a while, blending into the surroundings as he watched how the world spun around him. Danny was half-way through reviewing one of his older designs when Damian finally decided to open the pack of pencils and the first strike on the paper was made. They stayed there for long over the allotted hour, both sucked into their own projects.
“I finished.” Damian breathed in satisfaction, stretching his hand and back in his chair at the admission.
Danny eyed him with curiosity. “Can I see?” He asked. Danny wasn’t sure how right he had been about Damian using drawing to help regulate his ectoplasm and emotions, and he wanted to check how consistent it would be. Also he was really curious to see what he had drawn.
Damian looked a little bashful at his request, but he nodded, handing the sketch book over to Danny. Danny could easily feel the ectoplasmic energy scattered across the page, it wasn’t as constant as the first drawing had been, but it was still there. So he was right.
The drawing this time was of what had likely originally meant to be the barista, based on the outlines of the industrial coffee machine and register that had started out but been forgotten later for the center of the piece. The man was wearing an apron similarly like the one the barista had been wearing and a similar uniform, but that was the only similarities that Danny could draw from his surroundings in the drawing. The man, unlike their teenaged barista, was quite aged, with thin but well groomed hair, and a mustache. He had a longer face scattered with wrinkles of old age. The old man was looking down, presumably working on something, and seemingly happy with whatever it was. The ecto-signature was more concentrated around the old man, leading Danny to believe it was someone Damian likely loved and admired.
“You’re so good at this.” Danny complemented, honestly. “Did you have fun?” He asked, it was starting to get dark and they had stayed at the cafe longer than Danny had asked him to without complaint.
“Yeah, I did.” He answered after a moment. Danny ruffled his hair affectionately, “Hey, you’re gonna mess it up.” He complained, making no effort to remove himself.
“C’mon, let’s get you home. I have to go to work soon.” Danny led them out of the store, just in time for an expensive looking black car to pull around the bend and expertly stop in front of him.
“Young Master Damian, I’ve come to pick you up.” An old British gentleman spoke from the driver seat, it was the man from the drawing.
“Understood, Alfred.” Damian turned to hand the art supplies back to Danny.
“They’re yours.” Danny refused.
“I’ll take care of them.” Damian promised, placeing the supplies carefully inside his book bag.
“I’m sure you will.” Danny nodded, stepping back so the car could drive away.
“Mister Daniel, I would have no problem taking you home as well. It is quite late now.” The driver spoke kindly. It surprised Danny how accurate Damian had drawn that picture without so much as a reference.
“No it’s alright.” Danny waved away the idea, “I have to go to work now, and it’d be too out of the way for you.” He explained.
The driver didn’t press, but Danny noticed how his eye caught on something in the distance before he bid his farewells and left.
Danny made his way to the bus stop, and waited, mindlessly scrolling through his phone. Moments later another older teen approached the bus stop as well, waiting idly for the transport to arrive. He had black hair with a white tuft in the front, a sign of prolonged ectoplasmic exposure Danny knew all too well, roughly 6’ and some inches, and wore a hood of his red jacket over half his head.
Danny supposed it was fitting for someone who called himself the Red Hood.
The bus arrived, and both Danny and his co-passenger got at the stop before Arkham Asylum. Park Row AKA Crime Alley. By the time Danny clocked in and changed into his uniform for his shift it was already dark outside.
“Welcome to BatBurger.” He said in chorus with the rest of the workers at the bell chime of the door opening. The man walked to the counter silently, his white tuft of hair skillfully swept under a baseball cap he hadn’t had before. When he approached Danny’s station, Danny took his order, and right before completing the transaction, as per procedure, “Can I get a name for your order?” He asked.
“Jason Todd.”
#the effects of talia's parenting is showing and danny is a little concerned#damian learning to channel is inner artist#love to see it#also i really wanted to explore liminalness and ectoplasm here so theres that#idk if its kinda random lol#jason trained by the bats and the LoA mob boss extraordinaire and holder of bat paranoia: gives his full legal name#danny: 0_o#jason is literally so dumb smh#danny and damian bonding#damian inherited his dad's emotional competence#luckily danny's here to save the day
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10 things I Love about You ✨🫶🏼❤️PAC
Hello everyone, I am back again with a new PAC reading. Thank you all for loving my previous PAC, I appreciate it.
*This reading is just for entertainment purposes*
One of my favorite movies- 10 Things I Hate About You inspired me to make this PAC.
If you could, please leave feedback as comments reblogs, or Asks. It helps me to improve myself. And if you want you can tip/book reading with me because I am saving up for my further education.
Choose your pile intuitively. Take what resonates and leave the other things. If you think this reading is not for you then choose another pile. If still it doesn't resonate then this might not be your reading. There are two Piles.
***If this reading resonates with you, DM me to book a reading with me. You can pay through Paypal or you can visit my Kofi shop too.
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PAC Readings
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PILE 1 PILE 2
Hello there PILE 1. Your future spouse/future Lover will love these things about you. Hope you enjoy it.
I love how you make me feel all better and new
I love your seriousness
I love your mood swings
I love how you are a clean freak (specifically someone here might have OCD)
I love how goal-oriented you are.
I love your angry stares at me.
I love how you try to hide everything from me yet cry in front of me about it.
I love how kind you are to everyone.
I love how independent you are. Even though you won't show it, I will be always here with you.
Last but not least, I love you for being you always.
🔮Song from your person- At My Worst ft. Pink Sweats
Tip box 🎁
Hello there PILE 2. Your future spouse/future Lover will love these things about you. Hope you enjoy it.
I love how cute and funny you are.
I love how you make people comfortable in your presence.
I love how classy and sassy you are.
I love how optimistic you are.
I love how you make me want to be a better person than I already am.
I love how you inspire me to grow more. (some of you may be a muse to your person's creativity projects like singing, songwriting, etc)
I love how passionate you are about your hobbies and interests.
I love how you live in the moment and make me feel less anxious about the future.
I love how confident and comfortable you are in your own skin.
Last but not least, I love you for being here with me..always and forever.
🔮Song from your person- Shadow, Song by Seventeen.
Tip box 🎁
(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(❁´◡`❁)(
Love, Infinity ♾️🫶🏼
#tarot#free tarot readings#tarot reading#tarot readings#astro observations#tarot cards#tarotista#free tarot#tarotcommunity#tarot witch#future spouse tarot reading#tarotblr#future spouse readings#tarot deck#future spouse reading#tarot card#daily tarot#pick a card readings#pick a card#paid tarot reading#pick a card reading#paid tarot readings#tarot pick a card#pick a card tarot#pac#future spouse tarot#tarot blog#paid tarot#tarot card reading
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