#but in this novel her father left when she was 5 so it may just be a concession

[firstroseofspring]

another interesting choice i think in the novel is that miral tells b'elanna a lot about qo'nos- the history and the stories about kahless and the culturally relevant things- but when they actually go to qo'nos, b'elanna isn't trained like the other kids- as in she's not doing the martial arts, preparing for the rite of ascension etc and i wonder if that's a concession on miral's part because clearly it makes b'elanna uncomfortable (though i feel like the novel makes it clear that b'elanna hates not fitting in no matter where it is- she doesn't want to do klingon stuff on kessik, and when they get to qo'nos she's embarrassed that she hasn't done any warrior training) or if miral hadn't thought it would be necessary for her since she clearly knows she doesn't want to go back to qo'nos permanently. anyway all this to say that miral seems a little more uh easygoing about klingon tradition in some ways than b'elanna's perspective makes it seem

#diary #clearly klingon kids start training really young because b'elanna's like 8 in that scene #but in this novel her father left when she was 5 so it may just be a concession #either way its sweet kind of because that kind of thing- it doesn't seem like something you bend on with your kids. softie miral #also theres a very sweet mention of a scene in the novel where b'elanna distantly remembers miral telling a story about a klingon hero #and johns holding her in his lap and they're both listening like. Awwwwww

[ryanthel0ser]

Now that I've read the DMC4 novel, the scene Dante tells Nero that Vergil is his father has changed for me. Having that extra context has me changing my interpretation of the whole scene and why Nero doesn't go looking for answers during that 5 year period between DMC4 and 5

Disclaimer: this is my own opinion and thoughts, not fact just speculation based on what we've been given

It's very easy to say that the scene where Dante tells Nero about Vergil that Nero is clueless before this and that this is some kind of new revelation to him. The DMC4 novel though implies Nero has some idea that Vergil, or to be specific, Dante's brother is his father. Not only does he refer to Yamato as his birthright but Sanctus straight up states

“It all makes sense now. That man must’ve been a descendant of Sparda. He must have impregnated a woman from Fortuna…”

TO Nero.

So what are the facts Nero knows:

He's a descendant of Sparda

His father was a foreigner

Yamato belonged to Dante's brother

Yamato chose Nero to wield it after he repaired it

Dante's brother has been dead for a while

So it's easy for Nero to assume that Dante's brother may have been his father, the problems that have now arisen are that last point and that the guy with any answers just left. I believe in Before the Nightmare, Nero thinks something along the lines of "his brother has been long dead, so why does it matter" to sort of shrug off the thought. But why shrug off this thought? Nero remarks how he had always wanted someone like Dante in his life (which he is a little annoyed with himself about because...it's Dante, who is nonstop teasing him) so why not think about his father and want to know more? I think there are two main reasons as to why Nero doesn't pursue more information.

Why get to know the guy if there's no chance you'll ever meet him? It's a sad thought yes, but from Nero's position it's a safe one. He's dealt with and is dealing with a lot of grief from both Kyrie's parents dying and Credo dying, adding on the yearning to meet a man that has been long dead would only make things worse for him. It's likely he also developed this defense during his time at the orphanage; he probably for a bit wanted to know who his parents were and wondered if they'd come for him at some point, but after years of wishing and wondering why he was abandoned he put up a defense of "it doesn't matter, so why try looking into it" and turned his attention to his present day family: Kyrie, Credo and their parents.

Fortuna is a wreck and I nearly lost Kyrie, I don't want to leave her alone to deal with all this and any possible danger that might arise We get a scene at the end of the DMC4 novel of Nero and Kyrie helping out with the recovery and in Before the Nightmare we know they are still helping and now running the orphanage, but are HELLA poor because Kyrie accepts payment in meat and veggies instead of money (cause she's a saint like that). Additionally, there are still demons appearing on occasion although not at the rate they were before the whole Savior incident. His whole motivation (ha) for fighting and keeping Yamato was to protect Kyrie, and after nearly losing her and losing Credo it's not a surprise he decides to stick by her side during these five years. He already had to watch her grieve her parents, now he has to be there for her when she grieves for her brother whilst doing everything she can to help the survivors. Leaving her alone does not justify the want for answers to Nero.

Having this in mind now, let's look at the situation surrounding Vergil's return and the scene Dante tells Nero "he's your father" from Nero's perspective.

He just learned from V that the giant demon king named Urizen is actually Dante's older brother Vergil and that they're fighting each other despite being brothers based on their opposing ideas

This mysterious guy who showed up out of nowhere with a ton of answers for things and none about himself is now deteriorating rapidly and wants to be there for when Urizen is defeated

V landed the final blow and all of a sudden there's a guy there who is apparently Vergil and he and Dante immediately begin fighting before Vergil leaves

He thanks me???

Somehow V was part of that guy

Dante is refusing to let me fight even though this guy taking my arm kicked this whole thing off

To us the audience, this doesn't seem as strange because we're used to DMC nonsense like splitting your being in half but to Nero who has only dealt with the events of Fortuna and this past month this is still bizarre and seems like the most insane set of events to happen.

And then Dante has the audacity to tell Nero to go home and that it doesn't concern him. This is the man that took his arm, the one that took his power, the one that nearly killed Dante, the one that is responsible for thousands maybe even millions of lives being taken and despite how confident Dante was in Nero last time they met in Fortuna and has seen what he is capable of with the Devil Breaker he seems to have thrown that all away?! His own rage at the whole situation blinds him in that moment and Dante hits him with

"He's your father!"

This snaps Nero out of it. As Dante explains, we can almost see the implications of it all set in for Nero. It makes perfect sense. But this man took his arm. This man was supposed to be dead. This man has caused so much destruction. This man was the one he had been working with this whole mission and the one he was fighting. This is the man that Nero never imagined even meeting. And he was alive, he was real, but could this be called a good thing when he's caused so much pain for others and Nero himself?

Nero has gained so much information in the span of an hour and now Dante is on his way to fight Vergil that is guaranteed to kill one or both of them. Like Nero says on the phone with Kyrie, he's suddenly gained a family and he might lose both of them if he doesn't do something. And he's not losing anyone else.

#I hope this makes sense #i know the real reason they have Dante say it is because western fans were still confused #(remember the DMC4 novel was only published in Japanese) #but I think this explains it in a way that's in character and makes sense #instead of just Nero being clueless #dmc4 #dmc5 #dmc nero #dmc dante #dmc vergil #dmc #devil may cry #dmc analysis

[balanceoflightanddark]

I've read several Azulaang AUs where Aang gets Azula to open and master all of her chakras. Each with their own take on what's blocking them.

What do you think is blocking all of Azula's chakras? What's your take?

Well, I'm not a huge expert on chakras, but I can think of a few things that might be interfering with Azula's if you want to go that route. Course this is gonna take a little bit to go through each and every one of them, so get comfy.

Earth: This one should be fairly easy. This chakra deals with survival and is blocked by fear. Fear and Azula go together like bread and butter. Sure, many people think of Azula causing fear, but you also have to remember that Azula is terrified herself. Particularly of failure and the consequences of failure. Especially poignant since...well, the price of failure could possibly be maiming or even worse. A very real possibility with Ozai as your father. Hell, in the novelization of Sozin's Comet, we get this particular scene:

Overcoming and opening her Earth chakra means overcoming her fear of failure. Which would be difficult, but also a major step since that means overcoming Ozai's conditioning.

2. Water: Another fairly obvious one. This deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. People often accuse of Azula of having no guilt for a lot of things. Which in many ways isn't entirely inaccurate (I mean, you can't exactly feel guilty over something you do that for your entire life is told to be correct). However, we do get a good idea of what might be blocking this particular chakra in the mirror scene.

We see in this scene that Azula admits that she did treat Mai and Ty Lee poorly, but also said she didn't have any choice because...well, fear is the only reliable way in her mind. Hell, she wouldn't be reacting this way if she didn't have any guilt over the whole mess. Even though, again, when you grow up under Ozai's shadow, that screws up how you view the world. Coming to grips with how wrong her worldview is and forgiving herself for how bad things got with some of the only positive relationships in her life can help unblock this chakra.

3. Fire: Driven by willpower. Blocked by shame. Azula has a determination that puts a lot to others to shame. To be the best firebender, the perfect daughter, the embodiment of what the Fire Nation should be. And her success was driven by that will (and less luck as Zuko puts it), particularly with firebending and being able to bend blue fire.

Unfortunately, the shame of her humiliating defeat at Sozin's Comet probably shattered that willpower. And I could see it affecting her firebending if she's as shaken as she was in canon about what happened. Learning that her loss doesn't necessarily mean she's a failure and learning to fall in love with firebending outside of the context of combat and competitiveness to just firebending for firebending's sake, to appreciate the effort it takes to be so good can go a long way to unblock this chakra.

4. Air: Embodiment of love. Blocked by grief. Azula and love...yeesh. What a complicated history that one is. Azula is undeniably capable of love, and did have love for her family members. She wouldn't have hallucinated Ursa and been shaken by her rejection if that weren't the case. She did care about Zuko enough to bring him home with his honor intact while warning him about visiting Iroh. And her love for Ozai is undeniable.

And they all left in the end. Ursa neglected her. Zuko took everything from her (taking one of the few genuinely compassionate acts she did and throws it in her face). And Ozai abandoned her to the wolves. Not to mention her ruined relationship with Mai and Ty Lee, and she's more than wracked with grief. Again, she wouldn't have broken down if she didn't love them. That is the meaning of loss and grief.

5. Sound: Embodiment of truth. Blocked by lies.

...

Yeah that goes without saying that Azula is a knack liar. More importantly, even to herself. Azula's convinced herself that she's some irredeemable monster. That her only choice is to play with the cards given to her and embrace that notion of being a monster.

Thing is...she isn't. As proven before, she's NOT a monster. She is capable of showing compassion and love. Even if she's bad at showing it, she's not the callous, heartless demon she tries to present herself as. Unblocking this chakra means accepting that her lie is exactly that: a lie. And embracing the truth that she is indeed capable of so much more than what Ozai or herself have taught her to be.

6. Light: Embodies insight. Blocked by illusion. We've talked about lying before, but this particular one can also mean her regards to the Fire Nation in general. Azula, like so many others, was raised with the belief that the Fire Nation was the superior nation. That fire was the superior element, and that their way was justified.

But just like Azula's lie, the illusion is just an illusion. The Fire Nation isn't inherently better than the others, and their drive, their cause was built on the ego of the Fire Lords and a misguided attempt to bring about a world in their own image. If the previous chakras are about breaking down Azula's self image and her relationship to Ozai, then it sets the bedrock for unblocking this chakra and discovering just what the Fire Nation truly has done.

7. Thought: Embodies pure cosmic energy. Blocked by earthly ties. This one is...unique. The others are at least defined by something concrete. Pure cosmic energy is something that's a bit more abstract. Azula's earthly ties are easy. They're all the blockages that we've just mentioned and shaped her as a person. And we've just talked about how she can overcome them.

The final step would be to finally break ties from them. To accept that no, she's NOT defined by Ozai. She's NOT a monster. And she can be more than what Ozai or the previous Fire Lords had wanted her to be. This is the critical point. It's accepting that she can be good and do the right thing no matter where she came from. Thus, coming to terms with her past, and choosing to move on and forge a new future for herself. At least how I'd interpret this.

So...yeah. This is how I'd view Azula's chakras, what's blocking them, and what can be done to clear them. It'll take time, but I do believe she's capable of it. I mean, she has addressed some of the issues herself. Now it's a matter of capitalizing on what she's learned and putting them into practice.

Thanks for the ask, anon! This was actually a bit of fun. Maybe this can be a sort of roadmap for anyone interested in writing an Azula redemption fic or something.

#azula #princess azula #azula meta #atla #atla meta #atla chakras #chakras #i'm...not an expert #so forgive me if i'm wrong on something #anon answered #ask me anything #long post

[winterinhimring]

1, 5, and 6 for the latest ask game

Thanks for sending this!

1: Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

The current project that's most consistently under construction is The Right Question, a fix-it for The Amazing Spider-man 2 (NOT something I ever expected to write fic for) which could very well be subtitled "Gwen Stacy and Aunt May Fix Everything (Harry Helps A Bit)". It's making pretty good progress and most of the main conflict has already been solved, so really what's left now is cleaning up loose ends and revelling in the fix-it a bit before I wrap things up. I think what I love most about it is the dynamic that's developing between Harry, Peter, and Gwen. Harry and Peter have spent most of the fic trying to express friendship for each other by mutually going 'I will sacrifice myself for you. Let me sacrifice myself for you PLEASE. I AM GOING TO JUMP IN FRONT OF THIS BOLT OF LIGHTNING FOR YOU DON'T YOU DARE TACKLE ME OUT OF THE WAY WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE SAVING ME I AM SUPPOSED TO BE SAVING YOU'. Gwen, meanwhile, has the brain cell, and has spent most of the fic trying to get them to actually TALK about all the things they sorely need to talk about, but crises keep happening and the boys keep running off into the blue before she can sit them down and sort them out properly. It honestly cracks me up laughing.

I'm also planning to add another arc to A Lot Can Happen In Twenty Years, a collection of short stories set after my rewrite of Spider-man: No Way Home in A Far, Far Better Thing (a series that started life as 'let's fix the post-Endgame MCU' and ended up spanning the entire live-action Spider-man multiverse). So far, entries to that have included lots of Osborn family bonding and a Raimi-verse edition of Electro; the next arc, if I ever actually write it, will be about the Raimi-verse Vulture, whose existence I've teased in previous fics, but who has never actually shown up on screen. So far, it's just in the planning stage, because I'm trying to get The Right Question written before I start it. However, I can already tell that it's going to be chock full of father-son feels and bonding between Norman and Harry, which is one of my favourite things, so I'm really looking forward to when it's written. (I don't want to have to WRITE it but alas, such is life.)

Finally, there is my oldest and least consistently worked-on project, aka That Pesky Original Novel, aka The Finding. It's about a pair of college students who stumble across what I can probably most easily describe as a magical artifact (though magic is really a bit of a misnomer for the way I've set up this world, and in-universe everyone would insist, correctly, that it's NOT magic), find themselves in the sights of quite a lot of interested parties, and have to figure out who to trust and what to do. It has been nominally in the process of being rewritten ever since I first drafted it in high school, but it has actually made some progress lately. It might get finished this year or it might take me another decade; who knows?

5: What character that you're writing do you most identify with?

This is a tough one! I tend to write characters that are similar to me in some crucial ways (I don't think I've ever written someone who's naturally open with their emotions, because that is simply baffling to me on a fundamental psychological level), but very different in others. It's not quite a case of opposites attract, but it's pretty rare for me to look at a character I write and strongly identify with him or her. I can find bits or pieces of myself in most of the characters I write (my sense of morality in Peter, my determination in Gwen, my dislike of emotional vulnerability in Norman, my snark in just about everyone, etc.), but I don't see my whole self in any of them.

6: What character do you have the most fun writing?

It depends on a lot of things! Right now, though, probably Harry Osborn, because he's (a) ridiculously dramatic and can always be relied upon to take a plot in new and interesting (by which I mean supremely angsty) directions, and (b) SUCH a snarky little dude who WILL unleash it on anyone he considers deserving at the slightest provocation. He considers quite a lot of people deserving and I love writing snark, so it's a writer and character partnership made in heaven.

Thank you for sending this question! I had lots of fun answering it.

Ask game is here.

#asked and answered #winter says things #my writing #skylarynn-grey #requiem fic #the right question #is getting a tag now #spiderman #peter parker #harry osborn #gwen stacy #that pesky original novel

[hanabeeri]

another week has passed uwaaah 早いね.. its a good practice though to sit down and to really think about what happened. at least to me because i have a memory worse than a fruit fly i believe 🥹 the week isnt over and i still have sunday ahead of me, but i dont think anything major or big will happen tomorrow. i may facetime my friends to talk about a book we're reading together though, so theres that 🧸💕

what happened this week? >i turned in my japanese essay (i will rewrite it until next week though... because i couldn't come up with any culture shock i experienced and picked the one i found in an old chat with a friend. but its a topic, way too silly, to use as a basis for our oral presentation in a month) >i started reading a good girls guide to murder with my friends! i read up until chapter 5. i already have some critiques, my friends and i talked about it briefly, and i do see that i may have been to critical. i wasn't aware it was a novel for a younger audience, but i can see it now 🥹 ill keep it in mind for the overall review >on wednesday i left university earlier so i could surprise a friend together with my other friends! she moved to a new place and we prepared a small gift for her and her boyfriend for their new home. we coordinated the visit with her boyfriend so she wouldnt notice anything and it worked! she was so overwhelmed at first, but later on she was really happy 🩷💕🧸 >i met a friend two times that i haven't seen in a long time. we planned on painting together, but i ended up doodling album covers that came up on spotify instead (does that count as an activity? www can you tell that nothing much has happened?) >on thursday i finally caught up on my japanese syntax classes and today i want to do the new grammar for next weeks classes. which reminds me... i still need to ask a friend from uni to explain 'quasiphrasen' to me. i only have like two notes jotted down from last semester but i dont think i really grasped the difference between that and a proper phrase >oh and i finished fight club! good book :)) the first half was okay, you can easily breeze through it without noticing, it picks up in its second half. thats when it got really interesting! >i bought both of my parents flowers and a card!! unfortunately i forgot that fathers day was on thursday, so im giving both my papa and mama flowers today - since its mothers day tomorrow

not exactly a productive week i would say, but its okay <3 im not here to compete or do things fast, im doing things for the sake of doing them and because they make me happy 🧸💕💞🩷 a more detailed and jucier version of my week is written inside my physical diary, but that is something i doubt ill ever share with anyone. maybe a future lover 🥹💞🌸

i think for next week i would like to set a goal. nothing too big, i just want to read up on ableism. to learn its forms and how its executed in daily life. so i can learn and grow and be better to people who deserve more than what they're currently given in life. read the bible some more and find peace. have i ever talked about a few weeks ago when i felt so miserable i had the wish to die again? i prayed to God in that moment and i felt so warm afterwards. like He put His gentle hand over my heart to give me the comfort i sought.

pretty decorations by huramuna and sunfoxpixels

#20240511 #sleeeeepy #huramuna #sunfoxpixels #funnily enough i chose to wear the same dress i wore in the last weekly t update haha #its my favourite!! and i finally get to wear it because its warmer #i also have a white/red dress but its shorter :(( #next week will be quite cold and rainy.. i hope i wont fall into a sad mood

[thirtecnth]

(Sarah Gadon) THE BIBLIOPHILE. Please welcome BEVERLY TORRANCE  (SHE/HER) to Huntsville, WV. They are a 32-year-old VISITOR who lives in TOWN. You may see them around working as a ENGLISH/HISTORY TEACHER AT HUNTSVILLE HIGH. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

( *tw - religious trauma, parental abuse, emotional/physical abuse mention )

GENERAL

FULL NAME: Beverly Elise Torrance NICKNAMES: Bev, Bevy, Bevs, Miss Beverly, Eve, Evs AGE: 32 years old DATE OF BIRTH: September 13th SEXUALITY: Straight(?) Bisexual STATUS: Gatherer

APPEARANCE

HEIGHT: 5′ 4″ HAIR: Blonde EYE COLOR: Blue

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Saint George, Utah INCOME STATUS: Upper Class (previous) FATHER: John Torrance MOTHER: Judith Torrance SIBLINGS: Gideon Torrance ( younger ), Arthur Torrance ( younger ), Elizabeth Torrance ( younger ) SIGNIFICANT OTHER: N/A HOBBIES: Reading, writing, collecting antique novels, fashion, hiking, bird watching

TRAITS

[+] Affable, Imaginative, Sociable [-] Weak-willed, Worrisome, Hesitant

STORY POINTS

Bev grew up in a small town outside Saint George. She’s a small-town girl at heart but her dreams were always larger than that. 

She wanted to explore and see the world -- be in the same places that her favorite authors always wrote. Because of this, she frequently found herself exploring her town and neighboring for new secret spots.

Her family was well off, she was always taken care of and so were her siblings. The only thing was that they were also highly religious and frequently took them all to church.

They were strict on her when it came to any relationship. It got to the point of detriment when she began to find any interest in boys. She was never a very shy girl and loved to spend time with people, but her parents always assumed the worst.

It grew to a head when they forced her to date an older boy from their church rather than anyone else she had taken an interest in. He had proposed after about 5 months and they stayed that way for quite some time. It was in this relationship that she was emotionally / physically abused.

The final straw came when she caught him cheating on her. The second it happened, she left everything and went to a college far, far, away from Saint George. She would often write to her siblings, but she never spoke to her parents again. They tried to call, but only ever filled up her inbox.

Her passion for writing and reading only grew. She found herself double majoring in Education and English with a passion for becoming a teacher. Her parents were no longer supporting her, so it was a long and difficult route, but when she found herself finally at graduation, it was a beautiful experience. She didn’t need anyone else. She had herself.

However, she frequently overly criticized herself. She didn’t think anything she did was any better than anything anyone else could do. It was hard. It took the help of a friend in college for her to realize how good she actually was when it came to writing and possibly teaching English.

When it was all finished and she had finally become what she always dreamed of, she searched for something familiar and eventually stumbled upon Huntsville in 2017. By then, she had a passion for teaching and experience-- so she had a great feeling about starting here... Now, she's just constantly searching for ways to keep her students safe.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

1. Siblings: Perhaps they also wanted a chance at getting away from their parents and wanted to find Beverly. She wrote and called them frequently, so their relationship would've been close before the contact suddenly stopped, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t feel abandoned by her and didn’t know why she left in the first place. 

2. Childhood Friend / Old Classmate: Someone who, by coincidence, found themselves in the same town. Beverly had been the Prom Queen her senior year, so she was rather well-known in town. It must have been a wonder as to why she would have left. Maybe they lost touch!

3. Students / Past Students: I’m sure she would be rather close with all of her students -- study sessions and discussing things with them would come naturally. She also is a huge fan of helping them if they’re having trouble in real life rather than student life. (Think the teacher who always let you eat in their classroom and had peanut butter, bread, and jelly if you were hungry.)

4. Coworkers: She loves to get in touch with them for collaborations or even for drinks at night. It’s a way for her to relax and get to know the people she’s around. Honestly, just a bubble of happy mom-friend energy. Love it.

5. Exs: She would have had a kind of boyfriend that she dated before him and was probably forced to break up with him... Maybe it's time to rekindle that kindness. Easily could have boyfriends from college that showed up too.

…More to come, I’m sure!

#beverly torrance. #beverly torrance. / intro #huntsvilleintro

[fortunebookie-ph]

Love & Gelato

synopsis:

lina is spending the summer in tuscany, but she isn't in the mood for italy's famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. she's only there because it was her mother's dying wish that she get to know her father. but what kind of father isn't around for sixteen years? all lina wants to do is to get back home.

but then lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in italy. suddenly lina's uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. a world that inspires lina, along with the ever-so-charming ren, to follow in her mother's footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. it's a secret that will change everything lina knew about her mother, her father - and even herself.

people come to italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

book details:

love & gelato II love & gelato II jenna welch evans II 416 pages II may 2, 2017 II paperback II s&s books for young readers II romance, young adult contemporary

thoughts:

i can't believe how much i enjoyed this book, love & gelato, is a ya romance/contemporary novel with a fee-good story. lina's mother tells her she wants her to move to florence to be with her father. howard, but lina doesn't know howard, her mother never even mentioned him until now.

the tory is told in the first person and after a brief a prologue where lina's mother explains her wish to her, the story begins with lina arriving in florence and getting to know her new surroundings. the tale quickly moves for forward when lina finds out about her mother's journal, the one she kept when she had been in florence herself, before lina was born. the rest of the book is a combination of both lina's story and her mother's journal entries, which act like a second story.

i'm surprised by how much i enjoyed reading this. this one is just so heartwarming. i felt compelled to keep reading even though there's not a lot that initially happens compared to some books i'm used to. although lina's story, her situation with howard and getting to know new people and florence was exciting to read, i really enjoyed her mother's journal entries much more. it was like reading two stories at once and the questions that came from every entry just made it more and more compelling. the way florence is described is amazing. there's not long paragraphs of description but it's enough to really make you feel like you're there and although i've never been there myself, this book made me want to visit.

although the book is a little predictable in parts, i did guess what was happening to lina's mother far earlier than lina did at the start of the book, it was still a compelling read. there were enough twists with the story to really keep me reading on and i found myself engrossed in the tale, especially in the secod half when lina's mother's journal entries start to reveal some hidden truths.

the book is both a romance and contemporary novel. i loved the romance in both lina's story and her mother's but there was an equally good almost mystery sort of story about finding out the truth of what happened in florence all those years ago. that's why i'd say it's a good contemporary novel too. i really loved the ending, where everything was so well wrapped up. it was both a very satisfying ending and also one that left a big smile on my face.

there is nothing at all offensive in this book. if you speak italian, you may find one word that's not exactly swearing but not so nice - if i can put it that way - but there was nothing about this book that is offensive and it's just a really good, feel-good story.

i'd recommend this book for anyone interested in a summer feel-good read, whether you're into romance stories or not. Rating:

4.07/5

[weebsinstash]

Since I was telling you guys about The Silent Alpha (listening to it on DreameFM), i figured I might share a little on the first book in the series, The Ivory Queen? I actually think both stories are quality and was mostly juat gossiping on all the juicy drama parts haha

The Ivory Queen is about a Mexican-American girl named Aurora Montenegro who's father Emiliano is killed by rogue wolves on her 13th birthday, and when her pack finds her with the body they immediately blame her. Since your 13th birthday is your first shift, they automatically assume she went feral and killed her father, and the entire pack, the Lluvia Blanca pack, spends the next 5 years absolutely torturing her, even by her mother and siblings. She's beaten up, kept in a basement, denied proper food, forced to work as a slave, and denied ever being able to shift which makes her incredibly weak on top of already being malnourished. This isnt even to touch on stuff like, "oh her brother Chava once locked her in a closet and used his illusion powers to make her see rogues like the ones who killed her father and left her like that for hours and then he dragged her out covered in her own piss and shit because she'd literally been losing control of her bladder and bowels in terror after being in there so long and he dragged her in front of other people and then everyone mocked her during this extremely traumatizing experience and after the fact some of them literally threw diapers at her, for MONTHS". Like. jesus fucking christ dude. Kill all of them maybe? Like Im starting to adore the idea of a Reader who was horrifically abused and just goes "fuck this high horse bullshit, hey new mate, you're a powerful wolf and you love me? Kill these bitches to prove it. Make them suffer"

When Aurora finally meets her mate, Alpha Olivier of River Moon Pack, he rejects her because he recognizes her and has heard all the awful rumors, but soon, he actually regrets his decision and vows that he wants to see who she really is and they team up to not only get her away from her abusive pack and family, solve the mystery of her father's death, but also discover an even deeper plot of a looming war, a prophecy, and the truth surrounding her heritage

The story is not only well written and well voice acted but also contains decent amounts of representation (like Olivier is French, and he has his pack cook traditional Mexican food for Aurora when she first arrives which literally makes her sob with gratitude because she hasn't had home cooked Mexican food since before her father died) and also naturally covers subjects like women's rights and things are written in a mature and realistic tone (like another conversation with a Luna named Kehlani opening up that she felt like her breasts were too low and far apart after giving birth, and it's like God that is such an actual realistic female struggle. a lot of these other authors just kind of, idk, some of these stories are like comparing potato chips to a full course meal kwim? Emotional journeys vs popcorn literature YA novels)

Oh. I will say though. One of the horrible things to happens to Aurora is that she is and had been sexually assaulted by another member of this pack and this does happen in written detail so, if that is triggering for you you may need to skip any interactions with that character (who's name i can't remember but you'll be able to tell because he's openly creepy and before the assault happens Aurora already let's the reader know, he's a guy who "does unspeakable things to me I can't talk about")

Like it is very dark. She gets knocked out and wakes up with her attacker already on top of her, already in the midst of it while she was blacked out, and interestingly, this is a story where the mate bond also transfers pain, so, Olivier experiences the pain of, well, being an assaulted woman, and that deepens his love, respect, and sympathy for Aurora and her strength to survive. But I also don't like that Aurora also had to lowkey provide comfort to Olivier for something that happened to her after the fact, like it isn't like forced upon her ,she wants to comfort him, but it's like... that happened to HER, idk, Olivier getting attention for the issue makes me feel kinda weird

Either way it's a cute story about finding love and acceptance when you feel like you have nowhere you belong and feel like everyone hates you and sees you as nothing. A nice read and a nice story, albeit a little long ^^;

#weebwolves

[hollymbryan]

Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read DON’T ASK IF I’M OKAY by Jessica Kara!

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for Don’t Ask if I’m Okay by Jessica Kara! I’ve got all the details on this gorgeous contemporary book below, along with my top 5 reasons to read this one, so let’s go!

About the Book

title: Don’t Ask if I’m Okay author: Jessica Kara publisher: Page Street Kids release date: 16 May 2023

Heartfelt and bittersweet, this coming-of age story explores the tender space of healing where grief meets love

A year ago, Gage survived a car accident that killed his best friend, Hunter. Without the person who always brought out the best in him, Gage doesn’t know who he is. He likes working as a fry cook and loves his small-town friends and family, but they weren’t in the wreck and he can’t tell them how much he’s still hurting. He just wants to forget all his pain and move on.

So when his stepdad shows him a dream job opening in one of his idol’s restaurants, Gage knows this is his chance to convince everyone and himself that he’s fine. To try to push past his grief once and for all, Gage applies for the job, asks out a crush, and volunteers to host a memorial for Hunter.

But the more Gage tries to ignore his grief, the more volatile it becomes.

When his temper finally turns on the people he loves, Gage must decide what real strength is—holding in his grief until it destroys him, or asking for help and revealing his broken heart for all to see.

Content Warning: Loss of friend, PTSD, toxic masculinity

Add to Goodreads: Don’t Ask if I’m Okay Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Jessica Kara is a professional author and artist. With a BFA in technical theatre, she worked as a stage manager for eight years in regional theatres and on several national tours. Eventually she left the business to focus on writing, which has always called. She has served as President of her local writing organization, Authors of the Flathead, and is a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. She frequently speaks at local conferences, schools, and college classes, striving to inspire a new generation of writers to pursue their passions.

Jess has indie-published a young adult fantasy series featuring gryfon characters, and is excited to now dive into the pool of contemporary young adult fiction. She currently resides in northwest Montana with her husband, spends her time staring at the mountains, drinking a lot of coffee, dreaming up things and people, and chirping back at birds.

Her stories, whether fantastic or contemporary, are “noblebright” at their core, woven with a spirit of determined hope, belief in the power of kindness, and the faith that good will overcome.

Connect with Jessica: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

Top 5 Reasons to Read

Every once in a while a book comes along that you didn’t realize you needed in your life, and had no idea how much it would affect you, until you read it. In 2021, that book for me was What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson, and this year it is absolutely THIS BOOK. Here are my top 5 reasons to read Don’t Ask if I’m Okay:

1. It’s the most honest, unflinching, tender exploration of grief I’ve read in a long time. 

2. It’s also an honest and unflinching look at toxic masculinity, how it can mess up our young boys, and how hard they must fight to escape it.

3. It has quite possibly the single best portrayal of a father figure (stepdad) that I’ve read in any YA novel, ever. Seriously, Jack -- I adore you with my whole heart.

4. It’s such a beautiful portrayal of teen friendship, especially between teen boys, and a recognition of how hard it can be for them to lean on each other, even when friends are there to catch them (which holds true for adults, as well!).

5. It’s a book that will rip your heart out, leaving you sobbing and snotty at midnight, and then patch it back together, leaving you smiling through your tears at 1:00 a.m. (this may or may not reflect my actual experience, lol).

I don’t want to say much more so as to avoid spoilers, but I will say this: I lost my sister to domestic violence 15 years ago this past January, and I STLL struggle with grief. Jessica Kara’s portrayal of grief as a circular progression from dark to light and back to dark again (ad infinitum) is so incredibly accurate that I was vigorously nodding along as I read. When Gage says that death isn’t a one-time loss but rather a new loss every time you wake up in the morning, every time something good happens and you want to run and tell the person who’s no longer with you, only to remember they’re gone...ugh. I was pregnant with my first and only child when my sister was killed, and I distinctly remember the day I walked in the house after work and he kicked for the first time and my first thought was, “oh my god, I have to call Krissy!” -- only to remember that wasn’t possible and that she would never know her nephew. 

I say all this to say, this book GETS IT. Ms. Kara GETS GRIEF. If you have a family member or friend struggling with grief and you don’t know what that’s like, read this book. If you are struggling with grief and you want some help healing or some validation that your own feelings are normal, READ THIS BOOK. I cannot recommend this highly enough, I’m honored to have read it, and it will go down as The Special Book of 2023 for me. I hope you’ll pick this one up, and please do let me know your thoughts. And if you ever want to talk about grief, or depression, or pain, or whatever, please know my DMs are open. “Lone wolves die alone.”

RATING: 5 stars! (I know this is not technically a review, but I couldn’t leave this off!)

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour.

Check out the Bookstagram tour too! You can find my post here, and the full schedule is here.

#don't ask if i'm okay #jessica kara #ya lit #ya literature #yalit #young adult #YA Books #grief #grieving #coping with grief #coping with death #coping with loss #new release #new releases #newrelease #newreleases #may 2023 #may release #may reading #Blog Tour #bookstagram tour #top 5 reasons to read #5 stars #5 star #5star #5stars #5 star reviews #5 star reads #tbrbeyondtours

[femme-malewife]

Fantasia LOVE&KISS Novel Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional translator

Masterlist here

🎤

“Good morning!” Aizou greeted everyone louder than usual as he entered the practice room.

 The other actors and staff had already arrived and greeted him back with “Good morning!”

There was about an hour left until Okido arrived. Aizou put his bag on the chair and took out his script, which was covered with sticky notes. The most important thing to think about right now was how to make this play a success.

He wanted to make it an unforgettable performance that the audience will be hooked on. This was no time to be clashing with Okido.

They needed him in order to make the stage perfect- he was supposed to be their strongest ally.

(Even that teacher wants this stage to be a success...)

Their desire and enthusiasm may be stronger than their own. Otherwise, they would not have stuck to it from the beginning. There was no way he would think it was okay for the stage he was directing to fail.

“Alright...” Aizou muttered to himself, gripping the script tightly in his hand. “Kurashita-san,” he called out, and Kurashita Aoi, who had been stretching, turned around to look at him.

“Good morning, Aizou-kun. You’re here early.”

“Good morning. Sorry to interrupt you, but can I talk to you, real quick?” Aizou knelt down beside her.

“What is it?” Aoi asked warily.

“Here, look...” Aizou showed her his script.

“Ehh, you wrote so much!”

“I did a lot of reading yesterday and I was thinking that...well, I’d like to change the dialogue a little bit between your character and mine.”

At once, Aoi, who had been staring at his script, snapped her head up to look at him in shock. “Change it?!”

“Well, not change per se, but more like...slip in an ad lib or something,” Aizou explained.

“Haa...are you serious right now?” Aoi stared at him. She was probably concerned about what Okido would say if they changed anything without permission.

“I know that Okido-san might get mad at us, but...” Aizou himself was nervous too.

“Right? But you’re going to do what you have written on the margins, right? Well, I can’t do it! No way!” Aoi shook her head rapidly.

“If he gets angry, then I’ll apologize!” Aizou said.

“Why did you decide to...suddenly do something like this?”

“Because...I can’t go on like this. If I had better acting skills and more experience, I would have done things differently, and I wouldn't have pissed off the director in the first place. But...I can’t be envious of what I don't have now, and I have to make do with what I do have.”

He didn’t have the power to significantly change the status quo. He didn’t have the power to move people. Still, he couldn’t just give up and abandon the fight while his partner was fighting alone.

“I just want to change how things are right now, even if it’s only a little bit,” Aizou concluded, looking at her with a serious expression.

Aoi glanced back at his script, her brows furrowed for a moment. After looking over the scipt once more, she suddenly giggled, as if she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“But...will this be interesting..?”

“You bet! I’ll definitely make it interesting and entertaining!” Aizou’s eyes lit up as he enthusiastically spoke.

Aoi blinked and smiled, almost as if she were saying “it can’t be helped.”

“If the director gets angry at you...then I’ll apologize with you.”

“Thank you, Kurashita-san!” Aizou grinned and clenched his fists in excitement.

💮

“Fifty!” Aizou cried out in exaggeration. 

“There may have been more, given some traveled in groups.”

“Was it some sort of mystery jewel exploration quest?!” Aizou asked, and risked a small glance at the other actors. He and Aoi continued their scene, a bit louder than before.

“Maybe they’re visiting places relating to the jewel.”

“So you do have it! Does that mean that the jewel is something that’s easily made?”

“When my father was alive, the inn was thriving and the town was busy because of it. They sold souvenirs such as replicas and pendants of the jewel all the time.”

“A jewel pendant?! That sounds interesting! I think I’ll buy one...that is, if it’s still for sale!”

“Unfortunately, they’re sold out. The artisans have already left.”

“Agggh! I should have come earlier!” Aizou punched his hand lightly in frustration.

“Mysterious jewel cookies, mysterious jewel pudding, and mysterious jewel buns were also very popular, with lines going out the door!”

“They should bring them back to revitalize the town!”

“But the trend is gone!” Aoi took out her handkerchief and made an “oogie!” noise as she wiped at her tears.

“Then that means we’re the ones being played by the trend!” Aizou cried out.

The atmosphere of the practice room started to ease up, and the staff and other actors started laughing.

“...What was that about...mystery jewel buns?” Yujiro mumbled, pouting a bit, almost as if he’d forgotten his role.

Aizou looked at Okido nervously as somewhat painful memories of the first day of rehearsal, when they had a reading session, came back to him. He was prepared for the possibility of being scolded. But Okido stroked his beard as if he were trying to cover up the fact that he was about to laugh.

However, a small chuckle still escaped Okido’s mouth. He caught Aizou glancing at him and straightened up.

“What exactly...was that, just now?” He asked.

“I’m sorry! I thought that this would be slightly better, so I added it in!” Aizou bowed to hide his gulp. It was definitely different from the first day of rehearsals, as this time, this was all intentional.

The staff and actors all stopped laughing, and Aoi walked over to Aizou.

“I helped too. I’m sorry!” Aoi bowed with him.

“...And you two came up with this?”

“Yes, we did!”

“I thought of it on my own, and I asked her to do it with me.”

The two had answered simultaneously, and glanced at each other.

“Aizou-kun thought of it, but I thought that it was interesting,” Aoi clarified.

“I got Kurashita-san involved, so it’s my fault!”

“I’m sorry!” Both Aoi and Aizou bowed.

“But...” Aizou continued, “I didn’t come up with this to make a joke out of it. I wanted to make the audience laugh. I came up with it in all seriousness,” Aizou stared at Okido, hoping that he understood.

Yujiro stared at Aizou with wide eyes.

Okido remained silent, looking as though he were deep in thought.

“I suppose that it is a little bit better now...” Okido mumbled to himeself, the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement.

“Um...what was that..?” Aizou glanced at him, trying to get a good read of his expression.

“Start again from the top. Aizou, try doing it with the intention of covering the other person’s lines at a faster tempo than before.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll do it!”

“And make sure you do it as loud as you are now, otherwise your voice won’t reach the audience,” the director smirked lightly as he crossed his arms.

“Got it!” Aizou replied with a smile.

Aoi put her hand on her chest and sighed in relief.

This was the first time the teacher called him by his name. And this was also the first time he’d been given proper advice. He wondered if he had been accepted.

After rehearsals were over, Aizou sat down on a bench in the dimly lit hallway and exhaled, tired.

It was probably because he had been so tense all the time. After that, he was coached thoroughly, but he never got angry with him. He was also sure that he got the hang of the art of dialogue, thanks to him.

(I knew he was an amazing man...Okido-san...)

“Aizou-kun, good work today,” Aoi came up to the vending machine and called out to him as she selected her juice.

“Good work today,” Aizou replied with a smile. “Thanks for earlier, Kurashita-san. You really saved me, back there.”

“Well, it was you who thought of it...I just went along with it.”

“But if you hadn’t gone along with it, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Aizou pointed out as Aoi pushed a button, a can of coffee falling out of the machine.

“I thought it was amazing...I could never do something like that. The truth is...I hated this stage. Okido-san is famous for being strict...and I'm not as good at acting as Rino-chan, so I didn't have the confidence. But I thought if Rino-chan was going to do it, then I had to do it too. Rino-chan would be shocked if the diretor said something bad to her. I felt like I had to protect her. We're in the same office, and she's my most precious friend,” Aoi smiled bashfully and grabbed the coffee can.

(Come to think of it, Kurashita-san does work a lot with Inokawa-san...)

“Whenever the rehearsals started, the director was always yelling at us...and everyone was always intimidated...and I couldn't say anything, and the atmosphere here was so bad that I wished I had never done it. It wasn't fun at all...and all I could think about was how I wished it would end sooner. But today was a lot of fun. When everyone laughed, I knew that I wanted to make it a great show and that I had to do it. If someone changes, everyone changes...” She held the coffee can out to him. “I’m really grateful. Thank you.”

(Grateful, huh...)

Maybe they were able to break through the stifling atmosphere just a little bit. If so, it was probably a good thing they did it. It was much better than being in anguish and not being able to change anything.

“Thank you, Kurashita-san,” Aizou accepted the can of coffee from her.

“Yeah...good luck. I’ll see you later,” she waved to him, before leaving. Aizou sipped the coffee from the can and looked over the script.

“Good work today.”

“Yeah, you too,” Aizou said absently before blinking in confusion. He looked up, and to his surprise, it wasn’t a staff member or a random actor. There by the vending machine was Yujiro, getting a can of chocolate milk. He glanced over at him.

“A-ah...I mean...good job today...” Aizou quickly rephrased when their eyes met.

It was unusual for Yujiro to greet him like that.

“How...how did you come up with that?” Yujiro asked. He looked like he was torn between being impressed or stunned.

“Well...I guess it’s a plan for a quick fix?”

Yujiro, who was drinking his chocolate milk, choked a little and quickly put his hand over his mouth. “Okay, but...mystery jewel buns?”

“I was just thinking about ways to make it more interesting...” Aizou muttered, before shrugging. “I tried it in my own way.”

“Well, Aizou...I have to admit, it was pretty interesting, and the pace was well done.”

“I think making the director laugh was the biggest accomplishment.”

“And to think, I thought you were sneaking around and plotting something big...” Yujiro brought his can of chocolate milk to his lips, which were upturned into a relaxed and genuine smile.

“Well, it worked, so...” Aizou stood up and threw his empty coffee can in the trash, before showing his script to Yujiro with a small grin on his face. “I’m going to start practicing more, and I want you to join me. We have the most scenes together, but we haven’t practiced at all together! So let’s give that stone-faced director a good show!”

“...That’s fine with me, but I won’t join in on anymore of your weird ad libs.”

“But why? I thought of so many!”

“Why don’t you practice with somone else then? I’ll never, ever do it!”

Aizou quickly hurried after Yujiro, who started to walk away.

“It made everyone laugh, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you mean. Are you trying to woo your costars? How inappropriate.”

“I’m not trying to woo anyone. Don’t misunderstand me!”

“Maybe more rumors will start up.”

Aizou froze, staring at him. “You...you were eavesdropping that day, weren’t you?!”

“It’s your fault for talking in the hallway,” Yujiro grinned at him, gently swaying his can of chocolate milk.

💮

In the following week's rehearsal, Aizou performed the scene in the abandoned cathedral with Yujiro.

“H-hey...are you going to be alright?” Aizou asked anxiously.

“You should be more worried about yourself on that one,” Yujiro replied brusquely.

The way he said it, which was without any cuteness, was just like his partner. Aizou almost forgot his role.

“Huh? You’re not going to make me sing, are you?”

“Stop trying to make things difficult. I don't care if your singing is good or bad. If you are not a good singer, just say that your throat is sore today.”

“You make it sound easy..!”

(Huh..? This scene seems easier to do today...)

Maybe it was because they had practiced many times together in the music store's practice room on the way home from rehearsals. The lines that had seemed to be somehow out of sync seemed to fit together perfectly today. Maybe it was because of this that the dialogue came out of his mouth naturally, without him even being conscious of it.

(Yujiro’s acting seems different too, doesn’t it?)

Yujiro was adjusting well, and Okido hadn’t yelled at him again. The dialogue with the guards, which Yujiro had to redo many times, was not interrupted once today.

At the end of the scene in the cathedral, the director stopped them. “Alright. That was good. Go ahead and take a break,” Okido nodded, standing up from his chair.

Aizou sighed and grabbed his water bottle from his chair, opening the cap and drinking from it. As he did, he saw Yujiro leaving the practice room, followed by Okido.

(Yujiro...)

Suddenly, he was worried that the two were going to clash again. He hurried after them anxiously.

“Okido-san,” Yujiro stopped and turned to Okido.

“H-hey,” Aizou rushed towards Yujiro, hand outstretched and ready to grab his arm. However, he stopped halfway when he saw Yujiro’s serious expression.

“Tell me. What was the difference between today’s performance and yesterday’s?” Yujiro stared at Okido.

Okido was silent for a moment. “You don’t know?” His tone wasn’t angry or scolding. He sounded calm.

Yujiro’s eyes lowered, and he shook his head. “No, I don’t know. I played the same role and I didn’t change anything.”

“Well...until now, you were the only one on stage. But now, you have your partner by your side. That’s how it is.”

Hearing Okido’s words, Yujiro slowly raised his head.

“Your peformance today wasn’t bad. Both of you,” Okido glanced at Aizou, who was standing by Yujiro now. “That’s just the way it is.” He walked away, and a staff member rushed after him.

“...I’m not buying that,” Yujiro muttered.

(Well, the director’s rage at the time was unreasonable...)

Half of him knew that they were just being stubborn, but the other half knew that Okido was also right.

“I guess he was right. You just needed your partner who you respected with you,” Aizou grinned at Yujiro jokingly while Yujiro glared at him in dissatisfaction.

“What are you talking about...it’s not like I respect you! Jeez. What’s the big deal? You’re just a daikon.”

“Don’t call me a daikon!”

“You said it yourself. You said that your acting isn’t that good.”

“That was before! I’m progressing and improving everyday! If you think I’m going to stay a daikon forever, you’re sorely mistaken!”

“Haa?! You flubbed your lines three times today, didn’t you?! And then you had to cover it up with some random adlib!”

“That was the arrangement! And...well, for my dialogue, I did mess up, but only because...today’s lunch was rice balls with pickled plums instead of tuna mayo...”

“What, you’re blaming your faults on pickled plum rice balls?”

“You were the one who took all of the tuna mayo rice balls! We only had two, so you should have given me one!”

“No! We played rock, paper, scissors twice, and you lost both times!”

“But you’re supposed to be the one who’s willing to give up one thing for your partner! Don’t pull my leg and say I’m inadequate for you!”

At that moment, Yujiro stepped on Aizou’s shoe with his heel. “I’m not giving my tuna mayo to you!” He huffed out, turning to face away from Aizou.

“What are you talking about...you’ve never given me anything..!”

(You really aren’t cute at all!!)

🎤

“Stop! Aizou-kun, can’t you expand your voice a little more?” He was interrupted in the middle of the song.

“Eh, ah, yeah..!” Aizou stammered quickly.

After the singing and dancing lessons, Aizou was told by Ikezaki to stay and receive special instructions. The song that Aizou sang was the one that Yujiro accompanies him to. No matter how many times he sang it, he still did not get an OK.

“I know you can sing well, but...this is mediocre. You can do better, can’t you?” The teacher looked completely troubled as she ran her hand over her chin.

Aizou himself felt that his voice was not developing. It may be that the songs were difficult to play, and it was hard to get the right notes. Moreover, everything was different from the way he usually sings at recordings and live performances, from the way he sings to the way he puts emotion into his voice.

Because he couldn’t find the right way to sing, he was consistently shaky and unsteady. He was aware of this, even without the teacher's advice.

Ikezaki looked at her watch. “Alright, that’s all for today,” she said. Aizou frowned.

He really didn’t think he’d catch on very easily.

_

Yujiro had to work on a photoshoot, so their manager came to pick him up as soon as the practice was over. When he went outside, it was raining as predicted.

Aizou opened his plastic umbrella and walked out into the night. His performance was much better because of Okido's enthusiastic guidance. He was a strict man, but as expected, he had trained several famous stage actors.

He did not yell at them as he used to do, and if they did not understand something, he would come forward and show them how to act it out.

Thanks to him, Aizou knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it. Under his guidance, all of the actors' movements visibly improved. This must be Okido's true power as a director. He could see why the president thinks he is a talented person.

Indeed, this director was an extraordinary talent. His anger must be due to his overflowing passion. That's how he understood it. As for Yujiro, he was still more strict with him than the other actors.

This was not because he was angry at Yujiro, like he was in the beginning, but because he recognized Yujiro's acting ability and was trying to raise it even higher than it was now.

Maybe because Yujiro knew this, he listened intently to the director, who instructed him with large gestures.

The staff and other actors also began to talk to him more often. The atmosphere in the rehearsals had improved, and it must have been much easier to perform than before.

(I think I can handle the acting part...)

Aizou let out a sigh as he walked along the riverside path. A drop of water fell from his umbrella and soaked his shoulder. A car with its headlights on drove quietly past.

The most problematic thing right now was the song. And that was not going to be easy to solve.

(I have to do something about that...)

Everyone's enthusiasm for the stage was growing by the day. The information had been released and ticket sales have already begun, so there was no backing out.

According to the president, the advance reservations were already sold out for all days. That was why the fans had such high expectations for the show. The same was true for the office and everyone else involved.

Aizou had no choice but to go on stage with determination, and since he was going on stage, he couldn’t let them down with a disappointing song.

When he was in elementary school, he, surprisingly, won a singing contest.

If only he had continued singing then...

If he hadn’t stopped being able to sing...

He couldn't help but regret now that he had been away from singing for so long. There could have been many reasons for his previous lack of ablity.

His parents' affair and divorce, his mother, his brother.

He could speak, but when he tried to sing, he lost his voice. When he went to the hospital for tests, there was nothing wrong with him and they said it was probably due to stress.

He didn't really understand it at the time, and he thought it was because he had asked god to not be able to sing anymore.

After he started playing his father's guitar, he was able to sing again, but he didn't want anyone to hear him sing like before. There was no one who would listen to him.

He would just hum along while practicing on the guitar. Even if he had sung in a choir with his classmates in middle school, his voice would have been barely audible.

It was the best he could do back then. But the time he spent being idle was something that he couldn't help but feel regretful about. If he had used that time more carefully, he would have become a different person than he was now.

The reason he felt this way now was because he had far too little time for the things he needed to do. He wished he had more time.

People around him won't wait for him to grow up.

(It’s easier said than done though. There’s nothing I can do...)

As Aizou thought to himself, he heard a voice call out to him.

“You look distressed.”

He looked up, only to see Iv, the leader of Ft4, leaning against the railing of a bridge with his umbrella over his shoulder.

“Iv..? Why are you here?”

“I’m on my way home from the office.” He seemed to be alone, as the other members were nowhere to be seen. Though, since he was the manager, he probably had a meeting or something alone.

“Yui’s been worried about you. He keeps saying, ‘Aizou’s been in bad shape and keeps turning down my invites for ramen!’ ...so, what’s going on?”

Instead of answering, Aizou laughed awkwardly.

He didn’t think he was in bad shape, but when he turned down Yui’s invitation, complaining in his reasoning of “my singing isn't in good shape.”

(Iv could probably...no, I can’t ask him to do that...)

He knew Iv was busy, there was no way he could ask him to make time to help him with his singing.

“...Aizou, do you have a moment, right now?” Iv asked.

“Eh?” Aizou glanced up at him.

“Well, you look like you want to talk to me about something,” Iv laughed.

Aizou pressed his lips tightly together and looked down. It was true, he did need him right now, but still. He looked up at him with a serious expression.

“Then please take care of me!”

💮

After exiting a taxi through a narrow road under an overpass, Iv urged Aizou to walk with him. They passed through, and Aizou saw a concrete exterior building with a parking lot. Across the road had a fenced-in railroad track where trains pass by, cutting through the rain.

(Is that a music venue..?)

Aizou looked at the neon sign at the entrance. The front lights were off, as though it were closed.

Iv unlocked the door and walked in without hesitation. When Aizou entered next, the lights snapped on. The ceiling of the spacious floor was covered with pipes running vertically and horizontally, and a number of lights were attached to the ceiling. In front of them was a stage, but the equipment had been put away and only a microphone stand remained in the corner. On a desk at the edge of the stage was a laptop, a keyboard, and a controller used by the DJ, with a bunch of sheet music and files scattered around it. On top of that, headphones were placed there like weights.

“Woah...amazing...” Aizou muttered without thinking.

Iv grinned at him when he heard him.

“You rent this place, Iv?”

“I'm just using it until the next taker comes along. But it's not bad, right? I like it because I can concentrate on my work. I have everything I need here.”

(So this is Iv’s hideout...)

He supposed this was the place where he grounded himself and cleared his head, like the music store practice room was for Aizou.

“Well, let’s get started.”

Aizou, who’d been staring at the ground, whipped his head around to look back at Iv.

“R-Right!” He said.

“What song are you working on right now?”

“I’m supposed to sing this, with Yujiro accompanying me on the organ, but I can’t seem to sing it at all,” Aizou gave him the sheet music. Iv looked it over and suddenly laughed.

“Don’t laugh, that’s mean...”

“Aizou.”

“Eh?” Aizou glanced at Iv as he skimmed the music.

“You got a lot of guts to sing this with only the organ as your accompaniment. But...” Iv put a hand to his chin. “I think it suits you.”

After a light vocal practice, Aizou stood in the middle of the stage, and Iv moved to the very back of the empty floor, turned toward the stage, and leaned against the railing of the audience partition.

“Um, Iv! Are you sure I don’t need a microphone?” Aizou asked, baffled.

All he had in his hand was the sheet music. And Iv was in a position that showed he was listening, which probably meant that he won’t be accompanied by a keyboard this time.

“This is fine. Just sing like you’re trying to deliver your voice to me!”

The two were shouting, and if they spoke any quieter it would be a struggle to hear from the distance. It wouldn’t be easy to deliver his singing voice to him from that far away- and besides, this was the song he was struggling with.

(Even the teacher said my voice doesn’t develop...)

Nevertheless, he had to try.

He lowered his hand that held the sheet music and looked up.

Iv was the only one listening on the large floor.

Aizou took a deep breath and began to sing.

#shibasaki aizou #someya yuujirou #iv ft4 #lipxlip #honeyworks #confession executive committee #heroine tarumono/heroines run the show #EDIT: TRANSLATORS NOTE: ''daikon'' is both a veggie and an insult for bad actors #lisians translations

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Mystery Thriller

Rating: 2 out of 5

Content Warning: Death of a parent, violence, gun violence, on page death, death, murder      

Summary:

Neeve Kearny may be the only person in New York worried about the disappearance of Ethel Lambston. Ethel, a bestselling author famous for her juicy exposés, is one of the best customers at Neeve's exclusive Madison Avenue boutique. But Ethel's ex-husband, her parasitical nephew, and the fashion moguls skewered in her latest article all have reason to be glad she's no longer around.

When Ethel Lambston is found with her throat cut, Neeve's memories of her mother's long-unsolved murder loom up once again. Now as an innocent witness in the Lambston investigation, Neeve is drawn into a new nightmare...a sinister labyrinth of greed and ambition that will lead her into mortal danger...

A stunning tale of murder, glamour and romance, While My Pretty One Sleeps is the most exciting novel yet from Mary Higgins Clark, America's undisputed master of suspense

*Opinions*

Sometimes you just need a mass-market paperback to cleanse your palate. Unfortunately, this is not one of Mary Higgins Clark’s best books and I felt extremely dissatisfied with the mystery, story, and characters. There were also certain things that were added to this novel that had me side-eyeing Clark pretty hard. At the end of the day, it didn’t feel like a mystery or a thriller, but like reading the script of a procedural without all the nuance and emotion that the actors would put into it when they put it on the screen. This is a two-star read and that is more for craft than the fact that I enjoyed my time with this novel. 

While My Pretty One Sleeps focuses on Neeve and Myles Kearny, Neeve owns a fashion boutique that caters to the higher end of town and her father Myles is the retired police commissioner of New York City and recovering from a heart attack. When one of Neeve’s most eccentric clients doesn’t pick up her order, Neeve starts to dig into if something has happened to the journalist Ethel Lambston. As Neeve attempts to confirm whether Ethel has left or if something has happened to her, she also learns that Ethel has learned a huge bombshell about the fashion industry and is about to publish a book about it. Suddenly, there are a number of potential motives for people to want Lambston to disappear.

My biggest issue with this novel is that there was no suspense for the reader. We know that Ethel is dead literally hundreds of pages before anyone else, besides the killer, does. While Neeve has a bad feeling about Ethel’s disappearance, she keeps getting talked out of it by her father, and everyone else she shares her fears. If the reader also didn’t know that she was dead, it wouldn’t have been so frustrating, but the “oh she’s probably just left” for that long is just grating. None of these characters are super likable or even that you are worried about what will happen to them. The Red Herring was so obvious that it was obviously not them, but we stayed with them for so long in this story. I also don’t think that there were enough clues to point to the actual killer, which makes the payoff seem pretty cheap.

Some more fine details that pulled me out of the story. The number of times that Neeve’s skin was described as “milk-white” started to veer into more than just a descriptor. Then there are all these individuals who wear super high-end clothes making extremely derogatory comments about the homeless in New York City. Then there was the anti-union sentiment that was always attached to the “bad” guys in the novel, but it is never challenged on the page. That, pared with the fact that the fact is made that both Neeve and Ethel vote Republican in a none political thriller was out of place and honestly, made me have a lot of questions about Clark. Don’t even get me started on the fact that the grand love story in this novel, the two of them met while one was fighting in World War II and the other was a TEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD. I will be here all day. The instant love between Jack and Neeve was so flat and they had no chemistry. An even smaller complaint, Neeve called her father by his first name. I don’t know a single adult who does that. 

Overall, it was an easy and quick read, but not very enjoyable for me. I have liked a number of other works by Clark, which made this even more disappointing. A two star read and better luck next time. 

*Content Warnings*

Death of a parent, violence, gun violence, on page death, death, murder

#While my pretty one sleeps #mary higgins clark #booklr #book review #2 out of 5 stars

[bookloveravenue]

The Loyal Boys (book 2): Bad Boy by Charli Meadows

Linc

This small town is stifling, and my parents are overbearing. They only care about how others perceive us and sustaining the family legacy. I’m drowning from the pressure they’ve placed on me to be the perfect son, have perfect grades, and wear perfect, preppy clothes. No parties, no friends, no trouble, and certainly no fun.

But everything changes when chaos storms into town in the form of Remington Michaels. The mysterious and dangerous new kid everyone is whispering about. They say he killed someone at his old school. That he’s a brutal fighter. But I don’t believe it. Not with the way he’s always there—protecting me, watching me, touching me.

I have no idea what’s brewing between us, but I’m helpless to stop it when we find ourselves sharing a cabin and becoming friends with benefitsall in the first week. You see, he really is a bad boy. But maybe, just maybe, I could be good for him.

Remi

After getting arrested and expelled from my old school in Detroit, Mom had no choice but to move us back to her hometown. Somewhere I’ve never even been. And we’re staying with my eccentric grandpa, whom I’ve never even met.

This new neighborhood—this new school—isn’t what I expected for a place tucked deep in the mountains of North Carolina. The elitism, the bullies, the social structures—I want no part of it. But then I meet the shy, stumbling Lincoln Anderson. He ignites something inside of me, and I’m drawn to him—his goodness, his quiet resolution. I can’t leave him alone. Won’t leave him alone. Even when an unknown threat from my past endangers everything.

I’m no stranger to putting my fists up, and it doesn’t take long to decide that I’ll wreck anyone who steps near Linc. The thing is, he doesn’t want me to. They say I’m a bad boy, but I think maybe I could be good for him.

Bad Boy is a 96,000-word friends-with-benefits-to-lovers gay romance. It is book two in The Loyal Boys Series, a collection of standalone contemporary M/M romances. You can expect opposites attract, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, and steamy first times. This novel is intended for 18+ readers and contains explicit scenes, violence, language, and bullying from outside sources. See Author’s Note for a full list of Content Warnings.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69551468-bad-boy

********

June 15, 2023

My Review: 5/5 Stars

In trouble and arrested again, Remi's mom has had enough. She decides to take him back to her hometown for a fresh start. The same place she ran away when she was sixteen and pregnant. Remi has no idea about the life his mom lived before she left with his terrible drunk father. But after meeting is grandpa and the place his lives, he can't help but feel cheated about the life he could have had. Especially when he meets Lincoln. The boy next door and the boy who captures his heart from the moment they meet. Lincoln has been stuck doing everything his parents want of him. He has no control over his life, and he doesn't really have many friends. He can't just be himself. But that changes when he meets bad boy Remi. Remi who actually cares about him, wants to protect him, and just lets Lincoln be who he wants to be. There is no pretending with Remi. And it doesn't take very long for them to jump right into being something more so soon after they meet. Is it crazy? Maybe. But both know that the spark between them isn't something you can find every day. However, trouble is on the horizon when Remi starts getting threatening texts. Someone from his past is coming after him. His father? Someone he beat in his illegal street fights? Doesn't matter to Remi because no matter how terrified he may of these threats, he has those he loves to protect. And he'll fight whoever in order to keep them safe. Really loved this story! Devoured it immediately. Remi and Lincoln had great chemistry despite being opposites. They just worked and it was easy to see how these two fell for one another so quickly. Definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

#book #books #i love books #my review #book review #the loyal boys #bad boy #charli meadows

[falsebooles123]

Ugh I'm late again - Diary of a Big Ole Gay 02/06/2023

Hey Whores sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I am one tardy ass whore lately, sorry about that.

(me casually forgetting what I'm doing on this app all the time)

so I it the I guess only 6 days since my last review huh I managed to set up a parttime gig with a local eatery so bitch your whores job search is over!!!!

(me when they ask me why I want to work for them)

on that note I have been very lazy this week. Also I have come down with a head cold which is very gross and has left me tired during my screduled "watching a movie because it gives me seratonin" hours.

So I have taken a couple days off this week but I still managed to watch a few, courtesy of Internet Archive. They pages don't always index in the search engine but I was able to 5 (additional) films on there. (for you queer cinema sluts Queen Christina, I was a Male War Bride, Olivia, The Strange ONe, Tea and Sympathy, and Reflections in a Golden Eye.), which is great because I have no budget for this project and that saved me 25 bucks. The only bad news this week is that HBO MAX no longer carries Cat People (1942). SAD

Draculas Daughter (1936) dir. Lambert Hillyer

Draculas Daughter is the sequel to the classic Universal Picture Dracula (1931), (yes I have seen the original), based on a short story excised from the original Bram Stroker Novel. That is that it is only tangentently related to said short story and the whole production rights is due to a lot of really boring behind the scenes drama. You get it its hollywood it has to be tied to some kind of IP.

In this one Dracula has a daughter who doesn't want to be a vamp and is fighting her vampiric origins going to the point of calling up a psychoanaylsist to cure her of her urges. Oh by the way this is protrayed onscreen is her ravising a young damsel with her titties out.

So yeah vampirism in this film is like totally not a metaphor for being a lesbian, HAES PRUDES, (wink).

Supposedly, the queer overtones were toned down in the final project but you still have what is objectable a pretty queer character and even the marketing plays into it, (she gives you that weird feeling).

Now this film while interesting is rather slow so this is definetly only for the serious lesbian vampire lover, for those more casual into the scene may I recommend its unofficial remake, Nadja (1994). Oh which we must always stan and simp for.

Queen Christina (1933) dir. Rouben Mamoulian

Queen Christina is a historical drama based on the biography of Queen Christina of Sweedan. so lets talk about her for a sec.

Chrisitina of Swedan was a monarch from 1626 - 1689, in which she abdicated her throne for a variety of reasons, including the fact that she had converted to catholicism. She was raised, "as a boy", in the sense that her father gave her a education and allow her to persue masculine persuits. She was well known for dressing in a masculine fashion which rose to rumors that she was either a lesbian or intersex. Oh wait theres a great quote for this.

 According to Veronica Buckley, Christina was a "dabbler" who was "painted a lesbian, a prostitute, a hermaphrodite, and an atheist" by her contemporaries, though "in that tumultuous age, it is hard to determine which was the most damning label".

The rumors of her being intersex seems to be unsubstantiated and it should be noted that when you look at a lot of historical gender varient people theres a lot of push to find a biological essentialist view on why. Famous Trans people like Lily Elbe and Christina Jorgensine had intersex qualities so people try to find out if some random butch dyke from the 17th century had overian cysts because thats clearly the only reason why a woman would like to wear pants.

However there is a lot stronger evidence that she liked to eat that kitty. Pictured above is a fictional version of Ebba Sparre who she has a sort of Rosalind relationship with. Its intimate but like they totally just friends. In real life its very likely that they were lesbain lovers.

The actually film itself keeps the butch elements of Queen Christina life but gives both of these women a nice little heterosexual romance. I feel that the strength of the film comes from Greta Garbos performance, she was a WLW and she has this type of Glamour.

Like Dietrich she plays this sexual vivacious almost femme tops. Its very bisexual, very commanding, and there is something just scruptious of all these butch dykes in 30s films. They were like we want woman wearing pants, we want mommy to step on us.

What I'm saying is that Cate Blanchette in Nightmare Alley is historcial accurate.

Orpheus (1950) dir. Jean Cocteau

This is the second film in the Ophic Trilogy by Jean Cocteau. The whole thing is a bunch of abstract experimental films playing around with these notions of the artist and more specifically the myths of Orpheus (duh) and Narcissis, (thats where all the mirror stuff comes in).

There are a lot better and more thourough essays on the topic but essentially the versions he uses are kinda gay Cocteau is super gay and its just him being a little gay having fun and having a blonde twink simp for a butch dommy mommy.

its not the most explicet gay film like Un chant d'amour but as an arthouse film its actually pretty cool. I would recommend you check it out.

Everything Else I Watched

So It turns out not much. I watched the Bowery (1994) by Sara Driver. It was a 10 minute experimental doc that she shot about the Bowery Street in New York. It is very cool and very fun to watch its on Le Cinema Club at the time of writing.

I also watched two random silent comedies that were on my watchlist but I was very drunk when I watched them so I don't remember much.

#diary #firstgaykiss #queen christian #draculas daughter #orpheus 1950 #lesbian vampire #slurs reclaimed

[libertyreads]

Underhyped Books--

These are some of the books on my shelves that I think are under-hyped on the Book-ternet as some people call it. I think a lot of these standalones or series are under represented in the book community online. (Going from top to bottom, left to right.)

1. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes-- Maybe I’m biased because this is one of my favorite authors. I discovered her a year or two ago and have become obsessed. The latest series of hers is going to be an all time favorite for me. Or at least the first one was. This book came out this past fall so I know that’s probably part of the reason for the under representation. But, for the love of all things spooky and puzzle-y, read this damn book.

2. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig-- This is a 12 dancing princesses retelling that has some turns no one expects. It has a gothic/horror/mystery/thriller element in a creepy mansion. What’s not to love? It’s so perfect for the fall. I have seen a couple of people talk about this one, but it’s not getting the love it truly deserves.

3. The One by John Marrs-- I only read this one this past month so maybe I’m the person who’s late to the party here. But I just need people to read this and love it as much as I do. I was literally gasping out loud and saying things like, “No. No, they wouldn’t do that. Oh. My. God. They did that.” Thankfully there is a Netflix adaptation coming out on March 12th.

4. In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund-- This one got me hooked so fast. I blame the 1000 times I watched Clue (1985 with Tim Curry) as a kid. This is a take on Clue that involves a boarding school in an isolated Maine town. It’s probably the fact that this is so easy to read and is probably on the middle end of the YA age range that keeps this from being so popular. But I cannot tell you how much I loved this book when I read it this past fall. It’s the perfect late fall/early winter read.

5. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young-- A YA Viking Fantasy story about two rival tribes. The way it felt like this book dropped you into this world and you didn’t come up for air until the book was over? Amazing. I think I’ve only heard about it in passing which is a damn shame.

6. The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross-- This was one of those books that sat on my shelf for years before I found the time for it and afterward regretted not reading it sooner. This is a YA Fantasy that includes a fallen kingdom that is overtaken and must find the strength to stand up to their oppressors. It’s only a duology so this series was so quick for me to read.

7.  Old Magic by Marianne Curley-- A backlist Fantasy novel from 2000. This is probably the oldest book on this list and so the nostalgia is a big factor here. But this is about a girl going back in time to prevent an evil wizard from putting a curse on her friend’s family bloodline. This does a good job of pulling the reader into the setting as well.

8. Fable by Adrienne Young-- This is a more recent release so I understand that a lot of people may not have gotten around to it yet, but I wish they would. I need someone to talk to about this book. This is a YA Fantasy novel about a girl who gets dropped on a deserted island after her mother is killed in a storm on the sea. Her only goal for the next four years is to find a way off the island and back to her father who is the biggest trader in the Narrows. The setting is great, very pirate-y, and a classic found family trope. As a whole, I just think Adrienne Young is a really underrated writer.

9. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green-- Being a fan of John Green’s has been a bit of a roller coaster ride as he got more and more popular only to plummet as people started picking his work apart. But I think this book is him being truly vulnerable as writer. He suffers from OCD similar to the OCD the main character suffers in this novel. And as someone who has been diagnosed with OCD I found this to be pretty haunting to read. I know that this book isn’t a beloved John Green book and I think that’s a real shame.

10. Written in Red by Anne Bishop-- This series is a bit weird for me since this isn’t my usual genre. This is an Adult Urban Fantasy about a blood seer who runs away from the institution she’s been kept in and finds her way to the local group of mythological creatures who hold a lot of power influence over the local government. There are werewolves, shifters, vampires...etc. who take up a huge section of this city and there are a ton of politics throughout the series. But the thing that I loved the most about it is that every story has a section that is so slice of life before the big action happens and those moments were so warm and cozy. The big action at the end of the novels all work to bring the main characters closer. There’s a romance between the human seer and the alpha werewolf which I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. Also, I read most of this series while I was stuck in bed sick with covid so I think the distraction added another level of fondness from me.

11. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton-- Where. Are. My. YA. Fantasy. People. AT?! Why is no one talking about this series?! This a YA Desert Fantasy with some amazing characters and a rebellion hiding out in the desert from the people in power. Found family tropes. Magic. Mystery. Stop sleeping on this series already! My only real complaint is that I wish I had the original cover because that one is so beautiful.

12. Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody-- I originally got the first book in this series in a subscription box but held off reading it because I hadn’t heard of this series before then. But it’s one of those series that you wish you had read as soon as you had gotten it. This is a YA Fantasy novel set in a fictional town that looks/feels like a combination of 1920s-ish New York and Las Vegas. The Shadow Game series is about a girl going to the big city to find her adoptive mother who’s gone missing while there for work. But she’s spent her whole life learning how to be a proper lady and in the City of Sin anything can happen. The magic system here is so, so well done. It’s something I haven’t seen before or since which is refreshing when the main thing you read is Fantasy.

#the inheritance games #Jennifer Lynn barnes #house of salt and sorrows #erin a craig #erin a. craig #the one #John marrs #in the hall with the knife #Diana peterfreund #Sky in the deep #Adrienne young #the queen's rising #Rebecca ross #old magic #fable #Turtles all the way down #John green #written in red #anne bishop #rebel of the sands #alwyn hamilton #ace of shades #Amanda foody

[raointean]

Half-elven week: Day 5 - Legacy

"Eldarion, come with me." Eldarion looked up from his books. His mother stood in his doorway, beckoning him.

"Where are we going, Mother?" He stood to follow her and grabbed her hand.

"We go to see friend of your father's whose child was recently born. It is my belief that the two of you will grow very close and you shall guide them as they grow." Eldarion looked up at her, confused and annoyed.

"But Mother, I am a prince. Why should I be the one to teach the child? I ought to learn from those above me, not waste my time teaching one so far below me." Arwen raised her eyebrows at him incredulously. How could he be so blind as not to see his own hypocrisy? Nevermind, she would address that another time.

"My father always said to me, 'Care for those smaller than yourself, Arwen. Protect them and teach them and they we be your legacy.' I understood not those words at the time, but they are clear to me now and so I pass them to you. Care for those smaller than yourself, Eldarion." Eldarion sighed and rolled his eyes but followed her anyway.

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

"Ada?"

"Yes Arwen?" Elrond looked up from his book, a novel by an edain author of Rohan, to see his daughter's tiny face peeking and the bushes that obscured him from the rest of the garden.

Arwen clambered up onto the bench to sit beside him. "Why do 'Dan and 'Ro follow me around and coddle me so? I am plenty old enough to wander the house on my own."

Elrond laughed and set his book down. "I think it may have something to do with what I told them. It was a phrase that your... grandfather told me often as a boy."

Arwen looked up at him curiously. "What did he say?" She had missed his hesitation about her grandfather.

"He said 'Care for those smaller than yourself, Elros.' He often got us mixed up, 'Protect the young ones. Guide them well, for they will be your legacy.'" Elrond’s eyes saddened, thinking of his fathers' fates.

"And that is what you said to 'Dan and 'Ro?" He nodded. Arwen thought for a moment. "Can you un-tell them? Please?"

Elrond snorted. And then he laughed. He drew her close to his side and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I will tell them to give you your space, little one."

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

"Maedhros?"

Maedhros looked towards the elfling walking his way. "Which one are you?" They had taken the twins months ago and they had finally stopped trying to escape, understanding the the Fëanorians were their best hope for survival. Maedhros could still not tell them apart however.

"I am Elrond." Maedhros turned back to watch the treeline.

"'Tis late. You should be asleep." Elrond looked down ashamedly.

"I could not sleep. Maglor was teaching us of Doriath this afternoon and it left a question that burns at my heart." Maedhros looked at him and, after a moment, gestured for him to sit beside him on the rock.

"What was your question?"

"Why did you search for my uncles? They were lost in the woods and you knew that they did not hold the silmarill. It could not have been your oath that motivated you."

Maedhros looked down upon the child. That was a lot of large words from such a small being. "I searched for them because they were children. They did not deserve to die."

When Elrond sat in silence, he continued. "My father once told me something a very, very long time ago, before everything. The jewels, the oath, even before we left for Middle Earth. He told me 'Care for those younger than yourself, Maitimo.' For that was my name then. Guide them, show them the way for, if nothing else, they will be your legacy.' That is why I tried to save your uncles, and why we took you in. Our legacies are fire and blood and death but, perhaps through the two of you, we may atone for some of what we have done."

Elrond blinked... and blinked again. That was not the answer he had expected. It was much deeper and more complex than he had thought. Maedhros took notice and sent him back to bed.

As he gazed back into the treeline, he could not help but think of his father. All of this had happened because Fëanor could not be satisfied. He had seven sons that he had cared for and taught, but he had not accepted that as his legacy. He wanted more.

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

"Maitimo, come and see. Your brother has been born!" Maitimo bounded over. Only twenty years old and he was already a big brother!

Fëanáro directed him to sit in a nearby chair and hold his arms like so. Then, he gently set the sleeping babe in his arms. Maitimo wondered at how tiny the child was, his fingers spindley, his nose just a dot, his ears like the shells of a small snail.

"What is his name Atto?"

Fëanáro looked down on the two of them, tears welling in his eyes and love in his heart. "Makalaurë, his name is Makalaurë."

Maitimo looked down at his young brother and suddenly felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. How was he to be a big brother to this tiny, delicate creature? He feared he would crush him by accident.

Fëanáro noticed his son's breathing speed up. "What is it my son? What is wrong?"

Maitimo choked out a sob. "I don't know how to be a big brother. I will break him, I know it!"

Fëanáro chuckled as he took the baby back into his arms. "You will not break him. Soon he will grow and be strong enough to play with you. From there, your job will come naturally to you I think."

Maitimo looked at him, lip trembling and eyes still filling with tears. "But what is my job?"

"Your job comes down to a saying that my atto once told me. 'Care for those younger than yourself. Teach them, guide them, protect them. If your life amounts to nothing else, they will be your legacy.' To put it more simply, teach him what you know. If you can do that, you will be great among elder brothers."

Maitimo smiled and reached his arms out for the baby. Fëanáro set Makalaurë in his arms once again. Maitimo was no longer afraid of crushing him.

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

"Fëanáro? Come here a moment." Fëanaró rolled his eyes. Ever since his father had married that... woman, he had been trying to get them to bond. Now Indis had gone and reproduced, which meant that Fëanáro would have to "bond" with the whelp as well. Ugh.

"Yes father?" He got up and walked into the room where his father was holding the child.

"Come, meet your brother. I have named him Ñolofinwë." He gave his father a nonplussed look and bent over to look at the beastly creature.

"Greetings, son of my father. Just know, I care nothing for you. Goodbye." He straightened and made to walk away, but Finwë called him back.

"Fëanáro, sit down! You are going to hold your brother so that he may become familiar with you." Fëanáro rolled his eyes again and stomped to a chair and slumped into it, arms crossed.

"It is only half my brother." He muttered under his breath. Finwë rose and passed the baby to him.

He held him a moment and asked his father, "And why am I to care about this?"

Finwë sighed. He would never stop trying to make peace within his family, but he knew already that it was unlikely to ever come to fruition. "You should always care for those younger than yourself Fëanáro. They will be your legacy. Whatever you teach them, wherever you guide them, they will remember. You will always be a part of them."

Fëanáro looked down upon his brother in disdain. Perhaps he could teach it to be like him. Perhaps it would become his loyal servant forever. Perhaps having a brother wouldn't be so bad.

#halfelvenweek #eldarion #arwen #elrond #elladan #elrohir #maedhros #feanor #maglor #finwë #legacy #definitely was not thinking about hamilton while writing this #Fëanor didn’t take his own advice #Fëanor was an angsty teenager

[beforeoursunsets]

Hi!! can I request something with 2 and 5 from the romance situation prompt list? maybe Draco has a crush on this muggleborn ravenclaw and one day he goes to a muggleborn bookstore with her cause she loves to read and accidentally admits he's in love with her? thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

The Cover Cove - Draco Malfoy

word count: 1.5k

house: ravenclaw

blood status: muggleborn

warnings: none? i cant remember if i cussed at all lol

tropes used: @ineffablegame

#2: i’m seeing you do something you love and the sheer joy you exhibit without even knowing, and it is so endearing, but I can’t look away because you’re so in your element.

#5: I slip up in a moment of distraction and call you the nickname i mentally ascribed to you, and after an awkward moment, you tell me you actually like it.

a/n: uh this may be the last time i post an actual fic this week (unless i find the time) bc my spring break ends next week and school takes up the majority of my time/energy

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“The Draco Malfoy has a crush on a muggleborn.”

Theo and Blaise could have never foreseen this day. So of course, as they do, the pair continued to laugh at Draco’s expense.

“You know, Malfoy, it’s bad enough she’s not pureblooded--” Blaise began.

“I’ve told you, that doesn’t matter anymore.”

“--but the fact that you’re still too chickenshit to go ask her out? Absolute insanity.” He finished, eliciting another laugh from the boy to his left.

Draco sent them both warning glares, stopping to redirect his focus back to you. From across the courtyard he watched as you spoke animatedly among a few other Ravenclaw girls, admiring the sun reflecting through your hair and illuminating your cheeks.

It was truly the most breathtaking sight. Too bad his Slytherins friends were--well--Slytherins.

“For bloody sake just do it, Malfoy!” This time, when Theo took his turn to pipe up, his volume control was far less than ideal. Many eyes were now on their group of three, nosy Hogwarts students never failing to miss a beat.

Draco was pulled out of his short trance, “I should kill you both.” He muttered.

“Well?”

“She’s waiting…” Blaise chimed in, singing his words.

“Honestly, screw you both.” As Draco finally walked towards you, the two boys blew him kisses. He couldn’t see them, but he knew, he always knew.

The courtyard was suspiciously quiet the moment of his approach, however, it was quickly solved by a quick order from Theo, “For Merlin’s sake, mind your business!” He circled his fingers upward, motioning for the lurking students to turn around and go back to their previous affairs.

Looking up at him, you fought a smile, recognizing all this fuss had been over you. Soon after, your friends quietly dispersed, giving you small nudges and suggestive smiles as they left.

“Hey, Draco.”

“Y/N.”

Awkward silence ensued, Draco mentally reprimanding himself for not rehearsing in advance.

“Is there something wrong?” You asked, furrowing your eyebrows.

“No, no! Nothing’s wrong,” He clarified, clearing his throat, “I only wanted to ask if, maybe, you’d like to go out sometime?”

“Like on a date,” You clarified.

“Yes, like a date.” Draco responded, stuffing his hands into his pockets only to hide their apparent shakiness. He watched your eyes as you deliberated an answer which, thankfully, only took a few seconds.

“I would love to go out with you--” Relieved as ever, the blond let out a breath, proud to have asked the question.

“--on one condition.” You finished, yet again spiking his nerves.

“Which is?” He asked out of pure curiosity, hoping it was nothing serious.

“We aren’t going to Hogsmeade--I get to choose.” Stating your ultimatum with finality, you closed the book laying beside you and tucked it back into your bag.

Standing up, you placed a hand on his shoulder, “Deal?”

Without hesitation, Draco replied with a chuckle, “Deal.”

---

“The Cover Cove.” He read aloud, “You brought me to a muggle bookstore?”

You rolled your eyes, “No questions, just come on.” He followed you into the building, the chiming of the door filling you with utmost nostalgia.

“You’re joking.” A man, appearing to be in his mid twenties, approached both of you. Draco noticed the widening of your grin, his confusion deepening.

You laughed, pulling the man in for a hug, “William! It’s so good to see you.”

“Dad!” He hollered, “Y/N is here!”

After a few seconds of rummaging, the sound of a few books knocking against the tile floors met your ears. Only a moment later, an older man appeared down the main isle, taking off his reading glasses to look at first Draco, then you.

“Bloody hell, get over here girl!”

Draco watched the interaction intently, his heart fluttering at the mere sight of the change in your demeanor. At Hogwarts, you were bold, intelligent, and often kept to your small group of friends. But the moment he walked you through those doors, he could see the change happen instantaneously.

“Cyrus, William, this is Draco Malfoy.” Caught off guard by the sudden introduction, he stepped forward, attempting to shake Cyrus’ hand.

To his astonishment, the greying man pulled him in as well, patting him on the back. You tried not to giggle at his uncomfortable expression, pulling Draco by the wrist away from the bookstore’s owner.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” He added politely, moving over to stand by your side.

“It has been a most wonderful surprise,” Cyrus returned, then looking over to you, “You must come back later to catch up, you hear me, miss?”

“I promise.” Parting ways with the two men, you led Draco deeper into the bookstore. “Sorry about them, they’re family friends.”

“They seem,” He paused, “friendly.”

You shook your head, amused, “Come on, I want to find you a novel.”

---

You and Draco spent well over an hour sorting through historical novels, none of which catching his eye. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to read, or that he had a vendetta against muggle books, but it was simply because he spent too much time staring at you that he couldn’t focus on the synopses you read aloud.

“--are you even listening?”

“Sorry, absence seizure.” Draco lied, knowing you’d never fall for it.

You looked back at him, unamused. “Fine, maybe history isn’t your thing. Let’s try this section, yeah?”

He nodded back to you, following behind as you took him all the way across the store.

You browsed through the shelf, spotting a book way above arms reach. “Watch for Cyrus.”

“Huh--”

Once you attempted to climb the bookshelf, something you’ve been reprimanded for countless times as a child, Draco was quick to stop you.

“--woah woah, what are you doing?” He pulled you back to the ground by your waist, earning himself a concerned glare.

“Getting a book..” You replied incredulously, stating the obvious.

“Why don’t you just use your wand?” Draco asked.

“Have you forgotten that this is a muggle bookstore?” You whispered, watching for anyone else nearby.

Draco sighed, “You’re right, but that’s dangerous,”

“--you sound like Cyrus--”

“Just tell me which book you want.” He offered in reply, ignoring that last comment.

Giving him the name, he pulled it down from its spot with ease. “Show off,” You grumbled.

“It’s just genetics, pumpkin.” Draco shrugged, saying the nickname with such ease he failed to stop himself.

“Pumpkin?” You repeated.

His pale cheeks went ablaze, realizing he had slipped. Fighting embarrassment, he looked back at the shelf until you nudged his side.

“I think it's sweet, honest.” You assured.

To ease the atmosphere, you redirected the conversation back to the book. “Go on, check it out.” You told him.

Draco inspected the hardcover novel you had selected for him, quickly glancing at the back to read its excerpt. “A romance novel?” He asked, looking down at you with a smirk.

“Yes.” You quipped, plucking it from his hands, “I really think you’d like this one.”

“Draco Malfoy doesn’t read romance.”

“..and Y/N L/N recommends you don’t speak in third person.” You teased.

Putting the novel back into his hands, you tried to ignore the slight brush of your hands as they met. “Of course you don’t read romance, most teenage boys think they’re above it. The superiority complex runs strong among the lot of you.”

“Hey!” He defended, “I’m not above it, I just think I’ve had enough romance in my life.”

Almost taken aback, you responded, “Oh. I’ve never heard that one before.”

Setting the book down into the basket at his feet, he muttered something you almost didn’t pick up.

“I think being madly in love with you is quite enough romance for me..” He trailed off, his words barely audible.Your eyes widened the second they left his mouth.

“I heard that.”

Draco was like a deer caught in your headlights.

“No you didn’t.” He stated, his nervousness so painfully evident.

Crossing your arms, you stepped forward a few inches. “You like me.” Smiling, you continued, “Actually, no, you love me.”

By now he was as red as the paperback resting on the shelf just below his ear. You could sense an oncoming ramble as Draco was known to get defensive, especially around you. Professor Snape could easily vouch, after all, the two of you always bickered while brewing potions together.

“You must be imagining things, I have no id--” He began. The only difference being this time his shaky hands were right out in the open for you to hold. Gently, you entwined them with yours just before pressing the softest kiss upon his lips, effectively silencing the babbling boy.

“I love you too.”

Before he could react, a loud thud paired with a pitchy squeal caught you both by surprise. The shaking shelf made you narrow your eyes, removing a hand from Draco’s as a result.

You used it to pull out the red paperback, glaring at William and Cryus as they eavesdropped from the other side.

“Really.” You deadpanned.

They ran around the other side, quick to envelop you and Draco in a large and warm, yet still uncomfortable, hug.

The father and his son held him by the shoulders, so elated one would think they had just won the lottery. “Welcome to the family, Draco.”

taglist: @gwlvr @thatsassyhufflepuff @dracoswhore007

#draco x ravenclaw!reader #draco malfoy #draco x y/n #draco fic #draco fuckingmalfoy #draco lucius malfoy #draco x reader #draco x female reader #draco x fem!reader #draco malfoy fic #draco x you #draco malfoy x female reader #draco malfoy x ravenclaw!reader #ravenclaw reader #draco imagine #draco fluff #draco x reader fluff #draco x y/n fluff #soft draco #draco ff #draco fanfiction